DOUBLE THE SCARES

DOUBLE THE SCARES: A CUTIE MARK CRUSADERS TALE FROM THE CRYPT

Good evening, my dear readers, and happy Nightmare Night! I do hope you all are enjoying tonight's festivities, for I have quite a frightening tale to share! Come closer to the fire and relax. Tonight's presentation stars three of our beloved crusaders – Apple Bloom, Sweetie Belle, and Scootaloo - as they enjoy the night as you all have. Oh, they've had their fun all right, but now comes the time when their night starts to twist and turn from joy to fright! Let us join them in what is sure to be their most horrifying adventure yet on…NIGHTMARE NIGHT!

It had only been hours ago when Princess Luna made her official appearance in the heart of Ponyville that evening. All had quaked in her presence, but soon the spirit of Nightmare Night had soothed their fears – as well as ones serious attitude over everyponies behavior - and resumed their games. The youngsters especially took joy in screaming hysterically at the Princess's tricks. Once the evening's festivities begin to die down and the pony folk slowly disperse to their homes did three young fillies trot their way to their clubhouse. All three, still donning their costumes of ridiculous creatures, carried their bags full of sweet treats. Some of the better ones had been stuffed at the bottom during the time of offering to Nightmare Moon, so as to keep the sweets to themselves.

"I reckon we hide half our candy under the floorboards of the clubhouse so that our families won't take 'em. Knowing my sister well enough, she'd probably eat most of mine," said a little monster bride filly.

"Big sis would throw mine out and tell me things like candy is bad for my teeth or something. Little do I know that she hides a peppermint or two under the sofa to lick on days when her head is all kinds of stuffed with dress ideas," piped a tiny vampire filly.

"My parents dig through my stash and leave in the 'healthiest' treats every year. Nightmare Night is all about candy, not apples," cried the most ferocious werefilly.

The three continue to moan and groan about their past Nightmare Night misfortunes. It was when they had passed by Fluttershy's house did the bride monster, Apple Bloom, paused for just a moment. "Y'know, I remember my sister telling me stories of Nightmare Night when she was a filly." The others quieted down to listen to what more Apple Bloom had to share about her sister Applejack. "She used to tell me these stories about a 'Bloody Mare.' I only remember something being stolen from her, but my sister would describe these games she'd play late at night. You're supposed to stand in front of a mirror with the lights off, close your eyes, stand on your hind legs, and spin around three times." Apple Bloom demonstrated this in front of the others, tumbling to the ground after spinning around three times. "Afterwards, with your eyes still closed, you were to say 'Blood Mare, Bloody Mare, I stole your…'"

Apple Bloom paused and placed a hoof on her chin, repeating the rhyme over and over in her mind. The werefilly, Scootaloo, had little patience to wait for her friend to remember the words. "So she lost a few marbles, but what does that have to do with Nightmare Night?"

"Well," said Apple Bloom. "My sister said that once you've finished saying the rhyme, you were to open your eyes and look into the mirror. If you were lucky you'd only see your reflection. If you were REALLY unlucky then you'd see…the Bloody Mare!" At this, lightning flashed across the sky and thunder boomed.

        Sweetie Belle, the quivering vampire, let out a yelp and jumped onto Scootaloo's back. Scootaloo rolled her eyes and huffed. "So you see somepony's reflection. Big deal."

        Apple Bloom's shoulders shrunk. "It sounds scary when Applejack tells it…" she whispered.

Scootaloo stood on her hind legs, dropping Sweetie Belle in the process, and puffed out her chest. "I've got a scarier story to tell than some old mares tale! The citizens of Ponyville have reported sightings of a sinister pony that lurks in Everfree Forest…a tall, faceless pony that preys on fillies just like YOU," she said as she pointed at Sweetie Belle. Sweetie Belle squeaked. "He chooses his targets and follows them day after day after DAY, but always keeping hidden in the forest. He could be that tree," she said as she pointed to a weeping willow besides Fluttershy's house, "with those long branches reaching out for you!" Both Sweetie Belle and Apple Bloom shivered. "Then, when the time is just right, he lures the young colts and fillies into Everfree Forest, traps them inside so that they can never leave again…AND THEN HE EATS THEM!" As with Apple Bloom's story, lightning flashed and thunder boomed. Sweetie Belle fainted.

"Oh yeah," piped in Apple Bloom. "That doesn't sound any bit scarier than mine!"

Scootaloo glared at Apple Bloom as she landed on all fours. "Slender Mane is a much better scary story!"

"Slender Mane?" Apple Bloom laughed. "What a dumb name!"

Scootaloo butted heads with Apple Bloom. "At least he doesn't have a stupid name like Snooty Mare!"

"It's Bloody Mare!"

"At least Slender Mane is a scarier monster, unlike some boring mirror!"

"A pony-eating tree isn't terrifying at all!"

The two began to butt, buck, and bite each other. Shouts of is-not-is-too rang through the air. Sweetie Belle regained consciousness as the two slowed their fight, each ending up with the others mane grasped in their teeth. Both let go and lay panting on the ground. Scootaloo was the first to stand up. "Hey…" she wheezed. "How about we prove which one is scarier by going into Everfree Forest and calling them out?"

Apple Bloom and Sweetie Belle gasped. Going into Everfree Forest this late at night, much less any night, was suicide. If they were lucky enough to not run into any of the creatures that inhabit the forest, then getting lost would be the end of them. Proving which legend was more terrifying was beyond stupid compared to waltzing into the jaws of a hungry manticore. Yet, this story isn't about a couple of smart fillies…

"B-but my sister told me not to ever go in there," squeaked a shivering Sweetie Belle.

        Scootaloo snorted. "Oh? Are you saying that you're too chicken to go?"

        Sweetie Belle hung her head and scrapped her hoof along the dirt. "N-no. It's just…my sister tells me stories of ugly monsters that hunt wondering pretty fillies and steal their heart and soul. They have this sort of charm spell that they cast on their victims to lure them further into the forest…a sort of a-aura that is too b-blinding. I was sworn to never, ever, ever go in."

Scootaloo rolled her eyes. She walked over and wrapped a leg around Sweetie Belle. "Oh, Sweetie. We know how overdramatic your sister is. For all I know she was just telling you some lame tale so that you - or we - don't give her anymore headaches." Sweetie Belle's eyes gazed down towards the ground as she leaned away from Scootaloo. "B-b-but what if they do exist?"

The Cutie Mark Crusaders pondered over that question for a moment.  "Then I guess we'll have to fight them," cried Apple Bloom.

        "Or capture them," cried Scootaloo.

        "Or, uh, rock out loud," murmered Sweetie Belle. The silly idea of singing to such beasts let out a shriek of giggles from the three fillies. Surely their upcoming talent for entertainment would impress a bloody mare or a tall pony. That was when it hit them.

"Hey..." Apple Bloom spoke up, "what if our talent was capturing monsters?"

"Like a monster hunter," questioned Scootaloo.

"Or a ghost buster," questioned Sweetie Belle.

"Yeah! We could be...THE CUTIE MARK WARRIORS," Apple Bloom cried out.

All three crusaders pounded the ground in excitement upon their revelation. Not only was the thought of hunting dangerous beasts a little scary yet cool, but they would also be considered heroes of Ponyville! No more homework, no more curfews, and certainly no more bullies making fun of their blank flanks. Why, they'd even be national heroes of all of Equestria! To be side-by-side with the Princesses of night and day was just too cool to imagine.

"Alright, that settles it! Tonight will mark our first adventure as the Cutie Mark Warriors of Ponyville," Scootaloo yelled out.

"What's our first mission," asked an encouraged Sweetie Belle.

"I say that we prove that this Bloody Mare, Slender Mane, and glowing...ugly...monster thing exist," replied Apple Bloom.

"Right," noted Scootaloo. "All in favor?"

The warriors pounded their hooves on the ground once more. Their faces beamed with excitement at the thought of their upcoming adventure and all the riches it would bring. Scootaloo gathered the others in a huddle and put together a plan for the late night hunt.

"I know of a secret path into Everfree that can get us safely to the center. We won't be able to run into any chimeras or cocketrice. We should be more focused on finding the Slender Mane-"

"Or the Bloody Mare!"

"Or the soul-sucking monster!"

"Or ANY of them," Scootaloo shouted over her friends. "The main objective is to capture one and bring it back to Ponyville to show the others what we're really capable of!"

"Wait a minute," piped in Sweetie Belle. "If we become famous monster hunters, does that mean...we can get all the free candy we want?"

The crusaders eyes widened at the thought. To be able to eat every single tart and every piece of chocolate covered marshmallows was far too tempting for their taste buds. To even think of their spoils made their stomachs growl. Suddenly their bags of sweets didn't seem as wonderful as they minutes earlier. Apple Bloom nudged her friends once she noticed the moon loomed high above the horizon.

"We better hurry before my sister notices that I'm still not home. Where is that path, Scootaloo?"

Scootaloo picked up her bag of candy and trotted down the road towards Fluttershy's house. The other two followed suite. Just before the reached Fluttershy's front lawn, Scootaloo cut to the forest on her right and trudged through a large bush. Apple Bloom stood back with Sweetie Belle. Scootaloo popped her head back out and motioned for the others to go through. Gripping their bags with their teeth, both shambled in.

"Ouch! Y'know, we could have just walked AROUND the bush, Scoot," muttered Apple Bloom. She popped out and found herself to be covered in light scratches and leaves scattered around her mane. She shook them off and turned her gaze back to the bush. "Sweetie, you ok?"

There were tiny squeaks coming from within. A hoof reached out, but Sweetie Belle seemed to be stuck. "My cape," she cried. "It's caught on a twig!" The bush shook as she tried to loosen her cape, but this only managed to achieve a tear in the fabric. "Oh no! My sister worked so hard on this cape!" Sweetie Belle began to cry.

Scootaloo and Apple Bloom trudged back into the bush to help free Sweetie Belle. With a few careful tugs and quick, sharp pulls they were able to get her out safely. A few small cuts and a ruined cape, but not enough damage to send their families into hysterics.

Scootaloo marched towards a narrow path and stomped her hoof on the ground. "It's down this way! C'mon!"

"But...what about our candy?" Sweetie Belle let her bag drop as she used her hoof to wipe bits of leaves sticking on her wet snout.

Apple Bloom had let hers drop as well. "I guess they wouldn't serve much of a purpose on our mission."

Scootaloo looked down at her own bag of candy. She stuck a hoof into it and drew out a piece of taffy, staring in deep concentration at it. The other two fillies took out a piece of their own and stared. Then, Scootaloo threw her taffy out onto the path.

Apple Bloom raised an eyebrow. "Now that's just wasting good candy!"

Without a word, Scootaloo galloped over to the dirty taffy and placed another piece of candy a few inches ahead of it. She turned back to the others wearing a large grin on her face. "We could use our candy to leave marks on the trail!"

Apple Bloom and Sweetie Belle's jaws fell open. Apple Bloom placed hers back in its position in a rather comical way and trotted over to Scootaloo. "Scoot, that's a GREAT idea! It may be a waste, but it'll help us out in the end." Both fillies grinned in delight.

Sweetie Belle, however, remained dumbfounded. "What good would leading the monsters to us do?"

Scootaloo placed a hoof over her face. "It's so that we don't get lost on the way back, you neck sucker," she groaned.  

"Not only that, but if we do happen to run into anything, we could use our candy as bait!" Apple Bloom hopped up and down as if to celebrate her moment of brain blasting.

"And we could use some as a snake in case we get hungry," said Sweetie Belle as she placed a sugar cube in her mouth and sucked on it.

Scootaloo flapped her tiny wings and stood up on her hind legs again. "Exactly! We'll combine all our candy and split them to use as a guide home, offerings, and to munch on. Seems like we're all set to me. Now come on! It's time to capture a legend!"

The warriors slowly marched down the path. Scootaloo took the lead while Sweetie Belle remained in the back, dropping bits of candy every few inches along the ground. The farther they walked down, the darker it had gotten. The chirping of crickets merrily echoed in the darkness as owls hooted and shrieked somewhere far above the trees. Soon our warriors began walking slower and bumping into each other, causing them to jump in fright for seconds before recollecting themselves. It was during these short bursts of panic that something began to dawn on Apple Bloom's mind.

"Wait just a darn pickin' minute. How are we supposed to capture any of the monsters when we don't have any rope?"

"Oh...uh," Scootaloo began to stutter. "W-well, we coul-"

"And how are we supposed to protect ourselves if we get attacked," butted in Sweetie Belle.

"If you just give me a minute I can think up somethi-"

Both fillies began to speak over the stumbling Scootaloo. "AND WHAT HAPPENS IF WE NEVER MAKE IT OUT OF EVERFREE FOREST?"

Scootaloo fell over on her back and layed there staying up at the sky. She covered her face with both hooves. "I really didn't think that far ahead," she sighed.

While Scootaloo sulked and Sweetie Belle continued to suck on her candy, Apple Bloom observed her surroundings. Branches, leaves, dirt, spiders webs, more dirt, sap...It was then that she suddenly had an idea. She trotted over to a fallen, rotting branch. She grasped it with her teeth, picked it up, and lightly began swinging it back and forth. It stayed in one piece. Next she made her way to where a large spider web loomed over a set of bushes and, being careful not to snap the web in two, gently placed two extending branches on the outing of the web. She picked the branch up on again and swung it around to test its durability. It still stayed in one piece.

Sweetie Belle watched as Apple Bloom moved to where a pile of leave at gathered and placed them on the web. Once she was sure they were stuck on, she galloped to a tree that oozed the goopiest sap the fillies had ever laid their eyes on. Apple Bloom let the sap run down the branch and into where the leaf-embedded web rested. Once more Apple Bloom swung the branch around to test its strenght, making sure to not let any sap touch her mane. The strange device remained unbroken.

"Look girls! I made a net!"

Scootallo removed her hooves from her face and slowly stood up. "A...net?"

"Yeah! We could use it to capture anything that comes our way and bring it back to town!" She proudly held her net up high for Scootaloo to get a better look at.

"Wow, Apple Bloom," cried Sweetie Belle, "I didn't know you could make something like that!"

"Yeah, that's totally cool!"

Apple Bloom hid her face as a bright red flush began to spread on her cheeks. "Well, it ain't nothing compared to remodeling a clubhouse."

Scootaloo walked over to Apple Bloom and placed a hoof on her shoulder. "When we're done with our mission, I figure we should place you in weapons control."

Both fillies looked at each other. A small smile spread across their face. The smile turned into a fit of giggles. Then, the giggles turned into howling laughter. Sweetie Belle wasn't sure what was so funny, but seeing the silly state her friends were in soon caused her to erupt into laughter as well. Only minutes of holding onto each other and laughing did the fillies regain their composure.

With a new set of confidence and a calmer mind, the trio trekked further down into the darkness. Although the trees had blocked the moonlight out, their eyes had adjusted well enough to be able to make out details close around them. Vegetation was getting thicker the deeper they had gone and there hardly seemed to be any other signs of life. Not even a single cricket had let out a chirp. All life seemed to cease far into Everfree. The further the fillies journeyed on the more they thought just how deep in trouble they'd be if the worst possible outcome happened.

Apple Bloom, with her monster-catching device lain on her back, forced out a cough. She felt her friends jump at the sound. "Hey Scoot, are we almost there? My hooves are starting to ache."

"I'm feeling really tired," murmured Sweetie Belle. She dropped another piece of candy. She stuck her snout back into her bag and pulled out another sugar cube to suck on. "And my stomach hurts."

"We should be at the center soon. We just gotta look for a large clearing ahead of the path." Scootaloo squint her eyes. "It's hard to make out anything in front of my own nose."

It was then that a beam of moonshine burst through the trees ahead of them and lit up an area in the forest where no tree stood. All that stood were patches or weeds and a stump. Before the others had time to react, Scootaloo burst into a gallop. Her friends followed slowly behind.

"See? I told you we were close! I'd say I make a great navigator!"

They stopped and lay panting on the ground as soon as they reached the stump. Scootaloo wiped sweat off her brow; her temperature rising both from the sudden burst of energy and having been in her werewolf costume for hours, and helped herself to some of Sweetie Belle's candy. Sweetie moaned and patted her stomach. She tried to contain wet burping sounds, but the effort only made her eyes start to water. Apple Bloom flopped herself on top of the stump and wiggled her legs, dropping her net on the ground.

"So," Apple Bloom piped up after a few minutes of silence, "what are we supposed to do now?"

"I'm…not so sure." Scootaloo tapped a hoof on the ground as her eyes began to wonder. "Maybe we wait around for something to happen?"

Sweetie Belle slowly drew herself up in a sitting position. A sickly green had spread across her face. "But I don't want to wait! I just want to get whatever it is we came here for and go home!"

Scootaloo began to scrape her hoof on the dirt, making a circle with it. She stuck her tongue out and closed her eyes. Suddenly, a light bulb seemed to go off in her head. "That's it! Let's call the monsters out!"

At this, Scootaloo sucked in a mouthful of air and began to yell for Slender Mane. Apple Bloom joined in, her shouts being quieter compared to Scootaloo's, while Sweetie Belle could only moan his name quietly as she swayed back and forth. Minutes passed and no Slender Mane showed up.

"So much for that idea," Scootaloo sighed. "I guess Slender Mane prefers to stay hidden."

Sweetie Belle moved over to Scootaloo and nuzzled her cheek. "Maybe he's just a shy monster because he doesn't have a face."

Apple Bloom placed a hoof on her friend's shoulder. "Yeah, maybe you scared him too much with your costume and loud voice."

"Gee. Thanks guys," snorted Scootaloo.

Apple Bloom nudged Sweetie Belle. "Hey, Sweetie, how about we try to call up that shiny monster you talked about?"

Sweetie Belle shook her head. "No thanks. We don't need it."

"Awww what's the matter? Are you too chicken?" Scootaloo gave Sweetie Belle's shoulder a light punch.

"N-no. It's just that...well...I don't think my sister would be after if I came back without my soul. She wouldn't want to explain that to our parents."

"Ohhh is THAT it?" A smile crept at the edge of Scootaloo's mouth. She hoisted Sweetie Belle up and began to shake her lightly. "Oh help," she cried in a high-pitched voice. "I'm a poor, pretty, helpless filly who's lost and scared! Whatever shall I do if a monster came up to steal me away?"

Sweetie Belle struggled against Scootaloo's grasp. "That's not funny! Stop it! Please!"

"Alright, alright. Not like anything was going to come out anyway." Scootaloo gently placed her back down. Sweetie Belle, her face even greener, sat down on her haunches. "What now?"

"How about we try summoning Bloody Mare," asked Apple Bloom. "We may not have a mirror, but we can still chant the rhyme and spin around. It would be best if we formed a circle right here in the center."

The trio gathered to make a small, tight circle around the stump. Closing their eyes, they stood on their back legs and slowly started spinning around three times.

       "BLOODY MARE...
       BLOODY MARE...
       WE STOLE YOUR..."
They stopped spinning after three and looked at each other in silence.

"We stole your...bear? I think my sister said bear." Apple Bloom massaged her forehead with her hoof.

"It can't be a bear," shouted Scootaloo, "it's gotta be a...a chair! Yeah, a chair!"

"She wouldn't have gone crazy if her CHAIR was stolen!"

"I don't think she'd be that crazy to have a BEAR!"

Sweetie Belle waved her front legs around in the air. "I know! I know! It was a PEAR!"

Apple Bloom and Scootaloo both turned to glare at Sweetie Belle. "A pear!? That's the dumbest thing I've ever-"

A sudden rush of wind, so harsh that it shook the trees around them, drowned their voices out. The fillies shrieked and gathered close together. As they held one another they noticed that it started getting dark, and when they look up, they saw clouds covering the moon, blocking out what little light was left. The wind had stopped just as soon as it began. The little warriors shook.

"I wanna go home," Sweetie Belle cried weakly. She nuzzled herself closer to Apple Bloom.

"It's t-t-too dark to see anything," Apple Bloom whispered. "Scoot, you're our great navigator, can you find the path in the da-"

A hoof had been pushed against her lips, shutting her up. "What was that for-"

        Scootaloo pressed her hoof harder on Apple Bloom's mouth. "SHHHH!" She squatted on the ground, keeping her eyes straight ahead. "It's right over there."

The other two froze. They stared at the set of trees in front of them. Apple Bloom leaned towards Scootaloo and whispered, "What's there?"

"Don't you see it? It's THERE, right THERE, behind the trees." She pointed her hoof out in front of her, into the dark. Something seemed to move slowly in the woods. "Go get your net," Scootaloo whispered to Apple Bloom.

Apple Bloom remained still. "I can't."

Whatever was in the woods moved closer to the clearing. The girls noticed that it was tall, much taller than anypony they've ever seen.

Scootaloo moved back. "Why can't you?"

"It's hard to see."

There was a loud crack as the thing moved itself against a tree. Sweetie Belle covered her eyes with her hooves and sank to the ground.

"Didn't you drop it by the stump? It should be somewhere close then." Scootaloo moved back another step.

Apple Bloom looked over bother shoulders. She spotted it over on her left. "Y-yes, I think I see it."

Scootaloo snorted and scratched her hoof along the dirt. "Go get it."

"N-now?" But what if it's something else?"

She saw the thing in the woods stick its head out into the clearing.

"GET IT NOW!"

Scootaloo charged forward to the beast. Apple Bloom spun around and raced towards the net. She grabbed it with her teeth and turned back towards the others. "SCOOT! COME BACK," she screamed. "I'VE GOT THE NET! COME BACK BEFORE IT EATS YOU!"

Scootaloo kicked her legs along the ground. In her eyes she saw the monster rear up, ready to strike. She leaped into the air and began to pump her tiny wings. She had intended to head butt it and knock it backwards, then have Apple Bloom trap it with her net. It didn't seem like a good idea at this time, but she had to do something. She would not let this thing get out into the clearing. Scootaloo closed her eyes.

Her head collided with something hard and hollow. Her teeth bit down hard on her lip; she could taste blood in her mouth. Scootaloo held her breath as she waited for the sensation of falling forward as the thing toppled backward. Instead, she felt herself fall back. A loud gasp escaped her throat as her body tensed up. She felt paralyzed.

"SCOOTALOO," she heard Apple Bloom cry over the loud ringing in her ears. Scootaloo didn't dare open her eyes. She knew that any second know she would feel the thing's teeth tear at her skin, savoring her bodily contents. "Would I taste sweet," she thought to herself. Other thoughts entered her mind: her first flight, getting her Cutie Mark, her friends and family cheering as she competed in the Best Young Flier competition, Rainbow Dash telling her how proud she was while handing her a first place trophy. These thoughts that were her dreams, dreams that had yet to happen. Tears flowed through Scootaloo's eyes as she braced for her death.

Scootaloo shrieked as she felt something grab her by her costume. Whatever grabbed her did not sink its teeth into her, but rather dragged her away. She opened one eye to see Apple Bloom dragging her away from the woods. "Get out of here," she cried, "save yourselves!"

Apple Bloom stopped and stared at her. "What for? Nothing's there to hurt us."

Scootaloo gaped at her. "Nothing? Didn't you see its ugly head?!"

She raised an eyebrow. "I saw you attack a tree. There ain't no monster. We're just seeing things."

Scootaloo looked back towards the woods. Where she thought the monster had been hiding seconds before was replaced by a tree. "B-but I saw...y-you saw...I swear it was there!"

Apple Bloom sighed. "I think we're all just tired. It might be best if we went home. Everpony's got to be looking for us by now." She turned to look at Sweetie Belle, whom was still covering her face and shaking. "Sweetie Belle! We're going home! Help me with Scootaloo so we can get back on the path!"

"We're going home?!" Sweetie Belle lifted her hooves from her face and slowly stood up. She started on a small trot over to her friends since it was still very dark to see anything clearly, when her eyes suddenly bulged out of her head and she came to a complete stop. She opened her mouth to say something, but only a weak croak came out. Sweetie Belle took a few gulps of air and finally screamed, "RUN!!"

Apple Bloom and Scootaloo weren't sure what to make of Sweetie Belle's sudden outburst and stared at her. Something hot and sticky landed on Scootaloo's nose. Scootaloo groaned and wiped it off with her hoof. More of the goo landed on her face. Scootaloo turned her head to face Apple Bloom, and their eyes widened as they slowly realized why Sweetie Belle had screamed. They looked up and saw the monster staring down at them, its mouth open and drool pouring out of it. Before the two had time to act, the monster lunged at Scootaloo's head. It whipped its head from side to side, tossing Scootaloo aroud like she was a rag doll. There was a loud, sickening ripping sound as the beast tore her head off. Apple Bloom screamed.

It had been a clean cut. No blood was oozing from the wound. In fact, upon closer inspection, there was no wound, but rather a rugged costume with the mask missing. Apple Bloom looked down and discovered that Scootaloo had stuck her head underground, just like an ostrich. The sight normally would have been hilarious if the fillies weren't in danger. Apple Bloom pulled Scootaloo's head out of the ground. "We gotta go and we gotta go NOW," she cried.

They galloped back towards Sweetie Belle while the monster chewed on the werewolf mask, unaware that its prey had escaped. Apple Bloom grabbed her net as they neared the stump. Sweetie Belle quickly followed behind. Once they had reached the path all three kept their eyes on the ground, searching for their trail of candy. Their eyes darted all around, but no candy had turned up.

"Where is it? It should be here," wheezed Apple Bloom. "Sweetie Belle was dropping candy all the way out here! They can't be this far off!"

Sweetie Belle began to cry. "IT ATE IT! IT FOLLOWED US ALL THE WAY OUT HERE AND ATE OUR CANDY TRAIL! WE'RE NEVER GOING TO GET OUT OF HERE!!"

Scootaloo turned her head to yell at Sweetie Belle. "Calm down! We may have just gone the wrong way! Keep running!"

The sudden thought that they may have taken the wrong path, or even got lost, had only made the fillies even more unsettled as they ran. They pumped their legs harder and harder as they tried to find their way out of Everfree. The sounds of branches breaking far behind sent them to a panic. In the distance they saw a fallen tree blocking their path.
"What are we going to do," cried Sweetie Belle.

"JUMP OVER IT," yelled Apple Bloom, and she galloped faster. As she neared the tree, she crouched and leaped over it. Scootaloo flapped her wings as she jumped. Once all three made it over they began to run again.

Scootaloo coughed and felt her legs begin to burn. "Are you sure this is the right way?"
"Positive. Don't stop running until we reach Ponyville-" A loud shriek filled the air before Apple Bloom could finish. They felt their hearts leap to their throat when they recognized whom the shrieks belonged to.

"HELP ME! I'M STUCK! PLEASE HELP ME!!"

Apple Bloom and Scootaloo skid to a stop and turned, running back towards the fallen tree.

Sweetie Belle wiggled her front legs uselessly as she tried to dislodge her cape from the branch. She wasn't able to jump high enough over the tree, so she tried to wiggle over, but a branch had caught on to her torn cape and trapped her. Sweetie Belle began to hyperventilate. All she wanted was for this to be a terrible dream and to wake up back in her sister's boutique shop, her sister Rarity finally finished with her costume and ready to take her sister out for Nightmare Night. Her thoughts were interrupted once she saw a bright light glowing behind her. It was a very beautiful shade of light blue, almost the color of Rarity's cutie mark. Sweetie Belle nearly found comfort in it; she wanted to run towards the source and drown in the light. The silhouette monster slowly appeared in those comforting thoughts and she began to cry.

"HANG ON, SWEETIE BELLE! WE'RE COMING!" Sweetie Belle immediately recognized that voice as Scootaloo's.

She wailed even louder. "HURRY! IT'S RIGHT BEHIND ME! PUH-LEE-HEE-EEZ COME QUICK!"
Apple Bloom and Scootaloo quickly came into view, both shielding their eyes from the light. They grabbed Sweetie Belle by the shoulders and pulled hard. They yanked and pulled her side-to-side in an attempt to loosen the cape off her. The light from behind the tree seemed to surround them and was nearly blinding. With one final tug, they heard the cape rip, and Sweetie Belle toppled on top of them. She helped them back up and were about to make a run for it, when they saw the beast raise itself on top of the tree. What they saw would haunt them in their sleep for the rest of their lives: a tall, hulking pony with branches poking out of its back and claws for hooves. Its skin looked rotten and had open sores oozing with pus. Its mane was damp and cluttered with moss and mud. Its tongue handed out of the side of its mouth, completely black and dripping green slime. The inside of its mouth contained row upon row of sharpened, crooked teeth. The source of the light came out of eyes, which were small slits that spread across its face. Those very eyes stared down at the cowering fillies.

The three slowly backed away, keeping their gaze away from its eyes. The beast placed on hoof forward. Every step the fillies took made it move forward. Apple Bloom suddenly had an idea as she looked over her shoulder and found her net resting on her back. She grasped it with her teeth and swung forward, catching the monster's head with the net. Apple Bloom and her friends waited to see if it would trash its head around in an attempt to escape, but the beast stood still. They sighed in relief and a small smile crept on their tired faces. Suddenly, it raised a claw up towards its face, grabbed the net by its handle, and gave one swift pull, dislodging the net from its face. Sap trickled over its eyes. Apple Bloom let go of her end of the net, her eyes bulging with fear. The beast, gazing at Apple Bloom, took the net with both claws and snapped it in half.

"RUN AWAY," screamed Scootaloo.

The trio turned and ran as fast as they could away from the beast. They could hardly see what lay ahead in the darkness, but they knew that thing would devour them if they stopped to observe their surroundings. If they ended up lost yet far away as possible from It, they would find a hole or bush to hide into until daylight. They felt their legs begin to cramp and their lungs tighten as they kicked their legs. Sweetie Belle made dry heaving coughs as she tried to keep up with her friends.

It was then that they saw it, the bush that had led them to the beginning of the path. Ahead was the clearing to Ponyville, civilization, and safety. They ran faster and faster as they heard a loud shriek from behind. Their muscles screamed in protest, but they shook the pain off mentally and kept their focus on the clearing. They could feel the hot breath of the beast tickle their backs. Only inches away from the bush, they gathered one last burst of energy on their back legs and leapt into it. Twigs scratched at their faces as they pushed on through, their raggedy costumes getting snagged and torn.

They finally tore through and ran towards the bridge that connected to Fluttershy's house. They gasped for air when they felt their lungs begin to burn. A mixture of sweat and dirt flowed into their eyes and they blinked rapidly, causing a temporary blindless due to the pain. They suddenly collided with something in front of them and the fell backwards. Blind and exhausted, the fillies began to scream.

"WE'RE SORRY! WE'RE SO SORRY! PLEASE FORGIVE US!"

"WE DIDN'T STEAL YOUR PEAR! HONEST!"

"DON'T EAT US, MISS GLOWY SLENDER MANE! WE WON'T COVER YOU WITH STICKY NETS EVER AGAIN!"

They heard it slam its claw down on the ground. "What in tarnation are you yelling about," spoke a mare with a southern accent.

Apple Bloom instantly recognized that voice. She opened her eyes slightly and saw an orange mare dressed in straw attire. It was her big sister Applejack.

"S-s-sis?" Tears formed at the edge of her eyes. She clung to her sister's leg and wailed. "I thought I'd never be happier in my life to see you! Thank goodness!"

The others opened their eyes to see that it was indeed Applejack standing before them and not some hungry beast. They too cried and clung onto Applejack.

Applejack glared at the trio. "What were you three doing in that there bush?"

They looked up at Applejack. "W-we went into Ev-Everfree Forest to capture monsters," Apple Bloom said in a quiet voice, "but then a really scary one that was tall and had bad skin and really bright eyes chased and tried to eat us!"

Applejack gasped. "Y'all went into Everfree Forest? Alone? In the middle of the night?!"

They averted their gaze towards the ground. "Yes'm," they cried sheepishly.
"Wait," gasped Scootaloo, "what if it's still there?"

They all looked at the bush they ran out from. They didn't see any signs that the monster had gotten through or even been there. It had disappeared far back into the woods.

Applejack held her sister by the shoulder and kept herself at eye level with her. "I don't know what y'all are on about with this monster business, but do any of you have any idea how worried you made your families? Grammy Smith was worried sick when she didn't see you three come over to the house. Heck, I was scared near death when nopony knew where you were at! I 'bout nearly sent out a search party before I heard you three hollering outside. Now I find out that you were gone for hours in Everfree?!"

Apple Bloom kept her gaze lowered and sniffed. "I'm sorry, big sis. I thought..."

"You thought what? That this lil' crusader shenanigan would get you your cutie mark at the risk of your lives? What would have happened if you three got lost deep in there? What would you have done if an Ursa Minor attacked you? Do you realize how easily you could have gotten yourselves killed over something as little as a cutie mark?"

Apple Bloom finally lifted her gaze to look Applejack in the face. "We didn't mean to..."

Applejack snorted. "Apple Bloom, I am very disappointed in you."

Tears streamed down Apple Bloom's face. Applejack set her sister down and watched her curl into a little ball, silently weeping to herself. "Nightmare Night is cancelled for you until further notice. No sweets for a month and none of this Cutie Mark Crusader business until our family make a set of rules we can agree to." Apple Bloom wailed. Applejack looked over at Scootaloo and Sweetie Belle. "That goes for you two! I'm sure your families will be very upset to know what y'all were up to this late at night."

Scootaloo hid her face with her hooves and Sweetie Belle wept. She gave one last dry heave and, finally, after going on with an upset stomach, threw up.

At her cottage, Fluttershy slowly opened her door and stuck her head out. "Is everything alright," she called out quietly, "do they need any medical assistance?"

Applejack looked the fillies over from head to toe. "Nah, sugar cube, they just have minor scratches a good bit of soap and water can clean up. A little band-aids here and there, but nothing serious."

"O-oh, ok," whispered Fluttershy as she slowly closed the door. "If you really do need help, just knock ever-so softly on my door and I'll be right out."

Applejack smiled. "Thanks. G'night, sugar cube. I'll see you in the morning."

Fluttershy let out a sheepish goodbye and shut her door, being sure to lock it before heading to bed.

After Applejack had gathered the three and sent her sister's friends home, being sure to tell them what had happened, and especially having to calm an overdramatic Rarity, she and Apple Bloom walked towards the road home. Her sister had remained silent throughout the trip, occasionally crying and sniffing while bidding her friends goodnight, and she understood that her sister was upset. However, she had every reason to punish her sister for going alone to such a dangerous place. She tried to make conversation with her, but exhaustion had set in after a busy evening and she kept her mouth shut. It was only after seeing the light of their home did she loudly clear her throat.

"Apple Bloom, you understand that I'm punishing you not because I hate you for what you did, but because I love you so much that I have to. I can't imagine what I would have felt if I found out that you were gone. I don't think I nor could the family handle it. This punishment is to make you three realize just how important it is to obey rules and keep your heads intact. Understand?"

Apple Bloom seemed to ignore her sister and kept her gaze away. The only sound she made was a loud hiccup. Applejack reached out to pull her sister into a hug, but was surprised to see her sister whirl around and wrap her hooves around her. She smiled and patted her little sister on top of the head. She didn't quite catch what Apple Bloom muttered. "Beg your pardon?"

Apple Bloom coughed. "I-I asked if I could still dress up next year. Y'know, so that Nightmare Moon won't eat me."

Applejack chuckled. "We'll see. Now c'mon, Grammy Smith and Big Mac are probably about to send out a letter to the Princess to alert her about you missing tonight." She paused as she let a hoof rub her chin. "And mayyybe I'll let you have one sugar cube before you go to bed, but first you gotta wash that mud off of you. You look like a little monster yourself."

Apple Bloom giggled and raced off towards the house, Applejack following from behind. She stopped to look at the Everfree Forest far in the distance. "Of all the gosh darn things…I remember being her age and sneaking into the forest late Nightmare Night, but I ain't ever seen any monster like she described, much less any monster that night. I wonder if they really did see..." She looked up at the moon and back towards the forest. "HA! I bet the Princess was playing a little game with them." She trotted over to the house, snickering. "Or maybe they ate too much candy."

-------------------------------------------

A monstrous creature stood hidden behind the trees at the edge of Everfree Forest, gazing longingly at Ponyville. It tapped a claw on a tree and grabbed hold of a branch, crushing it with its claw. It paused and stared at the remains. A soft giggling sound began to rise from its throat. It leaned against the tree as it began howling with laughter. Having calmed down minutes later, it the tears out of its eyes and snapped one of its claws. A flash of light burst between the trees as the beast began to shapeshift back into its original form. It had the tail of a snake, an arm of a lion with the other being an eagle claw, and many other crazy features for one being. The most noticeable was the head of a pony.

"Oh, such joy this Nightmare Night holiday brings to a being of chaos such as myself," cried Discord. "It's as if Nightmare Night were made not for some haughty equestrian princess, but for dear Discord to have all the fun I could possibly want!" He floated in the air and laughed once more, waving his arms and legs around in a fit.  Oh yes, he thought, those ponies truly thought they saw the last of him. Of course they wouldn't suspect that he had made an exact clone of himself before those pesky Elements of Harmony confronted him in the final battle. They were stupid if they thought the power of friendship could bring him down that easily. Oh, how he laughed himself to near death when he saw their looks of victory!

The only downside to his plan was having to hide himself, biding his time. Hiding in Everfree Forest while chaos was needing to be unleashed was quite boring. The urge to unleash an ice cream blizzard was quite strong, but he knew Princess Borestia wouldn't see the fun in it. She would just lock him away in stone again. His stone prison had been long overdue. A thousand years gone to waste in this agonizingly peaceful world.

There were moments during his recovery period when he watched as chaos reigned not by his own doing, but by the Elements of Harmony themselves. Oh, he had a little bit of hand in it, but it had been them that brought it out from within. He felt so much joy as he watched Twilight force everypony to adore her raggedy doll in order to write up a report to her master, only to have it go completely out of control! It would have gone so much better if he had stepped in. That event had only been the beginning of what was in store. He had to wait. Patience was the key.

Though he couldn't help but overhear what kind of stories those Cutie Mark Crusaders had cooked up earlier that evening. Watching Princess Shriek stumble over modern times was funny, but oh, the pranks he planned to pull on those little fillies were way too good to pass up. He had silently followed behind them all the way out to that clearing, something he should be praised for as he so very badly wanted to scare them multiple time before they even reached their destination. He had eaten their sweet yet pathetic candy trail in hopes that they would go into a panic when the thought of being lost hit them square in the head. The best part was becoming the very creatures they feared. He couldn't help but laugh as he remembered their terrified looks.

It had all been fun and games that night. A shame that it had to end so soon, but it released all the chaotic energy that had been stored since he had been in hiding. It was a very sweet, soothing release. Discord pulled out a piece of candy and chucked it into his mouth, chewing it slowly so as to savor its taste. It tasted like victory.

He looked over out in the clearing to where Fluttershy's house lay sprawled on the earth. He noted how all the lights were off and no noise protruded from its walls. He took a piece of gum from Sweetie Belle's candy sack and placed it in his mouth, chewing it and blowing a large bubble. It burst, covering his entire face, and he licked it all back up. A smile crept on his lips as a most devious plan entered his head. His snapped his fingers and transformed back into the beast that chased three little fillies around Everfree Forest. Perhaps, he thought, I should pay Flutteshy a late night visit. She must feel awfully lonely.

    END