A snore came out from the nostril of Twilight Sparkle. She laid in her bed in a messy manner, books littered around her bed as she tried to stay comfortable. She shifted her body a bit with her hooves scooched to the side a bit more. A clop came from somewhere inside the room and Twilight Sparkle opened her big purple eyes. Before her near the bed was a caped quadruped. A horse’s skull with swirly horns watched her with it’s bright vermillion eyes from the hood it wore. It stared at her with a blank expression. Bone white hooves could be seen from the bottom of the cape.
Twilight gasped before she shuffled back from it’s presence. She breathed as the demonic monstrosity continued to stand still. Her aback to the corner of her bed where the wall would meet.
“Who are you and what do you want!?” she said. Her body trembled at the sight of it.
The dead like monster opened it’s maw. It regurgitated something from its throat as it’s black tongue continued to lick the air. Out from the mouth came a metal protrusion to which it spat it out between Twilight’s hind legs. A black key with cuts around its frame and a circular extension sat on the bed. It was surrounded by black ichor that had been vomited down by the creature with it.
Before Twilight could speak, the windows shifted from the docile calm sight of Ponyville to the inflamed destruction that scoured the area with fire. Everywhere she saw the fire envelop the crumbled, flame-sooted buildings to the point where the fire could be seen for miles.
Twilight screamed from the sight of so much fire. She awoke to the sweat drenched bed that was covered almost entirely.
“Spike! Come in here right now!” she screamed.
The Spike’s clawsteps ran steadily up her stairs before the door to her room slammed open from his force.
“What, what was it Twilight, what happened-”
Spike froze from the sight that he saw before him. Twilight looked down and saw that dark liquid had dripped down her bed. From that, magic formed from her horn around her star bed covers and they flew to the wall from her exertion.
Below her was the very same thing she had seen in her dream. Perfectly etched with cuts that sat alone. The very same key that she saw in her nightmare.
“Twilight, what is that?” said Spike.
Twilight crawled out of the bed and stood near Spike at the door. Both of them watched the key, their bodies reserved to act on its presence.
Around the table where everypony sat. Crystal seats filled with ponies that awaited Twilight Sparkle’s news. Each of the bearers watched as she approached the table to unveil what she found.
“Hello everypony, I recently had a horrific nightmare and then found this key sitting in my bed…”
Rarity rose from her chair.
“My my, that sounds absolutely horrifying Twilight, but what could this magical artifact possibly mean for you?”
Rainbow Dash scratched her head.
“And why don’t we just destroy it, it seems totally useless to keep it around!”
Twilight pulled out a box from behind where Spike had been holding it. Inside was a glass container that had the key held within.
“I'm currently looking into what this thing could be about, but right now I have no idea to whom it was for or what it was intended for, and no Rainbow Dash we can’t just destroy it”.
Fluttershy rose up.
“Maybe we should uh, dig a hole and drop it in there, that’ll solve the problem easy”.
Twilight snorted.
“Come on guys, it could be really dangerous what this thing could do”.
Applejack turned.
“But, Twilight, all we a’know is that ya’ll had a bad dream and this thing jus appeared outta nowhere!”
“OH Oh, I know, why don’t we just throw it over a cliff, that’ll be the best way to do this!” said Pinkie Pie with a bounce.
Twilight stood there confused.
“Come on guys, this is serious, this could forebode to the destruction of Ponyville!”
“Well what exactly did you see darling?” said Rarity.
Twilight rose from her seat and gave a solemn gaze to her friends.
“It was horrifying, a monstrous skull inside a formless cape that stared at me with it’s red soulless eyes”.
Then, the glass began to crack right before their eyes. Twilight gasped as the glass container broke apart in a instant. It levitated a few meters to the center of the table and then it just stayed there. Everypony was silent and awaited what the key was going to do. Pinkie Pie began to drool a little bit. Rarity was doing her hooves with some hoof polish. Everypony else began to sweat profusely at what the demonic key was capable of.
Any minute now.
Sometime in the future at some point.
“Sweating sounds”
“Ouglabouglaougla!” screamed out the demonic monster. It’s head came out from above the key and it howled like a maniac.
The bearers screamed to their heart's content at the view of such a terrifying creature.
Twilight screamed to a halt and blasted the image of the beast with a magic missile. The beam flew to the other side through the image and hit a chandelier that fell on Spike the Dragon.
“Oh no, Spike!” said Twilight. The members ran to Spike’s mangled body as he said his last words.
“I’m so sorry Twilight, “cough” “ cough” I thought that I could pull a fast one on you guys”.
They all gasped again.
“I enchanted this key with the help of Zecora to spook Twilight!”
Twilight’s tears formed down her eyes as well as with the rest of them. Melancholy enveloped their bodies, their very souls caressed by the hard fact that Spike the Dragon had died to pull a prank on them. There was no mercy or restraint to the sadness they all felt.
“But why would you go to such ridiculous lengths to scare me “sniff” “sniff”!?”
Spike gave a raspy cough out into the sky.
“Because I thought it would be funny…”
“And I’m hollywood actor, Billy Neighs!” said the demonic entity next to them. “See look even the mask comes off and everything”.
Billy Neighs then took off his monstrous mask to show a handsome red horse face.
“See, he just wanted to pull a friendly prank on you!”
Spike raised his claw to the sky and gave out his last breath.
“Oh stop it Spike, I think you are taking this too far already, the gig is up” said Billy Neighs.
Spike groaned.
“Wait a minute, how in the world did you fake me crushing you with the chandelier!?” said Twilight with a angry hoofstomp to which cracked the floor.
Spike crawled out of the broken remains of the crystal chandelier and dusted the destroyed glass off his scales.
“I actually didn’t”.
They all started laughing at the joke that was set upon them. And the near death experience that Spike had faked on them. But, it was Spike who was the last to sweat. For he thought of how he was going to pay for Billy Neigh’s cut from all of this.
A low violin played as the screen veered off from them all laughing.
At this point, Spike finally realized this probably wasn’t worth it.
