Late at night, Twilight heard a knock at her door.
It interrupted her at the very last moment before she went to bed. Already her library was dark, the lantern next to her bed the only light yet to be extinguished.
A brief glance out the window showed her she was in the majority. Only one or two houses still had any lights at all. Clouds covered the sky on this moonless night leaving Ponyville far darker than normal.
As if being pitch black weren’t bad enough, a cold and howling wind blew constantly through the night. Twilight felt chilly enough inside her library, shielded from the harsh gusts. Outside it must have been unbearable.
She glanced up at the clock. Ten o’clock was long past the time you got good news from surprise visitors. You didn’t travel on a night like this without good reason, either.
Twilight grabbed her lantern and hurried to the door, hoping it was nothing serious.
She threw open the front door to find one of her friends out alone in the night.
Fluttershy stood in the tiny bubble of light from her own lantern. It flickered feebly in the wind even with Fluttershy shielding it with her wing. The poor pegasus didn’t look entirely alright. Her wings were tense and her ears down. Something had to be wrong.
“Oh! Hello, Twilight.” Embarrassed, Fluttershy kept her ears pinned as she scraped her hoof against the ground.
“Why are you here so late?” Twilight asked. “Is there an emergency?”
“Oh, no. Nothing like that.” Fluttershy grabbed the longest part of her mane and began stroking it. “It’s just, um– I was wondering if I could sleep at your house tonight?”
Fluttershy forced herself to smile. Twilight blinked twice before responding, unsure of what to make of this.
“Fluttershy, this is a bit too last minute for a sleepover,” said Twilight. “I learned last time that I don’t need to check off every item from the sleepover list, but we wouldn’t even have time to check off anything but ‘go to sleep’. Surely that would count as an unmitigated disaster.”
“I know that. It’s just–” Fluttershy bit her lip and glanced out into the dark town behind her. “I’m a bit scared is all.”
“Of the dark?” Twilight raised an eyebrow.
“Of that story.” Fluttershy shivered at the mention.
She didn’t have to think long to remember the one Fluttershy meant. She told everypony exactly one scary story earlier today– The Curse of the Golden Turtle from the book Magical Mishaps of Atrocious Artifacts.
Granted, Twilight hadn’t meant it as such. She had no idea that any of the stories in that book, mostly about magical artifacts, were in the horror genre. She read a few of them herself beforehand and none of them approached ‘scary’. The first struck her as a comedy more than anything else.
Only halfway through the tale, noticing the horrified silence hanging over her friends, did Twilight realize she’d made a misstep. They all agreed it would be worse if she didn’t finish reading it, but after that none of them wanted to hear any more stories, not from that book.
It still struck her as such an odd collection. Who would put a story as macabre as The Curse of the Golden Turtle next to a lighthearted comedy?
“Fluttershy, that was a work of fiction,” Twilight assured her. “There’s no logical reason to be afraid of something that doesn’t actually exist. Therefore, you shouldn’t be scared. There. Did you stop being afraid?”
“Um.” Fluttershy cast her muzzle down to look up at Twilight with her eyes. “No? I don’t think it works like that.”
“That always worked for me.” Twilight scratched her head. “Any time I got scared of a story as a foal, I’d just remind myself that fiction can’t possibly hurt me. Not unless I tip the bookshelf over, that is.”
“I know it doesn’t make sense, but I can’t stop being afraid,” said Fluttershy.
Twilight stepped aside to at let her in for the moment, at least.
“I tried, but I just can’t stop thinking about what happened to the pony in that story. These images won’t get out of my head.” Fluttershy shivered once she got inside. Whether from the cold or the story, Twilight had no idea. “And it’s so windy and dark tonight. And rain is scheduled for later! Every sound is making me shake. I know there’s no way I’ll get to sleep tonight if I stay all alone back at my cottage.”
Twilight frowned.
Even if it was an accident, she did feel a little responsible for giving Fluttershy such a terrible fright. From a utilitarian standpoint, letting Fluttershy stay over would take less time than convincing her to not be afraid too.
Her only hold-up was from a book she read. Letting a foal stay in your room when they were afraid of a ghost could reinforce the existence of ghosts in their minds.
“Oh, okay.” Twilight smiled at Fluttershy’s relief. “But I don’t want to reinforce the idea that this is a credible threat! I’ll only let you sleep in my room if you acknowledge that the story isn’t true.”
“Oh, I knew that the whole time.” Fluttershy bowed her head to Twilight. “Thank you so much, Twilight!
“And we’re going to sleep right away, okay?” Twilight took the lantern off the door and closed it behind her.
She held the lantern in front of her as she led Fluttershy up the stairs and into her room, leaving the dark library behind them. Fluttershy stayed close by Twilight as they walked, glancing once back down the stairs as they ascended.
The wind kept up its sinister howl but couldn’t get to them here.
They both got into Twilight’s bed, laying barrel to barrel. Fluttershy put a wing over Twilight to pull her extra close, then Twilight drew the covers up over both of them. They rested their chins down on their pillows and Twilight reached out for the lantern.
“Good night.” Twilight snuffed it out.
“Good night.” Fluttershy snuggled into her pillow. “And thank you. I feel so much better now.”
It was such a terribly chilly night. Twilight realized that had Fluttershy not come over, she’d need an extra blanket for this. A pegasus wing felt so much softer than any blanket she’d ever had. She sleepily wondered why nopony made a blanket out of pegasus feathers.
To get more comfortable, Twilight turned onto her side so her back was against Fluttershy’s barrel. Still cradled in her friend’s wing, she could feel Fluttershy’s warm breath against her ear. The pegasus’ breathing slowed and became gentle.
Was she already asleep?
Twilight envied her. She always needed quite some time to fall asleep herself. Though right now, she was so cozy she thought she might get a new record.
She began her nightly ritual of reciting every amino acid and the corresponding nucleic acid sequence in her mind to help her drift asleep. It worked far better than counting sheep. She needed some exercise to quiet her otherwise overactive mind.
It was her dream to remember the last amino acid she thought of before actually falling asleep one day.
Alanine.
Isoleucine.
Tyrosine.
Valine…
She couldn’t exactly remember which she recited last in her mind or if she’d fallen asleep at any point. She most certainly wasn’t asleep when the sound came from downstairs.
Bang. Bang bang. Bang.
Somepony knocking on the door! Louder than Fluttershy’s.
Fluttershy bolted upright as soon as the knock came. She grabbed her pillow, holding it in front of herself like a shield.
“Twilight!” Trembling, Fluttershy glanced at Twilight from behind the pillow. “Twilight! The tapping! The tapping at the window just like in the story!”
“That’s not tapping, it’s knocking. And it’s at the door, not the window,” Twilight grumbled. “Also, that story isn’t true, remember?”
“Oh, right. Sorry.” Fluttershy shied away behind her pillow. “But who would come here so late at night?”
“That’s what I said about you.” Twilight rolled her eyes and got out of bed.
She grabbed the lantern and headed towards the door to see what it was this time.
“Don’t leave me,” Fluttershy muttered and darted after Twilight.
Her lantern filled the library with shadows as they went back downstairs.
The wind picked up as the storm clouds and midnight drew closer. The few ponies who’d kept their lights on had them off now so that the whole of the town fell into total darkness. Perhaps Twilight’s was the only remaining light in the whole town.
The air felt colder at this later hour, the outside just a little less safe than before. Fluttershy stood close behind Twilight as she reached for the front door.
Knock. Knock knock knock knock. Knock knock.
The knock came in a happy rhythm. Twilight raised her eyebrow, fairly sure she knew who this was. She just didn’t know why, yet.
Twilight pushed open the door. Fluttershy sighed with relief to see Pinkie standing alone in the darkness.
Unlike Fluttershy, Pinkie didn’t wait to charge inside, swinging her lantern in a wide arc. The pressure from the wind alone was enough to slam the door behind them.
Pinkie dropped her lantern on the floor, making the room a little brighter.
“Twilight!” Pinkie jumped up on Twilight’s back, hugging her from behind. “My best friend ever! Hey, I just randomly decided that we need to have a surprise sleepover! Haha! First activity? Sleeping! Yeah!”
Pinkie tried dragging Twilight upstairs, but Twilight dug her hooves in.
“Pinkie! This level of friendship is assertive even for you!” Twilight managed to catch her footing and stop the drag. “Tell me what’s happening.”
“What?” Pinkie laughed, shifting her eyes left and right. “You don’t seriously think I came all this way because that story scared me out of my mind and I can’t get to sleep, do you?”
Twilight and Fluttershy watched her, deadpanned.
“Okay, fine! I admit it!” Her mane deflated slightly, her ears drooped, and her smile popped. “You’re too good a detective, Twilight! That story was the most terrifying thing I ever heard! It’s driving me bonkers! Please let me sleep in your room tonight! I can’t possibly face the night alone!”
Pinkie slid across the floor, grabbing Twilight at her ankles.
“Really?” Twilight looked down at her. “You too, Pinkie?”
Twilight planted her face in her hoof and shook her head.
“How can you both be so irrational?” Twilight asked. “I told you it was fiction! There’s no such thing as the golden turtle’s curse, okay?”
“But can you be completely and utterly certain of that?” Pinkie pressed her muzzle up against Twilight’s. “What if that book was supposed to go in the truth section, but you accidentally put it in the lies section?”
If only life were that easy. Twilight would love to go to a library where everything was neatly arranged into ‘truth’ and ‘lies’.
Back in the real world, Twilight levitated the book off the reading desk where she left it. Poor Fluttershy cowered back up the stairs at the mere sight of it.
“Here, look.” Twilight turned the book so that its spine faced Pinkie. “’616’. That puts it squarely in the fiction section.”
“But Twilight!” Pinkie gasped. “What if you’re holding it upside down and its code is actually 919!”
“That kind of wacky misunderstanding does happen to us on a near-weekly basis.” Fluttershy covered her mouth in concern. “I’d believe it!”
Twilight rolled her eyes but decided to play along anyway.
“You’re right!” Twilight made an exaggerated gasp. “If this label was put on upside down that would mean that- that-!”
The others leaned in with a sense of growing horror at this newfound possibility. If as a work of fiction the story was enough to keep them up all night, then how could withstand it if it was all true?
“Then it’s in the math section?!” Twilight dropped the book with a deadpan.
Pinkie began to laugh.
“Some ponies would find that scary.” Fluttershy scraped her hoof across the ground.
“Well I’m not afraid of math or fiction and neither should you be.” Twilight turned back to Pinkie. “Pinkie, why did you come all the way here? Couldn’t you have just slept in Mr. and Mrs. Cake’s room?”
“They’re, uh, playing a special game.” Pinkie tapped her forehooves together.
“What?” Twilight blinked. Realization struck her and she shook her head as hard as she could to get it back out. “Never mind! You can sleep here, Pinkie.”
“Really?” Pinkie gave Twilight one more nuzzle then jumped over to the base of the stairs. “Hurray! You’re the best Twilight!”
“She really is.” Fluttershy pressed her muzzle against Twilight, giving her a nuzzle. “Don’t worry, Pinkie. I was scared too. It’s a good thing we have Twilight.”
Twilight smiled despite herself. She had to admit, it felt good to be there for her friends. Even if they were being crazy.
Knock. Knock. Knock.
Every smile faded and every eye turned toward the door.
“This is getting ridiculous.” Twilight shook her head.
“Twilight,” Pinkie whispered. “You don’t think it’s the mayor, do you?”
“The what?” Twilight's eyes twitched. “Why would the– oh, never mind.”
With much less hesitation than before, Twilight opened the door. Rarity stood before her now, smiling sheepishly, while Sweetie Belle trembled at her side.
“Seriously?” Twilight deadpanned at the sight.
She’d expect this thing from Fluttershy, maybe even Pinkie, but Rarity struck her as more mature than this.
“Well!” Rarity scoffed and turned her cheek. “Not exactly a polite way to greet one of your friends!”
“Oh! No! Sorry.” Twilight’s expression softened. “Please don’t be mad! I didn’t mean it like that! It’s just, you’re not the first pony to visit me tonight.”
Twilight opened the door wider so Rarity could see Pinkie waving and Fluttershy shying away.
“Ah! I see.” Rarity strode inside. “Well, that certainly makes me feel much better about myself.”
Rarity set her lantern down inside the library, adding to Twilight’s growing collection. The library was still far from bright and cheery, but one could no longer call it dark either.
“Let me guess.” Twilight sighed. “The Curse of the Golden Turtle?”
“I’m afraid so, yes. Sweetie Belle was having wretched nightmares about that story you told her.” Rarity held her sister close. “I decided that since it was you who gave her such a fright, you should take responsibility and let her sleep in your room tonight.”
Sweetie Belle nodded eagerly by her side.
“Okay?” Twilight raised her eyebrow, unable to square this circle. “I admit my mistake. But I don’t see why you’d walk over here instead of just letting her sleep in your room.”
“Oh, of course I allowed Sweetie Belle to sleep in my room,” said Rarity. “It worked for a few hours, I suppose. There I was, heroically guarding my little sister through this night of terror! When what did I hear? Why, from the deepest darkness of the kitchen came a–”
“Rarity!” Fluttershy flared out her wings. “Can we please not tell any more scary stories tonight?”
Rarity made a tut and rolled her eyes.
“Oh, very well.” Rarity nodded. “To cut to the chase, this dreadful windstorm blew a branch right into my bedroom window! It might not sound as much without the proper buildup, but I assure you we were already on edge when it happened. We literally ran out the door. There’s simply no way I’ll be able to get any sleep tonight and I have an important meeting tomorrow.
“So please may we stay here tonight?” Rarity clasped her hooves together pleadingly, one eye open with hope. “I would be so grateful!”
“Yeah! Please, Twilight!” Sweetie Belle looked up at her with enormous puppy dog eyes, whimpering slightly with her lip. “I’m so scared!”
You’d have to rip your heart out of your chest to resist that look from Sweetie Belle.
“I suppose you might as well at this point.” Twilight relented with a sigh. “Though I have no idea how we’re all going to fit on the bed together.”
“Twilight, I’m an expert when it comes to cuddling.” Pinkie winked. “Leave it to me! Fitting five ponies on a single bed is no problem for a pony as pink as me!”
Pinkie grabbed her lantern and pronked her way up the stairs, leaving the parade of remaining ponies to follow her up more slowly.
When they returned to Twilight's room, Pinkie was already crouched in a play bow, assessing the situation.
“First we push the bed up against the wall.” Pinkie pressed her head against it and moved the bed into the corner of the room so its foot and right side were blocked. “This minimizes the chances of a chain rollover. Trust me, we don’t want a repeat of the six-pony pileup that happened at my first sleepover!”
Pinkie grabbed Fluttershy and lifted her onto the bed.
“Fluttershy, you go in first.” Pinkie nudged her along. “Get up against the wall.”
Fluttershy scooched her way over until she couldn’t go any farther. Pinkie jumped into the bed and rolled across it. Her back squeezed Fluttershy up against the wall with enough pressure to force Fluttershy to open her wing up.
“And now Twilight!” Pinkie opened her forelegs wide to accept Twilight into her embrace.
Seeing no other option, Twilight crawled into bed. Pinkie snatched her up immediately in her death grip. There was no escape now.
Rarity looked down at the bed, seeing a clear gap left for her.
“Ah! There is just enough room for me!” Rarity hopped onto the bed. She strutted in place twice to find the softest spot and lay down next to Twilight. She rested perilously close to the edge of the bed but managed to get on.
Now Twilight lay on her stomach, her barrel against Rarity’s side and Pinkie’s belly.
Sweetie Belle found the gap at the foot of the bed and squeezed in, laying on top of Rarity and Twilight’s tails. Pinkie’s big, fluffy tail served as the filly’s pillow. Twilight knew from personal experience that Pinkie’s tail was better than an actual pillow.
So if anything, Twilight was envious of Sweetie Belle’s position. The only pony she worried about was Fluttershy, the load-bearing pony in this makeshift structure.
“Are you really okay back there?” Twilight asked Fluttershy.
“Oh, I’m fine,” Fluttershy assured her. “It’s strange but being squished against the wall like this makes me feel nice and secure. This is the snuggest I’ve ever been.”
‘Snug’ was the perfect word to describe this situation. Twilight couldn’t move one single inch in this mess. Yet she was farther away from ‘uncomfortable’ than she’d ever been before.
Twilight found herself surrounded by so much softness in every direction. Rarity and Pinkie were vastly superior to any pillow. She felt the slowly rising and falling lungs of three different ponies.
Pinkie had already fallen asleep from the looks of things. Twilight felt her gentle, warm breath against her neck as Pinkie pressed her muzzle against it. The pink pony held Twilight with determination enough to make it clear Twilight would be her cuddle toy for the rest of the night.
Being submerged in this snugness for one second was all it took for Twilight to melt away and dissolve into the coziness.
Twilight decided that being buried under her friends wasn’t the worst thing in the world. Sure, she only had an inch or two of wiggle room to adjust her position, but otherwise, it was all upsides.
If two ponies kept her warm, then five made her nice and toasty. That once harsh-sounding wind now seemed more like a joke to Twilight. It could only add to her feeling of invincible comfort.
The clock gently ticked away in the dark as Twilight neared the edge of sleep. She wished she could slow it down somehow.
The rain began. Though the rain was harsh, Twilight could only take comfort in it sound against the window.
Nothing could ruin this perfect feeling.
Unless the same exact thing happened a fourth time.
Twilight’s eyes popped open. She listened to three more ticks of the clock.
No.
Surely Applejack and Rainbow Dash were brave enough to not get spooked by a story.
Dash defied death every day and Applejack… farmed? But she was a brave farmer!
Right?
Tap.
Twilight’s ears twitched.
It happened in place of one of the clock’s ticks but was much too loud to be from the tiny timepiece Twilight had in the room. She swiveled her ears around, trying to find where it had come from.
It had to be a loose branch or something.
Tap. Tap. Tap.
Not a knock, but a tap. Not at the door, but at the window.
The thought chilled Twilight’s nerves, but not for her own sake. Her worst fear came true when she felt the bed shift. By process of elimination, Twilight could tell Fluttershy had been woken up by that noise.
“Twilight,” Fluttershy whispered to her from the corner. “Was that a tap or a knock? Please tell me it was a knock!”
Twilight could only sadly shake her head. She didn’t like it, but that was a tapping.
“Maybe it was just a branch?” Twilight sat up and smiled at Fluttershy. “We’re in a tree.”
Tap. Tap. Tap.
“What was that?” Sweetie Belle got up next.
She took one horrified look at the window before jumping towards the safety of her big sister.
“Rarity.” Sweetie Belle landed on Rarity’s back and shook her sister awake, or perhaps shook her away from the brink of sleep from how quickly Rarity opened her eyes.
Sweetie didn’t need to explain what was happening as the tapping came again a moment later. Rarity’s eyes widened as well.
“Twilight,” Rarity whispered as she shook Twilight.
Twilight saw where this was going.
“I’m already awake,” Twilight whispered back.
Pinkie alone remained steadfast in her slumber. It was good to know which of them was the soundest sleeper.
“I’m sure it’s nothing,” Twilight said. “Probably just a bird or a branch. Maybe a bird on a branch. I’ll go investigate.”
The other three huddled together on the bed as Twilight got up. Pinkie rolled around in her sleep, unconsciously looking for something else to cuddle, but still didn’t awaken.
If she turned on the light, she wouldn’t be able to see outside. Twilight left her warm, comfy bed behind and trotted through the darkness.
Despite herself, Twilight got caught up in the moment. Their fear was contagious. Even knowing this couldn’t possibly be related to that story, Twilight felt her nerves getting the better of her.
Certainly something had to be out there.
The distance to the window and the source of the tapping sound seemed to get longer and longer as she walked. By the time she got to the window, the safety of her bed laid an immeasurable distance behind her.
Twilight held her breath and slid the window open.
Before she could so much as peek her head outside, a dark figure swooped into the room. Everypony ducked and screamed!
Twilight jumped aside to hit the light, banishing the darkness.
“Huh? Did something scary happen?” Pinkie shot awake and looked around the room. “Is it too late to scream? Did I miss out? Oh, hey Rainbow Dash!”
Dash landed in the center of the room, looking around
“Hehe. Looks like I scared everypony, huh?” Dash rubbed the back of her head and stuck her tongue out. “Oops! Whoa, is everypony here? I kinda feel left out.”
“Rainbow Dash! This is too late for a prank!” Twilight scolded her. “That wasn’t funny!”
“What?” Dash shrugged, closing one eye. “You’re always telling me I should knock, so I knocked this time. Did you think this was the ‘politely knock’ prank?”
“I meant to knock on the door, not my bedroom window.”
“Like an earth pony? A true pegasus always knocks on the window.” Dash lifted her chest in pride. Her confidence faltered when she saw how shaken the others had been by her stunt. “Heh! Sorry about that, Fluttershy. I had no idea you were even here.”
“Alright. Then if this isn’t a prank, why are you here?” Twilight asked. “Were you also too scared to sleep?”
“What?! Pfft!” Dash laughed and leaned up against the windowsill as coolly as she could. “Of course I wasn’t scared. It’s just, you know, I thought the rest of you would have been pretty spooked by it, so I thought I’d check on all of you.”
“At midnight,” Twilight reminded her. “You woke up in the middle of the night and thought of this at midnight.”
“Yeah. And coincidentally after the rain started too.” Dash tapped on the window as the rain pelted it. “I got the short straw and had to come out late to start it. And then I came here. So it all makes logical sense.”
It was so blatantly obvious and yet Twilight couldn’t prove a thing.
“Oh, wow!” Pinkie jumped over to give her a nuzzle. “Thanks, Dashie! I would feel safer with you around!”
“See?” Dash pointed to Pinkie.
No doubt Pinkie had just won a hundred Dash points.
“Sure, why not.” Twilight sighed in defeat. “But there’s not enough room on the bed for any more ponies. You can stay, but you’ll have to sleep on the couch.”
“The couch?”
“There’s one downstairs in the library.”
Dash turned her head to look to the open door and out into the endless darkness beyond it. She knew somewhere out there was the couch Twilight spoke of. But what else was out there in the darkness?
“You came here to protect us, right?” Twilight yawned and lay down on what little space remained of her bed. “This way, if a monster shows up it’ll have to go through you first.”
Twilight realized too late this was the worst possible thing to say.
“Yeah.” Dash stared blankly into the blackness.
She simply froze there in place, consumed by the void before her. Twilight waved a hoof in front of Dash’s face, unsure of how to turn her back on.
“Oh!” The light and life returned to Dash’s eyes. “I had a perfect idea! Wait one second.”
Dash flew out of the room. A moment later, Dash huffed down the hall and a banging noise sounded. Then Dash came back down the hall, panting as she pushed the couch with her forehead.
She kept pushing the couch deeper into the room until it aligned with the bed. The couch now pressed up against the edge of the bed, becoming a new extension to it.
“There, see?” Dash jumped on the couch. “Now it’s like your bed has its own little colony. We can all sleep together. Plus, we’ll have extra room for when Applejack finally shows up.”
“I’d like to think at least one of you didn’t take that story seriously,” said Twilight.
“Hey, if I was–” Dash caught herself “– not scared, then Applejack had to be scared out of her mind. Trust me!”
Knock. Knock. Knock.
“Heh! There she is now!” Dash flew off downstairs without waiting.
Twilight groaned.
“I’d better get this over with.” Twilight trudged after her, all the other ponies quickly following.
By the time she got downstairs, it was already too late. Dash had already opened the door.
“What?” Applejack blinked in surprise on the other side. “Rainbow Dash? What are you doing here?”
“Rainbow? Nah, it’s me, Twilight Sparkle!” Dash giggled. “See, Dash bit me and now I transform into her every night. It’s pretty awesome!”
Applejack stood out in the rain, protected by an umbrella and a lantern on its deathbed, as she stared harshly at Dash. Twilight doubted she believed that story, but it was clear she’d yet to solve the mystery.
“Come in!” Twilight grabbed Applejack and her sister in her magic and dragged them both inside.
She slammed the door shut, hopefully for the last time.
Applejack looked around the room, seeing everypony else already here.
“I’m starting to think a letter got lost in the mail.” Applejack turned to Twilight.
“Just taking a totally random guess here.” Twilight sat down with a huff. “You got scared by the story.”
“I ain’t gonna lie.” Applejack took her hat off to reflect the gravity of the situation. “I ain’t never been half as scared as what that story did to me. Apple Bloom and me were up shivering all night long. Granny Smith and Big Mac ain’t around tonight, so I–”
“Yes, yes.” Twilight pushed her further inside to be with the rest of the group. “You can stay here tonight. The collection wouldn’t be complete without you.”
“Thank you, kindly.”
“Okay, at least we can say this hilarious misadventure is finally over,” said Twilight. “Everypony who heard the story is here so I can finally get to sleep for real this time!”
“But what about Scootaloo?” Apple Bloom looked around the room trying to find her.
“Huh?”
That was right. One more pony heard that story…
Scootaloo reached Sweetie Belle’s house just in time! The rain clouds burst just as she reached Carousel Boutique, blanketing the town. If she’d been out for even a second longer, Scootaloo would be drenched by now.
Yeah! Everything would be fine!
Scootaloo’s best friend would surely take her in for the night, then she’d be safe! Rarity would protect her from that horrible thing from the story!
Really, Scootaloo wished she could go stay at Rainbow Dash’s house instead, but beggars can’t be choosers. Besides, Dash hardly knew Scootaloo at all.
She vowed that she’d change that if tomorrow ever came. And she’d promise to eat her broccoli too! And do her homework and all that stuff! Tomorrow sounded like such an impossible miracle at this point that she’d do anything to get there.
Scootaloo knocked frantically on Rarity’s door, hoping they’d get the message.
No answer.
She knocked as loud as she could, louder than the wind and rain for sure.
But still nothing.
That cold wind blew straight to her bones. Even if Scootaloo wasn’t scared out of her mind, being outside on a night like this was simply unbearable!
With a gulp, Scootaloo pushed the door open. Sweetie Belle would understand! Scootaloo had to get out of this weather immediately.
“Sweetie Belle?” Scootaloo called out into the dark house.
Nothing responded, not unless you counted the threatening howls of the wind.
“Maybe her family are all really heavy sleepers.” Scootaloo laughed to herself as she trotted, unblinkingly, towards Sweetie Belle’s room.
She opened the door and Sweetie Belle was nowhere to be seen. The bed was empty, but there were signs Sweetie had been here not long ago. The blanket from the bed had been halfway thrown onto the floor.
Sweetie Belle would never leave such a mess. Not unless something scary happened and she ran for it!
“Oh!” Scootaloo nodded to herself. “I’ll bet she went to Rarity’s room! Hehehe!”
The thought brought her slim comfort. She cantered, rather than trotted, to Rarity’s room. She put her hoof on the bedroom door, holding in there for a long time.
If the two of them weren’t in there, it’d be a terrible day for Scootaloo.
Scootaloo pushed the door open to find yet another empty, dark room. Rarity’s bed, too, was empty.
Rarity, of all ponies, had her bed unmade. A mannequin she had in her room was knocked over, too! You didn’t need to be a detective to realize that the two of them ran out of the house at some point.
If they were lucky that was.
What if that thing from the story got them?!
“Okay. Okay. Maybe this doesn’t have anything to do with the curse!” She laughed nervously as she backed up. “Yeah! I bet they were just abducted by aliens is all! Hehe!”
Technically that’d be less bad!
Scootaloo could deal with aliens!
But that curse?
Something banged against the window! Scootaloo jumped back and bumped into something!
That was it!
Scootaloo screamed and ran!
The storm no longer seemed so bad. It held no fear compared to the visions that story filled her head with! She’d spend all night in it if that’s what it took.
Scootaloo ran all the way out of the house, madly dashing out into the rain.
But where was she going? A good question!
Scootaloo looked around for anything remotely safe. She saw a light! Light was remotely safe! She galloped through the mud to that.
The rain had already made the mud too thick for her to run through at full speed. Yet Scootaloo couldn’t wait! When she got close, she leapt towards the light, towards safety.
She landed with a splash of mud bigger than she expected. It splashed a nearby pony and a wagon.
“Hey!” The stranger pulled her cloak back.
Scootaloo realized the light she’d seen had been a lantern hanging from a wagon. Thankfully, the front of her wagon had an awning on it. Scootaloo and this mystery pony were sheltered from the rain for now.
“What do you think you’re doing, tiny child?” The stranger glared down at her. “Is this what kids do these days? Run around screaming through the night and splashing strangers?”
“Oh. Sorry. I just got scared.” Scootaloo pressed up against the stranger. Any pony on the planet seemed relatively safe at this point.
She looked up to get a better look at her salvation. It was a blue unicorn mare with a white mane. The pony held up a lantern and squinted at Scootaloo from under a wide-brimmed hat.
Recognition clicked with Scootaloo. It was Trixie!
“I remember you.” Scootaloo stood up. “You’re that unicorn Rainbow Dash defeated!”
“Who?”
“Rainbow Dash! I mean, I guess Twilight technically did all the hard work, but Rainbow Dash inspired her, I bet.”
“Oh, one of the purple one’s friends.” Trixie rolled her eyes. “Well, whatever. I won’t hold it against some screaming filly. Please tell me it wasn’t an ursa major chasing you.”
“Oh, I wish.” Scootaloo puffed herself up, regaining a bit of courage now she wasn’t alone. “I heard the most terrifying story ever.”
“You were running around screaming because of a story?” Trixie scoffed. “What are you? A child?”
“Yes.”
“Oh, right.” Trixie glared down at her. “Well, I’m still hardly impressed. A scary story is no real danger. I’ll take you back home or wherever. Just promise me you’ll think about how silly you’re being on the way back.”
Scootaloo puffed her cheek out, indignant. She didn’t want this pony thinking she was some kind of chicken who got scared at every spooky thing she heard.
“You don’t get it!” Scootaloo put her hoof down. “This was the scariest story ever. Even Rainbow Dash got scared by it and she doesn’t even know what fear is!”
“Oh, please.” Trixie fluttered her eyes. “Fine. Tell me this allegedly horrifying story. The great Trixie will laugh at it so hard you’ll never be able to take it seriously again.”
Trixie smirked.
“Okay,” said Scootaloo. “Once upon a time, there was a mare who lived in a lighthouse…”
“Alright, fine!” Dash turned up a hoof and shook her head. “I’ll go rescue your little friend. But I need one other pony to come with me.”
“Why?” Twilight asked.
“Because, uh!” Dash paused, trying to think up any possible excuse.
Then one last time there was a knock on the door.
Maybe it’d actually save Twilight some time this go around.
She turned on the spot and opened the door, stunned to see Trixie of all ponies standing out in the storm.
Trixie’s eyes were glassy, wide opened, and bloodshot as she stared forward with a blank expression.
“Are you–?”
Before Twilight could finish, Scootaloo charged into the library and leaped to Rainbow Dash.
“Rainbow Dash!” Scootaloo grabbed her with a tight hug.
Dash had no choice but to hug her back. Scootaloo fought back tears of relief.
“Oh, hey! There you are!” Dash patted her on the head. “You know, I was just on my way to heroically rescue you!”
“Really?!” Scootaloo’s looked up at Dash with stars in her eyes, her tail all but wagging. “I knew you’d save me! So I can sleep with you tonight?”
“Yeah, sure!” Dash casually invited Scootaloo to Twilight’s bed.
“And Sweetie Belle!” Scootaloo stretched a hoof out to her as well. “I thought you were dead! Boy, am I relieved!”
That settled that!
Twilight looked back to Trixie. Trixie had yet to move, but now her right eye twitched.
“So, uh. Thanks for bringing Scootaloo over?” Twilight put her hoof on the door. “Good night.”
Twilight moved to close the door.
“Twilight!” Trixie sprang into motion, holding the door open like her life depended on it. “My, uh! My wagon broke down! I hate to ask, but I have nowhere else to go tonight!”
“Your wagon broke?” Twilight craned her neck around Trixie. She could barely see through the darkness and rain, but the wagon looked perfectly fine.
“Yes. The wheel is broken.” Trixie nodded.
“And how does a broken wheel make you unable to sleep inside it?” Twilight asked.
“Well, you clearly know nothing about wagons!” Trixie held up her nose and turned her cheek on Twilight.
Twilight glanced at Dash. This sort of desperation felt all too familiar.
“Don’t tell me.” Twilight planted her face in her hoof. “Did Scootaloo tell you The Curse of the Golden Turtle?”
“That story!” Trixie took a step back in fright from the name alone. “I don’t know what kind of sick freak comes up with a story like that, but they ought to be in prison! I can’t possibly be alone after hearing that sort of thing, Twilight! You have to let me stay here!”
As much as Twilight wanted to have no pity for Trixie, it was hard not to feel a little sorry for her when she was this pathetic.
“Trixie, I hardly know you and the one time we met you weren’t exactly nice to me,” Twilight reminded her.
“Please! I’ll do anything!”
“Will you say you’re sorry?”
Trixie froze. You’d think Twilight just asked for one of her kidneys.
“Okay, fine!” Trixie relented. “I’m sorry! I was wrong about everything. You’re better than me in every way! I’m a pathetic loser and my parents will never love me no matter how hard I try to be worthy!”
“Oh.” Twilight blinked. “You didn’t have to go that far. Alright. You can stay.”
“Oh, thank you so much, Twilight Sparkle.” Trixie took her hat off. “You know what? I’m canceling my plan to get revenge on you and the rest of the town just for this.”
“What?”
“Never mind!” Trixie moved deep inside the library before any more attention could be drawn to her.
Twilight held her lantern up and took stock of the small army she’d gather. Five. Eight. Nine. Ten ponies if you included Twilight herself. Even now they all huddled together on the far side of the room, terrified of leaving the safety of the herd.
How had it come to this?
“Alright! So everypony who heard that story is here now,” Twilight concluded. “Did any of you tell anypony else?”
“No,” they all collectively said.
“Then I think we should all agree to never tell any other ponies this story ever again,” Twilight asked them all. “It’d make for a hilarious letter, but I can’t possibly fit the entire town in my bedroom.”
“Agreed.” Everypony nodded.
For hopefully the last time, the army marched on Twilight’s bedroom. When they got there, Twilight looked over her bed and adjacent couch.
How could Twilight possibly make this work? She didn’t have any shrinking spells.
The five who’d gotten here first resumed their tight, cuddle-formation. The only difference was Rarity no longer needed to worry about rolling off the bed thanks to the new addition.
Scootaloo and Rainbow Dash cuddled close together on one side of the couch. Applejack and Applebloom did the same facing the opposite direction.
Twilight turned to Trixie. Not a single inch remained for the magician.
Or was there?
“Trixie, you can sleep under the bed.” Twilight pointed to the fairly high gap below the bed. “That way nopony wakes up scared of monsters under the bed.”
Trixie frowned at the dark spot beneath the bed before shrugging and switching to a smile.
“You know what? You think you’re getting one over on me, but any monster would go after the ponies on top of the bed first.” Trixie marched towards the bed with dignity. “So I’ll take it.”
At least Trixie had brought her own sleeping bag. She lay down and pushed herself under the bed to set herself up down there.
“Alright,” Twilight called out. “Good night, everypony.”
“Good night,” came the chorus.
Finally, at long last Twilight could sleep.
This had been quite the bothersome adventure. And Twilight couldn’t even think of a single friendship lesson to learn through all this!
Always pre-read your stories? Try to pre-empt your friend's night terrors when they’re clearly disturbed by something? Twilight went through a list of increasingly far-fetched takeaways from this night.
Sometime later, Twilight caught herself when she glanced at the clock. Already one! An overactive mind was always her main problem when it came to getting to sleep. Everypony else had long since fallen deep into slumber.
She really needed to just relax and go back to her mind-quieting technique. Settling in, she had to admit that at least this was a cozy, if tight, arrangement.
Having all her friends around certainly felt nice. Even having never been afraid, it still made her feel safe and secure. The dark, cold, windy, rainy, and lonely night seemed like a bad joke at this point.
Maybe she could write a letter about that? How cuddling was good?
She’d think more about it tomorrow.
Twilight settled in and allowed Pinkie’s grip on her to tighten.
Her eyes popped open at another familiar noise, one approaching a tap. She was hardly scared, but the sound of knocking still triggered her at this point. Thankfully, none of her friends jolted awake this time. They really were asleep.
Twilight swiveled her ears to get a better read on it. They were footsteps coming from down the dark hallway, visible through Twilight’s open bedroom door.
A small figure came into sight just on the other side.
Was it–?
Twilight shook the ridiculous thought out of her head. No, it was only Spike, getting up for the bathroom or something.
Twilight’s sleepy mind was briefly surprised Spike hadn’t begged to sleep in her room, too. Then she remembered that Spike hadn’t been there when Twilight read the story to everypony.
What a relief!
He did stop in front of the open door, though, to curiously gaze at the spectacle inside.
“Do I want to know what’s going on here?” he asked.
“No,” said Twilight. “Trust me, this is one of those things you’re better off not knowing. Oh, but remind me to send Magical Mysteries of Atrocious Artifacts back to Canterlot tomorrow. That belongs in the restricted section.”
“Oh, yeah. Sorry about that one.”
“Sorry?”
“You didn’t notice?” He asked. “I thought you had it out because you saw that I mislabeled it. I switched the classification number with the one for Maniacal Mysteries of Absurd Artifacts because their names were so similar.”
“What?”
The gears in Twilight’s head began to turn like the engine of a runaway train driving it towards a cliff.
Were Magical Mysteries of Atrocious Artifacts a fictional book, it would also have been labeled 616. However, she knew for sure that this other book was also labeled 616. Nowhere else in the fiction section was appropriate for this type of anthology.
The only way for a ‘mix-up’ to be possible was for Magical Mysteries of Atrocious Artifacts to not be fantasy at all.
“Then– “Twilight’s eye twitched.
Twilight swallowed the question.
She looked left, right, and down to make certain everypony else was asleep.
Did she really want to ask? Hypothetically, she could remain ignorant for the rest of her life! She could delude herself on the plausibility that it may have belonged somewhere else in the 600s.
But no, Twilight was simply too curious for that. The thought would claw at her endlessly if she didn’t figure this out. Best to just get this over with.
“Spike.” Twilight closed her eyes, preparing for the bad news. “Was it supposed to be… in the 500s?”
“Well, yeah,” he said. He frowned at Twilight’s horrified reaction to that. “Hey, don’t give me that look. I’ll fix it tomorrow. Good night.”
And then he left.
It was true.
It actually happened.
The Curse of the Golden Turtle actually happened.
Twilight stared unblinkingly out into the endless darkness of her room.
“It was all true,” Twilight whispered into the darkness.
She couldn’t blink. She could hardly move.
The wind and rain were no longer comforting, but terrors to hide from. Every droplet could easily be a tap at the window.
Twilight planted her hooves on the edge of the bed and pushed herself deeper under her protective layer of friends. Now only her muzzle and eyes poked out from beneath the pile of sleeping mares.
She looked up, down, left, and right to find herself completely surrounded. At least she wouldn’t be alone.
It was good to have friends.
