Apparition Amphitheater Presents: Forsaken Fashion Dolls

by Nightmare_0mega

Will Dog You 'Til You Die

Sweetie Belle stirred as the alarm clock in her room rang. With a whine and a groan, she sat up upon her bed, and smacked the clock with her hoof. As a yawn escaped her, she slipped off the bed and looked around, noticing all of her notes and books were picked up and placed neatly beside her pack. She moved over to them, looked through the pages, and with a small smile, she slipped them all into her packs before rushing out of her room with packs across her back. After first running through her morning routine, she then raced down to the kitchen, and found her sister up, humming a tune, and cooking breakfast for them. Sweetie smiled, but only for a second, unsure if Rarity was still angry at her, despite the implications. She placed her pack in the corner, and walked up to her sister.

"Uhm, Rarity? G-good morning."

Rarity turned to her, gave her a look of surprise, and then brought her close for a deep hug. "Oh, Sweetie Belle, good morning!" She then let go of Sweetie and returned to her cooking.

Sweetie giggled at the sudden embrace and the rather jovial attitude Rarity was sporting. "So, I guess you got your project done then?"

"Oh, that old thing? Yeah, I managed to finish it last night. It's taken me ages, and it's now under a protective cover, but that's not important." She stopped cooking, turning off the stove, turned to Sweetie, and sat down to be at her level. "What IS important is that I apologize to you, right now. I've been positively GHASTLY last night, and I'm so ashamed that I hurt you like that. I had no right to scream like I did, especially since all you wanted to do was help and make amends."

"It's alright, Rarity," She said with a small smile, "I still should have tried to stop my friends from going through with the plan anyway. I mean, I knew it wouldn't have worked anyway. I probably could have-"

"It doesn't really matter, anymore," she said, giving Sweetie another hug. "In fact, since the most pressing order is done, I'll have a fair bit more freedom to work on the others..." She paused, giving Sweetie a sly look, "... and I could probably use your help after school."

"Do you really mean it, Rarity!?"

"Of course!" She said with a smile as she stood back up, flaring her horn with a crimson glow, plated their breakfast, and set the table.

Sweetie Belle couldn't be more happy to hear such an answer. Elated by the news, she pranced to her seat with vigor, and ate the delicious spread her older sister had taken the time to finish for her. It was a lovely little bonding moment draped in an atmosphere of warmed hearts.

However, before they could spend the moment in peace, the twinkle of the front door's bell alerted them to a customer.

"Excuse me, I'll be right back." With that said, she rose from her seat and proceeded to the store room, greeting none other than Spoiled Rich. "Oh! You're early, Mrs. Rich. Well, come, right this way. I have your dress ready for you."

"Indeed you should have," she declared with a haughty tone, "At the very least, you are punctual when it comes to your important clients. I was almost anticipating that I'd have had to cancel my business with you, considering your... nature as an 'artist'. Not even mentioning the attitude your younger sibling and her friends have when it comes to my Diamond."

Sweetie Belle, having been eavesdropping on the conversation from her seat thus far, decided to get closer and peek around the corner and into the studio, where both her sister and Spoiled Rich had now stood.

"Is that so? Well, allow me to dissuade those thoughts and present you with this!" Rarity said as she removed the cover and presented the absolutely stunning and well fashioned dress. Spoiled Rich stood utterly stunned and flabbergasted, unable to form words that could express how she felt. Even the term overjoyed was beyond pitiful as a proper emotional description for her. "Well, is it too your liking?"

Spoiled snapped out of her stupor, and regained her haughty atmosphere, but spoke rather pleasantly for the first time. "It is very much to my liking, Ms. Rarity. It has gone above and beyond my expectations."

"Really? I'm glad to hear that." It was then that she gripped the dress by her hooves, and tore it away from the ponnequin, before tearing the remains in half, and tossing them aside. Sweetie was utterly stunned and dumbfounded as she watched her older sister pretty much commit vesticide in front of her client. Spoiled Rich was no better, now audibly stumbling over her words as she watched on.

"Wh-w-w-wha-what have you done?!" Mrs. Rich managed to finally ask.

"Oh, I'm sorry, did you actually care about that?" Rarity said with a smug smile.

"Y-you... You..."

"I just lost a customer, correct?" she said with a chuckle, "Well, considering that you're a demanding, egotistical, and downright rude mare that has not only insulted my artistic integrity, but has ALSO insulted my family to my face, I don't think I'll be missing out."

"Bu-b-but-"

"BUT, I don't come to you and insult your intelligence or your daughter, now do I? Whatever issues my sister has with your precious little Diamond is between the two of them, and is no grounds for either of us to denounce the other just because of schoolyard troubles. Isn't that right?"

"I-"

"Furthermore, I can make a dress just like that whenever I want, as long as I have the time. If you wish to apologize to me for your behavior earlier in the week and your comments today, I'll be happy to do business with you again. In the meantime, perhaps it would be prudent if you leave."

Spoiled Rich, for the third time, was stunned. No further words could even be uttered, as she simply turned away from Rarity, walked out of the studio, and out the front door, with the little bell signalling her departure.

Sweetie Bell then came out of hiding and raced up to Rarity. "That was so COOL!" she exclaimed in excitement.

"Were you eavesdropping, Sweetie?"

The little filly shrank a little. "A bit."

She gave the little filly another hug before patting her head. "It's alright, though you should get back to your breakfast. It's probably getting cold, after all, and you'll be late for school if you dawdle too much."

She raced back to the table, swiftly ate her meal, and put her school bag on. "Thanks sis!" She then proceeded to the front door, ready to head to school.

"Oh, and one more thing, before you go." She started.

"Yes?"

"You're no longer grounded."

Sweetie was dumbstruck for all of two seconds before her elation translated to a high pitched squeal of joy. "THANK YOU, SIS!" she exclaimed, before racing out the door and off to school.

Alone now, Rarity gave a light chuckle, proud of what she did and said today. She turned to the six ponnequins in the studio with a smile. "From now on, I'm going to do everything right. Everything a proper lady should do. I mean, you WERE given a chance, after all." She gave a sigh, turning away from the group of still, cold objects. "Keep your temper." She said with an ominous chuckle. Her eyes then flashed a deep blood red, before she trotted off to clean up the kitchen, humming a happy tune to herself and kicked away a few offending strands of purple hair and scraps of alabaster fabric that lay at her hooves.

As she did, whited eyes and mute, horrified screams cursed as a motionless churning thrashed within the hardened makeup of the new unicorn ponnequin, desperate to get out and hopelessly lost in despair. The stillness was agonizing, but the very real senses were so much worse: To hear her sister be fooled by the imposter, to see her smile, to watch as she happily hugged the horrid thing that wore her skin. Her life was gone, and a mimic, a phantom doppleganger, had it in a stranglehold. All she could do was scream, and no one would hear her. No one, but the creature with the red eyes that stole her life, and the other trapped, lifeless husks that she had joined.

-o-v-o-v-o-v-o-v-o-

And as her years go by, dear audience, she would come to watch life continue on without her, until the fake was done with the set and decided to send the little collection off to a new customer. Perhaps the next one would heed the warning and stay calm within such unfair constraints. Then again, the odds were so stacked, there was little anyone else could have done in such a scenario, especially when it comes to the exceedingly stressful world of art. However, despite her bleak outcome, remember this well: Take the time to express all your feelings in healthy, controlled ways, and do take care to not let bottled rage explode on someone you love, lest you lose your chance to apologize.

With that said, the strange figure took a bow, satisfied with his work as the lights flickered off one by one, until nothing more than the silver glow of the moon remained to light the lonely theater. A wolf howled in the distance as clouds shrouded the lunar illumination, and painted the open aired structure in pitch black. As the wolf's cry died in the air, the ambience became thick and still like windless fog.

Author's Note:

vestis (latin) = clothing

Also, happy Nightmare Night everyone!

Comments

[Nightmare_0mega]

8523055
Thanks, and thank you for reading.

[Joey JoJo]

After sleepless nights, this came out better than I expected.

[Nightmare_0mega]

8527818
Thanks to you, man. Seriously, I really appreciate putting up with me to help me get it out here.

[Bold Promise]

Holy shit, that gave me goosebumps. Sorry about Rarity, though.

[Nightmare_0mega]

8572226
Glad you enjoyed it.

Yeah, I felt sorry for her too... but that's how horror stories work. Not all endings in them are sunshine and rainbows. At least it wasn't a super gore finale, unlike most dark/horror fics.

[Bold Promise]

8572287
I can actually imagine this being how curses would work. No wonder Celly would go to such lengths to filter and censor knowledge.

[Nightmare_0mega]

8573152
At least when it comes to curses and dark magic.

[Cinders of War]

Nice! And it’s got a great moral to the story too!

Well done, my friend. I shall look over the other ones when I can. I like how your stuff always has a hidden backstory behind them. Definitely keep this up!

[Nightmare_0mega]

10037844
Thank you very much, my friend. I’m so glad you enjoy my stuff.

[Flora Blossom]

My Little Reviews & Feedback review in 2023.

[Moosetasm]

This had a very Twilight Zone feel to it, much enjoyed.

[Nightmare_0mega]

11899875
Never really considered Twilight Zone, but I can see it.

If you enjoyed this one, perhaps you might like my other "Apparition Amphitheater" stories?