> The Creature Within > by TheNewYorkBrony > -------------------------------------------------------------------------- > Chapter 1 > -------------------------------------------------------------------------- Twilight Amethyst Sparkle was the newest resident in the quaint town of Ponyville. It was a quiet place with rolling fields and a booming shopping district. She and her younger brother Spike had moved there over the summer, a few weeks ago to be exact for a fresh new start. The suffocating summer heat was replaced by the slow crawling chill of an approaching autumn, one season the young woman couldn't wait for. Chilly dark nights were something she lived for, craved. As a writer she was always getting influences from her surroundings, and a town like this one was sure to give her some interesting ideas. It was full of history. Not just in its founding, but in its urban legends and events too. (Twilight had read up on it at the local library one week,) But in all of the books that she's ever read about this particular town, she never saw anything about the supernatural. Being a writer of course, a notion such as that would have been completely absurd to her. But lately she had been feeling as if someone was watching her, following her with their eyes at night as she dressed and undressed. Even doing mundane things like taking out the trash or preparing dinner. She'd ask Spike if he'd seen anything and the boy simply shook his head. There were no perverts on the street. She was sure of that. There was the Smiths, a nice sourthern family with a daughter to whom Twilight spoke to on many occasions, an old married couple, and a young woman about her age, (possibly younger) who occupied the house next door. She seemed to live alone, coming in and out all hours of the night as she pleased. It wasn't really a big town anyway, so any perverted behavior would spread like wildfire. But still....the thoughts didn't put her mind to ease. Running a hand through her hair and sighing, Twilight looked at the clock on the wall that ticked every second. Taking a sip of her coffee she turned back to her Macbook and opened a word document, determined to write. As she began to do so, a chill ran down her back. She knew it was silly to believe in such a thing as ghosts, but as of late she would consider it a theory. Twilight shook her head. Preposterous. Maybe what she needed was a break from her work. Her deadline was quickly approaching, but she decided her mental health was more important than her next book. She stretched her arms high above her head, humming as her bones satisfactorily cracked. Scratching her belly, she went to turn on the TV when she heard the French doors leading into the backyard slam open. She jumped, pausing with the remote in her hand. "Spike?" She called. The teenager had left out earlier to hang out with some of the friends he had made since they've been in town at the park, but he hadn't specified when he would be back. She got no answer. Another chill ran down Twilight's back. She rubbed her shoulders, padding over to the hallway where the French doors were and poked out her head. Looking out into the yard, all she saw was the outline of trees as the last of the sun dipped behind them, painting the sky a orange hue, and a few feet of dry grass in front of her thanks to the porch light that had automatically turned on when she stepped out. Clicking her tongue, Twilight closed the doors and turned around to go back to her laptop only to be scared out of her witts by the teenager in front of her. "Jesus Christ, Spike! You should have warned me you were in the house!" Her scolding voice rose higher and higher to the younger boy's amusement. "Did I scare you?" He asked with a pleasant grin on his face. "Are you afraid of the things that go bump in the night?" He teased, making claws with his hands. She slapped his shoulder. "You are such an ass!" She growled, stomping past him. "I was absolutely terrified! I thought you were some, some pervert!" Spike let out a loud laugh. "A pervert? Twilight don't be silly! This town only has like 800 people. If there was a pervert everyone would know!" He saw the worried look in her eyes and sighed, putting a hand on her shoulder. "Look Twi. You're twenty four years old. There's no such thing as ghosts or anything that goes bump in the night." Twilight looked into his eyes searchingly. Seeing he was serious, she sighed herself. He was right. She was just being paranoid. Maybe she just needed to take a break from her writing all together. It was stress, just stress. Yes, that's exactly what it was. But the glowing red eyes that reflected off the window behind her should have told her otherwise. Since Spike had school and she didn't want to let her paranoia get the best of her again, Twilight wound up trudging though piles of fallen leaves to the local café, happily titled The Witch's Brew. To any outsider, it would appear as a place set up for teens to hang out the few days before and during Halloween, but to everyone who lived in the town it was an odd place that was there year round that usually got busy this time of year. Ironically it was a few days before Halloween, and the fake spider webs, orange plastic jack-o-lanterns and black cat cut outs scattered around the shop was a glaring reminder. Piper, or "Pinkie" as the locals liked to call her was the usual barista at this time, and she was happy to see Twilight the moment she stepped though the door. "Hey new girl! How's that brother of yours doing?" She bubbled, throwing a friendly wave the other girl's way. Twilight flashed her a smile as she walked up to the counter. "He's doing alright. Can you make me a warm apple cider?" She asked, looking at the menu above her head. "No coffee today? Usually when you're here you get that triple shot expresso thing." Pinkie observed, writing Twilight's name on the cup before handing it to the girl who worked next to her. Twilight shook her head, taking out her wallet. "I think the coffee is starting to get to me. I've been really paranoid lately. Like, I feel like someone's watching me, you know? It's weird because it only happens when I'm the only one in the house." Pinkie blinked. "Wozzerz. That sounds terrifying. You know, if I were you, I would look into this. Sounds supernatural." She suggested, taking the money from Twilight and handing her back her change with the cup. Twilight snorted, taking a sip of her cider. "Yeah, okay." The tone in her voice was clearly skeptical. "I've read over the history of this town twice. There was nothing in any of the books that said anything about the supernatural. Besides, don't you think it's a little too close to Halloween to be taking something like this so seriously?" Pinkie pursed her lips. "Well...possibly the reason why it hasn't been documented at the library is because they don't want the public to find out." She gave Twilight a wary look. "What?!" Twilight barked sounding surprisingly astounded. Pinkie glanced at the clock before looking back at Twilight. "I have a thirty minute break for lunch so why don't we go sit down and talk about this?" The charming book store they went to was all the way on the other side of town. They drove in Pinkie's sedan, Twilight drumming her fingers on her laptop case nervously. Inside was chalked full of books lining the walls and the shelves in front of them. It was no Barnes and Noble's but it seemed like it got the job done considering all the college students in a lot of the many worn out arm chairs reading Tolstoy or Shakespeare. They found a secluded area, one where Twilight could work on her laptop and talk to Pinkie in private. "Okay, so what's this about?" Twilight whispered so that no one could hear. She leaned in close as Pinkie began to speak. "My Nana, before she passed, used to tell me all kinds of super duper creepy stuff that used to happen in this town when she was a kid." The barista looked both was before speaking again. "And apparently they're starting up again." "Again?" Twilight repeated a little loudly, which got her a collective of "shhhs". Sheepishly she lowered her voice. "What do you mean again?" The pink haired girl gave her a worrisome look. "There was a sheriff's report that two girls who had been hiking in the back woods had been brutally murdered." Her face turned a pale green. "Mauled even." Twilight looked confused. How could that possibly be a supernatural happening? That could have just been some unfortunate bear attack. Last time she checked, bears weren't supernatural. "I know what you're thinking," Pinkie told her with a wry smile. "But this wasn't your ordinary bear attack. My dad's the head honcho down at the station and I saw the pictures he brought home. That was no bear attack." Pinkie started to shake, her breath coming out ragged. "Pinkie, hey, calm down alright?" Twilight said, rubbing her back. "Just, can you tell me what you think it is?" She asked slowly as to not pressure the younger woman. Pinkie exhaled deeply. "It might be a werewolf. Either that or a really pissed vampire. I'm not saying that that's what you're dealing with, but I'd look into it if I were you." She patted Twilight's shoulder. "Well, I gotta get back to my shift. You want a ride home?" Twilight declined her offer off politely. "Oh, no thank you. The walk home isn't very far, and it'll give me time to think." Pinkie shrugged. "Alright. Tell me if you find anything. Later Twilight." She waved to the woman as she left. Twilight was left to her own devices now, and she decided that she should get home. It was around two thirty now, and she wanted to be home by the time Spike got out of school. Slugging her laptop bag on her shoulder and throwing her now empty cup in the garbage, she made her way out into the chilly October afternoon. By the time she had gotten back to the house, it was a little past three. Sighing, she rolled her aching shoulders and pulled out her key, only to hear a loud bang from next door. Carefully putting her bag down, Twilight crossed the yard and leaned over the gate separating the properties to investigate, but didn’t hear anything more. That is, until she heard Spike scream at the top of his lungs. Her ears twitched. “Spike?” She said out loud. “Spike?!” She called out, cupping her hands over her mouth. “Where are you?! What’s wrong?!” When she didn't get an answer, the young woman hopped the fence and went running into the backyard. There she found her neighbour on top of Spike holding him by the sides of his hoodie and growling at him. Spike was trying to pry the older woman off of him, but she obviously had some type of weight advantage over him. Twilight ran over to them. “Hey! Hey! Stop!” She said, pushing the girl off of him. That must have knocked her back to her senses, because the prism haired young woman was furious. “Is this your kid?!” She asked in a gruff voice, pointing to the younger boy. She stood up, and Twilight now was fully aware why Spike couldn’t get her off of him. She was a few inches taller than Twilight, maybe by three or four, and she looked like she worked out a lot. She had glowing tan skin and a powerfully set jaw. “H-He’s my brother. Why were you wrestling with him on the ground?!” Twilight demanded, trying to sound as intimidating and demanding as the other woman did but failing. “He was sneaking around back here poking though my stuff! I have half a mind to call the police on this little brat!” She said, getting angrier by the minute. She looked like she was going to explode any moment. Twilight put her hands up in surrender. “Whoa, okay, we can work something out here, can’t we? Something that doesn’t involve the cops or you beating up?” She tried to negotiate hopefully. She had a feeling it wasn’t working. “Just take the kid and go! And make sure he stays out of my fucking yard!” She shouted. “If I catch him back here again, you won’t have time to save him!” Twilight’s stomach dropped. Something about her words made a chill run up her spine. Even as they walked into the house she could feel that woman’s eyes on her, watching her. Could she be the one that’s been watching her this entire time? Twilight shook her head as she set her laptop bag on her desk. She didn’t even want to think about that right now. But another chill told her otherwise. > Chapter 2 > -------------------------------------------------------------------------- "What were you doing back there?!" Twilight demanded, throwing her hands up in the air. "She almost killed you! And she had every right to!" Spike rolled his eyes. "Relax Twilight. It was just some stupid dare. It's no big deal. She was just probably trying to scare us." "No big deal?! Spike, I've been feeling like someone's been watching me for the past few months! A threat like that is not something to take lightly!" The young woman ran a hand through her hair. "You're grounded." "What?! You can't ground me, I'm seventeen!" He barked angrily. "Watch me," Twilight glared at him. "You're grounded. For two weeks. No friends over, no going to your friends houses, hell, you're lucky I'm letting you keep your X-box and tv!" "You're out of your mind, Twilight! You're letting your stupid paranoia get the best of you!" Spike yelled, stomping up the stairs. Twilight pinched the bridge of her nose. Great. Just what she needed. An angry teenager. Sighing, she turned on her computer and went into the kitchen to brew some coffee. This was going to be a long night. About six hours, and three pots of coffee later, Twilight found herself staring at her computer screen in a complete and utter funk. Writer's block was an author's worst enemy. And right now she was battling Achilles. Deciding it was probably best to take a break, she pushed her office chair out from under her desk with her feet and stood up. She looked outside to see the sun hadn't quite set yet, and contemplated going for a walk to clear her mind. Throwing on a hoodie and an old pair of sweats, she made her way out into the twilight. There was a small park by their house, that was surrounded by dense woods. Twilight had always been there during the early hours of the day, but never close to night. She walked towards the clearing, taking cool, deep, breaths. There was a can of mace in her pocket so if anything happened, she was prepared. Only the paved paths were lit with lamps, the reflection glistening off the small lake in the middle of the park. Behind the lamps was the dense woods. Growing darker and more sinister with each passing minute. Twilight figured she'd take a stroll around the lake once, and then hurry on home, but something about the woods called to her. She knew better than to blindly walk into them, especially with what Pinkie told her earlier, but there was something.....endearing about it. As if it were inviting her in so it could share it's secrets. Looking both ways once, the twenty something year old strode right into a clear path, one that had trees that were as tall as a phone pole, arching over so that the branches and leaves blanketed the pathway and blocked out the night sky. A chill ran down her back and goosebumps produced themselves, her mind screaming for her to turn back now, to run. But she didn't. She couldn't. Something was keeping her grounded here, and even if she could flee, she wouldn't know where to go because of the thick overhang. Just then, a rustle in the fallen leaves. She wasn't alone. Hugging herself close, Twilight cursed herself for ever listening to anything but her conscience. The trees were starting to become less opaque, and now little trinkets of moonlight shown through. Letting out a sigh of relief, Twilight continued walking. Another rustle. This time closer. Twilight stopped in her tracks, frozen with fear. A shadow flashed across her line of sight, and she backed up reflexively. "Who are you?!" She shouted, the can of mace in her hand. "What do you want from me?! Why did you call me here?!" She was met with nothing but the sounds of the crickets and birds chirping away. Her head whipped around, and she continuously backed out, the can of mace in front of her. She bumped into something hard, and came face to face with a snarling wolf. No, this was no wolf, this was a beast. It barked at her, and knocked her on her back. She hid the grown hard as the beast straddled her. As a split second decision, the young author scrapped a twig along the wolf's foreleg. When it howled in pain, she ran, the can of mace long forgotten. Twilight had no idea where she was going, nor did she seem to care. She just wanted to get the hell out of there and never return. She reached the edge of the woods, and sprinted out into the light of the lamps. Her constant looking back caused her to bump into something else, but this time she knew it was human. Her head snapped up for her to be face to face with her neighbor, the rainbow haired woman from eariler. She quickly collected herself. "Watch where you're going!" She snarled, pushing past the darker haired girl. She was wearing a tank top and running shorts, an unusual choice of clothing since it was late October, and the night temperatures usually dropped to below forty. There was a scratch on her arm, and she appeared to be bleeding. Her breathing was ragged too. Could it be? Twilight shook her head. No. That's impossible. The wolf couldn't have made it out of the woods before she did. And werewolves didn't exist. "What are you doing out here this late anyway? Don't you know that woods is filled with dangerous animals?" The taller woman barked. "W-Well, I-I felt something call to me. Like, like it was inviting me to join it in there. I don't know what it was, but it seduced me to waltz in there without a care in the world." Twilight responded, running her hand through her tussled hair. She'd have to wash it as soon as she got home, seeing how it had leaves caked into it. The rainbow haired woman's eyebrows rose, but then fell as she spoke again. "If you know what's best for you, you'll stay far away from those woods, you hear me?!" She warned before stalking off. "Wait!" Twilight called after her, running to catch up, but stopping a few yards behind her when she saw the younger woman's body tense. "At least tell me your name. We've been neighbors for three months now and I've barely seen you and then the whole thing with my brother today and-" "It's Rainbow Dash." She cut her off. "What?!" Twilight asked, confused. Rainbow swiveled around on her heel and faced her. "You wanted to know what my name was and I just told you. It's Rainbow Dash." She promptly turned back around and began her walk down the path back to the main street. Twilight watched her as she went, her tan skin seeming to blend into the moonlight. She felt something swirl in the pit of her stomach, but she wasn't sure if it was because the adrenaline rush she just had, or the uneasy feeling that woman gave her. "Rainbow Dash, huh? Yeah I know her." Pinkie said, sipping at her white hot chocolate. Twilight had came to the Witch's Brew the next day because she was honestly too afraid to stay home without Spike there. (Not that Rainbow would have been home anyway seeing how she's usually gone until early in the morning, which makes the events that had transpired yesterday even more bizarre.) "We went to high school together. She's a real piece of work." Pinkie commented, sticking her tongue out as the hot beverage in her hand burnt it. "She's got a lot of anger issues. Usually hung out by herself. Why'd you ask about her?" "I ran into her yesterday. Literally. Well, that's the second time, since the first time I was pulling her off of my brother." Twilight sighed. Pinkie raised a questioning brow, her cup paused half way to her lips as her mouth gaped. Twilight realized her poor choice of words. "No, no! Not like that! She was fighting with him in her backyard. Apparently he was trying to be Mr. Cool Guy with his friends and took on a dare to walk into her backyard, not knowing she was home." Pinkie put her cup down. "Oh...okay. So he's on punishment now?" She asked. Twilight nodded. "He's a little angry, but he'll get over it. Honestly he's not the one I'm worried about." She said, looking down and rubbing her arms. Pinkie's eyebrows furrowed. "What do you mean?" She knew she was going to get it once she told her, but Twilight decided she had to tell Pinkie the whole story. "I was having a serious case of writer's block, so I went out to the park by my house. When I had gotten there, I decided that I was just going to take a walk around the lake and then head back because it was getting dark but..." "But....?" Pinkie encouraged. "I walked in front of this weird path that lead into the woods. At first I thought it was nothing, but then I felt it calling to me. Like it wanted me to meet someone." Twilight confessed, rubbing the side of her cup for warmth. "So I did. I went inside." Pinkie's eyes bulged. "Are you loco in your coco?! Do you know just how lucky you are that the only thing you ran into was Rainbow Dash?!" Twilight chuckled sheepishly. "Actually...." Pinkie gave her a confused look. "Actually what?" Twilight looked both ways around the cafe and leaned in before she spoke. "I saw something akin to a wolf. More like a beast, rather. I got away by wounding it, but when I ran into Rainbow, she had the same wound on her arm." Pinkie's eyes were saucers. "You don't think-" The author snorted. "Of course not. Werewolves don't exist. I'm sure it was just of pure coincidence." Though Twilight didn't seem too sure about that herself. "Anyway, even if she is, which she's not, she now knows not to mess with me." She folded her arms confidently. Pinkie fought back a laugh. "Uh-huh." She said in between a snort. Twilight raised a brow. "What, you don't think I can take her on all on my own?" She challenged. Pinkie held back another giggle. "No, no. It's just, you're not exactly the strong type, Twilight. And she's like, really strong. She used to lift weights in school." Twilight's eyebrows shot up. "Oh. Well. You're right about that then. I don't stand a chance." She took a sip of her coffee and sighed. "So how do you think I should go about this?" Pinkie shrugged. "Hell if I know. You might not wanna ask her directly if she's a murderous shape shifter, though. Those kinds of accusations upset some people." Twilight smiled wryly. "Dually noted, Pinkie." She responded, getting up. I'm gonna go down to the library and see what I can find on lycans and the like." Pinkie gave her a small wave. "Alright, tell me if you find anything!" She called after her. Twilight stepped out into the late October air and made her walk down the street. As she did, she couldn't help but feel a chill run down her back.