Fluttershy once asked me what happened to my parents. She left flight school shortly afterward. I didn't deserve to tell her. She didn't deserve to know. She didn't believe me anyway. She didn't want to know They were watching. That They could see everything. That They saw her. That I was watching.
I could only watch helplessly as they fell
fell
fell.
His wing. Her horn. The clouds. There was a crack and all that was left was the open book.
Watching helplessly. I was watching helplessly.
And I was alone with my thoughts. All alone in the sky, a solitary cloud beneath my back, my eyes turned up to look at the peaceful blue above. For a single second, I thought I could hear the snap again.
But no, that was the door to the library slamming shut. I picked the cloud above the library just because it was a library. And libraries were supposed to be quiet.
And the sky was supposed to be quiet as well.
"Rainbow Dash? Are you up there?" Twilight, my friend who was supposed to enjoy the peace and quiet almost as much as I did, called out from below the cloud. I contemplated ignoring her and returning to my quiet comfort and contemplation up in the sky. I shook my head of the selfish though and peeked my head over the side of the cloud.
"Twilight? What do you want! I was napping!" Which was only half of a lie. I wanted to be sleeping.
"Come down here! I want you to help me with something." Really? What could possibly be that important? The air beneath my wings felt more solid than the ground could ever feel. It almost made up for the thing watching the both of us. It's inhuman grin stretched back in a horrible parody of a smile, it's bulging muscles bursting through it's skin. The worse part was the color. It was black and white, like some demented creature had stolen the color from it. I ignored it, nopony else knew They were watching.
There were things that ponies are better off not knowing. The thing was one of them. And They were watching. And They knew.
I barely managed to keep my gaze off of it. I instead focused on Twilight's colorful and non black and white features. It was a fair bit harder that I was used to, I don't really know why. My eyes were instead focused on the book that she was waving in the air.
"I want to try an experiment. I believe I could increase the speed of your flight by 27.43% if you allow me." She didn't know. Did she? She couldn't. She wouldn't. The thing that was watching walked on it's two misshapen legs, the oozing wounds leaving no trail on the ground. It stood behind Twilight, the purple pony perhaps a split second from losing her life.
And I could only watch helplessly.
"NO." I finally uttered, my eyes fixed on the daemon behind her. It's wide eyes stared down.
"What? But I thought you would love to go faster! It's what you like!" She didn't know! The thing looked down at Twilight.
They weren't supposed to go after anypony else! Now she was going to be just like She was.
And I could only watch helplessly.
"No..." I trailed off, half begging. The thing shook it's head, it's lack of mercy as obvious as its' protruding teeth.
"But it's perfectly safe! Nothing can go wrong." I couldn't watch. I flew away, leaving Twilight to her grisly fate.
Their broken bodies decorated the ground below. They had fallen together, and as if in one last expression of love, they died together.
And I could only watch helplessly.
And all I had left was the book.
They were never in the sky. Whatever horrible monster that created Them had not given Them wings. The sky was peaceful from those who watch.
I hazarded a glance back towards Twilight. The thing had left her. They were only after me. They would only be after me.
They were always after me. And I could only watch helplessly.
But maybe it was time for somepony else to see Them. What if I gave the book to Twilight? What if she could See them. Know that They are watching? Maybe I should let Twilight know?
Warn her.
I should warn her of what they could do. Of what they will do. They will paint the town in her shattered dreams.
And they stared. And they mocked.
I see Them now, coating the town like angry beasts from my dreams.
And they lay broken below me. The book lay open. And I could only watch helplessly.
"Heh..."
And they loved the sky as much as they loved me. And I could only watch as they fell. Helplessly, I watched. And the sky took them to the ground and the book watched and I watched.
And I was a mare with a mission. I was going to break my vow of silence! I was going to make them all see, see what They see. And they were watching.
The door to my house opened easily, the cloud hinges not letting out a sound. The Book was something I had given out a long time ago and had only recently been returned to me. The yellow cover-
"Yellow means caution!" Was what she said.
-did not even come close to describing the contents of it. The book was corrupted evil, dark and nefarious. Perhaps some demon had made it his own centuries ago? I didn't care. All that mattered was that I get it to Twilight. And then maybe she could see Them.
I could warn her. Warn her.
Yeah. I could warn her. About those who watched.
They were watching me...
They were swarming the ground. There were so many of them. Innumerable. Black shapeless forms dancing and parading between all of the ponies. And they were all Watching me.
I had the Book clutched tight to my chest. Tighter than I wanted to. I wanted to throw it away but I couldn't because they would See me and then they would Watch everyone and I can't let them watch everyone.
I was in the air. It was ok. They didn't have wings and They couldn't fly. I was higher in the sky.
"Heh..." I laughed a bit. Finally someone else would know. They would know. They would see. See them.
And I flew into the Library. And Twilight was there. And she took the Book. And she didn't understand why I was flying inside.
She still couldn't See them.
"Can you See them Twilight?" I asked.
"See who?" She replied. There was one behind her.
"Them. They." I tried to describe them by their name and failed.
"Who?" She looked confused. The One behind her was laughing. And it Danced. And I Saw it.
"Behind You." I pointed. She whirled around and I fled for it. The Book was with Twilight. She would See them. I could See them.
"Heh..."
It was ok. The Book was with Twilight. I was Safe. They could See me but They could only Watch me and not Touch me or make me Fall.
I could only Watch helplessly as the fell.
They were there and I was here and I would not See them and I was Free and she was not and I am gone.
"Dash? Where did you go?" She flipped through the book. "Hm. Interesting." She shrugged and flipped it over on to her bed. "I'll look through it later."