Rainbow'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!