//------------------------------// // Chapter 2 // Story: The Nightmare Before Ponyville // by Grim The Pony Reaper //------------------------------// "I'M COMING FOR YA, YOU UNDEAD FREAK!!!" Rainbow shouted with anger. Pinkie shouted, with joy instead of hate, "Me TOO!" Jack didn't know what to do. His mind was racing, trying to figure out how to shake these ponies of his metaphorical tail(not his real tail, mind you). What do I do? What do I do? Then he noticed something: The moon. It was a moonlit night, which meant Jack could use his skills. "He's leaving!" Rainbow picked up speed, trying to catch up to the skeleton pony, who was currently going to an alley. She got to said alley in mere seconds, but when she got there, however, there was nopony to be seen. "What? Where is he?" Pinkie, totally oblivious to Rainbow's worry, exclaimed, "OO, he's fast!" Most ponies would've given up at this point, but all we all know, Rainbow Dash hates losing. She waved a hoof at Pinkie, trying to get her to move. "Come on! We gotta keep looking!" Pinkie just OKed her and bounced along. Little did they know, Jack was hiding in the shadows of the alley, waiting patiently for them to leave. A few seconds later of their departure, he sprinted in the other direction. He kept running, and running, and didn't stop for a good while, until something stopped him for him. More specifically, knocked him on the ground. When he got back up, he saw something to behold. A castle, made entirely out of crystal. Stranger and stranger..., Jack thought as he knocked on the door. "Door's open!" Twilight announced loud enough for the pony outside her entrance to hear. As she heard the familiar creak of the door, she turned away from her potion making kit to welcome the unexpected guest. "Hello, how can I help..... you...." Twilight finished with uncertainty when a pony she never saw before in town came in. Although she remembered Pinkie saying something about a new pony.... "Oh, and he looks like a skeleton in a suit!" Realizing this pony fit the description, she started to feel a little calmer now that she knew something. "I'm sorry to intrude, but could you help me? There are two ponies chasing me, and I have no idea WHY!" Twilight thought of various reasons why someone would be chasing a new pony. "Does somepony have a grudge against you?" Jack thought for a few seconds, putting his bony hoof to his muzzle, and he came up with an answer. "I wouldn't think so, I just got here today. I'm traveling from from a distant place you see." Twilight thought of a similar case with Zecora. "Maybe because of your appearance?" Then she realized, It's Nightmare Night! Just because I can't dress up doesn't mean other ponies can't! "No, that couldn't be it.", Twilight said out loud, disproving herself. She tried to come up with another logical reason. "Maybe it's because of the ponies themselves. What did they look like?" As Jack tried to remember, the two mentioned came bursting through the door. "Like that," Jack answered calmly, pointing to the two Elements of Harmony. Twilight looked at her friends and Jack with confusion. Why would they be chasing... "YOU!" Twilight's thoughts were interrupted with Rainbow's shout and immediate chase. Luckily for him, Jack's assaulter was stopped by Twilight biting on her tail, using her own wings to try to push both of them back. This was followed by Pinkie giving the pegasus in the room a disapproving look. "Rainbow Dash! I thought we agreed on no violence!" Pinkie scolded. As an argument brewed between the friends, Jack finally stepped up with a shout. "WHAT IS GOING ON HERE?!?!" All others looked at him blankly. Jack continued his questioning with a look that just said, "Well?" After a short silence, Pinkie finally spoke up. "Well, I always try to welcome the ponies that are new to Ponyville. But... why did you tag along Dash?" Everypony looked at her, expecting an answer. "Well ya see.... I...." Rainbow stuttered out nervously. "Well, I'm not always like.." Twilight rolled her eyes and waved a hoof, motioning for her to go on. Rainbow looked a little nervous still, and then hung her head in shame. "I get violent when I'm scared." You could hear a facehoof from everypony in the room. "Again, really sorry, but taking a second look at ya, you look pretty metal." Rainbow's statement made Jack confused. "Ummm, metal?" Rainbow waved a hoof, trying to calm his uneasiness. "It's fine, not a lot of ponies here know about it, but some of it is really good! Have you ever heard of Three Days Graze?" To this, Jack just shook his head. "You should hear it." He just shrugged, and walked off. Twilight, however, took his place. "What I can't understand, Rainbow, is why you were so scared of him. I mean, it's only a costume." Pinkie magically appeared next to them to join in on the conversation. "That's the thing, Twilight! IT ISN'T!" Pinkie yelled, all the while keeping a smile on her face.Twilight looked at her friends with disbelief. "You mean, you think he's actually..." Twilight let out with a mix of disbelief, laughter, and condescension. They both nodded their heads, although Pinkie nodded much more rapidly. "Uh, Huh! Prove it, Jackie!" Pinkie ended with a point to the skeleton pony. Jack looked at them, and then pointed to himself with a confused face. When Pinkie nodded, he responded. "All right, then." He stood on his hind legs, put his hooves on his skull, and took his head off. All of the ponies in the room dropped their jaws at this sight. He then proceeded to wave, while the head in his hoof smiled. What got everypony's attention, however, was the lavender alicorn unconscious on the rug. Jack put his head back on with a confused look on his face. "Was it something I did?"