Emptiness Pt. 4

>You rest against the stalagmite in the dark for a good ten minutes
>Listening to the still silence in the deep darkness
>And the occasional noises that dwell within it
>…
>You need to find a way out of here
>You get to your feet and flick on your lighter once more
>It barely illuminates anything
>You put a hand to the stalagmite for support, and begin walking
>A direction is laid out by the various metal contraptions, claimed by age and rust
>They begin to become more plentiful
>Tables, cages, upright contraptions…
>…
>You think you might begin to understand what this dungeon was used for
>The walls begin to close in a bit
>Things begin to look far more p0ny-influenced
>The cavern floor starts resembling a tiled pattern
>The walls, while still made of natural stone, are carved to be more accessible
>And begin to hold various, stick like objects
>…torches
>You reach over and snap one off
>You dip your lighter to it, spreading flame throughout the object
>The damp walls illuminate around you
Much better…
>You begin making your way down the cavernous corridors
>You pass by many caged off areas, packed to the brim with metallic objects
>Some even host bones…
>…
>Your heart begins to race a little
>This place…
>You’re almost certain it was—
>…
>What was that…?
>You spin around and hold your torch out
>The corridor behind you lights up
>But nothing is revealed
>…
>Odd
>It sounded almost like you were being…
>…followed
>…
>But, is this a strange occurrence at this point…?
>…still, you aren’t used to it
>Just… keep an eye out
>…with one last glance behind you, you continue forward
>You turn a corner, and the path splits in two
>On one side, the hallway continues
>On the other, a circular room rests, surrounded by unlit torches
>In the middle resides a solitary rusty table
>It has old, worn leather binds on each end
>An age-old dark crust of some kind rests on top of it, and on the floor underneath it
>The mystery of this simple room draws you to it
>You approach the torches, and light each one
>For the first time since you woke up, it’s finally light as day
>You let out a sigh of relief
>As eerie as this room is, it feels almost like a sanctuary
>You know it won’t protect you from whatever roams these halls
>But… anything to put your spirits at rest
>You sigh deeply
>You’ve barely moved, but you’re about ready for another rest
>You place your torch down on the ground and sit next to it, leaning your back up against the wall
>And you sit once again in near silence
>The silent roar of the fire keeps you company
>…
>…
>…there it is again
>That sound…
>…
>Hooves
>You’ve heard them too many times before to be mistaken
>…so, you really are being followed…?
>But…
>By what…?
>…
>They’re coming from where you entered
>You stare out toward the hallway around the corner
>…
>Do you dare…?
>…
>You stand up, taking your torch with you
>You slowly step, foot in front of foot, toward the corner
>Until you’re at it, back to the wall
>…
>Just a peek, to ease yourself
>…
>You poke your head around
>…but you don’t have much time to react
>That unmistakable sound starts up
>You’re lifted into the air
>And thrown back into the room, slamming off of a wall and down onto the ground
>In this quick moment, you have no idea what to think
>Your mind has yet to process what is occurring
>Until
>Around the corner trots Lyra
>Her menacing grin plastered across her face
>Fluttershy follows in soon after
>A knife is gripped in-between her teeth
>You grit your teeth in pain and clench your eyes shut
>Lyra steps immediately up to you
>And puts her face right into yours
>”…..hey big boy.”
>She lifts you again, flinging you to the other side of the wall
>You slam into it hard
>”Thought you could get away from us, did you?” she says
>You don’t respond
>Your brain is in a mad scramble
>How did they…?
>And where did they…?
>Is this really…?
>You’re lifted once again, and slammed down hard onto the metal table
>The air shoots out of your lungs
>Oh, this pain…
>You open your eyes and gaze to the ceiling
>…Fluttershy steps into your field of vision
>She’s positioned herself at the head of the table
>She brings up her hooves and presses them down against your shoulders
>”…I told you I’d find you, my love,” she says, her words somewhat obstructed by the knife
>You try to move, but she has you pinned down well
>You flail your legs as best as you can
>Which isn’t much
>A spell from Lyra quickly solves that problem
>”You’ve eluded me for far too long…”
>You continue gritting your teeth
Wh-What the hell is wrong with you mares?!
>You manage to get out
>You’re lifted up off the table, by only a foot or two, then slammed back down
>”Quiet, you.” Lyra states
>Fluttershy reaches over to your waist with her hooves
>She somehow grips, and pulls your shirt over your head
>”Don’t worry, baby,” she says calmly, “it’ll be fun. You’ll see.”
>You spit up towards her
>You miss, but the gesture was communicated
>Fluttershy’s eyes show surprise for a second
>Then, she also grins maliciously
>”You’re a bad boy, Anon…”
>She says, leaving the head of the table and placing herself at the side
>”And bad boys…”
>She brings the knife to your chest, tracing the tip around your nipples
>Your body completely tenses up
>What is she doing…?!
>”They need to be punished…”
>You can hear Lyra laughing from the foot of the table
>Fluttershy brings the knife to one corner of your chest, and lightly drags it across to the other
>You wince a little
>It’s not nearly hard enough to be painful or dangerous
>But it’s plenty to start bleeding
>Fluttershy grins
>She places her tongue on one end of the cut, and laps it all the way to the other
>You wince again at the stinging sensation
>Then, quicker than you can react, she plants a bloody kiss on your lips
>She jams her tongue into your mouth and rolls it around
>You twist violently, breaking the kiss, and spit to the side
You’re a psycho!
>She only laughs
>”Enough of this,” you hear from the end of the table
>Lyra walks over and grips your button with her teeth
>Fuck…
>Not again
>The button pops out of place
>She giggles with her success
>She gets the zipper next, pulling it down, then magicking your pants completely off
>She throws them to the side
>Your bare legs and back feel wrong against the bumpy, crusty table
>Lyra spots the slight bulge in your boxers, and begins lightly gnawing on your flaccid member
>You grit your teeth once more
>No way you’re getting hard for these crazy mares!
>”O-Oh my…” you hear from behind you
>It’s followed by a soft, slushing kind of noise
>Fluttershy…
>Is she…?
>…good God
>You close your eyes and try to tune everything out
>Against your best efforts, your partner in crime slowly starts to rise
>Damn it!
>Lyra giggles as the organ grows around her mouth
>”Someone’s eager…” she teases
Fuck you!
>She scoffs
>You’re lifted up and slammed down once again
>The metal clang booms down the empty corridors
>You groan out in pain
>”Be a good boy.”
>You growl at her
>You try to resist
>But…
>…it’s hopeless
>These mares…
>…they’re playing dirty
>They have you bested
>Are you really going to let them have their way with you…?
>What else can you do…?
>Lyra pokes your member through the hole in your boxers
>It’s at full mast
>You despise yourself
>She hops up on the table, and positions herself over you
>”Are you ready?”
>You don’t answer
>”Okay then…”
>She begins to lower herself
>You close your eyes hard
>…
>Suddenly…
>An absolutely vicious gust of wind erupts into the room
>The torches are instantly blown out, sinking the room once again into darkness
>It’s like a hurricane confined to a small area
>Lyra falls off of the table, and you can feel the magic grip on you dissipate
>You instinctively tuck your business back into your boxers
>”Lyra…!” you hear Fluttershy call
>The loud piercing whip of the wind makes it almost impossible to hear her
>You sit up on the table, but don’t move
>Then instantly
>As spontaneously as it began
>The wind stops…
>…
>You’re all silent in the room
>…
>”Lyra…” Fluttershy says
>”Y-Yeah…?”
>”Can… can we get some light…?”
>There’s a hesitation
>”O-Okay…”
>You begin to hear magic charge
>And a small aura of light beacons from Lyra’s horn
>It slowly crawls from its source out, illuminating the area
>Until…
>…
>!!!
>Lyra screams
>Fluttershy follows suit
>What was…?!
>…
>It was only visible for a second
>A fraction of a second, even
>Before Lyra’s light went right back out
>But you got a view
>Of that… thing
>It was a mare
>Green mane, yellow fur
>It’s head…
>…well, first, you noticed the horn on it
>Second… you noticed the bolt jammed right through it
>Her hooves were cracked and split down the middle, revealing bloody bone
>She had gashes all across her body, and was wrapped in chains
>And her middle…
>…it was split
>Completely in half, just under her torso
>Held only together by her visible spine
>All of this…
>Was seen just in that split second
>…
>Lyra continues screaming in the dark
>Then, you hear a struggling
>Banging off of the wall
>Like a fight was going on
>Fluttershy screams
>In this process, the table is knocked completely over
>You collapse down with it, the metal bang blending in nicely with the commotion and screaming on the other side of the room
>You hit the floor hard
>Terrified, you lay there, hand gripping the clothes that were removed from you
>The wind cracks again into motion
>Your hair blows around your head, and it howls with vigor and power
>A second later, it stops
>And everything is silent
>Completely silent
>…
>…
>You sit for what seems like hours
>Terrified to move
>It doesn’t seem like Fluttershy or Lyra are here anymore
>But…
>You feel a presence in the room with you
>…
>The first move you make is putting on your clothes
>It was a little cold on the ground to be just in boxers…
>Then…
>You reach your hand out into the darkness
>Feeling around the ground for the torch you dropped originally
>…
>There
>You snag it, and bring it close
>You bring your lighter out
>…
>…is this a good idea…?
>…
>You flick the lighter and light your torch
>The flame engulfs the stick, and shares its heat and light with the room
>You notice immediately
>The unicorn from before
>Staring at you from across the room
>Like she had in the dark for so long
>You lock eyes with her
>And sit, motionless, petrified with fear
>She keeps her eyes locked with you
>…
>…
>Suddenly…
>…you start to feel a little more at ease
>Despite her terrifying appearance
>…
>She doesn’t seem malicious…
>Not to you, anyway…
>Her eyes are… soothing
>You keep an eye on her, standing up from the ground, holding your torch out
>She blinks, then turns, beginning to walk away from the room
>Toward the other hallway you saw earlier
>…
>You think you understand
>You carefully place a shaky leg in front of you
>And begin following her
>She makes no noise as she walks
>Her chains do not rattle
>She doesn’t look back at you
>You just…
>Follow her in silence
>She turns a corner
>Toward a dead end
>At the end of this hall sits solid wall
>An eerie painting of a distorted face rests near the top of it
>She walks to the end of the hall, turns to glance at you, then walks right through
>…
>You stare at the end of this hall
>…what does that mean…?
>…
>You walk to the end as well
>Face to face with the wall, you glance up to the painting
>Then back to the wall
>…
>You lift up your hand and place it against the stone
>It sinks right through
>…
>Ahh…
>You take a deep breath
>…
>Then lift your leg, setting it through
>And you bring your whole body with it
>You come out on the other side in a bright, well-lit room
>Torches line the wall in a circular fashion, similar to the other room
>A desk sits in the center
>And the walls are lined with bookshelves, holding possibly hundreds of books
>…another study
>You glance to the center of the room again
>The unicorn mare is now there, keeping her eyes on you
>You take another encouraging breath
>Then enter the room more fully
>Placing yourself in front of her
>…
>She looks up to meet your gaze
>You meet hers
>No words are exchanged
>…
>Then
>Her horn lights up
>That soft, buzzing, familiar sound begins
>A soft, purple stream of light is brought to your head
>It’s a little surprising
>But you don’t resist
>She focuses her gaze to the side of the room
>The beam of light extends to the books on the shelf, engulfing the entirety of them
>Something clicks in your mind
>Then, it stops
>The buzzing disappears into the air
>Only the torches growl into this room
>She looks back to you
>…
>”Here is gathered P0nyville’s bloody history of greed and hatred… corruption and torture…”
>She speaks in an indescribably unsettling tone
>You keep your stone face focused on her
>…
>”Please…” She says
>She begins to slowly lose her solid appearance
>”Remember us.”
>She slowly fades away
>Before she is nothing
>And once again, you are alone…
>…
>You look over to the books
>...
…P0nyville’s history, huh…?
>You take a step over and pick a book from the shelf
>It’s less of a book, more of a… compilation
>Of hand-written letters, organized neatly
>Like a record
>You crack it open
>It’s written in p0ny scribble
>…
>But
Wait…
>These letters… these scribbles
>They… make sense
>These shapes and characters hold significance
>You can understand
>You can read
That mare…?
>What did she gift you with…?
>…
>Why hasn’t Twilight ever done this?
>Perhaps some… old, arcane piece of forgotten magic…?
>You sigh, and slightly laugh to yourself
>At least this whole ordeal has had SOME benefit…
>You redirect your attention back to the record
>Now…

The 17th Day of Summer
The guard escorts have driven us hard. Our supply of water had run out long ago, and the food is becoming scarce. Bread is torn and shared, but for all 27 of us to share a single loaf is bound to end in starvation. Green Harvest looks like he’s at the end of his rope. We have tried to tell the royal guards about it, but they refuse to help. We are dying. We can only pray that Princess Celestia knows what she is doing, and that our mandatory journey may end safely. We pray for the next group to have easier times than us.

>You scan over the note once more
Okay…
>You turn the page and continue reading

My Faithful Subjects,
Thank you for volunteering to embark on this journey to a new future. We at Canterlot Castle are very proud that you have so willingly and selflessly put yourself forward to help found this new town of P0nyville. Of course, such a journey is a hard one, and should only be done so by strong mares and stallions. But do not fret. Your children will be relocated, for the time being, to a boarding school mansion in the Everfree Forest, a safe, beautiful patch of wildlife that will no doubt fill their young hearts with joy. Once you are settled in your new home, your fillies and colts will be brought back to you, gleaming and ready for new experiences.
Thank you for understanding,
Princess Celestia

>Something about this note doesn’t sit well with you
>But… Princess Celestia is a benevolent ruler, is she not?
>You flip through the other pages, but nothing of significance comes up
>You place it back, and scan the bookshelf once more
>A sliver of paper is jammed between two of the books
>You slide it out and take a better look
>It appears to actually be a photo
>An old, sepia-toned, ancient photograph
>Some parts are faded, others torn, but you’re able to make out the content
>Princess Celestia stands among a group of settler-looking p0nies
>Almost none of them looked very impressed at all
>Some are beat up
>Others are very clearly forcing smiles
>…
>You place the photo on the desk
>You scan the spines of the books and pull out another one
>Cracking it open, a mess of papers fall to the ground
>You glance at them…
>You close the book, put it down, and pick up these papers
>Your eyes scan over them

Ebony Nightsky,
Hide your young ones.
We don’t know what they’re doing with them, but hide them before you’re forced to leave.
I pray this note gets to you.

>…
>You put it to the back of the stack, and continue reading

They took my husband.
He demanded our daughter, and they took him away. The guards said that they’d “take him to her” at the mansion, but he hasn’t come back.
Evergreen is missing, too. She said some nasty things about the Princess, and now she’s gone. Some of the others say they saw the guards whisk her away. Some say to the mansion.
What’s going on?

>You flip it to the back of the stack

w Ha  T h A vE y   Ou D  oN   e W  iT h Ou R cH i  L  d Re   N?

>Back of the stack
>You continue reading these notes
>Until finally, the last of the stack reveals itself

To my Faithful Student Benedine,
As you know, the fillies and colts are getting suspicious of what is occurring below them. I feel it has become too much of a nuisance to keep them there in the same place. Therefore, I ask that you please dispose of them. The manner matters not, so long as they are rid of. Feel free to use the basement if you wish. I know I need not remind you that, with their current knowledge, they cannot ever see their parents again.
Your teacher,
Princess Celestia

>You place the stack of papers down at the table
>And stand in silence for a moment
>Only the burning torches offer their whispers
>…
>You’re finally getting it…
>It’s been one hell of a ride
>But…
>You think you’re finally beginning to piece together what is, and has been, going on around here

End of Part 4