Felix stumbled to the ground in a daze. The last couple of hours were a complete blur. Haunting images would sporadically cross over his mind, slowly reminding him of the hell he’s now leaving behind. His first thought was to go to the police. There was no way he could explain any of this, but for some reason his first reaction was to go somewhere - maybe they could just come here and confirm that it’s a normal house, nothing more. They could put his mind at ease and he could go home, live a normal life with-

Then he remembered. The dirt under his feet slipped around him as Felix tore back to the house. Belle. Belle was in there. As he ran, Felix swore under his breath as he reached the door. He tried the knob, but no use. With both hooves he pounded on the door, screaming Belle’s name. Nothing. His hooves were red and burning, and David slumped to his haunches, hooves dragging down the door as he went. After a few moments, Felix felt his eyes sting. He had left her in there. The mare he loved went in to save him, and took his place. He had to find a way in. There had to be another way in. Felix got back up with renewed energy, but before he could move a letter materialized in front of him.

It was Onyx Masquerade. Maybe he could help.

-Hey, Felix. You alright? Haven’t heard from you in a while.

-onyx - celestia - where are you

-I’m in the House. I went in to find you. I told you not to go.

-its passed now whatever but onyx i need to get back in - do you know how

-Go around back - there’s an oak next to the house with a trap door at its base. Go through there, it’s a service entrance.

-what why the buck would this place need a service entrance

-Just get to the tree. I’m trying to help you.

Felix didn’t have time to ask anything more. He took off running down the porch to the other end of the house, leaping over the side rail and landing in an awkward pile below. He could see the tree wasn’t far, or maybe it was - it was so big the depth perception was hard to figure. And was that even there before? Yeah, he had other shit on his mind earlier, and who really takes notice of tress, but this one - it was massive. He ran up to the side and there it was - a small, wooden door on the ground below it, like one of those old cellar doors houses used to have leading into their basements. Felix looked around him and behind his back, and he wasn’t even sure why he did. He just had one of those feelings. Shaking it off, Felix yanked on the handle. The rusted hinges groaned in protest, but after a few hard pulls, it gave way and revealed the darkness below. With a heavy sigh, Felix slowly made his way down.

Celestia, it was dark. But soon Felix was hit with a smell that put the darkness to shame. It was like burnt hair covered in shit and mold. He spit onto the ground - he could bucking taste that smell. Felix scanned the room. Next to him was a table with a flashlight on it. He turned it on. It wasn't as bright as he had hoped. It wasn’t much, but he was at least able to see the surrounding walls. Looking around in the dim light, Felix noticed something strange. He hadn’t been in too many underground tunnels, to be fair, but he assumed the walls would be dirt, mud, or something like that. He couldn’t quite see what it was, but it wasn’t anything hoof-made, or that could pass as dirt. Curiosity got the better of him, and with his flashlight outstretched he went up to one of the side walls. He had to get close to see it, with the phone almost touching the wall. Felix’s eyes grew wide. No. Can’t- With his other hoof, Felix prodded at the wall. It gave a bit, but was solid. He was reminded of the smell, and now knew its origin. It was flesh. The walls of this tunnel were covered in burnt skin. Felix moved the light a few inches and followed the light. He saw areas where different skins were sewn together with some rough metallic string, almost like cooper wire. One section made his stomach turn over on itself. It was a face. The face of a mare, stretched out and elongated, with the eyes and mouth sewn shut. The nose was removed, and the hole that was left behind was sutured as well. Maybe it was the smell, or the sight of this but Felix couldn’t take it. With a lurch, he turned to the side and vomited on the ground.

The tunnel went on for ages. What was most likely only a few minutes felt like hours to Felix. He had to get inside and save Belle. Nothing else mattered. Onyx was a friend of his, but if it came down to it, Belle was the first to save. Onyx could rot in there if need be. Then again, he was the one that told him about this path. Felix’s mental debate ceased after something from behind touched him. With a start he spun around and was face to face with nothing. Confused, Felix brought his light up and reached out into the blackness. Nothing. Nothing, except a wall. A wall that wasn’t there two minutes ago, rank and covered in flesh. Felix screamed and pounded on the wall in front of him, and it gave only slightly. The hall was shrinking. Trapping him in as he walked. It hit Felix like a train. He was in the service tunnel, but he was in the house. It had him. There as no going back, the house was pulling him in, and it was glad to see him.

Earlier, this may have phased Felix more than it did at that moment. There, in that Tartarus tunnel, Felix barely flinched. He had seen what this place was capable of, and he had witnessed some of the most sanity-testing experiences imaginable. He’d seen it all - or at least he thought. As he walked, Felix could now here the tunnel shrinking in from behind. The grinding, sloshing noise of flesh twisting on itself to seal him in made him feel sick again, but he only sped up his walking. After a moment, he heard something that made him stop dead in his tracks. It was a voice. A fillies - and it wasn’t Belle’s.

“Why did you come back? WHY DID YOU COME BACK?”

Felix stood there frozen. The voice seemed to come from every where.

“WHY DID YOU COME BACK? WHY?” The screaming was getting closer and Felix braced himself against the back wall. Soon he heard the thudding hoofsteps of somepony running towards him. And then he saw her. A filly, no older than thirteen, running up to him yelling her constant question. Felix was too stunned to react short of just standing there. The filly ran up to him and began to pound on him with her hooves, hard at first, but the weakening - like a spoiled filly hitting the ground when she doesn’t get her way.

“Why, Felix...why did you come back...?” The filly slumped to her haunches in front of him, with one final hit against his leg. Felix stood there in shock, hooves slightly raised and tense. His fear began to ease out of him. She clearly wasn’t a threat, and didn’t seem to be a ghost or anything.

“Hey,” he began, “it’s alright. Who are you?” The filly jumped slightly at his words. Slowly she lifted her head to look at Felix. His heart sank as he saw her face. No eyes. Absolutely no eyes. Blackness. And when she spoke, he could see inside her mouth. No tongue and no teeth, just a void.

“You came to save us...didn’t you?”