Scare Master
Pony's Log Number 521: Even those most timid and high sprung ponies can enjoy a good scare, but one still needs to consider what's in their comfort zone...
One evening, Fluttershy was quickly trying to close her window shades, blinds, and panes all around her house. She couldn't help but look about nervously when she found a pair of window panes clattering about with the wind.
"Fuzzy Legs," said Fluttershy to a nearby spider, "do you think you could secure those windows?" The spider saluted before firing some webbing to close the windows.
"And you'll alert me if anything scary comes close to the cottage?" Fluttershy asked three birds, which they all nodded in reply.
"Oh, who am I kidding?" said Fluttershy, "When something scary comes close to the cottage!"
"Does it really matter anymore?" asked a voice.
"Excuse me?" Fluttershy asked rather indignantly as she turned around and found her husband standing nearby with a smile on his face.
"Seriously, does it really matter if something scary shows up?" Shenran repeated as he pulled out his duel swords, "I'm ready to fight anything that tries to hurt or scare my girl!" Fluttershy stared and then giggled as she hovered over to him.
"Oh you're such a knight in shining armor, honey," said Fluttershy and gave her husband a kiss on the cheek, "I'm so happy I have my sweetheart looking out for me." Shenran smiled as he put his swords away and Fluttershy quickly hovered over to Harry.
"Please tell me our hiding place is ready," Fluttershy asked the bear. Harry growled in reply as he lifted the bed drapes to reveal a rather cozy hiding place. It was filled with plush toys, pillows, a lantern, a bucket of apples, some peanut butter, and more. Plus it was made with enough room for two!
"Oh, look, you've filled it with everything we need to survive this awful night," said Fluttershy.
"I can't wait for our date," Shenran added as Fluttershy giggled in agreement.
"Thank you, thank you all!" said Fluttershy to her animals as she hugged Harry and her husband, "Now I don't have to step a hoof outside until this whole thing is over."
"Well then," said Shenran as he wrapped a fore-leg around his wife, "Shall we get nice and cozy for that date my love?" Fluttershy nodded when they were both interrupted when Fluttershy gave a light squeak. They both looked down to see Angel glaring at them as he banged a bucket before them.
"Oh, no!" said Fluttershy, "You don't have any carrots? Do we have other fresh veggies you may enjoy? Or maybe some hay?" Angel just growled in reply, tossed the bucket aside and snubbed her.
"Angel, what have I told you about being rude to your mother?" Shenran asked firmly. Angel flinched and then just gave Shenran an innocent look.
"Are you referring to this occasion or past occasions?" Angel squeaked in his own dialect.
"You know what I'm referring to and this had better be the end of it!" Shenran said sternly as he got into the bunny's face, "besides, you know your mother hates going out tonight. If you're carrots were low, you should've spoken up yesterday!"
"He did, dear," said Fluttershy, "I was the one who forgot to go shopping." Fluttershy gasped, "But that means I'll need to go out...on Nightmare Night!" As she looked out the window, thunder and lightning clashed outside and some ponies walked by laughing as they wore their nightmare night costumes.
"You could wait til morning," said Shenran gently.
"Shenran, it's my fault he doesn't have food," said Fluttershy firmly, "As much as I hate to, I have to go out." Shenran sighed, knowing his wife's tone meant she wasn't going to change her mind.
"I'll go with you then," said Shenran.
"Oh would you?" Fluttershy replied as she hugged him gratefully, "I would feel a lot safer if you did."
"Anything for you honey," Shenran replied as he hugged her back supportively and also protectively.
(Main theme)
It didn't take too long before the two Pegasi were outside the market area. Everypony around the area was gathering up items and decorations for tonight's Nightmare Night festivities. Even with Shenran at her side, Fluttershy couldn't help but walk about the area rather nervously. Shenran went to pat her back.
"WAH!" Fluttershy jumped when she felt Shenran's fore-hoof touch her back.
"Sorry, honey," said Shenran, "I was trying to give you a little love tap to help you relax. Remember that I'm here with you. You've got nothing to be afraid of." Fluttershy calmed down and smiled, but then flinched when she heard some fireworks go off. Then both Pegasi flinched when a floating balloon with a ghost on it went by as some eerie sound effects could be heard. Fluttershy then turned to see a jack 'o lantern glowing at her menacingly. Shenran snorted.
"Don't worry, dear," said Shenran, "none of this stuff is gonna hurt you." Shenran looked to his side to find Fluttershy wasn't there.
"Honey?" Shenran called out as he looked around. He then found his wife walking backwards with a frightened look on her face. She then looked to see Twinkleshine and Amethyst Star giggling to each other. Fluttershy was feeling better until they made a large collection of spiders appear from above, making them laugh. Fluttershy just winced and backed away from the two ponies until she bumped into the side of a house. She looked up to see a large poster with a giant skeleton on it. Fluttershy gasped dramatically and then turned to run but stopped and yelped when she saw her husband in front of her.
"Easy, dear," said Shenran gently, "It's only me." Fluttershy smiled. It was then three little ponies came running by.
"Nightmare night, what a fright! Give me something sweet to bite!" the three ponies sing sang. Fluttershy smiled when she turned to face them. The three ponies looked at her, each of them showing off their fake sets of scary or crooked teeth. Fluttershy gasped dramatically once more and ran off. The three ponies just stared as Shenran smiled sheepishly.
"If...you three will excuse me..." said Shenran slowly before taking off as well. The three little ponies just stared a moment longer before walking away.
"Nightmare night, what a fright! Give me something sweet to bite!" the three ponies continued to sing. Meanwhile, Shenran was slowing down since he didn't know where Fluttershy had run off to. It was long before he reached a wagon where Granny Smith had Big Mac loading a wagon with bushels of fresh hay.
"Hey, Big Mac, have you seen my wife anywhere?" Shenran asked.
"Now why in tarnation would ya be askin' somethin' like that?" Granny Smith answered for the red stallion, "You know what tonight is."
"I do know what tonight is Granny Smith," Shenran answered, "But my wife...oh there she is!" Big Mac had just lifted another bushel of hay when he found that Fluttershy trembling fearfully underneath the wagon.
"Fluttershy?" Granny Smith exclaimed in surprise, "What're you doin' out and about? It's Nightmare Night, remember?"
"How could I forget?" Fluttershy replied, "Oh, I don't suppose I could borrow a few pieces of hay from you? I forgot to stock up on food for Angel, and you do seem to have quite a lot."
"We need it for the Apple Family Haunted Maze," Granny Smith replied before continuing in a spooky voice, "The scariest maze that there ever was. Who knows what lurks inside?"
"Oh, I'm sure I don't," Fluttershy replied fearfully.
"Is that a mummified pony that just leaped out at ya?" Granny Smith asked as she got into the yellow Pegasus's face.
"I don't know," Fluttershy replied meekly as she tumbled into her back, "Is it?"
"Granny Smith, please..." Shenran asked gently.
"And what's that crunchin' sound beneath yer hooves?" Granny Smith continued, ignoring both Shenran and the fact Fluttershy was getting more and more terrified, "Maybe it's the bones of ponies that didn't make it out alive!"
"B-B-B-B-Bones?!" Fluttershy spluttered.
"Granny Smith, stop!" Shenran pleaded firmly, but was still ignored.
"Are those the peeled grapes or a thousand slimy eyeballs starin' at ya from beyond the grave?" Granny Smith pressed on, making her eyes swirly. Shenran growled as he face-hoofed himself.
"Please tell me they're grapes!" Fluttershy pleaded as she cowered back.
"Oh, I'll never tell," said Granny Smith as she posed and laughed maniacally as thunder and lightning clashed behind her. Fluttershy cried out and ran away as she began to sob. Shenran tried to stop her, but Fluttershy ran round him and took off into the distance. Granny Smith was left stunned.
"Huh, I wonder what got stuck in her craw," Granny Smith remarked cluelessly. Big Mac gave her an annoyed look while Shenran growled.
"Well, maybe it was..." Shenran started to explain in a very stern tone.
"Nevermind, Shenran," said Big Mac, "Just go to your wife. She needs you right now." Shenran glared but then conceded with a nod and hovered away. It didn't take him long before he came to a small collection of bushes where he heard the sound of a pony sobbing heavily.
"Honey?" Shenran said gently as he landed outside the bush, "Honey...it's me."
"Just go away..." Fluttershy sobbed.
"Not happening," said Shenran in a gentle but firm tone, "I'm not leaving you alone out here." Fluttershy hiccuped before peeking out of the bush, her eyes still pouring tears.
"I hope you know you married a coward," said Fluttershy, "with a severe case of pantophobia."
"What's pantophobia?" Shenran asked.
"The fear of everything!" Fluttershy croaked and began to sob once more. Shenran just looked unamused, knowing exactly what Fluttershy was implying.
"So...is that supposed to make me not wanna stay married to you?" said Shenran, "or abandon you or something?" Fluttershy blinked as a pair of tears streamed down her face, stunned by his statement.
"I mean," Shenran continued, "I'm not forcing you to stay married to me if you've..."
"You zip it right now, Shenran!" Fluttershy scolded in broken tone, "I love you so much! It's just that...you could have married better. I'm not good enough for you!" Fluttershy sobbed some more until Shenran gently pulled her out of the bush and kissed her gently twice before gazing into her blue eyes.
"So you struggle to be brave, and Nightmare Night terrifies you," said Shenran, "You're still an amazing, talented, and the most beautiful pony I've ever laid eyes on. I don't care if you're afraid of everything. Just give me the chance to try and help you overcome your fears."
"But I've had this problem my whole life!" Fluttershy whimpered, "I never wanted this to be...a problem for you. A problem you have to deal with..." Shenran chuckled.
"It's not," said Shenran, "You're got more courage then you give yourself credit for. I believe in you."
"But I struggle so much with it," said Fluttershy, "Even with you here, I'm still terrified."
"True," said Shenran, "But you still left the house regardless. That shows that you're not letting your fear stop you from doing what needs to be done. And I've seen you overcome that fear time and time again. Even when you're scared, you still take that step forward and accomplish your goals. You might not feel stronger, but when it really counts, you come through for me and your friends. I'm so proud of you." Fluttershy chuckled as her tears slowed down and Shenran kissed away the remaining tears from her cheeks.
"I still don't like being out here, honey," said Fluttershy sadly.
"I understand, dear," said Shenran, "I think you've been out here long enough. Angel is just gonna have to tough it out this time. He needs to learn he can't always get what he wants. You're his mother, not his servant." Fluttershy sighed when she got an idea.
"Can we just see if Twilight and Mario have anything first?" Fluttershy asked, "Last stop and then we can go back home." Shenran was hesitant, but then Fluttershy gave him pouty lips.
"Hey, none of that young lady," Shenran said in a fatherly tone as Fluttershy just smiled cutely at him.
"Alright," said Shenran with chuckle, "but let's just fly there. You'll have less to deal with in the sky."
"Can I hold your fore-leg?" Fluttershy asked. Shenran smiled.
"Just promise me you won't let go," Shenran replied as they hovered into the air and Fluttershy hugged his foreleg with both of her own.
"I love you so much Shenran," said Fluttershy.
"I love you very much too, my princess," Shenran replied as they flew toward Twilight's castle. It wasn't long before they landed and some thunder and lightning clashed in the sky, scaring Fluttershy.
"I'm really getting sick of all these ominous environments today," said Shenran annoyingly, "I'm beginning to remember why I dislike Nightmare Night myself."
"I didn't know that," said Fluttershy, "Did ponies like to target you too?"
"You have no idea," said Shenran replied, "That's why I understand how you feel. You weren't the only pony who was frighten to tears on Nightmare Night."
"At least you got over it," Fluttershy said sadly.
"I had to," said Shenran as he looked into her blue eyes, "I have to protect my princess." Fluttershy giggled and felt better as they slowly made their way inside of what was currently a dark castle.
"Seesh, would it kill a pony to set up some lamps in here?" Shenran remarked.
"I'm alright, honey," said Fluttershy, "I have you." She began to look around the castle as they both walked down one of the hallways.
"Twilight? Mario? Hello?" Fluttershy called out timidly.
"Yooooooo-hoooooo! Anypony home?" Shenran called out. It was then they heard some strange sounds and a large dark shadow approaching them.
"Stay close to me," Shenran said sternly as he withdrew his dual swords. Fluttershy then screamed as the shadow approached. Shenran got ready to strike when...they found that the shadow belonged to Spike, who was working on his costume that had a second stuffed head on it.
"You think it's scary now," Spike boasted, "just wait until it's done."
"That's okay," said Fluttershy as Shenran put his swords away, "My husband and I will take your word for it." Spike grunted for a moment to keep the stuffed head from falling off before speaking again.
"Hey, wait a minute!" said Spike, "It's Nightmare Night and you and Shenran are here and not holed up in the cottage!"
"We were never "holed up" in the cottage," said Shenran, "Just having romantic dates together." Spike made a face.
"Didn't need to know that," Spike remarked, "My point is that you're both out tonight. Does this mean what I think it means?"
"That I foolishly forgot to stock up on food for Angel and had to go get him something," Fluttershy explained, "but got spooked in town despite having my husband to protect me so we came here hoping Twilight and Mario had some lettuce I could give him?"
"Oh," said Spike, not hiding his disappointment, "I thought maybe you two decided to come out with us tonight."
"Goodness, no!" said Fluttershy, "We couldn't be out tonight. Well...at least I couldn't be out tonight. I just couldn't."
"Technically speaking, you and Shenran are already out now," Spike pointed out.
"Good point," said Shenran.
"Oh, I guess that is true," said Fluttershy.
"So what if you stayed out a little longer with your friends?" Spike suggested, "I know they'd be super excited."
"You think so?" Fluttershy answered before Shenran could do so.
"You would make them so happy if you joined in," said Spike, "and I mean the both of you. They wouldn't believe their eyes! Come on, Fluttershy, what do you say?" Fluttershy was clearly hesitant as Shenran put a fore-leg around her.
"Honey, what do you..."
"Whatever you want to do, sweetheart," said Shenran, "We can join in the fun or we can go home. It's up to you." Fluttershy pondered as she heard some faint laughter in the distance.
Inside the library room, Pinkie, Rainbow, Rarity, Applejack, Twilight, and Mario were sitting in a circle as they shared spooky stories with each other. It was currently Pinkie's turn to tell one.
"And then it got very, very quiet and suddenly they realized," said Pinkie then turned to lantern on with her face lit up, "the balloons had never been inflated!"
"WAAAAAAAAAAAAAAH!" the others screamed and then they laughed. Then Rarity took the lantern for her turn to tell a spooky story.
"Did I ever tell you about the night that the mannequin came to life and haunted all the costumes," said Rarity.
"What happened?" Rainbow asked nervously.
"I just told you, darling," said Rarity bluntly, "A mannequin came to life and haunted all the costumes."
"WAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAH!" Pinkie squealed and fell onto her back.
"Here's a good one," said Mario as he took the lamp.
"Oh...nelly," said Applejack, "if it's anything like that last one about the apple farmer who grew oranges and suddenly all their names and cutie marks turned into oranges, this is gonna be a dozy."
"Long ago there was a pony who made a wish to live in the largest library in the world," said Mario, "filled with every book you could imagine, including a few books from alternate dimensions."
"That's scary?" Twilight asked indignantly.
"Not finished," said Mario.
"Sorry," Twilight remarked with an eye roll.
"She got her wish, but..." Mario paused dramatically, "She spent the rest of her life driven into madness!" The others gasped.
"Let me guess," said Rainbow bluntly, "She isolated herself from everypony."
"Oh no," said Mario darkly, "For you see, the pony got her wish, but every time she went to read a book. All the words on every page would disappear." Now the others were spooked, "She spent the rest of her life never being able to read another book ever again. Every night she would roam the town at night with a insane look on her face saying..." Mario paused dramatically. It was then Twilight put the lantern to her face and made a face of pony gone mad.
"I WANNA READ!" Twilight shouted.
"WAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAH!" The others screamed and Pinkie fell onto her back again. Then they all laughed once more.
"Hi, everypony," said a voice as they turned the lights on.
"AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAH!" the others screamed.
"Whoa, easy everypony!" said Shenran as he and Fluttershy made their presence known, "It's only me and my wife."
"Fluttershy, Shenran, what are you doing here?" Twilight asked with concern, "Is everything okay?"
"Everything is fine," Fluttershy asked as Spike stood nearby, "In fact, it's more than fine. Shenran and I have decided to join you in your Nightmare Night festivities." Rainbow scoffed in disbelief.
"Seriously? You? Out? Tonight?" Rainbow remarked.
"Gotta a problem with that?" Shenran asked defensively as he glared at her. Rarity also gave the blue Pegasus a glare, which made Rainbow smile apologetically.
"It's alright Shenran," said Fluttershy gently before speaking to the rest of the group, "Every Nightmare Night, I shut myself in my cottage and refuse to come out until morning. While I have my husband to keep me company and he doesn't mind staying with me, I still want to show him that I'm not afraid to step out of my comfort zone and try something new. After all, it's just like when I was afraid to sing in front of anypony. If I hadn't given it a try, I never would've found out how much I enjoy it."
"And we'd have missed out on how great you sound," Applejack pointed out, making Fluttershy smile and blush bright pink.
"I'll always remember that event because it was when I proposed to you," said Shenran, making Fluttershy giggle and they shared a quick kiss together.
"Fluttershy and Shenran with us on Nightmare Night?" said Rarity, "Why, that's positively the most wonderful news I've heard in ages!"
"You can get dressed up in a costume with us," said Pinkie excitedly as she zipped over to Fluttershy and bounced about, "and play Nightmare Night games with us and eat candy apples with us!"
"Don' forget the best part," Applejack added as she put a fore-hoof around Pinkie, "Goin' through my family's corn maze!" Pinkie gave a squee as Fluttershy looked a little uncomfortable.
"Oh, right," said Fluttershy uneasily, "The maze."
"Uh, only if you're up for it," said Applejack reassuringly.
"By the way, where's Diamond Tiara?" Fluttershy asked Mario.
"She wanted to host a Nightmare Night party at the Ponyville hospital so the foals there could have some fun despite their conditions," said Mario, "She called it a monster mash."
"Oh, it must be a graveyard smash," Shenran remarked in a goofy British tone.
"And it caught on in a flash," Mario added in his own British tone.
"Cause it's a monster mash," they said together until Fluttershy put a fore-hoof over Shenran's mouth.
"Honey, please don't encourage the doofus," Fluttershy requested as Mario snorted.
"Glad to see your sass is still intact, sis," Mario remarked sarcastically as Fluttershy stuck her tongue out at him.
"Anyway," said Fluttershy, "My husband and I are up for it. I'm ready to take on Nightmare Night!" Everypony cheered, but the loud noise startled Fluttershy as she squatted down on the floor nervously, making everypony's cheers stop.
"Just practicing," said Fluttershy nervously with a giggle and a laugh. The others just shared worried looks with each other. Shenran walked up to his wife.
"Honey, are you sure you're up for this?" Shenran asked gently, "You don't have to push yourself for my sake. We can still go home and have a nice date together."
"I'm fine, dear," said Fluttershy firmly as she stood up, "We're gonna do this as a couple and that's my decision." Shenran just sighed. Despite his wife's determination, he was feeling rather worried.
Outside, the cutie mark crusaders were busy tossing toilet paper into the tree closest to the Carousel Boutique. Sweetie Belle was dressed like a Victorian style upper class mare, Apple Bloom was platypus, and Scootaloo was a Wonderbolt. The three fillies laughed as they finished their toilet paper raid and ran off. Inside the Boutique, Rarity had already put on her seapony costume and everypony else minus Fluttershy and Shenran were heading into individual changing booths to put on their costumes.
"Wait a minute!" said Mario, "This isn't the costume I asked you to make for me, Rares!"
"What do you..." Rarity looked inside the booth and found that the costume had been changed and chuckled sheepishly, "Oh...r-r-r-ight...heh...you...you see...Twilight came by earlier today and..." Mario growled annoyingly.
"Honey?" Mario called out.
"Yeah?" Twilight asked from inside her changing booth.
"Where's my super suit?" Mario asked her.
"You're what?" Twilight replied puzzled.
"Where? Is? My? Super? Suit?" Mario demanded.
"I, uh, put it away," Twilight responded.
"Where?!" Mario demanded, losing his patience.
"Why do you need to know?" Twilight asked innocently.
"I need it!" Mario snapped.
"Oh no! You're not gonna be no super hero!" Twilight retorted, "We said we were going to be ancient Pegasi sentry ponies for Nightmare Night!"
"Correction, you decided that we were going to be ancient Pegasi sentry ponies," Mario said indignantly, "I never got a say in the idea! Now where's my super suit, Twilight?"
"I'm not telling you!" Twilight snapped, "We're both gonna be sentry ponies and that's final!"
"But the town of Ponyville might be in danger!" Mario protested loudly.
"My perfect Nightmare Night plans are in danger!" Twilight yelled.
"YOU TELL ME WHERE THAT SUIT IS WOMAN!" Mario screamed, making Rarity, Fluttershy, and Shenran winced, "WE'RE TAKING ABOUT THE GREATER GOOD!"
"GREATER GOOD?!" Twilight yelled back loudly, "I AM YOUR WIFE! I'M THE GREATEST GOOD YOU'RE EVER GONNA GET!" Mario rolled his eyes and snorted loudly.
"Mario, just go put on the costume Twilight picked for you," said Rarity, "No use making a scene over this." Mario groaned.
"I never get to do what I want anymore," Mario whined, "Maybe I'll just sit out."
"Oh! No time to act like a drama queen, Mario," said Rarity, "we need to show Fluttershy and Shenran a good time and we need your help." Mario sighed.
"Fine," said Mario hastily, "for them." Mario gave a stink eye in the general direction of his wife's changing booth and reluctantly went into his own changing booth.
"Thank goodness we don't fight like that," said Fluttershy to Shenran.
"Same here," said Shenran, "We hardly ever fight about anything."
"Well good for you," said Rarity as she made a rack of costumes appear before her, "now let's get to it." Rarity began search through the rack of costumes.
"Mummy?" Rarity said aloud as she looked at each costume and Fluttershy winced when she saw each one, "No. Headless pony? No. Vampire Fruit bat? Uh, definitely no."
"I actually thought the vampire fruit bat outfit would be kind of cute," Shenran pointed out. Fluttershy just gave him an unamused look.
"Honey, I'd rather not relive that incident," Fluttershy remarked.
"Sorry," Shenran replied with a sheepish smile on his face, "Just saying you'd make a cute bat." Fluttershy just smiled but rolled her eyes as she waved a fore-leg for Rarity to continue.
"You see, Fluttershy," said Rarity, "the beauty of Nightmare Night is that you don't have to dress up as something scary." Rarity turned around to summon another rack of costumes with her magic, causing her fish tail to unintentionally smack Shenran and Fluttershy in their faces.
"Ooh! Yes," said Rarity as she pulled out an ice blue gown and presented it to Fluttershy, "Period costumes are all the rage this year." Shenran oohed excitedly.
"And with your tiara," Shenran added as he placed the headpiece on his wife's head, "You can be a beautiful princess!" Shenran smiled happily as Fluttershy just made a face at the gown.
"What? No Good?" Rarity asked with concern.
"What's wrong dear?" Shenran asked, "Don't wanna be a beautiful princess?"
"What if we encounter something terrifying that Shenran can't fight against and need to get away quickly?" Fluttershy asked, "All those layers could slow me down, or worse, make me trip!"
"Oh, I never...considered that," said Rarity, "Never fear!" Rarity then took the gown away, turned around to browse the costumes, and her tail smacked Fluttershy and Shenran in the face again.
"Well since mobility is a big priority for your costume, dear," said Shenran, "Rares, do you have maybe a cute pixie fairy, or a beautiful butterfly? Oh! Oh! Do you have an adorable bunny costume? Flutters has always wanted to be a bunny!" Fluttershy smiled at the costume ideas.
"Sadly, those costumes were sold out weeks ago," said Rarity as she continued to browse.
"Aww..." Shenran groaned sadly, "are you sure you don't wanna be a princess, honey? I can be your prince?"
"Oh Shenran, you don't need to dress up to my prince," Fluttershy replied, "Just like I don't need to wear a gown to be your princess."
"That's true," said Shenran as they shared a cute nuzzle. Rarity giggled to herself when she found another costume idea.
"Oh, now this is a real stunner," Rarity hummed as she grabbed a dress and a mask, "I call it "Masquerade"! Just a simple black dress underneath but with this ornately decorated mask!" Rarity tried to show Fluttershy wearing the outfit.
"A mask?" Fluttershy spluttered as she pushed it away.
"No?" Rarity asked.
"They can just be so difficult to see out of," said Fluttershy.
"Yes, but this one has eyeholes," said Rarity as she used her magic to show the mask on herself. Shenran then appeared wearing a black tuxedo, top hat, red and black cape, and a white mask on his face.
"Fluttershy," Shenran said boldly as he held a red rose with his fore-leg, "look into your heart and find your inner warrior. It is your destiny!" Fluttershy and Rarity stared and then giggled to each other.
"I see Shenran has embraced the costume and the mask," said Rarity, still wearing the other mask, "what about you? Want to give the mask a try?"
"W-what about being able to see what's to the left and to the right of me?" Fluttershy asked worried.
"I suppose your vision would be somewhat obscured," Rarity admitted as she put the mask down, "It's your first nightmare night out and about, and we do want you to be comfortable."
"What if I just wear the dress?" Fluttershy proposed.
"Oh, sure, dear," said Rarity with much hesitation as Fluttershy rushed into an empty changing booth and then added to herself, "It's so plain, it's frightening."
"Oh come on, Rares," said Shenran, "I think I might know a way to make Fluttershy's simple costume work. I'll be right back." Shenran then ducked into a spare changing booth. As he and Fluttershy were getting dressed, the rest of the Mane Eight came out of their changing booth all dressed in their own costumes. Pinkie was a roller derby pony with her mane tied up in poofy pig tails, Twilight and Mario were both Pegasus sentry guards with golden armor and helmet, Rainbow was an astronaut with a breathable space helmet, and Applejack was a lion with her tail braided.
"Oh my! Look at all of you!" said Rarity, "My costumes fit you to a T!"
"And doesn't my Schmoopy look so handsome in his costume?" Twilight cooed, making Mario blush as the others giggled to each other.
"Okay, fine," Mario admitted, "I do look good in this armor." Twilight chuckled as she gave her husband a kiss.
"Hoo-wee, we're gonna have the best time!" said Applejack. It was then Fluttershy came out wearing the black dress.
"Hey, Fluttershy," said Rainbow, "Where's your costume?"
"I'm wearing it," said Fluttershy as she presented her black dress. The others looked a little stunned as Mario rubbed his chin.
"So...I'm guessing..." Mario said slowly.
"I get it!" Pinkie interrupted as she rolled around, "You're a robber escaping into the night! You're a ninja escaping into the night! You're black licorice escaping into the night!"
"I was gonna say you look dressed for a romantic date at a fancy restaurant," said Mario, a little annoyed at Pinkie taking so many guesses.
"Close," said Fluttershy, "I'm going to a masquerade ball. Without the mask." There was a long silence as the others gave Fluttershy puzzled looks. Pinkie even rolled backwards and fell over...right on top of Mario.
"Oh, that's great!" said Twilight slowly, "Isn't that great?" When nopony answered, she firmly nudged Rainbow to speak up.
"Oh, yeah," Rainbow said in agreement.
"So creative," said Pinkie as Mario helped her stand back up on her skates.
"Great costume," said Applejack.
"Maybe instead of a masquerade ball," said Shenran, still wearing the tuxedo without the mask, but had his hair greased with black sunglasses on his face, "maybe your costume would make more sense like this." Shenran then had Fluttershy wrap a fore-leg around his own and guided her towards a red carpet and they just stood still. The group looked puzzled until Rarity gasped.
"Ooh! I get it!" said Rarity, "You two are a celebrity couple on the red carpet!"
"Oh yeah," said Mario.
"That totally makes more sense!" said Rainbow.
"Yeah, that's really cool!" added Twilight as the others gave general praises. Fluttershy and Shenran both smiled.
Soon, they had gathered inside of Sugarcube Corner to play some games, which included Pin the ears on Nightmare Moon. Rarity just had finished placing her ear and removed her blindfold.
"I figured I'd save the really scary games for next year when Fluttershy's most used to it," said Pinkie as she tied the blindfold into Rainbow's face. Fluttershy couldn't help but look a little hurt despite the fact Pinkie was just being considerate.
"Honey, are you alright?" Shenran asked sweetly as Twilight gave her a supportive pat on the shoulder.
"I'm fine," Fluttershy replied quietly. Then Pinkie made Rainbow spin about very quickly.
"Round and round and round you go, where will you stop nopony knows!" sing sang all but Rainbow.
"Okay...go!" said Pinkie as she made Rainbow stop spinning. Rainbow then wobbled and flipped about to try and recover from her dizziness and pasted her ear on the board. She then removed her blindfold and found that she was the closest to the actual ear location.
"Good luck beating that Fluttershy!" said Rainbow cockily as she put her helmet back on.
"Hey, don't get so full of yourself, Rainbow," said Mario, "it's my turn next!" Everypony groaned, "What?"
"No offense Big Brother," said Pinkie bluntly, "but your nearly impossible to get dizzy. Plus you always managed to pin the tail...err ear...in the perfect spot every time!"
"I'm not cheating if that's what you're asking," said Mario indignantly, "but fine. How about adding a twist? So what else would you want me to do besides wearing a blindfold?" Twilight pondered.
"I got it!" said Shenran, "You have to toss your ear from this spot wearing the blindfold and facing the opposite way!"
"Oooooooooh! Now that's a great idea!" said Pinkie as she made Mario do a one eighty and gave him his ear, "Good luck...you're gonna need!" Mario just smirked, took a deep breath before he gently tossed his ear blindly behind him. In slow motion, the ear floated into the air...and landed on Twilight's ear instead of the poster. Everypony except Mario and Twilight laughed as Mario removed his blindfold.
"Oops, heh, wrong pony," Mario chuckled as Twilight took the paper ear and stuck it on his nose, making the others laugh loudly as Twilight snickered. Mario just rolled his eyes before swiping the paper ear off.
"Alright, you've had your laugh," said Mario, "Your turn, Flutters." Fluttershy bit her lip.
"Well, um, it's just that if I'm blindfolded and somepony were to leap out in front of me," said Fluttershy, "I'd never have a chance to defend myself."
"Um...honey?" said Shenran, "that's why I'm here." Fluttershy sighed.
"Still don't like the idea of not being able to see," Fluttershy replied insecurely. The group shared worried looks with each other.
"That's fine, darling," said Rarity in an understanding tone as she pushed Pinkie away, making the pink pony crash off screen, "You don't have to do anything you don't want to."
"We're just glad you're here," said Twilight.
"Yeah, Flutters," said Mario, "We wanna make sure you and Shenran have fun tonight."
"We don't have to finish that game," said Pinkie as she rolled past the group and had already recovered, "I have another one I know you'll love! Bobbing for Apples!" She then held a large bucket of apples and dumped the apples into a large tub of water. Fluttershy gulped.
"Fluttershy, what's wrong?" Twilight asked with concern.
"You've played bobbing for apples before," said Mario as he stood beside the bucket.
"And you're really good at it too," Shenran added.
"It's just that, um..." Fluttershy stuttered, "What happens if, when my head is deep down in the water, some kind of scary monster appears? How would I even hear to know I was under attack?" Pinkie blinked and Shenran looked most indignant.
"Honey," Shenran said, slightly annoyed, "Did you forget I'll be here to protect you while you play the game?"
"I'd prefer to take care of myself thank you," Fluttershy said indignantly.
"Then why am I even here?" Shenran retorted.
"Because I thought you were supporting me," Fluttershy said sternly.
"How can I when you clearly don't trust me?" Shenran snapped angrily.
"I do trust you!" Fluttershy said angrily.
"Well, you've got a funny way of showing it!" Shenran shot back and the two Pegasi growled at each other. The rest of the group looked rather uneasy. It was then Pinkie got an idea and pushed herself backwards toward a table that had some brown bags with drawings of each pony on the front.
"Time for candy!" Pinkie announced.
"It is?" said Fluttershy and Shenran as they stopped growling at each other and looked at the pink pony.
"I made candy bags," said Pinkie, "Each bag has been made with each of you in mind, complete with each of your favorite candies!"
"Ha! Awesome!" said Rainbow as she and the others grabbed their candy bags. Fluttershy nervously walked up to her bag as Shenran grabbed his.
"Yes!" Shenran exclaimed excitedly as he held a candy shaped like a cupcake cup in his fore-hoof, "Home-made chocolate peanut butter cups! Best served frozen overnight in the freezer." Shenran tossed one into his mouth.
"Mmm, delicious," said Shenran contently. Fluttershy hadn't bothered to take her candy bag just yet.
"Here. Take it," said Pinkie Pie, "Take it! What are you waiting for?"
"Well, it's just..." said Fluttershy nervously, "What if when I'm eating one of these chewy taffies, my mouth becomes glued shut and I can't scream for help?"
"Oh, honey," said Shenran, "I'm sure Pinkie took the time make sure not to give you any taffy or caramel candies to avoid that. Right, Pinkie?" There was a long silence as Pinkie just stared and pulled the candy bag away. Shenran just face-hoofed himself. It didn't help that the others were staring at Fluttershy as well, some even tossed away candies they were looking forward to eating. Even Mario was about to eat a pair of chocolate dipped caramel cookie candies when he suddenly felt uncomfortable eating them.
"Oh, goodness," said Fluttershy sadly, "We've only just started to celebrate Nightmare Night together, and I'm already taking all the fun out it, aren't I?"
"You're not taking out all of the fun," said Pinkie.
"Just, like, ninety per-" Rainbow was then cut off when three piece of candy smacked her space helmet and she turned to see Twilight, Mario, and Shenran giving her vicious glares.
"...Some of it," Rainbow corrected.
"I really wanted to do this," said Fluttershy, "But there's just so many things that terrify me about tonight. I couldn't possibly predict what might upset me."
"Then why won't you just trust me to protect you, sweetheart?" Shenran asked gently, "That's why I'm here for."
"I know, honey," said Fluttershy, "but I just...I don't want you having to always fight my fears for me, even if you want to. But it's just no fun when you can't predict when somepony or something could scare you."
"I understand dear," said Shenran as he held her close, "You don't like ponies scaring you and it's not something you can predict either. Getting frightened isn't fun for you." Twilight pondered for a moment and then smiled.
"Unless...you were the one doing the scaring," said Twilight.
"Honey, that's brilliant!" said Mario.
"Her scaring us?" said Rainbow and laughed...until she found everypony minus Fluttershy giving her a glare, "Oh. You're being serious."
"Ya think?" Mario snapped.
"Twilight wouldn't have suggested the idea if she was joking!" Shenran snapped irritably.
"The thing you hate is being scared," said Twilight to Fluttershy, "but if you're the one doing the scaring, then..."
"Then I can help you all have fun and Shenran and I can still be a part of Nightmare Night!" said Fluttershy, taking great interest in the idea, "You'll help me right, dear?" Shenran chuckled.
"Of course," said Shenran before adding sinister, "I've waited a long time to scare the horseshoes off somepony! At last, I will have my revenge! Mwa-ha-ha-ha-ha!"
"Honey...cool it," said Fluttershy in an unamused tone as she put a fore-hoof to his shoulder.
"Sorry," said Shenran sheepishly.
"So you like that idea?" Twilight asked.
"I think I do!" said Fluttershy, "And I don't want to get ahead of myself, but I think I have the perfect idea for how I'm gonna do it!" Fluttershy gave her husband a wink, which made him chuckled excitedly, even thought he didn't exactly know what his wife had in mind.
"Really?" said Pinkie, "Oh, this is so exciting!"
"I'm certainly curious to what you've got in mind, Flutters," said Mario. The others smiled in agreement.
"Meet me at my cottage in an hour," said Fluttershy in spooky voice as she and Shenran walked out of Sugarcube Corner backwards and disappeared.
"Oh, I'm so excited to see everypony soon!" said Fluttershy excitedly and then zoomed away. The others all smiled in agreement.
"If you dare, mwa-hahahahahahahaha!" Shenran added with a over the top evil laugh and then disappeared as well. Mario looked unimpressed.
"I was more excited before he did that," said Mario, "the big dork."
"You outta know," said Twilight, "Fluttershy says you're the dork king."
"That's dork prince, thank you!" said Mario and then bit his lip when he realized what he had just said, "GAH!" Mario crouched down and covered his now red face as everypony else laughed themselves silly.
Once the group had settled down and Mario had recovered, they made their way to Fluttershy and Shenran's cottage. They had barely reached the front door when somepony knocked on the door and it slowly creaked open. Inside they found a dark room with a table set up for multiple guests surrounded by an eerie fog on the floor.
"Welcome to Fluttershy and Shenran's tea party!" said Fluttershy in a spooky voice.
"Did she just say "tea party"?" Rainbow asked.
"It sounds like it's a scary tea party?" said Twilight and Rainbow just rolled her eyes and sighed.
"Okay, seriously what's your problem, Dashie?" Mario asked sternly, "You've been putting Fluttershy down ever since she decided to join us! Where's the loyalty and support you're supposed to represent?"
"Well excuse me if scary and Fluttershy don't work in the same sentence!" Rainbow retorted.
"Yeah, but she's still making the effort to try," said Mario, "Do you really expect her to embrace Nightmare Night and find her courage with you laughing and putting her down all night? You're supposed to be her closest friend after all!"
"Okay, okay, okay, sorry," said Rainbow and turned around to see Shenran dressed as a butler giving her a very blunt but spooky look, "EEEEEEEK!"
"Good evening," said Shenran in a deep but ominous tone, "Allow me to escort you to your seats."
"Yes, have a seat," said Fluttershy in a spooky voice as Shenran guided everypony to their seats, "Don't be scared of what awaits you."
"As you can see, our hostess has arrived," Shenran added, "Please enjoy your evening...if you survive..." Shenran gave a low chuckle as he exited the room. Rainbow just shot Mario a bored look.
"Okay fine," Mario admitted, "I can't take Shenran seriously either. Happy now?"
"Happy that even you think this is lame," said Rainbow.
"Oh that's nice, Dashie," said Mario sarcastically and angrily, "I'm sure Fluttershy would love to hear that you think she's lame!"
"I never said that and don't go putting words in my mouth!" Rainbow snapped.
"Siiiiileeenceee!" Fluttershy said in her spooky voice, "This is a happy tea part among friends. You wouldn't want to make the hostess angry!" Rainbow and Mario gulped.
"Okay, even I gotta admit that an angry Fluttershy is a scary Fluttershy," said Rainbow nervously.
"I agree..." said Mario in the same tone.
"Go on," said Fluttershy to the group, "Pass the sugar." The group looked around the table.
"Uh...where's the sugar bowl?" Mario asked. It was then Rarity found it and gave it to Applejack. They found the sugar bowl was empty.
"Oh, no! There is none! You're a terrible host!" Fluttershy exclaimed. Applejack just shook the bowl and look rather unamused.
"Rarity, put your coat on!" Fluttershy commanded.
"Why would I do that?" Rarity asked puzzled.
"You need to cover up because no one has complemented your dressssssss!" said Fluttershy. Rarity just rolled her eyes, "Pinkie Pie, look to your left and ask your best friend to pass the cucumber sandwiches!"
"Huh? I can't," said Pinkie, "There's nopony there."
"That's right," said Fluttershy, "Because she didn't care to show uuuuup."
"What?" Pinkie asked puzzled as Mario shuddered uncomfortably.
"A friend who didn't come through," Fluttershy continued, "That must scare you to the coooore. Quick everypony, look behind you!" Everypony did as they noticed a bunch of drawings of ponies were dangling on strings from above.
"Uh, what are those?" Rainbow asked.
"They look like the Village Ponies," Mario remarked.
"They're unplanned guests," said Fluttershy, "Your wooorst nightmare. You don't have enough food for them!"
"You gotta be kidding me," said Mario as Rainbow had a bored look on her face.
CLANG!
"Ow!" Mario groaned as something hit his helmet and landed on the other side of the floor. They turned to see it was toy kitten.
"Oh, no!" said Fluttershy, "There's a tiny kitten that needs a home! But you are over-scheduled right now. You don't have time to help!" Applejack and Rarity just looked more disturbed than frightened. The rest of the group just felt rather confused.
"I said "You don't have time to help"!" Fluttershy repeated as everypony turned to find the yellow Pegasus was hiding behind a sofa holding a tin can in her fore-hoof and they shared looks with each other, "This should appear to scare you!" Fluttershy waited but heard nothing as she peeked out from behind the sofa and found everypony staring at her.
"Why don't you look terrified?" Fluttershy asked, "You showed up to a party and everypony was extremely disappointed in you. Can you imagine anything more upsetting?" The others just looked stunned, except for Mario, who looked rather upset.
"Honey?" Twilight asked with concern.
"Thanks for reminding me why I get so nervous hosting parties, Fluttershy," Mario remarked, feeling rather uncomfortable. Twilight held him close for comfort.
"Oh, dear, I'm very sorry, Mario," said Fluttershy sadly, "I forgot how much you worry about disappointing your friends. That's not what I was trying to do. I just wanted to give everypony a scare."
"It was a really good try, darling," said Rarity, trying to be constructive, "but the scares at Nightmare Night are of an entirely different nature."
"It was really creative though," Twilight added, "I never would have thought of...all this. Did Shenran help you come up with it?"
"Um...no," said Fluttershy, "I asked him to let me come up with the everything all by myself. He just help me set everything up...Oh! He did draw the ponies!" It was then one of those paper ponies came off its string as Shenran appeared beside his wife.
"Oh, I'm just not cut out for this," said Fluttershy sadly, "Just go on without us." Shenran warped a fore-hoof around her for comfort.
"Oh, no," said Rarity, "We couldn't possibly."
"We don't want you both to miss out on the fun," Mario added.
"You have to," said Fluttershy, "This is the night you look forward to all year."
"Not...really..." said Mario, getting a glare from the others, "Well, despite having fun, you know I'm not big on scary stuff." The others softened after he said that.
"We could...stay here?" Pinkie offered.
"It's not a bad idea," said Mario, ignoring the disapproving look from Rainbow, "We can have our Nightmare Night party here. Maybe you'll feel a little less jittery if you had fun with your friends in your own cottage."
"It's okay," said Fluttershy as she headed toward her front door and opened it, "I really want you all to have fun. This is how I spend every Nightmare Night and my husband is here to keep me company now. Please go. I'll be fine." With much reluctance, the rest of the Mane Eight made their way out of the cottage.
"Eh, it's funny," said Pinkie to Applejack as the latter pushed her out of the house, "I actually thought she had an idea for something really scary for a second there."
"She definitely tried her hardest," said Applejack as Fluttershy closed her front door.
"I did try my hardest," said Fluttershy. Angel then made his presence known and thumped his foot on the table and crossed his arms indignantly.
"Or...maybe not," said Fluttershy and turned to her husband, "Oh...I should've asked you to help me out. You probably could have come up with something extra scary and I turned your help down."
"I think the problem is that you held back a little too much," said Shenran, "Even I found your little scene more cute than scary." Fluttershy wanted to roll her eyes, but didn't because she knew her husband was being honest with her.
"I suppose I could have gone with something a bit scarier," said Fluttershy as Angel smiled in agreement, "You're right! I've been taking baby steps! I think it's time for grown up ones!"
"Alright dear," said Shenran, "What do you have in mind?" Fluttershy pondered for a moment before turning to Angel.
"I don't suppose you have any ideas on how we could do that?" Fluttershy asked as Angel rubbed his paws deviously.
"I've got a very bad feeling about this," said Shenran worriedly as Angel glared at him.
"Honey, this would be a good way for Angel to use his dark side in a constructive way," Fluttershy whispered as Shenran just sighed.
"Alright, Angel," said Shenran, "Let's hear this master plan of yours." Angel hopped up to Shenran and hugged his fore-leg before smiling deviously once again. Shenran was secretly still worried as Fluttershy smiled excitedly.
Back at Sweet Apple Acres, the group had picked up Spike and were now heading towards the corn maze.
"Everypony's linin' up for the corn maze, y'all!" said Applejack, "Let's go!"
"Oh, yeah!" said Spike, "I can't believe we're finally doin' this!" It was then the group froze when somepony appeared wearing a black cloak removed their hood and revealed a real life horse face. They whinnied ominously at the group.
"Sweet Celestia, it's a face lift gone horribly wrong!" Mario cried out.
"AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAH!" The entire group screamed and then they all laughed as the pony wearing the horse mask welcomed them to the maze.
"It's a good thing Fluttershy isn't here because she would never be able to handle this!" said Rainbow.
"Not with you for her moral support," Mario muttered bitterly.
"Nevermind dear," said Twilight, "Just focus on protecting me."
"You're such a strong mare," said Mario to his wife, "You don't need me to protect you."
"True," said Twilight as she lovingly nuzzled his head despite their helmets, "but I like have you look out for me from time to time." Mario chuckled and nuzzled her back. The group continued their way about the maze. They had just past a dark intersection when some green eyes spied on them. Pinkie looked behind herself and yelped, making everypony turn around and gasp when they saw a familiar looking stallion dressed as a mummy.
"Boooo...Eeyup," said Big Mac. The group laughed and Big Mac looked rather disappointed.
"Good try, Big Bro," said Mario gently, "We'll catch ya later." The group then ventured on as Big Mac went back to his hiding place. It wasn't long before they suddenly heard the sound of something crunching beneath their hooves.
"What. Is. That. Sound?" Rarity winced as Pinkie rolled to a stop and looked down at the ground to see some white colored sticks.
"It looks like...bones!" Pinkie exclaimed.
"AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHH!" Everypony screamed. Rainbow then hovered down to get a closer look.
"Look like a bunch of dried sticks painted white to me," said Rainbow indignantly.
"Hey, try to keep up the illusion, would ya?" Applejack scolded.
"Yeah, you've been acting like a party pooper all night," Mario added before the three ponies went to catch up with the others. Soon, the pathway lead the group into a dark underground area. Rarity then chose to light up their horn when the group found dozens of eyeballs staring at them.
"Gah!" Rarity and Spike exclaimed.
"I get the distinct feeling we're being watched," said Mario. There was a pause before everypony laughed as they ran out of the cave.
"Heh-heh, good one Big Brother," said Applejack as Mario smiled at the complement.
"Whoo!" Pinkie spluttered in disgust as she rolled out the exit of the dark area. It was then dark figured zoom behind them, startling Applejack and Mario.
"Agh! What was that?" Applejack asked nervously.
"You tell me, I sensed something behind us too!" Mario remarked fearfully as the two siblings looked behind the group and saw...nothing.
"Don't you know?" Spike asked.
"Uh, o-of course I do," said Applejack as she backed up toward the group, "It was, uh..." Before Applejack could explain, some floating ghosts appeared and started moaning. Mario narrowed his eyes at them.
"I'll take care of these pesky poltergeists," said Mario confidently.
"Ooh! Nice alliteration!" said Pinkie.
"Thanks I...uh oh..." said Mario.
"What "uh-oh"?" Spike asked.
"I left my saddle bags back at the Boutique," said Mario, "Twilight said I wouldn't need it. My pony-geist 3000 was in there!"
"Mario! Why'd you listen to me?!" Twilight remarked.
"You also laughed at me for wanting to come up with a Power Pellet potion!" said Mario, "Sure could use it now!"
"So now what?!" Rainbow asked as the three ghosts moaned again, spooking everypony.
"RUN!" Mario shouted as they all zoomed away in quick session.
"AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAH!" Everypony screamed as they ran off in one direction. But then had to run in opposite direction when the three ghosts over took the group and chased after them. Then there was trouble, Rarity's hind legs got tangled in her fish tail and she tripped. Spike looked back to see Rarity struggling to recover.
"Fluttershy had a point with the layers on the dress," Rarity grunted as Spike helped Rarity to her hooves and they ran off before the ghosts could catch up with them.
"Let's get moving everypony!" said Mario as he ushered Rarity and Spike forward a bit to make them run faster. It was then Mario didn't see a small rock on the ground.
"Yiiiiiiiiiiiieeee!" Mario cried out as he tripped and skidding forward to a stop as the rest of the group left him behind. Applejack looked back when she heard Mario yelp.
"Mario?" she called out, but because she wasn't looking where she was going she ended up tumbling down a hole in front of a tree. Twilight skidding to a stop to avoid falling down, but Pinkie crashed into her and they both tumbled down the hole. Pinkie tried to avoid falling by grabbing into Rainbow, but ended up taking herself and the blue Pegasus down the hole.
"Mari-ooooooooooooooooooooooooooo!" Spike called out as he and Rarity looked back and they ended up falling down as well. The group groaned as they recovered and stood up. Rarity used her horn to lit up the dark pit.
"What is this?" Rarity asked in a panic, "Is it a tunnel? Where does it lead?!"
"Here a better question," said Twilight, "Where's my husband?" It was then the opening above was sealed shut. Twilight lit her horn to light up the area as Spike quivered fearfully.
"No! Let me in! Let me in!" Mario cried out from above.
"Mario!" Twilight exclaimed as was then she heard the moaning of the ghosts from above. They all heard the sound of chucking.
"Looks like those other ponies ditched us!" said one ghost.
"But not this one!" said a second ghost as they chuckled evilly. Mario's eyes widened with fear.
"WAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA-"
MUNCH! MUNCH! MUNCH! MUNCH!
(Pac-Man lose a life fanfare)
All the ponies winced at the sound of Mario screaming for dear life, the sound of munching, and the fanfare of a pony who had just lost a life. Rainbow tried to open the hole from above, but then it open on its own.
BONK!
Rainbow was bonked on the head as Mario's helmet dropped to the group before the group and the opening sealed shut again before Rainbow could recover. Then they all heard a loud belch.
"Delicious!" said a ghost as the others laughed. Rainbow looked at the helmet and hovered down with eyes filling with tears.
"Mario...Mario is..." Twilight sternly shoved a fore-hoof to her mouth.
"Don't you dare finish that sentence!" Twilight warned in a low and stern tone, "I'm sure Applejack knows what's going on and Mario is just fine." Twilight then turned to the orange pony with a panicked look on her face.
"Which way are we supposed go now?!" Twilight asked frightfully, "I need to save my Schmoopy!"
"Uh, I don't know!" said Applejack frantically, "I don't know what's goin' on!" Rainbow tried to open the hole above again, but no luck.
"What do you mean?" Rainbow asked, "Didn't you help plan this? Didn't you plan to have Mario get eaten by ghosts?" Applejack just looked rather nervous until she noticed a familiar figure sitting in her rocking chair in the dark.
"Whew," said Applejack, "There's Granny Smith. Not that I was ever scared, 'cause I wasn't. I'm pretty good actress when I wanna be. And I bet she knows what happened to Mario too." She confidently walked up to Granny Smith.
"Granny?" Applejack asked as she tapped the experienced pony's shoulder, only for her head to fall off and revealing it was just a skulled with Granny's mane on it.
"AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHH!" Applejack screamed as she ran for her life. The others just watched her run off...for one second.
"AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHH!" the rest of the group screamed and followed Applejack. They didn't run far before they were trapped as Pinkie rolled past the group and smashed into a wall off screen.
"Applejack, didn't you know about any of this?!" Spike asked.
"Alright, I got to admit I didn't know about any of this," said Applejack, "but maybe they're just tryin' to make it interestin' for me, too! I'm sure Granny Smith or Big Mac is behind this."
"And Mario is just fine, riiiiight?!" Twilight asked in a very over the top tone as she tried to hide the panic she was feeling inside.
"Of course he's-" Applejack soon stopped speaking when she heard a familiar voice above them.
"Are those peeled grapes or eyeballs starin' at ya from beyond the grave?" Granny Smith asked the cutie mark crusaders as she gave a cackle, leaving the three fillies stunned. Then Big Mac appeared.
"Eeyup," he said to them.
"AAAAAAAAAAAAAHH!" the three fillies screamed playfully and ran off. Now Applejack was beginning to panic.
"That's what we were supposed to do!" said Applejack, "I don't know why were down here! This is really scarin' me now!" She and Pinkie huddled up as their teeth shattered. Twilight walked up to them with a face that was about to have a mental breakdown.
"But my husband is okay right? Right? Right?" Twilight replied, "He's didn't get eaten by a bunch of ghosts. He's just a-ok...eating candy happily somewhere isn't he? Huh? Huh? ANSWER ME! TELL ME THAT I'M RIGHT!" Twilight couldn't help but raised her voice, making Applejack wince as she looked at the purple alicorn with frightened eyes.
"I...I don't know," said Applejack as tears pricked her eyes. Twilight just chuckled a bit, but soon her unstable chuckling turned into hyperventilation and then sobbing.
"MARRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRIIIIIIIIIIOOOOOOO!" Twilight screamed loudly.
"Twilight get a grip!" said Rainbow as Twilight continued to panic, "I'm sure Mario is fine!"
"But you don't know that!" Twilight sobbed, "Nopony knows why this is happening?! I want my husband back! I'm scared! I'm so scared!"
"You will get him back," said Rarity in a gentle but firm tone, "Just don't give up hope." Twilight sniffled as she calmed down a little. It was then they heard some loud footsteps, which made everypony huddle up together. As the ground continued to rumble, terrifying everypony, they saw a giant green monster approach them.
"How did that get down here?!" Pinkie asked fearfully. The green monster gave a loud growl at them.
"RUUUUUUUUUUN!" Rainbow screamed and everypony except for Pinkie took off. Pinkie was so frightened that she couldn't roller skate in any direction until Spike rushed over and pulled her away. The group didn't get too far before something very strong and sticky trapped them.
"I can't see!" Pinkie cried out, unaware that Rarity's fish tail was over her eyes.
"I can barely move!" said Rainbow as she and the rest of the group struggled to free themselves from a rather giant spider web.
"It's like glue!" Rainbow added as she tried her best to break free but it was no good. Twilight then looked and saw that the green monster had caught up with them and started to charge toward them.
"If we don't act fast," said Applejack frightfully as she tried to break free, "we'll all suffer the same fate as Mario!" Twilight began to panic before she quickly used her horn to make everypony teleport off the web and to the other side just as the monster crashed into it. They quickly found the exit to the underground area and found themselves along the edge of a cliff and the corn maze was down below them in the background.
"I don't see my husband anywhere!" said Twilight as she scooped the area.
"Mmmmmmmmmmmmm-mmmmmmmmmmm-mmmmmmmmmm!" said a muffled voice.
"Did y'all hear that?" Applejack asked nervously.
"Mmmm-mmmm-MMMMMMMMMM!" the muffed voice said loudly. Rainbow pondered when she saw the bush rattling near to her.
"It's coming from that bush!" Rainbow pointed out.
"Mmmmmmm-MMMMMMM!" said the muffled voice again. Pinkie peeked into it and gasped.
"Twilight! Twilight! It's Mario! I found him! I found him!" Pinkie called out.
"Mario?" Twilight exclaimed as she rushed to the bush, "Mario!" Together, Twilight and Pinkie pulled Mario out of the bush. Not only was his costume damaged, but he was tied up by all four of his legs and had a piece of tape stuck to his mouth.
"Mmm-mmm-MMM!" Mario said.
"Hold on, we can't understand you!" said Pinkie and ripped the tape off.
"YEEEEEEEEEEEOOOOOOOOW!" Mario yelped loudly and exhaled, "Thanks Pinkie."
"What happened to you?" Twilight asked as she used her magic to untie the ropes.
"Well, the ghosts came at me," said Mario, "then something covered my mouth and knocked me out. Next thing, I know I'm that bush all tied up with the tape over my mouth."
"We thought the ghosts had gobbled you up!" said Applejack. Mario blinked.
"I'm starting to regret not making that power pellet potion more and more," said Mario annoyingly. It was then they heard some evil laughter behind them. The group all turned to see up on a tree hanging upside down...was a bat pony! Correction...two bat ponies!
"Oh no! Anything but that!" Mario squeaked. The two bat ponies then hissed menacingly at the group and swooped down at them, frightening everypony. As the female bat pony hissed at them, Mario plucked up courage and stood on his hind legs in front of the group, ready for a fight.
"Alright you monster!" Mario challenged bravely, "Bring it on! I'm ready for you this time!" Before Mario could react, the male bat pony swooped down up to Mario face and gave him a menacing hiss. Mario was frightened so badly that his fur and mane turned white, immobilizing him.
POW!
Then the bat pony slugged Mario, knocking him backward toward the group.
"Schmoopy!" Twilight cried out as she held Mario close as they both began to tremble fearfully. The female bat pony than swooped down, tearing off the fake head of Spike's costume. The female bat pony then tossed the head aside as she and the male bat pony glared at them with their red eyes. Everypony whimpered as they huddled up together, clearly terrified as they shook and trembled with fear. Even Rarity and Mario were on the verge of tears. The glares of both bat ponies softened as they saw how frightened everypony looked. They quickly exchanged saddened looks with each other as they landed together.
"I think we went too far," said the male bat pony sadly.
"Oh, my!" said the female bat pony in agreement, "I'm so, so, so sorry. Can you ever forgive me?"
"Fluttershy?" Applejack replied.
"Shenran?" Spike added.
"It was the both of you the whole time?!" said Rainbow.
"I can't believe it!" said Twilight.
"That...was..." said Rarity.
"THE BEST THING EVER!" Pinkie shouted happily and gave a squee.
"It was way more terrifying than the most terrifying thing I could have thought of!" Rainbow said as he flew quick circles around the two Pegasi that were still wearing their bat pony costumes.
"You out-nightmared the scariest part of the corn maze!" Applejack added.
"How did you do all of this?!" Twilight asked.
"After you left, I realized that I wasn't ready to give up on Nightmare Night," said Fluttershy, "So Shenran and I asked Granny Smith if we could try to make the maze even scarier for our friends."
"You came up with all of this?" Rainbow asked, clearly shocked and also impressed.
"I had some help," said Fluttershy as Angel appeared on her head wearing a vampire cape as he took a bow, "Angel was the scary figure that kept scurrying after you in the maze. My husband was not just my bat pony partner in crime, but he also was the voices for the ghosts and made the sounds that made it seem like Mario got eaten. He...was also the one who knocked Mario out, tied him up, and tossed him into the bushes." As Fluttershy was talking, the three "ghosts" appeared and tossed off their white cloths to show they were just some birds. One of the cloths fell on Fluttershy's face and she quickly removed it.
"That explains why my head hurts so much..." Mario remarked as he rubbed the back of his head.
"Yeah...sorry about that," said Shenran, "I didn't want you exposing the scenario."
"Fuzzy Legs made the sticky wall that made it difficult for you to see and move," said Fluttershy as the spider appeared on her head and gave a salute, which Applejack smirked and returned to gesture, "And, of course, Harry was the especially scary monster." It was then the giant green monster appeared and removed his head mask, revealing that he was Harry. The bear growled happily to the group.
"Wow! that was inspired!" said Twilight.
"You have to do this every year!" said Pinkie.
"Uh-huh!" said Applejack.
"Absolutely!" said Rarity.
"Every year!" said Twilight.
"Yeah!" said Rainbow.
"Just...pick somepony else to get eaten next year," Mario added wearily as the rest of the group chuckled and Twilight hugged him. Fluttershy and Shenran exchanged looks with each other as they removed their own sets of vampire teeth.
"We could celebrate Nightmare Night together every year," said Fluttershy, "But the truth is..."
"...we really don't want to," Shenran finished for his wife.
"You don't?!" Pinkie said in surprised as she bounced on her tail.
"But you've both done it," said Rarity, "You found a way that we can all have a fabulous time together." It was then Shenran whimpered as tears began flowing down his face.
"Shenran...why are you crying?" Twilight asked with concern.
"Because we've both realized something," said Fluttershy as she moved the fake bat wings as well as her husband's and then held him close, "You all may love Nightmare Night and we may be good at being part of it, but it's no fun for us to see our friends feel like they're in danger, even if we know they're not. I really don't like it and neither does my husband."
"True," Shenran sniffled, "I thought getting to scare somepony would be fun. Because, like my wife, I got the receiving end of alot of scary tricks and pranks when I was colt. I thought I'd feel better getting to be the one doing the scaring for a change, but...I didn't feel better. Seeing you all looking so frightened...doesn't make me feel good."
"Exactly my point," said Fluttershy, "It's just not our cup of tea."
"Spoooooooooky tea?" Pinkie asked hopefully as she flashed a light over Fluttershy's face.
"No, just regular tea," said Fluttershy as she used a fore-hoof to cover the light, "We do lots of fun things together, but I'm afraid this just isn't going to be one of them. Actually, I'm not afraid. I'm perfectly fine with it."
"Then we are, too," said Twilight as they all gathered for one big group hug. Then Harry gave a happy growl as she grabbed everypony to turn it into a giant bear hug.
"Ack!" Mario yelped, "Easy Harry! My back is still sore from being tied up!" Harry growled apologetically as the others just laughed. Up above, a small group of bats flew across the full moon.
Back at the cottage, Fluttershy, Shenran, and several of her animal friends were all gathered under the couple's bed. Fluttershy was just holding a book in her fore-hooves as Shenran had a fore-arm around her protectively.
"I don't know why I doubted myself for a second," said Fluttershy with a content sigh, "Now this is what I call a perfect Nightmare Night."
"You said it honey," said Shenran as he gave her a light nuzzle and the rest of the animals got comfortable. Fluttershy just continued reading for a bit before she turned to find Shenran just resting his head on her shoulder with a content smile on his face. Fluttershy giggled to herself before she let out another long sigh.
"Something up honey?" Shenran asked.
"I guess I wanted to know if you're okay with my decision," said Fluttershy, "I know Nightmare Night isn't something I like to participate in, but what about you?"
"Eh, I was never that fond of it either, honey," said Shenran, "I mean you saw me crying earlier. Scaring our friends wasn't as much fun as I thought it would be. Plus I think we went too far making Twilight think Mario got chomped by ghosts."
"Did she say something?" Fluttershy asked.
"Twilight told me she was crying alot when she didn't know if Mario was okay," said Shenran, "I still feel awful inside despite apologizing to her and she forgave me."
"That was all my fault," said Fluttershy sadly, "I was the one who suggested we do that. I guess since I tease Mario so much I didn't think it was such a big deal, but...you're right. If that had been me, I would have been crying alot too if something had happened to you. Just the thought of losing you..." Fluttershy began to cry.
"Honey..." said Shenran in a gentle tone.
"Can you blame me?" Fluttershy retorted, "Life just loves to poke fun at me. I've been targeted for being shy. I've been targeted for being soft spoken! I've been targeted for my weak flying! I've been targeted for being afraid of everything! I've been targeted for have absolutely no self-confidence!" Fluttershy sobbed as she tried to catch her breath. Shenran her held her close and stroked her soft pink mane with a fore-hoof. The other animals just patted her back for moral support.
"So when you show up in my life," Fluttershy croaked, "Willing to accept me despite all my flaws and can relate to them...everything I've ever dreamed my prince would be, including the swords...I just don't want that taken away from me. How could I have been so insensitive to put Twilight through that?!" Fluttershy's words were then lost in tears as Shenran comforted her and whispered sweet-nothings into her ear to help her settle down. Fluttershy pulled away to wipe her eyes, even though her tears hadn't slowed down.
"Sorry I'm so weak..." said Fluttershy.
"No, no, no, you are not weak, honey," Shenran told his wife as he put a fore-hoof under her chin, "You're just a very sensitive pony and there is nothing wrong with that. I'm a very sensitive pony, but does that make me weak? Unworthy of being such a high-rank member of the royal guard?"
"Of course not," said Fluttershy, "I love the fact that you're so sensitive. It's what I love the most about you."
"Well, I love you for being so shy and timid," said Shenran, "You are the perfect pony for me." Fluttershy smiled, her eyes twinkling from all the tears.
"Well, you're the perfect pony for me," said Fluttershy as she gave him a soft kiss. Shenran happily returned the kiss as they held each other happily.
"Thank you for choosing me to be your wife," said Fluttershy.
"Thank you for letting me chose you for my princess," said Shenran and then placed the tiara on Fluttershy's head. He had been keeping it nearby for the right moment to put it on. Fluttershy just looked up and sighed.
"Okay, I'll wear the tiara for the night," said Fluttershy.
"Thank you," said Shenran happily.
"You're welcome," said Fluttershy and then blinked, "Oh! Before I forget!" Fluttershy then grabbed a brown bag and pulled out a pair of Shenran's favorite candies.
"I asked Mario if he could send us some candy while we're home during Nightmare Night," said Fluttershy as Shenran took the peanut butter cup and ate it, "I know how much you love this candies."
"Don't you as well?" Shenran teased as Fluttershy smirked and ate her own peanut butter cup.
"Well, I did ask for two bags of them," said Fluttershy. The two Pegasi laughed and then hummed contently as they enjoyed their candies together.
"There was one thing you need to know," said Shenran.
"What's that dear?" said Fluttershy.
"You're a beautiful bat pony," said Shenran. Fluttershy rolled her eyes, but still smiled.
"Well, you are quite a handsome bat pony," said Fluttershy as they both chuckled to each other.
Despite everything they had dealt with that night...
...it was their best Nightmare Night ever.
Hope you enjoyed this chapter. The parody of the scene from the Incredibles just fit so well in this chapter. I had to put it in. And I hope you enjoyed Mario and Shenran's little tribute to the famous song "Monster Mash". Plus the masquerade outfit Shenran had tried on was a tribute to Tuxedo Mask from the original Sailor Moon anime.
Fact: The person Shenran's pony is based off of is a real fan of frozen Reese's peanut butter cups. So they are Shenran's favorite candy too! I'm a big fan of Twix candy, but I won't chose sides of being the left or the right. I usually eat both at the same time.
Plus the alternate ending is simply meant to give Fluttershy and Shenran that cute couple moment. After all, Mario and Twilight have had plenty of them in other chapters.
Next time: Mario and Twilight learn the hard way that sometimes staying cooped up indoors can make you miss out on some fun moments. And it doesn't help a certain draconequus was involved!
Peace Pony Fans!