The little white unicorn struggled against the restraints as the pegasus quickly flew around, creating a small circle of powder around the little pony, meanwhile when the circle was complete the young zebra stepped forward. “What do you think you’re gonna do?” asked Sweetie Belle angrily her voice seemed deeper and somehow like a terrible roar.

The zebra didn't look at Sweetie Belle, from his bag he took a blue powder and blew it into the air “Patine de sofo, keishyesnadora abate” the unicorn chanted.

“Shove it up your a-hole ya cock sucker!” yelled Sweetie Belle.

“Be silent!” ordered the zebra as he flung a liquid onto Sweetie Belle who immediately began to scream and struggle in her restraints like an insane pony in a straint jacket.

“Zenorendedouh obo katashi copo terente” chanted the Zebra.

“Rarity” Sweetie Belle pleaded to her sister “stop him it hurts!”

Rarity looked confused and scared as she looked to the zebra “you have to stop!” she screamed “you’re killing her!”

The pegasus put a hoof up to silence Rarity “you have to understand we’re fighting for her soul!”

3 months earlier…

“My, my it really is filthy down here” said Rarity as she magically swept the dust and dirt off the floor of the rarely used room below the Carousel Boutique, Rarity knew that long ago when the Boutique belonged to the town the room served as a storage facility for unneeded city items (spare desks, bookshelves, inkwells, etc) but never expected it to be so cluttered and filthy.

“Hey Rarity” called Sweetie Belle as she took inkwells off a bookshelf and putting them in a bin to be recycled. “What are you gonna do with all this stuff?” she asked.

“Oh I’ll probably go through, give away a few things, sell others, throw away the junk, and perhaps keep the gems if there are any” said Rarity.

Suddenly Sweetie Belle spotted something on top of a bookshelf “pretty curtains” she remarked clamping her jaws and pulling. “Uh they’re stuck” she said trotting backwards and pulling with all her might!

As the little unicorn pulled and pulled she failed to notice that the bookcase was starting to lean forward! “Sweetie Belle no!” said Rarity pulling her sister to safety just in time as the bookcase came crashing down on where the little pony had just been with a crash. “Sweetie Belle you need to be careful, what if that bookcase had fallen on you? what do you have to say for yourself young mare?” asked Rarity strictly.

“Door” said Sweetie Belle.

“Door?” asked Rarity looking to where the bookcase had been and seeing that there was indeed a doorway into a whole other room! “I was never aware this was here” said Rarity looking at the doorway, it was large and somehow seemed darker than the rest of the wall one couldn't see in the room but one could clearly see a line of some kind of white powder from one side of the door to the other in a line. Rarity carefully went forward “now what would somepony do with this?” asked Rarity scooping up a bit of the powder breaking the line! Suddenly there came a great gust of wind from inside the mysterious room, ice cold wind that nearly blew both Rarity and Sweetie Belle back before vanishing.

“What was that?” asked Sweetie Belle as she timidly hid behind Rarity.

“I’m not sure, stay behind me” said Rarity as she ignited her horn and cautiously trotted forward. As Rarity entered the room she was filled with a sudden feeling of dread like she was heading into the mouth of a horrible creature. The room must’ve been fairly large as Rarity wasn't able to see anything till she was a few steps in, Rarity took a deep breath before creating more light with her horn illuminating the whole room. The room was about the same size as Rarity’s kitchen and the walls and floor were all stone grey, unlike the rest of the Carousel Boutique this room had absolutely no windows in fact the only way to see the outside world was through that doorway. However even though Rarity had no knowledge of this room it seemed to have been in use though not recently, there were a few scattered objects in the room, very old bottles and cans, a few aged chairs one would see outside, a tattered hoof chair, several bins ranging from tool boxes to cardboard boxes, and though Rarity could tell the room had a few more items she led Sweetie Belle out deciding to fully explore her find later.

“Look Rarity we got a postcard!” said Sweetie Belle hoofing the postcard to Rarity.

“It’s from mother and father” said Rarity “Having a wonderful time in Fillydelphia” Rarity read “missing you both, be home soon.”

“Will they be home soon?” asked Sweetie Belle “they’ve been gone a really long time.”

“Oh Sweetie Belle” said Rarity giving her sister a sympathetic hug. It was true that Pearl and Magnum had been gone for over a month on an extended vacation, Rarity knew Sweetie Belle missed them very much but also knew they were due back any day now. “They’ll be home before you know it” said Rarity.

“You promise?” asked Sweetie Belle.

“I promise” said Rarity with a smile. Suddenly this tender moment was broken up by a hissing sound one that Rarity knew but rarely heard. “Opal?” said Rarity following the noise to the living room, sure enough there was Opal hissing on the couch, she had her claws out and seemed to be hissing not randomly, but at something, something that couldn't be seen. Rarity decided that Opal was simply in one of her hissy fits and knew from experience that Opal was best left alone. Soon enough Celestia’s sun gave way to Luna’s moon. Rarity and Sweetie Belle had dinner and said their good nights before heading off to their rooms in the boutique, as she went upstairs Rarity heard Opal was still hissing and seemed to be getting louder. “Perhaps I should take her to the vet tomorrow” Rarity thought to herself. Rarity thought she felt a slight chill as she got into bed which was odd considering the weather Pegasus called for a lovely spring night. However chills aside Rarity got to sleep. It was very late when hooves began to cross the Carousal Boutique, it was dead quiet as the creature snuck across the darkened halls before it reached its destination, behind the door was the slumbering designer, the creature slowly crept across the room to the bed, it raised a hoof, and then it spoke “Rarity?”

Rarity took off her night mask and used her magic to turn on the lights, there was Sweetie Belle looking timid “what’s wrong dear?” she asked.

“Can I sleep with you?” asked Sweetie Belle “I kept hearing things and I couldn’t sleep.”

“It’s just the wind Sweetie” said Rarity calmly.

“Can I just sleep with you?” Sweetie Belle demanded looking on the edge of tears.

Rarity was surprised, it’d been years since Sweetie Belle requested to sleep with out of fear of things that go bump in the night, in fact Rarity assumed her sister stopped believing in such things years ago, yet there she was looking terrified, Rarity scooted over and invited Sweetie Belle to come up. Sweetie Belle smiled as she hopped up and curled up next to Rarity. Soon the two sister were asleep.

The two ponies, a unicorn mare and an earth pony stallion exited the gym after a long night of dancing. The night had been a gift from Celestia for the two ponies they’d been voted prince and princess of the dance on a write in campaign, the cheap dress that Honey Duke had ordered from Canterlot had been mixed up with a much more expensive and extravagant one and she wouldn’t need to send it back to correct until tomorrow, and the Junker wagon which Tackle was borrowing from a cousin had been in an accident the previous day and while the Junker was in the shop his cousin had borrowed a much newer cart which he allowed Tackle to use this evening he even volunteered to pull it. When the couple arrived at the dance they moved with more grace and rhythm then either thought the other was possible of and somehow they won Prince and Princess of the dance on a write in campaign. Now that cold wind seemed to send the two off, they got in the cart and Tackle’s cousin took them off. “I heard Night Sky passed her Equestrain history test with flying colors” said Honey Duke.

“Yeah” said Tackle as the clicking of the wheels began to pick up “and I finally got first string in Hoofball” he said.

“I know that Tick-Tock got that internship working in the clock tower” said Honey Duke.

“And Peach Fuzz got the job at the barber shop” said Tackle the cart seemed to be shaking now. “But Geo…” he began.

“Ummm Tackle aren’t we going a little fast?” asked Honey Duke.

Tackle looked and indeed they were going very fast, his cousin seemed to be going as fast as possible. “Good point” he said “hey slow down!” he called to his cousin.

Whether Tackle’s cousin heard him or just didn’t care he kept going fast even gaining speed! As they entered the town several ponies had to get out the way as the sped through like a bull out of control! “Tackle!” Honey Duke said over the shaking of the cart “this is dangerous!”

“Hey dude knock it off you’re scaring her!” Tackle shouted at his cousin as the cart entered the mountain area.

Still charging along, Tackle’s cousin looked back at his cousin, his eyes were completely white like a zombie pony, he let lose a roar one that sounded in-pony. Tackle only just realized that this was not his cousin as the cart sped off a cliff, It hung in the air for a moment before falling to the earth like a stone Screams filled the air, and then… the sound of cracking wood and something else, the screaming and the ponies to whom it belonged had been silenced, for good!

Rarity woke with a start, Sweetie Belle was sleeping peacefully next to her. Rarity looked around her room, it was still night though not for long, Celestia would raise the sun in an hour. Rarity took several deep breaths and then laid down next to her sister, her dreams though short were free of tragedies and mysterious ponies.

Twilight’s lessons with Sweetie Belle and the other crusaders were really paying off, now Sweetie Belle was able to magically pour her own cereal in the morning, though sometimes Rarity still had to get it started or give her sisters magic a little boost. But today Sweetie Belle managed on her own, which gave Rarity a little more time to put her tea kettle on the stove and prepare a meal for her precious pet. As Rarity removed the cat food from the cabinet she looked around “That’s odd” she said. Opal seemed to have a sixth sense about food, whenever Rarity began to prepare a meal for the feline Opal would always come running and purr against her leg, yet today the cat was nowhere to be seen, even when Rarity put in a little tuna in the food dish as a treat Opal was nowhere to be seen. “Opal!” she called as she put the dish down “Opal breakfast!” she called again “Opal?” she called a final time. “That’s odd” she repeated.

“I’ll find her Rarity” said Sweetie Belle getting down from the table. “Here kitty, kitty, kitty” she called.

“Oh Sweetie Belle you’re a dear” said Rarity ash she went to work with her own meal, light steam was coming out of the kettle now.

“Here kitty, kitty, kitty” Sweetie Belle called as she looked through the living room. Now the steam from the kettle was getting thicker. Sweetie Belle continued to call for Opal as she looked behind and under each piece of furniture until all that was left was the chair behind the window. “Here kitty, kitty, kitty” the little pony called the steam was now shooting out of the kettle, “kitty, kitty, kitty” Sweetie Belle continued, the kettle was now beginning to whistle lightly, “kitty, kitty”, now the kettle was whistling loudly and Rarity magically removed it and poured her morning tea, “kitty, kitty”  said Sweetie Belle as she turned her head to look behind the chair, Rarity’s morning tea had just touched her lips when she heard the scream.

The tea cup fell to the ground “Sweetie Belle!” Rarity called rushing into the living room, she found Sweetie Belle crying and ran to her side “what’s wrong dearest?” she asked.

Sweetie Belle shakily raised a hoof and pointed ahead. The feline’s tiny body was almost completely still save for a tiny twitch in one of her paws, her body was as cold as an iceberg, and her eyes were completely blank! “Oh my goodness Opal!” screamed Rarity.

Next Chapter: Chapter 2: Mare Estimated time remaining: 12 Minutes