//------------------------------// // That Monster's Are Not All They Seem // Story: My Little Nightmare // by Devious Dazzle //------------------------------// The void was empty and full of frozen rain. Her oversized clothes weighed her down in this bleak endless scenery, it was as if she were sinking ever slowly into the darkness around her. Feet sore from the hours of lonesome travel, weak fragile muscles on fire from carrying her weight in water soaked into the fabric. Unable to take the silent torture any longer. She stripped away her last remnants of a masculine life away, casting the ruined clothes into the abyss as the shadows quickly feasted upon them. Wasting no time she slid on the sleek yellow raincoat for warmth, the garment eerily snug on her petite withered frame. A quick lift of the hood hid away her alien feminine features behind a cloak of darkness. She rather not be seen as this young child, the abyss around her feeling monstrous and massive. A sudden flash of light crackled across the endless night. The young child gasped in sheer terror, the twisted visage of crooked trees and thorny bushes bloomed into existence around her. She felt ever so weak in the limbs, easily collapsing to her hands and knees along a twisted path. The energy to rise no longer with her. Inch by inch she crawled through the dimly lit Forrest, the flora around her thickened as each second sped by in a flash. Soon she didn't feel so numb as she crawled, legs twisting and snapping out of place. Fingers receded into her calcifying hands, much like her toes to match. With a final pop along the rim of her spine, she groaned in pain, pale beige hooves having taken the place of her once human limbs. The silhouette of trees behind her a reflection of her dwindling humanity. Her features became a blur to even her own memories, body shrinking and bones compressed. Her size plummeted even smaller, soon barely able to stand taller than a tree stump. With a wince of pain, she felt the sway of a tiny raven-colored tail stretch out from her little rump. Chest barreled out delicate in shape, her skull forced to reshape as fur sprouted from her skin quickly claiming every inch. “Aaaaaa…” she felt tears run down her face as eyes seemed to double in size becoming far more expressive and bright. Ears ripped through the sides of her hooded raincoat in a loud echo, the sounds of this wicked place taking on a whole new level of clarity. Her face shifted in unimaginable pain. A tiny rounded muzzle pushed its way outward, locked in place by a loud pop. Her body had transformed into that of a little filly, the tiny animal collapsing on her side in the filthy mud of the Forest. Her chest lifted in place weakly. Each breath full of pain and agony, this strange new world a complete blur of blotches and shades. What had happened to her? - Humanity stolen by an unknown force, replaced by the confines of the equine variety. Hooves were stiff from the pain of the transformation. The filly at the mercy of the terrible world around her, eyes froze in place wide open to the horrors around her. The sound of human footsteps drew near from the distance, long slender legs soon appearing into view. This mysterious woman of the Forest silent and watching. Clutched in her clawed right hand a sleek bronze spear or javelin, unable to lift her head higher the child could not see the face of this stranger. Jimmy could feel her heart race wildly. The sensation of metal piercing flesh burned deep into her troubled mind, yet the pain never made itself known. The woman kneeled in place, the gentle touch of a dainty pet caressed the child's tangled mane with care. Just as quickly as she appeared the stranger vanished. Spirited away by another crackle of light streaking across the dark clouded sky, the filly unable to rise even as a new threat stumbled out of the dark. Forced to watch in silence, the filly spotted a matted and withered pegasus limp out of the corner of her vision. It was yellow with a coat soaked in dry blood, the mare's mane a faded pink hue that lacked large clumps near the base of her skull. Those horrid eyes were nearly translucent in their blue color. As if she lacked a soul or the spark that made every creature whole, her teeth rotted and a dull brown hue from years of neglect. The mare gazed to the poor child in absolute awe, a limp bony hoof traced the edge of her youthful muzzle delicately. “Have you seen my secret?” The pegasus whispered through blistered lips. “With those judgemental eyes…” Jimmy could just whimper being lifted off the ground. The pegasus slid the child onto her backside with the utmost ease. “ Don't worry lovely, I'll shield your eyes from the depravity.” The haunting voice of the mare spoke as they trotted down a hidden path deeper into the woods. Soon coming upon a cottage hidden amongst the shadows. Jimmy knew if they entered, she'd never see the daylight again. “My name is Fluttershy, but I hope you'll call me mother,” Fluttershy whispered both entering the icy home to fear. Soon the world cast back to black.