//------------------------------// // Part Four: The Dark in the Wood. // Story: Dr Whooves and the Classical Moon // by Paganbrony //------------------------------// Part Four: The Dark in the Wood. Three ponies and the Doctor listened as High Society recanted his tale, the older stallion that lay cuffed on the floor spoke in a frightened tone and his frequent pleas of innocence fell on deaf ears as the tale was told. One Year Earlier: Canterlot was a busy place at the best of times but the area around the construction of a new opera house was bustling with ponies and carts laden with materials of all kinds, the roof and the exterior walls were all finished as were most of the internal walls and floors of the grand building. However the work had slowly ground to a halt as High Society soon found out as the stallion in charge of the work had explained to him the reason. “What do you mean you’re out of wood! How can you be out of WOOD?” “We ran out finishing the first and second floors, we don’t have enough to do the backstage area…” “Well go and get some wood to finish it off you incompetent fool, we’re already behind schedule and the furnishing is due to arrive any time now and I don’t want it all lying around to be stolen or exposed to the elements!” “But sir there was a forest fire in the north and the lumberjacks say our next shipment can’t be replaced for weeks!” “So get it from somewhere else damn your impudence, I will have you fired and by Celestia I promise you won’t so much as find a scrap of work in the whole of Equestria ever again!.” “The only construction supplier in the whole of Canterlot who has any wood say’s he can’t sell us any because weird things have been happening in his storehouse… He said it’s the wood… He thinks it’s cursed… He said the lumberjacks who felled the trees the wood came from abandoned their logging site in the Everfree forest after some of them disappeared…” “I don’t give a hoot for his silly superstitions or that of simple country folk, wood is just wood now go and get it, steal it if you have to but get that wood… AND GET ON WITH IT!” Six Months Later: High Society was sat in his office at the newly finished opera house and as he settled back into his chair behind a very elaborate desk he mentally clapped himself on the back for a job well done, the opening night had been a success, princess Celestia herself had spoken highly of his achievements in the papers and he himself had been the toast of the city. The loud sudden knocking at his office door stirred him from his reverie and as he called out for the knocker to come in he was faced with a heavily set red faced stallion who wheezed as he approached the desk. High Society gave the janitor a reproachful look before addressing him coldly. “Yes what is it, I’m busy.” To highlight his point High Society shuffled some of the papers on his desk for effect; the other stallion however ignored this and spoke in a common tone tipping the brim of his cloth cap as he spoke. “Begging your pardon sir… But it’s one of the staff… The cloak room mare Brass Lock…” “Well… What about her…?” “She was backstage… And well she’s gone missing sir.” High Society dropped the papers he was shuffling and exploded angrily at the other stallion that shrank back in fear. “HOW MANY TIMES MUST I REPEAT MYSELF! THAT AREA IS OFF LIMITS TO ALL!” “But sir the musicians are up in hooves at having to prepare for shows in the auditorium… And the girl well she only went back there because she needed something from the supply cupboards.” “I DON’T CARE WHAT THE REASON WAS! AND I CERTAINLY DON’T CARE ABOUT WHAT THOSE STUCK UP STRING PLUCKERS THINK, THIS IS MY OPERA HOUSE AND WHAT I SAY GOES! DO YOU HEAR ME?” “But what do we do about Brass Lock? The rest of the staff won’t go back there to look and neither will I but some ponies bound to come looking for her eventually…” “Well if they do we’ll tell them she had a sudden change of heart and moved far away…” “But…” “Do as I say or I will have you thrown from here and then how will you pay your rent? Isn’t it you that is forever complaining times are hard?” The janitor mumbled and just nodded as he slunk from the room, probably better not to mention the sounds he’d heard in the main hall… A sound like the scraping of wood and metal… Back in the present: Octavia had listened intently to High Society as he spoke and as the tale unfolded she lost her patience with him. “Did you just say you told him to cover it up?” “I had no choice… If word got out I’d be ruined and this place along with it!” “So where is this janitor now? I haven’t seen any pony of that description around here, and I have been practicing here on and off for weeks!” “A-Actually he went missing only a couple of weeks later… They found his cap… Torn to shreds but no sign of him…” “And you covered that up as well I’m sure…” “No pony gave a damn not even his wife… She just took his last wage packet and left no questions asked, said she couldn’t care less, she was quite rude about him in fact…” High Society felt about two inches tall under the scrutiny of those around him and in a pitiful voice he added. “I put a bit extra in his wages… You know… To soften the loss…” The Doctor spoke next his expression said it all. “And the mare Brass Lock did any pony come looking for her?” “Just her boyfriend but when he wasn’t satisfied with my explanation he swore he would get to the bottom of it all and stormed out… I thought he would give up eventually but that night some pony broke into the place by smashing a window…” “And then???” “Well he never reported her disappearance and I haven’t seen him since so I guess he must have come looking for her…” “What made you make the backstage off limits in the first place, what happened to cause that?” “That was because the night guard went missing…” “Oh is that all… Nothing important then…” The sarcasm dripped from Octavia as she became even more worked up at the way High Society showed his lack of compassion for the welfare of others, his next statement made her explode in a fit of rage. “…And the ticket mare who went backstage on a dare… My assistant who got curious… Oh and that stupid stallion who replaced the janitor…” As the Doctor and the two guards restrained Octavia from beating High Society to death in her anger they were interrupted by the scraping sound returning from outside the door. Octavia who was hearing the sound for the first time froze momentarily before locking eyes with the Doctor, with a brief glance and a nod she let him know her intentions and as he grasped her meaning the guards followed suit and followed her lead. By this point High Society had lost it and was incoherently babbling about trustees and Celestia and the future performances he had planned for the opera, as the noise drew level with the door all concerned realized there wasn’t a chance of not being discovered this time as the shadow once more appeared underneath it… Scrabbling sounds as if giant paws were attacking the door began as the four ponies exchanged horrified looks, the thing outside began hurling itself against the door which began to splinter and then caved in as High Society struggled to get to his haunches his forelegs still cuffed behind him, his screams rent the night as the creature bursting through the door bore down on him as it’s jaws widened…