Inner Hauntings

Disclaimer:

This story is grimdark! There will be violence, blood, and things of the like. If you do not like that type of story, you have been warned.

Chapter one:

Fluttershy hummed a soft tune to herself as she watered the plants by her cottage at the edge of the Everfree Forest. Her many animals were scattered about her yard playing and enjoying the mid-morning sun. On this spring day, the weather felt so wonderful compared to the dreadful winter not two months ago. Angel Bunny was standing alongside Fluttershy keeping her company as she worked her usual chores.

Suddenly, she heard a voice behind her, “Ahem, Miss Fluttershy?” The voice asked. Fluttershy, being spooked by the sudden appearance of somepony, squeaked and dropped her pail of water. She spun around quickly and lowered her head slightly as she saw the stallion before her. The Earth pony she saw had a dark brown coat with a short well-trimmed, pale green mane. He appeared to be some kind of a business man judging by the money sign for his cutie mark. He looked nice enough, but she could never be certain. Something felt not quite right about him.

“You are Miss Fluttershy, are you not?” The stallion asked again.

“Oh . . . y-yes. How may I help you sir?” She asked faintly, barely audible over the commotion of her animals were making in the yard.

The stallion smiled. “Oh, good. I am here to ask a request of you. You see, my daughter wants a pet for her birthday, and it’s tomorrow. Dear, I just don’t know what to get her.”

The yellow mare perked up at the thought of showing off all her potential pets. She led the stallion to her back yard and started showing him around. Dogs, cats, turtles, all kinds of birds, she showed him nearly everything she had. He shook his head to all of them. All the racing around to find a pet suitable for this picky pony was starting to get her rather flustered. As Fluttershy landed in front of him the final time, she sighed.

The stallion stomped his hoof, making Fluttershy recoil a little. “Is that all you have?” He asked, the volume in his voice rose, but kept barely contained.

“F-for now, yes. My animals come and go as they please, I might have something new for you if you come back tomo-“ Fluttershy’s sentence was cut off as the dull thud of a hoof connecting to the side of her face rung in her ears. A high pitch whimper escaped Fluttershy’s lips as the head throbbing pain from the strike built up in her brain.

The stallion flared his nostrils and snorted. “I told you I cannot come back tomorrow. It has to be today!” He yelled, stomping his hoof down in frustration. But then, he noticed a slight change in Fluttershy’s demeanor. The pitiful whimper she had been making was replaced by a low rumble, resembling a growl . . . but not quite. Fluttershy turned to face the stallion that struck her. Her eyes seemed to change. They seemed sharp; her gaze felt like it pierced into his body and into his very soul. The sudden change startled the stallion and he backed up a few steps from the yellow mare standing before him.

“Is that right?” Fluttershy asked. Her mind filled with so much repressed anger from years of taking abuse, mostly psychological. The catch phrases of Iron Will filled her head. She felt like she had to lash out at him. An eye for an eye, she thought. She almost giggled at the thoughts that came next. “Well then, allow me to show you inside. I do have one surprise for you.”

The reluctant stallion stared at her for a long moment. Finally, with a sigh, he nodded. “This better be good.” He begrudgingly said as he followed the mare into her cottage.

With the door closed behind them, Fluttershy turned to her ‘guest’. “I’ll be right back . . .” She said, walking slowly into the kitchen. A single eye twitched violently as she reached for her largest knife. Placing it underneath her wing, blade pointed down, she walked back into the living room where the stallion stood staring at all the furnishings about the room. Only the handle peeked out from Fluttershy’s wing as she approached. “Oh well, I couldn’t find it. But here, have a consolation prize!” She lashed out, grabbing the knife from under her wing with her teeth and swinging her head forward in an upward arc, catching the stallion in the cheek.

The stallion barely saw the flash of steel as it clipped him, rending skin from his cheek and sending a small spray of blood skyward. The stallion staggered back in shock and pain. Blood poured freely from the side of his face. Fluttershy, still gripping the knife in her teeth, glared at her victim. Too many times had she been pushed around. This was time for payback. With a speed even Fluttershy, herself, was surprised with, she dashed forward and swung her blade twice more with a whip of her head. The blade caught flesh twice, both times across the stallion’s chest. Instantly, he doubled over and collapsed. Fluttershy stood over him, knife bloodied from their cuts in his flesh. Even Fluttershy was sprayed with blood from the last two strikes. One of her hooves was stained red from standing in the growing puddle of deep red blood flowing heavily from the two gaping chest wounds.

The stallion laid there, barely able to move. The sudden loss of so much blood weakened him and did so quickly. The pain from his cuts was unbearable, searing into his consciousness and clouding his thoughts. His mind could not think of anything but wanting to escape this attack and the indescribable pain that was burning into him. His heart pounded heavily, doing more harm than good as it just pumped more and more blood out of his chest.

Fluttershy enjoyed the sight of the stallion laying in a heap on the floor before her. She slowly lowered her head down to his level. “Did you like my surprise?” The mare asked, giggling. To him, her voice and giggle sounded like she was from the pits of hell. His mind played tricks on him, making the world feel like it was spinning around him, warping his vision and sense of hearing. He could vaguely feel the cold searing sensation of the knife as it was slowly dragged across his body, slicing into his shoulders down to his flank. The wound not being as deep as the ones on his chest, but he could soon feel the warm blood flowing steadily from the new incision. “Do you want me to end it?” The cruel mare teased. “Do you want it to stop?” She asked, whispering it in his ear.

Finally, his voice didn’t fail him and he yelled out, “MAKE IT STOP! PLEASE JUST MAKE IT STOP!” He felt like he was begging. But, it didn’t matter anymore. He’d rather beg his way out of this and live to see his daughter’s fifth birthday than die here. His mind finally allowed him some kind of emotional response and his eyes quickly filled with tears, not being able to be silent through the pain. Grunts, moans, and muffled yells escaped his lips.

Fluttershy grew bored with his lack of struggle. She felt that he should’ve put up more of a fight; like she had to nearly every day of her life. With almost a sigh, she stabbed the knife down into his throat, severing his voice box. His pathetic noises quickly ceased and turned into amusing short gasping breaths. She left the knife in the wound for good measure that he’d die gasping for what little air could get through to his lungs. The stallion laid there on his side, blood loss and now lack of oxygen taking its toll. Within a couple slow minutes the stallion stopped breathing, and shortly after that his heart beat its last. Fluttershy stood over the now dead stallion as the crazed look in her eyes slowly vanished as her rage faded from her body.

She gasped and whimpered when she realized what she’d done. She flew into a panic. Oh no, somepony is going to find out. She thought to herself. They’re going to come look for him eventually. She had to dispose of the body. But where? And then the light bulb struck her. “The Everfree Forest, no pony went in there willingly.” She mused aloud to herself. Fluttershy quickly grabbed the stallion in her forehooves and dragged the body out to the Everfree Forest. It took quite a lot of effort, using her wings and hind legs, on occasion, to move the dead stallion along.
After an hour or so of disposing the body, Fluttershy returned to her cottage. As she landed at her back door, she realized that she was half covered in blood. She gasped. She had to get herself cleaned off as well as her living room.
~~~

Hours later as the sun set upon Fluttershy’s little cottage, she finally relaxed into her favorite chair. The house was scrubbed clean and so was she. The day’s event surely surprised her, but after the initial freak out, she felt a strange calm settle upon her. All the pent up stress seemed to have melted away. Who knew killing could’ve been so . . . enjoyable.