Author's Note

Just a head's up/FYI: Three asterisks (***) symbolize a change/shift in time, while five asterisks (*****) will symbolize a change/shift in point of view.

Chapter 1: Welcome to Hell

"The train will be departing for Canterlot in five minutes," A stallion's voice echoes across the platform "if you are heading to Canterlot, please board now."

"Hurry, everypony. Make sure you have everything and board the last train car," Our teacher, Sunny Surprise, instructs.

Ms. Surprise was new to our school, East Vanhoover High. She was hired a couple of weeks ago to teach the school's Equestrian History II class after the previous teacher, Mr. Dusklight, became suddenly ill and passed on. They were, in a way, complete opposites. Mr. Dusklight had been all about sticking with tradition and never strayed even the smallest amount from his curriculum plan. Ms. Surprise, however, liked to switch stuff up and make things fun. Mr. Dusklight was older and had many wrinkles, whereas Ms. Surprise was young and beautifully wrinkle-free, or so I had been told. On the other hoof, they were almost the same. Both were kind and nurturing, and both cared deeply for the students, always taking the time to listen to them and help work out their issues. Mr. Dusklight had had a calming disposition about him and a soothing smile to match. Ms. Surprise was the same, only her gentle eyes added more comfort, according to other students.

"I can't push her wheelchair any faster. What if we won't make it?" A soft, worried voice from behind pulls me from my thoughts.

"Then somepony can carry her and I'll carry the wheel chair," Another voice from behind me says.

I turn my head towards the voice and stare blankly. Behind me walked my seven best friends and the younger sister of one of them. My twin friends, Mieng and Yieng, walked beside each other whispering and laughing. Beside them walked my childhood friend Cloudbreaker and his little sister Angelwing. Directly behind me, my childhood best friend, Wysteria Belles, stood on her back legs as she pushed my wheelchair. Beside her walked another childhood best friend named Mercy Faith.

"I'd carry her but the only one who can ride me is Songbird," teases a voice to my left. I turn my attention towards the voice and scowl.

"That's too much information, Lifeline," I scold "I don't wanna know about your sex life with Songbird."

"Aw, but it's so fascinating," Lifeline chuckles "besides, you gotta get your fill of porn somehow."

"OH MY CELESTIA! I have no interest in hearing porn. I'm not a horny little shit unlike somepony I know," I scold.

"You're such a damn buzzkill," Lifeline pouts.

"Thanks for the compliment," I sneer.

"I provide you with some quality porn content," Lifeline begins "and it isn't free or cheap. I've been keeping a tab for you, and just to let you know, your bill is 5000 bits. I'll take that payment in parts starting now."

"The fuck?! I ain't paying you 5000 bits, you crazy bitch!" I exclaim.

My friends erupt into a roar of laughter around me. I huff as I lean back in my wheelchair and cross my forelegs with a scowl on my face.

"If Lemon's bill is 5000 bits, I'd hate to know what the rest of ours is," Mercy laughs.

"I'm just joking, Lemongrass," Lifeline chortles as she ruffles my hair "you know you love me."

"As a best friend, and you're very lucky I do," I say trying to suppress a laugh "and you're lucky I have no legs either, or else I'd always be kicking your ass."

"Aw, but I'm not into BDSM," Lifeline pouts.

"You are too," Songbird pipes up in a teasing tone.

"Ugh, that's so gross," I groan "I'm gonna have to bleach my brain and ears when I get home."

"If you think you've got it bad just HEARING it," Mercy begins "oh my Celestia, you are lucky you're only hearing it. If you could SEE the gestures and shit she, or rather they, make, you'd wanna DRINK bleach."

"Hey! It isn't THAT bad!" Lifeline protests.

"I suppose being without sight does have its perks," I say.

"Why can't you see or walk again, Miss Lemongrass?" Angelwing questions in an innocent tone.

I sit there silent for a moment trying to think of an explanation her young mind would understand. Before I open my mouth to explain, Ms. Surprise calls out to us urgently.

"Don't worry about carrying me," I say "I might be disabled but I can get there without help."

"I know you can do hoofstands and walk a small distance, but this is a slightly crowded train platform," Wysteria says "you'll run into somepony."

"No need for that," I say "this is a new wheelchair and it can do other things besides carry me."

"Like what?" Wysteria questions.

I feel for the keypad on the right side of the armrest and press the button at the very bottom. With a mechanical whir, a strap tightly secures itself around my waist as the rest of the wheelchair quickly turns itself into a pair of prosthetic legs.

My friends let out small noises of awe as I begin to walk forward. I wobble a bit as I walk towards Ms. Surprise. Today is only the second time I've used this function and so I'm still learning how to walk again. I pick up my pace and switch to a quick trot. Using the vibrations coming from the other ponies on the platform as they walk, I manage to avoid bumping into anypony, even as I begin to gallop with my friends right behind me.

"Lemongrass! Watch out!" Mercy warns.

Before I can come to a full stop, my face smashes hard into the side of the train. I stumble backwards and fall onto my rump.

"Oh Celesita! Lemongrass, are you hurt?" Ms. Surprise questions franctically.

"I told you to be careful!" Wysteria scolds.

"I'm fine, just a little bruised," I say "but, um, these prosthetics don't bend and they're new, so I dunno how to get up."

"I've got you," Ms. Surprise says, helping me up.

"Thanks," I say.

"You're welcome," Ms. Surprise says sweetly "now hurry and get on before we get left behind."

Finally, we board the train and find our seats. My friends and I sit in the back of the car with Ms. Surprise. As soon as we all sit, the doors close with a soft swish and the train begins to leave the station.

We pass the time talking and playing spying games. I sat in between Mercy and Wysteria with Cloudbreaker and his sister directly across from me.

"May I please know the answer?" Angelwing suddenly asks.

"The answer? To what?" Cloudbreaker questions.

"To what I asked Miss Lemongrass." Angelwing answers.

"It's a little personal, sis. She probably doesn't feel comfortable answering." Cloudbreaker says.

"It's alright, Cloudbreaker. I'll tell her when we get back to school," I say.

"Attention all passengers," a voice echoes through the train car "we have arrived at our destination. Please remember to bring your things as you exit the train. Thanks for riding Equestrian Express and have a great day."

"And a great day we will have!" Ms. Surprise says cheerfully "c'mon, everypony! Let's go have some fun!"

My friends and I let out a loud noise of agreement as we stand and begin to exit the train. With Wysteria's guidance, I make it off the train without bumping into anypony or anything.

"You promise you'll accurately describe everything for me?" I ask Wysteria as we walk.

"I promise," Wysteria replies "don't worry about a thing, alright? I haven't let you down before, and I won't start now."

"Thanks," I say "I dunno what I'd do without you."

"Probably fall down something and die," She jokes.

"I wouldn't doubt it," I laugh.

"How do you do it, Wysteria?" Mieng asks.

"Do what?" Wysteria questions.

"Get Lemongrass to laugh, smile and joke instead of being grumpy, cynical and a miss frowny-pants all day." Mieng answers.

"Oh, it's nothing against you or anypony else,” Wysteria explains "but we've been best friends since the moment we met in the hospital nursery. Lemongrass trusts all of you, and honestly, that's saying something because she doesn't trust easily. But, she trusts me the most, especially with her happiness and well being."

"And that's why, when I graduate, I'm going to study to become a nurse and be Lemon's personal healthcare assistant," She adds "that way, I'll always be by her side to take care of her and be there for her. I'll get paid, and with my check, I'll be able to do even more to help her."

My cheeks grow hot at the sweet sentiment and my eyes well up with a mix of happy and sad tears.

"That's so sweet of you, Wysteria," Ms. Surprise says.

"Do you really have to move?" I ask Wysteria "you could move in with me and my mom, and then you wouldn't have to leave me."

There's a moment of silence. I can feel the air around us shift from being happy to sad.

"I wish I could stay, and you know I would if I could," Wysteria replies "but both of my parents are going to be working all day, every day, except for Saturdays, after we move. I have five younger siblings that need to be looked after."

"They could hire a nanny, couldn't they?" I question.

"I suppose they could, but-"

"What if moved with you?" I question, the desperation to stay with Wysteria obvious. The tears building up finally spill down my face.

"Lemongrass-"

"I can't function without you. You can't go," I whisper.

"You can function without me. You're gonna have to," Wysteria says, getting a bit stern "but not for long. Just five and half months, and I'll be back, I swear."

"And stop crying, please. You're gonna make me cry," She adds, wiping away my tears.

"I know what'll cheer everypony up!" Mercy says.

"What?" We ask in unison.

"A charm!" Mercy replies.

"A... Charm?" Cloudbreaker questions.

"Yup! One that'll ensure we'll all be together forever, no matter what hardships are thrown at us," Mercy says "we'll be just like the Saviors of Equestria, except for the "saving Equestria from monsters and other weird creatures with the Elements of Harmony" part!"

"What's the charm called?" Ms. Surprise questions.

"It's called 'Sundancer's Blessing of Eternal Friendship'," Mercy answers "I was gonna wait until after the field trip, but now is as good of a time as any."

"I suppose we could spare a moment or two," Ms. Surprise says "as long as I get join in~"

"Of course, Ms. Surprise!" Mercy says "you're not just our teacher, you're our best friend too!"

The rest of us murmur with agreement.

"Alright! Let's get started!" Mercy exclaims "first of all, we'll need a piece of paper and something to write with."

"I've got you covered," Ms. Surprise says, producing a notebook and pen from her saddlebag.

Mercy takes the notebook, rips out a sheet and gives it back to Ms. Surprise. She then takes the pen and writes something down.

"The first step is to print out a heart, or draw one like this," Mercy explains, showing us the paper "next, we all have to write down our names somewhere inside the heart. So let's do that."

We follow Mercy's instructions and write our names down inside the heart. Wysteria writes mine down next to hers.

"Alright, good. Now grab a spot where your name isn't written," Mercy instructs.

We turn the paper to make it easier for us all to grab an area where our name wasn't. With Wysteria's help, I grab and hold on tightly to a spot on the paper.

"Now, this is the most important part. In your heads, repeat the phrase, "Sundancer, we beg of you" for each pony present. So say it one, two... ten times inside your heads," Mercy instructs.

Sundancer, we beg of you. Sundancer, we beg of you. Sundancer, we beg....

***

"Everypony repeated it ten times?" Mercy questions.

I nod my head and listen as the others answer Mercy.

"Great! Now, repeat after me," Mercy says "please bless us with eternal friendship."

"Please bless with eternal friendship." We repeat.

"Now pull on the paper until it tears," Mercy says.

I pull on the paper with all my strength and feel it tear into a medium sized scrap.

"And that's the last step," Mercy says cheerfully "now, just keep your scrap safe and with you at all times, and we'll be friends forever!"

"Tuck mine behind my ear and inside my mane, please," I say to Wysteria.

She takes the scrap from my hoof and gently sticks it behind my left ear inside of my mane.

"Thanks," I say.

"You're welcome," Wysteria says, giving me a hug.

"Now that we've been ensured of our eternal friendship," Ms. Surprise begins "let's be on our way to the museum."

With Wysteria's help, I follow Ms. Surprise and my friends to the Canterlot Royal Museum. As we walk, Wysteria describes our surroundings to me. When we finally get there, Wysteria leads me to a handicap ramp and follows me up it. As we approach the top of the ramp, the ground below us begins to shake violently.

"What's going on?!" I exclaim.

"An earthquake! And a bad one at that!" Wysteria exclaims back.

The violent shaking of the ground causes me to stumble back and lose my footing. Wysteria cries out for me as I tumble hard down the ramp. I hear something crack and think my prosthetics broke.

Somepony grabs me by my right foreleg and pulls me into them. Whoever it is holds onto me tightly as the earth continues to shake violently.

"Are you okay?" The pony asks. It's Wysteria.

"I am, but I think one of my prosthetics broke," I reply.

"They both look undamaged to me," Wysteria says.

"Oh. I thought I heard something crack, so I assumed one or both broke," I say. As soon as the words leave my mouth, we both hear an unmistakable crack, followed by several more.

"Holy shit! Th-the ground's breaking beneath us!" Wysteria exclaims "we've got to move!"

Wysteria pulls me with her as she gallops up the ramp, but before we can reach the top again, the ground disappears from beneath us. Wysteria screams and I begin to feel like I'm falling. I hold on tightly to Wysteria as I begin to scream. Not long after I begin to scream in unison with Wysteria, everything slowly fades to silence and I no longer can tell if I'm falling or not.

***

I let out a small groan, open my eyes and sit up. An endless amount of questions floods my brain. Where am I? Am I in the hospital? Is Wysteria nearby? Is she okay? Did I pass out?

"Wysteria!" I call out "where are you?!"

No response. I rub the area in front of me to get a sense of where I am. Feels like wood, like the floor of the classrooms in East Vanhoover High. Am I in a classroom? Was all of that a dream?

"H-hello?" A soft voice calls out. Its muffled and I don't recognize it.

"Who's there?" I call out. I hear a door open gently and somepony walk into the room.

"Another living pony?" The voice questions quietly in surprise. Now that's it no longer muffled, I can make out that the pony is female.

"Obviously I'm alive," I answer sarcastically "and also a pony. Now answer my question; who are you? And also, where are we?"

"My name is Zephyr Zeppelin," the voice says "we're in some place called Riverpine Elementary School."

Riverpine Elementary School? How did I end up from the ramp of a museum to a room in an elementary school?

"Where exactly is Riverpine Elementary?" I ask.

"From what I gathered from the newspaper articles scattered around here, it was a school in Vanhoover until a fire burned it to the ground in 1956," Zephyr replies.

That can't be right. How could I be in Vanhoover if I was just in Canterlot? Better yet, how could I be in a school that was burned to the ground more than sixty years ago?

"You must've read something wrong," I say "it's 2017. How could we be in a school that was destroyed in 1956?"

"I'm just as confused as you are," Zephyr says quietly.

I shake my head in disbelief. Something isn't right about all this. Earthquakes can happen at any given time and can vary in strength, but how could one have the power to send somepony back in time? I did get sent back in time, right? How else would I be here?

"How did you end up in Riverpine?" I question.

"I woke up here four days ago after an earthquake knocked me unconscious," Zephyr answers.

Did she wake up here after experiencing an earthquake too?

"Did you do anything before that?" I ask.

"A few minutes before the earthquake, my friends and I did this friendship charm," Zephyr replies.

She did a friendship charm with her friends? I wonder...

"The 'Sundancer's Blessing of Eternal Friendship' charm?" I question.

"Yeah, that one," Zephyr answers "we did it at my friend Whipped Dreams' house in Baltimare."

Zephyr and her friends did the charm in Baltimare. They experienced an earthquake soon after, and now Zephyr is in a school in Vanhoover. My friends and I did the same charm in Canterlot, experienced an earthquake afterward and now I'm in a school back in Vanhoover. That charm, it has to be why we're here!

"My friends and I did the same charm on our way to a museum in Canterlot,"I explain "then we experienced an earthquake and now I'm here."

"Do you think we're here because we did that charm with our friends?" Zephyr questions.

"I'm almost a hundred percent positive," I answer.

Zephyr lets out a small sigh and shuffles closer.

"You have prosthetics?" Zephyr asks.

"I do," I reply "actually, it's my wheelchair. It's a functioning prototype meant to convert into a pair of prosthetics."

"I see," Zephyr says "what happened to your face?"

"My dad tried to kill me when I was two. He broke my legs bad enough to the point where they needed to be amputated, then he poured some kind of chemical on my face that left me blind and with scars," I explain bluntly "and before you ask, the only reason he could give was that he hated my mom and didn't want her to ever be happy."

"Oh. I... That's awful," Zephyr says quietly "but, you know, you're quite lucky to be blind in here."

"Listen, sometimes being blind has its perks, but honestly, it fucking sucks," I sneer "you should be mighty grateful you have sight."

"I was grateful to have sight, until I was whisked away here," Zephyr retorts "have you ever seen a pony piñata?"

"No, dipshit. I'm fucking blind, remember?" I sneer. I hear Zephyr let out an annoyed sigh.

"Your attitude is annoying," Zephyr mumbles "but whatever. Have your friends told you what a piñata was?"

"It's some kind of paper mache container filled with candies and sometimes small toys. It comes in an array of colors," I say "that's how one of my friends described it to me."

"Well, in this place, piñatas are made from once-living ponies," Zephyr explains "strung from the ceiling in disarray, their guts slashed open and entrails hanging out. One of the halls two floors down seems to be pretty much dedicated to them and it smells awful. But honestly, it's not the worst part."

I sit there silently as the information sinks in. Before I can say anything, Zephyr continues to explain.

"There's a lot of death in this school," Zephyr says "I've far surpassed my quota of dead bodies to be seen in life. Can't go down a hall or into a room without seeing at least one rotting corpse or bleached skeleton. I can't even go to the bathroom, filly's room or colt's, without one or more stall being occupied by the suspended corpse of another pony.

And I've witnessed more deaths than I care to share. I've seen my childhood friend be decapitated, and I was helpless as my sister, my sweet, little sister and the only family I had left, suddenly explode open and splatter all over me, the walls and the floor.

So when I say you're lucky to be blind, I'm not being facetious. I really mean it. I know we started to get off on the wrong hoof, so I'm sorry if I've come off as insensitive. We need to work together in this place if we ever want to get out, and us arguing and being rude to one another won't help."

"I... You're right," I say with a sight "it's nothing against you, I always have a rude, cynical attitude about me, unless I'm with my friend Wysteria. I've had a lot of shit happen in my life, so I've never really had a good reason, other than Wysteria, to trust anypony or be happy go lucky."

"They're awful things that have happened, but I suppose it's nothing in comparison to what you've experienced," I add.

I hear her sit down in front of me and scoot closer. She takes my hoof and pulls me into a hug. Awkwardly, I return it.

"I know we don't know each other well, but let's do our best to get out of here together," Zephyr says softly "or, try to find our friends and get out together with them."

"I'm game either way," I say "but could you do me a favor?"

"Uh, sure, I guess. What do you need?" Zephyr questions as she breaks the hug.

"As you're well aware, I'm blind and can't see what the fuck is going on around me," I begin "so, would you be a dear and describe everything to me?"

"Oh, of course," Zephyr says "and I'll be sure to guide you as well. There are a lot of holes in the floors and you could easily walk right into one and get hurt, or worse."

"Tell me about this room," I say.

"It's a small classroom with small desks and chairs haphazardly spread about. Um, there's a teacher's desk in the front and a chalkboard with illegible writing scribbled all over behind it," Zephyr explains "there are some worn informative posters on the walls and, uh, there are some cabinets against the front wall. There are holes in the floor, windows lining the wall next to us and everything is pretty much dilapidated."

I nod my head in understanding and stand up. Windows. We could escape through them and find some form of help.

"You said there are windows? Have you tried to escape through them?" I question.

"Not the ones in this room, but believe me, all the windows I've tried, and even some doors, are affixed to the walls like they're just for show," Zephyr answers.

"I'm afraid there is no possible means of escape," A warped voice says "so many would not have succumbed to the curse that thrives within these halls if there was a way of leaving."

"You're that ghost I met a couple of days ago," Zephyr says quietly "but you said there was a way of leaving."

"I prefer the term spirit, however, you misunderstood my words," the voice says, "I said there was a way of leaving from this closed space and going to another, not from this school or its curse."

"Do what now?" I question.

"Ah, my apologies. You've only just arrived," the voice says "allow me to introduce myself. I am Morning Glory, a spirit of a mare who died here and now roams these halls helping those unfortunate enough to find themselves here. You may find me usually in the library if you have questions with no answers."

"Did my friends come to this school with me?" I ask.

"I sensed ten living souls arrive in this damned school an hour ago," Morning Glory replies "you are one of those ten. It stands to reason that your friends are the other nine."

"How many living souls are there in this school exactly?" Zephyr questions.

"Excluding the two of you, eighteen," Morning Glory answers "an incredible amount, if I may say so, but such a waste of life."

Eighteen. How many of those include my friends? My stomach turns at the thought of one of my friends dying.

"What's a 'closed space' and how do we leave this one?" I question.

"Think of a closed space like a brick," Morning Glory explains "each brick has its own space, dimension if you will. Together, those bricks make up a house, or in this case, each closed space makes up the foundation of which this school and it's curse are built upon."

"And if you take out a brick?" I question.

"Slowly but surely everything will fall apart," Morning Glory answers "now that you mention it, perhaps there IS a way to leave this school."

"If we can take out a closed space, we could potentially go home?" Zephyr asks.

"I believe it may be a bit more complicated than that," Morning Glory replies "if the closed spaces are the foundation of which this realm, shall we say, are built upon, then the anguish, grudges, and torment of the spaces' creators are the mortar that keeps it from falling apart."

"So if you take out the mortar," Zephyr begins.

"You can take out the bricks," I finish.

"Precisely," Morning Glory says "however I believe it is easier said than done. The whole process will, no doubt, be extremely convoluted and difficult to pull off, but, dare I say, not impossible. That being said, I believe you might find it in your best interest if you swallow any sense of innocence you have left and prepare yourself to lose a bit of your sanity as well as to get your hooves dirty."

"Any idea of where we should start?" I ask.

"I think you may find documents locked in the archives a great place to start," Morning Glory replies "two floors down, past the piñata hallway and down the stairs on the left you'll find the basement. The archives are in a small locked room in the very back. Before you go there, I suggest you find the keys you need."

"Keys? Is the basement locked too?" Zephyr asks.

"The basement, the archives, and the places you'll find those two keys," Morning Glory replies "you won't be fed your escape on a silver spoon, you're going to have to work for it. With that being said, there's no time like the present to get started. It's a race against the clock, after all."