Bloodymare Rarity

It was a very dark and dank place at night. The forest floor was wet and her hooves soon became muddy. Her right and left were aligned with leafless trees gnarled with crooked branches that twisted like broken limbs above her. The mended wagon wheel squeaked loudly as it wobbled through the forest. Rarity was beginning to have cold feet but pushed onward regardless of her fears. Though the sounds of Timberwolves howling off in the distance struck fear into her heart at first, they were her only solaces, reminding her that they were not so close by.

Once she felt that she had ventured deep enough into the woods, she peered through the trees on her right for what appeared to be a grassless soft spot on the ground far off of the path deep into the woods.

I’ll unload here, she thought. I’ll drag the body towards that spot over there and bury it. I’ll need to work quickly to make it back before sunrise so I won’t be seen.

Rarity paused as she heard faint rustling sounds in the nearby bushes on the opposite side of the trail. Frightened, she turned slowly towards the bushes. The sounds were getting closer and closer seemingly coming directly towards her. Now that she had thought about it, she hadn’t heard the sounds of timber wolves howling for quite some time.

Have they caught on to my trail? Or worse, perhaps the smell of blood? Her thoughts began to race and she stood frozen in place, unable to move. They’ll rip me limb from limb. There’s no way a delicate flower such as myself could fend off such animals. Rarity’s heart was throbbing in her chest as she was petrified from the possible outcome of this encounter.

She then heard what sounded like arguing as the figures emerged. Three young fillies leaped from behind the bushes.

“Are you sure you heard something over here?” Applebloom asked.

“Yes I’m sure of it. I heard something coming down this path,” Scootaloo answered.

Rarity’s jaw dropped as she looked on in disbelief. What are they doing in such a dangerous place? she thought.

The three fillies continued their conversation as they hadn’t yet noticed Rarity.

“Girls I reeeealy think that we are in over our heads here,” said Sweetie belle nervously.

“Yea, I think Sweetie belle’s right. We should go back,” Applebloom added. “If Applejack caught wind of this, she’ll never let me go out and play for weeks… or maybe even months”

“Oh hush and stop being such big babies,” Scootaloo chided. “If we’re going to get our cutie marks as creature catchers then – “

“GIRLS!!” Rarity loudly interrupted. As soon as she did, she placed her hooves around her mouth as she had just remembered that she was not to be seen.

Scootaloo gasped. “TIMBERWOLF!!!” She screamed, jumping into the hold Applebloom’s arms.

The three fillies looked onward towards the approaching figure overshadowed by trees. Rarity’s face came into the moonlight, and they we’re all a bit relieved but also a little surprised.

“RARITY!?” Sweetie Belle exclaimed. Oh we’re really in for it now, she thought. “What are you doing here?”

It was too late now. She was seen and now had to look casual.

“I was just about to ask you three the same thing. The Everfree forest is no place for the likes you,” Rarity scolded. “What are you all doing here? And at such a late hour? Do you not know that the Everfree forest is dangerous and filled with pony eating wild monsters?”

“Well you see,” Scootaloo began “We uh, we were um, we can explain!”

Rarity grew impatience as the three fillies stuttered with a series of ‘uhs’ and ‘ums’ followed by incomplete sentences in an effort to come up with an excuse.

“Girls, if you have an excuse I’m listening. I’m sure that it was for something utterly foolish,” Rarity exclaimed.

“We just wanted to be like the creature catchers in the story that Applejack once told us,” Applebloom stated.

“Yea, but then we got a little carried away in trying to get our cutie marks to appear,” Scootaloo added.

“You do know that that’s just an old pony’s tale,” said Rarity.

“Scootaloo was too busy trying to impress Rainbow Dash,” Sweetie belle explained. “She got us to go hunting with her so that we could get creature catcher cutie marks… So it’s all her fault.”

“MY FAULT!?” Scootaloo yelled. “It was Applebloom’s idea. It was her and her crazy stories that got us here in the first place!”

“WHAT!?” Applebloom screamed.

The three fillies engaged into a heated argument about whose fault it was. Rarity’s patience had just about run out.

“GIRLS!!” She shouted, silencing the three. “I don’t care whose fault it is. It’s way past your bedtimes. It’s time for you all to go home at once. You ought to be ashamed of yourselves.”

“We’re sorry!” the three simultaneously apologized.

“That’s fine. Now off you go!” said Rarity.

The three stood there unmoved, silently staring up at Rarity. She began to wonder why they wouldn’t just leave.

“Yes?” said Rarity.

“We’re scared,” the three fillies admitted.

“And sort of lost. Can you take us back to Ponyville?” Sweetie Belle asked.

Rarity rolled her eyes and sighed. “Oh alright. Come along now fillies!”

The four started on their way back to Ponyville. The skies we’re getting cloudy, blocking out most of the moonlight. Sweetie Belle could have sworn that she felt a droplet fall onto her flank. The three crusaders remained silent as they followed. They noticed the wagon Rarity was pulling and how dirty she was. Despite being a little curious, they didn’t bother to ask as they we’re already in deep trouble and didn’t want to pester Rarity with questions. Finally, Sweetie Belle found the courage to speak.

“I’m hungry,” said Sweetie Belle.

There was no response from the other ponies. She then looked toward the wagon Rarity was lugging. It was not hard to notice. Its wheels squeaked loudly, particularity the wobbly one.

“Hey sis, what’s with the wagon?” she asked.

Rarity, startled by her question, wondered how she could have ever forgotten about the task she had first set out for.

Oh why did I agree to walk them home? I should have just made them follow the trail back on their own. But if they were to get mauled, who’s fault would it be? I can't let another friend of mine die, especially not a sister of mine. Not on my conscience.

“What, this? Oh it’s nothing really,” she anxiously responded. “Just a wagon filled with apples.”

I totally lost my chance to bury the body! she thought. There was no point in turning back now. She risks arousing their curious little minds even further if she did.

“Why did you come to the Everfree forest anyways?” Scootaloo asked.

Alarmed, Rarity tried to think of an answer. Oh noes! They’re catching on to me, she thought. This is why I didn’t want to be seen. Come now Rarity. Think!

“W-well I uh, was l-looking for you all because…” Rarity stuttered.

As they walked, the three fillies had their eyes glued on Rarity as they awaited the rest of her answer. The pressure was almost too much for her. Droplets of sweat trickled down her cheeks, collecting on her chin before dripping to the ground below. Sweetie Belle took notice of her flustered behavior.

“Sis? You ok? You don’t look so good,” she said.

Rarity, now perspiring profusely, tried to finish her response inconspicuously. “Oh w-whatever do you mean? I was just so worried about you all because um… you all went missing and uh… A-Applejack got worried and uh… ”

Rarity cringed as Applejack’s name escaped her lips. Images of Applejack’s body flashed throughout her thoughts regarding how she had last seen her dead, and covered in blood. Guilt began to fill her conscience.

Keep it together Rarity, she thought, brushing off her thoughts.

“Did you say Applejack?” Applebloom interrupted. “This is bad. She must have found out that I snuck out. I’m really going to get it when I go home.”

Scootaloo turned to Applebloom in frustration. “I thought you said nopony saw you when you snuck out. Somepony probably saw you and now we all might be in big trouble. Thanks a lot Applebloom.”

Their three faces became sad and gloomy at the thought of being penalized for their misbehavior. Rarity saw this as a chance to take advantage of the situation. She couldn’t let anypony outside of the four of them know that she was last seen in the Everfree Forest.

“Well not exactly,” said Rarity. “Applejack knows nothing about the whereabouts of you and I. But if she did, you would all be in so much trouble.”

She loomed over the three fillies with a grin, as she had an idea that could potentially rectify her mistake of being seen.

“I won’t tell if you won’t tell,” she said with a sinister smile. “But you have to keep this all a secret.”

The three sad faces lit up with relief. “Really? you’ll do that for us?” asked Applebloom.

“That’s right my dear,” she said, bearing a fiendish smile. “I’ll just explain that I invited you three to come over for a little tea party, and of course time got away from me, and I dropped you off home a little late. But you‘d better promise not to tell on me for lying, or else.”

Ecstatic about Rarity’s offer, the three fillies happily accepted.

“Alright. Now pinkie promise me.” Said Rarity.

The three chanted together along with Rarity. “Cross my heart, hope to fly, stick a cupcake in my eye.”

The three fillies giggled after reciting Pinkie Pie’s silly promise.

Rarity commended herself. Perfect! Now all I have to do is pretend I was home the whole time with these three, just in case anypony suspects that somepony is responsible for Applejack’s disappearance.

“That sure is a lot of apples you've got there,” said Scootaloo, peering past Rarity at the wagon filled with apples. Her mouth watered at the sight of them, glistening in the moonlight. She had just realized that she hadn’t had supper and all of this hunting was making her hungry.

“Apples? I want one!” said Sweetie Belle. Her horn glowed a radiant blue as she levitated an apple from the wagon into her mouth exposing a small part of Applejack’s bloody mane.

Rarity gasped as she frantically used her magic to cover it back up with another apple before it was noticed. She then turned towards little Sweetie Belle, as she was already enjoying her apple, and glared angrily.

“How Rude. You never asked me for that apple Sweetie Belle.” Rarity hissed.

“Oh sorry! It’s just that you had so many I didn’t think you would mind,” she said with a smile, clearly insincere with her apology.

“I want one too!” Scootaloo exclaimed. She turned back and reached for an apple in the wagon. Her hoof was greeted by a hard slap from Rarity’s.

“Don’t touch my apples!” Rarity said sternly, almost frightening Scootaloo.

Applebloom took a good look at the wagon. “Hey wait a minute. That looks like one of OUR wagons from Sweet Apple Acres. Did Applejack say you could have that?” She asked.

Rarity froze at the sound of Applejack’s name.

“Oh uh yes!” She awkwardly replied. “She said that she no longer needed this one, so I happily took it from off her shoulders.”

“Why does it look so beat up?” Applebloom asked.

“Why do you ask so many questions?” Rarity retorted.

“How come Sweetie Belle gets to have an apple?” Scootaloo pouted, folding her arms. “It’s not fair!”

“Life isn’t fair,” said Sweetie Belle.

“It’s ponies like you who make life unfair,” said Scootaloo, under her breath. Pft! So much for the element of generosity, she thought.

The four had finally arrived at the town of Ponyville, fortunately without incident.

The three little ponies thanked Rarity and went their separate ways. They didn’t seemed too worried about getting caught anymore.

Perhaps they’re confident in being able to sneak back in the same way they snuck out, Rarity thought.

Applebloom reached her home first. She climbed the stacks of hay to reach her window. When she entered her room, she couldn’t help realize how quiet it was. She peered outside her room door to see if anypony was awake. She could hear Big Macintosh’s loud snores and granny smith talking from down the hallway. She checked on granny smith only to be relieved with the fact that she was just sleep talking.

She went back to her room and climbed into her bed. She thought it was weird that they weren’t all up worried about her disappearance. She drifted off to sleep.

Rarity started on her way home as soon the three fillies left. The light drizzle began to pick up and soon became a downpour with occasional flickers of lightening and distant thunders. It dampened her mane causing it to lose its form. She lugged the wagon toward her boutique. She thought of turning back to try to bury the body but couldn’t find the confidence to go back into the forest. Besides it was only a few more hours until sunrise. She wouldn’t have the time. I’ll just have to take her home until circumstance provides me with another opportunity to rid myself of the body. I hope to Celestia that I’m never found.

The rain had caused blood to drip from the wagon. Though it left a trail behind her, she wasn’t worried. It was raining pretty hard and she was sure that it would wash away the blood.

As she entered her home, she looked around to make sure that she wasn’t seen. Once reassured, she pulled in the wagon, closed and locked the door behind. She pulled the curtains on every window closed. She had finally made it home without anypony suspecting anything. Now she could drop the facade and relax, or so she thought. Ironically, this only resulted in all of her suppressed anxiety to bubble to the surface.

Opal curiously watched Rarity, as she frantically paced about, anxiously scratching her mane.

"Why did this happen? Why me? Woe. Woe is me." She gazed upon the wagon. Things just couldn’t possibly get any more awful, she thought. The wagon was still dripping blood and it was starting to make a mess unto the floor. Just what am I supposed to do now?

Rarity had just remembered that there was a basement accessible from the inspiration room.

Rarity started for the basement as Opal gave an inquisitive meow, as if she was asking, is everything alright? She tried to follow Rarity to the inspiration room.

“Not now Opal!” she scowled. “Go away.”

With that, Opal meowed angrily before running off.

She opened the door leading into the basement. Inside was a very dark staircase with no lights. She used her magic to illuminate the stairs. Shadows bounced around as she traversed through several flights of stairs leading deep underground beneath the boutique. She carefully pulled down the wagon, disallowing it from falling too fast. The wagon noisily slammed against each and every step while the dripping blood, leaving a trail in her wake. She then dragged the wagon down a short hallway and came across a door at its end. She didn’t recall been given a key for this door. Using her magic, she tested the door to see if it was locked by giving the doorknob a light turn but managed to twist it right off.

Oops! How brutish of me, she thought.

She then attempted to use her magic to forcefully pull open the door.

The door spun open, snapped from its hinges, and flung over Rarity’s shoulder, just barely missing her, before crashing at the bottom of the stairs down the hall behind her. She stopped for a moment to ponder how she could ever possess the strength to accomplish such feats, but nevertheless proceeded to enter the dark room.

Upon entering, she was greeted by a pungent, humid smell. The walls were aligned with floral patterned wallpaper with a seemingly reddish background. It was discolored with many blotches of blackened mold and cloudy areas where water damage took its toll. The wallpaper, covered in mold and mildew, of which had spread to the shelves and boxes that laid upon them, was badly torn in various places exposing the brick walls behind it. This contributed to the strong musty smell that disgusted Rarity. There were wooden shelves aligned against all of the walls. The shelves contained pictures with cracked and/or damaged frames, boxes filled with sowing rolls, and old tools displaced about.

She spotted a very large icebox in a corner. It was old but still intact.

Perhaps I could hide the body in there for now. Or at least until I have another opportunity to bury her, she thought.

She set the wagon down and trotted across the cold wet floor towards the icebox. Below her were slabs of cracked concrete floor. The ceiling had leaks that amassed several puddles of rainwater beneath them. Rarity tried to avoid these puddles as she approached the icebox, but realized that it was impossible. She turned the icebox onto its back so that the doors faced upward. She opened it and used to her magic to levitate the wagon over it. She began pouring the contents of the wagon in. The apples fell in first. Applejack’s disfigured body plopped in last followed by a downpour of rainwater mixed with red blood. Some of it splashed onto Rarity’s face, bringing back the familiar sense of infinite bliss. Feeling herself sinking again, she fought the feeling until it subsided before getting too strong. This was clearly an unnatural response to blood and it frightened her.

Rarity went back upstairs to fill several buckets of ice. She came back downstairs and dumped the buckets into the icebox. She repeated the same action but this time with salt. She still had plenty left over from the last winter harvest, of which she used only to clear the walkway.

After dumping all the ice and salt she could spare, she promptly took a bath, cleaned up the blood, careful enough to not let any more of it touch her hooves, and climbed into bed. She found it difficult to fall asleep at first. The events that led up to Applejack’s death replayed repeatedly in her head, chasing away any possible sleep. She remembered the things she said, what she did, Applejack’s Screams, and her bloody mangled body. She thought of how her friends might react.

They will surely hate me for what I’ve done, she thought. It’s simply unforgivable. Perhaps they will all just think she ran away for some silly reason like always, or they’ll blame Discord. They’ll never find out and I won’t have to lose any more friends. With that in mind, she drifted off to sleep.