On the day of Nightmare Night, ponies remember the fall of Nightmare Moon along with Princess Luna; there is no ill intent nor do many purposefully attempt spite. Cool, evening air tickles the tips of ponies' ears as laughter and shrieks echo in unison. Princess Luna visits a town each year past nightfall with an augmenting, traditional flash of lightning.
This year was no different. Luna was due to arrive in Manehattan for celebration, and her chariot left at moonrise. She left Canterlot this year to escape the tragedy of a mother and child being tossed in front of a train. No pony was apprehended or accused; it weighed greatly on both princess' minds.
Fog enshrouded the Everfree forest, obscuring a figure's approach. It moved on four legs but had an uneven gate. Its back hoof was crushed along with its entire side; it almost seemed like it was run over by something.
Blossom Travelforth walked out of the fog, carrying her foal in bundles.
"Rainbow Dash! Haven't you done this uncouth prank every year since Princess Luna came to visit?" Rarity looked up at a dark patch of sky.
The dark patch of sky revealed a rainbow mane and a blue muzzle, and the rest of her was covered in a dark costume - a shadowbolt.
"Hey! I didn't ask you for pranking lessons! It never gets old when someone gets zapped. In fact—"
"I for one, think you are utterly rude. Causing mischief and pain is a terrible thing." Rarity smirked. "You don't want me to convince Twilight to convince you with a friendship lesson, would you?"
"Rarity, you wouldn't! You know how legendarily boring those are!" Rainbow—Shadowbolt Dash rolled on her cloud. "Fine," she waved a hoof in the air, "I promise I won't zap any pony, but it doesn't mean I won't use this cloud for... other purposes."
Rarity backed nodded and trotted away in her vampony costume. Stalls of games lined her path: pumpkin toss, a haunted Sugarcube Corner. Plenty of ponies lining Mane Street handed out candy while foals and fillies zipped along getting and trading candy. Erie music started to play from the dark side of Ponyville. Normally, every pony was at the town square or other lit roads, but this music, demented and hypnotic, called to her from a dark building.
The door creaked open with Rarity's blue magic. A shadow dashed across the back wall.
"Hello?" her voice wavered, calling out to some pony that may or may not be in here.
All of a sudden, a flash of metal caught her eye, and the entity jumped for her.
A resounding scream of terror echoed through the hamlet. Ponies looked in the direction of the unusually bloodcurdling scream with concerned frowns. Up on a black cloud, Shadowbolt Dash snickered.
"Don't worry every pony! Rarity found Berry Punch's and Vinyl Scratch's surprise haunted house."
A group of collective murmurs of acknowledgement passed around. Nodding at her awesome ability to calm panic, Rainbow dashed off. Under her cloud of near perfect camouflage, she contemplated her next move. It definitely couldn’t be shocking ponies. She considered her other attributes: silent moving, a perfect hiding place, and lightning. Lightning was off the table, so Dash thought of what kind of awesome things you could do with dinging and silence.
"A Dashbush! Because an ambush isn't nearly as awesome as a Dashbush!" An evil cackle escaped her mouth. "Who should be the first victim?" Rainbow's hooves rubbed together.
Blossom Travelforth questioned herself. "Was it really a good idea to leave the fog? Ponies might see us." She stopped by a tree on the outskirts of Ponyville. Her colt, a bundle of cloth, levitated toward her in a black aura. "How you doing, Creativity?" She muzzled the face of a young, unicorn colt. He was a brown with a green tint and amber eyes.
The squeak he elicited from the affection soothed Blossom's heart. It reassured her of her choice. If she had stayed any longer, the Necropolis guards would have surely detected her. Staying behind as much plant life as possible, she walked toward the life of Ponyville.
"Surely, a zombie wouldn't attract too much attention tonight."
Rarity's screams caused the sharp, metal object to clatter on the floor. A groan came from the entity as it lost balance and slammed into Rarity’s hooves, knocking her off balance.
Grunts of wrestling echoed with dark, synthetic music. "Gah! Vinyl, hit the lights!" A flash illuminated the wine shop's storefront.
"Rarity! I'm sorry; I thought you were some random pony looking for a scare. Sorry about your mane!" Berry Punch dusted herself off and grabbed the bottle opener. "I and Vinyl here decided to throw a make a haunted house, but every pony has been going to Sugarcube Corner."
"Oh, sorry to hear the lack of customers, and don't worry about my mane. I'm glad you weren't some sort of street thug!" Rarity caressed her hair. "Oh and where's Vinyl? I don't see her anywhere."
Berry snorted. "I have her in the back with the wine storage, so no one—"
"Really? You really put Vinyl, a nightlife pony, in a room full of wine and alcohol?"
Berry's eyes narrowed. "What're you saying?"
"She could be drinking wine and you'd never know!" Rarity feigned shock by putting a hoof to her forehead.
"Oh. Oh. OH MY WINES!"
Berry ran off to her backroom with Rarity en route. Upon roughly slamming the door open, Both mares stared at the scene. Four, no five bottles lay strewn around her equipment with the electrified mare giggling on the floor with her shades on another partially drained bottle.
Vinyl's voice was thick with alcohol, "Iz teh bahttle half full zr ehmptee?" Her eyes dilated with the philosophical question. "Or am I empty on the inside. Either way, that mix works wonders at decanting." The bottle floated up with slippery magic.
"Vinyl!" Berry's hoof shot out and reclaimed the bottle. "What the Tartarus! You couldn't just not drink what you want?! I thought you were supposed to help me..."
Drunk as Vinyl was, her inebriated brain told her she just bucked up. "Uhh. Well, nothing happened for like two hours, and I... I bucked up." She hugged her friend. "It's not a total loss though, I'll pay for the wine, and the mix track really decants the wine goood!"
Berry sniffled. "Okay, but I wish more ponies had come." A pause. "WAIT YOU CAN TALK?"
"Bucking up twice in one night," thought Vinyl. Glee rose in her voice at the irony dawned. "No, it's the alcohol talking."
"Some pony has to be the first pony," thought Rainbow. She hid in her cloud above the apple bobbing tank. The amb—Dashbush was planned to scare the pony to fall into the tank and get soaked, but no pony was present.
Upon closer inspection, there was a small sign prohibiting use of the apple bobbing tank. “Signed by Twilight?! What the Celestia? I bet power's gone to her head. I'll show her to snap her out of it!"
Twilight wore a square suit with white plastic in between. The tops and bottoms were brown and the side was holding everything together. "All in all," she appraised, "I say I look like a book."
Spike looked up the crystal stairs, "Finally Twilight! A costume everyone can understand! Not like the Starswirl the Bearded or Clover the Clever costumes." he applauded by sarcastically and supportive at the same time. "Now if we can finally go, it's been four hours since the moonrise, and we only have like two hours left before midnight!"
"Well, since I have to lock up, you can go ahead and get started."
"It's a crystal castle; it's not like anyone's going to steal or break into a princess's home, Twilight. But anyway, thanks!" He ran out the double doors.
Grabbing a key with magic, Twilight prepared to leave by turning off all her lights. Then she double checked her mental checklist and proceeded to walk toward the front door. The key, made out of a durable metal and crystal alloy, slid into the lock with ease and—
"RAHHHHAHHHRAHHH!"
Twilight froze stiff with horror and fell over, yanking the key out of the lock. Rainbow dash fell over but instead with laughter.
"Rainbow Dash! That hurt; you made me fall onto crystal steps!"
"I'm sorry—" Rainbow wheezed "—I thought you were abusing you princess powers, so I came over to scare the abuse out of you." She sat up on her cloud, making it into a temporary chair.
With a hoof held to her wounded heart, "Rainbow, I'm offended. Why would you ever think I'd abuse that?"
"Well the apple bobbing said no pony could use it. Signed. By. You." Dash pointed.
"Hmm." Twilight rubbed her chin, "I don't remember ever doing that. Are you sure it was me?"
"Well, it said it was signed by you."
"Signed by me or said it was signed by me?"
"What."
Twilight face-hoofed. "You know signed by me with fancy writing, orr just my name in print which are regular letters."
"Regular. What does that mean?"
"I don't know." She paced nervously in a circle. "Why would anyone do that? I mean why ban apple bobbing?"
"Well maybe..." Rainbow froze. Her hooves raised in the air, "PINKIEEEEEEEEEE!"
Blossom Travelforth mused to herself. "Why in Celestia's good sun did Twilight's castle have to be so reflective? At least it's on the far side of the town." Her hooves reached the backside of the castle. "All I have to do is get in and wait. I hope she'll listen."
Skirting around the edge, Blossom turned around the corner as a grey pegasus dressed as Princess Celestia passed by. Blossom gasped as the pegasus looked at her in awe.
"I'm Muffins, but everyone calls me Derpy." She put out a hoof. Blossom shook and Derpy continued. "That's a fantastic costume or illusion you have! Even your magic's black. Speaking of which, what're you carrying?"
A sweat drop rolled down Blossom's muzzle. "It's a... a... surprise! For the princess."
"Oh okay." She started to leave, but one of her eyes rolled back and did a double take. "You know, that's offensive and disrespectful."
"What? What'd I do?"
Derpy's eyes rolled, "Seriously. I get the whole zombie thing, but come on, that mare was brutally murdered, and her husband had to go to the funeral only two weeks ago. TWO WEEKS. Do you not get how disrespectful it is to look like the mare that got run over by a train?! If I were you, I'd get rid of the costume and or illusion before something happens to you."
Blossom looked down in sorrow. Hearing that her husband had attended the funeral killed any sort of self-control she had left. "I-I'm sorry." Blossom cried.
"Hey, I'm sorry." Derpy hugged the mare. "Ewe. You even smell undead, so it's an illusion then. I shouldn't have been so mean, but it's a fair warning. Ponies don't like it when you remind them of something terrible around here." She hugged a little tighter.
"I'm s-sorry. I'll remove the illusion in a minute." Blossom mentally kicked herself when she could in fact not take off the 'illusion'. Her cover would be blown.
A sound of wind and narration came over to the pair. "Oh, it sounds like they're starting the Nightmare Moon tribute; you know the one, the one where the children go to the statue and drop off candy. I got to go!"
Never had Blossom felt so relieved before. Creativity woke up and started to cry. "Shh. My precious foal, you'll be safe soon enough."
Blossom traveled forth to the entrance of the castle. Checking under the rug for the key, she chuckled. "Oh princess, you're so good at magic, but you hide the key under the rug." She sighed contentedly, "Such Innocence."
A crystalline door opened into the castle. A purple dragon and alicorn walked in. Twilight shut the door with magic as Spike stretched.
"Ah I'm so glad to be home! All that candy to eat!"
"Now Spike, you can't eat all of your candy, you'll get sick!"
"Don't worry, I'll only eat all the chocolate candy!" He smiled.
"Gah! That’s like—" Twilight waved her hoof around in the air "—eighty percent of all your candy! Only eat half at most!"
"Okay, sheesh." He dumped his sack on the table. "I'm going to put this here and take two claw-fulls back with me. I'll probably fall asleep after I eat this. Seya!" He raced down the hall into his room.
"Don't forget to brush your teeth!" Twilight grumbled as she knew her warning fell on deaf ears.
Stepping out of a shadowed hallway, Blossom Travelforth took a breath. "Princess Twilight, forgive me—"
"AHH! Who are you?" Twilight prepared a few spells around her horn.
"I'm Blossom Travel forth. I was murdered along with my colt when I was thrown into the path of a train from Canterlot." She sat as she levitated her colt into her front hooves. "I'm so sorry, princess for the intrusion, but I can't stay for long."
Twilight approached the pair, watching the tears fall. "But you're dead how are you here?"
"The Necropolis has returned. It takes bodies and ponies ended by brutal means and creates an army of the undead. It is the city of the dark lords that host hundreds of thousands of the undead."
"What? I thought that was a myth." Twilight cast a barrier over herself just in case.
"It's no myth. I came to... to," Blossom curled around her bundle. She shivered in sorrow as she sobbed. "I can't keep him princess. They'll kill him for ever having left. I will most certainly die. I escaped because I wanted him to be as alive as possible. The city—it's horrifying. I can't have him grow there please—" Blossom broke down into sobs again.
Twilight overcame her caution to reassure the mare. "What do you need me to do?"
"T-take him. Please. Unbridled Creativity c-can't die again."
"What? I can't just take your foal. I..."
The two lost their words. Blossom was clutching Creativity as hard as she could without hurting him, and Twilight watched her weep. Minutes passed. Maybe an hour had passed before anything changed. Blossom became stiff.
"They're here. Take him please, and protect him."
"I can't! What if—"
"No! They've found us! Take him!" Blossom practically threw the colt at Twilight, forcing her to catch him.
Blossom smiled. "I'll try to distract them for as long as possible. Please get away from here. They won't stop until we're both dead. But I think, they have to take breaks during the day. I couldn't leave during the day after all." Her tears cascaded as she lept through the doorway with hell hounds chasing her.
She was wrong. She wouldn't die again. She would be tortured.
"Spike!" A flash of teleportation roused the dragon. "Take a letter!"
He yawned, "Ewha? Twi, it's laaaate."
"Not late enough! We have to write to the princesses! Apparently the Necropolis has returned, and I'm being hunted by association!"
"By association? What're you saying?"
Twilight showed Spike the zombie colt.
"We're doomed."
