Light filtered in through dusty windows, illuminating the dreary room. A lone unicorn dragged a piece of chalk across the floor, finishing a drawing of a five-pointed star that stretched to nearly every part of the room. A grimy, old book sat near him, opened to a page filled with diagrams and ancient runes. The stallion continuously checked back to the book, making sure that his preparations for the ritual were correct.
“Finally,” he muttered. “Finally I can see your face again.” Tears streamed down his face as he completed the star and drew a circle around it. He slowly placed and lit candles at each of the star’s points. His horn lit up and he muttered the ancient incantations from the book, the air thrumming with power with every word.
As he did so, his mind ventured back to the days they were together: memories of picnics, late night study sessions, play time, and so many more things.
However, the good memories were short-lived. His mind rushed back to the stray arrow that had pierced her in the heat of a battle that she wasn't supposed to be at.
The room shook violently as the light dissipated, leaving only the dim glow from the candles.
Soon, the shaking had stopped and the room was again tranquil. A darkness beyond pitch black hovered above the pentagram. It had a misty form that was ever-changing, but it eventually was pulled down and took the form of a small, alicorn filly.
The abomination looked up at him. “What do you wish?” it asked in a smooth, glass-like voice.
“I want her back.”
“Of whom do you speak of?”
He pointed to a portrait of himself and a small, light green filly. “Her.”
The abomination nodded and its horn glowed a deep red. “Very well.”
The room shook again, this time more violently than the last. Dust flew up into the air, covering everything in its path as trinkets fell off shelves. A searing pain slowly climbed up the stallion’s body. He winced and fell to the ground, writhing in pain.
The shaking soon subsided, as did his pain. A small filly laid in the center of the pentagram, her dark green forelocks sticking to her forehead. Upon looking up, the stallion inspected her, looking for some form of life, which came soon as he noticed that her chest was lightly moving up and down. He gasped and ran to her, wrapping her in a tight embrace.
The abomination, now in its misty form, looked over them. “Am I free to go?” it asked, its voice now smoother than ever.
The stallion looked up at it, tears of joy streaming down his face. “Yes. You’ve done so much for me. Thank you.” He stood up and bowed to it.
“No. Thank you, kind sir—” the abomination zipped to the ground and formed itself into an alicorn that towered over him “—for you have set me free.” Its horn lit up once again and blood red magic surrounded the filly.
“W-what are you doing?” The stallion bolted upright. “It said that you had to obey your castor’s wish!”
“I did.” Its spell took effect as the filly’s legs were slowly encased in stone. “And it was to bring her back. Nothing more.” The stone gradually moved up her legs.
“No!” The stallion’s horn lit up. “I will not allow you to take her away from me!” He fired off a red orb at it, but the abomination dodged by simply spreading out and then forming back together. The orb hit the back of the room, alighting old tomes with flames.
The filly’s eyes opened as the spell was up to her shoulders, her head being toward the monster that was entrapping her in stone. Her high-pitched scream pierced the air.
“Clover!” the stallion screamed out, but he was ignored by the filly who was gaping at her stony body. “It’s okay! I’m here!”
The abomination chuckled. “Incompetent, fool. You brought that filly back into this Hell.” The spell moved up to Clover’s neck, encasing it in stone. “It is your fault she is here. It is your fault that I am now free.”
The stallion growled at it, alighting his horn. “No. I just wanted her back!” A bubble surrounded the abomination, trapping it. Once again, he muttered incantations, these ones different from the ones before.
It shivered as the exorcism passed through it. “If that’s how you’re going to be, I’ll have to quiet you.” Magic surrounded his tongue and it started to pull. On instinct, he slammed his mouth shut.
As the final bit of stone encased Clover, a red light surrounded the stallion’s horn. “And you definitely will not be needing this.” It ripped off his horn. The bubble around the monster dissipated as he fell to the ground.
The entity shifted around, continuously changing form until it was the representation of a petite, yellow unicorn. It smiled as it picked up the collapsed and bleeding stallion and the petrified filly. “And now, this world is prime for the taking.” She walked away with the two others, smiling to herself all the while. “I just need to make a few adjustments.”
Chapter 1: Welcome to the Hotel California
Twilight Sparkle rushed through the halls of her castle. “Spike, hurry up! The train station is about to close.”
Spike ran after her, holding their luggage. “I’m coming, Twilight,” he groaned. “Isn’t there a quicker way to Canterlot?”
“Spike, we both know how scared of my flying you are, and I’m not able to teleport all the way there, especially since there’s two of us.” Twilight sighed. “Come here, I’ll just teleport us to the train station.”
Spike darted over to her and—in a flash—the two were gone. The cool, night air rushed over them as they reappeared at their destination. The dim light of the station’s ticket booth slightly lit up the dark. Twilight cantered up to the ticket booth and slammed some bits on the counter as she grabbed two tickets in her magic.
Twilight trotted back to Spike, and the two made their way into the train. Once inside, they went to the sleeping car. “Let’s get some sleep. We should be at Canterlot in the morning.”
“Okay.” Spike let out a small yawn as he put their luggage under a bed. “Goodnight, Twilight.”
“You too, Spike.” She grabbed a hold of the blankets and wrapped Spike up. Twilight let out a small yawn of her own. “It’s time for me to get some sleep too.” Twilight flew up to the bed over Spike, covered herself up, and closed her eyes.
><><><><><
Even with her eyes closed, Twilight could tell how bright it was. She opened her eyes and winced as the light temporarily blinded her. The room she now stood in was white. Very white. The only thing in it that wasn’t that horrible color, was a red jar in the middle of the room, which was about five ponies tall. The room held nothing else.
Am I dreaming? she thought as she looked up at the jar, blinking rapidly. If so, this is an unusual dream.
“What is a door when it is not a door?” a voice whispered inside of her head.
She gradually spun in a full circle, taking all of the room in. “Luna?”
Silence.
Twilight looked around the room and, then, to the jar. ‘What is a door when it’s not a door?’ Staring at the only object in the room, she giggled. It’s ajar!
She flew up to the top of the jar and stared at its lid. Do I just open it? Twilight surrounded the jar’s lid with her magic and removed it from its resting place. She felt a tugging sensation—as if something was dragging away something inside of her. She jumped into the air, attempting to get away from the emptiness it made her feel. However, it was all for naught, for as soon as she had jumped away from the jar, she blacked out.
><><><><><
Unlike last time, this room held no brightness. When she opened her eyes, all she saw was black. Twilight lit up her horn, but even the attempt of conjuring a simple light spell had no effect upon the room’s darkness.
“H-hello? Is there anypony out there?”
A small breeze pushed her forward as if it was urging her to follow it. Hesitantly, she walked in the direction it indicated until she hit a wall head on, which caused her to fall back onto her haunches. Twilight stood back up and felt around on the wall until she felt a door handle. Grabbing it in her magic, she warily opened the door. Through the door stood only a hallway lined with stone bricks and a single torch upon the wall. She stepped into the corridor and out of the room.
SLAM!
Twilight whipped her head around and saw that not only had the door slammed itself shut, but it had also disappeared completely. She walked back toward where the door was and gently tapped it with her hoof. Eyes wide and slightly hyperventilating, she gradually turned around and grabbed the torch with her magic, removing it from the wall.
“Could you please not touch the décor?” said a monotonous male voice.
She jumped and looked at the origin of the voice. There, stood a deep blue alicorn with a well groomed black mane and goatee. Oddly enough, he was no taller than Twilight, but he had the look of somepony who had great wisdom—his pale yellow eyes seemed to hold great mysteries inside of them.
Twilight slowly put the torch back upon the wall as she stared at the mysterious pony. “Who are you?”
“I go by many names, but you may call me the Watcher. Now, come with me; we must get you checked in.” He walked past Twilight.
Her face scrunched up. “Checked into where?”
“Oh, where are my manners?” Spreading his wings out, the Watcher gave a slight bow. “Welcome to Hotel California.”
“What?” Twilight cocked her head. “I’ve never heard of this place. And I don’t remember going to some hotel. I just went to sleep on a train…”
“Of course, my dear. No one has heard of this place until they are here.” He smiled slightly and continued to walk away from her. “Now, without further ado, let's keep going.”
Reluctantly, Twilight followed after him. “Can you please show me the way out of here?”
The Watcher glanced at her. “There is no way out.”
“What? But how did I get here? There has to be a way out. I was summoned by the Princess to go to Canterlot. This is in Canterlot, right?” Twilight scanned the room, whipping her head around while looking for an exit.
“I do not know of this ‘Canterlot’ you speak of.”
“How do you not know about Canterlot? It’s Equestria’s capital!”
“I have not been to this ‘Equestria’, but I have heard others speak of it. It seems to be where quite a few of you hail from.”
Twilight’s jaw dropped. “Are you telling me that I’m out of Equestria?”
“Yes and no. Your body is inside Equestria, and it’s still alive, but it’s in a coma. However, your soul is in the Hotel in the body that your soul created unconsciously upon your arrival. When your body dies here, your body at your home dies. Now, please cease your questions. I will answer some whenever you check in.”
Twilight hesitated, but soon trailed after him. She sighed. I might as well play along. Otherwise, I don’t think I’ll even get a remote chance of escape.
The two soon came upon another door on the left side of the hallway. The Watcher stopped, looking at the door quizzically.
“What exactly are we doing?” Twilight tried to approached the door, but was surrounded in the Watcher’s yellow magic, stopping her from nearing it.
“You will see.”
At that moment, the door flew open, and a red pegasus mare leapt into the hallway. The door proceeded to slam close.
She glanced behind her—much as Twilight had—and saw that the door had disappeared. The pegasus supported a shortly cropped black mane and tail. She had a few scars on her face and a few larger ones upon her barrel. She looked to her right, where Twilight and the Watcher waited. She jumped back, flared her wings, and lowered her face and upper body the ground as if she was getting ready to pounce. “Who’re you?” she seethed through her teeth.
The Watcher, calm as ever, replied, “I am the Watcher. Welcome to Hotel California. Come with us to get checked in.”
“The what?”
“Just listen to him. I don’t know where we’re at either, but I think we’re supposed to listen to him.”
“And why I should trust you?” The pegasus glared at Twilight.
Twilight paused. “Well, I do believe you and I are both stuck in here with no way of leaving. We shouldn’t fight each other. What we need to do is get out of here.”
“And where is here?” She slowly raised herself and did a wide berth around Twilight and the Watcher. “What even are you two? You’re pegasi, but you also have horns. Are you two spies of some sort?”
Twilight blinked in surprise. “We’re alicorns. Whoever he is and I are a combination between the three races to represent harmony. Who exactly are you?”
“I’m Corporal Stormy Skies.” Stormy stared angrily at them. “And you are?”
“I’m Twilight Sparkle. It’s nice to meet you, Stormy.” Twilight smiled and held out a hoof.
Ignoring Twilight’s gesture, Stormy turned to the Watcher. “And what do you have to say?”
The Watcher slowly blinked. “Come with me. Otherwise, you will be forced to come. If you resist even after you’re signed in, I know plenty of places I could send you.” With that, the Watcher turned away from her and Twilight and continued down the hall, glancing behind at them at times to keep a watchful eye on Stormy as the two reluctantly followed the Watcher.
They continued on until they reached a third door. The Watcher blinked in surprise at the door and stopped; Twilight and Stormy copied him.
The door opened and a head peeked out into the corridor. A hoof hesitantly reached out, and, soon, a peach earth pony stallion had cautiously wandered into the hallway. The door crashed close.
He yelped and turned to look at the door that had been there. Staring in the opposite direction of the trio of ponies, he called out, “Hello?”
Twilight could see the stallion’s red mane as it seemed to glow in the firelight of the torch across the hall. His cutie mark, a heart with a bandage around it, also glowed slightly in the torchlight.
“Hello,” Twilight greeted.
He jumped back and whipped his head around to look at Twilight. Upon the realization of who she was, his mouth dropped, he bowed, and closed his eyes. “Your Highness.”
Twilight took a surprised step back and blinked. “Er… you may stand.”
“Thank you. I am Heartbeat. I work as a doctor in the Fillydelphia General Hospital. What a wonderful day it is for me to find Princess Twilight Sparkle herself inside of this place.” He paused and glanced around the room. “Er… what exactly is this place, Your Highness? And who are these other two?”
“Welcome to Hotel California. I am the Watcher. Please come with me to get checked in.” The Watcher continued on past Heartbeat.
Twilight looked at Heartbeat. “Please come with us. Honestly, I’m not sure where we’re at. I believe that only this ‘Watcher’ knows, but he has decided to not tell us until we’re checked in… whatever that means.”
“I see. Princess, I thank you for letting me accompany you.” Heartbeat bowed once more and turned to follow the Watcher.
“Could you please stop with the formalities? Just call me Twilight. Oh, and this is Stormy—”
“I can introduce myself.” She glared at Heartbeat. “I’m Corporal Stormy Skies.”
“How dare you interrupt the princess like that!” Heartbeat glowered at Stormy.
“She is not my princess.” Stormy moved past the two and after the Watcher.
“I’m sorry that somepony acted like that in your presence, Your—I mean—Twilight.”
“It’s quite all right, Heartbeat. It’s not your fault that she doesn’t see me as a princess.” The two followed after the Watcher and Stormy Skies in an eerie silence.
The hallway soon widened out into a large room, which held a few things of interest—a desk in the middle of the room that had a white pony with a combed back black mane wearing a tuxedo behind it. Upon the desk was a gigantic, open book. The other two things that adorned the room were two sets of stairs. One traveled to higher floors and the other went downward.
“Please write your names in the book to check in.” The Watcher stepped aside to let his guests approach the desk. “Then, I shall explain the things you wish to know.”
Heartbeat was the first to walk up to the book, pick up a quill in his mouth, and write his name in the first open slot he saw. A small band materialized around his left hoof. He looked down at it, blinking rapidly. It had the appearance of a digital hoof watch, but there were different numbers on it. It held one large number, which was one-thousand, and a smaller number under it, which was 242.
The second to sign was Stormy, but when she signed, the book lit up with a red light and the pony behind the desk stood up. He stood a good half-head taller than Stormy, which was apparent as he looked down upon her. “Sign your real name.”
Stormy took the quill in her mouth and wrote something messily. A hoof watch appeared around her hoof was well, but instead of the bigger number being a thousand, it was only seven-hundred. The smaller number, on the other hand, was bigger than Heartbeat’s—243.
Twilight walked up to this desk, the Watcher following close behind her. As she picked up the quill to sign her name, she read the name above the empty slot. It simply read ‘Hurricane’.
Twilight looked up to ‘Stormy’ with a raised eyebrow. “Who are you?”
“That is none of your concern. Just sign your own name and get done with it.”
“No.” She puffed out her chest and flared her wings, which was copied by ‘Stormy’. “I want to know who you are. If we have any chance to get out of here alive, we need trust each other. I don’t think we’ll be able to get out of here with just any prejudice. Heartbeat and I have been truthful toward you; it’s time for you to be honest with us.”
Hurricane’s intimidating pose faltered for a second but was still held. “Fine. I am Commander Hurricane, daughter to the great late Commander Twister, slayer of the mighty dragon known as Silver Scale, and leader of the Great Pegasus Empire. Anypony of importance should know that. You say you’re a princess, but the unicorn king has only one daughter and it’s not you. Who are you?”
Unlike Hurricane, Twilight’s daunting stance had been completely broken as thoughts ran through her head, trying to logically analyze the situation she was in. “You can’t be her. She died thirteen-hundred years ago. Just ask Heartbeat.” Twilight glanced over to him.
“Er… actually, it was fifteen-hundred years ago.”
“I haven’t died! I’m standing before you!”
“But the Commander Hurricane you speak of is—”
“Enough!” The Watcher’s eyes glowed like searchlights cutting through the night, his mane waving through the air. He shoved a wing toward Twilight. “You! Check in now!”
The room around them glowed a soft white and the walls shifted as Twilight moved the quill to an empty slot. Upon signing, Twilight got a hoof watch. However, her biggest number was eight-hundred and her smaller one was 244.
Looking back at the Watcher, Twilight noticed that the walls had shifted into a much more homely appearance. The walls and floor now seemed to be made of wood and the torches disappeared; however, light was still strangely filtering in.
“Now that you are officially signed into Hotel California—” the Watcher stared at the three “—ask any five questions, and I will answer them to the best of my ability.”
“What are these things?” Twilight asked holding her hoof with the band on it in the air.
“Those bands show you your credits and your room number.”
“Credits?” Hurricane raised an eyebrow.
“It’s money,” explained Heartbeat.
“Why is mine less than theirs?”
“That’s simple. You were a problem, so we deducted your credits. It’s simple, really.”
Hurricane glowered at the Watcher and moved into a pouncing position. “I’ll show you trouble!”
“Hurricane, no!” Twilight teleported herself in front of her and Hurricane hit Twilight head on… quite literally.
“Dammit!” Hurricane rubbed her head after being shoved back by Twilight. “Why’d you have to that, ya hornhead!”
“Do you really want to mess with the powers of an unknown force that could possibly kill you?” Twilight shouted back, while looking behind her at the Watcher. He stood there, not breaking away from his calm appearance.
Hurricane sneered at Twilight. “Fine, but the first chance I get, I’m gonna get out of here.”
“I’m with you there, but we need to find the way out first. Not to mention we still have three more questions to ask the Watcher.” Twilight turned toward him. “Where do those stairs lead to?”
“That way—” the Watcher pointed a wing to the stairwell that traveled downward—“is the living areas and is where The Dining Car is. That way—” he pointed his other wing at the stairwell that went to the higher floors—“is trouble.”
“What’s The Dining Car?” Hurricane asked.
“It is a bar where you will be able to get food, drinks, and find veterans of the Hotel at. It is the usual hangout for anyone here. The bread and water there is free, but other food and drinks are extra. Most of the veterans enjoy searching the higher levels of the Hotel and finding things to turn into credits. If you would like, you could team up with a veteran, and they could help you gain credits.”
“Is there a place we can get supplies?” Heartbeat asked.
“There is one store, and it should have everything you can attain in the dimension you hail from. You all start off with one-thousand credits… unless you were trouble. While exploring the lower levels of the Hotel, whenever you pick up an item that you cannot use as a weapon or not use it in general, it will turn into credits.
“Now, I officially welcome you to Hotel California. I do hope you enjoy your time here. I suggest you go get supplies first and then go to The Dining Car to meet the others. It would also be wise to check out your rooms. I now must attend to other tasks. I bid you all farewell.” The Watcher’s horn lit up, and he teleported away.
“What do you think we should do first?” Heartbeat asked.
Hurricane looked at him. “We need to get supplies first. If we’re going to do any exploration of this place, weapons are a necessity.”
Twilight frowned. “Wouldn’t it be smarter to go to The Dining Car first, though? I believe that it would be smarter to meet some of the veterans of this place before we do anything too brash.”
Hurricane snorted. “It’s not like they know too much more than what we know. All I want to do is get out of here. I have an empire to run.”
Twilight nodded. “We all want to get out of here, and I say that the best way for us to have any hope of getting out of here is to go talk to the veterans. If anyone knows how to get out of here, it’ll be them.” Twilight looked to Heartbeat. “How about we have him decide what we do?”
“I’d have to agree with you, Twilight. I don’t even have a country to run and I want to get out of this place as soon as I can.” Heartbeat sighed. “Honestly, I kind of think that everyone here would want to get out here. I don’t why anyone would want to actually stay here.”
At Heartbeat’s decision, Hurricane sneered and stormed off toward where she assumed the armory was. Twilight, thinking about what Hurricane was going to do, chased after her and caught up.
“Wait!”
Hurricane looked to Twilight and groaned. “What? I’m just going to do what any reasonable pony would do and go get my equipment first.”
Twilight looked to her, desperation in her eyes. “Please don’t go by yourself. We were all put here at the same time for a reason. If we split up, we may never find out why we were put here; we’ll be stuck in here forever.”
Hurricane let out a long, drawn out sigh. “Fine. Let’s go meet these ‘veterans’, as you call them.”
With Twilight leading the way, the three soon found themselves in front of a door that looked like it was made from the side of a train’s car. A sign above the door read ‘The Dining Car’. They walked through the partly opened door.
The room itself was full of life. A bar stood near the back of the room where imp-like creatures scurried about, filling orders of the establishment’s customers. On the room’s left side, there was a stage with a performer on it. Meanwhile, creatures of all shapes and sizes were scattered about the room at circular tables, either drinking a beverage of some sort, having a meal, or just socializing with others.
The major thing that stood out was a large minotaur near the center of the room. Steel gray fur covered his entire body. His large, pewter colored horns jutted out from his head and multiple scars covered his muscular body. A huge doubled sided battleaxe lay against the side of the table he sat at and two L-shaped black objects made of metal rested in two holsters upon his belt.
Twilight looked at her companions and saw that Heartbeat was swaying along to the music that was originating from the stage. She glanced at the stage and now noticed that other stallions crowded the stage and were cheering her on. Upon further inspection, she noticed that the performer had a pink coat, a deep red mane and tail, and bat wings with purple socks and a black collar on.
She soon stopped singing after a few stallions held up their hoof watches to her. Heartbeat blinked a few times as if he was confused. “Er… sorry. I seemed to have lost track of what I was doing.”
“A succubus… why would one be here?” Twilight murmured.
Hurricane smirked at the sight of the minotaur that sat in the room. “Follow me,” she stated as she swaggered over to him. “Maybe coming here wasn’t too bad of an idea after all.”
“Drownin’ yaself in alcohol ‘fore you have ‘nother escape attempt, are ya, Knossus?” one of the imp-like creatures asked as he handed the minotaur a glass.
Knossus took the glass and took a sip out of it before he slammed it down upon the table. “Dammit, Leroy! This isn’t what I ordered!”
Leroy hurriedly grabbed the drink and scurried off with it.
Hurricane walked up to Knossus and grinned. “So you’re trying to escape?”
He looked up at her and then to Twilight and Heartbeat. “New arrivals? And three of them at that.” He chuckled. “It must be hungry.”
Twilight raised an eyebrow questioningly. “‘It must be hungry’?”
“Yeah. We haven’t had a new arrival in a decade or so, and I’ve never seen three at once.” He looked back to Hurricane. “And to answer your question, yes, I am looking to escape.”
“Do you even know the way out?” Twilight asked. “The Watcher said there was no way out.”
Knossus let out another small chuckle. “Don’t believe that old son of a bitch. He’s just doing as the hotel wills. The biggest slave of us all.” He sighed. “Now, on that way out, it’s been whispered that if you complete the Hotel’s final floor, you can get out. I’ve been trying for years to get out of this damned place.” Knossus sighed wistfully.
“How many floors are in the Hotel?” Twilight asked.
“I don’t know. In my last escape attempt, my two companions and I made it to the thirtieth floor. In the end, they both died, and I was able to escape back to here.” Knossus paused. “I truly wish that they had not died in vain.”
“Died in vain? But they got you down thirty levels; that’s just closer to the way out!”
“No it’s not. When you exit the lower levels, you have to restart from level one if you would like to go back,” Knossus explained.
Three jaws hit the floor upon hearing that. “Then how is somepony supposed to get out of the Hotel?” Heartbeat exclaimed.
“That’s the point. You’re not supposed to.” Knossus chuckled. “Welcome to Hotel California. It’s worse than Tartarus here. Now then, in all seriousness, if you ponies want to escape, I’ll help you. Anyone here who wants to escape is a valuable asset to me.”
“Wouldn’t most creatures here want to escape?”
He scoffed. “No. Most of them are in their own little world; not caring about whether or not they get out. They just want to live here and that’s that. It’s rare to find someone who’d like to escape.” Knossus stood up from his seat. “But before we can escape, you’re going to have to get equipped with actual weapons, get some supplies, and possibly get some armor.” He walked toward the door.
Twilight reached a hoof out. “Wait, do you know anypony else who wants to get out?”
“Nope. The ones who want to get out are already dead. Believe me, if any others wanted to escape, I’d know ‘em.” He sighed. “Also, don’t ever tell the Watcher that you may know the way out. He’ll kill us all.” With that, Knossus exited the room, and the three ponies followed after him.
Author's Note
This sure took me long enough to finish. This story was being written off and on for about a year now. It only took so long because I kept going from thinking it was good to thinking it was bad. Now, since it's actually posted, this story will continue. However, the updates will be slow. I have a lot on my plate with my final year in high school and with editing. Here's hoping to a great story... even if the updates are going to take a while! I do hope you all enjoy this story!
Also, a huge thanks goes out to Fire Gazer the Alchemist, Manaphy, RK_Striker, and Von Snootingham for editing this! Another huge one goes out to 2135D for doing the amazing cover art and to PaintSplotch for doing the in-chapter art! Oh, and to Foals Errand and River Road for pre-reading it!
Chapter 2: We Hope You Enjoy Your Stay
“Welcome!” A pink mare with a bright yellow mane waved her hoof excitedly. “My name is Peppy Step! This is the Armory! Is there anything I can do to help you?” With a smile plastered on her face, she bumped up her large-rimmed glasses.
Weapons, armor, and other miscellaneous items lined the walls of the spacious room Twilight now stood in. However, the room was lacking three things—or rather—people: Heartbeat, Hurricane, and Knossus, all of whom had walked into the room with her.
“Erm…” She glanced around the room. “Did you happen to see anypony else come in with me?”
Peppy nodded. “Mhmm!”
“Would you mind pointing me in their direction?”
“Sure!” She pointed a hoof near a rack of weapons. “That’s where the red one is!” She pointed a hoof to the other side of the room. “That’s where the earth pony is!” She hopped up on top of some boxes. “Aaaaand—” she jabbed a hoof into the air “—the minotaur is right here!”
Twilight took a few steps back from Peppy. “Uh… okay. I’ll just be over here…” she paused, her eyes frantically moving side to side before she exclaimed, “browsing!”
“All righty! Tell me if you need any help, Miss Twilight!” Peppy happily trotted deeper into the room before plopping herself down at a desk.
Twilight also went deeper into the room, except she was traveling in a different direction than the other mare.
She glanced at the weapons before sighing to herself. “What will I even need for this?”
“Well it depends on what type of weapon you’re used to!”
“Ah!” Twilight screamed, jumping into the air. “When did you get there?”
“I just told you to ask for help if needed! When you ask for help, it shall be received!” With a determined look in her eye, she saluted to nothing.
With a frustrated grunt, Twilight said, “Fine. Just bring me something.”
Peppy zipped off, but soon came back holding a very large, very sharp and pointy greatsword in her mouth. “How’sh dis?”
Twilight took a step back, blinking a couple times at the sword. “How about something less… sharp?”
“Got itsh!” Once again, Peppy was off, and she soon returned, this time, holding a warhammer in her mouth. “Thish?”
Twilight inspected the weapon and soon shook her head. “Something not that big.”
“Hmmm…” Peppy raised a forehoof up to her chin, obviously deep in thought. “I think I know what you want.” And, once again, she was off and soon returned. Twilight nearly facehoofed at the scythe that was now between Peppy’s teeth, but was interrupted as she noticed something behind the weapon.
A staff made of the darkest wood Twilight had ever seen laid upon the shelf, abandoned. She pointed a hoof at it. “I want that.”
“Pffft… that boring, old thing? Ew. Why would you even want something so simple?” She stuck out her tongue and did a fake gag.
Twilight nodded. “Yes. It doesn’t look like it could hurt anypony too much, and it seems like a good choice for me.” She trotted over to it and picked it up in her magic, inspecting the small symbols drawn upon it. “Hmm… what are these?”
Peppy stepped up next to her. “Hmm… I don’t know. I never was one for dusty, old history books. They’re boring.” She rolled her eyes playfully.
“So how much will this be?”
Peppy grinned. “Five-hundred credits!”
“F-five-hundred?” Twilight shouted. “It’s just an old staff! You said it was boring yourself!”
Peppy moved up one of her hooves to shush Twilight. “I did say that, but I don’t set the prices.” She picked up the staff and slightly shrugged. “Now, are you gonna buy it or what?”
Twilight opened her mouth, but no words came out. On one hoof, it seems to be one of the only weapons in here that I’d like to use. On the other hoof, it’s so expensive… Wait, what will I need for this anyway? The Watcher was vague about what the floors contain, and Knossus didn’t really say anything about it. Twilight’s stare focused more on the staff before she closed her eyes and sighed. “I’ll take it.”
Peppy hopped into the air. “Yay!” She took up Twilight’s hoof and excitedly shook it. “Thank you for your purchase!”
“You’re welcome.” Picking up the staff in her magic, Twilight put it to her side, holding it in an upright position. “So can you suggest anything else I’ll need for going into the Hotel’s deeper floors?”
“Can I?” Even though it seemed physically impossible, Peppy’s grin widened. “Of course I can!” She grabbed Twilight’s hoof again. “Come with me!” She zipped off to other parts of the room, and, soon, a pile had formed in the center of it.
In the end, the pile stood several meters high. Twilight sat on her haunches, intimidated by it, while Peppy stood to the side, calculating how much it’d all be in her mind.
“—And your total comes up to thirteen-thousand five-hundred and fifty-two credits!” She glanced at Twilight’s hoof band. “But it seems that you don’t have that much. Hmm… let’s see here.” Peppy started throwing things aside, while continuously muttering to herself.
Eventually, the pile was reduced to four items: an old, worn cloak, a pink bedroll, generic brown saddlebags, and a small mirror. “Given your current finances, that’s all you’ll be able to afford! Do you accept this transaction?”
Twilight walked around the items. “Hmm… Yes. I do.”
Peppy pulled a piece of paper and a pencil out of her mane and shoved it in Twilight’s face. “Please sign here!”
“Uh… okay.” Without thinking about it, Twilight signed the paper. Upon doing so, the cloak and saddlebags materialized on here and the bedroll and mirror had seemed to disappear. However, there was some weight in her saddlebags.
“Thank you for your patronage… even if there aren’t any other stores around!” Peppy shoved Twilight out of the room and into the empty hallway. “Enjoy your time here!” The door was slammed shut in her face.
“Well that was rude.” Twilight huffed to herself as she walked to the other side of the hallway, laying down on the floor and resting her head on her hooves. “Now what do I do? Just wait?” She sighed.
Upon closing her eyes, Twilight felt a tiredness wash over her. When’s the last time I slept? Ever so slowly, her body relaxed as she was about to fall into a deep sleep.
“—did you do that?” a voice hissed down the hallway.
Twilight’s ears perked up.
“Sending an alicorn here? Do you want to die?”
The clip-clopping sound of hooves on stone became louder and louder. Twilight, realizing the possible trouble, shot up into a sitting position. She whipped her head around the hall, looking for potential hiding spots from the approaching stranger. Upon finding none, Twilight gulped.
I mean, I’ve been meaning to try this new spell out. I hope it works…
Her horn glowed with light as she knit her brow in concentration. A second overglow went over her horn as wisps of magic surrounded her body, entrapping herself. After a third overglow, her body disappeared; she was now invisible.
She gulped and looked down the hall, waiting for the pony to pass by her.
“An accident? You mean you don’t send anyone here for ten years and then you accidentally summon an alicorn? You incompetent foal.”
The voice was now louder. Down the hall, a silhouette formed of a pony with a yellow glow surrounding part of its forehead where a horn most likely lay. Twilight inched forward, trying to get a better look at the approaching pony.
The pony entered the torchlight, his blue coat glowing in the dim light as his black mane reflected it. His eyebrows were knit as a deep frown was splayed across his face. It was the Watcher. And this was the first bit of emotion Twilight had ever seen from him.
Twilight gasped, which caused the Watcher to pause mid-trot to glance around the hall. He pulled his enraged countenance back into his normal, dull expression. “Who’s there?”
Twilight’s heart rate accelerated as he looked in her general direction. Can he see me? Her eyes widened as he approached her, but before he could inspect the area, a shiver ran throughout his entire body, causing him to jerk back.
“It must have been my imagination.” He shook his head and continued down the hall. “Now, let’s discuss your foalish move.”
She followed after him. Who’s he talking to? With a small flash of her horn, Twilight scanned the hall for others, but found nothing else.
“Do you know what this is going to cause me to do? Of course you do.” The Watcher paused. “I do hope you know that you will pay for this even if it is not by my hoof.” The Watcher sighed. “You deceitful bastard.”
I-is he talking to the Hotel?
His horn lit up with multiple overglows, more than Twilight had ever seen on a single pony before. Golden magic rushed throughout his body and moved down the halls.
Magic coursed through Twilight’s body as it forced its way into her. She couldn’t help but feel violated—contaminated—by its forceful nature. Twilight collapsed ground, her invisibility spell wavering as she was drenched in a cold sweat.
She struggled to lift her head, but was able to do so and noticed that the Watcher had disappeared. Her head fell back down and hit the floor with a small thud. Her vision became blurry and her eyelids began to droop.
Laying in the middle of the hallway, Twilight fell into unconsciousness.
<><><><><
“What happened to her?” a feminine voice asked.
“I don’t know! She just wouldn’t get up!” Sobs filled the room; it sounded somewhat familiar.
“I… I will see what I can do, but I have never seen this before. There has to be a reason of why she won’t wake up.”
The second speaker sniffled. “P-please be okay, Twilight…”
“Thank you for bringing her to me as soon as possible. Go rest. You need it.”
<><><><><
“Twilight!” A pair of peach hooves shook her awake.
She groggily opened her eyes. “Huh?”
Heartbeat attacked her with a hug. “Thank Celestia you’re okay.” Tears streamed down his face. “What happened to you?”
Blinking, Twilight furrowed her eyebrows, trying to remember what had happened, but only let out a drawn out sigh. “I… I’m not sure. I remember laying down outside while I waited for you two, and then the Watcher came, so I followed him. After that… everything’s blurry.”
A deep sigh escaped Knossus’s mouth. “You fool. Do you know what he would’ve done if he caught you following him?” He shook his head. “He would’ve tortured or killed you. Possibly even both. What possessed you to even follow him in the first place?”
“He was talking to someone. I’m not sure who, but his horn was glowing, and he was angry with whoever he was talking to.” Twilight looked to where the Watcher was and then to Knossus. “Do you have any idea who he could’ve been talking to?”
Knossus paused and brought up a hand to his chin. “Not off the top of my head, no. I can’t even recall him ever talking to anyone like that.”
“The Watcher is the master of the Hotel, right?” Heartbeat questioned, looking between Twilight and Knossus.
“That’s what I’ve always assumed. He seems to be the leader, but I can’t say that I know.” He sighed. “We should get back to the Armory. That pegasus said she’d wait there.”
Twilight nodded, and the three made their way back down the hall. Eventually, they were in front of the Armory. An annoyed looking Hurricane stood by the wood doors, waiting for the return of her companions. Beside her was a halberd, which looked too tall for a pony of her size. “So you found her? Where was she?”
“She was passed out in the hallway. She claims to have seen the Watcher talking to someone before passing out,” Knossus said.
Hurricane looked down to her raised hoof, adjusting one of her new gauntlets. “Who?”
“We—”
“I don’t know. His horn was glowing, and he was angry with someone. After I started following him, I don’t remember what really happened. I do remember having a strange dream, though.”
Heartbeat stared at her. “What was it about?”
“I… I’m not sure. All I remember is hearing voices. One seemed like it was crying and the other sounded pained.” She looked to Knossus. “Has this happened to you?”
“No. I never have dreams in here, and neither does anyone else that I know.”
Twilight sighed before looking to the ground. “We should probably get going. Maybe we’ll find something in the Hotel’s floors.”
“Doubtful,” Knossus muttered.
“I think we should go back to our rooms first. None of us have had anything to eat or drink and no real rest since we’ve arrived here. We should be in top health before we go into unknown territory.” Heartbeat paused. “And I kinda want to check my room out.” He chuckled.
Twilight nodded and even Hurricane agreed.
Knossus looked down on them. “Follow me to the rooms.” He started walking away from them, and they followed. Eventually, they came upon a hallway filled with doors that all had numbers on them. The first to enter his room was Heartbeat, which was followed by Hurricane and Twilight.
Before entering, Twilight looked to Knossus. “Where are you going to go?”
“Oh, my room’s way back there. I just wanted to make sure you newbies got to your rooms safely. Can’t have another incident like earlier happen.” He blinked. “Goodnight. We leave as soon as all of you are ready. Meet me inthe Dining Car.”
Twilight nodded and walked into her room. It was a humble room that looked much like one of an inn from where she was from. It had a simple bed with a nightstand next to it and small bookshelf in the corner. The actual room, unlike the stony hallway outside, had a more homely appearance with its wooden floor and walls.
She took a deep breath in and walked to her bed before collapsing onto it. She let out a long sigh before gently closing her eyes. I wonder what Princess Celestia wanted me for… Princess Celestia… She must be so worried right now. And Spike? I wonder how he’s dealing with this. She felt her fur on her face grow damp as tears fell down her face. I need to get out of here. My friends need me… I need my friends…
She relaxed her body and soon fell into a deep sleep.
Author's Note
Decided to upload this without too much editing. If ya find something wrong, feel free to tell me in the comments.
