Pinkie Pie struggled to move the hoof-powered cart off of the train racks. When she finally moved it, the wheels landed in the sand with a thud as it sank down a few centimeters. She used her hat to fan herself as she looked around. She knew that this was the place, but she remembered that there used to be a sign for the village of Flatts nearby. As she reached the tree line, she noticed the remains of a broken post where it used to be. The trail ahead was overgrown with brambles. Cherry was right, Pinkie Pie thought, seems like nopony has been here in ages. The sun was still bright overhead, but it had begun its descent towards Dodge Junction. She knew it was about another four miles to Flatts, but she needed to make sure to get there as soon as possible. While she pushed the cart, the thought of being with her family had made her speed up rather than tire out. Still, she hoped to arrive soon so that she could rest before her sister told her what was wrong. As she made her way into the forest, the brambles began to wrap themselves around her hooves.
“Ouch,” Pinkie Pie shouted, “Stop scratching me up, you brambles.”
As Pinkie Pie struggled, she noticed that the brambles simply moved with her. She stopped her struggles for a moment and looked down at the plants that had surrounded her. The brambles were dead, but they had been piled up in the middle of the path for what could have been months. She stepped over the brambles and slowly pushed them to the side so that she could squeeze the rest of the way through. When she reached the other side, she heard the sound of scratches on the ground on her left side. When she turned her head, however, the scratching stopped. Pinkie Pie shrugged her shoulders and continued on her way. The path in front of her turned a few times towards the Everfree Forest, and the closeness of the trees made the path darker until the trees became sparser a little way further into the forest. Even though it was hot, Pinkie Pie was glad that somehow a few clouds had managed to move in. Pinkie Pie continued on until she reached the covered bridge.
“Oh my,” Pinkie Pie said.
The covered bridge in front of her was still the same as when she had left almost four years ago. The shingles on the roof were covered in moss that had eaten away enough of the roof to let shafts of light pass through and onto the warped wood of the floor. The wooden walls were so old that they looked sodden, even in this day's heat. Pieces of wood at the bottom of the walls and floor had broken off and fallen into the small river that ran beneath the bridge. It wasn’t the state of the bridge that shocked Pinkie Pie; it was the white unicorn stallion who had just turned around and met her gaze.
“Script,” Pinkie Pie said, “What are you doing here? Did Edger come with you?”
“Why would Edger come with me?” Script asked.
“Because,” Pinkie Pie replied, “I know Princess Luna took both of you back to Canterlot for something, so I assumed he was with you.”
“No, he and I were put into very different places.”
“Did you get into trouble?”
“Miss Pie, you do remember that I wasn’t the one responsible for those shadowy creatures. If you recall, I was, in fact, trying to stop that from happening, remember?”
“Oh yeah.” Pinkie Pie said as she pointed to his fore leg, “Did you get caught in the brambles, too?”
Pinkie watched as Script rubbed one hoof in front of the gashes on his fore leg.
“Yes,” Script replied, “Those things are insufferable. Please, let us walk and talk. I do not wish to be out here when it gets dark.”
Pinkie Pie nodded and they made their way into the bridge. The only sounds that could be heard now were those of their hooves and the sound of water as it bubbled beneath them. I should have been able to remember that Script was doing things in everypony’s best interest, Pinkie Pie thought to herself, why couldn’t I remember that? Pinkie Pie prided herself on her eidetic memory and how it helped her remember all of her friends’ birthdays and such, but for some reason, when she tried to remember the other night, only the most blurry of images came through. She looked up at the rafters as they passed by them.
“You know,” Pinkie Pie said, “When I was a foal, my sisters and I would stand in front of this bridge and shout to see how much of an echo we could make. Like this – Echo!”
The sound of Pinkie Pie’s shout reverberated a few times before it dissipated.
“Too many holes,” Script said, “Let’s be glad for that.”
Pinkie Pie turned to Script and they made their way to the other side. She knew that after the covered bridge it was another three miles to Flatts and that they would arrive within the next half hour.
“Miss Pie,” Script said as he raised his hoof to stop her, “Stop.”
Pinkie Pie saw that Script had focused his attention on a small bush at the bend in the path.
“Do you hear that?” He asked.
“Hear what?”
“Of course you didn’t. Try turning your good ear towards the end of the path.”
Pinkie Pie squinted at Script but did as she was told. She heard the scratches again, and this time, she knew they were too numerous to come from one pony. She began to step forward, but Script stopped her again.
“Miss Pie,” Script asked in a hushed tone, “What are you doing here?”
“I came to see my family.” Pinkie Pie replied, “What about you?”
“I’m here to finish a job. I guess you could say it’s an assignment from Princess Luna. So visiting family is your only reason?”
“Yes.”
“I see." Pinkie Pie felt Script consider this information for a moment, "And are they expecting you?”
Pinkie Pie turned towards the bush again, but the scratching had stopped. She watched as Script took a few steps forward and then motioned for her to follow him. They continued down the path, but she could see that Script turned his head back and forth every few steps.
“Script,” Pinkie Pie asked, “How do you know about Flatts besides from Edger?”
“Flatts has a bit of a history, you could say.”
“What kind of history?”
“You don’t worry about that.” Script replied, “You just worry about finding your family.”
Pinkie looked up when she felt a raindrop fall on her fur. The clouds had gotten thicker in the past few minutes. She hoped they would make it there before the rain really started. Then she heard it again, the scratching sound beneath the bushes that surrounded them. Script stopped a step ahead of her and turned around. Pinkie Pie pointed to the source of the scratches at a bush a few feet to her left. Script nodded and a white light grew at the tip of his horn. He took a few steps towards the bush, but a crash of thunder ripped through the sky. The bush burst open and a colony of rabbits leapt into the air and towards Script, who screamed and tried to get out of the way of the rabbits that charged towards him. As soon as the rabbits cleared the path and disappeared into the underbrush on the other side, Pinkie Pie made her way to Script and held out her hoof.
“Come on,” Pinkie Pie said, “We’re nearing Flatts.”
The rain had slowly increased, and the trees had become thick again, but Pinkie Pie could still make out the line of a building that led to the entrance to Flatts. As they passed through another turn in the path, they saw the small sign that bore the village’s namesake. Pinkie Pie looked over to her right and saw one of the farms as well as the storage unit of the Elder Fields’ farm. Through the rain, Pinkie Pie could just make out the silo that stood at the corner of her family’s rock farm. They continued on the path until they reached the main square and the four cabins of the enforcer’s on the other side of the communal fire. Behind that on top of a hill, there stood a large barn. Pinkie Pie wondered if it was the rain or something else that made the entire village look like it had been abandoned. When they approached the communal fire, Pinkie turned to her companion.
“Script.” Pinkie Pie said, “I don’t like this. Where is everypony? Did they all leave?”
“No,” Script replied as he pointed to the fire, “The logs used here are too fresh. The village comes alive at night.”
“Script, I know you called me naïve,” Pinkie Pie said, “But I think you know why Flatts is like this.”
“I promise I will tell you the next time I see you.” Script replied, “In the meantime, I need to do some research to confirm my suspicions, and you need to go cheer up your family.”
“Pinkie promise?”
“Do I what?”
Script’s eyes squinted as his head cocked to the side while Pinkie Pie went through the motions of her promise.
“Yes. Cross my heart, hope to fly, stick a cupcake in my eye.”
“Fine.” Script said as he rolled his eyes, “Cross my heart, hope to fly, stick a cupcake in my eye.”
“My house is over there,” Pinkie Pie said as she pointed towards the silo. “And it’s the part of town where the ponies live. Up ahead is where the enforcers stay.”
“Very good.” Script replied, “I wish you luck.”
“You too.”
The rain continued to fall down like mist, neither getting stronger nor letting up. Pinkie Pie watched as Script circled the fire pit a few times and muttered to himself before she turned around and made her way down the main road of the village. To her right was the general store. As she passed by it, a gust of wind moved the line of rocking chairs back and forth, and the sound of their creaking filled the air. Behind the general store was the house of Elder Fields. The town hall and the small clinic stood on the left. With the few ponies who lived here, only one or two hospital beds were necessary. As she passed by each building, Pinkie Pie caught herself looking down each corridor between the buildings. Though the clouds had cast everything around her in a grey tone, she still noticed the shadows in the corridors. Another gust of wind blew past, and Pinkie Pie watched as the curtains in the windows of the town hall lifted and reached out towards her. She reached the end of the main road and turned around. Script had left the fire pit.
“Hello?” Pinkie Pie called out, “Hello?”
The sound of a crash echoed down the street, and Pinkie Pie turned back around. Ahead, at the end of the road, was the old schoolhouse. Another crash echoed through the street, and Pinkie Pie watched as a shutter crashed against the side of the building. The road went off in two directions. To her left was the farm shared by Elders Smith and Hoofton, and it was also where the smithy was. Pinkie Pie turned right to get to her house. She entered from the west field and took note of the rocks’ positions. That can’t be right, Pinkie Pie thought, the limestone is supposed to be in the south field in autumn. Pinkie Pie brushed her hoof against the limestone piece and was shocked because when she lifted it she could see the dirt that had accumulated on the sides of the limestone. She dropped it back in place and looked around. The house was in the middle of the field. As she made her way to the house, another sound stopped her. She turned to the place where the west and south fields met, where the silo stood. She could see small holes in the silo and in the roof, and when the wind blew, she could hear a soft moan echo from within its walls. Something didn’t seem right about the sound, and so Pinkie Pie decided to investigate it.
The door to the silo landed against the wall with a thud. Pinkie Pie entered the silo and was greeted by the smell of dried urine and feces. She flipped the light switch, but nothing happened. Despite the difficulty seeing, Pinkie Pie could tell that the silo was empty. There was nothing stored against the walls and only a few stalks of hay and torn ribbons lay scattered about the ground. In the middle of the room was an old table with a checkered tablecloth. A phonograph sat on the table, and when she reached it, she noticed the record. This is the same record I played for my family, Pinkie Pie thought, I remember leaving home soon after that.
The sound of something shuffled in the darkness. Pinkie Pie looked up but couldn’t see anything. The few holes in the silo let in little light, but whatever was in the silo with her did its best to avoid it. The shuffling sound was joined by another, and another. The noise sounded like bird feathers. Pinkie Pie went to leave, but when she did, she saw that a large figure loomed over the door. A pair of large, yellow eyes opened and glanced from side to side, and came to rest on her. The eyes were as large as a pony’s, but these eyes glowed in the darkness. The sound of claws on metal rang through the air as the claws from the creature dropped in front of the door. Pinkie Pie gasped and backed away, but crashed into the table. The phonograph fell to the ground with a smash, and screeching filled the air. Pinkie Pie looked up and saw more eyes appear in the darkness. The screeching continued as the eyes grew larger and began to circle around her. She felt something scratch at her face, then at her barrel, and within moments she was covered by claws. Pinkie Pie tried to scream but nothing came out.
“Get away from her!”
Pinkie Pie looked up to the door. A pony stood silhouetted in the doorway. She held a lantern in her hoof and swung it at the creatures. One by one, the creatures retreated to the darkness above them, but their hisses continued. Though she only got to view them briefly in the light, the sight of them froze Pinkie Pie. They looked so much like ponies, but their grey bodies were held up by limbs that ended in neither hooves nor claws, but some amalgam of the two. The wings were furry, with no feathers like a pegasus nor even bat-like as a thestral’s wings would be. The webbing between the joints of the wings looked like somepony had taken skin and stretched it so thin to the point of it being translucent. Pinkie Pie knew she would never be able to forget the sight; for the first time, she hated her near perfect memory.
“Pinkamena,” The pony said, “We have to get out of here.”
Pinkie Pie looked over at the pony. Her light grey hair hung limply over the side of her pale blue face. Every part of her body looked as though it was in the process of fading away. The only part of her body that seemed to be lively were her chocolate brown eyes.
“Bellamine.” Pinkie Pie said.
“Yes, sister?”
Bellamine held out her hoof to help Pinkie Pie off of the ground, and they left the silo as quietly as possible. Bellamine reached inside for a moment and then shut the door. The rain had stopped, but the clouds still hung overhead.
“We need to get inside.” Bellamine said, “It will be dark soon.”
Pinkie Pie turned towards the silo again, and then turned back to follow her sister into the house. She shook her head as she reached the side door of the house. Bellamine had already entered, and she could hear her as she moved about the kitchen. When she finally entered, she saw the dirty dishes and cups that had been stacked next to the sink. Bellamine stood in front of the stove and placed a kettle on the burner.
“Bellamine,” Pinkie Pie asked, “Where’s Isabella? Where’s mom and dad?”
“Father’s at the barn.” Bellamine said, not turning from the stove.
“And mom and sis?”
Pinkie Pie watched as Bellamine ran a hoof through her mane. She made her way to the table and sat in front of her. Bellamine turned around.
“Pinkamena, a lot has happened since you left. It’s as though when you left, an invisible glass dome had been placed above us, and we’re finally running out of air. I’m sorry for bringing you back here, but I didn’t know who else to turn to.”
Bellamine walked into the living room, followed by Pinkie Pie. She looked over the room; all of the furniture had been overturned, and the cushions had been torn apart.
“Bellamine, what happened in here?”
“Mother did this when she-”
Bellamine stared into the fireplace and clutched at her barrel.
“Sometimes,” Bellamine said, “It’s so hard to keep hope. Ever since… he… left.”
“Ever since who left?” Pinkie Pie asked.
Bellamine’s eyes shot from the fireplace to her sister.
“Tiller. He was supposed to save us, but then he had to go off and sully the position of the vessel.”
The kettle in the kitchen started to hiss. Bellamine turned away from the fireplace and stepped slowly towards Pinkie Pie, who noticed that her sister’s brown eyes had turned to black.
“Ever since he chose that disgusting path,” Bellamine said as she began to sob, “He doomed us... all. The elders have looked for a replacement, but... it's just... so hard… gah!”
Bellamine wheezed and fell to the floor. The kettle began to shriek throughout the house. She tried to pull her body off of the floor, but her body began to convulse. Pinkie Pie stared in horror as her blue fur began to drain of its color and turn to charcoal grey. Pinkie Pie instinctively reached into her saddlebags and pulled out a cupcake. By the time she reached her sister, she could see that her teeth had already started to elongate.
“Blinky!” Pinkie Pie shouted out her sister’s nickname, “Time for Pinkie Pie’s ultra-happy-cake!”
Before her sister could protest, Pinkie Pie shoved the cupcake down her throat and pushed herself away. She stared at her sister and pressed her body against the wall as she watched the convulsions continue. The kettle’s screaming continued and Pinkie Pie ran to the kitchen to take it off of the burner. When she returned to the living room, the convulsing had stopped. Pinkie Pie watched as her light blue began to return to her body. Bellamine slowly reached her hoof up to pull herself into a sitting position.
“What… was… that?” Bellamine coughed, “Everything went black. But then I was suddenly filled with this bright feeling.”
“Yep,” Pinkie Pie replied, “I covered them myself with my special happiness frosting.”
“I almost… joined them.” Bellamine said as she stared out the window to the silo, "Keep hope... I must keep hope."
“Bellamine,” Pinkie Pie asked, “What happened to mom and sis?”
Bellamine swallowed but continued to stare out at the silo. Pinkie Pie and Bellamine jumped at the sound of a hoof as it beat against the front door. Bellamine shot to her hooves and pushed Pinkie Pie.
“That means they’re here for me. Pinkamina, you have to hide.”
“But sis, I-”
“There’s no time,” Bellamine replied as she opened a door that led to a small closet, “They can’t find you, they just can’t.”
“Blinky-”
Pinkie Pie gasped as she fell into the darkness of the closet. Bellamine closed the door until it almost closed.
“Listen,” Bellamine said, “Tiller’s not here, but I have faith in you. Find a way to stop the elders from continuing to do this. Maybe they’ll listen to you.”
Before Pinkie Pie could protest, Bellamine shut the door. Pinkie Pie heard her hoofsteps fade as she made her way to the front door. Pinkie felt her tail start to twitch. Not now, she thought, twitchy tail, something’s going to fall. Pinkie Pie heard the sound of muffled screams, and then hooves leaving the front porch. As she reached for the handle, the sound of hoofsteps made their way through the house, and then stopped in the kitchen. Pinkie Pie’s tail started to twitch again, but she tried to hold it in place. She heard the hoofsteps move from the kitchen to the living room, and then the sound of somepony rifling through a saddlebag. Pinkie Pie felt her sides and realized that she had left her saddlebags in the living room. She heard a loud sniff, and then the hoofsteps started up again. Pinkie Pie’s tail twitched again as the hoofsteps stopped in front of the closet door. Pinkie Pie closed her eyes and waited for the door to open.
“Ah!” A voice yelled.
“What happened?” A voice from outside called back.
“Stupid piece of roof collapsed on me.”
Pinkie Pie heard the hoofsteps move away from the closet door, out of the living room, and through the kitchen. A door slammed, but Pinkie Pie waited for a minute before she left the safety of the closet. Whatever had just happened, Pinkie Pie knew that she was now alone in the house. She ran to the living room and grabbed the saddlebags. She had to find Script; she didn’t need her Pinkie sense to tell her that he knew something.