Fancy spun around, taking up an aggressive stance. Dark fog filled the hallway, but the cloud was no longer so massive. No, it was much smaller, more defined. It was compressing into a distinct shape.

Into a pony.

A white head formed, a trio of smokey black tails squirmed into existence. As Fancy watched, fear twisting his heart, the fog faded, and the pony, taller than he knew was possible, faceless and dressed in a black suit and red tie, was standing before him. That was all it was. A pony.

But the unexplainable terror that filled Fancy’s mind could come from no other source.

“L-Luna…” he whispered, pawing at the moldy floor threateningly, “what is that thing?”

Her head, peering through the wall like a phantom, dropped down next to his. Her voice was focused, but worried. “An abomination. Do not fight it, Fancy.”

He let out a snarl, horn flashing. “T-this is a dream! Fleur’s trying to frighten us, remember? It c-can’t…”

The thing’s head rose, the howling intensified. Fancy cringed, but didn’t back down.

Luna pleaded. “Fancy, run away. It may be real.”

He shot her an alarmed look, which she returned with wide eyes. When they looked again, the thing was gone…but the noise was so loud it almost hurt. Fancy could sense its presence-

“Go!” Luna shoved him, and they were fleeing. Fancy didn’t know where they were fleeing to, or why his legs started pounding the wooden floor, but they reacted without any pressing on his part. He bolted, Luna flying not far ahead with wings flapping wraith-like through the walls.

The sound quieted, then grew stronger. Fancy glanced to his side and saw the thing watching from a doorway. A smoky tentacle swam out to grasp at him. It was far too slow, but it still made his heart skip a beat. “L-Luna, why do we not fight?!”

“We can’t!” She shouted, disappearing through a wall. “It follows an entirely different set of rules!”

“What are youHELL!” He nearly fell in his hurry to turn, just spotting the thing staring from around the corner ahead. He dove through a doorway, flew through a large room. He spotted the thing out of the corner of his eye, closer, taller, menacing in its howling presence. He entered a new hallway, smacking the wall as he struggled to make the turn.

“Luna!” The sound of his hoofsteps pounded in his ears. “Luna, where are you?!”

“Run, Fancy,” Luna called from beyond the walls. “Don’t think, just run!”

The dim lights flickered as he ran through the hallway, faceless glimpses tormenting him from doorways, black tentacles waving at him from around corners. No matter where he turned, the thing was always waiting just on the peripheral of his vision, never letting him relax, always keeping him terrified! He never saw it move, it never jumped out of doorways. It was always standing perfectly still, save for those horrible tentacle-like tails that were always groping.

Fancy’s throat was dry, his heart pounding. Though he’d maintained his health in his civilian life, even he could only go so long, and this thing seemed tireless. He was slowing down, but it never caught him. Every time he thought he might be safe, he’d turn a corner and find it staring at him, beginning a new chase.

“Don’t quit,” Luna called, appearing in the hall ahead of him. She waved, eyes locked over his shoulder. “Come on, Fancy, we have to last until Fleur gets us out!”

Fleur. Damn that mare, why had he let her talk him into this?! “I’m trying,” he called, daring to glance back. He could see nothing, but by now he knew better than-

“Luna!” He slid to a halt, horrified to see the slender monstrosity directly behind her. She spun about, black tendrils just beginning to wrap about her, and flew through the ceiling with a shriek. The tails aimed upward and waved, as if lamenting a missed opportunity.

“Leave her alone, you bastard,” Fancy hissed between gasps. That faceless head lowered, and he felt a piercing, almost paralyzing terror. It was as if the thing were looking into his heart and squeezing the warmth from it. The howling intensified yet again, and Fancy turned into a nearby doorway and fled.

The race seemed endless. Fancy wished he knew what it was so he could think of some way to counter it! But no, he could only flee. Where was Luna?!

His legs locked as he slid across the floor, just managing to avoid hitting a wall. Dead end. After all that running, now he reached a dead end? He turned to double back, and froze; the thing was standing in his way. Nowhere left to run.

There was nothing to do but stand his ground. Fancy prepared himself for a fight, though his heart was hammering and his legs were shaking. What was wrong with him?! It was just a tall, faceless…pony! It was like a damn toothpick! He should be able to…

“Fancy,” Luna called from somewhere beyond the walls. “What are you doing? Run away!”

“I can’t,” he called, howling in his ears. “I’m trapped!”

That mouthless face tilted just a little. The world seemed to go darker as the tails expanded, stretched, began to reach…

Luna appeared, slamming to the ground before Fancy with horn glowing. She let out a furious shout and fired a black beam.

It hit the entity and fizzled. The creature didn’t so much as flinch.

“Luna, go!”

She grabbed Fancy and tried to flee, but he ended up pinned against the wall. “Fancy!”

He struggled against her hooves, black tentacles filling his vision. “Let me go, Luna! Save yourself!”

“Fleur!” Luna screamed as their world began to grow dark. “Fleur, you win! Let us out!”

The world went silent as a lone, icy tail caressed Fancy’s cheek.

Luna came to her hooves with a jerk and a gasp, staring ahead at…stairs?

She blinked, glancing around at the bright, pearly entry hall with its glistening marble floors and columns. She sucked in a deep breath, that white head still filling her vision. It had almost… Fancy. Where was Fancy?!

She heard a groan and turned to find him lying on his side. He rubbed his head and looked up at her with weary eyes. “L-Luna? What…”

She dove, wrapping him in a hug. “Thank the Moon, I thought that thing had you!”

“G-glad to see you’re okay, too,” he replied, losing his breath at her grip.

“Well now,” a familiar voice called, “I think that qualifies as a success.”

Luna released Fancy – who immediately gulped down air – and turned to find a familiar pair of ponies watching from the top of the stairs. Fleur de Lis and Fine Crime shared matching grins, and it made the Princess seethe with fresh fury. “Took long enough,” Fine added. “Everypony else already went crying home to their mommies.”

“You!” She stomped her way up the stairs, lips pulled back in a menacing sneer. “What were you thinking, using that?! Do you have any idea how dangerous it is, how-”

Her fury had been directed at Fleur, but Fine abruptly stood between them, a smug smile on his lips. “Now, now. Using the creature was my idea.”

Luna was shaking, she was so furious. “You. You of all ponies. You saw what it’s capable of! You’re the one who recommended we abandon the project!”

“And I also hold rights to its permissions,” he pointed out, not at all bothered by her vicious glare. “And, might I remind you, Fleur works for me.”

Luna lowered her head so their muzzled touched. “And you work for me! I should have you both fired and thrown in the castle dungeons!”

He tilted his head, but there was no fear in his eyes. Surprise, but not fear. “Did the illusion really scare you that badly?”

She grabbed him and gave a violent shake. “How were we to know it was an illusion?!”

“Princess!” She felt a hoof on her shoulder, and glanced back to see Fancy Pants. He gave her a charming smile, though it came out a little weak. “Please, did we not come here to be frightened? They challenged us, and we lost. Fleur?” The pink pony shot him a crooked smile. “Put me down as impressed. I will never doubt your abilities again.”

“I am pleased to hear it,” Fleur acknowledged with a polite nod.

“Do not act as if this were a small thing,” Luna cried. “Somepony could have died!”

Fine rubbed the side of his head with a grimace. “Remind me to make you another copy of the report I wrote on that thing. It’s not that unpredictable. But hey, it worked!”

Yes… It most certainly did. She considered him for several seconds, not appreciating his attitude one bit. But this was Fine Crime, the shadow of her will. Few ponies matched him in terms of responsibility. Given the grievous nature of this offense, she was not prepared to forgive him...yet she would wait. “I will read that report more carefully, this time,” she agreed, peering at him. “If I am unsatisfied, you will be hearing of this again.”

He bowed, abruptly becoming the epitome of respect. “As my Princess wills it, so it shall be.”

She nodded, satisfied with his more familiar manner. “I think that will conclude this evening’s events. I want nothing more to do with this Week of Nightmares, so I will be going. For now? Well played.” Her eyes shifted to Fleur, who had a hopeful, wide eyes. “Both of you.”

She turned away, just barely catching their shared grins out of the corner of her eye before marching down the stairs and for the exit. She could hear Fancy Pants talking to them, but didn’t bother to listen; she wanted nothing more than to go back to the castle and take a long shower! The image of that white head and menacing tentacles was still fresh in her mind, and it gave her shivers.

She made it outside, the exterior of the mansion still set with its Nightmare Night theme. She spread her wings and prepared to fly, but paused when she heard shouting. She turned to find Fancy Pants approaching at a gallop. “Oh, Fancy. I thought you were going to spend more time with them.”

He came to a stop and lifted a hoof. Once he had caught his breath, he asked, “You’re going home, already?”

“Of course,” she replied, fluffing her wings in agitation. “I need to find some way to get the images of this night out of my head.”

“I see,” he lowered his head, but his sorrow lasted only a moment. He looked up with a grin. “Can I see you again? Soon?”

She blinked and, for reasons she couldn’t fathom, blushed. “You want to…spend time with me?”

“Of course!” He nodded emphatically. “I told you before, I admire you! I… I want to be with you.” Now he was blushing, turning his head away and rubbing his leg.

The Princess considered him for several seconds. The idea was curiously appealing to her. Indeed, she was eager. She recalled his words from within the illusionary world, and couldn’t help smiling. “Why don’t you meet me at the palace gates tomorrow night?”

His eyes lit up. “You mean it?”

She nodded with a wide smile. “My treat. We’ll make a date of it.”

His eyebrows raised, and his face went red yet again. “A… A date? T-truly?”

That had not come out the way she’d intended. Not even close. She felt her cheeks burn at the prospect, but as she stared at him, and thought of how much she now knew…

“Yes, Fancy. A date.”

Author's Notes:

So this is my entry into Random Romance's October contest. In all honesty, I'm not pleased with the final product. But I'm running out of time (you won't hear me say that very often) and want to move on, so this will have to do.

This was another attempt at experimentation. I carefully selected what would happen, when, the order how, the word count, themes, yadda yadda. As usual, overplanning didn't work to well. Every time I try it, I find that I much prefer the swift, spur-of-the-moment way I usually do. Of course, this would have been much more smooth and effective if I hadn't lost my will. That happens when computer glitches delete 1/3 of your story when you're almost finished. So yeah, this was not the kind of work I usually do.

Oh well, maybe next month.