“Finally, some peace and quiet.” Rarity sighed, smiling as she closed the blinds to the setting sun outside her boutique. She turned and gasped, raising a hoof in surprise. “Twilight!” Rarity exclaimed.
 
“Hello Rarity.” Twilight smiled back, though her eyes held no sparkle of happiness.
 
“I thought you left with Fluttershy and Spike. Do you need something? Not that I’m kicking you out, I was just hoping for a little time to myself is all.” Rarity chuckled humorlessly.
 
“I did forget something.” Twilight responded as she walked closer, out of the shadows of the blinds. “I got you a little something, but you have to close your eyes before I give it to you.”
 
“Oh, a gift? You shouldn’t have Twilight! My greatest gift is the company of my friends and family.” Rarity spoke, eyes red from her long day.
 
“Close your eyes.” Twilight instructed, walking closer before stopping in front of the white mare. Rarity obeyed. Faster than Rarity could respond, there was an immense pressure on her throat. Her eyes shot open and she began gasping for air. She pawed at her throat with her hooves and scraped at the ground with her hind legs as she was lifted into the air. “Twi-“ She gasped out, staring down in disbelief at the purple mare.
 
“Just relax, if you struggle it will only hurt more.” Twilight said with a hauntingly calm voice. Her horn glowed with the magic surrounding it, as did the magic around Rarity’s neck. Rarity gasped and wheezed while her eyes darted around the room, looking for something to pick up, to throw, anything that could help her in this moment. Her frantic eyes fell on a shadowy figure walking towards her. It was Spike, his skin peeling from his body in several places. Rarity watched as he smiled and brought a claw to his shoulder before grabbing a piece of loose skin and peeling it off in a long strip. Rarity’s vision began to darken. Spike grabbed his skin and began pulling it of like a jacket, revealing something that very much wasn’t Spike.
 
As Rarity’s vision blackened and the last thing she saw was the pale, smiling face of a grotesquely thin monster, chuckling as it stood next to the pony who she had trusted the most.