Dr Whooves MONSTER

Chapter 13

As the chaos lord had said, finding a suitable substitute dress for Fluttershy was easy. As both their wet clothes dried by the fire, Fluttershy now stood in front of a broken mirror, admiring the clothes she found within the castle walls.

It was a dark green dress with bright green frills. A flower pattern etched into its stitching. Despite how neutral it looked, it was clear how old it was in its fashion. It was extremely Victorian in the way its sleeves puffed up and the way the dress flowered out over her hips. All she needed to complete the look was a Sunday hat, which she was glad she *didn’t* have. Either way, she marveled at it in the broken mirror, just as a knock on the door alerted her to the chaos lord's incoming presence.

"Did you find any—" he paused when he saw the dress she stood in. Turning back to him with a smile, she asked, "What do you think?"

"Princess," he stumbled in a whisper, making her giggle.

"That's quite the compliment."

With a shake of his head, he regained his lost composure. "That dress... makes you look like a princess, I mean."

Looking back to the mirror for another glance, she replied, "Yes, I do look like a princess from one of those old fairy tales my father used to read to me."

"Your father, you mentioned him before, but I have yet to hear you mention anything about your mother," the monster's eyebrow raised.

"And I've yet to understand *your* story… with Dr. Whooves."

"Teosha," he drawled, his eyes beginning to leave the room, only to stop when she replied in a cold, emotionless tone that sounded nothing like herself, "She died."

"Just before my brother's third birthday, and like all the other mares of the city."

"Yes, many, not all; Pinkie's mother is still around. But most mares die of something that mother religion or science has vanquished yet."

The lord of chaos stood emotionless, unsure of what to say or do. Turning around, she returned to her cheerful tone, but with bittersweet words that he found difficult to process.

"It is because of that sickness, and the fear of it, that many women my age grew up behind locked doors. My father, as well as many of my friends' fathers, were all frightened of us attacking it." She rubbed her right elbow.

"When I was young, I don't even remember my mother ever being well. My father says I was just like her, but all I can remember is a pale face and a bedridden woman. I dare say death was at our front door, long before I even knew what death was."

Bearing her personal tragedy, the chaotic monster could only stand and stare at her, unsure of what to say or do.

"It's ok," she warmly smiled, trying to ease him instead of herself. The mental strength she needed to do that was more than the chaos lord could understand. "Anyway, that's why my father was so protective of me growing up. I wasn't even allowed to go to the park until I was at least a teenager." She giggled. But even her giggle didn't brighten the mood. "I am thankful for him, and I know why he did such a good job, but…"

"It was suffocating at times, huh?" The chaos lord whispered in awe of her story.

Fluttershy's nose twitched, a sniffle escaping. With a quick dab of her eyelid with a piece of cloth, she wiped away both whatever tears had built up and feelings of sadness.

"Your father sounds like a great man… he cares for you quite a lot."

"Yes, yes, he does." She nodded and set the cloth away, before visibly snorting. "Oh god, I can't imagine his face when he realized I wasn't home after the nightmare night party. His little girl's directions were so clear: to Dr. Whooves, straight there, straight back, and now…" she laughed harder.

"Now you're in an ancient castle in the middle of the forest with a stranger you've never met," the monster replied in a serious tone as he set his arms over his haunches and leaned on the side wall. "Had I known about such a thing, I would have sent you home sooner!" He furiously spat, before raising his claw again in a snapping position.

"No, no, please, I told you I don't want to go back!" She pleaded as she grabbed ahold of his arm.

"You're in such danger. Come on, is it really that bad there? Why on earth do you not want to return home?"

"Oh yeah, and what is *your* story, then?" smiled the mare as she looked at the creature before her.

His gravelly voice chuckled as his gaze rose to the sky, peeking through the holes in the roof. "No one wants to hear that story."

"Oh, but I do," she said, causing the creature to blink in disbelief. The sudden scrunch of his nose brought a giggle from her lips. The laughter, odd as it may be, danced across his ears, bringing a strange, calming feeling to him; one that he knew not how to explain, let alone express. "You're pretty smart, I mean…" she lowered her eyebrow, "That is to say, your intellect is far more than most of even the men I know in town. Tell me, lord of chaos, how did one such as you come to be so intelligent anyway?" She tilted her head like a puppy at him, causing another chuckle to escape his throat.

"You're quite intelligent yourself, lady Fluttershy."

"Oh, I'm… umm, I'm actually not that smart. Actually," she giggled once again, causing the same sensation to the beast as always. "I actually don't like many of the town folk. Which is a horrible thing to say."

"Horrible, how so?" the monster tilted his head in the same way she did before. "Why is the reason you don't want to return home so badly? Because, from what you told me, you have a good home with a good father, who's now letting you go out and explore a bit more, but is keeping you perfectly safe. What else could there even be that is so bad you want to never return home?"

"Oh, you know… *there*… boys," she rolled her head.

"I see, so you have a problem with the opposite sex. May I remind you of my own? Should I leave now too?" He instituted, growing furious with his last statement.

"Oh, oh, that's not what I meant."

"Then what *did* you mean?" he barked and awaited her answer.

"Oh, just, uh, well," she lowered her head and hid her face, growing quiet for a long time before stating, "As are most boys, they are gentlemen in hopes to secure *their* future. They see me, a prize, especially since I'm a rather young mare who has yet to be touched by a man yet."

"That's not true. I saw my father touch you," he spat innocently. "Hell, I've touched you multiple times since we've been together."

Her face grew red at the thought of the doctor. "Na, no, I don't mean just hold hands. I mean—well, I mean—" she stumbled as her hands rubbed against each other awkwardly.

"Spit it out, then!" The monster cried, already tired of her stalling.

"I'm a virgin, alright!" She yelled furiously, before gasping at her own words and covering her mouth.

"Ahh," the creature rolled his eyes. "Now I get it."

"Ga—get *what*?" she stared.

"Oh, nothing," he just bones his head."

"What are you then?"

"Ha, hardly, no!" He growled back. "I just understand that you're tired of those men fighting for you. Well, sweetheart, a little advice for you, my dear: get used to it." He chuckled. "It is simply nature, is it not? Animals do it constantly, fighting for their right to breed. And the females only give in to the one that suits their fancy, the strongest, at will, do they not?"

"Ponies are not animals," she yelled, catching both of them by surprise. Quickly though, she lowered the intensity and shrunk back to the wall. "I am not just here for that, everyone has a purpose to *their* life, as do I, and even if I do, I can choose who I love. I will not be forced into any of it."

"Big deal," he rolled his eyes. "What, is it not true that you are only looking for the best qualities in your mate? After all, you are a mare of marriage age, isn't that correct?"

"No, I mean yes, I am of marriage age, but I am not just looking for qualities in men. I am looking for someone to love."

"Love?" The monster raised an eyebrow at the mare's words.

"Yes, love. You may know a lot, perhaps more than me, I'll admit, but there's a lot more you don't know. Like a mare's heart, for one." She snootily tossed up her nose at him.

Apparently, he chuckled and turned back to the skies above, watching as the wind carried them along the breeze.

"Come with me."

She heard him say, just before he began heading back inside.

"Where are we going," Fluttershy asked, as she got to her feet.

"To answer your question, follow me," he stated, running inside, with a step she had come to know.

…

She followed him through the hallways of the old castle, growing more curious of the strange creature as she did.

At the end of the hallway, though, she could see him dash through the doors of the chess indoor garden.

"This way," he called back, as she approached the door, and right across the garden to another dark hallway she had never noticed before. But it was now clear as day thanks to the bright sunlight. Chasing after him, she led them down one more hallway and up some steps. Finally, at the end of their travels—wherever he was taking her to—she watched as he entered through a set of old curtains. Following him, she took in the sight of the old castle stone walls. Its gothic-like architecture, and rustic attire seemed to actually complement the overgrown nature that had claimed most of its walls. Unlike most of the rest of the castle, that had smooth, glossy, black-like stones, she could tell this part of the castle seemed to be once vibrantly painted. The remnants of blues contrasted the curtains that hung from the ceiling. Entering through the red, torn veils, her eyes nearly popped out of her sockets at the sight of a grand room. It wasn’t bigger than the throne room, but it was definitely not small. Instead there, she stood in what must have been a three-stories tall, book shelves with inside an even greater hall. With a gasp and a flutter of her eyes, she took it all in.

"Yes, I know," he sighed. "Welcome to where I grew up." He shrugged, before leaping on top of a tall ladder. Once he landed on top with ease and grace, he mumbled "hmm let’s see," before swinging himself down the rack until he found what he was looking for. "Ah ha, here we go," he said, pulling a book from the rustic wooden bookshelf. Its wood falling apart and nearly turning to ash as he did.

"Careful where you step this place is quite old," he instructed her as he flipped through the pages until he found a page he was looking for. "Ah ha, yes," he smiled before doing a backflip and landing perfectly next to her. To say he was nimble would have been an understatement.

"This place, long, long ago was actually an old castle grounds and stronghold, of Queen Celestia herself, the sun diety. One of many castles constructed in her name, but some time in the seventh or eighth century after her reign began, a great battle took hold of it, and many of the horses fled this land, giving it back to the forest. Half this library was left untouched for centuries; no one knew it was here." The monster shrugged. As he lifted his bird claw and presented the land around.

"Wait, half-filled, so…"

"Yes I have filled the rest myself with my journeys across the world," he said as he showed her some photos of him.

"Oh, you been to catygpyt and zeebrafica?" she gasped before he snatched the book closed.

"Yes, there and many other places," he rolled his shoulders and darted his hips as he began to walk around the library, leading her on, once more.

"You see, in this library there are hundreds, if not thousands, of books, and I have read every single one of them, sorting them even by my favorite topics." He lifted his hand, showing a sign that said cookbooks.

His smile never wavered until after that statement, but she watched as it fell flat. "It’s all I had to do was read. And read I did. From the science books by my father, to the magic and religious texts of old. I learned as much as I could in the past twenty years." His gaze turned to her, with such sorrow in his eyes, she could not help but feel saddened for the creature.

"You see," he began slowly. "Good old Dr. Whooves, once had a friend at some point named Stygian." He then pulled out a sun pendent, from a shelf, handing it to Fluttershy, who ran her finger on the back engraving of the name Stygian unicornius. "So, so are you,"

"I do not know," he whispered solemnly. "But the book of chaos and harmony has many, many powerful spells of which I had mastered all of them. Including the one that transfers energy."

"Transfers energy?" She tilted her head, not understanding a word.

"Yes, magical energy, from one form to another. Either way, Stygian was… " he stated before removing his shirt. There on both his chest and back laid thousands of scar marks.

"I believe the doctor may have tried to save Stygian, by stitching him right, and used that spell in hopes of reviving him."

"So your name is…"

"I am not Stygian; I am whatever was created after him."

Her mouth dropped at the implications, and she dropped the pendent on the ground, making a haunting ting sound among the quiet air of the library.

"That is right, my dear, at least in some ways," his head lowered.

"What do you mean, some ways?" she asked in a shivering voice.

"Wa- well, think of it this way. You know blood renditions or, or organ transplants."

She softly nodded but stood deadly still, waiting for an answer.

"Wa- well, as soon as they’re placed on the body and the body reactivates and gets used to the new organ they function exactly the same. Once restored with enough energy it acts as it always had." He then lifted his lion claw, placing it over his many scars. "The stitches fell out eventually, and the body’s cells began to do what they had always done. Multiplying and dividing, and living so long as they had substance. In short, I am as dead as you are."

Fluttershy’s eyes drifted over the exterior of his muscles. Other than the many scars, there was no decay on him. Still, Fluttershy could not help but feel like she was staring down the undead. Her nerves began to get the better of her, and she soon began to tremble under the weight of the knowledge.

But to her surprise, just as she earlier set her hoof on his cheek, he now did the same with his sharp claw. Despite how sharp and pointy they were, he was so delicate with them that they never punctured her skin. And other than the tallness, his hand felt alive, as if she could feel his pulse.

"A pulse," she whispered as she set her head into his chest with her ear right up against his heart. There on the stillness, she could feel it. Not only his breathing, but his heartbeat.

While the chaos lord could only sit there feeling her warmth on his bare chest once more, the feeling warmed him, and choked him to the bone, leaving him stunned. After a moment of sitting there awkwardly too long, the tension instinctively backed away from another, their cheeks feeling warm.

Luckily for the chaos lord his dark fur did not show the redness to his face like Fluttershy did. If it did he would have sworn his so called life might have ended there.

"But but does that mean you have. His memories? I mean, you do have his…"

"No, no, I don’t remember anything before the day that I woke up. There is no Stygian left, not even in the brain. Still, though," he continued, clearing his throat, as if saying "Luckily for me I guess". He nervously winced. "Most babies would die, but I wasn’t made of normal means, was I?" His eyes narrowed for a moment, only to soften the next moment. "Unlike a baby, I had a full adult pony brain, with many neuron connections already established. Established yes, but unused. They just needed to be reactivated." He said turning to another bookshelf and pulling out one on brain anatomy, showing her a picture of it.

"The brain is a muscle, made up of hundreds of thousands of neuron cells, at least in an adult. Because of that, I theorize it’s the reason why it didn’t take me too long until I once again gained a quick grasp on things.

I knew how to speak, and while my body had to get used to its new structure, once the neuron paths lit up again, I learned how to walk and how to run, and soon, eventually yes," he bobbed his head from side to side, "Read.

My first few days were hard at best, but I do remember them. After he ran that night I sat and cried, terrified of the world around me, only to grow pain in my stomach, why. Well I was hungry. And there on the floor, the doctor left little pouches of sugary sweets. Once I learned that you had to peel away the wrapper, since that didn’t taste good, the first thing I ate was what I would learn later is the creamy sunset known as chocolate."

"It didn’t take long for me to eat all the candy and soon venture out into the world, like a dog. I soon found water and fruit and berries naturally grown in the wild. My brain, being an adult, already knew how to survive, unlike an infant's. It is because of this that I survived out in the wilderness—cold, damp, and alone. But that wouldn’t last long, though." He shook his head.

The animals of the forest feared me above all. And how could they not? I was a strange amalgamation of animal parts, once dead, now brought back to life. But I wasn’t a bird, nor a deer, despite sharing such features. I was a pony, or at least thought I was.

“Thought?” Fluttershy’s eyebrow raised.

“I’m too different to be a pony now. No, what I am is an aberration. And it’s his fault.” The monster quickly clenched his fist and teeth for a moment, but soon let go when he noticed her flinch back away from him.

“Sorry,” he sighed and set the book in his grasp back onto the shelf. “Anyway, it would be a few months at most, but soon after that, thanks to these books, I learned how to read and even truly discovered my magic. It too is very different from normal magic. It’s stronger. I suspect it’s due to me being part animal. Like the dragon or the deer, they’re known… for having unique magic among creatures.”

“Is… is your magic?” Fluttershy mumbled her words out for the creature to turn and face her completely.

“Magic is a tool. As is science. And, like all tools, Fluttershy, it can be used for great good and great evil. As is pure nature intended. You would say killing is evil, but if killing something means protecting or even feeding, then it’s a necessary evil, isn’t it? You ponies might act like you’re above nature, but in my studies, I find you're more like me than you realize. Especially my father.”

“Infants, they’re born extremely incapable and need to be nurtured, and all that. Many babies imprint on the first thing they see or hear. For me, though, my mother was magic, and my father was science. He was the only parent I had. And what did he do? What did the doctor do to his creation? The earliest memory I have is him running off. My creator running away from me. Abandoning me!” He seethed. “And yes, after I figured out I could do magic intervals around sure, but because of this face!” He pouted at himself. “They all ran just like him!” He raised his voice.

“I’m alone, and *that* is why I quickly decided that I would dedicate my life to making sure he was, too. To remind him of his greatest sin. Abandoning me when I needed him most!”

Fluttershy sat silent as she watched her odd friend and took in his words to heart.

“I keep my eye on him. I soon learned about his little interaction with *them*, and how the town proved him. Oh, how perfect it was,” he chuckled. “My plan, after how everyone thought he was crazy, was for me to then come out and scare the town, proving him right, and telling them his greatest secret of *why* he created it, why no one would ever trust him again. And they would live in fear, fear of me, because of him. He would be alone forever, just as I,” he spat, sadistic. “Tell me, after hearing my story, does that colt truly deserve to walk free of fear while I sat in a decrepit building for twenty years? You asked where it is that I came from? My answer: hell! And I’ll see to it that my father lives in fear for the rest of his days!” He bitterly snarled, clenching his fist once more before softly letting go.

“Then I met you. Accident…” He shook his head. “I’m sorry.” He turned his back to her. “You should not be here. It was an accident you ended up here, an accident I didn’t intend to—” The sudden warmth of a hand on his bare back left him stunned once more.

“You’re not alone. No one deserves to be alone.”

The monster could only lower his head from his long neck, unable to face her.

But unknowingly to him, her words now touched her heart, and without a moment of hesitation, she ran to the front of his face and lifted his chin to her lips. Gently she barely touched hers against his. The mere feeling of her breath on his widened his eyes. She was so close to him. And of all the things she could be doing, *probably should be doing*… Rumor screaming for help, terrified of the monster he was. Instead, she stood there, hoping for a kiss, her lips were right there, already touching his. All she waited now was for him to make a decision.

And that description was clear. He either had to back away and, if he did, lose her for good, as he sat once again in only darkness, or forge a new path with her, to guide him, giving up on his quest and anger against his father, and enjoy a new sensation that life had to offer him.

With a single inhale, he made his decision, pushing forward into her lips. Feeling himself surrender to her, she gently pulled him closer, deepening the kiss. As a groan of elation escaped his throat, she opened her mouth, inviting him in. Soon he didn’t just feel the warm sensation; he could also taste the sweetness, like candy, chocolate, nuts, and sweet berries all mixed into one delicious treat.

Scared she would back away if he went too deep, he barely licked the bottom of her lip, and yet the taste alone set a fire to his skin, burning with desire, but scared to allow a move, he sat motionless, swaying for her approval. Hearing his plea in the animalistic moans, she tilted her head back, pulling him with her, giving him the okay to dive deeper. With it, he gently cradled her skull with his lion-like arm and held her still as he twisted every inch of her mouth, like exploring some forgotten cave, just as she held onto him tighter, as if to say, “It's okay, you have my permission.”

The longer they stood there kissing, the longer all time seemed to slip away, as they both lost each other in their own slow and steady kissing.

Slowly, they both felt their own bodies began to tire of standing. They soon fell to the bookshelf. Pinning her underneath him, he finally withdrew his lips from her for a moment as they stared into each other's eyes, both of them silently panting for a moment before diving into each other again.

Again and again, each time a little longer, each time more aggressive than the last. By the fifth time, Fluttershy could feel her own skin ablaze as she let her hands drift over his senses and chest. He, however, stayed respectful, terrified that, had he dared touch her in the wrong place, she wouldn’t let him kiss her again.

Finally, after the fifth time, Fluttershy’s hands drifted down to the monster’s belt, gently tugging on it as he kissed her. At first, he thought motioning of it, thinking she just was igniting as a new place to hold onto him, but as he felt the belt begging to loosen, his eyes shot wide, and immediately retreated from her lips.

Gasping for air, he stared, dumbfounded by the look of lust in her eyes. “Fluttershy, are you, are you sure?” He questioned with a few rapid blinks. “I mean, we're both…”

“I love you,” she whispered as she once again settled across his rising and falling bare chest.

“But—but there’s so many. I, I am a—”

“You are no monster. You are my love,” she mumbled as she nuzzled further into him.

“But, but my dear, just because you don’t like anyone in your town, doesn't mean there aren't others to find, others you might find better than me. I mean, shouldn't you save yourself for one of them?”

“You, you alone holds my heart. Please, please accept my offering.”

“A-a-Accept?” He stuttered in disbelief. “But Fluttershy, I’ve only seen a few animals and bugs. I, I know nothing of love, especially how to make it. Wa-what if I, I hurt you?”

“I admit to you probably knowing even more about the subject than me, a mare barely marriage age… but I,” she used her hoof to dig into his flesh, “will guide you,” she whispered as she pulled off the rest of his belt, stopping before it finally fell off, his trousers about ready to slip. She paused lifting her head to meet his gaze once more. Unless you don’t feel the same, and I was wrong abo—”

Before she could finish her sentence, his lips covered her mouth. Not for long, as he moved from her lips to her neck, laying each kiss more furiously than the last.

With a smile of her own, she let him explore her body, gently sliding at her dress, exposing her shoulder, to which he gently nuzzled and let his fang-like tooth slide down her arm.

“Do you want to go upstairs?” he asked between licks and kisses of her flesh.

“I won’t be able to make it up there,” she purred as she pushed him to the floor. As she did so, he caressed her exposed back as he looked down at her longingly.

“As you wish, my dear,” he whispered, staring up into her eyes. The warmth and the happiness within them made his heart race.

…

Soon, all through the night, the chambers of the Ancient castle echoed a haunting roar of the monster, along with the hushed moans of a pegasus mar.

The sound traveled through the lands of the forest, to where even my ears picked up on it. "With a raise of my head and a grind of my teeth, I whisper, we're coming to save you, Fluttershy, I promise."