Ethan let out a small sigh as he sank into his bed after a long day of school and homework. Looking up at the calendar, he noticed that it was already the day before Halloween, the last day of October was circled in red, clearly marking one of the most enjoyable evenings of the year. Although he was already seventeen, his group of friends had made a tradition of dressing up and meeting together every year for an hour of hitting up the houses in the neighborhood before joining up with a party at Sara's. They had done the same thing for the last ten years and just because they were older now did not mean that they had to stop.
He walked over to his costume and carefully inspected it. This year they had gone with the theme of Marvel characters, and he had chosen Hawkeye. His little brother had even been kind enough to lend him his composite bow for the night, adding to the overall look and authenticity of the costume. Satisfied with its appearance, he draped the hook back on the closet door and set the bow down in the corner, then turned off the light before getting comfortable in bed.
A quick glance at the clock showed its pale green numbers reflecting the current time, eleven o'clock on the dot in this case. He sighed and flicked a finger at the dream catcher hovering just over the headboard of the bed, watching the circular object spin as he got comfortable and slowly closed his eyes.
Ethan had purchased the Native American item quite a few years ago, as it was claimed to ward off nightmares. He had episodes where for nights on end his dreams would be plagued with them, and so he went with the superstitious choice of the dream catcher. Miraculously, it had worked wonders and blocked all of his nightmares, even the really bad ones that only seemed to come around in the end of October every year. It had also stopped an eerie voice that seemed to accompany them, something that sounded familiar, yet alien at the same time. As he closed his eyes and rested his head on the pillow, a single frayed strand in the dream catcher finally snapped after so many years.
Odd sensations greeted him as his eyes slowly opened. The dying sun's light was reflected on the landscape before him, bouncing off unnaturally bright objects that focused into buildings and streets. Ignoring the feelings in his body, he looked on in awe at the colorful and decorated city before him, the place looking ready for Halloween. A grin crept to his face as Ethan realized he was having one of his rare lucid dreams, and he planned to take full advantage of it while it lasted.
He finally turned his focus to himself, curious as to what form he had taken this time. In prior instances, he had found himself in flight as a dragon, running through the woods as a tiger; the only limitation on such things was his imagination. Ethan was somewhat amazed as he looked over his current form, that of an equine of sorts. A conveniently placed pond was nearby, and he carefully climbed to all fours, the knowledge of how to walk already within his mind.
Ethan looked down at his reflection in the water and smiled, the muzzle reflecting a bright set of white teeth with two small fangs accompanying them. Two massively bright turquoise eyes with draconic pupils dominated his face, a mane of stars gently wafting in an invisible breeze. He noted the dark color of his coat and the odd symbol on his flanks with the dying light, the smile never once leaving his face.
The wings and horn denoting him as a mythical alicorn sealed the deal for him, letting him overlook the oddity of his swapped gender in this form. He truly looked menacing and perfect for a Halloween environment, and while this dream lasted Ethan planned to make the most of things. The last of the sunlight quickly vanishing ripped his attention to the horizon, where he saw the sun quickly give way to the moon. It only made sense, really, as Halloween was nothing until the moon was up and the 'monsters' came out to play.
He calmly trotted his way towards the town, noticing how other equines of various types, sizes and color all began to swarm the streets, each and every one of them dressed up in some manner. Occasionally he would see a larger one not wearing anything, but they would always be escorting one or two smaller shapes that were definitely dressed for maximum fun. Ethan could not help but smile at the sight, it truly warmed his heart to see that even within his dream families came together on such nights.
Wings spreading outwards, Ethan called upon his dream to know how to fly, and he took to the skies, his dark coat perfectly blending in with the night sky. He quickly climbed high into the sky to ensure he was above the occasional winged figure as he looked on in continued awe at the scene below him.
Spotting a small square with a statue that looked just like him, he gleefully descended down in a dive, planning to come in just over the head of the statue and land in the square. A small gathering of younger ponies with a larger pink one at the front seemed to be assembled in the square as if awaiting something, and he planned to give them a show.
A bolt of lightning appeared from seemingly nowhere, illuminating the sky just as he came over the top of the statue. The gathered ponies before him all screamed in fun as he landed, his wings folding into his side as he menacingly stared at them all. Once the screams stopped, they looked at him with bated breath, as if waiting on his next action.
Ethan reared up, dangling his forehooves in the air as he looked down at the gathered group. "Fear me, for I am..." he started off strong before dropping off and returning to all fours. A quick motion of his hoof brought the pink one forward, and he leaned down and quietly whispered into her ear. "Uh, who am I supposed to be, exactly?"
She laughed, grabbing his muzzle between her hooves and a smile spreading across her face. "Silly, you're Nightmare Moon! You're going to threaten to gobble us all up if we don't give you candy, just like every year!" Ethan smiled in return as she quickly returned to the group of dressed up foals, and he could not help but snicker at her costume that was basically a bright pink wolf.
He cleared his throat as the foals all looked at him, and his gaze turned menacing once more as he reared up again. "I am the evil Nightmare Moon! I will gobble you all up unless you give me... candy!" Ethan fought to suppress his laughter as the foals and the pink one all gleefully screamed as a group, then disappeared, leaving nothing but a trail of smoke in their wake.
His hooves struck the ground, wings instinctively flaring outwards slightly to keep his balance as he finally began laughing, savoring the moment. Children were one of his weak spots, and he was a sucker for anything that helped to amuse them. He walked over to where they had been gathered, chuckling at the fact that some of the foals had indeed left him pieces of candy in their haste to leave.
The candy was picked up into the air, surrounded by a dark blue glow, and began marching towards his mouth. He noted that a similar color was around the tip of horn that was just barely in the top of his vision, and Ethan smiled in glee as he ate the first piece of candy.
"Luna!" A voice called out as he savored the sweet confectionary delight, the flavors mingled together in his mouth, reminding him of pineapple. "Luna!" The voice was much closer this time, and he turned his head to see a dark lavender alicorn flying towards him, black hoofguards on each of her hooves and a torc of midnight black with a purple star superimposed over a full moon on it. "There you are, Luna, you're early!"
"Who?" Ethan asked in confusion, not quite certain who the new arrival was referring to. This dream was getting odder, but hey, he felt it best to just go with the flow. The mare looked at him, and he noted that her pupils were also like his, and her horn appeared to be tapered to a sharp point. She looked quite menacing, given her accessories and appearance.
"Oh, I see." she began, a wry smile adorning her face. "Very well then, Nightmare Moon. Your humble minion Nightmare Twilight is reporting for duty, your majesty. Ready and willing to scare foals this Nightmare Night." she majestically stated, even bowing at the end.
Ethan cleared his throat as he allowed a huge grin to cross his face. "Arise, my minion. Tonight will be a most glorious Nightmare Night, the most glorious that has ever been seen here! We shall make the foals give us all of their tasty candy!" He punctuated his words by snacking on another piece, willing one over to stop in front of her face. "Piece of candy?" he asked, laughing as she quickly gobbled it up.
"Hmm, Bon Bon sure knows how to make them." Twilight savored the sweet treat for a moment before looking around. "So, Nightmare, where would you like to start looking for the first victims of the night, hmm? We can head towards the library or to the orchard where the games are at, it's your choice."
He paused for a moment, weighing the options before him. Games sounded highly appealing, as the last time he had partaken in any during Halloween was when he and his friends had all decided to go to the town's festival. Things such as apple bobbing and spider tossing had been some of the primary games there, and since this was his dream, it would most likely be the same here.
"I have made my decision. We shall head towards this orchard you speak of, minion. If there are games there, then it stands to reason that we should encounter many foals on that path." He grinned as she took off and followed behind her, his eyes alert and checking every nook and cranny of the shadows. Another thing of interest that Ethan noted was just how high he seemed to tower over everypony, and it gave him a unique vantage point when searching for victims.
Twilight came to a stop, holding out a hoof. "Up ahead, a small group of them going door to door. How do you want to do this, Nightmare?" she asked over her shoulder, keeping one eye on the small group of four foals that he also saw.
Ethan motioned with a hoof as he began speaking. "Think you can quietly fly up and over to come from behind them as I approach them from the front? We can leave that pathway over there," he pointed with a hoof, "for them to run down once we've had our fun."
She nodded her head and soundlessly took to the sky, her dark lavender coat blending in almost as well as his near midnight black coat did with the sky. He waited until she had landed before walking out of the shadows, a deep, rumbling laugh coming from his chest. "Hello, little ones!"
The four foals all froze at the sound of his laughter, fear crossing their faces as he walked into the light. Ethan once more suppressed the urge to break down at the sheer cuteness of the four children before him, as they were truly something to behold dressed up for Halloween.
"It's N-Nightmare Moon!" A small pegasus squeaked out, her costume consisting of a rainbow colored mane and what looked like a lightning bolt coming from a cloud strapped to her side. Her three friends all huddled close to her, doing their best not to quake in their hooves.
"Yes, yes. It is I, the dreaded Nightmare Moon. Be very, very scared! Oooh~" Ethan wavered his voice at the end, playing around with the pitch and tone and waving his hooves around in the air for good measure. He couldn't help but grin as they all eeped and turned around, just in time for Twilight to land.
"No need to be in such a rush, little ones, not tonight. For I am Nightmare Twilight, loyal minion to Nightmare Moon. And we are here for your candy!" Ethan quietly chuckled at her theatrics, as Twilight was nearly prancing about in front of the group of foals. She slowly closed the distance between them, her face outstretched in a manic grin, and he noted that she also had a small pair of fangs sticking out over her lower lip. The fact that she was running her tongue over them helped point them out to Ethan.
A small unicorn in a very fancy dress and wearing slippers over her hooves quickly reached into one of their bags and pulled out a single piece of candy, holding it up towards Twilight who quickly gobbled it up. She made a show of smacking her lips as she ate the candy. They looked on at her in fear, as if awaiting her approval.
Twilight sighed as she finished off the last bit of the candy. "Very good, but to quell our hunger we need more than just a single piece of candy! Mwhaha!" Ethan was reminded of the evil scientist laugh, which Twilight was pulling off with a grace that could only come from years of practice.
She finally let it die, and it looked as if the small group was completely frozen from fear. While it was effective, Ethan thought that perhaps it was a bit too effective. He slowly came up behind them and prodded the pegasus with a hoof, and she responded by buzzing her small wings and jumping into the air with a scream.
"Ah, everypony for themselves! I don't wanna be gobbled up by Nightmare Twilight!" she screamed as her friends followed her dust trail down the path we had purposefully left open for them. She sheepishly walked up to his side, rubbing her neck with a hoof.
"Yeah, that might've been just a pinch over the top. Gotta give you props on the laugh though, I didn't think it was possible without years of practice!" Ethan said, answering her unsaid question. She blushed a bit, crimson filling her cheeks as she continued to rub at her neck.
"I might've spent a few nights reading and practicing on it for preparation for tonight... I was really looking forward to spending some time with you tonight, you know? Still surprised you showed up so early, but I'm not one to complain about being early!" Twilight said, her voice perking up and becoming rather chipper at the end.
Word must have spread rather quickly as to their location and direction, as Twilight and Ethan only encountered a few handful of foals on the relatively long trek to the orchard. Each time they caught of of a foal, they alternated who would fly over to approach from behind. As they passed the last of the buildings and the lights in the orchard came into view, they both contentedly munched on candy held up in their magic between them.
"I got to say, that was extremely enjoyable. Nothing like giving children a good time, and doing it by scaring them!" Ethan exclaimed, chewing on a piece of grape taffy that he had helped liberate from their last target.
Twilight hummed a bit, keeping pace with him as they walked to the gathering ahead of them. "Yeah, I'd never helped you scare anypony before, it was really fun." she giggled, grabbing another piece of candy from the air and munching on it. "Plus, Spike wanted to get some time away from me, so this really worked out to both of our advantages."
Ethan just nodded his head, slightly confused at her words. However, the confusion was quickly driven away at the sight of multiple barrels set up filled with water and apples, cobwebs strewn across hay bales with plastic spiders stacked up nearby, and the aroma of food wafting through the air. Ethan paused and took in a deep breath as he reminisced about the festival he had attended all those years ago. This dream truly was covering every basis for the perfect Halloween.
He rushed ahead and was quickly greeted by an orange mare who was wearing a stetson hat and a cowboy outfit. "Well howdy there, Nightmare Moon. Sure is good to see you out here tonight, would you like some nice Apple family product?" she asked him, holding out a small plate with a slice of apple pie on it. He widely grinned, accepting the plate from her with his magic and nibbling on the end of it.
The taste that met his tastebuds floored him. Only in his dreams could such a rich and lovely flavor be recognized, as surely no one on Earth could ever come close to cooking such a fine pie. Ethan savored every bite of it as Twilight finally caught up and quietly exchanged words with Applejack.
Smacking his lips, he put the plate in a small wastebin and walked over to one of the barrels that had apples in it. Ethan took note at how they all appeared to be attached to springs that were anchored at the bottom of the barrel, as if to further the challenge of removing them from the container. He let out a small squeal at the prospect of bobbing for an apple and immediately dunked his head underneath, marking a delicious red as his target.
Ethan tried to get a good grasp around it, but failed and came up gasping for air. He steeled his resolve and took a deep breath before disappearing below the surface again. He thought he heard shocked and confused voices around him, but he was more concerned about the apple that was firmly secured to the bottom of the barrel. Just as his breath was starting to fail, he got a good grasp of it, nearly swallowing it whole, and yanked back up out of the water, the tension in the spring fighting every step of the way.
He finally got it, his head rapidly clearing the water as the tension in the spring disappeared. A shower of water splashed all around him as he triumphantly held the apple, unmarked, in his mouth, even as he fell onto his back. Ethan grinned and picked the apple in his magic, pausing before taking a bite as he noticed Twilight and another mysterious mare staring at him.
"That was a lot of fun, Twilight, you should –" he began, but was cut off as a voice thundered from the new arrival, his ears splaying backwards from the harshness.
"WHO ARE YOU?" She thundered, the mare of a similar color to Ethan, although a lighter blue in nature. As he recovered, he also noted that she had wings and a horn, as well as the same effect to her mane and tail.
He grinned, holding out the apple in his magic to her. She recoiled slightly as if expecting him to do something, but Ethan simply continued grinning. "Apple?" She batted it aside, and her expression was almost entirely filled with rage. He scrambled to his hooves, taking a small step back and tripped, landing hard on his rear.
"Damn, that hurt..." His eyes widened in shock as realization came crashing down on top of him. The signs had all been there, that this was something more than just a dream. However, he had not dwelled on any of it, instead choosing to simply focus on the fun that he had been having. Things had been just a little too lucid, too real, for what should be a dream. As everything dropped on him, the edge of his vision slowly filled with black, although one clear, distinct voice from past nightmares cut through the haze just before he lost consciousness.
"Happy Nightmare Night!"
Author's Note
My first Halloween piece, and my third completed one-shot. I'm leaving this marked incomplete for now, just because I may get the inspiration to do more with it at a later date. For now though, my focus is turned towards my current projects.
I hoped that everyone enjoyed this though, it was quite fun to write, and was a nice way to kick a block I was struggling with. As always, I'd love to hear your thoughts and opinions on it.
And to those going out Halloween night... Stay safe, folks!
EDIT 26 May 2014 - Now with a (spiritual) sequel!
