“Hello Miss Rarity.” A dark grey mare with long hair sat with a notepad, looking out from over her glasses at the shaking white and purple unicorn before her. “Can you tell me why you’re here?”

Rarity sat hunched over in the overly cushioned chair, her limp, dirty hair hanging in her face. “Twilight Sparkle forced, pardon me, brought me in. She thought I could use a pony to vent to. 'You need to calm down,' she says. 'you've got get over it, it's over now,' she says.” the unicorn tried to bite back an rude remark to her friend. Rarity’s normally pristine demeanor had faded away to show a shivering, paranoid mess. Long, shiny purple hair had turned to stringy clumps. Bright, happy blue eyes were full of darkness and red from tears. Her white fur was dull and discolored, and her eyebrows furrowed in a constant worry. “I really see no need for this, I’m fine.” She mumbled.

The mare scribbled something and sat back up. “My name is Ms. Mareanda. I will help you through this, ok? Just tell me everything you know.”

“But that’s just it. I know nothing.” Rarity’s frowned deepened. “Just that all my friends are... Gone.”

“Ah, that’s a start! Good. I mean, bad. It’s bad that they’re gone.” The mare was excited that Rarity was cooperating, yet kept a sympathetic tone.

“Of course it’s bad! It’s horrible! It’s… it’s absolutely horrifying!” Rarity wailed loudly, the force of her voice almost knocked the jelly bean bowl over that sat next to her.

Ms. Mareanda reached over and steadied the bowl. “Of course, darling.” She said, leaning back and checking something off on her little pad. Rarity decided that if she ever got the chance, she would burn the damned pad and pen. Who is this pony to judge me? “Please, tell me all that you can remember, from the beginning.” the mare droned on.

Rarity scowled at the floor. Her eyes were dry, no tears came, but if she had tears still in her, Rarity would drown the room with the memories of the last two weeks. “How is this going to help? You’ve already seen the news, the front pages in Equestria Daily. I’ll just be repeating what everypony already knows.”

Ms. Mareanda sighed. She had experience with ponies who refused to open up. She tried to use Rarity’s ego against her. “Ah, but Rarity, darling, you have special insight. You are exactly what we need. You, and all your wisdom, will surely be the best source of information. Please, dear, we need you.”

Rarity glanced up at that wretched mule. She was trying to brainwash her, She knew it. But Twilight wouldn’t forgive Rarity if she didn’t open up to this pony. Twilight... The last one. The pony that Rarity promised to guard with her life. She sighed. “Fine. But only for Twilight.”

Ms. Mareanda smiled. “Good! Just sit back, relax, and tell me absolutely everything.”

---

“Pinkie Pie! PINKIE PIE!” Rarity was yelling, trying to wake Pinkie from her sleep. “PINKIE! Wake up!”

The pink, frizzy haired pony blinked her eyes open. “Wh.. whaat?” She mumbled, confused.

“Pinkie, dear, wake up! Oh my, it’s almost 2 in the afternoon! What in heaven’s name you DOING last night?” Rarity prodded at the tired pony with her hoof. “Darling, I know it’s best to get your beauty sleep, and Celestia knows your hair needs it, but too much is never good for anypony!” She nudged Pinkie into standing position. Pinkie Pie shook her head.

She blinked twice, then grinned like a maniac. “Rarity! Ohoh, Rarity it’s so nice to see you! I went to the bestest EVER party last night! It was hosted by DJ PON-3! Can you believe it?! DJ PON-3!” Pinkie gushed out, as she hopped up and down. “You shoulda been there! We were up all night!" Pinke giggled at the memory of the fantastic party.

Rarity smiled politely. “Good thing you’re up, dear. Last night I was working on our dresses for the Grand Galloping Gala. Yours turned out great!"

Pinkie sat down. “I still don’t think the Gala is the best idea. I mean, remember what happened last time? There wasn’t even any sarsaparilla!” She pouted.

Rarity giggled. “Oh, but Pinkie darling, Celestia told me personally that she has redone the Gala this year, to fit all of our needs! Isn’t that just fabulous?” As she talked, Rarity pushed Pinkie out the door of her home and toward her own. “And your gown is simply adorable!”

Pinkie squealed. “Really? That's so nice of her!”

Rarity smiled and nodded. "This year, we have to be on our best behavior. Even if it's not exactly what we want, you must be polite."

“Oh, fine. As long as I get to PARR-TAY!” Pinkie Pie stood up on her hind legs and did a series of silly looking dance moves. Rarity couldn't help herself, she fell on her rump and burst into a fit of giggles.

“Pinkie! Rarity! Watch out, guys!” A burst of color swept past the two ponies, blowing their hair back. The color angled back; it was none other than Rainbow Dash. “’Sup?” She asked, as if she just walked up to them like any normal pony would.

Rarity quickly tried to calm the frizziness Dash's gust of wind gave to her hair. “I’ve made Gala gowns, Rainbow Dash. The Gala is going to be much better this year, according to Celestia.” The unicorn said and she brought out her comb and began to fix her hair.

Pinkie nodded, ignoring her hair. It was already frizzy beyond repair, anyway. “They'll have everything, Dashie! Aren't you excited?”

Dash beamed at Pinkie. "Sounds AWESOME!" she said as she fell into step beside her bouncing pink friend.

“Come on girls, hurry up now. I can hardly wait to show you the dresses.” Rarity said, trying to get to two mares that were talking quietly with their muzzles close together to go faster.

Rarity opened the door for Pinkie and Dash. “Come on dears, come see your new gowns!” The two ponies were excited and nervous at the same time, and walked in cautiously.

“Ooooh, Rarity! They’re super fantastically wonderfully awesome!” Gushed Pinkie.

“They’re not even 20% cooler, they’re 100% cooler than last years’ gowns!” Squealed Dash.

“Thank you, thank you. Do you want to see the others?” Rarity asked, humbled by their enthusiasm.

“Yeah!” The two ponies said in unison.

“Alright, wait just one moment.” Rarity walked over to something that was covered in a cloak. She pulled it off, revealing four more gowns. Rarity’s, Twilight’s, Fluttershy’s and Applejack’s.

There was a moment of shocked silence, then three pairs of horrified shrieks filled the dress shop. The cloak Rarity was holding dropped to the floor. As it landed, all three ponies were staring wide-eyed at the horrendous site before them.

Applejack’s gown was beautiful, yes. But instead of the usual mannequin, there was the stuffed, dead body of their dear friend AJ. A pole stuck straight through her spine, and head hanging limply, her hat tipping off her head, as if in a greeting. Her beautiful dress hanging off her body. A pool of dark red blood surrounded the horrendous sight, the stench of it gave away that the kill was fresh.

All the dresses were designed to show off the ponies’ cutie mark. Some matched the color, some matched the shape. Apple Jack’s dress was fashioned so that the skirt was bright red and shiny, with cute little apples sewn on the hem. The skirt fell over her backside like a beautiful waterfall, but it was high enough on the back for one to see her cutie mark.

However, there were no three cute apples that made up AJ's previous cutie mark; only a circle of dried blood, and stitches from where a new cutie mark was sewn in. The cutie mark was an apple, but a green one with poison seeping out of the bite mark in the side. It clearly showed the death of Snow White, a beautiful maiden in a old mare's tale.

The three ponies reared back from the disgusting site. Rainbow's wings instinctively flew out to cover her eyes as she turned away from what was before her. Pinkie coughed and spluttered, barely holding back a wave of nausea, before crumpling to the floor. Rainbow Dash fell beside her, shaking and shivering with trepidation and disbelief. They spoke no words, it was too horrible for them to grasp. Tears streamed from Rainbow's eyes and down her muzzle, soaking Pinkie's mane as the two held each other closely, searching for comfort in each other's warmth.

Rarity blinked and stuttered, staring at the mutilated body of her dear friend. Completely shocked bewildered, Rarity backed away from the scene until she hit the wall. She began to hyperventilate due to the shock, and soon her vision became cloudy and blotched with dark spots. She sobbed and choked, the tears staining her face and neck grey. Who would do such a thing or why was beyond comprehension. As the reality of the situation hit her like a solid wall, and she fell to the floor, unconscious.

When she awoke, Rarity was sprawled out on a bed, but it wasn't her own and smelled of cleaning products. Sitting up, the unicorn looked around at the small white room. There was a chair covered in plastic pushed against the wall, and a series of confusing medical-looking items on one side of her bed.

A nurse pony with bright, happy yellow hair and a off-white body slipped into the room quietly. As she attended to the robotic thing next to Rarity, she hummed a lullaby that sounded a little familiar to the sleepy unicorn.

"Excuse me, but could you tell me exactly what I am doing here, miss?" Rarity asked.

The nurse jumped. "Oh, you're awake! Pardon me, for I thought you were still asleep. You took such a long nap, dear. I'm glad you're up and about now!"

Rarity coughed, holding her hoof to her hoof. "Ahem, I asked you something, ma'am." she reminded the nurse.

"Y-you did? My apologies, I'm just so scatterbrained these days." she answered, giving off a nervous giggle. "I'm not quite sure why you are here, I wasn't told. I'm simply here to clean up."

"Clean up?" Rarity repeated. She looked around the room again. "Why, this place is spotless! What do you have to clean up?"

The nurse pony was silent for a moment, looking at the large robotic instrument. She flipped her golden mane a little out of her eyes, then started to talk again, "It's never dirty here, but these.... Things always need a good lookin' at. I guess all I'm supposed to do is check for some weird noise or blinking light. I don't see any, so it's fine for now. You have a nice day, ok? I hope you get better soon!" with that, she happily trotted from the room.

Rarity huffed angrily. She hoped somepony would come and explain what was going on. She couldn't remember a thing--

"Wait," she whispered to herself. "I remember... Showing the dresses to Rainbow Dash and... Was it Pinkie Pie? Yes, it was Pinkie." Leaning back ont he pillows, she continued to rack her memory for what had happened earlier... Or last night. How long has she been here?

Suddenly, it all came back. Applejack, the dresses, the mutilation. The stench of death and fresh blood filled her nostrils once again. Rarity coughed, trying her hardest to hold back the bile that surfaced in her throat. Even after a good sleep, the horrible reality of what happened to AJ still hadn't really sunk in, but the disgusting thought still brought nausea to her mind.

"Hey, Rarity?" a familiar voice sounded from the doorway. Rarity turned and saw her friend Rainbow standing along with Pinkie in her door frame, frowning at her. "Uh, are you... Ok?" she asked.

"N-not really," Rarity began shakily. "I just can't... Grasp this. Who would do..." Rarity trailed off as the horrible picture that was etched in her memory flashed across her vision.

Pinkie Pie slowly made her way next to Rarity. Her hair had flattened out like it does when she's depressed. Her eye's weren't bright and crazy looking, however. they were dark and sad. "Hey..." she whispered, nuzzling her friend on the neck in an attempt to comfort her. "It'll be ok, I promise. We'll find out who did this. It's... A horrible incident, but it will be fixed."

Rainbow Dash stood next to her friend. "Yeah, Pinkie Pie promise."

"Cross my heart and hope to fly, stick a cupcake in my eye."

---

Rarity stopped talking, she began to choke up. She cried a tearless cry, just a series of moans and whimpers. For a few minutes the grey mare just watched her shake shudder, a sad look on her face. "After that, I told Twilight what happened. She saw how torn I was, and took me here."

Ms. Mareanda nodded sympathetically. “Did anyone else see Miss Apple Jack?” She asked.

Rarity nodded. “My sister, Sweetie Belle did. The poor sweetheart, she cried for days..”

The therapist nodded slowly, scribbling more things on her pad. “Could you continue for me, dear?” Ms. Mareanda prodded Rarity's knowledge carefully, trying not to set her off.

Rarity scowled at her. “No. you’ve heard enough. No pony can do anything, they’re already dead.” she said flatly.

The anger in Rarity’s voice started the mare. “Oh, dear. No reason to get mad, now.” She forced a smile, trying to bring a happier mood to the situation, but it was in vain. "If you like, we can talk about something different for a while."

"No." Rarity growled, increasingly becoming more annoyed with the therapist. "I don't want to talk at all. Not to you."

Ms. Mareanda flinched at Rarity's harsh tone. "Dear," she continued. "We really need your help."

Sighing, Rarity turned her face away from the mare. She knew she was being very rude to her, but at this moment she didn't care. Anger built up inside her as she thought more about it. "I don't have to tell you anything." she snapped. "I've told you plenty already."

Rarity watched as Ms. Mareanda sighed and wrote a few more things on the pad. "Hey," she started, sitting up straighter. "What exactly are you writing on there, if you don't mind me asking?"

"O-oh, that's confidential, actually..."

"No, I want to see it." The unicorn's horn began to glow dimly.

"I really shouldn't show you," Ms. Mareanda held the pad to her chest tightly.

"Oh, but don't you think it would e best not to keep secrets from your patient?" Rarity continued, a suddenly calm look on her face.

"U-uh..."

Rarity's horn grew brighter, the pad along with it. She used her magic to carry it to her. Ms. Mareanda gasped and grabbed for it, but Rarity's magic was too fast for her to get to it.

"Let's see what you've been writing about me..." She trailed off as she read.

"Unclean appearance. In denial. Unwilling to talk. Easily frightened. Seems guilty of something." Rarity listed off the words scribbled on the paper. One thing was checked off, 'Angry disposition' among many other 'dispositions' on the list.

Anger welled up inside Rarity. "You think I'm guilty. Guilty of what, exactly?"

Ms. Mareanda gulped. "Uh, um. You shouldn't have read that, it's just for me to analyze what your symptoms are so I can help you..." She tried to keep calm, even though she knew that Rarity was going to burst into a fiery ball of fury at any moment. "Ponies can take it the wrong way when they read them."

"Take it the wrong way?" the unicorn snapped. "Answer my question, what do you expect me to be 'guilty' of?"

"Um..."

"You think I did it, don't you?" Her eyes grew dark with anger, her horn beginning to glow dimly again.

"N-no, I--"

Rarity’s anger flared. “How DARE you accuse me of such a heinous thing? They’re my friends! My best friends! Why would I kill them? The whole reason I’m here is FOR my friend!” Her anger was so intense, her horn began to glow more intently. Books and tissue boxes began to float all around, pulsing with Rarity’s own unstoppable anger. “The past two weeks were hell, and you expect me to come in here, sit down, and tell you the whole story, smiling all the way?” She fumed, the glass bowl began to shake and quiver next to her. “I didn't KILL THEM!” As Rarity screamed, the bowl shattered, glass and jelly beans flying everywhere. Book pages were torn out of their covers, tissue boxes practically imploding in themselves. Ms. Mareanda pressed against the back of her seat, shocked by Rarity's outburst. In the heat of the moment, the horrified therapist slammed her hoof down on the emergency button that had been hidden in the wall next to her, camouflaged to match the wallpaper. The button was used for emergencies, such as a patient threaten to kill the therapist and/or hurt them, or maybe a fire.

Rarity was confused by the action, causing her anger to die down a bit. "What does that button do?" she asked.

"I'm very s-sorry," Ms. Mareanda stuttered, calming herself as she sat back down. "I'm not qualified to handle your anger. Don't be offended, dear, but you'll get much more help from a more qualified therapist." She honestly liked Rarity, even though she had a ad temper, and felt bad about sending her away.

A knock came to the door. "Ms. Mareanda? You requested assistance?" a soft voice snaked through the door.

"Yes, please send somepony to escort Rarity here to Mr. Buck." The mare called back.

"Okay, just one moment."

Ms. Mareanda turned back to Rarity. "Honey, don't you fret." she told her, smiling, trying to act motherly for the poor dear. "You'll get help. Everything will be alright."

“Fuck off.”

Even Rarity was surprised when the words left her mouth, but she didn’t take them back. She was too angry to care about her reputation of being proper and well controlled. I don't need help. I need Twilight. I need a real friend! For a long, drawn out ten minutes the two mares sat in an awkward silence, one hurt emotionally and one angry. beyond words.

Then, an large colt came into the room. He acted calm and unafraid, as if he had no worries of taking a very powerful unicorn into custody. “C’mon, Miss Rarity. Time to go, hun.” He held out his hoof, and Rarity slapped it away from her. “Shut up and just take me to wherever you want me to be. Don’t touch me either, you cocky piece of--”

“Alright, no need for insults Miss Rarity.” Said the officer calmly. “Let’s get going. When we get to Mr. Buck's place, you can have a nice big meal, and tell him all about your troubles, ok?”

Rarity snorted and turned her nose to the air snootily, but followed the colt. These next few days may be worse than the last…