Chapters The White Mare with the Red Eyes
“This vacation is going to be awesome!” you exclaimed out of the train window.
It had been months in the making, but you finally earn enough bits to afford to much need vacation. Though you loved your job at the Ponyville Town Hall, the endless pile of paperwork that came with running a town became too humdrum. So you put in your request to take your four-day vacation. Once it was approved, you were already planning where to go. After researching the best spots to visit, you found a quaint resort that lay on the outskirts of Canterlot called the Marewell Resort. It had great reviews but wasn't too expensive. So here you were, train-bound to your resort vacation. When you sat back down, you noticed the patron's reactions ranged from annoyed glares to muffled giggles.
“Sorry, everypony,” you apologized.
To that, the ponies went about their business. A little embarrassed, I turned my attention to the brochure of the resort. You couldn't wait to enjoy all the enmities it offered: the large pool, the spa, the open bar, the extensive buffet, the gaming room; you didn't know which area to hit first. Not long after your outburst, you heard conductor speak over the P.A. system.
“Next stop Canterlot! Repeat, next stop Canterlot!” the conductor declared.
A broad smile spread across my face as you eagerly awaited the next stop. As the train pulled in to the station, you quickly gathered my belongings and headed out. It was a rather pleasant day as it trotted through Canterlot's bustling marketplace. The sun showered the ongoing ponies in a radiant warmth while a cool breeze blew through. This was indeed a perfect day to start a vacation. You looked over the direction to the resort to see if you could locate and landmarks to show you're on the right path. After a few minutes and with a few ponies help you finally arrived at your destination: Marewell Resort.
You were taken aback at fancy it all looked. The lush greenery with various exotic flowers sprinkled the edge of the cobblestone path that led to the main foyer. The outside of the building was polished marble dressed in accents of royal blue and silver. It began to make you feel like a fish out of water. This feeling only solidified as the interior had furniture that looked like it cost more than you make in a year, the chandelier above adorned various exquisite gems and diamonds, and the tile on the floor was smooth and polished. As you approached the front desk, the mare waiting there greeted me with a smile.
“Welcome to the Marewell Resort!” she beamed. “I’m Ready Made. Do you have a reservation?”
With a nod, you find a spot to sit and wait. You sat in a comfortable chair and set my luggage the floor next to me. As you waited for the bellhop, you couldn’t help but noticed the variety of patrons that were around you. You saw a griffin chatting it up with a pegasus, a unicorn couple sitting outside by the pool with the mare leaning on her stallion. You even saw a mixed family (an earth pony mother, pegasus father, unicorn colt and earth pony filly) enjoying their family vacation as the foals bounced around the parent (which made you chuckle a bit). After a few minutes, a young unicorn mare dress as a bellhop approached me. Her orange coat complimented her long goldenrod mane that was tied in a bun.
“Hello, I’m Flambé! Shall we get you settled in?” she cheerfully smiled.
She levitated your luggage, and we set out for your room. Along the way, Flambé explained the various events that would be available during your time there. As you listened to her, you to walk a bit faster as you two turned down the hallway. You were able to keep up just fine but the sudden burst of speed. Just as you were about to question her, it hit you. There was a sudden chill that seemed to fill the whole hallway in an instant. The sensations seemed to seep down into your very bones.
‘Why’d it get so cold all of a sudden ?’ you pondered.
Your thoughts were interrupted as you felt hoof graze your cheek. The mere touch sent shivers down your spine, and you quickly turned to see the culprit. However, nopony was there but rather a door. There was something different about it though. The wooden frame seemed to be a bit more worn than the other rooms with cracks along the border, the doorknob looked rustic with the paint slightly faded, and there was no room number displayed anywhere. Before you had a chance to inspect the door further, Flambé called out to you.
“This way sir," she spoke as she kept up her quickened pace.What the hay was that just now ’ you pondered.
The way she replied didn’t sit well with you. From your years in Town Hall, you've learned to spot when somepony is lying to you. But you couldn't figure out why she felt the needed to. Before you could question it further, you reached your room.
“Here we are sir,” Flambé smiled.
When you entered the room, your jaw hit the floor. The inside of the room was huge. The living room had a large plush corner couch with throw pillows aplenty. As you stepped further into the room, all the amenities blew your mind. The kitchen was pristine and twice the size of your own, the bathroom was easily the size of your guest room back home complete with shower and an indoor jacuzzi, the bedroom was well furnished, and the balcony overlooks the pool.
“Wow, this is impressive,” you spoke awestruck.
Against your better judgment, you decided not to press the issue and began to settle in your room for the next four days.
The White Mare with the Red Eyes
After you gorged yourself on the dinner buffet from the main hall, you decided to walk around the resort to try and settle your food. You eventually found yourself at the large water fountain. As you gazed you at the night's sky, a calm breeze caressed your being.
"Sweet Celestia, I needed this vacation," you hummed.
You found yourself lost in the beauty of the celestial constellation. But even in this moment of serene bliss, you felt your mind drift back to what happened earlier that. You could still feel the frigid temperature surround your being as well. But the thing that stuck with you the most was the cold hoof you felt touch your face. It was as if the very warmth was drained from you by that single touch.
‘Just what was that ,' you pondered.
You to where the voice came from and saw Ready Made approached you.
"Please, just called me Ready," she smiled as she sat down next to you. "So is there something on your mind?"
You looked down to you hooves as you began.
"Well, this may sound weird but on the way to my room Flambé and I walked down this hallway. And I swear to as we walked down it, the temperature seemed to drop to a freezing level," you stated.
But you noticed her laugh seemed nervous and somewhat. You shrugged it off and turned to her.
"But if it's the storeroom, why isn't label as such? What if somepony stumbles in there by accident?" you inquired.
She placed a hoof on your shoulder.
"Don't let this matter bug you," she spoke. "You've come here to enjoy yourself time here. So just put this incident behind you."
As she walked away, you still felt unease in your stomach.
‘It couldn't be something that simple ,' you internally debated. ‘But she's right. I should just focus on enjoying myself .'
You sigh and look up at the beautiful night letting the cool breeze take away your cares.
Later that night, as you slept, in your dream you found yourself standing outside in the hallway.
"Huh? Why am I in the hallway?"
As you looked around, you noticed that something was off. Though the lighting in the room was dimmer, however; you could tell the wallpaper was distinctly different from your room. It was a design that was popular a few years ago. But before you could ponder it further, you heard a blood-curdling screaming coming from down the hall. With a quickened pace you ran to locate the source. You soon found yourself in the hallway from before. It was then you hear a mare cry out for help.
"HELP! SOMEPONY! HELP ME PLEASE! ," the mare cried out terror lace in her voice.
Your hooves moved on their own as you quickly found yourself in front of the same door, but instead of it being worn and cracked like before but instead new and untouched by age. You took note of room# (which was (148-B) before you banged on the door. You heard the mare and a stallion in a heated vocal confrontation.
"Ma'am! Ma'am, I wanna help try to open the door," you pleaded.
As you tried the doorknob, you could hear the mare and a stallion in the midst struggle. You could tell she was fighting with all she had to get you the door. With no luck with the door, you decided to break it down. Just as you about to ram the door both ponies fell silent, and you heard a body hit the floor. Your blood ran cold as you fear the worse.
"Ma'am! Ma'am are you okay?" you called out as you rammed the door.
After the fourth attempt, you knew the door wasn't going to budge. You saw that the door had a classic lock which meant you could peer into the room. To your horror, you saw a body slumped on the floor was a small puddle blood began to stain the carpet. The mere sight of the blood as it spread across the floor you felt the color leave your face.
"NO!" you screamed as you furiously pounded on the door.
You awake from your dream rattled and in a cold sweat. You looked around your room to see it was morning. You looked down and saw your hooves were shaking. You've never before have had such a vivid dream, let alone one about witnessing a pony's murder. You made your way to the bathroom sink to splash your face and try to regain your composure. As the water was running, you try to process what you just witnessed. A mare was murder in her very room.
‘But why? Who were they? What were they arguing over? And what of the stallion that committed the murder? 'Who in the hay could that be this early ?'
When you went to open the door, you were greeted by Ready.
"Oh, hello there Ready. What brings you here?"
She began to speak but stopped herself, as if she was trying to find the right words to say.
"Is something the wrong?"
You saw her eyes slightly widened before returning to a calm state.
"But it was merely a dream. No need to need to work yourself up over it," she spoke.
She merely shook her head and sighed.
"I see now what the problem is."
You were at a loss for words. You remembered that all the countless hours you put in just to get this time off. Could it be that you've conditioned yourself to want only to work?
‘But…that can't be true…I've wanted this for months now… ' you tried to reason. ‘Maybe it was just my imagination getting the better of me… '
You took the voucher with a smile.
"Thanks, Ready. And I try to keep it down from now on," you said.
Just as you were about to close the door, she stopped it from closing.
"Hmm, did you need something else, Ready?" you asked.
Something about her demeanor changed. Though she presented it as a friendly suggestion, you could tell from her stoic gaze that it was a subtle threat.
"But why exactl–"
She leaned in closer to you, and you felt the foreboding aura that emanated from her eyes. There was no denying that her next words were indeed going to be a threat.
"Again… For your own benefit, I'd suggest staying away from the storeroom or trying look inside of it. Are we clear?"
The calm disposition and pleasant smile returned.
"Good, I hope you have a wonderful day," she bowed as she left.
‘Okay…that just happened… ' you noted. ‘Why is she adamant about that room? '
You push those thoughts to the back of your mind and freshen up to tackle the day.
The White Mare with the Red Eyes
While at the spa, you felt your cares melt away as the spa ponies massage the stress out of your pores. The gentle, yet firm touch of their skilled hooves drew you into a momentary bliss that nopony would ever be able to describe.
‘This is what I needed, ' you hummed.
As your masseuse's hooves glide over your frame, your mind began to clear of all the negative things that have occurred so far.
‘Ms. Ready was right. I guess I've just been working too hard and just let my stressed mind play tricks on me, ' you deduced. ‘From now on, it's just rest and relaxation. '
After your massage session, you headed to the steam room to sweat it out. To your surprise, you were the only one using it at the time, so the steam was abundant. As you soaked in the vapor, you saw a faint silhouette in the midst of the haze.
"Oh, hello there. I thought I was the only one in here," you greeted.
The figure remained silent. Annoyed you got up from your seat and made your way over to the silhouette. But when you reached them, there was nopony there.
‘What the– '
When you turned around the figure was now sitting where you were. Through the mist, you saw a toothy grin appear on the figure's face. You jumped back and stumbled onto the floor. Like a predator ready to pounce the figure lunged at you. You braced yourself for the impact, but when you opened your eyes, the silhouette was gone. With your nerves completely rattled, you decided it's time to leave. When you tried to open the door, it wouldn't budge.
"Huh?"
You try again, and the same thing occurred. You gripped the handle tightly and pulled with all of your might; the door would not move an inch. You banged repeatedly on the door.
"Hello! Is anypony out there?!" you cried out. "The door is stuck!"
After what seemed like fifteen minutes, you began to feel light-headed as the room itself seemed to be spinning.
‘I have to…get out…of here… ' you spoke trying hard to remain conscious.
You weakly pounded on the door in the last ditch effort to garner help from the outside. With your last strike, you slid to the floor and slowly lost consciousness.
As your haze finally clear and your vision able to focus, you found yourself on the padded bench in the lobby of the spa. You looked around and noticed you're your head was resting on one of the spa mare's lap.
"Are you alright?" she asked.
You tried to speak, but your dry throat made it difficult to do so. The mare quickly noticed and signaled for one of her co-workers to bring you some water. She then positioned you to where you wouldn't choke. As the bottle of water pressed against your lips, the cooling liquid flowed down your throat. The contents of the container were quickly consumed, and the mare ushered for another bottle.
"How long was I out?" you asked.
Before you could respond, Ready had shown up to the spa in a panic. When she caught sight of you, she immediately ran to you.
"Oh my goodness, I came as soon as I was able," she spoke. "Please tell me what exactly happen."
You huffed as you rolled your eyes.
"But, I'm still puzzled about who was in there with me?"
You saw Ready's eyes widened slightly at your tale.
"Then what happened?"
After you told your story, Ready's visage was stoic, but you could see that this information greatly concerned her.
"I see…well in light of this news I plan to offer another voucher to one of Canterlot's premier restaurants as an apology for such a terrible experience," Ready spoke as she bowed as if to ask for forgiveness.
She bowed with complete imploring for your forgiveness.
"Please allow me to make this up to you," she pleaded.
"This is for a free meal for any of the premier restaurants in the city," she offered.
You took with reservation as you knew it was a means to keep you happy and not cause a ruckus. Ready then bowed to you again.
"I'm truly sorry," she apologized. "If there's anything I can do-"
Ready quickly ran behind you.
"Are you sure? Because it would be no troub–"
When she slightly recoiled you tried to compose yourself.
"I didn't mean to lash out. I'm just a little on edge after my near-death experience," you stated. "Please, I just wish to be left alone."
As you walked in a trance-like state, you reflected on the events that happened. It wasn't your imagination, there was something in the sauna with you...something that had ill intent. But where did it go? Why did it choose to attack you? And more importantly, why is Ready trying to keep you quiet about this?
As you were lost in thought, you bump into something solid. After you composed yourself, you look up and saw it was the numberless door from before.
‘Wait, what? How did I walk into this? It parallels to the hallway ?' you thought.
As you stood up, you took in the features of the door once more. It struck you as odd that such a luxurious resort would have such a dilapidated looking door. The cracks that covered the frame and chipped paint on the body showed no care had been put into it. Coupled with the how archaic the doorknob looked as well, you deduced Ready couldn't have been telling the truth about this room.
‘For your benefit, I'd suggest staying away from the storeroom or trying to look inside of it. Okay? 'Why forbid me to look in this room? '
You shook your head and proceeded to your room. Just before you were a few feet from the door, you heard a voice whisper.
"You'll be next…won't you… " it softly whispered
There was no response. As you backed away from the door, the same eerie chill filled the hallway. Not wanting to be in this hallway any longer. You quickly made your way back to your room. As fell onto your bed, you tried to calm your nerves.
‘What did it mean by I'm next? Who was that? Where was that? ' you spoke trying to gather your thoughts.But about what? What in Equestria is going on at this resort? You rolled onto your back and stared at the ceiling.
‘I know Ready is hiding something…but what ?'Something must've happened in that room ,' you deduced. ‘But what ?'
As your thoughts raced, your eyelids began to grow heavy, and you soon started to drift off to sleep.
The White Mare with the Red Eyes
As your eyes fluttered open, you noticed the sudden darkness in the room. When you tried to move, your movement was restricted.
‘What the – ?' you uttered.
As your eyes adjusted, you found yourself in what looked like an old storage room. A light was fixed above your head as your limbs tied tightly on the chair. The room was filled with old wares (discarded cleaning supplies/tools, dilapidated boxes, etc.) The smell in the air filled your nostrils with the pungent aroma of mold and old wood. As you looked around, you see any doors or windows.
‘Where in Equestria am I ?'
You struggled against your bindings to try and free yourself. While you rock your chair back and forth, a sudden cold aura shrouded your body, which halted your actions. You heard what sounded like hollow hoofsteps walk toward you. Your eyes widened as you saw Ready step into the light with Flambé next to her.
"Ms. Ready? Flambé? What's going on here?! Why am I tied up like this?" you queried.
It was then you noticed the cold and stoic gaze the three gave you. There was no emotion in their eyes. You could sense the ill intent the two had in store for you.
"M-Ms. Ready?" you spoke a bit afraid.
"You just couldn't leave it alone could you?" Ready bitterly hissed.
"Let what alone?" you asked in confusion.
"Don't play dumb with us!" barked Flambé. "We told you to leave things alone, but you insisted on meddling!"
The two slowly crept toward you.
"It seems our next course of action is clear…" Ready spoke, malicious intent laced her words.
"Wait…stop! You can't do this! Ponies will find out that I'm missing and come looking for me," you declared hoping that'd be enough to hinder what they had planned for you. To this, the pair darkly chuckled.
"Isn't that what the last couple said to us, Flambé?" rhetorically asked Ready.
"Yes, and the funny thing is…" Flambé spoke before she leaned in until she was inches away from your face. "No one…ever…comes…"
You felt your body succumb to the eerie chill that ran throughout your body. It soon became clear that these mares had no intention to let you leave or even to let you live. They began to circle you; horns illuminated that held items in their aura that eluded from your vision.
“Please…I don't know what I did…but, please…let me go…” you pleaded. “I won't say anything…I swear!”
Your pleas were met with deafening silence as you looked to see the mares that look at you with malicious glares now backed away from you with faces as white as snow.
“What? What is it?”
Before they could speak, you looked down to the floor. To your shock, it began to expand and contort to undefinable shape. Against your better judgment, you decided to look behind you. You were greeted be a formless apparition that hovered just inches above your head.
‘W-What in Celestia's name is that '
A banshee-like screech filled the room, and with your arms being tied the deafening noise nearly too much to bear and you struggled to maintain consciousness. Without warning, the formless mass dove down and consumed your very being. You tried to scream, but no words could escape. It what then you felt a multitude of hooves drag you down into the depths of darkness. Still bound to the chair, you were helpless to resist.
‘Not like this…please…I don’t wanna die…” you cried as the very warmth drained from your body. ‘[]iSomeone…anyone…help me… ’
You then heard a distorted and reverberated voice whisper in your ear.
“I wonder…are you a moth or are you a flame?” it spoke.
You awoke from your dream with a jerk. With shortness of breath. You look around to see that you were in your room. In a panic, you ran to the bathroom to wash your face. As the water ran and you dosed your face with water, you felt your body tremble.
‘What is going? What was that dream just now ?!’ you spoke completely rattled. ‘What was that thing?! Why was I being held against my will ?’
Your mind raced as steadily tried to calm your nerves, to little success.
‘Just what could it all mean ?’ you pondered.
“I wonder…are you the moth or are you the flame?” spoke a voice.
You shot immediately and looked around the room.
“H-Hello?” you called out. “Is someone there?”
The response was a deafening silence. You timidly made your way out of the room and inspected the area. Nothing had been changed or moved, but you knew someone or something was in here.
“You’re quite an interesting… ?” the voice continued to whisper.
You looked around as you tried to locate the source of the voice.
“Who’s there? Show yourself?” you demanded.
You only heard it reply with an eerie laugh that echoed throughout the room.
“So bold~[/]”
With a mixture of fear and annoyance, you slowly backed away to the door. As you reached the door, the laughter had increased to deafening volumes. Able to bare it anymore you grab your voucher and head out of the room. As you sat in the hallway, you notice the voice and the laughter had ceased.
‘ Why is this happening to me?! ’ you lamented. ‘What have I done to deserve this ?!’
You quickly made your way away from the room and down the hall. As you turned the corner, your eyes fell on to the storeroom .
‘This all because of that room ’ you analyzed. ‘Whatever’s in there has got to be behind this. And I’m gonna get to the bottom of this .’
You then made your way down the hall to the door. As you gaze the decrepit door, you tried the handle. Sure enough, it was locked. Determined to solve this mystery, you then bent down to look through the large keyhole. As you did a cold breeze of air passed through it to gently caress your eye. You shook the sudden chilling sensation to proceed with your investigation. To your surprise, it was a hotel suite, no different than how yours looked, but a little more unkempt and dirty looking.
‘But Ready said this was a storeroom ?] you thought. ‘Why would she lie ?’
While you continued to inspect what you could see of the room, you spotted a unicorn mare in the corner. Her coat was as white as snow and her long, flowing ivory mane cascaded down her slender frame. Though her back partially to and her bangs blocked part of her face, you could tell she was a very alluring mare. As you stared at her in confusion, you tried to reason why Ready would lie?
‘Maybe it’s a celebrity, and there's an illusion spell was placed to keep away the paparazzi ?’
You became emboldened and dare to try and knock on the door but quickly decided against it. While immersed in trying to figure out who she was, the mare sharply turned her head to the door which immediately made you jump back and fall to the floor. You quickly made your way down the hall, afraid she might’ve spotted you spying.
As you made your way past the front desk, you saw Ready busy organizing the room keys. You wanted to ask her about the mare in the room but didn’t want to out yourself as having gone against her explicit orders. As you looked around the lobby, you noticed an indigo earth pony mare sleeping on one of the loveseats. The look so peaceful as she slept, and you have to admit she was rather cute. As you walked past her, you heard the mare speak in a distorted voice.
“It’s rude to peek into a mare’s room y’know~. ”
Your head quickly snapped to the sleeping mare.
“E-Excuse me?” you retorted.
She said nothing. Though she looked to be still sleeping you knew you heard her just say something. As you made your way over to the mare, you listened to her lightly snoring.
‘Did I just imagine it ?’
You shrug it off and head for the exit.
“Have a fun time!” spoke Ready with a smile.
With a nervous chuckle, you smiled back headed for the restaurant.
