The Catacombs of Zalgo

Chapter 4: The Construction Quarter

Meanwhile in Ponyville, the business activity finally settled down, as the ponies had a long and hard day. Every filly and colts were asleep within their beds, while the mares and stallions enjoyed the beautiful evening. The cold and luscious air breezed through the trees like a serenade melody. The moonlight above the nightly sky illuminated the whole town in a peaceful luminosity. Every pony within the town was in harmony and at peace… except for a frantic baby dragon that's been pacing back and forth. Inside the library tree, Spike restlessly walked around the living room worrying about a certain pony that should have supposedly been here already. Ignoring his bedtime, the purple baby dragon looked out the window and stared at the moon.

"Gosh, Twilight should have been here by now. She needs to write a letter to the princess about Discord. She's never this late before. It’s not like her to just… Ooooh… what if something bad happened to her? What if- n-no… just calm down, Spike. Maybe she went to her friend's house and forgot the time. Yeah…" Suddenly, there was a knock on the door. Spike jumped in surprise from the unexpected knock. Thinking that Twilight has returned, Spike ran towards the door. When he got to the door, he opened it and displayed his joyful smile. But his joyful smile disappeared, as it was only the Cutie Mark Crusaders, Ms. Cake, and a white bunny rabbit named Angel who appeared instead.

"Oh… it’s you guys. Can I help you?" Spike asked while sounding disappointedly. Ms. Cake took a peek inside the library, as she hadn't bothered to properly introduced herself mannerly.

"Hello Spike. Sorry for dropping by this hour.” Ms. Cake hastily spoke. “Pinkie Pie isn't at the Bakery and it's really late. I was wondering if she's here?" The red bow filly walked inside the door and looked around the room.

"Mah sis' ain' at the farm either, Spike. I'm so worried about her. Applejack! You in here, sis?! Granny Smith and Big Macintosh are worried sick about you!" She yelled. Sweetie Belle was the next to walk inside.

"Rarity and I were supposed to have a girl’s night. But I never saw her since the ceremony was over." Sweetie Belle frowned. Scootaloo walked up to Sweetie Belle and gave her a friendly hug.

"It's all right, Sweetie Belle. You’re not the only one who has this type of problem. Rainbow Dash promised that she teach me how to fly better. She never let down a promise before. Something awful must of happened to her… I can just feel it. And Angel here is worried about Fluttershy too. Poor little guy…" Scootaloo gloomed over at angel who looked very unpleased instead of apprehensive. Angel had the 'I'm only here because Fluttershy forgot to feed me dinner…' look on his face. Hearing all the suspicious news from Twilight's friends, Spike concluded that something's very fishy was going around here. Spike shrugged his shoulders and gave a desperate sigh.

"No one is here except Owlowiscious and I. Twilight didn't even tell me what she was gonna do after the ceremony. Think… think I should report to the princess about this?" He asked. Ms. Cake shook her head and displayed her fake grin.

"No, No not yet. I'm pretty sure they’ll have a good explanation for being this late. Let's wait for a little longer… maybe they'll come back. But… if they don't show up until then, well… well…" Ms. Cake started to fret concerning the whereabouts of Pinkie. Her mind begun doubting the safety of the party pony and her friends. Hiding her face from the group, she turned her head around and developed a small tear. Spike gloomed at the ground shaking his head.

Twilight… where are you? He thought.

Meanwhile, Jack and his unnecessary allies continued down the damned catacombs. The ruined tomb may have been laid to rest… but the events within the forsaken dungeon had just begun. Down they go, the two pegasus and Jack descended into the everlasting darkness. Every couple of minutes, they encountered a monster or two that deliberately gets slaughtered by the reaper of vengeance. The more blood that's been spilt, the thirstier Jack's intentions on becoming a juggernaut would be inevitable. Thirty minutes had passed by ever since they ran into the misfortunate rescue of Rainbow Dash, and they finally stumbled upon a wide room. The distance was too foggy to see through and the temperature dropped immensely. Before moving ahead any further, Jack turned to his unfortunate companions.

"This is the 'Hall of the Abyss'. In this place, there will no doubt be a whole lot of those ungodly retards. I want absolute silence until we reach a quarter. There are four-quarter rooms or wings in all. First is the Construction Quarter, then The Illusion Quarter, Plague Quarter next, and finally The Necropolis Quarter. Each quarter holds a key fragment that's required to open the fifth and final Quarter… The Chamber of Darkness. Each key fragments are located at the end of each wing and I attend to not screw up. That is my main priority… unless we run into your other friends, no objections is in order. So stay close and keep quiet." Jack sighed and turned around. With all the aggression Jack's been putting out, Rainbow Dash rolled her eyes and grunted.

"Yeah, yeah… We're not here for a tour ya know? Let's just get this over with." Exaggerated Rainbow Dash. Jack turned around and eyed at Dash for a moment.

"For once… we have something we both agree on." Grunted Jack and proceeded into the fog. The two followed right behind them. Unlike the previous halls they passed through, this humongous room filled the ponies with dread and horror. Sooner or later, they passed by a dried up fountain. It was filled with humanoid skulls and bones. And it had a huge sculpture at the center of the alabaster basin. The figure had the shape of an octopus, a dragon, and a human caricature. It had a pulpy, tentacle head surmounted a grotesque scaly body with rudimentary wings. The figure was raising both hands in the air as if it's being worshiped. Fluttershy took a good glance at the statue and wondered if that's Cthulhu. She wanted to ask Jack, but it was best not to talk. But just looking at the statue frightened Fluttershy. Three minutes of walking in silence, Jack and the two pegasus reached towards a steel door. There was blood smeared all over the rusty door. And the handle looked a bit rusty. When they got close to the door, Jack turned around and looked at the two seriously.

"We're about to enter the construction quarter. So prepare yourselves for the worst." Rainbow Dash thought up the name for a moment, and was slightly relieved that she will be entering another room that isn't as spooky as the room they were in.

"For the worst, really? The construction quarter doesn't sound so bad. What are they building in there anyway? Weapons? Armor? Catapults?" She asked him. Jack lowered his eyebrows and shook his head.

"You really are full of yourself aren't you? It's the least of what you will expect. Mark my words. As I said before… prepare yourselves." Sighed Jack. He reached over to the door handle and gripped it. Suddenly, out of nowhere, a dark and spine chilling whisper echoed across the hall.

"He is coming… he who waits behind the wall… he who waits to end it all."

"All that you know… all that you are… he will tear it apart and leave you afar."

"He will call on the beast to devour your soul… he will take the whole world and will make it unwhole."

"He comes…"

"He who will sing the end of the earth… such a beautiful song… what a beautiful night… he awaits this night… he awaits darkness."

"He who waits behind the wall… he is the chaotic hivemind… eating my soul… making me unwhole… one with him."

The dark whisper suddenly vanished back into the lifeless dark. The frightening whisper placed both Fluttershy and Rainbow Dash in a terrified state. Their pupils were shrunken to the sizes of peas. Both of them were frantically breathing as their bodies were trembling. Fluttershy gulped down, as she looked over to Jack.

"W-W-Whah… what… what was that?" She shuttered. Jack gave a dead look at her before staring up at the ceiling.

"Apparently… that was the source of this god-forsaken place. Someone spoke part of the invocation of Zalgo. That invocation can only be known and spoken by the Avatar of Zalgo." Rainbow Dash stepped forward looking concerned on this subject.

"Who is this Zalgo? What did that invocation meant anyway? Is he really gonna destroy the world?"

"That is part of his desires,” Jack replied. “But the other half… is becoming one with him. We are the ones that will destroy this world. He is nothing but a mythos concept. The Avatar of Zalgo is the one who will sing a certain song that will make all life on this planet die almost simultaneously and become one of those accursed undead we encountered so far. He can easily rip your sanity apart, and crush the very foundations of your psyche. His origins took place a very long time ago when all life forms were still intact. However, I don't know the avatar history of Zalgo… and I don't really care. All I care is letting him know how much I hated him and how much pain I will inflict on him. Now… if we're done, I like to continue on." Jack's hand twisted the handle on the door. He then slowly pulled the door open. A small outburst of wind blew through the doorway, giving an ungodly disgusting odor. The stench was so powerful; it made Fluttershy and Rainbow Dash puke a little inside the mouth. But the smell didn't faze Jack at all. After he adjusted to the smell, he proceeded inside the door with the two ponies following him.

Inside the room was so horrific and so sickening that it took the breath of the two ponies by force. It was a slaughterhouse and a laboratory mixed together. Standing on a catwalk, the two looked below the room and almost threw up. The walls in the whole room were almost completely splattered with putrid blood. There were bits and pieces of various corpses being hung from rusty-chained hooks on the ceiling. The tables and chairs were made of bones and preserved flesh from various victims. Wooden shelves held weathered tomes and scrolls. A vulgar display of organs and sliced up body parts were scattered all over the facility. Bloody sharp medical and construction tools were hung on the decapitated human heads that were nailed to the wall. Several butcher knives and other ruthless equipments were left penetrated on various deceased bodies. And dried up entrails were hanging from the railings and other various places.

The stench grew more overwhelming by the passing second; making the ponies to just puke some more. The room was a bit dim but the flickering lights from the ceiling showed half of the room and another door on the other side of the runway. Jack begun walking on the metal catwalk steps, leaving the two ponies standing still in disgust. He looked behind him and grunted.

"Snap out of it will you two?! We don't have all day… keep up!" He lashed out rudely. Both of them blinked and slowly proceed up the steps. The trio walked along the runway while being prepared for anything. Metal clanking footsteps echoed in the dark room. The lights above them flickered on and off. The whole setting gave off an eerie tension to the ponies. It is like walking into something worse than a nightmare. About halfway across the catwalk, Rainbow Dash couldn't help herself to ask why this is called the construction quarter if the room was displayed as a complete massacre.

"Say umm… Jack. What happened in here anyway? I-I don't understand what caused this mess." She whispered loudly. Continuing to walk, Jack sighed in annoyance.

"Isn't it obvious? The construction quarter is a faculty for building slaves and minions. Its purpose is to create an army for the apocalyptic day when Cthulhu rises and wipes out the whole world. But ever since Zalgo took over this whole place, that day will never come. Creating these monsters requires a great understanding of necromancy and science. Even the capacity to both animate undead and cause supernatural curing to living flesh. It's not an easy task… but if done right, you will create loyal slaves and tremendously powerful warriors. And they will do whatever it takes to get the right materials… even if by using unspeakable methods."

The three finally reached towards the next door and Jack didn’t hesitated to open it. Inside the other room was related to the previous room. Only the lights were a bit brighter and the stench was lighter. Down below, the gang spotted prisoners, locked up in an iron cage. Inside was a very skinny brown cub that had gaping cuts on its side. Then there was an old, emaciated, male human wearing nothing but worn brown trousers. And there was a scrawny fawn with its front left leg severely dismembered. All three of them were at the edge of the iron cage shivering with fear. On the other side of the room were two humanoid cultists, finishing up harvesting a white cow's organs. Seconds later, one of the cultists looked at the terrified senior. Jack and the two pegasus noticed that the cultist's eyes were pitched black, black tears streaming down his cheeks.

"He desires your instrument for his wonderful song." The cultist spoke in a demonic voice. The cultist begun to walk forward towards the iron cage. He placed the key into the keyhole, and twisted it. As it click, he unlocked the cage and reached over towards the senior. While laughing joyfully, he grasped the senior’s white hair and yanked it with force. The old man screamed in agony, as he tried to get free from the cultist's unmerciful grasp.

"N-No! Please! Let me go! I-I don't want to die! Have mercy on me!" The old man begged. But the cultist ignored his every word, and brought the senior over to the cultist's partner. The cultist threw the old man down to his knees and stared at his pitiful existence.

"Death is such a wonderful view. Why deny this path? He shall have you… and you shall be one with him." The other cultist spoke, as he grabbed the senior by the neck and raised his whole body off the ground. The old man struggled to get air while trying to break free. He kept kicking the cultist's stomach with no avail. Suddenly, the cultist holding the senior stuck his free hand up, and drove it down the old man's throat. Gurgling for air while moaning in pain, the cultist dug his hand deeper down to fish out something. Disgusting moist and gooey sounds could be heard throughout part of the room, as he fished inside the man’s body. A few seconds of searching around in there, he managed to grab the withered man's heart.

The senior's eyes were wide open, revealing bloodshot around his sclera. He felt an overwhelming pain coursing inside his body cavity that made his throat burn. After a few seconds of grasping the heart while feeling its beating rhythm, the cultist pulled out his arm from the senior’s throat, along with the heart. His arm was covered in blood and saliva as he reeled in the heart. Even more moist and gooey sounds could be heard from the catwalk. When the heart was extracted from the mouth, several arteries were still connected. The cultist placed his ear next to the heart and listened to its beat.

"Ahhh… that is the rhythm. Such a delightful instrument to listen." He said.

At that moment, he grinned and yanked the beating heart. Like strings, the arteries snapped easily with a bit of blood squirting out. The old man gasped, rolling his teary eyes to the back of his head. He gurgled his last breath and passed away. Blood filled his mouth with a bit of bubbles on the surface. The cultist released the old man’s neck and held the heart in the air. Then he squeezed the heart, producing certain amount of excess excrement. The mess spilt all over his face while his mouth was wide open. In delight, he cherished every bit of drop from the heart's substances. Back up on the catwalk, the two pegasus could only look in absolute horror from the performance they witnessed. Fluttershy begun sobbing while trying to hold her vomit back.

"Wh-why…?! H-How… how could… they?" She sobbed quietly. Rainbow Dash was also crying and disgusted. But at the same time, she was also enraged by the cruelty being displayed. Clenching her teeth hard, she glared at the two cultists.

"Those… sick… freaks! They're gonna pay for that!" Rainbow dash growled. She leaped over the railing and prepared to dash over to the two cultists. But then, she was suddenly stopped by Jack grasping her tail. Rainbow Dash looked behind her while enraged.

"What the hay you doing?! Let me go no-" Suddenly, Jack immediately yanked Dash's tail and sent her back to the ground hard. She grunted in pain from that impact. Then she eyed at Jack who looked more enraged than she was.

"You stay right here you fucking idiot!” Jack whispered angrily. “I don't want us being spotted or known! I know how you feel, but those cultists are more dangerous than you think! Looking deep into their piercing red eyes and you will become one of them! And those cultists aren't like those undead we encountered… they're much more powerful! God… the nerve of you…"Jack slowly released the rainbow tail, making him sigh in exhaustion. Fluttershy looked at the two helpless and frightened critters locked up inside the iron cage.

"W-We got to help those critters! Please, Jack!" She begged. Jack darted his eyes at Fluttershy and shook his head.

"It's no use. They're one foot in the grave and will die soon anyway. Beside, I only agreed on saving your friends… not saving other animals. I'm sorry." Shrewd Jack, as he begun walking forward again. Fluttershy and Rainbow Dash looked at each other sorrowfully before walking alongside him. Along the catwalk, there was a door located on the far right corner of the room. Arriving half way towards the left corner of the catwalk, they turned to their right and head straight for the door. While walking there, one of the cultists managed to snag the helpless fawn by the scruff. It yelled in pain, as the cultist gripped harder. Fluttershy heard the distress call and gasped. She looked at the next scene that was about to take place.

"Oh no…" She whispered in terror. The other cultist walked over towards the table and grabbed a bloody hacksaw. Then he walked over to his partner and placed the sharp jagged teeth next to the fawn's neck. He then spoke in delight.

"Hymn the advent anthem of our lord's liberation! Let him listen to the cries of elation!"

The cultist began working the saw back and forth with his hand. Slicing easily through the skin, the fawn begun to cry out in agony. Faster and more brutally, blood spilt out of the throat. Fluttershy couldn't stand to watch and hear this horror anymore. She turned away and wept hard. She was about to make a desperate move to save the fawn from its demise when Jack interrupted her attempt.

"Just… keep… walking!" He whispered threateningly. Trying her hardest, Fluttershy had to obey his every command and ignore the scene from below. Finally, Jack reached towards the door and took a deep breath. The two frightened ponies were ready to face more horrors behind the door. He turned the doorknob and slowly opened it. As the door opened half way, an invisible wire suddenly snapped. It then set off the sound of a huge sawmill. Jack and the two ponies were immediately alarmed. Then, they suddenly heard a familiar scream calling for help. Jack flung the door open revealing a bottomless pit arena room. There were two separate ramps leading upwards towards the central platform that’s located higher up the room. The platform stood over the bottomless pit with a trapdoor at the end of it. After a brief moment to examine the whole room, he suddenly spotted a victim being strapped down on top of the trapdoor while being in line of the sawmill's pathway. It was a white mare unicorn that had a royal purple curls for a mane, and a cutie mark with three blue navy sparklers.

"RARITY!!" Both Fluttershy and Rainbow Dash yelled out in horror.