Chapters Getting off the train, you breathe in the fresh air of the cloudy day. The train was stuffy, and you are glad to feel the wind again. You turn back, looking at the conductor. He was an earthpony and he wore blue overalls splotched with coal dust, and a worn blue and white cap.
"Could you wait here?" you ask, not wanting to walk the long way home.
"If you think I'm going to wait here, for free, then I don't know what to tell you," the conductor responded biting his lip nervously. "Not that I'd stay here for any amount of bits, that is."
"So, you believe all that stuff they tell you?" you ask chuckling. The conductor snorted, forgetting his fear.
"No, but I believe in the wind. And while it flows true out there, it doesn't here. Take my word or don't: there's a bad air about this place, and I'm not going to be around to witness it!" and with that, he shut the door. In a few seconds, the train went speeding back to Canterlot. You give a sigh at the long walk home.
"Ponies are too superstitious these days," you say, looking around for anything of interest. You notice the missing ambiance of the chirping birds and grumbling animals. It was silent enough to hear your hooves against the old weathered wood and the whispers of the wind.
"I can start at- what's the name of it again?" you pull an old map of Ponyville out from your saddlebags. Placing it on the ground, you look at it. After a minute or two of searching, you find it. "Ah, there you are, Sugar Cube Corner." Waypoint in mind you tuck the map neatly back into your saddlebags and start on your way.
Your hooves echo on the faded, cracked cobblestone. The dreary buildings around you sigh as if they are holding an unseen weight. Suddenly, an unknown object bounced away with a clink. It hits a wall before stopping. Walking closer to it, you see that it's a badge of some sort; it glinted dully in the cloudy afternoon.
You pick it up, momentarily forgetting the place you were going to. The badge was a dull golden color. Engraved on its surface is a pegasus, who had a determined look. Turning the strange badge around, you look for a mark of ownership. The backside, however, is blank, not a mark or scratch to be found.
Taking out your notebook, you quickly jot down a sentence or two about the badge. Putting the badge, and notebook, in your saddlebags; you continue. As you turn a corner, you see it: Sugar Cube Corner.
The building itself stood out. The walls were made up of lined dark wood with light wood filling them. The roof looked more akin to something you would find on a gingerbread house; painted a dark brown with circular outlines and light brown spots, surrounded by a curly white icing. If the paint wasn't chipped, you might have thought of Sugar Cube Corner as a nice place.
A tower protruded from the middle, it had a cupcake at the top, with pink icing and three candles. The windows had cracks and dust on their once smooth, glossy surfaces. Flower beds sat to the left of the stairs, the flowers that they contain are withered.
Despite the dread, you hold on to the belief the there is nothing here but you, yet doubt lurks behind that belief; eating away at it. Warily, you walk up to the door. The surface of the door was beaten, and the pink paint, nearly stripped from it. Opening the door, you enter, shutting it behind you.
Tables and chairs are set aside for customers on the left and right sides of the room, a counter was in the middle near to the back wall, it contained treats of all kinds: colorful cupcakes, sugar cookies, and tiny chocolate cakes. A dusty piece of glass stood in front of the baked delights, not that they would taste good if you snagged one or two.
Walking behind the counter reveals a cellar door, stairs leading to the upstairs, and a door to the kitchen. You try to open the nearest door first, the cellar door, but before you are able to pull it open, someone else pulls the door shut. A lock is slid into place.
"Hello?" You ask. "Why did you lock the door?" you receive no answer besides the sound of somepony retreating down creaky wooden steps. Turning, you head toward the kitchen.
The kitchen, admittedly, is nothing special; only untouched. Supplies were left set out near a stove, based on the empty cupcake tray you can guess what they were going to make. The cabinets only contained dust and expired food.
The only place left to check was upstairs. The stairs groaned and shifted under your weight: they were old, but you hoped they wouldn't break. The stairs complained about every step you took, but they didn't collapse. Reaching the top you feel relieved; if only the mystery of Ponyville had been solved and written down as another piece of history. Oh well, you're here now, might as well continue.
There are three doors in a small hallway, you pick the one furthest from the stairs with the mindset of working your way back. The door opens silently, and you are met with a child's room. Empty bookshelves were off to the right, and an open box labeled "toys" was next to it. The floor was carpeted, and the ceiling had stars that faintly glowed. The window was open and the dust around it seemed disturbed. Near the center of the room is a crib, big enough for two foals. Dust covered everything, and a strange air was about, it seemed sad; forlorn. You were about to leave when two voices spoke.
"I don't think they understand yet," a fillies voice whispered.
"It's alright, they still have time," a colt responded.
"Yes, Act I hasn't ended just yet," the filly told the colt.
"'Yet', but it will. The question is, will the time given be used to it's fullest?" With that, the two voices resided, leaving you in the silence. You stay your ground until your nerves are steeled enough to continue, ready to bolt at the slightest sound. The room remains silent, but you feel as if lidless eyes are watching.
Leaving the room, you shakily shut the door behind you. Moving on to the next door you hope for better.
"Who..." You try to ask. The mare shushes you.
"Shut up!" she hissed. "Their listening." Her eyes zipped around the room, scrutinizing every corner. There was a bed, a couple empty shelves, and a closet. Various types of clothes and party stuff were strewn about the floor, looking a little out of place. You oblige to the strange mares request and stay quiet.
Turning around, she goes to her closet and starts to rummage through it. Finding what she was looking for, she walked back to you. Putting a strange hat on your head, that was made of metal and had wires poking out of it, she allowed you to talk: "You can talk now. But be quick! These won't work after a bit." She said with a similar hat on herself. Putting her strange antics to the side, you decide to finish your first question.
"Who are you?" You ask, wanting to call her something other than "strange mare".
"I'm Pinkie Pie, but you can call me just Pinkie if you want," Pinkie Pie said with a ghost of a smile. For a moment, you could see a glimpse of what Pinkie used to be: a very happy pony who had nothing but well-wishes for others, but it was merely an echo of a mare long gone.
"Alright Pinkie, what happened here?" You ask curiously. Pinkie was startled by the nature of the question.
"I told them. I did. I told them!" Pinkie Pie told me, her smile gone. "Crazy they called me! If only they had listened. Then they could have called me whatever they wanted as long as they were safe and happy. Happy, happy, happy, and far away from this place."
"What are-" Before you could finish, Pinkie cuts you off.
"'Far away'," Pinkie Pie whispered, looking up at you with wide eyes. " You! You're here now! You have to leave before you end up like them."
"I. -Wait! -What are you...?" Pinkie cuts you off once more.
"I can get you out, as long as they haven't noticed yet," Pinkie said, urgently pushing me out the door. No matter how many protests you give, Pinkie ignores them, forcing you out.
"You don't understand!" Pinkie Pie shouted, frustration laced in her voice. "You have to leave! Now!" Immediately afterward, she put her hoof over her mouth and listened intently. "Okay that was close, but-" Pinkie Pie was interrupted by falling to the ground, for at first seemed like no reason until she started to slide backward. Advancing you attempt to stop the backward movement, but an unseen force pushes you back dangerously close to the stairs.
"Leave! Don't try to save me! Go!" Pinkie Pie ordered. With brief hesitation, you run down the stairs, but before getting out of earshot, you hear Pinkie Pie shout after you. "Tell everypony to stay away. For their own sake!"
Slamming the door behind you, you head toward the train station. The train itself wasn't there, but you could follow the tracks to Canterlot. The clip-clop of your hooves running on the cobblestone creates a harsh break in the silence. Looking from side to side, you see eyes peeking out from boarded up windows and cracks in doorways. Your pace increases as the train station came into sight, but no matter how fast you are or how much you wish to leave, the train station just seems to move further and further away.
You feel dread because if Pinkie Pie spoke true, you were trapped here. Taking out your map you find the place you were going to visit next. The unnamed cloud house. The fastest way to get to it was straight through Ponyville, and with dread, you start walking back toward the place that Pinkie had told you to run from.
Author's Note
With my other story in a lull between its next chapter, I've come back to rewrite the entire story!
Starting the walk is always easy, it's the end you dread. The end of where you’re going stirs up a fear that was given by entering Suger Cube Corner. But it also raises questions about what happened here, Pinkie failed to mention anything excluding that she told you about a mysterious being referenced by Pinkie as it. Too many questions yet no answers besides the vague information you received. Which seems to just cause more questions than actual answers. You hear a door creak open nearby.
Freezing in your tracks, you look around nervously for the source. The door that opened was a mere ten feet away from you, with it cracked open just barely enough for you to see four eyes two were an orange color while the second pair was a blue. Unsure of what to do you take a couple steps back. The two pairs of iris's follow you but otherwise make no move toward you. The staring contest goes on for quite a bit a time, it's unknown how long it lasted an hour? A minute? That is long lost to history.
You decide to test if the two ponies if they were ponies, would do anything besides stare. Taking a step to the right resulted in the eyes following your movement but no action. It was a small test but if they weren't going to do anything then you're going to move on. When you started back on your way to the cloud house, the door creaked open more, revealing two mares there coat colors were mint green and tan . They didn’t move any farther but it unsettles you. So, you keep an eye on them every step of the way until you couldn’t.
The exact moment at which you weren't looking at the door, the pair decide that was the time to move. Hearing hoof steps behind you, you turn around only to jump back in surprise. They were only a couple hoof steps away. In the light you can see their manes, the mint green unicorn has a light blue and white striped mane. The tan earthpony has a blue and pink mane. Their expressions were blank no care in their eyes. Looking at them now, you see that their not moving at all not even a hair out of place. Taking a few steps back just in case, you close your eyes to test your theory. Once your eyelids shut the hoof steps continue at a faster pace this time. Abandoning all reason you start to run not check how close they might have gotten.
The two mares, however, keep the pace, you keep running in the vain hope they’ll just leave you alone. Just keep running is the only thing on your mind. You run through the streets taking turns in alleyways and sharp turns in streets sometimes hiding behind something, yet they keep finding you or somehow keep up. You feel your strength start to give way as the day starts to conclude. The running is draining your strength, you need to find a place to hide lest they find you. You are running down yet another street when you notice that you have lost the mares for the moment.
Taking the precious time into account you bolt toward the nearest door opening and closing it quietly behind you. Might as well have been just in time too as you hear hoof steps outside. The two ponies split up outside judging how their steps gradually separated. After what seemed like forever, they finally moved on. Sighing in relief, you take out a journal and write down the experiences among other events of the day down. When that was done you take off your saddlebags, placing them by the couch. The day's events take their toll on you, the only way to pay them is to sleep. You fall on the couch snout first, within seconds you fall to the confines of sleep.
As you sleep the dust twirls around in an endless dance in the air aimlessly, the house settles happily now that it contains a pony once more even though said pony wasn’t the original occupant. They carried no ill intent so the house let them stay. Making sure the doors were locked and the windows shut as the house didn’t want the pony to be a victim to what stalked out there while in their slumber. Like a silent sentinel, the house watched through the night, watching for what once were ponies sulking in the darkness waiting for dawn's light to break over the horizon. The night was uneventful as the house expected as the ‘ponies’ out there had not a clue where to look and moved off to other places to hide or search.
Yawning you wake up, at first your confused at your surroundings until your remember yesterday. Getting up quickly as you wanted to get to this cloud house as fast as possible lest those two ponies catch you. Grabbing your saddlebags you put them on and walk out the door being careful about it. You shut the door only for you to slam the door due to it being loose, the door slam was like ringing a bell yelling ‘Here I am!’. As if on cue the two mares from the day before step out from behind a house stopping the immediate time they came within my vision. You remember how this works. So instead of turning tail and running, you walk backward at a brisk pace keeping your eyes locked on them.
Everything was going to be fine, You think what could go wrong? The mint green unicorn seemingly picked up on my positivity and smiled not that nice warm smile friendly smile, the cold smile that says ‘I win’. You're filled with dread. While backing up you bump into something turning your head you see to your despair that there were five other ponies behind you with the same smile. Now there are many ways you can deal with this, you could have fought, you could try to reason with them, you could let them win(Unlikely), you could have backed off slowly keeping your eyes on all seven of them but no you like last time you turn tail and run.
Like last time, they started to chase you except, this time, there were seven of them which made this whole situation all the worse. You keep running keeping within the general direction of the cloud house. The ponies hot on your trail, gaining on you by the second. As if fate decided that you had enough you see the cloud house on the ground thankfully. You make a dash for it getting to the entrance in half the time. Turning around to see the progress of the ponies you see that they stopped just at the edge of the cloud. They look at you and look at the house back and forth as if deciding if it was worth it or not. In the end, the walked away still sulking nearby should you leave.
Uneasily you open the door and step into the house. Wondering what could scare them not to come in here. What could scare the hunter from becoming the hunted?
At first glance, this house in it prime was most likely beautiful, bright and welcoming but still held a bit of ambition and spirit that of an athlete. The poster on the wall depicted the Wonderbolts a piece of yet again a better time, the Wonderbolts are mere memories now. yet to be lost to the sands of time. Underneath the poster, you see a comfortable-looking red gold colored couch the bright colors dulled by dust settling on it layer after layer.
There is a light in the center of the room, you try to turn it on but the light remains dormant. You head on to the next room with the intent to find something that might aid you in getting out of this waking nightmare. At first glance, it was easy to tell that this was a kitchen, the fridge, counters and some food set out in preparation for breakfast. You're still determined to find something that could help you. Looking around you see there is a note on the fridge which reads.
You should leave this place which is yours, through the door which is not there.
“What does that even mean?” you ask aloud confused at the meaning behind the note. Walking over to the food you examine it. It’s weeks old, inedible for those with standards. Moving away from the food you try the cupboards, which are bare of anything but dust any old cobwebs. Frowning you continue your search throughout the kitchen. Your vigorous searching rewards you with a pair of goggles that looked like they were used for flying. They hold the spirit of one who never gives up on their dreams. Putting the goggles in your saddlebags you start rummaging through the drawers.
The only things that seem to be in the drawers are various pictures of the Wonderbolts as well as a couple badges and ribbons with ‘#1!” written on them. You grind your teeth in frustration at the lack of food. Despite thinking of stuff you needed to record all the things you’ve seen so far as well as some water you forgot food. Maybe because you didn’t expect a long stay? Whatever the reason you’re here now and you should make do as a dead pony can’t tell their tale.
You turn toward the week old food on the counter repulsively. Slowly but surely you reach the pancakes if they even deserved that name. They were green and blue in some places, along with other stains of unknown origins. You feel you’re going to regret this later. Reaching over you pick up one of the ‘pancakes’ you close your eyes and very slowly bring it toward your mouth. You could say you prepared for the taste but there is no way to prepare in the first place. Once you take the first bite, you almost immediately spit it out. The taste is like trying to fork down raw meat that has been rolled in cheese that just sat in the sun for a week, how it tastes like that is beyond you. You force yourself out of hunger to eat the rest though it leaves you with less energy than before.
Taking out your water bottle you gulp down a good half at least to get the taste out. With one final sweep of the room, you leave no intention to come back even in the whole of Tartarus was after you.
The next room appeared to be some sort of trophy room. How did you come to this conclusion? Maybe it was that the room was filled to the brim with trophies. You pick out one trophy and bring it out of the stuffy room. The trophy has dust on it, to which you brush off. The label when visible reads ‘Best Young Fliers 1st Place!’. Upon finishing reading the label a click is heard as if the trophy knew when you would finish reading. You start to look at the trophy for the source of the click.
You find a slot in the bottom of the trophy. Opening it rewards you with a paper which promptly falls to the ground. Grabbing the paper you unfold it to get yet another message which read ‘Why the hunter doesn't dwell here is simple as they are to become the hunted. Hunted by what you ask? By the thing which you can't see, but is inescapable, by the thing that lies with you whilst your eyes are sealed.’ The message seems important but gives no answers only questions. You tuck the note in your saddlebags for review later.
A yawn takes you as you find your way upstairs. Which is odd as you only slept an hour ago. Shaking your head the weariness from your eyes leaves you as you get to the top of the steps. At the top, there is a hallway with multiple doors. You decide to open the nearest door. On the other side is a bedroom, with a bed being the center of it. The bed itself looked comfy, soft, welcoming being made of cloud helps strengthen the notion that it is soft. Above the bed is a rainbow banner with a tiny blue triangle shaped banner next to it with a rainbow lightning bolt on it.
Beside the bed on both sides are tables. The one on the right has a picture with six ponies you don’t recognize, they look happy. The left has a circle container that is empty and a lamp. On the left side of the room is another Wonderbolts poster placed next to the window. The last thing that you can see that's interesting about the room is a dresser with a mirror adjoining it and a light purple container. Walking forward you grab the purple container, opening it you see a strange golden necklace with a gray lightning shaped gem in the middle. You look at the necklace at every angle but to no avail as the necklace yields nothing. Putting it away you continue your search of the room.
As you start to open the drawer to the table on the left of the bed. A blinding light comes from your saddlebag effectively startling you. Tripping from an object unseen you hit the floor muzzle first. Groaning in the sudden pain that burst forth from your muzzle you get up. When you get on your hooves, however, a dizziness hits you making you stagger around for a bit before recovering, only to find that most of the stuff in your saddlebags has spread across the floor. You start to pick up all the objects that fell out when you see the necklace. The gem once a dull gray is now a shining bright red.
Standing there you are unsure of what to do. The gem glowed a fierce bright red as if beckoning you toward it. Tentatively you start to move forward. The gem glowing brighter with every hoof fall. When you reach it, it’s glowing as bright as the sun itself. Carefully you move your hoof forward to grab it. When your hoof just barely touches the necklace, your world became as bright as the first time it happened except this time you find yourself unable to speak nor move you're only allowed to watch through the eyes of a pony you did not know.
“I’m telling you! He...it is a real danger! He, I mean it is real!” Pinkie Pie said to the pony that you had yet to know.
“Come on, Pinkie!” said the pony’s eyes you are watching through, “I mean really a strange thing is going to take over Ponyville and kill all of us? You going to have to try a little harder than that to try to fool me!”
“But I’m not kidding! It's real! I saw it!” Pinkie protested with a pleading look, “Please, believe me, Dasie we’re friends!”
“Pinkie,” Dashie said with a sigh, “You know that-”
“Know that what?” Pinkie said a smile starting to adorn her face.
“Know that we're getting worried about you,” Dashie said to which Pinkie's smile melted off her face, “I mean all this stuff you talk about. It’s dark,”
“I thought you would understand!” Pinkie said tears starting down her face, “You of all ponies!”
“But...I…-” Dashie, however, was cut off by Pinkie.
“No! You don’t want to listen fine!” Pinkie said starting away at a fast pace, “If you all end up dead then it’s your fault for not listening!” Dashie watched as the crying mare run off in shock at what she just said. The vision fade’s too dark. You attempt to open your eyes finding it easy. What you find when you open your eyes, however, is...interesting. You're in the main square of Ponyville with ponies around you minding their own business, talking casually as if nothing is happening.
“Welcome to act II,” the filly's voice says with a giggle.
The ponies around you just walk around, going about their business. You’re left speechless...for about a minute or two.
“Hey!” you shout out to nopony in particular, a pony with a pale yellow coat, raspberry mane with light raspberry streaks heard your shout and walked toward you.
“What do you want newcomer?” the mare said in a polite tone her eyes intently waiting for an answer.
“I...I, what's going on here?” You ask looking around at what used to be a ghost town that kept ponies away for years to a nice small town that you could visit and relax. This change of scenery unsettles you but it also calms you. You lower your guard.
“What do you mean?” The mare asked tilting her head in confusion.
“I mean...it’s just that…,” you finish with a sigh not really knowing what to say.
“It’s just that what?” the mare asked her smile remained on her face but her eyes held a certain cold look. You feel uneasy.
“It’s just that this town is nice!” you say forcing enthusiasm into your tone. The mare’s eyes lose their cold look replaced with mirth seen in merrymaking in the days of old. You feel more comfortable with where you are. Your tongue might slip more than intended due to this, watch what you say.
“That's great! That's how we want Ponyville to be seen as!” the mare shouted with glee the ponies around her agreeing with hoots and hollers of their own as they passed. This strikes you as strange but you still feel comfortable. “Now do you want to be shown around?”
“Yea sure!” you say your voice unnaturally excited over something as small as just being shown around. Shaking your head you get out of your over-excited mood you seem to have found yourself in. The excitement still stays with if only subdued.
“Alright follow me!” the mare said starting to walk away.
“Wait. I don’t know your name,” you say to the retreating mare, you don’t want to call her ‘the mare’. This situation seems familiar to you but you can’t tell why.
“Oh, it’s, Roseluck,” Roseluck said with a deluding smile.
“Okay, Roseluck show me around,” you say with smile yourself. For some reason you feel your memories start to fade as if being covered by a thick fog. Roseluck turns around at starts down the road gesturing for you to follow. While you're following her you see two mares sitting on a doorstep watching you closely. Their orange and blue iris's following your moments but they don’t move an inch. You feel like you should know who they are. They also for some reason scare you. Roseluck leads you around the various roads until stopping at the central part of town which had a large circular building.
“This is the town hall! You can come here if you have any problems or questions,” Roseluck said in a peppy tone, not even a second after Roseluck spoke a light brown mare with a silver like mane emerged from the building a smile adorned her muzzle as her eyes fall on you.
“And that’s Mayor Mare,”
“Hello, you’re new around her right?” Mayor Mare asks you.
“Yes...no...yes?” you answer confused. You contemplate whether no or yes is the right answer.
“Well they seem uncertain of their answer,” Mayor Mare said with a bemused chuckle. “I’ll leave, Roseluck to show you the rest of the town,” with that the mayor of Ponyville entered the town hall again.
“Alright well on to the rest of the town!” Roseluck said moving forward down the road, you follow right behind her. The next building you arrive at looks more like a tree than a building.
“This is The Golden Oaks Library. You can come here if you want something to read,” Roseluck said already moving forward down the road. The walk takes some time at the end of the dusty road that you’ve been walking on is a large farm that had trees as far as the eye can see. On the trees were bright red apples glistening in the sunlight. You feel hungry.
“This is, Sweet Apple Acres. It doesn’t belong to anyone at the moment because the previous owners were uncooperative and thus were removed permanently,” Roseluck said her voice seemed to change from her voice to another's at the word permanently but you’re clouded mind pays no heed. Roseluck starts back toward the town you follow without question. On your way back you look up at the sky. The clouds spell out ‘To remember is the only way out’ how curious you think, not giving it a second thought your eyes coming back to the ground.
As you walk you look up to see a very familiar pink pony with deflated hair sitting against the wall. The mare looked up when she saw you her eyes widened and she got up quickly too quickly it would seem as she fell to the ground in her rush. When she recovered she ran toward you stopping just short a couple centimeters from your muzzle.
“I told you to leave!” the mare hisses at you. “Why didn’t just go?”
“I’m sorry but do I know you?” you ask with a small smile.
“Y-You don’t…” she trails off for a couple seconds. “You’ve been here too long! It won’t affect me but you-” the mare is cut off when the pony with orange eyes you saw earlier along with her friend start to take the mare away. The mare, however, didn’t seem to care. “Try to remember! It’s the only way out! Don’t try to help me if you do remember it’s too late to help me…”
Slight recollection flashes in your eyes but the whole story remains shrouded from you.
“Sorry about that. Come on let's continue our tour,” Roseluck said still keeping her happy attitude up.
“You know what I have to go somewhere,” you say, her peppy way of speaking and the constant smiling was starting to come off as strange. You can’t feel you hooves anymore, looking down you see their fading. Before you could register that your fore-hoofs were actually disappearing Roseluck speaks.
“Maybe you shouldn’t say things like that,” Roseluck said her voice faltering slightly letting malice slip into her tone. “You just might get hurt,”
“I really think I should go,” you say more than convinced that leaving was the best option. Your guard is raised, you won’t slip in your speech anymore.
“I think you should stay here a little longer,” Roseluck said leaving her false happy mood in the dust. You take a step back only to bump into a pony behind you. Turning around you see the two ponies that chased you through the streets earlier. Looking at them doesn’t seem to have the desired effect as they start toward you. Not wasting a second more you bolt just barely making it away from their hooves although one of them touched you which burned like hell and sapped at your strength from only one touch. You dreaded to think what would have happened if you were captured.
The chase was unfair, there were who knows how many ponies out, that just by seeing you dropped all their items and chose to chase after you for no reason at all. As the number of ponies behind you grew you feel hope start to drain away. But you refused to give up and held on if just for a little bit longer. Taking a sharp turn into an alleyway you feel to hooves wrap around your neck and drag you in through a doorway which is quickly shut.
“Shhh. Let them pass,” a voice quiet but kindly says to you. Hoofsteps crowded the alleyway outside for a brief time until leaving to search other places. The hoofs lift off your neck leaving you to your own will.
“Who are-” but you’re interrupted, you feel that this happens too much.
“I’m, Fluttershy. But that's not important right now,” the mare said her voice echoing slightly around the dimly lit room. “You’re close to leaving but you need to remember more,”
“I am close to leaving?” you ask looking around the dimly lit room in vain for an exit. Fluttershy shook her head.
“No, you don’t understand. Do you?” Fluttershy asked her voice dropping slightly.
“Understand what?” you ask Fluttershy only for her to gesture at your forehoofs. Looking down you see that your forehoofs are gone. You could feel them yet they weren't there. “Where are they!” you shout starting to panic at the feeling. You feel two hoofs wrap around you gently.
“Calm down, it’s okay,” the sound of Fluttershy’s soothing voice calms you down. “You’re hooves aren’t there because you’re close to leaving this place,”
“Place? Where are we?” you ask sitting up slightly.
“I would say, Ponyville but it’s not, sort of,” Fluttershy said her voice was quieter it was more akin to a whisper. How can something be something but yet it’s not something that it’s supposed to be? You ask yourself scrunching up your muzzle while thinking it over. “Talking about this place would not be wise. They could be watching,” Fluttershy said looking around much like Pinkie did in Sugar Cube something what was it called? Sugar Cube Corner perhaps? Yea that was it. After you think about the name a burst a memories come forth causing you to sway from side to side.
“Ugh, what happened?” you ask after you steady yourself with some help from Fluttershy.
“You did it!” Fluttershy said with a smile in the now lit room. You can now see what Fluttershy looks like, she has a coat of light gold with a light pink mane and tail, her cutie mark is three blue and pink butterflies.
“I did what?” you ask still a little disoriented.
“You remembered which means you’re leaving, unlike me don't try to help me it's too late,” Fluttershy said while your vision gets blurrier by the second. You see an outline of a door open with multiple ponies on the other side who walk in.
“So this is where you’ve been hiding, Fluttershy-” the rest is muted out as your vision leaves you. Opening your eyes greets you with a cloud wall with a Wonderbolt poster on it. You have to wonder, what happened to Fluttershy? And most importantly who is she? You could swear her name sounds familiar.
Author's Note
Sorry for the long wait, took me a bit to figure this chapter out.
The wind washes over the land bathing it in coldness as the air seeks out every open crevice or small crack in a wall, door or the earth itself it matters little to the wind as it travels great leagues and has seen many moons pass by, it has seen wars come and go, civilizations rise and fall, sisters and brothers fight against one another, it has seen the fall of many evil things that walk no more, it has seen bearers come and go. Yet this small town held a certain coldness to it that even the wind feared to tread there. When the wind first heard tell of the monster that now lurks in Ponyville he warned the animals and all manner of creature and bug to flee with haste. He also warned a certain pink pony in hopes that the ponies would retreat as they were in the gravest danger. But alas the ponies ignored the mare, the wind was saddened by this news but what saddened it the most was that it watched the monster start it’s work against the unsuspecting citizens while they slept unable to stop it only able to watch as the wind has done over countless millenniums.
The breeze gently passes’s by as you sit on the porch of the cloud house still in thought about what you were going to do. You still didn’t know how to leave or if you even could anymore, on the other hoof you could keep exploring until those ponies caught you or until whatever ‘it’ was caught you, neither were a preferable option. The last option was that you could try to find Fluttershy, wherever she might be, which seems to be the most dangerous out of the three but it looks like it has more favor from you. You choose an option after a considerable time thinking.
Grabbing your saddlebags you walk off the cloud, your eyes carefully examining the surrounding area as you did so. The ponies that chased you didn’t seem to be here although curiosity still tugs at you on why they didn’t enter the cloud house. Starting at a brisk pace you head toward Ponyville getting there in no time. It looks just as it did when you saw it last, silent, abandoned but has a story that it has yet to yield. The houses seemed to have dulled colors unlike last time, some windows were broken, objects littered the streets. A blue and red scooter, a brown stetson hat, a golden lyre were among some of the things that might have been dropped on accident or discarded.
It seems as if whatever hid this from you doesn’t care anymore unless this is intended if so you should be wary. You wander the streets aimlessly searching for anything that may seem out of place. Being mindful not to trip on the miscellaneous items as you roam the streets. You believe you’re getting nowhere. A giggle is heard, you jump at the sudden sound in the otherwise silent Ponyville. Nervously you look around trying to find the source of the giggle that was always accompanied with the voice of the filly that you had yet to see. This time, however, the silence was the only thing that greeted you. The silence seems to you to be worse than hearing the voice, you’re on edge.
Nevertheless, voice or no voice you continue on walking around the town. Surprisingly you walk unhindered throughout your walk, you still get the feeling you're being watched. Turning your head to check behind you, you’re startled to see that the only thing behind you is darkness an endless void with no light in its depths. The darkness is surrounding you in a circle motion crawling closer inch by inch a silent harbinger of dread. As it closes in you try to find a way to stop it, however, objects just sink into it while you aren’t allowed through. It doesn’t take long before it only a mere couple inches away leaving no room to move. Closing your eyes you wait for the inevitable pain of being crushed slowly to death. Yet it never comes, you feel cool stone below you. You crack open one eye only to find a stone room with an old wooden door, there's a sheet on the ground and a plate next to it, the plate just has crumbs on it.
“Help me!” a voice yells from far off. The desperation put into the voice unnerves you but the voice sounds familiar. “Please, I just want to-” the voice is cut off by a bloodcurdling scream then all is silent. Your ears are pressed against your head at the sound of the scream. After a couple seconds, you start to look around the room you’ve found yourself in before leaving, although after on the scream you’re not too enthusiastic about it. Finding nothing you reluctantly head toward the door. With one push the door swings open without resistance showing an empty gray stone hallway filled with doors.
You try to open a door adjacent to the door you just left. The door refuses to budge. After trying to open a couple doors and getting the same result one door swings open revealing a room, in the room was a white sheet that was intended to be a bed of sorts, next to the bed is a folded paper and busted pair of blue and white headphones with purple musical notes on them. On the folded paper is what seems to be a note to someone, the only thing you can read is ‘I’m sorry I didn’t tell you earlier and now I never can…’ the rest is illegible smudges.
A feeling of dread hangs over you, but hope still shines just barely reaching you in this dark place. You leave the room the headphones tucked neatly in your saddlebags with everything else you picked up. You start down the hallway only to stop when you see the two ponies that chased you on your first day here although that seems like a lifetime ago. This time, you notice that down their faces is a thin string that you didn’t notice before, it's as if they need the string to keep their faces from parting.
The two mares just stand there not moving an inch just like last time. Peering into their eyes you see that behind that cold, emotionless look is helplessness, fear. The two mares walked around you heading down toward the other end of the hall paying no attention to you at all besides their brief pause upon seeing you. Shaking your head you continue down the hall, you can wonder about those two later. The hall twists and turns with multiple doors to accompany them. The hall seemed to end here, with six doors. These doors were rusted metal rather than corroded wood. On the doors are marks of some kind, a cloud with a rainbow lightning bolt, a purple star with a small white star behind it both surrounded by five small white stars, three blue gems,two blue balloons with a yellow balloon, three red apples, three pink and blue butterflies.
The door with the three butterflies draws your attention because you saw that mark on another pony not long ago named Fluttershy. Putting a hoof on the door you feel nervous, you have no idea if she's there or not. Slowly you push the door open, revealing a room that was filthy, dirt covered the floor, on top of it was a variety of roaches among other vile bugs. Food if it could be called that was laid out on many different plates, some had small bites taken out of them. In the middle of it was a malnourished Fluttershy, her mane was in tatters, her coat had dulled due to the dirt. Fluttershy lay there unmoving, moving forward you try to talk to her.
“Fluttershy?” you ask tapping her lightly on the shoulder. Fluttershy flinched at the touch, looking up at you, you could see the bags under her eyes.
“So, despite telling you that I can’t be helped you try anyway?” Fluttershy asks me with a small smile.
“Yea, everypony can be helped,” you say confidently, then a thought hits you. Even if you save Fluttershy there is still something causing bad things to happen here. “Hey, Fluttershy?”
“Yes, what is it?” Fluttershy asks while you both leave the room behind you.
“Can you still fly?”
“Yes, why?”
“Could you fly to say, Canterlot from here?” I ask, a plan starting to take form in your head.
“Not without help from another pegasus or…” Fluttershy trails off.
“Or what?”
“Or I could use an element, but they're all gone taken by him,” Fluttershy explains. “Without an element, I can’t leave,”
“What’s an element look like?”
“It’s a golden necklace with a gem in the middle shaped to a pony's cutie mark for example mine which was a butterfly,” Fluttershy explains yet again. You remember the golden necklace from the cloud house.
“Would any element work?” You ask sitting down and rooting through your saddle bags.
“I guess but, Twilight knew more about this stuff them me,” Fluttershy says taking some time to brush the dirt off her coat. Finding the element as you now knew it as you bring it out.
“Here, this will help as you said,” You say handing the element over to Fluttershy. “I’ll try to stop what's happening here,” Fluttershy simply nodded her head putting on the element. You both say your goodbyes and well wishes then you're once again left alone. You enter the room that you and Fluttershy exited earlier only to find that there are seven doors instead of six. The seventh door is open revealing only darkness. Cautiously you walk forward hoof step by hoof step each echoing throughout the room until your right in front of the door. You walk in slowly taking into account every step you take. When you are fully into the room the shuts behind you.
“I’ll find whoever is behind this,” you whisper to yourself.
“Speak of the devil…” a male voice says, his voice cold. “...and he shall appear,”
Strings Attached (Rewritten Ending)
You attempt to find the source of the voice but the darkness that surrounds you negates your vision.
“I see that you're trying to find me,” the nameless voice said “Don’t try, even with the lights on you will fail you see me,”
“Who are you?” you ask still attempting in vain to find the voice.
“ ‘Who am I?’, ” the voice says with a chuckle “A valid question but nameless I shall remain,” silence crept in filling the empty space.
“I…” you try to say.
“'I...' what?” the voice says mockingly “I will stop you? I'll find a way to stop you? All have been said before, such empty words,” you try to think of a way out of this. The darkness seems to leach on to every good thought corrupting it, making it seem like there’s no hope. When you look up from your thoughts you see a light shining down. Slowly you walk down to the light. Once you see what’s there you give out a small gasp. It’s a piece of paper, what's on it, however, is what startled you.
You get off the train breathing in the fresh air on the slightly cloudy day. Not even a second after you get off the train it speeds off into the distance. “Guess someponys are just too superstitious,” you say with a sigh looking at the old train station with disinterest. As you walked down the stairs of the station you notice that things have become deathly quiet. No birds, no animals just the whispers of the winds as they passed by on their aimless journey around the world.
“How did you-” but you're yet again interrupted.
“Know?” the voice says amused by your antics, “Haven’t you figured it out yet?” your face twists in confusion. “Hmm, it seems you have not. That's a shame really, Pinkie even left so many hints along the way,”
“But what do they mean?” you ask.
“Oh, What’s this now? Does your attitude just shift based on what you want to know?” the voice said still amused. “Not only a second ago you were going to try and stop me,” you open your mouth to say something only to close it with a click. “Do you favor knowledge above life?” the question catches you off guard.
“No…” you say with slight hesitation. A booming laugh is heard.
“So not only do you favor knowledge over life. You also seem to have forgotten why you're here correct?” the voice asks you.
“No, I haven't forgotten why I’m here. I’m here to stop you!” you say courageously.
“Then why are you so easy to distract?” the voice asks you. Before you can react the floor falls beneath you. You hit cold stone; strangely your fall didn’t hurt you. Lights turn on revealing a stage. On the stage are all your items that you collected throughout your small journey in Ponyville. There lined up from one stage end to the other. You could have sworn that you had your saddlebags with you. The stage vanishes from sight. “Ponies. Such intelligent creatures yet so ignorant,” A hallway appears to your left. The hallway leads to a large room made of smooth marble with tall pillars protruding from the floor and staircases winding around them leading to the ceiling. That's when you remember Fluttershy and where she went.
“Maybe you're the ignorant one,” you say with Fluttershy in mind.
“Me? How so?” the voice asks you. Before you can answer he speaks. “You think I don’t know about Fluttershy? Do you think that I’m so naive that I would leave out such an important piece of my downfall?” you start to search the temple like area, you’ve found yourself in. Dread hangs over you at his self-answer.
“Well if you knew then how did she escape!” you say still trying to find something to aid you or even better find the voice himself.
“ ‘escape’,” the voice says sarcastically. “I let her go. Just as I thought you ponies always think a plan will work just like that, always forgetting that I’m watching,” at least when Fluttershy gets to Canterlot, Celestia and Luna will come. Hopefully. Out of the corner of your eye, you see a flash of light, you just barely get out of the way before the fireball hits the ground. “I’m already getting tired of you and your stupidity,” Another fireball heads toward you, you dodge only for the fireball to change course mid-air hitting dangerously close to you. Some of your coat and tail are singed in the process.
“Everypony evil can be stopped somehow!” you shout out. “You're no different!”
“That's the first reasonable thing you have said this entire conversation,” the voice says. “You're wrong in thinking I can be stopped, I can’t. Not anymore at least, thanks to you,” your entire thought process is derailed."So, you still don’t know? Do I have to explain everything to you? Ignorant creature,”
“No, you don’t have to explain! I know that you-” but you're interrupted by a chilling laugh.
“Me? No, you ponies brought this upon yourselves,” the voice says “Always naively thinking that if you can trap your problems and just hide them away not taking into account that maybe if you just killed said problems you wouldn’t have any yet here we are. Do you get it now my little pony? You let evil build and build then the elements took care of them but did you ever guess where the excess power went?”
“I-”
“No, you didn’t, that excess magic comes to me. All that time you thought you were saving yourselves,” the voice said with a sadistic laugh “Do you want to know who I am, little pony?”
“...” you’re left speechless and a feeling of being in the presence of something much bigger than you.
"I tire of you," the voice says "This play is over anyway, we have reached the final act and you have yet to find out who I am. I'm sure I could have further use for you in another play, in another time but for now, sleep," your eyes droop, your stagger from side to side until finally collapsing. You try to fight against your sudden weariness but in the end, your attempt is just delaying the inevitable. With that, you stop trying. After all, what's the point in fighting something you can't beat?
In a building somewhere far away, you will find a stage. On the stage is a small copy of Ponyville, little trinkets litter the streets. Next to the small Ponyville is a grounded cloud house, two ponies still lurked around it. If you looked underneath the stage you would find a strange structure with gray walls with halls that winded on and on. Cell doors lined the halls, six cell doors were separated from the rest. Each had a cutie mark carved into them. Past the 6 doors is a single open door. Through the open door is a few things, a mini stage with small items on little white pillars. Nearby is a grand hall fit for a king, with large marble pillars with stairs winding around then lined with gold. on the floor lay a pony puppet, with strings attached to its limbs to make it move as well as strings attached to its mouth so it could 'talk'. A shadow appears above the pony puppet.
"It seems the show is over my little pony," the voice says "I'll see you in the next play," with that the being walked away.
---The End---
Author's Note
The ending of this story felt unfinished so I rewrote it, I hope you like it. Put your thoughts in a comment below.
