Nightmare Life

~Nightmare Night~

"Nightmare Night! What a fright! Give us something sweet to bite!" chimed a small group of fillies and colts. A mare at the doorway gave them all a wonderful treat from her bowl, the foals then running off to the next house. They passed through the square of Ponyville, where much of the activity was going on. Off on one side was a catapult shooting pumpkins to targets set afar, mares and stallions attempting to land them on the center. In another area was an apple bobbing pool, where many ponies tried their hardest to fit their teeth around one of the crunchy fruits. There were many other games of the such, a spider-throwing booth where ponies would chuck the toy spiders at a sticky web, a place set for those who wanted to hay-rack ride, many places pushing out candy, caramel apples, popcorn balls, and plenty other sticky, gooey, and delightfully sweet and yummy treats for everypony to enjoy. But of course, there was the screams, not of fright, however, of laughing matter. Fillies to old stallions of all ages getting frightened by the silliest of things and cackling at the joke afterwards.

Night Riser saw all of this looking into the town, and it was the screams that confused him the most. How could anyone like screaming or the mere sensation of fear? Riser had known terror his whole life, mostly during The Torture, and really couldn't imagine how ponies could live with it as a joke.

The stallion decided to observe longer, seeing if something would come up, if something would change, or if likely, he would spot the Bat Princess in the crowd. He found her not there, nor anything changing, or in the farthest place of his mind, if any other bat-ponies would be there. However he still didn't find the right time to show himself, not openly, but at least not into the public yet. For his gutsy motivations, he was surprised he was so nervous at this first attempt with contact to other ponies.

What really amazed him was the strange ponies with extra noses, or what he assumed were extra noses. They stuck out of some of the ponies' heads like horns, although Night Riser told himself to be logical, that ponies couldn't possibly have horns. He had never seen one of the such, but yet there were so many. Was this normal? He saw one of these ponies use their extra nose, only it would glow and pick up things, like it was magical. Night Riser then understood. They had to be ponies with magic wands, if they existed, glued or grown on their heads!

Night Riser was also curious of the ponies' dress. Some dressed in capes, others in dresses, with here and there a pony with a mask, and even some that looked evil. He wondered why they dressed so funny or so darkly, but he didn't judge. It must've been part of their culture, or maybe it was to ward off ghosts. But Ponyville was decorated in ghosts and goblins. He just shook his head and decided to ask later.

It was then he realized that all of the population was moving away from what they were doing, and most of these were foals. They were all walking toward the center of town. Curious, and willing to make a move, Night Riser stepped into the border of Ponyville. He followed the crowd, however, keeping his distance and staying in the shadows of the alleys.

It was very peculiar. All of the young moving to the center of the town. There, an old stage sat, and on it was a podium. An old mare stepped onto the stage, dressed like a safari adventurer (as Night Riser saw in books. He also assumed she was one herself, being in such an outfit). The mare tapped the microphone on the podium and greeted the foals warmly.

"Welcome back to Nightmare Night, everypony!" she cheered. The crowd gave enthusiasm. "Now, as you all know, at this time of year, on this night, we must all do what we can, for it isn't just our night, but the night of...NIGHTMARE MOON!" She gave a spooky coo and cackled menacingly. The foals cowered, but then laughed afterwards. Night Riser didn't know what to think of it. Who was Nightmare Moon? And why did she seem so spooky? Is this why they wore strange clothes and did creepy things? He continued to listen.

"As you all know, young fillies and colts, it is time for the tale of the year! Zecora will gladly show you the way!" The old mare said this line as a cloud of green smoke appeared on stage. Night Riser almost jumped as much as the other ponies did. But he jumped more when he saw the strangest pony, Zecora as the old mare called her, appear on stage. She was clothed in a long, black cape, white ghoulish hair hanging down on her face with spiders entangled in it. What the strangest feature of her was her coat. She was striped.

Night Riser had never seen, nor imagined, a striped pony before. He looked at the crowd. Nopony was striped. Just Zecora. Maybe this was a good sign, for if this pony was different from all the others, maybe this gave him room to fit in as well as she did.

The striped pony then started to speak, slow and melodically. She rhymed every line she flicked off of her tongue, telling that she would portray the tale of Nightmare Night to all the young foals who wished to listen by following her down a path that led outside of Ponyville. Night Riser perked his ears. This was the exact explanation he was looking for. So he decided to follow.

It was fascinating, the journey with the young and the small ponies was. Night Riser was beginning to learn so much. He, of course, hid back a ways in bushes from the others, but still, clearly, he could hear the tale. He understood, now, that all the ponies in Ponyville didn't really dress as they did. They put on costumes, disguises, to hide their pony forms from a wicked mare called Nightmare Moon. They also had to give up all of their candy to the mare so that she wouldn't eat them. Night Riser got really sick hearing the tale, he turned white in the brush. Was his favorite holiday circled around masking all ponies from an evil that lurked in the world. And if all the ponies wore disguises every year...

The Bat Princess. Was...was she even real?

Night Riser smashed a hoof on his head. Of course she was real! He had met her in his dreams so many times for it to be fake! And the tales, well, he suspected were just tales. Nothing could be true or fake as he didn't see it before!

The clouds changed his mind. They began to circle, slowly and increasing darkness as they went. The moonlight and the millions of twinkling stars began to vanish and were replaced by enormous shocks of lightning. Chaos and confusion ran through the ponies' faces, including the striped one, who was caught in the fear. Night Riser wanted to look away, but his senses told him not to. He knew something was going to happen.

From the sky a whirl of indigo cloud spiraled to the ground, taking hold of the earth and forcing itself to take form. From this, it was shunned away by a dark, tall, and slender figure that emerged from the mass. Night Riser felt his heart stop. He knew for sure that this figure, a pitch-black, silver-armored mare staring into the depths of the night with her turquoise eyes, towering over the world with her tremendous magic wand on her forehead, swooping, thick-feathered wings and mane of the clouded whirl, was certainly the mare of the tale.

Nightmare Moon.

"AHAAAHAAHAA!" she cackled, showing her fangs and seemingly hovering over the ponies. "I wonder if I should eat the candy tonight...or EAT ALL OF YOU INSTEAD!" Instantly the ponies screamed in terror, some falling on their flanks first, before sprinting as fast as they could away from the monster that had appeared in front of them. Night Riser felt the terror, but not of the beast itself. It was what the beast was doing to the foals.

They had vanished as fast as the wicked mare had arrived, yelping all the way back to Ponyville. Night Riser choked as he saw them go, but he turned his attention back toward Nightmare Moon. He saw not that she was chasing after them, nor that she was doing anything evil. She was...laughing. Not horribly, though. Innocently.

He then saw the almost impossible. The mare glowed for an instant, shrinking, not as small as the others but still much in comparison to before. The mare had also changed appearance, the armor vanishing, the eyes not so beady, and the mane and coat a soft navy, the hair sparkling like the night sky and waving in the wind. The strange pony spat somthing out of her mouth, something white and sharp-looking, and Night Riser saw the dark clouds above vanish. But the mare was still laughing.

He couldn't stand it anymore. He was just too curious.

"What is so funny?" he said, gathering courage and speaking loudly through the bushes. The mare stopped and smiled.

"Ha, who goes there, little brave soul who apparently wasn't scared this year!" she said merrily. Night Riser peeked through the leaves. The mare looked friendly, in fact, he was uncertain that it was she who was the Nightmare Moon before. And that was when he took a chance to step out. Night Riser came into the clearing, facing the mare.

"I said, what was so funny?" he repeated. The pony stopped looking happy. Instead, she looked shocked. But her nerves seemed to calm and she regained a warm grin.

"I scare the children as they please, and as I do yearly, they like that a lot," she said. "You must not know about that, do you?" Night Riser shook his head.

"I didn't think so," continued the pony. "You must be new here, and new to this holiday, are you not?" Night Riser looked confused.

"Um..."

"I thought so," interrupted the mare knowingly. "But you needn't worry, young friend, for I can tell you all. I am good at explaining things, I do so for many ponies. I can tell you about Nightmare Night so you can enjoy it without much confusion. Would you like that?" Night Riser was hesitant at first, but something about this mare seemed to give him a positive connection. He nodded.

"Well, then, come sit over here and I'll tell you everything and answer your questions," said the mare, beckoning him over. "By the way, you may call me Luna. That is my name."

For the next long while, Night Riser became acquainted with Luna. First, of course, she told him of the holiday, explaining that colts and fillies dress up for fun, play games for fun, eat candy for fun, and do scary things and become scared all for fun. Night Riser had a hard time grasping the concept, but Luna was able to explain it thoroughly. She seemed to be the keeper of fun herself.

It was then Night Riser had some of his own questions asked, like why some ponies were striped and why some had weird things sticking out of their heads. Luna just laughed and explained: the striped ponies were a special kind called zebras, and the horns Night Riser thought of were actually horns, on ponies called unicorns who used them for magic. Luna then had to explain that since she was an alicorn, a mix of a unicorn and a pegasus, that she was completely different, a princess.

That struck something in Night Riser. The Bat Princess.

"Luna," he then said, looking up to her with wondering eyes, "I have always wondered about bat-ponies...do...do they really exist?" Luna looked at him, almost with sadness in her expression. She sighed.

"I'm afraid not," she said. "Not in this world, at least." Night Riser then fiddled with his hooves. He took a deep breath.

"Can I tell you a secret," he said nervously.

"Anything, and it will be kept well," replied the princess.

"I...am...I am a bat-pony." He closed his eyes, waiting. Waiting for the shock, the fear, the horror of his look. But none of that came.

"I know," said the mare, smiling. Night Riser was bewildered.

"But...but you said-"

"I did say," said Luna. "But you are special, aren't you, Night Riser?"

"How did you know my name? I didn't tell you it?"

"You didn't, but I knew," said Luna. "Night Riser, I already know you, and that you were here. You have been dreaming about it for a while." Night Riser widened his eyes. "Don't be frightened about it. I am the Princess of the Night. It is in my royal duty to visit ponies' dreams, even if I had hardship the past many years...I still did what I did with the dreams of many ponies. I saw yours too, Night Riser. You had always dreamed that you could be free, have ponies surrounding you with love and acceptance, if I'm not mistaken?"

"Y-yes," confirmed Night Riser. He looked at Luna with hope. "So you also know...know what I'm going through, don't you? And you're a princess, right? You can help me?" Luna closed her eyes.

"I'm sorry, Night, I don't know for sure. I only visit your dreams, not your life. What is it like?" And there, the stallion poured out everything, from Dr. Zoid, to The Tourture, to his creation. Luna shook her head.

"I'm terribly sorry that you have gone through that hardship," she said. "But you must know that I have know right to do anything without knowing for sure, and to investigate your own home would require consulting with my sister, the Princess of the Sun, who rules with me." She gave him a smile. "But I will do all I can with that. In fact, I can go now, right now, so that I can come back to help in the morning." She stood, looking at the sky. Night Riser looked at her like a child.

"Thank you," he said. Luna looked back and gave him a warm face.

"You are most certainly welcome," she said, extending her wings. Luna suddenly stopped. "Oh, yes, I did forget to mention the other part of your dream."

"What other part?" asked Night Riser, almost ashamed he forgot. Luna winked.

"The Bat Princess." She came over to him and whispered in his ear, "She's real, you know. She's not a bat as you dreamed, for she was in costume when you saw her, but she is real." Night Riser felt a flood of warmth come to his face he turned to Luna, almost unable to hide his happiness.

"Really?" he asked. Luna nodded.

"Yes," she said. "And you can meet her tonight if you'd like, Night Riser."