Pegasus Device

Chapter 3

Corona and Cloud Cover walked softly into the massive room they found themselves in. The Main Theatre Room was vast, dark, and incredibly empty, save for the horrifying vision on the far wall. Dim, grime-covered lights cast a faint red glow about the object.

It was a machine. Rusted and broken scaffolding hung precariously above a giant maw, its shape an inverse-pyramid stained black with Celestia-knows-what. The contraption was ancient and outdated, the body a simple cube housing whatever mechanisms it needed to perform its mysterious duty. Olive green paint flaked off in sheets, and only the faintest outline of the Corporation’s logo could be seen plastered dead centre. Cloud Cover shuddered at that ghastly image of the three smoke towers. The wings that burst from the outside stacks frightened the filly, and glancing back at her own she recoiled from the appendages.

Six empty vats sat before the machine, and even in the obfuscous room they shone brilliantly, a peaceful rainbow that mocked the foals with its delicious irony. Immediately above each individual container hung a huge hose, frayed and sagging from decades of neglect.

Corona gasped, jumping back and kicking at something Cloud couldn’t see.

“What’re you doing?”

“Sk-sk-sk-skele-skeleton! Bones! Pony b-b-bones!”

The filly stopped, her heart following suit, and a cold sweat broke out over her body. The room was incredibly hot and musty. The stench of sweat and feces assaulted her nostrils, turning her stomach. Bracing herself, she leaned low to the floor and squinted, piercing the darkness as best as she could.

The ground was rife with bones both decayed and tainted, their owners long forgotten without anyone to ever know who they were or how they died.

Cloud Cover swayed, her stomach threatening to empty what little contents remained onto the clouds. She closed her eyes, imagining a cool and happy place.

I remember the field trip to Manehattan. That was awesome. Doing loops around the Empire Stable Building. Seeing the Statue of Harmony. Just... relaxing with friends and not worrying about surviving the next day. This is all just a dream. Cloud opened her eyes.

A hollow skull stared back at her.

“Buck. Ugh... Corona, what are you doing? I can’t see you.”

“Looking for a light switch so the monsters don’t seem so scary.”

“I think I prefer having trouble seeing them.”

“It’s the unknown you’re really afraid of. In the light, we can see and understand, and maybe life won’t be as scary.”

The thought struck the purple pegasus and she nodded before remembering the colt couldn’t see her and spoke aloud.

“That’s... really profound, actually.”

“This might be it!” Corona grunted as he hefted a huge breaker up. It sparked and smoked, causing him to flutter back in shock. Silence reigned for a minute, until a minor hum began in the distance and grew louder until it seemed to echo. Almost all the lights flashed and burned out immediately, but two or three held their filaments. Cloud Cover stumbled backwards, blind, recoiling from the horrible shapes that imprinted onto her vision. A demonic figure stuck with her eyes, its arms open, beckoning the filly closer. No matter where she looked the demon shimmered dead centre in her sight, laughing at her, until her vision returned and the evil shadow faded away.

Looking up, she shrieked, kicking herself backwards into a pile of dead foals. She screamed again, tumbling around the remains until she lay flat on her belly, cowering, hiding her eyes. Corona had simply passed out at the sight.