The Nightmare Before Hearth's Warming Eve

"Aren't you cold... little child of darkness? Aren't you cold...?"

There was no such thing as the present, really, at least not to Twilight Soulshard most of the dead portion of her 'life.' She existed in memories, particularly in one three years past from where she sat now. It haunted dreams of wake, in her dreams of sleep. And only recently had it been put to rest by Death herself.

"I would be if I were in your shoes. For your purpose, like mine, is singular: unfortunate though it may be. Though I wonder how it would feel if that purpose might as well be only to exist... It makes me sad, really, and I'm not just saying this to spite you. I genuinely feel bad for you all, just like I genuinely feel bad for the real world as well."

However, when the topic was brought up, she couldn't help but remember her first experience with Terrorsville. An experience that should have been nothing if not fun. Though unfortunately, that idea turned into nothing but a joke, for multiple reasons. Though oddly enough, one of those reasons came completely out of left field… from an entity without a name.

"W-Who are you?"

"Me? Oh just an old, travelling priest, miss… with one goal: I am the punisher of the wicked in life. And for that I'll be the breeze that blows cold at night. And you know, though I hate to say it, you, Twilight Soulshard, are a sinner. Oh yes… you are indeed. In fact, you and your kind are guilty of one of the seven deadliest: that being Sloth. That makes you a disease. And every disease... has a cure. Hehehehe.... *HAHAHAHAHA!.!.!** PLEASED TO MEET YOU, DARLIN'! CAN YOU GUESS MY NAME!?!? HOOOOOOO HAHAHAHAHAHA!.!.!.!"*

The coldest being she would ever meet. Back when she was still alive...

☼☼☼

Three years prior...

"Uggggggh!" Soulshard grumbled, searching through another row of books at the Royal Necropolis Library, reading off their names one by one:

"How to Tame Your Bone Dragon, Felhounds: Advanced Hunting Tactics, How to Cook Bat-Toe Stew and More Horrid Recipes, Necromancy Volume II: Semi-Sentient Dead for Newbs, Scaring Without Shock Horror: Advanced Fear Tactics, Hell's Kitchen: Cooking with King Ramsey III, a Mummy's Delight, Slendermare's Guide to Fear: Hiding in Plain Sight...."

A few more later, Twilight brought two, living hooves to cover her face, letting forth another disgruntled groan. "Seriously... are there any books in this wing that aren't same ole same ole?! Something interesting... something about the other side, maybe? It's all so monotonous!"

She then took a deep sigh, trotting over to sit down upon a nearby chair made completely out of bones, bringing a hoof to her chin in a thinker's pose. "That's all we're about, though, really... when it comes down to it. Scaring, reading up on how to scare better, and making sure nothing gets in the way of scaring... calling ghouls one-tracked would be an understatement."

She then rolled her eyes, lifting herself out of her seat. “Meh… I guess I could always try doing some personal experiments myself for progress’ sake. That might help.” She then sulked her head again. “Oh wait… I can’t find any books relating to progress! The only ghoul who knows anything about that is that Dr. Whoovenstein guy! And he… he doesn’t really do anything except try to create monsters half the time… Ugh…”

Before she could rant any further, however, a voice interrupted her.

"Hey Twilight!"

Twilight slowly turned her head, her 'normal', purple sapphires for eyes gazing upon a tiny bone dragon. "Oh uh... hey Spike."

Spike gave her a slightly hurt look. “Wah? Shouldn’t you be all like: ‘Hey Spike, how come you’re not still snoozing?! It’s so awesome to see you!’”

Twilight cracked a smile. “Heh, sorry Spike. I’m just in a lousy mood. How are you up so early, anyway?”

The bone dragon gave a toothy grin, his red orbs for eyes filled with excitement. "Turns out my magic charges a little quicker than I thought! I'll have a little more time every year to chill with you before I gotta sleep again! Just wish they had a better way to wake me up, though... it takes them like a month." He then gave a grunt. "You know, I wish they could find that sword I was linked to: Frostborne or something... would totally help a bit." He then gave a little shrug, his smile returning. "Ah well, but yeah, they're letting me burn down a few vacant houses in the countryside! Wanna come with? It should be totally wicked!"

Twilight glanced away from him.

"Er, I'd love to Spike..." she said, a bored tone barely seeping out of her words. "But uh... I'm not really-"

"No need to explain," Spike said with an understanding smile. "I know you're going all out getting prepped for your first Nightmare Night where you actually get to go to the other side, right? ZOMBIE APOCALYPSE, BABY!"

"Heh, yep... should be... totally wretched," Twilight said with a hint of sorrow.

"It'll be so awesome! The zombies will be all like: 'BRAIIIIINSSSS'... and the ponies will be all like: 'oh my gosh we should have read the Zombie Survival Guide but we only read World War Z! Oh noooooo...'"

"Yeaahhh..." Twilight said slowly, glancing away from him again.

Spike threw her a blank look at that. "Alright... it's something more than that, isn't it? What's up?"

Twilight took a deep breath. "No offense, Spike... but you spend all year sleeping. You don't... see as much as I do. I doubt you'd understand..."

"Oh man... something really is up, isn't it?" Spike asked, tilting his head. He then put on a cocky smirk. "Try me, though, I can do the whole empathy thing!"

Twilight shut her eyes, wincing, before shuddering forth:

"It's just... do you ever feel that our kind... have no other purpose than to scare? It's not that I'm bored of it, I love scaring! But... I just feel like... like we don't mean anything. We're just beings of a holiday... nothing changes, nothing grows...”

“What do you mean by that?” Spike asked, quirking an eyebrow.

Twilight squinted in thought for a second, before continuing with, “Alright, for example: when was the last time a major reform in Edeathstria came about? When some new technological development came by our hooves?"

Spike moved his eyes to the side in thought, before giving a shrug.

"The answer to that is never," Twilight continued. "Not once in its history have we done anything different... had any other ambition or purpose... we're just stagnant beings floating, but not paddling in the sea of time. And the worst part is: I don't think our nature can even permit that sort of thing."

She then took a deep breath, before beginning to sing:

"When I was just a filly,

I'd find the notion kind of silly,

That we should have more than just a scream.

I took a shot at the Dark Arts,

Though raising dead was just a start,

When our goddess came and smiled upon me!

Though cold and distant she could be,

Eventually we'd both come to see...

That she was my other mother,

Who lived forever!

And whether she liked it or not,

I'd learn much more than what she taught.

That a circle was all we'd be,

From here to eternity.

That we're nothing more than waking dreams,

A far cry from reality.

It hit me more than I realized...

So it seems..."

A sorrowful frown came to her as she finished, tilting her head downward.

"Shoot, Twilight... I never knew you felt that way," Spike said, frowning sympathetically. "We could... try doing something else beside scaring, you know."

"Na... that's not what's bothering me," Twilight said, squinting in thought. "It's just... I wish we had a greater purpose, you know what I mean?"

Spike nodded. “Yeah, I get what you’re saying, I suppose.”

Twilight gave another sigh, before cracking a light smile. "But it's alright, I guess. At least I'll still have scaring to keep my occupied! At least that never gets old!"

"Heck yeah it doesn't!" Spike grinned. "Come on, Twilight. Let me go show you the art of pyromaniacy... hehehe..."

"Er, sorry chico, but you might need to put a hold on that," another new voice called.

Twilight raised an eyebrow, turning to meet a certain chupacabra.

"Bloodfang? What's up?"

"Heyo!" he grinned, before throwing her an apologetic smile. "But yeah, no time to talk. The princess needs to see you immediately. Says it's important." He gestured towards the entrance of the library. "Come on, I'll walk you to her."

Twilight and Spike glanced at each other, raising eyebrows, before following him out of the library and into the adjacent hall.

☼☼☼

The throne room of Princess Nightmare Moon was a place personified by a single, organ-driven song that rang through it, it being nothing if but gothic. A single, black carpet stretched all the way from the entrance, statues of gargoyles lacing its sides, to a simplistic, onyx throne that cried for eternity. Upon it sat Nightmare Moon, slumped in a bored, thinker's pose, as a beam of moonlight shined down upon her.

"Hail to the night, Princess of Eventide!" Twilight said upon approaching her, giving a heavy bow.

"Twilight Soulshard, my wretched student..." Nightmare Moon said in a low, gravelly tone, her eyes flickering black as she looked upon her. "It is good to see you, though I must ask that you rise to meet my eyes.... for the time has come..."

"Nightmare Night?" Twilight smiled hopefully.

"No..." Nightmare Moon slowly, her expression as cold as ice. "You would not understand... not until you hear it.” She then quirked an eyebrow. “Tell me, my wretched student... do you feel... perky?"

Twilight took a deep breath, glancing away from her. "Actually, I've been feeling a little down in the dumps lately..."

Nightmare Moon raised a concerned eyebrow, though she quickly lowered it, before smiling slightly. "Then perhaps I have a medicine for you..."

Twilight raised her eyebrows. "Oh, what's that?"

"I told you the time has come... and now it's time I tell you what that is." She cleared her throat, before announcing in a bombastic tone: "BRACE YOURSELF, TWILIGHT! FOR IT'S TIME FOR THE PERCOLATOR!"

Suddenly, as Spike and Twilight's eyes widened, a new song began blasting through the palace:

"It's time for the percolator!

It's time for the percolator!

It's time for the percolator!"

"Hahahaha!" Nightmare Moon giggled, bouncing off her throne to give Twilight a warm hug.  "Sorry, couldn't resist. I love doing that!"

Twilight rolled her eyes. “And here I thought someghoul died… well, for good, that is.”

Spike cracked a smile. "Heh. You know, you were never this goofy years ago, princess."

"Yeah well, times change... as well as students," Nightmare said, smiling warmly down upon Twilight, before taking a deep, somewhat remorseful breath. "However, I'm afraid I might not be able to spend Nightmare Night scaring with you, Twilight..."

"Huh?" Twilight said, lowering her eyebrows. "Are you taking the year off or something?"

Nightmare Moon chuckled at that. "Naw, of course not! I wouldn't miss Nightmare Night for anything! It's just... I have a very special assignment for you to carry forth."

At that, her horn began to glow a bright purple, a hologram of small town coming into view. It was a quaint little place, with a variety of buildings in sight. She could see a pulsating, veiny, organic mass that was its town hall, a wicked candy shop named 'Sourcube Corner' decorated in various pieces of sour 'candy', and a strange fashion shop labeled 'Carousel Botique', which Twilight guessed housed the same number of ghostly garments most fashion shops did: tattered, gray dresses, vampiric, black and red cloaks complete with capes: you name it.

"Ever hear of Terrorsville?" Nightmare Moon asked. "It's a wicked little town sitting about thirty miles from Necropolis, across the Great River of Blood and through the Everdead and Everlost woodlands. And it just so happens to house many of the ghouls who carry forth direct scaring in the real world on Nightmare Night, it being so close to the portals obelisk: the Temple of the Doors."

"Great!" Twilight smiled merrily. "So, do you want me to go and hang out there until then or something?"

"Actually...." Nightmare Moon said, raising a hoof with a slight smirk. "I want you to go and lead them during Nightmare Night." She then sat up from her throne, beginning to pace about the hall. "In all my years as princess of this wretched land, I have never seen more potential in a task master before. And I don't just say this to bolster anyone's ego." She then turned towards Twilight again, taking a deep breath this time. "They're good on their own, but with your help: I'm sure they can make this Nightmare Night one to remember.” She then put on a hopeful smile. “So... what do you say?"

Twilight's eyes widened.

"Wow... I'm not sure what to say," she said in disbelief, shaking her head. "This is a pretty big honor you're handing me!"

Nightmare Moon closed her eyes, facing away from her and sighing forth, "Yes... it is..." She then twirled about, a hint of a forced, perky grin on her face. "So, how about it?! Ready to prove to yourself what you're capable of?!"

Spike turned Twilight’s way, grinning. "This is a pretty big task... but it'd be a pretty darn cool one! I’m down to lend a claw!"

Twilight's face remained contorted in thought a brief moment more, before a broad smile formed on it. She then announced:

"You know what? I am down! This sounds like it could actually be sort of fun!"

"That's the spirit!" Nightmare Moon beamed, flinging herself into the air, though again... with a hint of a false smile. "Now, go and bring forth the night!" She then gestured towards the entrance of the throne room. "There will be a zeppelin waiting to take you to Terrorsville in the main port, and Bloodfang will fill you in on the details before you go."

"Right on!" Spike cheered

"I won’t let you down, Princess!" Twilight said, her eyes narrowing in determination. "Just like you've never let me down before! It'll be the most horrible Nightmare Night ever! Come on Spike, let's get going!"

And with that, the two turned and made haste out of the throne room, the two laughing maniacally the whole way.

"BUAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!.!.!"

"Good luck, my horrid, slightly evil student!" Nightmare Moon called, waving.

Once they were out of view, however, Nightmare Moon collapsed upon the floor, a few tears rapidly forming in her eyes, shimmering brilliantly in the moonlight.

"You'll need it..."

☼☼☼

"Spike... we're not doing it."

"Oh come on, Twilight! It'll be awesome! Call it sky diving for ghouls with a pair!"

"Yeah, but unlike you, I don't have wings! I also happen to be a girl, and you happen to be a skeleton! I am content not becoming street pizza, thank you!"

"But you have your levitation power thingy!"

"Yeah, but I'm not confident I can-"

"Pleeeeeeeaaaase!"

"SPIKE, I AM NOT JUMPING OUT OF THE ZEPPELIN!"

At the entrance to the passenger bay hanging off a massive air beast, Twilight and Spike argued through the end of their journey, which wouldn't be much longer. The zeppelin was just about to land on the far side of Terrorsville, which it was currently passing over. And a moment later, it did so, Twilight and Spike just about leaping out of it.

"Thank goodness, I thought that trip was going to take forever!" Twilight cried, glaring at the zeppelins primitive-looking steam-driven propellers. "You know, I've read that the real world has steam engines that are twenty times more efficient than ours. And that just reinforces my point! You see what I mean, Spike? If we had a bit more technical proficiency we could make some-"

She glanced towards the dragon, only to notice he had fluttered ahead towards a massive group of ghouls gathered near Terrorsville Town Hall.

"-Vast improvements," Twilight said, grunting in annoyance as she sweat-dropped.

However, her train of thought was soon broken as she approached the crowd of ghouls, one of them in particular taking the lead in a song that was finishing up: her with a rainbow colored mane and wearing a black, rancid smelling cloak.

Not that Twilight minded at all.

"What's going on?" Twilight asked Spike, lifting an eyebrow.

He turned to face her. "Oh, apparently it's a Terrorsville tradition. They always kick off the week before Nightmare Night with some crazy musical number. Give it a listen!"

Before she could, however, the song came to a close, the crowd giving a massive 'awwwww.....'

"Whelp, so much for that," Twilight grunted, rolling her eyes. "We should be prepping for Nightmare Night anyway, not singing songs-"

"No worries, everypony," the rainbow haired mare called, grinning wickedly to the crowd. "Who's ready for take two?! Let's bring down the thunder again, baby!"

"Woooooo yeah! Let's do it, Rainbow!" a pink pony cheered, her with a strange, brown fedora on her head and two metal-claw like devices on her frontal hooves.

"It may not be country, but it's good enough! I'm in!" a very furry lycan pony called from nearby, her wearing a small cowgirl hat upon her head.

"Alright, take it away, Dr. Whoovenstein! Vinyl Screech!" 'Rainbow' called, before nodding towards a nearby white, vampiric pony with a backwards baseball cap upon her head, and a wicked, black electric guitar in her hooves.

"You got it, baby! Let's make this town rumble! BEEEEYA!" 'Vinyl' grinned, a manic look in her eyes.

"Oh god..." Twilight grumbled, face-hoofing.

"WOOO YEAH! LET'S FRIGGIN' DO IT! PLAY FREEBIRD!" Spike cheered.

"SPIKE!" Twilight hissed.

“Oh come on, Twilight. This song seems pretty awesome!” Spike grinned.

Twilight sat on her rump, folding her arms. “Fine… one song, but that’s it,” she groaned.

At that, Dr. Whoovenstein cleared his throat.

"And so it begins! BY THE DRUMS, LET'S DO THIS!" he called, smiling broadly.

"HECK YEAH!" town cheered, Vinyl starting the song off with a wailing chord from her guitar, before Dr. Whoovenstein began with:

"It's astounding...

Time is... fleeting.

Madness... takes its toll!

But listen closely..."

"Not for very much longer..." Twilight grumbled.

"I've got to... keep control.

For I remember...

Doing the night warp!

Loving... the cycle's end!

When the blackness would take us-

"And show how to make us-

"BRING DOWN THE THUNDER AGAIN!"

"BRING DOWN THE THUNDER AGAIN!.!.!.!"

"I'm starting to regret not jumping out of the zeppelin..." Twilight moaned.

"Oh come on, Twilight. It might be a little cheesy, but who cares? It's called getting pumped up!" Spike smirked. "Come on, you should be taking notes! You may be a good task-master, but you've never really been a... people person."

"Fine, whatever," Twilight grunted, glancing back at the musical number, before mumbling, "Pffft... people person! I can be a people person!"

"It's just a skip through the woods,"

"And through the portal of light!"

"Then you show them the goods,"

"AND BRING FORTH THE NIGHT!.!.!

It's just a cosmic thrust!

That'll drive every party INSAAAAAAAAAANE!.!.!

"BRING DOWN THE THUNDER AGAIN!"

"BRING DOWN THE THUNDER AGAIN!.!.!.!"

At that, a ghostly ghoul with brilliant, purple twisting hair joined in with:

"Let us dream then...

May fantasy free them!

Our talents may yet lend,

A key to triviality’s end!"

"In another dimension!"

"With no evil intention!"

"While secluded... we'll make boredom fall!

"With a bit of the right tone,"

"You're into the Twilight Zone!"

"And nothing... can ever be the same."

"You're spaced out on sensation!"

"LIKE YOU'RE UNDER SEDATION!"

"BRING DOWN THE THUNDER AGAIN!"

"BRING DOWN THE THUNDER AGAIN!.!.!.!"

"Well I was walking through a dream,

Just havin’ a think,

Through Elm’s Street gleam,

Teachin’ ponies not to blink!

Then it came to me,

Took me by surprise,

That there wasn’t just horror,

In everypony’s eyes!

They stared at me and I felt a change,

Scarin’ can be fun and not just deranged!"

"BRING DOWN THE THUNDER AGAIN!"

"BRING DOWN THE THUNDER AGAIN!.!.!.!"

With one last brilliant chord, Vinyl ended the song, laughing hysterically along with the rest of the town. Even Twilight cracked a smile at the end of it.

"Hah! I see that little smile of yours, miss smiley!" Spike said, smirking.

"Fine, fine," Twilight said, rolling her eyes. "This might still be fun after all, even if everyghoul in this town is crazy!"

Spike's smirk widened. "You know you love it."

Twilight took a deep breath.

"Heh... alright, you got me: I know it's going to be fun," she smiled.