Ignorance Isn't Always Bliss

by MyNameIsNick

In my case, ignorance isn't bliss

They ask me why I drink, how can I not drink? When you can say you’ve seen the things I’ve seen, then come tell me you don’t have a cabinet filled with enough juice to kill Lindsay Lohan. One would think I’d be used to it by now, the fear, the paranoia, the looking behind my shoulder, inching around every corner, lying awake, waiting for something, anything to show itself to me, I can only imagine it now, the grotesque; abnormal physiology, the piercing distortion with which it shrieks into my ear. How it toys with me, it watches, the anxiety is too much, I don’t know how long I can keep this up. There’s very few things keeping me going.

My daughter, Berry Pinch, oh, how I love her. As well as my good friend Colgate, she’s the dentist. Seeing as I’m a… drinker, I have to visit the dentist regularly, unlike some ponies who never go. Me and Colgate have been friends for years, shortly after Pinch was born and her father died I started seeing things, horrible things. My teeth would get in bad shape quickly, so I’d make appointments all the time, and we got to talking about ourselves. She told me about her life back in Canterlot, and how her parents were dentists like her, and had died when she was twelve, afterwards she had decided to become a dentist like her parents, and got her dental degree, moving to Ponyville shortly after. My stories were mostly about Pinch, how good she was doing in school, or how she made me smile every time she walked in the door. Pinch is the highlight of my life, I love her more than anyone, I don’t know what I’d do without my little filly.

I walk in the door, and slouch on the couch, Pinch won’t be home for two more hours, which means I have three hours until I prepare supper.

I head to my study, and look through the files. Though it may come as a surprise, I’m an investigate journalist. I get the stories no one else will take, because it’s too risky, or too difficult. I grab the file labeled “Neighsburg Hospital staff” and flip through. This is my latest case, I’ve heard rumors about that hospital, that they perform inequine experiments on their patients. I’d researched them non-stop for the past week, and was given word that the lead doctor, Dr. Rust Scalpel had recently obtained a huge shipment of Cyclopropane, an illegal gaseous anesthetic. It was illegalized by the Princess’ Department of Medical Research by order of Chief Physician, Dr. Clean Syringe. Cyclopropane was illegalized due to its blood/gas partition coefficient of 0.55. Patients under anesthesia for a long amount of time could risk cardiac dysrhythmia, this and its explosive tendency are the reasons it is illegal, which is why it is interesting that a licensed medical practitioner would be getting shipments of these.
I reach down and open the desk drawer to my right, grabbing the bottle of Applejack’s Hard Cider. I open the bottle and grab a glass, preparing to pour, until I hear Pinch open the door.
I put the bottle down, and the glass back where it was, and head to greet my sweet daughter Berry Pinch.

“Hello Pin-“

No one there. How is that possible? I look around, wondering if she’d just moved. Nope. I head into the kitchen. Not there either. I begin to sweat and glance around erratically hoping, pleading that she’s somewhere. I decide to check her room. I head upstairs and to her door. Something feels… Strange. Something I can’t explain, just a feeling of… Wrongness. That gut wrenching feeling you get when you know something isn’t right. I shake it off and grab the doorknob, slowly opening her door, and she’s not there. The feeling gets stronger, telling me I should get out of there; that I should leave. I decided against it once again. I look around her room, and see nothing out of the ordinary, but the feeling is still there. I look in her closet, nothing. When I suddenly hear the sound of paper moving behind me. I turn around, and see Pinch’s diary open. I trot over and give it a read.

4th Month, 3044th year of the Sister’s reign

Today, mommy made me go to my room! I was so mad. I told her to stop drinking so much and she got mad at me. She threw her bottle and ranted at me for twenty minutes. She said go to her room or I don’t get supper. I told them about it mommy. They’re not happy with you. They’re going to-

The book closed, and the room suddenly got a lot colder, it felt like subzero temperatures, which shouldn’t be possible in the humid country town of Ponyville. I looked around, sweating despite the freezing temperature, the room seemed to be getting smaller, closing in on itself even, I could hear a faint sound, distorted, almost static-like. A buzzing in my ear, it was… Screaming. My ears flopped down on the side of my head, and I shook uncontrollably, I couldn’t inhale, or move as I watched the room distort in every which way, shadows dancing across the walls and ceiling, I ran out and almost broke the couch when I jumped it, in a desperate attempt to run away. I’d been on the couch, crying for an amount of time I don't know, until my daughter came home, and brought a grin to my face.

“Hey momma!” The little filly said, her carnation pigmentation and squeaky voice giving me joy only a mother could feel.
I smiled at her, and she beamed back with a grin that seemed disproportionate to the rest of her face. We should see Colgate about that.

“Welcome home Pinch, how was school?”

“It was great! I got an A on my math test!”

I’m so proud of her, she’s always made good grades, and is the kindest little filly I’d ever known. Though she didn’t have many friends, she always seemed happy.

“You should go work on your homework while I prepare supper. I’m making your favorite, tomato soup with grilled cheese sandwiches!”

“Since I got an A on my test, could I do homework after supper mama?”
She gave the most innocent smile, I couldn’t disappoint my little girl, especially after that hard work she’d put towards her test.

“Okay, but you’d better do it after dinner.”

“I will!”

With that, she got to work on her book of Sudoku puzzles. I’ve never met a child who’d rather play Sudoku than with a coloring book. But she enjoyed it, so I didn’t say anything.”
…

A week had gone by, and I’d have to head to Neighsburg to investigate the hospital. I’d always let Colgate take care of Berry Pinch when I left. She never had kids herself, so she enjoyed spending time with Pinch. They came with me to the train station to see me off, and gave their goodbyes as I boarded the train.

“Goodbye mama! Make sure to bring me something back!” Pinch yelled.

“I’ll take good care of her, make sure to be safe. You know how I feel about Neighsburg, such an unclean place, I bet they don’t even sell floss there.” Colgate said, a vehement look on her face at the thought of not flossing, but quickly replaced with a grin and a wave.

“I’ll be back soon! You two have fun.” I said before boarding and settling down on my seat.
…

I’d arrived at Neighsburg three hours later. I’d headed to the nearest motel “The Hay Bale” and settled down for the night.
…

I awoke in the middle of the night from a nightmare, a cold sweat matted my fur to my skin, with a sore throat, and a feeling of utter horror still fresh in my mind. I’d seen… Things. Abominations. These vile creatures lumbered around a marsh, almost identical to that of the marshland south of Neighsburg, just past the hospital. They appeared intelligent, communicating with a tongue that even if I could understand, I wouldn’t be able to speak, as such strange noises are unable to be repeated with my equine vocal chords. I’d heard them repeatedly say “Tirek tenebris centaur” and “Tartarus scorpan de’ stormbow tenebrarum” now that I think about it I’d heard of Tirek and Scorpan before. An old legend, dating back to the founding of Equestria. Not much information is known about them, as the Princesses restricted access to information on them, and will answer no questions relating to them. The creatures, dark silhouettes barely walking around, who upon second glance, had distinguished unimaginable bodies that seemed to be anatomically impossible. Some were small shadows, with no distinguishable body parts, bodies of a hellish fire, and eyes a black that can only be seen at midnight, they seemed to levitate by nature, as they had no limbs to do so for them. I’d seen unimaginable things making up the body of one of them, they were unnatural, they didn’t belong. Limbs, organs, mud, they seemed to be made of whatever was around. There were giants that seemed to have crawled out from under the marsh, their sheer size makes me feel nauseous. These beasts’ bodies were bipedal, walking on two monstrous legs, an amphibious exterior, pigments of green and brown, slimy, I’d never felt so disgusted, one can only wonder what the inside of such a revolting being would do to a mind as fragile as that of a pony. At the front was a centaur, one who looked demonic, a blood red and charcoal black exterior, with a build that reminded me of a minotaur, and eyes that could pierce any guard’s tough demeanor, and strike fear into even the ancient powers we rely on today. On his side was a… Bipedal being, he had bloodstained light brown fur, what seemed like a dark brown lion’s mane, and a snout that reminded me of a rat of some sort. Why I was seeing these things is a mystery to me, but I can’t help but feel some sense of dread. I was even more fearful to investigate the hospital at this point, but I had to press on, I was low on money, and I had a daughter to support.
…

The next time I woke, it was morning, and I could feel the sunlight on my face. I groaned, I hate sunlight in the morning. When you experience as many hangovers as me, morning time becomes a dark time. I crawled out of bed and got ready for work, today I’d scope out the hospital, get a good look at the staff, and look for anything suspicious. I ate some toast and left to head for Neighsburg Hospital.

I arrived approximately fifteen minutes later, and headed to the receptionist desk.

“Hello, I was wondering if I could apply for an internship.”

The receptionist looked up, and smiled at me.

“Oh, yes, what is your name?”

“Fruit Salad” I always use my alias when on the job.

“Okay, come this way, I’ll give you a tour of the hospital.”

She came from out of the desk and headed to the left, and I followed suit.

“The ER is in this hallway, and take a left just past and you’ll find the Urgent Care Center.”

She showed me all of the hospital, but was pretty secretive about the ER. I’d seen ponies carrying crates out of there at one point. That’ll be my first stop.

“Thank you for showing me around, I’ll think on the internship and get back to you on it later.”

“Oh, thank you, and we’d love to have you here, goodbye now.”

I smiled at her, then left. I had planning to do.
…

Once I’d arrived home I’d placed a map of the hospital I’d taken on the coffee table. I put a tack where the ER was, and another in the pharmacy. I’d check the whole hospital, but those were the priority. I’d get some sleep now, to prepare for tonight.
…

I woke up from my nap in another cold sweat… It was still light outside, and looked to be a while until dark. The nightmare featured the same beasts, but this time instead of heading into the distance, they were headed towards me. What is that? That… That noise? It sounds like a… A clock? I looked up to see the clock on the wall. It looked fine to me, but as I looked around the room was once again distorting like in Pinch’s room. I could feel my heart beating in my chest, and the cold sweat turning into a warmer perspiration. Something was wrong, not the obvious gut wrenching distortion in the room, like the fumes you see on an extremely hot summer day, but something else. Then I looked back up at the clock, and it was going at impossible speeds. The long hand was going clockwise, yet the short hand was going counter-clockwise, both at an immense speed. The clock broke, and glass flew everywhere, my eyes didn’t stray from those hands, they seemed to have a mind of their own, I couldn’t take my eyes off for fear that I’d regret not watching every second it span, as it slowed down, it stopped on the exact time, 3:33 P.M. suddenly all I could see was black.
…

I woke up and quickly looked at the clock. 1:02 A.M. the hospital would be relatively empty and easy to navigate now. I got ready, grabbed my notepad and made my way to the hospital.
Upon arriving, I decided against taking the front door, so I skirted the exterior of the building and entered through the back. Before entering the door I noticed a slight glimmer in the nearby dumpster. I walked over and looked in, and saw gas tanks labeled “Cyclopropane” I wrote this down in my notepad.

Upon arriving, I investigated the dumpster near the back entrance and found tanks of Cyclopropane, an illegal gaseous anesthetic. Evidence enough that my investigation should continue.

I entered the hospital, surprised by the darkness, I couldn’t see my hoof in front of me. Good thing I’d packed a flashlight. I turned it on and looked around. I was near where they kept their medicine, so I’d check there first. I checked the map, then trotted in the direction of my destination.

While walking to the medical supply, I’d heard rustling in the darkness. Afraid it was a nurse, or security, I ducked behind gurney and turned my flashlight off. But instead of hearing the voices of ponies, I heard nothing. Absolutely nothing, the type of silence that doesn’t belong in a hospital. I should at least be able to hear the voices of ponies in the lobby. I shook it off and continued walking until I found the supply.

Inside I looked around, mostly finding your basic painkillers, anesthetics, until I came across four crates of Cyclopropane, and two of Tetrahydrocannabinol. Both illegal, one used for anesthetic, and another used as an analgesic, and a hallucinogenic. I decided to write this down as well.

In their storage freezer I found four full crates of Cyclopropane, and two Tetrahydrocannabinol crates. Already enough evidence, I feel like there’s more going on, I’m going to find out what they’re using this for.

I decided to head to the ER, I felt like there would be something big there. Like I’d find what I needed there.
On my way there the hallway began distorting, but this time there were subtle differences in the noise. It wasn’t static, or screaming, it was talking, at first this came as a comfort, that there were other ponies in the hospital, but I realized, it was speaking to me. I couldn’t make out what was being said, but the voice was something of nightmares, it was like hearing thunder right in my ear, screeching, I could feel my ears bleeding.

Suddenly I heard noises behind me, and I ran straight to the ER.

Outside the ER I caught my breath. Something didn’t want me here. Just a bit more I thought, just a bit more and I’m done. I entered, and what I saw took the air out of my lungs. I saw ponies chained down, with unimaginable, gross objects morphed with their own bodies, beings of the marsh, the clouds of unnatural abominableness were morphing with them, I saw the used Cyclopropane tanks, and the tablets of Tetrahydrocannabinol. I decided to add this as well.

I found, abominations in the ER. Horrible experiments, morphing ponies with unimaginable beings spawned from the depths of Tartarus. The anesthetic and THC had been used on these ponies, I almost threw up seeing these poor souls. I’ll deliver the justice they deserve, I’ll do it.

I had to leave now, and deliver this news to the public. I went to leave until I saw a document laying on a table near the door. I read it.

Dr. Rusty Scalpel,
We are grateful for your help, with these ponies we can infiltrate Equestria through means other than directly attacking. You will be reimbursed for your help soon, please continue to serve-

The rest of the letter was covered in blood, I looked down and saw a body. I screamed and backed away. Upon calming down, I got closer and read the nametag, it was Dr. Rusty Scalpel. So this was his reimbursement. I gasped, Tirek, he should be dead. The Princess’ said he was defeated! That we didn’t have to worry about him anymore! During his reign he… He’d killed so many ponies with his dark army, I- I have to tell everyone, it’s my obligation now that I’ve obtained this information. I grab the document and make to leave.

I hear an excruciatingly demonic laugh, chilling me to the bone. I hear the clatter of armor, headed towards me. I quickly close the door, and push the heavy desk in front of it. No longer than I’d put it there I hear banging on the door, I have to get out of here, quick. My head starts hurting like crazy, and my vision goes hazy. No, not now. I have to get out of here.
I look around, trying to find a way out, and spot a window. I run over and attempt to open it, and fail. I almost break down and cry, completely overwhelmed by the pressure. I pick myself up, ‘I have to do this, for everyone’ I tell myself, with a new burst of energy I turned around and bucked the window, running out.

I ran through the streets, heading toward the train station, the street lights turning off as I run by. My flashlight won’t turn on, and I can hear movement around me. I can see movement in the darkness, I have to make it to the train station. I feel them getting closer, it’s only a matter of time. The shadows pounce, no, I have to tell them, I have to tell them I have to-

“I HAVE TO TELL THEM! I HAVE TO TELL THEM! HELP ME PLEASE I HAVE TO!”

“Man, Storm, you every think she’ll stop screaming? Always yellin' about her daughter, and a takeover by aliens or something, like either of those are real.”

“Nah, you know how these crazies are, and I heard the Doc say she’s too far gone, she’ll never be allowed into society again.”

The End

Author's Note:

Please comment what you thought of the story! Thank you very much for reading.

Comments

[Iroh Legoman]

Plot twist

[MyNameIsNick]

4219218 Or is it?

[Iroh Legoman]

4222521 don don doooooooonnnn

[MyNameIsNick]

4224187 Plot twist, you can't get to the center of a tootsie pop.

[Sunken EldritchSpires]

This is a pretty solid concept, but if I am to be blatantly honest, it suffers from severe pacing issues and would have worked more better in a longer format, in order to properly mature the dark/horror aspect of it. Despite that, It does pretty well as it is, although it is quite jumpy in regards to time and place as well, which is somewhat of a negative attribute as it never immerses you into the story. However, if you ever planned on rewriting this into a multi-part story, I'd be in complete support of you.

Keep up the good work.