It was North Star’s first Nightmare Night, and Shining and Cadence wanted to make it a memorable one. Cadence would first take North Star out trick or treating with Daisy Haze and Summer, And Shining worked with Pinkie Pie to turn the castle into a haunted house for everypony in the Crystal Empire to enjoy.
Cadence put the finishing touches on her witch costume. She walked out of her dressing room to show Shining. “How do I look?”
“You look fantastic!” Shining said as he nuzzled her. “And a bit naughty.” He added with a wink.
Cadence couldn’t help but blush. “And who are you supposed to be?”
Shining held up his Shield. “I’m Captain Equestria! He’s my favorite comic book hero. I joined the royal guard because of him.”
Cadence simply smiled. She never really understood comic books. North Star came crawling over dressed up in a bee costume. Cadence happily picked him up.
“You are so cute! Who’s mommy’s little bungle bee?” Cadence nuzzled North Star.
“Candy!” North Star said happily.
“That’s my boy, getting right into the spirit of the holiday.” Shining said with pride as he patted North Star on the head.
“I’m going to take North Star over to Daisy’s house so we can pick up her and Summer for trick or treating. Will you be alright looking over the construction of the haunted house with Pinkie Pie?”
“Knowing Pinkie Pie, I’m ready for anything.” Shining kissed Cadence and saw her and North Star off.
Cadence arrived with North Star in his stroller at Daisy’s house. Daisy answered, wearing a timber wolf costume. Summer was in her stroller, dressed up in tiger costume.
“Daisy, I love your costume!” Cadence leaned down to Summer. “And Summer looks just adorable!”
“Thank you!” Daisy replied. “Summer just loves to play dress up. And North Star is just too cute!”
“Rawr!” Summer said as she waved her hooves like tiger paws.
“Buzz buzz!” North Star said he waved his hooves in the air.
Cadence and Daisy laughed at how cute the two foals were. They set out to go trick or treating.
Back at the castle, Shining went to check on the haunted house. “Pinkie, how’s the house coming along?”
Pinkie Pie appeared right behind Shining. “Great!” She shouted. Shining was so shocked that leaped ten feet in the air.
Shining quickly turned around to face Pinkie. He was more than a little confused by her costume. “Uh Pinkie, what are you supposed to be?”
“I’m the Smooze, silly!” Pinkie smiled as she stood surrounded by a mound of green goo with top hat on top.
Curious, Shining stuck out his hoof to touch the ooze then tasted it. “Is your costume made of lime gelatin?”
“Well duh! How else was I supposed to make my costume?”
“Right.” Shining responded with a look of confusion on his face.
Cadence and Daisy arrived at the first house for North Star and Summer. They knocked at the door and were greeted by a mare holding a big bowl of candy. North Star and Summer held up their hooves.
“Twick or tweat!” Summer said happily.
North Star replied simply with “Candy!”
“Oh, aren't you two simply adorable!” The mare put a hoof full of candy into each of North Star and Summer’s bags.
“Thwank you!” North Star and Summer said in unison. Cadence and Daisy moved on to the next house. They knocked at the door and another mare answered. But before she gave out any candy, the mare looked down at North Star and became disgusted.
“How dare you come to my house, you nasty little thing!” The mare said as she scolded North Star. “I already lived through the nightmare that was Sombra’s curse, and I will not let you bring it about again!”
North Star burst out crying. Cadence lost her temper and got right in the mare’s face. “Listen you! You have no right to talk to my son like that! He is only a foal for crying out loud! What happened to the Crystal Empire was tragic, but it was not my son’s fault! I may be the princess of love, but I am also the ruler of this kingdom and niece to both Celestia and Luna! Now apologize or spend the next 1,000 years in the royal dungen!”
The mare’s eyes were as big as dinner plates, and her jaw practically fell to the ground. She apologized, then emptied her entire bowl of candy into North Star and Summer’s bags.
As Cadence and Daisy walked away, Daisy turned to Cadence. “Wow. I didn’t think you had that attitude in you.”
“I can only be pushed so far. Besides, there is nothing more dangerous than a mother defending her child.”
Daisy smiled and nodded. “Darn right.”
After a few hours of trick or treating, Cadence and Daisy made their way to the castle for the opening of the haunted house. Upon arriving, Shining greeted them both.
“So, how was trick or treating?”
Cadence pointed down to the fully stuffed bags of candy in the strollers.
“Wow, what a haul!” A puzzled look then appeared on Shining’s face. “Um, where are the kids?”
At that moment, North Star and Summer both popped up from their respective candy bags and shouted “Boo!”
Shining jumped back, then laughed at the sight before him. “Very funny. Now come, the haunted house is ready.”
Many ponies had gathered around the entrance to the haunted house. In front was a stage with a podium. Shining walked up to it and addressed the crowd. “Happy Nightmare Night everypony! Before we open up the haunted house, I would first like to thank Pinkie Pie for building such a spooky attraction!” Pinkie came up on stage, her mouth full of candy, and took a bow.
“And now the special guest for this evening, the one for whom this night is named after, Princess Luna!” Luna descended from from the night sky in her chariot, escorted by her bat pony guards. The chariot landed, and Luna made her way to the podium.
“My ponies of the night!” Luna announced in her royal voice, “Thank you all for coming out on this, the most magnificent of nights. And now it is my pleasure to declare this haunted house open!” Pinkie flung open the doors, and a swarm of bats came flying out. The crowd lined up to enter the haunted house.
Shining, Cadence, Daisy, North Star, and Summer were the first to enter. They walked down a narrow hallway filled with cobwebs and fake spiders. Skeletons descended from the ceiling. Summer clung to Daisy in fear, but North Star just looked on with amusement.
The next section was a replica of a Changeling hive, complete with egg sacks, slime, and animatronic Changelings. A giant Chrysalis popped up towards the end, causing Daisy to shriek.
“If you think that’s scary, I almost married her” Shining said with a laugh.
The group then entered the next section, which was a crystal cave. Shining looked around, puzzled.
“Hey Pinkie, wasn’t this supposed to be the Everfree Forest section?”
Pinkie put down a hoof full of candy and looked at the blueprints. “You’re right, something is very off here.”
There were two ponies standing in the center of the cave. Both were completely covered in a black goo. Suddenly, their eyelids opened, revealing nothing but pale white eyes. A dark swirl appeared behind them, growing until it took up half of the cave. A pair of eyes sprouting green flames emerged from the center.
“SOMBRA!” Cadence shouted.
“So good to see you again, princess.”
Shining took a step forward. “These are the two missing guards! What have you’ve done to them!?”
“They are merely vessels for my army of shadows. They will be the first of many.” Sombra then looked at North Star. “But my greatest project is not yet complete. It still needs time to mature.”
Cadence held North Star close to her and tightly. “You monster! Stay away from my son!”
“Your son? Is that what he is to you?” Sombra’s eyes shifted over to Cadence. “How odd it is to fall in love with the weapon of your destruction.”
Princess Luna then came bursting into room. “Foul beast, you are not welcome here! Away to the shadows from which you came!” Luna then blasted Sombra with her magic. Sombra and the two shadow ponies vanished, and the crystal cave turned into the Everfree Forest section.
Shining ran to Cadence and North Star, hugging them both. “Are you ok? Is North Star hurt?”
Cadence looked North Star over. “He appears to fine. But what did Sombra mean by calling him the weapon of our destruction?”
Luna chimed in. “I do not know. Though Sombra is back, he is still far from complete power. Still, I fear that his sights are set on more than just the Crystal Empire.”
Shining and Cadence looked down at North Star. North Star looked back up at them and smiled. They both nuzzled him, a cold wind blowing past.