Fluttershy was getting ready to hide in her spot with her animals. Every Nightmare Night, she hid from the terror. She dreaded Nightmare Night and was amazed she still made it out of every one alive.
There was a knock on her door. Fluttershy didn't want to answer it. She was afraid it was something just waiting patiently to pounce at her the first chance it got. So, she asked Angel to open the door. The bunny sighed and opened the door.
Fluttershy was relieved when it was just her five friends at the door, dressed up for Nightmare Night.
"Hey, Fluttershy," Rainbow Dash said. "How are you?"
"Good," said a confused Fluttershy. "Last Nightmare Night, we agreed that it wasn't my thing. What brings you here?"
"Rainbow Dash says she has something to tell us," Twilight explained. "She wanted to make sure all of us knew about it."
"I wanted to give everypony a word of warning," Rainbow Dash added.
"Alright," Fluttershy agreed.
The 6 friends sat in a circle in the middle of the cottage.
"Switch off the lights," Rainbow Dash told them.
Fluttershy began to feel nervous. Why would she want to warn them in the dark?
"Rainbow Dash..." Twilight reprimanded.
"Trust me, it'll make it a lot better," Rainbow Dash said with a grin.
Twilight gave in and switched off the lights. Rainbow Dash switched on a flashlight and shone it on her face. It made her look menacing and Fluttershy was already scared. Rainbow Dash hadn't even begun speaking and she was already wanting to crawl into her spot and cry with the comfort of her animals.
"Now, who knows the story of the Ghost of Everfree?" Rainbow Dash asked.
"The Ghost of... Everfree?" Applejack said.
"No?" Rainbow Dash asked. "Well, that's why I'm here to tell you the story."
Rainbow Dash began to tell the story. "Ponies talk about a ghost who lives in Everfree Forest." She looked around at her friends for a moment to see if they were listening. "They call him The Ghost of Everfree. He has a phrase he always says before taking his next victim. He says: 'Where are you off to so soon'?"
Fluttershy thought it was a little corny, but she continued to listen.
"Then he takes the pony and covers their mouth to muffle their screams into silence. Nopony knows where he takes his victims, but they know it's somewhere pitch black. Then he..." Rainbow Dash paused and grinned sinisterly. "Finishes his victim."
Her friends gasped.
"And they're never heard from again!!" Rainbow Dash exclaimed, jumping at her friends.
Her friends screamed and held onto each other.
Rainbow Dash burst out in laughter and turned on the lights. Her friends sighed in relief and laughed along, except for poor Fluttershy who burst into tears instead.
"Rainbow Dash," Twilight scolded, comforting Fluttershy.
"Hey, it was just a story," Rainbow Dash assured Fluttershy. "Don't worry."
"Of course," Twilight said.
"W-Wh-Wh-What if it's not?" Fluttershy stuttered, tear-filled eyes. "I don't want to be taken by the ghost."
"Let's take a walk through Everfree Forest together to prove it's just a scary story," Twilight suggested.
The rest of her friends nodded, in agreement. Fluttershy gulped and took a deep breath. She had to go out of the house on Nightmare Night again.
Everfree Forest was colder and darker than usual on Nightmare Night. The plants huddled closer together as if they were also scared of what was held in store on Nightmare Night. The trees casted the forest in a dark shadow, letting no moonlight reach the forest. Scary sounds filled the air and echoed around the entrance.
"Let's go," Twilight said.
She looked to her friends who were mustering their courage. Then all at once, they stepped cautiously into the forest.
Suddenly, a rustle came from one of the bushes.
Fluttershy yelped. "What was that?!?!"
"It's probably just a rabbit of some sort," Twilight said.
"Let's split up," Rainbow Dash suggested. "This way, we can scan more of the forest for proof."
"I don't know," Twilight said. "It's dangerous in Everfree Forest."
"We can go in pairs," Rainbow Dash said. She looked as if she was begging Twilight to split up.
Twilight looked up, thinking. She didn't like the plan. At all. But maybe it could work.
"Fine," Twilight agreed.
"Alright, I'll go with Applejack," Rainbow Dash said.
"Alright," Applejack agreed.
"Ooh! Ooh! And I'll go with Rarity! Because we went to Canterlot together when the map called us!" Pinkie Pie squealed.
"Okay, Pinkie Pie," Rarity said with a laugh.
"And I'll stay with Fluttershy," Twilight said, smiling at her.
"O-okay," Fluttershy replied.
"Come on, let's go," Twilight said.
They all went separate ways, splitting up in the forest. Which they knew they should never do.
"Rainbow Dash?" Applejack asked.
"Yeah?"
"Are you sure you know where we're going?"
"Relax, AJ. We'll be fine."
Rainbow Dash and Applejack walked in silence for a moment. Then something seemed to catch Rainbow Dash's eye.
"What is it, Rainbow?" Applejack asked, heart beginning to pound. "What did you see?"
"Nothing," Rainbow Dash assured, nervously.
Applejack laughed to herself and convinced herself it was just a trick of a shadow. The Ghost of Everfree was just a story Rainbow Dash told them to scare them.
Then Rainbow Dash began to see more and more of the mysterious figure.
Applejack's pace began to quicken and soon she was almost cantering.
Then what happened next terrified her.
"APPLEJACK!!!" Rainbow Dash screamed.
Applejack raced after her friend, but it was too late. Rainbow Dash was pulled into the thick cluster of trees and her screams were muffled.
"Rainbow Dash!" Applejack yelled.
Applejack began to calm herself down, but she couldn't. "What do I do? What do I do? Okay, stay calm, Applejack. You can find the others and get help."
Applejack tried to rush away, but then a ghostly figure stopped her in her tracks. Applejack swore she almost felt her heart stop. Her face turned pale and her eyes widened. She was terrified.
"Where are you off to so soon?" the figure asked.
Applejack screamed, but felt a hoof muffle her screams. She was taken by the Ghost of Everfree.
Rarity and Pinkie Pie walked through the forest.
Pinkie Pie was bouncing along with a smile and Rarity scanned the area for any suspicious activity.
A cold wind came through and made Rarity shiver. Then she saw a figure zip past quickly.
Rarity's heart began to pound in fear. She looked over at Pinkie Pie who just laughed. She always laughed to scare away her fears. Rarity tried to laugh along, but it didn't have the same effect.
She heard an evil laugh fill the air. Rarity squealed. Even Pinkie Pie stopped bouncing and huddled up against Rarity. "Wh-wh-what was th-that?"
Rarity and Pinkie Pie turned to see the ghostly figure standing right in front of them, eyes glowing a strange magenta color.
What the ghost said next sent a cold chill striking down their spines.
"Where are you off to so soon?" it asked them.
Rarity and Pinkie Pie screamed and began to sprint away.
The ghost was faster than them and it grabbed Pinkie Pie.
Tears poured down Pinkie Pie's face. "RARITY!!"
Rarity rushed after Pinkie Pie, crying as well.
But it was too late. The ghost had grabbed Pinkie Pie and her screams were muffled.
Rarity wanted to rescue her, but she knew it would be futile. So instead, she ran to find her friends.
Twilight and Fluttershy walked through the forest. Fluttershy whimpered and hid behind things every time she heard a sound.
Then they heard what sounded like hoofsteps sprinting towards them. Fluttershy clung to Twilight and screamed.
Twilight took a closer look. She saw it was none other than Rarity frantically running towards them.
"Girls!" Rarity exclaimed.
"What's wrong, Rarity?" Twilight asked worriedly.
"It's Pinkie Pie!" Rarity cried. "She's gone! She was taken!"
"Applejack and Rainbow Dash haven't returned yet," Twilight replied with a frantic tone. "Do you think they're alright?"
"Oh goodness," Fluttershy squeaked. She sounded on the brink of tears.
A raspy, evil laugh filled the air and echoed around the sky. Twilight, Rarity, and Fluttershy huddled closer together in fear.
"We're gonna die," Fluttershy squeaked.
"We're not gonna die," Twilight reassured her. "It can't be a ghost, can it?"
They all turned around in unison. They screamed and the spine tingling screams filled the length of the forest.
The Ghost of Everfree stood in front of them. "Where are you off to so soon?"
Fluttershy and Rarity ran away immediately. Twilight inspected the ghost closely and narrowed her eyes. "Wait a minute..."
Twilight pulled away the ghost's mask to reveal a familiar face.
"Rainbow Dash?!?!" Rarity, Fluttershy, and Twilight exclaimed.
"Heh, surprise," Rainbow Dash said.
Applejack and Pinkie Pie stepped out from the bushes revealing they were unharmed.
"The Ghost was you?" Rarity asked in disbelief.
Rainbow Dash laughed. "You didn't really think the Ghost of Everfree was a thing, did you? I got the story from my parents. Mom used to tell me that all the time on Nightmare Night to scare me." She shook her head. "Didn't work. Only gave me ideas."
"Did it not occur to you Fluttershy doesn't like being scared?!" Twilight replied.
Rainbow Dash looked at Fluttershy who backed away with a squeak.
"You're right, I'm sorry," Rainbow Dash said. "I just wanted to have a little fun with you this Nightmare Night."
"And it gave us quite a scare!" Pinkie Pie said with a big grin.
"I sure liked it!" Applejack added.
Rainbow Dash grinned. "Let's go to Twilight's castle and relax."
The girls agreed and went off to Twilight's castle.
As the girls arrived in Twilight's castle, Spike greeted them.
"Hi, girls!" Spike said warmly.
"Hello, Spike," Twilight returned with a smile.
"I'll make us some popcorn to share," Rainbow Dash offered. "My treat."
"Thank you, Rainbow Dash!" Twilight replied.
Rainbow Dash went off to the kitchen leaving the girls in the room.
"Wow, what a Nightmare Night," Rarity said brushing some dust off of her costume. "It was one of the most interesting ever since Fluttershy gave us that scare."
Fluttershy nodded. She didn't like to mention the time she scared her friends. Seeing them shake in fear and think they were in danger hadn't been her idea of fun.
Suddenly, Fluttershy yelped as the Ghost of Everfree appeared in front of them.
"Oh, ha ha Rainbow Dash," Twilight said with a sarcastic laugh. "We all know it's you."
Just then, Rainbow Dash returned with a bowl of popcorn. "Hey, girls! I got the---" She gasped and dropped the bowl in shock staring at the sight in front of her.
The girls looked back and forth between the ghost and Rainbow Dash.
"I-I-If that's not Rainbow Dash," Twilight stuttered. "Th-Then who's...?"
"Where are you off to so soon?" the ghost asked.
The girls screamed and ran away.
"Twilight!!" Spike exclaimed. "We're staying in a hotel, right?!?!"
"From here until Hearth's Warming," Twilight assured him.
The girls continued to run as the ghost got closer and closer...