The Heart of Pleasure
By Haunter Rayne
Ch 111 - A New Kind of Nightmare Night

The ghoulish day had finally arrived and the whole town was eager for the celebrations to begin. Ponies both young and old were all excited to see what changes this year would bring. One of the most notable changes was that the decorations had all been shifted to the west side of town as opposed to the center square like in previous years. Additionally, the Apple Family had been requested to specifically not set up a haunted maze which was usually one of the most popular attractions of the Nightmare Night.

"So, whattaya think is really going to happen tonight?" Applebloom asked as she walked through town with Sweetie Belle and Scootaloo at her sides.

"Beats me. I woulda thought that you would know, seeing as your family agreed not to set up the hay maze this year." Scootaloo replied. "Wouldn't they have at least told you why?"

Applebloom could only shake her head. "Nope. Granny is the only one who has the answer to that and for some reason she's not tellin'. Not even Applejack knows what's going on this year. The only thing we keep hearing is that it's ’already been taken care of.’"

With frowns on the other two filly’s faces, the crusaders were not the only ones within earshot of their conversation as another pair of mares sat around lazily in the outdoor patio of the cafe. "So, is what the little squirt says true? You really don't know anything about what's going on tonight either?" Asked a mare with a light blue coat as she sat with one hoof stretched out over the table.

"Eyup." Was all that a burnt orange mare could reply as she also sat with her hoof stretched into the other’s grasp.

"And so... that's why you're just sitting here? Because without the hedge maze to help set up with Granny Smith, you’re left with nothing else to do other than to just wait for tonight's events with the rest of the town?" Rainbow Dash asked in her usual blunt tone.

"That's right." Applejack replied, while she kicked back with her hat over her face but all the same enjoying holding Dash's hoof in her own.

Although the pegasus beside her growled in frustration before slamming her free hoof on the table. Putting dramatic emphasis on her tone as if implying something to be extremely obvious, Dash groaned out, "So what you're saying is that you're going to be perfectly free all this morning AND afternoon, without a single other thing to do and there is probably an overstocked assortment of hay bales in your barn that not a soul is planning to do anything else with at the moment?!"

"Gosh darn it Dashie, yes! That's what I-" But then the country mare froze when she tipped her hat back and saw the insistant look on her mare-friend's face. "Ohhhh, yer meanin'... -OHH! YER MEANIN-?!"

"SHHHH!" Dash laughed as she reached over to cover up Applejack's mouth. "Uh huh. Now you're getting it." She snickered and Applejack gave a blush while she chuckled along back. Looking around rather embarrassedly the country mare left a few bits on the table for the salad that they shared and the two rushed off to be alone knowing full well that Applebloom, Big Mac, and Granny Smith were all in town right now.

• -

"So Rayne, tell me again how this is supposed to work exactly?" Twilight asked as she walked calmly along the stallion's side while Pinkie Pie hopped excitedly in time with them on his other side.

"You'll just have to wait and be surprised like everypony else, Twilight. No special favors just because you're a princess." The stallion smirked.

"Har, har. You know that's not what I mean." The alicorn sassed, wishing that she could have the same enthusiasm as their bounding friend.

"OH I CAN'T WAIT, I CAN'T WAIT!" Pinkie cheered with an infectious smile. "Rayne said that this was going to be the BEST Nightmare Night EVAR!!! He even pronounced it that way too! Ahhhh! I'm so excited!!! Pleasure pony holidays are so win!!!" She remarked, not having forgotten about the phrase she’d picked up from him back when he had only first come to town.

Rayne smirked nodding back to her happily but it was Twilight who spoke up again as her insecurities would not let her rest. "And so this is going to be the best Nightmare Night ever... without the traditional Apple Family hay maze?"

"That's right. It's all taken care of." Rayne replied.

"And also with the party being pushed off to the west end of town instead of by the central fountain where there is clearly more room for ponies to gather." She persisted.

"Yup! Over by the west end will be much more enjoyable this year, I assure you." Rayne answered her.

"Yes, over by where there is nothing except for the hardware store, a large construction site full of things that the little ones in town could probably hurt themselves on, and the north end of the Apple Orchard?" Twilight continued, making herself feel less and less convinced by the moment.

"Oh don't worry. Everything will be fine. And if it makes you feel any better, I've taken special precautions to make sure no pony gets hurt during the festivities." Rayne explained.

"Oh, special precautions... well that's good. I'm glad to see that somepony isn't afraid to over prepare." Twilight said in a relieved tone. Unfortunately it was short lived as her anxiety kicked into overdrive causing her to yell, "Wait, SPECIAL PRECAUTIONS?! What kind of special precautions?! Just what is supposed to be happening tonight that would need SPECIAL PRECAUTIONS for giving out candy and playing wholesome holiday games with the town?!"

With another smirk Rayne only told her, "Let's just say that we're kicking Nightmare Night up a notch this evening and everypony is going to be so scared that they'll be talking about tonight for years to come. But don't worry, it's still all for fun and nopony is going to get hurt."

"Hmmm." Twilight grumbled, seeming very unsatisfied with that response. But her mood changed as they came across two other ponies who were walking together and heading their way. "Oh, thank goodness! Starlight, somepony who understands reason. Maybe you can help get some answers out of Rayne here and... wait, Fluttershy?! Shouldn't you be at home preparing to barricade yourself in until tomorrow?"

As all eyes drifted over to the yellow pegasus she simply smiled kindly and replied in a calm tone of voice. "Nope. Not this year. In fact I'm going to be helping with tonight's events. I just wanted to stop by and thank Rayne one more time for inviting me. I am so looking forward to my role in your plans for this evening."

All jaws except for the stallion's were dropped but Rayne merely smiled and replied, "No worries, it will be an honor working with you. I couldn't have asked for a better helper."

That was when Pinkie leaned forward and excitedly shouted, "Oooooh! So you know about what Rayne has planned for all of Ponyville tonight?!"

"Oh yes indeed! Rayne was kind enough to stop by my cottage several days ago and he laid out his whole plan for tonight. And believe me, it is going to be SCARY... and not just by my standards either." She giggled as if she was discussing some innocent child's game.

"Wowie! And that doesn't bother you?" Pinkie cheered. "That's amazing! I can't believe that Rayne got you to be excited about Nightmare Night! You! That's something that even Twilight wasn't able to do. And she's the Princess of Friendship! Also double wow! Everypony in town is going around wondering what’s going to happen tonight and here you are already knowing all about it! Not even Twilight knows what's planned for tonight and she's a princess! That's also amazing! You're so lucky Fluttershy!"

Suddenly a pair of heliotrope hooves reached out covering up Pinkie's mouth while pushing her away down the street. "What's amazing is that Twilight doesn't blast you apart into little bits Pinkie!" Starlight warned as she looked back over to the fuming princess whose eye was twitching repeatedly.

However it was shortly thereafter when surprised gasps came from all over Ponyville. Up in the sky two white pegasi from Canterlot were pulling a carriage where Princess Luna sat riding within. After they landed she promptly waved them to return to the castle and then smiled seeing several of her friends rushing over to greet her.

"Luna!" Twilight beamed, having no hesitation in sharing familiarity with the fellow princess. "It's so nice to see you! We didn't expect to see you so early. It isn't even time for you to be raising the moon yet. I assume that you're here to give the students their annual Nightmare Moon scare for Nightmare Night?"

"Oh um, psst!" Came a muted voice from behind her.

Twilight was grinning too excitedly to notice as she was happy to enjoy a little familiarity for the holiday after having so many unexpected changes to deal with. However she could hardly believe it when the princess of the night smiled bashfully and told her, "Unfortunately, not this year Twilight. I have arrived early because this time I am only visiting as a guest of the festivities and not as a collaborator to it's events."

"Twilight, um... excuse me?" A quiet speaker tried again.

Ignoring the persistent nagging for what she felt was more important Twilight stepped closer to Luna and said, "Oh really? Well, I mean, of course you are welcome in Ponyville to just spend your time enjoying the night. But why the sudden change? Aren't the little colts and fillies going to be disappointed when they deliver candy to your statue at the edge of the Everfree Forest and you don't show up?"

With a modest chuckle Luna looked to Twilight and said, "It was to my understanding that sufficient entertainment had been planned for all the residents of the town tonight, including the children. Or at least that is what my date for the evening hath led me to believe."

Suddenly stunned by her words Twilight gasped out, "Your DATE?!"

Fluttershy spoke next excitedly asking, "Oh my, so you mean that you arrived here early to meet up with somepony special this evening?"

With a rather proud smile Luna nodded. "Yes, that is right my friends. And as much as I do enjoy your company, I must ask that you both step aside as you have been blocking his path while he has been trying to approach me."

With shocked faces the two mares turned around and quickly stepped back as they looked to Rayne with disbelief. The stallion however seemed to only have eyes for Luna as he smiled unwaveringly towards her. With an elegant flourish of his horn Rayne materialized a rather spectacular rose out of thin air and presented it to the princess with a smile. Luna seemed happy to receive it and using her magic she quickly trimmed the stem before slipping it into her mane behind her ear.

"Ah, it looks lovely on you my lady." Rayne told her with a savvy tone.

"Well thank you, Rayne. But I expect that will be only the first of many compliments I’ll likely receive from you today." She smirked, attempting to stay one step ahead of whatever game she assumed he had in store for her.

"Should it please you..." Rayne replied as he looked back into her eyes as if she were the only pony there. The attention definitely brought a subtle glow to Luna's cheeks even despite the pleasant company that they were in.

That was when Rayne felt a gentle tapping on his shoulder from Fluttershy while Twilight was looking still too stunned to speak. Even as Rayne raised his ear toward her, his gaze never shifted from his date standing in front of him. "Oh wow, Rayne is it true? Did you really ask Princess Luna to be your date for Nightmare Night tonight?"

With a chuckle he gave a nod. But he was promptly interrupted when Twilight remembered how to breathe and then quickly spat out, "RAYNE?! How, when-?!"

Giggling at the scene before her Luna raised a hoof up to answer as she said, "After a short visit to the castle a week ago, Rayne has been so kind as to teach me about Ponyville's moden... uh, mail service? Did I phrase that right? I'm not entirely sure as to the details for how it is supposed to work without magic but we have been exchanging letters with each other almost every other day for the past week." She said with an air of excitement about her that Rayne was glad to see.

"Oh well I think that's just lovely." Fluttershy responded. "A nice heartfelt letter can be so romantic, which is something that I think most couples tend to overlook with each other nowadays."

With a blushing nod Luna confessed, "Yes, indeed. Several of Rayne's letters were quite amorous in nature yet very pleasant to read." She said while subtly batting her eyes once toward her date.

Finally taking the opportunity to speak up Rayne stepped forward saying, "Yes well, if you'll excuse us girls. I believe that we have a Nightmare Night to enjoy and there are still several plans that need to be gotten underway."

Without any further interruption Twilight and Fluttershy allowed Rayne to escort Luna away, leading her toward the west side of town where the majority of the celebrations were being prepared. "So Rayne, speaking of plans... What exactly ARE we doing together today for this celebration?" Luna asked him curiously while walking along not too far from his side.

With a playful smirk Rayne replied, "Well I thought we could wander about and gaze at the decorations together. Then if you feel a bit peckish, we could grab some ghoulish treats to share. Afterwards there will be plenty of games we could play. I have to admit, the spider toss is one of my favorites." He said with a wink to her.

The princess nodded in agreement but then nudged him with her hip. "Come now, surely you jest. All those things of course sound like a delightful evening. I do look forward to the fun that you and I can have together. But there must be something else that you have planned, seeing as thou hath asked me here under romantic pretenses. Or was this flower to remain a subtle gesture whilst keeping our time together of a more wholesome nature?"

Upon reaching the west end of Ponyville, the two stepped into a menagerie of haunted decor that brought excited smiles to the both of them. The entire area was decorated almost like a spooky carnival area. Fake spider webbing stretched beyond just the candy booth to the food stall. There was an intricate tapestry sewn together to give the esthetic that the entire place was all tied together in a spider's grip.

Standing off to the far side of the event grounds Spike and Rarity were working together to finish getting the webbing to hang just right. She was wearing a storybook princess outfit with a mock chain around her ankle. Her boyfriend of course clung tightly to the other end while wearing a dragon themed muscle suit as they had arrived for Nightmare Night together with Rarity dressed as a fable dragon’s prisoner. However as soon as Rayne and Luna came into view the fashionista dropped her jaw and grabbed her dragon boyfriend by the head forcing him to look their way.

Meanwhile, amidst the decorations that were both comical and frightful, the smells of the event were wafting infectiously across everypony's noses. The aromas of spooky sweets and ghostly glazed pastries gave a yummy howl in the bellies of ponies. Also grilled veggies with food dyes of every color were sizzling from one end of the carnival grounds to the other. But as Rayne levitated a plate together and floated it over to Luna like a proper gentlepony, that was right when Starlight and Pinkie Pie looked over from where they were standing by the lemonade stand. Instantly the unicorn spat out her drink in surprise as from across the way she saw her ex boyfriend cutely exchanging bites upon a cupcake with Princess Luna.

"So, are you enjoying yourself so far?" Rayne asked as the two looked ahead together. Side by side they were both staring at a games course laid out for the younger ponies. Amongst a card matching booth, a face painting stand, and a balloon popping game there was also a miniature maze built together with cardboard boxes that had Hearthswarming Eve lights strung along inside it. The event itself was rather simple in nature but the younger ponies seemed to be excited by it all the same.

"Rayne..." Luna spoke to him softly as they watched the children play. "You don't... treat me like a princess."

"Oh?" He asked with a pause. "Is that so?"

Quickly correcting herself as she almost spilled her cup of blood punch she was holding Luna said, "No, that t’was not what I was meaning to say. I am having a fabulous time here with you. It's just that…” She paused, struggling to find the words that could best describe her feelings. “Everything feels so carefree with you. Tis almost as if I could forget all that awaits me once the night ends and I return to the castle. I don't feel like a princess here today with a royal escort by my side. I feel... like just a mare, who is on a date, and if I'm being perfectly honest that feels pretty nice." She said to him with a smile.

Rayne didn't need to respond. To him, the moment had felt perfect enough as it was, without adding in any more words to the mix. All he did was casually take a step toward her and he was rewarded by his blushing date taking a step in herself. Now the two were leaning their sides against one another, both sweetly enjoying the feel of one another's company.

"You know Rayne, you still never answered me about what I asked you earlier." She finally said to him, breaking the silence between them.

"Heh, you're still wanting to know if I have something planned up my sleeve for a big finish with you tonight?" He chuckled and wasn't offended when she nodded. "Well... okay, maybe there might be something." The look of abject shock on her face was almost frightening but he quickly went on to tell her, "But that's not to say that I am holding any expectations about tonight."

"Oh no?" She asked him with a wry smile, clearly no longer believing him.

Raising up his hooves innocently he said, "Let me put it to you like this. Yes I have a surprise for you tonight but it's not exactly a romantic gesture as much as I am hoping it will be a meaningful one."

Luna set her cup down and then turned to him while almost sucking through her teeth and giving him a pensive stare. "You are never going to allow me to get a read on you, will you Rayne? Must everything always be great mysteries and grand surprises with you?"

"Just... hear me out." He tried and she gave him a look with her eyes that said she was listening. "I have a gift for you, of sorts. And I'm hoping that by the end of the night you'll understand and appreciate what it is I’ve done. But in order for it to happen, unfortunately I am going to have to break away from your side for a little while tonight." Just as he expected she seemed a bit surprised and possibly disappointed to hear this. "Don't worry, you'll still be able to see me. But I plan to put on some entertainment for the festivities tonight that will distract me from focusing my attention on you alone for at least a couple of hours."

"Oh? Is this how you seduce all of your dates, monsieur pleasure pony? By abandoning their side at the height of the evening?" Rayne tried not to frown but Luna backtracked at seeing a sudden sadness behind his eyes. "Well... what am I to be doing during these 'couple of hours' that you may be apart from me?" She asked with a reserved tone but to show that he still had her curiosity.

That was when Rayne's smile perked back up as he told her, "Oh well I have a plan for that. And that's part of the surprise which I really think you are really going to love. You see, you might not be masquerading as Nightmare Moon tonight but you're still going to be helping me with the festivities." He said to her excitedly.

Luna faltered as she looked to him nervously. "W-what exactly would you have me do? I should warn you, if it involves baking sweets then I hath tried that once before and it turned out to be a terrible disaster!"

Rayne laughed, remembering the rather frightening looking pancakes Luna had made for Celestia in the show that one time. Keeping it to himself that they would have made a perfectly frightful treat for the evening Rayne instead told her, "Oh no, nothing to do with cooking or anything that you see here. But how are you with warm blankets and soft hugs?"

Quickly Luna quirked her head to the side clearly not understanding his meaning. But as if perfectly on cue Fluttershy seemed to appear from out of nowhere and she politely asked the princess to follow her to what looked like a back stage area for some event that was not yet prepared. Luna was even more confused when Rayne encouraged his date to go with her and then called out to remind her that the sun would need to be setting soon.

• -

At about thirty minutes past sundown everypony in town was now standing at the edge of the construction site which was being worked on for about the last month. On this night though, all the tools and cranes and work equipment had been cleared away, leaving behind a smooth level ground but with no walls or archways to restrict movement.

Several ponies murmured together curiously as to how this empty space could possibly be the height of entertainment for the night as they had all been previously foretold. Starlight stood beside her mentor Twilight, both gossiping about Rayne and Luna's date but commenting that neither of them could be seen anywhere at the moment. Even Rarity and Spike joined in whispering that they were clearly no longer the most scandalous couple in town. Meanwhile, Applejack and Rainbow Dash had finally made their appearance both seeming blissfully content, if not a little drained for the two usually energetic ponies.

That was when the murmuring quieted down as Pinkie cheered and cartwheeled herself onto the platform in front of the crowd. "Whooiee! Hiya there everypony!" She called out before excitedly reading from a scroll that seemed to have only been just handed to her. "I’ve been selected to read off the announcements so that we can finally get the show for tonight started! Now in just a few minutes the wildly advertised haunted maze will open for all of you! But there are some ground rules!" Pinkie warned, showing off her excellent presentational skills.

Just then a yellow pegasus came floating around from behind a backstage area carrying with her a large box. "Here you go Pinkie, you're going to need these." Then seeming in a rush she fluttered herself behind a backstage curtain again.

"Thank you Fluttershy! Anyways, as the rules state, ponies will only be allowed into the maze in groups no bigger than eight but no smaller than two. So please pair up with your bravest friends to help support you to the end of the maze. Special gift bags do await those who manage complete the maze to the very end however no pony will be allowed to enter without taking with them each one of these small red pop cannons." She explained while holding a small hoofheld popping cannon. "Should any pony find themselves too frightened by terrors that lay ahead inside the maze they need only to stick their popper into the air and pull the string to be released from the maze!"

Now several of the ponies laughed at the thought. "Oh please, we're staring at a barren floor plan of an unfinished building." Twilight remarked. "What could possibly be so scary about that?"

Then Applejack looked to Rainbow Dash with a confident nod saying, "I wouldn't put it past that slickster for a minute to throw all kinds of surprises at us."

"But with the two bravest ponies in town working together, I bet this maze will be a piece of cake!" Dash replied as the mare couple pumped each other up.

Not far off in the crowd Bon Bon and Lyra Heartstrings both wrapped a hoof around each other and excitedly shouted in perfect unison, "Together!"

Then as Pinkie Pie finished her announcements the ponies in the crowd began splitting apart into groups to form a line. They all looked up when the party pony finished reading from the scroll. "Beware that even though the frights inside may be haunting, never forget that this is all in good fun in the spirit of Nightmare Night. Without further ado, the pleasure pony and secret benefactor of this night's events, Rayne bids you all welcome to this year's haunted maze!"

Just as soon as she finished reading from the scroll, lights suddenly seemed to spring up from out of nowhere all over the empty platform. Spotlights stretched into the sky creating the shapes of witches and jack-o-lanters in the clouds. Flashes of red and purple and yellow started dotting all around the open space before them. Then the ground underneath their hooves began to shake filling every pony with alarm.

Music seemed to pour up from all around them as up from the ground plants seemed to rise of their own accord. Vines and bushes twisted and snapped, bending and shifting as if they were alive. Soon a massive hedge maze the size of which Ponyville had never seen was now sitting before them. And to top it all off, from somewhere far back near the end of the maze a beam of fiery light opened up as if something dreadful were escaping from a plain of existence far more terrifying.

Every single face in the crowd, regardless of who they might be, all shouted in fright as two massive hooves stretched upwards into the air. Arms reaching nearly four times the size of buildings bent down to then pull a most shocking head and body up from the ground below. A monster of a pony seeming both ghoulish and dapper now towered several stories high above them. He wore a peculiar suit with one half white and black striped on the right while on the left were vertical pinstripes with a nightmarish collar only on that side. Then atop his grinning head with his crazed misshapen eyes was a bat winged top hat which hung small ornaments like a merry-go-round ride.

"PONIES OF PONYVILLE! DON'T BE SCARED! TAKE A TROT INTO THE GREATEST FRIGHT OF YOUR LIFE!" The massive monster pony called to the crowd as his hooves waved overhead across the entirety of the maze. His voice pitched like some sideshow carnival announcer beckoning passerbys in to witness a freakshow of wonders unknown. Just as his enormous hooves pitched down a welcome curtain, Pinkie stood at the entrance ushering in groups to lead them down different pathways of the maze.

-Redacted Content- (Again I have to apologize for the removal of lyrics from my 2/2/23 redactions, even though the song total makes the scene here. This moment in the story is larger than life and spectacular, but the lyrics still have to be removed until a fix can be implemented.)

The maze seemed to come to life as shadows danced along the pathways either guiding or ushering the ponies to their doom. Daisy, Lily Valley, and Roseluck gasped as snapping tendrils hurried them along while in another path the Big Mac and Sugar Belle were chased by a floating hockey mask with an unseen wispy body floating below.

The enormous stallion sang to the maze goers below. Twilight and Starlight gasped as their path was blocked by pony bones. Rarity and Spike screamed as ghosts booed and teeth snapped. The cutie mark crusaders screamed as an unintelligible shadow blocked their path chasing them down a different pathway.

Rayne sang as ponies ducked in fright when his gigantic hooves would swing by overhead. Shouts of terror repeated as all around groups kept finding themselves swept away in a shadow and teleported to a different part of the maze. Various costumes of mummies, werewolves, and zombies seemed to roam about but with no ponies wearing them inside. The confidence of those already inside was not helped when the sound of popping cannons were already heard by the three flower ponies that were the first to enter the maze. Then as some bystander shouted for all to hear, a swooping shadow darted in from over head and one by one abducted them all.

Hearing that screaming ponies inside were already giving up, only filled Applejack and Rainbow Dash with more determination. They charged in together as a pair but lost their nerve as right from the start they were encountered by a Headless Horse that pursued them into a roundabout of haunted dolls.

The giant Rayne welcomed the newcomers as Pinkie caught up with Twilight's group in the maze. As the three of them became lost in no time. The three shouted as terrible sights were seen in place of their own reflections. No relief was found when they escaped the mirrored passageways only to be chased through a network of spiderwebs by a demented clown.

“That clown isn’t FUNNY!!!” Pinkie screamed in fright.

Rayne sang as coffins exploded upwards from the ground releasing ghouls. Shadowy beasts seem to dart back and forth between the walls as they pleased. The sounds of pop cannons made the maze even more frightful as other ponies quickly gave up. Meanwhile silhouettes of Manticores, Bugbears, and creatures that some ponies have never seen could be spotted darting past over the walls of the maze.

Off in the middle of the maze Filthy Rich, Spoiled Rich, and Diamond Tiara encountered a twisting serpentine figure who hid himself in the shadows while speaking with a dubious voice. “Riddle me this or back you go… The person who built it sold it. The person who bought it never used it. The person who used it never saw it. What is it?” Discord asked while hiding himself from clear view.

The three looked at each other before Diamond Tiara looked up and answered, “A gift basket?”

Spoiled Rich spoke out, “A pair of earrings.”

Then Filthy Rich finally called out, “A bad real estate investment.” But his wife and daughter both turned to look at him causing him to recoil. “What?”

However the darkened serpent in the shadows looked to them all with gleaming eyes. “Wrong… It’s a coffin.” Then an enormous coffin sprung up from the ground encapturing them all before releasing them further back near the beginning of the maze.”

Not a moment later, an earth pony and pegasi pair came charging up to the little clearing that Discord inhabited. The serpent looked to Applejack and Rainbow Dash before shifting into something very small. “Riddle me this or back you go… When is it bad luck to see a black cat?”

Rainbow Dash quickly growled knowing just how offended Fluttershy would be. "Hey! That is just a cruel and unfair stereotype! Black cats are NOT unlucky!"

But Applejack put her hoof over Dash's chest and stepped forward to answer the riddle. "When you're a mouse." She said with confidence.

Just then a little rodent with Discord’s signature patchwork colors scrambled out into view. It looked up at the pony pair and in a clear voice whispered, “Very good.” After suddenly vanishing away, a near collection of vines pulled themselves back revealing the path to continue. However not everypony was making it through so well.

Rarity screamed as their group was chased by torn spectral robes.

Twilight gasped as the path before them was shut with vines.

Twilight, Rarity, and Pinkie all gasped as they fell into a dark abyss.

Rarity cried at the sight of a giant spider.

Pinkie wailed as a fruit monster emerged from a giant pie.

Soon the three of them were able to run from their darkened room but as soon as they were back in the maze all three of them shot their pop cannons into the air. Then they shrieked as one by one something darted past and abducted each one of them.

Rayne continued to sing overhead as Dash and Applejack neared the end of the maze. They stopped when a masked figure in a hockey mask seemed to be chained against one of the walls while holding a chainsaw in his hooves. The figure didn’t speak but pulled upon his chains toward the ponies menacingly. In the end even though the exit was in sight neither one of them were brave enough to run past and after firing their pop guns a darting figure swept down through the air to scoop them away.

• -

Screams of both laughter and fright continued to ring out across the carnival grounds throughout the night. Little fillies and foals played the traditional games while older ponies of varying ages tested their mettle against the haunted maze. But as music and merriment abounded, one area in particular seemed to remain at a more peaceful state which is where Twilight found herself once she opened her eyes.

“What… where am I?” She mumbled as she looked around seeing a small tented area. There was soft hay littered around the ground with cushioned hay bales set out like seats all over the place. There were brightly lit torches in every corner and a hot cocoa machine gave off a relaxing aroma through the entire space. Then in front of her Twilight saw a familiar face smiling back at her. “Princess Luna?” Twilight remarked in disbelief as she stared at the other princess. It didn’t take long to realize Luna was holding out a blanket while wearing a welcoming expression.

Quickly Twilight ran forward and was immediately bundled up in a blanket before being given a warm hug. “There, there Twilight. I know that the course must have been frightening but rest assured that all which you saw was merely an illusion.”

“But, but… it all seemed so real. The things that were chasing us? The traps that we fell into?” Twilight balked realizing that her heart was still pounding. “And how did we even get here?” She asked after seeing that Rarity and Pinkie Pie were also wrapped up in blankets while being hugged by other volunteers at the ‘Calming Corner’ as a sign on the wall was marked.

Just then there were two more popping sounds before Rainbow Dash and Applejack were both dropped off by an unbelievable sight. “Fluttershy?!” Twilight shouted in disbelief. “Is that you?”

Up above in the air a yellow figure flapped her wings but it was no pegasus. Her ears were long and pointed. Her wings were webbed instead of feathered. And she had two sharp fangs sticking out from her mouth below her bright red eyes. Flutterbat looked down to her friend below and said, “Oh, hello Twilight. I’m sorry but I can’t talk now. It’s my job to rescue ponies from the maze when they get too scared and pop their hoof cannons.” Then just like that she flew off again to hover around with her sharp ears scanning the maze.

“Are you feeling alright now Twilight?” Luna asked comfortingly and the smaller princess nodded. Luna allowed her to hold onto the blanket she was given as Twilight found it to be not only fluffy but also heated to help calm her nerves. Also, no sooner had she stepped away than when the Rich family were all dropped off into the Calming Corner and Luna grabbed another blanket from a large pile to wrap little Diamond Tiara up into.

With a gasp of surprise Twilight asked, “Luna, so this is where you have been all this time?”

With a nod Luna released the filly back to her parents and said, “Yes, that is right. I may not be scaring the children this year but I have been here helping to comfort those who found themselves too frightened by the maze.”

The two princesses looked over to Dash and Applejack who were both blushing at this point while wrapped up in blankets of their own. “Yeah, yeah… We chickened out too.” Applejack admitted.

“We were almost through but he couldn’t get past the final scare at the exit.” Dash added in.

Hot cocoa was levitated around for each of them to sip on as Twilight looked up into the air seeing the over fifty foot tall Rayne still spooking ponies running through the maze. “That really is so frightening. Has any pony made it through so far?”

“Oh why of course.” Luna told her while stepping over to the exit curtain of the tented area. Stepping outside all of them saw Lyra Heartstrings and Bon Bon picking out their gift bag as a reward for making it through. Furthermore, just then Granny Smith and Grand Pear came laughing their way out the exit together which made Applejack and Rainbow quickly slink back inside the tent from embarrassment.

• -

It was only a couple hours later when things were already starting to wind down for the evening. Exhausted ponies were now gathering in groups, laughing and reminiscing about the unbelievable things they had seen during this particular Nightmare Night. While the shock factor had originally been great, more and more ponies were making it through the maze after their second or third time around. Even Rainbow Dash and Applejack finally managed to complete it while both of them argued it wasn’t cheating to bring Pinkie Pie along for support.

Although for one princess in particular, the ending of the night was bringing a sense of anxiety rather than relief. With the participants to the maze slowing down and the other volunteers in the Calming Corner assuring her that they could handle things, Luna finally walked out from the exit curtain and had herself a look around.

“So, finally throwing in the towel for the night?” A welcomed voice called out from behind her.

Whirling around Luna saw that the oversized monstrosity had finally vanished from above the maze and now her date for the evening was standing normal sized before her. “I have to say, it was very different getting to comfort ponies from their fears while they are awake rather than whilst they are dreaming.” Luna admitted while stepping up very close to him. “Different, but no less as wonderful.” She smiled.

The smirk on Rayne’s face was a joyful one as he shared, “And I’ll admit, it gave me a sense of relief after scaring the tails off so many ponies to know that you would be right there to help to comfort them afterwards.”

“Oh so was that your plan?” Luna laughed at him accusingly. “I was just a means to bail you out if you took things too far with your antics this evening?”

“Well, it certainly helped.” Rayne laughed and snickered more at her shocked expression. “I’m kidding!” He reassured her and she nodded to show that she’d only been teasing him. “Seriously though, thank you for everything that you did to help tonight.”

“Well it was my pleasure Rayne. This was truly a delight. It is so rare that I get to share any personal time with the subjects of Equestria and being able to be here for them to comfort their fears during their waking hours was a treat for me that I shall treasure for years to come.” She smiled and then tilted her head to give a curious expression. “That is what my surprise was this evening, wasn’t it?” She asked as if to confirm. “You master plan was to give the lonely princess some time to interact personally with the ponies she never gets to see?”

Rayne’s smug expression was pulling his smile from ear to ear. “Nope! That was just an added bonus.” He grinned.

“W-what? Then, if that was not your final purpose for the evening then what is?” She stammered nervously.

“It’s right behind you.” He said, still sounding as smug as ever.

Before Luna could even turn around she was surprised as a small voice spoke out to her from behind. “Excuse me, Princess Luna?”

Quickly Luna turned herself around and was surprised to find over a dozen ponies who had suddenly crowded in nearby. Standing front and center of them all was a small little pony with a white and brown coat who was looking up to her expectantly. “Yes little one? You are Pipsqueak, correct? I remember you speaking to me during my very first Nightmare Night here in Ponyville. Although it would seem you have grown to be much older by now. What may I do for you?”

Looking up to her without any hesitation he said, “I just wanted to say thank you for everything that you did tonight.” At first Luna was shocked and seemed she would protest but he went on to say, “That maze was so unbelievably scary and I know that I’m not the only one who thought so. But then when I shot off my popper… and I saw you standing there smiling at me… that was when I knew that I was safe.”

“Now you see, I’m going to have to agree with the little fella right there.” Another voice added in and Luna was surprised to see that it was the mare from the pastry shop in town who even had little fillies of her own. “Oh why I went in with Mr Cake here and believe you me, I didn’t get past the second fright before I had had enough. But lo and behold, who was there to offer comfort and with hot cocoa no less? Why none other than the princess of the night herself. I sure can’t tell you enough how kind of a gesture I thought it was that you would be there for us like that.”

Soon many other ponies were adding in their praise as well. It wasn’t just the children but even full grown ponies seemed equally appreciative of her participation. “Ahem, excuse me there Princess? Mr. Rich, of Ponyville Real Estates… I just wanted to say that it really is such a real good thing that you’ve done here tonight. I know it wasn’t just my little angel who had a fright in there tonight and the way that you stepped up to make sure everypony was feeling comforted? Well… let’s just say that not all heroes wear capes if you know what I’m saying.”

At this Luna had to take a deep breath as she hardly knew what to say. She attempted to stammer out some sort of thanks. “I… I don’t know what to say. It is a pleasure to be here for each of you, not just to support you in your dreams but to see your smiling faces here in person.” But it wasn’t until Pipsqueak spoke up again that Luna really began to fall apart.

“I just want you to know… You are my favorite princess.” There was a resounding awe from everypony in the crowd and many of the others spoke up to say that they agreed with that sentiment.

Luna had become beside herself as she looked around at all of the faces who were smiling at her adoringly. It all became a bit too much for her emotionally and she was brought to tears just slightly. “Thank you. Thank you all of you. Hearing this from you directly… I had no idea that all of you cared so much for your princess.”

There were some surprised faces in the crowd upon hearing that and Mrs. Cake didn’t hesitate to speak up and say, “Oh, come now. Surely that can’t be true. We all love you Luna… err, princess. Surely you know that?” Now even more ponies had gathered and each of them were smiling along with Mrs. Cakes words.

“Now look what you’ve done!” A sudden shrill voice tore through the crowd. Everypony looked over to where Spoiled Rich had begun to scream and some ponies in the crowd even began to laugh. “You’ve gone and made the princess cry!” She shouted to her husband who stood there in complete dismay. “How are you going to make up for that, huh? I’m more than sure that there must be some law or regulation against upsetting a ruler of Equestria! At the very least think about what this is going to do to our reputation!”

“Now wait a minute, honey. I didn’t-”

“Oh no don’t you honey me!” She shouted back, causing even more snickering from the crowd now. “We’re going home this instant and you can explain all about how you’re planning to make up for this! Diamond Tiara, we’re leaving!” She shouted before dragging her husband away through the crowd.

More laughter was heard as her temper only got worse the further along she dragged him. But eventually the commotion was interrupted as Rayne spoke out over the crowd. “Excuse me, ladies and gentleponies? I must thank you all for coming and I sincerely hope that you had a good time. As it was announced, yes I was the secret benefactor for the changes here tonight but for now I must call my involvement for the evening to an end.” With that the haunted maze which had sprung up from the ground suddenly receded leaving only the construction floor plan behind as it had been. “I bid you all a good night and implore that you also give Luna her leave to relax for what is left of the evening.” He encouraged to the crowd before gesturing Luna back towards the empty Calming Corner tent which she happily followed.

Once inside, Luna sat herself down upon one of the hay bale seats to catch her breath as she continued to wipe her eyes. “I cannot believe the love that was just shared with me by everypony. Was this just by my actions here this evening or hath they truly felt this way toward me all along?” She said more to herself than anything.

“Here you go…” Rayne offered, causing Luna to finally look up.

“What?” She asked as she realized her date for the evening had draped a warming blanket around her and was now handing her a cup of hot cocoa. The burning blush that exploded across her face was made even more apparent by how absolutely bashful the princess just became. “Rayne, how did you… You knew somehow that all those ponies would approach me tonight, didn’t you?”

Rayne smiled as he stepped up in front of her. “No, I didn’t know… but I believed. I had faith that they would. That when your kindness, the kindness that I see in you, was shown to them when they weren’t asleep… I knew in my heart that they wouldn’t fail to express to you what that meant to them.”

Luna paused for a moment as she stared down at her hooves. “Rayne, I had so many thoughts in my head about how I thought this night would go. I knew that you would orchestrate something to try to surprise me and I admit that I am guilty of trying to assume that what would be.” Then she looked up at him while holding the cup of cocoa in her hooves. “What you did for me here tonight-”

Rayne spoke softly as he interrupted her but still, interrupt her he did as he said, “What I did for you tonight was to remind the lonely princess just how loved she really is. And how loved she can be, because she is in fact lovable. Very, unbelievably, loveable.” He said to her deeply, slowly stepping closer while staring directly into her eyes.

Luna looked breathless as she stared right back at him. Even though they were the only ponies in the tent, it might as well have seemed that they were the only two ponies in the world at that moment. Both Luna and Rayne were lost in each other’s eyes. Rayne smiled as the blush on her cheeks only grew wider as he leaned forward to move himself closer to where she was sitting.

Suddenly Luna threw herself forward and wrapped her hooves around him. Rayne stood there a little surprised as her face leaned over his shoulder and she held onto him tightly. “Thank you…” She whispered beside his ear without letting go of him. “Thank you so much. Thank you so very very much for tonight.”

Rayne just held onto her and smiled, enjoying the happiness he could give to the mare that he loved and allowing her to call the shots of going at her own pace. When Luna finally pulled away from him he didn’t stop her as she gave him a smile and then stepped toward the exit of the tent.

“You know, Rayne.” She finally said in a subtle tone causing him to have to perk his ears to be able to hear her. “As nice as all of this was, for our next date I will expect something a bit more intimate from you. No, not intimate… more, less public I should say? I feel the chance to be alone to speak and enjoy your company privately may be in order. Would that be alright with you?”

She was pleased to see the beaming smile that spread across his face. For his part Rayne was happy to reply with, “So your saying that there will be another date then?”

“Don’t be coy.” She reprimanded him. Rayne nodded but she followed up by saying, “Let’s just say that mutual interest has been achieved. I enjoy my time spent in your company and I would desire to have more of it.” She said with a smile. “And it would not do for a gentlepony to leave a lady waiting once she has expressed her eagerness to be at his side.” She said with a respectfully alluring tone to her voice. “Good night, Rayne.”

“Good night, princess.” Rayne replied with a breathy tone of voice, his expression enamored by his smile. And then with wide watchful eyes he witnessed Luna stepping outside where she immediately took flight to return herself to Canterlot.

It took mere minutes after Rayne had also stepped outside before six mares and a dragon all crowded around him where Twilight asked, “Rayne… Did you really just pull off having a date with Princess Luna… and have her fly away at the end of it with a smile?”

“Heh, I… I think I did.” He said as he stared up into the sky even long after Luna had disappeared from view.

• Off in the Towers of Canterlot Castle -

“AAAA-MMMMMMNNNNGGGMMM!!!” An enraged voice shouted frantically into a pillow.

“WHAT DO YOU MEAN YOU DIDN’T KISS HIM?!!!” Celestia’s appalled voice shouted until the decor in Luna’s bedroom shook.

“I DON’T KNOW! I DON’T KNOW!!!” Luna lifted her head and wailed into the air frantically as the two sisters bickered together in shouting voices.

“WHAT HAPPENED?! Luna, that date sounds as if it ended so splendidly! The two of you were alone! You do at least LIKE this hopeless fool, don’t you?!”

“OF COURSE I DO!!!” Luna bantered and then screamed into her pillow once more.

“And when he leaned in right at the perfect moment you simply threw your arms around him?!”

“I PANICKED, OKAY?! IT IS NOT AS EASY AS IT WAS FOR THOU!” Luna whined before rolling onto her back clutching her pillow in her arms. “Oh, I wanted to so bad! I thought that I WAS leaning in to kiss him! I have no idea how I ended up with my arms around him instead! Ohhh… he must be so disappointed with me after how much planning and effort he put into our date!”

“I’m disappointed in you after that date.” Celestia remarked and Luna just shot her older sister a scowl. “Luna, sister… You do know what a kiss is don’t you? It’s when ponies put their LIPS TO-GETH-ER! I mean really sister, if this gets out then it’s going to reflect poorly upon the both of us.” She stopped only when a pillow struck her in the face.

Meanwhile Luna now kicked with her bottom hooves in frustration and embarrassment as she replayed the ending of her date in her mind a million times over and imagined all of the different ways she had wished she had behaved instead.

Author's Note

So I'm sorry this chapter was posted so late in the day. My health has been having some issues and I've been struggling to do my editing through intensive pain killers.

So what did you all think of this chapter? Rainbow Dash and Applejack's relationship is continuing while Luna and Rayne's relationship is certainly blossoming. I definitely had some fun using Pinkie Pie in this chapter and the new construction site finally got in some use for the story.

Also I'm sure most of us know about Luna's love for the mail service as seen in season nine. I decided that Rayne was going to be the one to introduce her to it by sending her a letter and having her reply. There may be more on that later.

So over all what did you think of the date? Before the maze Rayne and Luna did spend much more time together playing games, etc. But I decided to time skip over that to the main events, so don't think Rayne left her alone for too long.

I am really proud of what I came up with for the Nightmare Night scene. Rayne was a freakishly tall, half Beetlejuice, half Jack Skeleton, pony who I'm sure gave all the ponies quite a fright. Also it should be obvious to assume that his Obsidianwolves were helping with the maze as they wore the different floating costumes and kept the rest of themselves out of sight.

The song was The Greatest Show Unearthed by the band Creature Feature. I have a personal love for this band because they started out right in my home town and I was there for their very first live performance ever.

Who liked seeing Fluttershy getting to participate? Yes she is normally terrified of Nightmare Night but I thought that getting to help other ponies who were also scared that night would be an opportunity that would warm her heart. Also Rayne is continuing to surprise Luna at every turn. He's slowly working to undo the hurt done to her by her sister after all those long years that originally turned her into Nightmare Moon. She got to see that the citizens of Equestria don't just see her as a reformed villain but as a real princess who they love and adore.

And yeah I'll admit I had fun writing the girly sister scene at the end. Guys and boys out there, you better believe that if you date someone with sisters that they will talk about everything. And girls and guys alike can equally beat themselves up after a date if they feel it didn't go right.