Why did ponies need to sleep in the dark? Sweetie Belle thought it was pointless. Closing your eyes was dark enough anyway, you didn’t need all the scary dark around you to go with it!

Even the soft bedsheets Sweetie had wrapped herself in weren’t enough to combat the lurking blackness that surrounded her. Normally, she could sleep fine but tonight seemed worse than any other night. Like if somepony was watching her, she’d have no idea who it was because it was so dark! They could be lurking in her wardrobe, or chest of drawers, or… she gulped.

A hoot caused a Sweetie to squeak like a mouse, as she hugged the bed sheets tighter to her shivering body. Owls were normally nice, Twilight had a nice one, but at night their eyes seemed way too freaky. Plus that weird way they could turn their neck around so seamlessly, just to stare at you, never blinking.

The window! It was open, letting in a breeze barely detectable, but enough to make Sweetie’s hairs stand on end. Maybe that was what was making tonight seem so bad? Carefully slipping off the bed, the sheets dragging behind her like a gown, she resolved to march to that pesky window and slam it shut once and for all.

With every step she took, things didn’t seem so bad after all. Who’d left that window open anyway? Rarity, probably. Sometimes she was scatterbrained, especially when she had a lot of dresses to work on.

Sweetie shed her bed gown as she reached up to close the window. Grabbing on, it was a simple matter of swinging it shut. She blinked when she heard a slam and the ringing of metal. Looking down, a hook had lodged itself in that gap Sweetie had hoped to close.

“EEP!!” Sweetie screamed, throwing herself away from the window and bounding into the sprawled bed sheets .

“Shhh!”

“Eep, snake monster!!” Sweetie struggled to flee but tripped under the sheets, face planting back into them. Flailing onto her back, she desperately tried to crawl away from the hook. “Please don’t eat me!!”

“What? Hold on!” With a grunt, a pony raised herself into view, tapping on the window. “I’m no monster, see?” She tried for a smile but it was strained and her eyes were hidden under a pair of shades.

“Don’t eat meeeeee!!” Sweetie cried, her voice shuddering as she ran for the bed.

“Wait! Shh!” the pony replied. “I’m not going to eat you, I’m here to help! Trust me!”

“Why should I trust you?!” Sweetie asked, dragging the bed sheets up to her. “You’re breaking into my house!”

The mare blinked, staring at the hook. “Point taken. But look, I need to break into your house.”

“To kidnap me?!”

“What?” She frowned, shaking her head. “No! I need to get in because you’re in danger right now!”

Sweetie thrust a hoof at her intruder. “Yeah, from you!”

The shades pony took a deep breath, raising one hoof as much as she could. “I can explain everything,” she spoke, slowly and carefully. “But you need to let me in so I can help you. I’m one of the good guys, believe me.”

“I don’t know…” Even if the shades pony had gone on for a few sentences without eating Sweetie Belle, she was still trying to get into her room without asking. “Mom said not to trust strangers.”

“Then your mother really cares about your safety.” Grunting again, she slipped a hoof in through the gap. “And so do I, which is why I need to get in and protect you.”

Sweetie looked around her room. The sharpest things she could see were the scraps of paper she had doodled on this evening. “From what?”

“A real monster!”

In that moment, Sweetie Belle clocked a time that she thought could even make Scootaloo jealous, as she sped to the window and opened it fully, helping in her newfound guest. She was an earth pony, wearing a pair of simple saddlebags that fell to the ground with a thump. Her cutie mark was a couple of sweets, still in their wrappers and her mane and tail were two toned and curled, a little like her own hair.

“Who are you? You’re here to save me, right?!”

“I’m Agent Sweetie Drops,” she answered, lowering her glasses and smiling down at the filly. “And yes, I’m here to save you from the bad monster.”

“Okay,” Sweetie said, suddenly clutching onto Drops’ leg. “We should really wake up Rarity if there’s a monster in the house.”

Sweetie drops flinched. “No!”

The smaller Sweetie looked up at her, blinking. “What do you mean? She’s in danger!”

“We can’t tell her because… I’m an Agent!” Upon seeing the filly tilty her head in confusion, she elaborated, “I can’t risk ponies finding out my secret identity. Because Agents are meant to be super secret. Understand?”

“I guess that makes sense…” Belle said, glancing to her bedroom door. “But Rarity’s still in danger, right?”

Sweetie Drops shook her head. “I’ve tracked the monster to this room. As long as it doesn’t leave, she’s fine.”

“If you say so…” Sweetie Belle reluctantly let go of the elder mare, taking a few cautious steps around her room. She did a complete turn, then went back to Drops. “Where is it?”

Drops inclined a leg towards the bed. “Look under there.”

Sweetie Belle ducked down, staring at the space underneath her bed. Normally it was dark but there was something else… like it was advanced darkness or something. Light had been snuffed out completely, creating a stark contrast with the rest of the floor.

She gulped, stepping away. “What is it…?”

“It goes by many names but maybe you’re more familiar with the Boogeymare,” Sweetie Drops answered, nudging her shades up her snout. “Speaking of names, I’ll need yours. You already have mine.”

“Sweetie Belle,” she said, then frowned. “You stole my name.”

“I was born first, how could I?”

Sweetie Belle pouted. “Fine. But can I give you a nickname? I don’t want to say my own name all the time… it’s weird.”

Drops shrugged, taking a few steps towards the bed. “Go ahead.”

“Ummmmm…” Sweetie Belle stared at her new friend, trying to pick apart any noticeable features that could be converted into a neat moniker. Candy? No, too simple. Wrapper? Too weird. How about…

“Shades!”

Drops blinked, turning to the filly. “Excuse me?”

“‘Cause you’re wearing sunglasses even though it’s nighttime.” Sweetie Belle scratched her head. “Why are you wearing them anyway?”

“I need to, for certain monster hunting reasons,” Shades answered.

“Is it because they make you feel cool?”

“Don’t be silly, no.” Shades shook her head. “No.”

“If you’re sure…” Sweetie took one last look at those sunglasses, then turned her attention to the dark lurking under her bed. “So what does this Boogeymare do? Does it eat ponies?”

“Not exactly. It feeds off them—”

Sweetie let out a high pitched gasp. “It’s a vampire?!”

“No, it’s not a vampire.” Shades directed a shush towards Sweetie. “And keep it down, will you? We don’t want Rarity to find out about all this, remember?”

“Oh, she won’t!” Sweetie chirped. “She always sleeps with an eye mask and earplugs. She really, really, likes her beauty sleep.”

“Huh. Well that’s good. Gives me more freedom to work.” Shades went to her saddlebags and began to rummage through them. “Anyway, it’s not a vampire. It feeds off ponies’ dreams, not their blood or anything.”

Plucking out a vial of salt, Shades went over to the window and closed it, making sure to reel in the hook and rope first. “I suspected one was around in Ponyville when my,” she hesitated, “best friend said she was having trouble sleeping and remembering dreams. Not something to worry about by itself but she became incredibly tired and her magic lost much of its strength.”

“That’s bad,” Sweetie said.

Shades nodded, beginning to spread salt around the rim of the window. “Yep. So tonight I had planned to catch the thing while she was asleep, but it escaped and now I’m—”

“Wait. Why do it when your best friend was asleep?”

Shades froze.

“She could’ve helped you and then maybe it wouldn’t have fled here,” Sweetie said.

“Because…” Shades chewed her lip. “Because she needed to be asleep to draw out the Boogeymare. That’s monster hunting one-o-one..”

Sweetie gave her a skeptical stare. “You used your best friend as bait?”

“No! She knew what she was getting into,” Shades spluttered. She stepped aside, highlighting the salt spread around the window. “Aren’t you going to ask what I’m doing?”

“Not really,” Sweetie said with a shrug. “Kinda assumed it was important agent stuff.”

“You’re right about that,” Shades replied, heading over to the door and spreading the salt around the frame. “Boogeymare’s have a physical form but they can also shift into an ethereal form,” Sweetie rose a hoof, “basically they can go all magical. The salt, which also has magical properties, is going to be used to make circles that will block the Boogeymare’s exit if it tries to phase through the door or window.”

“Um… I think I get it,” Sweetie said. “Can’t it just go through the walls though? Or the floor?”

“If it was more powerful, maybe. As it stands, those are both far too thick for it to pass through.” Shades gave the wall a solid knock. “It has its limits; the door has gaps in the frame it can squeeze and the glass of the window is really thin.”

“That doesn’t sound too bad then.” Sweetie looked back at the complete pitch black that lay under her bed. Thanks to her new friend, it didn’t seem as scary as before. But it was still incredibly creepy how darkness could just start so suddenly. It almost looked like a void to another world.

“So what’s with all the dark stuff?” she asked, flailing a hoof in its general direction.

“It’s basically telling you to back off,” Shades replied, stretching up to cover the top of the door frame. “Boogeymares are kinda cowardly like that.”

“So it doesn’t eat ponies, just their dreams, and it’s also a coward,” Sweetie said, pouting. “Is this thing really dangerous? Can it even kill a pony?”

“It’s still a monster.” Shades put the salt vial back into her saddlebag. “And I’m here to put an end to it,” she finished, grinning to herself.

“You said I was in danger!” Sweetie cried, nudging Shades’ hind leg. “I thought it was gonna get eaten!”

Shades turned, pushing Sweetie away in one gentle motion. “Even if it’s not that dangerous, like I said, a monster is a monster. And do you want you good sleep and your magic intact?”

“Yeah…” Sweetie said, rubbing her foreleg.

“Exactly,” Shades said, coupled with a firm nod. “Now, while we’re talking about magic, how’s yours?”

Sweetie stuck out her tongue, her horn glowing green while her face tensed up. “If I concentrate I can levitate some stuff pretty well.”

“That’ll do. You can help complete these magic circles then,” Shades said, guiding Sweetie to the window.

“Really? How?”

“Just focus your magic in the center. The circle should do the rest,” Shades explained, gesturing towards the middle of the window.

“That’s it? Can’t you do it because you’re not a unicorn?” Sweetie asked, taking a deep breath as she prepared to focus.

“I could…” Shades said, before grimacing and scratching her foreleg. “But it’d require some blood from me.”

Sweetie blinked, her magic sparking out and disappearing. “B-Blood?! Why?!”

“Earth ponies and pegasi are magical too, you know. It’s just more… innate. So we need to use our blood if we want to close magic circles,” Shades replied, kicking away a saddlebag. “Basically we need to offer a part of our magic, which will react with the salt, to create a magical reaction of sorts that’ll complete the circle. Then that circle will cut off any of the Boogeymare’s attempts to slip by us!”

Sweetie fell onto her rump, rubbing her forehead. “That all sounded like something Twilight would say…”

“She’d be much better at explaining it than me, yes,” Shades acknowledged, shrugging. “You ready?”

“As I’ll ever be…” Sweetie sighed, scrunching up her face in concentration.

Shades stepped aside, giving Sweetie a reassuring smile. “Don’t worry. It’s easy.”

She nodded, approaching the window. With her tongue stuck out, she did her best to clear her mind of any nagging thoughts. Like that homework assignment that still needed to be done. Instead, she thought about her magic, which when she thought about, was really just a part of herself. Those thoughts led onto ones about her singing, the adventures she had with her friends and what sort of cutie mark she might get in the future.

There was a spark, the salt and the center of the circle both flashing up briefly. Sweetie jumped at the noise, which wiped away any magic she had built up on her horn. “Sorry…”

“For what? You did it,” Shades said, moving over to the door circle.

Sweetie blinked, then smiled, dimples forming on her cheeks. “That’s it? That was easy!”

“I told you. Now the circle’s closed, so the Boogeymare can’t escape through the window.” She nodded at the door. “Got enough juice for another?”

“You bet!” Sweetie cheered. In no time at all, she heard that other spark go off. She actually watched it herself this time and hopped up upon seeing the result of her efforts. “I did it! Again!”

“Nice job, Sweetie.” Shades lowered her sunglasses, giving the filly a wink. Then she approached her saddlebags and started to search through them again. “Now it’s my turn.”

“Your turn to do what?” Sweetie narrowed her eyes, zoning in on a small vial Shades brought out from her bag. “What’s that?”

“Potion. One for strength.” Popping off the cork, Shades took a single swig of the substance. She closed her eyes as she took it in, shivering momentarily. A few seconds later, her eyes flashed open and her breathing became faster and much heavier.

Sweetie couldn’t believe her eyes. Galloping up to the empty vial, she checked for a label but all it had was a taped piece of paper with ‘Strength’ written on it. “What’s it doing to you? Are you okay?!” she spluttered, dropping the vial.

“Fine, I’m fine,” Shades replied, although her voice was strained. She shook her head vigorously, then slapped her cheeks. That seemed to sober her up from her state and from there, she ran through a few check ups, such as checking her pulse and regulating her now heavy breathing.

“You wanna explain what’s happening to you?” Sweetie asked, keeping her distance.

“Strength potion,” Shades answered, wiping a drop of the liquid from her mouth. “A manufactured adrenaline rush. Basically lets you push past your body’s limits.”

“That sounds dangerous…”

“That’s because it is. Requires incredible training and discipline to master proper use of it. Push yourself too far and…” Shades stopped, seeing Sweetie’s grimace. “I’ve used these for years. I’m good.”

Sweetie accepted that, nodding. Her eyes now turned to the darkness. “Are you going to wrestle the Boogeymare now?”

“Heh, something like that.” Shades performed a few small stretches. “I’ll draw it out, subdue it, then… turn it into the authorities, I suppose.”

“Should I go for this? Will it get dangerous?” Sweetie said, moving to the door and placing a hoof on the handle.

Shades cautiously approached the bed, lowering herself down. “If you want, although Boogeymare’s aren’t known for straight up fights. But I took the potion as an extra precaution, just in case. I think we’ll be fine, though.”

Sweetie nodded but opened her door ajar nonetheless.

“Alright then… let’s go,” Shades muttered, reaching into the dark with a hoof.

She shivered and grit her teeth, pushing her foreleg deeper within. Sweetie watched, opening the door even further, her little legs poised to leap out of the room. Her bed wasn’t that big but apparently the space under it was, with Shades really having to reach in to grab that monster. It looked odd to Sweetie but she kept quiet.

Her heart leapt when she saw Shades freeze, her eyes momentarily open wide. Yet in a blink, her expression became a fierce grin and she dug her hooves into the ground, pulling back.

“Gotcha,” she said, slowly drawing away from the bed. There wasn’t much struggling, as far as Sweetie could tell anyway, for the furniture barely moved the whole time.

With a grunt, Shades fell back, plucking the Boogeymare out like a carrot and revealing it for both of them to see. Its appearance was rather drab, simply being a pale, thin, small looking pony wearing a hood and some tattered rags. That was where any semblance of normality ended, however, for upon catching a brief glimpse of the hood, Sweetie saw nothing. No face, no glowing eyes, no light. Nothing.

She squeaked, watching Shades roll backwards with the Boogeymare in tow. The Agent tumbled onto her back, her muscles tensed, keeping a grip on her mark. The moment she rolled back onto her front, she dug her hooves into the floor, halting her to a complete stop. The Boogeymare jerked but made no sound. even as it still remained in Shades’grip.

Sweetie closed the door behind, taking a very careful step forwards. “That’s it?”

“Almost,” Shades said, not giving the Boogeymare an inch. “Just need to make sure it can’t try and run.”

Sweetie stared at the monster, lying under Shades. Even if the lack of head was pretty creepy, it didn’t look so scary. The lack of wild thrashing and weird noises must have had something to do with it.

“Bring me my saddlebags?” Shades flicked her tail in their general direction. “There’ll be something in them I can use to tie this fella down.”

“You got it, Agent Shades!” Sweetie grinned, skipping over to the saddlebags.

That was when she heard the hiss.

Never in her life had Sweetie ever heard something that sounded cold. She didn’t even think it was possible but there she was, that hissing sound scraping through her ears like an icicle. It sent a shiver down her spine and then to every part of her body. With great effort, she compelled her head to turn around.

Shades was shivering too, her grin now completely gone. She wasn’t scared but she was definitely tense, in the same way Opalescence was when she was about to pounce something. The Boogeymare remained still.

“Likely just mad that we caught it,” Shades said. “Hurry. Bring me those saddlebag—”

There was another hiss, one that actually hurt Sweetie’s ears. She clamped her hooves over them and stared in horror as the Boogeymare shimmered, becoming translucent. In a flash, it shot up, shrinking as it seemed to tunnel into Shades’ head without leaving a trace. Her eyes rolled back, then shut, and she collapsed onto the floor in a heap.

“No!” Sweetie cried, rushing over to Shades. She shook her body as hard as she could but there was no response. “Wake up!”

Shades refused.

“Wake! Up!” Sweetie screamed, wincing as she slapped Shades in the face. Even that wasn’t enough to wake her up. Cold sweat ran down Sweetie’s face, her breaths becoming quick and panicky. The darkness had left her bed but now the monster had invaded her friend’s mind!

Hurriedly, she tossed the saddlebags over, chucking out every object inside. There was rope, some more vials and a few small gems but nothing like a manual on monsters. Surrounded by gear she had no idea how to use, Sweetie sat there and bit her lip. She had little options to work with, her magic wasn’t nearly good enough to get her out of a jam like this, and she hadn’t much time to work with.

If it wasn’t too late for Shades already, that is.

---

When Sweetie Drops came to, she felt weightless. Yet definitely alive. Her heart pounded in her chest and her mouth felt drier than Appleloosa’s desert. Answers had to come first, not water. A quick glance around left her disappointingly few of them. She was floating in a white space… and that was all she could say.

Sweetie Belle wasn’t anywhere to be seen or heard, which was likely a good thing. Hopefully, she was safe, maybe even getting a good night’s rest. The Boogeymare couldn’t be accounted for either and that meant her job wasn’t done yet.

‘Job’. That implied anypony had asked her to undergo any of this. Lyra’s reports of restless nights and being tired and drained of magic had stirred an itch deep within Sweetie, one that she hoped she wouldn’t pop up for the rest of her life. She was Bon Bon now but that name held little meaning for her right now.

She grunted. Contemplation later, unofficial duties first. She had gotten herself into this mess, so it was her responsibility to get out of it.

A flick of her legs and Sweetie found herself gaining some momentum. A few more experimental motions and she found she could turn, do flips and control her momentum based on strong her leg movements were. Effectively, she was swimming in air, as little sense that made. Still, it was something to work with. Wherever she was, freedom of movement would undoubtedly be of great use.

Turning, Sweetie immediately thanked the celestial stars for her luckily good timing. There the Boogeymare floated, still in its eerie pony form. It made no sound, or motion, simply static in the air.

“What are you trying to pull here?” Sweetie asked. She knew she wouldn’t get any answer but her own voice helped with the dead silence that surrounded them both.

The Boogeymare made the slightest of motions, its chest slightly rising. Fire then spurt out from its hood, hurtling straight for Sweetie in the form of one long molten beam. Applying weight to her life side, Sweetie spun out of the air, feeling the heat of the fire across her flank.

“What the—that shouldn’t be possible! Not from a simple Boogeymare!” In all of Sweetie’s training and travels, never before had she encountered any evidence of Boogeymares, or Dreamsnatchers if you wanted a more official term, being able to spit fire. Especially since some forms they took had no mouths to speak of.

She briefly considered that this was a being far more malicious than a simple Boogeymare but that seemed unlikely; it wouldn’t account for its actions prior to this moment. If it could spit fire, it would’ve done so way earlier, during the chase through Ponyville at the dead of night.

For now, all Sweetie could do was examine every movement her opponent made, however little there was. It floated there for a while more, perhaps doing the same to Sweetie herself. Eventually, she had no idea how long, the inside of its hood flashed purple. She started drifting to the right, railing against her instincts that told her to make a dive. Patience was the key to surviving fights, especially with monsters, who were often terribly predictable.

Sure enough, it's intentions became clear. To its side, a giant spear popped into existence, surrounded by a purple glow. It tilted down, spear end pointed towards Sweetie, then flew at her like a bolt from a crossbow.

Sweetie flapped all her legs at once, gaining incredible lift at the cost of looking like a jellyfish. The spear darted just under her hindhooves and she spun in the air, attempting to keep an eye on it. Yet just like that, it had vanished and the Boogeymare remained still.

So that was another thing it shouldn’t have been able to do: conjure objects out of nowhere. Sweetie racked her brain for answers, trying to ignoring her thumping heartbeat. It made no sense! Boogeymare’s were sneaky fiends, preferring to avoid confrontation. They fed on dreams and not flesh because it allowed them to feast in peace and the consumption of dreams left behind little evidence.

Dreams. Dreams! That was it, it had to be!

Sweetie acted fast on her new lead, envisioning herself teleporting behind the Boogeymare. In an instant, she was looking at the tattered rags that covered the monster’s rear.

“Yes!” Sweetie cheered, throwing a hoof up into the air. This was a dream world anything was possible here, even highly aggressive Boogeymare’s with random new powers. A lot of questions still needed to be answered but for now, the odds had been evened.

The Boogeymare whipped around, a large thorny vine appearing in its hoof. Sweetie flinched but remained steadfast, holding up a foreleg and imagining herself holding a hulking tower shield. There was a clank of metal as the vine connected solidly with a newly appeared wall of metal. She grinned to herself, barely feeling a thing. Despite her shield’s size, it weighed as much as a feather because she wanted it to. Damn the rules in this place.

Shouting out a battle cry, Sweetie thrust her shield down onto the Boogeymare. There was a clunk and then a pained hiss as the monster endured the hit. Sweetie smirked, giving it no time to recuperate by swinging her shield at it from the side, sending it flying away like a crumpled ball of paper.

The Boogeymare stopped its trajectory and floated into a still position but Sweetie wasn’t down yet. Licking her lips, she decided to get the thing a little taste of its own medicine. Opening her mouth, she spit out a line of hot flame towards her foe. Upon impact, it quickly spread across the monster’s rags and it flailed, hissing furiously.

After finishing a glass of water she desperately needed, Sweetie thought it was time to finish things. Clearly the Boogeymare was in a panic, for it could’ve have easily conjured a large body of water to douse its flames. Sweetie took the opportunity to finish it in the most spectacular way she could.

Raising a hoof, she started to conjure a ball of wild magic that gradually grew in size. It took on a two-toned appearance like her mane, magic sparks dancing and flickering before her eyes. It was bright, almost so much that it hurt staring at it, but she couldn’t look away. Never since her days in the field as an Agent for Celestia had she felt so alive. Her heart raced in her chest and each color and sound from the ball of magic felt so vibrant. As much as she enjoyed her new life, it was these moments that she missed and feared she’d never experience again. Not today.

Sweetie grinned at her globe of magic, now almost twice the size of her. She held her foreleg back, poised to through, the flames still covering the Boogeymare. Her victory was almost complete. Taking a deep breath, she threw.

The ball barely went far before fizzling out like a damp match. Sweetie blinked a few times, then glared at the Boogeymare. It was still in a state and the flames still looked as furious as ever. Her brow furrowed and she looked at her hooves. They looked blurry, even after rubbing her eyes and blinking some more.

“What…” she breathed, barely able to say the words. Her heart was no longer an energetic drum in her chest and even her mind felt hazy, unable to conjure up even the simplest of images to help her out. Then something locked up in her throat, reducing her breaths to short, sharp gasps. Darkness slipped in around the edges of her vision. The last thing she saw was the burning form of the Boogeymare, fading away just like she was.

---

If shouting, shakes and slaps hadn’t awoken Shades up, Sweetie Belle feared that nothing would. She had even threatened to snap the sunglasses in half but couldn’t bear to go through with it. Everything she had tried had failed and Shades now had the red cheeks to prove it.

The only change there had been was small twitches from Shades, a couple every minute or so. Sweetie sat there, chewing on her hoof, as Shades kicked her hindleg out. It reminded her of Winona when she slept and Apple Bloom said that Granny Smith had said to her that when dogs did that, it was because they were dreaming and couldn’t tell the real world from the dream one.

Shades was no dog but Sweetie was sure she was trapped in a dream. Or maybe a nightmare. That helped her feel a little better. She wasn’t dead or dying, at least. Maybe. Sweetie wasn’t sure what the Boogeymare could do to her friend in there. If a pony died in their dreams, did they die in real life? Sweetie wasn’t sure. Even in her worst nightmares, she was always shocked awake before anything too bad happened.

Then it hit Sweetie Belle. Nightmares! Maybe Shades was just having a bad dream and not a complete nightmare. If her dream turned into a nightmare, maybe, just maybe, she’d wake up!

Sweetie rushed outside her room, galloping down the stairs. It was dark but she knew the way from memory, as well as Opal’s favorite sleeping spots. She did not want to step on her tail ever again.

She skidded on the kitchen tiles, coming to a stop outside the fridge. Something else Granny Smith had told Apple Bloom was to never eat cheese before going to bed. Sweetie didn’t know why but apparently it caused really bad nightmares, for whatever reasons. She’d had dealt with way too many whatever reasons for one but one more couldn’t have hurt. It was all she had to work with right now.

Grabbing a few slices of cheese, Sweetie made the run back to her room. Shades was still there, twitching more now than ever. Gulping, she ripped off a small piece of the cheese and sat down by Shades’ head. She’d never fed a pony who was asleep before but it couldn’t have been impossible, right?

Sweetie yanked Shades’ mouth open, then bit her lip, slowly lowering the piece of cheese. Butterflies darted around in her stomach, like they wanted to burst free completely. Sweetie tensed her tummy, hoping to quell the sensation. Right now, she had to focus, and ignore that feeling and the fact that Shades’ mouth smelled of candy.

Grimacing, she felt Shades tongue against her hoof. It was gross but she kept going, using her free hoof to raise Shades’ head, giving her a better vantage. Closing her eyes, she dropped the piece of cheese down her throat.

Shades jerked instantly, releasing a series of harsh coughs.

“No!” Sweetie cried, pushing down on Shades’ chest. “No no no! I’m sorry!”

Sweetie kept hitting Shades’ chest as hard she could with both her hooves. She didn’t dare look away but hoped that Rarity would burst through the door and solve everything. Her big sister always knew what to do, except when she didn’t, but Sweetie knew she would in this situation.

“C’mon!” Sweetie slammed her hooves down on Shades’ chest so hard, it hurt.

There was one strained cough from Shades, the piece of cheese flying out from her mouth. Her eyes flashed open and she started breathing hurriedly, placing a hoof on her chest. It took her a few moments to get grounded, during which Sweetie was hugging her head.

“Yes! You’re alive! I didn’t kill you!” Sweetie cried, all those butterflies in her stomach beginning to settle.

“What?” Shades responded, glancing about the room. “Where… give me a moment.” Coughing, she stood, rubbing her chest. “Oh… that was strange.”

“I thought you would never wake up!” Sweetie said, beaming.

“I was asleep?” Shades closed her eyes for a moment, then said, “I suppose I was, yes. Trapped in a dream with the Boogeymare. What happened?”

“The monster went into your head like ‘shloop!’ and then you just fell asleep and wouldn’t wake up for anything!” Sweetie smiled sheepishly, hiding her tail between her legs. “You may have some bruises on your face when you wake up…”

“Nothing I can’t handle,” Shades said, smiling tiredly. “Then what?”

“Well, after trying a bunch of things to wake you up, nothing worked! So I figured that you always wake up from a nightmare, right?” Shades nodded to that. “So I thought maybe if you ate some cheese, you’d get a really bad nightmare and you’d wake up. But, uh... “ Sweetie rubbed her foreleg, her ears lowered. “I think it went down the wrong hole…”

“The choking, right.” Shades sat down, searching for her sunglasses. “All I can guess is that the instinctive reaction to survive overridden whatever dream the Boogeymare had placed me under.”

“The monster!” Sweetie cried, hiding behind Shades and gazing under her bed. “Is it gone?”

Shades adjusted her eyewear, putting them back on. “Must have gone with the dream. I certainly can’t feel it floating in my head right now, in any case.” Ruffling Sweetie’s hair, she said, “I’ll get my head checked first thing tomorrow, just in case.”

“Okay, good,” Sweetie said, nodding. Blinking, she added, “And thanks! For saving me from the monster. That was really brave of you.”

Shades laughed, nudging Sweetie lightly. “I should be the one thanking you, for saving my life… by almost ending my life.”

Sweetie laughed with her, although hers was stilted. “Sorry about that…”

“Nothing to be sorry about,” Shades replied. “In a sticky situation, you didn’t run. You used your wits to help win the day, even if it didn’t turn out quite the way it expected.” She chuckled again. “Usually how things ended up in my line of work.”

“Uh, cool!” Sweetie pranced about in a circle, singing, “I helped defeat a monster! I can’t wait to tell my friends about it tomorrow! Wait!” Stopping, she checked her flank. “Aw… still no cutie mark.”

“No,” Shades stressed, standing up. “No telling anypony.”

“What?!” Sweetie asked, her bottom lip trembling. “Why not?!”

“Because…” Shades avoided that look the filly was giving her, turning to gathering her equipment.

Sweetie trailed after her. “Becauuuuuse…?”

Shades sighed, pushing her saddlebags toward the window. She opened it up, then stared out into the night. The only lights that were on were the occasional streetlamp, everypony likely safe in bed by now. “Because what I did today was incredibly stupid, that’s why.”

“How come?”

“I have my own responsibilities,” Shades began, looking down at Sweetie. She took off the sunglasses, slipping them into a saddlebag. “Chasing around after monsters isn’t one of them, not anymore. I have a responsibility to my best friend and everypony else who loves me to remain safe and not put myself at risk—if it weren’t for you, I might have died back there. Do you know what I should have done, instead of vaulting into your bedroom like some reckless nut?”

Sweetie flicked her ear, thinking. “Um… alerted the guardsponies and get them to help?”

“Exactly. So,” Shades held her hoof out, “keep this our little secret, okay?”

“Only because you saved me from the monster,” Sweetie stated, shaking her hoof. “Gonna leave through the window or something?”

“Of course,” Shades said, flashing a grin. “It’s the only stylish way to leave.”

Sweetie snorted a laugh, smiling up at her. “Alright then. Thanks for everything,” she winked at the mare, “Shades.”

“The next time you see me,” Shades began, getting her hook and rope into place for the descent outside, “it’s Bon Bon.”

“I prefer Shades,” Sweetie said, watching Bon Bon climb out of the window. “It’s much cooler.”

“Maybe. But Shades is much more silly too.” Now fully outside, she gave Sweetie one last wave. “See you around, Sweetie Belle.”

“You too Shad—Bon Bon!” Sweetie waved frantically, seeing Bon Bon drop down and out of view. The hook soon followed after, upon which Sweetie closed the window, watching that mysterious mare head into the night.

“What’s a candy cutie mark got to do with hunting monsters anyway?” Sweetie asked herself, resting her head on a hoof.