Silence was somewhat settling for you as you limped through the hall. You used the little light up ahead and your eyes low adaption to lead you through the wide hallway. What floor you were on? You had no clue or any other way in figuring it out. Maybe there was a map lying around or nailed to the wall that told you where you were, but so far, you could not find one or see one for obvious reasons. You were relieved that you, yet again survived, but not so happy that your body suffered the madman’s harm done upon you.

You could feel your body yearning for sleep, causing your vision to become dizzy, preventing any chance of you from seeing what was up ahead. But you continued on, using the wall next to you as leverage as you continued down the ominous-quiet hall. But your body’s condition was winning this fight. You decided to subdue to it, but first you had to find a place safe to rest in. By luck, you hope to be so true; you stumbled into a room that appeared to be a janitor’s closet. You sighed in relief, closing the door quietly and pushing a cart full of heavy books in front of it.

When you were sure that would prevent anything from entering into the small supply room, you glanced around for any open spot to rest on. You found a nice clear spot next to a broken desk and lay on the cold cement. Once you were in a somewhat comfortable position, you closed your eyes and awaited sleep to gain its mysterious grasps upon you. Time was slipping by, the darkness was not so different, but the voices in this darkness…they sounded familiar. They only made you confuse so far…so far.

“You’re always nervous. I can see why you were taken out of school, huh. You weren’t so social with the other kids, except me. I guess because we were raised in the same place after they brought you here. I don’t know what made me so, magnetic, that you attracted towards me.”

Her voice, the sound of her voice was soothing.

“Hey, don’t take all the credit. I’m the special one here, too. After all, we’re siblings technically since we stuck together the longest in that damn fuckin’ place.”

His voice, the sound of his voice was protective.

“Now, listen here, Muck Stone…that place at least cater to all of us when we needed it the most. All those nuns did their damn best to see we were given the proper education and healthy meals as well as treatments. Now, you don’ have to hate’em for taking good care of us, you trouble maker.”

She brought you happiness.

“Whatever, Jade, I’m statin’ my own damn opinion. All those brats picked on you two and it was up to me to fix’em heads back to place. Fuckin’ brats had it comin’.”

He brought you safety.

“Look…let’s just be glad the three of us were adopted. I heard this family is very royal and stuff, so that means we are goin’ to be all royal, too, so act on yur best behavior.”

You opened your mouth, you could have sworn you did, but no words came out.

“Whatever, you should be askin’ the anti-social one over there. Been quiet the entire ride. What, cat got your tongue or you just too happy to speak?”

You heard the sound of a vehicle stopping and soon the sound of doors opening. A sudden gasp escaped Jade’s mouth and an amused or impressed whistle escaped the lips of Muck. You, however, still remained mute, being the listener of this dark dream.

“My Celestia, ain’t it big?!”

“So what, it’s just the same size as that crappy orphanage. Nothin’ different but fixed wood and stuff.”

“You just don’t have a taste in art. Look, they even got a fountain full of water!”

“Yeah, and I bet’em got a sewer full of shit.”

“You Manehatten kids are always so vulgar.”

“And y’all Lunorida runts are, too.”

Their argument continued, but you felt all too safe and happy around them. They were your family. Though, not related by blood, but people you can call siblings. Sometimes, you can even consider them your parents. Muck would always return toys from you that he stole from toy stores so perfectly well and teach you how to play poker and pickpocket. Jade would teach you manners and respect for other’s well-being. While the nuns taught you, which you were not so mentally kept up, she would come to your aid. Whenever the boys and girls picked on you for your abnormal behavior, Muck would come to protect you. He would even take beatings from the nuns for you. Even if they were simply discipline than you can consider beatings. But that was his perspective of it.

“Look’em royal folks are comin’. I bet they’re our new parents!”

“Or our new bosses for the rest of our life. Oh well, I don’t mind workin’ my ass off for these scruffs.”

“Scruffs? What made you call’em that?”

“Nothin’, Jade, nothin’.”

Soon, silence sank its way into the darkness of your dream or what you were hearing from it. But something strange came of it. Why were you listening to them? Why couldn’t you see them? What purpose was it, that made you have a dream full of darkness but with words and sound effects like the motor of the vehicle you were in running and rustling sound of a leather seat. What was the purpose?

“Remember…you’re not so innocent than you think you are.”

A grown man’s voice that was rough and terrifying sent chills down your back as you saw a flash of light shine before your eyes. You looked around in terror, finding that you were no longer in the janitor’s closet but in the middle of a dilapidated hallway. The floor made of wood was breaking apart along with the peeling white paint on the wall. Parts of the ceiling broke away and all you saw were pipes leading into darkness. You were now afraid, for you remember this place; this hell that you escaped, but also this safe haven that you stood in since you were young.

“We all know why you are here.”

You did not understand him, but you had no time to even question this strange voice in the air for you were suddenly grab from behind and toss forward. You grunted in pain once your body crashed into the wood. When you looked back to who had thrown you, there he was. The Tall Man from the elevator and from the time he threw you up the stairs. You struggled up from the ground, stumbling backwards, but regaining your footing. Your heart raced as you tried to think of way to get away from him. With obvious intentions, you turned around and took your steps forward, preparing to run, but the floor beneath you broke away and you fell down wooden stairs. Soon, the stairs became flat, causing you to slide down onto a flat slant surface of water that carried you down.

You screamed in terror as you watched spikes of metal coming down from the ceiling and to your left and right. You noticed how the ceiling was only but pitch black darkness and the areas beyond the metal spikes were buildings familiar looking to the ones located in Ponyville. What caught your attention, however, was unavoidable when you fell off the slanted water slide crashing through a window and into a room, rolling on the ground until you collided against the wall. You coughed out blood, groaning in pain as you got up from the ground. You looked around and held your mouth in terror.

Your eyes widened and your body trembled. Before you lied hanging corpses tied into large plastic bags drenched in fresh warm blood that sent off a strong iron scent. Four bodies hung from their feet from the ceiling, dangling around as the room you were win was a shed. You started to back away, starting to feel the memories of this tragic scene flood back into you. No, you couldn’t stay here, you had to leave immediately.

Once you turned around, facing the exit, you gasped seeing it was sealed up with barbed wire nailed to the wall. The walls around you started close in, sliding against the wooden ground. You struggled in looking for the exit, but you found none, the best you could have done in your mind was head towards the window that had been sealed up instantly with barbed wires. Soon, the walls stopped, causing your confusion to sprout out in frightening speed, before it sky-rocketed once hands covered in scorch marks burst from below, grabbing your ankles and forcing you to the ground. You cried out in pain, struggling to break free from the stranger’s grasp. When you looked back, you gasped, spotting the man that injected the strange liquid inside of your body.

Blood dripped down on your head, causing you to look up and stare in horror as hands pushed out from the plastic cover, drenched in blood. When the hands emerged from the plastic covering, Pinkamena’s head came out covered in stains of blood, grinning at you. When she stopped, she grabbed the sides of your head and licked her lips.

“The worst is yet to come. You can never cross this sacred line, you who is cursed.” Once she said those words, you screamed in terror as darkness swallowed you up after she came down with her mouth wide open revealing large sharp shards of teeth.

You woke up breathing heavily as sweat rolled down your face. You looked around finding yourself still in the janitor’s room. The clock you spotted on the wall was not working however, so it was a mystery if it was day time or how long you were asleep. The dream world was always slow when it came to real-life time. You struggled up to the ground and felt the pain you experienced from before, had faded away allowing you a comfortable rest. You wiped the sweat of your forehead before moving up to the barricade. Once you moved it out of the way, you stopped to look at your bandaged hand.

They needed to be change. They weren’t healing yet, but you were sure they would be in a few days or so. When you opened the door, you peeked into the hall and glanced left and right, seeking for an exit. Remembering that you were heading down the hallway from your left, you exited the room and crept. Wherever you were going, you prayed it lead you closer to the exit.

Author's Notes:

No matter how many times I went over this, I still feel that this chapter alone was simply mediocre. I will allow you to tell me if you do not mind because something about it just felt off.