Nevermind.

The Candy Mare felt so stupid. No sleep again. The pain in her chest multiplied. All because of Him.

It had taken one thought. Just one thought, intruding her peace of mind, of Him. And now that she was thinking about Him, she felt so much more lethargic.

She looked at her bloodied hooves. Pinkie had finally gotten some prey last night, and it was glorious; Roseluck, as she was called, was swiftly knocked out after gagging on a peanut butter-sriracha sauce sourbread sandwich. Candy had felt proud of herself for taking someone out with a punch, but now that she reflected on it, it had taken three or more punches. At least Roseluck didn't scream while she was still above ground.

Weak.

Candy didn't even try protesting that.

Pinkie really did hit a recession.

It was true. The Candy Mare had practically begged Pinkie for Roseluck's harvest to happen. It did. She felt stronger. But not strong enough for tonight.

What made it worse is that Pinkie typically didn't harvest on holidays (she had insisted that she couldn't just ruin a holiday for anyone, as they were super-duper-extra important (made obvious by the myriad decorations hung around the town)). Candy had to thrive on her own.

That meant going outside. In the sun. Plain sight. It was either that, or kill Pinkie. And yeah, she wanted to kill Pinkie so so so bad, but something about her (Kindness? Personality? Bubbly laughter?) just kept the thought away.

Besides, what if the Candy Mare could trust Pinkie? Now there was a good thought. She toyed with it for a bit, until a single thought disrupted the process:

Like you trusted Him?

She sighed. This was gonna be the worst Nightmare Night ever.

§

Pinkie Pie skipped down the street, humming the song that all fillies trick-or-treating on Nightmare Night knew so well. It was prank time! And with everyone's crazy costumes this year, maybe the Candy Mare would fit right in. They could play pranks together!

Most ponies would argue that Hearth's Warming was the most wonderful time of the year, but truly, this was. Everyone, even grown ponies, roamed the streets, collecting all kinds of sweet sweets! As important as good scares were, candy always came first. She couldn't just let everyone down like that. So when she approached the road leading to Sweet Apple Acres, Applejack and a cart of caramel apples awaited her.

"Hey, sugarcube!" Applejack beamed. Much like Pinkie Pie, she enjoyed Nightmare Night more than any other day of the year. It felt great that weeks of back pain resulting from their harvest paid off in seeing the fillies and colts smile and giggle as they were handed their treats. Well, it almost paid off. Two whole trees, barren of fruit this morning. They were rotten apples anyway, but this also caused alarm. Bats?

"This is terrific!" Pinkie exclaimed as she inspected the caramel apples. There must have been at least a hundred, and this was just what Applejack had portioned off for her friend. "Thank you sosososososoSO much!"

"Nearly fell asleep into the pot of caramel. Applebloom just wouldn't help. She is a teenager now and all, but rules still apply." Applejack sighed. "It'll pay off tonight, though."

Pinkie grinned from ear to ear, and swept Applejack into a hug. "I love you! As a friend. Maybe. I dunno. What am I?"

Applejack patted her and barely squirmed free of the tight embrace. "Uh thanks. Hey, uh, did you see any ba-"

Pinkie had already sped off, the cart bouncing behind her. This was gonna be the best Nightmare Night ever!

§

I used to be happy.

I used to giggle in glee as I tore somebody's head off. They would taste so, so rich! And amazing! So unique. I prided myself in being unique. And now, He...damn Him! Why?! He just occupies my every thought now. This is why I kill on Nightmare Night. I need a distraction. It's so, so much worse than before.

I used to be so powerful, but...it's like the candy resembles bones, and it's so realistic it scares me. I'm supposed to be scaring them. The ponies! The stupid ponies that cause all this trouble.

Save for Pinkie Pie.

Maybe. She never called any authorities on me, and she asked me why I wasn't sleeping. She cares, right? I bet she tastes really good. Sweet. She's so sweet.

Pinkie...I know you're the only one I can trust, but...it has to happen. Then I'll be happy again, and you'll worry no more.

Author's Note

these next few chapters are gonna be short, they're really just different parts of the day leading up to the night. i can't wait!