Prologue.
Prologue.
Once upon a time, in a realm far beyond the reach of mortal imagination, there existed a magical land known as Equestria. This enchanting realm was unlike any other, for it was inhabited by a wondrous array of multicoloured ponies, graceful pegasus, and majestic unicorns. In this realm, harmony and friendship were not mere ideals but the very essence of life itself. And at the heart of this extraordinary land, ruling over all with wisdom and grace, were the Alicorns - the most powerful and revered beings in all of Equestria.
Equestria was a place where dreams took flight, where the vibrant hues of the ponies' coats mirrored the kaleidoscope of magic that flowed through their veins. Each pony possessed a unique talent, a special gift that contributed to the harmony and prosperity of their land. From the earth ponies, who nurtured the fertile lands and brought forth bountiful harvests, to the pegasus, who controlled the winds and weather, and the unicorns, who wielded the power of magic, every creature had a vital role to play.
But it was the Alicorns who held the highest honour and responsibility. These majestic beings embodied the combined magic of all three pony races, possessing both the wings of the pegasus and the horn of the unicorn. They were the living embodiment of harmony, their presence radiating an aura of tranquility and wisdom that touched the hearts of all who beheld them.
Princess Celestia, the benevolent ruler of Equestria, was the embodiment of the sun's warmth and light. Her sister, Princess Luna, embodied the beauty and mystery of the moon, guiding the night sky with her ethereal glow. Together, they ensured that day and night, light and darkness, were in perfect balance, allowing life to flourish in their magical realm.
Under the Alicorns' wise rule, Equestria thrived. The ponies lived in harmony, their friendships strengthening the bonds that held their land together. The skies were filled with the graceful flight of pegasus, their colourful wings painting the heavens with vibrant streaks. Unicorns, with their horns aglow, weaved spells of wonder and enchantment, bringing joy and magic to every corner of Equestria.
But behind every light is darkness, the draining aroma to send any strong-willed spirit into despair, the mysterious theory of darkness behind every corner. It doesn’t live in the light, it excels in the souls of living beings, thriving as a host in the minds of the weak. Curses lay waiting patiently, its purpose unknown, but wicked to its victims. Love doesn’t live in the landscape of nightmares, fear is all that remains, a portal to the forgotten avenue of memories.
All this can bring the deluded and the paranoid below the surface of light and into the domain that can drive a pony mad with rage, loneliness or disparity. It’s happened before; friendship lost to sin, love lost to hate, light lost to darkness, it’s a concept the ponies need to understand, to understand before it’s too late. Thus, an experiment happened.
Experiment Silent-Hill.
It’s a project that was overlooked, tossed aside without a second look or thought, lost to the ill-prepared and senseless, the experiment was seen as an eye-opening experience but in an unethical way, a dark piece of history lost to time and memory. Silent Hill was created by a well-respected and well-known scientist called Test Matter, applauded for his genius mind, and commemorated for his love for of progression and perception of life. He revolutionised how ponies looked at life around them. However, his reputation was not always clouded in positivity.
At the end of his career, he just… vanished, without a trace of any clue of his whereabouts. He was just gone and that’s how it’s been for several years now.
But it wasn’t his disappearance that tarnished his brilliant name, it's what was left behind that left the nation shocked by the horrifying news. 24 ponies that were missing for almost 2 years have been found but, found in their own graves. 4 of the 20 were murdered with a slit to the jugular, and the rest died due to an unknown reason. It was a dark time that no one will forget.
No one truly knows who Test Matter was; he was distant, never talked to many ponies, and when he did talk to others, it would be to his assistant and his connections, other than them, no one had ever heard his voice. Test’s past was a mystery, he sorta just… turned up at the age of 16 years of age at the school for gifted unicorns, and no pony questioned it. No parents, no shelter, no connections to anypony, he was a blank slate but, he had a brilliant, bright mind and a thirst for knowledge.
Test Matter has been wanted till this day for the murders of 24 poor souls, but he is nowhere to be seen or heard from ever since, leaving a deep, dark scar on the relatives of the victims and having the ponies watching their backs on the streets of night, a mere horror story for those who knew the name of the mad scientist.
As for the experiment… Silent Hill… It's out there… Somewhere… Waiting to be—played…
‘Fisher~.’
Why was that voice so familiar to me? It calmed my thoughts but… at the same time, turmoil grew deep within me. Why did I get so angry all of a sudden?
‘Fisher!’
A different voice this time, a stallion’s voice. I feel… scared by this voice. I know I’ve heard this voice a million times but, I can’t remember who it was that spoke to me in this certain tone. It’s terrifying.
‘Fisha!’
The voice changed again, now it was a little filly who spoke my name, a name that she kept saying wrong but, I didn’t mind that, whoever said it gave me a sense of hope and belonging. It was good to hear her again — whoever she was.
I was in a small room, a dark small room that I don’t remember but, I recognised a few things. I recognise the walls, the moist, decaying wooden planks in line and at attention, slowly getting softer. I recognise the floor that speaks to me, its voice old with age, its creaks being its agonising cries with each step I take, holes in certain sections on the floor. I recognised the filthy window that I trusted to keep me warm and safe, to help me see what I couldn’t from behind these walls and to bring in the light to help me see, but it failed in all aspects of its purpose. I couldn’t tell if it was night or day. The door was barely a door that I recognised, hoof sized holes were embedded several times into the frame, shrapnel left inside the room as evidence of the murder of the door.
I could see a crib in the corner of the room, but it was unusable, one of the legs had collapsed, its ligaments rotten and fractured. There was a cabinet next to the crib, all four of its legs healthy but, the drawers were missing, rendering the wooden furniture useless. There was a teddy bear on that cabinet however, on its side with one of his arms missing, the fluffy blood peeking out as the teddy looked at me with its black small eyes. I stood on a rug in the middle of the room, dirt and dust being the top layer, the puffiness of the fabric wrinkled and colourless, its only purpose now was hiding the holes in the floorboards. On the windowsill, leaned up against the window, I could see a closed book, a leather book covered in dust. The cover of the book read: ‘See no Evil’ with a black diamond shape in the centre of the cover. Out of all the things I saw in this room, that book was the only thing I didn't recognise in some way.
For the first time in what felt like hours, I took my first step towards the book, the floorboards creaking in warning. I froze on my second step; I could have sworn I heard something muffled move like a sag of rocks being dragged across the floor, however, when I turned, nothing fitting that description was seen. The bleak room was still, almost like time had been frozen over. I’m sure I heard something, could it be from outside my room? If so… Who could it have been? I wait for a bit, my ears on guard, waiting for something… a
Anything… A hoof step, a voice or the sound I heard.
Nothing…
After a while, I hummed tentatively, my neck starting to hurt from stretching my neck from over my shoulder. When I looked back however, I was surprised to see that the book that was pressed up against the window was gone, replaced by a small chest, sealed shut by a lock, the keyhole empty of its key. It was a regular chest, I remember I had one of them for my birthday; nothing inside, just—something to put all my stuff in but, I couldn’t remember what I put inside it. I delayed my forward progression, hesitant to take another step. Where had the book gone? Why is there a chest there now? I didn’t know what to think by this quick switcheroo, but I didn’t think on it, I just took another step forward towards the chest.
I was close to the chest now, standing on my two hind hooves to just about reach the top of the sill. I could just about touch the base of the chest, stretching that little bit further as I grunted, holding my breath to get that little bit higher. Close… I was so close until—
Crack!
My body suddenly felt light, and my stomach shot up into my ribcage as I felt my body fall. My heart skipped a beat when I saw the windowsill getting further and further away from me, pure blackness surrounding me in a free fall that lasted seconds. I could barely hear myself scream, the velocity of what I was doing made the wind rage in my sensitive ears, almost like an angered vortex. I was falling for too long, too fast and I knew what that meant when I eventually hit the bottom. Tears came naturally as I screamed, my mind rattled and fear increasing with each second.
Suddenly, all the feeling in my hind legs had skyrocketed to absolute torture, and I heard an ear-splitting crunch sound as the first thing that reached the bottom was my hind hooves, the damage multiplying by the weight of my body crashing down on top of it. I would have lost my voice from screaming if it weren't for the fact that all the air in my body left me from the landing, leaving my body paralysed in a husk, silent scream. An infinite amount of tears rolled down my cheeks, my mind shaken in dizziness from the harsh landing.
I couldn’t see, my vision blurred by the tears. I couldn’t hear anything, just the ringing in my ears. My legs… I can’t move them, and I don’t want to look back to see why that is. Seeing my mangled legs… I think that would be my final straw in this madness. I need to find help, I need to get out of here, I need—
Clip, clop, clip, clop~…
Hoof steps, the sole echoing around, a slow trot if the pause inbetween each step meant anything. Who was it? Why is this pony here in the first place? I didn’t like this, not one bit but, maybe the pony could help, get me to a hospital where it is safe, where my family can look after me, where I—
My family…
Wha—
Why—why can’t I remember them?
I shook my head; I can figure out why I have such a bad memory when I get out of here. I blinked my eyes rapidly, eventually getting my vision back as well as my hearing. I could see a posted torch standing vigilant on a cobblestone wall, brightening the surrounding objects and what I saw disturbed me greatly. All of a sudden, I didn’t feel like calling out for help, no one down here was going to help.
Splats of red stained the cobble floor, walls, the air around the area giving of a metallic sent. The skeletons of what once was lay crusted and folded into a mangled mess of bones, a thousand-yard stare in them empty sockets. Shackles stood in line on the walls, paired with a partner to hold the victim up, some holding slumped skeletons. It was a nightmare coming true.
Then I heard it again, that sound of something being dragged against the floor, following the sound of the pony getting closer and closer. I was trying to hold in the sob of mixed emotions, trying to stay as quiet as I could, hoping not to be seen as I was just out of reach of the flame's light. I didn’t know who the pony was and, I didn't want to know.
But that wasn’t an option anymore.
My eyes widened and my whimpers turned into a gasp. It was horrifying what I saw; an undead beast is what was in front of me. Its mane and tail were completely gone, patches of urban fur were all that was left of the stallion, rotten tissue muscles and bones riddled the zombie-like base, crimson smudging what was left of the coat and bandages uselessly wrapped around the body. His wings were pointless, featherless with his right wing completely snapped, dangling lifelessly across the floor. It’s Cutie Mark crudely bandaged up in dirty bandages, blood oozing out in between the gaps. A raspy gurgle was all that was heard from the fleshy muzzle, its teeth like that of a carnivore. The monster couldn’t see a thing as it walked, multiple layers of dressing wrapped around his head where his eyes were, blood tears running down its cheeks. Then there was the source of the dragging sound, an iron ball chained to the Pegasus’s back hoof, slowly being dragged along, hindering its movement.
I lay still, I didn’t sob or sniff the snot running down my nose, I was too scared to make any sort of noise to catch that beast's attention. I couldn’t breathe, not from a lack of a choice, I am just too paranoid that the act of breathing would have been too loud.
What do I do? Do I just lay here and hope the blind pegasus walks passed? What if it finds me? What do I do then? I breathed out of my nose, my limited amount of air running thin as I watched the blind stallion’s head jerk, its ears swivelling around, trying to pick a noise or hint of movement. It did stop for a moment, its ears turning towards the crackling fire before trudging away. It was getting closer, and I couldn’t move, one slight movement from me and it would be game over. My heart increased rapidly as it got too close, worried that the beast would actually hear my thumping heart.
The pegasus stopped again but this time I had no idea why. Then it took a long deep inhale, sucking up all the metallic air around him. My eyes widened when it had finished, its jerking had stopped and somehow, it was looking straight at me. A feral roar escaped the meaty jaws of the monster, blood and slobber flying off from the force and volume. I couldn’t help but scream back, fear driving me into absolute insanity, the pain not registering as I tried to crawl away, anywhere but here.
I didn’t crawl for long as the pain was multiplied once again, something sharp digging into my broken back leg, pulling me back with a hard yank. I screamed like never before, feeling my flesh being torn apart was indiscernible. I look back at the gore-filled scene and I felt something rise up from the bottom of my stomach, something on the tip of my throat. The monster had me pinned by my hind leg. Canines ripping through flesh, blood smothering its maw, the loose liquid pouring onto the floor.
That something reaching up my throat was released, but it wasn’t vomit that came or blood; I laughed… I was being eaten alive, but I laughed. The pain was shooting up my leg with each chunk of me missing, but I still laughed. I was going to die a slow and sad death but, I was still laughing. Why am I laughing so much? Why am I laughing so hard? What’s happening to me isn’t funny, but I couldn’t help but laugh. How long had I been laughing? Seconds? Minutes? Hours? I couldn’t tell you. All I knew was that my throat had gotten sore, my left hind hoof wasn’t attached to me anymore and I felt tired.
I managed to look up with my eyes only to see my murderer looking down at me, his mouth covered with my young blood. I wasn’t given a second as the zombie snapped his head down, latching itself to my exposed neck. The last thing I heard before everything went black was a crunching sound. The sound of my death.