Of Laurels & Lace

by WritingSpirit

Dismembered In Glass

"Quickly now! We don't have much time!"

Stellar hurried across the hallway, clutching tightly on Spring's hoof.

Crimson followed closely behind, gripping on his revolver as he eyed around the corridor. His other hoof held onto Octavia's, the grey mare ignoring the pain searing at her waist.

Rarity looked out the window in shock. Fires danced around the garden, razing and burning through the marble floor.

"Rarity!" Octavia's voice rang out, "Come on!"

Something tingled in her spine. She nearly fainted from the gagging smell of sulfur, catching herself just in time

"Miss Rarity!"

Winter galloped from around the corner, with Caper watching carefully behind his back.

"Master Winter!" Stellar exclaimed in surprise. "You're alright!"

"Winter!!" Spring screeched in excitement, hugging her brother tightly.

Winter's grinned instantly faded.

"Hurry Stellar. We need to get them to safety."

"The corridor's filled with hostiles, sir," the butler protested. "There isn't any safe place for them."

"There is one!" Caper shouted.

"We gotta go! Now!"

Octavia suddenly screamed out in pain, as blood started gushing from her old wound again.

"Celestia, 'Tavi!" Crimson said, tearing out a piece of fabric.

"Climb on my back!" he said frantically. "I can lift you there!"

Octavia just gritted her teeth, her voice twisted in agony.

"I-I hope so-!"

"Doctor Brineheart is already there." Winter hustled as he reloaded his gun.

"We need to get her out of here. Fast!"

Crimson nodded in exasperation, helping his marefriend climb on his back.

Blood soaked through the bandages, as Octavia bit her lip in pain with a curse:

"Damn this-"

Suddenly, the window shattered from behind them. The noise of metal and diesel chugged in an uproar, only being overwhelmed by a loud, piercing scream that erupted into the room.

"Rarity!!"

The unicorn felt her hoof hoisted upwards, dangling out the window as she tried in vain to reach the window sill. From behind, the sound of whirring propellers taunted her as a long, thick rope pulled her further and further, above the black smoke and burning flames.

"Help!! Help me!!"

"Hang in there!" Winter shouted, watching helplessly along with the others.

Rarity could only whimper with tears in her eyes. She struggled in vain, grunting in annoyance and desperation.

"Not the smartest pony now, eh?"

A mask stared back at her from the cockpit, intimidating her with every glance.

Rarity let out a horrified gasp.

"Mirror Mare?! Let me go this instant!!" she demanded.

The pony just laughed ignorantly. "Let you go! You know how pathetic it sounded?"

Rarity swayed violently from side to side, letting out a small squeak of fear as she covered her eyes.

"Really, you should enjoy this!" the voice snickered. "It's not everyday a pony like you can fly! And cheer up!!"

The world around her grew into a faint blur, her ears perking up a little, managing to capture one small sentence as her vision faded into darkness.

"I've got a surprise for you."

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Night. The time when ponies rest their tired eyes. The time when dragons sheath their wings.

Spike looked in horror, his head craning over the rocky cliffs with Jovern growling with a disgruntled snort.

"Ponies like them... always in combat with each other."

The teenage dragon could only nod, affixing his gaze on what was supposed to be Pendant Lakes.

Bright flames razed through the valley, the smoke pouring out in heaps. Echoing screams and shouts boomed through the valley, tingling with despair as it reached Spike's ears.

"Celestia..." was what Spike could only mutter.

Jovern placed his black wing around Spike, who was still trembling in growing concern and fear.

"I've seen worse, young one." the old dragon assured him. "There had been more slaughter and disaster in the past than you could ever imagine."

An explosion rocked the mountains, prompting the two dragons to look up suddenly.

"You're sure your mare is down there?" Jovern asked with worry.

Spike nodded again, this time with more determination.

"She should be in that castle. Beyond the town."

"Hoovingaar?" Jovern uttered as he tried to glance through the thick smoke. A small, glimmering structure gleamed from afar, basking in the afterglow of the moonlight and the dancing flames in town.

Another loud boom echoed through the valley. Fear swirled and fogged his mind as Spike tried to reconcile himself.

"Celestia, please let Rarity be safe..." he prayed silently.

Jovern's mind was still rambling through a haystack of ideas, letting out an irritated sigh.

"With all the ponies fighting down there," he swung his wings in defeat, "we'll never get into Pendant Lakes."

The soft ruffling of midnight black made Spike ponder a little, before he flashed a grin.

"You know what, Jovern? I got an idea."

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Twilight buried her pounding head in the book for what seemed like the fifteenth time.

"Good grief," she managed to stammer.

Persimmon's box stood tauntingly on the table, beckoning the frustrated unicorn to open it.

Twilight gave a glare to the lacquered box, shining seemingly with delight at her desperation.

"I'm going to find out," she growled with irritation, "what you're hiding."

She held her breath as her horn glowed purple. The latch on the box shook along, surrounded by an aura of magic.

"Come on!!" she yelled defiantly.

The faint color of purple began to shimmer brightly, turning white as the latch jerked around violently in place. Twilight's face instantly stirred with anticipation.

"Yes, that's it!" the unicorn exclaimed.

The light filled the room, forcing Twilight to shield her eyes.

A small spark fizzled around the box, glowing a deep red amidst the unicorn's purple aura.

Twilight's heart sank. "Oh, Celestia."

Suddenly. she felt herself being thrown across the floor as a loud bang erupted through the room. Books fell from their respective shelves as Twilight smashed against it. The windows shattered, the impulse blowing the wooden frame completely off its roots.

Twilight looked around, her stomach gurgling as she staggered slightly.

"Uh...." she groaned deeply, shaking her tangled mane.

The box fell to the ground, slightly smoking. The latch still held the lid into place.

"Oh, who am I kidding?" Twilight threw up her hooves in annoyance.

The door slammed open, as a streak of color rushed inside.

"Twilight!" Rainbow Dash rasped with concern, "are you okay?"

The unicorn struggled to stand. "I'm alright. For now."

She glared back at the box, her nose crinkling with rage. "I think I'll explode any second!"

Twilight harrumphed at Persimmon's box, which only intimidated her with the array of flowers designed around its edges.

Rainbow followed her gaze, before grunting callously:

"Seriously, Twilight? You created an explosion, as loud as my Sonic Rainboom, destroyed all the windows in Ponyville, just to open a box?"

Twilight gave the blue pegasus a cold stare.

"As a matter of fact, yes. Just rephrase it as 'saving a friend from danger' instead of whatever you'd just said."

Rainbow sighed, watching the unicorn picking up the box.

"Ow!" she cried out suddenly in pain, dropping the box from her scorched hoof.

Her friend tried without success not to snicker, making Twilight glare at her again as she fanned her hoof gently.

"It's not funny, Rainbow." she hissed.

"Come on, Twilight," Rainbow tried not to laugh, "I've never seen you this... this stupid before!"

She howled in laughter, rolling around the floor as tears filled her eyes to the brim. Twilight just scoffed at her friend ignorantly.

"Well, the least you can do is help!" she shouted with frustration.

"All right, all right." Rainbow said, drying her tears away as she sighed.

She examined the box closely, muttering to herself: "What would she do?"

"What would who do?" Twilight asked.

"Well, Daring Do, of course!" Rainbow flailed her hooves in anticipation.

Twilight chuckled slightly as the pegasus friend continued her investigation.

"Seriously, RD. You've been reading too much Daring Do books."

The blue pegasus just brushed it off.

"I've read enough to know at least what this box needs."

Twilight rolled her eyes. "Daring Do does stunts and treasure hunts in the wild, not unlocking silly, little puzzle boxes that require more than magic to open!"

"Besides," the unicorn concluded, "I think it's impossible for it to open!"

"Well..." Rainbow gazed at her friend, who was now deep in thought.

"Can't we just go to where she lived? When she was still a filly?"

Twilight snapped her hooves. "I've got it!!"

"Got what?"

"I'm going to where she lived!" the unicorn beamed with pride as she continued: "when she was still a filly!"

Rainbow groaned in annoyance, feeling like smacking herself.

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The woolen cloth teared from her eyes as Rarity looked around in fright. She tasted cotton, nearly choking as she tried to spit the gag out of her mouth.

Ropes bound her tightly to a chair, her head facing a pair of menacing curtains. A small telescope stood in place as it seemed to peer cautiously behind, watching the riots, the screams and the flames that echoed through town.

"Fine night we're having."

Rarity froze instantly, the voice cackling at her terror as the unicorn turned pale.

"Well, well, well." it said morbidly. "Miss Rarity has awakened from her beauty sleep."

She tried to scream through her gag, her bloodshot eyes seething with rage.

Her hooves twisted around in desperation, trying in vain to jerk free.

"There's no reason for doing that. I placed like three.. four knots? I don't think you'll ever break free."

Rarity felt the tip of a serrated blade crawling across her neck, her body trembling with fear as it tingled in her skin.

She shouted again, muffled completely by the gag around her mouth.

"What did you say?" the voice laughed at her torment, forcing Rarity's head up as the pony's pupils turned into tiny slits. The pony's demented grin made her tremble, the voice booming louder.

"Speak up!"

In one swift move, Mirror Mare tore the gag, searing through Rarity's mouth as she winced in pain.

Rarity panted, gasping for air. Her hooves still jerk around, eventually tiring out.

"Speak."

Rarity glared defiantly at the pony, gritting her teeth as she shouted vehemently in rage.

"You'll REGRET the day you did this to me!!"

The masked pony clapped at the sentence, completely unfazed as it stepped forward.

"Really, I must applaud at your threats. They do seem to excite me."

"And when I'm excited," the masked pony chuckled, "I tend to do very, very disturbing things!"

Rarity just spat at the floor, humphing ignorantly.

"Now that," the pony cackled at her actions, "was very un-ladylike."

"I don't need to be a lady in front of a madpony!" the unicorn snapped.

Mirror Mare seemed to smile savagely behind the mask, the pupils in the pony's eyes glinting darkly with delight.

"Madpony.... wow."

"Tell that to Diane."

The name made Rarity's ears perked. "Diane? Who's that?"

"Just a special somepony...." the voice said as the pony bemused a grin.

"Somepony in Ponyville."

Rarity paled in horror, realization striking her in the face.

"Don't you lay a single hoof on Pinkie again!"

"Why would I?" Mirror Mare continued, sharpening the knife with the tip of its hoof as the pony caressed it as if it was a pampered cat.

"After all, it's been so long..."

"What do you mean?" Rarity asked hesitantly. "What did you do to her?!"

The pony just smiled.

"Let's just say she and I had terms with each other."

Rarity widened her eyes in disbelief. Her thoughts raced back, trying to picture Pinkie's smiling face in her mind.

"Celestia, Pinkie..."

"But now! For the surprise!"

Mirror Mare drew back the curtains, the night sky still ablaze in red and grey. Rarity shielded her eyes from the sudden glare of light.

The masked pony slowly aligned the telescope, twisting and turning it around the pedestal.

"There we go!" the pony finally exclaimed as the telescope squeaked with rust.

Rarity felt herself being pushed violently forward, nearly smashing her face onto the floor as she staggered to lift herself up. Her hooves, still bounded, crumpled with pain, making her whimper in agony.

"Come on now, Rarity!" Mirror Mare snorted. "There's so much to see!!"

The pony pushed Rarity forward again, the unicorn nearly crashing into the telescope.

Rarity reluctantly staggered closer, the smile on Mirror Mare fading as the pony scowled impatiently:

"Look!"

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"I'm not so sure about this, young one."

"Me neither," Spike replied, holding on tightly to Jovern's neck, the air flowing through his scales as the big dragon glided smoothly towards the burning town.

"Just maintain this level." he said to the older dragon.

"Wind currents ain't helping." Jovern grumbled, flapping his wings noisily.

A group of clouds fogged Spike's vision. The teenage dragon raised his arms amidst the nighttime fog, letting droplets of moisture run through his body.

Both dragons exited the cluster with a poof, drifting closer and closer towards Pendant Lakes.

Spike watched in horror at the flames raging below, with giant columns of smoke billowing to the sky.

"Get ready, Spike." Jovern warned him, spreading his wings apart cautiously as they floated above the town.

All around, buildings were burning, ponies engaging in combat. Gunshots rang out, striking down many ponies below.

None of the ponies seemed to notice as they fired from behind their barricade of ruin. Bombs exploded from below, overwhelming Jovern's slight flaps.

Both dragons breathed a sigh of relief.

"That was very wise of you, Spike," Jovern laughed heartily, "to use my wings and camouflage with the night sky."

Spike turned a little red. "Thanks, I guess."

Jovern drifted carefully, steering away from the towering smoke. Spike looked down from the black wings, his concern for Rarity growing with each second.

"Where are you?"

"Maybe she's in the castle," Spike suggested, pointing at the burning structure jutting out from the steep mountain.

Jovern nodded in agreement.

"It'll take a while for us to reach there at this speed," he said, looking at the burning palace with doubt.

"The castle looks like it's going to collapse any second."

Spike's face flushed with worry.

"Can't we go any faster?"

Jovern just shook his head, tilting slightly as he steered around another column of smoke.

"No can do, young one. You don't want your mare to see you crashing to the floor."

"Well..." Spike looked uneasily over Jovern's shoulder, "can't you fly any higher?"

"Remember kiddo, any higher and we'll fly out of Equestria."

Another house blasted into the air, rocks, ash and wood hailing onto the dragons. Spike quickly ducked, a giant beam slightly grazing his scales.

Jovern cursed under his breath, swerving around the shrapnel.

"These ponies and their savagery."

The castle stood in view, still glimmering despite the bombarding and terrorizing.

Spike held his breath, looking at the burning castle with worry.

"Please be safe..."

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"What did you see?"

Rarity tried to ignore Mirror Mare's cold voice, still peering through the telescope.

"I don't get it!" she yelled hesitantly. "What am I supposed to look for?!"

The masked pony just looked at her.

"You can do better than that, Rarity." its voice cackled slightly.

"Just... focus."

Rarity looked through the telescope again, squinting her eyes slightly.

A dark shadow loomed from afar. It seemed to grow closer, gliding smoothly yet menacingly.

"Wha...What is that?"

Mirror Mare chuckled. "We all know what is that, Rarity."

The unicorn just looked in shock, the giant shadow seemed to flicker through the clouds.

"How-How could nopony see this thing?!"

The silhouette burst out from the sky. A giant beast skimmed towards her quietly, the pair of midnight wings making her wonder in amazement and horror.

But what make her look was the small, purple dragon grasping tightly on it's neck.

"It... It couldn't be..."

"But it is," Mirror Mare seemed to read her thoughts. "The hero has come to save the day."

Rarity's heart leaped for joy, watching with pure sensation as the dragon duo approached them slightly.

"You're almost there, Spike," she cried out, her eyes slowly widened with each flap of their wings. "Just a little more..."

The sound of clattering behind her made the unicorn turn to her left, before paling in horror.

Mirror Mare adjusted the pedestal, slotting a small cartridge with a click.

"I think it's time," the masked pony said morbidly, aligning the machine gun to the window.

"...to welcome them."

"NO!!"

The gun sprayed violently, bullets hailing out in dozens as Rarity looked at the dragons with dread in her eyes.

"Stop it!!" she screamed, edging her chair closer toward Mirror Mare as she struggled with her ropes.

"Please!!"

Mirror Mare just snickered coldly. "And what will you do? Or better yet.... what can you do?"

The pony continued his array of gunfire, ignoring her pleading screams and cries.

"Just stop!!" STOP!!"

Mirror Mare unloaded the empty cartridge, quickly replacing it with a new one.

"Now you know how it feels like."

Rarity felt like collapsing with each glimpse at the dragons, steering and teetering around as the pony pulled the trigger once more.

She pulled herself closer, frantically pulling at her ropes as she jerked her chair violently.

A loud roar prompted her to look. Her skin paled as she watched in shock, her eyes starting to flood with tears.

The larger dragon's head dwindled, his black body twitching slightly as he took a deep plunge towards the floor.

Rarity's eyes followed the younger dragon as Spike lost his grip.

She felt her heart sink at the sound of Spike's piercing voice, shouting her name as he disappeared into the flames.

"Rarity.....!"

"Celestia..." was the only thing she could say, before the unicorn broke down, screaming into her mane.

"Why Spike?! Why can't it just be me?!!"

Rarity turned to glare at Mirror Mare, only to see the pony's body dissipating into the air in a wisp of dust.

She started wailing, ignoring the soot on her mane as she buried her face inside once more.

"S-Spike...."

"I'm sorry!" she screamed, launching herself towards a cracked mirror with a loud shatter.

The chair broke apart, making the ropes around her hooves loosen as Rarity sniffled. She staggered slightly, a small trickle of blood running down her head.

"I... It's all my fault..."

Rarity fell to the floor, coughing a little. Tears still streamed down her face, her mane tainted slightly red from the blood running down her trembling forehead. Her vision blurred, her mind stood screaming inside her, yet her hooves ached in pain.

The world spun around, as her frail body crumpled with pain, her hooves reaching for the window. Rarity managed a despaired moan, depression overwhelming her as she whimpered miserably.

She closed her bloodshot eyes.

"I'm sorry... Spikey-Wikey..."

Comments

[WritingSpirit]

Well, seriousness achieved!
Chapter 21, as promised, with a little more serious and a little less

Not much to say about this, just that it took a little too long to finish.
Added teen lovey-dovey tag for upcoming sauciness!

[Theatre Pony 66]

Well you did follow through on your promise of making the story more serious so there is that.

Hope Spike is okay as that was one heck of a fall, and man Rarity can not catch a break can she. I really can not wait to see where the next chapter goes from here as wells what Twilight is trying to achieve.

Keep up the great work as I can not wait to read the next chapter.

[WritingSpirit]

Sorry for the lack of updates again. My mind's kinda frozen these past few days, but I'm working on it!
In the meantime, I'm trying to remember and favorite the fanfics I read (yes, the really sad and lovey-dovey fanfics) prior to this. They gave me the desire to write Laurels and the other story (which would be much harder to do...).

Anyways, Chapter 22's halfway. And time to reply on some comments
890123 Answer is male, although my personality's kinda stuck in the middle . My mind's a little creepy sometimes (I hallucinate whenever I want to!) but it really helped me in this story! As for Pinkie, I'm still kinda working on that. She won't die (that's just cruel !) and you're right, you can't save her from her state, but her being alive is crucial for, well, the rest of the story!
898317
Well, to be honest, it was just supposed to me murder, but somehow drama breaks out and everything just blasts apart. It will calm down later, I can assure you.
Also, thanks for letting me know on that! I'm really reworking on the first few chapters, clear out errors and stuff. I still need some pre-readers though! The gore is still a tad bit high (Toned down a little and tried to post on EqD, but there was still a little amount of excessive gore, according to one of the pre-readers) and well, I'm still stumped so far.

And I like the fact that you guys are still enjoying it , even though it sidetracked a little.
Chapter 22 would be up soon!

[Fury of the Tempest]

... I knew they were going to be shot at as soon as Rarity realized that it was Spike.

[Phoenix Nebula]

Mirror Mare is using a Xanatos gambit of sorts. The best way to deal with this is to do the last thing that Mirror Mare would expect.