By the Beautiful Moonlight on a Nightmare’s Night
Written by TheCrimsonDM
It was another Nightmare Night and even with all the fright things felt just right. At least that’s what Luna would prefer to be saying but she had made the capital mistake of returning to Ponyville on this hallowed eve and found the town filled with ponies doing their costume thing and throwing pumpkins with catapults… okay the last part she really enjoyed. As for her she was venturing around the town in her less than terrifying witch costume, hat in all. She wanted to join the festivities again but after scaring a bunch of foals which always made her feel squeamish inside even if they ended up enjoying it, she wanted something less scary and more warming.
This was the wrong night to be asking for such things. Even in her normal costume simply trying to enjoy the fun, few ponies were strong willed enough to keep themselves calm around her. Except for Twilight and her Friends but she spent almost every Nightmare Night with them, the tired but true formula was growing old. She needed a new pony to befriend, a new source of warmth. Once upon a time she had found somepony here, a strong, handsome thing that had a particular taste of apples when she kissed him on the ferris wheel, but aside from that one encounter with her heroic stallion she’d failed to find him a second time.
Again and again she’d come to these events looking for him but never finding him. She was always too hesitant to ask the friends she did have here, after all what would they think of her if they realized she was mostly coming here to look for a singular stallion. It wasn’t’ that she didn’t enjoy their presence she just wanted his warmth. So once again she found herself here, in the middle of a costumed nightmare, scanning the crowds for any sign of tall red and handsome only to be left with nothing. No clues, no sightings. No nothing.
Could she really keep doing this to herself? Coming here year after year in hopes she might just catch a glimpse of the one pony she had kissed that one singular time. The one pony who treated her not as a princess but as an equal, who gave her an honest challenge in a hoof wrestling match, then lost in the next one to her sister, who won her a giant stuffed animal, joined a pie eating competition and made her entire world… no. She couldn’t. She was being immature about this and she would have to realize that the stallion she had met only appeared once, in a fair, and was likely just a traveling pony who would never again grace her sight.
Some Princess of Night she was if she couldn’t even find a single stallion…
That settled it, she wasn’t going to find him but she could still have fun. Twilight and her friends went to the Apple farm did they not, a place where they could have fun in a maze and see spooks that although childish were still fun to experience. She too would go and join the festivities. After all, she was a fan of playing some practical japery and she had an idea or two on how to scare them into a fright. Not the yellow one though, she was off limits for some reason but the others. She liked her lips. They were fair game.
***
“What do you mean they all left? Even the pink pony?” Luna complained to the venerable giant mummy.
“Ayep.”
“No!” Luna sat down, defeated. She had no idea where they were and this mummy had no idea either. “I came here looking for a handsome stallion, then her friends and now she is all alone, again and… I don’t know what I’m even doing anymore.”
The stallion reached out, hesitated but then went forward with the motion of patting Luna’s shoulder. “Ah know the feeling. Mah sisters leave me alone every year too.”
Luna glanced at him. “Well… at least you’re a friendly mummy. Is it okay if I sit here with you for awhile?”
The stallion’s face mask lifted as if he was grinning underneath his bandages. “Not at all.”
Luna leaned her back against the barn. “This is unfair. I wanted to scare them… and then maybe have fun. This is the one night a year anypony wants anything to do with me. Aside from that one day… the one day where I met the most amazing stallion here in Ponyville. The red muscular hunk who smelled of apples. But he’s gone, so are my friends, and so is my night.”
The stallion was quiet for a moment but leaned his back against the wall in a matching fashion to Luna. He was surprisingly big, even for a stallion. Almost her size even. His eyes drifted up the night sky as he spoke. “Ah get it. Met a gal few years ago that Ah liked. Been looking fer her ever since. She likes the night, and is friends with mah sis but every time Ah find out where she is she just disappears like when the beautiful moon hides behind a cloud.”
She looked up over at him and realized that tonight the sky was completely clear of any clouds and the moon was full and bright offering its pale light to all those beneath it so they could see. “Well you get to enjoy the moon tonight.”
“Ayep.”
For a few minutes they sat there in silence staring at the moon, watching it in the night sky. It was quiet and peaceful here on the farm. She was sad about missing her friends again but it wasn’t the end of the world. Maybe this was how the stallion was feeling too. In fact she didn’t even know his name. “You, what is your name?”
He laughed. “Name’s Big Mac.”
She looked at him. Why did he laugh? Was it the way she asked, surly other ponies demanded his name before. Or was she missing something? Oh right, she was missing something. “My name is Luna. It is a pleasure to meet you Big Mac.”
He glanced at her something about the way his eyes sparkled in the moonlight was almost magical. “Pleasure’s all mine, Luna.”
He was friendly, friendly enough that either he didn’t realize that her impressive size meant she was an alicorn, along with her name, or maybe… Luna stood up straight. “You, Big Mac. Do you ever Hoof Wrestle?”
Big Mac flexed his foreleg. “Ah reckon Ah know a bit about that.”
A devious smile flashed across her lips. “I challenge you to a hoof wrestle.”
He stood up and shook himself off. “Yer gonna lose you know.”
“Oh, we’ll see about that.”
He led her over to a local tree stump and sat across it. Once sat down he offered not his left hoof like most who wanted to give her a handicap would, but his right hoof which was likely his good leg. She sat down and met his eyes. “Oh ho, you look cocky.” She grabbed his hoof with hers. “Let’s see if you can keep smiling once I-“
Without warning he had already began. Much to her surprise she actually had to put effort into not losing this match. It took a lot of strength and her muscles were starting to burn from the effort but she pushed his leg back up and they were deadlocked for a moment. He was grinding his teeth and sweat was beading on his brow. She felt much the same on her end. They were both trying their best and Luna knew it. Nopony ever really tried against her even though she could beat the best of them. With a bit more strength she began to push his leg down. Yes, she was going to be victorious.
Something about the way his hoof felt, the strong yet somehow gentle grip he had, and the apple scented breathe from his breathe as he struggled made her think. She didn’t consider the consequences as she used a bit of magic to unwrap the mummy tape on his face. Once she did she saw the handsome, rugged stallion staring at her, his brow furrowed in concentration as he struggled to win this match of strength.
It was him.
Her leg went up and then slammed back down into the tree stump as she lost the duel and he looked pleased as punch for his efforts. “That’s to get you back fer last time you know.”
She swallowed. “Are you?”
“The same pony you went and beat in a hoof wrestle a few years ago, ayep.”
Luna could feel her heart racing. He was there. Right there in front of her. After all these years of searching he was there, their hooves touching their eyes locked. He could win the hoof wrestling match, she had a much bigger prize in front of her. Much like all of Luna’s greatest achievements and mistakes, Luna didn’t think as she leaned forward and pressed her lips once more against his. This time she felt him push back. Hot fire raced through her body as a gentle hoof came up and ran through her mane. They kissed passionately for what felt like too short a time once he pulled away.
She swallowed. “I’m sorry. I didn’t think. You had a pony you were looking for and I just…”
He offered a smile. “Didn’t we agree, Ah get to look at mah moon tonight. Mah beautiful moon.”
Luna’s face had never before felt so hot. “Well… I’ll be up all night, so you can keep looking as much as you like. Who needs the others anyway?”
This time Big Mac leaned up and in for a kiss. Just before their lips met a second time he whispered, “You and Celestia were the only ponies who ever beat me in a hoof wrestle, thank you.” Their lips met once more and it was like the world had finally righted itself after so many years of solitude. She had found somepony who was willing to treat her as an equal, as a pony.
And she wouldn’t give him up for the world.
***
Rarity watched Luna and Big Mac’s second kiss with tears in her eyes as she withdrew her head from their hiding place in the bushes. She sniffled. “It’s so beautiful.”
Applejack grunted. “How’d you know this would happen?”
“Oh darling, Luna’s been chasing somepony for years, same with Big Mac. I just figured if we put the two together for five minutes they might find each other.” She looked back through the bushes from their hiding place. “Who’d ever guess they were really looking for each other.”
Applejack was silent for a moment before asking, “Um… if those two get hitched, does that make us royalty?”
Rarity’s eyes widened. “Oh… oh dear. I might have to jump up on my game plan. Do you think Twilight’s alone tonight?”
“Game plan?”
Rarity offered a sly grin. “Well I can’t very well lose the royalty marriage competition to you like this now can I?”
Applejack facehooved and Rarity laughed. This was probably the most successful Nightmare Night of all time.