Chapter 13: I’ve Got My Eyes on You
Fluttershy stood in the library doorway, watching the dark clouds above. She was not often emboldened to fly home on her own while in the midst of a thunderstorm. She had made it a priority to keep tabs on the weather team’s schedule for storms to avoid them entirely, but there were occasional instances where she had to brave them, like today.
Ponyville was as much her home as it was Twilight’s, and Fluttershy was more than willing to brave a storm to help out. She had played her part, now it was up to Twilight to put the pieces together.
Boom!
“Eep!” That still didn’t mean she had to like storms, though. She especially did not like loud and very close thunderclaps.
Fluttershy was very tempted to fly back. Sure, she’d get wet, but the less time in the storm, the better. However, even a novice flyer would know to never fly in a thunderstorm. Fluttershy’s mind was settled then; she would walk, even if it tacked on another twenty minutes.
Fluttershy bit her lip as she walked. Her umbrella was taking a beating, but still held, thank Celestia. For a brief moment, she was tempted to return to Twilight’s house.
“No, I still need to feed the animals,” she said to herself. Fluttershy did not expect to be out so late, so she had not made preparations for the various animals staying in her cottage. Like it or not, she needed to head back and take care of her charges.
Water had pooled in the dips in Ponyville’s cobblestone roads, which tacked on even more time for Fluttershy to avoid them. “No need to get my saddlebags wet.” The streets lights fought the darkness brought on by Luna’s night and the relentless onslaught of rain. The lights cast shadows in the alleys between buildings that hid much and promised little. Fluttershy never liked the dark.
Walking alone unnerved Fluttershy even more, however. For a brief moment, a section of cobblestone flashed with light and darkened.
“Ah!” Fluttershy squeaked. She looked up and, upon seeing the light post, sighed, “It’s just a reflection in water, Fluttershy. Stop being such a scaredy pony.”
The tension in the back of her mind did not vacate her. Every step seemed to increase the steadily-growing nervous feeling creeping up her spine. Lights flickered and darkness swayed. The storm didn’t help either. Her wings kept twitching with the instinct to fly home and escape the source of her fear, but that was still not an option.
Further she walked, listening to the rain pelt her umbrella and the thunder rage above. She recalled the soldiers she had seen just that afternoon. “What could be so important that ponies would fly in a storm this bad?” Fluttershy wondered. Had something happened that required haste that soldiers would risk a lightning strike? The air was saturated with the aura of thunderstorm; every breath brought in moist air and tingled the back of her throat with the air’s magnetic charge.
Whatever the reason they left, it was something to think about at another point in time. Fluttershy passed the post office and Ponyville Town Hall; she was halfway through town... but the shadows worried her.
The dark felt unnatural, even with the severity of the weather. The light posts seemed to fight the darkness encroaching on Fluttershy. Every flicker of magic or fire in them dimmed as she passed. The shadows approached Fluttershy, coming closer and closer and –
“Stop it, Fluttershy,” The mare chided to herself. Worrying about what she could not control and jumping at every shadow would get her nowhere. Her words were meant to encourage herself.
That didn’t mean it would work.
Fluttershy shuddered with cold. It felt like somepony slipped a cold hoof across her spine, making her shiver and her fur stand on end; she could not shake the itch in her shoulders telling her she was being watched. Fluttershy quickened her pace to a canter and moved on. It was already an unpleasant night; she’d need to nurture some fireplace coals when she returned to her cottage.
She stopped by Bon Bon’s bakery display window for a moment to shake off some of the water that managed to collect on her fur. She did not mind the sensation, but it her situation felt unpleasant enough as it was without the feeling of rivulets running down her back.
Fluttershy froze. Out of the corner of her eye, her reflection turned and stared at her. She stopped breathing. It did not move.
Staring. Watching. Waiting. Listening. Learning.
Slowly, as slow as she possibly could, Fluttershy turned her head towards the window. Her reflection did not move in the slightest. Fluttershy saw the wooden border framing the window. A little further, and she saw a sign depicting some of her freshly baked fudge bars stuffed with nuts. Then there was empty plates that would brandish tasty treats for all to enjoy.
She gazed upon her reflection, and it gazed back. The two just stared at each other for a few moments and did absolutely nothing.
Experimenting a little, Fluttershy shifted her head to the left. Her reflection did nothing. She shifted to the right. Again, her reflection did nothing. Fluttershy wasn’t sure what to do.
It smiled.
Fluttershy turned and galloped down the street, making no effort to avoid any puddles of water with the same care she had only just taken. The shadows started snuffing out the lights one by one, darkening the streets as she she ran. The darkness was following her.
Fluttershy skidded to a stop. In front of her was a wall of solid black. Not shadows, not darkness, but an absolute void. She turned ninety degrees and ran down the alleyway and let out a whimper of fear once she discovered it was a dead end.
Fluttershy quickly scanned the alley; it contained nothing but the refuse and garbage of the adjacent buildings. Judging by the rotten food and discarded napkins shoved into some of the trash bins, she was next to a restaurant, but that fact would not calm her beating heart. There was nothing else other than some discarded newspapers, several large trash bags bulging out of a dumpster and...
A lone lantern lying in the middle of the alley.
Fluttershy tilted her head in confusion and approached the lantern. It looked like it had leftover oil, so that was good. What was it doing in a random alley? Fluttershy didn’t question her fortune. The wick was engorged with oil, so Fluttershy just hit the lantern’s striker and lit the wick, filling the alley with a rich, yellow light.
Fluttershy picked up the lantern handle with her teeth and turned around–
And came face to face with a pair of eyes. There was some... creature enshrouded in darkness staring right back at her. It vaguely resembled a pony, but its form kept shifting and moving with the slightest wind that funneled through the alley.
But the creatures eyes were exactly like a pony’s. Cyan eyes, just like hers.
“Stay in the light...”
Fluttershy panicked and ran around the strange shadow pony and reentered the cobblestone street.
And everything was fine. The lights were working correctly, the moving shadows were gone, and all seemed normal. Fluttershy gave a shiver and coughed with the lantern still in her mouth. Her heart was beating rapidly and she struggled to control her breathing, but she needed to check. She needed to check for herself, give herself a little peace of mind.
She turned and examined the alley she exited; it was as empty of life as it could be.
Fluttershy gave a great sigh of relief and started panting to catch the breath she didn’t realize she lost. Even with the rain shaken from her coat, her body was still cated in a sheen of liquid; she had been sweating from fear and exertion for the past several minutes. The strangeness of her situation, the unobtrusive appearance of the shadow pony, it was all putting heavy strain on the poor, timid pony’s nerves and body.
But she had a lantern now. ‘Why was there a lantern there? And what did that pony mean?’
‘Stay in the light.’ What did that mean? Was the pony just giving her a light source to ease her fear? There seemed no other reason a lantern would be in a random alley.
Fluttershy’s breathing calmed to manageable levels. She had a lantern now. She could do this.
Boom!
“Eep!” Perhaps she could go to Rainbow Dash’s sky home. That would be closer. Fluttershy had always been afraid of thunder as much as she was afraid of the dark.
Fluttershy set off at a brisk trot. The street lights emitted a respectable amount of light, but having her own source gave her courage a boost. The lantern’s light was a comforting and warming presence, especially for one as cowardly as Fluttershy.
Rainbow Dash’s house was closer, but that involved leaving the roads early. Rainbow Dash flew everywhere she needed, so she was never too particular to have roads near her house. It was the unfortunate choice to leave the brightly lit Ponyville side streets and trot out onto the grass, exiting Ponyville proper and entering the outskirts. That meant less ponies and buildings and a clearer line of sight, but in return, offered less opportunities to call for help.
Fluttershy wished she could call for help, or at least go to another pony’s house. Wherever she looked, something... lingered. It was unlike the vanishing lights that accompanied her only moments before. Encircling her in every direction, shifting with every step she took, shadows lurked in the corners of her vision.
And they were moving.
“Please no...” Fluttershy pleaded no pony in particular. The darkness appeared as a thick, black mist that consumed every iota of light behind it.
Fluttershy began to gallop once more to Rainbow Dash’s house. Even if the pegasus was not there to open the door, Rainbow Dash had given her a key long ago.
Her self-preservation instincts took over and she spread her wings. Normally, her wings locked themselves to her sides when she was confronted by even the slightest startle or threat, but the shadow pony and encroaching fog overroad her mental block.
Her wings opened and flapped, creating a cushion of air to help her fly. It also had the side effect of dimming her lantern wick. The light shuddered and died from the rush of air.
She set down on the saturated, grassy earth. “No no no no no no no!” The instant her wick went out, the shadows rushed towards her position. She frantically hit the striker on the side of the lantern. The first time, nothing but a spark. Then another spark.
On the third try, the lantern came alive with inviting light. The shadows stopped their advance on the mare in a circle thirty feet in diameter. It was enough to see where she was going and her current direction.
Still, she couldn’t help but be fascinated at the source of her fears.
“Pretty...” The particles in the shadows sparkled and dulled at random intervals, giving the entire black expanse a look of ethereal beauty similar to Will-o'-the-Wisps that occupy the Everfree Forest.
Thump! Thump!
Fluttershy’s heart leapt; there was another pony nearby! Walking right to her, no less.
But there wasn’t only a moment ago before the mist advanced. Fluttershy’s heart dropped into a pit in her stomach. What was it then? The shadow pony? Even if the shadow pony was helping her, it was too scary for her to want to meet it again.
Fluttershy trotted forth a few steps, took off her umbrella, and wormed her way into a hedge to hide. Encircling her lantern with a wing to block out the protruding light, she held her breath and didn’t make a noise.
Thump! Thump!
Fluttershy noticed something strange about the steps. A pony’s steps came in pairs, but this one did not. A single leg for every step forward. Her heart dropped even further; the creature from the portal had two legs. She didn’t want to meet that thing even more than the shadow pony.
Thump! Thump!
She could hear the creature coming closer. Not a breath, not a sound.
Thump! Thump! Th-Thump!
It had stopped right next to her hiding place. The fog had not moved since she kept her lantern lit, but the intertwining vines, leaves, and petals hid almost everything from sight. Only a few pinpricks between the obstruction let her see beyond the confines of the shrub, but her lantern-bleached eyes and the darkness created by the shifting mist made discerning anything utterly impossible.
Thump! Thump! Thump! Thump! Thump! Thump! Thump!
She could hear the creature, whatever it was, walk away. Fluttershy counted to ten after she could no longer hear the steps and exhaled the breath she had been holding. That had been an unpleasant experience.
Fluttershy backed out of the shrub and shook off the water that had been drizzling down her neck and back. She dragged the lantern and the umbrella out of the bush. The light was still burning strong; that was good. It looked like there was enough oil to get her back to her house if needed, but her mind was still set on Rainbow’s cloud home. She hoped Rainbow wouldn’t mind her bags being soaked due to the deluge while hiding in the bush, but that was a price to pay. Fluttershy grabbed the umbrella with her teeth and turned to attach it to her saddle.
Fluttershy froze once again. She knew what she was seeing, but her conscious mind could not keep up.
Eyes. Eyes attached to a bipedal creature over twice her height. A pair of glowing eyes looking directly back at her.
Not pony eyes. Alien eyes.
Fluttershy turned and ran.
Her mind was frantic with fear, misplaced or not. Her hooves clopped against the ground with every gallop. She had left the lantern and umbrella, but she did not care. Escape. That was her concern. She was close to Rainbow’s house as it was.
The mist flooded Fluttershy’s vision like some great, dark breaker wave. Her wings spread and she took to the skies, blinded by sheer terror and fear. She couldn’t help it and looked back.
It was right behind her. Right in her face. The creature was either inequinely fast or had used magic to teleport. She did not care. Fear. Escape. It was right behind her.
Following.
The shadows clung to her, but slowly burned off as she made her way upwards.
Flash! Boom!
Fluttershy was nearly knocked out of the sky with the proximity of the thunderclap; it had to have been within a mile.
Upwards she flew, through the black mist clinging to her body. For just a moment, she swore she felt a pressure from the mist dragging her back down. It did not last, for the light started bleeding through the shadows.
Rainbow Dash had her lights on. She was home already.
The closer she came to the cloud home, the more the shadows dissolved in the presence of light. Sweet, merciful light.
She quickly found the front door and wrenched it open.
“Who’s that? I have a knocker, you know!” A voice called from the adjacent room. Rainbow Dash, mane and tail, soaked and plastered to her body, walked into the cloudy door arch. Fluttershy had never been so happy to see the mare.
“Fluttershy! I just heard from Great Scott that some ponies and Princess Celestia are going back to Canterlot. Something about an attack. Can you believe it – Fluttershy? Are you alright? Why are you cryi – ACK!”
Fluttershy had tackled Rainbow Dash, nuzzling her neck and holding her in a death grip.
“Fluttershy, if you want to come over, all you had to do was ask.” Rainbow put her hooves around her friend and attempted to push her off.
“No! No! Please... just... stay here.” Fluttershy whimpered. Rainbow could do nothing as her friend cried into her chest. Rainbow looked out the window and saw nothing but Ponyville and the black expanse of the storm above. She didn’t see anything abnormal or any monster from the Everfree; was Fluttershy that scared of the storm? A fragment of guilt slipped into her mind due to leaving Fluttershy to her own devices so soon after Twilight’s meeting.
There was little else Rainbow could do to help the frightened pony. Fluttershy whimpered and sniffed, and Rainbow stroked her back and mane, letting her release whatever sadness and fear she had accumulated. The two remained on the floor, one weeping and vulnerable, the other doing all she could to comfort a distressed friend.
Minecraft/MLP:FIM crossover.
Chapter: Commentary: LINK
For chapter updates and my ramblings, visit my page on Fimfiction HERE.
Edited by: Wolfmaster1337, Material Defender, Cor Thunder, Deathscar
I'm taking my break after this to rebuild my chapter buffer. Afterwards, when I return with chapter 14, we shall revisit the Crafter and see what he's been up to.
Look on my homepage here for chapter progress and release dates.
The heck happened?
Izzat you Slendy?
1386086 Not Slendy,rather his look-alike from minecraft,Endy.
whooo! fluttershy got away!
and here i was getty my chainsaw ready incase you killed her off
And came face to face with a pair of eyes. There was... some creature enshrouded in darkness staring right back at her. It vaguely resembled a pony, but its form kept shifting and moving with the slightest wind that funneled through the alley.
But the creatures eyes were exactly like a pony’s. Cyan eyes, just like hers.
“Stay in the light...”
Alan Wake?
No! YOU LEAVE FLUTTERSHY ALONE!
1386271
I SAID THE EXACT SAME THING!!!
1385996
Yessssss.... thissssss pleasssesssss ussssss.
SSSsssssSSSSSSSsssss...
1386271>>1386947
That's a very interesting coincidence. It's not intentional; I don't own and have never played the game. All I know about the lore comes from Pen Stroke's Creeping Darkness, but that was not intentional when creating the shadow pony.
1388887
The truly "dark" stuff comes during the end of the second arc. That is the point where I will be forced to shift my rating to mature. I will state in the preceding chapter when the shift will take place.
I, personally, believe the act itself can believably happen given the context of the story, but I will not deny I messed up in execution. It does break up the flow of the story and I regret not finding a way out of it.
1386086>>1386145
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1387897
Thanks for pimping my story on the forums, but I must say, your friend "Scootaloo" discovered an error in chapter 9 I really wish I caught earlier. It's nothing life threatening to the story's integrity, but it causes just enough vagueness that readers can form erroneous conclusions. Thank him for me when you have time, and thank you for your support.
1386259
Sorry, but I still need to set up the board before the pieces can be played. I won't torment the ponies now. That comes later.
a57.foxnews.com/global.fncstatic.com/static/managed/img/U.S./660/371/Bane%20from%20Batman%20movie.jpg
1386086 well thats what i call endermen Endy
The only thing I can say that was so jarring to throw me out of the story was the tired and obnoxious "Love and Tolerate" reference Lyra said. Every time I see that phrase in a story it breaks immersion much in the way less capable authors spam blatant 4th wall references with Pinkie.
However I am liking everything else I see so far. You have a interesting way of writing as you swap between the Ponies point of view and Steve's(Or whatever you call him :D). I eagerly await their eventual interactions that aren't at the opposite ends of sword and hoof.
Though I will say after looking over your blog notes that you seem to be underplaying the Equestrians capability for violence and dealing with evil compared to the show.
1390847
Your words do have merit, but keep in mind that the Equestrians, like the Crafter, still have no idea what they are dealing with. Until they have more intel, I believe they'd tread cautiously. But you still get ponies like Lightning Chaser and Rainbow Dash who run into danger and beat the crap out of whatever they see.
The ponies' reservations are due to uncertainty, not pacifism. Believe me, when the shit finally hits the fan, they will not take it lying down.
And to give you a brief glimpse into the future and past, the Crafter said he only had 11 or so loaves of bread. He's going to run out of food, if anything. That's the context for the next chapter, where he returns to the surface to resupply.
HEROBRINE!!!!!!!!!!!!
1385996 Will Steve ever make friends with the ponies? He must.
1391553 wut
The descriptions seemed sorta flowery in the beginning, but it's not that bad. The rest of the story is great, you have some very interesting characters and you can make a scene very scary when you want to.
Overall, this is definitely one of the better stories I have read.
1389580
Wouldn't you mind coming over to the forums?
1392012
The dude is coming to the surface next chapter to resupply. I have a list of where everpony is, and since Ponyville is under surveillance, the chances of him meeting ponies is quite high. The guy is rather benign, so if he meets the right ponies, he'd probably make friends. However, there are still two Eldritch horrors and an Endermen running around Equestria. That might throw a wrench into things.
But I see no harm in saying I have at least two pony encounters planned for next chapter.
1392544
I believe he's referring to Red vs. Blue.
1392800
If only, if only. As stated in Chapter 2 and 8, he was searching for iron before he was booted into Equestria, so he doesn't have much in terms of extra weaponry. Of course, a creeper has already been spotted, but gunpowder is made of charcoal, niter, and sulfer, all of which I'm pretty sure Equestria has. Keep your hopes up.
1394177
My talking problem stems from making dialog believable. If I use an OC, I'm okay, but established characters are a little tough for me to write convincingly. That's the likely culprit for my reliance on mood and scenery. The horror aspects are likely due to Silent Ponyville being the second MLP fanfic I read.
1396995
Thanks for the offer, but I cannot for the foreseeable future. Well, I could, but I wouldn't be able to do anything. I'm taking college classes and writing this story already eats a lot of my free time. Maybe sometime, but not yet.
Still, thanks for the offer.
1397651 you mean these guys?
t2.gstatic.com/images?q=tbn:ANd9GcRzijQoAy73f5Mfoj01tUlEOX1y3TxgKrgEB622wrYFPVZmClw-
ghost pony saves fluttershy?
vashna neroda are shadows not endermen. endermen hate rain but don't burn in sunlight. stay in the light means vashna neroda not endermen and as far as i know no vinninla mob is living shadow
mandrakes aren't in minecraft eather
1401453
Hmmm... you're right, Endermen hate rain. Weird, isn't it?
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1401568 so what was attacking fluttershy and she came eye to eye with an enderman in a thounderstorm?
1401661
I made a Pinkie Promise to not outright tell anypony. Perhaps the next chapter will give you the clue you need to figure it out on your own.
Congratz.
1401717 endermen cant stay in rain. the only mobs that could be described as shadow are blazes and withers but neither are afraid of the light. outside of minecraft i can think of two more: Vashna Nerada (shadows that eat the flesh) and 40K dark eldar Mandrakes, actually mandrakes fit your description perfectly no im not trying to make you brake a pinkie promas just rambling and reminding you of endermen physiology
I'm guessing.. It isn't a double cross over between slender man or anything but more on the way of a mine craft creepy pasta?
1406609
Correct. Although I did briefly mention Der Grobberman in Chapter 9, my intent was to expand on the world of Equestria through the use of myths and legends. And I have a possible Slenderman story in my head and wish to have a foothold if i need it.
This is a crossover with Minecraft and only Minecraft. Any similarities to other works of fiction that you may notice, the deliberate ones anyway, are for the same reasons as Der Grobberman: small things that help me expand the world of Equestria and its lore. I have no plans for any other crossover material appearing in this story.
1405145
Thanks for the catch. Fixed.
So that narrows the creature to a small pocket chance that a random creepy pasta holds the creatures identity? Is that the point? Or is the identity simply that of a carefully planted plot device that will break off into it's own story line? Just so I can get the grasp of this either meaning a hint to another story you are thinking of making or..
1406730
There were two entities in Chapter 13, the Shadow Pony, and the entity chasing Fluttershy. If you are worried about the stories behind either, fret not; I will not punish you by reading supplementary material. All backstories will be explained before the fic is done. Minecraft doesn't have much in the name of lore, so I'm creating my own. I will explain my own version of Minecraft later, but here's the cliffnotes of what I've told so far.
Minecraft is a vast, empty world with only one confirmed life form, before the arrival of the Endermen. It is a place that is, at best, a facsimile or copy of the real world and its given rule set. That's why the Crafter became so enthralled by the sound of water and the scents of the Everfree in his flight; the Overworld never provided such rich detail. He has the godlike power to reshape worlds, but he neither has interest nor motivation to do anything. All he knows is building and surviving.
His entire world is in grays and blues and browns and greens. The world is, at best, existentially terrifying and boring and, at worse, a complete lie. But that still begs the question: why does it exist? Why is a world of infinite boundaries have only one soul? What does the Endermen have to do with this?
When writing this, I was given the monumental task of explaining the laws and physics behind a world that shouldn't exist. The Overworld, the Nether, the End, and everything inside and in between, all the creatures, items and monsters, will be explained. Minecraft players know these things exist. I'm writing this story to partially explain WHY they exist.
1406803 So I guess in a way you've made your own universe of minecraft? In the way of giving just that much more girth for the story when in bares it's fruits in chapters yet while remaining so and sparing each of these fruits till the end?
1406910
Your wording is kind of wonky. I'm not sure what you're asking, so I'll give my best bet.
I didn't make my own MC universe, per se, I'm just taking events in the game and rationalizing them. When certain facts will be revealed is up in the air; this is a literature medium after all and I have to try to make this entertaining. If what you're asking is everything going to be explained in a single 'wham' moment, no. Uncovering the mystery takes time, and pieces will be revealed at intermittent intervals.
1394368 I suppose that's another possibility
Dis story
.......... i luv this story
Halelujah! we have ponies!
Of course I had to read this chapter in the middle of the night with my lights turned of
Is the story dead? I really hope not. I like it.
1577424
There's more of that yet to come. I'm practicing how to write scary stuff.
1634380
No, it's not. I'm in college classes and that's eating most of my time. I am writing, even write now, I just have so little time now.
I seriously felt like this was a reference to Amnesia: Dark Decsent. did anyone else?
I know it's a bit late, but I got a huge Amnesia vibe from this chapter.
1690720
I know it! ITS AMNESIA! Flappyjaw agrees with me.
fc07.deviantart.net/fs70/f/2011/327/4/0/mr__smiley_by_spyroconspirator-d4h3uon.png
I only just noticed that those describe Endermen
I was also reminded of amnesia
This entire time I've been reading it has been storming so it's really creepy and I am getting paranoid because I keep seeing things in the corner of my eye
Help
2311096
Giggle at the ghosties. All you need to do is smile.
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I half expect Fluttershy to use The Stare on an enderman by this point. So much potential...
Is the test over? It ended for the guard once he bolted. But the guard couldn't remember it occurring, which I thought was a symptom of failing. If Fluttershy is crying, does she still recall the Enderman, shadows, Voice and reflection?
2499363
It wasn't the Enderman who gave the Guard the test.
2311137 Your profile pic removes all the creepy that picture had :P
Wait, what?
3264939
Oops.
Well. SHIT. *jumps off window*
perfect song for this chapter