Hours Loom

The masked pony wiped the knife against its shirt, cleaning the blade as it loomed over the alicorn. Twilight looked up at the masked figure with tears in her eyes as she waited for the blade to be used on her. To her surprise, the crazed killer stuffed the knife back into the overalls and began to meander away towards the exit on the far side of the room.

“H-hey!” she yelled out as dropped Fluttershy’s corpse, confused why she wouldn’t be finished off as well. The door was slammed behind the killer as she yelled out once more, but to no avail. She then looked down at the lifeless eyes of her dead friend that still stared back at her. Placing a hoof over her face, she pressed close the eyelids in an attempt to shut them. Fluttershy’s eyes did not stay closed though, only sparking more of the anger Twilight held within herself.

Rising to her hooves, she bolted for the door to give chase and hunt the monster who was stealing all her friends. She grasped the knob and ripped the door violently open, only to stand in shock and awe of the painted, gruesome sight that lay before her.

Blood was strung along the wall opposite the bathroom, covering it from top to bottom. In the center was the bloodied corpse of Rainbow Dash. Her legs and wings were nailed to the wall, her wings had numbers written in blood. The worst of all was the cut that lined from her chin to pelvis, revealing her open organs that had mostly spilled out onto the floor. The entire sadistic art piece was brightly lit by the dozens of candles that filled the hallway.

After feeling sick from staring at the mutilated carcass of her dear friend, she noticed the numbers. The peculiar puzzle caught her attention, more so than the grisly spectacle. “Why are there numbers? Zero, fifteen, fifteen, eleven, four, what does that even mean?” She could feel her sanity slipping as she failed to understand the message, quickly turning her head to vomit onto the floor. After she finished spewing her guts out, she looked up at and noticed the masked pony standing at the end of the hall.

She wiped her mouth with her foreleg, gritting her teeth at the murderer. “You wanted me to see all of this!? For what, why would you do this!?” she screamed. The masked pony began walking towards her, pulling the knife from their overalls. “You want a fight? So be it!”

With a quick charge of magic, she released a powerful blast at the pony, grinning as it took the full force of the explosion. The forceful gust of magic blew many of the candles out, smoke clouded the hall and obstructed her vision of the hopefully fresh corpse. To her surprise and disgust, the masked pony continued to walk towards her, appearing unscathed as it moved past the cloud of smoke.

That’s impossible, my magic had no effect at all, she thought. That was almost the last of my magic, too. With little options she decided to turn tail and run, knowing the masked pony would be on her shortly if she did not find a weapon of some sort. Would an ordinary weapon even work on him?

Twilight rushed up the steps and waited patiently at the top, hiding behind the railing’s mantle. She watched as the masked pony wandered past Pinkie’s corpse and assumingly down towards the castle foyer. Once he was completely out of sight, she gave a content sigh – though she knew it wouldn’t be long before she was discovered once more.

She noted three doors were open, the bathroom, the guest room, and of course her room – Spike’s room seemed sealed tight. What she hadn’t noticed was the water that had been tracked across the hall, that is, until she slipped across it. With an absence of grace, she maintained her balance and tried to blindly see which ways the water was crossing.

Careful to not skid any more than she already had, she cautiously walked into the guest room. A bright white object laid against the bed, clearly out of the ordinary from the rest of the darker objects that littered the room. Her eyes were still adjusting to the darkness, but as she walked over to the white coloring she realized what it was. Her heart sank as she placed a hoof against the white fur.

“Bi-big br-brot-brother?” she dolefully stuttered as her hoof rubbed the stallion’s fur. His forelegs were on the sheets of the bed, but his back legs were contorted beneath his weight. The gentle push sagged the body down off the bed, hitting the ground like a sack of oranges.

Darkness shrouded the room, obstructing her ability to see the cause of his demise – if he even was truly dead. She slowly stepped around the body and onto a candle that laid on the floor. She felt the wax against the frog of her hoof, and quickly lifted it up. After removing the smooshed wax, she sheltered the wick and tried to cast a spell to light the candle.

Focusing all of her magic, she barely managed to create a soft flame. The magic fueled glow barely brightened her own hoof. This won’t last long, better make it count, she remarked. Lowering the candle down, she slowly looked over the body. It was definitely Shining Armor, and his throat had been slit. Tears began to stream down her face as she stared at the lifeless corpse.

Gently, she stroked his blue mane, unaware that she held the candle too close to her face. As she cried, the trickling tears dripped down and extinguished the barely lit flame. The sudden dimming startled her, but she soon realized what had happened. With a backlash of anger, she threw the candle across the room and screamed in anguish.

As she angrily snarled, a voice called out from beyond the room, surprising the alicorn. “H-Hello? Is somepony there?” The splashing of water beneath her hooves barely echoed against the hall as she trotted out into the corridor. The voice called out again, this time much clearer. “Wh-who’s there?”

Twilight stepped over the collapsed door and into her own room, water coated the floor beneath her as she drew near the bed. She could see a body shaking and stirring amongst the covers, curious as to who it could be. “Is… Is that you, Cadance?” she asked, hoping to be right.

The head turned to the direction of Twilight’s voice and said, “T-Twilight? I-I can’t see. Wh-where am I-I?”

“It’s okay, it’s okay,” Twilight tried to reassure, wrapping the alicorn in a hug. The lack of mane startled her, surprised that something had happened to the usually elaborate mane. “I’m going to get you out of here. Can you move?”

“N-No. I can’t seem to move m-my back legs,” she responded.

Twilight held her sister-in-law close, not wanting to let go. “Okay, I’ll get something to carry you d-” Before she could finish her sentence, the sound of a match striking interrupted her, along with a light shining from the doorway. The sudden ignition blinded the alicorn, but before she turned to look at who lit the match she gaped at the mutilated Cadance. Her horn, hair, and eyes were missing, and blood coated the back of her back legs.

Twitching her head from the horror, she turned to focus on the light. Bright red eyes glowed in the gleam against the flame. “T-Twilight? What was that?” asked the disfigured alicorn.

“Y-You!” Twilight shouted with a low-pitched inflection. “You’ve hurt or killed everypony I love!” She rushed the monster, tackling him with all the strength she could muster.

The masked pony bounced backward, landing on their hooves with poise. A knife was slowly revealed from the pocket of its overalls. Twilight wasted no time, charging and slamming recklessly into the masked pony, forcing the knife to slip out of its grip and nick the ground. Quickly, she jumped onto it and got it within her grasp. The murderer grabbed onto a back hoof and pulled her away.

She slammed into the mask with her other leg and managed to rise up with the knife. With a glance and a turn, she shifted her weight and threw the knife at the masked pony. Her aim was off, slicing across the right shoulder of the masked pony and cutting the shirt they wore – the knife landed somewhere in the darkness. The killer quickly turned to look at the damaged cloth, feeling the exposed fur from underneath – but too dark for the alicorn to see. To Twilight’s surprise, the masked perpetrator blew by her and began running down the stairs.

Her shock caused her to hesitate, finally snapping back and chasing after the pony. With no idea where they went, she decided to double back to the dance room.

The door creaked as she pushed it open and then slammed it shut. It’s still here, she thought as she rushed up to the knapsack. The ground still held both the mask and the knife that she had brought up from the basement. A tapping sound echoed within the hall outside the room, causing her to quickly gather the contents. She shoved a table to the ground and held the knife with her mouth.

Twilight patiently waited behind the positioned protection, knowing she would soon be found by the murderer, regardless of her attempt to hide. The sound of hoofsteps coming close to the door caused her to grit her teeth around the hilt, gnawing in anticipation of what was coming. As the door creaked, her racing heart managed to skip a beat.

Whoever the pony was walked slowly towards the center of the room and then stopped. She could hear them breathing with panted breath, but was too afraid to leave her position. Another step, her bones stiffened. Another step, her jaw clenched. Another step and she finally stood and pointed the knife in the direction of the assailant.

“Whoa, whoa, it’s me, sugar cube!” the pony yelled whilst simultaneously backing away from the sharp blade that was aimed towards her throat.

As she saw the blonde mane, a smile cracked on Twilight’s face, only to immediately fade to a scorned grimace. “Back off! I don’t trust you! How do I know you aren’t here to kill me?” she growled, swinging the knife in a stabbing motion to threaten the earth pony.

“Me? Twilight, I would never-“

“I can’t trust anypony, not even the Element of Honesty. After everything that’s happened tonight, you’ve got to prove to me you aren’t the killer! Prove it!” she angrily shouted.

Applejack frowned and responded, “Listen Twi, there doesn’t need to be any hostility. I know that you’re afraid, I am too, but we’ve got to work together on this.” She then stepped forward a few inches closer.

“Not another step, Applejack!” demanded the alicorn, still holding the knife pointed towards the apple mare.

“Okay, okay. Take it easy. We’ve both had a rough night, but it ain’t gonna end unless work together.”

“Stop skimming around it AJ, prove to me that you aren’t the killer.”

“And how am I supposed to do that?” the earth pony sassed.

The question caused Twilight’s brow to furrow, unsure of how the earth pony was supposed to prove she wasn’t the supreme serial slaughterer that was lose within the castle. A piece of evidence bugged her, the idea of two killers in the mud stuck out in her mind. “Show me your hooves! Show me them and I’ll believe you!” she ordered as the knife shook in her hooves.

“My hooves?” Applejack questioned as she lifted a foreleg to look at her hoof. “What about-“ A rope swung around and grabbed Applejack by the neck before she could even finish her sentence.

“Twilight! Get away from her, she’s the killer!” a voice rang out from the doorway. The white unicorn with purple mane could barely hold the rope with her forelegs. She quickly transferred the rope to her magic and levitated it up to the ceiling, dragging the earth pony with it.

The alicorn watched as her friend was lifted and strung to the ceiling, struggling the entire way up. “R-Rarity? What are you doing?” she yelled her question over the grunting of the strangling pony.

“I saw her kill your brother, she’s the one killing all of our friends! I told you I’d find the pony responsible, and I’m not letting her get away so easily.” The determined look on Rarity’s face spoke truth to her words. Twilight quickly moved around the table, the knife still in her grasp, rushing and hugging the white unicorn. “The nightmare is finally over, Twilight,” she whispered as she tied the rope to a table leg, leaving Applejack to swing and thrash.

Tears streamed down her cheeks and onto the unicorn’s white fur, whimpering as Rarity wrapped her hooves around the alicorn. The writhing earth pony finally halted her movements. “I can’t believe it’s over,” Twilight spoke in a low tone.

“She had me convinced it was your brother for a moment, just a moment, but I saw her slice your brother’s throat open. Now she’ll never harm anypony ever again.”

Twilight thought back to all the murders that had happened, from Spike being killed by Applejack’s present, to the strange way Rainbow Dash and Fluttershy had been murdered. With the strength of earth pony magic she could lift the boulders into the pool and nail Rainbow Dash’s corpse to the wall quite easily. It all makes sense now, even the mask smelled like apples, she concluded.

Rarity motioned for the alicorn to move out into the hall, taking a final look at the strung up Applejack before turning her focus back to Twilight. The worried look of concentration on Twilight’s face struck a chord with Rarity, causing her to ask, “Are you alright?”

“Not really,” she said. Then, after a pause, “I don’t understand why she would go through all of this, why she would kill her own sister. The pieces fall into place, but that doesn’t mean much when there is no motive. What could have possibly drove her to do all of this?” She stared down at her own reflection in the knife, blood still dried near the top of the hilt.

“I don’t know, honestly. Maybe she thought she could get away with it by killing Apple Bloom, since everypony knows the Apple Family always sticks together. Nopony would suspect her to be the killer of her own sister.”

“That makes sense, actually.”

“She had it planned from the start,” she sneered, “to kill all of us. If her and her sister were the only two left, everyone would accuse her.”

Twilight stared up at Applejack, noticing the swinging had finally concluded. “Why though? Why murder all her friends? Why suffocate her sister and Sweetie Belle? What was her overall goal?”

Rarity stepped between her and the hung pony, giving a stern look at the alicorn. “Twilight, we need to focus. It’s clear she also had outside help, she can’t perform magic and there is still a barrier around the castle. We need to head back to the foyer and wait for the sun to rise, maybe by now somepony is awake and can see us in the windows.”

She quickly nodded and then said, “We should stop and get Cadance first – she’s still alive. What Applejack did to her, it makes me just as sick. And Rainbow Dash…” her voice quivered. “It’s grotesque, I hate to even think of how she felt.”

Rarity placed a hoof on the alicorn’s shoulder. “Shush now, it’s over. Let’s let the authorities deal with the bodies, I already feel sick enough about my sister and Apple Bloom. Even worse for Scootaloo, the poor burnt filly, it just makes my insides tingle by thinking about it!” she shuddered as she spoke. “Oh, why are you still carrying that around?” she asked as she pointed to the knife.

Lifting up the knife, she stared down at it. How did Rarity know about Scootaloo, she questioned herself. I only sent Dash and Fluttershy down into the basement. She looked up at the unicorn who simply smiled in return.

“Dear, let’s go to the foyer. Don’t let your adrenaline wear off now – there’s no way I’ll be able to carry you and myself.”

Right then, a whiff of apples filled Twilight’s nostrils. The surprising smell jogged her memory of the last time she smelled something of the same fruit. The aroma worried her, but she knew she couldn’t think those things – Applejack was the killer, it made sense. Still, her sleuthing got the better of her as she asked, “R-Right. Could you light the way? My magic is drained.”

Complying, Rarity lit her horn with grace, brightening both them and the hall with a blue tinted light. “There we go,” she said as she finished. As her eyes adjusted, she stared at the colorless face of her alicorn friend, the sullen expression caused her to ask, “Darling? Are you alright?”

It was there, the light illuminated it well. It was ever so slight, barely shown except for the small tinge of red that stained the area. It wasn’t more than the size of a needle, but it was there. A cut on her right shoulder just the size of a knife’s blade. After a moment, she looked up at the unicorn whose brow had furrowed and muzzle scrunched – clearly annoyed or disgruntled.

“Oh darling,” she spoke up, “You were always the smart one, and a little too clever for your own good.”

The words struck fear into Twilight’s heart, proving she connected the dots. It was her, it was Rarity. Without hesitation, she slammed into the unicorn with what little force she had, barely stumbling the unicorn into the dance hall. With a simple gap between the two, she pointed the knife that shook from panic in her hoof.

As Rarity took a step forward, Twilight threw the knife as hard as she could, but the unicorn easily dodged under and out of the way – the knife sailed past her into the darkness. With a maniacal laugh, Rarity stated, “You tried that once before and that failed miserably, guess you’re not a smart as I thought.”

Twilight had already turned tail and ran, rushing down the steps to the foyer. She didn’t get far, as Rarity tackled her on the stairs, slamming them both down the steps. Rarity was the first to stand up, the light of the morning sun flooding in through the foyer windows. The rays of light lit up the dangerous grin on the unicorn’s face as she stared down at the injured alicorn. She clasped Twilight’s mane in her hoof’s grip, lifting it up and then slamming it into the ground.

“You couldn’t stop, could you?” she asked as she slammed Twilight’s face against the crystal floor again. “You just had to have all the pieces fit together nicely, didn’t you?” She slammed her face again, gritting her teeth with the angry tone of her voice. “You couldn’t stop THINKING!” The final slam, blood spewed from Twilight’s nostrils, her muzzle bruised and battered.

Rarity finally let the mane go after the last slam. “Well, no matter, I’ll just kill you like the rest. Though this will be therapeutic. I can’t believe you managed to save Fluttershy, after all I went through.” As she complained, she lifted the alicorn with her magic and slammed her into the castle door. A bone crunching thud resonated amongst the walls, her body slumped against the door, sunk over and pouring blood from her face.

“R-Rari-Rarity…” her voice quivered. “Wh-Why?”

The question enticed Rarity. “NO!” she screamed as she stomped on Twilight’s wounded wing, pushing on the two tendons that had been severed from the previous stabbing. “You don’t get to speak!” she added as the alicorn cried out in pain and agony. “Quit your screaming. You should have been grateful, you should have stopped!”

Rarity paced back and forth in front of the silent alicorn, a few whimpers coming uncontrollably from her bloody mouth. “I was going to you live, Twilight. I am the Element of Generosity, and now I have to take that generosity back! Look at how foolish you’ve made me!” She then backhoofed Twilight across the face, blood speckled across the floor. “Well, now I have to be more generous with the blood I’m going to spill.”

Slowly, Twilight lifted her head to stare at the eyes of her soon to be killer, noting how well she seemed to look the part. Anger, paranoia, and the adrenaline had been taking a toll on the unicorn, possibly part of the way she wanted to appear – a victim. “W-Why, Rarity?”

“Why? WHY!?” shouted Rarity. “You five have made my life a living nightmare, it’s been absolutely miserable, I prayed every night to be taken in my sleep! When I got my cutie mark, I believed I was going to be a great fashionista, a wonderful designer for ponies all over. Instead, I’m some fighter of evil, friendship-fixer. How many times do I have to forgo completing a line of dresses to go on some stupid adventure with you and the other four idiots before I get my big break?”

Twilight shut an eye as blood clouded its vision, she could feel her time was going to come to an end soon, and she needed a better reason than that. “I-Is that all? Wor-world recognition wasn’t enough for you, huh?” she said as she coughed up blood.

Turning her head so quick Twilight hoped it would snap off, Rarity scoffed with her reply, “You want to know why I killed all of our friends? You really do?” She bent down to be face to face with the alicorn. “It’s because I knew I could.”

Her mouth fell open in amazement, the simple answer from the unicorn shot a wave of anger through her, but knew she was unable to unleash it. Rarity examined the horrid expression on her face and grinned in amusement.

“That’s right, Twilight. You see, there have been many instances where I’ve stopped myself and thought, wow, I don’t really like my friends. That is, until recently, when I learned what true hatred was and understood that I could harness the hate I felt inside.”

“Bu-but, we were friends!”

“It’s true, I’ve known great happiness from you all, I’ve known it better than anypony else in this world – but that’s because I’ve met with the polar opposite, something you or any of our friends could never comprehend outside of Discord’s magic.”

Rarity placed a hoof on Twilight’s chin, locking eyes with the beaten alicorn before continuing, “I’ve got many reasons to hate all of you, actually. Take Rainbow Dash for example – never has a pony’s gloats come back to haunt them so greatly.” She let go of Twilight and turned to look up the stairs. “Do you have any idea how embarrassing her saving me was after my wings burnt in Cloudsdale? I could take that, take the embarrassment, but the gloating? No. Days and days, on and on, she would brag about the competition and how she saved my life. Funny, perhaps now she wishes she hadn’t.”

Twilight tried to speak, but was cut off by another example. “How about the time I had to listen to Pinkie Pie talk about her cherry things while we worked our way back from Dodge Junction? Cherry this, cherry that!” she let out a snarl of anger, the rage building inside her. “Of course, I’m the one laughing now. Those cherries tripping her sassy, pink mouth down the stairs – it was priceless, one of the few moments she made me truly laugh.”

A crazed giggle from the unicorn sent shivers down Twilight’s spine. She rested her head against the wall and asked, “Okay, I-I get it. But wh-why kill my brother? Why mutilate Cadance? Why… Why kill Spike?” Rarity looked over her shoulder at the alicorn as she finished her questions, the piercing stare would have been deadly if looks could kill.

“I had to start with Spike, poor little Spike. He’s the only one that I wish I didn’t have to kill – well, besides you.” Her blue eyes stared down at the alicorn, a tinge of green enveloping inside her pupils. “He knew too much, knew how I gained the power to kill. Not to mention he could have sent a letter to Princess Celestia and ended my fun too early,” she said, grinning hysterically at Twilight. After a pause, she said, “He found something that unleashed my magic and taught me how to hate. A little book he found brought the best out of me.”

“A book?” Twilight blurted, surprised by the idea of a dark book.

“He thought he could free me, but I was far too gone. A façade was needed to make him believe I was fixed, but I didn’t need fixing, I was already better than I’d ever been. Killing Spikey-Wikey was tough, but him knowing the power I held, it had to be done. Of course, I had to frame somepony else, and there was no pony I hated more than Applejack.”

“But why kill us all in the same place?”

“Well I didn’t want to chase you all around the town, and framing her was easy here. Choking Spike with her gift, the cherries were a nice touch since she worked with Cherry Jubilee, and I even wrote the word ‘apple’ on Rainbow Dash. More than enough evidence for guards to work with – but now I have to add you to the mix. I’ll say you and Applejack were working together until she turned on you, killing you and disabling the barrier you magically placed around the castle. Perfect plan.”

“Y-You’re a monster!” Twilight shouted.

Rarity took a moment to catch her breath, ignoring the pathetic insult, instead, she continued on with how she murdered. “I didn’t just plant clues for the guards though, some were for my own satisfaction. Apple Bloom and Sweetie Belle? Suffocated by mud. Let’s see that little squirt drag me to another disgusting Sisterhooves Social. Horrible, horrible mud. I did prefer killing Scootaloo though, burning her with the equally horrible things they wrote about me in the paper.”

“Th-that’s it? Just for the things in the paper? We all had stuff written about u-us.”

“You’re right, I didn’t have a good enough reason, but I had to kill her nonetheless. I did have a good reason for your brother and sister-in-law though,” she said with a depraved grin. She looked down at the angered alicorn who attempted to lunge forward, only to be stomped in the stomach and slammed against the door once more.

As Twilight slid back down, Rarity continued as if nothing had happened. “I had picked out the spot for Canterlot Carousel years ago, it was the perfect spot. My excuse for not buying it sooner was that I was still looking for the best location, but you know me Twilight, as if I didn’t already have the best spot. No my dear, I was forced to wait because ponies still remembered me from the last atrocity in Canterlot.”

The anger in her face dulled as her eyes shifted and her nose pointed up. “Isn’t that the mare who made the dress for the evil queen Chrysalis? Isn’t that the unicorn who failed to save us from the changelings? Who would want to buy a dress from the bug queen’s dress maker?” she said with a harsh, snooty inflection. “Did you hear those things? No, of course not, because your life doesn’t depend on you craft!” She paused, her anger subsiding, and then continued, “Of course, I was going to let you live. All because their complaints eventually changed to, isn’t that Princess Twilight Sparkle’s friend?”

“Doe-doesn’t that mean you should keep your friend, Princess Twilight Sparkle, around?” Twilight tried to debate as she sat, listening to the horrid reasoning behind the murders.

“I was going to spare you, Twilight. If I had, and we escaped, I’d be hailed a hero. The unicorn who saved Princess Twilight Sparkle! I’d even have let Cadance live, two princesses saved. Maybe they’d treat me just as highly as they treat you. Of course, that was all a pipe dream. I’ll kill Cadance once I’m done here, and I better hurry up. I’m certain your annoying brother managed to call the guard in the middle of the night. My fault really.”

As Rarity pointed her horn down at Twilight, preparing to fire a magical blast, Twilight raised her forelegs out and said, “Rarity, d-don’t! You could still be hailed a hero! Just use your powers to erase my memory instead of killing me! I know your grand power could do it!” She had hoped feeding into Rarity’s ego would help keep her alive.

The horn sparked up, green magic illuminated and formed into a ball of sparks. Underneath the forming magic was a cheek to cheek grin on the unicorn. “I probably could, but maybe they’ll make me a princess instead, being the last of the Elements after all. Not to mention they may reward me for killing Applejack, since she did kill so many of our friends – including you. I’ll be sure to burn your corpse after this, can’t have them detecting magic after all.”

At this point, Twilight had accepted her death, but something caused a big smirk to cross her face as she closed her eye. “After all the detail you put into this, it’s no wonder you were so good at designing dresses. You’ve got a real eye for it, Rarity. It’s a shame when you miss the little things.”

Rarity ceased the magic forming in her horn, the strange words and compliments struck a chord within the unicorn. “What are you talking about?” she sternly asked.

“You missed the only detail that mattered.”

“Me? I missed something? What was it!?” she yelled as she slammed her hoof next to Twilight’s head in an attempt to scare her.

“When I threw the knife, I wasn’t aiming at you.”

The statement confused and worried Rarity, not quite understanding what it meant. She thought back to the slice against her shoulder, trying to put together the puzzle of how it could connect her. It was then she realized the second knife throw, it was too high to be aimed at her. Her face contorted into a look of horror and agony which could only be described as priceless.

Applejack wrapped behind her with a chokehold, locking the unicorn in her mighty grip. She held tight as Rarity bucked and squirmed in an attempt to release the hold. Blasting her magic in all the directions, she managed to land one bolt into the front door, opening and causing Twilight to fall backwards to the outside. Another blast managed to redirect at her, sending the earth pony flying to the ground.

Rarity rushed to Applejack in an instant, grabbing the apple mare’s neck and squeezing as hard as she could. As Applejack tried to release the force, Rarity’s horn lit up with a bright green glow, another spell at a closer range. She quickly grew the advantage, but Applejack threw her back legs into Rarity’s stomach and sent her up and over, slamming her head down hard on the steps of the staircase.

As she began to move, Applejack was upon her just like she had been for her. Applejack grabbed her by the mane and raised her up, then punched her repeatedly square in the face and once in the throat. Blood poured out with every punch, her face becoming more and more disfigured. Her long explanation had backfired, releasing the adrenaline that kept her moving, killing, and plotting. Through all this, she still wasn’t willing to give up.

A quick jab to the throat ceased Applejack’s relentless punches, which was then followed up with Rarity grabbing onto one of the earth pony’s ears and ripping it in half using only her teeth. Applejack cried out as she held her torn ear, blood pouring out in endless streams. With the other half still in her teeth, she spat it out into Applejack’s eyes and head-butted her torso with her horn.

With the jab of the horn, Applejack fell to the center of the foyer’s floor. Blood covered Rarity’s mouth, it was the first thing Applejack saw as the unicorn sat atop her resting body. The second was both hooves slamming down onto her face. “You worthless,” Rarity yelled as she sent another blow into Applejack’s face. “Stubborn.” Another. “Inbred.” And another. “Vermin!” she finished the strand of insults with another head-butt.

Before she could examine the pain she had caused, she was stopped by a voice calling out to her. “Hey Rarity! Open wide!” She immediately looked up and saw Twilight was outside the castle with a charged up ball of magic – she had completely forgotten the blast against the door, disabling the barrier spell she had placed around the castle. As the magic ball left her horn, Twilight collapsed to the ground from fatigue.

“Uh oh,” Rarity said as the blast hurled toward her, unable to dodge fast enough by the strange position she held while atop Applejack.

Her magic was powerful, powerful enough not to take much damage from Twilight’s attack – but since the alicorn was no longer trapped within the barrier, this spell was far greater than the previous. The magic stunned the unicorn long enough for Applejack to have a real chance to counter. A quick left hook knocked Rarity off of her, and then she rolled over to be on top of the unicorn.

The volley of punches made sure there was no way to repeat the brutal fight Rarity was putting up, she was going to finish the unicorn once and for all. The white furred face had already swollen and been stained with blood, now even more so. Applejack panted, finally ceasing the beating. Rarity had stopped moving and squirming, simply lying there dead or too concussed to operate.

She slowly rose up and began moving towards the alicorn that lay sprawled outside, having expended all her energy. Twilight was breathing heavy as she saw Applejack slowly emerge toward her. The alicorn began to speak something about the heroic way she looked, only for her expression to sour and cause her to yell, “Behind you!”

Applejack didn’t have to think twice, simply rearing back and bucking with her back legs, sending both hooves directly into Rarity. Years and years of bucking on the family farm had built up a strength that no magic could ever reach. The force sent Rarity flying into the staircase with a bone shattering crunch. She quickly turned to see if the unicorn would once again move, if she was even still alive.

“Y-You alright?” Twilight asked, unable to see the final resting place of the unicorn.

With no movements, Applejack turned her head back to the alicorn and said, “Yeah, I think I am – now.”

Twilight struggled to move, blood covered her face and blinding an eye, Applejack quickly rushed to her side to lift her up. As she rose to her hooves, Applejack gave a chuckle. “What’s so funny?”

Pointing her hoof up to the sky, she then said, “Cavalry’s here, better late than never.”

~*~*~*~*~*~

The two mares had been strapped into an emergency chariot, soon to be destined for the Ponyville hospital. Their bodies were tied to the moveable beds with a white cloth draped over them. The field medics were busy getting set up to give them doses of knockout gas in preparation for their emergency surgeries they’d be having once they arrived at the hospital. Princess Celestia and Luna stood, speaking to the two before they’d be hauled away.

“I’m so sorry all of this has happened, we weren’t able to get here sooner because of the storm,” Celestia emotionally explained, a rare sight for the young student.

“We wouldn’t even have known you were in trouble had your brother not sent the captain’s emergency flare,” Luna added.

“D-Do you know if Rarity is still alive? What about Cadance?” Just as Twilight asked the questions, two royal guards rushed up the cart.

The first looked horrified but spoke as orderly as he could, “Ma’am, we cannot find the white furred body of the one called Rarity.”

The second added, “We are also bringing Cadance down now, she is in critical condition.”

Luna gave a somber nod and then sternly replied, “We must not let Rarity escape justice. Bar the doors around the castle, I shall search for the witch myself.” She gave another nod to the elder sister and then pardoned herself and left for the castle entrance, passing a stretcher on the way out.

“And I thought I was the stubborn one…” Applejack muttered. “How could she be alive, and movin', after all that?”

The stretcher then pulled up next to the second emergency chariot that stood by, a light pink body sat atop. Celestia noticed and quickly rushed over, almost vomiting at the sight. A face mask had already been tied to Cadance’s muzzle by the medics, leaving her in an unconscious state.

“Is she okay?” Twilight yelled, unable to see from her strapped seat.

Celestia turned her head from Twilight’s view, wiping the tears from her eyes and then turning back to the alicorn. “She’s alive, and that’s thanks to you two.” Twilight feigned a smile before sitting her head back down. Celestia walked back to be by her side just as the field medics began setting up anesthetic tanks in the cart. “They’re going to be taking you soon, I’ll see you once you’re awake.”

Twilight nodded, giving a bloody smile as the eldest alicorn walked away and towards the castle. She looked over the earth pony that lay next to her, a mask being placed over the orange muzzle. Applejack noticed in her peripherals and said, “I guess you’re next. I’ll see you on the other side, Twi.” Her eyes closed shut as the sleeping gas poured into her, knocking her out in a matter of seconds.

The smile faded from her lips as she waited, the mask had been placed over her muzzle. The wait only increased as the field medic called out, “I need another canister – this one is empty! Who put empties on our cart!?” Twilight watched as the medic hopped off and began walking away.

It was then she noticed the heavily armored unicorn guard trotting from the front of the chariot. “Had a long night, huh?” the familiar, feminine voice called out. Twilight immediately recognized the voice and squirmed against her straps. “Ah, ah, I’ve got you,” the unicorn said as she stood bipedal against the side of the cart, staring down at the alicorn. The canister suddenly turned on, filling Twilight’s mask with a burst of anesthetic.

“R-Ra-“ was all she could muster to say.

“You lucked out, Twi. I didn’t get a chance to say goodbye.” The unicorn’s face was covered by a full-plated helmet, barely showing the blue eyes of the mare inside. “I feel bad about killing Spike, I hope you know that. But don’t worry, you’ll be seeing me again one day, and when that time comes you’ll be reunited with him once more.”

“H-H-“ Twilight couldn’t move her lips, her body slowly ceasing her struggling.

The imitation guard stepped down and began walking into the gathering of guards, medics, and other ponies that had filled the muddy yard. The amount of time you spend with others, growing relationships, caring for one another, becoming friends – it’s all just supposed to happen. But it needs a little magic, doesn’t it? Doesn’t it? she thought as she disappeared into the crowd.