//------------------------------//
// Chapter 2 
// Story: Friendly Nightmares and Unsettling Sights 
// by Good Fedora Pony 
//------------------------------//

9.30.pm

My mom decided to sleep ahead of time before her usual schedule. Most likely because she was expecting the worst case scenario and was preparing for it; namely, me interrupting her sometime during the night, but I did not plan on letting that happen.

My resolve to persevere through the night and overcome my obstacles without interrupting her was my highest priority. After all, it was only a few nights with a window open, and then it's back to normal! Easy enough to do I thought. Usually, I would have been terrified, but something about what my mother said ignited something deep within me and then something refused to run from the task bestowed upon me. 

I want to make my mother proud, and I wanted her to see just how right she was and how wrong everyone else was. I wanted to prove my worth to her. I want to be seen as someone taking their first steps in the right direction, but to do that I needed to overcome a few of my old fears and arrived unscathed.

Tonight was simple, after all, I just need to leave the window open and resist the urge to close it. My mom did say before she went to bed that if I had to, I could close the window. But of course, I planned on that never happening. 

If I saw something out there, it will likely go away because of the excessive amount of light I had in my room, which was a little more than I usually use.  I had multiple lamps, a couple of flashlights and a glass 50-gallon tank inhabited by fireflies.  The fireflies tend to stay dormant when I turn the light on, but they sure were bright when I had to use them as a last resort.  Usually I wouldn't be using more than a single flashlight for the night to read my books or play my role-playing board games and other projects, but obviously tonight I felt like I needed a little more insurance. So on the lights went, covering every square inch of my room and possibly increasing the chances of me becoming blind before I become a teenager; However, I felt it was necessary to be on the cautious side. While I don't fully believe everything I see, some things are real, such as filly nappers or thieves. 
Granted making my room looks like a lighthouse from a distance probably was not the best option, but my mom also had traps out there, so I had little to fear, but of course, I can't just assume that nothing will come as I am not entirely sure what kind of animals were out there. 

Some of my mother's traps could be triggered by any animal, leaving criminals free to invade.
I could've been overthinking it, but one thing was for certain. I had no idea what I can expect to happen, but I did know this much. I would need to look out the window frequently.

10:12.pm 

I started preparations for the night by first bring out my little list. A habit I developed when I got uneasy going back and forth from the kitchen at nighttime.  I needed to make sure that I had everything I needed to hold out for the night and to remind myself of my nightly chores.
The details on the list are unnecessary to explain as it was mostly just things that keep me from starving of nutrition and boredom; However, The one thing on my list that I would not be doing was closing my window.

It was also customary for me to take my three stuffed friends and lock them away in my strong blue striped toy chest and put the padlock on it as the original lock on the toy box broke long ago.
Now I know you're thinking why I would do that if I'm going to be up all night? Don't I need something to keep me company, especially now?

Yes, I do, but I can't count on my friends in this situation.
You see I lock them up for their safety and my own as they are not quite themselves when night time comes. They change, and not in a good way.

There was a time when I would never lock them away when they would keep me company all the time and make life more bearable, especially Saggy.
But that was before they started doing things at night before they began to become violent and loud.
I had a lock them away as they would wake up mother, and obviously, I got the blame instead of them.
And as time went by, they started sounding different in the box. Monstrous even at times as I would hear growling and scratching as that was what they were doing.

I could say that my imagination was playing the drums in my head, except for the fact that you can look inside my toy chests and you will see scratches on every single corner inside that box. My mom never looked at it, which was probably a good thing as she would probably think that needles were inside the stuffed animals or something and then take them away.

That was the last thing I wanted. It's not their fault that they turn into these things at night, and I can't find it in me to blame them when they get me in trouble. 

Until then I lock them away in a very sound suppressible toy box so that they can't bother anyone at any given time at night.

That's how I did it for the last three years, and tonight was no different. 

2:50.am.


Things had been normal. Oddly enough the outdoors were devoid of any life it seemed, and it was actually pleasant for me as a crescent moon though vague in the shadows of the trees shone brightly on the forest floor in scattered beams that were almost dreamlike to look at. 

Around 12 o'clock my fears had died away as I was able to visually see the outdoors were a barren wasteland in the dark of night. I never would've thought that was the case as everything I've heard and read about forest animals was contrary to what I was seeing.

At first, I was suspicious of course, but I could not for the life of me see any form of life aside from the woods themselves stirring anywhere.

I thought that perhaps the animals in this region did not have as much fear in the wild as I thought and that perhaps the animals simply rested at night as they were a lack of predators. I didn't know this for a fact as I had no idea if there were any predators, to begin with as I never needed the information before.

Regardless, I got tired of staring out the window looking for threats that were not there and decided carry on with my usual routines, starting with story-time as my friends were getting bored too.

If it weren't for my clock, I would not have known what time it was when I started reading and how long I kept on reading afterword.

I took a casual glance up to the right side corner of my bedroom door where the metal atrocity was. Most ponies think it looks amazing, but all I could see was an old, rusty mining cartwheel re-purposed
with various clockwork mechanisms inside that allowed it to function as a clock.  
Don't get me wrong it is impressive, but I didn't find it very appealing.

It was one of the last gifts my father left behind for us. 
I don't quite remember what my father did for a living, but I was reasonably sure that he was a mechanic of some sort, not that it mattered. 

My mom decided that I should have it as it was previously gifted to her, mostly because it was cheap and reliable and we really couldn't afford the bits it would take to get a new clock. 
Thankfully there's a gem inside that has a magical charm of some sort embedded in it to power the thing,  Which meant that I didn't have to change the batteries.

I was surprised when I saw what time it was. Granted I could've read a good book forever it seems without getting tired, but in this case, there was usually a sign when I could stop, namely when my friends stopped banging around in the chest. 
Yes, you heard me right. They would constantly move around in the box every once in a while and once in a very great while they will start throwing tantrums of a sort. That's where reading to them came in handy. It seemed to calm them down when I started reading them a bedtime story, especially romance novels. 

This time was different. They never needed this much reading to keep them calm before. Usually, it would take an hour or less before they would settle down. When they did settle down, it was generally for the whole night if I was quiet, but something wasn't right. 

I was reading to them for almost 3 hours straight. That was a record breaker by a long shot, and yet they were still not settling down.

I was almost tempted to open the box if only to give them a brief moment of freedom; However, though it was selfish of me to do so, I Kept them locked away.

I love my friends, in fact, They are the closest friends I've ever had. They were the only friends I ever had. I hate the thought that they might be suffering in the box, but I didn't want to see them in the dark. I was too scared to see what they would become.

I remember the days when I used to keep them out all the time for everything. I remember the fun I had and how lonely I used to feel when they were not around. But more importantly, I remember the days they started changing.

Just like any other stuffed toy, they did nothing, when you would look at them; However, after a while, I noticed things started breaking for no rational reason. I would see the shattered remains and one of my stuffed friends near the immediate area of the broken item. I didn't suspect anything at first, but then it starts getting more noticeable as the accidents became more frequent. 

Of course, my mom could not believe that I had absolutely nothing to do with any of the broken items in the house, so she started getting frustrated with me which led me to be a little more desperate for answers.

It didn't take long to puzzle it together, but it did take a while to comprehend it as I didn't feel I could trust myself entirely. That is until I realized the time of the crimes usually took place when the sun went down. And sure enough, when I lock them away, it stopped happening. Then not long after that they started moving in the box, which me being the scared little pony I was at the time started avoiding them entirely. Obviously, that didn't last as you can tell.

I could never blame them for being the way they were at night. I believe it wasn't their fault. It was mine as I started realizing the sickness I had when looking at just about anything was affecting them too.  

I love my friends, I love them too much to see them the way they are as the years of my affliction has warped some into some monstrosity at night. I know they keep on getting worse because the scratch marks in the chest could not be caused by any of them in the form they were original as they were all simply made of stuffings, cloth, and buttons.


I shuddered to think what they would look like now.  I stood up from where I was sitting on the floor next to the box and wondering to myself, "What am I doing wrong?"

They were still murmuring, they were still moving even after the reading session. They always went to sleep when I read to them, so what did I do wrong? I thought to myself.

I started pacing back and forth from one end of my room to the other as it was a habit of mine when I want to think.  I was thinking about everything I could've been doing wrong. 
Did I tell the story wrong somehow? After all, I have read some of the stories more than once to them.
Did they notice something that I didn't?
Maybe they're just a little more excited tonight? 
Or maybe they're angry about something, but what?

Over and over I ask myself simple questions hoping to pin the one that would get close enough to the target. Like playing darts blindfolded I throw random yet thoughtful questions left and right, waiting for the resounding thump that will indicate that I came close enough to get the picture.

Then I felt a small breeze whipped at my tail, bringing a small chill on my spine as I was not used to it.
Then I turned my head and felt an ominous explanation creep upon me. Like a regal mare Duchess in a dark alley under cover of darkness, distracted by a single lamp post that seemed to be flickering on and off in the distance, I felt uncertain and uneasy at the same time as the words drifted into my mind as the breeze did before.

Was it the window?

The thought was almost foreboding but tempting.
But I was already beginning to have doubts about it being a possibility.

No no, that was not right. Why would my friends be bothered by the window of all things? They can't even see the window let alone feel the slightly chilled air that comes through it. They couldn't even tell the night from the day so long as they were in theirs.

That was what I initially thought, but then a few moments later a small realization comes to me.

"Well, technically they could tell night from the day as they transform each time it happens. But that doesn't count... does it?"

I decide to walk towards the window and take a look outside, just to see what has changed in the time I spent reading till now.

There was nothing out of the ordinary as yet again there were no signs of life out there to speak of. 
The trees were just as spread out as before. The random patches of wildflowers among the many patches of grass were still in the same places as before and there were no forms of disturbance anywhere to be seen. No hoof or paw prints, no traces of scratching on any of the trees and no alarms that went off in the distance. All this time it was the same as it was before.

But it wasn't, as I came to realize that there was one thing that was different in the backdrop. One thing that I could brush off as nothing but a random speck on a canvas, but I didn't.
Instead, I looked at the random blotch, not recalling if I had seen it before or not, and debating whether I was just being too critical about it, or that I was underestimating what I was seeing.

My paranoia started returning with a vengeance as I could swear I was seeing the black splotch moving. 

It wasn't obvious enough to confirm what I was seeing, but I was convinced that it was some small form or another.

I turned away from the view to briefly look in the direction of the toy chest to see that it was moving slightly as my friends started to get active inside yet again. 

I turned back to the window only to become even more uneasy as I saw the blotch was now in a different spot then was before.

This time it was between two trees not too far away from the spot it was in before. I knew it moved, yet I didn't believe it myself. I couldn't make up my mind, mostly because I had a habit of second-guessing myself.

To confirm it, I decide to look away for a little bit and for extra measure, I decided to close my eyes as well. It was out of my comfort zone to try, but I had to be sure. 

I turned my head back around slowly opened my eyes to see if anything changed.

Nothing.

I sighed with relief as the black blotch was in the same spot I saw it before. 
The threat was no longer there as far as I was concerned. Well, that is until...

Thump!"

A loud noise erupted from behind me, catching me off-guard and vulnerable as I had just barely lowered my guard for a brief moment of peace.
I could've jumped out of my skin when I heard it behind me.
It only proved how strung up I was after all.

Thump!

It happened again, and this time I knew the source without a doubt was, in fact, the toy box.

It wasn't the first time I heard them bang like that, but If they made that noise enough it would surely without a shadow of a doubt wake my mom up, and that even now was a big no-no for me.

I had no idea why they decide to do it, but I needed to keep them quiet.
But not before I took another look out my window.


Just like before nothing was happening, but I couldn't pry my eyes away from the blotch in the trees.
My mind kept trying to convince itself that it was going to move at some point and that I was going to catch it when I did. 
This lasted for a minute or two before another loud "Thump" erupted behind me, this time forcing me to squeal in surprise.

I looked at the box with agitation, but I didn't even have time to turn my head when it happened yet again.

Then, again and again, it began its chaotic rhythm, forcing me to feel more uneasy with every thump.

I had never seen them get so worked up before as the box itself was now moving an inch or two in random directions from the sheer impact it was enduring from the inside.

At first, I didn't know what was wrong as I was still trying to wrap my head around what I was seeing. The confusion was numbing as my sense of reasoning Was gone.

The amount of noise that was being made would most certainly be enough to wake my mom. 
So the need to stop them only made me more anxious as I had no idea what to do.

But then, the realization came to me.
It was like a pinprick, quick and painfully obvious.  
The window was to blame.

They may not see that it was opened, but they know that something was different and it was setting them off.

I looked out the window to scan the scenery, half expecting to see a monster. But just like before, nothing changed, not even the blotch. I then turned back to the box, Knowing what I need to do.

The choices were obvious at this point. Keep it open and risk mom waking up, or I close it and return everything to normal. After all, I can always open it before she wakes up. 

Yes It was dishonest, but it was better than telling her the truth!

For a brief moment, I felt shame as I knew that my will had shattered.
I did try, I really did, but now was not the time to shine for me. I just hope that I don't get sick after this.

I dropped down from the window to reach for my pretty, four-legged, pink stepping stool over by my left side so that I could reach the bottom part of the window, and close it.

I pulled It into the center part below the window. Then I climbed the stool with little difficulty.  Then I reached up for the bottom part of the window, trying not to lose my balance as I did so. Then when I successfully did so. I took another look out the window.

I immediately regretted It. 

I saw him. He was just around twenty yards away from my window, staring at me with an odd smile on his face.

The colt, the colt from earlier before with his swirling white glasses was staring at me!
Of course, I didn't believe what I saw at first, but I knew what I was seeing, he was there and his words from earlier had a haunting tune as they repeat themselves In my head.

(We'll be seeing you tonight...)

I could feel the cold sweat starting to accumulate under my main, and my heart was racing.
For just a moment I stared at him, halfway expecting him to just vanish into thin air. But I didn't wait as long as my mind when back on track.

I will close the window, lock it then close the curtain. Then everything will be just fine.
If he breaks in mom will hear it. If he steps on a trap, my mom will hear him. I can even scream, and he would be done for.

I pulled the window down as quickly as I could, throwing caution to the wind as I did so, but something unexpected happened.

It didn't close.

There was still a gap, though it wasn't a hoof wide it was still enough to pry open as the window lock was not aligned.

If I didn't close the gap, someone would be able to get in, and it was scaring me.

Frantically I tried to force it down with all the might my little body could muster, but It didn't give in.

In a frenzy, I started looking around for something to help me, but my eyes caught sight of the culprit that was holding the window open.

There was a long wooden stick, lodged into the left corner side of the window.

The first thought that came to my mind immediately was how that stick got there in the first place.

I had leaned over to pry it out, but then I heard something, and then another thought came to me out of the blue.

I saw the colt, but I didn't see the black smudge from before...

I took a second look outside, and instead of seeing the forest, I saw a pair of large yellow eyes staring at me, just inches away from the glass of the window.

The moment I saw It, I went into a full-blown panic, I screamed as I fell off the stool and onto the floor.

I didn't feel the pain from it as my mind was utterly consumed with dread as I continued to stare at the window.

The entire window had been blotted out with the creatures black, foggy form, its eyes continuing to focus on me and me alone.

In hindsight, it probably wouldn't have been as bad looking as the monster under the sink as it too was hard to see, but this was different.

Up until now the eyes I had seen usually had irises like a snake, a pony or were just entirely one color. This one's eyes were like nothing I had seen before. It was like three white circles had a line cut through them right down the middle and left a gap with three crescent shapes on a side with different sizes parallel to each other.

I have no idea how long I laid there on my side gawking at it, paralyzed with fear, but it must not have been long as I saw something slithering through the window.
I didn't know what the creature outside was, but I soon had an idea of what it was made of as what was coming through the window was a black stream of smoke forming into long black claws, not unlike a bird of prey swelling underneath.

I could hear the window creaking as it happened,  which my rational mind quickly deduced that the creature was going to open the window to reach in and drag me outside to do who knows what!

I needed to get away and fast! I mustered what little confidence I had and began to crawl away with speed at full throttle,  thankfully the floor was rough, so it didn't take much to get a firm hold. 

I set my aim for the door, intent on closing it behind me than rushing to my mom's room. The resolve I had turned to ash the moment I  saw the eyes.  I  didn't care about the consequences. My fear was uncontrollable at this point. I couldn't care less if it was just a manifestation of my imagination! I could not stand how scared I was. I just wanted to get out of there.

I bolted to the door,  every part of my body except for my mouth screamed in panic as nothing wanted to work the way it was supposed to. My body felt like it wants to go everywhere else but the door so long as it was away from the window. Without thinking I stopped behind the toy box.  I know it wasn't where I wanted to go,   but this was apparently what panic did to you. It made you do stupid things and in horror movies often led to your demise. 

Thankfully I didn't lose complete control as I recompose myself and quickly glanced out the window.  I must've been fast because the creature didn't even attempt to open the window yet. It looked like it was still bracing itself for the attempt!

My toy box jumped,  forcing me to squeal in surprise as one of my Hoofs was on it when it happened. Not wanting to waste any more time I reached over to the side of my bed and grab one of my flashlights and ran for the door This time I reached it and stepped just outside it before looking back. The window was halfway opened before it started slipping inside. The ever-thickening black fog that began to drift all across the floor started to move into my direction.
Because I am a smart filly and no a dumb full-grown mare who is more than content to leave the door open just long enough for the monster to come and eat her before actually closing it in time,  I unceremoniously pulled the door shut behind me and locked it!

I remember when my mother said that all of the doors in this house locked from the outside rather than in the inside and questioned her sense the judgment. the details are trivial at the moment, but I will say this, my mom was right when she said, "You will learn to appreciate it one day,  I promise."

once I heard that satisfying click in the gear works of that heavy-duty lock,  I remained quiet and huddled to the nearest corner I could find adjacent from the door and waited,  hoping and praying that the crevices and cracks of the door were way too small for the thing to fit. 

I waited for what felt like an eternity, but I'm willing to bet it was more like three or four minutes before the spine-chilling sound of that creature destroying my room before it suddenly stopped.

Again I was hoping and praying that it could not fit through the door cracks while I was sobbing quietly. Trying to brace my self for the next reality I had to face. 

if this next trial was anything like what I had just faced,  the chances were very likely that I would not see daylight with my sanity still intact.