When one thinks of Ponyville, they usually think of peace and quiet above all else. Unless you were creating it yourself like Pinkie Pie, you wouldn't hear a whole lot of loud there. Save for the occasional disaster that was set on destroying the town for a different reason of the week, it would also be organized and clean.
Today, though, that wasn’t the case. Everywhere, the citizens were hard at work to set up the town for Nightmare Night. Despite the appearance of near-completeness, there were several touches left to attend to.
The pegasi went from house to house, nailing up pieces of ribbon dotted with skulls.
"How's that, boss?" Rainbow Dash asked.
"Maybe a little higher. Some of them are too close to the ground; could you raise them a few feet?" Twilight Sparkle responded.
"You got it!"
Along with Thunderlane, Dash moved the junction point from the bottom of the roof to the very top, raising the skull ribbon up. They looked creepy under the cover of the night; in the daylight they just looked silly with their cartoonish grins.
"Perfect! That's all finished!" Twilight said cheerfully. She unraveled her checklist and marked off "ribbons" on the list.
A few miles off, lead by Big Mac, several stallions were pulling the parts of a stage together. Compared to the main stage of last year, this was fifty percent bigger, and even for Big Mac this was heavy.
"Easy now, and don't try to rush it," Mayor Mare cautioned. "Too fast and you might cause it to tip over."
"Ee...yup...," Big Mac struggled. Soon, he, along with the other earth ponies, started to lift up the balcony of the stage together with all their might. It was the last step to completing the project.
It took a long while and a lot of energy for it to just get off the ground. "Easy now," he said, "ah don't want this to come down now."
The ponies kept rushing forward, until the balcony was at a forty-five degree angle. "Almost finished..."
Then they heard the noise they wanted to hear the least: The sound of a clumsy pegasus rushing forward, featuring a bubbles cutie mark and a mailbag.
"Letter for you, Big Mac!" Derpy Hooves announced. "Hey, what's that there stage doing here?"
"No Derpy, NO!" Mayor Mare screamed. But it was no use. Derpy was rushing towards the balcony, and she wasn't shifting direction fast enough to avoid a collision.
The Mayor covered her eyes as Derpy collided with the stage, covering it in a cloud of dust. Oh dear, how are we going to replace it in time?
When the cloud lifted up, she couldn't believe her eyes. Derpy was on the ground, her eyes spinning around, and the balcony...
...was right-side up. It was in perfect alignment. Twilight trotted up and saw the stage was finished.
"Hi Mayor Mare," she greeted. "That new stage looks amazing! How did you do it so fast?"
"I...I don't really know how to explain it, but I can thank Derpy for this," the Mayor said, slack-jawed.
"Derpy? But isn't she notorious for being clumsy? Oh well, we can check that off too, and we're ahead of schedule!"
The grey pegasus shook it off, and handed the letter to Big Mac, who was just as stunned as the Mayor was.
"What's left on the list we haven't done yet?" the Mayor asked.
Twilight put the long list down on the ground. Most of the boxes had been checked off, to their delight. Still, there were a few left to go. Twilight and the Mayor both noticed one of the most vital ones was left without a check.
Then they saw Pinkie Pie down the street, dazzled by the preparations. "This is even better than last year!" she ranted. "You got more skulls and a bigger stage with a bigger crack on the side, and that means more candy!"
The two planners nodded to each other. "Hey Pinkie," said Twilight. "Would you like to blow up balloons for us?"
Pinkie nodded enthusiastically, and they led her to a tent where they stored many bags of balloons with the Nightmare Night theme on them.
The planners gave her a stool to sit on while she was working on it. Since it was Pinkie Pie, it wasn't even ten minutes after that that the tent was covered in fully inflated balloons. Of course, that was just the reason they chose her for the job.
"There you go! A bunch of creepy balloons, as requested!" she reported as she hoofed them to the duo.
"Thank you Pinkie," Twilight said back. "But what are you going to wear this year?"
"That's a secret, of course! I never tell anypony what I'm going to go dressed as, and that makes it a surprise!"
Pinkie went her own way, and Twilight's face showed how scared she was at that.
"What's the matter, Twilight?" the Mayor asked.
"Don't you know about Pinkie and Nightmare Night? She doesn't just come dressed as something, no; she becomes what she's wearing! I bet if she decides to go as a dragon, she could breathe fire!"
"Oh, well that changes everything. Do not worry about it; I'll keep an eye on her."
Twilight nodded, trying to hide that it was the thing she was most afraid of for the time being. She checked balloons off the list, and saw that everything else left to go was already being worked on. The unicorn’s job as co-organizer was finished. Now she could look back and examine her work.
Pinkie was right about this year having more of everything. It had more tents, more ribbons, more emblems of Nightmare Night, and a bigger stage than before. Twilight’s involvement really helped out the festival this time, as things got organized at a faster pace than ever before, much like Winter Wrap-up.
She was really proud about her work, and recalled the letter Mayor Mare had gotten from Princess Celestia. If Luna really was going to show up just as Nightmare Moon the whole time, maybe she should warn a certain colt.
"Hey Pipsqueak, can I tell you something?" she asked, spotting him gazing at the emblems.
"Of course, anything about Nightmare Night!" he said with enthusiasm.
"Did you hear...about who's coming to town this year?" she said with a spooky tone in her voice.
"Who? Is it my favorite princess?" His eyes widened with anticipation.
"No, she is not coming to Ponyville. Instead, you'll meet the pony you have seen in your nightmares..."
Unbeknowest to her, the skies had been darkening with clouds which were swirling around and taking on a portal shape. Pipsqueak's heartbeat increased in anticipation, for he knew what was coming for him.
"...the one who this very night is dedicated to! If you don't give her all of your candy, she will gobble you up, just like every time this year, as her name is..."
"NIGHTMARE MOON!" a booming voice announced from behind her.
Pipsqueak ran away in terror, screaming "She's going to gobble me up! Everypony, run for your lives!"
Twilight turned around to see Nightmare Moon, in all of her glory, towering over her. Her eyes filled with rage as she crouched down to pounce on the unicorn.
"Luna, it's so good to see you! Uh...what are you doing?"
The moon princess realized she was starting to terrify Twilight too, and dropped the disguise, spitting out the fake fangs.
"I apologize for coming in that way," Luna said. "It seems I do not know how to make a subtle entrance anywhere."
"That's fine," Twilight responded. "You're here early."
Luna nodded, hoping she wasn't giving anything away. "I would like to meet with you and the Mayor this evening. Where would a suitable location be for such an arrangement?"
"The Mayor's office should be fine. Welcome back to Ponyville, Princess Luna."
Twilight hugged Luna as a greeting, and it almost sent Luna over the edge. Oh my...her coat is so soft, Luna thought. And she's hugging me...does this mean...of course not, Luna! She doesn't love you right now, she barely even sees you! Keep it together...what's that amazing scent she has? No...not yet. Don't do anything silly.
She managed not to blush as they pulled away. Twilight smiled at Luna, and that's when the moon princess couldn't help but turn her head around as she blushed. The unicorn took that to mean she had done something really stupid.
"I'm so sorry, did I pinch you with a hoof?" she asked, her ears drooped.
"No, nothing like that. I just got distracted," the princess mumbled back, grateful nopony was here to see her blush. "If you mind, I think I shall go to this place I heard called Sugar Cube Corner. I heard many good things about the Cakes' cooking. And Twilight?"
"Yes?"
"It's good to see you again. I did miss you."
"I missed you too. It's always good to see somepony like you."
Luna lost all control and galloped off, trying her damnedest to hide her deep blush that she couldn't explain. It was almost as embarrassing as her encounters with the Voice, but this was worse, since it was so personal to her.
She kept going, until she was inside the Sugar Cube Corner's doors. Thank her sister nopony was there, her blush was so deep that cheeks looked like tomatoes. Why couldn't she keep just a little control over this?
Luna soon found that she wasn't as alone as she wanted to be. Mrs. Cake came out of the back room, bowing when she realized royalty was present. "Can I do anything for you, Princess Luna?"
"I'll take whatever it is that helps ponies feel better. Is it coffee? I'll take coffee."
----------------------
Twilight paced back and forth inside the Mayor's office. She admitted even she was taken aback by Luna's behavior last year, but it didn't explain anything about how Luna was acting now. Only Fluttershy would run away like that after Twilight had said something, still, definitely not from a compliment like that.
So, why was it bugging her so much? Why was it that she was dwelling on the thought throughout the day? Maybe it was how she said it? Still didn't make any sense.
The Mayor opened the door to see the unicorn was already inside her office. "Twilight, how did you get inside here? The door was locked shut."
"I used a teleportation spell to get inside, I was really nervous about getting in on time."
Mayor Mare felt annoyed that even her locks were becoming useless, but said nothing and took her seat behind her desk. It was getting late, and Luna would be here any moment.
The unicorn looked around the room, seeing pictures of the Mayor's family everywhere. The photo of the Mayor's family featured her husband, who wore glasses similar to her own, and on her other side stood her daughter, who Twilight thought seemed eager to find her own place in government.
The Mayor noticed Twilight was nervously clopping her hooves together and grinding them against each other.
"Ms. Sparkle, is something wrong?"
"It's nothing."
"Your hooves are shaking, for Celestia's sake! Tell me what's wrong, it doesn't matter what it is."
Twilight sighed. "I think I upset Luna earlier today."
"What makes you think that?"
"I don't know. I gave her a hug, and said I missed her while she was gone. Then she ran away and didn't say anything to me. I’ve never seen anypony act like that before."
"Hmm, I've done that before a few times. It is a rude gesture, but there are times where I'm behind in business and have to make a quick exit,and it is Princess Luna after all. If I have learned anything in my dealings with Princess Celestia, is that royalty tend to have tight schedules. I'm sure you didn't offend her at all."
Twilight let out a quick sigh of relief. So Luna just had to take care of other business? That didn't seem so bad, so she really was thinking too much about it.
She took a seat in the office, more relaxed and quiet. It was late at night, and chances were Spike was asleep by that time. The Mayor moved her materials to give her office a feeling of better upkeep, then adjusted her glasses and mane, wanting to make the best possible impression.
A knock sounding from the door drew their attention. "This is Princess Luna; I request permission to enter the premises."
Twilight undid the lock and opened the door, and saw Luna come inside. Luna had to resist blushing again at the sight of the purple unicorn, and again after taking her position next to Twilight.
Don't say anything directly to Twilight, and everything will be fine. There will come a time to reveal everything in due course.
"Greetings, fillies. I believe we are here to discuss the matters of Nightmare Night tomorrow, am I correct?" Luna stated with authority.
Mayor Mare and Twilight nodded.
"How did the preparation period go?"
"Wonderful," said the Mayor. "This year we had a bigger budget to work with, and this is the first year we had Twilight Sparkle on staff. It couldn't have been done without her."
Twilight grinned, and the princess, having no choice but to acknowledge her, nodded back. She tried her best not to blush again.
"Well done. I have observed the great work this town has accomplished today. Everything is in order, as it should be, there all we have left to discuss is the order of the festival. Starting with the role of Nightmare Moon."
She had no idea how she was able to say everything with such concentration. All she was really thinking about was the pony right next to her. Her mane, her eyes, her cutie mark...
"Nightmare Moon was a big hit last year," said Mayor Mare. "However, she is a scary figure. Maybe we should just have her stalk around in the forest like you did last year."
"Or maybe, she should have her own area!" Twilight proclaimed. "We'll put a warning out that Nightmare Moon will be there, but she should stalk around the streets of Ponyville, with nopony knowing where she's going to be, and BOO!"
"That is a wonderful idea," said Luna, sweating every second the Element was talking. "I am in favor of this idea, what do you say, Mayor?"
"Fine, it sounds good to me too. There will be a Nightmare Moon Zone inside Ponyville, and then right after that..."
The next two hours were a living hell for Luna. It wasn't often she wanted to escape from a room and fly away, but being in the same room with her crush made her want to do just that. Every other second, when Twilight brought something up, Luna actually giggled and told her how thoughtful she was. Every time. It was overwhelming to her; she wanted nothing more than to come out and be done with it, but thoughts of how silly that seemed stopped her.
There were even times where she daydreamed during the moments it was just the Mayor and the unicorn talking. She wanted to run away with Twilight, have a good picnic together, and--
No. She was a princess. She was above acting like a school filly. They were here to discuss business, not go on and get all sappy.
"So that settles everything," she concluded. "I am very impressed by all of this; perhaps Twilight should be your assistant more often."
"Thank you Luna," said the Mayor. "I have considered that a few times in the past. However, she has her studies in the end, and I respect that above all else."
Twilight nodded, and opened the door for the princess. "It's really late, I should get some sleep. Thanks for coming back Luna, it's always an honor."
Twilight bowed before Luna and entered the hallway. The alicorn, realizing this was her chance, followed after her.
"Twilight, wait."
The unicorn turned around, noticing Luna was following her. "What is it?"
Luna froze when the moment did arrive. She didn't want any more attention, so she decided to make another plan instead.
"Twilight Sparkle, there is one last thing I want you to do for me, and it is very important."
"Anything for you, what is it?"
"After Nightmare Night is over and I take my real form again, I would like to discuss some very important matters with you in private, right at the statue of Nightmare Moon."
"I can do that." Twilight saw Luna's cheeks redden, and tears welling up in her eyes. "Is something wrong?"
"No, there isn't. I just remembered it's been over a year since I have returned. Things have changed even in that period."
"I know. It really can, and I'm sure it's been a wild year for your sister too."
"You have no idea," Luna mumbled, remembering the news that Celestia lost to Queen Chrysalis.
With that, Twilight left the hallway for the comfort of her own bed, leaving Luna alone with her thoughts.
Wow, I can't believe it. She seems to really like me too. Probably not out of a love like I do, but there's something I can use. All I have to do is wait until Nightmare Night, and I can tell her everything n my heart.
I just hope she doesn't panic when I tell her. I want her to understand how I feel about her, nothing more. I can't and won't force her to love me back.
Luna left the Mayor's office and came out to see the Nightmare Night decorations show off the real spirit of the holiday outside. There was a festive mood around the city, with just enough spooks to live up to the name. It felt weird knowing there was an event dedicated to her unlike with Celestia, but it was a lot of fun regardless.
There was one hotel room in town, and she checked into it without warning. The staff was furious in trying to make her accommodations anything like in Canterlot, but she shrugged it off and said it was not necessary to be happy.
After they had finally left, she climbed into the bed and gushed again about Twilight, and kept fantasizing about tomorrow night. She was still hoping for the best, and that Twilight would say she loved her back. However, such thougths felt more like part of a dream than any reality, a realization which deflated her. Still, she was optimistic as she pulled the covers on.
Before she could fall asleep, her horn buzzed with energy that caused her to sit back up. Within seconds, a sealed letter, along with a quill, parchment and a bottle of ink, appeared before her. Clearly the work of Celestia.
She opened the letter, and fell back in laughter after she read it.
To my sister Luna,
How are things going for you? Twilight told me you were acting a little weird today, so I wanted to check up on you. I know last time you were in Ponyville you were sad until the very end.
And things back home are doing great. I might have finally figured out how to take care of Blueblood's "problem" with this new potion I created just before I wrote this. It changes the personality of the pony that drinks it to the polar opposite. While this might make him a lot messier, he will also be a lot nicer. In short, he will be a lot like Big Macintosh.
As you saw, I gave you some materials so we can be pen pals while you're gone. I do want to stay in touch, even if you're just gone for a couple of days. I just want to make sure you're fine. I'm starting to sound a lot like Mom now, I'm sorry about that.
Signed, Your Sister Forever,
Celestia
After her laugher subsided at the end of the second paragraph, she went to work writing a reply letter to Celestia. It was just a bit long, but she sent it along using her magic anyway.
For Celestia,
It was so thoughtful of you tosend all of that for me. I don't think it's a problem at all, Mother was a terrific mare and you should be proud to be anything like her. I inherited everything from Father, and it shows with my cutie mark.
Everything is different and the same like before. As you suggested, I went in as Nightmare Moon, and it had the same effect as last time. Just like back then, Twilight was the only pony who wanted to talk to me. You have no idea how fortunate you are to have her under your wing, she is one of the most heartwarming ponies I have had the pleasure of meeting.
And please do give Blueblood that potion. The next stallion to use my wings as an umbrella during a downpour deserves nothing short of the worst from you. Perhaps it would be better to give him two doses, as a single dose might not have any effect on such a stubborn pony.
Do it for me,
Luna
Back in Canterlot, Celestia laughed and did think it was a good plan to give Blueblood two potions. Anything that would make him more bearable would be worth it.
Then she read the two lines about Twilight. It was obvious, in fact far too obvious, that Luna was madly in love with her student. Celestia proceeded to write a letter to Luna, but after a moment's consideration, she stomped it into the ground to be sure nopony could read it.
Dear Luna,
I know you love Twilight Sparkle. Just don't break her heart, and I will be fine with anything you two decide to go.
Signed,
Celestia
She couldn't bear to do that to Luna. This was something very deep and personal to her, and Celestia wasn't going to ruin it by getting involved tonight. She commanded a servant to toss it in the fireplace, so nopony would know it even existed other than her.