Silent Hill

As Ember listened to Bakewell he gathered the idea that she wasn't telling him something. But he believed her when she told him Silver didn't do it, the thought of Ghosts scared him even more, but he managed to keep himself in check, it was her last words that hit him hardest. "I don’t think you’re safe here alone with me either." Why would she say that? She said she would keep me safe... She wouldn't try to hurt me... Would she? Ember didn't want to believe it...

As they walked back to the foyer he decided to ask. "B-bakewell? When we were in that r-room... You w-were almost as scared a-as me, but I didn't s-see anything other than that p-picture. W-was there something e-else? Something th-that made you doubt you can k-keep me safe? Y-you were so sure b-before then.." Ember didn't bring up that he was scared Bakewell might hurt him, he hoped it was all to do with this place, that she didn't want to hurt him, just that she had no idea what this place could do.

“N-nothing you need to worry about.” She stammered.

”Are you sure? I bet you would be worried if a murderer was following you around, acting all cute and innocent.

Oh, wait, no. You’re far too dumb. You wouldn't even realize what was happening until your entrails were scattered over the walls.”

“”I am sure! I'm not faking anything! Shut up!” She snapped, before wincing. She had said that out loud. No bucking way was anypony going to trust her now. Not unless she made sure they never knew about- no. Just no.

“Sorry, I… I didn’t mean to... I’m just stressed right now. Really really stressed. There was something else. You feel like picture was meant for you, right? What I found was meant for me. I’ll tell you whatever you want to know laterwhen we both get out of here alive. It’s just safer in numbers. Look at us. I-I’m a mess. You’re a mess. W-we’re easy pray alone. We’ll be safer with the others.

Ember flinched away from Bakewell when she shouted, he thought she was shouting at him, but when he thought about what she had said... "I'm not faking anything!" [i]I never said she was faking..." He came to the conclusion that whatever she had seen must have brought back something terrible, just like the picture did to him. If this was anywhere else he probably would have got as far away from Bakewell as he could, but he was sure something in this town was playing with both of them... Maybe even everypony in the group.

When Bakewell agreed to tell him everything once they got out, Ember just gave a shaky nod, he was worried that if he said anything else it may uspset her more, so he continued the rest of the journey to the foyer in silence. Though when they arrived Ember saw they weren't the first back, so he joined up with the others, looking noticeably more shaken and terrified than before. "B-bakewell found the m-map we were l-looking for. I... I also f-found a map of the p-police station... And I th-think somepony wants m-me, maybe a-all of us to g-go to a r-room there."

"but this is her feather..." dream mummred to him self he looked at silver puting his mask back on then checked his pipbuck "the hell the radio wont turn off." he tryed a few more times "what the hell chanel is this it wont go off!" he fumed fallowing silver

Walking back to the foyer, Silver noticed something about the hallways. They were different. It was a subtle difference, one he was willing to chalk up to the chips, but they were off. Something don't seem right. The goons my bosses hired to kill me should have at least attacked me by now. Then again it might have been one of the ponies that went to another room. But if that's the case, why didn't they kill me when I was asleep? Why did they put the chips there? Unless they're trying to make me paranoid! That way I attack somepony and they all attack me. That's brilliant. Let the group do the job for them. They get the caps without having lifted a hoof. Damnit, I'm up against professionals.

Silver's inner monologue is interrupted when he realizes he's at the foyer and Cuppa and Arc are there. Play it cool Silver. "So, did you guys find anything useful. We didn't find anything. All we found was this picture." Silver takes out the picture from the box and shows it to Arc and Cuppa.

Having only been waiting a few minutes, Cuppa gave a wave of her hoof to Siover Tongue and Day Dream as they returned. She looked at the picture that Silver Tongue showed them with as much of a displeased look as somepony could manage with a mask obscuring their face. "Ah dun like it. Though, we found a tape an' a few helpful little things. We did find a few lanterns too. An' a stapler, an' some bright decorations." Cuppa spoke with a nod, looking to Arc before returning focus on Silver. "Let's wait fer the others before puttin' on the tape.. It ain't about sunshine an' rainbows, ah'll tell ya'll that."

After she finished talking, Ember and Bakewell had returned, bringing not one map, but two maps, one seeming to have a little location marked out for all. "Ah see.... Umm, well, maybe checkin' that next might be a good plan?" She said whilst giving an attemptedly pleasant wave to the two.

Dawn walked onto the foyer seeing that everypony was gathered there, " I found this key" Dawn said, having heard the current conversation of the items that they had found, "wonder if this key opens up anything special." Dawn streched his wings sitting down "probably goes to something in the police station, would be intresting to see what we find."

Arc stood silent for a while, frowning. He though whether he should confront Silver with his accusiations of playing this on everypopny present. No, perhaps there was some other explantion, there was not yet need to jump to conclusions, and if Silver was here, then he would make a mistake, sooner or later, that would show him as the one behind the all.

Then the map showed up, and subsequently, the key. A suspicious coincidence.

"Well... seems that we have a map with a mark and a key... perhaps these two are connected, maybe the key opens what is on the place the map marks?"

Silver only nodded at the map and the key, his mind on other things. Who could it be, who could it be? Could be Ember. Nopony would suspect the cowardly prick. Or Dream. He's been keen on staying close to me. Maybe it's Arc. He keeps looking at me. Might be Cuppa. She can't be from around here, not with that accent. Silver snaps out of his inner monologue. "Yeah, heading to the police station would be a good idea. Might be some guns there. Hey, wasn't that your idea earlier Arc?" Silver looks at Arc with a straight face.

Bakewell realized (and was constantly reminded by a certain stare) that letting the others see the inside of her saddlebags was probably not a good idea for morale. When talk of going to the police station started she turned her saddlebag away from the others and fished around, drawing out the map to prevent somepony else doing it and seeing the cracked skull. She made sure her remaining cargo was secure before reclosing the bag and holding out the map.

“H-here. Somepony who actually knows how to properly read a map can have this. I’d hate for us to get lost in this stupid town on t-top of everything else.”


The police station seemed as good a lead to her as any. She would follow the group without (much) hesitation. The larger amount of ponies in the area also thankfully seemed to keep the skull more hushed and easier to put up with.

Ember listened to what the others said as they returned, and took the map from Bakewell when she held it out... There were two reasons, one was he didn't quite trust the others, the second was the one he said out loud. "I c-can read it... I've h-had to use m-maps in my s-scavenging b-before." he also paid special attention when he heard a key mentioned. Though he could tell that something was different with everypony, so when Silver mention the police station to Arc he took the momentary silence as his chance. "Uhm... H-hey... I just have t-to ask... D-did anypony else f-find anything w-wierd? L-like something f-from there p-past? I... I think s-someponies playing us... S-somepony knows w-were here... And... And they w-want us t-to go to the p-police station."

Ember looked around awkwardly, feeling like he should have kept quiet... But he had to know, otherwise it would mean that just him and Bakewell had been targeted... Which would re-open the possibility it was somepony else in the group.

Looking between the others, wondering what they could possibly be thinking right now as they mentioned these things they found that were useful, like the maps and the key, causing Cuppa to smile slightly under her mask before she perked an ear at the point Ember brought up. "U-Umm... Well... Yah... Ah found summint, but ah dun wanna talk 'bout it." She said as she lightly kicked the ground with one of her hooves.

"How 'bout we don't talk 'bout this, kay? Let's jus get goin' t' the police station, please?" The tone of Cuppa's voice was one of slight concern as she waited for the others to answer. "C'mon. When we get this done, we can go home."

"That was my idea, yes. But if the person who is behind this all points us to go there, we shoud do so with caution, because for all we know it might be trap. Still... even as a trap, it would mean we are getting somewhere." said Arc, frowning.

"And yes, Ember, we did found some... disturbing and suspicious things, among them a holotape record. I'll play it for you."

Arc tapped few buttons on his pipbuck and the device started playing the record.

Ember listened as Arc played the recording he had found, flinching at each cry of pain or plea for it to stop... He sat down again, once more finding his legs unable to support his body and stared wide-eyed at the Pip-buck. "Wha... Why? Why d-did they do th-that? Is... Is that the s-same people that a-are playing tricks w-with u-us? Are th-they going to d-do that t-to us too!!"

Ember hoped somepony could say it wouldn't happen, but he knew that if they did, they wouldn't be saying it for certain, nopony knew what was going on in this place... Did they? The thought came back to his mind that maybe somepony in the group was doing this. Maybe their ALL in on it? What if Silver planned all this, just to kill me? But why? What have I done to these ponies... Or maybe i've done nothing... Maybe I just chose the wrong time? But... They can't all be in on it... Bakewell was nearly as scared as me, But she shouted out that she isn't faking... Faking what? Maybe she doesn't want to do it? That's why she said I wasn't safe around her... It must be... They want me dead... Their going to KILL me!

As Ember drew his own conclusion he looked around at the group looking terrified like each of them were a landmine... He began to back up, till he hit a wall, where he stood, watching each of them intently... Waiting to see if they would try and do something, if they realised he had figured out what they were planning.

"can anypony else not turne there radio off?" dream asked trying to chang the topic for things they fond why her feather? how did it get here?" he couldnt let the others know about what he did rember from his past.

"Cool, we should find what that key unlocks." Sky said to dawn, "Wonder what we might find if that key opens something."

(Sorry dawn, on vacation)

Bakewell’s visage slowly melted from nervous anxiety to absolute horror as Arc’s recording played. She quickly jammed her hooves over her ears before the recording was even halfway through, but to her dismay discovered that she could still hear make out the fillies screams from beyond the muffling appendages.

Bakewell noticed Ember backing away from the group, though it registered more as backing away from only her. She clamped her eyes closed and tried to ignore it. She couldn’t blame the fire-named unicorn for hating her; heck, she couldn’t blame anypony for hating her. She was a monster, she knew it and the skull reaffirmed it. The bone was brutal, but it was also honest. Always telling her what she needed to hear. But where the words had been so kind years ago, they now were undoubtedly acidic. Though that might be understandable, giving the now-deceased state of the owner. She didn’t deserve to have any friends.

But that didn’t make it hurt less.


When Gaze mentioned a pipbuck radio, Bakewell happily latched onto the subject in an attempt to feel helpful and distract herself.

“O-of course I can turn my pipbuck radio o-“ She started as she raised her leg to check. She paused as soon as she noticed that her radio was on in the first place. She almost never turned the thing on when not alone. She frowned and attempted to turn it off. Nothing. She tried again, nothing. She shook her forehoof around in the air in front of her and tried one final time. Nothing.

“…No. No I cannot turn my radio off. I’m also pretty sure that I didn’t turn it on in the first place.”

Silver stared at Ember. "Yes, I found something to. I do not wish to talk about it. I don't know about you guys, but I'm getting out of this town." Silver began walking to the door. Let them go to the police station, I'm leaving. I have to leave, before that assassin gets me. I have to leave, just like Pegasus. Celestia damnit, just when I thought I got away. Silver stopped when he heard Dream ask about the radio and Bakewell say she couldn't turn hers off.

Silver turns to them. "That's easy to explain, somethings wrong with yo-" Silver stopped talking when he looked at his pipbuck. His radio was turned on and tuned to a weird station. He started to mess with it. "The hell? Who messed with my pipbuck? Why won't it turn off? And how come the station is called unknown signal? It always has a name for stations." Silver holds the pipbuck to his ear. "And it's not even playing anything. It's silent." Silver looks at the group angrily. "Who the fuck messed with my pipbuck?!"

Having to listen to the holotape a second time was not on Cuppa's list of things to do, but she had to listen regardless. It was as disturbing and heart-wrenching as the first time, each of the girl's pleas and cries for help making Cuppa force herself to not cry. Once it was over, she was relieved, but before anything else could be said, the matter of a few of the other's leg-mounted devices, their pip-bucks, having problems with their radio.

The one who brought it up, a brown pegasus, originally seemed to think it might just be his pip-buck that was a problem, but then Bakewell also discovered that it was a problem for hers too... Then Silver Tongue seemed to get very worked up and aggressive over the fact that his wasn't working right either. Apparently the station they were stuck on was completely silent though.

Silver Tongue wanted to leave, which was worrying, as he had wanted to come here originally. Due to his aggressive attitude at the time, Cuppa reeled back slightly and seemed quite afraid, crouched low. "S-Silver, ah'm thinkin' we all saw summint we didn't like. A-An' ah dun think gettin' angry 'bout it's a good idea... Jus' c-calm down, we gotta keep goin'.. Ah'm more doin' this fer that poor filly now, nopony should have t' be treated like she was."

Pausing for a moment, Cuppa slowly rose until she was standing upright again, taking a few steps towards the unicorn with the slicked back mane. "An' them nightmares ain't gonna jus' stop cause yer gunna run off like a wuss, ya know that, right? We all gots things scarin' us.. But we gots t' be strong so we dun have t' be scared, right?" As she finished, Cuppa started to shrink back again, as if she'd lost whatever inspiration she'd had to acutally come out and say something to the enraged Silver Tongue.

'Wow, not bad for a motivational speech' Dawn let a sigh of relief pass through him as Cuppa attempted to calm everyone, "I agree, it's best we keep a cool mind if we want to get out of here alive, plus when we finish here we could finally get some sleep withought someone or something putting stuff in our face, I think that's the greatest reward there is." He stated, Dawn could tell the lack of sleep and stress was causing everyone to get paranoid, the group wasn't even trying to hide it from one another, Dawn was pretty supriesed he himself wasn't threatning the other ponies or flying off.

Yet he wasn't really all that worried, there were few ponies who would ever know of his past, hell he didn't even exist anymore in the enclave system, let alone have other pegasi that actually Knew of him. Even if his family were to sell information of him like hell would they let them have his father's old helmet, or even a cheap knock off. As far as Dawn was concerned, the only way to know anything about him was through his own mouth.

Yet here was his father's old helmet sitting in his bags........ Though he wasn't 100% sure of the authenticity but it was close enough, if anything a little too close for His liking, "I don't think it would be smart for us to go pointing our guns at each other either, this IS equestria after all, and magic can work in mysteriose ways, enough of this foolishness, let's get a move on....... If we make it out alive i'll buy us a round of whatever it is you like." As soon as Dawn finished, his eyes glazed over in reminiscense, 'Damn, I really am starting to sound like my father..........'

Silver takes a second to contemplate what Cuppa said. That bitch is right, I can't let my emotions get the better of me. But that was a gift from my parents, one of the only things I have from home. This might be part of my assassins ploy. "Your right Cuppa, I shouldn't get mad. But I am." Silver walks up to Cuppa and leans in. "And don't you ever tell me how to act." Silver backs away. "This was something special to me. And I'm not running away, I just want to reassess the situation. Think about, with that small brain of yours. How did we all find the things from our past. I assume it was the past from the stuff you've all said. Me and Dream found it after waking up. Yeah we fell asleep. I can't account for Dream, but I've been up for 4, no wait 5 days. How did you guys find yours?"

Ember looked at everypony fearfully, a lot of them didn't seem to register his reaction, Or were they just pretending? Bakewell seemed hurt, which once again made him consider the possibility that she didn't want this to happen... Or maybe she's a target too? But it was Silver that scared him the most, he seemed to have changed completely, throwing about accusations and threats, he said something to Cuppa that he didn't hear, that he wasn't meant to hear... Is she going to kill me? Though Silver then asked about what they had found... And Ember figured that the best way to prolong his life was to play along.

"I... Uhm... I f-fell asleep... When I w-woke the picture was th-there... N-nopony knows what h-happened to m-my parents apart f-from me... H-how did th-that get there? It's... It's not p-possible." Ember looked around for a reaction from others, be it a sign that they knew what was going on, or a sign that his time had come to an end, either way he kept against the wall, if he was going, he was going to know who did it.

"Same with me, i dozed off and woke in the room we were heading to. What is strange i that for the first time in weeks, i had no dream, no nightmare. Then i woke up and the chip was there, lying in frotn of me. What i dont like is how specific that was, someone behind this knew where we were going. He's listening to us, even now, likely."

It seemed that Silver was calming down after she gave him that lecture, but she still took a step back as he leaned in, hearing what he said to her before he pulled away. She gritted her teeth, obscured by the mask as he spoke, he partially reminded her of somepony else long ago, but that somepony was long dead. "Ya can' tell me what t' do..." She quietly muttered in response, staying crouched back for a moment before she returned to her original standing position.

She ignored the comment Silver made afterwards and simply listened to the stories the others had about how they found their own object. That wasn't what she pictured the thing she found to be. It was something she didn't even want to be near, it was something that the world needed ridding of. "Ah fell asleep, not even sure why. An' then it was right in front o' me an' ah freaked out a tiny bit."

Bakewell found herself within yet another situation she didn’t want to be in. The others were discussing their finds. Everypony's seemed to be something that made them nervous, but none were even remotely as bad as hers. Arc Weld had some kind of a chip. Ember had a picture. Bakewell had a bucking crushed skull. There was no way she could let the other ponies know. They’d think she was crazy, that she was going to murder them. Maybe they’d even think she was the one behind this whole mess. She didn’t know most of these ponies very well. What would they do to her if they thought for even a minute that she was torturing them in some way?

“T-The same thing happened to me.” She said, and left it at that.