Screams of Song

As we stood outside watching I realized what we had done, the truth of it, the cruelty and the neccessity all at once. I wondered then, is this what dad intended when he told me of the old dares of the old tests of mettle. Did he know we'd use something so dark, did he expect us to come here. No, I don't think he did. I just want someone else to be at fault. I want this not to weigh us down. We all agreed, we all worked at it, and so whatever happens is on all of us now.

She was only supposed to go in, find something from inside to prove she explored a little and then come back out. She hasn't though. It's been two hours and the doors haven't moved, there's been no sound of her no sign that she's come back.

Maybe the factory was emptied out more then we thought, maybe it was hard to find something in there and she had to go further then we thought. She isn't a strong flyer and would likely walk or run most of the way. As timid as she is I didn't think she'd actually enter. I thought she'd get to the door and run off. We'd tease her about it for a while and then it'd be done.

She didn't though. She went in, she went in to that waiting maw, that gaping darkness that begs little fillies to come back. That metal collossus that once devoured innocence so that it could spew out beauty. She was my friend and I think I may have fed her to a monster.

"How long do we wait Marshal?" a voice slow and methodic snapped me from my own thoughts. I looked over at Thunder Beats his dark blue coat and feathers almost matching the dusk sky. I shook my head trying to clear it. "We wait as long as we can. If we have to tell the adults..." I let the consequences hang in the air. Both Thunder and Haze looked at each other then at me and settled back as their minds went to how bad that could be.

We all watched the door intently. We had a curfew in an hour and maybe another half before it'd be suspicious that we didn't make it home. I kept watching, kept looking for her. Wanting to see some sign of the door opening. A little voice in the back of my mind kept saying it was my responsibility and I should go in, go in, find her, bring her out.

'We protect our own' that was what dad always said. These three, Thunder, Haze, and Melody. They are my own. Even so, I can't bring myself to go into there. The songs play in my head. The reminders that it's more then most ponies think. It corrupted an element of harmony. The element of loyalty herself was broken by this place. What chance does one little colt have of fighting whatever is in there?

Haze looked over at Thunder then at me. "Should we go in and find her? We're running low on time." Thunder Beats cleared his throat "If you want to I'll keep guard at the door and distract any adults that come." Haze snorted and gave a slight smirk. "Really Beats, afraid of a bit of metal and clanking of our own hooves?" I could hear the hitch in his taunt though. The little catch between a and fraid. Haze Grinder, he really did live up to his families name. Always grinding on others. Not intentionally but just good at saying the wrong thing.

Thunder gave a heavy snort "Of course not, but I am afraid of what the adults will do if they find two colts and a filly wandering around that factory. If I'm out here I can claim I came alone and maybe keep them distracted." That fear was in his voice too, more apparent though. They both looked at me. I could see the expectation, the need for me to weigh in on the subject. Times like this I hated my name. Marshal Order, what a joke. I'm not a leader, I don't keep things orderly, and I most certainly don't want to be responsible for this.

Dad always said that leaders rarely get the choice. Ponies will follow them, against the wishes of the pony leading. Sometimes against their own survival instincts even. Is that what happened here? Did I lead a little filly to go against her better judgement with a stupid dare? Could I lead these colts to go into a place of such darkness and despair to rectify a mistake all three of us made? Dad wouldn't hesitate a moment, this was our mistake and ours to fix. I'm not dad though.

"No, we wait here. If she hasn't come out in another 15 we go to the door we yell into there and hope she can follow our voices. None of us goes into there though. The fact she isn't back means we bucked up. There's more to the stories and those horrid songs then we thought." I sat down to watch and wait for only a little longer. My two friends did the same and I could see the tension in there muscles ease. Was it that easy to relax them. Just give a definitive plan and act like I knew what was going on, or were they simply relieved to not be entering that building?