“There's nothing to be ashamed of, Scootaloo.” Mrs. Starlight responded, her voice nothing but pure, motherly compassion.

For three months, the Crusaders would go through the same routine. The three of them would come to Mrs. Starlight's office, sit in the same wooden chairs and talk about what happened, repeating the same tired stories. Details would get mixed around, however.

Scootaloo thought back to one particular session. Sweetie Bell recalled how she wound up in a kitchen, fighting for her life with only a stove to save her... or how she managed to lock him in a freezer, the door of which he took off with his incredible strength.

Scootaloo could barely keep the events of the night straight. Her mind was so flooded with horrible memories that it became impossible for her to make sense of any of them.

“What you three went through is nothing short of horrifying,” Mrs. Starlight explained. “It’s no wonder you're all still having nightmares.”

“Apple Bloom, you’ve been awfully quiet.” Mrs. Starlight turned to Apple Bloom and gave her a caring smile. She sunk her head into her chest and shifted in her seat. "Is there anything you would like to say?”

Apple Bloom’s gaze shifted to her hooves. Silence filled the room. After a few moments, Starlight finally spoke. “Apple Bloom?”

Apple Bloom shook her head. “No.”

Starlight simply nodded. “Well, if you feel like you need to say anything, please do.” She almost sounded like Celestia or her own mother. Maybe that was what she was supposed to sound like, but she did it very well, at least in Scootaloo's eyes. “That’s why we’re here, to help one another.”

Sweetie Belle bit her lip and leaned forward. “Mrs. Starlight?”

Starlight turned and gave a smile. “What is it, dear?”

“My sister’s been acting strange around me,” Sweetie Belle confessed.

It was no surprise. After the heroes of Equestria had heard of what happened, they, Celestia, Luna and Mrs. Starlight had sworn each other to secrecy. Only they and the families of those involved knew of the horror that occurred that night. Scootaloo didn’t know about anypony else, but she had heard a news report about something happening at the Winter house. There were no names named.

However, that didn’t stop their siblings from acting strangely when they were near. Applejack and Big MacIntosh, for the past several weeks, had accompanied Apple Bloom wherever she went. They never let her out of their sight, not even for a second. Even when Apple Bloom had to use the restrooms, Applejack would always insist on coming in with her, even if she didn’t need to use it.

Sweetie Belle had stayed with her parents for almost two months. When Rarity was around, she would let very few ponies interact with her, not even the colt she secretly liked. Sweetie had tried to explain that most of the ponies weren’t out to get her, but Rarity wouldn’t hear of it.

Rainbow Dash had secretly been following Scootaloo, as well as the Apple Bloom and Sweetie Belle. It was as if she were their guardian angel.

Scootaloo realized that these ponies just wanted them to feel safe, but she didn’t want to be treated like a victim. That feeling was only a painful reminder of what she had gone through. She wanted to be treated like a normal filly.

Of course, there was also Cheerilee. She had been on a sick leave for a month after the incident. Scootaloo didn’t see her, but Apple Bloom had told her she had been around Sweet Apple Acres several times. Even as she stood before the class her first day back, she acted a little differently. She was almost paranoid, jumping at little things and easily surprised by tiny sounds. She hid it well, though. Not many students noticed. Just a certain three.

“Have you told her how you've felt?” Mrs. Starlight asked. Sweetie nodded, but said nothing. “Sweetie, your sister is only worried about you. She loves you and doesn’t want to see anything else happen to you.”

Sweetie sighed. “I know, it’s just… I don’t want to be protected like this. All the time. I just want to go out and play.”

Sweetie Belle had taken the words out of Scootaloo’s mouth.

“I know you're all upset about all of this, and you have every right to be,” Mrs. Starlight started. “But they're scared, just like you are. I know they're coping with it as best they can but you need to let them know that it isn’t helping you by restraining you.” Mrs. Starlight gave a slight smile. “Can you do that for me?”

Sweetie simply nodded. Apple Bloom finally found her voice. “The nightmares?”

All eyes were on Apple Bloom, her eyes squinting, tears welling. “Will they ever go away?”

Mrs. Starlight took a deep breath. She thought for a moment before answering. “They might. Only time will tell. Sometimes...” She paused, as if she wasn’t sure what to say to them. Silence filled the room once more. Scootaloo looked at the ground, anticipating the answer. She knew what it was. They all did. All that Mrs. Starlight needed to do was spell it out. “Sometimes, they never go away.”

With that, Scootaloo closed her eyes. Again, she saw his eyes. Those yellow, hateful eyes. The eyes that would never leave.

Author's Notes:

Okay, that is the Longest Night. Hope you all enjoyed it. Please, leave a comment telling whether you liked it, whether didn't like it and what I can do to improve. I'm always looking forward to hearing your thoughts on that, so if you guys will let me know, I would appreciate it very much.

Also, a big shout out to both Lunar Metal, Fedorasarecool and HudsonHawk. They were a huge help in putting this thing together, making improvements and making a better story. If you haven't given them thanks already, make sure you do that. The links to their pages are in the description of the story.

Again, thank you so much for reading and have a great day.