(FR) A Darker Home - Part 5 (Finale)

Prose: https://www.fimfiction.net/story/307552/a-darker-home

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>Sleep clung to your eyelids as your group left the bedroom.
"Half way there guys. Just a matter of time."
>Fluttershy is still wiping tears from her eyes.
"You gonna be okay Fluttershy?"
>"Y-yeah. It's just... animal reunions make me cry every time."
>That makes sense.
>Twilight turns to Fluttershy with excitement written on her face.
>"I know some good books that you might love then. I'll pass them onto you when we get out of here."
>The three of you give a light laugh.
>That's a first.
>Things are finally beginning to feel a little less spooky in the house.
>The frigid air doesn't have quite the same bite to it.
>The darkness didn't seem quite so thick.
>In fact, the light from Twilight's horn was beginning to light the whole hallway.
"Only one room left up here. Let's check it out."
>Slowly turning the knob, you open the door to the room.
>Light from Twilight's horn instantly begins to fill the room.
>One long table sits in the center of a room under a large ornate red rug covered in a thick coat of dust.
>The chairs are pushed in and pristine, and the table is set for an exquisite dinner.
>The three of you file into the room.
>Cabinets line the walls, each with clouded windows displaying ancient pieces of fine china.
>You find a book of matches.
"Well. Finally. A source of light."
>Taking a match, you strike it against the side of the box.
>>Recommended Listening: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=A0blCpK32vI
>The fire from the match radiates out through the room lighting each of the candles.
>Gentle orange light from a majestic sunset graces the room through the windows.
>Triangles of sandwiches with the crusts cut off sit at the table.
>A wide array of carrots, celery and other vegetables sit in bowls as well.
>The five of the girls sit at the table all silent, munching on their dinner.
>One place at the table is empty, but food has been put on their plate.
>Occasionally, one will look up at another, then return their gaze to their meal.
>One of the fillies cough, grabbing all of their attention.
>They turn their eyes to the door, as if waiting for something.
>A tense moment of silence passes.
"Uh... what's up?"
>Nobody acknowledges your words.
>Looking at your hands,you are slightly transparent.
>At least you can tell you are in a vision now.
>The five fillies relax a little bit.
>"This is really good Melody."
>"Thanks."
>"Uh... thanks for... cutting off the crusts." pipes up a little filly that you haven't met yet.
>Melody smiles.
>"Of course Summer. I know you don't like them. Rose, be sure to give those crusts to Buddy."
>Rose, the filly from the bedroom, nods with a smile.
>A loud noise from outside the room draws your attention.
>Instantly, all of the fillies are face forward, sitting up straight at their place.
>The door slams open, causing some of the cabinets to shake.
>The sound of loud wailing and crying fills the room as Gertrude drags a filly in by their hair.
>"THIS IS UNACCEPTABLE! I'VE NEVER SEEN THIS PLACE THIS DIRTY IN MY LIFE!"
>The filly tries to choke out words among her sobs.
>"B-but I've been cleaning all day! All day! I'm sorry I haven't cleaned the bathroom yet!"
>She throws the little one at a cabinet and she hits her head hard.
>A plate falls out of the cabinet and breaks on one of her back legs, covering the rug with pieces of razor sharp porcelain.
>None of the girls even look up, with terror and fear written across their faces.
>The littlest one, Summer, has her eyes closed and is biting her lip.
>One of them isn't terrified of being next though.
>She stares directly at her plate, and is filled with rage.
>"Leave her alone!"
>Gertrude looks at the angry filly, who stands up on her seat.
>"Robin, don't do this," whispers Rose.
>"She's been working hard all day! She hasn't even eaten anything. Let her take a little break."
>Gertrude furrows her brow.
>"I see."
>She moves around the table to stand face to face with the filly.
>"I'm sure you wouldn't mind helping this slacker with the rest of the house then."
>The filly nods, but refuses to break eye contact with Gertrude.
>"Good girl."
>She moves around the table and examines the empty seat at the table, and picks up the plate of food.
>"Looks good."
>Gertrude throws the plate at the filly's face, covering her in food and causing her to cry out in pain.
>"Eat up."
>The old mare leaves the room without another word.
>The rest of the group sits in silence as the little filly lies on the floor covered in food and tears.
>Robin gets off her chair and approaches her.
>"Are you okay Glitter?"
>She simply keeps sobbing.
>Robin begins to help clean the food off of Glitter and picks up the worst pieces of broken porcelain on the floor.
>A burning feeling in your hand causes you to drop your match.
>>Please stop your music.
>When the match hits the floor, the room returns to it's darker state, and dust retakes it's rightful home on the house's belongings.
>"Look at this place."
>Your attention is drawn to glitter, whose hoof is running along the table.
>"This probably would have been at least six hours in the closet. Maybe more."
"You are... Glitter. Right?"
>She nods with a tired expression.
>"I wanted you to see that. Just so you could see what it was like every single day here."
>You pull out one of the chairs and sit next to her.
"I can't even imagine what you girls had to go through on a normal basis."
>She sighs and looks to you.
>"Wanna know what the worst part is?"
>Fluttershy and Twilight move closer to the filly and sit in front of her.
>She has all of your undivided attention.
>"I worked hard every single day for Gertrude. For some reason she just didn't like me. I tried my best to meet her expectations, but I just never could."
>Glitter sits down on the floor.
>"Every night I would go to bed sore, hungry, and tired. Most of the time later than everyone else. There was so many things that she wanted done."
>"I almost never got enough sleep, so when Gertrude taught her lessons I would sometimes fall asleep. Then there would be more chores and more..."
>She looks at the floor.
"I understand."
>"The worst part about all of this is, when I was in my final moments, I was just so happy. I would finally be able to relax. I would finally be able to rest for just a few moments."
>Twilight strokes the filly's mane.
>"Yet. I'm still so tired. All the time. I don't have a body anymore, but everything still hurts."
>She looks over her front hooves carefully.
>"I've seen the door several times, so I know what you are doing for the rest of my friends."
>You look to the girls.
>"I just couldn't leave them. Some part of me thought that if I stayed, maybe then Gertrude wouldn't hurt or bother anyone else."
"That's really selfless of you Glitter, but you might be surprised."
>She looks up at you questioningly.
"We've already helped Melody, Rose, and another filly go through the door, and it seems like Gertrude is getting weaker."
>Glitter thinks this over for a moment.
>"So if everyone goes through the door, then she won't have any power anymore?"
>"We think so," says Twilight.
>>Recommended Listening: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=z2hgqYCVodQ
>Glitter smiles.
>"Then I know what I have to do. For my friends."
>Glitter walks to the door and opens it all by herself.
>White light fills the dining room.
>It seems to be a simple child's bedroom, filled with toys and a small pink bed.
>As she walks in she smiles widely.
>"My old room..."
>Posters line the walls and school books sit on the wooden desk in the corner.
>"It's just like I remembered before the accident."
>You walk to the doorway and stand against the door to prevent it from closing.
>Every second of this beautiful moment is precious to you.
>She trots directly to the desk, where a picture of her family is sitting.
>The color slowly begins to return to her body.
>"Mom... Dad... Little brother..."
>She smiles, caressing the picture carefully.
>Outside the windows in the room you see a beautiful sight of Ponyville in the summer.
>Children are outside playing catch and tag on the crisp green grass.
>You even manage to see the filly from the bathroom outside.
>Glitter looks out the window and recognizes her as well.
>She gasps and opens the window wide.
>"Hey Joy!"
>The filly stops and waves.
>"Come out here and play with us!"
>"You bet!"
>She slams the window shut and gallops towards the door.
>"Thank you... so much."
>You laugh.
"I thought you were tired."
>She looks outside and then back to you.
>"I was, but... now I'm not."
"That's good. Well, I better let you outside."
>She nods and you slowly close the door, returning the dining room to the dark.
>>Please stop your music.

>As you reopen the door, only dark hallway greets you.
"Well, the top floor is clear. Let's recheck downstairs."
>You be sure to grab the matches before you go.
>Who knows if Gertrude could possess Twilight next.
>Something entirely different or unexpected could also happen.
>Whatever it could be, it has you on guard since she hasn't shown herself or made any moves against you guys in the last hour.
>The three of you make your way down the creaky hallway towards the stairs.
>They didn't quite seem this steep last time.
>Taking point, you begin to descend the stairs.
"Alright, so downstairs we have the entrance room, storage room, the room none of us like, and the classroom."
>There is a sudden light pressure against your back.
>The push causes you to miss a step.
"SHIT!"
>Twilight and Fluttershy both jump as well, seeing your sudden reaction.
>"Y-you okay?" asks Fluttershy.
"Yeah..."
>You take the rest of the stairs much more carefully.
>When you reach the bottom of the stairs, you turn to the girls.
"Which should we check out first?"
>Twilight thinks to herself for a moment and responds.
>"Why don't we check out the storage room? Seems like it would be a really good hiding spot for the girls."
>The thought of the open box of dolls enters your mind.
"Uh, okay."
>You slowly walk towards the door.
>This was one of the last places you wanted to check.
>Hair stands on the back of your neck as you walk towards the open door.
>A sharp pain from your foot causes you to look down.
>Looking down, it seems that you stepped on one of the heads of the pony dolls.
>The head shattered into millions of pieces, and only it's eyes looked right back at you.
>You push the pieces to the side of the hallway with your foot, trying to get the image of the piercing eyes out of your head.
>Moving into the open room, you freeze dead in your tracks.
>Hundreds of piercing eyes are illuminated by Twilight's horn from the dolls that are scattered across the entire room.
>Fluttershy refuses to even enter the room.
>Twilight walks into the room as if it were any other room in the house.
"These... weren't all like this before."
>Fluttershy begins to shiver while Twilight begins moving boxes trying to find the filly.
>"The sooner we get done, the sooner we get to leave. Isn't that what you've been saying Anon?" says Twilight.
>Taking a deep breath, you steel yourself and begin to look through the boxes again.
>The timid yellow moves into the room and clings to your leg.
>At this point, there was no point in fighting her anymore.
>Some of the boxes had their original contents disturbed, but it seemed like most of them were the same.
>Twilight became overly interested in a box of books and wasn't looking quite as hard anymore.
>You sit down on a searched box and sigh.
"Don't think anything is in here."
>The door slams shut.
>"Ooowwww."
>The three of you turn, and a little filly is rubbing her head.
>"Dang it, you found me. I bet I was the first one too."
>She looks to the floor utterly defeated.
>"I was so close too. I almost managed sneak out of the door, but I even messed that up."
>You turn to the little filly.
"Hey now, don't be so hard on yourself. You are Summer right?"
>She looks up at you, surprised.
>"H-how do you know my name?"
"Your friends told me. The ones we already found."
>Summer nods to you.
>"They are all so nice to me. I really don't deserve such nice friends."
>You look to Fluttershy, who is visibly concerned for the little filly.
>"Hey now... that's not the right way to think at all. Why do you think you don't deserve them?"
>Summer sits on the floor and picks up one of the porcelain dolls.
>"That's easy... Because all of this is my fault."
"Now that can't be true at all-"
>"IT IS!"
>She has a fire of regret and agony in her eyes.
>"I tried to help Melody with her cooking, and she just gets hurt! I try to help Glitter with the cleaning and she gets locked in the closet! I try to get school help from Robin... and... and"
>Summer tears up and looks at the floor.
>"... I blew up the classroom on accident because I can't do anything right. I was just trying to work on the science project."
>Words fail you as you try to console the crying filly.
>"When she saw the big hole. She just went to her room, and didn't come out for hours. When she did come out, I was the first one. I was locked in the closet... It hurt so much."
>She curls into a ball on the floor.
"Summer... you don't have to say anymore if you don't want to."
>She shakes her head and continues.
>"The worst part was, when I left my body... I tried to do everything I could to stop her, but I didn't know how to control things. When she got to Melody, it was all over too fast for me to do anything..."
>Fluttershy wraps herself around the little spirit in an attempt to console her.
>"She forced Glitter to drink some of the cleaning fluid and locked her in the closet. Joy was stabbed in the shower so many times that I lost count. Rose was beaten until she stopped moving. I... couldn't save them..."
>Summer sinks deeper and deeper into her sobs.
>"None of that was as bad as what happened to Robin too..."
>Twilight is stroking the filly's mane, trying to console her.
>"Shhhhh. It's all over now."
>The three of you sit together, taking care of the poor little spirit.
>"I should have saved them."
"It's not your fault Summer."
>"I'm a failure."
>"You aren't a failure sweetie," chimes in Fluttershy.
>Summer begins to quietly calm down.
>"W-where are they now?
>You do your best to put on a reassuring smile.
"A better place."
>>Recommended Listening: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3H8UjitRFHQ
>"Can... Can I see them?"
>You look at the door and Summer seems to understand.
>"I remember Glitter talking about this once."
>Summer moves away from Fluttershy's warm embrace and looks at the door with a worried look.
>She reaches up with a shaky hoof, to open the door, but pulls it away.
>"I... I can't. I never told any of them..."
>She turns away.
>"What if they don't forgive me?"
>"They will Summer."
>From the back of the room, Robin slowly steps into Twilight's light.
>"I know they will. This isn't your fault."
>Summer looks up at Robin.
>"Are you sure?"
>Robin smiles down at her.
>"Of course. We are all basically sisters, and there is no way I could be mad at my little sister."
>Summer sniffs, feeling more tears coming on.
>She nearly tackles Robin with a massive hug.
>"Now now, no more tears... we got to go see everyone else."
>Summer walks up to the door, but stops to look at Robin.
>Robin nods to her.
>"It's your door to open, not mine."
>Summer raises a shaky hoof to the door knob.
>The room slowly fills with white light, as the rest of the girls stand on the other side.
>"Summer!" exclaims Melody
>"Summer, we've been waiting for you!" says Glitter
>"Come on slow poke! Let's have some fun." chimes Joy.
>Rose stands off to the side with a wide smile.
>Summer's face lights up, as her coat begins to turn a more natural shade of blue.
>She turns to Robin.
>"Are you coming with me?"
>Robin shakes her head.
>"This isn't my door, but I will be there soon. I promise."
>Summer looks to you, Twilight and Fluttershy.
>"Thank you so much for listening. I can't wait to see you all again some day."
>Summer trots into the white light, when Robin calls out to her.
>"Hey! Don't forget this!"
>She picks up the ball from the back of the room, the one that bounced into your earlier, and throws it to the girls.
>"Thanks Robin!"
>"You are the best Robin!"
>"See you soon!"
>"Bye guys..."
>Robin slowly closes the door, leaving you all in darkness.
>>Please stop your music.

>"I suppose now it's my turn huh?"
>You look to the girls, and then back to Robin.
"That was the agreement."
>She nods and heads into the hallway, and the three of you follow her.
>As she heads into the play room, you follow her in here.
>"This is the only place that I can see my door."
"So you have seen your door too?"
>"Yeah... I couldn't leave the girls though. I'm like a big sister to all of them."
>You nod.
>"Sort of like Glitter then..." says Twilight.
>"Not really. I knew that Gertrude would be stronger if we were all still here, so I've been trying to get all of them to go through their doors, but some couldn't see them or didn't want to. So, thank you, all of you."
>Fluttershy smiles a little bit.
>"The three of you have really helped me and my family, so now I want to help you before I join them."
"Really? How do we need help? If you go through, then she won't have any power anymore."
>"That's not true. I've been watching you three since you arrived here. She will have three more sources of power once I leave."
>"Who would that be?" asks Twilight.
>"There is Anon, Fluttershy, and the other filly that wandered in here a few days ago."
>"That's Annie," exclaims Twilight. "We were sent here to bring her back to Ponyville. Is she safe?"
>"Yes, she's sleeping at the bottom of the hole as Gertrude's hostage."
"Then what do we do? How can we get everyone out of here?"
>"That's the problem... I don't know." says Robin with a tone of sadness. "I've been thinking so hard, but I don't know how you can do it."
>You stand up.
"I know what we have to do."
>The three ponies look at you questioningly.
"You won't like it, but it will work. So I'm not telling you the plan. Let's just get this over with."
>Twilight stands up, furious.
>"No! We've done all of this as a team so far, so we will do this as a team."
"Twilight, this is the only way. I'm pretty sure I knew that it would end this way once we began the game."
>"W-will anyone get hurt?" asks Fluttershy.
>You know exactly what she means.
"Everyone will be fine Fluttershy."
>She looks directly into your eyes.
>"Will you be alright Anon?"
>You look into her worried eyes.
"I'll be fine."
>She doesn't break her gaze.
>"I believe Anon. Let's do his plan."
>Twilight looks at Fluttershy, utterly shocked.
>Robin stands up.
>"Sounds like this is my time to take my leave."
>Twilight gives up and returns to the floor.
>Robin walks over to the door, and raises her hoof to the handle.
>White light fills the room one more time as the rest of the girls are playing catch.
>"Hey guys."
>"Robin!" the girls all chime in unison.
>Robin turns to you three and smiles.
>"Thank you... so much. I swear I will find a way to repay you three."
>The three of you nod.
"Have fun girls."
>"Bye bye girls!" says Fluttershy excitedly.
>Twilight simply waves with a smile, as the door slowly closes for the last time.

"We are only going to get one shot, so let's make it count."
>Your feet are automatic as you walk towards the classroom.
>Twilight and Fluttershy keep your pace as you enter the room.
>The classroom is empty, the shards of glass on the floor undisturbed from when you last exited.
"Show yourself."
>The clapping of hooves fills the room.
>"Congratulations. You successful showed the little brats to the other side. I bet you feel like you accomplished something."
>Where was the sound coming from?
>You search the room, but find no sign of Gertrude.
>Fluttershy begins to breathe heavily.
>Twilight wraps a hoof around her.
>>Recommended Listening: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ErCZLRXQPW8
>The yellow pegasus begins to cough.
>"Are you going to be okay Fluttershy?" asks Twilight.
>Her coughs become louder and more pronounced as she begins to cough out a black liquid onto the floor.
>It soon pours out in a steady stream, causing the pegasus to go white in the face.
>She collapses on the glass once it finishes pouring out of her mouth.
>The liquid begins twisting and turning unnaturally.
>It slithers across the floor to the other side of the massive hole in the floor.
>The mass slowly begins to shape itself into Gertrude, who doesn't seem as ghostly as the other fillies.
>The sun gradually begins to rise from outside, providing a minimal amount of light for the room.
>Twilight charges her horn for a magic strike.
>"Now, now, now. We can't have that."
>Gertrude raises a hoof, and Twilight is sent flying through the open door.
>Turning back, you see the front door open wide and the purple unicorn flies through it, landing roughly on the yellow grass outside.
>The door slams shut as you return your attention to the spirit.
>"You've came all this way, yet still I have the upper hand."
>A small white filly is raised up out of the hole and hangs in mid-air.
>"Were you looking for this little one? She has been crying for days. Probably starving too."
"Then what do you want?"
>"You know exactly what I want."
>Damn it.
>You feared this would happen.
"So only two of us can leave then."
>Fluttershy slowly starts getting to her feet, her underside covered in cuts and broken glass.
>"That's right."
"Then I'm staying."
>"Anon... no..." says Fluttershy weakly.
"It's what has to be done."
>Gertrude smiles and licks her lips.
>"Step right up then."
>You take a step forward.
>"One more thing..."
>A tingling sensation envelops your feet, and then unbearable pain shoots through your legs.
>Looking down, your shoes have vanished, giving your feet zero protection.
>She smiles a malevolent smile and dangles the filly in mid-air.
>"Just come to me, and she is free."
>You take another step, as the unbearable pain racks your thoughts.
>Blood marks your footsteps as you cross the floor one step at a time.
>Tears of pain collect in your eyes and your teeth clench.
>This was the only way to make sure that everyone got out safe.
>You didn't belong in Equestria anyway.
>It all made sense.
>Fluttershy looked on helplessly, watching her love endure terrible pain to ensure that she and Annie got out safe.
>"Yes... that's it... almost there."
>When you reach her, you drop to your knees, unable to take the pain anymore.
>"Good boy."
>Gertrude takes the little filly and places her on Fluttershy's back.
>The front door swings wide open.
>Twilight tries to charge in, but is blocked by an invisible force.
>"ANON! NO!"
>You look up at the unicorn with a feeling of helplessness.
>It had to end this way.
"Just go Fluttershy."
>"Anon..."
"JUST GO!"
>Fluttershy walks towards the door, but stops to turn back.
>"Anon, I-"
>With a swift hoof, Fluttershy is pushed out the door to the classroom, and it is slammed shut behind her.
>>Recommended Listening: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=20HS9fTZOTs
>"Now then... It's time to have some fun with you."
>The red light from the rising sun spills into the room, mixing hues with the blood that covers the ground.
>"And trust me, I'm going to enjoy this..."
>She raises you up into the air and slams you down on the teacher's desk.
>"For a very, very long time."
>The door to the hallway bursts off the hinges and flies into Gertrude.
>She's taken by surprise and it hits her head on.
>White light pierces the red and fills the entire room.
>The walls become painted in the white and the windows disappear.
>All that remains is the hole in the center of the room, which had became as black as night.
>The six fillies, bathed in white light burst from the doorway.
>"Get her!" cries Robin.
>The six fillies charge at Gertrude and jump on her.
>"You little brats! Get off of me!"
>She punches Summer in the face and treats Glitter the same.
>"How DARE you!" declares a familiar feminine voice.
>Twelve adult ponies stand in the doorway and gallop into the room.
>A few of the males pick up Gertrude and hold her steady.
>"Go get her Papa!" exclaims Summer.
>Joy's mother walks up to Gertrude and gives her a deadly stare.
>"How dare you hurt our children? How dare you cut their lives short out of your own selfishness? Now it's time for you to pay."
>"No... Don't!"
>The fathers, shrouded in white, slowly drag her to the black pit in the middle of the room.
>"Please! NO! Anywhere but there!"
>With a strong throw, she is tossed into the endless void and begins to scream.
>The piercing scream fills the room until she falls out of hearing range.
>"Have fun in Tartarus," says one of the fathers.
>Another one of them spits into the black void.
>>Please stop your music.
>The parents slowly leave the room, and each of the fillies come up to hug you.
>The pain and burning in your feet slowly fade away.
"Thank you girls. Thank you."
>"Thank you? You helped us!"
>You return their hug and the girls smile and laugh.
>Sitting up, you smile at Robin, who returns just as strong of a smile.
>"I told you that I would make it up to you."
"Yeah. Yeah you did."
>Standing back up, you walk with the fillies towards the door.

>>Recommended Listening: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2j5d5CTkoL4
>When you walk through the door, you find yourself outside the house, looking directly at Twilight and Fluttershy.
>"Anon!"
>Fluttershy flies at you and wraps herself around you.
"Don't worry Shy, I'm not going anywhere."
>Twilight walks up to you questioningly.
>"What happened? The entire house went white after Fluttershy came out with Annie."
>You look back at the house, and see the six little fillies smile and wave through the shattered windows.
"I think, Gertrude got what was finally coming to her."
>Twilight smiles and nods.
>The sleeping filly rests quietly on Twilight's back.
"Let's head back to town guys. We got one heck of a story for the Princess, and this little one has a family to go home to."
>The girls nod, as the four of you begin the return trip to Ponyville in the light of a brand new day.