Apple Bloom, Scootaloo, Sweetie Belle and Rainbow Dash were staring on the screen, excitedly following the final scene of the movie. A white bed was visible on the screen. Suddenly, a clawed hoof shot out of it, cutting the bed sheets. Sweetie Belle threw her hooves up and covered her eyes with them. A zebra with black and red stripes clawed it's way out of it and slowly approached a young mare that was standing with the back to it. But the mare noticed the zebra.
“I know your secret. This is just a dream. You are not real”, she said. Then she turned around and faced the zebra. “Give me back my mom and my friends, Night Mare. I will take away your power.” She turned to the door again and ignored the zebra. The undead zebra mare walked up to her and lifted the hoof with her clawed horseshoe to kill the pony in front of her.
Everypony, except Sweetie Belle who still covered her eyes, hold it's breath.
Suddenly, the zebra mare began to dematerialize. She started to scream and dissolved into light. The mare opened the door of her bedroom and found herself outside of the house all of a sudden. A carriage drove up to her house and she saw that all her friends were inside. She said goodbye to her mom who stood behind her and then went into the carriage. After she entered it, the door suddenly closed shut by itself. She and her friends tried to open it, but the door stayed shut. The pony who was pulling the carriage suddenly turned into the red and black-striped zebra the mare met in her bedroom. The zebra mare laughed devilish and then galloped down the road, taking her victims with her. The mare's mom looked after the carriage and, in the next second, something pulled her through the small window of the door back into the house. Then the credits rolled.
The ponies in the cinema, who were completely frozen for the last minutes of the movie, moved again. Some of them sighed relieved, others cheered about the great horror movie. Scootaloo, Apple Bloom and Rainbow Dash were among them.
“This was the best horror movie I ever saw!”, Scootaloo shouted from fascination.
Apple Bloom agreed with her.
“See? I told you it would be a good movie!”, Rainbow Dash replied.
Only Sweetie Belle could not share the excitement. “Is the movie really over?”, she asked, her hooves still on her eyes.
“Yeah, ya can look again, don't worry!”, Apple Bloom answered her agitated question.
Sweetie Belle slowly removed the hooves from her eyes and sighed relieved as she could only see the absolutely not scary credits.
“Ya missed the best scene, though”, Apple Bloom remarked.
But Sweetie Belle did not mind. “I don't think that I have missed something that I wanted to see. It became too scary at the end.”
The other ponies in the cinema proceeded towards the exit, uninterested in the credits, and the first members of the cleaning staff already entered the hall. With nothing interesting to see on the big screen anymore, the four ponies left the hall too. After visiting the toilets for a last time to get rid off the big amount of apple juice they had drunk during the movie, they left the Ponyville Cinema. While trotting outside, they passed a movie poster. “The Night Mare on Hay Street, Premiere Today!”, the poster said. Sweetie Belle shuddered and quickened her pace to left the poster behind her. She had seen enough of this movie
Outside of the cinema, they stretched their limbs after having to seat in the cinema for so long. It was already late at night and thus, dark around them. Most ponies, except the ones who went into the late-night performance of “The Night Mare on Hay Street” today, were already asleep at this time.
Rainbow Dash looked up to the illuminated clock tower. It was ten minutes before midnight. “It's time for you to go home now! I promised Applejack and your parents that you not stay outside any longer after we saw the movie.”
That was just what Sweetie Belle wanted. After the scary movie, she just wanted to come home as quickly as possible. And she was glad that Rainbow Dash was here to accompany them. If she would have to trot home alone tonight, she would probably die from fear.
Rainbow Dash thought about who of the fillies to bring home first. Sweetie Belle's home was directly on the way to Scootaloo's house, but bringing home Apple Bloom would mean to go a long way round, since she lived on Sweet Apples Acres. It would also mean that it would take Apple Bloom longer than Scootaloo and Sweetie Belle to come home tonight, because Rainbow Dash would bring them home first, to avoid it for them to having to trot to the farm and back, which that Apple Bloom had to stay with them for the whole time if she wanted that Rainbow Dash accompanied her home too. “Hey, Apple Bloom, can you go home alone or should I bring you home too?”, Rainbow Dash asked her.
Apple Bloom understood why Rainbow Dash asked her and she wasn't very scared of the movie, so she shook her head. “No, it's fine, ah'll just went back to Sweet Apples Acres alone. Ah'm a big pony!” Apple Bloom grinned confident.
Luckily, Rainbow Dash wasn't as overprotective as her big sister, so she agreed on it. “Just pretend that I dropped you in front of the door and left before you entered, okay?”, Rainbow Dash told her. She knew that Applejack would be anything but happy about it that she did not accompany Apple Bloom home as well and she wanted to avoid having to explain that.
“Don't worry, ah won't tell her that ah came alone!”, Apple Bloom assured her.
“Thanks!”, Rainbow Dash replied.
Apple Bloom wished her friends and Rainbow Dash goodbye and a good night and then they separated and headed off into different directions. Rainbow Dash, Scootaloo and Sweetie Belle deeper into the town and Apple Bloom to Sweet Apple Acres. Her way home would be the longer one, as she had not only walk through Ponyville, which was not much distance, since the cinema was in the outskirts of the little town, but also along the long path that led from Ponyville to the apple farm outside of it. But she did not mind, the movie did not frighten her nearly as much as Sweetie Belle or even just Scootaloo and neither did she feel very tired. And she knew the way back home inside out. It would be a cinch. Apple Bloom looked after her friends and Rainbow Dash a last time and then set herself into motion in the direction of the farm.
The moon was shining bright this night and not many clouds were in the sky, so Apple Bloom could see the path ahead of her very good.
She wasn't under way for long as she could hear hoofsteps sounding behind her. Apparently, she wasn't the only pony that had to walk home from the cinema into this direction. She could hear that the clopping sound of the hooves became faster and that they were approaching her. Did Scootaloo, Sweetie Belle or Rainbow Dash return for some reason? Apple Bloom wanted to turn around to see who the pony was that was approaching her, but suddenly, she could hear a voice.
“Something is following you”, it whispered into her ear.
Apple Bloom jumped and turned around. The street behind her was empty. No matter where Apple Bloom looked at, there was no follower anywhere. And who should even whisper in her ear? She was alone, nopony else was here. Apple Bloom attributed it to her imagination. She shrugged, turned around and continued her way. Some seconds passed and then the hoofsteps returned. The little filly tried to ignore them, but they also began to make her nervous now and she broke out in sweat.
What if somepony was following her? She did not see anypony as she had inspected the street behind her, but it was dark and despite the moon in the sky, there were a lots of shadowy corners a pony following her could use to hide itself. Her heart began to race at this thought. “Quit it, Apple Bloom! That's no time to think on something like this!”, she reminded herself.
She tried to suppress the thought of a creepy follower, but as the hoofsteps became faster again and approached her, she had no choice then to pick up these thoughts again. And then she heard the voice whispering in her ear again.
“Something is following you.”
Apple Bloom turned around at the spot again, but like last time, the street was empty. “Okay, that ain't funny anymore! Who is there?”, she asked into the darkness in front of her.
No answer. All Apple Bloom could hear was the howling of the wind and some quiet hoofsteps from further away, apparently really from a pony at the way home this time. The filly gulped. “S-Scootaloo? Is that ya? Are ya trying to play a trick on me?” Apple Bloom could hear a giggling behind her, high-pitched and not unlike the voice of the pegasus filly. “Ya can stop now!”, Apple Bloom said. “Ah found out. It's not funny anymore now!”
The giggling sounded at her ears again. Then, a dark figure emerged out of the shadows. Too big for Scootaloo. Even too big for Rainbow Dash.
The filly began to ran. Behind her, she could hear that the shadowy pony began to chase her. The hoofsteps clangored on the ground, their echo resounding through the streets. Apple Bloom quickened her pace as she heard the pony coming closer. She was almost out of town. She reckoned with it that the mysterious pony would catch up with her before she reached the farm, but if she managed it to leave the town and to get on the path leading up to her home before she was catched by it, she could rescue herself on one of the higher apple trees. Apple Bloom passed by the last houses of Ponyville and entered the path. She stopped for a moment, at the top of the small hill on which the path led downwards to Sweet Apple Acres. The farm house was visible in the distance. The lights were still on. A glimmer of hope came up in Apple Bloom. But galloping to the farm house would be a mistake now. The pony behind her had almost catched reached her. So she ran down the hill and into the orchards.
Passing by a few small trees, she aimed for one of the higher ones in front of her and jumped at it, grabbing one of the thick branches and pulling herself higher up. She was lucky. The tree had a thick foliage and so she climbed up one branch higher and hid herself between the leaves.
She looked at the peak of the hill, her body shuddering. But there was nothing. The shadowy pony that was chasing her did not appear. Was it gone? Or was it maybe just a figment of her imagination all the time? Apple Bloom dared to hope. But then, her hopes got crushed as the mysterious chaser appeared on the top of the hill suddenly, without a sound. But Apple Bloom was more calm now. The pony could not see her and it came too late to see in which tree she jumped. She was safe. She just had to wait here until the pony was gone and then, to gallop home as fast as she could.
Apple Bloom could see that the pony was searching the path for her. Then it slowly trotted down the path. It's movements were of a patient nature, slow and calm, as it was confident to get it's victim anyway. It entered the orchards and trotted around between the trees. Apple Bloom could not see who it was, as a big cloud had covered the moon now, but she could see that the silhouette, that was just a few meters away from her, inspected the trees. It was clearly searching for her.
Apple Bloom hold her breath. She was cautious to not create any sounds that could reveal her and so she sat completely still. Suddenly, the pony stopped it's inspection. Apparently, the trees were too many for it. Was it going to give up?
No. In the next moment, a light emerged from the pony's head. “Oh, no!” Apple Bloom's eyes grew wide in terror. The pony was a unicorn!
Apple Bloom saw her chances reduced to zero. A unicorn using magic had ways to find her anyway, despite her good hideout.
The unicorn was turning round and round, aiming it's horn at different trees, the light of the horn glimmering stronger every time it pointed to a tree. Apple Bloom pondered what to do now. Should she try to silently climb down the tree on the other side? But what if she stepped on a branch or accidentally kicked a stone while sneaking through the orchards to the farmhouse? But before she could make a decision, Apple Bloom was interrupted in her thoughts as the horn pointed directly at her hideout. It shone stronger for a moment. Apple Bloom could see that the pony nodded.
It had found her! Now there was nothing that could hold the filly anymore. She jumped down the tree and set herself into motion into the direction of her home. But after she did just a few steps, she found herself frozen on the spot, a magical aura firmly holding her. Now it was over. Apple Bloom closed her eyes.
She whimpered in fear as she could feel that the unicorn levitated her over. It released Apple Bloom as it had brought her down right in front of it. Apple Bloom opened her eyes hesitantly, facing her demise. The moon was still covered and the black figure of the pony towered in front of her. Apple Bloom screamed, in a volume loud enough that she hoped Applejack would hear it at the farmhouse so that she could come and save her. Then she began to punch the pony in panic. Tears streamed down her face as the pony grabbed her, with a hoof this time, pressed her against itself and raised the other hoof over her head, making her realize that her time had come.
The hoof came down on her head and Apple Bloom could feel that it was ruffling through her mane.
“It's just me, Apple Bloom, calm down!”, the pony said while trying to tame the filly that was still writhing in panic. Then it lit up it's horn again, so that Apple Bloom could see it's face.
Through her tears, Apple Bloom could see a blurred, familiar face. She wiped her tears and looked at the pony again. “Twilight?”, she asked.
“Yeah, it's just me. Who do you think it would be? Why were you in panic so much?”
Apple Bloom wrapped her hooves around Twilight and breathed relieved in her chest. “Ah heard a pony following me on mah way home. And then ah saw it! It was chasing me through the town and then ah hid in a tree here. Was that ya all the time?”
“I don't know”, the Alicorn answered. “I just saw you in the town and as you were running away from me when I wanted to talk to you I followed you here. But I couldn't see another pony behind you.”
Apple Bloom sighed relieved. It was not her imagination, but it was no scary shadow pony either. It was just Twilight who was confused why she was running away from her.
“Anyway, I will bring you to Applejack now. That's more safe.”
Apple Bloom nodded in agreement. After that experience, she was glad to have some company for the rest of the way home. Together, the mare and the filly left the orchards and returned to the path, where they proceeded quickly to the farmhouse.
“How could ya find me in the tree?”, Apple Bloom asked on their way.
“Life-detection spell!”, Twilight answered proudly. “It's really useful to find a pony who's hiding!”
“That's impressive”, Apple Bloom said. “Just remember me on it that ah never play hide and seek with ya!” The filly laughed heartily and Twilight joined in.
As they had reached the door of the farmhouse, Apple Bloom put her hooves around Twilight's neck in thankfulness again. “Thanks for coming with me, Twilight!”
“Don't mention it”, the mare answered modestly and returned the hug. Apple Bloom released her and opened the door of the farmhouse.
“Is that ya, Apple Bloom?”, she could hear the voice of her big sister from the inside.
“Yeah!”, she replied.
She turned around to Twilight for a last time and waved at her, then she entered the farmhouse and closed the door behind her.
Twilight left the farm and made her way back to Ponyville. As she went along the path, past the orchard to her right, three pairs of eyes appeared in the darkness between the trees, without her noticing them.
They looked after her, watching and waiting, just for the right moment.....