//------------------------------//
// The Cottage 
// Story: Fluttershy's Nightmare Cottage 
// by Zeck 
//------------------------------//

	“What do you think she’s going to do this year?” Rainbow Dash asked as the group of friends made their way up the small hill to Fluttershy’s cottage. “Because last year was awesome!”
“Indeed,” Rarity added. She looked over her enchantress costume and smiled. No long pieces of fabric to trip over this time. Just some lovely-colored, body-hugging fabric that covered just enough to leave things up to the imagination, topped with a stunning headpiece. “I am very much looking forward to seeing what dear Fluttershy has in store for us.”
“I know, right?” Pinkie Pie popped up and pulled Rarity close as she stared into her eyes. “Last year was great! I’ve never been so scared in my life! It was even better than when Princess Luna was here!” 
“Don’t tell Princess Luna that,” Twilight Sparkle said as she looked at Pinkie’s costume for the twentieth time. She could not figure out why Pinkie had decided to dress up as her older sister, Maud. The pink party pony had said it was because Maud was terrifying when she got mad, something that Twilight found hard to believe. 
“I reckon that Princess Luna could scare the hairs off our heads if she really put her mind to it,” Applejack said as she flipped up her knight visor. “Fluttershy was great and all, but Princess Luna can use magic.”
“Magic doesn’t make a pony automatically more scary, Applejack,” Twilight replied as she adjusted her mask. “It just helps.”
“It helps you, that’s for sure,” Rainbow Dash said. “What are you supposed to be anyway, Twilight? Some sort of evil version of yourself?”
“Why yes!” Twilight responded, flapping her dark purple wings with pride. “I had to use a special type of paint for the mask and my boots so that they glow without constant magical energy, and the horn is just a crystal that’s amplifying a small light spell I’m casting. Rarity helped me with the skirt, vest, and leggings, and the spa twins did my mane and dyed my wings.”
“Okay…” Rainbow Dash said as looked at her friend’s spiky floating mane. “But where did you get an idea like that?”
“Oh, Sunset Shimmer gave it to me. Apparently I went—” Twilight paused for a moment and laughed. “I mean, the other me went a little crazy last year with magic. This is what she looked like.”
“Uh-huh,” Rainbow replied. 
“Well I think it’s fabulous, darling,” Rarity said. “Especially the choker. Really pulls the whole, ‘I’m-evil-and-alluring’ look together. And you, Rainbow Dash, make a very compelling zombie.”
Rainbow smiled for a second through her face paint, and then hunched her back and curled her hooves, doing her best zombie impression. “Brains…” she moaned, and everypony laughed. 
“Can a zombie fly though?” Applejack wondered out loud.
“Oh! Could you imagine how scary they would be if they could?” Pinkie Pie asked as her eyes widened. “They’d be able to swoop down on you from nowhere! Nowhere would be safe! Zombie Pegasi swooping down and carrying off their victims. And then, after they were done eating them, body parts would fall from—”
“Okay, Pinkie, that’s enough,” Twilight said. Her friend was getting a little too detailed in her description. 
“Great idea though, Pinkie Pie!” Rainbow said. She swooped down and lifted Pinkie into the air. She then opened her mouth wide and gently bit down on her friend’s head.
“Ah! Help! I’m being eaten! Somepony, save me!”
“No pony can help you all the way up here!” Rainbow Dash moaned as she tickled Pinkie’s ear with her tongue. “Your brains are mine!”
“Good knight, we must save that poor soul!” Rarity said as she readied a spell. “Are you with me?”
“At once, My Lady!” Applejack replied as she pulled out her wooden sword with her mouth. “Hold on, Pinkie!”
“Aim for the head!” Twilight added. “Zombies can only be killed if you aim for the—”
“AAAAAAAHHHHHHHH!”
Everypony froze as a scream tore through the night. Rainbow Dash nearly dropped Pinkie as all five friends looked at each other. 
“Um…what was that?” Applejack asked.
“It sounded like it came from Fluttershy’s house,” Pinkie said as Rainbow placed her back on the ground. “She must be getting ready for us! Come on, let’s hurry! I can’t wait to see what she’s doing to us this time!”
“I don’t know,” Rarity said as she looked up toward the Pegasus’ cottage. “That sounded awfully real…”
“Psh!” Rainbow waved her hoof and stuck out her tongue. “Please. Fluttershy can do a lot more than that. A terrified scream isn’t even a warm up act for her. Right, Twilight?”
“Um…yes. Yes, of course.” Twilight nervously placed one hoof forward and led her friends toward Fluttershy’s house. “I’m sure Fluttershy is just…setting the mood, like Pinkie said.”
The five friends resumed their walk to Fluttershy’s house, although only Pinkie Pie was eager to go. The rest were having flashbacks of last year’s Nightmare Night, but the thrill of that fear made them all curious to keep going. How could Fluttershy top herself this year?
The girls reached Fluttershy’s yard. All the lights were off in her house and the windows were boarded up. It looked like it had pretty much every Nightmare Night before. Fluttershy was expecting them, wasn’t she?
“Maybe we should knock?” Twilight whispered as they all stood outside the front door. 
“Good idea,” Applejack said. “Rainbow?”
“Why do I have to knock? Uh, I mean, sure. I’ll knock.” Rainbow floated down to the ground and slowly approached the closed door. She reached out her hoof, but froze before she could manage a single knock. “On second thought, why don’t you knock, Twilight? You’re the Princess, after all.”
Twilight rolled her eyes. “Fine.” She walked up to the door and knocked once. “Fluttershy? Are you there? We’re here because you said—”
“TWILIGHT!”
“AH!” 
Twilight jumped backward as the door flew open. Fluttershy came running out of the darkness, her eyes wide with terror and her costume, the same spider-themed black dress from last year, in tatters. 
“Twilight!” Fluttershy said as she collapsed on the ground. “You…You have to help me!”
“Fluttershy, what happened?” Twilight asked as she knelt down next to her friend. She began to help the yellow pony to her hooves.
“I wanted to scare you guys this year,” Fluttershy panted as she stood. “So…I bought a book. It was a magic book that said it could—ah!”
A tendril of darkness shot out from Fluttershy’s cottage and wrapped around her hind leg. It pulled and the pony fell on her stomach and was dragged across the ground.
“Twilight!” Fluttershy called. She stuck her hooves out as she reached her door and hung on for dear life. “Help me!”
“Fluttershy!” Twilight jumped forward and grabbed Fluttershy’s hooves. “Hold on!”
“I’m sorry, Twilight! I just wanted to—” Fluttershy’s hooves slipped out of Twilight’s. “Nooooo!”
“FLUTTERSHY!” Twilight yelled as she watched her friend disappear into the darkness. For a long time she just lay on the ground, staring at the spot where her friend had disappeared.
“Well, I think she’s off to a great start!” Pinkie Pie said as she bounced forward. “I was really convinced.”
“What?” Twilight asked as she looked up at her friend. “Pinkie, didn’t you see what just happened?”
“Yeah, Twilight! On Nightmare Night! It was great!” Pinkie Pie stepped into the dark cabin and disappeared. Everypony held their breath until Pinkie’s head popped back out of the darkness. “Well? Aren’t you silly ponies coming? Don’t you want to see what else she’s going to do?”
“Right behind you, Pinkie Pie,” Rainbow Dash said as she followed the pony into the darkness.
“I’m…certain Fluttershy is just acting, dear,” Rarity said as she helped Twilight up. “Now come along. She’s clearly put a lot of thought into this, and we don’t want to disappoint her.”
“Right,” Twilight said as she dusted herself off. “I’m sure you’re right. Let’s go.”
“Alrighty then,” Applejack said as the last three ponies walked into the cabin. Once they were all inside, the door slammed shut behind them, causing all of them to jump and huddle together.
“Good one, Fluttershy!” Pinkie Pie called out as she started to giggle. “Slamming door! Classic.”
“Ha ha ha ha. Foolish little pony,” a sultry voice echoed through the dark cabin. “You think this is a game?”
“Um…yes?” Pinkie Pie answered, although Twilight could feel her quivering as the friends huddled on the floor. “Fluttershy’s game?”
“Fluttershy? Was that her name?” Two red eyes suddenly appeared in the darkness. “Ah, yes, there it is. And you are her friends, I see. Rarity, Applejack, Rainbow Dash—mmm—Pinkie Pie and…oh my, what’s this? Princess Twilight Sparkle? I’m honored.”
“Okay, Fluttershy, getting a little creepy now,” Applejack said as she stood up. “Where are you?”
“Oh, Fluttershy is right here.” A single light turned on, illuminating a couch. On it was Fluttershy, but she looked different. Her eyes were dark red, more so than when she had transformed into a bat. Her wings were longer and one was draped alluring over her hind leg. Her mane was tied back in an exotic bun, with a single strand curling down the side of her face and tracing the curve of her neck, stopping where the cut in her dress ended. 
“Whoa…” Rainbow Dash whispered as she licked her lips.
“Like what you see, Rainbow?” Fluttershy whispered, but her voice wasn’t quite right. It had a dark echo beneath it, as if two voices were coming out of Fluttershy’s mouth. 
“W-What are you talking about?” Rainbow asked, blushing. “Stop talking nonsense, Fluttershy.”
“Fluttershy’s not in control anymore,” the pony on the couch said. “I am.”
“Oooooooo,” Pinkie Pie said. “How are you doing that with your voice, Fluttershy? It’s super creepy!”
“Still think this is a game, Pinkie? Very well, let’s make it a game. I’ll give Fluttershy back if you can save her.”
“How are we supposed to do that?” Twilight asked. Another light turned on in the darkness and revealed a single book. It was open on the floor between the ponies and the couch. 
“The answer is probably in that book, Princess,” Not-Fluttershy said as she played with the single strand from her mane. “After all, it’s what brought me here.”
“Keep an eye on her,” Twilight whispered to her friends. “I don’t trust her.”
“Got it, Twilight,” Applejack said.
“Of course,” Rarity added.
Twilight kept her eyes on the creature on the couch as she approached the book. When she reached it, she looked down and cocked her head. Then she picked it up with her magic and flipped a few pages. 
“Hey! This book is blank!” 
“Is it?” Not-Fluttershy asked with a grin. 
“Yes!” Twilight showed the book to the creature, revealing page after page of white paper. “There’s nothing here!”
“Hm…perhaps you should look again?”
“I’m telling you, there’s nothing there!” Twilight flipped the book back toward herself and flipped to another page that was, again, blank. 
“Guess I’d better fix that.”
Light suddenly sprang from the book, dazzling Twilight’s eyes. She screamed and dropped the book while she rubbed her eyes. A moment later, she felt something pulling on her foreleg. She looked down and saw that her legs were stretching as if they were made of rubber. The book was pulling her in!
“Twilight!” Applejack yelled.
“Hold on!” Rarity called.
Twilight tried to turn around, but the book’s pull was growing stronger. She felt her chest start to pull, then her neck, and finally her face. She struggled against the magic, digging her back hooves into the floor, but it did little good. Her mask was torn from her face, followed by her fake horn, and both disappeared into the book. Her mane whipped around her face, slapping her cheeks and stinging her eyes. She felt one of her back hooves slip, and a second later she was airborne. She let out a terrified scream as she was sucked into the book and then it slammed shut. 
“There,” the creature said. She lifted her hoof and the book floated over to her. She slowly opened it and flipped to a page. “Now it’s not empty.”
“What did you do to her?” Applejack demanded.
“Well, Twilight always did like books.” The creature tossed the book onto the floor and it fell open, revealing a picture of a terrified Twilight on the page. “Now she is one.  Besides, I can’t have a Princess ruining my game. Isn’t that right, Pinkie Pie?”
“Uh…” Pinkie’s eyes were darting between the book on the floor and Not-Fluttershy on the couch. “So…uh…what are the rules…? A game needs rules, right?”
“Oh, it’s simple. You just have to stop me. Do that, and I’ll leave Fluttershy. I’ll even give you back your bookworm Princess.”
“Well, that sounds easy enough!” Rarity stepped forward and fired a blast of magic at the couch without a second thought. The beam was aimed at Not-Fluttershy, but before it connected, the creature vanished as if she was made of shadow. 
“Ha ha ha,” the voice laughed through the cottage. “Feisty tonight, I see. How un-lady like of you, Rarity. Well, my little ponies, come and find me. The game starts now, and time is running out.”
“What do we do?” Rarity asked as the four friends stared at the book before them. 
“Can’t you get Twilight out of there, Rarity?” Rainbow Dash asked. 
“And how, exactly, do you purpose I do that?” 
“Well, you’re a Unicorn, so can’t you just, I don’t know, magic her out of that book?”
“Rainbow Dash, just because I have magical abilities does not make me a master of the craft.” Rarity looked down at the book and whimpered. “Oh, if Twilight were here, I’m sure she could do something.”
“I reckon that’s why that thing got rid of her first,” Applejack said. “I also reckon that the only way to save our friends is to play this little game. I just wish we knew what to do to win.”
Creek!
“What was that?” Rarity asked as all four ponies once again clung to each other.
“It came from over there!” Pinkie Pie said. She wiggled her way out of the group and bounced across the room to a bookshelf. She pushed on it, and the shelf swung into the wall, revealing a stairwell that led down. “Ooooooo, creepy. Fluttershy’s doing great, don’t you guys think?”
“Pinkie Pie, I don’t think—where are you going?” Applejack asked as Pinkie Pie began to hop down the stairs.
“Isn’t it obvious?” Pinkie Pie called from the stairwell. “I’m going into the creepy, secret underground room! Neat! Spider webs! Blah, in my mouth!”
“Guess we better follow her,” Rainbow Dash said. Reluctantly, the Pegasus walked over to the stairwell and began to head down the stairwell. “Pinkie, wait up!” 
“Guess Rainbow’s right,” Applejack said with a gulp. 
“Indeed,” Rarity replied, but neither of them moved forward. 
“Uh, Rarity?”
“Yes?”
“Don’t worry. Your knight will protect you.”
“Hm. And this enchantress has your back. Now let’s go.” 
The two ponies walked up to the secret passage. Rarity took a deep breath and put her hoof out for the first step, when Pinkie Pie’s scream tore up the stairs.
“RARITY! COME QUICK!” 
Rarity and Applejack ran down the stairs as fast as they could, nearly tripping over one another as they went. When they reached the bottom, Rarity immediately readied a spell and Applejack jumped in front of her, ready to kick whatever was hiding in the room in the jaw. 
“Pinkie! Rainbow!” Applejack called. “You two okay?”
“What…?” Rarity asked as she began to look around the room. It was filled with sewing and knitting supplies. There were countless balls of yarn, many of them unraveled and draped around the room and ceiling like cobwebs. There were several manikins, all of them dressed in different outfits, while countless more articles of clothing were scattered around the room. 
“Did Fluttershy…make all of these?” Rarity asked. Her fear temporarily forgotten, she walked into the room, admiring the stitching and tremendous display of knitting before her. She walked up to one of the manikins and studied the beautiful scarf around its neck. 
“Well, she does have that freaky knowledge of sewing,” Rainbow Dash said as she hovered just above the floor. “Guess this is what she does with it.”
“These are amazing,” Rarity said as she rubbed the scarf with her hooves. “I must ask Fluttershy to make me one. Oh. Assuming we survive this, of course.”
“Why. Wait?” The scarf Rarity was holding suddenly came to life and wrapped itself around her foreleg like a snake. She tried to pull free, but the scarf only tightened. As it did, the head on the manikin cracked and it turned to look directly at her, a twisted mouth forming on its face. “We. Can. Give. You. One. Now!”
Rarity screamed as the rest of the clothing on the manikin came to life. It wrapped around her legs and yanked her to the ground. She tried to crawl away, but yarn wrapped around her waist and began to pull her toward the manikins. 
“Help me!” Rarity cried as she struggled against the grip of the fabric. She put her hoof out as the lower half of her body was pulled beneath a pulsing mass of fabric. “Applejack!”
“I got you, Rarity!” Applejack said as she locked her hoof around Rarity’s. “Just…hang on!”
“Let her go, you, you…freaks!” Rainbow Dash said. She flew toward the mass of clothing, but half a dozen scarves and leggings sprung up and snapped at her like whips. One of them caught her square in the chest and sent her sailing into the far wall. 
“Applejack, I’m slipping!” Rarity pleaded. 
“Don’t…worry…Rarity,” Applejack said as she struggled to hold on to her friend. “I…got…you!”
“Applejack!” 
The Earth pony could hold on no longer. Rarity slipped out of her hoof and Applejack fell backward. She scrambled back up to her hooves, but she wasn’t fast enough. 
Rarity was pulled into the mass of fabric. She tried to scream, but a scarf wrapped around her mouth before she could. More and more yarn wrapped itself around her body, until all that was visible was her outstretched hoof and her two terrified blue eyes. A moment later, even those were gone. 
There was a flash of white light that blinded the remaining three ponies. When their vision cleared, the mass of fabric was gone. In its place stood a new Unicorn manikin. It had a knitted purple mane and tail in Rarity’s style and was wearing her enchantress costume. 
“Rarity…?” Applejack asked as she slowly walked over to the manikin. She reached out to touch it, but before she did, the head jerked toward her.
“Help. Me!” the manikin said.
“She’s. One. Of. Us!” the other manikins said as they surrounded what had once been Rarity.  Applejack screamed and backpedaled as fast as she could. She crashed into Rainbow Dash and Pinkie Pie, and together, the three ponies ran up the stairs, screaming the whole way. When they reached the living room, Rainbow Dash slammed the bookshelf closed as Pinkie Pie and Applejack collapsed on the floor. 
“We have to get out of here!” Rainbow Dash said. “We have to tell Princess Celestia!”
“Tsk tsk, Rainbow.” All three ponies turned toward the voice and saw Not-Fluttershy lying seductively on the couch again. “That would be cheating in my game. And I don’t like cheaters. If any of you leave this house, I’m afraid you’ll never see your friends again.”
“You’re going to pay for what you did to Rarity,” Applejack said, fighting back tears. “I swear it!”
“Oh, Applejack, what’s the matter?” the creature asked with a grin. “I thought you’d like Rarity this way. After all, now you can do whatever you want to her and she won’t say a thing.” 
“Why you!” Applejack pounced, but once again, the creature vanished in a cloak of shadows. “Get back here! Give them back! Give Rarity back!”
“Wow, she’s really good,” Pinkie Pie whispered in awe.
“Pinkie Pie, this isn’t a game!” Applejack yelled as she spun around to face her friend. 
“Of course it is, silly,” Pinkie Pie said as a huge smile spread across her face. “You don’t really think Fluttershy would put us in real danger, do you?”
“Pinkie, that’s not Fluttershy!” Rainbow Dash yelled. “That’s…something else!”
“Nah, that’s just part of her act,” Pinkie Pie countered with a wave of her hoof. A moment later, a loud banging noise echoed through the cottage and the pink pony spun on her hoof. “It’s coming from the kitchen! I bet that’s where we’re supposed to go next.” Without another word, she made her way toward the banging noise. 
“Pinkie Pie, wait up!” Rainbow Dash called as she flew after the pony. Applejack reluctantly followed them. 
The three ponies walked into Fluttershy’s kitchen. It was dark, like the rest of the cottage, save for a single source of light that was coming from the oven. An orange glow was spilling out from its edges, casting an eerie glow on everything in the room. The door was closed, but it kept banging against its hinges, as if something was trapped inside and trying to get out. 
“Should we open it?” Rainbow Dash whispered as all three of them stared at the banging door. 
“Probably not,” Applejack replied, but Pinkie Pie hopped across the kitchen without hesitation. “Pinkie!”
“Come on, sillies,” Pinkie Pie said as she reached the oven. “It’s part of the story! We have to open it.” With that, she flipped the oven open and the orange light flooded the room. Rainbow Dash and Applejack held their breaths as Pinkie Pie looked inside. “Aw, there’s nothing in there.”
Rainbow Dash and Applejack both exhaled. “Good. Now let’s go find that thing and make it give Fluttershy back,” Rainbow Dash said. She turned around to leave the kitchen and Applejack began to do the same, but then a flash of movement caught her eye. 
“Pinkie Pie!” Applejack yelled as a fiery claw reached out of the oven and grabbed Pinkie Pie’s hind leg. 
“Oh, is it my turn?” Pinkie Pie laughed as the claw dragged her back toward the oven. “This is—ouch! That’s hot!”
Applejack jumped forward and grabbed Pinkie Pie. She wasn’t going to let this nightmare take another of her friends! She pulled with all her might, and a moment later she felt a pair of hooves wrap around her waist and start pulling. 
“Don’t let her go!” Rainbow Dash yelled as she pulled on Applejack. 
“I won’t!” Applejack replied. With their combined strength, they began to pull Pinkie Pie free. 
“Um…guys?” Pinkie Pie said as she was used like a tug of war rope. “I’m starting to think this might be real…”
“Finally!” Rainbow Dash said. “Now hurry up and—woah!”
Another fiery claw shot out of the oven and shoved Rainbow Dash into the kitchen wall. Then it grabbed Applejack by the throat and lifted her into the air. The farm pony tried to scream, but the claw squeezed down on her throat, so all she could do was kick in the air, her armor clanking loudly as she struggled. 
The claw yanked Applejack into the oven. Pinkie Pie watched, and then looked up at Rainbow for a split second before she too was pulled into the oven and the door slammed shut. There was a flash of light, but Rainbow Dash didn’t stick around. She bolted out of the kitchen as fast as she could, the sound of the timer going off echoing behind her.
“I have to get out of here! I have to tell the Princesses!” the Pegasus screamed as she flew through the small cottage. She reached the living room, and once again, Not-Fluttershy was lying on the couch. On her lap was a small plate with a single slice of pie on it.
“Mm. Hello, Rainbow. I hope you’re not leaving. I just made the most delicious apple pie.” The creature took a small bite from the slice of pie and swallowed. “Want some?”
“AAAAHHHH!” Rainbow Dash flew toward the door, but when she tried to open it, she found that it was locked. 
“Oh, Rainbow,” Not-Fluttershy said from right beside her ear. Rainbow felt the tip of the creature’s tongue tickle her fur. “You can’t leave now. You’re the last player, and we’re in the final round.” 
The creature kissed Rainbow’s cheek and the Pegasus jumped so fast that her head slammed into the ceiling. She fell to the floor and groaned in pain. She waited for the creature to finish her like it had her friends, but after what felt like a lifetime of waiting, she finally dared to open her eyes and look around.
The living room was empty and dark once again. The only light was illuminating the stairs that led up to Fluttershy’s bedroom. Rainbow Dash gulped and struggled to make her legs work, because she was so frightened that her wings refused to unfold. Slowly, she approached the stairs and made her way up to the second story. 
As she reached the top of the stairs, the lights went out. She screamed in the dark, but a second later another light popped on ahead of her. It was a small sliver of illumination, barely enough to light the upper hallway, and Rainbow Dash knew exactly where it was coming from. Swallowing her fear, she crept along the wooden floor until she was standing outside of Fluttershy’s bedroom.
“F-F-Fluttershy?” the Pegasus asked as she gently pushed the door open. The only source of light was a single candle on the far side of the room. It flickered constantly, making the shadows dance to a rhythm that Rainbow Dash couldn’t hear. 
“Naughty, naughty, Rainbow Dash,” the voice called from the darkness. “Entering a girl’s room without permission. Why, what would the Wonderbolts think?”
“S-Shut up!” Rainbow yelled back at the darkness. She took a single step back.
“Now, now, don’t be shy. You’ve already peeked. Why don’t you just come all the way in?”
Something whipped Rainbow Dash’s backside and she jumped forward before she realized it. As soon as she landed, she turned around and rushed for the exit, but the bedroom door slammed in her face. 
“Okay, Fluttershy, this isn’t funny anymore,” Rainbow Dash said as she slowly turned around. “I…I don’t know what you did with our friends, but it’s time to give them back. You’re really freaking me out here!”
“You know, Rainbow, I’m getting a little…hungry.” 
Rainbow Dash thought she saw something move in the far corner of the room. She stifled a scream and rushed toward the candle. She tripped and tumbled onto Fluttershy’s bed. 
“That pie was good, but I want more.”
Rainbow Dash tried to scramble off of the bed, but her thrashing only ended up tangling her in the sheets. It wasn’t long before only her head was free. Panicked, she looked around the dark room, but all she saw were flickering shadows. 
“Hm…I wonder what the rainbow tastes like?” 
A slurping sound came from behind Rainbow Dash. She jerked her head around to see, but there was nothing there. A moment later, she felt something moist lick the back of her neck and tug on her hair. 
“AAAAHHH!” Rainbow turned her head again, but all she saw were the shadows in the room. 
“Mm…tasty,” the voice whispered. It sounded like it was right beside Rainbow Dash’s ears. She began to shake uncontrollably in the covers and a small whimper escaped her lips. 
“P….P…Please…don’t eat me…!” she begged. 
“Oh, but Rainbow…” Suddenly, two red eyes appeared in front of Rainbow Dash and the candlelight flickered across two sharp fangs a hair’s breath away from her. “You taste so GOOD!”
Rainbow Dash opened her mouth to scream, but the second she did, another mouth pressed against hers. She screamed anyway, the sound echoing inside her attacker’s mouth as Not-Fluttershy’s tongue pressed against the roof of her mouth.
“Mm…delicious,” Not-Fluttershy said as she pulled away. “I want more!”
Rainbow Dash recoiled in terror as the creature licked its lips. She lost her balance and fell from the bed, still wrapped in the sheets. She hit the floor and a burst of pain raced through her skull, but she ignored it. She started to scoot away on her back, wiggling her body across the floor as fast as she could. 
“Where do you think you’re going?” Not-Fluttershy’s head peeked over the edge of the bed, a hunger blazing in her eyes as she licked her lips. “I’m still hungry!” She jumped down from the bed and pinned Rainbow Dash to the floor with her hoof. She hissed as she revealed her fangs and then lunged forward. 
Rainbow Dash felt the tips of the fangs press against her neck. She felt Not-Fluttershy’s tongue lick her fur, trying to find the perfect vein to puncture. It was too much for the Pegasus. She screamed again and jerked her whole body in an attempt to free herself. She heard the covers rip as she launched Not-Fluttershy into the air and she wasted no time. She bolted toward the bedroom door, flung in open, and then raced down the stairs as fast as she could. She couldn’t see very well in the dark, but she had a general idea of where the front door was. She tilted her shoulder forward and put on as much speed as she could muster as she ran toward it. She had crashed through solid walls before. A wooden door wouldn’t be that much of a—
The door flew open just before Rainbow Dash hit it. Surprised, she tried to stop, but her hooves got tangled and she tumbled out the door and into the night. A second later, her body crashed into something and then she felt something heavy fall on top of her. 
“No, no!” she screamed as she tried to get whatever was on her face off. “Please, Fluttershy! I don’t want to be eaten!”
“Eaten?” Rainbow Dash froze. She recognized that voice. “That’s brilliant, Fluttershy! Why did you keep that secret from me?”
“Discord?!” Rainbow Dash yelled. 
“Rainbow, darling, your hoof is digging into my back.”
“Rarity?”
“Twilight?”
“What’s going on here?” Rainbow Dash yelled. She shoved what turned out to be Pinkie Pie’s tail out of her face and looked around. She and her friends were piled on top of each other outside of Fluttershy’s cottage. 
And standing off to the side was Fluttershy, wearing a huge smile, and Discord, who was literally laughing his head off.
“Would somepony please tell me what’s happening?” came Applejack’s voice from under Rainbow Dash’s back. “And get off me, while you’re at it!”
Slowly, the five ponies untangled themselves and helped each other up. Then, they all turned to Fluttershy and Discord. 
“Well?” Fluttershy asked, her wings flapping happily as she hovered in the air. “Did we scare you?”
“Of course we did, dear Fluttershy,” Discord said as he reattached his head. “Did you hear their screams? Did you see their faces? They looked something like this!” Discord’s face transformed into a mask of terror for a moment, and then he started laughing again. 
“You two did all this?” Applejack asked. 
“Well, Fluttershy came up with the idea,” Discord said. “I just helped with all the magical stuff. You know, changing Fluttershy’s voice, bringing the manikins to life, the shadow and fire claws, stuff like that. But she’s the one that came up with the traps for each of you, as well as the script. Gave me shivers, let me tell you.”
“Tell me about it,” Applejack mumbled. She looked over at Rarity for a second, and then returned her gaze to Discord and Fluttershy. 
“That. Was. AMAZING!” Pinkie Pie yelled as she bounded forward. “I’ve never been so scared in my whole life!”
“Sorry about the heat, Pinkie,” Fluttershy said. “I hope it didn’t burn you, but you just weren’t getting scared.”
“No problem, Fluttershy!”
“But…where did you all go?” Rainbow Dash asked as she looked at her friends. “You all disappeared! Twilight, you got sucked into a book!”
“I…don’t remember,” Twilight said as she thought about her experience. “The last thing I remember is being sucked into that book.”
“Oh, I just sent you all to a little pocket dimension,” Discord said with a wave of his claw. “Time stops there, so you won’t remember it. Fluttershy made me promise to check in on all of you constantly just to be safe though.”
“So, the apple pie…?” Rainbow Dash asked. 
“Just a regular pie I made,” Fluttershy replied with a soft smile. “I still have some, if any of you are hungry.”
“No thanks,” Rainbow Dash replied. 
“Well, Fluttershy, I must say, that was quite the fright,” Rarity said as she walked forward and gave the yellow Pegasus a hug. “But I think we’ve had enough for one Nightmare Night. What say we all head down to town and play some games?”
“Sounds great, Rarity,” Applejack said.
“I’m in,” Twilight added. 
“We should go bobbing for apples!” Pinkie Pie shouted and then raced down the hill toward town. 
“Wait for me, Pinkie Pie!” Discord called and with a flash of light, he vanished. 
As the other ponies left, Rainbow Dash was left alone with Fluttershy. The two Pegasus ponies stared at each other for a long time before one of them spoke.
“So…Discord apparently had no idea what you did to me,” Rainbow Dash said as she shifted her weight on her hooves. “I take it he wasn’t in your room.”
“No,” Fluttershy said as she looked at the ground. Normally, her mane would have fallen over her face, but she still had it done up in her sultry style, so only the lose strand fell down. “I…hope it was alright.”
“Are you kidding?” Rainbow Dash asked. “I was terrified! That was great!”
“Oh.” Fluttershy kicked the ground. “That’s…nice.”
“And, well…” Rainbow Dash rubbed the back of her neck and looked at the sky. “It was also…kind of nice. I mean, now that I know I wasn’t in any real danger.”
Fluttershy blushed. “So…do you like my costume?”
Rainbow Dash looked over Flutterhsy’s alluring costume again and her wings ruffled despite her best efforts. “Yeah. You look great—I mean, it looks great! On you!”
Fluttershy smiled as she walked up to Rainbow Dash. She pulled the Pegasus into a hug and Rainbow’s heart beat a little faster. “Thank you,” she whispered. Rainbow Dash was about to reply, but then she felt the familiar sensation of two fangs pressing against her neck. “Mmm…delicious.”
“That’s not funny!” Rainbow said as she went as stiff as a board.
Fluttershy pulled out of the hug and smiled. “You like it.”
“Let’s…just hurry up and catch up with the others,” Rainbow Dash answered. She hoped, as she walked down the path with Fluttershy, that her cheeks weren’t as bright red as they felt.