Stories from the Changeling Theatre - Nightmare Night Opening Shorts.

by Changeling404

Rating: everyone
Tags: Anthology, My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic, Alternate Universe, Thriller, Original Character, Horror
Length: 1179

Its not much yet, but... Short horror stories inteded to inspire you or give you ideas. My first attempt at writting. Feedback needed, please be honest no criticism from others will hurt me.

A lot, if not most, of these stories, will not be set up to physically work in a theatre and will take form in a normal story format, It is just a setup for the idea and the AU that the Theatre is in. The author's notes at the top are an Aside.

If you see anything at all that you like, either here or in my blogs, you can use it and you don't need to reference me or ask permission. Be it an idea you got while reading, characters, places, or the very story itself.

A changeling wearing a white mask, top hat, and tailcoat walks out and addresses the audience:
"Fillies and Gentlecolts!... Welcome to the grand opening of the first Canterlot Changeling Theater. Thank you for giving this theatre, and by extension, Changelings a chance. For those who do not know, Princess Luna has commissioned us for the month because of a Nightmare Night. She hopes we will also gain some redemption in your eyes as she did. If you enjoy it, please send a bit of love our way.

"A bit of warning. Although we are well versed in the art of acting... writing and directing is a different story. We have never done it before, so ANY serious criticism or advice is welcome and will be taken into consideration for next time."

"Now... I would like to take this time, to invite you to the dark corners of the mind.
Let your imagination fill these scenes, and your nightmares fill with horrid screams.
The details are yours to draw and color, to help us fill October with a little... horror."

4th wall break.
My first attempt at writing is going to be an attempt at some short horror clips. Feedback needed! Your imagination will also be needed as It won't have a lot of details or descriptions as I am trying for a minimalist approach to make it easier for now. That will change as time goes on. If I learn enough, I might even turn some of these into full stories.

Edit: this was originally called Spooktober Shorts and was supposed to have 4 shorts in it by Halloween, sorry. I lost got busy along the way. Anyway, I'm going to post it anyway and if I get enough feedback I will try to continue it anyway in November. Maturity will likely not change but there is a small chance it might become teen.

Published 2020-11-02 23:50:01 UTC
Last updated 2020-11-02 23:50:01 UTC

Clunk Screee

Author's Note

Our first short story begins with a common horror scene. A team of humble salvagers in a place they shouldn't be. Just a little warm-up, it's quite tame. We hope you enjoy it... all the same.

Clunk Screee

The lamp you are holding in your magic lights up the huge dark hallway you and your mentor are walking trough. You look around trying to see something to let you know ANYTHING exists here other than darkness, emptiness, and rust. The soft clanking of tools in your bag and hoofs clopping on the metal floor fills the hallway. Chief Engineer Sturdy Weld is ahead of you with more tools and a lamp of his own. He glances back at you and sees your nervous expression. He smiles at you and says: “Don’t worry Mended Wire, you did great on your first day out in the field. I’ll help make sure you second is no different.”

He doesn’t seem to know your expression isn’t because of the job, but the dark, worn, rusted metal hallways you are walking down make you feel like you will never see the sun again. You are the last to enter the dimly, lamp-lit lobby to join the rest of the crew that entered the facility. Captain Scrap Spyglass, Doctor Stitched Wound, and Lieutenant Steady Aim were here already making a plan with a copy of a map they found not long ago.

Captain Spyglass circles something on two of the maps, and says: “Alright, first things first.” He looks at Sturdy and hands him one of the maps. "You two go get the lights back on if you can.” He walks over to you and hands you the other map with ‘Generator Room’ circled “We need to be able to see better if we are going to salvage everything we can from this Celestial forsaken, decrepit place."

The guard chimes in: “IF we find anything... This place has been abandoned for five centuries at LEAST. If you need me, call me on the radio. I’m going to go help make sure no one tries to steal our way home.” The guard looks at the captain for permission.

The Captain looks at him says: “If they can’t get the lights on, we’ll have to think of something. There is no way this place doesn’t have something valuable, It was a top research center back in the day and the log says we are the first here since it was shut down.” Then he nods for the guard to leave.

Later...

You and your mentor reach the generator but it doesn’t have any fuel. Your mentor sends you downstairs, he wants you to check on the auxiliary fuel line to see if it is shut off. You reach the valve and you set down your bag and go to turn the rusted valve, silently praying it won’t just snap. You grab your wrench and immediately drop it when a sound startles you. Clunk srceee You figure somepony just moved something heavy, but then you realize, no one should be down here with you. You grab your radio off your shoulder and press the button and try to ask what that was... Static is what you hear back, you can almost hear something in the static. It sounds like screeching. You wonder how a magic-infused high tech radio can get interference like that.

Back in the lobby, the crew has almost finished setting up. The captain grabs his radio: “Sturdy, can I have Mending back if you don’t need him? I need one of you to take a look at the scanners. They are acting very strange. over.”

Sturdy takes his radio in his magic and replies: “He still hasn't fixed the fuel issue yet... Hey kid, how’s it going? Did you find the problem yet? over.” silence is his only reply. The older pony repeats with a confused and worried look. “Mending, did you find the problem, can ya hear me? over.” … again silence… “Captain, I sent him downstairs, and he’s not responding. over.” … Sturdy’s heart sinks in his chest. “Captain?… anypony?...” static...

Back at the lobby, the Doctor leaves to retrieve Steady Aim and his partner to find the missing engineers. Ironically, the only ones who can figure out what's been breaking the equipment, including the radios that have made them MIA in the first place, are the engineers that went missing.

CLUNK SCREEE
CLUNK SCREEE
CLUNK SCREEE
What a horrible sound. Metal scraping against metal like nails on a chalkboard, and stomping you can feel through the floor. You don’t know how far away it is, or even WHAT it is. Even though you have been at full gallop for nearly 3 minutes straight, it hasn’t gotten much quieter. Your lamp, a vague memory of the layout, and adrenaline are the only things you have right now. You left your bags, along with your map and tools behind in a blind panic when the… whatever it is started chasing you. You have a feeling if you ever see it, your heart will stop. The dark, metal hallways form something similar to a maze, all the signs have faded away, all the hallways look the same. You don’t even know if you’re going in the right general direction. You're so tired, part of you wants to just cower in the corner and hope it doesn't see you, you can't find a corner to test it if you can find a room first. Absolute despair fills You when you reach a locked door that makes a dead-end, emphasis on ‘dead’. Without power, you can't open it, and you couldn't finish your task. You crumple to the floor exhausted, dropping the lantern. It rolls away from you back down the hallway a little bit. You are silently praying that whatever is chasing you is the only one, and your friends are ok. The feeling you had when first entering the facility returns. You know Celestia and Luna are not gods, but at this moment you find yourself praying to them anyway.

CLUNK, CLUNK, SCREE
CLUNK, CLUNK, SCREE
CLUNK, CLUNK, SCREE
It sounds like it slowed down... like it knows you’re trapped. You don't know if you should feel happy you get to live that much longer, or sad that you must endure the wait full of anxiety and apprehension. You turn around to face your end, wishing the captain hadn't decided to follow that old map here. Your heart nearly stops dead in your chest when you look towards the end of the hallway, and time seems to slow. You see it... a way out.... a vent you could fit in with your slender frame if you find a way to get the rusted cover off. Hope joins your adrenaline, giving you a second wind. You get up to run to it... It knows... you don’t know how it knows… but it knows. The horrible screeching sound and stomping picks up and doesn’t stop.

CLUNK SCREEEEEEEEEEEE CLUNK CLUNK CLUNK CLUNKCLUNKCLUNK CLUNKCLUNKCLUNK