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How it Begins3,666 words
The Nightmawe3,172 words

The Nightmawe

Twilight glanced around somewhat fearfully. As dark as it was, without a grownup to protect her, she was on the verge of panic. She was afraid of the things that went bump in the dark, the things that would leap out from under the carpet, the thing that lurked in the toilet whirlpool, the thing in the bathtub drain...

"Dahk is scawy...somepony tuhn on da wight!" Applejack begged, shaking.

Twilight blinked, remembering something. "Oh yah," she said. She focused, and a small spot of purple light ignited at the tip of her horn, illuminating the area. The lighting was still somewhat spooky, but at least everyone could see. "Fogoht I cud do dat," she admitted sheepishly.

"Wow!" Rarity said. "I can't do any Magic yet! Can you do mowe twicks?"

Twilight shook her head. "Nope. Just this." She hung her head, once more feeling down about her lack of skill. It didn't matter how many times her parents and big brother told her that - for a filly her age - even making light was a humongous achievement, especially with how easily she could sustain it. It was never enough for Twilight.

Rainbow strutted up as best she could, although her strut was distinctly waddle like due to her diaper. "Well, it's pwetty obvious what we gotta do now!"

"Stay hewe and wait fow Gwanny?" AJ asked hopefully.

"Cupcakes?" Pinkie offered excitedly.

"Dwessup?" Rarity asked eagerly.

Rainbow face hoofed. "No. Save da day!" The others blinked at her. "Cewestia bwought us hewe to be fwends wit Woona. Now Woona's eviw, and Cewestia's uncouscous...uncomfy...out cold! Dat means it ouw job to make Woona good again and bwing back the wight!"

"Nuuuu!" Fluttershy whimpered from behind the plushie. "Not the hungwy ghosts! Don't eat me! I dun taste gud!" The bunny shivered from Fluttershy's body shakes.

Rainbow face hoofed once more. "Not the wight, the wight! You know, make da pwace bwight?"

"Oh," Fluttershy replied. "The wight."

"That's what I said..."

Twilight smiled. "You wight, Wainbow! We must save Equestwia! Into the basement aftew Woona!" She started to take a step forward.

"WAIT!" Pinkie called out. "If we gonna save the day, we gotta make it epic, wight? Six might wawwiows questing thwough dangewous enviwons to save a Pwincess! We need epic names for da pwaces!"

"Ya mean wike pwetend?" AJ asked curiously.

Rainbow tilted her head. "I didn't undewstand haf a what you said, Pinkie, but it sounds wadicaw...I mean gnawy...awesome!" She smirked. "Yeah, I can say dat wight. Awesome!"

Twilight glanced around. "But, I onwy count five of us..."

Rainbow shook her head. "But ouw mightiest wawwiow is there!" She pointed towards the plushie.

Twilight stared. "What, behind the wabbit!"

"No you foow, it is the wabbit!" Pinkie cried suddenly, before giggling uncontrollably.

Rarity sighed. "Fwuttashy, you need to join us fow dis. We can't do it witout you."

Fluttershy sighed from behind the bunny. "Okay, Wawity." She stepped out nervously.

Twilight smiled. "Awight! The six of us now jouwney into the unknown wands of..." She paused, coming up with a good name. "Da Evewfwee Fowest!"

"Ah don' see no twees," AJ said bluntly.

"The gwus ate dem," Rarity piped up.

"I buy dat," Pinkie replied.

"What's a g-g-gwu?" Fluttershy stammered.

"I dunno," Rarity replied. "Something Papa talks about wit his gaming buddies."

"Well, into the unknown weaches we go!" Twilight asserted, walking forward. For lack of anything better to do, the others followed her up to the stairs. "What ho!" Twilight proclaimed. "A dangewous cwiff! We must safewy scawe to da bottom!"

Rarity looked down. "How we gonna do dat?"

Twilight examined the stairs. "Vewy, vewy cawefully. Othewise..." The rug beneath her suddenly slipped. "AHH!"

"AHH!" the other five fillies agreed as they started to fall down the stairs on the tumbling rug.

After a while of tumbling, Twilight came to a halt at what she imagined to be the uttermost edge of the precipice of the cliff, hanging just barely above a bottomless gorge into which she'd fall forever. She felt strong hooves grip hers, and opened her eyes. "Applejack! Don't wet me go!"

"Don' wowwy, Twi, I gotcha!" Applejack started to pull up, but she wasn't strong enough. "I can't puww ya up!"

Twilight's eyes widened in fear. "What am I gonna do?"

Applejack looked around, then looked down at Twilight. "You gonna have to wet go."

"WHAT?" Twilight asked, shocked. "You cwazy!"

"Wisten," Applejack insisted. "Twust in ya fwiends, okay? Dey won't wet ya down." She smiled reassuringly at Twilight. As Twilight began to calm down, Applejack concluded, "Besides, yew hooves awe wike, two centimetews off da gwound."

Twilight blinked, looking down. She was as close as Applejack said. In point of fact, her tail touched the ground. Flushing, she let go, dropping lightly to her diaper clad butt as AJ hopped down, the others gathering around her. "It wooked a wot higher fwom on top," she muttered, embarrassed.

As everyone else smiled at her, she got to her hooves, and the group waddled deeper into darkness, Twilight's light their only guide.

-----------

After a time of walking - having managed to cover a total of three feet - Rarity plopped down. "I'm pooped!" she whined. "Somepony cawwy me!"

"None of us awe big enough," Rainbow pointed out. "You gotta cawwy yousewf."

Rarity grumbled under her breath, turning. She then let out a scream. Everyone turned to what she was screaming at.

There in front of them all was the most frightening wooden creatures they had ever seen, reaching for them.

As most of them screamed, running back and forth and bumping into each other, Pinkie started laughing. They all stopped. "Pinkie," Twilight said. "Why awe you waughing?

Pinkie stopped her giggles. "Aw, gews, don't you see?" She started shaking herself back and forth as music began playing from nowhere.

"♫Now I'm just a wittwe fiwwy so when the sun goes down
The dawkness and the shadows, they sometimes make me fwown
I hide undew my piwwow from what I tink I saw
But Gwanny Pie says dat isn't da way to deaw wit feaws at all!"

Rainbow blinked. "Den what is?" Pinkie continued singing.

"♫She says, Pinkie, you gotta stand up taww,
Weawn to face you feaws
You see, dat wit a waugh,
Dat you can make dem dissappeaw!"

Turning towards the scary creature, she went, "Ha, ha, ha!" As Twilight approached, her light showed the creature was in fact an elaborately carved end table leg. As Pinkie grinned, she led them in song.

"♫Sooooo...giggwe at the ghostie
Guffaw at the gwoss-by
Cwack up at da cweepy
Whoop it up wit da weepy
Chortle at the cooky
Snortle at the spooky"

"And..." Pinkie began. "And...and..." She giggled. "I fowgot the west!"

Everypony stared at her for a time, and then they all fell over, cracking up laughing. After a time, they got back to their hooves and continued walking.

Some time later, Twilight spotted something at the edge of the illuminated area. "Watch out!" she said, pointing. They crept closer, and Twilight began to make out the shadowy form. "It's a vicious manticowe!" she proclaimed.

Mr. Muffin, Earthsea's pet panther, turned his head to stare at the filly in consternation. A manticore, really? Standing up, he paced over towards the group.

Applejack suddenly leapt onto his back. "Yeehah!" she shouted. "Giddy up, pawdnaw!"

Mr. Muffin glowered. He did not give rides. Tilting his body, he dumped the filly off his back. Seeing Rainbow Dash running towards him - as best she could - he turned away, his tail accidentally sending her tumbling.

Hearing grunts, he looked down. Rarity was trying to hit him in the chin with her hindhooves, but had only succeeded in flipping herself onto her back, and now could not get back to her hooves. He stared down at her.

"KITTY!" Fluttershy called out happily, zipping through the air to glomp onto Mr. Muffin's head. She began nuzzling him while cooing, scratching him in just the right spot between his ears. He flopped down onto the ground, letting her continue her affections. This one smelled nice. After a time, Mr. Muffin fell back asleep.

The other fillies stared at Fluttershy in awe.

----------------

"Awwww!" Pinkie said meltingly.

No, no, no...Awe. A. W. E. As in marvel and wonder.

"Ooo!" Pinkie corrected herself.

That's better. Although it is Fluttershy, so the first was accurate, too. Now stop it, Pinkie. There's too many references in here as is.

-----------------

"Fwuttewshy," Twilight breathed, "how'd you do that?"

Fluttershy blinked at her. "But...he's so fwuffy and cuddwy and cute! How could I not cuddwe him?"

"Mighty wawwiow my diapew," Applejack commented under her breath. "She's da dipwomancew."

"Dipwomancew?" Rarity asked, confused.

"My big bwothew games wit yer Papa, and he tewws campaigns as bed time stowies."

"Ah."

The six fillies walked along together, deeper into the dark recesses of the 'Everfree Forest'. A sudden flash of lightning spooked all of them as the illumination turned an eel in a nearby fish tank into a frightening sea serpent.

Fluttershy blinked, then started to wail.

"Fwuttewshy," Rainbow asked, "what's wong?"

"I-I-I-I p-p-p-pooped!" she wailed. A single glance was enough to show everypony that, yes, Fluttershy had thoroughly soiled her diaper in fright.

Twilight blinked. "W-wat do we do about this?" she asked, confused and afraid.

Rarity stepped forward. She grabbed hold of Fluttershy's diaper pin and pulled it out. Taking the soiled diaper off, she folded it up and tossed it under a nearby dresser. She then pulled some wipes out of the dress she's insisted on wearing to the palace and cleaned Fluttershy off, tossing the soiled wipes after the diaper. She then removed her own - still pristine - diaper and affixed it around Fluttershy, pinning it with the butterfly pin. She stuck her own diamond pin behid her ear in her mane.

Fluttershy stared up at Rarity, blinking. "How'd you do dat?"

Rarity sniffed. "Mama and Papa can nevew get my diapie wooking wight, so I weaned to wedo it mysewf." She patted the diaper gently. "Aww better now, wight?"

Smiling, Fluttershy hugged Rarity. The group then turned to walk further into the basement...but eventually came to a wide grating in the floor, with dangerous footing.

"W-w-we can't cwoss dat!" Applejack said in fear.

"I can!" Rainbow said happily. She immediately ran across the grate, her natural agility coming into play, allowing her to find safe footing.

"Wainbow!" Twilight called after her. "You need to go on witout us! Woona must be saved!"

Rainbow shook her head. "No way!" Glancing around, she saw a rolled up carpet. Pushing it over with a grunt of effort, she unrolled it across the grate. "I dun weave my fwiends behind!"

Smiling together, everypony crossed the rug.

Some time later, they heard sniffling. They followed the sound. They came upon Luna, still huddled in her father's - now dented - war helm. She glowered out at them. "You!" she said angrily. "You da ones Tia wepwaced me wit! What awe you doin hewe?"

Twilight took what she thought was a dramatic stance. "Nightmawe Moon! We have come to cweanse you of da dahkness, and fwee Woona fwom youw eviw cwutches, and westowe wight to da wand!"

Luna blinked at her. "Umm...wat?"

Pinkie raced over to Luna's side. "The game you stahted, wemembew? Nightmawe Moon, night wast fowevew, then escaping into da Evewfwee Fowest? Now we come all dis way to defeat you and save da day, then weunite you wit Cewestia so you can make up! Then we can have wots of fun togethew!"

Luna blinked, shocked. "You...you came to pway wit...me?"

Pinkie nodded. "Yeppews! Gwown ups awe bowing, too much emphasis on wuwes! But now we gotta finish the game wight, wight?" She popped back over to the others, resuming her original position.

Luna blinked for a time, then smiled happily. "FOOWS!" she proclaimed. "You have not the powew to stand against the Mistwess of da Night!" She then peeked through one eye hole of the helm. "How was dat?"

Pinkie gave her a conspiratorial wink. Then she got herself going. "We wiww not faiw! Too much counts on us!"

"Besides," Twilight said with a confident grin, "we have with us a powew you cannot defeat!"

"Weawwy?" Luna asked. "What's dat?"

Twilight paused. She thought for a time. Then she turned to the others. "I got nothin."

"Weww," Rainbow said, "if it's gonna be an awesome finish, it's gotta have an awesome name. And it's gotta invowve aww of us."

"Maybe it could be an ewementaw powah?" Applejack offered. "Ya know, like the power of da wand?"

Rarity shook her head. "No. We'we hewe to be Woona's fwiends, so it's gotta have something to do wit fweindship."

"Maybe we couwd use music?" Fluttershy asked. "I wike singing."

"Me too!" Pinkie said happily.

"I got it!" Twilight said. She turned back to Luna. "We wiww defeat you using...the Ewements of Hawmony!"

Luna clapped her hooves. This was fun. Then she got back in character. "No! How could you have discovewed the secwet powew of Equestwia's cweation? It's impossibwe!"

"Ooh!" Pinkie said. "Nice impwov!"

Twilight grinned. "Because Equestwia was cweated by fwiendship, and it is the Ewements that make Fwiendship wowk that power it!" She gestured. "Appwejack, who saw da twuth of the scenawio and wet nopony shy away, wepwesent the Ewement of...Honesty!"

Grinning, Applejack showed off her diaper pin.

"What awe you doin, Appwejack?" Rainbow asked.

"Weww, we gotta use somethin' to wepwesent the Ewements, and these diapa pins wook wike a set."

"As wong as you don't poke me with them!" Luna called out.

Twilight continued. "Pinkie, who used humowous ditties to scawe away fwightening phantoms wepwesents the Ewement...of Waughtah!"

Pinkie bounced up onto her fore hooves, shaking her rear in the air so her balloon pin caught the light, causing Luna to giggle.

"Fwuttewshy, who tamed the fewocious manticowe-"

"You mean Mistah Muffin?" Luna asked. "He wikes being scwitched between the eaws."

Twilight nodded. "That's how she did it, meaning she wepwesents the Ewement of...Kindness!"

"Whewe awe you getting these?" Rarity asked, confused, as Fluttershy posed, filled with new confidence.

"Making it up as I go awong," Twilight admitted. "Wawity," she continued louder, "who gave up hew own diapie fow hew fwiend's comfowt, wepwesents the Ewement of...Genewosity!"

"Ooh, nice!" Rarity said happily, stroking her diamond pin. "Might be the wong design, though. But then, what would..." She quickly became lost in thought as she tried to mentally design a runic image to represent Generosity.

"Wainbow," Twilight continued, "woud not weave hew fwiends behind, despite the gweat effowt it took to hewp dem. She wepwesents the Ewement...of Woyawty!"

"Awesome!" Rainbow said happily, spinning around a few times in excitement.

Twilight grinned. "And I..." She thought for a time, her grin fading. "I..." She turned back to the others. "What did I contwibute?"

"You wit ouw way," Applejack pointed out. "We'd nevew have made it this faw without you wight."

"But that don't weawwy fit," Twilight argued. "Wight doesn't weawwy match up."

"You make it wit magic," Rainbow pointed out.

"Magic?" Twilight asked. "Is that an Ewement of Fwiendship?"

They all paused in thought. "You got anyting bettew? Cause we need to end this nawwative somehow so we can get the wights on."

Twilight nodded. "Magic it is." She turned back to Luna. "And I wepwesent the Ewement of Magic, the ineffabwe, the inexpwicabwe fowce that ties us aww togethew and causes fwiendships to fowm!"

"Ooo, that's a nice descwiption," Fluttershy said happily.

"And now, wit the Ewements of Hawmony, we will cweanse you of Dawkness, Nightmawe Moon!" Twilight proclaimed.

Luna grinned. "And how do you pwan to do that?" she demanded. "Do you know how to use the Ewements?"

Twilight thought for a time. Then she grinned. "Get hewe, giwws!" she yelled, charging forward.

Letting out a mock scream of fear, Luna turned, trying to scoot away under the helmet. The six fillies bulled into her, knocking the helmet over, and began tickling her into submission. It wasn't long before Luna began counterattacking, her more developed wings giving her a distinct advantage. Before long, they were all collapsed on the floor, out of breath from laughing.

"So," Twilight gasped out at last, "we've...defeated Nightmawe Moon...fweed Woona...and now we need to end the etewnaw night."

"How do we do that?" Pinkie asked.

"Wike dis!" Luna said, igniting her horn. The switch to the circuit breaker glowed with her telekinetic aura and shifted back into the 'on' position.

Author's Note:

This is what comes of writing when I'm on the verge of falling asleep, keeping myself awake on the sugar content of Black Cherry Cola, listening to this song, and watching "Too Cute".

Is it any good?

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