One day not long after the Nightmare Moon incident a lone pony hiding a deep secret entered Ponyville.
One thousand years ago in her attempt to overthrow Celestia. Nightmare Moon created many creatures to serve her but her first creations, the Nightmare Ponies were so dangerous that she cast them out in fear of what they could do.
A large mare covering their entire body with an oversized cowl entered Ponyville. She looked forward, trying to ignore the gazes of everypony around them. She made her way to the Ponyville Town Hall, she approached the Mayor “Is there anywhere out of the way to stay around here?”
Mayor Mare smiled “There is a small hut near the Everfree Forest, the previous occupants moved out decades ago. Since then no-one has claimed it, it will need some repairs though. I just need you name.”
The mare frowned “Horror Gaze is my name. I don’t hear it very often.”
Mayor Mare nodded “That is a strange name but I won’t pry, if you stay for any length of time I’ll find out eventually. Your new home is in the north part of town right next to the forest.” Horror nodded before leaving, avoiding the townsfolk. From the outside she could see the entire roof had caved in. As soon as she entered the hut the smell of rot assaulted her nose. She saw that the walls were partially decayed and the roof had rotted completely.
Horror groaned, this meant she needed to take another trip into town. She headed back into the town centre only for an energetic pink mare to bounce in front of her shouting out a bunch of babble that she couldn’t make out. She did make out her name but nothing else. Horror frowned “Pinkie, was it? Can you please slow down? I only caught your name.”
Pinkie bounced up and down “I was just going to throw you a welcome to Ponyville party!”
Horror grimaced “I don’t need a party. I don’t like parties, they are too crowded. I don’t like company.”
Pinkie Pie looked sadly at her, Horror turned away with a scowl. Before she could take a step a brash sky blue Pegasus with a rainbow mane flew down growling “How dare you make Pinkie cry! What are you hiding under that cowl!”
Before Horror could stop the Pegasus, her cowl was torn off. Everypony froze in fear, her eyes were pitch black with hundreds of pupils darting in every direction simultaneously. Her humongous jaw had ridiculously oversized razor sharp teeth jutted out of her mouth, her body was elongated with eight huge claw like legs stretching out of her sides with two extra extra claws facing forward. Huge boney spikes stuck out of her back, three massive scorpion tails arched up.
Horror glared at Rainbow “Now you know why I don’t like parties. Who could love this, who could be friends with this? I was hoping to at least stay in this small town for a week.” She stormed away (Where to now, I have just ticked off everyone.)
She then heard a soft voice “Hello?” Horror turned around to see a butterscotch Pegasus with a pink mane smiling at her “Um I’m Fluttershy. Sorry about Rainbow’s rudeness.”
Horror shook her head “Don’t worry about, I am just going to find some other town to stay in.”
Fluttershy frowned “I’ll get them to come around, I thought they wouldn’t do this again. After me and Zecora, you’d think they would learn. I’m done with going along with the status quo.” Horror turned to her with a look of confusion. Fluttershy sighed “I pretended to be scared of Zecora because I didn’t want to be judged or for them to do that again.”
Horror frowned “What do you mean?”
Fluttershy shuddered “Well, um… some ponies started a rumour shortly after I arrived. They said I was a witch going to curse them all and convinced the entire town to burn my cottage to the ground. Rainbow shouted them down and I was alright but I had to rebuild my home.”
Horror frowned “What happened to them?”
Fluttershy tapped her hooves “They are locked in Canterlot dungeons for inciting mob violence.”
Horror then smacked face with her claws “I forgot to get supplies to reconstruct my hut.”
Fluttershy smiled “You can sleep on my couch for the night, just don’t mind the animals.”
Horror nodded “Thank you for your kindness.”
Fluttershy guided Horror to her cottage, it was quaint little place surrounded by multiple animal burrows. She followed Fluttershy in only to see an angry white bunny jumping up and down. The bunny threw a carrot at Fluttershy, Horror stepped forward and glared at the rabbit. The rabbit leapt back before turning to Fluttershy, he jumped up and down rapidly as Horror laid down on the green couch.
Fluttershy shook her head “Don’t say that Angel Bunny, she is just staying for a few days until she can get her home sorted out.” Fluttershy turned to Horror “Um, can you give me your name?’
Horror gave her best smile which came off more as a creepy grin “My name is Horror Gaze.”
Fluttershy frowned “Who would name their foal that. It sounds like they wanted your name to sound scary.”
Horror chuckled “Well my Father’s name was Terri Fying and Mother’s name was Horri Fic. There’s also my cousin Horrific Screaming and my uncle Nightmarish Torture.” She then grimaced “The world considered us monster so we ended up using names that fit that, if we couldn’t escape that distinction then we would own that distinction. Still I’m one of the few who have tried to live among other ponies and it has been quite hard.”
Fluttershy smiled “Well how about I put on some tea.”
As Fluttershy left the room, Horror felt a small kick against her side. Horror turned to glare at Angel who a blew raspberry at her. She glared at him “Listen here rabbit, the only reason I have not eaten you for that is that Fluttershy likes you. Don’t expect me to yield to you during my stay, however brief it may be.”
They were interrupted by a knock on the door, Horror frowned as Fluttershy trotted out and opened the door only to see the Alicorn of the Sun, Princess Celestia and the Alicorn of the Night, Princess Luna standing outside the door. Horror cursed under her breath.
Horror and Fluttershy were sitting across from Celestia and Luna. The air was bubbling with tension, Celestia tried to alleviate some of the tension “Horror was it? Could you explain your origins?”
Horror snarled “Ask your sister what she did! She knows what I am better than anyone.” At Luna’s silence Horror gave her a nasty smirk “So you don’t want to tell her. Fine then I will.” She then turned to Celestia “Your sister created us to kill you and every pony who opposed her rule. She pulled my ancestors from their homes and took us to the Soulstealer Forest. The one place where the Nightmare could cross into the real world. There she fused Nightmare into ponies creating us Nightmare Ponies or just Nightmares.”
Celestia turned to her sister who was looking away “Is this true?”
Luna was looking away, Horror growled “Face the truth. You know what you did!”
Fluttershy glared at her “Enough, she has been punished enough! One thousand years in the cold, lonely darkness of the moon was enough!” Horror felt a wave of fear run down her spine from the mare’s eyes rendering her silent.
Celestia frowned turning to Horror “I just came here to make sure you weren’t a threat to my ponies. Can I guarantee that you won’t harm them?”
Fluttershy turned away from Horror, Horror took a couple of deep breath before frowning “I am carnivorous, that should be obvious from my teeth but I have no intention of hurting ponies. Don’t assume that every member of my kind is like that though. Some will chow down on a pony without a second thought.”
Celestia nodded “There is plenty of food to be found in the Everfree Forest if you are willing to risk it.”
Horror chuckled “Compared to the dangers in the Soulstealer Forest there is nothing in there I can’t handle. In that forest, there are dragons the size of mountains. A hydra would be easy prey for me and as for an Ursa Major well I have no need to hunt such large prey for just myself.”
Celestia smiled “Well I’ll leave you two be. Have a good day.” She ferried her sister out of the small cottage.
Fluttershy turned to Horror, she sighed “Horror, I understand you are very angry at Princess Luna but that was not the polite thing to do. Please don’t do that again.”
Horror slumped “I’m sorry, just the fact that she was there made my blood boil.” She then grimaced “I was trying not to be be mad. If I was not trying to contain my anger, I would have leapt over the table and ripped her throat out. By my kind’s standard I was being quite calm, most of them would have attacked her on sight and would have then tried to kill Celestia to just for being related to her.”
Fluttershy grimaced “You kind really hates her.”
Horror chuckled “We are taught that she is the enemy from the moment we can walk and that she is the enemy of all life and is top priority for extermination. That she is a horrifying monster that must be annihilated.”
Fluttershy shook her head “How about we speak about something else? Do you wish to accompany me to the market, I need to pick up some fruit?”
Horror smiled “As long as you don’t mind.”
Fluttershy smiled “I’ll get my saddlebags.” As Fluttershy headed up the stairs several birds perched on Horror’s back, they tweeted at Horror who smiled at them.
Fluttershy left her room to see most of the animals perched all over Horror, Harry the bear standing at the back. Angel Bunny glaring at Horror from the bear’s shoulder. Horror blinked “Why aren’t they scared of me?”
Fluttershy smiled “They don’t see you as a threat. I trust so they know they can trust you as well.” Horror and Fluttershy headed into the town market.
One dark grey mare dark blue stallion stomped over to them “Fluttershy, could you kindly take you pet back home?”
Horror glared at him “Who are you calling a pet? Now go back to your business.” Horror could hear the murmurs of the crowd.
They soon arrived a stand selling fruit, Fluttershy smiled at a silver unicorn with dark red mane “Um can I have a small basket of strawberries?”
The unicorn frowned at her “That will be sixty bits?”
Fluttershy looked down at her saddle bags, Horror moved forward “Excuse me but I believe you are taking advantage of this poor mare. Sixty bits for a small basket of ten strawberries is outrageous, I have lived in some of the most remote towns that only get about forty strawberries a month and they charge thirty bits for ten strawberries. As this town is so close to Canterlot, Strawberries aren’t that hard to get. So I suggest you make it more reasonable.”
The mare nodded rapidly “Ten bits for a basket!”
Fluttershy put the bits on the table and took her basket. Fluttershy smiled “Thank you for that Horror.”
Horror smiled “It’s fine, you are giving me a place to stay while I sort out everything. Do you mind if I check out my hut on the way.” Fluttershy nodded. As they approached Horror frowned, the roof had been fixed. They poked their heads in only for Pinkie, Rainbow, Twilight, Applejack and Rarity to jump out shouting “Welcome to Ponyville!”
Horror looked around at the party set up in her newly refurbished hut. She smiled “Thank you for fixing up my place.”
Pinkie bounced over “Since you didn’t like large parties I thought that small one with just me and my friends would suit you better.”
Horror gave her a hug with her front claws “Thank you, I am surprised you went thought all this effort fro me after I was so rude earlier. I apologise.”
Applejack nudged Rainbow forward, Rainbow sighed “I’m sorry too. I should have tried to be more understanding. I screwed up.”
Horror let a deep chuckle “Relax, I might actually enjoy this party. Let’s not bring it down with a apologies.” A loud and long party was had, going long into the night.