The Nightmare's Night

by Soundslikeponies

Rating: everyone
Tags: Princess Luna, My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic, Romance, Twilight Sparkle
Length: 5750

It's Nightmare Night, and Luna is visiting Ponyville again.

It's Nightmare Night, and Luna is visiting Ponyville again. The mayor tasks Twilight with guiding and helping Luna around Ponyville and making sure the Princess has a good stay. Though Luna comes to Ponyville with a proposition for Twilight.

Published 2012-10-31 22:40:01 UTC
Last updated 2012-10-31 22:40:01 UTC

The Nightmare's Night

The Nightmare’s Night

By soundslikeponies

“Isn’t that the same costume you wore last year?” Spike asked Twilight.

Twilight and Spike stood by the library’s front door. She was indeed wearing the same false beard and robe as last year, but there were two major differences: her robe and hat had been altered so they were completely grey and the bells were missing.

“No, no, no, Spike, last year I went as Starswirl the Bearded. This year I’m going as Cosmo the Conjurer!” Twilight said in a matter-of-fact voice. “Didn’t you read that book I gave you just a few days ago?”

“Cosmo, Cosmo...” Spike scratched his head. “Uh, yeah, didn’t he come up with a few cheap tricks?”

“He was no conjurer of cheap tricks! He summoned bears and eagles!”

“Didn’t he summon a rabbit out of a hat?”

“Well...” Twilight trailed off, looking away innocently. “That too.” She shook her head. “Anyway, he has two whole shelves in the Canterlot library dedicated to him. There’s no way my costume won’t be recognized this year!”

Twilight looked at Spike’s costume. He was wearing an outfit made of metal scales, complete with a helmet topped with a horn, and metal mail that hung down around his neck. “So are you supposed to be a tin dragon?”

“No, I’m a knight!” Spike said, his cheeks puffing up and turning red as he drew his grey painted wooden sword.

Twilight giggled. The “blade” of his sword was barely bigger than her hoof. “Do you remember what I said about your candy?”

Spike’s shoulders sagged and he put his sword away. “Yeah, yeah. Only a quarter of it tonight.”

“Good.” Twilight straightened out her hat. “Now, Mayor Mare tasked me with showing Luna around Ponyville again this year and I’ll be gone most of the night with the Princess. I asked Pinkie Pie if you could go trick or treating with her, so do what she says while you’re with her.”

Spike’s eyes grew wide and panicked. “Pinkie Pie?! But Twilight, you have no idea how she’s like around Nightmare Night!”

Twilight waved dismissively. “I’m sure it’ll be fine. Besides, there’s some other colts and fillies going with her. It’ll be great! Now come on, Luna’s chariot is supposed to be arriving any minute now!”

Ponies dressed as windigoes, bears, firefighters, scarecrows, and even alicorn princesses were walking down the streets long after they would have normally go to bed. Twilight trotted down the road with Spike in tow, smiling and waving to the trick-or-treaters passing by.

Beside her, Spike waddled to keep up. “You don’t understand how Pinkie gets! I mean, she takes trick or treating really seriously. Way too seriously.”

Twilight rolled her eyes. “Oh come on, Spike, Pinkie Pie hardly ever takes anything seriously.”

“And that’s why it’s so scary,” Spike said, tugging on her robes and looking up at her with pleading eyes. “Can’t I just go on my own?”

Twilight gave him a stern look. “You’re going with Pinkie Pie and that’s final.”

Spike groaned, but continued to trudge along beside her.

As they continued to walk, it became clear that almost everypony was walking the same way they were. “Hey, Spike, is it just me or is everypony heading in the same direction we are?”

Spike let go of her robes and looked around. “Uh, yeah, it does kinda seem that way.”

“You don’t think they’re all going to Luna’s landing... do you?” Twilight asked, looking at him.

Spike merely pointed ahead of them. Twilight looked. There was a gigantic crowd huddled around a field just off the side of the road. Almost all of Ponyville must have been there. A few ponies were behind stands, selling candied apples, hot cocoa, and pumpkin pies, while most of them were talking in hushed voices and facing a line of lanterns that had been set down across the field as a lit-up landing strip for the Princess’ chariot.

“Heya, Twilight!”

Twilight turned to see Applejack, Rainbow Dash, and Fluttershy walking over to her. Applejack was dressed as a leopard, whiskers, spots, and all, and was smiling at her. “Nice costume! Are you, uh, Star Whirl or whatever his name is?”

“Nope. That was last year’s costume.” Twilight turned sideways, showing off her purposefully dusty-looking grey robe and hat. “This year I’m going as Cosmo the Conjurer!”

Applejack smile faded slightly. “Oh, Cosmo! He, uh... He, uh...” She glanced back at Rainbow Dash—who was dressed as a ninja—for some kind of help. Rainbow Dash just shrugged. “Who’s he?” Applejack asked.

Twilight let out a frustrated groan. “Oh for Pete’s sake! Cosmo the Conjurer? Summoner of bears and eagles? Master of Beasts? Any of those ring any bells?”

“Oh!” Fluttershy spoke up, holding a hoof to her chin. She was dressed in a frilly yellow gown, with a sparkling silver-white tiara atop her head. “Didn’t he create that one spell for pulling a rabbit out of a hat?”

Twilight’s eye twitched. “Moving on!” Twilight said in a sickly-sweet voice. “Where’s Rarity?”

“She’s plum tuckered out from makin’ costumes,” Applejack answered. “She overdoes herself every year around this time.”

“I could imagine,” Twilight said. She took another survey of the crowd. “Is everyone here to see Princess Luna?”

“Oh, why, yes,” Fluttershy said. “After her surprise visit last year, everypony wanted to make sure she had a proper welcoming this year.”

Dash pulled down her ninja mask. “Yeah, and it’s kinda a big deal having a princess visit someplace like Ponyville. I mean, this isn’t exactly a big town. The princesses practically never came here, at least until you showed up.” Dash laughed and threw a hoof around Twilight’s shoulders. “Now it’s like they’re dropping from the sky or something.”

A white green flash of lightning came from behind the five of them, followed by a deafening bang that sent ponies running away screaming at the top of their lungs. All five of them jumped, their hairs—or spines in Spike’s case—standing on end. They turned around to see a gigantic green bonfire that had covered the landing area.

“What? Hey! What’s going on?” Dash asked, madly looking between her friends and the fire.

Applejack adjusted her hat that had slipped from her jump at the lightning. “Ah, don’t know. Do you think something went—”

Two sleek black shapes darted out of the fire and landed in front of the crowd. It took Twilight a moment to make them out from where they were. Two bat ponies, fully dressed in armor, were giving the crowd an unflinching stare with their serpentine eyes.

A flurry of squeaking bats erupted from out of the green flame, followed closely by a tall, imposing figure in a dark robe. The crowd of ponies fell silent as the figure stepped forward and the flames died down.

The figure lowered its hood to reveal Luna. Her lips curled up in a wicked grin as she looked at the frightened crowd. “Boo!” she said humorously.

No pony reacted at first, the gears in their heads still turning and trying to figure out what had just happened. Then, someone in the crowd started to laugh. The other ponies glanced at each other, and once they figured out they weren’t in any real danger, they began to laugh as well.

“Haha! Oh man! I never would’ve thought the Princess was such a prankster!” Rainbow Dash said, clutching her stomach and laughing. “Did you see the looks on your faces? Ha! That was so awesome!”

Applejack nervously laughed, taking off her hat and wiping her brow. “Ah think she got all of Ponyville with that one.”

Dash looked around. “Where’s Fluttershy?”

Twilight suddenly noticed something under her robes shaking. She lifted the side of her robes, looking under them to see Fluttershy hiding and shaking like a leaf.

“I-I-I’m afraid of lightning,” she said in a small voice.

“Come on, Fluttershy,” Twilight said, moving so her robes were no longer covering her quivering friend. “It’s alright, it was just a hoax by the Princess.”

Fluttershy had covered her eyes with her hooves. “I-is it over?”

“Yeah, now get up already,” Rainbow Dash said, rolling her eyes.

Luna cleared her throat quite loudly to quiet the crowd down so she could speak. “Greetings, Ponyvilleins!” she shouted in the Royal Canterlot Voice. “It has been a year forthwith since we last partook in Nightmare Night, and we wish thou to treat us as thy would thy neighbour for this evening!”

Having finished her speech, she smiled and looked out at the crowd; they were quiet, and glanced at one another, confused.

“Uh...” Luna glanced around nervously, her royal voice lost. “Let the festivities commence?”

Ponies cheered and stomped their hooves at the announcement. Shortly after, they started filtering out of the field, some to go trick or treating, some to go home and wait on trick-or-treaters, and some to go to the market square, where they’d have apple bobbing, haunted houses, and baked goods.

Twilight turned to Applejack, Rainbow Dash, and Fluttershy. “Have any of you girls seen Pinkie Pie? Spike’s supposed to go with her for the night.”

“Ah saw her somewhere in the crowd,” Applejack said. “She’s dressed in this Viking costume with a brown beard an’ moustache, and has a cohort of fillies and colts followin’ her around. Ya can’t miss ‘em.”

“Thanks, Applejack! I’ve got to get going,” Twilight said, ushering Spike through the crowd. The sound of his armor’s scales clinking together as he walked made it easy to keep track of him. Twilight looked back at her friends and waved. “Have a good night!”

Rainbow Dash waved back and shouted, “See ya, Twi! Have a fun time with the Princess!”

Twilight’s head swiveled around, looking for traces of bright pink of her friend. “So I guess we’re looking for somepony in a viking costume,” she said, glancing around with a frown. The Princess was probably waiting for her, but she needed to find Pinkie Pie so Spike could go with her first. Twilight moaned. “I’m going to be late to meet with the Princess! Ugh! We should have chosen a set place to meet. That way, I could have had plenty of time to make sure—”

“Oh! Twilight!”

Twilight turned around at the sound of her name being called to see Pinkie Pie rushing over. “Oh, hey, Pinkie!” She said with a simple wave.

Pinkie Pie bounded up to them, a wirey brown beard and moustache covering her muzzle. She gave Twilight a smile before turning to Spike and scrutinizing his costume.

Spike glanced nervously at her. “Uh, is there something on my face?”

“Do you have a sword?” Pinkie Pie asked.

Spike hesitantly held up his small wooden sword.

Pinkie broke out into a smile. “Aww! That’s adorable!”

“What? Hey! It isn’t supposed to be adorable!” Spike said, crossing his arms and glaring at her.

Pinkie Pie gave Spike a once over and nodded in approval—approval of what, Twilight didn’t know. Feeling eyes on the back of her head, Twilight turned around to see Princess Luna standing with her guards, waiting for her. “Listen, do you think you could take Spike right now? I have to go meet with—”

“Absolutely! There’s no time to lose on a night like this!” Pinkie Pie interjected, walking over to Spike and pushing him back towards her group standing off to the side. “We have to start quickly if we want to make quota!”

Spike dug his claws into the ground, scraping the earth as Pinkie Pie pushed him forward. “Wait! Twilight! I don’t want to go with her! Help!”

Spike’s pleas faded as Pinkie Pie dragged him away. Twilight winced, watching him go, trying to give him an encouraging smile. “I’ll see you back at the library!” she shouted as Pinkie dragged Spike off the clearing.

Twilight heard hoofsteps behind her and turned to see Princess Luna standing in front of her. The Princess’ cape dissolved into bats, revealing her midnight coat and deep blue mane.

“It has been some time, Twilight Sparkle,” Luna said, offering her a smile. “Your costume appears different than last year.”

“Well I just modified last year’s Star Swirl the Bearded costume into a Cosmo the Conjurer costume! It just took some dye and a bit of sewing.”

“We are unfamiliar with this ‘Cosmo the Conjurer.’”

“Oh, well he was alive eight hundred years ago, so you were probably... um...” Twilight trailed off, shuffling her hooves.

“On the moon?” Luna asked.

“Yes,” Twilight answered with a wince. She tried to think of something to change the topic. “That entrance you made with the green fire was really cool!”

“Does thou think so? We were uncertain whether or not it would have the effect we desired.”

Twilight covered a giggle. “Everypony seemed to enjoy it—or at least get scared by it.” She paused, glancing around and noticing they were standing in a more or less empty field. “So what would you like to do first? We could go by the market, visit the haunted house, talk to trick-or-treaters...”

“The market is where the games are, yes?”

“Yep.”

An eager smile spread across Luna’s lips. “It has been a while since we have had fun.”

Twilight held a rubber spider in her hoof, glancing between Luna and the sticky web she was supposed to throw the spider at. Chewing her lip, Twilight focused on the center of the web, eyeing the spot where she wanted the spider to land. She brought her hoof back and threw. The spider sailed through the air, its dangly limbs flailing, until it landed on the web one ring from the center.

“Three points!” the mare running the stall said, adjusting her witch hat.

“Shoot!” Twilight said, stomping the ground as Luna came up beside her. “I lost.”

“What does thou mean? You are one point ahead,” Luna said.

Twilight rolled her eyes. “Yeah, but you still have a throw and you’ve hit the center every single time.”

Luna frowned and grabbed a rubber spider from the bin. Wordlessly, she held the rubber spider up to eye level, choosing her mark. She glanced at Twilight out of the corner of her eye. Lowering her hoof, she gave the rubber spider an underhoof toss. It sailed towards the web, and landed on the far left on the outermost ring.

“One point!” the stall mare shouted.

Twilight’s eyes widened, and she looked up at the Princess, her eyebrows raised.

Luna shrugged, smiling at her. “We must not have taken aim well enough.”

“Eleven points! You each get to pick whatever you want from the large prize basket,” the stall mare said, pointing to a table nearby.

Twilight followed Luna over to the table. “You didn’t have to give up on a perfect score just to make me feel better.”

“We do not know what thou speakest of,” Luna said, picking a stuffed ursa minor out of the basket with her magic and carrying it beside her. She smirked a little. “The starlight was in our eyes.”

Twilight laughed, picking out a small red dragon plushie for Spike. “Okay, Princess, whatever you say.”

They turned away from the spider tossing game and began wandering around the market square. Twilight glanced up at Luna. Ponies passing by nodded and waved at the Princess, and she’d smile merrily and wave back at them. “Are you having a good time?”

Luna nodded. “We have been most enthused by this night so far! You are a most excellent guide, Twilight Sparkle.”

Twilight blushed. She spotted Applejack over by the apple bobbing stand. “Do you want to go bobbing for apples next?”

Luna shook her head and began to walk the other way. “Nay, we would like to take a walk and speak with the trick-or-treaters.”

“Oh...” Twilight said, lingering in the direction of her friend’s game stand. “O-okay.” She turned and followed Luna down the street. After walking down the street for a few minutes, Twilight began glancing nervously at dressed up ponies who passed them by. “Um... are you going to talk to any of them?”

“There is someplace we would like you to visit with us first,” Luna answered, continuing at a brisk pace down the cobblestone road.

Pretty soon there were few ponies around besides them, and the number kept dropping.

“Um... all the trick-or-treaters and nightmare night activities are back towards the center of town. Hardly anyone comes out here,” Twilight said, taking another glance around and noticing they were alone.

Twilight stopped as Luna veered off the road, walking out onto the fields. “Princess!” Twilight shouted, looking around to see if anyone was watching them. Sighing, Twilight galloped out onto the dark field after the Princess. “Princess, where are we going?!”

Luna stopped and her horn glowed. Overhead, misty clouds obscuring the moon and stars parted, leaving the sky crystal clear, with the moon and stars shining brightly onto the field.

Luna looked up at them and smiled. “Does thou likest the view?”

Twilight stopped a few paces behind Luna. “Well, yes...” She looked at the Princess with uncertainty. “You wanted us to come out to see the stars?”

Luna turned to face her. “It was our wish for us to find a time alone together.”

Luna’s stare had an intensity to it that Twilight couldn’t help but be drawn in by. “But why out here? And alone?” she asked, trying very hard not to stutter and trip over her words.

Luna bowed, curtseying for her, and walked up to her until she was right in front of her. Twilight gulped, and she’d be lying if she said she wasn’t intimidated by how much taller the alicorn was.

Luna looked down at her with desire. “I wish to court thee, Twilight Sparkle.”

“I... b-b-b-what?!” Twilight sputtered, not believing her ears.

“We have most enjoyed time spent with thou, and ask permission to court thee,” Luna stated again, tilting her head and raising her eyebrows. “Is that not how thou would sayest that?”

Heat rose behind Twilight’s ears, and she swallowed the lump forming in her throat. “Well, no, but I know what you mean, and I... I, uh...” She took a step back, taking a deep breath and letting it out slowly while avoiding Luna’s eyes. “Could I just have a moment? This is a lot to take in.”

Luna nodded. She kept her distance, not saying a word to let Twilight have a moment to collect herself.

Twilight stole a glance at Luna. She was more beautiful than any normal pony could dream to be. Every essence of her being carried an air of regality, but there was still a playfulness behind her eyes, and even what looked like apprehension. Twilight realized she was staring and quickly looked away.

“Does thou have an answer?” Luna asked.

“I’m flattered,” Twilight began. “But I’m still really not sure how to reply. I mean, this is really out of the blue.”

Luna nodded, taking her answer in stride. “Then perhaps thou would like to wait until the end of the night to answer our question.”

“I-I guess. But I’m not sure if that’s long enough for me to know whether or not I—”

Luna frowned and took a step forward, lowering her head to Twilight’s level and staring intently at her. “But we leave back to Canterlot before the morrow. We will need an answer then, or it will be much, much later before we get a chance to speak again.”

Twilight laughed nervously, taking a step back. “Well, I guess I could try?”

Luna beamed at her, curtseying again. “We thank you, Twilight Sparkle! If thou dost choose us, we shall not make thee regret it!”

“Right...” Twilight said, looking to the ground and clearing her throat.

“Is it thy wish we head back into town?”

“Er... sure?” Twilight answered as they started back towards the lantern lit streets. She noticed the clouds overhead coming back and making the field dark once more.

Luna sensed Twilight’s unease. “We ask thou forget about our proposal for the time being, and simply try to spend the night having fun,” she said, offering Twilight a smile. “Can thou lead us to thy friend’s apple bobbing station?”

Twilight shut her eyes briefly, trying to do as Luna said and push thought of the proposal out of her head. “Sure, I can do that.”

They came back onto the road, lit faintly by the lanterns hanging outside house doors and by the moonlight filtering through the clouds.

“Thy friend, Applejack... she is the Element of Honesty, is she not?”

Twilight jumped slightly at the sound of the Princess’ voice. “Oh, yes, she’s always been very trustworthy and dependable.”

“And what about the others?” Luna asked, smiling.

“Well, there’s Rainbow Dash—she’s somepony you can count on to have your back. Fluttershy is the kindest soul I’ve ever met, while Rarity always puts your needs before her own, and Pinkie Pie has a way of turning any frown into a smile.” A smile spread across Twilight’s face as she spoke about her friends. She turned to Luna. “And what about you, Princess?”

Luna’s smile faltered. “We have Celestia... who cares very much about us.” She paused after that, sewing her lips shut. “And you, who have shown us kindness and not feared us for what Nightmare Moon did.”

“That’s... it?” Twilight asked. “Don’t you have any friends among your guards, or the nobles back in Canterlot?”

Luna shook her head. “We were imprisoned on the moon for a thousand years, and it has only been two years since we were freed. It’s been hard finding ponies whom we relate to.”

Twilight felt her heart go out to the Princess. “No one else? Not even back in Canterlot?”

Luna shook her head.

“Well...” Twilight said, not sure how to respond to that. “I guess that sort of answers the ‘why me?’ question I was going to ask,” she said jokingly.

Luna’s frown deepened.

Twilight winced, trying to think of something to get that look off her face. “Don’t worry, Princess. Regardless of my decision at the end of the night, you’ll always have me to talk to.”

Luna’s lips tugged up in a smile. “Thank you, Twilight Sparkle. That is most comforting to hear.”

They ended their conversation there, as they drew closer to the market, and more and more ponies were wandering the streets.

“We’re almost there, Princess! I can see Applejack, right over there, and she’s...” Twilight paused.

Applejack was folding up her stand, a fat sack of bits hanging from her teeth.

“Uh, wait right here,” Twilight said to Luna, rushing across the market square over to Applejack’s stand.

Applejack spotted her coming over and set down her sack of bits. “Howdy, Twilight! How’s things been with the Princess?”

Twilight scratched the back of her neck, nervous laughter escaping her. “Pretty interesting so far, actually.” She shook her head, focusing back on her task. “Why are you packing up the stand so early?”

“All the apples been bobbed already,” Applejack said, pointing to a large wooden basket full of water and no apples. “Seems Ah didn’t bring enough apples this year. Ah think the Princess’ visit attracted a few more customers than normal.”

Twilight lifted a hoof to her chin. “Well, I guess there’s still the haunted house...”

“Fer sure. I heard it’s a real doozy this year!” Applejack said in an obvious attempt to lift her spirits.

“Yeah, we can go straight there and then walk around the pumpkin fields and still be back before midnight!” She ran back to Luna, calling to Applejack over her shoulder. “Bye, Applejack!”

“See you ‘round!”

Twilight galloped up to Luna, huffing and puffing, her wizard hat sitting lopsided on her head from running. “The stand’s closed, but we can continue straight on to the haunted house, if you want. And after that, we could take a walk through the pumpkin fields. The farmers always put up all sorts of neat scarecrows around the area.”

“And will you tell me your answer after that?” Luna asked, leaning forward.

Twilight gulped, feeling a bead of sweat roll down her forehead. “Sure.” She still had no idea what her answer would be.

“Where abouts is this haunted house thou speakest of?”

“It’s an old barn on the edge of Sweet Apple Acres. A crew of painters and other craftsponies fix it up every year for Nightmare Night, and some of them really get into it,” Twilight explained while they walked. She’d never visited it herself, seeing as haunted houses weren’t exactly her cup of tea, but all her friends had animatedly talked about it after last Nightmare Night, so it couldn’t hurt to give it a try.

“Have you been to it before?” Luna asked.

“Oh, no, never. But my friends spoke very highly of it.”

Twilight looked ahead as the barn came into sight. Outside of it, a dozen ponies were lined up outside the door in front of a ticket booth, waiting for their turn to go inside. The ticket booth attendee was dressed as some sort of demented clown with a Cheshire grin painted across his lips, all the way up to his ears.

“Do you know the names of the ghosts haunting this barn?” Luna asked, curiously.

Twilight laughed. “No, no, it’s just a name. The barn isn’t actually haunted.”

Luna glanced uncertainly between the barn and Twilight. “But it says it is haunted right above the door.”

“Well, yes. That’s just what they want you to think.”

“So it is not haunted?”

“Nope.”

Luna gave her a skeptical glance. “So then why do ponies line up to enter this barn?”

“There’s a bunch of monster dummies and ghosts made of bedsheets inside the barn that are meant to scare you as you go through,” Twilight explained.

“Oh, I see.”

They moved up in the line as they talked, a few more ponies falling in line behind them.

“So all the things inside there are not real?” Luna asked.

Twilight nodded. “Exactly.”

They stepped up to the ticket booth. Twilight dropped a tiny pouch with a few bits in it on the table of the ticket booth. The attendee’s lips split into a vicious grin, and he wordlessly motioned with a hoof towards the barn.

“Thank you!” Twilight said, skipping over to the haunted house’s doors.

Luna followed her, glancing nervously back over her shoulder. “We do not like the look that clown gave us.”

Twilight waved a hoof dismissively. “Relax, it’s all just part of the act!”

They reached the door into the haunted house. Twilight pulled it open. Green smoke blanketed the floor inside the barn, and it slowly billowed out as she held the doors open with her magic.

Luna hesitantly stepped inside, looking around apprehensively. The barn was just one large room, dimly lit, and covered in green smoke. Skeletons of ponies lay on the floor of the pens, almost, but not completely, hidden by the smoke covering the floor, while jack-o-lanterns sat on the ground along the walls of the barn, the candles of them flickering and lighting the green smoke.

“Huh.” Twilight reached down and examined a so-called ‘pony bone’ laying on the floor. “I guess I was expecting something a bit more.”

A screeching white blur dropped from the ceiling, snapping and bouncing from a string directly in front of their faces. It had a horrid smile painted below its bloodshot eyes and it cackled incessantly at them.

Twilight let out a sigh of relief, seeing what it was. “See? Nothing to be afraid of! Just bedsheets!” She stuck out her hoof to touch the ghost.

Her hoof met nothing.

Twilight slowly turned to look at her hoof to see it sticking through the ghost, and the ghost’s bloodshot eyes were staring down at her.

Twilight tried to stick her hoof through it again, only to be met with air once more. She waved her hoof over the ghost, expecting to feel the snag of a string. Nothing.

Twilight glanced at Luna and laughed shakily. “These ponies are a lot better than I thought.”

The green smoke covering the floor began circling around them. Twilight and Luna both took an involuntary step back. Low moaning came from the sides of the barn. The pumpkins sitting there had begun to rise up off the ground, mounted on black, skeletal bodies, green smoke pouring out of their jack-o-lantern heads.

Twilight screamed.

Charging across the barn, and passing directly through the ghost, Twilight galloped out of the barn through the doors opposite the side they had entered. Luna had followed close behind, and stopped beside her to look back at the barn.

“That,” Twilight said, clinging to Luna’s leg and trying to calm her panicking heart. “Was terrifying.”

Luna was looking back at the barn and grinning. “That was most fun!” she said, stomping her hooves against the ground. “Can we go again?”

“No!”

Twilight suddenly realized she was wrapped around one of Luna’s legs, clinging to it for dear life. She blushed and let go, standing up and adjusting her hat. “Sorry.”

“We don’t mind,” Luna said. She glanced around. “Shall we head to the pumpkin patch?”

“Oh, yes, of course!” Twilight sat down on the grass. “Just give me a moment to make my legs stop shaking.”

Luna stifled a giggle while nodding.

Twilight took a deep breath and looked up at the sky. “I’ll be honest, Princess, I still have no idea what my answer is.”

“Thou still has some time to figure it out,” Luna replied.

“I know.” Sighing, Twilight stood.

The two of them began walking across the field towards the pumpkin fields that lay just east of Sweet Apple Acres. Twilight spotted Luna’s horn glowing in the edge of her vision, and looked up to see the stars and moon come out again. A smile found its way to her lips.

“You once mentioned you enjoy stars,” Luna said with a smile to mirror Twilight’s. “It always brings me joy to see ponies enjoy my night.”

“When I first moved away from home, and into the castle,” Twilight said, looking up at the midnight sky, “I would always look up at the stars at night. They’d look just like they did at home.”

Luna looked up at the stars with her, stretching out a wing to wrap around Twilight’s shoulder.

“When I first moved to Ponyville, I looked up at the stars every night because I always felt at home when I looked at them.”

“Thou hast no idea how much joy that brings me,” Luna said, smiling down at her. “The stars have always been there throughout the ages so that they may guide ponies home.”

They arrived at the edge of Sweet Apple Acres and Twilight stopped and turned to face Luna. She shuffled her hooves together. “Did... did the stars look different from the moon?”

Rather than get upset, Luna closed her eyes and smiled. “No,” she said. “They look just like home.”

They stepped out onto a pumpkin patch, the moon hanging low against the hills and casting long midnight shadows across the field. They were completely alone aside from the scarecrows, standing stiff in the fields. Not an owl nor wolf any other animal made a noise. Time almost seemed to stand still as they walked through the pumpkin fields.

Twilight looked up at Luna. The moonlight almost seemed to make Luna’s mane glow. The taller alicorn’s mouth was relaxed in a peaceful smile, her wing still wrapped around Twilight’s side.

At that moment, Twilight wasn’t with the Princess of the Night. She was with Luna, a pony who had been alone for a very long time and was trying to reach out to her. And it was then that Twilight knew her answer.

“Yes.”

Luna stopped. She turned around and looked at Twilight and blinked. “Yes?”

“My answer is yes,” Twilight said, “I’m not sure if it’s the right answer, but it’s the one my heart is telling me to go with, so... yes.”

Luna leaned down and rested her forehead against Twilight’s. “It makes me very happy to hear that.”

Twilight closed her eyes and nuzzled Luna’s forehead. Then she felt Luna pull away, and a hoof tilt her chin up. She opened her eyes and saw Luna staring down at her, slowly leaning closer.

Their lips touched, and the world disappeared. Luna’s wing pulled her closer, pushing her into the kiss. Luna kissed her with a hunger that belied her outward calm, her lips caressing Twilight’s, yet it was surprisingly gentle.

Twilight ended the kiss before she was overwhelmed. She could feel her heart pounding in her chest, and a blush rose to her cheeks as she looked up at the Princess. She wished she hadn’t been wearing a beard, or a dusty old costume; the Princess looked so beautiful under the moonlight.

“S-s-so what now?” Twilight asked.

“We will have to go back to Canterlot and attend to our royal duties,” Luna answered, a frown pulling down on her lips. “It will be some time before we get a chance to speak again.”

“I’ll wait,” Twilight said quickly, looking up at the Princess with a glowing smile.

Luna nodded, a smile slowly coming to her lips. “It pleases us... me to hear that.”

“But please,” Twilight said, looking up at Luna with begging eyes. “Walk with me a while longer?”

Luna pulled Twilight to her, stroking her side with her wing. “Certainly.”

Twilight hummed as she skipped in through the library door. Spike was lying on the floor, sleeping, a huge bag half full of candy lying beside him.

“No,” he mumbled in his sleep, “no, Pinkie, I don’t wanna do the dance routine again.”

Twilight giggled, walking past his limp form and blowing out the candles in the room. She lifted him off the ground with a simple levitation spell and carried him carefully upstairs, listening to the soft sound of his snoring.

Pulling back his blanket, Twilight gently set him down in his basket before pulling the blanket over him and tucking him in. She took off her costume, leaving her robe, hat, and beard on the floor, and climbed into bed. A full moon hung outside her window, and Twilight turned onto her side to face it, letting her eyes gently fall shut watching it.