[Stillness] Addressing the Fright! · 11:20am Nov 10th, 2015
darlings
My aftermath to a story that doesn't exist, Stillness, is a success! Well, with a 2-1 like/dislike ratio, it's as much a success as I can manage on only two hours. And now I'm here to talk a little bit about the mystery behind the madness, as well as to address a couple fun theories and guesses that some people have talked about.
The silence speaks loudest...
One story I've had in my mind for a long time is one starring Rarity. It would follow her around her shop for a few days and go into detail about her expansion, provisions, and plans for the future. Episodes such as Canterlot Boutique have only strengthened this idea. Eventually, she would encounter a horror that hunts her down in the dead of night, and she would very quickly fall victim to a disturbing fate.
In short, it would be a story that my inner sadist would love.
Stillness is a by-product of that idea, not of the core story but of the day after. Rather than follow Rarity, it follows the boutique. Rather than show one character, it shows every character that interacts with the building and a few outside of it. Rather than go into any dialogue or progression, it shows the state of things from the perspective of a witness. All in all, it's meant to highlight the panic and mystery that now permeates the building.
Welp! That mystery is still unsolved. A couple good readers have gotten close, but nobody has nipped it in the bud just yet. I figure I'd take this time to address a few good guesses. I won't be spoiling the solution - I still have a horror tale to write, after all - but I will reply a little more extensively to some of the comments. Beware of spoilers!
Iron Comet wrote: "Sealed inside the Ponyquin?"
•Correct! That is ultimately the fate of Rarity. However, even if we know where she is, we still don't know the how, who, or why. There are a number of suspects, to be sure.
djpon32568 wrote: "Inside ponyquin. The culprit might possibly somepony like Siri Polomare. After all, the outside door lock had been broken, meaning that the pony/ thing, must have been outside."
•As above, you were correct about Rarity's fate! As for Siri? Good guess, but it is not so. However, guessing Siri is actually really good, because of her potential for a killer motive. A mare like Polomare could hold a grudge, and she likely does...against Coco Pommel. True, Rarity may have set an example for Coco, but Coco was the one who ultimately betrayed Siri. Even so, you're also correct about the locks on the doors. They were broken, so it would have to be someone on the outside coming in.
Iron Comet wrote: "i'm guessing the new Ponyquins were alive and did so. Only reason I could think that the door to where they were kept was locked and from the inside. Because they needed a key to open the door."
•That is actually the closest guess! The new ponyquins are key pieces in the puzzle. And saying that they were "alive" is partially correct, too! The questions then become how and why: how the new mannequins came to life, how they manage to do what they did, and why they did what they did. However, it would be odd to assume that they would not break the lock to the workroom, if indeed they were the ones to break the other locks in the building. Why leave one intact at all?
Iron Comet wrote: "True, that was something I missed. Just noticed they needed Sweeties help to find the spare key. I'm guessing Changelings. They tore a older poniquin apart and sealed her inside."
•Ooh, that image creeps me out. The thought of Changelings swarming Rarity, their chitinous limbs stuffing her inside a dressform, the clacks and chitterings of their speech patterns...eugh! Alas, Changelings are innocent of this crime. They have nothing to do with this part of the tale, although it is a fun idea to entertain! Just imagine: Rarity's love of dresses is what gives a Changeling the ability to disguise themselves as a dressform mannequin!
djpon32568 wrote: "Hold on... Sweetie was the only one with a key... Sweetie wouldn't speak... Oh. My. Gosh. Is it Sweetie Belle???????"
"Wh-what??"
•Ahaha! "Have you been a bad filly, sweet sister of mine??" Oh, I'm sorry, but that is a wild theory that I hadn't thought of! As much as Sweetie Belle would be the epitome of innocence, with her crying and silence thereafter, she is not the guilty party. She didn't have a key to the workroom so much as she knew where to find one. There's also the detail of Sweetie Belle being the first one on the scene in the morning. It's vague, but yes, she is the first one there. So if she were the culprit, it wouldn't make sense for her to have left the scene in the first place, only to return after sunrise. (This is still a fun theory, though. Hoo boy!)
That's all I've received so far! The inquisitive readers have correctly guessed:
→Rarity is sealed within the body of an older dressform mannequin.
→The new dressform mannequins are involved in Rarity's fate.
There are still questions as to the broken locks, the single intact lock, how the mannequins are involved, how it's possible for them to be involved, the ultimate reason as to why, and - of course - whether or not Rarity is ever found. Anyone care to hazard a few more guesses?
And what about me? Will I ever get around to answering these questions, instead of beating around the proverbial bush? Well, yes...maybe. Eventually. I mean, I do have a synopsis and starting draft in my archives that I began almost a year ago. And I do still want to write something that will earn my first proper Mature rating. A little summer blockbuster of a tale that will have the squeamish leaving their seats in a fit. And to have it all explain - in lurid detail - the events of what transpires in Rarity's boutique. From the start...to the end.
(Note: I still adore Rarity and she is still one of the best characters ever and if you disagree with me then you are twelve types of wrong I am only interested in this idea because she fits the perfect role for it and it's a story worth telling twice okay I'm not sorry!)
~Leo
K. I have spotted a few details that may be nothing, but may be something.
1. Sarcoline is flesh colored. Or, rather, ponyquin colored. And it was sent to the wrong address.
2. There is a quote that suggests to me that the crime scene was possibly staged. "Towels and doilies had been tossed along the counter, as though for good measure." It actually brings about an interesting point. If they broke into the bedroom, it was because Rarity was in there. But if she was in there, how did the fight get so out of hand that Rarity escaped the room and ran all over her house, but she did NOT make it out the door. It would make more sense to suggest that she was attacked in the boutique and ran to her room, but this implies she got past her attackers but didn't rush for help. And we know it would have to be that way, since her bedroom door was locked. So I think she was nabbed in her sleep.
3. If the scene was staged, this could mean that the receipt was fake to begin with. Which would mean the three 'ponyquins' were the assailants, disguised using the 'wrongly addressed fabric'. But... that doesn't quite make sense. If they were just ponies in disguise, they would need to breath. Which is actually my problem with Rarity being alive that whole time, but... well...
4. Likely the idea most grasping as straws, but I realized with my last one I was making an assumption. That the crying was referring to Rarity in the ponyquin. In describing the emotional state of the pony who discovered the crime, you wrote "The filly was constantly on the verge of tears." The ending is, "The crying ended shortly after." It could be that the crying mentioned at the end isn't referring to Rarity crying, but to crocodile tears from the perpetrator, the pony who 'discovered' the scene. Again, that is the one I find least likely, but it amused me enough when it popped into my head that I decided to share it.