Pipe Dream stared up at the ceiling as he was lying in his bed. He didn't want to sleep, because after everything that happened today, he was afraid that he might have another nightmare. "Afraid," he thought to himself. He hated that word now. He hated being afraid. If he wanted to stop being afraid, then how was he supposed to stop himself from being afraid? Being afraid just happened, he couldn't control it. It just... happened.
Pipe Dream let out a discouraged sigh as he looked at the different curves and cracks in the cabin ceiling, trying to distract himself from sleeping. Even now he was afraid. He didn't want any more nightmares, he just wanted to be normal like everypony else.
"Phoebe." he thought, feeling angry again. This was all Phoebe's fault. If it wasn't for her, he'd be normal. If it wasn't for her, than he wouldn't have been waking up screaming from graphic night terrors five years ago. Feelings of hate welled up inside him, as he started to realize that he was being used. He remembered her feeling satisfied with his "strong emotion," aka "fear" as if she'd just eaten a pie or something. Pipe Dream began to hate Phoebe more with the thought, hoping that he could just know where she really was, then he could show her what for.
That is, if he wasn't afraid.
The longer Pipe Dream stared at the ceiling, the sleepier he became. Minutes passed in what seemed like hours, as sleep finally began to overpower Pipe Dream, causing him to nod off into a silent slumber.
- - -
Thud.
Pipe Dream woke up in an instant, sure that he heard a noise up above him.
After listening intently for moment, he heard the sound of scuffling... in the attic.
Pipe Dream pulled his covers closer to him, fearing another nightmare, as he closed his eyes tightly. After several moments went by, nothing happened. Just quiet, and an indistinct shuffling in the attic.
Slowly opening his eyes, Pipe Dream continued to hug the covers to himself, hoping nothing would happen. To his relief, nothing happened. It was still just quiet, but this time, he couldn't hear any more shuffling.
Pipe Dream started to wonder that might not actually be a ghost after all, like he had been taught all his life. Heck, it could just be a wild animal or something.
Thud.
"Nope, it's a ghost, definitely a ghost," Pipe Dream thought again.
But this time after the thud, Pipe Dream didn't hug the covers any more closely to him. He simply allowed his hooves to lie limply on top of them.
"I'm afraid," Pipe Dream thought.
Pipe Dream began to hug his covers to himself tightly again, but this time out of feeling angry. "I hate being afraid," Pipe Dream thought at last.
In fact, he hated it so much, he said it out loud to himself, "I hate being afraid, I hate being afraid, I hate being afraid."
Pipe Dream began to feel different, as if something had changed in him. For the first time in his life, his strong fear of everything was being challenged by his strong anger of being afraid to begin with. His emotions were at a stalemate, and he didn't ultimately feel motivated to act on either his fear nor his anger.
Having had enough, Pipe Dream slowly stood up on his bed, letting his covers fall back around him.
Looking up at the ceiling, Pipe Dream quietly ordered, "get out of the cabin, ghost."
He said it quietly, so quietly that even he could barely hear it, but it still made him feel better somehow. He felt like he was taking control by telling the ghost what to do.
Thud.
Pipe Dream shuddered at the noise, backing up into his bed, before forcing himself to stop. He didn't want to be afraid. Not anymore.
Forcing himself to stand up in his bed again, limbs shaking from a mixture of anger and fear, Pipe Dream forced himself to say, "I told you to go away."
More scuffling, but this time Pipe Dream wasn't so afraid. He was forcing himself to not be afraid, forcing himself to stop being such a 'fraidy cat'. Standing confidently, Pipe Dream continued to stare up at the ceiling, finally saying "I'm not afraid of you."
That made him feel good to say, so he said it again, "I'm not afraid of you, I'm not afraid of you, I'm not afraid of you."
As he continued to say those words, his fear really did begin to melt away, being replaced by his anger for ever being afraid to begin with. Each time he said those words, he said it again a little louder, and a little more confidently, until he was saying those words as if he was saying them in an everyday conversation. Then, he stopped saying them. Not because he was afraid, but because he was content. He didn't feel afraid. For the first time in his life, he didn't feel afraid.
Something in the attic made a creaking sound, but this time, Pipe Dream prevented himself from backing down. He simply stared at the ceiling, unwavering. Then, he realized something - that ghost wasn't obeying him. He told that ghost to leave, but it didn't leave. Did it think it could just stay up there? Did it think it could just make Pipe Dream feel afraid whenever it wanted to? Pipe Dream didn't think so. Not anymore.
Hopping out of bed, Pipe Dream decided to do something nopony else in the family had done, or would ever do. He was going to go up to the attic, and tell that ghost to get out of the cabin, and if it didn't listen, he'd make it leave the house; because Pipe Dream was fed up with being afraid, and he refused to feel afraid again.
Pipe Dream trotted through the house to a narrow door in the kitchen. This was the door which led to the attic. From this vantage point, Pipe Dream could hear movement up in the attic. Time to show that ghost what he was really made of.
Taking a deep, shaky breath, Pipe Dream opened the door. As he did so, he noticed a warm, orange glow being emitted by something up in the attic, a glow which was bathing the old, dusty attic stairs like a campfire illuminating snow. Refusing to feel daunted, Pipe Dream slowly tread up the stairs, feeling nervous. Very nervous. Nopony in his family had ever done this before. Feeling empowered that he was doing something nopony else had tried, Pipe Dream continued to trot up the stairs, quietly but diligently, until he finally reached the top.
The attic appeared to be a large living room, but it was filled with large wooden crates which blocked a lot from view. Unlike other living rooms, however, the ceiling was angled upwards in a way which made it so that it was leaning on one long log at the top and two walls on either side of the room. Finally, that unnatural orange glow continued to haunt the ceiling, both beckoning Pipe Dream to come closer, and warning him to stay away.
Refusing to be afraid, Pipe Dream began by setting one hoof in front of the other, making himself maneuver through the hallways created by the wooden crates, in order to find the source of the orange glow. Suddenly, he heard that movement again, but this time it was much clearer, sounding like rocks being tapped on the floor.
Rounding a corner of the crates, Pipe Dream saw that at the next turn, he'd see the source of that glow. Suddenly, he felt weak, and began to have second thoughts. He didn't want any trouble, anyway, and it wasn't a problem if there was a ghost in the attic who... made him feel afraid when it wanted to.
No. He was going to get rid of this ghost. Pipe Dream didn't want to feel afraid. Not anymore. Although he still wanted to feel a little confidence, all the same.
Glancing away from the orange glow, Pipe Dream noticed four decorative rings which were scattered next to each other on the floor. That gave him an idea. Pipe Dream could pretend to be Olympus by putting on those rings, as if they were the Bands of Strength. He could be like Olympus in the catacombs of the night ponies.
Feeling good about himself now, Pipe Dream lifted the rings with his magic and placed them on each of his four hooves. Satisfied, Pipe Dream took a deep breath, and stood at the corner of the crates, about to face that ghost head on with his "Bands of Strength".
"Here goes nothin'." Thought Pipe Dream.
Pipe Dream jumped out from the corner of the crates, turning himself to face that ghost head on, to tell it what for, to...
Pipe Dream's jaw hung limply, as he slowly backed away, staring at exactly at what that ghost was; because it was no ghost. Pipe Dream wished he didn't do this. he wished he never went into the attic. He wished he wouldn't have been so stupid. He swallowed, mouth feeling dry, as he found himself cornered by the crates positioned just behind him.
That orange glow? It wasn't a ghost. It was a mane. A broad, glowing mane, which contrasted with the shiny black coat of a the mare. The night mare. She was tall - taller than Cheerilee or Captain Green, with an essence which spoke of royalty. Corrupted royalty, that is, because she glanced back at Pipe Dream with a fiery glow in her eyes which could have competed with the eyes of hades.
She only glared at him, with an expression which reminded him of those stories told of ponies who kept watch over other ponies in the depths of Tartarus. She bowed her head with an annoyed grimace on her face, as a voice spoke in Pipe Dream's head.
"Why don't you get back downstairs, and never speak of this again." the voice hissed, with an ethereal sound to it.
No. It couldn't be real. It had to be another nightmare, just like all the last ones. Pipe Dream didn't want to be afraid anymore. Pipe Dream took an unstable step forward - telling himself it wasn't real, because it couldn't be real - until he was able to force himself to look the night mare in the eyes.
"I-I'm not g-going anywhere." Pipe Dream stammered, forcing himself to hold her gaze.
The night mare threw her head back, soundlessly opening her mouth. Pipe Dream knew she was laughing, though - he heard it in his mind. She brought her head back down again, looking more annoyed than before.
"Hah. Hah. Hah..." the voice said in Pipe Dream's head, "Do you know who I am, my little pony?"
Pipe Dream swallowed, unable to answer.
"Hah. Hah. Hah..." the ethereal voice continued, "I am known as Phoebe, rightful heir of the night ponies."
Something didn't seem right with the night mare's answer. When Pipe Dream had last seen Phoebe, she was just a filly. How could that be possible? How could this be who she was?
The answer was simple. This had to be another one of Phoebe's tricks in order to scare him away. "Not this time, Phoebe," Pipe Dream thought.
"I-I'm... not... afraid... of y-you," Pipe Dream stammered quietly.
"...What?"
"I'm n-not... afraid of y-you."
Phoebe looked back at Pipe Dream with a wicked, sarcastic look on her face.
"...You know you are afraid..." she replied.
"Besides, y-you're just a filly, Phoebe... St-stop playing g-games with me." Pipe Dream managed to say, taking another step forward.
"...Excuse me?" the voice responded angrily, "watch your mouth, unicorn."
Pipe Dream took a deep break, then responded, "Get out of our c-c-cabin."
"...Nopony in Equestria would dare to command me to..." the voice continued, before the night mare looked down at Pipe Dream's hooves with the same sarcastic grimace. Then, the expression on her face quickly turned to aggrivation.
"...What are those..." the voice said.
Pipe Dream looked back at his hooves to see the decorative rings which he had placed on them. He knew that they were just decorative rings he found in the corner, but maybe Phoebe didn't know that.
"Phoebe, I have the Bands of Strength," Pipe Dream stated, looking back at the night mare confidently.
She stared back at him, with a shocked look on her face. Suddenly, she stomped on the floor in anger, suddenly shouting in Pipe Dream's head.
"How did you get those? They were mine!"
Pipe Dream simply stared back her.
"...Well, I am not leaving this attic, you little colt, so go back whence you came before I give you something to really be afraid of, and this time, it will hurt, you pathetic little-"
Before she could finish, Pipe Dream had enough. He hated being afraid for all of his life, and now he finally exploded with all the anger which he had stored inside of himself for his entire life. Without warning, while illuminating his horn with magic, Pipe Dream charged at Phoebe with unnatural strength. Taken off guard, Phoebe took the hit to her chest, letting out a surprised cry, as she was shot out of the attic window, flailing helplessly as she broke through countless trees in the forest, until Pipe Dream couldn't see her, or her orange glow, anymore.
Pipe Dream stood at the window, staring outside at what he had just done, as a smile slowly began to spread across his face. He beat Phoebe. He just knocked her out of the attic window, and sent her flying through the forest. And he wasn't afraid.
But... how was that possible? Even an earth pony couldn't do that...
Looking down at his hooves, he saw the decorative rings on his hooves...
And they were glowing.