Romance in the Air

Twilight's P.O.V

The moon rises as I walk downtown.  Pinkie Pie pops out of nowhere, and she smiles excitedly.  "The abandoned house is occupied with ponies that want a good scare!" She said, "C'mon! Check it out. Our friends are inside."

"Okay," I replied, "I don't want to see gore, though."

"But it's just costume makeup."

She leads me to the abandoned house, and the ponies are getting in.  "It doesn't cost anything.  That means we get a scare for free," Pinkie said with still some excitement.

We enter the abandoned house, and I hear the eerie noises.  It is dark in here as Pinkie leads me around.  "Are you feeling the slightest bit nervous or not?" She asked.

"I don't think so. I'm logical," I replied.

"So? Even the most logical ponies get scared."

"I don't think our friends would have counted- but Fluttershy always get scared."

Some ponies scream in fright, and a spooky moan sounds throughout the place for a few seconds.  "Apple Jack! I'm not scared," A familiar voice shouted.

I turn around, and I notice Rainbow Dash and Apple Jack arguing.  "I'm not scared, either! You're more scared than I am," Apple Jack replied.

"No, you're scared! I'm never scared."

"You're like Scootaloo- both of you are chickens."

"Quit it, Apple Jack! You're more scared-"

A pony in a vampire costume approaches them, and they both scream in fright.  "Relax, it's just a pony in a costume," I said.

"You're not supposed to spoil it for them! They love to be scared sometimes," Pinkie told me.

I nod in response as we walk up the stairs.  "I'm not scared, you're scared!" Apple Jack told Rainbow Dash.

"No, you're scared," Rainbow Dash replied.

"No way! I deal with monsters without difficulty, like the time when I saved Apple Bloom from a chimera.  You think you're better than me?"

"I deal with monsters, too! Like the time when we prevented the cragadile from attacking Twilight- but that's both of us saving somepony, right? I've helped Daring Do to fight monsters one time. I'm the most awesome!"

"Don't be bragging about yourself, like you once did. I am more humble than you are."

"Yeah, but that doesn't make you brave and awesome! I'm more awesome cuz' I can do a Sonic Rainboom!"

"Yeah, right. You even saved Rarity while performing the trick- and not to mention that you also saved the Wonderbolts on the same day during the competition."

I try to ignore their argument as I follow Pinkie Pie.  They should know that everypony is brave in their own ways- not just one way.  A minute later, my friends and I walk out of this place.  "Did anypony get scared?" Pinkie asked us.

"Not really. I'm logical," I said.

"Rainbow Dash is scared," Apple Jack said.

"No! Apple Jack is scared," Rainbow Dash said.

"Oh! Okay, who wants to go trick-or-treating?" Pinkie asked.

"None of us," My friends and I replied in unison.

"I'll go myself. I hope I get the most candy," Pinkie replied.

Pinkie hops off with the trick-or-treating bag.  Rainbow Dash flies into the sky as I walk to the town square.  Princess Luna is standing in the town square, and I approach her.   "Twilight, how are you doing?" She asked.

"I'm good," I replied, "My friends and I went through the 'haunted' house over there.  Rainbow Dash and Apple Jack argue about who's more brave and awesome.  And Pinkie is her usual silly self- and I'm the logical one.  Rarity and Fluttershy didn't like Nightmare Night."

"Sometimes I wonder how friends with different personalities and interests get along so well- that's how the citizens of Equestria are, unlike so long ago when the three tribes bicker with each other."

"Luna, have you felt different from your sister?"

Luna sighs in response, and turns her head to the right.  "Yes, and we are different.  Celestia is still more liked, and the citizens are taking a long time to adjust to me," She said.

"You don't have to be sad. They forgive you for what has happened long ago," I replied.

"I know, Twilight. You do understand me the most- but there are times when you don't."

I simply smile faintly in response.  I think being feared is the biggest con when it comes to being princess of the night.  Three foals approach Luna a minute later.  "Princess Luna! I stood up to the bullies, and I finally flew without any difficulty," Scootaloo said.

"Are you saying that this is Luna, the princess that is rarely seen at night? She looks a bit like Nightmare Moon," Apple Bloom said.

"They don't look the same. Nightmare Moon is darker, while Luna is a bit lighter. Their eyes look different too," Sweetie Belle said, "So maybe she didn't turn into Nightmare Moon long ago. Nightmare Moon may have once placed a corrupting spell on her."

"How do you know?" Scootaloo and Apple Bloom asked.

"I'm just guessing," Sweetie Belle replied.

Luna smiles at them for a minute, and then she starts to speak.  "Nightmare Moon and I are separate.  I once met her long ago in the Everfree, and since that happened, she kept telling me that nopony appreciates my night.  Because of that, I became jealous of Celestia's day, and that's how Nightmare Moon corrupted me.  I was then..... Banished for a thousand years, and after that, I was released by the Elements of Harmony. Twilight even helped me to adjust to modern times by not using the Royal Canterlot Voice," She said, "She understands me the most sometimes. She's my special someone, too."

"That explains..... Your relationship, right?" Apple Bloom replied.

"Okay, are we gonna go crusading or not?" Scootaloo asked Apple Bloom.

"Luna, what do you mean when you say that Twi is your special someone? Are you dating?" Sweetie Belle asked Luna.

"We are dating. We've been open about our relationship since the Autumn Moon Celebration," I said.

"We didn't know about the celebration. Scootaloo, Apple Bloom, and I had to get enough sleep for school," Sweetie Belle replied, "Maybe when we get older, we could see the moon rise at the celebration."

"Scootaloo, what I'm trying to tell you is that you seem to have improved in flying. And did the bullies leave you alone after you stand up to them?" Luna told Scootaloo.

"They did leave me alone," Scootaloo replied, "Though I don't get my cutie mark in flying."

"I wonder how Scootaloo finally becomes capable of flying," Apple Bloom said.

"I gave her advice in a dream," Luna told Apple Bloom.

"Okay, so last time she saw you in a dream, she has to face her fears in the non-dream world?" Sweetie Belle asked.

"Of course, Apple Bloom. Sweetie Belle, have you learned to allow Rarity to follow her dreams of being a fashion designer?" Luna asked.

"Yes," Sweetie Belle replied.

"Okay, we haven't started cosplaying. We're going to the haunted house to see if we can scare the other ponies," Scootaloo said, "That'll get us cutie marks."

"I'm not sure, Scootaloo. Every time we do something, we don't get cutie marks," Apple Bloom replied.

"Let's go," Sweetie Belle said.

They all walk to the house that I walked through.  They're young- aren't most foals easily startled?

Rainbow Dash appears, and she is riding a thundercloud.  "Rainbow Dash, if you're gonna scare us, we'll scare you too," Luna said with a playful tone.

"Whatever," Rainbow Dash replied, "It's just fun scaring others."

"And if somepony is eating candy? They'll choke if they get scared, like what has happened to Spike," I told Rainbow Dash.

"You mean your son, right?" Rainbow Dash remarked.

"He's not my son! I just hatched his egg with my magic when I was younger," I retorted.

"Says a really smart unicorn recently ascended into Alicorn status and obsessed with a princess that once became evil."

Luna and I clear our throats to get Rainbow's attention.  "Ha ha, I was just kidding," Rainbow said in a nervous tone.

"Rainbow, she's not gonna turn evil anymore," I replied.

"Yeah, right. An egghead dating a former villain."

"She's not always a villain. She once helped her sister to stop Discord and a few other villains long ago."

"Pinkie's not gonna believe you either."

"Says a pegasus that doesn't tell the difference between a night princess and a dark creature of nightmares," Luna said with some playfulness as she uses her magic to take the thundercloud from Rainbow Dash.

"I'm only kidding- AAH!" Rainbow Dash replied as the thunderbolt zaps her for a second.  She dashes off without the thundercloud.

Luna and I start laughing for a bit.  We stop laughing, and it seems to be almost midnight.  Some ponies are going home, and then Luna flies into the air.  "Goodnight, Twilight," She said.

I fly home, and then I slump onto the bed.