Mocha's Cafe

She was watching him from an out-of-the-way distance, but still close enough to feel safe. Scanning the crumbling room, and detecting no movement was making her feel a little better. The constant noise from the tools he was using was ensuring that she wouldn’t be able to hear anything scurry around, however. This making her think she was going to develop paranoia, though, he’d always pause to talk to her. To keep her out of her own mind so she wouldn’t scare herself more.

Eventually, after she was feeling mostly a hundred percent, she would continue her work and help. But she wouldn’t leave the room, not unless he did, and she’d follow him there anyway. The lobby being already cleaned as best as she could get it today, she was mainly passing him other needed tools for his work. She never understood the work he was doing, being as she couldn’t build a house, only decorate one, but she was at least helping him as best as she could.

When it was time to go home, they began collecting their tools, placing them neatly into the bag of which they brought them in. By this time, it was almost sunset, the red and orange beams leaving a painful glare in her eyes. She could only imagine what her boyfriend was experiencing, as his eyes were more sensitive than hers.

Waiting for him to finish locking up their future cafe, she got an ominous feeling. The one of being watched again. Being outside and being close to her safe pony, she felt secure, but she couldn’t shake the feeling. Not even as they started on the path down the hill back home. She found herself regularly checking over her shoulder, not seeing anything follow them. Her boyfriend growing more concerned by this, not that she noticed.

The sun was fading quickly behind buildings as they entered the more downtown area. Ever conscious of it dipping below the horizon. The sky dimly filling with stars, the orange scenery taking on a more deep purple one. This part of the city was beautiful in this lighting. Streetlamps already on as they continue walking. Ponies milling about for end-of-the-day errands, or simply going home from a long day of work.

One would think the pegasus would calm down in this crowded place. Though, no, this was not the case. The mare was even more tense, as she felt as if a certain few ponies she passed began staring at her intently. Brushing this off as strictly simple paranoia and nothing more. Deciding to stare at her hooves clicking on the ground instead, she was only paying attention where she was going by following Spicey’s shadow or the tips of his blonde tail in the edge of her vision.

Finally arriving home, and closing the door behind her, she lifted her head towards her love. He was staring at her with worry written on his face. Detailing his dark red eyes with a unique shine. Pinning her ears against her head, as she knew he was about to question her, though at first mistakenly thinking she was in trouble with him.

However, he was just silent as he eyed her, before finally, “Are you alright? From earlier? You’ve been acting jumpy all day.”

“I’m fine. Was just a bowl falling, I just didn’t expect it.” This being the truth, despite her face looking like a housecat caught somewhere they weren’t supposed to be.

He sighs, “I know, honey, just..” He pauses here to find the correct thing to say, unclipping the hoofmade locket from his neck as he ponders, “..you don’t usually get that scared of things falling.”

“I thought I saw something move, remember?”

“Ah, yeah. Probably just a rodent of some sort, you saw how dirty that place was.”

She thinks back at this, distinctly remembering that it seemed much bigger than a rat, but perhaps that could’ve been the shadow of the thing. She absently turns away from him in her thought process, running a hoof through her mane. It was definitely bigger than a rat, if anything she saw the tail of it. It looked more insect if anything, it had that distinct shine to it that beetles have on their armor, she remembers. Beetles, however, don’t get that big, so whatever it may have been she hasn’t the slightest.

“Cocoa?”

His voice snapping her back to reality, realizing he has moved to be standing in front of her again. “Oh sorry,” She begins, “I was zoning out.” Glancing first behind him at the digital clock on their microwave mounted above the stove, and then to her left out a nearby window she noticed it was a little past their dinner time. “Are you hungry?”

“I, what?” He was taken a little aback by her sudden change of the subject. Watching her tail dragging its length across the floor a bit as she was entering the kitchen, clearly going to prepare him his meal--which is no different from his breakfast.

He took a step after her when he heard it. A soft click-click-clicking. “Cocoa,” At his serious tone, she turned her gaze toward him, stopping her hunt in the fridge. She wasn’t understanding what he looked so freaked out about, but she was attempting to be as still as she could, as he was unmoving himself.

“What?” Asking as quietly as she could, she began inching toward him. The soft clicking kept up for a little, turning his head in the direction of the sound, yet when he did so, it stopped. Straining his ears to see if it’ll pick up again, but after a few heartbeats he stopped the search.

“Nothing,” He starts, moving his hoof to rub the back of his neck, “Probably just a bird outside I was hearing.”

This triggering her to be a little more than cautious in her own home. Pinning her ears against her head as she gazes around. The kitchen leading into the big livingroom, the TV absent of picture, barely even lit in there as they just came home.

Dinner forgotten, she heads into the bedroom, realizing the door was cracked slightly. Simply dismissing it as him forgetting to close it all the way before they left. Her boyfriend following her the whole way, “Are you alright?”

“Yeah, I’m okay, just..” She turns to lock eyes with him, “Can we just.. Sleep, please? I’m not feeling well..”

He hesitates at this, subconsciously knowing he’ll be skipping dinner--especially important for him--but he ends up agreeing. Walking past her and pushing the door open the rest of the way with his shoulder. “Sure, baby, you’re probably exhausted.” He concludes, his blonde tail and spotted butt fading into a silhouette in the darkness of the room.

Before quickly shifting into light again as she flicks the switch on as she enters the room. Making him squint a bit painfully under the blast of light. “Sorry,” She states, getting close to him and giving him a sweet kiss upon his lips. Which he returns just as sweetly, “It’s alright,” Following with a nuzzle to her side.

“I’m going to go brush my teeth, okay?” She says as she enters the en-suite.

“I’ll go in after you do, too cramped in there for the both of us.”

“You calling me fat?” She jokes.

“Oh sure, you just take up the entire bed!” He laughs, giving her a playful look. Though directed at her rear, as she was paused in the middle of the doorway. Shaking a bit, the more he studied her.

What captured her attention so suddenly, was the fact that she was staring at something curling itself in the bathroom sink. It was thick, black, slimy almost, and pointing its eyes full of color directly at her, just as she was unmoving her gaze from it.

It was big, filling the entire bowl with itself, clicking gently and curiously at her with the pinchers lining its face, in a way she almost found cute. Except, it was a huge bug. With its many legs, it reminded her of a centipede, perhaps a changeling version of one, anyway.

And like any mare, with an unexpected giant bug in the bathroom, she yelps and panics. Unintentionally making it panic and attack. Seemingly arching its back and shooting thick darts as well as spitting at her.