Part 7 – The Covered Room
Pearly walked through the tunnels, her horn lit up, her hooves dragging through the dirt. Around her, the sound of pickaxes and shovels echoed, chipping away at the rock, and moving the dirt. They'd opened a new tunnel, Pearly being one of the first to be sent, and, as always, she was to lead the way, thanks to her ability to glow.
She walked down the tunnel, looking up at the walls and caverns. Water dripped onto the ground, running down the walls, pooling into little puddles. More than once she thought she heard something in the distance, skittering across the rock. More than once, she tried hard to ignore it. Already she felt protective of Baby Rainribbon, and like her cousin, Pearly had to remain brave for her.
She stopped. Something was definitely there. She took a few steps forward, concentrating hard on the glow from her horn. It glowed brighter, and for a moment, Pearly was sure she saw something dart into the shadows.
She was not alone.
The skittering noise sounded like an animal, like the woodland friends Baby Blossom, Baby Moondancer and Baby Glory would regularly visit. Pearly would hear them running across the clearings while they played together. This sounded similar, though she had a feeling it was not like any woodland creature, nor animal she ever knew.
A screech stopped her in her tracks.
She stood still, waited for a few moments if it would make its presence known, or if it would leap from the shadows it hid in.
Nothing.
Pearly swallowed hard. Her stomach churned, a cold shiver ran through her, and she twitched her tail nervously.
She moved further down the tunnel until it came to a dead end. Whatever the creature was, it had gone into hiding once more through some concealed entrance.
She turned and galloped back to the tunnel she had come from. To her surprise, Baby Rainribbon was waiting for her, along with one of the First Tooth baby ponies. She hadn't had much interaction with them herself, though they came to Paradise Estate often with their mothers. After the debacle with the new-born baby ponies, Pearly was not sure she wanted to speak to them.
"What did you find down there?" Baby Rainribbon asked.
Pearly leaned against the wall as the rest of the baby ponies were ushered out of the tunnels for the day. "There's something down there," she said.
The First Tooth frowned. "Something?"
Pearly nodded. "I couldn't see it, just a shadow."
Baby Rainribbon tilted her head. "Like that…thing from a couple of nights ago?"
"Potentially."
Baby Rainribbon sighed. She looked between Pearly and the First Tooth. "Sorry, this is Baby Bouncy," she said.
Baby Bouncy nodded once.
"Did you lose someone too to these ponies?" Pearly asked, stepping away from the wall.
Baby Bouncy shook her head. "I came here to make sure my friends didn't. Baby North Star wanted to; she was planning on it. I got here before she could."
"I hear you. I thought my cousin, Baby Moondancer, might get taken."
Baby Bouncy said nothing. Baby Rainribbon began to walk up the tunnel to the entrance, Pearly and Baby Bouncy following her. They trailed behind the rest of the group until Baby Bouncy ducked down one of the other corridors. Pearly and Baby Rainribbon halted, waiting for Baby Bouncy to appear again.
She poked her head out from behind the wall and gestured for them to follow. They did so, Pearly scampering behind the wall when she heard hooves behind them. She grabbed Baby Rainribbon and pulled her out of sight.
"There's something weird down here," Baby Bouncy told them, "I found it when I was wandering during the night."
Pearly frowned. "Weird how? What is it?"
Baby Bouncy shook her head. "You'll see."
The two unicorns followed the Pegasus baby pony as she walked down the corridor, seemingly unafraid of being found. She reached a door, tried the handle then pushed it open quietly. This time, she did look over her shoulder, before she gestured for Pearly and Baby Rainribbon to follow.
Baby Bouncy waited for them to go into the room, single file, then closed the door behind them.
Pearly scowled at what she saw.
The room was surrounded with mirrors, like a Hall of Mirrors from the fairgrounds her aunt took her to when she was small. Back then, she was always afraid of going in alone, so convinced was she, that there was something else in the mirror maze with her. Looking around in this room reminded her of this, and she still harboured the feeling of being watched through a mirror.
Baby Rainribbon wandered around the room, reaching a hoof out to touch the mirror. Pearly stayed where she was.
"Any idea what this room is used for?" Baby Rainribbon asked, poking her head behind one of the mirrors.
Baby Bouncy shook her head. "None. Other baby ponies have been brought in and I hear noises coming from it when no one's here."
Now Pearly's interest was piqued. "What kind of noises?"
"Wailing, howling, crying. Sometimes there's a screeching sound that just gets louder." Baby Bouncy shuddered, the first they'd seen her brave façade fall. "I don't like it. My room is just down the hall from here."
"There was a shadow…thing that chased us back to our room," Baby Rainribbon added. "It paced outside the door for ages."
As if on cue, something sighed loudly. The three baby ponies jump, Baby Rainribbon running to Pearly unconsciously, while Peary went to pull Baby Bouncy back. She half expected the First Tooth to shrug her off, however the noise seemed to have startled her too and she took a few steps backward to Pearly.
Pearly steeled herself and began to move to where the sound came from.
"Don't be a hero!" Baby Bouncy hissed.
"You brought us here for a reason, and I don't think it was just to scare us," Pearly answered, surprising herself with how level her voice sounded.
The mirror in question seemed normal at first glance. Pearly saw her own reflection looking back at her, Baby Bouncy and Baby Rainribbon reflected at the other side of the room.
Then, something moved.
Pearly clenched her teeth.
The movement caught her eye again.
A shadow darted behind the baby ponies then stepped out. Then, it began to walk forward to where Pearly stood. It was the shadow pony from the other night, the whites of its eyes a stark contrast. It stood behind Pearly, simply looking at her. Judging from the horrified look on the faces of Baby Bouncy and Baby Rainribbon, they both saw it too.
Then, the spell was broken. Hooves were heard coming down the corridor, and everything in the room turned to look. The shadow pony hissed and disappeared. Pearly stepped back, then galloped over to the other baby ponies. They looked around the room for a way out besides the door they had entered through. At the back of the room, there was another door. The three headed towards it, and by good fortune, it was also unlocked. Pearly held it open as Baby Bouncy and Baby Rainribbon ran through, then she slammed it shut behind them.
This room was worse than the first.
Everything was covered by white sheets, furniture, tables, mirrors. Baby Bouncy walked up to one of the items, pulled the white sheet down, to find it was a chair facing the wall.
They couldn't hear the hoof-beats, the three assuming they had escaped in time.
On this assumption, they took the opportunity to explore the room. Baby Rainribbon and Baby Bouncy walked around, pulling down cloth from the various objects. They were menial, barely of any note. A chair here, a table there, a random assortment of household items.
Until Baby Rainribbon pulled a sheet down and cried out. Both Baby Bouncy and Pearly were by her side in seconds. The three of them looked at what had been hidden. A mannequin of a pony, eyes closed, its entire body stiff and motionless. Pearly looked around the room then spotted another shape that might've been the same as what was uncovered. She went over to it and pulled the sheet down. Sure enough, it was another mannequin.
The three of them backed into one another, now desperate to get out of this covered room. However, they could hear a pony on the other side of the door, and it was clear it was not yet safe to leave yet.
They stayed where they were.
This turned out to be an entirely unwise idea. While they waited, the mannequins moved.
Pearly heard Baby Rainribbon take a sharp breath, while Baby Bouncy's breathing grew harsh. She sucked breath in through her nose, and her nostrils flared every time she breathed out. Pearly looked around, then followed their gaze to one of the mannequins. It had indeed moved. Where its hoof had been stationary, it now took a step toward them.
Pearly resolved not to spend a second longer in this room.
She rushed to the door, pressing her ear against it. She heard the pony moved around, going between the mirrors, scraping chairs across the floor before finally, mercifully, they left.
"Come on!" Pearly called.
Baby Bouncy and Baby Rainribbon were there in seconds, just as the three saw the mannequin move.
It moved at an unnatural speed, rushing toward them. Pearly cried out, closed her eyes, and threw the door open. She put her hooves over her face to protect her, then felt someone grab her, and drag her through the door, then threw her to the ground as the door slammed shut once more.
She opened her eyes.
Baby Bouncy stood at the door, breathing heavily. Baby Rainribbon was by Pearly's side and helped her to her feet. Baby Bouncy said nothing, heading to the door and opened it. She left the room, though she left the door open for Pearly and Baby Rainribbon. Both of them took this as an alliance.
The two unicorns returned to their room, and there they stayed.