//------------------------------//
// Massacre at Sweet Apple Acres 
// Story: A Nightmare Night Kiss 
// by Daniel-Gleebits 
//------------------------------//

A Nightmare Night Kiss: Pt 1

(A Horror My Little Pony fan fiction. This story contains disturbing descriptions and scenes some may find shocking. Happy Halloween 2014 everyone!)


Rainbow Dash was thinking. Hard.
It was something she allowed herself to do only when it seemed really important, otherwise it seemed a waste. But this was one of those times, one of those critical moments in her life that would determine the course of an important event:
What costume should she use?


Even less frequent than her deep thinking was her trips to Rarity’s Carousel Boutique, a bastion of fashion that ground against Rainbow Dash’s patience every time Rarity got an Ideaaaa!!, and Dash happened to be her most to-hand experimental prop. Braving the risk of this, she stood amongst racks full of Rarity’s Halloween assortment, a stunning array of imaginative costumes fit to fill the streets of Ponyville with frightening, yet stylish, stalkers of the night.

“Have you chosen yet, darling?” Rarity called from the back.
“Not yet,” Dash called back. “I need something awesome.”
“You’ll have to be more specific than that, dear,” Rarity said, emerging from a back room with Sweetie Belle. “My entire range is, as you term it, awesome. Wouldn’t you agree, Sweetie Belle?”
Rarity’s little sister was beaming with anticipation, admiring her robot costume in a tall mirror.
“Beyond awesome!” she squealed, dashing for the door. “See you later, Sis! I promised I’d meet Applebloom and Scootaloo at Sweet Apple Acres!”
“Alright dear, make sure you get there before dark. Now, Rainbow Dash.” Rarity sidled up to Dash and cleared her throat. “Something awesome, you say. In my opinion, giving consideration to your preferences, I’d suggest one of these.”
So saying, Rarity gave her horn a wave. The neat circle of racks revolved around them and moved themselves to the margins, whilst a single empty rack rolled to the centre, several choice costumes zooming onto it. Rarity led Dash forward, and lifted several out.
“We have a Roaman soldier outfit, a skeleton costume, your shadowbolt costume that I spruced up of course,”
“Wow,” Dash said, lifting another costume off the rack with her teeth.

-

As it stood, Dash had her whole night planned out. Most of the town would be playing in the night festivities, but this year there was an extra surprise for the kids giving the annual candy sacrifice.
Princess Luna had called away for the night with the deepest regret, apparently having to deal with a significant diplomatic issue in the Griffon Kingdom, and so had commissioned a taskforce of Ponyville ponies to create the effects of her presence instead. Twilight was to use her magic to fabricate herself into Nightmare Moon, whilst she, Rainbow Dash, and Applejack were to create the effects. Lightning, thunder, spooky sounds from bushes, magic smoke: the works. Applejack was even going to get some special spices from Fluttershy to make coloured smoke. It was going to be so awesome!

The sun was setting as Dash landed next to the Golden Oaks library. Spike answered the door, smiling up at Dash proudly.
“Oh hey Dash. What do you think?” he asked, spreading his arms. Dash frowned.
“Isn’t that what you wore last year?” Dash asked, turning her head this way and that to see him from different angles. Spike looked annoyed.
“No,” he huffed. He pointed to the top of his costume. “See? No horns or spines.”
“So?” Dash asked, not getting it. Spike sighed vehemently.
“I’m a lizard!” he snapped, as though this should be obvious.
“That’s what a dragon is.”
“No we aren’t!” Spike shouted, throwing up his arms and storming away. “Twilight, I’m going to candy offering!”

“Err...” Dash said, raising an ineffectual hoof. A short laugh came from above.
“He is right, you know,” said Twilight, descending the stairs. “Dragons aren’t actually lizards. They occupy a different phylum.” Dash wasn’t listening to the lesson, but staring at Twilight, impressed. Tall, slender, black as the night and wearing gleaming armour, the only way Dash knew that it was Twilight in there was by the kind look in the cat-like eyes.
“Geez, Twilight. I barely know it’s you!” Twilight smiled self-consciously.
“Thanks, Dash. What’s giving me away?”
“You have a nice expression. You gotta look mean.” Dash flexed her facial muscles into a sinister sneer. Twilight recoiled slightly.
“Goodness, Dash. I think you’d have done better at this job. But that’s a lovely Luna costume.” Dash smiled, turning to the side so Twilight could see the whole thing.
“Yeah, I just couldn’t pass up this silver armour. Even if I have to wear this sissy dress under it.” Twilight gave Dash a knowing look.
“That armour is based off of the first NightGuards uniform, which gave the inspiration for the first armoured Wonderbolts exhibition line.”
“No foolin’? I thought it looked familiar. So you want to go pick up Applejack? Pinkie already has most of the kids together with Zecora.”

-

Even though she knew it was Twilight, Dash knew a faint doubt in her mind as she walked alongside her. Her long, stately strides, her height, and the long, flowing ethereal mane made her very intimidating. With the light almost gone now, and their way lit by the mystical light of Twilight’s horn, strange shadows played about her form. She seemed almost serpent-like.

“Want me to zip ahead and see if AJ is ready?”
“Don’t forget I can fly too,” Twilight reminded her. Without preamble, Twilight rose into the air. Dash had to admit, even as she cried
“Hey! That’s cheating!” that Twilight had really improved in her flying. Nonetheless, Dash immediately overtook her in a streak of rainbow colours, and zipped towards the glow of lantern light ahead. Over the trees, a single lamp stood out from those of the farm house, and Rainbow Dash landed lightly in time to watch Twilight’s less graceful descent.
“Need some help there?” Dash grinned, as Twilight attempted to extricate herself from the bits of fence she was entangled in. Once upright, Twilight looked around, her ethereal mane floating like a ghost.

“The landing always messes me up. Where is Applejack?” she asked, frowning. Dash looked around. There was no one there. Looking towards the gate, she saw something odd.
“Hey, look at this lantern.” Twilight trotted over, and peered down. The feebly burning lantern lay on the ground, cracked, and on its side, as though somepony had dropped it hurriedly. “That’s not like Applejack to leave a mess like this. You think the kids did it?”

Twilight didn’t reply to this, but was directing her light around the floor, casting a purplish spotlight on the dirt road. Dash peered in the direction of the house, wondering if AJ and the kids were there. Picking up the lantern, she swung it around, and instantly caught sight of something that froze her blood. Twilight jumped as the lantern clattered to the ground again.
“Dash!” she squeaked. “Don’t do that!” She frowned slightly at Dash’s expression. “Dash?”
The Pegasus didn’t answer. Her face drained of colour, her eyes were fixed on a gnarled tree silhouetted against the inky blue sky. Twilight raised an eyebrow and directed her horn’s light to the tree. Then she let out a scream.

On the tree, in several parts, was a familiar orange pegasus, her magenta mane matted with blood, her guts messily splattered across the lowest boughs, the look of terror not quite vanished from her misty eyes.
Twilight backed up shakily, and accidentally stepped on the smouldering remains of the lantern. Leaping to the side, she slipped on something wet and fell hard onto the ground. Groaning, she lifted her head, illuminating two other prone figures.
“Celestia, no...” she whispered. Dash looked around with tears in her eyes. She couldn’t speak.

Like Scootaloo, both Sweetie Belle and Applebloom had been crudely disemboweled. Sweetie Belle was sprawled upon the fence, her gut torn apart and the insides strewn. Applebloom seemed to have made a run for it, for her corpse lay several feet away, but was worse for the experience. Whether out of malice or inefficiency, Applebloom was barely recognisable. Her face was rent and torn, a long arterial spray streaked the ground from her open throat, and her back legs were mangled beyond recognition. Her guts lay like butchers meat along the path, darkening the ground beyond.

“Twilight...” Dash said in a strangled voice. She fought the tears and swallowed the lump in her throat. “Twilight, we... *gulp* we need to tell someone.”
“But we can’t... we can’t leave them here,” Twilight said in a brittle voice. “W-We can’t, we-“
“Whoever did this, we need to warn ponies. We need to find AJ.” The thought almost made her numb. Had the same fate occurred to Applejack?
Twilight’s shock didn’t subside exactly; that was clearly too much to ask. It instead gave over to a kind of horrified distraction of mind.
“Right, right. Y-You’re right. You, I... I’ll go back to Ponyville, warn the ponies there.”
“I’ll find Applejack,” Dash said, her voice trembling but sure. Twilight seemed about to object, but Dash cut across her. “I’ll follow after you when I find her. I’m not leaving until I find her. For better or for worse.” Twilight hesitated, but after a moment or two, nodded.

After she had galloped off into the dark, her horn light looking like a firefly far off in a darkness, Dash approached the gnarled tree. Flitting up to the branch where Scootaloo’s face gazed miserably down onto the ground below, Dash stared tearfully at her, gritting her teeth against the urge to cry. She wouldn’t cry, not yet. She’d be stronger than that for the moment, bear it until she figured things out. Applejack- no, Scootaloo and her friends deserved better.
“Goodbye, little sis...” Dash whispered, closing the little pegasus’ eyes for the last time.


- To be Continued