Where is Everypony

Spike ran into the boutique. His breath was so heavy and it felt like he was being chased. Yet, even after looking back for the tenth time, there was nothing there. Still, his heart was beating faster than it ever had before. He had run faster than any other time in his life. His mind was racing a mile a minute as he tried to figure out what was going on.

He turned his attention back to the building. The doors were open, and the lights were on. But just like the castle, it was silent. Walking inside, his gaze shifted around. Nothing seemed to be out of the ordinary. At first glance, it appeared the same as ever, but he could sense a subtle wrongness to it all. He couldn't tell what was off, but his gut told him something was amiss.

"Rarity?" he called out, expecting his friend to answer back.

Just like before no answer came. Only utter and very unnerving silence. Her being away did make more sense than Twilight. She had multiple shops to run, and customers to meet, in town and out of town. But she also had a sister who had a habit of being dropped off at her doorstep without warning. Even as a full-grown adult, Sweetie Belle would find herself just as alone as Spike was currently in the boutique.

However, he could hear a single note of her soft music playing. Alone the mare wouldn't hesitate to fill the place with her songs and voice. Yet as Spike stepped inside, he found a lack of this presence too. It was all just as empty as everywhere else.

The further he wandered inward stranger and more familiar things got. All the newest dresses were perfectly in place, but all the older ones were gone. There were still some of her works in progress, but none of the completed products were older than a month, especially a year. Clothing wise that wasn't too strange as Rarity was a generous mare, often giving away any clothing that didn't sell.

But there was one thing Rarity would never part with. Spike's eyes widened and rushed through the backroom. He ripped open the door and looked around the record room. This left him utterly shocked. There wasn't a single blueprint left. All her greatest designs, both big and small are gone. There were a few recent notes that could have been written up not but hours ago, but everything else was gone.

"That's impossible," Spike muttered, "Why would she move them? All those pieces were filled with so many memories..." He slowly walked over each empty slot, and his memories played. From all the hours the two would spend on each piece to the many cuts and stabs he would heal in helping her.

The mere fact that all of it was gone left him in a flood of emotional confusion. Why would she remove them all? Where was Rarity and Sweetie Bell? Why didn't either of them answer when he called out? These questions filled his head, causing his chest to ache.

His mind was a whirlwind of thoughts. Yet his feet carried him to the deepest end where a chest stood untouched. It was their greatest shared memory. Something Rarity held close to her heart. She wouldn't let anyone near it, not even Sweetie Belle. The only one allowed near it was him, for he was the one who gave it to her.

If she took all this stuff away without warning why was this still here? It was a question that shook Spike the hardest. His claw trembled as he reached forward, slowly lifting the lid. His eyes widened upon seeing what was inside. Much to his confusion, despite how long she kept this, it was still here. This completely broke the pattern, but that was what left him in utter horror.

Pulling it out revealed the Fire Ruby. A gem symbolizing Spike's ever-lasting love for the mare. It was abandoned by Rarity's disappearance. And the worst part, it was completely shattered. Nothing more than pieces and the chain they were barely held onto.

"No, no, no!" Tears tipped in his eyes as his legs kicked back. He wanted to throw it away, deny its shattered and destroyed form. yet it would never leave his hand. This was his symbol, his proof, and now it was nothing more than pieces.

Spike was lost in a whirlpool of confusion consumed by ever-growing sorrow and neglect. It carried him out of the room, through the halls, and out the door. His feet moved on their own, taking him further and further from the boutique. The tears blinded his vision, his breath became shallow, and his mind raced with thoughts and emotions.

Yet his body refused to stop. It continued to carry him away from the shop and toward the center of Ponyville. The tattered remains of the Fire Ruby dangling from his fingers. His mind was in such distress and unaware of the shadowy figure trailing from house to house. Watching him, stalking him, and waiting for a chance to pounce and snap away his life too.

It only stopped upon seeing the Fire Ruby in his hand. Echoes of Rarity's gruesome demise played in its mind. It could feel her bones struggling within its black mass of corpses. Somehow, it could sense her desire to protect Spike even from beyond the grave. The creature tilted its head, a cracking sound coming from its neck. This silence the memories of her last words and her attempt to fight them off as they devoured Sweetie Belle right in front of her. With a shrug, the monster slithered away. The dragon, still completely oblivious, stumbled back until his back hit a tree.

He leaned against it, slowly slipping down. His eyes came upon a treehouse. He could feel his heart tightening at the sight of the structure. This was the CMC's clubhouse. His hand loosed on the broken gem. His tears dripped down his face, his sorrow fading in the denial and hope that somewhere he could find somepony. The Fire Ruby's remains fell out of his hand as he climbed up the ladder.

******