“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.