This is Nightmare Night
Singers: Ponyville Citizens
[Citizens]
Colts and fillies of every age,
Wouldn't you like to see something strange?
Come with us for thrills and chills,
In our town of Ponyville…
This is Nightmare Night, this is Nightmare Night!
Pumpkins scream in the dead of night!
This is Nightmare Night; don’t you think it’s quite a sight?
Trick or treat till the neighbours all die of fright
It's our town, everybody scream
In our town’s Nightmare Night scene…
[Applejack]
I am the scarecrow filled with straw instead of bone,
Standing in the field when you think you are alone…
[Zecora]
I am the witch lurking who knows where,
Gown made of webs and spiders in my hair…
[Citizens]
This is Nightmare Night, this is Nightmare Night
Nightmare Night! Nightmare Night! Nightmare Night! Nightmare Night!
In this town we call home,
Everyone hail to the midnight song!
[Mayor Mare]
In this town, don't we love it now?
Everybody's waiting for the next surprise
[Citizens]
Deep in the night’s dark shroud, piloting the thunder cloud,
Shadow Dash is waiting now to pounce, and how you'll...
[Colts and Fillies]
Scream! This is Nightmare Night!
Blue and black!
[Pinkie Pie]
And pink and white!
[Pipsqueak]
Aren't you scared?
[Zecora]
Well, that's just fine!
Say it once, say it twice!
Take a chance and roll the dice!
Ride with the moon in the dead of night!
[Rainbow Dash]
Everybody scream, everybody scream!
[Citizens]
In our town’s Nightmare Night scene…
[Twilight]
I am the wizard with the bearded face,
Here in a flash and gone without a trace!
[Fluttershy]
I’m the one hiding, calling out "Who's there?"
Voice as soft as the wind blowing through your hair…
[(Fake) Nightmare Moon’s Shadow]
I am the shadow on the moon at night,
Soon I’ll return to claim my right!
[Citizens]
This is Nightmare Night, this is Nightmare Night
Nightmare Night! Nightmare Night! Nightmare Night! Nightmare Night!
[Colts, Fillies, and Pinkie]
Sweets and candies everywhere,
Life's no fun without a good scare!
[Citizens]
Look around, it’s quite the sight,
In our town of Nightmare Night!
In this town
[Mayor Mare]
Don't we love it now?
Everybody's waiting for the next surprise
[Citizens]
Shadowbolt Dash might catch you in a flash,
And strike her lightning,
Make you jump out of your skin
This is Nightmare Night, everyone scream
Wont' you please make way for a very special guest?
Our fair Luna is Queen of the Midnight Moon
Everyone hail to the Midnight Queen now!
This is Nightmare Night, this is Nightmare Night
Nightmare Night! Nightmare Night! Nightmare Night! Nightmare Night!
[Colts and Fillies]
In this town we call home
Everyone hail to the midnight song
[Citizens]
La la la la-la la [Repeat]
Everyone cheered as the song reached its conclusion. The town had been working on their Nightmare Night celebration for weeks now. Ever since Princess Luna graced their town last year, they had decided to pull out all the stops in celebrating the holiday. The Princess had even agreed to return to Ponyville to join their celebration, being honoured by the town’s devotion to the holiday. The way the town saw it, Canterlot had effectively made Hearth’s Warming Eve their holiday with the Equestrian Founding Pageant, so Ponyville would make Nightmare Night theirs with a town-wide anthem for the holiday.
“Citizens of Ponyville!” Mayor Mare said, stepping up to the podium in her clown costume. “I hereby declare this Nightmare Night celebration to be a smashing success!”
The town cheered exuberantly. The collective roar was even enough to drown out Princess Luna’s cheering; whose powerful voice rivalled the mighty roar of the Ursa Major itself.
“Now, I’d like to give special thanks to our town’s resident party organizers, Pinkie Pie and Twilight Sparkle, who both helped write, choreograph, and direct the Nightmare Night song, as well as setting up the activities and decorations for our fair town!”
The cheering continued as Twilight Sparkle and Pinkie Pie stepped forward on stage and bowed their heads.
“And finally, I’d like to thank Princess Luna for gracing our town with her presence once again. Without your visit last year, we would have never been inspired to create a celebration as grand as this!”
Princess Luna stepped forward and dipped her head as the town cheered louder than ever. The Princess stepped to the podium and its microphone (not that she needed it), and addressed the town.
“Loyal subjects,” Princess Luna said. “We are touched by your appreciation and sheer effort in making this holiday special. We are happy to royally decree that “This is Nightmare Night” will be the official Equestrian anthem for Nightmare Night, and that Ponyville will henceforth be the official town of Nightmare Night!”
Once again, the crowd cheered. It was a wonder they hadn’t tired out at this point. Mayor Mare stepped forward to receive a plaque from the princess, shaped as the symbol of Nightmare Night, a silhouetted profile of the lunar princess against a crescent moon.
“Thank you, Princess Luna! Now then, feel free to enjoy the many snacks, games, and activities about the square! Happy Nightmare Night everypony!”
The crowd began to scatter about the town, taking in the Nightmare Night atmosphere as they milled about the town square. However, one cloaked pony slinked down an alleyway, breaking away from the main celebration. The figure made sure no one had followed her, before removing the hood. Silvery blue hair cascaded around the pony’s azure coat, and the pony angrily stomped the ground.
“Ugh! Curse that Twilight Sparkle!” Trixie quietly vented. “That should be Trixie up there, having this stupid town eating out of her hoof!” She glanced around, before sighing. “Relax, Trixie, remember why you’re here…”
She quickly pulled her hood back on, and proceeded down the alleyway. She eventually came out at the edge of the town, and looked to the edge of the Everfree Forest. The zebra was leading a group of foals into the forest, no doubt to make the traditional offering to the Nightmare Moon statue that stood in the woods.
Trixie pondered for a moment about what happened to the candy, whether Princess Luna came and scooped it up to split with Celestia or something like that, but she shook her head. She was getting distracted. What was important was that the zebra was pre-occupied, and her hut would be uninhabited.
Trixie darted into the forest, careful to avoid detection, and followed the route she had taken when she was originally forced to flee the town. She remembered stumbling upon the zebra’s hut, and upon peering in, she saw the walls lined with potions, elixirs and arcane artifacts. Surely something in there would help her get back at Twilight for humiliating her.
She finally arrived at the shack, and peered in the window. It was just as she remembered it, though this time unattended. Slinking over to the door, she was lucky to find it unlocked, and slowly pushed the door open. She trotted inside, and began examining the walls. Hundreds of potions beheld her, but none were labeled. She wasn’t interested in any of these, however, as she knew that the zebra wouldn’t make anything harmful. She did suspect that the zebra might have a collection of dangerous objects stored away someplace, so as to keep them out of ponies’ possession.
After a bit of snooping, she discovered a cabinet. However, upon attempting to open it, it proved to be locked. “Hmph. Child’s play,” Trixie said smugly, and her horn began to shine. There was a soft click, and the cabinet slowly swung open. Inside there were all manner of amulets and trinkets. “Which to choose…” Trixie pondered aloud. However, before she could examine them closer, there was a voice at the door.
“Who are you, to be so bold, as to break and enter my abode?”
Trixie spun on the spot, and there at the doorway stood the furious zebra. The zebra looked past the showmare, and noticed that the cupboard was open. Her eyes widened in alarm.
“Do not meddle with those tools!” Zecora cried. “Their power has claimed many fools!”
Trixie’s mind raced as Zecora stepped forward. She needed to get out of there, but she wouldn’t leave with nothing. Her horn lighting, she grabbed onto the first things she felt her magic touch, and charged past the zebra, knocking her aside, spilling the cupboard’s contents. As she disappeared out the door, Zecora quickly righted herself and made to chase after the thief. However, she had no way of telling where the unicorn went. Instead, she quickly moved to the spilled artifacts, and sorted through them, trying to find what was stolen.
As she collected everything up and returned it to its proper place, she ran through a list in her head. Upon figuring out what was missing, she gasped.
“No… not that… it can’t be true… With that… there’s no telling what she’ll do!”
Trixie stopped as she came into a clearing of the Everfree Forest, panting. Looking behind her, she was relieved to discover that she wasn’t being followed.
She then decided to determine what exactly she had taken. She levitated the object over in front of her, examining the object closely. It appeared to be a lamp of some sort, a rusty gold colour, and humbly decorated with a simple pattern formed in its surface.
A smile spread across Trixie’s face. The fact that it was stored with what she assumed were dangerous artifacts could only mean that the myths she heard were true.
Trixie had just come into possession of a genie’s lamp.
Trixie eager rubbed the side of the lamp with her foreleg; mind already set on what she was going to wish for. A crimson smoke began to pour out of the spout, which pooled around the mare’s legs. A pillar of the smoke rose up in front of her, and it began to become more opaque and definite in form, before forming into a unicorn mare’s upper body. The mare opened its eyes and gazed down at Trixie, who in turn looked up hungrily at the apparition.
“Greetings, new mistress…” The genie said. “I-“
“POWER! THE GREAT AND POWERFUL TRIXIE WISHES FOR PHENOMINAL COSMIC POWER!” Trixie immediately barked her wish at the genie, catching her off guard.
“My, someone doesn’t like to waste time…” The genie said. A sly grin spread across her face. “Very well, “Great and Powerful Trixie”, I shall grant you your wish…” The unicorn genie’s horn began to glow, and the smoke that made up her lower body began to envelop Trixie, who was shaking with unbridled glee. As the showmare’s head was the only thing exposed, the genie continued, chuckling. “It’s interesting though, that you’d make that wish…”
“And why is that?” Trixie asked, beginning to feel her body tingle.
“That’s exactly what I wished for.”
Trixie’s expression changed from ecstatic to alarmed as the crimson mist completely enveloped her. The mist began to swirl faster and faster, picking Trixie and the lamp up off the ground, the former merely a silhouetted mass within the smoke as the lamp swirled around it. The genie laughed triumphantly, and dived within the swirling red mass herself. Suddenly, bolts of energy began to issue out from the cloud, which slowly began to change colour, going from deep crimson to brilliant violet, and eventually turning a light azure.
Suddenly, a body was flung from the chaos, that of a red unicorn mare with a vibrant orange mane. Adorning her flanks was the image of a perfectly cut diamond, lodged within a dark, rough stone. Shaking her head and looking up at the swirling smoke, she laughed as it was sucked within the spout of the lamp, Trixie being nowhere to me seen as the smoke cleared. Once it was all taken in, the lamp fell to the ground, rolling to the mare’s feet. She laughed as she levitated the lamp up to eye level, and peered into the spout.
“How are you feeling in there, my friend?” The mare taunted. “Feeling cramped?”
“Trixie demands to know what you did to her!” Trixie’s voice echoed from within the lamp.
“It’s quite simple, really,” the mare said. “You wished for power, so I gave you mine! All of my powers as a genie belong to you now. Of course, with those powers come all the restrictions of being a genie. You are now a servant to the lamp, and by extension, any pony that claims ownership of it.”
“Trixie serves nopony but herself!” Trixie shouted. “Release me at once!”
“I apologize, but I am unable to help you,” the mare replied, smiling. “I lack the power to do so.”
Trixie screamed in rage.
“However,” the mare continued. “As a thank you for trading places with me, I am willing to grant you your other two wishes, provided that they’re within my ability to grant.”
Trixie was silent for a moment, before speaking. “Very well, Trixie will play your little game. Trixie wishes to know how she may free herself.”
“You can’t do anything to free yourself,” The mare replied. “Only your master or mistress may free you, in one of two ways. They must either be a unicorn that wishes for power, as you did, or they must wish for your freedom. Predictably, the former has the higher success rate. Ponies can be so selfish that way.”
Another angered shout issued from the lamp. Another silence came up, as Trixie seemed to be thinking of something. “Very well, Trixie wishes for you to wish her free.”
“I’m sorry, but I can’t do that,” The mare replied. “A former genie cannot become the master of a genie. I would be able to exploit the loopholes of a genie’s magic, being personally familiar, and defeat the true purpose of a genie.”
“Which is?”
“To teach ponies that messing with fate has terrible consequences.”
Trixie groaned again, getting more frustrated. “How is Trixie supposed to get back at Sparkle like this?”
“I’m sorry?” The red mare raised an eyebrow, curious.
“Not that it’s any of your concern,” Trixie replied, “But the reason Trixie obtained this lamp was to take vengeance on a foolish mare that got lucky and made Trixie a laughing stock.”
“Interesting…” The mare replied. “Our choice of wishes isn’t the only thing we share in common.”
“Elaborate at once!” Trixie demanded.
“I too obtained this lamp to put a loathsome cur in her place,” the mare said. “I wished for power, and then I’d make that little foal sorry she ever tangled with Diamond in the Rough!” She didn’t seem to be talking to Trixie for a moment, venting about something that had happened to her. Her focus returned to the lamp. “Of course, things didn’t work out exactly as planned, and I was in the same position you are now. Fancy that. Of course, that was over a thousand years ago, so that pony’s probably long dead by now. I suppose I had the last laugh, despite having spent several of those long, agonizing years doing the bidding of others.”
“A thousand years?” Trixie inquired.
“One of the upsides to being a genie, depending on how you look at it, is immortality,” Diamond explained. “If it weren’t for the imprisonment, then you’d be more powerful than the princesses themselves!”
“Hmm… if Trixie were to find a way to become free, while still retaining her power…”
“Forget it, it can’t be done,” Diamond said, smirking a little bit. “Sorry, but no matter how you look at this, you’ve lost. Now that I’ve gotten to know you a bit better, I can say that I’m at least somewhat sorry about that fact, but I suppose it’s better you than me.”
“Trixie does not lose!” Trixie shouted, the lamp shaking a bit as she did so. “…Trixie has decided on her third wish.”
“Very well,” Diamond replied.
“Trixie wishes for you to take her to Ponyville,” Trixie explained. “It’s the small town just outside the forest. Once there, deposit Trixie’s lamp in the bushes outside the library, the building made from a hollowed out tree.”
“Is there someone you want to find the lamp, perchance?” Diamond asked, smirking.
“Exactly,” Trixie replied. “I may have hit a minor setback, but I can still achieve what I set out to do.”
“Very well,” Diamond replied. “I’ll take you into this “Ponyville”. Perhaps you’ll manage to get free sooner than I did. Or not…” Diamond chuckled to herself before retrieving the cloak Trixie had lost during her transformation. Draping it over herself and depositing the lamp in the pocket, she proceeded through the forest, eventually making her way into Ponyville. The Nightmare Night celebrations had long since met their end, so the streets were cleared and empty.
Diamond skulked around the streets, looking for this “tree library” her replacement had mentioned. Eventually, she located it, and smirked, wondering if ponies these days had any sense at all. Carefully, she walked up to the front door, and stashed the lamp in the bushes, with the handle sticking just far enough out to make it noticeable.
“Very well, Trixie, it is here that we depart,” Diamond said. “I’d like to thank you once again for granting me my freedom. Now, it’s time for me to continue my life from where I left off so long ago.” She glanced around for a moment, before trotting away in a random direction. “I wonder just how much things have changed since that zebra stuffed me in that dank cupboard…” She snickered. “I’ll bet she’s still talking in rhyme, too. Who in Equestria uses a genie to learn how to speak a language?”