Sleepy Hollow: 9:35 PM

The storm was raging, lightning flashed and thunder boomed as rain pattered down on the cobblestone streets of Sleepy Hollow and drenched Trixie's and Twilight's fur as they ran towards the town's sole library. Twilight ignored it all, her mind was focused on one thing, and one thing alone, the Headless Horse. She didn't like her companion in her endeavor to find out some information on stopping the angry, almost Hellish spirit but she could tolerate her for the time being. After all, the more help she had in finding the information she needed, the quicker this Tirek be damned night could be over with.

"We've... We've got to hurry, before that thing shows up again!" Twilight yelled back to Trixie, whose wizard's hats and robes were soaked by the rain.

"And how do you know it will, Twilight Sparkle?" Trixie demanded. She was tired, soaked to the bone, afraid and above all else extremely ticked off at how her night had gone. She was hoping to have put on a show to entertain the masses, but instead got dragged into something involving a stallion that should have been dead and staying that way completely. Personally, she didn't know who to blame, whether it be Twilight or the Doctor for getting her involved in this crap or the Headless Horse from returning from the grave or even the guy who offed him the first place and created the whole problem in the first place.

"Call it... experience." Twilight grumbled, remembering how many times the late Captain Boltstrike seemed to come back despite being dealt with time and time again. Mind you, that was somewhat different as he was never killed and revived but he did keep escaping whatever prison he got thrown into, so the point still stood right? Twilight smiled in relief however, when she remembered how the mad stallion was finally stopped. She wasn't there for it personally, but Cadence did tell her the story.

...Boltstrike was currently running for his life across the Canterlot rooftops with one very angry Princess of Love on his tail alongside Lightning Dust who was flinging bolts fast and hard enough to make Zeus himself proud. One hit the roof shingles below Boltstrike sending him flying but he quickly landed on another rooftop of somepony's house and pulled out his sword just in time to block another bolt. What he wasn't so successful in was blocking a magic blast from Cadence which made him tumble off the rooftop down into the street below thanks to the resulting explosion.

"Does it really matter if you kill me?" Boltstrike snarled as Lightning and Cadence landed nearby with passersby clearing out as they knew this wasn't a safe spot to be. "Your boyfriend's pushing up the daisies ma'am. Sorry to say."

Cadence snarled.

"That's where you're wrong. I just got word, Shining AND Celestia are going to be fine. You however, that's a different story."

Boltstrike reeled back in shock. He hadn't even considered the possibility that the plan would fail so badly. He quickly recomposed himself and put on a serious face.

"Ah well, least we all know nothing's infallible anymore do we? Not even the Royal Guard."

This time Lightning was the one to snarl.

"Have you no loyalty left? You were respected in your position, and now you threw it all away and for what? Are you really this psycho?" She yelled in rage, and just for a moment if only for a brief one her words reached Boltstrike. Little did she know it, but Boltstrike did have some small amount of loyalty and respect for his princess left, but all of the rest of it had been torn away by those years in the dungeons. But that small amount of loyalty still wasn't enough. Whatever goodness Boltstrike may have once had, it was long gone. He snarled one small phrase as one last act of defiance.

"Go to Tartarus."

And then it was all over in a instant as Cadence charged forwards and her horn went right for it's target. Next thing anypony knew, Boltstrike lay dead at her hooves.

"The only one who's going there is you." The Princess of Love snarled before a very familiar sound filled the air.

Sleepy Hollow Library: 9:55 PM

Twilight flashed back to the present with a rumble of thunder bringing her there. Twilight didn't remember how they got there, but they were now in the library, a few open old books lying on a table in front of them. Trixie was looking directly at Twilight, and if she didn't know better she'd dare say it was a look of worry.

"You alright?" Trixie inquired, as Twilight shook away her thoughts. She didn't have time to dwell on that story, not now. There was too much at stake, too many lives.

"I'm... I'm fine." Twilight lied, although Trixie could see right through her.

"No, you're not. Trixie can see you're scared Twilight Sparkle." Trixie replied, although this time she wasn't mocking in tone. She wouldn't admit it to Twilight, but she was scared of the Horse as well. It's power and rage, and what it could do. Trixie thought of Script, and that poor stagehand with their bodies lying headless in full view of her eyes. She'd never forget the sight, not as long as she lived.

"No, I'm COMPLETELY DAMN FINE TRIXIE, SO DON'T ASK AGAIN!" Twilight snapped, the stress of everything finally getting to her. Trixie reeled back in shock and fear. Seeing this, a expression of guilt came to Twilight's face at once. She hadn't meant for her temper to flare up like that.

I'm... I'm sorry Trixie, I didn't mean... It's just everything about tonight... The Horse, and the dead ponies..." Twilight whispered nervously in a almost unheard tone. Key word, almost.

"I... I understand Twilight Sparkle." Trixie said, dropping her usual third person tone of voice. "The personality I've been putting up, being rude to you... I... I just don't have the confidence to face this thing head on, like you are. I'm not brave nor am I great or powerful, not at all." She admitted, hanging her head in shame. Trixie however was surprised to have a hoof laid on her shoulder by Twilight, who was smiling.

"Trixie, you may not believe this, but I'm scared as well. I want to run and hide as far as I can, but I won't." Twilight told Trixie, who had her jaw drop in shock for a moment. She could hardly believe Twilight's words.

"But how do you find the ability to do it?" Trixie asked, and Twilight smiled once more. She remembered when she faced Nightmare Moon, and how she put aside her fear if only to save her friends and teacher.

"Do you really think you can stop me, Twilight Sparkle? You're just a simple unicorn, while I am a goddess! I am the night itself, and I WILL make it last forever!" A pure black pony with a mane of stars and wearing blue armor yelled at her foe. "And don't get me started on those friends of yours. Newsflash for you. Friendship is. A. LIE!"

Twilight glared harshly at her foe, while they stood in the ruins of a old and crumbling castle. Nearby, her newfound friends from Ponyville watched in shock and fear.

"No, that's not true. Friendship exists and you know, deep down Princess!" She pleaded, but the incarnation of nightmares and the shadows themselves were not willing to listen.

"DO NOT CALL ME THAT! I am not Princess Luna, there is only Nightmare Moon!" The being who was once Celestia's sister roared in rage. The shadows themselves seemed to grow colder and darker, as if they had minds of their own. But that wasn't possible, was it? Twilight ignored them even as they reached for her and charged at her opponent. Nightmare burst out laughing at the sight.

"You seriously think that'll work?"

Twilight came closer. Nightmare gaped for a second.

"...Wow, guess she is serious." She said, stunned.

She readied herself but Twilight didn't attack. Instead she slid right under the dark Alicorn goddess and to the chest beyond pulling out it's contents with her magic.

"Here, catch!"

With that, Twilight tossed the items known in legend as the Elements of Harmony to her friends.

"You want a demonstration of friendship, Nightmare? Here, I've got one JUST for you!" Twilight shouted as the Elements charged up and a golden crown with the final element, Magic appeared on her head. Then, six bright beams of light came out and fired, directing themselves towards the Nightmare spirit...

"The Doctor told me something once soon after our first adventure together in the Griffin Kingdom, something I take by heart to this very day. You want to know what that is?" Twilight asked, and Trixie nodded.

"He said to me, "Fear makes Companions of us all." So it's okay to be afraid, as that's what drives us to stop those we are afraid of in the first place." Twilight said, and Trixie smiled before embracing Twilight in a hug.

"You're braver then I am Twilight Sparkle. I'm sorry I called you a coward, and doubted your abilities." Trixie said with true honesty in her voice. Suddenly, there was a loud whinny and there stood the Headless Horse...

Nightmare Night, almost 150 years before...

The Doctor groaned and muttered "Geronimo..." as he hit the floor of a small shack. Unlike before, a storm was not raging. It was calm, and when the Doctor looked out a window he could see the glow of Jack-O-Lanterns from Sleepy Hollow, but it was smaller now. Cadence's time travel spell had worked as he and her were in the past, the night the Headless Horse came to be and right before it happened.

"Tell me Doctor, where are we going this time...?" The Doctor muttered to himself, still whoozy. Cadence was in a similar state, as she looked at him in concern even as she stumbled trying to get up. Eventually she managed to do so.

"You alright?" The Princess of Love asked, and the Doctor was about to answer when he heard hoofsteps. He knew who they must have belonged to, it was Blue Berry and he was about to commit the murders that kickstarted this whole thing.

"He's here." The Doctor murmured, and Cadence stared at him in shock.

"Can't we stop him Blue, I mean?" She asked in concern, if they could stop the murders from being committed now they would stop the Headless Horse's future killings. The Doctor knew where her thoughts were heading, and cut them off at once.

"No, we can't interfere with the timeline. We're just visiting." He told Cadence, as she frowned but used a spell that made them unnoticeable to anyone who could have seen them before. After all, a Alicorn and a strange stallion weren't exactly hard to explain away if caught now were they?

Then, it happened. Blue brought the meat cleaver down, and blood spattered the walls. But it was who that was rendered headless that shocked the Doctor and Cadence.

"The Headless Horse... It's not Ichabod..." Cadence began, shocked as the Doctor finished for her.

"It's his marefriend." He growled.

Author's Note

Wow, bet you weren't expecting that were you? So the Headless Horse's true identity is revealed in the past, while in the present Twilight and Trixie after having a heart to heart come face to face with Her. Seriously though, you have no idea how long it took me to come up with a good chapter title for this. To understand that, you have to understand that I usually come up with the title for the chapter and work with the plot for it from there, but not always. I've had the Library scene between Trixie and Twilight in my head since at least Part 2 I think...

Anyways, I'm a bit sad that you guys haven't left a comment since chapter two... It's beginning to make me wonder if anyone is even interested enough in this story anymore... Should I have released it closer to Halloween or something?

Also, do you think the flashbacks to Once a Time Lord were okay, or were they not needed for this chapter?