Discord's Dollby Nonya BeezewaxChaptersAwakeningDeathFeastingDreamingPanicEpilogueAwakeningWhite, powdery snow coated the dirt road they all traveled on. The wind howled loudly. Trees covered in icicles and more snow dotted the landscape around them. Dead leaves jutted out of the ground's soft white surface, crunching as they walked in silence. Everypony was on edge. Even the most collected of them, Twilight and Rarity, were just hiding their fear below the surface. An invitation to a dinner party and sleepover at Discord's residence wasn't something to take lightly. Especially not with the incident that occurred mere months ago. As they walked, an old, seemingly abandoned cottage came into view. There were shards of glass on the ground, and the fence in front of the cottage had snapped. Wood rubble dotted the pathway, and the bridge had a giant hole through it. A mailbox just outside the door was stuffed with letters and packages. "We're here," Rainbow choked out. The group continued down the path. As they made it to the bridge, Twilight put up a magical forcefield over the hole to allow them to cross. Now that they were closer, they saw the disrepair in further detail. Where there were once birdhouses, now were missing entirely, and holes creatures used to burrow into were left abandoned. They made it to the door, which was slightly off its hinges, and paused. Rarity turned to the others in the group and cleared her throat. "Since Twilight won't say it, I will," she declared. "What we are about to see may seem strange. I know from speaking to him that he is having a bit of trouble coping with the loss. I implore you all to remain calm during this. Especially you, Rainbow Dash." All looked to Rainbow, who lifted a hoof in defense. "Hey," she guarded, "I know me and him don't get along too well, but I'm not the one who insulted him at his wife's funeral!" Applejack rolled her eyes and sighed. "You ever gonna let me live that one down?" Applejack looked Dash directly in the eye and explained, "She's gettin' at your tendency ta make fun of him. I know you don't mean nothin' by it, but it's not somethin' you should be doin' at a time like this." Rainbow huffed, and they all went into the cottage. The furniture inside looked just the same as they last saw it, only coated in dust and cobwebs. Not even spider webs. No creature seemed to have a desire to enter. The floor's green paint had bits chipped off it, and they all noticed a white arrow pointing to the kitchen door. They followed its direction and entered to see a similar scenario. All the furniture was where it should be, and the calendar attached to her fridge was on the same month that they last saw it. However, there was evidence of the kitchen being used. Pots and pans sat on top of the stove, and knives laid on a cutting board. "So he's just been eating and sleeping," Rainbow asked. "That is precisely the behavior I warned you to avoid," Rarity reminded, quickly turning to Rainbow Dash to point an accusing hoof at her. The group noticed another arrow, pointing to a door at the far side of the room. The door had Discord's name etched into its bark. The handle shined brightly, and the paint had been recently redone. Twilight opened the door for the others. They hustled in and saw a set of stairs leading to the basement. The stairs, which were adjacent to them, were shrouded in darkness at the bottom. Each braved the stairs, this time led by Rarity, and backed by Twilight. They both lit their horns to brighten up the room. When they entered, they saw a little light switch at the bottom and flipped it on. As light filled the room, they saw it was almost entirely empty, apart from two doors, a washer and dryer, and a mop leaning in the far right corner of the room. The door to the right had a lock on it and a sign saying, "Stay Out." The door to the left was already open and had a red carpet leading into it. From what they could already see, it led to a vast room far too big for a simple cottage. The walls nor the floor inside could be seen, only another set of stairs leading further down and the ceiling. They walked up to the door and stood still. What they saw was unbelievable. There was grass at the bottom of the stairs and a cobblestone path leading to a giant mansion. It had thousands of windows and was at least five stories high, touching the ceiling with its roof. The inside rooms were all lit up, and almost all the curtains were open. They looked at each other and began descending the stairs. It took ages to reach the bottom, but once they did, they saw the mansion's actual size. Though it looked big when they saw it first, they had no idea just how gargantuan it was. They quickly noted that the grass was indeed real and mowed recently. The cobblestone path didn't seem to have any cracks in it either. It was very well kept up, which surprised the five. Walking down the path, they observed the room surrounding them. The only wall visible was the one to their backs, which was painted black like the ceiling was. All other walls were utterly shrouded in darkness. Finally, they made it to the front porch. They all stood at the front door, bracing themselves for what would come once they knocked. Rarity walked up to the door and gave it a few light knocks. A few seconds went by, and the door opened to the interior. A pony wearing a well-pressed suit greet them. "Ah," the stallion remarked, "You must be the Master's esteemed guests. Please, do come in." The stallion was a middle-aged, dark purple earth pony with a duster for a cutie mark. He had a dark grey mane and dark brown eyes, which had bags underneath them. Each entered in single file and lined up in front of the stallion cleared his throat. "I am the estate's head butler, Prim Bright. I shall be attending to your needs, should you request anything. Master Discord is a bit busy at the moment, but he shall be joining you during this evening's dinner. Would you care for me to show you to your rooms?" "If you wouldn't mind," Twilight said with a smile. The butler nodded and turned towards a set of stairs parallel to the front door. They began ascending the stairs and reached the second floor. Lime green walls had sectioned the hall they entered with light green stripes and a wooden fringe that extended over half the wall. Both had open doorways, each leading to a different hall. The butler turned to the doorway to the right of them and continued. Following him closely, they worked their way through the hall until they reached an end barring four doors. The butler turned to the group and stated, "Rarity, you will be in this room here," pointing to the first door to the left. "Twilight, you will be in the room to the right of Rarity's. Pinkamena, you're in the room at the end of the hall. Applejack and Rainbow Dash, the Master has given you both the room to my right," he informed. "Now I must be off, for the Master has asked me to set up the dining arrangements. Have you all had lunch yet?" They all nodded, and Applejack informed, "We just came from the Daffodil Diner." "Good," the butler said, turning around. "If there is anything you need, feel free to ask. I shall send one of my underlings to check on you in an hour. Enjoy." With that, the butler walked off, and everypony went into their respective rooms. As soon as Rainbow got into the room with Applejack, they both began exploring the room. Right next to the door was another door that led into a private bathroom. The bathroom was a modest size but had all the necessities. It honestly reminded Rainbow of a hotel in Baltimare she once stayed in. Moving out of the bathroom, Rainbow Dash observed Applejack lying on a regal bed. It reminded her of Rarity's bed: an arrogant, overdone decoration piece disguised as a bed. At least, that's how she saw it. Next to the bed was an antique bedside table painted white with an envelope on top of it. Rainbow Dash walked up to the letter and picked it up, lying down next to Applejack. On the backside of the envelope was Applejack's name, written in some frou-frou style. Rainbow Dash proceeded to pass it to Applejack, who opened the letter. The letter read: Dear Applejack, I forgive you for your insult. I wasn't a particularly good friend at the time, and you had nothing to do with her death. Just know if you ever need to talk, I'll always be here to help. Your friend, Discord. "Huh," Applejack commented, placing down the piece of paper beside her. Rainbow Dash replied, "That was oddly… mature for him." The two sat in silence for a moment, trying to let the note sink in. Breaking the ice, Dash decided to abruptly peck Applejack on the cheek. Rainbow let her eyelids droop a bit as she smiled up at her girlfriend. Applejack returned the smile and held a similar expression. She lifted a hoof to her hat and flung it onto a white chair. She propped herself up and maneuvered herself above Rainbow. Lowering her head, Applejack leaned over to Dash's lips as they parted just slightly. They sealed the deal, locking their lips onto each other. Dash lifted her forelegs and wrapped them around Applejack, her girlfriend following suit. The couple parted lips for a moment, passionately starring at each other. Unfortunately, a loud knocking came from their room door, interrupting them. Applejack pulled herself off Rainbow and whispered, "I'll be back in a bit," winking as she got up. Applejack strolled over to the door and opened it, seeing Twilight at the door. "S-Sorry to interrupt," Twilight apologized, "but I was hoping I could ask you about something." Twilight fidgeted her forehooves on the hardwood floor outside the room. Applejack nodded and stepped out into the hall, closing their room door behind her. "Need a lil' help with somethin'?" Twilight nodded and turned towards her room door, opening it. "I'd… like to talk about it in private. I-If you don't mind," she stammered. "Sure," Applejack replied, as the two stepped into Twilight's room. The room Twilight was given was much smaller. Also, unlike her room, the walls had alternating hues of pink instead of white, keeping the color only for the accents instead of everything. They walked over to the central part of the room, where a twin-sized bed covered in even pinker sheets sat in a corner. Twilight sat down on the bed and tapped to the left of her. Applejack sat down where she offered and asked, "So what's on your mind, Twi?" Twilight looked down and away from Applejack, rubbing her left foreleg with her right forehoof. "Well," she started, "I've been thinking about what happened. I… I've tried to move on, but…" Twilight felt her eyes beginning to water up, remembering the last time she saw Fluttershy. Applejack wrapped her right foreleg around Twilight and leaned in a bit. "Everypony's goin' through the loss," she assured. "I know Rainbow, and I don't show it much, but–" Twilight cut her off, crying, "No! I know that! I want to know why! Why did she go out so late? Why… Why did she have to die?" Twilight began stammering as fresh tears began to drizzle out of her eyes. "Twi, she wasn't right in the head," Applejack reminded. "You remember how she was, all paranoid like. Seein' things that weren't there. She wasn't gonna listen to no pony. Not you, not me, not even her husband." She continued to cry as Applejack embraced her. The tears began flowing out at a more rapid rate, and Twilight began sobbing more audibly. She buried her face into Applejack's mane, and her hug tightened. As Twilight's sobs became more violent, Applejack began stroking Twilight's mane slowly. "Let it all out," she hummed. "That's it. Just let all your troubles flow away." The two sat there, on the small bed, as one comforted the other with more reassurance. It didn't feel like an hour had passed, but they heard a soft knocking at the door. Twilight looked up at Applejack with big, water-filled eyes. Applejack stroked her mane one last time before getting up and walking to the door. Opening the door, Applejack saw a young stallion that wore the same outfit as Prim Bright. "Hello, madam. My apologies, but your friend Rarity has requested all of you to join her in the library." "Oh, uh, sure thing," Applejack said, scratching the back of her neck. "Tell her me and Twi will be down in a minute." "My apologies, but Master Discord has requested no pony wander around his home without us to guide you. All other staff are currently getting the feast prepared or catering to the others' requests," he sneered, grinning slightly. Applejack rolled her eyes and asked, "Can't ya'll just go there and come back?" The butler, annoyed with his failure to receive a yes or no, glared at Applejack. "I'm busy as it is. Are you coming with me or not?" Groaning, Applejack nodded and called, "Twi, you comin' to meet Rarity with me, or…" She let the question trail off as she poked her head further in the room to see Twilight, who shook her head. Turning back to see the anger-inducing butler, Applejack stepped out into the hall. The two walked through a maze of halls to get to a stairwell leading to the third floor. Climbing the stairs, the butler paused at the top for a moment, pondering something. After the small delay passed, the two made their way through more hallways until finally reaching the library doors. The butler opened the door and waved a hoof in, cueing Applejack to enter. The door shut behind her, and she examined the room she was in. The library was two stories tall and had bookshelves covering most of the walls. There were even more bookshelves in rows, creating isles on each side of the room. In the center was a vast walking space with large wooden tables. Looking to the library's end, Applejack spotted her friends waiting for her at one of the tables. She trotted down the cold, beige marble floor at a brisk pace and slowed to a halt once she arrived at the table. They all sat in silence, staring at Applejack. She noticed Rarity looking behind her with confusion. Rarity turned her attention to Applejack and asked, "Did Twilight come with you?" Applejack shook her head and sat down at the table. "I asked for us to get a minute, but that damn butler pony wouldn't allow it. Made me leave Twilight cryin' on the bed." Rarity shifted her gaze to the side and ran a hoof through her mane. "Yes, the staff are a tad rude as of late," Rarity informed. "Though you'll have to forgive them. You see, the staff here are a bit… on edge at the moment. Prim Bright is the only pony seeming to have a level head." Rainbow Dash, her curiosity growing, questioned, "I've been meaning to ask you, why do you seem to know so much about this place? It seems like you've been here before." Nodding, Rarity answered, "Discord came to me a week after her… unfortunate accident. He was having trouble coping and wanted help from me, so I offered to spend a few nights with him. Which brings me to why I brought all of you here." Rarity turned her head from one end of the table to the other, making sure to address everypony. "As Applejack pointed out," she acknowledged, "the staff here, apart from Prim, are fairly on edge. After Fluttershy's passing, Discord's… attitude has been, to put it simply, drained. He's not the same creature we knew before. As such, he's been fairly reliant on them to attend to his needs, along with-" Rainbow cut Rarity off and countered, asking, "But if Fluttershy's dead, and Discord needs more attention, doesn't that just equal to the same amount of work as before?" "Yes," Rarity confirmed, "but it is a different kind of attention. Whereas Fluttershy was dealing with a slew of mental disorders, Discord is mourning. Sure, there is overlap, but you cannot approach them the same way." "Why not," Rainbow shot back. "I mean, Fluttershy was depressed all the time too! Can't you just use the same treatment as before?" Rainbow felt a hoof on her foreleg and turned to Applejack. "Sugar cube," she explained, "There are different treatments for different creatures. Besides, Fluttershy was seein' things that weren't there. He ain't." "Precisely," Rarity agreed. "Which brings me to what I was saying before you interrupted me. You see, Discord has some… unusual ways of coping with the loss. Specifically, he happens to… hold on to a doll. One that… well… let's just say it has a striking resemblance to Fluttershy." Rainbow's face turned to a grimace as she responded, "That's just… weird. Like, he's always been somewhat weird, but that takes the cake." "More strange than Pinkie takin' a vow of silence," Applejack interjected. She smirked as her girlfriend sunk back into her seat, nodding. "Fair point," Dash replied, looking over to Pinkie. Sighing, she shook her head and pulled herself back together, sitting up again. "I guess I can get used to that," she thought aloud, a bit of weariness in her voice. "Hell, if I got used to Pinkie being quiet, this'll be easier than taking candy from a-" "Girls," Rarity interjected, trying to gather back her audience. "As I was saying, Discord carries around a doll that resembles his late wife, but that isn't the whole story. Not only does he carry it around, but he also… talks to it. As if it were her. A-And he doesn't expect anypony else to, but please avoid any jokes about it. He is extremely sensitive now." "That's a huge undertaking," Rainbow sneered, "but I'll keep my thoughts to myself. Cross my heart and hope to fly, stick a cupcake in my eye." Smiling, Rarity turned to Applejack. "And what about you," she asked, already expecting a yes. The nod answered it all, but Applejack decided to add, "Big Mac does a similar thing with his 'Smarty Pants' doll. Ain't a problem for me. Apple Bloom, on the other hoof, might have a few gripes with the idea. Thinks that's for little foals." Applejack gave a small chuckle after finishing. "A similar story with Sweetie Belle, unfortunately," Rarity muttered. "I'm assuming you won't be saying much at all, correct," She asked, looking towards Pinkie. All the mare responded with was a nod. When Pinkie first made the vow, no pony expected her to keep it. Maybe for a day or two, at most a week, but she had. Her whole self was different. Her mane was flat, she never smiled, and her zany antics dropped as soon as she got the news. Gone was the premiere party planner for Ponyville, and in was a rain cloud taken pony form. Everypony sat there in silence, not knowing what else to add. After what felt like an unbearable amount of time, they heard the library doors squeak open. Prim Bright, wearing the same elegantly pressed suit, trotted over to the group. "I apologize for the interruption, but I need you all to head back to your rooms," he said, slowing to a halt once he approached the table. "Master Discord has requested the library be vacated, as well as all other rooms besides guest rooms until the dinner party begins." "Understood," Rarity replied, standing up from her seat. Everypony got up, and Prim escorted them out of the library. "I hope you don't mind me asking," Rarity inquired as they continued through the maze of hallways, "but is there a specific reason he wished for us to stay in our rooms?" The butler nodded and explained, "The Master worries that something may go wrong tonight and wishes to prevent any possible misshapes. He does have a sense for those." "I sensed it too," a quiet mumble spoke. All of them paused and turned to see Pinkie standing in the back. Everypony's eyes shot wide open. They stood there, motionless, and hoping to see if it was her. Before any could ask, Pinkie mumbled, "Sorry." A chill ran down everypony's backs. Pinkie's sense of things was never wrong. Sure, it was misinterpreted every so often, but never wrong. What made it worse was the last time she told anypony about her Pinkie Sense, Fluttershy died. As such, Applejack managed to stutter out, "W-What's gonna happen?" Instead of replying verbally, Pinkie just looked off to the side and let a tear roll down her cheek. Nerves got the better of Prim, who decided to break his professionalism, quickly shouting, "Into your rooms. Now!" They all booked it down the hall except Pinkie, who kept her pace as usual. Fears of what was to come filled the mares' minds. What would happen that night? Approaching the stairs, everypony skidded to a halt. Below was the snobby butler from before, only now he laid dead on the ground. Blood oozed out from his head and onto the wood flooring, pooling all around him. Questions on how and why this happened were quickly answered when Rainbow spotted the broken step. "Guess we know what Pinkie was sensing," Rainbow Dash muttered. Finally, after a painstaking amount of time, Prim collected himself yet again and called for everypony's attention. "Everypony," he called in a commanding voice. "I need you all to stay perfectly calm. We shall go around the body and continue forth to your respective rooms. Then, I'll… get somepony to clean this up." His voice noticeably trailed off on the last sentence, as his face turned to a grimace. "Be careful as you descend the stairs," he reminded. Everypony slowly began strolling down the stairs, making sure to avoid the hole in the step. As they made it to the floor, each looked over to the body. It was clear that the blood oozing from his head came from the giant split covering the upper left half of his head. Rainbow Dash was the last pony to make it to the floor. She used her wings instead of the stairs, too paranoid about using it. As she passed the body, she noticed a trail of blood that hit the wall, almost making out the letter "F." Shrugging off the strange coincidence, Rainbow continued to follow her friends. Rainbow? Author's Note Hope you liked the first! I don't know when the next chapter will come out, so please be patient. DeathApplejack found herself sitting by the window, starring into the abyss. After discovering the butler’s corpse, everypony was ushered into their rooms, and until dinner, they weren’t allowed to leave. Unfortunately, Rainbow Dash was taking a nap at the moment, meaning she was left to a room with little entertainment. At least Twilight had the book she brought with her, and Rarity had her sketchpad. Applejack had nothing. With nothing else to do, she was left to her thoughts, and after witnessing something so horrific, she could only think about how that poor stallion’s friends and family would never see him again. About how they’d react to hearing to such a thing. Mere months ago, Applejack was in a similar position. It was a bright Tuesday afternoon. She was sitting on the porch with her brother and his wife, drinking some chilled cider and chatting casually, when she spotted her sister running down to the farmhouse with her two best friends. The three looked to be in a panic, but it wasn’t until they got within a few feet that she was clued in. When they did get close, AJ noticed something was off. Once they arrived on the porch, she figured out what it was. All three fillies happened to have crimson stains on them. Apple Bloom had them on her forehooves, Scootaloo had it stained all over her face and body, and Sweetie Belle had it in her mane. However, it was their eyes that said it all. They were shrunk to pinpricks, wide and nervous. Something spooked them a lot. Out of breath, all three fillies took greedy gasps at the air, hoping to catch their breath quickly. Applejack shot out of her seat and ran up to the fillies, attempting to examine them closer. Before she could, however, Apple Bloom cut her off. Through baited breaths, Apple Bloom stammered, “I-It ain’t what it looks like!” Now Applejack had all the pieces of the puzzle. At first, Applejack assumed a critter of some kind hurt them, but hearing her sister say that line flipped her suspicions. With wide, horrified eyes, she looked down at the three fillies and asked, “What did you three do?” “I-I know it looks bad, b-but just hear us out,” Sweetie Belle pleaded, gasping mid-sentence. She paused for a moment before continuing. “It all started when we left the schoolhouse…” *** Foals dashed out of the schoolhouse as class dismissed. Some lingered nearby, but others left the vicinity, three of which were the Cutie Mark Crusaders. “So, girls,” Apple Bloom asked, practically prancing along the dirt path, “What’s on today’s roster?” “I think we’ve got the day off,” Sweetie Belle answered. “I mean, it’s possible somepony might need our help, but our schedule seems to be clear.” “Ooh!” Scootaloo exclaimed. “I’ve got an idea! Let’s go to Sugar Cube Corner! Oh, and don’t worry about paying for anything. I’ve been saving up my bits, so if we stop by my house first, it’ll be my treat!” With that, the trio went off to get the bits they needed. However, on their way, they heard some shuffling in an alleyway. Stopping to see who it was, they saw Fluttershy shifting through a dumpster and mumbling to herself. “What is she doin’?” Apple Bloom asked. Getting curious, Sweetie Belle quietly walked over to the mare, who looked, and smelled, like she hadn’t taken a shower in days. She hesitated only for a moment before tapping her on the shoulder. “Fluttershy?” Fluttershy snapped her gaze to Sweetie Belle, pausing. A few seconds went by with no exchange, only for tears to start flowing out of Fluttershy’s eyes and a big smile growing on her face. “Angel!” Almost immediately, Fluttershy plucked Sweetie Belle up in a death grip. “Oh, Angel,” she cried, her face covered in tears. “I looked everywhere for you!” Adrenaline kicked in, and Sweetie Belle began to panic. “L-Let me go,” she stammered, squirming in Fluttershy’s forelegs. Not getting her wish, she shouted, “Let me go!” The other two crusaders looked at each other and then back at Fluttershy. “F-Fluttershy, let her go!” Scootaloo demanded. Instead, she just squeezed tighter. “I’m so sorry, Angel,” Fluttershy cried. “I-I looked everywhere I could think of, but I couldn’t find you! I’m sorry for leaving you out here on your own!” Fight or flight kicked in for Scootaloo, the fight part winning. She dashed over, grabbing a glass shard on the ground as she did. Standing there, she shouted, “Let! Her! GO!” On go, Scootaloo jammed the glass shard into Fluttershy’s left shoulder. Blood spattered onto Scootaloo’s face and body, as well as hitting Sweetie Belle’s mane. Fluttershy lost control, letting go and falling to the ground. Sweetie Belle also fell to the ground and began backing away from Fluttershy. She saw Fluttershy take a glance at Scootaloo, only to turn back to her. Pushing herself forward, Fluttershy grabbed hold of Sweetie Belle’s tail. “Angel, wait!” she shouted. “You’ll hurt yourself!” Fluttershy, clearly blind to what was going on, pulled Sweetie Belle back towards her a bit. Before she could get Sweetie Belle any closer, a thud hit her head, shoving it into the ground. Followed by another, and another, and another. Each time the hits became harder, until eventually, Apple Bloom gave one last stomp with her forehooves. Fluttershy’s skull caved. The once firm grip on Sweetie Belle’s tail fell limp. Blood oozed out of every orifice, staining the ground and Apple Bloom’s forehooves. Bits of her broken skull jutted out of her head, and bits of gray matter oozed out the split in her head. Standing up and gathering around Fluttershy, the three fillies stared at what they had done. Finally, Sweetie Belle managed to mumble, “We just killed a mare…” *** “A-And then we ran here,” Sweetie Belle explained, looking up at Applejack. “I-It was self-defense!” After that, the memory of that day became blurry to Applejack. Everything hit her at once, and her brain became overwhelmed. So, it just went to autopilot. Applejack, remembering the day she found out Fluttershy died, gave a sighed and looked over to Rainbow Dash, who was sleeping peacefully. She smiled, seeing her girlfriend at peace, and whispered, “Thank Celestia I have you, Rainbow.” FeastingLoud knocking woke her, finding herself back in the guest bedroom. The door creaked open, and the low voice of Prim Bright soon followed. “Good evening, Ms. Applejack. I have orders to take you and your partner to the dining room. I trust she’s here?” Getting up with a yawn and stretching her wings, Rainbow Dash called, “Yep! I’m here.” She moved towards the door, seeing Prim Bright waiting with a satisfied smile. “So, dinner’s ready?” “Indeed,” Prim affirmed, giving a nod. Turning, he began walking away, ordering, “Follow me, please.” Obeying, both Rainbow and Applejack began following the butler. Walking for a bit, they eventually made it to the stairwell to the first floor and began descending. “So, uh, how long has this place been here?” Rainbow asked, attempting small talk. “The estate has been here ever since Discord moved in,” Prim explained, not once glancing at either of them. “He didn’t wish to occupy any of Ms. Fluttershy’s space, so he made this place to act as his living quarters. Though, he might as well bought a house in Ponyville, seeing the size of this place.” “How long have you worked here, then,” Rainbow questioned, scratching the back of her neck. They finished descending the stairs and took a right into another hallway. Prim sighed and answered, “Soon after he moved here. You see, due to Ms. Fluttershy’s mental problems, Discord was having trouble keeping track of her. She’d wander all over the place, so it was our job to make sure she stayed inside the estate and to keep her clean and healthy. Jobs that, about a week before her death, we failed at.” Their walking soon came to a stop as they approached the end of the hallway. In front of them were two giant doors with golden handles. Prim cleared his throat and announced, “Here we are,” opening the doors. Inside was a long spruce wood table with a live edge. There were eight seats at the table: three on two sides, and one on the other two sides, where all of their other friends sat. On the side closest to the door, Rarity sat on the far left. The opposing side had Twilight sitting on the right and Pinkie in the middle. On the left, however, was that thing Rarity mentioned. There before Rainbow was the hoof-stitched doll of Fluttershy. Its eyes were made from cyan buttons, and its mane from a solid fabric. It drooped in its seat, its head resting on the table. Surprisingly, it was about the size of a younger foal. And it too had a plate. “Rainbow! Applejack! Come in, come in!” Discord’s voice beckoned. Entering, Rainbow and Applejack took their seats, Rainbow sitting furthest from the doll. “I’m so glad to see you two. How have you two been?” “Well, uh, Rainbow and I moved in together about a month ago,” Applejack responded, looking over at Rainbow Dash. “Oh, and we just had our thirteenth date just last weekend!” “How fascinating,” Discord commented. The door to the dining room opened again, and a servant entered. They swiftly poured out a glass of red wine for everypony, even the doll, only to leave seconds later. “And what about you, Pinkie Pie. Still, on that vow of silence, I take it?” “No,” Pinkie mumbled, taking a small sip of her wine. “I… I don’t want to talk about it…” A bit baffled as to what caused Pinkie to give in, Discord took a few seconds to process what she said. Rainbow expected he’d try and get her to talk or blow up at her for quitting. Instead, he cleared his throat and moved on. “So, uh, Twilight,” Discord questioned, “How is running Equestria going?” Sighing, Twilight leaned her head on her left forehoof and replied, “It’s been quite busy lately, since Hearth’s Warming being just around the corner. Heck, I barely even was able to-” Before Twilight was able to finish, all of Pinkie’s glass spilled onto her coat. Rainbow’s attention shot to Pinkie. Her ears twitched, and her left foreleg shook heavily for only a second, and Pinkie stammered, “S-Sorry, Twilight!” “Oh, dear,” Discord commented. “Um, Prim?” He snapped his claws, but instead of bringing Prim to his location, he thoroughly cleaned off Twilight. The large doors opened, and Prim rushed in, prepared for anything. “Sir! Do you require something?” he panted. “Just stay here and attend to the guests,” Discord ordered. “Pinkie, would you mind accompanying me in my study?” Receiving a nod, the two left the dining room with a snap of his talons. Rainbow looked over at the now unoccupied seats. Rainbow? Turning to see who called her name, she saw only her friends, who had moved on, seemingly without her. As she continued to look, however, something caught her eye. The doll’s head was now tilted upward, leaning back in the chair. Had somepony moved it when she wasn’t looking? “-and you expect me to forgive her for that?” Rarity shouted. “She called my sister a murderer! In fact, she called your sister a murderer too!” Rainbow’s ear caught her yelling. “Rares,” Applejack scolded, “she apologized. Can’t ya forgive her? Let bygones be bygones? Discord did with me, and I did with Rainbow. And vice versa.” “I did move on,” Rarity corrected. “We’re still friends, and we still talk normally. If it’s forgiveness you desire, I’m sorry to say I can’t give it to her. She broke my little sister’s heart, and probably your sister’s too. She had no right to do so.” Though she didn’t say a single word, Rainbow Dash silently agreed with Rarity. After all, she couldn’t forgive the Crusaders, so why should they forgive her? “But Rarity, she wasn’t in the right mindset,” Applejack explained. “None of us were!” She felt a warm, fuzzy feeling grow in her body as she came to realize just how much her girlfriend cared for her. It had been two months since the funeral, yet here she was, Applejack defending her tooth and nail without hesitation. She honestly couldn’t have found a better partner. Their arguing slowly faded from Rainbow’s attention, her eyes meeting once again with the doll. It moved. Not when she wasn’t looking. It moved its foreleg up and supported its head with it as soon as her eyes met its button ones. Rainbow? Can you hear me? Her heart sank. “F-F-F,” She kept stuttering, starring at the doll, with its unblinking, button eyes. Whispering so nopony could hear her, she asked, “Fluttershy?” Rainbow! Please, you have to help me! The doll had an echo in its voice. It was no doubt very similar to her, but it couldn’t actually be her, could it? I’m trapped! I can’t leave! Nopony will let me leave! The doll moved its hoof away again, sitting up in the seat. A waterfall of chills ran down Rainbow’s spine. The doll was practically shouting, though, to be fair, it kept Fluttershy’s passive voice. Yet, despite this, nopony noticed this. Nopony could observe this. She knew for a fact what she saw was happening. After all, she was observing it. She thought for a moment, trying to figure out how this was happening. Discord had super crazy magic, so he must’ve been manipulating it somehow. Rainbow! Please, get me out of here! Discord was playing a sick, twisted game with just her, whether intentional or not. She was sure of it. Taking comfort in her explanation, Rainbow chose to ignore the doll’s ranting. The doll whimpered, slumping down into the chair lifelessly. “Dinner is served,” Prim announced, the doors swinging open. Around five ponies, all in the same uniform, carried trays of food. Swiftly, they each placed the items on the guests’ plates. A whole banquet of food slowly filled the table, most certainly being cooked by a professional. Mouthwatering cherry pie, piping hot tomato soup, gooey five-cheese sandwiches, doughy baguettes, and so, so much more. Everypony gawked at its beauty, their eyes glaring at the flavorful food greedily. Twilight took up a fork and knife, cutting a small piece of pie for herself, the others grabbing food for themselves as well. Taking a small bite, she remarked, “This is better than what they make at the castle!” Hearing the chime of a wine glass, everypony turned to see Prim holding an empty wine glass. “Attention, attention,” Prim called. “Master Discord wished to relay a message to you. Seeing he’s busy with Ms. Pie, I shall perform this task. He wished to thank all of you for taking the time out of your schedules to join us during these troubling times. After such trials and tribulations, it was no doubt hard to work in time, not to mention Hearth’s Warming on top. Here’s to you, and to another year of friendship to come!” While everypony raised their glass to Discord’s message, Rainbow noticed something she hadn’t before. Looking over to the doll, who at this point was limp again, she noticed a small red stain on her left shoulder that trickled about halfway down her foreleg. “Creepy,” Rainbow muttered, setting down her glass. *** An hour of eating later, everypony found themselves stuffed to the brim. Discord, about halfway between the meal, returned along with Pinkie Pie. Whatever occurred had been solved, as far as Rainbow knew. The doll stayed limp for most of the dinner, only occasionally moving its head to face a different direction. Throughout the whole dinner, it begged and begged for Rainbow to listen to her. It whined loudly, little echoed sobs following its words. Rarity and Applejack spent the time continuing their debate as they ate, the former making numerous attempts to move away from it. At one point, Rainbow was dragged into their conversation but ducked out of it by the time Discord returned. Twilight stayed silent until Pinkie came back, not eating much. She sat, slumping in her chair, twiddling away with her food, lost in thought. Finally, Pinkie managed to engage in conversation, a new benefit of quitting the vow she made. It wasn’t anywhere near the old Pinkie Pie, her depressed attitude still showing prominently, but Twilight seemed to enjoy talking to a friend she hadn’t in so long. Discord made small banter among all of them, and even Prim a few times, but was mostly silent during the dinner. Rainbow quickly picked up on the changes in him. He was too reserved, and his manors had increased drastically. She didn’t notice a single jab at somepony, quite the opposite. During Rarity and Applejack’s ranting, Discord attempted multiple times to de-escalate the argument, even though the two ignored it. He really had changed since Rainbow last saw him, which brought up why he controlled the doll. Fluttershy had acted similarly during the latter half of her mental spiral, continually thinking the world was against her. Perhaps he wanted a redo on what happened, a second chance at protecting her from her mental state. Or maybe he just wanted her, and the part he remembered most was when she was spiraling. Rainbow Dash concluded he wasn’t trying to mess with anypony. In the past, maybe, but not now. Currently, Discord was too distraught by her death to do that. He was different, and she just needed to accept the strange coping mechanism, which was easier said than done. Though it stayed silent, the constant stare of the doll’s unblinking, button eyes kept Rainbow on edge, and the permanent smile only added to it. She just needed to get through the dinner and the night. After that, she could go home, back to Sweet Apple Acres, and pretend like she never saw it. She’d struggle, but she was a confident, strong pony. If anypony could power through the unsettling nature of the doll, it was her. Rainbow, please! Listen to me! Please! The doll whimpered to her, its echoing voice bouncing off the walls. The voice was as uncanny yet distorted as Rainbow remembered. Please don’t leave me here! Just an hour more, and she’d be away from that doll. Rainbow! “Just shut up already!” Rainbow shouted, clenching her eyes shut and yanking her ears with her forehooves. Everypony froze, looking back at her. A second passed without a word before Rarity scoffed, “Well, I never!” Rarity huffed and turned away, Applejack looking back at Rainbow. Another moment passed before Applejack quietly muttered, “Sorry.” Lifting her glass of wine to her muzzle, she took a long sip before setting it back down. “So,” Pinkie started, trying to move away from the awkward exchange, “uh, Twilight. How’s… Spike doing?” As she finished, she attempted to smile, though the corners of her mouth barely turned upward. Rainbow! Please! Just pick me up and leave! Please! “I said, shut up!” Rainbow slammed her hoof down on the table, her eyes glaring at the doll. Twilight opened her mouth to talk but was interrupted. Rain- “Shut up, shut up, shut up!” But- Having been fed up by the doll’s annoying begging, Rainbow threw her ceramic plate at it, growling with frustration. It smashed down onto the doll’s head. What she could only assume was blood splashed everywhere, staining the chair it sat. “What in the world?” Discord asked, shocked at Rainbow’s outburst. He snapped his claws, and the smashed plate repaired itself. Pinkie’s ears began twitching again, this time at a much faster rate. Her left foreleg shook violently, accidentally knocking into Twilight hard. The doll whimpered in pain, crying in loud sobs. The blood slowly began to fade into the chair as the doll recovered. Rainbow wasn’t in the mood for sympathy. She knew Discord was behind this and knew he was messing with her. Now it was clear. Rainbow stood up from her chair and turned towards the two double doors. She walked up to them and took a deep breath inward, exhaling thereafter. “I’ll be in my room,” she muttered, opening the door. So much for putting up with the doll, she thought. Author's Note Hi! It's certainly been a while. After a long hiatus, I am glad to say that the next chapter is in the works! I've completed edits on this and the prior two chapters, and hopefully will have the next chapter posted before Halloween. Stay tuned! DreamingRainbow walked a grassy path. It was day, though Rainbow saw no sun. Only the pale blue sky. A thick fog covered the land, preventing her from seeing very far. She didn’t know how she got here or where she was traveling. She thought about flying, but something pushed against her wings. It wasn’t powerful, but it would be too taxing to open them fully. So, she decided to keep them pinned to her sides. As she walked, a putrid waft of wind waved past her. Rainbow froze, gagging on the smell. “What is that?” she thought aloud. She slowly began walking towards the smell, which grew in potency. Finally, something came into her field of view. A bloody ribcage. Every part of Rainbow’s mind told her not to go any closer, but her body moved anyway. Soon, the rest of the body came into view. All its flesh and muscle withered away, leaving a bloody skeleton full of guts and entrails. The skull appeared to have been bashed open, a still mostly intact brain showing through a hole. Flies swarmed the body, feasting on whatever remained. Then Rainbow’s eyes shifted down and saw that, hidden in the grass, was the same doll she saw at the dinner party. It lay there, lifelessly. Rainbow hesitantly took a step back. The blue sky faded into a sea of black abyss. Rainbow turned, looking back behind herself, seeing a door had appeared behind her, along with an endless black wall. Etched into the door was Discord’s name written backward. Gulping, Rainbow put a shaky hoof to the door’s handle, pushing the door open. After she entered, the door slammed shut behind her, causing her to jump. Soon a light flickered on, acting like a spotlight to the scene before her. The body from before was now lying in the center of the room. Unlike before, however, it still had most of its flesh and yellow fur. But three other ponies made their presence evident as they walked into view. There in the room with Rainbow were Apple Bloom, Sweetie Belle, and Scootaloo. All three fillies wore a sick, mocking grin on their face. “I don’t know Apple Bloom. I mean, he said to leave it alone,” Scootaloo reminded. “Aw, come on,” Apple Bloom whined. “Haven’t you ever wondered what she’d taste like?” “Maybe she tastes like chicken,” Sweetie Belle suggested. “Only one way to find out. Scoot? Can you do the honors?” “Fine,” Scootaloo accepted, pulling a knife out of thin air. Scootaloo jabbed the knife into the lifeless body, spewing blood onto herself. In response, Sweetie Belle giggled. “Ew,” Scootaloo complained, still smiling a toothy grin. “Gross!” “Here. Let me help,” Apple Bloom offered. She gingerly pushed Scootaloo aside, sticking her forelegs into the body. “Now, the key is ta use a firm grip ta pull out its guts.” With a small grunt, she pulled out a mess of blood-soaked organs. “There!” “Ooh,” Sweetie Belle cooed at the gruesome sight. “Mind if I try the heart?” “Sure,” Apple Bloom said, tossing the heart to Sweetie Belle. Sweetie Belle cracked open her jaw and ripped into the heart, spewing blood into her mane. Sweetie Belle hummed in delight as she swallowed the chunk of heart. “Oh, and can I have a bite of the liver? I love liver,” Scootaloo asked. The three foals were soon digging into the corpse as if their life depended on it, and the light faded above them. Rainbow dared to turn back to the door. Now the door had Discord’s name etched in the correct direction, though now small bits of blood spatter stained the lower-left corner. Worst of all, however, was the foul smell emanating from the door. Rainbow gagged once again, feeling her stomach churn. It was far worse than the earlier smell. It smelled as if meat had been rotted for weeks on end, or maybe even months. Retching, Rainbow turned the doorknob and pulled the door open. A familiar sight could be seen, as stairs led down to a grassy floor, and in the distance, was the giant mansion. Slowly, Rainbow descended the stairs, being sure to look out for the source of the odor. Eventually, after what felt like ages, she made it to the door of the mansion. Despite what Rainbow believed, the smell had gotten even worse. It was as if a thousand rotting corpses were behind that door. She exhaled and lifted her hoof to the doorknob. “Here we go,” she breathed. She pushed the door open to see a long hallway shrouded in darkness, with a door at the other end. Webs covered the hall, but no corpses could were present. There were no turns and no other doors, meaning there was only one way to go. Forward. Placing a hoof onto the wooden floor, Rainbow felt a sudden jutting pain in her head, causing her to grunt. “Gotta… get through this,” she reminded. Step after step, Rainbow felt jolts of pain. What was causing this, and moreover, what was behind that door. Nearing the end of the hallway, Rainbow finally noticed the red streaks on the floorboards. They seemed to smear in the direction of the door. She also noted that the wallpaper seemed to have long, wide scratch marks. There was no doubt in her mind that this was the room the smell was emanating from. Readying herself for the smell, she pushed open the door. Inside was a table, with the hoof-made doll of Fluttershy sitting on it. The room was hazy and dark, the only light coming from straight above the doll. “Well,” a deep, echoed voice boomed, “you certainly made quite the show this week, haven’t you?” The doll was utterly motionless, yet it began crying soft, echoed sobs. Discord, why? Why are you doing this? “I told you to stay in the house,” the deep voice scolded. “But you just had to run away, didn’t you? And after all I’ve given you!” Why are you hurting me? “Quiet!” Suddenly, a knife flew from the darkness, impaling the doll in its chest. Blood spewed from the doll, hitting the wooden table it sat on. The voice sighed before continuing. “If you had just obeyed me, I wouldn’t have had to ask those fillies to take care of you. You would have been whole. But instead, you ran away, without even a word. I hope you’re happy.” The doll continued to cry for a moment, before murmuring I miss my old life. “Come again?” the voice hissed. I said I miss when you weren’t torturing me with those scary images! I miss when you wouldn’t hit me, or punch me, or cut me open, or turn me into some… some freaky doll! I hate you! As soon as the doll finished, the floor broke under Rainbow. She quickly grabbed hold of the surrounding floor, her heart pumping out adrenaline a mile a minute. Her left forehoof slipped off the blood on the floor, and before she could grab hold of another part of the floor, her other hoof slipped as well, causing her to plummet into the seemingly endless void below her. Author's Note Another brief chapter complete! And on Halloween too! If that's not good timing, I don't know what is. I hope you all enjoyed this new chapter. If you couldn't tell, this one leads directly to another, which will hopefully release in a week or two, so stay tuned! Have a happy Halloween! PanicRainbow's head jolted up as she woke, gasping for air. A regal sheet covered her body, a pillow just a few inches from her head. Turning to her side, she saw her girlfriend sleeping softly. Peering beyond Applejack, she saw her girlfriend's hat lying on a chair near the window. Artificial moonlight shined through the thin white curtains, landing on the hat. As she glanced over her surroundings, her memory slowly came back to her. She had stormed out of the dining room, angry at Discord's toying, and stormed up to her shared room. She had gone to bed shortly thereafter. Then, as she began to think about the doll, the vivid imagery from her dream came back to her. The memory of finding Fluttershy's ransacked body, the Crusaders munching on Fluttershy's organs… and then there was the last thing she observed, where Fluttershy found herself as a doll. She was about to blow the whole thing off as a nightmare when she glanced down at her hooves. Rainbow yelped, realizing her hooves were still covered in the deep crimson she walked on. Grumbling, Applejack shuffled in the bed. Rainbow? she asked groggily. Rainbow noticed a sudden echo had held to her voice, unsettling her. Somethin wrong? Rainbow watched as her girlfriend turned to her, only to freeze once her face was in view. Instead of seeing the beautiful emerald eyes Rainbow was so used to, she saw two large buttons. Blood oozed from around them, dripping down to a sewn shut mouth. Rainbow? "Gah-ah-ah!" Rainbow bolted out of bed, now noticing the large bloodstains on the sheets. She fell to the floor, her heart pounding. Oops, Applejack laughed. Didn't mean ta scare ya. As Applejack's fabric hoof pulled her a bit closer, Rainbow's muscles tensed, and she let out a blood-curdling scream. Applejack had flinched at the noise, giving Rainbow a chance she needed. She bolted to the hallway, no doubt breaking the door to their room. Immediately, she began rapping on Twilight's door. "Help! Help," she cried, her hooves beginning to wear out. Finally, the door creaked open. Rainbow? Is something wrong? Rainbow's eyes locked with what were now deep purple buttons. She gasped and turned, seeing Applejack standing in the doorway to their room. She screamed yet again, bolting away from the two and into a long, empty hallway. Rainbow! Wait! Slow down! Looking back as she ran, she saw the two now dolls chasing after her. Their steps were weightless, their hooves making a sound akin to dropping a pillow on the floor. Rainbow turned a corner, nearly slipping as she galloped away. Looking down the hall, she saw a pink mare staring at one of the few paintings in the home. Rainbow gasped. "Pinkie! Pinkie help! Pinkie! Pinkie," she shrieked. She dove to Pinkie's hooves, clenching them tightly in her grasp. They felt oddly soft as if the mare's inners were made of cotton. Rainbow looked up at Pinkie's face, seeing two blue buttons where her eyes should have been. Without hesitation, Rainbow pushed herself away, scrambling to her hooves. The soft pitter-patter of the other two dolls was nearing her. She turned back around to face the dolls and readied her wings. In a blink of an eye, she took off, cutting through the frigid air. The dolls that were chasing her froze in their tracks. Rainbow collided with the two, sending both the dolls and herself tumbling to the floor. Despite the dolls' soft appearance, Rainbow found that they were quite dense. But the question as to why could wait. Rainbow pushed herself up, groaning, and began fleeing again. She glanced back, seeing the two dolls struggling to stand, and let out a breath. However, when she turned her attention forward again, she saw yet another doll. This one resembled Rarity, even wearing the face mask and silky robe Rarity often slept in. Rainbow was ready for another impact, but thankfully, the doll ducked as she flew over its head. She landed on the ground, giving her wings a break, and began running on hoof once again. At the very end of the hall, she saw the stairwell that led to the first floor. "Thank Celestia," Rainbow muttered, sighing. She entered the stairwell, nearly tripping on the stairs as she descended. Reaching the bottom of the stairs, Rainbow froze. The door had giant rusted chains wrapped around the door's handles, a big lock dangling in the middle of them. Her blood ran cold, and she began hearing the soft hoof steps of the dolls behind her. She leaped for the chains, yanking them in hopes of them being loose. They didn't budge. The dolls were approaching, and from the sound of it, from multiple angles. She had no time to waste on these chains. She turned towards the hallway that led to the dining room. Just as the dolls reached the bottom, she ran into the hall. Rainbow! Stop! The door to the dining room was ever closer. She knew there was no escape, but she had to try. Maybe she could hide under the dining table or behind a curtain. Or maybe she could trick them into going inside and then find a way to lock them in there. She reached the door and pulled on the handle. It too had been locked, though this time without a chain. "No! No," she cried. "T-This can't be happening! I-I'm trapped!" The soft hoofsteps slowed, and Rainbow turned, pushing herself as far away as she could. The dolls inched closer, a new doll joining them. Leading them, however, wasn't a doll. It was Discord. "W-Wait! D-Don't do this," Rainbow begged. He inched forward, holding up a needle with his talons and a spool of yarn in his paw. Tears poured down Rainbow's face like a waterfall. "Please! Let me go! I-I don't want to be turned into a doll!" Discord just smiled, inching the needle closer. Rainbow shielded her eyes with a foreleg and clenched them shut. A moment went by before she felt the cold needle push into her skin. She flinched as it sank deeper and deeper. Her head began to feel light, and she felt her consciousness fading rapidly. Taking in one final shuttering breath, she collapsed to the floor. Author's Note Another chapter complete, meaning there's only one more chapter to go! This was a bit late due to some life stuff, but I'm pretty happy with its outcome. That being said, stay tuned for the final chapter! EpilogueThe warm sun shined down on the old dirt road. Leaves rustled in the calm, summer breeze, birds chirped, bees buzzed, and not one cloud was in the sky. Applejack didn't care. She slowly strolled down the path, dragging her hooves in the dirt. She wore a brown canvas saddlebag and a frown on her face. Her mane was disheveled, and her eyes were a light pink. She felt as though she could pass out right then and there. No, she reminded herself. Gotta get home first. As she approached the old farmhouse, she saw Apple Bloom playing with Sweetie Belle and Scootaloo. "Tag," Sweetie Belle shouted. "You're it!" "Aw, what? Again?" Scootaloo asked, eyeing Apple Bloom. Giggling, Apple Bloom said, "Can't catch me!" She took off, running away from the two. Sweetie Belle quickly followed, and after a quick pause, Scootaloo chased after. Applejack gritted her teeth as she glared over. Biting back the urge to shout at the three, she continued up to the porch. She saw Big Mac and Sugar Belle napping on the swinging bench, holding each other in their forelegs, and smiling sweetly. Shaking her head, Applejack opened the front door, it creaking in response. She could smell Granny Smith preparing a "breakfast for lunch." Should I..? No. Gotta get this done first, she thought, glancing at her saddlebag. Applejack climbed the rickety stairs, a few moans coming from the floorboards. Once she made it to the second-floor hallway, she noticed a bunch of words had been scrawled onto the green wallpaper with a black marker. "They're watching me," one informed. "My friends are gone," cried another. "Why haven't they done it yet?" a third wondered. Guess she's been busy. Sighing, Applejack put a hoof to the door handle and pushed. As she entered, she flicked on the light. She saw Rainbow, sitting at a window, violently shaking as she stared out into the sky above. "Hey, sugar cube," Applejack greeted. Rainbow didn't turn around. "I, uh, came ta give you yer meds. You… feelin' alright?" Applejack asked, gulping down a lump in her throat. "D-Dolls," she muttered. "E-Everywhere. D-Dolls- DOLLS! E-Everypony's a doll- EVERYPONY! T-They're watching me: waiting for me to give in. I-I can't give in. I can't!" Rainbow got onto her hooves, turning around. She gasped. "Oh no. Oh no, oh no, oh no! P-Please! D-Don't hurt me," Rainbow begged. "I-I don't want to be a doll!" Fresh tears began rolling down Applejack's freckled cheeks. This wasn't unfamiliar to her, yet it always pulled at her heartstrings. Pulling a fresh syringe from her saddlebag, she took a step forward. "S-Stay back! P-Please," Rainbow begged, taking a step backward in response. "I-I'll do anything! Please just let me go!" Rainbow's pinprick pupils locked onto the syringe. "No! No, no, no!" Trembling, she took another step backward. In lockstep, Applejack moved forward. "I promise it'll be over s-soon," Applejack choked, sniffling. "Stay still, Dash." With that, she leaped forward, tackling Rainbow so she couldn't run away. Rainbow flailed about, desperate to escape. "Let me go! Please! Please," she shrieked, her muscles failing to pull herself away. Applejack plunged the needle into Rainbow, holding it as still as possible. Slowly, she pushed the plunger down, and the green liquid inside flowed into Rainbow. Grunting, she whined, "No-o-o…" Her flailing limbs became sluggish, her eyes became heavy, and her mind slowly lost consciousness. Applejack pulled Rainbow into a hug, feeling her girlfriend's now soft breathing brush through her mane. "I'm sorry, Dash," she cried, tightening the hug. "I'm so sorry." Her tears rolled down Rainbow's back as she buried her head into her girlfriend's mane. Choking back her sobs, she whispered, "Sleep tight, Rainbow. I love you." Author's Note And thus the story has been completed! I hope you all enjoyed this little story! I really had fun writing this one. Thank you all so much for reading.
AwakeningWhite, powdery snow coated the dirt road they all traveled on. The wind howled loudly. Trees covered in icicles and more snow dotted the landscape around them. Dead leaves jutted out of the ground's soft white surface, crunching as they walked in silence. Everypony was on edge. Even the most collected of them, Twilight and Rarity, were just hiding their fear below the surface. An invitation to a dinner party and sleepover at Discord's residence wasn't something to take lightly. Especially not with the incident that occurred mere months ago. As they walked, an old, seemingly abandoned cottage came into view. There were shards of glass on the ground, and the fence in front of the cottage had snapped. Wood rubble dotted the pathway, and the bridge had a giant hole through it. A mailbox just outside the door was stuffed with letters and packages. "We're here," Rainbow choked out. The group continued down the path. As they made it to the bridge, Twilight put up a magical forcefield over the hole to allow them to cross. Now that they were closer, they saw the disrepair in further detail. Where there were once birdhouses, now were missing entirely, and holes creatures used to burrow into were left abandoned. They made it to the door, which was slightly off its hinges, and paused. Rarity turned to the others in the group and cleared her throat. "Since Twilight won't say it, I will," she declared. "What we are about to see may seem strange. I know from speaking to him that he is having a bit of trouble coping with the loss. I implore you all to remain calm during this. Especially you, Rainbow Dash." All looked to Rainbow, who lifted a hoof in defense. "Hey," she guarded, "I know me and him don't get along too well, but I'm not the one who insulted him at his wife's funeral!" Applejack rolled her eyes and sighed. "You ever gonna let me live that one down?" Applejack looked Dash directly in the eye and explained, "She's gettin' at your tendency ta make fun of him. I know you don't mean nothin' by it, but it's not somethin' you should be doin' at a time like this." Rainbow huffed, and they all went into the cottage. The furniture inside looked just the same as they last saw it, only coated in dust and cobwebs. Not even spider webs. No creature seemed to have a desire to enter. The floor's green paint had bits chipped off it, and they all noticed a white arrow pointing to the kitchen door. They followed its direction and entered to see a similar scenario. All the furniture was where it should be, and the calendar attached to her fridge was on the same month that they last saw it. However, there was evidence of the kitchen being used. Pots and pans sat on top of the stove, and knives laid on a cutting board. "So he's just been eating and sleeping," Rainbow asked. "That is precisely the behavior I warned you to avoid," Rarity reminded, quickly turning to Rainbow Dash to point an accusing hoof at her. The group noticed another arrow, pointing to a door at the far side of the room. The door had Discord's name etched into its bark. The handle shined brightly, and the paint had been recently redone. Twilight opened the door for the others. They hustled in and saw a set of stairs leading to the basement. The stairs, which were adjacent to them, were shrouded in darkness at the bottom. Each braved the stairs, this time led by Rarity, and backed by Twilight. They both lit their horns to brighten up the room. When they entered, they saw a little light switch at the bottom and flipped it on. As light filled the room, they saw it was almost entirely empty, apart from two doors, a washer and dryer, and a mop leaning in the far right corner of the room. The door to the right had a lock on it and a sign saying, "Stay Out." The door to the left was already open and had a red carpet leading into it. From what they could already see, it led to a vast room far too big for a simple cottage. The walls nor the floor inside could be seen, only another set of stairs leading further down and the ceiling. They walked up to the door and stood still. What they saw was unbelievable. There was grass at the bottom of the stairs and a cobblestone path leading to a giant mansion. It had thousands of windows and was at least five stories high, touching the ceiling with its roof. The inside rooms were all lit up, and almost all the curtains were open. They looked at each other and began descending the stairs. It took ages to reach the bottom, but once they did, they saw the mansion's actual size. Though it looked big when they saw it first, they had no idea just how gargantuan it was. They quickly noted that the grass was indeed real and mowed recently. The cobblestone path didn't seem to have any cracks in it either. It was very well kept up, which surprised the five. Walking down the path, they observed the room surrounding them. The only wall visible was the one to their backs, which was painted black like the ceiling was. All other walls were utterly shrouded in darkness. Finally, they made it to the front porch. They all stood at the front door, bracing themselves for what would come once they knocked. Rarity walked up to the door and gave it a few light knocks. A few seconds went by, and the door opened to the interior. A pony wearing a well-pressed suit greet them. "Ah," the stallion remarked, "You must be the Master's esteemed guests. Please, do come in." The stallion was a middle-aged, dark purple earth pony with a duster for a cutie mark. He had a dark grey mane and dark brown eyes, which had bags underneath them. Each entered in single file and lined up in front of the stallion cleared his throat. "I am the estate's head butler, Prim Bright. I shall be attending to your needs, should you request anything. Master Discord is a bit busy at the moment, but he shall be joining you during this evening's dinner. Would you care for me to show you to your rooms?" "If you wouldn't mind," Twilight said with a smile. The butler nodded and turned towards a set of stairs parallel to the front door. They began ascending the stairs and reached the second floor. Lime green walls had sectioned the hall they entered with light green stripes and a wooden fringe that extended over half the wall. Both had open doorways, each leading to a different hall. The butler turned to the doorway to the right of them and continued. Following him closely, they worked their way through the hall until they reached an end barring four doors. The butler turned to the group and stated, "Rarity, you will be in this room here," pointing to the first door to the left. "Twilight, you will be in the room to the right of Rarity's. Pinkamena, you're in the room at the end of the hall. Applejack and Rainbow Dash, the Master has given you both the room to my right," he informed. "Now I must be off, for the Master has asked me to set up the dining arrangements. Have you all had lunch yet?" They all nodded, and Applejack informed, "We just came from the Daffodil Diner." "Good," the butler said, turning around. "If there is anything you need, feel free to ask. I shall send one of my underlings to check on you in an hour. Enjoy." With that, the butler walked off, and everypony went into their respective rooms. As soon as Rainbow got into the room with Applejack, they both began exploring the room. Right next to the door was another door that led into a private bathroom. The bathroom was a modest size but had all the necessities. It honestly reminded Rainbow of a hotel in Baltimare she once stayed in. Moving out of the bathroom, Rainbow Dash observed Applejack lying on a regal bed. It reminded her of Rarity's bed: an arrogant, overdone decoration piece disguised as a bed. At least, that's how she saw it. Next to the bed was an antique bedside table painted white with an envelope on top of it. Rainbow Dash walked up to the letter and picked it up, lying down next to Applejack. On the backside of the envelope was Applejack's name, written in some frou-frou style. Rainbow Dash proceeded to pass it to Applejack, who opened the letter. The letter read: Dear Applejack, I forgive you for your insult. I wasn't a particularly good friend at the time, and you had nothing to do with her death. Just know if you ever need to talk, I'll always be here to help. Your friend, Discord. "Huh," Applejack commented, placing down the piece of paper beside her. Rainbow Dash replied, "That was oddly… mature for him." The two sat in silence for a moment, trying to let the note sink in. Breaking the ice, Dash decided to abruptly peck Applejack on the cheek. Rainbow let her eyelids droop a bit as she smiled up at her girlfriend. Applejack returned the smile and held a similar expression. She lifted a hoof to her hat and flung it onto a white chair. She propped herself up and maneuvered herself above Rainbow. Lowering her head, Applejack leaned over to Dash's lips as they parted just slightly. They sealed the deal, locking their lips onto each other. Dash lifted her forelegs and wrapped them around Applejack, her girlfriend following suit. The couple parted lips for a moment, passionately starring at each other. Unfortunately, a loud knocking came from their room door, interrupting them. Applejack pulled herself off Rainbow and whispered, "I'll be back in a bit," winking as she got up. Applejack strolled over to the door and opened it, seeing Twilight at the door. "S-Sorry to interrupt," Twilight apologized, "but I was hoping I could ask you about something." Twilight fidgeted her forehooves on the hardwood floor outside the room. Applejack nodded and stepped out into the hall, closing their room door behind her. "Need a lil' help with somethin'?" Twilight nodded and turned towards her room door, opening it. "I'd… like to talk about it in private. I-If you don't mind," she stammered. "Sure," Applejack replied, as the two stepped into Twilight's room. The room Twilight was given was much smaller. Also, unlike her room, the walls had alternating hues of pink instead of white, keeping the color only for the accents instead of everything. They walked over to the central part of the room, where a twin-sized bed covered in even pinker sheets sat in a corner. Twilight sat down on the bed and tapped to the left of her. Applejack sat down where she offered and asked, "So what's on your mind, Twi?" Twilight looked down and away from Applejack, rubbing her left foreleg with her right forehoof. "Well," she started, "I've been thinking about what happened. I… I've tried to move on, but…" Twilight felt her eyes beginning to water up, remembering the last time she saw Fluttershy. Applejack wrapped her right foreleg around Twilight and leaned in a bit. "Everypony's goin' through the loss," she assured. "I know Rainbow, and I don't show it much, but–" Twilight cut her off, crying, "No! I know that! I want to know why! Why did she go out so late? Why… Why did she have to die?" Twilight began stammering as fresh tears began to drizzle out of her eyes. "Twi, she wasn't right in the head," Applejack reminded. "You remember how she was, all paranoid like. Seein' things that weren't there. She wasn't gonna listen to no pony. Not you, not me, not even her husband." She continued to cry as Applejack embraced her. The tears began flowing out at a more rapid rate, and Twilight began sobbing more audibly. She buried her face into Applejack's mane, and her hug tightened. As Twilight's sobs became more violent, Applejack began stroking Twilight's mane slowly. "Let it all out," she hummed. "That's it. Just let all your troubles flow away." The two sat there, on the small bed, as one comforted the other with more reassurance. It didn't feel like an hour had passed, but they heard a soft knocking at the door. Twilight looked up at Applejack with big, water-filled eyes. Applejack stroked her mane one last time before getting up and walking to the door. Opening the door, Applejack saw a young stallion that wore the same outfit as Prim Bright. "Hello, madam. My apologies, but your friend Rarity has requested all of you to join her in the library." "Oh, uh, sure thing," Applejack said, scratching the back of her neck. "Tell her me and Twi will be down in a minute." "My apologies, but Master Discord has requested no pony wander around his home without us to guide you. All other staff are currently getting the feast prepared or catering to the others' requests," he sneered, grinning slightly. Applejack rolled her eyes and asked, "Can't ya'll just go there and come back?" The butler, annoyed with his failure to receive a yes or no, glared at Applejack. "I'm busy as it is. Are you coming with me or not?" Groaning, Applejack nodded and called, "Twi, you comin' to meet Rarity with me, or…" She let the question trail off as she poked her head further in the room to see Twilight, who shook her head. Turning back to see the anger-inducing butler, Applejack stepped out into the hall. The two walked through a maze of halls to get to a stairwell leading to the third floor. Climbing the stairs, the butler paused at the top for a moment, pondering something. After the small delay passed, the two made their way through more hallways until finally reaching the library doors. The butler opened the door and waved a hoof in, cueing Applejack to enter. The door shut behind her, and she examined the room she was in. The library was two stories tall and had bookshelves covering most of the walls. There were even more bookshelves in rows, creating isles on each side of the room. In the center was a vast walking space with large wooden tables. Looking to the library's end, Applejack spotted her friends waiting for her at one of the tables. She trotted down the cold, beige marble floor at a brisk pace and slowed to a halt once she arrived at the table. They all sat in silence, staring at Applejack. She noticed Rarity looking behind her with confusion. Rarity turned her attention to Applejack and asked, "Did Twilight come with you?" Applejack shook her head and sat down at the table. "I asked for us to get a minute, but that damn butler pony wouldn't allow it. Made me leave Twilight cryin' on the bed." Rarity shifted her gaze to the side and ran a hoof through her mane. "Yes, the staff are a tad rude as of late," Rarity informed. "Though you'll have to forgive them. You see, the staff here are a bit… on edge at the moment. Prim Bright is the only pony seeming to have a level head." Rainbow Dash, her curiosity growing, questioned, "I've been meaning to ask you, why do you seem to know so much about this place? It seems like you've been here before." Nodding, Rarity answered, "Discord came to me a week after her… unfortunate accident. He was having trouble coping and wanted help from me, so I offered to spend a few nights with him. Which brings me to why I brought all of you here." Rarity turned her head from one end of the table to the other, making sure to address everypony. "As Applejack pointed out," she acknowledged, "the staff here, apart from Prim, are fairly on edge. After Fluttershy's passing, Discord's… attitude has been, to put it simply, drained. He's not the same creature we knew before. As such, he's been fairly reliant on them to attend to his needs, along with-" Rainbow cut Rarity off and countered, asking, "But if Fluttershy's dead, and Discord needs more attention, doesn't that just equal to the same amount of work as before?" "Yes," Rarity confirmed, "but it is a different kind of attention. Whereas Fluttershy was dealing with a slew of mental disorders, Discord is mourning. Sure, there is overlap, but you cannot approach them the same way." "Why not," Rainbow shot back. "I mean, Fluttershy was depressed all the time too! Can't you just use the same treatment as before?" Rainbow felt a hoof on her foreleg and turned to Applejack. "Sugar cube," she explained, "There are different treatments for different creatures. Besides, Fluttershy was seein' things that weren't there. He ain't." "Precisely," Rarity agreed. "Which brings me to what I was saying before you interrupted me. You see, Discord has some… unusual ways of coping with the loss. Specifically, he happens to… hold on to a doll. One that… well… let's just say it has a striking resemblance to Fluttershy." Rainbow's face turned to a grimace as she responded, "That's just… weird. Like, he's always been somewhat weird, but that takes the cake." "More strange than Pinkie takin' a vow of silence," Applejack interjected. She smirked as her girlfriend sunk back into her seat, nodding. "Fair point," Dash replied, looking over to Pinkie. Sighing, she shook her head and pulled herself back together, sitting up again. "I guess I can get used to that," she thought aloud, a bit of weariness in her voice. "Hell, if I got used to Pinkie being quiet, this'll be easier than taking candy from a-" "Girls," Rarity interjected, trying to gather back her audience. "As I was saying, Discord carries around a doll that resembles his late wife, but that isn't the whole story. Not only does he carry it around, but he also… talks to it. As if it were her. A-And he doesn't expect anypony else to, but please avoid any jokes about it. He is extremely sensitive now." "That's a huge undertaking," Rainbow sneered, "but I'll keep my thoughts to myself. Cross my heart and hope to fly, stick a cupcake in my eye." Smiling, Rarity turned to Applejack. "And what about you," she asked, already expecting a yes. The nod answered it all, but Applejack decided to add, "Big Mac does a similar thing with his 'Smarty Pants' doll. Ain't a problem for me. Apple Bloom, on the other hoof, might have a few gripes with the idea. Thinks that's for little foals." Applejack gave a small chuckle after finishing. "A similar story with Sweetie Belle, unfortunately," Rarity muttered. "I'm assuming you won't be saying much at all, correct," She asked, looking towards Pinkie. All the mare responded with was a nod. When Pinkie first made the vow, no pony expected her to keep it. Maybe for a day or two, at most a week, but she had. Her whole self was different. Her mane was flat, she never smiled, and her zany antics dropped as soon as she got the news. Gone was the premiere party planner for Ponyville, and in was a rain cloud taken pony form. Everypony sat there in silence, not knowing what else to add. After what felt like an unbearable amount of time, they heard the library doors squeak open. Prim Bright, wearing the same elegantly pressed suit, trotted over to the group. "I apologize for the interruption, but I need you all to head back to your rooms," he said, slowing to a halt once he approached the table. "Master Discord has requested the library be vacated, as well as all other rooms besides guest rooms until the dinner party begins." "Understood," Rarity replied, standing up from her seat. Everypony got up, and Prim escorted them out of the library. "I hope you don't mind me asking," Rarity inquired as they continued through the maze of hallways, "but is there a specific reason he wished for us to stay in our rooms?" The butler nodded and explained, "The Master worries that something may go wrong tonight and wishes to prevent any possible misshapes. He does have a sense for those." "I sensed it too," a quiet mumble spoke. All of them paused and turned to see Pinkie standing in the back. Everypony's eyes shot wide open. They stood there, motionless, and hoping to see if it was her. Before any could ask, Pinkie mumbled, "Sorry." A chill ran down everypony's backs. Pinkie's sense of things was never wrong. Sure, it was misinterpreted every so often, but never wrong. What made it worse was the last time she told anypony about her Pinkie Sense, Fluttershy died. As such, Applejack managed to stutter out, "W-What's gonna happen?" Instead of replying verbally, Pinkie just looked off to the side and let a tear roll down her cheek. Nerves got the better of Prim, who decided to break his professionalism, quickly shouting, "Into your rooms. Now!" They all booked it down the hall except Pinkie, who kept her pace as usual. Fears of what was to come filled the mares' minds. What would happen that night? Approaching the stairs, everypony skidded to a halt. Below was the snobby butler from before, only now he laid dead on the ground. Blood oozed out from his head and onto the wood flooring, pooling all around him. Questions on how and why this happened were quickly answered when Rainbow spotted the broken step. "Guess we know what Pinkie was sensing," Rainbow Dash muttered. Finally, after a painstaking amount of time, Prim collected himself yet again and called for everypony's attention. "Everypony," he called in a commanding voice. "I need you all to stay perfectly calm. We shall go around the body and continue forth to your respective rooms. Then, I'll… get somepony to clean this up." His voice noticeably trailed off on the last sentence, as his face turned to a grimace. "Be careful as you descend the stairs," he reminded. Everypony slowly began strolling down the stairs, making sure to avoid the hole in the step. As they made it to the floor, each looked over to the body. It was clear that the blood oozing from his head came from the giant split covering the upper left half of his head. Rainbow Dash was the last pony to make it to the floor. She used her wings instead of the stairs, too paranoid about using it. As she passed the body, she noticed a trail of blood that hit the wall, almost making out the letter "F." Shrugging off the strange coincidence, Rainbow continued to follow her friends. Rainbow? Author's Note Hope you liked the first! I don't know when the next chapter will come out, so please be patient.
DeathApplejack found herself sitting by the window, starring into the abyss. After discovering the butler’s corpse, everypony was ushered into their rooms, and until dinner, they weren’t allowed to leave. Unfortunately, Rainbow Dash was taking a nap at the moment, meaning she was left to a room with little entertainment. At least Twilight had the book she brought with her, and Rarity had her sketchpad. Applejack had nothing. With nothing else to do, she was left to her thoughts, and after witnessing something so horrific, she could only think about how that poor stallion’s friends and family would never see him again. About how they’d react to hearing to such a thing. Mere months ago, Applejack was in a similar position. It was a bright Tuesday afternoon. She was sitting on the porch with her brother and his wife, drinking some chilled cider and chatting casually, when she spotted her sister running down to the farmhouse with her two best friends. The three looked to be in a panic, but it wasn’t until they got within a few feet that she was clued in. When they did get close, AJ noticed something was off. Once they arrived on the porch, she figured out what it was. All three fillies happened to have crimson stains on them. Apple Bloom had them on her forehooves, Scootaloo had it stained all over her face and body, and Sweetie Belle had it in her mane. However, it was their eyes that said it all. They were shrunk to pinpricks, wide and nervous. Something spooked them a lot. Out of breath, all three fillies took greedy gasps at the air, hoping to catch their breath quickly. Applejack shot out of her seat and ran up to the fillies, attempting to examine them closer. Before she could, however, Apple Bloom cut her off. Through baited breaths, Apple Bloom stammered, “I-It ain’t what it looks like!” Now Applejack had all the pieces of the puzzle. At first, Applejack assumed a critter of some kind hurt them, but hearing her sister say that line flipped her suspicions. With wide, horrified eyes, she looked down at the three fillies and asked, “What did you three do?” “I-I know it looks bad, b-but just hear us out,” Sweetie Belle pleaded, gasping mid-sentence. She paused for a moment before continuing. “It all started when we left the schoolhouse…” *** Foals dashed out of the schoolhouse as class dismissed. Some lingered nearby, but others left the vicinity, three of which were the Cutie Mark Crusaders. “So, girls,” Apple Bloom asked, practically prancing along the dirt path, “What’s on today’s roster?” “I think we’ve got the day off,” Sweetie Belle answered. “I mean, it’s possible somepony might need our help, but our schedule seems to be clear.” “Ooh!” Scootaloo exclaimed. “I’ve got an idea! Let’s go to Sugar Cube Corner! Oh, and don’t worry about paying for anything. I’ve been saving up my bits, so if we stop by my house first, it’ll be my treat!” With that, the trio went off to get the bits they needed. However, on their way, they heard some shuffling in an alleyway. Stopping to see who it was, they saw Fluttershy shifting through a dumpster and mumbling to herself. “What is she doin’?” Apple Bloom asked. Getting curious, Sweetie Belle quietly walked over to the mare, who looked, and smelled, like she hadn’t taken a shower in days. She hesitated only for a moment before tapping her on the shoulder. “Fluttershy?” Fluttershy snapped her gaze to Sweetie Belle, pausing. A few seconds went by with no exchange, only for tears to start flowing out of Fluttershy’s eyes and a big smile growing on her face. “Angel!” Almost immediately, Fluttershy plucked Sweetie Belle up in a death grip. “Oh, Angel,” she cried, her face covered in tears. “I looked everywhere for you!” Adrenaline kicked in, and Sweetie Belle began to panic. “L-Let me go,” she stammered, squirming in Fluttershy’s forelegs. Not getting her wish, she shouted, “Let me go!” The other two crusaders looked at each other and then back at Fluttershy. “F-Fluttershy, let her go!” Scootaloo demanded. Instead, she just squeezed tighter. “I’m so sorry, Angel,” Fluttershy cried. “I-I looked everywhere I could think of, but I couldn’t find you! I’m sorry for leaving you out here on your own!” Fight or flight kicked in for Scootaloo, the fight part winning. She dashed over, grabbing a glass shard on the ground as she did. Standing there, she shouted, “Let! Her! GO!” On go, Scootaloo jammed the glass shard into Fluttershy’s left shoulder. Blood spattered onto Scootaloo’s face and body, as well as hitting Sweetie Belle’s mane. Fluttershy lost control, letting go and falling to the ground. Sweetie Belle also fell to the ground and began backing away from Fluttershy. She saw Fluttershy take a glance at Scootaloo, only to turn back to her. Pushing herself forward, Fluttershy grabbed hold of Sweetie Belle’s tail. “Angel, wait!” she shouted. “You’ll hurt yourself!” Fluttershy, clearly blind to what was going on, pulled Sweetie Belle back towards her a bit. Before she could get Sweetie Belle any closer, a thud hit her head, shoving it into the ground. Followed by another, and another, and another. Each time the hits became harder, until eventually, Apple Bloom gave one last stomp with her forehooves. Fluttershy’s skull caved. The once firm grip on Sweetie Belle’s tail fell limp. Blood oozed out of every orifice, staining the ground and Apple Bloom’s forehooves. Bits of her broken skull jutted out of her head, and bits of gray matter oozed out the split in her head. Standing up and gathering around Fluttershy, the three fillies stared at what they had done. Finally, Sweetie Belle managed to mumble, “We just killed a mare…” *** “A-And then we ran here,” Sweetie Belle explained, looking up at Applejack. “I-It was self-defense!” After that, the memory of that day became blurry to Applejack. Everything hit her at once, and her brain became overwhelmed. So, it just went to autopilot. Applejack, remembering the day she found out Fluttershy died, gave a sighed and looked over to Rainbow Dash, who was sleeping peacefully. She smiled, seeing her girlfriend at peace, and whispered, “Thank Celestia I have you, Rainbow.”
FeastingLoud knocking woke her, finding herself back in the guest bedroom. The door creaked open, and the low voice of Prim Bright soon followed. “Good evening, Ms. Applejack. I have orders to take you and your partner to the dining room. I trust she’s here?” Getting up with a yawn and stretching her wings, Rainbow Dash called, “Yep! I’m here.” She moved towards the door, seeing Prim Bright waiting with a satisfied smile. “So, dinner’s ready?” “Indeed,” Prim affirmed, giving a nod. Turning, he began walking away, ordering, “Follow me, please.” Obeying, both Rainbow and Applejack began following the butler. Walking for a bit, they eventually made it to the stairwell to the first floor and began descending. “So, uh, how long has this place been here?” Rainbow asked, attempting small talk. “The estate has been here ever since Discord moved in,” Prim explained, not once glancing at either of them. “He didn’t wish to occupy any of Ms. Fluttershy’s space, so he made this place to act as his living quarters. Though, he might as well bought a house in Ponyville, seeing the size of this place.” “How long have you worked here, then,” Rainbow questioned, scratching the back of her neck. They finished descending the stairs and took a right into another hallway. Prim sighed and answered, “Soon after he moved here. You see, due to Ms. Fluttershy’s mental problems, Discord was having trouble keeping track of her. She’d wander all over the place, so it was our job to make sure she stayed inside the estate and to keep her clean and healthy. Jobs that, about a week before her death, we failed at.” Their walking soon came to a stop as they approached the end of the hallway. In front of them were two giant doors with golden handles. Prim cleared his throat and announced, “Here we are,” opening the doors. Inside was a long spruce wood table with a live edge. There were eight seats at the table: three on two sides, and one on the other two sides, where all of their other friends sat. On the side closest to the door, Rarity sat on the far left. The opposing side had Twilight sitting on the right and Pinkie in the middle. On the left, however, was that thing Rarity mentioned. There before Rainbow was the hoof-stitched doll of Fluttershy. Its eyes were made from cyan buttons, and its mane from a solid fabric. It drooped in its seat, its head resting on the table. Surprisingly, it was about the size of a younger foal. And it too had a plate. “Rainbow! Applejack! Come in, come in!” Discord’s voice beckoned. Entering, Rainbow and Applejack took their seats, Rainbow sitting furthest from the doll. “I’m so glad to see you two. How have you two been?” “Well, uh, Rainbow and I moved in together about a month ago,” Applejack responded, looking over at Rainbow Dash. “Oh, and we just had our thirteenth date just last weekend!” “How fascinating,” Discord commented. The door to the dining room opened again, and a servant entered. They swiftly poured out a glass of red wine for everypony, even the doll, only to leave seconds later. “And what about you, Pinkie Pie. Still, on that vow of silence, I take it?” “No,” Pinkie mumbled, taking a small sip of her wine. “I… I don’t want to talk about it…” A bit baffled as to what caused Pinkie to give in, Discord took a few seconds to process what she said. Rainbow expected he’d try and get her to talk or blow up at her for quitting. Instead, he cleared his throat and moved on. “So, uh, Twilight,” Discord questioned, “How is running Equestria going?” Sighing, Twilight leaned her head on her left forehoof and replied, “It’s been quite busy lately, since Hearth’s Warming being just around the corner. Heck, I barely even was able to-” Before Twilight was able to finish, all of Pinkie’s glass spilled onto her coat. Rainbow’s attention shot to Pinkie. Her ears twitched, and her left foreleg shook heavily for only a second, and Pinkie stammered, “S-Sorry, Twilight!” “Oh, dear,” Discord commented. “Um, Prim?” He snapped his claws, but instead of bringing Prim to his location, he thoroughly cleaned off Twilight. The large doors opened, and Prim rushed in, prepared for anything. “Sir! Do you require something?” he panted. “Just stay here and attend to the guests,” Discord ordered. “Pinkie, would you mind accompanying me in my study?” Receiving a nod, the two left the dining room with a snap of his talons. Rainbow looked over at the now unoccupied seats. Rainbow? Turning to see who called her name, she saw only her friends, who had moved on, seemingly without her. As she continued to look, however, something caught her eye. The doll’s head was now tilted upward, leaning back in the chair. Had somepony moved it when she wasn’t looking? “-and you expect me to forgive her for that?” Rarity shouted. “She called my sister a murderer! In fact, she called your sister a murderer too!” Rainbow’s ear caught her yelling. “Rares,” Applejack scolded, “she apologized. Can’t ya forgive her? Let bygones be bygones? Discord did with me, and I did with Rainbow. And vice versa.” “I did move on,” Rarity corrected. “We’re still friends, and we still talk normally. If it’s forgiveness you desire, I’m sorry to say I can’t give it to her. She broke my little sister’s heart, and probably your sister’s too. She had no right to do so.” Though she didn’t say a single word, Rainbow Dash silently agreed with Rarity. After all, she couldn’t forgive the Crusaders, so why should they forgive her? “But Rarity, she wasn’t in the right mindset,” Applejack explained. “None of us were!” She felt a warm, fuzzy feeling grow in her body as she came to realize just how much her girlfriend cared for her. It had been two months since the funeral, yet here she was, Applejack defending her tooth and nail without hesitation. She honestly couldn’t have found a better partner. Their arguing slowly faded from Rainbow’s attention, her eyes meeting once again with the doll. It moved. Not when she wasn’t looking. It moved its foreleg up and supported its head with it as soon as her eyes met its button ones. Rainbow? Can you hear me? Her heart sank. “F-F-F,” She kept stuttering, starring at the doll, with its unblinking, button eyes. Whispering so nopony could hear her, she asked, “Fluttershy?” Rainbow! Please, you have to help me! The doll had an echo in its voice. It was no doubt very similar to her, but it couldn’t actually be her, could it? I’m trapped! I can’t leave! Nopony will let me leave! The doll moved its hoof away again, sitting up in the seat. A waterfall of chills ran down Rainbow’s spine. The doll was practically shouting, though, to be fair, it kept Fluttershy’s passive voice. Yet, despite this, nopony noticed this. Nopony could observe this. She knew for a fact what she saw was happening. After all, she was observing it. She thought for a moment, trying to figure out how this was happening. Discord had super crazy magic, so he must’ve been manipulating it somehow. Rainbow! Please, get me out of here! Discord was playing a sick, twisted game with just her, whether intentional or not. She was sure of it. Taking comfort in her explanation, Rainbow chose to ignore the doll’s ranting. The doll whimpered, slumping down into the chair lifelessly. “Dinner is served,” Prim announced, the doors swinging open. Around five ponies, all in the same uniform, carried trays of food. Swiftly, they each placed the items on the guests’ plates. A whole banquet of food slowly filled the table, most certainly being cooked by a professional. Mouthwatering cherry pie, piping hot tomato soup, gooey five-cheese sandwiches, doughy baguettes, and so, so much more. Everypony gawked at its beauty, their eyes glaring at the flavorful food greedily. Twilight took up a fork and knife, cutting a small piece of pie for herself, the others grabbing food for themselves as well. Taking a small bite, she remarked, “This is better than what they make at the castle!” Hearing the chime of a wine glass, everypony turned to see Prim holding an empty wine glass. “Attention, attention,” Prim called. “Master Discord wished to relay a message to you. Seeing he’s busy with Ms. Pie, I shall perform this task. He wished to thank all of you for taking the time out of your schedules to join us during these troubling times. After such trials and tribulations, it was no doubt hard to work in time, not to mention Hearth’s Warming on top. Here’s to you, and to another year of friendship to come!” While everypony raised their glass to Discord’s message, Rainbow noticed something she hadn’t before. Looking over to the doll, who at this point was limp again, she noticed a small red stain on her left shoulder that trickled about halfway down her foreleg. “Creepy,” Rainbow muttered, setting down her glass. *** An hour of eating later, everypony found themselves stuffed to the brim. Discord, about halfway between the meal, returned along with Pinkie Pie. Whatever occurred had been solved, as far as Rainbow knew. The doll stayed limp for most of the dinner, only occasionally moving its head to face a different direction. Throughout the whole dinner, it begged and begged for Rainbow to listen to her. It whined loudly, little echoed sobs following its words. Rarity and Applejack spent the time continuing their debate as they ate, the former making numerous attempts to move away from it. At one point, Rainbow was dragged into their conversation but ducked out of it by the time Discord returned. Twilight stayed silent until Pinkie came back, not eating much. She sat, slumping in her chair, twiddling away with her food, lost in thought. Finally, Pinkie managed to engage in conversation, a new benefit of quitting the vow she made. It wasn’t anywhere near the old Pinkie Pie, her depressed attitude still showing prominently, but Twilight seemed to enjoy talking to a friend she hadn’t in so long. Discord made small banter among all of them, and even Prim a few times, but was mostly silent during the dinner. Rainbow quickly picked up on the changes in him. He was too reserved, and his manors had increased drastically. She didn’t notice a single jab at somepony, quite the opposite. During Rarity and Applejack’s ranting, Discord attempted multiple times to de-escalate the argument, even though the two ignored it. He really had changed since Rainbow last saw him, which brought up why he controlled the doll. Fluttershy had acted similarly during the latter half of her mental spiral, continually thinking the world was against her. Perhaps he wanted a redo on what happened, a second chance at protecting her from her mental state. Or maybe he just wanted her, and the part he remembered most was when she was spiraling. Rainbow Dash concluded he wasn’t trying to mess with anypony. In the past, maybe, but not now. Currently, Discord was too distraught by her death to do that. He was different, and she just needed to accept the strange coping mechanism, which was easier said than done. Though it stayed silent, the constant stare of the doll’s unblinking, button eyes kept Rainbow on edge, and the permanent smile only added to it. She just needed to get through the dinner and the night. After that, she could go home, back to Sweet Apple Acres, and pretend like she never saw it. She’d struggle, but she was a confident, strong pony. If anypony could power through the unsettling nature of the doll, it was her. Rainbow, please! Listen to me! Please! The doll whimpered to her, its echoing voice bouncing off the walls. The voice was as uncanny yet distorted as Rainbow remembered. Please don’t leave me here! Just an hour more, and she’d be away from that doll. Rainbow! “Just shut up already!” Rainbow shouted, clenching her eyes shut and yanking her ears with her forehooves. Everypony froze, looking back at her. A second passed without a word before Rarity scoffed, “Well, I never!” Rarity huffed and turned away, Applejack looking back at Rainbow. Another moment passed before Applejack quietly muttered, “Sorry.” Lifting her glass of wine to her muzzle, she took a long sip before setting it back down. “So,” Pinkie started, trying to move away from the awkward exchange, “uh, Twilight. How’s… Spike doing?” As she finished, she attempted to smile, though the corners of her mouth barely turned upward. Rainbow! Please! Just pick me up and leave! Please! “I said, shut up!” Rainbow slammed her hoof down on the table, her eyes glaring at the doll. Twilight opened her mouth to talk but was interrupted. Rain- “Shut up, shut up, shut up!” But- Having been fed up by the doll’s annoying begging, Rainbow threw her ceramic plate at it, growling with frustration. It smashed down onto the doll’s head. What she could only assume was blood splashed everywhere, staining the chair it sat. “What in the world?” Discord asked, shocked at Rainbow’s outburst. He snapped his claws, and the smashed plate repaired itself. Pinkie’s ears began twitching again, this time at a much faster rate. Her left foreleg shook violently, accidentally knocking into Twilight hard. The doll whimpered in pain, crying in loud sobs. The blood slowly began to fade into the chair as the doll recovered. Rainbow wasn’t in the mood for sympathy. She knew Discord was behind this and knew he was messing with her. Now it was clear. Rainbow stood up from her chair and turned towards the two double doors. She walked up to them and took a deep breath inward, exhaling thereafter. “I’ll be in my room,” she muttered, opening the door. So much for putting up with the doll, she thought. Author's Note Hi! It's certainly been a while. After a long hiatus, I am glad to say that the next chapter is in the works! I've completed edits on this and the prior two chapters, and hopefully will have the next chapter posted before Halloween. Stay tuned!
DreamingRainbow walked a grassy path. It was day, though Rainbow saw no sun. Only the pale blue sky. A thick fog covered the land, preventing her from seeing very far. She didn’t know how she got here or where she was traveling. She thought about flying, but something pushed against her wings. It wasn’t powerful, but it would be too taxing to open them fully. So, she decided to keep them pinned to her sides. As she walked, a putrid waft of wind waved past her. Rainbow froze, gagging on the smell. “What is that?” she thought aloud. She slowly began walking towards the smell, which grew in potency. Finally, something came into her field of view. A bloody ribcage. Every part of Rainbow’s mind told her not to go any closer, but her body moved anyway. Soon, the rest of the body came into view. All its flesh and muscle withered away, leaving a bloody skeleton full of guts and entrails. The skull appeared to have been bashed open, a still mostly intact brain showing through a hole. Flies swarmed the body, feasting on whatever remained. Then Rainbow’s eyes shifted down and saw that, hidden in the grass, was the same doll she saw at the dinner party. It lay there, lifelessly. Rainbow hesitantly took a step back. The blue sky faded into a sea of black abyss. Rainbow turned, looking back behind herself, seeing a door had appeared behind her, along with an endless black wall. Etched into the door was Discord’s name written backward. Gulping, Rainbow put a shaky hoof to the door’s handle, pushing the door open. After she entered, the door slammed shut behind her, causing her to jump. Soon a light flickered on, acting like a spotlight to the scene before her. The body from before was now lying in the center of the room. Unlike before, however, it still had most of its flesh and yellow fur. But three other ponies made their presence evident as they walked into view. There in the room with Rainbow were Apple Bloom, Sweetie Belle, and Scootaloo. All three fillies wore a sick, mocking grin on their face. “I don’t know Apple Bloom. I mean, he said to leave it alone,” Scootaloo reminded. “Aw, come on,” Apple Bloom whined. “Haven’t you ever wondered what she’d taste like?” “Maybe she tastes like chicken,” Sweetie Belle suggested. “Only one way to find out. Scoot? Can you do the honors?” “Fine,” Scootaloo accepted, pulling a knife out of thin air. Scootaloo jabbed the knife into the lifeless body, spewing blood onto herself. In response, Sweetie Belle giggled. “Ew,” Scootaloo complained, still smiling a toothy grin. “Gross!” “Here. Let me help,” Apple Bloom offered. She gingerly pushed Scootaloo aside, sticking her forelegs into the body. “Now, the key is ta use a firm grip ta pull out its guts.” With a small grunt, she pulled out a mess of blood-soaked organs. “There!” “Ooh,” Sweetie Belle cooed at the gruesome sight. “Mind if I try the heart?” “Sure,” Apple Bloom said, tossing the heart to Sweetie Belle. Sweetie Belle cracked open her jaw and ripped into the heart, spewing blood into her mane. Sweetie Belle hummed in delight as she swallowed the chunk of heart. “Oh, and can I have a bite of the liver? I love liver,” Scootaloo asked. The three foals were soon digging into the corpse as if their life depended on it, and the light faded above them. Rainbow dared to turn back to the door. Now the door had Discord’s name etched in the correct direction, though now small bits of blood spatter stained the lower-left corner. Worst of all, however, was the foul smell emanating from the door. Rainbow gagged once again, feeling her stomach churn. It was far worse than the earlier smell. It smelled as if meat had been rotted for weeks on end, or maybe even months. Retching, Rainbow turned the doorknob and pulled the door open. A familiar sight could be seen, as stairs led down to a grassy floor, and in the distance, was the giant mansion. Slowly, Rainbow descended the stairs, being sure to look out for the source of the odor. Eventually, after what felt like ages, she made it to the door of the mansion. Despite what Rainbow believed, the smell had gotten even worse. It was as if a thousand rotting corpses were behind that door. She exhaled and lifted her hoof to the doorknob. “Here we go,” she breathed. She pushed the door open to see a long hallway shrouded in darkness, with a door at the other end. Webs covered the hall, but no corpses could were present. There were no turns and no other doors, meaning there was only one way to go. Forward. Placing a hoof onto the wooden floor, Rainbow felt a sudden jutting pain in her head, causing her to grunt. “Gotta… get through this,” she reminded. Step after step, Rainbow felt jolts of pain. What was causing this, and moreover, what was behind that door. Nearing the end of the hallway, Rainbow finally noticed the red streaks on the floorboards. They seemed to smear in the direction of the door. She also noted that the wallpaper seemed to have long, wide scratch marks. There was no doubt in her mind that this was the room the smell was emanating from. Readying herself for the smell, she pushed open the door. Inside was a table, with the hoof-made doll of Fluttershy sitting on it. The room was hazy and dark, the only light coming from straight above the doll. “Well,” a deep, echoed voice boomed, “you certainly made quite the show this week, haven’t you?” The doll was utterly motionless, yet it began crying soft, echoed sobs. Discord, why? Why are you doing this? “I told you to stay in the house,” the deep voice scolded. “But you just had to run away, didn’t you? And after all I’ve given you!” Why are you hurting me? “Quiet!” Suddenly, a knife flew from the darkness, impaling the doll in its chest. Blood spewed from the doll, hitting the wooden table it sat on. The voice sighed before continuing. “If you had just obeyed me, I wouldn’t have had to ask those fillies to take care of you. You would have been whole. But instead, you ran away, without even a word. I hope you’re happy.” The doll continued to cry for a moment, before murmuring I miss my old life. “Come again?” the voice hissed. I said I miss when you weren’t torturing me with those scary images! I miss when you wouldn’t hit me, or punch me, or cut me open, or turn me into some… some freaky doll! I hate you! As soon as the doll finished, the floor broke under Rainbow. She quickly grabbed hold of the surrounding floor, her heart pumping out adrenaline a mile a minute. Her left forehoof slipped off the blood on the floor, and before she could grab hold of another part of the floor, her other hoof slipped as well, causing her to plummet into the seemingly endless void below her. Author's Note Another brief chapter complete! And on Halloween too! If that's not good timing, I don't know what is. I hope you all enjoyed this new chapter. If you couldn't tell, this one leads directly to another, which will hopefully release in a week or two, so stay tuned! Have a happy Halloween!
PanicRainbow's head jolted up as she woke, gasping for air. A regal sheet covered her body, a pillow just a few inches from her head. Turning to her side, she saw her girlfriend sleeping softly. Peering beyond Applejack, she saw her girlfriend's hat lying on a chair near the window. Artificial moonlight shined through the thin white curtains, landing on the hat. As she glanced over her surroundings, her memory slowly came back to her. She had stormed out of the dining room, angry at Discord's toying, and stormed up to her shared room. She had gone to bed shortly thereafter. Then, as she began to think about the doll, the vivid imagery from her dream came back to her. The memory of finding Fluttershy's ransacked body, the Crusaders munching on Fluttershy's organs… and then there was the last thing she observed, where Fluttershy found herself as a doll. She was about to blow the whole thing off as a nightmare when she glanced down at her hooves. Rainbow yelped, realizing her hooves were still covered in the deep crimson she walked on. Grumbling, Applejack shuffled in the bed. Rainbow? she asked groggily. Rainbow noticed a sudden echo had held to her voice, unsettling her. Somethin wrong? Rainbow watched as her girlfriend turned to her, only to freeze once her face was in view. Instead of seeing the beautiful emerald eyes Rainbow was so used to, she saw two large buttons. Blood oozed from around them, dripping down to a sewn shut mouth. Rainbow? "Gah-ah-ah!" Rainbow bolted out of bed, now noticing the large bloodstains on the sheets. She fell to the floor, her heart pounding. Oops, Applejack laughed. Didn't mean ta scare ya. As Applejack's fabric hoof pulled her a bit closer, Rainbow's muscles tensed, and she let out a blood-curdling scream. Applejack had flinched at the noise, giving Rainbow a chance she needed. She bolted to the hallway, no doubt breaking the door to their room. Immediately, she began rapping on Twilight's door. "Help! Help," she cried, her hooves beginning to wear out. Finally, the door creaked open. Rainbow? Is something wrong? Rainbow's eyes locked with what were now deep purple buttons. She gasped and turned, seeing Applejack standing in the doorway to their room. She screamed yet again, bolting away from the two and into a long, empty hallway. Rainbow! Wait! Slow down! Looking back as she ran, she saw the two now dolls chasing after her. Their steps were weightless, their hooves making a sound akin to dropping a pillow on the floor. Rainbow turned a corner, nearly slipping as she galloped away. Looking down the hall, she saw a pink mare staring at one of the few paintings in the home. Rainbow gasped. "Pinkie! Pinkie help! Pinkie! Pinkie," she shrieked. She dove to Pinkie's hooves, clenching them tightly in her grasp. They felt oddly soft as if the mare's inners were made of cotton. Rainbow looked up at Pinkie's face, seeing two blue buttons where her eyes should have been. Without hesitation, Rainbow pushed herself away, scrambling to her hooves. The soft pitter-patter of the other two dolls was nearing her. She turned back around to face the dolls and readied her wings. In a blink of an eye, she took off, cutting through the frigid air. The dolls that were chasing her froze in their tracks. Rainbow collided with the two, sending both the dolls and herself tumbling to the floor. Despite the dolls' soft appearance, Rainbow found that they were quite dense. But the question as to why could wait. Rainbow pushed herself up, groaning, and began fleeing again. She glanced back, seeing the two dolls struggling to stand, and let out a breath. However, when she turned her attention forward again, she saw yet another doll. This one resembled Rarity, even wearing the face mask and silky robe Rarity often slept in. Rainbow was ready for another impact, but thankfully, the doll ducked as she flew over its head. She landed on the ground, giving her wings a break, and began running on hoof once again. At the very end of the hall, she saw the stairwell that led to the first floor. "Thank Celestia," Rainbow muttered, sighing. She entered the stairwell, nearly tripping on the stairs as she descended. Reaching the bottom of the stairs, Rainbow froze. The door had giant rusted chains wrapped around the door's handles, a big lock dangling in the middle of them. Her blood ran cold, and she began hearing the soft hoof steps of the dolls behind her. She leaped for the chains, yanking them in hopes of them being loose. They didn't budge. The dolls were approaching, and from the sound of it, from multiple angles. She had no time to waste on these chains. She turned towards the hallway that led to the dining room. Just as the dolls reached the bottom, she ran into the hall. Rainbow! Stop! The door to the dining room was ever closer. She knew there was no escape, but she had to try. Maybe she could hide under the dining table or behind a curtain. Or maybe she could trick them into going inside and then find a way to lock them in there. She reached the door and pulled on the handle. It too had been locked, though this time without a chain. "No! No," she cried. "T-This can't be happening! I-I'm trapped!" The soft hoofsteps slowed, and Rainbow turned, pushing herself as far away as she could. The dolls inched closer, a new doll joining them. Leading them, however, wasn't a doll. It was Discord. "W-Wait! D-Don't do this," Rainbow begged. He inched forward, holding up a needle with his talons and a spool of yarn in his paw. Tears poured down Rainbow's face like a waterfall. "Please! Let me go! I-I don't want to be turned into a doll!" Discord just smiled, inching the needle closer. Rainbow shielded her eyes with a foreleg and clenched them shut. A moment went by before she felt the cold needle push into her skin. She flinched as it sank deeper and deeper. Her head began to feel light, and she felt her consciousness fading rapidly. Taking in one final shuttering breath, she collapsed to the floor. Author's Note Another chapter complete, meaning there's only one more chapter to go! This was a bit late due to some life stuff, but I'm pretty happy with its outcome. That being said, stay tuned for the final chapter!
EpilogueThe warm sun shined down on the old dirt road. Leaves rustled in the calm, summer breeze, birds chirped, bees buzzed, and not one cloud was in the sky. Applejack didn't care. She slowly strolled down the path, dragging her hooves in the dirt. She wore a brown canvas saddlebag and a frown on her face. Her mane was disheveled, and her eyes were a light pink. She felt as though she could pass out right then and there. No, she reminded herself. Gotta get home first. As she approached the old farmhouse, she saw Apple Bloom playing with Sweetie Belle and Scootaloo. "Tag," Sweetie Belle shouted. "You're it!" "Aw, what? Again?" Scootaloo asked, eyeing Apple Bloom. Giggling, Apple Bloom said, "Can't catch me!" She took off, running away from the two. Sweetie Belle quickly followed, and after a quick pause, Scootaloo chased after. Applejack gritted her teeth as she glared over. Biting back the urge to shout at the three, she continued up to the porch. She saw Big Mac and Sugar Belle napping on the swinging bench, holding each other in their forelegs, and smiling sweetly. Shaking her head, Applejack opened the front door, it creaking in response. She could smell Granny Smith preparing a "breakfast for lunch." Should I..? No. Gotta get this done first, she thought, glancing at her saddlebag. Applejack climbed the rickety stairs, a few moans coming from the floorboards. Once she made it to the second-floor hallway, she noticed a bunch of words had been scrawled onto the green wallpaper with a black marker. "They're watching me," one informed. "My friends are gone," cried another. "Why haven't they done it yet?" a third wondered. Guess she's been busy. Sighing, Applejack put a hoof to the door handle and pushed. As she entered, she flicked on the light. She saw Rainbow, sitting at a window, violently shaking as she stared out into the sky above. "Hey, sugar cube," Applejack greeted. Rainbow didn't turn around. "I, uh, came ta give you yer meds. You… feelin' alright?" Applejack asked, gulping down a lump in her throat. "D-Dolls," she muttered. "E-Everywhere. D-Dolls- DOLLS! E-Everypony's a doll- EVERYPONY! T-They're watching me: waiting for me to give in. I-I can't give in. I can't!" Rainbow got onto her hooves, turning around. She gasped. "Oh no. Oh no, oh no, oh no! P-Please! D-Don't hurt me," Rainbow begged. "I-I don't want to be a doll!" Fresh tears began rolling down Applejack's freckled cheeks. This wasn't unfamiliar to her, yet it always pulled at her heartstrings. Pulling a fresh syringe from her saddlebag, she took a step forward. "S-Stay back! P-Please," Rainbow begged, taking a step backward in response. "I-I'll do anything! Please just let me go!" Rainbow's pinprick pupils locked onto the syringe. "No! No, no, no!" Trembling, she took another step backward. In lockstep, Applejack moved forward. "I promise it'll be over s-soon," Applejack choked, sniffling. "Stay still, Dash." With that, she leaped forward, tackling Rainbow so she couldn't run away. Rainbow flailed about, desperate to escape. "Let me go! Please! Please," she shrieked, her muscles failing to pull herself away. Applejack plunged the needle into Rainbow, holding it as still as possible. Slowly, she pushed the plunger down, and the green liquid inside flowed into Rainbow. Grunting, she whined, "No-o-o…" Her flailing limbs became sluggish, her eyes became heavy, and her mind slowly lost consciousness. Applejack pulled Rainbow into a hug, feeling her girlfriend's now soft breathing brush through her mane. "I'm sorry, Dash," she cried, tightening the hug. "I'm so sorry." Her tears rolled down Rainbow's back as she buried her head into her girlfriend's mane. Choking back her sobs, she whispered, "Sleep tight, Rainbow. I love you." Author's Note And thus the story has been completed! I hope you all enjoyed this little story! I really had fun writing this one. Thank you all so much for reading.
