Rarity coughed and panted as she dragged herself on. She had managed to make her way out of the Everfree Forest somehow after the sea serpent she had helped the first day she and the others met Twilight saved her from nearly drowning. By the time she made it out of the forest it was already dark, and it also began to rain. The unicorn silently cursed Rainbow Dash and her weather patrol for putting together a storm, tonight of all nights.
Completely soaked to the bone, she lugged herself towards Ponyville and started making her way towards the Carousel Boutique. Despite feeling absolutely frigid, she felt her like her eyes, ears, and forehead were burning up in a fever and possibly even pneumonia.
At long last, after what felt like an eternity, Rarity made it to the front door of her boutique, literally crawling at this point. Panting heavily from exhaustion, she struggled to summon her magic to open the door, but she was too weak to use it for even the most simplest of tasks. Coughing violently, she collapsed in a mud puddle, too tired to care that the wet dirt was smearing all over her beautiful white coat.
"H...H...Help..." Rarity whimpered, only able to whine as a bolt of lightning startled her whereas she'd usually scream at the top of her lungs. "H-Help... me..."
Inside the boutique, Rarity's younger sister Sweetie Belle was up in her room singing for her audience made up of Opalescence, the family cat, and her stuffed animals. She stood on a soap box and used the handle of a broom as a makeshift microphone.
"Hi, everypony! Are you ready to hear the singing of the world famous Sweetie Belle?" the filly squeaked giddily as she reared up on her hind legs to wrap her forehooves around the broom's handle. She grinned at her small audience and rolled her eyes in annoyance as Opal hopped off the bed and walked out. "Oh, who needs her anyway?..."
The Persian cat stalked downstairs with her head and tail held up high in her usual sassy fashion, making her way into the kitchen. She sat down next to her food bowl and wrapped her large fluffy tail neatly over her paws before letting out a meow. She blinked as no response was heard from her owner, Rarity, and she meowed again.
Growling in irritation, Opal stood back up and began walking around the boutique, meowing a bit louder. She approached the front door and meowed much louder, and her eyes widened as she heard a feeble voice coming from outside.
Curiosity got the better of the cat and she poked her head through the cat flap, making sure to keep under the flap so her head wouldn't get wet from the pouring rain, and she let out a yowl of alarm when she saw Rarity laying on the doorstep, barely conscious.
"O...Opal?..." Rarity croaked. "I-Is that... you?... G-Get... help... P-Please..." That was the last thing the white unicorn could say before she blacked out.
Mewing in worry, Opal plucked her head back into the boutique and scampered up the stairs towards Sweetie Belle's room, where she was singing beautifully yet very high-pitched to her stuffed animals.
"And I-I-I-I-I will always love-" The filly was cut off by Opal's urgent meowing and she groaned loudly before turning to the cat. "Opal, you're ruining my concert! Go away!"
Disobeying Sweetie Belle as usual, Opal latched her teeth into her tail and tugged hard on it, growling.
"What's wrong with you?" Sweetie Belle asked, furrowing her brows in confusion. "Oh, wait, were you not fed? I thought Rarity was going to do that. Speaking of, where is Rarity? She said she'd be back long before now."
At the mention of Rarity's name, Opal's meowing turned into yowls, startling the foal. She tugged on her pink and purple tail a bit harder before running into the hallway.
"Do you want me to... follow you or something?" Sweetie Belle asked. Putting the broom down, she leaped off the box and galloped after the cat, who was now downstairs and scratching at the front door. "You wanna go outside? Can't you use the cat flap? That's what Rarity had it installed for."
Opal meowed much louder as she scratched harder at the door.
"Okay, fine, I'll let you out. But it's raining, so I don't know why you wanna get your fur all wet." The foal walked forward and used her magic to open the door, and just as soon as she did, Opal leaped on something that nearly made her heart stop once she laid eyes on the pony.
"RARITY!" Sweetie Belle screamed in panic. She leaped out into the pouring rain and quickly inspected her older sister, sighing in relief when she was able to find a pulse, even if it was slower than usual. "We have to get her inside!"
The filly aimed her telekinesis on Rarity's muddy main, a green magical aura shrouding it as it was lifted up, and she tugged hard, trying to drag her inside. She panted and stopped when the larger pony wouldn't budge.
"Oh, no, what are we gonna do?!" Sweetie Belle yelped to Opal, who looked nearly just as panicked as she was. Rarity's little sister suddenly gasped. "That's it! We'll get somepony else to help! But who? We could ask a strong pony like Applejack, but Sweet Apple Acres is too far away and there just might not be enough time. So is Fluttershy's cottage. And Rainbow Dash's house is in the sky. Not to mention Sugarcube Corner is closed at this time of night."
Opal yowled to get the filly's attention and pointed with a forepaw at the large crystal tree castle located near the outskirts of Ponyville.
"That's it! We'll get help from Princess Twilight!" Sweetie Belle squealed. She ran inside to put on a raincoat before running back outside towards the castle. Once she reached the door, she banged on it as hard as she could with her forehooves, screaming at the top of her lungs. "Twilight! Twiiiiiliiiiight!"
After what felt like an eternity knocking on the front door, it finally began to open, but it wasn't Twilight who answered the door. It was her baby dragon assistant, Spike.
"What the heck are you doing up so late banging on ponies' doors like that, Sweetie Belle?" Spike growled as he tried to rub sleep from his eyes. "Don't you know that ponies have to sleep during the night? Besides, I love sleeping in the rain."
"I have to see Twilight! Now! It's an emergency!" Sweetie Belle shouted quickly, eyes wild with panic.
"Ugh, can't it wait till morning?..." the baby dragon growled, getting ready to close the door. "I've been up all day helping Twilight organize the books in that giant library of hers and I'm pooped! Besides, I'm sure it can't be that important-"
"It's Rarity!" Sweetie Belle yelped just before Spike could close the door.
His eyes widened in shock and his jaws dropped a bit at hearing how her pony crush was in trouble. "Rarity's in trouble?! Why didn't you say so?! Let's get Twilight, quick!"
Together, the filly and the dragon ran into Twilight's room where she was sound asleep, and together they leaped on her bed and screamed in unison, "Twilight!"
The Alicorn Princess' eye flew wide open immediately and she sat up in her bed, screaming in alarm. When she finally calmed down, she saw Spike on her. She narrowed her eyes in frustration at him. "Spike, why in the wide, wide world of Equestria are you waking me up in the middle of the night? You'd better have a good explanation for- Huh? Sweetie Belle?" Twilight's attention suddenly shifted towards the soaking wet filly. "What are you doing here? You're soaking wet!"
"Opal! Attention! Outside! Rarity! Unconscious! Help!" Sweetie Belle wailed quickly.
"Whoa, whoa, calm down, Sweetie!" Twilight said, placing a hoof on the panicked pony's chest comfortingly. "Take a few deep breaths and tell me what happened... calmly."
"No time to explain! Help Rarity!"
"Wait, what's wrong with Rarity?"
"Oh, for Celestia's sake, just follow her!" Spike roared in annoyance. He followed Sweetie Belle downstairs, and Twilight sighed before spreading out her wings and flying after them.
She followed the two outside into the storm and gasped when she saw something white and purple laying on the ground in front of the Carousel Boutique. So this is what Sweetie Belle and Spike were so worried about!
"Rarity!" Twilight exclaimed as she landed next to her friend. She levitated the unconscious pony on her back and turned to Sweetie Belle and Spike. "You two come with me. We'll dry Rarity off and place her in my bed so she can recover."
The filly and dragon nodded as they followed the princess back to the castle. After finally drying Rarity off with more than one towel, she lay her in her bed to rest. Twilight walked out of her room and downstairs to find Spike and Sweetie Belle pacing around nervously in the main room.
"Is Rarity going to be okay?" Sweetie Belle squeaked softly.
"I believe so," Twilight replied. "She has a fever, but that's pretty much it. Hopefully she'll recover from it come morning. Sweetie Belle, do you know what happened to Rarity?"
"Not at all," the filly replied, allowing her ears to fall along the sides of her head. "Opal led me to the door and I just found her like that. I don't know what happened before that. All I know was Rarity saying something about going out to show a friend a gift she made for them, and that was before I left with Apple Bloom and Scootaloo to try getting our cutie marks in cutting hair like Bab Seed."
"I see," Twilight spoke softly. She looked down for a moment, deep in thought, with a hoof under her chin, before looking back up to the two worried children. "Well, there's nothing we can do now. All we can do is wait for Rarity to wake up in the morning so she can tell us what happened. In the meantime, you can stay for the night; I don't want you going back to the boutique by yourself. Spike, will you share your bed with Sweetie Belle?"
"Of course," Spike nodded.
"As for me, I'll go back and retrieve Opal. A cat all alone in a boutique full of precious and fragile fabrics isn't a good thing to have."
Sunshine seeped through the curtains of Twilight's room and rested against Rarity's face. Her ears, nose, and eyes were no longer red and hot, but her eyes and cheeks were completely smeared with her mascara and eye shadow.
She moaned softly as she began to slowly crack open her eyes, and after realizing what had happened last night she gasped loudly and sat up. At first, she had no idea where she was, but after calming down she realized she was in Twilight's room. She let out a sigh of relief, grateful that Opal was able to get help.
A soft knock was heard on the door, startling the unicorn. She yelped before regaining her composure and saying softly, "Come in."
The door opened and Twilight walked in. Sweetie Belle rushed in, pushing the princess aside, and leaped on Rarity to practically crush her in a hug.
"Rarity! Thank Celestia you're okay! I was worried you weren't going to make it!" Sweetie Belle wailed, tears streaming down her cheeks.
"Oh, Sweetie... I'm ever so sorry I caused you to worry so much!" Rarity whimpered, hugging her little sister back and shedding tears of her own.
"Rarity?" Twilight piped in after giving the two unicorn sisters a moment longer to reunite. "What happened last night?"
Rarity stopped hugging Sweetie Belle and looked down, a look of regret clear on her face. She finally looked up at her friend. "It's... It's a long story..."
"I have all the time in the world," the princess assured.
The white unicorn nodded to her and began explaining the whole ordeal: how she took Applejack's hat to give it a makeover; how Applejack chased her through the entire town in a fit of rage; how she fell over the cliff; and how she was rescued by the sea serpent in the Everfree Forest.
"I didn't want to worry Sweetie Belle by not coming home, so I tried walking back despite the condition I was in," Rarity finished. "I didn't have the strength, however, to even open the door. I was lucky Opal found me so she could get help."
"I see," Twilight said softly. "Well, it seems like you've had quite a night."
"But why would Applejack treat you like that?" Spike suddenly yelled in defense of her crush. "I mean, it's just a hat, it can be replaced!"
"This one couldn't, Spikey," Rarity replied. "That hat was given to her by her parents before they disappeared... and I ruined it. Oh, if I had known it was that important to her I wouldn't have laid a single hoof on it! Why did I have to do this to poor Applejack?" The unicorn burst into sobs, though they weren't dramatic like most times - these tears were completely sincere and full of sorrow and guilt.
"Calm down, Rarity," Twilight tried to reassure her upset friend. "You didn't know. It was just a mistake. I'm sure that if you apologize, Applejack will forgive you. You know how reasonable she is."
Rarity sniffled and wiped her tears away. "I-I suppose you're right Twilight... O-Okay, I'll apologize to her right now." The unicorn leaped out of bed and trotted towards the door before looking in a mirror. She yelped and took a closer look at her muddy, scruffy coat, mane, and tail. She gulped and whimpered, "A-After I tidy up, that is..."
The unicorn took about two hours to restore her coat and hair back to its glorious and silky soft self. Once she had done so, she trotted first to the Carousel Boutique to settle Sweetie Belle - who immediately left to join Apple Bloom and Scootaloo - and Opal back in before heading over to Sweet Apple Acres.
Rarity knew that Applejack was the only pony in the barn, with Big Macintosh delivering apple pies to a town that would take him a whole day to complete and Granny Smith visiting her Cousin Apple Rose who had fallen ill due to consuming one too many apple seeds by accident. Hopefully, this won't give Applejack the opportunity to kill her and get away with it - figuratively speaking of course.
She approached the barn door and knocked on it. "Applejack! It's me, Rarity! Applejack?" When no one would reply, she decided to test the doors by pulling on them with her magic. They were unlocked.
Rarity trotted into the barn and looked around, occasionally calling out, "Applejack!" as she scoured. She trotted up the stairs and stared down the hallway to see Applejack's bedroom door was open, and the lights were on. It wasn't unlike her to oversleep, especially where there was so much work to be done around the farm.
"Applejack, are you in there?" Rarity called. She narrowed her eyes when no one replied and began to walk towards her room. "Applejack, I know you're angry with me, but giving me the silent treatment is filly's play!"
The unicorn reached her room and opened the door a bit more to peek inside, but she gasped when she saw nopony was in bed, and it was neat to boot. Applejack never made her bed in the morning!
"Applejack?..." Rarity said, starting to grow uneasy. No one replied. She sighed and turned to leave...
When she saw a blonde tail poking out of a closet.
"Applejack?" Rarity questioned. "Applejack, what are you doing in the closet? Did you fall asleep in there?" The unicorn walked over to the closet. "Applejack, I am talking to you! You had better answer meeeeeeeeeee..."
Rarity trailed off once she looked into the closet, and what she saw nearly stopped her heart.
There... in the closet... hanging from her lasso made into a noose...
...was Applejack.
Rarity released the loudest scream she had ever managed to make in her entire life, managing to shatter every last window in the barn. She rushed around in a panic to find a knife to cut the rope, hyperventilating, and once she found one she used it to cut the rope, causing the farm pony to fall to the ground with a thud. She didn't move at all.
"Oh, sweet Celestia!" the unicorn wailed as she pulled her friend out from the closet. Once she moved Applejack out, she caught sight of a stool in the closet that was knocked over, and realization struck her like a ton of bricks.
Applejack had committed suicide.
"Applejack, Applejack, Applejack!" Rarity wailed over and over again, hugging her dead friend close, her re-applied mascara leaking down her face once again. After mourning over the loss of her friend for at least fifteen minutes, she sniffled and wiped the tears away. "Why... Why would you do this, Applejack?... Is it because of what I did to your hat?... Oh, dear, Celestia, it is, isn't it? I'm so sorry, I'm so sorry, I'm so sorry!"
Trying hard to control her uncontrollable sobbing, the unicorn grabbed the end of the noose with her magic and tried to pull the rope off from around Applejack's neck.
"Applejack?" Granny Smith's voice was suddenly heard at the doorway. She was accompanied by Big Macintosh; the two had returned from their journeys. "Applejack, did ya start yer- HOLY MOTHER OF CELESTIA AND LUNA!"
Rarity gasped as she looked up at Applejack's grandmother and brother, and she leaped to her hooves. "Big Mac! Granny Smith! Oh, thank Goodness you two are here! Applejack-"
"YOU MONSTER! YOU MURDERED APPLEJACK!" Granny Smith cut the unicorn off with a scream.
"Wait, what?!" Rarity yelped, her heart lurching. "But I would never do such a thing! I found her like this in the closet!"
"Likely story, ya cold-hearted murderer!" Granny Smith roared in fury. "Ya murdered our dear Applejack! Yer even more heartless than a vampire fruit bat durin' Zap Apple harvestin'!"
"Eeyup!" Big Macintosh agreed, his tone and facial expression absolutely livid.
"I didn't do this!" Rarity cried. "I swear! I was coming to apologize for ruining her hat!"
"Land sakes! Ya ruined her hat that her parents gave her and took her life?!" Granny Smith yowled. "That's it, lil' missy! Yer goin' to prison fer first-degree murder!"
"Eeyup!"
"But I didn't kill Applejack!" Rarity was sobbing uncontrollably at this point. "She committed suicide for some reason! I found her in the closet!"
"Winona!" Granny Smith suddenly howled. Moments later, the family shepherd dog bounced in, her tail wagging. Once she saw Rarity next to the dead Applejack, however, even she managed to supposedly put two and two together, and she snarled viciously at the unicorn.
Rarity released a scream as she somehow managed to slam past Big Macintosh fortifying the doorway and ran down the fall. He, Granny Smith, and Winona chased after her in hot pursuit.
The unicorn fled Sweet Apple Acres as quickly as she could, yelping as she learned that her limbs still ached from last night's battle to survive the river, but she ignored the pain and pushed herself on. She streaked through Ponyville in a literal white and purple blur.
Rainbow Dash, who was laying on a cloud catching some rays, spotted Rarity and lifted up her sunglasses to watch the pony run. She grinned and chuckled. "What is up with that pony and being chased by Apples lately?"
Many hooves pounded against the ground as four ponies approached the river on the outskirts of Ponyville. A teenaged purple unicorn mare levitated with her a bucket for carrying water.
"Do tell me again why we need to bring water from the lake rather than using Ponyville's water supplies," a light brown earth pony stallion asked in a British accent, looking up at a gray and blonde-mane Pegasus with a wall-eyed expression.
"Easy!" she replied with a bit of a lisp. "Princess Twilight told me river water is the best water to use for making bubbles!"
"I love Mommy's bubbles, she always blows the biggest ones!" a gray unicorn filly squeaked, bouncing up and down.
"Well, in that case, let's go ahead and gather the water. I'm late for an audience with the mayor," the stallion said as the four ponies stopped by the river. He turned to the purple unicorn. "Amethyst, gather some water for us please."
"Yes, Dad," Amethyst nodded as she dipped the bucket into the water. "I still don't know why all four of us had to come out here to get one bucket of water."
"It was your mother's idea," the stallion sighed, giving his mate an affectionate glance as she landed next to him. "Now, make sure not to use all the water, Derpy. We can still use some of it to make carrot stew tonight."
"Don't worry, Doctor, I won't!" Derpy giggled.
"While we're here, can I drink some water, Mommy?" the filly asked, glancing thirstily at the river. "That trot from Ponyville left me really thirsty."
"I don't see why not, Dinky!" the gray Pegasus replied optimistically. "Now that you mention it, I'm thirsty, too. Let's all get a drink before heading back!"
The family of four crouched down next to the riverbank to drink some water. What they didn't notice, however, was there were tiny specks of black mingled in with the refreshment, as well as in the bucket of water.
As the Hooves family made their way back into town, a small clump of long purple hair floated down the river. And it was crawling with black specks as they seeped deeper and deeper into the water supply...