Clubhouse of Horror III

by Grenazers

The Silent Killer

It was a dark and stormy day in the western parts of Equestria. The skies were blocked out by the dark gray storm clouds that stretch far and wide. Besides the occasional thunder sounds, the dark clouds rained heavily down on the land below. In the middle of this downpour, three pony stallions were galloping through the increasingly soaked land. The three were making a beeline to the old abandoned barn house, seeking shelter from the rain.

“This way guys!” Shouted the lead orange pegasus. “The building is just over there!”

“Slow down, Passion! We can't move as fast as you in this rain!” A blue earth stallion shouted to his pegasus friend. The stallion then turns his head around to check on his white unicorn buddy galloping right behind him. “Hey Tinker! How are you holding up!”

“Freaking peachy, Bliss!” Tinker sarcastically replied.

The three continue to gallop towards the house, passing a broken down fence and some dead plants. Both Passion and Bliss made it to the building no problem. Tinker, however, was having difficulty seeing where he was going. This was due to his glasses getting all wet from the rain. Because of this, he was unable to see the the scarecrow he was
galloping into.

He crashed, knocking both him and the straw filled scarecrow down. Tinker lost his glasses in the process, he then began frantically looking for his glasses, finding nothing but mud and stones. Finally his hooves touch his glasses and quickly put them on. The second he put them on, he yelp upon seeing the scarecrow. It was like any other scarecrow, just a bag filled with straws and wearing old raggedy cloths. What spook Tinker the most was its totally blank, white face. Reminds him of the Slenderman.

Tinker kept staring at the faceless scarecrow and was only brought out of his gaze because he heard somepony calling his name. That somepony was his pegasus friend, Passion Fire. The pegasus was calling out for his friend , all the while holding the door to the house open. The white stallion then got up and made a dash to the old abandon house. He pass his friend, who close the door behind him.

The two then trot into the living room where Bliss was currently trying to start a fire in the fireplace. After a few failed attempts, to light a match, he finally succeeded and used it on a piece of paper. The paper fire was then placed inside the fireplace with a bunch of sticks huddle together. This then leads to the fire growing bigger, illuminating the dark room with its orange glow.

With the fire up the three stallion sat in front of it, using the heat from the flame to warm themselves up. The three sat silently next each other, with none of the three speaking a single word.

After a couple minutes of total silence, Passion was the first to break this speak. “Well not exactly the perfect way to end your return party, eh Tinker?”

“Yeah, sorry the weather totally ruin your party.” Bliss said, adding into the apology.

“It's alright guys.” Tinker assured his two friends. “The party you set up was great, it was so good to meet up with some old friends.”

“Yeah it was great of ya to a take a vacation from your studies to visit us.”

“Come now, Passion, you and Bliss are my best friends. How can I not come back here and not look you guys up.”

“Well it nice of ya to come back to our little town, just wish this damn weather didn't spoil our day.” Bliss said with disdain in his voice.

“It's just bad weather, Bliss, it will pass.” Said Passion as he dry his wet wings.

The trio resume their silence in front of the fireplace. But, then something dawn upon Tinker. “Hey guys, who house is this?”

“What?”

“I said who's house is this?” Tinker repeated his question.

“Jeez I don't know.” Passion answered. “Place been here for a long time."

Feeling tired, Tinker spotted a couch and stood up. As he trots to the dust covered furniture, his hoof step on something, making a cracking glass sound. Looking down, the white stallion saw a picture frame under his hoof. He pick the wooden frame up while also shaking the pieces of broken glass off it. He flip the frame over and his eyes widen at the picture. “Holy crap guys, I know who's house this is!” Tinker announce, getting the attention of his two buddies.

“Look!” Tinker show them the picture, which displays two ponies. An elderly stallion and a teenager. “Its Sour Grape and his son, Sweet Grape!” The stallion lower the picture frame and look around. “We're in the Grape's House!” Unknown to him, both Passion and Bliss look at each other uneasily. They silently ask each other whether or not they should tell him or not. “Hey Tinker.” The pegasus spoke up.

“Yeah, what is it Passion?”

Passion look at Bliss, who nods his head. “There's something we should tell you.”

Sensing the seriousness in his voice, Tinker pay full attention to his friend.

“Something happened when you moved away.” Passion pause for bit, trying to find the right words to use. “Sweet Grape was murdered.”

Tinker gasp upon hearing this. “My goddess.” He said, shock of this news. “Can't imagine how Sour Grape must have felt.”

“Well it's probably not what you think.”

“What do you mean, Bliss?” Tinker questioned.

“Sour Grape murdered his son.” Passion answered, shocking his him even more.

“Whoa wait a second, you're telling me Sour Grape killed his own son?”

“Yep.” Bliss replied.

“Jeez, I know Sour Grape wasn't exactly a nice pony, but to actually kill his own kid? That's hard to believe.”

“What's there to believe? Sour was always a terrible pony. Remember that time he beat me up?”

“I remember, but Bliss, didn't you stole some of his grapes?” Passion pointed out.

“Only the amount he didn't pay me for!” Bliss angrily respond. “Sour didn't pay me the full amount for working on his farm that one summer.” Bliss then start rubbing his hooves. “Can still feel the bruises on me to this day.”

“Well you know Bliss, just because he didn't pay you the full amount, doesn't mean you can steal from him.” Tinker chided him.

“Whatever, that bastard gets what he deserves.”

“So anyways Tink, do you want to know the whole story to this?” Passion ask Tinker, who nodded his head. “Well, remember how Sweet Grape always sneaks out at night so that he can go to the town and enjoy the nightlife? Wel,l apparently Sour didn't like this and warn his son numerous times to stop going out at night. Of course Sweet does it anyways, simply out of spite of his old man. But then one night, he never returned to his bedroom. He was later found the next day, dead in his father's vineyard.”

“After Sour discovered his body, he went and call the police about it.”

“Wait, why did he call the police? If he was the murderer, then why call the police?” Tinker interrupt the story to ask his question.

“Simple Tink, Sour did it to ward off suspicion off him. After all who would suspect the grieving father, to be the killer.” Passion answered.

“So anyways when the authorities arrived, they recover the body and found many deep claw marks all over his body. Everypony assumed it was wild animal, but smarter ponies pointed out that wild animals don't just kill for no reason. If this was an animal it would've eaten the body, not claw it up.”

“OK, so how did they found out it was Sour Grape?”

“Simple, they found his murder weapon. Out in his vineyard was his scarecrow. On this scarecrow was a pair of sharp claws on it. Sour Grape foolishly hid them up there and hoped they would never be found. However, the police did find them and later arrested him for murdering his own son. As they dragged him away he kept on saying it was the scarecrow that did it, not him,"

"The scarecrow?"

"Sour kept on rambling about how the scarecrow was cursed and how it did all the killing." Passion then pause to sigh. "Obviously the guy was off his rocker."

"Yeah, I mean come on, a scarecrow" Bliss commented.

“Wow, so that's the story huh?”

“Yep.”

“Goddess, you think you know a pony.” Tinker said to himself. “Still can't believe Sour killed his own kid.”

“Believe it man, Sour Grape was always a terrible pony and what he did long ago just shows it.” Bliss coldly stated.

Passion looked outside the window and saw that it was still raining heavily outside. “Well boys, looks like we're going to be here for the night. Might as well just sleep now so we can leave this place by morning.”

Everypony agreed to this and chose their beds. Bliss and Passion both shared the large couch, while Tinker took the recliner. Despite being incredibly old, the two furniture were still comfortable to sleep on. As they close their eyes, their minds slowly drifted off to slumberland.

Time passes and Tinker was the first to wake up. Looking out the window, he saw that it was still dark outside. He wanted to go back to sleep, but is unable to. Deciding to just trot it off, he quietly got up from his chair and carefully trot out the room, not wanting to interrupt his buddies slumber. As soon he was out of the living room, Tinker explore the rest of the house. When he found nothing on the first floor, he went upstairs.

Each steps on the stairs made a creaking noise, forcing Tinker to go up them slowly. When he reach the top, he came a across a long hallway with windows on the left and three doorways on the right. Tinker went to the first one and look inside, there was nothing. The room was completely empty. He then notice the engraving on the door that say Sweet.

“Must be Sweet Grape's room.” He said to himself. Tinker then move onto the next room and found an old rusted bathtub, toilet, and sink. Their once white coat has transform to an orange brown from the passage of time. The stallion move onto the last room and unlike the first one, this door doesn’t have a name on it. However, Tinker already knows whose room this is.

He take a look inside and like Sweet's room, Sour's room was also empty. All furniture has been removed, leaving nothing but rotting and broken floors and walls. For reasons unknown, Tinker trots in and when he reach the middle, his front right hoof broke through the floor. Immediately, he pull his hoof back up, getting a little splinter along the way. As he nurse his wounds, his eyes caught something down in the hole. It was a crimson color book. Tinker reach down and pull the book out. He flip to the first page and saw some messy writing.

He then began to read them out quietly to himself. “I never really was type to make a journal, much less write in them, but with the recent things happening in the last couple of days. I fear for the safety of my son and myself."

“Wait did Sour Grape wrote this?” Tinker question no one particular and continue reading. “There's something out there, I don't know what it is, but it's out there. I first discovered it when I was just working on my crops when I found several dead critters in my fields. Now normally I would just lay some traps around, but something else was killing them. Then I notice the total absence of any critters around my farm. Not even a bug or bird in sight."

"I remembering hearing something about how some critters have the ability to sense danger and will everything to avoid it, wonder if that is what's happening here? For now I'm staying vigilant, locking all doors and windows and order my boy to stop going out at night."

"Despite my order, my son still keep going out at night. I warn him of the thing out there, but he just call me crazy! We yelled and fought and it always end with him slamming the door to his room. I know I'm hard on the boy, but I'm doing this for his safety."

"My fear has came true, this morning I found my son, dead in my vineyard. I call the police and they'll soon be here to investigate the scene, I hope they'll find who ever did this to my boy."

“Dammit Sweet, why didn't you listen."

The next entry was something different. Instead of a nice and clean writing, this entry was written rather violently and hastily. “It was the scarecrow! It's the one that killed my son! Used my own claws!”

Tinker raise an eyebrow. "The scarecrow again? Jeez Sour, you're really losing it."

“Tink, you up here?” Said a voice that sounded like Passion, echoing through the hallway. Tinker then stood and drop the book back into the hole. The stallion then step out of the room and saw his orange pegasus friend looking into Sweet Grape's room.

“Yeah I'm up here, Passion.” Tinker reply to his friend's question.

“Oh you're here, thank goddess. When Bliss and I woke and saw that you weren't on the recliner, we though something happened to you.”

“Sorry to worry you guys, where's Bliss by the way?”

“He's outside.”

"Why is he outside?"

“Well when you opened the door, he assume you went out to get some fresh air.”

“Um Passion, I didn't opened the door.”

“Well who else would it be, cause I specifically remember closing that door.”

Before Tinker could respond the two were interrupted by a loud scream coming outside. “Was that a scream?” Passion asked. “That was Bliss!” The white stallion then gallop past his friend and down the stairs. He rush to the open door and step outside into the rain. Looking around, Tinker saw no sight of his earth pony friend. He then caught sight of some hoofprints on the muddy ground. He trace the trail that lead him around the house and saw his friend laying on the ground.

Rushing over to aid his friend, Tinker move the body and gasp at what he saw. Claw marks, all over Bliss's neck and chest. Blood was still gushing from the wounds, but were being washed away by the rain. Tinker back up from his friend's dead body, horrified he gallop back to the house, intending to get his friend and get out of here.

When he reach the front door, he stopped in his tracks. Standing in the doorway was figure wearing soaked raggedy clothing and straw hat. Then it hits as he recognizes who it was, the scarecrow. The creature raise its claws up, showing the dripping bloodstain and orange feathers. At moment time froze as the two stare at each other. They continue to stare when the scarecrow took a step. Out of fear, Tinker fired a magical bolt at the killer scarecrow. The bolt hit its mark, but the scarecrow was not faze by it. The scarecrow react to the attack by dashing towards the terrified stallion.

Tinker panic and began firing aimlessly at the approaching thing. When the scarecrow was within range, he leap at the stallion and dug his claws into him. He then begins clawing away at the stallion chest and neck, ripping huge chunks of his flesh out. His blood gushes out like a geyser, spilling all over the scarecrow. Finally when he was done, he got up and looked at his prey. Nothing but pieces of flesh left. The scarecrow trots away from the his dead prey, heading to the dead vineyard. He found his wooden post, place it back up and attache himself to it.

The dark grey clouds continue to rain upon the abandon farm, washing away the blood from his victims. The scarecrow resume staying on his post, ever ready to strike against any thing that comes to this farm.

---

“And that conclude my story of the Silent Killer.” Sweetie Belle conclude her tale. She then put her papers away and look at her audience for a response. Unlike Scootaloo, a lot more foals in the audience were impressed with Sweetie's tale.

Scootaloo step in, “Well with Sweetie's story done we can now go onto Applebloom's story.” She then motion for Sweetie to go get Applebloom. The unicorn filly left and enter their clubhouse. Just as she open the door, Applebloom just happens to be on the other side.

“Oh are you finished?” Sweetie question.

“Eeyup!” Applebloom answer and pass through her friend. She then took the stand and tidy her papers in order.

“Alright fillies and colts! We're on our last tale for tonight, so sit back and enjoy the tale!” Scootaloo announced and step away.

Applebloom then start to read her story out loud. “My tale begin in a desert where a town is about to be hit by a large dust storm. Unknown to the inhabitants of the town, something sinister reside in the incoming storm and by the time they discover what it is, it will be too late. The title of my tale is called...

THE BEAST IN THE STORM

Comments

[fluttershy122212]

Man that was twisted loved it

[TheMegaPonyRanger]

5165977 me too!