With a loud screech, the two last cars stopped inside the underground station, almost smashing [themselves into] the end of the rails; luckily, the emergency brakes had still worked. The lights hanging from the ceiling cast light over Solaris as he tumbled out of the first car, panting heavily. He sat on the ground, pressing a hoof on his chest, where he could feel his heart still pumping frantically. From the second car, High Winds ran out, breathing heavily as well, her eyes terrified and wide. Camo Fall hugged his sister as she cried hysterically, her face hidden in her brother's neck.

"What the actual fuck just happened?!" nearly screamed the stallion, trying to keep his voice under control while comforting the little filly.

"Come on… come on now… there must be a logical explanation to all of this… there must be some underground gases that induced hallucinations, and then there was an accident, and the other car is gone, and…" began Solaris, moving away his sweaty mane from his face.

"I don't give a flying feather about why we saw a skull! We have to search for help!" screamed High Winds, stomping her hooves on the ground.

"Well, then let's get out of here! The authorities… hay, they have to help us!" exclaimed Camo Fall, running towards the stairs leading outside, still keeping his sister close.

"Wait for us Camo!" called out High Winds, galloping behind him. Solaris caught his breath, before following the others outside. He trotted up the stairs, and stopped as soon as he emerged outside: the other two ponies were standing there, staring at the sea of fog surrounding them. Solaris looked around, feeling a twinge of fear in his heart, as his ears picked the sound of… nothing. Nothing at all. Complete silence. His eyes passed over the buildings and the street around them: they all seemed to be abandoned, the doors blocked by wooden planks, as well as some windows. Few street lights were on, spreading faints shower of light in the dark streets. The sky was as well covered in fog, that shrouded all the environment like a blanket.

"What… kind of sick joke is this?" finally stated the mare, looking around at the abandoned buildings. "Is this the place…?" she mumbled, looking at the silent street.

"Come on, we are probably in the old part of the city. We just have to move on." Commented Solaris. "Let's just be quick. The other's time may be getting shorter and shorter." He said, taking a couple of steps, before stopping, sniffing the air and pressing his ears on his head: from the fog, a stream of light came out of midair, accompanied by the sound of hooves against the ground.

"Oh, I was sure to have heard somepony." Said calmly an earth pony stallion, emerging from the fog. His coat was a warm walnut brown, with a long blond mane reaching to his shoulders, falling over one of his eyes. He was wearing a saddlebag seemingly half empty, with a little flashlight clipped at his side.

"Finally somepony!" exclaimed in relief the mare. "You have to help us! We were in the subway, we got in an accident, four of our friends fell, maybe they are wounded, or even…"

"Woah there girl, relax." Said calmly the stallion. "I'm sure they are ok."

"I'm not so sure of that, after what we have seen…" muttered Camo Fall. "We have to search for the police station, and for the hospital. We need help."

"Well… I'm afraid that the police station isn't going to be any use. It was abandoned like all the rest of the town, last time I checked." Said the brown stallion. "As well as the hospital. But I have to admit I wasn't able to enter inside it, so maybe there is somepony in there."

"What are you saying…?"

"I see you are little confused." Stated the pony, raising an eyebrow. "Are you by any chance… from the outside?" he asked cautiously.

-oOo-

Fire Flower opened her eyes, her head pounding in pain. She tried to refocus her sight, as she stood up on her wobbling legs. Her mind was racing, confused, as her sight focused on her surroundings: she was on a grassy floor, and around her there were some once brightly-colored wagons, now covered in rust and dust. As she shook her head and tried to focus better, she noticed the low music of a circus playing in the distance.

Where a circus was emerging from the fog.

-oOo-

"What do you mean, the town is cursed?" asked in disbelief Solaris, looking at the earth pony. Trevor, which was his name, as soon as he discovered the group had come from outside, pushed for them to join him inside an abandoned dress shop. After a few hesitant moments, they finally decided to follow the earth pony inside.

They did so mostly because Dahlia seemed too upset to be able to stand another bath in the fog sea. And now, they were all gathered around the stallion's flashlight, as the littly filly chewed happily at a candy that he had given her.

"I don't have a better term for it. It's… actually hard to explain…" stated the stallion, scratching his neck. "Listen, I came from outside too. I… well, let's just say that my daughter disappeared, when we were home. I was desperate, no one seemed to be able to help me. Then one day, I received a letter from her. She said she was ok in this town. So I packed my things and left. But as soon as I got here, I noted something was wrong. I think you can see it too."

"There is no pony around?" asked High Winds, as her wing gave a twitch.

"There is this Celestia forsaken fog?" asked Solaris, his ears moving slowly as the stallion scratched the ground.

"There is a ghost skull in the underground tunnels?" grunted Camo Fall, while giving a quick glance at his sister.

"Well, more or less. You see, this place is crazy. I don't know what's going on, and the few ponies I have encountered aren't helping at all. you are the only one that actually had a conversation with me." Said the stallion. "Now, I just kinda want to get my daughter and get out of here."

"Isn't this strange?" asked Dahlia, while finishing her candy and walking towards the group of big ponies. "We received that vacation letter, and he got a letter from his daughter. Maybe we should ask at the mail place?" she asked in her sweet tone. Now that she had calmed a little, she was already trying to be useful again.

"That actually may be… not a bad idea… but we should also go at the hospital… I'm a little worried for High Winds' wing…" grunted Camo, giving a quick glance to the pegasus mare. "What do you two think?" he asked, turning towards Trevor and Solaris: they were both still, their ears raised in the air: a faint sound of crying was coming from outside.

"Stay quiet." Whispered Trevor, quickly closing the flashlight and crawling towards one of the windows. Dahlia covered her mouth with her hooves, as her eyes widened in fear. High Winds hugged her, beginning to pat the little filly's head, as Solaris and Camo Fall followed the other pony and glared outside.

A couple of seconds passed before they actually noted the creature outside, and as soon as their eyes focused on their target, Solaris jumped on his hooves, and Camo repressed a scream: through the street, walking slowly in the fog, there was a pony, stumbling along the road. It was a tall, tall pony. It was coatless and maneless, the skin pale and plagued, as if it was victim of some sort of disease. Around his slim neck there were the signs of a suturing, as if his head had been reattached to the body. The mouth was sewed closed. The pony's eyes were two pools of black void, from where streams of tears were falling down its cheeks.

The lower half of its body was engulfed in heavy, spiked chains, that dragged over the ground, emitting a low rasping noise.

"What the hay is that thing?" murmured Solaris, while Camo was rubbing his eyes, looking in disbelief at the creature.

"Bite me if I know." Whispered Trevor. "But I have seen it it at least a couple of times. Trust me, you don't want to have it spot you." He whispered, as the tall creature stumbled away, crying softly, a muffled wailing coming from his sewn-shut mouth.

"I've seen it smash in a pony's head." Continued Trevor, as the figure disappeared in the fog. "Luckily, it's easy to spot, with all its crying."

"But what is it?"

"Don't know. But believe me, it's not the only crazy thing around here."

"That's nice…" muttered Solaris, before abruptly turning towards High Winds, who had just emitted a wail of pain. "We have to move towards the hospital fast. Your wound is going to get infected, without proper care."

"I told you that I'm not sure if there is even somepony in there!" hissed Trevor, moving away from the window. "And maybe, the solution to this whole riddle may actually be in the post office! Idiotic of me that never think of that."

"Solaris, escort this guy to the post office." Said Camo Fall. "I would be really sorry if something happened to him, and you can help him, if necessary." Said Camo.

"I'll bring High Winds and my sis to the hospital. I want them both checked. Here's hoping there is still somepony sane in this place."

"… I usually don't take orders from the first pony that I meet…" growled Solaris, before giving a quick glance at the little Dahlia, who was climbing onto her brother's back. "But this time, I'll assume this is the better choice of action."

-oOo-

Winter Lily opened her eyes, her head pounding. She was alive, that was the first thing she noted. The second thing she noted was that she was sitting somewhere, her body bound by something that was pinching her skin.

She opened her eyes, exploring her surroundings: complete darkness. She couldn't even see where she was. Surely she wasn't in the wreckage of the car, even if [she] was being held in place by something.

"Hello…? Anypoy here…?" she asked to the darkness. As soon as her words stopped echoing, a couple of scarlet lights flashed on, showing her surroundings: she was inside a circus tent, sitting in one of the public seats. She was the only one, locked to a seat by a string of barbed wire.

The mare began to breathe heavily, trying to free herself from the wire. Another light flashed, lighting up the central area of the tent: the circle of sand where performances usually took place. In the middle of the area, there were a couple of ponies: one was wearing a bright colored green garment, as well as a rainbow-multicolored afro. Its face was covered in white makeup, and on its face was shining a scarlet plastic nose.

The second one was her sister. She was chained to a table, apparently awake, but with a rag of cloth in her mouth, to prevent her from speaking. At that sight, Winter Lily tried to free herself from the chains, but the spikes pinching her flesh make her squeak in pain.

The happy and cheerful music of the carnival organ started again, coming from all around her. The clown pony in the central area turned towards the empy seats, smiling cheerfully.

"Good evening, fillies and gentlecolts, to the spectacular and amazing circus of Silent Hill. For this night's play, we have already a volunteer, Fire Flower!" bellowed the pony, pointing happily at the mare strapped to the table. "She has kindly decided to join us for our wonderful trick of the jump into the acid bowl!" The pony screamed again, as another couple of scarlet lights lit up, pointing to a little rubber pool full of boiling green liquid, while the second one pointed to a trampoline, high above it, attached to one of the pillars that were holding up the tent.

"Our brave volunter will be dragged onto the trampoline, where she will jump off into the acid, for our entertainment!" continued the clown, while trotting towards an electronic console and pulling a lever. With a mechanical noise, the table where Fire Flower was tied began to move over a system of cables and rails, beginning to slide towards the pillar.

"Stop that! Flower!" screamed Winter Lily, trying to free herself, as the clown hopped away into the darkness. One of the wires around one of her forelegs suddenly released itself, falling on the ground with a muffled tingle. Winter Lily stared at it for a second, before trying to free her other foreleg with the help of her now free leg, while staring with terror as her sister continued her ascent.

"Fire, do something!" she screamed, slamming her free hoof on the wooden bench where she was sitting, and something fell down, hitting the ground with a metallic noise. The mare moved her eyes, focusing them on a big, bloodied bonesaw that was laying on the ground.

Oo-oO

Horray, prograssion.

I really wanted to put a bigger threat on the same line as Pyramidhead and the Bogeyman, so I came out with the wailer guy. Who/what is is it's open to debate.

Next chapter, let's see… well, let's put a pool: should we follow High Winds, Camo Fall and Dahlia towards the hospital, or Solaris and Trevor towards the post office? Let me know.

I really think I have something for railroads. I'm using them everywhere.