//------------------------------// // Chapter 21: Thomas’s First Nightmare Night - Part 2 // Story: A Place in Equestria // by GoebelTron //------------------------------// When they walked over to the corn maze, Thomas saw some young ponies laugh and giggle, but he then saw some cry and scream while comforted by their mothers. “Everypony’s linin’ up for the corn maze, y’all! Let’s go!” Applejack said. “Oh, yeah! I can’t believe we’re finally doing this!” Spike said as he and the others went inside the maze. “Momma? I-I-I’m scared,” Thomas said nervously. “It’s okay, sweetheart. I’m right here,” Fluttershy said, softly nuzzling his cheek. Starlight and Twilight suddenly lit up their horns for some light. “There. That should light our way,” Starlight said. “It’s a good thing we’ve got each other to look out for,” Rainbow Dash said. They suddenly heard distant screams from afar, and Thomas suddenly jumped and hid underneath Fluttershy’s dress hugging her right hind leg and holding his candy bucket. “It’s okay, baby. It’s just probably a little filly exiting the maze,” Fluttershy said. Starlight realized how scared Thomas was, then she laid on her forelegs and looked down at him, “You okay, honey?” Thomas shook his head with tears in his eyes, “I wanna go home,” Thomas said. “Don’t worry, bug. We’ll be out of this soon. We just need to find a way out,” Twilight said. “I’ll stay with Starlight and Fluttershy so they can help watch over the girls,” Rarity said. Twilight nodded, “Okay, and whatever you do, stay together.” They all nodded and started walking through the maze. While they were walking, they heard a cracking sound. Rarity heard it and it made her jump, “What... is... that... sound?” Pinkie Pie looked at it, “It looks like... BONES!” Thomas screamed, until Starlight stroked his shoulder softly, and shushed softly into his ear. “Starlight, can you please take him? I can’t handle him being so scared anymore,” Fluttershy said. “Don’t worry. I got it covered,” Starlight said, then she lifted Thomas up with her magic and placed him on her back. “Do you feel comfy, sweetie?” she asked, until he replied with a nod. “Don’t worry. Just pretend it’s a bad dream and we’ll go through this together, okay?” Thomas nodded and tried to be brave. When they walked through some scary decor of webs, spiders, bats, skeletons and glowing eyes, they screamed and jumped along the way. “Hey, this isn’t how the maze is supposed to go,” Applejack said. “What do you mean?” Rainbow Dash asked. “I mean somepony’s tryin’ to scare us real bad,” Applejack said. Fluttershy suddenly saw that Thomas was missing, “Girls! Thomas is gone!” “Oh, no. Where would he go?” Twilight asked. “He must’ve gone on ahead!” Apple Bloom said. “Let’s go find him!” Rainbow Dash said, then they all went to go look for Thomas. Meanwhile, Thomas was running through the maze and trying to avoid all the spooky decorations all around him, until he stopped and hid himself behind a hay bale. He suddenly realized that he was now lost, “Momma? Mo-Mommy? Aunt Twilight? H-Hell-Hello?” When he backed up, he suddenly bumped into a spooky tree decor and ran off again. He suddenly found another hiding spot and hid behind some rocks. He suddenly saw 11 eyes and whimpered. They came closer to him, “No! Leave me alone! Help! Help! Momma, help!” “Thomas! It’s okay, sweetheart. I’m right here,” Fluttershy’s voice said. Thomas suddenly looked up and saw Fluttershy’s beautiful eyes and soft warm smile, then he got up and hugged her on the chest. “Shhhhhh... Were you scared?” Fluttershy asked. Thomas nodded and buried his face in her chest fur. “Don’t worry, when we get through the maze, we’ll head back to Ponyville and take a nice stroll, okay?” Thomas nodded and Fluttershy gently kissed him on the forehead, then they walked out of the maze together. Suddenly, they were stopped by what appeared to be Nightmare Moon! “Greetings, Princess Twilight Sparkle and friends! Once again, you have fallen right into thy clutches, and you four young fillies and colt have wisely chosen to offer up your delicious sweet candy to me! Now, I shall feast on them, and then... that young colt right there! And the night shall last forever once more! Hahahahahahahahahaha!” she said evilly, until the group of ponies got together and whimpered in fear, until there was a flash, and Nightmare Moon somehow turned out to be Princess Luna in disguise with fake vampire pony teeth in her mouth. She spit them out and went to comfort her subjects. Thomas looked up and saw his aunties with his own eyes, “Princess Luna? Is that you?” Princess Luna nodded and gave him a hug until he went to hug her leg. “I’m sorry if I frightened you about feasting on you. I was only acting as usual,” Princess Luna said. “It’s okay, but I was scared when I-“ Thomas was interrupted by Princess Luna’s hoof on his lips. “Hush now, little Thomas. It’s okay to be afraid, but sometimes you must conquer your fear and then you will take on the darkness it hides,” she said. Thomas nodded and then Princess Luna leaned down on her forelegs, and then Thomas climbed up onto her back. “Princess Luna? It was you?” Applejack asked. “Not really. I just thought about giving you a little mischief for fun,” Princess Luna said. “So the maze was as it was meant to be?” Rainbow Dash asked. “Yep,” Applejack said. “Well, I’m glad that’s over with,” Rarity said. “Indeed,” Princess Luna said. “Now, shall we conclude this glorious evening with some joyful dancing and fun?” The mares nodded and then they walked back to Ponyville to enjoy the rest of Nightmare Night. “Now this is what I call a perfect Nightmare Night,” Fluttershy said, until she saw Thomas yawning on Princess Luna’s back. “Umm... sorry for leaving early, but it looks like I need to put my little Thomas into bed.” “Allow me,” Princess Luna said as she levitated Thomas onto Fluttershy’s back so she can walk him home. “Momma? Can you read to me tonight?” Thomas asked. “Of course, sweetheart,” Fluttershy said, nuzzling his cheek. After saying her good nights and goodbyes to her friends and Princess Luna, Fluttershy, with Thomas on her back, trotted off back to the cottage for the night, while the rest of the group went off to Ponyville to celebrate the rest of Nightmare Night. When Fluttershy and Thomas arrived back home, then Fluttershy walked inside her cottage and quietly shut the door without waking the sleeping animals in their beds. She then leaned down to let Thomas climb off her back, then he went to the kitchen and put his bucket of candy on the table so he and Fluttershy can share it tomorrow, and then returned to the den. “Okay, sweetheart. Now go get changed into your pajamas and I’ll be right up to tuck you in,” she said, hugging her colt and gave him a kiss on the top of his head. “Okay, Momma,” Thomas said, and then he went upstairs to get changed. She sighed softly with a warm smile, ”He is such a precious little angel. My sweet little angel. My precious baby boy.” She smiled more and then thought about what to read to him until she found a small stack of Daring Do books. After taking a book from the stack, and as she trotted upstairs to her son’s bedroom, she smiled warmly as she saw her little colt already tucked underneath the blankets and curled up with his head on the big soft pillow. She walked over to the bed and tucked him in again and patted the covers around him to make sure he was completely snuggled in and already warm and cozy enough. She gave him a warm smile and reached up her forelegs to gently stroke him, “Did you have fun tonight, sweetheart?” He sighed softly at the gentle comforting touch of her hooves and nodded, “Mmhmm. Yes, Momma. Thanks for changing your mind and deciding to join us.” Fluttershy giggled softly and blushed warmly, “You’re welcome, Thomas. But I’m sorry you got scared during the maze. We weren’t trying to force you to do it. We just wanted you to have some fun with us when we decided to go all together.” Thomas nodded with a warm smile and then she showed him the second Daring Do book, which was “Daring Do and the Griffon’s Goblet.” She started off with Chapter 1 and left off on the second page on Chapter 2 when she saw Thomas was already asleep. Fluttershy closed the book and then tucked the covers over his shoulders, and leaned over to him with one quick hug, “Goodnight, my precious little angel. Momma loves you.” She kissed him softly on the cheek and then left the room to let him sleep. Princess Luna’s moon glowed majestically against the entire night sky and gave a small blanket of warmth over the land. It then shined through the window and glistened on the sleeping form of Thomas as he smiled warmly with pleasant dreams.