The bell above the door to the Carousel Boutique rang. “Merry Heart’s Warming Eve,” said the two ponies who entered.
Rarity trotted to the front room of her shop to greet the arrivals. Two fillies were standing by the doorway. They had to stare a couple of seconds at Rarity in order to recognize her. The white pony did not look her usual self. Her blue hair was messy and stiff. She had dark bags under her eyes and her head was hanging low. “Sweetie Belle, your friends are here,” she yelled up the stairway. Apple Bloom and Scootaloo looked at each other. Rarity was tapping the ground with a hoof while her eyes seemed to get more and more heavy. “Sweetie Belle!” This time she raised her voice. “She is not in a very good mood,” Rarity explained to the fillies. “She is probably sitting by the fireplace, moping. Like usual.” The white unicorn grinded her teeth before turning to the stairs. “I don’t have time for this. Either you come down here or I’m doing to have to ask your friends to leave.”
Once again Apple Bloom and Scootaloo made eye contact. They were sitting completely still on the floor, just waiting for the something to happen. Suddenly they could hear the stairs creak, and another pony with a snow-white coat appeared. “Hi,” she said to the carpet while strolling towards the fillies.
“Now, remember, I want you home before it gets dark.” Rarity turned around and was about to walk back to her workroom.
“It’s winter. It’s always dark,” Sweetie Belle said with a frown.
“That doesn’t matter. I don’t have time to go look for you if you get lost. Tonight is a very busy night.”
“Busy?” Apple Bloom looked at Rarity with a confused expression. “But it’s Heart’s Warming Eve. Why are you busy?”
“Apparently we are not celebrating Heartwarming Eve this year.” Sweetie Belle grabbed a small coat from a hook near the entrance door.
“What? Why not?”
“Rarity is busy.”
Apple Bloom looked from Rarity to her sister. “Well … you can come to our house. We have plenty of food and …”
“That’s quite all right, dear,” Rarity said. “I don’t want Sweetie Belle walking alone through the dark.”
“She won’t be walking alone. We’ll be there,” Scootaloo said.
“Still … I’m going to be worrying about her all evening. It’s best that you return home before dark, Sweetie Belle.”
The younger sister through her coat over her shoulders and walked out the door, slamming it behind her. “Well …” Apple Bloom looked at Rarity while smiling awkwardly. “See ya.” Then she and Scootaloo disappeared from where they came.
“Have fun, girls.” Rarity allowed herself to close her eyes for a moment. It felt so nice that she smiled unintentionally, but then suddenly she opened them again when she remembered all the fabric lying in her workroom just waiting to be turned into fashionable items. With a sigh she gaited drowsily deeper into the Carousel Boutique. Thanks to those three fillies she had completely forgotten where she was. Rarity shut her eyes again, trying to recall the design of the winter dress she was working on. She felt a shiver of please run down her spine at the mere feeling of having her eyes closed, and she wondered whether it would be beneficial to take a break. She would just relax for a bit. Maybe take a quick nap. And then it was back to work with more enthusiasm and focus than ever.
Rarity hit the wall in the hallway with her horn. The pain of the horn being pressed into her scull made her ascend to reality at once. She expressed her agony in a slight moan and rubbed the horn with a hoof as if that would help. I really should watch where I am going, she thought. Her face was squinted because of the pain of the subsequent headache. Maybe I do need a nap. Or perhaps this was destiny’s way of telling her to concentrate. After all, she couldn’t let this opportunity go down the drain. While all of her competition in Canterlot was celebrating Heart’s Warming Eve, she had an advantage. If she worked on her line of winter clothes tonight as well as the follow week, she could get them to the market before any of the big names in Canterlot. That would really put the Carousel Boutique on the fashion map, and perhaps she would begin to receive orders from the castle itself. Maybe from abroad. Rarity smiled at this thought. If it meant she would have to skip Heartwarming Eve one year, then so be it. It was not like the holiday wouldn’t come again.
The hours went by. Rarity continuously cantered between the pale beige pony manikin standing in the middle of her workroom and the bulletin board where she had hung large drawings displaying details of the outfit she was working on. Now and again she made a few adjustments on the drawings, deleted them, stared at the original design, made some other modifications, and deleted them also. She wrapped a brown scarf around the neck of the manikin and turned her head slightly to the left while covering her mouth with a hoof. “Should I really be using brown?” she asked herself out loud. “What is the color of the year? Oh, who cares? The year is nearly over anyway.” Rarity frowned intensely, and her headache was triggered again, which made it increasingly difficult to concentrate. A drop of sweat rolled down her forehead and was absorbed by the inside of her glasses. She groaned deeply and used her magic to remove the glasses from her face. Rarity looked around her. There were fabrics all about. Hanging on the walls, resting on stools or on desks. Though, they were all expensive materials, so she would never dream of using them to clean her glasses.
The kitchen of the Carousel Boutique was extraordinary scruffy. Rarity hadn’t had the time to tidy, and Sweetie Belle contributed more to the chaos than she helped clean up. There were day-old pans and pots in the sink. Dirty cutlery and spilled beverages decorated the kitchen table. A half-eaten pie was beginning to mold on the dining table. “Sweetie Belle, you’re such a pig.” Rarity carefully put down her glasses on the less repulsive area in the room. She magically levitated the pie while keeping her distance. Quickly she opened the trashcan with a hoof and ended the life of the pie. “Where is Sweetie Belle by the way?” Rarity turned around, trying to remember if she had heard the doorbell to the Boutique ring recently. She looked out the window. The moon was full and surrounded by black night. Rarity could not recall for how long she had been working. It had definitely been light outside when the three fillies had come to visit, but now the sun had already set.
“Sweetie Belle!” There was no answer. Rarity walked to the front room of the building. She continued up the stairway. When she was halfway she yelled again. “Are you still mad, Sweetie Belle?” Rarity sighed. She hadn’t got the time to deal with her sister’s problems. “We will celebrate Heart’s Warming Eve next year. I promise.” She went all the way up the flight of stairs. There was no Sweetie Belle on the second floor either.
I told her to return before it got dark, didn’t I? Rarity walked to the window and looked outside. Ponyville was quiet. There was not a pony to be seen. Only the lights shining from the windows of the nearby houses indicated that the village was inhabited. Maybe Sweetie Belle had gone to Applejack’s in order to celebrate Heart’s Warming Eve after all. Even though Rarity had explicitly stated that she had to return before it got dark. Or maybe she was elsewhere. Maybe she was lost. Rarity exhaled tiresomely when she realized what she had to do. She would have to go to the apple farm in order to make sure that Sweetie Belle in fact was there. She could not bear the thought, let alone work optimally, knowing that her sister might be stuck in a pile of snow or wandering aimlessly in the blistering cold. The thought of winter’s breath caused Rarity to shiver. Applejack’s farm was so far away. She would have to transverse the half of Ponyville with icy wind in her face. But that was not the worst part. There was another reason why Rarity was reluctant to visit the apple farm. She could just imagine what Applejack would say to the fact that Rarity had chosen to skip Heart’s Warming Eve. She would never be able to leave the farm but instead spend the entire evening listening to her explain the importance of tradition and spending time with your family and other platitudes. And then Rarity would be further behind on her schedule. Why couldn’t Sweetie Belle just hurry herself and come home? Her sister was currently ruining Rarity’s plan about getting ahead on her design by working on Heart’s Warming Eve. Sweetie Belle could be very stubborn and self-centered sometimes.
Rarity frowned by the thought of Sweetie Belle’s disobedience, and once again she felt her headache hammer on the inside of her scull. Maybe she should lie down for a moment or two. Rarity turned around and eyed the divan in the corner of the room longingly. With hesitation she made her way over there. The white pony positioned on the soft cushion padding of the divan. She had forgotten how nice it was to lie down with her closed eyes. Rarity rested her head on her front legs and exhaled with a deep, long sigh. Then she smiled for the first time in many days. Though, after a few seconds she raised her head again. Wearily she opened her eyes. I have to find Sweetie Belle. But the divan was just too soft, and she allowed herself a few more seconds to rest.
The whole Carousel Boutique was silent. The quietness descended like a thick blanket on Rarity, making it hard not to lie completely immovable. But suddenly something broke the stillness. The sound was familiar, though a lot more clear and sharp than otherwise. Rarity arose from the divan and jumped to the floor. The bell had rung. Sweetie Belle had returned home.
Rarity yawned when she walked down the stairs. She remembered to put on a resentful expression. Her sister was about to get the scolding of a lifetime. What was her deal coming home at this hour? Why did she insist on postponing Rarity’s work while leaving her in a state of apprehension and uncertainty? But when Rarity entered the front room of the Boutique there was not a pony in sight. She looked at the bell above the door. It was tranquil and completely motionless like it had been frozen in time. “Sweetie Belle?” Rarity called, expected a quick response. But it never came. That’s strange. I could have sworn I heard the bell ring.
Rarity walked to kitchen. Her glasses rested on the kitchen table, watching her. She turned around and checked the other rooms. No Sweetie Belle. Although, one room remained unchecked, and Rarity moaned once she realized which it was. “I have told you! You are not allowed in my workroom.” When Rarity stormed into the room she saw that it looked exactly like it did when she had left it. The manikin was dark in the dim light and wore the half-completed outfit. Even though it didn’t have any eyes, Rarity felt it watching her like the glasses. “This isn’t funny, Sweetie Belle. Hiding will not make me less mad at you.”
Rarity twirled around in confusion. She had heard the bell ring. She was sure of it. Somepony had entered her store. But if it wasn’t Sweetie Belle … who could it be?
Then the bell rang again. Rarity felt her heart skip a beat. She galloped out the workroom and ran as fast as she could to the entrance room. But when she looked at the door to the Carousel Boutique she once again saw that the bell was straight and unmoving. And there was still silence and nopony to be seen nor heard. “That’s funny.” Rarity giggled with a fake sense of amusement. “I am not such a dreary pony that I cannot tell a well-crafted prank when I see one. You had me fooled for a while, I admit it, but I am on to you.” She looked from left to right, expecting somepony to show her face. “Come forward, Rainbow Dash.” No reaction. “… Pinkie Pie? Twilight?” Only quietness felt the void. Suddenly Rarity let out an annoyed moan. “Well, whoever keeps ringing by doorbell better cut it out. I have a mountain to work to complete and wishes not to be disturbed any longer.”
The bell rang once more. Rarity stared right at the doorbell as it was ringing, though it still didn’t move. Am I imagining this? Rarity rubbed her temple, trying to calm down her mind. Perhaps it was the stress. Maybe she had been working for too long.
Though, the doorbell didn’t stop ringing. Rarity closed her eyes, hoping to wake up from the dream that she must be experiencing, but it never happened. All of a sudden the constant high-frequency noise of the bell changed. It became deeper. Slower. It was more of a rattling sound than a ringing one. Rarity knew the sound, but she had a hard time distinguishing it. Then she realized what it was. It was the sound of chains clattering.
A shadow peeked from the hallway to her right. Rarity jumped at the sight. She inched away from the opening to the hall, watching as the shadow came closer. Somepony had entered her home. Twilight had once told her that burglaries were common in Canterlot during Heart’s Warming Eve, but Rarity had never heard on such an incident in Ponyville. Though, somepony had to be the first to experience it, she guessed.
Rarity aimed her horn at the hallway. The light from the hall casted a long shadow into the room. It was pony-formed, but also a bit misshaped. The sound of clattering chains became louder with the shadow’s growth. When Rarity saw the figure that entered the room, she gasped. Her jaw quickly went numb from her extensive gawk. Her eyes widened before she blinked with puzzlement. She rubbed them, thinking that she was hallucinating.
Rarity’s manikin was walking awkwardly towards her. Its movements were stiff and mechanical, but that didn’t chance the fact that it was mover closer and closer to Rarity, who automatically backed away in response. The manikin was still wearing the outfit Rarity was working on. Brown and white textiles dangled from the back of the figure. The sound of chains was deafening. Rarity covered her ears, scanning the room while wondering where the source of the noise was. Suddenly the manikin stopped and began to stare at her. Actually, Rarity wasn’t sure whether it was staring. It was hard to tell since the manikin had no eyes. But as its faceless head was in eye height with Rarity, it was hard not to imagine that it was looking straight at her. Just as the manikin stopped moving, the clattering of chains subsided.
“Rarity.” The manikin’s voice was a hissing sound. Like the howl of a winter storm through a small gab in a hut.
Rarity didn’t know what was more bizarre; the fact that it knew her name or that it could talk without a mouth. “Y-yes? What do you want?”
The manikin didn’t respond. It was just standing calmly before the pony as if it had never been moving or speaking.
“Who are you?” Rarity asked. “I mean … I know you’re not my manikin. You’re alive. Or have you … have you always been alive?”
“I am you,” the pony sized model answered.
“Me? That’s absurd. I’m not a manikin.”
“You will be. If you don’t change, you will be exactly like me.”
“How so?”
Once again the manikin took its time to respond. “Heartless. Faceless. Your only purpose in life is to wear pretty clothes. You are already well on your way to become me.”
Now Rarity was beginning to get irritated. She was not going to stand there and be insulted by her own work. “Such beastly accusations. Do you realize whom you’re talking to? Now, I don’t know what you are or where you come from, but I can assure you of one thing: I am not heartless.”
“If you don’t change, you will be,” the manikin repeated.
Rarity nodded, thinking to herself that this hallucination had gone far enough. “Whatever you say.” She looked at the manikin that glared back with its empty faces. Everything was so quiet that she wished the sound of chains would reappear. “I heard chain clatter earlier. Do you know anything about that by any chance?”
The manikin moved closer. And the rattle of chains could be heard once again. “I am wearing them,” it whispered.
Rarity moved a few feet to the left, inspected the manikin’s body. “I’m sorry, but I don’t see any …”
“It’s the clothes. They are like chains around me. They keep me from moving freely. They maintain me a prisoner. Forever. You do not wish to share my fate.”
“I sure won’t.” Rarity was about to add, who would want to be a stiff manikin? but thought that that would probably offend it. Then she shook her head. This isn’t real, she had to convince herself.
“Tonight you will be visited by three spirits. One will show you your past, one will show you your present, and the last one will show you the future.”
“Sure, whatever you say …” Rarity looked around the room. She still hadn’t given up on the possibility of this being a prank. But there were no strings in the manikin or anypony around to control it elsewise.
“Mark my words, Rarity. You will regret skipping Heart’s Warming Eve.”
Rarity descended her eyebrows. “Is this what this is about? Heart’s Warming Eve? Are you saying that I will become heartless just because I have decided to skip it for one measly year? Are you trying to make me feel guilty?”
The manikin kept staring with its non-existing eyes. Then it turned around stiffly and slowly. It returned to the hallway, and the sound of clattering chains reemerged.
“Wait. I’m not done talking to you. The only reason I’m not celebrating it this year is because I have so much work to do. It’s not because I don’t like Heart’s Warming Eve. I don’t have a choice.”
The shadow of the manikin began to diminish. Rarity followed the creature, but when she entered the hallway, it was nowhere to be seen. She walked to the workroom. As she had expected, the manikin was resting on the pole like usual. She sighed with relief and rubbed her eyes again. It’s the stress. I have definitely been working for too long. Just to be sure Rarity poked the manikin with a hoof. It didn’t complain. She shook the scarf, but the only sound it made was a very faint sound of fluttering clothes. I need sleep.