Chapter 5
Twilight arrived in the back room of Carousel Boutique as the sun began to set, Rarity and the comatose Carrot Top waiting for her. “Finally, you’re here,” the impatient white unicorn huffed. “Let’s get started.”
Twilight’s horn lit up, and Carrot Top rose to her hooves. The pair of unicorns contorted her into a playful pose, crouched down on all four hooves, like a cat ready to pounce.
Rarity grabbed the razor and went to work on Carrot Top’s mane. The metal box buzzed viciously as the yellow mare’s bright orange locks fell to the floor. Carrot Top snorted lightly in her sleep as the razor tickled the back of her neck.
Please, Twilight thought to herself, for Celestia’s sake, don’t wake up. Make this easier on both of us, and just stay asleep.
Carrot Top’s repeated snorts turned into a low chuckle. She opened her eyes, and immediately ceased her laughter, thoroughly puzzled by her surroundings. The yellow mare groaned as she struggled to move, several veins bulging out of her neck. She looked down at the floor and noticed the piles of orange hair, then up at herself in the mirror. She stared at the large bald spot where her mane used to be, and released a high-pitched screech, the majority of which captured by the gag over her mouth.
“Well, would you look at that?” Rarity chimed. “She’s finally awake.” Carrot Top’s breath shortened as several tears burst from her eyes. “Oh, please. At least wait until I give you something to cry about.” Rarity’s horn lit up as the white magic aura surrounded the yellow mare’s orange tail, leaving it nowhere to go but up.
Rarity yanked Carrot Top’s entire tail off at once, taking a large strip of skin with it. The white unicorn brought out the hacksaw and sliced off the disappointing remainder of Carrot Top’s tail. The amputated earth pony let out a shriek chilling enough to curdle the copious amounts of blood running down her flanks. “There. Now you can cry,” Rarity mused. And she did. A lot.
Twilight stared into Carrot Top’s horrified eyes, and was swept with guilt as Rarity applied a gauze pad to the expansive hole where Carrot Top’s tail used to be. “Rarity, I-I-I can’t keep doing this.”
“It sounds like somepony doesn’t want to see her precious Spikey-Wikey ever again.” Twilight flinched at the mention of Spike’s name. The very thought of the little baby dragon, helplessly locked up who knows where, was enough to bring a tear to her eye.
“You agreed to help me turn two dozen ponies into mannequins,” Rarity reminded, snapping Twilight out of her depressing daydream, “and I agreed to return Spike to you afterwards. Carrot Top will be number twenty-one, you still have to help me three more times to meet your end of the deal.”
Carrot Top’s eyes widened as she became aware of Rarity’s exact plans for her. She gazed around the room at the mannequins, wondering who the other ponies were that were as unfortunate as she was.
“I can’t do this three more times,” Twilight sobbed. “We are murdering, Rarity. We are plucking our friends off of the street and murdering them. I haven’t had a good night’s sleep in weeks. Every time I close my eyes, I see pain and suffering. If I do this any more, I’ll go madder than Pinkie Pie the day after Gummy’s birthday.”
“There’s nothing wrong with a little madness,” Rarity replied. “Just look at me, a rising star on her way to the top of Equestria’s fashion industry.” Rarity’s horn lit up, and four beams of white light swirled around Carrot Top’s legs, slowly turning her skin to plaster. “Now let’s finish up here, and you can go home.” Carrot Top moaned dismally, and watched in the mirror at the plaster inched its way up her body.
Twilight looked at the desperate yellow mare empathically, and she sniffled several times. “I’m so sorry.”
The mannequin skin had almost enclosed Carrot Top’s entire body, and worked its way up her neck. The white beam of light circled her head like a comet, and slipped under the gag around her mouth. Rarity removed the tight ribbon coil from around Carrot Top’s snout. “Any last words, darling?”
The plastered earth pony’s snout was now locked in place, but she parted her lips and uttered a single sentence through her teeth. “Go to hell.”
“See you there, darling.” The white beam of light passed over Carrot Top’s lips, completely sealing her airways. The spell had reached every part of her body, leaving only her eyes uncovered, filled to the brim with sadness and terror. The white light swept over her eyes, and the transformation was complete. Twilight dropped the holding spell, and the mannequin shook lightly. Carrot Top was still under there, still fighting. A muffled scream permeated the thin layer of plaster where her skin used to be. Her mouth screamed for freedom, but her lungs screamed for oxygen. The mannequin stopped shaking, and it fell silent. Carrot Top was dead.
Rarity pushed the statue over to the wall with her magic. “There, only three more to go.” Twilight galloped out of Carousel Boutique, sobbing her eyes out.
A dim light illuminated Rarity’s basement as the door creaked open. The growing pillar of light from the doorway brought a small metal cage into view. Behind the bleak silver bars was a purple baby dragon, jarred out of a light, restless sleep by the sudden noise and light in his face. Spike lifted his head and looked pathetically in Rarity’s direction as she tossed a small gem into the cage, roughly the size of Spike’s palm.
“Here,” Rarity said flatly. “Bon appetit.”
Spike snatched up the gem immediately and chomped down on it hungrily, licking up every last crystal crumb from his claws. The purple dragon then leapt towards the edge of the cage and grabbed the bars, sending a strong jolt of electricity into his young body. Spike had temporarily forgotten that the bars were electrified to prevent him from biting through them.
“Why are you doing this?” Spike whimpered from the floor of the cage, sucking on his seared claws.
“What can I say?” Rarity sneered. “I love watching ponies suffer. And if I get a few free mannequins out of the process, well that’s just killing two birds with one stone.” She trotted out of the room, shutting the door behind her, and leaving Spike alone in the dark. His only companion was the moon, shining in through a small metal grate near the ceiling.
Spike got to his feet and looked at the door. “What did I ever see in her?” He then thought about her elegant flowing mane... the way her coat glistens in just the right light… “Oh… yeah,” The diluted dragon sighed, before promptly slapping himself across the face. “Snap out of it, Spike! You’ve got to find a way out of here.” He looked around and ran through his options as he did most nights, none.
He stamped around in frustration on the floor of the cage, anger welling inside of him… or was it gas? Whatever it was, it kept building and building in his stomach, until his cheeks inflated, and he let out a loud, fiery belch.
A wisp of smoke curled up into the air, eventually materializing into a scroll, tied with a ribbon and marked with the royal seal of Princess Celestia. Spike could barely control his happiness as he tore off the ribbon and unrolled the scroll. He didn’t even bother to read the letter itself, instead turning it over and staring at the blank side on the back, his blank canvas with which to compose his escape. He tore several scales off of his left hand, exposing his soft, pink flesh. He then scratched a tear into his left hand with his right, causing a small drop of blood to squeeze out through his skin. He dipped a claw in the crimson ink, and furiously scribbled on the back of Celestia’s letter.
Princess,
Rarity foalnapping & murdering ponies. Twilight blackmailed into helping. I’m locked in Rarity’s basement. HELP!
-Spike
He skimmed over his letter one last time, making sure everything was in order, and prepared to send it. The maddening silence of his prison made excellent conditions for him to concentrate, channeling what little magic ability he possessed. Suddenly, his snout twitched, his focus faltered, and sneezed fire all over the letter. Average, everyday, destructive fire. When the smoke cleared, he stared down at the smoldering pile of ashes that used to be his escape plan.
“No…” Spike sniffled. “No, no no no…NOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!” He buried his head in his hands and wept, a mixture of blood and tears dripping onto the floor of the cage.