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Description
Embracing the Dark

By NinetailWyndfox

“Please, Brad,” I begged. “Don’t go. You don’t even know what happened to Nick and the others.”

“Ed,” Brad said firmly. “Four of us disappeared ever since Nick led some of them to that mansion on Green Acres. Someone has to go.”

Without another word, Brad left through an opening in a wired fence and ran towards the direction of the sunset. A week had passed since then.

Brad had never returned.

~~

My name is Edward. But, people call me Ed. I never knew who my parents were. I was only told my first name and my parents’ accident. Since being dumped in this orphanage, the only thing I’ve known was torture and misery by my caretaker. The only reason I’m still living was because of my friends Nick, Brad, Sam, Kelly, Kara, Laura, and Brooke. I’ve always been dependent on them for comfort and times of loneliness. I figured they were worth all the punishment.

But, everything changed when, a month ago, Nick had learned of a mansion in Green Acres. Hearing rumors that it was abandoned, he had convinced Sam, Kelly, and Kara to join him to see if they can escape and create a new life there. He promised to return for us on the okay. Three weeks had passed, and neither Nick nor the others came back. Brad had gotten worried, so he left as well and promised to return in a few days. But a week already passed, and I’m already worried.

~~

10:00 PM | Outside the orphanage

Laura, Brooke, and I were running in the dark to distancing ourselves from the horrid orphanage we once resided in. Once at a safe distance, we stopped to catch our breath.

“Whew!” Brooke panted. “I never thought we’d make it out.”

“Well maybe, if Ed hadn’t slowed us down, we would’ve gotten out faster.”

“Laura!” Brooke exclaimed. “It’s not his fault he’s afraid of the dark.”

“It’s okay, Brooke,” I said. “It was my idea in the first place. I really shouldn’t be afraid of the dark anymore.”

“I don’t care,” Brooke argued. “Laura, apologize.”

“…Sorry,” Laura said.

“L-like I said,” I said. “It’s okay. Anyway, let’s go.”

We walked for, maybe, fifteen minutes and came across a sign saying, “Green Acres. Your Fresh Start.”

“This must be the place,” Ed pointed out.

“Looks like it,” commented Laura.

“Hey, I see lights,” Brooke said pointing in the distance. “I’ll bet that’s where the mansion that Nick mentioned is.”

“I wonder who lives there,” Ed asked.

“Let’s just find them,” Laura said as she walked ahead.

We made their way to the mansion. The large shadowy shape in front of them gave off an ominous feeling, especially to me. Then, to Brooke and my surprise, Laura went and opened the door silently.

“Laura,” I whispered harshly. “What are you doing?”

“Nick and everyone didn’t come back after coming here,” replied Laura. “I don’t trust this place.”

“But, what about whoever lives here?” Brooke argued quietly.

“Do I care?,” answered Laura, “They’re going pay for trapping our friends.”

As much as Laura was a bit rude, she did have a point. If someone does live in this mansion, then chances are that person isn’t very benevolent.

Reluctantly, Brooke and I followed Laura into the mansion. The lobby was somewhat dim, but the lights around us provided us a grand scene of the mansion’s interior. All of this would be like a dream if we weren’t in supposed danger of whoever has custody of our friends.

“So, how should we start?” Brooke asked, breaking the silence.

Suddenly…

Thud!

“What was that?” I asked.

“I don’t know,” Laura said. “Let’s check it out.”

We went upstairs to where the source of the sound supposedly was. I was starting shake a bit with how darker it was than the lobby. We walked for a bit, and that’s when we heard it.

Tap. Tap. Tap.

“Someone’s coming,” whispered Brooke.

The three of us quickly ducked into a room that happened have an open door. We peaked through the crack and could see someone pass the hall. It may have been dark, but to my fear, that “someone” looked more like a “something.” For one, it seemed to have large feline-like ears on top of its head and a large bushy tail on its rear.

“What was that?” Brooke quietly asked.

“…I have no idea,” I said.

Suddenly, I heard a gasp then a thud. Brooke and I turned around to see Laura struggling with some unknown shadowed figure. She tried to scream, but its hand was covering her mouth. Not caring if it would blow our cover, I searched the walls until I pressed the light switch.

Brooke and I were met with a shock.

The room appeared to be some sort of sewing room as there was a desk with a sewing machine and a lot of clothes hanging on the walls and the ceiling. They mainly seemed to comprise of Pokemon themed onesies.

Turning back to Laura, she seemed to be forced into an Espeon oneise by the clothing itself. Quicker than I expected, the onesie had fully clothed Laura. However, she seemed to squirm in pain. The tail seemed to come to life as it slower twitched from the base to the fork tips. The wrinkles on the cloth also began disappearing as it became Laura’s new skin and fur.

“Laura!” I shouted as I reached to help her.

But, Brooke held me back as she pointed, to my horror, an Umbreon and a Sylveon onesies climbing off their hooks and walking towards us.

“R-run,” grunted Laura as her hood started fusing with her face. “Get…out of…here.”

We hesitated for a moment, then decided to heed her advice and ran out the door. I didn’t dare look back as we ran. Unfortunately, in our panic, we ran the wrong direction and got lost in the maze of halls. Brooke suddenly lost her footing and tripped.

“Brooke,” I shouted.

It was too late. The Sylveon onesie pounced on Brooke and dragged her inside itself.

“Ed!” shouted Brooke as she struggled with the costume. “Don’t worry about me. Just run.”

I really wanted to go back rip off that onesie off of my best friend. But, now the Umbreon onesie just came around the corner. Again, with some reluctance, I ran.

“I’m sorry,” I said as I ran with a few tears.

I had no idea where I was running, but everything seemed to be getting dark. Panic started to build. My heart beat wouldn’t stop racing. I was helpless. Alone.

Feeling scared, yet empty, I turned around to see no one there, though I could still hear the footsteps.

I turned to my right and saw a door to my right. Without thinking, I went inside and closed the door behind me. I just cornered myself, but I didn’t care at this point. The darkness had consumed me. I was finished. Just like my friends.

It was only now that I took notice of the room. It seemed to be a moderately large bedroom. At this moment, I was suddenly reminded of my friends, how they always looked after me. Always comforting me before going to bed in the darkness of night. How they would say that the darkness was merely a black blanket wrapping us in some sort of an embrace.

That settled it.

The door suddenly opened. I lunged and grabbed it by the wrists and forced it to the hallway wall. As I suspected, it was the Umbreon onesie.

“Give my friends back,” I yelled. “They were the only ones who gave me a reason to live. And now they’re gone. Give them back.”

Instead of struggling however, the ears of the Umbreon onesie drooped along with the hood, like it was…sad?

“Please, don’t be angry,” said a gentle female voice.

The lights seemed to intensify. I turned to see, yet again to my shock, an anthro Eevee. Behind her were also anthros Jolteon, Vaporeon, Flareon, Espeon, Leafeon, Glaceon, and Sylveon.

“Wh-who are you?” I asked.

“My name is Rina,” said the Eevee anthro. “The ones behind me are your friends.”

“My…friends,” I said.

“Hey, Ed,” said the Jolteon. “I hope you haven’t forgotten ol’ Nick.”

“It’s me, Ed,” the Vaporeon said. “Kelly.”

“Yo,” the Flareon said. “Brad’s still here as you can see.”

“Hi Ed,” the Leafeon said. “It’s me, Sam.”

“I’m Kara,” said the Glaceon shly. “Hi.”

“We’re so glad you’re okay,” Brooke the Sylveon said while hugging Laura the Espeon. “Even Laura.”

“Yeah,” Laura said struggling to break free from Brooke’s hug.

“…What’s going on?” I asked.

“I’ll explain,” Rina said. “You see, I had a lonely life, having woken up in Green Acres with amnesia. I still don’t know about who I am except my name. I wandered about Green Acres for a good hour until a voice called to me. Claiming to be the spirit of Green Acres, it gave me a certain power to give me and anyone else a new beginning. It was vague at first, and the only thing I did for a good year was sew and build this mansion. But once your friends came, I finally understood the purpose of my power.”

“The onesies,” I said.

“Exactly,” said Rina. “I laid spells on my work for them to transform and give a new start to anyone. I apologize, Ed. I still have yet to control my power, so the ones chasing after you got too excited.”

I looked back at the Umbreon onesie in front of me. I slowly released my grip on it. It still “looked” down in shame and sadness. I, then, quickly gave it a hug, much to its surprise, but returned it.

“I’m sorry,” I said with a few tears. “I was just upset that I lost my friends and myself in these dark hallways. I’m really sorry.”

Suddenly, I felt more hugs.

“It’s okay, Ed,” Brooke said. “You didn’t know.”

“It’s my fault too, Ed,” Nick said. “I promised to come back, but I couldn’t because I couldn’t risk the publicity.”

“Me too, Ed,” Brad said.

“We’re all here for you,” Rina said.

This group hug lasted for a long time, then I broke it.

“Could I have some privacy with Umbreon?” I asked. “I want to start over. I want a fresh start.”

“Go ahead,” Rina said.

I took the Umbreon onesie’s hand and led it to the bedroom from before. Then, I shut the door and began to strip down to my boxers. I then faced Umbreon.

“I’m ready,” I said.

The Umbreon onesie positioned itself and pulled me in. As soon as I was fully clothed. I felt my body merge and change with Umbreon. My body seemed to build in mass as I felt the stance on my feet change to digigrade. I felt my new tail come to life and wag and the hood merge with my head. My face began to pull out into a muzzle while my senses were enhanced my new ears, eyes, and nose.

As the changes were being finished, I felt something. I felt…comforted. I was no longer afraid of the dark. I felt…like I had become one with the dark. It was dark, yet warm.

“Guys,” I said with my new mouth. “You were right. It does feel like the embrace of a black blanket.”

Feeling comfortable with my new form, I stepped back out into the hallway, where my friends jumped at me for another tight embrace and our fresh start.

Description
Embracing the Dark

By NinetailWyndfox

“Please, Brad,” I begged. “Don’t go. You don’t even know what happened to Nick and the others.”

“Ed,” Brad said firmly. “Four of us disappeared ever since Nick led some of them to that mansion on Green Acres. Someone has to go.”

Without another word, Brad left through an opening in a wired fence and ran towards the direction of the sunset. A week had passed since then.

Brad had never returned.

~~

My name is Edward. But, people call me Ed. I never knew who my parents were. I was only told my first name and my parents’ accident. Since being dumped in this orphanage, the only thing I’ve known was torture and misery by my caretaker. The only reason I’m still living was because of my friends Nick, Brad, Sam, Kelly, Kara, Laura, and Brooke. I’ve always been dependent on them for comfort and times of loneliness. I figured they were worth all the punishment.

But, everything changed when, a month ago, Nick had learned of a mansion in Green Acres. Hearing rumors that it was abandoned, he had convinced Sam, Kelly, and Kara to join him to see if they can escape and create a new life there. He promised to return for us on the okay. Three weeks had passed, and neither Nick nor the others came back. Brad had gotten worried, so he left as well and promised to return in a few days. But a week already passed, and I’m already worried.

~~

10:00 PM | Outside the orphanage

Laura, Brooke, and I were running in the dark to distancing ourselves from the horrid orphanage we once resided in. Once at a safe distance, we stopped to catch our breath.

“Whew!” Brooke panted. “I never thought we’d make it out.”

“Well maybe, if Ed hadn’t slowed us down, we would’ve gotten out faster.”

“Laura!” Brooke exclaimed. “It’s not his fault he’s afraid of the dark.”

“It’s okay, Brooke,” I said. “It was my idea in the first place. I really shouldn’t be afraid of the dark anymore.”

“I don’t care,” Brooke argued. “Laura, apologize.”

“…Sorry,” Laura said.

“L-like I said,” I said. “It’s okay. Anyway, let’s go.”

We walked for, maybe, fifteen minutes and came across a sign saying, “Green Acres. Your Fresh Start.”

“This must be the place,” Ed pointed out.

“Looks like it,” commented Laura.

“Hey, I see lights,” Brooke said pointing in the distance. “I’ll bet that’s where the mansion that Nick mentioned is.”

“I wonder who lives there,” Ed asked.

“Let’s just find them,” Laura said as she walked ahead.

We made their way to the mansion. The large shadowy shape in front of them gave off an ominous feeling, especially to me. Then, to Brooke and my surprise, Laura went and opened the door silently.

“Laura,” I whispered harshly. “What are you doing?”

“Nick and everyone didn’t come back after coming here,” replied Laura. “I don’t trust this place.”

“But, what about whoever lives here?” Brooke argued quietly.

“Do I care?,” answered Laura, “They’re going pay for trapping our friends.”

As much as Laura was a bit rude, she did have a point. If someone does live in this mansion, then chances are that person isn’t very benevolent.

Reluctantly, Brooke and I followed Laura into the mansion. The lobby was somewhat dim, but the lights around us provided us a grand scene of the mansion’s interior. All of this would be like a dream if we weren’t in supposed danger of whoever has custody of our friends.

“So, how should we start?” Brooke asked, breaking the silence.

Suddenly…

Thud!

“What was that?” I asked.

“I don’t know,” Laura said. “Let’s check it out.”

We went upstairs to where the source of the sound supposedly was. I was starting shake a bit with how darker it was than the lobby. We walked for a bit, and that’s when we heard it.

Tap. Tap. Tap.

“Someone’s coming,” whispered Brooke.

The three of us quickly ducked into a room that happened have an open door. We peaked through the crack and could see someone pass the hall. It may have been dark, but to my fear, that “someone” looked more like a “something.” For one, it seemed to have large feline-like ears on top of its head and a large bushy tail on its rear.

“What was that?” Brooke quietly asked.

“…I have no idea,” I said.

Suddenly, I heard a gasp then a thud. Brooke and I turned around to see Laura struggling with some unknown shadowed figure. She tried to scream, but its hand was covering her mouth. Not caring if it would blow our cover, I searched the walls until I pressed the light switch.

Brooke and I were met with a shock.

The room appeared to be some sort of sewing room as there was a desk with a sewing machine and a lot of clothes hanging on the walls and the ceiling. They mainly seemed to comprise of Pokemon themed onesies.

Turning back to Laura, she seemed to be forced into an Espeon oneise by the clothing itself. Quicker than I expected, the onesie had fully clothed Laura. However, she seemed to squirm in pain. The tail seemed to come to life as it slower twitched from the base to the fork tips. The wrinkles on the cloth also began disappearing as it became Laura’s new skin and fur.

“Laura!” I shouted as I reached to help her.

But, Brooke held me back as she pointed, to my horror, an Umbreon and a Sylveon onesies climbing off their hooks and walking towards us.

“R-run,” grunted Laura as her hood started fusing with her face. “Get…out of…here.”

We hesitated for a moment, then decided to heed her advice and ran out the door. I didn’t dare look back as we ran. Unfortunately, in our panic, we ran the wrong direction and got lost in the maze of halls. Brooke suddenly lost her footing and tripped.

“Brooke,” I shouted.

It was too late. The Sylveon onesie pounced on Brooke and dragged her inside itself.

“Ed!” shouted Brooke as she struggled with the costume. “Don’t worry about me. Just run.”

I really wanted to go back rip off that onesie off of my best friend. But, now the Umbreon onesie just came around the corner. Again, with some reluctance, I ran.

“I’m sorry,” I said as I ran with a few tears.

I had no idea where I was running, but everything seemed to be getting dark. Panic started to build. My heart beat wouldn’t stop racing. I was helpless. Alone.

Feeling scared, yet empty, I turned around to see no one there, though I could still hear the footsteps.

I turned to my right and saw a door to my right. Without thinking, I went inside and closed the door behind me. I just cornered myself, but I didn’t care at this point. The darkness had consumed me. I was finished. Just like my friends.

It was only now that I took notice of the room. It seemed to be a moderately large bedroom. At this moment, I was suddenly reminded of my friends, how they always looked after me. Always comforting me before going to bed in the darkness of night. How they would say that the darkness was merely a black blanket wrapping us in some sort of an embrace.

That settled it.

The door suddenly opened. I lunged and grabbed it by the wrists and forced it to the hallway wall. As I suspected, it was the Umbreon onesie.

“Give my friends back,” I yelled. “They were the only ones who gave me a reason to live. And now they’re gone. Give them back.”

Instead of struggling however, the ears of the Umbreon onesie drooped along with the hood, like it was…sad?

“Please, don’t be angry,” said a gentle female voice.

The lights seemed to intensify. I turned to see, yet again to my shock, an anthro Eevee. Behind her were also anthros Jolteon, Vaporeon, Flareon, Espeon, Leafeon, Glaceon, and Sylveon.

“Wh-who are you?” I asked.

“My name is Rina,” said the Eevee anthro. “The ones behind me are your friends.”

“My…friends,” I said.

“Hey, Ed,” said the Jolteon. “I hope you haven’t forgotten ol’ Nick.”

“It’s me, Ed,” the Vaporeon said. “Kelly.”

“Yo,” the Flareon said. “Brad’s still here as you can see.”

“Hi Ed,” the Leafeon said. “It’s me, Sam.”

“I’m Kara,” said the Glaceon shly. “Hi.”

“We’re so glad you’re okay,” Brooke the Sylveon said while hugging Laura the Espeon. “Even Laura.”

“Yeah,” Laura said struggling to break free from Brooke’s hug.

“…What’s going on?” I asked.

“I’ll explain,” Rina said. “You see, I had a lonely life, having woken up in Green Acres with amnesia. I still don’t know about who I am except my name. I wandered about Green Acres for a good hour until a voice called to me. Claiming to be the spirit of Green Acres, it gave me a certain power to give me and anyone else a new beginning. It was vague at first, and the only thing I did for a good year was sew and build this mansion. But once your friends came, I finally understood the purpose of my power.”

“The onesies,” I said.

“Exactly,” said Rina. “I laid spells on my work for them to transform and give a new start to anyone. I apologize, Ed. I still have yet to control my power, so the ones chasing after you got too excited.”

I looked back at the Umbreon onesie in front of me. I slowly released my grip on it. It still “looked” down in shame and sadness. I, then, quickly gave it a hug, much to its surprise, but returned it.

“I’m sorry,” I said with a few tears. “I was just upset that I lost my friends and myself in these dark hallways. I’m really sorry.”

Suddenly, I felt more hugs.

“It’s okay, Ed,” Brooke said. “You didn’t know.”

“It’s my fault too, Ed,” Nick said. “I promised to come back, but I couldn’t because I couldn’t risk the publicity.”

“Me too, Ed,” Brad said.

“We’re all here for you,” Rina said.

This group hug lasted for a long time, then I broke it.

“Could I have some privacy with Umbreon?” I asked. “I want to start over. I want a fresh start.”

“Go ahead,” Rina said.

I took the Umbreon onesie’s hand and led it to the bedroom from before. Then, I shut the door and began to strip down to my boxers. I then faced Umbreon.

“I’m ready,” I said.

The Umbreon onesie positioned itself and pulled me in. As soon as I was fully clothed. I felt my body merge and change with Umbreon. My body seemed to build in mass as I felt the stance on my feet change to digigrade. I felt my new tail come to life and wag and the hood merge with my head. My face began to pull out into a muzzle while my senses were enhanced my new ears, eyes, and nose.

As the changes were being finished, I felt something. I felt…comforted. I was no longer afraid of the dark. I felt…like I had become one with the dark. It was dark, yet warm.

“Guys,” I said with my new mouth. “You were right. It does feel like the embrace of a black blanket.”

Feeling comfortable with my new form, I stepped back out into the hallway, where my friends jumped at me for another tight embrace and our fresh start.