Chapters Introduction
The grey coated unicorn entered the laboratory. His eyes were gray and emotionless behind his glasses, his mane nearly white. His white lab coat simply adding to his almost soulless appearance. He examined the five fleshy masses that hung from the ceiling in his lab. Each one acted much the same as a womb. Each contained the fruits of his labour, the future of pony kind. Everything he had strived for. The perfect race of pony.
It had been nearly a year since the gestation had started. Thanks to the DNA he had gotten from the imprisoned Samael the growth itself had been rather quick, but it would be better to leave them until he was sure they were ready. It couldn’t be long now, the movement within the fleshy masses had begun to increase lately, they would begin the birthing process soon. His victory seemed certain…
He examined each of the wombs in turn and scribbled some notes into his journal, noting changes and movements and any other little thing that caught his eye. One started to drip amniotic fluid. The birthing process had started. A second one also began to drip fluids. It had begun.
The first squirmed and then suddenly burst and a mass of blood, flesh, and bone splattered on the ground.
"A still born… First subject was a failure then…" Kerrice made a few more notes.
The second did not burst, instead, something began to push its way out of the fleshy growth. A black, hairless head emerged from the womb and fell to the ground.
The newborn was the same size as any other foal. It shivered on the cold stone floor. It was jet black and lacked hair of any kind. It was thin, so thin it’s bones were nearly visible.
"…. another failure… no matter… it will do to further my research…" He made a few more notes in his journal.
He then wrapped it up and placed it in a cold cement cell with a large iron door on one end and a large glass viewing window on the other. He sealed the door and returned to observing the wombs.
The foal shivered in the cold cell, pulling the blankets tighter around it. It opened its glowing red eyes and looked around, fear and pain was all it felt.
Another of the wombs burst in a bloody and gory mess. Another still birth.
Kerrice sighed. "Third subject was a failure…"
The last two emerged and fell to the ground. Not as thin as the other, but still smaller.
"Subjects Four and Five… failure… it seems I’ve hit another dead end… I’ll need to conduct more research… No matter…"
He placed the other two with the first and cleaned up the mess in his lab and scribbled down some notes.
The three newborns huddled together for warmth, the older one holding the younger ones protectively on instinct. They all shivered together but the fear was gone, only the cold and the pain remained.
Author's Note
I've had this written for a while. Let me know what you think please. And if you spot any errors, please let me know.
Chapter 1
The three foals shivered in the cold cell. They all huddled in the corner to try and escape the cold. The iron door swung open and Kerrice tossed some hay down for them to eat. They sniffed it cautiously but instead lay on it for warmth. One of them yawned and Kerrice noticed they had rather sharp teeth.
His eyes went wide for a moment, then he sighed. "I see… carnivores then… I’ve strayed farther from my target than I thought… I didn’t create ponies… I created demons… no matter, they might make good watch dogs…"
He closed the door and returned moments later with some fresh and bloody meat. He had kept his former assistants body on ice in case he needed it for something. Might as well use her body as food. He threw the meat in and they dove on it hungrily, tearing it apart and swallowing. When they finished they returned to huddling together for warmth.
Kerrice tapped his chin. "Perhaps a heating system of some sort… Can’t have them dying before I get a chance to research them further…"
He leaves again and brings in more blankets as a temporary measure. They wrapped themselves in the blankets and snuggled together. Their shivering slowly ceased and they all fell asleep soundly.
"Seems they are still warm blooded at least…" He then closed the door and scribbled down more notes and made a side note to set up a heating system of some kind.
The next day he returned with more meat and placed it in the walk in refrigeration unit he used to preserve his specimens. He threw some into the cell and the three foals tore it apart hungrily.
Kerrice thought for a moment. "Hmm… Demons may be a fitting description but not a suitable classification. I think “Shadow Pony” will be fitting for my research documents…"
He watched them from the other side of the glass window and scribbled more notes as he observed their routine. They were still learning to walk and the oldest was the first to shakily get to… his… hooves?
Kerrice watched them closely. "I don’t see any reproductive organs of any kind… I may need to dissect one of them… Perhaps they are genderless? If so, then that simply increases the scope of my failure… The only three in existence and their species will die out before it even begins…"
Their first day was spent learning to walk and napping. The second day they began examining each other curiously. The third they explored their cell. It seemed small to a normal pony but to these foals it might as well have been a cave. The fourth day they began to notice Kerrice on the other side of the window. He looked up from his notes to see all three of them staring at him. It made him uneasy and he simply left.
Their behavior remained the same for the next several days. He then decided to enter the cell and see how they would react. The moment he stepped in they rushed up to him and snuggled up to his hoof.
"Seems they’ve imprinted on me… how curious…" He felt like talking to himself was becoming a habit, but it didn't really bother him.
The next day he performed another test. He left the cell door open.
They were hesitant at first. The oldest one sniffed the doorway before cautiously stepping out into the lab. Seeing that there was no immediate threat the other two followed. They began exploring the lab. Kerrice had been sure to put away anything that they could damage. Not for their safety, but for the safety of the equipment. It was expensive after all.
After about a week of letting them familiarize themselves with the lab, he decided that it would be in the best interest of his research to dissect one of them. The oldest seemed the least likely to survive so he coaxed it onto a table and then strapped it down. It struggled to break free but lacked the strength to do so.
Kerrice levitated a scalpel and it gleamed in the fluorescent light. He made the first incision and the foal shrieked in pain.
It would be annoying with that irritating sound. Kerrice decided to sew its mouth shut. It tried to squirm but he eventually succeeded in keeping its mouth shut.
He made another incision and it tried to cry out but could not. After the incision was wide enough, he split its chest open. It was odd, there were very few organs.
There was very little in the way of a digestive system and the lungs didn’t seem like they were necessary. And then there was the heart… it was not made of organic tissue, it was in fact, crystal.
He removed the organs and placed them in various containers for further study. The heart was more difficult to remove. Black, ink like tendrils held it in place and whenever he cut one of them, more would grow in its place.
After a while he decided to tear it out with his magic. He succeeded and placed the heart in a separate container. He was stunned… it was still beating and the foal was still moving.
Kerrice was awestruck "Remarkable…"
He sew the foals chest shut and returned it to its cell where it shivered and vomited up blood in the corner of the cell, the other foals keeping their distance out of fear and confusion.
He didn’t expect it to survive. But to his surprise it appeared to have made a full recovery. He knew it likely wouldn’t fall for the same trick twice so he instead decided to drug it. After it had ingested the drugged meat however, nothing happened… at all…
"Their immune system and recovery rate is astonishing…" He made note of this, he was becoming fascinated with their abilities.
He then decided to simply force the foal onto the operating table. It tried to struggle but did not attempt to harm him. Eventually he got it strapped down again and sews its mouth shut again.
He opened up its chest again and all its organs had grown back, including its heart. He checked and noticed that the one he had removed earlier had vanished. He decided to remove the organs again and to see if it would recover a second time. It did… He then decided to dissect it a third time, this time returning the organs into its body but in the wrong places.
It took about three months for it to stop vomiting blood and fainting. But it once again made a full recovery. He was utterly stunned.
They would most certainly keep him occupied with new discoveries. Perhaps they were the key, not to the perfect race, but to immortality…
Chapter 2
After about three years, Kerrice decided to name the foals.
The oldest was named Glam after a cursed weapon of legend.
The second was named Grenth after a fabled God of the dead.
And the third was named Abaddon after the bringer of the end.
It took time but he managed to condition their behavior to his liking.
He had made sure to keep them in separate cells. He would then starve Glam and then throw in a small filly whom he would then tear apart as she screamed in pain and fear. He kept this up and eventually Glam began to crave screams, especially from fillies. He was the most mentally unstable but also the most deadly of the three. He could spray corrosive venom that could eat through virtually anything. He also had the highest recovery rate amongst his brothers. He would almost always be grinning madly, and it was no secret that he hated Kerrice.
Whenever Grenth showed emotion, Kerrice would burn him with a piece of white hot metal. Eventually Grenth stopped showing emotion all together. He respected his older brother and would silently support him. But he never openly opposed Kerrice. He was the sanest of the three and was the most in tune with his abilities to blend into the shadows.
Abaddon was subjected to hours of verbal abuse. He was encouraged to hate and show aggression towards everypony except Kerrice. He was violent and completely loyal to Kerrice, even when ordered to harm himself he would do so without question.
Kerrice was currently observing Glam on the other side of the reinforced viewing window. He had enchanted it heavily after the previous window had been… melted… Glam paced back and forth in his cell like an animal stalking his prey, all the while keeping his eyes fixed on Kerrice.
Kerrice hit a switch and fire was shot out of a tube in the ceiling and Glam shrieked in pain. After a moment Kerrice shut it off but Glam did not take his gaze off of Kerrice.
Glam snarled at Kerrice "One…day… I w-will get out… and I w-will be f-free…"
Kerrice raised an eyebrow. "That so?"
He hits the switch again and Glam once more shrieked in agony before collapsing from the pain. Kerrice didn’t turn it off and had decided that Glam was more trouble than he was worth and decided to incinerate him. He left the room.
The next day all that remained was the shadow pony’s heart. Kerrice had no need of it. He took it and threw it into the swamp where it would sink and be forgotten.
It hit the bottom of the swamp and remained there for five years…
Chapter 3
The heart began to seep an ink like fluid. Bones began to form, followed by organs, veins, and muscles. He felt burning, searing pain as his nerves and muscles were exposed to the air and water. He let out a silent scream of pain as his throat began to form. The grotesque form climbed out of the murky water, skin beginning to form. Glam surfaced.
He pushed his way through the thick underbrush and the muddy, murky swampland. There would be plenty of small creatures to feast on. His nostrils flared and he picked up the scent of something nearby. Something scurried past him only to be snapped up by his powerful jaws. He chewed the small rodent and swallowed, the meat and bones sliding down his throat. It would do for now... but he needed more... much more... he needed pony flesh...
He realized something... he had no idea where he was, much less where the nearest settlement was. He growled in frustration, he needed to find some sign of civilization... only problem was... he had no clue what he was looking for. He had never been outside the lab before now. He simply chose a direction at random and began walking.
The thick foliage didn’t seem to let up as he walked. Insects buzzed by his head but avoided him like the plague. They could tell he was no natural creature. He managed to catch a couple more rodents and devoured them. They didn’t fill him much but they would help stave off his hunger. He didn't care for the whiskers, or the little claws. They tickled going down his throat. But food was food, and he was hungry.
He kept walking, he was still hungry, and cold, and wet, and tired. He would need to find shelter and rest. He found a hollowed out tree that was surprisingly dry. He could barely fit but her managed to get inside and curl up. He fell into an uneasy sleep.
-In a town not far away-
The Earth pony stallion kissed his daughter on the forehead. "Goodnight kiddo." The little Filly smiled at her father. "Goodnight Daddy."
The filly yawned and snuggled into her pillow and drifted off to sleep. The stallion smiled and quietly left the room and closed the door.
The stallion walked into his bedroom where his wife was waiting for him. They smiled at each other and he closed the door behind him. He climbed into bed with his wife and kissed her cheek. They bade each other goodnight.
The filly woke up, she silently put on her cloak and picked up her lantern and sneaked out of her room and out of her house. She headed for the swamp where her friends were going to meet her. They were going to earn their cutie marks for sure this time.
She reached the edge of the swamp, the ancient trees and moss loomed over her. Her friends were there waiting for her. A pegasus colt and a unicorn filly, each carrying lanterns and wearing cloaks.
The Pegasus hopped about excitedly. "We’re gonna earn out cutie marks for sure this time!"
It began to rain, and the three foals were still seperated and still lost. The Filly was cold, afraid, and alone. She wandered aimlessly through the swamp.
Every so often, an animal would scurry away, making her jump. She looked went into a gallop, trying desperatly to find a way out, but everything looked the same to her. Eventually she gave up on finding a way out and instead looked for somplace to get out of the rain. She soon came across a hollowed out tree that seemed dry and sheltered. She huddled inside.
A pair of red eyes peered down at her, a set of deadly jaws gleaming in the darkness. The Filly's eyes went wide and she screamed, quickly getting to her hooves and sprinting out of the tree.
She ran, and ran, slipping occasionally from the mud. Her cloak occasionally getting cought in a tree branch or shrub, making it tear. She ran and ran and ran, her lungs begginging to burn, her little legs begining to ache, but no matter how fast she ran, she could hear its hoove steps behind her, getting closer.
She tripped over a tree root and tumbled head over hoof and landed face first in the mud.
She could feel hot breath on the back of her neck. She slowly turned to see Glam's deadly jaws open. And then, everything stopped.
Glam tore into the filly's flesh hungrily, savoring the texture of her meat and the copperish taste of her blood.
Chapter 4
He continued to strip her corpse of flesh until nothing remained but a bloody pile of bones. He ran his long tongue over his muzzle and teeth, cleaning the blood off. He was full, and satisfied.
He sniffed the air, searching for the fillies scent. It was time to leave this accursed swamp.
He started to go back in the direction of the hollowed out tree, that is where the trail would start. When he arrived and sniffed around again, making sure the scent was still there. Fortunately it was.
He began to follow the Fillies trail out of the swamp, occasionally picking off a rodent. No sense wasting food. He picked up the scent of other ponies, perhaps she hadn't entered the swamp alone. It didn't matter, it simply made navigating out of the swamp easier for him.
Soon he was at the edge of the swamp, a small town in the distance. He smirked, a hungry look in his eye. It was like somepony had set him in front of an all you can eat buffet. But he'd have to be careful, he was still vulnerable.
He continued onward, using the cover of night to conceal him. He wandered the town, keeping to the shadows. Occasionally noticing movement in the little houses. He had never seen a town before, or any sort of civilization for that matter. He noticed one house imparticular. He glanced in the window. Inside was a family, two foals and a mare and stallion. They were sitting in front of a fire, talking. The fire reminded him of how cold he was, but he wasn't that desperate yet. He hated fire. A LOT.
He wondered what it would be like, to be shown affection, the way those ponies were showing those foals. It didn't matter, they were food, nothing more. He continued on his way.
He soon found an abandoned house. It was falling apart, but it was dry at least and kept the wind out. He shook himself off and lay in the corner. He was tired, and had a whole Filly to digest. He fell into an uneasy sleep.
Metal. Rust. Chains. Blood. Sirens. Screams. That's what first entered his mind.
He looked around him. The walls were metal mesh, rusted pipes behind them. The floor was rusted metal slabs, there suspicious red stains here and there. Chains hung from above him, although he couldn't see the ceiling, only darkness. Each chain ended in a rusted, painful looking hook. On one chain, hung a long dead pony, decay already claiming much of its features. He could hear a Siren blare from somewhere in the distance, screams of ponies in pain sending chills of pleasure down his spine. He wasn't sure where he was, but he liked it.
He heard hoof steps behind him, he slowly turned around to see a grossly disfigured unicorn with a broken horn and skin that looked like rotting leather. Its eyes sewn shut, and its mouth in a twisted, chilling smile, its teeth were yellow and stained with blood. It was much taller than he was. He backed away and it simply kept approaching him.
Glam backed into a wall, and the twisted unicorn stopped in front of him. "Nothing... but a failed experiment..." It summoned a scalpel and slit Glam's throat.
Glam awoke with a start. He was soaked with sweat and looked around frantically, sighing in relief to still be in the abandoned house. Light poured in from the broken windows, and the holes in the walls and ceiling. He peered out and quickly jerked back. The light was blinding to him, painful even. He gave his eyes time to adjust and peered out again. It was still painfully bright, but his eyes slowly adjusted to the light. He saw countless ponies, in a multitude of colors and sizes.
They all seemed troubled by something, all of them speaking in hushed tones. It didn't matter, they were just food after all.
Several of the villagers had gathered together at the town hall. All of them with worried looks on their faces. A particularly worried Stallion and Mare were near the front of the group. A stallion approached and placed a torn and blood soaked cloak infront of the pair.
"Is this your daughters?" He had a sympathetic look on his face. The Mare slowly picked up the cloak with her hoof and examined it closely, she then broke into sobs.
"Y-yes... it's... it's my little filly's cloak..." The crowed all wore worried and sympathetic looks. The mayor stepped forward. "We will find whatever did this. Our foals are not safe so long as this killer is on the loose..." The crowed nodded in agreement.
After discussing things a little longer, the crowed dissapated and went back to their respective homes. The Stallion and the Mare sadly returned home. The Mare sobbed throughout the night while the Stallion tried to comfort her, dispite his own broken heart. They eventually fell asleep, both filled with sadness.
Glam awoke. It was nighttime. Time to hunt, time to explore this new place that was full of potential meals. He licked his lips hungrily and peered out of one of the holes in the wall of the abandoned house. The coast was clear.
He crept out of the buidling and kept to the shadows. He could smell so many ponies, so many foals, so much FOOD. His mouth began to water at the thought of another meal as bountiful as the one he had in the swamp.
He walked past several houses, most of them were pitch black inside, all of the ponies inside asleep. He stopped by one imparticular. All the lights were off, save one. He crept around the back of the house and cautiously peered into the window. Two foals were quietly whispering to talking, a candle between them.
"Did you hear? The filly down the street got eaten." The colt shivered. "Can you imagine?" The slightly younger colt sighed sadly. "It's really sad... she was such a nice filly..."
Glam smirked, this was an excellent opportunity. However, he only needed one foal, and both would supply him with pleanty of screams before he had to escape. He'd have to be quick though.
He began to meld with the shadows, and slithered from one to the other until he was under one of the beds, his red eyes glowing ominously in the shadows. One of the colts' eyes went wide. "M-m-m-m-" The other raises his eyebrow. "You okay?" The first pointed his hoof to the bed behind him. He slowly turned his head, only to end up face to face with a set of razor sharp teeth.
Everypony heard the screams. The parents of the colts awoke with a start and hurried to their room. All they found is one of the foals in the fetal position, his eyes wide with fear, shaking uncontrollably, and a trail of blood leading to the window.
"Th-th-the f-foal s-snatcher...." Both parents quickly looked to each other, one scooped up their son and they ran out of the house. Many of the locals rushed towards the town hall, fearing for the lives of their foals. The mayor tried to calm the crowed.
"Mares, Stallions, please listen, we've already sent word to capital, but it will be days before help arrives. All we can do is lock our doors and leave the lights on. Stay together as a family, do not sleep alone, do not leave your foals unattended. The only report we have is from a fear stricken foal. But we will do all we can to stop this... "Foal Snatcher" before anymore of our foals are taken from us." The crowed began to murmur worridly before dissapating. Some families staying with their neighbors, hoping that larger numbers would deter the so called "Foal Snatcher".
Meanwhile, in the abandoned house, the "Foal Snatcher" was ripping the flesh from the bones of his kill. He tore into the flesh hungrily, savoring every mouthful. He had heard most of what the mayor had said.
"Foal Snatcher, eh? I think I like the sound of that..." He snickered then went back to devouring the dead colt. This village may be more entertaining than he thought.
