> Keep The Gears Turning > by Imperium Bedlam > -------------------------------------------------------------------------- > Brushie, Brushie! > -------------------------------------------------------------------------- Closer and closer came the sound. It whirred and screeched, unfazed as drill met metal. The pony holding it in their magical grip only moved slower as her smile grew wider and she lifted up a few more tiny drills. She moved them around in a way similar to how an artist would move a brush. Slowly up and down in the air while she just leered at Colgate, tracing her outline with one drill before shooting through it with another. Colgate herself screeched and tried to move away but her tiny legs would only move so fast. There was a sickening squelch when the drill came into contact with her right hind leg, never losing it's rotation. She held back a scream as her eyes watered, using her magic to feebly pull at the drill that stubbornly pushed itself deeper into her skin. After a strong tug it was out and Colgate ran with tears running down her muzzle and a slight limp. "Where are you going Colgate?" came the voice of her tormentor. It was a calm voice without the barest hint of worry, but with a mocking undertone that betrayed her feeble attempts at tricking her. "Come back Colgate, it's time for your check-up!" She could hear an insane laugh following her ramblings, a laugh that only caused her more worry because it never seemed to get further away. "Go away please! I don't need to have a check up!" She was pleading her heart out now and they both knew it, "I make sure to brush every morning and night! I swear!" yet they both knew it would get her nowhere. "Come now Colgate, don't tell me you forgot to floss!" Colgate could see a piece of floss stretched between the white walls and she made to jump it, only for it to speed towards her and dug itself into her front left leg. It only found resistance when it came into contact with bone so Colgate screamed louder while trying to use her magic to pull the floss out of her leg. Meanwhile the sounds of drills got closer and closer while Colgate pulled and pulled. With a rush of adrenaline she managed to snap the floss off the wall, her victory however was short-lived as the floss seemed to grow longer and wrap around her other leg before going to her hind ones. She screamed and kicked out but it quickly wrapped her hooves together and she somehow ended up on her back from all the struggling. "Come on now Colgate, what do I always say?"She was towering over her, a silhouette covering her features while the drills circled around her. "Brushie!" One drill shot towards her and buried itself in her cheek, easily skewering through the flesh to grind against her teeth. "Brushie!" Another drill got the other side of her face. She screamed and tried to use her tongue to push them out but the speed of the drills made her tongue get caught up and wrap around it, slowly pulling it around until it snapped off which only made her scream louder. The figure smirked in front of her, expressing a sick sense of pride and accomplishment. Unlike the first two times, she muttered the last word in a serious tone that would've taken Colgate off guard if she wasn't screaming in pain. "Brushie..." Colgate miraculously screamed louder than she already had been as the drill moved directly between her eyes. Time seemed to slow down as it came closer and closer, her eyes following diligently until the tip made contact with her face.... ...and she woke up in a cold sweat, facing towards her alarm clock as the minute ticked by and the alarm went off. Colgate lay there a few moments until the fear subsided, concentrating on the sound of the alarm, until she finally turned it off. Slowly she got out of bed and began her daily routine. Get breakfast, get proper, get ready for work, get going to work. Luckily for though her, work was only a trip down the stairs and she smiled as she saw a customer outside the front door already. She calmly hung the 'Open' sign on the door before opening it to let the mare inside, her name was Roseluck as far as she could remember. "What brings you here today Roseluck?" Despite the nights hauntings Colgate had a pleasant tone I her voice. "Just getting my monthly check up Colgate, nothing to worry about, I really don't think I need it though." Colgate smiled and nodded before moving down the white hallway. "Right this way then, have you made sure to floss and brush your teeth twice a day?" She calmly led Roseluck inside a white room. Roseluck moved in cheerfully and took her usual seat. "I made sure to brush but I can't seem to remember to floss, shouldn't be that much of a difference though." Roseluck just shrugged, relaxing back in her seat and not noticing Colgate flinch a bit at her words. Colgate sighed and moved over to Rose with her usual drill in her magical grip. "Open wide and say ah!" Rose followed her instructions and Colgate slowly lowered the drill to her mouth. "What is it that I always tell you ponies honestly?" Roseluck was looking a bit distressed now, Colgate never usually just started drilling. "Brushie," Colgate shoved the drill down Roseluck's throat, reducing her screams to panicked gurgles. "Brushie," she moved it further now, twisting it around before lifting it out of Rose, leaving her to gag on her blood, "Brushie!" with a small amount of effort Colgate pressed the drill against Rose's skull, pushing it to dig deeper and deeper into her forehead while Roseluck let out a loud scream... ...into her empty bedroom. After a few seconds she finally calmed herself down and decided to get ready for her day. Get breakfast, get proper, water the garden, pick the freshest Roses. Her day came to a screeching halt though once she got a good look at her calendar. Her hooves shook as she dropped her Roses and fell onto her haunches for today was the day that everypony in Ponyville dreaded, for today was Rose's scheduled "Check up day..." > Pinkie's Singing Telegram! > -------------------------------------------------------------------------- tHis is your singing tELegram, we hoPe it finds you well! you're invited to a party because we think you're really swell! guMmy's turning, turning, turning, turn turnturn! The fEstivities first rate! there will be- invited to a party- gather 'round for a group hug! no need to bring a gift, being there will- tHis- tELegram- hoPe- birthdays mean having fun with friends, friend, friend, end end end! it won't be the same, say yes! so please, oh PLEASE H-E-L-P-M-E and come and be our guest! > The Sound of Hooves > -------------------------------------------------------------------------- The sound of a billion hooves knocking the door echoed throughout the boutique. Sewing machines of various sizes and models laid strewn across the floor along with varying colors of fabrics, creating an almost vibrant mess. The windows were barred shut and cobwebs crept along every corner. The entirety of the first floor was quite the sight to behold. The sound of a million hooves rang out across the empty expanse of a once-popular and sought after shop, owned by an illustrious mare who's work in fashion caught her the eye of every cloth-adorning species in Equis. A mare with a vibrant purple mane and a gleaming white coat was shown in a picture, held in a broken frame. Where once confidence reigned, it now fled. The sound of a thousand hooves echoed up the creaking steps of the boutique. Once there was beauty to be seen in every inch of the interiors design, yet now the wallpaper was peeled and torn with the wooden beams it hid now in full view, broken and rotting. The handrail was meticulously cleaned in order to keep it up with the grade of the rest of the house, now it was covered in a layer of dirt and grime. The sound of a hundred hooves boomed through the hallway on the second floor. Each creaking door led to a room inhabited by one of its denizens. One had 'Sweeties Room' spelled out on it's front with countless plastic gems. Another had it's surface scratched to the point where words became unrecognizable, causing those without prior knowledge of its denizen to become lost or confused at the existence of such a nameless door. The sound of hoof steps were carried along the breeze that flew in from an open window in the room with a nameless door. Where once a majestic bed lay huddled against a wall now lay ruins of a time long forgotten. A picture frame held the images of six mares and a dragon on the bedside table. The dragon had been outlined with a heart and the words 'Spikey Wikey' lay across the bottom of its border. This was the only thing that stood strong among the destroyed room. The sound of crunching was heard by any passers by who walked near the boutique. Pony's screamed and pointed as a figure jumped through it. It sped downwards at an unflinching pace. Droplets of water could be seen in the space it left behind as it fell. It clutched onto a photo with all of its strength as gravity's power was made evident and the figure collided with the ground and a sickening CRACK rang out through the street. > Rotting Apples > -------------------------------------------------------------------------- "Come on now ya darn hooves, just one more orchard and then ah'll have a rest." Applejack was panting as she moved one hoof in front of the other, sweat pouring down her face while her eyes strained to keep looking forward. She must've been walking for hours now, time seemed to flee her memory, taking the path she'd walked along with it. The trees around her all stood withered and dead, the husks of once fresh apples now littering the hard earth beneath her. Every moment she spent in this god forsaken place was another moment away from her family and friends. "This can't be real," she said to herself in a hoarse whisper, each and every syllable requiring a hue amount of effort to even be spoken, "this just has to be some kinda nightmare." Yet as she resigned herself to her beliefs, she kept moving forward.The crescent moon overhead seemed to be mocking her as it rose out from the hills ahead. Her eyes dooped and her shoulders sagged, she was far too tired to continue. Her body noisily fell to the earth as she groaned in slight pain. "Ah'll just rest for a coupl'a minutes, then I'll git walkin' again." She let out a sigh as sleep decided to consume her, somehow managing to find her hat next to the trunk of the tree she was resting on. She slowly put it on after giving one last look towards the half-moon, paying it no heed as it smiled mockingly at her from its place among the stars. Applejack groaned as she felt something nudging at her side. She waved a hoof towards it dismissively before rolling over in an attempt to ignore whatever was trying to disrupt her peaceful sleep. Then her eyes shot open as she felt a tongue move across her face. "Winona!" she cried while she hugged the dog, "boy am I glad ta see you here girl, ah've been lost in this strange orchard fer ages!" Applejack playfully pet the dog as it nuzzled against her, it's been so long since she'd seen another living thing. "Alright, now do ya reckon you could tell where the barn is girl?" Her eyes were almost pleading and Winona gave her another lick while yapping once and wagging her tail. Applejack carefully put the dog down and watched as it ran off, quickly following behind. She felt her prized Stetson leave her head, "Hold on now Winona! Ah can't lose it again!" she yelled, but the dog kept on it's way. So after a few moments of searching she sighed and followed after her pet. AJ noticed that the sun was setting behind her, realizing she must've been asleep for hours and yet the heat hadn't changed a dime. When she returned her attention to Winona though, she saw no sight of her beloved pet. "Where've ya gone to now girl?" She tried calling out a few times but got no response. After a few minutes of waiting she decided to keep moving forward in the hopes that Winona had ran ahead. Her hopes had risen as she spotted the sillhouette of a dog in front of her. "There ya are! Don't go runnin' off on me again like that y'hear? Had me worried sick." She announced as she moved closer, her footsteps slowing as she noticed the subtle differences along the black figure. Where Winonawas small and sleek,thisthing wasbig and bulky. The fur seemed darker and matted, random bits of it sticking up or missing in places. Applejack noted that the figure was emitting a low growl that was a much deeper baritone to her faithful pets cheerful yaps. "Are ya alright there Winona?" She barely noticed as her words petered out into a quiet whisper. She did however notice that chunks of fur were missing from the figure that was slowly turning to face her. With the sun's light dimming on the horizon, the sillhouette of the creature fell with it. Bite marks and scars became visible. Blood both old and fresh clinging to chunks of flesh. Applejack took a few steps back as the creature moved its head into her view, its growl becoming deeper and lighter at the same time to produce a sound she wished she could forget. The thing snarled at her, it looked like Winona, but it was different. For one, the jaw was almost entirelymissing, hanging on my a few bits of muscle and bone. Its eyes were wild and its teeth were charp as a manticore's stinger. Applejack turned and ran back the way she came as fast as her hooves could carry her. She could feel the thing biting at her hooves with a force that should've been impossible. Tears streamed down her face while she pushed harder. Stars dotted the horizon as she ran, straining to loose herself from the memory of the horrendous thing that she'd thought was her greatest companion. The barking seemed to dissappear but she just kept running, fear being her motivation. After a few minutes of walking she'd finally decided to slow dow to a calm trot through the dead orchard, her hooves felt heavy after having to endure the constant stress of running. "Come on now ya darn hooves, just one more orchard and then ah'll have a rest." Applejack was panting as she moved one hoof in front of the other, sweat pouring down her face while her eyes strained to keep looking forward. She must've been walking for hours now, time seemed to flee her memory, taking the path she'd walked along with it. The trees around her all stood withered and dead, the husks of once fresh apples now littering the hard earth beneath her. Every moment she spent in this god forsaken place was another moment away from her family and friends. "This can't be real," she said to herself in a hoarse whisper, each and every syllable requiring a hue amount of effort to even be spoken, "this just has to be some kinda nightmare." Yet as she resigned herself to her beliefs, she kept moving forward.The crescent moon overhead seemed to be mocking her as it rose out from the hills ahead. Her eyes dooped and her shoulders sagged, she was far too tired to continue. Her body noisily fell to the earth as she groaned in slight pain. "Ah'll just rest for a coupl'a minutes, then I'll git walkin' again." She let out a sigh as sleep decided to consume her, somehow managing to find her hat next to the trunk of the tree she was resting on. She slowly put it on after giving one last look towards the half-moon, paying it no heed as it smiled mockingly at her from its place among the stars. > Hello? > -------------------------------------------------------------------------- "Hello?" "Is anyone there?" "Please don't let me be alone." "Twilight? Rainbow Dash?" "P-Pinkie?" "Anypony?" "What's over there?" "Is someone there?" "Hey! Where'd you go?!" "Please don't run!" "P-please come back." "Where has everypony gone?" "Why did they all go away?" "Angel?! Is that you!?" "Please! Show yourself!" "Where did you go?" > Pinkies Pizzeria > -------------------------------------------------------------------------- “H-h-h-h-hi foals,RUN welcome to Pinkie’s Pizzeria hahaha! I hope yoooou’SAVE HERre rrrrreeeaady for some fun!” No! No fun! Your fun is not the good kind of fun! Every single night is the same as the last, only it just gets worse each time! I banged on the front doors to the pizzeria, unable to even budge the glass as my hooves simply bounced off. I knew it was useless but it was worth a shot. That annoying phone was still ringing back at the security room. Was I suspicious of it? Yes. Did I have a choice when it came to answering it? Probably, but I’m not taking any risks. Ever since that first ‘night’ I would get stuck here, and seven hours later it would just start all over. It’s only the third night but I still can’t stand it here, those robots…. they aren’t natural! With a frustrated sigh I head back to the main stage area. Every single ‘night’ so far, for the first three hours, the robots would barely move. So if I was counting right, I had about two more hours until they would get to the hallway. Only half an hour until they left the stage though. So frantically I flipped a few of the tables, not that it would matter. Each ‘night’ everything here would just go back to where it was. I barely paid any mind to the robots, though I knew they were watching me. Especially Pinkie, she was always watching. I barely managed to fill one of the hallways with tables before I noticed I only had ten minutes left, a quick glance back and I saw that Twilight was gone. I only squealed a little bit as I hurriedly just bucked a table onto its side, grabbing one end in my teeth as I backtracked through the hallway, towards the security room. As I passed by the storage closet I almost tripped over my own hooves. Twilight was just standing there, staring at me as I fumbled to get inside the security room. Whoever built these things was pure evil, I couldn’t think of anything else to describe them. Once I was in the security room I let out a sigh of relief. Here, I had control. Here, I could stop them. So with no small amount of luck I barely had the tablet in my hooves when Fluttershy pressed her face to the glass opposite of where I came in. I screamed and flailed to close the door, my hoof missing the large red button a few times before finally finding purchase. Honestly I had no idea what terrified me more, these machines or my horrible reaction time. As soon as the Fluttershy problem was dealt with I hastily pressed the ‘Play Message’ button on the phone while keeping an eye on the other door. I was taking NO chances. “....hello? Hey, hello? Uhhhh, congratulations on making it to night three, told you it wouldn’t be that hard!” You lying sack of shit phone mare! “Anyway, by the third night you might notice the animatronics getting a little… antsy.” Antsy? What did he mean by antsy? Are they going to be even more dead-eyed?! What?! “What do you mean you stupid phone?!” I’m talking to a phone now, great. I already had my hooves full with opening the door on Fluttershys side now that she was gone. A quick look at the cameras and… yep, she was just around the corner. “Shhh So, yea, just keep an eye on those doors and you should be fine. You’re already halfway through so there’s only another half to go! Oh, and if you were wondering what I meant by antsy, it’s just that Pinkie tends to get…. bo-” The phone cut off there. Why? Well, maybe it was because something pressed the ‘Stop’ button. I slowly looked towards the phone now, my hooves shakily lowering the tablet as I peered up. “Hi!” Oh no. That’s not fair. That’s just not fair at all. Here she was, Pinkie Pie, standing right in front of me. A dark smile on her face as she stared into my eyes. It didn’t matter what that phone mare said, these robots did not see me as a robot without a costume. They saw me as somethingto be hunted. Something to be played with. I’d apparently gotten boring. Even as she stood there I slowly shrank in my seat. Twilight moving through the door on my left with a similar smile as the Fluttershy robot moved in from the right. “H-h-h-hi there Lemon Drop, we here at Pi-pi-pinkie’s Pizzeria would like to inform, inform, iiiiinnfffooorrrmmm you that making a mess is frowned upon and that cleaning up is boring” I barely flinched as she said my name, though a quick glance down at the tablet showed that all the tables I’d used to block the halls were now back where they started. Oh. I broke the rules. That’s how she got in. As I looked back up shakily a single tear began to make its way down my muzzle. Well… it was a good try. No matter how prepared for it I was though, I still screamed as Pinkie leapt at me, chomping those metal teeth loud enough to make my world spin. ……..Oh, there’s another one. Not the one from behind the curtains. I barely noticed it in those last moments of my life. Behind all of them stood another. Though it was far more decrepit. As it sat there, huge, empty eyes watching me as my life was ripped away I knew it was somehow responsible. And I cursed it with my final breath before those wires tore through my flesh. What’s worse though, is that it smiled. I died horribly, cursing its existence and it smiled. Bucking son of a- > What Words Can't Describe > -------------------------------------------------------------------------- "Please run, just forget about me alright? I'm really not worth it in the end so just turn back." She smiles towards you gently, a squelching sound slowly rising in the background that you easily ignore. Your focus entirely spent on her. You've been working too hard to lose her now. Limping slowly, you drag your hind hoof along the ground as you move closer, unable to get her out of your mind. She cries softly, smiling to you as she shakes her head. "You have to turn back, before they notice. Please, please turn back." You won't give up that easily, it's taken you weeks of effort to get to this point. Months of dedicated research, following in her trail even as her own friends had long given up. Still, they had hope and weren't too reluctant to give what help they could. Except for one of them of course. You almost laugh at the memory, no matter how many times you asked she just slammed the door into your muzzle. At one point you even suspected her. Over time though the pieces finally came together, and the one who fought so hard against the truth the entire time finally gave in and told you the final piece of the puzzle. Which brought you to where you were now. You stumbled slightly on a rock and bit your lip as the large chunk of wood sticking from your leg shifted slightly. "Please stop! You're only hurting yourself, please run away!" Her tears began to flow freely, her smile faltering as her obvious care for you broke through her own rationality. No, that wasn't right. It wasn't you she cared for, it was everything with so much as the smallest heartbeat. You growled slightly as you moved faster, the squelching growing louder as you drew closer to her. Embers danced around you both as you pushed on. Only a few hoof-steps away. You could see the sadness paved on her muzzle, not for own pain, but for yours. And still you pushed forward. Over time the mission had become almost personal, this was the first time you'd even seen her in the flesh and yet you knew almost everything about her. You knew about her fear of heights, you knew her average wing-speed, you knew every member of her family within three generations. She knew nothing about you though, and she still cared for you as if you were a foalhood friend. You fell, much harder than earlier. Your breath is knocked out of you and you barely take a second to start crawling forward. You've worked too hard for this, this is your one and only chance and you will not let it slip out from between your hooves. She froze up before she began coughing. The squelching had grown to the sounds of crunching as she screamed, her eyes went wide as she reached out to you. For barely a second the two of you connected, only the smallest of moments and yet you almost felt like it was over. You'd finally accomplished the mission that had taken over your life these past few years. Then she screamed again. Her body twisted as she pushed you away, perhaps her last hope that you might flee. She was forcibly rolled onto her back and you could see the hole slowly closing itself over on her barrel. She began to cough blood as her eyes rolled back into her head and you yelled out your frustration as her body twisted and writhed. There was no way you would let it end like this! You looked around quickly, not spying anything but wreckage surrounding you both. You'd almost given up hope as pain crawled up your body from your hind leg. Maniacally, you smiled and crawled beside her, trying to ignore as her body shuddered and her eyes darkened over. Her front-right hoof dug into the ground as her screams grew in volume and you yelled alongside her as if in an effort to comfort her while you took the chunk of wood between your hooves and pulled as hard as you could. You tried pushing your own leg down while you pulled the wood out, the lower half so obviously unresponsive as you grunted and growled. Your leg grew numb as you felt the splinters dig into your skin and muscle before you finally yanked it free. You ignored the blood now able to flow out unobstructed while you returned your focus to her. This would be it. You muttered a quiet "Sorry" as her screams became distorted, her mouth clearly unhinging as new rows of teeth pushed out through her jaws. You took careful aim, an explosion in the distance merely fading into the background as you focused on her. You'd already muttered a sorry, and felt no need to repeat yourself. So as you lifted the splintered wood covered in your own blood you merely whispered a quiet "Goodbye" before bringing the wood down onto her head, her newly fragile skull easily giving way to the bloodied stake. In her final moments you pushed the wood in deeper, not wanting to risk anything as you held back your own tears. This was what it came up to in the end. You panted, looking down at her corpse, still twitching as the final few signals made their way through her dying nervous system before she stopped cold. Time went on around you, the flames dying down as you laid beside her, cursing every god you could think of while your vision slowly faded. You woke up in a cold sweat, the untidy mess you called a bedroom greeting you at first light. You didn't pay the dream any mind as you got out of bed, repetition only dulls awareness after all. The dull clunk of your leg accompanied the creaking floorboards as you went into your kitchen. Two plates had been set up, one empty while the other had the remnants of last nights dinner. She just sat at her seat, smiling gently to you. A smile you returned in earnest as you threw her untouched food out and went about making breakfast. Hay-cakes were something you'd grown fond of. Their simplicity and finesse remained barely marred by the filthy plates you set them out on. Once more you set out two plates. As you ate she merely smiled to you and you always smiled back. You'd only just gotten to your last hay-cake as a knock rang through the house. You grumbled before making your way to the living room and unlocked the door hidden cleverly as another section of old wall. You carefully slid it open and made your way inside. You kicked off your hind leg, now used to moving without it as you limped towards the case at the back of the small room. She stood next to it as always, a worried expression on her muzzle as you took out your custom leg. You went about putting on your various piece of equipment, your gaze briefly passing over a stake kept safe under a glass case. As you left, closing the door behind you, you could see her standing at the main entrance to your home, the same worried expression as earlier. You chuckled and pat her mane before giving her a reassuring smile. She smiled back as you opened the door and left, whispering a quiet goodbye to your home as you left. "I'll be right back, Fluttershy."