//------------------------------// // Anger // Story: The Eyes Have It // by Luke Shywalker //------------------------------// Fluttershy slowly opened her eyes. The sun was beaming onto her face from the window. Yawning, she stood up. A blanket that rested on her back fell to the wooden floor. She looked around curiously. ‘Strange… How did I fall asleep on the floor?’ Observing her surroundings, Fluttershy reviewed the events of the night before. Most of her pets were up and about, and the house was relatively clean. ‘I went to Zecora’s for something, and then- Zecora’s! The potion!’ Frantically, Fluttershy searched for her knapsack and saw it lying next to the door. She opened it and reached for the blue potion Zecora had made for her. Grasping it with her teeth, Fluttershy galloped up to her bedroom, where a pale squirrel lay asleep in her bed. The covers had splats of blood in various areas around the top edge, and a few other squirrels stood around, watching over the sick creature. “Oh, River! Please be alright!” Fluttershy said softly as she raced to the squirrel. At the sound of Fluttershy’s gentle voice, River woke up with a slow opening of her eyes. She coughed violently a few times as Fluttershy popped the cork off the potion. A light steam rose from the brew. “Hold still, now. You’re going to be just fine…” Fluttershy reassured River as she lowered the top of the bottle to the pet. Weakly grabbing the potion, River sipped a few drops of the deep blue liquid. Fluttershy took the potion away and watched her pet. With a yawn, River coughed much less painfully a few times, and fell back asleep. Fluttershy smiled and sighed relief as she snuck out of the room. ‘Oh my, Zecora’s potion is working! I better leave her alone to rest now. Am I doing anything today?’ Fluttershy trotted back into her kitchen and looked at a neat pink calendar on the wall. “Oh, right! I’m having my weekly meet up with Rarity.” Fluttershy spoke to herself. Looking out the window, she proceeded towards the door. ‘It’s getting late, I better hurry… How long was I asleep?’ The sun was still high in the sky, but night time was only a few hours away. The door creaked as it opened and Fluttershy stepped outside into the cool outdoors. Taking a deep whiff with her nose, she trotted away from her home towards Ponyville. A harsh gust of wind blew her mane over her face, and the pegasus began to shiver. ‘Brrr… Maybe I should get my scarf…’ Fluttershy turned around, and her pupils shrank with realization. She was looking at the Everfree Forest. All of the memories from the previous night came rushing into her mind. ‘The creature! The one Zecora warned me about! Oh my, I… shouldn’t get any closer to my cottage. What if- No, no… What if I was dreaming? I don’t see any sign of it anywhere. It must have been the darkness playing tricks on me! But it felt so real…’ Even through her reassuring thoughts, Fluttershy gulped and slowly went back to her house, making sure to keep good perception of her surroundings. The animals running around gave Fluttershy great comfort as she walked back through the front door. Grabbing her green scarf off the coat rack next to the door, Fluttershy gave a sigh of relief since the creature seemed to be gone. Turning to leave, she made sure to look slightly to the right, so the Everfree Forest wouldn’t come within her view. ‘See? Nothing to be afraid of!’ Fluttershy stopped to put on her scarf as she reached the path leading to Ponyville. The wind blew her mane out behind her. A loud whooshing sound raged through her ears from the heavy breeze. “thud…” Fluttershy jumped with a small “eep!” even though she could barely hear the sound over the wind. She also felt like she was being watched. Standing motionlessly, Fluttershy reasoned with herself. ‘It’s all in your head. It’s all in your head. Besides, you’re not supposed to look, right? If I don’t look, nothing will happen. Right? Right!’ Fluttershy nodded with satisfaction and happily continued along the path. “thud…” Just to be safe, Fluttershy broke into a gallop towards Rarity’s boutique, ignoring the possibilities of what could be behind her. Rarity was waiting outside when Fluttershy finally reached her destination. Out of breath, the pegasus approached her platinum friend, who she could tell wasn’t pleased. Rarity tapped her hooves and greeted Fluttershy with a complaint. “Fluttershy, darling! Where in Equestria have you been? Don’t you know how behind schedule you are?” Fluttershy cracked under the slight anger Rarity expressed. “Oh… I’m… I’m so sorry, Rarity… I-If you don’t want to be friends anymore, I d-don’t blame you…” Rarity couldn’t help but frown in guilt as she approached her sensitive friend. “My apologies, Fluttershy! You know I didn’t mean it like that…” Rarity explained as she put her hoof around Fluttershy. “Oh, good… Do you still want to go?” Fluttershy whispered, happy to still have her good friend. “But of course, darling! Our little get-togethers are simply the highlight of my week! Come; let us not waste another moment.” The two friends trotted towards the spa where they often met. The sun partially hid itself behind the mountains, deepening the bright sunlight into a tangy orange. Reaching the spa, Rarity opened the door and trotted confidently into the room. A light blue mare behind the counter greeted her, noting her timing. “Good day, Rarity- Or should I say good night? There’s only an hour until we close, you know.” Rarity’s horn glowed a light blue as she pulled out a purple, finely woven coin purse and opened it, removing six bits. “Yes, I’m aware. I suppose we’ll just have to skip the facial this time around.” Rarity elegantly replied as she placed the bits on the counter and put away her purse. “Suit yourself; you know where the tub is.” The mare replied nonchalantly, taking the bits and gesturing towards the far end of the room. Rarity and Fluttershy trotted over towards a small pool of hot water. Gracefully, Rarity slipped herself in, facing the rest of the spa, which was completely empty. Fluttershy stood over the pool nervously, her mind struggling to relax. ‘This’ll be good for you! You need to relax, and get your mind off that… thing.’ Fluttershy thought as she looked out the large glass windows. They were massive, covering the entire wall and giving a clear view into the spa. “Is something the matter, Fluttershy?” Rarity inquired. Fluttershy stammered nervously, not wanting her friend to think anything was wrong. “Oh… no. Nothing. It- It’s fine.” Floating over the water gently, Fluttershy lowered herself into the pool. “Aaaahh… This feels… nice…” Fluttershy whispered to herself as she settled into her spot across from Rarity. She could physically feel the stress leaving her body. Rarity had grown accustomed to hearing what Fluttershy was saying, even under the most silent circumstances. Closing her eyes, she replied. “Indeed, it does. I have been looking forward to this all day. So, do you have any news for me?” Fluttershy had one thing that came to mind, and she wasn't about to share it. “Oh, um… You go first.” Not arguing with Fluttershy’s kind nature, Rarity did not hesitate to accept the offer. “Well, if you insist. This morning, Rainbow Dash came to me with an odd request. She asked me to construct a Wonderbolts costume for Nightmare Night. At first, I said ‘Rainbow Dash, I am an artist, not a costume maker!’ But then she decided I lacked the capability to do it, so I replied, ‘I’ll show you, Rainbow Dash. I’ll make you such an amazing Wonderbolts costume, the Wonderbolts will be begging to have you on their team!’ Of course, I’m going to add some of my own personal touches. For instance…” Fluttershy’s mind wandered. It wasn’t that she was bored, but the thoughts of the faceless stallion persisted in her mind. As the minutes passed, Fluttershy turned her head occasionally and scanned the windows. The sun was about to settle behind the hills, and long shadows were cast by various buildings. Anxiously, Fluttershy turned her head once more. “Fluttershy, dear. Please tell me what the matter is!” Rarity exclaimed. Turning her head back, Fluttershy’s eyes met Rarity’s, which were curiously staring at her. “Oh, it’s nothing, really.” The pegasus claimed. Raising an eyebrow, Rarity pursued the topic. “Fluttershy, that’s the third time I’ve caught you looking out the window! I’ve known you long enough to know when something is wrong. Please, tell me what the matter is.” Trying to relax and shake the topic, Fluttershy sunk her neck into the water. “I… I don’t want to talk about it.” Fluttershy mumbled. “Fluttershy, you’re aware that I’m not going to let the topic slide that easily. I’m your friend, you can tell me any…” Rarity stopped and looked at the window angrily. Fluttershy forced herself to watch Rarity, clenching her teeth in fear. “What are you peeking at, mister?! You have no business looking into-” Rarity yelled, but then stopped, grasping her head and clenching her eyes shut. “Rarity! Are you ok!?” Fluttershy called to her friend, moving over to the other end of the pool. “I… I’m fine, Fluttershy… I don’t know what came over me!” Fluttershy checked behind her, and saw nothing. Rarity opened her eyes, and sat back up. “Wh- what happened?” Fluttershy eagerly asked, trying to remain polite. Rarity looked at the window curiously, as if searching for something. “It was the most bizarre thing! There was a stallion staring through the window at us. When I attempted to call him out, I got a sudden headache!” Rarity explained confusedly. “Where could he have gone? He was there not a moment ago!” Fluttershy gulped, deciding it was time to tell Rarity what she knew. “Ok… I’ll tell you…” Fluttershy whispered, positioning herself next to Rarity. “Just make sure to k-keep watch through the windows...” “Whatever for?!” Rarity asked concernedly. “I’ll explain what I can, but I don’t really know much about… it.” “I’ll believe anything you say, Fluttershy; but to be blunt, I’m very concerned right now!” “Well, I went to Zecora’s last night…” Fluttershy began, keeping nervous watch out the window. Rarity cut her off immediately. “Wait, you mean to tell me you went into the Everfree Forest during the night?!” Fluttershy shrunk into the water, trying to keep Rarity’s approval. “Well, yes, but… I had a squirrel that was desperately sick! She needed Zecora’s medicine or he might have died!” She exclaimed quietly. “Anyway, Zecora warned me about this thing… It watches you and follows you and scares you…” Rarity remained silent, starting to shake with fear herself. “I thought it was my imagination, but… You just saw it… So that means it’s… (gulp) real…” Fluttershy explained with realization. Rarity tried to make sense of the situation. “Are you sure? What if it was just some other stallion? Or somepony playing a prank?” Fluttershy began to shake, going so far as to hold onto Rarity’s hoof for comfort. “Th-that’s just it… When I saw it, I-I also got a headache, but much scarier and worse…” Fluttershy stammered dramatically. The two friends stared out the window silently for about a minute. Neither one dared to look away. Rarity grew bored and questioned the situation. “Well, I don’t exactly know what happens next. We can’t just stay in this tub, Fluttershy. What do you propose we do?” The mare at the counter waved goodbye to one of the employees, who was leaving. Fluttershy was not about to leave her friend's side or go anywhere alone. Nervously, she proposed an idea. “W-well, maybe I could stay over at your boutique… That is, if you don’t mind. I wouldn’t want to intrude or anything.” Rarity nodded in agreement. “I agree, then we can figure out what to do in the morning. We best not waste another moment.” The sun fell behind the hills, completely shrouding the land in darkness. Only seconds after, a bright half moon rose into the sky, illuminating the land in pale light. Rarity and Fluttershy got out of the pool and dried themselves off with the towels nearby. Carefully watching the windows, they proceeded towards the door. “You two have a good night.” The mare at the counter bid the leaving customers. “We’ll certainly try…” Rarity replied nervously, opening the door. The two stepped outside and broke into a gallop towards Rarity’s boutique. Fluttershy felt immensely better about the entire situation now that somepony else knew about her stalker. Upon reaching the boutique, Rarity magically unlocked the door, letting Fluttershy and then herself through before relocking it. “Be a dear and shut the windows. I’ll let Sweetie Belle know about your staying. I'll only be a minute.” Rarity requested as she trotted quickly up the stairs. Again alone, Fluttershy began to shake as she moved to the first curtain. Grabbing the thick red cloth with her mouth, she slid it so it covered the window. The room was extremely dark, with only the moonlight from the second window and a dim light from upstairs lighting the room. “THUD” Fluttershy screamed at the all too familiar sound coming from upstairs. “THUD” “Rarity?!” Fluttershy yelled as she abandoned her task and galloped up the steps to see to her friend. Sweat dripped from her forehead. A single light lit the hallway. The safety of her friend came before fear as Fluttershy ran to Rarity’s room at the end of the hall and flung the door open. The room was dark and vacant. Fluttershy turned around, and looked to the other end of the hallway. The door to Sweetie Belle’s room was cracked open, but no light came from within. Tears of fright formed in Fluttershy’s eyes, but she snorted with defiance. ‘No! Nothing is going to happen to Rarity! Not if I have anything to say about it!’ Fluttershy burst into Sweetie Belle’s room. The lights were out, and the room was evidently empty. Realization washed over Fluttershy like a mighty tidal wave, and the frightened mare backed into the hallway, completely vibrating with terror. ‘Oh no…’ Now completely vulnerable, a single tear fell down Fluttershy’s cheek. Her lips quivered, and her legs shook. Her thoughts raced so fast, Fluttershy had no idea what to do. The stallion had taken Rarity and her sister. It was her fault.