//------------------------------// // Chapter: 3- Mother // Story: Picture Perfect Pony Zero: Mothering Bell // by ReifuTD //------------------------------// The white mare took a moment to get her head together. “Okay,” She sighs, “I still need a key to get into the attic floor. I haven’t explored the east wing yet.” Thump! Rarity freezes, the unicorn glances down at the Camera Obscura. The yellow light was on. “What are you doing in my office!” A male voice shouts. Rarity spins around and takes a picture of the bloody ghost. The stallion cries out in pain and fades away. After recovering the mare walks back out into the hall. As she walked down the hall the masked pony was walking up from the other direction. Rarity readies to fire the Camera Obscura. The masked pony stops to look at her as it passed. The marshmallow mare flashed him. The masked pony unaffected remarks, “I see you have the Camera Obscura.” “You’re not a ghost?” Rarity said in shock. Suddenly the masked pony flicks his neck. A sharp pain shoots up into Rarity’s shoulder. She looks down to see a knife being pulled out of her flesh. Rarity instinctively seals her wound with mending magic. “Leave her alone!” A female voice shouts. The masked pony was tossed into the wall by a ghostly unicorn mare with clouds for a cutie mark. “You touched me?” The masked pony says in shock. “You think I’m afraid of you!” The ghost mare snaps, “I know you’re not him. The priest never leaves the shrine.” “You must be Smilie Cloud?” The masked pony remarks, “Humble Home’s wife.” The mask pony takes another look at Rarity. “I see the resemblance. Perhaps I should let her live.” The masked pony walks away and the ghost mare disappears. Rarity booked it out of there. She went into the main house stopping in the kitchen. “Eww,” A child’s voice whispers. “Blood, blood, bloody blood. We get cut when games we play. We get cut when games we play.” “Children!” Rarity calls out. “Quiet she heard you,” A colt’s voice snaps. “I want to go back to my room,” The filly whines. In the commotion Rarity's wound had ripped it's self open and started bleeding again. She unbuttoned her blouse to get a better look at her open wound. Using her sowing magic, Rarity breaks a piece of thread from her dress. She hardens the thread to a needle point and slips it through her cut flesh. Soon she finishes the stitch and breaks the excess thread off. A cleaning spell removes the blood from her clothes and coat because a lady must keep clean. Her body was sweaty and exhausted, so she took the chance to ransack Photo Finish’s fridge drinking from a bottle of orange juice to recover her body fluids. Rarity even ate some leftovers before setting out again. The pony cautiously steps out onto the deck. It was still raining. She ducks into a corner as the masked pony walks out of the east wing and walks back down to the grove of laurel trees. Once the coast was clear, the mare ducks into the east wing. It was build a lot like the west wing, But with the walls still standing. “Fake Mother Belle won’t go away, you’re with us now you will scream and you will cry,” A filly’s voice echoes through the halls. “Gipsy!” A colt snaps. “Shut up or help me!” The ghost filly snaps back. “Okay, please don’t get mad,” The colt’s voice fades. “You don’t have to do this dearies,” Rarity calls out. A door behind Rarity slams causing the pony to turn around. She slowly walks over to the door and creeks it open. The room was empty of visible ponies. There was a series of bunt beds. The room appeared to have been for young fillies once, she could still see their toys out in the open. Rarity spots a piece of journal paper. _ Filly’s Journal 1 Tonight is my first staying here. I have been feeling a little uneasy because I’ve been told it’s the murder house. But I have nowhere else to be since- I rather forget about it. Mother Belle is very nice and kind. Superior Gem seems like a scary mare. I don’t think she likes kids I see it in her smile that lies. The other children seem nice though. _ Filly’s Journal 2 This morning I found out I had made a sticky wet spot in the middle of the bed. One of the fillies tease me about a stag touching me in the middle of the night. I've done this before but it's the first time I heard of a stag making me do it. There's a stupid story about bat ponies that touch boys in the middle of the night. This is most likely along the same line. Outside there is a bell tower. Beyond that is a grove of trees the ponies say is magical. The seeds from one of these trees can somehow grow a child. Not sure how that works, but that’s what I been told. Past that a shrine, but we are not allow to go into that. I don't even think we can. There’s some kind of magic around it. _ Filly’s Journal 3 I got my cutie mark today. It’s a helmet. Perfect for Gipsy Danger. I got it jumping off the tire into the creek. I love folding in my wings and letting myself fall. They say diving into the water like that is dangerous but I could do it all day. _ Filly’s Journal 4 I think I saw it, The Stag sniffing around. This wasn’t the only time that I seen strange things. I’m more scared of the guy in the mask. I have seen him through the windows of the shrine. Then there’s the infant in the sack. I’ve been feeling funny the colts seem cuter. One of the girls told me I was in estrus. It’s what happens to a filly every few weeks in the spring and summer once they get their cutie mark. They say estrus draws the Stag. _ The light on the Camera Obscura lights up. Rarity looks through the shutter. She spins around the room but sees nothing. A drop of water causes Rarity’s ear to twitch. She looks up at the ceiling to see it was leaking. The light fades. There was a sudden loud thrump and a dragging sound. Rarity rushes out to the hall to see a specter pegasus filly dragging a sack by a rope with her teeth. Rarity lifts the Camera Obscura. “Shit!” The ghost filly drops the rope and dashes away making the unicorn miss. The sack rises into the Mini Stag. Rarity readies the Camera Obscura. The foal charges at the unicorn. She fires, The creature thrashes from the zero shot. The horn rips Rarity’s dress as she was knocked back against the wall. The mare reloads and does another zero shot. The monstrous foal retreats by slipping through the wall. Rarity fallows but the room was empty. This appeared to had been once sleeping quarters for young colts. On a dresser lay a page of a colt's journal. _ Colt’s Journal I got to see Mother Belle's special bell room. It was on the top floor of the tower. She told me this was one of three secret rooms on the highest floors of the building. I have seen her hanging one of these bells at the laurel grove and pray. Many of the mares who visit us do that. I think it has to do with the stories they say about this place. _ A thump and a creek behind her causes Rarity to turn around. She clicks a quick picture. The photo had a young unicorn hanging from the rafters by a bed sheet. Rarity walks up to the area and the light on the Camera Obscura turns on. It was brightest looking at a wall. The picture showed a magic aurora around a piece of trim. Rarity removes the trim and pulls out a rolled up piece of paper. _ Note I couldn’t save them. The others didn’t see what I saw. But I seen it take them under. No pony else seen what I see. I’m can’t be here. I’m too old for hope. _ The light on the Camera Obscura turns on. Rarity takes the time to search for the source. She had removed the camera from her eyes for a moment. All she could hear before the sheet wraps around her neck was a ghostly flap of pegasus wings. The fabric tightens up against Rarity’s throat. She found herself being yanked off the ground with a wing flap. Rarity’s back slams into the top bunk of a bed. She drops the Camera Obscura as her neck pulls back to see a smiling filly. The unicorn’s eyes water as she struggles. Her horn glows as she casts a spell on the sheet. The fabric rips allowing her to fall to the floor. Rarity hacks and coughs as she tries to breathe. The filly makes a low monstrous growl. “Gipsy no!” A ghostly unicorn colt shouts. “She hurt Nessalot, she lies looking like Mother Belle,” Gipsy growls her eyes turning red. “Gipsy you’re changing,” The colt cries. “I feel stronger then ever,” Gipsy had a demon echo in her voice. Water starts dripping around her. “Yes, I do too,” The colt nods his head, “It’s the Summer Sun and the things that stallion is doing.” “Leave!” Gipsy snaps. “I have no choice then,” The colt casts the ghostly pegasus in his magic. “What are you doing!” Gipsy roars “Let me go! Let me go!” “Miss use the camera,” The colt pleased with tears to Rarity. Rarity picks up the Camera Obscura with her magic. “No! No! No!” Gipsy cries with tears that made the whole room cry, “I don’t want to disappear! I don’t want to disappear! I don’t want to die! Not again! What if there’s no me this time!” Rarity sighs with emotion. “Do it!” The colt shouts struggling to hold the filly down. Rarity takes a picture. The fillies screams as part of it’s being is ripped away. “Please, I’ll be a good girl!” Gipsy cried. Rarity takes another picture. “M-Mother Belle please don’t hurt me! I-I love you!” Rarity termers, she was finding herself unable to press the trigger. “The Stag is coming! It’s in love with you!” Gipsy sobs. Before Rarity takes the final picture. Gipsy breaks away from the colt’s hold knocking him back. She disappears from the room. Welling from the emotional tension of the moment, Rarity drops to her knees crying. “I’m sorry,” The colt sobs. “It’s okay dearie,” Rarity tells the colt. “Could you do me?” The colt asks. “What?” Rarity was surprised by this proposition. “I don’t want to be around anymore,” The colt answers, “I’m kind of good now but when the Summer Sun is over my mind will leave me.” “Well, I suppose,” Rarity aims the Camera Obscura. She performs a Zero Shot on the foal. “Be careful, the headless mother is still watching the infant,” The colt said as he gently disappears. Rarity walks back out into the hall. “Ack!” Rarity screams as the breath hits her face. She panics and falls over. Something steps over her. The most Rarity saw was a leg. She turns around to see the butt end of the Stag disappearing. The mare winces in pain as she stands up. She had landed on her butt causing her loin pain to flare up. Finally the white mare reaches the door at the end of the hall. The one that should be Mother Belle’s office. This door was built a few feet farther out then Superior Gem’s office, this put the stair way behind the door. Rarity found the door was unlocked. Giving the dust marks this was recently. Also by the dust marks some pony ransack the area. An odd circle of dust caused Rarity to take the music box barrel and place it in the dust void. They matched up meaning there was once a barrel there. She puts her barrel back into her pocket and keeps looking around. Rarity opens a drawer to find a notebook. Somepony had came before her and dog eared certain places. _ Mother Belle Entry 1 It was like a legend. How Superior Gem found that fish with her gem finding magic. She fought the thing to death. My sister broke her arm. But the gem she took from the fish was so beautiful. Mother was so mad, father was just pretending to be mad. He was really proud that Gem could vanquish such a beast. But he had to take the gem away from her to make mother happy. My sister only went back to the creek once. She ran away crying saying the fish wanted revenge. _ Mother Belle Entry 2 Father told me they made the music boxes for calling the Goddess Lauren. Some stallion that died a long time ago called Lord Cesar Stag had it made. The bell was made to call the hell spawn that sprang from the Goddess Lauren’s head once it was cut off. As the legend says the Stag seeks out females to hold its life. Well Goddess Lauren’s body is said to have become the grove of trees that many of the people from the village below pray to. The seeds never grow anything. Some believe that if a most deserving and good soul takes a seed and performs the ritual it will allow them to have a child with almost anyone or thing they want. But deserving ponies are a rarity. _ Mother Belle Entry 3 Superior Gem has become estranged with mother and father lately. They just wrote her out of the will. I don’t like that but if it’s their wishes. I still sometime see father doing that thing late at night. These are the days mother is out of town on her weather research. _ Mother Belle Entry 4 After mother and father died in the sky chariot accident. I have been feeling like I should start a family. I, like my sister before me set out into the world to find myself. I had a boyfriend in Manehatten. We agreed if I became pregnant he would come back home with me. Nothing happened so sadly we parted ways. Later I found out I couldn’t have children of my own. Ironic considering that that grove contains a dead fertility goddess. Then again I never prayed to her. I decided to open an orphanage. I contacted Mr. Black Thorn about that brown foal. Hopefully others will come. _ Rarity finds Mother Belle’s set of keys under the journal. Looking at these keys she came to the conclusion they are for the locks for the doors of the household. Hopefully they still worked for the attic. A ring of a bell from up stairs draws Rarity’s attention. She walks up the stairway. “No, No, please get off of me,” The female voice cries out as Rarity walks by the bed room. “If you don’t then I’ll tell your sister about us,” A male voice replies. "There is no us," The female snaps. “You know how she is," The male points out, "I'm as broke as snails but she'll sue you for all your money and kick you out of your own house." “I…don’t want to loose the house,” Mother Belle whines. Rarity had gently pushed the door open with her hoof. What she seen was a ghost that looked like her but with a bell cutie mark and the ghost of Black Thorn. “Then take the position,” Black Thorn orders. Mother Belle with a helpless look on her face sticks her front hooves on the back of the bed. She lifts her tail out of the way and the ghostly stallion penetrates the mare in coitus. Mother Belle hinds her face and starts weeping quietly. Rarity gulps, she was unsure what to do. They were ghosts, this was rape and she felt like she was standing not just on her grave but her mother’s. That interfering in these events would break some kind of sacred law of the cosmos. In the end she moves on. The attic floor had a collection of bells sitting on various tables and shelves. The music box device looked like it was recently repaired. A farther inspection showed the barrel been installed and the clock set. “Okay, somepony been fixing this thing?” Rarity remarks. “My goddess you do look like me,” A voice behind Rarity causes the unicorn to turn around. She sees Mother Belle. The ghost pony gives Rarity a smile. Mother Belle steps forward and touches Rarity's horn with her own. Rarity sees a vision of Mother Belle standing on top of a bell tower in the middle of a wind storm with thunder and lightning in the sky above. The large bell swayed in the wind making loud dongs. “Get down from there you bitch!” Black Thorn screams over the roaring winds. His face was scratched up and bleeding. “I will not keep quiet anymore!” Mother Belle screams. “Fine, I’ll burn you down,” Black Thorn runs for the shed. As she saw the stallion take off, Mother Belle felt legs go over her shoulders. The Stag was on top of her. He was still on top of her when the tower caught on fire. Still on top of her when fire consumed her body. Still on top of her when the tower collapsed. When Mother Belle regained consciousness the bell had crushed her hind legs. She could hear and feel the Stag roaring and charging in rage. He banged and thud against the inside walls of the bell witch her hind legs was trapped under. Black Thorn looks down at Mother Belle. She could see his blurry form of him through her blood covered eyes. Blood was leaking from her horn and down her face. “Help! Help!” Mother Belle is hurt!” A colt’s voice cries. The large bell starts to shift and sink in the wet soil. This freed Mother Belle’s legs as the foals pulls her chard body out of the way. The mare looses consciousness. She never woke up again.