I walked up to Fluttershy's cottage and knocked on her door, still feeling tired from not getting much sleep. I had to keep a positive attitude as best I could, to fool Fluttershy into thinking that I'm alright. There was no answer when I knocked on the door, so I knocked again, making sure that it was louder than the last knock. Still no answer. I then quickly assumed she's still sleeping, seeing her up late last night, so I walked over to the back of her place to work on fixing the coop. Hopefully I won't wake her up when I work.
The coop looked more destroyed than I remembered; but then again, I wasn't my best self when I was last here. Debris laid everywhere in the area; shattered pieces of wood, hay, and dirt scattered around the coop. It's gonna take a while to get this job done, but I made a promise to get it done nonetheless. I began the work by gathering all the wood that could still be used to fix the chicken coop. This was the most simplest work for now, looking at all the pieces of wood that weren't completely destroyed, and tossed aside the ones that were unusable. Once that was done, I looked at the how bad the damage was. The right side of the coop had a gaping hole, so it doesn't seem like that tough of a thing to fix. However, I lacked the tools to get the job done; there were no hammer or nails to put the wood in place. I looked around the area for a hammer and some nails, but from just scanning the area, I couldn't find such thing. I eventually found the hammer and nails under the coop, and began to place the boards on the right side.
“Fixing the damage you've so foolishly created, Grimmok?” the monster of an entity Sektor asked with a devilish grin on his face in my mind. I wasn't startled by Sektor speaking out of nowhere, but I was upset he decided to talk to me, especially after what he did the night before. I placed the first board at the bottom of the hole with my knee, ignoring Sektor's words. Sektor snorted after a few minutes of silence, “What's the matter, demon got your tongue?”
I was about to place the second board above the first board when I stopped, “If you're here for conversation, you'll be disappointed.” I assured Sektor, and continued my work.
Sektor chuckled, the noise echoing in my mind, “Aw, now I'm hurt; the pile of flesh doesn't want to talk to me.” he responded in a sarcastic tone.
I sighed in annoyance; I don't want to be communicating with this beast. Once I finished hammering the second board in place, I reached for the third board to the left of me, “Your threats are empty, and always have been. As long as my resistances are up in my mind, you can do nothing but spew hallowed boasts. If you want to continue wasting your energy talking to me, then go ahead. Just keep in mind that you'll get nothing in the end.” I declared in attempt to silence the accursed entity. I stood up and closed my eyes, hoping what I said made Sektor shut up. A couple of minutes have passed, and I heard nothing from his end. With newly found relief, I turned around to face the coop. When I turned around, I saw Fluttershy standing inside the coop, looking right at me, her face in a blank stare. I stepped back, startled at the fact she came up to me without making a sound, “Oh! I didn't hear you coming, Fluttershy. I'm still working on the coop, as you can see.” I explained with a partial smile, pointing at the rest of the boards lying in a pile next to me. She didn't say anything; she continued to stand there in silence, still staring at me blankly. My half-attempt of a smile faded to a frown, “Is everything alright? Did something happen?” I asked, slightly uncomfortable due to her still staring at me without blinking.
When I was about to give up talking to her and continue my work, Fluttershy opened her mouth to speak, “Why?” she asked in a soft monotone voice.
I was hammering the third board in place when she spoke, her tone sending chills down my spine. I looked at Fluttershy, “Why what?” I asked in response. I was now beginning to grow worried; was this some sort of act she's pulling? Is she trying to scare me? She doesn't seem the kind of pony to be going around scaring individuals.
It took several seconds after I spoke before she opened her mouth again, “Why?” she asked once again, her monotone voice now starting to become disturbing.
Okay, something's definitely not right. I stood up straight, staring back at Fluttershy with an angry glance, “Why what?” I demanded, hiding my fear of what I was about to find out. Right after I spoke, I could feel the air around me beginning to grow warm, the temperature gradually rising. I scanned the area, wondering where the sudden burst of heat is coming from, and why it's getting hotter every second. I looked back at Fluttershy, who was still staring at me with a blank expression on her face, “Why what, Fluttershy!?” I yelled, now visibly showing fear in my face.
My body froze in fear, and my eyes widened in horror when I caught the scent of smoke. Tears ran down Fluttershy's face when she opened her mouth one last time, “Why are you so weak?” she softly whimpered as she became enveloped in a circle of fire.
I wanted to turn around and run away, get away from the horrific sight that was developing in front of me. I wanted to cover my ears, muffling the screams coming from all around me. I wanted to rescue Fluttershy from the burning coop, and get away from the scene as fast as possible. I wanted to close my eyes, and pretend none of this was happening right now. But my legs were like stone and refused to move, my arms were too weak to cover my ears and muffle the multiple screams and pleads for help, and my eyes were forced to stay open and watch as the coop became an inferno. I had to watch as Fluttershy remained inside the coop, watch as she was burned alive, watch as she became nothing but a charred carcass, barely resembling what she once was.
I thought the worst was over, but I quickly realized it was just the beginning. After Fluttershy became a charred carcass, a hand was placed on both of my shoulders. I slowly turned my head to see the hands, which were human hands with long sharp claws, dripping with crimson liquid. I looked further beyond the hands to see who they belonged to, and when I locked eyes with the one with the claws, my whole body shook in disgust. It was me, or something that barely resembles me. The slim black leather duster was torn and tattered, slightly flowing against the wind. The eyes were two large solid white dots, and the teeth were razor sharp and covered in fresh blood. The white denim jacket was smothered in ashes, and shredded to basically nothing but hanging cloth. The hair was long and messy, covering the upper-part of the face, only revealing the solid white eyes.
The monster sniffed the air, and sighed in relief, “Don't you just love bonfires in the morning, Grimmok?” the monster spoke in a deep demonic voice. I immediately recognized the voice, for it was the exact same as Sektor's. What I'm looking at is Sektor successfully taking over my mind and body. Sektor walked towards the burning coop, sticking his claws out as if to warm up, “Such a delight to see these blend of colors before my very own sight.” Sektor faced me and smiled, “Don't worry, I made sure that so-called friend of yours cooked nice and slowly, as well as your other so-called friends, if you were curious to know.” he then began to walk towards me, hands behind his back, “Once you see the world through my eyes, Grimmok, you'll learn that my words were never hallow. You'll learn how much of a failure and weakling you are.” he stops just a few inches from me, the stench of a burned corpse filling my nostrils, “And you'll learn what true pain feels like.” and with Sektor's last words, I became tangled in a circle of flames. I fell to my knees, and screamed at the top of my lungs in horror and pain as Sektor's laugh echoes off in the distance, leaving me to die a slow and painful death.
The last thing I remembered before I was touched by the cold embrace of death was a voice calling out my name, almost sounding like Fluttershy's. The voice calling out my name became louder as I couldn't bear the pain any longer, and closed my eyes one final time.
* * *
“Sven!” the voice cried out once more, hearing the voice inches away from me, but was very muffled. Just when I thought I was soon to be departed to the afterlife, a bright light filled the void of darkness, eradicating every last bit of the darkness that was around me. The bright light then morphed into what looked like an incredibly blurry image, unaware of the environment around me. The voice calling out my name became less muffled as my vision became clearer. I could slightly tell what was around me; I appeared to be in a house, or cottage. I was lying down on what felt like a long couch, a comfortable blanket covering the lower half of my body. The mixed scent of lilacs, roses, and other assortment of flowers filled the air, with a very small hint of household pets.
When my vision cleared to its normal condition, I could see Fluttershy looking at me, standing a couple feet away from me. Her face was full of shock and fear at first, but her expression softened to a relieved look when she noticed me waking up, “Oh my gosh, you're awake! Thank goodness!” she softly exclaimed with joy, “I was so worried that something terrible happened to you, it was very frightening and scary.”
I was at a loss for words. I couldn't find a single word in my mind to describe how terrified I was. I stared at the shy yellow pony in disbelief, but also feeling at ease that she was alive. I looked at both my hands, and they were good and healthy; no indications of third degree burns were visible, or charred bones. How was what I saw even possible? Sektor has never been able to make me hallucinate such horrific scenes, let alone feel the pain of getting burned alive. I could feel every inch of my body burned to a crisp before I fell into unconsciousness, and yet, it looks like as if nothing has happened.
I attempted to get off the green couch, but could only manage to sit up. I got a better look at what I assumed to be Fluttershy's cottage. The floorboards were of a pale green color, a red rug with a flower in the middle lying in the center of the main room. There was a few assortment of bird cages and houses, mouse holes, and a couple of small bed-like cushions. There were a couple of decorations, mostly small tables and cabinets, as well as a green cushion chair placed not too far away from the green couch. I have no idea why, but this place feels very homey, almost has a very calm atmosphere to it.
I shook my head, “What... happened?” I groaned, my head feeling like as if it was going to explode.
“Um...” Fluttershy looked at the ground, “I was hoping you would tell me.”
I grabbed my head with both my hands, my head throbbing in excruciating pain, “Jeez... my head is killing me.” I looked at Fluttershy with one eye open, “Can you please tell me what you saw? I don't seem to remember at the moment.”
Fluttershy walked over to the window facing the backyard of her cottage, “I woke up not too long ago to the sound of somepony doing what sounded like construction work. I looked outside my window, and saw you working on the coop.” she then looked at me, “I was on my way to get you some water when I heard you talking. I couldn't hear what you were saying, even with the window open, but you sounded so angry. There wasn't anypony around for you to talk to, so I was a bit confused.”
My heart sank, and I began to sweat nervously. She can't know about Sektor, but how am I going to lie myself out of this situation? She basically saw me talking to Sektor, but it looks like I was talking to myself in her perspective. I cleared my throat, “Continue.”
“After you stopped talking, you just stopped working. You froze in place, staying in a leaning position for such a long time.” Fluttershy continued, “And then, out of nowhere, you threw your head in the air, and screamed like nopony has ever heard of. It was really... scary; you sounded like you were in such pain, so I rushed out as fast as I could to help you. But by the time I got to the coop, you were lying on the ground. You weren't moving or responding to me calling out your name, so I brought you inside my cottage.”
This is not good, not good at all. She saw everything. It will have to be a miracle to get out of this situation without confessing I'm not a normal human. I was about to put my hands over my eyes to think, but stopped mid-way when I noticed something. My sleeves were from my white denim jacket, not from my duster. I started to panic, frantically looking around the main room to find my duster, “Where is it!?” I constantly asked under my breath. My eyes scanned the area until I saw my duster lying on a green cabinet next to the front door. With my eyes locking onto my duster, I made an attempt of a leap to get out of bed to grab my duster.
Little did I realize that I was still weak and sore from Sektor's cheap hallucinations, and fell on my face, landing on the pink rug that's placed underneath the couch. I gritted my teeth in pain as I heard Fluttershy gallop to me, “Are you... okay?” she asked.
I slowly pushed myself up, rubbing my face, “Yea, I'm fine.” I pointed to my duster, “Can I please have that back? It's very important to me.”
“It must be important, since you just sprang out of the couch to go get it.” she said as she walks over to get my duster. She carried the duster on her back, and walked back to me, “Is it okay if I ask why it's important to you?” her face then became concerned, “I'm sorry, I shouldn't intrude your privacy...”
I shook my head as I grabbed my duster from Fluttershy, “There's no need to be sorry.” I said as I put on the duster, satisfied I have it back, “It's just a prized possession of mine. Someone very important to me gave it to me as a birthday gift. I also think of it as some form of good luck charm, so I make sure I never lose sight of it.”
“How do you wear so many layers?” Fluttershy asked with curiosity, “I mean, you must be uncomfortable wearing heavy clothing. Doesn't it bother you?”
I softly chuckled, “You clearly haven't been to Death Valley in California.”
“Death Valley? California?” Fluttershy tilted her head in confusion.
I opened my mouth to talk about my experience with Death Valley, then closed it when I realized what I just said, “Right... You don't know anything about Earth.” I mumbled to myself, “I'm sure you're still wondering about that little freak out I had outside?” I questioned her. Fluttershy nodded, allowing me to continue, “Well, you see, Earth has seen better days. I've explained to you about how there's a war between Earth and Hell when I first got here; well, when there's a war, it's very difficult to get disturbing scenes out of your head. Sometimes, you just wanna yell as loud as you can to get all the bad out, and let the good memories in. Does that make sense?”
Fluttershy nods, “But who were you talking to?”
“Sometimes, talking to yourself can help scare away the bad images. I mean, who would want to deal with people that talk to themselves, anyways?” I lightly laughed, eventually dying down when I realized Fluttershy wasn't laughing with me. I cleared my throat, “You don't need to worry about a thing. I'm not going crazy or anything, it's just something humans do.” I lied.
Fluttershy's face turned to a sad expression, “I'm so sorry you have to deal with such horrible things!” she exclaimed, “It's a wonder how you can still smile, coming from what you've said.”
I snorted. Yea, it really is a wonder. I looked out the window facing the backyard, “Well, I better get back to work” I said as I walked towards the front door.
Before I reached for the door, Fluttershy halted me with a small piece of parchment, “Actually, Rarity came by while you were lying on the couch. She wants you to stop by her boutique when you can.”
“What for?” I asked as I grabbed the parchment.
Fluttershy shrugged, “I don't know, she didn't tell me. You go on ahead.”
“But what about the coop? I should fix the damage I've done, at least.” I insisted.
Fluttershy smiled, “Actually, covering the hole halfway is a great idea. My chicken friends are always hot inside the coop, and it gets really hot during the summer. The hole allows them to cool off inside the coop.”
I tilted my head in confusion, “Huh... Well, if the chickens like the giant hole in the wall, then I won't complain.” I opened the front door, but hesitated to leave. There was a question that's been itching away at me. I turned around to face Fluttershy, “Before I go... Why did you help me? As far as I know, I'm still a stranger to all the inhabitants of this world. And yet, you still came to help me and made sure I was alright. Why?”
“Um... Well... I just had a feeling that you may need help. You said you've spent many nights under the stars, and nopony should live such a harsh life like that.” she said without batting an eye, “I try to help out my friends as best as I can. And besides, somepony screaming to the air is always a concerning thing.”
I looked outside, thinking about Fluttershy's words. The sun's placement indicated it was around noon, so I was pretty confident I would make it to Rarity's boutique before sunset. I looked at Fluttershy once more, a soft expression on my face, “Thank you. I really appreciate it.” I softly spoke, “Hope the chickens like the new window.” and I waved goodbye to Fluttershy, and headed towards Carousel Boutique.