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// File 6: Month 15-Part 1: Bone House 
// Story: SWWC: Something Wrong With Canterlot 
// by Lighttone GryphonStar 
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High in the skies of Cloudsdale, a door flew open, and a figure wrapped in black leather entered the house. Their body was soaked in a thick red liquid as shown with each drop on the floor and each step making a squishing sound. After dragging in a strange black bag, they slammed the door shut and threw the bag against the table.

The black leathery figure shivered at the cracking sounds of the bag but paid no mind to look inside. Their strain stopped as their eyes fell upon an orange shadow suddenly sitting above it. "Oh, you're back." The leathery figure commented on the orange shadow.

They walked past the table and over several dusty books of Daring Do and Wonderbolt Academy. Most of the house was barely lit at all. Like they needed it, for this place was so memorized. Reaching the bathroom, they didn't remove the leather suit even after turning on the shower.

Instead, they walked inside the shower room and stood still as the spraying water removed the mountains of blood, bone chippings, and even the teeth of other ponies. They gave no care for the wounds they received from the enemies. Grabbing a crystal that was sitting on the shower stand, they rubbed it over their body, healing the massive gashes and torn leather.

Once their form was returned to perfection, they stepped out and turned off the water. Walking over to the table, they cared nothing about drying off and put rubber gloves over the leather gloves they were already wearing. After making sure everything was tight, they opened the bag and removed three or four body parts.

Training their eyes tightly on the job, they placed them in a giant bowl and removed the skin, muscles, and veins. Placing each bone in a finer net bag that was sitting in the sink. The process repeated until the net bag was full. After which they stopped and turned on the sink to clean off the bones and shined them up. Drying off the bones and placing them in special line boxes with the names of their owners already printed on them.

They flinched occasionally upon pulling out bones small enough to belong to children. Otherwise, they continued until the black bag was completely empty and each special line box was filled. The meat of each victim was placed in sealed containers and moved to the fridge where more flesh awaited it.

Once their business was done, they removed the rubber gloves and threw them in the trash. Just above the can, they saw the orange shadow again. It seemed to stare at them with a mix of shame and disappointment. The leathery figure raised an eyebrow and spoke again. "Don't mock me..."

Returning to the table the leathery figure tapped a large crystal sitting in the center. A magical hologram appeared with a loading screen. They sat down and tapped their fingers on their arms until the message finally came through.

"Bone Collector?" A voice echoed on the other side of the static.

"Lord Kray..." the leathery figure lowered their head in acknowledgment of their name. "I've harvested and filled all twenty boxes."

"In a single day, that's a new record..." The voice laughed in victory. "Of course, you were always beating the record in the Wonderbolts... Almost always."

The Bone Collector looked away at those words. "I was never as good as--"

"Yes, which is why you are the best... replacement for her." the voice got louder. "Speaking of which, how many wounds did you suffer this time."

"Like it matters." Bone Collector turned away. "Of course, they would fight me to their last breath!"

"Yes, but my crystals aren't permanent fixes." The voice grumbled in annoyance. "Measure your wounds carefully."

"And if I die--" They were stopped as the voice laughed back at them.

"If it were that easy, all six of you would have committed suicide long ago." The voice prattled on much to Bone Collector's brimming rage. "The Veiled Mare, Iron Sentry, Crystal Apple, Slice Kilm, Blood Bucket, and you... Bone Collector. My most loyal six soldiers."

"Yes..." They bit their teeth.

"Your bodies will rot and decay but never die. My crystals are to keep you in peak shape, nothing more." The voice hummed in a softer and softer tone. "If I have to tell you this every day then I will, but I do so enjoy your pain."

Bone Collector shivered and twitched with each word. "You're disgusting, my Lord Kray..."

"Said the one who carves up corpses for me." The voice shivered with delight and joy. "Oh, how I wish I could have heard every scream. For now, deliver the boxes to Sir Night before the weekend's end and a new group of boxes should be at your doorstep by Monday."

"I understand, my king." The leathery figure closed its eyes until the message ended. They could feel the orange shadow hovering behind them, increasing the shivering fear they were trying to hide from their king. Feeling the touch of an all too familiar orange mare on their back made their eyes shoot open.

Seeing the arms wrapped around their neck from behind only made things even harder. They gritted their teeth at the memories of two mares, a pair of parents. Another mare so close, all of them laughing together with the orange shadow and the leathery figure's original form. A big happy family...

Bone Collector slammed their hands on the table and the shadow, the memories, and the laughter vanished. "Stop mocking me!!" They got up from the table and threw the chair at a stack of Daring Do books. Seeing the face of the author shining at them in the light made things reach a peak. "You warned me. You warned all of us. And... And." The leathery figure turned back to the orange shadow as it faded away completely. "And she paid the price."

Their eyes fell on the orange shadow fading away. With that ghost gone, Bone Collector could rest, but all they wanted to do was grimace, grumble, and panic at their own shame. "I have to be loyal to him. After all, I'm the one who trusted him."

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