For Midnight Rising readers... · 6:56pm May 21st, 2018
If you're not already reading Unleash the Magic - Nightmare Night, I invite you to at least read its latest chapter, which is an interlude that shows the counterpart Halloween party happening at Canterlot High and is (as yet) untouched by the insanity breaking loose on the other side of the portal. No sex, sorry (as it's intended to provide a brief break from it), but it also includes some tantalizing clues as to the outcome of the (as-yet) unwritten sequel involving the Shadowbolts, Crysallis, and Crystal Prep.
https://www.fimfiction.net/story/389941/10/unleash-the-magic---nightmare-night/9-earthside-interlude
Here's the opener:
“Best… Halloween… Party… EVER!” Pinkie Pie shouted with an explosion of sugar sprinkle confetti as she raised her head from the water-filled barrel with her prize, a candied apple fresh from Sweet Apple Acres in her teeth, the entire Canterlot High campus spookily decorated and given over to the school party… and now packed with the students and staff from both Canterlot High and Crystal Prep.
“Yep! I gotta admit, this was a really good idea on the part of Principal Cadance,” Sunset granted, looking around at the mingling student bodies and all the activity booths, food stands and games she saw, all being greatly enjoyed. “I think this is the most fun the two schools have ever had together!” Well, short of what happened in the aftermath of the Friendship Games… she felt compelled to amend her statement with a glance down at Twilight, who was working on some electronics before her.
“You said it!” Applejack agreed. The Halloween party was a joint affair, held following a yearly football game between the two schools. It had been a hard-fought match but had ended in a narrow 28-24 victory for the Shadowbolts squad that earned both teams cheers and mutual respect.
Yeah, we lost, but Ah reckon it still beats the heck outta always being thumped by fifty points like before! Applejack thought as she restocked the apple-bobbing barrel along with her big brother, dressed as she was in an orange afro over a white headband and green zip-up jacket, a pair of binoculars around her neck as well as a camera; her part of the costume theme the Rainbooms had selected. “Reckon Ah wasn’t sure about it at first, but bringing Canterlot and Crystal Prep together for a Halloween party postgame was a great idea!” she said in satisfaction. “Don’t’cha think so, Big Mac?”
“Eeyup,” Big Macintosh agreed, complimenting her sister’s attire by wearing a detective’s overcoat with an uncinched brown tie and a small bandage on one cheek, a mock police badge hanging out of a pocket. “Gotta say, so was the band-versus-band costume contest you and Dash thought up! Reckon you also came up with a real winner for a theme there, sis,” he said, motioning down to his own costume.
“Thanks, ‘Scruffy’,” she teased. This time, the various competitions were for bragging rights only, though they weren’t restricted to the students. Aside from the costume contests and party games, the staff from the two schools had also gotten into the competitive spirit as well. Joint dance DJs Vinyl Scratch and Lemon Zest were currently hosting a rather surprising rap battle between Ms. Zecora, the popular Canterlot High chemistry teacher and Iron Will, the feared gym instructor and head football coach of Crystal Prep. Cheers were going up from both groups of students as their respective instructors took turns roasting each other and their institution with rhythm and rhyme, though it was all in good fun and neither resorted to any insults or lyrics that were obscene or particularly mean-spirited.
“But full disclosure—it was actually Twi’s suggestion, and most of the costumes came from Rarity,” Applejack admitted, admiring her older brother who, true to form, was pitching in and helping out at his old high school without any hesitation. Unassuming but dependable and never asks much back in return… she felt a moment of warmth as she admired his costume, one he himself had selected and put together once he’d heard their costume theme. And of course he chooses the character most like him… ‘cept Ah reckon he’s more than a mite smarter! “And gotta hand it to ya, Rares—ya did a bang-up job, too!” she added with a nod to her friend at her right.
Rarity all but preened. “My pleasure, darling!” she said, looking very dapper in her burgundy skirt and dress jacket that contrasted nicely with her black vest and nylons with high heels and frilly white cravat, her hair dyed silver for the occasion. Though she’d originally meant to emulate a certain whip-wielding prosecutor in the games they had drawn their inspiration from, she had changed her mind at the last minute and elected to dress up as her favorite character of the series instead, even if it required her to come up with a gender-swapped version of him. “I’m quite pleased at the results given this was a truly challenging theme…”
“I still think my idea would’ve been better—but that’s okay. This is the most fun I’ve had in ages!” Pinkie announced as she crunched loudly and happily into the apple’s hard candy shell, careful not to drip water or crumbs on the purple-and-cream kimono with dark red sash, her ensemble completed by a necklace of large pearl-like orbs at the bottom of which was a comma-shaped gemstone she’d fashioned from glass. She’d chosen the character ‘for how fun!’ she was instead of the one clown of the series, whom she’d said before was ‘totally unfunny and totally not me!’
“Pinkie, we ain’t gonna dress up for a school Halloween party as Coital Convent characters!” Applejack said as she picked up the entire barrel to find an apple that had rolled away, causing some of the crystal prep students to take a step back in surprise. “I mean, seriously?”
“Yes, seriously! We could totally pull it off! I mean, both we and the Shadowbolts have got the right equipment now and everything!” Pinkie replied, her words immediately attracting the attention of three of the latter, who were standing at the next booth over, which had cornhole boards set up.
“Coital Convent? Wow. That is the worst idea ever,” said Sugarcoat as she walked over with Sour Sweet and Indigo Zap, the three dressed as Power Pony characters, the latter of whom ignored Pinkie’s suggestion to immediately challenge Rainbow to an arm-wrestling contest in her Zapp costume over a spare barrel.
“Oh, definitely! I’d like nothing better than to dress up as nuns who get turned by an all-powerful demon into stallion-cocked sexual playthings!” Sour Sweet sneered from under her Saddle Rager costume, only to suddenly blush and shift uncomfortable. “Unless it’s Midnight doing it…” she said with an all-but-longing glance at Twilight, who cringed.
More at the link! And if makes you interested in reading the entirety of Nightmare Night, so much the better:
https://www.fimfiction.net/story/389941/10/unleash-the-magic---nightmare-night/9-earthside-interlude
For those of you asking if and when that Crystal Prep-based sequel will be written, I'd like to, but between Into the Storm: The Flight of Firefly, Nightmare Night, ongoing renovations of Turnabout Storm and the T-rated TLaTU, my plate is full right now. 
Writing it for Xmas is a possibility... but a little action in my Patreon account first would be appreciated! Seriously, folks, just a dollar or two would be welcome.
