Author's Note
WARNING: If you have not seen Season 4 Episode 17 of My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic "For Whom the Sweetie Belle Toils", you will not be able to fully enjoy or understand this story.
Check and Re-Check
It all seemed to happen so fast.
One moment, Rarity was putting down the cardboard box containing her newest creation, a headpiece, and talking to Sapphire Shores, the pony-popstar whom the headpiece was designed for.
The next moment, she was opening the box and admiring the magnificent headdress as she pulled it out by magic. She had slaved over it the entire night before, and was quite pleased with the result. There was a slight dilemma when Rarity had had to fix up those costumes her younger sister, Sweetie Belle, made and then had to finish the headpiece. Luckily her friends had been there to help her finish it. Rarity made the headpiece soar through the air and placed it on Sapphire Shore’s head. She felt as though she were at the peak of success at that one moment.
The moment after that, the worst moment of her life, ended it all. Ended the feeling of success, as well as the beauty of the headpiece. The headdress, which had been sitting triumphantly tall on the head of Sapphire Shores, began to droop. Everything moved in slow motion. First the headpiece drooped, then fell, and then it completely fell apart while Sapphire was still wearing a few broken pieces. Everypony gasped.
Rarity was utterly horrified. Her secret stitch should have worked so well! Why had it failed?
“The headdress…!”
The entire thing completely fell from Sapphire Shores’ head. The iconic pop-pony glared down at it before whispering to the pony next to her.
“Looks like I made a mistake here.”
Rarity fell to the floor, and picked up one of the large purple feathers from the headpiece.
“Bu-bu-but this is impossible, I-I checked and re-checked EVERYTHING!” Rarity’s eyes moved up to Sapphire Shores, as though begging for forgiveness. “This COULDN’T have happened!”
“You sure about that, honey?” Sapphire said, her voice dripping with irritation.
“Please… you must believe me…!” Rarity pleaded.
And then everypony in the room began to laugh at Rarity and her failure. Rarity ran from the room, and felt tears begin to flow. She began to cry as she hurried to the train station to catch the next train home to Ponyville.
Sweetie Belle, who had previously enjoyed staying with her “big sis” at Carousel Boutique, had begun to stay with her parents again much more often. She dreaded the visits to Rarity’s shop because Rarity had been in the basement mumbling to herself about her dresses all the time. Specifically, the nights.
“Always check and re-check… always check and re-check.” Sweetie Belle could still hear the four words being repeated over and over again, as though they were being replayed in her ears.
While Sweetie Belle was moving her stuff from her room at Carousel Boutique to her room at her parent’s house, Sapphire Shores was telling stories of her “ex-costume designer” at every concert. She had a gigantic picture of the unfortunate unicorn on the display screen. Everypony always laughed at these stories, and most remembered what the “ex-costume designer” looked like. Most of those who remembered lived in Ponyville, and were happy to tell all their friends the same story.
Fluttershy timidly approached Carousel Boutique.
She had felt awful when she had heard the stories everypony was telling about Rarity. No matter where she went, the same stories were being told. It also seemed that everypony who was telling the stories was using the same words. Laughingstock. Terrible. Loser. Failure.
However, that wasn’t the only reason she was going to her friend’s shop. Fluttershy was going to attend an event in Cloudsdale, and desperately needed a dress. She would have just worn the nice green one Rarity had made for the Grand Galloping Gala, but it had gotten a few rips from the animals at the gala. Maybe that wouldn’t have been such a major problem, but Angel had been impatient while Fluttershy was making dinner and she had gone into the living room to see Angel next to the few ripped scraps that were left of the dress. The rest he had eaten.
Fluttershy arrived at the door, and rapped her hoof against it.
“Make me a dress, Rarity? Please?” She called inside, hoping Rarity could hear her.
Suddenly the door was yanked open. Rarity came out, and Fluttershy saw that her mane was dirty and unkempt. Her eyes were wide and bloodshot, as though she hadn’t been sleeping. When she opened her mouth to talk, spit flew out into Fluttershy’s face.
“Go away!” Rarity shrieked in a shrill voice, “You know I don’t do that anymore!”
Rarity retreated back inside, slamming the door behind her. Fluttershy hadn’t realized it because it had happened so fast, but she had fallen lower onto the ground with every word Rarity had said. Now she was lying in the dirt. Fluttershy picked herself up, but her head stayed lowered. Why had her friend reacted so violently? Maybe it would be best if she just went home…
A tear fell from her eye as Fluttershy began to walk away, but then she turned back around.
“Rarity?” She called out, “If you can hear me… I’m sorry.”
Fluttershy turned and started to walk away again. She got a few steps away before the door to Carousel Boutique opened slowly, making a long creaking noise.
“Fluttershy.”
Fluttershy turned around. That didn’t sound like Rarity. She hesitated before walking back over to the door.
“Rarity?” Fluttershy peered inside. All the lights were off, so it was difficult to see anything inside.
“Flu-tter-shy…” came a dreamy reply.
Fluttershy was a bit nervous, but decided that she needed to help her friend. Taking a deep breath, Fluttershy walked inside.
A few seconds later, the door creaked shut.
Sweetie Belle still hadn’t moved into her parent’s house, but all of her stuff was nearly gone. Aside from just a small bed, the room was practically empty. There were a few miscellaneous things scattered through the room, but she’d get those tomorrow. For now, it was late and she was tired.
Sweetie wanted to sleep, but she could hear Rarity downstairs. Rarity was making all kinds of noise as usual. Tonight it sounded like she was pushing a heavy box across the floor. Loudly. Sweetie blamed herself a bit since she had sabotaged the headdress, knowing that she did this to herself.
But still, all she had done was stop Rarity from getting a few bits from Sapphire Shores. It was no big deal, right? Sweetie surely didn’t deserve to be kept awake all night, every night.
At last the noise downstairs was over. Sweetie Belle knew it was her chance to sleep in her nice, comfy bed. It felt so comfortable and perfect… and then she realized that she couldn’t sleep. Her throat was dry and she needed a drink.
With a groan, Sweetie pulled herself out of bed. Why was it that whenever she got comfortable, she had to get up? It wasn’t fair.
Sweetie Belle quietly trotted down the hall into the bathroom, where she turned a light on. There was a small glass cup on the side of the sink, the one she used whenever she felt like a small drink of water before bed. She gulped down a bit of water, and set the glass down. Sweetie turned the light off, and turned back to the hallway.
There was a small sense of déjà vu. Sweetie realized she had done almost the exact same thing the night she sabotaged the headdress. She remembered walking down the hall, and the sound of Rarity’s snoring made her realize she could have taken out that secret thread.
Tonight, or any other night for that matter, Rarity wasn’t in her bed. Sweetie was guiltily conscious of the fact, but she tried not to feel bad. After all, Rarity had deserved it… right?
It was difficult to believe that.
Sweetie Belle went back down the hallway back toward her room, unknowingly going a bit faster as she passed Rarity’s bedroom door. Sweetie Belle was nearly to her room, and was just going past the stairs when a dark shape leaped at her. She gasped, too surprised to scream. When she finally thought to scream, it was too late and she slipped into unconsciousness.
Sweetie Belle woke up a few hours later in the basement.
She blinked a few times and moved her head groggily. A throbbing pain in her head woke her up completely, and she yelped. Sweetie blinked a few more times, and realized where she was: in the cold basement underneath Carousel Boutique. There were cobwebs in the corners of the small, cold room. She realized that she was leaning against one of the cold walls. She looked down, and saw she was tied up with thick ropes. Even though there was no light, Sweetie could still make out two vague pony-shaped shadows.
“Hello?” She called out cautiously.
“Oh… um… hello… who are you?” came a quiet reply.
“...Fluttershy?” Sweetie said in disbelief, “It’s me, Sweetie Belle.”
“Um, hello Sweetie…” Fluttershy said quietly. “Are you tied up too?”
“Yeah,” Sweetie said, “Fluttershy, is there anypony else here?”
There was a small groan. “Me.”
“Who are you?” Sweetie asked the newcomer.
“Sapphire Shores. Surely you know me?”
Sweetie Belle didn’t. “You sound familiar, but I don’t know who you are.”
There was a confused silence. “If you don’t know me, why’d ya abduct me?”
“I didn’t,” Sweetie said. It made no sense. Why her, why Fluttershy, why this random pony who seemed so painfully familiar but Sweetie couldn’t remember why?
“Some pony somehow got backstage to my dressing room and knocked me out… I wonder how they got me out of there without anypony seeing…”
Suddenly, Sweetie remembered who the pony was.
“You’re Sapphire Shores! The pony my sister made that headdress for!” Sweetie exclaimed.
“What? Oh yeah, do you mean Rarity?”
“Yes! That’s my sister!”
“Yeah, I know Rarity. She was my favorite designer for a while, until she made that headdress. It completely fell apart on me! She couldn’t believe it.”
“And you’ve been telling stories about her at your concerts!” Fluttershy broke into the conversation in an uncharacteristically scolding tone.
“What?” Sweetie Belle was surprised. She knew the headdress was important, but Sapphire Shores was telling everypony that Rarity was terrible?
There was a brief silence.
“Yeah, I… um…” Sweetie Belle heard Sapphire shift uncomfortably. “I just thought…”
“You ruined Rarity’s reputation around here! You didn’t think at all!” Fluttershy continued. Sweetie Belle couldn’t believe that the quiet pony was so angry. “Ponies are calling her names behind her back, and she doesn’t want to design anything anymore! I thought the headpiece was beautiful, but-”
“How kind of you to say, Fluttershy!” A new voice said. This one Sweetie recognized, and it sent a chill down her back.
A lightbulb flashed on overhead, bringing a dim light to the dark room. In the doorway of the room stood Rarity, but she looked terrifying. Her mane was dirty and messy and her eyes looked as if she hadn’t slept in weeks. She kept rubbing her hooves together as she sent her eyes from Sapphire to Fluttershy to Sweetie Belle. When the beady, blue eyes came to Sweetie’s, she realized that this wasn’t her sister.
“I did do my best on that headdress, didn’t I? But you didn’t think so!” She said, getting in Sapphire’s face. The color drained from Sapphire Shores’ face, and she looked petrified.
“It might have turned out alright, if not for you,” Rarity turned her attention to Sweetie Belle. Sweetie froze, watching as Rarity walked over to her. “I know it was you who took that thread out of the headdress. You ruined it, Sweetie Belle! It was all your fault!”
“Rarity, I’m sorry-”
Rarity’s hoof lashed out and slapped Sweetie Belle across the face. She cried out in pain. The force of the blow knocked her over onto the floor, and she couldn’t get back up with the ropes restraining her.
“You are not!” Rarity screamed down at her before turning away, “Don’t worry, I’ve decided to forgive you… you can even help me with my next headdress!”
“Rarity, I’m sorry for-” Sapphire tried to say.
“‘Rarity, I’m sorry. Rarity, I’m sorry. Rarity, I’m SORRY!’” Rarity snapped. “That’s all everypony is saying, now I’m giving you a chance to prove how guilty you feel! Since Sweetie destroyed my first headdress, she can help me make a new one. I’ll be using Sapphire so she can finally see how beautiful it really was. And Fluttershy…” Fluttershy gulped as Rarity leered at her. “You’re the extra pieces. If you really thought it was beautiful, now you can really KNOW!”
“What… what do you mean?” Sweetie asked from where she was on the floor.
Rarity beamed at her sister. “I’ll just have to show you!”
What used to be a fashionista pony of high social status left the room for a moment, only to return seconds later with a mannequin pony that was used to model dresses on. Sweetie saw with horror that knives were shoved into it, everywhere except the head.
With a chill, Sweetie had a vague idea of what was about to happen.
Rarity went to Sapphire Shores first. She took a sharp-looking chef knife and began to peel off pieces of the pop-pony’s flesh. Wet, sticky fluids were visible on each piece as Rarity slashed and pulled them off. Sapphire was screaming, hitting notes she had never hit in her career. The normally calm, cool pony changed completely into a howling victim as Rarity threw the wet slabs of pony meat behind her. Soon, Sapphire was barely a head atop chunks of meat and bone, quivering slightly and whimpering.
Rarity roughly stabbed her knife back into the mannequin, now exchanging it for a butcher knife. She yanked it out of the damaged mannequin and strolled back over to Sapphire. Rarity raised the knife high above her head. Sweetie Belle watched Sapphire’s eyes widen and her mouth draw open in a scream before the blade swung down like a guillotine and chopped off her hoof. Rarity lifted it and dropped it once more, this time cleanly severing it from the pony’s leg.
Rarity repeated the process for the rest of Sapphire’s hoof, and soon had all four of her hooves. Sapphire Shores eyes flew wildly around until they settled on Sweetie Belle’s. She held Sweetie’s gaze for a few seconds before dying of blood loss. A single drop of blood fell from the pop-pony’s mouth before traveling down her chin and falling onto the floor to leave only a wet spot behind.
A pony had died. Rarity had actually killed somepony. Sweetie Belle began to cry. Her sister was now some kind of monster, and it was all her fault. It was even worse to be forced to watch it, helplessly bound and knocked on the floor.
Rarity looked down at Sapphire Shores.
“Well,” she said as she slammed the knife back into the mannequin, “Now for you, Fluttershy.”
Fluttershy went pale as Rarity selected a sharp saw-looking tool. She began to squirm around in the ropes holding her.
“N-no! Please!” Fluttershy begged as Rarity grew closer with an unreadable stoic expression. Rarity took the saw and placed it over Fluttershy’s wings.
Sweetie Belle turned her face away as Fluttershy began shrieking with pain. Sweetie noticed that the door was still open. If she could just get out, she might find a way to escape the ropes and get help. She glanced back to Rarity. She was still sawing through Fluttershy’s wings. Pegasus feathers were scattering in the air. Fluttershy was crying and still trying to scream, but went into a coughing fit instead.
Sweetie Belle began moving like a caterpillar to get to the door. Her cheek rubbed against the floor, but she inched closer and closer. She was trying to be as quiet as she could so Rarity wouldn’t notice.
Rarity tossed the saw aside and grabbed one of Fluttershy’s wings with her teeth. She jerked her head roughly and successfully yanked Fluttershy’s left wing off.
“I do appreciate you helping me, Fluttershy,” She told the whimpering pegasus pony. “The headdress wouldn’t have looked as good without you!”
Rarity walked over to Fluttershy’s other side, and gripped her other wing. Using the same technique as before, she pulled off Fluttershy’s other wing. This time, a red strand of an organ clung to the wing, and Rarity had to pull it a few more times to get it to come off completely.
Sweetie Belle saw freedom in sight, just a little closer…
Rarity threw the wings aside next to Sapphire’s discarded hooves before picking up the saw again. Fluttershy had given up trying to fight. Rarity grabbed her mane roughly, and threw her to the ground. Fluttershy cried out in pain as her muzzle slammed into the floor.
“I’ve always admired your mane, Fluttershy,” Rarity said as she toyed with Fluttershy’s pink mane. “It will look magnificent on the headdress!”
Rarity took the saw, and began to cut Fluttershy’s scalp. Fluttershy howled in pain, but soon quieted. After a little while of sawing, Rarity seized the hair and pried it from the rest of her friend’s head. Pieces of Fluttershy’s brain was visible. Rarity frowned.
“Oh, I pulled a bit too much scalp off… I’ll have to fix that later.”
Sweetie Belle barely heard what she said. She was almost out the door, scooting along. She was now using her muzzle to pull herself. Progress was slow, but she was about to be rewarded.
Sweetie felt a hoof grab one of her back hooves, and then she was pulled back into the room.
“You thought I didn’t see you?” Rarity said with a wide grin. “Trust me, darling, even if you had gotten out of this room, we’re downstairs! You would never have made it out!”
Sweetie’s head flopped down. She had now given up.
“Wh-What are you going to do?” Sweetie asked, trying to sound tough. It came out as a terrified squeak.
“Oh, I don’t need as much from you. Just the most important part of the headdress.” Rarity chose a simple chef knife from the mannequin, and held it to Sweetie’s neck. “Just your head.”
Sweetie Belle yelped as Rarity began sawing with the knife. Blood had started spurting from her neck as soon as her sister had began cutting. She tasted blood, and in a second there was some oozing out of her mouth. Rarity started to cut faster. Sweetie Belle closed her eyes for the final time.
Rarity threw the knife aside, and grabbed her sister’s head with her two front hooves. She planted one of her back hooves in Sweetie’s chest, and pulled as hard as she could. With a sickening crunch and a disgusting squish, Rarity pulled Sweetie Belle’s head off.
Holding the head up in the air with magic, she walked away as her sister’s body went limp and fell over with blood still pouring out of her neck.
“Ugh, WHERE is Fluttershy?” Rainbow Dash complained aloud, “She was supposed to be here hours ago!”
Dash flew out of her cloud palace with an extremely aggravated expression on her face. “Fluttershy was the one who invited ME to Cloudsdale! She can’t just bail out without telling me! This isn’t like her at all!”
Dash soon arrived at Fluttershy’s cottage after mumbling to herself for a few minutes. She angrily rapped her hoof on the wooden door.
“Fluttershy!”
The door opened, but it was Fluttershy’s pet bunny Angel holding it open.
“Oh, uh… hey, Angel,” Rainbow Dash greeted, moving down to talk to the small bunny, “Is Fluttershy here?”
Angel shook his head.
“Oh. Well where is she?”
Angel shrugged and then closed the door.
“Huh. Wait, didn’t she say to bring a dress…? She might have gone to see Rarity!”
Dash flew back to Ponyville, and arrived at Carousel Boutique. She peered in the window, and saw a dusty room where Rarity used to make great dresses. Nopony was in there. Dash wondered where Fluttershy was and thought Rarity might know. Dash flew away from the window and went to knock on the door.
She found the door was already open, and wandered in. She vaguely heard somepony talking under the floor, in the basement. There was also a few thumps, and then the unmistakable sound of Rarity’s sewing machine. Dash went over to the basement door and opened it, revealing a dark staircase to the basement.
Rainbow Dash quietly went down the stairs. Being a pegasi, it was easily accomplished since they were used to walking on clouds. She didn’t know why she was sneaking up on Fluttershy and Rarity, but she felt like something was wrong.
Rainbow Dash peered into the room once she was at the bottom. She saw Rarity bending over her sewing machine. Suddenly, the fashionable unicorn squealed in delight.
“It’sdoneit’sdoneit’sdone!” she shrieked gleefully. Rainbow Dash was curious now. There was no sign of Fluttershy, and Rarity seemed happy. Dash wondered why, and then remembered she hadn’t seen Rarity in weeks.
Rarity lifted her newest creation up with her magic, and Dash froze in terror. Wet, bloody pony flesh was jumbled in a pile with pieces of pink hair dangling off it. As soon as she saw the hair, Rainbow Dash knew what happened to Fluttershy. Fluttershy’s wings hung from the back, along with four pony hooves that clacked together when it moved. At the very top of the headdress was a large object, and Dash held down vomit as she saw Sweetie Belle’s head on the top.
“Hmm… I’ll need to take Sweetie’s eyes out. They seem a bit glazed now…” Suddenly Rarity gasped in horror. Rainbow Dash felt a chill run down her back before it sank into her tail and disappeared. “I forgot to check every stitch! I don’t want another disaster… always check… and re-check… and re-check… and re-check…”
Rainbow Dash vaguely heard Rarity as she continued mumbling to herself. She was already flying up the stairs and out of the Boutique, looking for Twilight.
Rarity was found a few hours later, sitting alone in the basement. Her eyes were wild, her mane was dirty, and she kept rubbing her hooves together.
Princess Luna read the scroll one last time.
“Luna, you understand how important this is.”
Luna looked up into her older sister’s worried face, and she smiled. “Do not worry, sister. I will succeed and prevent the disaster from occurring.”
Princess Twilight stepped forward and pointed at a certain part on the scroll. “You’ll have to do this part differently. When I used it, I was only in the past for a minute. Do it backwards and then you’ll be able to stay in the past long enough to stop Rarity.”
Luna nodded. “Alright. I’ll go into Sweetie Belle’s dreams and show her what it will be like if she does not save the future.”
“But don’t show her all of it,” Twilight said quickly, “You can’t show her that she, Fluttershy, and Sapphire Shores would die. Just show her that… show her that Rarity would be crushed and give up on being a designer. She’s too young to know her own sister would do that to her.”
“Okay, I will only show her glimpses of the future.”
Princess Celestia stepped closer to her sister. “Luna, I… I’m proud of you. Please, you’re the only one who can pull off an important duty like this.”
“I will not fail you, sister,” Luna looked at Twilight, “Or you, Princess Twilight Sparkle.”
Luna’s horn began to glow, and then she disappeared into the past.
