Good news, Joshua found the front gate.
Bad news, it's locked.
Good news, crime is legal if there are no witnesses.
Bad news, The Horse is a witness.
Good news, she's the one who broke the lock.
Bad news, it was with his shovel.
She didn't even have to, Joshua was just about to dismantle it, she just obliterated the fuckin with an almost frightening excitement before he could even try it.
Joshua wonders to himself as he walks through the gates if the coats of ponies have corretion to their behavior.
Maybe there's a scientific study out there expining that white coated horses are inherently really violent.
Who knows. Joshua doesn't. But he would believe it.
The hospital is just a straight walk to it. No gravel path, nothing just more grass on the way over.
Shadows cast down from the dipidated walls and windows, it stands at an imposing height, making the two a little uneasy.
He isn't sure what to expect. Maybe a person? He doubts it, but it feels good to have hope.
A phone then? That would be nice.
“Jophiel, can you open the doors?”
“Pony?”
“You can do it from a distance”
She nods and ignites her horn, the pastel aura wrapping around the handle of the shattered gss doors that stand in front of them.
With a little difficulty, she winces as the door is pried open from its weathered hinges, making a grating sound that hurts their ears.
It's loud enough to make Joshua look around, he doesn't know what's out here, but he'd rather not lure it to him.
Stepping into the hospital, stepping over the broken gss and onto the aged white tile, the sounds of his shoes echo along the dark and withered hallways.
Much like everything else he encountered, it is eerily still.
Keeping his sword close, and his psychic pony closer, Joshua wonders deeper into the hospital.
It smells of dust, old antiseptic, and iron. He hasn't been in a hospital in a long while, so he doesn't quite remember what it should and shouldn't smell like.
What he does first is take a closer look at the front desk. Just old wood, unreadable documents, and a few various appliances that earned him a few bits of metal and pstic.
The winding corridors turns him away for a moment, mentally grimacing at how much potential danger could be in any of the many rooms that line the halls.
But he's here on a mission.
There's no logical reason for it, but he feels that he's on the right path. A path leading… somewhere, but the right one nonetheless.
These buildings may hold a clue to solving where he is, what's going on… and most importantly…
How to get home.
“Pony”
“Yeah… I see it too”
Joshua went through some of the rooms, and aside from the state of decay there was nothing special to note. His supply of materials grows rger, not that he knows what they can be used for, but he likes watching the numbers go up.
But as they turn the corner, they freeze as they spot something, and the scent of iron is more harsh on his nose.
Blood.
Old, dried blood. Almost bck, seemingly pooled out of one of the closed doors.
Joshua doesn't know if he should be happy, or downright terrified. Sure, it's old, but it's proof.
Proof that someone else was here.
Gathering himself, Joshua fiddles with his neckce, running his fingers across the silver.
Joshua Abrams wouldn't call himself a religious man. So the irony is not lost on him that he found himself wanting to pray.
He doesn't even notice it until his hands were csped together, it was so natural that it took a strange look from Jophiel to wonder what he was doing.
Why… did he do that? He hasn’t prayed since he was a child. But… it does make sense, now that he thinks about it.
After all, he has first hand proof of the existence of higher powers.
First hand proof of “him”.
A whispered shout snaps him out of his trance.
“Pony!” Jophiel looks up at him with worried eyes.
How long had he just been standing there? Clearing his head with a shake, he gathers himself.
“Sorry, sorry. Come on”
They make their way to the door with the pooled blood, and notice the pque posted on it.
“DIRECTOR”
He doesn't think much of it, and opens the door.
…
Meanwhile, the internet is buzzing after popur influencer and e-celeb Iono posted a strange livestream for her followers to see.
Many are specuting on what it could be. At first gnce it's just a man exploring abandoned buildings with his Garian Ponyta, some specuted that Iono is getting into urban exploration.
But those that dug just the finest bit deeper, found themselves stumped and, in most cases, terrified.
Something is wrong.
Clips of the “Pony Incident” started to spread, giving nightmares to many who watched it. It was especially bad to any Ponyta owners, who accidentally found themselves frightened of their companion as they recalled the being at the door.
‘What was that?!’ was the shared thought in the community. So, interest in the livestream grew, with more and more people started tuning in, some rewinding the stream to watch from the beginning.
Discussions sparked up on if this is just some extremely well done art project, or some kind of trailer for a movie.
But everyone could agree on one thing.
It was strange.
Some believed it was a PR stunt, others actually believed it. Especially at the parts where Iono herself seemed to communicate directly with the man on screen.
Strangely enough, Joshua's complete ck of content creator etiquette seemed to only solidify the realness in their minds. He just seemed to be… some guy, a guy with strange abilities, but just a guy in a stressful situation.
His humor was only for himself, and his actions retable, his interactions with his Ponyta ‘Jophiel’ is what made him a charming figure for those watching.
He's not some internet personality looking to be the next big face, he's just Joshua.
…
[Anon-Message Board TOPIC: IonoZone]
001- why did Iono share some random dudes stream lol [LINK]
002- Checked it out. It's a horror movie I think.
003- Nah dude it's real, he talks with Iono and everything.
004- wtf
005- why is he in the middle of nowhere?
006- I think he wants to know that too lol
007- what's the ponytas name supposed to mean
008- idk
009- idk
010- idc
011- I watched up to the knocking part, had to turn it off, yeah I'm a pussy sue me
012- it's only because I am anon that I can say I shit my pants during that part.
013- isn't this dude like in a real danger?
014- could call the police…
015- hey, policeanon here, no thanks
016- lol
017- Joey is so cute… I need one PLEASE
018- Joey?
019- Jophiel, or as Josh calls her, “Freaky magical mind-reading pony”
020- psychic types do be like that
021- UPDATE: Iono is already looking into the stream, she's already alerted the authorities but so far they have nothing. They can't even find out who's streaming it.
022- ohhhh shits hitting the fannnn
023- Oh damn it was real.
024- At least the guy isn't annoying…
025- Wonder if the League is gonna look into it?
026- Nah, annuals are coming up, too busy.
027- welp, rip Josh
028- rip
029- RIP
030- can I have Joey after he dies
…
Jophiel, following behind Joshua as he enters the directors office, suddenly has the urge to hit something with a shovel.
She shakes her head, she can do that ter.
