The Darkness Within

Chapter 2:  New home

It was kind of weird explaining how I know all about their world.  “So your telling me that were you are from, you are called humans, and we are a show created for your human entertainment?”  Twilight asks while taking notes.  (Yes I mean she is taking actual notes.)  “Yes, but believe me when I say this, there are people like me called Bronies that have built an entire culture around this so called show.  We strive to take lessons from your peaceful world.”  I say satisfied with my little speech.  “Well I’ll be, we are really that popular?”  Applejack seems slow to accept what I’ve just explained.  “Eeyup.”  I say imitating her brother.  “Ok when yall do that it sounds so weird.”  She says cringing a bit.  “Sorry, couldn’t help it.”  I say with a sly smile.

“Hey look the town!”  Twilight says pointing with her hoof.  Indeed as we are coming out of the Everfree forest, right in front of us is the town of Ponyville.  “I hope that know one freaks out when they see me.”  I start to imagine them running away and then attacking me in a giant angry mob.  “ Oh don’t worry darling, just stick with us and everything will be fine.”  Rarity muses while giving me a wink.  I hope so looking over at the lowering sun.  “Oh hey, um I have something to show you girls.”  I say with obvious nervousness.  “Oh really, what is it?”  Twilight looks like she is trying to hold in bubbling curiosity.  “Yeah, but you will have to wait until sundown.”  They look at me confused but otherwise seem to think nothing of it.

So as I am walking through Ponyville as I expected I am getting stares.  But unexpectedly they are almost all stares of curiosity and not fear.  “Town Hall is just around this corner.” Explains Twilight.  “Why are you taking me there?”  “Because we are going to invite you introduce yourself to all of Ponyville!”  Twilight says with a clap of her hooves.  “And that thing that you wanted to show us at night can be witnessed by Princess Celestia and Princess Luna.”  Twilight says with glee as I begin to panic.  Damn it!  What if everyone thinks that I’m a monster?  But my thoughts are interrupted by Mayor Mare coming over.

“Oh so is the strange creature that somepony told me about?”  Mayor Mare says with a giggle.  “Yeah that’s me I guess.”  I say nervously rubbing my neck.  “Well come on in all of you!”  “And let us begin discuss what it is that you wanted Twilight Sparkle.”  She says leading us into town hall.  “Yes Mayor Mare, I would like for… hey I never asked you your name!”  Twilight says looking over at me in panic.  “Oh, it’s, Shadow.”  I reply with only a small hesitation.  “Thank you, yes I would like for Shadow here to be introduced to the town of Ponyville and after sundown I am planning on a visit from Princess Celestia and Princess Luna.”  Twilight says finishing her statement.  “Well I don’t see why not, how about you give me about the rest of the afternoon to get this ready?  That way right after introductions the Princesses can visit right after words, this is going to be fun!”  The Mayor of Ponyville squeaks as if this is the first piece of something interesting to happen in a while.

“Well Shadow, what do you want to do?”  Fluttershy finally speaks up again with her quite voice.  “Well I-”  “Oh no you don’t!”  I was interrupted by Rarity with a determined look on her face.  “We need to get you ready for the introduction and your meeting with the Princesses!  I’m taking you back to my boutique to take your measurements and then I’m taking you to the spa!”  She says with what I can only describe as hunger in her eyes.  I am about to say maybe later but then Rarity flashes me her pleading filly eyes.  “I don’t see why not” Is my answer.  What am I getting my self into?

A short walk later Rarity and me arrive at the boutique and to a very excited Filly.  “Well here we are, home sweet home.”  Rarity barely got the words out of her mouth before we hear the sound of running hooves and next thing I know I’m on my back with a white fluff on top of me.  “Hey Rarity I herd about a strange creature walking around town with you guys!  So is this him?”  I finally get a good look at the pony on top of me.  “Is that you Sweetie Bell?”  She jumps back in surprise and falls flat on her butt.  “How do you now my name?!”  She says with a small awe in her voice.  “Oh I think that is Rarity’s job to explain.”  I just don’t want to spend to long explaining it to her.  “Yes, I’ll explain later but for right now I need to measure him.  So if you would just take of your clothes.”  I start to get nervous and my cheeks start to get hot.  “Yeah um about that, the thing is that we humans wear clothes because we aren’t covered in fur and that means that certain, parts of our bodies are not hidden.”  I manage to say with burning cheeks.  “Huh?  Oh. Oh!  I am sorry I didn’t know I, do you have any thing to cover your…”  “I got you covered.”  I say as I take off my shirt and pants, but not my underwear.

Then Rarity lets out a gasp.  “What’s wrong?”  She raises her sacking hoof.  “Y-your back!  Were did you get those scars!?”  She is pointing to the symbol carved into the flesh on my back.  “It looks like a circle with an X through it!”  Sweetie Bell’s voice rings through the room.  Maybe I should tell her, but then again she may just blab to the rest of the gang.   I look at the ground avoiding their eyes. “I’ll tell you and the others when we can get them all together, how about after the visit from the princesses?”  I try to make my voice not shake.  Bad memories, telling them is not going to be easy.    “That will be just fine.”  She says putting her hoof on my shoulder.  “Now, let’s get you measured!”  Rarity cheers!  “Sweetie Bell!  Get me the measuring tape!”  she says with that same look of hunger in he eyes as before.  Again, what have I gotten myself into?  I think with an eye twitch.

Needless to say being measured by Rarity was horrifying.  The touching and the measuring, and even the standing still for long periods of time I could handle.  But what scared be was the look on Rarity’s face while she was doing it.  She looked like she wanted to eat me or something.  But she did end up making an awesome outfit for me.  She asked me for a general design that I would like, and it is flawless.  A hooded cloak as black as night with timber wolfs that have glowing yellow eyes and the full moon glowing in the sky above them.  I love it!  It is so awesome!

“Thank you again Rarity for the cloak.”  I say for probably the what, 16th time.  “Thank you but darling please no more, I’d do anything to help out a friend.”  She says, which I think was a polite way of saying shut up.  So I did.  “Ah here we are, the Ponyville spa.”  We walk inside and apparently the spa ponies Aloe and Vera were expecting us.  “We already have a room ready for you both.”  “Yeah and as a request from Rarity you will both be getting the full treatment, which for you miss Rarity is the usual.”  They say leading us to a room.  And when they say full treatment, oh boy do they mean FULL treatment.  I’m talking mud bathes, saunas, messages, acupuncture, the works.

We are in the mineral bath when Rarity nudges me with her hoof.  “Yeah, what’s up?”  She bites her lip as if she is thinking.  “Shadow, you know that thing you want to show everypony?”  “Yeah?”  I cock an eyebrow.  “It doesn’t have anything to do with your scars, does it”  She asks in a worried tone.  Damn, and even after I managed to hide them from Aloe and Lotus.  “To tell the truth yes, it does.  But please, I would like to tell everypony when the time is right.”  I say still avoiding her eyes.  A pause makes me look up, and to my surprise Rarity is smiling at me.  “That’s okay you tell us when you are ready.”  And for the first time I came to Equestria, I get a hug from a pony.

(Fluttershy Yay!)

“Now what do you say we go and visit Twilight hmmm?  I hear she still wants to ahem, study you.”  Rarity says with a chuckle.  “Yeah, maybe I can check out her books, I’ll have you know I am quite the bookworm.”  I say while Rarity continues her giggling.  “Well I think you two will get along just fine, although I did not expect you to be this laid back with going to the spa with me.”  “Oh that, well I used to take mineral baths every now and then to take the edge off from the pressures of everyday life.”  I say with a grin.  “Well then I look forward to more visits, maybe you could join me and Fluttershy some time.”  She says returning my smile.  “Sure, I’d love too.”  “Oh looks like we’re here.”  And we stop right in front of the house/tree that is the Ponyville library and also the home of the one and only Twilight Sparkle.