Twilight Sparkle arrived back at the scene, the Princesses alongside her.
"We heard about what's going on, and we want to help you.", Celestia said.
"Yes. We will send this foul demon back to the place where it came from!", Luna said in confidence.
"Good luck with that. It's made of pure magic, so any attacks are useless against it.", Rushing Wind said.
"Well, let's see if it can withstand our magic!", said Celestia and took off with Luna and Twilight. Together, they started to attack Rathmas.
As expected, any attacks from the Princesses didn't seem to harm the magic beast in any way. It just sucked them up like a dry leaf would suck up water droplets.
Rushing Wind couldn't bear to watch that. He turned to Fluttershy and said: "Fluttershy, if you think that this beast isn't purely evil, do you think you can get it to stop?"
Fluttershy took a look at the huge beast. It was so big, and she was so small. How could she out of all ponies possibly stop it? She started to shiver and closed her eyes at this sight. "I... I can't!"
"The Princesses are in danger! And if they can't stop him, and if not even I can stop him, then who will?", Rushing Wind tried again.
Fluttershy opened her eyes a bit again and took a look. Rathmas hit Twilight hard with his claw, and it sent her flying into a house, destroying it in the process.
"Soon you will fall!", roared Rathmas and shot magic rays out of his eyes against the other Princesses, who fell to the ground.
Now Fluttershy knew, she had to do something...
"ENOUGH!", she yelled. She flew over to the demon and looked it straight in the eye. It unleashed a powerful roar, but Fluttershy remained firm.
"You think that this is funny? Do you really think that you out of all creatures have the right to destroy cities, haunt ponies, and take lives?" Fluttershy was angry right now. She continued to stare the creature in the eye. Unbeknownst to her, it was shrinking a bit.
"I tell you what, just because you're big, doesn't mean you get to be a bully, demolisher or killer!"
The creature continued to shrink as Fluttershy continued to scold it...
"You may have sharp teeth, big claws and magic eyes that shoot rays out of it, but you do not, I repeat, YOU DO NOT HURT MY FRIENDS! You got that?"
When the beast finally stopped shrinking, it appeared to be a cute little magic wolf pup. Everypony gasped as they looked at the thing that once was the mighty Rathmas. Especially Fluttershy was overwhelmed with its sheer cuteness.
"Oh my... You're Rathmas?", asked Fluttershy.
The wolf pup barked, which Fluttershy translated to: "Yes, but I have been cursed and filled with dark magic. That dark magic consumed me, and every Nightmare Night, when a certain spell was recited to awaken me, ponies fought me, hoping they could destroy me... But they never could. Until I got locked away in a magic lock beneath what you know nowadays as Ponyville. However, it didn't end without side effects, as every Nightmare Night, I haunted the peaceful little town with nightmares."
Fluttershy was shocked beyond belief. "So... You're the source of nightmares every Nightmare Night?", she asked.
"Yes.", Rathmas said, "And every Nightmare Night, my curse would haunt the town with my nightmarish visions."
The other ponies couldn't really make out what Rathmas was saying to Fluttershy. But finally, she turned to them and said: "Rathmas was just a cute, little wolf pup that has been cursed by dark magic. That's why he's completely made of magic. This curse made him grow to an enormous size, and on every Nightmare Night in the past, he was just locked beneath this place, waiting for someone to summon and destroy him. But with every year that past, the nightmares that haunted this place became more and more vivid, and if we don't remove the curse from him, it will all continue until eternity."
The ponies gasped. Especially Rainbow Dash was impressed. "Whoa, I know you have a thing for animals, but whoa!", she said.
"Well, if that's all there is to it and if removing the curse is the way to get you back to normal, Rathmas... We would be happy to do so.", Celestia said, "But where do we lock this dark magic in?"
"I know!", Rushing Wind said and pulled out a golden necklace. "We can lock the dark magic in here. Then you can hide it in the most hidden part of your castle, where no one can find it."
"Good idea, Rushing Wind!", said Celestia and turned to Rathmas, "Then, I will begin with the ritual. And I'm sure that Fluttershy will take good care of you once you turned back to normal."
Fluttershy smiled. She never had a wolf pup in her company of animal friends, and even though she knew that these things are hard to tame predators, she knew that she can cope with any kind of animal.
Then, Celestia started to cast her magic. The dark magic that engulfed Rathmas is going out of his body, flowing into the golden necklace. Soon, the dark blue creature made of pure magic was just a normal, two-tone grey wolf pup, and the magic was secured in the necklace. Rushing Wind picked it up and handed it to Celestia.
"Take good care of it. If it gets in the wrong hooves, the world is doomed.", he said.
"We will, I promise.", Celestia said. Together with Luna, she flew off.
And now that everything was over, the ponies that were hiding in their homes ran out onto the streets and cheered for the heroes that were able to defeat the nightmarish creature haunting the town for centuries now.
Rushing Wind walked up to Fluttershy. "This is for us, Fluttershy. We all can share in that victory.", he said.
"If you hadn't helped me to get over my fears and go out at Nightmare Night, this probably wouldn't have been possible.", Fluttershy said.
"Yeah, and then the world would have been doomed for sure. You're our hero, Fluttershy!", Rushing Wind said and lifted her hoof up, calling out to the crowd, "Let's hear it for Fluttershy!"
The crowd cheered and chanted. Fluttershy was flattered. She only took care of a magic beast, helped to reform it, and she became a hero for it, because she was able to end the nightmares that were haunting Ponyville every Nightmare Night...