Author's Note
You may know this story from my now defunct MLP: FiM--Tales Of Friendship mini-series. That project just didn't get the traction I thought it would, so I just decided to re-print the three stories I did write for it as separate stories.
Slumber Pals
At first, it seemed like just another ordinary day at the Golden Oak Library as Spike did his chores as he usually did.
However, once the baby dragon had finished his final task of sweeping the downstairs, he was finally forced to look up, and take in the now vacant library.
"Well, that's it. That was the last thing on the list of things to do..." he mused to himself as he put away his broom, and dustpan, "So, now what am I supposed to do?"
The truth of the matter was, it actually wasn't an ordinary day for Spike, because Twilight wasn't there, and she wouldn't be there for a couple of days. The lavender unicorn had left that very morning for some business out of town, and was expected to be gone for the whole weekend, so Spike was in charge of keeping the library in order until she got back.
"Are you sure that you'll be all right?" the lavender unicorn had asked him just before she left.
"Of course. You know you can depend on me." Spike had replied, not wanting her to worry about anything.
Well, now the library was in order; there were no more chores for Spike to do that day, and with Twilight gone, there was nothing that she needed his help with either.
And now, with nothing to occupy his mind, Spike was really beginning to feel Twilight's absence, not to mention the emptiness of the library. Before long, the baby dragon began to feel a bit bored, and more than a little lonely.
Making an effort to distract himself, he tried to read a book, and then do a jigsaw puzzle, but found that he simply couldn't concentrate. At last, Spike resorted to one of the simplest things he could think of: doodling on a piece of paper. But it was only once he was finished, that he finally looked down, and actually saw what he'd been drawing:
A rather crude portrait of himself, and Twilight together...
Dropping his pencil, Spike could only let out a disheartened sigh.
"I give up," he said miserably.
It was no use; he just couldn't get his mind off of the situation at hand. He was bored, and worse than being bored was being lonely. It was very rare for him, and Twilight to be separated for a lengthy period of time, let alone with nothing for him to do.
Spike began to feel as though the walls of the library were closing in on him as it fully dawned on him that this was how it would be for the whole weekend.
And it was only just after noon on the first day...
Despondent, Spike absent-mindedly stood up and headed for the front door of library.
As he opened it, and stepped outside, the baby dragon realized that he had no idea what he was doing, or where he was going for that matter, but he just didn't want to be in the library right now.
It just felt too...
Too lonely...
It was about this time that the Ponyville Schoolhouse was just letting out, and everypony was now heading home for the weekend. But none were more excited for this particular weekend than the Cutie Mark Crusaders, because earlier in the week, the three little fillies had made plans to have a sleepover in their clubhouse, and tonight was the big night.
"Finally, the weekend is here!" Scootaloo happily exclaimed.
"Yep!" Sweetie Belle put in, "And you know what that means, right Crusaders?"
"Why, Ah've been lookin' forward ta this all week!" Apple Bloom replied.
As the rest of their classmates hurried home, the three fillies slowed their pace to discuss their plans.
"This'll be so much fun!" said Scootaloo, "We can stay up really late, play some games, tell cool stories..."
"We'll need to bring some snacks." Sweetie Belle added.
Apple Bloom nodded, "An' don't forget yer sleepin' bags!"
But as the three fillies continued to chatter amongst themselves, a loud clattering noise suddenly drew their attention, and they looked down just as an empty soda can landed at their hooves. Turning to see where it had come from, the Crusaders saw none other than Spike, who'd just kicked the can out of his way as he aimlessly wandered around Ponyville with absolutely no sense of direction or purpose.
Apple Bloom, Sweetie Belle, and Scootaloo couldn't help but feel a little concerned when they saw this, because there was clearly something wrong with the baby dragon, who hadn't even noticed them yet, and seemed very despondent.
"Hey, Spike?" Scootaloo called.
Startled, Spike finally looked up to see them standing there.
"Huh? Oh! Uh, hi guys..." he stammered, before noticing the can he'd kicked before their hooves, "Sorry... I guess I was just a bit...distracted or something..."
"Are you okay?" Sweetie Belle asked, "What's wrong?"
"Nothing...I'm fine..." Spike replied rather halfheartedly.
"Are ya sure?" Apple Bloom inquired, "Y'all seem a little down in th' dumps."
The baby dragon sighed, "I don't know... I guess I'm just feeling a little...lonely..."
"Lonely?" Scootaloo repeated.
Sweetie Belle stepped forward, "Is everything all right with Twilight?"
"Twilight isn't here; she left for Canterlot this morning." Spike told them.
Then, the white unicorn filly remembered, "Oh, yeah. Rarity said something about that..."
"So yer all alone? Fer th' whole weekend?" Apple Bloom asked.
Spike somberly nodded, "Yeah. It's just me..."
"So...what are you gonna do?" inquired Scootaloo.
The little dragon just shrugged glumly; there really wasn't much to say.
As the silence stretched out between them, the Sweetie Belle, Apple Bloom, and Scootaloo all shared a look with one another. The Crusaders couldn't help but feel bad for Spike. He was, after all, a kid like them, and he was all by his lonesome for the whole weekend while they would be having fun together at their slumber party tonight...
"Well, I probably shouldn't keep the three of you any longer." Spike finally said as he turned to leave, "See you guys later..."
But as he began to walk away, the Crusaders began to smile as a thought suddenly came to them, and upon sharing a second look with one another, they quickly realized that they all had the same idea. Nodding to each other, the three fillies hurried after Spike.
"Spike, wait!" Sweetie Belle called.
Stopping in his tracks, Spike turned to look back at them, "Yeah?"
"Are you busy tonight?" Scootaloo inquired.
"No; the library's clean as a whistle. Why?" the baby dragon replied.
"Well..." Apple Bloom began, "We're havin' a sleepover at our clubhouse tonight, an' we just thought that maybe y'all would like ta come."
Unsurprisingly, Spike was a bit taken back, "You...you mean you want to...invite me?"
"That's right." the yellow earth filly confirmed.
"Whaddya say?" asked Scootaloo.
The fact was, Spike didn't know what to say. Nopony had ever invited him to a sleepover before. And the few times that he had been invited somewhere, it was usually in Twilight's company.
"I...I don't know..." he said at last, rather flustered, "Th-this is kinda... I-I mean... I really don't wanna intrude..."
"Aw come on. We insist.", Apple Bloom maintained.
"Well..." Spike started to say.
It'll be fun!" Sweetie Belle said, "And besides, we wouldn't want you to be all alone for the whole weekend."
The white unicorn filly's words seemed to resonate with baby dragon, and Spike soon found himself seriously considering their invitation. He couldn't help but feel rather touched that the Crusaders were so concerned about him and wanted to cheer him up. Despite his hesitancy, it would feel kind of rude to refuse them, especially with how sincere the three fillies were.
Why shouldn't he accept? He didn't have anything else to do, and it would mean that he wouldn't have to be alone. Moreover, the Crusaders didn't WANT him to be, because they cared about him...
Ultimately, Spike smiled appreciatively and found himself saying, "Yeah. Okay."
"All right! Hoof!", all three fillies crowed, sharing a three-way high hoof/hoof bump.
Holding their pose, the Crusaders all gave Spike an inviting look, and after a brief moment of hesitation, the little dragon joined in, bumping a claw with their hooves.
And so, it was only a few short hours later that Spike accompanied the Cutie Mark Crusaders to their clubhouse just as dusk was falling.
The baby dragon was now actually feeling rather enthusiastic about this. The truth was, he'd come to realize that between always helping Twilight, and keeping the library in order, he rarely had an opportunity like this to just hang out and have fun with friends like a normal kid.
"You young'uns have fun." said Granny Smith, who'd come to see them off.
"We will, Granny." replied Apple Bloom.
"An' if ya need anythin', or somethin's wrong, y'all know where ta come." the elderly earth pony added.
"We'll be fine, Granny Smith. There's no need to worry." Scootaloo, and Sweetie Belle respectively assured.
Smiling, Granny Smith nodded, but wasn't entirely satisfied, so she then turned to look at Spike.
"And Spike..." she said with a wink, and a sarcastic grin, "Y'all keep 'em outta trouble, huh, little feller?"
"Su-sure thing." the little dragon nodded.
With that, Granny Smith turned, and headed back to the farmhouse. At the same time, the Crusaders began to head up the clubhouse ramp.
"Come on, Spike." they called.
And with that, Spike promptly followed them into the clubhouse.
Once inside, the three little fillies, and the baby dragon quickly got set up with Apple Bloom, and Scootaloo unpacking the snacks and games, while Sweetie Belle, and Spike rolled out the sleeping bags, and pillows.
Before they got started, Apple Bloom did a final check of clubhouse to make sure everything was in order for the evening. Once she accounted for everything downstairs, the yellow earth filly headed up to upper level of the clubhouse which the Crusaders used as an observatory. After a quick scan of the small room revealed nothing out of the ordinary, Apple Bloom started to head back down when something suddenly caught her eye.
There was a small hole in the ceiling, and the sight of it made Apple Bloom scowl.
She'd been meaning to get Applejack or Big Mac to patch that hole for some time now but had just never gotten around to it. Then, the Crusaders began making plans for their sleepover, and the yellow earth filly had forgotten about it completely. Apple Bloom looked around; there had to be something she could use lying around here somewhere. There...
There was an empty bottle lying in the corner of the room. Apple Bloom picked it up, and looked it over, before finally deciding that it would do, at least for now. Using the bottle as a makeshift cork, she plugged the hole with it, before heading back downstairs to rejoin her friends...
"So...uh...what do we do first?" Spike asked, now that they were all settled, as this was a something of a new, or at least a different, experience for him.
Apple Bloom grinned over Spike's shoulder at Sweetie Belle, who knowingly grinned back.
"A better question would be, 'What shouldn't we do first?'" the yellow earth filly replied.
This left Spike somewhat confused, but before the baby dragon could even open his mouth to inquire further, something soft, and feathery hit him on the back of the head. He spun around to see a fallen pillow, and Sweetie Belle trying to stifle a giggle.
For a long moment, Spike just stood frozen to the spot in shock, but then, a huge grin suddenly spread across his face.
"Oh, no you don't!" he said, picking up his own pillow, and throwing it at Sweetie Belle, who quickly ducked.
"PILLOW FIGHT!!!" Scootaloo practically shrieked.
Within seconds, Apple Bloom, Sweetie Belle, Scootaloo, and Spike were chasing each other around the clubhouse, laughing uncontrollably, and swatting at one another with their pillows. Before long, the floor was all but covered in feathers, and any doubts that still may have been lingering in Spike's mind had evaporated.
The pillow fight went on until the three little fillies, and baby dragon had all tired themselves out. But no sooner had everypony taken a moment to catch their breath, they wasted absolutely no time in getting to the next round of fun.
For a while, Spike, and the Crusaders kept themselves busy by playing a board game and telling each other jokes before then heading up to the observatory where they took turns using the telescope to gaze out at the stars. Spike was even able to use knowlege he gained from working with Twilight to point out various star constellations in the night sky.
Then, everypony finally decided that it was time for some snacks. Much to Sweetie Belle, Apple Bloom, & Scootaloo's delight, Spike demonstrated his ability to use his flame breath to roast marshmallows, allowing them to make smores, which they all quickly devoured.
Later, the Crusaders' laughter filled the clubhouse as Spike entertained them by doing a disco dance. By now, not only was the little dragon thoroughly enjoying himself, he was loving the attention.
In a few moments, the Crusaders joined in on the dancing, and they all danced until finally, the four of them fell back onto the floor, laughing until their sides hurt.
"This has gotta be the best slumber party in history!" Scootaloo said once they'd all caught their breath again.
"Darn tootin' it is!" Apple Bloom agreed, before then saying in a sarcastic tone, "Well, it seems ta be gettin' late. Anypony think we oughta go ta bed yet?"
"NOPE!" everypony else chorused.
Apple Bloom grinned, "Didn't think so! Especially not when we haven't even told any ghost stories yet!"
Sweetie Belle, and Spike were enthusiastic, but Scootaloo on the other hoof looked rather uneasy at the prospect.
"Uh...Actually..." the orange pegasus filly stammered, "I...uh...don't know any good ghost stories. How about we...uh...tell some more jokes?"
Spike produced a book from his bag, "That's okay, Scootaloo. I brought a book from the library full of spooky stories just for the occasion."
"Thanks, Spike. But that ain't necessary. Ah already got one in mind." Apple Bloom replied.
"Oh, okay." the baby dragon replied.
The yellow earth filly gestured for her friends to sit in a circle, "Just gather 'round everypony. Ah'm gonna tell y'all a story that's been in mah family fer years!"
"Is-is it a true story?" Scootaloo asked nervously as everyone took their places.
Apple Bloom nodded sinisterly as she turned down the lights, "True as true blue. In fact, it happened ta none other than Granny Smith..."
Somewhat intrigued, but also rather unsettled, Sweetie Belle, and Spike looked at each other, as Scootaloo squirmed slightly.
"It's called 'Th' Legend Of Th' Phantom Pony'..."Apple Bloom began, "Long ago, before Ah, Applejack, or even Big Mac was born, on a night just like this one, Granny Smith had just settled into ta get some much-needed shut-eye. But then suddenly, she sat straight up in bed when she heard a strange sound comin' through her open window. The sound of somethin' movin' around out in the orchards. And so, she slowly crept outside ta investigate..."
And so the story went.
Before long, Sweetie Belle, Scootaloo, and Spike all began to shake as Apple Bloom told them about how Granny Smith met the Phantom Pony and was chased by the specter all through the orchards, and about how she just barely managed to escape back into the farmhouse. But even then, she could still see the apparition, and hear its ghostly moans through the farmhouse windows.
"Granny didn't get a wink o' sleep that night...", the yellow earth filly concluded, "And now, she says that on some nights when th' moon is full, an' th' wind is howlin' through th' trees, you can see th' Phantom Pony wanderin' thru th' fields, lookin' fer somepony ta spirit away...FOREVER!"
And then, at that very moment, the light suddenly went out, plunging everypony into total darkness, and Sweetie Belle, Scootaloo, & Spike all screamed in terror as maniacal laughter filled the clubhouse.
But then, the maniacal laughter petered out as the lights came back, revealing only Apple Bloom with a massively self-satisfied grin plastered on her face.
"Ah, calm down, it ain't true." she chuckled.
Scootaloo stammered, trying to find her voice, "It-it's n-not?"
"But you said that it was!" Sweetie Belle pointed out.
"Yeah..." the Apple Bloom laughed, "That's what Granny said when she first told me th' story. But Applejack told me later on that she was just joshin' us."
Scootaloo visibly relaxed at this revelation; Sweetie Belle, on the other hoof, looked slightly unamused.
"Well, you almost had us going there." the white unicorn filly sarcastically replied.
"Sure had me going." Spike admitted.
"N-Not me... I, uh, w-wasn't scared at all." Scootaloo smiled nervously, wanting to change the subject, "Uh, anypony up for a game of twenty questions?"
Fortunately for Scootaloo, the others agreed.
However, in spite of the fun they were having, and their earlier enthusiasm, everypony did inevitably begin to get tired.
Sweetie Belle yawned, "I think maybe we oughta call it a night, guys."
"Yeah, I'm getting sleepy." Scootaloo put in.
"I'll admit it's way past my bedtime to." Spike put in.
And so, the three fillies, and baby dragon promptly rolled out their sleeping bags to get settled in for the night. But first Apple Bloom had a little announcement to make...
"Ah declare this slumber party a success!" the yellow earth filly declared.
Sweetie Belle and Scootaloo both let out cheers of agreement as Spike just smiled, and nodded.
"Guys..." he said at last, "I really want to thank you for inviting me. I mean, otherwise, I probably just would've been moping around the library, and...well...it feels nice to know that you three care so much about me."
The Crusaders all smiled warmly at Spike's words.
"We're really glad that y'all decided ta come, Spike." Apple Bloom told the baby dragon.
"I doubt we would've had half as much fun without you." Scootaloo added.
Sweetie Belle nodded, "Yeah, Spike. You're really good company."
"Well, I...heh heh..." Spike smiled rather bashfully, "I guess I am pretty fun."
The Crusaders all giggled.
"Well, goodnight y'all." Apple Bloom said as she finally turned off the light.
"Goodnight." the others replied in kind.
Before long, the Crusaders had all drifted off to sleep. Spike, however, found that he was having some trouble, for it was pretty rare for the baby dragon to sleep anywhere other than his own bed.
But eventually, after some tossing and turning, sheer tiredness won out, and his eyelids finally began to droop.
Suddenly, the baby dragon sat straight up, and looked around, for at very moment, there came an eerie, shrill noise from somewhere in the clubhouse.
Owooooooo!
"Wh-What's that?" Spike blurted out.
"Huh...?" Scootaloo mumbled as she, and Sweetie Belle both began to rouse.
Owooooooo!
"Shhhh!" Spike said, "There it is again!"
Scootaloo, and Sweetie Belle suddenly shot up in their sleeping bags. The two fillies were now wide awake, for both had heard it this time. For a long moment, the three of them could only listen in fear, but then Sweetie Belle suddenly turned very serious, and rather annoyed.
"Wait..." the white unicorn filly said, before then turning towards Apple Bloom, her voice filled with sarcasm, "Very funny, Apple Bloom. It's the Phantom Pony, just like in the story, right? Well, you got us, so cut it-"
Sweetie Belle stopped in mid-sentence when she saw that Apple Bloom wasn't in her sleeping bag. Instead, the yellow earth filly was huddled in the corner, trembling in terror.
The sound came again. Owooooooo!
"Sw-Sweetie B-Belle..." Apple Bloom said through chattering teeth, "Ah'm not doin' this!"
Everypony's blood turned to ice as that reality washed over them, and before the three little fillies, and baby dragon knew it, they had all scrambled to the center of the clubhouse, shaking in terror, and clinging to one another.
"It...It-It really IS the Phantom Pony!" Scootaloo gasped out.
"B-B-But...But that's ridiculous!" stammered Sweetie Belle, "Applejack said that Granny Smith just ma-made that story up! Right, Apple Bloom?"
"R-Right!" Apple Bloom shakily replied, "An' besides we ain't got nothin' ta worry about. Whatever it is, it can't git us in here!"
For a moment, all three fillies slightly relaxed at this. But Apple Bloom had spoken too soon, for it was then that a terrifying thought occurred to Spike.
"Unless IT got in here FIRST..." he pointed out.
With that possibility, any relief the four of them may have felt quickly evaporated.
Owooooooo!
Screaming in terror, Apple Bloom, Sweetie Belle, Scootaloo, & Spike all ran for the exit. Flinging open the clubhouse door, they fled out into the night, away from the terrible sound.
Everything in the next few minutes was a complete blur, with none of them thinking of anything else except how to run faster.
At last, the four of them finally stopped, nearly collapsing from sheer exhaustion. As they all panted, and gasped for breath, the three fillies, & baby dragon tried to get their bearings. To their surprise, they found that they had run all the way from the clubhouse to the very edge of Sweet Apple Acres.
"Okay..." Spike said at last, "I think we lost it...wh-whatever it was..."
Sweetie Belle turned to Apple Bloom, "That WASN'T really the Phantom Pony, was it Apple Bloom?"
"Ah told ya!" the yellow earth filly replied, "Applejack said it was all nonsense!"
"M-maybe...maybe were just...just hearing things..." Scootaloo suggested.
"Yeah!" Apple Bloom quickly nodded, "Maybe it was just our imagination..."
"Well, that was the first time I ever HEARD mine!" Spike replied.
"So what do we do now?" asked Sweetie Belle.
"R-Remember what Granny said..." Apple Bloom replied, "She said that if we needed anythin', we knew where ta go. We just gotta...just gotta make our back ta th' farm."
Sweetie Belle wasn't entirely reassured, "Yeah... In the dark...".
Apple Bloom gulped at the thought, "Don't worry. There...There ain't n-nothin' sc-scary about th' dark."
"No..." said a shaking Scootaloo, "It's wh-what's IN the dark that you gotta watch out for!"
"N-Not ta worry, Crusaders..." Apple Bloom tried to smile, "At least we got Spike with us."
"Huh?" Spike looked up, a bit caught off guard.
Sweetie Belle, and Scootaloo on the other hoof, were at least a little reassured at Apple Bloom's words.
"Yeah, I guess that kinda does make me feel better." Sweetie Belle remarked.
"Really?" Spike asked, "It does?"
"Sure!" Scootaloo put in, "I mean, nothing would dare come after us while we've got a dragon with us, right?"
Though Spike suspected that the Crusaders were just trying to reassure themselves, he couldn't help but feel a little flattered in spite of himself.
"R-Right!" the baby dragon found himself saying.
It was then that everypony finally realized that it was rather cold out here in the blowing wind. They been so scared during their flight from the clubhouse that they just hadn't noticed until now.
Sweetie Belle shivered, "Perhaps we should get going. It's pretty gusty out here."
"Well then..." Apple Bloom said, "What're we waitin' fer? Let's go!"
But then, there suddenly came a loud rustling noise from something moving around in the bushes right behind them. Alarmed, the three little fillies, and baby dragon turned to look just as whatever it was started to emerge, and right then, and there, their newfound confidence evaporated. They DID NOT want to see what it was. Letting out cries of fright, the four of them darted off into the night, and the general direction of farm...
Following Apple Bloom's direction, the group began making their way back to the farm. However, their trek through the orchards seemed to be taking longer than they expected. Not only that, Apple Bloom's friends couldn't help but think about how everything seemed to look the same in the darkness of night. And to make matters worse, the wind was blowing harder, and it looked like a storm was on the way.
"Are you sure this is the right way?" Spike asked Apple Bloom.
"Of course Ah'm sure!" the yellow earth filly insisted, "Ah live here, don't Ah?"
Suddenly, the still of the night was shattered by a loud screech; the sound made the three fillies, and baby dragon all jump in fight, and huddle together.
"Spike, that wasn't fu-funny!" a trembling Sweetie Belle exclaimed, but she was already doubting her own words, "Th-that WAS you, wasn't it?"
"I re-really wish I could say it was..." replied Spike, "But it wasn't!
Apple Bloom then tried to calm her friends, and herself down, "C-calm down, everypony. There ain't nothin' ta get all panicked about..."
"I'm not panicked!" Scootaloo insisted, "Who's panicked?! NOBODY'S PANICKED!!!"
Then, the loud screeching sound came again, and this time, everypony lost their nerve. Before any of them knew it, the Crusaders, and Spike were again running blindly through the orchards. At last, they came to a tree with a hollowed-out trunk, and without giving the matter any further though, all four of them lunged toward it, hoping that they would be able to hide inside.
"There! We can hide in there!" Sweetie Belle shouted.
But the white unicorn filly had spoken too soon, for at that very moment, a bolt of lighting cracked, lighting up the sky, and illuminating the opening in the hollow tree, causing all four of them to freeze in place.
From the outside, the opening looked like the gaping maw of some huge monster snarling at them; a gaping maw that they had been just about to enter...
Again, the three little fillies, and baby dragon all cried out in terror before running off into the night.
They ran, and ran, until suddenly, Sweetie Belle, Scootaloo, and Spike came to an abrupt halt when they suddenly realized that Apple Bloom was no longer with them.
"Where's Apple Bloom?" an alarmed Scootaloo asked.
"Apple Bloom! Where are you?" Sweetie Belle, and Spike called out.
There quickly came a reply, "HELP!"
Turning in the direction of the call for help, Sweetie Belle, Scootaloo, and Spike saw Apple Bloom some distance behind them. The yellow earth filly's bow had gotten tangled in the branch of a tree, which in the darkness of night looked more like the claws of some terrifying creature grasping at her.
Darting back to Apple Bloom, Sweetie Belle, Scootaloo, and Spike quickly began working to free their friend.
"We gotcha, Apple Bloom!" Scootaloo said.
"Get me outta here!" Apple Bloom cried.
Suddenly, they all heard the loud screeching noise from earlier again and looked up to see a dark shape swooping down at them from night sky!
"Hurry up!" shrieked Apple Bloom.
"Come on! Come on!" Sweetie Belle groaned.
They worked frantically until, after a several long, nerve-wracking moments, Apple Bloom's bow finally became unstuck, and all four of them literally DOVE to the ground just as the dark shape flew right above their heads, letting out another screech as it disappeared back into the night sky.
But in the brief moment that it had been directly over them, Apple Bloom, Sweetie Belle, Scootaloo, and Spike had all seen it clearly, and they suddenly felt a sense of relief wash over them.
"Hey, wait!" Sweetie Belle gasped in realization "That's just an owl!"
"What?" Scootaloo blinked.
For a moment, the four of them just sat there as the realization sank in. At last, Apple Bloom let out a long sigh; she was relieved, but at the same time, somewhat annoyed, and embarrassed.
"Of course. It's just an owl..." she said sarcastically, "Great, now Ah feel like such a fool..."
"Y-Yeah, me to!" Spike agreed, trying to suppress a bout of nervous laughter, "What the heck are we doing? Running away from a bird, thinking that we're being chase by the..."
Spike's voice suddenly trailed off, and the baby dragon's face went ashen gray as his features morphed into an expression of utter terror.
"...the...the..." he stammered, much to the increasing alarm of the Crusaders.
"Spike? What? What is it?!" Apple Bloom, Sweetie Belle, & Scootaloo respectively asked.
One of Spike's claws shot forward, and he pointed to the area right behind where the three fillies were standing.
"...the...Th-The Phantom Pony!!!!!" he yelled at the top of his lungs.
The Crusaders whirled around, and to their horror, saw a tall, dark, and menacing-looking figure standing right in front of them! For an eternally long moment, they just stood frozen to the ground. They might very well have been frozen; their faces went so cold. At last, Apple Bloom, Sweetie Belle, & Scootaloo all found their voices, and screamed in terror at the figure looming over them.
This was it! This was it! The Phantom Pony was really here, standing right before them!
What happened next, happened so fast that they could hardly believe it, as Spike, without thinking, and acting out of pure instinct, practically leapt in front of the Crusaders, and let out a hot breath of flame at the fiend. The fire quickly engulfed the figure, and within moments it crumbled to the ground.
For another long moment, the three little fillies, and baby dragon just stood there staring down at the charred, and smoldering remains of the Phantom Pony, trying figure out just WHAT had happened. At last, they all took a closer look, and finally, they realized...
"It...It's just a scarecrow!" Apple Bloom exclaimed, pointing out the blackened straw, and the still visible button eyes on the charred face.
"Oh...Right..." said Scootaloo.
Spike blushed, "Sorry about that..."
Sweetie Belle groaned, "Oh, this is ridiculous! What's wrong with us? We're freaking out over nothing!" She then gestured to the ruined scarecrow, to the sky, and the trees. "That was just a scarecrow, that was just an owl, and these are just trees!"
Suddenly, there came a rustling from one of the bushes nearby, and the four friends again froze in place as they realized that the thing that had scared them on the edge of the farm was back!
"Th-Th-Then what's THAT?" Scootaloo asked.
Spike and the Crusaders huddled together again as the thing emerged from the bushes to reveal...
A small, furry creature with long ears, and a bushy tail.
"A rabbit..." Spike said dryly, "A fuzzy, cuddly rabbit..."
For a long moment, they all just stared at the rabbit, until at last, they all burst into almost uncontrollable laughter, unable to believe their own foolishness. Meanwhile, the rabbit just stared back at them in confusion, wondering just what their deal was before finally hopping off into the night.
The three little fillies, and baby dragon all laughed until another crack of lightning finally brought them back to the present. By now, the weather was rapidly turning bad, and it was pretty obvious that it was about to start pouring down rain any second.
"C'mon, everypony." Apple Bloom said at last, "We better get back to th' clubhouse."
The four friends made it back to the clubhouse just as it began to rain, for which they were eternally grateful, as they all felt they'd been through enough tonight without getting wet. Once inside again, they just couldn't help but feel very silly about themselves, and the absurdity of the whole situation. They'd been letting their imaginations go wild and scaring themselves all along.
"We weren't running from anything!" Scootaloo chortled, "And nothing was running after us!"
"Nnnnope!" confirmed Apple Bloom, imitating her big brother.
"I have to admit though..." Sweetie Belle laughed, turning toward Spike, "Even if there really wasn't any danger, it WAS pretty cool when Spike protected us from the...the..." She couldn't get the words out through her laughter.
"The 'Phantom Scarecrow'?" a grinning Scootaloo finished for her.
Apple Bloom giggled, "Darn tootin' it was!"
Spike blushed, "Ah, it was nothing; to be honest, it kinda just happened. But really, Apple Bloom, I AM sorry about the scarecrow."
"Don't worry about it, Spike. We got a couple of spares." Apple Bloom reassured him, "And besides, we all got a good laugh out of it."
The baby dragon had to agree, "Yeah, I guess we did. I mean, we probably looked pretty ridiculous out there."
"Yeah, we probably did!" Sweetie Belle put in, "Running around like that when there was nothing to be scared of!"
But the white unicorn filly may have spoken too soon AGAIN, for at that very moment, there came a terrifying sound resonating throughout the clubhouse, the very same sound that had scared the four of them off into the night into the first place!
Owooooooo!
Once again, everypony felt their blood turn to ice. They were all so shocked that for a moment, nopony said word. Then the sound came again, causing the three little fillies, and baby dragon to once again huddle together in the center of the clubhouse.
Owooooooo!
"Or...maybe there is!" Spike gulped.
"But...But I don't understand." Sweetie Belle trembled, "It was all just supposed to have been our imaginations!"
Scootaloo groaned, "Oh, just when we think we're out, we get pulled back in!"
For a long moment, they all just stood there, quivering in fear...
Owooooooo!
But then, Apple Bloom suddenly stopped shaking, and looked up, for it was just then that a lightbulb had gone off in yellow earth filly's head.
"Hey, wait a minute!" she said, "I know what that sound is!"
"Huh? What?" Sweetie Belle, and Scootaloo asked.
Separating from her friends, Apple Bloom quickly climbed the stairs to the second floor of the clubhouse. To Sweetie Belle, Scootaloo, and Spike, time seemed to slow to a crawl as they waited for her to return.
Owooooooo! Came the sound again.
Then, the sound abruptly ceased, and there was complete, and utter silence...
"Apple Bloom?" Sweetie Belle called fearfully.
After a tense, and eternally long moment, there came the sound of hoofsteps coming down the stairs until finally, Apple Bloom reappeared, grinning at her friends.
"Ah've captured th' ghost!" the yellow earth filly declared, holding up the empty bottle.
Needless to say, this confused the others.
"I don't get it." Scootaloo said.
"Just listen." Apple Bloom held the neck of bottle up to her lips, and blew hard, producing a smaller version of the sound that had been scaring them.
"Ah was usin' this bottle ta plug a hole in th' roof." she explained, "So when th' wind blew across a certain way..."
"It hooted!" Spike finished.
Apple Bloom smiled sheepishly, "Silly me. We were havin' so much fun earlier that Ah forgot all about it. Sorry, guys."
"Well..." Sweetie Belle said at last, "If nothing else, this is one slumber party I don't think any of us will ever forget."
"You can say that again." Scootaloo chuckled.
"For sure." added Spike.
Apple Bloom yawned, "Well, Ah don't know about th' rest of y'all, but Ah've had enough excitement fer one night. What do y'all say we go to bed, an' fer real this time?"
Nopony could argue with that. And thankfully, the rest of their night's sleep was uninterrupted.
The next morning, the three little fillies, and baby dragon gathered at the front of the clubhouse to say their goodbyes. Granny Smith had come to see Sweetie Belle, Scootaloo, and Spike off before walking Apple Bloom back to the farm. When the elderly earth pony heard about the events of the night before, she laughed as if it was the most hilarious thing she'd ever heard.
"Scared out o' yer wits by an empty bottle!" Granny Smith guffawed, "That's a new one on me! An' burnin' down a scarecrow because y'all thought it was th' Phantom Pony! Y'all must've felt so ridiculous!"
Apple Bloom, Sweetie Belle, Scootaloo, & Spike all smiled sheepishly.
"Yeah, we did..." Apple Bloom admitted, "But even so, we still had a great time."
"We sure did." Scootaloo nodded, "We really need to do this again sometime."
"Absolutely!" agreed Sweetie Belle.
Granny Smith smiled, turning to look at Spike, "An' Ah trust that y'all will want Spike ta come again? Seems ta me that y'all oughta hang out more often."
"We'd like that very much, Granny." Apple Bloom nodded.
"If you all will have me, so would I." replied Spike.
The three little fillies were very pleased at Spike's words.
After a brief silence, Scootaloo inquired, "So what are you gonna do now?"
Spike shrugged, "I guess I'll just head back to the library and do my chores as usual."
"Will you be all right?" Sweetie Belle asked.
"Yeah." Spike nodded, "Twilight will be back tomorrow; I think can manage until then."
"That's good ta hear." grinned Granny Smith, "An' just think o' th' story you'll have ta tell her about last night!"
Spike couldn't help but chuckle, "Yep."
"Well, thanks again for coming, Spike" said Sweetie Belle, "And for giving us such a fun time."
"Thanks again for inviting me." the baby dragon replied, "And for caring about me..."
The Crusaders all smiled warmly.
"What else are friends fer?" asked Apple Bloom.
Spike smiled back at Crusaders, and then the three little fillies, and baby dragon all came together in a group hug, knowing that as long as they remembered their friends, none of them would ever have to feel lonely again...
THE END.
