"It's almost time! The attraction's gonna start any second! It's gonna be so awesome! Are you ready, Fluttershy?" When Rainbow turned around to look at her close partner, all she saw was the crowd of many other ponies behind her, Fluttershy not included. She did feel something clutching on her hind leg, shaking violently. Looking down, she found the pony in question curled up as close to her as she could.
"Come on, Fluttershy. We're not even inside yet." Rainbow waved a hoof towards the mansion she was talking about. Or rather, that was the closest thing most ponies could describe it. It seemed like a rather miniature blue and black mansion with three white stars decorated at its front. The mansion was settled at the end of a very tall hill where they would almost meet the edge of a cliff. Smoke flowed around and through it, creating shadows that looked like ponies were already inside the mansion. Those shadows even formed into monsters that were haunting the ponies inside.
"I don't know how you talked me into this!" Fluttershy expressed desperately. Rainbow bent down to her level and placed a hoof on her mane.
"Come on, Fluttershy. I told you. You join me on the Ghost Mansion Feast, and I'd agree to help you with, that." Rainbow tapped Fluttershy with a hoof on the word, 'that'.
"Oh... I don't know if it's even worth that anymore..." Fluttershy watched as one of the pony shadows got cornered by a monster with large teeth. That monster then chomped down on the pony without mercy. Her eyes shrunk seeing the shadow of that pony get chewed on. But that horrifying vision was cut short when Rainbow moved her face in front of Fluttershy's
"Don't worry. Nothing bad is gonna happen. Just look at everypony else." Fluttershy did as Rainbow suggested and looked behind her. But it didn't help matters. Everypony else was shaking just about as badly as she was. Some of them couldn't even look at the mansion. One of the ponies in the back suddenly turned tail and zipped out of there.
Rainbow scowled. "COWARD!" Fluttershy yelped at the scream Rainbow did. She was about to turn tail too, until Rainbow held onto her. She made Fluttershy's head turn to look directly into her eyes. "Look, Fluttershy. If there is danger, I'm not gonna let anything bad happen to you. I'll protect you all the way. Got it?"
Looking into Rainbow's eyes certainly helped Fluttershy's nerves. They were filled with confidence, ready to take on any scary monster that dared cross their-
"Protect?!" An evil witch's laugh suddenly came from the shadow that preyed on the previous shadow. Fluttershy's fear came back full force while Rainbow turned around swiftly. Everypony else just backed away further and gasped. "How can you protect her, if you can't even protect yourself?!"
The shadow lunged itself outside the mansion, launching itself straight towards the pegasi. Rainbow and Fluttershy yelped in fear. But true to her word, Rainbow stepped in front of Fluttershy. When the shadow reached her, she snapped her eyes closed and screamed out like she was in pain. Fluttershy cried out when she saw the shadow phase right through Rainbow Dash.
Rainbow was shaking, clearly terrified. Her hooves trembled and struggled to keep her standing. But when she realized she was unharmed, she opened her eyes. And then, she smiled and laughed.
"Hahah! That was awesome! I really thought I was a goner!" She could hear Fluttershy agonizing even more. The mansion doors opened widely like a monster opening its massive jaws. The walls between the doors snapped off like it was showing its teeth. Even a red carpet was thrown out, which looked very much like a tongue, decorated in a green slime that could very much be its venomous saliva. Its tongue slammed onto the ground, next to Rainbow and Fluttershy, which Fluttershy winced to.
"Very well! You have gained permission to enter my bode. But be warned! You will not leave with your courage intact! It will be mine!"
Rainbow was releasing a fangirl laugh while her wings buzzed in excitement. "This is gonna be the best Nightmare Night ever! I really gotta know who came up with this! Come on, Fluttershy! Let's show them our courage!"
"U-Um... I think I left my courage at home! Sorry! I gotta go get it!" Fluttershy immediately tried to run, but only found her hooves sliding along the ground, taking her nowhere. Rainbow was holding her by the tail, pulling her back some so they could meet eye to eye.
“Nothing bad’s gonna happen, Fluttershy!” Rainbow assured.
“B-But-” Fluttershy was silenced by a hoof.
“Look. Just remember. All you have to do is face your fears. Do that, and it’ll be over in a snap. Because after we’re done, we’ll be doing that. Okay?” Fluttershy’s heavy breathing settled. Rainbow was able to remove her hoof from Fluttershy and comfort her more. “Just remember that,” she repeated.
“Just remember that,” Fluttershy mimicked. She was able to smile. "It is worth it... for that.” Rainbow helped Fluttershy walk to the red carpet tongue of the mansion. It felt just as slimy as an actual monster’s tongue. Upon touching it, Fluttershy winced, but Rainbow held her close using a wing and comforted her.
“It is worth it... for that...” Fluttershy continued to repeat herself as they walked closer to the mouth of the mansion. There was green liquid oozing from the roof of this mansion’s mouth. Her eyes could only shrink watching them drip like saliva. “It is worth it for that!” Rainbow held her tighter while her voice’s pitch grew. They entered the mouth. That was when the first green ooze dropped onto Fluttershy’s head.
“IT’S NOT WORTH IT!” Fluttershy retreated from Rainbow’s grip. “IT’S NOT WORTH-” Before she could leave, the mansion’s mouth slammed shut. Everypony outside the mansion gasped as Fluttershy’s cries grew deaf. Some of them fainted on the spot.
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Fluttershy desperately scratched against the door liked a locked puppy pleading to let her out. Nopony answered her pleas. All she could hear was the ominous winds and steam blowing somewhere inside the mansion. She didn’t care where or how they were blowing, she just wanted out. Something brushed against her shoulder, making her jump in fright. But she settled when she recognized that warmth. Looking away from the door, she found herself meeting Rainbow’s eyes again.
“Nowhere to go but forward now,” Rainbow said. “Stay close to me. You’ll be fine,” she emphasized. Fluttershy gulped. It’s not like she didn’t trust Rainbow. She just couldn’t trust herself to stay close to Rainbow every time something scary popped up.
Nevertheless, Fluttershy managed to stand back on her own hooves. Rainbow Dash kept Fluttershy protected under her wing as they started walking. Fluttershy could already feel the tension in the air. Up ahead, all she could see was steam and a flickering light that turned different shades of blue and green. Each step closer to that light made the ground under her hooves feel less stable.
They entered the light. Rough steam blew against their hooves, causing Fluttershy to jump. “What was that?! “ she asked in a panic. The lights suddenly snapped off. Darkness covered them for a split second before they turned back on. Fluttershy hastily looked around the room they were walking through.
To the right, there was hanging from a rope while upside down, hanging over a boiling pot. It looked like a pony... a pony... without a head. Fluttershy's eyes shrunk. The very figure reminded her heavily of-
"The headless horse," Rainbow whispered. It chilled Fluttershy's body. She could hear some clanging to her left. Both Rainbow and Fluttershy turned to look. Somepony else was there, with their back turned. They seemed to be chopping something against a cutting board, going back and forth with it. There was a sound of a growling stomach, and it was coming from that pony.
"Somepony sure sounds hungry," Rainbow whispered.
"D-Do you think the-ey're planning to eat-" Fluttershy yelped when she saw the pony suddenly turn its glowing eyes towards them. It felt as if a jumpscare sound that movies love to make sounded in her ears the very moment it looked. She hastily removed herself from Rainbow's wing and dashed ahead, frightened.
"Fluttershy! Wait up!" Rainbow chased after Fluttershy, who continued to scream and run. The light and steam was leaving them as they entered a pitch black room, where the only thing visible was themselves.
Fluttershy continued to run and scream until she opened her eyes. A light flashed in front of her, making her yelp as she stopped. The light above shined down on a pony, a pony who looked very much like the one before. Its right eye, or rather to Fluttershy's right, was missing. Otherwise, it's other eye was green with a white lifeless pupil. She realized soon that it was just a white pony statue. Her heart raced at how lifelike it looked otherwise, almost as if it could come to life.
Rainbow Dash walked next to Fluttershy to examine the statue as well. "Whoa... That's really creepy." She gave Fluttershy a friendly jab. "Heh. Good thing statues don't get hungry. I wonder what-"
The statue suddenly opened its mouth. At the same time, the ground underneath them gave away. Both Rainbow Dash and Fluttershy yelped in fear from both the shock of the statue moving and the ground beneath them disappearing. Their flanks shortly hit an angled and slippery ground.
“IS THE STATUE EATING US?!” Fluttershy screamed while holding Rainbow Dash tightly. Her wings were locked up as they slid, too scared to spread. Rainbow tried bracing her hooves against the floor to settle their sliding. The ground was too slippery and steep, so this was the best she could do that didn’t involve knocking Fluttershy off her.
Something came into view. It was the first sign of light they got, which looked green and dangerous. They fell through the hole that the light was coming from. A pool of bubbling green slime came into view. Fluttershy cold only scream louder as they fell down. Rainbow Dash bit her lip as she thrusted her body back. The force caused Fluttershy to lose some grip, enabling Rainbow enough room to spread her wings and catch them both from the fall.
Both ponies were just a few inches from the green slime, which Rainbow would only guess as being the statue’s stomach acid. Well... at least that was assuming they really were just eaten. Steam was coming from the slime. They could feel the heat from it, yet they were shivering. But soon, Rainbow stopped her shivering.
“Wow! That looks so real! I almost can't believe it isn't!” Rainbow chuckled.
“Are you sure it isn’t real?” Fluttershy asked. “Because it feels very real to me!”
“Of course it isn’t.” Rainbow turned to the slime and saw how big the bubbles were getting. “Although now that you mention it, it is getting really hot in h-EEERE!” One of the bubbles bursted in the middle of Rainbow’s speech. It blasted a large amount of slime in the air, mere inches in front of Rainbow and Fluttershy.
Rainbow Dash and Fluttershy held each other tightly and screamed when something emerged from that slime. It looked like a giant worm with only a mouth for where its head would be. They couldn’t see its eyes, but it had three sets of teeth on three corners of its mouth.
“What is that?!” Rainbow shouted.
“I… I don’t know!” Fluttershy screamed. The worm started sucking in the air like a vacuum. Rainbow and Fluttershy yelped when they felt themselves being pulled in. Some of the slime was also getting sucked in. When Rainbow tried to fight the air, Fluttershy attached herself to Rainbow even tighter, making it more difficult to fly.
“Fluttershy! You can fly too you knoooow!” The winds suddenly got stronger, making Fluttershy’s embrace become rough. Rainbow lost balance in her wings. Unable to continue flying, she and Fluttershy got sucked into the mouth of this giant worm. They screamed and screamed until the worm closed its mouth, causing them to black out as they were enshrouded in darkness.
______________________________________________________________________________
Some time must’ve passed. The next thing she knew, Fluttershy found herself opening her eyes and finding herself in an empty void, where only a few inches around her were lit up. Her eyes shrunk and she gasped.
“Rainbow?!” she called out, looking around in a panic. “Rainbow Dash! Where are you?!” She ran around frantically. But everywhere looked the same. It seemed like she was going nowhere. And after looking around for awhile, she ran out of breath and stopped. Nothing was here. Nopony was here.
Fluttershy gasped. Somepony was here! She heard them appear. And they appeared right behind her. Shaking violently, she turned around to see who it was, immediately regretting it. Her eyes shrunk. It was the very pony she saw at the beginning, the one chopping something on a cutting board, having only one eye.
Fluttershy started hyperventilating. The silhouette of the pony and its glowing eye, held a massive scythe in its hooves held high. It looked ready to strike.
“Give me your soul!” the pony spoke. When it readied its scythe back, Fluttershy screamed.
“Fluttershy!” Rainbow suddenly appeared as soon as her voice came. She charged directly at this one eyed pony, kicking it with all her might. But she ended up kicking it in the head. What happened next was something neither Rainbow nor Fluttershy were prepared for.
The head of that pony popped right off. It flung to the ground, rolling a few meters before coming to a stop with the head positioned upright. Fluttershy’s colors faded while Rainbow Dash shrieked.
“I DIDN'T MEAN TO DO THAT!"
Rainbow suddenly heard Fluttershy gasp and turned to the direction she was looking. The pony whose head was just popped off was still standing like normal. It dropped it’s scythe, but it was still moving, moving closer to them. Both Rainbow and Fluttershy huddled together in fright at the realization.
“T-The… T-T-The…”
“Headless Horse?!” Rainbow finished for Fluttershy. “I created the Headless Horse?!” She and Fluttershy screamed at the top of their lungs then turned tail. The Headless Horse chased after them.
But as they ran, the one eyed head of the Headless Horse suddenly appeared before them. Shrieking, they stopped and looked behind them. With the Headless Horse behind them, and its one-eyed head in front of them, they were trapped.
The Headless Horse lifted a hoof and pointed it to both Rainbow and Fluttershy. It then took that hoof and gestured it to where its head was supposed to be. Rainbow and Fluttershy flinched back. This thing wanted their heads. Fluttershy closed her eyes and cried out in fear.
“Rainbow Dash! What are we gonna do?!” Fluttershy asked desperately. Rainbow gulped nervously, not sure how to answer. She looked behind her and saw the head. It was now floating and inching closer to them. When she looked back to her front, the Headless Horse was crouching into a stance, ready to charge at them at any second.
“Fluttershy. Be ready to run,” Rainbow answered.
“Ready to what?” Fluttershy asked, but it was too late. The Headless Horse charged at them, which made Rainbow Dash charge back at it. Fluttershy yelped when Rainbow left her side. When Rainbow got close enough, she turned her body around and threw her legs backwards. A solid kick collided against the chest of the Headless Horse, knocking it back. Looking back to the Headless Horse, she could confirm that it was knocked away, and now lying on the ground. Then Rainbow looked ahead and her eyes shrunk.
“Fluttershy! Look out!” she shouted. Fluttershy turned her head. The head of the Headless Horse was charging at her, now mere inches away from her.
“Your soul is mine!” the head shouted. Fluttershy screamed stiff. She couldn’t move from her spot. This head was about to get her.
Something suddenly appeared in front of her. She opened her eyes, immediately regretting it. What appeared in front of her was Rainbow Dash. The head went right through her body. There was a line streak coming out of her body. Following that line, she traced the end source of where it went.
Fluttershy’s moans of fear grew into a desperate suffocating gasp. The head was there, but she could also see a glowing ghost in the form of Rainbow Dash in its mouth. She stepped back at the sight with her legs shaking violently. Her chest practically bursted out of her body with each breath. When Rainbow’s lifeless body fell to the ground, Fluttershy screamed.
The head released Rainbow Drash from its mouth. Rainbow opened her eyes and gasped. She could still hear Fluttershy's screams of terror. When she looked to her, she felt like screaming just as loud. Fluttershy was there, crying, holding... her own lifeless body. But... she was Rainbow Dash. Why was she...
Rainbow looked at her hooves, screaming internally. Her body was white and glowing. She was a ghost now.
"NOOO!" Rainbow finally screamed out.
Fluttershy yelped again. Something stood before her again. It was the Headless Horse, and it had its scythe back. Her breath stuttered as she held the body of Rainbow Dash close. The Headless Horse readied its scythe, making her pupils shrink to pea-sizes.
"Fluttershy!" Rainbow shouted as her ghost body flew down towards them. She flew as fast as she could to stop the Headless Horse from swinging that scythe. But when she reached it, all she did was phase right through it.
"What?!" she asked. The moment she looked back, the Headless Horse swung its scythe. Rainbow braced her cheeks and released another scream. She saw both her own head, and Fluttershy's head get flung off their bodies. Their bodies fell to the ground while Fluttershy's head was caught by the Headless Horse. It then proceeded to attach the head to its body, giving it a good twist to keep it in place.
Fluttershy's face then grew a smirk. Her eyes opened, but it was not her eyes. They were glowing, just like that floating head. Speaking of, the floating head had floated over to Rainbow's body and attached itself to her. Rainbow's body then proceeded to move its legs towards the head, giving it a good twist to keep itself attached. The ghost of Rainbow Dash quickly looked to Fluttershy's headless body in a panic.
"Fluttershy!" she yelled as she rushed to her body. "Come on, Fluttershy! Get up!" Rainbow pulled at Fluttershy's hooves, but they just phased through. Instead, she was pulling something else out. Her ghost hooves were holding onto another ghost hoof as she pulled it out. She kept pulling, pulling, until the ghost of Fluttershy was pulled out of her body to meet her.
"Wake up! Come on!" Rainbow repeatedly tapped on Fluttershy's cheek. Her eyes opened in response, followed by a yelp.
"R-Rainbow Dash?!" She removed herself from Rainbow's grasp and screamed. "What happened?! Where are we?!"
"Look!" Rainbow Dash pointed a hoof. Fluttershy looked to its direction and saw two ponies releasing an evil laugh. Her eyes shrunk. She noticed that those bodies had her head and the other had Rainbow's body.
"Now that we have your bodies," one pony started.
"We will spread fear all across Equestria!" the other one finished. Their voices were the same, sounding just like that one-eyed pony. They started running off into the void.
"Rainbow! What's going on?! I thought this was all supposed to be fake!"
Rainbow moaned nervously. "I don't know anymore. But we can't let them get away!" She started flying after them. Fluttershy stayed behind, nervously pouting and shivering. After a few seconds, she followed Rainbow Dash. Where they were going, they had no idea. Somehow, they could see their bodies perfectly, but everywhere else was just a void. Their possessed bodies continued running through this void as if they could see where they were going.
Suddenly, a bright light emerged. Their bodies entered it. Rainbow and Fluttershy followed suit. When they crossed the other side, the night time air came to their visions. They gasped, finding themselves outside the mansion, where everypony else was waiting. Both ponies could be seen staring at the crowd. The entire crowd looked terrified. But they weren't looking at the ponies below. What they were actually looking at, was Rainbow Dash and Fluttershy, their ghost souls. All of them screamed.
"Ahh! No! It's not what it looks-" Rainbow was cut off.
"Behold!" The mansion behind them was speaking. "I have taken their bodies, and their souls! Soon, all of your delicious souls will belong to me!" The crowd started fleeing the scene. Fluttershy started holding Rainbow's ghost body tightly.
"Please! Make it stop!" she pleaded. Now not only was she terrified, she was striking fear on everypony else.
"Come to me, my delicious souls!" The mansion started inhaling the air around it. Rainbow and Fluttershy yelped as they felt their ghost bodies getting sucked in. The two ponies below were laughing as they let their stolen bodies get taken back into the mansion.
Rainbow and Fluttershy held each other tightly as they were sucked in. They were forced back into the mansion. But they didn't stop there. Their ghost bodies continued getting pulled in, going deeper, and deeper inside the mansion. After a moment, Rainbow managed to open her eyes. She saw their bodies, the remains of their bodies being sucked in as well and near them. Her head was there without its body, and Fluttershy's body was there without its head.
“Into that body. Now!” Fluttershy hesitated, but did what Rainbow told her. Rainbow followed suit.
“Wait! Both of us?!” Fluttershy asked just before their ghosts phased into the body. After the body shined, it moved its legs, grabbing the head and attaching it to its neck. Rainbow’s head was now connected to Fluttershy’s body. When it opened its eyes, they revealed to be blue instead of magenta. It gasped and turned its head to look its body over.
“W-Wait a minute!” the head spoke in Fluttershy’s voice. “I’m in control of your head?” Her body wobbled out of her control. Something spoke in her head.
“And I’m in control of your body.” It was Rainbow Dash’s voice.
“And my mind?!” Fluttershy responded.
"Um... I don't think so." Fluttershy yelped when Rainbow ignited the wings of their conjoined bodies, trying to take flight. "It's just the only way I can talk to you." Rainbow seemed to struggle using Fluttershy's wings as the flight was rather wobbly at first. Their body even fell down for a bit before gaining some balance.
“Rainbow! What are you doing?!” Fluttershy asked.
“Fluttershy! Look straight!" With a gasp, Fluttershy did just that. When she saw she was heading straight for a vortex, she winced and closed her eyes. “I can only see what you can see. Open your eyes!”
Fluttershy refused. “But it’s too scary!”
“Face your fear, Fluttershy!” Fluttershy hesitated. “Look at them!” One of her eyes opened slowly. She could see the vortex, but she could also see the two ponies in front of it, laughing, using their bodies. “If you keep hiding behind your fears, they’re going to get away. Keep looking at them.”
Rainbow ignited Fluttershy’s wings again, flying faster towards the vortex that was sucking them in. Fluttershy could only respond with a yelp as she shut her eyes again. Blinded once again, Rainbow’s flight pathed wobbled again and was going off course.
“Keep looking at them!” Rainbow repeated with more emphasis. “Face your fear, Fluttershy! I know you can do it!”
Fluttershy’s eyes winced open. Tears obstructed her vision. She tried steeling her nerves harder, slowly allowing her eyes to open more. It was enough for Rainbow Dash to see where she was going again. Their body was able to fly towards the two ponies again. The closer they came, the harder it was for Fluttershy to not look away or close her eyes.
They were all getting awfully close to the vortex. The two laughing ponies suddenly stopped laughing and gasped when they saw their victims charging at them.
“What?!” both ponies said. At the last second, Fluttershy winced and looked away. Their hooves collided with both their bodies, knocking both of them on their backs while Rainbow and Fluttershy towered over them.
“Now! Out of this body and into theirs!” Fluttershy hesitated when Rainbow said that. But when Rainbow forced her ghost out of the body, Fluttershy found herself being dragged along with her. Now they were both floating in the air, looking down at their possessed and pinned down bodies.
Fluttershy gulped, but she steeled her nerves again. They had to get their bodies back, and this was the only way how. When they saw her face, both bodies grew fear on their faces. Meanwhile, everypony was just inches away from being sucked in the vortex.
“Y-You’re… You’re no longer afraid?!” they said in unison. At that mention, Rainbow and Fluttershy threw their ghost bodies at their possessed ones. As soon as they made contact, the vortex sucked them in. Everything flashed at that moment.
Silence followed. Darkness followed. Feelings disappeared. For a moment, everything was non-existent.
______________________________________________________________________________
Rainbow Dash moaned as she opened her eyes, still hearing the faint echoes of silence, if silence somehow had a sound. Her eyes caught vision of the night sky. Blinking harshly, she picked herself up to get a better look. She was outside the mansion. To her left, she heard whimpering.
“Fluttershy,” she whispered as she turned her head. Fluttershy was there, curled into a ball while trying to hold back tears, failing to do so. Rainbow rushed to her. “Fluttershy. Wake up, Fluttershy.” Her voice was quiet as she tapped Fluttershy gently.
Fluttershy released a gasp as she opened her eyes. She was about to panic, but her eyes met with Rainbow’s. Looking into those protective eyes calmed her nerves, but she was also taken by surprise.
“R-Rainbow Dash?” she asked. “You’re…” Rainbow helped Fluttershy sit up. “You’re back to normal.” Hearing that, Rainbow’s eyes widened as she looked at her hooves.
“Hey, you’re right,” Rainbow responded. “And you are too.” Fluttershy looked to her hooves as well, finding the results both stunning, and relieving.
“Does that mean… it’s over?” Fluttershy somewhat held her breath at that question. Rainbow turned around. They seemed to be inside the edge of a large cliff with a carved out cove in the walls. She and Fluttershy walked closer to its edge to view the night air.
“Looks like it,” she answered while turning to Fluttershy with a smile. Fluttershy released her breath in relief as she dropped her head towards Rainbow. Rainbow caught Fluttershy and embraced her in a hug that warmed both their hearts. The fear had left them both, Fluttershy being far more relieved.
“That was so scary, Rainbow Dash,” Fluttershy muttered. “It all felt so real. I thought we were in danger.”
Rainbow chuckled. “I know. But you wanna know how to tell that it wasn’t real?” Fluttershy just responded with a confused look. With a boop to the nose, Rainbow answered. “Because we didn’t feel any pain. Did we?”
Fluttershy blinked as her nose was booped. When Rainbow removed her hoof, it left behind a smile on Fluttershy’s face. “You’re right, Rainbow.” She giggled as she gave Rainbow a hug. “Even when we lost our heads, I didn't feel any pain. You were right all along. All we had to do was face our fear.”
Rainbow returned the hug, but blushed in embarrassment from being reminded what she told Fluttershy earlier. “Yeah… heheh.” When she told Fluttershy that, this wasn’t exactly what she meant. But it worked. “Hey! Now that it’s over, we get to do, that.”
Fluttershy gasped, internally excited. “Ooh! You’re right!” She nuzzled underneath Rainbow’s chin. “I’m looking forward to it.”
Rainbow smiled and wrapped a wing around Fluttershy. They did what Rainbow wanted to do. Now it was time to do what Fluttershy wanted to do.
Something just dawned on Rainbow Dash. Removing herself from Fluttershy's side, she walked to the cliff's edge and looked up. This was the same cliff that the mansion was at. But from what she could tell from this view and the lack of sound, the mansion was gone.
"What is it, Rainbow?" Fluttershy asked as she walked to Rainbow's side.
"Huh..." Rainbow responded. "When they said a haunted attraction for two, did they literally mean only two?" When the words sank in, all Fluttershy could do was blush.
Author's Note
This would be the first time I actually participate in one of these contests. I don't really care for the prizes, but I thought it would at least be fun to participate!
This story is just gonna be 3 chapters. Hope everyone enjoys!
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Find any errors? Please notify.
Feedback and criticism are appreciated.
Thank you all for reading, and I hope you enjoy.
Author's Note
Tonight's chapter is brought to you by Berry Punch with a Pinch of sugar:
Source
Mmm! Juicy!
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Find any errors? Please notify.
Feedback and criticism are appreciated.
Thank you all for reading, and I hope you enjoy.
What a Fright
Many ponies were gathered just outside the stage, consisting mostly of families who brought their daughters and sons or little sisters and brothers. Everypony was still cheering from the last show. It featured a silly performance performed by Derpy and her daughter Dinky. Dinky was dressed up as a muffin monster with a mouth, floating inside the biggest bubble Equestria's ever seen. Half the ponies found it adorable while the other half found it terrifying, and not just from the monster's scaring.
Fluttershy was nervously jittering at the sounds of all those excited ponies cheering. Nightmare Night would soon be ending. This would be the last show performed on stage for this night. After experiencing the Ghost Mansion Feast a few hours ago, she’d think she could handle a stage fright like this. It seemed no matter how much you were ready for something, there was always room for nervousness to creep up when the time came.
She took a deep breath to calm her nerves. Looking behind her, she saw the rest of her assistants prepping for the performance. Bats were hanging in the shadows, butterflies were aligning their colors, and her personal pet bunny, Angel, was taking a long look at an empty bottle that was recently used. Fluttershy looked up, noticing a particular butterfly in position. It made her smile and regain her courage.
“Fillies and gentlecolts,” Mayor Mare was speaking outside the curtains of the stage. “There are only a few minutes left before the sun rises, and Nightmare Night comes to a close. Our last performance will be played by Fluttershy and her animal assistants. This has been a wonderful night. So to end it all off, give it up for Fluttershy and her Morning Welcome Ceremony!” The ponies replied with stomps of applause.
Fluttershy gave off a smile and looked to the bats above. She gave them a nod to start the performance. Upon receiving the signal, they flew off. There were many bats that flew from the stage after Mayor Mare stepped off. The applause had stopped when they appeared. Some of them were gasping in fear as they watched the bats fly off in the night sky. A few bats shrieked their sonar towards the audience as they passed. After all the bats were outside, Fluttershy grabbed her microphone.
“Every year on this night, they come,” Fluttershy started. Her voice echoed across the entire audience so everypony could hear clearly. She started speaking a few words. At the same time, some of the bats started hovering above the audience. Spiders were lowering themselves from the bats, getting very close to a few individual ponies.
“Bats, spiders, ghosts, monsters. They strike fear on us all in these dark times.” One of the spiders lowered itself in front of a unicorn filly named Ruby Pinch. She shut her eyes and flinched back in fear. Her mother, Berry Punch, was just as scared. But when she noticed her daughter cowering, she embraced her close in a hug, calming the filly and herself. Others were not so fortunate and had to embrace the fear alone.
Fluttershy brushed through the curtains and revealed herself with closed eyes. “But as scary as the night may be, it never lasts forever.” Several lights shined upon her. As she spread her wings, many butterflies with the colors of the rainbow flew from the stage. Angel was there at the upper part of the stage, turning one light to follow the butterflies as they flew. The bats and spiders that were terrifying the crowd brought their attentions to those butterflies. Their colors mixed in with the light, shining a bright and beautiful rainbow. It brought fear to the monsters while bringing comfort and smiles to the audience. Even Ruby Pinch and her mother had stars in their eyes despite a spider being inches away from their faces.
"For every time the night comes, light will rise again." The monsters were starting to back off as the butterflies inched closer. "These scary monsters fear the light. When it rises, the monsters will be gone." There was a bright shine of light that resonated from the butterflies. It flashed against the bats and spiders, causing them all to shriek as if in pain before falling to the ground, fainted. Nopony paid attention to them and instead focused on the light. They all hummed their 'ooh's and 'ahh's seeing the light vanquish the night.
"We all know this. We wait for the light to return, to protect us, to chase away the monsters of the night." Fluttershy's mood suddenly changed. She looked down, closed her eyes, and turned away. "But..." Suddenly, all the lights turned off. The lights coming from the butterflies dimmed out. They could be seen falling to the ground just like the bats. Even the stage went dark.
Gasps of fear were growing from the audience. Somehow, the area was getting darker, and darker, until the ponies could no longer see what was in front of them. Not even the moon shined any light.
"There comes a time, a place where there won't be a light to protect us. When the sun's rise won't bring us light." Something was emerging from the darkness. Their motion brought a few yelps from the crowd. Each pony turned to the direction they heard the monster. Whatever it was, it was something big.
"With no light, the monsters will have nothing to fear with terrorizing us." The monster opened its eyes, its big, red, terrifying eyes. Many ponies shrieked. Some of them held onto their friends and family, while others tried shielding themselves behind ponies they didn't know. Ruby Pinch was huddling very close to her mother, very terrified. But as she could tell from her mother's heartbeat, her mother was just as terrified.
Something shined from where the stage was. There was a small light there. But it was dimming, looking like it could go out any second. The light flew over to the audience and towards the monster. It was another butterfly, but this one seemed different somehow.
The monster turned to the butterfly when it reached it. At that moment, the light went out, making the audience gasp. This monster towered over the butterfly like a dragon ready to prey on an innocent pony. While the butterfly appeared to be shivering, it didn’t back down. Instead, it inched closer to the monster with a confident face.
Somehow, the monster’s scary expression softened for a moment. But it returned its creepy face and growled louder. The butterfly flinched back, but didn’t cower away. It brought itself back to the monster, more determined to face it than before. There was a small light coming from the butterfly’s body. This light brought silent gasps from the audience.
“But no matter how dark the night is, there is always a light inside you. All you have to do, is bring it out.” The butterfly continued to inch itself further towards the monster. Every time it did, the monster growled louder and tried scaring it back. But the butterfly continued retaliating in the same manner. It was a losing battle for the monster. For every time it lost ground, the light inside the butterfly became brighter. Eventually, the monster was the one that had fear.
“A close friend of mine showed me how to bring that light out. That light is your courage.” Angel turned the dial every time the butterfly got closer, causing the light to shine brighter. When the monster’s expression finally winced to the point of sweating. The butterfly’s light became bright enough to illuminate itself. Everypony could now see the colors of its wings. What they saw surprised them immensely.
The wings held multiple colors. Red, yellow, blue, green, orange, purple, all of the colors of the rainbow spread like lines on both its wings. It’s body was a light blue resembling a cyan coat, with its legs and antennas matching its color. And unlike other butterflies, its eyes were white with magenta pupils.
Most of the fillies and colts could recognize who it was. It was Rainbow Dash. She was a butterfly, a butterfly who was scaring off this giant monster of the night.
Fluttershy turned back to the crowd with a smile. “If you face your fear, your light will shine. Your light will scare the monsters away.” Rainbow Dash smirked and got up in the monster’s face, her light shining brighter. The monster shrieked. Light was bursting out of its body until it was completely engulfed. When it was, the monster burst into dozens of bats, all of which rained down to the floor. There must’ve been some conscience still in them, as none of them made contact with the crowd as they fell. Some of the ponies did flinch though.
“The monsters of this night can only bring fear to you. They can never harm you. Even if you’re small, weak, and helpless, If you can learn to face your fears, you too, can scare away these monsters.” Ruby Pinch and her mother were two of the ponies still trembling from such a monster. As Rainbow Dash looked to the crowd, she noticed them barely able to peek out. She smiled and went to them.
“It won’t be easy for everypony, but you don’t have to face them alone.” Fluttershy waved to the spot in the crowd that Rainbow Dash situated herself to. The crowd followed her sights. Rainbow Dash hovered just above Ruby and her mother. She lowered herself further to meet the filly’s horn. A gentle touch to the horn was made, causing it to start emitting the same light Rainbow Dash had. Berry Punch gasped at the light her daughter emitted. It wasn’t a light being emitted from the stage. This light was coming from her daughter's magic, or more specifically, her daughter's courage.
Berry Punch couldn't help but smile at Ruby's first use of magic. A simple night light spell that she could use in the dark. It brought tears to her eyes. Her daughter must've felt the same way when she looked back at her mother. Tears poured from her eyes too as they both felt such warmth from this light. When they hugged, Rainbow hovered up to the mother's mane, spreading more light to them.
"Your friends and your families. Look to them for support, even if you have to help each other. Remember that your light is with you. It will guide you through the night. And you no longer have to be afraid." Everypony else smiled, some of them holding tears. From Fluttershy's speech, and the joy that this mother and daughter shared, it was practically impossible for them to not smile. Some of the fillies and colts hugged their parents or guardians in response, happy to have somepony to give them courage just like Ruby. Nopony even noticed that Angel screwed up the syncing of the light for a moment to shed tears as well.
All of the butterflies started picking themselves up from the ground. Rainbow soon went back to the air and the others followed. Something was rising over the horizon. It looked like the sun, and Rainbow was floating towards it with all the butterflies. She turned to the crowd, spreading her multi-colored wings over the sun while each butterfly gathered behind her.
As the sun rose, her wings lit up from the sun's flares, lighting the crowd and the stage in a multitude of beautiful colors. The rainbows shined upon the crowd's eyes, bright enough for them to gaze in awe without blinding them. If they didn’t know any better, the audience would think she was actually raising the sun.
When the sun got into position, Rainbow Dash flew towards the right side of the audience with the butterflies following suit. After getting to position, she turned a ninety degree angle and raised her altitude, which soon turned to a dive in a circular motion. Some of the butterflies slowed their flight into a stop while others continued forward, stopping a bit later. Specific colors of butterflies aligned themselves to stop in a desired pattern. That pattern was aligned with the matching colors of the rainbow.
Rainbow Dash split from the path, flying towards the stage as the rainbow was completed. The butterflies managed to form the exact shape that a rainbow made. Sighs of awes resonated from the crowd as they looked up to it. With the light of the sun shining upon it, it was as if a real rainbow had formed in the sky. Fluttershy spread her left wing out for Rainbow to land on. She finished her performance with a bow.
“Nightmare Night is now over. Thank you. Thank you all for coming!” Fluttershy closed her eyes and bowed as well. The audience gave their applause with their stomps and cheered. Berry Punch and her daughter still held each other, but they turned to the stage and waved. Rainbow and Fluttershy could see their smiling faces and waved back. They couldn’t be happier to see such smiling faces.
As the audience cheered, the bats and spiders awoke, the butterflies broke their formations, and the spiders climbed on the bats as they all flew back to the stage. They joined with Fluttershy, waving at the audience to accept their applause and sharing their smiling faces with them. Even Angel had hopped down to stand on top of Fluttershy’s mane, waving and smiling at the applauding audience.
As for Rainbow Dash, she just couldn’t tear her eyes off Berry Punch and Ruby Pinch. They just looked like such a loving family. It warmed her heart more than she thought it would. When she took a glance at Fluttershy with that family in mind, her warm feeling grew even warmer.
Rainbow Dash and Fluttershy were settled on top of a cloud high in the skies. The potion that Rainbow took for the butterfly transformation used in the performance had worn out. She was a pegasus again and could now enjoy watching this beautiful sunrise with Fluttershy.
But as they watched, Rainbow's mind kept wandering to the performance. Thinking about that just brought so much joy to her. If there was a time to talk about it, it would be now. So, she had to ask...
"Hey, Fluttershy?" she started. Fluttershy looked to her and hummed questioningly. "What was your favorite part of that performance we did?"
Fluttershy blinked. "Oh my... You really enjoyed it that much?" Rainbow rubbed the back of her neck, chuckling embarrassingly. She managed to nod though. "Well... I'm not sure what my favorite part was. It was all so..." There was a pause from Fluttershy as she found her answer. "I'd have to say it was when we brought smiles to all those fillies and colts."
Fluttershy was snuggling at Rainbow's side when Rainbow gave her response. "Yeah... Did you see how happy that kid was? The one I shared my light with?" A nod came from Fluttershy as a response. "Compared to her, I don't think anypony was nearly as happy as she was. Same with her mother. In fact... Did you know that light spell was the first time she's ever used magic?"
Fluttershy pulled away from Rainbow, looking at her curiously. "Is it really?"
"I heard her squeeling to her mom about it when they were leaving. So, it has to be!" Rainbow turned back to the sun, her smile fading a bit. "Seeing them go like that, it got me thinking..."
Fluttershy looked to the sun as well. "Thinking?"
There was a pause. Rainbow and Fluttershy continued staring at the sun, watching as it rose and glowed brighter just as slowly as watching paint dry. It was just that relaxing to watch, to witness every second of the darkest night ending, and a brand new morning to greet them.
Rainbow turned to Fluttershy. "How awesome would it be if we could have a foal like that?" Fluttershy continued staring at the sun, letting Rainbow's question hang in the air for a moment. When Fluttershy turned to her, Rainbow continued. "A foal that we could raise our own?"
Fluttershy closed her eyes, smiling as she began to imagine that scenario. Seeing the family of two smile like that was quite pleasant. She could just imagine herself in that mother's horse shoes and embracing a child like that in her own hooves. Opening her eyes, she looked to Rainbow Dash.
"That would be wonderful. But..." Fluttershy's smile turned into a frown as reality started kicking in her mind, the reality being her past experience with foal-sitting fillies. Her past experience involved three hyperactive fillies, a broken table, damaged eardrums,, and a life-risking journey through an unnatural forest called Everfree. "Raising a foal is not the same as raising animals. I don't know if I could raise one on my own."
Rainbow Dash booped her nose. "Luckily, you don't have to. Because we'll be raising one together!"
Fluttershy giggled from the boop. Maybe she was just letting her fears get to her again. After all, raising one foal was very different from raising three. If it wasn't for that performance, she wasn't sure if Rainbow Dash could set a good example for foals. But now she understood how it could be possible.
With their different traits, it was possible that they could sustain a proper balance. Fluttershy could set the examples of how to be a good foal, and Rainbow Dash could set the examples of how the foal can take care of itself in tough times. If there was too much of Rainbow Dash, the foal could be reckless. And at the same time, if there was too much of Fluttershy, the foal would be anti-social.
With these thoughts, Fluttershy knew they could raise a foal together. There was one problem though.
"And how will we get one?" Fluttershy said. "I mean, it won't be as easy for a couple like us. How would we get a foal that we could call our own?" It was then that Rainbow Dash frowned. But it wasn't a frown of sadness. It was a frown of annoyance.
"You know... for a shy pony, you sure do talk a lot." Fluttershy could only blush from that statement. Rainbow decides to playfully ruff up Fluttershy's mane, chuckling as the sensation was practically tickling Fluttershy. "You just leave that to me to figure out. Count on it as a promise."
After taking a moment to recover, Fluttershy responded. "A promise? Are you sure you'll be able to keep it?"
Rainbow Dash pulled something from behind her. It looked like a piece of chocolate called Kisses, which she quickly unwrapped with her mouth. She then opened Fluttershy's mouth, who was taken aback by the gesture, placed the piece of chocolate in Fluttershy’s mouth.
And then, Rainbow Dash leaned her head forward and planted a kiss on Fluttershy’s lips. Fluttershy’s eyes widened upon receiving a kiss both inside, and out. Two different flavors of sweet goodness penetrated her taste buds. The inner walls of her mouth squished the tasty chocolate, spreading its sweet kissy goodness further along her tongue. She closed her eyes and moaned in delight, allowing herself to fall backwards and allowing Rainbow Dash to take control of how far her body leaned. All she needed was the sweet taste of chocolate inside, and Rainbow’s lips pressing against hers outside.
Rainbow removed her lips from Fluttershy, lifting her and herself back up into a sitting position. Fluttershy’s lips were still moving for a moment, longing for more of that taste, When she opened her eyes, she saw Rainbow Dash smiling back at her.
“How’s that for a promise?” Rainbow said. It made Fluttershy blush, still holding that taste of smushed chocolate in her mouth. After swallowing the kiss, she could only giggle. “If we don’t get one by the time of Hearth’s Warming, it’ll be my Hearth’s Warming Resolution!”
Fluttershy blinked. “Um… don’t you mean New Year’s Resolution?”
“Same thing,” Rainbow responded. Fluttershy couldn’t exactly argue with that. The two dates were so close together, the time difference hardly mattered. If that was how Rainbow Dash wanted to view it, she wasn’t gonna deny that from her. Though there was one thing she wanted to deny her of.
“Okay, but on one condition,” Fluttershy said. When Rainbow responded with a questioning hum, she continued. “You aren’t gonna search for a foal yourself. We, will find that out together.”
It was Rainbow’s turn to blink. “But Fluttershy. You have your animals to take care of.”
“And you have your weather duties to take care of,” Fluttershy responded. “If we’re gonna be raising a foal together, we’re gonna find out how to get one together. I don’t want either of us absent when we learn.”
Rainbow was quite taken aback. It was amazing how important this was to Fluttershy. Maybe she wanted in on the promise as well. Or maybe this was something Fluttershy wanted for a long time, and finally felt ready to do it.
Rainbow smiled a flared her left wing out. Fluttershy did the same, but with her right. Turning their wings towards each other, they crossed each other’s wings side by side to conjoin their feathers together. When they pressed their feathers together, Rainbow responded.
“Deal!”
And with that, their Nightmare Night was over. Now, it was time for them to look forward to Hearth's Warming.
Author's Note
That marks the end. Since this is my first participation in a contest, I was more interested in having fun with it than anything else. Now that this is done, I can return back to my main story that most people are interested in. Hope everyone else had fun!
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Feedback and criticism are appreciated.
Thank you all for reading, and I hope you enjoy.
