//------------------------------// // It Followed Me // Story: It Dwells in Darkness // by MisterNick //------------------------------// The school bell clanged loudly from its belfry as the excited foals hurriedly gathered up their belongings and made their way toward the exit. Cheerilee shouted out a couple of reminders on homework that would be due the next day as she watched her students exit the school. Zipporwhill watched them as well, keeping an eye out on the front door where the container of salt lay waiting, just as Diamond Tiara had promised. Zipporwhill waited as the last set of hooves charged out the door. She flapped her wings rapidly and zipped toward the entry way a whirring sound filled the classroom as she hurried toward the exit. “Just where do you think you’re going young lady,” asked Cheerilee just as the young pegasus had reached the door frame. Zipporwhill gulped as she searched for an answer. Her eyes darted back and forth until she said, “I was just going to close the door Miss Cheerilee.” Cheerilee sighed quietly, “Well, close it and help me get this room back in order. I honestly didn’t expect that arts and crafts would be as messy as it was. Next time it’s crayons and no glue.” “Yes Miss Cheerilee,” said Zipporwhill shutting the door behind her, the salt still outside. The chalk dust coated the outside of the school as Zipporwhill rapidly banged the erasers. As she brought the two erasers together with loud thud after loud thud the pegasus watched as the shadows began to grow slowly across the playground. She gulped quietly as she looked over at her teacher who was having a difficult time removing some gum that had been placed under one of the desks. Scootaloo and her friends were nowhere to be found and the dimmer the light got the more worried Zipporwhill became. “Miss Cheerilee,” said Zipporwhill over her shoulder, “Can I ask you something?” “As long as it’s not what flavor of gum is under Snails’ desk yes.” “Do you know what a shade is? Like the ghost type of shade. Like Sombra’s Shades.” Cheerilee cocked her head to the side puzzled, “Well it’s a little early for Nightmare Night isn’t it? Why do you want to know about something like that?” “Are they real?” Cheerilee shook her head, “Well, that is something you’d study in a college literature course but, no. Sure there are stories about them and those specific ones. Some stories even say you could summon them but, they’re just stories. Nothing to worry about.” Zipporwhill froze the moment Cheerilee mentioned that shades could be summoned. She bit her lip as she carried the two clean erasers back to the chalkboard and muttered to herself quietly before looking squarely at her teacher, “If they were real, could they be destroyed?” “Honestly Zipporwhill what’s gotten into you,” asked Cheerilee a slight tenor of concern now in her voice. Before Zipporwhill could answer her question a loud bang rang throughout the classroom making both student and teacher jump. The sweet and sour smell of death slowly filled the air; Zipporwhill gasped and backed into the corner farthest from the door. Cheerilee, now very concerned, hurried to Zipporwhill’s side, “Hey now it’s okay. What’s wrong?” Zipporwhill mutely pointed toward the door as she hid behind her teacher. Cherilee looked down at her and placed a hoof on her head, “It’s okay. Those are just the trash collectors. They’re always here around this time today.” Yet, even those assurances couldn’t calm Zipporwhill who now clutched her teacher’s back leg. “Okay okay,” said Cheerilee as she embraced her frightened student, “Listen I’m going to go out there and tell them to be quieter alright? I’ll be back real quick okay?” Cheerilee gently unwrapped her leg from Zipporwhill’s grip and motioned for her to stay put before heading to the door. She opened it and propped it open with a small waste basket, as she began to shout and walk toward where the trash collectors were, “Hey Emilio, Sheen what did I tell you before about banging those cans around?” “No Miss Cheerilee,” quietly squeaked Zipporwhill. She stared at the door and the basket that propped it open. The air grew heavy with death as the young filly cowered behind the desk and watched the door and the waste basket. The sounds of the arguing ponies fading until the only thing Zipporwhill could hear was hear own heart’s rapid pounding and her own ragged breathing. Zipporwhill’s wings sat paralyzed at her sides as the silence continued to spread the sound of her heart and breathing rapidly became a whisper. She would have to run for it. If she could get outside, into the sunlight she would have a chance. Slowly the young filly stood her, legs wobbling violently. She took a shaky deep breath and counted, “Five… four… three….” On three the waste basket lurched from its position and flew across the room at the young filly. Zipporwhill opened her mouth to scream but, her voice remained strangled deep in her throat. The classroom door slammed shut with a loud bang. Slowly from within the desk nearest to the door the inky black form of the shade spilled onto the floor. Zipporwhill eyes bulged, her legs again, paralyzed by the cold claws of fear that held her firmly in place. The shade oozed from the door to the next row of chairs, then the next until it was directly in front of Zipporwhill, staring down at her. Zipporwhill gasped trying to scream. Tears ran down her cheeks her heart pounded through her chest; every muscle in her body wanted to move, to fly, to escape and all unable to do so as the dark mass slid closer to her until it was on top of her. In the distance she heard it, the forgotten sound of a young foal’s scream that echoed through the mists of time. The screams of five betrayed and forgotten souls rang in her ears, her own voice joining them before the thud of an axe silenced them. The world went black.