One of the things that Sweetie Belle loved about Nightmare Night was that it was one of the days that she could really let loose. Where she felt like she could really act like a foal other than on days where it was expected of her to do just that. Unlike the times where she’s with her sister, who expects her to act like a proper lady. When she’s with ponies like her sister’s friends, or even her own friends, she didn’t have to worry about that. There wouldn’t be any Rarity to watch her and how she acted around anypony whenever they were together. During those times, it would just be Sweetie, her friends, and anypony else they were hanging out with. Not judging her or expecting her to act a certain way other than like a sweet and adorable little filly. One who was too naïve to stay out of any kind of trouble whatsoever.

That was the feeling that Sweetie’s friends were feeling as they trotted along Ponyville’s streets. Other foals could be seen adorning costumes that were similar and different from them. Some were dressed as monsters, while others were dressed as royalty, with one even dressed as a hidden superhero. It took a moment for the group to guess that it was actually a costume of the infamous Mare Do Well. This took the crusaders by surprise, having not expected Element Bearers' old costume idea to come back. Then again, this was Nightmare Night, a time where you could be dressed as anything, so it was too unexpected. Still, it was pretty weird to see somepony dressed as that character in particular.

As they continued to explore the streets, the group searched for ponies they could look for to get candy. They looked around for any houses that looked to be easy pickings and looked to have any candy. So far, most of them were occupied with foals that were already at the door or already had baskets full of candy out. Some of the houses looked to be devoid of anypony, but there looked to be no candy baskets out. Let alone anypony looking out for any foals that may come to their door.

“Gosh, th’ streets sure are packed tonight ain’t they?” Apple Bloom asked herself. “There’s hardly a house here that isn’t sellin’ out candy to anypony.”

“I don’t really find it all that surprising,” Nocturnus murmured with a shrug as he walked beside Scootaloo. “Some of the foals here are reaching the same age as us. And yet they’re trying to celebrate some of their last Nightmare Nights in Ponyville as foals. It’s the only thing that can explain why they’re so extra excited tonight.”

“I honestly feel bad for them if you don’t mind me saying,” Scootaloo said softly, looking at the much younger foals as they road along the backs of their siblings. “Just think that after this, they won’t really be able to spend Nightmare Night as freely as they used to. Even if they do, that enjoyment they felt when they were younger will no longer be there.”

“It’s kind of sad really,” Sweetie interjected, sounding slightly solemn. “It’s reasons like that where I wish that I was still a foal. A time where I was still that cute little filly. That way it’d be much easier for me to get as much candy as I want and eat it until I pop!”

“That is until you get a massive tummy ache that prevents you from eating any more candy,” Nocturnus said teasingly, blowing a raspberry at Sweetie. “I can remember the multiple times where you went green in the face from having a large belly. You really did look like marshmallow ready to pop with just a single poke!”

Sweetie shot a glare at her bat pony friend. “For your information Nocturnus, marshmallows don’t pop on their own!” She said heatedly, a slight squeak making its way in her voice. “They expand at the very least when they’re heated inside of microwaves! Every time I made some smores for me and Rarity, not once did they pop at all!”

“Yeah, that’s true. At least form yer perspective Sweets.” Apple Bloom shrugged with a small smirk. “Though by the end of tonight, any marshmallows that we have ain’t gonna be the only things that’ll grow like a pig gettin’ a pot belly.”

“W-where are you going with that?” Sweetie asked slowly, getting an unfamiliar feeling in her gut. “Are you saying that I’m getting fat?”

“Course not. That was just metaphorical.” Apple Bloom replied, not losing her smirk. “Still, be prepared for tonight, ‘cause yer definitely gonna be close to poppin’ like a marshmallow then.”

Still feeling pretty confused but feeling like she wasn’t going to get any more answers, Sweetie just nodded; albeit hesitantly. “Okay, if you say so…”

Scootaloo and Nocturnus frowned at their lover, clearly not amused by the way she was teasing Sweetie. Before either could reprimand her, a squeal from the latter made the former turn her attention to him. They all stopped when they saw the look of absolute fear in his eyes, his wings instinctively flared with the sudden urge to fly. At first, the alabaster filly was confused as to what had him so terrified, but upon seeing what, or rather, who Nocturnus saw, the answer became clear.

Standing just forty feet away from the four teens, giving out trees to one foal at a time, were a few members of the apple family. Bright Macintosh and Pear Butter could be seen at the front of a large apple stand with a multitude of apple-related treats. At the back of the stand, was Applejack and Big Macintosh, the latter strapped to a cart full of foals, while the latter was giving them caramel apples. All of them looked to be having a wonderful time. A time that was soon going to be broken by the presence of the colt just feet away from them.

“Oh, Gaia above… it’s mah family.” Apple Bloom murmured; her chipper mood all but dissipating at the sight of her fellow kin. Mainly her brother and older sister. “Ah really wish we didn’t need t' see them right now.”

“Why? Aren’t you happy that they’re all out here on Nightmare Night?” Sweetie asked quizzically, her confusion only increasing.

“Yes, but that ain’t it.” Apple Bloom replied with a glance towards her phone. “It’s because of the incident that happened back at mah farm. The one that Ah told ya about around seven months ago?”

“…Oh, that… right.” Sweetie cringed as the implications of what Apple Bloom was saying colliding ringing in her head like a grand central bell. “You’re talking about the day that you, Nocturnus, and Scootaloo had your, um… three-way?”

“The day that Nocturnus and I decided to open our relationship and include more fillies in it, yes,” Scootaloo replied softly, her tone unusually straightforward. “You do remember what I said had happened on that day, don’t you?”

Sweetie gave another cringe. She certainly remembered being told about the incident at Sweet Apple Acres seven months prior. Along with what had transpired after the hot and passionate sex that all three of her friends had together. It was just really bad luck that they happened to be found by her family; mainly Big Mac and Applejack. It was only by the graces of Faust and Pear Butter, Bright Mac, and Granny Smith’s help that they were not turned into ponified caramel apples. Scootaloo and Nocturnus were lucky enough to get away from the two enraged siblings and meet a similar fate, but Apple Bloom was not so lucky.

From what Apple Bloom told them, she had endured a screaming rant by her elder sister. Had her parents not been holding then back, they would have surely strangled the life out of her with the ropes Applejack kept in her closet. Thankfully, Granny Smith had finally managed to calm them down and only had her son and daughter in law release them under the promise they did not to demolish their sister. Despite this, Apple Bloom’s troubles were far from over, and the next couple of weeks were spent with her enduring being worked to the bone on the farm by Applejack. Fortunately, her parents and grandmother weren’t upset with her and promised they’d never speak of the incident to anypony else. Even so, those were still a rough couple of weeks for all of them.

“It’s okay Nocty. I’m here~. I’m right here~.” Scootaloo cooed, bringing her coltfriend into a one-winged hug. “Are you okay?

“Y-yeah, I’m okay. Don’t worry.” Nocturnus replied, immediately calming down from his fillyfriend’s touch. “I’m just a little nervous right now.”

“How nervous?” Apple Bloom asked. “Nervous as in, going to pass out from fear of being flayed alive, or going to have a panic attack nervous?”

“…I think I’m gonna go with the former.”

“Eeyup. Thought so…” Apple Bloom sighed, hanging her head.

“Do you wanna just go somewhere else?” Sweetie asked tentatively after a short silence. “We don’t have to go talk to them if you don’t want to. If it makes you feel uncomfortable, we can head to another part of town.”

Nocturnus eyed Sweetie, looking like he was going to accept her offer. He suddenly found himself closing his mouth and looking back to where the Apple Family was. This lasted for some time while a waging battle going on within the colt before he came to a decision.

“No.” He finally said. “No, I don’t want to go anywhere else. At least not yet anyway. As a matter of a fact…” He took a deep breath and exhaled slowly. “…I want to go talk to them.”

All three fillies looked at the colt in shock.

“Y-you… you what?!” Apple Bloom asked, looking like she didn’t quite hear him. “You want to go see them?”

“I do. I want to go speak to your family Apple Bloom.” Nocturnus replied firmly. “All of them.”

“Are you sure that’s a good idea love?” Scootaloo asked skeptically. “N-not that I’m trying to derail you from your decision but… do you really think that’s the best course of action?”

“Yeah, I agree with Scootaloo on this one.” Sweetie took a step forward. “I’m all for saying high to Ms. Pear Butter and Mr. Bright Mac, but you’re the last pony that Applejack and Big Mac want to see right now. I mean, they did, er… catch you making love with Apple Bloom in their own home.”

“Actually, they caught us cuddling while being covered in cum.” Scootaloo blurted out without thinking. A second later, she found the back of her head sporting a large lump. “Ow!”

“Not. Helpin’.” Apple Bloom glowered, shaking her hoof.

“Yeah, I know that. There isn’t a day that goes by that I don’t have nightmares about it, and for the love of Selene, PTSD. You can as Queen Luna herself if you want more details.” Nocturnus deadpanned as he frowned at Scootaloo, recalling all the times that the Night Mistress had chased away his vivid dreams. “Your bluntness aside, I still want to talk to them. I feel like I owe it to them after I fucked Apple Bloom to Tartarus and back right under all their noses without any of them knowing. And besides, when you take all of that into perspective, they do have every right to be upset with me. Even if Applejack and Big Macintosh were the only ones.”

This statement left the three fillies at a loss for words, leaving them with none to say. As much as they wanted to say otherwise, Nocturnus did make a point. They left the Apple Family completely oblivious to what they did in Apple Bloom’s room. It was only natural they reacted the way they did, even if Granny Smith, Pear Butter, and Bright Mac took it with amazing self-control. While they still felt they overreacted just a tad, at the same time, they understood they acted the way they did. Not that they could be upset with them for that anyway.

“Well… when you put it like that, you do make a valid point,” Sweetie admitted with a sigh of defeat. “Okay, if that’s what you wanna do Nocturnus, then we’ll support you.”

Nocturnus’s ears perked. “You will?”

“Mhm! I wouldn’t be a Cutie Mark Crusader if I didn’t protect any of my friends!” The filly replied immediately, moving in front of Nocturnus and cupping his cheeks. “I swear, none of us will let Applejack or Big Mac do anything to hurt you! They’d have to get past us first! And that’s if they can get past Scootaloo’s own Solar Stare before they can even try doing that much. Am I right Scootaloo?”

Scootaloo’s response was as quick as an eye blink. “Absolutely~.”

Nocturnus smiled, feeling calmer thanks to the assurance given to him by his fillyfriend and his other fellow crusaders. “You know what? You girls are right. I have you guys to keep me safe from anyone who tries to hurt me. Just like you all have me to do the same for you.”

“Damn right ya do! And as long as we have each other, that ain’t never gonna change!” Apple Bloom said, patting Nocturnus roughly on his head.

“Now that I can believe one hundred percent.” Nocturnus chortled. “Thanks, girls… I’m feeling a lot better now.”

“That’s good to hear Nocty~. I’m glad that we could quell your fears.” Scootaloo crooned, leaning in and kissing her coltfriend on the forehead. “If you ever need to talk to me about it, I’m here~.”

“…Thank you~.” The colt cooed, closing his eyes and nuzzling his fillyfriend. Another sigh left Nocturnus’s mouth before he pulled away to look at Apple Bloom’s family. “Alright… I’m ready.”

Against their expectations, the meeting between the Apple Family and the Cutie Mark Crusaders went better than originally anticipated. Unsurprisingly, Applejack and Big Mac were not happy to see Nocturnus, still steamed after finding out he had mated with Apple Bloom. No harm was done to the young bat colt thankfully, due to their parents and grandmother being there; all of whom greeted the four with far more cheer. Despite this, that didn’t stop Nocturnus from profusely apologizing to the family for what happened at the farm, which lasted for a good minute. Most of all to Applejack and Big Mac, since they were the ones who were the maddest at him. Even if they were the only ones who got genuinely mad.

Neither the farm mare nor the draft stallion accepted the colt’s apology, feeling as if he was only doing it because he was caught. Pear Butter, Bright Mac, and Granny Smith, however, were not so unforgiving, and they showed it by comforting the colt to the best of their abilities. After the tears were dried, Granny Smith then went out of her way to give them a few apple treats, such as fritters and caramel apples. With a few kisses to their foreheads, she sent the foals off, but not before having, or rather, forcing, Applejack and Big Mac to give them a few extra treats. The crusaders then left the stand, unable to take the smoldering looks Apple Bloom’s brother and sister were giving them. Although they were happy at the prospect of having a lot more candy.

“How’re ya doin’ over there Nocturnus?” Apple Bloom asked as they headed down the street. “Ya feelin’ ya can actually breath right now?”

“Uh-huh,” Nocturnus replied, relief evident in his voice. “I’m feeling great as a matter of a fact. Like an entire weight has been lifted off my shoulders.”

“I’m not surprised honestly. You were staring into the eyes of death when you went to talk to Applejack and the rest of her family.” Sweetie giggled, carrying her much fuller candy back in her magic. “I’m amazed really. You looked so scared that I thought you were going to tuck tail and run! I’ve never seen you that terrified before.”

“Well, when yer at th’ risk o’ bein’ killed by th’ ponies whose sister you rutted t’ th’ moon an’ back, you tend t’ be more than a little scared.” Apple Bloom pointed out.

“Can’t really disagree with you on that.” Scootaloo nodded, shivering as if she could still feel Applejack and Big Mac’s burning gazes behind her head. “I was close to wetting myself thanks to Applejack and Big Mac glaring at me so hard. Thank Faust that Granny Smith was there, or I would have lost control of my bladder. Now that would’ve really been embarrassing.”

“Well, it’s over now. Nocturnus did what he went over there to do and he doesn’t have to worry about it hanging over his head anymore.” Sweetie said in an attempt to lighten the mood. “We can enjoy the rest of our nightmare night without any more awkward or tense situations. Or any worries of threats of being neutered, right Nocty?”

“Er…right,” Nocturnus replied awkwardly with a sweatdrop. At that moment, the colt stopped in his tracks, his ears perking as they flicked about atop his head. The other crusaders noticed, and they stopped in their walking as well.

“What’s the matter Nocturnus?” Sweetie asked, setting her candy bag beside her. “Do you hear something?”

The colt nodded. “…Yeah, I can hear voices coming from somewhere near here.” He replied, closing his eyes in concentration. “It’s a little hard to hear them, but I think I can recognize them.”

“Who is it yer hearin’?” Apple Bloom inquired. “Is it yer sister Violet Wing?”

“No, it’s not her.” Nocturnus shook his head, channeling magic into his ears to enhance his earing. “It sounds like… like…” His eyes suddenly snapped open as it clicked. “It’s my parents!”

“Your parents?!” Scootaloo gasped, hearing the other fillies follow suit. “You mean the leaders of Queen Luna’s Lunar Guard are in Ponyville?!”

“Yes, they are! They’re in town! I can hear them all the way from here!” Nocturnus cried, a smile of excitement spreading as he trotted in place.

“Oh, my goodness! That’s wonderful!” Sweetie squeaked, her white muzzle gaining a smile of her own. “Can you pinpoint where they are?”

“I just did! They’re ‘right where the Town Square is!” Nocturnus replied, his wings spreading to carrying him in the air. “Come on girls! Let’s go!”

Without waiting for their response, the colt made a beeline for the Ponyville Town Square. The three fillies quickly followed after him, barely managing to get their candy bags in time and support them as they followed Nocturnus. They weaved and darted past other foals and older ponies, their shouts and reprimanding yells filling their ears as they went about.

By the time the trio caught up with the colt, they were already at the Town Square, where they could see ponies packed in front of the building. Miniature pools dotted the ground like the ends of carrots sticking out of the soil, filled apples and other sweets that floated within the water. Colts and fillies were grouped around them, diving their heads in the water in an attempt to fish out as much candy as possible. Squeals and laughter were heard as the foals enjoyed themselves to their heart's content, supervised by any adults that were with them.

In the middle of the head-bopping foray, a duo of thestrals could be seen in front of a stand that was bigger than that of the Sweet Apple Titan’s own. Pumpkins, bats, spiders, and pictures of moons and other nightly creatures dotted it from top to bottom, showing just how much work they put into it. Foals of all tribes crowded around them, accepting bags and prizes as the bat ponies gazed upon them with warmth and sweetness. So focused were they on their work, they took notice of the four teens standing yards away from them; one of which looked like he was going to explode with excitement.

“Is that them, Nocturnus?” Sweetie asked the colt. “Is that your parents?”

“Yeah! It’s them!” The colt replied, his head nodding faster than a jackhammer through concrete. “That’s my Mom and Dad! Evening Glory and Supernova! Over at that stand!”

“Ah have t’ say, Ah wasn’t’ expectin’ them t’ be here in Ponyville.” Apple Bloom uttered. “Ah thought they would’ve been back in Canterlot City runnin’ Queen Luna’s Lunar Guard.”

“Queen Luna must’ve given them the night off,” Scootaloo said, watching in amusement as her coltfriend trotted in place. “And it looks like somepony is happy about it~.”

“Remind me to give Luna some sort of thank you present for letting my parents have a day off on my most favorite holiday,” Nocturnus said, his tail whipping back and forth like an overexcited puppy. He then made his towards the stand with the fillies trailing close behind while swerving past the other ponies. With a loud squeal equivalent to that of a baby’s, the colt shouted, “Mom! Dad!”

The thestral mare, who had been giving a younger filly a pumpkin full of candy, felt her blackish-grey ears perk up when she heard an all too familiar voice. She whirled around just into time to feel something ram into her and nuzzle into her chest. It took her just a second to figure out who it was that was hugging her before she turned into a squealing mess.

“Nocturnus!” Evening Glory squealed, her fangs gleaming as a jovial smile spread across her luscious lips. Without even thinking about it, she brought her forelegs around the back of the colt’s neck, squeezing like he was a little plushie.

“Sweet Selene, I can’t believe it! It’s you!” Nocturnus said, hugging his mother just as tightly as she spun around him around in the air. They pulled apart until they were at foreleg’s length, their hooves wrapped around one another. “You and Dad really here in Ponyville!”

“We sure are baby! Your dear Mommy and Daddy are here in the flesh! In the most wondrous and peaceful little town in all of Equestria!” Evening Glory nodded, winking at the colt as her deep indigo mane fell over the sight of her face. Her slitted purple eyes gleamed as she looked over to the stormy grey stallion at the other side of the stand. “Hey Supernova! Come on over here and say high to our little Nocty~!”

“As if I was going to do anything else before that!” Supernova said mirthfully, swiftly moving over to the duo. With a swift lunge of his forelegs, he hoisted Nocturnus in his grip and pulled him into his chest, roughly rubbing the top of his head. “Hey there my little stallion! How’ve you been doin’?!”

Nocturnus giggled as wriggled around in his father’s grasp. “Hi, Dad! It’s good to see you too!” He greeted, kicking his hind legs out like an overly excited newborn. “What’re you guys doing here on Nightmare Night? I thought you were still back at Queen Luna’s Lunar Division?”

“Not tonight we’re not.” Supernova explained as he set Nocturnus down. “Queen Luna decided to give us the night off tonight. She felt that we had deserved a well-deserved break after doing such a good job in keeping the Lunar Division and decided to reward us by letting us off from our Royal Duties today. Saying that we shouldn’t waste such a wonderful night of spookiness and fun cooped up inside of a castle that’s hardly active during the nighttime.”

“Don’t you lie to him Supernova!” Evening snorted, picking up Nocturnus’s fallen fedora. “You and I both know that Queen Luna really let us go because we wanted to spend Nightmare Night with our daughter Indigo Shield and our son. She knows how much we think about him whenever we’re at the guard and going on missions. Why do you think she picked today of all nights to let us come see them?”

“Because she loves me to bits! That’s why!” Nocturnus replied, smiling widely as his mother set his huge hat atop his head. “Remind me to give her a proper thank you for letting you guys come see me and Indigo Shield tonight. She really deserves it! After all, she is Equestria’s Best Queen, isn’t she?”

“She sure is!” The happy squeak of Sweetie Belle said as she and the fillies made it over to the stand. “And as long as she remains one of Equestria’s rulers, she always will be!”

“Well, well, well… if it isn’t the infamous Ponyville Crusaders,” Supernova said, smirking down at the fillies. “Good to see you three on this fine night.”

“Hello, Mr. Supernova. It’s very nice to see you tonight.” Scootaloo greeted softly, giving a polite bow to the older bat pony. “And you two Ms. Evening Glory.”

“It’s good to see you too my little Scooty~.” Evening cooed, planting a motherly kiss on the filly’s forehead. “And please, no need for the formalities. You can just call me Evening Glory. Or just Evening, or Eve if that’s better for you.”

“EG’s right Scoots. We’ve been over this before.” Supernova sighed, sounding a bit annoyed as his leonine tail skirt flicked to the side. “You don’t need to keep referring to us as Mr. or Ms. You can just call us by our names just like you do your friends. And besides, you know how we feel about people calling us that… it makes us feel old.”

“How old?” Apple Bloom asked, smirking up at the stallion. “Just normal standard old. Or Granny Smith getting up into her years kind of old?”

Supernova gave the filly a half-lidded look. “Do you even need to ask that?”

Apple Bloom giggled. “Yeah, Ah figured it’d be the latter.”

“Oh, I-I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to do that.” Scootaloo said, smiling awkwardly as she hid behind her mane. “It’s just a force of habit I have. I’m getting better with not doing it, really. It’s just… when you’re raised by a family who’s polite to the point where it’s almost cringeworthy, you tend to forget not all people like it.”

“I know what you mean, dearie. Trust me. My daughter has told us plenty of stories about your sister’s over the top politeness.” Evening murmured. “Then again, with a mother like Melody Breeze, you can understand why a pony can be like that. Especially someone as sweet and kind as Fluttershy. Thank Selene she’s grown out of it the closer she grew with Indigo Shield… mostly.”

“Well, you do know what they say Evening Glory~!” Sweetie chirped mischievously. “Like mother like daughter~!”

“Isn’t that the truth,” Nocturnus smirked, laughing as Scootaloo blushed in embarrassment.

“So what're you an' Supernova doin’ out here Evenin’ Glory?” Apple Bloom asked, glancing over at the cart. “Ya hostin’ some sort of event ‘r somethin’?”

“Well, you could say that.” Evening replied sweetly. “Supernova and I are just in the process of giving out treats to any adorable little foals that happen to be in the area. You know, just give them a little extra piece of sugary goodness that’ll leave them extra jittery. Just like my dear little Nocturnus~.” She took a look at the stuffed backs the crusaders had at their sides. “And it looks like you guys have gotten quite busy yourselves~.”

“We sure have!” Apple Bloom said, smiling proudly. “We’ve been really lucky in the last near hour since comin’ out! We’ve gotten more candy than we have in all of our other Nightmare Nights! It’s like we suddenly got a lucky clover hoverin’ over us. With an extra one sproutin’ out!”

“We can definitely tell,” Supernova said, whistling as he ran a hoof through his blue and black mane. He paused as he suddenly took in the sight of caramel apples poking out of each of the teens’ bags. “Hold on a second, are those… caramel apples?”

At this, Nocturnus flinched, his smile turning into a frown as he glanced at the treats. With a more awkward smile on his face, he turned back to his Dad and said. “Uh, yes, they are caramel apples. We had gotten them back from when we went to um… the Sweet Apple Treat Stand.”

“Oh… so by that, you mean… from the Apple Family?” Evening asked as her sweet demeanor diminished slightly. At her son’s light nod, the elder thestral sucked in a breath and looked at her mate, who shared a similar look. She looked back at Nocturnus, before tentatively asking, “Were… Applejack and Big Mac there?”

“Yes, they were,” Nocturnus replied, not bothering to beat around the bush. He held up a hoof before either of his parents could even open his mouth, before he said, “Don’t worry, it wasn’t just them though. Granny Smith, Bright Mac, and Pear Butter were there to run the stand too. So Applejack and Big Mac weren’t alone there.”

“Pear, Bright and Granny Smith were there too huh? Thank Selene herself for that…” Supernova murmured, giving out a sigh that spoke volumes of his relief. “So, what did you go there specifically there, sport? Did you want to get a few apple treats? Or what…?”

“No actually. I wasn’t looking for any treats. At least not until I had left.” Nocturnus replied, rubbing one of his forelegs. At his parent’s expressions, he elaborated, “I actually went over there to say that I was sorry to them for what happened seven months ago. For having our, um… secret fun right without any of them knowing.

Evening and Supernova cringed involuntarily, both knowing exactly what their son was getting at. It was no secret to her that Nocturnus, Scootaloo, and Apple Bloom had all engaged in a threesome back at the farm filly home. She and Supernova had heard so from Nocturnus himself one day when visiting their daughter Indigo Shield in Ponyville after he barged into their daughter's home with Scootaloo in tow. After managing to calm the hysterical colt down, she got the full story from both him and his fillyfriend, all the way down to the last detail. Needless to say, both Evening Glory and Indigo Shield were shocked, having not expected something like that to transpire.

Unfortunately for them, they wouldn’t really get to chance to really take it all in before a loud banging on Indigo Shield’s door got their attention. Nocturnus, already knowing who it was, begged his sister not to open the door and let in the fury that was standing outside the door. Sadly, Indigo Shield did not listen and did the exact opposite, completely ignoring Nocturnus and Scootaloo’s pleas not to. She quickly came to regret that decision when she found herself staring into the angry eyes of a deceptively calm-looking Applejack. Along with the holes of a magically empowered shotgun at Indigo Shield could tell, just by looking at it, was meant to bodily harm and nothing else.

What transpired afterward was the most scarring several minutes of Nocturnus’s entire life. Those several minutes being Applejack chasing him around Indigo Shield’s house and firing off at anything that had the colt anywhere on it. Several destroyed bookshelves, two viciously torn couches, and one demolished gaming set later, Indigo Shield and Evening finally managed to subdue Applejack and stop her tirade. This allowed Scootaloo to get her gun and keep it as far away from her as possible; even going so far as to turn on the safety without the farmer looking.

After hogtying Applejack like a bull calf in a rodeo, Indigo Shield immediately flew over to Sweet Apple Acres to get Apple Family; leaving Evening to look after Applejack, Nocturnus, and Scootaloo. It didn’t take long at all for her to come back with Pear Butter, Bright Mac, and Granny Smith, all of whom were not all that surprised at what Applejack had done. That didn’t make them any less furious with her and did not hold anything back in their verbal reprimanding of the hotheaded farmer. They then left with the mare, still hogtied, promising to pay back everything that Applejack had destroyed and then some.

“So, you went to apologize for having a little fun with Apple Bloom huh? I can’t say that I’m surprised. From what your sister told me and your mother, that had been the forefront of your mind ever since that incident at her house. I was honestly wondering when you were gonna be able to muster up the courage to actually do it.” Supernova said, frowning sympathetically at his son despite his last words. Ignoring the glare Evening shot him, the stallion asked, “So, how did they take it.”

“As ya can probably guess, AJ and Big Mac didn’t forgive him.” Apple Bloom replied solemnly. “They were still pretty pissed by what we did. And they’re still real mad at Nocturnus for ‘forcing’ me to roll ‘round in the hay when Ah wasn’t ready fer it.”

“Figures.” Evening said, rolling her eyes as she gave an indignant snort. “And what about Granny Smith, Pear Butter, and Bright Mac? How’d they take it?”

This time, it was Scootaloo who spoke up. “They… were actually very forgiving to my coltfriend. I thought for sure that they’d be upset. Or at least be annoyed by what we did.” She looked down at the ground like suddenly saw a mouse scurrying under her hooves. “But no… they were so understanding and didn’t hold any of it against us. They even went as far as to apologize for us for letting Applejack and Big Mac find us first instead of them. I don’t know why they went out of their way to do that but… they did.”

“It’s probably because they felt guilty for not taking extra precautions to keep Applejack from doing what she was going to do to Nocturnus.” Sweetie implied, rubbing her chin thoughtfully. “I can certainly see why though. Applejack can be pretty hotheaded and emotionally driven sometimes, especially when it comes to Apple Bloom being harmed. Still, I don’t think even I was expecting her to act so… obtuse.”

“I don’t think any of us were sweetheart, Indigo Shield most of all.” Evening said, sighing heavily. “I mean seriously! She could have seriously hurt either Indigo Shield or Nocturnus with that magically high-powered rifle of her’s! I get that she wanted to know what was going on between Apple Bloom and her friends, but come on! Going to that extreme?! What kind of mare even thinks about doing that?! Especially to the little brother of their best friend?!”

“A mare who wants nothing more than to but a bullet inside that colt’s head. That’s who,” Supernova said dryly, flicking his black and blue tail. “Still, you and Indigo Shield did manage to stop her from doing that. Along with ripping our son’s balls of his dick so he couldn’t, and I quote from Applejack, “violate any other Sweet Apple fillies with his varmint bat seed.” Selene knows that would’ve been really bad.”

“Don’t remind me…” Evening whimpered, her tail tucked between her legs for a brief moment before sighing. “In any case, I have to say that was very big of you to do that Nocturnus. I’m sure you felt really scared doing that. And I know that took a lot of bravery on your part.”

“Yeah, it really did.” Nocturnus nodded, laughing somewhat nervously as he did his best not to think about the incredible nerve-wracking task. “But, I managed to do it, and I got the forgiveness that I was searching for. Even if it didn’t completely get it from all of the Apple Family.”

“That you did sport,” Supernova said proudly, patting his son on his head. “I’m proud of you for stepping up the way you did. Even if I wasn’t there to see it. Only a real stallion would stare potential death and the face if it meant owning up to what he had done.”

“A sweet and brave little stallion to be exact~.” Evening corrected, winking at her mate. “But yes, what your father said.”

Nocturnus smiled appreciatively. “Thanks, you guys… that really means a lot to hear you say that. It really, really does.”

“Of course, baby. That’s what parents are for~.” Evening cooed lovingly, giving a soft kiss on Nocturnus’s nose. “Now, what do you say we get this drama out of the way and have some nice good family fun? I know that a lot of you must need it after all those boring days at school. You can even have your friends join in if you’d like.”

“We’d just love to Evening Glory!” Scootaloo exclaimed, smiling. “Are we gonna do the apple bopping that everypony else is doing?”

“That and much more Loo-Loo.” Evening replied, giving a little pinch to Scootaloo’s cheek. “First things first though, we need some help in running the stand to collect some extra bits. You know, just to keep us and our children extra financially secure. You don’t mind helping us do you?”

“Are you kiddin’? Of course not!” Apple Bloom replied cheerfully. “Ah’ve done this sort of stuff with mah family practically all the time. Sure we may not be apple products, but that doesn’t mean that Ah won’t jump at the chance at helpin’ other sell other products.”

Sweetie nodded enthusiastically. “Yeah, count me in!”

“Great!” Supernova said, patting at the stand’s wooden table. “Go one and get your apron’s on and start sellin’ kiddos! We’ve got a lot of customers to satisfy and plenty of foals’ stomachs to fill! The sooner we get done the sooner we’ll all be able to get to the big event to have the night of our lives!”

“Night of our lives?” Sweetie asked, pausing upon feeling a huge sense of Deja vu course through her gut. “What does that mean?”

“You will soon see my melodious belle.” Evening replied, her warm smile carrying no small amount of slyness to it. “You will soon see~.”

Author's Note

I had quite a lot of fun with this chapter, mainly the second half involving the crusaders meeting up with Nocturnus's parents, despite not really seeing them that much. I did have a little trouble naming Nocturnus's Dad and figuring out what his Mom looked like, but I eventually managed to get through that. As for the rest of the chapter, I just had the slightest bit of trouble. Mainly with figuring out if I was going to show Nocturnus actively apologizing for what went down with him, Apple Bloom and Scootaloo back at Sweet Apple Acres, but I decided to change that scene into something else. I felt that it would be too long, especially given how I was trying to make the encounter with Evening Glory, Supernova and the Crusaders go. I hope you guys aren't too upset by that, especially since I did want to remaster this story from the beginning. But that's the route I took, and well...I'm sticking to it.

Anyway, that's all for now! Tune in next time for when Sweetie Belle and the rest of the Crusaders find out what the special event is. Along with the welcoming of a new harem filly for our dear little thestral colt!!!