The Smiling Stallion

The Wheel rolled to the Dress!

As Rarity ascended the stairs she noticed that the purple dragon was still following her.

"Hey Spike, why don't you go find yourself a room?" Rarity asked.

"Oh... okay," the small dragon said, looking a little dejected about his dismissal.

While it was clearly apparent to Rarity that the little dragon had a crush for her, Rarity always tried her best to avoid stoking that flame. Rarity didn't love him, and, even if she did, Spike was a dragon. In the end it just wouldn't work out well for either of them.

Still, it was difficult for her; Rarity didn't want to break Spike's little heart.

"I sure hope there is another little dragon out there for him," Rarity said as she began her search for a suitable room.

A Game of Dress Up

"Personally, I find the dress roll to be very interesting," The Smiling Stallion spoke, "It targets the pony with the most creativity and persuades them that they must complete some sort of task or assignment. In completing this imaginary assignment, the pony may encounter a large amount of stress that may push them over the brink of sanity."

"You really enjoy this, don't you?" Sky Blazer sneered before taking of sip of her coffee.

"Oh, I do indeed," the stallion answered, "watching them lose their sanity is only half the fun, and the fear they cause each other is rather... delicious. There was one time I saw a mare, a royal bookkeeper, who extensively documented the lives of the other ponies in the round before killing them."

"Why did she kill them?" Sky Blazer asked.

"She started to believe that, by living, that the other ponies were creating extraneous work for her to do, for they’d do more activities that needed to be documented. Thus, by killing them she would have less to record, thereby lightening her workload."

"Sounds like that was a long round." Sky said.

"It was indeed," The Smiling Stallion said, "but it was very insightful."

"How do we get to see the finale at all, then?" Sky Blazer asked.

"Well, sometimes the pony does it by instinct," The Smiling Stallion answered. "Sometimes the manifestation of a dark muse is used to inspire the pony."

Moving In

Rarity had decided to take the attic to use as her room. It would be a quiet place that would allow her to work on her dresses in peace. She knew her friends came here to have fun, but she still a deadline to meet. Rarity was actually shocked that she had forgotten the deadline, if she had remembered she would have stayed home and let Sweetie Belle go on the trip with Applejack.

"Oh dear, and I had actually been looking forward to working on costume designs with the girls," Rarity said aloud.

The attic lacked any wall paper or paint. Old cardboard boxes littered the floor, and there were a few cobwebs in the room's corners. The only furnishings in the room were a bed, a wooden table, and, oddly enough, a few mannequins, all of which were covered in dust. In the corner of the room sat a few empty birdcages.

"Oh, how dreadful."

The only reason Rarity had chosen this place was because she thought it would allow her to work privately on her dress designs. If she was positive she could achieve the same goal in a much cleaner room she would have. However, she was certain that her sister Sweetie Belle or her friends might try to disturb her in one of the other rooms.

As Rarity began setting up her supplies, Twilight walked into the room.

"Hello, Twilight," Rarity said, "what is it you are looking for, darling?"

Twilight walked over to the desk and set down a folder she had been carrying. She opened the folder to reveal that the contents contained a few of her sketches.

"I have been trying to figure out a costume design for Nightmare Night," said Twilight, "and I thought that you may have some feedback on it."

Rarity looked nervously at the drawings Twilight had laid out. They reminded her of the large order given by one of her patrons. She had tried to finish the order before coming on this trip, but sadly there had been delays and as a result there would be much work waiting for her when she returned home.

"Forgive me, Twilight, but the reason I took the room in the attic was so I would have a private place to work on a line of clothing I need to have done in the next few weeks," Rarity said, "So if you please don't mind, I would like you to leave."

"But I thought you were going to help us make costumes."

"I was planning to," Rarity spoke, "but suddenly I remembered a deadline that I must have forgotten. If I could finish enough of it I will try to help the rest of you with your costumes."

"Oh, alright then." Twilight said understandingly.

Twilight was about to leave when she noticed a box with some old newspapers in it. Curiosity overwhelmed her; she really wanted to read the newspapers' contents.

"Do you mind if I take a look at these?" Twilight asked with an ebullient grimace.

"Go ahead and take it!" Rarity snapped, "Just leave me to my work!"

Before she could realize, Twilight found herself outside the attic with the door in her face.

Twilight was shocked by her friend's impatience, but after reasoning that Rarity must be under a lot of stress, she resolved to take the newspapers she had found downstairs to look at them without a second thought on the matter.

Delving around...

Twilight sat at the table, looking through the box she had discovered in the attic. In the box there were various pieces of old newspapers. The pages were yellow and the edges were deteriorated. One of them caught her eyes.

Pony families assigned by Celestia for the creation of Ponyville have been told to look out for strangers due to a recent string of murders in the area. The killer, dubbed "the Impaler," has been responsible for several murders involving pony families heading out that way.

Celestia stated in a conference Thursday evening that she will be assigning some of her royal guards to escort these families on their journey.

Twilight riffled through the other scraps and found another article that was dated some time later.

The murderer known as the Impaler has been caught, and authorities assure he will no longer be a threat to ponykind. However, when asked for further details about who this pony was or how he would be executed, the authorities declined to answer.

When Celestia was asked these questions she answered that the manner of execution, she stated that whatever the Impaler would be given would be severe, but that it was unnecessary for the public to know the details.

"What's that yer lookin' at, Sugar-cube?" Applejack asked as she walked into the kitchen.

"Just reading some old newspaper articles," Twilight replied. Applejack leaned in for a closer look.

Applejack leaned in for a closer look. "Huh. I remember Granny Smith talkin' to us about this when we were younger," Applejack remarked, turning to pour some apple cider into a wooden cup.

"What did she tell you about it?" Twilight asked, her eyes still glued to the page.

"Oh, just somethin' about rememberin' seeing the newspapers about it back then," Applejack answered blandly, "it caused a lot of hassle back then."

"Do you know anything about who this 'Impaler' was?" Twilight inquired.

"Uh, no." Applejack replied, "No use learnin’ too much about menaces – ‘specially long-gone ones like that fella. It tends to rile a pony up, you know; no point in worryin’ about past evils."

Twilight, while she understood Applejack’s reasons and partially agreed, nonetheless resumed rummaging through the box. Considering how Applejack possessed the Element of Integrity, her explanation figured well in Twilight’s mind.

Twilight thought to herself, “It was probably more practical for Applejack to concern herself with apple farming methods, anyway. . .”

"Well, thanks anyway." Twilight said.

Frustration and Inspiration

Rarity slammed her hooves angrily against the table. She had been trying for hours to come up with some decent dress designs; however all her attempts were in vain.

She needed something new, something unique and original, something that would seize the attention of her patrons. Perhaps a new type of fabric, but where would she find anything like that in this dump?

The white unicorn slumped back in her chair, mentally exhausted and creatively dry. As she sat there in frustration she noticed the sound of hooves ascending the stairs into the attic. Seconds later, there came timid knocking on the door.

"Who is it?" Rarity asked, trying to recompose herself.

"It's me, Fluttershy," the pegasus murmured from behind the door, "Just thought you might like to know we are going to have lunch soon."

Of course it had to be Fluttershy! who else would knock so gently?

"Fine. Perhaps a break would help."

As Rarity and Fluttershy stepped out of the room, something caught the white unicorn's eye. The pegasus's cutie mark was magnificent. Looking at the mark an idea started to creep into her mind. A horrific idea.

'Wouldn't her coat make a fine dress?' A strange feminine voice spoke in the recesses of her mind.

"On second thought Fluttershy perhaps there is something you could help me with." Rarity said.

"What is it?" Fluttershy asked; Rarity continued to stare as she mused.

Rarity internally admonished herself, "Rarity, what are you doing? Why are you thinking about this? Stop it."

"There was a concept for a dress I was thinking about, and I believe you could give me just the feedback I need," Rarity said with feigned excitement. "if you don't mind, let's go into this room so I can show you."

'Yes, welcome her in.' The devious voice inside her head spoke in disarming, velvet tones of approval. 'Lure the little fly into the trap.'

"Could you look at this ribbon for me?" Rarity asked, holding up a purple ribbon for Fluttershy to look at.

"Oh, okay," Fluttershy said as she looked at the ribbon, "So what about it do you want me to..."

Rarity suddenly swung the ribbon around Fluttershy's neck and with her magic began to strangle her. Fluttershy coughed as she struggled to breathe.

"Just relax, dear," Rarity spoke in tones similar to the one that had spoken to her. "It will be all over soon enough."

As Rarity pondered what she was going to do with Fluttershy, a dark idea dawned on her. She would need to go outside and see if she could find some kind of rodent.

'Yes, should we not have some fun with this one'

They came from the skies... pigs?

The Cutie Mark Crusaders yelled happily as they ran back into the house from the backyard.

"Whoa! Easy girls!" Applejack said, "Running around like that, you might hurt somepony if you run into ‘em."

"Hey, Applejack do you know why my sister is hanging around the shed?" Sweetie Belle asked.

"What?"

Applejack looked out the window and was surprised to see Rarity looking around the shed for something.

"I wonder what she is doing that fer," Applejack thought aloud. The idea of Rarity, of all ponies, hanging out in a dirty place like that baffled Applejack. Applejack had also been surprised when Rarity had gone out to the shed instead of having lunch with them. Now that she thought about it, Fluttershy had missed out on lunch, too.

"It must be raining pigs or somethin'."

Sky Blazer looked away from the monitor and looked over to the Smiling Stallion, "Can pigs rain during the event?"

The Smiling Stallion put a hoof to his mouth and pondered for a moment and sighed at length.

"At this point, no. However, that is an interesting idea. Take a note of that. We might want to use something like that for the next event."

Sky opened up a word document on another computer and started typing down the idea.

"How do you think it would work?" Sky asked as she typed away.

"Well, perhaps the pigs could come in space ships and surround the area."

"I don't know," Sky said, "Sounds like something that would happen in a movie."

"Hmmm... you're probably right. Maybe we should have them arrive in a ship disguised as a meteorite, which then crashes nearby. Perhaps then the pigs could charge out with ray guns. To do that, though, I would either have to find some mutant pigs or train regular pigs to stand on two legs and properly shoot the guns."

Sky Blazer rolled her eyes, "I was merely joking when I brought the subject up. I can't believe you took it seriously and ran with it."

The Smiling Stallion turned and quirked an eyebrow, smiling widely, "Maybe I knew it was a joke and went along with it anyway."

Dead End

Twilight sat puzzled in her chair. She had searched the box further for all information on the Impaler but had only found articles regarding apple farming and the election of the first Ponyville mayor. While this information was somewhat interesting, it hardly compensated for her unsatisfied curiosity.

"I wonder if there are some more newspapers up in the attic," Twilight thought aloud, "Perhaps later I should go and check. Also, I could check on Rarity and see how she is doing."

Before she sat up from her chair, Rainbow Dash hurriedly flew into the room, "Hey Twilight, have you seen Fluttershy?"

Thinking back, Twilight didn't even recall seeing Fluttershy for lunch.

"Sorry, I haven't. Did you check her room?"

"Yeah, but she wasn't there, either!"

STOP MOVING! STOP SCREAMING!

Rarity wasn't sure what to do. A voice inside her head kept telling Rarity that she should cut open Fluttershy's chest and place the rat Rarity had found out in the shed inside Fluttershy's body.

'Just do it!' The voice inside Rarity's mind spoke, 'It will be fun to watch, and it would be great if we could observe her reactions!'

However, Rarity refused. She merely wanted to make some good dresses that would be ready for the patrons to view, not to torture her friend.

'Oh, come on now.'

Fluttershy whimpered. After she had fallen unconscious, Rarity had bound her and sewed her mouth shut. Now Fluttershy was awake, and she was doing her best to plead with Rarity to stop with her lips closed shut.

"No, these are my dresses, and I shall make them my way." Rarity said as she began to skin her friend.

Tears poured from Fluttershy's eyes as the blade pierced her flesh. Fluttershy struggled as Rarity's began the process of separating the skin from the muscle.

"Stop struggling!" Rarity growled, "You're only making this harder for me, dear!"

Fluttershy continued to struggle against her bonds. Fluttershy‘s wriggling caused Rarity to cut through the coat.

"I said stop moving!"

Annoyed, Rarity jabbed the knife into Fluttershy's chest. Fluttershy's eyes bulged and blood sputtered from the lips of her mouth. She shook violently before her eyes dimmed and the life left them.

Once Fluttershy was dead, determinable by her cessation of movement, Rarity resumed skinning her friend casually humming a song Fluttershy herself had taught her. Rarity already had a few ideas for what kind of dress she could make with this new material.

Reguris Clothis

"Rarity, can I talk with you?" Twilight asked as she knocked on Rarity's door.

Twilight had been on her way to check the attic for more newspaper articles concerning the Impaler when she had stumbled upon Applejack in the hallway. Applejack had told Twilight that she had seen Rarity out by the shed.

So, instead of coming to Twilight to discuss her costume ideas Rarity had chosen to look, at the stupid old shed.

"She better have a good reason for this." Twilight grumbled as she continued knocking on the door.

The door opened and Rarity peeked her head out.

"Twilight! Oh, you are just in time to see the first of the outfits I have been working on," Rarity said. "Take a look and tell me what you think."

As Twilight entered the room, a faint metallic scent entered her nostrils. The scent seemed fresh, and Twilight couldn't recall if she had smelled this scent the last time she was here.

"So what do you think of my new dress?" Rarity asked, motioning toward the new article.

Twilight examined the dress. It was a yellow with pink frills at the edges. Twilight felt the fabric and noticed it was rather soft like fur. Then she noticed the pink and blue butterflies on the collar.

Twilight stepped back in horror once she realized that the outfit on the makeshift mannequin was made out of the coat of her friend Fluttershy.

"Well, what do you think? Do you like it?" Rarity inquired with unsettling eagerness.

"Rarity, what have you done?" Twilight asked.

"Oh, Twilight it is only a dress," Rarity replied. "Look, if it will make you feel better, I will make you a dress, as well."

The purple mare turned to run away but was knocked unconscious before she could leave. While Twilight wasn't looking, Rarity had picked up a brick with her magic and lobbed it at her friend's head.

Rarity picked up a sewing machine and proceeded to bash her friend's skull in with it. Once Rarity knew for certain that Twilight was dead, she pulled out a knife and began to flay her. Her studies with Fluttershy had proven that it was easier to skin ponies when they were dead.

First thing Rarity did was remove the lavender unicorn's horn. After all, Twilight's special talent was magic, so it would be a crime not to use her horn in the construction of the dress. It proved to be a rigorous task, for Rarity had to use a fabric cutting knife to sever the horn.

After doing this, Rarity noticed that she herself was bleeding. On her left forehoof were three long cuts resembling a cat's claw marks. The blood dripped slowly from the wound.

"I wonder how that happened." Rarity said as she used her magic to sew the wound shut.

Once she finished sewing the wound shut, Rarity resumed her work.

How odd?

"So where do you think those scratches came from?" Sky Blazer asked.

The Smiling Stallion looked at the screen with a puzzled look, "I actually don't know. I haven't seen this before. It might be a glitch. Well, I would say just keep an eye on it. After all, it might make this more interesting."

"Do you think it could cause an issue?"

"I don't believe it will be a problem. If the cuts become severe enough to kill her then the helper will take care of the remaining survivors."

Be careful who you trust

"Applejack dear, there is something I need to show you in the attic." Rarity spoke sweetly.

Rarity had come downstairs to find Applejack lounging on the couch in the living room and twirling her hat.

"Sure, what is it?" Applejack asked.

"It is kind of hard to describe. It would be best if I were to just show you." Rarity answered.

"Oh, alright then."

The two left the living room and started walking up to the attic. That was when Applejack noticed the cut on Rarity' foreleg.

"Are you alright, sugarcube?"

"Of course I am, dear. Why do you ask?" Rarity replied obliviously.

"Well, I just noticed that cut on your leg," Applejack said.

"Oh, this thing. I accidentally hurt myself with the sewing machine, but it is nothing to worry about, I assure you, dear."

"Alright. If you say so."

Applejack was the first to open the door to Rarity's room.

"Okay Rarity, what is it you wanted to show me?" Applejack said as she opened the door. In a blink, she saw a skinned Twilight lying dead upon the floor.

"NO! WHAT DID YOU DO!?" Applejack turned around in fury, only to be hit in the head with one of the mannequins. The impact broke the mannequin off its poll.

"Well, that was a nuisance," Rarity said before throwing the broken mannequin away.

Rarity looked down at Applejack.

The voice inside of Rarity's head spoke, 'Let's not kill her just yet. Why don't we have some fun with her instead?'

After she had nailed Applejack to the table and sewn her eyes and mouth shut with thread, Rarity began to think of what other kind of dresses she could make.

"Maybe I should make something with a more punkish look to it."

Rarity left her room and after she locked the door walked down to the dining room where Pinkie Pie sat. Her head was lying down on the table.

"Are you all right my dear?" Rarity asked.

Pinkie opened her eyes groggily. It was clear she had been resting. The party pony yawned.

"Sorry. I must be really hungry," Pinkie Pie said, "Maybe I should make myself a cupcake."

"Well, dear, why don't you let me do it?" Rarity asked.

"Are you sure you want to?" Pinkie Pie asked. If Rarity's cooking skills were anything like her sisters', the cupcake would be burnt to a crisp.

"Don't worry about it, Pinkie. I'll make a cupcake for you." Rarity said. "I will even throw in a special ingredient."

"HA! You will?" Pinkie replied with excited astonishment.

Rarity flipped her luxurious mane and stepped into the kitchen to start making some cupcakes for her friend.

Missing

Scootaloo and Sweetie Belle were sitting in the living room when Apple Bloom walked in.

"Hey, have you guys seen my sister?" Apple Bloom asked her fellow crusaders, "I went to her room to talk with her, but she isn't there."

The other two fillies shook their heads.

"Sorry, Apple Bloom," Scootaloo spoke, "we haven't seen her."

"Maybe she went to see Twilight." Sweetie Belle suggested.

Apple Bloom's brow furrowed. She hadn't seen Twilight or Fluttershy around lately either. Could they be working on something together?

"Then again, maybe my sister knows where she is." Sweetie Belle said, "I'll go look for her."

"Okay, Sweetie Belle."

Sweetie Belle left the living room and began to search the house for her sister.

The Secret Ingredient is... MURDER!!!

Rarity stood in the kitchen, making a special cupcake for Pinkie Pie. As she mixed the batter, Rarity put in her special ingredient to give it that special kick. After pouring the batter into the pan, Rarity placed it into the oven and turned it on for a few minutes until it was baked.

Once she was done, Rarity put some frosting on top of the cupcake and brought it out to Pinkie Pie.

"Here it is!"

Pinkie Pie smiled and clapped her hooves together as the cupcake was presented before her.

"It looks great!"

Picking up the cupcake, Pinkie threw the whole thing into her mouth, and after chewing it twice, she swallowed. However, it wasn't very long before Pinkie began gurgling blood.

"Oh my! Dear, you really should chew your food more," Rarity mocked. "Savor the flavor. After all, you only live once."

Blood continued to flow from Pinkie's mouth and she gawked at Rarity desperately.

"Pinkie, do you need a little help with something?"

Hearing this, Pinkie realized what she was feeling stabbing into her throat, mouth and stomach: sewing needles. Shortly after Pinkie's head hit the table and she breathed her last.

Using a handkerchief, Rarity cleaned the blood away from Pinkie's mouth.

"Hey sister?"

A small little voice broke the silence, nearly startling Rarity. "Hey, sister?"

'Well, what do we have here?' the voice inside Rarity's skull spoke as she turned to look at her little sister.

"Wha... What is it dear?" Rarity asked, trying to conceal Pinkie's corpse.

"Have you seen Applejack?" Sweetie Belle asked. "Apple Bloom is worried about her."

As she asked this Sweetie Belle noticed Pinkie Pie with her head on the table.

"Is Pinkie alright?"

"Uh... No dear. Pinkie isn't actually feeling well. Would you mind helping me take her up to my room?" Rarity spoke calculatingly, "If you do, I will help you and the others find Applejack."

Sweetie Belle smiled, "Alright."

Rarity and Sweetie Belle grabbed Pinkie's body and with caution sneaked the body up to the attic. As they did, Rarity did what she could to ensure that Sweetie Belle didn't learn that Pinkie was actually dead.

"So if Pinkie is sick, then why are we taking her up to your room?" Sweetie Belle asked as they ascended the stairs.

"Well... because she needs some special medicine I have in my room," Rarity lied to her sister.

"Oh, okay." Sweetie Belle said, trusting the judgment.

Upon opening the door, a disgusting smell wafted to Sweetie Belle.

"What is that smell?" Sweetie Belle asked, wrinkling her nose as she helped Rarity place Pinkie's body onto Rarity's bed.

Rarity realized she would have to do something about the smell in the room. She might have some perfume in her bag that she could use to cover up the stench.

'Smells fine to me.' The voice inside Rarity's head said.

Sweetie Belle gasped; she had come across Applejack as she lay attached to the table.

'Uh oh.' The voice spoke, 'Looks like somepony has been snooping around. We should deal with her.'

"Sis, what are you doing to Applejack! What are-"

Looking around, Sweetie Belle saw a few skinned corpses in the other corner of the room.

"By Celestia..."

Sweetie Belle was cut off. Rarity used her magic to grab her sister by the throat and tossed her into one of the birdcages. The filly contained, Rarity let go of her sister and locked the door to her new prison.

Trapped, Sweetie Belle tried to kick her way out of the cage. However, despite being old and rusty, the bars of the birdcage held firm.

"Rarity, what are you doing!? Let me go!" Sweetie Belle protested.

'She might be a bit of a nuisance.' The voice said to Rarity. She ignored both it and Sweetie Belle's cries as she began the tedious work of converting Pinkie Pie into a good dress. She soon noticed a pain in her right side.

Rarity examined it and saw another cut on her skin.

"Well, that simply won't do." Rarity said as she grabbed a needle and some pink thread to sew the wound closed.

The search for lost friends

All this time, Rainbow Dash had been napping in her room.

When she woke up, Rainbow Dash was surprised that her friends were nowhere in sight. While the fact was worrisome, she hadn't been too worried until Scootaloo and Apple Bloom told her that Sweetie Belle had disappeared after going off to search for her sister Rarity.

Rainbow Dash had searched many of the rooms, but all she had found was Spike sitting on the toilet in the bathroom.

"Do you mind?!" Spike yelled.

In response Rainbow Dash had hurriedly closed the door and resumed her search. The only room she had not checked was the attic.

Rainbow Dash opened the door and was horrified by what she saw. Rarity had turned the pink party pony's fur into a hoodie with her frizzy mane stretching along the coat's spine.

"Doesn't it look lovely?" Rarity asked, emerging from a shadow in the room, "Sort of has a punkish, roguish look to it."

On a table nearby Applejack had been nailed down with her mouth and eyes sewn shut. In one corner a few skinned bodies were piled up, while in the other was Sweetie Belle trapped in a small birdcage. The room smelled as if a bottle of expensive perfume had fallen and smashed on the ground.

Rainbow Dash turned to run but stopped when she rammed her head into a wooden plank Rarity had telekinetically held for her. To be fair, Rainbow Dash's head was strong enough to break the board.

As she began to slip into unconsciousness, she thought she could make out Scootaloo saying something.

'Oh no! Scootaloo, if that is you, please... run!' Rainbow Dash thought.

However, Rainbow Dash didn't have the chance to exhort her before she drifted away.

Scootaloo and Apple Bloom had seen Rarity knock out Rainbow Dash and had tried to run away; however, Rarity shut the door using her magic.

"Now, now, my dears. It is improper to run indoors," Rarity reprimanded.

The two fillies found themselves being flung into a birdcage next to the one where Sweetie Belle was imprisoned.

"WHAT ARE YOU DOING?!" Scootaloo yelled.

"LET US OUT!" Apple Bloom cried.

"Quiet, girls!" Rarity growled, "Can't you see that I have work to do?"

Despite her retort, the two fillies continued to yell.

Who is she supposed to be?

The Smiling Stallion watched the screen as the white unicorn prepared for her next dress.

"Are you sure she is a dressmaker?" The Smiling Stallion asked, "She skins those ponies with the precision of a hunter."

"Yes, sir." Sky Blazer answered. "That mare is Rarity; she is a dress-making prodigy, according to some sources I found in the newspaper."

"So she's a celebrity?" The Smiling Stallion inquired.

"Not really," Sky replied. "She has made some good dresses for a few celebrities, but she isn't terribly popular in the dress-making community. At least not yet."

"I see." The Smiling Stallion spoke, "So we don't have to worry about a rescue party."

"Not for a while now, anyway. You know, you really should study your victims. You could find something interesting."

Covering one's tracks... hooves... hoof tracks?

Rarity closed and locked the shed’s door. It seemed a fair enough hiding place for her friends’ remnants.

"Rarity?"

Spike's voice startled Rarity.

"Oh dear, did he see my hide the bodies?" Rarity thought, "does he know of what I have been doing?"

"Yes, what is it, dear?"

Spike was silent for a bit before he sighed and said, "Never mind."

Watching the sad little dragon walk away, a cruel little idea popped into Rarity's mind.

"Spike, could I have a word with you?"

Confused, Spike turned to face Rarity, "What?"

"There is something I need to show you up in the attic. Think of it as a gift of sorts. Oh, I know you would absolutely adore it."

A large grin appeared on Spike's face. "I... I would be delighted." Spike replied scrambling for words.

Rarity smiled. "Good. Now come with me."

The two of them walked into the house and ascended the steps to the uppermost floor. Rarity stopped in front of the door to her room.

"Spike, do you love me?" Rarity asked.

"Of course I do." Spike swooned. "You're perfect."

"Well, then I need you to do something for me."

Rarity opened the door and had Spike take the lead into the room. The dragon gasped when he saw Rainbow Dash bound in a corner of the room and Applejack nailed to a table. There was also a mannequin with a dress resembling Twilight Sparkle's coat.

Before Spike could say anything, he felt something metal against his neck. Blood gurgled from Spike's throat as Rarity slit it open with some scissors.

In only a few seconds, Spike was dead and lying on the ground.

"Oh, it is such a shame that you had to make such a mess before you died." Rarity shook her head, frowning.

Piggy Back

Rainbow Dash awoke to realize that she couldn't feel her wings. In fact, it felt as if they had been pulled from their sockets.

However, this wasn't the only thing that was off. There was something heavy on her back that she couldn't shake no matter how hard she tried.

"Oh my. Finally you're awake, darling."

Feeling betrayed, Rainbow Dash glared at Rarity. " What have you done to me, you BITCH!"

Rainbow Dash tried to stand up to fight Rarity but found that she was unable to due to her hooves being bound together by tight ribbon.

Rarity put a hoof to her mouth, "Now, now, dear, it isn't proper for one to swear in the presence of a filly."

The heavy object on Rainbow Dash's back twitched and emitted a painful groan. In horror Rainbow Dash turned her head to see that it was, indeed, Scootaloo who was attached to her back. As the realization kicked in, Dash could feel the threads that connected her to the poor little filly. Rarity had stitched them both together, back to back.

Rainbow Dash looked back in shock at Rarity, who only stood there, smiling back at her.

"Why? Why did you do this, Rarity?"

"Well, at the time I wasn't sure what I was going to do with you and Scootaloo, so I decided it might be fun to sew you both together while I thought of something," Rarity answered reminiscently, "It was only fitting, seeing as Scootaloo is your biggest fan, that I should attach her to you. After all, fans always have their idol's back, and of course, you have her back because you possess the element of loyalty."

Rarity giggled at how inspired the idea was. To think, she hadn’t had any ideas just that morning!

It was around this time that Scootaloo began to stir.

"Wha... WHAT!"

Scootaloo began to scream a shriek, which nearly deafened Rainbow Dash, once she realized she couldn't move. Minutes later, Scootaloo ceased screaming, her throat completely raw from the endeavor, but continued to shed tears.

"Now that you are done screaming, I can talk about what I am planning to do to you." Rarity spoke, her smile unbroken.

Rarity raised herself on her rear hooves and raised her forelegs, revealing that Rainbow Dash's wings were attached to some gruesome mockery of a cloak.

"I was thinking I would make a cape out of your wings. Perhaps I can use your coat, mane and tail to make a dress to go with it."

The unicorn walked around the two bound pegasi. Scootaloo hung from Rainbow Dash's back where she had been attached. Due to her small body being so high off the ground, Rarity hadn't bothered binding the filly's hooves.

"Now, I am not exactly sure what I am going to do with you." Rarity paced about. "I was thinking of making you into a purse, but I already have one. In fact, mine is made of dragon scales. Would you like to see it?"

Scootaloo cried, ignoring her.

Rarity looked around the room. After looking at the broken mannequin stand, a brilliant idea began to unfold before her.

"Well, well. I have been meaning to repair my mannequin. Perhaps I could use you two for it."

"What?"

Using her magic, Rarity picked up the broken mannequin stand and brought it over, its sharp tip glistening in the light.

"Now, hold still, my dears," Rarity said as she thrust the stand forward.

The two ponies were impaled at once. Blood leaked from Rainbow Dash's and Scootaloo's mouths as their final breaths left them.

Rarity looked proudly at the pony shish kabob she had just made and then frowned when she realized that there was probably some damage done to their coats.

"That's a shame," Rarity said. A bright idea came to Rarity's mind as she looked at the cage she had previously used. "Perhaps I should deal with it later."

"Oh, Applejack," Rarity, her eyes wide with intent, spoke as he stood over the mare, "I think I know how Apple Bloom can get her Cutie Mark."

A Note from Shifting Winds

Hello, my name is Shifting Winds, and I am an adventurer. I’ve traveled the world, searching for interesting things to explore.

I recently came across stories about this cabin on the outskirts of Muleport. According to some stories I have heard, the locals believe it to be haunted, saying they have heard noises and seen lights coming from within the house. Some have even claimed that at times the cabin is unreachable, almost as if the woods had swallowed it whole.

Immediately upon hearing this, I was made curious and wanted to find this cabin.

After talking with a mare named Lakin Spotson at Marehall College about the cabin, she, too, became curious and decided she wanted to come along with me. However, she said we should probably bring a group of ponies along. That way, if anypony became injured, someone would be able to call the authorities.

It just so happened that, while we were talking about during a lunch one day, a stallion overheard us. His name was Silver Screen, and he was curious about the location, as it reminded him of a location from one of his favorite movies. To be honest, though, I am really surprised he decided to come along with us. He was really nervous the whole time he talked with us.

At the conclusion of the meeting, we all agreed that we would meet at Muleport and that Silver Screen would bring a couple ponies to join us in the experience.

About an hour ago, we met up at Muleport where we met the other two members of our party.

First, we have Poptart. He is a stallion who used to live in Las Pegasus but moved to Ponyville for reasons he chooses not to disclose to us. I don’t know what his deal, is but he seems to be kind of… well… full of himself.

The second pony to join us was Artemis Featherclaw. She seems to be a pony of action and isn’t very talkative. However, I can’t shake the feeling that she has a wild side, and I notice she observes everything with the eyes of a prowling animal.

Tomorrow, we shall leave Muleport and head out to the cabin. I am so excited for this adventure that I may have a hard time sleeping tonight.

Apple Skins

Rarity stepped back to admire her creation. She had sewn the pattern of an apple blossom onto Apple Bloom's flank.

"Now doesn't that look lovely?" Rarity said, speaking loud enough so that Applejack could hear it, "Oh, that's right; you can't see it. Well, I can assure you, your sister will look gorgeous when I am done with her."

She began skinning the filly from the cut Rarity had made in Apple Bloom's throat. Once Rarity was done, she stacked the material she had accumulated from the little filly and put it aside to work on later.

"Well now, I guess it is time to work on you, isn't it, Dashie?"

After removing the two corpses from the mannequin pole, Rarity began her work on Rainbow Dash's body.

First, Rarity took Rainbow Dash's wings. Maybe she ought to attach them to the sides of a dress to symbolize her friend's great flying skills.

Next, Rarity cut off Dash's tail and what she could from her mane. After that, she removed the cyan coat from the body.

"You will make a marvelous dress!" Rarity giggled.

Once she had all the materials set up, Rarity started to make illustrations for her next dress.

With the designs for Rainbow Dash's dress completed, Rarity contemplated what to do next. Should she start working on another dress? She then remembered that she needed to harvest the materials for yet another dress.

As for the two fillies, well, she would make an outfit using their bodies later. Right now, she had one final mare to work on.

Just by looking at Applejack's face, Rarity could tell that all the mare's hope and will had drained away. All Applejack could do was just sit there and wait to die.

"Oh, don't be so sad, dear," Rarity said, putting her mouth next to Applejack's ear, "You will be reunited with your little sister soon enough."

A needle with thread attached floated into the air.

"I had been looking forward to practicing my embroidery work." She said as she began stitching the shapes of green and red apples into Applejack's flesh. While Applejack did wince every once and a while she otherwise continued to remain still.

"Oh, come on, dear. You need to be more in touch with your emotions."

When she was done embroidering a large portion of Applejack's coat, Rarity pulled out the fabric cutter.

"Since you seem so relaxed, perhaps I should go ahead and start skinning you," Rarity said. Applejack didn't respond; she just continued looking at the ceiling.

It wasn't until after a few minutes of skinning that Rarity noticed that Applejack's breathing had stopped.

"Oh, what a shame. Even if you weren't as talkative as usual, I did enjoy your company."

The Dawning of Inspiration

Rarity looked over the five dresses she had made and sighed. Something was missing, but she couldn't put a hoof on it. When she had started making these dresses there had been a certain theme she was going for. Now she couldn't remember what it was.

Sweetie Belle cried from within her cage. The images of her two fillyhood friends being killed and skinned still flashed before her eyes.

The white unicorn looked at the two dresses she had created using Scootaloo's and Apple Bloom's coats. While they looked decent, they didn't seem to match the theme she was going for with the other five dresses. What was she missing?

Realization struck Rarity and she burst out laughing. Her older sister's sudden outburst caused Sweetie Belle to stop crying and look up from the floor.

"I figured it out," Rarity said, "I figured out what I am missing!"

Rarity picked up a knife off the table with her magic and walked over to Sweetie Belle who recoiled back into the corner.

"Sweetie Belle, I remembered the theme I was originally going for!" said the hysteric unicorn.

The filly shook with dread in the corner. What was her sister going to do? What was Rarity going to do with her?

"The Elements!" Rarity spoke motioning to the five dresses, "My five main dresses are based off the Elements of Harmony."

"We have kindness..." Rarity stated, pointing to the yellow dress made out of Fluttershy's coat.

"Loyalty..." The white unicorn motioned to the blue dress with rainbow-colored embroidery. Hanging over its shoulders was a cape made of feathered wings.

"Honesty..." Next to the orange dress laid a forsaken cowboy hat.

"Laughter..." Rarity motioned toward a pink hoodie.

"And magic!" The last dress was purple with star-like patterns sewn in. "However, I am still missing an Element. What could it be?"

Rarity paced in a circle, trying to think what the last remaining element could be. She stiffened and started laughing when she finally realized conceived her answer.

"Generosity," Rarity rasped, "I completely forgot generosity!"

Sweetie Belle watched in horror as her sister took the knife and started to use it to cut her own flesh. After a few incisions around the chest and forelegs, Rarity began the painful process of peeling off her own coat.

While it hurt, Rarity pushed through the pain. After all, hard work was painful, but the praise for her work afterwards would be its own reward.

At first, there was a burning sensation, but as time went on, her nerves deadened, and there was only nothingness in its place. Looking at the fabric, she had torn from her own body, Rarity noticed that the edges had a red stain. It might take a while but with enough bleach, it should come off. Rarity also realized that there was something else missing.

Her Cutie Mark! All the other dresses had their Cutie Marks, so why not hers?

'Yes, why not?' the voice inside her head said as she put the knife blade to her flank.

After cutting a circular pattern around her Cutie Mark she peeled it off and placed both it and her white coat on her workbench. She suddenly felt very tired. Perhaps she should take a quick nap before resuming her dress making.

Rarity walked over to the bed and lay down upon it. Small pools of blood leaked out onto the mattress. No matter. She would clean the sheets when she woke up.

As Rarity drifted off into sleep, she could have sworn she saw furry, white spiders with blue diamond patterns hanging from silk webs on the ceiling above her. While she felt repulsed by the sight, she didn't bother to move. She just listened to the voice in her mind, repeat one final word.

'Sleep.'

Buy One, Get a Second Half-Off

"Those were certainly some interesting dress designs. Too bad we couldn't keep them." The Smiling Stallion said as he looked at the screen.

"Why?" Sky Blazer asked, "I wouldn't wear any of them, and I don't think any of your other friends would wear them. So that means the only person who would wear them would be you."

"Oh, don't be silly," The Smiling Stallion answered, "Nobody would wear them. The dresses would merely be for decoration... something to liven up the place back home."

"I don't know," Sky said, "I am pretty sure we already have lots of decorative baubles laying around."

The Smiling Stallion sighed. "Yeah, you're probably right."

Just then, a device next to the stallion's chair made a dinging noise, and a green light appeared.

"Aww... It is time to eat." The Smiling Stallion said as he placed a glass underneath the device.

A frothy, fluorescent, yellow liquid flowed from the device into the waiting glass. Once the device was done dispensing the fluid, the Smiling Stallion removed the glass and took a sip of the liquid.

"Yes, the taste of corporeal fear is quite delicious."

"Master!" Sky spoke with a tinge of worry in her voice.

"What is it?" The Smiling Stallion asked.

"As I was archiving the dresses, the computer brought up a cross reference saying the dresses have a connection to something called the Elements of Harmony."

"Elements of Harmony? What is that?"

"I am not sure," Sky spoke, searching the computer, "While it sounds familiar, I can't place where I heard it from. I am going to try to search for more information on this."

Caged with nowhere to go

Sweetie Belle continued to sob within the birdcage as a large creature smashed its way into the attic. Looking up through tear soaked eyes, Sweetie Belle saw a pony-shaped creature; however, the only features she could make out with the light in the room was its head. The creature's head was covered in an old burlap sack with a large circular saw blade coming out of the center.

The creature made a snorting sound like an angry bull, and the saw buzzed to life. It charged into the cage Sweetie Belle was trapped in.

"Eek!!!" Sweetie Belle squealed as the creature cut into the cage with its saw blade which continued to buzz, even when it passed through the cage bars and cut into the flesh of the young foal inside.

The screams stopped and the metal blade stopped its song. A new round was ready to begin.