Heehee
Sunlight dappled her as she bound through the woods. Angel was chasing her but it was in good fun, several colorful birds flit about as well. Squirrels bound through the boroughs around her chattering and trying to keep up. Not a single strand of pink hair was out of place. She darted along a babbling brook, the sunlight catching the glint of other creatures. A speckled goldfish and small turtle glided through the water next to her. She didn’t remember how she got here and didn’t care. Even the sunlight was soft and everything looked as if it were viewed through a thin haze.

She laughed again and dunked her head into the stream. She rarely played with aquatic creatures, the water created a mess for her mane later. Blissfully she dove in, her movements underwater were much less graceful than on land but she made the best of it. It was fun being weightless.

She didn’t remember this particular brook or stream or was it a river? It was deeper than she thought too. Soon the goldfish brought a school of friends. Each was a shining dart, and each caught and refracted the sunlight. The turtle too floated peacefully near her smiling. She smiled back and laughed again.

Only this time it was more of a cough. Water entered her lungs, foalishly she had forgotten she was underwater. She swam, limbs flailing toward the surface. No matter how hard she tried she just couldn’t seem to move toward the surface. Or was the surface moving away from her? She could still see the sun through the surface of the water, a blazing, shifting orb of light. Her lungs stabbed again with pain, then it was gone. The sensation was curious and frightening. She looked around but her animal friends were nowhere to be seen.

She felt like she was falling into a dark ocean. The surface of the water kept getting farther and farther away. She opened her mouth to scream and water flooded in.

HIC!

Fluttershy bolted upright in bed with a start. Pain lanced through her chest. She rubbed one eye with one hoof and her chest with the other. Drowning? No that was just a dream. Something about birds and fish and water…It was all a blur that vanished by the second. The pain was definitely real, but she didn’t remember any recent injury. She looked down at her own chest. Yellow and petite, same as yesterday.

HIC!

Another bolt of pain shot through her. It subsided quickly but it did answer her internal question. “I hate the hiccups. There’s nothing you can do about them and they kind of hurt.” She said to no one in particular. However she was not alone, a soft rhythmic thumping entered her left ear. She turned her head to find the source of the sound. Her room was filled with soft things, things she liked. She didn’t particularly like her alarm clock, but didn’t blame it for its incessant ringing. She could just see sunlight pouring through the eastward window. The curtains were not perfectly drawn letting a single line of sunlight creep across the room and splash across her bed over the covers. She glanced at her clock and found the source of the thumping.

A small fluffy white rabbit stood next to her alarm clock which read 6:00am. He was thumping his foot pointing at the alarm clock and then his gaping maw. His size didn’t impress, but Fluttershy didn’t take much urging from anything smaller and with more fur than herself. “Alright Angel, it’s breakfast hic time.” She put her hoof to her chest as it heaved again, another pin poking her in the lungs.

She trotted down stairs and prepared breakfast for all of the animals in her house. It was a labor of love punctuated by no less than nine hiccups. Each one seemed to hurt a bit more. Before the end of breakfast she glanced at the calendar and did a did a double take. A grinning pumpkin was emblazoned on today’s date. “Oh my gosh, I forgot, tonight is Nightmare Night!”

She galloped out the door eliciting a grin from Angel. Angel began to root about in the fridge for the ice cream. Today was going to be a good day.

“What a horrible day.” Fluttershy said aloud to no pony. She was at a brisk trot towards Ponyville, her empty saddlebags waiting for various good. “I need candy, costumes, and hic decorations.” She almost stumbled and fell down at that. It knocked the wind out of her and shot another lance of pain into her chest. “And those won’t go away!”

“What won’t go away, sugercube?”

“Oh! hic I didn’t see you Applejack.” Applejack rolled her eyes. She had been trotting next to Fluttershy for the last ten seconds and her cart was not empty or quiet.

“Heh heh, you got the hiccups?” Fluttershy nodded. “Well I reckon a little surprise might cure them.”

“Oh…um…no hic thank you. I don’t like surprises. hic” She squeezed her eyes shut for a moment in a grimace. The last one had been particularly painful.

“Alright then, I’ll letcha go. I love Nightmare day and night. I sell all the apples lickety split and I get candy at night. Aint nothing wrong with that!” She said with a chuckle. She waved as Fluttershy trotted off into the market as she set up her stall.

It was about an hour later when a pegasus landed in front of her cart. One eye was being rubbed with a hoof, the other was half closed. “Morin’ Rainbow Dash.” Applejack said with a bit too much cheer. “Don’t cha love mornings?”

Rainbow Dash snorted and replied, “buck mornings. I have to deliver 3 dozen apples to the Cakes for the celebration tonight. Got any good ones? Last year I got a rotten apple when I was bobbing.”

“That’s cause last year they didn’t use Apple family apples.” Applejack said puffing out her chest and raising her head. Dash silently wondered how the Stetson stayed put not matter how Applejack tilted or moved her head. “I guarantee’ every apple you get today will be just fine and dandy.”

“Good, load me AJ!” Dash turned and allowed Applejack to load the requisite apples into her saddle bags as Dash hoofed over 3 dozen bits for them.

“Have you seen Fluttershy today?” Applejack said as she loaded the red fruits.

“Give me a break, I just woke up.”

“Heh, I reckon you’d wanted to scare her silly if ya did, she had the hiccups when I saw her this morning.” Rainbow Dash’s ears perked up and her half closed eyes became fully open. A devilish grin slowly spread across her face.

“Oh does she now?” Rainbow Dash said, savoring each word.

“Heh heh, I offered to try and surprise her but you know how she feels about that sorta thang.”

“Well I don’t like to play pranks on a pony if they can’t take a little joke, but she’s our friend. We owe it to her to scare the living…uh...hiccups out of her.” Dash’s smiles faltered for a split second.

Applejack raised one eyebrow and looked right at Rainbow Dash. “I reckon yer a little eager to be scarin’ Fluttershy.” Applejack’s expression became serious. “And I won’t let ya do that…” A grin suddenly split Applejack’s features, “without me!” The two mares began to whisper and plot and giggle like school fillies.

Across the market Fluttershy sat down oblivious to the plots being hatched. hic, hic… sigh, not again.

Rainbow Dash and Applejack were almost vibrating with excitement. They had gathered their friends minus Fluttershy in the Golden Oaks Library for an “emergency.” The three others looked on with big eyes and Rarity was biting her lip. She was also wearing her morning robe and her hair was not properly combed yet so her worry was tainted by sleep. Pinkie Pie looked as she always did, in fact Applejack suspected she simply sprang out of bed that way. If she slept at all. Twilight had ordered Spike to make breakfast, a difficult task so “early” in the morning for the young dragon but a glance and an eyelash flutter from Rarity sent him scurrying into the kitchen.

“Fluttershy has the hiccups!” Dash said with unrestrained glee. “I watched her in the market and Applejack saw her this morning.” Pinkie Pie sighed. Rarity gasped. Twilight just looked at Rainbow Dash and Applejack while she tilted her head.

“Ok and what does that mean?” Twilight said. She levitated a quill and notepad closer to her. She had a feeling she was about to learn something, but she didn’t know what.

“Uh it means we gotta scare the hiccups out of her, duh.” Dash said without an ounce of remorse. “And we get to do it on Nightmare Night! Maybe we can finally get Fluttershy to enjoy being scared once in a while.”

Pinkie Pie sighed, “Scaring ponies. Honestly.” She snorted. “I’ll get a glass of water.” She started bouncing out of the Library humming to herself.

“Well I for one think this is a terrible idea. Poor Fluttershy, are you sure you don’t just want an excuse to scare her?” Rarity spoke with a musical quality that Spike never tired of listening to. He bound into the main hall carrying oatmeal and a dandelion sandwich which was promptly delivered to Rarity.

“Twilight we’re out of dandelions.” Spike said without taking his eyes off of Rarity. “And scare Fluttershy? Why would you guys do that?”

“She’s got the hiccups.” Applejack said immediately. Twilight shot Applejack a look but Applejack just shrugged.

“Well you have to scare her then, its Nightmare Night, so you are supposed to scare her. And if you do you will help her. It’s a win-win.” Spike said with a toothy grin.

Rarity let out sigh, “I suppose you have a point. If it were any other pony, or any other night I would say no. But just this once I will make an exception.” A smile split her face. “Besides it could be fun.” She said with a giggle.

Twilight had filled the page with notes and finally spoke up, “well this is very interesting. I have never heard of a cure for the hiccups much less such a strange cure like this one. What was that about a glass of water?”

Rainbow Dash rolled her eyes. “It’s an old mare’s tale, drink from a glass of water upside down and it will cure your hiccups.” Twilight was furiously scratching notes and nodding. “Don’t write that down it doesn’t work! Trust me.” Dash leaned in, putting a hoof on Applejack and Rarity, “ok here’s what we can do…”

Twilight found Fluttershy in the market trotting down the lane, eyes on the ground. “Hello Fluttershy, how are you on this fine day?” She smiled a bit too wide.

“I am having a terrible day, I’m hic trying to get all of my shopping done before this evening and I have hic the hic…” She stopped and put a hoof to her chest.

This really is bad. If we can scare the hiccups out of her we really will be doing her a favor. “Let me help you, Spike is going to take care of the Library for me today and I finished my Nightmare Night preparations two weeks ago.” Fluttershy smiled at her overly punctual friend.

“oh…thank you. You’re such a hic good friend Twilight”

Don’t thank me yet. “Let’s get started. Do you need costumes? Rarity has some good costumes just for tonight.” Twilight nudged Fluttershy in the direction of Carousel Boutique.

They entered with the tinkling of the bell hung above the door. “Welcome to Carousel Boutique where…Fluttershy and Twilight Sparkle how nice of you to drop by.” Rarity walked into the main hall, a pair of glasses perch upon her nose and a pair of scissors held in her telekinetic grip. “What can I do for you today?”

“Uh…um…I need hic costumes for myself, Angel, three sparrows, one turtle, five chickens…” Fluttershy continued to list off animals. Her eyes rolled upwards in thought while Rarity gave Twilight a wink.

“Fine, fine dear, just stand on the platform here and let me make a few measurements.” Fluttershy hopped up on the platform as Rarity floated a tape measure from a nearby drawer. She wrapped it around Fluttershy’s legs, then neck, then midsection. She sighed and said “have you been eating Pinkie Pie’s candy?” Fluttershy blushed and Rarity continued, “It isn’t a big deal, I just need to let out the hemline by a quarter inch, I should be ready in a few minutes." She trotted up stairs and out of sight.

Fluttershy stood on the platform drawing small circles with her right forehoof. Twilight used her telekinesis to reach out and click the lights off. Fluttershy gasped as the Boutique was plunged into darkness. Fluttershy was a pale yellow outline. “Twilight? hic What happened?”

“I think one of the breakers tripped.” Twilight used her telekinesis once again to silently open a vent cover on the celling. The cool air was redirected towards Fluttershy who began to shiver. There was a creak upstairs, then a dull crash. “Rarity?” Twilight called out. “Stay here Fluttershy, let me check that out.” Twilight trotted up stairs leaving Fluttershy alone in the dark.

“Is hic anypony there?” Fluttershy’s voice was higher than usual. She heard a creak behind her and whirled around “who…who’s there?” There was a soft swish of fabric behind her and she whirled around again but saw nothing in the dim light of the Boutique. She could see the outline of the window with the sunlight outside. And she could see the outline of the stairs where Twilight had gone but not much else. She was still standing on the platform and didn’t want to move for fear she might stumble and fall off of the platform in the dark and she didn’t want to fly because she couldn’t tell just how high the ceiling was.

“Join us…” a faint whisper spoke.

“What? hic Who’s there? Join who?” The lights flickered back on and Fluttershy breathed a sigh of relief. Everything was just as she remembered: the door was to her right, the platform was about 4 meters in diameter, five ponykins were haphazardly along the left wall, the credenza was behind her filled with ribbons and fabric, while the stairs were more or less in front of her. “Twilight? Rarity?” The lights flickered off again and Fluttershy’s heart rate tripled.

“Join us…” the faint voice said again slightly louder.

The lights flicked on again. This was getting annoying and those ponykins were getting a little creepy, they were all facing her. All. Facing. Her. Slowly she turned her head and saw they were indeed facing her. She couldn’t be 100% sure but they weren’t facing her before. Were they? The lights flicked off again.

“Join us…” the voice was much closer! The lights flicked back on.

One of the ponykins was standing right in front of her. Before when it was naked it looked fairly neutral. Now with its black cloak and wide brimmed black hat it took a more sinister tone. And it definitely was NOT standing next to her when the lights when out. Which they did, again.

“JOIN US…” the voice was right next to her! The lights flicked on again.

Standing in a circle around her were the ponykins, each wearing something different, all of it black. They stood unblinking with their unnatural eyes on her. Their black cloaks and black clothes made the ponykins look even less natural.

“AHHHHHHHHHHHHH hic AHHHHHHHHHHH.” Fluttershy shot out of the Boutique like she was being chased.

“Darn, I don’t think that worked. Do you think we didn’t scare her enough?”

“Fluttershy? Are you in here?” Angel led Twilight upstairs, his eyebrows matched his mouth to form two flat lines. Twilight found Fluttershy under her bed covers quivering. “Fluttershy are you alright? I fixed the fuse and heard you screaming. What happened?”

“hic Ponykins…moving...hic...trying to…turn me… hic…into a ponykin.” Fluttershy babbled.

“Um…I don’t know what you are talking about Fluttershy, everything looked fine in the Boutique except that you were gone. The ponykins where just where I remembered them.” Fluttershy make an eep and pulled the blankets over her head again. Twilight Sparkle sighed and walked towards the door. “Well if you don’t want to finish your shopping I guess I will leave you here…alone. Bye.”

Twilight Sparkle couldn’t even put another hoof down when a weight clamped down on her hind leg. Looking back she found a quivering yellow and pink pony clutching her hind leg like it was a piece of drift wood in the ocean. “Glad you want to come along.” Twilight smiled.

Fluttershy was still shaking when they reached Bon Bon’s chocolate shop. “We can get all the candy we need here. Foals and adults love chocolate.” Twilight’s expression was crestfallen as she looked at Fluttershy maybe I should stuff some chocolate into you as well. She opened the door to the shop and had to squeeze through. Fluttershy wouldn’t leave her side and they had to enter together.

The shop had a wonderful aroma of chocolate, cherries, mint and other mouthwatering flavors. Twilight picked up one of the chocolates on a sample tray and used her powers to pass it to Fluttershy. She took it without objection and hoofed it into her mouth, savoring the rich treat. She stopped shaking but…hic. I guess chocolate doesn’t cure hiccups.

A mint colored unicorn mare sat behind the register. “Can I help you?”

“Yes I was wondering if you had any Cater-Choco-lots. They’re some of my favorite.”

“Um…I’m just a temp. Bon Bon would know, she’s upstairs.” She said gesturing to the stairwell behind her. “Are you sure I can’t interest you in some fudge bars or maybe some cherry cordials?”

“No that’s alright I will find Bon Bon and ask her myself.” Twilight sighed. “Com’on Fluttershy.” Fluttershy’s eyes darted about the shop, wary for any dangerous confections.

Once up stairs Twilight used her telekinesis to slowly dim the lights. Fluttershy perked up almost instantly. “Is something wrong?”

“Are the lights getting dimmer?” Fluttershy said with a quaver in her voice.

“No I don’t think so.” Twilight said careful to keep her voice even. She slowly walked down the hall passing bedrooms and bathrooms. “Bon Bon? Are you up here?” Twilight stopped and looked at the last door in the hall way. “I think I saw some pony in there.”

“um…maybe we shouldn’t hic be up here.” Fluttershy’s eyes darted back down the hallway.

“Nonsense, the clerk said it was alright. She must be in here.” Twilight pushed the door open and walked into a wide bedroom. The sun was on the other side of the house and the curtain for the single window was drawn. Fluttershy was still right next to Twilight and a slight tremor had crept back into her legs.

SLAM!

Fluttershy fell to the floor with a start, quaking on the ground. “It was just the bedroom door closing. Bon Bon? Is anypony here?” The bedroom was sparsely decorated except for a simple bed, a credenza in the corner, and two large, stand alone, full length mirrors. The mirrors were on opposite sides of the room. Fluttershy looked into one and felt an odd sense of vertigo as she could see herself reflected over and over and over, each reflection smaller than the last.

Something moved in the reflection that wasn’t Fluttershy, and her eyes went wide. Was it just a shadow or a trick of the light? She couldn’t be sure. Twilight called out again, “Bon Bon? Are you in here?” She looked at the mirror on the left side of the room and laughed “I always liked mirrors and telescopes. It’s amazing how they reflect objects infinitely, isn’t it? Fluttershy?” Fluttershy had backed up to Twilight and was looking at the other mirror. Fluttershy and Twilight were able to look at both each other and the mirrors without turning around.

“I…um…thought hic I saw something move.”

“Where? Did you see Bon Bon?” Fluttershy thought of all of the ghost stories she had heard as a filly. About speaking a pony’s name three times and making their ghost appear. She shuddered at the memory. Now that she thought about it, Twilight had said Bon Bon twice already. But Bon Bon wasn’t a ghost, was she?

“Bon Bon? Are you here? Bon Bon? Boooonnn Booooonnnn!” Twilight called, dragging the name out.

Clink… clink…. hissssss

The sound of a heavy chain dragging across the floor made Fluttershy snap her head around and her ears dart about like radar dishes. The whites of her eyes grew large yet she still saw nothing out of the ordinary. She stared into the mirror as the lights grew even dimmer and she gasped. In the mirror was a ghostly outline of what could have been a cream colored pony with a two tone mane, yet the colors were all in greyscale. It was difficult to see in the dim light but there were long gossamer chains hanging off of the image. Fluttershy’s breath caught in her throat. “T-T-T-T-Twilight!”

Twilight turned around and looked at Fluttershy and into the mirror she was looking at. She waved a hoof in front of Fluttershy’s face. “Uh Fluttershy? Are you ok? You look like you’ve seen a ghost.”

“Fluttershy…” The voice seemed to be far away, as if only heard as an echo. “It’s so cold…won’t you…switch places…with me… just for a night?” The image took a halting step forward, the chains making a soft clink as each link was pulled across the floor in the reflected room.

“hic g-g-ghost!” Twilight looked at Fluttershy and then the mirror and back again. She tilted her head to one side.

“Fluttershy? What are you looking at? I don’t see anything.” Fluttershy could not tear her eyes away from the apparition in the mirror. It lurched forward again a loud pop resounded behind her as one of the chains fell away causing Fluttershy to whirl around.

And stand face to face with a solid version of the apparition standing in front of the mirror she wasn’t, until a moment ago, looking at.

“hic AHHHHHHHHHHHHH hic AHHHHHHHHHHHH hic!” Fluttershy was there one moment and gone the next. Only the disturbance of a bit of dust and a rush of air was left in her wake.

“I don’t think that worked either. Are you sure this technique works? I could swear she’s getting worse.”

A muffled pony responded, “trust me, it will definitely work.”

Twilight found Fluttershy easily. She was dressed as a tree, a perfect disguise actually. The bark looked real and rough, the leaves were convincingly brown as befit the season, and it was in the park exactly where one would expect to find a tree. However this particular tree was shedding its leaves because it was shaking, something a real tree would find a tad difficult. “Fluttershy? Are you ok? You screamed and ran out of the shop? Do you want some candy? Or lunch?”

Fluttershy’s eyes appeared in the middle of the tree seemingly from nowhere. “Twilight, I swear hic I saw a ghost in the mirror! You hic have to believe me!” Her eyes were furrowed together, her voice a mere squeak. Twilight gently pulled apart the costume revealing the mess of Fluttershy. Her mane was disheveled and her eyes kept darting about like a crazed pony’s. At this rate she might actually go crazy. Maybe we should stop.

HIC

Fluttershy winced and clutched her chest with both hooves. Twilight sucked in a breath between her teeth. One more time, it’s for her own good. “Let’s get to Sweet Apple Acres, we can have lunch and pick out a few pumpkins.” Fluttershy shook her head and pulled the costume back over herself. Twilight sighed and said, “Fluttershy, I believe you.”

Fluttershy peeked out of her costume again. “hic You do?”

“I don’t know if you saw a ghost but you must have seen something. Maybe your blood sugar is low and your eyes are playing tricks on you. Let’s get lunch it’s well past noon anyway. If that’s alright with you.” I need to calm her down at least a little before the next one. “Why don’t we stop by my house and I’ll make you lunch.”

“Um…ok…” Fluttershy replied. Alright, here we go again, Twilight thought to herself.

Twilight and Fluttershy followed Big Macintosh out to the pumpkin patch. It was mostly picked clean, as the locals had already decorated their abodes hours or days before. Still, a few good candidates remained. “Are we the last two pony’s in town to get decorations?”

“Eeyep.” Big Macintosh began to trot away before Fluttershy stopped him.

“WAIT! Where hic are you going?”

“Got other custmers’.” Big Mac replied. “I trust ya, just bring me the bits tomorrow.” He smiled warmly before trotting away. Fluttershy’s eyes darted between Big Mac and Twilight.

“You’re hic not going anywhere are you hic?” Twilight looked up from studying a ripe orange pumpkin.

“Of course not, now that I have a full stomach I can find you a good pumpkin or two and we can decorate before sundown.” Fluttershy breathed a sigh of relief.

“Sister, are you alright?” Celestia said with liquid grace. Luna was pacing about the royal bedchamber. Her hooves continued tapping in place when she stopped before her sister. “Shouldn’t you be sleeping? Tonight is…”

“Nightmare Night! We know! We simply cannot wait any longer, we wish to start now!” Celestia raised an eyebrow.

“We cannot just raise and lower the sun and moon randomly, plants, animals, ponies, all require the regular rhythms of the sun and…”

“We KNOW!” Luna’s voice rose to a glass shattering volume. She looked down sheepishly for a moment when the wine glass on the nightstand did just that. She continued with normal volume, “we are just so excited for tonight, we want to start early. Please, just for tonight, we promise to allow the sun extra time tomorrow.”

“That’s quite alright sister, you may have the extra time tonight with my blessing. You owe me nothing.” Celestia smiled warmly, ever since the incident she was always careful to give Luna her time in the spotlight. Both sisters stepped out onto the balcony, Luna doing more bouncing than walking. Two horns glowed with regal purpose.

Fluttershy was looking at the Everfree forest. Sweet Apple Acres was already close to the dread woods, and the pumpkin patch was as close as you could get without leaving the farm. Normally Fluttershy wouldn’t be so nervous around the Everfree, she lived near it every day after all, however today did not qualify as normal.

Suddenly the sun began to race across the sky. Within less than a minute it touched the horizon causing long shadows to stretch across the ground from the Everfree’s trees towards the two ponies. Twilight looked up, her lower lip stuck out. “Hmm that’s odd.” The sun dipped below the horizon creating an awesome display of orange and purple clouds. Within another minute the sun’s light was a memory and the stars came out. The moon rose above the horizon, full and beautiful. The clouds diffused the moon’s light giving it a brilliant halo.

Twilight Sparkle smiled. “Looks like Luna is going all out this year, she’s starting Nightmare Night early! Isn’t that cool, Fluttershy? Fluttershy?” Twilight found Fluttershy crouched on the ground shaking again. Twilight sighed and said, “well it’s alright I found us a good pumpkin, see it’s already carved out. I wonder who left this here.” Twilight held up a large orange gourd. True to her word, it was missing a top. Nothing was carved onto its surface however. “Hee hee, think I could use this for a mask?” Twilight pulled the pumpkin over her head, as if trying on a hat. It slipped over her head with a plop. Fluttershy stifled a giggle as she looked at her pumpkin headed friend, perhaps egghead was the wrong moniker.

HIC

Fluttershy clutched her chest again as she winced. “Um…can I get a little help?” Twilight’s muffled voice echoed out of the pumpkin. “I can’t get this thing off.”

“Oh dear.” Fluttershy started towards her friend. “Oh what can hic I do? Oh…”

AWOOOOOOOOOO!

A howl that echoed everywhere seemed to resonate from nowhere and everywhere at once. Fluttershy flattened her ears and sat on her haunches in the soft dirt. She looked around, her eyes getting bigger every second.

AWOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!

Louder and closer was the sound. Twilight began to use two hooves to push the pumpkin off of her head but it didn’t seem to budge. Fluttershy looked about with wide eyes and saw in the distance a small hill which rose to a short cliff above the Everfree. The moon was behind it, highlighting the little hillock. The sight drew Fluttershy’s eyes causing her breath to stop midway.

Standing on the hill, silhouetted by the moon was a four legged creature. It was jagged, as if it were drawn on the landscape with a filly using nothing more than a sharp black crayon and straight lines. The only color it had was the crimson eyes which turned upward along with its muzzle.

AWOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!

Fluttershy’s wings slapped to her flanks and she shook violently. “T-T-T-Twilight hic! T-T-Timberwolf!” The figure on the hill turned toward Fluttershy, even though it was far away she just knew it was looking at her. Her heart pounded in her chest and her breath became shallow. A film of sweat broke out on her coat giving it a soft sheen. It took all of her willpower to stand up when suddenly the figure on the hill moved. It raced down the hill, a dark blur which disappeared below the tall grasses which surrounded the Everfree and stopped at the edge of the farm’s property. “TWILIGHT! RUN!” Fluttershy screamed and bolted, she was suddenly energized, adrenaline coursing through her. Twilight finally popped the pumpkin off of her head.

“Fluttershy? Wait!” She called after her to no avail. Fluttershy darted into the next field crashing through long stalks that rose above her head. They were leafy and scratchy at the same time. She stumbled and fell on her face, breathing hard, she looked up. An old moldy ear of corn was in the dirt row. She noticed a few discarded corn cobs were in the row now that she looked. She scrambled to her feet and listened, her ears as ridged as her body.

The only sound she could hear was a faint cricket and her own labored breath. Where is Twilight? Oh no what if the Timberwolf ate her? She slowly moved down the row. The end of the corn row seemed to stretch miles away from her. Clop…clop…clop. Just put one hoof in front of the other, get out of here quietly and find Twilight.

Movement to her right made her freeze, and her blood went cold. The corn stalks shook and parted several rows away with a hiss. She looked and listened in that direction, not even daring to breath. She felt as if even her heart had stopped. She waited for an eternity or a few heartbeats anyway.

She started down the row again, as slowly as she could. She crept along as quite as a mouse. Sniff…Sniff…Sniff. The sound made her freeze again. She could hear the sharp intake of breath in regular intervals. Something moved in the field in a different row and she could hear its bulk as it made soft padding footfalls. She started to move as quietly and as quickly as she could, trying to move away from the source of the sound.

GRRRRRRRR snort

The source of the sound was getting closer. Fluttershy’s breath became rapid and chills swept her body. She was afraid she would pass out and that would be the end of her. She moved down the row, walls of corn on each side of her, trying not to make a sound.

HIC

AWOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!

”AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH hic AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!!!” Fluttershy screamed and flew down the straight dirt path. A horrible crashing sound echoed from behind her. She shut her eyes and with the help of her wings shot out of the row with blinding speed. She began to rise and crashed through an apple tree’s branches, snapping twigs and getting a few caught in her hair. She barely noticed and kept going straight for the heart of Ponyville.

“This isn’t working, we have to try something else.”

“Nahh I don’t think she was scared enough.”

“You’re just saying that because you want to do this again!”

Snort “hahaha, I reckon yer right.”

Twilight was galloping through Ponyville’s market square looking for Fluttershy. She had checked all of the likely places but found nothing. The locals were in a hurry to get ready for Nightmare Night, none of them knew nightfall would happen so early. Twilight was ready to give up after an hour of searching. Where else could she be? She spotted her friends near the town square fountain looking towards Sugercube Corner so, she trotted up to them.

“Have you three seen Fluttershy? I lost her after she flew away from out last attempted cure. Which I must say is a dismal failure! She still had the hiccups when I last saw her. Where is Pinkie Pie? And what are you three looking at?” Rarity was the first to close her mouth and regain her composure.

“We just saw Pinkie Pie with a toaster oven, a bag of charcoal, an Oboe, a wheel of cheese, and Fluttershy! She disappeared behind Sugercube corner and now look!” Twilight looked at Sugercube Corner and saw a strange billowing multicolored cloud of smoke rising from the rear smokestack. That was not the strangest thing however. The sounds were even more perplexing.

Splat…Crunch!...MoooOOO…splorch…boink

Twilight tilted her head. “The scientific process does not go ‘boink.’ What is going on in there?”

“We were bout’ to ask you the same thing.” Applejack said.

“Ok I can’t wait anymore, let’s just go in there and find out.” Rainbow Dash started forward, although not as boldly as Twilight had come to expect.

The four ponies trotted around to the back of Sugercube Corner. The back barn door used for loading and unloading supplies was closed. The crack under and between the large doors however released a cacophony of sounds and lights. Twilight gently pushed the door open and all four ponies gasped at the sight.

Sitting on a stool in the middle of everything was Fluttershy. She had a serene look on her face, one hoof gently rubbing her chest. Pinkie Pie was off to the right simultaneously using a bellows to stoke an oven, playing the harmonica, and turning a crank. The crank was attached to the beginning of a “machine” which would have made Rube Goldmane proud. Bicycle wheels acting as water wheels sent marbles down chutes which bounced in rock tumblers which sent toast into the oven which got butter dripped on them by candles lit by matches tapped to roller skates. The entire process seemed to have no end. Twilights eyes rotated in opposite directions trying to make sense of it all. All she received for her efforts was a headache.

“What in tarnation?”

“Fluttershy? Are you alright? What is this machine for? Where does the cow fit into everything?” Rainbow Dash started to fire questions off as fast as she could think of them.

“Dear, do you still have the hiccups?” Rarity inquired.

“oh…um…no…I don’t think so.” Fluttershy shook her head. “I haven’t had one in over four minutes.” She smiled while Pinkie Pie looked at Fluttershy.

“Well duh! I told you it would work! No hiccup can resist Pinkamena Diane Pie!” She said with triumph. Twilight continued to study the contraption. Well that would…then the…but that doesn’t even follow the laws of physics!

“Pinkie Pie, what…is all this?” Twilight said as she gestured to...the entire room.

“Oh this is just a simple cure for the hiccups.” Twilight’s eyes rotated in opposite directions for a full revolution before stopping cross eyed. She facehoofed, the headache just got worse. That’s so stupid I can’t even see straight.

“You mean to say this is simple? Simple like, I don’t know, drinking a glass of water upside down?” Twilight said as her headache throbbed.

Pffft “Why would you drink a glass of water upside down?” Pinkie giggled at the notion. “I mean you would probably just spill it everywhere.”

“Then why did you ask for a glass of water when we were talking about curing Fluttershy of the hiccups?” Twilight said with exasperation.

“Uh because this is exhausting and it makes me thirsty! Duh? What else would I do with a glass of water?” She reached over and pulled a glass of water out from behind the toaster oven and downed it in one gulp.

CRACK-BOOM!

Everypony jumped, lightning and thunder rolled over Ponyville without warning. “I guess Luna is nearly here.” Twilight said looking up at the sky.

Hic
Hic
Hic

“Oh you have got to be kidding me.” Twilight looked at the three ponies beside her, each one had emitted the dreaded sound.

Pinkie Pie sighed and said, “ok you three sit down in the middle there.” She pointed and continued, “Twilight, Fluttershy, I need you two to get me a glass of water.”