The Pony Dreadfuls

by No one is home

Chapter 61 - The Lost and the Failed

-=-=-=-=-
What is gone
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“They’re going to take you somewhere safe.” The Mohawked man smiled sadly, struggling to keep the rising panic from his voice.

“I miss mommy and daddy.” A little girl cried as she was fastened into her booster seat.

“I know you do. But mommy’s sick, and daddy’s… he’s sick too. They have to see doctors and get better so maybe one day they can bring you home.” The tears felt like they would burn out his eyes if he didn’t release them. Still, he held his composure. He only had to be brave for a little while. It was so much less than what he asked of his niece.

“Why can’t I stay here with you and Grandpop?” The little girl pleaded.

“Listen, Savannah,” his voice was calm, he hoped to the gods in hell that his voice was calm, “Uncle Kiki has to go away. You’re daddy is going to the hospital, and he’s going to get better, and he’s going to come get you one day, but you’re uncle’s not going to be here anymore. I need you to be strong and brave like we talked about, and I need you to look after your brothers and your sisters until your daddy gets better, can you do that for me?”

Savanah’s moist eyes didn’t shed a single tear as she nodded grimly. As he hugged his niece, he heard the voice of his father shout cheerfully across the yard. “I’ll see you later, Savannah!”

He had never hated the old man more in his whole life than he did at that one moment of deceit. He had never hated himself more in his whole life than he did at that one moment of failure.

-=-=-=-=-
Present Day…
Present Time…
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“Okay, I just blasted the door of our cell off it’s hinges.” Diane looked around in annoyance. “Where is every pony?”

“This isn’t right.” Alice agreed grimly from her perch in the changelings mane. “We should be fetlock-deep in orderlies right now. Given the priority the Red Queen places on you, I half expected her to call out the flying monkeys.”

“I thought this was some kind of asylum.” Ki, the former human turned pegasus colt noted curiously. “Shouldn’t there be other patients? Even if they’re all locked up, we should hear them. No psyche ward is ever THIS quiet… wait… did you say ‘flying monkeys’?”
“Former humans who proved incalcitrant, those who for whatever reason couldn’t adapt to equestrian society. Celestia likes to see nice reformed humans who are ready to embrace their new lives in pony culture. And Scarlet Hearts has a vested interest in making sure Celestia sees what she wants to see.” A greying stallion rounded the corner nervously.

“Ozwell!” Alice’s voice was laced with venom.

“He’s with me, Alice.” A monochrome filly in a gingham dress walked shyly into view. “He’s on our side.”

“Isn’t that convenient?” The diminutive earth pony hopped down from her perch and took a sip from a tiny flask, quickly growing to her full size. “How can you trust him? He sold us out, he sold you out, Dorothy! To the West Witch of all people!”

“I’ve always been a coward and a fraud.” Ozwell bowed his head sadly. “When we were displaced here, Scarlet Hearts found us. She said she could get us all home… or at least back where we were before. Calling a truce on our previous feuds seemed like a reasonable thing to do.”

“And abducting humans? Exploiting sick, hurting ponies? Was that reasonable?” Alice spat on the polished tile.

“I can’t make any excuses.” The stallion sighed. “I am the good man who did nothing while evil prevailed. Time and again. I couldn’t stand up to the West Witch in my own place and time. When I had an army at my command, I took a little girl and made her my assassin. I always told myself that I could help the ponies in this school. I told myself that Scarlet was only giving the worst of the humans to he West Witch. I swore that once we got everyone back where they belonged I’d make it all right again. I would pay for my sins and…”

The floor shook with a reverberating hoofbeat, causing Alice to snap to attention. “He’s loose.”

“Diane, get behind me.” Diane’s formerly human companion spread his wings defensively.

“Charlie, you can’t…” She started to reply, only to be cut off.

“Don’t call me Charlie.” Kai nearly whispered. “That’s not who I am. Just run. Find your sister. I won’t fail again.

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What was there
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“Do you think they’ll think I’m pretty in Canterlot?” Diane primped in front of the bathroom mirror, admiring her pink chitin and sharklike smile.

“Of course they will, Diane.” A pale blue tazzle-pony stallion named Dayglo Pastel pulled the changeling into a gentle embrace in his snake-headed tendrils.

“I can’t believe we’re actually going to get married!” Diane pranced about the hotel room like a school filly. “All the flower fillies are going to toss chocolate kisses, and then they’re going to release a flock of parasprites, and we’re going to have a huge wedding cake, and I’m going to jump out of it, and then I’m going to do the nyan nyan dance… All. Night. Long.”

“I’m sure we can arrange… some… of that.” Dayglo laughed. But right now we gotta get some sleep. We have an early train to catch in the morning.”

“I don’t want to sleep, Charlie. What if this is just another dream, like inside the other dream you told me about?” The pink bundle of smiles and spines whimpered, pitifully. “What if you disappear?”

“I’m not gonna just disappear, Diane. Iam Noone is gone. We beat him, we did, me and you. We escaped, and I promise you, he can’t come back.” He kissed his companion’s forehead, below the base of her jagged horn. “And even if he does, I’m going to be there. Now come to bed, tomorrow’s the first day of our new life.”

Author's Note:

Literally the first day of the rest of their lives... A tragic typo.

Comments

[Boulder]

Ouch, hope the opening scene isn't based on a real situation?

Is it West Witch or Westwitch, you have both?

[No one is home]

Typos sudenly became mysteriously absent.

In a happier world, that flash back would only be a narrative product of my imagination. But there were events that put me on a bus for Upstate New York. Which is where I am now.

[Boulder]

8092071 Ugh didn't see the return message til now, sorry to hear you're having more troubles, hope things get better for you and nothing else causes any more problems for a long while.