Quincy

I looked around the room, and it looked familiar. I knew that this place was. It was where my family stayed at when we came to Ponyville. We went to this town to go on vacation and to have fun with the carnival.

Even though that didn’t go to plan.

No. That clown… He didn’t.

I would remember. Wouldn’t I?

I decided to not think about it. My attention was back to the hotel room.

White lights shined through the windows, which reflected from the fog. The carpet was riddled with stains and the walls looked withered. But to be honest, if I were to compare this to the other buildings I’ve gone into, this is the best I’ve seen.

A couch was under the window. Mortus went over to it after panting for a minute. He kept swearing, “fuck fuck fuck,” as he panicked. He turned to me, then asked, “What the hell was that?!”

“Y-you don’t kn-know?” I asked back. “About th-the outbreak?”

He tilted his head in confusion. “Outbreak? What outbreak? I literally woke up in a dark building and noticed my brother wasn’t with me. This was two hours ago.”

I tilted my head. “Y-you just woke up?” I asked.

“Yeah… Fuck. We’re trapped in here, aren’t we? Can that thing be killed?” He looked at me, hoping I had his answers.

“W-we’re not trapped. It probably forgot about us. A-and yes, it ca-can be k-killed,” I said. From looking at his face, I knew what he was thinking. “N-no, I won’t k-kill it.”

Mortus blinked. “Why the hell not? It just tried to kill us!” He said, making a solid point.

“L-look, Mortus. That th-thing used t-to be a p-pony. I d-don’t kill p-ponies, Mortus.” I turn my body sideways for him and pointed at the medical cross on my flank. “I-I help th-them.”

“So that’s what you’re looking for, Quincy? A cure for that sick monster? For all the sick monsters? Quincy, from seeing it chase you, I know there is no way to help that. There is absolutely nothing you can do to fix that. I’m sorry, but the only way to help that thing, is by killing hi-”

“SHUT UP!” I stumped my hoof. Tears streamed from my eyes.

We stared at each other, in silence. He looked shocked.

“That th-thing can be helped! It doesn’t have to be killed. It d-doesn’t have to be k-killed. It… It… It… H-he doesn’t have to d-die.” I looked down. Tears come from my eyes, and landed on the wooden floor.

Mortus was silent.

Then I had to nerve to ask him, “W-what if it was y-your brother?”

I heard sniffles.

I looked up and saw him crying.

“M-Mortus… I’m-”

He ran out of the living room and went into the bedroom.

“I-I’m… Sorry.”

I sat on the couch for thirty minutes, thinking about how I treated Mortus.

It was wrong of me to yell at him. To mention his brother like that… What got into me?

I sighed through my surgical mask. I haven’t looked through this place yet. This may be the best time to do so.

I got up and went into the kitchen. It was cleaner than the other places I’ve visited, but it wasn’t top notch. I looked in the cupboards. Found a few cans of good food and a few bottles of water.

I never realized how hungry I was until now.

Luckily, behind the cans was a can opener.

I looked at each can. One of these will belong to him. Which though? Carrots? Or apples?

I slightly smiled under my mask. Apples. My own brother used to love apples. When he was upset, apples usually helped.

Maybe it’s the same case with Mortus.

I exited the kitchen and sat at the round table in the living room, next to the door where Mortus and I came in from. I opened the can of carrots, took off my surgical mask, and slurped down the food.

I slightly gagged from the coldness of the carrot chunks. Otherwise, it was alright, if a bit bland.

I looked at the surgical mask I worn. It was getting dirty. I threw it to the ground and got out another, clean mask from my saddlebags, and placed it on my face.

I decided to save my water for later.

I noticed that on the table was a map which showed the layout of the hotel. I levitated it up and looked at it. One of the rooms on this floor was marked with a red symbol. The symbol looked like a key.

Could this be the key to that door?

I folded up the map and placed it in my saddlebags.

I looked at the bedroom door where Mortus went into. Should I check up on him? Maybe. Should I leave him alone? Probably.

My eyes went to the door that was next to the bedroom door. I decided to get up from my seat and go to that door. Neither of us went in there yet.

I tried to open it, but it was locked. There was a keyhole on the doorknob.

Guess I know where I’m going.

I left the can of apples and bottle of water on the table, along with the can opener. I then went to go knock on the bedroom door, and muttered, “M-Mortus, I’m g-going out for a bit… Th-there’s f-food on the t-table if y-you get h-hungry.”

Then I left the room.

Outside of the room, in the hallway, the monster was gone. I didn’t know where it could’ve gone, and kinda worried about it. But it was also a relief. I was able to use my lantern, which I did.

I turned to a door that rested on the wall to my right. This should lead into another hallway, which should lead me into that marked room. Easy.

I barely opened the door and took a peek through the crack, and surely enough, the map was correct. It was another hallway. There was a light, but no monsters roamed under it. I assumed it was safe to walk into.

So I went into the hallway and closed the door behind me. I went down the hallway. The room was all the way to the end, but that didn’t stop me from trying to open the doors along the way.

All of the doors were broken. None of them opened. Just like out there, in the fog.

The hallway was in the same condition as the last hallway. The walls were decaying, and the floor was covered with dirt and trash.

I suddenly stepped on a newspaper.

I levitated it up and looked at it. The headline read,

Missing Foals

Summer began just a month ago. Now is the time for foals to go out and enjoy the sunshine, right? Nope. Since the beginning of Summer, an uncountable amount of foals have gone missing. Both colts and fillies. No pony knows who is behind this, but unfortunate parents are praying that the Royal Guard finds out fast.

This was published fifteen years ago. Right before my brother and I went to the carnival. I sighed. That clown…

I rolled up the newspaper and slid it into my saddlebags.

I was at the door now. I turned the doorknob, and it opened. I went inside.

The decay in here was much worse than it was out there. Everything had a black tint to it, such as the walls, floor, and even furniture. The smell was terrible. Not as bad as the corpse in the bathroom, but it was able to make me gag.

There was a key hanging from a hook, in the middle of the room. The hook was attached to a string, which was attached to the ceiling. I went to the key and got it off of the hook. Well, that was easy.

There was a loud BANG behind me.

I fearfully turned around, and looked down. I saw a ventilation grid. I looked up into the vent… And saw a face. One that was covered with horrible makeup. The face of horror.

It was the clown.

He swiftly jumped down onto the ground, and rose up; he towered me and smiled. “Hello, Quincy.”

I choked in fear and started backing up. Please, no…

He started walking closer, smoke coming from his skin… He’s one of those things.

But worse. He had his eyes and his nose and his ears. He was normal but infected.

I finally backed against a wall. And that’s when he was able to get to me. His hoof wrapped itself against my throat and his forced me to stare into his eyes. I started tearing up.

“Oh, look at little ol’ Quincy, ready to tear up.” He frowned. Then smiled. “They always taste good when they’re scared.”

I could barely breathe.

He opened up his mouth, and his razor-sharp teeth extended from his jaws.

I closed my eyes when I felt his warm breath. This was it.

I felt him coming closer for the bite.

Then suddenly, a sound was made. I opened my eyes and slow that the clown has turned away from me and to this closet door.

The door opened and one of those monsters ran out and tackled the clown. I was free.

While the clown and monster fought, I ran out of the room.

I took deep breaths in the hallway. No. Can’t stop. Must run to the room.

I ran to the room.

I went into the room and locked the door. I took deep breaths and sat against the door. What the hell was that?! That clown? Where the hell did he come from and how?

Why is he after me?

Is this room even safe?

I looked up and saw that the can, can opener, and water bottle were all gone. Good, Mortus ate and drank. Good…

I thought for a moment. This place isn’t safe, is it?

I need to check the bathroom, get Mortus, then get the hell out of here. That’s what needs to happen.

I went to the bathroom door and opened it. I went inside. The bathroom was cleaner than other bathrooms that I’ve witnessed in this wasteland. But there was something missing.

The mirror.

Instead of a mirror, there was an unnerving hole in the wall. An endless tunnel, it would seem.

Do I have to crawl through that?

Maybe there’s something important on the other side?

Will Mortus be safe?

I don’t know what to do.

Just go through the hole.

It’ll be fine.

I made it through the hole. It seemed like forever. But I finally made it through.

The other side was another bathroom. But it looked much fancier. The bathtub looked like a hot tub, even if it was covered with dirt and filled with muddy water.

Nothing else could be said about the bathroom other than it was big and it probably belonged to someone who was very wealthy. There was a door that had a diamond as a doorknob. Even if the diamond itself was covered with dirt.

I wasn’t interested in the diamond. Being a doctor, my amount of monthly income of bits kept me happy. I was more interested in what was on the other side of the door.

I took a step closer to the door and I suddenly heard a frightening scream of a mare. That voice, it sounded so familiar…

Hailea!

I rushed through the door; a hallway. The scream sounded like it came from the left, so I ran into that direction. At the end of the hall was a lonely, wooden door. I burst through it…

What I saw, disgusted me.

I was now in a huge living room, which made me realize that this is some kind of a mansion. In the room, I saw Hailea, trapped from the strength of this… Tentacle. The tentacle belonged to this massive, disgusting blob. The blog of flesh had seven other tentacles, each holding to the necks of dried up, dead ponies. Hailea was next.

I looked around the room to look for something I could use to fight this thing. I saw a fireplace. There was a fire, burning in the stone box. I saw something in the fire. A fireplace poker.

I ran over to the fireplace and grabbed the poker. The tip glowed a bright orange. This should hurt it.

I ran over to Hailea, who was being wrapped with a tentacle. I stabbed into the tentacle. It hissed and cried as it let go of Hailea. It smelt like shit now. Actual shit.

Hailea fell onto the ground, tearing up. She looked at me. “Y-You?” She said, not believing her eyes.

I smiled at her. “It’s okay…” She was okay. But I forgot about one thing. The monster.

I felt myself being slapped by one of the massive tentacles. I fell across the room, the last thing I saw before going into the darkness, was Hailea screaming my name.

“Quincy!” I shouted as I saw my saviour hitting a wall. He landed next to the fireplace.

I turned to the monster, who released a disgusting set of chuckles. “You bastard,” I mumbled, feeling my head becoming hot.

“You… You monster. You killed them all.” I looked at the dead ponies that the monster held with its tentacles. “My… Sisters…”

It only released another set of chuckles. It understood.

I levitated up the fireplace poker, and felt my rage within my horn. The fireplace began to glow, brighter and brighter. Until it slowly turned into a dark red.

The monster noticed this and began to back up.

“Where are you going? You aren’t getting away from this, old man.” I whacked him with the glowing fireplace poker. He hissed when he was touched, and jumped back even more.

“You gave me so much shit ever since I was born. ALL BECAUSE OF MY GENDER!” He tried to attack me with a tentacle, but I whacked it with the fireplace poker. He hissed again and tried to jump back. But he was backed against a wall.

“And now you killed them all. Because none of them was the colt that you wanted to run the family business. You even killed her, too. Mom.” The monster was shaking in fear.

“You deserve so much worse than this. So much worse.” I muttered. “So much worse.” I stabbed him with the one-thousand-degree fireplace poker, and he began to burn. I heard his voice, crying and screaming for mercy.

He deserved so much worse.

I saw that the fire began to spread quickly. I needed to get Quincy out of here.

I looked over at where Quincy was, and went over to him. “Quincy,” I said. “Quincy, it’s time to wake up.”

He didn’t.

“QUINCY!”

He jumped straight up.

“We need to go. Now.” I said.

He saw the fire and his eyes widened. “O-okay, right behind y-you,” he said, nodding.

We left the room.

We ran down the hallway. He said he came in through the bathroom… But that didn’t make any sense. How could he come through the bathroom?

We stopped in front of the bathroom.

“Th-there, right h-here. Th-there’s a hole th-that should g-get us out of h-here.”

“I’m not coming with you,” I said. He turned and looked at me with confusion.

“W-why not?” He asked.

“I want to walk out of this damn place through the front doors for one last time,” I said. He looked like he was about to argue with me. “Please, Quincy… I need this.”

He blinked and nodded. “A-alright.” He looked down. “Just… St-stay safe, aright.”

I smiled weakly. “Thanks, I will. You too.” Then I walked off.

I heard him sigh. Then I heard the bathroom door open and close.

I went down the hallway. Not towards the living room. The other way. There was a lonesome door at the end of this side too. I went through it.

Me and my sisters waited inside the waiting room in the Ponyville hospital. Then we heard him.

He came through the door, outraged. He kept cussing out loud, his face red. Everyone looked at him but me and my sisters understood.

“Another goddamn fucking filly!” The fat piece of shit said. “There is somethin’ cursed about all of you and your whore of a mother!” He screamed at us.

I rolled my eyes. He saw that.

He went to me, and said, “What was that, you little shit? Rollin’ your eyes at your superior?” I felt… Afraid.

“N-no, something was in my eye…” I said, whimpering like a little dog.

I swear, if it wasn’t for us being in a public place, he would have hit me as hard as he could.

Why would I say that? Well…

He did when we got back to the mansion.

I was on the floor, rubbing my face, feeling my nose bleed as he screamed and screamed at me.

“Tomorrow, you better sleep with more clients. You little shit, thinkin’ you can just roll your eyes at me.”

I turned and looked at him. I felt anger spark within me. “I can do whatever I w-want, you asshole.”

He blinked. And sighed. He went over to me, and kicked me in the head.

I held my face with my hooves, silently tearing up.

“Don’t talk to me that way. All you will ever be, is a dick suckin’ money generator to me, like all of yer other sisters.”

He walked away. Then stopped walking. “Actually… I have a better idea.”

I looked at him. He didn’t look at me. He just went to the phone in my room and dialled a number.

“It’s me. Uh-huh. Well, I just came up with an idea. My bitch? She’s cursed. Kill her. She’s sleeping in my own room now.” W-what? “Also kill all of my daughters. They are cursed too. I can find better workers to replace them. I got Hailea… Good. Do it fast.” He hung up. He turned around. “Sorry it came to this…” Suddenly, his eyes widened.

I was holding a pair of scissors, the blades glowing orange from my own magic.

“You monster…”

He backed away from me, the coward.

I walked to him.

“They never did anything to you.”

The screams of my sisters echoed into my ears.

He was backed against a wall.

“You… MONSTER!” I stabbed into his chest with the glowing pair of scissors. He screamed as his coat burned. “Die. DIE. DIE.” I kept stabbing him, over and over again.

He was dead.

I stabbed into his skull to make sure he was dead.

I sat down, tearing up. They’re… Gone. My sisters.

I sighed.

They’re going to come here to speak with my father. It was time for me to leave.