//------------------------------//
// Night of Nightmares 
// Story: Cold Days and Warm Hearts 
// by moguera 
//------------------------------//

Chapter 5: Night of Nightmares

"Ugh...I feel sick."  Dawn groaned and slumped down on Fluttershy's back, his coat having taken on an unusual greenish tinge.
"After all the cider you drank, I'm not surprised," commented Caramel, "What was that...thirteen mugs?"
"Fifteen," corrected Fluttershy.
"Yeah, you should feel sick," scolded Caramel, "I can't believe you of all ponies would do something as crazy as chug down fifteen mugs of cider.  Rainbow Dash I could understand, but you..."
"Hey!" protested Rainbow weakly from her position on Caramel's back.
"Aw come on!" protested Scootaloo as she walked between the two adults, "A foal should stuff herself with her favorite food until she's sick at least once in her life.  It's like...tradition, ya know."
"Ex-urp-Exactly," said Rainbow, trying desperately not to lose her composure (not to mention the contents of her stomach).
"That probably explains why you haven't grown up at all Dash," sniped Caramel.
"Hey, I've barely gotten any cider every year since-blegh-since Pinkie always hogs it all before I get the chance to have a single m-mug," complained Rainbow, "And this is my last Cider Season before joining the Wonderbolts.  Of course I'm gonna go all-out."
Caramel raised an eyebrow at the mare draped over his back.  "So you want your memory of your final pre-Wonderbolts Cider Season to be one of severe nausea?"
"Ugh, you wouldn't get it?" complained Rainbow.
"Probably not," agreed Caramel.
"Are you going to make it home?" Fluttershy asked Dawn, "We can stop somewhere if you need to.  There are plenty of bushes around."
"I...I think I'll make it," replied Dawn, though there was a tone of uncertainty that made Fluttershy resolve to keep her wits about her in any case.  As much as she loved Dawn, even she wouldn't take the colt throwing up while he was still on her back very well.  "In retrospect," the colt added, "You probably should have stopped me.  I'm...quite amazed that I couldn't stop myself."
Fluttershy giggled.  "I didn't want to stop you," she admitted in a quiet whisper so that none of the others could overhear her, "I've never seen you get that excited about anything before.  It was so cute to see you acting almost exactly like any other foal your age would."
"I appreciate the sentiment," muttered Dawn, "But my stomach would have preferred the restraint."
"Well," said Fluttershy in a more normal tone, "I'm glad you've learned your lesson then.  Next time, you'll know better.  We wouldn't want you to start acting like Rainbow Dash when the next Cider Season comes around."
"Hey, it's still going," Rainbow Dash pointed out, "We'll be swimming in cider all the way up through Nightmare Night."
"You mean you're gonna go out and drink yourself sick every day?" asked Caramel, "Tonight's ride was a courtesy.  But if you're gonna keep doing this, no more pony-rides."
"Fine," groused Rainbow, sulking slightly.
"I think I've had enough cider for one season," said Dawn.
"I'm kinda confused on why you liked it so much," said Scootaloo, "I mean, cider's pretty sweet.  You don't like sweet things."
"Well, Dawn specifically dislikes things that are sweetened with regular sugar," replied Fluttershy, "He doesn't mind the sugars you find in fruit or honey near as much, in moderation at least."  She gave the colt a wry glance over her shoulder.
"I also liked the spices," replied Dawn, "It was something sweet that I could enjoy, with the flavors I usually get from Arkenstone's teas.  It was the best of both worlds actually."
"Huh," mused Scootaloo, "If that's the case, what are we gonna do with all your candy on Nightmare Night?"
"What candy?" asked Dawn with a wary tone.
"Well, that's the entire point of trick-or-treating," Scootaloo pointed out, "The entire point of Nightmare Night is to get a whole sackful of candy so that you can take it back and nosh on it 'til you're so hyped up on sugar you can't sleep."  The filly went into a list of all the different candies she was looking forward to getting and how much she looked forward to stuffing her face with them.  All the while, Dawn's complexion was slowly waxing greener and greener.
Finally, Fluttershy felt his hoof tap her shoulder.  "Mom," he said, clearly barely able to speak, "I need to get off."



The group arrived back at Caramel's house with Dawn feeling slightly less sick and Scootaloo feeling somewhat contrite.  However, there were no hard feelings as the filly exchanged a nuzzle with the limp colt, though they skipped any kisses this time (for obvious reasons).  Taking to the air, Scootaloo gave the group a final wave goodbye before winging her way back to her home.
Caramel and Fluttershy trotted through the front door with their respective burdens.  Caramel smiled wryly at Fluttershy.  "How about we go ahead and put the foals to bed."
"I heard that," growled Rainbow.
"I know you did," Caramel retorted.
Fluttershy laughed lightly at the banter.  "That sounds like a good idea," she said, pointedly ignoring the sullen glare Rainbow was directing at her.
They went upstairs, Caramel taking Rainbow to the guest room that Fluttershy was originally supposed to occupy.  He set about making Rainbow as comfortable as possible, in spite of his earlier jibes.  Meanwhile Fluttershy carried Dawn to the bathroom, where she helped the woozy colt brush his teeth.  She would have been tempted to skip it, just this once, in favor of just letting him sleep.  But she got the feeling that Dawn would prefer to sleep without the taste of what had happened earlier in his mouth.
After Dawn's teeth had been brushed, Fluttershy carried him to his room and tucked him under the covers.
"I'm sorry about this," said Dawn.
Fluttershy leaned over and planted a gentle kiss on the colt's forehead.  "Don't worry," she said, "Let me ask you one thing.  Did you have fun today?"
The ebony colt's lips slowly curled upwards in a smile.  "Yes.  Yes I did."
"Then it's alright.  We can go back for more tomorrow, if you want to."
"If it's all the same, I think I'll take a day off from cider."
That earned a giggle from the yellow mare.  "I can understand that," she said, "Goodnight Dawn."
"Goodnight mom."
Turning out the lights, Fluttershy closed the door to Dawn's room, joining Caramel as he finished putting Rainbow Dash to bed.  The two of them made their way downstairs to the living room.  There, the two of them relaxed on the couch to enjoy the remainder of the evening in each other's company.
"Thank you for letting Rainbow stay the night," said Fluttershy as she leaned into Caramel's neck.
"Well, it's the least I could do," replied Caramel with a chuckle, "It wasn't as though she was in any shape to fly back to her place.  On the bright side, all she drank was the soft stuff, so it's not like she's gonna have a hangover tomorrow morning."
Fluttershy nodded and sighed happily as she pressed up against his side.  "Today was wonderful.  Thank you."
"Shouldn't you be thanking the Apples?" asked Caramel, "It's their cider after all."
"I didn't mean that," replied Fluttershy, "Well...the cider was good too.  What I meant is...being here with you, waking up in your arms, seeing you talking and laughing with Dawn, him eating your meals, all of it.  It really feels like we're a family.  I think that spending the winter here with you was a wonderful idea."
"You're welcome," said Caramel, leaning over and sharing a gentle kiss with his fillyfriend, "We still have plenty of time left, so let's make the most of it."
Fluttershy nodded and closed her eyes, sighing contentedly as she leaned against her stallion.  The two of them stayed like that until the fire had burned down to embers.



The following days seemed to idle their way past with an air of sleepy contentment.  Dawn and Rainbow were no worse for wear when they woke up the morning after their cider binge.  True to her word, Rainbow dashed back to Sweet Apple Acres at the first opportunity, while Dawn and the others decided to forego cider for the day.  Instead, they spent the day paying visits to any of their friends who hadn't gone to get cider.
The day after saw Dawn and Scootaloo returning to Sweet Apple Acres for more cider in the company of Rainbow Dash whilst Fluttershy joined Rarity for a visit to the spa and Caramel went to work to help Bon Bon finish up the last of their orders for Nightmare Night candy.
The day after that was the day of Nightmare Night.  In her boutique, Rarity fretted to frantically finish the cornucopia of costumes commissioned by her customers.  Fortunately, in spite of her having shifted her schedule to better accommodate Flaxseed's acclimation to Ponyville, she hadn't fallen behind and managed to finish every one of her orders, netting a hefty pile of bits to help sustain herself, Sweetie Belle, and their new guest through the winter.
Rarity herself wasn't one to take part in the festivities so much.  Somepony had to stay home to hoof out treats to the foals trick or treating after all.  She also needed to keep Flaxseed company, as the jumpy stallion could hardly be expected to be out and about on a night when the rest of Ponyville was behaving so wildly.  As usual, Pinkie Pie would be the one chaperoning the little ones as they went about their rounds, this time with the addition of Mayweather, who never seemed to stray very far from the pink mare anymore.  Applejack was once again overseeing the festival games and activities set up around Town Hall, while Red River would run the Apple family stand, selling the last cider of the season.  The others all had their own plans.
The most shocking development was that Caramel and Dawn had managed to coax Fluttershy to come out for the evening.  Normally, the canary-colored mare tightly locked her door and completely hid away for the duration of the evening, naturally terrified of a holiday that was about all things scary.  Caramel had promised not to leave her side and that he would protect her from anything frightening, while Dawn joined the rest of the foals in trick or treating.  What Dawn would do with the candy he acquired afterward was a question that remained unanswered for the time being.



"Now hold still Sweetie," cajoled Rarity, "I'm nearly done."
"Awwww, how much longer?" complained the white filly as she tried her best to keep from fidgeting.  It was one thing to be fitted for a dress, like she had been for the Harvest Festival.  But, for a Nightmare Night costume, this seemed to be overkill.
"Don't be like that," said Rarity, pausing to look over her glasses at her younger sister, "You are a princess after all.  And princesses need to look their very best."
"I don't recall Princess Celestia or any of the other Princesses wearing anything like this," mused Sweetie as she gave her costume a looking over.  She was dressed in a flowing white gown with pink highlights.  Once again, Rarity had found that genius balance between form and function, working a petticoat into the skirt, which was mounted on Sweetie's haunches to keep the hem out from under the filly's hooves.  Frills and ruffles abounded, while Sweetie's head was topped by a tall, pink conical headdress, worn just behind her horn and angled slightly backward, with silvery veils emerging from the very tip to drape back down over her shoulders.
"It's old Unicornian style," said Rarity, "I must say, it looks rather good on you.  With some slight adjustments, that would make a most lovely formal gown for when you start taking your colt on more sophisticated dates."
"Rarity!"  Sweetie puffed up her blushing cheeks in frustration, which only made Rarity giggle at how cute Sweetie was being.
"Are you almost ready?" asked Rumble from the showroom, where he waited with his own costume, "Pinkie Pie's gonna be here with the others soon."
"Just a minute," sang Rarity before finally pulling away from Sweetie, "There, done.  Now go and show Rumble your costume."
"Okay!" shouted Sweetie, practically leaping down from her pedestal and bounding to the door.  The filly opened it and walked into join her coltfriend.
Rumble's costume could practically be called a work of art, which it certainly was by Rarity's standards.  Foregoing the standard Royal Guard armor that young colts seemed to favor so, Rarity had helped Rumble to make his costume a match for Sweetie's Unicornian princess garb by modeling his armor off of the Knights Destrier, the armor of the pegasus vassals that had served Unicornian royalty in the era before Celestia.(1)  Though plastic underneath, Rumble's armor had been painted with a silvery sheen, with royal-blue and gold highlights as Rarity sought to recreate some of the beautiful inlays she'd found in the history book she'd borrowed from Twilight to help with the project.  The armor was more all-encompassing than the standard Guard armor.  Rumble's face was covered by a champron, whilst the criniere and croupiere were broader and covered more area.  All four of his legs were also sheathed with greaves.  All of this, combined with the athletic figure Rumble had been developing, thanks to his training with Storm Front, made the colt cut quite the dashing figure.
"Wow," said Rumble as he laid eyes on Sweetie, "You look lovely milady."
Sweetie let out a demure giggle as she fell into character as well.  "Why thank you my dear knight.  Shall we?"
"We shall," said Rumble.
"Have fun darlings," called Rarity, waving from the door to her workroom.
She watched until the door closed behind them.  A smile on her face, Rarity returned to her workroom and cleaned up the remains of her day's work.  She looked forward to a quiet evening, albeit one that was destined to be interrupted several times by the arrival of enthusiastic foals looking for their candy.  Still, it seemed the perfect opportunity.  Thank goodness Scootaloo came by to pick up her costume earlier.  It wasn't easy keeping it a secret from Sweetie.  Now there was nothing left to worry about.
Flaxseed had been in the kitchen, reading a book he'd gotten from the library.  Rarity figured that they could spend the evening, relaxing with a bottle of port that she'd acquired earlier with some accompanying sweets of their own.  Suppressing a giggle, Rarity couldn't help but shake her head.  Even if she wasn't going out in costume to play games or go from house to house with the foals, she had every reason to believe it would be a marvelous evening.



Dawn snapped the last piece of fake armor into place, feeling the slight tickle as its enchantment washed over him.  From the side, Caramel blinked at the change that had gone over the colt.  "Whoa," breathed the stallion, "I gotta admit, that's a pretty cool costume.  Makes me kinda wish I'd put more effort into mine."
It was true that Caramel's costume was nothing special.  To help keep Fluttershy from getting too nervous, he'd decided to avoid any ensembles that would obscure his appearance too much.  As such, he'd donned a black suit, along with a black cape, a black sombrero cordobes, accompanied by a domino mask made from black cloth that had been wrapped around his head.  It was fairly simple as costumes went, but something that would keep Fluttershy from feeling too nervous while she was out with him and actually made a rather handsome figure of the stallion.
However, Caramel's costume was nothing compared to Fluttershy's when it came to sheer genericness.  Colt and stallion turned to look as a white figure slowly poked around the door leading to the entryway of the house.  Slowly, Fluttershy shuffled out.  Her entire body had been shrouded in a plain white bed sheet that had been draped over her entire form, covering even her wings.  The only openings were a pair of holes, through which her teal eyes barely visible.
"Umm...boo...if that's alright with you."
Caramel tried, he really did.  However, the tan stallion in black clothes was unable to keep an undignified snort from forcing its way out his nose.
Fluttershy shrank back a little bit.  "I'm sorry.  Was it too much?”
Caramel was vibrating in place in a desperate attempt to contain his mirth.  Even Dawn was unable to contain the slight chuckles that escaped.  "Mom," he said, "I'm sorry, but you're adorable like that."
To their surprise, that actually seemed to make Fluttershy perk up slightly as she approached.  "Oh good," she said, "I don't really like trying to be scary."
"You're too cute to be scary when you look like that," said Caramel as he beckoned the mare forward with a hoof so that she could press her side against his.
"Oh, thank you," said Fluttershy, glad that the sheet was covering up the pinkish tint of her cheeks.
The group turned at the sound of rapid knocking at the door.  Caramel opened it to reveal...nothing.
A sigh escaped the masked stallion's mouth.  "Aren't you supposed to ask for candy before you start pranking ponies."
"I'm up here."
Scootaloo's voice drew Caramel's eyes upwards.  They widened when he took in the filly and her ensemble.  The stallion's jaw nearly dropped to the floor.
"Don't spoil it," admonished the filly before Caramel could find the facilities to speak, "I want to show Dawn."
"Sure thing," said Caramel, stepping back.  He looked over his shoulder at Dawn and jerked his head towards the door, instructing the colt to go out and see for himself.
Dawn stepped out and looked upwards at the filly hovering above him.  His eyes widened in awe at her "costume."
Scootaloo's costume was less a set of clothing and more a full makeup job.  Her orange coat had been dyed a brilliant emerald green.  The feathers of her wings had been dyed as well, each wing a mirror image as brilliant streaks of color ran across their width, much like the mane of a certain cerulean mare of their mutual acquaintance.  Her mane was covered by a feathered-shawl that showcased several plumes in a similar rainbow of color.  More plumes had been woven into the hairs of her tail as well.  Though they weren't near as long, the plumes reminded Dawn of the ones Spitfire wore when she merged with Ouranus.  It was a beautiful balance of color that amazed the colt at how Scootaloo could wear such an ensemble and yet not appear completely garish.
"You look amazing," he said, staring unabashedly at the filly.
Scootaloo swooped down with a giggle and planted a quick peck on Dawn's lips.
"What are you dressed as?" asked Caramel, following Dawn out the door.
"Ooh," gasped Fluttershy as she joined the group, "Are you a coatl?"
"Yeah!" exclaimed Scootaloo.
"A what?" asked Caramel, looking at Fluttershy along with Dawn, the colt's expression indicating that he also wanted to know what Fluttershy was talking about.
"A coatl," said Fluttershy, "They're beautiful feathered serpents that live in the southern jungles.  They're actually distant relatives of dragons, but they're supposed to be very gentle and friendly.(2)  I've always wanted to go and see them for myself someday."  She heaved a disappointed sigh.  "But they live outside of Equestrian borders and going to see them is expensive."
Dawn quickly fluttered over to nuzzle his mother's cheek.  "We'll go down there someday," said the colt, "If they're even half as beautiful as Scootaloo looks then I'd love to see them too."
Scootaloo counted herself lucky that her green makeup hid her blush.  "Come on," she said, rushing up to Dawn, "Less sap and more candy!  Let's move!"
Before the colt could protest, Scootaloo was already hauling him down the street, leaving a giggling Fluttershy and a chuckling Caramel in their wake.
"It looks like Dawn's going to have a fine night," observed Caramel before offering a hoof to Fluttershy, "Shall we?"
Suddenly remembering what they were going to be doing, Fluttershy's mirth fled.  She nervously nodded to Caramel and took his hoof.  "Y-yes."
"Don't worry," said Caramel, pulling her to his side, "I'll be with you the whole time.  If it gets too scary for you, let me know and we'll go home."
"O-okay."
The two of them, with no small amount of reluctance on Fluttershy's part, set off into the night.



"Nightmare Night!  What a fright!  Give us something sweet to bite!"
After listening to the foals' singsong delivery of the classic line, the mare smiled obligingly as she hoofed over a few portions of candy into each of their bags.
"When exactly does Princess Luna arrive?" asked Dawn, glancing over at Apple Bloom as the group made their way to the next house.
Bloom was outfitted in some bizarre combination of costume and contraption.  Her entire body was encased in what appeared to be bronze and gold armor, though the seams of which could be seen a series of gears and shafts that turned in conjunction with her movements.  Bloom had explained that she'd gotten the help of Time Turner, Ponvyille's primary mechanist, timekeeper, and clockmaker, to create her costume.
"Well, let's see," said the clockwork filly, "She usually shows up just after Mayor Mare kicks off the openin' ceremonies at Town Hall."
"And she comes every year?"
"That's right," added Spike, from where he walked next to Bloom.  His costume was somewhat similar to Caramel's, consisting of a black cloak and hood, while a white, full-face mask covered his features.  "After the rocky start the first time she visited us, Princess Luna really hit it off with everyone and loves Nightmare Night now."
"She's crazy good with the pranks," added Scootaloo, "She'll scare the cutie mark right off'a you."
"I'm sure," said Dawn, raising an eyebrow.  He was certainly interested in meeting the Princess of the Moon, the pony who possessed the same condition as him and Flaxseed, and the mare for whom the condition had been named.
"But that's not for a while yet!" exclaimed Sweetie, "Come on everypony!  We have plenty of time to hit up some more houses before the ceremonies start."
The group quickly made their way to the next house in line while Pinkie Pie and Mayweather trailed behind them, keeping an eye on the smaller foals that accompanied them.  The party made their way from house to house, slowly moving towards the town's center.  When they arrived, they saw that the full festival had already been laid out.  Just as with the Harvest Festival, there were games to be played and prizes to be won.  But all that took a backseat to Mayor Mare and Zecora as they officially started the night, the zebra laying down the story behind the night in her typical rhyme whilst entertaining everypony with her magical powders, calling forth illusions that made the foals scream.
When Zecora finished, there was a crack of thunder from overhead.  Everypony tilted their heads upwards to see a chariot descending down from on high, pulled by ponies with the very same bat-pony glamour that had been cast over Dawn.  As the chariot came in for a landing, the midnight-blue form of Princess Luna bounded off with another boom of thunder, spreading her wings wide as the shifting starscape of her mane and tail billowed out behind her.  Her body was decked out in dark-blue armor and turquoise eyes of her Nightmare Moon aspect.
"GREETINGS MY DELICIOUS LITTLE PONIES!  YOUR PRINCESS COMMANDS YOU TO ENJOY THESE FESTIVITIES WHILE YOU STILL CAN!  FOR, IF YOUR OFFERINGS OF SWEETS AND TREATS DO NOT BRING ME SATISFACTION, I HAVE TO DEVOUR YOU INSTEAD!"
Princess Luna's voice rippled through the air like a shockwave, making buildings shudder and windows rattle.  Foals and adults alike scattered screaming, albeit with an undercurrent of laughter that indicated it was all in good fun.  Princess Luna helped them along, her horn conjuring explosions of lights and noise just behind ponies as she flew back and forth along the width and breadth of the plaza.  When she finished, Luna set herself back down on the ground, laughing merrily.  It was only a few moments before ponies started streaming back into the plaza to return to their games and purchase various treats from vendors, many of them pausing to exchange cheerful greetings with the Princess of the Night.
On the fringes of the party, Caramel turned to Fluttershy, who had tucked herself beneath his cape and was shuddering in terror as she huddled in his arms.  "Hey," he said, "It's okay.  The scary part's over now."
"O-oh..." squeaked Fluttershy, poking her covered head out from beneath the cape, "Is it r-really."
"Yeah," said Caramel, smiling as he gently coaxed her out of hiding, "Come on, I'm sure the Princess would love to say hello to you."
"That I would," said Princess Luna as she approached the pair, her illusory armor crumbling away and her eyes returning to normal, "My apologies, fair Fluttershy.  Had I known that you would be partaking in the festivities this year, I would have toned down my entrance."
"I-it's a-a-a-alright," said Fluttershy, still shaking from the residual shock, "I-I wouldn't w-want everypony to miss out on m-my account."
Caramel chuckled and planted a kiss on the sheet over her forehead.  "You don't have to worry about that Fluttershy," he said, "I don't think anypony would mind."
"Ah!"  Princess Luna blinked as she took in the sight of Caramel and Fluttershy together.  "Are you, by chance, special someponies?"
"Y-yes we are," said Fluttershy, her voice barely above a whisper.
Luna's eyes widened and her face broke into a happy smile.  "It pleases me to see that you've found a pony to spend your time with.  I am sure he will make you quite happy indeed."
"He already does," breathed Fluttershy, leaning against her coltfriend with a blissful expression.
"Wonderful!" exclaimed Luna, clapping her hooves.  Leaning in, she gave Caramel a sly look as she whispered into his ear.  "I pray you make her a very happy mare.  For if I find that you have hurt her in any way, I will be more than happy to provide you with an all-expenses-paid excursion to the moon.  Am I clear?"
"C-crystal," whimpered Caramel.
Fluttershy frowned, having heard Luna's words.  "Princess Luna, while I'm happy that you're looking out for me.  I would prefer it if you didn't threaten my coltfriend."
Luna laughed as she pulled back.  "Sorry, but I couldn't resist.  You and the others are all my precious friends."
Fluttershy sighed at Luna's protectiveness before giving the alicorn an inquisitive look.  "By the way, have you met Dawn yet?"
"You mean your son?" asked Luna, "No, I haven't yet.  Perhaps we should find him so that we can be introduced."
"I'm right here."
Luna turned around to see the colt standing directly behind her.  Dawn had removed the helm and criniere of his armor, breaking the enchantment so that the bat-pony appearance faded.  He stared up at Luna with the very same eyes she had descended into Ponyville with.
"Truly," said Luna with a sharp intake of breath, "It is most off-putting to see my eyes on the face of another pony.  You are Dawn Lightwing then?"
"I am," said Dawn with a respectful bow, "I'm pleased to finally meet you, Princess."
"As am I," said Luna, "Tia kept information concerning you, your condition and...other things, from me.  I'm sure she was trying to spare my feelings, but I would prefer to be kept informed of such things."  She tilted her head as she regarded the colt.  "Could we perhaps speak in private?"
Dawn nodded.  Turning, he offered his bag of candy to Scootaloo, who took the bag before giving Dawn a questioning look.  "Should I come with you?" she asked.
"Wouldn't you rather continue with the others?" asked Dawn, gesturing to the group of foals, who were being herded back together by Pinkie and Mayweather after Luna's spectacular entrance had scattered them.
"I'd rather stay with you," as she sidled up against Dawn, tucking her body beneath his wing.  It was a bit awkward, as his armor felt a bit uncomfortable when it was pressed up against her, but she was able to bear with it.
"If that's alright?" said Dawn, looking up at Luna.
Luna stared for a second.  "Oh my.  I had no idea that you had found a special somepony as well, Scootaloo."
"Yep," she said, grinning at the Princess, "And don't you even think about trying to threaten him.  I'll kick your butt."
Luna let out a booming laugh that rumbled across the town before she realized that she'd inadvertently switched back to the Royal Voice.  Blushing, she covered her mouth with her hooves.  "My apologies.  Let us adjourn elsewhere then."
"I think I know someplace we can go," volunteered Fluttershy.
"Lead on then," said Luna, gesturing for the sheet-covered mare to take the front of the group.
Fluttershy and Caramel walked in front of Luna, showing the way, while Dawn and Scootaloo walked alongside the Princess, the group making their way away from Ponyville's center.



Ironically, the spot that had come to Fluttershy's mind was the last place she really wanted to be on Nightmare Night.  But the festivities had spread throughout the entire town, along with Ponyville's park.  The undeveloped spaces between the town proper and her own cottage were open to the chill wind that continued to whistle through the trees, which would have made settling over there uncomfortable.  As a result, Fluttershy decided that the best place to hold their discussion would be the place where Nightmare Night would come to an end.
The statue of Nightmare Moon, which had been tucked carefully out of the way in an isolated grove of trees was rarely visited, if at all, during the rest of the year.  It saw only the most cursory of maintenance from the park's caretakers, who found the sculpture unsettling and resolved to spend as little time as possible with it.  Only prior to Nightmare Night did they put forth a true effort to make Princess Luna's darker, more sinister aspect look her best.  At the end of the night, the foals would be led to the statue, where they would leave the customary offering of candy to appease Nightmare Moon and keep her from gobbling them up.  On most years, the candy offering was divvied up between the adults who had helped set up the festivities.  However, ever since she had joined in, Princess Luna had also received a portion of the offerings, which seemed only fair, as the offerings were technically being made to her in the first place.
The ponies and their Princess had arrayed themselves in the space in front of the statue so that neither group was facing it.  Rather, it was as though the statue was a silent third party to their conversation, looking on from the sidelines.  The setup was out of consideration to Fluttershy, who was afraid to face the statue head on, but was also frightened of having the specter of Nightmare Moon lurking behind her while she tried to talk to Princess Luna.  As it was, just being in the presence of the statue was making her shiver with nervousness, which Dawn and Caramel helped alleviate by pressing up against her from either side.  She didn't like this place, but it seemed like the best option as, until the very end of the night, nopony else would be there.
Luna settled onto her haunches, surveying the ponies arrayed before her as she took a moment to sip the tankard of cider she had procured from the Apple Family stall that Red River was currently running.  In front of her, the others were also nursing their own large servings of the warm, spiced drink.  Dawn had set his helm off to one side, while Fluttershy had pulled back the sheet over her head so that it was now bunched up over her shoulders, leaving her head free.  Caramel had doffed his hat and pulled off his mask, setting them aside for the time being.  Scootaloo hadn't removed any elements of her colorful costume, but sipped her cider very carefully to keep the drink from running across her face and making the makeup run.
Setting her tankard down, Luna took a deep breath.  "Let me begin by apologizing," she said, "I am deeply sorry, Dawn Lightwing, for all that you have had to endure thanks to the mistakes I made in my past."
Dawn dipped his head in acknowledgement.  "I appreciate and accept your apology," he said, "Though I don't believe it is necessary.  I can say that, with my appearance, some ponies were likely to judge me a freak anyway even if the Cult Solar had not labeled you as the root of my condition."
Luna sighed.  "That is likely true," she admitted, "Though my little ponies are supposed to best embody the concept of harmony, they have difficulty accepting that which strays away from what they have decided is 'normal.'  It is a great injustice, but not one that is easy to address."
"I've managed," said Dawn, "Right now, there is another stallion in town who shares my condition, albeit with the more typical form."
"Is that so?" asked Luna, "Where is he?"
"He's staying with Rarity," volunteered Fluttershy, "After everything he's been though, he's very...nervous.  He's actually a lot like me."
"If you flipped out and tried to beat the stuffing out of the pony that startled you," muttered Caramel.  He hadn't been on the receiving end of any of Flaxseed's outbursts, but had seen a couple of the gold-colored stallion's lapses.  Given what he'd heard about Flaxseed's past, Caramel couldn't exactly begrudge Flaxseed for being a paranoid mess.  But that didn't make him any less of a danger to the ponies that Caramel cared about.
"Is that so?" mused Luna, "Perhaps I should pay a visit to this stallion as well."  She heaved a melancholy sigh.  "Though he may merely see me as the source of his misfortune."
"I don't really think he will," said Fluttershy, "But I'm not sure how well he'd handle a Princess coming to see him.  You would have to ask Rarity I think."
"That is probably wise," agreed Luna with a nod.
The group took the moment of silence that followed to indulge their cider once more.  It was a bit strange as Luna didn't seem to have any particular purpose for this conversation.  After a moment, she began to ask Dawn questions regarding his life, what it was like before he had met Fluttershy, and what had occurred after Fluttershy had taken him in.  They answered honestly, leaving out nothing.  Luna listened with quiet fascination to the stories of Dawn's battles, from his duel with Storm Front and Red River, to the pitched battle for control of Cloudsdale, to the harrowing fight against Willow, and his mission to rescue an innocent mare from the clutches of a cruel viscountess.
"Truly," said Luna as Dawn wrapped up his tale, "You have been through a great deal for a colt your age.  I can see why two of my sister's Knights have taken such an interest in you."
Something about Luna's words made Fluttershy's eyes widen.  "You said they were Princess Celestia's Knights," she said softly, "Are you worried that you don't have any of your own?"
Luna sighed.  "I might have been jealous.  But Tia formed the Celestial Order of Knights out of necessity.  When there were two of us to share the burden of rule, it was easy for one of us to see to outside problems while the other saw to internal affairs.  However, with me gone, Tia felt the pressure from nations outside our borders, who saw that Equestria had been weakened by the loss of one of its Princesses.
"But Tia has always been too kind for her own good.  She desperately wished to spare as many of our ponies from the pain and bloodshed of war as possible.  She also reasoned that raising an army, even for purely defensive purposes, would be seen as a provocation by our neighbors and might invite the very conflicts she sought to avoid."
"So she turned to investing in creating a group of very few ponies with great power," observed Dawn.
Luna nodded.  "The other thing she desperately wanted was a check on her own power."  Her head drooped.  "Thanks to me, Tia had seen firsthoof that we alicorns are just as capable of going astray as any other pony.  But, because of our great power, only another alicorn could possibly be a check against us.  But, with Tia being the only alicorn left until Cadance appeared, there was nopony to check her power and that troubled her greatly.  The Elements of Harmony had been rendered inert in the process of banishing me and it was many centuries before she worked out how to reactivate them, which eliminated that option for the time being as well.
"While no single Knight may have been a match for my sister, as a group, they would be capable of bringing her down.  It would be a bloody, costly battle, but definitely not beyond the realm of possibility.  So she sought out ponies who possessed both power and wisdom, ponies who had great strength, but the wisdom to not abuse that strength.
"Because of that, in spite of their name, the Knights are sworn to serve Equestria and its ponies before anything else.  When I returned, Tia made sure that the Knights understood that they were not to hold either of us in any higher esteem than the other, that we were to be equals in their eyes.  So, I do not truly need any Knights of my own."
"So...now what?" asked Dawn, wondering where they could go from there.
Luna shrugged.  "To be truly honest, I haven't given much thought to how this would play out.  I can inform you on some developments in our ongoing investigation into the Cult Solar."
"What about it?" asked Dawn, his ears perking up.
"When you left for your journey to Diamond Mountain, a group of cultists came with the intent of attacking you at your home," said Luna.
"If I recall, Red River and Storm Front captured them," said Dawn.
Luna nodded.  "They were brought to Canterlot for questioning, where we learned something very interesting.  Apparently this group of ponies was going against orders by trying to attack you."
"What?" gasped Fluttershy.
"From what we gathered from the prisoners, the Supreme Pontiff himself issued an order stating that there were to be no further attempts on your life," explained Luna.
"That sounds...really unlikely," said Caramel, "Why on earth would they do that?"
Luna frowned darkly.  "Apparently, he has already made his own arrangements for Dawn's...demise.  The ringleader of the group said that their mob had originally been part of a much larger group that had been gathering in Hoofington in preparation for leading an assault on Dawn en-mass when the order came down from the Cult's leadership.  The Supreme Pontiff has designated a pony referred to as the Cardinal to be the one to come for Dawn."
"The...Cardinal?" asked Dawn, tilting his head.
"It would seem that he is second only to the Supreme Pontiff himself," said Luna, "His name is Terra Heart and he is apparently an earth pony.  However, aside from that, very little is known about him."
"Terra...Heart," mused Dawn, getting an ominous sense from the name.  If he was somepony chosen specifically for the purpose of killing me, then he might be very dangerous indeed.
"Excuse me..."
As one, the group turned their heads towards the source of the voice to see Arkenstone approaching them.  The beige stallion wasn't wearing a costume, having apparently skipped out on the night's festivities.
"Oh hey," said Caramel, waving cheerfully at the other stallion, "Come to join us?"
"Actually, I've come to warn you that you should probably think of moving elsewhere," said Arkenstone, "It's nearly time for Zecora to lead the foals here for the offering."
"That would be my cue then," said Luna, getting to her hooves.  She smiled down at Dawn who was also standing upright.  "I hope that we have the chance to speak again in the future."
"As do I," said Dawn.
"Come on!" shouted Scootaloo, hoofing Dawn his sack of candy back and pulling him back the way they came, "We've got to join the others.  You can't miss this!"
Fluttershy and Caramel watched the two of them go, along with Luna and Arkenstone.  Caramel paused to gather up the abandoned tankards.  "We should probably go too," he said to Fluttershy, "You probably don't want to watch this part."
"O-okay," squeaked Fluttershy, pulling the sheet back up over her head again and adjusting it so she could still see out of the eye-holes.  Turning, she bowed slightly to Princess Luna.  "It was nice talking to you, Princess."
"And you as well my friend," said Luna with a fond smile as she watched the couple trot off, leaving her alone with Arkenstone.  "How much did you hear?" she asked the stallion.
"Enough," said Arkenstone glumly, "So...Terra Heart..."
"That is the name the prisoners gave to us," said Luna, "Do you know him?"
"Know him?  No."  Arkenstone shook his head, his expression grave.  "I know of him.  However, there is one pony I know who knows him quite well."
"Is that so?" asked Luna.
Arkenstone nodded.  "Yes.  She does not like to speak of him and, to be honest, there is little to say.  The stallion is a true practitioner of the Mountain Root, quite possibly a master of it by now."
"That is more than a little troubling," said Luna, "If he comes to Ponyville..."
Arkenstone nodded.  "Neither Storm Front nor Red River have the strength to stand against him.  Dawn is also not yet at a level where he could hope to triumph.  But, more importantly...I'll have to speak with the mayor."
"Why?" asked Luna.
"We'll need an evacuation plan," said Arkenstone, his tone darkening, "If Terra Heart comes for Dawn, I will be the one who ultimately has to face him.  If we do battle, then Ponyville might not survive."



In spite of her troubled thoughts, Luna played her role most faithfully and spooked the foals as they came to leave the offering.  She then stayed to see out the remainder of the festivities, doing her best to maintain her composure and not give her friends any cause to worry.  It wasn't easy, but being amongst the foals who loved her so much went a long ways towards soothing her troubled thoughts.  As she boarded her chariot and her Guards began the flight back to Canterlot, Luna resolved to speak to her sister about the situation.  There was a great deal to talk about.  In the flurry of concerns raised by her conversation with Arkenstone, Luna had completely forgotten to pay a visit to Rarity and her charge.



"You know, you didn't have to leave all of your candy at the offering," groused Scootaloo as she and Dawn walked along, Fluttershy and Caramel trailing behind them.
Dawn simply smirked.  "You're only saying that because you know I wouldn't be able to eat much of it and you'd have more for yourself."
"Hey!"
The quartet approached Scootaloo's home.  Pausing at the doorstep, Scootaloo turned and planted a peck on Dawn's lips.  "I'll see you tomorrow, okay."
"It's going to snow," said Fluttershy from her place behind Dawn, "Be careful when you come over."
"Okay," said Scootaloo before disappearing inside her home.
"Now that that's settled," said Caramel, "Let's call it a night."
As the three of them made their way back to Caramel's house, the stars of night were slowly obscured by the arriving clouds.  Just before they reached their doorstep, Fluttershy looked up and gasped to see the first few flakes of snow beginning to fall.
Winter had arrived in Ponyville at last.