How the Foundation Ruined Nightmare Night

by Drefsab


4 - Cinnamon Coating

Finding an enormous Hearth's Warming treat the size of a building shouldn't have been difficult. Where does something like that begin to hide? In the town of Bridle Falls, the answer was apparently "wherever it wants". For nearly twenty minutes the trio had searched for it, wandering between partially crushed buildings and along the town's outskirts with not a single soul in sight. The entire town, it seemed, had been turned into sentient jack o' lanterns, with the mega-cookie as their leader of sorts. Where one went, the others followed.
It was mixed fortune, then, that they'd stumbled upon the first sign of it along a trail leading to the dark expanses of the Whitetail woods. Trees had been scattered and tossed aside like playthings, with large hoof steps on the ground marking where the creature had passed through. Alongside the large imprints, countless circular indentations showed where the gingerbread pony's pumpkin followers had bounded around it.
They found it at last in a clearing just outside of town. It was seated on its crumbly haunches, loudly tearing at a pile of cookie dough that was at least the size of three ponies with its faux-vampire fangs. Its back and head were covered in bouncing, rolling pumpkins that sang to each other and twirled happily in place.

Bramble, Willow and Luna took cover behind a fallen tree, peeking over the top.

"Where the heck did it get all that dough? Ya don't just mix up three hundred pounds of it on a whim."

"I haven't the foggiest, but that's not important. The important bit is that we've finally located the creature. The good news it that he hasn't grown any larger, at least not that I can tell. The bad news is that he's surrounded by the entire town's population turned into jack o' lanterns."

"Eh, could be worse," Bramble shrugged. "Don't ask me how, but it could be." He pulled two large bags from across his back, then set them on the ground and tore them open with a small knife he'd procured from the bakery. "As plans go, I gotta say: this one smells pretty good, though after tonight I'm probably never gonna want to smell cinnamon ever again."

"Are you sure about this?" Willow asked.

"No, but what other choice do we have? Even if that thing doesn't actually hate cinnamon and my aunt is full of crap, the smell of all this stuff will get its attention. Speaking of which, we should hurry this up before it catches wind of us."

Willow patted his side to make sure the saddelbag containing one half of Equestria's ruling demigoddesses was still secured. "Princess, are you snug back there?"

"I am," Luna answered. "Let us make haste, lest we fall prey to the machinations of a living foodstuff. Sir Bramble, I wish you the best of luck in your endeavor. We shall be ready to play our part when the time comes."

Bramble nodded, then took a deep breath. "Alright then. Here goes everything." Clenching his eyes shut, Bramble hefted the bag of cinnamon and dumped it over himself. A cloud of sweet-smelling brown powder erupted from the cascade of spice, causing Willow and Luna to cough and choke. "You think that's bad," he said between hacking coughs, "try being at the center of it. It's gonna take a week to get this stuff offa my coat! So...how do I look?"

"The coverage is good, my friend, but you missed a large patch near your flanks. Best to cover that as well."

"Great. Bottoms up, then." Another cloud of cinnamon puffed out, this time drawing a roar from the gingerbread pony across the way. "I, uh, think it noticed me. How about now? Am I covered?"

"You were covered the first time," Willow snickered, "I just wanted to see you dump another bag of cinnamon over yourself."

"...I hate you. I hate you so very much, Willow."

"Right! No time to waste, the children are awaiting Princess Luna's return! Hop to it, old boy!"

"Yeah, yeah..." Bramble muttered, but stuck out his hoof anyway. Willow bumped his own against it. "See ya soon, 'old...old...AH-CHOO!" A blast of cinnamon struck Willow squarely in the face, coating his glasses with more powder. "Old boy," Bramble finished with a chuckle.

"I suppose I deserved that."

"Yeah ya did. Now, let's take care of this thing and end this nightmare. Oh, right, before I forget." He reached into the saddlebag opposite Luna and pulled out a pair of ear plugs. "Just in case."

Ducking back down behind the broken log -- and removing his glasses to clean them with a small rag -- Willow peeked just high enough to watch his friend trot over in the direction of the creature. Soon, likely very soon, it would be chasing the cinnamon-coated pony. Willow took a final look, made sure Luna was secure, and galloped back to the entrance of the forest.

***

"'You missed a large patch near your flanks,' he says. Jackass." With less than a hoofball field's distance between himself and the massive thing that used to be his lunch snack, Bramble was feeling decidedly cross about having to put himself in such a situation in the first place. It was sort of his fault, but at the same time Willow couldn't exactly claim to have been innocent in all of it. Not that any of it mattered at the moment; what mattered was drawing the creature out to let Willow and Luna do their thing, and then hoping the rest of the plan, such as it was, went smoothly.

Already vaguely aware of Bramble's presence, the gingerbread pony spotted the hapless pony seconds later. At first it sniffed the air loudly, jerking its head back at the concentrated cinnamon smell emanating from the intruder that had dared to get so close. Slowly it stood up on its baked hooves, absolutely towering over Bramble, and roared deeply. Hundreds of pumpkins turned and looked with their unblinking, carved eyes, remaining still as they waited for their impromptu leader to do something about the approaching, un-transformed pony.

Working up all of his courage -- and eager to get ten pounds of increasingly sticky cinnamon off his body -- Bramble shouted as he stopped in place. "Hey! You!" The creature took a step forward. "Yeah, that's right, I'm talking to you, you overgrown pile of junk food! The heck do you think you're doing out here? You belong in my stomach, nutmeg brain! You smell that? That's the smell of your imminent demise! And also cinnamon. But mostly your demise!" It roared again, loud enough to make Bramble's vision blur. "Looks like tall, dark and crumbly has a bit of a complex! Come on, then! I'm right here! Come and get me if you think you can!"

The gingerbread pony lowered its head, and hundreds of former townsfolk came bounding after Bramble all at once.

"...uh oh."

Bramble spun in place and immediately broke into the fastest gallop he could manage, back the way he came, with streamers of cinnamon powder trailing behind him. He glanced over his shoulder and saw the jack o' lanterns managing to keep pace; behind them, the giant cookie creature was picking up speed as its huge form bounded in pursuit.

"Faster...have to...move faster!" he said to himself between heavy breaths. "If I make it...out of this alive....I am never...eating gingerbread...AGAIN!"

By now the pumpkins had begun to sing; a single, harmonious tune that came across as mercifully muted thanks to his ear plugs. He prayed that they would stay in.
For what felt like a very long time he ran, getting a second burst of energy from seeing the entrance to the outskirts of Bridle Falls looming closer.
"Willow! I'm comin' out, and I've brought a whole lotta friends with me!"

***

Near the opening to the forest, Willow and Luna anxiously awaited Bramble's return. It would be a long trot -- or more likely, gallop -- to Bridle Falls' namesake attraction, and part of their impromptu plan involved a dangerous unknown. Luna had brought it up on a hunch, but even she couldn't be entirely sure it would work.

"You know, Princess, I've been thinking about why those pumpkins couldn't entrance me like the others."

"Indeed? I am curious as to your hypothesis," Luna said.

"Well, we know that they sing Nightmare Night songs to lull others into a sort of false comfort, yes? What if their song is some sort of, I don't know...trigger, perhaps? Everypony else in town has grown up here, or at least in the greater Equestrian mainland. For them, Nightmare Night was a regular occurrence, a yearly holiday that foals and parents grew up enjoying -- and learning the songs to. I, however, did not grow up in Equestria for most of my life. In fact, my parents have lived in Zevran for the last twenty-five years. I only moved out here a few years ago to join the Foundation. Nightmare Night was entirely new to me. Thus, I have no connection to those songs."

Pumpkin-Luna looked thoughtful at the idea."Interesting. If your theory holds true, then it is most fortunate that you are with us. Perhaps we can discuss it at length once this has been cleared up. Among other things."

"Heheh...right. Of course." Maybe he'd at least get a larger straw pile to sleep on when they threw him in the dungeons. Saving hundreds of ponies after dooming them had to count for something, right? He thought it over while expecting his friend-turned-possible-cell-mate to come barreling from the forest path.

They didn't have to wait long. With a hollered warning Bramble emerged from the forest with a trail of cinnamon spraying behind him.

"Ya better keep up, 'cause I ain't stoppin' for ya!" he shouted as he met the others, still in a full gallop. Very soon after, the massed jack o' lanterns bounded into view and the towering form of the gingerbread pony burst through the trees with a great snapping of branches and rustling of leaves.

Willow broke into a sprint, slowing down just a bit to stay side-by-side with Bramble. The heavy smell of cinnamon still made him gag. "Are you alright?" he asked, looking over his shoulder. Standing on all four sugary legs, the gingerbread pony was even more enormous than it first looked. It was chasing after them with dogged determination.

"I'm fine! Or I will be once we get rid of this thing!" A pumpkin leapt up onto the creature's shoulders and hurled itself at the two ponies, barely missing their flanks. It was followed by three more, all missing by a hair's breadth. "You two ready?"

"As ready as we'll ever be!" Willow answered. "Princess, if you've come up with a better plan, now would be the time to voice it!"

"Our trials grow by the moment, yet I am without adequate means to properly facilitate a more elaborate--" A pumpkin with a falling star cutie mark zipped by the transformed princess, landing face-first in the soft ground. "Nevermind! I am ready! You may...throw me."

Bramble hid a laugh -- for his own sake -- while Luna hopped out of her saddlebag and bobbled on top of Willow's back. The Princess of the Night, now reduced to being telekinetically hurled by a unicorn who was partially responsible for turning her into a jack o' luna. It was absurd to think about, and equally amusing.

"Right then, Your Highness, on three!" Willow focused his unsteady magic on Luna, struggling to keep his mind from darting between too many thoughts until she could fulfill her part of the plan. Sparkling, light brown magic formed around her and wrapped her in a veil of ethereal energy, gradually lifting her off his back.
"One...two...three!"

With a flaring of light Willow sent a surge of magic through his horn, tossing Luna into a high arc that took her above the creature. It snapped at her as she zipped by. For a few seconds she became a blue dot, floating high above the chaos. Then, gradually, she began to fall again. Using what little magic she had, Luna slowed her descent and landed on the gingerbread pony's back with a thump. It didn't seem to notice, still tirelessly pursuing doctors Willow and Bramble.
The first thing she noticed was the smell, a coyingly sweet mix of spices -- namely nutmeg -- mixed with the wafting scent of Bramble's cinnamon coating. It was, she decided, balancing on a fine line between pleasant and noxious.
The second thing she noticed was the four dozen pumpkins that formed a circle around her where she'd landed. They stared at her with unblinking eyes, seemingly confused by the new, darkly-colored addition to their number.

Luna cleared her voice and focused her minuscule magic into one of the few things she had left -- The Royal Canterlot Voice. If she was right, the others would listen to her as some sort of leader. If she was wrong, Bramble and Willow would soon join their ranks.
"CITIZENS OF BRIDLE FALLS,," she shouted, a strong wind bellowing from her mouth and knocking over several of them, "HEAR MY WORDS! I, PRINCESS LUNA, PATRON OF THYNE NIGHT AND ALL ITS GLORIES, DO HEREBY COMMAND THEE TO CEASE THYNE ATTACKS THIS INSTANT!"
Silence. She hadn't expected them to speak in return, but some sort of reaction would have been useful. Instead, they kept staring at her.
"FOLLOW NOT THE FALSE IDOL OF GINGERBREAD, LEST YE BE TURNED ASTRAY FROM GOODNESS AND KINDNESS AS HAS BEEN THE WAY OF EQUESTRIA FOR COUNTLESS GENERATIONS! FOLLOW THYNE PRINCESS, AND--"

Half a dozen pumpkins ignored her entirely and threw themselves at the ground. Bramble and Willow dodged out of their way and the great cookie roared in anger. More and more of the transformed citizens began to turn away from Luna and continue singing their festive songs, and she bounced in frustration.
"WHY DO THEY NOT LISTEN?!"

Then, it struck her. The songs. They were the basis of everything the pumpkins did. If she could get them to pay attention to her alone, she might be able to keep them occupied until her compatriots could draw the gingerbread creature into the falls -- and with it, the pumpkins themselves. She spent a long moment considering what song it should be. It had to speak to her power and grace while still being a Nightmare Night song. It had to resonate with the memories of all around her. With a deep breath she lowered her voice to a much gentler tone, still projecting it far and wide, but with care and confidence at its core.

"Come little children, I'll take thee away, into a land of enchantment..."
Immediately several of them turned to face her once more.
"Come little children, the time's come to play, here in my garden of shadows..."
A few of them hopped closer. It seemed to be working.
"Follow, sweet children, I'll show thee the way, through all the pain and the sorrows..."

***

Down below, Willow had noticed that no more jack o' lanterns had thrown themselves at him for several seconds. He ventured a look over his shoulder and saw dozens of them gathered around Luna, absolutely still. Even those following along on the ground had taken notice of her, gazing upward as if in a trance. He prodded Bramble with a hoof.
"They've stopped singing!"

"WHAT?!"

"I SAID, THEY'VE...oh, forget it." He yanked the earplugs from Bramble's ears with a magical tug and set them back in a saddlebag.

"Hey! I need those!"

"No, you don't! That's what I'm trying to tell you! Listen!"

It was hard to hear with his own heart beating in his ears and the gingerbread pony plodding behind them, but it was definitely there. A beautiful song, much more gentle and feminine. "Is that Luna singin' that?"

"I can only assume so! Mission accomplished, I suppose!"

"It's beautiful. The song, I mean."

"Indeed it is. The Princess is many-talented, it would seem! We're nearly to the falls, my friend, don't give up on me now!"

"I'm still here," Bramble said, his breathing heavy.

Luna continued her song far above them, keeping the townsfolk occupied and interested in her to the best of her ability. Unfortunately, the gingerbread pony was unaffected by her soft, comforting tones. It continued chasing Willow and Bramble, who were slowly but surely growing more and more tired. Soon they would be exhausted and unable to escape, leaving them helpless before the plodding hooves of their pursuer.

A cool, wet breeze blew in and kissed their faces -- the falls were just ahead. Soon the roar of the water could be heard above the noise of their frantic escape, and with it came a renewed sense of purpose. A second wind gave the researchers the push they needed, and soon they were several paces ahead of the creature.

Willow reached into the saddlebag opposite where Luna had been seated with a glowing of magic, pulling out a jar of swirling, rainbow-colored fluid that bounced against the glass confines as he continued at a full gallop.

"Are you prepared, Dr. Bramble?" he asked his friend.

"If it means getting all this cinnamon off me, then I'm prepared for anything, Dr. Willow," the other laughed.

"Then once again I wish you the best of luck."

Bramble nodded and watched Willow peel off, hoping the gingerbread pony wouldn't follow. Fortunately, it seemed far more interested in the cinnamon-coated pony directly ahead of it, roaring and snapping in vain.

"I do suggest you make haste, Sir Bramble!" Luna shouted as she was about to finish her song. He just needed a few seconds more. He strained his eyes to find the falls. It was around here somewhere, if only he could -- there! Hidden by darkness and obscured by plant growth, Bridle Falls loomed ahead surprisingly close. A cloud of mist billowed from the pool at its base, rolling over the ground like a living thing, fed by the cascading water falling from above.

"Almost there..."

***

Willow popped the lid from his precious cargo, eyeing it nervously as he stood beside the roiling waters. The waterfall's pool was surprisingly deep, and wider than it looked, but his timing had to be perfect; if he dumped the potion too soon, it would become diluted and dissipate before the creature could get to it. Wait too long, and the concentrated fluid might just make the situation worse...and possibly cause everything in the area to grow to an equally monstrous size.

"We're comin' in!" he heard Bramble shout, the gingerbread pony still hot on his hooves. "Get ready!"

***

It was close, now. Too close. Sensing the pony's weakness, the creature snapped with its pasted-on vampire fangs, yanking hairs from Bramble's tail.

"Hey, personal space!" Bramble yelled back over his shoulder. Willow was ready with the jar floating off to the side, ready to be mixed into the waterfall. He hoped Willow knew what he was doing. He hoped they were right about the magical fluid being its own counter. He hoped they would keep their jobs and not end up banished to whatever dungeons Luna had in mind for them. Most of all, he hoped he would never smell cinnamon again.
"Come on, ya walking culinary disaster! You want me, then come get me!"

Bramble's hooves touched the edge of the pool. He held his breath, pushed off, and dove into the water.

***

Princess Luna finished her song just as the gingerbread pony she was atop threw itself after the cinnamon-coated researcher. For a few seconds she was airborne, falling without say as to where she would land, her magical resources tapped to their very limits. Briefly, with the sort of gallows humor the holiday invited, she wondered if she would taste like a regular pumpkin pie, or something entirely different, once she splattered against the rocks below.

Blueberry, she decided. She would have a hint of blueberry.

***

Willow waited until just before Bramble hit the water, then poured the magical concoction into the swirling water where the falls met the pool. For a second it did nothing, getting taken under and mixing with the foaming torrent. Then, with a bright flash of blue, pink and orange light, the pool rapidly began to change color, becoming an opaque blue-black. There was no going back now.

He braced himself as Bramble splashed into the pool and immediately began to swim for the other side, and not a moment too soon. The gingerbread pony dove in after him, its massive body creating a loud splash and kicking up a short wall of water in all directions. In a glimpse of abject horror he saw Princess Luna falling in after it, followed by hundreds of bouncing, rolling pumpkins that cheerfully bounded in with small splashes.

"Hell yeah, nice job there, Willow!" Bramble shouted, still kicking his way to the other side. He didn't have time to take in a breath before he was immediately sucked under.

"Bramble? Bramble!"