SlenderMane

Chapter 2: The Asylum

One week after Willows disappearance.

The news of Willows disappearance had stirred up the community of Ponyville to the point that some brave souls had ventured into Everfree to search for Willow, never to be return, all except one.

This Pony, called Stardust, had survived the physical torment, but the same could not be said for his mind. He was left a near babbling mess, eventually condemned to an asylum so as not to corrupt the perfect image of Ponyville.

“Stardust, you have a visitor”

The disheveled mess in the corner of the room  didn’t look like much, but it was the closest thing to hope that Red, Willows father, had to finding his daughter.

“I’d be careful what you say around Star here, he’s a little violent at the best of times.”

On that note, the nurse left the room, leaving Red alone with Stardust.

“Okay, I’m gonna ask you a few questions about what you saw out the...”

As the last word began to come out of Red’s mouth, Stardust cocked his head.

“No safety, only concealment. Always watches, no eyes.”

Stardust had obviously lost all sanity during his time in the woods, but what was he talking about?

“Look, I understand that you went through quite the ordeal, I just need you to tell me what happened when you went to find my daughter.”

On this note, Stardust stopped his crazed yammerings and perked up.

“Willow is your daughter?

She isn’t your daughter any more, she is taken, along with all the other overzealous adventurer-wannabes that went after her. hoping for a taste of the limelight, but all they found was a note, then another, until they were chased down by, by...”

Stardust fell to the floor, obviously trapped in his own imagination, Red knew he was a lost cause, but what if there was some sense to his words, what if his daughter...

No, Those thoughts are best left buried until all other possibilities are gone, Red turned to leave, but was stopped as Stardust began to speak again.

“Don’t let it get me...”

Stardust curled up into a ball, whimpering, whatever it is, it wasn’t going to get in here just for one insane pony, the asylum was locked up tighter than Tartarus and had better guards to boot. Red closed the door as he left to find that he had possibly gone through the wrong door, the sight he saw before him was not what he walked out of to get into Stardust's cell. This area of the asylum was run down to the point of looking destroyed, and was empty of all signs of life. A piercing sound cut a hole through the dreary silence; Stardust screaming.

Red re-opened the door he had just that second closed, to find that Stardust was being attacked, no, ‘consumed’ by something, something not pony.

Red watched in horror as Stardust started to practically disappear into darkness before his eyes.The deranged pony managed to work up enough energy to scream ‘RUN’ before being consumed by the darkness that was swallowing the room, and on that note Red turned tail and did as instructed.

When Red was confident that he’d run far enough way to just take a glance over his shoulder, he finally saw the creature properly.The thing that had taken Stardust now had a solid shape, that of a plain white pony, and dressed up as if it were going to a canterlot ball, it turned to glare at Red, but one prominent feature, or rather missing feature, was that the creature lacked eyes of any kind, this just spurred Red into a more frenzied dash to get away.

After about the third loop of the area, Red began to realise that this wasn’t the same Asylum he had been in a few minutes prior, mostly for the reason that strange tools were dotted around that couldn’t possibly be used by ponies. A scrap of paper on the nearby wall caught Reds eye; Red snatched it off the wall and began to read it.

‘NO ONE survives...’

‘Well, dung, that must have been aimed at Stardust...’

It suddenly clicked in Reds mind that whatever Stardust had said must be true, and therefore the note he had just picked up may have sealed his own fate;

Red began to feel that something was behind him, practically peering over his shoulder, Red bolted towards the door, hoping to stay one hoof ahead of whatever it was that took Stardust, and most likely his daughter.

darting round a corner, Red was sure that he had outrun whatever it was that was chasing him, two notes were in this area, one in the same hoofwriting as before, saying ‘out of sight; not out of mind’, the other in another, more deranged handwriting, as if it had been written by someone who was in the asylum, or more likely had been in the asylum.

‘It came from the forest, and now it’s come for you.’

These words went through Reds head, but weren’t mentally spoken in his own voice, but rather Stardusts voice, as if Stardust was right behind him.

Red turned around and was face-to-face with the White pony, tentacles of shadow protruding from its back, they began to ensnare Red in darkness, the image of the pony began to flash in front of Reds eyes, until suddenly unconsciousness took over.

‘It appears that you and him are closer than you think.’