The Recluse

by Live Light

Chapter 6: Psycho

The film was beginning to start. Light and Fluttershy both swallowed hard, hoping this wouldn't be too terrifying. It began with the Paramount Pictures logo. After it had left, tense music suddenly appeared, making Fluttershy cringe, and Light curious as to what's to come. Horizontal lines began appearing on the otherwise blank screen, and uncovered the lettering: Alfred Hitchcock's... The lines appeared again, but at a faster pace, carrying the next lettering like a wave: Psycho. Bits of the lettering began to shift, making the title a bit obscure, then split in half, and both the pieces went opposite ways in a vertical fashion, as more lines, also vertical, appeared. The process continued as the names of the actors appeared in the following order: Anthony Percolts, Vera Mares, and John Gavin. Names of the co-stars appeared in the similar fashion, while the music's strings became tenser and more frightening. The final lettering with the actors came up: And Janet Neigh as Marerion Crane. As the titles continued, the music began to put Light off a bit. Eventually, they revealed who was behind the music.

"Curse you, Bernard Neighmann." Proclaimed Light.

As the movie continued, Marerion Crane was driving an auto-mobile, looking into the camera, as there were voices discussing the matter of her embezzling her employer's client. At the end of the car sequence, the rain was starting to hinder the car's windows, making it hard to see through them. Marerion had arrived at the Bates Motel.

"Uh oh..." Said Light.

"Is anything bad going to happen now?" Fluttershy asked, trying hard to keep her calm.

"I don't think they'll make it an immediate death-trap... we're okay for now."

Later on in the film, Marerion is speaking to the owner of the motel, Norman Bates, as played by Anthony Percolts. He seems like a charming stallion right now.

"Is your time so empty?" Marerion asked.

"No, uh..." Norman paused. "W-well, I run the office... and uh, tend the cabins and grounds and er... and do a little, er, errands for my mother..."

"Um... he seems kinda nice..." Fluttershy commented.

"Yeah... a bit like you. ...Er, well, if you lived in a suspicious hotel, and... err, well, if you were a stallion..." He rubs his mane, blushing a bit at how badly his comment was to him. Fluttershy blushed a little as well. The movie continued.

"Do you go out with friends?" Marerion inquired.

Norman was silent for a moment. He took a moment to clear his throat, then spoke. "W-well, a boy's best friend is his mother." After a moment, he said, smiling in a friendly way, "You've never had an empty moment in your entire life, have you?"

"Only my share," she replied.

"Where are you going?" After a moment of silence from Marerion, he timidly says, "I didn't mean to pry..."

"I'm looking for a private island." she eventually replied.

This prompted the following question from Norman. "What are you running away from?"

Marerion looked a little bit suspicious and curious. "Why do you ask that?"

"No... people never run away from anything." He replied.

Light looked a bit disturbed...

"Something wrong, Light?" Fluttershy asked.

"Okay, now I'm a bit creeped out by him.

Norman began talking about how he thought that everyone is in their own private metaphorical traps, and how he says he was born in his trap, and doesn't mind it.

"Oh, but you should. You should mind it." Marerion commented.

"Oh, I do, but I say I don't." He replied, chuckling. In the cottage, Light was looking around the place uncomfortably, before resuming his viewing of the film.

A few minutes later in the film, they're still talking, now about the matter of Norman's abusive mother. Marerion has suggested she be placed in an institution. Norman had rejected the idea, but considered it.

"Of course... I've considered it myself... but I hate to even think about it. She needs me. I-it's not as if she were a... a maniac... a raving thing... She just goes... a little mad sometimes." Marerion gave an uncertain look, but he continued, "We all go a little mad sometimes." He then gave a bit of a grin that made Light think he was hoping he was right, as he concluded, "Haven't you?"

"Yeah, now it's a bit obvious he's getting creepy..." Light said.

"I have to agree... but he still seems like he means well..." Fluttershy replied.

"That's why it's so creepy."

As the movie continued, Marerion went into the shower. Light and Fluttershy knew what was gonna happen already. They'd known about it enough to know this was the famous shower scene. Their fears were confirmed as the door opened, from the camera's viewpoint behind the curtains. The figure came closer, and pulled the curtains open, holding a knife. The mane looked a bit too grown to be Norman's. And so began the screaming from both Marerion and Fluttershy, who covered her eyes so she wouldn't have to see it. Light just watched with one eye barely open. The screams, and the all too familiar string music was very frightening. As the figure left, Light could see the mare was in a bun, like an old mare might have. Fluttershy opened her eyes, as the screaming had stopped, and apparently decided the remaining moments of the scene were just enough for her. The camera, at this point, was zooming out from Marerion's eye. Light and Flutters shared their thoughts at this sort of small intermission.

"...That was scary..." squeaked Fluttershy.

"It was... yeah." Light replied.

"D-did y-you see who i-it was?"

"Not exactly, but considering the mane looked like the sort an old mare might have... it might be safe to assume it's Norman's mother."

"W-why would she do such a thing?"

"...I guess that's why this film is called Psycho..."

A lot further into the film, Detective Arbogast is investigating the Motel, and sees that there is somepony at a window, with the light on. It looks like an old mare. Norman noticed his presence.

"O-oh, change your mind?" He said, as he walked over to Arbogast. Arbogast had previously said he was going to stay, as his story of how Marerion had apparently left two weeks earlier, which he had probably said to defend his mother, wasn't very convincing to him. "You know... I guess I have one of those faces you just can't help believing."

"You have no idea, Normy." Said Light.

They began to discuss the figure at the window, whom Norman insists is his mother. When Arbogast asks him, for the sake of argument, if Marerion had asked him to hide her, if he would know he was being fooled or not, to which he had replied he is incapable of being fooled. Arbogast had asked to see his mother about the matter, to which he refuses, and asks him to leave due to his persistence. However, he'd later gone into the house he saw the figure in. He began to slowly walk up the steps. The camera cuts to a door being quietly opened. Light and Fluttershy looked apprehensive about it. As Arbogast reached the top of the steps, the familiar screeching of the Psycho music came on, and the old mare suddenly appeared out the door that opened, getting a scream out of Fluttershy and a yelp from Light, as the mare slashes his face. This causes Arbogast to fall down the stairs in what looks like a perfectly balanced stairs tap-dance scene. When he reached the bottom of the stairs, the mare appeared, to stab him fatally. Light's reaction to this was the following:

"...That was an unfair scare..."

Fluttershy simply nodded, and whimpered.

"You okay? We can stop watching if you want." Light offered.

Fluttershy thought for a moment... "...U-um... let's watch a bit more..."

Light nodded, and the two continued to watch the film.

It was much later in the film, and the two were shocked to hear that, apparently, Norman's mother has been dead for 10 years. Marerion's sister Lila, and Marerion's boyfriend Sam arrived to investigate. At this point of the film, Norman has arrived at the house, while Lila is hiding under the stairway from him. After he goes upstairs, Lila decides to investigate the fruit cellar, and finds Mrs. Bates... or what's left of her preserved corpse, anyway. This gets a genuine scream from Lila, Fluttershy and Light, and to make matters worse, Norman just appeared, dressed in his mother's clothing, with a wig, a manic look on his face, and also holding a knife. Fluttershy, at this point, was really scared, and buried her face in Light's coat for protection. Light was momentarily distracted from the fear, and looked at Fluttershy for a moment, who was whimpering. He decided to let her cling to him, and viewed the disturbing scene. As Norman ran to stab at Lila, while yelling something that sounded a bit like, "I'm Norma Bates," Sam appeared, and subdued him. Eventually, the scene was over, and the two breathed a sigh of relief.

They eventually find out that Norman Bates, 10 years ago, had grown jealous of his mother and a new lover of hers, and had killed them both. Because he couldn't take the guilt, he stole his mother's corpse and preserved it, and developed another personality, the new one based around his mother. Whenever Norman showed any signs of attraction to any mare, Mother would take over, and murder them.

Norman now sits in a cell, his personality no longer exists... Mother has taken over. Mother goes about the events of what got 'her' arrested.

"It's sad when a mother has to say the words that condemn her own son, but I couldn't allow them to believe I would commit murder. They'll put him away now, as I should have. Years ago. He was always bad, and in the end, he intended to tell them I killed those mares and that stallion, as if I could do anything except just sit and stare, like one of his stuffed birds. They know I can't move a hoof. And I won't. I'll just sit here and be quiet, just in case they do suspect me. They're probably watching me. Well, let them. Let them see what kind of a pony I am. I'm not even going to swat that fly. I hope they are watching... they'll see and they'll know, and they'll say... 'Why, she wouldn't even harm a fly...'" Norman Bates gave a dark, malicious smile to the camera, making it even more disturbing. Before the film ends, the camera transitions to the auto-mobile Marerion had been driving in, and which Norman had sunk, being pulled back to land by a chain, and the words 'THE END' accompanied the scene. As the credits rolled, Light walked over to the player, and pressed the eject button, place the disc into the box-set, and pressed the eject button to close the player. He walked over to Fluttershy.

"You alright, Flutters?"

She nodded. "I'm okay."

"You sure?"

"W-well... it was... very scary..."

"It was. And that's okay, I feel like I've accomplished someth-" He's cut off as he's suddenly hugged by Fluttershy. Oh, wow what's happening this feels really good yet really sudden what do I do!? He stands in surprise for a bit, then returns the embrace. He catches sight of his watch... Still have a few hours until night-time... After they pull back from the hug, Light has a think about what he'd like to do.

"I might work on my novel now. What about you?"

"I'm going to go care for the animals outside." She replied.

Light nods. "Sounds good. See you in a moment, then?"

"Yeah... see you soon, Light."

And with that, Fluttershy walked to the door and left. Well, not before looking back and giving Light a D'AWWWWorthy smile. As she leaves to go to the garden, Light walks over to his bag, takes some things out of it until he finds a notepad. He looks around to make sure no animals are around to interrupt him. He nods, satisfied, and begins work.

AUTHOR'S NOTE

Well, now, that took longer than I thought... glad I got that over with. I wonder if I should do a spin-off some time by re-imagining the film/novel, only with Poniez. ...Maybe when I feel I've done enough with this to take a break. Anyway, this chapter is over and done with. More will be coming. See ya'll.

Comments

[that one hacker]

good show sir

[Live Light]

1355895

Indubitably.

And thank you for the positive comment.

Indubitably.

[Rainbowblitz]

okaaaaaaaaaaaaaay whats with the

[Error117]

1358370 It's the mustache, mustaches make everything classier by 15%

[Brony Dragon]

1365143yes, my man