//------------------------------// // Luna Eclipsed // Story: A New Hero // by Alex The Lone Wolf //------------------------------// Episode 30 – Luna Eclipsed I woke up and immediately looked outside. It was a dark night. Separated but united stars filled the sky and there was a huge and glowing full moon facing down at Ponyville. I instantly jumped off my bed and began putting on my costume. Fluttershy and I had received our costumes the other day. Fluttershy had suggested that we represent our cutie marks, and I thought it was a fantastic idea. My costume is a wolf, of course. It wasn't one of those scary wolves like the werewolves from books and movies, but it was just a wolf. It may have not been "scary", but I still felt as if it was perfect for me. Fluttershy's costume was a butterfly, and I thought it was perfect for her as well. It was her cutie mark, and since butterfly had wings, she would try to match her wings to those of the butterflies. I thought up of an image on how she would look like and I already thought she would look cute and adorable. I finished placing on my costume and looked in the bathroom mirror. I smiled at the sight of myself…being myself… I felt proud…that I wasn't afraid to be who I am…because I am a good pony... A loud knocking at my door snapped me out of my light trance. I hurried downstairs to answer the door. "Nightmare Night! What a fright! Give us something sweet to bite!" I noticed a triplet of fillies at my door, chanting the usual slogan for treats. One filly was a fairy tale princess, another one was an astronaut, and another one was a ladybug. I couldn't help but smile on how adorable they looked. I grabbed the bowl of candy I had on the counter in the house and passed out several pieces to their bags. "Great costumes." I chucked lightly. I looked over to Granny Smith who was with them. "Happy Nightmare Night, Granny Smith." "I should have been asleep five hours ago." Granny Smith answered. "I'm sorry." I responded, chucking a little again. Another young one squeezed through the fillies and presented himself, waving his little plastic sword around as he wore a pirate costume. "Pipsqueak the pirate, at your service. It's my very first Nightmare Night." "What do you know?" I replied. "It's my first too." "Really?" He sounded intrigued. "Why?" "It's a long story…" Suddenly our conversation was interrupted by Pinkie Pie… who was wearing a chicken costume. She squawked loudly. "Enough chitchat! Time is candy!" "Pinkie…" I began, smiling even more from the sight of her costume. "…A chicken…?" "Yes, sir!" She suddenly dipped her head in the candy bowl and began picking at it like a chicken. I sighed happily. "Pinkie… you are so random…" She gave one last loud squawk before running away to look for more candy. I looked at the bowl to notice it was empty. I placed it back on the counter in my house and closed the door after I was outside. The young ones ran off to go to other houses to find more candy. I was about to head towards Fluttershy's house, but I saw Twilight walking in town. "Star Swirl the Bearded is only the most important conjurer of the pre-classical era." She told Spike as he walked behind her. I passed by ponies who had a lion costume, a bumble bee costume, even Big Macintosh had a costume of his own… he looked like some sort of Magician. "He created more than 200 spells! He even has a shelf in the Canterlot library of magic named after him. Maybe I should start up a pony group to teach ponies about history. I bet everypony would love it! Don't you, Spike?" "Mhmm!" He agreed as he continued to throw candy in his mouth. "I'll love it." "Hey, Twilight." I greeted her as I walked up to her. "Alex! Hey!" She observed my costume. "Hey…nice costume. You're a wolf?" "Yup." "Oh, Alex!" She looked as if she remembered something. "Please, tell me that you know what my costume is!" "Um…" I thought. "Star Swirl the Bearded?" "YES!" She hopped excitedly. "That's it! How did you know?" "I didn't… I just heard you talking about him when I was walking over to you two. I probably would have gone with…" I observed her costume for a moment. "…a really old wizard?" Twilight sighed and lowered her head. "Close enough…" She observed our surroundings. "Hey look, we're here already! Should we get something to eat?" Spike was on the floor rubbing his round full belly, even releasing a belch. There were piles of candy around him. Twilight looked over to me. "Alex?" "Actually… I was going to get Fluttershy. Her costume is a butterfly." "Really? Wow! How did you get her to come out in Nightmare Night?" I shrugged. "I'm not exactly sure… Anyway… we can all grab something to eat once I get Fluttershy. I'm sure she's still going to be a little frightened, but once she starts feeling the fun, I'm sure that'll ease her up a little." "Okay. Sounds great!" Twilight replied. Pinkie Pie appeared out of the blue, once again. "Twilight, Alex! Look at our haul!" She presented the bag full of candy she had. "Ah! Can you believe it?" She pecked at the candy. "And then, we went to Cheerilee's house, and got a bunch more goodies. Didn't we, Pip?" As she talked, I began hearing a weird noise above us. I looked up to see a large dark cloud move towards us. "Sure did!" The young one who wore the pirate costume spoke. "And then, we had to stop and wait for Granny Smith, and— Suddenly, lightning zapped from the cloud, scaring Spike, Pinkie Pie, and the other fillies. "Bwak!" The other fillies joined in Pinkie Pie's screaming as they ran away. We noticed Rainbow Dash laughing on top of the cloud, wearing a wonderbolt costume. "Rainbow Dash, that wasn't very nice." Twilight scolded. "Lighten up, old-timer. It's the best night of the year for pranks!" Rainbow Dash responded. "Look what you did to Spike." Twilight pointed at him. He looked as if he was having a heart attack as he coughed and wheezed. "It's all in good fun. OH OH, there's another group over there!" She flew off the cloud raced it towards the other victims. Twilight sighed, picked up Spike, and placed him on her back. "Why don't we see Applejack? She's on the way towards Fluttershy's." "Sure, alright." I agreed and walked with her as we heard Rainbow Dash receive more frightful screams from other ponies. "Happy Nightmare Night, Applejack!" Twilight greeted her as we arrived at an apple bobbing area. She wore a scarecrow costume and noticed us. "Howdy, y'all! Nice costumes." She answered as she observed us. "Thanks! I'm a dragon." Spike responded, who was fully recovered. "She means us, Spike." Twilight spoke in an irritated tone. I looked over to Spike, a little confused. "Spike, aren't you already a dragon?" I asked. "Yea-… so…?" "Well… it just seems a little weird that…" I sighed. "Never mind…" "With that beard, I reckon you're some sorta country music singer." Applejack commented as she flipped Twilight's beard. Spike returned a laugh as Twilight groaned in annoyance. "While y'all here, ya' feel like bobbin' for an apple?" She presented the apple bobbing bucket that was nearby. I noticed Derpy and another pony on the bucket ready to grab an apple. I noticed Derpy's costume and couldn't help but laugh lightly. I didn't know what she was trying to be, but she wore a large paper bag on her head and small paper bags on her hooves. The other pony was about to grab an apple with her teeth, but Derpy had suddenly appeared from the inside of the bucket with something in her teeth. She pulled it out and I realized it was the plug for the bucket. She released a saddened look when she realized she had drained the bucket. "Hey, Derpy…" I greeted, continuing to chuckle as I walked towards her. "What are you supposed to be?" "Hi, Alex!" She answered, regaining her smile. "Um…I'm a paper bag monster! RAWR!" She attempted to roar but fell backwards in the bucket. I grabbed her hoof and helped her out of the bucket, smiling. "Well, that's very creative." I replied, continuing to chuckle at her silliness. "I like your costume." "Thanks, I like your costume too!" "Thanks." I looked over to everypony. "Well, I'm going to grab Fluttershy. I don't want her to worry. I'll see you all in a bit, okay?" They all agreed and I turned around to head towards Fluttershy's cottage. When I arrived, I noticed all the lights were off in the cottage, raising my eyebrow. I walked towards the door and knocked. There was no answer. "Fluttershy…?" I called. The door slowly opened and soft eyes peeked out. "Alex… it's you…" "Fluttershy… are you coming out…?" I asked, concerned. "Um…Alex… I think I change my mind…" "What? Why?" "I'm too scared…" "Fluttershy…" She whimpered a little. "Here…let me in…" She opened the door slightly enough where I could come inside. I entered and noticed that most of the lights were off, most likely to ward off candy-hunting children. I looked at her and through the darkness, I could see she was wearing something, which was probably her costume. "I'm sorry, Alex… I'm too scared to go out there because of all the scary things…" "C'mon, Fluttershy…it's alright… they're just ponies having fun and wearing costumes… there's nothing scary about them." I placed my hoof on hers. "I'll be with you the entire time. We'll both go with our friends and hang out together. It'll be fun." I embraced her and kissed her softly. After, I slightly pulled away and presented a warm smile. She managed to return a smile as well. "Oh, Alex… I love your smile so much…" "So does that mean you'll come with me?" She nodded lightly. "Yes…" I opened the door and grabbed Fluttershy's hoof. I lightly walked her out into the night. She was still a little nervous, but she stayed with me. When we were outside, I closed the door. "Are you alright?" I asked her. "Yes…I'm fine…" I kept her very close as I held her hoof tightly. I arrived back at town as I carefully walked her. I spotted Twilight and Applejack talking with each other. "Look, there's Twilight and Applejack." I told her. "Let's go with them." The nervousness in Fluttershy seemed to ease a little. "Okay…" She smiled lightly. "Hey, you two!" Applejack exclaimed when she saw us walking towards them. "Hey." I responded. "Hi…" Fluttershy joined. "Oh." Applejack realized when she looked at both of our costumes. "I just realized that you two have costumes of your cutie marks. A wolf and a butterfly." Applejack released a smile. "Well, you both look cute together anyway." Fluttershy and I looked at each other and smiled. Suddenly, we heard some loud cheering nearby. "Thank you, everypony, and welcome to the Nightmare Night festival!" The mayor announced from the podium on the stage. We walked over to the group to hear what she had to say. "Now all the little ponies who have been out collecting sweets should follow our friend Zecora to hear the legend of…Nightmare Moon!" She ended with a spooky tone and laugh. "Spooky voice might work better is she wasn't dressed like that." Spike whispered, which led to Twilight giggling. I could only smile at the truth he spoke of. The mayor presented a green fog that rose from nowhere. Zecora stepped out of the fog, wearing a witch's wig that contained fake spiders on it, along with a torn dress. "Follow me and very soon you'll hear the tale of Nightmare Moon." Zecora stepped off the stage and began leading the little fillies. "Oh…" Fluttershy spoke softly and worried to me. "I don't know about this, Alex…" "It's okay." I gave her another reassuring smile. "I'll hold on to your hoof the whole time." "Okay…" We began following the group that Zecora led. Zecora had led us toward a statue of Nightmare Moon out of town. "Listen close my little dears, and I'll tell you where you got your fears of Nightmare Night, so dark and scary." She pulled out some green dust and blew it. "Of Nightmare Moon, who makes you wary." The green dust formed into an image of Nightmare Moon, who began heading straight towards us with her sharp teeth. Fluttershy began holding me tightly as the image exploded on the ground. "Every year, we put on a disguise, to save ourselves, from her searching eyes." Zecora scared a couple of the fillies, startling them to scream. Pipsqueak was running, screaming, as Zecora continued talking. "But Nightmare Moon wants just one thing." Pipsqueak bumped himself onto the statue. "To gobble up ponies in one quick swing." Pipsqueak had been backing away from the statue but touched Pinkie Pie who dug her head in the ground. They both screamed and fled the opposite direction from each other. Zecora presented another image from the green dust. "Hungrily, she soars the sky. If she sees nopony, she passes by. So if she comes and all is clear, Equestria is safe another year!" "Uh, Miss Zecora…" Pipsqueak tugged at Zecora's dress. "If we wear costumes 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." Zecora blew more dust, presenting Nightmare Moon with a hungry expression on her face as she stalked towards the children. "Fill up her belly with a treat or two, so she won't return to come eat you!" The image pounced towards the group and filled the area with the dust. The entire group immediately screamed. "Everypony!" Pinkie Pie exclaimed. "Just dump some candy and get out of here!" The group had dumped their candy in front of the statue. However, a heavy wind blew around us and dark clouds formed in the sky. By the look on Zecora's face… it seemed it wasn't planned… A bright light emerged and out came a dark carriage pulled by the same colored ponies. Pinkie Pie and the children were backing away slowly as Fluttershy was now trembling. I placed my foreleg around her and kept her close. The carriage had stopped above us, surprising Pinkie Pie. "Ah! It's Nightmare Moon! Run!" She screamed, taking the group with her. The carriage now began heading towards town, causing us to see what was going on. The hooded figure jumped off from the carriage and landed in the center of everypony. Throwing off the hood, we saw that it was a familiar pony… Princess Luna! All the ponies immediately cowered in fear. "Princess Luna!" Twilight announced and began heading towards her, but Spike grabbed her and took her down with him, shushing her. I remained standing up as Fluttershy began shaking in fear as she lay down as well. Princess Luna walked over to the ponies as her cape dissolved into bats. She spread her wings and looked down at a pony, causing that pony to cower ever more. She raised her hoof towards us. "Citizens of Ponyville!" Princess Luna spoke in a booming voice so loud that it almost pushed us away. "We have graced your tiny village with our presence, so that you might behold the real princess of the night! A creature of nightmare is no longer, but instead a pony who desires your love and admiration! Together we shall change this dreadful celebration into a bright and glorious feast!" Lightning flashed. "Did you hear that, everypony? Nightmare Moon says she's gonna feast on us all!" Pinkie Pie exclaimed and screamed, causing the other ponies to scream with her and run. Princess Luna returned a shock and confused look. "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 pounded her hoof on the ground in front of a pony who squeaked in terror. "Madame Mayor, the princess of the night hath arrived." She walked towards the mayor and presented her hoof, but the mayor continued to cower in fear. Princess Luna realized this and moved her hoof to another pony, but the pony just followed the same example. "What is the matter with you?" She asked and continued moving her hoof to different ponies, but soon grew tired. "Very well then. Be that way. We won't even bother with the traditional royal farewell." She left. "I'm gonna go talk to her." Twilight said, standing up. "You can't talk to her! She's Nightmare Moon!" Spike quickly grabbed Twilight's costume to prevent her from moving. "No, she's not. I saw the Elements of Harmony change her back to good! But it seems like she's having some trouble adjusting after being gone for a thousand years…" While Twilight spoke, I looked around me and noticed something missing. Fluttershy was gone. "Fluttershy…?" I called but she didn't answer. Twilight heard me and walked over to me. "Alex, what's wrong?" She asked. "Fluttershy… she's gone." I responded as I continued to look around for her. "She probably just got too scared and flew back home." I sighed. "Can I come with you to talk to Princess Luna?" "Why…?" "I really want Fluttershy to enjoy this Nightmare Night… and I know I won't enjoy it if she's not with me… so if Princess Luna is the problem, we have to make her a little less… terrifying." "I understand, Alex. Let's go talk to her then." Twilight and I walked towards the statue of Nightmare Moon. As we walked, I could see that Twilight had a worried and slightly frightened expression on her face, but I wasn't so easily affected. Finally, when we arrived, we spotted her lying sadly below the shadow of the statue. When I saw her like that, I frowned as I remembered how I felt when I used to be like that… "Princess Luna?" Twilight called. "Hi, my name is— "Star Swirl the Bearded." Princess Luna answered as she stood up to face Twilight. "Commendable costume! Thou even got the bells right..." "Thank you, finally! Somepony who gets my costume!" Twilight realized that she had gotten off topic. "Uh, I just came to welcome you to our celebration! My actual name is— "Twilight Sparkle." Princess Luna looked over to me. "And Alexander…" She pronounced my full and formal name. Afterwards, she began flying as dark clouds and heavy winds formed around her. She spoke in a booming voice. "It was thou who unleashed the powers of harmony upon us and took away our dark powers!" The heavy winds were strong enough to almost blow us away. "And that was a good thing, right?" Twilight asked. "But of course." She replied in her normal voice and placed her hooves back on the ground. "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…" She began speaking in a booming voice again. "…this much volume when addressing our subjects!" After she was finished talking, Twilight looked back with widened eyes as her costume was a bit messed up. She fixed her beard and hat. "You know, that might explain why your appearance was met with... mixed results. I think if you just changed your approach a bit, you might be met with a warmer reception." "Change our approach?" Princess Luna questioned in her booming voice. "Lower the volume…?" Twilight answered in a gentle and soft voice. "Ohhh." Princess Luna responded, returning to her normal voice. "We have been locked away for a thousand years. We are... not sure we can." "Don't worry, Princess. I know the pony just for the job!" Twilight began walking out of the forest, bringing Princess Luna and I with her. "And who might that be?" Princess Luna asked. "One of our friends… well… Alex's girlfriend." Twilight giggled lightly. "Her name is Fluttershy." My eyes widened and I quickly looked at Princess Luna. "Princess, please be gentle with her…she frightens easily…" "I shall be as gentle as I can." She responded. When we arrived at Fluttershy's dark cottage, Twilight continued to talk to the Princess. "Fluttershy can give you some great pointers. She's delicate and demure with the sweetest little voice." We arrived at her door. "Remember…gentle…" I reminded. Twilight knocked on the door. "Go away! No candy here! Visitors not welcome on Nightmare Night!" Fluttershy exclaimed from the inside of the house, causing Twilight to Flinch as Princess Luna kept her unchanged expression. Twilight nervously chuckled. "Fluttershy, it's us, Alex and Twilight!" Fluttershy slowly opened the door and saw us. "It is you." She opened the door further to spot Princess Luna. "Oh, and Nightmare Moon." She gasped. "Nightmare Moon?" Fluttershy screamed and instantly closed the door shut. Twilight nervously laughed. "Wait right here." Twilight began walking towards the door but I stopped her by placing my hoof in front of her. "Let me handle this…" Twilight realized that I connect more with her, so she nodded and allowed me to go inside instead. I entered and spotted Fluttershy cowering on the couch in the darkness. I carefully and softly walked towards her and placed my hoof on her. "Fluttershy…" She screamed again but relaxed when she saw me. "Oh… it's you, Alex. I'm sorry I left like that… it's just that…well…you know…I'm terrified of anything that looks scary…" I took a seat next to her. "It's alright… Listen… the pony you saw out there is no longer Nightmare Moon, remember? We all changed her when we used the elements of harmony. She's Princess Luna now. She may seem a little scary… but that's what we're trying to remove from her. We want the ponies of Ponyville to stop cowering at the sight of her and become comfortable around her. We just need your help in lowering her volume…" "Really…?" "Yes…" I hugged her. "You don't have to worry." She took a deep breath. "Okay…" I grabbed her hoof and pulled her up. After, I led her to the door and opened it. I walked her out and faced Princess Luna. "Princess Luna, this is Fluttershy. Fluttershy, this is Princess Luna." I announced, presenting them to each other. "Charmed." Princess Luna spoke in her booming voice. Fluttershy immediately embraced me and cowered in fear. "Fluttershy…" I tried to entreat her. "Likewise…" She managed to say. "Twilight Sparkle hath spoken of the sweetness of thy voice. We ask, thou teachest to us to speak as thou speakest." Fluttershy continued to embrace me tightly. I placed my foreleg around her and patted her gently. "Okay." She replied in a quiet voice. "Shall our lessons begin?" "Okay…" Fluttershy responded even quieter. "Shall we mimic thy voice?" "Okay…" "How is this?" Princess Luna asked, keeping the same tone. "Perfect, lesson over." Fluttershy answered hurriedly and wanted to go back home, but I kept her in my arms. "A little quieter, princess." Twilight advised. "How is...this?" Princess Luna asked, lowering her voice, but still having a loud tone. "Better. Right, Fluttershy?" "Yes…" Fluttershy replied with a little fearful tone. "How... about... now?" Princess Luna asked. "Now you're getting it." Twilight praised. "And... how about now?" Princess Luna finally spoke in her normal voice. "Yes! Well done." Fluttershy was just about to sneak back inside but Princess Luna grabbed her with her magic pulled her towards her. "Ah, thank you, dear Fluttershy!" Princess Luna spoke in a booming, but softer, voice as she hugged Fluttershy, who remained paralyzed. "Our normal speaking voice shall surely win us the hearts of thy fellow villagers." "Fluttershy!" Pinkie Pie's voice exclaimed from across the bridge. "You've gotta hide us! Nightmare Moon is here and..." She squawked at the sight of Princess Luna holding Fluttershy. "She stole Fluttershy's voice so she can't scream when she GOBBLES HER UP!" She led the children out of the area as they continued to scream loudly. "Nay, children, wait!" She called after them in her booming voice. After, she remembered the lesson and lowered her tone. "I mean... nay, children, wait." "Come on, princess. Time for plan B. Are you coming, Alex?" Twilight asked me. "In a second…" I pulled Fluttershy up. She recovered after some time. "Alex…Can I go home now…?" "Fluttershy…" I frowned. "You see…I understand that you're scared…but it's just that…I was really hoping you would spend Nightmare Night with me…because…it wouldn't be the same without you…" Fluttershy moved her eyes in thought and then looked back at me. "I'm sorry, Alex… I want to spend Nightmare Night with you." I looked up in surprise. "Really?" She nodded. "Yes… I always did… but you know… my fears always get the best of me." "Don't worry." I closed her in an embrace. "I'll protect you, remember?" She managed to smile and nod. "Yes." "Come on then." I replied in a light smile. "Let's go." When we caught up with Princess Luna and Twilight, they had arrived back into town and scared everypony from dancing. "It is of no use, Twilight Sparkle." Princess Luna commented as we walked through the terrified ponies. "They have never liked us and they never shall." "Our friend Applejack is one of the most likeable ponies around." Twilight responded, attempting to keep Princess Luna's spirits up. "I'm sure she'll have some ideas." We walked towards Applejack's apple bobbing station to see her catch Pipsqueak before he fell in the water. After Pipsqueak ran off, she turned around to see Princess Luna and lay in fright. Princess Luna returned an inexpressive look to Twilight as she walked towards the scene. "Uh... Applejack, the princess is looking for a little advice on how to fit in around here." Applejack removed the hooves from her eyes and looked at Twilight seriously. "'Fit in'? Really?" Twilight snarled at her as she scrunched her nose. Applejack immediately stood up and faced the Princess. "I mean... that's easy! All you gotta do is have the right attitude. Loosen up a bit, be positive, play a few games, have some fun." "Fun? What is this 'fun' thou speakest of?" Princess Luna replied in confusion. Applejack and Twilight pointed towards a bowl of fake spiders. "Pray tell, what purpose do these serve?" "Try to land the sp-sp-spiders on the web." A pony, dressed in a bumble bee costume, announced nearby as she continued to cower. The Princess grabbed a spider with her hoof and aimed towards the web. She gave a light throw which resulted in the spider landing a few inches away from the web. She looked back at us with some worry in her eyes as if she thought she might have done the wrong thing. "You can do it, princess!" Applejack encouraged. Princess Luna returned a bold look and took another shot, throwing the spider harder. This time, it landed straight in the middle. "Ha! Your princess enjoys this 'fun!'" She spoke in a slightly excited tone. "In what other ways may we experience it?" Applejack and Twilight both looked at each other and smiled. Applejack led us towards another station where pumpkins were fired from a catapult. "Fire away, princess!" Twilight shouted as Princess Luna loaded a pumpkin onto the catapult. She pulled back the catapult and released her hooves from it, allowing the catapult to fire the pumpkin. It shot upwards and landed directly on the painted target. "Ha ha! The fun has been doubled!" Other ponies had gathered around to notice the not so terrifying Princess and cheered. "Why don't you try bobbin' for apples?" Applejack suggested. "We got the best apples in Equestria, princess." "I ask that thou call us... me... Luna, fair Applejack." She responded and began announcing to the other ponies. "Hear me, villagers! All of you! Call me Luna!" I smiled at Fluttershy to show her that everything was alright. Every other pony spoke in agreement once they heard her less hostile voice. "Show me to these bobbing apples." However, when reached at the bucket of floating apples, we saw that Pipsqueak was reaching for one, but, due to his size, fell inside instead. Princess Luna quickly rushed over to him to help him out of the water. "Hey, ponies." We heard Pinkie Pie from behind us. We turned to see her with the children. "Anypony seen Pip? We lost him the last time we had to run..." Pinkie Pie squawked when she saw Princess Luna grab Pipsqueak from out of the bucket with her teeth. "Aaah! Nightmare Moon is gobbling Pipsqueak! Everypony run!" Pinkie Pie ran off, along with the children, screaming. "Help! My backside has been gobbled!" Pipsqueak cried out and ran away when Princess Luna placed him back on the ground. "'Tis a lie!" Princess Luna responded in an irritated manner. "Thy backside is whole and ungobbled, thou ungrateful whelp!" She pounded her hoof, causing thunder and lightning in the sky. After seeing this, the other ponies began backing away slowly and fearfully. "Fair villagers, please do not back away. Let us join together in... fun!" She pleaded desperately. She looked around and spotted a spider on the ground. She quickly grabbed it and tossed over to the ponies, who only flinched at the sight and looked back at Princess Luna with widened eyes. "Not enough fun for you? What say you to this?" She pointed her horn towards the spider and shot out magic. When the flash disappeared, the spider transformed into a real one, immediately scaring everypony. Princess Luna repeated the process with the bowl of spiders. The spiders began bombarding everypony as they could only scream. Fluttershy began shaking as she held on to me. I could only hold her back as I tried to keep her away from the spiders. "Huzzah!" Princess Luna yelled out joyfully. "How many points do I receive?" A pony screamed as she still had a spider on her face. After, everypony began running away. "Do not run away! As your princess we command you!" Princess Luna was becoming highly irritated now as she observed all the ponies crash into things and scream. In a deafening voice, the Princess exclaimed towards all the ponies. "Be still!" Her voice echoed throughout the silent town as everypony lay in fear. "Princess, remember! Watch the screaming!" Twilight warned. "No, Twilight Sparkle!" Princess Luna responded to Twilight in a booming voice as her eyes glowed white. "We must use the traditional royal Canterlot voice for what we are about to say." After, she turned towards all of us and flew in midair. "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!" Her response frightened everypony, even me. Nightmare Night canceled…? Forever…? Afterwards, she immediately fled away, leaving us to look at the whole mess that had been caused in town. "Shoot. We had everything goin' our way." Applejack spoke. "Luna was happy, everypony in town was happy, now look at 'em." Children were being confronted by their parents as they tried to make them feel better. "But I wanted to be a zombie next year!" A blonde colored pony spoke as she cried. Fluttershy was still holding tightly on to me, closing her eyes in fear and shaking. I looked over to her and placed my hooves around her. "It's alright…" I told her in a soft tone. She slowly opened her eyes and looked at me. "It's not over yet." Twilight stated from near us. "What are you gonna do?" Applejack asked. "I'm going to do what I do best. Lecture her!" Twilight stood proudly. She was about to run off to find her, but I called after her. "Twilight." She looked back at me. "Huh?" I closed my eyes solemnly and shook my head. "Let me talk to her…" "What…? Why...?" She asked, concerned. "Just let me talk to her…" I responded and looked at Applejack. "Applejack, keep Fluttershy with you two for a moment, okay?" Applejack nodded. I looked at Fluttershy with careful eyes. "I'll be back…alright?" She nodded and gave me one last squeeze before walking over to Applejack. I walked over to Twilight. "Alex… are you sure…?" She asked. I nodded. "Trust me." After, I began running through town to search for the Princess. After searching several spots, I managed to find her crossing a bridge, sadly. I ran and came to a walk when I was near her. "Princess…" I spoke as she continued to walk slowly. "Leave me be, Alexander…" She responded despondently. I remained silent for a moment as I walked over to her side. "I just want to talk to you…" "Let me guess… about all the adoring shrieks of the children as they run away?" I sighed. "No…just listen to me for a moment." She stopped and turned around. "Fine…" I pointed towards the spot near the river. "Take a seat." She obeyed and sat down as I sat by her. She stared at the grass, gloomily, as a cool breeze flew by. "I know how you feel, Princess Luna…" "Really…?" Princess Luna responded in an unbelievable tone. "You've felt how horrible it is to have every pony despise you and fear you every time you show your face?" I sighed and looked away. "Well… worse, actually…" "What?" I remained silent for a moment and looked at her. "When I was young, I was bullied every day. For some unknown reason, all the kids at school loved to pick on me and see me miserable. Not only did I receive enough torture at school, I had the same thing happen at home… Basically…everypony hated me back then… and I had no friends. I was alone…" Princess Luna returned a look in shocking disbelief. "Are you certain? Is this the truth you speak of…?" I nodded. "Yes… I know how you feel Princess Luna. I truly do." She formed a depressive expression. "I'm sorry…" I shook my head lightly. "It's alright…because I have friends now. Friends who care about me." "But, everypony still doesn't like me… they always scream at the sight of me…" "Not, everypony… We are not afraid of you Luna… Applejack, Twilight, Fluttershy, and me…"She turned her head away and closed her eyes, sadly. "I understand you, Luna…" I thought for a moment and pulled out my foreleg. "We're not so different…" I placed it in front of her. She opened her eyes and noticed the color of my coat. She widened her eyes and raised her foreleg next to mine. Both our coats were a dark or night color of blue… almost exactly the same… "I know what you're going through… I know how lonely you feel right now… I know it all from experience. You're not alone…" "Alexander…" "Call me Alex." "Okay, Alex… I believe you… I can certainly see my sister was right…" "What do you mean…?" "She's told me so much about you…so many nice things… You really do have a pure heart…" I slightly looked away. "Yeah…I guess…" Princess Luna hugged me. "You should be proud…" Suddenly, she gasped and pulled away. "What is it?" I asked. She placed a hoof on me and kept her surprised eyes. "There's something about you…" I was confused. "…What do you mean…?" "There's something in your heart… something very powerful…as if it's waiting to be unleashed." "I…I don't really understand…" Princess Luna remained silent for a moment. "…It's something really rare, that's for sure…" "Rare…?" Princess Luna shrugged lightly. "I'm not sure what exactly it is…but I assume it's another mystery you'll have to figure out." "Hm..." I paused. "Well, that can wait until later." I stood up and held out my hoof. "Why don't our friends help you have fun?" I presented a small smile. Princess Luna looked at me for a moment, quite shocked. She grabbed my hoof and I pulled her up. "Really…? You ponies would do that for me?" "Of course. Let's go to Twilight. I'm sure she can figure something out." She nodded and smiled as well as we began walking back to town. We spotted Twilight walking around town looking for something. After a moment, she noticed us and ran over to us. "Alex, Luna!" She exclaimed. "Hey, Twilight… we need to find another way to get the ponies to stop being afraid of Luna." "Hm…" She placed a hoof to her chin. After a short while, she suggested something. "Well… Pinkie Pie is the pony who causes it most of the time. If we can find a way to show her that she isn't so scary, maybe she'll tell the other ponies as well!" "That's a good idea." I responded. "But how are we going to lure her away from the other ponies?" Twilight asked. I thought for a moment and gained an answer almost immediately after. "I think I can help with that…" I smiled slyly. Twilight had taken Luna to a dark alley while I gathered a hoof full of candy. Outside the alley Twilight and Luna awaited in, I placed the candy piece by piece in a line that headed towards the inside of the alley. After I finished placing all the candy, I headed inside with Twilight and Luna, waiting for Pinkie Pie to come eventually. Moments later, we heard some squawking in the alley. It was Pinkie Pie in her chicken costume. She was pecking at the pieces of candy as she swallowed them happily. "Okay..." I whispered. "All we need to…" Twilight immediately tackled Pinkie Pie towards the ground. "Or that too…" I added as I walked towards them. Twilight placed a hoof on Pinkie Pie's mouth to prevent her from screaming. "No! No shrieking. No screaming or squealing either. Okay?" She demanded. "Okay." Pinkie Pie responded in a high pitched squeal that was muted by Twilight's hoof. "There's something we want you to see. And we promise that it's safe, but you really, really can't shriek. Do you promise not to shriek?" Twilight asked. "Mmhm." Pinkie Pie agreed, causing Twilight to remove her hoof from her mouth. We turned our heads to bring Princess Luna with us. She appeared from the darkness in the alley. Pinkie Pie began squawking fearfully, but she immediately placed her hooves on her mouth. "Pinkie Pie, you remember Princess Luna, right?" Twilight asked. "Ah. The ringleader of the frightened children." Princess Luna walked over to Pinkie Pie and rubbed her hooves shyly. "Hast thou come to make peace?" She held out her hoof to Pinkie Pie. Pinkie Pie stared at it for a moment, but soon released a warm smile. She began bringing out her hoof to Princess Luna. Just before they were going to connect, lightning suddenly flashed above Luna. Pinkie Pie instantly pulled back and shouted. "Nightmare Moon!" She fled. "Rainbow!" Twilight scolded as I chased after Pinkie Pie. Before she made it out, I was able to run in front of her and block her from exiting, causing her to fall to the ground. I placed my hooves on hers to make sure she didn't start running again. "Pinkie! She's not evil anymore! Stop running away because she certainly isn't going to gobble you up!" Pinkie Pie's eyes popped out as she stared at me. "...Well, duh!" "What…?" I pulled back in confusion. "I know that. Sheesh, Alex. I'm almost as big as her. How's she gonna gobble me up?" She chuckled lightly. "So why do you keep running away and screaming?" Twilight asked as she walked over to us. "Sometimes it's just really fun to be scared." She replied as I pulled back my hooves from her. "Fun?" Twilight questioned. She thought for a moment and then immediately faced Pinkie Pie. "Pinkie Pie, you're a genius!" "No, I'm not. I'm a chicken." Pinkie Pie corrected, being her usual silly self, and squawked. Twilight and I walked over to Princess Luna who was once again gloomy as she lay on the other end of the alley. "Princess Luna! We've finally figured out why you're having so much trouble being liked!" Twilight exclaimed. "Forgive me if I withhold my enthusiasm." She responded. "Come with me. I'll explain everything on the way." She looked to me. "Alex, do you think you can get the kids to go the statue of Nightmare Moon?" She asked. I nodded. "Of course." "Okay then. Go ahead and do that while I tell the plan to Princess Luna!" I nodded and raced out the alley to do what Twilight asked. I spotted Applejack having a conversation with Fluttershy. They noticed me as I walked up to them. "Alex, you're back!" Applejack spoke. "Where's Twilight?" "She has a plan for Princess Luna." I replied. "For now, I need to get the kids to Nightmare Moon's statue." "Tell Zecora! She should be able to do that!" "Ok." I rushed over to Zecora. "Hey, Zecora." "Why, hello Alex. You look in a hurry as if the clock ticks." "Um, a little… Anyway, do you think you can bring the kids to the statue of Nightmare Moon? There is currently a plan in bringing Nightmare Night back." "Whatever you wish, for Nightmare Night to come back, I'll surely do this without any slack." Zecora released a smile. "Thanks!" Zecora walked over to Pipsqueak, who was with the other fillies, sulkily. "Come, little Pip. Now don't you fret. Nightmare Night's not over yet. We still have candy left to give, so Nightmare Moon might let us live." "Yes. Come on, little ponies." The mayor walked over to them, encouragingly. What's Nightmare Night without the annual candy offering? You don't want Nightmare Moon to gobble you up…" She spoke in a spooky voice. "…do you?" Spike had been walking past them with some lights in his hand. "Aw, the rainbow wig just kills it for me." Applejack and Fluttershy had joined us, knowing about the plan. "Come on, kids! Doesn't that sound like fun?" Applejack asked. The fillies looked at each other, confusingly and fearfully, but nonetheless, they followed us as we walked them towards the location where the plan would take place. I looked around for Twilight and Princess Luna, but I didn't see them. I wonder if they are hiding… We watched as the kids dropped the candy from their bags in front of the statue of Nightmare Moon. Pipsqueak was the last one to walk towards the pile of candy with his bag clenched by his teeth. He had a saddened look as he deposited his candy in front of the statue. "Goodbye Nightmare Night. Forever…" Pipsqueak began walking away, but all of a sudden, winds blew heavily around us. "Citizens of Ponyville!" We heard in a booming voice. "You were wise to bring these candies to me. I am pleased with your offering. So pleased that I may just eat it... instead of eating you!" Nightmare Moon's statue came alive and immediately scared all the ponies. They ran, screaming, while I remained there. The statue transformed into Princess Luna, surprising me. Princess Luna removed the fangs from her teeth as Twilight came out from the bushes. "I am not certain that did what you meant for it to do, Twilight Sparkle." Princess Luna announced with uncertainty. "Just wait." Twilight replied, confidently. "For what?" Princess Luna questioned as she jumped off of the platform. "For... for them to scream some more?" Pipsqueak had come by and tugged at Princess Luna's hair. "Um... Princess Luna." She turned her head to face him. "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 turned her head to see the other fillies hiding behind the bush, but also listening to hear her decision. "Child. Art thou saying that thou... likest me to scare you?" "It's really fun! Scary, but fun." "It... is?" Princess Luna questioned, surprised. "Yeah! Nightmare Night is my favorite night of the year!" "Well then." Princess Luna replied, bringing a smile to her face. "We shall have to bring…" She began speaking in a booming voice, once again. "…Nightmare Night back!" "Whoa!" Pipsqueak exclaimed as he was pushed back by the voice of the Princess. "You're my favorite princess ever!" He quickly bowed below her and fled back to his friends. "She said yes, guys!" "YAY!" The children yelled, bringing a smile to my face as well. "See?" Twilight asked. "They really do like you, princess." "Can it be true?" She rose up her hooves and shouted. "Oh, most wonderful of...!" She lowered herself and realized she had been yelling again. "I mean... Oh, most wonderful of nights." Afterwards, we had returned back to town to begin having the real fun behind Nightmare Night. Fluttershy and I began enjoying the night together, just as I had wished for. We played games, just like the spider throwing game, and bobbed for apples. We even danced and hung out with our friends. It was a truly amazing time. We saw Princess Luna enjoying herself as well. It made me much happier to see that she no longer contained the expression of a lonely one… but one that felt loved. The children even returned to her to give her more candy, which I could tell made Luna feel a lot better and a part of something so inspiring and heartwarming. Princess Luna especially continued to frighten ponies in good fun. One pony, who was dressed as a mouse, was about to bob for an apple when Princess Luna suddenly emerged from the water and scared her. The pony jumped back in fear, but once she saw Princess Luna eating an apple as she hung her hooves over the tub, they all shared a laugh. Fluttershy and I met up with Twilight, who was with Spike near the statue of Nightmare Moon. We had just arrived to hear her writing her letter to Princess Celestia. "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. I am 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 Star Swirl the Bearded costume didn't go over, this still turned out to be the best Nightmare Night ever." Twilight picked up a candy corn, from the pile of candy near Spike, with her magic and ate it. Fluttershy and I looked at each other and smiled. Suddenly, we heard electricity crackle and looked above us to see Rainbow Dash screaming and flying away rapidly. Princess Luna had descended to us as she lay on a dark cloud. She winked at us as she smiled. Then, she began laughing which eventually led us to join her. After our merry moment, Princess Luna looked at all of us with a warm smile. "It truly has been such a wonderful night with all of you. I never realized I could have this much…fun…" "Well, we're really glad that you enjoyed Nightmare Night with us, Luna!" Twilight expressed. All of us nodded. "Yeah…you aren't so scary, Princess Luna." Fluttershy added as she walked over to her. "Oh…aren't I?" Princess Luna created lightning above her, causing Fluttershy to shriek and hide behind me. Princess Luna chuckled. "I am just joking with you, Fluttershy." "Oh…" Fluttershy raised her head. "Hehe…" "Well, I suppose I should be leaving now." Princess Luna stated as she began preparing herself for her departure. "You really need to come to Ponyville more often, Luna…" I announced. "Yes…well… I shall whenever I have the time." She looked over to Fluttershy. "You really have a fantastic pony. I hope you two have the best times in the entire world." Fluttershy blushed as I responded to Luna. "Thank you, Princess… I hope we see you very soon." "Indeed." She agreed. "You really showed me how I have friends, and I will be looking forward to the next time I come back. Until then… I shall say farewell." She waved to all of us. "Goodnight and have a happy Nightmare Night." "Right back at you, Princess." Twilight replied and giggled. The Princess smiled and began departing back to Canterlot as we waved goodbye. "Well…it's been really fun with you two…" Twilight told us as she picked up Spike, who was already full and sleeping on the pile of candy. "…but I guess I should call it a night and take Spike to bed." "Okay, Twilight." I responded. "Goodnight." She smiled and nodded as she began heading back to her home. I turned around to see Fluttershy who looked tired herself. She seemed like she wanted to go to sleep right there. "Are you tired Fluttershy?" I asked. "A little, I guess…" She replied, although she seemed a lot more tired than a little. "C'mon, I'll take you home." I grabbed her hoof and began walking her towards her cottage. When we arrived, I walked her in and helped her take off her costume, which wasn't too much. Afterwards, I led her up the stairs and into her room. When she lay on the bed, I covered her with the blankets and carefully tucked her in. I looked at her face to see sweet gentle eyes gazing back at me. "You're so sweet, Alex…" I smiled gently. "Thanks…" "You know… even though tonight was a bit scary… I still enjoyed it with you…" "Yeah, same here." I eagerly agreed. "It definitely wouldn't have been the same without you." Fluttershy smiled. "Thank you, Alex…" "Huh…?" "For bringing me to Nightmare Night with you…" "Oh…" I released a warm smile. "You're welcome…" I lowered my head towards hers and kissed her. "Is there anything else you need, Fluttershy?" "Mm-mm" She shook her head gently. "I think I'll just get some sleep now." "Okay, then. Goodnight…" "Goodnight, Alex." She smiled once more and closed her eyes as I turned off the lights. Before I left, I planted one more kiss on her cheek. As I passed through town, there were still some ponies out, but most of them were wrapping things up, most likely to respect other ponies who wanted to sleep. I walked tiredly to my home and opened the door. Once inside, I walked up the stairs and removed my costume. I placed the costume inside the wardrobe and planted myself on the bed. I pulled the covers over me and closed my eyes, even continuing to smile. I can't believe how much fun I had with Fluttershy and the girls tonight… It really was a blast. Now, I can't wait until I see all of them again. Although… I still wonder what Luna told me was about. That "rare" thing that was inside me that was waiting to be unleashed… hm… what could it be…?