Part 22 – Replacement
Pearly couldn't sleep. She tossed and turned, waking several times during the night. At one point she awoke, sure she saw something at the door. She glared at it, more angry at its appearance than afraid, then turned over, throwing the blanket over her head. When she awoke again, it was gone.
She spent the day in the mine, lighting the way and stole away to check on the marionettes when she could. By the end of the day, she was exhausted. Baby Rainribbon found her, took her back to their room, then left a moment later. Pearly collapsed on the bed, grabbing Mr Stuffings, and held him. She turned to face the wall, still holding Mr Stuffings and closed her eyes. When her eyes closed, there was a noise from under the bed.
Her eyes sprung open. "I'm not getting up," she muttered.
She closed her eyes.
Scratching. That's what it was. Scratching under her bed, against the floor.
"I'm not getting up," she repeated, making a concentrated effort to keep her eyes shut. Her grip on Mr Stuffings tightened, as if to betray her true feelings.
"Pearly…"
The door opened.
Pearly opened her eyes once more, then sat up in the bed. She was just in time to see the leg of the figure from the night before, disappear past the doorframe. She got up from the bed, lit up her horn and walked across the room. She poked her head around the door to see the figure turn the corner and out of sight. She scowled at it, turned back into the room and slammed the door shut.
No sooner than she had done this, was she thrown across the room. She cried out, attempting to scramble back to the bed. She got there, hiding under the blanket. She heard the door open completely, heavy breathing, and a set of footsteps. Not hooves. She stuffed her hoof into her mouth to stifle the cry that threatened to break forth, listening to the footsteps.
"Pearly…"
The footsteps made their way over to the side of the bed, then stood there, unmoving. She closed her eyes. Something pushed her down onto the mattress, holding her there. She opened her eyes, only for her vision to turn red, as if spotlights were being shone into her eyes. The being pressed harder and harder, pushing her into the mattress. She tried to push back, get herself off of the bed and to safety. This, however, was impossible, the being had too much strength.
"Pearly?"
Then, as quickly as it appeared, it disappeared, the being, the pushing onto the bed, the red lights, everything. Pearly rolled off of the bed and scrambled to the wall under the window. She looked up to find Baby Rainribbon at the door with a tray of food for her. On seeing Pearly's expression, Baby Rainribbon was by her side in seconds.
"What happened?" she asked.
Pearly opened her mouth to tell her of the being, of the red light, but no sound came out. She opened her mouth again, once more unable to put it into words. Instead, in what she'd consider a moment of weakness, she leaned against Baby Rainribbon, squeezing her eyes shut in the hope of stemming the tears.
Baby Rainribbon, thankfully, took this exactly as intended. She rested her head atop Pearly's, letting her sit there for as long as she needed.
The days passed, and the haunting Pearly experienced initially only got worse. She would awaken at night by the door opening, the figure standing in the doorway.
"What do you want!" she hissed at it, channelling her fear into anger.
"Pearly…"
"What? I'm right here!"
The figure smiled at her. It was the only feature she could see, the darkness engulfing the rest of its face and body. It turned and walked away.
Pearly lay back down, closing her eyes, only to feel something sitting on her chest. She opened her eyes to nothing, no figure, no creature holding her down. She tried to get up, now paralyzed. She felt a pair of hands, human hands wrap their fingers around her throat. She'd met Megan before, however briefly it had been. They played until Moondancer called her home and Megan too returned.
Pearly knew what people looked like. They had hands with five fingers and that was what choked her.
She gasped for breath, trying to break free. The hands squeezed tighter until black spots danced across her vision. Then they let go. Pearly rolled onto her side, coughing, gasping, feeling as if she might vomit. The room only offered silence to her unspoken question, what had it been?
Sleep escaped her; she didn't dare close her eyes again for fear of the thing returning. Outside was still in darkness and it seemed as if dawn would not come, despite the wake-up bells from corridors.
Baby Rainribbon rose, looking as tired as Pearly felt. She frowned. "Are you all right?" she asked.
Baby Rainribbon shook her head. "You were screaming in your sleep."
Pearly's frown deepened. "But I was awake. I'm sure I was."
"You rolled off the bed coughing and screeching. Something about hands holding you down."
Pearly's stomach plummeted. She didn't know what to think, she was sure she was awake when the figure stood at the door. Baby Rainribbon pulled her into a hug, rubbing her back and mane. She wanted to go home. She wished she'd never have come here, especially knowing what she did now.
"Come on, before they look for us." Baby Rainribbon led her out of the room.
For the rest of the day, Baby Rainribbon became Pearly's shadow. She found any and every excuse to stay nearby, to steal her away for a break or to allow Pearly a nap. Despite this, despite knowing Baby Rainribbon was there, she could not sleep. She lay on the little pile of cloth and clothing, arranged into a makeshift bed, her eyes closed, listening to every noise.
"Pearly…"
She gasped and sat upright.
"All right?" Baby Rainribbon asked.
Pearly looked around her. Nothing. She turned to Baby Rainribbon and nodded.
The day went on as expected, her Baby Rainribbon shaped shadow continuing to follow her. They managed once more to steal away, heading down the tunnels toward the marionettes. If anyone knew what this thing was, it would be them.
As always, the marionettes were huddled together in their cavern. The leader of them, that Pearly had nicknamed Netty, got up, placed extra cups on the makeshift table and a jug of water.
"I thought you'd be here," she said. She poured water into the cups and slid them across the table.
Baby Rainribbon frowned at them. "You knew what was happening?"
Netty shook her head. "Not exactly. We knew of what's been let out, but not its activities."
"It's bothering Pearly! That's its activity!"
Pearly stepped forward. "Is this the same demon from before?"
Netty nodded. "Guard yourself well, Pearly. It will not let you go."
Noises echoed from another tunnel, and the rest of the marionettes scattered. Netty lingered, then gestured to the tunnel they'd came down. Pearly hesitated, before she was dragged along the tunnel back to the main entrance.
The baby ponies were deposited back to their rooms. Pearly curled up on her bed, facing the wall. Baby Rainribbon sat next to the bed, ready to catch Pearly or wake her up if needed. Mr Stuffings was her stalwart companion now, spending his nights held in Pearly's grip. The teddy didn't seem to complain, only greeting Pearly each morning with his smiling face and threadbare fluff.
Pearly fell asleep, unaware she had done so. She was awoken by the figure's nightly visit.
The figure stood at the door, grinning at her, its teeth and smile the only feature to be seen. It waited for her to get out of bed before it walked down the hall. This time, Pearly followed it. She wandered after it, watching it walk down the hall, turning corners before it stopped. They were at Baby Bouncy's room, and the mirror room across from it.
Pearly swallowed hard. The realisation of what the figure wanted, and why Netty warned her, dawned on her. The power promised by the pale ponies, it was to be gained by the figure and the creatures lurking behind the mirrors. Baby Sunribbon was the start, the other baby ponies, the marionettes, Applejack. They were all possessed by these creatures and that was what granted them power.
She turned and ran back to her room, slamming the door behind her. It made no difference. The door opened once more, the figure poking its head into view, its ghastly grin still plastered on its face. Pearly scrambled into bed, pulling the blankets up over her head, Mr Stuffings in hand. She turned him around to face her and saw his face had changed. He now had the same grin as the figure.
She dropped him onto the bed, moving away and fell off the bed. She lay on her back for a moment, tilted her head back, and was met with the figure. It reached down and held her in place, pressing harder and harder. For a moment, she was sure she was about to break through the floorboards.
Those horrible minutes felt like hours, until Baby Rainribbon shook her awake.
"You were screaming again," she said, "I've been trying to wake you for ages."
Pearly opened her mouth to answer, only for a choked sob to escape. Baby Rainribbon pulled her into a hug, ignoring the insistent knocking on the door. They stayed there for the rest of the day.