Dr Whooves MONSTER

Chapter 11

Once back inside his domain, the chaos lord set the sleeping pony down on his throne, as she softly murmured in her sleep. With her safe and sound, he took the chance to inhale and catch his breath, stilling his rapidly beating heart. “Alright, what’s next, what’s next?” he turned to the room, finding his candy on the floor.

“How did she—? That’s it! When I activated my shrink spell,” he cursed as he picked up the iron in his sights. “She must have been sucked in with it by accident,” growled the monster as he momentarily paced the room.

“When they discover her absence, they’ll blame me, thinking I kidnapped her. A kidnapper? No, never,” inhaled the chaos lord as he looked out the window toward the town in the far distance.

“I only went there to scare my father and trick-or-treat for some candy. She can’t stay here. I must get her back home, but…” He froze in place, his eyes widening. “If I dare show my face in that town right now, they’ll have pitchforks ready for my return; granted, with a twist of the risk, they’re nothing more than silly twigs.” At the same time, he looked over his shoulder at the back of his throne, where the smallest glimmer of her hair shined in the moonlight through the shadows of the chair.

“But right now may not be a good time. They might, for all I know, be coming to save her, and if so, they could be here in either a minute or a month from now.” He turned back, stroking his beard. “What to do, what to do, hmm?”

As he pondered, the sound of her shifting in her sleep caught his attention, drawing curiosity from him. “Hmm,” his nose twitched as a scent of nuts and flowers tickled his senses. “It’s rude to watch someone sleep,” he inquired as he crept around the throne to get a glimpse of her. There she softly lay with her head on the armrest, gently sleeping on her side.

A loud, grubby snore erupted from her throat, making the monster chuckle. “I suppose letting her sleep here wouldn’t be the worst thing possible,” he murmured to himself. “She might be hungry when she wakes up, and setting the dining table for her would be a good idea.” He stroked his chin as he took one last glance at her. Then, rising to his feet with his power so he didn’t wake her with his steps, he effortlessly glided into the next room, intending to do just that.

…

After an hour or so, Fluttershy woke up with the feeling of something crawling on her shoulder. Immediately, she leaped, shivering and wondering what it was, with a quick, “Ahh!” But she nearly calmed down when she noticed it was just a little spider crawling in her hair.

“Oh haha,” she giggled, removing it with ease. “You scared me, little one,” she cooed before placing the spider on a nearby web and going about her business. She once again found herself in the grand halls of the castle, but was relieved that she was not two inches tall this time. As the memory of the monster saving her from her fall came back to her, a small blush and a bump in her heart brought a smile to her lips as she quickly decided to search for him.

She didn’t have to go too far, finding a dining area in the dark shadows of the next room. It was a dining room by the looks of it, with a table set up with different berries, nuts, a half-thrown together salad, some freshly hoof-squeezed orange juice in a pitcher, alongside a punch bowl and all the candy and goodies from the costume party.

…

Licking his fingers and lips as he devoured a piece of chocolate, the sound of her footsteps alerted him to her arrival. Cleaning his hands on a handkerchief, he quickly dashed deeper into the shadows before acknowledging her presence with a bow, lifting his hand as if to present the table's food as an offering to her.

She giggled at his mannerisms before adding a small curtsy in return. The sound of it struck his ears as it echoed through the deadly quiet halls, bringing a sense of something he could not ever remember experiencing before.

Even so, he dared not approach her, opting to float and retreat through a window.

“Don’t leave,” she requested, to his surprise. But he refused to turn back to her.

After a moment of silence, he could hear as she took a seat on one of the creaky old chairs before grabbing a berry. “Where did you get these?” she asked with happiness in her voice.

“From the forest. I often scavenge for nuts and berries, and I’ve been collecting them for the winter,” he answered softly.

Popping one in her mouth, she then grabbed a cup of punch. He could hear her as she filled her cup. “Come now, don’t tell me you’re shy,” she giggled. “Please, come sit with me at least; don’t just stand there.”

“You actually want me to dine with you? Don’t move, silly… I mean, aren’t you frightened by me?”

“Terrified, if I’m being honest, but you saved me… didn’t you?”

“Oh, that… well.” He rolled his head. “Don’t worry about it.” He cleared his throat. “Honestly, I didn’t mean to—I mean—"

“I know. After all, you were just after the snacks and candy, which were free. So despite hoarding it, technically, you didn’t steal it, I guess. It wasn’t your fault. I ended up here by accident. I know that.”

Her soft and well-spoken declaration of understanding left the chaos lord dumbfounded. Finally, he turned to her, his eyes glowing in the darkness. But he still refused to approach.

She did gulp at his gaze and could feel her nerves running down her arm, but ultimately decided to push the feeling away. “All you really did was scare everyone senseless on a night dedicated to scaring people, so… so no crime there.”

The chaos lord stared at her for a moment before speaking, confused. “You’re awfully understanding for a pony.”

“You haven’t met very many nice ponies, have you?” she nervously giggled. She could tell by the light of his eyes that he shook his head. “Well, I can’t blame you. I’m not exactly the biggest fan of many ponies being around me either.” She clutched the tablecloth tightly. “Still, we’re not all ba—”

“You are definitely the minority. Even so, fear not, my dear; I will not harm a hair on your head. After you have had your fill, I will reopen a door to your town and get you home safely; I promise.”

“Oh, but I don’t want to go back,” she grinned.

That did it. The shock of her words sent the monster into disbelief, yelling out, “What!” startling her in the process. But she recovered quickly with a smile and said, “This is technically my first time out of the city. Other than my trips to visit my grandmother in Cloudsdale, my father never lets me leave town.” Observing the room once more, she gleefully settled into her seat. “It’s kind of adventurous; I’ve never experienced anything like this castle before. Please, you must show me around! Oh, and I’d love to see the forest—”

“Absolutely not! Do not be absurd!” He barked. “The forest is filled to the brim with dangerous animals and magical traps—some placed even by me. And this castle is no place for a mare. You need to go—”

“No,” she flung her nose up in the air defiantly. “I will not go near that town, not now that I have a chance to escape, if only for an evening. Please, you don’t know what it’s like to live among society.”

“Oh, I have a pretty good idea,” he groaned, crossing his arms. “So, you really want to stay then, if only for a short time?”

“I’d love to,” she smiled brightly.

A moment of deadly silence spread through the room as he seemed to ponder her as well as the idea before adding in a hushed tone, “Very well, but…” He raised his voice again. “On one condition: that you do as I say. This place can be rather dangerous if not careful.”

“Oh, of course,” she smiled before raising her cup. But before taking a sip, she once again tried to invite him. “Please, come take a seat with me; you don’t have to be afraid.”

“It is not fear that keeps me here, at least not mine,” he replied.

“Oh, oh no; I’m not afraid. Well, if I got used to you a little, I don’t think you’d be that scary.”

“Is that so?” He rolled his eyes, and then with a raise of his hand, a fireball burst into existence and then flew from him and lit the fireplace, illuminating the room, if only a little more. With its light, he stood floating mid-air in all his glory.

She jumped at the sound of the burst of flames, shaking in her cup so much she spilled a little before gulping down her fears and returning her gaze toward him again. “Please, a little warning next time would be nice.” Taking in the sight of him once more, he stood in his pumpkin-orange suit. His eyes burned amber, and his profile was as ruby-red as she remembered. He was easily the most frightening creature she had ever seen.

“Gah, guess my mantra from the party isn’t going to work,” she said as her gaze drifted over him. But unlike when they first met, the sight of him in the shower came to her mind instead. The strong lion-like arm and sharp talons gave him quite the interesting build in his suit. His right arm was far too slim for the suit, yet his left showed muscle even among its curves. However, it was his face that caught her attention the most. Skinny, skull-like, with a rough jawline of a horse and a sharp scar on his right cheek and left jaw, it looked as if at some point there were stitches, but it had healed over time, leaving him looking weathered. The antler and goat horn that stuck out from the top of his skull gave him such grand height, and the tuft of his mane that stretched between them and flowed down the back of his long neck was pitch black, contrasting sharply with his white bushy eyebrows and goatee. His lizard-like red tail, with white tail feathers, swished around in the air almost crookedly, twitching like a car would when stressed.

“Ahem,” he cleared his throat, catching her attention back to the task at hand.

“Oh, uh, yes, of course. Just let me have a piece of candy and you can show me around,” she said, taking some chocolate.

But before she could, he snatched the bar she was about to take, startling her. She was about to shiver when she noticed he quickly unwrapped it for her before holding it out towards her.

“Oh, tha—thank you,” she said, reaching for it. As she did so, the slightest touch between their hands sent warmth through her, bringing a smile to his face. As she ate hers, he took another piece of candy for himself before grabbing a torch and using the fire to light it.

“Follow me,” he insisted as he led the way, never touching the ground.

Down the main hall, there were several doors—one leading to the dining room, the biggest one to the throne room, the one on the left to the bathroom, and another leading to a set of stairs. “I guess we’ll start upstairs, then,” he chuckled before holding out his hand to her, landing his feet slowly on the steps.

With a wiggle, she took his hand and followed him to the second floor, containing an armory, a few more bedrooms, and a few more bathrooms. The walls of it were dark black, and the sight of old armor stood at every pedestal there. The windows, however, were shattered and broken, letting light look out into the night air. The full moon lit up the woods, giving it an oddly beautiful scenery despite the ominous fog that covered it.

Setting the torch on a hook in the wall, he leaned over the edge, being careful not to touch the broken glass as he stared out into the far distance. Despite the beauty of the land, it was him that had her attention.

Relishing her gaze on him, he let out a chuckle as he bowed his head. “With any luck, the village will have noticed your absence and are most likely on their way right now to rescue you from the dreaded monster,” he sarcastically remarked.

“Your not so dreaded after all, but I can’t deny that—”

“That you want to know more? Yeah, that figures…” he sadly sighed. “Anyway, the castle and this forest have a very interesting spell on them. You see, while only a day may pass in the outside world, if you travel through this land, the faster you run, the slower you become. It was set as a trap against the enemy. When intruders came through this ancient castle, those who lived here only had to lie in wait for the enemy to approach. As they did, they would be tired from running and could be easily dealt with. Otherwise, all you really need to do is walk slowly through, and you would actually find it a short trip between here and Ponyville.”

“Wait, so if they’re coming for me—”

“Yes, I expect it would be a few days, if not weeks, before they show up due to the traps set out throughout the maze of the forest.”

“Hah, more time to get to know you then. Will you show me where you get the nuts tomorrow?”

“Sure,” he shrugged, “but not before I share with you my favorite room. Come, you’ll love this place,” he smiled, grabbing hold of the torch once again and heading down a dark hall.

Following him, the two of them entered a wide room with a glass roof and clean, soft, overgrown grass. Grand hand-carved statues sat among the field, some broken and fallen over, but many still standing, covered with roots and vines.

“Yeah, an indoor garden, but just any indoor garden,” he said, setting the fire into an oil canal that, with a single touch, lit the whole room. “It’s a giant chessboard—the entire room,” he smiled.

“Chess? I didn’t know a thing about it, but I know checkers.”

He snickered at her. “I can teach you; it’s not too hard of a game, if you’re interested.”

“Sure, but I can’t move the statues,” she smiled

“Oh, fear not! You forget that not only can I lift them with ease, I can do this.”

He snapped his fingers, and the statues shuddered and trembled until their eyes glowed, and they began to move on their own, coming to life.

“There! Now all you need to do is give them their orders, and they shall move themselves,” he chuckled as she gasped in awe of his mighty power.

…

Meanwhile, I and the band of ponies rushed through the forest as quickly as we could. Coming to a fork in the path, I yelled, “This way!” and headed left. I remembered the way I traveled through the low place. “By any luck, making up this ground, we’ll be there by morning.”

“Morning!” Aragon yelled out at me. “How is it possible that they have gotten so far?”

“It took me three days to get there last time! We’re making better ground than before!” I yelled out as I looked up into the sky to see the castle. “It should be right—” My eyes widened in disbelief. For some reason, despite our long travels through the night, we weren’t any closer to our destination.

“We’re not gonna be able to fight that beast tired,” announced Applejack. “I say we camp here.”

The crowd behind me quickly agreed. “But she could be hurt! Who knows what that beast could be doing to her at this very moment!” I shouted back.

“Get some rest, Dr. Nuts. I may hate the mud, but Applejack's right. We need our full strength if we’re going to save Fluttershy,” Rarity replied as she set up a spot as clean as she could to sleep next to a log.

Using his impressive strength, Big Mac tore apart a tree branch and began setting up a fire as I stared into the distance, knowing he had her in his grasp at that very moment.