What Do You Fear?by wille179ChaptersOneTwoThreeOneCh 1 ‘Wish for the impossible, strive for everything else,’ Rook told himself. His body was spread out on a blanket near the top of the grassy hill. He stared upwards towards the night sky, waiting to see a shooting star. Well, it’s not like he’d have to wait long. After all, the meteor shower was due in only an hour. Why else would a high school student be out on a hill alone at 2:42 am on a school night? The hour counted down and Rook’s anticipation grew. His mind began to formulate his wish. What childish desire had he always wanted fulfilled? Rook pondered the thought, and, finding his answer, settled in for the show. A minute later, the stars began to fall. Momentarily distracted by the spectacle, he almost forgot to voice his wish. Soon enough, however, his mind caught up. Spotting a particularly bright meteor, his lips formed the words, “I wish I was a shape shifter.” Come on, what little child wouldn’t wish for superpowers? And tonight was all about the indulging his inner child with a selfish wish. Unfortunately, Rook wasn’t expecting what happened next. “Wish granted, selfish brat.” All the world went black. Rook found himself suspended in a void. Well, not exactly. To him, he felt absolutely nothing. He couldn’t even feel his own body. No sight, smell, or sound could be perceived. That is, until a voice that was not his own called out. “Michael ‘Rook.’ You are a selfish wisher. You wish upon a falling star without any conviction and have the nerve to ask something only for yourself.” Something about that voice seemed familiar, but Rook couldn’t place it. He wanted to call out to reply, but couldn’t locate his own mouth. “I’m in a particularly foul mood today. So here’s what I’m going to do. I’m going to make sure your wish comes true in an absolutely horrible way. Good luck with the rest of your life!” the voice laughed. The void around Rook transformed from emptiness to unconsciousness. Rook awoke lying in the middle of a rocky wasteland, without another living soul in sight. The sun shone down onto his face, but not into his eyes. They were covered by a slip of paper that had been taped to his forehead. Reaching up, he grabbed the paper out of his eyes and sat up. Rook looked down at the paper and read, ‘have fun, you little boggart.’ Upon reading the word ‘boggart,’ the paper promptly folded itself into the shape of an origami mouth, which stuck out its tongue. After delivering its insult, the note began to shred itself apart. “Well shit. That is most definitely a bad way to get my wish granted,” Rook muttered to himself. He remembered the boggart from the Harry Potter books. The creature assumed the form of whatever you feared most. From how it was described, the boggart seemed like it had to transform into the fears of those nearest to it. ‘Not that I believe some stupid note,’ he continued to himself. ‘Still, that doesn’t explain that void, or the fact that I’m here. Where am I, anyway?’ Unable to determine his location, he began to walk towards the sun. Having no idea what time it was, he could not say whether this was east or west. Rook had been trudging along for several hours now. Other than the fact that the sun was now setting behind him, almost nothing had happened. Sure, there were a few more trees now, but that didn’t help him at all. His stomach growled in want of food and his mouth ached for even a drop of water. With neither in sight, he continued to trudge along. A few more minutes of walking led him to a mildly interesting sight. All throughout this particular area, large holes dotted the landscape. Each was surrounded by a small molehill, but the hole was far too large to be from a mole. The whole scene gave Rook a vague sense of familiarity. Stopping by one of the holes, he kicked a pebble in. Not hearing it hit bottom, he continued on his way. Suddenly, a faint yelp could be heard from within. A moment later, a furry head emerged. The moment its eyes made contact with Rook, he lost control of his body. His limbs and head shrank inward towards his torso. Within a moment, he had become a writhing mass of limbs suspended in mid air. A second later, his body had decided on a new form. Rook’s body turned and let out a deafeningly loud hiss, his new height easily thirty feet tall. The head panicked, diving back into the hole with a series of loud yelps, like a wounded dog. Without someone watching it, Rook’s body relented control to Rook’s mind. Rook looked down at himself and saw the body of a three story tall tabby cat. Rook shrank back down into his human form, barely even realizing that he had done so. ‘Am I really a boggart? This is going to be troublesome if I go into any sort of populated area, especially if the transformation is reflexive,’ Rook thought to himself. He continued walking. A moment later, he stopped and face palmed. ‘Boggarts can become anything they want. Why the hell am I walking when I could be, say, a truck?’ he thought to himself. It only took a passing thought for him to get his way. The driver-less truck made excellent progress through the rocky wasteland. Eventually, the occasional tree had made a more and more frequent appearance. Combined with the increasingly uneven terrain, the boggart had to make do with another form. The newly formed wolf made stealthy progress throughout the forest, his paws easily maneuvering over the roots and rocks in his path. The whole time, a sense of unease filled Rook's head. The forest felt eerily familiar to him, though he couldn’t place why. It looked nothing like any forest he had ever been in. The flora was rather strange, and yet familiar. Rook the wolf continued walking through the forest. Out of the corner of his eye, he saw a brown shape moving through the trees. Turning, he was shocked to see that he was only a dozen or so feet from a large grizzly bear. The bear eyed him for a moment, and then continued on its way without a second thought about the wolf. Rook, on the other hand, let out a sigh of relief when the large predator left. He face pawed when he realized that he too was a large predator and wasn’t in any danger. The whole experience, however, did answer an important question. He did not forcefully transform when seen by an animal. His walk continued hour upon hour. His hunger continued to mount, though he did find an occasional stream to drink from. On and on he walked until he encountered a patch of vibrant blue flowers. Rook was about to step into the patch when a name surfaced in his mind: poison joke. Jumping back and transforming in a panic, the boggart butterfly hovered above what could have been a very sticky situation. ‘There’s no way that’s poison joke. This can’t be Equestria. Yet I’m one to talk. I’m a boggart. Boggarts don’t exist and yet here I am,’ he thought to himself, his emotions surging. ‘then, was that wasteland where the diamond dogs were? Could have been one…’ he trailed off, remembering the furry head in the hole. ‘Heh, I must be in the Everfree. Fan-fucking-tastic, I’m cliché!’ he laughed to himself, then abruptly stopped. ‘How the hell am I going to get home? If I transform into the fears of whomever sees me… then I’m never going to be able to get help. God help us all if Celestia sees me. Whatever a sun goddess is afraid of has got to be an abomination.’ Rook shuddered at the thought. ‘I also fear meeting Pinky Pie. ‘Giggle at the Ghosty’ could very well kill me now. I saw how the boggart hurt when Harry and his class laughed at it in the movie.’ Once again, Rook shuddered, which is an impressive feat considering he was a butterfly at the moment. A flurry of motion later, Rook resumed his wolf form. He continued through the forest, albeit at a much slower pace. A cloud of depression followed him as he thought of where he shouldn’t go. Unfortunately, Ponyville was in the direction he was walking. It was when Rook encountered a cockatrice that he found out what they feared most: mirrors. The poor beast had tried to ambush a wolf, only to find itself suddenly surrounded by the reflective surfaces. It shut its eyes and curled up into a ball in the center of the circle of mirrors that Rook had reflexively become. Rook, hungry from the last dozen hours without food, seized the opportunity. A pair of hands extended themselves from the mirror’s surface and made their way to the quivering cockatrice. They grabbed it’s neck and twisted. The crack signaled the end of its life. Assuming the form of a human armed with a knife, Rook skinned and gutted the cockatrice. It was much like skinning any other small animal. Of course, that doesn't mean he had any skill with it. Not seeing any way to cook the shreeded chunks of meat, Rook improvised. He found a flat stone and set the meat upon it and promptly burst into flames. Holding a rock covered in meat, the fire djinn radiated enough heat to cook his food. When he was satisfied, Rook set the rock down and reverted to a human form armed with a fork. Without a doubt, the cockatrice needed salt. Hunger satiated, Rook began to drift off to sleep. Before he could lose consciousness, however, a set of hoof steps approached where he lay. The bush rustled aside to reveal a pair of zebra eyes. ‘Damn.’ Author's Note Look! A HiE fic! *Ding* But hey, at least Rook didn't wish for anything pony related. And whomever decided to throw Rook into such a chaotic situation is a total jerk. Yay Harry Potter! TwoCh 2 “What do I see with my eyes of blue? / Here I ask, ‘what are… you...’,” Zecora asked before trailing off. Her eyes grew wide upon seeing the writhing mass that was Rook. It only took Rook a second to assume the appearance of a large beast made purely of shadows. Zecora, witnessing the creature from her foal-hood nightmares, panicked. Her hooves thundered through the forest, knowing every hoof step lured the ravenous beast closer to her. Reaching the path that connected her home to Ponyville, she was horrified to encounter Apple Bloom. “RUN FOR YOUR LIFE, APPLE BLOOM! / ELSE WE WILL SURELY MEET OUR DOOM!” Zecora screamed at the filly. Apple Bloom, who had been returning from Zecora’s hut, turned to look at her friend, but quickly regretted it. The shadow beast was only a few steps behind the fleeing zebra. The small filly turned and ran down the path as fast as she could, her mentor just behind her. Rook, prisoner to his own body, could only watch in horror as his beastly body charged after the fleeing pair. Faster and faster they ran down the trail, the thunder of hooves and the thumps of paws scaring the wildlife. As the chase progressed, Rook noticed something strange. His body would always stay exactly the same distance from the closest of the two. If they slowed, he slowed. If they speed up, he did too. It occurred to Rook that his body is intentionally trying to SCARE them, not KILL them. This fact, unfortunately, did nothing to solve their current predicament. The pair and their pursuer reached the edge of the forest and entered the town of Ponyville. Considering the time of night, it was no surprise that there were no ponies out on the streets. Apple Bloom, seeing no one who could help her, instinctively tuned to find the safest place every child knew: home. The pony and zebra were quickly exhausting themselves, and Rook drew closer. His body made a swipe at Zecora, the claw tip drawing a thin line of blood from her flank. She gave a yelp, and sprinted faster. Upon reaching the farm, Zecora had an idea. “Let’s lead the shade to the barn / where we lock it and save us harm,” she explained to the frightened Apple Bloom, who nodded in response. ‘Please do,’ Rook thought, ‘I don’t want to chase you anymore.’ Mercifully, the barn doors were open. They raced to the entrance, where at the last minute, the equines jumped to the side. Rook, using the little influence he had, ensured that the shadow beast continued inside. The barn doors slammed shut and the outside latch was fastened into place. The shade released a roar far louder than its already formidable size would imply, before returning control to Rook. He then collapsed on the ground, more emotionally exhausted than physically. Rook silently began to cry to himself. He was a monster! Rook had just terrified two of his favorite characters in the show, and he couldn’t even apologize. If they came back in, he would only try to attack them again. Outside, Rook heard Zecora and Apple Bloom panting with exhaustion. “What… *huff* was…*huff* that… *huff* Zecora?” the filly asked. “A creature from my foal-hood nightmares, young Apple Bloom,” Zecora replied, “It filled my sleep with such doom and gloom.” “Ya mean, that was from a nightmare?” she asked. “Yes, this creature should not be real. / Why, I ask, was it on our heel?” Rook was about to call from within the barn to answer them, but was interrupted by the arrival of the red and orange farmers. “What the hay is goin’ on out here! Apple Bloom, Zecora? We heard a roar from out here. Whatever that fella was, it’s somthin’ fierce. Y’all alright?” “We are now, dear Applejack, / but we were just under attack. A nightmarish creature is trapped in there,” Zecora said, pointing to the barn, “It cut me and gave us a scare.” AJ frowned, her brow creased with worry. During Zecora’s explanation, Big Macintosh had walked over to the barn and began to lift the latch. Apple Bloom noticed, but her warning came too late. The barn was enveloped in fire the moment the stallion looked in. The door continued to swing open, revealing two burning ponies to the group. Ponies that the Apple siblings recognized as their late parents. “Big Mac, WHY?” the mare asked. “WHY DID YOU DO IT?” the stallion asked. “YOU KILLED US!” “YOU BURNT US ALIVE!” “YOU COULD HAVE SAVED US. YOU COULD HAVE PULLED US OUT” “YOU CAUSED THE FIRE THAT KILLED US!” “YOU LIED TO YOUR SISTERS. YOU TOLD THEM IT WAS AN ACCIDENT! THAT THERE WAS NOTHING YOU COULD DO!” “YOU’RE THE REASON WE’RE DEAD! WE HAVE TO BURN FOR ALL ETERNITY BECAUSE OF YOU!” “WE HATE YOU, BIG MACINTOSH!” the burning couple wailed. The elder of the Apple siblings cried out in anguish, being tormented by his deceased parents. The full weight of what they were saying slowly sank its way into the minds of the Apple sisters. Zecora, however, moved to shut the flaming barn doors. The instant their tormenter was out of sight, the flames covering the barn extinguished themselves. The barn itself showed no signs of damage. Big Mac, however, was curled up in a fetal position, muttering over and over, “Ah’m sorry Ma. Ah’m sorry Pa.” “It is as I thought, this beast is our fear. / Whomever sees it has their horrors made clear,” Zecora explained. “You mean it’s not real?” Applejack asked, thoroughly shaken from the ordeal. “No, whatever is in that barn is most certainly real. / This wound it gave me will take time to heal.” “Ah think we need to get Twilight. She’ll know what this is. First, though, can ya help me drag Big Mac in? That horror ain’t goin’ nowhere anytime soon. Apple Bloom, can ya go into town and get Twi? Tell her what happened, and that we might need the Elements,” AJ said. “What did they mean, ‘you killed us?’ Brother didn’t kill Ma and Pa, did he?” Apple Bloom asked, the tremor in her voice indicating the barely restrained tears. “No, Apple Bloom, he didn’t. But he thinks he did. Now, get Twi,” the elder sister ordered. ‘I hope the elements can help me,’ thought Rook, ‘if they don’t punish me, first.' A tiny hoof pounded on the library door. It was opened by a sleepy eyed dragon. “Oh, hey Apple Bloom.” “Ah need Twilight right now. We have a scary monster locked in our barn, and AJ says bring the Elements,” the young filly explained. Upon mention of the Elements of Harmony, Spike’s eyes went as wide as dinner plates. “TWILIGHT! EMERGENCY AT AJ’S. NEED THE ELEMENTS!” he screamed as he dashed up the stairs. Six ponies gathered together in front of the barn, each wearing one of the Elements. The zebra, who had explained her theory about the creature, stood well back. Apple Bloom had been left at the Cake’s bakery, a safe enough distance away and with adults AJ and Pinkie both trusted. “Now remember, girls,” Twilight explained, “It’s going to try to scare us as best it can. We can’t let it deter us.” “Hehehe, giggle at the ghosty!” Pinky chuckled. “Exactly, Pinky. Ready?” the alicorn asked. When the group nodded, Twilight lit up her horn and opened the door. Rook had been inside, listening closely to the girls outside. Thinking quickly, he assumed the likeness of Princess Celestia, knowing twilight had already seen this fear. He gambled on the fact that she would still be afraid of failing her mentor, but would remember Sombra’s cursed door. Of all the mane six, he bet that Twilight’s would be the fear that they overcame the most easily. Boggart!Celestia walked out of the barn. “Twilight Sparkle. You have no idea how disappointed I am in you. I made you a princess, and this is how you repay me? Pitiful.” “Princess… But I–“ Twilight started, but was cut off by Fluttershy. “Don’t worry Twilight, that BIG MEANY can try to scare you, but I WONT LET IT HURT. MY. FRIENDS.” At this point, Fluttershy is going full stare at the boggart. Rook had to admit that the stare was quite forceful. Had he been in control, he would have collapsed in fear. But the stare was not enough to tame his body. The boggart began writhing again, this time assuming the form of a middle aged pegasus stallion. He licked his lips as his perverted gaze wandered over Fluttershy’s body. “Now, Fluttershy, you’re going to sit there and behave this time. Daddy’s had a bad day at work, and he needs to… unwind. Come make me a happy stallion,” the lusty pegasus moaned, slowly walking towards his daughter. “N-n-no, D-d-dad. Please no… don’t rape me again. I’ll scream! I’ll call the guard,” Fluttershy cried, her voice getting softer the whole time. “You say that, but you never will. When I’m done with you–“ Rook never finished. Marshmallow hooves don’t actually feel like marshmallows when they hit you in the face. “HOW DARE YOU TREAT YOUR OWN DAUGHTER LIKE THAT. FILTH LIKE YOU SHOULDN’T BE ALOUD TO WALK FREE,” Rarity screamed at the boggart, who had already began to change again. What came out this time sent Rarity to her knees. “Sweetie Belle?” The corpse of her little sister sat in front of the distraught mare. A knife protruded from the filly’s chest. Rarity noticed the slip of paper tied to Sweetie’s hooves. ‘Dear Rarity, I can’t take it anymore. You yell at me for everything I do and you never play with me. Apple Bloom and Scootaloo have already gotten their cutie marks. Now they tease me along with Diamond Tiara and Silver spoon about being the oldest blank flank ever. I can’t take it. Good bye, sister. -Sweetie Belle’ After reading it, the tears flowed faster than ever down the white unicorn’s face as she mourned boggart!Sweetie Belle. “Sugarcube, she’s not real,” said Applejack. As she approached Rarity, the corpse shifted again. This time, it was Apple Bloom with the knife in her chest. AJ choked back tears at the sight of her sister’s corpse. Rarity continued to cry, her friend's fear striking a chord with her as well. “AJ! Rarity! Get back from that thing!” Rainbow Dash screamed. She and Pinkie Pie moved to block the boggart from their friend’s view. Rook, trapped inside his own body, begged for release. Looking at Pinkie and Rainbow, he could see what their fears were. Rook could feel his body changing again, and he knew what form it was going to take. There was only one form that could manifest both of their worst nightmares at the same time. ‘Not that, please no,’ he cried, to no avail. Pinkamina Diane Pie Turned to face her doppelganger. The straight mane pony was dressed in a patchwork dress made out of the cutie marks of other ponies. Around her neck hung a dozen severed unicorn horns. From her back protruded six different pegasus wings. A bloody knife rested in her hooves. Behind her, a replica of Rainbow Dash lay strapped to an operating table, most of her internal oragans already removed. “Hehehehe, Hi Dashie! Wanna help me make Cupcakes? I just need one more ingredient,” the insane pony laughed. Pinkamina moved slowly towards the panicked real Dash. “Pinkie Pie here doesn’t want me to make my special recipe, but she’s a hypocrite. She’s killed her friends, too. She just doesn’t want to admit it.” “N-no! I’d never hurt my friends!” the real Pinkie cried. “You’re not real!” Seeing an opportunity to end this nightmare, Rook grabbed control of his voice for just the tiniest moment. “What are you going to do about it, hmmm? giggle at the ghosty?” he said, putting as much emphasis on the last sentence as he could. “YES!” Pinkie screamed, “HA! HA! HA! I'm not scared! HA! HA! HA!” Each laugh caused boggart!Pinkamina to wince in pain. Pinkie noticed this and continued laughing. “No! Stop! Don’t you dare keep laughing!” Pinkamina screeched, with Rook changing the emphasis. He hoped they would get the message. Pinkie did. The whole time the Element of Laughter kept the boggart at bay, the other Elements gathered together and readied their weapon. Twilight's eyes lit up with a brilliant white light. The rainbow energy surged between the six ponies and fired. The beam launched itself at Pinkamina and struck, knocking her back. When the light cleared, Pinkamina still stood. “It didn’t work,” said a despairing Twilight. Rook, in the body of Pinkamina, lifted his hoof and took a step forward, his body completely obeying his mind. Rook smiled a genuinely happy smile and spoke, “no, it did.” Author's Note Well, that chapter is done. Honestly, I find it disturbing that this chapter was so easy and fun to write. Oh well. *Ding* Have a chapter. ThreeCh 3. “I’m free!” Rook–in the body of Pinkamina–cheered. “Thank you so very much!” Rook began trotting around in circles, enjoying his new found freedom of bodily movement. He began to shift again, causing the six ponies to flinch in fear. Their worries were unfounded, as a small bunny took the place of the gruesome Pinkamina. “W-w-what are you? What did we free you from? Why the hay did you torment us like that?” a bemused and angry Twilight asked the boggart. It was hard for her to process that the thing that had just been tormenting her friends was now a small rabbit. “Ahh, introductions, yes. My name is Michael, but everyone calls me Rook. I’m a boggart. You freed me from the compulsive defense mechanism that boggarts possess. When an intelligent creature looks at a boggart, boggarts unwillingly assume the form of the creatures worst fear and act out the worst case scenario. I had no control over my body during those encounters, until now. You freed me from the compulsion!” Rook cheered. “So you couldn’t help it? You said it was a defense mechanism, so does that mean we scared you?” Fluttershy asked. “Yes, Fluttershy, I couldn’t control it. And I’m terribly sorry about what I put you through. Rarity, thanks for hitting me. If you hadn’t, her fears would have made me rape her,” Rook said, shuttering as he did so. “That really was your father, wasn’t it? I’m so sorry… All of you, I’m sorry for putting you through that. I feel terrible," Rook said, tears forming in his little bunny eyes “Oh, don’t cry. It’s ok. I forgive you,” the yellow pegasus assured. "My plan was to live out in the Everfree, but that didn’t work out so well," Rook continued. “Why would you want to live in the EVERFREE FOREST, of all places?” RD asked. “That place isn’t natural!” “Yes, there is that little fact. I, however, wanted to avoid ponies as much as possible to spare them the pain I would cause. Unfortunately, Zecora found me. Her worst fear was being chased by a large shadow beast. She ran straight into Ponyville,” Rook explained. He paused for a moment before continuing, “I should probably mention this now. Laughter hurts boggarts.” At the mention of laughter causing pain, Pinkie’s hair deflated partially. “The main defense against boggarts was some sort of spell. Whoever cast it would force the boggart into a shape that they found funny, like giving a giant spider roller skates so that it can’t stand. Though, there’s no way I could explain how to do the spell, but that’s it.” “Why would you tell us of a spell that hurts you?” Twilight asked. “Because other boggarts may appear. It’s unlikely, but you never can tell. Wouldn’t you want to be prepared to face your worst fears? I thought so,” Rook said. There was a flash of light above the group, and Princess Celestia appeared above the group. “My little ponies, are you alright? I came as soon as I got Spike’s letter. Where is this beast?” the solar princess asked. “Tamed, much to his pleasure, your majesty,” Rook-bunny answered for the ponies. He quickly introduced himself and explained what had happened. “I’m just really glad that I didn’t run into you first. I had my suspicions that you would have some pretty awful fears, and I’m right.” “Hey! She’s the princess! She isn’t scared of ANYTHING!” Rainbow Dash shouted. ‘Loyal as ever,’ Rook thought to himself. He spoke, “I beg to differ. Princess Celestia has a tremendous number of fears, most of which involve the return of Nightmare Moon. The absolute worst, however, would be absolutely catastrophic for me to appear as.” Celestia winced, realizing that this creature had access to her subconscious fears. “Rook, I trust you will not be assuming that form?” she asked. He nodded in affirmation, then yawned. “Sheesh, I’m beat. I was trying to sleep when Zecora came across me, starting this whole incident. Where did she wander off to, anyway? Doesn’t matter, I’ll apologize next time I see her. I’m going to find somewhere to crash. Preferably under the stars. It’s such a lovely night.” Rook bunny transformed into a small bird and flew off into the night without so much as a goodbye. The mane six and the solar princess just looked at one another, confused to his sudden departure. “That was rude of him. Rook did not even say goodbye,” Rarity scoffed. The group said their farewells and went back to their homes to resume their night’s sleep. Or, at least, they tried too. Each pony had their dreams haunted by what they had seen. Morning greeted Ponyville with an interesting sight. A white pegasus stallion walked down the deserted streets. He looked all around in every direction except in the one he was going. Looking forwards was impossible for him; his head was on backwards. The populace of Ponyville cowered in their homes, to afraid of the disfigured pony to come out. Of course, most of their fear came from rumors that spread faster than he walked. Twilight Sparkle was not amused. The newly crowned princess ruffled her purple feathers in annoyance. Wondering why the town had cleared out like it had in the Zecora incident, she set off to find her answers. The sleep deprived alicorn paced up and down the streets, looking for answers. She hadbeen walking for a while when the white pegasus bumped into her. “Pardon me, I can’t seem to get my head straight this morning. Could you give it a twist?” The stallion asked. “I- uhh… what?” Twilight asked the stallion. Her confusion only increased when she saw his head. Then she looked down at his cutie mark: a rook chess piece. “Rook, are you the one scaring the townsfolk? How could you be so mean!” “Twilight, I assure you, of the ponies that I have seen, absolutely none of them have a fear of a backwards headed pony. I checked. What they do seem to be afraid of is the products of the rumor mill. Can you believe it?” Rook said. He pointed to a pony in a window that was looking out at them. “She believes that I’m going to make a stew out of her little colt. Are you all really that cowardly and gullible?” the boggart asked. “Grrrr, this is Zecora all over again,” she growled. “What happened with her?” he asked, knowing full well what happened. Rook had decided last night that he wasn’t going to tell them about MLP, if he could help it. And considering that Twilight had wings, this was post season three; he had no foreknowledge. “Exactly what’s happening now, just swap you with her,” Twilight explained. Her temper was evident in her voice. “Oh, okay. Can you fix my head now? Just grab and twist.” Twilight’s horn lit up and Rooks head spun 180º with a loud crack. He slumped to the ground, giving off a slight moan of pleasure. The mare in the nearby house, however, didn’t know that the boggart was perfectly fine. The scream echoed throughout the town. “SHE’S KILLED HIM! TWILIGHT BROKE HIS NECK!” The town came alive, ponies screaming out the accusation to their neighbors, who in turn repeated it to their neighbors. “That did not go as planned,” Rook said, glancing at Twilight. “Great, now they all think I’m a killer. Don’t you dare change until we get this all sorted out.” “Didn’t plan on it.” Author's Note New chapter! *Ding* How's Twilight going to get rid of murder accusations? Three guesses as to what happens when the background ponies see Rook transform for the first time. This story is really fun to write.
OneCh 1 ‘Wish for the impossible, strive for everything else,’ Rook told himself. His body was spread out on a blanket near the top of the grassy hill. He stared upwards towards the night sky, waiting to see a shooting star. Well, it’s not like he’d have to wait long. After all, the meteor shower was due in only an hour. Why else would a high school student be out on a hill alone at 2:42 am on a school night? The hour counted down and Rook’s anticipation grew. His mind began to formulate his wish. What childish desire had he always wanted fulfilled? Rook pondered the thought, and, finding his answer, settled in for the show. A minute later, the stars began to fall. Momentarily distracted by the spectacle, he almost forgot to voice his wish. Soon enough, however, his mind caught up. Spotting a particularly bright meteor, his lips formed the words, “I wish I was a shape shifter.” Come on, what little child wouldn’t wish for superpowers? And tonight was all about the indulging his inner child with a selfish wish. Unfortunately, Rook wasn’t expecting what happened next. “Wish granted, selfish brat.” All the world went black. Rook found himself suspended in a void. Well, not exactly. To him, he felt absolutely nothing. He couldn’t even feel his own body. No sight, smell, or sound could be perceived. That is, until a voice that was not his own called out. “Michael ‘Rook.’ You are a selfish wisher. You wish upon a falling star without any conviction and have the nerve to ask something only for yourself.” Something about that voice seemed familiar, but Rook couldn’t place it. He wanted to call out to reply, but couldn’t locate his own mouth. “I’m in a particularly foul mood today. So here’s what I’m going to do. I’m going to make sure your wish comes true in an absolutely horrible way. Good luck with the rest of your life!” the voice laughed. The void around Rook transformed from emptiness to unconsciousness. Rook awoke lying in the middle of a rocky wasteland, without another living soul in sight. The sun shone down onto his face, but not into his eyes. They were covered by a slip of paper that had been taped to his forehead. Reaching up, he grabbed the paper out of his eyes and sat up. Rook looked down at the paper and read, ‘have fun, you little boggart.’ Upon reading the word ‘boggart,’ the paper promptly folded itself into the shape of an origami mouth, which stuck out its tongue. After delivering its insult, the note began to shred itself apart. “Well shit. That is most definitely a bad way to get my wish granted,” Rook muttered to himself. He remembered the boggart from the Harry Potter books. The creature assumed the form of whatever you feared most. From how it was described, the boggart seemed like it had to transform into the fears of those nearest to it. ‘Not that I believe some stupid note,’ he continued to himself. ‘Still, that doesn’t explain that void, or the fact that I’m here. Where am I, anyway?’ Unable to determine his location, he began to walk towards the sun. Having no idea what time it was, he could not say whether this was east or west. Rook had been trudging along for several hours now. Other than the fact that the sun was now setting behind him, almost nothing had happened. Sure, there were a few more trees now, but that didn’t help him at all. His stomach growled in want of food and his mouth ached for even a drop of water. With neither in sight, he continued to trudge along. A few more minutes of walking led him to a mildly interesting sight. All throughout this particular area, large holes dotted the landscape. Each was surrounded by a small molehill, but the hole was far too large to be from a mole. The whole scene gave Rook a vague sense of familiarity. Stopping by one of the holes, he kicked a pebble in. Not hearing it hit bottom, he continued on his way. Suddenly, a faint yelp could be heard from within. A moment later, a furry head emerged. The moment its eyes made contact with Rook, he lost control of his body. His limbs and head shrank inward towards his torso. Within a moment, he had become a writhing mass of limbs suspended in mid air. A second later, his body had decided on a new form. Rook’s body turned and let out a deafeningly loud hiss, his new height easily thirty feet tall. The head panicked, diving back into the hole with a series of loud yelps, like a wounded dog. Without someone watching it, Rook’s body relented control to Rook’s mind. Rook looked down at himself and saw the body of a three story tall tabby cat. Rook shrank back down into his human form, barely even realizing that he had done so. ‘Am I really a boggart? This is going to be troublesome if I go into any sort of populated area, especially if the transformation is reflexive,’ Rook thought to himself. He continued walking. A moment later, he stopped and face palmed. ‘Boggarts can become anything they want. Why the hell am I walking when I could be, say, a truck?’ he thought to himself. It only took a passing thought for him to get his way. The driver-less truck made excellent progress through the rocky wasteland. Eventually, the occasional tree had made a more and more frequent appearance. Combined with the increasingly uneven terrain, the boggart had to make do with another form. The newly formed wolf made stealthy progress throughout the forest, his paws easily maneuvering over the roots and rocks in his path. The whole time, a sense of unease filled Rook's head. The forest felt eerily familiar to him, though he couldn’t place why. It looked nothing like any forest he had ever been in. The flora was rather strange, and yet familiar. Rook the wolf continued walking through the forest. Out of the corner of his eye, he saw a brown shape moving through the trees. Turning, he was shocked to see that he was only a dozen or so feet from a large grizzly bear. The bear eyed him for a moment, and then continued on its way without a second thought about the wolf. Rook, on the other hand, let out a sigh of relief when the large predator left. He face pawed when he realized that he too was a large predator and wasn’t in any danger. The whole experience, however, did answer an important question. He did not forcefully transform when seen by an animal. His walk continued hour upon hour. His hunger continued to mount, though he did find an occasional stream to drink from. On and on he walked until he encountered a patch of vibrant blue flowers. Rook was about to step into the patch when a name surfaced in his mind: poison joke. Jumping back and transforming in a panic, the boggart butterfly hovered above what could have been a very sticky situation. ‘There’s no way that’s poison joke. This can’t be Equestria. Yet I’m one to talk. I’m a boggart. Boggarts don’t exist and yet here I am,’ he thought to himself, his emotions surging. ‘then, was that wasteland where the diamond dogs were? Could have been one…’ he trailed off, remembering the furry head in the hole. ‘Heh, I must be in the Everfree. Fan-fucking-tastic, I’m cliché!’ he laughed to himself, then abruptly stopped. ‘How the hell am I going to get home? If I transform into the fears of whomever sees me… then I’m never going to be able to get help. God help us all if Celestia sees me. Whatever a sun goddess is afraid of has got to be an abomination.’ Rook shuddered at the thought. ‘I also fear meeting Pinky Pie. ‘Giggle at the Ghosty’ could very well kill me now. I saw how the boggart hurt when Harry and his class laughed at it in the movie.’ Once again, Rook shuddered, which is an impressive feat considering he was a butterfly at the moment. A flurry of motion later, Rook resumed his wolf form. He continued through the forest, albeit at a much slower pace. A cloud of depression followed him as he thought of where he shouldn’t go. Unfortunately, Ponyville was in the direction he was walking. It was when Rook encountered a cockatrice that he found out what they feared most: mirrors. The poor beast had tried to ambush a wolf, only to find itself suddenly surrounded by the reflective surfaces. It shut its eyes and curled up into a ball in the center of the circle of mirrors that Rook had reflexively become. Rook, hungry from the last dozen hours without food, seized the opportunity. A pair of hands extended themselves from the mirror’s surface and made their way to the quivering cockatrice. They grabbed it’s neck and twisted. The crack signaled the end of its life. Assuming the form of a human armed with a knife, Rook skinned and gutted the cockatrice. It was much like skinning any other small animal. Of course, that doesn't mean he had any skill with it. Not seeing any way to cook the shreeded chunks of meat, Rook improvised. He found a flat stone and set the meat upon it and promptly burst into flames. Holding a rock covered in meat, the fire djinn radiated enough heat to cook his food. When he was satisfied, Rook set the rock down and reverted to a human form armed with a fork. Without a doubt, the cockatrice needed salt. Hunger satiated, Rook began to drift off to sleep. Before he could lose consciousness, however, a set of hoof steps approached where he lay. The bush rustled aside to reveal a pair of zebra eyes. ‘Damn.’ Author's Note Look! A HiE fic! *Ding* But hey, at least Rook didn't wish for anything pony related. And whomever decided to throw Rook into such a chaotic situation is a total jerk. Yay Harry Potter!
TwoCh 2 “What do I see with my eyes of blue? / Here I ask, ‘what are… you...’,” Zecora asked before trailing off. Her eyes grew wide upon seeing the writhing mass that was Rook. It only took Rook a second to assume the appearance of a large beast made purely of shadows. Zecora, witnessing the creature from her foal-hood nightmares, panicked. Her hooves thundered through the forest, knowing every hoof step lured the ravenous beast closer to her. Reaching the path that connected her home to Ponyville, she was horrified to encounter Apple Bloom. “RUN FOR YOUR LIFE, APPLE BLOOM! / ELSE WE WILL SURELY MEET OUR DOOM!” Zecora screamed at the filly. Apple Bloom, who had been returning from Zecora’s hut, turned to look at her friend, but quickly regretted it. The shadow beast was only a few steps behind the fleeing zebra. The small filly turned and ran down the path as fast as she could, her mentor just behind her. Rook, prisoner to his own body, could only watch in horror as his beastly body charged after the fleeing pair. Faster and faster they ran down the trail, the thunder of hooves and the thumps of paws scaring the wildlife. As the chase progressed, Rook noticed something strange. His body would always stay exactly the same distance from the closest of the two. If they slowed, he slowed. If they speed up, he did too. It occurred to Rook that his body is intentionally trying to SCARE them, not KILL them. This fact, unfortunately, did nothing to solve their current predicament. The pair and their pursuer reached the edge of the forest and entered the town of Ponyville. Considering the time of night, it was no surprise that there were no ponies out on the streets. Apple Bloom, seeing no one who could help her, instinctively tuned to find the safest place every child knew: home. The pony and zebra were quickly exhausting themselves, and Rook drew closer. His body made a swipe at Zecora, the claw tip drawing a thin line of blood from her flank. She gave a yelp, and sprinted faster. Upon reaching the farm, Zecora had an idea. “Let’s lead the shade to the barn / where we lock it and save us harm,” she explained to the frightened Apple Bloom, who nodded in response. ‘Please do,’ Rook thought, ‘I don’t want to chase you anymore.’ Mercifully, the barn doors were open. They raced to the entrance, where at the last minute, the equines jumped to the side. Rook, using the little influence he had, ensured that the shadow beast continued inside. The barn doors slammed shut and the outside latch was fastened into place. The shade released a roar far louder than its already formidable size would imply, before returning control to Rook. He then collapsed on the ground, more emotionally exhausted than physically. Rook silently began to cry to himself. He was a monster! Rook had just terrified two of his favorite characters in the show, and he couldn’t even apologize. If they came back in, he would only try to attack them again. Outside, Rook heard Zecora and Apple Bloom panting with exhaustion. “What… *huff* was…*huff* that… *huff* Zecora?” the filly asked. “A creature from my foal-hood nightmares, young Apple Bloom,” Zecora replied, “It filled my sleep with such doom and gloom.” “Ya mean, that was from a nightmare?” she asked. “Yes, this creature should not be real. / Why, I ask, was it on our heel?” Rook was about to call from within the barn to answer them, but was interrupted by the arrival of the red and orange farmers. “What the hay is goin’ on out here! Apple Bloom, Zecora? We heard a roar from out here. Whatever that fella was, it’s somthin’ fierce. Y’all alright?” “We are now, dear Applejack, / but we were just under attack. A nightmarish creature is trapped in there,” Zecora said, pointing to the barn, “It cut me and gave us a scare.” AJ frowned, her brow creased with worry. During Zecora’s explanation, Big Macintosh had walked over to the barn and began to lift the latch. Apple Bloom noticed, but her warning came too late. The barn was enveloped in fire the moment the stallion looked in. The door continued to swing open, revealing two burning ponies to the group. Ponies that the Apple siblings recognized as their late parents. “Big Mac, WHY?” the mare asked. “WHY DID YOU DO IT?” the stallion asked. “YOU KILLED US!” “YOU BURNT US ALIVE!” “YOU COULD HAVE SAVED US. YOU COULD HAVE PULLED US OUT” “YOU CAUSED THE FIRE THAT KILLED US!” “YOU LIED TO YOUR SISTERS. YOU TOLD THEM IT WAS AN ACCIDENT! THAT THERE WAS NOTHING YOU COULD DO!” “YOU’RE THE REASON WE’RE DEAD! WE HAVE TO BURN FOR ALL ETERNITY BECAUSE OF YOU!” “WE HATE YOU, BIG MACINTOSH!” the burning couple wailed. The elder of the Apple siblings cried out in anguish, being tormented by his deceased parents. The full weight of what they were saying slowly sank its way into the minds of the Apple sisters. Zecora, however, moved to shut the flaming barn doors. The instant their tormenter was out of sight, the flames covering the barn extinguished themselves. The barn itself showed no signs of damage. Big Mac, however, was curled up in a fetal position, muttering over and over, “Ah’m sorry Ma. Ah’m sorry Pa.” “It is as I thought, this beast is our fear. / Whomever sees it has their horrors made clear,” Zecora explained. “You mean it’s not real?” Applejack asked, thoroughly shaken from the ordeal. “No, whatever is in that barn is most certainly real. / This wound it gave me will take time to heal.” “Ah think we need to get Twilight. She’ll know what this is. First, though, can ya help me drag Big Mac in? That horror ain’t goin’ nowhere anytime soon. Apple Bloom, can ya go into town and get Twi? Tell her what happened, and that we might need the Elements,” AJ said. “What did they mean, ‘you killed us?’ Brother didn’t kill Ma and Pa, did he?” Apple Bloom asked, the tremor in her voice indicating the barely restrained tears. “No, Apple Bloom, he didn’t. But he thinks he did. Now, get Twi,” the elder sister ordered. ‘I hope the elements can help me,’ thought Rook, ‘if they don’t punish me, first.' A tiny hoof pounded on the library door. It was opened by a sleepy eyed dragon. “Oh, hey Apple Bloom.” “Ah need Twilight right now. We have a scary monster locked in our barn, and AJ says bring the Elements,” the young filly explained. Upon mention of the Elements of Harmony, Spike’s eyes went as wide as dinner plates. “TWILIGHT! EMERGENCY AT AJ’S. NEED THE ELEMENTS!” he screamed as he dashed up the stairs. Six ponies gathered together in front of the barn, each wearing one of the Elements. The zebra, who had explained her theory about the creature, stood well back. Apple Bloom had been left at the Cake’s bakery, a safe enough distance away and with adults AJ and Pinkie both trusted. “Now remember, girls,” Twilight explained, “It’s going to try to scare us as best it can. We can’t let it deter us.” “Hehehe, giggle at the ghosty!” Pinky chuckled. “Exactly, Pinky. Ready?” the alicorn asked. When the group nodded, Twilight lit up her horn and opened the door. Rook had been inside, listening closely to the girls outside. Thinking quickly, he assumed the likeness of Princess Celestia, knowing twilight had already seen this fear. He gambled on the fact that she would still be afraid of failing her mentor, but would remember Sombra’s cursed door. Of all the mane six, he bet that Twilight’s would be the fear that they overcame the most easily. Boggart!Celestia walked out of the barn. “Twilight Sparkle. You have no idea how disappointed I am in you. I made you a princess, and this is how you repay me? Pitiful.” “Princess… But I–“ Twilight started, but was cut off by Fluttershy. “Don’t worry Twilight, that BIG MEANY can try to scare you, but I WONT LET IT HURT. MY. FRIENDS.” At this point, Fluttershy is going full stare at the boggart. Rook had to admit that the stare was quite forceful. Had he been in control, he would have collapsed in fear. But the stare was not enough to tame his body. The boggart began writhing again, this time assuming the form of a middle aged pegasus stallion. He licked his lips as his perverted gaze wandered over Fluttershy’s body. “Now, Fluttershy, you’re going to sit there and behave this time. Daddy’s had a bad day at work, and he needs to… unwind. Come make me a happy stallion,” the lusty pegasus moaned, slowly walking towards his daughter. “N-n-no, D-d-dad. Please no… don’t rape me again. I’ll scream! I’ll call the guard,” Fluttershy cried, her voice getting softer the whole time. “You say that, but you never will. When I’m done with you–“ Rook never finished. Marshmallow hooves don’t actually feel like marshmallows when they hit you in the face. “HOW DARE YOU TREAT YOUR OWN DAUGHTER LIKE THAT. FILTH LIKE YOU SHOULDN’T BE ALOUD TO WALK FREE,” Rarity screamed at the boggart, who had already began to change again. What came out this time sent Rarity to her knees. “Sweetie Belle?” The corpse of her little sister sat in front of the distraught mare. A knife protruded from the filly’s chest. Rarity noticed the slip of paper tied to Sweetie’s hooves. ‘Dear Rarity, I can’t take it anymore. You yell at me for everything I do and you never play with me. Apple Bloom and Scootaloo have already gotten their cutie marks. Now they tease me along with Diamond Tiara and Silver spoon about being the oldest blank flank ever. I can’t take it. Good bye, sister. -Sweetie Belle’ After reading it, the tears flowed faster than ever down the white unicorn’s face as she mourned boggart!Sweetie Belle. “Sugarcube, she’s not real,” said Applejack. As she approached Rarity, the corpse shifted again. This time, it was Apple Bloom with the knife in her chest. AJ choked back tears at the sight of her sister’s corpse. Rarity continued to cry, her friend's fear striking a chord with her as well. “AJ! Rarity! Get back from that thing!” Rainbow Dash screamed. She and Pinkie Pie moved to block the boggart from their friend’s view. Rook, trapped inside his own body, begged for release. Looking at Pinkie and Rainbow, he could see what their fears were. Rook could feel his body changing again, and he knew what form it was going to take. There was only one form that could manifest both of their worst nightmares at the same time. ‘Not that, please no,’ he cried, to no avail. Pinkamina Diane Pie Turned to face her doppelganger. The straight mane pony was dressed in a patchwork dress made out of the cutie marks of other ponies. Around her neck hung a dozen severed unicorn horns. From her back protruded six different pegasus wings. A bloody knife rested in her hooves. Behind her, a replica of Rainbow Dash lay strapped to an operating table, most of her internal oragans already removed. “Hehehehe, Hi Dashie! Wanna help me make Cupcakes? I just need one more ingredient,” the insane pony laughed. Pinkamina moved slowly towards the panicked real Dash. “Pinkie Pie here doesn’t want me to make my special recipe, but she’s a hypocrite. She’s killed her friends, too. She just doesn’t want to admit it.” “N-no! I’d never hurt my friends!” the real Pinkie cried. “You’re not real!” Seeing an opportunity to end this nightmare, Rook grabbed control of his voice for just the tiniest moment. “What are you going to do about it, hmmm? giggle at the ghosty?” he said, putting as much emphasis on the last sentence as he could. “YES!” Pinkie screamed, “HA! HA! HA! I'm not scared! HA! HA! HA!” Each laugh caused boggart!Pinkamina to wince in pain. Pinkie noticed this and continued laughing. “No! Stop! Don’t you dare keep laughing!” Pinkamina screeched, with Rook changing the emphasis. He hoped they would get the message. Pinkie did. The whole time the Element of Laughter kept the boggart at bay, the other Elements gathered together and readied their weapon. Twilight's eyes lit up with a brilliant white light. The rainbow energy surged between the six ponies and fired. The beam launched itself at Pinkamina and struck, knocking her back. When the light cleared, Pinkamina still stood. “It didn’t work,” said a despairing Twilight. Rook, in the body of Pinkamina, lifted his hoof and took a step forward, his body completely obeying his mind. Rook smiled a genuinely happy smile and spoke, “no, it did.” Author's Note Well, that chapter is done. Honestly, I find it disturbing that this chapter was so easy and fun to write. Oh well. *Ding* Have a chapter.
ThreeCh 3. “I’m free!” Rook–in the body of Pinkamina–cheered. “Thank you so very much!” Rook began trotting around in circles, enjoying his new found freedom of bodily movement. He began to shift again, causing the six ponies to flinch in fear. Their worries were unfounded, as a small bunny took the place of the gruesome Pinkamina. “W-w-what are you? What did we free you from? Why the hay did you torment us like that?” a bemused and angry Twilight asked the boggart. It was hard for her to process that the thing that had just been tormenting her friends was now a small rabbit. “Ahh, introductions, yes. My name is Michael, but everyone calls me Rook. I’m a boggart. You freed me from the compulsive defense mechanism that boggarts possess. When an intelligent creature looks at a boggart, boggarts unwillingly assume the form of the creatures worst fear and act out the worst case scenario. I had no control over my body during those encounters, until now. You freed me from the compulsion!” Rook cheered. “So you couldn’t help it? You said it was a defense mechanism, so does that mean we scared you?” Fluttershy asked. “Yes, Fluttershy, I couldn’t control it. And I’m terribly sorry about what I put you through. Rarity, thanks for hitting me. If you hadn’t, her fears would have made me rape her,” Rook said, shuttering as he did so. “That really was your father, wasn’t it? I’m so sorry… All of you, I’m sorry for putting you through that. I feel terrible," Rook said, tears forming in his little bunny eyes “Oh, don’t cry. It’s ok. I forgive you,” the yellow pegasus assured. "My plan was to live out in the Everfree, but that didn’t work out so well," Rook continued. “Why would you want to live in the EVERFREE FOREST, of all places?” RD asked. “That place isn’t natural!” “Yes, there is that little fact. I, however, wanted to avoid ponies as much as possible to spare them the pain I would cause. Unfortunately, Zecora found me. Her worst fear was being chased by a large shadow beast. She ran straight into Ponyville,” Rook explained. He paused for a moment before continuing, “I should probably mention this now. Laughter hurts boggarts.” At the mention of laughter causing pain, Pinkie’s hair deflated partially. “The main defense against boggarts was some sort of spell. Whoever cast it would force the boggart into a shape that they found funny, like giving a giant spider roller skates so that it can’t stand. Though, there’s no way I could explain how to do the spell, but that’s it.” “Why would you tell us of a spell that hurts you?” Twilight asked. “Because other boggarts may appear. It’s unlikely, but you never can tell. Wouldn’t you want to be prepared to face your worst fears? I thought so,” Rook said. There was a flash of light above the group, and Princess Celestia appeared above the group. “My little ponies, are you alright? I came as soon as I got Spike’s letter. Where is this beast?” the solar princess asked. “Tamed, much to his pleasure, your majesty,” Rook-bunny answered for the ponies. He quickly introduced himself and explained what had happened. “I’m just really glad that I didn’t run into you first. I had my suspicions that you would have some pretty awful fears, and I’m right.” “Hey! She’s the princess! She isn’t scared of ANYTHING!” Rainbow Dash shouted. ‘Loyal as ever,’ Rook thought to himself. He spoke, “I beg to differ. Princess Celestia has a tremendous number of fears, most of which involve the return of Nightmare Moon. The absolute worst, however, would be absolutely catastrophic for me to appear as.” Celestia winced, realizing that this creature had access to her subconscious fears. “Rook, I trust you will not be assuming that form?” she asked. He nodded in affirmation, then yawned. “Sheesh, I’m beat. I was trying to sleep when Zecora came across me, starting this whole incident. Where did she wander off to, anyway? Doesn’t matter, I’ll apologize next time I see her. I’m going to find somewhere to crash. Preferably under the stars. It’s such a lovely night.” Rook bunny transformed into a small bird and flew off into the night without so much as a goodbye. The mane six and the solar princess just looked at one another, confused to his sudden departure. “That was rude of him. Rook did not even say goodbye,” Rarity scoffed. The group said their farewells and went back to their homes to resume their night’s sleep. Or, at least, they tried too. Each pony had their dreams haunted by what they had seen. Morning greeted Ponyville with an interesting sight. A white pegasus stallion walked down the deserted streets. He looked all around in every direction except in the one he was going. Looking forwards was impossible for him; his head was on backwards. The populace of Ponyville cowered in their homes, to afraid of the disfigured pony to come out. Of course, most of their fear came from rumors that spread faster than he walked. Twilight Sparkle was not amused. The newly crowned princess ruffled her purple feathers in annoyance. Wondering why the town had cleared out like it had in the Zecora incident, she set off to find her answers. The sleep deprived alicorn paced up and down the streets, looking for answers. She hadbeen walking for a while when the white pegasus bumped into her. “Pardon me, I can’t seem to get my head straight this morning. Could you give it a twist?” The stallion asked. “I- uhh… what?” Twilight asked the stallion. Her confusion only increased when she saw his head. Then she looked down at his cutie mark: a rook chess piece. “Rook, are you the one scaring the townsfolk? How could you be so mean!” “Twilight, I assure you, of the ponies that I have seen, absolutely none of them have a fear of a backwards headed pony. I checked. What they do seem to be afraid of is the products of the rumor mill. Can you believe it?” Rook said. He pointed to a pony in a window that was looking out at them. “She believes that I’m going to make a stew out of her little colt. Are you all really that cowardly and gullible?” the boggart asked. “Grrrr, this is Zecora all over again,” she growled. “What happened with her?” he asked, knowing full well what happened. Rook had decided last night that he wasn’t going to tell them about MLP, if he could help it. And considering that Twilight had wings, this was post season three; he had no foreknowledge. “Exactly what’s happening now, just swap you with her,” Twilight explained. Her temper was evident in her voice. “Oh, okay. Can you fix my head now? Just grab and twist.” Twilight’s horn lit up and Rooks head spun 180º with a loud crack. He slumped to the ground, giving off a slight moan of pleasure. The mare in the nearby house, however, didn’t know that the boggart was perfectly fine. The scream echoed throughout the town. “SHE’S KILLED HIM! TWILIGHT BROKE HIS NECK!” The town came alive, ponies screaming out the accusation to their neighbors, who in turn repeated it to their neighbors. “That did not go as planned,” Rook said, glancing at Twilight. “Great, now they all think I’m a killer. Don’t you dare change until we get this all sorted out.” “Didn’t plan on it.” Author's Note New chapter! *Ding* How's Twilight going to get rid of murder accusations? Three guesses as to what happens when the background ponies see Rook transform for the first time. This story is really fun to write.
