The most violent scene in the story · 7:36am Feb 23rd, 2019
Remember how I said that the end of Chapter 6 was the most violent part?
I was wrong. The end of Chapter 7 turned out to be the most violent part in the entire story. The good news is, there's nothing in the outline that could possibly justify that level of violence for the rest of the story, so if it bugs some of you readers, you're seeing the worst of it. (Like I said, this wasn't intended to be a violent story, it's just that sometimes violence ends up being semi-necessary to the plot)
Anyway, I'm gonna aim to complete this final proofreading pass of it this weekend, so hopefully you'll have the end of Chapter 7 to entertain you next week, and I've already written ahead a fair deal, so hopefully Chapter 8 comes quicker than this. Chapters 9 and 10 are mostly written too, if I remember correctly, so... Hooves crossed on completing this in a timely manner?
In the meantime, have a spoiler!
They rounded a corner, and the air became heavier. It was no longer freezing, but somehow more... claustrophobic.
They peeked around doors into ancient, disused rooms, some with the things from the guards once stationed here.
In the mess hall, a few ponies, clad in jewelry that had barely kept its shine, were now skeletons, their bodies bent over ceramic bowls which now held dust.
Rainbow was confused, “Did... Did they just die there? Eating their oats?”
Flash walked over to a group, his eyes narrowing as he approached, “These don’t look like soldiers...” he looked closer at the jewlery, “...nightmare moon?”
Rainbow glanced about, “I guess this isn’t the first group of evildoers to use this place.”
“Whatever they were here for, it’s ancient history now. We can figure out what it was. Let’s get down there.” Twilight said.
Fluttershy gasped.
They all looked at her as her body rose and fell with terrified breaths.
“I... I saw one of them... turn to... to look at you!”
They all froze. Not one of them made a sound. And that’s when they realized, it was no longer silent.
Behind the bricks, they heard a whispering... like a thousand mouths joined in voiceless screaming.
“Everypony...” Twilight hissed, wings raised defensively “Walk slowly towards the door with me...”
They all moved carefully, staying very clear of the skeletons, which they could swear they heard creaking ever so slightly, as if they were trying to come back to life without flesh.
All of the ponies bunched up in the back, moving through the door on the other end of the room, where Twilight picked up an empty bench and took it through with her, shutting the door behind them and barring it, placing the bench against it to keep it shut.
They all breathed a sigh of relief, trying not to think too hard about the shuffling noises they could now hear from the other side as they turned to keep walking, eager to put distance between them and that cafeteria. They found a flight of stairs, and quickly descended them. Unfortunately, these only went down one flight, putting them in yet another hall.
Rainbow scowled, “Ugh... Are you serious? Who designs a castle this hard to get around in?”
“I’m not sure this is the original layout...” Flash admitted, moving on, “That trap near the entrance wasn’t something we’d’ve put in, and you’re right, something’s really off about the layout.”
Pinkie Pie slowed, “hey, does anypony feel like we’re being watched? Like...” she glanced down at her left hoof, which was giving an odd twitch. “It’s been doing that ever since we came in this hall, but that one means that there’s something scary I don’t see...” she looked up at the others, “And it’s in the same room as me.”
All of them slowed, glancing about.
“You got a direction on that one, Pinks?” Rainbow growled as she pointed a blade at the hallway behind them.
“Yeah...” Pinkie gulped as she shrunk inward, trying to make her body smaller, “All around us...”
Fluttershy backed away, accidentally bumping against the wall.
It had a slight give to it, as if the stone was being held in place by something squishy.
She turned her head and immediately wished she hadn’t.
It was shriveled dry, bloodshot, an eyeball sunken into the wall, staring back at her.
It twitched.
She let out a squeal of terror, hooves flailing as she sprung away, smacking into the other wall and bouncing off of it, some of the bricks falling away with the sickly sound of a stone unsticking itself from mud. Behind it, something living shifted and oozed a sickly rotted blood.
Rainbow’s eyes widened, and she reflexively jammed a sword into the wall with a growl.
Around them, the walls gave a shudder of agony, the bricks loosening and moving about, as if . Mortar crumbled to dust and poured in around them, and the bricks started to peel away, revealing a gangrenous flesh growing, pulsing, bleeding behind the old walls.
“WHAT IN TARTARUS?!” Rainbow shrieked as she yanked away, shaking the ick from her sword.
Twilight bolted “RUN!!”
They rushed through the spasming hallway, which moaned like a cult of heretic on the racks.
Pinkie shot out in front, pointing with a forehoof as she ran, “Look! Stairs!!”
They turned down that hallway, rushing for the opening as the cloud of crumbling bricks gave chase.
From the stairwell, something, white and shaped more like a clump of claws than a real hand, raised itself into view. A pale head, with a mane of dinge and teeth like broken bones came into view. It let out a guttural hiss, ribs protruding from its rotting chest, as two others moved in to join it.
Their hooves skidded on the bricks as they slowed in disgust.
“What ARE those things?!” Rainbow nearly gagged.
Twilight let out a howl, a blast of light firing from her horn, tearing through the undead creatures and turning them into lumps to be trampled. Behind them, the wailing continued, and they could hear the door from the mess hall above caving in. They kept running, for it was all that they could do, descending deeper down into this pit of horrors...
...FLESHY FLESHY FLESHY FLESHY FLESHY FLESHY FLESHY...
Cool to know that the next update should come soon
I did not read the spoiler so I can't give any feedback on that. But since you justified a lot of violence I can guess the next chapter is going to be an interesting read
Mmm
FLESHY GOES SQUIIIIIIIIISH
5018746
Oh, this isn't the violent part, the violent part is near the end of the chapter, and I like to think it's been pretty well foreshadowed. This is just some creepy stuff that happens when I start writing horrific locations.
Note to self: needs more horse noises.