A murderer has come to Ponyville. Rarity and Pinkie have been able to brush off these rumors until now, when a body has been reported found, and it is in the center of town. They rush to their friends home, worried... but it's too late, for them
A murder most fowl as a pegasus is found dead in Ponyville street. The only thing left? Bones, gore, wings and a pair of eyes. Rarity and Pinkie have brushed off the rumors of murder for awhile now, but once a body is found, they go to the only friend who they know can't protect themselves, and who has been alone all day - The gentle, shy pegasus. But it's too late... for all of them. (WARNING: Excessive gore and dark topics.)
Rarity and Pinkie had been walking around town all day, shopping and laughing together. They had seriously bonded since they had been left together near Dodge. In fact, all of their friends had grown closer together in the time they had been together. Fluttershy had gone through that assertiveness training recently, and she had really changed. All of them had started bonding wonderfully after that.
Yet things were not perfect in Ponyville. Lately, there had been rumors of a murderer in Ponyville, shocking many. Murder was a foreign concept to almost all of them. Murder was a fleeting myth, having not been heard of since Discord’s reign. It was the thing of grim fairy tales.
That was why Pinkie and Rarity were so happy to be together today. Why spend your life fretting and worrying when you should enjoy it the best you can? Besides, they were only rumors. Rumors only took away the life you had, draining away the seconds of sand. Rumors come every day, in every form…
Such a shame that life doesn’t last long…. *~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*
“Wee!” Pinkie shrieked, jumping into the deep water. A large splash of water flung out from her cannon ball, causing Rarity to jump back in alarm.
“Pinkie! Watch what you’re doing! I just had my mane done!” Rarity touched her mane softly, sitting by the water. They had come to cool off and relax after the long day, and this pool was home to some of the coolest, most refreshing water in Ponyville. Of course, with how hot the pegasi had made it today, the water did little.
Pinkie giggled, staring at Rarity from the lake surface. “Oopsie! Sorry ‘bout that Rarity!”
Rarity grinned back at her, Pinkie’s laughter being contagious. “It’s quite all right, darling. You were merely enjoying yourself.” She turned back to her little drama she was reading – A romance, of course. She became entranced with the story lines – A mysterious kidnapping led a detective and a lonely damsel crippled in each other’s hooves. All the while, a villain rested beneath the scenes, and she was constantly left guessing who the culprit was. Her money was on the quiet one, the secretary of the detective. She read on for awhile longer, until she finally registered Pinkie’s voice. She looked up, startled. “Oh, I’m terribly sorry dear. I got distracted. What was it you were saying?"
“I said, ‘Hey, wait, weren’t we supposed to check with Fluttershy earlier?’” Pinkie motioned towards the clock tower. “Then I checked the time and realized it was, like, twoooo hours since we should’a been there, and I thought poor Fluttershy must be so sad, and then-“
Rarity looked at the clock as well with a start, cutting Pinkie off with a gasp as her fast words were finally processed. She had nearly forgotten about it – She and Pinkie had planned to have the morning to themselves, then meet Shy at noon. “Oh, dear, you’re right! That poor pony must have been waiting for us all day!” She pulled Pinkie out of the water, frowning. “I cannot believe we forgot our picnic today! And after all of that planning!” If there had been a sofa, Rarity would have fallen back on it in anguish.
Pinkie quickly cleaned herself up, her hair poofing back up as she dried it. “Come on, we better hurry! I’m never one to miss a pa-a-ar-tay!” Without further ado, Pinkie hopped away, smiling all the while. Rarity straitened her mane once more and ran off after her, hoping they weren’t too late for their picnic. As an afterthought, she teleported her book home. No point carrying it around as extra weight.
The path to town was a short one, yet Rarity was shocked as she was stopped by armed guard near the town. Many ponies milled about, and all of them looked concerned. “Please, step away madam. Police buisness.” With that, he pushed Rarity back into the throng of ponies, a tad bit roughly.
Rarity looked flustered, confused, annoyed, and most of all, a tad bit worried. “What on earth made armored guards show up in Ponyville? Perhaps something to do with the Elements? Or Canterlot?” She knew a possible answer, however. And that answer shook her to the bone. Were the rumors true? Was there really… Her curiosity burned. Rarity walked up to the nearest pony, whom she recognized as Lyra, and tapped her on the back. “Excuse me, dear, could you please tell us what is going on? We’ve been away all morning, and came back to this.”
Lyra turned quickly, calming down when she saw it was Rarity behind her. That brief moment of panic in her eyes made Rarity’s curiosity and trepidation grow. “You haven’t heard the news…” Rarity shook her head. Lyra sighed softly.“They… found somepony’s um… body.”
Pinkie stopped hopping for a moment as both her and Rarity’s hearts skipped a beat. “Body?” Pinkie said lamely, her eyes wide.
Lyra nodded, her mint fur looking a tad bit greener than usual around her face. “Yes. Apparently, the pony was so… disfigured, they… they couldn’t see who it was… they know it was a pegasus though. Something about leftover wings… S-she was athletic too… S-strong… muscles…” Lyra fell silent, looking queasy.
Rarity was in shock. Somepony she knew, somepony she was possibly friends with was gone forever. And somepony had killed that pony. Somepony had done this. She shuddered, feeling suddenly cold despite the summer heat. She suddenly didn’t feel safe, surrounded by all these ponies. Many there were unknown variables, ponies she had little contact with. Somepony there could easily be… “S…so the rumors are true? There is a… a murderer in Ponyville?”
Lyra nodded, sadness etched into her concerned face. “I suppose they sort of have to be true. I mean…” She shook her head, tears forming in her eyes. “I can’t believe anypony would do something like this. What would cause them too? I mean, they even say that the pony was… skinned,” She added softly, almost in a stunned whisper.
Pinkie tapped Rarity lightly, causing the mare to jump in fright. All this talk about murderers had set her on edge. “Rarity, maybe… Can we go check on Fluttershy now?… All this talk about murderers has me… worried.”
Rarity looked at her friend, seeing concern written on her face. Somehow, Pinkie Pie being concerned made her far more shaken up than she had been in awhile. Even with all this talk about a murderer… Suddenly, she put two and two together. What Pinkie was so scared about. “Oh my word, she’s been alone all day with a murderer on the loose… Quickly, we must hurry!” She quickly said goodbye to Lyra, then started galloping with Pinkie towards Fluttershy’s cabin.
Lyra watched as they left. Both of them were acting strange today – Of course, a murderer did that to ponies. She sighed. “Well, I better get home… Bon Bon might be worried…” She took one last glance at the roped off murder scene.
Nopony knew why the body was left there. It wasn’t much of a body. Torn muscles and bits of bone lie on the ground, and it looked like all of it had teeth marks on it. The only things that were truly left of the pony before were the eyes – A rosy sort of magenta color, with the last look of despair and anguish still trapped in them.
Lyra shuddered and turned her head. Despite who she was, she still got chills from this sort of thing. She sighed one last time and started the somewhat longer journey home – At least, it felt longer with the weight of a dead pegasus resting on everypony’s minds.
The trot to Fluttershy’s cottage took far longer than either had expected. She lived far out from town, preferring her isolation to the pressures of a social life. Though being so scared of the Everfree forest, Fluttershy had known nopony would dare come all the way out to her home regularly if she lived right next to it. She liked to be alone, and if that meant having a home next to the most feared place in all of Ponyville, so be it.
Pinkie and Rarity stopped on the bridge near their friend’s house. The wood creaked under their weight ominously, something Rarity had always hated about that old bridge. She felt like it would snap in two beneath her, unable to hold her weight. “Finally,” she panted out, having ran all the way here with Pinkie. She rested for only a moment with her head down, watching the river water beneath the planks stream by. The sound of the water rushing over the pebbles below was all that Rarity could hear in the meadow.
“Wow…” Pinkie said, surprise and fear practically dripping from her voice. Rarity glanced at her, a bit confused as to what she was so surprised about. Pinkie simply pointed at the door, her eyes wide.
Rarity gasped as she looked at the door for the first time, seriously taking in its appearance. “O-Oh my…” The door was in shambles. It was still a door, per say, but it looked as though it had been nearly torn away by the hinges. Deep scratches in the wood could be seen, even from this distance, as well as even a few dents in the door. Rarity didn’t quite know what to think, other than the obvious. Is Fluttershy in there, and if so, did the murderer come to get her, knowing she was helpless??
Rarity gulped and began the walk to the door. “I-I’m sure there’s a good reason for the door to be in this shape. Perhaps one of her animal’s got a little too rowdy, and wanted her attention.” She glanced back at Pinkie once, seeing her skeptical expression. Pinkie knew Rarity was grasping at straws with that one. She sighed and turned back to the door. Nearing it, the scratches looked far deeper, the dents far more real. “We mustn’t jump to conclusions, Pinkie Pie. I’m sure she’s fine… Besides, we haven’t been here in a few day-“ Rarity stopped just in front of the door as she felt something furry rub up against the base of her hoof. She looked down in fright, half expecting her friend’s skin to lie beneath her hooves, her teal eyes watching back at her friend accusingly.
Right in front of the door, a dark blue, fuzzy doormat sat. It was sewn together expertly. Nopony in Ponyville made this sort of doormat, Rarity realized as she took a deep breath to slow her rapidly increasing heartbeat. The sewing was a different kind of stitch. She smiled as she read the words written on the front with red string to herself. ‘Stay awhile, Crocodile’. “See darling? S-she must’ve been making this today. You know her, and her love for sewing.” Her smile grew. “And look at the writing. It certainly fits an animal caretaker.” Confident that that was what had been happening all day, ignoring the scratches in her foalish hope, Rarity knocked lightly on the door.
“Oh! P-please come on in” a small voice from inside squeaked instantly.
Pinkie smiled, her worries diminished as she heard her friend’s voice. She hopped up to Rarity as she opened the door. She glanced around once. All was quiet in the meadow today, but for the water. Strange, she thought. Usually animals hopped around, chirping, humming, chittering, and all sorts of other sounds. She turned back to look inside, shrugging off the lack of noise.
It was pitch black in the cottage, the only light streaming in from the open door. Pinkie and Rarity had been in such a rush, they hadn’t noticed the sky beginning to grow darker from a storm on its way. The pegasi had scheduled a light storm for later that evening, and the teams were already out in full force to make sure it happened. Thus, the sun in all its glory was slowly being hidden away by the tempest’s clouds.
“Hey, Fluttershy, you in here?” Pinkie asked hesitantly, trying to look around as much as she could in the darkness around the small house. “Sorry we missed the picnic!”
Both ponies walked further inside, curious about why it was so dark, their trepidation slowly easing itself back into their veins. As they crossed into the center of the room, they heard a small, timid voice behind them, next to the door, soft and unheard until now. “T-thank you both for coming… B-But I’m sorry, w-with the rain that’s coming, I-I decided to do something else…”
They both turned to look at Fluttershy. Through the darkness, both of them could just make out her figure. She was next to the door on her two hind hooves, one of her front hooves on the door. Her mane was ragged, as though she had been in a struggle. Rarity could have sworn her fur was darker than it had been, although that could have just been from the dim light. She was grinning, a strange look on such a sweet face, her teeth and the whites of her eyes stealing the attention of the two gathered. “Do you like my new doormat,” She asked with a slight hint of a laugh in her voice. With a small push and a long creak, the door shifted closed, locking out the last shred of light and leaving them all in shadow.
Rarity gasped, stumbling slightly in the dark. What was going on? Why didn’t Fluttershy turn on the lights? “P-Pinkie Pie? Fluttershy?”
She heard a giggle in the darkness. It sounded excited. Somehow, that simply managed to unsettle her further. “Over here, Rarity,” Pinkie called out, her bubbly voice doing little to quiet Rarity’s confusion and fears. “Is this like hide and seek in the dark, Fluttershy? Oooo, Can I be it? I LOVE Hide and Seek!” How on earth, Rarity wondered, is that mare not fazed by this?
“O-Oh, I wasn’t planning on playing that game,” they heard Fluttershy say - From where, however, they could not tell. Her voice echoed in the small cottage, bouncing off the wooden walls. “I-I had in mind another little activity… I-I hope you both like it.”
“Of COURSE I’ll like i- OUCH!” Rarity jumped as she heard Pinkie yelp in pain. “W-What just pricked me?! I-Is this part…o-of…the g...” Pinkie suddenly stopped talking, and a thud soon followed the silence. Rarity ran over to where she had thought Pinkie’s voice was coming from. Sadly, nothing was there. She couldn’t see a thing in this blasted oblivion around her, if only there was any -
“Light! Oh, Rarity, you foal!” Taking a deep breath to calm her now rapid heartbeat, Rarity focused on a simple light spell. She sighed in relief as the blue glow suddenly engulfed her. It did a little to light up her surroundings, but not much. Somehow, though, it comforted her like a warm blanket after a particularly bad day. She glanced around quickly, her eyes adjusting to the blue aura that illuminated so little.
She was standing between a couch and a table. Nothing too remarkable. She began to walk around, sticking close to the sides of the room. She felt just like the mare in her romance novel, but without the romance. Why was all of this happening today? The murder, this ‘game’. Could it be that poor sweet Fluttershy was part of all of this? And why, of all things, was the floor so uncomfortably sticky? Glancing down, she saw the floor was a tad darker than usual. She hoped it wasn’t mud. Of course, now wasn’t the time to be concerned with that.
“Ouch!” Rarity winced as she walked straight into a table. “Don’t let yourself get so frazzled, Rarity,” she said softly to herself. “I’m sure there’s… a perfectly sane reason as to why Pinkie is so quiet, and why the lights have gone out, and the floor…”
She thought she heard another giggle, behind her - A mocking laugh, a little twitter, almost like a bird flying around her. A mocking bird. She turned quickly, but she didn’t see anypony. The giggling persisted. “F-fluttershy,” she asked to the darkness, trembling slightly. Why was she so scared suddenly? She MUST keep a cool head about this all. She cleared her throat, turning back once more. “P-Pinkie Pie, Fluttershy, please answer me... We should find a way to turn on these lights - I can’t see a thing!”
The giggling stopped. “O-Oh, I’m sorry!” Rarity spun around again, her friend’s timid voice echoing all around her. Still, the light from her horn revealed nothing but tables, chairs and animal houses. “I should have explained a little… I’m sorry… T-the darkness is part of the activity, you see… T-tell me something, Rarity - Have you ever played Predator versus Prey?”
Rarity thought back, years ago, to when she was a little filly. She thought she remembered hearing about the game, but had never had the… misfortune of playing it. “I-I’m sorry, Darling, but no… Hiking around the woods, pretending to be an animal hiding from another… Well, it’s simply not something I do…” Rarity gently reached out, touching the wall. It was on her right - She could follow it to the lamp by the door, right? “Why do you ask? Was that the ‘activity’ you had planned?” She kept walking, hardly listening to her friend’s strange topic of choice.
“Oh, no, t-that’s not it… Just, don’t you ever think about just how amazing nature is? How certain animals survive merely by destroying others? But how nopony bats an eye to it? How it’s just what nature does, it’s the circle of life...”
Rarity stopped, turning again. She could have sworn something had been behind her… “Y-Yes, that certainly is… er… fascinating.”
“And all the prey can do is try and hide in the darkness… But there’s something most prey don’t realize, Rarity, especially about flying creatures.”
“And what’s that, Darling?” Rarity gasped as she found the lamp, complete with rope to turn it on. She praised Celestia quietly and yanked on the rope with her magic.
Just like that, the room was illuminated.
Rarity wished she had kept the lights off.
A few feet in front of her, right in the middle of the room, was Fluttershy, her hooves stained with what Rarity wished wasn’t blood. But, as evidenced by the sticky redness coating the floor, it was blood splattered on her timid friend. Rarity looked at her hooves and saw the red had stuck to her fur, matting it down - But she had bigger things to worry about.
Her friend’s eyes were wide. Rarity took a minute to adjust to the light, but as she watched, her friend simply stared at her. On her face was plastered a hideous smile. Rarity could almost swear blood was speckled on that smile. “D-darling…”
“The thing they don’t know is we see them moving in the dark…” Fluttershy trotted closer to Rarity, her eyes wide. Rarity gasped as she fell back under the infamous ‘Stare’ of her friend. She moved back as far as she could, bumping against the wall. “You’ve spoiled the fun… I-I’m sorry, but it seems I’ll have to cut this part of the activity short… But, don’t worry! Then you, me and Pinkie can… talk a bit about how I’ve been doing.”
“Pinkie…” Rarity looked around quickly, tearing herself away from her friend’s gaze. No sign of Pinkie anywhere in the room. “W-where is she!?”
“I think you should calm down a bit, Rarity… Here.” Rarity gasped as Flluttershy lunged towards her, faster than she had ever seen her move. Rarity was swiftly grabbed. She felt something prick her side. Fluttershy held her tightly, not allowing her to move at all. Rarity groaned, trying to scream for help, but suddenly her tongue felt fuzzy… everything felt fuzzy… “Hush now, Rarity… Hush now, quiet now…” Fluttershy hummed softly, stroking her mane.
“F-fluttershy…” She began to close her eyes falteringly, everything growing relaxed and soft, despite every instinct in her body telling her to run, hide, do anything to escape - To be the prey.
Fluttershy’s breath tickled Rarity’s ear as she whispered; “It’s time to go to bed~”
Rarity groaned as she slowly opened her eyes. Her head was pounding. “S-sweetie,” she slurred out, trying to grasp why everything felt so… off, suddenly. She had just woken up. It was time to get started on the days orders, help prepare breakfast,take Sweetie to school…
“O-Oh, thank goodness…” Her heart stopped as she heard that innocent, sweet sounding voice in the darkness. Rarity’s eyes shot open. Darkness all around, still. “I-I’m so glad you’re awake,” Fluttershy said softly. “I thought I had given you too much… N-Now we can continue. Pinkie’s still asleep, though… D-do you think we should wait for her,” she asked softly, timidly.
Rarity groaned as she registered the tension and pain in her hooves dimly. She was stuck on some sort of hanging device, her hooves reaching up towards the ceiling. She shifted around, wincing as each movement brought her body more pain. “F-Fluttershy, t-turn on the lights.” She cleared her throat, trying to keep back that trembling fear that had stolen her voice.
“Oh, I-I’m sorry Rarity… I would have let them on, but… Well, I didn’t want to frighten you…” Rarity was puzzled - and, as much as Fluttershy was trying to ‘not’ frighten her, she was not succeeding.
“W-why would I be frightened,” she said, struggling to think. Whatever Fluttershy had hit her with, it was strong. Her mind felt boggy, almost like she had just woken up. Rarity supposed she had, but not in the usual way. She tried to use magic to create a light, but gasped in pain as useless sparks came out.
“O-Oh, don’t hurt yourself now!” Rarity bit her lip. It sounded more like a command than a warning. “The medicine I gave you blocks unicorn magic… If you try to escape using it, you’ll only end up hurting yourself…”
“Uugh…” Rarity jumped at the sound, her mind flashing to monstrous beings all around her, shuffling around without her being able to see them. Animals that Fluttershy kept, ready to feast on her bones. But, on her right, she soon heard a softly mumbled, “what day’s it, Gummy”.
“P-Pinkie Pie,” she sighed in relief, her heart still beating fast. At least there was her. Nothing had happened to her. Yet. “Darling, I am so relieved you’re alright…”
“Rarity?... Why’s it so dark?...” She heard an exhausted gasp of excitement. “Is this a… a reeeeeally hard game of hide and seek?”
“No, no, Pinkie,” Fluttershy said in the darkness. Rarity’s attention flashed back to… whatever all of this sneaking, all of the things unsettling her meant. There had to be some logical reasoning as to why Fluttershy had had so much blood on her floor. Any reason at all… Probably the same reason why she couldn’t move now… and the same reason Fluttershy had drugged her… She knew the reason. She just knew it couldn’t be that. Fluttershy would never. No, never. She was too kind.
Rarity sniffed the air. There was a strange scent around them - she’d gotten used to smelling strange things, after suffering Sweetie’s cooking. It smelled like… iron? Metallic and… a bit like Hearths Warming Eve. What was in this room? “F-fluttershy… Turn on the lights…” She gulped slightly as silence seemed to follow. Had Fluttershy left?
“O-Oh! You’re right! Both of you are awake now!” Rarity didn’t know whether to be relieved or not at the voice. Both ponies heard shuffling around them, echoing around the dark room. In a flash, light flooded the scene. As it did, Rarity’s mouth flooded with bile, and she hardly heard Pinkie gasp as she grew dizzy and sick. Somehow, she couldn’t tear her eyes away.
Blood. More blood than she had seen in her life. It surrounded her in crimson, her sight seemingly becoming only scarlet; it was all there was below her, and even splattered against the walls around them. Metal contraptions held them in place - three restraining hooks on the ceiling, chains coming down to keep them controlled. Only two hooks had weight today. Rarity gagged as sight and smell overwhelmed her. She tried to block out the sounds of Pinkie vomiting beside her, trying to avoid that path herself.
Fluttershy clicked her tongue lightly at Pinkie. “I had hoped you wouldn’t get sick… I-I can clean up later though. Don’t worry about it,” she said with a reassuring smile. The tender curve of her mouth left something to be desired as Rarity made out the small speckles of blood still staining her teeth; she felt fresh sickness wave over her.
Pinkie groaned, half limp against her shackles. “F-fluttershy… W-what is all of this?...”
Rarity’s eyes hardened into a glare. There was no sense being in denial anymore. “You’re the murderer, aren’t you? You killed that pegasus…”
Fluttershy brought her bloody hoof up to her mouth, almost in fake horror - or was it real? Rarity could hardly tell. “How mean… They’re calling me a murderer?” She pouted, a usually heart wrenching sight. However, Rarity felt no sympathy; anger took it’s place as her friend pretended there was nothing wrong with what she most certainly did.
“Fluttershy… H-how could… How could you of all ponies ever…”
Fluttershy walked directly up to Rarity, staring her deep into the eyes. Rarity felt her very breath catch in her lungs as Fluttershy’s kind demeanor changed to one of seething wrath. Like a slowly boiling pot of water, the anger surfaced slowly, and Rarity could see how her friend’s eyes seemed to lose all sparks of good she had always known to be there. “How could I? How could I, you ask…” Fluttershy smirked, and slowly began to giggle, turning her back on the two paralyzed mares.
“How could I,” she continued, “the precious little doormat of Ponyville, ever work up the courage and strength to put those foals in their place? How could I, the sweetest, kindest mare in Equestria, become a murderer? How could I ever hurt a pony?” Fluttershy spun around, her wings flared in anger. Rarity and Pinkie both gasped in fright as they saw her demented eyes, and that horrible murderous grin filling her face. “How could little Fluttershy ever kill? But none of you ever realized I’d been doing that for years! I just took the next step, now. I went beyond that kind little doormat and became what you all have wanted me to be these past few years.”
Rarity shook her head. The medication’s symptoms were finally beginning to wear off - she was still weak, but she could think again. “D-doing this for years?... What we’ve wanted you to become? Fluttershy, who in Celestia’s name would want you to be a murderer?!”
“No… You never said a murderer… but this is such a lovely way… such a lovely, simple way… and I have you two especially to thank for my newfound knowledge.” Fluttershy smiled as she walked to one of the three doors lining the side of the room. Rarity took a deep breath, horrified to know what was behind door number one. To her relief, Fluttershy opened the door to reveal a chair. Above it were a few shelves, each with various boxes on them, and behind it a folding table. Fluttershy hummed as she pulled out the chair, resting it in front of the two chained mares. “Now… for the second part of my fun with you two... Who wants to go first?”
“F-first in what,” Pinkie stuttered out.
Fluttershy’s grin only grew. “Well, Pinkie, since you’re so eager to speak up first…” Fluttershy crossed her hooves and sat back. “What questions do you have?” Rarity and Pinkie watched their captor in silence, bewildered. “Well? I’m willing to answer your questions… U-unless you’d rather get straight to the best part,” she said, timidly yet excitedly.
“No,” Pinkie said quickly, twisting in her chains - her hooves were beginning to grow stiff from lack of use. “I-I have the first question t-then…” With a gulp, Pinkie began to think of questions to ask about their predicament. For some reason, she knew she wouldn’t like any of the answers.
