Twilight was flying through the clear summer air, the sunlight warming her wings. Hooves outstretched in front of her, she couldn’t help but giggle as the wind blew through her mane. It had taken her a while to actually learn how to use her wings, resulting in many, many crashes, but eventually she could fly like any pegasus, although not as fast as some of them.

“I can see why Rainbow loves this so much,” Twilight said to nopony in particular, spinning lazily in the air. “It’s better than any description I’ve read in my books!” With another flap of her wings, she turned and began to bank around a patch of clouds. Reaching out a hoof as she passed, she dragged it through the fluffy clouds and scooped out a hoofful, only to have it blown out of her hoof by the wind. As she watched the bits of clouds disappear, she hummed contently.

“It’s so peaceful up here,” she murmured happily as she closed her eyes, enjoying the warmth around her. It felt like she was wrapped in the warmest of blankets on the coldest of days. There was only one thing that could have made this all better, but he wasn’t currently here—

Twilight’s ears perked up as she heard a noise carried by the wind. Opening her eyes, she turned over, searching the sky for the source, but found nothing. Turning her attention to the ground, she tried to pinpoint the direction the breeze was coming from. Again she heard the noise, but still couldn’t detect its origin.

The alicorn was growing frustrated, ready to give up and return to her flight, when something below suddenly caught her eye. Hovering in the air, Twilight squinted, trying to make out whatever it was.

Her eyes widened when she realized what it was.

“No, it couldn’t be,” Twilight breathed, a smile slowly spreading across her face. Her ears perked up as she heard her name being shouted at her from a distance. The sound… it was coming from him!

“It is!” Twilight squealed, her smile growing and her eyes lighting up. Tucking her wings closer to her sides, Twilight immediately dove towards the ground, hooves held out in front of her as the air roared by her head. Flaring her wings slightly, she began to angle herself towards what had caught her eye. That wonderful creature that had captured her attention.

For the most part, he just stood there in that vast field, waving up at Twilight with a large grin on his face. As she drew nearer, he stopped waving. Instead, he just stood there, arms outstretched, inviting her into them.

She didn’t need to be told twice.

Flaring her wings at the last second, Twilight collided with him with a soft thump. They tumbled backwards, his arms wrapping around her as they fell into the field of flowers. Wrapping her hooves around his neck, Twilight stared down at him, her face filled with emotion. Love, longing, hope, and care; all of them filled her as she looked down upon the object of her affection. He returned the look, his one good eye sparkling with joy.

Twilight slowly moved her face down towards his. When they were but a few inches apart, she paused, staring deep into his glorious brown eye. She couldn’t help but breathe his name, “Max…”

With that, Twilight closed the gap between them, her eyes slowly shutting as she drew nearer to her target. Slowly, tenderly, the young princess lowered herself with the utmost care, and placed her lips on his...

I froze, my entire body stiffening up as my mind went blank. My eyes widened as my heart screeched to a halt, the blood freezing in my veins. Time seemed to stop, and for the longest time the only thing my mind could register was the very warm, very soft lips currently pressing against mine.

Twilight’s kissing me...

I was currently in Twilight’s room, leaning over the mare in question as I attempted to tuck her into her bed. It was around two in the morning, and we had just arrived back home from dinner with Twilight’s family, and she was still fast asleep.

I had managed to carry her to the library with little trouble, only having some issue with the front door. Once we were inside our home, I had carried her up the stairs to her room. Making sure not to jostle her too much, I had pulled back the covers of her bed and placed her onto the mattress. I had reached down to pull the covers back up around Twilight’s body when it had happened.

Twisting around in her bed, she had thrown her hooves over my shoulders, pulling me down towards her. Before I could react, her lips had met mine, and now we were currently kissing.

Twilight’s kissing me…

She kept up the kiss for several long minutes, her eyes clenched shut, before she released her hold on me and flopped back onto the mattress, a huge, happy smile on her face. Sighing, she turned and snuggled deeper into the covers, her wings twitching slightly.

I fell backwards onto my ass, my mouth hanging open slightly as my brain tried to wrap itself around what had just happened. I just stared into the distance, blinking occasionally as my mind slowly began to restart itself.

Slowly, I reached a hand up and tenderly touched my lips; I could still feel her lips on mine. I felt my face slowly begin to heat up as I stared at the sleeping form of Twilight. D-did that really just happen? I thought as I slowly ran my fingers over my still-tingling lips. I just got kissed by Twilight.

After several seconds, I pulled my hand away and glanced down at my fingers, studying them. The tingling sensation was still present. I licked my lips, but it still remained. Slowly clenching my hand into a fist, I pushed myself up off the ground. Standing, I approached Twilight’s bed quietly.

I watched her for a while as she slept, her leg twitching ever so slightly. She’s too cute for her own good, I thought, rubbing my chin with a hand. Something was bugging me, tapping me on the shoulder and waving its arms around, trying to be heard. Scratching the back of my head, I tried to figure out what it was. After several minutes, I realized what the problem was.

I just got kissed by a pony. My eyes widened as the thought struck me. I paused for only but a moment before I snorted, shaking my head in disgust. I can’t believe I just thought that, I chided myself. Twilight isn’t like the mindless animals from back home. She’s one of the most intelligent creatures I know.

But she looks just like a pony from back home, a tiny part of me reasoned. It was immediately squashed by a massive hammer.

It doesn’t matter what she is, or what she looks like, I growled, pushing down the voice with all my might. To her, I look just like a mindless human, and yet she still cares for me. Besides—I glanced down at the sleeping form of Twilight, a small smile on my face—I think she’s rather cute. My face turned red at the thought, and I immediately looked away.

Awww, the voice purred, you’re in love!

It’s not love, I replied, crossing my arms with a huff. I just care deeply for her because of all she’s done for me.

You stayed in Equestria for her. I glanced at Twilight out of the corner of my eye, a frown on my face. Face it; you’re in love with Twilight. I bit my lip, but didn’t reply.

Sighing, I ran a hand through my hair before reaching down and pulling the blankets tighter around Twilight. As I did so, she wrapped her forehooves around my hand, holding it close to her chest. I could feel her heart beating in her chest, the soft thump reverberating through my palm.

Slowly pulling my hand out of her grasp, I stared down at her, debating with myself. Finally, I made up my mind. I’m in love… with Twilight. Smiling weakly, I leaned down and placed a quick kiss on Twilight’s cheek. She smiled, cooing softly at the touch.

Straightening back up, I turned and made my way out of Twilight’s room. Upon reaching the door, I glanced back at the bed, illuminated in the moonlight that streamed through her window. As I looked back, I frowned again. It would never work…

Why not? the voice asked softly.

She’s a princess, I thought with a sigh, and I’m nothing but a human. With that, I closed the door quietly behind me and headed off to bed.

Several days later, I was walking down the road towards the marketplace around lunch time. Twilight was currently back at the library, reshelving all the books with a little help from Spike. I had offered to help, but she had turned me down, saying that it wouldn’t take them that long to finish. Figuring that it would be best to stay out of their way for the day, I had grabbed my stuff, a bag full of bits, and had headed out the door.

It was a crisp autumn day, a slight breeze blowing leaves across the ground. The weather was getting colder, but luckily I had asked Rarity to make me a sweatshirt. It was a lavender colored fabric, with Twilight’s cutie mark on the back (whenever Rarity made me clothes, Twilight’s cutie mark was standard). It was quite warm, but I knew that it wouldn’t be enough for the cold winter months that were coming. I’ll need to see if Rarity can make me some warm winter clothing, I thought as I shuffled down the road, leaves crunching underneath my sandals. Especially some warmer footwear.

I walked through the marketplace, no real destination in mind. Around me, the ponies went about their day as always, smiles on their faces. Some even had scarves wrapped around their necks, keeping the autumn chill at bay.

As I walked, I let my mind wander, thinking about a variety of things. My breakfast was beginning to wear off, and my stomach was starting to send messages up the pipe to my brain, demanding sustenance. I had just begun to wonder what I should do about lunch when I was drawn out of my musing by the sound of someone crying.

It was soft and I almost missed it over the noise of the marketplace. Glancing around, I tried to pinpoint the direction it was coming from. Slowly, I began to walk towards the sound, the sobs becoming louder and louder with each step. I paused slightly when I saw that the crying was coming from an alleyway between two buildings. My paranoia started to act up again, thoughts of unicorns lying in wait filling my head.

My curiosity won out, however, and I cautiously poked my head into the alley. What I saw almost broke my heart.

Sweetie Belle was sitting in an old cardboard box, her face stained with tears. She was in a sorry state; her green eyes were red and puffy, her mane disheveled, and her white coat was covered in dirt. As I watched, more tears slid down her face, leaving streaks of dirt on her face as they dripped from her chin onto the ground. A small puddle had already formed around her.

My heart immediately went out to the filly, and without hesitation, I entered the alley and walked over to her. She was so out of it that she didn’t even notice me approach her until I was crouched next to her, my hand on her back. She gasped at my touch, flinching away. She looked up, tears in her eyes. When she saw that it was me, she gasped again and quickly rubbed her eyes with a foreleg. When she finished, she smiled up at me, trying to put on a cheery face. It didn’t work.

“H-hey, Max,” she said, her small voice cracking slightly. “What’s g-going on?” Reaching into my saddlebags, I pulled out my handy-dandy notebook and charcoal stick. Scratching out a quick note, I held it up for her to see.

+Why are you hiding back here, crying?+

“I… I don’t know w-what you’re talking about,” she said, refusing to meet my eye. I tapped the note with a finger, giving her a concerned look. She continued to look at the ground, biting her bottom lip as her eyes began to water again. Suddenly, she broke down, fresh tears streaming down her face as she threw herself at me.

“It’s j-just not fa-a-air!” she sobbed into my chest. “I can’t get my cutie mark, I can’t use magic, I can’t do anything!” As she continued to cry, I just wrapped an arm around her, leaning my back against the wall to keep from tipping over. I just held her there, letting her cry herself out.

Pulling my notebook over, I wrote out a message with one hand, +What happened?+

“It was those t-two bullies,” she sobbed. “D-diamond Tiara and Silver Spoon. T-they were making fun of me again today.”

+Don’t let them get to you. You’ll get your cutie mark soon+ (Do you know how hard it is to write with one hand while comforting a small filly with the other?)

“It’s not… it’s not that,” she cried, choking slightly on the words. “They were making fun of the fact I c-can’t do magic! Everypony else in my class can, and even those in the younger classes can, but I can’t. They said that it was because… because…” Her body began to tremble and more tears began to flow down her face. Finally she choked out, “They said it was because the human that attacked me made it so I can’t do magic at all!” With that, she broke down completely, burying her face into my shirt as she cried her heart out. I closed my eyes, gritting my teeth in anger.

I was no stranger to bullying, having been called ‘Pepperoni Face’ all through middle school. But this… this was a new low. Using her fear of being attacked by a human to make discourage her?What the hell were they thinking?! I’ll be talking to Twilight and Rarity about this later. Wrapping my arms around her, rocking slightly as I held her close to my chest, I ran my hand through her mane. We stayed that way for several minutes before Sweetie Belle began to calm down.

“W-why can’t they just leave me alone?” she sniffled, wiping her nose with a hoof. “What did I ever do to them?” I wasn’t sure how to respond to that, so I just reached a hand over and scratched behind her ears. She leaned into my hand, her eyes closed.

She needs a pick-me-up, I thought as I continued to scratch behind her ears. Glancing up, my gaze fell up the large gingerbread house on the other side of the marketplace. My stomach gurgled, and thoughts of sweets danced in my head. That could work… An image of Mrs. Cake flashed before me, and I shivered involuntarily. Biting my lip, I glanced down at Sweetie Belle, a mental war being fought in my head.

Normally I wouldn’t go into that building unless two of the girls were with me. I knew it was crazy, but after that one incident, I just couldn’t look at Mrs. Cake without freaking out. She never tried anything again, but there was still the possibility. I always tried to avoid Sugarcube Corner as much as possible afterward. However, when it was a toss-up between making Sweetie Belle feel better and staying well within my comfort zone… well, let’s just say I was hoping that Mrs. Cake wasn’t working today.

My stomach growled in agreement.

Grasping Sweetie Belle in my hands, I stood up and placed her gently on the top of my head.

“Whoa,” she said as she tightened her grip on my head, sliding down slightly so that her back hooves rested on my shoulders. Placing my notebook back in my bags, I quickly exited the alleyway and made my way towards Sugarcube Corner. Sweetie Belle just giggled as she looked around from her high perch.

“I can see my house from here,” she laughed, bouncing slightly on my shoulders. I just smiled and continued my journey to Sugarcube Corner. Let’s see if we can take her mind off of her troubles.

The bell chimed as we entered, and I had to duck slightly as to not hit Sweetie Belle’s head on the doorway. As I straightened up, I caught sight of Pinkie behind the counter, a huge smile on her face as she looked at me. I gave a silent thanks to whatever deity was watching.

“Hiya, Maxie!” she said cheerfully, waving a hoof at me as I approached the counter. “What brings you in today? Did Twilight send you to pick up her lunch, or did she forget that she needs to eat… again?” I shook my head, pointing a finger up at the filly that rested atop it, who was currently trying to dry her face off with her hooves. Pinkie’s expression softened when she saw that. “Need some cheering up, huh?” she asked me in a normal tone, a sad smile on her face. I gave her a quick nod, making sure I didn’t smack Sweetie with the back of my head. “I have just the thing.” Turning, Pinkie trotted back into the kitchen, humming loudly to herself.

She returned shortly after, carrying a huge tray of cupcakes on her back. Sliding them onto the counter, she offered me one. Picking it up, I noticed that each cupcake had a silly face drawn on it with frosting. I lifted the cupcake up to Sweetie Belle, who immediately grabbed it and crammed the whole thing in her mouth. I chuckled as I looked up at her; with her cheeks filled with cupcake, she looked like a chipmunk.

“What?” she asked, spraying crumbs everywhere. “It’s good!” I just chuckled again and handed another cupcake up to her before taking one for myself. Unwrapping it, I popped the whole thing in my mouth. Instantly my tastebuds were assaulted by a mix of chocolate and cherry, the delicious combination sending my mouth on a one-way trip to Flavorville. Sadly, it didn’t last too long before the cupcake was on its way down to my stomach.

I eyed the remaining cupcakes before reaching out for another one. Better make sure that it wasn’t just a fluke. As I assaulted the second cupcake, Pinkie looked up at Sweetie Belle.

“So, are you ready for Nightmare Night?” she asked, her signature grin plastered on her face.

“Yeah!” Sweetie said through a mouthful of cupcake. “Applebloom, Scootaloo, and I tried to get costume-making cutie marks, although that failed and Rarity had to help out.” She gave a sheepish chuckle as she rubbed the back of her head. “We kinda set her sewing machine on fire.”

“Well, that doesn’t sound too bad.”

“While it was unplugged.” I snorted, nearly choking on my mouthful of cupcake.

“So, what are you going to be?” Pinkie asked, choosing a cupcake of her own. She popped it in her mouth, swallowing it in one gulp. I was pretty sure she didn’t even have time to taste it. Oh well, her loss.

“It’s a secret,” Sweetie giggled, bopping me on the top of the head lightly. When I glanced back at her, she opened her mouth, her eyes silently pleading for more. Chuckling, I reached down and picked up another cupcake and handed it to her. It was gone before I had even lowered my hand.

“What are you going to be going as?” Pinkie asked me, tilting her head to the side. I just grinned at her, placing a finger on my lips as I shook my head. “Awww, you guys are no fun,” Pinkie pouted, crossing her forelegs. I was about to pull out my notebook to answer her, when the door swung open, causing the bell to ring.

“There you are,” came Rainbow’s voice. Turning, I blinked as I saw the pegasus walking up to me. “I’ve been looking all over for you.” My eyes widened and I immediately reached up, ready to remove Sweetie Belle quickly. “I wasn’t looking for a wrestling match,” Rainbow scoffed, waving a hoof at me. “Though I would totally smoke you this time. No, I was looking for you because Twilight wants to see you back at the library. Something about a quick experiment to test something she’s been working on.” I scrunched up my face in confusion. Something she’s been working on? What could that be…? And why didn’t she do this when I was back at the library this morning?

“Well, come on dude,” Rainbow said, nudging my knee. “It sounded like it could be interesting.” Shrugging, I reached up and carefully extracted Sweetie Belle from my head. Setting her down on one of the bar stools, I pulled out my notebook before turning to Pinkie.

+Hey, Pinks. Do you mind looking after Sweetie Belle for a while? She’s kinda had a rough day+

“Sure thing, Maxie,” Pinkie said, bouncing in place. “Don’t you worry one bit; we’ll have tons of fun!” Nodding, I turned and headed towards the door, Rainbow close behind me. I had just grabbed the door handle when a voice called out to me.

“Max.” Pausing, I glanced back over my shoulder at Sweetie Belle. She had a shy smile on her face. “T-thanks,” she said, rubbing her hooves together nervously. “For, you know…” she waved her hooves in the air, trying to think of the words. I just smiled, giving her a quick wink before turning and heading out the door.

“What was that all about?” Rainbow asked as we headed down the road. She was hovering beside me, flying backwards with her hooves behind her head. Pulling out my notebook, I held it in the crook of my arm as I wrote.

+She was getting bullied today about not being able to use her magic. I found her crying behind the bookstore, and thought she could use a pick-me-up+

“What?!” Rainbow said, flipping around in the air. “You mean by those creeps that are always giving Scoots a hard time about her wings?” I nodded, stepping around a group of ponies as I did so. “We’ve got to tell Rarity about this. Maybe she could talk to Cheerilee, or something!”

+That was the plan+ As we continued walking, Rainbow just flew beside me, muttering under her breath what she would do to the bullies if she ever caught them. Judging by her reaction, I would say that she was also bullied as a filly. I wonder if it was because of how much she crashed, I thought, chuckling to myself. Maybe there’s always that one foal in the class that can’t fly or do magic until later on, like how there was always that one short kid in the class until High School. I blinked suddenly, cocking my head to the side, and idea forming in my mind.

I wonder if Twilight would know of a way to help Sweetie Belle with her magic. I’m pretty sure she can’t be the only one with problems. Hopefully the two fillies were wrong and it’s not because of the human attack—

I was brought out of my thoughts my a sharp tap to the side of my head. Glancing around, I found Rainbow Dash hovering by my side, an incredulous look on her face.

“Wow, you were really out of it,” she said. “I was calling you for, like, five minutes!” Shaking my head to clear it, I shot her a curious look.

+What were you asking?+

“What are you going to be doing for Nightmare Night?”

+Hanging out with Twilight, exploring the town+

“You got a costume planned?” Dash’s eyes lit up as I nodded my head. “Awesome! What is it?!” I gave her the same response I gave Pinkie and she groaned, rolling her eyes. “Come on, dude. Just a hint.” I shook my head, still smiling. She huffed and crossed her forelegs over her chest. “Fine, but at least tell me that you’re going to be doing some pranking.” I smirked up at her, giving her a knowing look before winking. That got her grinning again.

“This is going to be awesome!” she crooned, rubbing her hooves together. I just chuckled at her antics, perking up slightly as I saw that we were nearing the library.

Stepping up to the door, I knocked first before opening it. Rainbow flitted inside before me, a wing brushing the side of my head as she passed. Rolling my eyes, I followed her inside, closing the door behind me. I noticed right away that most of the furniture had been pushed against the walls, clearing up the center of the library. It kind of reminded me of one of the times back home when my mom got into yoga. Chairs were stacked upon chairs and the table was placed upon the sofa.

I blinked in surprise when I saw that besides Twilight and Rainbow, Applejack, Fluttershy, and Rarity were also there.

“Oh darling, there you are,” the fashionista said. “I must say, that shirt looks simply marvelous on you. Lavender is definitely your color.” A small blush appeared on Twilight’s face at Rarity’s words, and she coughed into her hoof. I just smiled, shaking my head at the unicorn. Removing my bags from my waist, I placed them on the couch before turning to Twilight.

~A little bird told me you were looking for me~

“Yes,” she said, nodding her head. “I’ve been thinking about your speaking situation, and I’ve actually been looking up some different spells that might be able to help. I’ve found one that I want to try on you, with your permission, of course.” I scrunched up my face, a look of displeasure flashing across it. That last time Twilight tested a spell on me, I woke up several hours later with a splitting headache and I could only see the color green for the rest of the day. Twilight noticed the expression on my face, and she rolled her eyes.

“Oh stop it,” she said, waving a hoof at me. “This time will be different, I promise.”

~What’s the spell supposed to do?~ I asked before running a hand through my hair.

“Well, since the chaos magic in your body is currently preventing your brain from connecting to your vocal cords, I’m going to try to create a way around it. Basically, the spell—with the help of a volunteer—will allow you to talk again, in a way.”

“So, who do you have in mind for the volunteer?” Applejack asked nervously as I looked around at the other ponies assembled. Both Rarity and Fluttershy took a step back, looking uneasy.

“Oh, I volunteer!” Rainbow said, waving her hoof in the air. “Pick me! This is going to be so awesome!”

“Sorry Rainbow,” Twilight said, shaking her head. “But the only way this spell will work is if the volunteer has a horn.” At that, all of us turned to look at Rarity, whose ears instantly folded against her head. She swallowed nervously, looking over at Twilight with a forced smile.

“S-surely you can do this,” she said, her voice tense. “I mean, you are an alicorn, so wouldn’t that be better than an unicorn?”

“Sorry, Rarity,” Twilight said, smiling sheepishly at her. “But I need to be the one to cast the spell, which means I can’t be the conduit.”

“So, when you say ‘volunteer’,” Applejack said, giving Twilight an amused look. The alicorn just gave her friends a nervous laugh, shuffling her hooves. After several tense seconds, Rarity sighed, hanging her head.

“Fine,” she said. “Let’s just get this over with.” I placed a hand over my mouth and nodded.

“Alright!” Twilight clapped her hooves together, a smile spreading slowly across her face as her excitement grew. “Now, I’ll need you two to stand in the center of the room. Everypony else, please take a step back.” As the others moved to stand beside the furniture (or in Rainbow’s case, sitting upon a large tower of chairs), Rarity and I exchanged nervous glances.

“She didn’t put you up to this, did she?” she whispered, patting her mane nervously with a hoof. I shook my head, licking my dry lips.

“Okay,” Twilight began, moving to stand in front of the two of us. “This should be relatively painless—” my right eye twitched “—and I’m pretty sure that nothing bad is going to happen. At least, nothing that I can foresee. Now then… Max, for this spell to work, you’ll need to grab hold of Rarity’s horn.” I looked down at my hand, before turning to Rarity, raising an eyebrow in a silent question. She nodded and I reached out and wrapped a hand around her horn. It had a weird texture to it, almost like a bone, except there was also a thin layer of skin, fur, and flesh over it. Rarity flinched slightly as my fingers gripped her horn, but she relaxed quickly.

Twilight’s horn lit up as she began to cast the spell, “You both should feel a slight tingling sensation. That should be normal.” That was the only warning we got before Rarity and I were both hit by the spell. There was a blinding flash of purple light and I closed my eyes tight. The hand that was holding onto Rarity’s horn started to heat up before it went numb, a tingling feeling running up my arm. It felt like my entire arm had fallen asleep. There was a quick, intense spike of pain along the sides of my head, but it faded instantly. After a few seconds the purple light died.

I cracked open an eye and looked around. Everyone else was slowly recovering from the bright flash, blinking their eyes to clear their vision. Beside me, Rarity still had her eyes closed, a blank expression on her face.

“D-did it work?” Twilight asked. I just shrugged my shoulders. That earned me a deadpan look from her. “Well, try and say something!”

“W͞h̛at҉ ͏the͡ ͠he͘ll͏ am ̧I ̶s͏uppo̢s̴ed to ̢s̢ay̴?” I froze, my entire body stiffening in surprise. An audible gasp went around the room, everyone’s eyes widening in surprise. Everyone had heard it, but it hadn’t been me that had spoken; my mouth had never opened. Slowly, I turned my head to the side, my gaze falling upon Rarity. Her eyes were still closed, her expression unchanging.

“W̸h͝a̧t ̛t̕he̵ ́h̕ell..̛.?” Again, I spoke, but didn’t speak. Instead, Rarity’s mouth opened, and the words spilled forth from it. It was Rarity’s voice, with a second, deeper voice hidden in the background, as if someone was whispering whenever she spoke.

“Yes!” Twilight squealed, throwing her hooves into the air. “It worked! It worked, it worked, it worked!” The other’s just continued to stare at Rarity and me, their mouths hanging open. I just looked down at Rarity, sucking on my lip. This is rather creepy.

I agree, darling, a voice said, echoing around in my head. I flinched, looking around in surprise.

Rarity? I asked.

I’m here, Darling, the reply came, sounding nervous. There was a slight pressure in my skull whenever she spoke.

“What’s wrong?” Twilight asked, noticing my discomfort.

“I̧ cán̡ ͏he҉ar ̸Ra̧r̀i͘ty͏'s ͏thoug̢ht͟s̶, ̨and s̨h͝e ́can ͟h͝e͝a͏ŕ mi̧nè,” I said as I tapped my head.

“Interesting,” Twilight said, a quill and parchment hovering over to her. “Can she hear what’s going on around her?” she asked as she began to take notes.

Yes, I can, Rarity said. I can also feel whenever my body talks. However, I can’t see anything at the moment. Her voice got a little panicky as she finished talking. I relayed the info to Twilight, who just nodded.

“Understandable,” she said, marking something on the parchment. “I wouldn’t worry about not being able to see anything, Rarity; your eyes are just closed.” I could feel the relief flow from the mare at Twilight’s words.

Oh, thank Celestia, she said, and I could almost see her smile in my mind’s eye. Twilight moved to stand in front of us, running an eye over our bodies as she continued to take notes.

“Okay, so there’s no discomfort anywhere, right?” she asked. I shook my head, and Rarity’s ear flicked slightly.

“Say more things!” Rainbow shouted from her perch, a gleeful look on her face. Applejack nodded in agreement, while Fluttershy just looked on with mild curiosity. I just shrugged, a slight smile touching my face.

“S̡he se͞l̴ls ́se̷as͡h́e̴l͠ls by̷ th̕e sea̵sh̕o̵r̀e,̧” I said. “T̨h́e s͘h̵ell̵s͏ ́she̵ ̵se͏l̵ls ҉a̵re̛ suŕel̴y ̴seash͜e͜lls.” Rainbow immediately burst out laughing, nearly falling off of her tower of chairs. Applejack snickered behind her hoof, and a small smile appeared on Twilight and Fluttershy’s faces. I smirked, knowing what the source of their amusement was. Every time I spoke, it was with Rarity’s voice, as well as her accent.

“Oh my gosh,” Rainbow gasped, blinking tears from her eyes. “I can’t believe this is happening.” My smirk grew as I had a brilliant idea.

“Węl̛l,͠ sho̵ot,̢ ̛sugarc̀ub̀e,” I said, the words sounding odd as they came out of Rarity’s mouth. “I͏ ͢d͝i͝dn͏'t t͠h͏i͢nk ͝y̕a'l̷l͜ ̛w̧o͢ul͞d ̶fi̶nd͢ ͠th͟i͜ś ͘tha҉t̛ f͞u͡n͝n͏ỳ.” And with that, Rainbow rolled off the top of the chairs, falling to the ground as she howled in laughter. Applejack was in the same state, rolling around on the ground, holding her sides as she gasped for breath. I could feel distress emanating from Rarity.

Darling, was that really necessary? she whined.

Yes, came my reply. I could feel her pout, which added to my amusement.

I suppose this is for all those times I treated you badly, right?

Yeah, pretty much, I snicker. But, I promise that I won’t do anything like that again, without your permission. I could feel her emotions change from embarrassed to surprised.

R-really? she asked, and I could almost see her blinking up at me. There was a brief pause, before she said softly, Thank you.

I returned my attention back to the real world just in time to see Rainbow and Applejack compose themselves.

“So, what do you think of the spell?” asked Twilight, the parchment still hovering by her head.

“I͠t҉'s ͘in̡terest̴in̛g͠,” I said, before pointing over at Rarity, “a̢l͢t͜h̡ou̢gh it ̵s̷ti̕ll ́l͏e͘áve̸s̨ ̶on͜e͡ ̢o̶f u͝s ͝o̴u̵t of th̸e͟ ̢con̵ve̵rsatio͘ņ.҉ ͞Is̶ ͏th̡ere anothèr ̕v̷e͠rsi̧on͡ ͞th͟a҉t w̸ill allow͢ ͜b͞ot̨h partie̴s̛ ͝tó ͡sp̢e͡a̵k?”

“Not that I could find,” Twilight said, chewing on her bottom lip. “I can do some more research and try to find a way to improve the spell, but I may need to visit the Royal Archives in order to do that.”

“No r̡us͏h̀,” I said, smiling. “It's ́am͝azi̢n̕g ͘t͏ha̴t yo̡u ́wer͏e ̡a͏bl̶e҉ ̢t̡o̕ find ͏thi͜s͢ ̛sp̴e͝l̵l t́o be̕gìn͞ wįt̵h͟!” Twilight blushed at my words, turning her head to the side slightly.

We spent the next hour trying out Twilight’s new spell. I had forgot what it had felt like to be able to talk, and it felt good to be able to speak again, even if it wasn’t my body that was doing the talking. It eventually got to the point where there was nothing more to test, and Twilight decided to call it a day.

“That’s enough for now,” she said, rolling up the parchment. It was covered front-to-back in notes, the writing getting smaller and smaller as she neared the end of the page. How she had so much written down, I didn’t know, although I didn’t take notes much back in school. “Now then, if you could let go of Rarity’s horn, we can see if the spell has any side effects when it fades.”

Tentatively, I released my grip on Rarity’s horn. Instantly the tingling sensation running through my arm ceased, and feeling returned to the limb. Flexing my fingers, I stared down at the digits. Making a fist, I cracked my knuckles before turning my attention to Rarity.

Her eyes fluttered open, and she took a deep breath before glancing around. She squinted slightly, her eyes not used to the light after being closed for so long. Blinking up at me, she gave me a small smile.

“Well, that was interesting,” she said, her voice sounding slightly hoarse. She coughed, rubbing her throat with a hoof. “If it’s all the same to everypony, I’m going to head home. Sweetie’s probably wondering where I am.” I inhaled sharply as I remembered what I was going to tell Rarity. Grabbing my saddlebags, I pulled out my notebook. Flipping it open, I wrote out the message as I walked over to Rarity. Tearing the paper out, I handed it to her. She took it in her magic, glancing at the words curiously.

+I found Sweetie Belle crying in the marketplace today. Apparently some fillies have been bullying her in school, and today they implied that her inability to cast magic could be due to her injuries. I took her to Sugarcube Corner and she seemed to cheer up a little, but I thought that I should let you know+

Various emotions flashed across her face: shock, anger, sadness, and relief. Looking up at me, she gave me a warm smile.

“Thank you for bringing this to my attention,” she said, rolling up the message. “I’ll go have a word with Cheerilee tomorrow. This isn’t the first time this has happened. Also, thank you for looking out for my sister.” I nodded, flashing her a quick smile. With that, she turned and headed out the door, muttering under her breath as she walked.

“Well, seeing as the fun’s over, I’ll be leaving,” Rainbow said, stretching her wings before taking to the air. Flying out the open window, she called back over her shoulder, “See you all tomorrow for Nightmare Night!”

“I gotta get goin’ too,” Applejack said, heading for the door. “Gotta make sure Applebloom ain’t gettin’ into any trouble. Catch y’all later.” As she closed the door behind her, Twilight and I turned to Fluttershy.

“You leaving too, Fluttershy?” Twilight asked. The shy pegasus scuffed a hoof against the ground, peeking out from behind her mane at us.

“I-if it’s all the same to you, I’d like t-to look for a book on animal care,” she said quietly, looking between the two of us hopefully.

“That’s no problem at all,” Twilight said, smiling at her friend. “Just ask if you need help finding something. Spike hasn’t been putting all the books back where they belong lately, so something might be in the wrong spot.” Fluttershy nodded before turning and heading over to browse the bookshelves not blocked by the stacked furniture.

Twilight moved to head into the kitchen, but I stopped her. She glanced up at me, cocking her head to the side in confusion.

“What’s up?” she asked.

~Sweetie Belle was getting bullied today about not being able to do any magic~ I told her, chewing on the inside of my cheek as I signed. ~The bullies implied that the human that attack her had made it so she could never use magic. Is that possible?~ Twilight looked down, frowning slightly. Her eyes flicked back and forth as though she was reading an invisible book before she looked back up at me.

“No, I’m fairly certain that that is not the case,” she said, nodding her head slowly. “There wasn’t enough damage done to her horn to prevent the use of magic. If there was, then the horn itself would have had to have been removed. A horn damaged enough to not be usable would cause severe pain to the unicorn.

“No, I think in Sweetie Belle’s case, she’s just a late bloomer. I knew a unicorn back in Canterlot who was like that. Her name was Starburst, and she didn’t start using her magic until five years after everypony else. Now, however, she works for the Royal Magical Research and Development team.”

~So Sweetie Belle will be able to use magic?~ I asked hopefully. Twilight nodded, a smile on her face.

“I’m fairly sure that Sweetie Belle's magic will manifest itself soon enough.”

I adjusted the straps to my costume, making sure that they weren’t uncomfortably tight. Shifting my shoulders, the armor plating around me clattered together. I smirked at the sound, happiness welling up inside me. It was a childish joy, but I didn’t care; I was living out one of my biggest nerd fantasies from back home.

I still can’t believe that I’m doing this, I thought as I looked at myself in the mirror hanging in the hallway. My costume, a set of Alpha-Series Big Daddy armor, was custom made by hand to the best of my memory. There were a few small tweaks I had made so that I didn’t intimidate any of the ponies, but overall I was very happy with the results. I changed the color layout to better match Twilight’s color scheme, dark purple armor covering lighter lavender clothing. In place of Delta symbols, I had Twilight emblazon her cutie mark on the armor instead.

It took us a while to make the diving helmet, but after I explained what it was supposed to do, and gave her a rough sketch of what it looked like, Twilight was able to make a perfect replica. It even had the yellow glow coming out of the helmet’s porthole thanks to a creative spell Twilight found.

It was also completely air tight, which made for quite the interesting experience when I first tried it on. Apparently Twilight wanted it to be as authentic as possible. I had to drill some holes into it just so I could get some fresh air into the suit.

Of course, Twilight wasn’t too sure about the idea when I had first showed her my plans, but after seeing my excited face she agreed to help; her magic bent and twisted the metal plates into shape like silly putty. Spike’s fire also helped, as he was basically a mobile, living blowtorch and spot welder.

I also had Twilight craft me a steel cage ball. The inside was lined with cushioning, to make it more comfortable. Straps welded to the cage, as well as a harness, allowed me to carry it upon my back. With all my accessories on, I looked like a cross between Subject Delta and a Big Sister.

I think I fangasmed in my pants.

Of course, nobody in Equestria would know what I was supposed to be, but that didn’t matter. I was still happy with my costume choice.

I pulled on my gloves, wiggling my fingers as I got used to the bulk, the metal tips clinking together softly. Letting out a happy chuckle, I reached down and picked up my helmet. As I stood back up, I heard a gasp behind me. I glanced behind me and saw Spike standing there, dressed in a costume that made him look like a giant rock. I had asked Twilight about his choice of costume, and she had just rolled her eyes and told me that it was supposed to make Rarity like him. How she would find a gigantic boulder appealing I didn’t know, but I just dropped the subject.

Spike stared up at me, a look of awe on his face.

“Dude, that armor looks freaky,” he breathed, taking a tentative step forward. I just chuckled, shaking my head. Lifting up the helmet, I slipped it over my head, securing it in place. The spell activated and an eerie yellow glow filled the library. Spike’s eyes widened.

“Okay,” he said. “That looks cool. I can see why you wanted Twilight to make the helmet.” It was at that moment that the mare herself walked down the stairs. Her coat was completely black, a weird frill running down the back of her neck. Her wings were now transparent and tattered, looking almost like those of an insect. She had somehow magicked her hooves so that they were full of holes; I could look straight through them; I believe she called the creature a changeling.

When she reached the bottom of the stairs, she turned and looked over at us with eyes that were completely blue. It was kind of hard to tell if she was looking at me or Spike since she had no pupils.

“So, does the armor fit comfortably?” she asked, a smile touching her face. Ah, she’s looking at me, then. I nodded, the armor creaking as I moved.

~It’s lighter than I—~ All of us winced, Twilight and Spike covering their ears as my metal boots clattered loudly on the ground and my metal-tipped fingers clanged against each other. The sound echoed around the room, amplifying the noise.

As the sound slowly died down, Twilight rose shakily to her hooves.

“W-well… that was unpleasant,” she groaned, digging a holed hoof into her ear. “Looks like you won’t be ‘talking’ much tonight, huh?” I groaned inside the suit, my ears still ringing.

“Anyways,” she continued, coming to standing next to me. “I enchanted the suit to make it lighter. I thought you might appreciate that, seeing as you’ll be walking around in it all night.” I nodded my head weakly, flashing her a quick smile before realizing she couldn’t see it behind the helmet. I moved to pick up my notebook and charcoal, only to find that my gloves weren’t ideal for that either. I huffed, crossing my arms and pouting.

“Looks like we’ll just have to ask you yes and no questions tonight, huh?” Twilight snickered, covering her mouth with a hoof. I rolled my eyes, aware that she couldn’t see, but I chuckled nonetheless. Through my helmet it sounded metallic, almost like the hull of a ship creaking.

“Everypony ready?” Twilight asked, looking back and forth between me and Spike. We both nodded, Spike bouncing up and down happily. “Alright, then let’s head out,” Twilight said, trotting towards the front door. She opened it with a burst of magic from her horn. Turning, I grasped the iron cage in my hands and lifted it onto my shoulders. Buckling it into place, I lumbered towards the door, ducking down low to avoid hitting my head on the frame.

Emerging into the cool night air, I straightened up and glanced around at the ponies already out wandering around in their costumes. Most were already staring at me, and I couldn’t help but chuckle at their looks. When Spike, Twilight and I were all out of the library, Twilight closed the door and locked it, making sure to leave a light on so that we didn’t return to a dark home.

“Our friends are probably waiting for us in the marketplace,” she said, her strange wings twitching slightly. Turning, we made our way towards the market, Twilight and Spike walking in front of me as I lumbered along behind them. We, or rather I, received a fair amount of attention, but thankfully nobody freaked out at my costume. They were probably just surprised, as most ponies didn’t dress their humans up for Nightmare Night. Then again, Twilight wasn’t like most ponies.

We arrived at the marketplace, which had been decked out in all sorts of decorations. Stalls and booths had been set up; some had games that offered prizes for the winners, while others sold food and snacks. There was even a station where one could go to carve a pumpkin.

Ponies milled around the market, laughing and chatting with each other. Costumed foals ran through the stalls, giggling as they chased each other. Some already had bags filled with candy clasped in their teeth.

I glanced around at the crowd of ponies, searching for a familiar face. It was hard to see any in the sea of costumes.

“There they are,” Twilight said after several minutes, pointing a hoof over towards the center of the market. I glanced over the ponies, and spied Applejack, dressed as a scarecrow, standing by a large tub filled with water and apples. I couldn’t help but groan. Really, Applejack? Bobbing for apples? Standing with her was Rarity, who was without a costume, and Fluttershy, who was dressed as a tree.

As we drew nearer, I noticed that the Crusaders were with them as well. Applebloom was dressed as a mummy, her usual pink bow replaced by a white one. Scootaloo had painted her entire body blue, and had on a rainbow wig; a miniature Rainbow Dash if I’d ever saw one. Hopefully she does not attack me like the actual Rainbow Dash.

Sweetie Belle’s costume, however, was the most creative in my eyes. She was dressed up as a cyborg, cardboard armor covering her body. Her leg with the limp was fully encased in cardboard, making it look like the limp was due to the mechanical leg. Her blind eye was covered in a piece of cardboard that made it look like it was a mechanical eye. She had even worked it so some of her scars looked like they were from surgery.

They all looked up as we approached, their eyes widening as they gaped up at me in my costume. The suit added an extra foot to my height, making me easily seven feet tall. Both Sweetie Belle and Fluttershy shrank back, shivering in fear.

“M-Max?” Applejack asked nervously, taking a step back. I raised a gloved fist, giving them all a curt nod. All of them instantly relaxed, though Fluttershy still seemed rather intimidated by my costume. At least she wasn’t cowering anymore. “Shoot, Sugarcube. That outfit of yours is a might terrifyin’!”

“Indeed it is,” Rarity added. “It’s positively ghastly. If it weren’t for the fact that it is Nightmare Night, I would have to relieve you of it.” Her gaze ran over my suit, her face scrunched up. Her blue eyes fell up the contraption behind me. “Um, darling… what is with the cage on your back?”

Behind my mask, I smirked. Slowly, I turned to the side and pointed a finger at my right shoulder pauldron, and what was etched on it. Everyone leaned in to read what was written on it.

“‘Foalsittin’: five bits per hour’?” Applejack said, leaning back and whistling softly through her teeth as she stared at the words.

“You’re willing to watch foals for only five bits an hour?” Rarity asked, her eyes lighting up. I nodded and she practically squealed in delight. “A normal foalsitter costs nearly twenty-five bits an hour! I don’t suppose…” she trailed off, her eyes slowly drifting down towards the Crusaders.

I just chuckled, my laughter echoing eerily in the helmet.

Reaching back, I unhooked the cage and lifted it off of my shoulders. Gently setting it down on the ground, I unlatched a small door on the side of the cage and swung it open. Resting an arm on the open latch, I looked up at the others. Applejack and Rarity looked like they were contemplating the offer. The Crusaders were looking at the open cage, large smiles on their faces.

“Well, I suppose…” Applejack began. Before the words were even out of her mouth, the three fillies rushed forward and jumped into the cage with a loud cheer. As they got comfortable on the cushion in the cage, Applejack and Rarity just shook their heads, smiles on their faces.

Closing the cage door and latching it, I hefted it back up onto my shoulders and secured it in place. The extra weight from the fillies wasn’t uncomfortable, but it was noticeable and I felt a little off balance. I compensated by leaning forward slightly.

“Well, I guess that settles that,” Applejack snickered. Her face turned sober as she looked up at my helmeted face. “You take good care of them, Sugarcube, ya hear?” I reached over and crossed my heart with a hand before raising it up and covering the porthole of the helmet. That seemed to satisfy both Rarity and Applejack.

“Well, that frees my evening up,” Rarity said, flipping her mane out of her face.

“Wait!” cried Scootaloo from behind me. “If we’re in here, how are we supposed to get candy?!” Glancing over my shoulder at them, I held up one of their bags in my gloved hand. Impossibly enough, their smiles grew bigger.

“This is gonna be the best Nightmare Night ever!” Applebloom cheered, throwing her hooves in the air. Poking her head out of one of the holes in the cage, Sweetie Belle pointed a hoof towards a row of houses.

“Onward to candy!” she shouted, the other two cheering happily. Chuckling, I turned and looked at Changeling Twilight. She was smirking up at me, shaking her head as she laughed quietly.

“I’ll meet you back here in an hour or so, okay?” she asked.

I nodded in response before turning and lumbering off down the road, groaning theatrically as I walked, causing ponies to look at me. We were probably a strange sight: a large, armored human carrying three giggling fillies in a cage ball on his back.

I had barely made it halfway across the marketplace before a green blur ran in front of me, causing me to stumble slightly. Luckily, I managed to keep my balance and the fillies in the cage just giggled louder as they were justled around. Glancing down, I found myself staring into a pair of large blue eyes.

“Hiya Maxie!” Pinkie cheered, bouncing in place. How she knew it was me in there, I wasn’t completely sure, but I decided just to roll with it.

Pinkie was dressed up in an alligator costume; the only part of her that wasn’t covered was her face. It was one of the most realistic costumes I had ever seen; each line, crack, crevice, and ridge was made with perfect detail. To add to the weirdness, there was a small alligator on her back, dressed in a Pinkie Pie costume. His large purple eyes just stared in different directions as he sat on Pinkie’s back.

“So, you’re trick-or-treating too? That’s awesome! That means that you’ll have loads of fun tonight, and get lots of candy. Well, not you in particular because ponies don’t give humans candy, but Twilight might be able to get some for you. Although with a cool costume like that, I wouldn’t be surprised if a bunch a ponies give you all their candy just to make you go away! It’s a rather creepy costume, especially when you imagine it lumbering towards you out of the ocean depths. Well I shouldn’t bother you for too long, or else all the candy will be gone, and that would be bad and make the Crusaders sad. Well, I’ll let you get back to your harvesting! Keep an eye on those fillies, would you kindly? Wouldn’t want any splicers getting ahold of them, would you?”

All of that was said in one breath before Pinkie turned and zoomed off, leaving me standing there, staring at the spot she used to occupy. I blinked, scrunching up my face as my mind registered what she had just said. Turning, I made to follow the pink menace, but changed my mind and turned to resumed my journey down the road.

Keep an eye on those fillies, would you kindly? I chuckled, shaking my head as I walked. I wonder if I could convince her to get the Crusaders to call me ‘Mr. Bubbles’ for the night.

Trick-or-treating was rather uneventful, except for the fact that I startled half the ponies that came to the door when I knocked. Luckily, all of them just took it in stride after the Crusaders spoke up from my back. I think the fact that Twilight’s symbol was all over my armor also helped calm their nerves.

Come to think of it, that’s probably how Pinkie knew that it was me in here…

...Anyways, the fact that I had three fillies in a cage on my back didn’t go amiss, and soon I had an unexpected customer. The local mailmare asked if I would look after her filly for a bit while she helped set up some more booths in the market. One thing lead to another, and somehow I ended up with five foals in the cage along with the Crusaders, as well as a small bag of bits.

I hadn’t realized how much this town had come to trust me until tonight. Each parent had been slightly hesitant to leave their foal in my care, until the Crusaders had told them who I was. After that, they all seemed to relax and become more comfortable with the idea. I even had one mare say to her husband, “If he can be docile after Rainbow attacks him, I don’t see any trouble having our foal around him.”

Gotta love pony logic…

With each foal added to the herd on my back, the amount of bags I was carrying grew. Soon, I was clearing out each house I arrived at, our little entourage descending upon Ponyville like an all-consuming candy plague. No household was safe from the eyes scoping out the scene from my back, and with the foals directing me where to go, we were gathering candy by the pounds.

The scene we caused was so ridiculous, that I couldn’t help but laugh behind my helmet. We are become Death, destroyer of worlds...

“Nightmare Night! What a fright! Give us something sweet to bite!” came the chorus from my back. The mare in the door could only stare in awe, the bowl of candy hovering by her head, encased in her magic.

“Goodness! Dear, you have to come see this!”

No piece of candy is safe. We shall ravage the countryside, and all shall fear us…

“Nightmare Night! What a fright! Give us something sweet to bite!”

“Sweet Celestia! The horror! The horror!” The elder stallion said, an amused smirk on his face.

We shall bring the world to its end, and all shall know pain and despair…

“Nightmare Night! What a fright! Give us something sweet to bite!”

“Oh dear, I don’t think I have enough candy for all of you!”

We hit house after house, the candy piling up until each bag was near to bursting. My arms were beginning to grow tired hauling all that weight around. The foals on my back didn’t help either, although I was surprised I could carry them as long as I had been. I’m in better shape than I thought!

Soon enough we had drained most of Ponyville of its candy reserves and I turned, slowly lumbering my way towards the marketplace. Most ponies had become used to my costume by now, and all I received was a few waves from them as I passed.

Entering the market, I paused for a second, looking around for Twilight and her friends. I spotted them, still standing around Applejack’s apple bobbing station. Stomping forward, I groaned dramatically as I approached, the sound reverberating around me, sounding like the call of a whale. This caused the four mares to look up. As their eyes fell upon me, their smiles grew.

“I see you’ve gathered a few more passengers,” Twilight said as I stopped beside her. I groaned dramatically again, which earned me a slap on the knee. Chuckling, I dropped the bags of candy on the ground and reached up, carefully removing the cage from my back. As I lowered the cage to the ground, the parents of the foals materialized out of the crowd. I didn’t question how they found me so quickly, I stood out like a sore thumb in this crowd, especially with the glow coming from my helmet.

Crouching, I flipped the cage door open and released the foals upon their bags of candy. The adults laughed as each foal dived headfirst into their bags, searching the contents for their desired treats. Standing back up, I replaced the now-empty cage upon my back. As each parent retrieved their offspring, I did a quick mental check to make sure that the pony retrieving the foal was the same one that gave them to me. I knew that Ponyville was a friendly community, but I wanted to be careful nonetheless.

Pretty soon, there was only the Crusaders and one filly left.

“Where’s your mother, Dinky?” Twilight asked the filly as the young unicorn dug through her bag. Before the foal could answer, however, a pink unicorn mare with a two-tone purple mane trotted up.

“Sorry I’m late,” she said, smiling sheepishly. “Mom told me that I had to pick up Dinky, but she didn’t say where.”

“That’s quite all right, Sparkler dear,” Rarity said, waving a hoof. “We weren’t waiting long. Besides, I think she was too preoccupied to really care.” She nodded towards Dinky, who had most of her body buried in her bag of candy. This just caused Sparkler to roll her eyes.

“Come on, Dinky,” she said, grabbing the filly in her magic and lifting her out of the bag. “We need to go meet Mom by over by Sugarcube Corner.” Dinky pouted as she was denied her sugary treat. Chuckling at the look on her sister’s face, Sparkler placed the filly on her back before grabbing the bag of candy in her mouth and trotting off.

As they disappeared into the crowd, I turned and glanced at Twilight. She looked up at my helmeted face with her weird, blue eyes, a small smile on her blackened face.

“You ready to go try out some games?” she asked, wings fluttering by her side. I nodded my head, causing her smile to widen.

“If it’s okay with you guys, I think I’ll stay here,” Spike said, his eyes darting over to Rarity, who was currently chatting with Fluttershy.

“That’s fine, Spike,” Twilight said, already heading off into the sea of ponies. “We’ll meet up later, okay?” With that, Twilight and I headed off into the marketplace, looking for some fun.

“So, what do you want to do first?” Twilight asked, looking back over her shoulder at me. I just shrugged, trundling along behind her. She looked around at the assortment of games, sucking on her lip as she tried to decide what to do.

Eventually, she pointed a hoof towards one of the booths located near the edge of the marketplace. There was a group of catapults set up near the booth, all of them pointing towards a row of targets. Pumpkins rested beside the catapults, as well as on the table, ready to be launched.

“How about that one?” she asked, glancing up at me with an eager expression on her face. I gave her a quick shrug before making my way towards the station, Twilight hopping happily behind me.

The mare running the game looked up as we approached, her eyes widening slightly as they fell upon me. She recovered quickly, however, and was soon smiling.

“Hello, Twilight,” she said. “Are you here to try your hoof at the pumpkin launch?”

“Yes we are, Roseluck,” Twilight said, sidling up to the table. “How much is it?”

“Two bits per pumpkin,” the mare, Roseluck, replied with a smile. Twilight pulled out four bits and slid them across the table. Roseluck picked them up and placed them into a cash box before sliding two pumpkins over to Twilight. Picking them up in her magic, Twilight turned and motioned with her head toward the catapults.

“This looks like it should be easy enough,” she said as she placed one of the pumpkins onto the ground next to the catapult. Loading the second pumpkin onto the catapult, she turned to look up at me.

“Would you like to go first, or should I?” I motioned with a hand for her to continue. “Okay, but don’t get upset when I beat you,” she said with a smirk. Roseluck watched us with a curious expression on her face.

Twilight spent the next couple of minutes lining up her shot, moving the catapult side to side as she eyed the target. Once she was satisfied with the alignment, she grabbed the lever in her hooves and pulled, grunting slightly at the strain. The arm swung and launched the pumpkin through the air. It soared towards the target before impacting it with a large splat, dead center on the target.

“Yes!” Twilight cheered, throwing her hooves into the air. “Yes! Yes! Yes!” Turning to look at me, she smirked. “Try to beat that!” Stomping forward, I picked the second pumpkin up in my hands. Grabbing the arm of the catapult, I pulled it back down and deposited the pumpkin into the scoop.

Eyeing the target, I nudged the catapult with a foot before reaching down and pulling the lever. My pumpkin flew through the air before impacting the exact same spot as Twilight’s. I turned to the stunned mare, crossing my arms smugly as I chuckled.

“Lucky shot,” she grumbled, glaring at me. I just shook my head, continuing to laugh softly. As I turned to look back at the targets, movement above caught my eye. A dark storm cloud was drifting slowly over the area, a pegasus hiding above it. A pegasus in a Wonderbolts costume. A pegasus, in a Wonderbolts costume, with a rainbow mane and tail.

As Rainbow slowly drifted by, peeking out from above her cloud as she eyed the ponies below, my gaze drifted down to the catapults. A wicked smile instantly appeared on my face as an idea assaulted my brain. She wants a prank, she’ll get a prank.

Turning back to the table with the pumpkins on it, I picked up a particularly large one. Ignoring Roseluck’s protests and Twilight’s confused gaze, I placed the pumpkin on the catapult and turned it so that it was aimed at the dark storm cloud. Lining up my shot, I had a quick prayer to whatever deity was listening that this would work before I reached down and yanked the lever back.

With a twang the catapult arm sprang up, launching the orange projectile into the air. It soared over the targets, as well as the heads of ponies in the crowd. Most of them noticed when a pumpkin flew over their heads. Turning their heads, they watched to see where it would land. Their eyes widened when they saw where it was headed, smiles spreading across dozens of faces.

As the pumpkin neared its target, almost all eyes were on it. All, except for the one mare who should have been paying attention the most.

Rainbow didn’t even know what hit her.

I gave a silent cheer, throwing my arms into the air, as the pumpkin hit its mark with a large, satisfying smack, followed by a yelp. Rainbow flipped into the air, rubbing her flank, which was now covered in pumpkin goop. She looked around, searching for whoever had launched the pumpkin. Her eyes landed on me.

If looks could kill… well, I’m sure that my armor would protect me, if only a little. She pointed a hoof at her eyes, then jabbed it at me. With that, she flew off, speeding towards the other end of the marketplace. As I watched her go, I smirked. The only thing that could have made that better was if it had been a flaming Jack O’ Lantern, and I was riding a horse and had no head.

Turning, I looked back at Twilight. She had both hooves over her mouth, trying hard not to burst out laughing. Roseluck was watching Rainbow fly off, a large, toothy smile on her face.

“I’m sorry about that, Roseluck,” Twilight gasped out, still trying to hold in her laughter. “I’ll pay for that pumpkin.” She moved to pull out two more bits, but Roseluck waved her down.

“It’s fine, Twilight,” she laughed, eyes twinkling. “After that display, it’s on the house. Rainbow got me earlier with her little lightning show, so it was actually pretty funny to see her get her just desserts.” With that, the mare dissolved into a fit of laughter.

When Twilight turned her attention back to me, I pointed a finger at her, then held up one finger. Pointing a finger at me, I held up three fingers.

“Rainbow Dash doesn’t count as two points!” she growled, her ear flicking slightly. I just continued to hold up three fingers as I started to dance in place. “Come on, we’ve got more games to play.”

The rest of the games ended similarly to the first, except for the part with Rainbow Dash. Twilight and I continued to tie in each game, as they were kinda easy (at least for me). Twilight never seemed to mind, though. She just seemed content to be hanging out with me; the games were just a bonus.

The last game we played was like the first one: we had to throw a fake spider towards a spiderweb and try to get it to stick to the center. Kinda like underhand darts, actually. I had just thrown my spider when a voice piped up behind me.

“An excellent throw, my dear human.” Turning, I glanced behind me and saw Luna standing there, smiling softly.

“Luna, you’re finally here,” Twilight said, walking up to stand next to me. The lunar princess looked down at her, blinking in surprise. Her eyes narrowed as she looked over Twilight’s costume.

“That is a very realistic changeling costume you have, Twilight Sparkle,” Luna said. Twilight just rolled her eyes, chuckling softly to herself.

“Luna, please. Do you really think Max would be hanging out with me if I was a real changeling?” I blinked in confusion at that. How the fuck am I supposed to know if she’s real or not?

“We suppose not,” Luna muttered, relaxing slightly as she turned her attention back to me. “We are not sure what you are supposed to be, but it looks frightening all the same,” she said, having to crane her neck back to look up into my glowing helmet. I couldn’t resist letting out another low groan, shifting my weight from foot to foot. A shiver ran down Luna’s spine and she flinched.

“Quite,” she said with a sniff. Clearing her throat, she looked back down at Twilight, who had an amused look on her face. “We have something we wish to talk to you two about in private. Is there a place nearby where we shall not be disturbed?” Twilight nodded, before turning and leading the princess towards a side street which wasn’t being used. The crowds parted, ponies bowing before Luna as she walked. I followed behind the pair, my helmet illuminating the area as we left the lit part of the market.

We continued to walk for several minutes until Luna was satisfied that nobody would hear us, or accidently stumble upon our conversation. Ruffling her wings, Luna turned and looked at both me and Twilight.

“Now, do either of you know what we are about to say?” Twilight and I looked at each other before shaking our heads.

“No,” Twilight replied. “My dad said that you wanted to talk to us about something, but he didn’t say what it was.” Luna nodded, staring at the ground in front of us with a blank expression on her face; she seemed to be distracted by something.

“It actually concerns your human here,” she said, her eyes slowly drifting up until she was looking at me. “Nothing bad, we assure you,” she added at seeing Twilight’s alarmed expression. “My sister and I were talking, and we decided that we will be assigning you some personal guards. We know that Twilight has her own guards here in Ponyville, but we feel that it is in everypony’s best interest if you were given some of your own.”

“Why would Max need guards?” Twilight asked, sounding worried. “Did something happen?”

My eyes narrowed behind my mask as I frowned. You don’t assign someone guards unless you are worried that something will happen to them… or you are concerned that they will do something bad.

“No, no, nothing is wrong,” Luna said, trying to calm Twilight down. “Ugh, we told Tia that something like this would get you both agitated.” Rubbing her head with a hoof, Luna chewed on the inside of her cheek as she looked at us, trying to decide how to word her next sentence in such a way that wouldn’t alarm us.

“The guards are being assigned to you to help prevent such occurrences like what happened with the human fight from happening again,” she finally said, lowering her hoof back to the ground. “But they are not here to act solely as bodyguards. Think of them more as… friends, if you will.”

“Friends?” Twilight deadpanned, and Luna nodded her head. “How many guards are being assigned to Max?”

“Three,” Luna replied. “Each one a volunteer, actually.”

“They volunteered to look after a human?” Twilight asked, an eyebrow raising.

“They were informed of the special circumstances concerning Max. They know he’s intelligent and will treat him as such.”

“Where are they going to stay?”

“If you have space in the library, my sister and I were hoping that they would stay there. Otherwise, they would find lodging elsewhere.”

“And they are just here to make sure nothing bad happens to Max?” Twilight asked, shooting Luna a skeptical look.

I was silently glad that I wasn’t the only one that found this suspicious. Why the sudden interest in protecting me?

“Yes, although they will listen to you as well,” Luna said, frustrated. “Please, there is no hidden motive behind this. They are simply a precaution so that nothing bad happens in the future.”

“I understand that,” Twilight huffed. “What I don’t understand is why you think something bad MAY happen in the future.”

“Because he’s a human!” Luna roared, nearly reverting to her traditional Royal Canterlot Voice. Behind her, the wind whipped up, sending dust flying into the air. Twilight flinched at the volume, but I had it worse. The noise reverberated around in my helmet, and I gritted my teeth in pain. Luna seemed to realize what she had done, as she lowered her head, blushing as her voice took on a softer tone.

“We know that you are intelligent, but to the eyes of most other ponies, you are nothing more than a human. The guards are being assigned to you so that they may stop anypony from intentionally—or unintentionally—hurting you, nothing more. Tia and I both feel horrible that you had come to such harm without our knowledge, and we will not allow it to happen again.

“Please,” she added, lowering her head further. “Just give them a chance. If the guards don’t work out, we will have them removed from Ponyville, and both my sister and I shall leave you alone.” Chewing on her bottom lip, Twilight looked up at me.

“It’s your call, big guy,” she said. “What do you think?” I leaned back on the balls of my feet slightly as I thought. I wasn’t entirely convinced that there wasn’t an ulterior motive behind the princesses assigning guards to me, but the rational part of me pointed out that if they didn’t trust me, they would have sent me home the first chance they had. Luna gave me a hopeful look as I continued to muse.

With a sigh, I nodded my head. Luna squee'd, clapping her hooves together.

“Splendid!” she cheered, a large smile on her face. “This is most joyous of news!” She looked like she was about to give me a hug, but stopped when as she eyed my armor. “We shall inform Tia about this upon our return!”

“How soon will they be arriving?” Twilight asked.

“Within a couple of days,” Luna replied, the smile still upon her face. “They will check in at the library and introduce themselves.”

“As long as they don’t cause trouble,” Twilight muttered.

“Don’t worry, Twilight Sparkle. They shall be no trouble at all,” Luna said, waving her hoof in the air. “They were hoof-picked by my sister.”

“I thought you said that they volunteered,” Twilight said, her eyes narrowing.

“Nine ponies volunteered, Tia chose three of them,” Luna said, ignoring Twilight’s look. Twilight didn’t seem satisfied with the answer, but let it drop. We stood in silence for several seconds before the clock tower began to chime out the hour. Luna’s head whipped around as she looked up at the clock face.

“Oh buck, I’m going to be late!” A look of concentration crossed her face, and her horn lit up. Her coat rippled, the color slowly darkening to almost black as she grew taller. Her eyes turned turquoise and her pupils became slitted. Armor formed around her body, glinting in the moonlight. Once she was done, a different mare was standing before us. One that looked positively terrifying, yet awesome at the same time.

“Ah, that’s better,” the dark mare said, looking over her body. When she opened her mouth, I noticed that she now had a pair of long, dangerous looking fangs.

“Oh, Luna… I mean, Nightmare Moon,” Twilight giggled, rolling her eyes. “Before you go, we’re all meeting up at the library afterwards to tell some scary stories. Max has some from his own world he is willing to share with us.”

“Scary stories, you say?” the dark mare said, rubbing her chin. “We might have to take you up on that offer. Now, if you’ll excuse Us, We have some foals We must relieve of their candy!” With that, she spread her wings and took to the air, cackling madly.

I watched her go before glancing down at Twilight, my eyes narrowing. Why can’t you do that too?

As Twilight closed the front door behind us, I unstrapped the cage on my back and dropped it gently to the floor. Rolling it into a corner, I removed my helmet and set it on top of the cage. It still glowed softly, casting a yellow glow around the surrounding area. Turning, I stretched, yawning loudly.

“Well, I had fun tonight,” Twilight said, her horn glowing slightly as she trotted into the library. Slowly her coat became lavender again as she returned to her normal appearance. She blinked her violet eyes, shaking her head slightly. “Ah, much better. It felt weird having holes in my legs.” She lifted a hoof up in front of her face, waving it back and forth as she smiled.

I just laughed at her as I collapsed into one of the library’s chairs. It creaked loudly under my weight, but held.

“Did you have fun?” Twilight asked, glancing over at me. I looked up and cracked a tired smile, nodding my head. “Good.” There came a knock on the door, and Twilight’s ear swiveled around to point at it. “Come in,” she called, turning to face it.

The door swung open and in walked Applejack, Fluttershy, Rarity, Pinkie Pie, and Rainbow Dash, all of them out of their costumes. Spike and the Crusaders were draped across their backs, passed out cold, their bellies distended slightly. I snickered at the sight.

“Come on in, everypony,” Twilight said, waving her hoof at them. “Make yourselves comfortable. We’re just waiting for Luna before we start.” As the others moved to place the tuckered out fillies onto some of the cushion, Rainbow Dash glared over at me. Without her costume on, I could see a large bruise forming on her flank. I gave her a sheepish smile, rubbing the back of my head.

She continued to glare at me for several seconds before cracking a grin of her own.

“It was a lucky shot,” she mouthed at me, shaking her head. I just stuck my tongue out at her, laughing quietly.

With Spike and the Crusaders now resting in a corner, the others began to gather around me, pulling up chairs or sitting upon the couch. As they chatted with one another quietly, I closed my eyes, resting my head on the back of the chair. I was tired, but that wasn’t why my eyes were closed. I was trying to remember a couple of horror stories from back home. Come on memory, don’t let me down. All those hours spent on Creepypasta needed to come in handy sooner or later.

I flinched slightly as someone knocked loudly on the front door. Opening my eyes, I watched as Luna walked in, a large bag of candy held in her magic. She was currently chewing on what appeared to be a chocolate bar.

“We are here for the stories of horror,” she said, smiling at everyone who was assembled there. “We hope that we are not too late.”

“Not at all,” Twilight said, waving Luna over. “We were actually just waiting for you. Now that everypony is here, we can get started.” Luna walked over and sat down in an empty chair in front of me, still chewing on her treats. Where she got them, I wasn’t too sure, but Twilight had said something about the foals giving Luna some of their candy as a sort of Nightmare Night tradition or something like that. That meant that the candy she was eating was some of what I had been hauling around.

“Alright,” Twilight said, clapping her hooves together. “Now that we are all here, Max has informed me that Nightmare Night is similar to a holiday he had back home called… H-Halloween?” She looked at me to make sure that she had pronounced that correctly. I nodded my head and she smiled happily. “According to him, it was a tradition for him and his family to tell each other scary stories during that time, and he’s willing to try sharing some with us! Ohhh, this is so exciting!” With that, her horn lit up and parchment and quill hovered in front of her as her smile grew.

“Stories from a different world,” she squealed as both Rainbow and Applejack rolled their eyes.

“So, how are we going to do this?” Rainbow asked, lounging on the couch. “Not all of us can understand that clappy-stompy thing you guys use to talk to each other.” The smile vanished off of Twilight’s face at that.

“Well, uh… h-he could always write it down,” she muttered, lowering her head slightly as she frowned. “But that might take too long and…” Beside me, Rarity cleared her throat, causing me to glance over at her. She looked slightly nervous.

“Um, I might be willing to allow that talking spell you used yesterday if that would help,” she said, not looking Twilight in the eye.

“Yeah,” Rainbow said, sitting up excitedly. “That voice is perfect for scary stories!” Twilight looked at Rarity, biting her bottom lip.

“I don’t want to impose,” she said, but Rarity cut her off with a wave of her hoof.

“Nonsense, darling. Let’s just do this before I change my mind.” Twilight turned towards be, her horn lighting up as she looked at me expectantly. I reached down and pulled off one of my gloves. Reaching up, I paused with my hand inches from Rarity’s horn, giving her a questioning look. She gave me a quick nod, her smile strained.

As I wrapped my hand around her horn, Luna looked on with a curious expression on her face. I closed my eyes as Twilight released the spell. There was a bright purple flash from Twilight’s horn and my arm started tingling again, the numb sensation slowly working its way up the limb. Invisible needles jammed into the sides of my brain for a brief second before disappearing.

The minute I felt the connection with Rarity, I opened my mind up, You know you don’t have to do this, right?

I know, Darling, but I am curious about these stories of yours. Just… don’t make me say anything I might regret.

I won’t, but these will be horror stories after all, so don’t get too offended. Opening my eyes, I saw that everyone was looking at us.

“Pray tell, what was that spell supposed to do?” Luna asked, tilting her head to the side. Before Twilight could answer though, I had Rarity open her mouth and speak.

“T͡esti͞ǹg̕, ́tes͘ting... ca͡n y̕ou͏ a̷ll hear me?” Luna jumped back at the voice, her eyes widening.

“Is… is he using dear Rarity to talk to us?” she asked Twilight, not taking her eyes off of me and Rarity. “That is truly an amazing spell, Twilight Sparkle.” Twilight blushed at the compliment, hiding behind her parchment. Rainbow just rolled her eyes, waving a hoof in the air.

“Yeah, yeah, praise the egghead later. Let’s get to the stories,” she huffed, looking at me expectantly. As I settled into a more comfortable position, my hand still on Rarity’s horn, the others all did the same. Twilight looked at me excitedly, the quill in her magic hovering inches from the parchment, ready to record what I was about to say.

“N͏ow,̨ ͢befo͠r̛e̵ w̶e͏ s͏ta̴rt, I̷ j̷u̢st́ want͢ ̧yóu̕ ͢all͘ t̢o ͡k̢e̡e͞p͡ ͢in͏ mi͏n̵d ͠that͘ t͡he͜ c̴uĺtu̴re ̶I̷ c҉om̷e͟ ̕f̛rom ͞i̴ş s҉li̵g͝h̶t̶ly͠ ̷mo͘re m̧or̶bi̷d̸ ̢th̀an ýǫur͏s͜,͟ so̕ I ̷a͟p̷ologiz͟e in͏ adva͏nc̶e͢ i҉f͡ a̷n̸y҉t͏h͡iǹg ̴of̸fȩńd̶s a͞nyo̧ne,” I warned. When everyone nodded, I settled back and began. Hopefully I can remember these correctly.

I’m sure you’ll do fine, darling.

Coffins used to be built with holes in them, attached to six feet of copper tubing and a bell, I began, the sound of Twilight’s quill following close behind. The tubing would provide air for victims that would be buried under the mistaken impression they were dead.

In a small town, a local gravedigger, upon hearing a bell one night, headed into the graveyard to see if it was children pretending to be spirits again. Sometimes it was also the wind, blowing through the tombstones and causing the bells to jingle. This time it was neither. One of the bells attached to a grave was chiming, and a voice from below begged, pleaded to be unburied.

“Are you Molly Tasher?” the gravedigger asked, nearing the bell.

“Yes!” the muffled voice assured.

“You were born on September 17th?”

“Yes!” The gravedigger looked down at the gravestone.

“The gravestone here says you died on February 19th?”

“No,” came the hurried reply. “I’m alive, it was a mistake! Please, dig me up, set me free!”

“Sorry about this, ma’am,” the gravedigger said, stepping on the bell to silence it and plugging up the copper tube with dirt. “But this is August. Whatever you is down there, you ain’t alive no more, and you ain’t comin’ up!”

As I finished, Fluttershy let out a squeak, hiding behind her mane as she shivered.

“T-that’s not a true s-story, is it?” she asked, her voice trembling.

“We think that We’ve had to deal with somepony’s nightmare that was similar to that,” Luna said, rubbing her chin as she mused. “Except she was the one that was buried.”

“Pfft, it wasn’t that scary,” Rainbow said, rolling her eyes.

“I’m gonna have tah agree with Rainbow on this one,” Applejack said, nodding her head. “Y’all got something scarier?”

I smirked at them both. “You ha͝v͟é n͞o id͠e̛a.”

Twilight’s eyes lit up and she dipped her quill into an inkwell, getting ready to write more. Fluttershy just whimpered, hiding deeper into her mane.

You normally sleep soundly, but the thunderstorm raging outside is stirring you from your sleep—

“‘You?’,” Rainbow asked. “Why are you talking like that?”

“Yo͘u͘'ŕe͘ ̡s̵up͞p̴os̴éd ҉t͜o ̢i͞ma̷gi̸n̶e ͠i̷t ͝happenin̕g to̴ y̨ours̸el̀f͝ ͏i͘n̷ ҉yo̡u̸r̢ h͘e̡a͝d̛. Now shu͝t ̸u͟p;͏ you̴'re͏ r̡u҉i͠nin͘g ͞the ̧sto͠ry̵.”

You normally sleep soundly, but the thunderstorm raging outside is stirring you from your sleep. Trying to ignore the sounds coming from outside, you begin to doze, but another loud crash jolts you awake. The cycle lasts most of the night, the thunder waking you before you can get back to sleep. So you lay there, eyes open and outward, looking at your room stretching out before in the darkness. Your eyes move from nameless object, to nameless object, until you reach your mirror, sitting adjacent to you across the room.

Suddenly a flash of lightning, and the mirror flickers in illumination. For a brief, scant second, the mirror reveals to you dozens of faces, silhouettes within its frame, mouths open and eyes blackened. They stare out at you, their black pupils fixed upon your face.

Then it is done. Are you even sure of what you have seen? Unsettled, you don’t sleep for the rest of the night. The next morning you remove the mirror from your wall and toss it into the trash. It didn’t matter if the vision you had seen was real or not, you wanted to be rid of that mirror. In fact, you scrap every mirror in your house.

Weeks pass and that event of that night falls into passive memory. You are spending the day at a friend’s house and it’s time to use the bathroom. While you are in there the faucet starts to run without you touching it. Taken aback by this, you do not act yet, trying to reason with your paranoia. The water starts to steam up the bathroom and a skin of moisture slowly covers the mirror up above. You watch in horror as words form: “Please… return the mirrors. We miss watching you sleep at night…”

Fluttershy was hiding under her chair, shivering horribly. The others were beginning to look uneasy as well. Pinkie’s mane looked less poofy, and Rainbow was eyeing the mirror in the hallway with a nervous gaze.

T-these aren’t true stories, are they? Rarity asked nervously. I just smirked, not answering her.

“We are not sure how we feel about that story,” Luna said, rubbing her hooves together absentmindedly. “Especially since we have a large mirror in our room,” she added under her breath.

“I-it wasn’t that scary,” Rainbow said, her voice cracking slightly. Applejack just nodded her head, looking slightly pale. Twilight licked her lips as she dipped the quill back into the inkwell.

I laughed silently as I moved on to the third story.

There was a small village near a dark forest. In the village, there was a haunted house that everyone was terrified to enter. Nobody dared to stay there overnight. Legend had it that, every night at midnight, a bloody severed head fell down the chimney.

One day, a rich man was passing through the village. After hearing about the haunted house, he offered a thousand… err, bits to whoever was brave enough to spend an entire night inside. None of the villagers would take him up on his bet until a young boy stepped forward and raised his hand. The boy announced that he would spend the night in the haunted house as long as he could bring his dog with him. The man agreed, and it was settled.

The next evening, the boy set off for the haunted house with his trusty dog following close behind. As he entered the dreary abode, he whistled a happy tune to calm his nerves. After doing a little exploring, he decided to make himself comfortable in the living room. He started a fire in the fireplace, then laid down on the couch with his dog and waited for morning to arrive.

For a while, nothing happened. Then, a little after midnight, he thought he heard a strange noise over the crackling of the fire and the creaking of the house. It sounded like it was coming from somewhere out in the woods. Someone or something was singing a haunting tune.

“Me tie dough-ty walker,” sang the eerie voice.

Everyone was tense, staring at me unblinkingly as I continued the tale. Each one had a look of fear on their face, and I was loving it.

The boy stared out the window and his hair stood on end.

“Maybe it’s just somebody taking a shortcut through the woods,” he told himself.

Then, his dog suddenly perked up and sang, “Lynchy-Kinchy-Colly-Molly-Dingo-Dingo.”

The boy could hardly believe his ears. His dog had never uttered a word before. Now it was answering the haunting voice in the woods. He pinched himself to make sure that he wasn’t dreaming.

A few minutes passed, and the boy heard the voice singing again, only this time it was closer and louder.

“Me-Tie-Dough-Ty-Walker,” sang the mysterious voice.

The dog answered again, “Lynchy-Kinchy-Colly-Molly-Dingo-Dingo.”

This really had the boy scared. He was afraid that whoever was lurking in the woods would hear the dog singing and come to get them.

Everyone was hanging onto my every word with rapt attention, each one with a look of absolute horror on their face.

A few more minutes passed, the the boy heard the singing again. Now it was in the backyard, and the song was the same.

“ME TIE DOUGH-TY WALKER!” it yelled. The boy quickly placed a hand over his dog's mouth, trying to keep him silent.

It was all for naught, however, and again the dog answered: “LYNCHY KINCHY, COLLY MOLLY, DINGO DINGO!” Soon the boy heard the singing again; now it was coming from the roof, echoing down the chimney.

“ME TIE DOUGH-TY WALKER!” Again, the boy tried to keep his dog quiet, but the dog sang louder than ever.

“LYNCHY KINCHY, COLLY MOLLY, DINGO DINGO!” Suddenly a bloody severed head fell down the chimney. It missed the fire and landed right in front of the dog. The dog took one look at it and fell over, dead from fright. Then, the head turned and stared at the boy. Slowly, it opened its mouth and…

Suddenly, I sucked in a deep breath and had Rarity release the loudest, shrillest, most horrifying scream I could muster. The room immediately exploded into chaos.

Rainbow shot into the air with a yelp, clinging to the ceiling in fright. Applejack and Pinkie fell off their chairs, covering their heads with their hooves as they shut their eyes tight. Fluttershy dived behind the sofa with a scream, moving faster than I have ever seen her move before. I felt Rarity’s body flinch, the fear radiating from her mind in waves.

At the scream, Twilight punched a hole in the parchment with the quill, her wings spreading wide as she jumped in her seat. Spike and the Crusaders leapt into the air, instantly and undisputedly awake.

Luna was the best, however. With a loud yelp that nearly shattered the windows, she jumped to her hooves, her chair flying out from beneath her. Candy went flying everywhere as her wings flared, a look of pure horror plastered on her face, her pupils the size of pinpricks. Her horn lit up instantly, energy crackling down the length before she released a burst of magic. My eyes widened in alarm as the bolt flew through the air at me.

I had just enough time to release Rarity’s horn and raise my arm up to protect myself before the spell was upon me. The world went black, and I felt a strong pulling sensation yank my body back. Pressure pushed down on me from all sides, making it hard to breathe. I felt like my entire body was being squeezed through a long tube.

Then as suddenly as it began, all the pressure ceased. With a large pop, the darkness disappeared and I was returned to the world. I shook my head, trying to rid myself of the sense of vertigo. Opening my eyes, I froze instantly. I was no longer in Twilight’s library…

...I was in Celestia’s bedchamber, in her bed, with Celestia herself in it.

Luna had teleported me from the library to the palace, where I was currently straddling a very surprised Celestia. She was lying on her back, staring up at me with her mouth agape, a small blush on her face. I just sat there on her stomach, my legs on either side of her, staring back into her eyes.

To make matters worse, I slowly began to slide backwards until I was nestled between her hind legs, my back propped against her knees, my armor clinking together as my weight shifted. It looked, for all intents and purposes, like I was sitting in her lap.

A tense, awkward silence filled the room, neither of us making any noise. Both of us just sat there, staring at each other with large blushes upon our faces. Then, slowly, a lecherous smile spread across Celestia’s face and she winked at me.

“I know I said that I would help you any way I could, but this isn’t exactly what I had in mind… though, I’m not complaining.”

Author's Notes:

None of the scary stories Max tells in this chapter belong to me. They are borrowed from Creepypasta and Scary Stories To Tell In The Dark, and belong to their respective owners.