//------------------------------//
// Chapter 3 
// Story: Silent Ponyville 4 
// by SamRose 
//------------------------------//

Cool, refreshing water splashed against her face, as her mind finally escaped the hazy fog that had surrounded it.
 
The fire had burned the monster into nothing more than a pile of ash, leaving behind a burnt hole in the fence it had been pressed up against. With the path clear she had managed to wander her way through the darkness all the way to the park, and that's how Octavia found herself on the shore of Ponyville's Crystal Lake.
 
She dipped her hooves under the cool water again, enjoying just how much it helped her relax. Another splash to her face and she felt her faculties returning to her.
 
There was a dull ache spreading throughout her body and she could feel every bruise forming under her coat. She hadn't lost much blood, her injuries had mostly just been cuts from where her skin had split open from the impacts, but they had since closed up on their own. With the help of the lake water she was able to wash off what blood she could see.
 
Everything was still completely pitch black, and her lantern did a poor job of illuminating anything not within five feet of her. She at least knew she was at the park, but that was only because she had passed a sign saying as much on her way in. From there, her hooves had guided her as if on instinct to the lake, as it seemed she still had some memories of Ponyville's layout from all those years ago.
 
“So now, I just need to find some place that would be opened with a key...” She murmured, reaching into her saddlebag to grab hold of her map. She grabbed the first paper like thing her hooves touched and pulled it out.
 
Octavia stared at Bellamena's letter, having pulled it out by mistake. She gently held the letter in both of her hooves, staring at it in thought.
 
She had come to Ponyville as a surprise because of this letter, because of some long distant hope that perhaps Bellamena was somewhere in this town. She had come in search of a sister that had been dead for many, many years. It was impossible for her to be alive.
 
And yet she couldn't deny the letter she was holding. It was exactly the kind of letter Bellamena would have sent. In her exact hoof writing. In this exact style. And no one but those who had lived on the rock farm would have even known about the nickname 'Blinkie'.
 
“Are you really here Bellamena? Somewhere in this Celestia forsaken town?” Octavia whispered to herself, her emotions welling within her throat. She knew her sister had to be dead. Her grave sat back at the farm, same as it always had.
 
Pinkie had to know something about this letter, Octavia was sure of it. But if she did... What would that even mean?
 
Was Bellamena actually still alive and Pinkie was hiding that fact? Would her sister really have hidden something that important from her?
 
“I’d forgotten about her because I didn’t want to remember. And that’s a terrible thing for an older sister to do. So from now on, I promise to visit her once a year.”
 
Pinkie's voice echoed in her mind. It had only been a few months since that day, when Pinkie had appeared suddenly and whisked her back to the farm to see their sister. Pinkie was certain that Bellamena was dead too, which meant there was no way she was hiding that fact.
 
Putting the letter away, she actually pulled out the map this time and checked the immediate area. She was quickly able to discern where Crystal Lake was on the map, as well as the road she had taken to get there.
 
“Here.” She pointed at a building that sat to the left of the lake. “Crystal Shores Resort. It's the only building in the park, so the letter must have been referring to it.”
 
With her destination confirmed, she put her map away and made her way to the other side of the lake.
 
 
    

O   O
O

    
 
 
Crystal Shores Resort, just like the rest of the town, had seen better days. What had once been a nice hotel was now run down and falling apart. The floor boards noisily creaked as Octavia walked up to the front door, making her wonder if it was even strong enough to support her anymore. But, with the hotel being the only place in the park that would realistically need a key, and was a good 'meeting' place like the letter suggested, she pushed open the front door and entered the decrepit building.
 
She was met with stale, musty air as she entered, though that wasn't the surprising part. Several lanterns had been lit around the lobby of the hotel, illuminating the immediate area. There was a faded red rug lying in the middle, while broken and tossed aside lobby chairs lined the edges of the room. She could see the check-in counter at the end, and looking up she could see a second floor balcony that lead deeper into the hotel.
 
“Oh, THERE you are!” A familiar filly's voice spoke from above in annoyance.
 
“Ellie!” Octavia cried out in surprise, seeing the dark gray filly sitting on the balcony. She was looking down at her through the poles of the railing. “Oh thank Celestia you're okay! I thought something might have happened to you!”
 
“Yeah right, like I believe that.” The filly rolled her eyes. “You didn't even TRY to find me! You just left me alone and went off to do... I don't know, boring ADULT stuff!” The filly huffed, turning her head away.
 
“Ellie, listen to me! It's not safe here! The town is crawling with monsters! You need to get out of this town as soon as possible!” Octavia's voice grew desperate, fearing for the child's safety.
 
“Oh yeah? Well if it's so dangerous out there, why are YOU still here?” Ellie asked defiantly.
 
Octavia paused, not having expected that question. Her ears fell flat as she lowered her head, realizing that she did have the option to leave, and that she had almost taken it. But in the end she had stayed. She had put herself in danger and gotten hurt for it. So why was it that she was staying?
 
“I'm... Looking for my sisters.” Octavia looked back up, her voice growing more somber. “They're in this town somewhere, and I can't leave without them. One would be a young mare, just becoming an adult, with an ash colored mane and a blue-gray coat named Bellamena Pie. The other is a mare covered from head to hoof in pink named Pinkie Pie. Have you seen them?”
 
“Can't say I know who 'Bellamena' is, but everyone in town knows Pinkie Pie. I haven't seen her today though.” Ellie shrugged while standing up, starting to walk along the balcony. “But if the town was in so much danger, why would they still be here? The facts just don't add up.” She stopped, turning to Octavia and pointing down at her. “The only conclusion I've come to, is that you're a weirdo!”
 
“Ellie! This is serious!” Octavia stomped her hoof, getting frustrated at the filly's dismissive attitude. “I have to find my sisters, they're too important to me for me to just leave them, but you need to get out of here! Your family must be worried about you! Please, you have to escape before it's too late!”
 
“Let me think about it.” Ellie spoke in an annoying, childish way as she tapped a hoof against her chin. “Tell you what, I'll think about leaving... But only if you catch me!” Ellie childishly giggled, running off into the darkness of the upper floors hallways.
 
“Ellie!” Octavia cried again, unable to stop the foal from running off on her own. “Dammit to Celestia, THIS ISN'T A GAME!” She yelled out into the darkness, only hearing the faint echo of her voice before everything fell silent again. Her teeth ground in anger, letting out a growl of frustration before slamming her hooves against the ground. She took several deep breaths, forcing herself to calm down.
 
“That girl is going to get herself killed and there's nothing I'm going to be able to do about it...” She muttered bitterly under her breath. She had come here to search for clues on Pinkie Pie's whereabouts, but now she had to add hunting down a troublesome foal onto that list.
 
With Ellie gone, she looked around the room once more, getting her bearings for where she was. Around her she could spot four hallways, though three of them had long since caved in and were no longer accessible. The one hallway that was open looked like it lead further into the hotel, likely to where the rooms were kept.
 
Just behind the service desk however, was a door that looked incredibly out of place in the room. Octavia stepped closer to the desk to get a better look at it, before blinking in surprise.
 
It was an ornate, brick-red stone door, though no handle was visible. Instead, in the center of the door was a large clock that had several orbs drawn around it. They appeared to be three suns, one red, one yellow, one blue, and three moons, one white, one green, and one red. On each side of the clock was a picture of Princess Celestia and Princess Luna respectively. The Princesses were drawn with their bodies encircling a hole on each side in which something could be placed.
 
“Well, I can tell just by looking at this door that it's quite locked.” Octavia pulled back from the desk. “And no visible keyholes, so the silver key doesn't open it. I'll just move on.”
 
The hallway that hadn't collapsed in looked fairly normal, save for the layer of dust caked onto everything. A shallow green carpeting lined the floor against half-beige half-green walls. Turning the corner led to a pitch-black hallway which caused her to pull her lantern back out in order to see. Hotel rooms were laid out on each side of the hall, with the odd numbered rooms starting at her left and the even rooms starting at her right.
 
The first door she checked had a broken lock on it, the door jingling noisily as she tried the handle. While annoying, it at least told her that nothing could come in or out of the door, which meant that anything she was looking for wasn't inside.
 
The first door that opened for her was Room 103, which opened with a quiet creak. She had braced herself for anything that might jump out at her, but the only thing that greeted her was a fairly normal hotel room. It had a bathroom by the front door, two beds in the middle, and a closed curtain covering a large window.
 
Stepping in further, several more details became apparent. The bed sheets were displaced and ruffled, with the pillows tossed around the room without care. Several stains lined the sheets, floor, and even the walls, though she couldn't immediately tell what the stains were from.
 
Given how unclean she knew hotel rooms could be though, she didn't want to even shudder at a guess.
 
The most surprising thing that stood out though was a small pile of bits that sat on the bedside table. Walking up to the table she examined the bits curiously. They were just sitting there, as if they had been left as payment for something that no one had collected. For a reason she couldn't explain, the bits made her feel incredibly uncomfortable, gnawing a pit into her stomach.
 
Money was money though, and she figured it was possible she might need them at some point. She picked up the small amount of bits and put them in her saddlebag. Underneath the pile of currency was a torn piece of paper that had something written on it.
 
 
    

Who will be born again tonight?
Who will be born again tonight?

    
 
 
It was clearly the bottom portion of a postcard, and she could clearly see that more text had been written where the paper had been torn apart.
 
“Looks like another riddle, though only a portion of it.” She spoke to herself, flipping the card around and seeing part of a lake on the other side. “If it's like the other one, it'll probably help me open some door I need to get through. Guess I'll hold on to it just in case I find the other pieces then.”
 
With the bits and paper tucked away she couldn't see anything else of use in the room so she made her way back out into the hall.
 
The next room that opened for her was Room 106, leading to a room whose layout was pretty much the same as 103's but minus the window.
 
In this room the beds were completely different from the last one. One bed was just stripped bare, leaving nothing but the mattresses and the frame. The other still had sheets and pillows, but cotton and fluff had been tossed everywhere in the room as the bed had been wildly and viciously stabbed with a bladed weapon. Deep gashes were visible across the bed and the bed sheets had been reduced to rags. Whoever had last been in this room had destroyed the bed for some reason.
 
The sight was disconcerting to her, but without the tenant in sight she was at least somewhat at ease. Stepping further into the room she decided to check the bedside table to see if this one had any clues.
 
On the table was a gemstone, one that looked out of place in the destroyed room. It was a beautifully crafted green gem in the shape of an eye. It was ornate and regal, as if it belonged to royalty, and it was just sitting there in the middle of a filthy hotel bedroom.
 
“How did you get in here?” Octavia murmured, picking up the gem and examining it in her light. Just looking at it was a little unsettling, as the gemstone looked like it was staring directly into her soul. With that creepy thought pushed out of her head she gently placed it in her saddlebag with her other items. She then turned to find another torn piece of paper that had been hiding underneath the gem.
 
 
    

Cleanses the sinful and make them anew

    
 
 
It was another piece of the post card, though this one didn't evenly line up with the part she had. That meant at the very least there was a part that went between them, and a part that went above this piece. So she still had to find at least two more pieces of the riddle.
 
With everything of value found in the room, she quickly made her way back out into the decrepit halls of Crystal Shores Resort. She had now checked every room in that hallway and was ready to move on to the next.
 
Her progress was blocked, however, by several large, thick metal poles that had been erected at the intersection of the hallways. With her lantern held out she could see Room 107 just behind the bars, the depths of the hotel were now completely inaccessible to her. She reached out her other free hoof and tugged on the bars, learning that they were rooted very firmly in place.
 
“Well, someone doesn't want me going this way, clearly.” Octavia's brow furrowed at the sight. It seemed that no matter where she went there was going to be some kind of blockade in her way.
 
To her left was a stairwell that had collapsed and was no longer usable, which left her only unexplored option the hallway to her right that extended further into the hotel.
 
With her choice made for her, she made her way down the accessible path. At the middle of the hallway her lamp lit up a sign that was hanging from the ceiling that was pointing in two directions. To her left was a doorway that lead to the Pool, and to her right was a door that led to the Ballroom. She turned and walked over to the Ballroom's double doors and tried to open them, but only got the same broken lock sound as before.
 
The pool doors in comparison were made of glass, but had visible steel bars on the outside that prevented them from being usable. Next to the doors was a perfectly normal vending machine, pressed up against the wall, looking like it still worked. In the decaying and monster filled world, it seemed almost out of place.
 
The glass window on the vending machine showed it was mostly empty, except for a single slot in the middle that contained a yellow eye-shaped gem, just like the one she had found in the room. She had to blink at that, staring at the beautiful and ornate gemstone that was stuck in the middle of a normal vending machine. And being sold for four bits nonetheless.
 
“Wait...” Octavia's brow furrowed as she reached into her saddlebag and pulled out the bits from the first room she had visited. Four golden bits were splayed out in her hoof, waiting to be used.
 
“...Well, what else am I going to use them for?” She asked herself with a shrug, before sticking the coins into the machine. Each rattled inside of it with a click, indicating they had been accepted. Once the last coin was in she pressed 'C3' on the keypad and watched the machine.
 
The gears inside of it began to whir to life, the wire around the gemstone swirling around as it pushed the item forward to be dropped down into the slot below. The gem was pushed forward just enough to suddenly dangle from its spot in the machine, but not actually fall down just as the gears died down.
 
“...Seriously?” Octavia stared at the machine unamused. The gem was just hanging there now, as if taunting her. There was only one possible solution at a time like this.
 
She lifted her hoof and slammed it against the side of the machine. With a hard enough strike she saw the gem wiggle inside the slot. She grabbed the machine and let out a frustrated cry as she shook the machine hard. The gem inside wobbled just enough that it finally came loose and crashed down into the tray below.
 
“That was entirely far too much effort.” Octavia grumbled as she pushed open the slot on the vending machine to receive her trinket. To her surprise though her hoof came back with two items. One was the gemstone in question, but the other was a bottle that actually looked like it belonged in the vending machine.
 
“Health Drink?” She murmured aloud reading the label. The flair text on the bottle went on to describe its abilities as a 'painkiller' and to 'mend fresh wounds', as if it was some kind of miracle drink that would fix what ails you. Octavia was certainly still very stiff and sore from the heavy bruising she had taken, but she was far from drinking a random concoction she had found in a decaying vending machine.
 
“Suppose I'll hold on to it it just in case, why not?” With the two new items fitting comfortably in her bag she made her way down the rest of the hallway.
 
The hallway ended in another intersection, the same as the other. To her left was another hallway blocked off with a series of metal bars, in front of her was a stairwell that actually looked useable this time, and to her right were more rooms for her to check.
 
“Guess I'll finish checking the first floor before I make my way upstairs.” She decided, heading down into the hallway of doors first. The first door she checked, Room 113, was unlike most of the doors she had checked so far. The lock wasn't busted, but neither did it open for her. It was just normally locked.
 
She let out a scoff of frustration and was about to move on, when realization struck her. She reached into her saddlebag and quickly pulled out the silver key she had gotten from Pinkie's room and tried it in the lock. Although the key fit in the door, it didn't turn at all. She tried several times, before giving up in realization that the key wasn't for that particular room.
 
“It would be helpful if this key had a room number on it.” Octavia glared at the key in annoyance before stuffing it back into her saddlebag. “Maybe I'll stumble upon the key for this door later.” She hoped she didn't have to do a lot of backtracking in this place, but she was starting to get the sinking suspicion that she wasn't going to be so fortunate.
 
Room 115 proved to be more fruitful as it opened on the first try. This room, however, was far more decorated than any of the other rooms had been.
 
Balloons and streamers were scattered around the room with confetti spread out around the floor and beds. If she had to guess, this room had once been host to her party loving sister and then never cleaned. It was a sight that brought back nostalgia. She could still remember sharing a room with Pinkie the first time they had come to Ponyville.
 
 
    

O   O
O

    
 
 
“PONYVILLE! We're really in Ponyville!” A filly Pinkie bounced into the hotel room in excitement. She rushed around the room in pure joy before claiming one of the two beds as her own. She reached into her little saddlebag and tossed a flurry of confetti into the air.
 
“Well I'm glad you're excited sis.” A younger Octavia smiled, placing her own saddlebag down by the other bed. “Just keep in mind that moving to a new city is a big deal. There's a lot that needs to be done. Paperwork to sign, living arrangements to set up, you name it.”
 
“Oh, I'm not worried about all that.” Pinkie smiled brightly as she bounced on her bed. “After all I have the world's biggest, bestest sister here to help me through all of it! And I just know that we're going to be so happy that we're going to stay together forever!”
 
Octavia hesitated, grimacing at the prospect. “...I dunno Pinkamena, I haven't really decided if Ponyville is where I want to live yet.”
 
Pinkie's bouncing stopped, the young filly turning to look at Octavia with wide eyes, tears starting to brim over. “Y-You don't want to live in Ponyville with me?”
 
“It's not that!” Octavia quickly replied, not wanting her sister to burst out into tears. “It's just... I don't even know what my special talent is yet, you know? What if I'm an airship engineer, or an architectural designer, or a gemstone refiner? There's the possibility that whatever my cutie mark is, it'll take me elsewhere.”
 
“I... I suppose that's true.” Pinkie lowered her head, her hoof brushing against the bed forlornly. “But... You're going to be around until then, aren't you?” Those big blue eyes looked up at Octavia pleadingly.
 
“O-Of course sis.” Octavia hesitantly smile, walking up to Pinkie and gently placing her hoof against her sister's leg. “I'll always be here for you when you need me. That won't change, I promise.”
 
Pinkie rushed forward and wrapped her legs around Octavia, her small body shaking as she let her tears fall. Octavia just wrapped her own hooves around her sister, and held her in that delicate hug.
 
 
    

O   O
O

    
 
 
“Oh Pinkie...” Octavia muttered quietly, staring at the room nostalgically. She remembered their trip fondly, and the room gave her a warm, welcoming feeling. She found that she rather liked the room.
 
And then it was ruined by the sharp moan of a mare in ecstasy, muffled through the wall. Immediately following the moan started a rhythmic thumping that left little question as to what was going on on the other side.
 
“Oh for the love of Celestia...” Octavia growled in annoyance at the sounds. “Honestly, how can ponies do such a thing at a time like this?” It was certainly the last thing she had expected to hear in this decrepit hell hole, let alone from within a room that reminded her so much of her sister. The obnoxiousness of it all made her want to go chew the ponies out.
 
“...Wait! Other ponies!” The realization that she wasn't alone struck her like a brick. She rushed up to the wall separating them and slammed her hoof against it, trying to get their attention. “Hello! Hello can you hear me!?” The muffled mare only let out another moan in response, either as an answer to her question or in defiance of it. “HEY! You have to listen to me! The town is in danger! The streets are crawling with monsters and everyone else has left! CAN YOU STOP ROCKING THE BED FOR TWO SECONDS!?”
 
It seemed that no matter how much she yelled or knocked, the couple in the other room refused to stop.
 
“FINE THEN! Get killed by monsters, see if I care!” Octavia was fuming. She hated being ignored like that, especially when she was just trying to help somepony. Those two being in there at least explained why Room 113 had been locked at least. Without the key to their room she had no way of getting their attention.
 
“Stupid, situation unaware imbeciles.” She growled under her breath, turning back to the messy room. She'd just have to ignore them, as difficult as that was going to be.
 
Stepping up to the bedside table she found another jewel laying on top of yet another piece of postcard. This jewel looked much more familiar to her, as it was in the shape of one of the balloons on Pinkie's cutie mark. It was a lustrous red color and looked even more pristine than the eye had. Much like the rest of the room, just looking at it made her think of her sister.
 
She then picked up the torn piece of paper and read it.
 
 
    

Shining brightly in the night sky
Waiting for the souls

    
 
 
Judging from the way it was torn, it went between the two pieces she had found earlier. That left at least one more piece before the riddle was complete.
 
The other mare let out another sharp moan, causing Octavia's eye to twitch. She put everything away in her bag and marched out of the room, frustrated, angry, and wanting to take it out on that other mare. Banging on the wall hadn't worked, but maybe banging on their door would? She figured it might be worth a shot.
 
Once back in the empty hallway she made her way up to Room 113 and lifted her hoof, ready to slam it down and give them a piece of her mind. Just as she was about to knock, her phonograph began loudly ringing.
 
Her heart instantly fell as she whirled around, frantically looking around the hallway for the source of the ringing. Something dangerous was nearby and she didn't want to stick around for it to show up. The couple were locked in their room, they'd be fine, but she needed to get to safety. Uncertain of where to run, she ran back towards the main hallway in hopes of escaping the monster.
 
The phonograph erupted louder as she came to a screeching halt at the intersection, the light of her lantern filtering through the metal bars blocking her path. Standing just behind them was a freakishly tall stallion, his head going so high as to almost touch the ceiling.
 
From the top of its legs, up its body, and around its neck was thick barbed wire that looked like it was digging into the creature's furless white skin. Its two front legs had thick metal wrapped around them, and just barely in the light of her lantern was the same blood smeared mask she had seen outside of Pinkie's window.
 
It was the same monster as back then, and it had followed her straight to this hotel.
 
The creature that stood even taller than Celestia looked as if it was staring right at her, tilting its head ever so slightly in curiosity at Octavia.
 
Just the sight of the creature filled Octavia with panic, causing her legs to sprint away without realizing where she was going. Her hooves quickly met stairs as she raced up to the second floor, trying to put as much distance between her and the creature as possible.
 
The ringing of her phonograph grew quieter at the top of the stairs, giving her a moment to catch her breath. She looked back down the stairs she had climbed, trying to see if it had possibly followed her.
 
Though now that she realized it, the creature was far too large to fit through the gaps in the bars. She would've barely been able to fit her hoof between the bars, let alone a monster that size getting through them. She simply panicked upon seeing the creature and had run on instinct. Maybe it wasn't even the same monster from Sugarcube Corner as well, seeing as that monster wasn't nearly tall enough to poke its head into a third story window.
 
She let out a sigh of relief and turned around, only for the phonograph to flare back up with his hysterical ringing. The sickly, squelching sound of muscles and saliva hit the air as a new monster walked into the light of her lantern.
 
It was a sickly gray abomination, as if a pony had been cut in half and a large bulbous tumor had take the place of its upper half. The skin was shriveled and clung strangely to the body as it sauntered towards her, its pace slowed by the thick metal wrapped around both of its legs. As it drew closer, a long, sharpened tongue escaped from a 'mouth' out its front, the appendage dripping with thick saliva and twitching in the air, as if tasting it.
 
Octavia took a step back in disgust, revolted by the creature. The stairs behind her led back to that masked stallion, and metal bars blocked her path to her right, so she took the only path not obstructed and ran down the hallway to her left. The creature squelched as its head turned to follow her, its tongue slamming against the floor before immediately giving chase.
 
Her hoof desperately reached out for the first door that came to sight, the door to Room 213, and prayed it would open. It let out a loud click as it opened and she rushed inside, before slamming it shut behind her. Not a second later the creature's tongue slammed heavily against the door, the wood audibly cracking from the force of the impact. Octavia slammed her shoulder against the door and braced, gritting her teeth as she prayed for it to go away.
 
The tongue slammed against the door again, the entire structure shaking hard against the impact. She dug her hooves in and held firm, the door surviving a third strike from the powerful appendage.
 
The third hit seemed to give the creature pause, as she could hear its tongue slithering against the door. After a moment's pause she heard a muffled slurp, as if the creature had withdrawn its tongue, and the muffled heavy thuds of its footsteps walking away. She refused to move from her position of bracing the door, even after her phonograph had gone silent, until she was absolutely certain it was safe.
 
When she did finally feel safe, she let go of the door and backed away from it, watching to see if it burst open suddenly. When it didn't, she turned around to look at the room she had entered for the first time.
 
It was very different from all of the other hotel rooms she had entered up until this point. There wasn't a single piece of furniture in sight, or even any carpeting to speak of. It was an open room with a hardwood floor that was waiting to be renovated. On closer inspection there were several dark stains littering the floor and walls, though their origins were unknown. The only other thing in the room was what appeared to be a hatch in the center of the room that was tied shut with a piece of rope.
 
“That's odd...” Octavia murmured inspecting the hatch. She pressed her hoof against the rope, noting that it was wrapped tightly to the handle and a loop in the hardwood floor. Testing the handle proved that the door was not budging so long as the rope was there. “It looks like this hatch would open up to Room 113, though I'd need to find something that could cut this rope...”
 
She wasn't entirely certain why there was a door leading into that room here, or if bothering the couple really was worth her time at this point. She was certainly desperate not to be alone though, and if there were other ponies here she could suffer through some awkwardness if it meant they could travel together. Safety in numbers and all.
 
The room yielded nothing else of interest, so she made her way back to the door and pressed her ear against it. She couldn't hear anything but the sound of her own breathing, so she opened the door carefully to make sure the coast was clear. She could see the gashes on the door where the monster had struck it, but the hallway was otherwise empty.
 
Unsure of when the danger would return she sped up her search, quickly finding Room 218 to be the next accessible door. Upon entering 218, Octavia's nose immediately wrinkled as a foul odor filled the air. She gagged as she brought her hoof up to her face, the unmistakable scent of blood in the room.
 
Her phonograph was silent as she stepped further inside, the sight now matching the smell. There was blood splattered over almost the entire second bed in the room, looking as if someone had been brutally murdered on the spot. No body or organs, just the remains of a grisly scene. The other bed was, in stark contrast, made up as if fresh and new, with barely a wrinkle out of place.
 
“What in Equestria happened in this place?” Each room was worst than the last and she couldn't make heads or tails of it all.
 
Swallowing her nerves she walked over to the bedside table, where all the other clues had been. Sure enough, she found what she was looking for. This time however, she only found a piece of the torn post card. It looked like the top-most piece of the post card, and with all the pieces together she could now read the full riddle.
 
 
    

Red moon, red moon...
Cleanses the sinful and make them anew
Shining brightly in the night sky
Waiting for the souls
Who will be born again tonight?
Who will be born again tonight?

    
 
 
Octavia read the lines in order over in her head, not quite understanding what it meant. They had to mean something, but for the life of her she couldn't figure it out. Was doing all of this really getting her closer to finding her sisters? Or to what had happened in this town?
 
She had no answers to her questions, so she just pocketed the last bit of note and made her way out of the blood soaked room.
 
Her phonograph erupted into a roar of static ringing, as a muffled screech pierced her ears. The squelch of muscle and mucus ripped through the air as something struck the side of her body in an instant. Octavia screamed in pain as her body was flung from the impact, her back crashing hard into the carpet as her body rolled to a stop. Her hooves quickly wrapped around her torso, hissing through her teeth at the pain that was now assaulting her ribs.
 
Her eyes shot open as she turned her head, seeing the licking creature standing beside the door, its tongue flailing in the air as it loudly screeched. Its tongue slammed hard against the floor before it began to run straight in her direction.
 
She scrambled to her hooves, ignoring the fire now burning in her chest as she ran, hearing the monster's tongue impact on the floor of where she had just been laying. The pain in her chest roared at her, just loud enough to dull out the creature's cries as she put distance between them.
 
She came to a stop as she hit a railing, suddenly able to see down to the first floor. She was now on the balcony that Ellie had been on earlier. The little filly had to be nearby!
 
Octavia spun her head around, looking at the hallway she had just come from and seeing the creature stumbling its way towards her. It was by no means fast, but she couldn't just stand there and let it approach. She grit her teeth and sprinted away, running around the length of the railing to get to the other side. The Licker stopped at the railing itself, letting out a screech as its tongue tasted the wood blocking its path.
 
She stared at it, watching as the Licker pressed its head against the railing, trying to figure out what was stopping it from getting to her. It seemed it wasn't smart enough to realize that there was a hole leading to the first floor standing between them, and she thanked her blessings for that.
 
Running ahead, she made another turn and found herself in a new hallway full of hotel rooms to check. Her phonograph also died down, indicating she had put enough distance between herself and the monster that it likely wasn't going to chase her anymore.
 
Her hoof pressed against the newly forming bruise on her ribs, wincing at the pain from it. The tongue hit way harder than she thought possible, but it didn't feel like anything was broken.
 
“I've got to be more careful...” She sucked in a breath as she walked forward, trying not to agitate the wound anymore than needed.
 
In this hallway, the first door that was unlocked was Room 202. However, when she opened it, the door only opened partially, being stopped short by the chain lock. From within the darkness of the room she could hear a mare crying, a gentle sob as if somepony was trying to hide away from the world. Sobs from a pained soul who had lost all hope in the world.
 
“Hello? Is somepony in there?” Octavia called out, hoping that this time somepony would acknowledge her. The mare in the dark room gave no response, only continuing to wallow in her own pity. “Hey! If you can hear me say something!” She called out again desperately, just wanting some kind of response. Unfortunately, the mare seemed intent on not giving her one, just continuing to cry. “Excuse me but there are monsters roaming the halls out here! You need to get somewhere safe! Away from this crazy place!”
 
The mare refused to answer at all, causing Octavia to let out a frustrated sigh. She closed the door, feeling her frustration and anger starting to boil over again. Yet another pony that was completely ignoring her in a situation where they needed to come together for safety.
 
“What is wrong with everypony here?” It seemed the whole world was falling into insanity and she was the only sane one left.
 
Room 205 was the only other door in the hallway that opened, leading to a room that stopped Octavia dead in her tracks.
 
The entire room was made of concrete. Floor, walls, ceiling, everything. Four torches were lit in each corner of the room, and in the center stood a large statue of Celestia, her wings spread out and curled up around an altar that sat beneath her muzzle. On the altar was the carcass of a long since deceased pony, their blood having pooled and dripped down the sides of the altar of which they had been laid upon.
 
“Sweet Celestia, what happened here?” She brought her hoof up to her muzzle, gagging at the rotting scent of decay in the air. She swallowed hard and stepped closer, trying to examine what had gone on in this room for clues.
 
The body of the pony that had been sacrificed was far too decayed to be identified, but if she had to guess it once had black hair that flowed over the back edge of the altar when it had been scarified. Its skin was now a sickly grayish-green and wrinkled all over. There were no obvious wounds that she could see, but its blood was everywhere. There was also a plague on the altar that had been stained with the pony's blood that contained an epitaph.
 
 
    

Only the All-Seeing Eyes of our Grand Matriarch may pass Judgment on thy soul

    
 
 
“All-Seeing Eyes?” Octavia murmured reading the epitaph. She looked up at the statue of Celestia, seeing that where her eyes should be were instead slight depressions in the same shape as the gems she had found. “It couldn't be...”
 
Quickly reaching into her saddlebag she pulled out the green and yellow gemstones that she had found on her way through the hotel. Being careful to not touch the body, she leaned over the statue and placed each gemstone into the hole they fit. Once both had been placed she stepped back, waiting to see if anything happened.
 
Stone scraping against stone suddenly came from the statue, a shrill grinding as if something was opening within it. She watched as Celestia's head began to move ever so slightly, as if she was opening her muzzle.
 
The sharp sound of metal sinking into flesh suddenly pierced the air, as a knife fell from the monarch's mouth and slammed straight into the pony's chest.
 
The room fell silent, the process having apparently finished. Octavia blinked, staring at the butcher's knife that now stood straight from the pony's chest.
 
“Well that was gruesome.” Octavia grimaced. “Some ponies must be really twisted to come up with such a thing.” Though it seemed all was not lost as the universe had given her something she could use. Walking up to it she gingerly reached her hoof out, wrapped it around the handle, and pulled it from the body.
 
The knife appeared to be in good condition and had been sharp enough to pierce the carcass's flesh with ease. It was definitely an aged knife, she could see scratches marring its surface from years of use. With this she could cut through the rope that had tied down that hatch into Room 113.
 
That, and she could defend herself from the Licker and the Masked Stallion if it came to that.
 
“Room 213 is a straight shot down the main hallway from here.” Octavia murmured to herself thinking about the hotel’s layout. “If I run straight there I should be able to avoid any more harm.” The throb from her ribs reminded her of how hard the Lickers could hit, but with how slow they were they would be easy enough to stay away from.
 
With goal in mind she made her way towards the hallway door and held the knife in her mouth. She cracked the door open, checking to see if the Licker patrolling the hall was waiting to ambush her again. When her phonograph remained silent, she took her queue and booked it out of the room, rushing down the main hallway as quickly as she could.
 
Speeding her way down she kept her eyes peeled, fully expecting something to pop out in front of her. Her hooves echoed loudly in her head with each thud against the carpet, hoping she'd make it there safely.
 
The hallway with room Room 213 quickly came into view, her slowing just enough to turn the corner quickly. Her phonograph erupted into ringing as she heard the familiar squelch of the Licker heading towards her from the other end of the hallway. She wasted no time, rushing straight up to the door to Room 213 and pushing it open and slamming it closed behind her.
 
She braced against the door again, her phonograph growing quieter in the room but waited for it to go silent. She listened to the Licker slink around out in the hallway before it walked away. She let out a sigh of relief as her phonograph went silent.
 
The tied down hatch was waiting for her the same as it had been when she had first arrived in the room. Taking the knife out of her mouth she slid the sharp end under the rope and quickly began to slice. The rope was tough and it took some doing, but it began to come undone, splitting apart with each stroke. It didn't take long before the rope finally snapped, freeing the hatch from the ring holding it down. She quickly pulled the rest of the rope free before grabbing the handle and pulling the hatch open.
 
Room 113 was completely pitch black and silent.
 
“Hello?” Octavia called out, poking her lantern down the hole trying to get a better view. “Is anyone there?” Her lantern illuminated part of the room, but not enough for her to get a good view of it. She tried to adjust it to get a look at the bed, when the lantern suddenly slipped from her hooves.
 
“Shit!” She cursed under her breath, watching the lantern strike the edge of the bed before rolling towards a corner of the room. Now she was stuck in the darkness of both rooms unless she jumped down after it.
 
“I suppose I was planning to go down there anyway...” She reasoned with herself, feeling a chill down her spine. She didn't like how quiet the room was now that it was open. If the couple was still in the room they should've spoken up by now, but they were deadly silent.
 
Taking a deep breath to steel her nerves, she clamped the knife in her mouth again and jumped down into the room, managing to land with a graceful but loud thud. She sharply winced as all of the bruises from her previous fights yelled at her at once over what a bad idea that was. She breathed in sharply through her nose to regulate the pain, before turning to go pick up her lantern.
 
Her phonograph burst to life, the shrill ringing striking her ears as her eyes shot open wide. She twirled around on the spot, backing up slowly as the sound of squelching hit her ears. At the edge of the lantern's light came the form of a Licker, its tongue sliding out of its mouth.
 
The thick appendage shot forward like a bolt of lightning, suddenly smacking hard against her neck and wrapping itself around it. Octavia shrieked, the knife falling from her mouth before the tongue tightened and pulled, lifting her up into the air. She desperately clawed at the appendage constricting her airway, desperate to breathe.
 
The creature screeched loudly as her body was suddenly tossed around like a rag doll, being slammed hard against the room's wall. All the air escaped her body as she fell to the ground, the tongue letting go of her neck. She coughed and hacked, her hooves grasping at her throat from the pain.
 
The Licker's tongue struck at her again, smacking her hard against her face as it began to wriggle down her body. She could feel every inch of its stick saliva coating her fur as it slid down her barrel and stomach, wrapping around her hip as if it was tasting her. She began to scream in pain as the lingering saliva started to burn at her skin, the very liquid eating away at her. The Licker drew closer, cornering her with its entire body as it continued to 'taste' her, loudly squelching and squealing through the entire process.
 
Octavia grit her teeth, hissing at the pain covering her body. She squinted her eyes open, seeing the knife lying just barely within reach. She lifted her hind hoof and pressed down on it, able to pull it closer towards her. The Licker screeched at his, slamming her head against the wall, eliciting another cry of pain from Octavia.
 
She shuddered and did her best to flick the knife towards her with her hind hoof. The knife sailed cleanly along the carpet, striking close to the wall behind her. The monstrous tongue was sliding down between her thighs, causing her to scream again as she finally managed to grab hold of the knife.
 
With a loud cry, Octavia swung the knife hard into its head, the weapon easily striking her target. It let out a horrific pained screech as it swiftly pulled back, its tongue leaving her body as it thrashed in pain. She was far from done with it though, as she let out another enraged scream, tackling it to the ground as she pulled the knife out of its head.
 
Each stab was filled with an intense fury as she roared and screamed at the creature, cursing it, demanding it die with each violent stab. She kept stabbing even after it had stopped thrashing, even after the phonograph had gone silent, and even after the creature had bled enough to stop splattering blood against her coat.
 
One final stab pierced the creature's skin as she hung her head, breathing heavily as the pain and adrenaline finally began to subside. Her entire body shuddered, recoiling from the pain and trauma of what had just happened. She lifted her head up just enough to stare at the corpse beneath her, the Licker's tongue long since detached and curled up on the floor by its head. Its body was mutilated beyond recognition from her assault.
 
She finally got off of the creature, stepping away from it, still panting heavily. She looked down at the knife in her hooves, seeing it still dripping with blood. She saw the blood splattered against her coat, and then saw the burnt fur that followed the trail from the Licker's tongue
 
She shuddered, feeling utterly disgusting with that creatures vile fluids all over her. With her body aching, she put away her knife and finally picked up her lantern to look at the room.
 
A mare's body lay on the bed, her black hair scattered out amongst her bloodied carcass. There was so much blood covering her that identifying her was impossible.
 
“...I'm so sorry...” Octavia hung her head solemnly. There was nothing she could do for the mare.
 
The light of her lantern glinted off of something on the bedside table next to the mare's corpse. On her shaky legs she made her way over to it, lifting the lantern up enough to get a good look at it.
 
It was an old, rusty blue jewel in the shape of a contrabass.
 
She stuffed the jewel away into her saddlebag and glanced around the room one last time. With nothing else in the room, she wandered over to the door and unlocked it.
 
“Well... That's everything...” Octavia murmured quietly out in the hallway. “I checked every room I could, and not only did the key not open any of them, I couldn't find Ellie...” All she had managed to find was a postcard with a riddle on it, and a weapon to defend herself from the monsters.
 
She limped her way down the hall, back to the front lobby as she tried to think of what she had done wrong. She had only wanted to see her sisters... She had only wanted to protect that little filly... She had only wanted the company of another pony...
 
Where had she gone wrong?
 
Octavia's breath hitched in her throat as she shook her head, trying not to let the tears spill out. She just wanted to be done with this place if it had nothing to offer her in the way of answers.
 
She came to a stop in the lobby, turning her head towards the reception desk and the strange door that was placed behind it. She stared at it for a few moments, before it clicked in her head.
 
“A red moon...” One of the moon's on the door was red. That must have been what the riddle was talking about! With some hope returning to her, she moved to the door as quickly as she could and examined it in closer detail.
 
The images of Luna and Celestia were drawn with their bodies wrapping around two holes on the door, that just happened to be in shapes she recognized. She reached into her bag and pulled out the balloon and contrabass jewels, placing the red balloon into Celestia's hole and the contrabass into Luna's.
 
When the second jewel had been fitted inside, the door began to move, stone grinding on stone as the clock on the door extended out. It came to a stop a few inches out, looking as if she could turn the pictures and dials.
 
“The red moon is shining brightly...” Octavia murmured, staring at the dials. She pressed her hooves against the pictures and turned them until the red moon was the top-most picture. “So what's the time?” She wracked her brain, thinking the riddle over. “I guess it would shine brightest at midnight?” She was uncertain if that was the true answer, but it was worth a shot. She grabbed the dials on the clock and turned them until they pointed at midnight.
 
Octavia jumped in her skin as a clock chimed out loudly, ringing at her having successfully solved the puzzle. The dials moved back into the door as the clock continued to chime, the door loudly sliding up and into the ceiling as it opened.
 
The clocked finished chiming once it had chimed for the twelfth time and the room fell silent.
 
“Seems the way has opened up for me.” She murmured, furrowing her brow as she stared ahead. “Where does this lead though...” Lifting her lantern she entered the new room that had opened up. Her ear flicked as she heard something out in the distance, tilting her head to listen.
 
It was a siren, blaring out across Ponyville in warning. In warning to what though? The town was already infested with monsters.
 
She turned her head back to the room she had entered, seeing just a small square room made of cement all around. The bodies of two ponies wrapped in cloth hung from hooks in the corners, pools of blood sitting beneath them and a wooden door placed between them.
 
Above the door were the words written in blood,
 
 
    

Who will be born again tonight?

    
 
 
A shudder ran down Octavia's spine as an ominous feeling crept over her. She pushed forward, grabbing the handle of the door, and entered the next room.