There were few things that Fluttershy hated more then Nightmare Night. Hate might have been too strong of a word though...perhaps intensely disliked? Her thoughts were all she really had to occupy her on a night like this. She sat shivering on her couch surrounded by all of her indoor animal friends who, sensing her distress, had helpfully cuddled up next to her. Even Angel bunny was subdued on a night like this, gently nuzzled up under one of her wings and barely fussing at all.
She'd been almost calmed down when the sound of her shutters creaking on their hinges after a gusting breeze of the crisp night sky made a impossibly loud sounding screech in the otherwise silent house. Fluttershy ducked her head even further into her couch, a mixture of fear and self incrimination warring itself inside of her head at her weakness.
“Its just the wind....Its just the wind.” She tried to assure herself, not finding it particularly helpful but having little else to do.
Every year was like this; the rest of Ponyville collectively enjoying themselves in a celebration of fear and tricks while Fluttershy hunkered down in terror at the whole idea of it. Long ago the children and other trick-er-treaters had figured out that heading out towards the cottage at the end of the ever-free forest was a lost cause and perhaps even cruel to the meek Pegasus who made her home there.
A owl began to hoot distantly and towards the forest. Fluttershy recognized it as Mrs. Artemis but the noise still managed to startle her a little. “T-this is ridiculous...” She mumbled quietly, peeking open an eye as she nudged her animal friends enough to stand up off of the couch. “When you're scared, be prepared.” that was a lot better then the self-talk, Iron Wills confidence lessons breathing new bravery into her as she walked into her kitchen to make herself some nice calming tea.
The wind had really started to pick up, sending the wooden shutters clacking back and forth into her windows in loud bangs that she did her best to ignore. 'I told Rainbowdash that I didn't want so much wind this year...' She thought with a touch of irritation. She could still remember the conversation.
“Um, Rainbowdash...could you maybe tell the weather team to keep the wind and weather down this year? Its really scary and...” She'd been cut off by her friend's annoyed look and sound of disgust at yet another request to make Nightmare Night a little more bearable.
“Fluttershy.” Rainbow had started, hovering around her with a little frown that told just how much she was trying to hold back for the sake of Fluttershy's feelings. “Celestia could keep the sun up all night, we could decorate the entire town in bright pink ribbon and sing songs about kindness and you'd still be afraid.”
That'd been harsh, and in her usual timid manner she started to hide behind her bangs as she tried to protest. “N-no I wouldn't. Do you think the Princess would do that?”
Rainbow Dash had slapped a hoof across her face and told her that the mayor wanted a extra spooky Nightmare Night in case Princess Luna came back to visit. That had been end of the conversation, another loss for Fluttershy who tried not to whimper at the racket the shutters were making.
At least her tea was done. Nice relaxing tea would calm her down, she was sure of it. Bringing the boiling pot over to her table she laid out a single teacup for herself and began to pour when she heard the sound of a chicken shrieking very close by.
“Henrietta?!” Fluttershy succeeded in dropping her teapot onto the floor, the ceramic smashing and sending boiling tea all over the floor which forced her up into the air to avoid being scalded. There were far more important things then scalding tea, though, her entire collection of animal friends outside were now howling and making noise in every way they could. Most importantly they needed her.
Maybe there were timber wolves trying to raid the chicken coop, it could be that cockatrice or ...or. Her fear was set aside now by being needed, she rushed to the door and opened it. Whatever she thought she could have done to chase away the new problem was stopped almost as soon as it started.
Red Eyes.
It was the worst thing she'd ever seen and it was only for a second. Red Eyes looking at her, a outline of a shape and then she slammed the door and shot back towards her couch as quickly as she could and pressed her shivering face into her pillow.
“Oh no, oh no..no no no no no.” She repeated, feeling warm tears springing from her face unbidden.
The cries of her animal friends outside continued...but it was weaker now. But Fluttershy couldn't move, all of the animals around her were now up and sounded frightened as they scampered around. They needed her and she wanted to comfort them. Her stomach was twisted with worry and fear that her pet's outside needed her too and she wanted to help them.
But she couldn't move. She just couldn't, rationalizing her lack of movement because, in that brief moment of horror, she hadn't seen a speck of blood. That thing outside hadn't harmed one of her animals at least as far as she could tell. The animals outside were quieting at this point, the chickens were definitely not squawking now.
She had only her ears to guide her, her face still pressing into the cushion and her body shaking like a leaf. Her head had started to thud painfully, her eyes ached and every inch of her wanted to stay right there.
'It won't get in...it won't get in.' she repeated to herself, still not finding it helpful. The thing had to have come from out of the ever-free forest. She'd never seen anything like it, didn't want to see anything like it again. She didn't want anything but for it to go away, for her friends to be here. Twilight would know how to get rid of it, she was sure she would.
Maybe she could go get her...maybe. But Fluttershy couldn't budge her hooves let alone her wings and so stayed right where she was. The only hope she had was that the creature couldn't get in. Then the wind began to blow, again, and the sound of creaky hinges filled her home. But it wasn't her shutters, her door was open. She hadn't shut it fully and now her home was wide open.
She was terrified, she should get up and shut the door and lock it tight. There were a lot of things Fluttershy should do, but she couldn't work up the will to do any of them.
Things were quiet now, silent as the grave, none of the animals outside were making so much as a peep anymore. A faint hope was sparked that the thing had gone away. Angel Bunny was now up against her side, nudging her insistently. He was trying to get her to do something, anything, she could tell. But she didn't open her eyes, wouldn't open her eyes and shook her head quickly.
Angel Bunny tugged on her wing, earning a light wince from her at the sensitivity of the appendage. She barely felt it though, the sudden fright had turned into a gnawing constant terror at the unknown. That thing was still out there, she was sure of it, and it was going to come and get her and all she could do was cower on her couch.
The sound of the door creaking filled her home again, but there was no wind this time to move it. Fluttershy heard a frightened squeak of one of her mice and then nothing. There were light sounds of groaning floorboards and soft footfalls. It was here.
Her pillow felt soaked, Fluttershy still shivering and Angel Bunny tugging and pushing harder and harder to try and rouse her into action. It was getting closer, closer with each step of its feet and it was nearly in her living room.
The many animals that had been with her had ran into every nook and hiding hole that they knew to try and avoid it. Fluttershy felt Angel Bunny turn to face the thing that had just entered into the room and gave a strangled squeak.
Her head had started to hurt, just like before but much stronger now. Angel Bunny fell off of the couch with a boneless thud and that was enough to finally snap Fluttershy into movement.
She'd give this awful creature The Stare, send it scampering back to the forest and take charge of the situation. She could be assertive, she just knew she could. Jumping off of the couch she finally opened her eyes again, filled with righteous anger and a will to save the day.
But then she saw the Red Eyes again and she felt incredible agony in her head before shutting her eyes and falling to the floor.
Fluttershy could feel the warmth of daylight draping itself along her cheek. She was laying on the floor of her living room, breathing softly. The night had passed and hardly a feather was out of place as she was roused back into waking. She felt Angel Bunny against her side, breathing himself and not moving.
Her head still ached, but she didn't want to get up and do anything about it. She continued to just lay there, her right wing ached from the uncomfortable position she was in but she still didn't want to move. She breathed in, she breathed out.
She was thirsty. So very, very thirsty. She hadn't had anything to drink in days, hadn't moved. She didn't want to move. She was hungry as well, the gnawing terror of her stomach had been replaced simply by a gnawing emptiness. She didn't want to eat.
She knew she should get up, do things...help the animals laying around her house and presumably outside with the hunger and thirst they no doubt felt as well. But...she didn't want to. She didn't want to do anything at all, couldn't seem to want to do anything at all.
Fluttershy could still remember the moment not too many nights ago that the thing had stripped away all of her ability to want or desire. It had eaten her Id, every instinct of self preservation or willpower to move, leaving only the rest of her personality to run amuck with self recrimination and terror. As far as she could tell it had done the same thing to the rest of her animal friends.
Her eyes were still shut, she couldn't work the will up to open them. Only her most basic functions, breathing and the rhythm of her heart were left to her, outside of the desire of want and the only thing keeping her alive in the most technical of definitions of life. The first day she'd laid there she'd done everything she knew to try and reclaim that part of herself that was filled with a desire to do anything. She didn't even have the willpower to cry, left only with the increasingly panicked thoughts that filled her head.
“Fluttershy? Are you here?” That was Twilight, Fluttershy heard her walking up to the cottage with somepony else.
“Ya reckon she flew the coop up to Cloudsdale? Ya'd think she'd be back here by now on account of her critters.” Applejack was with her, the two coming up to her front door and knocking.
A new terror was filling itself into Fluttershy. Her friends were here! They might have been able to help her, Twilight knew so much magic and there was a hospital that could take care of her and all the rest of the animals who were stuck in a coma-like state.
That is if the creature wasn't still inside her house. Fluttershy should shout, should warn her friends. They wouldn't know of the danger, the thing would get them and leave them just like she was. Would more of her friends, other ponies, come after that and be hurt too?
She couldn't want to though.
“There, got the door open.” Twilight said, the front door swung wide as Red Eyes inside of her house snapped open.