//------------------------------// // What Is This Feeling? // Story: Night Fright // by Peewee the Dragon //------------------------------// A week has passed since the incident. Mom left town at once without saying so much as a goodbye. But I wasn't to worried about him, to say the least. Button and GameChanger's parents let me move in with them, which I was thankful for. They all welcomed me like family, which was more than my mother had ever done. The Colts and I still went up to the mansion on the hill. Each time, Night Fright welcomed us with hooves. He still loved to show us neat little tricks and play harmless practical jokes on us. I knew that the Colts parents still didn't fully approve, but they knew that I would take good care of them. The last few days, I've felt very strange. Every time I looked at Night Fright, I've felt this odd sensation in the pit of my stomach. My heart would start to pound wildly in my chest and my breath would get caught in my throat. I noticed that I stuttered a lot more frequently when I was near him, which I could not understand; I have never stuttered. Not when I talk to other Ponies, not during public speaking. Never. So why was I starting all of a sudden? I've also noticed that Night Fright has been looking at me oddly lately. There is a certain emotion in his eyes, but I can't figure out what it is. I have thought it over several times, though the only answer that I've come up with is ridiculous. "Come on, Button, GameChanger, we're going up to the mansion today!" I yelled up the stairs. I soon heard the sound of hooves as they ran from their rooms and toward the staircase. I saw them at the top, an eager and excited look on both of their faces. I chuckled and watched them as they bounded down each step, pushing to be the first down. I walked toward the front door with them following behind me. After we went to Pipsqueak's house, we started our long walk up the seemingly never-ending hill. The Colt's were all fooling around and talking among themselves, so I was left alone with my thoughts. The thoughts of Night Fright's kind features filled my mind. His strong jaw, framed by his beautiful black curls. His deep brown eyes that were so kind. But what stuck out the most were his enticing lips. The way they curved as he smiled his heart-warming smile, the way they moved as he sung, but most of all, the way they formed when he said my name. The familiar sign came into view, reading "Someplace Else". I instantly smiled, realizing that it would only be a short time before I saw the man that had invaded my thoughts. The gate creaked open, welcoming us. As we made our way into the mansion, I could see the Colts nearly bouncing as they raced each other to the front door. I quickly started to run after them, easily passing them. As I did, I turned my head to look at them, sticking my tongue out teasingly. I reached the doors seconds before GameChanger, who glared playfully at me. The other two caught up, showing the same expression when they caught their breath. "That wasn't fair, Peppermint!" Button claimed, I smiled down at him, shaking my head. "What wasn't fair?" a heavenly voice asked, grabbing our attention. "Peppermint cheated!" Pipsqueak piped up, pouting at Night Fright. He looked up at me, smirking. Oh no. "Well, we'll just have to teach her a lesson, won't we?" he teased, staring straight into my eyes. The young Colts cheered at the idea, running off down the hall. "Be careful!" I shouted after them, watching as their small bodies eventually disappeared. I turned my gaze back to Night Fright. "Should I be worried?" I asked, referring to his mention of payback. "No," he told me, "you should be scared." That was the last thing he said before disappearing into thin air. For an hour, I wandered down the long corridors, peaking into some of the rooms. At one point, I came across a beautiful bedroom. Though it was dark and obviously hadn't been touched for years, going by the thick layers of dust that covered all of the objects, it was amazing. The once white walls were covered in portraits of what I assumed were family members. I made my way over to the long fading white curtains that reached the floor. Pulling them back, I returned my gaze to the room, which seemed even more mesmerizing in the light. The fireplace was opposite of a large bed, covered in a white sheet with flowers sewn on. I walked over to it, sitting down. I closed my eyes, burning the picture into my mind. I had always dreamed of having a room as gorgeous as this. I stood again, going over to the fireplace. I gently laid my hoof upon the mantle, staring at the small clock that sat on top of it. "This was my sister's room," a voice said from behind me. I spun around to see Night Fright standing there, a faint smile gracing his lips. "What happened to her?" I asked curiously, glancing around the room. I heard him sigh. "Her husband happened. Well, her fiancé," he corrected himself, "they lived together in a small house about three towns over and I guess one night he came home angry." I could see that tears were beginning to form in his eyes. "He accused her of cheating on him, but everypony knew that she didn't. Even him; he just wanted to let his anger out on somepony. He hurt her, then he killed her," his voice faltered as he stared at the ground. He seemed to become angry in a split second, furiously wiping his eyes, "I should have done something, I should have seen what he did to her every night! He hit her, yet I was too dumb to notice! God, why couldn't I have seen it?" he collapsed onto the bed with tears pouring out of his eyes and down his cheeks. I sat beside him and instinctively wrapped my arms around him. He held onto me as he wept, reminding me of a small child. He seemed so frail. It made my heart ache to see him upset; he shouldn't have to hurt this way. "Shhh, it's okay, Night Fright," I tried to sooth him, running one of my hooves through his soft mane, "you couldn't have known. It wasn't your fault." He sniffed, pulling away from me. His eyes were red and tears still ran down his face. I reached up, wiping them away as we stared into each others eyes. I felt as if I could see into his soul at that moment. It sounds odd, yes, but it was true. I could see the pain that he had endured, but I could also see the happiness and kindness shine through. There was guilt, confusion, anger, longing and that unknown emotion that I could not place my finger upon. I felt vulnerable, for I knew that he could see my every emotion as well. I could feel his hot breath on my face. My hooves still rested on his cheeks. He began to lean his head down, as he was much taller than I. His face came closer to mine, causing my heart to race more than it already was. It felt as if it were going to leap out of my chest and I could swear that he could hear it. I could see him hesitate, so I tilted my head up to meet him half way, closing my eyes. His soft lips pressed against mine, sending electric bolts through my body. I moved my hooves gently over the surface of his cheek as I wrapped them around his neck. He slithered his around my waist, pulling me closer. He was so careful, as if he could break me if he did something wrong. It felt like I was in heaven, but the blissful moment ended all too soon as we pulled away for air. My eyes remained closed a second longer, savoring the moment. My lips tingled, felling cold without his warmth against them. When I opened my eyes, He was looking down at me with that unknown emotion in his eyes. I was now certain of what it was. It was the emotion, that up until a few moments ago, I thought was a ridiculous possibility. The emotion was love. He was the first to speak, "Masquerade," he said simply. I was confused. Masquerade? Who was Masquerade? He must have seen my expression, because he chuckled. "That;s my name; Masquerade," he clarified. "Well, Masquerade. Do you do this with all the Mares that come to visit you?" I whispered jokingly. I'm sure that no one had been up here for a long time until the kids and I first came up about a month ago. He shook his head, smiling. "No, only with the pretty ones," he answered, gazing lovingly into my eyes. He leaned in again, giving me another brief kiss, before he began to tickle my sides. I fell back onto the bed, laughing. "Stop, Masquerade," I tried to say in between laughter. He continued to run his hooves along my side, causing me to laugh even more. He eventually stopped, laying back beside me on the bed, staring at the ceiling as I caught my breath. He turned his head to look at me and I did the same to him. His eyes were no longer red. "You're beautiful," he whispered, surprising me. No one had ever told me that before. I could feel my cheeks grow warm as I blushed, causing him to chuckle. To change the subject, I told him, "We should go find the boys." To which he reluctantly agreed. He got up, pulling me with him. He still held my hoof as he pulled me out of the room. He seemed to regain his childish energy back, for he began to run down the hall, dragging me along behind. We were both laughing for no reason in particular. Before entering the room we had been in only a week ago, he stopped me. "I must warn you, they have something very spooky prepared for you," he told me, "but don't worry, I'll protect you," he smiled. "Than what is there to be afraid of?" I turned back to the doors and entered, dropping Masquerade's hoof. It seemed as though I had entered an empty room, for it was deadly silent. In a second, one of the creatures was in front of me. I thought that he was going to attempt to scare me, but he only held out his front leg. I looked back to where Masquerade was last standing, only to see that he was no longer there. The creature was waiting patiently, so I looped my leg through his, placing my hoof on the inner side of his elbow. I took a moment to look at him closer. He wasn't the same as he was the last time I had saw him; he no longer resembled a monster, he looked like a semi-normal Stallion. My eyes must have been playing tricks on me, for it seemed as though he was becoming more normal looking as we approached the next room. His clothes no longer had holes in them and his skin was only slightly paler than my own. I looked around for something that I knew was going to jump out, but nothing happened. The halls were no longer familiar, as I had never been in this part of the mansion. It was beautiful, to say the least. There was a light seeping out of the cracks around a door at the end of the hall. As we approached it, I could hear faint music playing. It was the type of music that had no words, for the emotion in each note described it better than any words could. Turning to the Stallion beside me, I now saw that he was clad in an early Equestrian style suit. He looked like somepony I had seen before and when I stared at him a second longer, it clicked. He was a Pony from one of the portraits in Masquerade's sister's room! When we reached the door at the end of the hallway, he turned to me and bowed, then opened the door. If I had thought the halls were beautiful, this must have been my own personal heaven. It seemed like a ball room; there was a large floor with nothing on it except two table at one side of the room. There were chandeliers hanging from the ceiling, each holding at least two dozen candles. The music was being played by a band of well dressed men in one of the corners. As soon as I stepped into the room, I felt an odd sensation come over my body. I looked to see that I was no longer wearing my glasses and Saddle Bag. I was now wearing a red floor length dress. Its sleeves reached the middle of my Front leg, ending in a black lace trim. The bodice had a beaded pattern on it that lead down to a black ribbon that tied around my waist into a bow at the back. When I lifted my gaze again, I saw a Stallion standing in the middle of the room. His dark black curls gave away his identity at once. I walked towards him, seeing that there was no one else in the room except the band. Just as I was about to reach him, he turned, taking my breath away. He had his usual dress pants and loose white shirt on, along with a black, single-breasted suit jacket. In reality, he didn't look much different than when I saw him only minutes before, but it must have been the lighting, because he looked like a prince. A king perhaps suited him better. He extended his hoof to me, which I took, looking at him curiously. He bent down, placing a gentle kiss on the back of it. "May I have this dance?" he asked me, hope in his breath taking eyes. "Of course," I replied, still entranced. He placed his hoof on my waist and I put mine on his shoulder, while our other hooves were still entwined. He led me in the dance that I was unfamiliar with. I was looking at our hooves, trying to figure out the steps so I wouldn't step on his hooves, but he took his hoof from mine and lifted my chin before placing it back where it had been. "Don't look down, my dear Peppermint; I can't see your beautiful face," he told me, sincerity in his eyes. I smiled at him, my cheeks turning red. "But I don't know this dance," I said nervously. "Relax and look into my eyes. Let your body flow with the music," he instructed. I stared into his eyes, just as he dipped me back. He pulled me up, smiling all the while. Out of the corner of my eyes, I could see others appear out of no where. Stallions and Mares all dressed in their best, dancing like they were born to. We were in the center on the room, right in the middle of it all. But Masquerade didn't seem to notice any of the other Ponies around us. He still stared at my face, his hooves moving like an expert, while mine were only novice. If he minded, he didn't let on that he did. We danced until the song was over, though even when it ended, we were reluctant to stop. We stood, still in the middle of the ball room, while the others continued to dance, a new song starting right after the last. I looked up at Masquerade, both of my hooves in his larger ones and he tilted his head down to see me better. "This doesn't look like something the boys would plan," I said to him, smiling. He returned the gesture as he answered. "They're saving their revenge for later," as he spoke, there was a mischievous gleam in his eyes, "this was my revenge." "And tell me, Masquerade, what did I do to deserve such a cruel punishment?" I teased, smirking. "You walked in this house a month ago and stole my heart."