2018 Nightmare Night Short Story

Pinkie had to be the last pony awake in Ponyville, she was only heading home to get some rest because Twilight had insisted after seeing that it was nearly 3:30 in the morning. The bed had, unsurprisingly, remained stoic and accepted the weight of a Twilight who had fallen asleep halfway through her allowing it to perform its one true purpose in Equestria. Pinkie heard the dull pomf from upstairs as she dragged her feet towards the front door, poor little Spike hadn't even made it to the staircase and lay forgotten slumped against a bookcase. It was perfect weather for Nightmare Night, in her opinion, overcast skies hid the full moon almost entirely. It plunged the landscape into total darkness, save for the plethora of candles, silly jack o' lanterns, and warm homes that threw the darkness into deep contrast with the sanctuary of friendly lights and colors. But the cloud cover seemed to finally seemed to be thinning and lit up the deserted streets enough for her to make her way back to Sugarcube Corner. Something slithered into an alley ahead of her. Pinkie stopped, eyes frantically scanning for what she had seen. Maybe she just imagined something, she tried to convince herself, it was possible; she had eaten a lot of candy, even by her standards. After murmuring a bit and shaking her head, she continued home with a faster gait, eyes leaping between the buildings. Clattering broke the silence and a glass bottle slowly rolled out from around the corner of the building ahead of her. "Hello? Anypony there?" Nose twitching, eyes wide, stock still, she swiveled her ears frantically. The building across the street blackened and Pinkie stood frozen watching it. Two small slits opened, peering malevolently as a gooey, jagged smile ripped open underneath them. She gasped, her hooves quaked, she managed to take a few jittery steps back. It seemed to drip as the blackness quickly spread, overtaking more of the surrounding buildings. The ambient light was extinguished around Pinkie as the darkness snaked around her, tendrils rising from the streets and reaching from the lamp posts, only distinguishable by their sickening sheen. Her back hooves kicked out from under her and she turned, screaming, launching herself down the alley behind her. The black spread like a blanket under the clouds, obscuring windows as it roiled and swept over roofs. Pinkie Pie's hooded figure burst from the other end of the alley with a mockery of a claw reaching out to swipe at her. She tore through the streets of Ponyville at a frantic pace, her Scarlet cloak rippling behind her, catching what little light was left as it seemed like ink was being poured out all around her. Another Intersection came and went and Sugarcube Corner came into view. A manic grin broke across her muzzle and she sped towards it. The colors vanished from the building like a bucket of paint had been emptied on it, the congealed mass of black slowly running down the sides of building. The sight of it brought Pinkie skipping to halt, sending debris skittering as she stared. The rest of the building was quickly brought under the curtain of black as it was all pulled towards to stoop to form a dripping mass. "Nowhere to hide," a hissing voice lilted. Leering eyes emerged on the forming mass and locked with Pinkie's stare. Imitations of forelegs broke free, speckling the ground with black and the eyes extended on the writhing form of a head. "Nowhere to run," the voice hissed as a jagged grin formed on the shadow's muzzle. It broke into a gallop straight for Pinkie and she jumped back, maneuvering her back hooves to dig in and help her escape, but the blackness had swarmed about behind her. She faltered and scrambled once she hit the ground, kicking out at the dirt in front of the encroaching circle. The shadow loomed over her with a wicked smile. As it stretched into the sky its head sat atop a wall of writhing black and it connected with the rest of the shadows. Inky tendrils snaked from all around Pinkie and lashed out at her. "No!" She screamed as she tried to beat back the darkness, but as her hooves caught it, it adhered to her like viscous slime. They were freezing and sent goosebumps breaking out across her skin as she thrashed wildly, slowly being pulled in as it dragged across her fur. One final scream rent the air and the tendrils engulfed her. "Yes," the shadow greedily wheezed, "your delectable screams whet my appetite so- so- wait, are you laughing?" Its slimy shadows parted to reveal her and spun her to face itself. Her giggling snort was unmistakable to any who had heard it before. "Yeap! Oh, I'm sorry," Pinkie managed to calm herself down to just a teensy fit of the giggles, "I thought you were done. Are you done?" She snirked. The clouds overhead parted slightly, rending furrows through the inky blackness cast upon the buildings and streets as the moonlight peeked through. "I- I don't understand," its discordant voice seemed to fray, "but you ran, you were scared, you were screaming bloody murder!" An accusing shadow accused her accusingly with an accusing motion before evaporating in the shifting light. "Some times, it's really fun to be scared," she giggled a little more as the moonlight finally hit her face, illuminating her blue irises with a dangerous yellow. "But there are scarier things than what skulk in the dark." Fillies and Colts were roused from their candy-induced sleep comas by the ethereal scream reverberating through the streets.