Chapter 25: Goosebumps
"Okay, we can all agree that Rarity wasn't making it all up, correct?"
Everypony nodded in agreement in the dim light.
"And we can all agree that we aren't going to get anything done just lying here in the kitchen?"
Everypony nodded again.
"Good. Now, Rarity, Lyra... do you think you could both get the H off me? Corn is getting very, very agitated." The German Shepherd confirmed this by letting out a low growl.
Both unicorns slowly let go of Bryce's waist, allowing the feeling to come back into his legs.
Sitting himself up straight, Bryce said, "Much... better." He stood up. "Now let's get something to eat," Bryce said as he made his way to the refrigerator.
The fear Rarity had had was soon replaced with outrage. "What do you think you're doing?"
"Getting a snack, I'm starving!"
"What makes you think this is the best time to-"
"Hey, cut me some slack. I haven't had a full stomach since I got here." He pulled a jar of mayonnaise and a carton of eggs out of the fridge. "Now where's the bread and frying pans?"
"Now look her-"
MRROOOW
Rarity froze up. "There it is again."
"No shit!" Bryce opened up a cupboard and pulled out the glass plate. "As soon as I get something to eat we'll handle-" Rarity grabbed the objects in Bryce's hands in her magic and floated them out of reach. "What the H!"
"Once we take care of that ungoddessly specter I'll allow you to eat. Now let's get to it."
Bryce sighed. "Okay, let's head back into the... place where you make clothes." He held out his arm. "Ladies first."
Rarity enthusiasm waned. "What, why me?"
"Because it's your house."
"But you're the one who offered to help me."
"Age before beauty."
"Yes, age 'before' beauty," Rarity said with a flick of her mane.
Rainbow Dash, who had been standing back watching their squabble, rushed in between them. "You guys are acting like scardy foals. I'll go first."
Bryce said under his breath, "You were the one to get into the kitchen first you damn hypocrite," before following after. Corn hung close at his boy's feet, while both Lyra and Rarity trotted close together, barely able to stand on their hooves.
When the group reached Rarity's boutique, Bryce said, "Now then, let's try and look around. Now where did you first-"
A flash of lightning from the storm filled the boutique with a pale light. Everything in the room took on a fiendish appearance. The ponniquins looked twisted and misshapened. Shadows danced along the walls in an unholy, ritualistic manner. When the lightning died down the clap of thunder that followed shook the entire room.
When it was all over, Bryce looked down at his feet. "Rarity, Lyra... Get the H... off my feet."
Lyra looked up and Bryce with a weak smile. "What, who's on who's feet? We were just... looking for clues."
Bryce shook both of the mares off him. "This is getting us nowhere. Blitzkrieg, you stay down here with Lyra. I'll go upstairs with Rarity and Corn." Rainbow Dash acknowledged with a salute.
Rarity, on the contrary, wasn't as willing to accept the human's orders. "You aren't suggesting that we split up, are you?"
"Of course I wouldn't suggest that."
"That's a relief."
"I'm saying we are!"
"Oh no, we can't do that, what if something were to happen and-"
Bryce cut her off. "If we're going to find out whatever that noise was we need to cover more ground, and fast."
"But I'm scared."
"Well I'm scared, and hungry, but more of the later. Now you can either accept it, or I leave now and you can fend for yourself." Bryce's statement was followed by another clap of thunder. It was surmounted by another sounding of that dreadful moan.
MMMRRRROOOOOOOOOOOOWW
Bryce stood there like nothing had happened. "Well, what's it going to be?"
Rarity stuttered out, "I suppose it would be better to-"
"Good, let's go. Lead the way upstairs for us, darling."
Rarity led Bryce and Corn over to the staircase. She was slow to ascend the stairs, however. With each step the wood creaked, each one slowing down the white unicorn even more until she was at a snail's pace.
"Rarity, you really need to mellow out... Marshmellow."
"What are you going on about now?"
"That's the nickname I'm giving you, Marshmellow."
"Is this really the best time to be playing foalish games? Sometimes I think you're more colt than stallion."
"Tell me something I don't know." Bryce turned back to find Corn sniffing at the wall. "Corn, come on. Don't tell me your scared too." The dog batted at the wall with his paw. "Corn, stop that. You're going to scratch the paint."
Corn let out a whine before following up.
When Rarity reached the top of the staircase she stopped at the door. "In here is where I first heard the moaning. Now this is my bedroom, so don't go getting any big ideas."
"As I've said before: I'm not into horses."
"That's beside the point. Just keep your prying... whatevers-"
"They're called hands," Lyra said from the bottom of the stairs.
Bryce turned to shout back at the mint green unicorn, "Lyra, get back downstairs and help Rainbow."
Lyra unwillingly obliged.
"Now then, as I was saying, keep your 'hands' away from my dresser, my bureau, and most especially my wardrobe. In fact don't even look at it the wrong way or I'll know." Having gotten her point across, Rarity opened her bedroom door and trotted in. Bryce and Corn followed in her hoofsteps. "This is where I hear the noise most often."
"Where are you usually when it happens?"
"I'm usually in bed, desperately trying to get some much needed beauty sleep. Just as I'm close to passing out that... sound comes out and scares me half to-."
"Okay, George Clooney, you've already won the Oscar. Now just sit back and let someone else have a chance." Bryce started looking around the room, taking note of every crack in the wallpaper, every missed loop in the rug, every gust of wind that eran through the canopy of Rarity's four poster bed. He stood in front of the bed and looked it over from above. "This is your bed?"
"Yes, who else would it belong to. I live alone after all."
Bryce rolled his eyes. "Well, everything seems normal." He got down on his knees and looked under the bed. "Nothing under here either." He got back up and surveyed the room again. His gaze rested on Rarity's wardrobe.
"Oh no, there's no way I'm going to let you look in there. Don't even think about it mister!"
Corn had walked over while they weren't looking and tapped the wardrobe with his paw. Something shifted inside.
Rarity jumped back at the sudden clamor. "What was that?"
"It sounds like it came from..." Bryce nodded his head at the wardrobe.
"From there? Are you sure?"
Corn sniffed the wardrobe once and let out a loud bark.
"Well, Corn sure thinks so. Buuuuut you told me not to even stare at it, but as far as we know it was probably just clothes, or toileteries, or... an eager stallion. Wink, wink, nudge, nudge."
"You don't think...?"
"I'm just guessing."
Rarity face turned a bright red. "Oh alright, if there really is somepony in there I think it best we checked it out..." There was a short pause.
"Yes... I think we should, and I'm not supposed to."
Rarity relented. "Bryce, darling, do you think you could...?"
Bryce was quick to reply, "Okay, I'll do it." He slowly made his way towards the wardrobe; his every step echoing out through the quiet bedroom. The only other noise was the sound of rain as it pelted against the windows.
When he had cleared the distance, Bryce grabbed both of the knobs of the wardrobe, taking his time in opening it, savoring the moment to reveal the pony that might be hiding inside. Throwing the doors open, Bryce was quickly pounced. "Ahh, bring it on you son of a-"
"Bryce, be careful with-"
"Rarity, go down and get the others, I can take-"
"Bryce, you really should-"
"Just get the others-"
"BRYCE!!! THAT'S NOT A PONY!!!"
Bryce immediately stopped struggling with his assailant. Whatever it was it felt silky and thin. Bryce threw as much of it off him as he could. "What the H is this?"
"Just get it off you. Right! Now!"
Rainbow Dash and Lyra came barging up the stairs. "What's going on, who screamed?"
Rarity answered, "That was me. I thought something was in my wardrobe, and Bryce was-"
Lyra shined her horn on the human. "Wait, is Bryce covered in...?"
Bryce was finally able to stand up. There was still a piece of whatever it was still on his shoulder. Grabbing onto it, he held it out in front of Lyra's light. "Is this...? By God!" In his hands were a pair of pony sized panties. Looking around his feet, Bryce could see even more panties, as well as a plethora of corsets, stockings, and an assortment of other lingerie. Bryce threw the panties he was holding across the room and freaked out. "AH SICK. GET THESE FUCKING THINGS OFF ME!!!"
They landed on Rainbow's head. "HEY, DON'T THROW THEM ON ME! THAT'S SO UNCOOL!!!"
"SCREW YOU, I WAS COVERED IN THEM!!!"
"THAT'S ENOUGH!!!" Rarity stood between the two. "Honestly, you both act like you never heard of lingerie before."
Lyra agreed with Rarity. "Seriously, you're acting like it's going to choke you to death."
Rarity added, "I made it to sprouse up-"
"AHH, DON'T TELL ME!!! ARE THESE THINGS EVEN CLEAN?!?!?!"
"Of course they are. I haven't even had the pleasure of wearing-."
MRRRROOOWW
The echoing of that last moaning brought Bryce out of his stupor. "Did you hear that, it sounded quieter." Bryce walked over to the stairs. "It sounded like it came from-" He wasn't looking where he was going, however, and slipped on the same panties that had been on his shoulder causing him to tumble down the stairs.
He was stopped in the middle of his descent when his foot got caught in the wall.
Everypony immediately headed down to make sure he was okay.
"Bryce, darling, are you still-"
"Sure, never better." He turned himself so he was sitting upright. "Ahh shit! I'm sorry, Rarity."
"That's alright, let's just get you out of there. Everypony, grab hold of him and let's pull him out." Both unicorn and Rainbow Dash grabbed what they could. "Okay, on three. One... Two... Three!" Everypony pulled with all their might, eventulally pulling Bryce's foot free of the wall.
Now free, Bryce lied back against the wall and let out a sigh of relief. "That's better."
MMMMRRRRRRROOOOOOWWW
Everyone stopped at this last calling. Before it was haunting, but now, now it felt so close it was nerve wracking.
Bryce spoke first. "Okay... did everyone else hear that?"
Everypony nodded.
Bryce got up and looked through the hole in the wall. He could see a pair of pale green orbs looking back. "What the H-"
Without warning, the two orbs jumped out of the hole and planted itself on Bryce's head.
"AHH, SHIT, GET IT OFF, GET IT-" Bryce continued his descent down the stairs, the creature clawing at his face going down with him.
Both Rarity and Lyra froze up. Rainbow Dash, on the other hand, was quick to act as she flew down the stairs over the mares.
When Bryce hit the bottom level he finally managed to grab the furry beast and threw it across the boutique. "Ha, take that you bitch!" When his vision had cleared, the creature was nowhere in sight. He jumped when Rainbow tapped him on the shoulder.
"Where'd it go?"
"I don't know. I threw somewhere in there."
MMRRROOOOW
"It sees us, be ready to fight back." A flash on lightning momentarily lit up the room. "There it is, Blitzkrieg!"
"Yeah, I got this." The cyan pegasus flew at it just as the lightning stopped. She collided with the floor. "Ahh, buck!"
"Did you get it?"
"No, it got-"
MMROOOOW
There was another flash of lightning.
"Rainbow, behind you!"
"What- IT'S ON ME!!!"
Bryce rushed over, using the racket they were creating to find them both. Feeling around, Bryce felt something fluffy. "I got it!"
"Ow, that's my wing!" The creature suddenly stopped sounding out. "It got off me, do you see it?"
"I can't even see my own hand in front of my face." Bryce reached down into his side pocket and pulled out his Zippo. Flicking the flint, it enlighted the room in an orange glow. Bryce whispered, "Do you see anything?"
"No, I... Wait, shine it back over there."
"Where?"
"On those pony looking things."
Bryce brought the flame over towards the ponniquins. The low light showed only a mirror. "Nope, that's not-"
MRRROW
Bryce brought the lighter back around to the source of the mrow. Standing there was the same creature that had been inside the wall. Its white fur shined in the weak flame light. It was a small kitten. It looked scrawny. Bryce looked it directly in the eyes.
He whispered to the rainbow mare, "Rainbow... go find something... to trap it in."
"Like what?"
"It doesn't matter, find something."
Rainbow Dash flew off.
"Hey, nice kitty."
The kitten hissed.
"We're not going to hurt you, we're just going to find something to put you in. Now come on over here."
The kitten stare back at Bryce, never taking her eyes off the much larger human. It took a cautionary step forward.
"That's good. Just a little closer."
The white kitten stepped closer.
"Little more."
It complied.
"Litttttle more."
The kitten came within arms length.
Bryce slowly brought his hand forward. "Now we're just going to put you in a box, don't want you getting away from us. Now come over to me."
The kitten stepped back.
"Come on, don't-"
Rainbow Dash came up from behind and dropped a giant hat box on the kitten. She dropped all her weight on the box to keep it in place. "There, got it!"
Bryce sighed. "Damn it, Blitzkrieg."
"What?"
He held his thumb and pointer finger close together. "I was this close to getting it to come to me."
"Why would you want that?"
"It looks cute."
"*Pppllllease, that thing nearly ripped your face off."
"It was just scared."
Rarity and Lyra finally came trotting down the stairs. "Is everything alright down here?"
"Yeah, Rainbow's got it."
"What was that thing?"
"It looked like a feral kitten."
Rarity came over to the glow of Bryce's lighter. "Really, a kitten? Is it alright?"
"It looked like it hadn't eaten anything in days."
"Oh the poor dear." Rarity trotted over to the hat box. "Rainbow, do you think I could see it?"
"I wouldn't bother, it did a real number on me and my friend here."
Bryce added, "Yeah it... Friend...? That thing scratched up my face."
"It was probably just scared. Rainbow, could you at least lift up an edge?"
"Alright, but don't say I didn't warn you." Rainbow hovered up and lifted the side closest to the white unicorn.
"I can't... Oh, now I see it. Hello there you poor little thing. Why don't you come out and-"
The kitten cried out and threw a clawed paw out at Rarity.
"Ow, you ungrateful... Close it up, Rainbow Dash." Rainbow did so and put all her weight back on top. "I suppose we should give Fluttershy a chance to see if she can talk it down."
Bryce said, "Yeah, she'd know what to do better than we would."
"And thank you, Bryce, for getting it out of the wall... accidently."
"I'm sorry about that."
"I know you are. Now then, ladies, I feel that is all that can be done for now. If you want you can all stay for the night."
Rainbow Dash voiced her disapproval of the idea. "Bleh, there's no way I'm staying here. Find something to put over this thing so I can go home."
Rarity used her magic to levitate a small chest on top of the hat box. Bryce took a knife and puched a few holes in it so the kitten wouldn't suffocate. "Well if you feel you must go. Lyra, Bryce, will either of you be staying?"
Lyra said, "Nah, I need to get home. If I don't then Bon Bon'll have the whole town looking for me."
Bryce stated, "I would leave; but I don't want to get wet and it's too far a walk."
"Well then, I guess this will be where some of us part ways." Rarity eagerly walked over to the front door of the boutique. "Uh please, get back safely you two."
Rainbow Dash and Lyra said their goodbyes and left though the door into the heavy rain.
With them both gone, Rarity turned to Bryce. "Well... now that those two mares are gone it looks like we're all alone."
"Yep."
"Do you feel like eating, or would you prefer to go on to bed?"
"Well I'm more tired than hungry now."
"Is there anything I can do for you?"
"Not really."
Rarity strolled over to Bryce and struck a pose. "Oh, are you sure there's nothing I can do? Nothing at all?" She batted her eyelashes at Bryce.
"I just want to get some sleep. I told Apple Bloom I'd be back in the morning."
Rarity scowled in disappointment. "Okay then, the guest room is this way."
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
The next morning, Bryce got up and had breakfast with Rarity. When he was done he insisted on getting out early before too many of Ponyville's inhabitants awoke. Before he left, Rarity quickly did the necessary modifications to Bryce's shorts and sent him off. Bryce also took the feral kitten along with him in the giant hat box so he could drop it off at Fluttershy's cottage.
Seeing him and his dog out the door, Rarity could only watch in total disbelief. It truly seemed she was the only one who noticed them both as they walked through town. None of the other early risers even took a sideways glance at the duo.
"How in Celestia does he do it? I do hope Fluttershy is able to tame that kitten. Once it's calmed down I'm sure it'd make a lovely pet." She closed the door on that thought and went about cleaning up her boutique.