//------------------------------// // Chapter Seven: Night Twenty-Five // Story: A Canterlot Ghost Tale // by volrathxp //------------------------------// A Canterlot Ghost Tale Chapter Seven: Night Twenty-Five “As you well know, Ms. Bon Bon, you came into my care a few weeks ago due to extreme depression after your foal doctor referred you to me,” Doctor Care said simply as he sat down next to the mare's bed side.  “That depression blossomed into what we call 'Unicorn Foal Syndrome', of U.F.S. For short.” “I... I don't remember any of that,” Bon Bon replied, looking confused.  Doctor Care sighed as Lyra took the seat on the other side of the bed. “We'd been trying an experimental treatment,” he finally said.  “Something to help patients with these kinds of problems.  By playing out the fantasies, we often help the patient see how ridiculous the made-up situation is, and it helps bring them back to reality.” “But it didn't work,” Bon Bon stated.  She looked down at her forelegs.  They were strapped into the sides of the bed.  “Is that right?”  Doctor Care nodded silently.  Bon Bon narrowed her gaze at him.  It was so uncanny.  He looked just like Professor Archibald!  It was right down to every last detail! “The treatment was a failure in your case.  The stress got too much for you and your foal, and you attempted to end your own life,” he said.  “You're very lucky that Ms. Hearstrings here got you to the hospital in time.  You very likely would have been dead if she hadn't.”  Lyra looked away, her expression solemn. “I see,” Bon Bon said.  “And the foal?” “Your unborn foal is fine.  Better than fine, really.  It's quite odd.  I've never seen anything like it,” Doctor Care said.  “Most of the time in these cases, the foal doesn't make it.  The stress is simply too hard on them.  In your case... she's just fine.” “She?” “We're having a little filly,” Lyra said softly.  Doctor Care nodded. “In any case, we're going to need to keep you here for a few days at best, to see how the medication is working,” he said.  His horn glowed, undoing the straps on Bon Bon's forelegs.  “There should be no need for these any longer.  They were mostly a precautionary measure anyways.  I will be checking in on your regularly while you are resting and getting your medicine.  Lyra is of course, free to stay with you as long as she likes.”  Bon Bon grimaced, but did her best to put on a smile.  Something wasn't adding up.  She couldn't place a hoof on what it was though. “Thank you, Doctor,” she said.  “Can I... Can I be alone with my wife now?”  Doctor Care smiled and nodded again. “Of course, I will leave you two to talk.  If you need anything, don't hesitate to press the button to call for the nurse,” he said, standing.  He trotted to the door and left.  Lyra sat still, looking in the direction he'd come from. “Lyra?” Bon Bon said softly.  The seagreen mare looked back at her.  “I... I'm sorry I scared you.  Are you alright?” “I just... this is all my fault,” Lyra replied.  “If I'd have never been so insistent on moving to Canterlot... none of this would have ever happened.” “Don't,” Bon Bon said.  “It's not your fault, Lyra.  I'm the one with the problem.”  Lyra sighed loudly. “I should have told the doctor that we wanted a more traditional treatment.  I just didn't want to upset you,” she said.  “Can you please forgive me?”  Bon Bon smiled as she looked at Lyra.  In the back of her mind, she kept seeing her wife, grinning hideously and laughing.  The cream-colored mare tried to push it out of her thoughts, but found that she couldn't. “I forgive you,” she said quickly.  Internally, she grimaced.  If it would appease this Lyra, she'd play along.  Something about the whole thing felt off to Bon Bon, and she resolved to find out why. ********************************** Five Days Later... ********************************** Bon Bon sighed.  She was by herself, the soft beeping of the heart monitor her only accompaniment.  In fact, it was her only entertainment.  Lyra had brought a Daring Do book for her, but it sat on the table next to her bed, unread.  She couldn't bring herself to pick it up and actually look at it. The Doctor is Archibald... and he said that I had some sort of... psychotic episode, she thought.  What in Tartarus is going on?  Why am I only remembering that house?!  I don't understand! Bon Bon grumbled as she itched at where the IV drip was attached.  There was something very wrong about this place.  In the five days she'd been there, she'd only seen Lyra and Doctor Care.  No nurses, no other patients even.  Something wasn't right.  When she'd asked Doctor Care about it, he'd told her that the hospital was in the middle of remodeling, and that they'd moved a lot of the patients out of this wing to redo rooms.  Bon Bon's just happened to be at the edge of the wing and wasn't scheduled to be redone until the end of the month, after she'd be gone. Yes, something felt very wrong.  Lyra was withdrawn, anguished over the state of her wife.  Bon Bon had tried several times to crack the mare's shell, but had been unsuccessful.  It was like she wasn't the same mare anymore. She sighed again.  The only thing truly on her mind was the house.  It sat there, waiting for her.  When she slept, she was there.  When she was awake, she thought about it constantly.  She saw the pictures along the main hall, one of them falling and smashing on the ground.  She saw Lyra, her eyes glowing green, maniacally watching as something dragged her towards an open door.  She felt the grip on her back legs. A soft giggle drew the mare's attention away from her mental torment.  At the foot of the bed a small seagreen filly stood, a unicorn.  Bon Bon's eyes widened.  The filly had a dark blue mane, much like the own blue in her mane. “Umm... hello there,” the cream-colored mare said.  “Can I help you?”  The filly turned wordlessly and trotted out of the hospital room.  “Wait!  Come back, please?  I only want to talk to you!”  Bon Bon pushed herself off the bed, ripping the IV drip from her foreleg.  She stumbled on her hooves, but managed to find purchase on the flooring.  She moved to the door, peering out beyond it.  The filly stood at the far end of the hallway, giggling. Bon Bon looked down the other end, not seeing anypony.  For once, she was thankful that there wasn't anypony else around.  Bon Bon made her way down the hall, watching as the filly trotted towards the far door marked with construction tape.  She stopped briefly and then pushed her way through. Bon Bon pushed open the door after her.  The reconstruction project the Doctor had mentioned had left the hallway beyond a mess.  Debris littered the floor while several large tools sat on workbenches.  There was no sign of the filly.  Bon Bon continued deeper down the ruined hallway until she reached a large open room.  It had most likely been a medical ward prior to the construction project, now it was a hazard.  Brick and mortar lay strewn about like a set of foal's blocks.  Plastic curtains hung over large holes in the walls.  It was apparent that nopony had been here in quite a long time. “Hello...?” Bon Bon called out.  A pony giggled from somewhere inside the room.  “Little filly?  Is that you?”  No response.  Something ran past behind her.  Bon Bon spun around as well as she could.  Nothing.  Nopony there at all.  “I'm not going to hurt you.  Please, come out.” The pattering of hooves came past her again.  Bon Bon stood in the center of the room, turning all about but unable to see where the filly was running off to.  The giggling was getting louder and louder. Bon Bon turned back around and came face to face with the filly.  Her eyes were glowing a deep green, and a wide grin etched in her expression.  Bon Bon yelped loudly, falling back to the ground. “I... You scared me, little one,” she said.  The filly giggled, her grin growing wider.  Her eyes pulsated as she took a step towards Bon Bon.  The filly continued to giggle as Bon Bon tried to scramble backwards away from it.  She found herself trapped against a wall. The filly's grin split wider, revealing row upon row of sharp, pointy teeth.  A hideous gurgling noise erupted from the thing's mouth. “Mommy...” the thing rasped. Bon Bon screamed. ****************************** Bon Bon's eyes shot open and she sat up, panting hard.  A crack of lightning illuminated the dark hospital room.  Her eyes glimpsed the alarm clock.  It was one in the morning.  She sighed loudly, her adrenaline finally slowing down. “It was a dream...” she whispered to herself.  “It was just a stupid dream.”  The mare felt something jerk in her stomach, reminding her of the foal she carried.  Bon Bon rolled her eyes.  “Yes, I know you're in there.”  She rolled over on her side, thinking about the dream and trying to get back to sleep. A loud thumping noise echoed from beyond her room.  Bon Bon sat up, ears back as she pushed off the bed.  She stepped closer to the door, the thumping noise getting louder and louder.  She opened the door, and her eyes widened.  The hallway beyond was not the hospital's hallway.  It belonged to the house.  It was the house's hallway.  Bon Bon nearly screamed. The cream-colored mare hesitated for several long moments before finally gathering the courage to step through the entrance.  The hall was cold and dark.  The door closed behind her as she stepped out.  She yelped as the entryway dissolved and became a part of the wall.  The thumping noise started again, coming from down the stairs.  Bon Bon grimaced. “Is anyone there?” She called out tentatively.  Her voice was shaky and unsure.  Nothing responded.  The mare edged closer to the stairwell, glancing down it.  The thumping continued on, but nothing appeared down the stairs either.  As she placed a hoof on the steps, Bon Bon wondered if she really was going crazy or if this was just all part of a very vivid dream.  Shaking her thoughts away, she started down the stairs. The hall at the bottom of the stairs was still, the thumping sounds coming from even farther below.  Bon Bon glanced into the kitchen, grimacing.  It was clean as a whistle and not a soul in sight.  The cream-colored mare kept moving forward towards the thumping sounds.  At the end of the hallway, she found a door.  Bon Bon blinked. “That wasn't there before,” she said.  The door was set into the wall, and it appeared that the paint was peeling away from it, almost as if it had been hidden by somepony.  The old wooden door creaked open at Bon Bon's touch, revealing another set of stairs leading downwards.  The stairs were made of iron, sturdy and strong as the mare found herself going down them.  She descended into the darkness, the only light coming from a flickering bulb at the very bottom. Arriving at the landing, Bon Bon turned and found herself in what could only be described as a basement of sorts.  A long shelf lined the side wall, filled with boxes and old junk.  Support columns dotted the room, filled in between by more piles of trash and boxes.  A second light bulb illuminated the dark room just barely enough for her to be able to see a path through the junk jungle. The thumping noises were sounds of metal banging against metal now, incredibly loud and painful to the mare's ears.  Pinning them back, she took a step forward, her hoof landing on dirt.  The floor of the entire basement was dirt.  Taking note of this, Bon Bon moved forward gingerly, taking care to not slip in case there was any wet spots.  The banging noises got louder as she walked. Bon Bon thought about calling out, but decided against it.  If something was down here, she didn't think announcing her presence would be helpful.  Then again... she was pretty sure whatever it was knew she was down here anyways. Bon Bon stepped around a massive trash pile, the rest of the room flickering underneath the soft yellow light of a fire.  An incinerator sat at the far end of the room, open.  In front of it, a shadowy form pounded on something large made of metal.  Bon Bon took a step forward.  The form stopped it's pounding.  Stillness filled the void the lack of noise left behind. “You shouldn't have come here,” a voice said from the shadows.  “You're going to ruin everything.” “Who... who are you?” Bon Bon ventured shakily.  The shadowy form turned, revealing Lyra.  The seagreen mare was wearing a black shawl that had been obscuring her form.  “Lyra?” “Bon Bon, you should have stayed put,” she said.  “You should have done what you were told to do.” “Lyra, what is going on?” Bon Bon said angrily.  “What are you doing down here?  Why does this place even exist?” “It exists because he wants it to,” Lyra replied solemnly.  “I'm here preparing the way.” “The way for what?” Bon Bon said, narrowing her gaze.  Lyra stepped aside, revealing the object she had been pounding on.  It was a crib, made of iron and steel.  A mobile of sharp little knives orbited above the macabre bed.  “Lyra, what is this for?” “It's for our little one,” Lyra said, her eyes glowing a sickly green.  “She will be the vessel.  The one who lets him back into this world.  She will be his.”  She started forward.  “We just need his mother to cooperate.”  Bon Bon's eyes widened as Lyra lifted a knife from a pile of rubbish.  She grinned hideously, her teeth pointed and angry as she made her way towards the frightened mare. Bon Bon ran.