Viventis Anathema - Story of a Cursed Mare

Grimwood wandered through the outskirts of Ponyville while wearing a long hood to cover her appearance. Her chainsaw was previously repaired by that mare name Eclair. That pony should be a genius. Despite her previous fight with Nemesis, Grimwood didn't felt any fear except one: That would be always something worse than her. In a travel of fifty minutes, she arrived in Ponyville and expected to find Royal Guards waiting in the entrance. But there's no one.

"No one waiting for me, huh?" Grimwood said as she took a look at a cartel with her face and the word wanted on it. "Considering that I am supposedly the one who put the curse, the surveillance should be present in this town."

Wandering for the town, she scanned her surrounding, finding only three ponies who were briefly looking at her with confusion and suspect before looking away from her gaze. She returned her attention toward her path and continued to walk until she stumbled into something absurd.

Grimwood was puzzled to see the Sugarcube Corner, whose entrance was sealed by a steel plate with a cartel upended on the door which test says "off limits".

"What hell happened here?" said perplexed Grimwood.

The mare then looked around just see if this atmosphere could get even more stranger until she stumbled into something even more absurd.

The confusion in her head was added at the sight of the Carousel Boutique being completely barricaded on
the lower floors. Wooden planks were blocking the windows and various fornitures were obstructing
the entrance.

Grimwood walked toward the shop, still trying to make sense to what is going on in the town.

"I didn't know if Rarity disappeared or had some financial trouble, but that is just absurd."

The mare rised her head toward the upper floors when her gaze stumbled in the sight of a red mained old white
stallion hesitantly looking out from a unblocked window. Recognizing him, Grimwood started to tackle and kick against the barricade of fornitures.

"Hey! Get down!" yelled Grimwood, continuing her forniture bashing as the stallion quickly turned
his attention to her. "Hey! You better talk! Get over there!"

"Sssssssh!" gestured the stallion for silence.

He trotted toward some part of the room and started to descent toward the lower floors. Sounds of hoofsteps
continued to riverberate until he showed up from behind the boutique, looking slighlty upset.

"What fuck are you doing here!?" asked the stallion.

"I would had asked you the same thing, former librarian of Canterlot" said Grimwood.

"Not here.... Follow me!"

Grimwoo followed Compass, who leaded her toward a hidden back door of the boutique. They entered into Rarity's bedroom and studio with the latter closing the door. The violet mare put down the huge bag on the floor.

"Come to think, where is Rarity? Don't you think that this barricade is unreasonable and very
much extreme?" said Grimwood.

"That will not be unreasonable at all." said dismayed Compass. "After all a group of monstrous creatures were after me. Besides, Rarity disappeared from the face of the Equestria from about two weeks, leading this boutique to a closure. So that is not a problem, except my abusive requisition of this place, but who cares."

"So you encountered those fuckers."

"I wonder if i can tollerate anymore of your language. In any case, yes. So, as you can see, i decided
to hid here, though that living in the bedroom of my former boss is a little embarassing."

"Then why you took this room as yours?"

"Don't mind me. I am just nervous... What are you doing here anyway?"

"Don't you anything about the Homunghoul Maker?"

Compass remained speechless for a moment and then spoke. "Who told you that?"

"So you know this bastard." Grimwood said. "I encountered the Homunghoul of Fluttershy that almost killed me. So where is the maker?"

Compass sighed awkwardly, walking in circle and trying to figure out how to deal with that question. After a bit of consideration her spoke.

"Face it, I don't know anything about him," Compass said. "But maybe I know somepony who could possibly lead you to him."

"Possibly?" Grimwood asked.

"You saw how the Sugar Cube Corners was reduced, right? But trust me, you should look at the lowest part of the place. Specifically at the retro trapdoor."

"Why that place?"

"Because I knew of ponies, like my friend Pale Gem, had previously visited Sugar Cube Corner when it was opened and others entered the trapdoor after it was closed. They were never saw in live ever again. Somepony had theorized that there's somepony inside the bakery who turn ponies into... Cupcakes."

"Cupcakes?"

"But that can't be it, right?"

"Let me guess. Somepony kill other ponies and conserve their corpses for the Maker himself in secret," Grimwood theorized.

"That's is exactly my same conclusion," Compass' eyes widened. "Wait, you want to go there?"

"If that sucker will lead me to the maker, the I'm going to investigate," Grimwood said.

Grimwood took her bag and was about to leave the room but was then blocked by Compass.

"Just do me a favor first." Compass asked.

"Huh?" Grimwood looked confused.

"If you find Pale Gem alive... Please, save her,"

"Whatever," Grimwood shoved Compass and went downstairs.

The hooded mare went out the boutique and galloped toward Sugar Cube Corner. In her arrival, she inspected the place and found the trap door, without anything that blocks it.

Whatever lays under could hide something far more chilling than the mist.