Terrors at Nightmare Nightby RushingWind-01ChaptersChapter 1 - Nightmare Night is back!Chapter 2 - Fluttershy's Second Nightmare NightChapter 3 - The Magic Demon Strikes!Chapter 4 - Fluttershy, Hero of Nightmare NightEpilogue - One Year Later...Chapter 1 - Nightmare Night is back!Author's Note I started writing this story about two days ago, so I had to come up with ideas quickly so that it would be finished in time for October 31st. Despite that, I hope you'll enjoy it! Chapter 1 - Nightmare Night is back! Fluttershy's Cottage, Morning... It was a beautiful autumn morning in Equestria. Fluttershy opened her eyes and yawned as she got out of her bed. After washing herself, she went over to her calendar and flipped the date. However, what she then saw, made the blood in her veins freeze. "Oh my...", she thought. It was October 31st. Nightmare Night. The one day in the year in which she would usually hide under her bed and sit out the night. The one night of scary pranks, terrifying costumes and an atmosphere that makes you shiver... Fluttershy remembered one specific Nightmare Night, in which she actually made something scary for her friends, and even though she was successful, she actually felt bad about it. Her friends comforted her and praised her for this amazing setup, but despite that, Fluttershy decided to stay home for future Nightmare Nights. "I mean, it's not like it wasn't fun setting this up, but I scared my friends with that...", Fluttershy thought upon recalling this memory. She shook it off and went ahead to tending to her animals. After doing that, she decided to head for Ponyville to run the remaining errands before preparing her hiding place for the night. Ponyville, later that day... Over in Ponyville, everypony was already setting up for the big event. Decorations with several Nightmare Night motives like ghosts and pumpkins were being placed all over the town. Fluttershy already shivered from just looking at them. "Come on, Fluttershy. It's not night time yet. Just calm down and do what you need to take care of.", she thought. She took a deep breath. It calmed her down, that's certain. But it still didn't help the fact that these decorations looked scary indeed. Reaching the first stand, one that sold carrots for Angel, Fluttershy saw that the salespony was facing away from her. "Um, excuse me?", she said. The salespony turned around and said: "Yes, what can I do for you, miss?" Fluttershy startled and backed away. The salespony was dressed in a scary-looking costume, in a dark blue cloak with a skeleton mask. "Uh, are you okay, miss?", asked the salespony. Fluttershy calmed down and said: "Y-yes. It's just... That costume on you... It startled me..." "Oh, that's what I wear for Nightmare Night.", said the salespony and took off his mask, "I'm sorry if I scared you with it." Fluttershy giggled. "Already forgiven.", she said, "Now, can I have two dozen carrots?" The salespony took out two bundles holding twelve carrots each. Fluttershy paid for these orange vegetables and continued on with her shopping tour. As she walked from stand to stand to purchase everything she needed to prepare herself for Nightmare Night, something was going on over in the Carousel Boutique... Rushing Wind was at the Carousel Boutique, already dressed in his costume, making him look like a demon hunter, complete with a skeleton dragon mask. Inside the store, Rarity worked on something that he ordered. "But darling, are you sure that she will like this costume?", Rarity asked, furrowing a brow. Rushing Wind nodded. "I am sure.", he said, "This will look very impressive on her." As Rarity continued working, she asked Rushing Wind: "Hey, are you going to join in on our Nightmare Night party over at Sweet Apple Acres? I heard Applejack has got some really scary stuff ready for us." "Yeah, sure thing.", Rushing Wind said, "But I have to do something before joining you. I have to pay someone a visit, and hopefully, I can get them along for the party." Rarity giggled. "So this is pretty much the classic late entrance that we're used to from you, Rush.", she said. "Yeah. But I can tell you, it will be worth it.", Rushing Wind said. However, his thoughts ran through his mind. "Or at least, I hope that Fluttershy will join us... She hates Nightmare Night." He knew about that. Unlike Fluttershy, Rushing Wind loved Nightmare Night. Dressing yourself as whatever you want, something scary or something cute, it was your own pick. But the main thing was to have fun with your friends despite all that, and that's what he's going to try and teach Fluttershy. All she would need was this costume... "Rush, are you okay?", asked Rarity, slightly worried. Rushing Wind snapped out of his thoughts. "Yeah, I'm fine.", he said, "Just a little lost in thoughts." "Well, I got the costume ready.", Rarity said. Rushing Wind took out a little bag with bits inside. He put it on the table and took the costume. "Thanks, Rarity.", he said, "I'll see you later at the party!" And with these words, Rushing Wind left the Carousel Boutique. He then headed to his Ponyville residence to prepare something before heading over to Fluttershy's cottage later today... Fluttershy's Cottage, Evening... Fluttershy returned home a little earlier after taking care of her errands in town. After having dinner, she prepared her hiding place under her bed for Nightmare Night, which was nothing more than a bright lamp, a good book and the company of a few of her animal friends. "Okay, my friends... Are you ready for the story?", Fluttershy asked. Her animal friends responded with agreement. And then, she was getting comfortable and ready to start reading... Chapter 2 - Fluttershy's Second Nightmare NightSomething has gone wrong. We don't seem to have an archived copy of that chapter.Chapter 3 - The Magic Demon Strikes!Sweet Apple Acres, 12 AM... Twilight Sparkle took out a book from her saddle bag. She flipped it open and looked through the pages, eventually finding the page she wanted. "Here it is. Is everypony ready?", she asked. Rushing Wind and the rest of the Mane 6 nodded. And then, the lights went out, and Twilight started reading. When midnight strikes upon the hour twelve, the magic beast reveals itself. Rathmas is the name, a magic demon, He will seek the world for his to scheme in. So big and powerful, of pure magic, Fools who face him suffer fate so tragic. When all the world is engulfed in his might, it will remain a dark planet of night. Staying concealed all of the other days, he will rise this one night to seek his preys, Only the chosen who is kind and brave, will then send the demon into its grave. Rathmas, Rathmas, awoken at midnight, Will plunge the universe into big fright, The beast of magic, powerful and cursed, He's our doom on October 31st. The Mane 6 applauded. Rushing Wind, however, was unsure, and Fluttershy took notice. "What's wrong, Rush?", she asked. "This spell... I heard it before.", Rushing Wind said. "A spell? What for?" Just when Fluttershy finished her question, the earth started to shake. "Wait... What's happening?", asked Rarity, slightly starting to panic. "Could it be... That Rathmas is still alive and waiting to plunge us into darkness?", Rushing Wind asked. "What are you talkin' about, Rush? It's just a story.", Applejack said. "Yeah! It's only meant to send a shiver down our spine!", Pinkie Pie said, still being optimistic. Rushing Wind didn't say anything, he opened the door leading outside. There, Rushing Wind spotted a dark blue demon emerging from the ground. "Whoa... That's Rathmas? From Twilight's story?", Rainbow Dash said in awe. "It wasn't a story, it was an ancient spell. And Twilight just recited it.", Rushing Wind said. "We have to get over there and save everypony!", Fluttershy said. "Then let's not waste time! Come on, everypony!", Twilight said and ran ahead while the others followed suit. Together, they ran back to Ponyville... Ponyville Market, a few minutes later... The Mane 6 arrived at the market, where Rathmas was already rampaging and frightened every pony around. "Great job, Twilight. This beast is destroying everything!", Applejack said, a stern glare fixed on Twilight. "I didn't know that this was an ancient spell!", Twilight said, "I found that book in a book store that the salespony sold for a low amount." "Seems like he was dying to get rid of it.", Rushing Wind said. "What are we gonna do now?", Fluttershy asked. "I'll get the Princesses! You lead the residents of Ponyville to safety!", Twilight said and flew off to Canterlot as fast as she could. "You heard her! Let's get to it!", Rushing Wind said. The six ponies split up into teams of three. One team would take care of the ponies outside, the other team will warn the ponies at home. Rushing Wind paired up with Rainbow Dash and Fluttershy and took care of the ponies outside while Pinkie Pie, Applejack and Rarity warned the ponies inside. While both teams were doing their jobs, Rathmas continued to rampage and destroy the town. Rushing Wind and Fluttershy found a lot of ponies hiding and running around on the streets of Ponyville. "Everypony, you have to calm down! If you continue to panic, your lives will be more in danger than before!", Fluttershy called out to everypony running around. The panicking ponies stopped and listened to Fluttershy, one after another. She then told them to run home and take cover, which they gladly acknowledged. Rushing Wind on the other hoof said to the ponies that are hiding: "This is a feral beast of pure magic! Stay calm, run home and take cover while we take care of things here!" The hiding ponies did as Rushing Wind told him. When he looked up, he saw Rainbow Dash. From the looks of it, she was distracting Rathmas to prevent him from dealing more damage, momentarily fighting each other. "Rainbow Dash!", Rushing Wind called out, "Your attacks are useless! It's a beast of pure magic, meaning it is basically invincible to physical attacks!" "I know! And that's why I'm trying to put him out of action for a while!", Rainbow Dash called back. Suddenly, Rathmas unleashed a powerful roar that flung Rainbow Dash backwards. "The dark will consume all!", Rathmas roared. "Oh my, he can talk?", Pinkie Pie asked, who just came up with Rarity and Applejack. "Well, that's something you don't hear every day.", Rarity joked. Fluttershy knew that something was up with this being. She turned to Rushing Wind. "Rush, I think there's something up with this demon!", she said. Rushing Wind took notice and asked: "What is it, Fluttershy?" "Do you think it's purely evil?", Fluttershy asked. "I don't know! All we can do is hope that the Princesses get here quick!", Rushing Wind said. Then, after he said that, they spotted Twilight being accompanied by Princesses Celestia and Luna. Chapter 4 - Fluttershy, Hero of Nightmare NightTwilight Sparkle arrived back at the scene, the Princesses alongside her. "We heard about what's going on, and we want to help you.", Celestia said. "Yes. We will send this foul demon back to the place where it came from!", Luna said in confidence. "Good luck with that. It's made of pure magic, so any attacks are useless against it.", Rushing Wind said. "Well, let's see if it can withstand our magic!", said Celestia and took off with Luna and Twilight. Together, they started to attack Rathmas. As expected, any attacks from the Princesses didn't seem to harm the magic beast in any way. It just sucked them up like a dry leaf would suck up water droplets. Rushing Wind couldn't bear to watch that. He turned to Fluttershy and said: "Fluttershy, if you think that this beast isn't purely evil, do you think you can get it to stop?" Fluttershy took a look at the huge beast. It was so big, and she was so small. How could she out of all ponies possibly stop it? She started to shiver and closed her eyes at this sight. "I... I can't!" "The Princesses are in danger! And if they can't stop him, and if not even I can stop him, then who will?", Rushing Wind tried again. Fluttershy opened her eyes a bit again and took a look. Rathmas hit Twilight hard with his claw, and it sent her flying into a house, destroying it in the process. "Soon you will fall!", roared Rathmas and shot magic rays out of his eyes against the other Princesses, who fell to the ground. Now Fluttershy knew, she had to do something... "ENOUGH!", she yelled. She flew over to the demon and looked it straight in the eye. It unleashed a powerful roar, but Fluttershy remained firm. "You think that this is funny? Do you really think that you out of all creatures have the right to destroy cities, haunt ponies, and take lives?" Fluttershy was angry right now. She continued to stare the creature in the eye. Unbeknownst to her, it was shrinking a bit. "I tell you what, just because you're big, doesn't mean you get to be a bully, demolisher or killer!" The creature continued to shrink as Fluttershy continued to scold it... "You may have sharp teeth, big claws and magic eyes that shoot rays out of it, but you do not, I repeat, YOU DO NOT HURT MY FRIENDS! You got that?" When the beast finally stopped shrinking, it appeared to be a cute little magic wolf pup. Everypony gasped as they looked at the thing that once was the mighty Rathmas. Especially Fluttershy was overwhelmed with its sheer cuteness. "Oh my... You're Rathmas?", asked Fluttershy. The wolf pup barked, which Fluttershy translated to: "Yes, but I have been cursed and filled with dark magic. That dark magic consumed me, and every Nightmare Night, when a certain spell was recited to awaken me, ponies fought me, hoping they could destroy me... But they never could. Until I got locked away in a magic lock beneath what you know nowadays as Ponyville. However, it didn't end without side effects, as every Nightmare Night, I haunted the peaceful little town with nightmares." Fluttershy was shocked beyond belief. "So... You're the source of nightmares every Nightmare Night?", she asked. "Yes.", Rathmas said, "And every Nightmare Night, my curse would haunt the town with my nightmarish visions." The other ponies couldn't really make out what Rathmas was saying to Fluttershy. But finally, she turned to them and said: "Rathmas was just a cute, little wolf pup that has been cursed by dark magic. That's why he's completely made of magic. This curse made him grow to an enormous size, and on every Nightmare Night in the past, he was just locked beneath this place, waiting for someone to summon and destroy him. But with every year that past, the nightmares that haunted this place became more and more vivid, and if we don't remove the curse from him, it will all continue until eternity." The ponies gasped. Especially Rainbow Dash was impressed. "Whoa, I know you have a thing for animals, but whoa!", she said. "Well, if that's all there is to it and if removing the curse is the way to get you back to normal, Rathmas... We would be happy to do so.", Celestia said, "But where do we lock this dark magic in?" "I know!", Rushing Wind said and pulled out a golden necklace. "We can lock the dark magic in here. Then you can hide it in the most hidden part of your castle, where no one can find it." "Good idea, Rushing Wind!", said Celestia and turned to Rathmas, "Then, I will begin with the ritual. And I'm sure that Fluttershy will take good care of you once you turned back to normal." Fluttershy smiled. She never had a wolf pup in her company of animal friends, and even though she knew that these things are hard to tame predators, she knew that she can cope with any kind of animal. Then, Celestia started to cast her magic. The dark magic that engulfed Rathmas is going out of his body, flowing into the golden necklace. Soon, the dark blue creature made of pure magic was just a normal, two-tone grey wolf pup, and the magic was secured in the necklace. Rushing Wind picked it up and handed it to Celestia. "Take good care of it. If it gets in the wrong hooves, the world is doomed.", he said. "We will, I promise.", Celestia said. Together with Luna, she flew off. And now that everything was over, the ponies that were hiding in their homes ran out onto the streets and cheered for the heroes that were able to defeat the nightmarish creature haunting the town for centuries now. Rushing Wind walked up to Fluttershy. "This is for us, Fluttershy. We all can share in that victory.", he said. "If you hadn't helped me to get over my fears and go out at Nightmare Night, this probably wouldn't have been possible.", Fluttershy said. "Yeah, and then the world would have been doomed for sure. You're our hero, Fluttershy!", Rushing Wind said and lifted her hoof up, calling out to the crowd, "Let's hear it for Fluttershy!" The crowd cheered and chanted. Fluttershy was flattered. She only took care of a magic beast, helped to reform it, and she became a hero for it, because she was able to end the nightmares that were haunting Ponyville every Nightmare Night... Epilogue - One Year Later...It has been one year since the defeat of Rathmas, who has been living a peaceful life with Fluttershy during that time. She took good care of him and made sure that he remained healthy. Now, he has grown into a strong young wolf. On this year's Nightmare Night, instead of preparing her hiding place for the night, Fluttershy prepared her new fruit bat costume. She bought it from Rarity and made some changes to it. Looking at herself in the mirror, it gave her a little startle, as it reminded her of the time when she was under a spell that turned her into a fruit bat at night. But she knew that this was ancient history. She turned to Rathmas and showed him her costume. "Well, how do I look?", she asked him. Rathmas barked: "You look awesome, Fluttershy!" Fluttershy giggled. "Thank you, Rathmas.", she said, "I made some changes to Rarity's costume, and it fits perfectly. This will send a shiver down the spine of my friends, especially Applejack." At this statement, Rathmas had to laugh himself. He was aware of Applejack not being a big fan of fruit bats. Fluttershy though was very happy. She used to be totally scared of Nightmare Night, but this one night with Rushing Wind and her friends has changed everything. Most importantly, she was not afraid to go outside during Nightmare Night anymore. She has become much braver ever since that one night. And then, Fluttershy left her home and set out for another fun Nightmare Night with her friends. Another night that she will not forget so easily... THE END Author's Note I know that this epilogue is short, but I just ran out of creative ideas about what else could have happened between last and this year. I hope you enjoyed this short story, and if so, let me know.
Chapter 1 - Nightmare Night is back!Author's Note I started writing this story about two days ago, so I had to come up with ideas quickly so that it would be finished in time for October 31st. Despite that, I hope you'll enjoy it! Chapter 1 - Nightmare Night is back! Fluttershy's Cottage, Morning... It was a beautiful autumn morning in Equestria. Fluttershy opened her eyes and yawned as she got out of her bed. After washing herself, she went over to her calendar and flipped the date. However, what she then saw, made the blood in her veins freeze. "Oh my...", she thought. It was October 31st. Nightmare Night. The one day in the year in which she would usually hide under her bed and sit out the night. The one night of scary pranks, terrifying costumes and an atmosphere that makes you shiver... Fluttershy remembered one specific Nightmare Night, in which she actually made something scary for her friends, and even though she was successful, she actually felt bad about it. Her friends comforted her and praised her for this amazing setup, but despite that, Fluttershy decided to stay home for future Nightmare Nights. "I mean, it's not like it wasn't fun setting this up, but I scared my friends with that...", Fluttershy thought upon recalling this memory. She shook it off and went ahead to tending to her animals. After doing that, she decided to head for Ponyville to run the remaining errands before preparing her hiding place for the night. Ponyville, later that day... Over in Ponyville, everypony was already setting up for the big event. Decorations with several Nightmare Night motives like ghosts and pumpkins were being placed all over the town. Fluttershy already shivered from just looking at them. "Come on, Fluttershy. It's not night time yet. Just calm down and do what you need to take care of.", she thought. She took a deep breath. It calmed her down, that's certain. But it still didn't help the fact that these decorations looked scary indeed. Reaching the first stand, one that sold carrots for Angel, Fluttershy saw that the salespony was facing away from her. "Um, excuse me?", she said. The salespony turned around and said: "Yes, what can I do for you, miss?" Fluttershy startled and backed away. The salespony was dressed in a scary-looking costume, in a dark blue cloak with a skeleton mask. "Uh, are you okay, miss?", asked the salespony. Fluttershy calmed down and said: "Y-yes. It's just... That costume on you... It startled me..." "Oh, that's what I wear for Nightmare Night.", said the salespony and took off his mask, "I'm sorry if I scared you with it." Fluttershy giggled. "Already forgiven.", she said, "Now, can I have two dozen carrots?" The salespony took out two bundles holding twelve carrots each. Fluttershy paid for these orange vegetables and continued on with her shopping tour. As she walked from stand to stand to purchase everything she needed to prepare herself for Nightmare Night, something was going on over in the Carousel Boutique... Rushing Wind was at the Carousel Boutique, already dressed in his costume, making him look like a demon hunter, complete with a skeleton dragon mask. Inside the store, Rarity worked on something that he ordered. "But darling, are you sure that she will like this costume?", Rarity asked, furrowing a brow. Rushing Wind nodded. "I am sure.", he said, "This will look very impressive on her." As Rarity continued working, she asked Rushing Wind: "Hey, are you going to join in on our Nightmare Night party over at Sweet Apple Acres? I heard Applejack has got some really scary stuff ready for us." "Yeah, sure thing.", Rushing Wind said, "But I have to do something before joining you. I have to pay someone a visit, and hopefully, I can get them along for the party." Rarity giggled. "So this is pretty much the classic late entrance that we're used to from you, Rush.", she said. "Yeah. But I can tell you, it will be worth it.", Rushing Wind said. However, his thoughts ran through his mind. "Or at least, I hope that Fluttershy will join us... She hates Nightmare Night." He knew about that. Unlike Fluttershy, Rushing Wind loved Nightmare Night. Dressing yourself as whatever you want, something scary or something cute, it was your own pick. But the main thing was to have fun with your friends despite all that, and that's what he's going to try and teach Fluttershy. All she would need was this costume... "Rush, are you okay?", asked Rarity, slightly worried. Rushing Wind snapped out of his thoughts. "Yeah, I'm fine.", he said, "Just a little lost in thoughts." "Well, I got the costume ready.", Rarity said. Rushing Wind took out a little bag with bits inside. He put it on the table and took the costume. "Thanks, Rarity.", he said, "I'll see you later at the party!" And with these words, Rushing Wind left the Carousel Boutique. He then headed to his Ponyville residence to prepare something before heading over to Fluttershy's cottage later today... Fluttershy's Cottage, Evening... Fluttershy returned home a little earlier after taking care of her errands in town. After having dinner, she prepared her hiding place under her bed for Nightmare Night, which was nothing more than a bright lamp, a good book and the company of a few of her animal friends. "Okay, my friends... Are you ready for the story?", Fluttershy asked. Her animal friends responded with agreement. And then, she was getting comfortable and ready to start reading...
Chapter 2 - Fluttershy's Second Nightmare NightSomething has gone wrong. We don't seem to have an archived copy of that chapter.
Chapter 3 - The Magic Demon Strikes!Sweet Apple Acres, 12 AM... Twilight Sparkle took out a book from her saddle bag. She flipped it open and looked through the pages, eventually finding the page she wanted. "Here it is. Is everypony ready?", she asked. Rushing Wind and the rest of the Mane 6 nodded. And then, the lights went out, and Twilight started reading. When midnight strikes upon the hour twelve, the magic beast reveals itself. Rathmas is the name, a magic demon, He will seek the world for his to scheme in. So big and powerful, of pure magic, Fools who face him suffer fate so tragic. When all the world is engulfed in his might, it will remain a dark planet of night. Staying concealed all of the other days, he will rise this one night to seek his preys, Only the chosen who is kind and brave, will then send the demon into its grave. Rathmas, Rathmas, awoken at midnight, Will plunge the universe into big fright, The beast of magic, powerful and cursed, He's our doom on October 31st. The Mane 6 applauded. Rushing Wind, however, was unsure, and Fluttershy took notice. "What's wrong, Rush?", she asked. "This spell... I heard it before.", Rushing Wind said. "A spell? What for?" Just when Fluttershy finished her question, the earth started to shake. "Wait... What's happening?", asked Rarity, slightly starting to panic. "Could it be... That Rathmas is still alive and waiting to plunge us into darkness?", Rushing Wind asked. "What are you talkin' about, Rush? It's just a story.", Applejack said. "Yeah! It's only meant to send a shiver down our spine!", Pinkie Pie said, still being optimistic. Rushing Wind didn't say anything, he opened the door leading outside. There, Rushing Wind spotted a dark blue demon emerging from the ground. "Whoa... That's Rathmas? From Twilight's story?", Rainbow Dash said in awe. "It wasn't a story, it was an ancient spell. And Twilight just recited it.", Rushing Wind said. "We have to get over there and save everypony!", Fluttershy said. "Then let's not waste time! Come on, everypony!", Twilight said and ran ahead while the others followed suit. Together, they ran back to Ponyville... Ponyville Market, a few minutes later... The Mane 6 arrived at the market, where Rathmas was already rampaging and frightened every pony around. "Great job, Twilight. This beast is destroying everything!", Applejack said, a stern glare fixed on Twilight. "I didn't know that this was an ancient spell!", Twilight said, "I found that book in a book store that the salespony sold for a low amount." "Seems like he was dying to get rid of it.", Rushing Wind said. "What are we gonna do now?", Fluttershy asked. "I'll get the Princesses! You lead the residents of Ponyville to safety!", Twilight said and flew off to Canterlot as fast as she could. "You heard her! Let's get to it!", Rushing Wind said. The six ponies split up into teams of three. One team would take care of the ponies outside, the other team will warn the ponies at home. Rushing Wind paired up with Rainbow Dash and Fluttershy and took care of the ponies outside while Pinkie Pie, Applejack and Rarity warned the ponies inside. While both teams were doing their jobs, Rathmas continued to rampage and destroy the town. Rushing Wind and Fluttershy found a lot of ponies hiding and running around on the streets of Ponyville. "Everypony, you have to calm down! If you continue to panic, your lives will be more in danger than before!", Fluttershy called out to everypony running around. The panicking ponies stopped and listened to Fluttershy, one after another. She then told them to run home and take cover, which they gladly acknowledged. Rushing Wind on the other hoof said to the ponies that are hiding: "This is a feral beast of pure magic! Stay calm, run home and take cover while we take care of things here!" The hiding ponies did as Rushing Wind told him. When he looked up, he saw Rainbow Dash. From the looks of it, she was distracting Rathmas to prevent him from dealing more damage, momentarily fighting each other. "Rainbow Dash!", Rushing Wind called out, "Your attacks are useless! It's a beast of pure magic, meaning it is basically invincible to physical attacks!" "I know! And that's why I'm trying to put him out of action for a while!", Rainbow Dash called back. Suddenly, Rathmas unleashed a powerful roar that flung Rainbow Dash backwards. "The dark will consume all!", Rathmas roared. "Oh my, he can talk?", Pinkie Pie asked, who just came up with Rarity and Applejack. "Well, that's something you don't hear every day.", Rarity joked. Fluttershy knew that something was up with this being. She turned to Rushing Wind. "Rush, I think there's something up with this demon!", she said. Rushing Wind took notice and asked: "What is it, Fluttershy?" "Do you think it's purely evil?", Fluttershy asked. "I don't know! All we can do is hope that the Princesses get here quick!", Rushing Wind said. Then, after he said that, they spotted Twilight being accompanied by Princesses Celestia and Luna.
Chapter 4 - Fluttershy, Hero of Nightmare NightTwilight Sparkle arrived back at the scene, the Princesses alongside her. "We heard about what's going on, and we want to help you.", Celestia said. "Yes. We will send this foul demon back to the place where it came from!", Luna said in confidence. "Good luck with that. It's made of pure magic, so any attacks are useless against it.", Rushing Wind said. "Well, let's see if it can withstand our magic!", said Celestia and took off with Luna and Twilight. Together, they started to attack Rathmas. As expected, any attacks from the Princesses didn't seem to harm the magic beast in any way. It just sucked them up like a dry leaf would suck up water droplets. Rushing Wind couldn't bear to watch that. He turned to Fluttershy and said: "Fluttershy, if you think that this beast isn't purely evil, do you think you can get it to stop?" Fluttershy took a look at the huge beast. It was so big, and she was so small. How could she out of all ponies possibly stop it? She started to shiver and closed her eyes at this sight. "I... I can't!" "The Princesses are in danger! And if they can't stop him, and if not even I can stop him, then who will?", Rushing Wind tried again. Fluttershy opened her eyes a bit again and took a look. Rathmas hit Twilight hard with his claw, and it sent her flying into a house, destroying it in the process. "Soon you will fall!", roared Rathmas and shot magic rays out of his eyes against the other Princesses, who fell to the ground. Now Fluttershy knew, she had to do something... "ENOUGH!", she yelled. She flew over to the demon and looked it straight in the eye. It unleashed a powerful roar, but Fluttershy remained firm. "You think that this is funny? Do you really think that you out of all creatures have the right to destroy cities, haunt ponies, and take lives?" Fluttershy was angry right now. She continued to stare the creature in the eye. Unbeknownst to her, it was shrinking a bit. "I tell you what, just because you're big, doesn't mean you get to be a bully, demolisher or killer!" The creature continued to shrink as Fluttershy continued to scold it... "You may have sharp teeth, big claws and magic eyes that shoot rays out of it, but you do not, I repeat, YOU DO NOT HURT MY FRIENDS! You got that?" When the beast finally stopped shrinking, it appeared to be a cute little magic wolf pup. Everypony gasped as they looked at the thing that once was the mighty Rathmas. Especially Fluttershy was overwhelmed with its sheer cuteness. "Oh my... You're Rathmas?", asked Fluttershy. The wolf pup barked, which Fluttershy translated to: "Yes, but I have been cursed and filled with dark magic. That dark magic consumed me, and every Nightmare Night, when a certain spell was recited to awaken me, ponies fought me, hoping they could destroy me... But they never could. Until I got locked away in a magic lock beneath what you know nowadays as Ponyville. However, it didn't end without side effects, as every Nightmare Night, I haunted the peaceful little town with nightmares." Fluttershy was shocked beyond belief. "So... You're the source of nightmares every Nightmare Night?", she asked. "Yes.", Rathmas said, "And every Nightmare Night, my curse would haunt the town with my nightmarish visions." The other ponies couldn't really make out what Rathmas was saying to Fluttershy. But finally, she turned to them and said: "Rathmas was just a cute, little wolf pup that has been cursed by dark magic. That's why he's completely made of magic. This curse made him grow to an enormous size, and on every Nightmare Night in the past, he was just locked beneath this place, waiting for someone to summon and destroy him. But with every year that past, the nightmares that haunted this place became more and more vivid, and if we don't remove the curse from him, it will all continue until eternity." The ponies gasped. Especially Rainbow Dash was impressed. "Whoa, I know you have a thing for animals, but whoa!", she said. "Well, if that's all there is to it and if removing the curse is the way to get you back to normal, Rathmas... We would be happy to do so.", Celestia said, "But where do we lock this dark magic in?" "I know!", Rushing Wind said and pulled out a golden necklace. "We can lock the dark magic in here. Then you can hide it in the most hidden part of your castle, where no one can find it." "Good idea, Rushing Wind!", said Celestia and turned to Rathmas, "Then, I will begin with the ritual. And I'm sure that Fluttershy will take good care of you once you turned back to normal." Fluttershy smiled. She never had a wolf pup in her company of animal friends, and even though she knew that these things are hard to tame predators, she knew that she can cope with any kind of animal. Then, Celestia started to cast her magic. The dark magic that engulfed Rathmas is going out of his body, flowing into the golden necklace. Soon, the dark blue creature made of pure magic was just a normal, two-tone grey wolf pup, and the magic was secured in the necklace. Rushing Wind picked it up and handed it to Celestia. "Take good care of it. If it gets in the wrong hooves, the world is doomed.", he said. "We will, I promise.", Celestia said. Together with Luna, she flew off. And now that everything was over, the ponies that were hiding in their homes ran out onto the streets and cheered for the heroes that were able to defeat the nightmarish creature haunting the town for centuries now. Rushing Wind walked up to Fluttershy. "This is for us, Fluttershy. We all can share in that victory.", he said. "If you hadn't helped me to get over my fears and go out at Nightmare Night, this probably wouldn't have been possible.", Fluttershy said. "Yeah, and then the world would have been doomed for sure. You're our hero, Fluttershy!", Rushing Wind said and lifted her hoof up, calling out to the crowd, "Let's hear it for Fluttershy!" The crowd cheered and chanted. Fluttershy was flattered. She only took care of a magic beast, helped to reform it, and she became a hero for it, because she was able to end the nightmares that were haunting Ponyville every Nightmare Night...
Epilogue - One Year Later...It has been one year since the defeat of Rathmas, who has been living a peaceful life with Fluttershy during that time. She took good care of him and made sure that he remained healthy. Now, he has grown into a strong young wolf. On this year's Nightmare Night, instead of preparing her hiding place for the night, Fluttershy prepared her new fruit bat costume. She bought it from Rarity and made some changes to it. Looking at herself in the mirror, it gave her a little startle, as it reminded her of the time when she was under a spell that turned her into a fruit bat at night. But she knew that this was ancient history. She turned to Rathmas and showed him her costume. "Well, how do I look?", she asked him. Rathmas barked: "You look awesome, Fluttershy!" Fluttershy giggled. "Thank you, Rathmas.", she said, "I made some changes to Rarity's costume, and it fits perfectly. This will send a shiver down the spine of my friends, especially Applejack." At this statement, Rathmas had to laugh himself. He was aware of Applejack not being a big fan of fruit bats. Fluttershy though was very happy. She used to be totally scared of Nightmare Night, but this one night with Rushing Wind and her friends has changed everything. Most importantly, she was not afraid to go outside during Nightmare Night anymore. She has become much braver ever since that one night. And then, Fluttershy left her home and set out for another fun Nightmare Night with her friends. Another night that she will not forget so easily... THE END Author's Note I know that this epilogue is short, but I just ran out of creative ideas about what else could have happened between last and this year. I hope you enjoyed this short story, and if so, let me know.
