Part 3- Awakening

No matter how many times Jazzy said her name or how hard she shook her, Chatterjoy wouldn’t wake up. And the pink unicorn was starting to get even more scared than she had already been.

“Chatterjoy!” Jazzy said, her voice having grown louder as she had tried over and over to wake her friend. But Chatterjoy refused to even stir, and the unicorn began to feel helpless. She tried to shake her friend once more, but she was losing hope.

“Please,” she whispered. “Please wake up?”

But there was no response.

“That won’t work.”

The voice almost caused the pink unicorn to jump out of her skin, and she spun around. Her momentary fear caused her light to flicker, but she gained control of her magic and kept it beaming. Her blue eyes searched the darkness.

“Who’s there?” she demanded, trying to sound brave.

“Oh, you know,” the voice said. Jazzy realized for the first time it sounded familiar. “No pony special.”

Jazzy squinted as a small, compact figure moved through the mist and the shadows. When it finally appeared before her, the pink unicorn felt a mixture of fear and confusion sweep through her. She couldn’t understand what she was seeing in front of her own two eyes.

“Sweet Song?” she whispered, her throat suddenly tight. Of all the ponies in Equestria, the little yellow filly with the pink mane was the last one that Jazzy had ever expected to see surrounded by darkness, in the very place where Chatterjoy was being held hostage.

“We….we left you in Horseshoe Bay. How…?”

The filly waved a hoof dismissively.

“You ponies are rather simple,” she said, and now that Jazzy was listening she heard an edge behind the filly’s voice, like somepony (or something) else was speaking at the same time. Jazzy had an uncomfortable feeling that the filly was being used, like a puppet.

“And yet you’re really quite useful at the same time,” the filly – or whatever she was – continued. Jazzy felt the blood drain away from her face. What was going on?

“What are you?” she asked shakily. A sick smile spread across the filly’s face.

“A traveler,” she replied. “And a hungry one, too.”

Jazzy watched the filly’s green eyes, once so innocent, suddenly turned hungrily towards Chatterjoy. Jazzy felt a swell of anger, understanding that whatever this filly – or whatever she really was – was doing, it was forcing Chatterjoy to have these nightmares. Jazzy stood firmly between her unconscious friend and the shadows, her ears flat against her head.

“What have you done to my friend?” she demanded. “Why won’t she wake up?”

“She is my food,” the filly hissed. “Nothing you can do can wake her up! She’s trapped in my world of nightmares, for me. You don’t have the power to wake her up.”

Jazzy felt a thrill of fear for a moment, trying to imagine a life without either of her friends.

“Please,” she begged. “ Let my friends go.”

“The unicorn and the pegasus?” the filly demanded in a bored tone. She snorted. “You thought it would really be that easy? Just say please and I’d let them go?”

“I thought you might have a heart,” Jazzy countered. “They’re my friends, not food.”

Just saying it made the unicorn shudder.

“Everything and everypony is food to something or somepony else,” the filly sighed. “No, I’m not letting them go. I too hungry to let them go.”

Jazzy had to admit that was a valid point. But it only served to make the situation that much worse.

“Is that filly just a shape you’re using?” Jazzy demanded. “Or some poor little foal you forced yourself into?”

The filly rolled her eyes,

“Please,” she – or possibly it – said. “I’m not a monster. The form is based off a filly in the town, but I can no more force my way into another’s body than you can.”

“Except when it comes to the nightmares,” Jazzy muttered. If the filly heard her, she didn’t respond.

“But isn’t it a magnificent form?” Sweet Song asked, her voice suddenly becoming as high and giggling as a true filly playing dress-up. The sound made Jazzy shudder. “I can go almost anywhere, do almost anything, completely unnoticed! An innocent little foal. Throw some dirt on yourself and shed a few tears and you have the world wrapped around your hoof. You ponies really are so gullible.”

Jazzy thought back to when, at Horseshoe Bay, they’d found the filly and had been willing to do anything for her. They’d even bought her ice cream! The thought made Jazzy almost feel sick.

But then a worse thought crossed her mind. The filly - or whatever it really was – had been able to take over the town. That much was clear. But apparently unsatisfied by that, she’d moved on to bigger fish. And if she’d been able to trick Jazzy, Wordplay, and Chatterjoy to come to the town in order to be taken over as well, how many other ponies had she done it to?

“How many others have you tricked?” Jazzy demanded. “How many other ponies have you led here through your innocent little acting?”

“You were the first,” Sweet Song told her calmly, almost as if she was bored with this. “But not the last.”

Jazzy frowned.

“Why are you even telling me this?” she asked. Sweet Song smirked.

“You asked,” she responded coolly. “And besides, I find that ponies like talking. It catches them off guard.”

Jazzy faltered for a minute, that last line confusing her slightly. But before she could gather her wits, Sweet Song leaped forward, flinging herself towards the unicorn. Time seemed to slow momentarily while Jazzy watched in horror as the little pony’s form deteriorated into a black, swarming mist. Jazzy didn’t even have time to scream before it was on top of her, wrapping around her body. The pink unicorn struggled violently, but the black smoke, just like before in the hallway, wrapped around her like a snake around its prey, pressing her legs to her body. She tried to make her horn shine brighter to scare it off, but the fog simply laughed, strangely enough still using the voice of the little filly.

“That won’t work anymore,” the words were hissed into Jazzy’s ear, even though the fog had no mouth to speak of. “Once bitten, twice shy, I’m afraid. Relax, now. You’re going to be fine. Sleep, little pony. And let the nightmares in.”

Jazzy tried to struggle, but it felt like her energy was being sapped out of her, like a sponge soaking up water. Her eyelids felt heavy, and her brain struggled between consciousness and sleep. The unicorn desperately tried to stay awake, but the shadow’s power was too strong. She was fading….

Her eyes were just closing, her brain just beginning to plunge into the darkness of her subconscious that waited to terrify her for the mist’s pleasure, when a sound like a thunderclap reverberated through the top story of the town hall. Jazzy wasn’t sure if she’d really heard it, or if she had dreamt it. It seemed so far away, and her body seemed so heavy now….she just wanted to sleep….

She was vaguely aware of a bright light piercing the darkness around her. She could almost see it through her closed eyelids. A shriek followed in its wake, and the force holding Jazzy, forcing her into sleep, evaporated, like a puddle on a hot summer’s day. With nothing to hold her up anymore, Jazzy fell roughly to the ground, where she lay, trying to gain her strength back and trying to convince herself to open her eyes.

“Be gone, creature,” a voice, mighty and majestic, boomed. It sounded familiar to Jazzy, and the unicorn struggled to come to consciousness to see who had saved her.

“Please, I don’t know what you’re talking about!” Sweet Song’s voice was high and terrified. “I was just looking for my mommy and I – “

“We aren’t tricked by your lies,” a different voice replied, still familiar, still majestic. “Sister, the bottle.”

Jazzy forced her eyes open, and now she was awake enough to see what was happening. She didn’t quite believe what she was seeing, though.

“Princesses?” she whispered hoarsely to herself. A few feet from where she lay, the two Princesses, Princess Celestia and Princess Luna, stood shoulder-to-shoulder before a cowering Sweet Song. The two alicorns’ horns glittered with power, and their eyes were hard as iron. Jazzy was cowed, and she had done nothing wrong.

A bottle passed between Celestia and Luna, and the latter held it in front of the cowering foal with her magic. Jazzy wondered what was keeping it from escaping, but as she watched she could see a glittering aura of both yellow and blue surrounding it, apparently a force field of some kind conjured by the Princesses

“We have been searching for you for some time,” Luna said, her voice dripping with malice towards the shadow creature disguised as a foal. “But you’re time is up now. Sister.”

Luna nodded to Celestia, and the two Princesses leaned forward and touched their horns together. Jazzy watched in amazement as a fantastic light created from a mixture of both Princesses’ magic burst forth, shattering the darkness. Sweet Song screamed, and Jazzy fought the urge to cover her ears and block out the terrible sound. The magic light surrounded the little foal until Jazzy couldn’t make her out anymore. Luna held the bottle towards the light, uncorked and empty, waiting for its captive. The magic carried the shadow creature towards it, the foal’s voice screaming the entire way, until it was safely inside the bottle. Then, Luna applied the cork, and the magical light faded. From where she lay, Jazzy could see that the once-empty bottle was now filled with a dark, swirling mass of mist.

The pink unicorn blinked, uncertain of what she had just seen. Celestia took the bottle from her sister and held it up to look inside it, then she lowered it. Both Princesses turned their heads to look at Jazzy, still on the floor. The pink unicorn stared in awe at both. Celestia smiled warmly and passed the bottle back to her sister. Her luscious multi-colored mane flowing around her, the magnificent white alicorn strode over to her subject lying still on the floor.

“You don’t need to be afraid,” the Princess of the sun told the pink unicorn. “There is nothing to fear here now.”

“She is awake?” Luna asked, turning to look towards Jazzy as well. Celestia nodded.

“We saved her in time. But there is a white pegasus that is asleep.”

Jazzy staggered to her feet, still feeling weak and unsteady.

“Please, Princess,” she begged, pushing aside all decorum that would typically be required in this situation. “She’s my friend, Chatterjoy. I can’t wake her.”

Celestia looked with sympathy down at the pink unicorn and leaned forward. Her horn touched Jazzy’s shoulder gently, and a steady warmth spread through the unicorn’s veins, restoring the energy that the shadow had stolen. Jazzy felt her head become clearer, her muscles become steadier, her exhaustion vanish into thin air. Even the remnants of the gash on her leg that Wordplay had failed to heal disappeared

“Are you alright now?” Celestia asked, her voice motherly and gentle. Jazzy nodded, but her eyes went to Chatterjoy, who was still unconscious, her face still contorted in fear. Why was she still having nightmares when the shadows had been contained?

Luna had crossed to the white pegasus and looked down at her. In a normal situation, Jazzy would have laughed at the irony – Luna standing right beside her number one fan, and Chatterjoy being completely ignorant of it all. But it just didn’t matter right now.

Steady on her hooves again, Jazzy raced to her friend’s side. She tried once more to shake her pegasus friend awake, but like before, there was no response.

Jazzy felt a hoof on her shoulder and she looked desperately at Luna.

“She won’t wake up!” the pink pony told the Princess of the moon.

“We know,” Luna told her. “None of the Shadow Walker’s victims will be awoken easily.”

Jazzy blinked in confusion.

“What?” she asked. Celestia had joined them, and took the bottle of shadow from Luna’s own magical aura. She held it up to peer into its contents.

“This creature,” the Princess explained. “is called a Shadow Walker. It is a cousin of the Windigo.”

Jazzy knew about Winidigoes, the creatures that had fed on the hatred of the three pony tribes – earth ponies, unicorns and pegasi – before the founding of Equestria. Only the tribes working together and putting aside their differences had allowed them to found their new land and prevent starvation.

“However, instead of feeding on hatred as the Windigoes do, Shadow Walkers feed on fear. They use their magic to force their victims into a state where their worst nightmares come to plague them, then feed off the terror that comes from those nightmares. Shadow Walkers can take any shape to trick their victims into becoming food,” the Princess explained.

“But why can’t I wake Chatterjoy?” Jazzy asked, still confused. “You trapped the Shadow Walker, didn’t you?”

“Yes,” Luna said. “But even while captured, the power that it held over its victims is still in place. If the power is not broken, the Shadow Walker will continue to feed and grow stronger, until not even we can contain it.”

Jazzy looked down at her friend, then back up at the Princesses.

“Please,” Jazzy begged. “How can we wake them?”

“The only way that the Shadow Walker’s power can be broken is if the ponies themselves fight the fear they are plagued with in their minds,” Luna said. “Only the victims can break the spell over them.”

“Sister,” Celestia spoke to the darker alicorn. “I give you permission to do what you must to break the Shadow Walker’s power. I must raise the sun, now. Be safe.”

Luna nodded as Celestia moved to the window apparently both alicorns had burst through to save Jazzy. Celestia took to wing and disappeared into the night, and Jazzy was left with Luna and the unconscious Chatterjoy.

Gathering her courage and her wits, Jazzy looked seriously at Luna.

“How do we wake them?” she asked, repeating her question from earlier and hoping for a more solid response.

“The victims must realize they are in a dream,” Luna replied. “And then they must face the fears of the nightmare. Only then will the spell be broken.”

“How will we let them know that it’s a dream?” Jazzy asked.

“As Princess of the Night, I have the ability to enter dreams. I will do so, and show them the truth.”

Jazzy’s face grew even more concerned.

“I want to help,” she said, seriously. “Chatterjoy is my friend, and so is Wordplay, who’s asleep, too. I want to help them.”

“And you can,” Luna told her. “They will be confused when they wake up. You can help calm them.”

Jazzy nodded, determined.

“Then do it,” Jazzy said, though she knew the Princess didn’t need her permission to do so.

Luna’s face had become serious with concentration, and the dark alicorn lowered her head so that the tip of her horn barely touched Chatterjoy’s forehead. The Princess’s eyes flashed with white light, and Jazzy held her breath, ready to help her friend back into wakefulness.

~**~

Chatterjoy felt like her world had been shattered. She had tried so hard to be a good friend, to be what her friends wanted her to be. And yet she’d failed. How had she failed?

She was still standing in Sugar Cube Corner, wavering between going after Wordplay and Jazzy, or just going home. Maybe she should leave Ponyville. Maybe she should go someplace where she wouldn’t disappoint her friends.

Maybe she should go someplace where she’d never have any more friends.

“I don’t want to disappoint anypony else,” she whispered to herself. Her head slumped forward, and her mane and tail drooped as well. Even the pegasus’ wings dragged along the floor as she moved towards the door. She just didn’t know what to do anymore. Her worst fears had come true. She was a disappointment.

“Chatterjoy.”

The spoken word was like an explosion in her mind. The white pegasus’ heart leapt in her chest and she spun around to find who had spoken it.

Her mouth fell open. If her jaw had fallen any lower it would have scraped the floor. She couldn’t believe what she was seeing.
Princess Luna was standing just behind her, the tall, dark, majestic alicorn looking out-of-place in Sugar Cube Corner.

“Oh my gosh,” the pegasus said, her previous despair vanishing in the presence of her idol. “Ohmygoshohmygoshohmygosh! Princess Luna! I am your number one fan! I mean, I think I am your number one fan, there could be another pony who is more of a fan of you than I am but I don’t think so because I literally am your number one fan and oh my gosh I can’t believe you’re really here and why didn’t I bring anything for you to autograph I can’t believe this I always told my friends that – “

Suddenly, the pegasus stopped in her never-ending string of words to her favorite Princess. Despite Luna’s presence, the white pegasus’ wings and head drooped again.

“Well,” she said sadly. “The ponies who used to be my friends.”

“Chatterjoy,” Luna said, stepping forward and placing a hoof on the talkative pony’s shoulder. “You must understand, this is a nightmare. You are trapped inside your worst fear.”

“A nightmare?” Chatterjoy asked, confused. “My friends just told me I was a disappointment to them. They don’t want to be my friends anymore.”

“And is that your biggest fear?” Luna asked. Chatterjoy’s head drooped again.

“Yes,” she replied softly. Luna looked down at the pegasus.

“You must face your fear, Chatterjoy,” she said seriously. “You must break the spell you are under. Only then can you wake up.”

Chatterjoy looked over her shoulder at the door or Sugar Cube Corner which Wordplay and Jazzy had just walked out of. She remembered how harsh their words were, how disappointed she was in herself. Could this all really be a dream? And could she really face her fear?

Chatterjoy glanced back at Princess Luna, but the alicorn was gone. Her heart sagged a bit to realize that Luna wouldn’t be there anymore, and she didn’t get a chance to show her the plushie she owned. But then again this was a dream – as Luna had said – so she guessed it didn’t matter.

However, with a newfound courage from Luna, Chatterjoy squared her shoulders and nodded firmly to herself.

“Okay, Luna,” she said. “I believe you. I mean, how couldn’t I? You’re my favorite Princess and if I didn’t believe you then – “

She paused when she realized she was talking to herself. Without waiting another moment, the pegasus ran out the door and took to wing.

She found Wordplay and Jazzy Mellows pretty quickly and swooped down in front of them to block their path. Wordplay glared at her when the unicorn’s green eyes landed on Chatterjoy.

“Chatterjoy,” she said, her voice angry. “We told you we don’t want to be your friends anymore. You’re just – “

“A disappointment, I know,” Chatterjoy said. “And you know what? That’s my biggest fear, being a disappointment to my family and friends. But do you know what else I know? Princess Luna just came and told me this was a nightmare, and that I have to face my fears. And I trust Princess Luna. So here I am, facing my fears.”

“What are you talking about?” Jazzy demanded. Chatterjoy gave the pink unicorn a triumphant smile.

“I mean that my real friends accept me for who I am,” she said. “They wouldn’t be disappointed in me, because they love me no matter what. This is a nightmare. And I’m not afraid.”

As she spoke the last words, the world around her rippled, like a reflection in a pond when a rock is dropped into it. For a moment, Chatterjoy’s heart leaped in her throat and she hoped that this was normal. But she held onto what she said.

“I’m not afraid,” she told herself. “I’m not – “

~**~

“-Afraid!” the pegasus gasped as she burst back into consciousness. The world around her was blurry, and all she could really see was something large and pink right in front of her. For a moment the pegasus was terrified that it was a shadow coming to attack her again, but then she realized just how ridiculous that was. Shadows aren’t pink!

Finally, the pegasus’ eyes focused and she found Jazzy looking worriedly down into her face. When she saw her friend, Chatterjoy’s face broke into a wide grin.

“Jazzy!” she gasped, and wrapped her hooves around the unicorn tightly. Jazzy gasped and looked back over her shoulder at Luna.

“You told me to help her when she woke up,” the unicorn gasped. “But I think I need the help.”

Luna smiled down at the two ponies, and Chatterjoy became aware that her favorite Princess was, indeed there.

“Princess Luna!” the pegasus gasped, releasing Jazzy and rushing towards Luna. She then enveloped the dark alicorn in a hug of her own, too excited to be polite. The moon Princess staggered back a few paces, surprised at the show of happiness from the pegasus.

“Thank you thank you thank you thank you thank you!” the pegasus blurted over and over. “You were right! I faced my fears! Oh my gosh can you sign my Princess Luna plushie??”

Jazzy sighed and pried the over-exuberant pegasus off the slightly shocked Princess.

“I think maybe we can do that later,” Jazzy told her friend firmly. “We have to find Wordplay.”

“What happened to her?’ Chatterjoy asked, her brown eyes wide. Jazzy suddenly found it hard to meet her friend’s gaze.

“I – we were attacked,” she said. “And she got hurt. She used a healing spell to heal me, but couldn’t heal herself. She told me to go on without her.”

“You left her behind?” Chatterjoy gasped. Jazzy shook her head.

“She told me to!” she countered, defensive. But Chatterjoy had met no harm by the statement and didn’t try to scold her friend. She simply grabbed the unicorn’s hoof and pulled her towards the stairs.

“Then we have to find her! Come on! To Wordplay!” the pegasus said happily. Jazzy and Luna had no choice but to follow.

~**~

Wordplay couldn’t understand what was happening. It was like her worst fears were coming to life. Not her typical fears, like spiders and heights, but what she was truly afraid of: her friends leaving her. But not just leaving her. Replacing her. With somepony else.

“Come on, guys,” she begged. “I….I thought you liked me.”

“We did,” Chatterjoy answered. “But we just thought that Lemon Chill would like to come with us instead. And….we don’t have enough room to take you too.”

Wordplay had never even heard of this “Lemon Chill” before. It had all started when she’d heard from somepony else that Chatterjoy, Jazzy Mellows, and even her other two friends Sea Petal and Sugar Rose had decided to take a trip to Canterlot. Wordplay had found her friends and had approached them about the subject, and they’d told her that instead of inviting her, they thought they’d invite another pony. Then they’d bluntly told her they simply didn’t have enough room to bring Wordplay along too. They’d booked one of the sleeping cars on the train – and there was only room enough for Chatterjoy, Jazzy, Sugar Rose, Sea Petal and this “Lemon Chill” who they’d told Wordplay they’d chosen over her. Wordplay was devastated. Her friends were abandoning her. They were leaving her for another pony. And she just didn’t seem to matter to them anymore.

“But, maybe I can get a ticket for the next train up to Canterlot and meet you there?” Wordplay suggested, trying to reason with her friends. This…this couldn’t be happening.

“Honestly, Wordplay,” Sea Petal put in, the bright yellow pegasus as blunt and normal. “We’d rather you didn’t. We picked Lemon Chill over you for a reason.”

“Just stay here, Wordplay,” Chatterjoy said. “It’ll be easier for all of us.”

“I don’t want to be replaced with another pony!” the purple unicorn suddenly wailed. “I thought you all were my friends!”

“They are.”

The voice was sudden and startling, so different from the other voices of her friends around her. Wordplay flinched at the sound of it, but none of her friends seemed to have heard it. Slowly, the purple unicorn turned her head to look over her shoulder to see who had spoken.

Wordplay’s eyes widened.

“Princess Luna?” she whispered, hoarsely. “Where did you come from?”

“That does not matter, Wordplay,” Luna told the purple pony. “What matters is that you are trapped in a nightmare.”

Wordplay blinked, her lime-green eyes confused. She glanced back to her friends who had been standing before her, in Sugar Cube Corner where she’d found them. They seemed unaffected by the Princess in the room. Even Chatterjoy was completely clueless, and Wordplay knew that would never happen. She looked back at Luna.

“A…a nightmare?” she asked, unsteadily.

“Yes,” Luna replied. “Listen to me. You have been placed under a spell to force you to be plagued by your worst fear. The only way to break the spell is to fight the fear.”

Wordplay looked back at her friends. Her true fear – not spiders, or heights. Her real fear. Her fear of being abandoned by her friends when they found somepony better than her.

“So I just have to – “ Wordplay looked back to Luna, but found the dark alicorn had disappeared. The purple unicorn swallowed and looked back at her friends. Her green eyes grew hard and determined.

“Wordplay?” Sugar Rose asked. “Are you listening? We just said that you should stay here in Ponyville – we don’t really want you around anymore.”

Previously, the words would have torn Wordplay to pieces. But now the unicorn shook her head, revitalized by Princess Luna’s words.

“No,” she said. “No, that’s not true. You’re not my real friends. My real friends would never replace me with somepony else. My real friends care about me and wouldn’t ditch me just because they found somepony better. You’re not real. This is a nightmare.”

A smile spread across Wordplay’s face.

“And you know what?” she asked, triumphantly. “I’m not afraid.”

~**~

Wordplay’s eyes flickered open, and the purple unicorn looked around. The shadows she remembered from earlier were gone, and the sun was rising, its light shining through the windows.

Her eyes landed on Jazzy and Chatterjoy standing in front of her, looking down at her. The purple unicorn smiled.

“I’m not afraid,” she told them. Chatterjoy bounced into the air, her face one big smile.

“Wordplay!” she said happily. “I was so worried about you! I mean, I didn’t really see what happened but Jazzy told me and when she told me I was so worried because those shadows were really mean and my dream was really scary and I was so worried that you were scared to and – “

Jazzy covered Chatterjoy’s mouth with a hoof and glared at her.

“I think that’s enough,” the pink unicorn said.

Wordplay tried to stand, but though the dream of her friends leaving her wasn’t real, her wounds from before still were. She gasped at the pain in her side.

“Be still.”

Wordplay’s green eyes looked up to Princess Luna, who stood above her. Wordplay gaped.

“You…you’re actually here?” she asked. The Princess smiled softly and nodded. Wordplay looked with surprise at Jazzy.

“And Chatterjoy hasn’t made her sign her horseshoes or something?” she asked. Jazzy rolled her eyes.

“It was an interesting walk down here,” the pink unicorn replied simply while she tried to keep her hoof clamped on Chatterjoy’s mouth as the pegasus bounced up and down and kept talking in muffled mumbles around her friend’s hoof.

Princess Luna lowered her horn and touched it gently to Wordplay’s side. A rush of warmth spread through her body, and the pain from the broken rib, and the pain from the head wound, abated, then disappeared entirely. Wordplay relaxed, and, without having to fear her injuries, gathered herself to her hooves.

“Thank you, Princess,” the purple unicorn said, bowing. “But, what exactly happened? The last thing I remember was those shadows. What were they?”

Chatterjoy yanked Jazzy’s hoof from her mouth.

“They were called Shadow Walkers!” the pegasus spouted, happy to talk again, even as Jazzy fought her friend’s grip. “And they were from this one main Shadow Walker which can take any shape and this one looked like that little filly we found in Horseshoe Bay which we bought ice cream for, which looking back on now it was really mean of her to trick us into eating ice cream but I guess I’d trick my way into eating ice cream any day! No, wait, I don’t really need to trick my way into eating ice cream, I’d just get it without any tricks though that would be – “
Jazzy finally pulled her hoof from Chatterjoy’s grasp and covered the pegasus’ mouth again.

“What she’s trying to say,” Jazzy interpreted. “Was that the filly that we found at Horseshoe Bay was a creature called a Shadow Walker. It’s apparently a cousin of the WIndigo, but instead of feeding on hate, it feeds on fear. It can take any form it wants to lure in its prey, then places the prey into a deep sleep plagued with nightmares of their worst fear. Princess Celestia and Princess Luna caught it, but the spell is still affecting the victims. We have to wake everypony that was asleep or else the Shadow Walker will keep feeding.”

“Ooh,” Wordplay said. She looked to Luna.

“You said the creature feeds on fear,” she said. “But in my dream, I was – well, you saw. But I’m afraid of spiders and heights. Why weren’t those in my dreams?”

“There are two types of fears,” Luna explained calmly. “There are heart fears, and there are head fears. Head fears are what we think we are afraid of, such as high places, spiders, snakes, and other trivial things. Heart fears are what we truly fear – abandonment, disappointment, loneliness. Heart fears are what we fear most, and what the Shadow Walkers get the most pleasure and sustenance from, because they not only cause fear, the cause despair.”

Wordplay shuddered at the thought, recalling her own nightmare.

“So, I guess we should wake the others then?” Jazzy put in. Chatterjoy nodded her head excitedly, and Princess Luna gave her consent as well.

“Well, I guess we should get started,” Wordplay agreed. “There’s a lot of fear in this town. Let’s go and stop it!”

~**~

It definitely wasn’t an easy chore. The three ponies plus the Princess had to search every room, every store, every home, everywhere they could think of searching for the ponies affected by the spell. One by one Princess Luna convinced them to face their fears, and one by one, Wordplay, Chatterjoy, and Jazzy helped to quell the fear and confusion of the awakening townsponies. But finally, it was done.

The sun was high in the sky by the time they’d found every pony and woken them all up. Wordplay watched as Jazzy and Chatterjoy helped one last poor soul back to their home. Then they returned to the center of town, to meet up with Wordplay.

“Where’s Princess Luna?” Chatterjoy wanted to know. Wordplay shrugged.

“I’m sure she’ll be here in a minute,” she replied. Seconds after she spoke, the sound of wings beating made all three ponies look up. Chatterjoy’s face lit into a smile when she saw Princess Luna coming to land before them. Right behind the dark alicorn was her older sister, Princess Celestia. As both alicorns landed, the three ponies bowed before them. Even Chatterjoy put aside her fangirling for long enough to show some respect.

“Arise, my little ponies,” Princess Celestia said warmly. “After all, my sister and I have come to thank you.”

As the ponies rose, they looked confused.

“Thank us?” Wordplay asked. “For what?”

“It was you who alerted us to the Shadow Walker hiding in this town,” Princess Luna told them. “We have been searching for it for quite some time. Without you, it would have kept feeding and kept growing until even we would have no chance against it.”

The three ponies looked at each other in awe. The Princesses were thanking them!

“Y-you’re welcome,” Jazzy stuttered. What do you even say in these circumstances?

“Know that your deeds and your bravery will not be forgotten,” Celestia told them. “And Equestria is in your debt.”

The two Princesses nodded to each other, then turned to take off. However, before they could, Chatterjoy ran forward.

“Wait!” the white pegasus said. The two Princesses looked back, and Chatterjoy ran up to Princess Luna.

“Before you go,” she said with a wide, excited smile. “Would you – “

“Oh, no,” both Wordplay and Jazzy muttered at the same time.

“ – Sign my Princess Luna plushie??”

The look on Princess Luna’s face was priceless as Chatterjoy pulled the stuffed alicorn from her bag and held it up in front of the Princess of the Night. The Princess was completely stunned.

Wordplay rolled her eyes and found a quill pen in her own saddlebag, and gave it over to Luna to use. Under Chatterjoy’s gaze of barely contained excitement, Luna took the pen from Wordplay and signed the plushie. Nearby, Princess Celestia looked on, her face one of poorly concealed utter amusement.

The signature done, Wordplay took the quill back from Princess Luna and replaced it in her bag. Chatterjoy turned the plushie over so she could see the signature, and let out a squeal that made everypony’s ears in a ten-mile radius hurt.

“Thankyouthankyouthankyouthankyouthankyou!!!” the white pegasus said over and over and she bounced up and down. She flung her front legs around Princess Luna in an excited hug.

“You’re my favorite Princess! You really are! You’ve been my favorite Princess forever, even before you came back to Equestria after being stuck on the moon! Though I think that makes you even cooler though I’m really glad you’re – “

“Chatterjoy!” both Jazzy and Wordplay said at the same time. Chatterjoy looked back at her friends from her position wrapped around Princess Luna. Under their hard glares, the white pegasus carefully untangled herself and took a few steps back.

“Thank you Princess Luna!” the pegasus squealed, her voice high enough to shatter glass.

“You are….quite welcome,” Luna said, obviously extremely wrong-footed. She turned back to her sister, and, with a smirk, Celestia took to the air, Luna close behind her. But as the two regal sisters flew off, there was no hiding the slight smile on the Princess of the Night’s face.

“Princess Luna is best princess!” Chatterjoy cheered. Both Jazzy and Wordplay shook their heads in mutual disbelief. The two ponies turned to walk off as Chatterjoy stood and watched her favorite Princess fly off into the sky.

“You know,” Jazzy said. “We didn’t finish our vacation in Horseshoe Bay. Maybe we should go back and stay a few more days.”

Wordplay had caught Chatterjoy’s tail using her magic and had begun to drag the pegasus along as they walked through the town and towards the road out. It seemed like a millennia had passed since they’d come into Hoofington. So much had happened since then!

“I don’t think I really want to go back to Horseshoe Bay for a while,” Wordplay confessed. She released Chatterjoy, who fell in step beside her friends, carrying her newly-autographed Princess Luna doll in her mouth. “Maybe we can go somewhere else? I’ve heard Manehattan is nice this time of year.”

“By the way,” Jazzy said, looking between the two ponies. “I didn’t ask – what were your dreams about?”
Chatterjoy mumbled something, and Jazzy frowned, then used her magic to pull the Luna doll from the pegasus’ mouth.

“Hey!” she complained, but consented as the unicorn placed the doll gently back into Chatterjoy’s pack.

“What did you dream, Chatterjoy?” she asked again.

“I dreamt you two were disappointed in me and didn’t want to be my friends anymore,” she said. “But I know that wouldn’t happen, because, come on, I know you guys wouldn’t do that to me, cause you’re my best friends and I know my best friends wouldn’t say things like that to me because you’re – “

“You’re right,” Wordplay said, cutting Chatterjoy off before she went full-blown unstoppable talking spree. “We wouldn’t do that. You’re not a disappointment, Chatterjoy.”

“I know!” the pegasus pony said brightly. Jazzy smiled.

“What about you, Wordplay?” the pink pony asked. Wordplay considered for a moment, then shrugged.

“You know,” she said. “I don’t think it really matters. I know it was just a nightmare, and that’s that. I’m just glad to know what I have friends like you.”

The three ponies smiled at each other as they started out of Hoofington. None of them knew if there were any more adventures waiting, but they all knew that, no matter what, they had each other. And that was all that mattered. And as they walked together, they all were comforted by this knowledge.

“Maybe we can go to Canterlot and see if Luna will read my fanfictions!”

“Chatterjoy!”

The End

Author's Note

So, that's the end of that. For most of you that comes as a relief. Thank you for allowing me to indulge in playing around with my own OC and my friends. I highly suggest checking out both Chatterjoy and Jazzy Mellows on FIMFiction. They're both great writers and great friends.

And thank you to the one person who cared enough to dislike this story. I don't know why you did because you didn't leave a comment, but I'm interested to see that you took the time to dislike a story that you could have just ignored. An interesting choice.