It was the night before Nightmare Night, and the only sounds that Starlight Glimmer could hear were the sounds of the night-time breeze from outside.
She never expected herself to be up so late, but there she was. She had a lot of work to do... and she also wanted to read some of the horror stories that the students at the School of Friendship wrote for fun. It was something that they started to do every Nightmare Night... because why not?
Starlight set the current story down and reached for the next one.
"Not bad..." she mumbled to herself. She reached her hoof for the next story.
RING RING RING/i]
Starlight's ears perked. The phone was ringing. Not the phone that she got from Chrysalis and Tirek, though... the older one on her desk that hasn't been used for quite some time now.
She wasn't sure if she wanted to pick it up, so she continued minding her own business, waiting for the phone to stop.
RING RING RING
The phone once again started to ring, and Starlight could feel herself getting annoyed. She huffed, and picked up the phone.
"Hello?"
"Hello, Starlight..." an unfamiliar voice spoke. "Do you want to play a game?"
"How do you know my name?"
"Because we've met before... I just have a little frog in my throat..."
"Nice try. You're crazy if you think I'm going to talk to somepony or creature I've never even met."
Starlight hung up the phone. But right when she picked up the next horror story she was going to read, the phone rang again. Starlight aggressively picked up the phone.
"Stop calling me!"
"I will stop when you answer my question... do you want to play a game?"
"Alright, fine. What game do you want to play?"
"How about hide and go seek?"
"But... you're not even here."
"I could be right outside your school..."
Starlight felt her heart skip a beat. She rushed over to the window, but nothing was there.
She started to back away, and then stood still. Her discomfort was slowly turning into fear, and she started to feel her stomach churn.
"Or..." the voice said. "I could be right behind-"
Starlight wasn't going to have it anymore. She hung up the phone, snatched it off the desk, and threw it to the wall.
She panted, keeping her gaze on the damage she just did. But she didn't care... she wanted to get out of the school as soon as possible.
All of a sudden, Starlight felt an urge to look behind her.
She gulped and turned around. There stood a pony, wearing a green jumpsuit-like outfit, an open dark-blue jacket, and a hood poking out from underneath the jumpsuit that went over its head. It wore a mask in front of its hidden muzzle, which was pure white, with black curved eyes, and a large gaping mouth curved into a smile.
Starlight quickly attacked, blasting a ray of magic at the intruder, and sending it to the wall. Quickly, Starlight bolted out of the office, and down the hall. It felt like it went on and on... and Starlight still felt that presence of dread.
She turned the corner, and screeched to a halt, until her muzzle was right in front of the masked enemy. Starlight prepared to run, but when she turned, the intruder tackled her to the ground. Starlight tried squirming away, but she was forcefully rolled into her back, being forced to stare into the eyes of her attacker. It slightly pulled down its mask, revealing its face, and Starlight found herself too shocked to attack back.
And that's when Starlight felt her magical essence being pulled right out of her.
...
Intro
...
It was now lunch period, and that's when, Cozy, Chrysalis, Tirek, and Leo all met up... only Chrysalis and Tirek share the same class, while Cozy and Leo were separated.
"Jell-O shaped like it has a face in it..." Chrysalis mumbled when sitting down. "I kind of like it."
"Can someone trade with me?" Cozy asked. "I don't like Jell-O..."
"I thought you liked it," said Tirek.
"I did... until I got food poisoning from the last Jell-O I had. Ugh..."
"I'll take yours."
Leo took the Jell-O and placed it next to his.
"I feel like something's off today..." Chrysalis said after swallowing some cake with candy corn on it. "We usually greet Starlight Glimmer in the morning, but today, she's been highly absent."
"Is that why Sunburst and Trixie have been busy?" Leo inquired. "I haven't seen them for a while, either."
"I passed them in the hall," Cozy explained. "I asked what they were doing, and Sunburst told me that Starlight was gone. Apparently, she wasn't in her office, but they found this piece of paper..."
Cozy raised her phone.
"...I took a picture to show you when we got here."
Cozy showed everyone the screen, showing a drawing of a spooky face, with dark curved eyes, and a smile.
"That's all?" Leo raised an eyebrow.
"It means something. Sunburst and Trixie then told me that if they didn't find her or if she didn't show up, then they'd have to cancel the Nightmare Night party."
"Aw, what?"
"Well, it is what it is," said Chrysalis. "I mean, disappearances are very serious issues. One should never sit behind during a situation like that."
"I suppose so."
"Some to think of it..." Tirek began. "I don't think Starlight is the only one absent. Isn't there a substitute here because one of the teachers vanished without notice?"
"Yeah, that's right. Two days ago." Leo slurped a spoonful of jelly. "Are the staff still searching for her?"
"Why wouldn't they?" Chrysalis asked. "Do I have to repeat what I said?"
"Right. Sorry."
"And there's also one of the flower ponies missing from the market, too," Cozy said.
"So I guess Starlight's not the only one too... this has to be connected," Tirek suggested.
"If it is, something better be resolved soon..." said Chrysalis. "I'd hate for one of us to be next."
Later... in the Headmare's office...
Sunburst and Trixie both sat in Starlight's office, waiting for her to come back. But so far, they haven't seen her all day. When they couldn't find her after finding that she was absent, they decided to give her a little more time to show up.
"Well, what should we do?" Trixie asked. "We've searched for her in this school, and the castle, and we haven't found her. We've been waiting here for over an hour and we haven't found her either. And you know Trixie doesn't always prefer to wait."
"Be patient. Look, if she doesn't show up, then we'll have no choice but to cancel the Nightmare Night party and join the search parties. She's among the many others to have disappeared, and I'm starting to get concerned about her safety, and the town's. We've been putting this off and leaving it to the others for so long."
"Yeah, I guess you have a point..."
The door knocked.
Sunburst got up. "Hello?"
No answer.
"Probably one of those pranks the students like to play..." Trixie muttered.
"Likely. Anyways-"
The door knocked again.
Sunburst sighed and got up. He went to the doors, opened them, peeked out, and then saw Starlight's tail disappear around a far corner.
"Starlight!" Sunburst turned to Trixie. "I saw Starlight's tail!"
Trixie got up. "Well, what are you waiting for?"
Sunburst and Trixie both ran out of the room.
"This way!" Sunburst turned around the corner, and Trixie followed. When they both turned the corner, they saw Starlight's tail disappear around another corner.
Both of them continued following her, until they finally found themselves at the library, which was supposed to be closed for the day... only the way in was opened, as usual.
"Isn't the library closed?"
"Not according to her..." said Sunburst. "Maybe she's getting something from there."
They entered the library.
"Should we split up?" Trixie asked.
Sunburst shrugged. "It does increase our chances of finding her, but... does anything about this feel off?"
"We'll be fine. You go this way, I go that way."
"Wait, Trixie wa-"
Trixie turned behind a shelf. Sunburst sighed and continued the search.
Meanwhile, Trixie continued going around the shelves to find Starlight.
"Starlight!" she called out. "Starlight?"
THUNK
Trixie jumped and yelped loud enough for Sunburst to hear from afar.
"What was that?!"
Trixie noticed the book on the ground.
"Just a book that fell... don't worry!" Trixie called out. Using her magic, she raised the book, looked at the spine, and attempted to put it back in the shelf. The only problem was that she usually isn't in the library as much as Starlight, so she didn't have much of an idea as where to put it.
But then the glow of Trixie's magic was replaced with a blackish glow, and the book was then placed back into the shelf.
"Um... than-"
Trixie's sentence was cut off when she felt herself get pulled back by a strong magic force.
Even later...
Cozy Glow left the janitors closet, humming a merry tune, and carrying some paper towels she volunteered to get for the classroom (since the class ran out). But during her trip, she soon encountered Sunburst, ruffling his cape.
"Sunburst?" Cozy spoke. "What's wrong?"
"Oh, um... nothing... I just... went looking for Starlight with Trixie, and now I can't find her..."
"Oh, no! She's gone too?"
"Unfortunately, yes."
"Well, what should we do?" the filly asked. "Listen, not much disappearances have been happening, but the fact that they've been happening more frequently for the past few days isn't something we should ignore. Should we cancel the Nightmare Night celebration to take care of it?"
"I don't see a need in doing so, as long as a search party is out. I can go out along with the other teachers, and leave you and your friends in charge."
"Um... I get the other three... mainly Chrysalis and Tirek... but aren't I a bit too young?"
"Nonsense! You've all saved Equestria more than once! You'll be fine. In fact, remember to bring those decorations you promised after school, alright?"
"Um... sure?..."
"Excellent!" Sunburst patted Cozy's head. "Well, I'm off to continue the search. See you."
"But-but-"
Sunburst ignored Cozy and continued down the hall.
Cozy blinked. The way Sunburst acted was... very strange.
She was gonna let this slide for now, but if he kept acting like this, she was going to have to start asking some questions.
After school...
"So, remember what you have to do, right?" Chrysalis said to Cozy while they, along with Leo and Tirek, stood beside the door.
"Yup!" Cozy nodded. "We go over to the castle to receive the decorations we promised, while you and Tirek help out with Sunburst. Though remember what I told you... he was acting odd when I encountered him earlier."
"We'll talk to him," Tirek promised. "In the mean time, you two run along. We'll be waiting."
"Will do," said Leo.
So after that, Leo and Cozy left, and soon made their way to the castle. When they entered, Cozy felt a shiver.
"I don't feel safe..." Cozy whimpered.
"Stay close to me. I'll keep a lookout. The decorations should be in the closet on the second floor."
The two of them went upstairs and down the hall, where they passed multiple doors until they found what they believed they were looking for. Leo opened the closet door and saw the box of decorations on top of the shelf.
“Bingo!”
Leo went inside the closet and used his telekinesis to grab the decorations. But when he turned around to leave the closet, Cozy gasped.
“What?”
“B-b-behind you!”
Leo turned his head, and his gaze was met with the stare of a mysterious masked pony-like figure, it’s blank white mask visible in the dark closet.
“Cozy, run...”
“But-“
“Run!” Leo shouted. “Run now! I’ll try to take care of him! Get help!”
Cozy, although she didn’t want to, did as she was told and bolted down the hall. She went down the stairs, and up to the door. However, when she tried to get out, it wouldn’t budge at all.
RING RING RING
Cozy Glow’s heart stopped. She slowly turned her head, and saw an old-fashioned Equestrian phone sitting nearby. She slowly, and regretfully, approached the ringing device, and answered it.
“H-hello?” she stammered.
“Hello, Cozy...” a sinister voice spoke through the speaker. “Do you want to play a game?”
“No! What do you want from us?! What did you do to Leo!?”
“You’re little friend is just fine... but not for long. I will see to it that I catch you next.”
“You can’t get to me. I know where you’re coming from.”
“Oh... are you sure about that?”
The sound of trotting echoed throughout the room, and Cozy felt a foreboding presence behind her. She slowly turned her head, and she dropped the phone.
The intruder was right behind her.
Cozy screamed, and prepared to run. The enemy was already hot on he tail. As Cozy ran up the stairs, she grabbed multiple pictures that Chrysalis hung up, silently apologizing, and threw them at the intruder one by one, slowing him down. When Cozy threw the last one, her chaser caught it, and tossed it aside.
Cozy Glow got to the top of the stairs, and ran down the hall in the same direction she and Leo went to earlier.
“Somepony! Heeeeelp!”
...
...
Cozy put in all her effort to escape the intruder, but she could tell that he was gaining on her. Seeing no other alternative, she had another idea, one that she should have thought of from the start.
Horn lit, she looked behind her, and shot at the enemy in an effort to stun him. She got a direct hit, striking him in the barrel. He skid across the floor, before he stumbled into his hooves, glanced at the filly, and then vanished.
Right when the intruder vanished, the closet door opened, and Leo fell flat onto his body. Cozy Glow ran to his aid.
“Are you okay?”
“Ugh...” Leo got up onto his shaky hooves. “Where did he go?”
“He got away...” Cozy replied.
“We need to talk to Chrysalis and Tirek, right now!”
Soon...
“Alright, so repeat to me what happened...” Chrysalis said after hanging a streamer.
“Leo and I went to get those decorations, but when we found them, we were attacked,” Cozy explained.
“It was this... masked pony. He knocked me out, and then went after Cozy. Luckily, she scared him off.”
“Thank Twilight...”
“We can’t sit here and pretend this didn’t happen!” Tirek exclaimed. “Something must be done!”
“I may have a lead on who we’re dealing with. Earlier today, when I confronted Sunburst, he was acting very strange. And not the weird kind of strange you become when someone’s missing or something. It was... not settling.”
“You think Sunburst did this?” Leo asked.
“Maybe. Is he still here?”
“Unfortunately, I went to look for him earlier...” Chrysalis said. “He’s gone. He left a note on Starlight’s office door notifying us that we went to look for her and the others.”
“He may potentially be behind all the other appearances!” Leo suggested. “I don’t think we should just let him roam town!”
“I’ll go,” Tirek volunteered.
“No!” proclaimed Chrysalis. “This isn’t something you should do alone.”
“I can take care of him...” Tirek flexed his bicep. “Isn’t it obvious?”
“I insist.”
“If you say so...”
“Then it’s settled!” Cozy nodded. “Tonight, you two go out, and Leo and I stay here. If anything happens, then call us. We’re in an unpredictable situation, where anything can happen.”
“Cozy’s right,” said Leo. “But we’ve always won our past battles. No twist of events are going to prevent us from ensuring everyone’s safety.”
“We shall finish these decorations, and commence with our plans,” Chrysalis declared. “This intruder chose the wrong town to mess with.”
Nightmare Night Party
The sun has fully set, allowing the atmosphere of the Nightmare Night celebration to come to a completion.
Cozy stood at the entrance to the cafeteria as she welcomed the guests that continued to enter.
“Welcome to the party...” she repeated for each guest.
Everyone, ponies and creatures, chatted while playing games. In fact, when Cozy’s time greeting the guests was over, she went over to Leo, who was busy talking to others.
“So, yeah, they call it ‘Halloween’ where I come from...” he said. Then, he noticed Cozy next to him. “Excuse me...”
Leo and Cozy moved to an area where they felt confident that they wouldn’t be heard.
“Alright, so the guests are here, and the party’s going strong!” Cozy whispered.
“Good! I’ll check in on Chrysalis and Tirek, and then all we have to do after that is keep our eyes peeled.”
“Alright. Sounds good. We’ll just enjoy ourselves while we can.”
Leo nodded, and left.
Cozy looked around the party area, the guests all conversing or continuing their activities.
Cozy was ready to join one of the games, but out of the corner of her eye, she could have sworn that she saw something slink away into a closet.
Outside...
“Magma!” Luster searched the outside of the school in an effort to find her friend, who was nowhere to be seen. “Magma! Where are you?!”
Nearby, something slinked in the bushes nearby. The close crackle caught Luster’s attention.
She looked at the bushes, which remained frozen in place. Shrugging, she was about to continue.
But a few steps later, she heard the sound of the bushes rustling again, followed by a THUMP behind her.
She turned around.
“BOO!”
Luster’s heart jumped, but she quickly calmed down when she realized it was Magma Burn himself, playing a harmless Nightmare Night Prank.
“Seriously?”
“Oh, come on...” Magma said. “It’s Nightmare Night! I may not go out for candy, but the pranks are fun.”
“Well, you do you, I guess. You clearly seem happier. Just... don't do it too much."
"Alright. Hey, I'm going to get some snacks. Wanna come with?"
"Nah." Luster shook her head. "You can just bring me some."
"Alright, will do."
Magma turned and left, leaving Luster alone. Not having much to do, Luster decided to practice some magic, since she wasn't too interested in the party at the moment. Though she did plan to go in later.
She noticed a flower nearby, appearing to slightly wilt due to the changing season. Squinting her eyes, she lit her horn, and concentrated on the flower.
Seconds later, it bloomed, its petals illuminating brighter colors then what it had.
"Not bad..." she mumbled.
*Rustle*
Once again, a nearby bush shuffled around in place. Luster looked at the bush and sighed.
"Really funny, Magma..." she mumbled. "Come on. What did I just tell you?"
The bush did not move. Luster stepped closer.
"Magma. Get out of there."
Nothing.
"Magma?" Luster poked the bush. It started to rustle.
Luster stepped back, before she was suddenly tackled by something that was definitely not her friend. She stared deep into the eyes of the white mask that stared back. It reached up its hoof to pull down its mask, before it was struck into the side by Magma's attack.
Cozy...
Cozy peeked into the closet. There was nothing in there. All that was there was an open window.
Wait...
Cozy ran over to the window and looked out the window. There, she saw Magma Burn and Luster Dawn standing right across the same attacker from earlier in the day. The attacker got up on its hooves.
Magma Burn charged, but the enemy stood still. Right when it seemed like the enemy was about to get struck, he grabbed Magma's front hoof with his magic, flipped him in the air, and slammed the bulky unicorn on his back.
"NO!" Cozy heard Luster scream. Luster charged, but the attacker froze her in place with a black shade of magic. He looked back into Magma's eyes.
And that's when Cozy knew she had to help.
The filly opened her wings and flew down. "HEY! UP HERE!"
The intruder looked up, and saw Cozy Glow up in the air. When he returned his gaze to Magma, a burst of magic struck his jaw, flipping him in the air.
Luster and Magma both got on their feet. The intruder's head darted back and forth, looking at each of them as they closed in.
And then the intruder hightailed it, and ran away.
"What's going on?" Luster asked.
"I'll explain later! We gotta go after him!"
The three of them chased after the intruder, though the intruder was faster than they thought. After turning a couple of corners, the attacker ran into the school.
"Uh-oh!" Luster exclaimed.
"Don't give up now!" Cozy shouted.
The three of them entered the school, and continued running down the halls to catch the intruder. However, things took a turn for the worse when they soon entered the cafeteria... and among the many guests in the party, the intruder was nowhere to be seen.
"Nopony or creature is safe in here..." Cozy said.
"What's even happening?" asked Magma.
Cozy didn't answer the question, though, because right then, she saw the best way to get everyone to safety...
The fire alarm lever.
Cozy wasn't sure if it was going to be a good idea or not to do it, but whatever the case, she rushed over, and pulled down the lever, causing the alarms to blare loudly.
"EVERYPONY AND CREATURE OUT!" she screamed. "LEAVE IN A CALM AND ORDERLY FASION! STAY OUTSIDE UNTIL YOU HAVE THE ALL CLEAR!"
The confused party guests proceeded to exit, mumbling in confusion as they left.
Cozy went around making sure that everyone was leaving. Soon, the last guest was outside, and Cozy, Luster, and Magma Burn were the only ones left in the room.
"Alright, now that all this is over, could you please explain to us on what's going on?" Luster asked.
"Listen..." Cozy began. "Ponies and creatures have been going missing because of that masked intruder. Your mom's one of them. We may believe... that your dad's behind it."
"What?" Luster gasped, stepping back. "I... I don't believe you."
"She's probably trying to get under your skin..." Magma grumbled.
"Cozy."
Cozy Glow turned around. Chrysalis and Tirek were entering the cafeteria. Cozy ran over to them,.
"Sunburst came here and tried to take Luster and Magma out," she explained. "We chased him into the school, and so we had to evacuate the students. I'm telling them that Sunburst is the enemy, and they don't believe me."
"They're right," said Chrysalis. "It wasn't Sunburst."
"Huh?... Then... who?"
Chrysalis slowly raised her head and grinned.
"Us."
Tirek shot a beam of black magic, trapping Luster and Magma in a crystal cube.
Shocked, Cozy stepped back.
"No..." she stuttered. "It's... it's not you... it can't be..."
Cozy turned and ran, but when she opened the exit door, Leo stood there.
"Leo!" Cozy yelped. "Chrysalis and Tirek... they're... they're the intruder... or intruders... they lied!"
Leo smirked and lifted a small device. He spoke into the device, but the voice that came out was very familiar.
"Surprise, Cozy..."
The voice that spoke was the same face from the phone. Leo tossed the remote over to Tirek, who spoke into it.
"What's the matter, Cozy," Tirek hissed. "Are we too scary for you?..."
Only a disbelieving squeak came out of Cozy's mouth.
...
...
"I don't understand..." Cozy sputtered. "Why?"
"Why?" Leo scoffed. "I guess I suppose we had... an awakening, I'll call it."
"We want to do whatever it takes to keep this world a safe place... and to do that, we need power," said Tirek. "Sometimes, sacrifices just have to be made for the greater good."
"I can't explain it, but..." Chrysalis sighed. "It just... happened. This feeling... this surge... these dark desires with no reasoning. They're there. And the itch has to be scratched."
"No... no, you'd never say that. None of you would. This isn't like any of you. Good or formerly evil. How... how did you all even do this?"
"It's simple!" Tirek said. "I was the one who always spoke on a phone... or planted it."
"And Chrysalis and I did all the other work..." Leo explained. "We would take turns donning the costume and then going after unsuspecting victims. Of course, Chrysalis would transform herself into her pony persona so it would seem like a one-pony job. She also disguised herself as Sunburst to trick you."
"I can't believe... no... I don't want to believe this. Something isn't right..."
"Come along with us, Cozy," Chrysalis offered. "Help us make Equestria a better place... sacrifice yourself... or help us."
"I'm not doing either of that..."
"You don't have any other choices in the matter," Leo said.
Cozy knew they were wrong. She did have a choice. One that she was going to do right away. She was going to run.
And that was what she did.
She dashed forward, using teleportation to get past Chrysalis and Tirek.
"Get her!" Cozy heard Chrysalis shout.
Once again, Cozy ran and ran in an effort to save herself. She ran fast... and the many corners she turned served as an advantage. Fortunately, there was an open closet up ahead. Cozy dove in, shut the door, and secured it... though that effort, Cozy knew, would be futile.
Panting, Cozy backed up. She heard loud, thundering hoofsteps approach the door.
Cozy gulped, but she felt something rub against her leg. Something familiar. She picked up the dark-blue jacket and white mask.
Outside, Tirek continued his approach to the door, before he soon stopped. He grabbed the handle, and jiggled it. It didn't budge.
Using all his strength, Tirek tore the door off... only to be pounced on by a filly wearing the costume (that's slightly too big for her). Tirek grabbed Cozy and lifted her off of him, but he was then met with a powerful blast to the chest. He flew backwards to the wall and crashed through it while Cozy lowered herself to the ground.
Leaving the mask on, Cozy approached Tirek, who sat himself up in a daze.
"C-Cozy?..." he groaned.
Cozy Glow tilted her head, wordless. Tirek scratched the back of his neck, only to feel something hard and crumbly. When he brought his hand back, there was something in his fist. When he opened it, it revealed small scraps of metal, something slightly reminiscent of the technology that made up the smart phones.
"I don't... understand..."
"What do you mean?" Cozy pulled off the mask. "You worked with Chrysalis and Leo to capture ponies and creatures due to some absurd awakening."
"I... I wouldn't do that! I think... this... this little electronic thing did something to me."
"Likely story."
"I'm telling the truth..." Tirek got up onto his hooves. "All of the ponies and creatures... they're in a closet upstairs. The magic we took is hidden in a different room, inside of a piece of the Bewitching Bell that we found earlier when under the influence of these things."
"The Bewitching Bell is still active while broken?"
Tirek nodded. "Listen. Chrysalis and Leo are still under the influence of the devices. I really need you to trust me so we can take them down and end this madness."
"Why didn't they come with you?" Cozy asked.
"We agreed to split up. You ran fast, and this school is nearly as much of a maze as the castle..."
"So? If you're telling the truth, then let's find them and snap them out of it."
"I have a lead on where I last saw Chrysalis," said Tirek. "We will start there."
Chrysalis... later on...
Chrysalis stalked down the hall, searching for Cozy Glow. She peeked into a closet, and then closed it when Cozy turned out to be absent.
"Show yourself, Cozy!" Chrysalis bellowed. "Make this easy on the both of us!"
Chrysalis stopped when she heard upcoming hoofsteps behind her. She saw Tirek and Cozy approach her, side-by-side.
"So... it looks like you chose the easy way, huh?"
"Yep..." Tirek replied, before grabbing Chrysalis with his magic.
"What is this?! Put me down!"
Chrysalis attempted to flail, but couldn't. Tirek searched through her mane, while the changeling growled.
"AHA!" Tirek's claws grabbed something, and then yanked it out of Chrysalis' mane. Chrysalis yelped, and Tirek could feel her calm down in his magic grip. He allowed her to look back at him.
The look in her eyes was enough to convince Tirek to put her down.
"Thank you..." Chrysalis wheezed. "Cozy, I am so sorry."
"Don't be..." Cozy assured. "What matters more is to repair what's broken. We need to defeat Leo and then save the prisoners."
"Oh, that may seem easy..." Leo's voice spoke, as he revealed himself from around the corner. "...but I've had some practice with my magic and abilities when our reign began."
"I doubt you'll do well against us, even if you practiced," replied Tirek.
Leo charged his horn, the magic around it immediately starting to radiate with magic. "Have it your way."
Leo took a big leap toward the reformed villains, his wings opened wide, and his horn lit very brightly. Cozy, Chrysalis, and Tirek were all ready to fight back... but then Leo fell flat on his belly on the ground.
"I'm... not sure if he even did enough practice..." Chrysalis said.
Cozy approached Leo and bent down. The green Alicorn raised and wildly shook his head. Cozy could then see something off in the chunk of his mane hanging down the side. Cozy used her magic to keep a tight grip on Leo's head, rustled through his mane, and yanked out the device.
"ACK!" Leo squeaked.
Cozy backed away and allowed Leo to have some time to recover.
"Ugh... thank goodness that's over..." Leo muttered.
"What even happened with you three?" asked Cozy.
"I don't know," Chrysalis said. "We just... woke up with a bit of that mindset a few days ago, and we came across a shard of the Bewitching Bell. It's a bit complicated to remember..."
"We better retrieve the others before we get further into this," Tirek suggested. "Where's the shard?"
"We hid it in my room, remember?" Leo answered.
"I'll go get it."
Tirek gave Chrysalis a nod of approval before she headed out.
*Ten minutes later...*
Tirek, Leo, and Cozy all worked together on comforting the prisoners (Starlight, Trixie, Sunburst, and some others) and releasing them from the bonds that tied them up.. Soon, Chrysalis finally entered the scene, carrying the shard.
"It's about time..." Trixie groaned.
"I will say this again... I am so, so, so, sorry," Leo apologized.
"Alright, could you three get behind me so I can do this?" Chrysalis requested.
Leo, Tirek, and Cozy did as they were told and moved. Chrysalis raised the glowing shard, and used her magic to return the stolen magic to the rightful owners.
When it was over, Starlight stood up and dusted herself.
"Alright, now that that's all over... what the hay was that all about"
"I don't know. I, along with Tirek and Chrysalis, just woke up with this mindset. Weird motivations and all that. And we soon found a shard of the Bewitching Bell just... lying there. We felt a calling... a need to test it. And so we did with a random civilian... and things went crazy from there. And we have this to blame..."
Leo raised the device that he's been carrying the whole time. Starlight took it, analyzed it, then gave it to Sunburst.
"Hmm... this is quite odd," said Sunburst. "This device looks simple, but if it's able to do something bad to you three, then whatever it does is past our understanding."
As everyone talked about the device and the situation, Cozy saw something in her peripheral vision. She glanced at the window. An unfamiliar silhouette, one that wasn't a pony, stood there... though it appeared to be holding itself there instead due to everyone being on a higher floor. She could see two red dots on the figure staring back at her.
Cozy returned focus to the conversation.
"I could feel some instability in the shard when I grabbed it," Chrysalis explained. "So it's weaker than when it's whole, but it can still be dangerous."
"In the wrong hooves, it can definitely prove disastrous," said Starlight.
Cozy Glow checked the window again, but whatever she saw there was now gone.
"Now, um... if you'll excuse me..." Tirek backed away. "I have to go... tend to Luster and Magma."
"You encountered them too?" Starlight asked.
"More like knocked them unconscious... uh... I'll be back..."
Tirek ran before Starlight could do or say anything to him.
"Hey, if I may ask..." Cozy examined the costume on her body. "Where did you get this?"
Leo gulped, then chuckled.
"Eh... there may be a chance that the costume, mask, coat and all that were... stolen... um... we should probably bring those back..."
"Don't need to tell me twice..."
"If Hearthswarming is going to be this crazy, then I'm going to stay inside..." said Chrysalis.
"Let's just fix what's been broken and call it a night," Sunburst said.
"And end Nightmare Night on an odd note? No way!" Starlight exclaimed. "I may have an idea..."
Later...
The guests partied and chatted, though the former victims of the whole situation were understandably skeptical of Tirek, Chrysalis, and Leo. Cozy relaxed near Starlight, who spectated the whole thing.
"So, basically just telling everyone to come back inside was your idea?"
"Well, it is something..." Starlight shrugged. "Besides, coming up with an excuse of an actual fire nearby is sort of an idea too."
"Yeah, yeah... well... I think I should have a little bit of fun..."
Cozy pulled the mask over her face, piquing Starlight's interest.
"What are you doing?"
"Going to celebrate Nightmare Night with some scares."
Starlight grabbed some fallen streamers and wrapped them around her face. "I'll join you."
"Because you don't trust anyone who wears this, or for fun?"
Starlight shrugged. "Why can't it be both?"
Cozy tapped the mask's chin. "Eh. Fair enough."
And so the two of them snuck away, ready to hide in a closet to scare unsuspecting ponies and creatures.