Continuity Disrupted

by Doug Graves

113 The Twilight Moon, Part Four

“A-and what reason is that?” stammers Twilight as she backs up. She shrieks as she bumps into Big Mac. The red earth pony is wearing a black top hat with a purple ribbon, a black coat that drapes over his flanks with a large skull replacing his namesake apple, and a blue eye sticker on his chest. He has a large crate on his back, full of white sticks and rusty saw blades.

“Twilight, Twilight, Twilight,” Pinkie Pie says reassuringly, stepping up to Twilight as Big Mac heads to the farm. “I just told you the reason!” She walks on two legs, one foreleg wrapping around Twilight’s neck and hugging her firmly. The other foreleg pulls a spiked baton out of her mane, casually spinning it around as she leads Twilight off the stage.

“To… spread terror?” Twilight raises an eyebrow. “That se-”

Twilight shrieks as another lightning bolt strikes just behind her. She glares up in the air, but can’t find the rainbow maned pegasus anywhere.

“Trixie!” Pinkie Pie shouts, one hoof continuing to hold Twilight close while the other points the baton at the azure unicorn, her horn alight. “We’re having a moment here!”

“Fine,” Trixie calls out with a roll of her eyes. Her horn goes dark, wandering off to find somepony else to help with the reason for the holiday.

“Now, what do you see around here?” Pinkie Pie motions with the baton at the various carnival games, like the spider toss - now with live spiders - and the apple bobbing station - now with green smoke bubbling out of the cauldron. Pipsqueak climbs a wobbly stool as he reaches the edge of the cauldron, about to try to bob for an apple.

“I see ponies having fun. Playing games. Partaking in traditional Nightmare Night foods.”

Pinkie Pie sighs before she continues, “Yes, Twilight. They are. But, they aren’t just having fun! They’re having fun in a very special way that’s unique to Nightmare Night. Wouldn’t you agree?”

“Um,” Twilight says, watching Pipsqueak.

The colt reaches his head forwards, managing to snag one of the bright red apples bobbing up and down. He tugs backwards, struggling to keep his treat. His eyes go wide as a pair of long white fangs come out of the water, sunk deep into the apple. The rest of the black beetle costume erupts out of the cauldron as Pipsqueak topples backwards, landing hard on his rump. He looks up in terror as the chitinous wings buzz, lifting the pony to the air. He raises his forelegs to his face just as the pony spits the red apple down to him. Then, she flies off, a hint of a wave. Pipsqueak chuckles to himself as activity resumes at the festival. He takes a bite out of the apple, still laying on the ground.

“You see?” Pinkie Pie says. “If we turn Nightmare Night into just another feast, or party? Now, don’t get me wrong, the premiere party pony in Ponyville’s primary passion is partaking in parties for practically any purpose. But, you can’t just have the same party every time! Nightmare Night is the one chance that we have to dress up as monsters and really scare each other.”

Twilight follows Pinkie Pie to the wheat maze. Standing on a nearby hill they are able to see inside, watching as several ponies wander around. Other ponies, wearing white masks or ghost costumes or slime monsters, are waiting to ambush them. Big Mac litters an area with the white sticks, before finding a second spot to dump the saw blades, leaving a well-lit path that meanders back and forth.

“Have you realized the error of your ways? Pinkie Pie spreads her hoof, still clutching the baton, over the entirety of the farm. “Or do I need to get the Monster of Nightmares Past over here?”

“The… what?” Twilight gapes at Pinkie Pie.

“Sorry, Twi but this is really cutting into my time to spread Nightmare Night presents, you know?” Pinkie Pie sighs, “And, if I wanted to do this right, I’d need to get Zecora to make you a potion that would let you see really, really far into the past, to the first Nightmare Night. Well, not really Nightmare Night, but the incident that leads to Nightmare Night. But you aren’t ready for that, and probably won’t be for at least another four months. Give or take.”

Twilight’s gape remains fairly unchanged.

Pinkie Pie motions behind Twilight with a hoof, “So, instead, I brought Applejack!”

“Howdy.”

Twilight spins around. Applejack is standing there, still wearing the Nightmare Moon armor and whistling to herself as she watches Twilight.

“So, uh, how’d you want to do this? Ah figured Ah’d just go back to the barn where we keep all the old Nightmare Night costumes, and talk about what they meant to me.” Applejack shrugs. “Pinkie Pie didn’t exactly give me a lot of time to prepare or nothing.”

“Yeah, she-” Twilight looks around. Pinkie Pie is nowhere to be seen, an empty hillside staring back at her. “Huh.”

“You comin’?” Applejack calls as she moseys down to the nearest barn. The door slides open, boxes devouring the orange pony. “Ah think,” echoes her voice from somewhere deep inside, “Ah! Yup, here it is.” Applejack’s head sticks out of one of the boxes, now wearing a fanged bat head.

“It’s a bat,” Twilight deadpans.

“Not just any bat,” Applejack says, her voice dropping to a warbling whisper. “A vampire bat!” She motions outside to the apple trees, “The most malicious of Malus masticators! These varmints threaten our crops every year, and they leave the half-eaten fruit on the tree! Ah do everything Ah can to get rid of them! Ah-”

“-I think we were talking about Nightmare Night,” Twilight interrupts.

“Oh. Right.” Applejack pulls out the rest of the bat costume, though she doesn’t put it on. “This beauty instills in everypony else the same fear that Ah have!”

“Really,” Twilight drawls.

“Ah-huh! Ooh, or this beauty here!” Applejack pulls out a pair of straw-stuffed overalls, hat, and jacket. “This here scare-crow keeps all them birds off’a the wheat fields!” She chuckles, “If only it worked on certain pegasi.”

“Right.” Twilight inspects her hoof for any dirt or scratches. Maybe she could use another visit to the spa.

Applejack sighs at Twilight’s lack of enthusiasm. “Surely there’s some Nightmare Night costume that you used to wear.” At Twilight’s shake of the head she offers, “Maybe a minus sign? Attached to an ‘A’?”

“No!” Twilight mockingly gasps, her hooves coming up to her mouth. “Not my score in Phys Ed!”

Applejack rolls her eyes. “Now, have Ah convinced you yet that Nightmare Night isn’t some horrible holiday that makes fun of Princess Luna, and that we do it to beat our own fears of what we think is scary?"

"I don't think you did anything of the sort," replies Twilight.

Applejack continues unabated, "Ah mean, last year Doug wore a butcher’s outfit and all but ate Rainbow in front of everypony, and they loved it!”

“Wait, what?” Twilight asks, her eyes growing wide.

“Yup! Everypony had a blast with it. He had these clinking chains that sent a shiver down your spine whenever he walked around!” Applejack shudders just thinking about it. “And then the hooks on the end! Whew, it was like Ah was visiting a dragon’s kitchen or something! And then afterwards, we played a game! Twilight, Ah’m telling you, Ah never had so much fun as when my friends were being murdered around me. Ah mean, it was all in the game, nopony really got hurt.”

Twilight stares at Applejack. “I think I missed something. You’re saying you really enjoyed being scared? And you want all this to continue?”

“Eeyup.” Applejack sighs heavily as she stares at the barn floor, shaking her head. “Well, Ah suppose then the only course left is to take you to the Nightmare Nights Yet To Come.” She sheds the bat hat, walking outside the barn and grabbing a fallen apple. Her eye squints as she peers among the apple trees. She grins, pulling her hoof back and chucking the apple at a tree.

“Ow!” comes a shout from the tree, a hoof rubbing the rainbow mane that pokes out. It quickly disappears, followed by a brightly colored pegasus slinking away from the brown tree.

“Off we go! Ooooo~” Applejack’s voice warbles up and down. All of a sudden a vortex of leaves stirs up, enveloping Twilight in a maelstrom of yellows and oranges and reds!

“Applejack?” Twilight hesitantly asks as the earth pony slips away. The leaves continue to rapidly spin around her, the wind whipping dangerously close to her tail, seemingly pushing her towards Ponyville. Twilight yelps as she hustles forwards, eventually settling on a fast walk.

Fifteen minutes later and all the leaves abruptly fall to the ground. Ahead of Twilight sit Doug and Fluttershy. Princess Luna is lying on her back, all three of them looking at her curiously. Either that or behind her where Rainbow Dash is panting on the ground and groaning as she stretches her sore wings.

“Princess Luna?” Twilight calls, glancing backwards. Rainbow motions forwards with a hoof before she collapses. Twilight walks forwards, “Um, I think I’m supposed to ask you something.”

“Yes?” Princess Luna replies, though she mostly focuses on Doug. “We are working on fitting in! It is so much the fun!”

“Yes,” Doug replies coldly, “She’s found that she has a love of belly rubs. Just like the rest of you. Apparently, I’m not allowed to stop.”

“We would no longer be having the fun if you were to stop.” Princess Luna nods exactly once.

“Well,” Twilight says, laying next to Doug and rolling so her belly is up as well, “You have two hands, yes?”

A deep growl rumbles in Doug’s throat.

“YES!!” Princess exclaims in the Royal Canterlot. She immediately quails as Doug stops rubbing. “No! We are most sorry! It shall not happen again!”

“That’s the fourth time you’ve said that,” Doug says, pulling away. “It’s time I put-”

“No!” Fluttershy quietly shouts as she pushes Doug back to Princess Luna. “You must! Give her another chance!”

“Fluttershy,” Doug draws out before he takes a deep breath. Unfortunately for him, all three mares are staring at him with wide, quivering eyes that slowly well with tears. Except for Fluttershy, whose eyes have a single tear rolling down her cheek, a soft sniffle escaping her nose.

“Fine.” Doug huffs. “This is the last chance.” He stares at Princess Luna, the mare’s muzzle curling to the saddest of frowns. “No more Royal Canterlot.”

“Just a little Royal Canterlot?” pleads one of the diarchs of Equestria. “Sometimes it slips out! And we have no control of it!”

Doug grunts, his hand coming to Luna’s belly once again.

“You have two hands,” Luna purrs out, her head nodding along.

Doug sighs as a short whine escapes Twilight’s throat. His second hand comes up to Luna’s belly, mirroring the other.

“Yey! The fun has been doubled!” Luna writhes on the ground, grinning uproariously. “Are we done with the having fun? We would like to continue our lessons on fitting in next.”

“I think Twilight had a reason for coming back,” Doug says, attempting to remove a hand from Luna. A dark blue hoof immediately swipes it back, returning to his previous spot on her belly.

“I think I’m supposed to ask Princess Luna what it would be like if she got rid of Nightmare Night.” Twilight glances over at the mare hogging all the belly rubs. “Let me guess. Belly rubs all night?”

“Pretty sure that’s every day that ends in ‘y’ around here,” Doug quips.

“Yes!” Princess Luna exclaims, her body shaking back and forth. “That shall be the Royal Decree! Nightmare Night is cancelled! It shall instead be a celebration with cakes and fun games and most importantly belly rubs!”

Twilight looks down her belly-rubless belly, then at Fluttershy. The pegasus has moved to where Doug’s boot is lightly pressing on her belly, making little circles, but clearly not enjoying it as much as the alicorn. Twilight nods resolutely. “Then I know what I have to do.”

“You do?” asks Fluttershy, a worried expression coming over her face.

“Yes.” Twilight rolls over, standing on her hooves. “If that is what you wish to become of this holiday, it leaves me no choice. Princess Luna, I am hereby challenging you for the use of Nightmare Moon!”

Comments

[chibilink]

and a blue eye sticker on on his chest.

Oh the horror! Twilight is using the power of copyright! She's truly gotten into the holiday spirit.

[DarkPhoenixx]

I'm shocked Twilight! Just shocked! Lol ok maybe that was a bit dramatic.

[DarkPhoenixx]

10116340
Lol what's next? Trademarks? Patents? Where does it end? Oh the horror.

[ANW]

10236879
No, worse. Two words that scares anyone senseless.

Copyright laws
*shudders*

[f0st3r21]

Did Twilight just borrow / abridge the plot from Friendship is Witchcraft?