North Woods NightMares

A stallion walked by PW so close he thought he was being attacked.

“He put something in your wing, PW.” Frosty noticed, looking down at PW’s flying appendage. Frosty took the card out. “It’s a telegram from the N.C.”

“NC-san!” Bleated Echo.

“Welcome home. Please all report to the office at 0900 tomorrow morning.” Frosty read. “Guess we get to go home.”

“I’m gonna follow you home… Windy-chan.” Echo teased, shuffling up to PW until her forelegs were against his back. “It-sa rough neigh-bor-hud.” Echo bounced.

“Echo, seriously? You’re stalking me?”

“Wow, PW. Last week you were excited beyond belief to get onto the Night-Mare contract- today you’re refusing to spend time with one?” Jabbed Frosty. PW’s reset button was pushed.

“Alright, Echo! Follow me!” He chirped.

“I don’t want to anymore- hmf!” She pouted.

“Echo? Why not?”

“You do not want me stalking you, Windy-chan.” The mare chanted, turning her rump towards him.

“That’s my self-policing. Please? I’ll feed you!” The eager stallion called up.

“OK we go now Windy-chan.” Piped Echo suddenly, turning around into him, forcing him to walk forwards.

“Bye Frosty! For tonight!” PW called.

“You’d better have a week of food in your cabinets, PW!” Frosty warned.

“O’bachan is big time silly. Thanks Windy-chan for the bed and breakfast!”

“Uh… sure, no problem!” PW responded, suddenly learning the mare would be spending the night.

“So it’s breakfast then.”

“Mmm! And don’t worry Windy-chan. I’ll sleep on your sofa by myself and it won’t get weird at all.” The mare responded.

“Do you want pancakes?”

“Ohh-hhhhh!” The big mare moaned.

“I got some mix.”

There were no trams available at this hour, and they had to walk the entire way. They stopped at the post office on the way home to collect PW’s plushie of Frosty from the P.O. Box.

“Ooh Farrell! Nice choice, Windy-chan!” Echo complimented upon entering the neighborhood.

“Thank you!” PW responded. “I can’t believe I’m letting a Night-Mare into my own apartment!” PW remembered, unlocking the door. Not even Frosty had been there yet.

“Home sweet home!” PW called, looking around to make sure everything was still in order.

The mare strolled in, looking around. “Bare bones walls, Windy-chan!”

“I just moved in here- no time to decorate!”

“I see. Oh…” Cried the mare, looking down at the small sofa she was towering over. “Oh- forgot small pega furn-ah-chure.”

“Ugh, I can take the cushions off?” PW asked, getting mad at himself for not foreseeing a party of Night-Mares visiting.

“I’m going to get room for all of them later!” PW decided, throwing the cushions onto the floor. Without another word, Echo laid down on the sofa cushions.

“This works. Night, Windy-chan!” Called Echo.

“Night.”

PW felt very responsible for her as the host of his guest of honor in his apartment. “You have a Night-Mare IN your home, PW.” He reminded himself over and over again, nodding off.

“Windy-chan!!!” Screamed Echo.

“Where are you!” The pegasus called in reply.

“I don’t know! But they’re going to inject me with poison!” She screamed again. PW ran down the jellylike green floors of the hive, searching cell after cell for the Night-Mare.

“Hoo-hoo-hoo!” Squeaked a sinister laugh. PW spun around, spreading his wings wide.

“Queen Chrysalis!” He snorted.

“Silly pegasussss… Did you really think you were going to save her?”

“Windy-chan, they’re going to encase me!” Echo cried.

“I’m coming!” PW yelled, then fell flat on his face.

“Oh, did you not think I would have thought you’d try that?” Asked the Changeling Queen as PW examined the jelly binding his wings.

The stallion attempted to charge for it. “Mmm-hoo-hoo-hoo!” Laughed the Queen, stepping on PW’s tail. He switched directions and immediately lunged to attack the Queen. “Excellent!” Exclaimed the Queen, baring her fangs and striking his neck, sinking them deep into his skin.

“Windyyyyy-chaaaaaan!” Labored Echo.

“I’m getting dizzy!” PW screamed in horror.

“You’re not going anywhere now!” Laughed the Queen. The Night-Mare assistant’s muscles were all locked up.

“I can’t move, Echo! I’m paralyzed!”

“Bye-bye Wind-glg-glg-glg-glg…” Echo choked.

“ECHO, NO!!!” PW screamed as the behemoth fighter fell silent. “Echo…” PW cried, doubling over on the floor and sniffling tears out.

“Mmm-hmm! And the best part!” Laughed the Queen.

A sudden flash rocked the room. “PW-Chan? Did you know Queeny Chrysalis could change into a Night-Mare? We’re going to have so much funnies together! PW-chan."

“ECHO!!!” PW screamed into the ether.

“What’s wrong, PW-chan? I’m right here!” The Queen emulated.

“ECHO!!!” PW screamed again. The constructed Queen pushed PW onto his back and slid overtop of him.

“Do you like it when I do this, PW-chan? Hehehe!”

“ECHO!!! Come back ECHO!!! ECHO!!!”

“Windy-chan?”

“ECHO! ECHO NO!”

“WINDY-CHAN!”

“…” “Echo?” Asked PW, suddenly in the dark.

“I’m here Windy-Chan! Just outside your door! Are you okay?”

“Whew…” PW rapidly exhaled. He sat for a few seconds while the adrenaline drained away so he could open the door. “I had a Night-Mare.” PW called, walking to the door.

“Right! Me!” Echo chirped as PW opened the door. He was in awe at the immense but gentle figure on the other side of the dark doorway. Unlike in the desert, seeing her in his own home accentuated her size.

“Not your kind of Night-Mare… a bad dream.”

“Ohh… what about?” Asked Echo, cocking her head to the side.

“It’s dark…”

“Echo-sama kills.” The big mare declared flatly, reminding PW she was prepared for anything.

“Right. Okay I dreamed you were captured by the changelings, and held in the changeling hive, and killed and Queen Chrysalis turned into you and taunted me.”

“Aww! Windy-chan!” The mare cried, walking forward. PW instinctually stepped back from the advancing mare. “Aaa-aaa. Mandatory hug!” Echo cried, slamming a hoof into the floor which would have easily woken the two floors below them. PW fell back onto his butt from the shock. “Windy-chan…” Cooed the enormous mare, picking the stallion up like a toy in her forehooves and pulling him into a hug. The mare crossed her hinds and she lowered PW onto her lap, enveloping him in her forelegs and nuzzling his ears. “It’s all okay, Windy-chan. Echo-sama is safe.” The emotional pegasus sniffled. “You can cry, Windy. I’m not gonna tell O’bachan or hold it against you.” Echo admitted. The small stallion grabbed onto Echo and leaned into her.

“We’re lucky to have you watching over us, Windy-chan. This why I feel safe around you. Windy-chan never stops fighting to save a Night-Mare!” Echo waited for a reply but it never came. She looked down at the pegasus leaning on her who was now sleeping again. “Windy-chan… what a super star!” Whispered Echo, yawning. The mare repositioned to lay down beside him and slept there for the night.

Echo awoke to the smell of hay cooking. “Mmm!” She sighed, heading towards the kitchen. PW saw a sniffing nose advancing through the kitchen entrance above him. “Whatcha cooking Windy-chan?” The nose asked.

“Out! It’s not done and I won’t have enough space to move around with you in here! I am making you pancakes!”

“Mmm!”

“Also, don’t you need to work out? Maybe do that while you wait?”

“Ohhhhh! You’re right.” The mare admitted irritatingly. “Do you not normally exercise?” PW asked.

“No, Echo-sama just hates it!” She responded, starting her pushups. Everything in the apartment started shaking.

“Ugh! Alright never mind! Something’s going to break. If not the whole floor.”

“Okidokies!”

The impatient Night-Mare waved her tail back and forth as she was served. She was so large that a chair at the table was pointless- for she was already at the right height siting on the floor. The mare took a piece of the pancakes to her mouth and chewed it. “Mmm! Oh my Winny-shan, itd sho-good!” Echo sang with food. PW made three pancakes for himself, and thirty for the Night-Mare. Every single one of them was eaten by the end of the meal.

PW showered and gathered his things up before they strode out to work. Just after locking up, PW saw the mother next door and her young filly. PW winced at the oncoming cringe.

“Mama? Why is his mama so big?” She asked. PW froze in matrix of emotions.

“C’mon sweetie, let’s…”

“Hey quootie chan!” Echo called to the young one, collapsing into a prone position to stop appearing so imposing. “My name is Echo… Echo!” Shouted the Night-Mare, shuffling around in the hallway.

The little filly giggled. “I’m not his mama! Just a really good friend!” Echo corrected.

“Why are you so big?”

“Orchid Ro…” Snapped the mother to correct her filly.

“Because my family is big, silly filly! My family is part of a hidden tribe up north!” Echo added.

“Who he?” The filly asked, pointing to PW.

“That’s mister PW!” Echo said, saying his actual name for the first time.

“He’s your friend?” Asked the filly.

“Yepyep! And your new neighbor.” Replied Echo.

“Why are you her friend?” The outspoken filly asked.

PW finally came out of his shell and stepped up forward beside the big mare. “Because everypony needs friends. Especially if they don’t fit in.” PW said, wrapping his foreleg around the Night-Mare’s.

“I get it! Wow!” Exclaimed the filly, smiling.

“Thank you!” The mother said, passing them by. PW and Echo started down the stairs.

“Wow Echo you’re really good with fillies!”

“They are just so adorable!” Echo responded.

“Also, Sweet Song, aren’t you supposed to be guarding your name?” PW asked.

“Yeah- but she a little filly.”

“And if I tell N.C.-san, he would agree?”

“Windy-chan, do you want Echo-sama to cuddle you to death? We call that pega-squish.”

“If you pega-squish me then I can’t support Night-Mares anymore.”

“Right. So don’t tell N.C.-san, Windy-chan.”

They walked the short five minutes to the industrial park. “Wow Windy-chan, you got a place super duper close to H-Q!” Echo exclaimed as her badge was inspected.

“I am ready to support, 24-7!” Piped PW. They were both cleared and they made their way to the waiting room.

“Cutting it close, aren’t we?” Asked Frosty’s voice. The pair looked over to find Frosty sitting in the corner of the waiting room. She was nodding to the clock, which was reading just two minutes to 9:00 AM.

“We’re not late, O’bachan!” Echo snapped back.

“I would have thought that you would’ve gotten here sooner, Windy.” Frosty challenged, raising an eyebrow.

“I made her a big breakfast and we had to get everything cleaned up!” PW complained.

“You fed her breakfast and you didn’t invite me?” Teased Frosty. PW walked up to his Night-Mare and boldly replied.

“Please forgive me.” He said, looking nearly straight up to her face above his. Frosty frowned and looked away, feeling that she took it too rough for him.