The night was young and cool air blew in Fluttershy’s face, keeping her awake as she snuck through the dim meadow. The moon rose hesitantly, not wanting to alarm her.

“Angel, where are you? It’s getting late!” She called out to the darkness. He hadn’t been home in a few hours, and naturally she had gotten worried. “Angel?”

Crunch.

“EEP!” Fluttershy shrieked, curling up in a ball on the grass. For a while she passively lay there, hearing nothing but her own blood rushing in her ears.

Crunch. It was soft, almost like a hoofstep.

“...I-is somepony there?” She stood up shakily and looked about. Nothing.

“I should calm down, I’m just imagining things...” she murmured under her breath, “I’ll g-go back home and Angel should be there...” She made her way in the direction of her cottage, a small source of light far away. The trees of the Everfree Forest loomed behind her, but she was steadily getting further from them.

Crunch.

Frightened, Fluttershy broke into a trot, over hill after hill towards her house. In her haste she stumbled over a rock and skidded to catch herself. Then she saw it out of the corner of her eye. A tall, thin, black thing. She froze.

The thing turned to look at her, and though it was dark, its purple rectangular eyes were glowing with their own particular light. It held in its elongated arms a chunk of dirt. Now it faced Fluttershy.

“Um... hello?” the pony managed to squeak out, too scared to move. For all the world it looked a harbinger of her doom. It was so tall and dark, and square. It whispered a disquiet warble.

The thing paused ominously, and after a moment turned away as if disregarding her, as if she was not interesting enough to warrant its attention. Carrying the dirt, it purposefully ambled into the depths of the Everfree, leaving Fluttershy’s heart full of unsatisfied fear.