What a nuisance. Why does he insist on interfering? If he only spoke with me to exchange pleasantries, even I could bear it. But now he’s sticking his nose into my business just to satisfy his curiosity? That friend is a perfect example of someone who thinks that it’s always good to take an interest in other people’s affairs. He probably thinks that he’s doing me a favor by prying into my personal life.

He couldn’t be more wrong…

If he keeps this up, I might have to find some way to deal with him. Like Alice said, I have to keep my search for Dr. Shadow a secret. He could ruin everything.

I didn’t have time to fully investigate the Shadow residence today. At this rate, it will probably take several days just to go through the study. Alice didn’t believe that I’d find anything to help with the search, but I think there’s still a lot to explore. Who knows what I’ll discover?

The problem is him. He knows about the house now. Will he make things difficult?

“ExCusE ME,” A hair-raising voice calls as I’m about to pass through my gate. Suppressing a shudder, I put on a fake smile and turn to face the writhing mass of rotten flesh that is staring at me with bulging eyes. “GOOD EVeniNg. aRE YOu just GeTtIng hOME?”

“Yes, I am.” Ah, of course. This is my next door neighbor Mr. Cake, a middle-aged baker – I think -- who spends all day at home while his wife works. I haven’t had much contact with him since the accident. Why is he suddenly talking to me now?

“HaVE yoU gOttEN usED to lIVIng alOne?”

“Yes. Thank you for your help.”

“I know it mUSt be vEry dIFFicUlt, bUT yoU’rE still YOuNg. YOU HAVe To tRY to MoVE oN With YOuR lIfE.”

“Yeah…” What is this? Did he stop me just to deliver a lecture?

“WIth SUcH A BIG HOusE, it MUst Be hARD To Take CaRe of EVErytHiNg By YOuRSeLF.”

“Yes, I suppose it is rather difficult.”

“WhY noT hIRE A caRETaker? DIDn’T your fAtHEr have onE?”

“I’m still a student. I can’t afford the expense.”

“I SEe…” The flesh-beast undulates foully, as though it still has something to say. The sight of it is driving me close to the edge.

“EvEN SO, doN’t YOu ThiNk yoU sHOuld at LEasT tEnd TO your yArD? I’d Be HAppY To Help.”.

“No, thank you. I’ll manage on my own.” Now I get it. He’s worried that the unsightliness of my house might diminish the image of his own. Damned snob. I flash a token smile, and then retreat behind the safety of my gate. I can feel Cake’s eyes boring into my back all the way to the front door. Why won’t everyone stay out of my life!? I just want to live together with Alice, alone where no one will ever bother us.

Mr. Cake sighs in annoyance as he watches the neighbor boy retreat into his house. What’s with the attitude? Even while talking, he kept his eyes averted, as if to avoid looking at something repulsive. Has he always been such an unpleasant young man? No, of course not. When his parents were still alive, he had been a normal youth – a little shy, but sensitive and caring. The unfamiliarity of living alone must be causing him undue stress. If this continues, he might start to develop some serious mental problems. Or is it too late already, Mr. Cake wonders as he gazes wearily at Shining Armor’s yard.

Even during dinner, Mr. Cake can’t shake the neighboring house from his mind.

“What’s wrong, honey? You look like something’s bothering you.” Mrs. Cake asked, looking at her husband a bit worried.

“Yeah… I saw the young man from next door today.” Mr. Cake replied, looking over her as he takes a plate of mashed potatoes.

“Shining Armor?”

“I just had to say something about his yard.”

“I know. I wish he’d at least do something about that smell.”

The stink coming from Shining Armor’s house grows worse each day, and the family is at its wits’ end.

“Could there be a dead cat in his bushes? He must notice the smell coming from his own yard.”

“He couldn’t be leaving garbage out there, could he?”

“Surely not.”

“No, I wouldn’t put it past him. Who knows what he’s doing in there all day with the storm shutters closed. What kind of life he’s leading?”

“Did he go crazy?” Carrot Cake, their daughter asked as she leans over her father.

“Now, Carrot Cake, you mustn’t say things like that.”

“But I think he is!” Pound Cake said out loud, as he kept chugging a glass of milk.

“Honestly, with the way things are going, I’m starting to wonder if he’s gone paranoid or something.” Mr. Cake sighs at the thought.

“Will he be alright?”

“Unless he gets help soon, who knows?”

The seconds crawl by, each tick of the clock compounding my agony. When I returned from the Shadow residence, I was greeted by a silent empty home. Alice had vanished without leaving any clue as to her whereabouts.

It isn’t rare for her to go for walks at night. I’ve often gone with her. However, such outings always take place in the middle of the night, when no one is around, and never last for more than two hours.

Right now, it’s five in the morning. Soon the sky will begin to show the first light of dawn. Even if she left right before I returned, she’s still been gone for almost half a day. I can’t sleep. I can only wait in anguish. I tried to distract myself by painting more rooms, but I couldn’t concentrate on the work. If I had known this would happen, I would have left the Shadow house sooner. I wish I hadn’t wasted time on him.

If Alice doesn’t return…

The thought makes me want to tear out my hair. After its long absence, the terror of true loneliness is too much to bear.

At last, the cowbell chimes and Alice’s long-awaited “I’m hone!” rings out from the bottom of the stairs. As I jump out of my bed in relief, all of the stress that has built up through the night is released in a wave that threatens to sweep me off my feet.

“Ahh, so tired,” Alice sighs as she climbs the stairs. “I knew the trip would be hard.”

“Alice! Where have you…” My question trails off as I notice the thick bundles of paper that she’s carrying under her arms. “What are those?”

“Your medical charts and surgery records. I went back to the hospital today.”

Alice drops her bundles on the floor, sending paper flying everywhere, then pulls her favorite cushion over and collapses into it, stretching luxuriously. “You walked all the way back from the hospital in the middle of the night?”

“Sorry,” She says, skillfully gathering the scattered papers together. “I meant to come back sooner, but there were so many files to go through. So I decided to just bring everything. It was so heavy!”

Maybe it’s just the exhaustion, but I don’t understand a word Alice’s saying “What are you planning to do with all this?”

“What do you mean? I’m going to study it, of course,” She replies holding the MRI photograph after another up to the light. “I’ll have plenty of time to go over it here.”

At first I think she’s just playing around, but the occasional mutters of

“Ah, better check this one,”
“Oh, I see,”
“Well, that was silly of them,”

And the like as she separates photos into a growing pile beside her make me think that this might not be a joke after all. “Do you understand this stuff?”

“I learned a lot from Dad!” She flashes me a grin, then returns to the papers. “Hmm… so that’s how it is. No wonder it can’t be fixed.”

“….It can’t?”

“Not by a human doctor.” I can’t tell is she’s being serious. “Even for me, it’ll probably be tough,” She says offhandedly, even as her hands continue to shuffle papers. “I’ll have to experiment first.”

Watching more closely, I realize that her eyes are scanning each page rapidly – so rapidly, in fact, that I was unable to notice it at first. Is it possible that Alice, a young girl, is actually reading my charts?

“Hey, Alice.”

“Yeah?” she answers coolly, looking up from the charts.

“I’m tired. Let’s go to bed.”

“Sure,” Alice replies with a grin, “If that’s what you want.” Alice tosses aside the papers she was sorting, then leaps on me and begins to tear off my clothes.

“H-hey!...”

“Come on, just once before bed. Okay?” Contrary to her appearance, Alice’s appetite for sex would put any adult to shame. You could even say it’s a little unnatural. She’s not just passionate; she also has unlimited stamina, making me wonder where her slender body gets all the energy from. Never satisfied with letting me feast on her to my heart’s content, she always uses me to pleasure herself until I’m forced to tap out.

“Hey, Alice. Don’t you think it’s unhealthy to be doing this every day?”

“Huh? Are you sick, Shining?”

“No, not me. My body is all grown up. But you’re still…”

“Ah… Ahaha, don’t worry!” She laughs playfully as she pushes me onto the bed, the familiar sweet sensation of her weight and skin rendering me helpless.

“But I’m worried! We haven’t used any contraception.” To my astonishment, Alice is completely uninterested in safe sex. She doesn’t just eschew protection; she even insists that I ejaculate inside of her. Surely she must know the risks… which can only mean that she wants to get pregnant.

“Shining…” she whispers, staring straight into my eyes. “You don’t want me to have your children?”

How can I respond to that? “it’s not that. Your body is too small. Pregnancy is a serious burden, you know?”

“That’s not really something you have to worry about…” Alice seems unsure how to reply, but not because she doesn’t understand what I said. Rather, the bemused look on her face makes it seem as though I’m the one not getting it. “But I know you’re just thinking of me,” she says suddenly, her smile glowing with innocence. “So I’m happy!”

By the time I break the spell of her angelic smile; Alice had undone my belt and is removing my pants. “C-come on, Alice…”

“Relax,” she says teasingly as she bares my crotch and wraps her slender white fingers around my penis and testicles. “Tonight, I’ll do it so you don’t have to worry.”

The feeling of her willowy, unblemished fingers embracing me is enough to fill me with twisted ecxtasy and draw out my male instinct. “Uh!” Seeing my response, Alice brings her face to my groin and lovingly wraps her lips around the head of my penis. “Ah!” My hips jerk involuntary at the unexpected, intense shock of her sucking hard on such a sensitive area.

“Did that hurt?” She asks, looking timidly at me as she soothingly strokes my shaft.

“No… I’m fine.”

Where did Alice learn how to pleasure a man so well? I can’t believe the precision and skill of her ministrations. Her sinuous fingers are like snakes coiled around my manhood, their sensual undulations drawing desire forth from my loins.

As if all ten fingers weren’t enough to drown me in pleasure, next she adds her lips and tongue. “*Lick*… *Slurp*…”

The mind-blowing pleasure from this new stimulation instantly threatens to push me over the edge. A damp heat different from that of her womb presses down on me from all directions. Looking down. I see my lust filling her tiny mouth, stretching the graceful lines of her cheeks and jaw so far that I fear she might break. The sight makes me worry that she’s pushing herself too hard, but her tongue continues to devour me like a kitten desperately sucking on her mother’s teat.

As I watch, I begin to feel like I’m violating Alice’s innocent, unsullied face. The feeling of breaking a taboo further increases my perverted ecstasy. In every man lurks the dark desire to spoil that which is beautiful. Alice’s bewitching body, able to drive me mad every night, is perfectly designed to draw out such savage lusts.

“Alice!” I can’t hold it anymore. I’ll come any second now. But where?! When the moment comes, what will I do with this thing in Alice’s mouth? “H-hey, wait, I’m going to…” I try to pull out, but Alice doesn’t let me. She grabs my thighs and doubles the intensity of her sucking, as if she’s trying to pull me even deeper into her throat.

I’m worried about her, but my body is at its limit. As irresistible waves of pleasure sweep away my willpower, I unleash my pent-up seed deep into Alice’s throat. What have I done?! I feel panic rises within me. Regardless of the situation, I shouldn’t have ejaculated into her mouth. What if she chokes on it?

Alice, however, pays no heed to my distress. Still clinging to my waist like a predator unwilling to relinquish its pray, she starts swallowing effortlessly like someone dying of hunger.

“----*Gulp* ----*Gulp*---“

What is she swallowing? The answer is obvious – every last drop of the passion that I just disgorged into her mouth. This is the first time I’ve ever had a girl do this to me. To be honest, I’m speechless with shock. I’ve always been prejudiced against fellatio, thinking it to be something that perverted sadistic men force women to do. But Alice…

“Mmm… pwah! Hehe, that was good, Shining.” She looks up to me, answering my confusion by smiling like she just pulled the greatest prank of her life. Her small tongue darts out from her lips to lick away the last milky remnants around her mouth.

That tongue was just licking my… The thought sends a worrying jolt of pleasure to my brain.

“See? You don’t have to worry if I do it like this.”

“Ah… Well…” That’s hardly the problem, but I have no idea how to respond.

“Hey… Was it bad? It didn’t feel good?”

Hearing the sudden nervousness in Alice’s voice, I hastily stammer, “O-of course it felt good.” In fact, it felt so good that I thought I’d go crazy - -but I can’t say that, can I? “But Alice, you didn’t have to swallow it.”

“What? But I want it!” Suddenly distraught, Alice clings to me like a child who’s just had her candy stolen. “I want every last drop of it. I want it inside me.”

“I-inside you?” So Alice really does want to bear my child?

I’m… not averse to the idea. I still think it might be too early, of course, but there isn’t much point worrying about my reputation now. Assuming that Alice and I will be left alone, I even welcomed it. However, that only explains her appetite for normal sex. I still don’t know why she wants to swallow, of all things, during fellatio.

Well, I suppose that what’s “impure” or “taboo” differs from person to person, and I can’t simply apply normal values to Alice.

“….. You don’t like it?”

She gazes up at me pleadingly. How can I resist? “I do… I like it. As long as you’re okay with it, so am I.” Alice smiles with relief and burrows contentedly into my chest.

“I love you, Shining,” she purrs softly.

With her body draped over mind, I become even more aware of how light and delicate she is. Can this tiny girl and I really live as husband and wife? I feel a pang of self-loathing at the question. How can I still be afraid after all that’s happened? Alice’s feelings are so earnest. How can I not accept them? I need to resolve once and for all to rid myself of the useless trappings of morality. Alice and I are all that matters. There’s no point in worrying about what others think anymore – although I suppose I should still talk to Alice’s guardian, of course. I need to find Dr. Shadow as soon as possible.

By the time I drift to sleep in exhaustion’s comforting embrace, all doubts about Alice’s actions have vanished from my mind. Whatever the case, all that matters is that she’s returned to me.

That evening, a stranger just arrived in Canterlot University Hospital, wearing a dark yellow undershirt and a Camo-jacket with a badge that looked like an open book with two pages on display, short black hair, and a twenty six year old army private named, Lieutenant Insurance Policy, A.k.a Icy Lance . Shining Armor’s former classmate from the 3rd Infantry Academy and a Corporal in his current regiment before he transferred to being a Medical Student.

The two weren’t really that close, but they were the best specially while in the training courtyard, where Shining was first at the targets, while he himself was second. Shining was on the top of his game, which is why Lance didn’t understand why he’d quit the team and decided to become a Medical Student instead.

After he heard about his accident, Lance thought of visiting him for once, He tried calling Shining’s best friend, which oddly keeps forgetting his name, but didn’t respond an hour ago. Surely he’s asleep or busy with something…

As he stepped through the door of the University, he noticed that it was open and not locked… “The security here seems to be slacking, can’t say I’m surprised due to the lack of criminal ratings in the area.” He said to himself, as he proceeded through.

At the reception desk, he spots a nightshift lady, and asked which room Shining Armor was in, and surprised that he was already released three months ago. “Well, that’s a bit of a downer…” He sighs and thanked the lady for the answer. He stepped outside and tried calling that guy again… still no response.

Maybe he’ll try tomorrow at school where he heard that Shining was going… He guessed that his new friends, Cherry and Cadance are there. Though he’d not be surprised if those two got together already, since Shining kept telling him through text that, that girl liked him, but he can’t answer her for what she had confessed a long time ago. He grinned and just laughs silently at that thought. He walks off, in search for a place to stay for the night… “I’m bushed!” he yawns.

Two o’clock – for Mr. Cake, this is the most fulfilling time of day. After seeing his wife and kids off, taking care of the morning chores, and eating a leisurely lunch, it’s finally time to sit down at his little bakery in his basement. He’s not particularly the most famous baker, and he would only hold a sale himself in front of the house, due to his injured back, if he were hurting for money. However, he usually makes pastries for his wife to be sold off at their bake shop. Sure, he can make those at the bake shop himself, but he prefers to do it in home. Nothing beats the ambience of a home while working. Alongside the profits his wife earns while selling pastries, they’re able to pay their mortgage, send their kids to school, and still have plenty left over.

Mr. Cake’s life is perfect – leisurely and absent of want. He loves his house, considering it the symbol of his success. When he mows the lawn, polishes the windows and floors, and cleans the kitchen, toilet, and bath, he feels the same joy as he does when washing his own body or baking bread and decorating… well, cakes! As his name implies, he’s good at making, mainly cakes.

Just as he knows the length of his fingernails and the time since his last mean, he also knows everything about his home’s condition: the status of every door, the freshness of every flower, the amount of ice in the ice tray – every last detail. This is his pride, and when he sits on his basement, where he usually do his baking, smelling the scent of newly baked goods and knowing that each element of his house is in perfect order, he feels the ultimate satisfaction.

While trying to find the right combinations to make the sweetest meringue, he suddenly feels thirsty, but soon remembers that there isn’t much orange juice left in the refrigerator. In fact, it’s also about time to stock up on bath additive and powdered soap. He could get everything at the supermarket when he goes to shop for dinner, but it will probably be quite heavy.

Now then, there should I leave off to go shopping? As he ponders this dilemma, he heads upstairs to the kitchen.

Just then, a breath of air tickles the back of his neck, bringing him to a halt in the middle of the hallway. A breeze – impossible. Every window in the house is closed. Mr. Cake shut them himself during his morning cleaning.

Mr. Cake enters the living room, searching for the source of the breeze. Something stinks! It’s the same pungent smell of fetid swampland that emanates from Shining Armor’s house. The window facing the yard next door is open, its curtains billowing loosely in the gentle breeze. There’s a hole in the glass next to the lock. It looks strange, like it was melted by some chemical instead of broken. Someone must have reached through the hole to unlock the window.

Mr. Cake stands paralyzed, his heart pounding with anger – and fear. He listens carefully, but hears nothing. Perhaps the intruder had already finished his business and left... but a burglar wouldn’t have left the room untouched, would he? Maybe he heard Mr. Cake coming and hid… somewhere nearby.

Mr. Cake realizes that his still-moist butter knife is in his right hand. He must have forgotten to put it aside before going upstairs. He stares numbly at the knife for a moment, and then decides that it’s not enough protection. Instead, he grabs the ashtray sitting on top of a table. Make of thick solid glass, its big and heavy enough to serve as a weapon. The home that he thought of as part of himself now seems utterly alien.

Keenly aware of the thumping of his heart, Mr. Cake looks around the living room and sees little that could be used as a hiding place. The intruder must have gone either to the guest room or through the dining room to the kitchen.

The kitchen is close to the stairs. If there had been movement, Mr. Cake would have noticed it when he came up… which means the guest room is the most likely place. He shuffles over to the guest room door and prepares to slide it open. But what is that stench? Could the breeze alone carry something so foul? It’s as if the odor is coming from inside the room. He readies his ashtray and throws open the door. The straw-matted, Japanese-style room is empty. There is a closet, but no one could fit in there. The intruder already left. Mr. Cake relaxes, the exhaustion of sudden relief coming over him.

And that is when something seizes his ankle.

The instant he freezes in shock, his leg is yanked out from under him, sending him crashing to the floor. Stars explode behind his eyes as his head smacks against the door rail.

The hand – is it can even be called that – wrapped around Mr. Cake’s ankle extends all the way back to beneath the living room sofa. There are barely five centimeters between the sofa and the floor, but the intruder is able to hide in that tiny space. It can’t possibly be human.

“AAAAAHHHHHH!!!!”

Before the screaming, Mr. Cake regain his footing, countless hand-like appendages seize his arms and legs, rendering him helpless.

“CALm down. DOn’t BE sCarEd.”

A hideous voice burbles in his ear as something cold and soft crawls atop him. Mr. Cake can’t even scream, his terror is so great.

“iT wON’t HUrT. Don’T bE sCarED. IT WOn’T hURT.”

Thin, tube-like appendages penetrate his ears and nose, wriggling deep into his skull. Right before the sensation drives him mad, Mr. Cake loses consciousness.

“She’ll be here in a moment, I’ll go and get back to my OJT now,” Mari, a nurse student who’s also your classmate is taking her on-the-job training here at the university, was directing you through the hallway into an office.

“Okay, thanks… I’ll see you in class next time.” You said to her, then continued your conversation with the others.

“Hold on, wait… so let me get this straight.” Lance said, while looking at you. Lance had finally received your call this morning, and told him about Shining’s condition, and his outright strange behavior in the past days. He can’t believe it himself, but you’re about to ask the person who knew Shining’s current condition all too well…

“Just wait, hold that thought for now. She’s here…” You hushed him down, as the person you’re waiting for came in. “Thank you for taking the time to see us,” You said, your humble nod conceals your surprise at the doctor’s youth. Even without her light makeup, she wouldn’t look a day over thirty. She must be quite talented to be a leading neurosurgeon at such a young age.

“Don’t mention it. I was hoping somebody like you would come along.” Her friendly smile has none of the coldness one might expect from her sharp, refine beauty. It’s a pleasure to meet you. I’m Dr. Chrome Regios, Shining Armor’s attending physician.

“This is Cadance, and I’m~”

“I’m Icy Lance, Ma’am…” Lance cuts you off, just as you were about to say your name… The mood was broken already, you decide to continue the conversation without mentioning your name to her.

When you arrived at the Canterlot University Center and asked to see Shining’s Doctor, You, Cadance and Lance had been prepared for rejection. You hadn’t expected the ease with which their request was granted. “You say you want to know what’s wrong with him. Well, so do I.”

“’I’m sorry?”

Chrome sighs. “He didn’t come in for his checkup two days ago. I tried calling his home, but there was no answer.” Two days ago… the same day Shining was searching that abandoned house. You frowned, wondering what was important enough for him to blow off his appointment. “What is he like at school?”

“He’s… totally screwed up.” Seeing Cadance’s shoulders jerk out of the corner of his eye, you regret not choosing your words more carefully.

“Well, based on what this guy said… I don’t need any proof to know what he went from boon to a loon.” Lance added, making Cadance shudder even more.

“Since the accident, he’s been like a completely different person. We have no idea what to do. So we thought that talking to you might help.” You said, hoping that she would.

“Are you medical students too?” she asks out of nowhere.

“Huh? Well, yes.” You answered.

“Not me… I’m a Lieutenant in the 3rd Infantry divition of the Canterlot Army.” Lance corrected.

“I see… well, would you like to see his charts?”

“You’d really show them to us?” You replied, incredulous.

Dr. Regios regards you silently for a moment, then sighs and says, “Someone wanted to see them – and without the hospital’s permission. His files were stolen from the archives two nights ago.”

“What?!” you all shouted in unison, astonished at what she had just said.

She stares hard at all of you, and then shakes her head with a tired smile. “Well, it doesn’t look like you three were involved. That’s a relief.”

“O-of course we weren’t! “ Lance said, his voiced raised a little.

“However, the culprit must have had an interest in his condition – or wanted to erase his records. Either way, I can only assume that it was someone close to him.”

“I see…” An ominous thought flashes through your mind – it couldn’t have been Shining Armor himself, could it? You look at Dr. Chrome and find her staring right back at you, her expression grave. You realized that she must be harboring the same suspicion.

“What do you think? Do you have any idea who among his associates might have done it?” Perhaps Dr. Chrome didn’t have anyone in mind when she asked, but your thoughts immediately fly to the eerie house to which Shining led you.

“I don’t really know what their relationship is, but there’s someone called Shadow, probably a doctor or a…” You stop speaking as you see the dramatic change that has come across Dr. Chrome’s face. “….You knew Dr. Shadow?”

“Do you know when and where Shining first encountered that man?”

“No, that’s what I’d like to know. Just who is this Shadow?”

After remaining silent for some time, Dr. Chrome looses a heavy sigh. “Alright. It’s not like you couldn’t find out on your own easily enough. Moonlight Shadow was a doctor teaching at this hospital. He was dismissed over six months ago, however, following certain incidents.”

“What incidents? What did he do?” Lance asked, simply curious now.

“I can’t say anymore. And anyway, it has nothing to do with your friend.” You had no argument with which to answer Dr. Chrome’s flat rejection. However, you can’t shake the feeling that this Shadow person is the key to unraveling the mystery surrounding Shining Armor.

“Doctor,” You said, making up your mind. “Shining might be… involved in a crime.”

At this sudden declaration, Lance, Cadance and Dr. Chrome raise their eyebrows. “What do you mean?”

“A friend of ours went missing after going to see him. Shining denies any involvement, of course.” You said with the utmost urge to say your findings.

“You mean… Cherry?” Cadance stutters. You’re unable to bear the shock in Cadance’s face.

“Sorry, Cadance… I couldn’t tell you.”

“Well, that does it! Let’s hunt down that piece of turd!” Lance pounds his fist together, already in a state of his feeling for a hunt.

Dr. Chrome is frowning, her expression even more serious than before. But you pressed on. “Right now, this Shadow seems to be the center of Shining’s attention. If we know who he is and what Shining’s looking for, we might start to see the whole picture. Please tell us, doctor. Just what happened at this hospital?”

Lance grins. “Spoken like a true detective.”

Dr. Chrome hesitates for some time, refusing to make eye contact, bit she finally shakes her head. “I’m sorry. This is not a decision I can make on my own.”

“Doctor…”

“Give me some time. I’ll do my own investigation now that I know how far this has gone.”

“Please.” You are out of options. All that’s left is to trust this young doctor. It’s frustrating, but a friend’s rights only go so far.

“Let’s exchange cell phone numbers. I’ll call you if I learn anything, and you call me the moment anything changes.”

“Alright.”

Lance was still itching for a fight. His violent nature nearly took him earlier, but still has that feeling… He thought for a moment then decides. “Alright Y’all… I’d better get going. I need to do something. Call me too if anything changes.” He turns then leaves the premises. You and Cadance looked at him before he disappears on the other side of the door.

What the… What happened to me? Cake’s consciousness returns slowly, as though rising from a bog. He’s cold… no, hot. Something itches, like tepid tongues and cold slugs crawling over his skin. What the hell’s going on? Timidly, he opens his eyes.

“Wha…” It’s everywhere… The thing that attacked him in the living room – it’s everywhere! Terror shatter’s Cake’s sanity. “AAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHH!!!”

He throws off the thing lying atop him, but his wild flailing sends him crashing to the floor. But is it really the floor? The long, wriggling fibers of what should be the carpet are winding themselves around his fingers. The floor is made of worms.

He tears his limbs free of the worms and tries to stand, but loses his balance and tumbles to the floor again. The worms immediately swarm over his body. Where the hell am I?! Where did that thing take me?! Mr. Cake crawls across the worm-ridden floor towards the exit from the pulsating room.

When he gets outside, however, all he can see is blood, bile, and rotten meat. There is no place to run. “What is this?!” Most terrifying of all, this hellish place has the same layout as Mr. Cake’s house. In a half-mad daze, he wanders through the nightmarish mockery of his home.

In the small room where his little personal bakery should be, he finds an oven made of bones displaying a blood-soaked tray with muffins from within. Like some cruel joke, everything is exactly where it should be in Mr. Cake’s Basement. “Dammit, let me out!! Let me out of here!!” Howling, Mr. Cake lashes out against everything within reach. The oven breaks to pieces, driving shrapnel into his fist. He feels the pain, but does not wake from the nightmare. If this isn’t a dream, then what is it? When his strength gives out, Mr. Cake falls to his knees, sobbing. For the first time in his life, he prays to the gods, Celestine and Lunar.

*Creeeeeaaaaaakkkkk!!!*

The sound of the door opening and closing grates on his ears. ”Downstairs… the front door? Someone else is here?”

“wE’RE hOmE!” Mr. Cake trembles at the bloodcurdling sound. It’s that thing again; the monster has returned.

“DadDY, wE’RE hoMe! WhERe’s DiNnER?”

“OH, hE’S nOt HeRE? dID hE go ShOPpinG?”

“WhEN CaN wE EAt?”

Mr. Cake hears the sound of something slimy sloshing its way up the stairs. Even as he cowers in terror, he slides his trembling hand across the floor and grabs one of the bones from the broken oven. The tip of the bone is nice and sharp. If he does it in both hands and puts his weight behind it, he might be able to use it to defend himself.

“HonEY, aRe YOu hoMe?” The monster’s growls are getting closer. Holding his breath, Mr. Cake presses his back against the wall next to the door.

The pounding of his heart is like thunder in his ears, so loud that he fears the creature might hear it. He knows it will eat him if it finds him again, but it’s all he can do to keep from crying. At last the door creaks open. “HONEy?”

Mr. Cake leaps on the creature as it enters, fear turning his roar into a high-pitched scream. The flesh-beast is covered in sludge and vile juices, but before horror can paralyze him, Mr. Cake brings his bone-stake stabbing it down.

KKKSSHHHUUUK!!!

The monster screams as the stake pierces its chest and punches through to the other side. It falls back writhing in agony. The sight of its pain sets Mr. Cake’s blood on fire. I can win. I can kill it! If I finish it off before it enters my head again, I’m safe! Mr. Cake grabs the bone and twist with all his might. The monster convulses and gurgles. Its trembling tentacles reaching up as through begging for help.

“Die! Die! DIE!!!!” Mr. Cake knocks it to the floor, and then brings his heel crashing down on its flopping body again and again. With each stomp, its groans and spasms grow weaker. When the monster at last stops twitching, Mr. Cake, panting hard, tears the stake from its corpse and rises to his feet.
“…DadDY?” something squeals. Mr. Cake turns around to see another, smaller monster peeking out at him from the stair landing.

There’s still one left. His despirate, rage-filled attack both exhilarated him and gave him a taste for violence. This one will be easier; it’s smaller and weaker. Grinning maniacally, Mr. Cake raises his stake and moves towards the second creature. The monster flees screaming down the stairs.

Not about to let his prey escape, Mr. Cake roars and gives chase. The thought that killing the monsters might end this nightmare feeds his savage bloodlust. “NO, DaDdy! nO!!” When the monster trips and falls in the dining room, Mr. Cake leaps on top of it and brings the stake crashing down. His bloodlust unsated, he pulls it free, then drives it again into the monster’s flesh – once, twice, thrice, and more -- until there’s nothing left but shredded, pulverized meat.

Eventually, the only sound in the house is Mr. Cake’s heavy breathing. Unknowingly noticing that there was one more left there and saw everything he did. It silently slipped away through the front door, escaping his wrath. He has slain two monsters and fails to notice the last one, but the nightmare shows no sign of ending. Mr. Cake staggers to the front door and goes outside.

“Haha…hahahah. Ahahahah~” The sky, the city – everything has gone mad. Twisted shapes, nauseating colors, stinking air. There’s no escape. No end to the nightmare. The last remnant of Mr. Cake’s sanity vanishes like dust in the wind.

“Hi, mister.” Mr. Cake turns around to the sound of a young girl’s voice. She is standing in front of the house next door, wearing a spotless one piece over her pure white skin. In the midst of this filth-ridden world, she alone glows with beauty. “How do I look to you, mister?”

“You’re… very cute.” Mr. Cake feels a sudden black lust rise within him.

“Really? Then the experiment might be a success!”

Mr. Cake walks up to the strangely jubilant girl and brushes his hand against her long, smooth hair. “Such a lovely girl. You must be the only one in the whole world.”

“….. Mister?” She looks up at the man towering over her, perhaps disturbed by his hungry stare.

“How about we play a game, little girl?”

“Okay, but what are we going to do?”

A grin parts Mr. Cake’s lips and he replies, “Everything that will please me, of course.” With that, he grabs the girl’s collar and tears the front of her dress wide open.

Shock and fear twist the lovely girl’s delicate features, stimulating Mr. Cake’s sadism. Even after killing those two monsters, the embers of violence still smolder in his heart – and now they have new fuel to burn. “I like your expression, girl. Won’t you show me an even prettier one?”

“No… No!”

The terrified girl flees into Shining Armor’s house. Mr. Cake runs after her, feeling the joy of the hunt. “No! Stay away!”

Even in desperation, she has no hope of outrunning an adult. Mr. Cake charges down the hallway and catches up to her in the kitchen. He grabs her arm from behind and wrestles her to the floor before she can resist.

“L-let me go! Why? Why are you doing this?!”

“Like I said, because you’re too cute!” Enjoying the sensation of her thin arms struggling futilely against his grip, Mr. Cake uses his weight to hold her down while ripping off her remaining scraps of clothing.

“No, I don’t want this! Stop!”

Mr. Cake stares at the smooth body of the girl flopping beneath him, entranced by her cherry-like nipples, soft yet tight belly, and narrow waist. The thought of violating such an immaculate body amid the horrors of this twisted world is irresistibly erotic.

Mr. Cake runs his tongue over every inch of her stomach and chest, as though preparing to eat her whole. She stiffens and whimpers at the sensation.

“It isn’t… supposed to be this way…” Her tear-choked voice satisfies Mr. Cake’s lust for conquest. This nightmare has violated him, but now he is able to visit the same torment on this innocent girl. Where he was the victim, he is not the victimizer. The release he feels is intoxicating.

His manhood is ready and waiting, so he frees it from his pants. As he playfully prods the girl’s tightly-shut slit with it, she finally starts crying in earnest. “No! Stop! I’m Scared! Shiniiiiing!!!!”

“Ahaha, I haven’t even done anything yet.” Putting his mouth close to the sobbing girl’s ear, Mr. Cake whispers, “If you’re this scared already… how will you scream when I put it in you?”

“Sto---“ Staring into her wide-open eyes, Mr. Cake drives himself deep into her body. The girl screams in pain as he forces himself through her still-dry slit.

Mr. Cake is surprised by her lack of hymen, but even more so by the sensation of her inner folds – much too welcoming for such an immature-seeming girl. “Oh my, you’re awfully used to men. You look cute, but you’re really a dirty little girl.”

“No more… Don’t hurt me…”

“No,” Mr. Cake smiles, “I think I have to punish you for being so naughty.”

Mr. Cake begins to move inside her, each violent thrust forcing a cry from her lips and tears from her eyes as her head jerks in agony. Soon she loses the strength to resist and goes limp, concentrating instead on enduring Mr. Cake’s cruelty. Yet she states tearfully, pleadingly into Mr. Cake’s lust-flamed eyes as he pounds mercilessly into her flesh.

“Why… Why aren’t you gentle?”

“Because you’re adorable!” Mr. Cake roars, his breathing wild with passion. “You’re too pretty not to hurt! Too beautiful not to break!”

The girl’s choking gasps, the despair in her eyes – they only intensify his ecstasy. “Help… Help me… Shining…”

As always, the sights of the city grate on my nerves. Today, however, I don’t feel as much hatred as I usually do. I have grown more accustomed to my condition, but that is not the reason for today’s high spirits. My search for the Shadow house has finally borne fruit.

When I pulled all the drawers out of the desk in the study, I found an envelope stuck between the desk and wall. It must have fallen off the back of the writing tray. Inside were three outdoor photographs. I couldn’t recognize the scenery due to my condition, but I’m pretty sure that they show three buildings.

Scrawled on the back of each photo was an address: Star Junction, M Village; Torchwood Prefecture, S Town; Seashore Prefecture, H Town. None of the names is familiar, so they must be way out in the country side.

The photos are all dated more than ten years ago. I don’t know why they were taken or what they mean, but maybe Alice will be able to make some sense of them.

In any case, this is something that even Alice missed while she was living in that house. I wonder how she’ll react when I show her what I’ve found.

Alice… I want so badly to see her. The thought of her waiting for me speeds my footsteps.

When I step through the gate, I see that the front door is wide open again. This is the second time this had happened. Upon entering the house this time, however, the sound of Alice crying chills my blood.

“Help… Help me… Shining…”

And it’s not just her. I also hear a low, wet grunting. There’s no time to gawk around and figuring out what that was. I race down the hallway, propelled by a terrifying premonition.

A monster is in my house, and it’s raping Alice! The filth oozing from its body spreads across her skin as it drives itself with animal ferocity between her weakly trembling thighs. The monster forces its grotesque penis deeper and deeper into her, each brutal thrust warping her vagina in clearly painful ways.

Each time the beast moves, Alice’s sobs becomes cries of agony. She looks at me with tear-filled eyes and calls my name in a weak, breathless voice. “S-shining… help…”

Rage erupts inside me like black lava. The monster stops gorging itself on Alice’s body and turns its head to look at me. Surprised by my own composure, I slip past it and went to grab a weapon in the kitchen, anything! There I found four kitchen tools, I need to think fast!

I took the butcher knife off the knife rack, its sharp and swift handling can cut even the most though meat with one swipe, let’s see if it can cut this bastard to pieces. Without a moment’s hesitation, I slash at the monster’s face.