• Published 3rd Aug 2012
  • 1,527 Views, 46 Comments

Silent Ponyville: Last breath - Thegodhand



Skybridge's attempt at a new life in Ponyville does not go as he imagined.

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Chapter 4: Denial

Sky’s eyes snapped awake as he drew his first rattling breath, the air moving into his lungs like a thick milkshake through a straw. It had been too long since Sky’s inhaler had run out and his breathing would only continue to get worse. Sky realized that whatever else waited for him in the future, the sword of Ponecles would be waiting above him, ready to fall. With a groan Sky sat up in the dark space, feeling soft cushioned space beneath him. Unable to see in the darkness, Sky reached out with his forelegs feeling the area around him. The space was a small cube only large enough to fit two ponies side by side. The ceiling was only a few hooves over his head and like the floor and walls, was covered in the same soft cloth.

Sky began to frantically search the soft room for any other features, some sign of an exit from the small dark space. Sky’s search came to a halt as a muffled noise reached him from the right side of the room. Pressing his ear against the wall Sky held his breath and listened for the noise. Just as he was about to shrug it off the noise returned, a long low moan coming from beyond the confines of Sky’s enclosure.

Sky drew a deep breath before shouting as loudly as he could manage “Hey! Hey can you hear me! I’m trapped, can you let me out?”

The moan repeated with no sign of acknowledgment from whatever produced it. Sky was about to repeat himself when a burst of blinding light and the noise of something sliding away hit him. Looking to the wall at his side, a small slot in the wall had opened letting in light from the outside. As he looked into the light, letting his eyes adjust he shakily uttered “He-hello? Who’s out there?”

A pony’s face came to the front of the door, silhouetted against the light. Seeing someone brought a small glimmer of hope to Sky. Letting a nervous smile adorn his face Sky said “I don’t know where I am.” Looking to the broken wing tied to his side and back to the pony “ I’m hurt, could you let me out please?”

The pony outside the door stood silent, continuing to simply observe Sky inside the room. Beginning to get frustrated Sky grit his teeth and shouted out “Stop bucking with me and open the damn door you...piece...of-”

It was then that as his eyes adjusted to the light Sky could finally make out the face of his visitor. A tangled grey mane lay flat between the ears of a tan pony. The most striking feature Sky could make out however was that the pony ‘looking’ at him had no eyes, merely red hollow sockets. Sky felt that he should be frightened of the creature, but as he looked into the eyeless face of the pony Sky strangely felt only a sense of calm. For the first time in a long while it felt like everything would be okay.

Sky shook his head to clear his thoughts and realized the slot in the wall was now vacant. The click clack of metal striking linoleum could be heard moving away from the door and stopping nearby. Sky stood on his hind legs bracing himself against the padded wall and tried to look out as best he could. Outside his cell was a small brown room with a door across from him. To his right he could just make out the grey tail of the eyeless stallion, the tail became blocked from sight however as a door to the space next to him opened.

With the door to the next room open Sky could now clearly make out the moans of whomever was in the cell.

“Hey, who’s over there? What are you doi-”

Sky’s question died in his throat as the moan was cut off with a sickening crunch, followed by a wet sucking pop. He sat in silence for a moment until the metallic click clack noise marked the return of the mystery stallion. This time the stallion walked by the cell as it approached the door across from Sky’s cell. Sky’s eyes widened and his mouth dropped in horror. The stallion looked very much alive, as opposed to the creatures of death and rot he had seen before. It’s lifelike look however, simply made the differences stand out all the more horribly. In the place of hooves was a long metal spike attached to each leg. that produced the click clack noise as they struck the tile floor. The stallion’s coat was entirely a light tan brown and his mane and tail an unkempt grey. It’s flank was adorned with no cutie mark.

As the stallion opened the far door it turned it’s eyeless gaze back to Sky for a moment. Sky was once again struck by a sense of calm in juxtaposition to what he was seeing. Under the eyeless face of the stallion, in place of a mouth was a long needle which was currently covered in dripping blood. The stallion turned away and left the room, closing the door behind it with a back leg.



The moment the exit closed the padded door that Sky was bracing himself on let out a click and swung open, leaving Sky to fall to the ground with a frightened yelp. Groaning from the pain of his already bruised body hitting the cold hard floor Sky rose to his hooves and stared at the door for a moment to see if the stallion would return. After ensuring that the door did not open again Sky looked to the room on his right that stood open still.

He slowly walked over to the room, not sure if he wanted to see what was within or not. Slowly peeking around the door Sky looked into the room. Sky gasped in fright at the scene. Inside the room was a yellow green tailed mare laying on her side in a pool of blood. The mares head had been punctured on top between the ears and blood had pored over her face obscuring her thin features and the color of her matted mane.

Sky looked away and staggered a few steps before hunching over and vomiting. After he finally finished heaving he wiped the tears from his face with his foreleg and spat several times on the floor to remove the remnants from his mouth. As much as Sky did not wish to follow the creature that had murdered that trapped mare, Sky knew it was the only exit from the room.

Slowly opening the door Sky peeked his head outside. The hall outside was a sterile white. The tiled floor, ceiling, and walls were all completely blank aside from a small sign on the wall next to his door that bore the word ‘ISOLATION’. He quietly stepped out of the room, flinching at the loud noise of the door slamming itself shut behind him.

Hearing no noise from the hallway he walked the short distance before the hall branched into a “T”. To his left a pile of rubble blocked the hall from where the ceiling appeared to have caved in. Looking to his right, Sky could see clearly down along the wall of the hall, an exit sign dimly glowed over a doorway.

Still attempting to be silent Sky moved with haste toward the exit. As Sky passed a door with the sign ‘Psychiatric Nurses Station’ he heard a noise like a low thud coming from within. Sky froze by the door, startled at first, then deliberating if he should check inside or not. Deciding that like him and the murdered mare there might be other ponies here he opened the door as slowly and quietly as he could manage.

The room inside bore several desks with writing utensils and paper, as well as three large cabinets. On the far side of the large square room stood a white mare with a pink mane and tail. Covering most of her body was a pair of blue medical scrubs. While trying to exercise some amount of caution, Sky grabbed hold of a wooden office chair that sat at the desk by the door and took a few steps toward the nurse.

“Hey, are you okay? My names Sky, and I’m lost. Who are you?”

The ‘nurse’ slowly turned to face Sky, revealing that like the stallion before, her eye sockets were empty. Only unlike the stallion her mouth looked to have been replaced with what had to be some kind of megaphone. Before Sky could even process what he was seeing the nurse let out a deafening screech, like sharpened nails on a chalkboard. As the nurse wailed she made no advance toward Sky. Dropping the chair and laying his ears back against his head Sky ran out of the room and slammed the door shut; he could still hear the screech coming from the other side but it was no longer unbearable.

Just after getting away from the screeching nurse, a new noise quickly drew his attention. The door to the stairs slammed open beneath the exit sign down the hall. The stallion flanked by two nurses walked into the hall and turned to face Sky.

‘ Why was I trying to get away from here again? They just want to help me.’ Sky thought to himself as he looked into the stallions eyes during their slow approach.

As they drew closer and Sky sank deeper into his stupor, Shields voice suddenly thundered in his mind “You have to get away from the Doctor! Hide! NOW!”

Sky’s eyes widened in fear as he realized what he was doing. Seeing that there was nowhere else to run Sky dove back into the nurse’s station slamming the door shut and turning the lock from inside. The nurse inside continued to scream as the Creatures outside pounded at the door. Dashing forward Sky grabbed the chair he had dropped in front of the nurse and rose it above him.

“Shut up! Shut up or I’ll...I’ll hit you!”

The nurse continued to scream despite the warning while the pounding started to shake the door dangerously. Scrunching his eyes shut Sky brought the chair down on the nurses head, knocking her flat out onto the ground. Still she continued to let out her ear splitting screech so desperately even as Sky continued to bring the chair down on her again and again shouting “Shut up!” with each swing. Emitting a distorted warble the nurse finally went silent.

Sky opened his tear streaked eyes to the gory scene below him. The nurse's head was split open and there were lacerations on her withers and chest from where the chair had struck her. Blood covered what remained of the chair in his grip as well as Sky’s fore legs, chest and barrel. Most horrifying of all however was that the slaughtered nurse below him no longer sported a loudspeaker on an eyeless face, but rather a pair of eyes as pink as her mane wide with terror and glazed with death. Her mouth open in a silent scream of broken teeth and blood.

“What...no, nonononononono. No! She..she was a monster. Oh Celestia she was a monster.”

Sky may have broken down right then and there if a particularly hard hit to the door hadn't produced a crunch of breaking wood. Remembering his situation, Sky looked for any escape but saw none. ‘What do I do?!’

The door fell open with a final blow and the two nurses standing beside the doctor let their back hooves touch back to the ground. Six empty eye sockets gazed into the room to find it empty aside from a battered corpse in the center of the room. The two nurses walked forward and hooked a foreleg each around the corpse, dragging it out of the room leaving a trail of blood in their wake. The doctor slowly turning his head to give the room a final look, turned and left closing the door behind him.

Sky opened one of the large cabinets and stumbled out into the room, gasping and holding his chest. “Holding...breath...for so long...not a good idea.”

After catching what breath he could Sky peeked outside the room, looking both ways in the outside hall. Seeing no sign of the Doctor, or strangely enough the blood trail which seemed to end just outside the room; Sky galloped over to the exit stairs and flung the door open, dashing down the stairs two at a time.

Sky reached the flat turn of the third floor turnoff and barely had time to stop himself before smacking into the chain link barrier that blocked access to further down the stairs. A note written on a prescription pad was clipped to the barrier. He pulled it off and read the typed message.

You can’t move on if you don’t recognize the problem.

Sky let out an exasperated sigh and turned to look at the third floor entrance while collapsing onto his haunches. “Oh course...why should it be easy.”

Sky sat there for some time, a blank expression and glazed eyes painted his face as he tried to come to terms with what had just occurred. ‘They’re monsters...not ponies. That, that thing was a monster...but then it ... she, was a pony. Sky’s face let out an irritated twitch. ‘Ugh! NO! She was a monster ... this place is screwing with me! I know what I saw.'

“I’m not a murderer...” Sky said as his face took on a determined scowl. “You hear that you bastards! I. Am. Not. A. Murderer.”

Newly determined to get out of this alive, and with sanity intact Sky drew a calming yet rattling breath and stepped into the third floor of the facility. Only to immediately dive behind an overturned gurney laying by the left wall ahead of where he entered from. Down the bright hall was a single nurse currently walking away towards the far end of the hall. Sky could make out a line of doorways along the left wall and two turn offs on the right side.

The doors were all numbered and appeared to be rooms for patients. The closest right turnoff had a sign that read ‘RADIOLOGY’ and was cloaked in darkness, as the light in that hall appeared to be blown out. The farther right turnoff was exceptionally brightly lit, while the sign was too far away to make out.

Looking back to the nurse Sky saw she had reached the end of the hall and had turned around, coming back to his end of the hall! Diving back down behind the gurney Sky hoped she hadn't seen him and cursed his overly bright pink coat.

Sky waited until the hoof steps of the nurse were very close before taking one last deep breath and holding it to silence all noise. As he hid behind the gurney holding his breath the nurse walked past, failing to notice him in her peripheral. Getting up he quickly padded his way to the first turn off and hid in the dark, finally letting himself breath again. As the nurse made her return trip through the hall Sky followed her at a slight distance, sweat collecting on his forehead as he silently followed the nurse. Once she had passed the second turn off he went went for it.

Now within the hall he could see that the sign which he couldn't make out actually had it’s letters scratched out, making it illegible and leaving the contents of the door a mystery. Suddenly aware that he was in plane sight, and that the nurse would soon be walking by again, he grabbed the door handle and pushed it open. Beyond the door a blinding light glared into his eyes and Sky felt the world around him losing focus.
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“We've had this discussion a thousand times Sky! No, you can’t go to the park. If you want to go outside you can go to the back yard where it’s fenced in.”

Sky had known what the answer would be before he even asked Shield. He knew he was being selfish, that Shield couldn't keep him safe out in the world. Sky couldn't help it though. It was his twelfth birthday and he didn't even know anyone to invite...just Shield and himself, like always.

“Hey little guy, you know I don't do this to cause I like it. You’re just a little too...frail to go out there.”

Sky nodded his head while looking at the floor despondently.

Shield put his hoof under Sky’s chin forcing him to look in Shields eyes. “Friends are overrated anyway” Shield said with a smile. “You have something better. You have family, now let’s turn that frown upside down! We can play pin the tail on the pony, your favorite!”

The idea brought some happiness to Sky, but he couldn't help but still feel sad to just be with his brother. ‘You’re so selfish...’

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Sky blinked away the echo of light from his corneas, now looking into a completely empty blue room with a white tile floor.

“What in Celestia’s blood soaked Tartarus was that?!” Sky said with a bewildered look on his face. It had been..a memory? Sky remembered how his brother had always insisted on staying inside as much as possible. Sky had been home schooled, and...didn't have friends?

The sudden surge of memories had left him feeling confused and disoriented. He could swear that a moment ago he hadn't known this, but he could remember it now as clear as day. Had that isolation really been his life? ...Had that even changed now?

The screech of a nurse quickly shook him out of his state as he quickly turned to see the patrolling nurse had spotted him.

“Oh buck!” He screamed, eyes wide.

Sky darted past the nurse into the hall only to immediately come to a stop as he spotted the Doctor with his ever present nurses coming down the hall. With Sky’s way back to the stairs cut off he did all he could think of and ran back to the room that had awakened his memory and closed the door, sliding the bolt closed with a click.

Wheezing Sky backed away from the door simply repeating “Oh buck oh buck oh buck” under his breath.

The door began shuddering from impacting hooves on the other side. Sky looked around the room desperately, but it was completely bare with nowhere to hide this time. Just as Sky was about to give up the last scrap of hope he had left, his panicked eyes caught something rattling near the ceiling on the wall. There, with it’s cover dangling half off, was a vent.

Sky ran over and jumped up grabbing onto the cover with both hooves. Dangling there, Sky wiggled his body around trying to get the cover to come completely off of the vent. With a final strong twist the vent cover snapped off letting Sky fall to the floor, directly onto his broken wing. Eyes wide and mouth open in a barely audible scream from the pain Sky rolled onto his stomach.

The door gave a mighty shudder as the top hinge partly gave way, two of it’s screws coming loose from the wall. With the urge to live overcoming his pain for the moment, Sky returned to the vent and jumped up to it grabbing onto its edge with his hooves. Unfortunately upper body strength was not Sky’s forte and he held there struggling to pull himself up.

With a final crash the door came down and the sound of hooves and mental clinks sounded on the floor behind him. With a final adrenalin fueled pull, Sky squeezed his body into the ventilation shaft and wormed away from the entrance as quickly as he could into the dark shaft.

After many long minutes of squeezing and coughing his way through the dark and dusty shaft, Sky made it to a closed grate leading into another bare room. Judging from the placement of the room Sky figured it must be the first turnoff from the third floor hallway.

With a few pounds from his hooves the cover fell off and Sky carefully lowered himself into the room, falling the last few hooves distance onto his stomach with a grunt. Sky quickly made his way over to the door and slid the bolt to unlock it. Looking outside Sky saw no sign of the Doctor and the single nurse continued to stand where she had spotted Sky, but was making no noise.

Silently, Sky crept back into the stairwell and closed the door.

The barricade blocking the way down was now gone without a trace, as was the note he had torn off. With his path clear Sky trotted down the stairs at a brisk pace, but avoided running so as not to crash into any other surprises as he almost had before. Sky’s caution was soon rewarded as he came to the second floor entrance with another chain link gate blocking the way down.

You are making good progress but there is more to accept before you are ready.

Sky rolled his eyes and slumped his shoulders “This is ridiculous...what are you gonna make me remember? More shit I already know?” Sky chose to ignore that he couldn't seem to have remembered his previous isolation before he had looked into the third floor room.

Sky opened the second floor door and found himself with a few hoof lengths before a right hoof turn would lead from the stairway entrance to the hallway proper. He could hear the sound of multiple hoof steps coming from the hall so, staying close to the ground Sky crept up to the corner and looked around it.

The hall held an identical design to the floor above and was just as plain and sterile as the rest of this facility. Three nurses patrolled the area. One nurse patrolled up and down the main hall while a nurse patrolled the first turn off with a third patrolling the farthest turn off. All of the doors along the left side of the hall had a small red light over them, paired next to each red was an unlit green light, probably signifying the doors as sealed. Once again it was the door on the furthest right turnoff that had the brightest light issuing from it. Although this time the first turn off was not dark, eliminating it’s use as a hiding spot from the halls patrol.

Sky analyzed the hall for how he might get to the other end without having a nurse call the doctor. Along the hall to the left and right were several gurneys and metal carts that seemed to be designed for delivering food to the rooms.

Sky crept over the a gurney, the cloth draped over it providing cover. As the main patrol walked away sky made his way from one source of cover to the next, taking care to stop before the first turnoff. He would have to make his way past when the main hall nurse and the turnoff nurse were both facing away. Unfortunately that meant playing his luck again with the main hall nurse walking past him , as it would be then that the turn off nurse would also patrol away giving him a chance to get to the metal cart at the second turnoff.

Sky waited with baited breath as the imitation pony nurse made it’s way past him down the hall. He climbed out from under the gurney on it’s other side and, as quiet as he could manage cantered over to the delivery cart to hide on the opposite side. It was then that Sky realized his mistake, as being on this side of the cart hid him from the main hall nurse who was patrolling back, but put him in plain view of the second turnoff nurse who would soon be coming to the main hall. As the main hall nurse made her way past Sky who was pressing himself as tightly against the wall as he could, he could hear the hoofsteps of the second turn off nurse approaching the main hall. Sky looked around desperately, not knowing what even to be looking for.

Sky spotted a glass cup sitting on top of the delivery tray he was hiding against and formed a very quick, very risky plan. Waiting until the turnoff nurse was about to reach the hall, Sky threw the glass cup down the hall as hard as he could. With a loud crash the glass shattered on the flood several meters ahead of the main hall nurse.

For a terrifying moment both nurses came to a stop. Sky let a breath of relief when he saw both nurses quickly walk to the end of the hall to investigate the noise. With the turnoff clear, he made his way over to the door at the end of it that had a placard reading ‘THERAPY ROOM’ on it’s face.

Taking a moment to prepare for what might be beyond, Sky opened the door and is bathed in light.

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“I want to be in a room without a camera. I’m sick of you always watching me.”

Sky lay on the plush red couch across from the Doctor with a sneer on his face. He hadn’t been given a moment of privacy since he got here and it was grating on his nerves. “From one to another” he muttered.

The doctor looked at Sky, his circular glasses hiding his eyes behind their sheen. “What was that Sky?”

“You heard me!”

The doctor took a moment, running his hoof through his grey mane as he searched for the best way to answer.

“Well Sky, you see we just need to keep an eye on you for now because after what happened we feel you might be a little...frail at the moment. And we don’t want you to make any...rash decisions. Understand?”

Sky looked at the doctor raising an eyebrow “What are you talking about? After what happened?”

The doctors lips moved in response but the words were muffled and unintelligible. Sky’s rage filled response however was clear as day. “Don’t you bucking talk about him! You shut your lying Celestia damned mouth or I’ll kill you myself!”

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Sky blinked the light away and found himself looking into a dilapidated room. The walls were peeling and the tile floor was stained and missing chunks. Looking behind him Sky saw the rest of the hall was now similarly degraded. The light over him was now a dim and flickering pulse of sickly yellow, and listening closely he could no longer hear the noise of footsteps coming from the hall.

‘Is this the same place?’ Sky was able to confirm that this was in fact the same hall when he spotted the therapy room sign laying on the floor in the doorway. With no sound of the nurses in this new version of the hallway, Sky walked out of the turnoff and rounded the corner. No sooner did he turn that he stopped directly in front of the Doctor, his two nurses flanking him as silently as the grave to either side.

Sky began to back away in fright the moment his eyes lay on the Doctor. For every step Sky took backwards however, the metal spikes of the doctors legs would clink against the broken tiles. The more Sky thought about it though he realized he didn’t even know why he was backing away. ‘I’m being a big baby about this. He looks weird, but I feel like I can trust him.’

Sky now had his rear to the wall as the Doctor bore down on him, nurses in tow. ‘Ya, thats it. I’m gonna sit here like a good pony and just...let him help me. All this can finally end.’

The Doctor now stood, towering over Sky and began to lean down bringing his metal proboscis closer to Sky’s head. As the needle approached, Sky resigned himself for what was to come and sat down on the floor. As Sky sat down the broken glass of a cup dug into his haunches, drawing blood with a sharp pain. The sudden pain jolted Sky out of his stupor just in time for him to dive to the side with a scream of “No!”.

The Doctors mouth missed it’s target of Sky’s head, instead leaving a shallow scrape on Sky’s front leg. Panicked, Sky plowed his way between the nurses and bolted for the stairway door around the corner. Nearing his target Sky chanced a glance around to see that the Doctor and his nurses had not moved from the spot at the end of the hall and instead seemed content to watch him run.

Reaching the door, Sky went into the stairway and slammed the door shut with a buck of his rear hooves. Sky lay on his side cradling his front leg. He had to take a long time before his breathing was under control and he no longer felt like he would pass out, although he had no idea how long as he had no watch.

Getting up, Sky saw as expected the chain link gate was gone. Climbing down the damp stairs, Sky finally reached the ground floor stairway entrance. Sky placed his ear against the rusted door and listened, carefully taking note of the sound of hoofsteps from beyond. When the sound began to fade further away he decided to take his chance and open the door.

Strait ahead Sky could see a hall with a nurse standing still and facing away from him, while to his left a much longer hall stretched down with a nurse walking away from him down it. Sky ducked into the hall with the unmoving nurse and considered his options. If he wanted to get further down this hall to where it turned off to the right, he would have to get past the nurse without her noticing. But since she is just standing there he can't avoid her by using a patrol route. Sky knew soon the other nurse would return on her patrol, and he couldn't be standing here when she did. Furthermore he couldn't go back to the stairs since with her facing his way in her patrol she would see him and set off her hideous alarm.

“I really hope this works...” Sky muttered under his breath

Dashing forward as quick as he could he tackled the nurse in front of him to the ground. The moment she hit the ground Sky threw his uncut foreleg around the front of her throat and pulled up with all the strength he could muster, bracing his rear legs against her back.

The nurse made some weak sputtering noises from her megaphone as he cut off her air. She thrashed her body strongly enough that it almost threw Sky off her back, but he held strong. Finally her thrashing slowed until it stopped altogether and she ceased making any noise at all. Sky watched as in the blink of an eye her empty sockets were replaced with golden eyes and her megaphone vanished into thin air leaving a mouth of pearly white teeth.

Shaken but held in focus by the sound of approaching hoof steps from the hall behind him, Sky hooked his injured foreleg under barrel and dragged her down the hall hiding the corpse around the corner. Hopefully the other nurse wouldn't investigate the now missing guard.

Taking a moment to ensure the other nurse was indeed walking away he purposefully avoided thinking about the dead nurses transformation. Once the hoofsteps had faded he turned to the new hall. Straight ahead where to doors, one to his right and one to his left. Past them the hall was blocked with a pile of moldy cardboard, wood crates, and rusted hospital equipment.

The door on the right had a red glowing ‘EXIT’ sign over it. Having learned his lesson about ever being optimistic in this place Sky slowly approached the exit. Another note was taped to the door and on trying the handle Sky found the door to be locked. Sky ripped down the note and read it.

When you have taken your final step, you have my permission to leave.

Sky turned to face the door behind him. The sign on the old cracked door read ‘OFFICE’ and scratched crudely under the sign was the message

Dont believe his lies
-Shield.

With a moments hesitation, Sky hardened his face and stated simply “...No...”

Sky opened the door greeted by light.

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Sky lay in bed crying. he was a young adult now at seventeen years, he had no business crying here, curled up like an infant. It hurt though, it didn't always hurt but when it did he couldn't help but cry. Sky took a pull from his inhaler and tried to remember a time before the pain came. A time in his life that he didn't have to worry if tonight would be another of those nights, but sadly he came up short.

The door to his room creaked open and Shield stepped inside.

“Hey Sky..I heard you crying. Are you okay?”

Sniffling Sky rolled over to face Shield and put on a poor fake smile, Sky was never a good liar.

“Ya...I’ll be fine.”

“Well, if you say so.” Shield looked less than sure. “You gonna be up for Pondside Amusement Park tomorrow?”

Sky simply nodded his head while continuing to give that fake smile. Shield gave a smile of his own, looking much more sincere and stepped out closing the door.

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Sky stepped back from the door with a blank expression on his face. The Doctor followed him out into the hall with no nurses at his sides this time.

“I..I don’t understand what you want. I don’t know where these memories are coming from, or why I’m suddenly remembering them now.” Sky turned his gaze to the ground. “But I don’t think I want to remember any more. Just...just get it over with.”

The Doctor stood still for a long silent moment, then took a step forward and began lowering his mouth to Sky’s unmoving head.

Suddenly the exit door flew open and Shield ran forward past the shocked form of Sky and pushed the Doctor away with a kick of his front legs. The Doctor made no noise when struck, but began backing away thrashing his head about. The spots where Shields hooves had hit the doctor burned and hissed, flame spreading over the doctors body as it fell to the ground thrashing in pain.

Shield turned to Sky with absolute rage in his eyes. Before Sky could even utter a word, Shield grabbed him by the throat and dragged him to the exit.

“You left your room! You disobeyed me! You didn’t listen to my warnings! And now that I’m here, I find you about to let that monster have you?!”

He could barely choke out a word from Shields iron grip on his throat. “I.. I couldn’t”

Shield snarled at Sky and lifted him off the ground “No excuses! You disobeyed me and you need to be punished! I’m closing the hole and you are STAYING INSIDE!”

And with that final roar from Shield, Sky was tossed into the light beyond the exit.