Nightmare Night! That special night of the year, in the cold dead heart of autumn... a night of costumes, pranking, scares, parties, candy... and well earned stomach-aches.
From her loft bedroom in the Golden Oak Library in Ponyville, the lavender unicorn Twilight Sparkle looked out the window at the gathering darkness, at the cobwebs and pumpkins, at the costumed fillies and colts scurrying past with their sacks of candy. And she felt the same thrill of excitement she'd felt every year. It was Nightmare Night!
And this year she had the perfect costume, all planned out months in advance. She hopped down from the bed and ran over to the closet.
There it was. An historically accurate rendition of Princess Amore, the Crystal Empire's first ruler and establisher of the Crystal Faire. It had taken Twilight weeks to gather and string together enough blue crystal beads for the harness, anklets, and horn pendant. It had taken just as long to come up with an illusion spell that would appear to change her coat color and cutie-mark to the pearl-white and crystal heart of the Princess. The wig and fake tail had taken forever to color-match with the drawings in the Archive records, and she blushed at the machinations she'd had to go through to get hold of a properly colored horn extension without a lot of annoying questions.
And the tiara. She'd made it herself out of crystal, matching cut for cut the most accurate illustrations she could find. She'd had to improvise in a couple places, which made her uncomfortable, but even so the overall effect was stunning. Taking it out of the cloth-filled box, she turned it over in her hooves and then, feeling a little embarrassed, looked at herself in the closet mirror and tried it on.
It was perfect. She felt like the Princess Amore already. All she had to do was put everything else on, fire up the spell, and she could stroll out the door looking like royalty in every last exacting detail.
She wished Cadance was here; the Crystal Empire's current Princess would get such a charge out of this costume, Twilight was sure. Cadance went to great lengths to inform herself on the culture and history of her adopted domain, and she'd willingly provided all the additional references Twilight had asked for. She was also kind enough not to ask prying questions. Twilight would have to find some way to get a picture taken of herself in costume, so she could send it to Cadance by way of showing her gratitude.
She reached for the hanger containing the other costume regalia. Her hoof happened to brush the other clothes hanging on the rack.
There was a jingling sound.
Twilight stopped, and reached up to push aside the other garments.
It was her Star Swirl the Bearded costume, the one she'd worn a couple years back... on the night Princess Luna had decided to join in the festivities and wound up nearly destroying the holiday in her efforts to rehabilitate her image in the eyes of her subjects.
Putting the tiara back in its box for a moment, Twilight reached up to take down the Star Swirl costume. She shrugged into the robe, tied on the beard, and plopped the wizard's hat with its circle of tiny bells atop her head. She stared in the mirror.
That was it. That was the moment Nightmare Night died for her.
She'd worked just as hard on this costume, making certain it was historically accurate, researching the exact fabrics and colors to use, and consulting thirteen different sources to get the exact count of bells on the brim of the hat. It had been perfect, too.
And no one noticed.
Pinkie Pie had thought it was a clown costume. Applejack had been sure she was one of two things: either Country or Western. Even Spike, her dragon assistant, had thought she was going as someone's grandfather from the Retirement Village.
The only pony in town who had recognized her costume was Princess Luna. And that was only because the Princess had known Star Swirl personally, and had then been locked away in the Moon for a thousand years!
Twilight trotted back to the bed, hopped up on it, and stared out the window at the costumes going past. There were ghosts and witches, pirates and demons, mummies and vampires, and more than a few dark skulking figures that had to be ninjas. Even some who'd dressed up as farmers or high-society ponies. Perfectly ordinary costumes that would not have taken much time to throw together.
And there! Twilight goggled. Someone actually had the nerve to dress up as Princess Celestia herself... and what the hay? Whoever it was was wearing a white tablecloth over her back, with the solar cutie-mark done in day-glo orange paint, a particolored pom-pom draped over her head for a mane, and what looked like a cotton-candy stick for a horn!
And she was one of a large group of revelers chattering happily as they made their way through town, probably on their way to a costume party, or perhaps the games area in the Town Square.
Twilight sat back on her haunches sadly.
"Am I just going at this all wrong?" she asked aloud.
She glanced sadly at the tiara, sitting in its box. No one would recognize this costume either. They'd probably think she was some kind of trapeze artist, or maybe even -- she shuddered at the thought -- a barrel-dancer!
She shrugged out of the Star Swirl costume, returned to the closet and hung it up. Then she carefully shut up the tiara in its box, shoved it in there as well, and shut the door.
Well, okay. She'd just go with... some other costume. Something simple. Maybe the costume shop was still open. She could swing by and pick something up. Or maybe she could catch Pinkie Pie, and see if the party pony had any good items tucked away in one of her emergency party supply trunks. Worst came to worst, she'd cut a couple holes out of a bedsheet and go as a ghost.
She trotted down the stairs to the main room of the library, thinking about it, still reluctant to go with something so trivial.
Halfway down, she thought: a pirate! Yes! A pirate hat, an eye-patch, maybe a neckerchief, and we're done. Easy peasy! And everyone would recognize it, there'd be no doubt what she was.
And what was more... there were several famous pirates she could go as with only a little extra detail. As she reached the bottom of the stairs she turned toward the History shelves, all ready to look up a book she knew that discussed many of the legends of the Pirate Ponies of the Spanish Mane, and...
She stopped, and sat down. Hard. And felt like crying.
That was the whole problem! Every time she tried to think of a costume, she tried too hard, went all-out to apply every ounce of her knowledge and skill to make it accurate and letter-perfect. And it was completely beside the point, wasted effort! The point of Nightmare Night was to be out with friends, have fun, and celebrate the end of the farming year. It wasn't a costume contest. And it certainly wasn't a period drama!
The bell over the door jingled as Spike walked in. This year he had at least changed things up a little. Instead of going as a purple dragon -- which he already was -- he was going as a green dragon. Which was totally different, according to Spike. Of course, he'd accomplished this by simply painting his purple costume green, but it was the thought that counted, right?
"Hey, Twi!" Spike trotted over to her. "Uh, aren't you gonna put on your costume? The trick-or-treaters are headed this way!"
"Um, I'm not sure I'll wear one this year," Twilight said.
"Huh? Why not?"
"I couldn't think of anything good." She sighed. "And... well, maybe I'm just getting too old for this sort of thing."
Spike stared at her wide-eyed, as if someone had just told him the comics industry had shut down.
"Are you kidding? You always come up with great costumes!"
"Yeah, which no one recognizes! What'd I go as last year, huh?"
"Um..." Spike looked uncomfortable.
"Urhhh! Queen Cleocloptra! You'd think everypony would recognize her!"
"Yeah, well... the toga was a little strange."
"It was a chiton! Because she was a Cloptolemy! The last member of the occupying Maceponian dynasty at the time? And... Ughhh! I'm doing it again! I'm geeking out! I keep doing this!"
She paused to catch her breath. "Sorry, Spike. I'm just thinking I should well... keep it simple this year. Like, maybe just a pirate costume."
"A pirate costume?"
She glared at him. "Comment?"
"Uh... nope! Sounds good to me! But you're gonna have to hurry, the costume shop is closing soon, remember?"
"Fine. Let's head over there."
"Hi, Twilight!"
Twilight and Spike turned around, and found themselves facing a pink ball with four hooves.
"Pinkie?"
Pinkie Pie's grinning head popped up out of the top of the ball. "That's me! Hee!"
"And you're..."
"I'm Crazy Putty! I bounce all over, I can strrrrretch like crazy, and I can copy comics pages if you squish me on them. Um, wait a minute, I can't actually do that last one yet. Still working on it!" She stotted in place merrily, like a one-pony sing-along prompt.
Then she came to a halt. "Oooo! I'm loooovin' your costume, Twi!"
"Actually, Pinkie..."
"Nonononono! Don't tell me! Lemme guess! Oh wait, I've got it! You're goinnnnng as... YOU! Wow! Radical move, Twi! Kinda like Dada and Zen in a blender! Or is it Zen and Dada in a blender? I dunno. Either way, it's a great surrealist smoothie!"
"Pinkie! I'm not wearing a costume!"
"Woah! That is just what you'd say if you were wearing a costume like that! Cool! Awesome!"
"PINKIE!"
"Yeah, Twi?" Her eyelids fluttered innocently.
Twilight took a steadying breath. "Actually, I'm glad I ran into you. The costume store is closed and I was wondering if you might... maybe... have any leftover costume gear I could borrow for tonight?"
"Oh! Sure thing, Twilight! C'mon over to the shop!"
Pinkie led the way over to the Sugarcube Corners bakery, and then upstairs to her room, where she hopped out of her costume and began rummaging through her party trunks, spilling streamers, banners, confetti, and noisemakers on the floor. In a few moments she came up with a battered pirate hat and eyepatch, although in place of a neckerchief she found an old knitted scarf, which she wound around Twilight's neck.
"Too bad we don't have a parrot costume," Pinkie said, "Then Spike could be your parrot! Spikey wanna cracker? Rawwwkk! Pieces of Eight! Rawwwkk!"
"Uh, no thanks, I'll pass!" Spike said. "Twi, can we go now? We're missing all the good trick-or-treating action!"
"Sure, Spike. Thanks a million, Pinkie!"
"Not a problem, Twi! Happy Candy!"
Pinkie dove back into her costume, and they went downstairs. Just as they reached the door there was a knock on it. Opening it, they found themselves facing Applejack and the Cutie Mark Crusaders.
"Nightmare Night!"
"What a fright!"
"Give us something sweet to bite!"
"Oooo! Great costumes!" Pinkie bounced happily, looking at the three fillies. "Let's see -- we've got a ninja... a ninja... annnnnd... a NINJA! Woo hoo! Jackpot! I win!" Grabbing a cupcake from a nearby display, she slam-dunked it in her mouth. "Mmmmm! Sweet!"
"We're seein' if we can get our cutie marks as ninjas from P.O.N.I.!" Apple Bloom said. "Though I said I didn't think it would work like that! I mean, what if one of us got to be a ninja and the other two didn't?"
"We'd just have to take turns!" Sweetie Belle said.
"That's silly, you can't take turns on a cutie mark!" said Scootaloo.
"And Applejack," Pinkie went on, "you're obviously going as -- an apple farmer! Farm-tacular! Ooo, is that a word, or did I just make it up?"
"Uh, Pinkie, I'm a alfalfa farmer? Totally different thang?"
"Oh! Whatever!"
"And what are you, Pinkie?" Scootaloo asked.
Pinkie's eyes filled with terror. "I'mmmmm... the PINK BLOB THAT ATE PONYVILLLLLE! Augh! It's GOT me! Save yourselllvesssss..." She made agonized faces as she drew her head back into the pink ball.
"Meh, lame," Sweetie Belle said.
"Yeah, saw that on the Monster Movie Marathon last week," Apple Bloom added.
Pinkie's head popped back up. "You saw that too? Cool, huh? That's where I got the idea!"
Twilight stared at her. "You made a costume that good in a week, Pinkie?"
"Eh, more like a couple of days. It's been busy here at the store!"
Twilight's face fell. "C'mon, Spike." She nodded to the others. "I'll... see you later girls!"
"Uh, hey, Twi..." Applejack called after her. "I really like your pirate costume!"
"Thanks," Twilight said sadly, trudging off. Spike shrugged and followed her.
"Huh!" Applejack said. "What's up? Normally she'd go nuts if'n I recognized what she had on!"
Twilight wandered dispiritedly through the Town Square, past the games, the apple-bobbing tub, the temporary bandstand where the Bats in Our Belfries were strumming their way through the traditional novelty tunes. Everywhere she went, people liked her costume. They saw it was a pirate, they knew it was a pirate, they liked that it was a pirate.
The problem was... it just wasn't her.
She followed along behind Spike as he went with the fillies and colts from the town to the statue of Nightmare Moon on the village outskirts. Zecora did her usual eerie recounting of the Fearsome Tale of Nightmare Moon, and the children made the traditional candy offering.
And right on cue, the moon broke through the clouds, its light hit the statue, the statue was wreathed in shadowy smoke... and Princess Luna, garbed in the night-dark armor of Nightmare Moon, stepped down from the plinth, baring fangs and grinning evilly, her dragon-like eyes glaring.
"What do we see before us? Is it children?" She paused, her glowing eyes sweeping the excitedly trembling crowd. "Nay! We see naught but ghosts and goblins! Sorceresses and burial wrappings! Demons of Tartarus, and spirits of the night who feast on blood! And..." She blinked, looking at the Cutie Mark Crusaders.
"Ninjas from P.O.N.I.!" they cried.
Luna paused barely a second. "The swiftest of ninjas!" she declared. "Who move like whirlwind shadows through our Night!"
The Crusaders gasped. They stared at each other wide-eyed, with smiles to match.
"And zombie ponies, and green dragons and... pirates?" Luna paused for a second, staring at Twilight, her head tipped in puzzlement. Then she recovered.
"So we shall consume the candy offering and pass on... but... wait... what is THIS?"
The children shivered in joy. This was the best part. The Royal Canterlot Voice rang out in the clearing:
IS IT CHILDREN WE SEE BEFORE US? TASTY MORSELS FOR US TO CONSUME? IT IS! IT IS! WE MUST ATTACK!!!
She reared in the air, cackling madly. Lightning flashed, and thunder rolled. The children screamed happily and scurried away from the plinth. They rapidly disappeared up the trail back to town, leaving only Twilight and Spike standing alone before the Princess of the Night.
Princess Luna casually shrugged her shoulders, dismissing the illusion spell that created the appearance of night-dark armor and glowing eyes, leaving her normal sleek blue body and stern-eyed expression facing Twilight and Spike.
Conjuring a soft cloud, she climbed up onto it and lay down comfortably. Removing the set of faux-ivory fangs from her mouth -- for she insisted on realism in such details -- she nodded affably. "An eventful Nightmare Night to thee, young Twilight," she said.
"Good evening, Luna," Twilight said, her face downcast.
"We see thou art a pirate," Luna observed.
"Yes, I'm a pirate."
"Which pirate?"
"Pardon?"
"We cannot place the unusual neckerchief. Is it one of the South Sea marauders? One of the scurrilous lot who frequented Horseshoe Bay, or scoured the northeastern seaboard? Perhaps... can it be... Redmane himself?"
"It's just a pirate!" Twilight cried, frustrated. "It's not any particular pirate. It's just..." Her voice fell to a whisper. "... a pirate."
"Oh." Luna looked saddened. "We had hoped... well, as much as we enjoy coming here each Nightmare Night to frighten the small ones out of their tooth-destroying bounty, our chief reason has been to see the costume thou creates each year. Last year's was Queen Cleocloptra, we believe, last of the Cloptolemy dynasty? Horrid young filly to our mind. Kept going on about her son's right to inherit!"
"Wait... you met her too?"
"Of course! We are immortal, after all. History for other ponies is memory to us. We have met many historical figures. And it truly seems only yesterday to us, given how little we recall from... our time up there." She added a glance at the Moon overhead.
"And you liked that costume?"
"It was like seeing her in the flesh again! And Star Swirl... as annoying as he could be at times, we do greatly miss him. Thy costume the first year we came to Ponyville brought it all back to us. It was most agreeable!"
She lowered her head, sighing. "It was the one thing we were truly looking forward to, during our visit tonight. Sadly, like most other traditions of our time, it seems to have slipped away before we knew how much it meant."
Twilight's mouth hung open. She glanced at Spike.
"Princess, would you be kind enough to wait here just a few minutes?"
"But of course, Twi..." She blinked. "...light?"
Where Twilight had been standing there was nothing but a gap in the air and a fading afterimage. And a pirate hat abandoned on the ground.
"Uh... licorice whip, m'lady?" Spike said, offering his remaining stash.
Later, Princess Luna strolled through town to take part in the games at the Town Square, as part of her ongoing efforts to get to know her subjects, her continuing self-education in the modern concept of "fun"... and also because she enjoyed it immensely and didn't care a toss who knew it.
And everywhere she went she made a point of introducing her guest for the evening: the pearl-coated, crystal-heart-flanked Princess Amore, resplendent in her beaded harness, rose-red mane and tail, and elegant crystal tiara. When curious ponies asked which dominion Princess Amore ruled, Luna would only cryptically reply "the Frozen North". Eventually, word got around and ponies stopped asking, fearing it might be rude to do so. It was generally assumed it must be some newly-discovered land, which the royals would get around to announcing and adding to the geography books at some point.
But everyone who saw them, whether at the games, having their photo taken by the evening's event photographer, or later seated at a table at the Cafe Hay, were impressed by how volubly and knowledgeably the two Princesses discussed events present and past, how well they got along, and how much pleasure they took in sharing each other's company.
And if anyone happened to wonder why Princess Amore sounded so much like an aristocratic version of Twilight Sparkle, or why Spike kept following around after her with a broad smile plastered on his face, they kept it to themselves. After all, the Princesses were guests, and one thing Ponyville knew how to do was make guests feel welcome.
Dear Princess Celestia,
Today I learned that when there's a thing you do well that you love to share with others, it's not so much the quantity of those you share it with, nearly as much as the quality, that matters. And if there's as little as one other pony who understands exactly what you're doing and why, and derives pleasure from it, then it's worth doing -- even if it's merely for that pony's sake alone.
Your Faithful Student,
Twilight Sparkle
The End
My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic, its characters and indicia are the property of Hasbro.
No infringement is intended. This story is a work of fan fiction, written by fans for fans of the series.
Author's Note
Dedicated to the memory of Ray Bradbury, master tour-guide of the October Country... 
