Under the Bed

Twilight trots down the wooden stairs, and she makes her way into the kitchen...

"Hi, Twilight!"

Twilight leaps and all the hairs in her mane and tail stood up when her best friend Pinkie Pie shows up out of nowhere.

"I'm sorry. Did I scare you?" Pinkie asks in a silly manner.

Twilight scolds at her friend. "Yes! Yes, you did!" She takes a deep breath. "What're you doing here?"

Pinkie has her sleeping bags and a suitcase in her cart. "Oh, Mr. and Mrs. Cake are gone for two days so I was going to ask you for a sleepover. Can I?"

"No thanks."

Pinkie frowns.

"I have studying to do," Twilight walks to the fridge.

"I made pancakes for you."

Twilight looks at the kitchen table only to see a plate with two stacks of pancakes and a glass of orange juice on it. "Oh, thanks." She trots to the table and she sits on a chair.

"Now can I stay the night with you?"

"Look, making me breakfast isn't gonna work at all." Twilight levitates a fork and she picks up the pancake slice. "And besides, Spike's been gone for two days with Rarity." Twilight takes a bite out of a slice.

"Well, at least you're not scared of sleeping alone. Are you?"

Twilight stops the slice of pancake just before reaching her tongue, her eyes widen, and her mouth opens slowly as Pinkie mentions about her dream last night. "Scared? Nah, I'm not scared of sleeping alone." Twilight quickly takes in and swallows her slice, but she can’t get past the uneasy thoughts of her nightmare to savor her friend’s pie.

Pinkie sits right next to Twilight. "What's the matter?"

"Nothing. Just had a nightmare."

"About what?"

I knew I shouldn't have told her that. "I don't wanna talk about it." She takes a bite on another slice.

"Come on, Twi. We do tell secrets, can we?"

Twilight drops her fork in anger. "I said I don't wanna... TALK ABOUT IT!" Her shouting causes Pinkie to fall off the chair.

Pinkie stands up glaring at Twilight. "Fine! If you don't wanna tell me, then we won't be best friends!" Pinkie turns away crossing her forehooves as her ears slump.

Twilight sighs. "Okay, I'll tell you."

Pinkie’s mane puffs up as she turns to Twilight with a joyous expression.

"It's me when I was a filly. When I was on my bed, there's something scary underneath my bed."

Pinkie laughs.

"What?" Twilight shrugs.

"You're scared of the boogeyman?"

"No, I'm not! It's just a bad dream. And what the hay's a 'boogeyman'?"

Pinkie quickly pulls out her flashlight from her suitcase, moves up within inches of Twilight's face, turns it on before she flashes under her scary face. "It's a night-dwelling creature that could eat you while you're sleeping..." She swiftly pulls away while turning off her flashlight with a warm smile. "...Only if you're naughty."

Twilight sighs in relief. At least I didn't do anything wrong.

"What?"

"Nothing. Nothing."

"Is it because you're scared of it?"

"No, no, I'm... just making sure that I'm not as bad as Nightmare Moon."

"Oh, Twilight. You know the boogeyman's not real. It was just a figment of an imagination." Pinkie walks to the door with her suitcase and sleeping bag. "In case you're scared of sleeping alone, call me. You'll only have forty-eight hours to ask me for a sleepover."

"I'll be fine, Pinkie."

Pinkie opens the door. "Later, Twi." She slams the door behind her.

At least my nightmares are not real.

The door opens again. "Are you sure you don't want me to stay the night with you?" Pinkie asks.

"I'm sure, Pinkie."

"It's your choice." She disappears outside as she slams the door behind her.

After breakfast, Twilight's in the library on her desk studying Friendship problems.

For a few minutes, Twilight takes a break. She can't stop thinking about the same creature from her nightmares.

What could that creature be? I swear Pinkie Pie knows what it is, but I might have forgotten. She looks at the bookshelf. I guess I'll find something.

Twilight levitates a dozen books and she scans one of them that's related to the same dream creature. "No. No. No. No. No." She kept on scanning for books but didn't find anything as she continues to search. "Oh, I wish Spike was here."

Then, Twilight finds something. It was a non-fiction book that was titled ‘Ponyville Urban Legends’ written by Edgar Hoof.

"Urban Legends, huh?" Twilight says as she drops the books except for the one she found. "I guess I'll take a look."

She trots to her desk, places the book on it, and she sits on her chair before opening the book. "Let's see..." She flips several pages. "Banshee... Bigfoot... Black-eyed Children... Boogey-" Twilight finds something. "A-ha! Here it is. That's funny. How come a remember the name of what Pinkie told me?" She shrugs. "I don't care." Twilight reads it.

Bogeyman is a common allusion to a mythical creature in many cultures used by adults to frighten children into good behavior.

Did I do something wrong even I was a filly? I didn't do anything wrong. She sighs. "I hope Pinkie's right." She closes the book.

That afternoon, Twilight trots out of her library towards the grocery store to get lunch as she barely runs out of food. Thoughts about the boogeyman still crowd her mind as she remembers what Pinkie called that creature in her dreams.

When Twilight made it to the grocery store to pick up some food, she comes across a newspaper box. She reads the newspaper article with pictures of two fillies.

Two fillies have reported missing

Interesting. She thinks.

Twilight pulls out a bit and inserts it into the coin slot before she levitates the newspaper out of the newspaper box.

Twilight reads the rest of the article. That morning, the family noticed that two of their children were missing, with no trace. The parents told reporters the last time they saw their children they were sound asleep in their beds.

"Hey, Twilight."

Twilight heart leaps. She quickly turns only to see Pinkie... again. "Oh, you scared me. Hi, Pinkie."

"How's your studying?"

"Great. I'd learned about friendship and magic and stuff."

Pinkie glances at the newspaper Twilight bought. "'Two fillies reported missing'? Gee that's terrible."

"Yeah. They've somehow disappeared without a trace."

"I hope they were in a secret party and then come back home."

Twilight laughs and then smiles sheepishly. "Yeah."

"I'll go visit the fillies’ parents to help look for them. See you later, Twilight." Pinkie trots away. "In case you're scared of sleeping alone, ask me for a sleepover."

"I'm not scared of sleeping alone, Pinkie Pie!" Twilight yells out.

"You better be if you see the boogeyman."

Twilight’s whole body trembles slightly as she gulps.

Her thoughts trail off from all that is around her. She feels what has become her nightmare, the boogeyman, slowly pulling her down into a dark pond of her own dreadful fear, failing to hear her joyous friend calling back while she trotting away. "Just kidding!"