The normal life of Nitpick Bittersweet

by Ryusun

Chapter 74 - The Evil Dungeon of References! Part 3

A freezing wind blew against the young adventurers’ bodies as their perilous journey continued. But that kind of triviality wouldn’t stop them so easily! The fires of Hades burning within strengthened their resolve. Their will becoming a source of vengeful heat warming their mortal shells from slowing! Each step taken produced echoes filled with overwhelming pressure. Their stomps deeply pronounced on the stairs, almost cracking the integrity of the stone. Not even the soothing elevator music filling the road could pacify their rage. They were going to find it. They were coming for it. The culprit that was making their Sunday a big and utter waste of time was going to pay dearly!

“If we backtrack again for another stupid treasure on the next room…”

“I doubt that she could prolong this chore more than it already is, Bittersweet.”

“I’ll break her little neck myself if that happens!” Gilda savagely kicked down the door. There was a simple and somewhat spacious corridor that leaded to the next door of the floor. On the middle of the road, there was a huge teddy bear holding a sign with ‘Hey!’ written inside a red heart. “Hmm, this is suspicious.”

“I wonder what could be the catch this time.” Sugarcoat looked around. “And what do we have here?”

There was a blanket covering a big structure on the corner of the room. Knowing by now that it could be another clue to solve whatever stupid test that lied ahead, they uncovered the item at the same time to reveal –

“A cardboard box?” Gilda asked dubious.

“Doesn’t it resemble a tank?” Nitpick saw it with a frowning face.

“A Cardboard Tank?” Sugarcoat was skeptical.

Blueblood took the folder that was on it. The document printed with several pictures with an impressive design grabbed his curiosity. “The R&D team of Oakwood Company came up with something new: the Cardboard Box Tank! The perfect synthesis of stealth, endurance, and attack power! Compact, elegant design! A zero emission vehicle that won’t harm the ecosystem of Equestria! It is the missing link! A weapon to surpass Titanium Gear!” The Prince reached his limit. “Is this some kind of joke? It even comes with instructions on the other pages!””

“Forget that crap! Let’s get out - !” Nitpick’s Sixth Sense urged him to jump back when he stepped on a lose tile on the main road. An insane amount of arrows flew from the side walls, piercing to shreds the bear in front. Part of the floor started to collapse, the bear’s remains falling hilariously to the void. In the end, it only remained enough space for them to pass… inside the box. “Is she for real?” He panted heavily.

“What are the instructions, Blueblood?” Sugarcoat asked somewhat defeated.

“Summary; The CBT has enough room for four people of average build. The users in the front drive, while the users on the back use the gun! Instructions on how to get inside CBT effectively. Step one; four people must be on each corner of the Tank. The drivers must be on the sides where the gun is facing ahead. The other two must be on the other corners.” Nitpick and Gilda were the drivers. Blueblood and Sugarcoat were the gunners. “Step two; raise the CBT from the handlers of each corner below and get inside.” They raised the tank and got inside. It was heavier than they expected. “Step three; make yourselves comfortable in the space available. If positions don’t feel organic, re-roll your roles to fit your needs.”

“Once again, these activities are entirely pointless.” Sugarcoat was stressed. “I don’t think we need to be geniuses to know that we need to get through that narrow path inside of this thing.” She knocked the surface, which to her surprise, was made of tempered steel from the inside. “I don’t think those arrows will be the real problem in this test.”

A little to her right, there was a lever. When she activated it, two periscopes descended in front of her and the Prince. The sight was that of the cannon. She sensed that there were buttons on the structure. She pressed one, and a robotic voice gave them a nice welcoming.

“Welcome to CBT Mobile Weapon Unit! Since this is a test field, all weapons are currently unavailable! Please enjoy your ride!”

“Typical shitty tutorial mission.” She said with disappointment.

“Your language isn’t that dignified as I thought.”

“I’m too stressed to think about such trivialities, Blueblood.”

“Well… I’m too important to use these electronics!” Blueblood barked. “Plebeians! You shall guide our steps and we’ll follow you from behind!”

“It’s not like we have an option.” The Twin-like Duo expressed.

“Let’s get this over with.”

Moving in a crouching position, the four adventurers took the devil’s challenge and charged vigorously. Soon, the arrows hailed from the walls, giving a sense of exhilaration and dread to the CBT Riders. Heavy impacts made echo inside the tank, and a sense of insecurity drowned into the bottomless sea whatever sense of confidence the four had.

“Hull integrity failing! Emergency! Users death imminent!”

Their heart-beats nearly shattered their veins.

“RUUUUUUN!”

Blueblood’s voice gave birth to the most powerful emotion of all. Fright transmuted itself into pure burning energy that hasted their steps and made them cross the corridor with inhuman speed. They crashed on the end of the road. Gilda and Nitpick raised their side of the tank and quickly opened the door in an instant. It only took a second for them to throw Sugarcoat and Blueblood away to safety. The Twin-like Duo soon followed, closing the door behind them.

“That… was simply stupid.” Sugarcoat remarked. She was panting heavily. “Look… Another door lies ahead. Marvelous…” She said half-hearted and suffocating.

“Are you okay, Sugarcoat?”

“I’m dying here!” The Prince whined. Everyone ignored him.

“I’m fine, Bittersweet…”

“No, you don’t… here!” Nitpick crouched in front of her, offering a piggyback.

“HEY!” Still ignoring him.

“But… you are tired… And that armor is already too much for you.”

“Come on! I don’t bite! Besides, the little bath I took a while ago was refreshing!”

“Hmph… I… I’ll accept your offer.”

“Does nobody listen to me?”

“No. Shut up.” The commoners said.

“HMPH!”

Once all was set and done, they continued their walk ahead. As they opened the door, a cold wind gazed on their bodies. The room before them looked like an artificial ice cave. Huge icicles and pillars of frozen water blocked their path. They soon were going in circles to the center of the room, not finding another door or exit besides the one where they came from. They stumbled upon a somewhat normal thing on the end of the road.

A little cake, sliced perfectly in twelve pieces.

Suddenly, a small monitor descended, displaying instantly the image of the young Victorian Noble. “CONGRATULATIONS, MY HONORED GUESTS!” Reem used a party whistle. “You actually found the cake!” She played the whistle for the second time. “I told you there was cake in here!”

Confetti colored the sky. Happy tones of disco music and recorded laughs and claps bombed the place. Reem was moving her arms and making a small dance in her seat in a very innocent and cute fashion. The commoners thought that this was it. They made it! They actually beat the challenge that the obnoxious noble forced them to traverse these past few hours. Now they just needed to find her to strangle her to death!

But perhaps… having a slice of cake to recover their strength would be ideal for the moment.

They looked at the cake drooling with hunger. And what a feast they were going to have soon! It was a hot milk cake that lied on a majestic plate on a pedestal in all its buttery glory! Their mouth was melting with the thought of having a slice of that delicious dessert from the gods themselves.

But… there are people that only exist to fuck it up.

“Reem! You were the Mastermind of all of this?”

“Yes, my clueless brother! Admire your half-blooded sibling making miserable your worthless existence! Sponsored by Tamsung! Making High-Definition tortures a reality!” She winked rather playfully.

“B-but this is impossible!”

“Nothing is impossible but fairy tales, Arbelth Blueblood! Tee hee hee!” A fierce lighting from the outside made a chilling dance with her laughter, making the environment far colder than before. “Now, look at me for who I am! A little, spoiled prankster that wants to see your world BURN! Look at this frog, Blueblood! Look at Hellmith’s eyes! Feel dread! Experience horror! Taste the bitterness of despair that you may not get out of here alive! HAAAA HA HA HA HA HA HA!”

“Ok, that’s scary!” Sugarcoat submitted to her instincts. The other two agreed while taking a step back.

Blueblood on the other hand, showed indifference towards his sibling’s odd behavior. Looking at her with an analytical mindset, he managed to uncover the truth behind this act of her.

“I know what is going on. I can see things with clarity now!”

“Oooooooh!? Tell to your younger sister what does those eyes of yours see on the dark side of the moon!”

“I see only one thing! One single possibility could explain your obnoxious behavior! There is no way you could be this EVIL!”

“Yes? YES?!”

“You… You have been possessed by the DEVIL!” A violent thunder roared through the obscured heavens, nearly waking up the dead from their rest. “THE EVIL!”

Reem’s energy was violently vaporized, her speech impaired, her dark sense of humor destroyed. She looked at him with a mixture of disgust, shame, perplexity, and pity. She had prepared an amazing speech regarding their final challenge. She was excited to see the fruition of her efforts - the crowning achievement in her regal and apathetic life - bloom with the petals of self-approval.

The Happy Ending she waited for so long now destroyed by the stupidity of her brother. She pressed a button on her console panel, activating machinery on the pedestal in front of them. The cake was ascending to the roof. “NO!” Sugarcoat’s cry made Nitpick and Gilda ran toward the price.

But it was too late. A hole opened on the roof, and the cake disappeared from their sight. A saddened Sugarcoat was about to collapse to the floor but Bittersweet carried her again on a piggyback position. She was weeping on Nitpick’s helmet.

“Reem! If you can hear me, know that I, Prince Arbelth Blueblood, shall hire renowned exorcists to free you from the control of that fiend possessing your body! I shall save you soon enough!” A big grin appeared on his face. His perfect teeth shinned like gold.

Whatever remains of consideration she had at that moment was soon replaced by the ever-growing fury towards her imbecile of a brother. Her face never stopped making a soft smile, but a dark tone of hostility dawned on her visage. She pressed the last button of the panel, making a path clear to a hidden door that leaded to the exit.

“That door will lead you to the mansion once more! Catch me if you can, and you WILL have the right to ingest warm food and cake, my honored guests! In the name of the Oakwood Lineage, I assure you that!” The transmission was over.

“SERIOUSLY!?” Nitpick looked at him in the eye. “Possessed by the devil? Are you stupid?”

“The Devil is real, plebian! It haunts little children during the night, hiding below the bed to make an unholy possession to his victims!”

“I can’t believe you are superstitious!”

“Father says that magic and spirits are real! Our ancestors wrote it on several family diaries! They never lied about facts! Legend says that around one-thousand years ago, way before my Royal Lineage came to power, one of my ancestors met a man called Star Swirl the Bearded, telling stories of possessions, other worlds and - !”

“MAGIC IS NOT REAL, BLUEBLOOD!” The Clone Trooper took the stairs to the exit. “Star Swirl the Bearded is just a stupid folklore story of the Old Civilizations! An old fool that made a pact with the Dark Elements to bring prosperity to his country! In other words, LIES! Magic is as real as we actually having a piece of that cake in this moment!”

“I KNEW THE CAKE WAS A LIE!” Sugarcoat hugged him rather powerfully. “If she doesn’t give us the cake… then let’s grab the cake ourselves by force!” Sugarcoat got down Nitpick’s back.

“Grab the cake?” The rest asked.

“And eat it… in front of her! Let’s go, team! We are going to make a good damn memory from all of this!”

“And exorcise my sister while at it!” He said excited. The Twin-like Duo was amazed by his naivety.

“Yeah… we’ll definitely do that.” Sugarcoat dryly looked at him with a brow raised.

The path wasn’t long for the young adventurers. The final lever of the dungeon lied ahead. The wall opened, revealing a familiar scene. They were back to the library. Everything was exactly as they remembered. Even the floor that was supposed to be broken was intact once more, the chairs meticulously arranged in a practical position. The only things missing on the scene were their cellphones.

“Fuck it! That girl is cleverer than I thought!” Sugarcoat inspected the scene. “No, no, and no! There isn’t even a trace of footsteps on the floor that we can use to find her!”

“Then let’s split up! Gilda and I will search on this floor while you check upstairs!”

“Good idea! Blueblood, come with me!”

“Right away!”

….

The Prince and the Future Crystal Champion went to the second floor. The stairs made of golden wood dampened the noise of their pronounced but stealthy steps. The hallway of the second floor was like a maze on its own for Sugarcoat. Luckily, the Prince had a decent memory of the normal layout of the house and suggested to look on the main quarters on the right end of the corridor.

The door that sealed Reem’s room was rather simplistic. A normal door made of cheap wood – for the Prince, at least – was there, with a common knob of stainless steel, sporting a little sign that simple said ‘Do not enter without knocking’.

Sugarcoat knocked with courtesy, knowing deep inside that her civilized gesture was entirely pointless. She opened the door after patiently waiting for ten seconds, and to her amusement, unsurprisingly, there was no one at home. But what made her body shudder with terror was the room itself. Dozens of burning candles casted a red, bloody light over the room drained in wine. A thick layer of dust that has been undisturbed in ages covered the entire place. Each step taken in the room extinguished a single candle. Not wanting to indulge in the private quarters of a possible murderer any longer than necessary, Sugarcoat made her wisest decision so far.

“Let’s look on another room.” She said with a clear voice.

“First, let me see if I can find a clue about that doll’s origin! It could be the clue to find her!”

“Blueblood, Reem made that doll! I bet you my glasses on that!”

“Please, she doesn’t even know how to put her shoes on her feet! Rosaline does that every morning as far as I know!”

Linkus’ cosplayer swallowed a chuckle, appeasing her nerves filled with fear. “I’ll be looking on the room ahead.”

Just when Sugarcoat stepped outside and Blueblood got inside the room, the door closed abruptly. “OPEN THE DOOR, LITTLE MAIDEN!” Sugarcoat charged on the door with all her might, to no avail. “Sugarcoat! There is a note here that says that there are spare keys on the last room on the left wing in the first floor! If you can find them and bring them here - !”

“DAMNATION AND DISCORD TO THE PUZZLES OF THAT LITTLE BRAT! I’ll bring the other two to slam this door! Wait right here!” Quick footsteps sounded until she was far from his reach.

The thunderstorm roared with the might of one thousand lions, shattering the darkened skies into million pieces of flashes. The lights went out. A total black out shrouded the mansion, their guests standing still in the position they were. Several seconds passed, and light dawned once more on the forsaken place.

“The emergency system must have kicked in.” The Prince said to himself.

A beautiful humming was heard from behind. Blueblood turned around and was shocked with surprise and relief. Reem was in front of the fireplace of the room, bringing to life a little fire within the confines of the hearth. Her voice turned sweeter with each passing second, soothing the mood around her. But… he noticed something peculiar. Something that truly disturbed him for the first time during his recent stay on her house.

The room was clean, shimmering with silver shades of golden furniture. The candles were gone, and a soft essence of lavender reigned on his sense of smell.

“Oh! Brother!” Reem softly looked at him with a big smile and pleasant eyes. “Come here, where is warm! The bitter embrace of the cold weather is powerless at which hour fighting with the ember of family.”

“All this doth feel liketh a terrible dreameth! An endless labyrinth of cloud'd visions, trying to dissemble me from truth!”

“Cometh, cometh then! H're, wh're t is safe! Forget about your troubles!”

He joined her besides the hearth, sitting comfortably on the floor while admiring the flames as they were dancing like if they were fields of wheat graced by the wind. It was relaxing. Enchanting, to the point of nearly falling asleep on the comfort of the pillow nearby. Like if his inner demons were…

He snapped back to reality, abruptly looking around for the source of all evil! A streak of hot silver split the sky outside, blinding the room for a second. He saw it. The hellish frog on her lap was looking at him insidiously. Blueblood was sure that if he was destroyed, she would be free from her curse.

Hellmith must go back to rivers of Acheron.

“Is something wrong?” She asked slowly, a shroud darker than an empty night-sky manifested in her pupils.

“Reem.”

“Yes?”

“FORGIVE ME!”

He tried to snatch the doll from her abruptly. She resisted, holding firmly the doll from the legs. A violent battle of wits started, the doll being the link for both clashing forces. Reem dashed forward and connected a head-butt, making both fall to the floor. Blueblood quickly recovered, but was horrified to see that his worst fears were true.

Hellmith was floating on the air. Her sister’s body lied unconscious on the floor.

“You cannot defeat me, Prince of Light!” The hell-doll lunged at him viciously, pummeling his face to a pulp.

He repeled him away. “I shall never kneel before you, Demon!” The Prince stood bravely with an unbreakable will burning brighter than his family Sun.

“How do you expect to defeat me when you are but a man, and I am forever?”

“LIKE THIS!” He thrusted his fist like a foil on Hellmith.

Clashing forces shook the earth as a titanic battle took place inside the golden room. Hellmith, using his demonic power, made impious possessions on his surroundings. Pillows, bottles, and the bed itself were floating around the Prince, slowly closing the gap, trying to crush him to death.

“Poltergeist activity!”

“DIE, FREE-PEOPLE SLAVER!”

The doll charged once more, but Blueblood was quicker! He captured the doll like a basketball. It struggled to break free from his arms, but it was too late. It soon found itself being thrown in the hearth. Burning embers of unholy nature made a violent explosion inside the hearth. Blackened flames ascended to the heavens as shrieks and groans of pain from the fiend were heard on the four corners of the Earth.

And soon… it was over. The flames turned blue as a clear sky for a moment before turning red and orange once more. The Prince knew that it was a sign of heaven, blessing his act of purging evil.

“Once more, God sides with Justice!” He smiled to no one in particular, his smile brighter than the shimmering flames.

“Urgh!”

He looked at Reem with a sense of relief. Black smoke emerged from her body, slowly leaving the room through the cracks of the window. When her exorcism was finished, her blue eyes saw the face of its savior.

“Brother… I had a dream… I was trapped inside a box, unable to move or breathe. It was cold, dark, and…”

“Shh… It was just a dream… Just a bad dream. Now, sit here and let me see if I can get us out of here!” He searched high and low for something to budge the door. “I can’t believe how much troubles that doll made! And where is Sugarcoat? She is taking her sweet time finding the plebeians or the keys!”

“Keys? What keys?”

“The spare keys to all doors of your house!” He slammed the door in frustration. “The situation is bad.”

‘Clack’

That sound was too familiar for the young Prince. Every year, on his birthday, his Father always took him to the forest of the Capital of Equestria to hunt deer on the permitted season. That sound… was the same as…

“Don’t worry.” Reem said from behind. “I got it all under control.”

‘WHAAM’

….

“What was that?”

“It was a gunshot!” Nitpick panicked.

“Blueblood is on that door over there! Let’s hurry and get out of this place!”

“Ok, on the count of three and we slam this door together! One, two and - !”

The door fell down with the combined strength of the adventurers. Horror possessed their bodies as they say the remnants of what was once Blueblood’s persona. A hole in his back was pouring the blood on the tainted floor of ambition. Paler than the sands of the dessert caressed by the moonlight, the blood on their faces fell down to their feet. First, their trembled. Then, they took a step back. Finally, they ran towards the exit like madman begging for release.

‘Bam’

‘BAM’

‘SLAM

“THE DOOR DOESN’T BUDGE!”

“THEN LET’S BREAK OUT THROUGH THE WINDOWS!”

They sprinted and charged towards the crystal pane, only to bounce back and fell violently to the floor. Under further examination, all windows were bullet-proof. Gilda nearly broke her fist when making a second test.

“There must be a phone on this place!”

“There it is!”

Gilda grabbed the phone and put the speakers on. “Line out of service.”

“This place is a nightmare!” Sugarcoat started to tremble. “I don’t want to die. I DON’T WANNA DIE!”

“CALM DOWN!”

“CALM DOWN!?” Sugarcoat asked cynically. “THAT BRAT IS GONNA KILL US ALL!”

‘SLAP’

Her left cheek turned deep red. “Thanks, Heavensbane… I needed that.”

“Damn… No, I’m sorry… I’m somewhat scared too.” Gilda grabbed her hands, trying to simulate fear and empathize with her.

“Look!”

“Let me guess, Nit.” She said without moving a muscle. “A note.”

He didn’t waste time and read the contents. “Three puzzles will unlock the door to the exit. They must be completed in less than an hour. One is in the main kitchen on the first floor, near the main hall. The second is in Rosaline’s room on the second floor, in front of the corpse…”

“The letter must be recent!” Gilda deduced.

“Or perhaps… All this was planned from the beginning.” Sugarcoat hugged her legs on the floor. The other two gulped while cold sweat fell through their skin.

“Where is the third location?”

“In the changing room… on the labyrinth!”

“Shit…”

“I’ll go there.”

“Nit…”

“I have the armor, and it would be safer for you two to stay nearby… in case of an emergency!”

“But you would be far away from us! It could be dangerous to go on your own!”

“Hey… we survived the little thug show of Lighting Dust, remember? You trust in me, don’t you?”

She chuckled. “I’m sure as hell I do!” She inhaled fresh air slowly to calm herself. “I’ll go to the kitchen. Sugarcoat… can I call you Sug?”

“At this point in my life, you can call me anything you want. And yes, I’ll solve the puzzle of the second floor if that’s what you need!”

“Alright… be careful, you two.”

….

Nitpick descended to the labyrinth once more. No longer surprised by her captor’s layout, he discovered a secret passage that sent him straight to the changing room. The place was darker than before, the stone wept tears of sorrow. Suddenly-

‘Kreeeeeeeck SLAM’

The passage closed behind. “DAMN!” He tried to escape through the main door, but it was no longer there. The lights turned off. Silence engulfed his senses. The shadow of death fell upon him. “Oh crap. OH CRAP!”

A faint glow of light, almost looking like a candle from a far, appeared near the mirror. It was inciting him, like Charon inviting the lost souls to cross the Styx on his boat. Foolishly, he approached the mirror, and when he was a few steps to get closer to the light…

It was extinguished.

He stood there like if an eternity just passed. A shrieking sound came from behind, and dozens of candles soon illuminated the room. The mirror was covered with a white blanket now. Except for a little tear on one side of the mirror. A word was written on the uncovered surface. A word that would break a lesser man in such perilous situation.

Die.

“Well…” He wasn’t that lesser at least. “The puzzle must be written on the mirror.” He uncovered the artifact, and his courage was almost eradicated with the full message.

Han Solo Will Die on December of next year.

Delay is the deadliest form of denial. He took off his helmet, slowly shaking his head in negation. His eye teary and tired from the emotional stress, kneeling to the floor and lamenting his faith. “No... No. That’s not true! That’s impossible!” He almost cried.

“Search your feelings. You know it to be true!”

“NOOOOOOOOOU! NOU...! Wait!” He took his sweet time to face the girl who was on his back. “Reem Fortunata Oakwood.” He said dryly. She ditched the dress for a military costume. No hat included.

“At your service.” She said pleasantly. “You shouldn’t have removed your helmet, Clone Trooper. The game is not over yet!”

“This is not a game, its murder! How could you?”

“Hmm? Oh, you mean Arbelth! He had it coming! That social buffoon!”

“He was your own blood!”

“I make the rules!” She pointed her weapon on him. “I am the Dungeon Master! Don’t speak unless you want to meet your gods!”

“I don’t believe in gods!”

“Then you will die sinless than most!”

“What do you want from me?”

“My amusement!”

“I won’t beg for my life! I rather die like a dog than humiliating myself to you!”

“Oh!? That’s an interest proposition!”

“…what?”

“Beg. For your life.”

“I won’t beg to you, bitch!”

“Tee hee hee! You are funny, even when facing your doom!” She was enjoying too much torturing his psyche. “Tell you what, if you beg me in an original manner, I’ll let you go! In the name of Rosaline, my faithful maid, I swear!”

“But I don’t know shit about begging!”

“Well, there are some books over there!”

“Those weren’t there moments ago!”

“Losing time!”

“Ok, I get it. Fucking noble brat…” He hissed in the end.

Three books were on the floor. They looked rusty and about to turn into dust. Nitpick grabbed the one on the middle, his Sixth Sense finally giving him guidance. Perhaps his unnatural sense was trying to reach him in the first place, but his owner was too busy trying to stay alive and take notice.

The fool.

He began reading as fast as he could. Using reading techniques that Sporty taught him to assimilate any useful knowledge quickly, he was able to grasp enlightenment. Then… he was sucked in. The words suddenly became vivid images on his mind.

It was like viewing a movie… through the Magic of Words.

“Ah… my honored guest?”

He chuckled with confidence. He faced her with renewed hope, sure of himself that he could get out of there alive in a dignified manner. Then take the chance to rescue the other two while at it. “I have prepared my begging speech!”

“Bark.”

“You could have said it more respectfully…” He cleared his throat. “May I make one request?”

“But of course.” She said with a suave demeanor.

“Will you aim in my heart? My heart which has loved this country so much? Will you aim in my heart? So its blood may feed the soil, nourishing the verdant fields of the future to bloom with radiance and fill with hope future generations! Generations that soon shall witness the noble sacrifice that their predecessors made to preserve the future! Will you aim in my heart? So my soul embraces release for the mortal bounds of feelings! So I can experience the sensation of vanishing to the void and reach ascension in the netherworld! And if today is not the day where I must depart this world, leave behind my mortal shell to nourish the land, let us work together! Together, to make this world… a better place.” He grinned softly.

“UGH! HOW BORING! I’ll shoot you in the head.”

“Crap.”

‘WHAAM’

….

It’s been twenty-something minutes since they went separate ways. Sugarcoat was struggling to solve the secret meaning behind her assigned puzzle. It was simple in paper, solve the puzzle and say the answer loudly on the room.

“What the hell must I guess with the number forty-two? The secret of life?”

“Yes, my honored guest! The secret of life is the answer indeed!” Sugarcoat trembled in fear. “Turn around, very slow.” She smiled pleasantly.

“Damn.” She saw the weapon Reem was sporting, making her costume sweat in tears. “DAMN!”

“Tell me where Miss Gilda is and I might let you live.”

“E-even if knew I wouldn’t tell you.”

“Oh! I thought you hated her!”

“I don’t hate her, Oakwood. I have come to respect her in this short time of survival situation, even if I don’t agree with her attitude. I won’t sell her out, so look for her yourself!”

“Then you will die firmer than most!”

“Crap.”

“…You won’t beg?”

“Fuck no! Kill me quickly already if that’s what you want!”

“That is not fun! Where is the fun on that if someone does not beg!?”

“Losing my patience.”

“Ok, fine! I will kill you!” She readied her weapon. “But first remove your hat, gloves, sword, and elven ears. The game is over for you.” Sugarcoat obeyed with a mix of fear and annoyance. “Now, remove your jacket.”

“Is this some kind of fetish of yours?”

“Put. It. Off.” She obeyed once more. “Hang it up.” She did again. “Put it down.“ She complied. “Put it on. Take it off. Hang it up. Take it down. Put it on. Take it off. Hang it up.”

“FOR FUCK SAKE! MAKE OUT YOUR MIND!”

“Now you know how it feels to receive stupid orders around the school! Now… die.”

Before everything turned black for her, Sugarcoat noticed something funny on the weapon. Something that suddenly calmed her down, giving away a little chuckle before her assailant completed her act. “Clever girl.”

‘WHAAM’

….

Gilda heard the gunshot from the kitchen. “Screw the puzzle!” She tried to grab a knife, a spoon, a pan, anything that could be used as a weapon, but there wasn’t a single item she could swing with ease at that forsaken place. She removed her eye-patch because she was sick of it already. “Ah, much better.”

‘WHAAM’

A flower exploded while Gilda jumped intro crawling position. She quickly turned the table and used it as cover. When she took a peek to see the gunner, another gunshot burned through the portrait on the wall. Then, some items were thrown at her side; a hat, a helmet, and the bard hat painted in blood lied on the floor. “NO!”

“This is a M1 Maran used during the First War. A weapon created by God to purge the evil invaders from the land of Free Equestria! Now DIE in the name entertainment! I WILL HAVE MY HAPPY ENDING!”

“YOU KILLED MY FRIEND! YOU KILLED SUGARCOAT AND YOUR OWN BROTHER! MONSTER!”

“And you will die braver than most! Embrace eternity!”

‘WHAAM’

Gilda escaped while thunderous shots pierced several artifacts on the mansion. The aim of the Noble was spot-on on such items. Was she hunting her for sport? For fun in knowing that it was Gilda’s last fight? Whatever the case, the victim stumbled upon a dead-end. It’s over!

“Well, well, well!” Reem’s steps echoed through the hall. Thunders pleading for action rained on the outside. “I believe this is the end of the road!”

“Make it quick, bitch!”

“Does nobody know the meaning of ‘Beg for your lives!’?

“Like hell I will beg to you!”

“AGH! Not funny! DIE THEN!” She pressed the trigger. ‘Chucku’ No bullet fired on her victim.

‘Chucku’

‘Chuckuchuckuchuku’

Gilda made her evilest grin so far. “HA HA HA HA! Now I will have my revenge on you.” She slowly approached her defenseless assailant, walking in circles and exchanging positions. Now Reem was trapped, slowly stepping back to the wall. “Any last words, Reem Fortunata Oakwood?” Silence. “Very well… DIE!”

Reem pierced the wall and quickly released a fire axe. “WAH!” Gilda jumped backward as Reem swung the weapon like a madwoman. Gilda rushed to the only door that was visibly opened and locked herself inside. It was a bathroom. It was clean and shiny, and soon it would be tainted in blood.

‘BUMP’

The Victorian Noble tried to open the door with the knot, but it was closed. Then, she knocked the door. “Little pigs! Little pigs! Let me come in!” Gilda was scared shitless from her dry voice. “Not by the hair on your chinny-chin chin? Then I’ll huff! And I’ll puff! And I’ll blow your house in!”

She proceeded on hitting the door on berserk mode. Each hit was Harder, Better, Faster, Stronger! Gilda wasn’t going to wait for her until she could crash in and kill her. Hell no! What to use? What to USE? The toilet paper? The towel? No… The marble washbasin. “Yeah…!” She ripped the construction from the wall, and patiently waited for her to come in. An innocent crack on the head will do the job. She waited and waited. The adrenaline faster than ever.

Then… silence.

Could she have surrendered and looked for another way to get in?

‘Bump’

Ah… no. She was still there.

“W-wait a minute, my h-honored guest…” She was panting faster than a puppy. “I… I-I will end your misery in a moment.” She panted heavily. “I-it will be o-over…” A weak hit was made on the door. “Soon... This is hard.”

“What the…?” Gilda was… disappointed?

Reem eventually managed to crack the door’s fabric. She opened the door, faced her victim in a sorry state, and received the full might of the washbasin on her head crumbling on her. Reem looked dizzy, but she still gave a step forward. Her weapon still raised firmly.

“HA! D-do you think that this w-will s-stop m-me?”

‘SLAM’

The Victorian Noble made a half-turn and saw Nitpick holding the Bastard Sword on his hands. “That will do!” And she fell to his arms unconscious.

Gilda raised her fist and Nitpick complied. Their trademark Bro-Fist connected more than their friendship.

“Well… That’s it! Let’s grab something to eat.”

“Good idea… just help me out with her. My head still hurts.”

The nightmare was over.

Author's Note:

Here are the list of references for this chapter:

1.- The carboard box tank and some of it's introduction is from Metal Gear Solid: Peace Walker.

2.- 'Emergency! User death imminent!' is the alert status from the HEV suit from Half-Life videogame series. (THE 3 IS A LIE)

3.- Samsung is everywhere recently.

4.-Because demonic possesions are the explanation to everything evil.

5.- The spooky mansion was loosely based on Scooby-Doo and the Zoombie Island. (BAdass movie.)

6.- 'How do you expect to defeat me when you are but a man, and I am forever?' is phrase used in the movie The end of Days starring Arnold Schwarzenegger.

7.- “Don’t worry. I got it all under control.” When Saren betrays Nihulus in Mass Effect.

8.-Most horror movies use the trope of scattering the group and be dealt with one by one.

9.-The mirror scene is loosely based on one episodes of the Simpsons. The Springfield Files Season 8 Episode 10, to be exact. But instead of revealing the huge spoiler for Episode VII of Star Wars, it simply revelead the word Diet.

10.- 'No... No. That’s not true! That’s impossible!' is an iconic speech straight from Empires Strikes Back.
11.- The secret of life in The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy is 42. I don't what that means.

12.-“Put it on. Take it off. Hang it up. Take it down. Put it on. Take it off. Hang it up.' is a training scene from the new Karate Kid starring Jackie Chan and the son of Will Smith.

13.-“Little pigs! Little pigs! Let me come in! Not by the hair on your chinny-chin chin? Then I’ll huff! And I’ll puff! And I’ll blow your house in” is a phrase movie from The Shinning.

Comments and more are welcome!