Calcifer.

Lemon nuzzled Pinkie's neck.  It was a way of tickling her that he rather was amused of.

Pinkie giggled ecstatically, "Lemons, hahaha, STOP! hahahahah."

Lemon squeeze nudged her one more time and then kissed her delicately where he was just tickling her.

"Have I ever told you how pink you are?"  Lemons teased romantically.

Pinkie smiled sweetly at him, looking deep into Lemon's beautiful blue eyes.

"Have I ever told you how much you taste like lemon's?" Pinkie teased back.

Pinkie leaned in and kissed him softly on his lemon flavored lips.

"Guys!"

Their kiss was interrupted by a complaint from Apple Jack.

Pinkie and Lemon looked up.

"Yes A.J.?" Lemons inquired.

"Could you lovebirds quit 'ur sweet everythin's and hand me tha tape?"

Pinkie giggled a little, then grabbed the role of duck tape and gave it to Apple Jack, who was on top of a ladder taping a pony-witch cutout to the side of her barn.

This year the Apple family decided to host a haunted house.

Apple Bloom was about overjoyed with her hopefully "New family tradition."

The cutie mark crusaders were the one's who mostly did the decoration, with only one incentive in mind.

This was going to be the best Nightmare Night ever!

"So what's Apple Bloom gonna be this year A.J.?"  Pinkie asked.

"I don't know, she said that she was gonna make costumes with Scootaloo and Sweetie Belle this year.  Never specified on the what."

"Huh, maybe they'll get their cutie marks out of it." Lemons inquired.

"Don't bet your bits on it sugar cube, ya didn't see it when it happened, but trust me on this.  They got no sense of fashion... at'all."

"Why would ya say that?"

Apple Jack gave her answer very bluntly, "Talent show, 2011..."

"Huh?"

Pinkie smirked a bit and chuckled to herself, "You'd have to had been there lovie."

Pinkie unexpectedly scooted herself closer to Lemons, burying her head under his chin.

Unfortunately,  the act of affection caused Lemons to nudge the ladder a bit too hard, and Apple Jack came crashing down.

She landed face first in the dirt, her hat returning to the top of her crown in a much lighter fashion.  Almost seemed a little too cartoonish to happen, but it still did.

Lemons and Pinkie didn't notice though, they were wrapped up in their own little world.

Apple Jack raised her head in a groan of pain.  She looked upon the two huddling together in the autumn scenery that canvassed the orchard, and smiled at the sight.

She knew it was an accident anyways, besides their relationship reminded her of the crush she developed on a certain new colt.  He was from a farming town west of Fillydelphia, and was always really kind to all the ponies in his new home just  outside of Ponyville.  He was quite handsome as well.

"Apple Jack, you okay?"

Apple Jack turned her head to the left to find her brother Big Macintosh staring down at her.

He looks like a flippin' giant from down here.

Apple Jack Smiled up and said in a happy tone, "Yea' I'm fine, help me up."

Big Mac obliged, and helped his sister up.  After she was up, Big Mac snatched his sister's hat and started dusting her with it.

"What 'r ya doin' Mac!"  Apple Jack exclaimed.

The colt strained the words through his bite, "Ah'm tryin' ta get the dirt off ya, now hold still!"

Big mac was actually playing something he picked up from his father.  It was called "Jus' bother."

Apple Jack took the game lightly and snatched her hat up half way from Mac hitting her a tenth time.

"Will ya quit it?" She said gritting the hat through her teeth in a annoyed tone.

"Mmnope!" Bic Mac amused.

He snatched the hat back and ran behind the barn with it.

This is when Apple Jack gave up, her brother was being a weirdo again, and when he play'd "Jus' bother."  she never won anyways.

Big Mac peeked around the back end of the barn and glanced at Apple Jack with an unimpressed expression on her face.

Mac took that expression as a joke and went back behind the barn, the hat still in between his teeth.

"Heh, I swear he's gettin' more like Pa every day."  A.J. Said to herself, a spark of amusement finally setting in.

She turned her attention to Lemons and Pinkie, both wearing pretty smiling faces.

"What?" Apple Jack ask.

"That was pretty funny to watch." Said Lemons.

"Yeah!  Do it again!"  Pinkie added.

Apple Jack broke into a soft chuckle.

Macintosh snuck up behind her and placed the hat back on his sister's head.

"Ah'll see ya later Sis, I gotta go pic' up Apple Bloom from school.  Ah should be back in about ten minutes or so."

Not speaking another word Big Mac went off to school, leaving Apple Jack and her two friends behind him.

"Your brother is pretty cool." Lemons said cheerfully.

"Beg ur' pardon?" Apple Jack asked, turning to the yellow colt quizzically.

"He reminds me alot of my brother up in Cloudsdale.  He's a really nice guy, hmm, I should call him up later."

Pinkie gasped after Lemons finished his sentence, "You never told me you had a Pegasus brother!"

"Well maybe if somepony wasn't so darn cute, I wouldn't have forgotten to talk about him."  Lemons nuzzled Pinkie again, tickling her.

Pinkie loved it when he nuzzled her.

...

"Twilight, you should stop worrying.  I'm sure the Princess has just been really busy over the past month and a half."

Spike was riding on Twilight's back, they both decided to get some fresh air this afternoon and go on a simple walk around town.

"I'm just not quite sure Spike.  Ever since Princess Celestia sent me that weird letter about the messenger, or whoever he was, she's never written me back.  I must have read that letter at least twenty-five times, and I still don't know what to make of it."

Lyra passed by and said a quick "Hey, Twi!" to the purple mare and her companion.

"Hey Ly!" Twilight responded before focusing her attention back on Spike.

"You think that she forgot about me Spike?" She asked in a slightly worried tone.

"No!  I would never think so.  Twilight I know you probably know this but, you tend to uh..."

"Overreact alot?" The mare said blandly.

"Yes!  Oh I mean uh No not at all I uh just..."

"Save it Spike, I know what you meant."  She replied knowingly, "I'll write her one more time later to see whats going on...  Hopefully she'll write back this time."

"Oh Twilight..." Spike said, partially sad, yet partially annoyed because of the subject of the conversation.

"Hey there Twilight!"  A colt wavered in a thick accent.

Twilight looked up to find Big Macintosh passing by.

"Hey Mac, how's it going?" Twilight responded.

The ponies crossed ways, "Get'n my lil' sister from school.  I'll talk to ya later."

"Okay, bye!"

Twilight focused on the path ahead of her, looking forward at the crown of bustling ponies preparing the town for Nightmare Night.

Fathers and their young colts and fillies were carving pumpkins, making spooky and silly looking jack-o-lanterns, while the mothers were inside cooking dinner.

A few fillies were playing with a toy spider around the block.

Almost the entire town was getting ready for the night only a few sunsets away.

Orange and black streamers, cutouts of goofy looking monsters were on display, the autumn atmosphere only added to the excitement, the town was nearly exploding with anticipation.

Twilight thought to herself for a minute then asked, "How do you think Shining Armor and Cadence are doing?"

Spike looked at the back of Twilight's head for a second, but she didn't turn around to look back at him.

"What made you think of your brother and Cadence?"  The little dragon asked.

"Nightmare Night is Shining's favorite holiday, and when Bic Mac past by he reminded me of the last time I actually spent a holiday with him.  Gosh, it's been awhile hasn't it?"

Spike searched his mind, and found himself crossing a funny memory.

"Hey remember the year when you dressed up like a toaster for Nightmare Night?  Didn't you lose a bet to him that year?"

Twilight remembered that embarrassing year, a look of bemusement washed over her face, "Don't remind me Spike." She said.

Spike giggled to himself that his attempt to bother Twilight succeeded.

Twilight shook it off and kept walking.

***

"TELL ME WHERE HE IS YOU LITTLE WORM!"

Fluttershy shriveled down and hid under her hair as the large colt stood above her menacingly.

His hind teeth were pointed, his eye's were blood red and cold,  the two black pupils staring at the weeping pony below him.

He was angry, brutal and dangerous.

His coat was a dark grey tinted midnight, his mane was spiked, and resembled the color of complete darkness.

His cutie mark was quite evil looking, a red "6" in a bright white tongue of fire as it's canvas.

The chiseled frame of his face made him looked starved, as did the ribs that protruded under his paper thin hide.

"I'M NOT GOING TO ASK YOU NICELY AGAIN YOU CRYING BITCH!"

The monstrosity of a pony lifted his right arm up, and slashed Fluttershy across her delicate face.

She gave a mouse-like squeak of pain as the hoof forcefully swiped across her face.

The taste of iron found it's way into Fluttershy's mouth.

"WHERE IS CALCIFER!"  He exclaimed.

She brushed her bangs infront of her face so she wouldn't be able to look at the pony in front of her.

"I *sniff* I don't know who your talking about."  She pleaded.

The colt lifted his hoof up again, ready to strike down his prey.

A low unpony-like growl came from deep within the belly of the colt.

Fluttershy winced, ready to take another hit.

She was too afraid to yell for help, the colt might hurt her harder.

Something made the colt freeze just as his hoof was about to come in contact with Fluttershy's head for a second time.

He looked into the forest that bordered Fluttershy's backyard, shock distilled in his face.

His shocked expression turned into a horrifying wicked smile.

"Their's your fire you stupid bastard..."  He put his hoof down and sprawled forward, lunging above Fluttershy.

A terrifying howl sounded from behind her, and drifted off into Everfree.  It sounded like something like the roar of a dragon and a griffin mixed; either way, blood curtailing.

Fluttershy slowly opened one of her eyes, nothing but blue sky and soft green grass.

Her whole body was shivering from shock.

She slowly gathered the courage to look behind her, and saw the forest as it always was.

A muffled yell came from within the woods, then an ear shattering explosion sounded.  A radiant blue light flashed deep within the forest.

Fluttershy's instincts kicked in, and she flew faster than Rainbow Dash into her cottage.

Into safety.