Chapter 8
Some ponies say that houses are alive. Like when they talk about haunted houses, evil places, that kind of thing. It was kind of like that. Like the house was alive, kind of, but at the same time… infected. Possessed. Like a parasite had made itself at home and taken over. Because it wasn’t the house staring back at me. It was something else. Something living in my house. Like the foundation and floorboards and walls and ceilings were nothing but a husk filled in by malevolence and intolerant anger.
And yet I got the distinct impression that not only could nopony else notice it, but that it didn’t really even matter to them. The house’s gaze was unwavering, not even noticing my friends or any passerby. I knew if I’d set foot in my own house it would… eat me. Not like chew me up and swallow me, or anything, but I sincerely doubted that I’d make it out.
I’d stopped halfway across the street, just kind of staring at it. Like if I blinked it would change, or get closer, like an evil game of Red Light, Green Light. “Rose, you ok?” Octavia asked, pushing me gently in the shoulder.
“What?” I shook myself out of my reverie, slowly turning my attention to the cellist. My eyes darted back a couple of times to the house, and I could still feel it looming over me. “Yeah, yeah. I’ll be fine. Listen, I… ok. This is going to sound really weird, and you can’t ask me why, but I can’t go in there right now. I just- I’m gonna go get something to eat. Ok? Ok.” I started to take a few steps towards the center of town before Octavia put a hoof on my shoulder to stop me.
“What in Equestria is the matter with you?! You can’t just run off wherever you please when your friends are trying to help you! Are you crazy?!” Her hoof on my shoulder tensed like she wanted to smack me.
I was still breathing a little heavy when she stopped ranting, so it took me a moment to respond. “Ok, listen. This whole Ditzy-Twilight thing going on? I probably shouldn’t tell you this, but… aw, dammit, I really shouldn’t be telling you this,” I muttered, and sighed heavily. “Ok, here goes. You know Twilight’s in the hospital, right?”
Octavia nodded. “And?”
“Well, whatever put her there? That’s the real reason I was in the hospital last night. And it… they, whatever the fuck this is… it’s in that house. I can feel it. It’s staring at me, and if I walk in that front door… I’m pretty sure it’s gonna kill me.” I paused, and closed my eyes, waiting for Octavia to yell at me, or call me crazy, or something.
Then I heard Daisy behind me. “Oh, and you were just gonna let me walk into a haunted freakin house that eats ponies without telling me?!” I turned around to see a rather indignant flowerfilly storming up the front walk to me. “Are you kidding me?! Do you not pay attention during movie night? You never let somepony walk into a haunted house without telling them it’s haunted!”
I had to think about that. “Well, it’s kind of hard to explain. I think it’s actually me that’s haunted. Like this thing that’s following me, or whatever. I’m pretty sure it just beat me home, or something. Like, it won’t hurt any of you, but… it’s like it knows me, or has my scent, or something. Look, I don’t know all the rules, or even what this thing… things… stuff is. I talked to Zecora, and she said I shouldn’t go home, or whatever. So I… I just can’t go back in the house. It’s perfectly safe for you girls, but… I need to be somewhere else right now, ok?”
Daisy seemed a little off-put, but conceded. I couldn’t read Octavia, though. Honestly, I didn’t try very hard. I started to walk away again, and this time they didn’t stop me.
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I wasn’t really sure how long I’d been walking until I noticed it get dark. At first I thought maybe I’d stumbled into the forest for all my dumb luck, but I looked up and still saw houses. I didn’t really recognize them, but even I haven’t been everywhere in Ponyville. I mean, it has grown a bit over the last few years, anyway. I saw that the sun was starting to set, so I made my way home. Or, at least, to the center of town, from which I could pretty much find any place in Ponyville I wanted. Thank Celestia the center of town is a giant freakin weather pole.
I could see the top of Town Hall from where I was, so I started walking straight towards it. I let my mind wander a bit, just kind of background stuff, like how the hell I was supposed to avoid getting eaten by some other-dimensional werebeast thing with some kind of social disorder. And the fact that I hadn’t really eaten all day. Mostly the beast thing. I shook out of my reverie long enough to try to find a restaurant, so that I could at least focus all of my energy on my more pertinent problems.
All I saw was more houses, though, so it seemed I hadn’t walked quite as far as I’d thought. I could still see the spire, so I knew I was going the right direction. I kept on walking, just kind of lost in my own little world on the way. Mostly my thoughts kept dragging themselves back to what I was going to say to my friends when this was all over, and if they’d believe me. I didn’t know what Octavia was thinking, but I was pretty sure I was gonna hear it later. Like, when I got to her place tonight. I know Daisy wasn’t happy with me, but I think she kind of understood, or at least got that I believed what I said.
Good grief, how far had I walked? I looked up to see the familiar sight of the spire, but for some reason it looked like I hadn’t made any progress. I guessed that it was just a matter of perspective, so I looked around to see if I could find another landmark to walk towards. And that’s when I saw it.
The town spire. On my left.
I turned back to my original orientation, and saw the town hall, off in the distance, like I’d been following. But there it was, on my left.
And my right.
And behind me.
It was then that I noticed that, even with the sun setting and the sky going dark, it was still much harder to see than it should have been. I mean, we have streetlights, and ponies turn light on in their homes at night. But there was nothing here. Just the dim illumination of a darkening sky set behind the outline of the town spire. I could make out the dim outline of houses all around me, but they seemed… fake. Cookie-cutter, even. Like it was the same house, over, and over, and over…
And it started to sink in how absolutely screwed I might be.
I turned to the nearest house, to see if there was at least a door or a window I could throw open so I could hide under the stairs or whatever. There was a front door, but it was… hell, it was weird. Like a perfect door. Exactly what you think you’d see when someone says “Hey, there’s a door there.”
Not wanting to sit in the open for whatever had decided to spirit me away to an abandoned version of Pleasantville, I throw what little caution I have left kicking and screaming into the wind and duck into the house.
At which point I found myself on the front porch of said house. Across the street.
Oh… not good.
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Octavia had heard a lot of crazy things before, but none of them quite like that. And certainly not from Roseluck. She may be one of the more dramatic mares the grey earth pony had encountered in her life, but had never really bought into any of the crazy magical shenanigans Ponyville was somehow prone to.
Which made it all that more unsettling. And believable, somehow.
It had been a few hours since Roseluck had wandered off, which was also unlike her. Taking a few moments to breathe was fine, and she was even prone to a faint or two hundred, but Octavia knew the flowermare to never just walk away from a problem. So she decided to go find her friend.
When she went to open her front door, however, it made a sound. As in, somepony knocking on it. Octavia opened the door to see a rather distraught Daisy at her doorstep.
“Roseluck’s gone.”
I'm creeped out by just the description and cover art.
*Flees*
YES! GOD YES! IT'S BACK! I AM SO TRIGGERED RIGHT NOW THAT THIS STORY IS BACK! YES! I. AM. IN. THE. ZONE!
I liked this story a lot folks...
Ahem...
6835189 Also, hello ashi! So you like this story too?
6835245
Haven't read it yet, actually. It's on my To-Do list.
6835246 Holy crap, that was a fast response!
6835249
I'll go a bit slower next time.
Should probably scoot so we don't fill this up with irrelevant chatter.
6835253 It's okay. Quick or slow, stick to the pace you go. :D THAT RHYMED!
I'll put that into my next rap song!
Now I actually have to learn how to write a rap song...
Also, are you the person who keeps following me around and downvoting everything I comment about? I'm trying to narrow down a list of suspects and I wanna check you off the list of
targetssuspects toassassinatepolitely ask to stop it.6835264
Nah, I don't downvote comments much. And I would reply to say why I disagreed, too.
6835265 Okay, just crossed you off the list.
Now I move on to Mandopony.
Even if he denies it I'm still gonna send my
big box o' bangsexplosive fireworks collection to his address.Tee hee hee.
Okay, ashi. You be safe and well now. Let's talk again sometime, alright? May you be find wealth and peace and love this year, good sir. (bows politely to you)
And the same to everyone else here! Merry January! God bless us, every one!
Except Mandopony, tthat guy's a douche. Look at his avatar! With that smug grin I just wanna strangle - CONNECTION TERMINATED
Oh dear Cthulhupool, this is going to get even worse for poor Roesluck
Damn, the atmosphere in this is unsettling as hell. Definitely getting the lovecraftian horror down.
Anyway, I'm sure as hell not getting any sleep tonight. Yet, I still want more of this.
Well, I suppose the only thing left to do is sit in a corner and watch for the shadows.
Although, there is one thing that, quite frankly bugs me a bit here. Roseluck knows she's in serious shit, the only pon-er, zebra around warned her not to go home...and she goes home. Granted, she walked by it and not into it, but that just seems like monumental stupidity for someone who at that point should have known better than to tempt fate like that. Or, whatever the hell these things actually are.
Something else I've been wondering this entire fic. How the hell would Discord fit into all of this? Now, I know he (probably) isn't directly related to what's happened, but I would love to see how he actually interacts with...whatever the hell these are. I'd imagine he'd be aware of them, but beyond that it's all in your field. Only thing for certain I can say is that I doubt they could affect him all that much, if nothing else because he's already just a tad bit insane and he's an Avatar of Chaos with more reality warping power than all the alicorn princesses have together.
Oooh, this updated. And Roseluck's found herself in a pocket dimension with no apparent means of escape. Fascinating, but very much not good. I'm eagerly looking forward to more.
I haven't even started reading this, but the description alone gave me Chills.
6836077 Every once in a rare while, when it does update... I get the chills man. Every. Chapter.
I really like how even though you update slowly, you never abandon the story. You keep writing. And oh shit, looks like Roseluck's in a bad place!
Yog Sothoth does not approve of your linear space-time curvature.
Oh man, I'm so glad you updated this. Great atmosphere and a story that's very engaging. I'm looking forward to more!
6836153
I just finished it. Holy F, those chills were well deserved.
Probably my favourite story on this site. I will patiently wait for the next update.
Holy fuck, never heard of this before! I hope it updates from now on.
THE DARKNESS HOLDS MUCH WORSE THAN MERE TRICKERY AND BOOGEYMEN.
... I kinda regret giving in and reading this. Not 'cause I'm scared or anything, but because I'm probably going o have to wait a decade to see how it ends.
How many 'Op will deliver' skeleton posts will this have by then, I wonder.
Anyway, I feel like everypony has just forgotten about Ditzy at this point. Like, she still has to deal with those things, and now that she's revealed them to two ponies in the span of an hour, I'd imagine they're mad at her more than usual.
More please
Oh and the adventure begins again
Where is Luna? I thought some psyhic horror creatures is her competence.
This is twice now that I favorite dead stories and they immediately update like a week later. Maybe I am a good luck charm.
Creepy stuff here.
As an fyi, there's a horror tag now. Might want to add that.
Wow... glad i decided to read this finally, it's been... well i guess you could say in the corner of my damn eye since chapter 2.
And we have reached a temporary stop. I actually hope this does not update in a while. Fucking creepy man. Also, my eye has been itching like crazy since chapter 5.
Aww man, all those months of waiting and this is it?
Tasty stuff man, but you've got me drooling and this is barely a morsel. Promise me the next chapter will have more meat on it?
I generally find horror as a genre to be dull and uninspired; but this, this is fascinating stuff, and excellently written to boot.
I should not have read this at early o'dark AM in the morning. Now I am acutely aware of of all the creaks, thumps, and groans from the pipes and ducts in the flat and all the creeping moonlight shadows...
That certainly is good news! I am looking forward to more.
6837609
I believe Roseluck is SOL right now; Luna defends and helps ponies in their dreams. She is very much awake right now.
(Come to think of it, that might make for an interesting strategy; induce REM sleep and the n scream for help to Luna in the dream...)
6840790
Same here.
I do not like horror and I avoid [Mature] stories like the plague, but this intelligent, slow-boil type horror has me on edge and excited to read more.
6836836
She seems pretty inured to their presence. With all her experience, I would imagine she can handle herself pretty well.
Silly theory:
Derpy/Ditzy is a "gatekeeper" like Yog-Sothoth (Yog is "a congeries of iridescent globes", Ditzy has a bubbles as a CM). As such, she has some authority and power to restrict the creatures' influence in Ponyville
Well I'm loving that this is back!
Also reread the story just to get it fresh in mind, it's still amazing!
Eagerly waiting for more!
Really glad to see this is story is alive.
Yay! Corners! I was hoping for a just-back-from-vacation present!
...
Damn, I thought it was bad enough before, when you simply couldn't escape them. Now, not only can you not escape them, they also pull some sort of Silent Hill stunt on you!
6841563 Then who is our Carter with the Silver Key?
6851735
"Sliver Key" is a perfectly cromulent name for a pony. I would imagine there are several dozen running around Equestria...
6852719 That's... worryingly in keeping with the plot of that story.
6854146
Well Discord has already brought a rather dapper shoggoth as a dance partner to the GGG...
My god, I'm genuinely interested and frightend by this story.
Where is Celestia in all this?
I...honestly do not remember anything at all.
Holy crap. This story. One of my greatest fears is something akin to what you describe, something like the Silence or the Weeping Angels from Doctor Who.
It's a fear of some formless entity in the dark, that you can't see, or if you could, it's something bad...
And it's a strange fear too, not a debilitating fear, but a chill up your spine, can't sleep right, keep hands and feet inside the bed at all times fear...
Which makes this story all the more enjoyable.
Plus the constant ups and downs from horror core to happy go lucky are a nice touch.
Surely the fear of the unknown is the most rational of all fears, for within the unknown we may find the unknowable.
It's one thing to be afraid of something you can prepare for, or at least accept the inescapability of, but to be aware of something permanently beyond your realm of understanding, and malevolent at that, is truly terrifying.
I bloody love Lovecraft, and this is exactly the style of horror I can enjoy. No jumpscares, no boogy man monster. Just our own little Hell of fearful psychosis and the unknowable stalking us, letting us drive ourselves insane.
I wonder how Ditzy is doing, handling all these unknowable horrors?
Oh no...Ohhhhh no.....
Weird perspective shift at the end there. In a normal story, it's not strange, but this story is first person, and we're so thoroughly familiar with Roseluck's internal voice, that the shift was unexpected and jarring.
It's official, Roseluck got caught in a Genjutsu.
Just 'I', not 'I'd'. Also, ponies don't have feet, or arms.
Oh, hey look, it's Carl's house...
...oh, hey look, it's Carl's house again...
...oh, hey look, its...Carl's house...again?
...oh, hey...wtf?
...oh no, I'm so screwed.
Well fuck.