Lost in the Dark

by Silver Moon

Rarity

“Rarity, have you seen AJ around?”

“No, not of late. What do you need her for, Twilight?” Rarity asked as she turned to face her friend.

“She was supposed to help Pinkie with some baking earlier, but she never showed up. It’s not like her,” the Alicorn replied. She tilted her head to the side thoughtfully for a moment. “Come to think of it, I haven’t seen Rainbow for a while either,” she said.

“Oh, she’s probably just training for the Wonderbolts,” Rarity said easily. “And Applejack is probably just overworking herself again. Have you checked all of the apple orchards?”

“No, I’m on my way over there now.”

“Well, best of luck to you. Just let me know if you need any help.”

“Alright, Rarity. See you later,” Twilight said as she walked off. Rarity shook her head as she walked back into her home, trying to put the missing ponies out of her mind. The day was coming to a close and it was time for the unicorn to go through her nightly routine. Once she was curled up in her bed, sleep seemed to claim Rarity faster than normal. In no time at all, she had drifted off to a deep sleep.

Rarity: Loss of Family

“Goodbye, Father, Mother,” Rarity reluctantly called as her parents rolled away in the taxi. She stayed outside and waved until they were out of sight.

“What do you want to do now, Rarity?” Sweetie Belle asked, looking excitedly up at her sister.

“Er, well, I have a few errands to run,” Rarity began. She trailed off as the younger pony’s face fell. “But we can do something when I get back, OK?”

“Alright,” Sweetie said dejectedly. “I’ll see you later.”

“Just stay out of trouble, OK?”

“OK.”

“I’ll be back in a little while,” Rarity said. But as she walked away she could feel a slight tugging at her heart. A small seed of guilt at leaving her sister alone planted itself in her mind and swiftly grew. “Oh well,” she muttered as she gave in to the idea of going to spend time with her sister, “I can always go out later, right?” Turning around, she trotted lightly back to her home. “Sweetie,” she called as she opened the door, “I’ve decided I can go out later. Do you want to do something together?”

“NO!” came the squeak of a reply. “Um, I mean, you don’t have to do that! I don’t mind, really!” the filly shouted with panic in her voice.

“Are you sure? Sweetie Belle, what did you do?” Rarity asked wearily.

“Nothing!”

“Sweetie,” Rarity growled. “What have you d-aah!” Rarity broke off with a scream of shock as she entered her boutique. She looked around in shock at the complete mess her sister had made in the few minutes the filly had had alone. The gems that the older sister had spent seemingly endless hours gathering lay on the floor, broken, chipped and scattered carelessly. At least a dozen of Rarity’s half-finished dresses had been torn nearly to shreds and lay haphazardly around the room. Fabrics, once stacked neatly off to the side, now lay unraveled and almost everywhere. Manikins had somehow been stacked one on top of the other and came tumbling down on Rarity as she advanced on the cowering filly in the middle of the mess.

“I’m sorry!” Sweetie squeaked out with wide eyes as she watched her sister advance. “I just wanted to be like you!”

“Like me? Like me?!” Rarity snapped. She closed her eyes and took a deep breath, trying to calm herself down. But when she opened her eyes the once-soft blue had turned to ice. “You will never be like me,” she hissed. “You will only ever be a disaster. You-you-” Rarity broke off with a sob as she looked around her ruined shop. “Go. Just go.”

“But-”

“Just. Go,” the white mare repeated. Tears welled up in her sister’s eyes as the filly stood up. Water cascaded down the filly’s face but her green eyes flashed with rage.

“Fine!” she shrieked as she tried vainly to shake away her tears. “Fine! I’ll leave and-and never come back!” Rarity took a sharp breath as her sister’s words hit her like a blast of magic. Realizing the harshness of her words, she tried to take them back, but Sweetie Belle wouldn’t let her. “I hate you!” the filly screeched as she pushed past the stunned mare. “You’re not my sister! I hate you!” she shouted again as she ran out of the boutique.

“Sweetie, wait!” Rarity cried but her sister was already gone. “Oh, what have I done?” she whispered to herself. Looking around again, she saw that the room was not as messy as she had first thought. Yes, some of the fabric had been unrolled but that could be fixed, easily. A closer look at the destroyed dresses showed that they had been torn at by an angry cat. Thinking back, Rarity could remember Opalescence glaring at the outfits earlier in the day. “Oh, what have I done?” Rarity moaned dramatically as she placed a hoof over her forehead. “I’ve lost my sister again! No!” she cried as she straightened up. “I shall not let this happen again!” Her face set and eyes filled with determination, Rarity reared up and ran out of her store into the starting rain. As she ran after the small hoofprints left by Sweetie, the rain fell harder. Rarity desperately shouted her sister’s name over the growing storm as she tried to find the filly.

“I hate you! Go away!” Sweetie’s voice echoed back from all sides. The quickening rain pounded harder on the ground as it tried to wash away any evidence that the filly had ever been there. Head down and tears flying in the cruel wind, Rarity ran harder than she ever had in her life, trying to catch her little sister. Mud splattered up, dying her pristine fur a dark brown but she ignored it. All that mattered was finding her sister and apologising. She yelled, pleaded, for her sister to stop, to wait, but all that came back was the rumble of thunder and the flash of lightning. Although she had never run so fast in her life, Rarity could not gain ground on her little sister. Every once in a while the filly’s tail could be seen for a split second before vanishing into the pounding rain. Undaunted, Rarity ran on. She ignored the mud as it flew from her hooves into her eyes, she ignored the wind as it tore through her messy mane, she ignored the rain as it tried to freeze her. Only one thing mattered: catching up to Sweetie Belle and apologising.

“Wait!” Rarity screamed again, her voice catching in her throat. “Please!” Somehow, the filly heard this plea and stopped. Lightning carved its jagged path down the black sky as Sweetie turned around to face her weeping sister.

“Why?” she screamed in a voice distorted by rage and pain. “So you can make fun of me more? So you can kill my dreams? So you can-”

“No! I’m sorry, I’m sorry!” Rarity fell to her knees, trying desperately to catch her breath so she could calm down her hysterical sister. “I’m-I’m so, so sorry,” she panted. “I never wanted… to hurt you.”

“But you did!” the filly screeched back. “You did and I hate you! I HATE YOU!”

“No, Sweetie Belle, please,” Rarity begged as she tried to stand. “Please, please forgive me. I love you. You’re my sister and I-”

“No!” Sweetie Belle shrieked once more, cutting across her sister’s plea. “I hate you!” the filly shouted, her voice full of hate. “You’re not my sister!” With the final word, she turned and started to run again. Her eyes closed against the torrential rain, she didn’t see the cliff. But Rarity did.

“Sweetie!” Rarity shrieked desperately as her sister disappeared off the edge but her voice was swept away by the storm. Terrified, she ran closer to where the ground fell away. She let out a squeal as the muddy ground slid beneath her, almost sending her tumbling down after her sister. Unable to breathe, the white mare peaked over the edge. What she saw made her cry out in pain.

The young filly lay on the ground, still save for the rain pounding her cooling body. Her neck was twisted at an impossible angle and blood trailed from her muzzle and the gaping hole where her left ear once was. Her eyes, still alight with pure hatred, lay open and oblivious to the rain and mud that fell on them. Too shocked to cry, Rarity looked along the edge of the cliff for a way down. A gray haze, caused by more than the slackening rain, surrounded her as she hopped down until she stood next to her unmoving sister.

“Sweetie?” she asked softly, fearfully. “Sweetie Belle? Are you alright?” Even as she asked the pointless question Rarity knew the answer. Her knees buckled and she collapsed next to the filly as tears made their way down her face. “I’m sorry,” she whispered. “I’m so, so sorry.”

She sat there, in the wind and the rain, allowing tears to flow down and land on the still body. She kept apologising, even though she knew it was too late. She sat there, crying and apologising, until the realization hit her.

Her sister was dead. She was now sisterless. Rarity wept, but not as hard as when the second realization hit her. Sweetie Belle died hating Rarity. There was no chance for forgiveness. No way to take the hurtful words back.

Not only would Rarity now be sisterless, but her sister would hate her.

Forever.

Author's Note:

Hey, I’m not dead!
Sorry for the long wait, people. I've been dealing with a lot in the real world and that includes a major writer’s block that lasted at least a month.
Two more things. First of all, if you see any mistakes, please let me know! The other thing I’m curious about is if any of you have noticed that pattern yet.

Comments

[Writer12577]

Hey, you're not dead! Marvelous! More well-written words to read during the dull weekends!

Mistakes and letting you know? I'd say that I owe you something from your work in the comments of my stories. Here we have what I found (and it sure isn't a lot).

Rarity took a sharp breath as her sister’s words hit her like blast of magic.

You're one "a" short there, at least I think so.

“I shall not let this happened again!”

It seems that an extra pair of "ed" wanted to join your otherwise-perfect sentence.

The quickening rain pounded harder on the ground as it tried to wash away evidence that the filly had ever been there.

I'd insert "any" before that "evidence" there, although it's not completely necessary. It just makes it sound a bit better.

Every once in a while the filly’s tail could be seen for a spilt second before vanishing into the pounding rain.

Oh my, those little pranksters "i" and "l" seem to have switched places in the word "split" in your sentence. Better teach them a lesson, eh?

Well then, time to move towards the chapter-related stuff.

First off, it was, yet again, a good chapter and I must admit that it felt great to read it just after waking up. The emotions here struck me really well. It also had gore. And falling ponies. And rain and thunder and lightning bolts. Awesome!

A pattern? I have a few guesses, but I'm afraid that they are only good as guesses and not ready to be processed as suggestions or even answers.

Aaaaaand now I'm stuck with thinking about patterns.

Good job with the chapter, it's great to have you back and fuzziness .

[Silver Moon]

2489621
Wow, I made a fair few mistakes...
Ah, well, that's what I get for posting it without editing it any more than what Word catches. I'll do more next time. I just really wanted to prove that I'm alive again.

Anyway, it's good to hear from you again. I'm glad, as always, that you (and hopefully others) enjoyed this. I know that I enjoy falling fillies and rain and thunder and lightning, but that is not the pattern. The pattern is within this story only and should be gently nudging you, the reader, to who/what is causing this. Yes, there is a reason behind the nightmares. I'm just not saying what yet.

Up next is either Pinkie Pie or Fluttershy. I have ideas for both but sending Flutters back to Flight Camp sounds like fun!

Thanks again. I really enjoy having a friend who I can always count on for a smile.
MAY THE FUZZIENESS BE WITH YOU!

[Writer12577]

2490166

Well, you're the only one who does that. I must say that you have found loads of more and bigger mistakes from my chapters.

Okay, now I'm filled with suspense. That might be a good sign.

Oh, the cruelty! 'Tis so overwhelming!

Me spreading smiles sounds really weird and creepy, but I'll take that as a compliment. Thanks, I'm happy to do whatever it is I can do to make someone I know feel good or something like that.