//------------------------------// // Chapter 16: A Factory of Screams // Story: Hearts of Harmony // by Legrio //------------------------------// Twilight walked up to the front desk in the cavernous lobby. What looked to be a female monster with one eye and snakes for hair was answering phones. “Excuse me?” The secretary held up a thin limb in the universal sign for ‘just one moment!’, so Twilight took the opportunity to look around. More monsters were walking around, pulling carts, and going about their jobs. Even after walking through the city, it was a bit bewildering. Finally, the secretary set down her phone and turned to greet them. “Welcome to Monsters, Inc., the largest scream processing facility in the world! I’m Celia,” she introduced herself. Looking the group over, she let out a slight gasp. “Oh, you must be relatives of that new hire we got in recently. What was her name?” She tapped a finger on her chin in thought. “Fluttershy?” Spike helpfully supplied. “Oh, aren’t you just the cutest little thing!” she gushed, before continuing, “And yes, I think Fluttershy was it. Such an odd name. My boyfriend, Mike, was so nice! He helped her get set up in an apartment in town and got her a job at the factory infirmary.” “Well, that explains what she’s doin’ here,” Applejack muttered, to the nods of her friends. “Um, could you get someone to show us there?” Twilight asked, “It’s really urgent, we have some important news for her.” “Well, normally we don’t allow visitors on the facility grounds, but I suppose this qualifies as an emergency.” The secretary made a quick call and soon another monster came out to take her place. “Here, I’ll show you the way myself.” “Oh, you don’t have to do that. I wouldn’t want to take you away from your work,” the keyblade wielder demurred. “It’s no trouble at all,” Celia said, leading them down a nearby corridor. Once they were out of hearing range of the front desk, she leaned down to whisper, “Besides, it gets me out of answering the phones for a while!” Soon, they stood outside of a big double door with a red cross painted on them. The word “INFIRMARY” was painted on the wall above above in big blocky letters. “Well, I’ve got to get back. Bye!” The snake-haired monster began slithering away. “Thanks, Celia!” the keyblade wielder called. After she was out of sight, Twilight let out a sigh. “Well, let’s go.” With that, she went to push doors but instead they flew open on their own, nearly slamming into her! A tall lizard-like monster strode through. He had eight limbs, with bandages tied around a couple of them. “What are you looking at?!” he growled, fixing Twilight with a deadly glare before pushing past her. “Twi’, that’s the voice from earlier!” Rainbow Dash whispered as the reptilian monster stalked down the corridor. “Should we get him?” The unicorn shook her head. “No, not right now. We can’t confront him where other people could see. He could summon more Heartless and people could get hurt. Besides, I want to check to see if Fluttershy is actually here or not first.” “Well, no point in just dallyin’ out here then.” Applejack pushed open the infirmary doors to reveal a clean and orderly room. Near one end, a yellow pegasus tended to a small cut on a rather chubby slug creature while a brownish monster fretted nearby. After a moment, the pegasus finished up, gently placing a bandage on the wound. “Thanks a lot, Miss Fluttershy!” he said, ambling off with his friend. “It’s no trouble at all,” she softly murmured, “I’m just happy to help.” After the duo had gone, the group of Equestrians finally rushed forward. “Fluttershy!” “Eep!” The yellow pegasus dove under a nearby bed. “Um, Fluttershy, we’re your friends, remember?” Twilight said, laying down to talk to the frightened mare. “Oh, I’m sorry,” she said, crawling out from under the bed. “You just startled me.” A smile slowly spread across her face. “I just,” she sniffed, “I never thought I’d see another pony again!” A few tears dripped down her face as she embraced the others. A few moments later, Applejack asked, “So, how’d ya end up here workin’ in the infirmary of a scream factory? Ah’d think the name alone’d be enough ta scare ya off!” “Well, after we confronted Nightmare Moon I woke up in the streets of the city. Two monsters, Mike and Sully, found me on the way home from their work here at the plant. I was scared at first, but the people here aren’t really monsters, they just look like them. They took me home with them and gave me a place to stay, explaining how things here worked.” She blushed slightly in embarrassment. “I was pretty mad when they told me that their job was to scare human children, but I understand it’s just like the little animals who have to eat other animals to survive. They don’t have much of a choice, and it’s not like they really hurt the children or anything.” “But... what do they do with the screams?” the farmpony asked. “Well, I’m not sure exactly how it works, but I think it’s how they power the city, only now they’re running low. But anyways, they took me to the factory in the morning and talked their boss, Mr. Waternoose, into giving me a job here at the infirmary.” “Hey, do you want to hear what happened to us?” Rainbow Dash asked. “‘cause my part is totally awesome!” “Oh yes, I’d love to!” Fluttershy exclaimed, settling down to listen... --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- “And that’s how I blew away Hades!” Rainbow Dash exclaimed. “Oh my, it sounds like you’ve all had quite a bit of an adventure already,” the other pegasus said, organizing a few bottles of medicine. Twilight laughed lightly, toying with her keyblade. “I guess we have. I know we’ve only been out here for a few days, but it seems like years since we were back in Ponyville.” She let her weapon vanish into sparkling light. “Oh, I was wondering something. We got into a fight with someone on the way here. Whoever it was, he had the same voice as the lizard monster who left just before we came in. Who was he?” “Oh, that was Randall Boggs.” She shuddered slightly. “He’s a Scarer here at the factory.” “Is somethin’ wrong?” Applejack asked, laying a hoof around her shoulders comfortingly. “Did he threaten you?” “No, not exactly,” she replied, shaking her head. “It’s just, whenever he’s around I feel really cold. Mr. Boggs was really mad when he came in earlier, and he had several bruises and cuts on his arms.” “Hm, so I did get him after all.” A knock on the infirmary’s door shook Twilight out of her thoughts. “Fluttershy? Are you in there?” A voice from outside asked. “We’re here for that check-up we talked about last night.” “Um, yes, I’m here.” “Oh, good.” A large, blue-furred monster stepped into the room holding a strange little creature. “Er, I thought we’d be alone,” he nervously said, catching sight of the Equestrians in the room. The small monster in his arms began to struggle. “Boo, come on, sit still!” “Pony!” the little creature suddenly exclaimed in a child’s voice, slipping from the larger monster’s grasp. It ran forward excitedly before tripping. “Owie!” The creature’s ‘head’ slipped back, revealing itself as a little human girl wearing a costume. “Huh?” Rainbow Dash tilted her head quizzically. “A baby?” Fluttershy quickly moved to scoop up the crying child. “Shh, hush now, it’s alright,” she soothed the little girl. The toddler soon stopped, gazing up at the yellow pegasus in excitement and wonder. The large, blue monster rubbed the back of his head awkwardly. “Well, I guess my secret’s out. The names’s James P. Sullivan, though my friends call me Sully. Let me guess, you ladies are from this.... Equestria too?” Spike raised an eyebrow. “Sorry, ladies and guy,” he corrected. “Er,” Twilight stalled, thinking. “Well, I guess there’s no harm since Fluttershy apparently already told him about it.” Talking aloud, she continued, “Yes, we are. We’re here to bring our friend back home.” “And... you’re not afraid of humans?” he asked, watching the yellow pegasus examine the little girl. “Well, I was at first, but not anymore. I’ve met several humans and they’ve all helped me a lot,” the keyblade wielder replied, her friends nodding. “Oh, I’m Twilight Sparkle, this is my assistant Spike, and my friends, Rainbow Dash and Applejack.” They waved. “Nice to meet you all. Um, could you guys not tell anyone I have a human here? I could get into some big trouble for this,” Sully asked. Applejack shrugged. “Don’t make no difference to us, but why? What’s so bad about having a human here?” “Well, monsters have always believed that humans are dangerous, even poisonous to touch, but you know? I’ve had plenty of contact with little Boo there and I haven’t gotten sick at all,” the big monster said, shaking his head. “I just don’t get it.” Fluttershy finished up her examination of the little girl. “You’re okay, aren’t you?” she said, tickling her patient. She began to giggle and laugh, as the lightbulb above grew brighter and brighter before shattering. The yellow pegasus quickly swept the girl away from the flying shards of glass. “And then there’s that!” Sully exclaimed as Fluttershy directed Applejack to a closet with replacements. “That happened before?” Twilight asked. “Uh huh, last night in our apartment. Blew out every light in the entire building.” “And Boo was laughing then too?” “Yeah,” the big blue monster replied, rubbing his chin thoughtfully. “She was.” “Um, Sully, where’s Mike?” Fluttershy asked, carefully placing Boo on her back where she burbled happily. “Oh, he’s getting the cardkey for Boo’s door so we could put her back where she belongs. He was supposed to meet me here a minute ago, actually. Where is he?” Suddenly, shouts and screams began to filter through the door. Boo shook in fear as the Rainbow Dash shouted, “What’s going on?!” “I don’t know, but I intend to find out.” With that, Sully strode over to the doors and threw them open. A black fist suddenly punched him in the chest, sending the big blue monster flying back. “Heartless!” Twilight gasped. Summoning her keyblade, the unicorn cast a quick thunder spell, zapping the offending Large Body until it disappeared. “What the heck was that?!” Sully asked, jumping to his feet. “They’re called Heartless, horrible creatures that steal people’s hearts,” Twilight explained. “What, seriously?” The unicorn nodded gravely. “We got into a fight with them in the city earlier. Do you know a Randall Boggs?” “Randall? What does he have to do with this?” Sully growled. “That oversized lizard was the one controllin’ them Heartless we fought! Ah bet he’s behind all this!” Applejack said, getting out her weapon. At this, the large monster just scowled. “Fluttershy, are you coming with us?” the keyblade wielder asked the pegasus, who was still holding the little girl. “Um, I think I should,” she said after a moment’s hesitation. She slipped on a small pack near the door. “I don’t know what I’d do if those Heartless come back.” Twilight nodded. “Right. Just stay close to us.” With that, the group left the infirmary behind. The screams grew louder as they ran down the hall... ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- “Gangway!” Sully shouted, charging straight through another group of Heartless that tried to block their way. What the big monster lacked in subtlety, he more than made up for in brute strength, his charge scattering the shadow beasts. Twilight and the others picked the dazed creatures off with ease. “Sully, where does this hall lead?” Twilight asked as they followed the sound of the screams. The blue furred monster wiped sweat from his brow. “The main scream floor,” he grunted. “Why would they be coming from there?” “Um, maybe Randall is using the Heartless to collect lots of screams?” Fluttershy asked as she tried to keep Boo calm. “Naw, that can’t be it. Remember, he said he needed test subjects for some project,” Applejack said. “Whatever it is, I’m putting a stop to it. He’s gone too far this time!” Sully exclaimed, as they rounded a corner and the scream floor came into view. “What the?” Scores of monsters huddled against one of the far walls, several screaming in fear. Powerful Large Bodies loomed over them while humanoid Heartless flew above. Randall stood on the other side of the room, tinkering with a sinister machine that towered over everyone. A monster that looked like a cross between a crab and a spider stood beside him stood beside him with a resigned look on his face. “Mr. Waternoose?” Fluttershy gasped, “What’s he doing over by Randall?” “No way, he can’t be involved in this!” Sully exclaimed. “What’s that?” Rainbow Dash asked, pointing at the large machine. Twilight shook her head. “I don’t know, but whatever it is, I don’t like it.” Suddenly, one of the flying Heartless swooped down, grabbing a yellow skinned monster with one big eye. It dragged the hapless creature over before dropping him into a chair before the machine. “Mike!” Sully shouted, charging into the room. “Oh, it’s you again,” the lizard monster sneered, strapping the struggling Mike in as Twilight and the others walked up to stand beside Sully. “And you managed to survive.” “Let them go!” the keyblade wielder commanded, her keyblade floating beside her. Randall laughed. “And why would I do that after I went to all the trouble of gathering all of these test subjects?” “What’re you trying to do?!” Rainbow Dash demanded, pawing the ground angrily. “I’m putting a stop to this scream energy crisis! Thanks to a... friend of old Waternoose here, I was able to learn a lot about hearts, and how powerful they are!” He clenched one of his hands into a fist. “Just think of the potential! A single heart could power this entire city for a day!” “How could you?!” Fluttershy shouted, walking forward as Boo hid her face in her mane. The mare’s face was a sight to see, twisted in anger. “How could you even think of taking people’s hearts like this! You’re no better than the Heartless themselves!” Randall rolled his eyes as the pegasus turned to the older monster. “And you! Why are helping this, this, jerk! You were nice to me before!” “I never meant for things to come this far,” Mr. Waternoose exclaimed, “But something had to be done! Within a year we’ll be out of power, we can’t keep up with the demand anymore! And I’ll be damned if I let this company die!” A dark aura began to float around his body. “I’ll sacrifice a hundred hearts if that’s what it takes to keep this city alive!” As the dark power seeped into the air around Mr. Waternoose, the Heartless seemed to gravitate towards him. “I’ll do anything it takes!” he bellowed as the dark beasts began merging with his body, shrouding him in inky darkness. “Fluttershy, get back! I don’t think that’s going to... work...” Twilight trailed off, looking up at the burgeoning darkness. A crash rocked the room as eight muscular claws slammed into the ground. The roiling mass of pure darkness solidified into a vast spidery Heartless. Sully practically roared in anger before charging Randall, knocking him away from the extraction machine. Twilight’s keyblade shone beside her as a sense of determination filled the mare. “Fluttershy, get Mike free, we’ll take care of the rest,” she said, pointing at the trapped monster. The yellow pegasus nodded and began pulling back the straps that held him down. “Rainbow, see if you can keep that giant Heartless distracted.” “I’m on it, Twi’!” Flying up, the armored pony began whirling around the massive Heartless’s head. It tried to bite her, but the pegasus was simply too fast, dodging around its mandibles. Seeing that the Heartless was distracted for the moment, the keyblade wielder shouted at the formerly trapped people in the room, “Get out of here, it’s not safe!” The frightened crowd surged towards the doors at her words, leaving the room empty save for the combatants. As the last one left, Twilight turned back to the enormous Heartless. “Applejack, let’s take this thing down! Bindra!” At her words, purple chains erupted from the ground, looping around some of the creature’s legs before dragging them to the ground. The creature stumbled as it tried to bite at Rainbow Dash once more. Seeing her chance, Applejack looped her rope around one of its free legs. With a grunt, she began to pull, forcing the creature’s stance wider and wider until, finally, it tripped. Tipping wildly, the spidery creature fell over, landing on the extraction machine with a jarring crash. Electricity arced through the Heartless, making its limbs jerk wildly. Twilight’s keyblade began to glow once more. “Blizzara!” Shards of ice burst from the tip of her keyblade to slice into the prone spider’s hide, only to harmlessly bounce off instead. “That hide’s too thick! Go fer the eyes!” Applejack shouted, whipping her spiked rope around to strike at the creature’s head. One of the Heartless’s eyes vanished as her weapon struck it. Twilight nodded, casting more bolts of electricity and bursts of fire at the massive Heartless. More of the monster’s eyes vanished under her assault, but it didn’t seem to really hurt it beyond blinding it. As the last of the Heartless’s eyes went out, it began to shudder, gathering strength as an aura of darkness grew about it. Realizing that she needed to put her foe down for good, Twilight began to cast a mighty spell, but something, instinct maybe, made her put up a barrier instead. A crack appeared in the shield of magical energy as Randall appeared, pounding it with his darkness enhanced fists, giving her an idea. “Shatter!” she cried, blasting her barrier outwards. The energy exploded around her, blowing the lizard monster a few feet back. Growling at her, he started to vanish only for Sully to slam into him, sending him flying back into the former Mr. Waternoose. Raw energy began to arc wildly around them as the two dark creatures made contact. The reptilian monster tried to get free, but he seemed to be bonded to the large Heartless somehow. “Let go of me, you cretin!” Randall cried, struggling wildly. The keyblade wielder’s eyes widened as the energy continued to build, sparking dangerously. “Everyone out, they’re gonna explode!” Glancing wildly at each other, everyone ran for the exit...