Paragon
Show me a hero and I'll write you a tragedy.
- F. Scott Fitzmareald
---
Dear faithful student,
I send you this message to warn you of a great danger. I have reasons to believe that forces beyond even my control are on the move in Ponyville. An old enemy I fought long ago has reappeared; a monster who's only pleasure is in the pain of others. I urge you to gather your friends and stay indoors until help arrives. Stay together at all costs, cover your windows, and lock your doors. I am on my way.
Sincerely, Princess Celestia
"M-m-m-monster???" Fluttershy squeaked, hiding behind her pink mane. Luna nodded grimly.
"I only know as much as you do, Elements. My sister refused to answer my questions. She ordered me to teleport here ahead of her to protect you." With a sideways glance, the princess of the night adjusted her crown. "From what, I know not." It was obvious she didn't appreciate being left out of the loop. Twilight lowered the parchment from her eyes, rolling it up and floating it over to Spike. The baby dragon took it and clutched it tightly.
"I'm sure the Princess has a good reason for not telling you, Luna," she consoled, "It must not be too big of a threat. She didn't want to worry you, that's all."
Luna blinked. "Celestia is bringing the Elements of Harmony with her."
Applejack's eyes widened. "The Elements?! Hoo-whee! Sounds pretty serious to me, Twi." The apple farmer remarked, working out the fatigue that had gathered in her joints. She began jogging in place. "Don't ya worry none, Princess. Once me and mah pals have the Elements, we're unbeatable!"
"Yes. I of all ponies should know that. It's just..." The Moon Princess shifted uncomfortably. "I saw something in Celestia's eyes that I've never seen before. She was... afraid." Luna shivered, and a cold silence descended over the room. Spike, biting his nails anxiously, gave voice to what everypony was thinking.
"Princess Celestia was scared? I don't believe it." The dragon breathed. Twilight seemed to realize something and, desperate to change the subject, cleared her throat.
"Luna, if the Princess is so worried about what might happen to us, why didn't she just teleport along with you?" The lavender mare inquired, nervously tapping her hoof on the wooden floor.
"She used quite a bit of her magic earlier, in the throes of a wicked dream." Luna replied. "Even I could barely contain her. She is flying here from Canterlot in order to conserve what little magical strength she has left." The room was silent once more.
"She expects a fight." Applejack stated solemnly. Luna nodded again, apprehension evident in her dark green eyes. Fluttershy hugged an unconscious Angel before rising to her hooves.
"D-Don't be afraid Princess. We're your friends. We'll get through this together." The shy mare asserted confidently. The rest of the ponies all nodded, and Luna's anxiety slowly faded. The alicorn chuckled slightly, embarrassed that she had to be comforted by those she had been sent to protect.
"Many thanks, kind Fluttershy. Funny, I-" Luna's speech was cut off as she came to an abrupt realization. The alicorn scanned the room frantically. She couldn't find them.
Confused by the princess' sudden distress, the ponies exchanged worried glances. "Princess, what are you looking for?" Twilight asked, perturbed. Luna turned to her with a desperate expression.
"Where is Pinkie Pie?" She asked. "And young Rainbow Dash? And Rarity?"
The Element's eyes began to widen in comprehension. "Rarity is at the botique. She told me she had a big order to fill today. Mah... Mah sis is with her!" Applejack yelled, going into full panic mode. She rushed towards the door, but was barred by the bigger alicorn. The orange pony grunted in frustration. "Move! Mah sis is out there!"
Luna shook her head. "If Rarity and your sister remain inside, they should be fine." The princess reassured. Applejack looked hardly convinced, but abstained from bucking the ancient mare in the face. "That leaves the other two." Luna continued. "If Rainbow Dash is in her cloud home, she should be okay as well. Where is the pink one?" Twilight shifted nervously.
"She... she was here before. We kind of chased her away..." Ashamed, the magic student hung her head.
"S-she was acting so scared." Fluttershy supplied. "Like she was... running... from something..." The yellow mare trailed off.
Silence.
A painful moan escaped from them all when they realized what had happened.
"It seems Pinkie Pie is in danger." Luna bit her hoof, deep in thought. Applejack's eyes began to water.
"A-Ah did this! Ah made her leave! This is all mah fault!" The farmer wailed, hiding her crying face behind her forelegs.
"R-Rainbow Dash f-followed her..." Fluttershy hiccuped, beginning to cry herself. Luna looked up in surprise for a second, then continued to think even more intensely than before.
"Why didn't we listen..." Twilight added, biting her lip to keep from bawling.
"P-Pinkie Pie..." Spike whispered.
Luna stomped her hoof on the ground, coming to a decision. "Enough. We don't know if Pinkie Pie or Rainbow Dash can be saved. We won't know unless we try." The mares and the dragon stopped crying and rubbed their eyes, turning in rapt attention to the lunar goddess. "This goes against my sister's orders. She said to stay inside at all times. To stay safe no matter what. But she also said to protect you six. At all costs."
The Moon Princess turned to the door, twisting the knob with her magic. The door flew open, the cold night air flooding in, washing over the assembled ponies. Only darkness lay beyond that threshold.
"We travel together. Nopony leaves the group for anything. Be ready to run... and..." The dark blue alicorn twisted her head around, meeting the eyes of the everypony. They were filled with a determination only the deepest of friendships could foster. Luna made a vow to her sister. These were her friends too.
She would protect them. "...Stay behind me."
No matter what.
---
"Cutie Mark Crusaders Pillow Fight Go!!!"
Rarity winced at the chorus of high-pitched voices filtering in through the door to her workroom, causing her sewing arm to jerk slightly to the right and lead the tread askew. Left eye twitching in irritation, she sighed and floated the piece of cloth up and out of the machine, discarding it into a bin on the other side of the room. The bin was, frustratingly, nearing max capacity; a testament to the trouble the white unicorn had been having all day.
"I want the fluffy one!"
"I called it!"
"Nuh uh!"
The fashionista groaned. "Now, now Rarity..." she muttered to herself, grabbing another piece of cloth with her telekinesis. "A lady must be patient..." Taking a deep breath, Rarity inserted the new cloth into the machine and readied it by smoothing out its wrinkles with her hooves. Leaning back, the unicorn looked out of her window, eyes lidded with fatigue.
The day had been more than a little busy. An order had come in from Canterlot around three o' clock this morning, demanding a full wardrobe of brand new, unique, and jeweled ensembles for an upcoming performance by the end of the week. Normally, Rarity, being the sensible mare she was, would've politely pointed out the time of day and suggested with some insistence that the mailpony should get lost. Her objections were extinguished, however, the second the delivery pony said who it was for.
Rarity sighed dreamily. The pony of pop, Sapphire Shores herself, had been so pleased by her outfits the first time that she just simply had to buy more. It was a dream come true for Rarity. To have a celebrity as a regular customer drew attention, and, of course, even more customers.
Unfortunately, in typical Sapphire Shores fashion, the star had charged Rarity with an almost impossible task. Casting her
azure gaze around the room, she eyed her already-completed pieces with satisfaction, certain that they would please the V.I.P.
A loud whumph sounded from the front room.
"Got you!"
"Oh yeah!? Take this!"
As if completing an impossible order wasn't hard enough, there was the sleepover. Weeks ago, Rarity had promised a whole day where Sweetie Belle and her friends could stay up and play all they wanted. Her sister had been looking forward to it for days, and now, when it finally came time to open her doors to the little menaces, it couldn't have happened at a worse time.
Whumph!
"Ow! That hurt!"
"It's just a pillow, don't be such a chicken!"
"I am not a chicken!"
Rarity shook her head and walked to the door to her workshop, using her magic to turn the handle and push it open. The mare flinched when she saw what had happened to the room.
Feathers floated down from the ceiling and settled on ponniquins and the floor. Cushions were scattered haphazardly across the room, their seams bulging and on the verge of tearing. Three suddenly guilty fillies stared up at her with wide, apologetic eyes.
"Uh... hey sis. Um..." The alabaster unicorn filly began, scratching behind her mane. She was perched atop the purple couch that Rarity liked to use when being dramatic.
"We ah... Ah mean... it was Scootaloo's idea!" The yellow earth pony accused, pointing a hoof at the purple-maned pegasus filly. Scootaloo herself was busy trying to stuff as many feathers as she could back into her own pillow.
The accused filly shot Applebloom a scandalized look. "Was not!" She retorted, sliding the pillow under the couch. Rarity pinched her forehead in exasperation.
"It's... fine, girls, but in the future could you please be a bit quieter? I'm rather busy and would appreciate it ever so much." The white mare barely prevented a pleading tone from entering her voice. Happy that they were being forgiven so easily, the three smiled angelically.
"Of course!" They chimed, tiny halos appearing above their heads. Disregarding the overly-innocent looks the fillies were giving her, she smiled in thanks and went back to her workroom. Closing the door behind her, the mare settled in and stretched. Soon, the rattle of the sewing machine echoed through-out the small room. The hypnotic sound allowed Rarity to relax and take the day in. Despite all of the work, the annoyances, and surprises... today had been a good day.
Despite her pleasant mood, however, the alabaster mare felt strangely unsettled. It was an unprompted and irrational feeling- a niggling annoyance in the back of her mind. It felt like something bad was going to happen. Fortunately, the nice (though tiring) day had proven her instincts wrong. The feeling was still there, but she could ignore it quite easily.
"Cutie Mark Crusaders Leapfroggers!!"
Rarity stiffened, managing to stop her hooves from going astray. Proud at her accomplishment, she continued-
Crash!
The sound of something very expensive shattering against the floor elicited a yelp out of the white pony, along with a flinch that turned the neat, straight seam of her stitching into something more resembling a zig-zag. Angrily, Rarity tossed the cloth into her bin and stormed out into the front room. Her eye twitched again as she saw that one of her ponniquins had been knocked over, crashing into one of the big mirrors that adorned the walls. The pieces were everywhere.
"Girls..." Rarity's voice was deadly quiet, betraying the mare's intense agitation. The fillies looked up from their impromptu game of leapfrog and glanced to the wall, flinching in unison as they saw what they did.
"Ah... Scoot... did it...?" Applebloom explained uselessly, scraping a hoof on the ground.
Rarity's eyes narrowed. "Clean it up. Now."
Kicking off in a flurry, the group of offending fillies rushed to do as they were told, grabbing dust pans and brooms. Sighing, Rarity allowed a small grin creep onto her face. "Less horse play from now on, okay ladies?"
The girls all looked up from their work at the same time and nodded their heads as fast as they could. Satisfied, Rarity once again retreated into her workroom, leaving the door open this time so she could keep an eye on her guests. Fishing through her various cloth bins, she only managed to find one more sheet that fitted her needs. A wonderful dark red, the sheet was terribly wrinkled and creased to the point where no amount of hoof-smoothing would fix it. Moaning quietly in frustration, the mare rolled out her ironing board and laid the sheet on top of it.
"Okay... done." The fashionista heard the small voice of her sister in the other room.
"Well... now what?" Came the disinterested voice of Applebloom.
"Nothing too awesome... I don't wanna have to clean anymore." Scootaloo replied. "Cleaning is not my special talent."
"What about... Oh! I have an idea!" Sweetie Belle spoke up enthusiastically. "We can tell stories!"
The other two crusaders groaned, obviously not as enthused by the suggestion. "Boring." Scootaloo yawned. The sentiment was repeated by Applebloom. As Rarity leaned forward to grab her iron- the best ironing was done with your own two hooves, after all- she could see the little unicorn's wicked smile.
"Horror stories." She said evilly, flicking off the lights with her magic and producing a flashlight. She held the light under her muzzle, where it helped cast spooky shadows across her face. Scootaloo and Applebloom exchanged a look, before grinning widely.
"Now you're speaking my language." The orange pegasus agreed.
"For sure," Applebloom echoed, "Anypony know a good one?" The bright yellow filly settled onto the tile floor as Sweetie put the light down. Scootaloo looked each of them in the eyes, a smirk playing on her lips.
"Do I ever."
Rarity began her work, ears tuned into the conversation. She wasn't much for scary stories, but she could enjoy them now and then. Besides- the unicorn grimaced at the mess of a cloth- she wasn't doing anything but ironing anytime soon.
"Once upon a time, in a dark corner of Equestria... there was a little town, full of ponies." The orange filly began. "The town was surrounded by a deep, evil forest... filled with all kinds of monsters. The villagers were warned by their leader to never enter these woods, because everypony who tried to brave the wild was never... seen... again." Scootaloo shifted her eyes between her two friends, seeing them fully engaged in the story. Rarity chuckled, amused by how easily entertained the kids were.
"In this village there was a mare. A beautiful mare, who everypony-"
"Oh! What color was her mane?" Sweetie Belle spoke up, voice cracking in an adorable fashion. Scootaloo raised an eyebrow.
"Uh... Pink." The pegasus said, annoyed that her story was interrupted.
"What was her cutie mark?" Applebloom inquired, raising a hoof.
"Um... I dunno... a flower?"
Applebloom frowned. "That's stupid." Scootaloo scowled.
"And who's telling the story here, huh?" She retorted, sticking her tongue out.
Applebloom opened her mouth to reply, but was abruptly cut off by a coughing fit from Sweetie Belle. The little unicorn spasmed for a minute before wiping her mouth and shaking her head, grinning weakly. Rarity looked on in concern. Sweetie Belle had been having these coughing bouts for a few weeks now, but Nurse Redheart and Get Well were unable to discern the source of the problem.
"What?" The sick filly asked, voice a little hoarse.
Scootaloo tilted her head. "You alright, Sweetie Belle?"
"Yeah," Applebloom said, "Ya ain't sick are yah?"
The white unicorn filly nodded. "I'm fine guys," She promised, "Really."
The other two looked at each other and shrugged. "If you say so," The pegasus said. Scootaloo grinned once again. "Now where was I? Oh yeah, so there was this mare, right? A mare so beautiful that the entire village was in love with her and would do whatever she asked. Now, on the outside she might've been beautiful, but on the inside she was a spoiled brat. She let everypony else do her chores and did whatever she wanted."
Sweetie Belled sighed. "That would be the life..."
Unperturbed, Scootaloo continued, "The mare had everything she wanted, but, being a brat, she always wanted more. Eventually, the village got too small for her. So she set off into the forest for someplace better, despite the warnings of the village mayor. She didn't get far before she met one of the monsters that roamed the forest... a cockatrice, the size of a house!"
The three shivered, recalling a particularly bad memory involving a cockatrice and a chicken. Rarity, ironing her sheet, listened quietly. She found herself quite interested in the foal's tale. Scootaloo kept going.
"She got away... but at a terrible price. The mare's entire face... had been turned to stone." The fillies and mare gasped. The fashionista gingerly touched her face with a hoof, dreading the consequences of her perfect face turning into a rock.
"When she returned," the pegasus said, "People no longer saw her as beautiful. In fact, they called her ugly, and shunned her from their celebrations and homes... The mare, ashamed of her new look, wore a mask to hide her face..." Grinning madly, the purple-haired pony picked up the flashlight and put it under her muzzle, copying Sweetie Belle.
"But it wasn't enough..." She said eerily. " They say, lonely and angry... the Masked Mare travels the night, searching for beautiful faces... brandishing a silver knife..."
The filly creeped up to Applebloom and Sweetie Belle, whose eyes were wide with fear. "And when she finds one... when the pony is asleep in their bed, dreaming of sugarplums... she..."
Scootaloo flicked off the light; the only source left was Rarity's workshop lamp, and it wasn't enough to light up the front room as well. The alabaster mare was at the edge of her figurative seat. The silence lasted a few seconds.
"Steals your face!!!" Scootaloo shouted suddenly. The flashlight lit up to reveal the pegasus in a makeshift mask . The two fillies screamed, flailing up onto their back hooves and falling right on their rears. Scootaloo roared with laughter while Rarity giggled.
"Gotcha!" The filly laughed, pointing a hoof at her embarrassed friends. Giggling behind a hoof, Rarity reminded herself to get Scootaloo to tell stories more often. The look on her sister's face was priceless. Applebloom got up and rubbed a hoof behind her head, blushing furiously.
"A-Ah wasn't scared! Ya just surprised me, that's all." The yellow filly glared at her orange friend, who grinned back. Sweetie rolled onto her stomach.
"M-me either!" The unicorn protested, getting up. "That wasn't scary at al-"
The small unicorn suddenly collapsed into a coughing fit more violent than the last, losing her balance and falling right back onto her belly. Rarity dropped her iron and went quickly to her sister's side, joining the already concerned group of Scootaloo and Applebloom.
"Sweetie, are you okay? Shh, it's okay dear, I've got you." Rarity comforted, rubbing the little filly's back. Scootaloo looked guilty.
"Oh no... is it my fault?" The speedster asked, biting her lip. Rarity smiled sadly at her.
"Of course not, dear; she's had this dreadful cough all week." The mare turned back to her sister, who was beginning to calm down. "Poor Sweetie..." Rarity whispered lovingly, stroking the crusader's frazzled mane. Eventually, the coughing died down and Sweetie Belle took a deep breath. Smiling, the fashionista let go of her little sister. Her smiled faded when she saw the far-away look in the filly's eyes.
"Thanks, Rarity." The little unicorn said, taking a few more deep breaths. "I don't feel so good... I think I'm just going to go to bed."
"Awwww!" The other two crusaders whined, disappointed they were losing a crusader while the night was still young. They quickly read the atmosphere, however, and bowed their heads.
"Well... Ah hope ya feel better Sweetie Belle." Applebloom said.
"Yeah, we can still have plenty of awesome fun tomorrow!" Scootaloo added, grinning. She knocked Sweetie Belle playfully on the shoulder. The two moved nearer to the door at the front of the shop to discuss further plans for the night.
Rarity nodded slowly. "Oh... okay." She kissed the little unicorn on the head. "Good night, Sweetie."
The filly didn't reply; she just turned around silently and trotted up the stairs, head down. Rarity watched her go, wondering what she should do next. The fabulous unicorn considered leaving her be, but as the door to her sister's room closed Rarity felt her heart twist. The cough had been a tenacious enemy all week, and the sleep-over must've been the only thing keeping the poor girl in high spirits. Now, the cough had ruined it...
Rarity climbed the stairs and walked down the hall to Sweetie's room. Moonlight streamed in from the window at the end of the long hallway, allowing the white mare to navigate without using her magic. She stopped in front of Sweetie Belle's room, leaning her head against the door as her hoof twisted the knob.
"Sweetie, I'm coming in." The mare said softly, pushing the door open. A small yelp was heard before Rarity could open the door all the way, along with some scuffling noises. When the fashionista entered the room, Sweetie Belle was backed up into a corner of the wall, hooves suspiciously behind her back. Rarity noticed and arched an eyebrow.
"U-um hey, sis. I-I was just headed to bed..." The filly stammered, forehead sweating.
"I was just coming up to make sure you were all right... what is that?" The white mare asked, pointing an inquisitive hoof at her sister.
"What do you m-mean?"
"The thing behind your back." Rarity replied. Shrugging nonchalantly, the unicorn filly floated a small book out from behind her. The cover read 'Junior Sketchbook'.
"Just a drawing book. You know. For... drawing." The crusader laughed awkwardly. Rarity smiled and tilted her head, intrigued by her sister's sudden interest in art, if a little put off with her strange behavior.
"I didn't know you drew, darling! Mind if I take a peek?" The white pony inquired, taking hold of the book with her magic. To her surprise, she found resistance. Sweetie Belle smiled a little too widely.
"U-um, no, it's okay. I'm not that good of an artist anyway." She said, straining against her sister's magical grip. Rarity was curious, but let it go. After all, she was here to make sure her sister was alright, not to intrude upon her privacy. The mare's sister breathed a sigh of relief, opening one of her drawers and sliding the sketch book into it.
"Okay, Sweetie. Are you sure you're alright?" The purple-maned unicorn asked, frowning slightly in concern. Sweetie Belle practically leapt onto her bed, snuggling into the covers with a smile on her face.
"Yeah, sis. Thanks for worrying about me." The filly said, looking lovingly at her sister. Rarity walked forward and gave her a quick nuzzle.
"Please, Sweetie, what are sisters for?" Rarity hummed. Sweetie Belle giggled.
"G'night, sis."
Rarity moved to the door, flicking off the lights. "Good night, Sweetie."
Smiling happily, the boutique owner closed the door softly and started down the stairs. Now that she knew Sweetie was okay, she began to prepare herself for the rest of her all-nighter. First things first, though.
"Alright, ladies," the unicorn began, reaching the end of the stairs, "I want you to be as quiet as you can, because I have quite the busy night and am not up for any more..." The fashionista trailed off as she realized that the two fillies she was addressing were outright ignoring her. The crusaders were looking out through the front window, not moving a muscle.
Huffing, the white pony trotted forward, intending to give them both an earful. "Girls-"
Rarity stopped when she noticed their eyes. They were wide and fearful. Scootaloo turned her head towards the white unicorn, visibly shaking.
"I-I-It's t-the Masked M-m-mare..." The frightened pegasus spoke. Applebloom's gaze remained locked outside. Rarity rolled her eyes, stepping forward to look out the window herself. She took a cursory glance at her front yard and sighed, spying nothing.
"Please, girls, I don't-"
Something shifted out of the corner of her eye, a flash of white and pink. The fashionista quickly turned her head towards the sudden movement. Applebloom whimpered.
The earth pony was only just visible; the lamplight from Rarity's doorway barely managed to reveal more than a face and a torso. The figure in the yard stood stock still, its body wrapped in what seemed like a tattered apron, its long pink mane frazzled and sticking out in every direction. A white mask was strapped to its face, depicting a crying mare, silver tears dripping from her drawn shut eyes.
The sight unsettled Rarity greatly. The nagging feeling she had pushed into the back of her mind came back, whispering promises of violence and evil in her ear. The mare(?) outside tilted her head at the three, allowing the light to catch the silver accents on her mask. It gave the illusion the mask was actually crying.
"Girls." Rarity intoned, feeling her knees beginning to go weak. "Go upstairs with Sweetie Belle." Applebloom finally tore her gaze away from the dark figure.
"R-Rarity...?" She said pitifully, unsure if she should stay or go. The mare looked at the two, seeing their frightened eyes and feeling her own resolve building.
"Go."
Wordlessly, the two fillies dashed away from the window and up the stairs. Rarity waited for the sound of their hooves to fade before she looked back out the window. The Masked Mare stood where she did before, head still tilted, apron fluttering slightly in the night wind.
The boutique owner turned from the window and trotted to her kitchen, where she retrieved a candle and lit it with a match. Forcing herself to march back to the door, Rarity took a deep breath. She was in the middle of one of the friendliest towns in Equestria. The pony outside was probably playing a prank at her expense, or might even need a place to stay. Surely she meant no harm.
Right?
Rarity pushed open the door.
The cold night air rushed in, brushing against her and making the small flame atop her candle dance. She shivered and cast her gaze around the yard.
There was nopony.
"H-hello...?"
No response. Had the mare left?
"Hel-"
Crack!
A scream caught in Rarity's throat as she was thrown back against her door, ribs fracturing under the pressure of a brutal two-hooved buck. Vision swimming, the fashion mare saw her assailant rush out of the shadows, following up her sneak attack with a headbutt that sent Rarity sprawling onto the floor of her front room.
"What-?!" She coughed, tears of pain forcing their way into her eyes. Ears ringing, the unicorn heard the sounds of frantic hoofsteps on tile. The white mare yelped in surprise and barely rolled out of the way of a vicious stomp. Dazed, Rarity struggled to regain her footing.
"What are you doing?!" The fashionista cried, using a mirror for support, breathing heavily. She could taste copper. The Masked Mare stood in the center of the room, mask balefully glaring in Rarity's direction. What was going on?! A thousand thoughts and images rushed through the white mare's head all at once, doubts and fears flashing by at light speed.
The most terrible thought demanded the most attention.
Was she going to die?
Without warning, the Masked Mare sprinted forward, her intent clear. All illusions disappeared. This was a fight to the death.
Rarity screamed properly this time, the situation having finally sunk in. She dived out of the way of the angry charge, screeching in terror. Her attacker crashed into the mirror, sending sharp shards in every direction. Lines of blood appeared on the murderous pony's flanks, eliciting no reaction from the mysterious assailant. Through the haze of fear, Rarity tried to make out the mare's cutie mark; but either it was too dark, or she was too terrified to make sense of it.
Shaking her head, the Masked Mare silently picked up a piece of the broken mirror, weighing it in her hooves. Rarity saw her reflection in that mirror- messed up mane, sweaty coat, breathing heavily with eyes wide in horror. She saw a small dribble of blood running down the side of her mouth. The aggressor tightened her grip on the mirror shard and tensed for another attack, panting heavily behind her mask. She had not said a word to identify her reasons for the sudden assault. It probably didn't matter now.
"Please, stop!" Rarity cried, tears of fright rolling down her cheeks. "Why are you doing this?!" There was no response. The Masked Mare took a sudden step forward.
"R-R-Rarity?" A small, terrified voice sounded down the stairs leading to Sweetie's room. Rarity immediately recognized it as her sister's voice. The Masked Mare froze, before casting her glance towards the stairs.
The sound of Sweetie Belle's voice knocked Rarity out of her terror induced stupor. Everything seemed to go in slow motion. Her sister was up there. Her sister's friends were up there. Innocent foals. And they depended on her. She fought to stop shaking and looked at the situation in a new light. If she lost, the Cutie Mark Crusaders were as good as dead.
"Stay upstairs, Sweetie!!" Rarity screamed. "Don't worry, everything will be fine!!" She just had to keep the mare down here. Keep her away from her sister at no matter what. The Masked Mare stole a quick glance back at Rarity before running quickly towards the stairs, mirror piece gripped tightly in her forehoof.
"Stay away from them!!" Rarity roared, running full-tilt at the mysterious mare. The attacker was taken entirely by surprise, given the fashionista had done nothing but cower and cry since the fight began. Screaming a battle cry, Rarity lashed out with her back hooves, feeling them dig into her ambusher's side. Grunting in pain, the Masked Mare toppled sideways and rolled back onto her hooves, brandishing the mirror shard like a knife. The mare gripped it so hard it drew blood, thick lines of dark red rolling down her leg onto the ground.
The Masked Mare lunged forward, swinging the sharp edge down in a wicked arc towards Rarity's left shoulder. The unicorn, thinking quickly, tossed her mane aside and tilted her head so that her horn deflected the blow. The pain was immediate and immense, causing Rarity to squeal in agony and become temporarily blinded. The Masked Mare, taking this opportunity, attacked again, this time aiming to end the fight with a quick stab in the throat.
Rarity was in pain, but she was anything but beaten. Growling with a new found anger, the fashion mare gripped the other mare's hoof in her magic and poured everything she had into it. The mare's hoof stopped mid-stab, before being slowly forced open to drop the shard on the ground. The mirror piece clattered to the floor, and Rarity wasted no time.
Once, twice. A third buck sent the mare sprawling to the ground in a heap, from which she did not get up for several seconds. Blood was rushing in Rarity's ears, her heart was beating like a frenzied war drum, her mouth tasted like meat and copper. Gritting her teeth, the boutique owner pounced on the Masked Mare, pinning her to the slick tiled floor.
The mare struggled madly to get free, thrashing about in every direction, yet uttering no sound. Eventually, Rarity reared up slammed the earth pony's head onto the ground, dazing her assailant into staying still for a few precious seconds.
"No!" Rarity seethed, finally having the upper-hand in the battle. The Masked Mare's head moved from side to side, a pathetic attempt to escape the fashion pony's iron hold. "Enough! You won't hurt my sister!"
Rarity grabbed the mysterious pony's mask in her teeth, ripping it from her attacker's face.
"Now who the hell-"
The mask fell to the floor. Rarity, stunned, released the earth pony and fell backwards onto her hooves.
"You...?" She whispered. "Why...?"
A chorus of long, terror-filled screams echoed down the stairs from Sweetie Belle's room.
Mrs. Cake smiled.
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Here it is, everybody. Enjoy
WELL WHAT DAFUQ!!
I agree
Waht the actual fuck?
dis is not goode.
NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! RAINBOWDASH IS GONE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
so they are just mind-controlled to be the ponyfications (epic pun!) of ones temporarily greatest fear?
and i thought i found a story in which main characters really DIE.
well doesn't matter. It's still an awesome story.
Hmm... thinks I. Started as an excellent Slendermane story, doesn't update in over a month, and then when it does update, said update seems out of place. I'm curious as to the reasons, But not so thrown off that I'm going to drop the like or fave. Lets see where this goes, albiet cautiously.
I too am thrown off. What the fuck is even going on anymore?
1638573>>1638892 What are you guys having trouble with? I know it's been a while, but if you read the 2nd chapter again I think you should get a good idea of what's going on. This chapter is a direct continuation of that one. If you're still having trouble, please let me know about it and give me suggestions to fix it so that I can make this as smooth a reading experience as possible. Thanks
1639270 I think they understand how it's a direct continuation (at least I did)
However, the thing that threw me off was is this or is this not Slendermane (Rarity hit her and felt nothing, yet rainbow hit her and was stunned). Also, the ending was like "Wait...the fuck...???"
PS: Hope you update it sooner than last time
1639651 Allow me to elaborate, friend.
Slendermane is NOT in this chapter. I thought it was obvious (Slendermane does not have a pink mane, nor does he wear an apron, lol), but I digress. This is, however, a Slendermane fiction; so you can expect Rarity's unwanted visitor does have something to do with our tall friend.
And if the end left you surprised and confused, then I've achieved my goal
plot twists are supposed to do that.
What.The.Fuck
wow it updated!
1640162
Ah, that definately clears things up. I wasn't sure if there was a correlation between them or not, and I was thrown a bit off by the lack of faceless terrors. But at least now I know they are corellated. Eagerly awaiting next update.
"like meat and copper" Firstly, how does Rarity know what meat tastes like?
Can't wait to see more though
Ciao
I..bu...wha..?
but Slendermane devours his victims! How is she alive!? How!? Noone can escape him! Tis impossible!
as far as i can tell slendy is using ms cake as a "masky" which for those who don't watch marble hornets is a corrupted minion of slenderman it is possible that Rainbow could be being used in the same way...or is just dead.
HEY! The name of this chapter gives me an idea for a later one!
At some point, name a later chapter "Renegade."
A lot of people will get the reference, and it also refers to evil.
1638320
I've seen a couple
1640633
xD
Yeah, haha. Sorry about the delay
1640854
Glad I could help brochacho
1642626
Close your mouth, you look like an idiot
1643383
Eeeeeyyy, a fellow Marble Hornets watcher! Very astute observation on the Masky thing my good sir. +1 internets to you.
1649228
Lol, I get the joke, but I'm not going for a Mass Effect reference here
1653511
O.O that word. Brochacho. You sir, have won numerous internets.
And Five of Five Staches.
1653511
Not really the point, but okay?
Ya know, I was really meaning that the two words are basically opposites, and the word "renegade" will probably suit any upcoming chapters involving chaos (no, not Discord, lol), death, or just some huge unusual uprising of any sort.
It was just a suggestion, and suggestions were made for two things:
1) Consideration
2) Discarded and trashed
So because of these two reasons, offense will not be taken in the discarding of my suggestion.
1640854
"faceless terrors"
encrypted-tbn0.gstatic.com/images?q=tbn:ANd9GcSKg9Veh55TiIUHhx81uUES8amyDdfR4Sma5NMsszEi4JD8ana3
Holy sh*t, Slendermane is using his victims as zombified minions!
Shouldn't that be 'unicorn' as Sweetie Belle is the one coughing, not Scoots.
So, Mrs. Cake = Masky then?
1928555
Actually, canon-wise the victims of Slenderman/mane are called 'proxies', people, or in this case ponies, driven mad by the slender sickness, and are basically puppets meant to be bent to slenderman/mane's will.
Themoreyouknow
wait then that mean, NO RAIBOWDASH!!!!!!!!!!!!
I gusta'd. I most definitely gusta'd. :D
I was kinda expecting Sweetie Belle as a proxy
michele-barefoothoofcare.com/_Media/8_healthy_hoof_5_clinichoof.jpg
F*cking how?
poor sweetie belle
she's sick 
For a moment there I thought the assailant was fluttershy.