Luna Eclipsed (Flashback Chapter)
Luna Eclipsed
Golden Oaks Library…
Spike was pacing the floor in the library’s reading room…in a costume resembling himself. Its body hide was purple with lighter-shaded spots, the underbelly was light green, and its head's eyes' sclera were yellow. Spike’s lighter purple hand protruded from the end of the arms and his head protruded from the mouth.
With him was Chronicle, who was dressed in something very special. He was sporting a short dress, with a set of boots to match it. The dress was light blue and the skirt was colored like the sky with three layers and ruffles. The boots were baby blue with pearl bracelets on them. He wore star-shaped earrings and a very wavy blue wig with two star-shaped barrettes on its bangs. To top it off, he had contact lenses to make his eyes look blue as well as fake eyelashes to 'accentuate' his costume.
Finally, the dragon stopped and groaned impatiently. "Come on, Twilight. We’re gonna be late for the Nightmare Night Festival!"
"Now, now, Spike," Chronicle answered, his voice very girly and "genki" thanks to a voice modulator he ordered from Hub Equestria, which he passed off as a spell. "You know girls, they take plenty of time to prepare for special events." He put a hoof to his chin. "Or maybe that's just girls like Rarity."
Finally, she emerged from the top of the stairs and lifted her head proudly. She had donned a long robe and pointed wizard’s hat in three shades of blue, both liberally decorated with stars and moons and hung with jingle bells at hem, brim, and hat peak. The robe’s gold/white collar was secured with a gold brooch, and the a long white beard hung nearly to her knees.
"Huh? Are you that one kooky grandpa from Ponyville Retirement Village?" he asked as she came downstairs.
Twilight was annoyed at this. "I’m Starswirl the Bearded!" He just blinked stupidly at her. "Father of the amniomorphic spell?" Still nothing. "Did you even read that book I gave you about obscure unicorn history?"
"Um…" There was a pounding at the front door and he broke out in a sweat. "…that sounds important!"
Off he went, fast enough to set his boss spinning in place so that her cape and beard ended up wrapped tightly around her. Chronicle decided to follow the baby dragon, trotting merrily to "keep in character". Upon reaching the door and opening it, they were greeted by a trio of fillies in costumes of their own.
"Nightmare Night, what a fright!
Give us something sweet to bite!"
One princess, one astronaut, one ladybug, each with a sack hung around her neck—and Granny Smith as a chaperone. Spike eyed them with some relief, having caught a break from Twilight’s chewing out about his lack of history savvy, and stepped back in as she came to the door. Her own outfit was back in order, along with her good spirits.
"Hi, everypony!" she greeted "Great costumes. Happy Nightmare Night, Granny Smith."
"I should have been asleep five hours ago!"
Spike came back to the door, carrying a bowl of candy, and Chronicle levitated a piece into each filly’s sack. A fourth youngster then bulled through them. It was a brown/white pinto earth pony colt, dressed as a pirate complete with eyepatch and a toy cutlass clamped in his teeth. A tuft of two-tone brown mane protruded from the edge of the red kerchief on his head, and his one visible eye was bright and so deep red as to be nearly black. He tried a few swings of the cutlass, but lost his balance and went down on his face. The three library residents smiled at the display as he got up to his hind legs and saluted, speaks with what Chronicle recognized as a British accent.
"Pipsqueak the pirate at your service! It’s my very first Nightmare Night."
"Since you moved here from Trottingham?" asked Twilight.
"No, my very first Nightmare Night ever!"
Pinkie Pie, as a chicken, popped up among the young ponies with a loud squawk. She had even stuck a little beak on the end of her nose and was standing on two legs as the poultry would. "Enough chit-chat! Time is candy!" she demanded as she pecked at the ground.
"Pinkie Pie, aren’t you a little old for this?" Chronicle asked.
"Too old for free candy? *squawk* Never!" The puzzled unicorn mare just groaned to herself.
"All right. One piece for the adult chicken," said the stallion crossdresser as he floated a piece into Pinkie’s bag.
"Thanks!" She then noticed him. "Hey, Chronicle! Nice costume! Who are you supposed to be? You kinda sound like Skyla."
"Sound Wave, one of the three main members of P3, an idol singer group famed in Equestria's East Coast. …Wow. Didn't think you'd recognize me at first sight." He decided to ignore the comment on his voice.
Before Pinkie could reply, her attention was turned to the bell on the peak of Twilight's hat as she swung it close to her face and showed off her getup. "Do you like it?" she asked.
"Yeah, great costume, Twilight! Oh, you make a fantastic weirdo clown!" she swiftly lunged and pecked at the candy in Spike's bowl (only prevented thanks to a quick barrier spell from Chronicle), then bugged out.
Twilight was naturally irked. "A clown?!" They stepped out, Spike closing the door. "Look at the borders on these robes! These are hoof-stitched!"
"It’s a great costume…" Spike said as he walked off with a derisive chuckle. "…Grandpa!" This elicited another snarling from his boss.
"You know, I thought I was gonna be the first outright crossdresser for Nightmare Night," Chronicle giggled.
"Crossdresser?"
"You know, ponies who dress up in clothes appropriate for the opposite gender. At least I'm 'mare-faced' enough to look the part. This'll be a blast!" Assuming Twilight was going to worry about his sanity, he whispered, "I'm just acting in character, don't worry. Also, try not to tell anypony else who I am. Let them figure it out for themselves. Or let me do the revealing." He let off another giggle.
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As the three walked down the town square, Chronicle decided to take a look at the scenery and festival-goers. There were snack carts, strings of lights hung with skulls, and black busts of Nightmare Moon hanging from the balconies. Dizzy Twister was a lion, Lemon Hearts a mouse, and Minuette as a dental surgeon. Big Macintosh was pulling a hay wagon loaded with more happy partiers, and has donned a dark top hat and tailcoat, the latter depicting a skull-marked apple over his haunch. On the wagon was Cherry Berry as a bee, Raindrops as a Viking, and Cloud Kicker as a witch.
"Starswirl the Bearded is only the most important conjurer of the pre-classical era," she ranted amidst cheers from the riders. "He created more than two hundred spells. He even has a shelf in the Canterlot Library of Magic named after him!"
They walked through a dance with a four-piece band, where he saw Sea Swirl as a knight with armored shoes and flail tail, Golden Harvest as a devil/vampire mix, Wind Whistler as Equestria's version of Queen Cleopatra, and someone dressed up as a "ninja". Apparently, one of the extended members of the Apple family named Fiddlesticks is dressed up as a scarecrow along with the rest of her band mates. Curiously, she looked like Octavia Melody, a Canterlot musician.
Eventually, Twilight's irritation began to subside. "Maybe I should start up a pony group to teach ponies about history." She gave off a smile. "I bet everypony would love it. Don’t you, Spike?"
During her rant, Spike had somehow acquired a a mound of candy nearly as tall as he and was gorging himself. "Mmm-hmm! I love it."
"Maybe you should go for somepony more generic," suggested Chronicle. "Star Swirl is from Obscure Unicorn History, after all. I remember the last Nightmare Night I took part in where my charge, an insufferable genius, decided to dress up as the doppler effect. A freaking concept!" He also saw Mr. and Mrs. Cake dressed up as pony versions of Raggedy Andy and Raggedy Ann, and Lyra Heartstrings as a mummy.
"Seriously?" she asked as they stopped.
"Seriously."
Spike suddenly ran into the crossdressing mare and tumbled to the ground in an avalanche of sweet stuff. "Hey, look, we’re here already! Should we get something to eat?" She then took stock of the supine dragon and his overstuffed belly as he lets off a hearty belch.
"Perhaps somepony more well-known to the general public and more aligned to your gender."
"This coming from the crossdresser."
"True. Maybe a certain showmare might spark some ideas."
"I am NOT gonna dress up as Trixie and that's final!"
"All right, all right." Speaking of which, I wonder how she's doing? I sure hope she's faring well.
Just then, Pinkie and Pip zipped up to the three. "Twilight, Twilight, look at our haul!" the mare-filly said as she held her own full sack into view and let out a giddy squeal. "Can you believe it?" Just as at the library front step, she started pecking madly at the goodies to stuff her face.
Chronicle turned to the roof of a nearby, heavily decorated building, to see Rainbow Dash…dressed up as a Shadowbolt. She ran an eye over the scene and ducked out of sight, unaware that somepony had already caught sight of her. And was watching as she moved a black cloud over to them.
"And then, we went to Cheerilee’s house and we got a bunch more goodies—didn’t we, Pip?" Pinkie continued.
"Sure did!"
"And then we had to stop and wait for Granny Smith and—"
"Watch out!" gasped Chronicle as he conjured a panel barrier—which intercepted the lightning bolt. The crash however prompted her into a terrified squawk and escape. The blast also sent Pip and his friends galloping with a scream and dumped Spike on his back. Rainbow’s belly laugh floated down to an annoyed Twilight, who turned to address her.
"Rainbow Dash! That wasn’t very nice!"
"Lighten up, old-timer. This is the best night of the year for pranks."
"Look what you did to Spike!" The baby dragon was still laid out by his candy and trying to hack up a piece caught in his throat.
"Aw, it’s all in good fun." Rainbow then noticed who she was with. "Hey, who's that you're with? And where's Chronicle?" She saw the other mare pull up her hair, revealing it to be a wig, as well as showing a familiar carrot-top-blond mane. Her wings unfurled as a result.
"Surprised?" asked the blue unicorn teasingly as he put the wig back.
The pegasus quickly recovered by changing the subject and looking elsewhere. "Oh, oh! There’s another group over there!" She then bulldozed the cloud away. Throwing a slightly exasperated glance at her unconscious assistant, Twilight levitated him onto her back and walked away. Chronicle inspected him, making sure he wasn't going to die. He would later admonish his charge for her careless behavior since Spike was her responsibility.
In the distance, Rainbow set off her lightning once again, prompting a fresh wave of screams, before moving it once again as she laughed herself stupid.
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Later…
The trio reached an apple bobbing game which had Ace, Carrot Top, and Lemon Hearts as the players, and Applejack—dressed as a scarecrow—presiding over the game.
"Happy Nightmare Night, Applejack," Twilight greeted.
"Howdy, Spike!" she greeted in return. "Hey, Twilight! Nice costume."
"Thanks! I’m a dragon."
This got him a dirty look from Twilight. "She means me, Spike."
"With that beard…" The scarecrow toyed with it. "…I reckon you’re some sorta country music singer." This guess got Twilight steamed and groaning all over again as Spike laughed.
"Seriously? Country music singer?" said Chronicle. "How the hay did you even come up with that conclusion?"
And that's when Applejack noticed, but not recognized, him. "Who's this new fella, Twi? Old friend from Canterlot, perhaps?"
The stallion crossdresser giggled. "Friend from Canterlot, yes. Old, not exactly." Once again, he raised his wig to reveal his mane, resulting in a startled reaction.
"Whoa, nelly! Does that mean you're in costume too?"
"Well, duh." Chronicle rolled his eyes.
"Well, who're you supposed to be?"
"He's supposed to be Sound Wave, one of the members of the idol singer group P3, who are famed in Equestria's East Coast," Twilight answered.
"I think I heard a bit about 'em from my cousins in Manehatten. The other two core members of th' group were named Jasmine Trinity and Sealight Glisten, the latter bein' the 'leader'." She soon decided to change the subject. "Anyways, while y’all are here, you feel like bobbin’ for an apple?"
At the tub, Carrot was ready for another game and this time, she was joined by Derpy Hooves—the former wearing only paper bags on her head and hooves. Before the earth pony could even get her face in the water, her pegasus friend surfaced with the end of a chain in her teeth, having gone for a dive without being noticed. One tug on the chain brought up a drain plug and emptied the tub in seconds, to the dismay of both.
"No thanks. This wig might fall off. Maybe after you refill the tub."
The general attention quickly transferred itself to the stage where the band Fiddlesticks was in was seen earlier. A cheering crowd had gathered on the dance floor, and Mayor Mare stood at a lectern on the stage. She had done herself up as a clown, including a red rubber-ball nose and multicolored wig. She also had an oversize polka-dotted tie at her shirt collar. Her tail was done up in stripes as well.
"Thank you, everypony, and welcome to the Nightmare Night Festival!" she announced. There was more cheering as Twilight, Chronicle, and Spike made their way through the crowd. "Now, all the little ponies who have been out collecting sweets should follow our friend Zecora to hear the legend of…" She paused to make her next words ominous. "…Nightmare Moon!" She let off a mad laugh.
"Her spooky voice might work better if she wasn’t dressed like that," Spike commented.
"Eh, I've heard of ponies who are scared of clowns," Chronicle remarked. "But yes, it could've been better. Maybe lose the wig and corrupt the design a bit and she'll be a really scary clown."
Twilight laughed softly and the Mayor gestured off to one side. This patch of the stage was unoccupied, but a blast of sparkling, luminescent green smoke promptly filled it. From this rose the head and shoulders of the resident zebra to the sound of appreciative murmurs from the audience. Zecora’s mane was covered by a long white wig filled with spiders, and the neckline of her garment was secured with a gold bat brooch.
"Follow me, and very soon, you’ll hear the tale of Nightmare Moon." On these last two words, she threw the folds of a long dark cloak over in front of the audience.
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The onlookers were gathered in front of Zecora in a slightly overgrown clearing (NOT the Everfree Forest). The full moon shone overhead, and behind Zecora stood a statue of the malevolent winged unicorn.
"Listen close, my little dears. I’ll tell you where you got your fears." She leaned toward the fillies. "Of Nightmare Night, so dark and scary…" A bit of glowing green dust was produced and blown upward into the air. "…Of Nightmare Moon, who makes you wary."
The smoke formed into a specter of Nightmare that dove toward the group; they cry out at it hit the ground and dissipated. Chronicle had been told beforehoof not to interfere, for the Nightmare Moon she's making isn't real. Pip and the ladybug filly (he remember was named Piña Colada) looked uneasily around themselves, not seeing the two staring eyes in the dust cloud behind them.
"Every year we put on a disguise…" A vicious grin appeared as well. "To save ourselves from her searching eyes." As they screamed and cut out, Zecora emerged from the dust, revealing her to have been the source of the eyes and grin. Pip ran and bumped into the statue’s pedestal.
"But Nightmare Moon wants just one thing—" Pip backed away. "To gobble up ponies in one quick swing!"
He bumped into Pinkie, who had buried her entire head in the dirt like an ostrich. The hit scared the daylights out of both and sent them fleeing in opposite directions. Zecora threw some more dust, creating another Nightmare Moon illusion.
"Hungrily she soars the sky…" It swooped down toward three fillies, two of whom are Scootaloo as a werewolf and Sweetie Belle as a vampire. Nightmare’s head and forelegs formed, as she peered around, then vanished. "If she sees nopony, she passes by." It went over to Pip and his three buddies for a brief look before floating away. "So if she comes and all is clear," It went up to the sky. "Equestria is safe another year!"
The full-body apparition formed with the moon as a backdrop, then disintegrated into a shower of sparkling dust particles. At the end of the show, Pip tugged at Zecora's cloak.
"Um, Miss Zecora…" He asked as the others gathered closer. Notably, his accent was gone, probably having affecting it earlier. "…if we were cautioned to hide from Nightmare Moon so she won’t gobble us up, how come we still need to give her some of our candy?"
"A perfect question, my little friend, for Nightmare Moon you must not offend." She blew more dust over his head and he backed off as it formed into Nightmare’s full shape. "Fill up her belly with a treat or two…" The specter tensed. "So she won’t return to come eat YOU!"
On the end of this, she leaped at the group with her mouth open to expose every single razor-edged tooth in it. She disintegrated on impact, and Pinkie let off a shrill scream and led a charge over to the statue. Here, Chronicle spotted Apple Bloom dressed as the Bride of Frankenpony, with her mane and tail both done up in the character’s white-streaked black bouffant. Dinky was there too, dressed up as a firefighter.
"Everypony, let’s dump some candy and get outta here!" she said as she threw down her entire stash.
The wind began to kick up, and a nervous glance overhead revealed that clouds have begun to swirl around the full moon and close in to block out the night sky. Twilight and Zecora both stared speechlessly as a flash of moonlight blazed through the clouds and a black silhouette rode the rays toward ground level.
This consisted of a figure in a spiked, bat-winged chariot pulled by two pegasi on chain reins. A unicorn horn can be seen from the hooded driver’s head. The mounts revealed to be gray pegasus stallions with bat wings and reptilian green eyes, wearing blue armor with bat-wing crests on their helmets.
The chariot bore down on the group, all of whom immediately cried out and back away except for Twilight and Chronicle; the mare and Spike eventually ducked and cover as the looming shadow rocketed overhead while the stallion entered a battle stance.
The silhouetted vehicle and pegasi now hovered at low altitude. Chronicle curiously didn't have his "magic horn blade" out but instead had what looked like a special white microphone 'held' close to his lips, as if he was about to respond to this by singing. Wait a second… Bat-wing pegasi? Could this be… His train of thought was interrupted as Pinkie popped up in front of her with a terrified gasp.
"It’s Nightmare Moon! RUUUNNN!!"
She peeled out as fast as her drumsticks would carry her, as did Spike and all the youngsters—with Zecora and Pip bringing up the rear. Twilight and her bodyguard were the only ones left in the clearing. Lighting crackled around the chariot driver’s head, swathed in a dark gray-green hood. Two eyes glowed pure white under the horn and lowered brows, with an unsettling little grin under a mare’s nose. The rest of the face still appeared as only a lightless silhouette, and the eyes and mouth faded from view once the lightning died down.
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Eyecatch (picture-type) - A bust of Nightmare Moon carved into a jack-o-lantern. The show's logo is seen on top of it.
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At the town square…
Back in Ponyville, the merriment was in full swing, but the stampede of the screaming Pinkie—up on her hind legs, with forelegs tucked in like a chicken’s wings—and young ponies drew a round of puzzled gazes, but these soon turned to worry and fear as a broad shadow cast itself over the area. Up in the sky, thick clouds have spread here as well, and the black flying chariot arrived right after them. As the two ponies who haven't panicked from this newcomer's arrival went over, Chronicle with his microphone close to his mouth, the driver leaped nimbly out and down to the street.
The first feature visible under the figure’s gray-green cloak was a set of four dark blue-violet forelegs clad in light blue shoes, and the hood was thrown back in time with a crack of lightning.
Once it faded, the crossdressing stallion 'lowered' his microphone upon recognizing the face. It was Princess Luna—Princess Celestia’s younger sister, whom they haven't seen since first acquiring the Elements of Harmony. The dark blue, almost black tiara set behind her horn was there, along with the lighter blue shadow on her eyelids, and the edge of her crescent-moon necklace can be seen under the cloak’s edge.
However, three things have noticeably changed since that first appearance. One: her coat and mane have darkened noticeably. Two: with the exception of the forelock, her entire mane had become a long, sparkly, translucent mass of hair that waved gently on its own as Celestia’s does. Three, the haughty gaze from those blue-green eyes indicated that any traces of fear or uncertainty from before were entirely gone. Four: she also seemed taller, but she was still in fact the same height as before; her confident posture just gave off that illusion, just as one certain hero popular to the Story Crew can conceal his identity by just wearing glasses and acting wimpy.
Everypony hit the deck for a deep bow with two exceptions. Chronicle 'raised' his microphone again in a defensive stance; who knows what this change in appearance could entail? Twilight gaped for a moment, then broke into a smile. "Princess Luna!"
She started forward, but the still-bowing Spike dragged her down and put a finger to her lips. Luna advanced toward the group, her cloak breaking apart into a swarm of bats that flapped away. Her tail had undergone the same change as her mane, and she certainly looked more slender. When she spread her wings, they too were larger than before. Cloud Kicker glanced up just in time to find the royal pony standing over her. The small smile that came over the latter’s face only served to scare the bejesus out of her and every other pony in the vicinity.
Now Luna spoke, making one more change instantly obvious: her voice. Imperious, reverberating, and with enough volume to cause wind gusts that would capsize a battleship. Well, maybe not a battleship, though a water tank would certainly be sent rolling if she were to do what she was doing now in front of it.
"CITIZENS OF PONYVILLE! WE HAVE GRACED YOUR TINY VILLAGE WITH OUR PRESENCE, SO THAT YOU MIGHT BEHOLD THE REAL PRINCESS OF THE NIGHT!" She began to walk among them. "A CREATURE OF NIGHTMARES NO LONGER, BUT INSTEAD A PONY WHO DESIRES YOUR LOVE AND ADMIRATION!" The audience slowly backed away save for Twilight and her bodyguard. "TOGETHER WE SHALL CHANGE THIS DREADFUL CELEBRATION INTO A BRIGHT AND GLORIOUS FEAST!"
There came another lightning strike, after which a frightened Pinkie stood up. "Did you hear that, everypony? Nightmare Moon says she’s gonna feast on us all!"
What's next was a collective scream and clear out of the place, leaving a couple of prostrate ponies and a very puzzled Princess. Luna now spoke at a volume closer to normal, but with the same general tone. "What? No, children, no! You no longer have reason to fear us! Screams of delight is what your Princess desires, not screams of terror!"
She brought down one front hoof, hard enough to crack the ground, barely missing a Lemon Hearts’s nose and prompting a little whimper. Luna’s next look was directed behind herself, toward the Mayor. "Madame Mayor—" The night princess stepped toward her. "—thy Princess of the Night hath arrived!"
She thrust a front hoof toward the Mayor, who sobbed in fear and covered her face. Luna did not notice this reaction for a moment, and it sat very badly with her when she did, and a bespectacled white mare in a devil cape, horns, and tail got a hoof pointed at her next. Gasp, cower, cover the face. "What is the matter with you?" She got the same results with the others that remained and it began to annoy her. Not once were the two crossdressers pointed at.
"Very well, then! Be that way!" she finally said a bit petulantly. Twilight lifted her eyes a hair as Luna walked off. "We won’t even bother with the traditional royal farewell!"
Chronicle eased up a bit as his charge got up. "I’m gonna go talk to her," she said. Before she can even manage two steps, a yank on her robe and a grunt pointed up Spike’s successful effort to stop her.
"You can’t talk to her! She’s Nightmare Moon," he pleaded. The robe was yanked loose.
"No, she’s not. I saw the Elements of Harmony change her back to good." She began to walk off, her bodyguard accompanying her. "But it seems like she’s having some trouble adjusting after being gone for a thousand years."
"And don't worry, Spike," assured Chronicle as he 'put away' his microphone. "I fought Nightmare Moon before. I can do it again." I wonder if Celestia has something to do with this?
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Back in (NOT) the (Everfree) forest…
The two crossdressing ponies found Luna sitting in front of the Nightmare statue, lost in thought, and stopped short just a few paces away from the shadow cast by the statue.
"Princess Luna?" Twilight started. "Hi. My name is—"
Luna cut her off as she stood up and faced the two. "Starswirl the Bearded. Commendable costume. Thou even got the bells right."
"Thank you! Finally, somepony who gets my costume!"
Luna stared uncertainly at her before turning to face Chronicle, "And thou art dressed as Sound Wave of the P3 singing idol group, correct? Their music is quite remarkable."
"You know of that group?"
"Thy art familiar with their songs."
Twilight then decided to speak again. "Uh…I just came to welcome you to our celebration. My actual name is—"
"Twilight Sparkle," Luna finished. "And thou companion wouldst be the brave Chronicle, who serves as your knight?"
The blue unicorn did his best to stifle a laugh from the 'knight' comment while containing his shock that the princess saw through his costume immediately before she spoke once more. The wind kicked up in time with her voice as she slowly floated free of the ground, summoning a fresh mass of clouds to fill the sky.
"IT WAS THOU WHO UNLEASHED THE POWERS OF HARMONY UPON US AND TOOK AWAY OUR DARK POWERS!"
The two unicorns were blown a few feet backward before the gusts stopped. Chronicle used his magic to keep his wig from flying off.
"And…that was a good thing, right?" asked Twilight.
Luna landed before the two. "But of course. We could not be happier. Is that not clear?"
"Well, you kinda sound like you’re yelling at us."
"But this is the traditional royal Canterlot voice. It is tradition to speak using the royal “we” and to use THIS MUCH VOLUME WHEN ADDRESSING OUR SUBJECTS!"
The end of this line left Twilight wearing her beard sideways and her hat askew; Chronicle learned from the previous 'shout' and had conjured a barrier around his head. After getting themselves straightened out, the crossdressing mare put on the politest smile she can manage.
"You know, that might explain why your appearance was met with…mixed results."
"I didn't see you as a threat though, just very…uhh…what was the word?" He couldn't use "hammy" due to their vegetarian diet. "Pretentious. Over-the-top."
"I think if you just changed your approach a bit, you might be met with a warmer reception," his charge continued as she moved close to the ruler and put a hoof on her shoulder, but pulled it back upon getting a very funny look in return.
"CHANGE OUR APPROACH?"
"Lower the volume."
"Oh. We have been locked away for a thousand years. We are…not sure we can."
"Oh come on, your…darker self was able to speak normally when we first confronted her," Chronicle said. "Granted, she was instilling fear, but still."
Luna gave no response to that.
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Later…
The three went to Fluttershy’s cottage, all of whose windows were dark. Twilight and Chronicle led Luna toward the front door.
"Don’t worry, Princess," Twilight said. "Fluttershy can give you some great pointers. She’s delicate and demure, with the sweetest little voice." She knocked on the door. It remained closed, but Fluttershy’s panicked voice came with enough force to nearly burst it off the hinges.
"Go away! No candy here! Visitors not welcome on Nightmare Night!"
Twilight manages an embarrassed little laugh in response to Luna’s dirty look. "She's also extremely timid, and is probably trying to keep others away given the holiday's theme," explained Chronicle. "I've been training her in bravery, but progress is very slow."
His charge addressed herself toward the door. "Fluttershy, it’s me, Twilight!" She remembered Chronicle's request not to reveal his identity and decided to leave it to him, also as he requested.
The door opened slightly, the house's owner peeking out "It is you!" She then opened it to reveal the others. "Oh, and Sound Wave of the P3, and Nightmare Moon." She then realized what she said, and got out a little gasp as her pupils constricted to terrified points within the big blue-green irises. "Nightmare Moon?!?" What followed was a scream, and a slam of the door.
Twilight forced out another laugh. "Wait right here," she told Luna.
"I'm coming with," said Chronicle as the two of them stepped up, let themselves in, and closed the door.
What happened inside would remain unmentioned in detail. Namely, Fluttershy had picked a bad time to apply her lessons and assaulted them. The 'fight' was rather quick and it only stopped when she had knocked off Chronicle's wig. This distracted her enough for Twilight to restrain her, reopen the door, and shove her onto the step.
"Fluttershy…" Twilight said with a grunt as her bodyguard readjusted his wig. "…you remember Princess Luna."
Luna held out out a hoof. "CHARMED!"
Fluttershy zipped back inside, but was stopped her in her tracks by Chronicle before being levitated by Twilight through the doorway and was turned around to face the blue-violet visitor. "Likewise," she replied in a small voice.
"TWILIGHT SPARKLE HAS SPOKEN OF THE SWEETNESS OF THY VOICE! WE ASK THAT THOU TEACHEST US TO SPEAK AS THOU SPEAKEST!"
Fluttershy was now with an even smaller voice as she huddled on the ground. "Okay."
"SHALL OUR LESSONS BEGIN?"
Still softer "Okay."
"SHALL WE MIMIC THY VOICE?"
"Okay."
"HOW IS THIS?"
Fluttershy replied hastily, "Perfect. Lesson over."
She made a break for the cottage, but Twilight was a bit quicker on the draw to kick the door shut. Fluttershy crashes into it face first, plastering herself across the boards with her mane and tail falling limp. The door also happened to slam Chronicle in the face in the process. "Ow!"
"A little quieter, Princess."
"HOW IS…this?" Her voice was still raised a bit.
"Better! Right, Fluttershy?"
The pegasus peeled her head free and moaned woozily before falling off the floor. "Yes." Chronicle teleported back outside, still rubbing hs muzzle.
A bit softer still. "How…about…now?"
"Now you’re getting it."
Even softer. "And…how about now?"
"Yes! Well done!"
The former exile had now matched the normal speaking volume of a typical pony. Fluttershy, meanwhile, had made it up off the step and was reaching for the door handle when Luna’s telekinesis grabbed hold and whipped her over for a hug.
"AH, THANK THEE, DEAR FLUTTERSHY! OUR NORMAL SPEAKING VOICE SHALL SURELY WIN US THE HEARTS OF THY FELLOW VILLAGERS!"
The scared mare went limp and gets flopped around like a rag doll as a result. "This won't make for a pretty picture."
And then here came Pinkie, leading Pip and the other youngsters toward the cottage, entered the scene. "Fluttershy, you gotta hide us! Nightmare Moon is here and—" She trailed off into a shrill chicken squawk and a gasp, seeing Fluttershy sprawled bonelessly in Luna’s front hooves. "She’s stolen Fluttershy’s voice so she can’t scream when she GOBBLES HER UP!" She then bailed out, the others screaming and scattered in short order.
"NAY, CHILDREN, WAIT!" Luna pleaded before catching herself. "I-I mean…nay, children, wait!" She glanced dejectedly back at Twilight.
"Come on, Princess. Time for Plan B."
"And while we do that, I'm gonna try and get an explanation from Pinkie Pie. She was there with us when we confronted you, and she certainly wasn't scared. In fact…" Chronicle dispatched a clone—complete with Sound Wave ensemble, but minus the voice modulator—to go after the Spirit of Laughter. "When Nightmare Moon tried to stop us, she just happened to allow my friends to demonstrate the virtues they ended up representing, furthering her defeat. I have a few theories behind that. One is that Nightmare isn't really an effective 'villain'. Two, you were influencing her decisions from the inside. Three, she was actually hoping to lose after realizing the consequences of her eternal night. For a fighter like me, I have a lot of wild guesses in mind."
C—TS—F—PP—PL—P—C—TS—F—PP—PL—P
[A/N: I was a bit disappointed with Rarity's absence in Luna Eclipsed, so I decided to use the events of this comic strip as a basis.]
"My friend, Rarity, is the best when it comes to styling ponies with amazing garments! This is her boutique, Carousel Boutique!"
The three were now standing at the door in front of said building. This time, Chronicle did the knocking.
"GO AWAY! NO CANDIES HERE, PREPARATION ISN'T FINISHED YET!"
"Miss Rarity, are you available?" he then said, making certain his voice modulator was running perfectly.
There was a pause. "Is that who I think it is?"
"I don't know who you're thinking about."
"I don't believe it! Could you be— are Sealight Glisten or Jasmine Trinity with you? Or somewhere in town?"
"Um, no and no."
"That's strange?" the door to the boutique was opened, revealing Rarity (who was not dressed up). "Whyever would you—" she stopped short upon seeing the three. "Oh. You're just dressed up as Sound Wave. And you sound like her too."
Chronicle raised an eyebrow. "Huh. How are you able to tell?"
"I went on a trip to Baltimare with my family once and watched one of their performances. That's how I know of them. It was quite an interesting event. They were about to be ponynapped right in public, but somepony came and saved them just in time." The crossdressing stallion smiled inwardly; he was that savior, and he had also discovered a secret the P3 had (which he kept to himself out of respect). Rarity then noticed not-Sound Wave's companions. "I see that Twilight and Nightmare Moon are here as well." Then, just as with Fluttershy, she realized what she just said. "Nightmare Moon?!?" This was followed with a slam of the door, just like before.
"Allow me," Chronicle offered as he teleported inside the boutique.
What followed was a shriek as Rarity discovered that the Sound Wave cosplayer was actually a stallion and her friend. And then an explanation ensued. One moment later, she opened the door.
"Rarity, this is Princess Luna," Twilight introduced the princess. "I'm sure you remember her and she needs your skills to make her look less intimidating…"
"'Look'? Uh, yeah, is there something wrong?"
"Yes, Rarity. Is something wrong with thou?"
"N-NO…NOTHING IS WRONG!" She then whispered to Chronicle. "I need to talk with you and Twilight in private."
The stallion nodded, motioned for Twilight to come over, and said to Luna, "Please wait here. And don't listen in."
"If that is what thou desires," replied Luna.
Once she was out of the way, Rarity said, "Twilight, I know you are trying to help, but this is the Princess! And dressing up a princess is a huge possibility… If I don't do it properly, it could be The! Worst! Possible! Thing!"
"I'm sure you'll do fine…" Twilight insisted, then addressed Luna. "Princess…"
Luna conceded and entered the boutique. "If thou insist."
"!!! It's okay, Rarity. Don't panic." The fashion designer distracted herself by turning to face Chronicle, "That dress you asked me to make wasn't for your sister?!"
The crossdressing stallion couldn't help but giggle a bit. "Yeah, I lied to you. Sorry." For the record, Timerity was dressed up as a wolverine for Nightmare Night, as in the animal and not one other certain "hero" popular to the Story Crew. The holiday in question doesn't exist in where Blue Diary is in and therefore is not celebrating it.
"You know, I don't question a customer’s fashion choice when the money is good and the concept is sound. And I'll have to say I had no idea I was making a 'not-so-good' replica of Sound Wave's outfit until I saw you in it. How I didn't realize that is beyond me."
"I didn't want you asking questions. And now you know of this side of me. I don't mind wearing mare's clothes, but I only do it as a disguise or in Nightmare Night. Now get designing! Luna's costume won't sew itself."
"All right, all right. But… why are you still speaking like that even in front of me?"
"I used a voice modulation spell. It will wear off tomorrow."
C—TS—R—PL—C—TS—R—PL—C—TS—R—PL
Later…
"I'll just add a little more ribbon here and…done. Now you look… um…"
Luna was now dolled up in a completely pink ensemble. It admittedly looked nice.
"Rarity, what happened?" Twilight whispered.
"I panicked."
"How did you even tie a ribbon into an ethereal mane like hers, Rarity?" Chronicle wondered. He also 'received word' that his clone failed to find Pinkie before dissipating.
"Though this is a very marvelous dress, we cannot wear this in public," Luna apologized. "We'll have to take this off."
"I'm sorry, Twilight," said Rarity.
"No, I'm sorry for coming on short notice."
"RARITY! YOU GOT TO HIDE US!" a familiar voice came. Everypony present pivoted their heads to peer at the sight of Pinkie, Pip, and their posse to pop in the place. "Nightmare Moon just gobbled up Fluttershy's voice and—" She let off a gasp. "SHE EVEN ATE A PRINCESS! NOT EVEN ROYALTY IS SAFE! EVERYPONY RUN!"
"?!?!" As it turns out, they had caught Luna out of her clothes and a piece of cloth in her mouth, as if she had chewed on them. "NEIGH! CHILDREN WAIT! WE HAVE NOT DONE SUCH FOUL THING!" But it was useless; they were already gone. "But don't thou, at least, realize some changes?"
"Damn Pinkie," cursed Chronicle. "Just what does she think she's doing?"
"By the way, Twilight, very nice costume. Are you dressing as the oldest pony in the universe?" Rarity asked.
"It's Star Swirl the Bearded."
[A/N: And this is the in-story reason that Rarity's section was cut from the show; Chronicle was directly involved in the events.]
C—TS—R—PP—PL—P—C—TS—R—PP—PL—P
Later, back at the festivities…
As the crossdressing unicorns and night princess entered the venue, everypony stopped, bowed, and scraped before their advance, lowering Luna’s spirits considerably.
"It is of no use, Twilight Sparkle, brave Chronicle," she said. "They have never liked us, and they never shall."
"Now don't be such a pessimist, Luna," replied the blue unicorn. "That's what led you to being Nightmare Moon in the first place."
"My friend Applejack is one of the most likable ponies around," Twilight said. "I’m sure she’ll have some ideas."
"Well, what do you know? Looks like there's one pony still standing in the crowd."
Indeed there was. It was a unicorn stallion dressed up as an armored knight from head to hoof, indeed standing but in a defensive stance. What gave away his identity was his red ascot, which he wore outside the armor.
"Mystic Shield, is that you?" asked Twilight.
"Happy Nightmare Night, Twilight," Mystic greeted. "Same to you, Princess Luna." He accentuated this with a respectful bow. "And…is that you, Chronicle? I can't believe you actually went through with that costume."
"Wow, you saw through him that quickly?!"
"He told me he'd be dressing up as Sound Wave beforehoof. I can also see three errors in his costume, aside from the obvious race difference. Sound Wave's a pegasus."
"What are those errors?" asked Chronicle.
"One, her coat is a lighter shade of blue. Two, she uses the stars barrette ONLY during performances, opting for a cross-shaped one offstage. Three, that kind of skirt is supposed to have one less layer. How do I know this? I'm a avid fan of P3 back when I still lived in Baltimare."
"So you know P3?"
"Mm-hmm. You didn't see it because I am still settling down in Ponyville, and also I believe it's just going to get in the way of my teaching."
"I see." Mystic then turned to face Luna, and she could sense no fear from him. "You're wondering why I'm not quivering in fear like everypony else here, right?"
"That would be so, …Mystic Shield."
"Well, back in my youth, just like Chronicle I now realize, I've traveled the world, seen plenty of stuff. One thing I learned is to not fear or be overtly hostile to any unknown unless they themselves are hostile and even then I only attack when they start or when I personally know for certain they're trouble. It also sort of helps that I wasn't there during the Summer Sun Celebration to witness Nightmare Moon's return."
"…Thou have great courage to speak in front of a princess in such a manner."
"I witnessed your entrance earlier. And I was attentive enough to tell that you were…socially awkward. That and I was lucky enough to have a chat with your Night Guards later on. They're certainly more sociable than the Royal Guard."
"Thoust have a problem with thy sister's—"
"No, no, no," the 'armored knight' interrupted, another daring move, even though Luna didn't ask the previous question threateningly. "It's less the guard itself and more like one particular pony in it. I have personal reasons for that."
"I see." Chronicle noticed her slip in 'accent', but decided to say nothing about it.
"Mind if I accompany you, fair princess?"
There was a mild pause as Luna contemplated on it. "If thoust wishes to, Mystic Shield."
"Thank you. I hope my trust in you can help others do the same."
C—TS—MS—PL—C—TS—MS—PL—C—TS—MS—PL
At the (refilled) apple bobbing-tub…
Pip was balancing on the edge, trying to snag a floater, but lost his balance and started to topple in with a yell. In a flash, Applejack was there to grab him by the hindquarters. "Whoa. Careful there, pardner."
Once she sets him on the ground, he galloped off and she started to walk in the opposite direction, only to find herself face to face with Luna after barely one step. The four-legged scarecrow let out a strangled yelp, then dropped into a bow.
"Uh…" Twilight cleared her throat, then bent down. "Applejack? The Princess is looking for a little advice on how to fit in around here."
Applejack uncovered her eyes. "Fit in? Really?" A soft growl from Twilight convinced her to she stand up to face the night ruler with a slightly forced smile. "I mean… *uheh* …that’s easy. All you gotta do is have the right attitude." She began to zip around the princess. "Loosen up a bit, be positive, play a few games, have some fun."
"Fun? What is this fun thou speakest of?"
Chronicle smirked before speaking, "Fun is when you…" He feigned fumbling for the words. "Fun is…it's like…it's kinda…sorta like a…What is fun?" I…" He cleared his throat. "Let me spell it for you." He then surprisingly broke into song.
F is for friends who do stuff together♪
U is for you and me♪
N is for anywhere and anytime at all…♪
He suddenly stopped. "And I forget the rest." Twilight and Applejack responded with a facehoof while Luna just raised an eyebrow and Mystic rolled his eyes behind the helmet. "Well actually, I know the last line, but I can't exactly apply it here. I learned the song from some seaponies, don't ask where. They do more than just 'shoo-be-doo', y'know."
"You learned it from seaponies? I learned that it was a draft composition from Sealight," Mystic said. He then scooted over to Luna and added, "The members of P3 compose their own songs."
"I think we're gettin' off track here," Applejack interrupted. "Anyway…" She and Twilight gestured off to one side and Luna and the two stallions followed with their eyes.
There was a bowl filled with oversized toy spiders. Luna walked over to it and asked, "Pray tell…what purpose do these serve?"
Cherry Berry, who was huddled and quivering in her bee costume spoke up from the ground. "Try…to land the sp-p…sp-p-piders on the web!"
"Using magic would be too easy," added Mystic. "And it's not allowed anyway."
A few yards away was a large spiderweb woven between two poles. Luna balanced one of the projectiles on her hoof, aimed carefully, and let fly. It landed short of the web and bounced squeakily to rest. Luna glanced nervously behind herself toward her companions.
"You can do it, Princess!" Applejack cheered.
The blue-green eyes narrowed in fierce concentration, and her next throw stuck squarely at the web’s center. "Ha! Your Princess enjoys this…fun!" She turned to the others. "In what other ways may we experience it?"
A knowing look passed between the four.
C—TS—A—MS—PL—C—TS—A—MS—PL—C—TS—A—MS—PL
At another game…
Luna loaded a pumpkin into a catapult’s basket. A crowd was watching cautiously, with the Princess's new friends at the front.
"Fire away, Princess!" Twilight called.
The two blue-shod front hooves pushed down on the basket and let it snap up, hurling the gourd high and far to score…a perfect bullseye. "Ha-ha! The fun has been doubled!"
There was a hearty round of cheers from the spectators.
"Why don’t you try bobbin’ for apples?" Applejack suggested. "We got the best apples in Equestria here, Princess."
"I ask that thou call us…me…Luna, fair Applejack. Hear me, villagers! All of you, call me Luna!"
The group that gathered murmured excitedly at this pronouncement, as Luna's four escorts led her toward the tub.
"Show me to these bobbing apples."
She stopped short, her eyes popping in shock. At the tub, Pip had again balanced on its edge and was about to fall. "Whoa!" This time, he tumbled in.
Luna was on the move before Applejack can even get her mouth closed.
"Hey, gals," Pinkie's voice suddenly came.
"████," swore the crossdressing stallion.
"What's wrong?" asked Mystic.
As the apple wrangler looked over her shoulder, Pinkie and the other candy collectors were seen a short distance across the square.
"Anypony seen Pip? We lost him the last time we had to run—" Pinkie let out a sudden shocked squawk and a yelp at the sight of…Luna having grabbed a fold of Pip’s clothing in her teeth and hoisting him out. "Nightmare Moon is gobbling Pipsqueak! EVERYPONY RUUUNNN!!" After a scream and bug out, the foals with her did likewise.
Pip did likewise as he pulled free and galloped off. "HEEELLLP!! My backside has been gobbled!"
Luna was incensed at this. One other pony shared her feelings. "’Tis a lie! Thy backside is whole and un-gobbled, thou ungrateful whelp!"
A lightning strike threw her grimace and widened eyes into sharp relief. It also threw a good fright into quite a few of the onlookers. As they backed away slowly, she toned herself down again.
"Fair villagers, please do not back away! Let us join together in…fun!"
No dice. Luna looked around, noticed a toy spider from the throwing game, and picked it up in her teeth. This was tossed over to the scared mares, who recoiled when it hit the ground nearby.
"Not enough fun for you? What say you to this?"
A blast from her horn turned the plaything into an actual spider with two pairs of red eyes. the ponies scream and flee as it begins to scuttle away. Her next shot hit the whole bowl of toy spiders and brought them to life, and Cherry fainted as they swarmed over her. Instead of chewing her to pieces, though, they scurried downrange and onto the web to gather at its center.
Luna was fiercely pleased. "Huzzah! How many points do I receive?"
"Since you used magic, you're disqualified," Mystic mumbled. Aside from that, there was not one word from the stunned locals.
Carrot popped up screaming, with a spider on her head, and galloped off at full speed. All the others scattered an instant later.
"Do not run away!" Luna said.
"That won't work, Your Majesty," replied Mystic as he saw Daisy crash into a barrel of apples, upsetting it and knocking herself out.
"As your Princess, we command you!"
One pony collided head on with Sea Swirl. Next a popcorn cart took a hit and the giant wrapped-candy decoration mounted on its canopy fell loose and started rolling through the square, adding to the general panic. Luna cringed as lights and banners came down, then gathered herself before lifting a foreleg and lightning ripped the sky.
"BE STILL!!" These two words reverberated in the air far longer than any others she had delivered in her royal Canterlot voice. Everypony save two got scared out of their wits and bowed so low they could be mistaken for throw rugs. The ones who remained standing were Chronicle, who had his microphone out again, and Mystic Shield, who just assumed a defensive stance.
Once the accompanying wind has died down, Twilight took the big gamble and got up first. ""Princess, remember! Watch the screaming!"
Luna rounded on her, eyes glowing white. "NO, TWILIGHT SPARKLE! WE MUST USE THE TRADITIONAL ROYAL CANTERLOT VOICE FOR WHAT WE ARE ABOUT TO SAY!"
The young unicorn’s jaw dropped, the 'idol siger' started pounding his head against his microphone, Mystic muttered, “This won’t end well”, and the royal visitor unfurled her wings to hover a few feet above ground. Clouds swirled in the sky, hiding all the stars.
"SINCE YOU CHOOSE TO FEAR YOUR PRINCESS RATHER THAN LOVE HER, AND DISHONOR HER WITH THIS INSULTING CELEBRATION, WE DECREE THAT NIGHTMARE NIGHT SHALL BE CANCELED FOREVER!"
Another lightning bolt flashes over the dumbstruck crowd and the disbelieving Twilight. Chronicle however was thinking something else. I am so going to kill that toon pony once I find her!
C—TS—A—PP—MS—PL—P—C—TS—A—PP—MS—PL—P
Eyecatch (picture-type) - Two busts of Nightmare Moon at either side of a jack-o-lantern, which has the show's logo carved into it somehow.
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Luna's four 'escorts' stood among the festival’s wreckage in the town square, three in worry and one in seething fury.
Applejack gave a heavy sigh. "Shoot. We had everything goin’ our way. Luna was happy, everypony in town was happy—now look at ’em."
The square was filled with disconsolate ponies of all ages. "But I wanted to be a zombie next year!" the princess filly from much earlier sobbed.
"This is all Pinkie's fault," Chronicle said. "When I find her, I'm gonna tear her a new ass such that she'll have to get her cutie mark again!" He glanced at a shocked Applejack. "Figuratively, of course."
Taking in the scene for a moment, Twilight moved one hoof and found a Nightmare-silhouette decoration on the ground underneath it. This gave her an idea. "It’s not over yet."
"What are you gonna do?" asked Mystic.
Twilight just gave a smile. "I’m going to do what I do best…lecture her!"
"Good luck," said Chronicle. "I'm going to find Pinkie Pie. Mystic, I'll need your help."
"All right."
"Thank you. But first… know how to call for a chicken?"
C—TS—A—MS—C—TS—A—MS—C—TS—A—MS—C—TS—A—MS
Unfortunately, Pinkie was nowhere to be found. Which was especially bothersome since it normally be impossible to not find her. Well, they did manage to actually see her, but she's usually gone by the time they start pursuing. The lightning pranks by Rainbow Dash certainly did not help.
"Did you honestly think we can find her?" Mystic asked as they rested in front of his place, which was closed.
"Yeah, I probably didn't think this through," apologized Chronicle. "I'm usually better than this." And I was unable to find anything to use the pinpointing spell on to make it easier.
"Is that you talking, or are you still 'playing' Sound Wave? Don't you think you're going a bit too far with the voice?"
"…I used a voice modulation spell, okay?"
"You guys found Pinkie Pie yet?" a voice came. The two turned to see Twilight, who looked determined. Luna was with her.
"No. It's like finding a needle in a haystack. Especially when that needle is squirming about inside it like a worm."
"I got a plan, but I'll need a couple of candies."
The crossdresser raised an eyebrow. "Is this what I think it's going to be?"
C—TS—PL—MS—C—TS—PL—MS—C—TS—PL—MS—C—TS—PL—MS
Later…
Across the murmuring, crying crowd in the square, Pinkie Pie popped up with a puzzled cluck and looked around. Something grabbed her attention and brought a little squawk; a piece of candy lying on the ground. She zipped over with a happy little cackle, pecked off the wrapper, and gobbled it down. Next, the pink pony with the cross-species identity crisis looked and gave a puzzled squawk to see a trail of sweets had been laid out at the mouth of an alley. Clucking and cackling, she ducked in and ate the first piece. Before she can start on the second, though, Twilight dove in and clapped a hoof over her mouth to cut off the start of her scream.
"I can't believe this actually worked," said an exasperated Mystic as he joined them.
"You do know this is Pinkie Pie we're talking about, right?" Chronicle commented.
"You do know I'm not exactly in the circle that is the Keepers of the Elements of Harmony, right?" the 'knight' retorted.
"Touché. Still, I feel we're like molesters doing this. I mean, luring a child to a dark alley with candy? Well, mare-child, but still."
"No! No shrieking! No squealing or screaming either, okay?" Twilight warned their 'captive'.
Pinkie replied with a muffled. "Okay."
"There’s something I want you to see, and I promise that it’s safe, but you really, really, really can’t shriek. Do you promise not to shriek?"
"Mmm-hmm."
Twilight removed her hoof and backed away, and then Luna revealed herself. Pinkie’s first reaction was a string of panicked clucks, but this time she shut herself up with both front hooves over the mouth.
"Pinkie Pie, you remember Princess Luna, right?"
Said princess stepped closer, still a bit wary. "Ah. The ringleader of the frightened children." She relented as she extended a hoof. "Hast thou come to make peace?"
Pinkie thought hard for a second, then smiled and moves forward while reaching toward Luna. As their two hooves were about to touch, a black cloud rolled in over the royal’s head and cracked out lightning, turning her into a grimacing, white-eyed silhouette for a split second. This was enough to freak Pinkie out all over again.
"Nightmare Moon!"
She squawked, flapped her forelegs like wings, and was gone in an instant, leaving behind a large blue egg with purple spots.
The ████?! Mystic thought as Chronicle 'picked up' the item and 'stowed' it in hammerspace before directing his head upward like his charge, utterly annoyed and already casting a spell.
"Rainbow!" both of them yelled.
A gale of laughter floated down as the Shadowbolt-costumed pegasus flopped onto her back atop the cloud and thoroughly enjoying the prank she had just brought off. That was before a giant 'shuriken' sliced through the cloud (and phased through her), eliciting a yelp of pain.
"Get lost!" the bodyguard shouted, his voice modulator making him sound like a fidgety girl with a hair-trigger temper and the prankster decided to flee. It goes to show that you do not get on Chronicle's bad side, even if you're a friend of his.
Meanwhile, Pinkie raced toward the mouth of the alley. Twilight teleported over to block her, but got a faceful of feathers instead. The two ponies tumbled a short distance, ending with Pinkie pinned to the turf by one very hacked-off unicorn, followed by one cross 'knight' and one pissed off 'idol singer'.
"She’s changed, Pinkie!" Twilight tried to convince her. "She’s not evil or scary anymore! And she definitely doesn’t want to gobble you up!"
Pinkie’s eyes popped before rolling. "Well, duh!"
"Huh?"
"What?!" screamed Chronicle.
"I know that. Sheesh, Twilight, I’m almost as big as her. How’s she gonna gobble me up?"
"So why do you keep running away and screaming?"
"Yeah!"
"Sometimes it’s just really fun to be scared."
Twilight reacted incredulously at this. "Fun?" With this, she suddenly got another big idea and aimed a big smile into Pinkie’s face. "Pinkie Pie, you’re a genius!"
"No, I’m not. I’m a chicken." She emphasized this statement with a loud squawk.
As Twilight got off of her, she was about to scoot off again before being 'picked up' by a very irate crossdresser and throttled to a wall. Mystic was shocked at his friend's behavior and was about to make a move to stop him were it not for a harsh glare that came from him. It wasn't as scary as Fluttershy's Stare, but it still unnerved even him and the blue contact lenses somehow strengthened the effect. The glare also 'told' him to leave, so he decided to go with Twilight.
The 'idol singer' then turned back to face the 'chicken'. "Pinkie Pie! Did you not even realize that what you did could've probably made Luna relapse into Nightmare Moon again?!" he scolded. "And another thing!" He 'pulled out' his paddle. "If it weren't for what I think Twilight's plan will be…!" He smacked her in the cheeks for every syllable/word he emphasized. "You! Ruined! Night! mare! Night! For! Every! pony!" For extra 'torture', he began to 'spin' the paddle like a speedy waterwheel and smacked her in the chin repeatedly.
"Oww…" Despite her innate earth pony durability, the paddle hits hurt like a mother dog. "I'm sorry, okay?" she said once the smacking stopped. "I had no idea she wasn't in on the whole scaring everypony thing. It's her holiday, named after her, in honor of her, and is about frightening others. Of course I'd think Luna was trying to scare everyone and I was just playing along!"
Chronicle smacked himself in the face for that. He hadn't truly celebrated Nightmare Night back then, or maybe it was celebrated somewhat differently outside Ponyville. He was mad at her regardless. There was no way she was gonna get away with this 'unscathed'. "You probably have a point. But the fact still stands that you ruined the holiday!" Chronicle's expression changed into a smirk. "There's only one way you can make up for this."
"W-w-what?"
"We both know just what you're capable of. That's you're different from other living beings. And I'm not talking about your energy, perkiness, or speed. You can take out random stuff out of nowhere, right?"
"Uh-huh."
"Well, when I tell you to take out something, whatever it may be, you do so without question. Unless you actually can't. Don't worry. I won't abuse it. Do we have a Pinkie Promise?"
"Pinkie Promise!" Pinkie answered frantically.
"Good! We'll go on the final details tomorrow noon. Lunch."
The 'chicken''s mood shifted instantly. "So it's a—"
"No."
"Aww."
At that moment, Mystic Shield went over to the two. "Chronicle? Twilight needs your assistance in the plan she has."
The crossdresser nodded before glaring at Pinkie. "If this doesn't fix the damage you made Luna cause…" He then made an "I'm watching you" gesture before joining the 'knight'.
C—TS—PP—PL—MS—C—TS—PP—PL—MS—C—TS—PP—PL—MS
Soon, the plan was put into action. And Chronicle agreed with it.
He, Twilight, and Mystic would accompany the procession of ponies who have decided (under the guide of Zecora, the Mayor, and Applejack) to deliver the candy "for the last time" to Nightmare Moon's statue. Luna meanwhile will be waiting there and would enact their next phase once the delivery is complete. As another consequence for her actions, Pinkie Pie was ordered to stay out of the plan.
So far, it was going well. With them to bring up the rear, the foals were offering their candy as tribute. Right after the ladybug-costumed filly was done, Pip walked up and set down the bag he carried in his teeth.
He looks up at the statue and said, "Goodbye, Nightmare Night…" He then dropped his head. "…forever." He began to walk away, but a sudden blast of wind froze him and the other fillies in their tracks and put a fright into the adults save for the two stallions.
"CITIZENS OF PONYVILLE!" Luna's voice came. "YOU WERE WISE TO BRING THIS CANDY TO ME! I AM PLEASED WITH YOUR OFFERING…" Applejack’s straw scarecrow hat was blown off from the wind as the statue 'came to life'. "…SO PLEASED THAT I MAY JUST EAT IT INSTEAD OF EATING YOU!" At the end of this, Nightmare hunches down toward the group, baring mouthful of very sharp teeth and her eyes blazing white. What followed was a collective scream and a stampede out of the place.
"This way! We'll deal with her!" Chronicle yelled as he and Mystic ushered the group somewhere safe (which Twilight was no longer in).
"Are you sure, miss?" asked Pip.
"There's no time! Go!"
And soon the matter of innocents was taken care of, leaving the villainous winged unicorn standing alone on the pedestal, seemingly about to confront the two heroes who decided to stay behind.
Which was what they wanted it to look like.
In one quick flash, Nightmare transformed back into Luna, and she spit out a set of fake fangs—used to help enhance the effect of the masquerade. Luna: "I am not certain that did what you meant for it to do, Twilight Sparkle," she said uncertainly as said unicorn walked up behind her while the two stallions walked over.
"Just wait," the crossdressing mare assured with confidence as the princess jumped down.
"For what? For…for them to scream some more?"
Something tugged on the end of her mane. It turns out to be Pipsqueak. "Um, Princess Luna…I know there’s not gonna be any more Nightmare Night, but do you suppose maybe you could come back next year… and scare us again anyway?"
She looked off past him and saw the other fillies huddled together at a distance, also according to plan.
"Child, art thou saying that thou…likest me to scare you?"
Another slip in accent. It should be 'thou'.
Pip gave a smile. "It’s really fun! Scary, but fun."
Now that sounds naughty.
"It…’tis?"
"Yeah! Nightmare Night is my favorite night of the year."
Luna gave a smile in return. "Well, then! We shall have to bring…NIGHTMARE NIGHT BACK!"
The force of these three words sent the little pinto sliding backward on the grass. "Whoa!" He said as he stood up. "You’re my favorite princess ever!" He zipped back over to her and bowed before galloping away. "She said yes, guys!"
"YAAAAY!!" cheered the rest of the foals.
"See? They really do like you, Princess!" Twilight said.
"Can it be true?" Luna reared up lightning cracking— "OH, MOST WONDERFUL OF—" Before catching herself. "—I mean, oh, most wonderful of nights."
C—TS—A—MM—PL—MS—P—C—TS—A—MM—PL—MS—P
“Dear Princess Celestia: When you first sent me to Ponyville, I didn’t know anything about friendship. I met somepony tonight who was having the same problem—your sister, Princess Luna. She taught me that one of the best things you can do with friendship is to give it to others and help them find it themselves. And I’m happy to report that all of Ponyville has learned that even if somepony seems a little intimidating, even scary, when you offer them your friendship, you’ll discover a whole new pony underneath. And even if my Starswirl the Bearded costume didn’t go over, this still turned out to be the best Nightmare Night ever.”
“P.S. (from Chronicle): I was about to remark on the fact that you…neglected to update your sister on basic modern customs, which was the cause of all the trouble and even led to a temporary cancellation of Nightmare Night until I realized that you probably had reasons for it. I can name three. One, you pulled a prank, and I know you do such things. Two, she insisted doing this on her own like a "typical younger sister" (you should've told her about the friendship report that centered on Applejack). Three, you thought telling her would've just made her 'go through the motions' without learning or bonding with her subjects, which in this case you still should've explained anyway. There is a difference you know. apologies for the rant, but it's what I do.”
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3733714
Not this chapter. It's based on the episode where Zecora debuted. Also, I'm not really that good a rhymer, so I don't really like writing about her.
3737597
Rhyming isn't hard,
Just look for a bard,
They rhyme day to day,
Most of the time sitting on hay.
All it needs is imagination,
And you can cause a conflagration,
Of rhymes left and right,
That will wake up even Spike.
You need a sense of what words rhyme,
So you can rhyme on a dime,
Just try not to use,
A word from refuse,
For if you repeat,
You may miss a beat.
See what I'm doing here?
I'm rhyming here and there!
It's easy, you'll see!
Try starting with one, two three!
3754328
That's just it. I'm a bit lacking in imagination, and it goes to show here: This story is a "copy" of the show, but plus an OC. Also, I feel like I'd be forcing a lot of the rhymes. I could've put Zecora in Equestria Fortress 2, but didn't for this reason and others.
3754360
Well, faq
3754371
"faq"?
3755080
and added an accent. Faq.
I shortened f
3759663
ookay.