Silent Past

by Speedy

Chapter 3: Nightmare’s start

Silent past

chapter 3:Nightmare’s start

Scootaloo’s vision became blurry, everything was turning white and fading away. The lack of sight frightened her as something unknown grabbed her roughly. She tossed and turned, trying to escape the unseen force. In response to the struggling filly's efforts, the force tightened around her chest, leaving her breathless. She struggled to breath for a few more seconds before noticing a strange smell. As the force pulled her, the smell grew stronger as it finally hit her, this smell was...

"Smoke!?” she cried as her eyesight returned. The force must have been the black smoke for all around the bed, flames danced menacingly.

“Fire!? Oh no!” she cried.

Eyes tearing up from the smoke, she tried to jump down and run out of the burning room. She had made it to the doorway before flames erupted from the floor, blocking her path. The immense heat and growing smoke were making it hard for her to breath as she leaned against a unburned wall.

“H-Help...help...!” Scootaloo coughed through the heat, starting to feel faint as the flames got higher and closer.

Feeling her consciousness fading again, thoughts of her friends and how much she wanted to see them gave her a final burst of hope. She had to try one last time to call for help. Even if nopony else would, Sugar Snap was sure to come galloping to her rescue.

She inhaled as much breathable air as she could before screaming. “SOMEPONY HELP!”

Completely drained, darkness crept into her vision as a silhouette jumped through the flaming doorway.
I knew you'd come... was the last thought she had before fainting.

The detective had expected this to be another normal job, but things had taken a turn for the dangerous. After telling the grief-stricken client over the phone about his find, he’d returned to escort the filly, Scootaloo, home... only to see something horrendous. Three cloaked ponies had been dragging the bloody and bruised body of the orphanage owner, Sugar Snap, through a portal of swirling darkness. When one of them pointed a hoof at him, he’d bolted, hoping to find a guard to help. He’d just made it into town when the orange filly passed him, heading back to the orphanage. She was too fast for him and had zipped into the darkness before he’d been able to warn her. Scared for the fillies safety he’d made the tiring hour long trek back to the orphanage, only to be greeted by the sight of glowing flames and billowing smoke.

“Oh no...” he said softly, seeing the familiar scooter and helmet next to the front entrance.

Covering his mouth with part of his jacket, he bucked the front door with his hind hooves.

“SCOOTALOO!” he shouted, eyes stinging from the smoke as he entered the burning building.

Reaching the first room he bucked the door down hoping to find the filly. What greeted him was something quite different. Glowing on the wall, like embers from a fire, was an archaic symbol that radiated power. He quickly left that room be as he bucked more doors down looking for Scootaloo.

“SCOOTALOO WHERE ARE YOU!” he shouted

Winding up for another buck, he suddenly heard someone call out.

“SOMEPONY HELP!”

Hearing the plea for help the stallion ran to the final room of the burning orphanage and saw her, eyes closed leaning against a wall. Using his jacket to protect himself, he charged through the flames hoping she was okay. With little time to think he threw the unconscious filly onto his back and under his jacket, trying to protect her from the growing flames and smoke, leaving himself more exposed to these dangerous elements. Feeling the heat burning his exposed body as he jumped back over the flames, making a mad dash for the entrance.

Making his way down the hallway, he noticed some familiar cloaked ponies galloping into the night from a small window he passed. That's when something in his mind clicked.

"Sugar Snap didn't tell them where Scootaloo was, so they came back to hide the evidence." he said, feeling a bit of respect for the brave pony before hearing a cracking noise.

He looked up to see the ceiling giving way. Trying not to throw the unconscious filly he barely managed to avoid the burning lumber, at the expense of his escape route. Now he was trapped. He turned repeatedly trying to find another way out as the flames crept closer and closer.

"Guess this is my last round-up..." the stallion murmured, looking at the filly sized window he'd passed.

Accepting his fate, he shattered the glass with a blistered hoof and tossed the unconscious filly onto the grass outside. Seeing her land a safe distance from the fire, he slowly pulled out a cigar. Using a burning desk to light it, he took a long drag of the sweet smoke.

"Nopony can say you didn't do your job well Douglas." he said to himself, watching the flames creep closer.

Feeling ready for death, a strange noise made his ears perk up. A bright light and keening noise was coming from the ceiling. Shielding his eyes with a raised hood, he noticed the light radiating from a bizarre, floating disk.

The disk floated there in midair for a few moments, before lighting up in a bright red flash, blinding him.

"What, in Celestia's name, was that?!" Douglas exclaimed, rubbing his eyes.

Disoriented and covered in burns he didn't notice the heat had lessened and that he could breath easily. This made the scene before him all the more surprising when his sight returned.

All around the flames and smoke were receding towards the first door he'd bucked open and the collapsed ceiling was levitating away from the doorway. Confused, he missed the slight increase in his jackets' weight.

Taking advantage of this miracle, he snuffed the lit cigar and bolted out the now reachable door. As soon as he stepped onto the grassy field, he was blasted forward by a wave of heat. The ceiling fell again and the flames had reclaimed the burning orphanage.

Moving as fast as his tired and burned body would allow, he walked over to the orange filly. At first he was worried at how still she was, but he gave a sigh when he noticed her shallow breathing. Turning towards the orphanage, he watched as it collapsed, sending up sparks that clawed at the sky. Remembering the ponies from before he reached into his jacket pocket and took out a small phone.

It ranged a few times before a female voice answered. "Hello again Douglas, have you found Scootaloo?"

“What’s going on here?! I just saw ponies burning down the orphanage I told you about! What aren't you telling me about this filly?” he yelled into the phone, demanding answers.

“Is she safe?” The pony asked in a questioning tone, this set him back on his hooves.

The mare didn't have any of the previous concern in her tone.

“Maybe after you answer my questions, I'll answer yours. What is going on here?” he replied, suspicions rising.

“Finish your job and bring her to where I told you. The payment will be paid when she's received.” the mare on the line said sounding agitated.

“I’m not doing anything else until I get answers, what’s so special about her that ponies went to this trouble? hello... Hello! Darn it.” he tossed the phone in frustration, hearing the mare disconnect the call.

Looking at Scootaloo, he was starting to wonder what he'd done to this poor filly. Giving a sigh, he retrieved the phone and dialed another number.

"Ponyville emergency services, what's your emergency?" a gruff voice answered.

“Hello? I'd like to report a house fire, and two ponies in need of medical attention at the Ponyville orphanage.” he replied.

Hearing the pony on the line say help was on the way, Douglas hung-up and placed the phone back in his singed jacket. That's when his hoof felt something metal and cold...

Scootaloo didn't know how long she'd been out for but she felt terrible, almost unable to get up. She just wanted to stay lying in her soft bed and sleep... exerting as much strength as she could she pushed herself upright. Panicking she looked around the strange white room, trying to figure out where she was remembering the fire and the pony silhouette. She relaxed slightly as a white mare with a red cross cutie mark and nurse attire, wandered in with a vase of flowers.

"Oh you're awake!" the nurse said mildly surprised. "I'll let your friends know right away that your conscious." she placed the vase on a metal table beside Scootaloo before turning to leave.

"Wait..where am I, how did I get here?" she asked tugging on the mare's scrubs.

"You're in Ponyville General Hospital." the mare answered with a warm smile . "Your father made quite the fuss ensuring you were taken care of. Your very lucky to have such a caring pony looking after you." the nurse giggled as Scootaloo’s face flushed red.

"Ye-yes I am..." Scootaloo said in an embarrassed murmur, feeling extremely happy with the nurse's remark. My father..? Does she mean Sugar Snap? Scootaloo thought to herself.

Trying to avoid looking the cheerful nurse in the eye, she was surprised to see her scooter and the gifts she'd received beside her bed. Turning to ask the nurse how they got here, she saw the door softly closing.

"Those nurses are fast." she said turning back to the gift filled wagon. She dug through the gifts for something to pass the time. She soon found the Daring Doo book Rainbow had given her. She started on the first page when two familiar fillies burst into the room.

"Applebloom, Sweetie Belle! I'm so glad to see a familiar face. ” she exclaimed as they went into a big group hug.

“That nurse Red Cross finally let us in.” Applebloom said as Sweetie Belle started to tear up.

"We're so glad you're safe. We heard that the orphanage burnt down, we’re so sorry.” the white filly said rubbing her eyes.

"Yeah I'm fin...wait.. the orphanage is what!" Scootaloo said, holding the fillies at hoofs length. “Now what do I do? I do not want to go to another...” she started to say in a distraught voice before another familiar pony entered the room. “Rainbow!” she yelled in a mix of excitement and unease, hoping the pegasus didn’t overhear them talking before.

“Hey kiddo, I heard what happen. What were you doing at a orphanage?” she asked, making Scootaloo nervous and a bit scared.

“W-Well...you see...” she stuttered before Rainbow stopped her with a lifted hoof.

“Ah it’s OK, whatever the reason at least you're safe.” Rainbow told her which made Scootaloo feel a bit better.

For a moment Scootaloo wondered if Rainbow knew all along about her secret life.

“So where’s the guy who saved you?” Applebloom asked, before Scootaloo gave her a confused look.

“Somepony saved me? Wasn't it...”

“We don’t know.” Sweetie Belle interrupted.

“Well I think it was that young stallion I ran into downstairs. He was wearing a singed detective jacket and had bandages around his legs.” Rainbow mentioned.

Scootaloo thought back to see if she knew anypony like that, but she didn’t. She open her mouth to speak but stopped, remembering a stallion from yesterday. On her way to sugar cube corner she'd knocked someone over that fit the description vaguely. Her thoughts were interrupted as all four of the ponies heard a knock on the door. Standing in the doorway was the very stallion she was thinking of.

“I’m sorry to interrupt, but can I speak with Scootaloo alone for a minute or two?” the stallion asked.

“Are you the one that saved her?” Sweetie Belle asked, before he gave a nod in agreement.

“Well in that case it’s the least we can do, but may I ask why?” Rainbow asked.

“It’s very important, and rather personal.” he answered, with a slight nod Rainbow led the two fillies out of the room.

After they left, the stallion walked over to the bed with pained steps.

“Who are you?” Scootaloo asked, being wary of the unknown pony.

“Douglas...Do you remember anything from before?” he asked, which made her shake her head.

“Well, nothing but the fire. How did it start?” she asked, her curiosity piqued.

“I don’t know for sure, but it was weird that you were the only pony inside.” Douglas answered before being surprised by the filly's grabbing hoof.

“What about Sugar Snap?! Wasn't he there!” Scootaloo asked in desperation, gripping Douglas's foreleg tightly as he stiffly shook his head no. “Then why were you there? Twice in one day?”

“I’m a detective, I was there looking for a filly named Scootaloo. I found you but I didn't know it until Sugar Snap told me." he replied.

“Me? But I’m nothing special and haven’t done anything?” she was getting more confused as the conversation continued, she really wished that would stop.

“My job is to track down missing ponies and return them home safely, I was contacted by a mare who wanted you found.” he said before fumbling around in one of his jackets many pockets.

“Wait, you were looking for me to return me home? I don’t have a...” she started to say before Douglas pulled out a familiar disc and letter.

"I'm guessing you recognize these? I haven't opened the letter because it was addressed to you." he said seeing the filly grab the items with trembling hooves.

“This was my gift from Sugar Snap" she said tearing open the letter to read the contents, while cautiously dropping the puzzle. "I thought the puzzle was a bit...Wha..?” Inside the letter was a very different type of handwriting, and it looked like it was written in, “...b-blood!”

Upon hearing her, Douglas quickly took the letter away and scanned the contents. It indeed looked like blood instead of ink and only two words took up the whole page.

“Silent hill?” he said quietly before Scootaloo once again started to hear that loud ear piercing sound.

As she grabbed her head in pain, Douglas tried to calm her down, but the sound was too loud and she couldn’t hear anything else. Barely able to move through the pain she turned her eyes towards the disk and grabbed it.

“MAKE IT STOP!” she pleaded, shaking the puzzle vigorously.

Hearing the scream, Rainbow quickly burst through the door followed by Applebloom and Sweetie Belle. Seeing the stallion's hooves on Scootaloo, Rainbow gave him a kick. She had taken a firm hold of his jacket to give him a mouthful of her right hoof when Scootaloo screamed even louder in pain from behind her. Distracted for a moment, she froze seeing the weird aura surrounding Scootaloo.

Finally the loud sound ebbed as the pain quickly left Scootaloo. Relieved that it was going away she looked up to see her friends fading into a strange mist.

“H-Huh!? Hey guys? Guys!” she yelled trying to get out of the bed, seeing them react slightly to something behind her.

Struggling to much, she tumbled from the bed and heard the clatter dropped metal. Rubbing her head, she turned in every direction looking for her friends but they'd been claimed by the mist. The only thing she could see herself and the infuriating disk, which seemed to mock her with its presence.

"Bring me back you stupid thing!" she shouted at the disk.

As if to comply, a spark flew from the disk as the mist cleared.

"That's better I'm the boss he..." Looking around again she shuddered.

She was back in her room, but it had taken on nightmarish qualities. The lights flickered, windows were boarded shut with crooked nails, the bed was tattered and the only way out of the room that she could see was the broken door leading out to the hallway. Gulping a bit she stared at the darkness just beyond the door. She didn’t want to go out into the unknown alone, but she couldn’t stay in this room feeling of death either.

"Well, It can only get better right?” she asked herself, trying to raise her courage, but she still felt she was going to regret leaving this room.

Comments

[Cold Spike]

[Mr Pones]

....The way you described the plot synopsis and the word "Silent" in the title STRONGLY REMINDS ME of a certain horror series.

[Speedy]

>>Mr Pones
If it's the series I'm thinking of, it's suppose to. XD