//------------------------------// // The Sculpture // Story: Welcome to The SCP Foundation // by Talentless_Brony //------------------------------// “You ready?” Twilight checked her bag for the fourth time before nodding back to her orange coated friend. It was a slight past nine, with the sun just hovering in the east as it cast a shadow upon the road to Canterlot Castle. Just the same as last time, Celestia met the two ponies at the front gate greeting them cordially. They stood for a bit as Twilight began to carry on about magical things, and spells she had improved at to Princess Celestia while the Canterlot Castle gradually morphed into the entry chamber for the facility. This room, though, had just an automatic door that opened up to a chamber about the size of Twilight’s library. It had large reinforced steel doors, such as the other vaults, with a hoof scanner to the right of it. A catwalk stood in front of them with ponies in leather-like armor holding rifles. The catwalk then had a hallway that dipped back into a room as well. Celestia spoke to the two friends as they turned to her, “This is your station until told otherwise. I have other matters to attend to at the moment, but I will check up on you occasionally.” She then hugged Twilight, and nodded to AJ as the chamber door shut back. “Wow,” Twilight looked around the heavily guarded chamber, “What could they possibly be holding in here that’s so dangerous?” “Hey!” A unicorn in a white lab coat near the door under the catwalk, waved at Twi and AJ. “Don’t just stand there! Get over here!” Glancing at each other the two trotted to the unicorn. He looked them both up and down, “I assume you’re the newbies.” “Yup” Applejack replied. Not wasting any time, the unicorn magicked two orange jumps suits at them. “Put these on. I’ll take your bag, you can keep the hat. Come on.” His constant rushing made Applejack fumble a bit, but she managed to put her jumpsuit on. Twilight put hers on no problem. “Class D?” AJ asked looking down at her chest. The unicorn pointed to the huge reinforced steel doors, “Go stand there. Do as you’re instructed and only as you’re instructed.” He teleported off before Twilight or Applejack could say anything. They shrugged it off figuring that they were in a hurry to get things done, and headed to the doors waiting for instruction. Two other ponies stood alongside them wearing similar jumpsuits. The sound of metal tearing, gears rolling, and cogs twisting as the doors opened to a very simple looking sculpture standing against the back left corner of the room. It stood about nine or ten feet easily. What was assumed to be the hands were just rounded off held outward to hold itself up. The head was facing towards the chamber doors looking directly at them, but there wasn’t really a face for the sculpture. On the “face” of the sculpture stood two bulbous, green spheres with equally round black spheres that sat underneath it. The rest of the face was covered with what looked like blood at first glance. By itself, the sculpture wasn’t bad at all, but the room it stood in was disturbing. Cracks and scuffs in the walls, dents in the rebar supports. This room looked like it had just been through war. The guards on the catwalk behind them began shouting at one another, not taking their eyes off of the entrance. A voice came from a speaker in the wall, “All Class D’s move into the containment chamber.” Everyone moved except Applejack. Twilight stopped at the edge of the chamber. “Come on Applejack. This should be interesting.” She tried to give a reassuring smile. The guards’ shouting became a bit more frantic. “Twi.” Applejack had a hint of fear in her voice, “I’m not gettin’ in there with that thang.” Twilight’s smile changed to a concerned frown. “Why not?” Several loud clicks were heard as the two of the armed guards trained their rifles onto the orange mare, the others keeping their sights on the chamber entrance, “All Class D’s move into the containment chamber or you will be terminated immediately.” Twilight looked around frantically, “What?!” “What in tarnation?! What d’ya mean ‘terminated’?” “You have three seconds to comply.” Cursing into the air, Applejack forced herself into the room cringing at the sound of the heavy steel doors shutting behind her. She stood next to Twilight half breathed, half puked. The smell in this room was horrid. The voice came back over the speakers, “All subjects please step forward.” The four ponies did as they were told, still looking at the statue. Applejack gulped a little louder than she meant to, grabbing Twilight’s attention who just simply patted her friends back as an attempt to make her feel better. Something didn’t sit right with AJ. This room. The statue. None of it. Something in her chest was pushing at her to get out. Everypony jumped at the sound of the door opening again. Sounds of surprise and question flooded the outer part of the chamber. The voice came back over the intercom, “All subjects do not break eye contact with SCP-173. I repeat, DO NOT break-“ The room turned dark. A series of loud snaps, a bloodcurdling scream and the lights flickered back on. One of the ponies in the chamber had been killed, and the statue stood just next to it. Darkness once again, as another gut-wrenching crack was heard. The lights flickered back on again. On instinct, Applejack had placed a hoof on Twilight as to not lose track of her. “Twilight?” She turned towards the door, tugging on her lavender friend. “Twilight we’ve gotta go!” All she received in response was a choked whimper. Applejack looked back, fear almost freezing her into place. A dead body lay right next to Twilight, and the sculpture was in front of it. The sculpture was in front of her. “What are ya doin?! Come on!” Applejack tugged harder. Twilight didn’t move. “They said maintain eye contact. It hasn’t moved since I’ve been looking at it.” A moment of silence swished by, “Applejack. Look at it so I can blink.” “Will that really make any-“ “Just do it.” Twilight spoke as calmly as she could. Applejack hesitantly looked up at the statue. “Okay.” Applejack breathed. “Go ahead and blink.” Not even thinking about it or realizing what she had done, Applejack had blinked the same time she finished saying the actual word. Her eyes opened to her friend held in the air, struggling to breathe and barely holding on, but still not breaking any eye contact. The statue had a firm hold on her throat. But it was loose enough for a kick to the head to break the hold. “Hold on Twi!” Applejack furiously fought the need to blink as she grabbed Twilight around the chest, and kicked hard into the head of the statue. It didn’t budge an inch. Both of the ponies hit the ground with a hard thud. Applejack got back up onto her hooves as her lavender friend caught her breath. “I’m sorry Twi. I really am.” She said fighting her urge to blink. “Don’t worry about it.” She took a deep breath. “Go ahead. Blink.” AJ did so thankfully. “Alright. We’re gonna half ta tell each other we’re ‘bout ta blink.” Twilight nodded, “The one who’s not looking at it will guide the other to the door. I’ll scout first.” “Gotcha.” Applejack began to walk backwards at a very brisk pace, keeping her eyes deadlocked on the statue and allowing Twilight to move her as needed. A twitch at her eye, Applejack allowed her friend to take watch, guiding her by moving her flank as needed. Another cycle and they were out of the chamber moving slowly towards the door under the catwalk. The sculpture was virtually out of sight. “Through here.” Twilight urged her friend, pressing her hoof on a red button to open an automatic metal door. Hearing the door shut and lock, both the mares took in a breath of relief. That relief was short lived when just the faintest sound of scratching on the door tipped their ears. It wasn’t even scratching. It was like somepony rubbing concrete against steel. “It can’t open the door?” Applejack gave a small laugh. “Who’da thought it couldn’t open doors.” Twilight frowned at her jest, “This is hardly the time for joking. We need to find Princess Celestia. She’ll know what to do.” “Not like we got much choice, sugarcube.” Applejack looked down the hallway before them, “Let’s get a move on.” With a nod from Twilight, they started down the hallway with caution. A little ways down the hall, Applejack’s attention came to a door less storage room. She looked to Twilight for approval that was soon given, and walked into the room. There was a various assortment of gas masks and filters, along with a document that lay on top of them. Twilight grabbed the document with her magic, “What is this?” She paced over the paper for a moment. Then gasped, her face in a form of sudden realization. “Applejack, Come look at this.” Applejack did so, tossing a gas mask over her head and letting it dangle on the back of her neck, “What’s that?” “This document is about that thing. That… Statue. See?” Twilight pointed to the title of the page. She then dragged the tip of her hoof down past the first paragraph labeled ‘Special Containment Procedures.’ To the one labeled ‘Description’. The paragraph read: ----------------------------------------------------------------------------- “Origin is as of yet unknown. It is constructed from concrete and rebar with traces of Krylon brand spray paint. SCP-173 is animate and extremely hostile. The object cannot move while within a direct line of sight. Line of sight must not be broken at any time with SCP-173. Personnel assigned to enter container are instructed to alert one another before blinking. Object is reported to attack by snapping the neck at the base of the skull, or by strangulation.” A coffee stain blocked off a few sentences or so. “Personnel report sounds of scraping stone originating from within the container when no one is present inside. The reddish brown substance on the floor is a combination of feces and blood. Origin of these materials is unknown.” ----------------------------------------------------------------------------- Applejack and Twilight both looked down at their hooves, then back at one another. “Y’know. Fer once I’m real worried ‘bout where ma hooves have been.” Applejack deadpanned. Twilight gagged, “Had I known that’s what I was standing in… Oh Celestia, that’s nasty!” They both stood for a moment and scraped the excrement from their hooves as best they could. Applejack finished before Twilight, but the sound of her scraping the concrete floor was— Wait. Scraping concrete. “Twilight?” “Yeah?” “Are ya’ still scrapin’ yur’ hooves off?” “No. I actually finished a bit ago.” Applejack’s heart lurched in fear, “We’ve gotta move!” She burst out of the room back to the hallway, galloping as fast as she could to the door that stood at the end of it. Hoofing the button, she looked behind her to see if Twilight had kept up. She was nowhere to be seen. “Twilight?” Silence. “Twilight?!” A light clopping came from the darkness in the hallway. “TWILIGHT?” Just barely, on the edge of the darkness, shown a dark blue tail followed by lavender legs and backside. Seconds later, her whole body came into view, but she kept her eyes looking straight down the hallway. Then she stopped. “What are you waiting for Twilight?!” Applejack yelled to her friend, “Come on!” “What is behind you? Describe it to me.” Twilight yelled back, staying perfectly still. The apple marked mare looked behind herself then back to Twilight, “Just white walls and a concrete floor.” “I need you to be a bit more specific.” AJ face hoofed, “That’s all there is Twi! White walls an’ a concrete floor! Stop messin’ round an’ GET A MOVE ON!” “Shut the door!” “WHAT?!” Applejack almost burst forward instinctively. “Just trust me! Shut the door!” Applejack wanted to protest, but this was no time for an argument, much less an explanation. “Fine. If that’s how ya’ wan’ it.” With that, she hoofed the button once more, closing the door in front of herself. Applejack placed her ear on the door, to no avail. She could barely hear a voice mumbling on the other side of the door. She heard a moderately audible pop, then a scream; a bloodcurdling scream that just wouldn’t stop. ‘No. No, no, no, no, no. Com’ on. Get to tha door.’ Applejack thought, and for once actually unable to muster the courage to open the door back up. She began to sweat bullets as she listened to her friends screams become louder, more frantic. A loud crack sought to the end of the squalling. “No.” Applejack fell back onto her flank in shock. “There was… No it couldn’t have…” She sat there with no clue on what to do next, tears beginning to roll down her face. The now ever-so-familiar sound of concrete scraping on metal filled the hallway she sat in. Anger caught up to her before common sense did. “SHUT UP!” The scraping ceased. Applejack sniffled, standing up and collecting herself. “I’m gonna find a way ta stop you. So help me Celestia I will.” Hard, intermittent banging came from the door. Assuming that was her cue to get away from the door, Applejack galloped down the hallway with great speed. Only to skid to a halt at something she didn’t want to believe happened. Something had sprinted past her line of vision through the walls of the hallway, leaving a black indention behind it. The indention seemed as if it was a hole through the wall, due to some type of goo flowing outward from the point of entry. Applejack took a closer look to find that they didn’t lead anywhere, nowhere at all. “What in tar-“, her sentence was interrupted by something just within her range of hearing. Some sort of garbled talking it seemed. It was coming from the hole. She moved her head closer in an attempt to understand it, which showed no progress. Eager to get out but to stay alive as well, Applejack continued to the door at the end of the hallway. What she opened the door up to, was the last thing she wanted to see.