Something's Always Watching
Entry #1
26/09/1002
My name is Twilight Sparkle. I’m writing from the Golden Oaks Library, Ponyville, Equestria. I have a lot to explain, and there's a lot I don't understand yet. Last night something happened, something I almost can't comprehend, not yet at least but I intend to study and figure it out, however long it may take me. This will be my record of events, a log of sorts so I can catalog my thoughts and findings for future study and reference. I also find it to be a productive calming method, which I feel is quite necessary considering my current circumstances.
Everypony is gone; and by that I mean they've vanished, disappeared without a trace. I first noticed when I found Spike, my assistant, missing this morning when I woke up. We sleep in the same room and I knew he had no plans today so I was immediately worried. It was possible however that he was simply downstairs making breakfast, something he often offers to do, so I ran down to take a look. He wasn't there. Everything was just how we had left it the night before.
Next I thought he may have gone to my friend Rarity’s, who he has something of a crush on. So I put on my coat, as it was still early and it's nearing winter, and walked out the door to find where he had gone to.
There was nopony outside.
No pony was anywhere. No fillies and colts on their way to school. No salesponies in the market. No shopkeepers. No Spike No Rarity No Fluttershy No Applejack Noo Pimkie No Rann
I couldn't find anypony no matter how hard I looked, and it was morning so somepony should have been somewhere doing something. I knocked on every door in the town but I couldn't find a thing. I admit I lost my composure for a few moments then, as it was quite a stressful realisation. I attempted to contact the Princesses, and I intend to fly to Canterlot later on and see if this phenomenon is present there also. I hope it's not… But I haven't heard back from the Princess yet so I honestly have no idea.
The main thing I need to do for the moment is remain calm and keep a level head. Stress and fear will get me nowhere. I need to think clearly, stay productive, and find out just what the heck is going on, and then fix it.
I will write more after my return from Canterlot, and to any future pony who happens to be reading this, wish me luck!
Entry #2
26/09/1002
Unfortunately, Canterlot was just as empty as Ponyville. I made a dozen passes over the city but I didn't see anypony, and the Castle was empty too. Can't deny that it was more than a little disheartening to see. I am in a bit of luck however, I didn't notice this in Ponyville, probably due to its low population, but I did notice in Canterlot a lot of discarded items on the streets; wallets, the occasional top hat, all things ponies usually carry around with them, all just lying in the street like litter.
It's not a lot to go on I know, but I think it's evidence that when the ponies vanished they left behind any sort of clothing or other things they had on them at the time, like in those science fiction stories or that rapture nonsense those expelled loons tend to shout about. So I think what happened was sudden, something nopony saw coming. Everypony was gone in an instant, quite literally.
This theory does however raise more questions also. Why was everypony taken? Taken where? By who? Or what? How? But most of all, why wasn't I taken? Why was I left alone? What's accomplished by leaving me behind?
All these rely on the possibility that everypony is still alive and not just nonexistent at this point. I can't afford to think like that. I can't.
There has to be a way to fix this, I need to find a way.
Entry #3
26/09/1002
How is the sun still moving?!
The sun is still moving across the sky! There's only one pony alive who’s able to move the sun. Celestia! If she was gone, if she had disappeared the same as everypony else the sun would not be moving. In fact it would still be dark, assuming everypony had vanished during the night.
Princess Celestia must still be out there!
If she's still here, surely there must be other ponies? I'm here, she's here, so other ponies have to be too right? I just need to find them!
I don't exactly know how I'm going to do that yet, so I've got to work that out. For now I'm going to continue with my research, try and find an explanation for all of this. Who knows, Celestia might even come looking for me!
There's hope.
Entry #4
26/09/1002
It's getting late now, Celestia's moving the sun down and the moon is taking its place, maybe that means Luna’s still here as well? I can only hope so.
I've gone over as many ancient history books as I could in the time that I had. But I unfortunately didn't find anything of relevance; nothing like this has ever happened before on record, so either this event has never actually happened before, or I'm simply the first pony to write it down. I honestly don't know which would be worse. I was planning to head into the Everfree and search the Castle of the Two Sisters for any potential information, but I couldn't bring myself to enter. Hearing absolutely nothing coming from within was somehow an infinite times worse than the usual ghastly noises it produces, it was just too unnerving.
It'll be time to turn in soon, I need to keep my strength up. Tomorrow I should go gather as much food as I can, I don't know how long I'm going to be stuck like this after all, I need to make sure I'm appropriately supplied.
I'm keeping my door unlocked, in case Celestia or Luna decides to drop by, it would be a bit rude of me to lock out the only two ponies left in Equestria.
Entry #5
27/09/1002
I didn't sleep at all last night, I couldn't.
It was, of all things, too quiet for me to sleep. I'm too used to the sounds of ruckus late in the night; the sounds of my neighbors arguing about something or another, the taps of Berry Punch’s hooves on the dirt as she staggers home, I even miss Spike’s snoring.
How could you possibly miss something so annoying and so trivial this much?
It just drove home the fact that there's nopony here. Nothing. And it's maddening.
Entry #6
27/09/1002
I went out and gathered as much canned food as I could from the local supermarket, the fresh food won't last as long so I should eat them first. I hope the store's owner won't be too disappointed when he finds out that I essentially robbed him.
Still nothing research wise, so I probably won't be making another entry for some time. I'll write something down when I have something to write.
Until then.
Note: From now on I'll be using Ellipses’ vocal inscription spell to record my entries. For those of you that don't know, it's a spell that animates a quill or pen to write down the words that you say aloud; meaning I won't need to stop what I'm doing to write anything down. The spell is flawed however, in that it can pick up background voices and write words you never said, but seeing as I'm alone that shouldn't be a problem.
Entry Number Seven
Date: 27/09/1002
I just felt like talking aloud for a moment, and I'm recording just in case I ramble something of importance.
Do you ever get that feeling that you're being watched? You're sitting by yourself, maybe enjoying your favourite pastime, and yet you can feel it, a set of eyes that aren't there, watching you, fixated. You look for it and yet you don't see anything, no matter how much you search and how much you wait.
I'm all alone, and yet I still get that feeling.
Number Eight
I've decided to move down to the basement for the time being, I just can't concentrate upstairs anymore. I keep getting distracted. I keep looking out the window and find that nothing is there, and no matter how many times I look I just grow frustrated at seeing it over and over again.
The thing is though, I don't get why I keep looking. I know there's not going to be anything there. It's not going to be Celestia, and it's not going to be Luna, both of them would have contacted me long before now. But I still keep looking, like I'm going to catch a glimpse of something walking by. I don't like it, I hate thinking something's there when it's not, and honestly? It's making me afraid. I'm afraid to look out the window anymore.
I'm afraid of what I won't see, but I'm more afraid that I might see something. Something I know shouldn't be there.
Entry. I don't even know.
Why has this happened? Who's messing with me? Why did they take everypony, my friends, away from me?! Is there some new threat out there? Is this just some stupid test? I don't get it. None of this makes any sense!
What does anypony gain from any of this? Because it seems that the only pony this whole scenario was designed to affect was me!
Who's there?
I heard you!
Hello?!
Hello?
I'm not coming out! If you want to come in knock at the door!
I thought I heard something outside, it sounded like hooves. I got really excited and looked through the basement window, but once again there was nothing there. I can see that the quill picked up what I was saying, but I didn't hear a reply. I told them to knock at the door, so I'm going to stay up for a bit in case I hear something. I really hope it's another pony, it's only been a day yet it feels like I've been alone for a lifetime.
I'm going to lock the basement door though, just in case.
You are mine.
I didn't say that. "You are mine." That wasn't me.
It must have been the spell, it must have picked up a background noise or something. I was just reading a book and I noticed the quill scribbling away at my side, and yet I swore it was completely silent. Just as silent as it was since all of this began.
Maybe... Maybe I muttered something under my breath? Yeah, that's got to be it! Or maybe it was just a glitch, maybe it just interpreted some noise I made as a voice, or maybe a flaw in it made it write something down that was said long ago?
It can't have been an actual voice, it must be a mistake.
I hope it was a mistake.
I've locked the door. I used every magical containment spell I know of. There's nothing short of Celestia herself that would be able to break down that door.
I heard something earlier, steps on wood. Something was upstairs. I don't know if whoever it was is gone now but I'm whispering just to be sure. I've been on edge, ever since I saw those words I didn't say write themselves on the paper. I'm paranoid, that I will admit, but I'm just too afraid right now to open the door and see whatever it is that's upstairs. What if they're hostile? They might attack me. Oh, I hope they don't know I'm here, I was walking around town and I've made a lot of noise late-
Ah!
I can hear something. Hoovesteps.
Just go away.
Help me.
It's trying to break down the door.
It keeps banging, scratching it. It knows that I'm down here.
There spell's are keeping it out, but I don't know how long for.
Please, there needs to be somepony else.
Don't let it get me.
Author's Note
This only took like 2 hours to write, it came to me quick and I just wanted to write it down while the idea was still fresh in my mind. Nothing revolutionary, just something quick and simple, and hopefully somewhat scary. Hopefully it's not too frustratingly ambiguous. Not my best work, but I saw no reason not to do it.
Edit: Now it's one big chapter, it was originally a seperate chapter for each entry, but I think it was a bit of a turn off to have a single chapter have less than 100 words, hopefully the effects not diminished by having it all be continuous.
