Chapter 1: Prologue / Nightmare Night in Equestria
Somewhere in a dark town at night, a middle-aged man in his late 40s were decorating his living room with Halloween props. He places fake cobwebs around the rim of the mirror above his fireplace.
"Ah, there we go. The last one. All set up for Halloween." the man exclaims to himself, as he finished and loving his work. as the man goes into the hallway and examines more of his Halloween decorations, there's a teenage boy who comes up the sidewalk to the front door. He looks at the neatly decorated house then rings the doorbell. Inside, the man hears the doorbell call)
"Oh! Coming." the man said as he opens up the front door and sees the teen.
"Uncle Arthur." The teen said.
"Winston?" Arthur asked, surprised.
"Yep, it’s me." Winston replied.
"Winston! How are you? Come in, come in." Arthur exclaimed as Winston steps into his uncle’s house and looks at the Halloween decorations in the foyer. "So glad my favorite nephew could come visit me on Halloween."
"Well, my parents are out of town, so they thought I might like to stay with you for a few days until they get home." Winston explained as Arthur smiles approvingly at his nephew. "Whoa! Uncle Arthur! You really went full haunt this Halloween!"
"Thanks, buddy. I like to be prepared for these kinds of things." Arthur replied kindly.
"So, what gave you the idea to have your home filled with all these amazing Halloween decorations, Uncle Arthur?" Winston asked curiously.
"Oooh! Now, there is a very special story that I haven’t got the chance to tell anyone yet." Arthur explained.
"Why don’t you tell me? A nice story always keeps me in full spirits." Winston suggested.
"Well, sure. Come on, we’ll listen to it in here." Arthur instructed as they into the living room and sit on the sofa.
"Alright, Winston. This story is a Halloween tale about the Rainbooms." Arthur explained.
"You know the Rainbooms?" Winston exclaimed, excitedly.
"Not only that, but I also know that they once crossed paths with the Grimwood Girls." Arthur continued.
"Oh! I heard about them! They used to go to Miss Grimwood’s Finishing School for Ghouls!" Winston spoke.
"Right! Before I tell you this tale, I better start off with a short history lesson. It all started 50 years ago, when an adventure professor named Richard MacWright went to England in search of the Gold Disk of Lycidias." Arthur read.
"Ah, this must be it." MacWright exclaimed as he digs up the compartment that contains the Disk.
"What’s a gold disk of Lycidias, Uncle Arthur?" Winston asked.
"It was the first clue of leading to a great treasure: the Zodiac Stone." Arthur narrates as MacWright presses a wooden button on the compartment chest. The lid slides open revealing only one half of the Gold Disk. He brushes off the remaining grains of dirt off its shiny surface.
"The other half is missing." Richard spoke when suddenly, the cave starts shaking violently. "This chest must have set off a trap." He continued in panic as Rocks start falling all around him. "Uh-oh! Better get out of here!" he panicked as he puts the disk half in his satchel and makes a run for the exit. Boulders plummet all around the cave and crushes the compartment the disk half was in. MacWright finally reaches the cave entrance and makes a jump for it and gets out of the cave at the last second before the falling rocks cover the cave completely. MacWright takes the disk half out of his satchel and examines it. It’s unharmed. "Oh. Thank goodness."
"Whew! That was close. I’m glad MacWright escaped from the tomb. But did he ever find the other half? When do the Rainbooms show up?" Winston asked as Arthur finished telling him the story of MacWright.
"Don’t worry, Winston. That’s where the story takes place. Many years went by and MacWright retired. Now onto the real tale. The story begins in this magical world called Equestria, home of the Alicorn Princess of Friendship, Twilight Sparkle. When she was just an ordinary unicorn, she and his younger dragon friend, Spike, moved from Canterlot to Ponyville to learn about friendship, on behalf of the ruler of Equestria and her mentor, Princess Celestia and she met 5 ponies who helped her out: Fluttershy, Pinkie Pie, Applejack, Rarity, and Rainbow Dash. Don’t let her colorful hair fool you. Rainbow Dash is the feistiest one of the group. Of course, Twilight did have a student of her own: Starlight Glimmer, who was a friend of unicorn magician, The Great and Powerful Trixie. Now, Winston, let’s start the story with Twilight and her friends getting ready for their world’s Halloween: Nightmare Night."
School of Friendship, Twilight waits outside the male’s changing room for Spike
"Everything alright in there, Spike?" Twilight asked.
"Almost ready. Just getting my back scales decorated." Spike replied from inside the changing room.
"Happy Nightmare Night, Twilight!" Pinkie yelled excitedly as she and the others are behind Twilight.
"Ready for a haunted hang-out at your castle!" Rainbow asked.
"But first, where’s Spikeywikey? We wouldn’t want him to miss out." Rarity asked, worried about the baby dragon.
"He’s getting his costume on." Twilight answered as Spike comes out of the changing room. The little dragon is wearing a black onesie with a white skeleton on it and a white plastic skull mask, which he pulls up and behind his head. He’s dressed as a skeleton.
"Yeehoo! Spike, that skeleton costume you got on there fits you to a tee." Applejack exclaimed, liking Spike's costume.
"I think it looks adorable." Fluttershy cooed.
"Ha ha. Thanks. Now, come on. Starlight and Trixie will be waiting for us back at the castle." Spike replied.
Twilight, Spike, and the rest of the Mane 6 head off. Fade to Twilight’s Castle of Friendship. In the throne room where the cutie map is, Starlight and Trixie sit patiently by the round table map with Princesses Celestia, Luna, Cadance and Flurry Heart for Twilight and her friends. Twilight, Spike, and the girls arrive through the throne room’s double doors.
"Huh. I was wondering when you all were going to show up." Trixie wondered.
"Hey, Spike. That skeleton costume looks nice on you. I see you had a bone to pick." Starlight said, chuckling.
"Good one, Starlight." Spike replied, giggling.
Later, the Twilight, Rarity, Applejack, Fluttershy, Pinkie Pie, Rainbow Dash, and Spike sit in their respective thrones around the Cutie Map table. Starlight, Trixie, and the Princess stand in between some of them. Starlight and Celestia are standing next to Twilight.
"Nightmare Night is quite the spooky day, Twilight. It’s one of my favorite holidays. The scares, the costumes, the treats. Just 4 days away." Princess Celestia said.
"It is a blast. Remember when Fluttershy used to be so afraid of Nightmare Night that she would lock herself up in her cottage and refuse to come out until morning." Rainbow replied.
"Oh, yes. Until the night Granny Smith helped me figure out how I could make the scary stuff even more fun, but also scary for you all. Thanks to you all, I’m not afraid anymore. Just a bunch of costumes, decorations, and lots of skeleton shaped cookies and candy." Fluttershy answered, still happy of how she got used to Nightmare Night the first time.
"What about when Princess Luna came over to Ponyville and almost canceled Nightmare Night forever." Pinkie exclaimed, chuckling.
"Yes, well, that was only because I was still trying to find my place in Equestria after being on the Moon for a thousand years." Princess Luna answered.
"And that story Zecora made up about you being threatening again if no one offered you any treats? That was crucial." Princess Celestia replied.
"Well, we may have had a few tweaks here and there on the past few Nightmare Nights, but I have a feeling this is going to be the best---" Twilight said before a knock on the throne room door cut her off.
"Huh. Wonder who that could be?" Pinkie asked as Twilight trots over to the large double doors.
Twilight telekinetically opens the doors, revealing, to everypony’s surprise... Sunset Shimmer! In her unicorn form.
"Hey, everypony!" greeted Sunset.
Twilight, Spike, and the rest of the Mane 6 beam with excitement!
Back at Arthur’s house, he and Winston are still sitting on the sofa while Winston continues listening to the story.
"Wait! Sunset Shimmer? Like the Sunset Shimmer from Canterlot High? That’s her?" Winston asked, getting intrugued by his uncle's story.
"That’s right, Winston. Sunset Shimmer visited Equestria to invite Twilight over to the human world for Halloween. The human versions of Twilight’s friends were students at Canterlot High." Arthur replied as he continues the story.
"Sunset Shimmer!" Twilight exclaimed.
"Sunset!" Spike and Starlight exclaimed in surprise as they and Twilight embrace the visiting unicorn.
"Happy Nightmare Night, everypony… Well, early Nightmare Night. Heh heh." Sunset said, clearly embarrassed that she showed up early as she, Twilight, Sunset, Spike, the Mane 6, Starlight, Trixie, and the Princesses were walking down the castle hallways.
"So, Sunset, what brings you back to Equestria this time around?"
"Last time we saw you, the Storm King’s magic was threatening your cruise vacation. Did you come to spend Nightmare Night with us?" Spike spoke.
"Actually, I was coming to ask Twilight if she could spend Halloween in the human world." Sunset asked.
“Halloween?” The ponies and Spike asked, confused.
"Yeah, it’s the human version of Nightmare Night." Sunset explained
"Oh, okay. But what about your Twilight?" Twilight asked.
"Oh, our Twilight and Spike left for a vacation to New York. They’re going to go see a Halloween parade. I just thought it might be better if Princess Twilight would spend Halloween with me and my friends until our Twilight comes back. Besides, Halloween isn’t for another 3 days." Sunset answered.
"Well… uh… girls, can we have a quick talk? Please excuse us for a minute, Sunset." Twilight said, unsure of her orange friend's idea.
"Oh. Sure." Sunset replied as Twilight brings Spike, Rainbow Dash, Rarity, Fluttershy, Pinkie Pie, Applejack, Starlight and Trixie aside so they can huddle up.
"I don’t know about this, girls. I mean, what about you? Don’t we have Nightmare Night to get through?" Twilight asked.
"Well, you won’t be alone, Twilight. Besides, you have alternate versions of us in the world behind that mirror." Applejack said.
"I bet this Halloween sounds awesome." Rainbow spoke, already loving the excitement of human-world Halloween.
"All the candy, the costumes, the scares, the decorations. It should feel like a Nightmare Night party in the human world." Pinkie exclaimed, excitedly.
"I just hope other me had conquered her fear of Halloween." Fluttershy wished.
"All those different costumes. I bet they’d look fabulous." Rarity said, clearly wanting to get the visuals of the costumes so she can get an inspiration for her fashion line.
"Twilight, you’ll never forgive yourself if you don’t go spend some time with Sunset Shimmer. She’s our friend." Trixie reminded as Twilight looks back at Sunset, who smiles expectantly.
"Still, I don’t know." Twilight spoke, still unsure as Spike and Starlight look at each other with concern.
"Would you like for me to come, Twilight? I miss other Fluttershy petting me." Spike asked
"I can come too. I haven’t been since my stay after I saved Sunset and the Rainbooms from Juniper Montage’s mirror." Starlight replied.
"You girls really sure you can handle 3 days without me?" Twilight asked as the others nodded yes.
"Alright, Sunset. We’ve reached an agreement. Starlight, Spike and I would love to join you and our Canterlot High friends for Halloween." Twilight answered as Sunset grins with excitement.
They all go to Twilight's library where the Crystal Mirror is located. The ponies, Trixie, the Princesses and Flurry Heart are there waving at them, wishing that they'll have fun in the other side's version of Nightmare Night.
"Alright. Time to get going." Twilight commanded as Starlight, Twilight, Sunset and Spike (who is still in his skeleton costume) jumps through the portal.
"Have fun, my dear Twilight." Princess Celestia said as the portal closed.
To be continued...
