Equestria Girls Trick or Treat Tales

Equestria Girls: Trick or Treat Tales #1 - An Eye for an Eye

The cool autumn air had settled over Canterlot High, sweeping through the trees and scattering orange and yellow leaves across the courtyard. Rainbow Dash shivered, pulling her bomber jacket tighter as she and her friends made their way toward the gym. Inside, the annual Halloween Fright Fest awaited them: a night full of spooky stories, hayrides, and pranks.

The others had dressed up, each embracing their Halloween spirit. Twilight Sparkle had gone as a mad scientist, complete with oversized goggles and a lab coat. Rarity sparkled in a darkly elegant witch’s gown, holding a crystal ball that glowed whenever she spoke. Pinkie Pie had chosen a classic: a ghost costume made of a bed sheet with two large eye holes cut out, though she'd added her own twist with colorful, blinking lights that lit her up like a Halloween disco.

Rainbow Dash, however, had decided to skip a costume this year, brushing off the idea as "too childish." She'd be cool, she'd said. No need for spooky getups or pranks.

Or so she thought.

As they entered the gym, Rainbow noticed the decorations. Bats made of construction paper dangled from the ceiling, skeletons hung from the walls, and a fog machine poured out a low mist that clung to the floor. The decorations were great, she thought, but it didn’t exactly scream “scary” to her. She chuckled to herself and rolled her eyes.

Suddenly, a loud BOOM! echoed from behind her, followed by a loud, high-pitched scream. Startled, Rainbow turned to see Pinkie Pie rolling on the floor, laughing hysterically. Above her, a stuffed bat that had been rigged to drop from the ceiling was dangling, its eyes glowing an ominous red.

“Gotcha!” Pinkie giggled. “First scare of the night!”

“Oh, please, Pinkie,” Rainbow scoffed, crossing her arms and trying to look unimpressed. “I don’t scare that easily.”

“Oh, I know,” Pinkie said with a sly grin, “but the night’s just getting started!”

Rainbow didn’t think much of it at first. Sure, Pinkie loved her pranks, and Halloween was her favorite time of year, but Rainbow was pretty sure she could handle whatever little tricks Pinkie had in store.

Little did she know, that was only the beginning.

As the night went on, Rainbow found herself the target of one prank after another. Every time she turned around, it seemed, there was something new waiting to get a reaction out of her. First, it was a bucket of plastic spiders on her seat. Then, while she was grabbing a snack, a skeleton arm “mysteriously” popped out of the popcorn bowl.

“Alright, who put this here?” she demanded, picking up the plastic arm. Twilight adjusted her goggles, clearly trying to stifle a laugh.

“No idea, Rainbow! It must’ve been… magic.” She wiggled her fingers in an exaggerated gesture, and the rest of the girls burst out laughing.

Rainbow groaned, but she tried to laugh along. “Okay, okay, real funny. But I’m not scared.”

As she said this, a quiet little voice at the back of her mind whispered, Are you sure? After all, a few of the pranks had been a bit too realistic for her liking. But no way was she going to let that show.

Determined to prove she was unfazed, Rainbow decided to make herself the prankster. She snuck off to grab a can of whipped cream, planning to sneak up behind Fluttershy and give her a little scare. But just as she raised her hand to tap Fluttershy’s shoulder, the lights in the gym flickered and went out, plunging the room into darkness.

A collective gasp filled the room, and Rainbow found herself instinctively moving closer to her friends. She rolled her eyes, trying to steady her nerves. It was just a power outage. But as her eyes adjusted to the darkness, she noticed something unsettling—a shadowy figure slowly moving toward her.

“Okay… ha-ha, real funny,” she called out, hoping one of her friends would reveal themselves. But nobody answered. Instead, the figure continued to move closer, silent and menacing.

She swallowed hard, feeling a genuine twinge of fear. "Pinkie? Twilight? Guys, quit messing around!"

Just then, a single beam of light shone down from the ceiling, illuminating the figure’s face. Rainbow gasped as she saw what looked like a floating head, with two empty eyes staring right at her, a sinister grin spread across its pale face. Her heart skipped a beat.

But then, suddenly, she heard a familiar snicker.

From behind her, Applejack couldn’t hold it in any longer and burst out laughing. “Gotcha good, didn’t we?”

With a flourish, Rarity stepped forward and removed the head, revealing a cardboard mask they had created just for Rainbow. The others joined in, and the whole gym filled with laughter. Rainbow laughed, albeit nervously, feeling her face flush.

“Alright, alright! I admit it, you guys got me,” Rainbow said, forcing a grin. “But that’s it, okay? Enough pranks for one night.”

The girls nodded, and with one last shared laugh, they promised to leave her in peace. But Rainbow could still feel her pulse racing, and every little creak or groan seemed to jump out at her. She tried to shake it off, but she couldn’t help but wonder if maybe, just maybe, she’d underestimated Halloween after all.

As the evening wound down, Rainbow headed outside, needing some fresh air. She leaned against the railing, gazing up at the full moon that hung in the dark sky. She took a deep breath, grateful for the cool night air.

Just then, a faint rustling sound came from the bushes nearby. She froze, her eyes scanning the darkness. It was probably just the wind, she told herself. But then, the bushes shook, and a shadowy figure slowly emerged.

Rainbow felt her breath catch. It was tall, much taller than her, with what looked like claws glinting in the moonlight. As it stepped into view, she could see it more clearly: it was dressed in a dark cloak with a hood that cast its face in shadow.

“Who… who are you?” Rainbow called out, trying to sound brave. The figure didn’t answer, only moved closer.

Finally, the figure stopped, and with a swift movement, threw off its hood to reveal… Fluttershy.

Rainbow’s mouth dropped open as Fluttershy looked at her, trying and failing to stifle a giggle. “I-I’m sorry, Rainbow. They made me do it.”

That was the final straw. Rainbow’s shoulders slumped in defeat as she let out a long sigh. The others stepped out from behind Fluttershy, holding up their phones, which were recording her reaction.

“Happy Halloween, Rainbow Dash!” they all cheered in unison.

Rainbow couldn’t help but laugh at herself. “Alright, alright, you got me. This time. But next Halloween? Oh, I’m getting all of you back. You won’t even know what hit you!”

With that, she turned on her heel, grinning, already planning her revenge.