A Darker Home

Entering the hallway. two closed doors directly in front of you. You look two the girls, who look back at you with the same in decision.

“Well, which do we check first? We’re going to have to check the whole house anyway.”

“I’m not sure,” Twilight says.

“A-as long as I don’t have to go in first...” Fluttershy says.

You sigh and turn back to the two in front of you. You pull a bit out of your pocket and hold it for them to see.

"Heads we take the right one, Tails we take the left one. Sound fair?"

The two don’t reply, which you assume is the best answer you’re going to get. You flip the bit into the air, and it falls to the ground. The bit spins on the ground for a while, and shows heads.

Then flips and shows tails. A giggle rings through the house.

“Heads!” the three of you say in unison.

You grab the handle of the right door and pull. The door resists your command. You turn to the girls and shake your head. Fluttershy whimpers. It seems like there’s no other choice. You move to the left door and reach to grab the knob.

The door opens about an inch and slams, the sound echoing throughout the hallway.

You take a deep breath and shake your head.

“Get it together.”

You grab the handle and rip the door open. Opening the door reveals a fairly large bathroom with a tile floor. Stains of time run down the walls and the grout in the tiles have aged to a dark grey. The lime-green tile has evolved to a putrid forest pine. The mirrors have clouded themselves with tarnish and limescale found it’s home in every sink. To call it a state of disrepair did not do the room justice.

The three of you make your way into the room, looking for the filly as well as trying to keep away from any danger within. The room has three showers, three sinks and mirrors, and a few toilet stalls that are closed tight. Twilight makes her horn brighter as she moves to check the toilet stalls.

You move to the mirrors to assess the damage on your neck. You try to wipe away the age as best as you can, pulling your hand away slowly. Thankfully, the only person in the mirror was yourself, with a red stain beginning to collect on your shirt. The bleeding wasn't terrible, but it really stung.

You pull away your shirt to take a closer look at your wound. The clear, definite shape of teeth lined the base of your neckline, but it seemed the worst of the bleeding has stopped. Whatever bit you, didn’t want you dead. Not yet anyway.

"Did you have another vision?" inquires the timid yellow pegasus, who stood behind you.

You jump, but only because you didn’t see the little pony in the mirror. You turn to her, looking away from your reflection.

"Yeah…" you answer, watching Twilight open each stall in turn.

"Did… did it hurt you? Was that where the bite came from?” she asks, already knowing the answer.

You confirm her suspicions. She tugs on your pant leg, indicating for you to get down on her level. After kneeling down, she wraps her hooves around you and gives you a deep hug. A small part inside of you is taken aback. You don’t return the gesture at first, but the gravity of the situation around you begins to set in.

Something in this house wants you dead. Or, to do something worse than giving you death. You may never leave here. You might have to watch Twilight and Fluttershy butchered in front of your own eyes. Or worse, these visions could force you to do it to them. You wrap your arms around her, pulling her close.

“We’ll get through this,” Fluttershy says. “I know I’m not the only one that’s scared.”

The weight of the vision crashes down as small tears fall onto her pink mane, although you make your best effort not to make a sound. You are not safe. You cannot break. You must be strong. For your friends.

"Thanks... Shy," you answer. “I really needed that."

You lean away to look into her caring cyan eyes. You never really thought she was a bad pony. She cares about you. Maybe, after all of this is over-

A whispy face suddenly flies down between the two of you.

"BOO!"

Both you and Fluttershy jump inside your skin and fall backwards. The ghostly filly doubles over in taught laughter.

"Haha! I scared you two to death!"

Twilight turns to the little filly.

"Yeah, but we found you! Which means you have to pass on for us."

The little filly’s eyes open, realizing that her prank just outed her. She places a ghostly hoof to her chin and thinks about this for a moment.

"Why?" she asks. The question takes the three of you aback for a second. "Why do I want to be in the afterlife? What could possibly be there for me? My friends are here. As long as we stay away from Gertrude, then we can live here."

Twilight looks to you, unsure of how to answer. Surprisingly, Fluttershy is the one to answer.

"M-my momma told me when I was a little filly, that when somepony passes on, that there is a wonderful place that we go to that has all of our friends and family waiting for us. Everypony we ever lost in our life that we hold closely in our hearts, they are there. Happy. Waiting patiently for when we have a chance to be therewith them."

The filly looks down to the floor in silence. The room goes quiet as Fluttershy’s words hang in the air. The room begins to warm as the filly looks back up at the yellow pegasus.

"Even our animal friends?" she mutters. "Does... does that mean I get to see mommy again?"

Twilight's hoof comes to her mouth. The realization hits you too. These children might have never seen their parents before. Or if they have, they hadn’t seen them in a lifetime. Quite literally a life time.

Tears well in Fluttershy's eyes as she nods to the little filly.

"Especially our animal friends. They are waiting with their favorite toys so you can play together. Just like old times. And soon, the rest of your friends will be there too, and you will be able to play every day."

The little filly smiles, as she looks towards the door of the bathroom. The doorframe begins to emit a faint bright light as the whispy figure turns to face it.

"Mommy?" she asks to an unseen figure.

“Is that you, my child?” a gentle voice calls from the other side of the door.

She takes a few small steps towards the door, as the pale filly's voice begins to crack. Turning to the three of you, she is wearing the biggest smile you've ever seen. Her skin begins to transition to a much more colorful tan, and her mane becomes as red and vibrant as velvet. Tears fall from her eyes, as she opens her mouth. Words don’t come at first as she begins to laugh.

"I’m… not sure why I was so scared before,” the filly whispers.

“Run along,” Fluttershy says to her. “They’ve been waiting a long time.”

The filly’s ears perk and her tail wags as she turns to the door and takes a few muted steps towards the light. Then, she turns back to the three of you.

“Thank you... for helping me. I didn’t know… this was what I always wanted," she says.

A tall mare stands at the door shadowed by the light, standing behind the filly.

"Come along, dear. Everypony’s waiting. Your father is making your favorite."

The filly looks to the door and back to Fluttershy. She simply smiles and nods to the little filly.

"Have fun little one," Fluttershy responds.

She turns to you and Twilight.

"Please. Help my friends. Gertrude was so mean to us. I want them to be able to feel this happy too. I think… I think we can all finally be happy."

The filly turns towards the door and trots into the light, as the door slowly closes behind her. Your hearts are warm, knowing that the little filly is in a better place. Silence fills the air as the room feels a little warmer around you. It’s you that breaks the quiet first.

"Well. That's one down. Time for the other five," you mutter.

"Do you think they will all be like that?" Twilight asks you.

You wonder for a moment.

"I don't know. But, honestly, a small part of me hopes so."

The three of you walk out of the room and back into the hallway, as you brush a few silver hairs off your shirt. You shake your head, hoping it was just your imagination.