“And he had a hook for a hoof!”

A chorus of girlish squeals lit up the night, before devolving into a fit of giggles.

Applejack clapped Rainbow Dash on the back. “Shoot, that one’s always a classic. But I feel like I heard it a dozen times by now. Ain’t anypony got some new stories to tell?”

Six mares glanced at each other as they sat around a crackling fire in the middle of the Everfree Forest.

Rarity cleared her throat. “A young filly entered a antique shop, and—”

“The mirror eats her soul,” Rainbow Dash said with a yawn.

“In a ancient and forgotten library,” Twilight started.

“Ooh, I know!” Pinkie Pie said, raising a hoof. “She finds the neighcronomicon and finds out she’s destined to bring about the apocalypse!”

Applejack sighed. “Have we really heard them all then?”

Twilight pursed her lips. “They do all tend to fall into a sort of formula, to make them easy to recall and retell, I suppose. But once you’ve learned to recognize the pattern, it removes a lot of the surprise, which is an essential element of storytelling.”

“Blah blah,” Rainbow Dash said, waving a hoof. “Hey, what about Fluttershy? We never hear any stories from her.”

Everypony’s eyes turned towards Fluttershy and she flinched behind her mane. “Oh, um, I don’t really know any good ones.”

“Nonsense, darling,” Rarity said, placing a hoof on Fluttershy’s shoulder. “I’m sure you have the perfect spooky story buried somewhere in there you just need to let it out!”

Fluttershy pursed her lips and pawed at the ground. “Well, maybe there’s one story I can think of. I’ve never told this to anypony before.”

Everyone leaned in close, their ears perked up.

“This story is about my little brother, Zephyr Cloud.”

Rainbow Dash rolled her eyes and made an exaggerated gagging noise. “You can stop right there, my skin is crawling already.”

Fluttershy shook her head. “It’s not like that. In fact, um. I know he’s a difficult pony to like, but when he was just a little foal he was the sweetest and most adorable little brother a filly could ask for. I spent a lot of time taking care of him, and we were really close.”

The wind rustled through the trees, branches creaking around them, and the fire seemed to lose a bit of its light as the shadows crept closer. “Every night, I would go into his room to tuck him in, tell him a story, and kiss him goodnight.”

“D’aww,” Rarity cooed. “I’d love to see that.”

Fluttershy cleared her throat. “There was one night though… um, maybe he was around four? It’s hard to remember. I finished saying goodnight and was on my way back to my room when I noticed an open window. It seemed strange, since it was cold out it was letting in a dreadful draft. As I was closing it, I heard a shout from my brother’s room, and I rushed back to him.”

The moon up above passed behind thick clouds, the darkness growing deeper still. “His eyes were wide, and he was shaking. He told me that he’d had a nightmare, and that there was a monster under his bed. As the big sister it was my duty to check, I guess. I was a little less timid back then. So I did, and…”

Fluttershy faltered, shuddering visibly.

“What?” Twilight asked, leaning closer. “Did you check?”

“I…” Fluttershy squeezed her eyes shut, and took a deep breath. “I saw my brother lying under the bed, and he whispered, ‘Sis, please help, there’s somepony in my bed.’”

Five pairs of wide eyes stared at her, and Fluttershy continued. “I screamed of course, and ran into the hall to try and find mom and dad. Next thing I knew I woke up in my own bed in a cold sweat.

“But um, he always did seem different after that. He stopped wanting me to read him stories, and he didn't give much thought to anypony but himself. I guess foals just grow up in strange ways, huh?”

The only response was silence, and Fluttershy coughed, shifting around uncomfortably.

“It’s okay, I’m, um, pretty sure it was all just a bad dream.”