Fear Through the Eyes of Madness

Crow could see her house in the distance, the interior lights casting a faint orange glow over the surrounding area. He saw a figure move around through the window, and knew that it was his lover. He imagined how the next few minutes would play out in his head.

First, he'd arrive at her front door. After answering, Feather would invite him inside. The two of then would make it to her living room, wherein they'd sit together on the couch. She would initiate conversation, asking him how his day had gone. He would smile and reply "Just fine!", leaving out what almost happened with Amber. He knew better than to lie to his marefriend, but also knew that she wouldn't like to hear about his almost-sexual relations with a close friend. After their chat, she go fetch drinks. He'd ask for something heavier, but she'd come back with water. From there on out was anypony's guess.

He smiled, knowing where his mind wanted things to go with Feather, but had to repress the feeling as he reached her door. A moan came from the other side of the wooden door. Crow took a step back, confused.

'Is she...no. Why would she start without me?'

He raised his hoof to the door, giving it three raps before taking a step back. He heard Feather call out "Oh shit!", and he smiled once more, knowing that she had been caught. Moments later, the door swung open, and Crow was greeted by a red-cheeked Feather.

"There you are!", he exclaimed, happy to finally see her after the day he'd been having.

"Yeah...here I am. Woo."

She looked over her shoulder, looking as if she were panicking, and Crow took notice.

"Is everything alright? You look worried."

"NO!", she blurted out. "No! I mean, no. No, I'm alright. Thank you."

He continued to stand still for a moment as she breathed heavily, but resumed shortly after.

"So, do you mind if I come in?"

"Yes."

"Well, thank you very mu–what?"

"Yes, I do mind if you come in. I don't want you around right now."

She had taken on a rather serious tone, and Crow wanted to question her further, but decided he be better off not risking making Feather more angry at him. He took a few steps backwards, and she mirrored him exactly, the only difference being that she ended up further inside her house.

"Well, bye."

She didn't give him another look as the door slammed behind her. He looked down at the ground. Why wouldn't Feather want him around? Was he not good enough? Questions and feelings of self-doubt continued to swirl around in his head as he made the slow walk back to his own house.

He didn't want to go back, especially if Amber was still acting like a sex-crazed maniac, but he didn't see the point in paying to stay somewhere if he already had his own place. Finally, after what seemed like an eternity, he reached the front door.

He reached out and pushed, bracing himself for whatever lay inside.

***

I showed Miss Court out the door, a smile on my face.

"You take care, now!", she called out.

"And you as well!", I called back.

I slammed the door as I turned away, heading back into my living room. I hopped up on the couch, nestling my head down on top of my front-legs, closing my eyes, hoping that the horrid memories of today would be washed away in my sleep.

***

Crow looked around the living room for any sign of residence. He hadn't been able to find Amber anywhere, and it had begun to worry him. He should be used to it by now, what with her leaving on her own from time to time for personal reasons. No matter how many times she left though, he always felt as if a part of him had died.

He skulked back to his room, dragging his hooves along the floor with every step he took. A sudden crash came from the kitchen, and he perked up instantly. It had to be her.

He ran into the room, and wanted to let out a shout of joy, but nothing came out when he saw her body laying on the wooden floor. He rushed to her side, picking up her head in his hooves. Her eyes rolled in his direction.

"Oh...it's you..."

Her breaths were shallow, and she shook like a leaf. He didn't see any cuts or bruises on her body when he searched, but instead found the fur on her neck was matted down, with a rope lying a few feet away. He looked from her throat to her eyes, wondering who could've done such a thing to her, but stopped when a drop of water touched his hoof.

He looked up at her face once more, several more drops of liquid running out from under her eyes. She sniffled, and let out a weak wail.

"I'm so sorry...I didn't mean it..."

He wondered what she had meant bu that, but remembered the events from earlier. He pulled her close to himself, wrapping his front-legs tightly around her back as she awkwardly sat up. More drops of liquid ran down her face as he whispered to her, softly stroking her mane with one hoof.

"Shhhh...don't worry. It'll be alright. I'm not mad. It'll be fine."

She continued to shudder as tears rolled down her cheeks, and he repositioned her so that her head rested upon his shoulder. He also continued his soft stroking of her mane, still whispering his calm words to her. It was several more minutes before she finally composed herself, pushing herself away from him. She ran a hoof across her face once more, wiping away any stray tears.

"I'm so sorry, Crow", she said weakly.

***

I awoke rather abruptly, hearing a knock at my door. I bolted up from my spot on the couch, and bounded towards the entryway, opening it to be greeted by the mailmare.

"Package for you, sir!", she said, holding a small box out infront if herself, saluting me with her free hoof.

I smile, then wave my own salute, taking the package. She turns around, taking off into the blue sky as I shut the door behind myself. I place it down on the table on the kitchen and read the label, wondering who could've possibly sent me something. I read over the label.

It wasn't for me. It was for my neighbor.

Damn him.

I let out a sigh, turning away from the box, and head up to my room. I take note of how filthy the place is, but I pay it no more mind as I make my way to my desk.

I open the journal to where I left off, picking up the pen in my mouth, and beginning to write.

***

"Don't worry", Crow says. "I promise, I'm not angry."

Amber released a sigh, that statement calming her fears that had hung over her for the past few minutes as the two of them talked.

"I do want to know one thing, though."

"What would that be?"

He wasted no time in replying, releasing the question he'd been keeping in his mind since he'd left their house earlier.

"Why?"

Amber sat, stunned, not knowing how to answer the question. Even she herself had not thought of any reason as to why she did what she did. It had felt as if she wasn't in control of her body, but she actually was. She shook her head once at her roommate.

"I don't know, Crow. I woke up, and I just had an urge."

Crow nodded, accepting her answer. He turned away from her, making his way back to the front door.

"I'm heading back out now. Don't wait up for me."

With that, he walked through the doorway, and began the long walk back to Feather's house.

***

I pull my head away from the book. How did I want the story to go from here? I pondered the choices I had, the. finally came to a conclusion.

I leaned back in, and began to write, a smile across my face.

This is where the characters begin to feel my pain.

***

Crow stood on Feather's front porch minutes later. He raised his hoof and knocked five times, not too hard, but not too soft. He heard Feather's voice fromt he inside, and mentally prepared himself to tell her everything that happened with Amber. The door opened, and saying that he was suprised would be the understatement of the year.

A drunk-looking stallion greeted him at the door, his mane ruffled and coat filthy. An incomprehensible slir came out from his lips, and moments later, Feather walked up beside him. She gasped when she saw Crow.

"Oh, uh...hey, Crow. What's up?"

Words escaped him as he continued to stare at what stood mere inches from himself. His marefriend was with another stallion? How? Why?

The unknown stallion spoke again, and Crow was able to decipher some of his speech this time.

"Babe....fucking....bothering you?"

The rest was still jibberish to him, but he was able to piece together what little he had made out.

"Am *I** bothering her?", he said through bared teeth, his body shaking from the amount of rage he was trying to keep bottled up.*

The drunkard spoke one again, his speech, while still slurred and broken, much clearer than before.

"Yeah, dumbass. You fuckin' wit my bitch?"

This sent Crow over the edge, as he sent a hoof flying towards the stallion opposite himself. It strick him square in the jaw, knocking him back, and causing Feather to let out a shriek.

"LEAVE! JUST LEAVE!", she screamed at him as he stood motionless, staring down at the body of his opponent.

Crow turned away with a grin, the body on the floor not moving.  He knew that a hit like that couldn't kill somepony, but it would have at least been able to knock somepony unconcious. He walked away from Feather's house casually, as if the whole thing never happened, when on the inside, he felt like killing something.

Anything.

***

Good.

I greatly enjoy the way this section has played itself out. The twist at the end was so great, that even somepony as great as myself wouldn't have been able to see coming! My excitement died down shortly after I realized what my recent writings meant for the characters.

"Where do they go now?"

***

Crow arrived back at his own house later on in the night, having taken several detours through the alleyways of Ponyville. The sun had set long ago, leaving the dim glow of the moon in its place. He slowly opened the door, a squeaky hinge sounding like nails on a chalkboard.

The light in the living room was off, but the kitchen light remained on. He walked over to the light, being careful not to step on anything that would cause too much commotion in the dark of night. He reached the room, giving the panel a light hit with his hoof, shrouding the room into a darkness almost as great as the one outside. He silently made his way back around the living room, walking down the hallway that led to his and Amber's bedrooms. A sound came from the room opposite his, Amber's, causing him to stop. He pleaded with himself for permission to investigate, and eventually willed himself inside.

The door slowly swung open, causing a shriek of suprise to come forth from the female pony lying on her back, hind-legs splayed. She quickly adjusted herself so she was sitting upright, curling herself to try and hide evidence of her recent activity. It was too late, though.

"Enjoying yourself?", Crow asked, a smirk on his face.

"S-shut up!"

She tried reaching out and throwing something at him, but instantly recoiled when doing so left her body exposed.

Crow chuckled, and she looked away, cheeks redder than a beet.

"Why don't you get some sleep? It's really late right now, and I think we both need it."

She nodded slowly, still not looking his direction, then stood up, making sure to keep her privates facing away from him. She backed her way towards the bed, but stopped when Crow cleared his throat.

"You know...if you want...you can, uh...you can come sleep...you know, in my bed...."

She nodded, still not looking anywhere near him. The two of then walked side-by-side across the short distance that seperated their doors. He crawled into bed first, with her folowing shortly after. She hadn't made a sound since he caught her, and the idea of her not wanting to talk upset him. An idea formed in his head.

'I'll just tell her that I'm not mad, and that what she did was normal', he thought, nodding his head as he prepared to put his plan into action.

He rolled over in bed, opening his mouth to speak, but instead, seemingly against his will, shot his hoof under the blankets, and on to Amber's marehood.

She let out a gasp, something that was a mix of both suprise and pleasure as he rubbed his hoof over her moist lips.

A faint 'squelch' was heard as he dipped his hoof a bit more forward than he expected himself to. She let out another moan as he continued to rub. His mouth was still hanging open, and he looked on as she turned her head to face him for the first time since she was caught masturbating. Her eyes were half-lidded, and she was breathing through her mouth.

"Come on, relax."

He placed his other hoof over his mouth, not knowing why he said that to her, but quickly put it back down to his sidewhen she let out a deep, throaty groan as he continued his ministrations.

He rolled closer to her and gave her a kiss, himself coming on strong while she lazily moved her tounge around as waves of pleasure continued to wash over her body.

***

I can't believe myself.

What the fuck is wrong with me?

Oh well, what's done is done. I close the journal, place my pen down beside it, and get myself up from my chair. I walk over to my bed, avoiding the glass.

"I really need to pick that shit up."

I climb into bed, pulling a cover over myself with my teeth, then laying my head against the pillow.

Sleep slowly overtook me as I plotted out the rest of the story, each tragic detail appearing in my mind as if it were happening in real life.