Rainbow in the Dark

by Raeligath

Chapter 1: When Karma Bites

Rumbling thunder and whistling wind sent chills up the spine of all those souls brave enough to be out and about this Nightmare Night. In true Ponyville tradition, this year’s celebration was to be grander and spookier than any before, courtesy of joint effort with Cloudsdale for the weather. Some may say that inciting a thunderstorm on the one night a year where nearly everypony is trick-or-treating and enjoying the festivities outside might be a bit irresponsible. The effect, however, was undeniable.

A trio of students from the resident School of Friendship found themselves near the fringes of town on this eerie evening. A griffon, a dragon, and an earth pony, in prior years they may have been an odd sight in this community, but nowadays ‘Pony’-ville was seeing a lot of other creatures take up residence as well. Newcomers meant new opportunities for all involved.

The earth pony filly led her friends deeper towards the woods, a snide smile across her face. “Last chance,” she said, mockingly. “The infamous Everfree Forest is just up ahead.”

“I ain’t scared of some dumb trees,” said the dragon, scoffing as she flapped her wings. She hovered behind the others, glancing at their surroundings. “Trees burn. Even if they were full o’ ghosts like you said, one good huff and they’re nothin’ more than firewood!”

“You’d think ghosts would do something to like, protect their homes or something. Trees just seem way too breakable.” The griffon chuckled to himself. “See, I think Needles is just making this stuff up. Trying to make it seem like ponies have it bad!”

The winged friends shared a laugh. The filly was less amused.

She stomped her hoof in the dirt, then slowly turned to face her companions. “Oh, there are ghosts. I’ve seen 'em. All the ponies who fell to Nightmare Moon never truly rest. They live still amongst the cursed trees and bushes and monsters of Everfree.”

“Nightmare Moon? Seriously?!” said the griffon. “Not only is she the least scary thing ever, she’s flippin’ retired!”

“Luna is retired. Nightmare Moon was— is something else.”

“Professor Rarity told us that Nightmare Moon was literally just Princess Luna when she got really cranky that one time. I think I can handle a fussy pony just fine, thank you.”

“Nightmare Moon was the embodiment of shadow—”

“Wasn’t there a ‘Pony of Shadows’ at some point too?” the dragon chimed in.

The filly groaned. “Yes, but that’s not what this is about. Look, do you want to get spooked this Nightmare Night or what?!”

The griffon gave her a quick nudge. “Not that we don’t appreciate the effort, Needles, but we’re just not scared of ponies. This whole night’s been a joke. Not your fault that Equestria’s history is so… what’s the word, tame?”

“More like lame, eh?” said the dragon. She and her griffon friend shared another laugh as Needlepoint’s ears drooped.

“You’re not even giving me a chance…”

A distant rumble of thunder, followed by a cracking branch, made the three jump in place.

“Are you sure we should be out near all the trees while the storm is going on?” asked the griffon.

The filly smirked. “It’s under pegasi control. I thought you said you weren’t scared of ponies, Guran.”

“I’m not scared of ponies,” he retorted, deadpan. “I’m scared of getting struck by lightning.”

It was this line of thinking that sparked a new idea in the pony’s head. A deliciously evil idea, sure to scare the feathers and scales off her friends.

“Oh, lightning’s the least of your worries,” she said. “Pegasi can make it rain, storm, snow, hail… Unicorns have all kinds of magical spells you might accidentally be caught in. Why, I heard one time Headmare Starlight hypnotized someone into being her personal servant for a month. And to think, she could do that with just a flick of her horn and a thought.”

“Big deal,” said the dragon, crossing her arms. “If you’re scary enough, you don’t need magic to get that kind of treatment.”

“Actually, not like this. She made that someone forget who they were or where they went for that whole time. It was absolutely demeaning, and still she was showered with praise.”

“Right, so now you’re going to tell us there’s some witch in the Everfree no one's ever mentioned before, hm? And how she hunts down lost kids to steal their minds?” Guran rolled his eyes. “Admit it, you’re making this up on the spot.”

“Just saying facts,” said Needlepoint, feigning a coy demeanor. “Even earth ponies can get scary when they’re not careful. Some say plants and animals listen to their will. An earth pony with sufficient connection to nature could deal with her problems with just a thought.”

She paused, letting the silence fill with a gust of wind.

“You’re bluffing,” said the dragon. “Earth ponies are just strong and tough. Not like… plant-o-mancers.”

Needlepoint chuckled back to her friends. “Are you sure? Why do you think ponies are the only ones to ever go into the Everfree?”

Guran squinted at the filly. “Alright, I’ll bite. Why?”

Her response was growled and paired with a wild-eyed stare. “Because the forest only spares those loyal to the legendary Nightmare.”

KR-KRAAASH!!

A massive bolt of lightning flashed in the sky, illuminating a winged, horned shadow against the overcast background. As the ringing in their ears faded, an echoing cackle filled the air. The griffon and dragon screamed and ran for their lives, terrified of the visage of the mythical monster of a mare. The last to leave was Needlepoint, lip quivering and head shaking in disbelief.

“I just made it up… I just made it all up!!”

“And yet here I am,” the booming voice responded. “And something tells me you haven’t been so loyal yourself...”

That did it. The filly’s last hesitation gave in to raw fear as she bolted after her friends.

As she faded from sight, so did the cackling. However, as the filly vanished entirely, the cackling merely transitioned into a hysterical laughter from above.

A certain blue pegasus rolled on a thundercloud, laughing herself to tears. Her multi-colored mane peeked out from under her costume’s crown, but she was too amused to even notice. She was laughing so hard, tears began to come from her eyes.

“Oh my gosh, that was perfect!” Rainbow said to herself. “The looks on their faces! Hah!!” She hopped up into a flutter and began to push her cloud through the sky. Her efforts were only mildly impaired by a series of giggling fits. “Pfft, they actually thought I was Nightmare Moon! Oh, I bet they’ll be telling stories about this in class— Ooh! I gotta play along, like, ‘What? I didn’t hear anything. There’s no way that was Nightmare Moon.’ Haha!!”

Rainbow Dash eventually found her way to the ground, something sturdier to hold herself up as she caught her breath between chuckles. “This costume was the best idea ever... I missed this so much.”

As another laughing fit struck her, a warm smile plastered across her face, she flopped in the grass below. After a moment to regain composure, she rolled over to look at the sky. A hole in the cloud cover let the moon peek through, bathing her and the surrounding clearing in a pale light.

“Er, no offense, moonbutt,” she said to the moon, or really no one in particular. She was the only one around to snicker at the joke.

At least, that’s about what she thought. She blinked, and suddenly there was the silhouette of a pony standing over her, looking down. Though Rainbow couldn’t make out any features with the moonlight ringing this other pony, she got the very strong feeling that they were making eye contact.

Rainbow tilted her head. “Uh, hello? Can I help you?”

Silence.

“Hellooo? Equestria to weirdo!”

More silence.

“Seriously? Gonna have to try harder than the whole ‘dark and brooding’ thing to scare this pon...”

A soft red glow shone straight into the pegasus’ eyes. Her voice tapered off as the edges of her vision blurred.

A snarl, half-masked by the howling wind.

The figure lunged.

Rainbow was out cold.