Painted Bones

This is it then, this is where I die. But not yet... and I've been asured that it won't be anytime soon. But I don't want to die, not yet, I'm not done here. Maybe I can talk them out of it. After all, that pink pegasus seemed nice.

My name is Inky, I'm a reporter/writer for a newspaper back in Ponyville, though our paper goes all over Equestria, we station in Ponyville. It's a nice place, good ponies, elements of harmony, a princess. Not too bad.

Maybe I should explain how I got here, chained up in a dim room. Being given my final request before I become a victim to this psycho. This may take a while.

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You see the newspaper I work for has an 'uncovered mysteries' section. In this section we gather myths and rumours and find the truth, we did so for things like the Rainbow Factory and such. This week we decided to explore the mystery of Hope Hospital, an abandoned hospital where ponies go in and never come out.

We assumed that it was just another Rainbow Factory case, but we soon found out that it's something else. That we were wrong.

There was a team of four of us, me, Ruby Gem, Blaze and Stardust. We are the team who goes out to get the 'uncovered mysteries' so that the scaredy cats back home can write it up, but I really am scared now.

I don't want to know what happened to the others, I just hope that they're better off then I am.

Our first sign to leave was probably the entrance sign, which originally read 'Hope Hospital' but had been... corrected in red, so that it reads 'Hell Hospital'. Not sure why we thought that was funny, it just was at that moment.

Stardust's our camera stallion, he takes all the pictures for Uncovered Mysteries and took one of the sign saying how it would be 'a good cover photo'. He's creative, smart and logical, but never all at once.

It wasn't too difficult to get us in, the iron gates would stop most ponies if the sign didn't. But Blaze flew us over, one by one. He's stronger and far braver then the average pony, he also keeps our spirits up if things get too serious as well as being quite good at interrogating.

The walk up to the hospital it's self was daunting to say the least, the cobblestone path was broken and cracked, the tall street lights either side were dim and flickered every so often. Despite the fact that it was day the sky was still dark like the night, if you looked up you would only see the unnatural stormy clouds way up high.

Once Ruby had picked the locked doors we were inside and I have to say, however terrifying it was, it had a small sense of beauty to it.

The floor tiled had bloody drag marks going from the door to ward at the other end of the corridor, the walls too were stained with the crimson liquid with added hoof marking and pleas for help. Some of the markings had been carved into the wall, reading things like 'DON'T TRUST THE DOCTOR' and 'DON'T BE AFRAID TO DIE'.

Ruby soon confirmed that the carving had in fact been done with a unicorns horn, something about there was still a small magical field around it. I still don't know how she does that despite being a land pony, but it doesn't matter, she was our boss. Smart, quick witted, patient, just an all round good boss I guess.

Broken gurneys and wheelchairs littered the hall, most with hoof straps to keep the victim from getting up, it made my blood go cold just thinking about the poor ponies that may have been held there, screaming for help and crying.

While trying to distract myself I noticed small, pale purple climbing flowers growing through the half boarded up windows, slightly splattered with blood, but still nice to look at. Better then the hall way that we had entered.

"This place is giving me chills," Stardust muttered, "Can't we just take some pics and go?"

Ruby just chewed her lip and nodded, "Something's not right here. Blaze, go a little further up and see what's round that T junction."

Blaze puffed out his chest, "You got boss." but then he grimaced and blow his fringe from his eyes, "Yo Duster, you coming with?"

"Don't tell me you're scared." Stardust said looking up from the messages on the wall.

The orange pegasus eyes narrowed at the blue unicorn, "Like you're not scared," He huffed, "No, it's just because there's probably something worth taking a picture over there so are you coming or not?"

Stardust sighed, "Okay fine, just gimme a sec alright?" He levitated his camera out of it's bag and took a picture of the warnings before following Blaze to the other end of the hall.

"I don't think we should be here Ruby," I whispered, I was too scared to raise my voice any higher.

"Nghh." The red earth pony looked up and down the walls, examining every inch of the room with her eyes alone. "I don't like. But somepony lives here, I can feel it."

"So what are we going to do?"

"I hate to say it," Ruby turned to me, "But I'm curious."

"So we're staying!?" I hissed back, "Are you crazy!?"

"Curious." She corrected me, "And don't worry, we won't go too far."

"Curiosity killed the cat." I muttered

Ruby just tutted and wandered up to one of the first doors as she pushed it open with a hoof it gave on an eerie creak that made me cringe.

As soon as Ruby had trotted inside of the room I realised that I was alone in the corridor. I gulped and looked back to the climbing flower and let my eye trail around the hall.

I've never liked hospitals, I don't like needles, I'm not keen on doctors. My parents would always have to drag me there if I even needed to be there for whatever reason.

I caught movement out the corner of my eye and snapped my attention back to the hall, one of the pale blue double doors was moving, swinging slowly before it came to a stop.

I licked my lips, somepony had to have moved to door, or had adleast used it from the other side, but none of my team had been in. I hoped that they had found another way around, "B-Balze? Star? Was that you?" I called out.

Silence.

"Ruby?" I tried.

The red earth pony shortly poked her head out from behind the door, I didn't need to explain, "We need to find them." She said firmly. I nodded.

We had to find our friends, before somepony else did.