In Memoriam

by Jaestring

Rating: teen
Tags: Tragedy, Dark, Gore, My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic, Rarity, Fluttershy
Length: 5964

Rarity sits down to give an interview about her life as a fashionista, hero, and survivor of violence, only to have it go horribly, horribly wrong.

You know her as Rarity, the fashionista who went from relatively unknown to staggering success virtually overnight. Her designs have been worn by everypony from celebrity to royalty, but her real claim to fashion fame was bringing her line Simple Elegance to the everyday pony. By making high-end fashion available to all she turned the industry on its head and knocked those who had been comfortable on their thrones out of their seats.

She has aided the princesses in saving Equestria more times than I can count; her generosity is known far and wide. Yet, it is that dark point in her history that brought all eyes of Equestria down upon her. The infamous story of Cut Throat, the stallion who murdered Fluttershy and attempted to kill her.

I am Ziya, and this is a Special Edition of Inside Equestria.

Thank you to Daemon of Decay and TheAspiringWriter93 for PreReading/Editing!

Published 2015-08-06 22:40:01 UTC
Last updated 2015-08-06 22:40:01 UTC

Special Edition of Inside Equestria

Fluttershy’s face was so serene. Her eyes were closed with the hint of a smile on her lips. In this last, quiet moment it was still easy to believe she was the embodiment of kindness.

Rarity sat in a dark, round chair, one foreleg crossed over the other. She had to give it to the crew, they had certainly outdone themselves putting together the right amount of contrasting colors while still portraying an aire of modern elegance. The anchor, a chocolate-colored zebra, was standing with her makeup artist and talking to the camera stallion, likely going over some last minute shots and discussing questions they would like to go over.

Behind Rarity, a few mannequins had been set up with some of her more famous designs. They were meant to work as a backdrop to the upcoming interview, though some camera-ponies had already been by her studio early that week to get shots of some of her more recent pieces as well as some of the models walking down the catwalk. No matter the subject, it was still show business.

Tossing her mane over her shoulder, Rarity turned her head to regard the room. It was dark red, though not quite maroon. All across the walls were scattered pictures of her and her friends, clippings of news reports from the Manehatten Times and the Canterlot Journal along with plenty of memorabilia from their exploits. The design would have made her swoon in her younger years, a room that was not only dedicated to them yet also managed to be so chic.

That was a different time, and she had been a different mare. As she turned to look back to the crew, a small smile wisped across her face as her four friends entered the room. Pinkie Pie, Apple Jack, Rainbow Dash, and, of course, Princess Twilight, who seemed to have grown even taller since Rarity had last seen her. She had to be at least the size of Cadance now.

Rarity felt her heart clench as she raised a hoof to wave.

“Miss Rarity, are you ready to begin?” The sudden interruption of the zebra’s heavily accented voice was startling, but she held enough poise to keep from jumping.

“Of course, Ziya,” she turned to face the reporter. “I must say, I’m quite impressed how your crew is handling the arrival of Princess Twilight so professionally.”

Her return smile was unnerving. “I only work with the best. Besides, most of them have met her before. She was the one who arranged this interview, after all.” She shuffled through some papers. “Okay, so I wanted to begin with a brief discussion of your rise to stardom before moving on to your work with Princess Twilight. Then, we can continue on to the Cut Throat incident…”

Rarity’s soft gaze hardened into a glare. “I was hoping to simply have a memorial. I do not want to sensationalize a mad-stallion.”

Ziya nodded, but the glint in her eye was almost predatory. “I understand, and I will make sure that we discuss your friend in great detail, but ponies still want to know the story. It’s not as though you’ve really discussed what happened. There are those out there who still believe he’s going to show up and terrorize unsuspecting ponies.”

Pursing her lips, Rarity attempted to level a glare at Ziya but relented. “Fine, but please try not to glorify him. Criminals and murderers are so often given status close to that of celebrity, and I would rather everypony remember him for the monster he was.”

Ziya moved to take her seat as Rarity turned to look at her friends. They all gave her encouraging smiles, Pinky Pie enthusiastically waving and mouthing something about cupcakes. The sight should have been comforting, but all it did was leave a sick feeling in her stomach.

The reporter faced the camera. “You know her as Rarity, the fashionista who went from relatively unknown to staggering success virtually overnight. Her designs have been worn by everypony from celebrity to royalty, but her real claim to fashion fame was bringing her line Simple Elegance to the everyday pony. By making high-end fashion available to all she turned the industry on its head and knocked those who had been comfortable on their thrones out of their seats.

Even if you’re not familiar with her rags-to-riches tale in the fashion industry, her work with Princess Twilight and the other element bearers are world renowned. All six have become movers and shakers in their own respective worlds, and without them, Equestria would have been thrown into chaos or worse. Today, we will be bringing to you the tale of the mare who has become Canterlot’s most celebrated designer and philanthropist.”

Rarity nodded, doing her best to keep her smile natural. Elegance was a mask she wore well, but that didn’t mean it came easily. “Thank you for having me.”

Ziya began by discussing Rarity’s friendship with Twilight and the others, how they saved Ponyville and even Equestria on numerous occasions. Beginning with Nightmare Moon, Ziya described each notable villain they had faced with a short sound bite, occasionally recording multiple to choose in post later. Rarity’s eyes once again wandered the room, her mind drifting off to the memories from a much different perspective. When Ziya did attempt to bring Rarity into the conversation, it took several prompts to get her attention. This led to several re-shoots for bits of story.

“I apologize. My mind was elsewhere.”

“That is fine, Miss Rarity. Do you need a break?”

“No, we can continue.”

Ziya took a quick moment to straighten her papers and adjust her clipboard. “So, while you had a few run-ins with high society and fashion before this point, your first real breakthrough on a national scale was the absolutely gorgeous dresses that you designed for Princesses Celestia and Luna to wear to the Crystal Empire’s first Gala. Tell me, what was it like designing dresses for the Princesses?”

Rarity couldn’t help but chuckle. “To be completely honest? It was an absolute nightmare. Don’t get me wrong, working with the Princesses was an honor… a dream come true. With that honor, however, came stress. Lots and lots of stress. I can tell you that I maybe got an entire night's sleep once over the course of the month I worked on their gowns.”

Ziya smiled. “And, of course, it didn’t help that you were called upon to aid Twilight Sparkle and her friends to stop yet another threat to Equestria.”

Rarity tapped her chin and shrugged. “By that time it was almost par for the course. Working with my friends to protect our home was the most important thing to do, no question, but I wasn’t going to let a few days shaved off my schedule stop me from what was, at the time, the most important order of my career!”

Ziya couldn’t help but bite. “Par for the course? Did being the heroes of Equestria really seem so unimportant?”

Rarity shifted uncomfortably, turning to look at her friends, who smiled at her encouragingly. Applejack even gave a “go on” motion with her hooves. They were with her on this. “Well, the first few times it was certainly exciting. Nightmare Moon, Discord, the Changeling Queen... Why, my friends and I still talk about such exploits to this day. Yet, we weren’t taking on these challenges for fame and fortune. We did it to save our families, our neighbors, and our homes. We did it because we were the ones who could, and we knew that we should. There wasn’t much more to it than that.”

Rarity paused, then decided to continue. “At the end of the day, we had our lives to return home to. The only thing much changed being how close our friendships were and our confidences. You see, Ziya, these trials and tribulations didn’t define us. They united and empowered us. Equestria came under fire so often that we became the Elite. We were good, nay… great at becoming the rescuers. But we did it because we were needed, not because we considered ourselves heroes. It was a matter of responsibility. Just as it was my responsibility to make absolutely fabulous dresses for the princesses on time. But not only was that my responsibility, it was also my passion.”

Out of the corner of her eye she could just make out smiles from her friends, but she pushed herself to focus on the interview.

“And Equestria certainly thanks you, Celestia knows what would have happened to this country had it not been for you and your friends.” Ziya sat a bit straighter in her seat and her expression turned somber. Rarity knew what was coming. “Yet not all trials come in the form of a mad monster bent on destroying our homeland, sometimes the crucibles come and knock on our own front door.”

“Indeed.” Even Rarity could hear the flatness of her tone.

“I am, of course, referring to the one who eventually became known as Cut Throat. The stallion who attacked you and your friend, Fluttershy, in your own home.” Hearing Fluttershy’s name felt like a kick to the gut, but Rarity kept her gaze locked with Ziya’s.

“Yes. Well, at the time, most ponies in Ponyville kept their doors unlocked. In fact, few ponies even bothered with locks at all. I would generally lock up the boutique as a sign that we were closed, but it happened while I was open.”

“Do you think you could give us a description of what happened that night?”

Rarity’s eyes widened as Ziya shifted a little further forward in her chair. “Pardon?”

“So far, all that has been released to the public are the guard reports. You say you want to memorialize your friend and turn a sensationalized murderer into a monster? Give the audience your story. A sympathetic victim can be what turns the tide in an era of media sensationalism.”

Rarity tried to hide her gulp by tightening her jaw, causing her lips to form a thin line. She once again turned to look at her friends. All of them were watching her, curiously, especially Dash, who’s encouraging smile had turned dark. She nodded, and Rarity knew she couldn’t dodge past this request for the story.

She levitated her glass of bordeaux to her lips with a sigh. It helped steel her against what was to come.

“I suppose it is time for me to tell the story. I…” Rarity paused when she saw the cameras shift. The Unicorn on the tripod floated his in closer, while an Earth Pony crawled forward so he was almost underneath her chair, only just out of view of the other camera.

Ziya reached out and placed a hoof on her fetlock. “Ignore them. Please, continue.”

Rarity closed her eyes for a moment, taking a deep breath. In her mind’s eye she could see that crazed face. The mane curled to perfection and the soft, shimmering fur couldn’t distract from the drool that flew from the mouth at every angry word. Rarity could almost hear the whine that had emanated from the deep, ragged breaths that had echoed throughout Carousel Boutique that night. She remembered when her eyes met those beautiful blue ones, once so kind but now so full of rage.

Opening her eyes, Rarity locked her gaze on the camera. She remembered what she told the guard. She had rehearsed it and rehearsed it over and over until she had committed it to memory. Now it was time to tell everypony else.

“I’m not sure how many of you remember the day. It was September 9th, a Wednesday. A day of no particular consequence. It was raining, which generally means I don’t get too many visitors to my shop. You see, ponies don’t want to come get their clothes tailored or pick up their orders when there is a chance the parcels could be ruined by the weather. Thankfully, I was lucky enough to have my friend Fluttershy with me for the evening.”

Almost distantly, she could hear Ziya’s voice. “Was there a particular reason why your friend was there?”

Rarity nodded. “She had agreed to help me set up my new line at the shop. With it being such a slow day and all, I figured I could re-clothe the models with some of my newest creations. Fluttershy was such a dear, she would never refuse when I asked her for help.”

She closed her eyes, picturing the scene in her head. The mannequins had all been set up in a row as they were dressing them, Fluttershy walking along adjusting the garments and pointing out the occasional tear or lost button. Angel had been riding on her back.

Time to continue. “We had just about dressed all the mannequins when the door slammed open. At first I thought the door had simply blown open, but when I turned to close it there was a pony in the doorway. A large stallion, at least twenty hooves high.”

She gulped, rubbing a hoof against her wrist. “Fluttershy had gone to hide, her nerves were ever so frail, even then. I approached him, fully believing that he was merely taking shelter from the storm.”

“What did he look like?”

“Huh?” Rarity blinked, turning to look at Ziya.

“Was he a Unicorn? An Earth Pony? What were his colors? Did you get a chance to see his cutie mark?”

Rarity bit the inside of her cheek, of course they wanted details. “His cutie mark? No. He was a unicorn, with a light coat and a dark mane… but I didn’t get a close enough look to see exactly what his colors were.”

“Really? One would think that in a fight of your life, you would distinctly remember the pony that tried to kill you.”

Rarity looked down. She closed her eyes against the guilt and sorrow that washed over her. “One would think that, wouldn’t they? Unfortunately, it was dark and once I realized his intentions were less than noble I became focused on defending myself. I couldn’t see my attacker all that well.”

Liar…

Her ears perked. The voice was barely audible. She must have been hearing things.

Ziya’s face devoid of her usual smile. “So, tell me, what happened when you realized he wasn’t there simply to seek shelter from the storm?”

Grimacing, Rarity’s ears pressed back against her head. “Well, you see, at first I just couldn’t believe it. I simply insisted he leave.”

One white blur, then a second, then red. Then came the screams.

Ziya’s voice was soft, her words deliberate. “But he didn’t leave.”

“No. He just laughed. Then he charged. There was no way I could take him on in a hoof-to-hoof fight, so I tried to use the few defensive spells I knew, but they bounced right off him.” She took another stabilizing sip of the spirits. “Unfortunately, he managed to back me up against the far corner, and my only option was to retreat up the stairs.”

LIAR!

Rarity gasped as her magical grip on the glass failed and it fell to the floor, shattering. The word was louder this time, more solid. Rarity searched the room as expensive port soaked into carpet. The red liquor spread out across the floor, a camera pony stepped back to keep it from touching his hooves.

“Rarity?” If the concern in Ziya’s voice was faked, Rarity couldn’t tell.

“Oh, uh, I… I’m sorry.” She pushed herself up. “I think… I think I need that break now.”

“Of course!” Ziya sat up, nodding to the stallion behind the camera. “Go ahead and take ten, we’ll discuss how we want to pro…”

Rarity was already running, slamming open the bathroom door and jumping to the closest sink. She splashed some cold water on her face before looking up into the mirror. Her heart skipped a beat.

As Rarity gazed into the mirror, she met Fluttershy’s eyes.

Well, the eye that was still there. The skin of the left side of Fluttershy’s face had been scorched away, showing smooth bone retreating into an empty socket.

The slit along Fluttershy’s throat quivered as the throaty voice gurgled, fresh droplets of blood sliding down the already stained chest.

Liar…

Rarity jumped around to face her accuser, but no one was there. A quick glance in a mirror showed that Rarity was well and truly alone. So when the door to the bathroom slammed open again, she let out a squeak.

When her eyes met those of Rainbow Dash and Twilight Sparkle, her legs began to shake.

“Rarity, are you alright? You look as though you’ve just seen a ghost.” Twilight trotted into the room and levitated a towel to Rarity, who still hadn’t dried her face.

Before she could accept it, Rainbow Dash was in front of her, a hoof pressing into her chest. “Listen, Rare, I know this is hard, but you’re stronger than this.” She traced the scar that sloppily crossed Rarity’s throat then down her chest. “You survived this guy and he can’t hurt you anymore. He’s just a memory now.”

Rarity swallowed and nodded, feeling herself break into a cold sweat. Dash took a few steps back and left, her piece said. Twilight once again offered the towel, which Rarity accepted. Twilight wrapped a wing around Rarity’s shoulder as she dried her face, an awkward movement due to the difference in height.

“Rainbow is right, you know.” For all her physical awkwardness, Twilight’s words were steady and calm. “You really are strong, though I think both of us can understand the need to get out of the limelight, even if only for a few minutes.”

Rarity sighed, her heart finally resuming its normal pace. “Thank you.”

Twilight stood, pulling back her wing. “It’s time to give Fluttershy some real closure and put this issue to rest. Come out whenever you’re ready.” With that she left, but not before Rarity caught the frown that flashed across her friend’s face.

Scanning the bathroom one last time but seeing nothing, she turned and walked out.

Back in the room there was a flurry of activity. They had re-positioned much of the memorabilia regarding Fluttershy along a desk that the camera stallion was shooting in various ways. Among them was a brooch from the first gala dress Rarity had made for her, as well as a picture of the two of them at the spa. The smiles on their faces were bright, back when they had each other to help with the weight of the world.

She shook her head to clear her mind, and continued to survey the room. In separate corners, Applejack and Pinkie Pie were giving what seemed to be their own interviews. A Unicorn at the farthest end of room was on a phone talking in hurried, hushed tones. Twilight was talking with two of the Royal Guard, both of whom had stone-cold faces.

When one of the interns noticed Rarity had returned, he trotted to her. “Miss Rarity! Right this way.” He led her back to her chair, which had been moved slightly closer to Ziya’s. “Ziya wants there to be less cutting in during the rest of the interview. We can insert close ups in post, but she really wants there to be fewer distractions for the audience.”

Rarity wondered what the fuss was about. All of this couldn’t have come from a small panic-attack.

“What happened?” She asked the intern.

He smiled. “Ziya asked me to let her tell you herself, but I’ll tell ya this: It’s a DOOZY.”

Once Rarity had climbed back into her chair she was given a fresh glass of the bordeaux, which she downed in one go. She wished she’d taken a moment in the bathroom to check her appearance before returning. Too late now.

“Ah, good, you’re back!” Ziya’s voice was energetic. “You’re not going to believe what has happened!”

Rarity was certain she wouldn’t. “Which is?”

“My syndication called. They received a letter from Cut Throat himself!”

“WHAT? That’s…” ...impossible, but Rarity bit the inside of her cheek to fight against the urge to jump back to her feet. “It’s been so long, and he’s not killed anyone since Fluttershy.”

Ziya tilted her head as she looked towards one of the ponies past her. “That we know of. There could always be other victims, and it’s not unheard of for killers to contact the media after the initial frenzy has died down. Wanting more attention and all that. Or perhaps he heard about the interview and wanted to cause a stir. He’s claiming all sorts of things, like where he buried new victims. Oh, the audience and the guard are going to have a field day with this!”

Rarity felt the muscles in her shoulders tighten and the beginnings of a headache. The implications of somepony sending a letter claiming to be Cut Throat were alarming, to say the least. Not to mention the claims… She felt sick. Could there be a copycat killer on the loose?

Ziya hopped back into her chair, unable to tone down her smile. “Are you ready to resume the interview?”

Rarity knew that once this was over with she wouldn’t have to do it again, but it needed to be done. Fluttershy needed to be remembered in the right way. Copycat or not, she would not allow one of her closest friends be slandered by the media. “Yes, let’s continue.”

Ziya clapped her hooves together. “Alright, everypony, let’s wrap this up.”

It only took a few moments for the ponies to return the cameras to their original positions. Rarity wished she hadn’t emptied her cup, but when she glanced at it was pleased to find it had been refilled. She took another sip as the shuffling came to a close. Mics and makeup were adjusted, the overhead lights were dimmed to allow in more of the natural light, and the cameras started to roll.

“Where was I?”

Ziya moved to look at her notes, but the glance was far too quick to read anything. “You were running to the upper floor.”

Rarity rolled her shoulders, and began to speak. “I honestly had no idea what I was going to do when I reached the second floor, I just knew I had to get away from him. To this day, I still think he was just toying with me. He should have been able to catch me halfway up the stairs, but I managed to barricade myself in my room. But before I could even get to my window he’d managed to break the lock.”

Rarity took a quick moment to sip her drink. Her throat was dry, and the wine wasn’t helping. Ziya gave her until she sat down the glass. “And that’s when the first victim was killed.”

Rarity closed her eyes, her head nodding. “Yes… Angel. Fluttershy’s pet rabbit.”

The squeal of the small creature still echoed in her mind, followed by a loud, sickening crunch.

“It wasn’t long after that my cat, Opal, perished as well.”

Ziya’s mouth drew tight. “And why is it, do you think, that he killed the animals?”

Rarity sighed, running her hoof along the edge of the cushion and forcing herself to look back into the camera. “I think… he just wanted to play with us, to frighten us that much more.”

“Then what happened?”

The lump in her throat refused to go down. “That’s when he went for me. He had me cornered. He had a knife, one from my own kitchen, in fact. He started to cut me…” Subconsciously, she raised a hoof to her neck, easily finding and following the path of the scar.

Rarity felt tears pricking her eyes as Ziya patted her hoof.

“That’s when Fluttershy jumped in. She wasn’t strong or fast, but… she was brave. She was able to pull his attention away from me.” Her voice caught, and she thought she could hear some sympathetic murmurs.

LIAR!

Rarity’s entire body clenched as her eyes went wide. She looked up to see the ghoulish form of Fluttershy just inside the door, glaring and gritting her teeth. Rarity pushed herself back, ending up pressed against the back of her chair. Chancing a quick glance around, nopony else seemed to have noticed their resurrected friend, concerned eyes upon her instead.

Liar, liar, LIAR, LIAR, LIAR!

Fluttershy seemed to move with impossible speed, from the far side of the room to Rarity’s chair in mere moments. This time, unlike in the restroom before, Rarity could smell the rot on her. The unmistakable stench of death caused her stomach to roil.

“Fluttershy…” Her voice came out as barely a squeak.

Why are you saying these things?! Why are you lying?

“I… You see, I…” Her heart felt as though it was going to burst out of her chest.

You are going to just let our friends believe a lie? That I died helpless? Unable to stand against a mere pony? After all we’ve been through, you tell them that?!

Rarity felt the tears running down her face and dripping off her chin. She cringed back against the chair, quivering.

LIAR!

“I just wanted them to see you as a hero!” She sniffed, but the flow of tears would not stop. “I- I didn’t want them to know that you had snapped! I didn’t want them to know it was you!”

Liar. The apparition turned and walked towards the camera. You just didn’t want them to know that it was you who couldn’t stop me. That you killed me!

She sobbed. “I didn’t want to! You had just gone insane! I didn’t know how to stop you without hurting you. I didn’t mean to kill you.”

You were just too scared to tell that a friend needed you. You just took the easiest course of action, and it killed me. Fluttershy grabbed the camera and shoved it into Rarity’s face. Tell them, tell them how it really happened!

“But…”

NOW!

“A- Angel hopped off your back!” She pressed her hooves into her eyes, attempting to stem the flow of tears. “Opal… Opal was supposed to be penned up in my room since I wasn’t going to be able to watch her, but Sweetie Belle let her out. It wasn’t her fault… she just wanted something from my room and didn’t realize… Oh, poor Sweetie Belle…”

Somewhere in the room, she heard someone ask, “Sweetie Belle was there? I thought she was at your place, AJ.”

“She was, she was with Apple Bl-”

KEEP GOING, shouted Fluttershy.

“Opal ran in and just... just… She saw Angel running and pounced on him!” She curled up into a ball as she spoke, her eyes wide but staring at nothing. “That was when… that was when you lost it. You… you knocked over a vase on the way to try to get to Angel, but Opal wouldn’t drop him. She ran around while he let out those ghastly screams!”

Fluttershy dropped the camera, walking up to run a hoof along Rarity’s cheek. The hoof was cold, and something slimy started dripping down her cheek. Yes, yes that’s it. Those screams were horrible, weren’t they? Keep going, Rarity.

“Opal jumped up onto one of the high shelves where I kept my materials. He was still alive when she dropped him but… when he hit the ground, the impact broke his neck.” Her voice was starting to grow shrill and squeak at odd intervals. Her voice hurt from talking, but she couldn’t stop now.

“You ran to him, you hoped you could still save him somehow. You tried to stem the bleeding, to fix him somehow, but he was already dead… I tried to comfort you, but I think… I think that was when you snapped.”

Fluttershy’s screams of despair from that night echoed through Rarity’s memory. Her eyes rolled up to look at her tormentor, but Fluttershy simply watched on. The empty socket seemed to pull all light from the room, and Rarity felt herself pulled in by it as she continued.

“When Opal jumped down from the shelf, you grabbed a piece of the vase you broke. You stabbed her. Then you stabbed her again, and again and again and again. And again. And again.”

Her voice was soft, and she just kept repeating the words over and over, until she felt a hoof on her shoulder. A warm hoof. A real hoof. Something real enough to break her out of the cycle.

“I was so shocked, it took me a long time to stop you, to pull you off. You screamed at me, I couldn’t even understand what you were saying. That’s when Sweetie Belle came down the stairs, and you rounded on her. You said it was her fault, that she was responsible for Angel’s death. I tried to tell you to calm down, but then you started chasing her! Poor Sweetie, she was so afraid… she ran off and you chased her and I followed. That’s when we ended up in the kitchen. You had gotten ahold of a knife and managed to corner her… You were about to get her when I stopped you.”

Fluttershy’s ghost reached out, the cold hoof dragging along the scar. The cold, slimy feeling caused Rarity to shudder.

“You turned, slashed me across the chest. I don’t think you meant to, but you did. It hurt so much, but I knew I had to get you away from Sweetie Belle. I goaded you into chasing me instead, when you finally did I yelled at Sweetie to run away, to go to her friends. She left as you were chasing me up the stairs.”

Her sobs grew so strong she had to stop speaking for a few moments. She sat there, shaking, until the tears subsided. “Upstairs you were brandishing the knife. Threatening me, saying all those crazy things. It was like you were a completely different pony! I… I was so scared.”

There, there… Fluttershy’s voice seemed less angry now, more like the voice that Rarity remembered. You’re almost done, keep going.

“I… I didn’t actually know any defensive spells back then. I didn’t know any way to subdue you, all I could think was getting the knife out of your hoof so I… so I decided I was going to try to blast it away. But… but…”

You missed.

“I missed! It was too strong, it blew half your face off…” Rarity couldn’t take it anymore, she leaned over the side of the chair and let loose the contents of her stomach. The stench somehow managed to overpower the horrible odor that Fluttershy’s undead corpse was giving off.

She gave herself a few moments to breath, and no one interrupted her. “Then I realized that you were dead. You were gone and there was nothing I could do, nothing anypony could do. I realized that I would have to tell everypony that you were d-dead. But… but how could I tell them that you died like that. That the kindest, sweetest pony that we all knew had killed Opal and tried to kill Sweetie and me… I had… I had to make sure they remembered you the way you were supposed to be remembered. Not like that!”

She reached out to Fluttershy, and the Pegasus took her hoof. Rarity’s next few words came easier, the sobs started to recede. “I… I had to make sure they remembered your kindness, the reason you were chosen by the elements of harmony. So I decided that I would blame the acts on a pony that didn’t exist, a pony that could take the blame and let you be remembered the way you were supposed to be. I remembered how you cut my chest and thought that a pony on a murder spree would work, so I… so I took the knife and cut your throat.”

Distantly, Rarity heard someone in the room gag.

“You were already dead so I knew it wouldn’t hurt you, but I thought it would make more sense if both of us had similar injuries. I would just say you fought to get the knife away and he blasted you in the face because of it. I would say that I was so startled and that everything had happened so fast I didn’t move quick enough to save you, but that I blasted him myself while he was still distracted. Not enough to kill him, but enough to send him running.”

Her breaths came easier now. The feeling that had been weighing on her back for so long felt like it was lifting. The pale, decrepit visage of Fluttershy seemed less threatening, continuing to hold her hoof as she spoke.

“Then I ran from the house to go get the guard. On my way I found Sweetie Belle, who had gotten lost in the storm. I told her… I told her to go to the clubhouse and told her to say that she had been there the whole time, and that if her friends were there, to convince them to say the same. I just didn’t want her to get caught up in that mess, she was so young at the time…”

Rarity slumped over, letting the tears slide down her face freely. “Then I finally got the guard, and told them that silly story about a murderer, all in some noble attempt to keep your memory pure.”

She took a few deep breaths, then looked up. The camera was in its place and everyone was looking at her with gaping mouths. Her hoof was still extended, but there was nopony holding it. It looked as though she was pointing accusingly at the camera. Narrowing her eye, she lowered it. In fact, she was on the floor, but she had no memory of how she got there.

She felt a hoof on her shoulder. Turning, Twilight came into view, unshed tears pooling in her eyes. “Come on, Rarity, let’s get out of here.”

Rarity stood, her legs shaking slightly beneath her. She felt strange, almost numb. She should have felt horrified, fearful, but instead all she felt was a strange euphoria as she followed Twilight to the exit.

As they were walking out the door, Rarity registered the fact that Apple Jack and Pinkie Pie were holding Rainbow Dash, who was shouting and struggling against their grip. Yet the words sounded distant, as though they were coming from a far off place.

“Come on, Rarity.” Twilight’s voice was soft, but with a hint of urgency behind it. So Rarity turned to follow.

Twilight led her to the edge of the street where there was a large, white carriage with no windows. Oh either side of the wide, open doors was one of the guards Twilight had been speaking to earlier. “Alright, Rarity. These ponies are going to take you somewhere safe until the rest of us have had a chance to talk, alright?”

Rarity nodded. “Oh… okay Twilight.” She wasn’t quite sure why she obeyed Twilight’s words, but it seemed like the right thing to do.

With that she turned, walking up into the back of the carriage. As they closed the door behind her the place darkened, the only light coming from a few slits in the door and roof. She made her way to one of the seats, letting out a sigh.

She looked up, and what she saw across from her made her heart lift. There was Fluttershy, whole and smiling. She reached out to take one of Rarity’s hooves.

There, don’t you feel better now?

Fin