A̖͙͑̂ͥ̏͢L̸͚̋ͬ́ͩ́̑ͩ͟ͅL̶͓̣̟͓̝̮̖̆̑̓̃̎ͩ̓̓̎̕͘ ̴̼͎̋̐Ğ̷̴͎̣̯͖͎̿͏̴͚ͫ̑̇̔ͧͪ̑́OͩN̤̼̈́̊͊͞҉̯̏ͤE̪̰̪͗̈́͋ͪͦ͜͡
Author's Note
Big thanks to Opium4TmassS for all his help as a pre-reader and editor couldn't have done it without you buddy.
this story is pre-season 2 post-season 1
This story's inspiration is loosely based on an episode of a not to well know show called Fear Itself. The episode is called "The Circle", my favorite second only to "New year's day." it's also an
un-aired episode so good luck trying to find that shit... It was on netflix for a short time and I played that damn episode almost everyday. This story also inspired by my favorite horror story writing style where nothing is really answered your just kinda tossed in, only learning what the character you're following learns... hope you have fun :3
BTW link to the fear itself wiki page> https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fear_Itself_(TV_series)
A̖͙͑̂ͥ̏͢L̸͚̋ͬ́ͩ́̑ͩ͟ͅL̶͓̣̟͓̝̮̖̆̑̓̃̎ͩ̓̓̎̕͘ ̴̼͎̋̐Ğ̷̴͎̣̯͖͎̿͏̴͚ͫ̑̇̔ͧͪ̑́OͩN̤̼̈́̊͊͞҉̯̏ͤE̪̰̪͗̈́͋ͪͦ͜͡
A loud banging had startled Twilight awake from her deep sleep. Making her shoot up from her bed, rapidly looking around to find the source of the noise.The only things unusual noted to her was...One: Her lights were still on. Two: Spike was nowhere to be seen and three, it was very VERY dark outside. Thinking nothing of the lights being on. She called out for her friend, thinking he had gotten up to look for something and simply forgot to turn the light off when he left. When she got no answer in reply, she took a quick glance at her clock and that had told her something was not quite right.
Twilight took a closer look at the clock, "Either I slept for waaaaay to long or it should past midday...Spike! Where are...you?" she choked the last few words out after opening the door to the lower level with her magic only to find it was as black as outside. With the darkness seeming to swallow everything whole after three feet. Almost making no difference as she peered into the void from her stairwell. Making Twilight think someone dumped her home into a giant pot of ink. Ink that was lazily floating in around when it hit the light rather than fade away like darkness should normally do.
"I should try some spells before I do anything else," She thought to herself. Eyeing the darkness and she lowered her horn taking a couple of magic pot-shots into this void noting that after traveling after a short distance they simply scorched her floor at the foot of the stairs, but the spell illuminated much less than on any normal night and seemed to move a small bit slower.
Twilight's ear twitched. Swiveling forward in the direction of the noise as she heard something fall and roll on the floor, she took a big gulp and grabbed the lantern with her magic putting it in between her teeth. While it appeared her magic would work in this nothingness it did affect somehow and Twilight was not one to take chances. Each step she took down was one she took with baited breath trying to be as silent as possible. Spike wasn’t anywhere near, knowing her assistant would have come to her as soon as she called him unless he... Twilight stopped and shook her head to get rid of such dark thoughts. Not wanting wanting to think of that sort of thing. Not unless there was proof.
It seemed like an eternity when she felt the cold burn marks on the floor finally. She looked into the main room still mostly dark. Metal and salt filled her nose, red splatters painted the table. The equine bust on the table had a note taped to it. The note also having been splattered in a small bit of red. Twilight felt like she was going to vomit. It was the smell of death, the smell of blood. Lots and lots of blood, Biting her lip to keep from screaming as her own blood ran cold she sprinted to the little piece of paper. She needed to know what was on it, to give her hope that he was okay, that this mess belonged to somepony else ANYpony else. At this point she didn't care who.
Paying no attention as to what was around her Twilight’s hoof caught on a metal object laying on the floor sending her tumbling to the ground. Stars of pain exploded in her vision, as she banged her head causing her only light had fall from her grip and rolled out of her grasp but fortunately the flame had not died. Twilight’s body ached counted herself lucky that she was relatively unscathed from the fall.
A quick glance back had revealed her fall was caused by another lantern one that had no oil in it. It to had some blood but only a small splatter here and there. With shaky legs twilight rose to her hooves and trotted to the still lit lantern. Bending down to pick it up she noticed something one would miss when they were being hasty like her in this shadow world. A long trail of blood was leading toward the kitchen but something told her not to go there. She tried to levitate the note but a small growl from the kitchen stopped her. Something was there with her. Something dangerous. Something that couldn't hear, see or even sense her. Twilight thought having realized that it should have come running when she fell so she walked to the the note instead, tears pricking her eyes as she had to step in the pool of crimson to get to it.
The note had read "The light is the only safe place stay in the lig..." it had trailed off like the pony who was writing it was dragged off mid sentence which was probably true, then Twilight had an idea. She took the note in her magic and...nothing, not a sound then she moved the note into the dark just on the edge of her vision the growl started up again sounding a little gurgled this time. Then she pulled the note back with the growling stopped the second it touched the light. Repeating the process a few times before stopping. then she got brave setting the note down she called out with a slightly raised voice "Spike are you there?"
Twilight closed her eyes and braced herself and waited, and waited, and waited a little more. When nothing happened she set the lantern down and poked her muzzel out into the dark and softly said "Spike?"
The harsh growl and the rushing steps scared her back into the light, tears fell full force down her face as she sobbed into her hoof. Spike was just barely in her range of vision stopping just short of the light looking every which way. His eye and mouth were black and dripping with something with the consistency of hot caramel but black as fresh ink. However the worst of it was the huge gaping hole in his stomach exposing mutilated organs looking as if they have been chewed along with a bite-mark the size of a pony's mouth on his neck. Both oozing black as well.
The sobs of twilight crying into her hoof and the gurgling growl of the thing that was once Her friend were the only sounds in the room, The blackness turning like rough seas. After awhile spike receded back into the void. Twilight sat in silence crying for who knows how long, wiping her tears away she spoke to herself. "I have to be strong it's what spike would have wanted and staying here crying isn't going to get me answers I need to find somepony, anypony who's still alive." With a groan Twilight got up eyes red and started for the door, but the flicker of her lantern caught her attention. She was almost out of oil and the only place with any spare was in a cupboard in the kitchen. She always kept it there, just in case it spilled while pouring. That way it wouldn't fall on anything flammable such as say wooden floors or scattered books full of easily burnable paper.
With a haste she could barely muster Twilight timidly went into the kitchen. She hated the echo every step she took made, the world just felt emptier. Then again everything had felt empty since she had woken up. Everything felt strange. Her thoughts were interrupted by a high pitched wail seemingly coming from everywhere. Whipping her head toward the ear piercing shriek Twilight saw what remained of Spike flailing slightly past the light's edge, a small sizzle almost completely drowned out by the ear piercing wail. Quickly the figure retreaded into the darkness, only to act as if nothing happened at all. Noting the thing that was once Spike wasn’t showing any sign of it's agony, no burn marks, no a whimper, not even a small twitch. Nothing save for the soft gurgle that came with every one of it's breaths. The creature acted as if anything in the light didn't even exist nor anything within said light, unless it somehow got within the the lights reach, then it would act like someone threw it in a tub of acid.
Twilight was safe in her light. Yet it was fading fast as who knows how long it had previously been burning for. So with as much bravery she could muster she galloped to the pantry. Closing her eyes as screams filled her ears. She could hear it flailing, and she could hear it burning, She could hear the very blisters on it's skin form and pop! And yet she felt nothing. Somehow she wanted to feel bad and yet in these few seconds that somehow had felt like years, she couldn't.
Swift hoofsteps patterned across the tile floor to the other side of the room. Finally reaching a wooden door and gripped it with her magic. She violently whipped her head to left as she opened it, nearly ripping it off its hinges in the process revealing the hidden treasure of food with other miscellaneous emergency supplies. Scanning with eyes trained by years of speed reading, novels and advanced textbooks the lantern oil was swiftly found, resting between the Honey along with some random cans of food.
With shaky hooves Twilight prepared the lantern for its refilling too panicked to use her magic as the flame went out. A loud screeching echoed into the darkness drowning out the stomping that rushed from behind her.
An unfathomable pain hit her flank with razor sharp teeth cutting into her flesh. Twilight let out a cry of surprise and pain as she was shoved forward dropping the lantern in shock. Instinct had forced her legs to quickly pull back and buck outward to dislodge her attacker. The sickening crack of bone came next as hoof collided with the skull of her attacker as she sent the creature flying across the room with strength she never knew she had. Breathing heavily she quickly lit her horn and scrambled to pick up the lantern. After a few seconds of silence to catch her breath she managed to take hold of it and finally refilled the light source illuminating the void around her. As light flooded her vision once more came another sound of bone being snapped echoed throughout the kitchen. Without even thinking Twilight put the lantern in her mouth and charged toward the noise. She jumped straight at the creature pulling her right front hoof back. Right before landing she shoved her coiled front limb straight into the beast eye socket pushing her full weight into the blow, the other front hoof soon following behind as she landed her last two hooves into what remained causing her to slip on the gore. Tumbling forward Twilight hit her jaw on the floor smashing her teeth further into the handle causing them to grind painfully and crack slightly. With a heavy groan Twilight rolls onto her back panting.
After a moment of silence a small whimper permeates the surrounding world.
As the adrenaline slowly left her body pain began to take its place radiating from her teeth and her haunch. Taking a small breath through her nose Twilight spat out a small glob of blood and chipped tooth hitting the ground with a splat. Finally she took a deep breath and looked at the wound on her flank.
Twilight found herself fighting off the rising wave of bile and revulsion at the broken and torn skin. Even worse was the fear mixing with her disgust it. Not because it was fairly deep but because it was dripping with black slimy goo giving the wound a badly infected look to it. Twilight thought about
Twilight thought about the situation and it was anything but good, she was stuck between a rock and a hard place. Either she could bandage herself up and cover the wound so the bleeding would stop or keep it open and hope the light doesn't let the ooze infect her. no matter which path she took she'd be living on a wing and a prayer. She pondered this for awhile until she came to a conclusion. Her blood would clot fine as the wound looked worse than it was but the black goop is unpredictable and dangerous, and with what was left of Spike she couldn't contact the princesses for help if they were still alive. All she knew is the black goo didn't like light and maybe if she kept the wound in the light maybe just maybe she could hold off whatever it had in store for her.
Twilight knew she would need help, there was nothing about anything like this in any of her books. Maybe Zecora would have some answers.
If she was still alive...
