Phantasmagoria

by Sena Hoy

Rating: teen
Tags: Sweetie Belle, Opalescence, My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic, Dark, Drama, Rarity, Horror
Length: 7565

An unexpected turn of events leads Rarity to a strange yet disturbing interaction.

It was supposed to be any other night for Rarity. Wind down from an entire day's worth of work, deal with Sweetie Belle on whatever she's on about and enjoy the finer aspects of life. But after a certain turn of events took place, the Fashionista is about to embark on a weird, wacky and disturbing ride, whether she likes it or not.

This fic was inspired by Ah! La Barbe (1905), directed by Segundo de Chomón.

Published 2021-06-19 07:30:01 UTC
Last updated 2021-06-19 07:30:01 UTC

Unlikeliest of Consequences

Deep in the heart of Equestria, night had fallen to the quaint town of Ponyville.

Frigid winds howled through the air as the Moon shone brightly, illuminating the landscape in its light. A sea of stars decorated the sky, further adding to the mystical element the night provided to all of those who bear witness to all of its glory.

In the aforementioned town, most ponies were already tucked into their houses. Stores and stalls had begun closing as the last shoppers were heading their way back to their dwellings. For most of them, their time in the day was spent on all sorts of activities. Errands to complete, businesses to run, studying to be done and families to provide. All of these endeavours, done in the unified, common goal of maintaining their current livelihoods.

Once the sun had set, however, the ponies knew their time outside had come to an end. The cover of night allowed many to wind down from a day’s worth of work, enjoying the pleasures of life within the comfort of their own home, surrounded by those they hold dear to heart.

Those same sentiments, however, could not be applied to the current situation of a certain unicorn.

It had been a long day of grueling work for Rarity. From the need to have her house as spotless as could be, to having to deal with the bountiful orders of garments, the overload of work had taken its toll on her. Rarity was currently working on the last batch of orders, finishing up the final touches needed on her sewing machine. Bags had formed underneath her eyes as she set her full attention on achieving proper and desired results.

Being a mare of perfection and finer detail, there can be no room for error. One simple mistake meant having to undo her entire process and let her work end up in vain. To her, the thought of delaying the orders would undoubtedly be disastrous for her chances in establishing herself in the fashion industry.

“Come on Rarity, just a few more pieces. We’re in the final batch of orders after all,” she internally said while sewing the fabrics together. “This will be over soon, the reward would definitely be worth it,” Having further motivated herself, her mind was now set on completing the task. Having transfixed her attention entirely on her task, she failed to realise her diminishing supply of string she had on her machine. A large thunk resonated in her room, as the sewing machine stopped altogether. Looking down, she saw the last strand of the string roll had come to an end.

“Curses!” Rarity exclaimed in frustration, gritting her teeth after the sudden halt on the bouffant dress she was working on.

Setting herself aside, she began her search around the room. The state of her creative room can only be described as chaotic, as though a hurricane had blown right through it. Unused fabrics laid across the floor, along with rulers, scissors, sketch papers and all sorts of dress-making tools were laying around. Apart from the neatly folded dresses that were the orders, everything was a complete and utter mess.

She was sure Discord would be impressed by the sight of her room.

Going through her mindfield of the room, she reached her supply closet, opening up the drawers containing the rolls of string. But to her shock and dismay, the drawer was empty. Not a single roll left.

“WHAT! No! This can’t be! I can’t be out already!” Rarity looked around in worry. She searched through the drawer, only to find nothing left. Opening up the other drawers in quick succession, her hope in finding a single roll was all for naught.

“No, No, No, No, NO!” yelled Rarity as panic started to fill her mind.

Looking around the room, she hoped to find at least a single roll left. Using her magic, she started to lift up the objects strewn across the floor. A part of her was thinking of the last time she had her supplies delivered. Has it really been that long?

“C’mon, there has to be at least one!” Rarity exclaimed, continuing to pick up objects around her with her magic. Dread further encapsulated the Fashionista as it seems the worst case scenario could become a reality.

While she was rummaging her way through the room, she suddenly heard a sound resembling purring coming from one of the tables. Checking underneath, she saw her dear cat, Opalescence, lying comfortably on the floor. A look of content displayed on her face. But what caught her attention was the object held between Opal’s paws.

“That’s it!” Rarity said in joy, having found what she has been looking for.

The loud noise awakened Opalescence from her nap, seeing her owner looking at her with an ecstatic smile on her face. Not liking what was going to happen, Opal hissed at Rarity, baring her teeth and extending her claws. If she was going to get the roll, then she would have to fight for it.

“Now Opal darling, could you be a dear and generously pass me the roll” she spoke softly to the cat, “if you do, I’ll guarantee you with a brand new mouse toy,” she ended with a feigned smile, one that betrayed her true intentions. Not believing a single word from her, Opal hissed before leaping towards Rarity, surprising the mare in the process as she stumbled backwards. With the roll held in her mouth, Opal quickly fled the scene.

“No, Opal, wait!” she said after reeling back from the sudden surprise, giving chase to the cat.

Opal’s size and agile feline abilities gave her the advantage over the larger unicorn, maneuvering through the minefield of a room she was in. Rarity, meanwhile, tumbled through the room, the materials crushed or flung aside. Without noticing, she then slipped on a hidden measuring tape, sending her crashing into a pile of fabrics and other props. With her owner down, Opal sprinted her way as fast as her tiny legs could go.

Just as Opal was about to reach the door, she felt a force yanking her tail, leaving her suspended in the air. The only thing she could do at the moment was scratching at the carpet below her, the gleaming hope of leaving the door diminishing as seconds went by.

Looking back, she saw Rarity glaring at her. “No! Bad Opal! What do you have to say for yourself,” she said sternly. Opal merely responded by hissing back at her, barely her teeth at her owner while raising her extended claws.

Knowing the situation was leading to nowhere, she rolled her eyes and released the cat from her magical bind. Once touching the ground, Opal quickly scampered away from the scene.

“Good thing I got that out of the way” she matter-of-factly stated, “Now then, where was I?” Rarity assessed the situation, heading back to her sewing machine and returning to her schedule of dress orders.

[Sometime Later]

“Andddd… Voilà!” Rarity said in excitement, with the final dress having been stitched and fully completed. “Alas, it’s finally over,” she said as she ignited her magic, carrying her dress over to the rack, which had some of her other dresses hanging at the moment.

Admiring at the work she had produced, she felt a rather noticeable back pain, as well as other aching from other parts of her body. Cracks and pops were heard as she stretched herself in multiple ways, relieving the pressure felt from her day’s worth of hard work.

“Now that I’m certainly done, today’s order of…” she paused for a moment, placing her right hoof on her chin while her mind was calculating the total amount of orders she had received today, “Let’s see, one batch had five dresses each, with a total of fifteen orders. That would mean… My Goodness! Seventy dresses!” she said in shock, her jaw dropping from the realisation. She had forgotten how many orders she had received at the beginning, due to her immediately getting to work once the list had arrived.

“Without a doubt, that has to be a new personal record!” she exclaimed, still reeling from the amount of work she had done today. Looking at the clock on her right, “Who knew time would go so fast,” she pondered while heading her way upstairs. “Then again, one does lose track of time if they were as transfixed as I was” Rarity pondered out loud, remembering the drive she had not too long ago.

“Anyways, regardless of the time spent, I believe it’s time to have a proper wash,” she concluded, turning and heading her way upstairs.

Reaching the bathroom, she immediately went to prepare herself a nice bath with just the right amount of warmth needed for a delightfully rewarding experience. Igniting her horn, candles were set up around the tub, all scented in the smells of exotic fruit. Once it was ready, she dipped herself within the tub and adjusted herself with the temperature, submerging underwater until her head was the only part that remained untouched by the water. It was there that Rarity finally was able to wind down from her day of work.

“Ahhhh… This is truly a sense of Nirvana…,” Rarity blissfully thought, the stress she felt from the constant work began to erode away under the warm water, her muscle aches loosening and any other pain she felt vanished without a trace. Her mind wandered aimlessly within her tranquil state. Only a select few activities can truly wind her down, among those was a bath of any form, be it the typical hot water to the sophisticated variants present in the local Ponyville Spa.

Time had passed at an unknown pace, but all of that was no concern for Rarity. She had cut out all outside noises and distractions from ruining the experience. From her peaceful state, she felt as though her bath could last for an eternity.

As Rarity was relaxing from the peaceful state of mind, a sudden thought entered her mind.

“Where’s Sweetie Belle?” she opened her eyes, looking around the bathroom, “Last I checked, she left to go on her Cutie Mark crusaders with her friends. I told her to come back before sunset…” A part of her worried over the whereabouts of her sister. “I’m sure she’s back home already, she is a smart filly afterall,” she said as she was about to doze off back to her Shangri-La.

“But that doesn’t mean I can leave her alone…” she stated, getting up from her lying position , “as much as I love to continue this bath, I cannot abandon my little sister.” With conviction set in her mind, Rarity pulled open the plug. Leaving the ever decreasing bath tub, she summoned her magic to pick up her towels, cleaning and drying herself from different directions.

“But that will come later, once I have tried this!” she exclaimed while igniting her magic, picking up the jar of facial cream.

“It’s finally here, the brand new La Camargue facial cream,” Rarity said with giddy excitement, “‘made from the finest, natural ingredients of Monacolt!’ Oh have I waited so long for this to arrive,” she said as she headed downstairs, making her way to her vanity mirror. Setting herself by the table, she turned on the lights through a built-in switch, adjusting herself quite well in front of the mirror. Opening the cap, she dipped her hoof into the transparent cream and began to apply it to her face, smothering it over her cheeks and forehead, avoiding her eyes and horn in the process.

“I cannot wait to see what the results would be tomorrow, a pristine and spotless face for all to see” Rarity said in joy, imagining the effects the cream would have on her face, that of a clean and glistening mare.

As she dipped her hoof in the jar, she was just about to apply more of the cream onto herself. Little did she know, a certain surprise was about to spring up.

“HIYA RARITY!!!” The door burst open suddenly, revealing none other than Sweetie Belle.

The loud and sudden arrival caused Rarity to recoil, sending her slush-covered hoof directly into her mouth, the cream flinging itself into her. She was sent to a harsh coughing fit, her body’s natural instincts kicking in. This caused her to fall off her chair and onto the floor, coughing her way as she was continuing to rid herself of the substance she had accidentally consumed.

Sweetie Belle, meanwhile, was looking at her elder sister in both confusion and concern, feelings of regret mounting over her choice of entrance.

“Um… Are you alright Sis? You looked like you choked on something,” Sweetie Belle said with trepidation.

Once her coughing fit had ended, Rarity, still lying on the floor, gave a stern glare to her younger sister.

“Why that little…” Feelings of anger and frustration were boiling within her, her face steadily turning red, threatening to get a hold over her rationality. Before she could act on her emotions, the elder unicorn closed her eyes and took in deep breaths, calming her mind down from doing anything she would regret later on. “Calm down Rarity, calm down. Anger is not the way of the mind…” she assured her mind in a harmonious tone, reminding her of the ways of peace.

With her mind cleared from any harmful thoughts, she addressed the younger unicorn. “Sweetie Belle, darling,” she said her usual catchphrase with a strained voice, “how delightful it is to see you again,” she said while picking herself up from the ground and dusting herself off, “How was your day? Anything exciting or meaningful done, perhaps?” she said in feign curiosity, for she had a gut feeling of the answer her younger sister would give.

Forgetting any worry she felt before, she returned back to her chipper attitude, “Oh yeah, it was great! The girls and I went on so many quests to find our Cutie Marks!” excitedly replied Sweetie Belle.

“Oh, I see,” replied a monotonous Rarity, already expecting the answer from before “What did you do THIS time exactly?” she questioned with a raised brow.

“Oh, we did all sorts of things today,” she spoke before she sat down on her rump, using her fore hooves as a means to count, “We tried Paddle-boarding in the nearby lake, Oil Painting, Outdoor Biking in the nearby hills, Circus Acts downtown and even Archery in the Orchard!”

The last activity mentioned brought Rarity’s mind to a sudden halt, her pupils shrinking to tiny irises as a state of shock was present on her face. The amount of activities Sweetie took part in was unsurprising to her by now, but some of the activities, particularly those involving weapons and extreme stunts, did raise her concerns regarding safety.

“Uh… I see,” Rarity nodded her head slowly, unsure of her response to Sweetie’s enthusiasm.

“I believe a talk to her and her friends is needed regarding what they could and could not do while pursuing their Cutie Mark. Some of these are downright dangerous!”

Regaining her composure and shaking her thoughts aside, she spoke again: “Anyways, were you successful in any of them?”

After hearing that sentence, Sweetie sighed in disappointment; “Unfortunately, no. Despite all we’ve done, we still haven’t got our cutie marks yet!” She spoke out in a frustrated and dejected tone, her ears flopping downwards as she looked towards the floor in shame.

This sudden change in Sweetie’s mood had an immediate effect on her elder sister. Rarity felt sympathy swelling within her being, her eyes, which before held a question look, now portrayed a look of concern and pity on her younger sister. She knew of her desire to achieve her Cutie Mark, how frustrating it was to still be a blank flank at an age most ponies had already gained theirs. The least yet most decent thing she could do was provide support.

Trotting over to her sister, she gently placed a hoof on her shoulder. Sweetie looked up to see the warm gaze of her elder sister: “Oh don’t be so hard on yourself, dear. I’m sure you’ll find your Cutie Mark.”

“But Sis! I’ve been trying to get my Cutie Mark for so long now! We’ve tried so many things, everything, but it all ends in failure!” Sweetie Belle exclaimed in dismay, tears now welling up in her eyes.

“Maybe they were right. Maybe I’ll forever be a blank flank,” she whispered softly, a defeated look adorned her face. Memories of the countless times Diamond Tiara, Silver Spoon and the other foals who had mocked her started to flood her mind.

“Don’t say such things!” Rarity exclaimed in determination, “You do have talent, no matter what anypony else says.” She then placed her hoof on Sweetie chin, she softly guided the filly to look into her eyes, “Trust me on this, you will find your special talent. It doesn’t matter if you get it tomorrow or a couple of months from now. Everypony, including you, will eventually get their Cutie Mark one day. All you and your friends have to do is to keep your heads high and keep on searching for your special talent,” she ended her sentence with a determined resolve, confident in the conviction of her previous statement.

With the encouragement and support from her elder sister, all doubts she once had vanished as Sweetie smiled up at her. She then launched herself into Rarity’s chest, giving her the biggest bear hug she could muster. The move caught Rarity off guard, surprised by the sudden action, but her shock eventually left as she hugged her younger sister back.

“Thanks Rarity,” came the muffled voice of Sweetie, her face buried within her sister’s chest.

“Just doing what I can to help my dear sister,” she said as she embraced Sweetie. They both stayed like this for sometime, having nothing but the warm feeling of affection between the two.

Breaking the silence, Rarity decided to speak up: “I just want to know, have you had dinner already?”

“Um… no, not yet. What are we having anyway?”

“There should be some leftover Caesar Salad from yesterday in the refrigerator, why don’t you have those instead?”

“Really, yesterday’s food? Did you cook anything at all today?” Sweetie Belle questioned her sister’s suggestion.

“Well… no,” she said as she embarrassingly looked away from Sweetie, “there was a rather large order I had to fulfill today, over seventy of them in fact! Which, as you can see, has left me with no time at all for anything else. I do apologise for this grievance, but I hope you can understand where I’m coming from,” she ended with a tired tone, reflecting the way she felt at the moment.

After hearing her sister explain herself, as well as not being in the mood to feel upset, Sweetie conceded to her requests, “It’s alright Sis, I understand”.

“Thank you darling. Why don’t you get something to eat first, I’ll be there shortly with you”.

Having understood her sister, she picked herself up and made her way out of the room. With her being alone again, Rarity could return back to what she was previously doing.

“Good thing that has been taken care of,” she trailed off when searching for the jar of facial cream, “I do hope she feels better now,” she said with a content smile on her smile, her mood having been lifted after the pep talk she gave to Sweetie. Igniting her magic, she picked up the jar from the floor. Luckily for her, none of the contents spilled on the floor. She rather not want to spend her time cleaning, that would have definitely ruined her mood.

“Good, it appears not a scratch has been made,” she said while inspecting the container for any damage, heading her way back to her chair. At the same time, however, her distraction of the jar led to her failing to see the new, unexpected changes made on the mirror. New changes that would send her into a frenzy.

“Now then, where was I?” she said when she was ready to apply more of the cream onto her face. Viewing the mirror again, she was in for an unwelcome surprise.

“GAAAAAAAH!!” she screamed, flailing her arms around while flinching back from her seat, almost tipping herself backwards.

What she saw was none other than a twisted and distorted reflection of herself, a face that was way out of proportion for a normal pony. What were her usual eyes were instead replaced with small, beady ones. It was not just her eyes that had shrunk, her ears had suffered the same treatment as well, its size roughly half of what it was before. Finally, her lower jaw had protruded forward, stretching to lengths one could not make up if told by another pony. Looking carefully, drool could be seen leaking out from the protruded jaw.

This unexpected discovery had left her heart beating at a fast pace, a hoof now placed on her chest, her jaw dropped from having witnessed such a hideous appearance.

“What in Equestria is this?” Rarity exclaimed in shock.

Tearing herself from the mirror, she looked at the contents of the cream. Turning it around, she began reading the contents of the product, ingredients, component percentages, the expiration date, recommendations, all of the typical stuff you would find. It was then she eventually found what she was looking for. What she read left her speechless.

‘Warning: Do not by any circumstance ingest the contents of this product. Side effects include visual hallucinations upon viewing reflective surfaces, lightheadedness, irritable eye pain and severe abdominal pain. User discretion is advised.’

‘What do you mean hallucinations would occur?! You mean to tell me the ingredients they used would entail all of these negative effects!? What in Celestia’s mane were they cooking up over there?!’ she internally screamed, her eyes glued to the label as she stood as still as a statue. She didn’t expect the consequences to be THIS severe.

While her mind was processing what had just occurred recently, she all of the sudden remembered the moment she had accidently eaten the facial cream after her sister barged in unannounced. It was from there, she deduced, that this entire situation began from.

Looking back into the mirror again, she saw the mirror had changed again to another unpleasant sight. What now stood before her was a massive forehead and ears, with her horn having shrunk itself to the size of a tiny carrot. Her face, meanwhile, was placed on the bottom half and made up roughly a third of her head.These changes reminded her of those mirror houses once would attend in amusement parks, where they would distort a pony’s appearance. Only difference now is that the fun and jesting atmosphere present in those places was absent now, where it was instead replaced with feelings of discomfort and unease.

“Well, this is not what I was expecting,” she said while tilting her head left to right. This new sight before her left as baffled as the previous one, noticing the awkward movements this new appearance had. This new form moved around akin to a bobble head, with her being the new toy to play around with.

When she blinked again, a new change appeared in the mirror.

Her head now stretched from the four corners, from the left and right side of her jaw and forehead specifically. Her head was flat, resembling that of a pancake. Moreover, her face had not only caved into her skull, but it had also shrunk itself once again, which is now even smaller than the previous incarnation. Her horn and mane was barely visible to her.

Rarity looked at this new image of herself with complete bewilderment. The more changes she saw, the more abstract the caricature had become, as though they were born from the depths of a surrealist artist who had gone off to the deep end far too many times than normal.

This new face, to say the least, was rather bizarre.

“Granted, that is not saying much, since all of what I’ve seen so far have been out of the ordinary,” she pondered out loud, placing her hoof on her chin.

After blinking once again, yet another change occurred. This time, however, instead of an odd incarnation of herself with out of proportion body parts, she instead found herself staring, at what she presumes to be, the stallion version of herself.

Her new reflection was taller than her, slightly above the average size of the average stallion. Furthermore, he had a strong, chiseled jawline and a well-defined face. Muscles were noticeable all around his body, be it the neck, arms, shoulders, chest and more. On top of that, he had a beautiful, stylised mane, not too dissimilar to her own, with the noticeable difference being his shorter hair length.

Having fully taken in what she saw before her, a faint blush appeared on her face, as she found herself staring at the noticeable muscles of his body. She had to admit, she was looking at a rather fine stallion, more so than the average Joe, at least in terms of appearance that is. For her, it’s not everyday one could find a somepony this dashing and striking.

“A welcome surprise, compared to what came before,” she said while moving her head around, observing the face first and then other parts of his body, before pulling back and fluttering her eyelashes at the mirror. “My… aren’t you a handsome colt? Looks like I deliver the same fabulous results, regardless of the drastic changes in appearance,” she said proudly as she gave herself a winning smile, her reflection mimicking all of her movements.

While she continued to admire herself in the mirror, an embarrassing realisation struck her: “Wait, why am I talking to myself?” she said abruptly, ceasing all of her actions and adopting an incredulous look, “Better yet, why am I admiring a mere reflection?” she asked herself again, “I know it’s my supposed male counterpart, but the way I’m conducting myself, it’s completely unladylike!” she gasped, shocked at the manner she had presented herself before.

Turning herself over to the side, she began her rant: “Oh, this could simply not do.” she said while raising her hoof over head in a dramatic fashion, before continuing “Ugh, Behave yourself Rarity! You should not fawn over yourself like a filly over a school crush,” she spoke resolutely, declaring herself in determination, “You’re lucky nopony else witnessed this, imagine how embarrassing it must’ve been.”

Before she could further continue on her rant, she spotted movement at the corner of her eye, another change had just occurred. Looking back at the mirror, she assumed this new image would just be another silly portrayal of herself, no different from the previous versions she had seen herself.

What she saw this time, however, what took over the mirror had nothing to be admired about.

To say the sight before her was unpleasant would have been an understatement to say the least. Her normal eyes were now sunken into her skull sockets, a noticeable darkness placed between her eyes and her face. The reflection looked as though it hadn’t slept in weeks. What made it worse was the creepy unnatural grin that was present on ‘her’ face.

This new disturbing incarnation caused Rarity to cease any attempt of moving, her undivided attention being directed to the abominable sight before her.

At least with the previous reflections, while mostly silly, they still had some sort of charm.

This one on the other hand had absolutely none of it.

Looking around, she saw more of the details regarding this new creepy guest. What was once her well-groomed mane looked absolutely disgustingly, with dirt, mud, stains and other unknown fluids seen all over. Rarity could only guess what they were, for she did want to know what they truly were. Her horn had a burned top and ashened bottom, resembling that of a burned matchstick. Wrinkles and scars could be seen all over her once spotless face.

While she observed the unwelcoming sight before her, it was there she finally noticed something, a realisation that sent chills down her spine.

The mirror was not following her lead.

Its dilated pupils had remained at the same exact position, staring intently at her. Her eyes were akin to a predator sizing up its prey.

Seconds go by as Rarity dared not to move a single muscle, for she believed if she did, it would provoke a reaction. She was downright horrified by the deeply unsettling look the thing gave her, for it was deeply unsettling.

It was then she blinked. What was a natural bodily function had unintended consequences for Rarity.
All of the sudden, the eyes on the mirror were completely engulfed by the dark shades around it, leaving only empty husks present. Her eye sockets were no pitch black, with not a single specter of light reflecting from it. Black substance started leaking from her sockets, as well as her ears and nose. Tendrils sprung out from its mane and swirled around the figure.

If she thought the previous one was bad, this new appearance was the very definition of a nightmare.

Rarity tried her hardest not to cry out in terror as the newcomer kept its ominous look onto her. All of her undivided attention was currently used to stare at this creature. Keeping her eyes open, she did her best to not lose sight of whatever the thing was trying to do. Its tendrils moved around in synchronisation, left and right, up and down, all moving in a hynopstheising way. Its eyes continuously leaked out black substance while grinding ever menacingly, waiting for her to blink once more.

Time has passed as Rarity continuously stared down the creature before her. Trying to maintain her composure, she searched for any attempt the beast would employ in an attempt to harm her in any way. She did not know how long it would take her, but she did not want to see any more of this beast and what it would try to do to her.

Unfortunately for her, the situation got even worse.

Her eyes were burning, straining from having not blinked in a concerning amount of time, her tears having covered her vision. She knew that she could not continue any longer. Wanting nothing more than to relieve herself from her ocular pain, she made a fateful decision, one she hoped she wouldn’t regret.

She blinked.

With her vision clear again, she looked into the mirror once more, where she now saw the figure having placed itself crouching, its tendrils holding onto the edge of the mirror and grabbing it. Compared to before, its form looked noticeably smaller now as it seemed to have moved itself further back.

Rarity was initially confused by what she saw, not understanding why it was in this particular position. But after seeing the tendrils attaching onto the mirror’s edge, it soon dawned upon her. The thing was going to use its tendrils like rubber bands, while its body had become a projectile. The figure had transformed into a giant slingshot.

Once this revelation reached her mind, the figure, as though it had read her mind, sent her a wicked grin, its razor sharp teeth being displayed in all of its unnatural glory.

It looked ready to pounce at any moment now.

“Stay back...” she warned the creature, raising her right hoof in a feeble attempt to ward off the adversary before, “Stay back! I’m warning you!” she said with indignation, putting on the bravest face she could make at the moment, even though her appearance was a mere facade, for she was absolutely terrified of what she saw before her.

Sensing the general sense of fear within her, the creature emitted out a deep, guttural laugh, further terrifying Rarity beyond belief. It was there she saw the tendrils had broken through the edges of the mirror and started to expand onto the wall, slowly consuming more of it as she looked helplessly over the situation she had found herself in.

“No, I can’t take this anymore!” she screamed out as she ignited her horn, lifting the jar now present within her magical hold. She would not let this thing get the best of her anymore.

As though the powder-keg had finally been lit, the figure launched itself right at her, closing the distance between itself and its intended target, its form quickly dominating her peripheral vision as time flew by at a rapid pace.

Knowing the situation was now or never, with one big throw and scream, she smashed the jar into the mirror, destroying both of them in the process. Glass shards and particles rained down upon the floor and table, the wall behind the former mirror now covered in sludge. With the connection to the vessel now gone, the assaulting image disappeared from sight.

The creature, it seemed, was no more.

Breathing heavily over what she believed to be an attempt on her life, Rarity was left in a frenzied state. Her eyes scan the mirror and the wall, staring intently for any signs of the creature’s presence to show once more to torment her again. The stress, anxiety and paranoia from that traumatic ordeal she had just experienced had finally overcome her rationale.

Raising her forelegs, she covered her face and began to quietly weep, relieving herself of all of the pent up emotions she was feeling at the moment. As she sat on her chair, she was releasing all the tears and taking in all the breaths she needed to calm herself down. She was trying her hardest to get rid of all traces of that horrific incarnation.

“Is it gone, is it finally over?” she spoke in her mind, raising her head once she was sure the creature was truly gone. It was there she noticed the state of her former mirror. Only a few shards of glass remained on the mirror’s wooden edges, the rest laying on the floor. Her wall was now splattered with facial cream, as the remains of the glass jar joined the dangerous mess below.

Having ceased her weeping, she wiped the rest of the tears from her now swollen eyes. Her vision now cleared, Rarity just sat on her chair and merely stared blankly ahead, to her now broken piece of furniture.

While she was still processing the events that took place before, the door to her room burst open again. However, unlike before, the noises did not register in her head, as she continued to stare ahead.

Sweetie Belle had returned once more: “Rarity, what happened!” she exclaimed. The younger sister looked ahead and was met with only silence. Being met with no response and the back of her elder sister, Sweetie ran over to her side.

She then exclaimed in shock when she saw the broken shards of glass right in front of her. The table and mirror were in a state of total disrepair, the wall covered in a sludge of some sort. But what was most shocking was the state her sister was in: “What happened! Why is your mirror broken!” she prodded her sister with her hooves, shaking her in the process.

Her shaking had seemed to do the trick, for it got Rarity out of her unresponsive state.

“Ugh, uh… what?” she said in an unrefined tone, looking down to see her younger sister, a look of reasonable concern adorning her face.

“Sis, what happened? Why is your mirror broken? Did you get hurt!?” she exclaimed while inspecting her body for any cuts or bruises.

Before she could ask another question, she was hugged by her elder Sister

“No, no, Sweetie… nothing… bad happened to me...”

“Physically speaking, at least”

Rarity’s comment did not ease her one bit. Breaking the hug, Sweetie retorted her sister’s claim: “No, I don’t believe you!” she said with displeasure, giving her sister a stern look, “If nothing bad happened, then why is your mirror broken?”

Rarity was surprised by the tone her sister had addressed her, and while she wanted to respond to her, she knew she was right. Her sister had made a good point, no sane pony would break their mirror while screaming to the heavens. She was left standing there, staring blankly while her mind was trying to conjure up a response.

“What happened Sis? Please, just tell me” Sweetie said with the most sincerest of tones, her face reflecting a level of concern one would expect a sibling would give to another, especially if harm was inflicted upon one of them.

The look on Sweetie’s eyes, her honest desire to know the root cause of her sister’s frenzied state, was more than enough to send a message to Rarity. It was there she had to eventually tell her the truth, she couldn’t avoid or stall her sister any longer.

“I… I… saw some… things, horrible things,” she stuttered out softly, which was uncharacteristic of her usual self, “I saw twisted incarnations of… myself in the mirror.”

Sweetie was taken aback at her sister’s revelations. Twisted incarnations? What did she exactly mean by that? She could only imagine the kind of reflections Rarity saw within that mirror.

‘They couldn’t be that bad, right?’ Sweetie wondered within her mind, “What did they look like?” she asked Rarity, inquiring more about the source behind her sister’s torment.

Rarity conjured up the best response she could come up, with having to go far into detail, for she did not want to revisit those cursed images again: “Some of them were… bizarre, to say the least. Long faces, wide eyes, all sorts of weird facial expressions. Others though… they were downright terrifying… especially the last one,” she ended her response with a shudder, her mind going back to the tendrils and liquid leaking from its face.

Her response, while intriguing, only satisfied her curiosity by a small amount. The last comment especially only served to drive her into knowing more about these apparitions.

“How did it all start?” she asked once again.

Rarity hesitated in answering this question. Did she really want to tell her? That it was actually her fault for causing her older sister so much trouble tonight? She already had enough trouble on her own, adding her sister to the fray would not ease the situation one bit. She knew what she was going to say will not satisfy Sweetie, but she hoped she would understand where she was coming from.

“I will tell you that for another time,” she said in a dismissive tone, looking away from her sister’s gaze

“But-”

“Sweetie, please! I know you wish to know, I don’t blame you for wanting to know more. But it has been such a long day for me! From the orders I had to complete to what just transpired before, I only wish for things to return back to normal! I will tell you what led to all of this, but…” with her momentum broken, she wearily sighed and looked down to the ground, addressing her sister in a defeated tone, “now is just not the time...”

Once her outburst had ended, Sweetie was left in a conflicted state. Having to see her sister plead in front of her, while also wishing to know the root cause behind her problem. She wished she could go on further, but that would only lead her to be more uncooperative. But how could she find the cause behind her torment?

It was there she had made her choice.

“Alright Sis, I understand. But you will tell me what caused this, no but’s or if’s,” she added with a resolute face and a stomp of her hoof.

Rarity gave a slight smile towards her sister’s declaration, for she found it adorable and heart warming to see her sister acting over protective for her, even if she was attempting to do a serious face.

“Will do, my dear. Thank you for your concern,” Rarity simply responded, for it was moments like these that remind her how grateful she was to have a sister.

“Just doing what I can to help,” she said while giving a salute in an upbeat tone, a big and bright smile present on her face.

Having got her sister to understand, the situation deescalated, all Rarity thought of now was a means to get her to help with her current condition. It was there that a sudden name popped up in her mind.

“Speaking of help, I believe a trip to Zecora is needed for tomorrow, for I am in definite need of her assistance.” she said with realisation, for she believed the Zebra had more experience and understanding of situations like these. She did help her friends with the Poison Joke after all.

“Maybe we can go to her now? I went to her place plenty of times with my friends, I definitely know the way there,” Sweetie suggested, feeling confident with her abilities.

The aid of Zecora would definitely help her, she couldn’t do it now, for there was no way she would dare travel to the Everfree forest at the dead of night, even if her sister claims to know the way.

“While I appreciate the gesture, I would have to politely decline. Tomorrow should be fine. I rather not leave the boutique at the moment.”

“Alright then, if you say so,” she said while turning around, heading her way downstairs, “I still haven’t finished my dinner yet. Are you coming?” she asked with a raised brow, stopping to turn her head around to her sister.

“Don’t worry, dear. Go ahead, I’ll come along soon,” Rarity reassured Sweetie, waving her hoof forward as a means of approval.

With a simple nod, Sweetie made her way to the door.

As she saw Sweetie leaving, a sudden thought appeared on Rarity’s mind. She almost forgot to ask her a favour, a request that, while something she isn’t too proud of, felt was necessary for this occasion.

“Wait, Sweetie…”

“Yeah?” she stopped again, looking back at her sister.

With her attention now on her, she hesitated at first: “I know this would sound bizarre to you, but…” She was feeling embarrassed of having to say this out loud, but she felt this was necessary, especially considering recent events. Swallowing her pride, she then presented her offer:

“Is it… alright… If I were to… uh, sleep with you, tonight?”

Sweetie did not expect a request such as this had been made by Rarity of all ponies. Usually she was fine on her own, able to take a few hits but still managing to stand strong and proud. She didn’t know her sister would be startled to this extent. Whatever she witnessed must have shook her hard.

“Uhmm…. Sure. Though you would need to bring your own mattress, because I don’t think my bed would be enough for the both of us,” she stated in a matter of factly manner.

“Yes, yes, that’s fine by me,” Rarity merely replied.

Heading her way out, Sweetie shut the door behind, a resounding sound echoing through the room.

Once she was alone again, Rarity was left to her thoughts and began to reflect on what had occurred so far. Her sister had allowed her to sleep with her for this one occasion. This would greatly help her, especially when dealing with any of those hallucinations again.

Speaking of hallucinations, she looked back, only to see the dried up sludge splattered across her wall. She would have to clean that eventually.

At the same time, she remembered the label on the jar. Her mind flashbacks to the moment she read the label and all the other side effects included in that concoction.

‘Warning: Do not by any circumstance ingest the contents of this product. Side effects include visual hallucinations upon viewing reflective surfaces, lightheadedness, irritable eye pain and severe abdominal pain. User discretion is advised.’

The added effects of lightheadedness, eye pain and severe abdominal pain did not by any means jibe well for her.

And what’s even worse for her was she had no idea when she would be expecting all of this. Right now she was feeling rather fine, but she had no clue whether or not it would start right after this or sometime later.

Having this realisation down upon her, as well as all of the day’s events stacked upon her, Rarity simply fell forward with a large thump. With her forelegs on the top of her head, her face on the floor, she groaned loudly, adding a remark in a muffled voice, foretelling what would await her:

“This is going to be a long and excruciating night.”

Author's Note

This is my first time writing a fic, despite being her for three years. But hey, worth a shot I guess.

Hope you enjoyed what you read. Feel free to comment your thoughts down below, fair and valid criticism is greatly appreciated.

Sena