Chapters I struggled as my mother tugged me along behind her. Following us was a large of Ponies, holding flaming torches as they marched somewhat reluctantly. "Come on, Peppermint," she said as she pulled me along.
She was treating me like a Filly, the way she held my hoof, as if I would wander off if she let go. I was eighteen for Celestia's sake!
The path was covered in long dead grass; flowers that were long past withering to the ground, muffling our many hooves. The whole patch of land seemed as if it hadn't been cared for in years.
As we reached the familiar gate, we paused. It towered over us, making it look even more intimidating than it already did. We carefully peered through the cold iron bars. Awaiting our eyes was a mansion, tall and dark, even more chilling than I had expected.
I had been there before, though it was relatively light outside. Never before had I seen such a sight; just one glance sent shivers running down my spine.
I looked back at the younger Ponies, the ones I babysat. Pipsqueak and Button Mash, and saw that they were not happy be here.
Pipsqueak was only eight, with a short brown mane and tail that matched his brown spots. Button Mash's dark complexion made Pipsqueak's seem even paler.
Button Mash was nine, with a short orange tail and mane. He and Pipsqueak were great friends, but they got along with me pretty well, too.
We loved to visit the mansion, but when the half the town is with us, carrying torches, we were scared. What mom was going to do?
The name plate seemed to gleem tauntingly, mocking us all. "SOMEPLACE ELSE," it read and when my mother's eyes scanned over it, she sneered in disgust.
In her opinion, everything and everypony had to be perfectly normal, and if anything, no matter how small, was out of place or seemed odd, she would go out of her way to return 'her town' to peace.
You see, she was the Mayor of a small town called Ponyville. The name fit her personality. She was average. Or in other words, she was boring. That was probably why Dad left, if only he had taken me with him.
"Why can't we just him alone?" Pipsqueak suggested, looking pleadingly at his mother.
"Yeah, he hasn't done anything," Button Mash tried to assure them. It didn't work. "Can't we just go?"
"It's your fault," his brother, Gamechanger, blamed, pushing Button Mash, "you just couldn't keep your mouth shut."
For that, their mother rapped Gamechanger across the back of his head.
Gamechanger wasn't my favourite pony. He was sixteen, almost seventeen but no matter how old he was, he was a bully. He never stopped picking on Button Mash.
"He did the right thing," their mother insited looking at my mother, as she stared at the house with burning in her eyes.
"He's a weirdo. There's no place in this town for weirdoes," she spat.
Just as the words left her mouth, lightning cracked above us, lighting up the dark, starless sky. The heavy gate swung open, as if by magic. I could the torches shake as their holders became frightened by the unnatural behaviour.
Derpy who was in front of the group pointed at the house, her hoof twitching rapidly.
"Th-th-that isn't a good sign," she stuttered, her face frozen in fear. My mother just continues to stare at the building before he slowly approached it, her hoof still securely wrapped around mine.
We were only a few inches away from the front door when it, to, creaked open, causing everypony to look around wordlessly, "Just like last time," Button Mash whispered, "It's the ghost."
"Shut up," Gamechanger slapped his head. 'Don't hit your brother," their mother scalded, yet her hoof again made contact with Gamechanger's left temple.
Pipsqueak's mother nuzzled her son's head, speaking somewhat confidently, "There is no such as ghosts honey." When she finished her sentence, even she seemed to be questioning her words.
Mother turned to my friends and I, looking me deeply in the eyes, "I'm gonna prove it to ya, kids," she muttered, then turned to the crowd, "Let's go."
As our hooves carried us closer, Cheerilee who was standing next to Pipsqueak's mom spoke up.
"Did anypony call and make sure this is a good time? Maybe we could come back later," her eyes were hopeful, though doubtful, too.
"Yeah like when it's light's out," another pony added.
As we stepped inside, we found ourselves at the bottom of a black staircase. Every inch of the house was either black, grey or blue, making everything seem dull.
The slam of the old wooden door echoed through the musty air, successfully making everypony jump. That is everypony but my mother. An older Pony at the back of the group tried to open the door, but all he managed to do was wiggle the doorknob.
A sudden breeze surrounded us, blowing out the torches. The usual warmth that I felt when I had visited earlier had gone, instead replaced by a cold, unwelcoming feeling.
"Oh, buck," muttered Derpy, her body scared stiff.
Mother didn't seem to have any sort of reaction to any of that though, because he just continued to lead us through the hall. However, when he tried to enter a room, the door closed.
It was as if we were being guided through the house to a certain spot; doors would open to let us through, but would close when we were going the wrong way.
We were lead to a large room. The fireplace burned brightly, lighting the space. We heard a loud sound from the from, but when our heads whipped round to see what it was, we only saw a black curtain.
A small crow swooped down, soaring right above our heads, distracting us all. Lightning filled the room, and all of our eyes returned to where they had previously been. We caught a slight glimpse of a black cape as it follwed it's owner's body into the darkness of the side hallway.
I noticed that my mother's grip was loosening, so I took my chance to slip my hoof away, unnoticed by her.
Everypony was looking at each other, hoping that they had an explanation.
Three bolts of lightning lit up the hallway, letting us see the outline of the Pony, but by the strike, they were gone.
Mom tried to get a better view. She probably thought that her eyes were playing tricks on her. She began to make her way over to where we had seen the caped-pony, closely follwed by the crowd and I.
With one final crash from the weathet outside, the hallway was revealled again, but this time, instead of an outline, a skull, covered slightly by a cloak, popped up in front of us, causing my heart to beat wildly and everypony behind me to scream.
It came closer, making us all back away, some cowering against others.
It stopped and waited for a moment, observing us, until it's face slid down, revealing himself as a Stallion holding a mask.
I felt a smile tug at the corners of my mouth as I saw his familiar his familiar face. He must have noticed, for his deep brown eyes met mine and I could tell he was smirking behind the mask, which he held in front of his mouth.
As soon as he had removed his mask, sighs of relief had come from the other Ponies. He revealed the rest of his face teasingly, "Did I scare you?" To which they all nodded vigorously.
"That's him mom, that's-" Pipsqueak tried to say to his mother, but she shushed him.
"Hi," Button Mash smiled at Night Fright.
Since my mother would have been furious if I had said anything, I just smiled at him kindly, shaking my head. He did scare me a bit, but it was fun to tell him the opposite, just to see him see smile knowingly.
"Well you didn't scare me," Mom spoke, stepping up. "Maybe you scared them, but you didn't scare me."
Of course both Night Fright and I had seen her jump, even the slightest bit. We knew that she had been startled.
"Well that's too bad isn't it? I guess I have to try a little harder next time," he smiled, seeing through his lies.
Night Fright moved to place his mask on one the dust covered chairs.
"There won't be a next time," mother told him, ice in her tone.
"Oh really?" Night Fright added doubtfully.
"Oh really," came her reply.
"No next time, huh?" He questioned, removing his cloak and placing it beside his mask. He was wearing a clean baggy white dress shirt, which stood out in contrast to his dark surroundings. "Why is that?"
"We want you out of town," Mom spoke bravely, though in my mind she was still a coward. I looked at Night Fright apologetically, letting him know that I didn't feel the same way as my mother. The other ponies didn't seem to persistent, but they didn't oppose. "We have nice normal town, normal Ponies," he said walking around a bit, "Normal kids," she briefly looked back at me, "and we don't need freaks like you telling them ghost stories."
Night Fright just walked the centre of the room, brushing his mane.
"So you don't believe in ghosts?" He asked.
"I do," Pipsqueak cut in, smiling at Night Fright.
"Me too," came the voice of a cowering Derpy.
"Hush up," Cheerilee spoke up, turning to Night Fright. "You see what you've done? Aren't you ashamed? Young Ponies are impressionable." She was going to go on, but Button Mash interupted.
"Show them the cool stuff you did for us," but when he said that, his brother slapped his head again.
"Shut up, that's supposed to be a secret," Gamechanger complained, causing there mother to hit Gamechanger.
"Don't hit your brother." What she didn't expect was to feel a strong sudden wind blow itself against her head, showing her how Gamechanger felt. She lifted her hoof to her right temple, gazing around shocked.
We all looked at Night Fright, who turned towards us, his face holding an extremely annoyed expression.
Mom and Night Fright seemed to be having a stare down.
"You're weird. You're strange. And I don't like you," Mom sneered, "you're scaring these kids. Living up here all alone." So badly did I want to scoff at my mother's excuses.
"I'm not alone," Night Fright told us. "And you're right; I do like scaring Ponies. Yes, but it's just for fun. Don't you kids enjoy when I do my little, you know," he waved his arms, not knowing what word to say.
Button Mash, Gamechanger, Pipsqueak and I all nodded our heads without hesitation.
"Well the fun's over," Mother announced, "back to the circus, you freak." I looked at Mom in disgust. How could she have said that? "And do yourself a favour, okay? Don't force us to get rough with you. Because will if we have to."
Throughout his speech, Night Fright's eyes been filled with hurt, but you had to look closely to see it.
The townsponies seeme to oppose my mother's threats. I didn't blame them; I didn't want to hurt Night Fright, he was too kind.
"You're trying to scare me, aren't you?" Night Fright asked. "I'll tell you what, we'll play a game. Anypony here like games?" His voice was gradually getting louder, until he yelled, "Hello! Game time!" He stomped his hooves on the ground twice and I could see that this was only the beginning.
I could hear the three young Colts quietly cheer in excitement.
"The first Pony who gets scared, has to leave," Night Fright explained, motioning to the door behind us. "How about that?" But my mother was too stubborn.
"I don't play games with freaks," she spat.
"There's no need to be rude,” Night Fright said stiffly, pursing his lips.
"Yes, I agree; there is no need to be rude. You have a very lovely home, but I'm afraid we've overstayed our welcome," Derpy was afraid, just not in the way that she meant; she was shaking and fiddling with her tail nervously. "So we're gonna go, okay? Can we go?-" she went silent when Night Fright stomped his hoof on the ground, as if he were telling a dog to stay put.
"Are you gonna leave? Or am I gonna have to hurt you?" Mom asked, glaring at the Stallion who stood in front of her.
Night Fright laughed slightly, "You are trying to scare me," he concluded. "I guess I have no choice; I guess I'll have to scare you. Watch this." He turned around and faced us again, letting out a breath, as if he were nervous. But I could see through his act. "Tell me, do you think this is scary?"
He crossed his eyes and formed his lips into an odd position, making the young Colts laugh. I just chuckled, waiting for my mother's reaction.
"That's ridiculous," she stated, and thought the little Ponies were still giggling, she went on, "that's not funny."
"Okay, fine. What about his one?" He turned his face away for a second, clearing his throat. When he faced us again, he made the same face, holding his arms in a begging dog pose.
Once again the young Colts and I laughed, but the everypony else seemed to be getting impatient.
"Is that it?" Button and Gamechanger's mother asked, rolling her eyes.
"Did that scare you?" Night Fright questioned, staring at Mom.
"Did you hear what I said, freak-circus?" Her response seemed to anger Night Fright. "It's time for you to go."
"Is this scary?" Night Fright stuck his hooves into his mouth, grabbing onto his cheeks. He pulled outward, sticking out his tongue. The skin stretched, revealing the muscles and blood vessels under his skin.
Everypony behind me screamed, while my mouth dropped open in both surprise and astonishment. Even Mom stepped back, startled.
Night Fright released the skin, making it snap back into place, like it was made of rubber. He fastened his hooves onto his bottom jaw and yanked it down, farther and farther. Everypony was terrified, even I felt the fear grow in the pit of my stomached. But I didn't let it show on my face. My mouth was still gaping, but I closed it, still looking at the sight before me.
Another round of screams erupted from the crowd, before they ran to the door, even my mother ran as if her life depended on it. But I stood still, my hooves glued to the ground in shock. Mom didn't even try to pull me along with her; she would have left me there just so she could escape. I knew my eyes were close to the size of saucers, but my gaze was unwavering as I stared at Night Fright.
He brought his hooves up and smashed his skull, only to have his face, skin and all, pop out.
The others were still running to the large old-fashioned doors as he stared at me curiously. But he broke our eye contact and the doors slammed shut, making them stop in their tracks.
Girlish whimpers came from a Stallion in the crowd, but Night Fright acted as if he didn't notice.
"Are we going somewhere? Hello?" He called.
I turned to look at the other Ponies and saw Mom turn around slowly, fear obvious in her eyes.
"It's too late, you're my guests," Night Fright continued, smiling innocently and stroking his mane. "And by the way, did I tell you that I wasn't alone?"
He raised his right hoof up suddenly, and the glass patio doors swung open, their curtains blowing in the chilling wind. The fireplace and torches on the walls flared, their flames growing.
He spun around, sending a clear watery orb into the fireplace. The flames grew even higher, and out of them flew a shape which looked like the little orb. It formed itself into the figure of a Stallion, dressed in extremely old styled clothing, who bowed to us.
When I tried to look Night Fright in the eyes again, I found out that they held a crazed look, as if he had gone mad.
Night Fright faced us once more and yelled, throwing his legs into the air. He did it several times as he and his relative began to approach us.
His steps were smooth, and his body was in perfect rhythm. It almost seemed as if he were.....dancing.
His movements stopped and he stood still, glaring at Mom. Suddenly, his hooves flew to his upper arms, causing dust to fly everywhere. The others copied his actions, as he wiped dust from his shoulder and coughed once.
After a moment, Night Fright stomped his left hoof, then his right. Slowly, he sprinkled dirt from his ears. It seemed like a silent signal. He and my mother stared each other down, until Night Fright started to move around again.
Music echoed through the room as they all started to turn in circles, as the Ponies just watched in confusion. With one final shout, Night Fright and his companions started to full-out dance.
Their moves were amazing; I had never seen anything like it. They paused before Night Fright shrugged his shoulders, huffing in the process. They all copied him. When he repeated his actions, they repeated theirs.
After three repetitions, Night Fright began to sing. His soft voice flowed through the air, sending a shiver down my spine.
Look who just walked in the place. Dead and stuffy in the face. Woo! Look who's standin' if you please. Though, tried to bring me to my knees. Too bad, too bad about it. Why don't you scream and shout it? Too bad, too bad about it. Why don't you just scream and shout it? Too bad, too bad about it. Why don't you scream and shout it? Too bad, too bad about it. Why don't you just scream and shout it? Hell all up in Canterlot. Sayin' that you got the plot. Creepin' from a dusty hole. Tales of what somepony told. Too bad, too bad about it. Why don't you scream and shout it? Too bad, too bad about it. Why don't you just scream and shout it? Too bad, too bad about it. Why don't you scream and shout it? Too bad, too bad about it. Why don't you just scream and shout it? Too bad, too bad about it. Why don't you scream and shout it? Too bad, too bad about it. Why don't you just scream and shout it? Too bad, too bad about it. Why don't you scream and shout it? Too bad, too bad about it. Why don't you just scream and shout it?
He was mesmerizing as his hooves glided across the tiled floor. It seemed so natural to him, as if he didn't even have to try. I could see that everyone was amazed, some were still frightened, but they were all in awe. Mother just looked at them icily. They finished dancing, or so we thought. Night Fright's friends started to venture closer to the crowd as they danced, making some of the Ponies cry out in fear.
They walked up walls and jumped down, but one went right through. To cover up his mistake, he struck a pose, and a smile tugged at my lips. Night Fright shouted again, and his friends all began to stomp as they walked, heading toward the walls once more. They continued to stomp, even when they were climbing, but instead of jumping down, they went all the way to the ceiling, as if they did it every day.
When they were all on, only Night Fright was left on the ground. He gazed at Mom before lifting his arms. At that one motion, the Ponies who were on the ceiling slowly floated down, the music turned light and angelic and we all stared at them, dazed by the beauty in front of us.
When the heavenly sounds stopped, I grew worried. It wasn't going to end well.
Author's Note
I apologize for the loooong wait but I've had to deal with some private matters anyway I do promise that the next chapters won't take soooooo long
Who's the Freak Now?
In one quick motion, Night Fright grabbed his tail, pulling it off. But instead of stopping, he continued to pull and within a second, he had removed his skin and everything else. All that was left of him was his skeleton.
I looked at the place where there used to be his beautiful eyes, but now there was only the dark hole that was his empty eye socket. He cracked his neck and the sound of bones grinding together filled my ears, making me cringe.
He once again began to move and with each step, I could hear his bones clacking together and his joints clicking into place. But even with those noises, he didn't fail to impress; his moves put every dancer in the world to shame. He began to sing again for us, though this time, it was to mock my mother.
Is that scary for you baby Am I scary for you oh Am I scary for you baby Is it scary for you So tell me am I scary for you baby Am I scary for ya baby Is is scary for ya baby Am I scary for you I don't wanna talk about it Am I scary for you baby Am I scary for you I'm tired of being abused You know you're scaring me too I see the evil is you Is it scary for you baby
Part way through, he removed his head, as a gentlecolt would have done with his hat. The other Ponies looked disgusted, but the young Colts and I only grinned.
When he was finished, he sauntered towards Mom, who was clearly terrified by the expression on her face. She was nearly shaking as well. Night Fright grabbed onto her collar, pulling her forward until they were in the middle of the room. I blinked, but saw only my mother standing there.
Night Fright let out a yell, making my head snap up to look at him, where he now stood on a ledge high off the ground. He let out a low cackle in a voice that was so unlike his usual soft tone. He flicked his left hoof, making all of the Undead Ponies look at us, making a variation of terrifying sounds.
At once, one of his family members zoomed toward Mother. Instead of attacking, he stopped in front of the cowardly Mare that I was ashamed to call my family. When my mother didn't run away screaming, the ghost-like Pony looked back at the Night Fright, who sent another. This one had a goblin-type creature come out of its mouth, but when her received minimal response, he scowled and replaced his eye piece.
The two beings stood on either side of my mom, waiting for their next command.
Night Fright yelled again, making the creatures look back us, growling. They turned back to him for a moment before dropping to the ground. They looked up at us, sending chills down our spines. The townsponies were frozen in fear. I felt as if my own Hooves were stuck, like they had been glued onto the floor.
Why did this have to happen? Why couldn't we have just left the Night Fright alone? So badly did I long to see his kind face instead of the hard white skull that now took its place.
The creatures began to stomp their Hooves against the black and white tiled floor. The sound filled the room and I had to cover my ears when it became too much to handle. The others did the same.
As they continued to make the awful sound, they moved closer to us. They would stomp their Hooves, then grab the floor in front of them, before pulling themselves forward. They continued with the pattern, coming closer and closer, until they fell back, motionless.
Suddenly, they jumped up and began to dance. A Pony dressed up as a court jester looked at us and flicked one of his bells that was hanging down on his hat. The young Colts were smiling and the adults seemed to clam down the slightest, yet I was cautious; I knew Night Fright finished yet. Nevertheless, the sight was amusing, making me smile.
Slowly, they began to approach us, making the adults panic again. They came closer and closer to my mother, who was standing there, terrified. She turned around, about to make a run for it, but two of the things blocked his way. They began circling around her, while they made many intimidating sounds.
Mother whipped her head around frantically, looked for a way out, without success.
Night Fright stomped his bony hoof, making the creatures stop to look at him. All was silent, except for the fierce blowing of the wind.
They all cleared a path for him as he suddenly appeared before my mother. He was clothed again in his usual attire. But his skin was far from normal. It was rough and wrinkly, with an orange tint to it.
He looked like a monster. His face resembled that of a goblin, yet he was at least five times larger than any goblin that I had ever read about. He was easily ten to fifteen feet tall, making him tower over my mother, who was cowering in fear.
He bent down slightly so he could look Mom in the eyes. He could easily see that he had won the game, yet he wanted to hear my mother surrender. He smirked, "Are you scared yet?" His voice was gruff as he spoke. He laughed as he placed his Hoof on top of Mother's head. He transformed into a watery figure as he pushed his body into her open mouth.
Mom gulped as if she had just taken a drink. After a moment, she turned to us and nodded, seemingly fine. That is, until her front leg moved. She forced it back into it's original position but the same thing happened again. She seemed to be having a battle with herself. Or should I say, a battle with Night Fright?
Her body wanted to dance, but she tried to keep her composure and act normal, without luck. She began to dance unwillingly, yet Night Fright must have taken over, because she seemed to be enjoying it. The townsponies were now smiling as they laughed. Button Mash and his mother were both clapping along to the rhythm of the music that had began to play. Some of the moves that she did made me want to rip my eyes out; there are certain things that a girl should never see her mother do. Once I loosened up some though, I began to laugh too, lightly clapping along to the song. Night Fright's sweet, smooth voice filled our ears, yet my mother's lips weren't moving.
There's a ghost down in the hall There's a ghoul upon the bed There's something in the walls There's blood up on the stairs And it's floating through the room And there's nothing I can see And I know that that's the truth Because now it's onto me I don't understand it I don't understand it! There's a ghostly smell around But no pony to be found And a coughin and a yawnin Where a restless soul is going Don't understand it Hey! Don't understand it Hey! And who gave you the right to shake my family? And who gave you the right to shake my baby, she needs me And who gave you the right to shake my family tree? You put a knife in my back Shot an arrow in me! Tell me are you the ghost of jealousy The ghost of jealousy
Mother seemed to have gotten control over her body again; he threw her front legs into the air and yelled at the top of her lungs, "Stop!"
All of the creatures retreated to where ever they had come from, becoming clear orbs as they went into the fireplace and the furniture.
The townsponies stared at her silently as her stomach began to move. It seemed as if something was moving around inside, trying to break free.
Suddenly, a Hoof burst from her stomach, holding an antique mirror. The Hoof held it up so Mother could see her reflection. Within a few seconds, her face transformed until, she herself was the one that looked like a monster.
She began to speak, but by the words that were being said, I could tell it was Night Fright talking.
"Who's scary now? Who's the freak now? Freak Show. Freak circus freak! Who's scary?" he shouted at the mirror, "Who's weird now?" he began to chuckle, making some sort of guttural noise. he dropped the mirror, making it crash onto the ground and break into many small pieces.
I felt no sympathy for my mother. It was his own fault that this happened.
There stood Night Fright. His back was turned to us as he stared at my mother, yet I could tell that he was smirking. He circled around the terrified Pony until he was on the opposite side. Slowly, He extended his left leg out and bowed. When he stood tall again, he crossed his legs.
"So, do you still want me to go?" His question pierced the silence. The young Colts vigorously shook their heads, letting him know that their answer was no.
"Yes! Yes!" my mother exclaimed, nodding her head.
"No," I spoke up, my voice soft, nearly inaudible, but I could tell that he had heard my by the way that he looked into my eyes. He looked so sad.
"Fine," he spoke, "I'll go." I shook my head, silently pleading for him not to leave.
In one swift motion, he went down to his knees and brought his right Hoof down onto the floor. It smashed against the surface and turned to a sand like substance. I covered my mouth with my Hooves, shocked. He did the same with his other Hoof. He looked up at me, as if reassuring me that he was going to be okay, before smashing his head down to. He lifted it up and looked at my father as his face crumbled away to nothing and fell back onto the floor. I felt several hot tears run down my cheeks.
He couldn't be gone. He shouldn't have had to go like that. I didn't even get a chance to say goodbye.
The wind seemed to get stronger as it blew into the room. Night Fright's body became nothing but the sand like matter, even his shirt. The wind carried away his remains, until there was nothing left except a bare black and white tiled floor, not leave a trace of the horror that had just happened.
We all stared at the place on the floor where Night Fright was only seconds ago. I heard the young Colts sniffling and I wanted to go and comfort them, but I felt as if I couldn't move.
He was gone. I wanted to tell myself otherwise, but I knew that it was the truth. Mother was the first to look away.
"Good riddance," she muttered, "let' go." She walked past me and pushed through the crowd of townsponies, but none of them followed her.
She looked back and saw that we weren't moving, making her walk up to me and grab my front leg, just as she had done on the way to this mansion. "Let's go."
The townsponies began to slowly follow, pulling their children along with them, though the young Colts and I looked back, just waiting for Night Fright to jump out from behind the curtains and yell, "I fooled you, didn't I" but nothing happened.
Mom pulled me roughly, sending pain coursing up my leg. "Let's go!" she repeated. She tugged me toward the large doors, intending to leave and not look back. She reached for the handle, muttering, "I showed that freak."
However, when she went to open the doors, they flew open, causing us both to be thrown back onto the floor. Immediately, the grip on my leg disappeared. There was a giant head in the door way. The giant head of a very familiar Stallion. His face was not his own; it had a few minor adjustments. Maybe more than a few; it looked as if he were wearing a Nightmare Night mask. His teeth were sharp and his face was wrinkled, yet it was easy to tell by the ridiculous voice that he used that it was him. It was Night Fright.
My head pounded painfully; I had hit it against the floor when I fell. My mother yelled, scare out of her wits, which didn't help the pain any. I looked up and saw her running away from the doors. She pushed through the crowd, falling but immediately getting up, before bolting it across the room, jumping through the window.
I stared at the window in both surprise and happiness. Night Fright had won the game. My attention was taken off the window when I saw a pale Hoof stretched out to me.
I accepted it and Night Fright helped me up. I stared into his eyes, seeing that they were back to how I remembered them; warm and kind. Without thinking, I threw my front legs around his neck, hugging him. I half expected to go straight through him, but I didn't. His front legs wrapped themselves around my neck as he hugged me back.
"I thought you were gone," I mumbled into his soft black mane. I felt his chest vibrate as he chuckled.
"There is one thing you should know about me, dear Peppermint; I do not like to lose," he answered softly, a smile clear in his voice.
I pulled back and saw that I was right; he was smiling his heart-warming smile, revealing his pearly white teeth. We released each other and I step back, wanting to see that he was fully back to normal. He put his hoof on the doorway as the townsponies all looked toward him, shocked to see him standing there. He walked towards them with me following behind.
He smiled at them, asking, "Did I scare you?" the townsponies smiled and reluctantly agreed. They all started speaking, saying things such as which part scared them the most, but one comment stuck out the most.
"you're not bothering no Pony, you know, you got your thing," one of them spoke, looking around at the huge room, as if seeing it for the first time.
"But did we have a good time here?" Night Fright asked, clasping his Hooves together, not letting the smile fall from his beautiful lips. It became silent. "Hello!" he nearly yelled. The Ponies thought about it, then started to agree. He started chuckling, happy that they had had fun.
Suddenly, I felt as if there was something behind me. I stepped forward so I was right beside Night Fright. The smiles that once graced the lips of the townsponies were no where in sight. It didn't go unnoticed.
"What?" Night Fright asked, "what?" They all looked behind us and Pipsqueak's mom pointed at something. Slowly, we both turned around.
Both of us shrieked as we saw a skeleton face looking back at us. It lowered to reveal Pipsqueak's smiling face. He was standing on Button Mash's back, wearing Night Fright's black cloak.
"Did I scare you?" he asked. I smiled at him, chuckling.
"Yeah," I confessed.
"No," Night Fright claimed, "well, maybe. How about that; maybe." I could hear the two Colts quietly say "yes!"
Night Fright laughed and helped Pipsqueak off of Button Mash's back.
"Excuse me," GameChanger said, grabbing our attention, "excuse me, yeah, um," he contorted his face, "is this scary?" he reached for his face before. The sight was horrific!
I buried my face into Night Fright' shoulder, as I screamed along with all the others, the only exception being the Stallion that was now holding me tightly.
A week has passed since the incident. Mom left town at once without saying so much as a goodbye.
But I wasn't to worried about him, to say the least. Button and GameChanger's parents let me move in with them, which I was thankful for. They all welcomed me like family, which was more than my mother had ever done.
The Colts and I still went up to the mansion on the hill. Each time, Night Fright welcomed us with hooves. He still loved to show us neat little tricks and play harmless practical jokes on us. I knew that the Colts parents still didn't fully approve, but they knew that I would take good care of them.
The last few days, I've felt very strange. Every time I looked at Night Fright, I've felt this odd sensation in the pit of my stomach. My heart would start to pound wildly in my chest and my breath would get caught in my throat. I noticed that I stuttered a lot more frequently when I was near him, which I could not understand; I have never stuttered. Not when I talk to other Ponies, not during public speaking. Never. So why was I starting all of a sudden?
I've also noticed that Night Fright has been looking at me oddly lately. There is a certain emotion in his eyes, but I can't figure out what it is. I have thought it over several times, though the only answer that I've come up with is ridiculous.
"Come on, Button, GameChanger, we're going up to the mansion today!" I yelled up the stairs. I soon heard the sound of hooves as they ran from their rooms and toward the staircase. I saw them at the top, an eager and excited look on both of their faces. I chuckled and watched them as they bounded down each step, pushing to be the first down. I walked toward the front door with them following behind me.
After we went to Pipsqueak's house, we started our long walk up the seemingly never-ending hill. The Colt's were all fooling around and talking among themselves, so I was left alone with my thoughts.
The thoughts of Night Fright's kind features filled my mind. His strong jaw, framed by his beautiful black curls. His deep brown eyes that were so kind. But what stuck out the most were his enticing lips. The way they curved as he smiled his heart-warming smile, the way they moved as he sung, but most of all, the way they formed when he said my name.
The familiar sign came into view, reading "Someplace Else". I instantly smiled, realizing that it would only be a short time before I saw the man that had invaded my thoughts. The gate creaked open, welcoming us.
As we made our way into the mansion, I could see the Colts nearly bouncing as they raced each other to the front door. I quickly started to run after them, easily passing them. As I did, I turned my head to look at them, sticking my tongue out teasingly. I reached the doors seconds before GameChanger, who glared playfully at me. The other two caught up, showing the same expression when they caught their breath.
"That wasn't fair, Peppermint!" Button claimed, I smiled down at him, shaking my head.
"What wasn't fair?" a heavenly voice asked, grabbing our attention.
"Peppermint cheated!" Pipsqueak piped up, pouting at Night Fright. He looked up at me, smirking. Oh no.
"Well, we'll just have to teach her a lesson, won't we?" he teased, staring straight into my eyes. The young Colts cheered at the idea, running off down the hall.
"Be careful!" I shouted after them, watching as their small bodies eventually disappeared. I turned my gaze back to Night Fright. "Should I be worried?" I asked, referring to his mention of payback.
"No," he told me, "you should be scared." That was the last thing he said before disappearing into thin air.
For an hour, I wandered down the long corridors, peaking into some of the rooms. At one point, I came across a beautiful bedroom. Though it was dark and obviously hadn't been touched for years, going by the thick layers of dust that covered all of the objects, it was amazing.
The once white walls were covered in portraits of what I assumed were family members. I made my way over to the long fading white curtains that reached the floor. Pulling them back, I returned my gaze to the room, which seemed even more mesmerizing in the light. The fireplace was opposite of a large bed, covered in a white sheet with flowers sewn on. I walked over to it, sitting down. I closed my eyes, burning the picture into my mind. I had always dreamed of having a room as gorgeous as this.
I stood again, going over to the fireplace. I gently laid my hoof upon the mantle, staring at the small clock that sat on top of it.
"This was my sister's room," a voice said from behind me. I spun around to see Night Fright standing there, a faint smile gracing his lips.
"What happened to her?" I asked curiously, glancing around the room. I heard him sigh.
"Her husband happened. Well, her fiancé," he corrected himself, "they lived together in a small house about three towns over and I guess one night he came home angry." I could see that tears were beginning to form in his eyes. "He accused her of cheating on him, but everypony knew that she didn't. Even him; he just wanted to let his anger out on somepony. He hurt her, then he killed her," his voice faltered as he stared at the ground. He seemed to become angry in a split second, furiously wiping his eyes, "I should have done something, I should have seen what he did to her every night! He hit her, yet I was too dumb to notice! God, why couldn't I have seen it?" he collapsed onto the bed with tears pouring out of his eyes and down his cheeks.
I sat beside him and instinctively wrapped my arms around him. He held onto me as he wept, reminding me of a small child. He seemed so frail. It made my heart ache to see him upset; he shouldn't have to hurt this way.
"Shhh, it's okay, Night Fright," I tried to sooth him, running one of my hooves through his soft mane, "you couldn't have known. It wasn't your fault." He sniffed, pulling away from me. His eyes were red and tears still ran down his face. I reached up, wiping them away as we stared into each others eyes.
I felt as if I could see into his soul at that moment. It sounds odd, yes, but it was true. I could see the pain that he had endured, but I could also see the happiness and kindness shine through. There was guilt, confusion, anger, longing and that unknown emotion that I could not place my finger upon.
I felt vulnerable, for I knew that he could see my every emotion as well. I could feel his hot breath on my face. My hooves still rested on his cheeks. He began to lean his head down, as he was much taller than I. His face came closer to mine, causing my heart to race more than it already was. It felt as if it were going to leap out of my chest and I could swear that he could hear it.
I could see him hesitate, so I tilted my head up to meet him half way, closing my eyes.
His soft lips pressed against mine, sending electric bolts through my body. I moved my hooves gently over the surface of his cheek as I wrapped them around his neck. He slithered his around my waist, pulling me closer. He was so careful, as if he could break me if he did something wrong.
It felt like I was in heaven, but the blissful moment ended all too soon as we pulled away for air. My eyes remained closed a second longer, savoring the moment. My lips tingled, felling cold without his warmth against them.
When I opened my eyes, He was looking down at me with that unknown emotion in his eyes. I was now certain of what it was. It was the emotion, that up until a few moments ago, I thought was a ridiculous possibility.
The emotion was love.
He was the first to speak, "Masquerade," he said simply. I was confused. Masquerade? Who was Masquerade? He must have seen my expression, because he chuckled. "That;s my name; Masquerade," he clarified.
"Well, Masquerade. Do you do this with all the Mares that come to visit you?" I whispered jokingly. I'm sure that no one had been up here for a long time until the kids and I first came up about a month ago. He shook his head, smiling.
"No, only with the pretty ones," he answered, gazing lovingly into my eyes. He leaned in again, giving me another brief kiss, before he began to tickle my sides. I fell back onto the bed, laughing.
"Stop, Masquerade," I tried to say in between laughter. He continued to run his hooves along my side, causing me to laugh even more. He eventually stopped, laying back beside me on the bed, staring at the ceiling as I caught my breath.
He turned his head to look at me and I did the same to him. His eyes were no longer red. "You're beautiful," he whispered, surprising me. No one had ever told me that before. I could feel my cheeks grow warm as I blushed, causing him to chuckle.
To change the subject, I told him, "We should go find the boys." To which he reluctantly agreed. He got up, pulling me with him. He still held my hoof as he pulled me out of the room. He seemed to regain his childish energy back, for he began to run down the hall, dragging me along behind. We were both laughing for no reason in particular. Before entering the room we had been in only a week ago, he stopped me.
"I must warn you, they have something very spooky prepared for you," he told me, "but don't worry, I'll protect you," he smiled.
"Than what is there to be afraid of?" I turned back to the doors and entered, dropping Masquerade's hoof. It seemed as though I had entered an empty room, for it was deadly silent.
In a second, one of the creatures was in front of me. I thought that he was going to attempt to scare me, but he only held out his front leg. I looked back to where Masquerade was last standing, only to see that he was no longer there. The creature was waiting patiently, so I looped my leg through his, placing my hoof on the inner side of his elbow.
I took a moment to look at him closer. He wasn't the same as he was the last time I had saw him; he no longer resembled a monster, he looked like a semi-normal Stallion. My eyes must have been playing tricks on me, for it seemed as though he was becoming more normal looking as we approached the next room. His clothes no longer had holes in them and his skin was only slightly paler than my own.
I looked around for something that I knew was going to jump out, but nothing happened.
The halls were no longer familiar, as I had never been in this part of the mansion. It was beautiful, to say the least.
There was a light seeping out of the cracks around a door at the end of the hall. As we approached it, I could hear faint music playing. It was the type of music that had no words, for the emotion in each note described it better than any words could.
Turning to the Stallion beside me, I now saw that he was clad in an early Equestrian style suit. He looked like somepony I had seen before and when I stared at him a second longer, it clicked. He was a Pony from one of the portraits in Masquerade's sister's room!
When we reached the door at the end of the hallway, he turned to me and bowed, then opened the door.
If I had thought the halls were beautiful, this must have been my own personal heaven. It seemed like a ball room; there was a large floor with nothing on it except two table at one side of the room. There were chandeliers hanging from the ceiling, each holding at least two dozen candles. The music was being played by a band of well dressed men in one of the corners. As soon as I stepped into the room, I felt an odd sensation come over my body. I looked to see that I was no longer wearing my glasses and Saddle Bag.
I was now wearing a red floor length dress. Its sleeves reached the middle of my Front leg, ending in a black lace trim. The bodice had a beaded pattern on it that lead down to a black ribbon that tied around my waist into a bow at the back.
When I lifted my gaze again, I saw a Stallion standing in the middle of the room. His dark black curls gave away his identity at once. I walked towards him, seeing that there was no one else in the room except the band. Just as I was about to reach him, he turned, taking my breath away. He had his usual dress pants and loose white shirt on, along with a black, single-breasted suit jacket. In reality, he didn't look much different than when I saw him only minutes before, but it must have been the lighting, because he looked like a prince. A king perhaps suited him better.
He extended his hoof to me, which I took, looking at him curiously. He bent down, placing a gentle kiss on the back of it.
"May I have this dance?" he asked me, hope in his breath taking eyes.
"Of course," I replied, still entranced.
He placed his hoof on my waist and I put mine on his shoulder, while our other hooves were still entwined. He led me in the dance that I was unfamiliar with. I was looking at our hooves, trying to figure out the steps so I wouldn't step on his hooves, but he took his hoof from mine and lifted my chin before placing it back where it had been.
"Don't look down, my dear Peppermint; I can't see your beautiful face," he told me, sincerity in his eyes. I smiled at him, my cheeks turning red.
"But I don't know this dance," I said nervously.
"Relax and look into my eyes. Let your body flow with the music," he instructed. I stared into his eyes, just as he dipped me back. He pulled me up, smiling all the while.
Out of the corner of my eyes, I could see others appear out of no where. Stallions and Mares all dressed in their best, dancing like they were born to.
We were in the center on the room, right in the middle of it all. But Masquerade didn't seem to notice any of the other Ponies around us. He still stared at my face, his hooves moving like an expert, while mine were only novice. If he minded, he didn't let on that he did.
We danced until the song was over, though even when it ended, we were reluctant to stop. We stood, still in the middle of the ball room, while the others continued to dance, a new song starting right after the last.
I looked up at Masquerade, both of my hooves in his larger ones and he tilted his head down to see me better.
"This doesn't look like something the boys would plan," I said to him, smiling. He returned the gesture as he answered.
"They're saving their revenge for later," as he spoke, there was a mischievous gleam in his eyes, "this was my revenge."
"And tell me, Masquerade, what did I do to deserve such a cruel punishment?" I teased, smirking.
"You walked in this house a month ago and stole my heart."
Author's Note
It took me a while to sort this chapter out but I hope you all like what I've done.
Something has gone wrong. We don't seem to have an archived copy of that chapter. 