After Dark

I’m awake now.

I’m standing in the library. My home. The window is open. The curtains are flowing, like when you pour water out of a glass gently. It is nighttime. The clock reads 12:00 p.m. and it’s pitch black outside. There is a lone candle illuminating the place.

I hear footsteps. The candle is blown out.

It’s completely dark.

And then there is light.

From a book catching on fire.

More books start to burst into flames. One catches the wall. The walls are on fire now, too. I hear a laugh. It’s more of a shriek, actually, and it sounds like a clown. I’m not afraid of clowns. Why is fear the first thing I think of?

My second thought is Spike.

In a dash of panic, I race upstairs. The flames are starting to reach up here now. I see Spike curled up in his bed. “Spike!” I call out to him. “Spike, get up! It’s me, Twilight! Get up!” Why do I have to remind him who I am? Does he not believe me?

I walk up to his sleeping body and turn him over. A long, red cut runs from one ear, across his neck, and to the other ear.

He’s dead.

There is a bloodied knife in his hand.

I hear that laugh again. It mocks me. It tells me that Spike’s death is my fault.

“It’s not my fault!” I shout at no one in particular.

“YES IT IS!” the voice says.

I have no time to grief. I grab Spike’s body and run downstairs. The smell of smoke is suffocating.

run run run run

SPIKE

run run

run run run

DEAD

run run run run

AND

run run

IT’S

run run run

ALL

run run run run

YOUR

run run run run run

FAULT

run run run

HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA

run run run run run run run run run

AHAHAHAHA

run run run run run

I finally make it outside. I put Spike’s body on the ground. I hear a soft flapping. It’d Derpy Hooves. She’s wearing her mailmare outfit. She lands, takes a letter out of her bag, and hands it to me. “Here you go, Miss Sparkle,” she says. “A letter for you.”

I open the letter. ‘Dear Twilight: I can’t take anymore. I thought you loved me. But I’m just an assistant. I’m done with living. This life sucks. I think there’s something better waiting for me on the other side, so I think I’ll go see for myself. I loved you, Twilight. I thought you loved me back. Tell the others that I’ll miss them. See you on the other side, Twilight. From Spike.’ Blood stains the corners of the letter. Derpy pounces me. When I look at her, her body turns black. Her wings and mailmare suit disappear, making way for total dark.

“SPIKE KILLED HIMSELF! AND IT’S YOUR FAULT!” the black pony screams in my face.

I recognize the voice. It’s the one that has been speaking to me.

The black pony starts to laugh its laugh. It suddenly disappears. I hear a loud pop, which is the sound of air rushing to fill the space where the pony was.

I am scared.
----------

I wake up.

The softness of my cloud bed comforts me. It’s soft and caring. I get up and start to walk toward the kitchen. I had better check on Scootaloo. She needs to go to school. I go to her room.

“Scoots? Gotta get up. School starts soon.” No response.

“Come on, Squirt. We gotta go.” Nothing.

I open the door.

Scootaloo is hanging by her neck from the ceiling fan, which is made of thunder-reinforced cloud in order to keep it from dissipating. She is swaying ever so slightly. She’s dead. And then she starts to laugh. It’s more of a shriek, actually. Sounds like a clown. She spits out a letter. It rolls to my hooves. It says, ‘I HATE YOU I HATE YOU I HATE YOU I HATE YOU I THOUGHT YOU LOVED ME I HATE YOU!” I can recognize Scootaloo’s handwriting. She spits another letter. At the top is the Wonderbolt insignia, as well as the word ‘REJECTED’ stamped across the top in large, red lettering. She spits out more and more letters, all saying ‘REJECTED’. I need to get out of here, but I can’t move my wings, so I run.

run run run run run

run run run run run run run run

HATE

run run run run run

YOU

run run run run run

YOU

run run run run run

REJECT

run run run run run run

I make it out of my cloud home. I land on the cloud landing outside of it. My cloud home and the landing dissipate under my hooves. I’m falling and falling and falling.

I am caught. I can recognize Soarin’s mane.

“Hey, Soarin,” I chuckle.

He turns to me. His eyes are missing. In their place are red sockets. His snout is crushed, and there is a cut in his neck.

I blink to see if I’m seeing things clearly.

When I open them, Soarin is replaced by a black pony. “YOU KILLED SCOOTALOO!” it shouts. It’s the voice from earlier. “YOU KILLED SCOOTALOO! WHO’S NEXT?” It starts laughing. And then it disappears, and I land on a cloud.

I am scared.
----------

I wake up.

My bed in Sweet Apple acres is comfortable. It’s made of soft cotton, and I’ve been sleeping in it since I was a little filly. Time to get some breakfast. Usually, the smell of pancakes wafts into my room, but not today. Strange. Granny Smith is usually up first to make breakfast. Used to be Ma who got up, but when Pa…went crazy, he shot her and himself. I loved them so much. Never understood why.

I head downstairs. And there, sitting at the table, is Ma, Pa, Apple Bloom, Bic Mac, and Granny Smith. All but Pa is slumped over. I can see holes in their heads, and Pa has his pistol. I can see four of the six bullets are missing. Two are left.

“One for me, one for you, Jackie,” my father says.

“No,”

“Yes!” He starts to laugh. It sounds like a clown laughing. “YesyesyesyesYES!” He’s laughing crazily now.

“NO!”

Ma, Apple Bloom, Bic Macintosh, and Granny Smith all sit up. Their faces have been painted with blood to look like a clown’s makeup. They start to laugh, too. I need to get out of here.

run run run run run

YES

run run run run run run run run

YES

run run run

YES

run run run run run run

YES

run run run run run

I barge out of the house.

The orchard is on fire. Apples are falling into baskets. The baskets have clown faces painted on them. Pa follows me. He takes his gun and puts it against his head. I blink. When my eyes open, Pa is gone. He has been replaced by a black pony. The pony laughs. It’s the same laugh as before. “ONE FOR ME, ONE FOR YOU!” it shouts. It pulls the trigger. It falls over, still laughing. Blood is pooling by its head. It hands the gun to me. “DO IT!” it shouts. And then it disappears.

I am scared.
----------

I wake up.

My silk sheets are comfortable. Nothing but the best for you, my little Rarity, my father says. I love him dearly.

Time to make breakfast.

I head downstairs. I see Sweetie Belle at the table, coloring.

“Hello, Sweetie Belle,” I call down to her.

“Hi, Rarity!” she says. So enthusiastic. “I have a question.”

“Yes?”

“What happens when you die?”

Why would she ask that?

“I…don’t know.”

“I think I do.”

“You do?”

“Yeah! I think that you just cease, y’know? No afterlife or anything. Just an end to it all.” I might have to take her to a psychologist.

“How did you figure this out?”

“I did an experiment!”

“An experiment?”

“Yeah! I decided that I would see what happened to Mommy and Daddy when they died!”

And then I see what she is sitting next to.

Mother and Father are sitting next to her, with large cuts on their necks. Sweetie Belle has a knife with her, and blood is on the edge. She is coloring the scene in her coloring book.

“I need one more test subject, Rarity,” she says. “Care to volunteer?”

Mother and Father and Sweetie Belle start to laugh. It sounds like a clown.
I am frozen.

Sweetie Belle gets up, bringing the knife with her. “Thanks, Rarity! You’re a big help!”

I need to run. My legs unfreeze.

run run run run run

YOU’VE

run run run run run run

BEEN

run run run run

run run run run run run run

BIG

run run run run run

HELP

run run run run run run run run

I make it outside. All of the passerby are laughing at me. They are laughing the same clown laugh. Their necks are also cut open.

Sweetie Belle appears in front of me. She is laughing.

“THANKS, RARITY!” she shouts. She changes. She becomes a black pony. “YOU’VE BEEN A BIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIG HELP!” the black pony screams. It disappears.

I am scared.
----------

I wake up.

My bed in Sugar Cube Corner is super-duper comfy. I like it a lot. Mr. and Mrs. Cake bought it for me when I had moved in with them. And I am hungry.

Time for breakfast!

I head downstairs to the kitchen. No one is there, which is weird, because Mrs. Cake is usually making breakfast while Mr. Cake takes care of the babies. But no one is home. It’s kinda freaking me out. But I’ll be okay!

I grab some stuff to make a super-duper-extra-special breakfast for everypony! I open up the oven to clear out any cookie sheets when I see them.

Mr. and Mrs. Cakes’ severed heads are lying in the oven. I scream. The baby monitor turns on. “Check on the children lately?” a voice asks. The voice laughs. It sounds like a clown. I like clowns.

I run upstairs. The window is open. The babies are playing around. Nothing is wrong. The babies are smiling. And their hooves are covered in blood. The babies start to laugh, too. It sounds just like the voice from the baby monitor. And the babies get up and start crawling towards us. “Thanks for making breakfast, Auntie Pinkie!” they say. “I love baked parents!” They laugh again. I need to run.

run run run run run run run

LOVE

run run run run run

YOU

run run run run run run run

AUNTIE

run run run run run

PINKIE

run run run run run

COME

run run run run run run

PLAY

run run run run run

WITH

run run run run run run

run run run run

AND

run run run run

HAVE

run run run run run

SOME

run run run run run run run

FUN

run run run run

I make it outside. The babies have followed me. “COME ON, AUNTIE PINKIE!” they shout. They start to melt into inky black. The puddles of black mix together and becomes a pony again. It’s completely black. “COME PLAY WITH ME! HAVE FUN!” it shrieks. “SMILE A LITTLE!” It opens its mouth. Instead of teeth, there are razors. “I LOVE TO SMILE!” it shouts. “KEE-RUNCH!” It snaps its jaws shut. There is a lot of blood. The black pony disappears.

I am scared.
----------

I wake up.

My cottage is warm. But there are more important things than that. My animals need to eat.

I get out of bed and walk downstairs. I see Angel sitting on the ground, his back facing me. He is hunched over. “Come on, Angel,” I say to him. “Don’t sit like that. It’s not good for your back.” He doesn’t respond.

“Come on, buddy,” I tell him again. “Don’t make me use the Stare.”

He turns to me, slowly. His eyes are missing. I feel sick.

He gets up, slowly lurching towards me. There is a needle stuck in his stomach. He starts to laugh. It sounds like a clown. I’m a little scared of clowns. More animals start to come out from around corners. Their eyes are also missing, and they have needles stuck in them, too. They look like a psychopath’s collection of pincushions.

I need to get out of here.

run run run run run run run run run run run

YOU

run run run run

CAN’T

run run run run run run run

USE

run run run

THE

run run run run

STARE

run run run run run run run

run run run

run run run run run

BECAUSE

run run run run

run run run run run run run

HAVE

run run run run run

run run run run run run

EYES

run run run run

I escape my cottage. Angel appears in front of me. “YOU CAN’T USE THE STARE ON US!” he shouts. It sounds like the clown from earlier. Angel changes into a black pony. “WE HAVE NO EYES!” it shrieks. It disappears.

I am scared.
----------

Twilight Sparkle wakes up from her nightmare. She sees Spike, who is snoozing. She hugs him, tears in her eyes.

Rainbow Dash wakes up from her nightmare. She checks on Scootaloo, who is sleeping peacefully. She hugs her, tears in her eyes.

Applejack wakes up from her nightmare. She goes downstairs and sees her family eating pancakes. Her dead Ma and Pa aren’t there. She gives her family a hug, tears in her eyes.

Rarity wakes up from her nightmare. She sees Sweetie Belle and her parents eating breakfast. She hugs them, tears in her eyes.

Pinkie Pie wakes up from her nightmare. She goes downstairs and sees the Cakes eating breakfast. She hugs them all, tears in her eyes.

Fluttershy wakes up from her nightmare. She goes downstairs and sees her animals waiting. She gives them all hugs, tears in her eyes.

They don’t know they all woke up at the exact same time.

They don’t know they all started to tear up at the same time.

They have more important things to worry about.

They must all get ready.

Today, they meet for breakfast.
----------

“Hey, girls,” Twilight says. She is sitting at the table at the Ponyville Café with her friends. There are other patrons in the diner. “Have a good night last night?” she asks, uneasily.

They all mumble their answers. They all say yes.

“Good,” she says, uneasily. A stranger in an overcoat and fedora walks up to their table. “Hello,” he says. His voice sounds familiar. “Can any of you tell me how to get to the Ponyville Big Top?”

“Sure,” Twilight says. She writes the directions on her napkin. She hands him the napkin.

“Thank you,” he says. “A tip for your troubles.” He places six bits on the table. One for each of them. On the bits are engraved a picture of Celestia.

They don’t see Celestia.

Twilight sees Spike, his throat slit.

Rainbow Dash sees Scootaloo, hanging by her neck.

Applejack sees her dead family, Ma and Pa included.

Rarity sees Sweetie Belle holding a knife.

Pinkie Pie sees the Cakes’ disembodied heads.

Fluttershy sees Angel Bunny, his eyes missing and his body riddled with needles.

“Why do you want to go to the Big Top?” Rainbow asks. Her voice is unsteady.

“I’m a clown,” says the stranger.

Twilight recognizes his voice now. So does everyone else.

He is the black pony from their nightmare.

Twilight notices a bloody knife hanging from his side.

Rainbow Dash sees rope around his neck.

Applejack sees a revolver with four bullets missing at his side.

Rarity sees a coloring book and some crayons in the fold of his overcoat.

Fluttershy sees needles in his pocket.

Pinkie sees razors where his teeth should be.
“I noticed that some bad things happen here in Ponyville. All six Elements of Harmony live here, which makes it a prime target for terrorists and villains. The people are nice, but have their moments. I heard that some ponies are having nightmares.” He smiles. He laughs his laugh. “Can I offer you some advice?” He opens his mouth and shouts.

Twilight hears him scream, “SPIKE IS DEAD BECAUSE OF YOU!”

Rainbow Dash hears him scream, “YOU KILLED SCOOTALOO!”

Applejack hears him scream, “DO IT!”

Rarity hears him scream, “YOU’VE BEEN A BIG HELP!”

Pinkie hears him scream, “HAVE SOME FUN, AUNTIE PINKIE!”

Fluttershy hears him scream, “YOU CAN’T USE THE STARE ON US!”

He laughs again. He starts to walk away.

Twilight tells herself that it’s a coincidence.

“NOTHING IS A COINCIDENCE WITH ME, TWILIGHT SPARKLE! NOTHING!” he shouts at her. He laughs.

Everyone blinks.

He is gone.

Everyone at Twilight’s table is noticeably more pale. Everyone else in the café is calm, going about their business.

Twilight finds a waiter. She pulls him close. “What can you tell me about that pony in the black that just shouted in here?”

“What pony?” he asks.

Twilight doesn’t believe what she’s hearing. “The one who just shouted at my friends and I! Didn’t you see him?”

“Ma’am, I have no idea what you’re talking about.” He looks at Twilight and her friends. “You all look pale. Do you need some water?”

“We’ll be okay.”

He smiles and walks away.

Twilight leans back to her friends.

“Please tell me I’m not crazy.”

Rainbow Dash answers first.

“I saw him, too. I had a nightmare about him last night.” Rainbow shares her story.

Twilight shares hers.

Applejack shares hers.

Rarity shares hers.

Pinkie shares hers.

Fluttershy shares hers.

“And we heard what he shouted, right? And what was on the coins?”

The friends tell their experience a few minutes ago to each other.

And now?

They are scared.