//------------------------------// // Chapter Eleven // Story: Eternal Nightmare // by Jgame //------------------------------// Twilight Sparkle and I stood in front of Fluttershy's house. “Don't worry, Princess,” Twilight Sparkle reassured me, “Fluttershy can give you some great pointers. She's delicate and demure with the sweetest little voice.” I nodded in acknowledgement. Twilight Sparkle went up to Fluttershy's door and tapped it softly. “Go away!” Fluttershy screamed, “There's no candy for you here! Visitors not welcome on Night Mare Night!” Twilight Sparkle laughed nervously. “Fluttershy, it's me, Twilight.” Fluttershy opened the door a faction of an inch. “Oh, it is you,” Fluttershy opened the creaking door flully before adding, “oh, and Night Mare Moon.” Fluttershy's pupils shank as she realized what she just said. “Night Mare Moon!” Fluttershy yelped before slamming shut the door. Only a half hour of panic and ostracization and I had already gotten somewhat used to the treatment. This did not bode well. “'Delicate and demure?'” I said flatly. Twilight Sparkle laughed, more of out her nervousness than any appreciation of my strained humour. “Wait right here. Should only take a moment.” Twilight Sparkle went inside the house and shut the door behind her as an immediate racket started up. I leaned over and peeked into a nearby window to find Twilight Sparkle attempting to magically drag an extremely resisting Fluttershy, who knocked over a large assorsement of pots, pans, bags of birdseed, and animal beds in her futile attempt to escape her horrific fate: speak to me without the privilege of screaming in panic and running for the hills. I quickly took my previous place in front of the door as Fluttershy was shoved out of her own cottage. “Fluttershy,” Twilight Sparkle said nonchalantly, “you remember Princess Luna?” Seeing her reaction, I would say she remembers me better than I had ever hoped, I thought. Nontheless, I extended my hoof to her. “Charmed.” “Likewise,” she squeaked. “Twilight Sparkle hath speakest of the sweetness of thy voice. We askest thou to speak as thou speakest.” “Okay,” she said, even softer than before. “Shall the lessons begin?” “Okay.” “Shall we mimic thy voice?” “Okay.” I cleared my throat. “How is this?” “Perfect, lesson over!” Fluttershy said hurriedly before making a mad dash to her home, but Twilight Sparkle slammed the door shut before she could escape. “How is this?” I asked. “Better,” Twilight Sparkle said enthusiastically, “right, Fluttershy?” A small laugh directed to the dirt road under her hooves was Fluttershy's answer. “How... about... now?” I asked. “Now you're getting it!” Twilight Sparkle said. “And... how about now?” I asked, this time speaking in what felt like a mere whisper. “Yes!” Twilight Sparkle exclaimed, “well done!” “I thank thee, dear Fluttershy!” I exclaimed as I gave her an appreciative embrace, “our adjusted speaking voice shall surely win us the hearts of thy fellow villagers.” A pink mare in a chicken costume leading a group of small children trotted anxiously along the road. “Fluttershy!” she called out to us, “You've got to hide us! Night Mare Moon is here and... ahhh! It's Night Mare Moon! She stole Fluttershy's voice so she won't scream when she gobbles her up!” She and the group of children ran away screaming in mass hysteria. “Nay, children, wait!” I said before realizing I had slipped back into the royal Canterlot voice. “I mean... nay, children, no, wait,” I repeated, but they were already out of sight. And behind me, I heard a loud slam of a door, quickly followed by a soft click of a lock. “Come on, Princess, time for plan B,” Twilight Sparkle said. As we journeyed back to Ponyville, an audible sob could be heard from off the path. Twilight Sparkle and I halted. “Maybe we should just keep going, leave him or her alone.” “Mayhaps you can have that luxury as an ordinary pony,” I admonished her, “but as a Princess it is our duty to aid those clearly in need.” “No offence, Princess, but you're having a heck of a time talking to ponies when their in their right mind,” Twilight Sparkle pointed out. “P... Princess?” a voice called out to me. Infectious Happiness stepped out of the darkness of the forest. “Hello, Infectious Happiness.” I said in relief. “H-hey,” Infectious Happiness said as she wiped a tear from her face. I noticed that her mane was nearly torn out from frustration. “What ails thee... you?” I asked. Infectious Happiness took a shaky breath as she composed herself. “It's the Ponyville folk. I keep trying trying to have a friendly chat, but they keep on avoiding me. They started calling me... a freak!” “I'm sorry,” I said. “Hunh?” Infectious Happiness looked at me in confusion. “It it my fault that things are this way. They fear me too much to displease me, so they take their fear out on you. It is my fault.” “I know... it's just... I want them to like me,” Infectious Happiness sobbed. “Why? Do they truly matter to you?” I asked. “Princess...” Twilight Sparkle said. “What do you mean?” “We...,” I started to say before stopping, “I mean that Favourable Outcome and Idle Hooves enjoy your company, as well as Star and no doubt the rest of your family that I haven't the pleasure of meeting. With friends like them, who requires the folk in Ponyville you may never see again?” Infectious Happiness smiled a little at this. “Yeah, I guess you're right, Princess Luna. Actually, speaking of which, do you know where they went off to?” “Anypony here?” Idle Hooves yelled from a distance away. “Over Here!” Infectious Happiness yelled back. “Wait.” I said. I fixed Infectious Happiness's chaotic mane into something much more manageable. “There.” Infectious Happiness gave me a confused look, before she joined Idle Hooves and Favourable Outcome. We had reached the town square of Ponyville once again. Ponies began to gawk at me, and then tremble in place. I looked to the terrified crowd. All that fell under my mild gaze trembled even more. I shook my head. “It is of no use, Twilight Sparkle. They have never liked us and they never shall.” “My friend Applejack is one of the most likable ponies around,” Twilight Sparkle said, “I'm sure she'll have some good ideas.” Twilight Sparkle led me to a wide-open park where a random assortment of things were set up for... what, I could not guess. In one, there was a tub of green liquid with apples floating in it. Another was a set of goalposts with a bowl of spiders provided on a table a throwing distance away. I thought it was awfully inconvenient to have those that far away, if they were used in tandem with each other at all. And last, but certainly not least, was a trio of small, hastily constructed catapults aimed at three respective targets. A moment before the strike team noticed my presence and halted their target practice, I could see they were using pumpkins as ammunition. I noticed a white foal dressed as the infamous Pipsqueak the pirate trying to grab a floating apple from the tub of green liquid. He was small, and had precariously balance himself on the rim as he reached for an apple. An orange earth pony costumed as a scarecrow, whom I reconized almost immediately as Applejack, caught Pipsqueak as he lost his balance and nearly fell into the tub. “Whoops,” Applejack said as she helped him back to solid ground, “careful there, partner.” She turned towards me and then promptly fell to the ground cowering. Twilight gave me an apologetic glance as she leaned down to Applejack. “Uh... Applejack, the princess is looking for a little advice on how to fit in around here.” Applejack took her hooves away from her eyes and looked at Twilight Sparkle extremly skeptically. “'Fit in?' Really?” Twilight Sparkle stared daggers at Applejack, who immediately got off the ground and straightend herself. “I mean... that's easy! All you gotta do is loosen up a bit, be positive, play a few games, have some fun!” “What is this 'fun' thou speakest of?” I asked. Twilight Sparkle and Applejack indicated the table with the bowls of spiders. “Pray tell, what purpose do these serve?” I asked Twilight Sparkle. “Try to land the sp-sp-spiders on the web,” a fushia earth pony masqueraded as a large bee stammered. I picked up a spider with my hoof and judged the distance from where I was to the web. I gave an experimental toss aiming directly for the center, and the spider landed on the ground instead. I felt a pang of disappointment in failure, but an odd desire to immediately try again. “You can do it, Princess!” Applejack called to me encouragingly. This time, I gave my toss slightly more power as I aimed for the top of the web, and it landed in the direct center. A sense of elation and intense statisfaction struck me. “Ha!” I whooped aloud, “your princess enjoys this 'fun!' In what other ways may we experience it?” Twilight Sparkle and Applejack looked at each other, grinning. “Well, ya might wanna try the pumpkin catapult, before we run outta pumpkins,” Applejack said as she led us to the trio of miniature war machines I had seen before. As we walked, I quietly noted that a crowd of curious onlookers had gathered and were eyeing me from a safe distance away. I levitated a pumpkin magically. “Ah-ah-ah, Princess,” Applejack chided, “ya gotta do it without usin' magic.” The crowd of onlookers edged backwards. “Why?” I asked with curiosity. “It's the rules,” Applejack explained, “gettin' the pumpkin on the catapult with your own hooves is part of the fun!” “Ah. My apologies, Applejack and Twilight Sparkle, we were not aware,” I said as I magically set the pumpkin down and began to physically place it on my back. I carefully took the pumpkin over and set it in the catapult. “Fire away, princess!” Twilight Sparkle said excitedly. I pushed down the catapult with my hooves with all my strength, and then let go and stepped back as the crock whizzed by my nose and launched the pumpkin into the air. I watched with delight as the pumpkin gracefully arced right onto the center of the target and exploded with a entertaining splat, spraying orange all over the already orange grass. “Ha ha!” I whooped, “the fun has been doubled!” The crowd of onlookers cheered for me. It was a sound that I had been dying to hear all night. “Why dontcha try bobbing for apples?” Applejack suggested, “we've got the best apples in Equestria here, Princess.” “I ask that thou refer to us... me... as Luna, Applejack. Hear me, villager's! All of you! Call me Luna!” I declared. “Luna...” the villager's whispered amongst themselves. “Show me to these bobbing apples,” I requested of Applejack. A stone's throw away from me, Pipsqueak the pirate was once again at the tub of green water. He leaned over precariously, vying for a distant apple, before falling in. His violent flailing before sinking under the murky water marked him as a colt that had never been taught to swim. With adrenaline fueled speed, I bolted over, threw my head under the surface, yanked him by his shirt with my teeth, and brought him up for air. Immediately, the sound of Pinkie Pie reached my waterlogged ears. “Hey, gals! Anypony seen Pip? We lost him the last time we had to run... aaah! “Night Mare Moon gobbling Pipsqueak! Everypony run!” Pinkie Pie yelled, stirring the townschildren into a frenzied panic. “Help! My backside has been gobbled!” Pipsqueak squealed as he wriggled free from my grip. “'Tis a lie!” I protested, “thy backside is whole and ungobbled, you ungrateful whelp!” I stomped my hoof and summoned a small amount of thunder to make my point, which only caused the remaining crowd to edge away. “Fair villagers, please do not back away,” I pleaded, “let us join together in... fun!” I tossed a toy spider next to the villagers as a gesture of goodwill. The villagers refused it by jumping away from the spider as if it were manure. “Not enough fun for you? How about this?” I asked as I magically enchanted the bowl of spiders with a come-to-life spell. “Huzzah! How many points do I receive?” I asked as they gathered to the web. The villager's were simply fleeing in terror by this point. “Do not run away!” I pleaded. The villager's ran even faster in even more erratic patterns. “As your princess, we command you!” I snapped. The villager's continued in their mindless terror. “Be still!” I shouted in the royal Canterlot voice, my voice echoing throughout the streets of Ponyville. Immediately, everypony halted in their tracks and bowed down to me. “Princess, remember!” Twilight said warningly, “watch the screaming!” “No, Twilight Sparkle!” I said, “we must use the royal Canterlot voice for what we are about to say. “Since you have chosen to fear your rightful Princess rather than love her, and dishonour her with this insulting celebration, we decree that Night Mare Night will be canceled! Forever!”