Diamond's Dusk Ch. 5 (Part 2)

Manehatten Madness (Part 2)

A yellow carriage pulled to the side of a sidewalk. A yellow Earth stallion wearing a black and white checkered cap turned his head.

“We’re here now, ladies,” he said in his thick Manehatten accent.

“Hey!” a male’s voice objected.

The stallion laughed. “And the gentleman as well,” he joked.

The carriage door opened and Spike and the others stepped out of it. Rarity came out last, using her magic to pull out her mobile clothes rack, which was covered in a purple sheet cover to protect the clothing. She thanked the cab driver, tipped him and watched him go off down the road. She turned to her friends and noticed they were looking up at the building in front of them. Rarity looked up at the building too.

The building wasn’t as tall as their hotel, but it was still eye catching. It was a fairly tall building that was grayish black on the outside. There were no windows to be seen on, but there was a large dome that could barely be seen at the top of the roof. The main entrance had a small curved roof above the large double doors. Two ponies wearing black shirts and sunglasses were standing on each side of the doors. Near the doors were two large searchlights that were turned off.

They then noticed a large sign in the center of the building that was lit up in a bright white light. There was a silhouette of a mare with a bowl haircut and wearing rounded sunglasses was on the left. On the opposite side, after the ampersand logogram, there was a silhouette of a stallion wearing sunglasses and had a large mane that was tied up into a curly ponytail. The group then read what the sign said underneath. Photo and Hoity Fashion Studios: Our designs will always make you feel fabulous!

Rarity couldn’t help but smile widely. “Oh, this is so exciting: to be in the building of my fashion idols! I don’t even know what to say!”

“Uh. . . how about we better move?” wondered Spike. He pointed his finger to a clock tower. “Didn’t Red Ribbon said to be here in an hour?”

Rarity looked up at the clock and noticed it was five minutes to seven. “Oh, my! You’re right, Spikey-Poo!” She pulled the mobile clothes hanger with her magic. “Quickly! Let’s get in before I miss my deadline!”

The group nodded and quickly made their way to the double doors. Spike and Applejack held open the doors while Rarity used her magic to pull the clothes rack in. After they shut the door, the group got a quick look around the fashion studio.

The inside was far more elegant than on the outside. There was a large crystal statue of the P&H logo in the middle of the room, much like the one on the outside. Surrounding the statue was a white marbled floor, but was barely seen due to the numerous ponies running around, talking to each other, or carrying what looked to be fabric. Behind the statue, there was a large reception desk with several ponies handing out paperwork to or typing. To the left, they saw several red doors with a bell noise ringing from some of them, indicating to them\ group they were elevators. On their right, there were several more red doors, but were guarded by some of the black shirt and sunglasses wearing ponies they saw outside.

They looked up and saw a huge circular hole in the ceiling that revealed the second floor and above, with a large chandelier hanging from above and clear domed ceiling letting in the sunlight.

“Darlings!” called out Rarity. “As much as I would love to look around, we simply must get a move on.”

The group broke out of their trance and nodded. They slowly made their way through the crowd of ponies and even avoiding some of them that were in such a rush, they didn’t see them coming. Rainbow and Fluttershy tried to fly above the crowd, but they quickly discovered that they were buzzing with several pegasi flying around as well.

As Rainbow narrowly dodged another pegasus, she let out a frustrated groan. “Ugh! By the time we get to that desk, the fashion show will be over!”

Applejack pushed her way past two ponies. “I kind of wish Twilight was here to teleport us to the desk,” she said. “I feel like I’m tryin’ to push a cart of apples up a steep hill.”

“Almost. . . there,” stated Spike. “I think I can see the desk ahead.”

Much to Spike and his friends’ relief, they did get to the desk and walked up toward it. They approached a pink unicorn mare with curly and messed up yellow hair and was wearing thick red glasses. The mare was seen writing something on paper before levitating it into a bin that said OUT.

“Excuse me,” said Rarity.

The mare looked up. “Oh, dear me, forgive my rudeness,” she said in a Trottingham accent. “There’s so much to do, but so little time. I am File Organizer, one of the secretaries of P&H Studios. What can I do for you, deary?”

“I’m Rarity, a participant for Photo and Hoity’s fashion show competition. I need to know where to go.” The unicorn pulled out a slip of paper from under the cloth of the clothes rack and handed it to the mare.

The mare took it and read it. She nodded and smiled. “Ah, Miss Red Ribbon informed me about your arrival.”

She reached into a drawer and pulled out six laminated pieces of paper, each one with the P&H logo and the words, All Access written on it. “Miss Ribbon wanted me to give these to you. There’s one for each of you.”

As she handed them out, the mare noticed she had one extra. She looked around and quirked an eyebrow. “Wasn’t there supposed to be six of you? Miss Ribbon told me there were six of you? Wasn’t there a purple unicorn in your group?”

“You mean Twilight?” asked Spike. “She had to go see somepony really quick. She’ll be here though.”

“Very well,” said the mare. “I’ll keep it on me until she shows up.” She looked at Rarity. “All competitors are to meet in the auditorium.” She pointed to her left. “It’s right there past the center double doors. Just show the guards your pass and they’ll let you through.”

“Well let’s get going then,” said Applejack. The group began to walk towards the doors.

“Hold it!” ordered Organizer, prompting the group to stop in their tracks. “I’m afraid only fashion designers may go in there. Photo Finish and Hoity Toity themselves will be speaking to the competitors and would appreciate it if nopony distracted them.”

The others looked at each other with indifferent looks.

“Well, I suppose we could go look around here,” offered Spike. “It’s not everyday you’re given all access passes to a fashion studio.”

“I ain’t one for fashion, but you got a point, sugarcube,” Applejack agreed. “We got some time before the show starts, so why not take a look around.”

“The meeting should be over in an hour,” said File. “Just please make sure to stay out of the way of our personell and if you’re told to stay out of an area, even with those passes, then stay away from there.”

“Got it!” Spike and the others said.

Rainbow flew over to Rarity and punched her lightly on the shoulder. “Go get ‘em, Rares!” she encouraged.

“You got this, partner!” said Applejack.

As Rarity rubbed her shoulder, she felt something embrace her. She looked down to see Spike, who smiled at her.

“Um. . . good luck, Rarity,” he nervously said. “Not that you’ll need it, but it’s the thought that counts.”

Rarity chuckled to herself and returned the hug. “Thank you, Spikey. I really mean it.”

Spike blushed a little and tried to hide it. “Anything for you,” he said.

As Spike and Rarity waved goodbye, Applejack quirked an eyebrow.

“What was that about?” asked the farmer.

Rarity just smiled. “Oh, just thanking a good friend of mine,” she replied.

Applejack watched Rarity walk off with her designs and couldn’t help but look at her suspiciously.

---

In the back of P&H Studios, a white stallion was using his magic to levitate a brown long and flat mane wig and putting it on a golden yellow mare. Along with that, she was wearing a black P&H security shirt and sunglasses.

After tossing the can away, the stallion said, “You’re looking quite good, Golden. Or, should I say, Swift Judgement?”

Golden smiled deviously. “The same could be said for you, Prince. . . I mean, Golden Shield.”

Blueblood’s mane had been combed back and dyed to look black instead of his golden-yellow colour. He too was wearing a P&H shirt and sunglasses. His cutie mark, however, was now one of a golden police badge instead of his Compass Rose.

“It’s a shame to see my beautiful mane be ruined like this, but that’s a price to pay to stop a tyrant.”

“Where are the others?” asked Golden.

“They should be finishing changing into their clothes.” Blueblood whispered loudly. “Get a move on! We have little time to work with!”

From a nearby alley, Suri, Heavy Duty, Bit Bags, and Quick Note stepped out, with saddle bags on both Bit and Heavy. Suri’s mane had been dyed to a dark red, almost similar to when she was out on the streets, and had her mane in a tight bun similar to Golden Rule. Just like Blueblood, her cutie mark was changed to look like a baton now. Heavy Duty’s mane was now yellow, but because of his military buzzcut, there was no other changes to his mane. Bit Bags’ mustache had been shaved off and his mane had been turned brown. Quick Note’s mane had been combed back as well and was black as well. However, unlike the others, he wasn’t wearing a P&H shirt.

Blueblood immediately noticed this. “Quick, where’s your shirt?” he inquired.

“It wouldn’t fit me, your highness,” he replied. “In fact, it wouldn’t fit any of us.”

“Is that so?” asked the prince.

“You tell me,” said Heavy Duty. He tossed a black shirt at Blueblood.

The prince caught it and noticed it was probably small enough to fit a child. “What kind of pony would be able to wear a shirt like this?” he wondered.

“Probably somepony skinny enough to slip into a shower’s drain,” replied Heavy.

Blueblood rubbed his chin. “No matter, I believe you can still serve a purpose, Quick. For now, we must go into the building. Bit Bags, did you make your ‘withdrawal’?”

The brown stallion nodded. “I certainly did.” He pulled out of the saddlebag a large brown pouch. “This should be enough for anypony to retire.”

“Excellent. Golden, have you spoken to your friends?”

The mare smirked. “Of course I have,” she answered. “It took some convincing and a little aggressive negotiations, but if things fall apart, we’ll have a safety net to catch us.”

Blueblood nodded. “Good work. Heavy, do you have the stage light?”

“Everything’s ready to go, your highness,” he replied.

“Don’t call me that,” scolded Blueblood. “You are to call me Golden Shield, and Golden is to be called Swift Judgement. I’ve already come up with code names for all of you. Suri, you are to be known as Rule Enforcer. Heavy Duty, you’ll be referred to as Sturdy Shield. Bit Bags, we’ll call you Pennywise. As for you, Quick Note, you’ll be known as Speedy Message.”

Heavy quirked an eyebrow. “Not exactly the most creative names,” he said.

“Well they’ll do for the most part,” said the prince. “After my plan works, we can drop them. Let’s focus now on getting in and moving on to phase two of my plan.”

Blueblood and the others peaked around the corner of the alley and noticed a white stallion wearing one of the P&H shirts was standing watch of a large metal door.

“Good, there’s only one pony there,” said Blueblood. “Pennywise, get the package ready.”

The group trotted up to the door, which caused the white pony to immediately block it and stare at them sternly.

“This is a restricted area,” he said in a deep voice. “What’s your business here?”

“We’re extra security,” Blueblood answered. “Photo Finish requested a little more security for today’s event.”

The guard raised an eyebrow. “Extra security? There was no mention of that from the boss.”

“It’s a last minute request,” said the prince.

“Even if that’s the case, I would’ve been told about it.” The guard then noticed the saddlebags. “What’s in the bags?”

“We brought our own equipment,” answered Blueblood. “Now let us through.”

The guard frowned. “This is ridiculous. I’m going to talk to my boss: I should have been told about any extra security.” And then he mumbled: “I don’t get paid enough to put up with the crap they throw at me.”

“Well when you see him, you can tell him you got two words for him,” said Blueblood.

“And that is?”

A loud thud and sound of change rattling caught the guard’s attention. He turned around and gasped at the sight of a large bag of bits, necklaces, and even some gems.

“I quit,” answered the prince. “Now, do we really need to get your boss involved, or will you let us in?”

The guard looked into the bag and pulled out some of the bits and gems. “There’s even some diamonds in here...” he shockingly said.

“And there’s more than enough for you to retire from your job and live on easy street,” said Blueblood. “Now, about getting in.”

The guard looked up and nodded. He took out a set of keys and put one of them in there, unlocking the door.

As Blueblood’s group passed through the door, the prince looked at the guard. “Now just be a good pony and go off already. If your boss asks questions, just tell him you won the lottery.”

The stallion nodded. “Right, this whole thing never happened.” He grabbed the bag and took off down to a nearby alley and out into the streets.

As the door closed, Blueblood snickered. “All too easy,” he said.

“Let’s hope it stays that way,” said Golden. “What do we do now?”

“We need to get to where the fashion show itself is taking place.” The prince looked at Suri. “I’m counting on you to help navigate our way through this place since you’ve been here a lot.”

“Leave it all to me,” she replied.

“After we get to the auditorium, we’ll get to work installing that light before the show starts,” said Blueblood.

“Can you at least tell us more about it?” asked Quick. “You haven’t said anything about it since we left.”

Blueblood smirked as he looked at his advisor. “All in good time, but for now, I have plans for you. . . Speedy.”

---

To say Rarity was beside herself was an understatement. She could hear her heart pounding with anticipation, but at the same time she felt like she was going to pass out from how nervous she was. She looked around the room and noticed that none of the competitors made conversation with each other. Instead they were checking some of their clothes and a few of them were adjusting their mane, or putting on some makeup. As she sat on one of the dark blue velvet chairs, she took a quick look around the room.

The place was rather dim, with only a couple of chandeliers hanging from the ceiling and a few wall mounted lamps. There were several rows of dark blue chairs, much like the one Rarity was sitting on that were divided every twenty seats by an aisle. There was also a T-shaped stage, with the long part of the stage going down vertically and was near several of the rows of chairs. The stage background was semitransparent white, with the P&H logo from outside was written in black, and was lit by the stage lights above and on the stage itself.

Rarity was about to check on her dresses, but the lights suddenly dimmed and the stage lights went off. Everypony felt silent almost immediately and turned their attention to the stage. Two spotlights switched on and shined on the stage background erratically. In the midst of the darkness, Rarity could barely see what looked to be a mare coming on stage and holding a microphone.

“Fillies and gentlecolts,” the mare began.  “Please welcome the two ponies who continue to pave the way for the future of fashion! You know and love them! Give it up for Photo Finish and Hoity Toity!”

The spotlights focused on two different sides of the stage. On the left was a sky blue mare with a white, bowl-style haircut waving and smiling at the crowd. She was wearing hot pink rounded sunglasses, a magenta scarf, black and white striped shirt, and a black skirt with a single white and magenta stripe going through it with pink diamonds around the magenta strip. On the right was a bluish gray stallion with an equally bluish gray mane that was tied into a ponytail. He was wearing purple sunglasses, a magenta ascot, and had white collars on his front hooves and around his ascot.

The crowd, along with Rarity, clapped and cheered for the two fashion stars as they walked down the stage walkway together. After they reached the end, the lights came back on and the applause slowly died down. Photo and Hoity looked around the room, making Rarity and the other fashion designers a little on edge. After a minute of observing, the crowd flinched as Photo suddenly clapped her hooves together and smiled.

“Welcome, everypony!” she announced in a thick Prench accent. “We are more than happy to see you all of you come from all over Equestria! From ze heart of Manehatten, to Trottingham, and to Ponyville.”

Rarity could’ve sworn Photo glanced at her quickly, making her blush a little.

“You are here because you are amongst some of ze best fashion designers,” said Photo. “Here in our studio and headquarters, you shall be given ze ultimate chance at making a name for yourself!”

Hoity stepped forward. “That is correct, my dear Photo,” he said in his haughty Canterlot accent. “Not only are we looking for the best designs for our fall lineup, but the pony with the best ones will be known across Equestria for their designs and be famous.”

The crowd whispered to themselves anxiously and some, like Rarity, gasped in awe.

Photo held up a hoof, making the crowd silent at once. “As some of you already know, zis fashion show is done more differently zis time around. Because some of our competitors have been gaining z’e edge on us, we decided to do things a little differently.”

“Is that why we needed to come here so early in the morning?” asked a stallion.

Photo nodded. “Zat is correct. We shall be holding our fashion show today!”

The crowd once again whispered to themselves, some sounding a bit worried.

“Please relax, everypony,” assured Hoity. “You’ll be given plenty of time to prepare for the show at three today.”

“How?” wondered a mare. “We have no models or anything to prepare for the show.”

“Do not worry about that,” answered Hoity. “We already have several models selected for each competitor here. You’ll find them in the dressing rooms you’ve been assigned to.”

Rarity suddenly felt something tap her and turned around. There was a blue mare holding a small red basket.

“Please take one key from this basket and pass it down,” she ordered. “The number on the keychain will tell you what room number you have.”

Rarity obeyed by taking a small golden key out, attached was a tag sandwiched between cheap, plate-stamped metal, #12 written on it before passing the basket down. She passed it down the row and watched as each pony took a key out. Eventually, the blue mare took the basket back and nodded towards Photo and Hoity.

“Once you go to your dressing rooms, you’ll be introduced to ze models in ze room,” said Photo. “You will have a couple of hours to fit them into the dresses you see fit for each of them, make any adjustments to your dresses, and practice zheir routines. Be sure that ze models show lots of energy, passion, and, most importantly, ze magiks!”

“Remember one thing as well,” warned Hoity. “We aren’t easy to impress, so you have your work cut out for you. Photo, Sapphire Shores, and I will be judging you for how constructed the dresses are, the colors, and the style for each of them. Don’t think some of our past encounters with some of you will sway the odds in your favor.”

Rarity felt like Hoity looked at her, making her blush again.

“Any questions?” asked Hoity. Everypony looked at themselves and shrugged. He then clapped his hooves. “Very well. If you do have any questions or problems, be sure to bring them to one of our fashion advisors, stage hooves, or security. Photo and I shall be in our office ‘discussing’ about the upcoming show.”

Photo and Hoity turned around the two of them trotted behind the stage cover and disappeared. The other ponies in the audience got up and gathered their clothes and keys. Rarity took a deep breath as she trotted towards the exit and showed a bit of confidence on her.

It won’t be easy, but I will soon be known across Equestria as one of the best fashionistas, she thought. Soon, very soon, I will be famous.

Above the stage was catwalk, and on it were six ponies looking down at her.

“You hear that, Blue. . . Golden?” asked Heavy Duty. “What do we do now?”

Blueblood smirked. “For one thing, we know when the show will start,” he said. “For another thing, I know what to do with you now, Speedy.”

Quick Note raised an eyebrow. “I’m not following, sir,” he said.

“I’ll explain as we walk, but first things first.” Blueblood pulled out the stage light and placed it down. “Let’s get to work putting this on. Heavy, take the center stage light off and replace it with this one.”

“Yes, sir,” he said.

“The rest of you, keep an eye out for anypony coming,” ordered the prince. “I want no distractions and no problems.”

“What happens when this light is put in?” asked Suri.

Blueblood smiled. “Patience, Rule Enforcer,” he stated. “Just do your job and by the time the sun sets, we’ll be known as national heroes.” Blueblood turned then he and Quick trotted off.

---

Rarity trotted down the hallway and looked at each door. “10. . .11. . . Ah! Room 12!” she exclaimed.

She placed her key in the hole and unlocked. When she walked in along with her clothes, she got a good look around the place. It was rather simplistic looking, with a long mirror to the side and a long desk that had various makeup taking up most of the space. In the back was a long fern plant on the ground and a picture of Photo Finish.

“Are you the fashionista we’ll be working for?” a bubbly mare’s voice asked.

Rarity turned her head to the left and saw three mares sitting on chairs. One mare was hot pink and had her yellow mane was combed down. The mare to her left was royal blue and had her black mane tied into a tight bun. The other mare had a yellow coat and curly brown mane.

Rarity cleared her throat. “That’s correct,” she answered. “I assume you’re the models that will be fitted into my dresses?”

“Correct, but let me introduce ourselves,” said the pink mare. “I’m Lip Balm. The blue mare is Hair Brush, and the other is Eye Liner.”

“A pleasure to meet you girls,” said Rarity. “I would take this time to get to know each of you, but we’ve got a lot of work to do.”

“I agree,” said Hair in her Manehatten accent. “Want to hand us what you want us to wear and we’ll try them on?”

Rarity nodded and pulled the cover off the mobile clothes rack. “Now let me see what I can do.”

The white unicorn took a couple of her dresses and floated them in front of each model. Rarity looked carefully at the dress and model. She shook her head in disapproval at some of the dresses for the models, but she eventually found the perfect matches for each of them.

Rarity clapped her hooves together. “Alright girls, we better start practicing how you’ll pose and walk down the runway. I just need to find a much more suitable location for us to practice.”

“Z’ere is a practice stage we can use,” said Eye Liner in a thick Germaneigh accent.

“If you know the way, then I’ll let you all lead,” said Rarity.

They all headed for the door and opened it, but Rarity jumped back a bit from who was standing right outside. It was a gray stallion with a combed back black mane and was holding a clipboard.

“Can I help you?” wondered Rarity.

“You are Miss Rarity, correct?” he asked. The white unicorn nodded. “I am Speedy Message, a stagehoof for P&H Studios. I couldn’t help but overhear you were headed for the practice room. Mind if I show you the way?”

“I wouldn’t mind,” said Rarity.

Rarity and the models followed Speedy down the long hallway. The white unicorn couldn’t help but keep eyeing Speedy as he walked beside her.

The gray stallion took notice. “Is something wrong, Miss Rarity?” he wondered.

She shook her head. “No. . . I’m fine,” she answered. “I just got this feeling that I’ve seen you before.”

Uh, oh, thought Speedy. “Um, I get that a lot,” he hesitantly replied. “You must be mistaking me for somepony else.”

“You still strike me as familiar,” said Rarity. “You sound like somepony I met, and even almost look like him.”

Speedy quietly gulped. Maybe I should’ve found a way to disguise my voice as well.

“Speedy?” asked Rarity.

The gray stallion jumped a little, but played it off. He looked at Rarity. “I’m pretty sure it’s nothing more than a coincidence.”

“Excuse me,” said Lip Balm. “We just passed the rehearsal room.”

Speedy and Rarity turned and saw the models weren’t too far behind them.

Speedy chuckled and said, “Um. . . of course it is,” he jokingly stated. “I was just having a nice chat with Miss Rarity.”

The two went back and Speedy held the door open. “Please go on through and prepare your routine,” he ordered. “I shall be around in case you need anything.”

Rarity watched Speedy trot down the hallway and quirked an eyebrow. I know I’ve seen him before... But where?

---

Spike looked around and let out a loud whistle. “Man for a place not as big as our hotel, this place goes on forever,” he said.

The dragon was walking down one of the hallways of P&H Studios. He made sure to dodge the ponies that were busy chatting with other ponies as they walked, and those that were in a hurry. Along the way though, he saw several other areas like a salon for only the models and a few selected clientele. He also saw a large pool and hot tub area, but before he could think of hopping in, a lifeguard told him he needed a swimsuit. Since he didn’t have one, he was escorted out, making the dragon irritated.

I wonder if there’s any place I can go to without either being told it’s reserved, or if I need something, thought Spike. Maybe I can go–

“Hey, Spike! Over here!”

The dragon turned his head and saw Applejack sitting on a black couch and waving at him. He ran over to the couch and smiled as he approached her.

“Hey, Applejack,” he said. “What’s up?”

“Just resting a bit, sugarcube,” she answered. “You having a good time here?”

Spike rolled his eyes. “If by ‘a good time’, you mean being told only certain ponies can be there and that you must have something to do this, then I’m having the time of my life,” he sarcastically said.

Applejack laughed. “I get ya, sugarcube,” she said. “For a pass that’s all access, it sure doesn’t let us do anything really big or exciting.”

“So what are you doing right now?” asked Spike.

“I’m just resting a bit,” answered the farm pony. “But the reason I called you over was because I think we need to talk.”

Spike raised an eyebrow. “Talk? About what?” he wondered.

“It’s about Rarity,” said Applejack. “I’m worried about what’s been going on between you two.”

The dragon felt his stomach do a flip. “W–what do you mean?” he nervously asked.

“Relax, sugarcube,” assured Applejack. “I just want to make sure that everything is okay with you two.”

Spike rubbed the back back of his head. “Well, everything’s alright. . . I think so anyway,” he hesitantly replied.

“Well I’ve been noticing that Rarity’s been acting a bit. . . strange,” said Applejack. “When I checked on you two in the train, you both seemed upset about something. When we said goodbye to her earlier, she seemed pretty happy with you. Do you know what this is about?”

Spike looked away and sighed. “I’m not even sure,” he halfhearted answered. “When we were on the train, she seemed nervous, so I tried to make sure she was okay. At first it seemed she was fine, but then she pushed me away like as if I was smelt like I haven’t bathed in days.”

“You sure you didn’t say or do anything that rubbed her the wrong way?”

Spike looked at Applejack with a deadpanned expression.

“I was just making sure,” she told him sheepishly, realizing her faux-pas.

The dragon let out another sigh. “I don’t know if it’s because she’s nervous about this show, or maybe the stress of what’s happened over the last couple of days have made her on edge.”

Applejack frowned and rubbed her friend’s head. “That’s a good guess,” she said. “But I’m not so sure.”

“Why do you say that?” wondered Spike.

Applejack got up and said: “I ain’t going to say anything else, partner. For now I think I could go for something to eat. We ain’t too far from a food court, so let’s go.”

Spike smiled and nodded. “Alright,” he said. “What do you want to do after that?”

“You can go look around a little more if you want, sugarcube,” answered the farmer pony. “I’m going to try to have a talk with Rarity.”

---

“Alright, just a little more tighter aaaand that screw is in place,” said Heavy Duty. He wiped his forehead and sat up. “We’re almost done with this now. A few more wires to attach and we’ll be set.”

Suri, who tapped her hoof impatiently, let out a sigh. “I still want to know what this thing does.” She looked at Bit Bags and pointed at him. “You brought this to the hotel, so what is it?”

Bit shrugged at her. “I’m not sure myself,” he answered. “All I was told was to go to one of B. . . Golden’s old colleague's house and ask for one of his last inventions before retiring. All I was told was that it was just unstable and shouldn’t be used.”

Suri scoffed. “That’s certainly helpful,” she sarcastically said. She noticed the small remote with a red button and antenna on it near Heavy. She walked over and picked it up. “I mean how can a spotlight just capture Rarity? What’s it going to do, blind her?”

“Quit the complaining,” ordered Heavy, who finished screwing another attachment of the light. “Just a few wires to hook up and this thing will be ready.”

Suri rolled her eyes, but an idea clicked in her head. “Is that light facing the stage?” she wondered.

“Of course,” answered Heavy. “Now either help me out, or shut up.”

The pink mare smiled deviously. “I will help out alright.” She pointed the remote. “I’ll help by testing this thing out and seeing what it can do!”

Heavy’s eyes widened and he turned. “No! Don’t!” he cried out.

Suri pressed the button and the light suddenly dimmed. A loud crackling noise emanated and electric bolts flew out of the spotlight, which hit several of the other spotlights and shattered their lenses. All of a sudden, a loud crackling noise echoed and a bolt of lightning shot out of the spotlight and hit the stage background.

The lights then came back on and the damage from the spotlight was apparent. Several of the spotlights were burnt and smoke was billowing from them. The backdrop on the stage had a smoldering hole in the center. The spotlight was crackling with a few electric bolts around it, but after a couple of seconds, it stopped.

Suri stared at the sight with both a feeling of shock and a little exhilaration at the thought of what the light did. Her thoughts were cut out though as somepony suddenly smacked her and she looked to see Heavy, who was beside himself.

“What the buck were you thinking!?” he barked. “I told you to wait!”

Suri stepped back a bit. “I was just seeing what it would do!” she argued. “How was I supposed to know this would happen?”

“If you would wait, Blueblood would have–”

“What the hay is going on here!?”

Heavy and Suri stopped arguing and looked down to see several security guards rushing in and surveying the area.

“What happened here?” asked one guard.

“The bosses won’t be too happy about this,” said another one.

Heavy stepped back and whispered, “I think this is our cue to leave.”

“What about the light?” wondered Golden Rule. “We can’t risk leaving it here.”

“We got no time to remove it without damaging it further,” he replied. “We’ll just need to come back later when the coast is clear.” He looked at Suri and narrowed his eyes. “The prince will deal with you later.”

Suri scowled and ran off with the others.

---

Rarity clapped her hooves as she watched the models show off. “Wonderful, just wonderful!” she joyfully stated. “Oh, Eye Liner, put a little more energy into your walk.” Suddenly, the lights went dim and everypony stopped. After a few seconds, they came back on.

“What was that?” asked Lip Balm.

“Maybe it’s someone messing with the electric circuits,” answered Hair Brush. “They’re probably trying to make sure the lights are perfect for the show.”

Rarity shrugged. “Well, let’s not let that keep us down,” she said. “Back to work, girls.”

“How about a break?” inquired Lip. “We’ve been at this for a while now and are getting kind of tired.”

Rarity opened her mouth to object, but a knock at the door cut her off. She turned and called out, “Come in!”

The door opened and Applejack walked in. “Howdy, sugarcube,” she greeted. “How’s it going?”

“Oh, hello, Applejack,” replied Rarity. “Practice is going splendid here.” She looked over at the models and noticed they were looking a bit worn out. “Girls, take a good fifteen minute break and then we’ll resume practice.”

The models sighed in relief and went over to a side of the room that had a cooler and three large red couches.

Rarity turned back to Applejack. “So what brings you here, darling?” she wondered. “I thought you’d be wanting to take a look around this place than watch the models practice their routines.”

“Rarity, I’m not gonna mince words here,” warned Applejack. “I want to know if you’re mad at Spike or something.”

The unicorn looked shocked. “Mad?” she wondered. “Why would I be upset at Spikey?”

The farmer shrugged. “I don’t know,” she replied. “You’re the one who’s been acting crazier than Screw Loose.”

“How dare you!?” objected Rarity. “I have done nothing wrong to Spikey-Poo!”

“Then why are you acting so cold to him one moment like on the train, but the next minute, you’re fine with him?” inquired Applejack.

Rarity looked a bit angry and turned away. Applejack sighed and placed a hoof on her shoulder.

“Sugarcube, I know things have been. . .” Applejack turned around and saw the models were talking to each other around the cooler. “. . .crazy these last couple of days, but you gotta remember that we’re here for you.”

The white unicorn nodded slowly. “Darling, it’s not that I don’t appreciate Spike for all his help or anything, it’s just. . . complicated.”

Applejack raised an eyebrow. “Try me then,” she said. “What’s so complicated that I can’t seem to get?”

“Applejack, please” whined Rarity. “I must get back to work.”

“You can go back to work all you want, but I ain’t leaving this place until we talk.” Applejack sat on the floor and crossed her hooves, narrowing her eyes at Rarity.

Rarity bit her lip and turned to see the models still chatting with each other, and then back to Applejack, sternly staring at her. She let out a sigh and nodded.

“If you really want to know, then I guess I can’t stop you,” she said. “I’m sure he told you about what happened on the train.”

Applejack nodded. “That he did.”

“Well. . . it’s not very easy for me to say, but I wasn’t trying to hurt him,” argued Rarity. “It was just that I was worried about what others would think of me.”

Applejack tilted her head and raised an eyebrow. “What in the hay does that mean?” she wondered.

“While I was hugging Spikey back, I noticed two ponies looking at us and they weren’t too happy. I don’t know what it was, but I felt ashamed all of a sudden and I had to push Spike away. Even after doing so, they still shook their head and looked at me with disgrace. I was hoping he wouldn’t take it too hard, but I guess I was wrong.”

Applejack had a blank expression on her. “So let me get this straight,” she stated. “You mean to tell me this whole reason you and Spike aren’t on the same page is because some ponies saw you hug him and you acted that way because of how they didn’t like what they saw?”

Rarity rubbed her head. “Well when you put it that way. . . I guess so,” she sheepishly answered.

Applejack walked up close. “Rarity.” The next thing the white unicorn knew, she felt a harsh slap across her face, emitting a yelp from her.

The models heard the yelp and turned to see Rarity holding her cheek and wincing in pain.

“What’s going on?” demanded Lip Balm.

Applejack trotted over to the mares. “Sorry girls, but I need to have a word with my friend here. Y’all mind leaving so I can speak to her alone?”

Lip looked at the other models, who shrugged indifferently. She looked back at Applejack. “Well I guess so,” she hesitantly answered. “Just don’t be too hard on whatever she did please. She is one of the competitors after all.”

“I promise,” said Applejack. She watched the models hurry out of the room and when the last one left, the door slammed shut. She then turned back to Rarity. “Alright partner, let’s talk.”

The white unicorn looked back at her friend with a furious expression. “Oh, let’s talk alright!” she screeched. “Let me ask you a simple question. Why did you slap me!?”

“Because I needed to knock some sense into your head!” barked Applejack. “I thought I was stubborn, but I ain’t got nothin on you!”

“What do you mean by that!?” pondered Rarity.

“What I mean is that you overreacted about how those ponies saw you and Spike,” Applejack answered. “So a few ponies saw you two hug, that ain’t no reason to get your mane in a knot.”

“And I say that’s no reason to slap somepony!” argued Rarity.

“You’re missing the point,” Applejack shot back. “The point is that you’re thinking about yourself again and yourself only. So who cares if you and Spike were hugging?”

The unicorn shook her head. “Darling, I don’t think you understand. Word can travel fast in the social elite, and those two ponies did look like they were part of it. It could really hurt my reputation and my social standing.”

“So just being famous is your excuse for hurting one of your friends?” scolded Applejack.

Rarity opened her mouth to reply, but felt guilt sink into her. She lowered her head and frowned. “I wasn’t trying to do anything hurtful,” she pleaded. “I was only trying to. . . to. . . “

“Look out for yourself,” finished Applejack.

The unicorn slowly nodded. “I’ve been kind of a bad friend to Spikey,” she sorrowly said.

The farmer pony shook her head. “You ain’t a bad friend, Rarity,” she argued. “You just let these little things get to you so quickly. It doesn’t matter what those ponies think, or what they say. Spike’s supported you since he moved to Ponyville, and I think you shouldn’t just throw him under a carriage when it comes to trying to look good in front of those fancy schmancy ponies.”

Rarity said nothing for a minute as she took in her friend’s words. The more she thought about it, the more confident she felt. Who cares what those other ponies thought? she asked herself. Spikey is one of my best friends, and I don’t care what anypony says.

She eventually looked up with a determined expression. “You’re absolutely right, Applejack. I’ve been treating poor little Spikey Wikey like dirt. I just hope he isn’t too mad at me.”

Applejack smiled softly. “Don’t worry, partner,” she assured. “He sounded more worried about you than anything else.”

“He was?” wondered Rarity.

The farmer nodded. “Yup, he was mighty worried that maybe all the pressure of this show or your ‘accident’ was building up in you.”

Rarity said nothing and felt a little warm inside. Her cheeks blushed a little, but she quickly hid it from her friend.

“So where is Spike now?” she wondered. “I think I need to talk to him.”

Applejack opened her mouth to answer, but an infuriated scream suddenly rang out, catching both ponies off guard.

The farmer pony raised an eyebrow. “What in tarnation was that?” she wondered.

Rarity shook her head. “I’m not sure. Whatever it was, somepony doesn’t sound too happy.”

A crackling noise suddenly filled the room. “Attention, all models and fashionistas!” a mare’s voice ordered from an intercom. “We need all of you to report to the main foyer by the P&H statue immediately!” The crackling noise came again and the room fell silent.

Applejack looked at Rarity. “I guess that’s your cue to get going.”

Rarity nodded. “Whatever it is, I hope it’s nothing too serious,” she said. “I guess when you see Spike, send him to my dressing room.”

“I’ll be sure to,” said Applejack.

The unicorn gave a nod and waved as she hurried out the door and down the hallway.

---

Rarity tried not to gag as she stood amongst the other competitors in the foyer. What’s that stench? she wondered. It smells worse than Sweetie Belle’s first attempt at cooking.

She looked over at the entrance of the auditorium and saw several ponies trotting in and out of it constantly. Security around the area was more active and there were more guards around there. When one of the doors opened, Rarity could’ve sworn she saw some smoke coming out.

“Miss Rarity!”

The unicorn turned around and saw Lip Gloss running over to her.

“I see you got the message too,” said the pink mare. “Do you know what’s going on?”

“I was kind of hoping you knew,” answered Rarity. “I keep smelling something foul in the air though.”

“Well from what I’ve heard, Photo Finish sounded very angry and is trying calm herself right now in her office,” said Lip. “Apparently, she was checking out something in the auditorium and she screamed when she saw something. I’m not sure what else happened though.”

Rarity was about to say something, but a loud whistle caught her and the other ponies’ attention. They all turned to see Hoity Toity looking a bit upset.

“Good afternoon fellow fashionistas and models,” he somberly announced. “I’m sure by now, some of you can smell something rotten in this room and that security around the auditorium has increased.”

Some of the ponies muttered to themselves, but Hoity cleared his throat loudly to get their attention. “I’m afraid that a terrible accident has happened on the stage. A faulty wiring in one of the stage lights shorted out and caused an electrical malfunction.”

A few gasps echoed across the room. A stallion stepped forward and asked, “Does this mean the show is cancelled?”

Hoity shook his head. “Heavens no,” he replied. “The old saying is ‘the show must go on’, and go on it shall.”

“Well then when will the show start?” asked a mare.

“We have no specific timetable, but we are aiming for sometime today hopefully. If nothing else, the show will wait until tomorrow afternoon.”

Rarity darted her eyes around and felt a bit shaky. Oh, I hope it’s tomorrow afternoon, she prayed.

“Mr. Toity! Mr. Toity!”

Everypony turned their attention to a black stallion in a blue jumpsuit, who was running up to Hoity.

“Not now,” scolded Hoity. “I’m in the middle of an announcement.”

The stallion leaned in and whispered into Hoity’s ear. The gray stallion raised an eyebrow and nodded as he listened. Once the stallion backed off, Hoity looked rather pleased and smiled.

“Fillies and gentlecolts, I have good news,” he announced. “The good news is that the damage isn’t too severe and the show will go on as planned. One of the curtains got burned from the discharge and the stage got scorched, and after we replace the curtain as well as repair the damage to the stage and what lights were destroyed, things will proceed. Expect a delay about three hours while the unicorn technicians make repairs.”

The ponies cheered and Rarity sighed in relief. Well things are looking a bit good so far.

“Even better news is that you’ll have more time to practice your routines,” said Hoity. “The show will start at six instead of three.”

Rarity felt her heart nearly stopped and her eyes widened. “S. . . six you say?” she wondered. “Like six at night?”

Hoity nodded. “Of course, Miss Rarity,” he said. “You didn’t think it’d be at the crack of dawn, do you?”

Rarity stepped back and felt cold inside. She could feel her heart begin to race as she turned away. She tried to calm herself down, but fear and worry coursed through her as dark thoughts started to come to her. Some ponies screaming in terror, and others involving ponies carrying torches and chasing her.

I’m already trapped in a nightmare, she thought to herself. And it’s now about to get even worse.

---

Suri flinched as she felt another hard slap across her face. “Will you stop already!?” she demanded. “I already said I was sorry!”

Blueblood, who looked infuriated, gritted his teeth and slapped Suri again. “I don’t care how many times you say you’re sorry!” he screeched. “You nearly gave away our position and our secret weapon!”

“Well if I was told what the weapon was, then none of this would’ve happened!” argued Suri. “The least you could’ve told us was that it could do that!”

“And I told you to wait!” scolded the prince. “Now we got to hope that nopony notices that stage light. For your sake, Suri, you better pray nopony finds out about it.”

“What kind of invention does that anyway!?” inquired Suri.

“One that would’ve been used to help hunters!” Blueblood shot back. “He said the thing’s power was so high, it would turn anything to ashes! It was perfect for somepony like Nightmare Moon! Now you have messed up our biggest opportunity to kill her!”

Bit Bags had hesitantly walked over. “Um. . . I got the remote to it, sir,” he timidly said. “Suri dropped it after firing the light.”

Blueblood looked at the remote and snatched it. “Well there may still be a chance, but I don’t want to take any more risks like that.” He glared at Suri again. “You’re too much of a risk to blow our cover. Get out of here at once!”

Suri glared back and got up close to the prince. “What do you mean by that!?” she demanded.

“You know exactly what I mean!” barked Blueblood. “You’re little stunt has thrown a monkey wrench in our plans, and I won’t stand seeing you mess it up even more! Now get lost immediately, or else I’ll tell Photo Finish who was really behind that little accident on the stage. If you’re reputation wasn’t in the gutter before, it will be now.”

“You can’t do this!” Suri objected. “I already said I was sorry anyway!”

“And I already told you I don’t care how many times you apologize! You’re no longer needed!” Blueblood looked at the others. “Let’s go, we have a plan to fix.” The group turned around and trotted away.

Suri stomped her hoof and snorted. “Well then I’ll tell everypony what you’re up to!”

Blueblood gasped and stopped. He slowly turned to look at Suri with a bewildered expression. “What did you just say?” he asked.

Suri trotted up to the prince. “I just said I’ll tell everypony what you’re up to. I’m sure that everypony will want to know who’s bright idea this was.”

Blueblood’s eye twitched a little. “Well then I’ll have to make sure you don’t say anything,” he threatened.

Heavy Duty raised an eyebrow. “You don’t mean killing her, do you?” he inquired.

The prince shook his head. “I wouldn’t go that far,” he answered. “I mean hiding her away in this place until our plan is complete and we deal with her later.”

“Then I’ll blab and scream the moment you try that,” Suri warned. “The moment you try and lay a hoof on me, I’ll scream for help. That’ll catch the attention of the guards, and maybe even Hoity and Photo.”

Golden narrowed her eyes and sighed. “She’s got a point,” she stated. “If we tried anything, it could expose all of us and we’ll possibly be executed by Nightmare Moon herself. As much as I don’t approve of what she did, it’s probably best we keep her around.”

Blueblood gritted his teeth and groaned in frustration. “Well I don’t know what to do with her now,” he spat. “I don’t trust her with setting up the device again.”

“Get away from me!” a mare’s voice yelled.

Blueblood and the others heard the voice and looked around the corner. Rainbow Dash was flying down the hall and coughing. Fluttershy and a white stallion carrying a small pink glass bottle were behind her.

“Madam, wait!” called out the stallion in a Trottingham accent. “I still haven’t sampled you with the other perfume samples!”

“Oh, Rainbow, please wait!” Fluttershy pleaded.

“No way!” Rainbow shouted back. “That stuff is way too strong and smells awful!”

“We could try another sample if you want,” offered the stallion.

“No way!” answered Rainbow. She turned and flew off again, with Fluttershy and the stallion in pursuit.

Blueblood raised an eyebrow. “Hmm. . . those ponies are awfully familiar,” he muttered.

“Aren’t those the ponies we saw in that town?” wondered Heavy.

The prince felt something click in his mind and started thinking. As he thought about Rainbow and Fluttershy, a sinister smile formed on his face. His angry feelings gave way to a new wind of confidence and hope.

“Are you okay, sir?” asked Quick Note.

Blueblood turned around and looked very confident. “I’m perfectly fine,” he calmly said. He looked at Suri. “You’ve just earned yourself a chance to redeem yourself.”

The pink mare tilted her head. “How so?” she wondered.

“You’re going to make sure that none of Rarity’s friends get in our way,” said Blueblood. “Once we finally get them gone, there will be nothing to stop our plan.”

“Are you sure?” asked Suri.

Blueblood nodded. “By tonight, we shall finally destroy Rarity and be seen as heroes to Equestria!”