Author's Note
Just first and foremost, I did change a few rules about how exactly the Silence work. I know that in the show, they marked themselves in order to keep track of encounters with the Silence, but for the sake of this story, I decided to make it so that any time you see one, a mark appears on you naturally.
And if for whatever reason you can't read spoilers (which I recommend reading after the story), just ask me in the comments and I can tell you what's covered up.
I started writing this a while ago, so I forget what inspired me to start writing it. I probably won't continue or update for a while either, so don't expect much in regards to that.
Hope you think its cool
-psvitafanboy
(PS the psvita was actually just mediocre)
The Lobby
"Welcome back, Twi!"
"...What?"
Twilight Sparkle stood cluelessly at the door to her and her friends' hotel suite in Bostrot. Her heart rate was declining, as though she had just experienced some sort of adrenaline rush. Her legs felt tired and she was out of breath, panting. Her clothes and hair were unkempt and messy, and one of the handles on her glasses was bent ever so slightly.
"Goodness, Twilight, you look like you ran through a tornado!"
"I... w-what?"
The biggest problem with all of this was, strangely, that she had no clue why she was in such a condition. Or even how she was inside the suite with her friends. She was just in the hotel's lobby to quickly fetch some snacks from the vending machine.
"Is everything alright, Twilight?"
"Girls?" Twilight spoke, quickly and quietly. As she stared at the room in front of her, memories slowly began to fade back. She had heard something...
"Yes, Twilight?" Rarity said back, from the bed she sat on. The three other girls were sitting down in front of a television. The screen was nothing but static. "Are you okay? You must have been gone for half an hour!"
"H-half an hour?" Twilight gasped, snapping out of her trance. "But... that makes no sense! I just now got... down to the lobby..." She trailed off, once again distracted by the memories slowly seeping back into her head. "I was... there. I was there, and then..."
"Hey, wait, where's the snacks?" Rainbow Dash asked. "Did someone take the ten bucks I gave to you or something?"
Twilight didn't speak and began rubbing her temples. Something was down there.
"Uh... did someone do that?" Rainbow pushed. "If I have to beat the crap out of someone, just tell me."
"No, I just..."
"Twilight, tell us what happened. We were starting to get worried about you," Sunset said, getting off the bed and cautiously stepping toward Twilight. "Did someone hurt you?"
"What? No, I just-"
"Did you accidentally trip and fall?" Rarity suggested, standing to move beside Sunset.
"I didn't-"
"Again, I'll totally kick someone's teeth in for you, Twi. Just give me the word," Rainbow said, sitting up on the bed.
"Girls! I just..."
"Just what, dear?"
"I just don't remember!"
A brief silence passed for what felt like minutes. "You don't remember?" Sunset broke the silence. "I can help with that if you want. You know, my powers and all."
"I think I'd actually like that. Thank you, Sunset," Twilight said, nodding in approval.
"Okay! Here, let me know when you're ready," Sunset said, moving in on Twilight. Her hands just hovered above Twilight's arm, and-
"Twilight Sparkle, what are those?" Rarity shrieked, butting in between her and Sunset. She took a firm grasp of Twilight's arms, tracing her fingers over the thick, black tally marks that stained her.
"Wait, what? Oh no, Mom and Dad are gonna kill me!" Twilight said, starting to hyperventilate. "I swear I don't know where those came from, I don't remember them ever being there!"
"Twilight, calm down," Sunset said.
"What is it, a tattoo or something?" Rainbow said, getting up from the bed to get a closer look at what Rarity and Twilight were freaking out about.
"YES!" Rarity said, sending Rainbow bursting into hysterical laughter, "And such a ridiculous tattoo at that!"
"Holy cow, Twi! You got a tattoo? For real?" Rainbow wheezed out between breaths.
"Rainbow Dash!" Sunset said, glaring poisonous daggers at her friend. "Now isn't the time to be laughing, this is serious!"
"Seriously hilarious!" Rainbow said, slowly but surely calming down. "Where did you even get a tattoo in thirty minutes? Is it temporary or something?"
"I-I don't know!" Twilight stammered, still panicking over them.
"Twilight, do you want me to look into your memories?" Sunset asked calmly, trying to soothe her friend's panic. "If Rarity ever lets go of you, anyway?" A signaling glance from Sunset to Rarity cued her to let go of Twilight's arms.
"Y-yes, please," Twilight said, holding her arms out for Sunset to take hold of. "Whenever you're ready..."
Sunset gently took Twilight's hand into her own, and then...
"Whew! Feels good to be out of that car!" Rainbow said, jumping onto the hotel room's tidy, king-sized bed with her back arched and legs stretched out. "How long was that drive, anyway? Thirty years?"
"Only around ten hours, I believe," Rarity said. "But ten hours of driving is more than worth expanding my clothing line to Bostrot!" She added with a squee of glee. "I can't wait to meet with Lady Lavish tomorrow~!"
"You must be even more excited to have made a deal with such a popular designer, Rarity!" Sunset said. "That kind of thing doesn't happen every day."
"Don't get me started, Sunset! I'm thrilled! This is the best possible thing!" She said, placing down her bags.
"Sheesh, there really is a lot of snow here, isn't there? I guess Twilight was right," Rainbow said, looking outside the window of their room. It was fairly high up, on the fifth story of the complex. It was a smaller room, with a single bathroom, but the window displayed a nice, snowy view of the area. "Good thing we brought jackets!"
"Especially since it's going to be colder later this week!" Twilight added, putting her bag down next to Rarity's three. "It'll hit seventeen degrees Fahrenheit on Thursday, which should be just about the lowest it gets. The highest will be forty-six."
"I thought we were going to Bostrot, not freaking Antarctica!" Rainbow said.
"Actually, Antarctica would be up to thirty degrees below zero. This is a light breeze compared to how cold it can be there." Twilight corrected Rainbow.
"...Oh."
"Well whether it's Bostrot or Antarctica, we'd need jackets either way," Sunset said, unzipping her bag to grab a gray down coat with royal yellow lining. She pulled out other essentials as well, such as toothpaste, shampoo, and so on. "I should move these to the bathroom."
"Good idea, we should get our things around so we're settled in," Twilight agreed, proceeding to unpack her clothes and essentials. "I brought a Neightendo Dual-Screen in case any of us get bored."
"Oh, sweet! I brought mine, too!" Rainbow stood up to pick up her bag from where she'd tossed it upon entering the room. "What games you got?"
"Well, look who's finally awake," Rarity said, as Rainbow shifted and yawned, waking up from her nap.
"Uh... finally?" Rainbow mumbled, rubbing her eyes as she sat up, putting her back against the bedpost. "How long was I out for, again?"
"Only about four hours, don't worry," Twilight said, turning her head just the slightest bit to address Rainbow as she clicked the television's remote. "We're trying to find a different channel with something good on, but they all keep cutting to static."
"Maybe there's something wrong with the hotel's dish? I couldn't imagine what else it could be," Sunset said.
"Well, I can go to the lobby to ask if you girls want," Twilight offered.
"Pshh, sure. Go for it. They probably just have a garbage cable company though," Rainbow said. "Also, anyone else hungry right now?" Sunset nodded in response.
"I am quite famished, I wouldn't turn down a meal soon," said Rarity.
"Well, we should fix the TV before we go anywhere to eat. That way we don't have to bother with it later," Twilight said, "But I'm hungry, too."
"Hmm... hey, Twi?"
"Yes, Rainbow?"
"They've got a vending machine down there, right?"
"Mmhmm."
"And since you're heading to the lobby anyway, uh... mind grabbing something?"
"Sure!" Twilight responded, smiling. "What do you want?"
"Here..." Rainbow dug into her bag, and after a few moments, fished out her wallet. She pulled out a ten dollar bill and reached her arm out to Twilight. "Take this and get me whatever looks good. Chips, soda, you know."
"Are you sure you don't want me to pay?" Twilight said, only extending her hand half of the way to the bill. "It wouldn't be too much trouble."
"Nah, just take it. I don't wanna bother putting it back anyway."
"Well, if you say so," Twilight said, picking the bill up from Rainbow's hand.
"Should be enough for you to get something too, I think. But I dunno how pricy the snacks are here," Rainbow added. "But if we're going somewhere after the TV gets fixed then it's your call whether you get something or not."
"I'll probably just wait, but thank you," Twilight said, making her way to the door.
"No problem! Have fun down there, Twi!" Rainbow said.
"See you in a minute, Twilight!" said Sunset, waving.
"We'll be here, darling," Rarity said, picking up the remote. "I'll let you know if you've missed anything!"
Twilight stepped outside the door and started making her way down the hall. She turned to the end of the hall that held the elevator, but ceased when she noticed a bright yellow tape over the doors, reading "Out Of Order".
"Hmm," Twilight hummed to herself, turning around to take the stairwell. The hallway was dead silent, to the point where she could almost hear her own heart beating. The sound of her footsteps and her breathing was steady and continuous. It echoed through the stairwell as she made her way to the bottom.
A set of umber doors atop an imperial red carpet stood at the bottom of the stairwell as Twilight approached it. She glanced through the window as she put her hand on the doorknob, spotting the vending machine. She gently opened the door and stepped into the room.
No one was inside.
Not a receptionist behind a desk, not a road-tripping family booking a night's stay, no one. It was just as silent as the hallway on the fifth floor.
"Um... hello?" Twilight spoke into the room, earning no response. Perplexed, she paced over to the main desk, where she and her friends had spoken to a receptionist just a little over four hours ago. "Is anyone here?"
Still no response.
The desk looked like it had been in use just moments ago. There was a click-pen with the point extended on some sort of paperwork, and a half-drunken mug of what looked like hot cocoa. Maybe coffee.
Twilight glanced at the ten dollars Rainbow had given her and decided to use the vending machine. Hopefully, someone would hear her, or return from a lunch break, or show up through the main entrance. Chills crawled up Twilight's spine the longer she stood in the lifeless, quiet room.
She inserted the bill into the vending machine and selected a few buttons. The machine pushed two bags of chips and two cans of soda into the pickup slot and spat two dollars back out. It felt louder than it should have -- it was just a few clicks of a button and whirrs of a machine. But the dead silence made everything feel bigger, bolder, and louder.
Twilight picked up the snacks from the vending machine's slot and stood idle for a moment. She could either go back upstairs and say that no one was behind the desk, or she could wait a few more moments and ask about the television.
Twilight decided that she'd wait, and moved over to the front of the desk. She set the cans of soda and bags of chips down and took a deep breath.
A pit of unease grew larger by the second in Twilight's gut. Her stomach felt like it was shrinking, almost.
Twilight's attention snapped to her right as she heard something from a broom closet beside the vending machine. It was just a simple sort of rustling. Maybe a broom fell over? She slowly made her way to the closet's door but stopped dead in her tracks when from behind it came a low, guttural growl.
The room was getting darker. She was shrinking under the sound. Her brain was telling her to run, and her heart's beating accelerated. As the growl grew louder, she took steps back. She didn't know how many, she couldn't pay enough attention.
The handle on the door began to turn.
Twilight collapsed. Her legs had become too wobbly to support her. She searched frantically for a place to hide from whatever was trying to get out of the closet, and decided that her best bet was behind and under the receptionist's desk. She crawled around and under the desk, and made an attempt to try and control her breathing.
She heard the closet's door creak open. A moment after the creaking, the growl stopped.
Once again, there was just silence.
Twilight was hugging her knees, holding her breath, and trying her hardest to keep completely still. The silence just made this even more difficult. She didn't think whatever was behind the door had gone back inside, she didn't hear it shut. She didn't hear footsteps, either. Not even any breathing, or shuffling of clothes.
Twilight began to breathe again, keeping it as quiet as possible. She kept her mouth completely shut and tried to muffle the sound of her breathing behind her knees.
At a certain point, Twilight realized she wasn't keeping track of how long she was in the lobby. Had it been minutes? Hours? It felt like ages, no matter how long it had been. Some time later, she had decided to try and move. She couldn't stay here forever.
She crawled out from under the desk but stayed behind it. She was fairly confident she was safe by now, but she couldn't be too careful. Twilight quickly peeked up to in front of the desk and-
̷̛̪̜͖̯̙̎͆̾͂̄ͩ̍̓̽̌̍͂ͯ͟͠s̨͕͇̩̻̯͎̞͍͍̝͙̯̲̠̦̉̋̑͗͊ͮ̾͒̿̕͡i̖͚̬͈̠͈͖͈̪̥̭͕̪̰̝͎̳ͪ͋ͪͫ̆̽ͩ̐ͤ̂͑ͣ͆͐̋̌͝͡l͓̖̖̮̣̹̺̘̪̗̐̈́̆̽̈ͣ́́͟e̢ͣ́̎̃̃̋ͨ̑͢҉̵̝̯̖̲̬̲͖͍ņ̡͉̰̺̻͕͓̲̺͚̼̤͍͚͖̰̦̮̔̎ͪͦ̇͐͌͋͌̎̏̆̀̄͆̓͌̀c̷̳̺̱̳͉̯͕̪͈̼͛ͫ̎́͊͊ͥ̔͊̐̈͌͌ͨ̓ͣͥ̚͢͝e̴̮̦̫̪̪̰̲͎̗͔̬̲͍̖̓ͯ͒͐̊͊͆̄ͭ͛́́͟ͅͅ
"Welcome back, Twi!"
"...What?"
Twilight Sparkle stood cluelessly at the door to her and her friends' hotel suite in Bostrot. Her heart rate was declining, as though she had just experienced some sort of adrenaline rush. Her legs felt tired and she was out of breath, panting. Her clothes and hair were unkempt and messy, and one of the handles on her glasses was bent ever so slightly.
Sunset quickly pulled her hand away from Twilight. "What the hell?" Some combination of worry, fear, and confusion took Sunset's face. "What... what was that?"
"What did you see?" Twilight asked, rubbing the back of her hand.
"You... went to the lobby, and no one was there. Then this terrible growl came from the broom closet beside the vending machine, then... something came out of the closet? But you were hiding. Just as you came out from under the desk..."
"Sunset?" Twilight said, beckoning her friend to continue.
"I... think it hurt. After that, it was just a split second of distortion, but it felt like my mind was being ripped to shreds," Sunset said.
"What could you make of the distortion, Sunset?" Rarity asked, concerned.
"Nothing. It was just there. It was totally silent, though," Sunset said.
"What do you mean nothing? There must be some way to describe the distortion, at least?"
"I'm sorry, Rarity, but... I can't describe it. It's like trying to describe, for instance... someone moving in a direction that doesn't exist? There's not really a way to describe it because it doesn't exist, but it happened, you could see it happening."
"That sounds... unpleasant, to say the least," Rarity said, her face grave. "Is there anything we can do?"
"I... don't know," Sunset said.
"Wait, so did they hurt Twilight? Cause the tallies are weird, but if they hurt her, we can't let them get away with it," Rainbow said, growing taut. "Whether it's some creepy closet dweller or just some dude."
"But Rainbow," Twilight cut in, "what if whatever came out of that closet is dangerous?"
"Well, no offense, but, uh..." Rainbow trailed off for a moment. "If you can outrun it, then the rest of us can definitely outrun it."
"Hey!"
"But Rainbow, what if she didn't outrun it? What if it caught her, put the tallies on her, then sent her back? Who knows what else they could have done, too!" Sunset said.
"Yeah, you might be right about that. But we should at least peek outside, just to see what we're dealing with here," said Rainbow.
"Well... that would be beneficial, I suppose. Not fun, however," Rarity said.
"So... we're gonna check outside? Together?" Twilight asked.
"I'm game."
"I suppose so."
Sunset looked at her friends, before sighing and responding: "I guess we are. Let's do this."
"Holy crap. This place is a mess," said Rainbow Dash. The lobby was covered in scorch marks, broken glass, and ruined furniture. A pool of various liquids sat below the destroyed vending machine. "That thing looks like it burnt the vending machine in a volcano. What was it?"
"I almost don't want to find out, if I'm being honest," Twilight said, keeping her distance from the broom closet's door. "Was I here when this happened?"
"If you were," Sunset said, kneeling down to pick up a busted can of soda, "you have a surprisingly strong throwing arm. This is the soda you got for Rainbow Dash."
Rainbow stared at the can. "Jeez, Twi. You threw a can at something?"
"Maybe I did..." Twilight said, stepping over to the receptionist's desk. It looked like it had been hit with lighting three times over. "How did I survive this?"
"Hopefully, we'll find out," Rarity said, gazing at the broom closet. "Shall I... take a look inside?"
"..."
"That's an awfully bold move, Rarity," Sunset advised.
"Well, someone should do it, right?" Rarity said. "If you girls would like to join me, though... I would greatly appreciate it."
"I'll go with you, Rarity," Rainbow said. "Sunset and Twilight should stay back, though, in case we gotta make a run for it."
"Are you girls sure?" Twilight asked, taking half a step forward to offer her support.
"Please, it's for the best," Rarity assured, gesturing her hand to deter Twilight.
"If you say so, Rarity. Twilight, be ready for anything," Sunset said, beckoning Twilight to stand with her as the other two girls inspected the inside of the broom closet.
"Alright... here we go," Rainbow said, slowly turning the handle.
Rainbow Dash and Rarity stood before the open broom closet, taking careful looks inside. Rainbow was the first to step inside, then Rarity. Rainbow began to dig around in the shelves holding cleaning materials, rags, gloves, and such. Rarity just looked around, avoiding anything remotely icky.
"Huh. This isn't so bad," Rainbow Dash said.
The door slammed shut. Sunset and Twilight screamed.
"Rainbow Dash? Rarity?" Sunset said, rushing to the door in a sudden panic. She tried to turn the handle, but it wouldn't budge.
"Oh god, girls? Girls?" Twilight stood just behind Sunset, thinking of what to do. "Wait, Sunset, move!" Sunset moved away from the door, and Twilight seized the handle with her levitation's aura. She tried to turn it with all her strength. Without her geode, her power was weaker, but she had to at least try, for the sake of her friends.
No, she couldn't just try. She had to, even if it led to her passing out, or worse. "Just... a little... longer..."
Cries from both Rarity and Rainbow Dash could be heard. It sounded as though things were falling over. Not just brooms, but heavy things. Tons and tons of weight smacking against the ground with increased gravity.
Suddenly, the door opened. Rarity and Rainbow Dash stepped outside of the broom closet. Rainbow's jacket was missing. Rarity's had a missing sleeve, ripped straight off. Both girls had messy, disheveled hair. They both seemed out of breath, just as Twilight did when she returned to the hotel room.
"Uh... hi?" Rainbow Dash said, raising her brow. "Did we... turn around?"
Sunset and Twilight stared at the two girls. "R-Rainbow, Rarity, you're..." Twilight trailed off.
"We're what...?" Rarity asked. She glanced at Rainbow Dash and had a sudden double-take. "What in the name of - "
"Woah! Rarity! You're covered in tallies!" Rainbow said.
"I'm covered in tallies? No, you're covered in tallies!" Rarity shouted, before taking a look at her arms. "AH! I am covered in tallies! And my... jacket is... ruined!" Rarity, louder, shouted again before bursting into an overdramatic fit of tears against the wall, backhand against her forehead and all. It was true, her exposed arm was covered up in the thick marks, and they seemed to continue up to her shoulder. They were likely on her coated arm, as well. Rainbow Dash's tallies seemed to expand further, up to her neck.
"What do these tallies mean?" Twilight asked, staring at her own. "Wait..." she took a closer look. The tally marks had filled up more of her upper arms. "There's more on my arms than before!"
"These aren't... permanent... are they?" Rarity managed to wail through tears, bitter at the thought.
"If they are, Dad's never gonna let me live this down. Maybe your makeup can cover us up, Rarity?" Rainbow suggested, inspecting her now tally-marked body. "Are these things under my clothes, too?" Rainbow asked herself, lifting the bottom of her shirt to inspect her belly. Much to her dismay, they were under her clothes. "Ugh..."
Sunset glanced out the glass doors of the hotel's m͐͑ͫͫ̎̄̕a̶̠̖̲͙̪̥̒̊̐̄̑͆i͕͕̔̒̒͊ͨn̻̱̰̖͉̈ͭ ̮̲̝͈ͅe͓̣̩̫̦̱̜ͪ͐̽nͤ̑ͭͮͤ̐҉̣͈͔͍͎̣n̘̪͆̍̈́̏̃ͭͧn̗̹̥̠n͎͇̞̗̱̾͡ṇ̹̦̉̇̌ͤͭn͆̄̃ͣͧͤͭn̰̎ͦ̐̍n
Sunset blinked, staring at her friends. Where were these tallies coming from? They clearly had some relation to whatever creature had scorched half of the lobby. What could they mean? "Tallies are used to count things, so maybe... these tallies count something?" Sunset thought aloud.
"What could this many tallies possibly count, Sunset?" Rarity said, wiping dripping mascara from her face with a white handkerchief.
"Yeah, and why do you only have like, one?" Rainbow asked.
Sunset was taken aback. "What? I don't have any..." Sunset took a quick check at her hands and saw a single tally. "...oh."
"So we all have tally marks, then?" Twilight asked, earning nods from Rainbow and Sunset, and a sniffly 'uh-huh' from Rarity. "So what's the common denominator here? What have we all experienced by now?"
"Well, you saw the thing that messed this place up. We didn't, we just looked for it," Rainbow said.
"Well... not quite," Sunset cut in. "Twilight had an encounter with it, obviously, but she doesn't remember seeing it."
"So what does that mean?" Rainbow asked.
"That means..." Sunset stopped for a moment to come to a conclusion. "Okay, so hear me out on this," Sunset said. The girls nodded. "If Twilight came down here and encountered it. We can assume it made the growling in her memory, and that it came from inside that broom closet," Sunset said, gesturing toward the closet. "But Twilight doesn't remember the encounter, only the preceding events and the after events. Right?"
Another round of nods.
"Twilight came back with tally marks. I don't think we counted, but we know there are more now that we've come back down to the lobby," Sunset gestured toward Twilight, then back at the broom closet. "Rainbow, you and Rarity looked inside the broom closet. What do you remember?" Asked Sunset.
"Uh... we looked around for a few seconds, then we were back out here," Rainbow said.
"You didn't scream? The door didn't shut?" Sunset asked.
"What? No! It didn't... right?" Rainbow asked, tilting her head.
"It did. You girls started screaming after the door slammed shut. We tried opening it, but you two walked out on your own," Sunset said.
"Sunset, I think I'd remember having my coat ripped, and screaming about it," Rarity said, rubbing the torn sleeve of her down coat.
"And I think I'd remember an encounter with... whatever ruined this room. But I don't," Twilight said.
"Well... fair point. Please, continue," Rarity said, looking back at Sunset.
"None of us seem to remember any of these encounters, but we all seem to have tally marks after them. So what if each tally mark counts a single encounter with... our creature," Sunset's speech slowed as the number of tally marks on her friends' arms dawned on her. There must have been dozens. Hundreds combined. They would remember those encounters! Unless-
"After we see the creature, we forget," Twilight spoke up, her voice almost at a whisper.
"But then... how do we know if... they're around us?" Rainbow asked, beginning to dart her eyes around, pupils shrinking.
Sunset considered this. Clearly, these creatures were dangerous. Most likely hostile, even. What if they had taken everyone else in the lobby? What about people in their rooms? Have she and her friends been safe at all since they arrived?
"G-girls..." Twilight spoke, keeping her eyes focused on the ground below her. "I think we need to leave."
"Leave? We should at least collect our things first, Twilight!" Rarity said. "I brought some of my favorite clothes to impress Lady Lavish, I can't simply leave them!"
"Rarity, that's really not our biggest concern right now!" Rainbow said, looking up and down her arms to try and keep track of how many tallies she had.
"It's the reason we came to Bostrot in the first place, Rainbow! I simply can not leave without my things!" Rarity said back.
"Sure, Rarity, go up there!" Rainbow snapped. "See how many of these freaking things you come back with! I dare you!"
"Rainbow, calm down," Sunset said, trying to keep things copasetic.
"Calm down? How can we beat these things if we can't even remember them?" Rainbow retorted, stomping a foot down. "We need to get out of here ASAP!"
"Rainbow, please, being angry won't help any of us-" Sunset was cut short by her own gasp. As she held a hand forward to gesture Rainbow to settle down, she saw tallies spangling it. "Sweet Celestia," she whispered.
"Are those..." Rainbow locked eyes onto Sunset's extended hand. "Sunset! Look! They are literally around us! We have to go!" Rainbow said, grabbing her friend's hand. "Please, girls! We have to!"
"Rainbow, I will not leave witho-"
"Rarity, I think Rainbow Dash is right. We can come back later for your things, but we aren't safe here now," Twilight interrupted.
"B-but!" Rarity stammered. She looked back and forth between Rainbow and Twilight for a moment, before looking at Sunset in hopes of assistance. "Sunset?"
"Rarity, I'm sorry. Rainbow is right," she said.
Rarity's face fell crestfallen. "Fine. You are right. Let's go, then, I suppose."
"Look, Rarity, I'm sorry, but..." Rainbow stopped for a minute to think of what to say. She knew the message, but couldn't find the right words.
"Just lead the way, Rainbow Dash," Rarity said.
"...Okay," Rainbow said, forgetting what she was trying to say. "Let's get a move on."
Rainbow Dash led her friends to and out of the hotel's doors. The moment they opened the door, they were hit with a gust of frigid wind, nearly pushing Twilight over. As the girls stepped outside, the frosty snow below them crunched under their shoes, leaving wet, icy residue on the sides and on the soles. The streets were as empty as the lobby had been, leaving only the wind and the bitter sound of silence to ring in the girls' ears.
Twilight rubbed her arms to try and produce heat, while Rainbow tried her best to tank the cold weather without shivering. Keyword, "tried". Rarity had her sleeved arm over her unsleeved arm, attempting to keep it warm. Sunset had the least trouble, still having a coat, and in one piece.
"I should have brought my jacket downstairs..." Twilight said, through chattering teeth.
"Do you want mine?" Sunset offered. "I can deal with the cold weather for a little while. I did something like that when I first showed up from Equestria."
"No..." Twilight started, stopping briefly from the cold. "but thank you..."
"Twilight, it's the least I can do," Sunset pushed. "You can at least take it until we find somewhere safe to stay."
"Maybe we can... take turns?" Rainbow Dash suggested, keeping her hands stuffed in her pockets. "If you girls want... anyway?"
"That sounds like a good idea, Rainbow," Sunset said, unzipping her coat to hand to one of the girls.
"I can share mine, too," Rarity said, "but I do only have a single sleeve."
"It's better than nothing," said Sunset, handing her jacket to Twilight, who reluctantly took it. Sunset's movements slowed as the cold weather took its effect on her freshly exposed skin. Not long after Twilight had put on the coat, she felt guilt rising in herself.
"Sunset, I can give this back to you whenever you want. I can manage without it, I promise," she said.
"You're fine, Twilight..." Sunset said. "We're taking turns, anyway."
"Here," said Twilight, as she moved in on Sunset, wrapping a sleeved arm around her friend. "at least let me try to keep you warm."
"Thanks... Twilight," Sunset smiled appreciatively at Twilight.
"Here, take mine, Rainbow," Rarity said, unzipping the ruined coat, and instantly doubling back. "G-good grief..." She handed the coat to Rainbow, who put it on and wrapped an arm around Rarity, as Twilight did to Sunset.
"Thanks, Rarity," she said. Rarity just nodded and continued walking with Rainbow.
"When do you think we'll find somewhere safe, girls?" Twilight asked as she adjusted her glasses.
"It couldn't be... too long," Sunset responded, "seeing as... we could stop in a restaurant... or a store... or anywhere, really... and ask for help..." At this point, she was trembling from the weather. It felt like the wind was piercing her skin, and it burned. "We could get... frostbite... if we don't hurry, though..." she added to her statement at the thought of the pain.
"You're right. We need to find somewhere fast," Twilight said. "I guess we should speed up?"
"I would use my powers, but, uh, I don't think I can carry all four of you at the same time," Rainbow said.
"W-we could... take turns? You could take one of us, and... come back for another... and so on?" Rarity suggested.
"Yeah, I could if I had my geode," Rainbow responded. "But I can't go fast enough for it to be safe if any of us are left behind for a minute. What if the creature from the hotel followed us?" As soon as Rainbow said that, Rarity checked the exposed parts of her body for any new tallies. Thankfully, there were none.
"I suppose you're right..." she said, inspecting the other girls as well for new tallies.
"So yeah, Twi's right. Let's get a move on," Rainbow said, picking up the pace. The other girls followed suit.
Silence fell once again.
The sound of a ringing door opening inside of a small cafe caught the attention of the cashier behind the cafe's main counter. He turned his aimless gaze toward the four strange girls entering the building. Two of them had short sleeved shirts, and one of them had a torn up jacket. Another seemed a bit better dressed for walking around late at night in the frigid streets of Downtown Bostrot.
"Hey there, welcome to Cocoa's. Can I help you four?" The cashier asked, standing up straight against the counter. It was a strangely quiet business night, so he had just been leaned over against the counter daydreaming.
"Oh, um..." the bespectacled girl spoke, trembling. Likely from the frozen weather. "We just need a moment to sit down, thank you."
"Sounds good," the cashier said, "just let me know if you want to order."
"Will do," another girl said. She had fiery hair, which was ironic seeing as she was still visibly shivering. Another girl sported colorful, rainbow-patterned hair, and another girl with makeup that seemed to be wearing away.
"So... what next?" the rainbow-haired girl said, just as the cashier began tuning the girls out to begin daydreaming again. He could be at home watching TV, or at his girlfriend's house watching TV, or at a friend's house watching TV... he could be on TV! He knew he had the potential to be a star. He was gorgeous... from the right angles. He was-
"Excuse me, we would like four large cups of hot chocolate, please," the girl with the makeup asked, suddenly in front of the counter. The cashier shot up from his slouch to stand tall. "Two with mini marshmallows, all with extra whip?"
"Will that be all, ma'am?"
"Yes, thank you," she responded.
"Eight dollars and twenty-eight cents, please."
"Here you are," the girl said, fishing the money out of a black wallet with a flame design.
"Coming right up, then," the cashier smiled, taking the money and placing it inside of the register. The girl sat back down with her friends as the cashier disappeared into the cafe's kitchen to prepare the drinks.
"You girls are lucky I had my wallet ready," Sunset said, smirking.
"I would have paid for the drinks if I had been able to retrieve my purse, Sunset," Rarity said bitterly.
Rainbow groaned. "Look, Rarity, I'm sorry. I just..."
"Rainbow, spare me your trailing off. It doesn't matter anymore, we aren't at the hotel. There's no point in dawning on it, right?" Rarity said, forming a glare at Rainbow.
"Wait - what? You're the one who just brought it up!" Rainbow said, throwing her arms out wide-eyed. "You can't pin it on me, you're the one dawning on it!"
"Well, maybe I am! Am I so wrong to do so?" Rarity spoke back, starting to raise her voice.
"Girls..." Twilight said, too softly to affect the interaction. The sound of clanging dishes could be heard from the kitchen. Probably mugs and such.
"According to your own logic that you said like ten seconds ago, yeah!" Rainbow said, standing up from her chair. "Why are you so worked up over it anyway?"
"Because, Rainbow Dash," Rarity put a nasty emphasis on her name, "we came to Bostrot to expand my fashion line! Lady Lavish and I were going to work on pieces together using clothes that I designed! In my bags! Stuck in that monster-ridden hotel!"
"Yeah, the monster-ridden hotel! There is no good reason to stay in a monster-ridden hotel, Rarity! For your special clothes or anything!" Rainbow said, practically shouting.
"Rainbow-"
"It would have been a quick run back to the room, then back to the lobby, Rainbow Dash! Is that too much to ask for?"
"Rarity-"
"YES, Rarity! That is too much to ask for when our lives are at stake!" Rainbow shouted, slamming her fist on the table.
"Rainbow Dash, calm down!" Sunset said sternly. Rainbow persisted. Shattering glass from the kitchen was ignored as Rarity and Rainbow drew the attention of Sunset and Twilight.
"I don't care about whether you lose your stupid clothes or, makeup, or anything if you're legitimately in danger! I'm sorry you lost your stuff, Rarity, but we had to get out before those things decided to hurt us!"
Rarity was taken aback. "I-"
"You think we didn't lose stuff? I lost my Neightendo, my favorite shirt, and my toothbrush and all that! You don't see me complaining! Or the other girls complaining about stuff they lost! What are your freaking priorities, Rarity?"
Rarity began to shrink down in her seat. "W-well, I-"
"I'm so sorry that I value your life more than your stuff. I couldn't bear if something terrible happened to you, Rarity! None of us could! I just wanted..." Rainbow stopped when she realized how loud she was currently being. Rarity was sunken into her chair, hands clasped over her heart. "I just wanted us to be okay..."
"Rainbow, I'm..." Rarity paused for a moment to take a deep breath, as her throat felt tight. "I'm sorry. You're right, I'm just... upset. But you are right," she said, her eyes watering just a touch. "Thank you for leading us out of there. I truly appreciate it."
Rainbow Dash sat back down, taking a deep breath as well. "I'm sorry too, Rarity. I shouldn't have gotten all mad like that. I guess this whole thing is just... really messing with me."
"I think it's messing with all of us," Twilight said. "We should sit down here for a little while."
"Yeah, let's just relax," Sunset added. "Our drinks are coming, we're warming up inside, everything is okay right now."
"Yes, we're going to be fine," Rarity said. "I'm sorry, you girls. I shouldn't have been acting so selfish."
"Don't worry about it, we're all stressed here, we all make mistakes," Sunset said. "Again, let's just cool off for a bit."
"Warm up, you mean?" Rainbow quipped, earning a round of giggles from the group.
"Speaking of warming up, I wonder what's taking so long to make four cups of cocoa?" Twilight said. "It's not like it's a busy night or anything."
"Yes, it is quite odd. Especially considering that the streets are empty in a downtown area," Rarity said, looking out the window of the cafe. Not a single car, person, or passing bird was in sight. Just the occasional street light.
All of a sudden, an ear-piercing crack was heard from inside the kitchen.
"Gah! What the hell?" Rainbow said, covering her ears. "Was that a firework?"
"Fireworks aren't that loud!" Twilight said, covering her ears as well. It shifted her glasses, but that wasn't her top concern.
"Is... everything okay in there?" Sunset shouted to the inside of the kitchen.
Silence.
"Hello...?"
Sunset stood up. "Let me go and just... check on him." The other girls nodded.
Sunset took short, quiet steps to the back of the counter, and toward the kitchen door. Its steel surface was shiny and clean, save for a few fingerprints near the edge by the knob. It radiated a cold aura, almost like a faint breeze of wind was coming out of it.
Sunset placed her hand on the doorknob and turned it slowly. She pushed it open and
ȓ͍̜͚̻̥̰̠̓ͦ͋̃ủ͈̰͕͔̘̾ͅn͙̱̭͕͇͚͍̆̆̂͆̎ͤ̃͟r͍̤͈͖̾̔ͧ̏͛̊u̻̤̜͒̌n͓̐ͬͤ͛̿̌̚r̊̉͌ͯ̅͜u͌̀̚ń̴̀r̩̭͍ͧu̖̝̻̜͘n̻̦̟̭̘͆̓̓ͨ͒̓̅ȑ̦͖̼͓̬͎̂̋̅̓ͥͅṵ̖̼̥̞̙͎̎ͯn͗̌ͫ͛͑r̼͙̭̪̔ͧ̑͒̎̀uñ͎ͭ̾̑r͠ún̷̻͎̤͖ͥ̾ͨ̉́r̗̥̩̈́̿ǔ̮̜̰͎̝͓̗͛̏ň̖͈̤̺̾ͣ͛̐̀r͙̠̗̙͎̰͈͒͗̎̈́ͭú̡͑̎n͓͛
"Wake up! What the hell were you girls thinking?"
"G-wh-huh?" Sunset croaked, squinting. Her back was supported by something soft and cushiony, and she was covered up by some kind of... blanket? "Where... am I?"
"My house. Your friends are here, too. Are you girls crazy? Suicidal?" His accent gave away that he was a Bostrot local, and his gruffer, deeper voice gave away that he was older. Somewhat older, anyway. Maybe mid-thirties or forties.
"What? Did... oh no-" Sunset yanked her arms out from under the blanket to check them.
They were littered with tallies. She looked like a prison cell's wall at this point.
"Christ, girl, how many of those things have you been around?"
Sunset looked up at the man and analyzed. He was tall, bald, and bore a stubble beard. His eyes were a deep, dark green and his skin was just a yellowish tad away from being beige. He wore a heavy, wooly jacket and some jeans. He just seemed like a fairly normal man.
His question processed in Sunset's mind, still waking up. "How many...?" She repeated the question to herself. "Well, it has been a long night," she said, finally speaking a full sentence to the man.
"You girls not watch TV? Got any phones? Access to a radio?" the man asked, in a more curious way than anything. "You must not'a heard the emergency broadcast, otherwise you wouldn't'a been messin' around out in the open city like that."
"Emergency broadcast?" Sunset asked, sitting upright. This was news to her.
"Yeah. Crazy stuff. Apparently, there's been some kind of invasion. Ma thinks these guys came from the government but I think she's full'a bull. They had to'a come from someplace else, I told 'er."
"Invasion? Of... what?" Sunset asked. "How far are they? They... aren't in Canterlot City, are they?"
"Canterlot City? That's the first place these things got caught at, the whole city is like, blocked off and crap right now," the man said. "Sucks bad, cause my Ma was plannin' on visiting this weekend."
Sunset's eyes widened as she heard this. Her friends were there... the portal was there... she had to contact them! "Um... do you know where my phone is?"
"Yeah, but I was kinda hopin' for a name or somethin' first off," the man said. "It's over there on the counter though," he said, pointing a finger into a tiled area with an island serving as a border between the kitchen and the living room, as well as a kitchen counter. On it's black, marble surface sat Sunset's phone, as well as Rainbow's.
"Thank you, and my name is Sunset Shimmer," Sunset said, standing up to retrieve her phone.
"Oh, nice. My pal Croc Shell knows a girl that looks like you. Think she has a similar name too, but I dunno," the man said. "Oh, and I'm Klondike. Call me Klondy though, cause Klondike sounds like a girl's name. Unless you'd rather say Klondike, I guess."
"Pshh, okay," Sunset snickered at his remarks about his name. She checked her phone, but nothing from her friends had popped up. Unease grew in Sunset's heart. Were they okay?
"Hey, you're the first one to wake up. Got my daughter upstairs with your other friends but they're still sleepin'," Klondy said, pointing a finger at the staircase behind the couch Sunset had slept on.
"Oh, okay. Thank you, for... sheltering us, I suppose. I don't remember what happened to lead us here though," Sunset said.
"Yeah, ain't that like those things' schtick? Like you forget about 'em?"
"Yes, actually. From what we've gathered, anyway," Sunset said.
"Oh yeah, that's the way the news guys are describin' it. Every tally is like one of those things that you saw... or somethin' like that, I dunno."
"Each tally represents an encounter. Or, I suppose, every single time you've forgotten one," Sunset said, confirming.
"Yeah, that."
Sunset and Klondy sat quietly for a moment as Sunset checked through her phone. She looked at her friend's phone, and a thought came to mind. "Did something happen to Twilight and Rarity's phones?"
"Uh... you mean some'a the other girls?" Sunset nodded. "Oh, nah. You and the rainbow girl just had yours out when I saw you out there," Klondy said, pointing out his house's boarded up window. "I saw you four but I also remembered seeing you after I looked away, so I thought maybe y'all were like, normal people. Guess I was right, huh?"
"You were. And again, thank you for bringing us inside," Sunset said, smiling at her and her friends' rescuer.
"Yeah, yeah. World would be a lot better if we all help each other out, y'know?" Klondy said. "I heard that in a movie once, guess it really does apply."
Sunset inspected her phone. Why would she have had it out? She was probably just trying to contact her friends. Maybe she already had, and no notifications sat atop her phone because she had already answered them? Sunset decided to actually open her SMS app and found that she had been in contact with someone, but only one person.
Fluttershy. But the message was written by...
Hey, Sunset. This is Applejack. Is everyone okay down in Bostrot? We heard that these monsters are down there, too. They're closing the border of Bostrot down soon, are you going to be stuck there?
Applejack, we're in danger. We've seen so many of them. It's so cold out here. We might be stuck in Bostrot for a while. We're all alive and well, though. Are you girls okay, too?
Yeah, we're okay. We've already found shelter in Rainbow's house, her dad found us downtown and brought us here. He's worried sick about Rainbow.
It's okay, he just messaged her. She's right here next to me. We're okay, AJ.
Okay doesn't mean safe. We're all still worried about you girls. Find shelter, please. For y'alls sake and for ours.
i cnat look awayf rom it until you get th picture, thats what it is
Sunset blinked. She didn't remember this part of the conversation. She scrolled down and found a blurry picture of a tall, slender figure in a black, leathery suit and tie. Its face looked like it wasn't there, apart from two hollow, bony eyes and harsh wrinkles along where its nose and mouth should have been. It was at least seven feet tall. Its hands were long and sharp, with what looked more like fleshy claws than fingers. It stood just meters away from the camera.
What the hell? RUN, Sunset!
Sunset? Are y'all okay?
Sunset?
Sunset.
Fluttershy?
That was the last thing Sunset had sent to Applejack. There had been no response since then. It had been just about an hour since that message was sent. Sunset quickly typed out another message.
Fluttershy? Or whoever has her phone right now. Is everything okay? Me and the girls have found shelter, we're okay. Are you all okay?
She put her phone on sleep, and pushed it into her pocket. "How are my friends? Are they all okay?" she asked, looking up the staircase.
"They're all good, I think. Pretty cold when I dragged 'em all in though," Klondy said. "Gave em extra blankets. You had a jacket on so I figured you were all good. So did the makeup girl, but... it was kinda damaged."
"The makeup girl?" Sunset said, smirking at Klondike's made-up name for the fashionista. "That's Rarity. I think the monsters ripped her coat."
"That blows. I can give you girls a few old coats a'mine that I don't really wear anymore. They aren't all nice lookin' like the ruined one or anything, though. Kinda old and ratty I guess," he said. "But hey, they'll keep ya warm."
"I think we would really appreciate that. Thank you very much," Sunset said. "Is there anything we can do to repay you for your hospitality?"
"Nah, don't sweat it. Besides, Amy drives me freakin crazy. It'll be nice to have some kinda other company while this whole invasion thing blows over."
"Amy?"
"Oh, yeah. My daughter Amethyst. I call 'er Amy for short but she's got real pretty purple eyes, so I named 'er Amethyst," Klondy said. "But yeah, you're free to stay here if you want. I think half the neighborhood left for public shelters instead of stayin' inside."
Sunset smiled. "Thanks, Klondike."
Klondike gave her a thumbs up. "Anytime. I'm gonna go check on your friends upstairs real quick, so holler if anything crazy happens, got it?"
"Got it," said Sunset, as Klondike ascended the staircase.
Once he was out of sight, Sunset let herself fall onto the couch she had woken up on and exhaled heavily. Her mind raced with thoughts, and she considered the entire situation as she knew it. "Aliens show up on the planet. Whoever looks at them forgets that they exist upon looking away, leaving only a tally on their flesh as a reminder," she thought to herself. "But what could the tallies possibly be for? Why would they just... show up? There must be some reason, other than to remind us that we've seen the aliens. It would be counteractive otherwise, right?"
She sat for around five minutes trying to think up good reasons that the tallies would show up. Was it affecting their health? Is it supposed to be some kind of taunt from the aliens? There wasn't any real way of telling, right? At least without heavy consideration and support towards one idea in particular.
Sunset was too tired for heavy consideration, though. Even though she had just rested, getting through the bitter cold of the outside whilst somehow running away from memory-killing aliens took a lot out of her. A little more rest couldn't hurt.
As Sunset dozed off, she thought of her friends. Her heart ached, unsure about the well-being of everyone in Canterlot. Though, with confidence in her friends and their abilities to keep safe even when faced with danger, she found peace and fell asleep.
