My Little Failures

by Flashgen

Desolate - [OC][Horror]

The village of Hollow Shades was desolate. That had been Vibrant Plume’s first impression, and also her last.

Her trip from Cloudsdale to Fillydelphia had been waylaid by a large storm front, much too difficult for the inexperienced flier to navigate. Thankfully, a break in the cloud cover let her escape the deafening gales, cracking thunder and pounding rain by diving towards a series of caves in a nearby mountain.

There, in the darkness and cold, with nothing but rain and thunder and storm assailing her ears, she saw a light in the distance. It was enough to give her hope and resolve, even as it seemed close to twinkling out of being amidst the storm.

When the weather finally lessened—from storm to shower—she made her way outside. In the dead of night, amidst the darkness of the storm clouds, she could more clearly see the glow in the distance. The wind was gentler now, and so she took off and glided down to its source.

As she approached, buildings came into focus. None were lit, except for one: a three story structure with candles shining in the highest window. The rest of the streets were deserted, and she saw a signpost on the road: “Welcome to Hollow Shades.”

She ignored the empty buildings and streets, making her way to the building. There was no sign on it that might have made it an inn or shop, and there wasn’t even a mailbox standing outside. Approaching the door, Vibrant Plume knocked gently, and it slowly creaked open on rusted hinges.

“Hello?” she called out into the darkness, and was greeted by nothing more than the echoes of rain against the roof. She ignored the dusty floors and unused furniture, focusing instead on the stairwell. With gentle flaps of her wings, she ascended to the second floor and called out louder, “Hello?!”

As soon as she reached the second floor, she was hit by a chill. She dropped to the landing, wings wrapping about her barrel. While the storm had been cold, and the rain made it none the easier to shake on her fly down from the mountain, this was entirely different. It felt frigid, as if the heat were forcefully sapped from every inch of her body, making every step slower and stilted. Even more troubling, was that she had felt a gust of wind coming from a doorway on the landing.

She took a moment to steel herself, just as she had in the cave. The light, hope itself, filled her thoughts, and some of the chill managed to fade from her body. Step by step she approached the open doorway, and the air became still once more. The scents of mildew and rot filled her nostrils, and she heard a floorboard beneath her crackle with her steps. Lifting into the air once more, she passed through the doorway.

The room was filled with light, filtering down through an opening in the ceiling. A ladder, half of its steps worn or broken, was framed perfectly, inviting her to ascend. She flew up and forward to the opening. “Hello?” she called out once again, and this time she had an answer.

“Visitors?” the voice asked, old and brittle and cold. “It’s been oh so long since I’ve had a visitor.”

Vibrant Plume felt the warmth of hope fill her once more, and she smiled. “I saw your candles, while hiding from the storm up on the mountain. I just had to come down, to see where that light came from. To thank you. I was worried I’d be stuck up there for far too long.” With every flap of her wings, she neared the opening.

“I’m so glad I could bring you some hope amidst that violent storm. Hollow Shades has been so… empty for so long.”

As Vibrant Plume ascended to the third floor, she saw a series of candles sitting on the windowsill, and a cloaked figure sitting in an old chair. It rocked back and forth, and for a moment she wondered why such a loud creak had never reached her ears.

“What’s your name, young one?”

“Vibrant Plume,” she said, landing on the floor just beside the opening. The floor creaked and cracked beneath her weight, as if it could snap at any moment.

“Such a lovely name. Come closer so I can see you better, dear.”

As Vibrant Plume approached the figure, her eyes drifted to the window. She looked out over the once empty streets of Hollow Shades. There were hundreds of ponies standing amidst the broken houses, staring up at the window, at the candlelight and at her. She froze, and the chill returned to her body. Their vacant eyes bored into her, and she felt alone amongst them.

A great howling, like the wind of the storm, filled the room, and the door to the floor below slammed shut.

Author's Note:

A recent story written for a Quills and Sofas Panic Fiction event with the prompt "Never should have come here." Another case where, after editing and fixing it up, I just couldn't bring it over that 1k word count.