Six Broken Ponies: Temptation
~BlackRoseRaven
The white unicorn gazed quietly over her shoulder, watching as Pinkie Pie saw Twilight out, and then she shook her head after a moment and murmured softly: "Poor girl. Both of them, really… I wonder if the others noticed just how run-down Twilight's beginning to look… but then again, I suppose the others don't see that look as often as I used to in the mirror, putting on a good face even while running around trying to collect debts and sell my dresses…"
She shook her head slowly, laughing faintly to herself before turning around and glancing down into the open register quietly, staring at the money that seemed to stare back up at her… and she wondered silently how much it would cost to fix Pinkie Pie. What it would cost to buy Rainbow Dash a permanent male form… or at least Twilight the tools necessary to ensure its permanency?
Rarity sighed a little, lowering her head as she silently shoved the register's drawer closed, murmuring: "Everything functions around money… money, money, money… food and bills and housing and taxes. And so many other expenses on top of all that…" She stopped, shaking her head slowly, making her corkscrewed mane sway quietly. "'Tis amazing, though… for all my valuing and appreciation of it I'm absolutely awful with it, and most ponies care not for the dollar, dime and nickel and yet they don't face nearly the same financial woes that I do…"
Almost absently, Rarity flicked her head to the side, and several small paper bags lifted themselves out from a pile beneath the counter, assembling in a neat row before the unicorn glanced over her shoulder towards a large shelf that was filled with trays of different baked goods and candies. Several muffins, candy canes, and cookies floated out of the trays that were neatly arranged upon these, and they dropped themselves quietly into the bags, Rarity smiling a little as she murmured: "At least I can be a little creative here still."
The tops of the bags neatly shut themselves, and Rarity looked thoughtfully at these before Pinkie Pie walked out of the back of the shop, quietly pouring the cookies into one of the trays of shelving. Rarity turned to her, but didn't speak as the earth pony quietly went about her business… then finally glanced up with a small smile to the ivory unicorn, saying finally: "I'm okay, Rarity, really. But… that's not all that's bothering you, is it?"
"Oh, Pinkie Pie, that's not important." the unicorn replied abashedly, looking embarrassed… and when the equine only continued to look at her inquisitively, she finally sighed and nodded a little, saying finally: "It's only foolish thoughts, Pinkie… thinking too much about money, and letting too many wicked thoughts chase themselves around inside my head. I far from wish to compare our situations after all; on the contrary, I know yours is much worse. In fact, the pains all the others suffer are much worse than my own… especially after this morning, when Twilight helped me pay off all my lingering debts."
"But you still feel like you owe people, huh?" Pinkie smiled a little, then she glanced at the paper bags, tilting her head curiously and asking: "What are these?"
"Oh, these? I figured I'd merely put together a few grab-bags for the children… you know, we can sell them little bundles to take with them at a small discount." Rarity said almost absently, glancing towards them… and then she frowned a bit when Pinkie Pie smiled a little, her eyes soft and a bit more perk coming back into her stance. "What?"
"That's a real nice thought Rarity. See, you say you have no business sense, but I think you just get stuck sometimes when you think too much with this." Pinkie Pie reached up and gently poked her forehead, before she lowered her hoof and touched her chest quietly. "Instead of just going with what your heart tells you. You have good instincts, you know. You're a real good pony inside… you just got too used to thinking like one of those fancy ponies, and in fancy pony terms when everyone here thinks in Ponyville terms."
Rarity blushed and mumbled a little at this, glancing down… and then she glanced up with a surprised look when Pinkie Pie hugged her firmly and said quietly: "I can hold down the shop by myself, Rarity. But why don't you go ahead and head back to your boutique? Maybe you feel so bad because you paid off all your debts today… but you still feel like you owe someone something."
"Pinkie…" The unicorn stopped, looking at her for a few moments as the earth pony drew back and smiled warmly with a bright look on her face… and then Rarity swallowed before she nodded firmly, saying softly: "You're exactly right. You're exactly right, Pinkie Pie, perhaps that really is what is bothering me… but… but I don't want to leave you here, all alone, after what happened…"
She looked at her with sympathy, and Pinkie blushed, looking absurdly touched as she scraped a hoof against the floor before she smiled warmly, saying quietly: "I won't be all alone, Rarity. I'll always have my friends to turn to if something happens, I know that now… and it's comforting enough to keep things at bay. Besides, when… these episodes, like Twilight called them, happen… they're usually there and then gone, and for a little while… I'm safe. Like Pinkamena's used up all her strength…"
"Why… do you call her Pinkamena, Pinkie? I… I don't mean to pry but… I must admit that I am curious, although perchance in a dangerous fashion." Rarity asked quietly, looking across at the fellow pony, and Pinkie hesitated a bit before the unicorn smiled. "My apologies. It's simply that… before, you were barely speaking of her. And now… you speak her name, fearlessly, to us…"
"Fearlessly…" Pinkie frowned thoughtfully at this, looking down… and then she nodded firmly and glanced up, blushing a bit as she blurted: "It's because of the rock farm… because when I used to be Pinkamena, I was… a bully."
Rarity stared at Pinkie at this, then she blinked slowly before saying finally: "You? A bully, Pinkie Pie? Why, you're the nicest pony in Ponyville!"
"I was never very nice to my sisters, though… I was never very nice to anyone." Pinkie said after a moment, a blush tingeing her cheeks, but looking determined to get the story out anyway as she gazed embarrassedly up at Rarity. "I… would push my sisters down the rock piles we harvested. Or… just push the rocks down on top of them. I even picked on mom and dad and… the cousins and neighbors and… pretty much everyone else. I was a real little brat… I think that was why they were so… so shocked, so willing to play along with me when I started throwing parties.
"Yeah… that… I'm Pinkie Pie, and I guess I kind of locked away Pinkamena Diane Pie." the earth pony nodded after a moment, looking down with a thoughtful frown. "I bet Twilight would like to hear this story, huh? I better remember to tell her… but… I dunno, Rarity, it seemed you needed to hear it more. Because if… I can become this happy nice person from the evil, wicked little brat I used to be… well… who says you can't be what you really want to be either? And I don't mean the 'you' that you thought you wanted to be… I mean the' you' that you really need to be."
She glanced up at her with a smile, and the white unicorn blushed herself now before she reached up and quietly hugged the fellow female, murmuring: "Thank you, Pinkie, for sharing that with me. It means a lot when… well… I suppose I've never felt quite like I fit in too well around here myself."
"Yeah, but none of us fit in properly when you think about it, I think that's why Twilight was able to bring us all together so well." Pinkie replied with a smile, and Rarity looked surprised at this revelation before the pink equine quickly picked up one of the paper bags and thrust it towards the unicorn, Rarity wincing as she automatically caught it as her horn glowed before Pinkie Pie lowered her head and bulled her backwards around the counter, making her squeak. "Now go, go, go on! I'll be fine but you won't be if you keep letting all these thoughts squidge up your head!"
The small but strong pink pony pushed the unicorn almost to the door before she bounced backwards and smiled radiantly at her, and Rarity smiled over her shoulder despite herself, flicking her mane as the bag of cookies and other sugary snacks floated beside her before she said kindly: "Thank you, Pinkie Pie. I'll take your advice then, and… see if you're right."
"Good." Pinkie nodded a few times, and Rarity turned towards the door, opening it with a tilt of her head before she strode through, and the earth pony leaned in the doorway and called after her: "Remember, Rarity, take care of yourself!"
Rarity laughed a bit and glanced over her shoulder even as the door closed, and then she turned her attention back ahead as she strode through town towards the boutique, the little paper bag floating beside her as she glanced at this with amusement before shaking her head slowly and murmuring quietly: "Oh Pinkie. You see such good in people… and as much as I am supposed to be generous, you see to be a thousand times more so than I ever could be."
She shook her head slowly, the paper bag opening and a cookie floating out, and Rarity couldn't help but smile before she took a thoughtful bite out of this as she walked along, chewing slowly. Proper ladies weren't supposed to eat such snack foods – in fact, they weren't supposed to eat much at all, really – but she thought that if she was going to give up on her dreams, she might as well give up on all her proper ways, too.
She sighed a little to herself, chewing slowly and thoughtfully… but the food was admittedly good, at least. "If this is the taste of defeat, perhaps my crushing failure isn't such an awful thing after all…"
"Are you okay, Rarity?" asked a gentle, hesitant voice, and Rarity glanced up with surprise to see Fluttershy standing nearby, pulling a small cart… and tugging a little red wagon along was Spike, the purple-scaled dragon glancing up at her with a bright smile and a shy wave of one of his nimble foreclaws.
Rarity smiled amusedly down at the little dragon: it was well known to everyone by now the crush the little fellow had on her, after all. He had a large crest of oval-shaped, green head-fins that were almost neon-bright and went from his forehead to the back of his neck, where they met a ridge of the same color that ran down his back to the tip of his tail, and radiant, smooth purple scales that covered most of his frame, turning to a lighter, pale olive over his inner body. His eyes were brilliant emerald, and small ear fins the same tint as covered his belly stood out from either side of his head… and these fluttered a little as the little dragon gazed up at her almost reverently, his other hand tightly gripping the handle of the wagon.
"I'm… just fine, it's alright. But my, Fluttershy… it looks indeed as though you two have been rather busy." Rarity looked curiously at the cart and the wagon, which were both filled with books and a small variety of other odds and ends as the shy pony fidgeted a bit on the spot with a small smile. "How much have you moved to the library so far?"
"Oh, this and that and… a few other things. Twilight let me set up a pen for Angel outside, as well, and a few of my other animal friends… but most of them can take care of themselves well enough without my help. I just need to check in every now and then, let them know I'm still around and make sure they're eating properly and everything." Fluttershy said quietly, nodding and smiling a little as Spike looked up with an awkward smile of his own. "I'm very glad that M- I mean, Twilight… is letting me stay with her…"
She blushed deep red, and Rarity studied the pony for a few moments, but then she only smiled a little and said quietly: "I'm very glad for it too then, Fluttershy. I'd like to ask you a question, if you'll entertain me, though…"
Fluttershy looked at her curiously, nodding, and Rarity took a slow breath before she asked finally: "What do you think… money means in this world? To be wealthy… is it a good thing?"
Fluttershy looked down, pawing at the path quietly, silent as she thought… and then she looked up, meeting Rarity's eyes with a quiet shake of her head. "No, I… I don't think it is. Mother had a lot of money… and… well…"
"I understand. Thank you, Fluttershy." Rarity glanced up, realizing she was still suspending the cookie beside her head on one side of her, and the bag of treats in the other… and then she smiled a little, flicking her mane as she gently guided the paper bag through the air to Spike, who caught it and then opened it with a bright smile as he saw what was inside. "Here, Spike. Since I see as always you're working hard to help us all out. Besides, I've had my treat for the day… and 'tis much better to share than it is to greedily hoard all to one's self."
"Yes… that's where real happiness comes from, I think." Fluttershy said quietly, and Rarity glanced up in surprise, half-stumbling as the Pegasus blushed deeply and lowered her head, before she shyly added: "I think you have a lot of potential to have… and to share… a lot of happiness with the world, Rarity. You just need to… remember a little more that you do."
Rarity gazed affectionately at Fluttershy, nodding slowly after a moment… and then she smiled at her compassionately before turning to head towards her boutique, head lowered in thought. So much advice… and so many of them sounded naïve, were what the rich crowds of Manehatten and the other big cities would call 'gullible country folk thoughts' and would treat with such contempt… while they lived lives of cheating and backstabbing each other in a glitzy-glam world of lies…
She shook her head with a grimace… then looked up with a frown as she saw the door to her boutique was open. She hurried forwards, muttering to herself and wondering if Snips and Snails had decided to help themselves to the 'shiny rocks' she had… and then she blinked as she shouldered her way through the door and found a tall, handsome male unicorn surveying her dresses with a thoughtful look on his face, small, half-crescent sunglasses perched on his muzzle and expensive – very, very expensive – spider-silk garments covering his body, a cravat puffed out over his chest and small diamonds glittering on the cuffs and collar of his clothing.
Rarity dropped what remained of the cookie floating beside her as she stared at this as the chestnut-coated pony glanced at her, his long blonde mane falling around his head, his tail braided tightly back and dyed red… and he gave her a smile that didn't reach his eyes as he asked calmly: "Rarity, the owner of this boutique, I presume? I let myself in to survey your wares, I hope you don't mind at all."
His tone implied that he would be offended if she was anything but overjoyed… and yet she could only continue to stare, her mouth working a few times before she spluttered: "Y-You're… you're Chic Trendy, from Manehatten! You own the Pony Show Theatre, and the-"
"Yes, and a vast number of other things, you don't have to list my wide array of accomplishments for me." Chic Trendy said easily, polishing one hoof against his chest as he preened himself… and then looked almost disappointed when Rarity didn't continue to tell him about his own achievements anyway, huffing a little before he said mildly: "One of my designers has gone and flown the coop on me at the last moment, and I'm in need of someone else to fill in the empty space and give me some gorgeous dresses for my pretty pony girls…I heard your name and I was hoping we could negotiate a deal. It would be a wonderful opportunity for you, dear… imagine your name up in lights, working beside some of the highest names in the fashion world in Manehatten for three nights, your dresses shown to the glitziest of the glamorous…"
Rarity trembled, beginning to bounce eagerly on the spot as she breathed hard, staring raptly at the male as he smiled charmingly at her, tilting his head towards her before he turned around and ordered in his complacent, easy voice: "I need ten dresses, different, beautiful, better than the tawdry stock you have on display." He paused, flicking irritably at one of the sets of clothes that adorned a dress pony, and Rarity winced a bit before she slowly walked forwards, expression fading as she looked quietly at this.
It was a sea-green dress… part of her full-color fashion line that Sweetie Belle had accidentally helped her in creating. And then she glanced sharply towards Chic Trendy, the male standing and studying the garments hanging over the wall opposite of the boutique, his back to her as he said distastefully: "I would prefer to rent the clothing from you, instead of purchasing. Thirty percent."
"Off?" Rarity asked stupidly, and the male laughed as if this was a great joke before Rarity gritted her teeth as he glanced towards another display, this one of hats and fascinators.
"Oh, darling, you're hilarious. No, thirty percent of the original price… for the dresses. Accessories, well… you can throw those in for free. I expect you to provide the full wear for each outfit, after all… and while I am willing to work with what you have, please provide me with something a little less… garish than this." The pony walked forwards, absently flicking a peacock feather plume on a wide-brimmed hat. "I wish for my models to look sexy. Not… what's a nice word for silly?"
He sniffed, glancing back and forth through the boutique… and Rarity ground her teeth together loudly before he glanced over his shoulder at her, seeming to miss the angry expression on the unicorn's face as she said easily: "And of course, since really this is more like me doing you a favor… you'll be glad to wait until after the fashion show and… after the reviews come in, of course, for me to pay you, yes? Magnificent, I-"
"Get out!" Rarity snapped, leaning forwards with a snarl, and the equine staggered backwards with a shocked look as his sunglasses fell askew, the unicorn glaring at him furiously as she shouted: "I have had enough of this absolute nonsense from you and your kind! To be treated like the dirt beneath the hooves of a common farmhand… nay, even Applejack treats the dirt kinder than your lot has treated me! Get out, get out of my shop, and never show your face in here again, you or your… other vultures, I am no carrion for you to prey on, no more will I be a slave to the whims of cretins like yourself, now get out before I throw you out!"
"You can't speak to me that way! I'll… I'll make sure you never work in any major city if you dare raise your voice to me again, now apologize and understand that I am offering you the chance of a lifetime here!" The male unicorn was rapidly trying to navigate towards the door, however, knocking over a dress pony and then almost crashing into a rack as he veered around and hollered: "I'll… I'll destroy you, it only takes me dropping your name to the right people, you'll never work in the big city, never be true fashion designer, never see anything outside of this little dreg of an ugly village…"
"How dare you!" Rarity's horn glowed, and immediately a volley of shoes launched themselves from the rack towards the unicorn, who screeched under the hail of hoof-wear as rubber and leather smacked into him and sent him staggering backwards before he hit the wall… then Rarity snapped her head to the side, and a pair of scissors shot from the counter to bury themselves into the doorframe next to him, the male yelping in terror as Rarity snarled: "Out, I said, out! I'd rather stay here forever than spend one more hour sucking up to the likes of you!"
"You can't do this to me!" he squealed, whiny, pedantic, terrified, and then he ducked under the scissors buried in the wall and dashed for the door, shooting outside as Rarity gave chase with an angry yell, her horn glowing as other objects launched themselves after him out the doorway: a stool, several clothes hangers… and last, a flurry of gemstones she had been meaning to attach to her latest outfit, the large, heavy rubies smacking one-after another into the male and knocking him staggering before the last slammed into the back of his skull and sent him skidding forwards on his face over the dirt path, covering his expensive clothes with dust.
He lay for a moment, stupefied and staring mindlessly down the dirt road, and then Rarity gave a loud huff before she slammed the door of her boutique and turned around… and then the expression, the anger, faded slowly from her face as she stared quietly over the inside of her own beautiful little shop. Well, it was beautiful to her, anyway… but apparently not to the 'real' fashion designers…
She closed her eyes, lowering her head as she walked silently forwards… and then sighed as there was a knock at the door before she looked over her shoulder and flicked her head to the side with a foul look on her face… and then she blinked in surprise at the sight of her little sister, Sweetie Belle. The small unicorn bounced gleefully inside, her silver and purple, tangled mane bouncing around her as she stared up with amazement at her sister, asking eagerly: "Rarity, Rarity, what happened? Wow, you really showed that guy something, what did he do, what did he want?"
Rarity smiled down at her as Sweetie Belle gazed up at her eagerly with her beautiful, shining blue eyes, and then she smiled and leaned down, impulsively nuzzling and hugging her firmly close, and Sweetie Belle let out a sound of confusion and surprise before the taller unicorn stood back and flicked her violet, corkscrewed mane to the side, saying firmly: "It's not important now, Sweetie Belle. What's important is that I do know what matters to me… now, why don't we go back home? To Mom and Dad's, I mean… it's been a long time since I sat down to supper with you three, now hasn't it?"
"Yeah, yeah!" Sweetie Belle said excitedly, bouncing up and down… and then she looked up at her curiously, asking with a frown: "But don't you usually have to work?"
Rarity looked down at her thoughtfully for a moment, and then she smiled softly, saying quietly: "No, Sweetie Belle. Some things are more important than work and money. Tonight I'd much rather prefer to spend it with the family I've admittedly… been a little neglectful of in the past."
Sweetie Belle smiled brightly up at her at this, nodding rapidly, and Rarity smiled softly back, gazing into her sister's happy eyes, and for the first time in a long time, found herself feeling truly content.