Following Routine

by BlacklightBuggo

Rating: mature
Tags: Rarity, Other, Horror, My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic, Dark
Length: 1248

Amethyst Star follows her daily routine.

Amethyst Star likes everything in a very specific way, all day, every day of the week, every day of the year. Who said that was a decision she consciously made?

Second place winner of Vi's Horror Writing contest!

Published 2018-04-09 02:40:07 UTC
Last updated 2018-04-09 02:40:07 UTC

The Story

After a long day of working on the custom jewelry that Amethyst Star sold to make her bits here and there, she was happy to let her hair down and begin brushing her teeth. After this, she would shower, then go straight to bed. This had been her daily routine- for as long as she could remember, at least. She stared at her reflection in the mirror as she began to brush her mane out, studying the strands of hair as they stretched between the brush and her head.

Next, she picked up her Colgate! brand toothpaste, smeared it across toothbrush, and began to brush her shiny white teeth. Amethyst continued to brush her teeth as she studied her wide open eyes, finally rinsing her brush and trotting over to the shower. She let her thoughts wander as she turned the knob, letting the water fall from the faucet and rush over her mane. She gave a small shiver, but then as the water began to warm up, began to relax.

She let the water run over her body, sighing as she felt the stress essentially leave her body. She reached for the shampoo on the nearest shelf, beginning to spread it around her mane and tail.

Outside the shower, hoofsteps. Tip-toeing out of the bathroom door.

Amethyst Star continued to enjoy her shower, oblivious to any action being taken around her. She was hypnotized by the warmth and flow of the water cascading across her body. This was also a part of her daily routine- the one she had practiced for as long as she could remember. When she was done contemplating her day, she stepped out of the shower, wrapping the nearest towel around her waist, taking another one and wrapping it around her mane.

She trotted into her bedroom, and began to root through some clothes to wear to bed. She owned a collection of pajamas, but none seemed right for tonight… she shrugged and decided to sleep with nothing on. Amethyst settled into bed, and wrapped the blanket around herself tightly. She couldn’t get over the feeling of being watched… something that felt all too familiar… it wasn’t cold in her room, but a shiver ran down her spine.

Before she could open her mouth to scream, she was torn from her bed, and the blood was let from her throat. Her blood poured across the floor similarly to the way her shower head rained water across her body just moments ago. As Amethyst flopped to the floor of her bedroom, gasping for air, she didn't even get a chance to see her attacker before her body went numb, her struggles dying. Her bowels released themselves, and her throat gave a deeply troubling death rattle.

The shadowy figure dragged the body to the back, lifting it with their unicorn magic, and stuffing it under the house through an open board they quickly sealed up. They headed back into the house and began cleaning up the mess their actions had left behind with a mixture of bleach and dish cleaning liquid.

The disgusting smell of dead pony wafted up from below the floor. The shadowy figure thought for a moment, before pouring more bleach across the floor and continuing to wipe and clean. Next, the mysterious pony trotted into the living room and retrieved a couple of articles of clothing, folding them and placing them on the bedside table.

The next morning, Amethyst Star rose from her bed. Time to initiate her daily routine! She slid out of bed, and into her morning slippers. The white fluffy shoes protected her from the cold hardwood floor of her bedroom. It smelled oddly of bleach, but that was normal for her. Unbeknownst to her, it was only masking the smell of rot that wafted up through her floor boards. Just following routine.

The first thing on her daily agenda was making a pot of hot coffee. She trotted into the kitchen, and fired up the Instant-Coffee™ machine. Once completed, she poured the heavenly smelling liquid into her favorite mug, and dropped in two scoops of sugar. After finishing up her morning cup, she moved on to the next thing on her agenda.

Amethyst headed out into town, wearing a pair of grey sweatpants and a white t-shirt that read, “Ask me about my hobbies!” with a picture of one of her necklaces. She unlocked the door to her shop, yawning and stretching as she flipped the closed sign to the open side. The purple mare trotted over to the sales desk, looking out across the store front.

It was a relatively tiny store, located between a magic shop and a garden market. Her store featured a table and chair, her display case and desk, and an office plant. It wasn’t very glamorous, but it made her the bits she needed to survive. Her first customer of the day trotted in! A familiar white mare with a purple mane. Rarity was a frequent shopper, and always came at the start of the day. Have to keep things on routine, after all.

“Oh DAAAAArling, your new designs are simply fabulous!” Rarity spoke excitedly, peering into the display case and studying the newest bracelet that Amethyst had made. Amethyst smiled in response.

“Oh, thank you Rarity! I enjoyed making it myself as much as you seem to be enjoying looking at it.” Amethyst replied. “It doesn’t have a price tag on it, but I think I’d value it at 20 bits.”

Rarity gasped. “What a steal! I’ll take it. It may be my element, but you seem TOO generous.. Perhaps you’d like to lend me some of your spirit?~” Rarity teased, reaching into her side purse and grabbing out two 10 bit coins. She plopped them on the counter and smiled.

“Anything for my favorite customer.” Amethyst smiled back and reached under the counter, grabbing the bracelet and exchanging it for the two 10 bit coins, plopping them into the jar she kept sales money in. Rarity giggled to herself.

“I must say darling, you really are too kind. Have a wonderful day, Amethyst!” Rarity shouted over her shoulder, trotting out the door and letting it slowly drift closed behind her. Amethyst grinned from the first sale of the day.

For the rest of the day, ponies floated in and out of the store, peering into the display cases or chatting with each other at the table about the news or today’s weather. Out of around 14 potential customers, only 3 actually purchased anything. Foot traffic is always nice to have, though! As the end of the day came, Amethyst flipped over the open sign to the closed option. She trotted out, and began the walk home, as per her routine.

As Amethyst trotted into her home, she decided it was definitely time for a shower. She tossed off her pants and t-shirt on to the living room floor, and entered the bathroom, as she did every day. First, she brushed her mane. Then, she brushed her teeth. Then, she entered the shower. As she did every night, she didn’t notice the hoofsteps tiptoeing out of the mirror and into her bedroom.

The actions that followed, happened every night, every day, for as long as any iteration of herself could remember. Some may call this being stuck in a rut, or a loop, but for Amethyst… This was her routine. For as long as she could remember.