//------------------------------//
// chapter 3 ~ their game of hide-n-seek 
// Story: flutter away into the darkness of the night 
// by Alice no Kurai Umi 
//------------------------------//


chapter 3 ~ their game of hide-n-seek


The five ponies and their demons had finished their breakfast and went to go play. They decided to play hide-n-seek and Flutter Night was the seeker.
"One, two, three--- seven, eight, nine--- twenty, twenty-one, twenty-two--- twenty-eight, twenty-nine, thirty! Ready or not, here I come!"
She sensed the five demons' presence and followed it to a peaceful meadow. Seraphic Nightmare, Sparkling Crystal and Shadow Constellation were standing still like statues, which made them the easiest to find.
"Um... I found you three," she said sheepishly.
She glanced at them then saw two roses: one white and one red.
Flutter Night sighed, "White Rose, Red Rose, I found you."
Seraphic Nightmare giggled, "I told you she would spot you two!"
Flutter Night saw three figures in a tree and trotted towards it, looking up at the branches.
"Um... I found you three. Where is Star Sentinel?" she asked.
The three fillies shrugged, then Pure Jewel spoke, "We don't know."
Flutter Night felt eyes staring at her and looked up. She saw Star Sentinel in a cloud.
"Um... Star Sentinel? I found you," Flutter Night said.
She didn't really like how Star Sentinel was glaring at her.
"Um... Shadow Constellation?"
The bat colt's demon glanced at the pegasus filly, "Yes?"
Flutter Night glanced at the bat colt then back at his demon, "Um... Why does Star Sentinel keep glaring at me? I don't feel comfortable about it."
The other eight ponies (which included the five demons and the three fillies) glanced at one another, then looked at Star Sentinel.
They all were thinking if an excuse, then Sparkling Crystal spoke, "He tends to do that when he just met a pony. Once he starts to know you, he'll stop. Right, Star Sentinel?"
The colt nodded then replied, "Um, yes."
Flutter Night smiled, "If that's it, okay. Now one of you three is it. Do rock-paper-scissors-shoot."

"Rock-paper-scissors-shoot!" said the three demons.
Seraphic Nightmare had paper, Sparkling Crystal had paper and Shadow Constellation had also paper.
They did it again, "Rock-paper-scissors-shoot!"
Seraphic Nightmare, Sparkling Crystal and Shadow Constellation still had paper.
Flutter Night and the other four ponies giggled.
Flutter Night looked at the three demons, "I forgot that ponies can only put paper. How about Bubble Gum, Bubble Gum?"
She knelt down and her hoof on Seraphic Nightmare and started, "Bubble gum, bubble gum in a dish. How many pieces do you wish?"
It ended at Sparkling Crystal, "Um... fifty-two?"
Flutter Night counted, "One, two, three, four--- twenty-one, twenty-two, twenty-three, twenty-four--- forty-nine, fifty, fifty-one, fifty-two."
It ended at Shadow Constellation.
Flutter Night began to run and hide, "Shadow's the seeker!"
The demon glanced at the filly then began counting, "One, two, three--- eleven, twelve, thirteen--- twenty-seven, twenty-eight, twenty-nine, thirty! Ready or not, here I come!"
The demon felt his master's presence and followed it to a cloud. He saw his master then crept up to him.
"Boo! I found you!" he said, scaring Star Sentinel.
Star Sentinel, shocked, "What was that for?!"
The spirit smiled then giggled, "Let's go!"
They found Flutter Night in one of the branches of a tree, the four other demons were little birds in the meadows and the three fillies were behind a bush.
Flutter Night faced Star Sentinel, "It's Star's turn to be seeker!"
She ran to hide as Star Sentinel began to count, "One, two, three, four, five, six..."
She trotted into a dark forest, not knowing what dangers there would be in the forest.
"... twenty-seven, twenty-eight, twenty-nine, thirty! Ready or not, here I come!" Star Sentinel said.
He wanted to find Flutter Night first, but instead he found everyone else first. Seraphic Nightmare and Sparkling Crystal were trees in the meadow, Shadow Constellation became a cloud with a FACE, the demon twins, White Rose and Red Rose, were two squirrels: a flying and red squirrel. Silver Snow, White Angelic, and Pure Jewel were on top of "Cloud" Shadow Constellation.
"Um, Seraphic Nightmare? Could you help me find Flutter Night?" Star Sentinel asked.
The spirit faced the colt, "I guess, anyway I don't trust her when she plays hide-n-seek. She wanders everywhere."
The spirit navigated the group to a dark forest, where she had felt her master's presence, "She's in here..."
They heard growls, roaring, and a pony screaming.
Star Sentinel became alert, "That's probably Flutter Night."
Seraphic Nightmare pushed him closer to the entrance of the dark forest, "Go find her, seeker. And when you do check her head, she might get headaches."
The colt nodded and entered the dark and eerie forest.
Pure Jewel glanced at the entrance, "Should we help him?"
Silver Snow shook her head, "Let him do this by himself since he is the only one that isn't really friendly to her yet. Let's see what happens."

The colt was now in the dark and noisy forest. He kept on hearing the growls and roars of some creature, he wondered what it was. He came closer and closer to the noises and saw that Flutter Night was being chased by two timberwolves.
The pegasus filly saw the colt, "Um... a little help here?"
The colt tried to do something but the timberwolves were more interested with the filly.
He saw Flutter Night begin to glow. As the bright, glowing light disappeared, he didn't see the little filly anymore. Instead he saw was a blue-violet alicorn with a starry lavender mane and bloody red eyes. The alicorn's horn began to glow and blinded the timberwolves, then she killed them, burning them into a crisp.
Star Sentinel was terrified, the alicorn looked just like Flutter Night but those red eyes were not like the filly's kind and gentle blue eyes.
The alicorn walked towards Star Sentinel, "A little colt. Are you scared, my dear?"
She knelt down closer to him and smiled, "I'll spare you, because of who you are."

Then the alicorn glowed and turned back to the small blue-violet filly.
She saw the two dead and burnt timberwolves and hugged Star Sentinel, "Thanks for saving me, Star!"
The colt stared at the filly, confused.
Doesn't she know that she was the one who killed them? I still don't really trust her.
The colt faced her and spoke, "Let's get out of this place."
The filly nodded, leading the way. As they appeared at the entrance of the forest, the three other fillies saw that there was something wrong with Star.
Silver Snow walked towards them, "Could we possibly talk to Star for awhile? We'll meet you at the house for lunch."
The filly and her demon nodded and walked back towards home.
"Star, what's wrong?" Silver Snow asked.
The colt stuttered, remembered what just happened, "I saw her, you guys... Seraphic Night..."
White Angelic gasped, "How? How did you see her?"
Star Sentinel glanced at the forest, "She was attacked by timberwolves, but she began to glow and turned into Seraphic Night. She killed them and glowed again, turning back to normal. She didn't remember anything..."
Pure Jewel was shocked, "Maybe Seraphic Night was right. This isn't her fault."
Star Sentinel whispered, "She is really powerful, she killed the timberwolves by burning them into a crisp..."
He remembered when the alicorn smiled.
Why did she call me, 'my dear'? And why did she smile at me and spare me?
He remembered the warmth of the filly's hug when she was grateful for him, saving her.


I didn't do anything... It was all you.