Alone in the Dark

The new room was worse than the last one. Not because you had an actual bed to sleep in. And not because you could hang the bathrobe you were given to wear in an otherwise empty closet.

It was worse because the room was on top of a tall tower and the window overlooked a city.

You were sitting next to the window on the sole chair that'd been in the room and were gazing out of it. You followed the twists and turns of some alleyway, and tried to think about how efficient the planning had been. It looked like a wealthy city; the streets were clean, none of the houses looked run down and there were places that looked like cafes or restaurants nearly everywhere.

It was also completely deserted. There was a flock of birds flying above one of the plazas but it was the only sign of life you could see. The streets were pristine, but empty. Cafes had their chairs lifted onto the tables. The windows were shuttered. Of course, you knew the reason for it.

You looked at the frames of the window you were sitting next to. The paint on it was white with a slight blue tint to it. There was a small latch on the bottom of it. You tried it. It opened. The window swung inwards. You stuck your head through it and looked down. It was a straight vertical drop into some courtyard far below. A long, straight drop. More than long enough.

You'd put your hands on the frames and were about to pull yourself through when you heard a noise from behind. It was the clip-clop of hooves on stone. But it lacked the timbre of metal and the rhythm of either of the two alicorns you'd met. Your brow furrowed as you let go of the window frame and turned around to face the door. Metal jingled. The lock clicked. The door swung open. Your heart skipped a beat and you suddenly couldn't breathe.

No.

A dark gray colt with indigo mane and tail trotted in. There was a pair of tiny wings on his back. And his eyes. The eyes that just wouldn't leave you alone.

“Hi, who are you?”

His voice was light and clear, that of a child's, and full of curiosity and wonder.

Go away. You're not real.

You tried to answer but your words got stuck in your throat. Instead, you heard your own voice say the words you said back then. You closed your eyes, turned away from it. But it didn't go away. You still saw him. How a smile spread onto his little face.

“Hey, nice to meet you! I'm Dusty. What kind of a name is Private?”

His tone. How he genuinely didn't know. You wanted to go back into the darkness, back to the dark cell that stank of your own excrement, where he wouldn't be able to reach you. But you couldn't. So you covered your ears with your hands. But it didn't stop you from hearing your own voice. It didn't stop you from hearing his little hoofsteps as he got closer.

“Oh. What are you doing here? I've never seen anything like you before.”

Go away. You're not real.

You hugged your knees and rocked back and forth on the chair. It hadn't been you. It wasn't your fault.

“What are you doing?”

A direct, female voice banished your waking nightmare. You stopped your rocking, lifted your cheek off your knee and looked at the dark alicorn. She understood, right? That's why she came when she did, right? That's why she was staring at you with her lips parted like she meant to say something. You doubted it was why she closed her eyes, shook her head and looked at you again with a stern expression and her muzzle held high.

“Regardless, I have brought you sustenance.”

A platter and a jug, glowing blue like her horn, floated from behind her. The platter had shredded cabbage, some cauliflower heads and a large piece of turnip on it. She set them on the table that was near you. Hunger made you stomach grumble, so you wasted no time and got on your feet, dragged the chair next to the table, sat down and took a bite of the turnip. All while she watched with her snout up in the air. It tasted old, like something that was about to go bad. You heard the shuffling of cloth and groaning of wood from behind you, but ignored it as you concentrated on devouring the edibles. You didn't mind that the cauliflower had gone soft or that the cabbage had tiny flecks of charcoal and ash strewn in it. It didn't sate the hunger gnawing at your insides, but it'd keep you alive.

“Hurry up, I haven't got all day.”

You swallowed the last mouthful of food with a loud gulp and spun around on the chair. She was lying on the bed, on her side, with a wing half unfolded over her barrel. She'd placed her rear hooves on top of one another, emphasizing the features of her backside. Her shapely hindquarters were conveniently on the very edge of the bed, pointed your way, and she was looking at you with half-lidded eyes. One could have seen it as an invitation. But not you. You wished to curl up in a corner until the memory of the young colt had sunk back into the depths of your mind. But, as you tarried, her horn flashed blue and you felt a tug on the chair you were sitting on. You took a deep breath, got on your feet and accepted the inevitable.

“You know, you've had my sister – Mmh!”

She moaned as you accidentally grazed her lips with your thumb while you were caressing velvety fur of her flanks.

“You've had her nearly snap quite a few times.”

There was the tiniest bit of softness beneath her skin that you could push the tips of your fingers into. You let your hands wander on her inner thighs and flanks, doing little circular massaging motions wherever they went.

“I had to restrain her once.”

A muscle on her calf twitched as you moved to brush her lips. With three fingers held together, you gingerly ran them down her hotness and then up again.

“Nnn. That was just before you arrived.”

She laid her head down on the bed. You'd just traced the shape of her nethers with a thumb.

“But you know what happened.”

You...

You did. It all came back. The rain that fell ever so steadily. Roof shingles and shards of glass strewn across the street. A house collapsed onto itself. The beam that used to hold the roof, now in splinters. The bookshelf that'd fallen over.

“Did I tell you to stop?”

How the fire was slowly losing to the rain, leaving behind charred and blackened remains of chairs and dressers. The shrapnel holes left in the green, leaf-patterned wallpaper.

You looked down at your hands and heard something shuffling very close to you. Your hands were red. They were red with blood.

WHAM!

The force of the blow threw you backwards. The pain from your forehead was so sharp and intense that you blacked out.

You drew a wheezing breath. You were lying on the floor with your limbs strewn out as a cross, and your head felt like it was being beat with a hammer. As you forced your eyelids apart, the first thing you saw was fangs. Fangs, and slit pupils. She was saying something but you couldn't understand it. All you could hear was the rain and the crackling of fire as it burnt away what remained. You reached out towards her. Your hand swayed back and forth, it didn't want to do what you were telling it to. Some sort of noise came from your mouth. It was an attempt at an apology but it was all slurred. Then you saw something shine blue. Your eyes were forced shut. The pain...

The pain washed away.

“I hope you can find it in yourself to forgive us.”

Her voice was the last thing you heard before drifting off to sleep.