Amnesia: A Machine for Ponies

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.