The Recluse
Chapter 35
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Fluttershy sat on the couch, feeling anxious.
This morning, Light was continuing more about this 'THING' that he sees out in the Everfree Forest. Something he described as some strange castle-looking thing. Apparently it had started making him curious. The two of them looked out the window. True enough, there was a castle in the distance of the Everfree Forest. Obviously, it shouldn't be there.
Fluttershy, having been involved with saving friends, Ponyville and the entirety of Equestria numerous times, had the feeling that something to do with that castle would happen, and it would be bad. What made it worse was that she had a feeling she was right.
Later on, Light said something about the castle seeming more 'familiar' every time he looked at it. This disturbed Fluttershy a little, but she didn't show it. It was only when she then felt the need to tell him her concerns that Angel appeared and gave her a letter. She had taken a look around before reading, and noticed Light's cloak wasn't where it usually was. The letter was from Light himself, and he had apparently gone out with a bunch of survival equipment just to check on the castle, and that he'd be back by midnight. Despite how much she didn't want to believe it, Fluttershy was convinced something had already happened to Light.
The clock strikes 12.
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Fluttershy looked into her closet, and found her Mare-Do-Well costume. It was morning now, and she decided to look for Light. She was going to wear the costume so she wouldn't be afraid when she searched. She had left a letter on her table explaining where she would be going. She was about to reach for the costume...
*Knock* ... *Knock Knock*
Fluttershy would have let out a frightened squeak, but the knock on the door was rather gentle, even lacking some form of confidence. She decided to head downstairs to see who it was. She opened the door to find...
A gray pony carrying a saddlebag with mail in it. Not the usual grey mare the town was used too... this one was a stallion. He was kind of wide-eyed, with a black, straight mane, and long bushy tail. He was an Earth Pony, lacking a horn or a wing. He was wearing a blue-ish grey vest, with a similarly coloured beret and his eyes were... kind of pink. The expression on his face was like bracing for pain, then after a while, relaxed... a little.
"Oh, good... I thought it'd be some weird hermit person with a dark coat and rotted skin who would yell at me and probably eat me... good thing it's a lovelier sight... er... yeah." Said the mailpony.
"Uhm... If you don't mind me asking..." Fluttershy began, "W-where's the usual mailmare?
"Day off... she helped me get a job at the mail service, so... yeah. I'm new to town. Uhm... here's your mail." He looked around in the saddlebag, picked up a few envelopes with his mouth, and gave them to Fluttershy, who accepted them. "Well, bye." The mailpony said before walking off.
Fluttershy went in to close the door, when the mailpony quickly ran back in, closing the door behind him, and leaning up against it, looking around frantically. Fluttershy looked frightened, and when he saw this, he swallowed before explaining, "I-i don't like the look of those animals..."
"U-um... well... nopony is violent in Ponyville, especially not my animals... Mister..."
"Oh.. okay... Um... I'll just look for a place to hide anyway. This cottage is a lot cleaner than the houses." He looked around the place, before looking out the window, staying there for a moment. Then, a bit of fearful recognition came onto his face, causing him to shriek and jump back. Concerned, Fluttershy walked over to him, but didn't really help him up... he was far too jumpy.
"Are you alright, sir?" She asked.
"Umm... fine... that castle is really creepy... looks like something I saw somewhere before... is that supposed to be there?" He asked.
"...Well, it wasn't here before... it's not a very good sign if it's in the Everfree Forest... bad things happen there..."
"...That's... the Everfree Forest?" he queried weakly.
"...Um... yes?" Fluttershy answered.
This got a rather terrified whine from the mailpony, who curled into a foetal position... which was rather painful for ponies, usually. Apparently, the pain started kicking in, as he quickly stopped what he was doing, and got up.
"...Why do you live next to that?" He asked.
"I wanted to be with the animals...?" Fluttershy asked... now quite frightened and afraid of the stallion.
"Bad things happen there... uh... I heard there were two ponies living here?" He quickly changed the subject, for... no apparent reason.
Fluttershy's lips started quivering, but she tried to stop herself from crying. The mailpony noticed this, then looked back out the window, and looked thoughtful. His eyebrow raised highly. Then he looked cautious. Then on the verge of tears. Then a little too cautious. Then he slowly turned his head to look at Fluttershy.
"Uh... If it helps... my name is Funny Bones?" Bones suggested... for an unclear reason.
It was Fluttershy's turn to raise her eyebrow. Until she felt the name was familiar. After a bit of thought realization struck her.
"You're that author of the... strange books Light reads a lot... right?" She asked.
"Well... yeah. I have writer's block at the moment, so I thought I'd settle down for a more relaxing life. I heard Ponyville was a nice place, so I went there... I'm told I'm extremely paranoid... don't know why, I mean, isn't it reasonable to be afraid of certain... things?"
Not if it's everything... I feel so hypocritical, but he makes me look brave... Fluttershy thought. "I feel like that too, but I know this place is safe..." She said. "You're not what I imagined at all."
Bones smiled. "I get that a lot. From my relatives too. They expected me to be brave, cunning, willing to do all the things we needed to do, but no, I wouldn't, it just wasn't right- ...Er... yeah. The point is... I get that from a lot of ponies." He said. "But enough about me... What's your name?"
"...F-fluttershy." She squeaked.
"Aww. I mean, Okay. Err, I think I know what happened to... Light was it?" He asked.
"Yes... what happened?"
"Well, this might sound crazy..." He began... "But... theoretically... if you were to visit him... in the Everfree Forest... successfully... one of the things he might happen to have in his brain, having to tell you at the moment is either... 'Please leave,' 'I don't want you to see like this,' 'I'm very concerned,' 'Be afraid, be very afraid,' 'There's something very wrong,' 'I'M A VAMPONY,' 'I vant to zuck your blood,' 'Nice weather we're ha-"
"Wait... what was that... loud one?" Fluttershy asked, rather shocked.
"Um... I'M A VAMPONY." Bones said, slightly raising his voice.
"...Why might he be saying that?" She fearfully queried.
"Well... that castle is a nest for these strange bats that were enhanced by long-dead necromancers... as the story goes." He explained.
"What story?"
"My successful horror story, 'Dark Era.' Simple title, simple story, done right, the critics say, but I fear, if I release this story to ponies who actually CARE about story value, it'll be laughed at, MOCKED! I WON'T HAVE A LIFE!" He shrieked. Judging from the amount of times he did this, Fluttershy couldn't help but assume that nervous breakdowns were an everyday occurrence for him.
"...Anyway... the necromancers made the bats kind of like zombies... they chose vampire bats, so if it bites anything, or pony, they'll be infected with the... virusy thing. So now, they can suck blood. And stuff."
"...This all happened in your book, right?" Fluttershy asked.
"Yes." Bones replied.
That would mean... Light brought it with him when we went to that forest planet... and that... life-sap probably made all this happen... it's that Doctor, all over again...
"But uhh... I'll share a secret with you..." Bones began, "I based the necromancers from my book on uhh... something I encountered before. So... those necromancers... technically exist in real life."
...Now I don't know what to think... Oh, but I must think, this man is clearly troubled... at least he's kind of nice, though... maybe it is the sap from the planet. I don't think necromancers were ever spotted in the Everfree Forest, so why now? And they'd have to have a lot of time to build the castle, right? So how did they make it so suddenly?
"Well, good luck. I'm going out now. I hope those six animals still aren't there. They look like some secret group... and I bet that ferret that's fuzzy, they dragged him into it. Look at him, you can see conspiracy theorist in him. That's my favourite. But I better go." Bones said, before going to walk out the door.
"Now, you just stop right there, Mister!" Fluttershy called out to him, making him freeze instantly. After a couple of moments, he turned around and looked at Fluttershy, a fearful look on his face.
"You know these vamponies better than anything else. You are going to help me get Light back." Fluttershy told him, obviously not asking.
"...Um..."
"..."
"...Okay, I'll do it... for a fan."