Chapters Chapter One: Unusual Behaviour
Fluttershy shifted in one place as she tossed and turned in her bed. The sun sneakily peeked past the curtains, making her groan in displeasure. She made a huge decision yesterday. After 5 years of hiding it from her family and friends, she pulled Rarity to the side and told her about the secret that had been troubling her so much. This was overheard by Apple Bloom, who bragged about it to her friends, which was then overheard by Flash Sentry. He then told his band, which lead to Soarin gaining the knowledge, then he told Spitfire who in turn told Rainbow Dash. Then finally, it was passed through their little social group until it got back to Fluttershy.
She then became overwhelmed by the fact that so many people knew so quickly. But when they caught sight of her, they all gave her a hug. Shy was in tears most of the time, and Rainbow Dash was kind enough to comment, "You are so fucking brave, Fluttershy. I’m proud of you."
Fluttershy had finally admitted that she is gay and had been unsure if she should tell her friends. So, she went to the one friend that had been with her for years. Rarity. She would have gone to Rainbow first, but was frightened that Dash would tell. Rarity just gave her a hug and told her that it was okay and that nothing was gonna change. The exact words were, "Darling, nothing's gonna change. Although I am quite shocked that it was you who came out as being gay if you don’t mind me saying. I always thought it was going to be Rainbow Dash, if anybody... I learn new things every day." Fluttershy was extremely happy that she had gotten that off her chest. The rest of the day went pretty smoothly after that, but this morning she felt like shit. Not wanting to move or do anything even remotely active.
Her alarm went off to indicate that it was time to get up and get ready for school. She didn't move, and simply left it ringing. Her head pounded, her body was stiff and her throat dry. Upon opening her eyes she noticed that her vision was blurry, but she somehow managed to make out her alarm clock and smashed the snooze button lazily.
Fluttershy rolled back over onto her side and pulled the blankets to her chin once again in order to try and get more sleep, but it was in vain. As soon as she got back into a comfortable sleeping position, her alarm went back off. Fluttershy sat up, grabbed her alarm clock and threw it across her room, making it shatter into millions of pieces upon collision with the nearest wall. She fell back and let her eyes drift off to sleep.
...
Rarity walked into school with a bright smile on her face. As she passed by some other students, they asked her if anything was wrong, as she looked unusually happy. She replied, "No, I'm fine, darling. But thank you."
Arriving at the band practice room, she pulled a new sheet of music out of her bag. She noticed the four friends sorting out their instruments. Tuning them, and such. Applejack was sat down with Rainbow Dash as they talked about sports day, a competitive streak written across their brows. Sunset was standing with Pinkie and they were yammering about a party that they should play. Rarity's eyes scanned the room, seeking out an intended target which seemed to be missing. Fluttershy? Where on earth was she? Then something hit Rarity in a moment of realisation. "She is normally late because of all her animals."
"Guys." She finally spoke, as they all turned around to look at her.
"I have the new music piece!" She said cheerfully, handing everyone a sheet.
"It took you long enough." Dash said as Rarity handed Pinkie and Sunset a sheet. "Why did it take you so long?"
"It's hard to come up with an original song, you know." Rarity answered her rainbow haired friend as she passed her and Applejack a sheet.
"I love the song title name," Sunset said as everyone else agreed. "’Getting Stronger’. Where did that come from?"
"I don't really know. Maybe cause the chorus repeats it about 6 times?" Rarity said as she looked up at the clock. 9:50 am.
She began getting worried. "Where's Fluttershy, guys?" Everyone first looked at each other, and then back at Rarity.
"To be honest, Rares', I have no idea. I haven't seen her since last night." Applejack said as the others nodded.
"Well, I'm going to call her." Rarity pulled her phone out and dialled her number.
Ring, Ring.
The silence in the room made the ringing seem longer and louder than it should have been. Rarity put the call on speaker.
Ring... "Hello?"
"Fluttershy?" Rarity said, as the rest of the band listened in.
"Ye..." She coughed. "Yeah?" Her voice sounded scratchy.
"Where on earth are you?" Rarity asked in concern.
"Home... I’m really not feeling it today.........." There was a loud crash in the background. "Fucking hell, Angel! I swear, if you do that again, I will grab a knife and gut you where you stand!" Her voice boomed through the room as the speaker strained with the volume.
Rarity flinched, so did the rest of the band. "Calm down Flutter..." Another loud crash.
"That's it, stay right there!"
Rusling, screaming and pounding came from the phone. Rarity hastily hung up. Along, and uncomfortable silence settled throughout the room before Rarity finally spoke up,
"What has gotten into our friend?"
…
Fluttershy dropped her phone onto her bedroom floor as she launched herself at Angel, who was chewing on her plushy dolls around her room. Angel dodged out of the way just in time, as Fluttershy caught her temple on a shelf. Fluttershy roared in frustration as the chase continued throughout the upper levels of her home.
Angel had never seen Fluttershy this angry before and had no real idea why it was happening. As he looked back over his shoulder, fear written deep into his pupils, he noticed the rampaging Fluttershy was completely disheveled. She looked almost feral in nature, and it terrified the poor bunny.
Fluttershy caught up with Angel and was inches from clasping the tuft of his tail in her hands. Angel reacted instinctively, and bounded down the stairs to his left, breathing rapidly and heavily in his terrified fleet. Fluttershy screeched as she lunged down the steps, 3 at a time, making for the innocent little rabbit once more. Angel fled into the kitchen and managed to hide under the stove before Fluttershy entered the room.
Fluttershy whipped her head left and right, as her eyes scoured the surrounding room, searching for any signs of a dwelling bunny rabbit.
“Angel… You can’t hide from me forever, remember? I look after you. Now, come out here and let me teach you a lesson or two about treating me with a little more respect!” Fluttershy’s voice was ear-splitting as the sentence came to an end, the entire room vibrated on account of her absurdly high octaves.
Fluttershy grabbed a knife from the block to her right and began to circle the table in the centre of the room. She paused for a moment, as she listened for any sounds of rustling. Angel bunny was cramped under the stove, and shuffled a little, as his legs were about to give way under his strained, crouched backbone. Fluttershy heard the disturbance but was unable to pinpoint its location. She now knew he was hiding, and she was going to find him.
Fluttershy lifted the cloth of the table sheet and looked under the table and chairs in search of her pet bunny. Her search ended without the bounty, and so she dropped to her knees and looked under the oven. Nothing. Fluttershy stood up and began to look behind the various jars and packets of animal feed lined up along her shelves. There was only one place left to look. Fluttershy walked over to her stove and stood there for a few seconds.
Angel Bunny could see his master’s feet from under the stove, and panicked. He let out a strained whimper, as he tried his best to control his fear. Bunny heard a hearty chuckle from above him, as Fluttershy had confirmed his hiding place. Slowly, Fluttershy began to drop to the floor, coming face to face with Angel Bunny. Angel felt the blood freeze in his veins, as he looked into the eyes of what he currently considered to be the devil herself.
Regaining his fight-or-flight instincts, Angel Bunny dashed out past her face, as Fluttershy was moments away from having his hide. Angel sprinted as fast as he possibly could towards the window in the living room, which had luckily been left wide open. He heard what sounded uncannily similar to a banshee’s wail follow after him as he ran for his life down the path to safety.
Chapter Two: First Impressions
Author's Note
This chapter was written by me. (Twyla.)
Chapter Two: First Impressions
The path below the white bunny blurred, as he hopped away from the cottage in blind terror. Every now and again he turned around to see if Fluttershy was making after him, but luckily for him, she was not. He jumped off of the path, and across the road before he noticed the school in the distance. So, he jumped over to the field to see the students outside having their lunch, as it was a warm and sunny day. Angel jumped towards the school, seeing it as a place of refuge. He caught sight of Rarity and her friends, so he made his way down to greet them.
When he reached them, he dashed over to Rarity and began jumping frantically in the air in order to get her attention. She turns around and sees the bunny hopping in place before she recognises him as Angel Bunny.
“Angel?” She said as Angel began pointing over in the direction of the cottage.
“Fluttershy?” Angel nodded as he began jumping away still holding onto Rarity.
“Angel, I can’t just up-and-leave school...” She then noticed the terrified look in his little face and couldn’t help but sigh.
“Fine, I’ll have to sneak out of school, though….”
Rarity grabbed Angel and left, leaving the group in shock as they had no idea what was going on. Rarity ran along the path with ease as Angel began to shift around in her grasp, Rarity looked down at him as she continued to run towards her friends cottage, attempting to calm his nerves.
She had come close to the cottage when Angel broke free of her grasp and stood to one side. She looked down at him with an unsettling feeling, as Rarity was unsure as to what was up with him. Walking over to the entrance gate, she opened it, causing it to groan on its rusting hinges. She then proceeded to walk over to the front door.
The atmosphere changed and became icy cold as Rarity planted her hand on the cold doorknob, she tried to open it, but it wouldn’t budge. So she instead attempted to boot the greasy, wooden door. The door broke off it’s hinges. ”Shit!”
Rarity wandered inside, and scanned the now broken door, but something else caught her attention. Multiple drops of blood were scattered around her carpet, and the pictures that were originally placed upon the wall were now on the floor. Rarity walked in a picked up the nearest one. It was quite a recent picture of the band, Fluttershy had someone’s arms wrapped around her neck.
Upon looking more closely at the image, she noticed it was herself who had arms wrapped around Fluttershy, they looked so happy together. However, the shattered glass juxtaposed that happy image. She then placed it to one side and tried to turn on the light switch. However, even after trying multiple times, it would not work. She continued to move towards the stairs, for she now had a view of both the kitchen and the living room at the same time.
She couldn’t see Fluttershy anywhere, so she called for her. “Fluttershy!”
There was no answer from her friend, there was just the sound of rapid footsteps approaching her from behind. In a panic, her head spun around rapidly, but to her relief it was just Angel finally following her into the house. He began to hop past the purple-haired girl and pointed upstairs. She began to ascend upwards, the stairs creaked with her every step.
Rarity shivered, then her head turned to see Angel sat in the living room, he seemed too mortified to do anything. Rarity pondered her mind to pinpoint the exact reason as to why Angel didn’t want to follow her, or even why he was so frighted to see his owner. She continued to climb the last two steps.
Reaching the top she noticed all the doors were wide open baring one: Fluttershy’s bedroom. Rarity slowly approached the closed door, and knocked against it softly.
“Fluttershy, darling? Are you in there?”
“Leave me alone, please!” The muffled voice shouted. It was Fluttershy, but her voice was much deeper than before.
“Please open the door, I want to talk to you. You sound terrible! Are you sure you’re alright?” Rarity asked as she heard something fall from within Shy’s room.
“Shit! Rarity! Please leave now!” Rarity then heard her gasp for breath. “This isn’t the time!” Her voice cracked, as the sentence came to a close.
“Just tell me then, are you okay?” Rarity asked.
Silence. A long silence occurred, and to Rarity this seemed disturbing and downright creepy. However, Shy eventually spoke.
“Please.” She pleaded.
Rarity sighed in defeat. “Alright dear, if you need me, just remember to call!”
“Okay.” Her voice became a deep, but low whisper.
Rarity then began to walk away, until she spotted something glimmering in the bathroom. She became curious, and thus moves in to investigate.
It was a large, blood-covered kitchen knife.
A rank smell flared in her nostrils, as she spun around to find what was creating the rancid stench. It was the sink. Laying in the sink was a deer hide which was also covered in blood. Rarity gagged, almost spewing the contents of her stomach and adding to the odour, and made a run for the stairs. She physically jumped over the bannister, as Angel hopped over and jumped into her arms.
“You can spend the night with me, Angel. Whatever has gotten into that girl? She would never usually leave a dead deer in her sink, if that wasn’t obvious already, and it looks like she won’t be leaving her room anytime soon.” Rarity said, as she ran over to the door and left, closing it behind her.
…
Rainbow Dash smiled as she pressed multiple buttons at once, causing her character to jump into the air with the opposing enemy in a crushing death grip, and crash them into the ground with a loud bang.
“Fatality!” Sunset grunted and threw her remote at Dash.
“You always beat me! Why?!” She shouted as Dash laughed.
“Because I’m awesome.” Her ego was pulsing as Applejack sat down beside her.
“I’ll bet I can beat you,” Applejack said as Dash accepted the challenge.
“You’re on!” Dash retorted, shuffling in her seat and preparing for an intense match.
The two began to play enthusiastically, as Rarity walked in with Angel bunny in her hands. Pinkie ran over and hugged her tight, as though she hadn’t seen her in years.
“Oh my god, Rarity! I thought something bad had happened at lunch, and so I had to tell Mr Rich you had a family emergency to cover for you. Then you never came back! Is something wrong?”
“Yeah, it’s Fluttershy. Her lights don’t work, blood is scattered across her floor and her pictures are smashed and ruined. There is also a deer hide in the sink which is covered in blood. not to mention the knife I found, which was caked with blood!” Rarity said as Sunset gasped.
“Fluttershy would never kill a deer for it’s hide…”
“Now wait a second, Sunny. Rarity never said anything about her killing it.” Pinkie said.
Rarity interrupted, “She was telling me to leave, constantly. I think I need to check back up on her, but I would rather not do it alone. Angel too terrified to even move so much as a limb as I was going upstairs. I think Fluttershy did something to him after we had that peculiar phone call with her.
“Well, I’ll go with you. I really care for her, so I’m in.” Sunset announced as Applejack spoke up,
“Me too.”
“Pinkie? You and Rainbow stay with Angel plea-” Rarity was suddenly interrupted by a loud crunching sound.
“Fatality!”
“Bullshit! You cheated!” Dash yelled at the laughing blonde, as she got up onto her feet and prepared for an argument.
“I didn’t, I’m just better than you.” Dash crossed her arms as Angel jumped down to greet Dash, she stroked him gratefully.
“So, listen up everybody,” Rarity got the group’s attention, “Rainbow, you and Pinkie stay with Angel. While you’re preoccupied here, Applejack, Sunset and I will go and check up on Fluttershy. Sound good?” The group nodded in approval of the arrangements.
“While I’m out, Dash, why don’t you practice and see if you can beat me next time?” Applejack sniped, as Dash already had another game loaded.
“Oh, I will.” Her voice was flat.
Rarity clapped her hands together. “Right, before we go, I need to head on home and grab my things and then run to the supermarket for some drinks. Afterwards, we can go to Fluttershy’s. Sound like a plan?”
“Yeah,” Sunset said as Applejack nodded.
“Can you pick me up a bottle of coke while you are down there?” Dash asked as Rarity nodded. “Pinks, do you want anything?”
“No, thanks,” She replied as Rarity looked through her bag.
She pushed her makeup bag, purse and other stuff to one side and grabbed her car keys. “Let’s head off, then.”
Rarity, Applejack and Sunset arrived at Fluttershy’s cottage, supplies intact. Rarity looked at her two companions, in turn, they looked a little uneasy. Rarity, realising she had not helped herself at all through sharing the nervousness of her friends, took a moment to compose herself, before stepping up onto the porch, and reaching for the door.
The door snapped open with a crunch, and the trio entered gingerly, scoping out their surrounding before proceeding further. It was getting dark out, and this in combination with the dull lighting of the cottage had the teens severely on edge. The dishevelled state of the cottage was shocking for the newcomers, as they both looked wide eyed at the broken glass and splattered blood. Rarity nodded understandingly at them, trying her best to be of some reassurance. They weren’t convinced.
Proceeding up the stairs as slowly and quietly as they could, they heard a faint, hoarse breathing sound coming from one of the rooms upstairs. As they reached the top of the staircase, they confirmed the room from which the sound was resonating. It sounded as though it was struggling for air, and so its breath intakes were rough and gravelly. Rarity bravely took the lead, the other two girls following closely behind her. Their eyes were wide with fear, abstaining from an impending panic attack. They were trying their very best to deny their instincts which told them to flee. This was for the sake of their friend, after all.
The door to Fluttershy’s bedroom was on the floor in the hallway, bloody scratch marks scarred its surface in a crude fashion. It looked as though someone had been desperately clawing at it with their nails, until their nails had splintered off and the soft flesh underneath had bled profusely over the clawed areas as they continued to claw at it, regardless of their injuries. The three girls all gasped upon seeing this, and to their utmost horror, the breathing coming from the room suddenly stopped, enveloping the entire house in an eerie silence.
They all stood deathly still, their hands covering their mouths, not daring even to take a single breath. After what seemed to them like an eternity, they heard a sudden scuffling sound come from the room. The wheezing returned, except this time, the creature sounded panicked, as the breaths were rapid and strained.
Legs trembling, the girls encroached upon the doorway, suppressing their fear as best they possibly could. Sunset and Applejack clung onto Rarity’s arms, leaning into her sides as they slowly peered around the doorframe. Upon seeing nothing, at first, due to the severe darkness of the room, they stood in the doorway and looked directly into the shadows, searching for any signs of movement.
The breathing was coming from the back left corner of the room, and it seemed to increase in both volume and speed as the girls approached it. The girls could make out the silhouette of what looked like a particularly large human, however, its limbs were stretched to great lengths, and its head had an elongated snout. The terrifying sight clouded the thoughts of the girls, as they could think of little but their overruling fear, and prepared to flee at the slightest hint of aggressiveness.
They were close now, and the monster began to growl, the guttural bellow standing all three girls to attention as the blood went cold in their veins. Rarity noticed that Fluttershy’s clothing was shredded and scattered across her floor, which suddenly replaced a small portion of her fear with fury.
“W-What have you done with Fluttershy, you beast?!”
The other two girls looked at her like she had gone insane, as the beast began to rise its full height, standing up on its two feet.
Still mostly hidden by the darkness, the terrifying figure rose to over 7 feet in height, looming over them like a giant. It had to bend forwards slightly, lest it hit its head on the low ceiling. The beast continued to growl and began to approach them slowly, as though it were stalking its prey. However, the girls were unable to move a muscle, they were literally frozen with fear.
As the monster stepped out of the shadows, as though breaching the gates of Hell itself, the girls saw it in its full, grotesque form.
The beast was jet black in colour, all over. It had a long, lupine snout, its mouth lined with teeth coated in a thick, ethereal slime. The dark fur of the creature accentuated its yellowing teeth, and its glowing, crimson eyes. Its limbs were uncannily similar to a human’s, more muscular than the average man’s, but the main difference being the disproportionately sized hands. The digits were about a third of the length of its arms and ended with lethal, pointed claws. Its palms were the size of dinner plates and had next to no fur coating them. The beast’s torso was thin at the waist, which emphasised its broad shoulders. The legs were long and gangly, with large feet supporting its weight. The feet were humongous, about twice times the size of the average man’s, and they ended with clawed toes, touching the ground in a cruel arc.
Everything about the beast projected power, with a steadily intensifying air of authority.
Rarity noticed that upon its torso were shreds of Fluttershy’s clothing, clinging to it as though it had been wearing them,
“F-Fluttershy?”
Rarity asked as the beast brought its muzzle down in front of her face. Now being face-to-face with the creature, Rarity could smell its rancid breath as it bared its teeth in a ferocious snarl. The girls were in a cold sweat, as Rarity suddenly became overwhelmed and let out a chilling scream.
Dropping the supplies, the three girls pelted out of the room, skidding round the doorframe as they made for the staircase. They were racing for their lives when they heard the beast screech in anger, its heavy footsteps pounding the ground as it began its pursuit. It was frighteningly fast, and Sunset, being at the back of the group in fleet, was the first in its sights.
Sunset caught up with Applejack, with Rarity heading the group, as she began to leap down the stairs in jumps and bounds. Applejack followed suit, shoving Sunset aside in her panic. Sunset screamed, and doing the only thing she could as the beast reached for her, she jumped off the banister as the beast swiped at her leg, and plummeted to the ground below.
There was a sickening crunch as Sunset hit the ground, and the other two quickly turned in an effort to give her aid. Helping Sunset to her feet, the group split through the kitchen, as the beast was now at the base of the stairs, cutting off their primary escape route.
Panting and whimpering in terror, the girls ran for their lives around the kitchen table and to the back door of the house. Luckily for them, the beast had stopped and howled in the hallway, signalling its final assault. They got the back door open and sprinted into the open night air, making for the nearest place of refuge: The Everfree Forest.
The Monster bounded out of the doorway on all fours, smashing the weakened wooden door off its hinges with its massive shoulder, as it recklessly pursued its prey, like a rabid, feral animal. It was leaping like an ape towards the trio, as they made it to the edge of the forest. The girls ran through the trees, swiping the branches that were slashing at their faces in their flight.
The monster reached through the trees at the edge of the forest, grasping madly at the air, and bellowing in rage as its fury at having to let its prey escape took hold. Noticing the beast was no longer following, the girls collapsed onto the ground, gulping at the air as though they had almost drowned.
For several minutes, no one said a thing, before Applejack finally spoke up.
“Girls, are you okay? I’m not sure what that thing was, but do you think it could have been Fluttershy? It was certainly wearing shreds of her clothing...”
“I’m unhurt, luckily, and I am certain that… thing was Fluttershy. She was acting strange earlier, so there must be something seriously wrong with her…” Rarity replied, looking down at the ground in post-traumatic shock and silent contemplation.
The pair heard a strained, wheezing groan coming from their third friend, as she sounded like she had just been hit by a bus. They ran over to their friend, as she was obviously hurt.
“Sunset! Are you alright, sugar cube? What’s wrong?” Applejack looked over her cramped figure, as the blurred memories of recent events rushed up to the surface. “Oh, My… I just remembered that I… That she… I’m so sorry…” Applejack put her head in her hands and began to sob, as she remembered what she had just done to one of her closest friends.
“No time for crying, Applejack, she’s hurt! She fell down an entire storey, and has a large gash on her leg! We have to find help, quickly! You can apologise later for whatever it is you think you’ve done, but in case you have forgotten, we just ran into the Everfree forest! What are we supposed to do in terms of medical aid here?!” Rarity reasoned.
Regaining her composure, Applejack aided Rarity in lifting their friend, as they set off through the forest. They had no idea where they were, as they had been blindly running in a panic when they entered.
“How the hay did she carry on running after injuries like that?” Asked Applejack,
“I suspect it was adrenaline, darling. She was running for her life, after all.”
“I suppose so…”
The two placed their friend on the ground, any hope of a quick escape lost. They had to tend to her wounds as best they could, and so they applied pressure to the wide gash on Sunset’s leg in an effort to stop the bleeding and prayed that it would be enough to save her life. Neither had any experience when it came to first aid. They noticed the bones in her shoulder and back were dislodged, and broken. No wonder she had passed out.
“You think she’ll be okay?”
“I hope so, Applejack, I hope so…”
With the bleeding stopped, they lay Sunset on a bed of leaves and waited in what they considered a vain hope of being rescued.
Chapter Four: An Uneasy Feeling
Rainbow Dash maniacally smashed the buttons on her controller, as her character vanished into a pool of blood and held her attacker up by protruding spikes. The character then appeared under the vulnerable hanging enemy and slit their stomach open, causing a flood of blood to gush from the wound, drenching Rainbow Dash’s player. The sound of limbs being severed before splattering onto the ground made the room fall silent, which was disrupted by Pinkie humming Rarity’s new song she had written for the band. She looked over at Dash and smiled, despite the fact that she knew she had lost to Dash.
“I’m offended that you’re smiling,” Rainbow said bluntly. The game then finished with one final scream.
“Fatality!”
Pinkie placed the remote down, still humming the song, occasionally singing a few words aloud. “You have attacked…” She went back into humming as Dash looked over at her.
“Are you attempting to sing, ‘Getting Stronger’?” Dash asked as Pinkie nodded in confirmation.
Rainbow placed her controller down and sighed heavily. She noticed that the others have been gone for over three hours, and so she began to get worried. She leaned over to Pinkie before tentatively asking her a question.
“Should we be worried that the others have been gone for this long?”
“What, three hours?”
“Yes!”
“Should I call them?”
“No, Pinks. They left their phones.”
They both looked over at the clock, as Dash retracted her deep lean, before standing up and putting on her coat. “Come on then, we better go check up on them. To be honest, I’m scared for their safety. I know it’s fearing the worst, but better that way than not worrying at all, before finding out something terrible has happened to them.”
“I’ve never seen you this serious about anything before, so we should probably trust your gut on this one, better safe than sorry. Let’s go.”
***
Arriving at their friend’s cottage, it was absolutely pissing it down. The girls sat and waited in the car for a few minutes, watching for any signs of movement. across the road in front of Shy’s cottage was Rarity’s car, parked next to the path. Both girls felt an unnerving presence, as though something was watching them.
Pinkie began to feel sick, the overwhelming feeling of negativity coating the car and its inhabitants becoming too much for her. As her hair began to droop, she began to smell sulphur. Being rather spontaneous and stereotypical by nature, Pinkie took these as signs indicating the presence of a demon. Her head turns to Rainbow Dash, who was uncertain as to whether or not they should go in as they could be investigating the situation more closely.
Rainbow Dash looks back at Pinkie, and what was written across her face told her everything she needed to know. Something was terribly wrong here, and they could all be in danger. The Pinkie Sense never lies. Rainbow felt certain concerning what their next move would be. Her hand latched onto the handle of the car door and pulled it downwards, opening it swiftly. She was about to step out until Pinkie stopped her by placing a hand on her shoulder.
“Dashie?” She asked, her eyes filled with morbid fear, “I don’t want to go in there.”
“We have to, Pinkie, for everyone’s sake. If there really is something wrong, we have to help out. Besides, they are most likely just hanging out anyway.”
“No, Rainbow Dash, you don’t get it. Something’s up with that house. I feel it. If you wanna walk up there and get hurt, or worse... Then, be my guest.”
“What’s gotten into you?” Rainbow asked her angrily, as Pinkie snapped her eyes shut.
“I just feel an overwhelming sense of negativity, and I don’t like it. Not to mention the sulphur smell.”
“What’s up with the smell, anyways? It’s fucking driving me insane.”
“It’s a sign of a demon, Dashie. And it’s in that house.” She pointed accusingly towards the not-so-innocent-anymore cottage across the road.
Rainbow sighed, “You know what, you’re just being silly, Pinkie. I’m going into the house, and I’m finding out why they are taking so long with this visit, and then I’m going to leave, simple as that. I’m not afraid of anything, after all. If you wanna stay here, go ahead. I’ll have my phone on me, so if you need me, call me.” Dash then left the car and crossed the road, as Pinkie watched her friend walk up the pathway to Fluttershy’s house.
“I have a bad feeling about this, a really bad feeling...”
***
Dash investigated inside the cottage, there was nothing but blood and glass everywhere. Not to mention the broken doors. Walking in further, the smell of sulphur grew stronger. Rarity was right in what she said back at Pinkie’s, now she needs to find them. The banister at the top of the stairs was snapped clean in half. Acting impulsively, she shouted for her friends,
“Applejack! Rarity! Sunset! Fluttershy!”
Nothing.
Below her was a stained mark, crimson. Dash jumped with a mild yelp and moved out of the way. Upon looking into the living room, she noticed the furniture was destroyed and covered with claw marks. Her instinct was to walk away, but instead she forced herself to walk into the kitchen.
The door was broken, cabinets were destroyed, windows were smashed. Rainbow Dash walked back into the living room area before making her way upstairs. At the top was another fresh blood stain, so Dash hurried across the landing only to see Fluttershy’s bedroom door on the ground, and plastic bags haphazardly strewn across the floor of her bedroom, their contents laid bare. These included Rainbow’s ordered bottle of coke and other snacks they should be enjoying together. “Did something happen to them?” She asked herself, as a sudden realisation hit her: the whole house was completely devoid of life.
Rainbow began to walk back over to the stairs, a mental war raging within the confines of her now chaotic mind. “Why is the house so eerie and dark? Maybe they ran out as something tried to attack them…? Well, the most damaged place in the entire house is the kitchen by the looks of it, so they must have left through the kitchen door.” Without a second thought, Dash was already in the kitchen. Noticing the lack of an intact back door, she walked out of the house and into the backyard leading to the Everfree Forest.
The door had been broken outwards, suggesting something had smashed its way out of the house desperately. She spotted a clear path showing evidence of a possible flight/pursuit through the long grass, leading to the edge of the forest. “They are in the Everfree Forest?!” She then noticed a set of animal prints along the path, and judging by the size, it was a large animal. Rainbow bravely followed them into the forest. After what seemed to have been hours, Dash yelled for her friends once again.
“Applejack! Rarity! Sunset! Fluttershy!”
Someone shouted back,
“Rainbow Dash!” It sounded like Applejack. “If it’s you, we’re over here!”
“Coming!”
She dashed in the direction of the shouting as quickly as her rapid legs would allow her to.
***
Dash arrived at the clearing, and the first thing she spotted was Sunset on a bed of
“What happened!?”
“We were attacked by an animal! It caught Sunset by the leg, causing her to fall from the banister.” Rarity said as Dash nodded in acknowledgement.
“Well, that explains why there was blood everywhere. What was this animal?” Asked Dash,
“It looked like a wolf, but we don’t know if it was a wild animal or even Fluttershy herself, as it was wearing torn pieces of her clothing,” Applejack said.
“We need to take her to the cottage…” Dash pushed this ludicrous idea to one side for the moment, and began fumbling to pick Sunset up, however, was scolded by both other girls simultaneously,
“No!” They said in unison. Rainbow looked irritated as she rubbed her ears,
“Nothing is in there, trust me. Fluttershy has first aid back there. When we arrive, I’ll call the hospital, just please follow my lead on this one.”
Rarity and Applejack look at each other, then Rainbow and finally Sunset, who only moaned in response. Finally, Rarity commented on the idea,
“Alright, I’m trusting you… Where’s Pinkie?”
“She felt uneasy about coming into the cottage, so she’s in my car.”
“And how did you know we were here?” Applejack asked.
“Your car was here, and you didn’t answer when I was calling for you in the cottage, so I went to investigate. I noticed you must be somewhere outside when I spotted the broken door and animal prints leading to the edge of the forest. Let's get her back, girls, we don’t have time for this.”
They nodded and picked Sunset up, Rarity began to walk backwards as Applejack stood to her side, guiding her forwards. As for Rainbow, she picked the other side of Sunset up and began to lug her back towards the cottage. They eventually had her out of the forest and onto the only sofa that wasn’t damaged beyond recognition.
“Applejack, you call the hospital. I’ll grab the medical bag!” Dash said, as she left her phone on the table and ran into the kitchen.
Rarity sighed as Applejack began to dial the hospital before standing up and leaving the room so Sunset could rest. She thought the cottage was empty, but she was wrong. As Rainbow Dash walked upstairs her phone went off in the living room, Rarity answered it, bringing it up to her ear before quickly jerking it away from the frantic shouting coming from the other end. This could only be one girl, so at her first opportunity Rarity got a few words in,
“Hiya, Pinkie.”
***
Outside the cottage, Pinkie was screaming as a large animal began rocking the car, barking at her like a rabid beast.
“It’s attacking! It’s after me, I’m scared! Help me, please!”
The beast smashed the glass of the car door, causing it to shatter and slice Pinkie’s arm as she brought up her left appendage to defend herself. This opened up a large wound on her forearm, which immediately began gushing blood. She screamed in agony as Rarity suddenly realised the severity of her friend’s situation. Rarity ran out of the house, hopscotching the puddles on her way to aid her friend.
Pinkie was roughly ragged out of the car, still screaming and clutching her arm. The beast reacted in an unexpected fashion for no immediately apparent reason. It sat down suddenly, wincing and blinking rapidly after dropping Pinkie onto the car roof in the process, thus denting it as her body thudded onto its surface. Its hands were raised and placed onto its ears, as it began to lay down on the damp floor, the rain poured down relentlessly around it.
Whimpering in pain, the beast began to regain its senses. It glanced at Pinkie for a few seconds, who was now growing more and more silent as the seconds ticked by. The beast then looked away with a pitiful yelp, as it slowly crawled away before raising onto all fours and making a run for it, howling in its flight. Blood stained the ground as it ran, dripping from its exhausted body, which was soon washed away by the rain.
“Pinkie! Oh dear... Are you okay?! Talk to me!”
“Help... me...” She passed out cold. The faint sound of sirens blaring in the distance.
Chapter Five: Unwanted Attention
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