//------------------------------// // Nightmare Night // Story: Once Again, My Friends // by Wildside //------------------------------// "So what do you think? Think she'll fall head over hooves for me this time?" Spiked asked Twilight as he adjusted his helm. Allowing herself to laugh a little Twilight asked, "Oh absolutely, but um...what are you supposed to be again?" "One of the royal guards of Canterlot Castle! Oh come on, you of all people should know!" Pouted Spike as the vizor swung shut, muffling his voice in the process. "I guess it does look kind of like the armor the guards wear, but why would you dress up as one of them and how did you manage to get that armor?" Twilight questioned. Flipping his vizor back up, spike moved toward the reference section where a miniature shield leaned against the books, "Well, Rarity adores Canterlot high society and she deserves a knight in shining armor so I thought this might get her attention and I didn't get this armor anywhere. It took me months to make this!" "You made it? Since when did you learn to make armor or do any metalwork for that matter?" Twilight inquired with an expression of disbelief. "With all these books, there was bound to be one on metal crafting. Although the one I read was for creating garden tools, the concept was basically the same and with my amazing talents, what else could you expect?" Spike answered smugly. "Well you're just full of surprises aren't you?" Giggled Twilight. Spike blushed at the complement. "So, what are you dressing up as this year? Not Starswirl the Bearded again I hope." "What was wrong with Starswirl the Bearded? He was one of the greatest unicorn mages in all of Equestria's history!" Twilight retorted. "Nothing I was just-" Slightly aggravated, Twilight cut him off. "Besides, I won't be able to join the festivities this year. I'm behind on several of my reports to Princess Celestia. If it was just one I might be able to overlook it, but there are just too many this time." "But Twilight! Nightmare Night only comes once a year! I'm sure the princess would understand." Spike said. "I can't Spike, this is more important. Besides, you wouldn't want me to get between you and your fair maiden Rarity would you?" Twilight jested as her horn glowed with a soft purple aura, levitating several scrolls and books onto her work desk. At this point Spike was already reeling at the thought of being alone with Rarity. Tonight was going to be his night to shine! With Twilight's last comment he wielded his shield, puffed up his chest and headed towards the door, but not before saying, "A point well made, dear Twilight. 'Tis truly a splendid thought that thou hath recommended. I bid thee a fair night, madam." With an awkward bow, he spun around and headed out to face the ghouls and ghosts of Ponyville on Nightmare Night to rush to the aid of his damsel in distress. Staring strangely at the door and unsure how to react to what she had just witnessed, Twilight slowly turned towards her work while letting out a soft "ooookay..." --------------------------------------- "Thank you, but I would prefer to be alone at the moment." The guard was unsure of what he should do in this predicament. He had just been promoted from patrol duty around the city to be a guard of the princess' royal garden, mistakes were not an option. "Princess Celestia, I do not recommend you venture out alone. I insist that I accompany yo-" he stopped abruptly, suddenly aware of what he had just done. Not only did he disobey the princess' wishes, he also recommended and insisted on something to her! Preparing to have a new view of Equestria from the closest celestial body, the guard closed his eyes and awaited for imminent doom. What confused him was that he heard laughter. Who in their right minds would be laughing on the moon? "I don't recall seeing you around here before" giggled a strangely familiar voice. "Well obviously! I'm not from the moon!" Shouted the guard with his eyes still closed. "Why don't you open your eyes. It's not as bad here as you might think." Hesitantly, the guard opened his eyes and surveyed his surroundings. Flowers, hedges, a few fountains here and there. If he wasn't so sure he was on the moon it would have looked exactly...like the royal gardens... "What? Did you really think I would send you to the moon?" Questioned the white alicorn princess who was now standing behind him. This was a trick question! He had to be careful with his answer since this may be the last thing he said. Seeing the guard wrack his brain for a proper answer Celestia couldn't help herself from breaking out in laughter again. "Relax, that whole 'sending ponies to the moon' thing is just a rumor I started so I could keep these snobby aristocrats in line. Sending my sister there was the first and only time I have done it and I don't wish to do it again if it can be helped." Shocked at what had just transpired, the guard tried his best to regain his composure. He was an idiot to think that his princess would ever do anything so extreme over a slight slip of the tongue. With a very low bow he said "I humbly apologize for my behavior princess. Please forgive me." Unsure as to whether he was supposed to wait for a reply or not, he slowly raised his head only to see that Princess Celestia was walking away from him and was already quite a distance away. As he let out a sigh of relief he jumped when he heard the princess speak back to him. "So were you going to accompany me or are you just going to stand there scared silly?" Without hesitation the guard galloped up to her. In a more sincere tone she asked, "you're new aren't you? Most guards would just accept what I say without question, but to meet one that has the audacity to speak out against me is very rare. What is your name?" "Steadfast, Ma'am!" "Well, Steadfast, it's a pleasure to meet you. Shall we?" With a nod, Steadfast followed his princess deeper within the winding gardens. --------------------------------------- As Spike paraded down the street toward Rarity's he noticed that the number of ponies that were dressed up this year was much larger than that of last year. He assumed that the scene Nightmare Mo- , Princess Luna, had caused last year had something to do with it. Everypony had been talking for weeks about how they couldn't wait to see her this Nightmare Night, but there was only one pony that he wanted to see. Spike felt weightless as he fantasized about Rarity, until he realized that this feeling wasn't due to his daydreaming. Looking down he saw that he was at least fifty hooves above the ground and did the only thing he could in this predicament: scream. Following his shrieks of terror were outbursts of laughter from everypony around him. Opening his eyes, he saw the stars staring back at him. He scanned the area around to see what the hayseed had just happened. "Oh my gosh! You should have seen the look on your face Spike!" Laughed Rainbow Dash, who was clutching her sides from the laughter. Blushing, Spike quietly replied, "heh, yea i-it was pretty funny wasn't it?" "You don't know the half of it!" Shouted Rainbow, still laughing. "So where's Twilight? You guys are always together." "She said she has too much work to come out tonight." Sighed Spike. "What?!? It's Nightmare Night! She should be out here having fun, not cooped up working." Exclaimed Rainbow as she casually flew around Spike. "That's what I said, but sh-" "I just got an idea! Come with me!" Laughed Rainbow as she once again picked up Spike and flew off towards Sugarcube Corner, despite Spike's protests. --------------------------------------- How long has it been? Three, no probably four hours now since Spike left. The clamor from earlier in the night had already significantly died down and it was extremely unusual for Spike to stay out so late. Normally by now, he'd be curled up underneath his blanket fast asleep. Something wasn't right. Troubled by his absence, Twilight decided that maybe it would be a good idea to head over to Rarity's and ask her if she had any idea where Spike had gone. Setting everything aside, she neatly compiled her research on her desk and began heading downstairs. As she neared her door she thought she had heard screaming in the distance, but soon realized that she wasn't imagining it and the screams of surprise continued to grow closer and closer. After flinging her door open with a toss of her horn, she sprinted outside as fast as possible. Before her eyes could adjust to the darkness of the starlit night, something crashed through the window of her library. As she turned to re-enter her library Twilight could clearly see a very troubled looking Rainbow Dash standing atop what had been her research, but was now nothing more than torn parchment with blots of ink streaking across its surface. "We have to go now! I'll explain on the way!" Shouted Rainbow as she glided down towards Twilight. Still staring slack-jawed at the piles of smudged and smeared parchment on the floor, Twilight could barely prevent herself from fainting. Not only did Rainbow Dash just ruin hours of work, she also broke a window and rendered glass shards everywhere. "Rainbow, if this is a prank, it's not very fu-" Before she could finish, a streak of color blasted past her and out the door. "Just come with me, this isn't the time to argue! If you never believe me again that's fine, but I need you to come with me to Fluttershy's NOW!"