My Life on a Cassette Tape

Double's eyes shot around the room, scanning for any sign of the enemy. His flashlight was a few paces too far, and Cress' phone was even further. Problems were compounding on them, every second making this place more and more of a death trap as their enemy lept and bounded about the place, keeping just out of sight until it deemed itself ready to attack. Double couldn't let this continue on, but he also had no way to stop it. He couldn't call for anypony to come help, and he was in no way qualified to help the two ponies that were injured.

Another shifting in the shadows, and then a dark figure shot out. Double raised his fire poker, and skewered the curtain that shrouded him, only to then be tackled from another direction by the entity, feeling the raking of its claws - or whatever they were - across his side. Throwing a punch, he grinned as it connected with a crack against the jaw of whatever it was, sending it off of him. Rising to his feet, he swept the area with his eyes, but the thing was already gone. Grabbing the curtain in one hand, he disentangled his poker while watching the perimeter.

"We need to get out of here." Periwinkle said, lashing out into the darkness, her attack connecting with nothing but air. "These ponies need help and I don't think any of us can give that type of help."

"Agreed." Double said, gazing into the darkness. "Berry, can you carry them? If you can, we should be able to cover you while you extract them."

"Problem with that." Berry began, only to be tackled. Double wheeled about and lashed out, but only managed to hit the floor. Berry shook her head in the dim light, standing back up to her feet. "The problem..." She said, obviously winded as she grasped at her jaw, "is that... none of us... know the way out of this labyrinth. I've been in this darn place so infrequently that I couldn't...couldn't tell you where the nearest bathroom was if the lights were on... and I was standing in front of it."

"Any other ideas then?" Double asked, looking about them. "Cress isn't going to be around too much longer if we don't act now."

"I KNOW!" Berry roared back, lashing out, the sound of her attack connecting bringing some hope to the situation, only to have it replaced as Berry was flung back, bleeding from the shoulder. Cursing under his breath, Double closed the circle with the other two ponies, still scanning the area as best he could.

"We need a plan, now!" Periwinkle hissed as she continued to gaze into the darkness. The sound of metal slicing into flesh filled the air, and then a grunt.

"Double..." Double turned wide eyed to see Thyme, a gash of blood beginning to work its way through her dress before she collapsed.

"Thyme!" Double couldn't help but call out hopelessly. Stuffing his pain away temporarily as rage burned inside of him, he pressed his back against Peri's , looking all around as they tried to spy their foe.

"This isn't good! This is not good!" Peri whispered to herself as she continued to circle, her back pressed against Double. "We need something! Anything!" Double's mind raced, as his eyes darted, trying to pinpoint the enemy, when suddenly he was forced to the ground, but not by the thing, but by Periwinkle as she pushed him away.

Looking back to her, he watched as she slumped to the floor, blood trailing from her mouth and neck. No no no no no no! This was beyond bad! Standing back up, no longer with anything that resembled a circle left, he grasped the nearest light source to him, pointing Cress' phone around the room. His light caught... it.

There, halfway up the wall was a monster. Nude, it's mismatched tapestry of skin sent shivers down Doubles spine. It had a purple arm, another black arm, a feathered arm that ended in talons, an orange leg, a pink leg, a red leg, a cyan wing, a pale yellow wing, a pale pink wing, a white horn, and across it's face was plastered an evil, contorted, smile of pearly white teeth - a sinister smile echoed by the five mouths on its chest and shoulders.

Double's hand quivered at the sight, but he steeled himself, gripping the fire poker with a white knuckle grip. The beast scurried across the wall, its joints crackling in and out of place unnaturally as it flashed from where Double had it fixed in the light, darting to a patch of shadows. No time to move the light, Double stabbed out towards the dim reflection of its eyes. The thing rolled to the side, a hefty flap of its grotesque wings sending it into the air. Pointing the light up, he caught a glimpse of it as it crawled across the walls, a chorus of manic laughter in five voices filling the air.

Swinging the light around, Double caught it a mere second before it barreled into him, sending him against the wall, dislodging the phone and poker from his hands. Kicking out with all his might, he planted a solid strike between a pair of its legs, sending it scampering awkwardly back in pain, giving Double enough time to grab his poker once more, lashing out, only to have it scurry away. Picking up the phone once more, he swung the light around, catching occasional glimpses of the beast.

Suddenly, he heard it again, and pointing the light over, he saw a curtain in the air, sailing straight towards him. Learning from his last experience, he stepped backwards and to the side, ducking down as he thrust out the poker in the opposite direction. The beast gave a warbling cry in multiple voices as it backed away from the wound. Pointing the light at it, he caught a glimpse of it once more darting away, leaving a patch of pure black on the floor that shimmered like oil.

Moving the light about, Double moved away from the wall, only to be tackled from a blind spot, sending his poker scattering across the floor. Throwing a punch into the thing's face, and then another into its neck, Double did his best to fight off the thing, only to stop as he howled in pain, feeling as if his shoulder had been pierced. Still lashing out, he tried to fight off the beast, but it kept battering him, shaking him violently before slamming him into the cold hard ground.

"Cress, his mares, and Double and Thyme were teleported out of the castle!" Double's eyes widened, and suddenly he was no longer on the cold floor of the castle, but instead, he felt grass beneath him - his ears still ringing with the voice. Who was it? Standing up, grasping at his shoulder, he saw Raven sitting up right, seeming little worse for wear as she spoke into something in her hand. "Cress, his mares, Double, and Thyme were healed of their wounds!" Double hissed, falling to a knee as a pain shot through his shoulder. The flesh began to stitch itself back together violently, causing almost more pain than when the injury had appeared. Looking up at the changeling, he moved closer.

"What... did you do?" It was all he could manage before the world slipped out from under him, sending him to the ground.