3rd of September, 1899 11:32PM
I wake up to the sound of my children laughing. I see the door open beside me. I look up, and it closes. I curse under my breath, but get up anyway. I must find my children.
Oswald got up from his bed and rubbed his eyes. He tried to recollect his memories from last night. He looked down and saw a bottle of wine on the floor, some of the contents spilled out onto the carpet.
Suddenly, he remembered. Last night had been his wife’s birthday. He had sent the children upstairs and drunk the night away. He must’ve passed out on the bed.
Lillibeth. A tear came to Oswald’s eye as he recalled the name of his dead wife. She had been the gentlest mare Oswald had ever met. She had the cutie mark of a pacifier; probably because she was so good with ponies much younger than her.
It had been eight years since her death, and the wounds of the event where still on his heart. She had died during the birth of their daughter. Lily had lived long enough to see Enoch, their son and first child, but not Cindy.
Oswald turned to get a robe, looking at his cutie mark as he did so. It was wrench, almost completely consumed by rust. He prayed to Celestia that his children did not go to the mansion’s center.
Oswald slung a robe onto his back and put his diary into it. It was time to find his children.
* * *
Oswald stepped out onto the stairwell and looked up. He remembered that Cindy and Enoch had climbed to the very top of the stairwell before disappearing from his sight. He began the ascent.
“Enoch!” he called, trotting up the stairwell. “Cindy! Come down here!”
“We’re hiding, Daddy,” Cindy’s voice said in a haunting,
sing-songy voice from up the stairs.
“Come down, children!” Oswald yelled back in reply.
“You have to find us first, Daddy,” Enoch’s voice replied.
Oswald swore under his breath, but continued climbing. His children constantly begged for him to play with them while he worked. He often simply told them “No”, but sometimes he would turn and scold the young ponies.
Oswald continued to trot, taking occasional breaks to catch his breath. Once, he thought he saw the shape of a young filly galloping up the stairs, but when he blinked, they would disappear.
Eventually, Oswald reached the top of the stairs and the last door. As he exited the door he could hear footsteps behind him, but he disregarded that fact and kept going. Once he got through the door he though he heard the loud roar of a giant swine. He continued down the stairs and suddenly, the ground shook and he heard chains rattling loudly. He fell back in fright and started to breath heavily. He got back up and saw what he thought was Enoch and Cindy trotting across a kitchen area. He knew where they were going, so he quickly trotted downstairs and walked into the kitchen. Then, he heard a psychotic woman laughing. As she was laughing he could hear stabbing and blood, raining on the ground. Then a crack. Oswald knew not the point of this, but he didn’t like it. He went to a room, through a hallway from the kitchen, with animals on display. He hastily shoved a glass container with a bear in it, over to the side, resulting in an opening in the wall.
Once Oswald got in, he looked at a wheel connected to a valve, he turned it and there was a loud rumble, but it didn't last long. He exited the room and pushed the bear back. But he thought he heard something, so he went in the hall and walked up to a door. Oswald Mandus, slowly walked to the door and twisted the handle. But when he opened it he heard a loud snort and the door slammed shut, throwing him back. He quickly got up and ran to a bathroom on the other side of the mansion.
4th of September 1889, 12:08 AM
What a horrifying incident...I must stop the other valve and get out of here quick, before...what ever that was kills me. I know it is in the bathroom, a switch concealed by a painting will lead me onto the other side.
As Mandus ran for dear life to the other side of the mansion, he saw, and heard a telephone ringing. He went to it, assuming the threat had left, and answered.
“Hello?” He said.
“Precious Eagle Cactus Fruit...Help us.” A voice replied, then hung up.
“What? Hello..Hello?” Oswald hung up and kept walking. He soon approached another phone and it rung.
“Buck...” He said as he held the recording device to his mouth. “Hello?” He said again.
“Mandus...Do you know me..?” The voice said.
“No, who are you, where are my children?” Oswald asked desperately.
“Trapped, far below us. If you can help me, I can help you save them. Activate the machine, your children are going to drown, you must hurry Mandus.” And with that, the voice hung up.
“Hello...Hello? How do I do this?” Madus asked. No reply. He cursed under his breath and trotted to the bathroom. He opened the painting, revealing a lever. He pulled on the lever and the bathtub in the bathroom slowly turned. He made sure to close the door behind him. He walked in to pools of blood, he saw one of the see-through paintings. He got close to it and was fixing to look, until he heard a thud on the floor. He looked behind him to see a pig mask, lying on the floor with an angry expression, or evil grin one, staring straight at him. Despite being freaked out, he kicked it to the end of the room. He looked through the painting, and jumped back in fright. Whatever it was, it was in his wife’s bedroom, and it was on her bed asleep. It was, as Mandus described it, a Horse-pig. It was mutated, deformed, consisting of part pony, part pig. He went down a small corridor, and tripped over another pig mask, he walked back to see the other one had disappeared. He looked back and to see that it had moved towards him, right in front of him.
“Fine then you , you can come with me.” Oswald said, picking it up. He opened the door to the engine room. He walked up to the valve and turned it. After walking back, he peeked into the painting again. But the door was opened, and the bed was empty. This struck immediate fright in him, but despite his horrification, he knew he must continue for the good of his children. He walked out of the bathtub, and saw the lights blinking. Then he saw the Horse-Pig, roaming free in his mansion. This terrified Mandus, but as always, he kept going.
