Twilight screamed as she lifted her head from the open book. Her assistant Spike standing a few feet away with a concerned look on his face.
"Are you ok Twilight?"
She brought a hoof to her head before she stood up, using her magic to carefully bookmark the page she was on before closing the book.
"I'm fine Spike, it was just a nightmare that's all"
Spike had a concerned look on his face before he just shrugged his shoulders.
"Alright Twilight, maybe you should lay off some of those books on 'Nightmare Night' stories"
"I can't help it Spike, some of these stories are just so interesting although most of them are based around Nightmare Moon. The occasional stand-alone can be quite a good read."
"Yeah whatever, just remember you have to get to Pinkie's party this afternoon"
Twilight stood there open-mouthed as the realisation hit her. She quickly dashed upstairs to the large window beside her bed and checked on the sun.
"Oh no oh no oh no"
She quickly ran back down, levitating the dragon with her magic as she ran out the door. Spike barely had time to hold on before the sound of the library's front door slamming behind him reverberated through his ears.
"This is why the Princess warned you about reading up too late at night Twilight!"
"I'm sorry Spike, I just kept getting so caught up in those stories. Now hold on, drastic times call for not-so-drastic measures I should have done in the first place!"
Twilight used her a spell and with it she and Spike disappeared in a purple flash, appearing at the front door of Sugar-Cube Corner.
Twilight let out a sigh as she reached out a hoof to knock on the door, almost falling over as the door was opened before she made contact and Pinkie Pie appeared.
"Just in time Twilight! I almost thought you wouldn't make it but I kept believing you would, you almost missed out and everyone would've felt sooo sad had you not shown up and the it would be so much less fun without you, around considering you're the guest of honour an-"
Pinkie was cut off as a hoof was placed on her muzzle.
"Glad to see you too Pinkie, some things came up sorry so I wasn't able to stick to plan" Twilight replied with a smile at Pinkie.
Pinkie quickly pulled Twilights hoof down as a large smile spread on her face.
"Just hurry up and get inside you two. Then we can get this party STARTED!"
...
"Pinkie?"
Twilight tilted her head in confusion. Pinkie had just stopped moving for some reason. She waved a hoof in front of her friends face but got no response in return.
Then Pinkie started to move again. Her bright and cheery smile disappearing as the ends of her mouth came down and her usually poofy mane seemed to deflate.
Twilight could only stare in shock as Pinkie slowly turned around and walked inside with her head held low, disappearing among the ponies inside.
"What do you think that was about Spike?" She said this as she turned her head, completely sure that Spike was on her back still and yet, he was gone.
Then a voice called out to her from inside the building and she turned to see spike inside, waving to her.
"Hurry up and get inside Twilight, you're gonna miss out on the party!"
There was something odd in the tone spike used, he seemed almost, demanding.
Cautiously, Twilight took a step towards the door, then another, and another, until she was finally standing inside the doorway.
Something felt wrong.
Something felt very very wrong.
There was barely anything at this party. The decorations seemed to be falling apart and there were only ten random ponies inside, none of which she recognized.
"Get inside now Twilight! The party can't start without you!" Spike demanded.
He seemed angry now and Twilight took a few fearful steps forward into the building until she was clear of the door that seemed to abruptly slam behind her.
She quickly looked back to the door as she heard the noise before looking back to the party.
Now that she thought about it, nopony was actually even looking at her, they all seemed to be facing the other way besides Spike, whose expression seemed grim and he was fighting back his tears.
"You shouldn't have come here, Twilight.." Spike said softly.
At this the other ponies finally turned around, well she'd thought they did anyway, but she couldn't be sure as their faces were revealed to be blank surfaces.
Screaming, she turned once more to the door behind her. Or more accurately, where she thought there had been a door behind her. Now however there was nothing but a solid wall blocking her path.
She began to fill with panic, her mind desperately trying to find reason and bring order to this chaos.
Turning back around though she gave up such thoughts, as the ponies on the other side of the room were now barely a few feet away, surrounding her with ghastly painted on faces that seemed like the drawings of a disturbed young filly.
They opened their horribly incorrect mouths in a way that looked similar to ripping open the skin and muscles of another pony with your bare hooves.
Twilight screamed loudly as her eyes darted from one pony to the next, some of their faces were even sideways.
Slowly, they moved closer and closer until she had her back to a wall and thoughts of her friends raced through her mind.
Suddenly she let out one final scream as the ponies all jumped on top of her, and everything went black.
Twilight screamed as she lifted her head from the open book. Taking panicked glances around the library.
"What's wrong Twilight?! Are you okay?" Spike asked from a distance.
Twilight breathed out a long sigh of relief as realization settled in.
"Nothing's wrong Spike, just a little nightmare, where are you anyway?!" she called back to him.
After a few moments of silence she got a reply.
"I'm in the kitchen preparing for lunch!" Came his reply from downstairs.
Twilight got up slowly and moved to the kitchen, smiling as she moved into the doorway that separated it from the rest of the library and smiling as she saw her assistant hard at work.
She carefully approached him as he worked and was just within a legs reach before he dropped a plate.
"Oh look what you've done Spike! Don't worry I'll clean it up for you.”
Twilight used her magic to pick up the ceramic pieces and place them in the trash before glancing back at Spike.
'Strange' she thought 'why hasn't he moved?'
She slowly took another step towards him.
"I told you you shouldn't have come inside Twilight..."
She fell back a bit as he turned towards her, a crudely drawn smile on his blank features.
She let out a scream as Spike ran at her, his lips separating with a tearing sound as he pounced on her and darkness overtook her vision once more.
Twilight screamed as she lifted her head from the open book...
