Late-Night Experiment

by Dracthul

Rating: teen
Tags: Tragedy, Horror, Violence, Death, Twilight Sparkle, Gore, My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic, Dark, Spike
Length: 3287

Twilight wants to test out a new spell, and Spike wants to help out. If only they knew it would be their biggest regret…

When Twilight wants to perform a late-night experiment to test out a spell she’s been working on to let ponies teleport a lot easier, her “#1 Assistant” is ready to help!

However, performing the spell has some… unforeseen consequences… ones that will make them regret ever deciding to perform the experiment…

Published 2022-08-28 20:50:00 UTC
Last updated 2022-08-28 20:50:00 UTC

On a Dark Night…

Author's Note

Hello, everyone! This is my first time ever writing a horror fic, so it would be greatly appreciated if you could give feedback on how I did. Any type of feedback is appreciated however!

Have a great day, and I hope you enjoy!

On a Dark Night…

“Do we have to do this so late at night?”

“Yes, Spike,” Twilight answered her favorite assistant as they walked through the halls of her castle. “I’ve been working on this spell for two months, and I think I finally cracked the code. I can’t wait another minute to test it out!”

“Okay…” Spike said, dragging his tail behind him as he trudged along.

Twilight practically floated across the floor as she made her way down the hall, making a turn before coming to a set of large, oak doors. Her horn came to life with purple magic as she cast a spell on them. An exaggerated creak came from the two doors as they opened outward.

“Spooooky,” Spike chuckled, following Twilight as she turned on the lights in the room. The doors closed behind them with a flash of her magic, sealing them in.

“I moved some things around to turn this room into a temporary lab,” she explained, trotting over to a large, circular table at the center of the room.

Spike looked around, seeing metal plates lining the room and a large machine that wrapped around the room’s walls. It had one long, girthy glass tube that went all the way around the room, the pipe connecting to the bulk of the machine. He could see a gray ball spinning around in part of the machine, the device powering the machine. The whole contraption seemed foreign to him.

“What did you say this experiment was again?” he asked, wondering how she managed to fit such a large machine into the castle.

“This is all to test the new spell I’ve been working on,” she replied, grabbing a clipboard from the table and checking off a box with a pen. “If I’m right, I think I have a new teleportation method that lets groups of ponies travel incredible distances without using large amounts of magic.”

“Wow, Twilight!” Spike walked over to the table. Twilight grabbed a sheet of metal that looked perfectly sized for her horn to fit into. “How does it work?”

“Well, since you asked,” she said, holding up the metal. “This thing here can transmit my magical frequencies to the machine over there.” She pointed a hoof at the bulky part of the contraption. “It should then use energy to kind of ‘recreate’ my spell. The tubing is for the spell to increase power, and it should come out from the instrument on the ceiling.”

Spike lifted his head, seeing the metal needle stretching down from the ceiling.

“The metal is supposed to be incredibly flexible and insulating, so it should be able to channel my magic and the extra boost from the machine onto this table—which is made of a crystal-nickel blend of materials. If my calculations are correct, the magnitude of the spell will create something like a gate. We can open it whenever we want by casting a simple teleportation spell, and the gate will stay open until we close it. Using this machine, we could teleport the entire Royal Guard from here to Canterlot in less than a minute!”

“Do you really think it will work?” Spike asked, awed by the machine she had created as he looked over it again.

“My studies tell me it will, and I’ve done the math seven times to calculate all the variables. I’ve gotten the same measurements each time.” She put the metal piece onto her horn. “It’ll work.”

Twilight checked something off the clipboard and stepped onto a drawn “X” in front of the table. She teleported her clipboard away and closed her eyes.

“You might want to step back for this, Spike. A lot of energy is going to be moving around here, and I don’t want you to get hurt.” He nodded and walked away from the table, backing up to the doors so he could watch her cast the spell.

“You got this, Twilight,” she whispered to herself as she scrunched up her face in concentration. She strained to provide enough magic to start the machine. Spike watched in anticipation as purple sparks came from the metal around her horn. The sparks turned into bright light as her wings opened. Spike saw the machine start to come to life, a whirring sound coming from it and bouncing around the room.

Twilight groaned as she was lifted into the air, the light around her almost engulfing her entire body. The machine started to purr loudly, the tube around the room filling with purple energy.

“Almost there!” Twilight said, her voice high. The energy in the tube went to the needle on the ceiling, a beam of purple light shooting down onto the table in front of her. The tube’s energy drained as it poured into the needle and the ring that was forming on the table. Spike stood on his claws as he stared in awe at the swirling vortex at the center of the table.

“It’s working, Twilight!” Spike shouted to her, his eyes locked on the table. He saw a flicker in the vortex, one so faint he questioned whether he actually saw it or not, and then he heard Twilight scream. His eyes shot up to her, seeing the ball of light around her swelling.

“Something’s wrong!” she screamed, a jolt of electricity wracking her body. The light surrounding her exploded as the spell misfired, sending out a wave of energy that knocked both of them out.

The world was spinning rapidly, Twilight’s eyes heavy and swollen. She tried to lift her head, the world turning even fuzzier than before. With a groan, she rolled over onto her stomach, feeling the chill of the solid floor beneath her. She rubbed her eyes with a hoof, feeling a sharp tinge in her head. She pushed herself to her hooves, blinking a few times before looking around.

It was dark, so dark she could barely make out the room. She saw the machine she had built in shambles, the rest of the room marked with scorch marks. The door next to her had been knocked open, the chilly air drifting into the room. She spotted a glowing circle on the still-intact table. She slowly trotted over to it, looking into the swirling infinity of the gateway and seeing entire galaxies within it. The depth seemed so real that she was almost tempted to put out a hoof and touch the stars she saw. It was mesmerizing, ensnaring her in its gaze.

She shook her head, rubbing her forehead with a hoof.

Spike! she thought to herself, looking around frantically for the little dragon. Rummaging through the debris of the machine on the ground, she eventually found him under a metal sheet. She lifted the metal with her magic and set it down on a small pile of plating nearby. She poked Spike with a hoof, turning him over. She breathed a sigh of relief when she saw his chest steadily going up and down.

Spike slowly stirred, rubbing his eyes with his claws. When he opened them, he saw Twilight staring down at him with damp eyes.

“W-what’s going on?” he asked. “What’s wrong, Twilight?”

“Are you alright?” she asked, lifting him with her magic and scanning his body.

“Yes, I’m fine,” he said, feeling sick from getting spun around in the air by her magic. She lowered him back to the ground with a sheepish smile, letting him stand on his claws.

Now that he was fully awake, he looked around the room, finding the large machine ripped apart.

“I remember something went wrong with the spell,” he recalled, spotting the magic gate behind Twilight. “Then I just blacked out.”

“The spell misfired,” she explained. “I can’t believe I was stupid enough to teleport my clipboard away while wearing the horn frequency transmitting device. No wonder the spell collapsed in on itself.”

“Don’t beat yourself up, Twi.” Spike walked over to the table. “It looks like the spell worked anyway.”

“I don’t know how,” she said as she went over to him. “The spell misfired and the machine was torn apart. The spell shouldn’t have worked.” She put a hoof to her chin as she tried to figure out what had happened.

“Well, it beats me,” Spike commented, stretching out his arms and letting out a loud yawn.

“I don’t know,” Twilight concluded, letting out an exasperated groan. “Maybe—”

She heard something scuttering on the floor nearby. She tensed up, eyes darting down the hall to where she heard the noise come from—but seeing nothing.

“W-what was that?” Spike whispered, his voice shaky.

“Is somepony there?” Twilight asked, only hearing her voice echo back from the hall. She turned to Spike. “We better go look for them.”

“If you say so,” Spike acquiesced, steeling himself best he could before following her into the hall.

Twilight led him out the door. She looked down the hallway, straining her eyes, but saw only the various doors that led to different rooms. The castle was engulfed in darkness except for the faint moonlight that shone through some of the windows. She ignited her horn, a steady purple glow coming from the source of her magic. Her horn lit up the hall, letting her see further down the corridor.

Spike followed closely, his eyes darting all around as he fidgeted with his claws. Sweat began to drip from his forehead as the eeriness got to him.

They went around a bend in the hall, Twilight finding nothing. The hall was completely bare. Besides the quiet clip-clop of hooves on the floor, it was silent.

Twilight turned around, looking down at Spike. “Maybe it was just a mouse or something,” she said with a sigh. “We better go and clean up the mess.”

“I agree.” Spike hopped onto Twilight’s back before she started back down the hall.

“I’ll have to monitor the gateway to make sure it’s safe,” Twilight explained as she trotted. “I don’t want—” She froze, hearing something moving behind them.

She whipped around, the light of her horn revealing nothing.

“Okay. Something’s definitely here,” she faintly whispered, Spike clutching her back. She spun around, looking for whatever was in the hall.

She heard something again, this time from in front of her—but she still saw nothing. She heard a raucous scratching above her, the sound making her cringe. She and Spike looked up, gazing upon what had made the noise. Her horn flickered as fear gripped her, causing her magic to falter. Crawling upside down on the ceiling, was a creature only conceivable in nightmares.

Twilight’s jaw dropped as she looked upon its gray, almost black flesh; its slender form; its two arms and two legs; its wicked claws, five of them on each appendage; and its long, barbed tail. It had no coat, no wings, and no horn, and its head was shaped like an egg. It had no nose or mouth, only round eyes. She stared into its white, glowing orbs, finding herself paralyzed. Every part of her wanted to flee, to run away in terror, but she could not move, and she could not breathe. Spike looked at the creature as he shook uncontrollably, his mouth moving up and down before he let out a loud, horrified scream.

The creature’s head snapped to the side, hearing the ringing of Spike’s scream in its ears. In an instant, it leaped down from the ceiling, its claws shredding the floor apart where Twilight and Spike were only a second ago. It whipped its head around, unable to hear where they were. It slowly lurched forward, its movements slow and concise. Its long, crooked claws gently tapped on the floor as it took a step. Without so much as a sound, it searched for them.

Twilight tightly held Spike to her barrel, trying to contain herself. Her breaths were ragged, her every muscle twitching as she hid under a sheet of metal. The demonic creature’s steps came closer and closer, Twilight holding her breath with shut eyes as it stepped right next to the metal she was hiding under.

After a few seconds of holding her breath, she heard nothing. Spike was quiet, and her chest was still. She opened her eyes, holding in a gasp as she stared directly into the eyes of the beast. It lifted its head, waiting a moment before slowly creeping away, its colossal form shaking the castle with each step. Twilight took in a much-needed breath, watching the creature as it went around the corridor and disappeared. She pulled Spike from her chest, seeing tears on his cheeks.

“W-what was t-that?” he sputtered, his sleepiness having been dispelled as he looked around in fear, expecting to see the creature on the walls.

“I d-don’t know,” Twilight answered, slightly less shaky than Spike. “I think my spell created a portal instead of a gateway, letting that creature into our world.”

“H-how do we get rid of it?”

“If we close the portal that brought it here, that should send it back,” she said, using her magic to lift the sheet she was under. Careful not to scrape her wings, she got to her hooves and helped Spike up.

“How are we supposed to get back to the portal with that thing nearby?” the little dragon asked.

“It was looking straight at me, but it didn’t know I was there.” Twilight hauled Spike onto her back. “I think it can’t see us, only hear us.”

“Still,” Spike added, “how are we going to get back without making noise?”

She illuminated her horn, giving off a bright glow that let her see the metal around her. With a careful step, she went over a chunk of metal and slowly trotted down the hall.

“You’ll make sure I don’t step on anything while I try to slowly get down the hall.”

Spike silently agreed, holding on to Twilight and looking for anything in her path she might hit. Step by step, she carefully went down the hall, trying her best not to shake. She laid down her hooves on the floor with minute movements, making sure she stayed quiet.

She glanced up, already halfway to the room. She looked back down, going over a tiny splinter of wood. With the grace of a butterfly, she weaved through a series of metal bits scattered on the floor. Sweat poured from her brow, every muscle in her body telling her to run, but she knew she needed to close the portal first. Otherwise, the creature would be free to roam Equestria because of her recklessness.

Keeping that thought in her head, she continued forward, Spike letting her know about a small rock not too far ahead. She looked down at the rock, careful that her hooves went past it.

“Look out!” Spike loudly whispered, Twilight’s head snapping up as she hit another, larger rock with her wing. The metal pieces on top of the rock slid off before she could catch them, loudly clanging onto the hard floor. The echo bounced down the hall as Twilight stood motionless, feeling her hair stand up as panic washed over her.

The sound of the metal echoed back to her as she heard a loud clicking noise come from the other end of the hall. The clicking stopped, Twilight still holding herself. She glanced at the door, seeing it just at the end of the hall. Her head whipped the other direction as she heard the clicking again—but this time, it was closer, getting louder and louder.

“Run!” Spike screamed, Twilight bolting into action. Careless of the metal in the way, she sprinted down the hall, hearing something chasing after her. The sickening sound of nails grinding against stone reverberated within her ears as she kept her eyes on the door ahead of her. The scraping got closer and closer, the thump-thump of the beast’s charge reaching her. She pushed with all her strength, flying through the open door before spinning around.

Her horn flashed as she closed the door, sealing it with an enchantment. Spike got down from her back, rushing over to the portal alongside her. Twilight closed her eyes and started a spell, trying to block out the noise of the creature clawing at the door. A stream of magic connected from her horn to the portal, sending pulses into the now-unstable vortex.

Its edges started to collapse, its shape starting to come undone. Air rushed into the portal, Spike holding onto the table to keep himself from moving. The creature slashed at the door with a final mighty strike, ripping a giant hole through it. Twilight finished the last sequence of the spell, a blast of magic going from her horn to the portal. The creature leaped at Twilight, a blinding flash of light engulfing the room as the portal collapsed in upon itself.

Twilight fell to the floor, knocking Spike over. The two tumbled, their vision filled with white spots. Twilight rubbed her eyes with a hoof as she shakily got to all fours. She listened closely for the creature as her vision gradually came back to her.

Spike got to his claws, groaning as he came to his senses. He bumped into Twilight, startling them both. They took a moment to breathe, holding each other as they tried to calm down. Twilight lifted her wing, Spike stepping back and wiping his forehead as he panted.

“Phew, that was close,” he said with a dry chuckle.

“I never should have—”

Spike let out a harrowing scream as he was impaled by the barbed, spear-like tail of the creature. Blood ran down his scales as he lifted into the air. Clicking noises filled the room as the monster on the ceiling brought Spike to its head. The gaze of its endlessly deep eyes captured him as he “looked” into its face.

Twilight was so shaken that she did not move; she simply watched in terror as the skin of the being’s faceless face parted, unsealing its lips. The skin where its mouth was peeled back, revealing a row of jagged teeth within its jaws. Its maw opened more and more, and the sickening sound of bones snapping filled the room as row upon row of longer and longer teeth was revealed.

Spike’s eyes had been reduced to mere pinpricks. He let out a terrified shriek, and then the creature lunged forward, wrapping its massive mouth around his entire head. Twilight watched Spike’s arms flail for a fleeting moment before he went still, a sound akin to a bug being crushed permeating her mind.

She screamed, firing a blast of magic from her horn. The creature released Spike from its jaws, dropping his headless corpse to the hard floor before scurrying away. The shot hit the ceiling, burning away only a chunk of stone.

The room was dark, Twilight desperately looking for the creature. Her eyes went back and forth as she spun around, her body shaking uncontrollably. She lit her horn, casting a purple glow over the room. She scanned everywhere, finding no sign of the creature. Her chest rapidly puffed as she breathed heavily, drenched in sweat.

She heard a slow, coarse clicking coming from behind her, her eyes wide as she felt the chilling breath of the creature upon her skin. She turned around, staring into the open jaws of death itself…