//------------------------------// // The Prankster Pegasus // Story: The Nightmare Night Chronicles // by gmen15 //------------------------------// Chapter 2: The Prankster Pegasus “Come on girls, we’re wasting time! We need to get some candy.” Sweetie Belle said, leading the troupe of fillies down the road. The streets were starting to clear up a bit; most ponies had finished their candy obtaining and were either heading over to the center of town or to Pinkie Pie’s haunted house which, unbeknownst to them, was filled with cookie-eating zombies. Even worse, most homes and buildings were dark. Most of the adults had either left for the town square to partake in the festivities, or had already gone off to bed. “Dang it, almost all of the houses are dark!” Apple Bloom complained, stomping her hoof into the ground. Scootaloo groaned. “I told you we shouldn’t have let Pinkie Pie tell us that stupid story, now we’re behind schedule.” The trio continued to stand in the middle of the street, looking around for lighted houses. However, not one of them turned their attention up, which is why they remained completely oblivious to the ominous cloud drifting their way. “Maybe we could try Twilight’s library?” Sweetie Belle suggested. “You think she’s still there?” Scootaloo asked. “Yeah, maybe she and Spike went out.” Apple Bloom added. The dark cloud hovered just above the three fillies. On top sat a sky-blue pegasus wearing armor, as if she were about to jump into the middle of a coliseum and battle tigers. “You mean after everything Spike went through with the brownies and zombies?” Sweetie Belle asked. “I don’t know, don’t you think he’d be sort of...” BOOM! “AHHHH!” the three fillies screamed in unison as a bright light flashed above them, coupled with the terrifying, whip-like crack of thunder. The three friends threw their hooves around each other and began to shiver. Suddenly, there was a loud outburst of laughter coming from directly above them. They looked up to see a black cloud floating above them, bouncing up and down as somepony was clearly having a giggle-fit on it. Rainbow Dash’s head popped out from the top of the cloud, a huge grin on her face as she looked down at her prank victims, still visibly shaken by her action. “Bwahaha! You three should see the looks on your faces! Priceless!” Rainbow Dash laughed, pointing at the three fillies, all of whom seemed annoyed- except for Scootaloo, who was beaming like she usually did when in the presence of her hero. “Very funny Rainbow Dash.” Sweetie Belle said flatly. “Yeah! You sure got us good!” Scootaloo said with a snicker, earning glares from her two friends. She turned back to them and shrugged, “What? She did.” The fillies rolled their eyes and looked up at Rainbow Dash. “Why are ya pranking us like that anyway?” Apple Bloom asked. Rainbow Dash put her hoof to her chin as she ‘thought’ over the question before shrugging, “I don’t know. I guess it’s because I feel like it?” she said, laughing like she was just asked the dumbest question of all time. “I’m a prankster, you three know that.” “Yeah but after Luna scared you last year, I thought you would’ve learned your lesson.” Sweetie Belle muttered. “Oh, that?” Rainbow Dash scoffed, “Eh, she got me good, I’ll give her that much. But it wasn’t enough to get me to change my ways. Pranking isn’t a game, it’s a lifestyle, and it’ll take a lot more than one moment of weakness to get me to stop doing it.” “But why do you have to prank everypony? Can’t ya just enjoy Nightmare Night for the games and candy and fun stuff?” Apple Bloom asked. Rainbow Dash shook her head, ‘“Nah, I’ll stick with the pranking.” She then turned to see a group of three mares standing nearby, all chatting and completely oblivious to the storm-cloud riding pegasus. An evil smile spread across Rainbow Dash’s face. “Now, if you three will excuse me, I’ve got some other unsuspecting ponies to scare.” Grinning, Rainbow Dash turned to zip off. “Wait! Rainbow Dash!” Rainbow Dash stopped and turned to see Scootaloo looking up at her, a set of violet eyes full of wonder and excitement. Rainbow Dash sighed, “What do you want, squirt?” “Could you tell us about your favorite Nightmare Night?” Scootaloo asked, earning glares from her two friends. She turned to them and shrugged, “I’m interested.” “Weren’t ya the one that wanted ta ditch Pinkie Pie the most?” Apple Bloom asked. “Yeah, why are you suddenly patient now?” Sweetie Belle added. “Because it’s Rainbow Dash! Duh!” Scootaloo said, giving her idol the biggest smile she could muster. Rainbow Dash couldn’t help but blush, rubbing the back of her head with her hoof awkwardly as she giggled. “He-he, are you sure? It’s sort of long.” Rainbow Dash said. “Um...” Sweetie Belle began, imagining all the tasty treats they were missing out on. “Well...” Apple Bloom said, thinking about all of the activities that had been set up in the center of town. “Yeah! We’d love to hear it!” Scootaloo said, cutting off her two friends, who both looked at her as if she’d slapped them across the face. Before either of them could scold their orange friend, Rainbow Dash was already off. “Well, if you three really want to know.” Rainbow Dash flew directly in front of the fillies, clearing her throat to speak. Scootaloo sat on her flank, hooves under her chin as she looked up at Rainbow Dash, her eyes filled with wonder. Sweetie Belle and Apple Bloom simply had bemused expressions on their faces. Rainbow Dash began her story. “My favorite Nightmare Night had to be back when I lived in Cloudsdale. It was the year after I got my cutie mark, back when I was still a filly.” Rainbow Dash shivered as a cool breeze blew through her mane. She stood in the middle of the street, surrounded by cloud-made architecture and costumed pegasi on all sides. Her Wonderbolts costume fit snug against her body, hiding her recently-obtained cutie mark from view. She was alone, the only thing keeping her outside in the chilly weather was the promise of treats. ”Brrr, it’s so chilly out here. This candy better be worth it.” She looked around. Most ponies were travelling in groups, fluttering down the lane, laughing with small bags in their mouths, full of treats. A pang of loneliness overcame Rainbow Dash. Here she was, on one of the most celebrated nights of the year, alone and without anypony to share it with. She tucked her tail between her legs and sighed. ”I just wish I had someone to hang out with.” The downtrodden filly slunk her way down the white street, head held low. Normally she’d try to look stoic, even when she was alone. Yet this time, under the guise of her strikingly blue Wonderbolts uniform, she felt some sense of security from the outside world where she was able to let her guard down just a bit. A cool breeze blew through her exposed mane and tail, messing them both up further. Not that it bothered her that much- she hated a kempt mane anyway. Her style was one of rebellion and the inability to be tamed, much like how she viewed herself. Unfortunately, even the most hardened, tough ponies out there tend to get lonely if they can’t seem to make any friends. The streetlights leading her way down the street, Rainbow Dash continued looking for the next house she’d hit. Her mind was reeling with a mixture of fretting over her loneliness and a desire to drown her sorrows in the deliciousness that was milk chocolate and candies handed out by residents. The one thing her mind wasn’t on was the looming shadow that hovered over her like a threatening apparition, ready to swoop down and engulf her. She finally noticed the ground at her hooves grow darker, followed by her entire body. Her eyes went wide and she stopped moving. Before a single syllable could escape her lips there was the familiar crack of thunder behind her. Yelping, turned towards the side of the road where there was a stack of cardboard boxes, towering above like a silent protector. She dove behind them, crouched down with her hooves over her head as if she was avoiding an incoming airstrike. Rainbow cowered there until she heard a mix of laughter from above “Haha! I got you good!” Somepony said, their voice young and cracking. Slowly , Rainbow Dash poked her head out from behind the stack of boxes. Hovering just above the area she had been standing moments before was a black storm cloud; on it was a little filly, dressed up in what appeared to be a costume of feathers- like a bird. She was also laughing non-stop, which annoyed Rainbow Dash to no end. “Ha-ha, very funny.” Rainbow Dash said, creeping out from behind the stack of boxes. “Shouldn’t you be at a farm somewhere, chicken?” “Hey!” the pegasus screamed, hopping from the cloud and landing onto the ground. From the close proximity, coupled with her now being directly under a street-light, Rainbow Dash was able to make out her lilac-colored coat and periwinkle mane, cut in a tom-boyish manner much like Rainbow’s own. Despite that, she looked more like a young Cloudchaser. Rainbow could see her cutie mark, three raindrops that matched the color of her mane. The cyan filly could also see her costume more clearly: It was composed of white and brown feathers that were glued to a cloth that simply draped over her body. “I am not a chicken! I’m an Eagle!” She exclaimed defensively. “Hold on a sec!” Scootaloo screamed, halting her idol from telling the story. “You called your friend a chicken, and she was dressed like an eagle. Did this really happen or are you just messing with me?.” Rainbow Dash, seemingly clueless to what the Eagle-dressed Scootaloo was driving at, cocked an eyebrow. “No, why would I be messing with you?” “Well because...” Scootaloo started saying, only to stop. She sat down on her flank, forelegs crossed and a pout on her face. She sighed. “Nevermind.” Sweetie Belle and Apple Bloom couldn’t help but snicker, earning a piercing glare from their pegasus pal as Rainbow Dash continued. “Now, as I was saying...” Rainbow, who was now eye-to-eye with the clearly confrontational filly, scoffed. “Pfft, yeah sure. Why don’t you go off and scare somepony else.” Rainbow Dash pushed her way past, making her way down the road when the filly called after her. “Well you’re all alone, so you’re a much better target.” Rainbow Dash froze. She turned around, a fire welling up from within her. Before the lavender filly could say anything more, Rainbow Dash flew at her. She came to a halt just in front of the pegasus, so close that their noses were pressed against the others’. “Are you saying that I don’t have friends?” “What are you talking about?” The filly said, clearly taken aback by Rainbow Dash’s confrontational tone. “Don’t play dumb with me, I know your kind.” Rainbow Dash spat, stepping away from the confused pegasus filly. “Always mocking me behind my back, laughing. Saying things like ‘oh, that Rainbow Dash is a real piece of work, all she does is brag and talk about how great she is.’” The cyan pegasus turned to the now silent prankster. “Like you know anything about me.” Rainbow Dash turned to leave, but stopped when she felt something warm and soft land on her back. She looked behind her to see the pegasus filly had draped a tiny wing across her back and looked into her eyes with sadness. “Hey look, I didn’t mean to hurt you any. I was just having a little fun.” “Yeah, sure.” Rainbow Dash said, rolling her eyes. She wasn’t willing to buy into what she thought was a half-baked apology brought forth by pity rather than genuine regret. “I have to get going.” She extended her wings and started to get airborne when she was pulled back to the cloud-ground. She turned to see the filly. No longer did she look cocky and prideful. Instead, she now looked somewhat saddened. Her eyes were filled with either concern or pity- Rainbow was too angry to bother deciding which. “You’re really going around on Nightmare Night by yourself?” Rainbow Dash opened her mouth to shoot off one of the hot-headed comebacks she had stocked in her mental holster. Something brash and cocky- just like the attitude she projected. But she couldn’t. Her mouth closed as she looked into the filly’s eyes. It didn’t look like she was putting on an act, her melancholy look was genuine. Still, Rainbow Dash didn’t completely trust her and kept her guard up. “What do you care?” She asked bitterly. The filly shrugged. “I’m just curious.” She said, looking away with shame in her eyes. “It would be sad to hear that you didn’t have anypony to hang out with tonight. Nopony should be alone on Nightmare Night.” “Bit hypocritical, don’t you think?” Rainbow Dash scoffed. “I don’t see you hanging around with anypony. You are as alone as me.” “Yeah.” the filly said quietly, so Rainbow Dash could barely make it out. “But my situation is different.” “Really? How so?” Rainbow asked. The filly opened her mouth to respond, but quickly closed it. She looked down, face blushing and ears flattened against the top of her head. Rainbow Dash rolled her eyes “Right, I’m leaving.” She turned to walk off. She only managed to get a couple of feet when the filly landed in front of her. “Cut that out!” Rainbow Dash complained, trying to walk around, but every time she tried, the filly found a way to block her path. Rainbow Dash could feel herself start to become more aggravated. “Quit it!” “Look,” the filly said. She stuck her hoof out and placed it onto Rainbow Dash’s shoulder to prevent her from flying away. “Before you storm off I want to ask you...if you’d like to hang out tonight. You know, seeing as you’re alone.” Rainbow Dash tilted her head. “Huh? What do you mean hang out?” “You know, get candy, walk around, and talk about nonsense. Fun stuff like that.” the filly said, smiling. Rainbow Dash opened her mouth to shoot down the offer, but found that the words wouldn’t come. It was like they were stuck in her throat, wanting to come out yet they were being held back. Slowly, she closed her mouth and looked down, conceding to the stranger filly. “Fine.” The filly smiled. “Awesome,” she stuck her hoof out. “By the way, my name’s Lilac Storm.” Rainbow Dash’s eyes went wide. “Wow, that’s a cool name.” The filly, Lilac, chuckled. “Yeah, what’s yours?” “I’m Rainbow Dash.” Rainbow Dash said, with much less enthusiasm than normal. “Sweet, I actually think your’s is nicer.” Lilac said. Rainbow Dash answered with a simple shrug. “Whatever. Look, if you really want to do this whole ‘hanging out’ thing, I need to lay out a few ground rules. First, you’ve gotta be cool enough to be seen with me.” “Cool enough?” Lilac asked, her head tilted. “Yeah.” Rainbow Dash said, puffing her chest out and rubbing her hoof on it, like she was polishing them. “Sort of like me.” “You? Cool?” Lilac asked with a bemused expression. “You do realize that you’ve been walking around Cloudsdale on Nightmare Night, alone? Don’t you?” “Coolness is more than just how many friends you have.” “It is?” Rainbow Dash nodded. She reached into her saddle-bag, trying to fish out what she wanted. “It isn’t determined by popularity, that’s awesomeness. Coolness deals with how well you present yourself, no matter how jealous everypony else is of your flying ability.” Lilac rolled her eyes. “Yes. Clearly that’s why you aren’t popular. Not because of your gigantic ego or your arrogant attitude.” “Whatever, it’s not like I’m new to being judged. Here you go.” Rainbow Dash said, plopping a pair of sunglasses onto the filly’s face. Lilac just kept still. Had her eyes been visible, they would most likely have shown an expression of pure irritation. “Sunglasses?” She asked, annoyance in her voice. “Yep.” Rainbow Dash said, squinting as she assessed the ‘coolness’ of Lilac. “Hm...I think you should need a hat.” The cyan pegasus pulled a cap out from her bag and put it onto her friend’s head, the brim facing back. Rainbow Dash looked Lilac over before shaking her head. “Nope, I overdid the coolness and moved right into radicalness.” She took the hat off and stuffed it back into her bag. Putting her hoof to her chin in thought, she looked over Lilac who now only wore the sunglasses. She gave a small shrug. “Close enough.” Lilac sighed. “Okay, now can we get going?” “Sure thing.” Rainbow Dash said, a touch more enthusiasm was present in her voice. “So, what do you want to do?” A sly smirk spread across Lilac’s face. “Pull pranks on other ponies, of course.” Rainbow Dash’s eyes went wide in excitement. “So, I wasn’t a target you singled out. You really were just going around pulling random pranks.” “Yep.” Lilac said, nodding. Rainbow Dash looked from side to side. She turned back to Lilac. “Do you take requests for pranking victims?” “That depends.” She leaned closer to Rainbow Dash, a devious look on her face. “Who did you have in mind?” Rainbow Dash grinned. “Hey dude, come on! We don’t have all night.” “I’m almost done, guys. Just a few more seconds.” Score said with a snicker, spray-painting the side of the Cloudsdale Flight School gym. Dumb-Bell and Hoops watched as their friend completed his message. Once done, Score walked away from the wall. He looked over his work with a satisfied grin while Hoops and Dumb-Bell did the same. They read the blue-painted message: ‘School iz for chumpz’ “Whoa.” Hoops said, staring up. “Dude...” Dumb-Bell said, staring up in shock. Slowly, he looked back down at the satisfied Score. His mouth curled into a smile. “That’s so awesome!” “Darn straight!” Score said, flying over to his friends and giving them each a nice, solid hoof-bump as they continued to rain praise down upon him. Meanwhile, about twenty yards away, both Rainbow Dash and Lilac Storm were peeking out from behind a tree- observing the three colts’ delinquency. “That’s who you want to prank?” Lilac asked Rainbow. “Uh-huh.” Rainbow Dash confirmed, a demonic grin on her face. “This will be awesome, and totally easy.” “How is it easy?” “Let’s just say these guys aren’t the sharpest tools in the shed.” “Not the most original either.” Lilac muttered. “I mean, they spray-painted the blandest message of all time.” Suddenly Lilac took on a much more sarcastic tone. “Oh, you turned the ‘s’ into ‘z’. Truly, you are a master at creativity.” “Ssshhh.” Rainbow Dash shushed. “They’re coming. Are you ready?” “Ready as I’ll ever be.” Lilac said with a sigh. “Keep them busy and I’ll take care of the rest.” “Got it.” Rainbow Dash said before she stepped out into the street. She made her way over to the three, dopey pegasi jocks, whistling a tune. As she drew near, the laughter ceased. It was quickly replaced by a harsh whispering. The three colts, with the smuggest of expressions on their faces, trotted over to Rainbow Dash. “Well, well, well...” said Hoops. “If it isn’t Rainbow Crash.” “Hey guys, how’s it hanging?” Rainbow Dash asked, smirking at the colts in an attempt to seem as cocky as possible. “What do you want?” Dumb-Bell asked, taking a step towards Rainbow Dash. “Yeah, there aren’t any mares around, so you can’t possible looking for somepony to ask to the ball.” Score said, laughing a little as his juvenile joke. But Rainbow Dash was unfazed, used to being made fun of and being called a ‘fillyfooler’, which wasn’t true in the slightest. “Just seeing what you guys are up to.” Rainbow Dash said, craning her neck to see the graffiti-laden wall behind the three colts. “Doing a little spray-painting I see.” “This is none of your business.” Dumb-Bell said, leaning close to the filly. “And you best keep your little mouth shut.” Rainbow Dash flinched, but it wasn’t from fear. It was from something else entirely. “Geez,” she gagged, covering her nose with a hoof. “I know you guys like to be rebels and all, but would it kill you to have a breath-mint every now and then?” Dumb-Bell’s tough-guy expression fell. Blushing a bit, he pulled back, breathing into his hoof and sniffing. His eyes bulged when the smell hit his nostrils. Rainbow Dash had to fight the urge to break out into a torrent of laughter, watching as Dumb-Bell retched at the smell of his own breath. Hoops and Score walked over to Rainbow Dash, now perfectly lined up with the queasy-looking Dumb-Bell. Rainbow Dash kept smiling, watching as a very shifty Lilac Storm flew behind the trio, holding something sharp and silver. It glistened under the moonlight. “Why don’t you just run along little filly?” Hoops asked, leaning towards Rainbow Dash. “Um...sure thing.” Rainbow Dash said, smiling. “I just wanted to ask you guys something real quick.” “We’re listening.” Hoops said. Rainbow Dash, realizing that he was right where she wanted him, put on the most competitive face she could muster. “I was wondering if you were down for a little race around the track tomorrow. Loser has to eat the cafeteria food for a week.” The three colts let out a collective gasp. No student that could afford a home-made meal ate from the school cafeteria. It was so utterly disgusting- rumors spread saying that pigs who were fed leftovers died of food poisoning. Rainbow Dash looked down at her hoof, like there wasn’t a glimmer of doubt that she’d be victorious. “So we’ll meet at the track right after school?” She glanced up at her competitors with a smirk. Scowling, the three colts looked at each other, their eyes silently consulting over the terms of the polychromatic pegasus’ proposal. They then looked back at Rainbow Dash. “You’ve got a deal.” The three colts said at the same time. When they turned to fly off, Rainbow Dash started cracking up as if she were in a comedy club. They froze and turned around, glaring at the giggling filly. “What in the hay is so funny?” Score asked. “Oh, nothing. I was just thinking about a funny joke one of my friends told me earlier.” “You don’t have any friends.” Dumb-Bell hissed. Rainbow Dash’s cocky expression disappeared. She suddenly looked hurt, and then enraged. The three colts flew off into the night. Unbeknownst to them, the back part of their manes had been clipped off, leaving them partially bald. Lilac Storm landed beside Rainbow Dash, twirling around a pair of scissors with a victorious grin. “He-he, cue-balled losers didn’t even notice me. Betcha they’ll be so embarrassed that they don’t even show up for your little race tomorrow.” Lilac said, but Rainbow Dash was barely listening. Her head hung low, her ears flattened and her tail tucked neatly between her legs. She started to sniffle, tears rolling down her cheek and landed on the ground. Lilac looked down at her, her smile gone and face full of concern. “Hey, Rainbow are you okay?” She didn’t answer. The truth was that Rainbow Dash had never felt such an emotional buck to the gut. Sure, she wasn’t the most popular filly, but she had never realized just how unpopular she was. For the first time it dawned on her that what Dumb-Bell said was right. She had nopony to call her friend. She fell back onto her flank so she was in a sitting position. “What’s wrong?” Lilac asked. “Please don’t tell me those stupid-heads made you feel bad.” “They’re stupid,” Rainbow Dash muttered. “But they’re right. I don’t have any friends.” “Well, I’m your friend.” Lilac said, placing a hoof onto Rainbow’s back. “Who’d be there to cheer me on?” Rainbow Dash asked. “Heck, who could I even go celebrate my victory with.” “You could celebrate with me.” Lilac said, but it didn’t do any good. Rainbow Dash couldn’t hold back anymore- burying her face in her hooves, she burst into tears. She felt Lilac wrap her hooves around her. It did make her feel a little better, but only by so very little. “Come on,” Lilac muttered. “I know the perfect place we can go.” “A cemetery?” “Yep.” Lilac said, gesturing Rainbow Dash inside. The cyan pegasus took a step forward and froze, gazing up at the creepy, black gate. The twisted metal seemed to be reaching out, as if trying to strangle her or drag her into the darkness within the boneyard. Lilac chuckled. “What, are you scared or something?” At the word ‘scared’, Rainbow Dash snapped out of her state of fright. She shook her head with a scowl. “Heck no! I’m not afraid anything.” She said confidently. She took a couple of deep breaths before trotting through the gate, eyes focused and face determined, though she was panicking on the inside. She made her way into the spooky cemetery, Lilac trotting past her. “It’s this way.” Sighing, Rainbow Dash followed her new friend further into the depths of the obscure cemetery. They walked past rows of graves, haunting in the darkness of the night. When a Pegasus died, there were three options regarding what was to be done with its remains. They could either opt to purchase a winged coffin and be sent out into the sky, where they would float higher and higher before vanishing altogether. Most pegasi preferred this, even though the final resting place of the deceased was an eternal mystery. Not even Princess Celestia, nor the pegasi in charge of Cloudsdale, was certain. A less-popular option would be to purchase an enchanted coffin and be buried in the clouds, where they’d hang while the clouds acted like a magical kind of soil- eventually converting the bodies to more cloud matter. Fortunately, those clouds would stay extremely high up in the atmosphere, so most pegasi never encountered what they called ‘corpse clouds’. The third option would be to have a traditional burial on the surface, along with unicorns and earth ponies. This was generally preferred by pegasi who lived in towns like Ponyville. Regardless, a pegasi cemetery in the clouds was just as creepy as one located on the ground, where the bodies were buried in soil and grass. Rainbow Dash could feel herself start to shiver, walking over tufts covering the bodies underneath. Finally, Lilac stopped trotting in front of one headstone. Unlike the others, this one stood out. It wasn’t magnificent in size but rather in its craftsmanship. It was carved in the shape of a soaring eagle, wings extended and beak open as if screeching. It looked like a dark predator, hunting for prey under the veil of night. Rainbow Dash couldn’t help but feel in awe of the terrifyingly amazing stone. Lilac sat down, lying back against the soft clouds. Rainbow Dash stood beside her, looking down at her in confusion. “What are you doing?” Lilac shrugged. “Escaping. Clearing my mind. It’s what I always do when I come out here.” “Here?” Rainbow Dash asked in shock. “You come out to a cemetery to escape your problems?” “It’s either come here or stay at home,” Lilac said, eyes tearing up. “Waiting for my drunken father to sober up or pass out so I can leave my room without getting a bottle smashed against my head.” The lavender pegasus cried silently, hardly a sniffle escaping her. Even when she spoke, her voice was barely quivered- as if she was simply lounging on a public beach instead of lying in the middle of a cemetery. But she wore her sorrow for the world to see, her clouded eyes gazing up at the starlit sky, moist from the tears running down her cheeks. “I’m...I’m sorry...Lilac. I really didn’t know.” Rainbow Dash said, reaching out to place a reassuring hoof onto her friend’s shoulder. Lilac sighed. “Don’t be. You have nothing to do with it.” “Is there anything I could do?” “You’ve already done a bunch, just by giving me somepony to talk to.” She said, turning to her friend with a smile. “In fact, you’re the first pony I’ve brought to this spot.” “Really?” The Lilac mare nodded. Rainbow Dash looked around, the creepy feel of the cemetery suddenly lessened. She didn’t fear the dead around her as much as when she had first entered the cemetery. “But why would you take me here over anypony else?” “Because I wanted to show you how much I consider you a friend.” Lilac muttered. “Like I said, I’ve never really opened up to anypony before. If you weren't my friend, I wouldn’t be telling you all of this. Heck, I wouldn’t have even considered bringing you here. But in the short amount of time we’ve known each other, I already see you as something more than just another pony.” Rainbow Dash just stared, not sure how to react. Swallowing, she finally found the right words. “Wow. I’m touched. Really. It’s just that...like you said...we’ve only known each other for an hour, how can you suddenly see me as a friend?” Rainbow asked. Lilac closed her eyes. “The truth is I really don’t have any friends. And honestly, when I saw you slinking off, all alone on the street, I felt like I had to do something.” She turned to her friend. “I couldn’t stand to see anypony look like that.” Rainbow Dash raised an eyebrow. “Look like what?” “To look like the world had abandoned them.” she said. She lifted her head up towards the sky but kept her eyes firmly closed. “To look like me.” Rainbow Dash laid back against the clouds close beside her new friend. Lilac looked over to see rose-tinted eyes gazing back into her own. A small smile crept onto the little blue filly’s face. Lilac kept looking until she couldn’t hold it in anymore and smiled back. Then she turned, looking up at the sky, and placed both hooves behind her head. “Thanks for coming here with me, it means a lot.” Rainbow smiled, “Hey, what are friends for?” Lilac turned to look back at Rainbow Dash “We should get out of her before the groundskeeper spots us.” She said with a soft chuckle. “Yeah, that’d probably be best. I could walk you home if you want.” Rainbow Dash suggested. “I’d like that very much.” Lilac said, still smiling softly. Rainbow Dash and Lilac finally arrived at an older, three-story house. Most of the lights had been turned off; only two windows were illuminated, and even those glowed with the dullness of a lamp in need of a change in bulbs. Lilac stopped walking and stared at the tall building before letting out a deep sigh. “Well, this is it.” She said. “Home sweet home.” She then turned to Rainbow Dash. “Listen, thanks again for hanging out with me, it meant a lot.” Rainbow Dash laughed, “No problem. Besides, I should be the one thanking you for hanging out with me. I know I’m not the easiest pony to get along with.” “You’re fine, Rainbow. A lot easier to get along with than you know.” Lilac said with a chuckle. She turned and began climbing the steps when Rainbow Dash thought of something. “Hey Lilac!” Rainbow Dash shouted. Lilac stopped and turned around, looking down at the cyan pegasus that had spoken up. “I was sort of wondering...do you want to hang out again tomorrow? I could stop by and we could grab some a shake or something.” Lilac smiled, “I’d like that.” With a wave of her hoof, Lilac continued up the stairs. She then froze and turned back around. “Oh, but after your race. You’ve gotta whoop those losers’ flanks. You know, if they have the guts to show up bald.” Lilac said with a smugness that made Rainbow Dash laugh. “I will.” Rainbow replied, still snickering. The two friends gave each other a final wave before Lilac entered the house and closed the door behind her. Rainbow Dash smiled, staring at the home for a few more seconds before she trotted away, looking forward to spending some more quality time with her friend the next day. The following afternoon Rainbow Dash trotted down the street, smiling as she approached Lilac’s home. She was in high spirits, even though she did not get a chance to race. She had run into her three, shaved adversaries several times throughout the day, though the constant mockery they had received robbed them of all desire to race, at least while they were partially bald. She was off the hook, and could spend the rest of the afternoon hanging out with her new friend. She finally reached Lilac’s house and made her way up the stairs before lightly knocking her hoof against the door. She stood back and waited for somepony to answer. Eventually the door opened, revealing an exhausted-looking mare holding a newborn foal in her arms. The little fella crying like there was no tomorrow. “May I help you?” “Yes. Hello ma'am, my name is Rainbow Dash. I was wondering if Lilac happened to be here, we have plans to hang out.” Rainbow Dash said, repressing a squeal of delight at finally being able to say she was hanging out with somepony. The mare just stared, confusion plain on her face. “Lilac? Sorry kid, there isn’t anyone here named Lilac.” Before Rainbow Dash could protest, the door closed in her face. Puzzled, she made her way down the steps. “What the hay was that all about? How can she not live here?” Rainbow Dash muttered before her eyes lit up. “Maybe she’s back at the cemetery.” About ten minutes later, Rainbow Dash arrived at the cemetery. She couldn’t tell if it was due to the relaxing experience she had the previous night or the now-present sun, but the rows of headstones didn’t scare her as much this time. She quickly made her way over to the same eagle-shaped headstone she saw the night before, slowing her pace to a light trot before she reached it. Once there, she stopped completely and stood in front of the eagle. She looked left, right, up and down, hoping to see a blur of lilac-colored fur, but nopony was there. “Ugh, come on Lilac. Where would you go?” Rainbow Dash said, looking at the grave. She chuckled, “Funny, an eagle. Just like Lilac’s....” Rainbow Dash stopped, her eyes went wide and her jaw dropped. “Wait...no that can’t be right.” She trotted over to the headstone, squinting to get a better view. The front of the stone where the name would be was covered in cloud matter, piled high like grass would in a ground-based cemetery. She slowly reached out and brushed the clouds away. Once the stone was clean and she was finally able to read the name, she nearly jumped back in fright. ”Lilac Storm Beloved Daughter And Loving Filly Taken too Soon” Rainbow stared at the name, reading it again, and again, as if she thought by doing so the name would magically change. It didn’t. A breeze blew through her mane. But instead of sending a chill down her spine, it warmed her. The breeze was tepid and relaxing, soothing as it passed over her. Her shock subsided, replaced by contentment. She slowly got to her hooves and chuckled. “You making me think you were alive. Great job. I guess you are the prank master." She laughed, trotting closer to the grave so she was right in front of the name. She reached out and touched it, smiling. “Thanks for the awesome night.” “Okay! Time out! Time out!” Apple Bloom yelled, waving her hooves to get Rainbow Dash to stop talking. She shot a skeptical look at the flying mare, one eyebrow raised and a face showing disbelief. “Ya seriously expect us to believe that hooey?” Rainbow Dash chuckled, “Hey, I never said the story wasn’t unreal. But it did happen.” “Yeah right.” Apple Bloom muttered. “Next ya’ll be telling us the sky is purple.” “Well actually, at dawn it tends to have a violet hue.” Rainbow Dash said. Apple Bloom face-hoofed and let out a groan. “Ugh, it doesn’t matter! Mah point still stands.” “Now hold on Apple Bloom,” Sweetie Belle spoke up. “Maybe Rainbow Dash here is telling the truth.” “Really?” Apple Bloom asked before turning to Rainbow Dash, slowly approaching her with a smug look on her face. “Ah’m sorry, but when it comes to ghost stories like that. Ah follow a strict motto of ‘proof or it didn’t happen’.” “Like I have any proof,” Rainbow Dash said with a chuckle, “Besides, where’s your proof that it didn’t happen?” Apple Bloom tilted her head before opening her mouth to retort. Unfortunately, a certain fan-filly interrupted her. “Oh! She got you good Apple Bloom!” Scootaloo said. Apple Bloom glared at her, but the orange pegasus just ignored her friend’s probing eyes. “That story was so cool, Rainbow Dash!” Scootaloo said excitedly. “Pulling off a Sonic Rainboom and befriending a ghost? You really are the coolest pegasus of all time!” “Yep, no doubt about it.” Rainbow Dash said proudly. Suddenly, out of the corner of her eye, she caught sight of the same three ponies she saw before she had begun telling her story. They were still talking to each other in front of the shop. Rainbow Dash smirked, remembering her original intent. “Okay, story time is over. I’ve got to get back to pranking, but maybe I’ll see you guys later. Happy Nightmare Night.” With that Rainbow flew off, pushing her storm cloud towards the three mares. Apple Bloom looked at both of her friends, “Please don’t tell me y’all believe that mumbo-jumbo Rainbow Dash was telling us.” “Why not? I mean, if it’s not true, at least it made for a great ghost story.” Scootaloo said, “Besides, I’d like to believe that if anypony could talk to the dead, it would be Rainbow Dash.” Apple Bloom rolled her eyes. “Whatever. Look can we just get going? We have to start hitting up some houses and make our way into the center of town. Applejack won’t be happy if we’re late.” “Okay. But first, let’s stop by Twilight’s place.” Sweetie Belle said. “Spike could probably use a pick-me-up if he’s still not feeling well.” “And she probably has some cool candy,” Apple Bloom said. “Maybe even some more of those magic brownies!” “Alright, then it’s settled! Let’s head over to Twilight’s!” Scootaloo said enthusiastically. The three fillies trotted off just as another flash of lightning illuminated the night behind them. The three mares that had been chatting peacefully only a moment before were now screaming, running around in a blind panic. Rainbow Dash chortled from atop her cloud, clutching her sides for fear that she’d crack a rib from laughing so hard. She gazed up at the night sky, stars twinkling like tiny fireflies. Her laughter slowed to a light chuckle before it stopped altogether. But her smile remained as bright as ever. It wasn’t a smile of mockery, it was one of genuine happiness. She pointed up towards the sky. “That one’s for you, Lilac.” [A/N]: A special thanks to Featherprop and Garbo802 for helping me edit this. I hoped you enjoy and I apologize for the long gap since I last wrote this story.