Original Link:
https://docs.google.com/document/d/1EsjzrZGVs05jW8PG-LjUQWooZuKNXXCt-5yrzrcrgTE/edit

“... and then, it just happened!” Fluttershy finished explaining happily the next day.

As part of her training, Obsidian insisted on her being the one informing her friends about their relationship. While Pinkie Pie was very excited about this development, the other keepers of harmony were rather suspicious.

“I know what you may be thinking right now. Yes, I am an emotionless killer. I reminded you often enough of that myself. All I can say is that I underestimated the connection between Fluttershy and me. We share more than just the same affinity. I ask you for your understanding, keepers. It indeed is unusual for a reaper to have a partner, but that does not mean it never happened before. Please, grant me the opportunity to prove my intentions. All I wish to do is to make Fluttershy happy,” the black stallion stated, causing the yellow mare to blush a little at the last sentence.

Her friends were still not too sure what to think, but Obsidian seemed to mean it. Fluttershy stood right next to him the whole time, leaning lightly against him. Obsidian usually rejected any kind of unnecessary closeness, but he tolerated her. He even wore the heart pin she gifted him. Fluttershy always had this special something about her. She could warm the hearts of even the grumpiest of ponies and even befriended a raging manticore once, years ago. Could it be true? Could she have managed to warm the heart of this cold reaper?

“You two make quite a couple! I really wish the best for you!” Twilight suddenly stated.

Although she was just as unsure as the others, she had her motives to support their relationship. She still blamed herself for what happened to Moondancer. All she had to do was accept her love, and she would still be alive. Due to her rejection, her soul is lost to the demons now. Twilight swore herself that she would do whatever she could to prevent such a thing from happening around her ever again.

Twilight, being the leader of the group, set the standard for the others with her approval. If a smart pony like her thought this was a good idea, then it just had to be a good one. They congratulated the couple individually. Pinkie Pie even went so far as to suggest a party to celebrate. The idea was met with agreement and just an hour later, the friends found themselves in Sugarcube Corner.

---

The party was a lot of fun for the ponies. While they were dancing, eating and playing games, Obsidian held himself more in the background, as usual. Just this time, Fluttershy was right by his side. Pinkie convinced the Cakes to do a small catering service for her friends. As they heard what was to celebrate, they just had to agree to it. Pinkie of course told them about Obsidian Shards. But they still remembered him from the past. During a moment where Fluttershy was dancing with her friends, Obsidian had a talk with Carrot Cake and Cup Cake.

“Almost fifteen years have passed since you came that one night and brought us this special bundle... I hope you know how much you changed our lives with that,” Carrot Cake whispered.

“There was no other option and you know that. No one else was left that I could have gone to. Mistress Celestia and the reapers are aware you left your past behind you. But you still have it in your blood,” the black stallion explained.

“Yes, deary. We know. This all was only possible because of our past and the fact that we were friends with her family. But still, you can’t imagine what we have to go through. We have to be so careful all the time... And now that we have children, we need to be extra careful!” Cup Cake spoke lowly.

“We all have our burdens. We all have to make sacrifices at some point. This one is yours. You should be grateful Mistress Celestia granted you the chance to prove yourselves,” the black stallion stated. The Cakes sighed in low spirit.

“I guess you’re right. Our families have done terrible things. You never really get it out of your head either. There is just no day where we don’t have to think about our hunger. Right, honey bun?” Carrot Cake spoke. Cup Cake nodded in agreement and continued.

“Well, we learned to live with it and to suppress it. But she never managed that. She gets so angry each time we try to teach her. But that was just typical for her family. They never understood! She even tries to make us eat with her sometimes! I know you do and you can handle it. But we are ponies! We would relapse if we did that!”

“The biggest problem is that she now slowly tries to get Pound and Pumpkin interested in her hobby. We are afraid we might lose them!” Carrot Cake worried.

“Have faith in our mistress, Mr. and Mrs. Cake. She has everything arranged. Speaking of your children: I heard they are quite strong,” Obsidian commented.

“They are, but that’s normal for foals of our bloodline. We all were quite some jump starters. Pound Cake learned to fly when he was just one month old! Same goes for Pumpkin and her magic abilities! All the other parents envy us for our talented children. Oh, if they knew where they got these powers from...” Cup Cake worried.

Obsidian noticed that Rainbow Dash was coming over to them, so he ended the conversation. The Cakes went back in the kitchen to bring more sweets.

“What’s up, O?” Rainbow asked.

“Nihil novum,” he replied.

The athletic Pegasus mare stepped next to him and started whispering.

“You really are serious about Fluttershy, aren’t you?” she asked.

Obsidian nodded, then they both became silent while watching their friends playing games. Fluttershy seemed to be very light-hearted. She beamed and looked very happy. Occasionally, she glanced over to the reaper, smiling at him warmly. Finally, Rainbow broke the silence.

“Obsidian. Fluttershy and I are childhood friends. I know her better than anypony else, and I’ve never seen her eyes sparkle like that before. She seems so happy right now...” she stated with a bit of worry in her voice.

The athletic mare then turned her face to the reaper and gained a very serious expression.

“If you break her heart, then I swear, this will be the last thing you ever do! You got that?” she threatened him.

Obsidian remained unmoved and replied calmly.

“Rainbow Dash, your loyalty to your friends is admirable. Same goes for your courage, as you risk to threaten an elder reaper. But your worries are without reason. My sole desire is to protect you all. Now that Fluttershy and I share this special bond, you have my word that I will protect her with my life.”

This statement satisfied Rainbow. Her face became more relaxed again.

“Good. That’s what I wanted to hear. I take you by your word, O!” she stated and went back to her friends.

Obsidian thought he finally had an undisturbed moment to meditate, but then yet another familiar voice appeared.

“Very impressive, Obsidian! You sounded so convincing I almost believed you!” the voice spoke.

“So it is you again, Odd Cirs. I have not heard a word of yours for weeks,” Obsidian whispered.

“What? Did you think I would just leave you without a word? You’re funny, Obsidian! Don’t worry, I will talk to you more often now again!” Odd Cirs stated.

“Not much to my appreciation...” the reaper stated coldly.

“You wound me, Obsidian. I’ve been such a loyal companion for you all the time! And unlike Fluttershy, I won’t ever stand in your way!” the voice exclaimed.

“Miss Fluttershy is not standing in my way. The opposite is the fact. She indeed draws my attention,” the black stallion responded.

“What’s this? You really like her? Are you growing soft, Obsidian?” the voice wondered.

“Certē nōn mūtātus sum. I do not like or dislike anypony. It merely is my mission to protect the keepers of harmony and guide the events to lead to the conclusion my mistress desires. If training miss Fluttershy has the positive side effect that she can support me effectively, then this is much to my advantage,” the reaper replied.

“Tactical, cold and very smart. You really are a lot of fun to be around, Obsidian!” Odd Cirs spoke one last time, then vanished again.

---

Just a couple of weeks later, the summer ended. The news that reapers had been accepted as an official pony race reached the village. Everypony was talking about it. It was that time when Derpy Hooves finally decided to abandon her disguise and show herself in the public, wearing her reaper cloak and unpainted cutie marks. She was met with a lot of confusion and shock at first, but the ponies soon proved their sociality and accepted her as what she was. From that day on, Derpy was faced with a lot more respect.

The air slowly became colder and the leaves changed their colors. The pumpkins that had been planted at Sweet Apple Acres earlier this year were almost fully grown and would soon be ready for harvest. Everypony knew what was coming next. One of the most famous events in the equestrian calendar: The Nightmare Night Festival.

Fluttershy and Obsidian have been training every day until now. She learned incredibly fast. What took an average reaper with no inborn affinity to darkness years to learn, she understood much sooner. Yet, they were only scratching on the surface. Just like darkness itself is deep and hard to see through, so is the knowledge that is necessary to understand and control it.

Still, Fluttershy enjoyed this time a lot. Each moment she could spend with Obsidian made her happy. The reaper was still kind of distanced and only stood close to Fluttershy when she desired it. They also still slept in their own rooms. Fluttershy simply considered this an act of politeness, as he might not have wanted to pressure her too much and wanted her to be in control of how fast their relationship deepened. The black stallion, though, was only focused on their training.

Yet, it came to a sudden hiatus as the night of nightmares approached. Fluttershy only learned the most basic things about darkness so far. She still feared the creepy.

“Fluttershy. You are misunderstanding darkness. There is nothing terrifying about it,” Obsidian spoke, trying to re-encourage the yellow mare.

“B-but... why is it so scary then?” she wondered.

“Your fear of darkness does not sprout out of darkness itself. Look deeper inside yourself. It sprouts out of the experiences you made with it. The creatures that hid themselves within it: monsters and demons. True darkness, Princess Luna’s darkness, is peaceful and calm. You have met the Princess of the Night. You realized she means no harm to anypony. She and Mistress Celestia are the only ponies in all of Equestria that are unaffected by Maledictum Insania, because they have no fragments of Nightmare Moon resting inside them. Thus, they are the ones you can trust blindly. What you fear is what Nightmare Moon and her demons made out of darkness. They defiled it, filled it with dread and horror. Search for the true darkness and fight against the corrupted, red darkness of the demons,” Obsidian explained.

“I... I understand, but... I just can’t concentrate. Can we maybe have a break until Nightmare Night is over? Please?” the yellow mare begged. She still had a long way to go before she could accept darkness and the powers inside her.

“As you wish. What would you like to do in the meantime?” the black stallion questioned. Fluttershy went over to him and leaned lightly against him.

“I just want to be with you. Everything else doesn’t matter. I feel safe around you,” she stated. Having a pony this close to him still inconvenienced the black stallion. His professionalism helped him keeping this unnoticeable, though.

“Sentiō,” he replied after a short moment. It was still early in the morning. They remained silent, while Fluttershy watched the sun rise. Obsidian simply looked down, avoiding the light.

“Oh, I’m sorry! I forgot you don’t like the sun for a moment...” Fluttershy apologized. The black stallion shook his head.

“It is fine,” he responded. The yellow mare thought about what they could do together. Then she suddenly had an idea, which might satisfy both of them.

“How about we go for a picnic today? I bet it would be lovely with all these colorful trees. And since the Running of the Leaves is still coming, there would be enough shadows for you,” she suggested.

“As you wish,” Obsidian agreed. Fluttershy smiled happily and went inside to make some preparations.

---

“Sheesh. School can be so boring. Glad we’re out of it soon,” Scootaloo stated to her friends.

Two years have passed since the cutie mark crusaders all finally discovered their special talents. Scootaloo was an excellent racer with her scooter and even won a trophy, so her cutie mark was a scooter wheel, tossing up dust. Sweetie Belle discovered her talent while she was asked to sing on stage for her school. Her cutie mark looked like a microphone with a heart shaped tip. Applebloom was especially gifted in constructing and restoring things, so her cutie mark had the look of a crosscut saw and a hammer, crossing each other. By now, they all were young teens and would graduate next year.

“Well, school goes on for me. I plan to sign in at the music school. Need to practise, you know,” Sweetie Belle stated.

“That just wouldn’t work for me. As soon as I’m done, I’ll have all of Ponyville to fix up. The buildings are in a down right bad condition,” Applebloom commented.

“But we will still meet up time by time, won’t we?” Scootaloo wondered.

“Ah, don’t cha worry, Scoots. A cutie mark crusader once, a cutie mark crusader for life!” Applebloom replied.

“Exactly!” Sweetie Belle agreed. Scootaloo grinned happily.

“So, got anything planned today, guys?” Sweetie Belle asked.

“Well, I’m old enough for the Running of the Leaves now. So I thought I should practise a bit and have a run through Whitetail Woods. We could have a trip there,” the young orange Pegasus mare suggested.

“Sounds lovely!” Sweetie Belle agreed.

“Sure thing! Whitetail Woods is always the purdiest during fall!” Applebloom added.

---

Many ponies were visiting the forest now the final days before the running, to catch one last chance to see it from its most beautiful side. So did Fluttershy, Obsidian and Angel, as they decided their picnic should be held there. The yellow mare brought some extra supplies for the local animals. Winter would be coming soon and they still needed to prepare for their hibernation.

“My love, have you ever considered taking care of animals yourself? I mean before you became a reaper?” Fluttershy wondered. Obsidian was sitting under a tree.

“I can not tell for sure. My memories of this time have grown shallow over the centuries. The only moment I still remember clearly is when I became cursed, by the age of two. That day is one I will never forget,” he responded.

“You were that young? Oh my goodness. So you pretty much grew up living as a reaper...” Fluttershy said in a sad tone.

Obsidian nodded and closed his eyes to end the conversation and begin his meditation. Although he was talking more openly about his past with Fluttershy, he still wanted to avoid this topic, if possible. The yellow mare understood this. She and Angel just started unpacking her basket in the shadow of a nearby tree. Suddenly, they heard a pony rushing by, followed by loud cheering from two young mares.

“Wow! Not bad Scootaloo! You broke your personal record!” Sweetie Belle spoke out loudly.

“Thanks, Belle,” the orange Pegasus mare replied, panting. “I know I’m not the best at running, but I will still give my best during the race!”

Fluttershy hadn’t talked to the crusaders for more than a month. She decided to walk over to them and have a chat.

“Hello there, girls!” Fluttershy greeted.

“Ah! Howdy, Fluttershy! Haven’t seen y’all in a while! How yer doin’?” Applebloom wondered.

“I’m doing wonderful! How are you all doing?” she asked back.

“Just fan-tastic!” Scootaloo stated while throwing a pose. “It really feels good to finally know your meaning in life! But man, I still can’t believe it took me so long to figure out my special talent. It was so obvious all the time!”

“I could say the same for mine. Well, basically, I owe my cutie mark to miss Cheerilee. If she hadn’t encouraged me to sing for that musical, I would still be a blank flank! Heh, I still remember how we visited your cottage every other week, Fluttershy. Always trying to find something new to do to earn our cutie marks. Looking back, those were actually quite good times,” Sweetie Belle stated.

The four mares chuckled a bit as they recalled all the silly things they had experienced.

“So, Scootaloo. You’re practising for the Running of the Leaves, I guess?” Fluttershy wondered.

“Sure am! Just like Rainbow Dash, I’d never skip an opportunity to compete! Speaking of her, is she taking part in it this year?” she wondered.

“Oh, well she said she was needed to set up a storm in Ponyville. I’m sorry...” Fluttershy stated.

“That’s fine,” Scootaloo replied. “As much as I would have liked to run with her, this now only increases my chances! I mean, Derpy will race this year! Hey, have you heard of it yet, Fluttershy?”

“Heard what?” the yellow mare asked.

“Well, people say she is a reaper. Some kind of assassin with evil magic. Can you believe it? She and a killer? With those bad eyes and her clumsiness?” Scootaloo wondered.

“Well, yes I know that! My friends and I had been at the official meeting of the reapers!” Fluttershy replied.

“What? Really now?” Sweetie Belle questioned in surprise.

“Yes, really! It was incredible!” the yellow mare explained enthusiastically.

“And Derpy was there, too? No kiddin’?” Applebloom wondered.

“Yes, she was. We were all quite surprised to see her there, too,” Fluttershy stated.

“How did you get there in the first place?” Scootaloo kept on asking.

“Oh, right. You haven’t met Obsidian yet,” Fluttershy spoke.

“Who’s that?” Applebloom questioned.

The yellow mare turned around and pointed over to the tree where the black stallion was meditating. Hidden in the shadows, the crusaders didn’t notice him until now. They gasped at the sight of the scarred reaper with perforated bat wings and scratched demon horn. Obsidian noticed he was being watched. He opened his eyes and looked over to them. His two diverse colored, creepy eyes staring at them filled the crusaders with fear. They were like paralyzed, gazing back at Obsidian with open mouths.

“This is Obsidian Shards. He has been living in Ponyville for a while now, but he usually doesn’t... girls?”

Fluttershy realized the three teenage fillies ran off while she tried to introduce them to the reaper. This did not surprise Obsidian at all, though. Even with him being accepted, the ponies still feared him. Nothing had changed.

---

After the first meeting of the crusaders with the black stallion, they did not show up around Fluttershy again. Scootaloo even changed her mind in taking part at the Running of the Leaves, because she was afraid to see Obsidian there again. Derpy Hooves, though, could use the race to prove her skills. As it was to be seen from Scootaloo’s doubt, many ponies still did not believe she had only been acting all these years. The gray mare easily outran everypony else and won the first prize.

---

The days went on and finally, it was Nightmare Night. Fluttershy was very nervous. This was the one day of the year she disliked. Everypony trying to scare each other... All these creepy costumes and games... This really wasn’t a celebration made for a sensitive heart like hers.

Usually, Fluttershy spent this day cowering in her cottage, holding Angel and squeezing the life out of him in fear. But now, to the white bunny’s great relief, she had a stallion to stick around.

Obsidian promised her that he would spend the entire day with her, and so he did. As it got dark, Fluttershy was filled with so much fear, she did not leave Obsidian’s side anymore.

Angel thought he could make this whole situation a bit more convenient for all of them by kindling the chimney. The couple spent most of the evening just sitting on the sofa and gazing into the fire, while Fluttershy hid herself under the reaper’s cloak, holding him tightly. Unlike the years before, she really felt secure this time. The whole situation was rather uncomfortable for the black stallion, but he had to act his role. Angel soon became tired and went over to his basket to sleep. As the fire went out again, Obsidian started whispering to Fluttershy.

“It is getting late now. The night would be over much sooner if we decided to go to sleep,” he suggested.

“Well... um... yes, but...” she started, then paused a moment and blushed while she gathered the courage to say what she wanted to ask. “W-would you... maybe... come upstairs with me tonight?”

This idea further inconvenienced the black stallion. Simply spending a day with Fluttershy and guarding her was one thing, but sleeping in the same bed with her an entirely different one.

“There really is no reason to be afraid, Fluttershy. Nothing is going to happen,” Obsidian explained, trying to avoid this situation.

“I-I really don’t want to spend this night alone. Please...” she begged. The reaper had no choice.

“Ut dēsīderās,” he spoke, nodding and starting to get up.

Fluttershy smiled again. This would be the first night they spent together. The idea excited the yellow mare so much, she wondered if she would even be able to sleep at all with him laying right next to her. To avoid unnecessary hoof sounds, which might cause Angel to wake up, they decided to fly upstairs.

---

The couple made some last preparations to go to bed. As Obsidian took off his cloak and hung it up, Fluttershy’s eyes went wide open and she blushed hard. She had never seen the black stallion without his cloak so far. Taking it off in front of her made her feel a bit strange, even though it was just natural for ponies to walk around without clothes. The yellow mare quickly climbed in the bed to hide her reaction. Obsidian, though, hesitated to do the same.

“Is there something wrong, my love?” Fluttershy wondered, watching the reapers thoughtful expression while he stared at the bed.

“To be honest, Fluttershy... I have not slept in a bed for long time. I spent most of my resting times in protective runes on the ground,” he stated, then placed a hoof on the bed. “I am not used to such... convenience.”

This made the Pegasus mare chuckle a bit.

“Well I hope you will enjoy it then,” she spoke.

Obsidian slowly lifted himself on the mattress. Fluttershy covered both of them with the blanket.

It was dark and silent now. They both found this situation so strange, neither of them could fall asleep instantly. Several minutes passed, while they both just laid there, gazing into the darkness. Then Fluttershy came closer to Obsidian, leaning her head against him and placing a front hoof on his chest. Obsidian twitched a bit from the unexpected approach. After the hundreds of years the black stallion had lived through without any kindness coming from other ponies, every touch he was gifted was just discomforting to him. The reaper figured he should try to meditate in this position until he fell asleep. He closed his eyes and, again, the minutes passed by.

“Obsidian... I’m cold...” Fluttershy spoke quietly.

She shivered a bit. The black stallion gave her more of the blanket and tried to concentrate again. But the yellow mare kept on shaking. She needed him to warm her.

Obsidian was not sure what to do. Hesitantly, he turned to his side, facing the yellow mare and unfolded a wing over her. The moonlight now fell through the window and the reaper could see her smiling happily. She enjoyed his closeness and came even closer.

The yellow mare embraced Obsidian and closed her eyes. The black stallion’s, though, were wide open. Never before had he allowed a pony to come so close to him. He was completely off guard right now. Although he knew it was extremely unlikely Fluttershy would use this situation to attack him, it still made him feel very unprotected right now.

The night continued and the silhouette of the window, created by the moonlight, slowly wandered around the bedroom. Obsidian found it hard to relax. But slowly, he started to get used to this situation. The black stallion watched Fluttershy, resting under his wing. She fell asleep by now and looked very peaceful. For some reason, Obsidian felt the urge to bring his face closer to her. She smelled of grass, hay and the animals she had been taking care of.

The reaper started to relax and closed his eyes. He was about to fall asleep himself when he suddenly experienced a dreadful sensation. Fluttershy as well seemed to have felt it and woke up again.

“O-obsidian... what is going on?” she asked quietly and very nervous.

“Do not move. Do not look. Just remain calm and pretend to be asleep,” he whispered back.

While Fluttershy was not used to this kind of feeling, Obsidian knew precisely what it was. The sensation grew stronger and stronger, until the reaper was sure what caused this was just behind him. Then he suddenly jumped up, summoned his scythe and swung it, missing his target narrowly.

Fluttershy shrieked a bit in surprise. In front of them was a very tall creature. It looked like a white pony in a black suit that had no mane, no tail and no face. The yellow mare could just catch a short glimpse of this creature before it fused with the shadows and disappeared. Even Obsidian seemed to be shocked by the fact who just visited them.

“No... what is he doing here?” the reaper wondered, speaking to himself.

“W-who was that?” Fluttershy asked, very shaky.

“Slendermane, the abductor... an ancient, unique demon of high rank. No one ever succeeded in a battle against him, yet,” Obsidian replied while putting his cloak back on.

“Please forgive me, but I need to chase after him,” he spoke, then opened the window and flew outside.

---

“Urgh. Whose bright idea was it to go to Everfree Forest at midnight?” Diamond Tiara asked in a very annoyed tone.

Her entire class was venturing through the forest for a good hour now and was unable to find the way back.

“Mine, of course! Don’t you remember?” Snips replied in excitement.

“Oh, of course. How could I forget that,” the pink teenage filly stated, rolling her eyes.

“Well, at least we will have first row seats when Applebloom and her friends chicken out!” Silver Spoon commented, causing both of them to chuckle.

“Ain’t gonna happen!” Applebloom responded. “I rather think you two will run for the hills at the first sight of a snake!”

“Um. Girls. I know I’m not as big and smart as you are, but don’t you think we have a different problem right now?” Pipsqueak commented.

“I gotta agree with Pipthqueak. We need to get out of here!” Twist added.

“Hold on! I think I found the way!” Snails suddenly stated.

“That’s the fifth time you say that!” Scootaloo responded, shaking her head.

“But this time, I’m sure it leads back to Ponyville!” Snails spoke.

---

The group kept on walking for another half hour. None of them had any idea where they were.

“I just knew this would lead nowhere. Snips, Snails: you two are the worst guides ever!” Diamond Tiara exclaimed in frustration.

The two teenage colts dropped their heads in shame. This little adventure didn’t turn out as they hoped at all. Suddenly, Snips spotted a white figure that looked like a pony.

“Wait, wait! I see somepony over there! Maybe we can ask him for the way!” he stated.

“What? Where?!” Sweetie Belle wondered. Snips pointed over to the spot where he saw the white pony, but it disappeared.

“Huh? He was there just a moment ago!” he spoke.

“I think you are starting to see things, Shorty,” Silver Spoon commented.

“Hey! His name is not Shorty! It’s Snips!” Snails spoke angrily.

“If you want some respect, then earn it. So far, all you two have done was ruining our Nightmare Night with your stupid little adventure!” Diamond Tiara countered.

A fight started between the two friend groups. Applebloom sighed. If she wouldn’t get home soon, her sister would get mad at her.

Suddenly, she saw something white in the corner of her eye. As she turned her head, nothing was there.

“Did y’all see that?” she asked to her friends.

“See what, App- wait, what was that?” Scootaloo wondered.

“I think something is here...” Sweetie Belle worried. They started getting scared now and looked around in search.

“Girls! There! The white pony!” Pipsqueak suddenly exclaimed.

All of the present ponies became silent and the fight ended. They looked over to a tall, white creature in the distance that appeared to look back at them.

Just the moment all of them had seen it, it disappeared again, only to reappear behind them a bit closer again. The school kids kept looking around in fear. Each time they spotted the suited creature, it was a bit closer to them. As they realized the monster had no face, the group broke open in panic.

Each of the teenagers ran in a different direction. Pipsqueak looked behind him to see if the creature was following him, but only saw Diamond Tiara running in the opposite direction. As he turned his focus forward again, he realized the white thing was just in front of him.

Its head was aimed to him and it seemed like the creature was just waiting for him to come close enough. The colt hit the breaks, but kept on sliding towards the suited creature on the muddy ground.

Suddenly, another creature appeared out of the dark, jumping in between Pipsqueak and the faceless monster. A black, cloaked stallion, wielding a scythe in his mouth. He stopped Pipsqueak and hid him under his cloak. At that moment, Slendermane disappeared again.

Obsidian knew he was trying to avoid any unnecessary battles and chased after the easiest victim first. He casted a teleportation spell to bring Pipsqueak and himself to Twist, Slendermane’s next victim. As the demon noticed Obsidian was following him, he disappeared again. This kept on going until the black stallion gathered all of the school kids at one spot.

They still panicked and tried to run away from him, but the reaper summoned a protective sphere around them, making it impossible for them to either escape or get caught. They all were shaking and breathing heavily. Diamond Tiara and Silver Spoon screamed loudly in addition. The others just watched what was going on outside of the sphere.

Slendermane now appeared in front of Obsidian. He knew, if he wanted to catch any of the children, he had to break his incantation first.

The reaper and the demon stared at each other. Then, large black arms grew out of Slendermane’s back and shot to the reaper. Obsidian sliced his scythe through them, but it didn’t have any effect. The arms grabbed the black stallion and pinned him to the ground.

Since the reaper had to keep his concentration on maintaining the sphere around the teenagers, he could not cast an offensive spell. Instead, he teleported himself behind the demon.

Slendermane just calmly turned around and launched his countless black arms on him again. This time, Obsidian did all he could to dodge the demon’s grip. This proved to become more and more difficult with each second that passed. Not only did Slendermane summon more arms than the reaper could handle, but he also quickly learned the movement patterns of the black stallion.

Just when he was about to get caught in a defenceless moment, a shattering sound was to be heard and Slendermane stopped. The demon turned his head over to the school kids.

While he attacked Obsidian with his arms, he also assaulted the sphere. The demon managed to get Obsidian distracted enough to break through it.

With a shock, the black stallion realized what happened and teleported over to the sphere. But Slendermane appeared by it just a second sooner than him. The demon’s head was aimed at the reaper while he grabbed Snails, drew him close and sunk through the ground with him, only giving the young stallion a short moment to scream for help. Obsidian was too late.

“Snails? Snails! Snaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaails!” Snips shouted.

---

What nopony could know is that all what just had happened was planned. Slendermane had been cooperating with another demon to distract Obsidian and get him out of Ponyville.

Twilight Sparkle was walking around in the village, being stalked by the other demon the whole time. Due to her preparations, Derpy was at the other end of the village, unable to sense her and Spike refused to go out with the purple mare on Nightmare Night.

Then finally, the moment came the demoness had been waiting for. Twilight walked into a silent corner where nopony would see either of them for a moment. The demon jumped out of her cover and right in front of the purple mare. It was Despair.

Caught off guard, Twilight looked into the demon’s eyes. Once again, memories rushed past her vision. Almost the entire year came and went, back to the moment Obsidian introduced himself to Ponyville. Despair grinned victoriously and casted a spell that knocked Twilight unconscious. Then, the demoness disappeared again.

A few minutes later, Twilight stood up again. She had no memories about what just happened, but still felt fear spreading through her body. She ran back to the library as fast as she could and ended Nightmare Night early for herself.