"... And so, his blindness removed, the brave stallion wept bitter tears over the good mare. And, by the Maker's providence, those noble tears washed away the wicked witch's curse, stripping away the terrible ugliness she had born her entire life. But this meant nothing to the weeping stallion, for her spirit had departed from the... Hmm?"
Night Light looked up from the story book to see the little candy-maker's belly rise up and down beneath the covers as she softly snored. He smiled and lowered his voice as he gently rose from his cushion on the floor.
"... For her spirit had departed from the world. What good was her newfound beauty, if she could not be there with him now." The stallion did a quick once over of the bed to make sure the little filly was tucked in properly for the night. Picture window by the bed locked and the curtains drawn? Check. Shadowbox night light on? Check. No bogeys hiding under the bed? Check. "The poor stallion could not mourn long, however. The wicked witch had sent her most terrifying beast to yank this thorn from her side."
He turned the page and smiled. "And we'll pick it up tomorrow night with the next chapter... The Whackadoo's Trial. Goodnight, Twist."
After laying the book on the bedside dresser, he turned to leave, only to meet the eyes of his smiling wife. "Oh? Enjoy the story, love?"
Velvet chuckled softly. "You always were a good storyteller."
"Ah, you're just saying that because it's true," the stallion rolled his eyes good naturedly. "But, seriously. How long were you there?"
"Not long, just from the part where the blind knight was about to be skewered by the Phalaxzis," the mare responded, nuzzling his face. "That was always Twilight's favorite."
"You're telling me? I actually have the whole thing memorized. I just use the book for aesthetics."
Velvet giggled. "Come on. Let's leave the sweet thing to her rest. I need my great big teddy bear in order to get a proper night's sleep."
The door closed with a small click soon after, leaving the filly alone in the warm bed. The only sounds were the settling of the house, and the hypnotic patter of rain outside. Occasionally one might hear a particularly loud carriage pass by on the cobble streets, but those were few and far between.
Then there came a new noise. One that few little fillies and colts did not know.
Twist's eyes popped open the moment the tiny little scratching noises started. They sounded like they were coming from the closet, and slowly made their way to the foot of the bed as she listened. Then came the slight tugging at the sheets as the creature climbed atop the bed. The filly remained very still so as not to alert the creature to the fact she was aware of it.
Then the creature stopped a moment. Thinking. With a small chuckle, it took a great bit gulp of air and hissed in a low voice.
"Wakey-wakey, little lady." Twist opened her eyes and to gaze upon the beast illuminated by the light of the shadowbox. A gigantic mouth full of jagged teeth standing on four legs was about all one could do to describe it. "Tell me where the shinies are, or I'll eat you."
"Thtupid bogey," Twist yawned casually, grabbing her pillow and bringing it down atop of the creature. There was an almost comical noise of a deflating balloon as the bogey was squashed flat beneath the plush bludgeon. "Bogieth don't eat meat."
"Not true," the intruder's now high-pitched voice groaned from beneath the pillow. "Midge can chew it when it is very rotten and soft."
Twist lifted up the pillow and brought it down again, eliciting an uncomfortable moan from the bogey.
"Filly very mean to Midge. Let Midge go."
"No," Twist huffed, hitting it with the pillow again. It was very hard to tell the gender of bogies. "You woke me up. I wath having a good dream." FWOPP! "Auntie Lyra and my brother were back home, thafe." PIFF! "We were having a picnic." FOOF! "Daddy wath in charge of a cookout." BAPF! "And I wath about to get my firtht kithth from the cutetht colt in Ponyville, Truffle."
TAFF! MWAP! THIPH!
"And you ruined it."
With a heavy sigh, Twist collapsed atop the pillow, ensuring the bogey was trapped as she continued her train of thought. "Well, the barber thhop quartet battling thothe flying alligatorth wath a little thrange."
"Midge thinks this would be more meaningful if the pillow was not muffling filly's voice."
"Not like you care," Twist sniffed, feeling a down. She missed her family.
"On the contrary," Midge replied, "Midge cares very much if it means the little filly will let him go home."
So it was male. Twist didn't trust him. She hit him with the pillow again.
"Or just hit Midge. That's fine too."
For a brief moment, Twist considered dragging him to her temporary caregivers to let them sort him out. But, she didn't want to wake them in the middle of the night. Was it the middle of the night? The room was too dark to see the clock. Score one for digital technology. Then she looked at the picture window.
She reached under the pillow and pulled out the bogey. No longer puffed up with air, he now more resembled a large toad with two giant eyes. His naked skin was an ugly, wrinkled gray. The filly made a disgusted noise as she picked him up and moved over to pull the curtains apart.
"No!" he suddenly began squawking. Kicked and flailing about. Pointless, as a newborn kitten could have easily outmatched him and a dozen other bogies. "It is raining out there. Do not let Midge catch a cold."
Twist stopped just as she was about to unlatch the window. He may have been ugly, but his words did have some impact. After all, she wasn't heartless. "Ugh. Okay. How'd you get in?"
"Over there," the bogey point towards the closet. "There's a hole I can squeeze through."
Wordlessly, Twist hopped down off the bed, and trotted over to the closet. It wasn't really surprising a bogey got in the house of two high-level wizards. The pests could get in just about anywhere. A damaged plumbing pipe, a mouse hole, or even a crack in the floor. Some ponies were convinced that they were related to slimes in that way.
Opening the closet, and still clutching the bogey to make sure he didn't make a break for it, she looked about. "Where now?"
The bogey pointed to a corner where some dusty old filly coats were hanging. They must have belonged to Princess Twilight when she was just a foal. "Over there. Little loose boards that Midge squeezed between."
The filly slid the coats to the side and saw what Midge was talking about. One of the wooden panels had warped and pulled up the nails that held it in place. "Here?"
The bogey nodded. "Yes. Thank you for not ratting Midge out."
Twist rolled her eyes as she dropped him unceremoniously on the floor. "Whatever. Jutht tell your bogey friendth that this house doethn't have a filly they can thcare."
"Bogies don't have friends," Midge snipped as he crawled over to the warped board and gave it a little tug. A few more moments tugging and a tired filly was beginning to grow rather impatient. "Perhaps Midge could..."
"Here, let me," Twist grunted, batting the bogey's claws aside and working the tip of her hoof into the crack and giving it a firm tug. The entire panel popped away from the wall, nails and all. Twist set it aside and gave a defeated sigh. "You better not have jutht gotten me in trouble."
"That is not Midge's problem," the bogey said as he bolted into the hole and disappeared. "Good bye, filly."
Twist, tired and upset, lunged towards the hole in protest. "Hey. Get back here and help me ficth thith. I'm trying to be a good guetht in... wow, thith ith a big hole."
Indeed it was. The those two unicorns should really take a look at it. A very tired filly could easily fall down it if she were to overbalance herself while curiously trying to get a good look of how far down it went.
Poor Twist.
The little candy maker hardly had time to let out a terrified shriek as she plummeted into the darkness. At least Midge was there to break her fall.
Poor Midge.