"Sister," said Luna as she stood outside Celestia's room, "why do ponies celebrate me as Nightmare Moon but not as Luna, the loving princess of the night?"
"Well," replies Celestia, "why don't you dawn a costume and go see for yourself?" Luna nods and goes off and changes into a costume. Once she's in her costume, Luna heads off towards Ponyville. Her costume is a simple one: it's one that masks her horn and wings, her costume is one of a pharaoh. The crown covers her horn and the drape covers her wings. A few minutes later, she arrives in Ponyville.
"Hey Luna," says Twilight as she notices the princess with a whisper.
"Hey Twilight," replies Luna with a smile. "Please keep my presence hush hush. I don't want the others to know it's me."
"Okay," replies Twilight before flying off to join her own friends.
A few minutes later, Luna is approached by the Cutie Mark Crusaders and their friends. "Hello Miss," say the fillies and colts, "what are you dressed up as for Nightmare Night?" They ask with eyes wide.
"I'm dressed as a pharaoh, Pharaoh Luness," replies Luna. "Now, why do you enjoy Nightmare Night? I'm new to town and to these traditions, you see."
"Well," replies Sweetie Belle, "it's fun because of the games, the candy, the time together as a community."
"Agreed, plus the haunted corn maze and hay ride are fun too," adds Apple Bloom. "You should come to the farm after dark and give them a try."
"I think I will," replies Luna.
A few hours later, the moon leaves the sky and it goes completely dark. A few minutes later, Luna arrives at the farm and hops onto the hayride and once she's done with that, she goes and does the maze alongside the other ponies. Luna can't help but admit she's enjoying herself.
Meanwhile, back at the castle, Celestia looks down upon Ponyville. She looks towards the Apple Farm and sees Luna enjoying herself and she can't help but smile. She's glad her little sister is learning what the holiday is truly about. A few minutes later, Celestia dawns her own costume and goes down and enjoys the festivities alongside her little sister. She too has chosen a costume that hides her wings and horn. The two royal sisters laugh as they enjoy their apple pies. They now see what they've been missing for all these years and now, they get to experience it for themselves.
Around midnight, the two princesses return to the palace for the night. "So, what did you think of Nightmare Night?" asked Celestia.
"It was fun!" replies Luna with a smile. "It seems you enjoyed it too."
"Yea, I did," replies Celestia with a giggle.
Meanwhile back at her castle, Twilight and the Mane Six and the CMC finally break it to the rest of their friends that Celestia and Luna actually visited the festivities that night.
"What were their costumes?" asks Pip curiously.
"Luna dressed up as a pharaoh and Celestia dressed up as a poor girl," replies Twilight.
Twilight then looks out towards Canterlot and a smile appears on her face. She's glad the royal sisters were able to make Nightmare Night this year and she hopes they do the same next year.
The next day, the princesses are greeted by Twilight and the CMC. "Oh, hello," say the princesses with shocked looks on their faces. "What can we do for you?"
"We just wanted to say we loved your costumes yesterday and we're glad you enjoyed Nightmare Night!" squeal the CMC in unison.
"I agree," replies Twilight, "it was nice to see you two down there enjoying yourselves in the maze and on the hayride."
"Awe, thanks," replies Luna, "we really enjoyed ourselves. I really enjoyed myself."
"Will you come to next years?" inquires Apple Bloom with wide eyes.
"Of course we will," reply the princesses, "we promise." Celestia and Luna then embrace Twilight and the CMC in a great big hug. They then invite them all in for a nice breakfast of Celestia's hoofmade pancakes topped with fruit faces and whipped cream.
As they eat breakfast together, the group recounts last night's festivities. Luna shares how much she enjoyed letting her childish, excited side show through when she did the games, did the hayride, the maze, all of it. Celestia shares how much she enjoyed getting to do Nightmare Night alongside her sister for the first time in what seemed like forever ago. The two then smile as they pass around the syrup. After a minute of silence, Twilight finally says something.
"So," says Twilight, "we all thought it over. We being me, the rest of the Mane Six, Starlight, Mayor Mare, and the CMC, and we decided to rename the holiday to Moonlight Night. So what do you think, Luna?"
"Actually," replies Luna, "I think the term Nightmare Night has grown on me a little. I think the name is perfect as it is."
"Okay," replies Twilight, "but let us know if you change your mind. We can always change the name of the holiday."
"I know for certain that I'll never change my mind on this," replies Luna with a giggle. The group then gets back to enjoying their second and even third rounds of freshly made pancakes. An hour later, Twilight and the CMC share hugs with the princesses before parting ways. The CMC head off to school and Twilight heads off to meet up with her friends for a day in the park with their pets. Luna, on the other hand, heads off for some relaxation time in her jade and jasmine garden while Celestia heads off to do the morning's paperwork and a meeting with the dignitaries of Maretopia. It's just a normal day after an exciting night and the royal sisters would have it no other way.
Meanwhile, back in Ponyville, Twilight enjoys her time with her friends and all of the pets. "I'm glad Luna and Celestia enjoyed participating in Nightmare Night," she says to her friends.
"I think we can all agree that even princesses need a little time to let loose and have fun," replies Pinkie.
"Agreed!" replies Applejack as she kicks the ball for Winona to go and catch. "I can definitely agree with that." They spend the rest of the day in the park, while the royal sisters think of all the fun they had while they perform their duties for the day and the night.
The End
