Mare-y Stories to Tell in the Dark.

Chapters

Forever Alone
The Statue Got Me High
Me, Myself, and I
The Biggest Fan
Dreamweaver
The Bookworm

Forever Alone

Forever Alone

"Hello Everypony, thanks for coming!" Twilight Sparkle said with a bright smile as she held the door open for her closest friends, who all trudged in with their sleeping bags and other such sleepover paraphernalia.

"Anytime, Twi." Said Applejack with a smile on her freckled face. It was the middle of winter, so she didn't have many chores to worry about on the next morning.

"I wouldn't dream of missing another sleepover party, the last sleepover party I had was with the twins, and they didn't really sleep much so I guess it wasn't much of a sleepover so -mmpf!" Pinkie Pie started to ramble off before Rainbow Dash shoved a hoof in her mouth to stop her tirade.

"Yeah yeah, You know you can count on us to do these sorts of things." Said the pegasus as she nudged Pinkie further into the library. She didn't want to hear Pinkie stand there rattling off her entire few days activities.

"Twilight, darling, we simply MUST do these more often." Said Rarity as she strutted inside, levitating various makeup cases along with her sleeping bag. She -lived- for these sleepover makeovers, or as she liked to call them, double overs.

"Oh, um, Hello Twilight." Came the shy and meek voice of Fluttershy as she quietly sneaked in behind Rarity, smiling at the lavender Unicorn from behind her mane.

"Ugh, we're not going to do -girly- stuff are we?" Asked Rainbow Dash, a look of disgust on her face as she eyed the cosmetics that Rarity was bringing.

"Why Rainbow Dash, even you could benefit from looking a little feminine every now and then." Rarity said with a smug look as she fluffed her mane somewhat.

"I'm sorry Dash, but it -is- in the book." Twilight said as she levitated the book in question over for Rainbow to look at. Rainbow rolled her eyes and sighed.

"Fine fine, if it's in the book, Celestia forbid we don't follow the book." She said with a slump of her shoulders. She could never really say no to her friends, especially that egghead Twilight.

"So what's the first thing on the list, Twi?" Asked Applejack as she started laying out her sleeping bag.

"Please don't say makeovers, please don't say makeovers." Chanted Rainbow Dash eagerly.

"Well I figured once we all got settled in we could tell some scary stories." Twilight said with a warm smile as she set down her own sleeping bag as well.

"Oh, um, sc, sc, scary stories?" Whispered Fluttershy with a small eep as she slunk down some, sitting on her sleeping bag with a worried look.

"Don't worry, Fluttershy, we shant make them -too- scary." Rarity said with a warm smile as she put a comforting hoof on the meek pegasus's shoulder. The action seemed to help calm her down some. She gave a small smile back at the pearly white unicorn.

"Oh I -love- scary stories!" Bounced Pinkie from where she had set up her sleeping tent. Balloons and streamers and such were tied to the various supports on her little sleeping tool.

"Alright, so who's first?" Twilight said as she looked around the room. "Does anypony know any good scary stories?"

Rainbow Dash was about to open her mouth and say something but was distracted by a small squeak.

"Um, actually, if you don't mind, I'd like to start." Said Fluttershy of all ponies, getting a startled look from the rest of the group.

"Fluttershy? Are ya sure, sweetpea?" said Applejack with a look of confusion and concern. Fluttershy nodded.

"Oh like -this- is going to be scary." Said Rainbow Dash with a disappointed roll of her eyes.

"It -is- a scary story." Said Fluttershy with a worried look in her eyes. The Pegasus moved to stand up more. "It's something my mother told me when I was a filly and it's stuck with me ever since.....

The Young Pegasus gazed out of her window at the streets of Cumulus Drive. She had been living in this part of Cloudsdale for many years now. She had never gone outside or interacted with any other ponies. She had always stayed inside, only sneaking out for work and then back home with the minimum amount of social activity possible. She was just too scared, too scared of other ponies and how they might pick on her for being quiet, too scared that some pony might try and take advantage of her or do something horrible to her when nopony else was watching. She sighed heavily, turning away from the window to prepare her dinner for the evening, alfalfa shoots and some spring water were on the menu tonight. She didn't fancy herself a good cook, she didn't fancy herself good at anything really. Most of her youth had been staying out of the way of other ponies so she didn't trip anything up. A clumsy young filly had warranted her a lot of ridicule in school, so now as an adult, she decided she'd just live her life as solitary as possible. The world didn't need her, nopony needed her. She would just stay inside where it was safe.

She sat down in front of the television set as she nibbled on her dinner. The dull glow of the television illuminating the otherwise unlit cloud house. She glanced over at the pile of mail on the table. She reached forward with a hoof to start sorting through it as she ate food with the television on in the background. Bills, bills, bills, some scam from some country across the seas. Oh, here was a letter from her mother. She smiled warmly. Her mother loved her very much and always did her best to try and keep her safe and out of harm's way. She opened the letter, reading the top line.

"My dearest..." Yes, a usual opening to a letter, she moved over the greeting part to get to what her mother wanted to say. Frowning slightly as she read the words. The letter seemed to be fairly standard, but the content of it appeared to upset her slightly. Even though she knew her mother meant well. She also knew that mothers tended to be very protective of their children. She wasn't a child anymore, she was an adult. She could make her own choices. She set the letter down on the table and finished her dinner, in a of a bit of a sulk. She turned off the TV and washed up for bed. Soon enough she lay down to close her eyes and fall into a fitful slumber.

She woke up in the morning when the alarm went off. Hitting the button to turn it off as she shuffled out of bed, stretching and yawning as she trotted into the bathroom to take her morning shower. Sighing with relief as the hot water helped wake up her body. Going over some of the letter in her mind. ~Daughter, you should try and socialize more and meet other ponies~ She shook her head. No that was not worth it, it only got her teased and laughed at for being a clumsy little filly. She trotted out with a towel around her head and wiped the steam off of the mirror. This was then followed by a shrill little scream as she almost immediately dove under the covers and cowered under there for several long, tense minutes. Soon, she managed to creep out and back into the bathroom. Breathing very nervously, she slowly crept up to stare at her reflection. She... She wasn't there! Well she was, but she was somewhat faded, almost see through as she stared at herself in the mirror. She raised a hoof to look at herself more directly to see that it was indeed hard to make out. ~Staying inside all day without any interaction isn't good for you, my dear.~ She shook her head. Why were the words from last night coming back now? She didn't understand! She started hurrying around her house this way and that in a panic. She was sick, this was some kind of, vanishing illness. She should see the doctor! She quickly ran to her front door, and stopped. She perked her ears this way and that as she noticed something that was out of place.

There was no sound. No sound at all. The building was made out of cloud so sound was usually muffled. But normally she could hear ponies talking, or walking around, or -anything- at all. But this time she couldn't hear a thing. She opened her mouth as if to call out....but no sound emerged. She bit her bottom lip and carefully stepped over to where a window was. She peeked out. Sinking down almost immediately, everything was blurry and out of focus. There were shadowy figures walking the streets, they looked like ponies, but blurred, as if paint was smeared by water. Tears starting forming in the pegasus' eyes as fear took a stronger hold on her. ~You can't hide from the world forever. You need to get out there and make some friends.~ She closed her eyes, putting her hooves over her ears, trying to block out the words that repeated in her head from the letter. Why was this happening? Why did this happen almost right after recieving a letter from her own mother? Did her mother know what was happening? She started crying, unable to hold herself together as she cried herself to sleep right there next to the window.

She wasn't sure how much time had passed when she woke up. There was no sound anymore, no movement outside of the window, just darkness. She assumed it was nighttime. She didn't care anymore. She was so scared, she only wanted her mother to be there for her. ~You can't always come to me when you need help, my dear~ The Words of the letter taunted her even more now as she moved to stand up and tromp into the bathroom, looking at herself in the mirror. Whatever it was had gotten worse. She could barely see herself. She opened her mouth to speak, and nothing came out again. She tried her best to say -anything- and she couldn't mutter a single squeak. Dejected, she lowered her head and softly walked back into the living room. She looked around at her sparse apartment. No pictures or anything to distinguish her apartment from anypony else's. ~You don't have anything to call yours in your room. I'm sending some of your things so you can decorate your apartment~

She sniffed again. Moving to the door, reaching out again towards it. She had to do -something- about this. She felt like... She felt like she was, ~I'm worried one day you'll just fade away and be gone forever.~ Her eyes widened. The last line in the letter from her mother. Her mother had been so concerned for her daughter's lifestyle that she had sent a letter to try and help. It was true! She -was- fading away. Was it because she was too scared of the world around her? Too scared to meet other ponies. Too scared of Cloudsdale. Too scared of... Being herself? She whimpered slightly as she looked to where the letter was lying. Softly stepping over to look it over again. She frowned softly. Something was wrong. Right after it addressed her, her name. She couldn't make it out. It was like a smear where the ink was. She bit her lower lip and closed her eyes. She was so withdrawn she didn't even recognize her own name. She wracked her brain, trying to sift through her memories for anything to help identify who she was. Some scrap of information in her mind that would help her fix this horrible mistake she had let happen. Then her eyes spotted a P.S. at the bottom of the page.

~Just know that I'm sending this because I love and care about you so very much.~

Her eyes watered again as she hugged the letter to her. Tears started to roll down her cheeks as her mind went back to those times in her youth. Not when she was being picked on or humiliated, but the times with her family. Her strong father and caring mother. She mouthed her mothers name softly. She thought about her childhood. Soon enough she heard a knocking on her door. She snapped out of her reverie. She wiped at her face, blinking somewhat. She looked out of the window and saw that everything was back to normal. She quickly looked down at her hooves, they were back to normal. She hurried to the door and opened it.

"I have a delivery for-" Started the delivery pegasus before he was cut off by a happy squeal. He jumped slightly and looked bewildered at the mare who was dancing for joy. He smiled somewhat. "Never seen anypony so happy to get thier mail before." He said as he gestured to a box that had her mother's shipping address on it. It was apparently her things that had just arrived. The package was signed for and the box quickly taken inside without a word. She quickly opened the box and took out another letter from her Mother.

"To My Dearest, Azalia

Here are your things from when you lived with us, please use them to decorate your apartment. We both miss you and would like to see you sometime soon, so if you can work it into your schedule. Let us know and we'll work something out. I hope you are doing well, living by yourself all alone and never interacting with anypony has me worried. But I guess i'm just a busybody. You'll do fine. You're your mother's daughter afterall.

Love, Chrysanthemum."

She sniffed at the letter, then blinked. Nodding to herself she set the letter down and quickly bolted for the door, pushing it open as she turned to spot the mailpony about to fly off.

"Waiiiiiiit!" She called out, rather surprising herself in her loudness. The Mailpony almost fell over at her shout.

"Wh, what is it?" He said, wondering if he'd messed something up or forgot something.

"Um... would... would you like to come in for some dinner?" She asked, feeling shy again, but at least trying to make a connection.

The Mailpony blushed slightly. "Why sure, I think I've got time in my schedule for that." He said with a smile, trotting inside.

"My name is Willow Bark." He said with a tip of his mail hat.

"Mine's Azalia......"

"And they lived happily ever after." Said Fluttershy with a warm smile. Getting a set of surprised looks from her friends.

"Fluttershy, it's not a scary story if there's a happily ever after." Said Rainbow Dash with a roll of her eyes.

"Come on now, Dashie, Ah'd be pretty scared if Ah started fading away like that." Said with a concerned expression as she looked at her own hoof as if expecting it ot start fading away already.

"Indeed, whatever happened to Azalia and Willow? Did they become an Item?" Asked Rarity, a mischevious look in her eyes.

"Oh my no, he just introduced her to more friends. You do know that was just a story, right Rarity?" Fluttershy asked with a small smile.

"Well, that one gave -me- the chills." Said Twilight as she shook herself.

"I'll say, I wouldn't even know what to do if I vanished like that. I mean, who would be there to throw parties?!" Said a scared sounding Pinkie Pie.

"So who's next?" Twilight asked with a look around the room.

"Ah got one." Applejack said as she smiled somewhat mysteriously.

"Oh no, killer apples." Replied Dash with a taunting grin. She got a pillow to the face in response.

"Shut yer trap. It ain't about apples at'all." She coughed somewhat, clearing her throat.

The Statue Got Me High

The Statue Got Me High

“Now Ah heard this story up in Canterlot during mah brief stint with Cherry Jubilee.” Started the farm pony as she adjusted her hat. She settled down on her sleeping bag.

“Oh my, how is Miss Jubilee lately?” asked Fluttershy timidly.

Rainbow Dash rolled her eyes. “This is so not the time for that kinda’ talk, Fluttershy,” complained the pegasus. Fluttershy flinched slightly and gave a nervous smile. She nodded to what Rainbow Dash said.

Twilight frowned disapprovingly, “No need to be rude, Rainbow Dash.”

“Indeed, Fluttershy was just trying to be polite.” Said Rarity with a affirming nod to back up Twilight’s comment.

“Ahem, may Ah tell mah story now?” AJ asked as she eyed the ponies who were busy having a conversation. They all nodded almost in unison with sheepish looks on their faces.

“Anyway,” She continued, “Ah learned about getting too caught up in work that time Big Macintosh injured himself. So ah guess this story kinda reminds me of that time.”

Discord had been soundly defeated. Peace had been returned to Equestria. But all was not well. There were concerns that if the mere squabbling of children could unleash Discord then steps must be taken. He could not just be allowed to remain on display like that. To this end, the Canterlot Royal Magicians Society distributed one of their top unicorns to gather as much data as he could on the statue. His goal was to see if there was any way to either predict when he would break out once more, or possibly find some way to make sure he would never emerge again.

“Oh yes, this is -just- what I had planned for my day.” The light blue stallion grumbled under his breath. His horn ignited as an azure glow surrounded his glasses, levitating them off of his nose so a handkerchief could rise up and clean them. He set his glasses back on his nose. “Professor of Petrification Research, oh why did I bother taking such a specialty?” He glanced over at his flank, which showed of all things, a cockatrice. The stallion sighed deeply.

“Oh well, Rocky Road, you’re a smart stallion so something like this should be easy enough.” He said with a smile. He normally talked to himself; he was such an eccentric egghead that most ponies had as little to do with him as possible. His talent was petrification magic. Due to his research, most victims of a cockatrice were curable. His horn started to glow an azure color as he slowly circled the statue of Discord. He probed the statue with his magic to see what sort of reaction he could get, being very cautious due to the nature of his subject. He didn’t want to accidentally free him again after all.

“Now let’s see. He seems like a normal enough statue. Granite from the feel of it.” He muttered under his breath to himself as he circled the statue. Mentally, he took notes. “I don’t feel any living thing. It’s like he is just a regular statue.” He frowned at that. That couldn’t be right. Surely he should be able to sense something from the statue, no matter how repressed Discord’s life signs might be. He wasn’t dead, after all. His mind wandered back to his earlier meeting with the Princess and the words she gave to him.

~Do not assume that because Discord is a statue that he is any less dangerous than when he was out wreaking havoc across Equestria. If you take a false step in the wrong direction, you might find an answer to more than what you set out to discover.~

The unicorn snorted slightly. He was a scholar and a professional. There was nothing that this, this statue could possibly do to him. Rocky couldn’t even -detect- this so called ‘God of Chaos’ inside the statue. “I’d even say he was an old ponies tale were it not for my colleague suddenly sprouting rabbit ears and tap-dancing out of the lab on the day in question.” He said to himself with a shake of his head.

It had been a solid week. Rocky had set up various magical instruments around the statue in order to get some kind of reading. The lack of response so far was irritating him. He was focusing his horn for one last final scan, closing his eyes tightly as sweat started to form on his brow. Then, finally, finally he got something. An echo of magic from within the statue. His eyes snapped open as he exclaimed triumphantly, “Yes! I knew there was something!” His voice was weary from lack of sleep. “Now to move onto the next level!” He said as he trotted away, not catching the tuning fork he had left tucked under one of the statue’s feet. He had been using it to bounce signals through the statue and had forgotten it was there.

The next several months were intense, long, and boring. He tried using his magic to scan the texture of the rock. Then he tried the density. Then he tried some obscure trick he read in some magazine somewhere to try and draw magic -out- of the statue. Nothing ever worked. He stared at the instrument hooked up to the statue with frustration. During this time, he had dislodged the tuning fork without realizing it. Desperation filled his mind He was convinced that Discord was actively hiding from him now.

“I know you’re in there!” He shouted at the statue.

~Oh really? Am I ever really anywhere?~ Came a quiet voice in his mind. His eyes widened.

“I, you. You, uh.” He reached up and pushed his hoof against his temple. He had such a headache. “I knew it. You -are- in there! I knew that wasn’t a fluke!”

~Oh no, no fluke at all. I am here, Rocky. I’ll always be here.~

Later at the college cafeteria, his old research partner, Straight A, was looking at him with some worry. “You do not appear to be doing well, Rocky.” He said as he sipped on an apple juice box. It was true, Rocky had spent several sleepless nights trying to think up -some- way to get any kind of conclusive result.

“Nonsense. I know he’s in there. I just can’t find proof of him. He’s there, taunting me.” Rocky said as his eye twitched, looking this way and that. “It cannot just be a simple statue! I refuse to believe it! I’ve heard him!” He said in a hoarse voice.

“Rocky, I and the others are really worried about you. They say you haven’t been attending the meetings like you’re supposed to, and the Committee have not received any reports from you about the matter. Maybe there isn’t anything to report? Maybe he is just a statue?” Straight said with a hoof placed on his friend’s shoulder in concern.

Rocky shoved his friend’s hoof off of his shoulder. “That’s preposterous! That’s ridiculous. That’s, that’s, INCONCEIVABLE!” He said as he stood up suddenly. His eyes were wild and shifting constantly, as if looking for danger inside the cafeteria of all places. Ponies were staring at him and starting to gossip. The unicorn snorted harshly and just turned to leave. He had to get back, back to where he was meant to be.

~So I see you have returned to have another little game with me.~

“Sh, shut up, Discord.” He said as he stared at the statue. His horn was not even glowing now. He just -stared- at it. “I know what you’re up to.”

~Really then? What am I up to, pray tell?~

“You’re just trying to make me crazy, to make my friends lose faith in me. But I know you’re there. I can hear you, in my head!” His voice was uneven and wavering here and there.

~Oh do come on now, you yourself cannot detect me through your magic. You only started hearing me a week ago. You have found no proof that I am even here. You are -already- crazy.~ The bodiless voice taunted.

“Shut up! I’m going to find out where you are. By force if I have to.” He opened up a bag at his hooves and levitated out a hammer and chisel. He started to laugh, the laugh building in intensity as he set the chisel against the foot of the statue and raised the hammer high. All he knew then was a blinding brightness followed by the dark.

He was found an hour later by a guard on his way to another patrol, huddled at the foot of the statue with the hammer and chisel laying nearby amid all his equipment, the chisel itself was cracked in half. Rocky lay inside the shadow of the statue, his eyes unfocused and constantly shifting this way and that. The pony’s mane and tail were uncombed and wild and his body was covered with dirt and dust from weeks of self-neglect. He was muttering incoherently under his breath about the statue and how Discord had already escaped. The Medical ponies carefully put him in a stretcher and slowly wheeled it away as Princess Celestia observed with a sad look in her eyes, having been alerted the second the guard had found the professor.

“So what, that’s it?” Rainbow Dash said as she cocked her head to one side.

Pinkie scratched the side of her head. “I don’t get it, what happened?”

Applejack grinned smugly. “Ya ain’t figured it out? He-”

“He obviously overworked himself to the point where he thought he was hearing Discord inside of the statue even when his magic clearly was telling him nothing was amiss. He was so afraid of failure that he invented a reason to keep looking, thus he went crazy in his own self-delusion.” Twilight said in proper schoolfilly form. AJ grumbled something about stealing her thunder.

Pinkie bounced up. “It was great! And it totally reminded me of this one story I heard while I was visiting my sisters on the rock farm that I grew up in remember it was the rock farm where I saw the Son-Mmmf!” Once again Rainbow Dash to save the day with hoof to mouth syndrome.

The hoof was spat out. “It’s my turn next! I have a great super special awesome story!” The party pony said as she bounced in place.

Me, Myself, and I

Me, Myself, and I

“So anyways, this story is about a friend of my sister.” Pinkie Pie started, “She heard it from her friend’s cousin’s brother’s uncle who once visited Manehatten and worked as a psychologist.”

Rarity’s eyebrows raised slightly. “Pinkie, You know a psychologist?” She asked in surprise.

“I’m sure he’d have a field day with her.” Rainbow muttered with a roll of her eyes.

“So ANYWAYS,” Pinkie cut off further conversation with a wide-eyed stare, “Here’s how the story goes.”

Date: Thirteenth of February

Time: 11:30 AM

Subject Name: Cheddar Wheel

Doctor: Robert Otomy

Subject seems to exhibit signs of severe paranoia and insomnia. The subject often complains that he cannot get to sleep. When he does finally manage, his sleep is troubled and he often wakes up shortly after. The primary complaint are his ‘roommates’ that stay up talking to him and constantly badger him with their questions. I shall have to have a talk with them during their sessions in order to see if they can let Mr. Wheel get some sleep. It’s for the good of everypony, after all. I have been trying to pinpoint the exact cause of my patient’s problem but so far he has not told me anything pertinent. Further observation will be required.

Date: Eighteenth of February

Time: 11:30 AM

Subject Name: Swiss Army

Doctor: Robert Otomy

Subject seems to exhibit signs of Attention Deficit Disorder and blackouts. The subject’s eyes constantly shift around the room, and he mutters to himself while I am talking. Getting him to focus on me is quite the task. He has not shown any problems trying to sleep as he tends to be one of the agitators to Mr. Wheel’s condition. I have tried asking him to quiet down and let Mr. Wheel sleep, but he only responds with ‘If he sleeps, Muenster will get him.’ I do not understand fully what this means, but I shall have to talk with him further about this. He has also given me little to work with concerning his problems and what their source might be. Further observation will be required.

Date: Twenty-First of February

Time: 1:24 PM

Subject Name: Muenster

Doctor: Robert Otomy

Subject shows extreme signs of rage issues and sadomasochism. Subject showed up late for his appointment covered with cuts and bruises and in a straitjacket, as when the orderlies finally hunted him down he was in a linen closet with a razor he had somehow acquired. Subject is most uncooperative with my research and often threatens me and all that I love with harm. I must seriously consider some way to put him into isolation. So far he has yet to actually hurt his roommates but I fear it is only a matter of time before his desires get the better of him. Further observation will be required.

Date: First of March

Time: 11:30 AM

Subject Name: Cheddar Wheel

Doctor: Robert Otomy

Subject came in just fine today.. I suspect his previous medical training and use of medical magic is to thank for this. I wonder if maybe that is why I never see any cuts on him or Swiss despite being Muenster’s roommate. I shall have to investigate this further. Regardless, Mr. Wheel opened up to me today. He told me about when all of this started for him. He used to work at a hospital in Manehatten when somepony brought in a critically injured pegasus. Sadly, healing magic is just as reliable as traditional medicine, and the patient was unable to be saved. Mr. Wheel was racked with guilt. He could not sleep or eat for the longest time. Eventually he overcame the ordeal. Loss is always hard; as a doctor I empathize with this and can relate, though I have never lost any of my patients to death before. He seems unwilling to digress further about this matter. I should not push him and instead give him some extra time in the rec room as a reward for being open with me. Further observation will be required.

Date: Fourth of March

Time: 11:30 AM

Subject Name: Swiss Army

Doctor: Robert Otomy

Subject showed up on time as always, yet getting him to talk is a bit more challenging than with the others. His blackouts seem to be the cause of that. Sometimes I see him black out right in the middle of a sentence, then continue again unhindered after several minutes. He claims it was due to a severe head injury sustained while performing weather duties. Subject states he was assisting in moving clouds when a back draft caught him and slammed him into a building, causing severe head trauma and minor brain damage. I believe that this might be indicative of some deeper psychological wound he is not willing to admit to. But I also gave him a small reward for his co-operation. He is allowed some extra TV time during break.

Date: Twelfth of March

Time: 2:13 PM

Subject Name: Muenster

Doctor: Robert Otomy

Subject once again required a straitjacket in order to be brought in for discussion. He also mentioned how he’d like to find my wife and plow her. Such vulgarity. He is as always a difficult pony. Any time I try and ask him about his past, he gives me a spiel about being some famed murderer that killed hundreds or some such rubbish. None of his stories match up with any such news reports, no matter how far back I search in the archives. He is just making it up. He once again was covered with cuts and bruises, and I worry more and more for the safety of his ‘roommates’. I shall have to investigate to see if he is in fact causing them harm and Mr. Wheel is just using his magic to heal them as I suspect he is.

Date: Fourteenth of March

Time: 12:30 PM

Subject Name: Cheddar Wheel

Doctor: Robert Otomy

Subject was an hour late due to having actually been asleep when the orderlies went to fetch him. He would not wake up, so I authorized an hour delay. He was awake again by the time they came back for him. When asked about what caused him to actually be asleep, he responded that he was having a dream. It was about his time in medical school when he first met the mare of his dreams, Parmesan, a foreign exchange student from Rone. He told me that he loved the way she wore her mane up in pigtails and how she always smelled like tomatoes and wheat. Her family apparently ran a pizzeria back home, and she knew a thing or two about pizzas. I found out that pizzas were the subject’s favorite food, and he often would spend hours talking to the lunch lady about adding pizza to the menu.

Date: Twentieth of March

Time: 11:30 PM

Subject Name: Swiss Army

Doctor: Robert Otomy

Subject was almost eager to get out of his room today. When asked about this he stated that Muenster was especially scary last night. Apparently Mr. Wheel had almost fallen asleep and Muenster had almost ‘gotten’ him for good. I decided to ask Mr. Army about his cutie mark, a swiss army knife. When asked he responded with a detailed story about how as a young colt he was always handy with tools. One day while he was working on a windmill in his hometown he broke one of his important tools. He eventually figured out a way to use a different tool for the same purpose, and thus his cutie mark appeared. I am frankly surprised he remembered so much about his past, but took this as a good sign that I was making progress.

Date: First of April

Time: 11:30 AM

Subject Name: Muenster

Doctor: Robert Otomy

Subject showed up for once without any need for coercion and completely on time. He was even completely unharmed! This made me suspicious due to the date. But I decided to go along with it in case I caught him in a good mood. He was still vulgar and talked about anything but his past. But I managed to find out that he prefers the color blue and is fond of the band Wyld Stallions. Though his tastes in books seemed a bit archaic. I had never even heard of half the books he mentioned; apparently he is an avid reader when he gets the chance. I should send him some books from the library for him to read when he’s not feeling quite so masochistic.

Date: Twentieth of April

Time: 11:30 AM

Subject Name: Cheddar Wheel

Doctor: Robert Otomy

Audio Interview -

“Now Cheddar, may I call you Cheddar?”

“Of course, Doctor.”

“Excellent, may I get you some water? You seem very thirsty.”

“Thank you, Doctor.”

“Please, call me Robert, or Rob. How have you been sleeping lately, Cheddar?”

“About the same as usual, Doc....Rob.”

“I see, the sleeping medication not working?”

“No.”

“Alright, I’ll have to look over the dosage. In the meantime, let’s talk more about you. I want to help you find yourself, Cheddar.”

“I’m not lost, Dr. Otomy. I’m perfectly aware of my current location and what is going on. You just won’t listen to me.”

“Ah yes, your ‘roommates’ and their constant bickering. I assure you I am doing everything in my power in order to help you. But first you must help me.”

“Very well, Doctor. What do you want to hear?”

“Tell me about the second patient you had. Your last patient before you were, ah, committed here.”

“Very well. He was an earth pony, and when they wheeled him in he was covered with horrendous cuts and lacerations. He had lost so much blood I wasn’t even sure where to start. I tried my best to heal the major injuries and wounds first to stop any sort of fatal bleeding out. But the worst part...”

“What? What is it, Cheddar? What happened?”

“The worst part was that he woke up halfway through surgery. He gave me this look, this, horrible look.”

“What kind of look was it, Cheddar?”

“He looked like he was enjoying himself, Doctor. He woke up while I was healing him and then he started laughing. An insane, crazed laughter that caused his wounds to reopen. He died in the middle of a laugh, gurgling in his own blood. Right there in my hooves.”

Subject had to be escorted out due to a mild breakdown caused by extreme grief.

Date: First of May

Time: 11:30 AM

Subject Name: Swiss Army

Doctor: Robert Otomy

Audio Interview -

“Now then, Swiss, may I call you Swiss? I am glad you are here. How is your head feeling?”

“My head? My head feels fine, it feels light as air, Woooooosh!”

“That is good, have you been sleeping well?”

“Oh no, Doctor. Not at all.”

“Please call me Robert, or Rob. Or Bobby if it will make you feel better.”

“Alright, Bobby, hee that’s a funny name.”

“Now now, please settle down, Swiss. I want to talk to you about your past.”

“Awwww, do we have to? My head always hurts when I think about stuff like that.”

“Well then, will you talk with me about Muenster?”

“.....”

“Does Muenster scare you?”

“.....”

“Muenster can’t hurt you, you know that right?”

“You don’t get it, Doc. If I talk, Muenster will get me. He knows where I sleep. He’s always there, lurking, waiting for a chance for me or Cheddar to lower our guards.”

“Has he threatened you two?”

“No, he doesn’t have to. He’s scary, just the look in his eyes. It’s why I always keep Cheddar awake. If he lets his guard down. Muenster will get him.”

“Now, Muenster can’t possibly ‘get’ either of you two. You must realize this.”

Patient was silent for the rest of the interview.

Date: Fifth of May

Time: 3:48 PM

Subject Name: Muenster

Doctor: Robert Otomy

Audio Interview -

Interview unhelpful, patient was belligerent and communicated solely in profanities.

Final Report

Date: Fourth of June

Subject(s): Cheddar Wheel, Swiss Army, Muenster.

Doctor: Robert Otomy

Subject suffers from MPD (Multiple Pony Disorder). He has extreme feelings of guilt for having let his two patients die, and in order to cope with this has created personalities of what he must feel they were like in life. As such, he often switches from one personality to another when his guilt overcomes him. Swiss Army was a pegasus who had died of a head trauma during a weather incident. I found his death records easily enough. As for the pony called Muenster, there were no records prior to his death. His only trace was a reported incident of an earth pony found slashed and beaten before dying on the operating table, just as Mr. Wheel had described. I have decided on a prescription and therapy regimen that I believe will help slowly remove the extra personalities and help Mr. Wheel overcome his guilt. As I write this, I am about to go down and give Mr. Wheel the news. I anticipate a positive response.

Doctor Otomy opened the door to Cheddar’s room. He ducked slightly as the door was on the smallish side. He had a clipboard levitated in front of him as he glanced around the room, spotting the hunched over form of Cheddar sitting on his bed with a blanket around his shoulders. The yellow unicorn’s reddish mane and tail were a mess due to constantly tossing and turning in bed while trying to sleep. His eyes were almost hollow and unseeing as he stared at the floor in front of him. He had few moments of competent lucidity, and even then they were short-lived. He slowly raised his head when he detected the doctor’s entrance.

“Is it time for another interview?” He said in a slow, unsteady tone of voice.

“No, I came to tell you I have figured out a treatment that should help cure you of your multiple personalities.” Robert spoke quietly, afraid to spook the poor unicorn.

“Personalities? No, you don’t get it.” He said as he shook his head, a small sad frown crossing his face as his eyes teared up. The air in the room suddenly got colder.

“Wh, what do you mean?” He asked, looking around as he wondered why the thermostat had been turned down. The door slammed shut behind him, causing him to jump and spin around. He found himself staring face to face with another pony he’d never seen before. This pony had dark red fur with a matted steel blue mane that was sticking out at odd angles. His eyes were bright green, almost lime. His cutie mark was that of a strait razor. “Who are-”

“HiYA Doktur!” garbled out the earth pony as a hoof struck the doctor full on, knocking him down to the ground as he gasped for breath. “Ya RemEMber Me, Ya?” The pony’s voice was altering from high and low tones. His eyes often looking in opposite directions every now and then, as if focusing on two separate things. Robert struggled to rise to his hooves, but found himself swiftly meeting the floor. He felt like his chest had collapsed in and he could feel something wet and warm bubbling up his throat. He coughed for a few moments as blood splattered out. Cheddar was now standing next to him.

“You have a punctured lung. I’m so sorry.” He said as tears were already rolling down his cheeks.

“You should have listened, Bobby,” came another voice. This one was a pegasus who was hiding in the corner. The pony had bright blue fur and white mane and tail. His cutie mark, of course, was a swiss army knife with various ends sticking out of it. Swiss looked at him fearfully. “Muenster gets everyone eventually.”

“No.” Robert shook his head. “This is a bad dream. You can’t be real. You both died. On the operating table!” The Doctor was slowly losing his grip on the world at being confronted with two honest to goodness ghosts.

“Ya DErn RIGht I’m DeAD. HaVE been FER YEARS!” Muenster chortled as another hoof impacted the Doctor’s face. “I alWASY Find a gOOd hoST afTER mY LasT ONE goes.” He smirked and brought his crazed smile even closer to the Doctor. “BEEn doiN This FER YEARS.” He repeated, raising a hoof up and bringing it down savagely.

Date: I DUNNO

TIME: DUNNO

SUBJEKT: DOKTUR ROB OTOMY

DOKTUR: MUENSTER

SUBjekt thiNKS HeS A BIG SMARty pants, an SUFFERs from a BIG CASE OF the MeaNY JERKFACES. TreATMEnt will HAVe ta BE SEVere or HE’LL NevER LeaRN.

After Pinkie was done, she turned to look at all of her friends. Who were in various stages of cowering behind something or somepony. “Well? A neat story huh?” She asked with a happy bounce.

“Pinkie. That, that was HORRIBLE.” Exclaimed Rarity as she brought a hoof to her forehead and fainted right then and there dramatically.

All she got out of Fluttershy was a squeak. Twilight was still trying to wrap her brain around what happened and couldn’t talk either. AJ opened her mouth to say something but Rainbow Dash had already zoomed over and was bouncing around.

“That. Was. AWESOME!” She said as she seemed to be having her own fit of laughter and bouncing. Soon she was joined by Pinkie Pie who was giggling as well.

“This explains so much, and so little.” Twilight said, looking between her hooves as if trying to figure something out.

“So who’s next?” Asked Applejack as she looked around. “Just Twilight and Dash, and Ah think Twi’s shut down fer now.”

“Oh I’ll totally tell a story. Don’t know if I can top that though.” Rainbow said with an elbow nudge to Pinkie, who responded with a giggle.

The Biggest Fan

The Biggest Fan

“So tell us, Rainbow Dash, what is your story about?” Asked a skeptical Rarity.

“Ooh ooh, is it about the Wonderbolts? I’m pretty sure every story you’ve told in the past is about the Wonderbolts.” Bounced Pinkie Pie excitedly.

“Hey now, that’s as bad as saying all of Applejack’s stories are about apples.” Twilight interjected.

“Yeah, seriously. What is wrong with you ponies? I’m not always Wonderbolts this, Wonderbolts that.” Dash huffed as she crossed her forelegs over her chest.

“You’re just usually always Wonderbolts this, and Wonderbolts that.” Rarity said with a little smirk, eliciting a glare from Rainbow.

“Fine fine, this story is about how not every fan you have is one you want. I’m pretty popular. I even have my own fan club. But this kind of fan is one I would not want to have no matter what.”

The bright lights beat down on the glistening stage. The air was filled with the rumble of sound as it pounded out across the amphitheatre. The crowd of ponies clustered together in the night cheered and pranced almost in unison in time with the music that was blaring out of the giant speakers on either side of the stage. Brightly colored lights flashed on and off as they swept across the crowd of ponies who were hollering their lungs out. The pony standing on the stage was Glamour Shot, a punk rocker singer from Trotland who became a huge hit once she had hit Baltimare. Her earth pony body was a bright neon yellow with steel blue mane and tail. The mane was done up in a spiked hairstyle and was frosted on the tips with bits of white. Heavy red eyeliner and white makeup coated her face as her voice rang out across the stadium. One of her hooves holding the microphone stand close to her as she poured out her feelings in the gift of song she was so well known for. Her Cutie mark was a silhouette of a pony head with a spiked mane and sparkles of what looked like glitter around it. Behind her was her band, the Screaming Banshees, playing on their respective instruments as they pounded out a beat to move the hearts of any pony who was listening to them.

After the show the crowd was still roaring for more as the band packed up their supplies and made way for the next band. All but a lone pegasus who was simply standing and watching, focusing entirely on Glamour Shot and nothing else.

“Good show, Glamour.” said the unicorn manager of the band, Seymour.

“Well you know how it is. Once I start feeling the beat, I just can’t let it go.” exclaimed the mare as she gave a shake of her mane. She looked herself over in front of a mirror as she checked to see if any of her makeup or hair glitter needed fixing.

“True enough, Glam’s the star of the band.” Exclaimed the earth pony drummer, Fast Beats.

“Oh Fasty’s just saying that cause he wants to shag her.” said the slender pegasus lead guitarist, Hot Lick. He then had to duck as a pair of drumsticks came sailing at his head.

“Now now, boys, there’s enough of me to go around.” Teased Glam as she gave her two band mates a flirty wink. She then looked around their dressing room. “Where’s Deep Tone?” She asked, looking for their bassist.

“Eh, he left soon as the gig was over, same as always.” Seymour said with a shake of his head as he adjusted his shades magically via his horn. Glam frowned at that.

“He’s always running off like that, he’s so mysterious.” She said as she blew an errant lock of her mane out of her eyes. “Well I guess I’ll see you guys later then? At the usual hangout?” She said with a flutter of her eyelids. The response being an exaggerated swoon from the trio of ponies as she giggled and left the dressing room. She stopped by the showers to wash her makeup, mane spray, and body paint off, revealing her natural color. It was a dark yellow with deep red mane and tail. She shook herself and finished toweling off. Otherwise, she’d never get any peace and quiet during her downtime. She examined herself in the mirror and nodded. She then trotted out into the night air of Baltimare as the concert was just winding down.

She trotted down the night street, taking in a deep breath through her nose as she enjoyed the night air. She was heading back to the motel her band was staying at. She could usually find Deep Tone there after a show, while her other band mates tended to party after a show. She passed by the same pegasus from the concert without noticing him. He watched her intently with his deep green eyes. She dug out a key from her bags and unlocked the door to the motel room after having made her oh so low-key entrance into the motel. Most of her band mates enjoyed the fame but she just loved to sing. She didn’t really care too much about the fame and money. She poked her head in as she looked around.

“Deep? You in here, buddy?” She called out quietly. Carefully stepping inside as she looked around the thrashed motel room. Her band mates were so messy she wanted to scream sometimes. She carefully maneuvered past a pile of empty pizza boxes as she inspected the rest of the hotel suite. “Guess he’s not here.” She said with a small sigh. She turned around and headed for the door. Deep Tone was a foalhood friend of hers and had decided to help her start the band. She did not have any romantic feelings towards him but she still liked hanging out with him. She figured she would try the club they normally hang out at since he wasn’t at the motel. Her band often did tours, but Baltimare was their base of operations. It was the city where they were ‘formed’ and everypony in the city considered the Screaming Banshees part of Baltimare’s culture.

The nightclub was pretty empty that night. Most ponies had gone to the concert and were still at it. It wouldn’t end for another hour or so. She squinted her eyes in the dim light as she looked across the barely populated club. Soon enough she spotted her friend. A fellow earth pony with dark blue fur and a black mane and tail. She smiled to herself as she started to trot over towards him.

“Hey there, beautiful.” came a cool and quiet voice from a booth as she walked past it.

“Huh? what?” She blinked, turning towards the sound of the voice with some confusion. She was used to being hit on in her Glamour Shot guise but when she was au natural, she wasn’t normally approached by stallions. The source of the greeting was a dark red pegasus with his light brown mane pulled back into a ponytail. The same one who had been following her since her concert. There were several streaks of gray in his mane, suggesting he was only a little older than her. His deep green eyes seemed to swallow her up when she looked into them. He was wearing a suit not unlike a fancy pony. A top hat of all things tilted over his left ear at an angle as he smiled over at her.

“Looking for somepony?” He asked in his calm and almost hypnotic voice.

“Yeah, I was, um.” She shook her head, rubbing a hoof against a temple as she suddenly found herself having problems focusing. “Looking for, Oh!” She smiled as she spotted Deep and shook herself out of whatever strange feeling she was having, “I’m sorry, I’m with somepony.” She said as she quickly trotted over to sit down at the booth where her friend was. The earth pony looked up.

“Something wrong, Mel?” He usually called her by her real name when they weren’t performing. He was the only one who did. Their other band mates referred to her as Glam or Glamour.

“Nah, just some stranger hitting on me.” She said with a shake of her head, still fighting off whatever strange daze had come over her.

“Who was it?” He asked quietly, eyes narrowing slightly in over protection.

“Oh, somepony over, huh?” She frowned, she couldn’t see where he was, the booth was empty, “I guess he left.” She said with a shrug, turning and smiling at him. “You okay? You weren’t at the motel.”

“Yeah, I’m fine.” He said simply as he looked down at the paper he’d been writing on. As the song-writer for the group, he tended to find a lot of quiet places in order to find his muse. He glanced up when he saw her frowning at him disapprovingly. He sighed.

“Fine. I’ve been having nightmares,” He started off, not making eye contact with her, “Just normal stuff, you know; falling down great heights, running down never ending corridors. Normal nightmare stuff.” He said with a shrug as he sipped on his beverage.

“Is there anything I can do to help?” She asked with some concern as she reached out and put a hoof on his warmly.

He smiled gently at her. “I can’t really think of anything, unless you can magic me up some safe dreams.” He said as he closed his eyes, rubbing them with a hoof. Then he closed the notebook and tucked it inside his saddlebags. He stood up, “Let’s head back to the motel. I’m pretty tired.” He said with a large yawn.

She giggled as she moved to stand next to him, offering her shoulder for him to lean on as she walked him out of the door. On an impulse she glanced over her shoulder, spotting that strange stallion back in that same booth smiling at her. She shook her head again and he was gone. She didn’t think too much on it as she worked on getting her friend back to the motel and into bed.

The next day she was awakened by a knocking at the door, blinking sleepily as she rubbed an eye. She stumbled out of her bed and quietly crept into the living room section of their motel suite, spotting Fast Beats asleep on the couch with several empty bottles of heavy cider nearby. She shook her head, trotting over and covering him up with his blanket that had slipped off. Then she answered the door. It was a mailpony with a bouquet of flowers and a card held precariously in one hoof as he examined the clipboard in his other hoof.

“Miss Melody Spring?” the mailpony asked as he looked at the name on his order form.

“Um, yes?” She said as she blinked sleepily at the pony, still in the process of waking up herself.

“You have an order, please sign.” He acquired her signature then offered her the bouquet of tulips along with a card. “Have a nice day.” he turned to leave as she stared stupidly at him, then down to the card and bouquet in front of her.

“How is this,” She started, glancing at the card. “No pony should know I’m here. They should only know that Glamour Shots is staying here.” she usually went out of her way to maintain her ‘secret’ identity, so she was surprised when she saw that the card was addressed to her real name. She carefully opened it and read the letter.

“Dearest Melody, your voice it does sing,

And happiness and delight it does bring,

Your painted fur and makeup cannot hide,

the true beauty of the mare hidden inside.”

Your Secret Admirer.

“What? I don’t even. Who sent this?” She blinked several times, starting to feel a little creeped out. How did this fan of hers even know her real name? “I guess if somepony does enough research they can figure it out. I’m not exactly a spy or anything.” she said to herself as she tried to justify this as anything other than the weirdest thing to ever happen to her. She tossed the letter in the trash and set the flowers on the counter. They were nice, she didn’t want to just throw them away. Even if they were sent by some creepy stalker. She supposed it was just a price for fame.

She was halfway through cooking breakfast for the boys when Fast started to wake up, “Nmmmg? Oh hey, food!” He said with a sleepy grin. Fast sat down at the table in the kitchen, stifling a yawn behind a hoof.

She smiled warmly. “Yup, I’m in such a good mood I’m cooking pancakes for everypony!” She said as she poured out some coffee into a mug and pushed it to him, setting a stack of pancakes on a plate in front of him shortly after. “Dig in! Family recipe.” She said with a wink.

Hot Lick trotted in shortly after Fast started munching on his breakfast. “My my, such a healthy appetite, Fasty, you certainly know how to look attractive.” He loved teasing their drummer, especially since male fans kept professing their love for him in fan letters. Fast almost choked on his food as he muffled out some kind of indignant response, waving a hoof for emphasis. Hot smirked and sat down at his plate as his own food was served, eating much more reservedly than the always eager drummer.

Several long minutes and still no sign of activity from Deep. Melody frowned worriedly.

“I wonder if he was able to get any sleep last night? I should go check.” She said as she set aside a plate for him and herself and eyed the other two. “No touching, those are for me and Deep.” She exclaimed as she trotted back to where his room was, knocking on his door.

“Deep? It’s Mel, you okay in there?” She asked with a worried tone. She didn’t get an answer. She raised a hoof again, but before she could knock the door swung open and a very tired looking Deep stared solemnly back at her. “Oh! Um, breakfast is ready. I cooked it.” She said with a nervous smile at his expression.

“Oh,” He said with disinterest. His mane was a mess and his eyes were somewhat bloodshot. His tone of voice was similar to that of a pony talking in their sleep. He kept the door mostly closed, as if aware of his appearance. He did not want her to see him this way.

“Deep? Are you okay? You don’t look so well.” She asked as she put a hoof on the door and gently pushed, wanting to go to her disturbed foalhood friend. His eyes widened and he shook his head suddenly.

“No! You have to stay away!” He whispered hoarsely, as if suddenly full of energy. “Whatever you do, don’t get near me!” With that the door shut rather suddenly, the click of the lock slipping into place echoing in her ears. She frowned heavily at that, hurt by this sudden change of behaviour in her friend. She turned and stomped back to the living room area. Both of her band mates were busy wrestling each other for who would have the last pancake. They looked up at her in unison as she tromped past them, then at each other. They quickly broke up their little tussle and moved to their hooves.

“Glam? You okay there?” Hot managed to say before she shot them a glare that shut them both up. They shrank back and lowered their ears at the exact same time. She left the motel room with a slam of the door, clearly in a foul mood.

She made her way back to the club, which was dead as it was still morning, and it really was only busy at night. She ordered a drink and sat down at the bar, a scowl on her face as she brushed some bangs out of her face. Once her drink arrived, she took a long swig before setting the glass down. She sighed softly as she propped a foreleg up on the bar and rested her chin in a hoof.

“Troubles at home?” that familiar voice from last night spoke up as the pegasus sat down at the bar stool next to her, offering her a charming smile as he ordered his own drink. She was already in a dour mood but when she met his eyes again the tension slipped away. She caught herself staring before she shook herself out of it and glanced away.

“None of your business, pal.” she tried to be brusque, but she didn’t have the heart to be cold to this pony. She couldn’t put her hoof on it but it seemed somehow right for him to be there with her, “Who are you anyway?” She asked as she took a dainty sip of the remainder of her drink, suddenly feeling more girlish than she usually did. Something about this pony was making her feel and act so weird.

“Oh me? I’m a Secret Admirer.” He said with a dainty sip of his own, causing her to almost spit out her drink and turn to look at him in shock.

“How did you know my real name?”

“I’m a friend of the family, I knew your mother and grandmother, such lovely singing voices. Yours is no different, although in a much different style.” the stranger said as he looked at his beverage with a sort of thoughtful look in his deep green eyes. “An interesting choice, punk rock, as opposed to the classical styles your dams used. I was most saddened by their departure.”

“Wait, how did you know my Grandma? You’re like, younger than my mom too.” She asked somewhat suspiciously.

“I look much younger than I am, it’s a little family secret.” He said cryptically with a small smile. He turned to fix her with his alluring gaze again, “In the meantime, why don’t I try and help you forget about your troubles?” He said as he reached out a hoof to gently stroke her cheek. She found herself unable to resist. Soon after, her world became a dreamy haze.

She staggered back home a right mess, her mane and tail frazzled this way and that with a dreamy look on her face, a blush adorning her cheeks as she wobbled up to the door to their motel room and fiddled with her key to unlock it, giving a dreamy sigh as she stumbled inside and flopped down on the couch. Her eyes closed as she took a moment to rest. She felt giddy and weak-kneed as she rested on the couch. Unaware that Deep Tones was standing by the edge of the couch looking at her with a haunted expression on his face. He soon enough turned and went back to his room. She did not know how long she had been gone but she was so tired, and the couch seemed so inviting.

“Glam? Hey Glam?” She opened her eyes at a hoof poking her softly in the side, staring up at Fast Beats, who was standing next to Seymour, both of them looking at her with worry on their faces.

“Fasty? yeah? What?” She rubbed her forehead with a pained grimace, “Ooooh what did I do last night?” She groaned as it felt much like a hangover, her head was pounding.

“Well, Seymour and I were wondering. Is there anything going on here? You’ve been skipping practice and just vanishing on us and every time you come back you just pass out and sleep.”

“Yeah, you’ve been doing this for over a week now.” Seymour added. She sat bolt upright with a surprised look on her face.

“I WHAT?!” she exclaimed, moving to get off of the couch, feeling weaker than she thought, she stumbled to the floor. She had to be helped up by Fast and Seymour, noticing that she looked a lot thinner than before. “What’s, I don’t, I don’t recall the past week at all.” She said as she rubbed her forehead again. Seymour looked at Fast and nodded.

“Kiddo, we’re taking you to the doctor.” He said firmly. She looked up and shook her head.

“What about the show next week?” She pleaded with him.

“You’re in no condition to sing or perform right now. We’ll just have to reschedule. Now you sit tight, get some more rest. We’ll be back once we find Hot and get a carriage ready for transport.” They lead her to her bedroom and sat her down on the bed. She rolled up with the covers and closed her eyes again, drifting off into a fitful sleep.

She had a dream, it was so vivid, so real. She almost didn’t want to wake up from it. She was back in her homeland of Trotland, she was dressed in her grandmother’s old performing dress and singing in front of a group of people at a tavern. She remembered the dress from pictures of her grandmother for the short time she was with her mother. The faces of the ponies in the crowd were a blur, she couldn’t pick any of them out. Until she spotted him among the group. After the performance she felt herself drawn to him, to talk and spend time with him. Even forsaking the pony she knew to be her grandfather for him, although he was acting strange as well during that time. He was acting much like Deep Tones was acting now actually. The pegasus was like a drug she could not get enough of. The dream was fuzzy when it came to what they did together. But she knew that whatever it was, it was the best thing ever.

Then the dream cut to her old home again, this time she was dressed as her mother. She was performing at an old folks home for charity. Every female in her family always had a great talent for singing, it was what her family was known for back home. Yet again, she saw that exact same pegasus stallion in the audience, looking exactly the same as all the other times she’d seen him. Just like before, she was drawn to this stallion, away from her loving husband and baby daughter. She herself remembered how strange her father acted before her mother’s death. Her mother gave every excuse to go and see him until it was time for her death as well. The stallion attended this funeral like all of the others, a profound look of sadness in his eyes as he watched her lowered into the ground.

She awoke with a start, it was nighttime and her window was open, letting a cool breeze blow in through her room. She wasn’t sure why she was startled awake, she was still so tired. Then she felt him, rather than saw him. She turned her eyes to stare into the deep green eyes peering back at her in the darkness of the room.

“I dreamt about you.” She said in a quiet, almost hollow voice. He drew closer to her, “I dreamt you knew my grandmother, and my mother. But that’s impossible.” She whispered weakly as he stepped out of the shadows and stood by her bedside.

“No, it’s not.” He said quietly. “I have been visiting the females of your family for generations now. Your beautiful voices always call to me from my slumber. I give you all the most rapt pleasure you can imagine. I loved all of you. You are all dear to me. Sadly, it always ends up killing you all. In exchange I take your voices, so that they may be immortalized. I must confess I am a little sad. You have no children to pass on your talent to. Once I take you, it’s over.” He smiled a bit sadly, leaning in as his deep green eyes slowly shifted to a mucky purple, to bright crimson red. “I have always been, your biggest fan.” He whispered as he closed in on her and then she knew nothing else.

When Dash finished her story she looked around the room, smirking to herself at everypony’s expression. Rarity’s mouth was slightly agape and she had a dignified blush on her cheeks. Fluttershy was blushing furiously and had the cover of her sleeping bag up to hide behind it. Twilight was staring googly-eyed at the story. Pinkie’s eyes were wide and sparkly, but otherwise her usual expression. Applejack had an awkward embarrassed blush as well.

“Well?” She said smugly.

“That was, um, nice.” Fluttershy said in a small squeak.

“Rainbow Dash. I never knew you had it in you.” Rarity said with some pride. “Being able to tell a story like that.”

“Ah agree with Rarity, that was a pretty, um. Interestin’ story.” Applejack said with an uncomfortable cough.

“It was sweet.” Pinkie said, getting a surprised look from the other ponies.

“Sweet? He was some kinda ancient monster thingy preying on her family.” Applejack said with some surprise.

“Well he loved them though, right? He always showed them a good time before he killed them. That’s something isn’t it?” Pinkie said as she looked around.

“Riiiiight, anyways, moving on!” Twilight said with a confused shake of her head.

“I believe I shall be next, Twilight is the host and she should tell hers last.” Rarity said as she fluffed her mane.

“Ooooh, what’s your story going to be about?” Pinkie asked with an excited bounce.

“What else? Dresses.”

Dreamweaver

Dreamweaver

“Ugh, dresses.” Rainbow muttered as she rolled her eyes.

“Oh come now, Rainbow Dash, even dresses can be scary if one goes about them the right way.” Rarity said with a mysterious smirk as she fluffed her mane.

“Ah don’t really see how, Sugar Cube.” Applejack admitted with a small shrug of her shoulders.

“Well then listen up, and I’ll tell you.” Rarity began.

Prada Runway could not believe his eyes. He had in his hooves a letter from the royal palace requisitioning for him to create a dress for the princess herself. His jaw dropped in disbelief. Ever since he opened his Runway Parlor here in Canterlot he never would have dreamed that his designs would be noticed by those living in Canterlot Castle. The cherry red earth pony was beside himself with glee as he dropped the letter and quickly galloped from the mailbox into his house. He had to get ready for the work day and hurry to his business to make sure it opened on time. It was going to be a fantastic day, he was sure of it. He quickly traveled to his place of business and unlocked the front door, heading inside as he started to rummage around in his back room for some designs he had set aside for such fabulous emergencies.

“Hmmmmm, should I go with a velvet Caftan? With some pearl inlay? Or maybe a silk Sun Dress to reinforce her imagery? A ball gown?” He said to himself as he looked through the various designs.

“No no no, something like this needs to be special,” he said as he rubbed his chin with a hoof, pacing back and forth in his office. “Wait a second.” He quickly trotted over to a shelf and started looking through the book titles. “Where is it? Ah! Here it is!” He pulled down a book titled, ‘The History of Dreamweave.’ He set it down on a table and opened it, rifling through the pages. “Yes. Dreamweave is the perfect element for such an exotic demand! But I’ll need to find a unicorn who uses dream magic to help me.” He left the book open and trotted over out the door. A stray draft blew the next page over, revealing a warning for non unicorns trying to use dream magic to acquire Dreamweave.

Night had fallen by the time Prada had tracked down a unicorn rumored to be skilled with dream magic. Carefully the earth pony approached the seemingly run-down building in the outskirts of Canterlot. He was feeling rather nervous as the house didn’t seem to be lit and much of the street he had walked down had been thrown into shadows. Hoofsteps echoed in his ears as he approached the dark blue wooden house and tentatively raised a hoof, bringing it down to knock on the door. The sound of the echoing knocks made him wince. Several minutes passed and he was just about to leave when the door slowly slid open with a high pitched creak, the handle glowing softly with unicorn magic.

“Enter.” A quiet voice echoed within that sent chills down Prada’s spine. Slowly he stepped inside, having to squint as there was even less light in here. Further down the hallway, a light came from a room. He walked down, the floorboards creaking and moaning under his hooves as he stepped. Soon enough he was standing in the doorway of what looked like a kitchen. A unicorn mare was standing over a stove, using her magic to stir something in a pot. The only light in the room came from a lantern that hung from the ceiling, casting an azure tint to everything in the room. Prada was about to say something but then a chair was pulled out for him to sit down on, the unicorn hadn’t even looked at him yet.

“Um, Miss? My name is Pra-” He started when her voice whispered to him in a husky, quiet tone.

“I know who you are. I know why you are here. My name is Madame Fugue. I am the most skilled at dream magic that you will find in Equestria.” The unicorn finally turned around. Her silken mane flowed over the side of her face, covering her right eye. The eccentric markings on her face, drawn in sharp points upon her forehead and under her eyes, were unlike anything Prada had even seen on the runway.

“W-well then. I guess that makes our business very easy to conclude then, yes?” Prada said nervously. The surrounding blue light was starting to give him a headache.

“Are you aware that Dreamweave is mostly acquired by unicorns?” She asked him quietly as she moved to sit down across the table from him. Prada raised a brow. He hadn’t read that warning in the book. He seemed to think it over and then shook his head.

“It’s for the Princess, Madame Fugue, I would do anything for the ability to make her the greatest dress known to ponykind!” He said with a determined stare.

“You do realize that we will be going into your dreams and extracting the substance? If you do it wrong, or take too much it will affect you gravely. There is a reason it is so rare, after all.”

“That’s why I came to an expert. With your knowledge and my fabulous fashion sense it will be simplicity itself!” He said with a confident air and wave of a hoof. Madame Fugue just smiled slowly.

“Very well. If you think you are prepared then I shall come and visit you on Tuesday at your parlor. We should perform the ceremony there so that you can immediately make use of the fabric when you are done. If we let it sit too long, it will dissolve back into your dream world.” Prada nodded and got up, looking very excited.

“Thank you ever so much, Madame Fugue. I don’t know how to thank you.” He said as he turned and quickly left the house with a bounce in his step. Madame Fugue smirked once more as he left.

“Oh... you have already given more than you realize.” She said cryptically, as she went back to her brew on the stove.

Prada was very restless the following weekend, constantly redoing the design for the ideal dress for the princess over and over. Any work that was not his current task was put aside, citing a temporary hiatus while he worked for a very important client. He shunned his friends and work associates as he fervently worked. Everything had to be perfect for when he acquired the Dreamweave for his customer. Tuesday came almost before he was ready, but nonetheless Madame Fugue arrived to a well cleaned shop free of any debris or any other imperfections.

“You did not have to go all out just for little old me.” She said with a small smile on her lips.

“Oh no, it’s no trouble at all. I assure you, you are a most honored guest.” He said with a warm smile, leading her to his workroom. A pair of chairs had been set up next to a table complete with sewing machine and various other odds and ends to be used on the Dreamweave when it was acquired. Madame Fugue chuckled dryly.

“All of this planning, and you don’t even have the most important part yet.” She said in an amused tone. Moving to sit down as she opened her saddlebags and started to levitate some items out. A crystal on a string, an incense burner, a candle, a small gong and what looked like silver shears. She set them down side by side on the table as Prada watched curiously.

“Madame Fugue, what are those for?” He asked.

“These are the tools we will use to fetch the Dreamweave.” She explained, levitating the items up one by one as she revealed their use. “The crystal is to help focus my magic since you are not a unicorn. The incense burner is to help you slip into the dream. The candle is to light your way inside of your dreams. The gong is to help you wake from the dream. And the shears are how you will collect the Dreamstuff to make into the Dreamweave.” She set the final item down and adjusted her hooded cloak, pulling the hood back to show that her hair was a light blue. Her pelt was a light green, only just now visible as it had been difficult to see under the blue light. He nodded eagerly as he squirmed where he was sitting impatiently.

“When can we start?” He asked excitedly.

“When I tell you how you are to collect the Dreamstuff. It is no simple task, even if you were another unicorn. First I will put you to sleep, once you are fully asleep I will then transpose the items you need into the dream. Then you will travel your own mind until you find a pleasant memory or fantasy you wish the Dreamweave to invoke. Then you will use the shears to carefully harvest some of it. You must be careful not to take too much or the consequences could be dire. There will be a conversion when you come to the real world. So we shall have to do this a few times in order to get enough Dreamstuff for a full dress. Especially for one as large as the Princess.”

“Okay, anything else we have to go over before we start?”

“Yes. You will be inside your own dream. So you must remember, any bad thoughts or negative feelings can potentially harm you. You must be careful and be mindful of the fact that it is your dream. Do not ever forget that you are dreaming and have control.” She was talking very sternly as if she was accustomed to telling ponies who didn’t listen..

“I understand. Shall we begin?” He asked, eager to get his hooves on some of the fabled fabric of fashion. Madame Fugue sighed slightly.

“So eager. Well we shall see how eager you are after the first half hour or so.” She said as she levitated the various items closer to him and started to set them up. The crystal shard was hung around his neck. The incense burner was settled right next to him along with the shears. The gong was placed next to her so she could ring it easily. The candle was attached to a brass candle holder which he held in his mouth. He looked uncomfortable holding the object.

“Is this necessary Madame?” He asked around the candle.

She gave a wry chuckle. “It is indeed. You must be holding it when the spell starts so that your subconscious will know you have it. It is very complicated to fully explain. Just trust me.” A match was produced and scratched along the table to produce a flame which then lit the incense burner. “Breathe deep the fumes, and know that anytime you smell this scent in your dream, you are in a safe place. If you get lost within your dreams, try to follow your nose until you smell this scent again.”

“This is very complicated, far more so than I had originally anticipated.” Prada said with a small sigh, holding the candle as still as possible. The unicorn closed her eyes as her horn illuminated with a deep blue glow which slowly started to fill the room. Prada did as he was told and started breathing in the scent of the burner deeply. He could feel his eyelids growing heavier with each breath, finally closing them one last time.

“Why yes that is a lovely hat you are wearing, my dear.” Prada exclaimed as he himself was dressed in his finest garments, speaking with some fashionista pony who had come to Canterlot from some little suburb down the mountain. He couldn’t recall her name, the fashion pony merely knew that this was somepony everypony should know, “If you’ll excuse me, Madame.” He said with a bow as he turned and walked over to another famous pony. Hoity Toity seemed to be examining one of the gentlecolt’s suits that was on display at his studio, where he and the creme de la creme of Canterlot society were attending and gawking and complimenting his styles quite eagerly.

“Is everything to your liking, Sir?” Prada asked with an eager look in his eyes. The snobbish pony seemed to take great pleasure in agonizingly taking his time in answering the question. Finally, he gave a singular nod. The clothing had passed his approval. Prada smiled broadly, bouncing in place as several technicolored sheep floated by. Prada blinked and stared for a few minutes, then he facehoofed. “Right! I’m dreaming. Sigh, it figures.” He said with a shake of his head. He looked down at his outfit as it dissolved away, revealing the crystal, the candle and the shears hung around his neck on some kind of tool kit. He glanced around slowly. “Okay, this dream is nice and all, but hardly something worthy for the Princess to wear. I need to try and think of how to move through my own dreams. This part must be way easier for a unicorn.” He trotted over to a door that seemed to be made out of caramel and covered with glitter. “Well this certainly seems like a dream door.” He joked, nudging the door open as for a brief moment his world went dark.

After what felt like hours his candle flickered to life, casting a bubble of visibility around him in the vast emptiness. What the light revealed was a room in a house, a very familiar house. The air felt heavy and reeked of something he could only describe as sadness. The walls were blue and seemed to be dripping some clear fluid. The window next to the door was foggy and the outside could only be seen as a hazy caricature of some town. He frowned, taking a tentative step forward as he carefully inspected the room. “Why do I feel like I’ve been here before?” He asked himself. An ear perked as he heard somepony sobbing. He turned to follow the sound. As he moved, the bubble of reality moved with him, anything outside of its radius seemed to just vanish into nothingness. Stairs came into view and he started climbing, following the sound. He instinctively avoided a step, then looked down at it, wondering why he had done that. A hoof was placed down on it and it wobbled, it was loose. “How did I know it was loose?” Confusion had seeped in and fully taken a hold on the young fashionista. “Come to think of it. That crying is familiar too.” He came to a second story of the building after what seemed like hours of walking. A door hovered into view in the candlelight, standing large and tall, much taller than any normal door has a right to be. Prada looked down at himself and was surprised to see that he was suddenly much younger. Realization struck him, “This was our old house when I was a colt!” He looked at the door, slowly backing away as fear gripped his heart. “No.....I can’t.....” He turned and ran from the door, the stairs and everything else fading into darkness as the candle went out.

Eventually, he came out into a wide, open field. Butterflies and birds frolicked about as the sun shone down beautifully through the clouds up in the sky. Prada was awestruck, staring with wide eyes at the panorama before him. A brook was babbling nearby as fish jumped about. Antelope pranced among tall leaves of grass as bunnies and squirrels scampered along flower beds. A shake of his head brought him to his senses. “Woah! This, this is perfect to represent the Sun Princess!” He scrambled around for his shears and just kind of stared at them, how was he supposed to use them? He looked at his hoof, then the shears, then his hoof again. Finally, he concentrated, and the shears seemed to stick to his hoof and open and close when he thought about it. “Alright.” He nodded to himself as he looked at the scene. “But, where do I start cutting?” the earth pony sighed heavily, regretting not having read more of the book. The scissors were waved here and there to see if any resistance was met. Finally, they were placed against the ground and he started cutting. Instead of grass and flowers, the scene seemed to split down the middle, leaving a gaping jagged hole of blackness in between. Encouraged, he started shearing as much as he could, gathering up the ‘folds’ of the fabric and piling them on his back as he cut. A faint chiming sound snapped him out of his work. It came again, much louder this time. The world around him shaking as one final, much louder gong finally caused him to snap awake, the candle falling from his mouth as he looked around his parlor in confusion.

“Zuh? Huh? Whuh?” It took him several minutes to finally focus and remember what he was doing. His back felt heavy so he turned and looked at the incandescent material on it. With an excited bounce he quickly turned it to the sewing machine and started to work it through, transforming it from ethereal dreamstuff into actual fabric, one that shifted as light played across its surface. Madame Fugue, meanwhile was working on gathering her supplies before moving to stand.

“Wait!” He called out from his workstation. “You can’t go yet! This isn’t enough!”

The unicorn sighed and shook her head. “I believe I said it would take more than one trip, did I not? This procedure is dangerous and it would not do you any good in getting all the material you need if you suddenly went mad or refused to wake up, now would it?” She smiled slightly, “I shall be back next week when you have had a chance to ground yourself in reality, then we can continue.” She said as she trotted out of the door with her supplies.

Prada sighed, going about with the fabric he did have as he went to put it up. He stifled a yawn as he looked around the parlor.

“Well, I guess I’d better get to cleaning up then.” He said to himself, picking up a broom and getting to work on making the place look nice. A song was hummed as he worked. “My little hmm-hmm, my little hmm-hmm.” The song made him feel a lot better about his situation. He wanted to go back and get it all right away. The sweeping slowed down as the earth pony started to nod off standing up.

He was awoken with a start as he heard a rooster crow, rubbing his eyes with a hoof as he looked around the farmhouse. The sound of hoofsteps above him signaled that his father and mother were already awake and going about their business in getting the rest of the family up. Prada eagerly got out of bed and threw on some overalls as he headed for the door. He stopped.

“Wait a minute,” He closed his eyes and rubbed at them again. “I’m dreaming, I moved out of the farm when I became a teenager.” He frowned deeply, tapping his chin with a hoof. “What am I doing here? I’m not using dream magic. I must have fallen asleep while sweeping.” He glanced down at himself, noticing that he had the shears, candle, and crystal on. “Didn’t I?” He said in confusion. The scenery dimmed again as he questioned this realization, showing darkness again as the candle lit up and created a bubble of existence like last time. The farmhouse became visible, but this time the walls were blue with liquid streaming down them and now instead of hoofsteps, he could hear sobbing coming from upstairs. Fear once more gripped his heart. “No! I have to leave!” No sooner had he said that then he heard large, thundering hoofsteps above him that caused the ceiling to shake. He quickly galloped to a door and pushed it open, stepping out of the house and into total darkness again. There was no sight, no sound, no scent, nothing to indicate he was anywhere or anywhen. Fear persuaded him to continue galloping even though his hooves weren’t making a sound on the space below him. He had to run, he had to get away from the door on the second floor. He kept running, running, and running, until finally, he felt the ground drop out beneath him. He screamed as he fell for what seemed like forever. Just as the ground became visible and came rushing up to greet him, he woke up, hitting the floor of his parlor hard. Wincing heavily, he picked himself up and looked around. It was nighttime now, but he was awake, sore, but awake.

“I was, daydreaming?” He said as he took in deep breaths of air, having felt like he had been suffocated while in the dream. He could smell the familiar smell of incense and looked towards the burner. Not seeing anything there, he frowned deeply. “I’ve never had a daydream so intense.” The earth pony finally picked himself up and limped off to bed to get some nice, dreamless sleep.

The next morning brought a new day free of the fears he felt the previous night. Rolling out of bed, he trotted into the bathroom to get washed up for the day with a nice, long bath. Upon opening the bathroom door, he was struck by something strange. The bathroom was upside down. The toilet, tub, and sink were all hanging from the ceiling. Prada rubbed his eyes in disbelief, and when he opened them, the bathroom was normal again.

“I must be losing my mind.” He said quietly to himself as he slipped inside and turned on the faucet, the room filling with steam. Prada started splashing cold water on his face in the sink. Raising his head, he gasped at what he saw written on the mirror.

The Dream Isn’t Over Yet.

He backed away from the mirror, slipping and falling into the tub. Sinking into the water he could see the surface going higher and higher above him, as if the tub had become a well with an endless bottom. He did his best to try and swim but he felt like his limbs were paralyzed. As he fought to hold in his breath, he could feel himself starting to slip away from the lack of oxygen. Just as he was about to completely black out, he felt strong hooves wrap around him and pull him sputtering and coughing from the water. Looking up into the face of a kindly mare with a worried look on her face.

“Prada Leggington Runway, what did I tell you about playing near the well?” Her stern voice asked on the brim of tears. “If I hadn’t seen you fall in I wouldn’t have been able to save you.” Prada looked behind him weakly at the well. He was in the backyard of the farm he had grown up in. He spat out some more water as he noticed he was again a young colt, being hugged and squeezed by his mother.

“M, Momma?” He managed to get out with a strained breath. The mare smiled with tears rolling down her cheeks as she kissed Prada’s forehead and hugged him tight.

“Your Poppa’s going to be steamed when he gets home.” Darkness swept across the field of his memories at the mere mention of the figure known as Poppa. The house turned old and crumbling before his eyes as his mother seemed to age, sporting a lean, withered look as if not having been eating properly. Prada gave a horrified scream as he woke up on the floor of his bathroom. The floor was damp from the tub overflowing and spreading across the linoleum.

He pounded on the door to Madame Fugue’s house anxiously, panic evident in his every movement. Upon receiving no answer, he turned around and bucked the door in hard, quickly trotting into the dimly lit dwelling. Prada wandered through the hallways until he spotted the door to the kitchen. When he trotted inside the blue light flared up, revealing that instead of the kitchen, he was now in some kind of bedroom. A large four post bed veiled with translucent curtains rested on the far side. The walls were lined with mirrors, as was the ceiling. Various candles and lamps pulsed with a dull blue haze. As the earth pony tentatively entered the room, movement could be detected from the bed. A figure slowly rose and pushed against the curtains, a heavy sigh echoing across the room as the curtains rolled back as if by magic. The mare that stepped out was none other than Madame Fugue, clad in a scanty number with sequins and lace everywhere.

“Mmmm so good of you to come to me at last.” echoed her sensuous voice, tugging Prada closer against his will. “I have been most, eager.” She gave a little cooing noise as she brushed her own hooves against her well-toned body provocatively. Prada found himself stepping ever closer as his eyes widened and his brain shut down. The only thing he could focus on was the mare before him. His nostrils were filled with the comforting scent of the incense, his stomach full of butterflies as he took one hesitant step after the other. He drew close to her, his mouth parting as he puckered up his lips.

“Prada? Wake up!” Came her voice in a sudden boom accompanied by a gong sound. Prada jumped where he was standing, mere inches from a very surprised Madame Fugue inside her kitchen. His lips mere centimeters from her face. Prada sputtered as he quickly backed off, awkwardly crossing his hind legs as he shook his head to clear it of the cobwebs.

“It would seem you are experiencing some trouble.” She said, nonplussed as she set the gong down then turned back to what she was doing.

“Sh..shut up! You’re the one doing this to me!” He spat out, getting himself under control, anger rising in his voice. “Break whatever spell you put on me that’s causing these, these, daydreams to happen!” A hoof came down with force on the tile floor to emphasize his point.

“This is happening beca-” She began, but was cut off when Prada moved towards her and slammed a hoof down on the table as he went past it, putting his hooves on her shoulders as he turned her to look at him.

“NO! No lies! You’re the only unicorn who can use dream magic, and you’re doing something to me!” He said as he shook her frantically. She frowned in response and said nothing, staring at him harshly.

“Begone, I will not stop this, not after your baseless accusations.” Her voice was cold as she fixed him with an icy stare. “Leave my sight!” She commanded with a dramatic point of her hoof. The stallion felt the urge to do what she said, backing away slowly as the sharp look in her eyes filled his heart with fear. Soon enough, he was gone, leaving her to her work in peace.

The street was dimly lit and full of shadows. Prada looked this way and that as he struggled to remember where his home was. He had to get home, work wasn’t safe, Fugue wasn’t safe. The idea of sleep terrified him, if he was having these visions while awake how much worse would it be when he actively sought to slumber? The door to his house came into view, he didn’t know how much time had passed since he started this trip through his dreams for the Dreamweave. Prada just knew he wanted to get to the end so he could go back to his life. His hoofsteps echoed as he started up the stairs to his front door, staring at the ground as he walked. Eventually he realized he had been walking for over ten minutes and still had not yet reached his home, he turned his head up with a start, seeing a familiar door at the apex of his path. Once more fear and the cold gripped his heart as he felt his hooves falter. As he began to turn away, he paused.

“No.” He said simply, “This is the cause, something about this memory keeps calling back to me. That is why I can’t leave this dream. I have been running from this memory ever since I was a foal. I can’t even believe I had forgotten about my mother and the old farm. I tried so hard to live the fancy life here in Canterlot that I forgot my roots.” He solemnly turned towards the door. “I’m through with running, I need to face this fear and get over it.” He started up the steps, determination burning in his eyes as he neared the door just as the sobbing started again. Closing his eyes, he took several deep breaths before a hoof was raised and pushed against the door. As the door opened to total darkness, he steeled himself and stepped inside. The candle sparked to life once more, this time slowly filling up the entire room with visibility, revealing a typical bedroom in a farmhouse. The paint on the walls was blue and peeling with age, the bed was perfectly made, as if its owner was a clean and fastidious sort. The wardrobe was an antique much like the rest of the furnishings, covered with pictures and dolls that belonged to his mother. That’s right, he remembered now, this was his mother’s room. His head turned towards the sound of the sobbing, finally focusing on the source. The elderly mare was sitting in a chair, holding something in her hooves, tears rolling down her cheeks as she constantly had to raise a towel to wipe at her face. Her hooves were dirt-stained, signs of a hardworking pony, her apron was muddy and tear-stained. The mess that was her mane was brightly colored, bright yellow with orange stripes scattered throughout it. The cutie mark was hidden behind her sun dress she wore over her light green furred form. The object in her hooves was a small picture, depicting a pair of young foals standing next to each other and smiling at the camera. One filly and one colt. Prada recognized the picture. It was a picture of Prada and Svelte, both children who grew up on the farm. His mother softly touched the picture with a hoof.

“Poor Svelte, I couldn’t save you.” She whispered softly, voice heavy with sorrow. “I caught Prada but I didn’t know you had fallen in too till it was too late.” Prada’s eyes widened as he heard this. He had a sister, why had he forgotten about her until just now? “You always wanted to make the fanciest dresses for other ponies to wear. After you died, Prada just wasn’t the same. He took your dream and ran with it, even against his own wants. He wanted to keep you alive in spirit.” Her words were remorseful as she talked to herself. “Poppa couldn’t take it after you’d died. He worked himself to death. Now it’s just me and Prada. Soon it’ll just be Prada, I’m sorry, honey. I can’t take it anymore. I’m coming to see you soon.” Her words whispered loudly in the air as she closed her eyes and the dream slowly started to fade. Prada awoke with a jerk in front of the door to his house. His face wet with tears as all of the dream came flooding back to him.

“By Celestia, how could I have forgotten!? I was so caught up with work, I lost sight of why I was even doing it.” He hung his head low as he looked at his hooves in dismay. “I’m so sorry, sister, mother, father, I forgot about you all so I could run from the truth.” The door in front of him was unlocked as he entered inside. Head hung low with sorrow as he relived all of those past memories that had haunted his youth. He sat down on his bed and breathed a sigh of relief, having a good feeling that now that he had faced and accepted the bad memory that he could finally get a good night’s sleep. The last thing he muttered as his eyes slipped shut was...

“I’m coming to see you, Svelte.”

The group was quiet as Rarity finished her story, neither pony in a hurry to say anything as they all seemed caught up in their own personal memories or pasts. Finally, Twilight cleared her throat.

“Wow, Rarity, that was quite a story. But, did it have to have such a sad ending?” She said with a small pout.

“Twilight, dear, these are scary stories. And you can not be complaining about my ending when Pinkie’s actually gave me gray hairs, I am certain.” Twilight laughed a bit nervously.

“You know,” began Rainbow, “Telling us a story about dreams at a sleepover party seems kind of not helping to the sleep part. Also, that story wasn’t really about scary dresses.” She said with a nervous smile. Fluttershy was simply hiding in her sleeping bag again.

“Ah liked it.” AJ mentioned bluntly.

“Well thank you, Applejack.” Rarity said with a nod. Looking towards Twilight. “Well my dears, we have saved the best for last. It is time for you to wow us all.”

Twilight smiled nervously as her eyes darted back and forth. “Well, okay, I’m sure I have one that will scare you all.” She cleared her throat, her eyes closing as she called to mind one such tale.

The Bookworm

The Bookworm

“Now this story I read in a book,” Twilight began as she settled down in her sleeping bag.

“No? Really?” Rainbow Dash said with a roll of her eyes, eliciting a glare from Rarity and Applejack.

“Anyway..” Twilight replied with a sharp look to Dash. “If I recall it was in a collection of short stories by the famed horror author named Sc-”

“Alright already!” Rainbow shouted. “Just tell it!” Her outburst was followed by a pair of hooves pushing Twilight down to shut her up.

Libram stared intently at the blackboard, her horn glowing a pale yellow as she moved her pencil across the notebook in front of her. She listened intently to the droning of the stallion at the head of the classroom as he talked about archeological research techniques of the Post-Paleopony Period. The classroom itself was scarcely occupied, as ponies who appreciated a good history lesson were few and far between. The professor was an earth pony with pale white fur and a black, well-kept mane named Professor Friesian from Stalliongrad. He wore a pair of spectacles and a nice dark blue suit when he lectured at the college that Libram was attending in Manehattan. The pale blue unicorn had a blonde mane and tail, the mane pulled up into a modest bun with a pencil stuck in it to hold it in place. Her cutie mark was a stack of books and every professor on campus knew her by name. She loved books and learning, and usually volunteered to help in the library whenever it was possible. The bell signaling the end of class jarred her out of her ‘zone’ as she shook her head to clear it.

“And that is all for today, youngsters.” The professor said with a warm smile as he started putting away his teaching supplies in the desk. The young mare nodded and started to levitate her own school supplies into her saddlebags. She was sad that the class was over. Libram loved archeology and ancient history classes. She hopped out of the seat and trotted up to where he was still getting ready. The other students had already left; most only took the class to get some easy credit. History wasn’t required learning for a diploma, at least not for their intended professions.

“Hello Mr. Friesian!” she chirped. She tended to act like a filly around the professors. It was something they enjoyed, seeing her youthful enthusiasm, even if she was old enough that most other adults would look down on her for being so childish. Professor Friesian in particular seemed to enjoy talking with her.

“Ah, guten tag, Fraulein Libram.” He said with a warm smile and a small bow of his head. His accent was barely there, given his many years in Equestria, but he still tossed in words from his homeland when he felt it was appropriate.

“I really enjoyed the class today. I loved hearing about primitive Neanderponies and their culture based on the fossil research that was found in dig sites all across Equestria.” Her tail gave a little wag as she talked, showing her excitement.

“Yes, I enjoyed digging up such relics myself back when I worked the field in Stalliongrad.” He said as he removed his spectacles and placed them in the breast pocket of his suit, picking up his saddlebags and sliding them on. Something seemed to draw his attention, and the hint of a frown crossed his face. “I am afraid I must return to my villa. I shall see you tomorrow, Fraulein.” He said with a little bow as he quickly turned and trotted away. Libram pouted slightly, turning her head in the direction of where the professor’s eyes had gone, but she couldn’t see anything. She shrugged to herself and instead started to head out of the campus.

She was no social butterfly, and usually avoided mingling with other ponies. Because she was so smart, she accidentally alienated ponies with the dictionary she kept between her ears. Even the other nerds in the school tended to talk down to her, so she just made friends with the teachers and tried to avoid her peers. She nodded and made some small talk with a few more instructors on her way out as she made her way towards the dorms. On her way to the door, she was stopped by a dark shape leaping out of the bushes. She gave a shrill squeak and quickly dropped down to put her hooves over her head, protecting herself. When nothing happened, after several minutes she rose a hoof and peeked out at whoever was standing there. A tall black stallion pegasus wearing a big red coat and a wide-brimmed hat was staring down at her with sharp golden eyes.

“You should stay away from the professor. He’s not what he seems to be..” he uttered enigmatically before spreading his wings and taking off, leaving a very confused mare blinking up at where he was just standing. She picked herself up, shook herself, then quickly trotted inside and up to her room so she could hide under the covers for several hours as she tried to figure out just -what- the hay all of that was.

“He told you to stay away from the professor?” Asked her math instructor, Miss Cosine. She was having lunch with one of her instructors, and the dark purple unicorn with the light pink mane looked confused by the story.

“Yes, it was quite confusing. I mean, which one? It’s not like there’s only one teacher at the college who goes by Professor. Did he mean Professor Friesian? Professor Canvas? It could be any of them.” She frowned as she toyed with her salad. “Although, Professor Friesian did act a little strange earlier that day. He acted like he was scared of something. Do you think this strange pegasus might be after him?”

Miss Cosine smiled and shook her head. “Unlikely, Professor Friesian is an excellent instructor and a gentlecolt among stallions. It’s hard to imagine him doing anything to have warranted an enemy. He even tutors students at his villa in his free time.”

Libram’s eyes widened. “He does? I didn’t know that. I wonder if he’d tutor me?”

Miss Cosine laughed lightly, “My dear, tutors are for those who -need- extra lessons. You are already quite the intelligent pony. Probably smarter than most of our instructors to be honest.” She whispered that last part, giving the unicorn a sly wink. Libram’s cheeks flushed with pride as she shifted shyly in her chair.

“Um, be.. be that as it may.” Libram said with a nervous cough to try and get over her shyness, sipping her soda to give herself a pause for thought. “I felt I should tell -somepony- in case this weirdo is lurking around campus. The look in his eyes..” She gave a small shudder. “He seems dangerous.”

Miss Cosine nodded. “I’ll be sure to alert campus security. Don’t worry, dear Libram, everything will work out fine in the end.”

Libram gave a sigh of relief and finally started eating her salad, unaware that said mysterious pony was on top of the cafeteria building, watching her from above anypony’s field of vision.

Libram settled down in the classroom, eagerly waiting for the arrival of the professor. Her supplies were spread out on the desk in front of her as she stared at the clock, watching it tick down. She saw a pair of late students hurry in and sit down. One of them looked to be very drained and tired. She was a young pegasus, wearing a hat, sunglasses and a scarf. Her friend looked at her with concern.

“Are you okay? You seem really out of it.”

“I dunno, ever since I went to the professor’s tutoring session, I just feel really.. tired.” She said as she stifled a yawn with a hoof. The pegasus adjusted the scarf around her neck.

“Are your eyes bothering you?” her friend asked. “You don’t normally wear sunglasses.”

“Yeah, sun’s just a little bright today.” She mumbled, lowering her head as if to take a nap on the desk.

Libram frowned. This wasn’t very polite. The professor took time out of his day to tutor her, and she has the gall to complain about being tired. The unicorn looked back up at the clock. “I wonder what’s keeping him?” she asked with some worry. Did that strange pegasus do something bad to him?

The door opened, startling Libram out of her daze. She looked over expectantly, but instead of the professor, she saw Miss Cosine. The math instructor walked up to the desk and cleared her throat to get everypony’s attention. “Professor Friesian has called in today, so I shall be standing in for this period, and it will be free study.” She said as she sat down at the desk. Many of the students murmured amongst themselves. Libram got out of her desk and trotted up.

“Miss Cosine? Is the Professor sick?” She asked with some concern.

“He didn’t say, he just sent a message saying he would be absent today.” Miss Cosine said with a sad smile. “Don’t worry, I don’t think it’s anything serious.”

“Um, Miss Cosine? May I be excused? I want to go check up on him.” Libram asked as she shuffled around on her hooves nervously.

Miss Cosine’s eyebrows raised in surprise. “You? Skip class? Wow, this must be important to you. Very well.” She said with a nod. “To be honest, I am a little worried too.” She filled out a form. “There, you’re approved for taking off early. I’ll file this when classes end for the day.”

Libram’s smile was huge as she gave the teacher an unexpected hug. “Thank you!” She quickly gathered up her school supplies and galloped out of the classroom, getting a lot of strange looks from her classmates.

She looked up at the gates to the fairly large villa on the outskirts of Manehatten’s wealthy district, her jaw dropping slightly as she took in the towering structure. It was huge, the wood fairly old and well-kept. The building possessed a very Victorian feel. Despite the fence around the perimeter, along with the electronic camera and intercom system, she might almost think she was in the past. After a few minutes of gawking, she raised a hoof and pressed the button on the intercom. Several minutes of silence passed until it finally crackled to life.

“Yes? Who is it?” the professor’s voice issued from the metal box. Libram’s ears perked up as she gave a warm smile, glad to hear he didn’t sound hurt or sick.

“Professor? It’s Libram.” She said quietly. “I heard you called in today, and wanted to know if you were okay.”

“Libram? Oh y-yes, I am quite fine. Just feeling a tad under the weather as it were.” There was a slight nervousness to his voice that Libram picked up.

“Professor? Is this.. about that strange pegasus in the red jacket?” she asked timidly.

A shocked silence followed. “Ah, so you’ve met him then. What did he say to you?” Libram raised her head when the question came out.

“Nothing, he only said to avoid you, that you weren’t what you appeared to be. Professor, what is going on?”

The Professor’s heavy sigh seemed to deepen the mood. “I suppose you should come inside then. If he’s lurking out there, then you are in danger.” There was a buzzing sound as the gates swung open. Libram hesitantly looked at the road leading up to the villa, then glanced around in worry, as if expecting the strange pegasus to leap out of nowhere again. She quickly trotted up to the door and paused, peering behind her. The door opened suddenly, and she gave a startled ‘eep’ as a pale hoof silently rested on her shoulder. She turned to see that the professor was carefully looking around with his dark purple eyes.

“Well I don’t -see- him, but he’s rather good at hiding. Come inside,” he said as he pulled his hoof back and moved to let her into his villa. It was dimly lit, and she could see that heavy curtains covered every window. What light that was available came from faint candles and lanterns hung here and there. Libram had to squint her eyes to let them adjust to the darker interior as the door softly shut behind her. “Welcome to my villa, please step into the reading room.” She didn’t need to be asked twice. Soon enough her excitement overshadowed any apprehension as she was led through a pair of sliding doors into a large room with plenty of candles and lanterns around to read by. The walls were covered in books of various topics. A piano took up a corner of the room and several paintings of ponies in older style outfits littered the far wall. She was far more focused on the books however, eagerly trotting over to skim the spines and the titles. Friesian chuckled as he let her play with the books for a little bit, trotting over to a chair and sitting down. Adjusting the lounge jacket he was wearing, he dug out a book and set it down on the nightstand next to him for when she was finished with her distraction. Soon enough, she realized she was acting rather childish and her cheeks burned with embarrassment .

“I’m sorry, there was something important you wanted to talk about, wasn’t there?” She said as she returned a book to the shelf and trotted over to stand in front of him, feeling like a child who had just been caught with her hoof in the cookie jar.

“Quite.. now as you know, a strange pegasus has been following me around and spying on me and my students.” He began as he produced a pipe and scratched a match to light it. Smoke drifted out of the end, the embers flared to life when he puffed on it. His lips parted as he blew the smoke towards the window, so as not to make Libram choke. “He followed me here from my homeland and has been adamantly stalking me ever since.”

“But Professor, whatever for?” Libram asked, fear gripping her voice at the idea of some strange pony following her beloved professor.

The old stallion chuckled softly, glancing up at the ceiling. “He thinks I’m a Vampony.” He said with a tone that indicated it was a ridiculous idea.

“A Vampony?” Libram said with an incredulous look. “That’s just an old ponies tale.” She shook her head. “That pegasus is crazy. Why would he think that?”

“Well, back in my homeland there -was- a Vampony who was preying on others. And I won’t lie that I do appear similar to one.” He spoke as if it were some commonplace matter. There was an awkward silence as Libram stared at him in quiet shock.

“Wait, they’re REAL?” She said after her brain processed the information she had been told. The professor nodded.

“Oh quite, they’re very rare though, and frankly, the idea that one would even be able to travel this far a distance is laughable. But sadly young Gravetracker isn’t as knowledgeable as he would like to think.”

Libram looked nervously around the room as she tried to get her thoughts together. “So they’re real, huh? I mean, I’ve read stories about them, but I always thought they were just that, stories.”

“Don’t believe everything you read. Most ponies don’t know the full details and just make information up.” Friesian said solemnly.

“Well, how do you know so much about them?” she asked quietly.

The book sitting on the nightstand next to the stallion was lifted with a hoof and held towards her. “My journal; back in the day I used to investigate strange and unusual events. That’s part of what got me into exploring archeology and dig sites. There is quite a lot of information that is kept from the public because we only have conjecture and guesstimating to go off of.”

Shaky hooves took the book as Libram looked at the cover. “Friesian’s Guide to the Supernatural.” Her voice was quiet and subdued as she opened the book. A frown crossed her face. “I can’t read this.” It was in another language.

“Ah yes, I apologize, I did not intend for you to read anything other than the title. Feel free to sate your curiosity about Vamponies by asking me questions. That is what this conversation is about after all.”

“Oh, okay.” The book was closed and set to the side as she leaned back some, looking up at the ceiling in thought. “Well I guess my first question.. is where do Vamponies come from? I had always heard it was some kind of curse or something.”

Friesian chuckled quietly. “No no, the Vamponies' origin started back during the war between the three tribes of pony. One of Starswirl’s old apprentices was trying to modify some ponies to survive the lean food shortages as well as to try and solidify the three races. The result was the Vamponies, ten ponies who had volunteered for the procedure. They gained the powers of flight, some minor magic, and incredible strength and speed. There were unexpected downsides of course, but this was only the trial run. Sadly the process was halted when Starswirl found out what was happening, and he banished his apprentice into a pocket dimension as punishment. He tried to fix them, but he had to deal with the food shortage and everything else as well. In the long run half of them ran off when he wasn’t paying attention and escaped into the countryside.”

Libram’s eyes were wide and sparkly with wonder, she enjoyed learning new things, and had never heard anything about this before. “So they were just kind of abandoned?”

“No no, Starswirl wasn’t so cruel. He set up an organization to find them, along with his apprentice's notes and research. He still wanted them helped, it’s just.. as time went on, the ponies who ran said organization felt that they should be destroyed as they were viewed as monsters.” A sad look crossed the professor’s face as he looked at one of the thickly curtained windows, his eyes lost in thought.

“So wait, there’s a whole organization of ponies who do this?” She sounded dubious.

“Well not nearly as many now, many of them went much of their lives without ever seeing a Vampony, so there are few believers. Only the most fanatical and zealous ones remain. I should also like to point out that they have killed many would be Vamponies without any remorse.” His tone became more serious and less whimsical. “So he is an actual threat, he wants to literally kill me. The only thing stopping him is his belief that I’m some sort of supernatural entity with magical powers.” He said with a heavy sigh.

“Okay, but WHY does he think that? It can’t be just because you’re pale,” the young mare commented.

“That is simple, because he is prejudiced and not as clever as he thinks he is. Among the many weaknesses the Vamponies have is sensitivity to light.” He gestured to the curtains blocking his windows. “As do old ponies who have a tendency for migraines. He also thinks that my various tutoring students are having their blood drained by me based on how groggy and tired they are when they leave. But that is easy enough to explain. I tutor ponies who aren’t very good at the subject and don’t show much interest. Of course they’re going to be exhausted after sitting in here for hours listening to me teach.”

Libram frowned slightly. “I wouldn’t be.”

“Vamponies have plenty more weaknesses as well. They are allergic to garlic, which is a shame given its health benefits. They cannot abide mirrors. They have sharp teeth, whereas your average pony has normal flat teeth as with most herbivores. The list goes on.” He gave a small shrug. “If he’s talked to you directly then clearly he suspects that I’m going to ‘target’ you next.” He did hoofquotes as he said that, to verify the absurdity of the notion.

“Um, Professor? I need to use the little filly’s room.” She said after he finished talking, blushing slightly.

Friesian blinked slowly. “You don’t need permission, the guest restroom is down the hallway on the left.” He said with a gesture.

She nodded and quickly stood up and trotted into the hallway, heading down a dimly lit corridor as she took in the rustic feel of the house with a happy sigh. It was so beautiful, if a bit oddly designed. The hallways seemed to be strangely built, not really intersecting with other corridors or anything. Libram assumed this was just a design quirk due to how old the house was. The bathroom was eventually found and she did her business. As she was washing up she looked above the sink, frowning as she noticed there was no mirror. She could see a spot where the mirror should be mounted, but it was vacant. Her eyes slowly widened as she thought back to what the professor said about Vamponies hating mirrors. Then she shook her head, “No way, I’m just over-thinking.” She said to reaffirm her own situation as she trotted back to the reading room.

Carefully stepping in, she saw the professor looking at the paintings on the other end of the room. She quietly crept up, looking over his shoulder. Her eyes widened again in shock as she quickly took a step back. The stallion in the paintings looked -just- like him. The dates on the bottom right corner were centuries ago! The professor turned around when he heard her hoofsteps, an eyebrow raised. “Is something wrong, Fraulein Libram?” He asked as he puffed on his pipe curiously. Libram shook her head, smiling nervously.

“Oh no, I just, uh, remembered I have to go do something now. Bye!” She quickly grabbed her saddlebags and ran off, leaving a surprised and confused-looking Friesian behind.

“Okay, that was just me over-thinking too much.” Libram said to herself as she made her way home. “He can’t possibly be a Vampony. I’m sure he was just having a laugh at my expense. I can take a good joke.” She was busy talking herself out of the crazy notion that a pony she viewed as her mentor was in fact a horrible monstrosity.

“Are you so sure?” Came a familiar rough voice which caused her to freeze up. The sound of wings and hooves hitting the pavement caused her to turn around and stare back into the face of Wilhelm, the Pegasus who was apparently a Vampony hunter.

She frowned as she took a step back. “Oh it’s you, you’re crazy you know that?” Anger was flooding her with bravery as she stood against the pegasus who wanted to hurt -her- professor. “Just leave him be, he’s a sweet, smart, old stallion who wants nothing to do with your twisted fantasy.”

“Can’t do that, I am afraid.” Said Wilhelm with a shake of his head. “You might have been fooled, but I’m not so easy to sway. If you’re so certain of his innocence, then why were you trying to convince yourself that you were just imagining it, hmmm?” He asked as he raised a brow and leaned in close, putting on a threatening demeanor. The young mare shrank back from the expression, nervously gulping.

“Irregardless, I will not believe that he’s a monster like you claim. I’ve seen him and talked to him. If you would only talk to him you’d see that-”

“HE IS A MONSTER!” The pegasus suddenly snapped, leaning in even closer with his eyes open wide, pupils dilated with anger and nostrils breathing heavily as he huffed. “I’ve seen his handiwork back in our homeland. He only ran here when he realized I was hunting him. He didn’t think I’d find a way to track him, ooooh but I did. Didn’t I?” He giggled to himself as he leaned back, his eyes going out of focus as he relapsed into some sort of daze for several long terrifying seconds before he snapped to clarity. “I’m going to get him for sure this time, and you are going to help me.” He spread his wings wide as he advanced on her menacingly. “Whether you want to or not...”

Libram woke up feeling groggy. Her limbs were bound and she couldn’t move very well. Tugging on the bindings revealed she was bound to a chair in an abandoned warehouse somewhere, a single light casting a pool of radiance around her. The rest of the room was thrown into shadows. Her horn sparked to life as she tried to concentrate and untie herself, but she was too groggy to focus enough. She gave up after several minutes of trying, panting softly. The sound of hoofsteps just outside of her sight caused her to turn her head towards the source in a panic.

“Easy now, Miss Libram.” came Wilhelm’s quiet voice from the darkness. “You won’t be harmed, you’re just bait for the Vampony. I’ve sent him a note stating I have you in my thrall, he should be here soon. He wouldn’t give up so easy a food source after all.” There was a crack of humor in his voice as Libram began shaking. Her professor was going to come and get murdered by this psychopath.. she had to think of some way to help him. Her eyes closed as she racked her brain for information. She was far too out of it to use her magic in any effective way, so she’d have to use her other strength, her smarts. A survey of the room told her only that it was completely dark, either it was nighttime or the windows were blocked up. That was strange.

“Why do you have the windows blocked up? If he’s a Vampony shouldn’t you want to fight him where the daylight can weaken him?” Her verbal attack began now. A long silence was her response.

“You certainly know your lore.” He said finally. “The windows were already boarded up. I would rather have them off of course, but as it is I have to make do. I have garlic strands hung just inside the doorways so I should know when he comes in.”

“And if he doesn’t react to the garlic?” Finally calming her nerves had given her strength. She had to succeed or else her professor would be in big trouble. “What then?”

“Don’t try and fool me, I know garlic works on him. Back in Stalliongrad when he wore a different face, I was able to ward him off with garlic easily.”

“Wait, he doesn’t even -look- the same and you’re accusing him? You -are- crazy.” She said with a shake of her head.

“You’ve seen the inside of his house, how those ancient paintings look just like him, how his guest bathroom lacks any mirror. Heck you were trying to talk yourself -out- of thinking he was a Vampony when I abducted you.” He had stepped into the pool of light at this point, the light casting dark shadows about his face and body as he talked. Libram squeaked softly at how scary he looked, but held her ground.

“I know that imagination can play tricks on ponies' minds. Yours seems to have turned into an obsession. The mirror in his bathroom could have been broken, and he just hadn't replaced it yet. Or those paintings, well, everypony tends to resemble their ancestors. Some more so than others.” Her voice had conviction, she truly believed what she was saying.

“Or, and here’s a better answer, I went to one of those novelty shops that make paintings of you in different time periods for humor.” Came the professor’s voice as he stepped out of the darkness on the other side of Libram, wearing a garlic string around his neck with an eyebrow raised. Wilhelm’s jaw dropped as he -stared- at the earth pony in surprise. Libram’s heart leapt into her throat as she gave a squee of joy. “Settle down now, my dear.” Friesian said as he picked up the strand and munched on one of the garlic cloves. “They’re good for my health, I am fairly old you know.” He said with a calm smile, facing Wilhelm directly. “Cease this foolishness. The police are outside, give yourself up and seek help, please, Wilhelm.” He said quietly, his voice rich and charismatic as he tried to sway the crazed pegasus with words.

“No. No it can’t be. I-I saw you standing over my mentor’s body!” He said with a shake of his head and a harsh whisper. “I saw blood dripping from your mouth!”

Friesian’s expression became more serious. “You know, there was a time when ponies didn’t use spears or swords or other weapons. In the old days ponies used their teeth for combat. The Vampony -had- killed your mentor, and I injured him while fighting him off. It was -his- blood on my mouth, not your mentor’s. You ran off before I could explain and never bothered to try and listen every other time I’ve talked to you. In fact, the myth that Vamponies -drink- blood was started when somepony saw a Vampony standing over a dead pony with their blood in his mouth. They don’t actually drink blood.” He said in his instructor’s tone as he slowly walked towards Libram, quietly untying her while Wilhelm was distracted in shock. Wilhelm started pacing back and forth now, his eyes still wide and his pupils dilated somewhat. A crazed look was slowly creeping across his face.

“Years, I spent years hunting you, thinking you were the Vampony. Years wasted when I could have been hunting that Monster!” He whirled on the professor just as he untied the young mare. Hooves rose up as he spread his wings wide. “I’LL KILL YOU!” His voice rang out, echoing in the empty room as foam actually started to form in the corners of his mouth. A bright flash of magical light interrupted the pegasus and knocked him tumbling as a policecolt quickly trotted into view, his horn still glowing from the spell he had used to paralyze the pegasus.

“Whew, good thing you kept him talking, Professor.” He said with a relieved smile as several more policeponies shuffled about to properly restrain the criminal.

“Yes, sadly I had to feed his delusions in order to get him off guard.” He said with a sad frown. “Poor colt, thinking Vamponies are real.” This got a startled look from Libram, after which he just winked at her and patted her shoulder.

“You’ve been through a lot, my dear. Why don’t we go back to my manor so you can calm down with some nice tea?” She nodded eagerly as she was escorted out by the earth pony.

Back at the manor, the smell of tea was heavy in the air as Libram eagerly drank from the cup set in front of her.

“You’ve had a hectic day, my dear.” Friesian said as he sipped his own cup of tea.

“Oh yes, but why did you lie to the policepony? I thought Vamponies were real?”

“Oh they are, but most ponies don’t believe that. If I had said that they would have thought I was crazy too.” He said with a heavy sigh. Then he seemed to brighten up, standing up and trotting towards the door to his den. “What say I give you a special history lesson on Vamponies?” He said as he put a hoof to the handle of the door.

“Oh!” She perked up, eyes sparkling. “I would greatly enjoy that. I love history!”

A small smirk crossed the stallion’s face as his eyes glowed a pale green, emerald flames erupting along his body as the door slid shut. “Oh I know.”

After the story was told, the ponies were silent. Then Rainbow Dash spoke up, scratching her head.

“I don’t get it, was he a vampony or?” This got a groan from many of the other sleepover party goers.

“That sure was a might scary thar, Twi.” AJ said as she adjusted her hat.

“Oh my yes, I did not see that ending coming at all.” Fluttershy said quietly from behind her blanket.

“I thought it was super duper scary!” Pinkie exclaimed as she bounced in place.

“Indeed, darling, it was quite a good story.” Rarity offered as she fluffed her mane.

“I still don’t get it.” Dash said under her breath.

“Well in any case, that’s the end of the scary story part, now for the makeover part!” Twilight said with a happy smile.

“Nnnnnnnnnnnnnooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo” Wailed Dash as she looked to the ceiling imploringly.