//------------------------------//
// Act I 
// Story: A Night at Shadow Station 
// by MrNelg 
//------------------------------//

A Night at Shadow Station
By Mr Nelg


At the edge of nowhere, beyond the reach of time,
Where the wind no longer blows, and the moon no longer shines,
And the forest is dead, and covered in vines,
Stands a forgotten old train station, where the clocks no longer chime.

When the Moon is high, and the earth will glow,
Then through the tunnel, to station you'll go.
When you finally get there, you will know,
There are places where evil can freely flow.

The owners are gone, no one really knows why?
But something lurks within its halls, giving mournful cries.
Those foolish enough to visit, will behold with their eyes,
That the Station of Shadows, is still very much alive.

Don't go inside, and wonder its halls,
Don't attempt to follow the playful calls,
Don't try to leave through the forest of walls,
And don't go into the bathroom stalls.

So take heed this warning, and tread lightly with care,
Or you will join the others, permanently living there!

- Old Foals Nursery Rhyme.


The train rattled along west through the darkness of the forest, its shrill whistle piercing the otherwise quiet night air. From the rear of the last carriage, Fluttershy stared out the window with an expression that was a combination of boredom and exhaustion. She was finally returning home after visiting a veterinarian's conference in Manehattan. She had always been meaning to build up the courage to visit one of those and now, after her many adventures with her dear friends, she at last had the confidence to go. It was good to meet others who cared for animals and swap techniques, ideas, natural remedies, and even humorous stories. She'd shaken hooves with famous professionals, rank amateurs, and even the downright quirky.

One mare she'd had the misfortune to run into had been a sales pony representing the Fillydelphia Iron Works. She'd tried to convince Fluttershy that she needed an iron fence after overhearing her discussion about how best to care for bears. Oh, she did not want to let her go. That mare drawled on for at least forty-five minutes about all the uses for iron, ranging from mystical to scientific, before she overheard another conversation that could've been a bigger score than Fluttershy, and that was how she managed to escape her.

She gave an amused sigh. It had been a rather hectic, but none the less enjoyable, weekend that was finally all over. Now, she just wanted to get back home to Ponyville and see all her friends again; particularly Angel Bunny.

She yawned broadly, her jaw cracking from the lack of movement as she idly batted at the empty water bottle that lay beside her. She blinked her eyes a few times and looked out at the passing scenery. What little there was to see of it. It was dark outside, with only the tops of the trees illuminated by Luna's moon which hung high in the night sky, shining proudly down upon the earth bellow. Its friendly glow bathed the surrounding countryside in a calming white hue that appeared to make everything it touched, sparkle and dance with a life of its own. 

The line she'd chosen to ride wasn't the same line she'd taken to Manehatten. This one was more of an indirect route with stops in the remote parts of Equestria, but it was the only train that night stopping at Ponyville. All others heading in that direction were express. Fluttershy did not mind. With the moon so bright, she'd enjoyed seeing what little there was of the new scenery. As she observed the landscape outside, she noticed that the tracks had split off, curving away into the forest. They ended not far away from the main tracks at a buffer stop. However, the tracks themselves continued on, disappearing into the trees.

Fluttershy yawned again. She wondered if she would ever be able to get some sleep. There had been countless times where she'd nearly dozed off, only to be rudely awoken when the train hissed and screeched to a halt at some tiny prairie town, allowing its passengers to disembark. Looking around, she confirmed yet again that she was still the only pony on the train. She hadn't been when the journey started. The train had contained the few ponies who were making their way home at this hour of the night. As the train rattled further and further west, and made stop after stop, their numbers had dwindled away until she remained the only passenger. The last stop had been a tiny little hamlet, where the station had been nothing more than a raised stone platform with a shelter, time table board, two lights and a sign that was barely visible. The last of the trains passengers, a solitary young stallion, had hurried onto the platform. The train didn't stop long before starting up again. At a middle-of-nowhere place like this, you were lucky if the train stopped at all. No more ponies joined her on the train. According to the map on the carriage wall, this was the last stop. It would be a clear run all the way through to Ponyville.

Fluttershy knew the train wasn't going to reach the little town until sometime early in the morning. She had no idea what time it was now and wished that she'd brought a watch. At first, she had not needed it as there were so many big clocks in Manehattan and all the train stations that it hadn't hindered her in the slightest at all. Now the cloak of boredom was beginning to settle across her and although being alone hadn't bothered her the slightest, she was starting to pine for her friends again. Her eyes floated up to her overnight bag, secured up in the rope net that was the trains light baggage compartment. She had only packed the bare essentials for the trip and had foolishly neglected to bring anything of entertainment value. Like a book. 

For what felt like the hundredth time, she wished she had not spent those extra bits so she could've purchased that copy of Better Tree Homes and Gardens, whose cover had so tantalised her back at the Manehattan train station. She had restrained herself from spending all her money because she wanted at least a few bits so she could buy Angel Bunny a treat when she got home for being such a good boy while she was gone. Her eyes turned downwards towards the empty water bottle she been toying with. Maybe she shouldn't have bought that bottle of spring water back at the station: But she had been very thirsty at the time and the label had been so inviting.

She glanced back out the window. Just then the moonlit landscape outside was obscured as the train entered a dark tunnel. With nothing now to look at except the black rocky walls outside, she turned her attention on the interior of the carriage. As her droopy eyes surveyed over the empty seats, she began to wonder if she had bought that magazine, would it be necessary now? Her mind felt sluggish from being awake all night and she was now having trouble focusing on objects at the far end of the carriage. A third yawn escaped her mouth. Laying her head down, she curled up on the train seat.

She closed her eyes yet again, and her ears began to focus on the sounds surrounding her. The train travelled over another joint in the tracks, but this time it did not jolt her eyes open. Her body started to relax as her breathing slowed down. Her mind was now solely devoted to concentrating on the noises of the train. The rhythmic clicking of the trains wheels as they regularly turned under the power of the locomotive. The soft hissing of the pistons as the wheels chugged along. The slight creaking of the light bulbs as they swung with the gentle rocking of the carriage. She sighed contentedly and never paid any attention when the lights flickered out and refused to turn back on. The darkness only made her tired body relax even more. Curled up on the train seat she finally managed to fall into a deep, peaceful sleep.


***


The train doors slid open with a loud bag which reverberated around the entire carriage. Fluttershy awoke with a start, her head shooting up and her eyes darting around in every direction like a panicked animal. The first thing she was aware of was that the train had stopped. The second thing she was aware of was that she was now at a train station.

“Oh my,” she gasped, jumping off the seat and landing on all four hooves with an audible thud. “We're here already?” As she prepared to fly up to the light baggage compartment to fetch her overnight bag, she stopped. The third thing she was aware of was that it was still night outside.

Fluttershy blinked in confused curiosity and walked over to the window, peering out. The train stations lights were beaming brightly outside, but beyond the edges of their yellow glow, she could perfectly see the inky blackness of the night. Her eyes narrowed in confusion. This wasn't right. She knew that the train was to get into Ponyville Station in the early morning, but Celestias sun should at least be showing some of its warming golden rays, peaking over the tips of the mountain ranges.

She pressed her face up against the window to look at the station for any signs of identification. She spied a large, dilapidated white sign with a green border, containing green lettering that arched across an entrance way to a tunnel. Unfortunately, many of the letters were broken beyond recognition or had simply fallen off and had failed to be replaced. What had once been a proud sign, welcoming visitors to the station, now only displayed the incomprehensible, 'Wasuremono.'

Now Fluttershy's brow twisted in confusion. She'd never heard of that town before. Come to think of it, the map made no mention of there being a station between Ponyville and the last one. A quick check of the map confirmed that was true. After a few unsure blinks, she quickly shrugged it aside. Stop over or no stop over, this wasn't her station. She'd just have to wait for the passengers to embark and the train to start moving again.

She was about to sit down when she paused. Another unusual sight, which she'd rather embarrassingly failed to notice until now, was that the platform was devoid of all life. Again, she pressed her face up against the window as her eyes scanned up and down the length of the platform. Not one pony was present. Of course, the logical answer that jumped up and down was that every pony had either boarded or left the station. However, a more thorough examination left Fluttershy with the impression that no pony had even set hoof on this platform in a good many years. Possibly, even before she was born.

Her limbs were slightly trembling as she leaned away from the window to look back at all the seats. She was still alone. She felt her head subconsciously shrinking back into her mane, a habit she always did when frightened. It reminded her of that horrible night she was lost in the Cloudsdale art museum. She'd been so enraptured by the beautiful and colourful pictures of animals, that she'd accidentally wandered away from her parents, just as the museum was closing down for the night. She been locked in, and started to panic once all the lights went out. She could still vividly remember walking through the empty halls of the gallery, her hoof steps echoing loudly on the floor. Once or twice, she heard a distant noise, like some unseen monster was stalking her. She had run away from the sounds, but the sounds kept following her everywhere she ran. Her paniced flight took her into the art wing where she coward under the watchful eyes of the portraits of Pegasi that lined the walls. Rushing through the deserted lenghty halls, she had imagined that they were watching her, waiting till her back was turned so that they could leap out, grab her and drag her into the paintings with them.

It all came to a nerve jarring end when she left the portite gallery and found herself in a room full of sculptures.  There, she ran head long into a massive statue of a grotesque looking diamond dog, looming over her ready to strike.  She'd screamed louder than she ever remembered in her entire life. Then the lights all came on, revealing the statue as that of a Pharaoh Hound Diamond Dog God from that respective species culture.

Of course, now that she was older and wiser she knew that it had just been her imagination running wild in the dark. The sounds of the unseen monster that was stalking her ended up being a security guard sent to find her by her frantic parents. Now these fears of being alone in the museum were returning, and she felt like that terrified filly all over again. Getting up on shaking legs, she hesitantly walked down the carpeted aisle towards the doors that separated her carriage from the next. She passed through the first door, and walking up to the next one, cautiously peeked in through the window. This carriage was as empty as her own. She pushed open the door and stepped inside. A quick survey confirmed what she'd seen from the window, that it was still empty. She walked down the aisle of the carriage towards the next one, and peeked in through its window. The same empty sight greeted her.

She pushed opened the door and walked all the way to the end. Now she was at the very front of the train. There was nowhere left to go, but either back the way she'd come, or out onto the platform. Casting a look over at one of the doors, she trotted over to it, and tested the handle experimentally. The door slid opened with a loud thump, which echoed into the night. Fluttershy took a frightened step back as it did so. She looked up from the door to stare out at the empty station platform. She really didn't want to go out there. Her limbs were trembling with trepidation at the thought of being out there; Alone. Then an idea appeared before her.  Maybe she wouldn't have to. If there were somepony here, she could call out to them from the safety of the train. Swallowing the nervous lump in her throat, she slowly and cautiously stuck her head out.

Just as she'd seen from the window, the platform was as deserted as the train.  She tried to call out, but her jaw just worked silently.  Taking a deep breath, she tried again.  “H-hello?” she nervously squeaked.  “Is there any pony here?” Only silence responded. She looked up and down the length of the platform, spying no signs of life. She looked down at the said stone platform just before the carriage door. She wasn't going to find any pony standing here. She turned her head towards the locomotive just next to the carriage door. Surly the engineer or fireman would be able to tell her what’s going on.  Once more looked down at the platform.  She told herself it would be all right as the Cab was just a few feet away, and she wouldn't be out here very long.  She took a cautious step out, testing the platform beneath her hoof. It felt solid and real. It also felt cold. Next came her other hoof, and then she was standing fully on the platform.

She cast one more hopeful look down the length of the station, before turning and trotting over to the Cab. “Excuse me, sirs?” she spoke in her usual diminutive tone. “I was just wondering why...” Her voice trailed off just as she stuck her head into the crew compartment. It was empty. She blinked in a mixture of fear and surprise. Where was the train crew? Surly they wouldn't just abandon their train like this. They had a job to do, schedules to keep, a train to run. This... this just didn't make any logical sense.

Eager to get off the platform, she walked inside and looked around. The cab was cramped and full of all sorts of valves, levers and gauges. Behind her, the coal car was full of coal while the lid of the firebox remained shut. It was as if they simply ceased to exist. Although there were lights within, it was still too dark within the compartment for her liking. Again, Fluttershy swallowed the nervous lump in her throat, which proved a tad bit more difficult this time, and turning around, stuck her head out of the Cab.

This time, as she looked down the platform, she observed the train station as a whole. The actual building was two, two story wooden buildings, with gabled roves, joined in between by another structure with a hip roof which served as a bridge between the back half of the two upper floors. A sloping wooden roof covered the front half. There was a chimney on the left building, and what appeared to be a water tank nestled around the side. The opposite building was identical, save for what looked like an exhaust stack protruding oddly from the buildings side. A sloping wooden overhang protruded from between the first and second floor, under which hung light bulbs that now glowed a golden yellow. The whole building had once been an orange-brown colour, but the paint had flecked away over the years, leaving multiple patches of the dark black wood beneath. The tiles on the roof were old, weathered and amazingly still in place. In the middle of the station buildings, beneath the bridge construction, was an arched tunnel, above which the incomprehensible welcoming sign hung. The platform on which she now stood was raised stone, which had once been a Spanish Grey, but now a dark shade of charcoal. Two flaking green wooden picket fences acted as guard rails at either end of the platform. Fluttershy received a queer sensation from the entire structure as she eased slightly back into the Cab. Something about this place seemed to radiate trouble, for warm and welcoming buildings should not stare at their guests so slyly and hauntingly.

After taking in the decrepit look of the whole place, she glanced up at the glowing station lights. This place could not be abandoned. These lights had to be powered by something, and electricity needs to be monitored and serviced. She looked around at the rest of the station. Then why was it in such neglect? Nothing about this train station makes any sense. She looked back down at the platform just below her.  She had to force her nerve wrecked limbs to climb out of the Cab and into the light of the station. Again, she shrank back into her mane before she gradually crept down towards the far end of the platform and making sure to keep within the boundaries of the station lights, took in the surrounding open grassy area. Although overgrown, they appeared to retain some elements of a manicured nature a little too well to warrant complete desertion. As her roving eys fell and then lingered  upon the darkened forest beyond the grassy grounds, her flattened ears became aware of the ambient noise. Or rather the lack off. Usually the night would be alive with thousands of sounds. There would be crickets chirping, owls hooting, the rustling of the leaves, the scrapping of branches, the howling of the wind as it blew through the forest.

There was only dead silence.

Her ears automatically flicked into an upright position and standing very still, Fluttershy  turned her ears side to side, trying in vain to find even the minutest of sounds. That's when her peripheral vision caught sight of another peculiar oddity and slowly, she tilted her head towards the night sky above.  She could only gape in shocked disbelief at the sky above her. It was completely black. No stars and no moon. The sky should've been alive with a swirling jumble of billions of stars, in a continuous spiral of white light and crowned by the ever present moon of Princess Luna. The sky above was just black nothingness that stretched across the heavens and beyond.

Now Fluttershy felt her entire body lock up with fear. Being a Pegasuse, she understood the weather as much as she understood animals. The lack of a sky above her terrified her more than that time she'd been forced to visit that Dargon's cave. For what seemed like an age, she stood there, rooted to the spot and unable to budge an inch. Why was the sky gone? Where was the moon? Had the princesses abandoned Equestria? A million ideas flowed through her mind like out-of-control rapids, crashing into each other and smashing against rocks, leaving her unable to form even a single coherent thought.

Unable to stand the confusing sight any longer, one thought at last flashed all around her mind like a warning light. Run. Without a moments hesitation, Fluttershy bolted for the train, her wings propelling her into the first carriage in under a second. Stopping only to grab the door handle with her teeth, she slammed it shut before diving under the nearest bench. There she huddled, hiding within her mane while her tail lay curled protectively around her as she shivered violently. Her eyes were squeezed shut as she muttered at breakneck speed for the sky to come back. Finally, she was aware that her mutterings had become unintelligible, and she was only spouting gibberish. Ceasing her jumbled speech, she opened one eye and then the other. Nothing had changed. 

Still, she remained huddled under the bench, shaking, all the while her rapid breathing and the fierce pounding of her heart being the only sounds she heard. Perspiration mattered the fur upon her brow as her eyes nervously darted all around her. What was going on? Where was every pony? She waited under that bench for what must have been an hour, before eventually sliding her head out to look up and down the length of the carriage. It remained frustratingly empty. Willing herself as hard as she could, Fluttershy eased out one hoof, then the other. Finally, she managed to coax her entire body out from under the bench, and she once more stared out the window at the station.

Her eyes began to scan the nearest building. Was every pony inside? Her roving eyes fell upon the nearest window, which although old and almost opaque with dirt, wasn't broken. The building may still be inhabited despite its general neglect. She angled her head so that she could see the night sky. Like the train carriage, it too remained devoid of life. She turned back to the window. Behind the layer of dust that coated the outside, there was no signs of light beyond, and she chewed at her lower lip in conflicted thought. Should she go out there? No, she couldn't. But what if there were ponies in that building? No, not with all the lights out. But what if they were hiding, just like she was? No, she'd have all the lights on, even if she were hiding.

Dejected, Fluttershy moved away from the window and lay down on the bench, crossing her front legs and resting her head on them. “I just want to go home,” Fluttershy whimpered. She closed her eyes and began whispering “Please, let me go home,” over and over, until obvious that wasn't going to work. Once more, she rose her head to stare out the window at the train station. The darkened windows returned the stare. She angled her head to look once more at the sky. Just like the station, it remained exactly the same as before. Black and empty.

Why was something like this happening? She ruled out Discord, because he wouldn't be so mean as to pull a prank on her of this magnitude. Was there some new threat to Equestria? If so, were the other elements of Harmony searching for her so that they could put a stop to it? She looked back at the train station welcoming sign that was still illegible. Where was she? If she was lost and there was some new danger, it would be a good idea to find out where she was so that she could have some clue in which direction Ponyville lay should she had to head back under her own power. She looked over at the nearest door.

Her whole body began to shiver with anticipation at the thought of entering that big, dark, scary looking building. She closed her eyes and took a deep breath as she remembered the words her father had spoken to her after she'd been rescued from the museum. The dark is nothing to fear, because there is nothing there but our own imagination. She let out a quiet hissing breath, and opened her eyes. Carefully, she climbed down off the bench and opened the door. It slid back with the same loud thump as before, causing her to jump a little. Carefully, she edged out of the carriage and onto the platform. Looking both ways, like a filly about to cross at an intersection, she slowly trotted over to the nearest window.

She cautiously attempted to gaze into the darkened glass, before using her right hoof, wiped away the dust and after muttering in disgust, peered inside. A pair of hazel eyes blinked back at her. Fluttershy let out a startled squeak and reared back from the window. She blinked her own eyes in rapid confusion, before realizing what it was that she had seen. Another pony. She was not alone.

She looked back at the window, but the eyes were gone. She shoved her face up against the glass and looked around inside. She tapped her front hoof on the window. “Hello?” she called out. “Excuse me, but could you tell me what station this is?” There was no reply. “Please,” she called out, raising her voice ever so slightly. “I need to know where I am, and what happened to the train drivers!” Silence. She tapped her hoof on the window once more. “Can you at least tell me where the town is?” she asked. Still nothing.

Backing away from the window, Fluttershy kept a weary eye on it all the same, just in case the eyes owners returned. They did not. This caused Fluttershy's suspicion to deepen. Why would they hide from her? Granted that if the situation were reversed, she'd probably do the same with the sky gone, but she'd still be happy to see any pony.  Turning away from the window, she searched the building for any signs of an entrance. There was a small side door located a few feet from the window. She covered the few steps to reach the door, and politely knocked.

“Hello?” she called out. “Please, whoever you are, I need help!” She blinked in slight agitation at the silence that followed. Reaching out her front hoof, she tired the rusty door handle and finding it unfastened, opened it. The door creaked on rusty hinges, creating a loud groaning sound as it protested the years of immobility it had endured. Fluttershy instinctively took a step back as the door swung inwards, banging lightly against the wall. Swallowing down the lump of fear that was building in her throat, she peered cautiously into the darkness. “Hello?” she called out, her voice a noticeable octave lower. The whole inside of the room was in pitch darkness, but the light shining in from the outside did light up enough of the room to make out the basic details.

It was an office, most likely for the staff of the station, and her muzzle wrinkled in disgust at the state of the room. All the tables and chairs were overturned and broken. No doubt about it, something violent had taken place here. Dust, cobwebs, old food packets, littered the floor and walls. There were lockers up against the wall by the window, long rusted shut, while against the back wall was a door to the washroom. On the wall opposite the window was a set of three smaller windows that looked out into a much larger room. Ticket booths. At the far end of that wall, nearest Fluttershy, was another door slightly ajar. Nestled between the door and the ticket booths was a notice board with only one note on it. Oh, if Rarity ever saw this mess. Fluttershy tilted her head slightly as her eyes settled on a wall at the far end of the room. There, some pony had carved out of the wall on the wall (using what could have been a knife or some other sharp object) the phrase, 'Don't go in the Bathroom!' 

She cast her eyes towards the washroom right beside it. “Okay,” Fluttershy squeaked in reply. She turned her gaze to settle upon the door next to the warning. If the pony she'd seen through the window had been here, that is the most likely place they could've gone. She hesitated at the threshold, and cast a nervous glance down at it, before once more surveying the empty room. In spite of the light from outside, it was uncomfortably dark and she shivered slightly. She eyed the door at the other end of the room. If she was going to find help, she needed to go through that door. Again, she looked down at the threshold, and closing her eyes, whispered the words her father had told her about the dark and stepped inside. The air within felt stuffy and bitter as she completely entered the room. Once again her eyes roved over the entire room, but just like the station platform, the room was empty. Building up her courage, she tried not to breath through her nose as she carefully tread around the mess that littered the room, making her way over towards the door. 

Passing an old chair, which was pinned under an overturned table, Fluttershy let out a startled scream when it suddenly collapsed, allowing the table that it had been supporting to crash to the ground with a resounding bang. Her whole body jumped at least five feet in the air, as the sound reverberated all around the room, assaulting her sensitive ear drums from every direction simultaneously. Her legs spun in the air as her wings instinctively took control and hurtled her back out the door.

She rocketed back inside the train and under the bench, eyes screwed shut and cowering once more. Eventually, her heart rate returned to normal, and slinking out from under the bench, peered out at the open door and the black room beyond. “There's n-nothing but my imagination,” Fluttershy squeaked, as she forced herself out from under the bench and back onto the platform. Walking back over to the open door, she once more called out for the mystery pony. Her own voice echoed within the room, before vanishing altogether. Looking over at the collapsed mess she'd disturbed, she found herself wondering if the reason she wasn't getting a response was that the other pony was even more frightened than she.

Granted, she'd never met such a pony, but there was always a first. If that were the case, maybe she could comfort them and help take her mind off the missing sky. Carefully, she sneaked into the room, cautiously weary of the furniture that lay scattered around the room as she headed over to the other door. As she reached it, she spied the note on the notice board, and delayed exiting the room as she saw there were actually two. One was tacked over the first. She leaned in close to read it.

“The sink is fine. Hickory has taken those pipes apart four times now, and still nothing. Ratchet Gear.”  She lifted up the note to read the one underneath.

“Something is still blocking the sink. For the millionth time, I'm a chef not a plumber. Fix it or I quit. Shortcrust.”

Fluttershy sighed as she let the first note fall back down. Nothing useful. She turned and gently pushed open the door. It squeaked loudly on rusty hinges as it swung open to softly bump to a stop against the wall behind it. Hiding behind the door frame until it was completely open, Flutershy peaked the tip of her head out so that she could see what lay beyond in the adjourning room.

This appeared to be a waiting room of sorts. Three rows of benches took up the centre of the room, while a fourth bench was located at the far end, under a long, stained window that stubbornly refused to let any pony see out, although there was the minuscule amount of light shining in. Both the window and the bench were interrupted at the middle by a set of glass double doors. On the far opposite end of the room, there was a square staircase that sloped up, before making a sharp right and disappearing into the darkness. The station clock, a design she recognized as being from the now defunct Bradbury Clock Co., hung from the centre of the ceiling, facing both ways, its hands forever stuck at three am. Along the right side of the room, the wall was covered in a massive chalkboard that displayed departures and arrivals. The board was wiped clean. Discarded newspapers were shoved into a waste paper basket, now over following with junk and spilling its contents onto the floor around it.

Fluttershy's head fully extended into the room as she eyed the newspapers. For the first time since her arrival, she felt hope. She entered the room and eagerly trotted over to waste paper basket to find any form of identification of where she was. Inside the waste paper basket, the newspapers lay scrunched up into balls and yellowing with many years. They dated with age, like the rings of a tree ranging from a springy golden yellow to a crumbling dull brown. Fluttershy shifted around until she found one that looked and felt like it was more recent compared with the rest and fish it out. She unfurled it and held it up close to the window to read. The type was faded with age, much like the welcome sign out the front, and all the letters were incomprehensible.

The headlines were more than understandable. This one showed two twin fillies, their faces were obscured by the headlines, where the ink in their names had been smeared across half the page leaving their name as 'Warai.' Apparently they had been killed in a tragic accident. The rest of the story was beyond recognition. She dropped the paper and sifted around inside for another. The more legible ones told of rock farms drying up and going broke. There were also a number of papers about what she assumed, was this train station. Mysterious accidents, disappearances of night staff, and grizzly deaths.

She sighed with disappointment. They were too old and unreadable to give her any indication of where she was. She lowered the latest paper she picked up and looked around the room before her eyes settled on the stairs leading up. Did that pony go up there? If so, why were they hiding? What did they have to fear from her of all ponies? She cautiously walked over to the bottom of the square staircase and looked up. They proceed half-way up the overall height of the room, before making a sharp right out of her vision.

“Hello?” she called out, her voice echoing off into the darkness. “Is any pony up there?” Only the silence responded. She looked around the waiting room once more. Had she even seen another pony? Had she seen her own reflection in the window? No. She was sure she saw hazel eyes. She blinked in frustration. Was her mind playing tricks on her? The words of her father flowed through her head.  Granted the sudden disappearance of the train drivers would cause her imagination to run a muck.

A muffled giggle echoed down from upstairs.

Fluttershy turned her head upwards towards the ceiling. She heard that. Some pony was up there. “Hello!” she cried out, hope in her voice. “You up there, can you help me, please?” Then she paused. The giggle had been a foal's voice: A filly to be more precise. What was she doing here playing in an abandoned building all by herself? She would not be of any help. Her brow furrowed. No. If she were here, that would mean that there had to be a town near by. A town where she could get some help. Plus, a little filly would be nice company in this dark, depressing place.

“Excuse me, little one,” she called out, walking up the first few steps. “Can I please talk to you? I promise I won't let your parents know you're here. I just want to ask you in which direction the town is?” A second fillies giggle answered her, followed by two ponies galloping away upstairs. Had she a friend? Their hoof steps echoed across the ceiling. “Wait!” Fluttershy charged on up the stairs. She rounded the staircase and after climbing up some more stairs, found herself in a large empty room.

No. Not entirely empty. Stools and tables had been stacked neatly up along the edge of the wall that face by the windows. Directly in front of her sat a pair of double-swing doors.  A look across to the opposite side of the room revealed a counter with a till and a desk plaque that said 'Closed.' Behind that lay a large rectangular window with wooden shutters drawn, above which were situated advertisements for various sandwiches, and drinks. This was a cafe. She eyed the pretty painted pictures of the sandwiches on the menu board. They did look very yummy. She licked her lips without even realizing it.

She spied a swing door to the kitchen, just in time to catch its movement ceasing. Some pony had just recently gone through there. She wondered over to the counter and peered over. The ancient cobweb covered till beside her ironically displayed the fire-engine-red 'No Sale' sign. “Hello?” she called out again. Her gaze settled back the swing door that lead into the kitchen, which was now still. She rounded the counter and pushed open the door.

It was a small kitchen, with a long wooden table in the centre. To her right lay a counter top where the readied food would be placed, and the shutters behind the counter closed off the view to outside. They would've usually been open in warmer weather to keep the area cool. On the other side of the room, opposite the table, sat a small, and medium sized chest freezers that would have stored bags of ice and other frozen foods. Above that is several shelves containing all sorts of pots, pans, dishes, bowls, cups, and utensils for both cooking and eating. Next to that was a fire place with a large iron pot in the middle. A medium sized wood burning stove, and next to that sat two kettles with a frying pan still atop its surface. There was a large cupboard next to it that was now almost empty, save for a few opened bottles, cans, and salt and pepper shakers. Most likely a pantry. Finally, at the far end was a sink with a hinged ring on a rod attached to a pump for the water, like a hoof-pump if you will.

Nothing in here. She cast her gaze back upon the fireplace. There could be some wood in there that she could use for a make-shift torch. She paused, hesitant to enter the room. Like the rest of the building, it was dark and empty, but unlike the rest of the building, not much light made its way in here. Once again, she looked over at the fireplace, before her eyes circumnavigated the entire room once more. It still remained as empty as the last time she'd seen it. She carefully entered the room, taking care as not to disturb anything that could make a loud noise if it fell. She reached the fireplace and sighed, saddened to see that only ash and lumps of burnt coal littered the bottom of the fireplace. An iron poker lay in its holder to one side. Eying it experimentally, wondering if she could find some cloth, wrap it around the end, and figure out some way to light it, that could suffice as a makeshift torch. Another quick survey of the room revealed no such material was available, but she would take the poker just in case she found some and moved towards the poker with her open mouth.

Her head shot up at the sound that touched her ears. She looked around the empty kitchen. Nothing. She stood very still as her ears slowly swiveled from side to side. She could've sworn she heard something, like a whisper on the wind.

There! Her ears locked on to the sink. She fluttered over, and landing before it, peaked over the rim. The sink was stained from water constantly dripping down the back of it, creating a foul brown mark running up the back of the sink. The wooden hoof-pump before it provided water, and from the looks of the grime and rust around its joints probably wouldn't even work anytime soon let alone provide clean water. She peered down the drain, unable to see much past the grime-covered sink trap. Her brow furrowed as she heard the sound again. Straining her hearing, it sounded like something was scratching the pipes. She leaned in closer. 

The sound of loud giggling echoed from behind her. Fluttershy gave a startled cry and spun 180 degrees, save her own, the room was still devoid of life! The giggling foals could be heard scampering away through what sounded like a set of double swing doors, before their hoof steps receded away down a hall. Fluttershy frowned in disapproval. That wasn't very nice. She was now starting to rethink her plan. If these foals were just going to play pranks on her, maybe she was better off not asking for their help. They might even give her directions to the town garbage dump, or sewage plant just for laughs.

Her muzzle wrinkled in disgust from the phantom smell that tickled her nose at that last idea, and paused in deep thought as a new theory about her stranding ran through her mind. What if this actually was a disused train station, and there had been something wrong with the train? The train would've needed to pulled in, and the crew went into town to get help. What about the lights? If this stations had lights, it would have to have a generator somewhere. If they were on, that meant the train crew would have gotten it up and running, to give them the maximum amount of light to see what they were doing. Thus realizing, after a thorough inspection, that they needed help and headed off to town, completely forgetting that she was on board. 

Another option that was also logical was with the missing sky, they pulled in to the station and headed for the nearest town to find out what was going on. She looked over at the closed shutters, as if looking past them to the outside. If there really were a nearby town, then there would have to be a path leading there. Those two foals would have had a path to follow. The tunnel she'd seen lead to the other side of the building, where she had not gone yet. What were the odds that there was a road or a path leading away from the station to the town. Ponies would have to travel on something to get to and from here. She dramatically rolled her eyes. Oh, why didn't she think of this before, instead of just charging off into this abandoned building and foolishly scaring herself in the process?

She trotted over to the door, but as she placed a hoof up to push it open, she paused. There was that sound again. She turned and looked back at the sink. It was much more audible now. Her hoof left the door as she walked back to the sink, the sounds from the drain all the more clearer. As she peered over the rim, the noise stopped.

Then she lowered her head down even further. She could've sworn she saw movement down there. A hairy spike abruptly shot out of the sink trap and Fluttershy jerked her head back. It wiggled around violently, before vanishing back into the drain. Flutershy blinked in confusion. What the hay was that? There was a thump. Then another. The sink trap bucked slightly, then catapulted up into the air. Fluttershy watched it peak and fall back to earth, clattering down into the space between the sink and the pantry cupboard. She ignored it as she turned her attention back to the sink.

A large, hairy black spider was heaving its huge body out of the drain. Flutterhsy's whole body locked up as her pupils dilated. The spider wrenched its self free and scuttled up the back end of the sink, climbing up the water pump, before jumped onto the windowsill. It then began to scurry up the walls before reaching the roof, and curling up in a corner of the room. Fluttershy watched it until it moved no more, before shivering violently. She backed away towards the exit, all the while keeping her eyes locked on the nasty little thing. Normally, spiders did not bother her, but there was something about this one that just gave her the creeps.

Another scrapping sound caused her to lower her gaze back to the sink. A second spider was climbing out of the drain. No sooner had it freed its self, then another spider crawled out after that. Then another, and another. There were five spiders in the sink now, and more were coming. Eight, fifteen, twenty-three. Fluttershy took a few trembling steps away from the sink, as the writhing mass of hairy black spiders grew, multiplying their numbers until they spilled out over the rim of the sink and onto the floor, scurrying in every direction.

Fluttershy screamed and jumped up onto the wooden table as they began to spread out like water. She eyed them fearfully, before snapping her gaze over at the door. She had to get out of here. She tore down the length of the table and leapt for the door, but smashed headlong into it as it refused to swing back the other way. She tried to pull it back towards her but something held it fast. She spun around, watching as the spiders, now numbering in the hundreds, began to surge towards her as a living shadow, their little hairy legs skittering the floor boards in a chaotic rhythm.

She spun back to the door and pulled harder. Why wouldn't it open? She pushed again and still nothing. She spun around and saw the spiders were crawling up the walls and along the ceiling, covering every inch of the room, some were even dropping gracefully to the floor on long, thin strands of web. Again she spun around, sweat now matted her fur as she again attempted in vain to open the door. Then she paused, before shooting her gaze up and across to the closed wooden shutters. There was a rope on this side. She leapt for it, grabbing it with her teeth and yanking as hard as she could. The shutters rattled upwards, before jamming against some unseen object within its mechanism. Fluttershy dropped the rope and observed. The shutters were up only half way, but she could still squeeze her body through. Three somethings landed in her mane and began violently struggling. Fluttershy screamed as she launched herself through the window, sliding under the shutters on her belly, out the other side and landing in a tangled heap just in front of the counter.

She immediately jumped to her hooves and began batting at her mane, shrieking all the while. But there was nothing in her hair. She finally calmed down and stood still. The writhing had stopped. She collapsed to the floor, curled up in a tiny ball and whimpering in terror. She had no idea how long she lay like that for. All she remembered was being petrified and unable to move, wishing that she could get up and run back to the train. Still, no matter how much she wished her legs wouldn't work, leaving her curled up on the floor of the cafe, shaking violently. Eventually, one eye did crack open as she peaked over at the kitchen window she'd just dived through. No spiders were coming out. In fact, no spiders could be seen. The other eye opened and she angled her head towards it.  Still there were no spiders, and on top of that, no insidious sounds of  hundreds of little legs were emitting from the kitchen. Frowning with suspicion, she rose to all four hooves and flapping over, peered inside.

The room was devoid of all spiders. It was as if they never existed. She angled her head so that she could get a good view of as much of the kitchen as possible without having to stick her whole head under the shutters. No spiders. She couldn't comprehend what she was looking at, and her wings nearly locked up with surprised confusion. She was sure there were spiders in there. The feeling of them in her mane was all too fresh to be merely passed off as her wild imagination. Yet there was no sign of them within the kitchen. Although she knew that she'd seen and felt them, she also knew that there was no way that many spiders could vanish so quickly and quietly. Finally, her mind settled on the idea that she'd had enough of this dark, creepy building and it was high time she left. As she backed away, she turned her head as out of the corner of her eye, she saw the obstruction that had jammed the swing door. Some pony had stacked tables and stools up against it. A stool, which was missing its seat, had the broken stump wedged into the swing door and against the counter side, between the door and the frame, preventing it from swinging back the other way.

Her brow knitted into disapproval. Those foals. A double swing door banged open, its flapping doors echoing loudly throughout the long abandoned building, and Fluttershy turned towards the other side of the room, where a set of double swing doors stood. She heard the scampering of hooves, and then silence. Cautiously, she flew over and putting her eye up to the gap in the doors, looked through. Only an empty hallway greeted her. This was the bridge structure that she'd seen earlier, that connected the two building together. Like everything else in this place, dust and cobwebs were a staple of the rooms features. Windows lined both sides of the hall, and although they were covered in grime and dust, they still allowed the outside lights to shine in, giving a basic form of illumination. At the other end of the hallway, an identical set of double doors sat.

The doors at the other end were still swinging from something having recently disturbed them. Fluttershy pushed open the door and leaned her head into the hall. “I hope you two had fun,” she chastised. “Because I'm NOT following you anymore. Good-night.” She turned about, letting the door swing closed behind her. As she trotted back to the stairs, she cast one more nervous glance over at the half opened shutters. Still no spiders. She began to wonder where they had all gone so quickly. Or if they had even existed at all.

She shook her head. She did not want to think about it, she just wanted to leave this creepy old place and find the town, and hopefully the train crew. As she walked down the stairs, she couldn't shake from her mind the spiders. Maybe it really was her imagination but it had just seemed to real.  However, that thought was slid off to the side and replaced by a new one, as her bladder started sending her brain an urgent message that told her it needed emptying. Now she wished she had not bought that bottle of spring water. She paused halfway down the stairs as she thought about using the wash room in the staff office. As she did, the warning sign outside it floated across her mind's eye, and she shook her head. She'd just have to wait until she got to town. She headed over to the glass double doors at the front of the waiting room.

They opened when she pushed them and both swung open to bang loudly against the walls behind them. Fluttershy looked over what was the front entrance of the station. There was a fairly large rectangular section of cobblestone, with wild weeds protruding between the cracks, before the building that encompassed the three main accesses to the station, while a cobble stone path trailed off towards the forest. She realized that it was for parking carriages, as she saw the collapsed sign with the picture of a carriage on it, half buried under the creeping grass. Two iron lampposts were situated at opposite ends of the parking area, glowing brightly. One entrance led up a set of low steps to the waiting room where she now stood, with a wooden overhang that had a glowing light underneath it. The other entrance was an identical set of low stairs that led to what had to be the tunnel between the two buildings. A third entrance was that of a proper flight of stairs that led up the side of the building to a small wooden railed platform and a large door on the second floor of the opposite building. Situated above the door was another wooden overhang with a glowing light, that illuminated a picture of a cyder glass. Turning back to the cobblestoned parking lot directly before her, she focused her attention on the path that led off towards the forest in a straight line.

Fluttershy blinked once. Twice. Rubbed her eyes with her hooves and blinked a third time. The cobblestone path just simply ended before the tree line. It was as if the ponies constructing the road had just lost interest. Her eyes scanned the forest. It formed a cordon around the whole station with no breaks in it what so ever. Slowly, she trotted down the path until she reached its end. Ahead of her lay the forest, its leafless twisted trunks covered in choking vines. The thick shrubbery obscured their roots.

She leaned forward, glancing into the chaotically tangled mess. She could barely see anything past five feet in there. Had the train crew gone in there? Did they know where they were? That would be the only logical answer she could think off. It would not be as if they would simply charge on into this unearthly mess without a plan or direction on where to go.

Then she paused, looking very closely at the trees. They appeared to be leaning closer towards her now. Their spindly long branches straining, almost reaching for her. Fluttershy swallowed the lump in her throat and backed away on trembling legs. Was it a trick of the night, or did they return to their upright pose as she retreated from them.

Whatever the answer, Fluttershy did not want to go into the woods. She turned about without a moments hesitation and began trotting back to the station. What ever happened to the train crew they would not just leave their train lying about. They would return for it. She thought about waiting for them in the train cab, but decided against it. Although it was the first place the returning engineers would visit, it was also not as well lit and completely open. She would return to the safety of the carriages, where she could close and lock all the doors and windows and be safe from whatever was going on with the sky, while she tried to get some sleep. They most defiantly would be back in the morning. If not, some pony else would come looking for the train. Trains were very expensive after all.

She reached the station and climbed the steps up into the tunnel. It was darker in here than anywhere else. She cringed slightly as she trotted down the empty passageway towards the platform at the other end, her hoof steps echoed like cannon shot, blasting up and down the wooden halls. As she neared the end of the tunnel, her eyes picked up on something out of place. She stopped dead in her tracks, and then her eyes widened with fear. She gave a short gasp and galloped towards the end of the tunnel. As she exited the tunnel, she came to a screeching halt and frantically looked up and down the length of the station platform. 

The train was gone.

Her bottom lip quivered with fear. No. No, this wasn't possible. When? When had the train left? She would've heard it start up. She would've heard them blow the train whistle. This just wasn't possible. Her hind legs subconsciously crossed themselves as her bladder began protesting to be relieved.

“Oh, not now,” she whimpered in futility, her eyes still scanning the tracks, looking for some signs of what had happened to the train. What had happened? How had the train simply upped and vanished like a discarded leaf in an autumn breeze? Once again, she found her mind complaining that nothing about this station made any sense. She looked left, looked right and still no train materialized to ease her fears. She whimpered softly as she remembered her overnight bag, still aboard. It was gone, along with her gear and worst of all, her bits. She needed those bits for Angel Bunny.

Another more pressing problem began to shove its way through the cue towards the front of mind. She needed to use the necessary. She looked over to the woods. Every time she stared into its depths she got a deep foreboding feeling. No way was she going in there. She looked around the building. She could just go around the corner and relieve herself, but that would be undignified of her. Her parents always told her never relive yourself in a public place. Now she turned and cast a worried look towards the building, as if staring past its walls to the wash room with its dire warning sign. She looked down the end of the station building. Well, nobody was around to see her degrade herself. Except for those naughty foals. What if they surprised her with something incredibly nasty while she was doing her business?

Then she stopped. 

A faint whisper of wind flowed up the tunnel and tickled the back of her mane. She turned more curious than afraid. She looked back down the long, dark tunnel, towards the station exit at the other end. The exit seemed somewhat more illuminated than previously. She fully turned her body to stare down its length. As she did, her eyes were drawn towards a door at the far end, with a sign above it. She took a step forward. Her eyes widened with comprehension. The sign above the door was a picture of a toilet.

She started down the tunnel towards the door. A place that was isolated like this would not have proper plumbing. It would have the equivalent of a pit toilet, that would be cleaned regularly. She could only hope that it had been cleaned before this building was abandoned. She also made a mental note to keep all the doors propped open, should some pranksters try their luck for the second time.

As she approached the door to the restroom, she felt cold all of a sudden. Fluttershy ignored it as she pushed on the door with her front hoof. It was locked. Her eyes rolled in frustration. She pushed harder and still the door refused to budge. Was this the pranksters at work? She narrowed her eyes in determination, and remembering all those times she'd watched Apple Jack back in the apple orchard, she turned around and rearing up both hind legs, bucked straight out. Her back hooves connected with the wooden door, only Fluttershy had forgotten that she could not muster up much strength to break anything and what resulted was a lite tap that would barely have registered as a polite knock.

She huffed in disappointment as she turned back to face the door, and crossed her back legs as her bladder yet again reminded her that she needed to relieve herself. Not to be deterred, she starting looking around for an alternate route in. She walked all around the building, trying the windows. All were locked tight. Around the back area, she found a small pile of broken bricks unceremoniously shoved in a corner. Picking up a broken half, she attempted to smash a window, but just like the door, her attempts at breaking and entering proved feeble, and the half-brick did not even touch the building before it clattered to the ground and rolled to a stop.

She floated back down to earth and crossed her legs once more. Her bladder was now screaming at her. She looked off towards the tree line. Its dark silence caused her to back away with clenched teeth. She really didn't want to go and relieve herself out in those dark, spooky woods. She walked around the front again. Maybe she should just go relieve herself around the side of the building, and chance being ambushed by the pranksters.

When she reached the bathroom entrance, she paused in mid step. The door was open. It was flapping on its hinges in a non-existent breeze, creaking a welcome to her. She blinked in disbelief. At first, she did not care and she rushed for the open door. As she reached the door frame, she came to a screeching halt. The instant she crossed the threshold a cold sensation she'd first noticed upon approaching the door magnified its self. Her mouth opened to emit a cry of shock, but nothing came out. Instead, her lower jaw just quivered wordlessly.

Slowly, methodically, her eyes scanned the room. About five wooden stalls lined the back of the room, opposite a rusty trough sink beneath a rectangular stained mirror. The windows above the stalls were plastered in dust and grime, refusing to let any light shine through.  The chequered black and white tiles were cracked and covered in dust. Cobwebs were everywhere, decoratively draped over everything. Oddly enough, Fluttershy could not make out any spiders nesting within them. Not far from the entrance, the tiled floor gave a noticeable sag. Fluttershy eyed it warily. No doubt that the floor beneath had rotted away and collapsed. Towards the far side of the room, the walls seemed to vanish into the darkness, creating the illusion that the room continued on into infinity. A single burnt out light bulb hung from the ceiling on a frayed cord, while somewhere within, water dripped down constantly, creating splashes that echoed throughout the whole room.

She set one hoof inside, and reeled backwards from the shiver that lanced up her skeleton. She danced backwards away from the door, breathing heavily. Dear Sweet Celestia, what was that? She inched backwards even further from the open door keeping her head low to the ground. She had never felt anything like that before. Not even during her numerous trips into the Everfree Forest. All those trips had scared her because the Everfree felt wild, chaotic and random. This... This was unlike anything she had ever experienced before. 

This was evil. And it terrified her.

She was then aware of a warm, wet feeling by her hind legs, and looking down, she gave a low whimper. She had accidentally relieved herself right there. She should've been terribly embarrassed, only the vibes from that bathroom kept her mind on track. She turned back to the open and inviting doorway. It was almost as if it were beckoning her to go inside.

“N-no thanks,” she said softly. “I don't need to go anymore.”

Her eyes narrowed. Was that a moan? She strained her ears, not daring to move another inch closer to that open doorway. She could've sworn she heard something. Was it the wind? Her eyes darted left and right, as if attempting to inspect her mane. There was no breeze. She eyed the door. It was no longer moving anymore.

That was the final straw. Missing train or not, she had to leave this place; Now. Not caring the least bit about her lost overnight bag, she sprinted from the tunnel and back to the platform, her hooves beat a rapid staccato that echoed loudly up and down the seemingly cavernous hall. As she reached the exit, she dared one last shaky glance over her shoulder, just in time to witness the sinister bathroom door slowly close its self shut again. There was no doubt about it. Something had tried to lure her in.

Her body went ridged with fear for a second, before she turned and rushed into the station office. She was going to leave, but she had to take those two fillies with her. Pranksters or not, they were foals and definitely should not be left alone in an evil place like this. She was the element of kindness after all. Ignoring her fear of the building, she galloped from the office into the waiting room and paused at the bottom of the steps.

“Hello? Girls!” she called out up the stairs. “I need you to listen to me. We have to leave this place, right now! Something evil is here.” Somewhere upstairs, the girls both giggled in response, their hoof steps running across the ceiling. Fluttershy's mouth wrinkled with suppressed annoyance. “Girls, listen to me!” she cried out, setting one hoof on the first step. “There's something evil in the bathroom of this building. It's not safe here, and you must come with me!”

The giggling was louder now. Fluttershy heaved a sigh of relief, they were coming. Then her brow knitted in confusion. They weren't giggling, they were laughing! She took a step backwards off the staircase as the laughing drew closer. The room was beginning to get colder now as the laughing started to ring with a sinister overtone. Fluttershy backed up towards the exit as she realized it wasn't getting closer, it was getting louder. Oh, sweet Celestia she needed to get out of here! Her mind began turning like slow gears as the realization finally began to dawn like Celestia's sun. Unable to find the fillies, being trapped in a room with spiders. It all began falling into place. What ever was making those sounds, weren't little foals. The laughter abruptly changed into a most hideous cackle as the sound of hoof steps stealthily coming down the stairs made themselves audible.

Fluttershy arched her spine like a cat as her teeth gritted hard. They were coming for her. From around the corner in the stairs, she could make out the ever growing shadows, slowly creeping down towards her. She spun about and fled the room, the taunting laughter ricocheting of all the walls as she spilled out of the building and onto the platform where she landed in a tangled heap. Slowly she climbed to her feet and turned.

Two little fillies stood at the door watching her, their hazel eyes blinking with a curious expression. Both were identical twins, with a charcoal grey coat and long, straight beige manes, much like Pinkie Pie in her younger days. Both of them lacked a cutie mark, and Fluttershy just tilted her head at them in confusion.

“Won't you come in and play?” Fluttershy realized that both of them had spoken in unison. Their voices sounded low, almost afraid, much like her own.

“Umm,” Fluttershy squeaked. “No,” she said, taking a tentative step away from the two fillies, refusing to remove her gaze from them.

“Please,” they pleaded. “We've been alone for such a long time.” Their voices were firmer this time.

“No,” Fluttershy stated.  “You're trying to trick me.  You're not real.”

At this accusation, the innocence of the two fillies was blown away in a sudden gust of wind that rolled down the length of the platform as a rug unfurling. Their faces grew cold and dark, as their lips literally split apart to form a Glasgow grin, pulling back to show bleeding gums filled with rows of yellow broken and rotting teeth. Their eyes sunk back into their sockets to reveal a blackness as dark as the night sky with only a pinprick of white iris glaring back at her. The hair from their manes grew withered and tangled, while their bodies shrivelled up to skeletons with stretched skin.

“You're a nasty pony.” Their voices echoed in a warped and impossibly deep base tone. “We don't like nasty ponies. You can play with him instead!” The office door slammed shut with a boom that made Fluttershy flatten her ears to her skull.

At the same time, she tumbled over backwards as she screamed. Quickly, she clambered to her feet, and tore off down the platform, vaulting over the rotten wooden guard rail at the end before galloping off down the train tracks in the direction of Ponyville. She did not care if another train came and she missed it. She did not even care about her lost overnight bag and the bits within. She did not even care if the clouds opened up that instant and started raining. All she cared about was getting as far away from that spooky old train station as equinely possible.

Her galloping hooves pounded fiercely on the wooden beams of the tracks as she dashed away, not even daring another glance over her shoulder, lest she should see something else. Her breath came in short, ragged gasps. Her long pink mane billowed out behind her as her eyes stared directly ahead of her. To either side of her the forest lay motionless, the darkness within preventing any glimpse of what lay even five feet beyond the tree line. Ahead of her, the track curved around to her right. She kept up her frantic pace, not even wishing to slow for an instant until she was sure that, that haunted train station was far behind her.

Ahead, the tracks straightened out, before they curved around to the left. Flutteryshy galloped on, concentrating on her own breathing and the tracks before her. As she rounded the corner, the tracks straightened out and she almost screamed with joy. There was another train station ahead of her. Oh, thank Celestia. She nearly wept tears of joy as she quickened her pace towards her salvation. The Station lights were like a beacon of hope.

She blinked back the tears welling up in her eyes, as she focused on the new station: And came to a shuddering halt. Oh no. She gaped in horror at the familiar two story wooden building, with its faded, flaking paint and dirty stone platform, its familiar broken welcome sign. Its dark, forbidding tunnel way. No. Dear sweet Celestia no! This was impossible! She spun around, looking back down the track she'd just came, before turning back to face the station, its silence cruelly mocking her. Slowly, she inched her way down the track, keeping her eyes focused on the train station.

Observing the station building from her position on the tracks, the tunnel in the middle, along with the windows on buildings either side, formed a face of sorts. Was it her imagination or was it laughing at her. She paused in mid step, perhaps a bit too long, as she found herself gazing into its terrifying features. At that moment, a sudden wind blew through the tunnel, howling eerily through the old structure as it gushed down the halls out onto the platform, to ruffle her pink mane. She visibly shivered.

When she looked up, the face appeared to have changed. The grime covered windows appeared darker, staring straight ahead, almost scowling. The tunnel entrance appeared lighter, highlighting the various doors along its length, looking like jagged teeth. The wind howled again, louder this time. Fluttershy screamed as she jumped into the air, before spinning her little legs wildly and zooming off down the track as fast as her beating wings could take her.

As she flew down the tracks, she could've sworn the forest seemed darker than before. If it was she didn't care. She just had to get away. Tears streamed down her cheeks as she flew. Oh why, why was this happening to her? What had she ever done to deserve this? She increased her pace, dangerously taking the corners in a manner that would make even Rainbow Dash frown with disapproval. She did not care.

As she rounded a bend in the tracks, another train station awaited her a little ways ahead. She screeched to a stop in mid-air. It was the same train station. Fluttershy franticly looked back the way she'd come. She briefly entertained the idea of galloping back the way she'd came, but she just as quickly dismissed it. No, most likely she'd just end up back at the station again. No matter which direction she went, she could not escape the station. She turned to look at the forest. The tangled leafless branches almost appeared to bend slightly, almost parting, as if inviting her in. She shivered so violently that her wings locked up and she landed on the tracks below. No way was she going in there.

She turned back to the station, before looking both ways down the tracks. No matter which direction she took, she'd end up back at the station. What could she do? She blinked in sudden realization and face hoofed. Oh, how could she forget what she was? Crouching, she spread her wings out, gave a quick test flap, then launched herself into the air.

Her wings beat just as furiously as when she'd been flying down the tracks. Up she rose, higher and higher towards the starless and moonless night sky. After she'd flown up high enough, she paused to survey the ground below. What she saw almost caused her wings to lock up again in disbelief. Below her lay the train station, surrounded by the forest. However, the tracks heading in both directions just disappeared into the blackness. So did the rest of the forest. She slowly rotated her whole body, taking in the sight below her. Like a thick fog, a wall of inky darkness ringed the forest around the train station. There would be forest, and tracks, but it would abruptly end into nothingness.

When she'd been on running down the tracks, she'd never seen that wall of fog. She followed the wall up into the air, craning her neck even further, but there appeared to be no roof. Like an invisible black bubble encased the whole area. She blinked up at the darkness above her. How high did this extend? Only one way to find out. She beat her wings once more and flew straight up. The scenery below her began to shrink in size, becoming minuscule, until she could not even make out the train station anymore. Higher and higher she flew, unable to reach the blackness that now seemed to encompass her on all sides.

How was this even possible? She could still see the ground below her, but above and to her sides was nothing but darkness. Where was the ceiling? Was there even a ceiling. Higher and higher still. Looking back down, she could not see the ground anymore. It was gone. Now blackness engulfed her completely. She let loose a panicked squeal and continued to rocket up into the sky. It had to end somewhere. She kept darting her eyes around, trying to find something. Anything, but she was lost in the void of darkness. Tears once more welled up in her eyes.

As she blinked back the tears, she screamed. The ground was rushing up to greet her. She had to drop some serious anchors and she felt the impact of the G-Forces kicking her with a vengeance as she tried to defy their will. It did not help her. She crashed to the ground with a mighty thud, sending a mushroom cloud of dust billowing up into the air. For what felt like an age, she lay there groaning in pain. Gingerly, she tested her limbs, and then her wings. They ached, but thank Celestia they weren't broken.

She groaned loudly this time, as she shakily rose to all four feet and looked around. Her heart sank as the first thing she laid eyes upon was the train station. She had landed just in front of the tracks, right before the train station's sadistic grinning face. Now her own face twisted into an expression she hadn't used since she had been a terrified little filly.

“Why won't you let me leave!?” There was no answer. Her eyes narrowed as the tears blurred her vision. “What-,” she blubbered, her words interrupted as she gave a little hiccup. “What is it you want from me!?”

Through the soundless night air, there came a loud creaking sound, as a door opened on rusty, unused hinges. Fluttershy blinked away the tears, before noticing what was now different about the building. Deep inside the tunnel, towards the station exit, the bathroom door was now open wide. A flickering light now blinked from within.

She took a step backwards. The bathroom. Her body shuddered violently at the memory of the sensation that had cork-screwed up her spine that last time she'd tried to go in there. She turned to look in both directions of the train tracks. No matter which way she went, she'd just end up back here. She turned around fully to face the dead looking forest. The trees seemed to bend towards her, reaching out as like fingers as if to grab hold of her and drag her into their dark depths. Her bottom jaw shivered, causing her teeth to chatter noisily. 

She bit down hard, silencing the clattering teeth. Then she turned back to the train station. The bathroom door still hung open, inviting her inside. What could she do? The only logical thing she could think off would be to stay right where she was until the sun rose. Would that even work? Looking up at the starless, moonless night sky, she began to wonder if the sun would ever rise. She'd tried to fly away with as much luck as running. She was trapped here, with no way out.

Looking up at the sky, she tilted her head in contemplation. Where was she? Was she even in Equestria? Was she in another dimension? She looked down at the ground she stood upon. If she stayed right here, what would happen to her? The sun may never rise, and she would starve to death. But if she went into the bathroom, what would happen to her? Something was in there, something evil and it wanted her to go inside. Unless she chose to confront it, she was going to be stuck here. Forever.

She wasn't going to be stupid enough to just wander into the bathroom. However, she could not go anywhere else. She wasn't daring to risk the forest, and just staying put would not solve anything. What was she going to do? Her mind flashed back to a comment Applejack once made. Stuck between the devil and the deep blue sea. Applejack. She gave a mournful whimper. Oh, what she wouldn't give to have her friends beside her right now. She paused thoughtfully. What would her friends do in this situation?

“Oh, what would Rainbow Dash do?” Fluttershy moaned. She furrowed one brow. Rainbow would just fly on in there, and smash up whatever looked at her funny. No, that's not something she could do. Rainbow Dash was strong. She was not. “What would Twilight do?” Twilight would just use her smarts and cast a magic shield around her. She gave a sad sigh as she felt around her forehead for a horn that didn't exist. She gave a louder, sadder sigh. She didn't have smarts or alicorn magic. “What would Applejack do?” The Earth Pony was brave. She'd confront whatever was in the bathroom and wing it as best as she could. Her eyes went wide with realization. No. Applejack wouldn't just go in there with nothing but her wits and bravery. She'd construct some form of defense for herself before she did. 

She now eyed the two structures on either side with renewed vigour. Surly there would be something in there she could use. The only problem was what would be good against evil spirits? She fluttered up off the tracks and landed before the tunnel entrance. She eyed the bathroom door, before looking left at the entrance to the staff room. Her whole body tensed up. No way was she going back in there. So, she turned right and observed the nearest door on the other building.

Slowly she walked over to this new door, reached out a hoof to it, and hesitated. Were those ghost twins in this building, as well? She turned her head as if looking towards the bathroom before turning her head back to the closed door before her with a determined look in her eyes. She'd just have to chance it. The only way out of this place appeared to be inside the bathroom. There was no way she was going in there without some form of protection, and the only way she'd find it would be to search the building. Besides, those ghost twins had not tried to kill her. Yet. 

For the longest time her hoof just stayed against the door, not budging an inch. Finally, she swallowed the fear building up in her throat and mustering all of her courage, pushed.