The Dark
and Hollow
Basement
A distinctly familiar, and ghastly smell wafted by Big's nose. The outside of the glass windows were dark as night, and different. The plants were all blood red, and the soil seemed tainted to the point of no return. Blue candles illuminated a round room which contained only two doors. Big knew right away that he was no longer within Dr. Eggman's ship.
Despite never having been within this place, something about his new surroundings seemed oddly reminiscent to a haunted castle he had visited not too long ago.
"Is this the same place...?" Big took another look around, and shook his head. He then said, "Nope... I've certainly never been here before. It just looks the same... That's all... But, still, where do I go?" He looked down at Froggy who remained rather stationary on the ground, and then, the frog began to bounce forth. He leaped to the door on Big's left, and that's when the cat asked, "You really think that we should go that way?"
He just watched as the door opened quickly, and it then closed immediately again after Froggy had leaped to the next room over. It took Big a moment for him to react.
"..."
He then blinked.
"FROGGY!!!"
In an instant, he came up to the door, and panicked. "Open up, will ya! My buddy's in there!" He started to try and lift the door with his hands. All the while, he kept yelling, "I just got him back! I only just got my Froggy back, I tell ya!"
Thanks to Big's impressive strength, it came open in time. Although, once he was at last on the other side, and out of that odd, round room, he just stopped while staring, and shivered a little bit.
"This castle is bigger than I thought..."
Big stood atop what looked like a horse's hoof, but it was made of sheer stone. The runway once again had those crimson plants aligning either sides of it, and in the distance were huge, orange pumpkins that sat atop other familiar, hoof-like pillars. In the background, Big could scarcely see anything else except red, rolling hills, and a few droves of overgrown pumpkin patches. The scarce amounts of trees that somewhat dotted the landscape were mostly bare, and seemed to have daunting faces scratched into them.
Big ran along as quickly as he could, and as he reached a large loop, he commented while upside down, "I wonder where froggy has wandered off to now..."
He then came up to a bounce pad, and imminently found himself suspended in the air. After landing, he'd see Froggy on another nearby platform. It was located directly in front of the one he was on, but the jump was far too great for Big to make on his own. He yelled energetically, "Hold on, Froggy! I'm on my way!"
In the middle of both platforms were all too familiar, round orbs with white, illegible writings on them. The closer Big got to his, the more and more it shined. The words almost seemed to mysteriously hover outside of where they had actually been written.
He swatted it with his fishing rod, and as the switch activated, Big felt himself begin to float upwards in the air. Like the cat he was, Big landed on his two feet with ease, but he was now upside down. Luckily, the roof had no gaps for him to worry about, so Big came running on over to where Froggy could be seen. It was then a simple matter for Big to use his fishing rod once more to reach the other orb. He once again was falling down, and landed with a huff. "There we go... Now then... Froggy?"
He looked at the pet amphibian. "Ribbit?"
"What was the big idea, little buddy? Why'd you run off like that?" The frog just stayed where it was. "Well... anyways, ever since I got here... I've been thinking."
He turned to the towering, two ton door that was in front of him, and opened it with one, single shove. Within were remnants of obvious mechanical torture, and tools for the blatant infliction of pain. Shackles, and stockades, and tomes lined a couple of the walls, and Big then continued with what he was saying. He also placed his rolled up fists on his hips, and beamed left and right while scanning the area.
"Since we're a long ways from home, Froggy, and because I've lost count of just how many times you've tried to escape... Maybe it might be a good idea for me to finally make you a carrying cage!" He got to work without delay, and used whatever materials he could find. However, Big wouldn't stop just there. He worked tirelessly to make sure that Froggy's cage could be as comfortable for his little pal as possible.
Once he was done, he gracefully snatched up the little guy and voiced loudly, "Woo hoo! Now I'll never lose you! And you seem... so happy in there!" He gasped. "That must be it! You were just getting tired, and didn't want to bounce around anymore! You must've wanted me to carry you the whole way to the boat shop, huh? Am I right? Did I figure it out, froggy?"
Big peered inside, and through all of the small, iron bars. Froggy had already settled down to take a nice nap, so Big guessed that he must've been correct in assuming this after all.
"Yahoo!" Big ecstatically celebrated his success, but only for about two or three seconds. His voice had bellowed a bit too loudly, and as a result, a dozen or so ghost ponies awoke from their graves. Each and every single one of them sported a translucent, white and gray hue. Big could even see the skulls, and bones which reached all they way down to each of their swirly, ectoplasmic tails.
Naturally, he raised his fishing rod in one hand. While he placed Froggy away, he also reached for his ukulele with the other.
"I'll d-defend myself if I h-have to..."
They just got that much more closer.
"I've d-dealt with ghosts like you b-before!"
His words didn't seem to be working.
"Don't... make me-"
He cowered, and then, a few of them grabbed hold of Big. A sudden, and thoroughly undeniable sense of safety, and relaxation came over him, and instead of fear, and terror, Big began to feel oddly calm. He at first had to close his eyes because of how scared he initially was. After opening them back up to take another look, though, he saw that each and every single one of the ghosts that floated in front of him were all young, shy foals and colts.
They were completely innocent, and incapable of inflicting any such harm towards anyone or anything. The cat merely huffed as more and more ghost ponies approached him, and they soon kindly brought him and his pet to a nearby, wooden door. It appeared as though it hadn't really been used in over a century.
One last time, Big sighed, but he dared not say another word. He knew what each and every one of these lost and lonely souls wanted of him.
Without much hesitation, Big the Cat selflessly freed the spirits by opening the way for all of them to leave alongside him, too.