They say revenge is a dish best served cold. Nine friends and their teacher find themselves being force-fed something they didn't order, and the side dish that came with it is a bit more than they bargained for. (A Corpse Party-MLP Crossover)
It's Wysteria Belles' last day at East Vanhoover High. To commemorate their friendship, Wysteria and her classmates take a field trip to the Canterlot Royal Museum. Before entering the building, Wysteria's friend Mercy has them try a charm she found in a book that will allow them to stay best friends forever. Everything seemingly goes well after the friends complete the charm, however, things quickly go sour when an earthquake sends them plunging into what they will soon know as hell and a race to escape with their lives (and sanity) intact. And what they'll uncover while they're there just might change their lives, and not for the better.
"Filly Missing For 3.5 Weeks Is Found Dead" By: J.P. Inkwell
Three and half weeks ago, on November 12th, Double Bubble, 11, and her friend Sundancer, 9, went for a hike in the woods behind Double's suburban home in a recently built neighborhood 12.5 miles outside Vanhoover's city limits. The two hiked for an hour and a half before eventually becoming separated when a hungry cougar decided the two young fillies would be his next meal and chased them. Their separation during the chase was purposeful, with Double revealing, "There was a bit of a fork in the trees, so I told [Sundancer] to go down the right path while I went down the left. I picked up and threw a stick at the [cougar] to get it's attention drawn to me. It worked and it chased me for a bit longer before suddenly giving up and slinking away."
Double told police that after the cougar left, she made an attempt to retrace her steps and find Sundancer. However, the 11 year old was unable to find her companion, and did what she told police she thought was the smart thing to do.
"It took me a bit, and I thought I was never gonna find them, but I found the markers Sundancer and I had been using to mark our path so we wouldn't get lost trying to get back home. It was Sundancer's idea," Double Bubble told police "I followed them and went home. I told my parents and they immediately called Sundancer's parents, then the police."
It wasn't soon after that that the police and the whole neighborhood made a joint effort to form a large search party and find Sundancer. The party searched well into the night before retreating from the woods and going home with their efforts a bit soured. The next few days following the incident, the neighborhood and police department continued their effort to locate the missing child. The search party endeavor was called off officially by the police department on November 24th, but left the case open. Lack of evidence of the filly's whereabouts soon turned the case cold, however, and on the 27th of November, the SVPD (South Vanhoover Police Department) announced that there was nothing more they could do until some kind of lead turned up.
From that day until the 1st of December, Sundancer's parents, Compass Rose (mother) and Astro (father), had begun to lose hope that they would never see their precious daughter again.
"In the beginning, we had had hope that our daughter would be brought home to us safe and sound, but as the days passed and turned into weeks, that hope dwindled down slowly but surely," Compass Rose commented.
"I hated how we were losing hope that we'd never be able to hold [Sundancer] in our arms again. I wanted us to stay in denial, that she was alive, hiding away somewhere safe, but we decided to face the grim reality as it were," Astro added "but then our hope was rekindled when Ms. Winterglass and her team came to our doorstep."
Late in the afternoon of December 1st, a detective from Baltimare, named Seth Winterglass, knocked on the their front door and told the couple that she would find their daughter if it was the last thing she ever did. Ms. Winterglass had heard of their missing daughter from a co-worker and decided to read the ENP report on Sundancer's disappearance.
"It really hit home to me. I knew their pain and I knew in my heart that I had to help, even if it meant crossing the nation just to do it," Said Winterglass.
Ms. Winterglass had her own two children go missing three years prior to this incident on a rainy afternoon after they left from school. They were found two years later, dead and partially decomposed inside the fun house of an abandoned traveling carnival between Apple Loosa and Dodge City. This disappearance and loss of her children are what spurred Winterglass to become a part of the police force. You can read more about Winterglass and her story further on our ENP report, "The Winterglass Effect".
It was with the help of Winterglass and her team that a lead was found as to where Sundancer could've been. It was a scrap of green cloth with a small blue heart embroidered at the bottom. The scrap of cloth was a torn piece of Sundancer's hoof-made bandana which had been gifted to her by Double Bubble. Winterglass and her team, with the help of the SVPD, tracked down Sundancer. After pushing deeper into the forest, a pair of sunglasses belonging to the filly was found, then a sticker-covered water bottle and lastly Sundancer's saddlebags containing three empty bags of trail mix, sunflower seeds and apple slices, as well as a crumpled ball of plastic wrap among other things (two books, a doll and a bottle of sunscreen). Small hoof prints in the soft soil near the found saddlebags led the team out the forest and to the coast of the North Luna Ocean. It was there that Sundancer was finally located.
Sundancer was found in front of a large rock near the water, her body partially sun-bleached from extensive sun exposure and devoured by scavenging animals. She was then placed in a body bag and taken to the coroner. Upon examination, it was determined her cause of death was organ failure (from starvation and dehydration). From what remained of her torn body, it was also determined Sundancer had sustained trauma, mostly to her skull, chest and forelegs. The cause of the trauma is speculated to be from Sundancer's attempt to survive and escape the forest.
A memorial will be held next week on the 13th in Sundancer's honor. Her funeral is said to take place later that week on 16th.
"The train will be departing for Canterlot in five minutes," A stallion's voice echoes across the platform "if you are heading to Canterlot, please board now."
"Hurry, everypony. Make sure you have everything and board the last train car," Our teacher, Sunny Surprise, instructs.
Ms. Surprise was new to our school, East Vanhoover High. She was hired a couple of weeks ago to teach the school's Equestrian History II class after the previous teacher, Mr. Dusklight, became suddenly ill and passed on. They were, in a way, complete opposites. Mr. Dusklight had been all about sticking with tradition and never strayed even the smallest amount from his curriculum plan. Ms. Surprise, however, liked to switch stuff up and make things fun. Mr. Dusklight was older and had many wrinkles, whereas Ms. Surprise was young and beautifully wrinkle-free, or so I had been told. On the other hoof, they were almost the same. Both were kind and nurturing, and both cared deeply for the students, always taking the time to listen to them and help work out their issues. Mr. Dusklight had had a calming disposition about him and a soothing smile to match. Ms. Surprise was the same, only her gentle eyes added more comfort, according to other students.
"I can't push her wheelchair any faster. What if we won't make it?" A soft, worried voice from behind pulls me from my thoughts.
"Then somepony can carry her and I'll carry the wheel chair," Another voice from behind me says.
I turn my head towards the voice and stare blankly. Behind me walked my seven best friends and the younger sister of one of them. My twin friends, Mieng and Yieng, walked beside each other whispering and laughing. Beside them walked my childhood friend Cloudbreaker and his little sister Angelwing. Directly behind me, my childhood best friend, Wysteria Belles, stood on her back legs as she pushed my wheelchair. Beside her walked another childhood best friend named Mercy Faith.
"I'd carry her but the only one who can ride me is Songbird," teases a voice to my left. I turn my attention towards the voice and scowl.
"That's too much information, Lifeline," I scold "I don't wanna know about your sex life with Songbird."
"Aw, but it's so fascinating," Lifeline chuckles "besides, you gotta get your fill of porn somehow."
"OH MY CELESTIA! I have no interest in hearing porn. I'm not a horny little shit unlike somepony I know," I scold.
"You're such a damn buzzkill," Lifeline pouts.
"Thanks for the compliment," I sneer.
"I provide you with some quality porn content," Lifeline begins "and it isn't free or cheap. I've been keeping a tab for you, and just to let you know, your bill is 5000 bits. I'll take that payment in parts starting now."
"The fuck?! I ain't paying you 5000 bits, you crazy bitch!" I exclaim.
My friends erupt into a roar of laughter around me. I huff as I lean back in my wheelchair and cross my forelegs with a scowl on my face.
"If Lemon's bill is 5000 bits, I'd hate to know what the rest of ours is," Mercy laughs.
"I'm just joking, Lemongrass," Lifeline chortles as she ruffles my hair "you know you love me."
"As a best friend, and you're very lucky I do," I say trying to suppress a laugh "and you're lucky I have no legs either, or else I'd always be kicking your ass."
"Aw, but I'm not into BDSM," Lifeline pouts.
"You are too," Songbird pipes up in a teasing tone.
"Ugh, that's so gross," I groan "I'm gonna have to bleach my brain and ears when I get home."
"If you think you've got it bad just HEARING it," Mercy begins "oh my Celestia, you are lucky you're only hearing it. If you could SEE the gestures and shit she, or rather they, make, you'd wanna DRINK bleach."
"Hey! It isn't THAT bad!" Lifeline protests.
"I suppose being without sight does have its perks," I say.
"Why can't you see or walk again, Miss Lemongrass?" Angelwing questions in an innocent tone.
I sit there silent for a moment trying to think of an explanation her young mind would understand. Before I open my mouth to explain, Ms. Surprise calls out to us urgently.
"Don't worry about carrying me," I say "I might be disabled but I can get there without help."
"I know you can do hoofstands and walk a small distance, but this is a slightly crowded train platform," Wysteria says "you'll run into somepony."
"No need for that," I say "this is a new wheelchair and it can do other things besides carry me."
"Like what?" Wysteria questions.
I feel for the keypad on the right side of the armrest and press the button at the very bottom. With a mechanical whir, a strap tightly secures itself around my waist as the rest of the wheelchair quickly turns itself into a pair of prosthetic legs.
My friends let out small noises of awe as I begin to walk forward. I wobble a bit as I walk towards Ms. Surprise. Today is only the second time I've used this function and so I'm still learning how to walk again. I pick up my pace and switch to a quick trot. Using the vibrations coming from the other ponies on the platform as they walk, I manage to avoid bumping into anypony, even as I begin to gallop with my friends right behind me.
"Lemongrass! Watch out!" Mercy warns.
Before I can come to a full stop, my face smashes hard into the side of the train. I stumble backwards and fall onto my rump.
"Oh Celesita! Lemongrass, are you hurt?" Ms. Surprise questions franctically.
"I told you to be careful!" Wysteria scolds.
"I'm fine, just a little bruised," I say "but, um, these prosthetics don't bend and they're new, so I dunno how to get up."
"I've got you," Ms. Surprise says, helping me up.
"Thanks," I say.
"You're welcome," Ms. Surprise says sweetly "now hurry and get on before we get left behind."
Finally, we board the train and find our seats. My friends and I sit in the back of the car with Ms. Surprise. As soon as we all sit, the doors close with a soft swish and the train begins to leave the station.
We pass the time talking and playing spying games. I sat in between Mercy and Wysteria with Cloudbreaker and his sister directly across from me.
"May I please know the answer?" Angelwing suddenly asks.
"The answer? To what?" Cloudbreaker questions.
"To what I asked Miss Lemongrass." Angelwing answers.
"It's a little personal, sis. She probably doesn't feel comfortable answering." Cloudbreaker says.
"It's alright, Cloudbreaker. I'll tell her when we get back to school," I say.
"Attention all passengers," a voice echoes through the train car "we have arrived at our destination. Please remember to bring your things as you exit the train. Thanks for riding Equestrian Express and have a great day."
"And a great day we will have!" Ms. Surprise says cheerfully "c'mon, everypony! Let's go have some fun!"
My friends and I let out a loud noise of agreement as we stand and begin to exit the train. With Wysteria's guidance, I make it off the train without bumping into anypony or anything.
"You promise you'll accurately describe everything for me?" I ask Wysteria as we walk.
"I promise," Wysteria replies "don't worry about a thing, alright? I haven't let you down before, and I won't start now."
"Thanks," I say "I dunno what I'd do without you."
"Probably fall down something and die," She jokes.
"I wouldn't doubt it," I laugh.
"How do you do it, Wysteria?" Mieng asks.
"Do what?" Wysteria questions.
"Get Lemongrass to laugh, smile and joke instead of being grumpy, cynical and a miss frowny-pants all day." Mieng answers.
"Oh, it's nothing against you or anypony else,” Wysteria explains "but we've been best friends since the moment we met in the hospital nursery. Lemongrass trusts all of you, and honestly, that's saying something because she doesn't trust easily. But, she trusts me the most, especially with her happiness and well being."
"And that's why, when I graduate, I'm going to study to become a nurse and be Lemon's personal healthcare assistant," She adds "that way, I'll always be by her side to take care of her and be there for her. I'll get paid, and with my check, I'll be able to do even more to help her."
My cheeks grow hot at the sweet sentiment and my eyes well up with a mix of happy and sad tears.
"That's so sweet of you, Wysteria," Ms. Surprise says.
"Do you really have to move?" I ask Wysteria "you could move in with me and my mom, and then you wouldn't have to leave me."
There's a moment of silence. I can feel the air around us shift from being happy to sad.
"I wish I could stay, and you know I would if I could," Wysteria replies "but both of my parents are going to be working all day, every day, except for Saturdays, after we move. I have five younger siblings that need to be looked after."
"They could hire a nanny, couldn't they?" I question.
"I suppose they could, but-"
"What if moved with you?" I question, the desperation to stay with Wysteria obvious. The tears building up finally spill down my face.
"Lemongrass-"
"I can't function without you. You can't go," I whisper.
"You can function without me. You're gonna have to," Wysteria says, getting a bit stern "but not for long. Just five and half months, and I'll be back, I swear."
"And stop crying, please. You're gonna make me cry," She adds, wiping away my tears.
"I know what'll cheer everypony up!" Mercy says.
"What?" We ask in unison.
"A charm!" Mercy replies.
"A... Charm?" Cloudbreaker questions.
"Yup! One that'll ensure we'll all be together forever, no matter what hardships are thrown at us," Mercy says "we'll be just like the Saviors of Equestria, except for the "saving Equestria from monsters and other weird creatures with the Elements of Harmony" part!"
"What's the charm called?" Ms. Surprise questions.
"It's called 'Sundancer's Blessing of Eternal Friendship'," Mercy answers "I was gonna wait until after the field trip, but now is as good of a time as any."
"I suppose we could spare a moment or two," Ms. Surprise says "as long as I get join in~"
"Of course, Ms. Surprise!" Mercy says "you're not just our teacher, you're our best friend too!"
The rest of us murmur with agreement.
"Alright! Let's get started!" Mercy exclaims "first of all, we'll need a piece of paper and something to write with."
"I've got you covered," Ms. Surprise says, producing a notebook and pen from her saddlebag.
Mercy takes the notebook, rips out a sheet and gives it back to Ms. Surprise. She then takes the pen and writes something down.
"The first step is to print out a heart, or draw one like this," Mercy explains, showing us the paper "next, we all have to write down our names somewhere inside the heart. So let's do that."
We follow Mercy's instructions and write our names down inside the heart. Wysteria writes mine down next to hers.
"Alright, good. Now grab a spot where your name isn't written," Mercy instructs.
We turn the paper to make it easier for us all to grab an area where our name wasn't. With Wysteria's help, I grab and hold on tightly to a spot on the paper.
"Now, this is the most important part. In your heads, repeat the phrase, "Sundancer, we beg of you" for each pony present. So say it one, two... ten times inside your heads," Mercy instructs.
Sundancer, we beg of you. Sundancer, we beg of you. Sundancer, we beg....
***
"Everypony repeated it ten times?" Mercy questions.
I nod my head and listen as the others answer Mercy.
"Great! Now, repeat after me," Mercy says "please bless us with eternal friendship."
"Please bless with eternal friendship." We repeat.
"Now pull on the paper until it tears," Mercy says.
I pull on the paper with all my strength and feel it tear into a medium sized scrap.
"And that's the last step," Mercy says cheerfully "now, just keep your scrap safe and with you at all times, and we'll be friends forever!"
"Tuck mine behind my ear and inside my mane, please," I say to Wysteria.
She takes the scrap from my hoof and gently sticks it behind my left ear inside of my mane.
"Thanks," I say.
"You're welcome," Wysteria says, giving me a hug.
"Now that we've been ensured of our eternal friendship," Ms. Surprise begins "let's be on our way to the museum."
With Wysteria's help, I follow Ms. Surprise and my friends to the Canterlot Royal Museum. As we walk, Wysteria describes our surroundings to me. When we finally get there, Wysteria leads me to a handicap ramp and follows me up it. As we approach the top of the ramp, the ground below us begins to shake violently.
"What's going on?!" I exclaim.
"An earthquake! And a bad one at that!" Wysteria exclaims back.
The violent shaking of the ground causes me to stumble back and lose my footing. Wysteria cries out for me as I tumble hard down the ramp. I hear something crack and think my prosthetics broke.
Somepony grabs me by my right foreleg and pulls me into them. Whoever it is holds onto me tightly as the earth continues to shake violently.
"Are you okay?" The pony asks. It's Wysteria.
"I am, but I think one of my prosthetics broke," I reply.
"They both look undamaged to me," Wysteria says.
"Oh. I thought I heard something crack, so I assumed one or both broke," I say. As soon as the words leave my mouth, we both hear an unmistakable crack, followed by several more.
Wysteria pulls me with her as she gallops up the ramp, but before we can reach the top again, the ground disappears from beneath us. Wysteria screams and I begin to feel like I'm falling. I hold on tightly to Wysteria as I begin to scream. Not long after I begin to scream in unison with Wysteria, everything slowly fades to silence and I no longer can tell if I'm falling or not.
***
I let out a small groan, open my eyes and sit up. An endless amount of questions floods my brain. Where am I? Am I in the hospital? Is Wysteria nearby? Is she okay? Did I pass out?
"Wysteria!" I call out "where are you?!"
No response. I rub the area in front of me to get a sense of where I am. Feels like wood, like the floor of the classrooms in East Vanhoover High. Am I in a classroom? Was all of that a dream?
"H-hello?" A soft voice calls out. Its muffled and I don't recognize it.
"Who's there?" I call out. I hear a door open gently and somepony walk into the room.
"Another living pony?" The voice questions quietly in surprise. Now that's it no longer muffled, I can make out that the pony is female.
"Obviously I'm alive," I answer sarcastically "and also a pony. Now answer my question; who are you? And also, where are we?"
"My name is Zephyr Zeppelin," the voice says "we're in some place called Riverpine Elementary School."
Riverpine Elementary School? How did I end up from the ramp of a museum to a room in an elementary school?
"Where exactly is Riverpine Elementary?" I ask.
"From what I gathered from the newspaper articles scattered around here, it was a school in Vanhoover until a fire burned it to the ground in 1956," Zephyr replies.
That can't be right. How could I be in Vanhoover if I was just in Canterlot? Better yet, how could I be in a school that was burned to the ground more than sixty years ago?
"You must've read something wrong," I say "it's 2017. How could we be in a school that was destroyed in 1956?"
"I'm just as confused as you are," Zephyr says quietly.
I shake my head in disbelief. Something isn't right about all this. Earthquakes can happen at any given time and can vary in strength, but how could one have the power to send somepony back in time? I did get sent back in time, right? How else would I be here?
"How did you end up in Riverpine?" I question.
"I woke up here four days ago after an earthquake knocked me unconscious," Zephyr answers.
Did she wake up here after experiencing an earthquake too?
"Did you do anything before that?" I ask.
"A few minutes before the earthquake, my friends and I did this friendship charm," Zephyr replies.
She did a friendship charm with her friends? I wonder...
"The 'Sundancer's Blessing of Eternal Friendship' charm?" I question.
"Yeah, that one," Zephyr answers "we did it at my friend Whipped Dreams' house in Baltimare."
Zephyr and her friends did the charm in Baltimare. They experienced an earthquake soon after, and now Zephyr is in a school in Vanhoover. My friends and I did the same charm in Canterlot, experienced an earthquake afterward and now I'm in a school back in Vanhoover. That charm, it has to be why we're here!
"My friends and I did the same charm on our way to a museum in Canterlot,"I explain "then we experienced an earthquake and now I'm here."
"Do you think we're here because we did that charm with our friends?" Zephyr questions.
"I'm almost a hundred percent positive," I answer.
Zephyr lets out a small sigh and shuffles closer.
"You have prosthetics?" Zephyr asks.
"I do," I reply "actually, it's my wheelchair. It's a functioning prototype meant to convert into a pair of prosthetics."
"I see," Zephyr says "what happened to your face?"
"My dad tried to kill me when I was two. He broke my legs bad enough to the point where they needed to be amputated, then he poured some kind of chemical on my face that left me blind and with scars," I explain bluntly "and before you ask, the only reason he could give was that he hated my mom and didn't want her to ever be happy."
"Oh. I... That's awful," Zephyr says quietly "but, you know, you're quite lucky to be blind in here."
"Listen, sometimes being blind has its perks, but honestly, it fucking sucks," I sneer "you should be mighty grateful you have sight."
"I was grateful to have sight, until I was whisked away here," Zephyr retorts "have you ever seen a pony piñata?"
"No, dipshit. I'm fucking blind, remember?" I sneer. I hear Zephyr let out an annoyed sigh.
"Your attitude is annoying," Zephyr mumbles "but whatever. Have your friends told you what a piñata was?"
"It's some kind of paper mache container filled with candies and sometimes small toys. It comes in an array of colors," I say "that's how one of my friends described it to me."
"Well, in this place, piñatas are made from once-living ponies," Zephyr explains "strung from the ceiling in disarray, their guts slashed open and entrails hanging out. One of the halls two floors down seems to be pretty much dedicated to them and it smells awful. But honestly, it's not the worst part."
I sit there silently as the information sinks in. Before I can say anything, Zephyr continues to explain.
"There's a lot of death in this school," Zephyr says "I've far surpassed my quota of dead bodies to be seen in life. Can't go down a hall or into a room without seeing at least one rotting corpse or bleached skeleton. I can't even go to the bathroom, filly's room or colt's, without one or more stall being occupied by the suspended corpse of another pony.
And I've witnessed more deaths than I care to share. I've seen my childhood friend be decapitated, and I was helpless as my sister, my sweet, little sister and the only family I had left, suddenly explode open and splatter all over me, the walls and the floor.
So when I say you're lucky to be blind, I'm not being facetious. I really mean it. I know we started to get off on the wrong hoof, so I'm sorry if I've come off as insensitive. We need to work together in this place if we ever want to get out, and us arguing and being rude to one another won't help."
"I... You're right," I say with a sight "it's nothing against you, I always have a rude, cynical attitude about me, unless I'm with my friend Wysteria. I've had a lot of shit happen in my life, so I've never really had a good reason, other than Wysteria, to trust anypony or be happy go lucky."
"They're awful things that have happened, but I suppose it's nothing in comparison to what you've experienced," I add.
I hear her sit down in front of me and scoot closer. She takes my hoof and pulls me into a hug. Awkwardly, I return it.
"I know we don't know each other well, but let's do our best to get out of here together," Zephyr says softly "or, try to find our friends and get out together with them."
"I'm game either way," I say "but could you do me a favor?"
"Uh, sure, I guess. What do you need?" Zephyr questions as she breaks the hug.
"As you're well aware, I'm blind and can't see what the fuck is going on around me," I begin "so, would you be a dear and describe everything to me?"
"Oh, of course," Zephyr says "and I'll be sure to guide you as well. There are a lot of holes in the floors and you could easily walk right into one and get hurt, or worse."
"Tell me about this room," I say.
"It's a small classroom with small desks and chairs haphazardly spread about. Um, there's a teacher's desk in the front and a chalkboard with illegible writing scribbled all over behind it," Zephyr explains "there are some worn informative posters on the walls and, uh, there are some cabinets against the front wall. There are holes in the floor, windows lining the wall next to us and everything is pretty much dilapidated."
I nod my head in understanding and stand up. Windows. We could escape through them and find some form of help.
"You said there are windows? Have you tried to escape through them?" I question.
"Not the ones in this room, but believe me, all the windows I've tried, and even some doors, are affixed to the walls like they're just for show," Zephyr answers.
"I'm afraid there is no possible means of escape," A warped voice says "so many would not have succumbed to the curse that thrives within these halls if there was a way of leaving."
"You're that ghost I met a couple of days ago," Zephyr says quietly "but you said there was a way of leaving."
"I prefer the term spirit, however, you misunderstood my words," the voice says, "I said there was a way of leaving from this closed space and going to another, not from this school or its curse."
"Do what now?" I question.
"Ah, my apologies. You've only just arrived," the voice says "allow me to introduce myself. I am Morning Glory, a spirit of a mare who died here and now roams these halls helping those unfortunate enough to find themselves here. You may find me usually in the library if you have questions with no answers."
"Did my friends come to this school with me?" I ask.
"I sensed ten living souls arrive in this damned school an hour ago," Morning Glory replies "you are one of those ten. It stands to reason that your friends are the other nine."
"How many living souls are there in this school exactly?" Zephyr questions.
"Excluding the two of you, eighteen," Morning Glory answers "an incredible amount, if I may say so, but such a waste of life."
Eighteen. How many of those include my friends? My stomach turns at the thought of one of my friends dying.
"What's a 'closed space' and how do we leave this one?" I question.
"Think of a closed space like a brick," Morning Glory explains "each brick has its own space, dimension if you will. Together, those bricks make up a house, or in this case, each closed space makes up the foundation of which this school and it's curse are built upon."
"And if you take out a brick?" I question.
"Slowly but surely everything will fall apart," Morning Glory answers "now that you mention it, perhaps there IS a way to leave this school."
"If we can take out a closed space, we could potentially go home?" Zephyr asks.
"I believe it may be a bit more complicated than that," Morning Glory replies "if the closed spaces are the foundation of which this realm, shall we say, are built upon, then the anguish, grudges, and torment of the spaces' creators are the mortar that keeps it from falling apart."
"So if you take out the mortar," Zephyr begins.
"You can take out the bricks," I finish.
"Precisely," Morning Glory says "however I believe it is easier said than done. The whole process will, no doubt, be extremely convoluted and difficult to pull off, but, dare I say, not impossible. That being said, I believe you might find it in your best interest if you swallow any sense of innocence you have left and prepare yourself to lose a bit of your sanity as well as to get your hooves dirty."
"Any idea of where we should start?" I ask.
"I think you may find documents locked in the archives a great place to start," Morning Glory replies "two floors down, past the piñata hallway and down the stairs on the left you'll find the basement. The archives are in a small locked room in the very back. Before you go there, I suggest you find the keys you need."
"Keys? Is the basement locked too?" Zephyr asks.
"The basement, the archives, and the places you'll find those two keys," Morning Glory replies "you won't be fed your escape on a silver spoon, you're going to have to work for it. With that being said, there's no time like the present to get started. It's a race against the clock, after all."
"Ugh, how long does this fucking hallway have to be?" I groan "we've been walking for hours!"
"It's only been fifteen minutes, actually," A voice says. I look over in the direction of the voice and huff. Beside me walks my marefriend, Songbird Sforzando. She's a shorter than me by a couple inches. Her mane and tail are a beautiful shade of magenta with a single sweeping stripe of dark green gently swept into beautiful curls. Her eyes are the cutest shade of yellow and pink, and her coat is sexiest shade of cream I've ever seen.
"But it feels like fifteen hours," I pout.
"I know, Lifeline, but have some patience," Songbird says "I have a bad feeling about this place. We shouldn't just go rushing into things."
I smile warmly at Songbird and look ahead of me. The two of us woke up a half hour ago inside of a classroom with splitting headaches. One moment we were at the museum steps, the next there was an earthquake and then, BOOM! Here we are, in some dilapidated elementary school I've never heard of.
"Woo! The hall of eternity has finally come to an end!" I cheer as we trot towards the door before us.
"I think the door leads outside," Songbird says "seeing how the sign above it says 'exit'."
"I can't wait to breathe in some fresh air. It's all musty and stinky in here," I say.
"They should fire the janitor. He clearly hasn't been doing his job," Songbird jokes "smells like a mix of cat piss and dead animals."
"It seems abandoned, so I wouldn't doubt it if animals got in here, got trapped and died," I say "but anyways, without further ado, let's go outside."
We trot up to the door and peer through the small, rectangular windows. A short roofed walkway connects the building we're in to different building. Rain beats down against the buildings and walkway, adding to gloomy, dreary atmosphere.
"Do you see that? At the end of the walkway?" Songbird questions.
Squinting my eye, I can barely make out this blue light glowing softly at the far end of the walkway.
"Maybe it's a phone or something we could use to call for help with," I say.
"Maybe," Songbird repeats "should we go see what it is?"
"I want to say yes, but my gamer instincts tell me no," I say "but it really looks like we have no choice."
Songbird looks back down the hallway and sighs.
"I guess you're right," She mumbles.
I lean over and give her a reassuring kiss on the cheek. She looks at me and smiles sweetly. Together, we push open the exit door and step out onto the walkway. The door closes behind us with a loud thump. Stepping further down the walkway, we get a clearer picture of our surroundings. Massive trees loom over and surround the school. To our left was nothing but a thick strip of dead grass and trees. To our right was a small field of dead grass. In the middle of the field was a large flagpole with a battered and torn flag still attached and waving in the wind.
"It's so depressing out here," Songbird says "I'd almost prefer being inside."
"It is rather gloomy," I say "which doesn't help the fact we seem to be in the middle of fucking nowhere."
"Babe, look," Songbird says quietly as she points at the far end of the walkway "is that a filly?"
"It looks like it," I say "a filly who swallowed one too many blue glow sticks."
"I don't think that's quite how that works, hun," Songbird says "but it is weird that she's glowing."
"You never know," I say with a shrug.
"She looks hurts. Should we check on her?" Songbird questions.
"I feel like it would be too cliche," I say "let's just go back inside and play it safe."
"Yeah, you have a point," Songbird agrees.
Songbird turns around and grabs the door handle. She yanks hard on it but the door doesn't budge. She tries again with more force but it still doesn't open. We switch and I make an attempt to force the door open. It won't budge no matter how hard I pull on it.
"It's not locked but why won't it open?" I ponder aloud.
"It's like its became a model for show purposes only," Songbird says.
The handle turns as if it's unlocked but doesn't budge in the slightest when we try to open it.
"Looks we have no choice but to go towards the filly," I sigh.
"Or we could just wait here until somepony finds us," Songbird suggests.
"We could wait here, but what if one our friends needs our help? Or what if nopony comes to get us?" I question "it's better to take risks sometimes than to do nothing at all."
"I guess you're right," Songbird says quietly.
"C'mon, babe," I say with a comforting smile "what's the worst that could happen?"
"I can think of a few things," Songbird mumbles.
I ruffle her mane and give her a reassuring kiss on the cheek. With a deep breath, I begin to walk down the walkway. The floor creaks slightly with each step we take. Thunder rumbles loudly and scares Songbird, who let's out a loud yelp of surprise.
"It's alright, it's only thunder," I say in a reassuring voice.
Songbird gives me soft but still frightened smile as we continue to walk. We turn our attention back to the filly, who begins to weep quietly. The closer we get to her, the louder her weeping becomes and the more we can make out her features. The filly appears to be an earth pony, no older than six and partially transparent, like a ghost. She wears a sweater that is just as transparent as she is, and her mane and tail are wrapped into neat buns. Despite her transparency, we can make out many small cuts and bruises on her body, and what appeared to be blood, probably dried, on her skin.
We now stood a foot away from the filly, staring and listening as she continued to weep.
"Um, hello there, little filly," Songbird says softly "are you okay?"
The filly's ears prick upwards as she suddenly stops weeping. Slowly, the filly turns and looks at me, then at Songbird. My eyes widen at the sight of her face. The filly is missing both of her eyes and a black, blood-like substance drips from the sockets. Part of the skin around her mouth is missing, leaving the bone beneath it exposed. But the most disturbing thing about the filly's appearance was her chest and stomach. There was a large hole from the heart area of her chest down to her stomach. I could see every broken bone and some of her organs. She appeared to be missing all of her organs except her intestines, appendix and one kidney.
"My hawt, gih it back," the filly moaned quietly. As she spoke, I could see she had no tongue in her mouth.
"Pardon?" Songbird questions.
"Gih it back! Gih it back!" The filly shouts angrily "gih me back my hawt!"
"Your hawt? Do you mean your heart?" I question "I'm afraid the only hearts we have are own, and we need them."
"Gih me my hawt! GIH IT BACK!" The filly shouts.
"Now, now, let's not get so hasty," I say nervously as I take a step back "I'm sure your heart is, um, around here somewhere, heheh."
"GIH ME MY HAWT! MY EYES! MY EHRYTING!" The filly shouts "IH GUN KIH YOU!"
"Songbird, run!" I exclaim.
Without hesitation, Songbird turns and takes off down the walkway. I follow closely behind her. We make it to the door and desperately trying to open it. Again, it refuses to budge. I whip my head around only to find the filly directly behind me, staring angrily at me with those pitch black sockets.
"GIH! IT! BAAAAACK!" The filly shouts.
"Gah! Get away!" I shout, bucking at the filly. My legs go right through her. My actions anger her further and the filly lets out an ear piercing scream.
"DIE! DIE! DIE" The filly screams.
"GAH!!" I scream as I'm suddenly snatched backwards and into the air.
"Lifeline!!" Songbird exclaims, reaching up for me quickly.
I manage to grab her hoof and she attempts to pull me down. The filly lets out another ear piercing scream, which forces Songbird to let go in order to cover her ears. As soon as she lets go, I'm sent flying at a high speed into the field of dead grass. My back and head smashes hard against the flagpole, which knocks the wind out of me. I hear and feel my bones crack and snap in various places as a flood of pain washes over me. I hear Songbird's voice but I'm not able to make out what she's saying.
My body falls to the ground with a loud thump. I make an attempt to stand but find I can't move any part of my body. Once again, I'm snatched into the air and thrown high into the sky. I try to scream but my mouth refuses to open. My body somersaults in the air and the force that threw me lets go. As I free fall, my eyes lock on and widen in fear at the object directly below me; the flagpole.
NO! NO! NO! NOOO!
But there's nothing I can do. My body won't move, I can't try to change my trajectory. I'm helpless as the flagpole comes closer and closer and closer until...
"NOOOOOOO! LIFELINE!!!" Songbird screams.
I can feel something warm and sticky trickle from my nose, mouth and back and onto my neck and legs... Blood. The pain is so overwhelming that, for a moment, I don't feel anything, just the coldness of the metallic flagpole as I slowly slide down it. Waves of agony wash over me relentlessly. I knew I could become a lot of things in my life. A doctor, a game designer, maybe even a member of the Royal Guard if I wanted to, but not once did I think I'd ever become a one-rider carousel.
The edge of my vision begins to fade into black as the intensity of the pain increases. Once again, I can hear Songbird's voice, but it's fading and I can't make out what she's saying.
Everything's black now. I can't see or hear anything. I can't move, I can't feel anything at all. I can feel... my mind... slipping away.
Songbird, I'm so... sorry... I... love...
*****
"NOOO!! LIFELINE!!" A familiar voice screams "YOU LITTLE WHORE! YOU KILLED MY MAREFRIEND!"
What the? Was that... Songbird?
I stop in my tracks and look around. It sounded like she was downstairs, but I was just down there. Maybe we passed each other without knowing it?
I turn around and trot to the stairs. As I make my way down to the first floor, I hear Songbird yell again, and again, and again. The closer I get to the first floor, the clearer her voice becomes and I can tell she's outside. As soon as I'm on the bottom floor, I gallop towards the exit. It was locked the last time I passed through here, but perhaps now it isn't.
I grab the handle and make an attempt to open it, but to my dismay, it doesn't budge an inch.
"Songbird?" I call out "Are you out there?"
Everything grows silent as I wait for a reply. Maybe I heard wrong. Maybe it was my imagination. Maybe I'm really all alone here after all.
As I start to walk away, I hear the door behind me swing open. I turn around to find a blood-covered Songbird crying hysterically.
"Songbird, is everything okay?" I question.
She gallops up to me and hugs me tightly.
"Wysteria! That little bitch killed Lifeline!" Songbird wails.
What? Lifeline's... dead? That's... great!
"That's horrible!" I exclaim, forcing myself to sound shocked and sympathetic.
I've never liked Lifeline. I hated her, hated the way she'd torture Lemongrass with her crude sense of humor and annoying laughter. I hate anyone who annoys, makes fun of or is rude to Lemongrass. But most of all, I loathe anypony who tries to get in between me and Lemongrass. I don't like to share what's mine.
Songbird buries her face into my chest and clings onto me tightly as she sobs.
"Can... Can I see?" I question.
Songbird looks up at me and sniffles.
"I can't stand to see her like that. If I see her like that again, I'll lose it," Songbird replies.
"That's alright. You can stay in here," I say "I'll go by myself."
"Be careful." Songbird sniffs.
I pat her head gently as I walk away. I step through the door and take in my surroundings.
So there's a whole other building, huh? I wonder if Lemongrass is there...
I shake my head and trot a bit down the walkway. I stop when I see Lifeline's body impaled by a flagpole. It takes everything in me to keep from laughing.
I hop over the walkway railing and trot up to Lifeline's corpse. I cover my mouth to suppress the laugh welling up in my throat. A small snicker escapes my lips as I get closer.
Lifeline is pinned like a pig on a split. Blood drips from her nose and mouth and onto her dirty pink forelegs. Her back oozes blood, which dribbles down her sides and legs and onto the ground. Her green eyes are wide open, staring blankly at the ground in front of her. She reminds me of a carousel ride.
"That's one pony checked off the list," I mumble.
I take one last look at Lifeline's lifeless body before returning to Songbird. When I walk through the door, I find Songbird speaking with a pegasus mare with a purple mane and tail, a dark blue-grey coat and blue eyes like that of a dead fish. She has a magenta star clipped near her right ear.
They both look at me as I walk in.
"Hello, there. My name is Morning Glory," the mare says "I'm the spirit of a mare who died here and now roams the halls, as well the various closed spaces, of this school in hopes of aiding those unfortunate enough to find themselves trapped here."
"Wysteria, our other friends are here too," Songbird says "but we can't get to them."
"Lemongrass is here?? Is she okay??" I question desperately, partially ignoring Songbird.
"I've only met one other recent soul besides you two," Morning Glory answers "if the mare with prosthetics is this Lemongrass you speak of, then yes, she is here and unharmed. You'll be pleased to know that she is safe with another mare who's been here for quite some time."
"I see," I say quietly.
"You'll also be pleased to know that your friend has found, more precisely thought of, a possible means of escape from this hell altogether," Morning Glory says "I must emphasize the 'possible' included in that statement. It's only a guess, mere speculation. There's no guarantee that it will work, but if it somehow does, you will all get to go home with your lives intact."
"Is there a way to get Lifeline back?" Songbird questions.
"The mare on the flagpole? I'm afraid not," Morning Glory answers "once you die here, it's irreversible, and you'll feel that pain for all eternity. Living here is a hell all of its own, but dying is an entirely different matter."
Songbird looks down at her hooves and begins to cry again.
"However, I'm fairly certain I am wrong about there being no manner of escape from Riverpine Elementary," Morning Glory says softly "so if it makes you feel any better, it's very feasible that I'm wrong about not being able to revive the dead either."
Songbird looks up at Morning Glory and wipes away her tears.
"But as I told your friend, it's a race against the clock," Morning Glory says "the one who brought you all here, the cogs that hold this place together and the bitter spirits of those who have died here will not let you leave so easily. As I put it for your friend, your escape will not be fed to you on a silver spoon. You must work for it, and together at that."
"I feel like there's more to it," I say.
"You'd be correct. To make a long story short, this school is made of multiple dimensions also referred to as closed spaces," Morning explains "and these closed spaces are held together by the anguish, sorrow, and grudges of the spirits of those who were wronged in life."
"How many closed spaces are there exactly?" I ask.
"In the time I've been here, I've gathered that there are only six closed spaces, one for each creator and wronged spirit," Morning Glory replies "and there are small points where you can travel from closed space to another, like little doorways. It's more likely you'll stumble upon them accidentally rather than on purpose, but even then it's a slim a chance. However, I believe you'll be to find one."
"Is that all?" I question.
"No. I have more information for you. You'll need it before pressing on," Morning Glory replies "each closed space is different in some way or another, but yet somehow the same altogether. This school is a constant, but the times are different, as well as the things you'll see and experience. It all depends on who's closed space you're in."
"What do you mean by different times?" Songbird questions.
"Before I answer, let me say this," Morning Glory says "the closed spaces are like layers, like those of an onion. The closer you get to the center, the worse things are, the more dangerous things will get. To answer your question, something that happens in the center layer will not appear or happen in the outermost layer. Think of it as the future trying to influence the past. It's not feasible.
However, on the other hoof, what happens in the past will affect the future, so if it somepony dies in the outermost layer, it will certainly be there in the center layer. There are exceptions to this. Sometimes there are small echoes of the future in the past. But no matter what layer you're in, it always feels like the present, so time is a bit hard to understand."
"What layer are we in?" I question.
"The fifth layer, or Minty Mango's closed space if you will," Morning Glory replies.
"Is there another way to travel to different closed spaces other than those doorways?" Songbird questions.
"No, not that I know of," Morning Glory answers "my time with you is running out. I'm needed in another closed space. If there is anything else you'd like to know, I suggest you ask now."
"Is there a way we can help those in the others layers? Like, if they need a key or an important paper or something like that and we have it, can we get it to them?" I question.
"Yes, but only if they are in the next layer," Morning Glory answers "however, if you happen to stumble upon a doorway, it may take you to a previous layer. Or it might not, you'll never know. It always changes. And before I forget, you'll need these."
Morning Glory produces two keys, one of silver with a skull at the end and one of gold with a heart on the end, as well as an old looking leather notebook and a statuette resembling an embryo.
Songbird takes the items and safely tucks them away in her wings. Morning Glory gives us a nod and a smile before disappearing into thin air.
"So what do we do now?" Songbird asks.
"Let's gather all the information we possibly can that we'll need in order to escape and find ourselves a doorway," I reply.
Songbird nods and follows me into the next room. Something nags at the back of my mind. What did Morning Glory mean by our escape being a race against the clock?
Eugh, my head... What in the hell happened? There was an earthquake and... Did I get knocked out? More importantly, is Yieng okay?
I groan as I sit up and hold my head. It throbs hard against my skull. I open my eyes and look around. To my left, three beds are lined side by side and seem to be neatly made. At the end of the beds is a room divider, and next to that is a trash can, then the door. To my right is another room divider with a stool in front of it. In front of me stands an old desk with a lamp, book and pencil holder sitting on top. There are three cabinets to the right of the desk. Looking behind me I can see more cabinets, some posters about being healthy, an eye and height measurement chart as well as four windows.
The floor beneath me is wooden and there are holes in some places as if this place is old and has been rotting for a while.
As I stand, something sharp pokes me in the neck. I feel my neck for the object poking me. It was my half of the Yin-Yang necklace set Yieng got us for our fifth birthday, just before we started kindergarten. Yieng has the Yang half while I have the Yin.
I fix my necklace and walk up to the desk. The book on top of it is open to a random page. The page is stained with dark blotches in some places, making some of the writing illegible. I try to make out what I can the best I can;
"Ap… 26… 933…
I'm not.... It was Sun...... She.................... I don't know... Her............. , Compass Rose... hired a.............. be impossible... -cer died... 1923... but she...... student..... Riverpine...................... -n my class. No doubt....... -er....... -s my best........ -'nt mist..... appeara...... -utie mark................ -ny els... I.............. bott......... thi..."
I try to flip the page but it seems affixed to the others, like something for display in a museum. I try to pick up the book, but it, too, seems to be affixed to the desk. I move on from the book and try opening the desk drawers. To my dismay, much like the book, they would not budge an inch.
Sighing, I move on to the cabinets. The first cabinet is filled with various medicines, medical tools and books. The next cabinet is filled with more medical books and tools. There are even a couple of still-packaged medical posters neatly stacked on the side. The last of the three cabinets is nearly empty. The top and bottom shelves hold nothing but dust. The middle shelf, however, has various kids' drawings piled up haphazardly, a bottle of rubbing alcohol, a strange winged eyeball necklace and a lighter crammed on it.
Looking further, the topmost drawing depicts six blood-covered foals surrounding a mutilated adult. Beneath the disturbing image, another page has a frightening looking child with a creepy smile and red eyes on it. The words 'DIE' and 'SINS' are scribbled in black and red crayon. The other drawings I can see seem to get only more disturbing.
A cold chill runs over my body. I shiver and look behind me to see if a window had opened. While I had been looking at the kids' drawings, the room seems to have changed. The room dividers are on the floor in pieces now, the beds are stained with splotches of brown and red, the windows and door are covered in something thick and black, the cabinets on the back wall seemed to be crammed to the point of overflowing with the same thick black substance as on the door and windows, the wallpaper has changed from faded flowers to creepy, red-stained smiles and the floor even seems to have more holes in it. I look back in front of me and gasp. Red hoof prints now cover the glass and emanate a foul-smelling odor. As I back away, I see that the other cabinets are close to overflowing with what looks like thick, black hair with creepy looking insects skittering about.
The room grows significantly colder as a red, putrid smelling substance leaks from every inch of the tops of the walls and slowly dribbles down to the floor. My heart begins to beat faster and faster as everything in the room, except for the floor, shakes and rattles violently. In front of me, a strange, dark purple gas leaks from the floor and slowly forms vaguely into the shape of a pony. The creature’s eyes are a sharp, piercing white. Despite the lack of irises, the creature’s eyes are filled with the desire and intention to harm me, or worse. An ear piercing scream escapes my lips as I bolt for the door. I desperately pull on the hair-like substance covering the door hoping to escape. I pull chunk after chunk of the hair-like stuff off and drop it onto the floor. No matter how much I pull off, however, I’m unable to even see the door, much less open it. It seems the only way to remove this stuff on the door is to either cut it or burn it, but I don’t have the tools necessary to do either.
Behind me, I can sense the creature closing in. To be made of a gaseous yet goopy looking substance, the creature is surprisingly slow. I nimbly dodge it’s grasp and canter away. I have to think of something quickly. If I don’t get out of here soon, that thing is going to kill me. I can only run away for so long before I can’t anymore. I didn’t get a chance to see what was in the cabinets in the back of the room, however, the cabinets I did look at had a few pairs of bandage scissors. But those cabinets were now filled to the brim with thick, hair-like stuff and creepy crawlies. That removes the ‘cutting that fucking stuff off the door’ option, which is probably for the better. It would have more than likely took a while to cut it to the point where I could open the door, which would leave me more vulnerable to that creature. So, that leaves the ‘burn that shit off’ option, but where.... Aha! The rubbing alcohol in the last cabinet is flammable and that lighter will surely set it ablaze! That’s assuming, at least, that the lighter still works.
I trot up to the only normal cabinet that’s left and yank open the metal and glass doors. As I grab up the lighter and rubbing alcohol, I accidentally knock the necklace off the shelf. I start to leave it there, but a small voice whispers ‘take it’ in my ears. I look around to find the source of the voice, but only find the creature slowly making its way over to me silently. I quickly grab the necklace and put it around my neck, then grab the lighter and rubbing alcohol and book it for the door.
My hooves shake as I unscrew the cap of the rubbing alcohol. I do my best to cover as much of the hair-like stuff on the door with the rubbing alcohol before pulling out the lighter. After a couple of tries, the lighter spits forth a small flame. Without hesitation, I put the lighter up to the door and watch it burst into flames. I quickly stand up and canter away from the creature intent on harming me and continue to avoid it as I wait for the shit on the door to burn away.
Three minutes later, the hair-like stuff on the door is burnt halfway off. I canter up to the door and make an attempt to open it. It opens only a small bit, but the gap isn’t large enough for me to fit through. I put all my strength into it and push more on the door. The gap widens just barely enough for me to squeeze through, and without hesitation, I flee from the room. The creature neglects to follow me into the hallway, however, I gallop away to stay on the safe side.
As I come around the corner of the hallway, I’m forced to come to a stop as I feel something clog my windpipe and esophagus.
A black substance with the consistency of molasses splatters onto the ground as I cough. I continue to cough for several minutes as enough of the thick, black liquid to fill a bucket piles on the floor. I feel as though I’m about to pass out and die from asphyxiation when the last of the substance stopping my breathing splatters onto the floor and I feel my windpipe and esophagus clear up.
What the fuck!? What in the actual fuck?! What is this shit?! Is this the doing of the creature that attacked me?!
This place… What is it?! What in the hell is wrong with it?! If this another one of Mercy’s pranks, I swear I’m going to kill her!
No matter, I can't just stand around and be a sitting duck. Not that I'm an easy target, but this place is dangerous and unpredictable. Anything could happen, and that means Yieng could be in serious trouble.
I shake my head, sidestep the pile of black goop and trot down the hallway. The air in here is thick and heavy like some unseen force is bearing down upon me. There’s a sick smell in the air that makes me feel nauseous. The creaking of the rotting floorboards sends chills down my spine. I feel as if I’m inside of a horror movie.
I continue to walk for what feels like hours before finally coming to a large set of double doors. A plaque on the wall to the right reads, “Gymnasium”. The glass in the long, rectangular windows are busted open and what remains intact is cracked. On the floor, in the left corner, lies a pile of what appears to be bones. Thinking it’s only a broken skeletal model, I get closer and inspect it, which I instantly regret. Clumps of matted hair are barely clinging onto the skull, what appears to be dried blood stains many places on the skeleton, and even some flesh is still intact.
I screech and back away quickly. I trip over my own hooves and fall flat on my rear end.
That's… that's not a model! That's a real skeleton, a real dead pony! What in the hell is this place?!
“Riverpine Elementary School. Built in 1912, opened in 1913, and destroyed in 1956,” a voice says from behind me “victim of a series of murder-kidnappings and an unfortunate blaze that burnt it to the ground.”
I quickly snap my head around to look at the voice. Behind me stands a well-dressed unicorn mare. Her skin is a creamy white color, and her mane and tail are neatly brushed up into partial buns. Her hair is a pastel pink color with stripes of pastel blue and purple. Pastel bluish-purple eyeshadow adorns her eyelids. Her eyes are a bright teal and remind me of the eyes of a dead fish.
“Wh-who are you?” I question.
“Crescent Crowne Roseblood Valor Moon of the Everfrost Isles III,” the mare answers “a bit of mouthful, isn't it? You can just call me Valor Crowne, though, darling.”
“Why do you have such a long, and strange, name?” I ask.
“Where I used to live, the longer and more extravagant the name, the wealthier you were. As you can probably assume, my family is rather wealthy,” Valor Crowne replies.
“How come you're in a place like this?” I question.
“I do seem out of place here, don't I?” Valor chuckles “I was at a party when I was whisked away to this place. It's not surprising though, I'm pretty well known for dabbling in things regarding the occult.”
“The occult?” I question.
“You know, the supernatural and such. Perhaps you've heard of my book, ‘Charms, Spells & Stories of the Occult’?” Valor Crowne replies.
That's the name of the book Mercy is always reading. She'd read us stories from the book sometimes in class. ‘Charms’. I wonder if that charm I did with Mercy and the others came from that book.
“Is there a charm called 'Sundancer's Blessing of Eternal Friendship’ in your book?” I ask.
“So you have heard of my book, then. That charm is the fourth one mentioned,” Valor Crowne replies.
“My friends and I, we did that charm,” I say “and shortly after, there was an earthquake and then I woke up in this place.”
Valor's cheerful look fades to one of shock.
“You did?” Valor questions.
Before I can answer, she turns away from me and mumbles something incoherent. Valor turns back to me, her eyebrows furrowed in anger.
“Tell me, have you ran into a mare named Morning Glory?” Valor asks.
“N-no, I haven't. You're the only pony I've met in this place,” I reply “this pony-shaped creature attacked me, but I didn't exactly sit down and have tea with it and trade stories.”
“I see,” Valor mumbles, her face relaxing a little “I must go. Whatever you do, don't lose faith. Stay hopeful, or this place will consume your soul.”
“U-uh, okay,” I mumble.
Valor smiles before disappearing into thin air.
This place… It's an elementary school? If it was burnt down a long time ago, how is it possible I'm here?
I shake my head and stand up. My brain feels overwhelmed. I need to keep going, though. If what Valor said is true, I need to find Yieng and keep her safe. She's capable of taking care of herself, but Yieng has such a fragile heart and mind.
With a new resolution in my heart, I pull open one of the gym doors and trot inside.
The gym is in a state of total disrepair. The floor is filled with holes, gym equipment is scattered all over and more skeletons are piled in various places. The other side of the gym seems impossible to reach, but thankfully, I won't have to walk.
I spread my wings open and fly into the air. The aerial view of the gym is more disturbing than the ground view. As I fly over, I get a better picture of just how many lost their lives in this place. It's horrible… If I don't get out of here soon, I could end up like those poor ponies…
I land safely on the other side of the gym and trot up to the door. I pull on the door handle but it refuses to turn.
Great. It's locked. Where could the key be?
I feel something light land on my head. I reach up and pull down a small sheet of paper. Words are written on it in all uppercase letters with black marker, “MARSHY, I HID THE KEY TO THE DOOR IN THE EQUIP ROOM SO L.D. COULDN'T FOLLOW US. BUT DON'T LEAVE, IT'S NOT SAFE.”
It's not safe to leave? Well, it's certainly not safe to stay.
I drop the piece of paper and watch it glide onto the floor before turning around.
The equipment room. That must be the door over there, just across the gap in front of me.
I take a galloping start towards the gap and, just as I reach the edge, leap forward with my wings spread out and glide to the other side. The floor beneath me creaks when I land. I trot around broken gym equipment as I make my way to the equipment room.
It’s so quiet in here. I’m not sure if the silence is a good or bad thing. At least when I find Yieng, I won’t have to be alone in the silence.
Hopping over a dumbbell rack, I finally get to the equipment room door, however, various broken equipment blocks it. With a sigh, I begin to push the broken equipment out of the way. As I’m moving a broken ball rack out of the way, I hear a voice come from the other side of the door.
“Royal, do you hear that? Somepony’s out there!” The muffled voice whispers. It sounds female.
“Shh, shh. Be quiet, Aloise, it could be Lithium,” A second muffled voice whispers. This voice sounds male.
I keep quiet as I continue to push the gym equipment out of the way. The last obstacle keeping me out of the equipment room is a pair of jump ropes tied together around the door handles. Whoever tied them has some extensive knowledge in knot tying, as I struggle to get them to come undone. A few minutes later, I have them undone. I toss the jump ropes aside and open the door.
Inside, I find the owner of the voices I heard earlier. On my left is a unicorn mare about my age. Her skin is a coral red color that fades into a smokey grey at the knees then dark black at the ankles. Her stomach, chest and all the way up the front of her neck is a creamy orange color. Her wavy-slightly curly hair is a beige brown color. Her mane is adorned with two long yellow ribbons behind her chocolate brown-tipped ears. Her tale has a single matching ribbon intertwined into it. Her face and back are adorned with chocolate brown stripes that stop just above her cutiemark, which is a bouquet of fierce red flowers with yellow stripes down the center and yellow stamens. Lastly, her eyes are a bright green.
Next to the mare is a pegasus stallion about my age as well. His coat is a simple grey color and his eyes are a dark blue. His hair is a dark red color with black stripes and his cutie mark is a royal flush of playing cards.
The two of them are standing as if they’re ready to fight. After getting a good look at me, they relax a little and look at each other, then back at me.
“Who are you?” The mare asks.
“I’m Mieng,” I reply “but really, I should be asking you that, and why you’re locked in here.”
“I’m Aloise and this is Royal Flush,” The mare, Aloise, says “we locked ourselves in here because of our friend -also my sister-, Lithium, went totally insane and started chasing us and telling us she was gonna kill us and eat us up! She was persistent for a while, trying to get the door open, but I’m the best knot tyer in my school, and so those jump ropes I tied together were our only saving grace.”
“I mean, I’m starving big time, but I wouldn’t resort to cannibalizing my friends just live another day in this hellhole,” The stallion, Royal Flush, sneers “but it’s not like Lithium to just be so… dark and cruel, yanno?”
Aloise nods in response to Royal Flush’s question.
“Oh, well, have you, by any chance, seen a key in here somewhere?” I ask.
“A key?” Aloise questions as she looks Royal Flush “no, I can’t say I have. Then again, we’ve been focused on this door for a while now.”
“The door over there is locked, and a note said they key was hidden in here, so,” I say.
“Oh, uh, hold on a minute,” Aloise says “I’ll look for a key for you.”
Aloise disappears into the back of the equipment room. Her horn glows an orange-red color.
“Mind if we join you, uh, Mieng was it?” Royal Flush asks.
“Yeah, it’s Mieng,” I reply “and sure. I could use all the help I could get, I suppose.”
Royal Flush looks at my neck and raises an eyebrow.
“What's up with that necklace?” He asks.
I look down at my neck.
“Which one?” I question.
“Um, the one with the eyeball and wings,” He answers “it's creepy as hell.”
“Oh, that one. I found it in… I guess it was the nurse’s office… and a voice told me to take it.” I explain.
“Huh. Now that I think about it, it reminds me of that… what is it called again? It was some kind of plate with a strange shape in it,” Royal Flush says “and that shape looks just like the outline of that necklace. That plate was in the other wing, though.”
“Sorry to interrupt, but all I found was this,” Aloise says as she gives me one half of a key.
“Only half?” Royal Flush questions “damn, and it's not even the half that'll open the door.”
“Maybe it's somewhere else in here,” Aloise says with a shrug.
“I don't feel comfortable going back that way,” I say “that thing that attacked me is still back there. Granite, it's slow, but I still don't like it.”
“And not to mention, Lithium is somewhere out there too,” Royal Flush adds.
“Do we have any other choice? And, there’s got to be a way to snap Lithium out of it,” Aloise says “because I'm not leaving without my sister.”
“And I'm not leaving without my marefriend,” Royal Flush says.
“So that's something we all have in common, then,” I say “We’re not leaving unless we're with our loved ones.”
“How did you two get here?” I ask.
“We were out our friend’s house. Her name is Whipped Dreams, and, uh, we did this charm thing with her, my sister and our other friends,” Aloise replies “'Sundancer's something of something Friendship’.”
“'Sundancer's Blessing of Eternal Friendship’. That charm seems to be why we're here,” I say.
“You did it too?” Royal Flush questions.
“Yeah. Me, my sister Yieng and my friends,” I reply.
“Did we do something wrong? Do you think we pissed off Sundancer and that's why here? Because she sent us here?” Aloise questions “but we followed everything to a tee, though. Right, Royal?”
“Yeah, followed the directions word for word. I don't know how we could've done something wrong and pissed off Sundancer,” Royal Flush answers.
“Unless the directions themselves were wrong,” I say.
“But that's really fucked up!” Aloise protests “who would write a well known and loved book, put the wrong directions and send innocent ponies to their deaths in a place like this?”
“Crescent Crowne Roseblood Valor Moon of the Everfrost Isles III,” I say “or just Valor Crowne. But judging by her reaction when I told her I woke up here shortly after doing the charm, I don't think she realized she put the wrong directions.”
“That's… quite a mouthful,” Aloise mumbles “but anyways, what makes you say that?”
“After I told her what happened, she looked shocked then angry and asked me if I had met a mare named Morning Glory,” I explain “and then after that, she told me she had to go and told me to stay hopeful and to not let this place consume my soul.”
“How ominous,” Aloise says “do you think that Morning Glory pony has something to do with it?”
“I don’t know, but it seems like it’s a possibility,” I say.
“Look, I’m all for figuring this shit out, but the longer we just stand here speculating, the more time we’re wasting to get out of here,” Royal Flush says.
“Right,” I agree “who should take point?”
“Not me,” Royal Flush says as he shakes his head.
“Aloise?” I question.
“Oh, sure. I’ll lead,” She answers.
I step aside and watch Aloise walk past me. Royal Flush follows her out. The three of us make our way across the gym and exit through the doors I came through earlier. We walk in silence down the halls.
I thought the silence would be easier to bare with some company, but with Aloise and Royal Flush here, the silence seems to be much worse than before. Maybe it’s because I don’t know these two very well, maybe it’s because I still feel alone.
As we start to go around the corner, a quiet goop noise replaces the silence momentarily. Following the noise, Aloise makes a noise of sudden shock and disgust.
“Ew! What in the fuck did I step in?!” Aloise exclaims.
She shakes her hoof and a black goopy substance splatters against the wall.
“Oh, that would be the shit I threw up earlier,” I say so casually, it makes me uncomfortable.
Aloise, as well as Royal Flush, turns and looks at me with a look of both shock and disgust.
“You threw this up?!” Aloise exclaims “this thick, black… goop?!”
“Yeah,” I say with a nod “I almost choked to death.”
“Damn,” Royal Flush mutters “that would’ve been an awful way to go.”
“Maybe, but I think I would rather choke on this stuff than succumb to anything in here,” Aloise says "like a spooky ghost or goopy monster."
“I think I would’ve preferred to choke on that too than be killed by that creature that attacked me beforehand,” I say.
Aloise shakes the rest of the black substance off her hoof.
“Euck,” She mumbles “anywho, let’s keep going.”
Aloise continues to lead us around the corner and down the hall. She stops in front of the door to the nurse’s office.
“Maybe the other half of the key is in here,” Aloise says.
“You two can go on and look if you’d like,” I say “I’m not going back in there.”
“Oh. That’s right, you said were attacked in there earlier,” Aloise says “that’s okay, we’ll go have a look. You can check the hall if you’d like, but don’t go too far, please. Not to be bossy or anything, but if something happens, we want to be able to help you. If you go too far, we may not make it in time.”
“Makes sense,” I say “I’ll let you know if I find the key or anything else of interest.”
Aloise gives me a small smile and heads inside the nurse’s office. Royal Flush follows her inside and closes the door behind him.
I wander aimlessly around the hall, just barely scanning for the other half of the key or anything else that’s interesting. As I walk, I trip over a raised floorboard. I would’ve have ignored and chalked it down to the place falling apart as to why the floorboard was raised, however, something poked out from underneath that grabbed my attention. I lift up the loose board to see a small, peach-colored drawstring pouch with dark, red stains on it underneath. I pull out the pouch and examine it. A foul smell, like that of a rotting animal on the side of the road, emanates from it. The contents of the bag, from the outside, feels squishy yet firm. I gently squeeze the bag and the contents make a soft squelch noise.
I wonder what it is. A stress ball maybe? But, seeing how this place has been so far, it's probably not something as innocent and normal as a stress ball.
“Mieng?” Aloise calls.
“Over here,” I call back.
Aloise and Royal Flush trot over to me.
“What's that?” Aloise questions “Eugh, it smells awful!”
“I don't know, some kind of pouch I guess, but, whatever's inside, I have a bad feeling about it,” I answer.
“Open it,” Royal Flush says.
“I'd rather not,” I say “you can though.”
“I will,” Royal Flush says, snatching the pouch from me.
He opens it, lets out a scream and drops the pouch.
“Never thought I'd see the day when Royal Flush would scream like a little filly,” Aloise chuckles.
“Shut up!” Royal Flush sneers “you pick it up and look inside if you find it so funny!”
“Or, you could tell us what's inside,” Aloise suggests.
Royal Flush picks up the pouch and thrusts it into Aloise’s chest.
“Fine, fine. I’ll look inside,” Aloise mumbles, opening the bag “GAH!! WHAT THE FUCK?!”
Aloise throws the bag away from her. It lands at my hooves.
“What’s inside?” I ask.
“E-eyeballs! A-a-and a s-severed tongue!” Aloise exclaims.
My eyes widen in both fear and disbelief. Who- more importantly why- would somepony hide eyeballs and severed tongue in a bag under the floor?! Better yet, why would somepony sever another pony’s tongue and rip out their eyes?!
The three of us stand there panicking and not knowing what to do with the pouch. Do we take it? Do we leave it? Is it important?
“As I said earlier, this school was the unfortunate victim of a series of murder-kidnappings,” A familiar voice says.
I turn my head to see Valor Crowne standing behind me.
“Who-who are you?!” Aloise exclaims.
“I believe your friend here already told you,” Valor says with a smile “the mare with an unnecessarily long name and who wrote the book containing the charm that sent you all here.”
“Y-you’re that Crescent Rose-something-something Moon or whatever?” Aloise questions.
“Crescent Crowne Roseblood Valor Moon of the Everfrost Isles III,” Valor says with a sigh “I don’t blame you for not remembering such an abnormally long and, quite frankly, stupid sounding name. That’s why I’ve shortened it to, and prefer, Valor Crowne, but I believe my friends and acquaintances get a kick out of my full name, so that’s why I tell them.”
“Did you know that charm would send whoever does it down here?” Royal Flush questions.
“I did,” Valor answers earnestly “however, it was not I who discovered the charm, but my assistant, Morning Glory. She gave me all the information about it, except for what I believe was the most important part.”
“Let me guess, the part where if you mess up or whatever, you’ll get sent to this hell?” Aloise questions.
“Precisely,” Valor answers “she gave me the most unclear and confusing directions to start with. Of course, Morning Glory and I, along with a couple of others, tested the charm that same afternoon Glory told me about it. We followed the directions given to us by Morning Glory the best we could and, lo and behold, we found ourselves here.”
“What was it like then? Here at this school, I mean,” Aloise says.
“As it is now, only with less… death in the air,” Valor explains “I believe that before the charm was spread nationally by me, those who first discovered it kept it within the family, as I found a lot of the remains of ponies related to one another. However, there were several carcasses belonging to ponies who were not related to one another or to the ones who already were. Outsiders. I wholesomely believe those outsiders knew about the filly behind the charm, not the maker, but the one it’s named after, and spread her story, which angered said filly and she sent and trapped them all here. It’s more of a theory than anything else, but it’s the only semi-logical explanation I can think of.”
“How did you get back?” I question.
“The charm,” Valor answers “but done the right way. The actual right way.”
“If Morning Glory gave you the right directions, how did the wrong ones end up in your book?” Aloise questions.
Valor’s smile fades to a sad frown as a look of regret and sorrow spreads across her face. Her ears flatten against her head.
“I thought I could trust Morning Glory,” Valor answers “my mother became very ill and I had to return to my homeland to help take care of her and our estate. My father had passed away a couple of years prior, so he wasn’t there to pay bills and handle family relations and such, which meant I had to do so. I’m also an only child, so I had no siblings to do this for me. Our servants and I did the best we could for my mother, but sadly, she succumbed to the illness and passed away. While I was gone taking care of my mother and all of the business relating to her death afterward, I entrusted Morning Glory to finish my book and publish it.
She did as she promised she would; finish it, and then send it to the publisher. By the time I had everything straightened out at home and had returned back to Equestria, my book had been out for little over four and a half months. It had, as I was informed upon my arrival home, became a sensational hit and millions of copies had been made and sold. I was shocked but thrilled all at the same time. When I finally got the chance, I sat down and read my book. I was happy with it until I had reached the page with Sundancer’s charm. Morning Glory put the wrong directions, albeit much clearer and simpler than what she had originally said, in the book. I wanted to recall the books, but, I feared the repercussions that would follow. I kept silent and willingly let the book continue to circulate despite knowing many citizens of Equestria were going to be sent to their untimely deaths knowing they would never escape. The regret was horrible, and still is to this day. I took up drinking, partying, and sadly drugs, to forget it all, but, no amount of alcohol, coke or partying would erase what I had done, what MorningGlory had done.
Being whisked away and dying here was probably the best thing for me. I think I’d rather die here and slowly become erased from time than be alive in the real world, coping in the worse way possible and letting all my fans, loved ones and friends see me go down a horrible spiral into nothingness. But dying here isn’t all it’s cracked up to be. You still feel the pain you felt before you died, and it never goes away. You still have all your sorrows, regrets, grudges, those few unspoken words, etcetera. That’s why some who die here become vengeful spirits, rather than ones like me who help those whisked away from reality.”
The three of us look at each other, then back at Valor Crowne. That’s… awful. I’m… I have so many questions, but I’m at a loss for words.
“How... how did you end up coming back here?” Aloise asks.
“The charm yet again,” Valor replies “perhaps I worded my return to here as if I had been forced to come. Truth is, my return here was something of a suicidal action. In fact, it was suicide more than anything, and suicide is percisely how I died in this God-forsaken place. Maybe it was more of a combination of murder and suicide, or perhaps it was plain and simple suicide. Either way, I came here of my own volition, but the way I died was not how I would’ve preferred.”
“What do you mean by that last part?” I question “h-how did you… die?”
“Somewhere in here, if you look hard enough, you might find my body in one of the classrooms, split open and on display for all to see,” Valor answers “one of the vengeful spirits trapped here took their anger out on me, and, well, as I said, split me open just like a teacher would a specimen for dissection in biology. I may- or may not have- purposefully provoked said spirit, but, if you’re curious about the anatomy of a mare, you can find my body and look at it.”
“But, please, don’t touch it,” Valor adds quickly “you can look, but don’t touch me. My body for display is already enough punishment for what I've done, although I knew something of the sort was going to happen sooner or later and I was ready and willing to let it do so.”
I only stare at Valor, not knowing what to say. Again, I find myself at a loss for words and I can tell by their silence that Aloise and Royal Flush are as well. Valor stares back at us. Her frown turns into a small, awkward smile.
“I suppose that’s enough about me,” Valor says, breaking the silence and clearing her throat “perhaps you three would like to know about this place.”
“We’ve been here for four days, but we know next to nothing about this school,” Aloise says, looking at Royal Flush.
“Four days? That's the longest I believe anypony has survived,” Valor says in a surprised tone "though, I had sensed a rather resilient bunch had fallen victim to this school."
“But, I don't think we'd make it another day,” Aloise says “we got separated from our source of food and drink.”
“Oh? Is that so?” Valor questions.
“My marefriend knows spells to conjure foods and drinks,” Royal Flush explains “but we got separated from her a couple of days ago.”
“I see. That's unfortunate, but I think I can help you,” Valor says with a small smile.
“You're going to give us the right directions for the charm?” I question.
“Yes, but it's not the only thing you'll need to get out of here,” Valor answers “you'd like to escape with your friends, no?”
The three of us nod in response to her question.
“Unfortunately, I do not have them on me, but if you find my body, you'll find the right directions for the charm in my notebook,” Valor says “and to find your friends, you'll need to understand the history of this place first.”
“The history? Like what you said about the school being the victim of a series of crimes?” Aloise questions.
“Yes,” Valor answers with a nod “on June 5th in 1933, a young unicorn filly in the fifth grade did not make it home after school. Her teacher politely asked to her help clean up the classroom after the bell had rung, and she did just that, so the teacher sent her on her way home. That was the last time anypony saw her. That filly was Cadenza Scordatura. She was listed as missing that night, and the police started their investigation.
Three days later, another young filly in the second grade went missing, an earth pony. The poor filly didn't even make it to school. Her name was Minty Mango. Minty’s disappearance was added to Cadenza's investigation.
Five days passed and four more children went missing. Two little third-grade pegasi colts named Lava Lamp and Salty Caramel, a fourth-grade unicorn Colt named Milky Way and a fifth-grade earth pony filly named Sundancer.
The police searched for three weeks after the those four were kidnapped before finally finding all six of them in the unfinished section of the school’s basement. The kidnapper had five of the six children hanging like meat in the butcher shop in a disturbingly neat row.
Minty Mango had been beaten and had her chest and stomach sliced open and her organs, eyes and half of her tongue removed. Cadenza had half of her head missing and only her jaw remained intact. Salty Caramel had his tongue, his wings, eyes and one of his legs removed. The same was done to his brother, Lava Lamp. And lastly, Milky Way had been essentially scooped clean of everything inside of him, bones included, which left him like an empty sac hanging from the ceiling.
The only survivor was Sundancer, who was found lying near her friends on the floor badly injured. Their murderer and kidnapper turned out to be not one pony, but two, and they were found huddled together in the corner mumbling incoherent things beneath their breaths and rocking back and forth. They were detained, charged with the murder of those five kids and the kidnapping of all six and were then sent a mental asylum while the families of the five who died arranged their funerals, held a memorial and while Sundancer was sent to therapy.
Five weeks after arriving at the asylum, named Mount Sunshine, the two murder-kidnappers were found dead. One had hung himself and the other threw herself out the window.
As if the town hadn't suffered enough sorrow and death, the day after the two criminals were found dead, Sundancer had died. She tripped down the stairs going home and then fell to her death, breaking several bones, including her neck and skull, in the process.
The school closed its doors temporarily for a year before reopening it. After that, there were no deaths or kidnappings or any sort of tragic event until 1956, when a mysterious blaze burned the school to the ground and the principal, the art teacher and the science teacher committed suicide.”
“A lot of death and tragedy occurred in this school before it became the hellish nightmare that it is now,” Valor adds.
Once more, I find myself completely speechless.
“I know it’s probably wrong of me to ask this of you, but, would the three of you put an end to this place?” Valor questions "or rather, help me end this place? I can only do so much in my current state. Living, breathing ponies like you are the key to ending this place."
“What do you mean? Like, destroy this place?” Royal Flush questions.
“Yes, but I wouldn’t call it ‘destroying’ the place,” Valor answers “it’s more like putting this place to rest, letting the spirits trapped here move on and find the peace and relief they deserved.”
“Would doing so let us escape?” I question.
“Yes, as well as prevent others from being sent to this place,” Valor answers "or, should at least. I have to be honest, this is more of a theory than anything else, but, it's better than doing nothing. I could be underestimating this place and the power within it, but, it's also always a bad idea to underestimate the power of friendship and perseverance and anything with the will to survive."
I look at Aloise and Royal Flush, who both nod at me. I look back to Valor and give her a small smile.
“Sure, we’ll try,” I say "we'll do anything to get out of here. Who's to say your theory isn't correct? If it works, it works. If it doesn't... well, that's better than doing nothing at all, right?"
“Thank you. Truly, thank you so much from the bottom of my ghostly heart,” Valor says “I feel awful asking you to correct my mistakes- for putting you in further danger, no doubt. You could’ve said no, and I would’ve been very understanding of that, but, you said yes. You’re willing to do this for me. Please know I appreciate this very much. I’ll make it worth your while and I’ll do the best I can to help you, I promise.”
“I think our first priority should be reuniting with our friends,” Aloise says “strengths in number and what not. I’m sure the others have learned something we haven’t and- when we reunite- we can all be caught up to speed, put an end to this place and get out of here together.”
“Sounds like a plan to me,” I say.
“I second that,” Royal Flush says.
“You three are amazing,” Valor says “thank you so much.”
“We’d do anything for the ponies we care about,” Aloise says “including you, Valor Crowne.”
“You... still care about me? Despite it being mostly my fault you are here? That’s… Thank you. Truly, thank you so much,” Valor says “in return, let me provide you with more information.”
“The more we know, the better we can help,” Aloise says.
“Right. To start, let me explain the structure of this place,” Valor says “the school is comprised of six layers that are often referred to as ‘closed spaces’ that form a sort of sphere. Those six foals I mentioned before, they’re the creators of the closed spaces, and each one of them has their own space that they dominate. The space we’re in now belongs to Salty Caramel. Cadenza’s space comes before his, which makes her layer the first in the sphere and Salty’s the second. Milky Way’s space comes after his, then Lava Lamp, then Minty Mango. Sundancer dominates the centermost layer.”
“So, if those six are pretty much behind it all,” Aloise begins “if we lay them to rest the other spirits will follow, right? And then this school will stop existing and nopony else will die?”
“That's my theory, yes,” Valor says.
“Do you know what closed spaces are friends are in?” I question.
“I can't tell you who exactly is in which closed space, but I can tell you what closed spaces there are living souls in,” Valor answers “but give me a moment.”
Valor Crowne disappears into thin air again. I look down at my hooves and at the pouch still on the ground. Eyeballs and a severed tongue. Salty Caramel had his eyes and tongue removed, but so did Lava Lamp. Maybe they belong to one of them? From what Valor told us, all five of them lost their tongues and eyes in some way or another.
“I wonder who’s tongue and eyes we’ve got,” I ponder aloud.
“Maybe this is a bit farfetched, but do you think there might a name on it?” Aloise questions.
“I didn’t see one when I first picked it up,” I answer, looking up at Aloise “so I guess there’s no telling who’s body parts we got.”
“If putting those six to rest is the way to put an end to all of this, maybe returning their missing body parts will help,” Aloise says.
“Maybe,” Royal Flush says “but didn’t she say one of them was completely emptied of all their organs and whatnot, and one was missing most of theirs?”
“Yeah, she did,” Aloise says “but maybe, not all of them want their body parts to be appeased. I know that probably sounds nuts, I mean if I had my body parts separated from me and haunted a school that kills others, I’d want my organs back. But assuming they want different things in order to be appeased, that isn’t too farfetched, right?”
“Your assumption is not, by any means, farfetched,” Valor says.
I turn my head to see Valor Crowne standing in front of us again.
“Cadenza could very well want something different from Minty,” Valor says “but, on the hoof, they could very well want the same thing.”
“Right,” Aloise says “did you find out how what you were going to tell us?”
“About how many in each closed space? Yes, I did,” Valor answers “In Cadenza’s closed space, there are three alive. In our closed space, there are three and in Milky Way’s there are three. Lava Lamp’s closed space was a bit odd. There were two separate souls, so two alive, but there was two that were intertwined together, like a mixed soul. I’m not sure whether to classify it as one soul or two.”
“Two souls mixed together?” Aloise questions “Ah, you’re talking about Candelabra and Flare Blitz. They’re conjoined twins.”
“So they’re alive then? That’s good to know,” Royal Flush says.
“Conjoined twins, huh? Makes sense,” Valor says “anyways, in Minty’s closed space there are three souls but only two are in Sundancer’s.”
“That makes nineteen altogether,” I say.
“Nineteen,” Aloise says quietly “something isn’t adding up. There were thirteen of us to start with.”
“Then my friends and I came here,” I say “and there were ten of us.”
“Ten and thirteen,” Royal Flush says “together that makes twenty-three.”
“Twenty-three, but only nineteen are currently alive,” Aloise says, tearing up “th-that means…”
“Four died,” I say, finishing Aloise’s sentence.
“Wait, wait,” Valor says “twenty. A soul seems to be flickering in and out of life somehow.”
“It doesn’t really change the fact any of our friends are dead,” Royal Flush snaps.
“The soul that came back, it’s in our closed space,” Valor says “but it’s fading out again, like it wants to give up but, at the same time, it doesn’t.”
“It could be one of our friends!” I exclaim “let’s go.”
“Right, follow me,” Valor says as she turns around and canters away.
The three of us canter down the hallway after her. We turn the corner and go up a flight of stairs and onto the next floor. Classroom doors can be seen all the way down the hall, which looks just as dilapidated as the rest of the school. Skeletons and half-rotted bodies are strewn about haphazardly. A foul, rotting smell lingers in the air. The four of us canter pass the skeletons, bodies and classrooms until we reach the restrooms.
“The soul’s light is coming from the filly’s room,” Valor says.
“I’ll, uh, wait out here,” Royal Flush says “haunted school or not, I don’t want to be seen in the filly’s room.”
“Me too,” I say.
Aloise and Valor nod their heads and begin to trot inside. There’s a blinding flash when Valor Crowne starts to walk through the doorway. A visible, blue-ish wave of energy sends Valor Crowne flying backward and through the wall. Moments later, Valor walks back through the wall squinting one eye and rubbing her head.
“Ow, that hurt,” Valor says “looks like he’s there.”
“He? Who’s he?” Aloise questions.
“Salty Caramel,” Valor answers “whoever’s in there, Salty Caramel is there influencing what they’re doing, but they’re a fighter. One who’s slowly giving up it seems. You’d better hurry.”
Aloise nods and trots inside the bathroom. A few moments of silence pass by before Aloise calls out for help. Without hesitation, I trot into the filly’s room. The bathroom mirror is cracked and caked so badly with dirt that it no longer reflects anything. The ceramic sinks are cracked and look no longer functional. The stalls seem to be intact with very few holes on the doors, unlike the floor.
“The other stalls are empty, but this one’s locked,” Aloise says “and come here and listen.”
I trot up to Aloise and listen. Behind the stall are the vague sounds of somepony choking. Without saying another word, the two of us begin to pull hard on the door, which creaks and moans in response. After two failed attempts, Aloise and I force the door open. My eyes widen in a mixture of fear and disbelief at the sight before us.
“YIENG!” I scream as I canter up to her.
Drool drips from her mouth and dribbles down her neck. Her eyes are bloodshot and threatening to roll into the back of her head. The noose around her neck is tight and I can see the burns it’s causing beneath it. Without thinking, I stand on my back legs and hoist Yieng into the air. My actions seem to help Yieng, as she goes from choking to gasping for air. Aloise canters into the stall and uses her magic and knowledge of knots to undo the noose. As the rope comes undone from around her neck, Yieng collapses onto me, which causes me to lose my balance and fall over onto my stomach. Thankfully, Yieng remains on my back and isn’t hurt further from the fall.
“Are you alright?!” Aloise exclaims.
“Yeah, I’m fine,” I say “I can’t say the same for my sister.”
“This is your sister?” Aloise questions “I’m glad we were able to get to her in time. She’s struggling to breathe, but that’s better than being dead.”
“Yeah,” I mumble.
A wave of guilt crashes over me. I made a promise to Yieng the same day she gave us our Yin-Yang necklaces. I told her I’d always be her side, that I’d be there to protect her. I know I had no control over whether or not I was by Yieng’s side, but I still can’t help feeling guilty over not being there with her and protecting her from this place and it’s twisted sense of humor. If only I had gotten here sooner, the damage to Yieng wouldn’t be so bad. At least, with Aloise’s help, I managed to save her before it was too late. She’s safe now and alive. That’s what matters the most, right?
“Are you sure you’re okay?” Aloise questions “you’re crying.”
I’m… crying? I feel my face and, sure enough, it’s wet with tears.
“I’m… I-I promised Yieng that, no matter what, I’d always be by her side and protect her, but…” I trail off and stare at the floor.
“It’s okay, I understand,” Aloise says in a comforting voice “here, let me help you up.”
With Aloise’s help, I manage to stand up and keep Yieng on my back.
“Thanks,” I say “I was glad I met you before, but, now I’m even gladder. I may have hoisted her up, but, if it wasn’t for you, that noose probably wouldn’t have come off. I’m terrible at tying and untying knots.”
“You're welcome,” Aloise says with a warm smile “c’mon, Royal Flush and Valor Crowne are waiting for us.”
With Yieng on my back, I exit the stall and trot to the door with Aloise in tow. As I start to exit the bathroom, the door suddenly slams shut in my face.
“Gah!!” I exclaim as I stumble backward.
Aloise canters up to the door and attempts to force it open.
“Erg!! It won't budge!” Aloise exclaims “Royal Flush! Valor Crowne! Can you hear me?!”
“Yeah, we can hear you.” Royal Flush calls from the other side.
“See if you can force the door open!” Aloise calls “I can't get it to budge!”
Out the corner of my eye, I notice something glowing a faint blue. I turn my head and find a mostly transparent colt staring at us. His eyes are gone, leaving black, empty sockets in their place. Small, bloody stumps of flesh and bone jutted from either side of his back. He’s missing his left back leg, but there’s the faintest outline of where it used to be.
“Uhm, Aloise,” I say nervously.
She looks back at me with a small smile.
“Yeah?” Aloise questions.
“We've got otherworldly company with us,” I answer.
Aloise raises an eyebrow and looks in the direction I'm staring. She lets out a yelp of surprise when her eyes land on the colt.
“Mine,” the colt mumbles “mine, mine, mine, mine.”
I try to call out to Aloise but find that I can't speak or move my body. I'm frozen in place as the colt moves closer and closer while chanting 'mine, mine’ under his breath. Aloise seems to be in the same predicament as she watches the colt approach me.
An intense heat begins to wash over my body. As the colt continues to chant, the intensity of the heat begins to increase. My heart pounds in my chest and it throbs hard in my ears. The throbbing grows so loud, it drowns out the colt’s chanting. The intensity of the heat starts to become unbearable as my vision begins to turn red. My body feels as if it's going to explode.
Out the corner of my eye, I see Aloise pull something off her back. She calls out but the throbbing in my ears drowns whatever she says.
Whatever she says grabs the colt's attention. The pain and throbbing stop suddenly when the colt looks at Aloise. I find myself able to move again.
“Salty Caramel,” Aloise says “here, I think these belong to you.”
Aloise holds out the pouch I found earlier. Salty Caramel stares at Aloise for a moment before walking up to her and taking the pouch. He backs away and opens the pouch. A happy smile spreads across his face.
“My tuhng. My eyes,” he mumbles “tank you.”
Salty Caramel sits down on the ground and removes the eyes from the pouch, then pops them into his head. He then pulls the tongue from the bag and shoves it into his mouth. Salty Caramel looks at me with an apologetic look in his eyes and smiles. He then looks at Aloise and gives her a small grin as he slowly fades away.
“Thank you,” he whispers as he completely fades away.
Aloise and I look at each other and smile. The door suddenly swings open and Royal Flush gallops inside with a look of worry and terror on his face.
“Are you okay, Aloise??” Royal Flush questions.
Aloise simply nods her head with a proud smile on her face.
“Oh shit, who’s that? Are they okay?” Royal Flush questions.
“This is my sister, Yieng,” I answer “I can’t really say she’s okay, but she’s alive and hopefully will recover from this.”
Royal Flush nods his head at me.
“What happened in here?” Royal Flush asks “I heard Aloise yelp, then there was silence and I couldn’t open the door.”
“Aloise appeased Salty Caramel,” I reply.
“It was just a random guess, but, I think if I hadn’t tried, something bad would’ve happened to Mieng,” Aloise says.
“I couldn’t move, there was an intense heat throughout my body and my heart was pounding so hard, the throbbing in my eyes drowned everything out,” I explain “I felt like I was gonna explode until Aloise held out the pouch.”
“Damn,” Royal Flush mumbles.
“Thanks, by the way,” I say to Aloise.
“You’re welcome,” Aloise says.
“Do you feel that?” Royal Flush asks.
“Feel what?” I question.
Before Royal Flush has a chance to answer, everything begins to shake violently. The floors and walls creak and moan as the shaking intensifies. There’s a loud crack, followed by three more. The floor beneath begins to disappear and fall into the depths of the school. Above us, the ceiling cracks and splits as pieces fall to what remains of the floor. A large piece of the ceiling falls and lands on Royal’s head, which knocks him onto the floor and unconscious. The floor beneath him breaks, which sends him falling. Aloise screams his name just as the floor beneath her groans and breaks. Aloise screams loudly as she falls and disappears into the darkness below.
I try to fly into the air, but with Yieng on my back, I’m unable to. The floor around me is completely go-
*CRACK* *THUMP*
A searing pain spreads throughout my head as everything fades to black.
“Thank Celestia, it’s over,” Songbird says with a sigh of relief.
“Two earthquakes in one day,” I grumble “what in the hell is going on with this place?”
“I don’t know, but I’m scared,” Songbird says “what if we never get out of here? What if we end up like… her?”
“This can place is gonna have to throw all it’s got at me,” I say “because I’m not going down so easily or without a fight.”
Songbird looks down at the floor and sighs.
“Maybe you’ll make it out of here alive then,” Songbird says quietly “Lifeline was my everything. My heart, my soul, my motivation to sing… everything. Now she’s gone and… I… I just want to give up.”
“So I guess the rest of us don’t matter then?” I question in a snarky tone “we don’t count as something to go on for?”
Songbird looks up at me with a mixture of sorrow and regret as well as a bit of surprise.
“No- I… that’s not…” Songbird trails off and sighs “I only meant that it’s hard to go on without Lifeline. You and the others mean so much to me, but so did Lifeline. She was my lover and best friend rolled into one.”
“If you want to give up, then go ahead and give up so you can quit complaining it,” I sneer.
“Wysteria…” Songbird mumbles as tears well up in her eyes.
“But keep in mind, when you do give up and end it all, just think about how that would make Lifeline feel,” I say in a less snarky tone “would killing yourself because you’re just overwhelmed at the loss of your marefriend make Lifeline happy? Do you think she wants you to give up? Or do you think she wants you to keep going and make it out of here alive for her sake?”
Tears spill from Songbird’s eyes and roll down her cheeks as she stares at me. I’m wasting my breath trying to motivate her. It makes no difference to me whether or not Songbird makes it out of this place alive. The only thing that matters to me is getting Lemongrass and myself out of here alive. If anypony else makes it out, good for them, but I could care less.
Songbird wipes the tears from her face and sniffles.
“You’re right,” Songbird says quietly “she’d… she’d want me to make it out, for her sake.”
“Do you still have that book Morning Glory gave us?” I question.
“Yup,” Songbird answers with a sniffle “and the statute.”
“Good,” I say “I still have the keys.”
Songbird smiles softly and nods her head. Partially dried blood still stains her light pink coat and parts of her black, baby blue and white striped mane. That shade of crimson suits her well. Songbird should wear it more often. A small chuckle escapes my lips.
“Whatcha chuckling about?” Songbird asks.
“Oh, it’s nothing,” I say with a sly grin “don’t worry about it. Just a funny inside joke between me and Lemongrass is all.”
“Oh, okay then,” Songbird says, sounding so innocent.
I just love how oblivious she and the others are to my… activities… and real personality, however I'm glad Lemongrass is. There have been times when I've slipped up around the others but they neglected to catch on. Not once, though, have I slipped up around Lemongrass. Everything I do is for her. How I go about executing some things are a little… unorthodox… and tad extreme, which is why I keep everything, my real self included, hidden.
“I wonder what’ll happen to this place once we leave,” Songbird says.
“Who knows,” I say.
In a way, I don’t want to leave this place. It’s filled with the one thing I adore the most: murder.
Songbird stops walking and sighs. I stop and look back at her. She’s looking up at an old cuckoo clock on the wall. The glass covering the face is smudged and dirty. The small hand and a couple of the numbers have fallen off the face and gathered at the bottom of the glass. The pendulum is stuck mid swing.
“I wonder what time it is,” Songbird says quietly “our parents must be worried about us.”
“It was just a little after eleven o'clock when we got to Canterlot,” I say “but who knows how long we were out for.”
“It's going to be hard,” Songbird says, looking at me.
“What is?” I ask.
“Explaining to Lifeline's parents that their daughter is dead,” Songbird replies “how am I going to tell them that a ghost impaled their daughter on a flagpole?”
I simply shrug in response to her question. She has a valid point, though. How do you tell somepony their child died via impalement after being whisked away to some haunted school of death?
“Wysteria?” Songbird questions.
“What?” I answer.
“Are you okay?” Songbird questions “ever since you came back after seeing Lifeline’s body, you've been acting… differently.”
“Acting differently?” I question, forcing myself to sound confused “what do you mean?”
“Usually you're super sweet and nice and thoughtful,” Songbird answers “but you've been acting kinda mean and… just… not like your usual self.”
“I think your mind is just really rattled,” I say “which is causing you to misinterpret things.”
Songbird gives me a look of confusion.
“I am still pretty shaken about her death,” Songbird says quietly “maybe you're right. Sorry, Teri.”
“Don't worry,” I say in a sweet tone that sounds almost fake “I completely understand.”
Songbird smiles warmly and gives me a hug. “I'm glad to have a friend like you,” Songbird says kindly.
It takes everything I have to keep from laughing at her and telling her she'd ought to change her mind. If worse comes to worse and it's a her or me situation, she'll be the one to die.
I pat Songbird's head and pull away from her.
“Let me see that book Morning Glory gave us,” I say.
Songbird untucks the book from her left wing and gives it to me.
“Let's see what's inside,” I say as I sit down and open the book “it's… a yearbook?”
Morning Glory gave us a yearbook? How is a yearbook going to be helpful?
“'Riverpine Elementary School Yearbook 1923-1924’,” Songbird reads “1923? This yearbook is old.”
“How is a yearbook going to help up?” I question.
“You know how yearbooks have those designated pages for notes and signatures?” Songbird questions “maybe something useful is written in the back or maybe somepony important is in this book.”
“Maybe,” I mumble.
I turn the page of the yearbook to find the the pages filled with various pictures of the school, students and staff. The next two pages are filled pictures of all the school's staff in a non-alphabetical order. Flipping through the next four pages, the yearbook is filled with pictures of various kindergarteners.
As I flip through the pages, everything about the yearbook seems normal. When I reach the fifth grade section, however, things change. Most of the fifth graders have something crude near their names. Some have disturbing doodles drawn on them.
I flip the page to the final section of the fifth graders. All of the kids, save for two, have their names and portraits crossed out. At the top of the page is the portrait of a fifth grade filly named… Sundancer. She's smiling and looks happy, but next to her portrait in all capital red pen are the words, “YOU FORGOT ME... HOW COULD YOU?!”
Below her is the portrait of another fifth grade filly named Double Bubble. Half of her face is scribbled out with red pen. All around her portrait, the words, “ALL YOUR FAULT!” are written several times in red pen.
“It seems you were right about somepony important being inside,” I say “that filly at the top, Sundancer, I wonder if that's the same Sundancer from the charm we did.”
“Isn't it bad enough that my best friend left me to die and forgot me?” A small voice questions “why do ponies like you insist on mocking me?”
Songbird looks behind us and lets out a yelp of surprise. I look over my shoulder to see a partially transparent filly standing behind us. She seems to be about half my height and looks very similar to the Sundancer filly in the yearbook.
“Too busy trying to think of something that makes you seem innocent and guilty free?” The filly muses with a murderous, sly grin “that's fine. Maybe while you're experiencing a slow and painful death you'll finally realize your mistake.”
“Well, well, well, what do we have here?” I question with a similar smile on my face “the sadistic spirit of a little filly?”
“Not an ounce remorse,” the filly chuckles “your death will be the most fun.”
“Wysteria, what are you doing?!” Songbird whispers.
“What?” I question with a creepy chuckle “I can't get acquainted with a fellow psychopath?”
I can’t help but to reveal a sliver of my true nature. If this filly is Sundancer and the reason why we’re here, then perhaps I could negotiate a deal that we both benefit from.
“Fellow… psychopath?” Songbird questions “no. No no no. That filly is messing with your head, you’re not a psychopath. You’re the sweetest, most kindest pony I know.”
“Doesn’t it get boring having to do all the work yourself? To do the same thing over and over again?” I ask the filly, who rubs her chin in contemplation.
“Wysteria, stop. L-let’s just let her be and run away,” Songbird says in a nervous tone of voice.
“Are you trying to make a deal with me?” The filly questions in a mocking tone “because, if so, you have my attention.”
“There’s this very important mare I love and care deeply for and am willing to do anything to be with her and ensure her safety and happiness,” I answer, ignoring Songbird’s pleas “her name is Lemongrass. I don’t know where she is, but if you’d kindly put me with her, I’d be more than willing to help you with your… dirty work.”
Songbird grabs my head suddenly, forcing it into her chest, and covers my mouth.
“Stop it! Fucking stop it! Look what you and your… your… cohorts have done to my friend! To me!” Songbird snaps “not only have you taken away the one thing most precious to me, now you’re hellbent on destroying my friend’s sanity and making her willing to do awful things! Well, I won’t let that happen!”
I want to pull away from Songbird and scold her, to tell her how wrong she is. I want to make that deal with that filly and trade Songbird’s life to be with Lemongrass. Perhaps I’ve been too eager. Maybe I need to bide my time a little longer before shedding some light for my dearest friend.
“Aw, and was l looking forward to having a new little helper,” The filly says, chuckling in a mocking tone.
Songbird pulls me to my feet while still keeping my mouth covered and my head in her chest.
“I wonder, I wonder, just how fast these little pigs can run.” The filly says with a sadistic laugh.
The floor in front of us suddenly shatters and erupts into greenish-blue flames.
Songbird screams and takes off in the opposite side of the flames. I quickly grab up the yearbook and follow after Songbird.
The greenish-blue flames seem to follow us as we gallop down the hall. The filly’s sadistic laugh echoes all around us.
“This is all your fault!” I shout at Songbird over the laughter.
“I'm sorry! I was only trying to protect you!” Songbird shouts back “I've already lost one pony I care deeply about and I'm not about to lose another!”
Songbird and I essentially skid sideways around the corner and continue galloping away from the relentless flames behind us. A flight of stairs leading to the second and first floors is quickly approaching, but before we can reach them, about a foot or so away, the floor in front of us once again shatters, leaving a gaping hole in its wake.
Songbird jumps into the air and utilizes her wings to glide over the hole and clear it with ease. I, on the other hoof, attempt to jump to the other side. I barely manage to grab the edge of the floor to prevent from falling into the hole. I struggle a bit to pull myself up, but with help from Songbird, I manage to make it up before the flames behind us engulf my rear end.
Without hesitation, Songbird and I continue to make our escape. We make it to the second floor with the flames still in hot pursuit. More greenish-blue flames erupt onto the second floor, forcing Songbird and I to continue down to the first floor.
As we approach the bottom, I take a shortcut by jumping over the railing. I look up and wait as Songbird follows my lead. Together, we make our way through the first floor to the exit. The flames are now half a foot behind us and the gap is slowly getting smaller.
As we approach the exit, I notice it's an entirely different one, mostly due to the plaque on the wall that says, “Exit To Wing 3”. The exit where Songbird and I were first united had a plaque that said, “Exit To Wing 1”.
The door to this exit, which was less than two feet away, was partially open and the gap was wide enough for only one of us to go through at a time.
“Who goes first?!’ Songbird questions in a panicked tone.
The door was now a mere half a foot away.
“Me, bitch!” I sneer sadistically as I hip-check Songbird as hard as I can.
Songbird lets out a loud yelp of surprise as she falls hard to the floor. I laugh sadistically as I make it out the door and close it behind me.
I hear Songbird let out a wail of pain as I gallop down the walkway.
***
This place… it smells like a combination of rot and must, and looks decades old. It seems to be an old elementary school. To add to the eeriness the lingers within halls, the air feels thick and cold.
School… it seems just a short while ago, my students and I left ours to go to a Canterlot museum. We made it to the museum but there was this… earthquake and… I can't remember what happened after that. Then, I woke up here in some classroom all alone.
My students have to be somewhere in here. I imagine they must be worried and scared. As both their teacher and friend, it's my duty to protect them and keep them safe. I just hope I can find them in time before anything bad can happen.
As I pass by a set of restrooms, I hear what unmistakably sounds like Mieng’s voice comforting his sister Yieng.
“Hello?” I call out “Mieng? Yieng?”
The only response I'm given is the eerie silence inside of this school. I trot up to the bathrooms and listen hard. I hear Mieng's voice again, as well as the unrecognizable voices of another young stallion and a young mare.
As I approach the filly’s room, I can feel the presence of multiple ponies, like they're gathering outside of the bathroom, but nopony is there. Just empty space.
“... know you probably don't want to go back, but we have no choice,” a young mare’s voice says.
“If it's for the sake of my sister, I have no problem with going back to the nurse's office,” Mieng's voice says.
“Her neck looks so bad. I'm glad we got here when we did,” a young stallion’s voice says.
“I'm glad I was able to help save your sister,” the voice that says this sounds like it belongs to an adult mare.
A cold draft of air sweeps over me as the conversation of voices fades back into silence.
‘Her neck looks bad’? 'Able to save your sister’? Did something happen to Yieng?
My heart sinks into the pit of my stomach at the thought of one of my students, even Cloudbreaker’s sister, being injured.
I have to find them. I have to keep them safe. I'll find them, and then we'll all leave out of here together and go home. I stomp the ground with a hoof of determination. Swiftly, I turn around and begin to walk away from the restrooms.
“You’re such a liar,” the voice of young stallion says bitterly. It's a completely different voice, not like the one that was conversing with Mieng.
“You say you care about your students, but the truth is, the only reason you want to find them is so that when you leave, having them there will save face and make you seem like a hero,” Another voice of a young stallion says in a similar bitter tone.
“What?” I question as I look around me.
There's nopony in sight, yet these voices accusing me of being uncaring towards my students are crystal clear as if they were right beside me.
“Oh, don't play dumb, bitch,” the first voice says “you know you don't give two shits about your students. Every teacher is the same. They’re selfish and ignorant, and only care about those fat corporate checks.”
“First of all, you're very wrong. I care about all of my students that I teach, and I equally care about the ones that I don't,” I say in a stern yet caring tone “and secondly, teachers don't get paid as much as you’re implying. It's a rather meager sum that I get paid. You say I don't care about my students? Then how come I sacrifice eight hours a day teaching, three and half more planning lessons and grading papers, and the better half of my weekends and time off planning even more lessons and grading assignments? Even during the summer, when I should be taking the time off to relax, I'm making preparations for the next school year. If that's not love and care towards my students, then I'll be damned to know what is.”
“Do you hear her?” The second voice questions with a raspy laugh “this bitch is ignorant as hell.”
“That's that corporate policy kicking in,” the first voice snickers “she's gotta pretend like she cares so she can get paid.”
“While policy does say we have to be somewhat optimistic about our job and can't talk horribly of the school board, we do have the right to make complaints, leave bad reviews and share our thoughts and discuss with them our students,” I say, retaining my stern yet caring tone “so if I didn't like my job and didn't care for it or my students and coworkers, I truthfully would quit and I wouldn't continue teaching. But I love my students, my job and most of my coworkers, and I care for all of them equally. I don't teach for my sake, I do it on behalf of the students.”
The two voices laugh at me and continue with their banter of insults and mockery, as well as accusing me of being a heartless, unsympathetic teacher. I do my best to stay calm and caring yet also stern as I stand my ground and defend myself and prove the falsehood of their statements. As the conversation draws on, the harshness and crudely attitudes and statements grow more and more to the point that every word they speak is filled with bitterness, hatred, and anger.
The creativeness and complexity of their insults seem to grow with every word spoken and seem to echo within my skull. Nothing I say sways them from their cruel point of view but only further fuels their accusations.
My heart begins to pound hard in my chest as a sinking feeling churns in the pit of my stomach. My body suddenly begins to feel as if it were set ablaze. Every inch of my body burns and my blood feels as if it's beginning to boil. My vision becomes blurry from both pain and tears and begins to turn red. Every muscle, every bone and every nerve in my body aches as if they're being crushed by a seven-ton elephant. I feel as if I'm being incinerated yet also crushed to death.
“No! Stop! Please!!” I beg as I hold my head.
“Aw, look! She's begging!” The first voice laughs.
“Let's make her beg more!” The second sneers.
I continue to beg and plead with the voices to stop, but it seems that the more I beg, the worse off the pain is.
“No! No! Please!” I beg “I'm a good teacher! I'm a good pony! I care about my students! I care!!”
The voices only laugh at and mock me as I cry out in pain.
“No…!”
“Noo…!”
“NooOO…!”
“NOOOOOOO! STOP IT! STOP IT!”
“LEAVE ME ALONE! STOP IT, YOU'RE HURTING ME!”
My pleads and cries echo loudly in the halls.
“Ms. Surprise?” A familiar voice questions.
Hearing the familiar voice seems to end the pain engulfing my body and banish the insulting voices. I sit up and look for the voice.
Behind me is one of my best students, a young earth pony mare named Wysteria Belles.
“Wysteria!” I exclaim with a sigh of relief “I'm so glad to see you're unharmed and safe!”
“Are you okay, Ms. Surprise? You sounded like you were in trouble,” Wysteria says.
“Don't worry about me, I'm just fine,” I say with a comforting smile “have you seen any of your classmates?”
“I've seen Songbird Sforzando and Lifeline,” Wysteria says, her eyes filled with sorrow.
“Where are they?” I question.
Tears well up in Wysteria's eyes.
“They’re… Th-they’re d-dead,” Wysteria says, breaking out into a sob “oh, Ms. Surprise, it's awful! Just awful! This angry ghost attacked us and i-it impaled Lifeline on a flagpole! Th-then it chased us inside a-and lit the place on fire! Greenish-blue flames were ev-everywhere! We ran and ran, but when we came to the exit, the flames were so close and the… the door was partially opened to where only one of us could g-get out at a time! Songbird… sh-she let me go first and I went as quickly as I could but it was too late! When I turned around, I saw the flames swallow h-her whole!”
“Wh-what??” I question in disbelief as I stand up.
No! No, that can’t be true! Two of my students… dead?! If only I had been there… I would’ve been able to protect them…
I… I can’t give up! The others, they’re still alive and well, right? I have to hope for the best a-and find them as soon as possible! I have to protect them!
“I… I tried to save Lifeline, but the ghost knocked me unconscious!” Wysteria sobs “and Songbird… sh-she sacrificed herself so that I could escape!”
I canter up to Wysteria and pull her into a tight hug. She buries her face into my neck and continues to sobs. I do my best to comfort her until she stops crying.
“I wanna go home,” Wysteria mumbles.
“Don’t worry, sweetie, I promise me, you and the others will make it out and go home together,” I say in the most comforting tone I can muster “I’ll protect you, I promise.”
Wysteria looks at the floor and mumbles something incoherent.
“Did you say something?” I question.
Wysteria looks up at me with a reassuring smile on her face.
“It’s nothing, Ms. Surprise,” Wysteria answers “we should probably get going, though.”
“Right,” I say with a smile “let’s find the others and get out of here.”
Wysteria nods and gestures for me to lead the way. With a new found resolution in my heart, I lead Wysteria through the twisting, rotting corridors of this elementary school from hell.
As we walk, I keep a close eye on Wysteria to make sure no harm comes to her. She’s shaking, but I can’t tell if it’s from the coldness of the hallway, witnessing two of her friends die or both. From time to time, I catch small, odd smiles and fleeting glimpses of something I can’t quite pinpoint on her face.
My head still aches from earlier. If Wysteria hadn’t shown up when she did, I surely would’ve perished. I’m not angry at those… spirits… that attacked me. Honestly, I feel bad for them. For them to harbor such feelings toward a teacher, they must’ve been treated horribly.
If there’s one thing I can’t stand, it’s teachers who are rude and awful towards their students and don’t take their job seriously. There’s no point in becoming a teacher if you don’t like working with children and young adults.
The displeasure of bad teachers must’ve shown on my face.
“Just thinking is all,” I answer with a reassuring answer.
“About what?” Wysteria asks.
“About something that happened earlier,” I reply “but it’s nothing to worry your pretty little head over.”
Wysteria gives me a skeptical look but nods her head in understanding. There’s this odd gleam in her eyes whenever she looks at me, but I can’t tell what it is exactly. Something about it makes me uneasy, but maybe it’s just my imagination combined with shot nerves.
Silence looms over us once again as we walk.
***
It feels as if Wysteria and I have been walking for hours on end in this wretched maze of a school. We’ve checked every classroom, closet, and office we’ve come across, yet we’ve found nothing, only more questions with no answers.
A gnawing sensation of hunger torments my stomach with the occasional loud grumble. We’ve been here long enough for the gloomy sky outside to turn pitch black. It must be getting close to dinner time by now. I imagine my cats, Oreo and Custard, and my dog, Bear, must be starving. I Imagine Wysteria’s hungry as well. Now that I mention it, I believe I packed an apple and a couple of granola bars in my saddlebags.
I stop and dig around in my saddlebags for the snacks. I take out a green apple and hold it out towards Wysteria.
“Here. I imagine you’re probably hungry, so you can have this apple,” I say “I also have a couple of granola bars if you’re still hungry after the apple.”
Wysteria grabs the apple and takes a big bite out of it.
“Thanks, teach,” Wysteria says with her mouth full.
“You’re welcome,” I say with a warm smile “I’m hungry too, but I want to make sure you get to eat before I do.”
There’s a small moment of silence before Wysteria breaks it.
“Oreo still getting his exercise and on that diet?” Wysteria asks.
She’s referring to Oreo’s weight loss diet. I got Oreo from the shelter a few weeks ago. When I got him, he was overweight and partially blind due to minor cataracts. I had the cataracts removed a couple of days ago, though.
“Mmhm, he’s doing very well,” I reply “he’s lost four and a half pounds so far. Custard keeps him busy on top of his daily exercise regimen. She can’t get enough of her furry big brother.”
“And what about Bear?” Wysteria questions.
“She’s doing good too,” I answer “she’s still learning to get used to Oreo, but otherwise they’re getting along great.”
Wysteria nods as she munches on the apple.
“I totally beat Raspberry Punch in the relay swim race yesterday,” the small voice of a diva-sounding filly says, her high pitched voice filled with pride “you should’ve been there to see the look on her face!”
“You did?” the voice of another filly questions in a softer but equally as diva-like voice “oh, I wish I could’ve seen the look of shame she probably had on her face!”
The two voices laugh. I look to Wysteria hoping she hears them too. She has a questioning look on her face, which tells me she does.
“I hear she’s going to be in the annual spelling bee next week with Peach Pear,” the first filly says “but there’s no way she’s gonna be the winner of the 1924 spelling bee. You wanna know why?”
“Ooo~ What’d you do, Razzle Dazzle?” the second filly questions.
“I put her notebook in the pool pump house,” the filly, who I assume must be Razzle Dazzle, answers.
“But couldn’t the teacher just give Raspberry another list?” the other filly questions.
“That’s why I also hid the stack of word lists there too, Diamond,” Razzle Dazzle answers “I found everything I could about the words that would be in the spelling bee and hid them all reeeal good in the pump house. Well, Gulch and Peach Top did all the hard work, at least. I just watched and made sure they didn't mess up.”
“Oo~ You’re so smart, Razzle!” the other filly, Diamond (I presume), exclaims.
“I also locked the door and hid the key to classroom 3-9 in the pump room too, just to cause extra mayhem,” Razzle Dazzle says “now, come, Ms. Fractals! We have lots more trouble to cause!”
Ugh! What bullies! If there's one thing I hate more than rude, heartless teachers, it's bullies! Kids bullying other kids, adults bully other adults, adults bullying kids! Hell, even kids bullying adults! I've seen it all and it just burns me to my core!
“Well, you know what that means,” Wysteria says, pulling me from my thoughts “time to go to the pool.”
“What? Why?” I question.
Wysteria gives me a look as if to say, ‘Are you serious?’
“I seriously doubt hearing those two’s conversation was a coincidence,” Wysteria says in an annoyed tone of voice “from what I've seen so far, the spirits here randomly show up and give slightly riddled information.”
“O-oh,” I stutter, completely thrown off by the sudden change in attitude.
Normally, she's super sweet, kind and optimistic, as well as brave, no matter the situation. But now, she seems suddenly different. Those strange, fleeting glimpses and odd smiles on her face… The sudden shift from caring to annoyed in her attitude and tone of voice and the weird gleams in her eyes whenever she looks at me… Something isn't quite right with Wysteria. Maybe it's just the overwhelming stress of the situation taking its toll on her sweet, patient personality? Yeah! That has to be it, right? Why else would such a normally sweet, caring individual sudden act so annoyed and just... different... altogether?
I shake my head and force a smile onto my face. Wysteria simply rolls her eyes in response to my smile.
“You don't know a damn thing about this place do you, Ms. Surprise?” Wysteria sneers in an even more annoyed tone.
“N-no, not really,” I answer, completely taken aback by the rudeness of her tone.
Wysteria rolls her eyes as she sighs and facehoofs.
“Try to keep up, teach,” Wysteria mumbles in a tone that makes it seem like I should know what she's talking about.
Wysteria explains all of what she's learned and knows about this place, Riverpine Elementary School. By the time she stops talking, I feel as if I've sat through one of my own lectures.
“Got all that?” Wysteria questions. Giving me no time to answer, she says, “Good, because I’m not repeating myself.”
At this point, her sudden shift in attitude and personality is nagging at the back of my mind and has me concerned. Do I bring it up? Or let it be? I mean… if something’s wrong, she’ll tell me eventually, right? Or perhaps she's not actaully… No. No, I-I can’t say such things about my students. I have no place to say such things.
“Do you want to keep leading, Ms. Surprise?” Wysteria questions, returning to her normal, sweet personality “or would you like me to?”
“I- uh… er, I-I’ll lead,” I stutter, taken aback by the sudden switch to normalcy “if something bad happens, I want to be the one catch the brunt of it all.”
Wysteria looks at the floor and mumbles something incoherent under breath once again.
“Something the matter?” I question, raising an eyebrow.
Wysteria looks up and gives me an innocent smile as she shakes her head. I give her a doubtful look but let it alone. Without uttering another word, I continue to lead the two of us through this wretched school.
***
“Hey, Ms. Surprise,” Wysteria calls out “come look at this.”
I trot over to where Wysteria is standing and look at the plaque on the wall she’s pointing to.
“The pool is just up ahead then,” I say “that’s good.”
“Then we can get the key, come back inside and stumble around in the partial dark until we find classroom 3-9,” Wysteria says.
“Right,” I say with a small chuckle “whatever is in there must be important, so the faster we get what we need, go there and get whatever, and keep searching for the others, the better.”
Wysteria nods her head in agreement and gestures for me to lead on. I turn around and trot off down the hall, my student following closely behind.
Three minutes pass by before we finally find the entrance to the pool. As soon as I cross the threshold and enter what appears to be the shower-locker room, an uneasy feeling roots itself deep into the pit of my stomach.
The floor has changed from dark, hole-riddled wood to chipped and severely cracked grey-dark grey checkered concrete tile. The walls and ceiling are concrete and equally cracked and chipped as the floor. Unlike the floor, however, the walls remain a constant grey until about a foot above the floor, where it’s a dark grey color all the way around.
To my immediate right is broken and chipped white ceramic sink with a busted pipe and faucet. Above it is a cracked mirror that is so disgustingly caked with dirt that it no longer reflects anything. Still to my right, just a bit ahead of me is a row of curtainless showers bordered by small concrete bricks, presumably used to keep water from going all over the floor, and a small drain in the center. Five of the six shower pipes appear to be somewhat rusted but in otherwise workable conditions. The second closest pipe to me is badly broken in the middle and dangling by a thread at the ceiling, threatening to fall off at any given moment. At the far end of the showers, there’s a bucket sitting close to the wall on the floor and small drain grate next to that.
To my immediate left is a fallen cubby shelf, devoid of any objects. A piece of it from the bottom left corner to the center is gone. The missing piece, along with some rubble, is in the corner of the room just a bit away. In front of the fallen cubby shelf are four concrete benches with wooden seats broken beyond repair. Trotting into the middle of the room, I’m able to see medium sized drain grates in between each bench. Articles of clothing, varying in sizes, litter the floor around the concrete benches.
Trotting up to the bucket next to the shower, I find that’s it crammed to the point of overflowing with old, stained and discarded swimming trunks and underwear, all twisted up like wrung-out dishrags, and what appears to be strands of dark hair clumped, matted hair. A horrid, putrid smell of ammonia and wet hair. My nose crinkles as I cover it to keep the pungent odor from assaulting it any further. I back away from the bucket and face Wysteria, who seems to be examining the room.
“Excluding and ignoring the fact this is a haunted school from hell,” I begin “it’s kind of amazing and interesting to see what schools were like back in the 1920’s. I mean, just look at this shower room. Ignoring the fact it’s in total disrepair, you can see just how different shower rooms are in today’s time compared to back then. As both a history teacher and history nut in general, I find this a rather exciting experience. Well, excluding all of the death, the time I almost probably died myself and whatnot.”
“Today, shower and locker rooms are divided by sex, y’know, male and female,” Wysteria says, sharing the sentiments as I “but back then, as evident by this room, both genders shared one place to shower and change. It’s certainly funny yet also awe-striking how times change isn’t, Ms Surprise?”
“It certainly is,” I say with a large grin on my face “when we get back home, I’ll certainly have to add this to lesson plan for when we reach this time period.” “Oh, please do,” Wysteria says with an equally large grin “just, erm, exclude the part about… you know… this place in particular. Ponies would think you’ve lost your mind or that you’re on some kind of weird acid trip if you did.”
She has a good point. I could very well lose my job if I did, and I love teaching! It’s my passion and I know I would be devastated if I was unable to do it ever again.
“Right,” I say with a small, sad sigh “I suppose we’ll all have to keep about what happened to us, won’t we? We’d all get thrown into a nut house, for sure.”
“More than likely,” Wysteria says “but with how horrible this place is and how we’ve lost a couple of those dear to us, how would we be able to cope if we didn’t spill our guts?”
Yet another good point.
“Perhaps there is a way we could cope and spill our guts to the world about the whole situation without them thinking we’re looney,” I say with a hopeful smile.
“Oh? What do you mean?” Wysteria questions.
“We could write a book about it,” I answer “only, replace ourselves with made up characters.”
“Ah, I see,” Wysteria says “that would be a neat and interesting way to cope. For the two of us, or rather me, at least. I can’t really say the same for the others, though.”
“That’s true,” I say with a nod of my head “anywho, let’s get back to it, shall we?”
“Lead the way, o’ mighty fearless leader,” Wysteria says with a wave of her hoof and a comical bow.
I let out a small laugh at her comment as I turn and trot towards the exit. Upon stepping over the threshold, I’m greeted by light rainfall, chainlink fences on either side of me with ‘Lifeguard On Duty’ and ‘No Running’ signs bolted in place, as well as a small set of stairs leading up to the pool. With Wysteria close behind me, I trot up the steps and get a better view of the pool area.
Chainlink completely fences in the entirety of the pool area. In some places, the fence is either broke or entirely missing. To our left, there’s a large hole preventing us from more easily getting to the other side where, presumably, the pump house is located, which means taking the long way if we want to get that key.
The ground around the pool is made of the same checkered concrete tiling as the shower room, equally as chipped and cracked but more heavily weathered. The end of the pool closest to us is lined with broken diving boards. The end of the side of the pool closest us to has a large, weather-worn pump with large, red rusted valve on top. The pool itself is filled with dark greenish-grey murky water. Various debris float atop, gently bobbing in the water as the rain pelts the surface. Two ladders are attached to the side of the pool in different places.
“The water’s disgusting,” Wysteria says “they should fire the janitor or whoever it is that cleans the pool. They’ve clearly not been doing their job.”
“And whoever does the repair too,” I say “they’ve not been doing their job either.”
The two of us laugh and make our way around the pool. The ground is a little slick from the rain pelting down on us. Outside the fences, I can barely make out the shape of a forest.
I turn the edge of the pool and begin to make my way across, now at the farthest end from the steps. About halfway, I feel something grab my rear left leg and tug hard on it. I let out a yelp of surprise as I look down at my leg. This slimy, dark greenish-black tentacle-like object has a firm grip on my leg. Three more slimy tentacle-like objects shoot out of the water at a lightning fast speed and wraps itself around my neck, right fore and back leg. Without warning, I’m suddenly yanked into the murky water. Putrid water enters my mouth as I attempt to scream.
I thrash hard and manage to grab the side of the pool, but before I can completely pull myself out of the pool and the grasp of whatever in the hell’s got me, I’m yanked back in. Before I’m submerged again, I grab Wysteria’s leg and hold onto it for dear life. However, Wysteria seems to shake off my hold on her leg rather than help me out of the pool.
Holding my head higher out of the water, I see Wysteria’s normally sweet and innocent face twisted to that of an angry, murderous psychopath.
“Let go of me!!” Wysteria sneers as she attempts to yank her leg out of my grasp “I. Said. Let. GO!!”
Wysteria partially faces her rear to me and bucks me in the face were the back leg. Despite this, I refuse to let go and tighten my grip on her leg. I feel something warm trickle out of my nose as Wysteria kicks me in the face a second, third and finally fourth time before I finally let go of her leg.
I feel more of those slimy, cold tentacles wrap around my muzzle, neck and all four of my legs as they pull me further into the depths of the murky pool. I can feel the nasty pool water filling up my lungs as I’m held under the water. Just as I believe I’m done for, the tentacles release me and I’m able to swim to the surface. I take in a big gulp of air before immediately coughing and sputtering as I wearily climb out of the pool.
Defeated, both exhausted and in much pain, I lay on the side of the pool on my side, coughing and sputtering as if there was no tomorrow. Wysteria… she… she wanted me to die! Those words she mumbled under breath, that weird look in her ears every time she looked at me, those odd smiles and weird looks on her face… She wanted me to die from the very beginning, didn’t she?! I bet no ghost actually killed Lifeline or that a weird fire killed Songbird for that matter! Wysteria… She killed them, didn’t she?! All this time, we all thought, I thought, Wysteria was this sweet, innocent young mare who’d never hurt a fly, but really, she’s a-a… psychopath! A Murderer! A devious liar! When I gather my strength, she’s in for it! Teacher or not, I’ll give her a piece or two of my mind! I don’t care if I lose my job!
As if on cue, Wysteria’s forelegs come into my point of view. I look up to see Wysteria wielding a broken piece of pipe in her mouth with sharp, jagged edges at the end. A large, psychotic grin is spread across her face. She has this murderous, joyful gleam in her baby blue eyes.
My eyes widen in fear at the sudden realization of Wysteria’s intentions with that jagged pipe.
“NO!!” I scream as I try to back away “NO!! STAY AWAY!!”
Wysteria erupts to into a psychotic, howling laughter.
“What?! Drowning wasn’t good enough for you, you pathetic excuse of a fucking pony?!” Wysteria barks into between her howling laughter “No matter!! I’ll just... KILL YOU MYSELF!!”
I struggle to stand. My legs are weak from the amount of time I went without oxygen beneath the murky surface of the pool.
“STAY AWAY FROM ME!!” I scream “OR… OR I’LL-”
“Or you’ll what?!” Wysteria interrupts, spitting the pipe into her right hoof “send me to detention?! Give me an F on my next exam?! Call my parents and tell them what a naughty young mare I’ve been?! HAHAHA!! Sorry, deary, but you’re being put on a permanent, unpaid vacation!!”
My legs give out from underneath me and I collapse to the ground as Wysteria shouts her belligerent insults towards me. I wearily hold my head up and watch as she comes closer and closer to me.
I… I give up. I give up trying to get away, to fight to stay alive. My end goal in life was to always make others, particularly my students, happy in life and to put a smile on their faces. So... I change my mind. I take back what I had said earlier about her. I-if killing me makes this particular student happy, then… I see no reason to fight the inevitable. I was doomed to die here from the start, I feel it my guts. It’s probably something stupid and cliche to say but… I mean it. I’ve a had good run if life and my last moments will be of me being with one of my best students, somepony I care deeply about, despite the fact she’s the one ending my life.
Wysteria... if it makes you happy... do it.
“Aw, no more tiny, insignificant pleas for me to let you alone, little whore?” Wysteria questions in a mocking tone “have you given up? How pathetic! Wasn’t it you who told me to never give up, no matter the situation? Tch, what a hypocrite!”
“I-I have given up,” I say with a genuinely happy-yet-sad smile “I’ve given up on trying to get away from the inevitable. I’ve always told myself that, at the end of it all, my goal in life was to make everypony around me in life happy and to put a smile on their faces, especially my students. So, if killing me truly makes you happy, then... do it! I’ve had a good run in life thus far and I’ll be spending my last breaths with one my best and favorite students, even if she’s the one depriving me of life.”
My sentimental statement takes Wysteria aback, as evident by the bewildered look on her face. The bewilderment doesn’t last long, however, before the psychotic, murderous look returns.
“Getting all sappy and lovey-dovey on me won’t save your life,” Wysteria sneers “but it’s good, yet also a little sad, that my poor, wet and pathetic little plaything won’t fight back.”
I know earlier I was angry at her for wanting me to die. I know I was angry and wanted to yell at her and perhaps even get into a scrap with her, but now… now I no longer hold any resentment or ill will towards Wysteria. I really do take it all back. In fact, one could say that I’m… happy. To some degree, at least.
Without uttering another word, Wysteria raises the pipe high into the air above her head and brings it down hard against my own. The sharp, cold metal pierces my skin directly in my left eye and I instantly feel blood gush from the wound. A wave of pain washes over my head as my vision flickers red momentarily and an involuntary yelp of pain escapes of my lips. Wysteria breaks out into psychotic laughter again as she removes the metal from my skin and brings it back down again, and again, and again until my left is the same consistency as the water in the pool and I can no longer see out of it. I can feel the warm blood running down my face and dripping onto my hooves.
Without warning, Wysteria kicks my head as hard as she can, which sends me flying onto my back. She stands over me and proceeds to puncture my skull, the area of my forehead, repeatedly with the broken pipe until, with a resounding, sickening crack, my skull gives way to the pipe, allowing it to penetrate and shred my grey matter. Wysteria repeatedly jabs my brain until she’s satisfied that I’ll die shortly after her forceful stabs and blows end. She stabs the metal pipe deep into my chest and I can feel it penetrate one my lungs. Almost immediately, I can feel the blood rushing into it, making breathing just that much more laborious.
Wysteria leaves the pipe in my chest. As my vision blurs and begins to fade, as waves of unbearable pain wash over me and gurgles, chokes and sputters leave my throat and lips, I hear Wysteria walk away, still laughing that… that... beautiful... psychotic laughter. A small, happy smile spreads across my face as everything fades into complete silence and stillness.
