//------------------------------//
// No wonder 
// Story: The Monster 
// by Mancin 
//------------------------------//

"Fire me, Boss! I can't take it anymore!" the hairy beast cried. His massive shoulders shook as he sat before the desk, buried his head in his claws, and sobbed like a little girl. "She's impossible! Nothing I do can get to her!"

His Boss sighed, then got up and offered him a tissue, which he gratefully took and blew his nose like a foghorn. "Now, calm down, Fleegon. You're one of my best Scarers! Surely there's something you haven't thought of?" the Boss offered hopefully.

Fleegon stopped crying long enough to glare up at his employer. "Weren't you listening?! I said I've tried everything! Nothing, I mean nothing works!" With that, he got up, turned, and stomped out of the office.

The Boss sighed again, then went back to his desk and took out her file to read it again, trying to find something he might have missed. As he sat there pondering, a dark thought entered his head. He picked up the phone on his desk. "Shirley...contact...Him." He could hear the sharp intake of breath from his secretary.

"S...Sir? Are...are you sure?"

"I wish I wasn't. Do as I say."

"Y...yes, Sir."





The Boss waited in the agreed-upon meeting place, trying not to look too nervous. Then, he heard soft, stealthy footsteps behind him. He turned to look, but there was nothing there. When he turned back, the One he'd come to meet was standing a few short inches from his face, with two red eyes like slits and a grin of glistening fangs. The Boss suppressed the scream about to explode out of him, but he did jerk a couple of steps back. The Boss found his voice. "I...have an assignment for you." The Creature snatched the file out of his claw and opened it. After reading, it laughed a cold laugh and threw the file back into the dirt before the Boss. "It has to be done tonight. Will you do it?" The Creature faded from view and uttered one word.

Yes





That morning, Silver awoke with a start and sat straight up in bed. Something horrible was going to happen in her room tonight. She didn't know how she knew.

She just knew.





As night closed around Ponyville and the Spoon mansion, the little filly reluctantly made it up to her room on stiff legs. She'd tried, when it had started happening, to talk to her Mom about the occurrences, but her Mom hadn't believed her. So she was no help. And nopony else would have believed her.

So she was all alone.

As midnight approached, her eyes snapped open as the door to her closet slowly crept open. She sighed and turned over. Not this again. Then, a scratching sound began beneath her bed. With a grunt of annoyance, she opened her eyes again, as dark tendrils like claws formed all around her from under the bed. Then she heard a low chuckle. It suddenly stopped when she muttered, "Would you cut it out? I'm trying to sleep!"





The Creature froze from under the bed, dumbfounded. It had never encountered another being that had absolutely no fearful reaction to its presence! It could sense the child's emotions and heartbeat, and both were steady.

As the Creature was pondering what to do next, several things happened at once. Unsteady hoofsteps approached the room, and a drunken stallion's voice called out, "Silllllver! Daaaaddy's home!" It then sensed the child's heartbeat shoot up, and she got out of bed and crawled underneath it with him!

"Move over!" she urgently whispered. "And shut up! He'll hear you!"

Her bedroom door burst open, and her father came staggering in. "Silver! (hic) Where are you, you little slut?" He went over to her bed and crouched down. "I know you're under here...(hic) Daddy's thought of a new game we can both play with that sweet, bubble ass of y---hrrk!" His voice was cut off as a clawed, cold hand gripped him around the throat.

I'll play with you..."Daddy."

It held him aloft as its eyes bored into his. Her father pleaded, "No! Please don't kill me! I'll quit drinking! I'll never hurt her again, I swear!"

But the Creature had no mercy. It set its claws against his stomach, then said, "I am going to pull your intestines out and feed on them while you are still alive, you filth.

Before he could start, Silver crawled out from under the bed and shouted, "No, Mister Monster! Don't kill him! Mom will cry!"

The Creature looked back at the child, then turned back to the stallion. "If you EVER touch her again, I will take you to a place of torment you cannot possibly imagine. For Eternity." It then took one clawed hand and raked it across his face. Then it threw him across the room. Her father picked himself up and ran away as fast as he could. The Creature and the child watched him go, then it turned to her.

She smiled up at him. "Thank you, Mister Monster!" It smiled back at her, picked her up, and set her in her bed.

"You are very brave, Child. I will be back to make sure you are alright."

"I don't think I'll be having any more trouble out of Dad from now on. But I'd love to see you again!"

As it turned towards the window to leave, it hesitated, then turned back. "I do have a favor I need to ask."

"Anything! Just name it!"

It placed one clawed hand sheepishly behind its head and said, "Could...you give a really convincing scream? I...have a reputation to uphold, and my Boss needs to hear it."

She sucked in air, then gave a bloodcurdling scream. "How was that?"

Perfect





Epilogue

The Boss met the Creature for the report. He smiled up at It. "That scream she gave was off the charts! I knew you were the right Monster for the job!"

The Creature's eyes turned inward.

Yes. Yes, I was.