The doors to the coffee shop swung open and the shiny golden bell rang above them. "Alright, Terror! Where's Vani-llllllla Mocha...?!" Shadow stopped yelling when his bat eyes saw the mare sitting at the counter.
Her back facing them, she sat in a tall barstool. Her posture was stiff, she appeared to have a perfectly straight neck, back, and legs. Her back legs didn't cross over, instead, they hung down like vertical lines. Her forelegs were different; her right hoof sat flat against the cushion of the seat, while her left foreleg wrapped around the right foreleg, hugging it tightly. Her slick brown mane and tail seemed lifeless as well: they were very stiff... Too stiff.
She was no longer in her cat costume for Nightmare Night. Her yellow star on her side looked faded, but perhaps that was from the lack of light in the restaurant. Her light green eyes seemed to be piercing the wall across from her, she stared at it so hard for so long. Her face was blank: her mouth neither smiled nor frowned, just a straight line, showing no expression at all. Her eyes were opened wide, and her eyebrows sitting above her eyes neatly. Breathing softly, she sat in the seat, watching the wall. She didn't even care to notice her friends had just walked in.
Eclipse's heart began to beat hard. He slowly approached her, the Thaumaturgy Gemstone still hanging around his neck on the vine. "M-Mocha?" He stuttered, nervous. Why was she like this? What happened? Was this just a party prank that she didn't expect to go so far? Did she not want them to leave? His mind flooded with questions every millisecond that he spent in the coffee shop. Did I let down my marefriend?
Vanilla Mocha continued to stare at the wall. Her body sat there, almost lifeless. Even though her fur was naturally white, she seemed even more pale.
The stallion looked back at the group with a worried expression, as if asking for advice.
Paradise motioned for Eclipse to say something, and the stallion nodded in agreement. "H-hey, sweetie. Are you... Alright?"
As quick as a flash of a ray of light, Vanilla's head turned to face Eclipse. She looked him in the eye, staring into him. Slowly, her mouth began to curve into a long, wicked grin. Her eyebrows also began to push down, making her facial expression become more sinister by the second.
Eclipse was frozen. Somehow locked in her stare, he only seemed to look back at her, never blinking.
Vanilla's eyes grew brighter- and so did the gemstone's luster. "Look at me..." She demanded. Eclipse, whom was already looking at her, nodded. Not taking his eyes off of her, his irises began to glow red.
Galaxy Nebula gasped. Whispering, he said, "That's not Mocha... It's still The Terror!"
"What do we do?" Charming Thunder whispered back.
"We kill it!" Breeze suggested, her voice surprisingly quiet.
"No dearie, we don't 'kill it'. We need to overpower it... But how?" Quillton asked.
"Like this!" Galaxy Nebula said a little bit louder than a whisper. The Terror didn't look at him, almost as if she couldn't hear him. Galaxy ran up to Eclipse and ripped the necklace off of his neck. The hybrid stallion now had a red mark across his neck, but he didn't move. His eyes stayed on Mocha's, and he sat there perfectly still, like as if he was in deep concentration.
The Terror didn't take her eyes off Eclipse. Out of her peripheral vision she saw the dark blue pegasus. "Stop." She demanded, rather calmly.
Charming Thunder took the gemstone in his magic. "Sorry! Give us back our friends!" He then passed the gem on to Paradise.
"Ponies... Give me my gemstone."
Paradise smiled. "I don't have it." She quickly gave it to Tacitus.
Tacitus then teleported it to Quillton using his magic. Quillton took the Thaumaturgy Gemstone and passed it to Shadow. Shadow flew to the back of the room and hoofed it to Frost, whom gave it to Breeze. Breeze giggled and then gave it to Garfield.
As the magical amulet got further and further away from The Terror, Eclipse's eyes seemed to go back to normal.
"No... Ponies, bring it back... I need it..." The Terror said, a little more louder. "Now..." Her voice had also become more stern.
"Why...?" Paradise Oasis asked her, "Why exactly do you need it?"
The Terror closed her eyes, letting Eclipse go. He snapped out of it, and shook his head. "H-huh? Mocha? A-and... Ouch... My neck..."
"Heh, sorry about that." Galaxy apologized quietly.
Eclipse turned to him and smiled sheepishly, accepting his apology. He then looked back at whom he thought was Vanilla Mocha.
The mare before him grinned wider. A green glow appeared around her body, and her mane and tail went flat just like how a balloon deflates. She went back to her white and black striped color scheme, and the green light faded. "I was close... But you still haven't won yet."
"What do you mean?!" Eclipse was angered, "Where is Mocha?! Tell us, now!"
The Terror snickered. "I have a little question, just a little question of mine. May I ask you my question, just a little question, is that fine?"
The group became silent. Quillton sighed, and with that, The Terror continued.
"Who's gonna wonder what goes on in the dark of the night? Where's your friends when you need 'em when you're stuck somewhere tight, what'll happen if you just lie a little to make everything right? This is what happened to me, can't you see- I had a little question... And I still don't know the answer..."
Garfield tilted his head. "What was your question?"
The Terror perked up. "Nothing! I don't care about you, you're completely different- you're not even a horse! You have fur and paws, not hair yet claws, and all you are is different- compared to my nest, you're worse!"
Paradise looked at Garfield. "I don't care any less about him," she flew over to him and hugged him. "Sure, he's not like us. But he's a friend."
The Terror glanced at the pegasus, and then back at the group. "Look at the spider, then look at the fruit bat."
Everypony looked at Breeze and Shadow.
"You two are both bat ponies. So why haven't I seen you two talk very much? Why aren't you best friends? You two are one in the same, you two are very similar! Why are you both not best friends?"
Shadow looked at Breeze, then back at The Terror. "I guess we don't have to be the same species to be best friends. Heck, Eclipse is one of my great friends, and he's only one third bat."
Eclipse nodded.
"Then what about you? Who are your friends?" The Terror glanced at Breeze.
"Hmm... I have lotsa friends! I'm friends with Mocha and Eclipse, of course, but then there's also Charming, Tacitus, Paradise, Galaxy, Daffo-"
"You're friends with them?! Those are unicorns- a-and pegasi- and earth ponies! Most of them can't fly! They aren't like you! How are they your friends?!"
"What we are doesn't define who our friends are. Who we are does," Quillton cut in, "And though we all have our differences it doesn't mean we can't have our similarities, dearie."
"I like eating." Garfield said causally.
Breeze stepped beside him. "Me too! Do you like yellow cake?"
"As long as it's not healthy!" Garfield smiled.
"I enjoy going on adventures." Galaxy Nebula stated.
Quillton smiled. "That's why you're my travel buddy."
"I find studying history very entertaining and enjoyable." Said Tacitus.
"Me too!" Paradise Oasis replied.
"I am fascinated by the history of the Neighponese samurai. That's why I chose this costume." Frost smiled.
"That's so cool!" Paradise commented.
"I think cider is the best Nightmare Night beverage." Charming Thunder said.
"I like drinking that, too!" Daffodil Spark agreed.
"Stop!! This is insane! How are you not sad? How do you not feel overpowered? How do you not feel unbalanced... O-or threatened?!" The Terror yelled.
"Uhm... Why should we?" Charming asked.
Daffodil lifted an eyebrow. "Also... From earlier... What did you mean by... 'My nest'?"
"Never mind!" The Terror exclaimed.
Galaxy looked at The Terror. "Mind telling us? We just want Mocha back, then you can leav-"
"I wasn't done talking." The Terror shot Galaxy an angry look.
The room was silent once more. "That's better. Now, as I was saying... Why are you all friends? There's no possible way you are all together here- there's too many variables, too many differences... I don't understand you ponies!"
"It's simple," Frost smiled, "We aren't all exactly alike, but we aren't enemies either. We might have our disagreements and bad days, but we always see through the negative things and-"
"Quiet!" The Terror yelled. Calming herself, she sighed. "There's nothing you ponies can do to undo the past. Nothing! It is done, and my fate is sealed. Just give me the gemstone and you shall have your friend back."
The group stared at The Terror. They pondered what she meant about the past and her fate; perhaps she wasn't a ghost? Ghosts don't have a fate, do they? But if she was not a ghost... Then what was she?
"Who... No, What... Are you?" Galaxy asked after several minutes of silence.
"I already told you- I am The Terror! I am your worst nightmare, your deepest fears! You shall be afraid of me, you shall run from fright! That's what everyone else did to me- that's what I am, I am a pure monster! I will crush your skulls beneath my hooves and squeeze your fragile lungs dry! All I am is a hideous creature worthy of nothing! I am transparent like a ghost, a mistake that will never be more than what I was when I was born!
"I am a misfit, can't you see? I was born for others to see my imperfections and flaws! I was meant for others to be afraid of me! I am hungry, thirsty, dying for others' fear! I crave your insecurities! I don't know why... Why I don't want any love in this world... Maybe because I never had any. Maybe because... All I have known is fear. I had a question... Just one, small question... And it was never answered..."
Everyone sat in silence.
"Why don't you tell us what happened?," Garfield asked, "We can help."
"We're not afraid of you anymore..." Breeze added, "...mostly..."
"All we want is Mocha back, that's all." Galaxy said.
The Terror sighed. "Fine... Since you now posses my precious Thaumaturgy Gemstone, I see no reason why I cannot tell you..." She sat down. Looking at the ten ponies and cat before her, she sighed again. "You might want to get comfortable... For this will take some telling. Also, it might just be the last time you get such luxury!"
The group stared at her, and then as the half transparent pony saw they were no longer scared of her, she began to tell them what they have been wanting to know since the beginning of the party.