Rainbow Dash and Scootaloo were sprawled out on a picnic blanket in the park, surrounded by notebooks, pens, and stacks of notes filled with equations and numbers. Scootaloo squinted at the paper in front of her, trying to make sense of what Rainbow had just explained about calculus.

"Ugh, I just don’t get it, Rainbow," Scootaloo groaned, letting her pencil drop onto the page. "These squiggly lines and all these x's and y's? How does anyone make sense of this?"

Rainbow Dash chuckled, ruffling Scootaloo's hair. "Hey, it’s not as bad as it looks, squirt! You’ve got this. Let’s go over the basics again, and I promise it’ll make sense." She leaned over, breaking down the steps in her usual, laid-back way, showing Scootaloo how derivatives worked. Little by little, Scootaloo began to nod, her frustration easing away.

After another half-hour of studying, the pair finally packed up, high-fiving each other as they left the park. Just as they were about to reach the sidewalk, something caught their eyes.

"Quarter!" they yelled at the same time, both lunging for the shiny coin lying on the ground. Rainbow Dash was faster, snatching it up with a grin.

“Ha! Jinx!” she said, playfully jabbing Scootaloo in the arm. Scootaloo’s face lit up in surprise as Rainbow explained the jinx rules: "Every time you make a sound, I jab you."

Scootaloo nodded, trying her hardest to stay quiet. But it didn’t last long. "Fine!" she said instinctively, then gasped as Rainbow jabbed her arm again.

Later, as they played video games back at Rainbow’s place, Scootaloo managed to score a last-second win. She couldn’t resist celebrating. "Oh yeah! Take that, Rainbow!"

But she’d forgotten all about the jinx. "Nice try, Scoots," Rainbow laughed, jabbing her again. Scootaloo rolled her eyes but held back any more cheers—she’d learned her lesson.

After a while, they headed back outside, and as luck would have it, they spotted a solar eclipse. Rainbow whipped out two pairs of eclipse glasses, and they both put them on, gazing up at the rare sight. Scootaloo’s jaw dropped, and she couldn’t help but speak in awe. "Whoa! It’s amazing!"

“Jinx!” Rainbow laughed, her jabs now getting a bit harder. Each jab gets harder with increasing strength! Scootaloo winced and realized she was in trouble. While they were eating breakfast together, Rainbow muttered, half to herself, “Only way to break a jinx is for someone to say Scootaloo’s name three times.”

Scootaloo likes the sound of that as she went off to find someone who could help her break the jinx.

Instantly, Scootaloo sprinted down to the park, where she’d heard Principal Celestia liked to jog. Her heart thumped with excitement—she had a wild plan to get her principal to unjinx her, a silly superstition her friends had gotten her hooked on. She skidded to a stop as she saw Celestia jogging, earbuds in, focused on her stride.

"Principal Celestia!" Scootaloo called out, catching her breath.

Celestia slowed down, pulling out an earbud as she noticed Scootaloo approaching. "Scootaloo, what brings you out here?"

Scootaloo opened her mouth to reply, but she froze as she spotted a familiar streak of rainbow hair poking out from behind a nearby tree. Rainbow Dash was hiding—though not very well—and she was grinning like she’d planned something mischievous.

Celestia caught on too. With a raised eyebrow, she called out, “Rainbow Dash! Why are you hiding behind a tree?”

Before she knew what she was doing, Scootaloo spotted an empty tin can on the ground and had a burst of inspiration. She tossed it at Celestia’s face, who barely dodged it with an incredulous look.

"Scootaloo, what was that for?" Celestia asked, her voice tinged with growing irritation.

Scootaloo grinned. "It’s part of my plan!" she thought, encouraged by Celestia’s annoyed tone. Without another word, she grabbed another can and tossed it again.

Celestia’s annoyance grew as she raised her voice, “what are you…?!”

Scootaloo's eyes sparkled—two times, almost there! But to make it count, she needed one more. She spotted a tray of food on a nearby picnic table and, before she could think it through, grabbed it and lobbed everything—tray and all—toward Celestia.

That was it.

Celestia dodged the messy pile of food and threw her hands up. "That is it!! I’ve had enough! That’s detention after your test!" And with that, Celestia walked off, muttering under her breath and shaking her head.

Scootaloo blinked. "Wait! You need to say my name one more time to unjinx me!" she called after Celestia. But she was gone.

Before she could process her next step, Rainbow Dash slipped out from behind her and jabbed her in the arm. “Ouch!”

Scootaloo grumbled, massaging her shoulder. Determined, she hurried off in search of Pinkie Pie. If anyone could help her with something this ridiculous, it was Pinkie.

She found Pinkie near the school gym, busy setting up balloons and decorations for an upcoming party. Scootaloo launched into her best charades attempt, hoping Pinkie would catch on that she needed her to say her name three times.

Pinkie squinted, tilting her head, trying to interpret the gestures. “Are you... pretending to be a chicken who needs to cross the road three times?” Pinkie guessed with enthusiasm.

Scootaloo shook her head, pointing to herself, and made a jabbing motion, trying to signal the jinx. But Pinkie only looked more puzzled.

Just then, Rainbow Dash sauntered over, chuckling at the scene. “Scootaloo, you’re really bad at charades,” she teased.

“Hey!” Scootaloo shouted in frustration, only to receive another jab from Rainbow.

Pinkie’s eyes widened in realization. “Oh! You’re jinxed!”

Rainbow clapped her hands, giving Pinkie a congratulatory grin. “Exactly. Nice work, Pinks.”

Scootaloo sighed in relief, but before she could say anything, Rainbow was already laughing at her. "Good luck finding someone who’ll say your name three times. You might be stuck in jinx-land forever!"

With that, Scootaloo took off, determined to find someone else who could unjinx her once and for all.

In her dimly lit lab, Sci-Twi was deeply focused on her latest science project, her loyal dog Spike sitting attentively beside her, watching her every move. The quiet hum of machinery was interrupted by the sudden opening of the door as Scootaloo burst in, looking both impatient and desperate. She didn’t waste a second; in a flurry, she rifled through Twilight's papers, muttering to herself.

“Scootaloo!” Sci-Twi exclaimed, startled. “What are you doing?”

Scootaloo barely answered, grabbing a sheet of paper and scribbling furiously. When she was done, she held up the note to Sci-Twi: “I’m jinxed. Help! Say my name three times!”

Twilight looked at the note, frowning in confusion, and then her eyes widened as she realized: writing was just like speaking! Before she could even say Scootaloo's name again, Rainbow Dash burst in, saw the note, and smirked.

“Jinxed, huh?” Rainbow quipped, giving Scootaloo a playful but sharp/painful jab on the shoulder. “Gotta stay quiet if you don’t wanna get jabbed.”

Scootaloo flinched, a bit frustrated but unable to speak as Rainbow laughed and ran off down the hall. Scootaloo was desperate now, looking for any escape from the jinx, when she spotted Fluttershy passing by the lab’s door. Relief washed over her.

“Fluttershy!” Scootaloo mouthed with pleading eyes, holding up a new note that read, “Say my name three times!”

Fluttershy looked at the note, shook her head solemnly, and kept walking, much to Scootaloo’s shock. She followed, tugging at her friend’s sleeve and pointing urgently at the note. Fluttershy kept shaking her head, avoiding eye contact.

“Why?” Scootaloo mouthed desperately, her wide eyes demanding an answer.

With a sigh, Fluttershy whispered, “Because… I’m jinxed too.”

Before Scootaloo could react, Gilda appeared from behind a nearby bush, smirking mischievously. She sauntered up to Fluttershy, and jabbed her down. Scootaloo knows how to break her jinx: She yells out Fluttershy’s name three times and with that, the nature girl was unjinxed, blinking in surprise.

“Finally!” Scootaloo mouthed, practically hopping with excitement. “Now say my name three times!”

But Fluttershy, still rattled, held up her hands. “Oh, no… I don’t want any more jinx trouble today!” She quickly hurried off, leaving Scootaloo flustered and defeated.

Just then, Gilda approached her, an amused glint in her eye.

“Alright, listen up, kid. I know a way you can break the jinx yourself,” she whispered conspiratorially. Scootaloo’s face lit up with hope as Gilda explained her trick. When she finished, Scootaloo nodded enthusiastically, desperate to be free of the jinx.

Meanwhile, Sci-Twi and Rainbow Dash had gone off to find Scootaloo, worried she might try something drastic. As they passed by a tree, they spotted Gilda laughing hysterically.

“What’s so funny, Gilda?” Rainbow asked, raising an eyebrow.

“Oh, nothing,” Gilda snickered, clearly trying to contain her amusement. “I just told Scootaloo that she can unjinx herself by writing her name on a chalkboard at Applejack’s farm and saying it three times out loud in front of it.”

Sci-Twi’s eyes widened in alarm. “Gilda, that’s…that’s definitely not going to work! If anything, it’ll just make the jinx worse!”

Rainbow frowned. “C’mon, we’ve gotta find her before she actually does it.”

Minutes later at Sweet Apple Acres, Scootaloo burst through the front door, sprinting right past the Apple family without so much as a glance. Applejack, Granny Smith, Big Mac, and Apple Bloom exchanged puzzled glances as she bolted toward the far side of the farmhouse, slamming and locking the door to the spare room behind her.

Applejack, scratching her head, was about to knock on the door when Rainbow Dash and Twilight Sparkle, known by her friends as Sci-Twi, arrived in a panic.

"Applejack!" Rainbow called breathlessly. "Scootaloo's about to unleash dark magic! She's in danger!"

Applejack’s eyes went wide. “Dark magic? What in tarnation?”

“It’s a ritual,” Twilight explained, worry etched across her face. “She’s trying to tap into something powerful, and it could put all of us at risk!”

Applejack's expression hardened with resolve. “Alright, we’ll get her out of there. Apple Bloom—stay here. Don’t move, you hear?”

Apple Bloom groaned, arms crossed. “Fine... but y’all better tell me what’s going on after!”

Without further delay, the trio hurried to the room. Applejack pounded on the door.

“Scootaloo! Open up!” she called, her tone firm yet pleading.

“Please, Scootaloo, stop!” Sci-Twi’s voice joined in. “This isn’t safe!”

Rainbow banged her fist against the door. “Scoots, you don’t need to do this. We’re here for you!”

Inside, Scootaloo was too focused to respond, caught in the grip of her own determination. She had drawn her name on an ancient, worn-out board she’d found, and as she finished each letter, it mirrored back at her in eerie, backward strokes. She took a deep breath and chanted her name three times.

The room grew unnaturally silent as her voice faded, then suddenly, a pair of purple, menacing eyes flashed into existence, hovering inches from her face. A shiver of fear ran through Scootaloo, but before she could react, an otherworldly howl filled the room, and a grotesque, winged were-demon emerged from thin air, its claws reaching for her.

With a yelp, she dashed back toward the door. The creature roared and charged, bursting through the door with a force that sent Applejack, Rainbow Dash, and Twilight sprawling.

"Scootaloo!" Twilight cried as the tween ran out of the room, her face pale with terror.

The were-demon, its eyes glowing with fury, turned its attention toward the three teens in its path. Sci-Twi, quick to react, summoned the power of her geode, forming a magical aura around her hands. She threw an energy field at the beast, but the creature barely flinched. Her magic dissipated around it like water on stone.

“It's... it’s not working!” Twilight stammered, the realization sinking in.

Apple Bloom, Big Mac, and Granny Smith came to check on the commotion, they found themselves face-to-face with an otherworldly creature that looked straight out of a nightmare. Their eyes went wide with horror as they saw Scootaloo, Rainbow Dash, Sci-Twi, and the others staring in fear at the demonic presence.

“Run!” Applejack shouted, but before they could even react, the creature lunged forward, its claws leaving jagged red scratches across their backs. Applejack screamed as her family collapsed, writhing on the ground, and then… they began to change. Black fur sprouted over their skin, their eyes turned a haunting glowing purple, and their forms twisted into monstrous black humanoid demons with dark-black beards and their hair turning darker in hue. Even Apple Bloom’s signature bow turned sinister, its edges transforming into sharp, thorny tips.

Applejack could barely breathe, her horror palpable as her once-beloved family was now unrecognizable. With guttural growls, her family rose, snarling towards her like wild beasts, their only response to her calls being menacing glares.

“Applejack… we need to get out of here!” Sci-Twi shouted, her voice shaking.

The group turned and ran, rushing down the road as more friends and neighbors fell victim to the creature’s dark influence. Principal Celestia, who had just finished her morning jog, didn’t hear them over her music. One quick swipe from the creature and she, too, was changed, her form shifting into a beastly demon. Soon Fluttershy, Rarity, Sweetie Belle, Diamond Tiara, Silver Spoon, and Pinkie Pie joined the ranks, all transformed into monstrous versions of themselves. Everyone in Canterlot City had become demons!

Rainbow Dash, thinking quickly, activated her super-speed, scooping up Scootaloo onto her back as they dashed ahead. Applejack and Sci-Twi jumped onto a telekinetic hoverboard Sci-Twi conjured with a swipe of her hand, each gripping tightly as they sped back to Sweet Apple Acres. They were almost to safety when the creature howled like a werewolf, calling its army to surround them. Applejack felt her heart pounding, knowing they couldn’t outrun it forever.

“This way!” Sci-Twi motioned, and they scrambled into the farmhouse, rushing into the old room where a chalkboard sat covered in ancient scrawls. But the creature was right behind them, its steps echoing as it approached, eyes gleaming with victory.

With the last bit of hope, they all cried out, “Scootaloo! Scootaloo! Scootaloo!”

Scootaloo’s face lit up with realization. “Wait… my name backward! Say my name backward!”

They shouted it together, “O-o-l-a-t-o-o-c-s!” The chant resonated, and, as if pulled by invisible chains, the demon shrieked, clawing at the air as it was dragged back to wherever it came from. In a flash, the world returned to normal—sort of.

All around them, people who had been transformed returned to their regular forms, only to find themselves standing in their undergarments! A wave of embarrassed gasps and startled shouts rippled across Sweet Apple Acres as everyone looked around, cheeks red.

Apple Bloom, blushing deeply, frantically tries to shield herself with her hands. "Oh, golly! Why does this keep happenin' to me?" she stammers, half laughing, half mortified.

Big Mac, always the silent type, stands frozen, face flushed, but doesn’t utter a word. His face becomes a shade darker than usual as he looks away, too embarrassed to move.

Granny Smith, on the other hand, barely reacts, chuckling as she adjusts her stance. "Well, land sakes! Ain't nothin' I ain't seen before," she declares confidently, even giving a reassuring pat to Apple Bloom.

Pinkie Pie, ever the optimist, takes it in stride, offering a playful giggle. "Well, this wasn’t on the list for today, but surprise wardrobe malfunctions can be fun, right?" She wiggles her fingers in a playful wave to distract everyone.

Sweetie Belle, covering herself, squeaks in embarrassment. “Rarity, help!” she cries out to her older sister, who is equally horrified.

Rarity, true to form, gasps dramatically, hands flying to her face. "This is the absolute worst possible thing! I need my fashion emergency kit immediately!"

Fluttershy stands as stiff as a board, her face turning bright red. She mutters, "Oh... oh dear," barely managing to cover herself, wishing she could simply vanish.

Silver Spoon and Diamond Tiara both try to keep up a facade of composure, but they're blushing furiously and shooting each other panicked glances. Silver Spoon whispers, "We need to get out of here—now!" while Diamond Tiara just nods, wide-eyed as they both started running off, covering themselves. They were crying in embarrassment their whole journey back to their homes because of the fact that they’re out in public half-naked, save for their underwear.

Principal Celestia was finished wrapping herself in a nearby blanket, her face flushed. She sure was relieved by her being covered and she was happy to know Scootaloo & the three teens have saved the day again. “Thank you… all of you.” She looked specifically at Scootaloo. “Consider your detention… canceled.”

Scootaloo beamed, and as everyone covered up with blankets, Applejack, Sci-Twi, Rainbow Dash, and Scootaloo shared a sigh of relief, glad that the nightmare was over. Pinkie Pie, however, bounced around with her usual energy, unbothered by the chaos that had unfolded.

They spent the rest of the day helping everyone return home, the farm once again a place of peace, but now filled with memories of the strange day they’d never forget.

The End

Author's Note

Gilda illustration by stevetwisp.

Diamond Tiara’s demon form based on original vector by ponyalfonso and edited by me.