Ut Ametur Iris

Tonight, the homely village of Ponyville was lightly shrouded in mist. Coupled with the flickering lights coming from the decorations and the cover of night, any visitors coming here would have mistaken the place as a ghost town, ready to lure unsuspecting ponies into whatever horrors that may lurk within.

At least it would have appeared so, were it not for the sounds of foals running around and having a good time with their family and friends. For tonight was Nightmare Night, an evening dedicated to a once feared adversary that brought fear into the ponies’ lives

Walking alongside two costumed pegasi was a curious being named Andrew. This human as he called himself, was heavily clothed, with a leather jacket and a fedora. Completing the look was a whip that hung limply on his belt buckle.

“I’m telling you, Daring Do is more awesome than your Indiana Jones!” debated the colorful pegasus.

“And I’ve told you that Indy’s better just by all the things he’s been through,” Andrew argued.

Trotting between the pair was Scootaloo, who was costumed as a mummy and was content just to walk alongside the bickering couple. Because at times like these, she could almost feel like she was part of a family.

“-and the Nazis were utterly vaporized because they didn’t take the ark’s warning seriously! Tell me Dashie, has your Daring Do been through something as scary as that!?”

“She totally did! It was in Daring Do and the Headless pony’s skull. I uhh, just haven’t read it yet,”

“Why Dash, don’t tell me you’re actually easily spooked?” questioned Andrew, who had a growing smile on his face.

Before she could answer however, they were interrupted by a scarecrow that popped up from a nearby bush, causing Rainbow to yelp loudly and fly straight up into the air.

“That answer your question, sugarcube?” quipped a stetson wearing orange pony that was dressed as an overgrown apple.

Andrew was thoroughly shocked at the country pony’s getup, but for other reasons. “Seriously, Applejack? You had to go out as that?”

“Couldn't be bothered thinking up a good enough costume, best to go by my strengths instead.”

Deciding to let the matter go, Andrew turned his attention to the pegasus that was still warily flying nearby.

“What? I wasn’t scared by that scarecrow, I was just surprised that’s all!” said Rainbow Dash.

“Sure you weren’t. Why, I guess that time when Pinkie came outta the bakery covered in flour and you were screaming all over town that there was a ghost coming out to get you came out as a surprise as well?

“It was dark outside, okay? She just caught me off guard, that’s all!” Rainbow tried to defend herself, though it was plain to see that both her lover, and the element of honesty could clearly see straight through her.

Of course, there was one pony in the small group who believed her and that was Scootaloo, who marched up to her idol. “ Yeah! Rainbow Dash is too awesome to be scared by stuff like that!” she proudly proclaimed.

“How about a bet then?” challenged Andrew. “Ten bits here says that Dash wouldn’t last ten seconds against one of my spooky stories.”

Rainbow went pale at the mention of Andrew’s stories. If there was one thing that her lover was better than her at, it was his skill at telling stories and making it come alive to the listeners.

“I dunno, Andrew. We still have to-” Rainbow started to say. However, at the same time, Scootaloo shouted out as well. “Of course she will! She can take whatever you can dish out, isn’t that right Rainbow Dash?”

Not wanting to disappoint the filly, Rainbow resigned herself to her fate. “That’s right, squirt. Go ahead, Andrew, give me your worst!”

“Alright, you asked for it.” said Andrew. The human began to adopt a sinister visage as he gazed upon his (mostly) willing listeners. With his tone of his voice lowered in order to fit the story’s mood better, he began to tell his tale.

“Back on my world, we had huge hospitals. The size of which you girls aren’t normally used to seeing. With such a big hospital, one would expect a large number of patients inside, right?”

With the nods coming from his audience, he continued. “But therein lies the problem, with lots of patients the doctors had to see on a daily basis, they had to come up with a quick way to identify a patient and see what’s wrong with him or her. That’s when they came up with using wristbands.”

The human paused there to show the ponies where his wrist is, since they were unfamiliar with his body’s anatomy.

“Since then, when you are admitted to one of our hospitals, the doctors place on your wrist a white wristband with your name on it. There would be other different colored wristbands that symbolize other things. The red wristband, for example, would be placed on patients who are deceased.” he said, earning a small grimace from those listening.

“One night, there was a surgeon who was working on the night shift. He had just finished an operation and was on his way to the basement. He entered the elevator, and was surprised to see a young woman in it. The surgeon casually chatted with the woman as the elevator descended. When the elevator stopped on one of the lower floors, another woman was about to enter, when the doctor repeatedly pressed the close button and punched the button to the highest floor,” Andrew continued, despite the ponies’ confusion on the last part.

“The woman who was with the surgeon was surprised. She reprimanded the doctor for leaving the poor woman behind and asked why he didn’t let her in. It was then when the doctor eerily replied to her the reason why he refused her entry.”

Andrew then changed his tone once more, to make it seem that he was speaking as the doctor.

“Look, lady. That was the woman I just operated on. She died while I was doing the procedure. I was even the one who put that wristband on her once I confirmed the time of death. Didn’t you notice that red wristband she was wearing? It was at that point where the woman began to smile at the doctor as she raised her arm”

Once again putting on his grim smile, Andrew finished the story using his most sinister sounding voice he could muster.

“Do you mean something like this?” he finished, flashing a toothy smile down at the ponies as he held up his wrist. Of course their was no band their but the action got the point across.

Applejack seemed unnerved, looking wide-eyed at Andrew, obviously rattled by the tale. Scootaloo had decided that hiding underneath Rainbow would shield her from some, non-existent threat. Yet Rainbow was definitely the best laugh.

It was obvious to see that the story had gotten under her skin, even though she tried not to show it. It hadn’t affected her as bad as Scootaloo, but not being as scared as a child wasn’t really a great achievement.

She was glancing around, trying to scan everything in her surroundings, one foreleg, rubbing the other, in a clear sign of anxiousness. Deciding to be extra cruel, Andrew clapped his hands together, just a few inches from her ear when her head was turned away, causing the mare to launch herself towards the closest cloud.

The human seemed to find it funny.

“Oh god that was priceless!” he cackled holding his stomach. “I haven’t seen a scare that good since ever!” he guffawed, actually having to stop walking to steady himself.

“Oh my sides,” he breathed heavily as he came down from a laughing fit.

“You should have seen your face! That wasn’t even remotely scary, compared to some of my really good ones,” he giggled, wiping a tear from his eye as an irate looking Dash descended from her safety cloud.

“Not cool, Andrew!” Rainbow Dash angrily said, fuming over his cruel prank, while her boy friend continued to cackle cruelly.

Scootaloo was perplexed. “I don’t get it,” she stated. “If Rainbow is creeped out by scary stories, why was she always telling them on our camping trip?”

“Probably because, when you're the one telling the story, it’s not scary,” Applejack commented, looking over to the pegasus and the human who were talking a little heatedly with one another.

“Just cause she scares easy doesn’t mean she don’t enjoy spookin’ others.”

“But I thought Dash was fearless?” Scootaloo asked, fascinated that her idol actually had a weakness that she herself shared.

“Look sugarcube,” Applejack said, getting down to eye level with the orange filly. Not an easy feat when wearing an over-sized apple costume.

“When you’ve known Dash for as long as ah have, you learn that she is absolutely petrified of what others think of her.

“Dash has fears too, just like you or me. She never grew up on the ground so all those stories of things that climb out of the woods really used to get to her. She’d never admit that though, ‘cause of her being far too proud of herself,” Applejack finished, looking back to Andrew and Dash who seemed to be coming to the end of their argument.

“Come on Scoots,” Dash said, fluttering over to the filly, a decidedly pissed expression on her face. “Let’s go have some fun.”

“Aw, Dashie come on! Don’t be like that!” Andrew called after her as the two pegasi fluttered away.

Applejack trotted up the Andrew, a very accusing look boring holes into his eyes. “Don’t. Say a word,” he said.

“It’s not about Dash, Andrew,” Applejack said. “You telling us that story somehow reminded me of another one I used to hear long ago, back when I was still a filly.”

“I think I’ve had enough of scary stories for tonight, thank you very much,” he pointed out.

The mare paused for a bit, unsure whether or not to tell him about it, the need to tell him won over her hesitation. “ Sugar, it’s not a story, it’s a legend.”

“So what? A legend is just another word for a fancy story.”

“I suppose the legend of Nightmare Moon is just an old mare’s tale then?” argued Applejack.

“Ok, you’ve got me on that. That still doesn’t answer why you want me to tell me this legend of yours.”

“Because sugar, the legend started off on a night just like this.”

“Ohh,” Andrew waved his fingers sarcastically. “Sounds horrific.”

Applejack said nothing. Choosing to continue her tale.

“They call her the mourning mare,” she began, “they call her that because she’s said to appear in black mourning clothes and her head is always hidden behind a veil.”

“According to the legends, when Ponyville was just starting out, there was this mare who was tending to her foal, who was deathly ill. Despite her best efforts, the foal passed away. On that foggy night, she made her way to town hall to do what was needed to bury her child. However, she was shocked to find out that the mayor would not allow her son to be buried without payment. She begged the mayor to reconsider, saying that she spent all her money trying to cure her sick baby and that she would pay him back but it was to no avail. Despondent, she simply picked up the foal’s remains and left town. Since then, there had been sightings of a mare wearing mourning garbs near the town square every foggy night.”

“Nopony knows what her real name is or what she really looks like behind that veil of hers, but if anypony was unlucky enough to have encountered her, those ponies would never be heard from again,” Applejack said, in her best imitation of a spooky voice, yet Andrew couldn’t help but roll his eyes.

“Some say they were spirited away by her. Others claim that they go mad after meeting her and hurl themselves over ghastly gorge just to end their own torment. But if there’s one common thing all these stories have, it’s how she appears on a foggy night just like this, and asks for one’s help.”

“Now I know I’m always a dependable kind of gal and would never refuse a plea for help, but if you had any smarts on you, I’d hightail it outta there. Because if you don’t, then may Luna help your poor soul.”

“So why is she doing this then?” Andrew asked, enjoying himself in trying to poke holes in the story.

“Beats me,” Applejack confessed. “Revenge perhaps? The only ones who’d know is the mare herself and her ‘victims’. All the same though, avoid meeting her if you know what’s good for ya.”

“Cute story, Jackie, but I don’t spook so easy,” Andrew replied, waving her off.

“That’s the kind of attitude that gets ponies taken!” Applejack called after him as he walked ahead.

Without company, Andrew decided he would at least try to enjoy the rest of the night. He was already dressed in the mandatory garb for this holiday, so divulging in its festivities would be a good way to pass the time, at least until Dash cooled down.

Weaving and whirling through the streets, Andrew continued to aimlessly walk, enjoying watching many a foal, demanding sweets from elders behind the guise of either a well fabricated costume, or a white bedsheet.

Eventually, the streets and houses began to thin out. Andrew had no idea where he was going, a small part of his mind reminded him of the fact that everything looked different at night, yet nothing appeared remotely familiar.

He was just about turn around to retrace his steps when he heard the soft voice of a mare.

“Excuse me sir, I need help...”