The Broken Carousel Part 1 [Rarity/Anon]

>I want to help Rarity get her creative spark back despite the horrors of war still holding the world in practical state of mind that seemingly has no place for her art. Beauty is forgotten between scarsity of resourses and fear for one's life, but for everyone to leave that fearful ideology after the war is over, there needs to be inspiration to draw out everything good left in them, since the beauty on the inside hasn't died yet, together with craving for all things pretty and serene. At some point you have to stop using ALL your fabric for bandages and camouflage, even if you think you need to prepare for the next war you're now certain will happen even if there's no threat right now.

 

>a mare trying to piece her life together after the war ripped her soul inside out and bleached it in blood of those she had to witness die

>she can't accept him because that would just make things worse for her

>but she can't reject him either

>she is afraid to piece her life together with him since it could be so easily shattered again

>all she imagines is being with him and having children

>and then losing all of it

>so she can't allow this to happen, they'll get to her and then they'll get to her husband and her kids

>but she feels something long forgotten when she's with him

>a distant music of a party and dressed ponies swirling in a dance instead of dimly lit lamp in the night and fear of sirens going off at any minute

>the smell of hot cocoa on a winter morning instead of scavenging ruined houses covered in snow while everyone still sleep

>a rainbow pattern on an outfit instead of reapplying blood-soaked bandage because there's not enough dresses to rip apart for more fabric

>in the deep of night she now see it and it makes her even more afraid as those images of war

>afraid to lose it all

>she'd check on Sweetie once again, third time a night like every other night since war ended

>but tonigh she just wants those thoughts about him out of her head so she thinks about drawing something to pass time, she doesn't feel sleepy at all

>after a few minutes she realizes she's drawing a dress

>a perfect gown to grace a ball room in Canterlot

>Sweetie would look so nice in it. She herself would too. And he'd be at her side...

>furious at her own thoughts she leaves to sleep, because this clearly isn't working

>damn that Cadence, forcing her to date that alien

>she won't succumb to this

>she won't lose anything again

>if you don't have anything aside from necessities, there's nothing to lose

>so that's final

>damn that Initiative for making her hope again

 

ACTUAL STORY:

>Anon manages to find the one dress Rarity made pre-war that wasn't cannibalized for bandages or camouflage.

>It's the dress she made for her thesis in fashion school. What she considers her first piece of professional-level design work.

>The one dress she couldn't bear to destroy in the name of survival because it's so near and dear to her heart.

>It was hidden away in a secret room of the Carousel Boutique that Anon accidentally managed to stumble into.

>It's proof that the horror of war hasn't completely devoured her love for beauty.

>Naturally, Rarity is furious that her privacy was invaded in such a way even if it was an accident.

>However Anon knows that because of this, she can still be reached.

>They get into an argument about why she didn't destroy the dress if she's so dedicated to only the bare necessities for survival.

>"Do you think I wouldn't destroy this dress if I ever needed to?! Do NOT test me, Anonymous!"

"You're bluffing. Even if you aren't, you and I both that if you did destroy it, you would absolutely hate yourself for the rest of your life. You don't need to be ashamed of something you love!"

>"I am not ashamed of it!"

"Then why hide it away? It's something beautiful that deserves to be shared with the whole world."

>"BECAUSE IN WAR, THERE IS NO ROOM FOR BEAUTY! Anything that can't help you survive is only something that could potentially get you or the ponies you care about killed!"

"News flash, the war is over!"

>"There will be another war! There always is! Your race's own history proves it!"

"That's true. I can't deny that. But right now there isn't a war. Wouldn't this time of peace be better spent enjoyed rather than being constantly afraid of a war that you won't even know will happen anytime soon?"

>That stops her for a moment.

>"I-I.. I can't, Anonymous. It could happen at anytime, and if my parents or Sweetie or ANYPONY I cared about died because I wasn't prepared for it then... I don't think I could go on living."

 

"Do you think they would be happy watching you deny yourself the things that you love because it would keep them safe?"

>"No, but they would understand that I was only doing it for them."

"Sweetie told me she's worried about you."

>The unicorn filly had asked you to try and help her sister.

>She and their parents had tried but the former fashionista refused to see reason.

>"She shouldn't be. I'm the older sister. I'm supposed to be the one worried about her."

"Family worries about you even when you don't want them to. That's what they're supposed to do, Rarity."

>She turns to you with a haunted expression that spoke of horrors no one, human or pony, should have to see.

>"I can't stop, Anonymous. Every time I close my eyes I see the mangled corpses of the ponies I grew up with. Princess Luna does her best, yet sometimes when I sleep those corpses turn into those of my parents and Sweetie Belle. I don't blame her, thousands of ponies must be experiencing similar nightmares all over Equestria and she's only one mare. But I have to do everything in my power so those dreams don't become a reality."

>She starts to break down, tears appearing at the edge of her eyes.

>You're unsure at first, but you decide to kneel down and hug the mare who had unknowingly wormed her way into your heart.

>She flinches at first, but after a moment relaxes into your embrace.

"Just... take a break, at least. One day where you do nothing but relax. That's all I ask of you. It's counterproductive if you work yourself into the hospital, right?"

>"I don't know how anymore..." she says, her voice full of pain.

"What did you do before the war?"

>"I'd go to the spa with a friend or two, but the spa was destroyed... Aloe survived, but she hasn't been the same without her sister."

"Anything else?"

>"I'd eat ice cream..."

"Then I'll get you so much ice cream that you'll gain 20 pounds by the time the day is over."

>Even now she cringes at the thought of gaining so much weight.

 

"So what do you say?"

>"I'm not sure."

"It'll probably get your family to stop bothering you for a bit?"

>Left unsaid was the fact that you were collaborating with them, and the both of you know it.

>She sighs, "Fine."

>You grin, releasing her from the hug.

"Perfect."

>"But just one day! That's it!" she said.

"Okay." you said nonchalantly, standing up and walking out of the room.

>"I mean it, Anonymous!" she insisted.

"Sure you do, Rarity."

>"ANONYMOUS!"

"I'll see you tomorrow!" you say as you exit the Carousel Boutique for the day.

 

>You are Rarity

>You already feel like you've made a great lapse in judgement.

>You huff as the alien you've been forced to interact with leaves your home.

>You have better things to do than waste time when you could be acquiring more supplies for the bunker!

>But... you suppose ONE day wouldn't hurt.

>Anonymous and your family would be happy, then you can go back to being productive.

>You missed ice cream too.

>You raised a foreleg and sniffed, your face scrunching up at the smell.

>You could definitely stand to start bathing regularly again too.

>There's nothing wrong with that, right?

>Bathing isn't wasteful. It lowers the chance of catching diseases.

>You turn to look at the dress that had sparked your current predicament.

>You really should hide it in a more secure place...

>Maybe there's enough space in the bunker? Perhaps if you did some renovations you could fit it in as well as everything else on the list.

>Still though, you sigh.

>Anonymous had you. You couldn't destroy this dress even if it meant life or death.

>Too many hours spent fussing over every little aspect of its design, worried that if it wasn't absolutely perfect then you would fail.

>But when you passed, it was the happiest day of your life second only to when you first got your cutie mark.

>Like your family, it was something you deeply cherished left over from a happier time.

 

>(TOMORROW MORNING)

>You are still Rarity

>It's odd. You felt a lot better after last night.

>It was as if the bath had washed some of your stress away in addition to the dirt.

>Add in a dreamless sleep and you felt better than you had in a while...

>Not pre-war good, but it was nice.

>Breakfast was the same as it had been since the war stated, tasteless oat rations.

>Normal food production was slowly starting to pick up again, now that Sombra's forces weren't constantly burning down farms anymore.

>You wondered where Anon would even get ice cream. Luxury foods were expensive now.

>Would he somehow import it from his home world?

>You were seated at your kitchen table, wearing your pink bathrobe and slippers.

>The newspaper was held before you in your telekinetic grip.

>You had already escorted Sweetie Belle to school.

"Huh, so it appears Commander Sparkle got roped into the Initiative as well."

>Twilight Sparkle, an alumni of Celestia's School For Gifted Unicorns, had been something of a shut-in for most of her life.

>However when the war broke out, she did her part by applying her brilliant mind and talent for spellcrafting to the battlefield.

>She rapidly rose through the ranks for her tactical skills, becoming a war hero in the same vein of Commander Rainbow Dash of the Air Squadron.

>She was also the younger sister of the esteemed Captain Shining Armor, proving she was no less skilled in warfare

>See, now THERE'S a pony you could agree needed to be dragged into this damned program.

>A brilliant and powerful unicorn like her going crazy? She'd end up as bad as Sombra was.

>You could see Cadance's logic there.

>You on the other hand? You were just a dressmaker who failed to make it big in Manhattan, got drafted into making uniforms for the war effort, and had to go crawling back home after everything was over.

>*KNOCK* *KNOCK*

>Your eyes perked up as you looked up from the newspaper.

>"Rarity?" you heard a familiar male voice call from outside.

 

>Anonymous? Here so early?

>You get up from the table and walk to the front door

>You open it to see the human male with a grin on his face, carrying a human sized backpack looked filled to burst and a shoulder bag in similar condition.

>You raise an eyebrow.

“You’re here early.”

>And you don’t smell anymore.” he countered.

>You scoff, rolling up the newspaper and bopping him on the forehead with it,

>”I’m not lying am I?”

“Oh, shut up in get in here.”

>Anonymous does so, crouching down to fit through your pony-sized doors but eventually making it inside.

>”Where’s your freezer? I need to put these tubs inside before they melt.”

“In the kitchen. Here, I’ll do it for you.”

>You remove his shoulder bag with telekinesis and place it on the kitchen table.

>You unzip the bag and walk over to see what the brought.

>The sight of it all confuses you for a moment.

>Vanilla, Chocolate, Strawberry, Pistachio, Cookie Dough, Cookies & Cream, Butter Pecan,..

“How much ice cream did you get?”

>he shrugs, “I didn’t know what flavors you liked, so I got one of everything that the store had.”

>Ugh. In the past you would have been simply flattered but now you just felt guilty about all the money he had to have spent.

>You know they don’t pay the factory workers at Sweet Apple Acres all that much.

>While he had an additional stipend from Princess Cadance due to being part of the Initiative, luxury products like this weren’t cheap anymore.

>You stare up at him with a frown.

“How much did this all cost?”

>He waves you off, “Don’t worry about it. Oh, that’s not all I brought with me either.”

>Anonymous pulled off his backpack, unzipping it to reveal these strange thin rectangular containers.

 

>You pick one up and look at the cover. It depicted a blonde female human in a blue dress staring into the eyes of a brown-haired human male.

>In the bottom left corner there appeared to be three mice, and in the background was a castle and a carriage in the distance.

>Across the top of the container there was a logo that read-

“Cinderella?”

>You open the container to reveal a small disc with artwork similar to that on the cover.

>You look up at Anonymous, confusion probably clear as day on your face.

“What is this?”

>His smile widens, “That, my dear friend, is a DVD.”

>You roll your eyes.

"And what, pray tell, is a DVD?"

>"A movie."

>Movies were this new fad that started to take off just before the war. Unfortunately, like many things in Equestria it was repurposed to serve the war effort.

>You had seen a few of them in Manehattan on your rare days off.

>They used to tell lighthearted fantasy stories, but they had rapidly become propaganda pieces encouraging ponies to join the army and fight against Sombra.

>You stopped going to them after that.

"Is this some kind of minature film reel?"

>"You could call it that. I brought these from home I heard you ponies had movies?"

>You nod, curious.

"Yes, but how are we supposed to watch these without a projector?"

>Anonymous reaches into his bag again, and pulls out this black device with a clamshell design.

>He opens it, and you notice that it has a screen.

>"On this. You just put the DVD inside it, and it plays the movies on this small screen. I brought it and my DVD collection with me from home when I signed up for the Initiative."

>You were gaping.

>You had heard that human technology was advanced, but portable devices that you could watch movies on?

>"I brought a bunch of movies I thought you'd like. I figured we could watch these while we watch. What do you think?"

>You needed a moment to gather your words.

"I think..." you began, "We should probably get started."

 

>https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=I6SdCDpvTnw [Embed]

>You are once again Rarity.

“THOSE ABSOLUTE FIENDS!”

>And as you shovel ice cream into your muzzle, you are more than a little ticked off.

“She just wanted to go the Ball! She and her friends put so much work into making a suitable dress, but they won’t even allow her to keep that?! It would have been better if they just told her she couldn’t go rather than giving her false hope like that!”

>Anonymous looks down at you with amusement clear in his eyes, but you pay him no mind right now.

>You can’t help but see yourself in Cinderella. Both of you wanted to meet the Prince of your dreams, who would sweep you off your hooves (or feet in her case) and lead you to a life of happiness.

>And yet, just like you, her dreams are crushed by harsh reality.

>You sigh.

“Turn it off, Anonymous. I don’t know why you would think I’d like this movie.”

>he snickers, and you resist the urge to throw your spoon at his head.

>”The movie isn’t over yet, Rarity. Look closer.”

>You turn back.

>https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DOfc7GF0PiE [Embed]

>What.

>You’re gaping now.

“A Fairy Godmother?”

>”How’s that surprising to you? You ponies use magic all the time.” Anonymous asks, eyebrow raised.

>You ignore him and continue to watch.

>https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mYaDnHY8H1c [Embed]

>You can’t help but be weirded out as the Fairy Godmother turns the mice into horses and the actual horse into a human coachstallion.

>You knew that horses in the human world were mere animals, but it was still odd.

>Then you see the dress, and you can’t help but want to grab a pen and paper.

>The cover did not do the actual dress justice now that you see it in movie. The way it sparkled… You imagine how such a dress would look in real life on a pony.

>The shade of blue would compliment your coat oh so nicely, and with the right enchantment the sparkles would stand out without looking tacky.

 

>You shake your head, clearing those thoughts from your head.

>Stop it, Rarity. It’s just a movie. There’s still more important things you need to do. You still need to stock up on food and medical equipment in the bunker.

>You’re not going to let Anonymous distract you from that… As entertaining as those distractions might be.

>You turn back to the movie.

>https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wqc77JYXG1o [Embed]

>https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CiS1H_KbsWk [Embed]

>https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CrqTrf6NSCg [Embed]

>When the clock strikes midnight, forcing Cinderella to leave the man of her dreams, you feel sad once again.

>At least she was able to have her dream, if only briefly.

>That’s more than you can say for yourself.

>Before the war, business in Ponyville at the Carousel Boutique had slowed to a crawl that was hard to sustain.

>If things had went on as they were, you would go bankrupt trying to keep the store open.

>So instead you closed it down, packed your things and headed for Manehattan, the city that was the fashion capital of Equestria.

>You intended to work under a more established designer who would hopefully put in a good word for you with their colleagues after becoming acquainted with the quality of your work.

>Who you found was Suri Polomare.

>A lying, scheming mare who was willing to do anything to get to the top of Equestria’s fashion industry.

>Which included stealing your designs when you showed them off to her in hopes she’d help you get yourself established.

>Trying to reveal the truth didn’t work, because nopony believed you. Why would they? To them you were just a random unicorn from some hick town with no reputation to back up her words.

>It’s not like you could afford to even quit working for Suri either, because you needed that paycheck to cover the overpriced rent for your apartment.

>If you did, you’d be living on the streets soon enough.

 

>Still, you wouldn’t say it was all bad. You made a good friend. Suri’s other personal assistant, Coco Pommel.

>She was a total sweetheart, and made your time in Manehattan bearable even after the war started.

>But even she was taken away from you…

>Sombra’s army attacked Manehattan. It was chaos as the Mare Statue fell and the city burned.

>She pushed you out of the way of falling debris.

>Blood… Blood, there was so much blood.

>Leaking from her mouth as she choked on it, and from her abdomen where the debris had impaled her.

>It was on your forelegs when you held her hooves pleading with her to try and hold on because to you she was the only good thing about that rotten city

>You tried to lift it off her with your telekinesis, but it was too heavy

>The next thing you remember is being dragged away crying and screaming by a soldier.

>”Rarity....”

>Anonymous’s voice drew you out of your flashback as he handed you a napkin.

>You just realized that you had been crying.

“M-My goodness, Anonymous. How embarrassing. I-I’m sorry.”

>He shushes you, “It’s okay. Just focus on the movie.”

>And so you do.

>https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=p9M_1ACq8ug&t=5s [Embed]

>https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ABn5kCE1sY0 [Embed]

>https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MgHkCoNuE9k [Embed]

>https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lUQUQ0RG444 [Embed]

>As the movie comes to an end you can’t help but smile a little.

>”So, what did you think?” Anonymous asks.

“I liked it. It was a charming story.”

>”Great. Since I picked the first movie, you get to pick the next one.” He gets up to bring his backpack back over to the couch where they were sitting.

>You look inside, and you can’t help but notice that they’re all movies by this ‘Disney’ company.

>You take out five of them with your telekinesis and take a look at their covers.

>’Beauty and the Beast’, ‘The Little Mermaid’, ‘Aladdin’, ‘Snow White’, and ‘Sleeping Beauty’.

 

>Hmm… You flip these ‘DVD boxes’ around to read the summaries on their backs.

“I’d like to give this ‘Aladdin’ one a try?”

>You always loved a good love story, and the added social class divide only made it sound more appealing to you. The desert theme reminded you of what little you’d seen of Saddle Arabia in pictures.

>”Aladdin it is. RIP, Robin Williams.” Anonymous whispers that last part seemingly to himself.

“What was that?”

>”Eh, it’s a reference you wouldn’t get yet.”

>You roll your eyes as Anonymous removes the disc for Cinderella, allowing you to put in the one for Aladdin.

“Before we begin, there’s something I’ve been wondering for a while now.”

>”What is it?” he answers, going to get the next tub as he finished off Pistachio.

“Why did you sign up for the Initiative?”

>He stops for a moment, “Ah, well. It’s a number of things really.”

>The human scratches the back of his head, looking nervous.

>”I didn’t really have anything going for me back on Earth. I had family and friends, but job-wise I was stuck.”

>Your interest is peaked.

”Why is that?”

>”In college, I studied art. I’m a painter. Once I graduated my only option to immediately make money was to teach. So I figured I’d do that until I was able to start putting my work in a commercial gallery. Of course teaching doesn’t pay much so I did private commissions when I had the time to supplement that.”

>He snorted, “I ended up working at a crappy inter-city school that barely had enough money for an art program. I was the only teacher for it because the students just didn’t give a crap, and they pissed off the last teacher so much she couldn’t take it anymore and quit. I could understand just seeing the class as an easy A, but most of them didn’t even want to put in the bare minimum effort to pass.”

 

>Anonymous takes Cookie Dough out of the freezer.

>”And a lot of the commissions I got were pornographic.”

>You scrunched up your nose in disgust.

“Ugh, so other ponies-er… Sorry, people would just come up to you and ask you to paint smut for money?”

>”Actually, no. There’s this thing on Earth we have called the internet. Put simply, it allows you to exchange information with people all over the planet through machines that were connected to it. People would just leave me a message, and when I got around to it I would message them back. We’d hash out what exactly they wanted and how much I wanted to do it.”

>He shuddered, “Though you’re right to be disgusted. Some of the things people asked for were really… warped to say the least.”

>He walked back over to the couch and sat down, “Of course, then the school couldn’t afford an art program anymore so they fired me. I tried other schools in my area but they already had enough art teachers. I had to work RETAIL and double up on commissions when I could to make ends meet.”

>You gasp.

>So it seems even humans knew the horror that was retail work.

“I’m so sorry.”

>”Hey, it isn’t your fault. So that’s when Earth made contact with Equestria and that whole Initiative thing started. I decided why not? I’d be one of the first people to go to an alien world and see what it has to offer, AND I’d get to meet my soulmate.”

>Well now you just feel awkward.

>Anonymous also shared that feeling as his face grew red, “That is to say, if you want to be?”

>You were tempted. Celestia help you, you were sorely tempted.

>Ever since you’ve met this alien, there’s been a connection between the two of you that you can’t explain.

 

>That’s why you didn’t kick him out of the Boutique whenever he came over, despite not wanting to be in a relationship with him.

>That’s also probably why he followed you all the way back to Ponyville from the Crystal Empire.

>But you can’t. Because every time you consider it, you imagine being happy again, and then you imagine the next war coming to take destroy it all like the last one did.

>Just like with Sweetie Belle and your parents, you wouldn’t be able to live anymore if that happened.

“My answer remains the same, Anonymous.”

>So you will continue reject him and your own feelings, because accepting that only to lose it when the next war comes…

>Why, you might as well just slit your own throat at that point.

>With your telekinesis, you use your spoon to scoop more ice cream out of the tub you’ve been nursing.

>You pointedly ignore the briefly hurt look on Anonymous’s face before he hides it, and the guilt you feel at being the one to cause it.

>You don’t want to hurt him, but you can’t love him like he deserves.

>You hope he just gives up and finds some other mare to pursue.

>Hm… Now there’s an idea. Playing matchmaker to spite the matchmaking Princess.

>”Right, well then. Onto the story of Aladdin.”

>But deep in your heart of hearts, in the part that you consciously refuse to acknowledge.

>You still hope that you get your Happily Ever After, just like Cinderella got hers.

(END OF PART 1)