Night of the Nightmare
Ever since his revelation that fateful night, he'd been, tentatively, avoiding the mare.
Oh, he made sure he had legitimate excuses for leaving quickly, as the last thing he wanted was any of the six mares becoming suspicious and tailing after him, leading to an inevitable confrontation. Of course it wasn't easy. The mare in question was practically everywhere!
Sugarcube Corner? Picking up something sweet.
Sweet Apple Acres? Giving Applejack a helping hoof.
Market? Buying groceries.
Fluttershy's? Hoping to spend time with her reclusive friend.
Tartarus, he'd even spotted her a little after six in the morning while he was working, running around Ponyville for some inane reason!
Hopefully, he could use tonight's festivities to avoid the lot of them.
Of course, there were times where he couldn't ditch her without drawing suspicion.
"Hey Emerald!" a voice called, accompanied by the familiar bell above the door.
This was one of those occasions.
Emerald glanced up slightly. The object of his newfound affections walked towards him, a simple smile on her face betraying the excited look in her eye. Swallowing the sudden lump in his throat, he spoke,
"Somethin' you need, Sparky?" he asked, raising his head, only to rest it on his hooves, watching her. Try as he might, he couldn't prevent his eyes from glossing over every smooth curve, few as they were, of the mare before him. Sparky, thankfully oblivious to his lingering looks, spoke up,
"I was just wondering what you were planning for Nightmare Night?" she asked, giving him a winning smile. Emerald found himself momentarily speechless, before he caught himself,
"I don't have anything planned, really. Maybe help Wisp with her costume, but aside from that, nothing," he admitted. Sparky seemed to perk up at that,
"Really? That's great!" she said, before her words registered in her mind, causing her to turn red and splutter, "I-I mean, it's awful that you don't have anything planned, because you're a great stallion and I'm sure there's plenty of ponies who'd love to spend the day with you, but I meant great as in-"
"I know what you meant, Sparky," Emerald said, firmly cutting her off, though the smile he wore dulled whatever edge might've been in his voice. She sighed, but the blush remained,
"Sorry," she muttered, "I was just..." she mumbled something that Emerald, even with his hearing, didn't catch. Despite that, he had the distinct feeling he should be red in the face as well,
"Speak up," he stated, forcing the feeling down. Sparky looked up at him, glanced away, but seemed to steel herself by taking a deep breath,
"I was wondering if you'd like to go to the Nightmare Night Festival with me later tonight?" Emerald blinked at the question, before its implications struck him,
"Y-you mean... like a date?" he asked, steadfastly ignoring the way his body began heating up. Sparky's eyes widened to the size of dinner plates, her face went the colour of a ripe tomato, and she started sputtering like a broken faucet,
"D-d-d-d-d-date?!" she exclaimed, her body twitching in a way that suggested she was fighting the urge to jump away from him, "Nononononononono!!!" she continued, waving her hooves around frantically, "I-I meant like friends! Like, really good friends who are totally comfortable with each other in a completely platonic way!" she insisted, stumbling over her words.
But he didn't hear her.
Emerald was much too occupied inwardly panicking about spending the night with her, for he couldn't come up with a proper reason to refuse her offer, since he'd outright told her he didn't have any plans, an oversight on his part to be sure.
Finally, his mind slowed down, bringing him back to the present situation.
"S-sure, Sparky," he agreed shakily, "Not like I've got anything better to do," he added, hoping it downplayed any excitement he may have let slip. Sparky blinked, going silent. Evidently she hadn't been expecting him to agree to go along, despite working up the nerve to ask.
"R-really? Are you sure?" she asked. He growled at her, but averted his gaze,
"I wouldn't have said yes if I wasn't, idiot!" he snapped, flushing, either through embarrassment or anger, even he didn't know. Sparky didn't flinch away at his response, however, appearing lost in thought.
She remained lost in thought for another five minutes, with every one of Emerald's attempts to rouse her proving ineffective. Finally, she came to her senses, completely red in the face,
"I-I gotta go!" she stuttered, before rushing out the bakery door, leaving Emerald just standing there, a little confused.
A moment passed in silence, before he sighed,
"I don't even wanna know..."
The sun was due to set at any moment, the moon's ascent the signal to start the Nightmare Night Festivities.
It felt strange to even be considering joining these ponies in their celebrations. Especially considering that Nightmare Night had a different name and purpose in thestrali culture, even if he'd never had a chance to participate in it.
The Darkening was its name. Like Nightmare Night was meant to signal the defeat of Nightmare Moon, The Darkening was meant to remember the day the world lost Princess Luna to the darkness of the Nightmare.
It was a somber affair, meant to mourn the loss of their dear Princess.
Though, considering her return, it could very well be a celebration of the defeat of the dreaded Nightmare, nowadays.
Regardless, he had no way of knowing.
Well... that wasn't true, but he would never talk to either Celestia or Luna about Nocturne.
... Unless they asked, of course.
As it was, the bakery had closed early, leaving Emerald with little to do other than pace around the living room of his home, wondering just what the fuck he'd gotten himself into.
Thankfully, something that would give him some time to think was well on its way.
It was as he'd taken a moment to just sit down and think that a sparkling blue trail of magical ash suddenly flew in through a crack in his window and materialized a scroll in front of him. Blinking away the spots in his vision, Emerald regarded the scroll with a mix of resentment, thankfulness, and trepidation.
Eventually he got over himself, picked it up, and read the damn thing.
Dear Emerald,
I require your presence at Canterlot Castle within the next hour. It involves some plans that my sister has brought to my attention, regarding Ponyville and Nightmare Night.
I'm sure you can figure out the implications on your own.
Sincerely, Princess Celestia.
He reread the short letter several times, wondering if there was some hidden message he kept missing.
Indeed, Celestia was right. Those four words, "Ponyville and Nightmare Night", combined with "Luna" and "plans" painted a very clear picture of what the princess was going to do.
What it did not paint a clear picture of, was what his involvement would entail.
Did Celestia think he could talk Luna out of it?
Did she want him to encourage her to go along with her plan, but insist on doing so elsewhere?
Or did she just want him to tag along and make sure nothing went wrong?
Well, not like he'd find the answers just sitting around.
Nodding to himself, Emerald burned the letter and collected his bag, before trotting out the door, after leaving a message for Wisp and Trixie, of course.
It was as he was about to take off, that a sudden thought struck him.
Should he tell Sparky?
... He did tell her he'd be joining her for Nightmare Night...
Damn his conscience.
Huffing to himself, Emerald took off, but rather than speed towards the distant castle, he instead flew off into town, aiming for the lone tree near the center of town.
Grumbling to himself as he landed, Emerald marched over to the front door, and gave a set of three firm knocks.
The sound of yelping greeted him, followed by a minuscule crash, before the door was encased in a purple glow and pulled open, allowing him to enter.
He did so, but didn't bother closing the door behind him, not planning on staying for more than a a few moments.
"Sparky?" he called. There was a quiet 'Eep!' from upstairs, the slamming of a door, and the sound of jingling bells, before Sparky appeared at the top of the staircase, looking frazzled,
"Emerald?" she called, blinking in confusion, "What are you doing here so early?" she asked. He frowned, his eyes raking the unkempt mare. Patches of her fur were sticking up, her mane and even tail looked as though she'd been combing it with a rake, and-
Were those bells tied in her tail?
He stared at her odd appearance for a moment more, but managed to compose himself.
"I, uh, came by to let you know... are you okay?" he couldn't help but ask. She regarded him with a curious stare, before she followed his gaze down to her coat, then her tail. She stared at her own unusual appearance for a moment, then her face turned red once more.
Realizing she was about to run off, likely to fix her appearance, Emerald spoke again,
"Anyways," he began, catching her attention, "I came by to let you know I won't be able to join you for Nightmare Night."
"What?" she asked, blinking in confusion, "Wh-why?" Emerald sighed,
"There's been an issue with some family up in Canterlot, and they need me to help," he lied. He trailed off after that, not certain what else to say. Sparky frowned at him, but nodded,
"Well.... alright. If it's a family emergency, then I understand. Maybe... maybe next time?" she asked, her eyes lighting up hopefully. Emerald nodded, although it was hesitant,
"Sure," he said, though he doubted it.
The flight to Canterlot took him about twenty minutes.
It should have only taken ten, but Ditzy had flown by and asked for help. Considering the fact that he needed to keep a decent reputation around town, he couldn't refuse.
So it was with that thought running through his mind that he arrived at the castle, landing heavily in front of the main entrance.
The two pony guards, a pair of pegasi, started at his sudden appearance, and even went to draw their weapons at the perceived intruder, but Emerald, with a roll of his eyes, pulled out his lunar badge before they could do anything else.
Upon sight of the badge, both guards paled slightly, something Emerald found immensely amusing, before stepping aside to allow him entrance.
Canterlot Castle was as magnificent as ever. With high ceilings, a pleasant lavender scent wafting through the corridors, and elegant carpeting and tapestries visible around every turn, it was no surprise that the castle was considered the most noble building in all of Equestria.
Then again, he was sure a broken down shed could be considered the same, so long as the princesses chose to live in it.
Speaking of princesses, the one he was busy looking for was not present in the throne room. He huffed, looking around the throne room, but found no sign of life. He sighed, but trotted forward.
His hooves echoed soundlessly against the carpeted marble floor. He could hear hoofsteps in the distance, likely belonging to the staff. He came to a stop in front of the throne, old memories filtering through his mind.
-
-
Everything hurt.
His back. His throat. His hooves.
Everyone hurt.
Whisper. Trixie. Iron Will.
But they had to keep going.
... They... they had too...
A wretched cough tore itself through his throat, the dry hacking doing a fantastic job of ripping his throat apart. He shook away the stars that danced in his vision, and did his best to ignore the copper taste in his mouth.
He was going to die here. His vision, blurry and unfocused, scanned over the group he found himself leading.
Despite only being able to see colours and shapes, he knew each individual beside him by heart. He could recall every detail of the creatures surrounding him, from their height, their names, to how many steps they took before stumbling.
It was easy to fill his head with that, admittedly useless, information. He had nothing else, after all.
Equish. Thestrali. He only needed one, so the other was thrown away. His old memories of home faded away, the soothing voices slowly being replaced by inane gibberish.
It wouldn't be long before his old life would disappear, and this would become all that was left.
And then that, too, would fade away.
His hooves glided across the cracked ground. He paused for a second, only a second, to glance up towards the overbearing sun. Its intense heat scorched the ground they walked on, taking away the precious life-giving water that they were slowly running low on.
They were nearly out of food by now, he distantly realized, before he shook his head.
There would be more to go around once he, too, breathed his last.
But he couldn't stop here, not yet, not now. He needed to make sure they were safe. He needed to make sure they lived, even if it meant dying himself.
So what if he never got to see another rainbow? So long as his new family lived, they'd see more than enough in his place. He was sure they wouldn't mind telling him about them in the Star-Life, if it even existed.
A small weight adjusted itself on his back, reminding him of his little passenger. He craned his head back to check on little Whisper. A brief moment of panic swept over him when he was greeted by a pair of closed eyelids, but relief soon replaced it as her breath gently caressed his cheek.
It would be another six hours, as well as one lost comrade, before one of their party spotted something in the distance, something that grew larger with every passing moment.
It was a group.
He did not know what the strange metal creatures approaching them were, but he certainly did not enjoy the way in which they moved. Strong, confident, but with an air of cruel arrogance.
Although, he could be wrong. The only experience he had with any of the sort were the scientists, and he was quite biased against them.
It was with trepidation that he had the party stop their march, a few of their members dropping to the ground in exhaustion. He could hear some of them squawking in tired alarm, hoping that no one else had passed away, but he kept his attention on the golden... things approaching.
There were a total of six of them, if his hearing was correct. Two of them hung off to the sides, but the two in the front and the two in the back had several straps, which reminded him too much of the ones that had once bound him to a table, that tied them to a strange... box-like structure. The strange box was golden in colour, and seemed both tall and wide enough to fit Iron Will, the lone minotaur of their group.
His ears twitched, but he was confused by the feedback he received.
According to his hearing... there was someone inside the box.
But... that didn't make much sense to him. Why would someone want to be carried around in a box when they can simply walk around themselves?
It wasn't until they got within thirty feet of them that his blurred eyes could make out more detail, even if not much. It was enough, however, to clue him in on several key facts.
First, the strange golden creatures were actually a set of ponies wearing golden armour.
Second, they all carried weapons.
Panic surged through him, and he drew his only weapon immediately, ignoring his body's intense protest at the action.
A single piece of pipe, having been snapped off at one end, leaving it a sharp, jagged stabbing weapon that had turned red from both rust and dried blood.
The action caused the armoured ponies to prepare their weapons as well, but a soft, melodious voice stopped them.
He couldn't recall what the voice was saying, as the prolonged resting period had allowed his exhaustion to finally catch up with him, combined with the agonized protesting of his body. His vision started to darken around the edges, but not before he saw perfection.
A white coat, of a shade so pure he was certain a whole new shade had to have been created just to describe it. A plethora of swirling colours flowed from the source, most prominently pink, green, and blue, with a pair of wide, worried magenta eyes peering at his falling form.
He could feel the soft warmth of the large... pony catch him, and he, lost in between reality and dreams, nuzzled closer to the source, his eyes drifting closed.
So... tired...
So... warm...
In the final moment of his prolonged wakefulness, his hearing returned to him, and he heard the voice of his -no- their savior.
"Don't worry my little ponies. I'll take care of you."
-
-
Emerald sighed gently, allowing the memory to slip away. The sound of hoofsteps outside the throne room door alerted him, just before the grand doorway was pushed open, and the familiar, and admittedly welcome, sight of the solar co-ruler was revealed, even if he'd never admit it.
Celestia blinked for a moment, as if surprised by his presence, before her features softened,
"Ah, Emerald. I'm glad you could make it."
"I don't hear that often," he remarked, grinning sardonically as he turned to face his superior. Celestia barely withheld a grimace at his words, feeling the never-quite-gone guilt fester in her stomach.
Emerald had to hide a frown at the look on the solar pony's face.
She must've eaten something that didn't agree with her.
Figuring he wouldn't find the answer any time soon, he quelled that line of thought, straightening his posture as he faced his boss head on,
"Well... whatcha need me for, princess?" he asked, "You mentioned it was about Luna," he remarked, "What, do you want me to drag her to Manehatten or somethin'?" he suggested. Celestia gave him a small smile, but ultimately shook her head,
"No, no. Nothing like that," she began softly, "I was merely hoping you'd agree to be her little guide around Ponyville and its inhabitants," she explained, "Heaven knows that Luna has gotten so much better at talking and socializing with you around that I'm sure she'd be able to calm down anypony who would be frightened at the sight of the, ah, 'Ex-Nightmare'."
"So... where do I come in?" he asked hesitantly, "And why not just send a letter?"
"I'd like you to help the town see her as the gentle, and often shy, pony my sister truly is," Celestia said, holding a hoof to her chest, "As long as ponies still see Luna as Nightmare Moon, she'll never be able to truly take her rightful place by my side again," she said, then gave him a small smile, "And as for the letter, Luna wanted your help preparing something for the trip," she said, then frowned, "She... refused to show me," the princess muttered, looking just a little put out.
Emerald blinked, but ultimately agreed, before a thought struck him.
He was going back to Ponyville.
Back to Sparky.
After he blew her off.
...
Shit...
-----
Twilight wished she was having more fun.
Oh she was having fun, absolutely!
Just... not as much as she'd like, honestly.
She had so much planned for tonight too! First, she'd show off her, completely accurate, Starswirl the Bearded costume to Emerald, then they'd head into town and play some of the games, and maybe watch the foals go candy-hunting for a little bit.
Though, Pinkie would probably have popped up at some point, clucking like a loon in her chicken costume, then drag him off to Celestia knows where.
And he'd let her!
Really, he might act like Pinkie's antics annoy him half the time, but Twilight, and she suspected Pinkie herself, could tell he really didn't mind.
The thought made her chest tighten when it brought up the realization that she didn't share the same bond with Emerald as Pinkie did.
Then again, it was Pinkie. She could bond with anyone.
But Pinkie or no Pinkie, she was now stuck wandering around the fair, silently fuming as she realized that nopony knew who Starswirl the Bearded was!
"C'mon Twi," the adolescent voice of Spike came from behind her, "so what if nopony knows who you're supposed to be?" he asked.
"So what?" she asked, stopping in her tracks,
"Ah crud."
"So. What?!" she snapped, whirling to face the unhappy drake, "Starswirl the Bearded is the most famous Conjurer of the Classical Era!" she exclaimed, "He invented over 200 original spells that have uses even today! He has a whole shelf dedicated to him in the Canterlot Library of Magic! Plus an entire wing in the Royal Archives! How does nopony else know who he is?!" she huffed, before turning straight around and storming off.
Spike sighed,
"Me and my big mouth..."
Twilight snorted to herself as she and Spike passed by the stage, where the mayor was setting up for something.
"Maybe I should start up a Classic History Group so I can teach ponies about him?" she muttered to herself, "I'm sure everypony would love it!" she gushed, "Don't you think, Spike?" she asked the drake behind her, though the sound of chewing was her only response.
How he got a pile of candy bigger than he was in the span of five minutes, Twilight didn't know.
She just assumed it had something to do with Pinkie, and promptly ignored it.
"Ooh, Twilight! Twilight!"
Speaking of Pinkie...
"Look at our haul!" the excited pink mare all but shoved a bag of candy into her face, not even bothering to stop running before doing so, "Isn't it amazing?!" she gushed, before shoving her entire head down the bag, the foals following her giggling at her antics.
Twilight watched her excitable friend munch on the sweets. She... had absolutely no idea why Pinkie had chosen to dress up as a chicken of all things, though, knowing her, there was probably some random reason that would give her a headache if she tried figuring it out.
Regardless, seeing her friend wearing it brought some... unpleasant memories of the cockatrice to mind.
Especially ones of Emerald's cold, lifeless, statue.
So lost in her thoughts, Twilight only managed to spot a streak of rainbow a top a gray cloud second before-
*CRACK'A'BOOM*
A massive discharge of lightning erupted from the storm cloud, startling both the chicken and herself, and causing Pinkie to run off, clucking like the animal she dressed as, the foals following after her, their high-pitched yells not helping her hearing.
Twilight slapped a hoof over her chest in a vain attempt at slowing her heartrate. Admittedly this was the first time that her heartrate had nothing to do with Emerald since coming to town, and, if Twilight was being honest, she preferred the feeling of the one Emerald gave her over the sheer shock and terror of that lightning bolt right in front of her.
A scratchy laughter from above her finally reached her ears once the beating of her heart wasn't the only thing she could hear.
"Rainbow Dash!" she snapped, glaring forcefully up at the rainbow tail, moments before the other end of it popped up,
"Yeah?" she asked lazily, smirking, with the occasional snicker leaking through,
"That was highly uncalled for!" she scolded, though it had no effect as the chromatic mare, who was dressed as some dark version of the Wonderbolts, A Shadowbolt her mind told her, remembering the Summer Sun Celebration, simply waved her off,
"Pfft, lighten up Twilight, it's just a harmless prank," she said,
"Not to somepony like Fluttershy or Emerald it's not!" she argued. Rainbow rolled her eyes, though it was difficult to tell behind those goggles,
"Yeah, yeah, I know, I know. Shy already filled me in on the whole 'super hearing' thing. I wasn't gonna prank either of 'em with this anyways," she muttered, before suddenly perking up, "Oh! There's another group!"
Twilight sighed,
"Are you okay, Spike, Rainbow didn-" she stopped her train of thought upon turning around, finding Spike twitching on the ground. She sighed again, "I wonder what Emerald's up to..."
-----
"Are you sure this a good idea, Lulu?"
"Of course! I have been doing research on this strange holiday ever since Ou-my return!"
"That's nice and all, but what do those bats have to do with anything?"
"Simple. Though this night served as a reminder of my darker half, it has since become a night of joy! Something that I could only have dreamed of, once upon a time..."
"Lulu...?"
"But no matter! This is a night of fun and fright, is it not? Plus it just might help paint a picture of how different I am from the Nightmare, don't you think?"
"I mean... I can't see how that might work, but... that still doesn't answer the question of 'why are you trying to wear a bunch of bats?'"
"It is tradition?"
"Was that a question or an answer?"
"Indeed, this will be a most interesting Night!"
"Aaand now you're ignoring me, aren't you?"
-----
Twilight stared directly at the ground, not allowing her head to raise even the slightest amount.
Whitetail Woods might be significantly safer than the Everfree could ever hope to be, but the Woods were still close enough to the Everfree that weather pony interactions were largely discouraged.
So even though it was safer, there was always the slightest possibility of another attack by that cockatrice.
Then again, with how badly Emerald had to have scared the thing, Twilight wouldn't be surprised if it stayed far away from ponies, and thestrals, for the rest of its life.
"Now, listen close, my little dears, and I shall tell where you got your fears," the familiar tones of Zecora suddenly rang out. Twilight nearly bumped into Spike, who was in front of her, when he came to a sudden stop. Twilight, finally deciding to look up, nearly jumped back in fright at the unexpected sight of...
A statue of Nightmare Moon...?
She breathed a sigh of relief, partially ignoring Zecora's storytelling,
"Of Nightmare Night, so dark and scary," she continued, reaching into a pocket, and withdrawing a hoof full of green dust, "Of Nightmare Moon, who makes you wary," she added, blowing softly on the dust, causing it to billow out around them.
"Every year we put on a disguise, to keep away from her prying eyes," she continued, her voice seemingly coming from all around, leaving Twilight guessing the location of her zebra friend.
A loud shout from behind startled her,
"But Nightmare Moon only wants one thing... to gobble up ponies in one, quick, swing!"
Twilight laughed a little as she watched Pinkie scream when little Pipsqueak bumped into her,
"Hungrily she soars the sky, if she sees nopony, she passes by. So if she comes and all is clear, then Equestria is safe another year!" Zecora concluded, allowing her dust to fade away.
Twilight needed to ask her how she did all that.
But even so, she shook her head. It was probably just another one of her tricks, specifically one of the ones she liked to keep secret.
The foals, and Pinkie, gathered around Zecora one more time, with the newcomer, Pipsqueak the Pirate, gently tugging on her cloak,
"Um... Miss Zecorah? If we gotta wear disguises to keep safe'rom Nightmare Moon, then why do we gotta give 'er some of our candy?"
"A perfect question, my little friend!" Zecora boomed, as if expecting him to ask, "For Nightmare Moon, you must not offend! Fill up her belly with a treat or two, and she might not return to come eat you!"
"AAHHH!!" Pinkie screeched from right beside, nearly rupturing Twilight's eardrum, "C'mon everypony, leave some candy and let's go!!!" she shouted, nearly dumping out her entire bag infront of the statue.
Twilight was about to sigh, again, when the sound of beating wings met her ears.
Curious, she looked up, but froze that sight that met her. A dark chariot, black with silver decorations, flew through the skies, pulled by a single... thestral?
Sitting in the seat of the chariot was a lone figure, whose entire body was covered by a dark cloak, masking their features entirely. A sudden bolt of lightning flashed, likely another of Rainbow's pranks, lighting up the figure for an instant, enough to see a pair of glowing teal eyes.
"AAAHHHH! IT'S NIGHTMARE MOON, EVERPONY RUUUUUUNNNN!"
Pinkie's shout, combined with her and the foals bolting down the path back to Ponyville, seemed to confuse both the rider and the thestral, if the shared glance they had was anything to go by. Regardless, they didn't stop and continued on their way to town.
Twilight frowned. That chariot looked... familiar, in some way, as well as the one pulling it, but she wasn't sure why.
Regardless, it was clear that whatever was going on tonight might end up spelling trouble, either for her or whomever was on the chariot, so it was best that she follow.
She sighed.
So much for a relaxing Nightmare Night.
Making it back to town was easy, but she was surprised to find herself arriving ahead of the thestral and rider duo.
As early as she was she could still see Pinkie scrambling around in the middle of town, the foals following her example.
It was cut short, however, as the thestral finally touched the ground, the chariot landing with a loud crash, startling the town square.
Immediately silence fell over the town, with everypony in the immediate area staring fearfully at the cloaked figure as it jumped from the chariot and began to approach.
The figure was surprisingly menacing, with the dark cloak covering nearly every last part of their body. She couldn't even tell the gender of the pony before her. Heck, she only knew it was a pony because of the hooves she could spot poking out from the bottom of their cloak.
The guard behind them, however, narrowed down the list of ponies it could possibly be. The black armour he was wearing only added to her suspicions. A black helmet hid his mane from sight, but a pair of green ears poked out from the top. A single piece of metal hung down, covering the bridge of his nose, as well as helping hold it in place. The black chest piece wrapped around his torso completely, fastened seamlessly around him, with the only noticeable hole being the ones his wings poked out through. Interlocking plates of black metal coated his wings, providing protection as well as mobility to the rather delicate appendages. Hoofguards surrounded his legs, more plates found at the joints around his limbs, providing proper movement despite the unyielding material. Coupled with a pair of noticeable fangs and slitted pupils, Twilight knew that she'd either met a new thestral, or somepony with a very convincing costume, as well as a strong sense of duty, considering they were still working.
However, the figure soon came to a stop, and Twilight was reminded of her suspicions. Even so, there was no possible way it could be who she thought it was. Not a moment later after Twilight had reassured herself, did the figure flip up their hood to reveal-
"Princess Luna?!" Twilight gawked, her sudden shout causing the rest of the town to fall into a low bow, though it honestly looked more like they had just curled up into the fetal position.
Princess Luna trotted forward, the royal guard behind her having escaped his harness and followed. All at once, her cloak came undone, but rather than fall to the floor, it suddenly split apart into a swarm of bats, who flew off into the night sky.
She looked around for a moment, before setting her gaze on the nearest curled up pony. Twilight recognized the yellow and orange pony dressed as a mouse as Golden Harvest, but filed away that information as Luna walked toward her.
Golden looked up in confusion for a moment, but once her gaze settled on the Princess, she squeaked and curled into herself further.
Luna frowned, and looked back at her guard,
"Perhaps I overdid it," she said simply, confusing Twilight. The guard shrugged, nearly giving Twilight an aneurysm at the sheer disrespect, before he replied in an eerily familiar voice,
"Told you it was a cruddy idea."
"You still agreed to it."
"You didn't really give me a choice."
"I didn't expect everyone to be afraid of me on sight, I didn't even get to finish the-!"
"I! Don't! Care!"
The Princess huffed -actually huffed- at the guard's words, but returned her gaze to Golden, and sighed.
"Why do you fear me...?" the Princess trailed off,
"Golden Harvest," the guard supplied, surprising Twilight further.
"Why do you fear me, Golden Harvest?" Princess Luna finished. Golden's shaking seemed to increase once the Princess finished the question, now fully understanding that she was being addressed,
"U-um, w-well.... I-I just... I-I..." Princess Luna sighed, cutting off Golden's lackluster response,
"I see," she said, before turning and marching straight into the center of the ring that had formed around her, "Very well then. Perhaps I shall have to introduce myself after all," Twilight heard her mutter, before she cleared her throat, and spoke, "Citizens of Ponyville!" she called, her voice echoing around the abnormally quiet square, "I am the true ruler of the night, Princess Luna!" she placed a hoof to her heart, "No longer must you fear the rule of the dreaded Nightmare, for it has been vanquished! I have come to your town to partake in this once dark holiday, and turn it into a glorious celebration where we may come together and enjoy the most wonderful feast!" she declared, smiling brightly.
The genuine smile on her face seemed to calm down most of the townsfolk, but before any of them could stand, a panicked shout broke the silence,
"DID YOU HEAR THAT EVERYPONY?!?! NIGHTMARE MOON SAID SHE'S GONNA FEAST ON ALL OF US TOGETHER!!! RUUUUUUUUNNNN!!!!"
The shout seemed to shatter whatever peaceful air that the Princess had managed to create, punctuated by a crack of lightning once again, casting the Princess in momentary shadow. The darker image, coupled with the shout, seemed enough to drive the townsfolk past reason, as they all scattered, screaming their heads off.
Twilight watched in horrid fascination as Princess Luna simply stood there, not moving save for the single twitch of her right eye. Her smile didn't fade, her posture didn't drop, she didn't even blink for a few moments. Then, all at once, it faded away, leaving behind a brooding figure, who was too busy scowling at the ground to spot the guard walking up behind her.
Twilight balked at the sheer audacity the guard had as he gently patted the Princess-THE PRINCESS-on the back,
"Don't worry Lulu, we'll bring 'em around... soon as I beat the stuffing outta Pinkie for that little stunt of hers..." the guard growled.
Twilight's eyes widened at the much too familiar sound, having heard it several times over the last few months. Although, what really tipped her off, was the fact that her heart-rate suddenly skyrocketed at the sound.
"Emerald?!"
"... Ah, shit."
-----
Emerald grimaced as the costumed mare marched up to him, dressed as...
"Are you dressed as Starswirl the Bearded?" Emerald asked, looking her costume up and down, eyebrow raised. Sparky stopped in her tracks, staring at him as though he was the last drop of water in the desert, "Uh... Sparky?"
"YOU ACTUALLY KNOW WHO STARSWIRL IS?!" she screeched, making him wince away,
"Yes! Yes! I do, now stop shouting!" he snapped, causing Sparky to blush and laugh,
"Hehe, uh... sorry? It's just, nopony else in the whole town knows who he is! Which doesn't make sense considering he's one of the foremost pioneers in Equestrian magic!"
"Indeed, Starswirl was... intelligent," Luna suddenly spoke up, her gaze rising until it rested on Sparky, "He was also a tad arrogant, a bit rude and sarcastic, but was generally likeable. Much like Emerald here."
"Bitch."
"I must say," Luna continued, ignoring Emerald's remark, "your costume is remarkably accurate. You even got the bells right."
"He... actually wore bells?" a young voice suddenly came from their right. A quick glance revealed the hatchling... dressed as a hatchling, staring at them in exasperation.
Emerald could relate.
"Indeed," Luna said, nodding sagely, "I am unsure of the reasons behind his choice to wear them, however. You'd have to ask my sister, as she always interacted with Starswirl more than I, as he was her Court Wizard and not mine," she said, before she lowered her voice, whispering conspiratorially, "Now, should you ask about his protege, Clover the Clever, then I may provide you with far more information than those wretched books ever could," she added, before clearing her throat, "But that must wait for another time. Now I must think of a manner in which I can earn the trust of these... unusually skittish townsfolk," she said, before walking off, though Emerald heard her mutter something about ponies being tougher back in her day.
He honestly doubted that.
The lunar co-ruler having left for the moment, Sparky turned her attention back to Emerald, who was beginning to regret not following the co-ruler faster.
"So, care to explain why you, oh I don't know... WHY WERE YOU BRINGING THE PRINCESS HERE ON A CHARIOT?!?!?"
"EARS, DAMMIT!"
"Sorry," Sparky said, calming down for the moment, "I just... why?" she breathed, sounding defeated. Emerald shook his head,
"I didn't plan on it," he said, "It just... happened to go that way. Listen, Sparky, I'm a member of the Royal Guard."
Not a lie. But technically not the truth either.
"I got sent here by the princesses to watch over the Everfree due to some reports about it spreading on the other side of the forest and make sure it didn't start encroaching on the town. To do that, I go on patrol every night from one in the morning to about eight the next day."
"One in the..." Sparky muttered, before her eyes widened, "You have something to do with that weird dome over town every night!" she accused, pointing a hoof at him. Emerald scoffed,
"Obviously. It's a sound suppressor. With that thing up, another Ursa could be stomping around in town and I'd be the only one who knew about it. Assuming it didn't break anything or leave behind paw prints, of course," he said.
Sparky just shook her head, and plopped herself down on her plot.
"I can't believe it," she muttered, before shaking her head, "No... I can believe it. What I can't believe is how I didn't figure it out sooner!" she snapped, standing up, beginning to pace around in front of him, "I mean, when I first saw you I thought you reminded me a little bit of my brother, who's also in the Royal Guard-"
"Shining Armor, I know."
"-but I dismissed it moments later because you suddenly seemed so relaxed that I thought you couldn't possibly be in the guard considering my brother never seems to relax that much and-did you just say you know my brother?"
"Yeah, who doesn't know the damn captain?" Emerald asked, "He's got one of the higher positions in the Royal Guard. Considering he's only Mage level is also pretty surprising," he added.
"Mage level?" Sparky asked, before she nodded, "Right... there are different levels in the guard... um... darn, I'll have to do some reading later tonight."
"That'll have to wait," Emerald said, jerking his towards the retreating princess, "For now, we've gotta help Lulu with these morons," Sparky nodded, standing back up,
"Of course! I was there when Nightmare Moon was defeated, I saw just how different the two of them we-did you just say 'Lulu'?" Sparky asked, suddenly cutting herself off once more. Emerald blinked at the unexpected question, his eyes widening minutely at the slip-up.
"Uh... yeah?"
"Lulu... as in, the same Lulu you sent some cider to?"
"Uh..."
"As in, the same cider that somehow led to Princess Celestia herself coming down to town to save Applejack and her farm?"
"I really need to watch my mouth."
"ARE YOU SERIOUS?!"
"You're acting surprised. I thought we already established that I had something to with it?"
"But...! But...! Th-that means that you sent the letter to her directly! That 'Lulu' is Princess Luna herself!"
"You're acting like it's a big deal."
"IT IS A BIG DEAL!!"
"You have a direct line to Celestia herself."
"W-well, I'm her student!"
"I'm a guard."
Sparky let out a strangled groan, and stomped her hoof on the ground,
"We're talking about this later! When the seven of us are all together!" she ordered, before stomping off in the direction Luna took off in. Emerald sighed, but shrugged it off.
Looks like he had another interrogation on the way.
But that was fine. Sparky was cute when she was angry.
They found Luna sitting on a bench in the park, alone. Her back was straight and her gaze impassive, so much so that she might have been mistaken for a statue at a glance, but the occasional shuffle prevented that. Though she remained calm and collected, even in the face of this new obstacle, Emerald knew her well enough to understand that this was her version of pouting.
Add a pie and she'd probably try to eat away her emotions.
Again.
"I'm surprised you're not in town," Emerald remarked as he and Sparky approached, the hatchling have disappeared somewhere. Luna regarded him coolly,
"Of course. In town. Surrounded by my screaming 'fans'. Yes, it sounds most wonderful," she said, monotone, causing Emerald to snicker,
"I'm sorry Princess," Sparky began, "Ponyville is a wonderful town, with wonderful ponies living in it! They're just... wary," Luna shook her head,
"Indeed," she said, "Given that my last appearance in this town was as the Nightmare, perhaps I should've been expecting a reaction as bad as this," she sighed, "No matter," she said, hopping off the bench, "As a princess of Equestria, it is my royal duty to ensure that my subjects are at peace! I'll not give in because of a bad reputation! I'll do all in my power to calm the townsfolk and put their fears to rest. Permanently," she said, punctuating that last remark by stomping a hoof, cracking the ground beneath her, which caused Sparky to wince.
"Good to see your fire hasn't burned out," Emerald snarked, fangs gleaming. Luna laughed,
"Truly!" she said, before her smile diminished, and she bit her lip, "I have learned much of this new world I have found myself in. I understand that the old traditions have long become obsolete. As such, I hope that the two of you will assist me in these matters," she said, her eyes darting between himself and Sparky hopefully.
Emerald nodded, even as Sparky chirped,
"Of course we'll help Princess! It'll be an honour!" she said. Luna smiled at her enthusiasm, and gently sat down,
"That is good to hear, Twilight Sparkle," Sparky blinked,
"Y-you know my name?"
"Of course," Luna said, raising an eyebrow, "Not only are you my sister's student, but it was you and your friends who united and, with the powers of Harmony, did away with my darkened powers as the Nightmare. Why would I not know your name, as well as the names of the other Bearers?" Sparky flushed at her explanation,
"Well, when you put it that way..."
"All that aside," Luna began, smirking at Sparky's embarrassment, "how shall I go bout earning the trust of the citizens?" Sparky frowned,
"Well... your approach was a little strong," she admitted, but Emerald shook his head,
"No, her approach is fine. You haven't seen her using the royal We or the Royal Canterlot Voice, trust me on that," he said, ignoring Luna blush at the memory, "No, the issue is Pinkie Pie. I don't know why, but she's acting like a moron. So long as she sees a reason to fear you, the town will follow suit. She's that influential, and she doesn't even mean it," Luna blinked, and frowned,
"What do you mean, she doesn't mean it?" she asked. Emerald shrugged,
"Pinkie's not stupid. Contrary to popular belief in town, Pinkie's actually a fairly smart pony. I've seen her memorize recipes after one glance, and calculate the price of large orders in seconds. She might not act like it, but she's quite observant too. If I wasn't as careful as I am, she'd probably know a lot more about me than I'm comfortable with sharing just by watching me," he said, then shook his head, "No, I have little to no doubt that Pinkie isn't afraid of you in the slightest. She's probably just taking the thrill of Nightmare Night scares a little too far and hasn't realized how it's affecting you yet. Once she realizes her behavior is upsetting you, she'll likely stop and apologize by throwing a party or two to help out."
Sparky grimaced throughout his explanation, but only spoke up once he finished,
"I don't know Emerald. I've known Pinkie a lot longer than you, and she doesn't seem like the best actor. That scream was pretty convincing," Emerald shook his head and sighed,
"Regardless, you're not going to be able to make much progress without her on your side... well, her or Fluttershy," he said, adding that last part after a moment of thought. Sparky gasped,
"Fluttershy! Of course! If we can show the town that Fluttershy is comfortable being around you, then they'll have no reason to believe you're anything but the kind and caring pony you must be!"
"Fluttershy?" Luna asked, then frowned, "She is the Element of Kindness, correct?" Emerald nodded, "I see... indeed, having the Element of Kindness be comfortable in my presence would be most beneficial," she remarked.
"Great!" Sparky cheered, "Let's head over to Fluttershy's right away! Hopefully she hasn't gone out yet."
"If you do not mind me asking," Luna began as they approached the familiar cottage, "why is it that this Fluttershy lives so far from town? Does it not make things more difficult to be so far away?" she asked. Emerald smirked,
"Not for her. She takes care of the local animals, so it's best she lives this far out. Also, she is extremely shy, if you couldn't already guess, so don't be offended if she's too afraid to talk to you for a minute or so," he responded, trotting up to the knock, and giving it a firm knock.
"I DON'T HAVE ANY CANDY SO PLEASE GO AWAY NOW!!!" the usually demure mare screamed from inside, causing his ears to fold back in surprise. He blinked after a moment, before shaking his head,
"Cuz, it's me," he called, "I've got a friend who'd like your help."
A moment passed in in which he couldn't hear anything from inside, save her breathing, but thankfully the sound of timid hoofsteps met his ears after a moment, followed by the sound of multiple locks unlocking.
The door creaked open, revealing a teal eye, which brightened upon seeing him,
"Oh! Emerald, it's nice to see y-" there was a sudden flash of lightning, and Fluttershy's gaze locked onto the princess behind him, and widened instantly, "NIGHTMARE MOON!!" she screeched, then disappeared, slamming the door. Several clicking sounds came as she locked the door.
Emerald stood there for a moment, before taking a calming breath.
It didn't work.
"Open the door, Fluttershy," he demanded,
"NO!"
"Open. Up."
"NO!"
"Open the door or I'm coming in."
"NO!"
"Well, I warned you," he muttered, before giving the door a harsh kick, forcing it open.
Twilight and Luna watched as he walked in, the door creaking closed behind him. For a moment, all they could hear were voices for a moment, followed by the sound of a struggle, before the door was kicked back open, and Fluttershy was none-too-gently deposited in front of them.
"Fluttershy..." Sparky began hesitantly, "You remember Princess Luna, right?" she asked, giving the mare a meaningful look, while stressing the princess' name. The shy pony merely gave a small nod, "Good. Now, I'm sure you know that Nightmare Moon is gone, right?" it took her nearly a minute, but eventually she nodded, seemingly gaining confidence from the admission, as she sat up, though her gaze didn't meet Luna's.
"Listen, Shy," Emerald cut in, "Luna is a pony just like you an-er-just like Sparky and the others," he amended, "It's not very nice of you to scream in her face and run away," he added, raising an eyebrow at her. Fluttershy fidgeted,
"..." she squeaked
"What was that?"
"...rry."
"Fluttershy."
"I'm sorry," she managed, looking up at the much bigger pony, wide-eyes brimming with unshed tears. Luna sucked in a breath, before letting it go,
"It is... alright, Fluttershy. If I may call you that," the mare nodded, "Indeed. There is no need to apologize. I know that our first encounter was not... ideal. I wish to make amends," she stated, holding her hoof out, looking unsure.
The shy yellow pony glanced at the offered appendage with the slightest trace of fear in her eyes. She spared a glance towards Emerald, who merely nudged her on, then sent one to Sparky, who only gave her a comforting nod.
Finally, just as Luna was about to pull away, Fluttershy reached out, and shook her hoof.
Luna brightened immediately, and, in a flash of magic, pulled Fluttershy close and embraced her,
"Oh thank you! It is most wonderful to know that there are ponies out there whom are willing to give Us-er- me a chance!" she exclaimed, hugging the shy mare close.
Emerald thought he heard her ribs cracking a little bit, but dismissed it after a moment.
"Fluttershy, quick! You gotta hide us!" came an unfortunately familiar voice from down the path, followed by the sight of Pinkie trotting up the path towards the cottage, the group of foals from earlier trailing behind her, "Nightmare Moon is in town an-" she gasped upon catching sight of the 'hug', "OH NO! SHE STOLE FLUTTERSHY'S VOICE SO SHE COULDN'T SCREAM WHEN SHE TRIES TO EAT HER, RUN!!" she screeched, bolting back the path into town, the screams of the little foals followed behind.
Emerald sighed.
Where had she even come to that, obviously false, conclusion?
He shook his head.
"Whatever," he muttered, walking past the frozen Luna and Fluttershy combo, "We can deal with her later," he added, turning to face them, "In the meantime, let's get you two into town. Hopefully the sight of you going with her will calm the rest of the town."
"I suppose that was wishful thinking."
Emerald grimaced as they walked on. Ponies still looked at Luna with fear in their eyes, more often than not hiding behind their stalls.
Everything had been merry. Ponies had been playing games, chatting, and even listening to some music. The second that their little group appeared, however, that all changed. Games stopped, chatter faded, and music died.
But, of course, it wasn't hopeless.
He could spot a few ponies peeking back out from their hiding places, looking surprised at the sight of Fluttershy standing next to the, in their eyes, monster that was Nightmare Moon.
Predictably, the sight of the most timid mare in Equestria bravely, for her, standing beside a supposed monster seemed to pacify a good portion of the townsfolk after a moment.
But it wasn't enough, not for him.
Sparky sighed,
"Well... maybe there's something else we can do?" she asked herself, "Fluttershy's helping, but its too slow..."
"Perhaps it is my size?" Luna remarked, "I am much bigger than most ponies. Perhaps they all find it intimidating?" she asked, Emerald scoffed,
"Please, if size was the issue, they wouldn't like Celestia either."
"That may be..." she muttered, looking down, until her eyes caught her hoof, "My coat, then? I admit I am a rather dark coloured pony. Much more so than most of the ponies I see in this age," Emerald wobbled his head to the sides for a moment,
"That's... possible. Though your coat is still much brighter than Nightmare Moon's from what I hear, plus there are still ponies who have darker colour schemes, even in Ponyville, so... it's possible, but I wouldn't bet on it."
Twilight's eyes roamed the festival as the princess and thestral talked behind her.
She didn't understand. Well, she understood the reason, but not the why.
So what if the princess had been possessed by Nightmare Moon?
She wasn't Nightmare Moon. She was Princess Luna. Couldn't they see that?
Twilight remembered that day rather vividly. How could she not? She remembered the feeling of standing in the crowd, watching the moon with a scared grimace, hoping beyond hope that her teacher had been right about the prophecy being just a story. She remembered the terror that plagued her very soul when the Nightmare herself appeared on stage in place of the solar princess.
She remembered standing up to the mare. She remembered the sheer presence the Nightmare had.
Like everything was going dark. As if the world around her had all of its colour, all of its heat sucked away, leaving her behind, as a cold, empty husk. It was terrifying, honestly! Even now, she sometimes felt that unnatural chill pervade her body at night, even beneath her blankets. If she didn't know any better, she'd think she was going to freeze whenever she felt it.
But Princess Luna didn't have that.
Oh yes, she did have a sort of... presence about her, but it felt similar to Princess Celestia. Warm, comforting. But where Princess Celestia's presence felt like the warm hug of her own mother, being around Princess Luna reminded her of those comfy nights where her father used to teach her to read by the fireplace, illuminated not by the fire, but by the stars outside.
Couldn't they feel it too?
Evidently not, given the way they all skittered away from the Princess of the Night.
Then again, it might be for the best that they couldn't feel... whatever it was.
The memory flew through her mind, of that moment in the Everfree, just after Emerald's miraculous escape from his stony prison.
In that moment, as he stood above the cockatrice, glaring bloody murder down at it...
Twilight felt like she was going to die.
Like there was a knife at her neck, like the hungry gaze of an apex predator had landed upon her, marking her as its next target. Like there was no way she could even hope for escape from this monster, because it had already caught her, and was now playing with its food.
But of course it had faded away once Emerald relaxed, replaced with the familiar sense of comfort she felt around all of her friends, and Twilight honestly couldn't bring herself to be afraid of that... feeling.
He was obviously the source, just as the princesses were obviously the sources of those other feelings, but she just... couldn't.
She couldn't be afraid of him, even though she, logically, should be. She was a pony, an herbivore and, according to those ancient history books she read, ponies had always been a prey creature.
Given the general skittishness of ponies in Equestria, their herd instincts, as well as their lack of trust in other species, she had a very easy time believing her sources.
Emerald, no-thestrals were obviously not prey. They were predators, especially if those fangs were taken into account. Even if they were, indeed, used to pierce tough fruits, she could easily imagine those fangs just as effortlessly tearing through the fresh body of a p-
She violently shook her head, doing her best to remove the putrid thought from her mind.
Returning her thoughts to the area around her, she watched as ponies began to tentatively start their games back up, the sound of chatter beginning to fill the air once again. She withheld a sigh.
At least they were getting used to the Princess' presence.
Her eyes wandering from booth to booth. There was pumpkin catapulting, spider-tossing, a strongpony set-up, a dunk tank, apple bobbing, run by Applejack, and so many other activities to choose from that Twilight was a little glad Emerald had ended up canceling their dat-outing, their outing, as friends, completely platonic friends.
Ponies were laughing and beginning to have fun again, leaving them standing out as the only ones not having any fu-
"That's it!" she exclaimed, startling a few nearby ponies, but she didn't pay them any mind. Turning back to the group, who hadn't noticed the slip in her awareness a moment ago, "Everypony, I have an idea!" she gushed, running back over to them.
"Really?" Fluttershy asked, looking around nervously, "Um, what is it?"
"Have fun!"
"... Have... fun?" Emerald asked, obviously confused, his eyes beginning to roam around the area. It took a moment, but his eyes lit up in realization, "You think that having Luna just, have fun like everypony else will help them see her as just 'one of them'?" she nodded excitedly,
"Exactly!" Emerald looked at her for a moment, his face turning a little red as he looked away,
"It's a good idea," he said, "Simple and easy too. Provided Pinkie doesn't come along and ruin it," he added, before his eyes lit up, and a wicked grin played itself across its face, "Of course, I could always hunt her down first, don't you think?~"
"No hunting," Twilight deadpanned, causing him to huff, "Rainbow Dash is going around pranking everypony with a thundercloud. I'm worried it might make Luna look intimidating if lightning flashed around her, so Fluttershy," she turned to face the shy pony, who squeaked a little at being addressed, "do you think you could go looking for Rainbow Dash and ask her not to prank Luna?"
"U-um..." she nodded, "O-okay, I'll try..." she said, trotting off with a nervous smile.
"Alright," Emerald began, "where to first?"
"So... what is the point of... this?" the princess asked, staring down at the stuffed spider in her hoof indifferently,
"W-well," the pony manning the booth, Rose, if Emerald remembered right, began, "y-you just gotta throw the spider in the middle of the web..." she squeaked, apparently trying not to curl up and hide in her large pumpkin costume.
Luna frowned as she exchanged her gaze between the spider and her apparent target,
"I see... and this is supposed to be fun?" she asked, glancing at Emerald and Twilight, the latter of whom nodded while the former just shrugged.
"Meh," he grunted, earning a hoof to the side from Twilight. He glared at her, and she met his gaze, before both went a little pink and looked back at her.
Luna smirked a little bit as she returned her eyes to the web before her.
She may not fully understand the customs of this day and age, but she wasn't so out of touch as to not recognize a budding romance when she saw one.
She felt a little happy for the two of them, more so for Emerald than Twilight. No offense to the studious mare, but she was far more comfortable with his presence than hers, though it was only natural.
Still, it was nice to see Emerald finally begin to express himself.
Luna was no fool. She had been informed of the stallion's... difficulties when her sister first met him.
Six-seven today-years had passed since her sister had first found that ragtag group of thirty-two out in the Badlands.
Though her return was long after the events took place, her sister had seen fit to confide in her the fears she had felt and kept hidden since that day. A strange green thestral had appeared to be leading this group of starved, dehydrated, and tortured creatures through the most inhospitable place in the world.
His fainting spell had scared Celestia half to death, but she had calmed herself once she noticed he was only falling unconscious, and not dying in her hooves.
According to her, those thirty-two were beaten, but not broken. It took some time and rehabilitation, but they'd live. It had taken her sister nearly three months to sort out their arrangements. The non-ponies would be given the option to stay or return to their homelands, where their respective governments were prepared to take care of them, or they could stay.
Only three non-ponies chose to stay, and one of them was the only griffon chef in the castle, Gustave Le Grande.
Luna was not privy to all of the details regarding the individuals and their new whereabouts, but at the end of the day, they were all happy, healthy, and on the road to true recovery, even the foals.
All but one.
Emerald Skies, as her sister had told her, was not healthy.
He was a broken stallion, who lost that which made him whole. His sense of individuality had disappeared, likely lost in his desperate struggle to save the others. His emotions had seemingly burnt out, leaving him a husk of whoever he may have been.
Celestia tried. Oh, if she had a bit for every time she tried, her sister told her, she'd have enough to buy another private airship.
She tried to bring him back into society. It worked, marginally. His burnt out emotive abilities had made it difficult for him to socialize, apparently. He seemingly couldn't comprehend even the simplest emotion, and Celestia partly blamed it on the trauma he experienced in the Facility, and partly on the young age he'd been taken.
She believed, and was supported by the doctors taking care of him at the time, that due to his young age at the time, and the cold, emotionless treatment he'd been subjected to, had ended up teaching him to throw away his feelings. That he was a tool, and, therefore, didn't need them.
Of course, things hadn't been completely bleak. After about two years, of which he'd spent working in Celestia's private agency, he seemed to come back to life. Or at least, a good imitation of it.
Celestia worried sometimes that he still didn't understand emotion. She worried that, even now, he merely recognized her worry, and wore a mask of sorts to convince her that everything was fine, and had gone so far as to convince himself in the process. All for her sake.
Luna thought that was preposterous, but watching the thestral switch between angry, annoyed, gleeful, sad, mischievous, and even snarky in under a minute, she was willing to admit the possibility.
But now?
Blushing and looking away from a mare, simply because he caught her eye?
Luna could feel another smile threatening to tear her face in two.
If Twilight Sparkle could make the seemingly hollow thestral whole again, then it was her duty as both a friend and a Princess of Equestria to push them together.
...
She'd have to see if Cadence and her sister wanted to help.
-----
Emerald felt a shiver suddenly run down his spine as Luna finally tossed the damn spider.
Great, someone was planning something, and it involved him.
Luna's spider fell a few feet short of the target, but a push from himself and Sparky got her to try again. Sticking her tongue out in concentration, the lunar princess threw her second spider, this time landing directly in the center of the web.
"Ah, I did it!" she laughed, looking surprised, before a small smile lit up her face, "Haha! Yes!" she cheered, hopping in place a little. Her foalish excitement drew the attention of the nearby ponies, who seemed to suddenly relax at her laughter. Luna turned to them,
"What other games may we play?"
The three of them migrated from the spider-toss farther into the festival, with Emerald and Sparky trailing a little behind the excited Luna, who was eagerly looking around for a new game to play.
Emerald chuckled lightly when Luna suddenly perked up and began skipping towards the pumpkin'pault game.
"You... seem to get along with the Princess," Sparky suddenly spoke. Emerald glanced at her, finding that she was staring at the princess with a small frown.
A small spike of worry shot through him, unbidden.
Did she think they were together?
He threw the thought away.
What did it matter if Sparky thought anything of the sort?
But... still...
"She's a close friend, Sparky... Like Pinkie," he said, adding that second part after a moment of thought. He watched as the frown marring her otherwise pretty face faded, replaced by a small, content, smile.
His chest hurt.
Damn this feeling! Damn it to Tartarus!
He restrained a growl. He needed to nip this crush of his in the bud, keep it from growing and getting worse.
But, how?
He'd already been working on avoiding her, although look where that got him. Still, he hadn't really noted any difference in his newfound feelings by avoiding her.
... Well, thinking about it now, it hadn't done much other than make him want to see her more, even if only a little.
What else, then?
Hmm... perhaps if he focused on her flaws?
He nodded to himself. Yes, her flaws! It was perfect! Surely seeing exactly what was wrong with her, if he could find something, would force this atrocious attraction to wilt and die, right?
He could only hope.
The sound of a mechanism firing, followed by a loud squelch, broke him from his thoughts.
Glancing up, he found Luna smiling brightly at a distant target, which had been painted orange by the splattered guts of a fired pumpkin.
"Yes! Perfect shot!"
"Good one, Luna," Emerald remarked, hoping his lapse in focus hadn't been noticed. Apparently not, as the smile on Luna's face when she turned to him failed to portray any sort of recognition,
"Ha! Indeed!" she gushed, then glanced at Sparky, "Perhaps you would like to try, Twilight Sparkle?" she asked. Sparky swallowed a nervous lump in her throat,
"Uh, no thank you Princess. And, please, Twilight's fine," she said, smiling nervously,
"I see," Luna said, her face grave, "Then you shall refer to me as Luna," she said, a calm smiling appearing on her face, before she perked up, "In fact... EVERYONE!" she suddenly called, startling the nearby townsfolk, "PLEASE, ALL OF YOU, CALL ME LUNA!!"
The announcement rang through the square, but, much to Emerald's surprise, it was received quite well. Rather than run screaming or hiding from sight, ponies began whispering amongst themselves, with Emerald hearing quite a few ponies commenting on the name and how nice the pony it belonged to seemed.
"Wow, Princ- I mean, Luna!" Sparky gushed, looking around with a bright smile, "I guess everypony has really started to warm up to you!"
"Yeah, and so quickly, too," Emerald commented, looking around as well. He held a small frown.
That was it? Luna playing a few games was enough for the whole town to simply forget their fear?
Where was that response when Zecora was around? Where was that response when the thestrals were attacked so many centuries ago?
He shook his head.
He shouldn't focus so much on what happened. After all, Sparky and her friends responded surprisingly well to his reveal.
Perhaps he'd misjudged ponykind?
...
He doubted it, but he'd reserve judgement a while longer.
"Indeed," Luna repeated, smiling brightly at the two of them, "It is... wonderful to hear my subjects responding to my presence warmly," she said, "'Tis something I could once only dream of," she added, somewhat morosely.
"Luna...?" Sparky muttered, taking a step closer to her, likely to try and comfort the taller mare, but it was for naught, as Luna perked up immediately,
"No matter! 'Tis in the past, and if I wish to be apart of this new world I find myself in, then I must let go of the past, and embrace the present I find myself in!" she declared, then locked eyes with Sparky, "Now, what shall we do next?"
Sparky blinked at the sudden question, likely shocked at how easily the princess managed to switch between topics, the change possibly giving her whiplash.
"Uhh..." the librarian muttered intelligently, her eyes started darting around, "W-well, umm... apple blobbing!" she suddenly squeaked, turning red, "H-how about apple bobbing?"
...
"What is 'apple bobbing'?"
"Ya don't know about apple bobbin'?!" a familiar accented voice suddenly spoke up from behind them, startling the two mares.
Emerald spared a glance towards the farm mare, blinking a little at her scarecrow costume.
"Um, no?" Luna said, regarding the mare with a curious gaze,
"Well that ain't right!" Applejack declared, before grabbing Luna's hoof, causing her to squawk, before she pulled her along.
Emerald and Sparky shared a glance, ignoring the heat in their cheeks upon meeting the others' gaze, then followed after their mutual friends.
"Well, here we are, Yer Highness-"
"Please, Luna is fine."
"If ya say so!" Applejack agreed easily, "Welp, this is it, Luna," she repeated, happily nodding to the water-filled tub in front of them.
Luna peered into the washtub, blinking confusedly at the many apples she saw floating in the water. She glanced back at the farmer,
"This is... apple bobbing?" she asked. Applejack laughed,
"Well, ya gotta bob fer 'em, o'course," she said, "Jus' stick yer head in an' try to grab one with yer mouth. No hooves, no magic. If ya get one, ya keep the apple. One bit per attempt!" she said, before stiffening, "Er... I mean, firs' game's free if ya want."
Luna frowned, but, in a flash of light, placed a small, but neat, stack of bits into the box by the tub.
"U-uh, thank ya kindly Prin- Luna," Applejack managed, nodding. Luna stepped up to the side of the tub, staring down at the floating fruit. She looked up, spotting Emerald and Sparky sitting across from her. Her horn flashed for a moment, confusing the other three, but Luna only smiled,
"I see," she muttered, then nodded to herself. Before anyone could ask, she turned back to the apples, then plunged her head into the water. She stayed submerged for a moment, then came up with a large green apple clutched between her teeth.
"Mhm!" came her muffled cheer, much to the amusement of those watching,
"Woowee!" Applejack hollered, "An' on yer firs' try too! Yer a natural gamer, Luna!"
Luna smiled past the apple, then used her magic to remove it,
"I thank th-you, Honest Applejack," she said, surprising the apple mare,
"Y-ya know mah name?" Luna nodded,
"Of course. Like I told Twilight earlier, I remember who it was that freed me from the Nightmare's control," she said, smiling softly,
"O-oh," Applejack stammered, flushing slightly.
Luna turned to Sparky,
"Well, Twilight, why don't you have a turn as well?" the mare in question started at the unexpected question,
"Wh-what?" she stammered, before rapidly shaking her head, "Nonononono! You're the one who payed to play so it wouldn't be fair if I-"
"Indeed," Luna interrupted, "I am the one who paid, as such, I am the one who decides who plays. Now play," she said, smirking smugly. Sparky turned a little red, but approached the tub regardless. She took a moment to remove her fake beard, which was attached to her hat, levitating it next to her.
Sparky glanced back at Emerald, took a deep breath, then plunged her head into the water.
Emerald frowned and turned to Luna, intending to confront her about her flashing horn, but found her immersed in a conversation with Applejack, much to his annoyance. He sighed and turned back to Sparky, wondering what was taking her so long.
She was moving, at least, so she hadn't drowned. He felt a smirk form on his face. Was she really having that hard of a time grabbing an apple? Luna did it first try in a few seconds.
...
A spike of worry shot into him. She'd been under for about thirty seconds by now. Sparky's body jerked back suddenly, but her head stayed under.
"Uh, Sparky?" he asked, edging closer to her. Her body jerked again, but, once more, her head remained under. Feeling his chest go cold, he rushed to her side and peered in, but it was for naught, as Sparky suddenly pulled away from the tub, splashing water everywhere.
Emerald shook away the water and turned to Sparky, only to have to clap a hoof against his mouth.
Sparky had landed on her back, apparently hard enough to knock the wind out of her. But that wasn't what Emerald found funny.
Rather, it was the large red apple speared on her horn.
"Th-that's a nice look for ya, Sparky," he said, stifling his laughter. She shook her head, and sent him a confused look, before her eyes started trailing up.
She stared at the apple stuck to her horn for a moment, before her entire face went red.
"Wh-bu-I-!" her horn flashed for a moment, and the apple shot off of her horn into the air, as if it was fired from a cannon.
Emerald couldn't help but laugh at the look on her face after that, which only caused her to blush harder.
"You all cleaned up now, Sparky?" Emerald asked, smiling cheekily at the purple mare as she exited her library home. The unicorn in question sent him a glare, though it was offset by the small smile she wore underneath.
"Yes, Emerald," she snarked, "You can quit laughing about it. Bobbing for apples is a lot harder than it looks," she defended. He scoffed,
"Yeah? Then how'd Luna do it so easily?" he asked, before frowning, and looking away, ignoring the slight heat build up in his face, "... You had me worried for a second there, ya know?"
"What?" Sparky asked, blinking in confusion. He fidgeted slightly,
"You were under the water for a pretty long time," he specified, "I... got a little worried you'd gotten that horn of yours stuck to the bottom of the tub, or something, and couldn't get out," he admitted. Sparky stared at him for a moment, turning red,
"O-oh... you... you were really worried?" she asked.
"I wouldn't have said it if I wasn't, you idiot!" he snapped, teeth bared slightly, though the blush on his face only worsened.
Sparky didn't flinch away from him, rather his reaction only caused her to laugh a little instead.
"Thanks," she muttered, causing his anger to fade, replaced by confusion of his own,
"For what?"
"For worrying," she replied immediately, then looked away, "A lot of things, dangerous things, have been happening since I came to this town, so it's nice to know that there's somepony-er-somebody-" she corrected, "who's worried about me."
Emerald blinked at the confession, surprised, but before he could say anything in response, a familiar flash of pink out of the corner of his eyes caught his attention.
"Pinkie?" he asked, turning to face the mare. Pinkie, still dressed up like a damn chicken, was hiding in a nearby alleyway, sticking her head out, looking from left to right constantly.
"What's she looking for?" Sparky asked. Emerald shrugged,
"Dunno. Probably Luna," he reasoned, before cracking his neck, "Well... better address this before it gets worse, right?" he asked, glancing at Sparky, then walked off, followed closely by the costumed mare.
The two of them approached Pinkie, who remained oblivious to their presence, until Emerald stood nearly a foot away from her.
He cleared his throat, startling the pink mare, as evidenced by her jumping a good three feet into the air,
"AH! NIGHTMA- oh, hey Emerald," she greeted, calming down instantly upon seeing him. His eye twitched a little, then he sighed,
"Pinkie... what are you doing?" he had to ask,
"Oh, just looking out for Nightmare Moon, why?" she asked casually.
"Pinkie," Sparky began sternly, "Princess Luna is not Nightmare Moon," she stated firmly. Pinkie waved her off,
"Well, duh."
"I'm serious!" Sparky continued, "She's not- what did you just say?" Pinkie laughed at the stunned look on her face,
"C'mon Twilight!" she said, smiling, "I'm not stupid!"
"So... so you don't think she's going to eat you?" Sparky asked dumbly, Pinkie scoffed,
"Eat me? How's she gonna do that? I'm almost as big as she is!"
"Then why are you screaming and running away from her?" Emerald asked, getting to the point. Pinkie shrugged, but her smile never faded,
"Well, it's Nightmare Night, silly!" she said, as if it was obvious, "Sometimes, it's just fun to be scared!" Emerald frowned,
"While that might be true, Pinkie, haven't you stopped to think about how Luna feels?" he asked. Pinkie blinked,
"Whaddya mean?" Emerald shook his head,
"Luna was trapped on the moon, possessed, by Nightmare Moon for a thousand years. She comes back, and everybody immediately thinks she's still Nightmare Moon, even though the Elements cleansed it from her body. Now here she comes, trying to show them that Nightmare Moon is gone, and here you go, screaming about how she's still Nightmare Moon, the one thing she wants to be rid of. Haven't you thought, even for a moment, about how much it hurts her to hear her subjects run away screaming at just the sight of her?" he asked.
Pinkie stared at him for a moment, before sighing. That one sigh seemed to cause her to deflate entirely, the visible puff of her normally poofy mane seemed to shrink and go flat for a moment,
"I never thought of it like that," she admitted, dejectedly kicking the ground, "I just thought it would be fun getting scared. I never meant to hurt her feelings," she looked up at him, "I... I really messed up, didn't I?" she asked. Emerald stared for a moment, before shaking his head,
"Not quite," he said, causing Pinkie to perk up, "Despite your actions-" she deflated again, "-Sparky and I have managed to help Luna relax, and it's really started to help her fit in. Ponies don't seem so skittish of her anymore. If you just go out and apologize, I'm sure she'd be more than willing to forgi-"
"AHH NIGHTMARE MOON'S GONNA EAT PIP!! EVERYPONY RUN!!"
"... Oh, shit," Emerald muttered, horrified, before he turned and bolted towards the source of the shout. Pinkie and Sparky shared a stunned glance, before following after him.
The three of them rushed out into town, and arrived in Town Square, where they found Luna standing in the center of a crowd, holding some white and brown-spotted colt dressed as a pirate in her teeth above the dunk tank, both of them soaking wet.
"HELP! NIGHTMARE MOON'S GOTTA EAT ME!!" the colt cried, his voice laced with a heavy accent. Luna dropped the colt, and watched for a moment as he ran away, screaming. It took her a moment, but her brain seemed to finally reboot,
"Wha- NO! I would never eat anypony! You're still in one piece, aren't you?!"
"RUN, EVERYPONY, BEFORE SHE GETS TO US, TOO!"
"AAHHHH!!!"
"QUICK, HIDE!!"
Luna looked around frantically, trying in vain to calm down the dozens of ponies running in every direction. Eventually she stood still, her mane shadowing her face for a moment, before she spoke,
"ENOUGH!!" she shouted, her voice suddenly magnified, causing Emerald to gasp in pain and drop to the ground, holding his hooves over his ears, even as all the nearby activity came to a screeching halt.
"Princess!" Sparky whispered harshly, running up to the angered mare, "Calm down! Your screaming will make everything worse!"
"NO, TWILIGHT SPARKLE," the lunar co-ruler boomed, eyes glowing white, Royal Canterlot Voice in full effect, "FOR WHAT I HAVE TO SAY, THIS VOLUME IS NECESSARY!" she turned to the crowd, the wind blowing violently, as if nature itself responded to her anger, "IF FEARING YOUR PRINCESS IS WHAT YOU ALL TRULY DESIRE, AS WELL AS MOCKING HER WITH THIS WRETCHED HOLIDAY, THEN I AM LEFT WITH NO CHOICE, BUT TO CANCEL NIGHTMARE NIGHT. FOREVER!!!"
Her horn lit up, and she disappeared in a flash of light, the wind dying down the moment she vanished, leaving behind a distraught town.
Sparky stared at the place where Luna had been not ten seconds ago, before everything suddenly caught up to her at once.
"What?"
"Well, it was fun while it lasted," Applejack muttered, looking around dejectedly.
"It's all my fault," Pinkie whimpered, leaning against the wall of a nearby building, "I know it was supposed to be fun, but... this isn't fun."
Emerald sighed, rubbing his still stinging ears,
"Well..." he glanced around, watching as half of the unhappy townsfolk began tearing down decorations, with the other half trying, and partially succeeding, in consoling the crying colts and fillies. "Can't say they don't deserve it," he managed, surprising Twilight,
"What?" she asked, "What's that supposed to mean?" she asked hotly, he just shrugged,
"They took one look at her, then screamed and ran away. Actions have consequences, you know?" he said, "They need to learn to think before they let their emotions take control. If they had just taken the time to notice how different Luna looked from the Nightmare, then maybe they'd have realized that, no, this shy looking mare is not the evil tyrant who sought to plunge Equestria into eternal night!" he snapped, before wincing and rubbing his ear a little harder.
Twilight flinched away at that, but didn't try to argue.
There has to be a way to fix this, she thought, there has to be.
Her eyes trailed over her fellow townsfolk, before they eventually fell on the group of foals that had been following Pinkie around. She sighed and glanced at the depressed looking Pinkie, before something in her head clicked together.
Sometimes, it's just fun to be scared!
"That's it..." she muttered, then laughed a little, "That's it!" she gushed, catching the attention of the nearby ponies and thestral, "Girls! Emerald! I have a plan!"
-
-
"I can't believe it," Pip muttered sadly, "My first Nightmare Night, is also my last Nightmare Night."
Wisp sighed, and shook her head.
She should be more disappointed than she was, really, but she just couldn't be.
She had warned them, time, after time, after time again not to be mean to Big Sis Luna. But Miss Pinkie told her that it was all in good fun, and that they'd all share a good laugh tomorrow.
But NOOOOOOO! They just had to keep going, and look at where it got them.
She sighed once more, and readjusted her cardboard guard costume that Big Sis Trixie had helped her make. She'd seen her big brother's armour enough times to remember what it looked like, for the most part, and Big Sis Trixie had been nice enough to coach her through making it as a little magic exercise.
It wasn't perfect, of course. The cardboard chest piece was a little too small, the helmet wasn't tied together quite tight enough, so it kept falling over her eyes, and the hoofguards kept slipping off of her hooves.
Even so, she was proud of her work.
"C'mon, kids," Miss Applejack said, suddenly appearing by their side, "Nightmare Night ain't over yet!" she said, "Let's finish the night off with a good ol' candy offerin'!" she suggested, smiling.
Wisp looked at her, confused, wondering why her eyes were darting around so much, and why was she sweating?
Her costume didn't look stuffy, even with the hay in it.
... Maybe she was allergic to hay?
Was that how that worked?
"Why, that's a fantastic idea!" Miss Mayor gushed from behind them, causing herself and the others to jump in surprise, "It might be the last Nightmare Night, but we wouldn't want Nightmare Moon to come back for us, right?" the mayor asked, leaning forward. Wisp blinked, then tilted her head,
"But we already did," she said. The mayor, as well as Applejack, swallowed nervously, though Wisp didn't notice,
"W-well, the Princess was awful mad earlier," Miss Applejack said, "The candy from earlier might not've been enough, so why not do it again?" she said.
The foals shared a confused look, but nodded anyways and proceeded to follow the older mare to the statue.
...
Emerald had always taught her to pay attention to her surroundings. While she'd admit she might not be very good at it sometimes, she had an easy time spotting something unusual about the statue of Nightmare Moon.
Namely that it blinked.
No one else seemed to notice this, though, not even the adults.
Their group traversed forward, laden with their candy bags, until they reached the base of the statue.
"Well... goodbye Nightmare Night," she muttered, not really feeling as sad as her words portrayed.
"YOU HAVE DONE WELL TO BRING ME THIS OFFERING!" a loud voice suddenly boomed from above her, causing them to snap their heads up, only to come face to face with a wide, fanged smile.
Normally, the sight of a fanged smile would lift up her day, since the only individual she knew with a pair of fangs was Big Brother Emerald.
This was not his smile.
"PERHAPS I SHALL EAT IT, INSTEAD OF EATING YOU!!"
And it most certainly did not lift her day.
"""""AAAHHHH!!!"""""
As predicted, the foals, even Wisp, much to his surprise, ran off back towards the town.
He frowned. He really didn't think Sparky's plan would work, but it definitely seemed to be going even worse than he'd imagined.
Luna, disguised as Nightmare Moon, lit her horn once more, causing her whole body to glow and shrink, until it dispersed, leaving her looking as normal as ever. She spat out her false fangs,
"Was that truly a good idea, Twilight?" she asked, turning around as the mare in question leapt out of the nearby bushes, with him and Pinkie following after her,
"Just give it a moment, Luna," Sparky said, smiling smugly. Emerald nearly made a snarky comment, were it not for the sight of Wisp tugging on Luna's mane to get her attention.
"Um, Big Sis Luna?" she asked once the princess' attention was on her. She fidgeted under the stare, "I know you said Nightmare Night was canceled and all, but... the others would really like it if you could come back and scare us again next year," Luna blinked,
"Wh-what?" she asked, "You would... they want me to scare them?"
"Yeah!" Pinkie spoke up, though her voice wasn't quite as cheerful as normal, "It's scary, but that's what makes it fun!" she gushed, "Nightmare Night is the one time of the year when it's really fun to be scared!" she smiled, until it fell a moment later, "I'm sorry about everything, by the way. I never meant for it to hurt your feelings. I just though it would be fun to be scared tonight, but I guess I didn't think it through," she admitted.
"'Fun to be scared'...?" Luna repeated, stunned, "Well if that-I mean if you want-I can't really-" she stammered, until she coughed, "Very well then. If that's how you all feel then... Alright! Nightmare Night is not cancelled!"
"""""YAYYY!!""""" Luna laughed,
"C'mon along children! Let us head back to the festivities! I am sure there is more fun to be had!"
"""""YEAH!!!"""""
-
-
"Don't you just love happy endings?" Twilight asked, flicking her quill as she penned down her signature for her friendship letter.
"Eh, more of a bittersweet fan, myself," came the thestral's reply from her couch, "Seems more realistic to me."
After Luna and the foals had left to play more games in town, Emerald and Twilight had retired to her house. Her to write the letter, and him because he felt bad about skipping out on their plans.
At least, that was what he told her.
Given how many secrets the stallion seemed to keep, she wasn't sure if that was true or not.
But she didn't hold it against him. Yes, logically speaking, she shouldn't trust him very much, if even at all, but...
He was a guard. Everything strange about him seemed to point towards that being true. The guarded feeling she got when they first met, the dome at night, the princess showing up, even his would-be casual attitude only lent credence to his job.
Then, of course, there was tonight, where it was practically confirmed, shouted from the mountains, and firmly stamped into her memory.
Given that particular piece of information, she understood that he couldn't be honest about everything. That he had to lie, sometimes.
Considering he'd been completely truthful about his species and time at this 'Facility', things that were far more personal than his career, she was inclined to trust him regardless.
"I guess that's true," she said, turning to face him, "But isn't it more satisfying when everything works out in the end?" she asked, "When all those hardships and difficulties make the end so much more worth it?" He shrugged,
"Maybe to you," he said, "But the kind of stories that have you cheering for them the whole way along, only to turn against you by threatening to make you cry your heart out with that character's timely sacrifice? I find those ones speak to me far better than anything else."
Twilight swallowed at the admission.
She wondered...
How did they speak to him? Did they pull at his heartstrings? Or did they remind him of times long since passed?
She... didn't want to know.
She ran a hoof along her chest, feeling her fur brushing against herself. A moment passed, before an unpleasant smell wafted up to her nose. She grimaced at the scent, and looked down.
Her fur was slightly matted in one or two places, a byproduct of tonight's excitement coupled with her costume's heavy fabric.
"Ugh," she sneered, before looking at her armour-clad friend, "Sorry, but I need to take a shower," she said, her eyes roaming his body for a moment. Said amethyst orbs narrowed, "Why aren't you all sweaty?" she asked, "Your armour has to be significantly heavier than my costume was, plus you flew Princess Luna here in her chariot!" she complained, "Those chariots have to be around two hundreds pounds thanks to all that metal, and, no offense, but the princess' aren't exactly feathers either, and you pulled it through the air!"
Emerald laughed.
"Exercise, Sparky!" he taunted, "And a lot of it!" he added, "Maybe you should try it sometime, instead of reading your happy endings so often?"
Twilight went to respond, but a solid knocking kept her from doing so. Using her magic, she opened the door, and was surprised to find Luna standing there, looking grave,
"Um, Prin-?"
"Emerald, I require your presence at your home," Emerald, who had risen to his hooves when the princess spoke, frowned,
"What's happened?" he asked, "Has something gone wrong? Was someone hurt?" Luna shook her head,
"No," she said, "Wisp has made mention of your plans to make pie tonight, and I was wondering if I may join you for dinner?" she asked, her grave tone suddenly out of place.
Twilight blinked, stunned at the casual question, especially one delivered so... seriously.
Emerald, however, completely bypassed the confused state, right into the angry one,
"Next time you come to me with that tone of voice, Luna," he growled, "someone better be dead or dying!" he snapped, not-quite stomping over to her, until he paused and looked back, "See you tomorrow, Sparky," he said, "Have fun with your happy endings and all that," he added, slipping past Luna. The princess gave her one last smile, winked conspiratorially, then left, closing the door behind her.
Twilight huffed a little as she walked to the stairs,
"'Maybe you should try it sometime, instead of reading your happy endings so often'?" she repeated to herself, then glanced back at the door, "Maybe I will, Emerald,"
"Maybe I will."
"Alright, Luna, what's this really about?" Emerald asked,
"Whatever do you mean?" the princess questioned, smirking at him from the corner of her eye. He shook his head,
"I'm not stupid, you know?" he frowned, "I never said anything about a pie, to Wisp or anyone for that matter," he said, his gaze suddenly snapping to meet hers, "Am I being stationed somewhere else?" he asked evenly, though a slightly bitter tone leaked out, unbidden. Luna smiled at him, and shook her head,
"Not at all," she said, "There is merely something I wish for you to see."
"At my own house?"
"Indeed."
With that final word, his curiosity had been peaked. What could Luna possibly be planning back at his own home? Was there some special occasion he'd forgotten about?
... No, there couldn't be. He knew all of the prominent Equestrian holidays. Nightmare Night. Hearth's Warming. Hearts and Hooves Day. The Summer Sun Celebration. The more recent Winter Moon Festival. And finally, the New Year Carnival. There was nothing else.
So what was this?
Five minutes later they arrived at his home, and Emerald knew that something special had to be happening, considering the number of creatures occupying the inside of his home. He looked at Luna, confused,
"What... what's going on?" he asked, only for Luna to smile at him once more.
"You may step inside only after this-" her horn lit up, producing a small orb of light, "-disappears. Do you understand?" she asked. Still confused, Emerald nodded. Luna returned his nod with of her own, before disappearing in a flash of light, a second one appearing from within his home an instant later.
He merely stood there, wondering just what in the name of Tartarus was going on, when the orb vanished, signaling that it was time for him to head in.
Hesitantly, he approached the door, not at all sure what he should be expecting. Finally, upon reaching the wooden barrier, he gave it a small push, allowing the outside light to filter in, before his own lights turned on.
"SURPRISE!! HAPPY BIRTHDAY, EMERALD!!!"
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Dang, that is supprising.
Also got to wonder how cadence is going to be involved as far as the shipping goes.
Oh my, didn't see that ending coming.
Emerald needs the complete Redwall, Deptford Mice, and Songs Of Pentecost.
I mean, if he really likes wallowing in his PTSD.
Maybe Pinkie learned a lesson?
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You planned this didn't you? Did you really plan for it to come out near Halloween?
Emerald Skies and the Elements should form a herd.
9260109
It was closer to being a happy accident than anything else.
9260308
Uh huh dashie.mylittlefacewhen.com/media/f/img/mlfw1178_kyyla.jpg
Jerk
Kudos to anyone who gets the reference
Fucking foreshadowing i swear to god
OH. OH MY GOD. HE'S A TSUNDERE