The Nightmare King
:Chapter 9 Part 3 – Griffon in the Hand is Worth Two in the Bush:

“Oh it was… delicious.”

“...okay?”

She just gave me an odd look as I walked further into the institute. First stop, locker room, then begins phase two of my brilliant plan.

Reaching the locker room I came across the first hiccup in my plan. Shock’s locker was... locked.

“...shit.”

It was a simple three digit combination pad lock. After fifteen minutes spent hitting, pulling on, glaring at, and pleading with the lock it finally came undone. Turns out that the combination was 000.

“Fucking really!”

After putting on Shocks jumpsuit and raiding his locker for his things I took off to get on with the rescue.

It’s no secret that the Sickhouse institute is a research facility, But the entrance to the research half was kept a secret. There was a broom closet at the far end of the east wing of the hospital that had another door within it. The secret broom closet door might actually be what made Shock think a random closet was a good place to flee to. I entered the closet and looked at the imposing steel door and smiled. Pony security systems... believe it or not I have gotten past many doors like this one. I had made a hobby of breaking into places recently. The door was actually made from enchanted and reinforced steel. Nothing short of a full grown dragon can break this thing down. That or you just use the bloody key.

“Phase three” I muttered to myself as I entered the secret facility.

After I walked in I noticed a number of ponies wearing a similar outfit that I was. There were also a few wearing full hazmat suits. Just think of a secret lab a James Bond villain would have and you would get this picture. There were a few rooms that were completely made from some transparent material that held what I could assume is their active ‘research’. From what I could tell there was no ‘development’ in the rooms... just ponies on tables. I had to get away from this sight before I lost my cool. One day I need to find a way to shut this place down. If I try to go to the proper authorities they probably won’t believe me. Even if they do I’m sure this place would catch wind of the government coming to look into their research and just scrap everything... ponies included. Shaking my head to clear the negative thoughts I walked on trying to find where they kept the griffon I was looking for.

I must be the luckiest man in Equestria. Turns out that Shock actually knew exactly who I was talking about. I’m looking for the griffon they call Subject 241. According to Caze and Shock, he is the bird I’m looking for. He was submitted to the hospital because he suffered an apparent psychotic break and became delusional. Idiot probably went around claiming to be a human. Honestly, if you go around telling people you’re an alien from another universe, they are just going to think you’re crazy.

So far so good, as long as no one tries to talk to me this should be easy enough.

“Hey Shock!”

“Fuck.” I whispered under my breath.

A gold unicorn walks up from behind me waving to bet my attention. The only features I can make out on him are his coat color and his amber mane.

“Shock you’re back early. You find a new spot for lunch?” He asked patting me on the back

“Okay Shock was an ass, so I gotta think of ass things to say.” “The fuck do you care?” I asked bitterly hoping against hope he would just go away.

“Whoa buddy, no need to be an ass.” He said throwing his hooves up in an apologetic manor.

“Whatever, if you don’t mind I am kind of busy.” I said turning to walk away.

“What are you doing?” He asked stopping me in my tracks. Damn if I get caught here there is no way I could ever escape.

“...I’m going to pay Two-Four-One a visit.” I said hoping that that answer would be enough to get him to leave me alone.

“But I thought you had Rick yesterday?” He asked confused again.

“Rick? Now that is a human name.” “This isn’t exactly ...standard.”

The gold unicorn nodded seeming to understand. “Ah, that’s cool I guess. I just wanted to ask you if you could cover my rounds, I kind of have plans today.” He asked putting his hooves together in a pleading mannor.

“Now?”

“...Yea.” He said reluctantly

“Fine, get the hell out of here.” I said pointing off to the exit.

He shot to my side and draped a hoof over my shoulder appreciatively. “Thanks bro! I’ll make it up to you.” He exclaimed running off.

“To work here and do the things they do... and yet they act so casual. It’s almost... sickening. The sooner I get the hell out of here, the better.” Shaking my head I began to continue on my search looking for 241’s room. Or should I call him Rick now.

The interior of the corridors actually looks like a regular run of the mill hospital, well with steel doors instead of the regular wooden ones… I don’t like it. Don’t get me wrong it’s not that I don’t like hospitals, it’s just that this place just feels …wrong The psychic energy in the air was palpable. So many souls are scared for such different reasons, and I can taste it. It has an irony metal taste, like blood. If you are an empath I suggest you never walk through an insane asylum.

All of the rooms were locked and windowless. A three digit number was printed across each of them. “Putting them all in these solitary cells just isn’t right man. If they ain't nuts already they will be eventually.” Is a thought that stood out while I was walking through the twisting hallways trying to make sense of how they organized the place. For a minute, I thought back to Mercy and how it was basically designed to be an unsolvable labyrinth, but this was not a labyrinth this was a hospital with too many dead end hallways. There almost organized like cell blocks. Finally I found a door labeled 237, and a smile returned to my face with the reassurance that my goal was close at hand.

Watching the numbers on the doors on the doors as I walked past them I came to a chilling realization, they number their subjects based on room numbers. Scootaloo was Zero Nine Three. They put that child in the fucking basement!

I was brought out of my sudden anger by coming across the door I was looking for. “Ah here is my stop, room 241. I’ll have to visit Shock one day and thank him for the half ass directions.”
I used the key I took from Shocks locker to unlock the door. It opened without a complaint or sound. I guess they like to sneak up on the patients.

“Phase four” I whispered keeping with the doors theme of silence.

I stepped inside and got my first look at the entire reason for my impromptu trip. He looked kind of like a thinner more well-built Gustav, that griffon from the train mystery episode. (Pinkie is best detective.) His fur was a light black from his paws to his to the beginning of his talons. His feathers were a dark gray similar to a stormy sky. His beak hung open as he snored softly. He laid on a simple cot, one that you would fine in a jail cell. (Not that I would ever know...) the room had all the fun accessories as one too. Toilet, sink, and a chair bolted to the ground. The only noticeable difference was that the walls were all painted that special kind of madhouse white. I walked over to the sleeping griffon

First impressions are important. “Wake up boy!” I screamed at his face.

*Squawk!*

The griffon shot out of the bed in a small fit of panic landing face first on the floor. He looked up at me still pretty dazed. When he saw my face it lit up with recognition and then resentment. I take it that he must have known Shock well. He glared at me in silence for a while before I broke the silence.

“…As hilarious as that was you need to pay attention now son.”

He rolled his eyes and stood up to look me in the eyes. Well in the goggles at least. On all fours he stood as tall as the average pony, roughly three feet. “Ugh. What do you want now? More blood work? Another procedure? Oh, maybe you’re finally going to set me free?” He said in mock enthusiasm.

I smirked, I like his attitude. “Shut the fuck up Rick” I said shaking my head in amusement.

“Wha?” He responded tilting his head in confusion.

I took my goggles off and threw them over my head, and immediately winced at the bright light in the room. Jesus, I keep forgetting that I wear eye protection for a reason. I covered my eyes with a hoof and began to swear under my breath.

“You’re... not the attendant are you?” He asked sounding more curious now then cautious.

“What was your first clue genius?” I muttered still covering my eyes trying to will them to stop hurting.

“Well... if you really want to know it was...” He started.

I eventually managed to get my eyes to withstand the light, when I looked over at Rick he was struck silent by them.

“...Well the eyes are a dead giveaway.” He said nodding.

“Thank god you were here to point that out.” I said rolling my eyes.

“We have no time. So listen carefully, you are in research facility of the Sickhouse Institute. I've heard you’re quick, so I want you to prove it. You need to run Rick, run like you’ve never ran before! Don’t try to break out until you get the signal. When you finally do break free I’ll meet you in town, okay?”

“Wha?” He asked obviously confused.

“I am setting you free Rick, but you can’t expect me to do everything now can you?”

“Uhh…” He still wasn’t getting it.

“No, you can’t.” I answered for him.

“Okay then.” He replied nodding dumbly.

“Well… there’s the door!” I said stepping aside making sure he could get out.

“I… uh…” Now the guy just seemed lost.

I had had enough of this crap. “Go!”

“Aw shit!” He shouted jumping out the door. As soon as he did a little red light above his door started to blink. Well I guess they took precautions.

After stretching out, something he seemed to take great pleasure in, the guards showed up. This is when I learned that this griffon was fast. he took one look at them and was gone in a flash. “Now that should keep the staff busy while I initiate phase five of my ...half thought out plan.” I thought praying that this rescue doesn’t go wrong.

I walked out of his room and made my way to the management wing of the facility. There was a noticeable lack of guards in the management wing proving that phase five was a success. Caze said the one in charge had his office at the far end of the east wing so that’s where I was heading.

As I approached the door I noticed the name written across it.

‘Dr. Wahnsinn Von Sickhouse
Facilitator and Chief Resident’

“Evil has a name. Its name is Sickhouse. His face is the only one I see in my nightmares.” Scootaloo’s voice rang in my head as I remembered the reason I had even found this place.

“So the guy’s name is Wahnsinn? Wahnsinn Von Sickhouse? That just sounds like the name of a Nazi scientist bent on global domination. Well I guess this is the place.” I opened the door to reveal an... interesting office. He had several paintings, and framed certificates, and photos adorning his walls. There were a few busts portraying certain unicorns, all with stoic expressions. His desk was covered in various papers and files and even had a still in motion Newtons cradle click clacking away on it.

One file was separated from all the other mess. A three digit code was stamped across the cover that read ‘093’

“Subject 093… Scoots? Why does he have her file out on his desk?” I thought aloud.
I opened up the file and sat back in Sickhouse’s ridiculously comfy office chair and began to read. The funny part about this situation is Rick is probably out there running his ass off while I’m doing this.

Subject 093
Subject name: Scootaloo
Subject race: Pegasus Pony
Subject gender: Female

I began to skim the document just to see the gist of the information it held. Most of it was notes and procedural steps taken during there ...experiments on her. There was a good deal of interesting information on her though.

Subject 093 was picked up from an orphanage in southern Amareca just outside of Neigh Jersey. Scootaloo 093 has resided in the facility since she was only one year old. Dr. Sickhouse has put her under the new experimental youth pegasus enhancement program. At first the results were less than promising. It appeared that her wings were not developing at all and some of the facility staff had suggested that we should scrap 093. Dr. Sickhouse ordered an incubation period of a year for the subject in order to observe the effects of the process in order to see how it could be improved.
Subject 093’s incubation period has gathered some rather interesting results. When previously believed that her wing growth was stopped it has now been observed that it has been merely slowed down. Scootaloo 093’s wings have been observed to develop at a third of the rate of an average pegasus. Normally this wouldn’t be considered a success of any sort however 093’s wings, well developing slowly, are far superior to wings of any normal pegasus filly. Unfortunately Scootaloo is the only survivor of the youth pegasus enhancement program, so getting control data is impossible. Although too soon to get any testing done, it is believed that she will be able to beat her wings at the speed of sound by the time she is eight years old. We can only speculate to what she will be able to do when her wings fully develop.

I stored the file in the Dreamscape. I'll have my secretary put it away later. "Well that explains the wings thing. Also explains why they are so adamant on getting her back. Now I need the file on my new griffon friend." I walked over to his filing cabinet which was covered in refrigerator magnets that seemed to be collected from tourist shops from all over. I opened the drawer labeled 200-299 and began looking through.

“Two-four-one, two-four-one, two-four ...one! Here it is.” I yelled in accomplishment bringing it back to that comfy as sin chair.

Subject 241
Subject name: Unknown, allegedly Ricky Wallace
Subject race: Griffon
Subject gender: Male

“Ricky huh? Well I guess they didn’t buy the name he was selling them if it’s alleged and not fact.”

Subject 241 has been a fascinating case. A young griffon that calls himself Ricky Wallace suffers from psychosis in the form of delusions and apparent amnesia. He claims that until recently he wasn’t a griffon but a ‘human’. Research into the subject has shown a long thought lost mythology of a species that matches his description of these creatures. How he learned of them is unknown it may have something to do with his past. Dr. Sickhouse has requested that 241 be moved out of the public facility.
241 has undergone the adrenal and metabolic enhancement procedures. In layponies terms we were attempting to make him faster. In a way the Institute is a victim of its own success in this case. The procedure had better results than ever thought possible. Subject 241 was not the only subject in his test batch to survive the final procedure but he is the only successful griffon to ever undergo a system at the institute. He has become almost impossibly fast, in the initial tests he was almost clocked going at the speed of sound. If he were ever to get into open air he would be impossible to catch.

Suddenly the sound of talons and paws pounding against tile sounded from outside the door accompanied by a familiar voice.

“Catch me if you can douche bags! Hahaha!”

“He went this way come on!”

“Heheheh, I like him.” I said looking back to his file.

His reaction time and stamina are at Alicorn levels. 241 has been marked as highly dangerous and will only be accessed directly for blood screens and when necessary euthanasia.

“God damn... As horrible as this is, it is pretty bad ass...” I let that thought stew around in my head for a while before a new sound began to fill the empty hallway. The sound of hooves hitting the tiles in a rhythmic and almost authoritarian manor. A pony stood outside the door speaking in the thickest German accent I have ever heard.

“Damn ‘krach. How is anypony supposed to get work done around here?”

I looked around looking for a place to hide finding nothing. Damn neat freak. I did the only thing I could think of and hid in a shadow in one of the corners. He will notice me if he looks directly at me but otherwise I am invisible.

The door opened and a unicorn walked in holding a clipboard with his magic. He had a tan coat with a short cut blonde mane and tail. He wore wire frame glasses and his cutie mark was a syringe crossed by a scalpel. He walked to his desk and sat down looking over the papers attached to the clipboard. After a while he put the clipboard down on the desk and took off his glasses.

“…How did you get into mein office?” He spoke without looking away from the clip board.

“No fucking way.”

He stood up from his desk and began to walk around the room.

“Come out, come out, vherever you are. ...Vhatever you are.” He said playfully.

He stood in the middle of the room and started looking into the shadows in the corners of the room, and consequently where I was hiding.

“I can feel you… I know you’re here.” He spoke with an authoritative attitude looking at the shadow I was hiding in.

“No you don’t.” I answered with a juvenile tone.

Sickhouse tilted his head and wore a confused expression. “Really?”

“…” I just stared at him.

“…” He just stared back.

“Fine.” I muttered walking out of the shadow and into view. He really seemed to take interest because he smiled and took a step closer.

“Now just look at you. You are not a spirit. You are flesh and blood… seltsam.” He said picking up a note pad and a quill and taking noted using his telekinesis.

“Neat trick, finding me like that.” I said dryly while looking him over.

“You bleed a dark energy into ze room, but that’s not vhat gave you up. I can sense it in you.” He answered never once slowing down with his notes.

“What are you babbling about?” I answered, laying onto my voice trying to make myself seem imposing.

My attempts only seemed to widen his smile as the pace of his writing increased. After a few seconds of me silently glaring at him he answered me.

“You are on ze precipice of insanity. It is mein specialty to see ze madness in everypony. Even if you can’t feel it… you are just one mistake from turning rabid.”

He must be trying to get me to doubt myself or something. Damn evil psychologist. “Give me one good reason why I shouldn’t kill you right now.” I growled.

He smiled at me. “Because you are not a killer, I can see it in those interesting eyes. They don’t have murder in them, none at all, despite your appearance you still seem… innocent isn’t the right vord, I vould call you, underdeveloped.”

“You know nothing” I spat.

His quill finally stopped it’s incessant scratching as he looked at me seriously for the first time. “Mein freund, I know more than you give credit for. Do you know who I am?”

I took a step closer to him so we were directly face to face. “You are Doctor Whansin Von Sickhouse, you are the chief medical researcher at the Sickhouse Institute of Pony Advancement, and you are a murdering kidnapping sonovabitch! We are not friends doctor."

“Awww, and vhy is that?” He asked pretending to be hurt by my words.

“I hate you! I hate everything about you.” I answered truthfully.

“Ah ja… I see much hate in you. Hate and anger and rage.”

“Shut up and sleep.” I said looking directly into his light grey eyes.

“…”

“…” the quill started back up again breaking the uneasy silence that hung in the room.

“Vas that supposed to do something?” He asked tilting his head and giving me a mocking smile.

“…Damn, looks like I have to do this the old fashioned way.” I said shaking my head.

“Vhat?”

*Slam*

I hit Sickhouse hard with a firm punch to the face. He was unconscious before he hit the ground. Oddly enough, the quill kept going for a few seconds after he was out, but eventually it joined its owner on the floor.

I looked at the unconscious doctor laying on the floor and laughed. “Fallback plan one, it never fails ...but now my brilliant plan is ruined... meh, I’ll just wing it. Rescue the bird and get the hell out.”

“Bane!”

A figure manifested from behind me. Unlike the reavers who head my calls this one was not a black shade of a pony. Bane was a whisping white mass loosely taking the shape of a stallion.

“Cut the lights and keep the backups down.”

He nodded and faded away from view.

Bane... isn’t a reaver. Reavers are dream spirits, but he is more like a... poltergeist? They probably call it something stupid like a ponygiest.

I grabbed the files and I began to exit the Facility, Wondering how Ricky was doing and hoping he made it out alright.

-Ricky Wallace-

I haven’t dreamed since I got to this hospital. I was rather enjoying one of my dreamless sleeps when I was rudely awoken by a strange voice. “Wake up boy!”

*Squawk!* Damn involuntary response!

I shot out of the bed in a small fit of panic landing on my face, I don’t handle sudden loud noises very well. After a few seconds of berating myself for the embarrassing sound that escaped my beak, I looked up to see who else!? Shock. Of all the ponies that work here he had to be the worst. The fucking sadist had a particular fascination with electrocution. I glared at him in silence for a while before he broke the silence.

“…As hilarious as that was, you need to pay attention now son.” His voice... not really the voice on its own but his tone is off. He never talks to me like a human being. Something is different today.

I rolled my eyes and stood up to look him in the eyes. Well, I would if he wasn’t wearing those damn goggles the attendants always wear. I can’t quite put my finger on it but something about his posture was different as well. “Ugh, what do you want now? More blood work? Another procedure? Oh, maybe you’re finally going to set me free?” I said pouring on the sarcasm.

A pleased smirk came across his face, like I had amused him in some way. “Shut the fuck up Rick” He said shaking his head in amusement.

“Wha?” Shock never addressed me directly before.

What really took the cake is when he took his goggles off. he immediately covered his eyes and winced like the lights in my room had blinded him.

“You’re... not the attendant are you?” I asked confused by his actions.

“What was your first clue genius?” he said nursing his eyes with a hoof.

“Well... if you really want to know it was...”

Then he removed his hoof that was covering his eyes. Now, normally snake eyes on a pony would be disturbing, but I would trust anypony over the ones that work here. Hell, he could have swastikas for pupils and I would still trust him over these guys.

“...Well the eyes are a dead giveaway.” I answered him after taking note of his irises.

“Thank god you were here to point that out.” He said rolling his strange eyes.

“We have no time. So listen carefully, you are in research facility of the Sickhouse Institute. From what I’ve heard you’re quick so I want you to prove it. You need to run Rick, run like you’ve never ran before! Don’t try to break out until you get the signal. When you finally do break free, I’ll meet you in town, okay?”

Waitwaitwaitwait “Wha?”

“I am setting you free Rick but you can’t expect me to do everything now can you?”

“Uhh…”

“No, you can’t.”

“Okay then.” I said dumbly.

“Well… there’s the door!” He stepped out of my path giving me an unbroken view to the hallway outside.

“I… uh…” The door? I had never gone through that door before. What if there are lazers or a claymore mines!?

“Go!” A voice from hell escaped his throat when he saw I was hesitating.

“Aw shit!” I didn’t think I just jumped.

I jumped through the cell doors, a surreal experience in its own. I never went through them consciously.

“First things first. *Stretch* *Pomf* I stretched my back out and extended my wings out as far as they could go. “Holy Jesus that feels amazing.” (It’s a cat thing.)

“Hey you!”

I looked to my right to see a group of three jumpsuits running at me.

“Alright chumps let's do this...” I broke into a brisk jog which merged into a run that finally realized into a full on sprint. I jumped over the confused ponies heads as I ran off down the hall at the fastest pace I could manage. “Leeroooooooy Jenkins!”

I ran up and down so many stairs and took so many turns and ran in so many different directions, I could have filled a Doctor Suess book. Eventually they thought they had me cornered in the administration wing, but I managed to jump clear over them.

“Catch me if you can douche bags! Hahaha!” I shouted over my shoulder mocking them. Seriously they fell for that every time.

“He went this way come on!” one of my pursuers yelled signaling the others where I had run.

"I bet that bastard who set me loose is sitting in a comfy chair doing some light reading about now!"

I was running around this building for what seemed like hours. My lungs where burning and my legs were starting to feel weak. I was beginning to question if I could keep this up, and that’s when the lights cut out. Fun fact about hospitals or any federal building, when the power fails the paths to the exit are always illuminated.

A smile spread across my beak. “Neat.”

I followed an illuminated trail in the floor until it ended in what appeared to be a flat wall. There was in image illuminated on the wall, it showed a little picture of a pony on a staircase with fire behind him, an emergency exit! This must be a secret door or something. I didn’t have time to look behind me the sound of hoof falls was getting closer and closer. I pushed on the wall trying to get it to open but it wouldn’t budge. In an act of desperation I hit the pony in the image only to find that it gave way a little, it was a button. The door slid to the side nearly blinding me with light.

I ran through the door finding myself on what appeared to be a fire escape. The entrance to the building was on the north side. The fire exit I had found was on the west from what the setting sun in front of my face was telling me. It’s too bad I was in the middle of running for my life. The scene of a mountain sunset was actually quite beautiful. The sound of hooves right behind me told me how dire the situation really was. So I did the first thing that came to my head, I ran to the north end of the fire escape spread my wings and jumped.

I jumped into the open air with my wings extended letting them catch the early evening breeze. I felt the wind against my face and the air beneath my wings, aaaaaannnnndd I don’t know how to fly.

“Ffffffuuuuuuuuuuuu- *crash*” I landed in the court yard, making a slight griffon sized crater in the ground. From above me I can make out some voices of my pursuers.

“The idiot fucking jumped!”

“Did he survive?”

“Who cares get down there and get him back inside now!”

“Uggh... my fucking... everything.” I said getting back on my paws.

I looked up to see that they were all trailing down the fire escape trying to reach me again. Thank god they didn’t have any pegisie with them. If felt like I had just ran three four hundreds back to back and then got punched in the face, but I couldn’t give up now. The finish line is in sight, and I need to catch my second wind and push through. I walked out of the small impact crater I made and began to sprint in the direction of the town as the sun finally slipped past the horizon. Good thing too, I will be able to hide easier in the dark with these feathers. I tore through the streets of the pony town that just seemed too big to call a village and too small to call a city, never got to get a good look at it before. After a random amount of running, I ducked into an alley to catch my breath and rest my aching legs. I sat in the alley gasping for breath while contemplating my impromptu escape.

“Well... that... sucked.” I said starting to get my breath under control.

I was in a basic back alley way. I had seen a hundred of these things back home. Nothing but trash and vagrants ever spent time here. As such my only company was a dumpster and a half broken mirror.

“It’s about time you got here.” A voice called out from deeper into the alley.

“What!?” I shouted in surprise turning to see who was here.

“Don’t worry it’s just me.” the voice said stepping out of the dark revealing it to be Shock, well not really him I guess, it was the pony who broke me out.

“The Shock who isn’t Shock?” I asked trying to clarify that it was really him.

He put one of his hooves to his face and sighed before responding. “*sigh* why not. I need you to head to the Colten hotel and stay out of sight okay. You have ran enough, I will lead them off your tail.”

“What are you going to do?”

He didn’t respond at first. He just looked up to the sky and looking at the moon before smirking.

“Heh... and it’s a full one, Oh Luna you have such a finer touch than Old Celly.”

*Fwoosh*

He became engulfed in green flames. It looked exactly like what the changelings did during the Canterlot wedding episode. ...Wait shape shifting and silted eyes?

He came out of the flames looking exactly like me. “Seems about right.” He said admiring himself in the mirror. “I can't help but feel that I’m a bit more handsome though.” He smirked looking back at me.

“Are you a changeling?!” I blurted out suddenly.

That seemed to catch him off guard because he actually looked shocked for a second..“Well ...no, have changelings ever had such pretty eyes?” He said blinking his newly acquired griffon eyelids at me.

“...” I didn’t really know how to respond with this.

“Ah, tough crowd... Oh well, you head to the hotel and rest up, I’ll meet you there.” He said walking past me.

He walked out onto the street and stood next to a garbage can. Looking left and then right. He looked to his right and then smiled. He looked into the trash can and stuck his talon in and pulled out what looked like a beer bottle.

He frowned looking at the bottle. “Come on man, who throws a beer bottle in the trash, honestly?”

He looked out to the right again the smirk returning to his face as he threw the bottle out of sight.

*Crash* “Fuck!” A voice shouted in pain from the road.

“Hey assbutt!” The strange shape shifter yelled after them in my voice.

“There he is!” I heard another voice yell.

He ran away laughing manically as he was chased by three ponies from the hospital.

“What the hell is that thing?” I asked myself contemplating just what that crazy thing could ever want to help me escape for. I turned and limped my way through the alley hoping I could find my way to the hotel.

Two ponies entered the head office of the Sickhouse institute in order to tell their boss what had happened. They found said boss laying on the floor staring at the ceiling.

“Sir, are you alright?” One of the ponies, a golden unicorn with an amber mane asked picking him off of the floor.

“Ja, ja I am fine.” Sickhouse responded dusting himself off.

“Doctor Subject Two-Four-One has escaped.” The other pony cyan unicorn with a blue mane bit the bullet and told his boss the bad news. Surprisingly He only nodded in response.

“Is he the one who hit you?” the gold unicorn asked.

“Nien... it appears ve vere under attack.” Sickhouse explained walking over to his desk looking over his things.

After a while of rummaging through drawers and cabinets he came to a conclusion. “Zero-Nine-Three’s file vas stolen along vith Two-Four-One’s”

“So this attack had something to do with the recovery team that never returned?” The cyan unicorn asked.

“Ja, that seems likely.”

“But I don’t see any guards knocking on our door, so it couldn’t have been the Princess.” The gold unicorn stated.

Sickhouse grew very quiet as he picked his glasses up from his desk, and put them back on his face.

“Nein!” He screamed flipping his desk over in a fit of rage. The two ponies in the room flinched at the sudden outburst

“Macht dies keinen Sinn!” Sickhouse yelled kicking his newton's cradle across the room.

While Sickhouse stood in the middle of a bunch of strewn about papers and knickknacks, catching his breath, a knock came at the door.

*Knock*
*Knock*
*Knock*

“Come in.” He responded sounding completely composed.

An earth pony walked into the office carrying a pegusus on his back. “Sir we found this in an alley out in town. I’m guessing it belongs to you?”

Sickhouse looked the pegusus over before nodding. “Ja, just put him anywhere.” He said waiving his hoof dismissively.

The earth pony dropped him in the middle of the room and walked out. “Dear Celestia! That’s Shock!” the gold unicorn shouted recognizing his friend.

Sickhouse walked over to the shaking pegusus in the floor and adjusted his glasses to get a good look at him. “I am guessing that he has been in this state for hours.”

“But I just talked with Shock today.” The Gold one stated remembering the favor he asked him to carry out.

“That vas an imposter. Ve had a run in of our own.” Sickhouse explained checking the vitals of Shock.

"What’s wrong with him?" the gold unicorn questioned.

"Physically? Nothing. Mentally? Heheheh ...Vell, let’s just say he has no business working in the asylum, and more business attending it."

Sickhouse put Shock down and went back to look at the mess he had made. After a while he walked back to shock and looked down at him.

“Tell me vho did this to you?” He asked softly.

Shock just laid on the floor sputtering and mumbling about skeleton wings. He continued to do nothing but mumble and cry until a white aura appeared around his throat. Sickhouse grabbed him by the neck and chocked him up till they were eye to eye.

“Tell me!” He demanded loosening his grip so he could talk.

“Th-th-the eyes.” Shock sputtered.

“...He is terrified.” Sickhouse finally explained after chocking him for a few more seconds. He dropped him on the ground and walked to the other side of his flipped desk. “Perfectly and beautifully terrified.” He explained further.

“Ah...Ja,” Sickhouse nodded turning to look out his office window. He studied the town of Bridleburg looking it over and thinking about just what it was that attacked his institute and stole one of his patients. After a while of contemplation he smiled turning back to look at his stallions. “Ve do not have to vorry about the crown intervening. The attack today had nothing to do vith the Equestrian government.”

“Boss?” the cyan unicorn asked, trying to understand what he was getting to.

He turned back to his window rubbing his chin deep in thought. “Ve have been attacked... by Terror himself.”

Author's Note

Chapter Nine is almost over... I'm kind of sad to see it go.

Just want to thank my readers for sticking around and picking this story back up. If you're a new reader I welcome you and encourage you to comment! I really like reading them.