• Published 7th Jan 2022
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Unseen, Unheard - Nocturnal Reverie



While helping Pinkie Pie throw a party for an orphanage in Baltimare, Rainbow Dash meets a deaf and blind filly that steals her heart. Everything that follows was simply meant to be.

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Chapter 11: Life

Scootaloo’s throat moved in a delighted giggle as she felt the knot tighten securely at her back, Apple Bloom’s hooves tugging at various points on the make-shift harness, Sweetie Belle’s delicate touch helping her clip her helmet on.

As the weeks wore on, the three friends had been hard at work casually gathering (swiping) supplies from the barn and other spots around the orchard, slowly putting together the object of today’s fun.

Finally, all the hard work would pay off. And, with any luck, at least one of them would get their cutie mark.

It was enough to make the trio nearly tremble with excitement.

“Alright,” Apple Bloom trailed to herself, looking out from the platform she stood upon and across to the opposite tree, following the rope they had tied between the two, and to the pillow they had fastened to the approximated point of arrival.

Quickly, she mentally checked off point after point. Helmets. Soft landing pad. Some of the strongest rope from the barn between the trees, each end secured with a bowline knot. Harnesses for the three of them, carabiners holding them onto the rope…

She grinned to herself, everything on her radar glowing green.

“You girls ready?” The little earth pony chirped, tapping the same sentence on Scootaloo’s fetlock.

Her two friends met her with excited smiles and nods, the three facing the gap with nervous readiness. Apple Bloom blew out an excited breath. “On three?”

Sweetie Belle grinned. “On three,” she echoed, repeating the same to Scootaloo.

With a beam and a nod from their pegasus friend, Apple Bloom and Sweetie Belle each took one of Scootaloo’s hooves, guiding her to the very edge. Nodding to each other, they began the count:

“One…

“Two…

THREE!”

Feeling the tug of her friends, Scootaloo leapt from the platform, Apple Bloom and Sweetie Belle gripping her hooves tight as their free-fall was suddenly interrupted by their makeshift harnesses catching them, the vibrations of a sliding carabiner tingling her skin and the rushing of wind feeling eerily familiar as they—

It ended before it had truly begun.

Three fillies cried out as they slammed bodily both into each other and the pillow tied to the opposite tree. Bouncing back a bit, the Cutie Mark Crusaders shook off their dizziness as they dangled at the end of their rope.

A moment passed, Apple Bloom and Sweetie Belle glancing stupidly at each other, before a shrill little giggle from Scootaloo snapped them from their stupors. The deaf-blind filly squeezed her eyes shut, squealing in delight as she threw her hooves into the air.

The sight made the two remaining fillies burst into their own joyous giggles, throwing their hooves around each other and their friend, the trio pressing their heads together in their fit of ridiculous laughter.

As the shared fit died down, a sudden thought occurred to Sweetie Belle, the unicorn looking up at the rope, then down at the ground a meter away. She looked up at Apple Bloom. “Um…Apple Bloom?”

Swiping away a laughter-fueled tear, Apple Bloom answered, “Yeah, Sweetie Belle?”

“How are we supposed to get down?”

The question hit Apple Bloom like a train, halting her celebration of victory at once. Slowly, she looked down, the rope creaking as the three fillies dangled uselessly from the line. “Uh…huh…that’s…a good question…”

“You seriously didn’t think about that?!” Sweetie Belle squeaked.

“You didn’t, either!” Apple Bloom argued back.

Sweetie Belle opened her mouth to rebut, but was cut off by an odd snapping sound, their position dropping ever so slightly. Slowly, Apple Bloom and Sweetie Belle looked up, Scootaloo’s remaining giggles silenced by the odd jerk.

Before their eyes, the rope jumped once more, the odd snap accompanied by the sudden fraying of the rope.

Just as they exchanged a horrified look, it snapped.

Three little shocked cries erupted from the fillies, lasting only a second before they grunted in mild pain upon impact with the ground. A collective groan rose from the trio as they lay there a moment, squirming to get their hooves back under them.

Rubbing their aching sides and shoulders, they helped each other sit back up. After a moment of making sure each other was alright, they fell still and silent, minds reeling over what just happened.

It was a silence that was broken by three simultaneous snorts, three little fillies erupting in laughter, leaning in together as their mirth chased away any disappointment that could have been felt for the idea’s failings.

Still trying to catch her breath from her laughter, Scootaloo reached for Apple Bloom. “Can we go again? That felt like flying!”

Apple Bloom’s chuckles died down as she looked up at the frayed remains of the rope. “I’d love to, but the rope’s broken. We can try to remake it. We can make it longer!”

Giggling madly at the prospect, Scootaloo nodded, giving a cooed little whoop of anticipation.

“What’d she say?” Sweetie Belle asked, peeking up over Scootaloo’s head.

“She said she wanted to do it again, but Ah told ‘er the rope broke. Ah said we’d make it again, but longer.”

Sweetie Belle couldn’t help her smile at Apple Bloom’s contagious excitement, resigning herself to join in on the coming antics—if nothing else, then to make sure they stayed out of too much trouble in the weeks to come.

“Okay,” she agreed with a teasing smirk, “As long as we make a landing platform this time.”

Apple Bloom grinned as the two helped Scootaloo up, tapping her own head. “Way ahead of ya, Sweetie Belle.”


Sweetie Belle swallowed the piece of apple pie, the delicious dessert nearly getting caught in the lump in her throat.

Across from her, her mother chattered incessantly. While Sweetie Belle had long lost interest, Rarity had her chin propped over her fetlock, the older unicorn having perfected the ‘moderately intrigued’ look as she casually let their mother’s words enter one ear…and promptly leave the next.

The younger sister almost couldn’t stop a smirk, tuning back in briefly as Cookie Crumbles jumped to their couple’s trip to Saddle Arabia.

“—and you would not believe the height of those dunes!” their mother gushed, a laugh bubbling up from her chest. “It’s a good thing it was an explorative trip, or else we’d probably be buried under one right now!”

Sweetie Belle shoved another bite of pie into her mouth, forcing her brain to think about the taste instead of what she wanted to come out of her mouth.

Rarity hummed a little ladylike giggle, turning her attention to her little sister. “How has school been, Sweetie Belle?”

The littlest unicorn in the room perked up at the question, quickly swallowing her bite of dessert as her parents gave a collective look to her older sister, who ignored their eyes.

It was the first time she had been addressed all evening, let alone the first time she was able to talk. Her parents had taken up the entirety of every possible conversation since they’d gotten there; and now that their voices had ceased, Sweetie Belle’s ears buzzed.

“It’s great!” she chirped. “Miss Cheerilee canceled the homework due tomorrow so we could all enjoy Nightmare Night.”

“Aww,” her father cooed. “She seems like such a great teacher! Say, S—“

“Sweetie Belle,” butted in Rarity, the sisters sharing a tense spark in their eyes. “Why don’t you tell Mother and Father about your friends?”

The unicorn in question released the tension in her shoulders, at once relaxed at the mere thought of her best friends.

Smiling her first genuine smile all day, Sweetie Belle prattled, “Well, Apple Bloom lives at Sweet Apple Acres. It’s her family’s farm. We hang out at a clubhouse over there all the time, and we try to get our cutie marks. Scootaloo lives with Rainbow Dash. She adopted her a couple months ago! She’s deaf-blind, so me and Apple Bloom had to learn a new language to talk to her. She’s really cool, and we have a lot of fun!”

As her melodic little voice rippled across the table, Sweetie Belle drank in the adoring eyes her parents were giving her. The two looked down at her as if she were the light of their world, a look she secretly craved from them every time they came around.

A look Rarity never hesitated to give her.

And for the briefest, tiniest flicker of a moment, Sweetie Belle found a weight lifting from her heart. For the briefest, tiniest moment, they looked like they’d actually—

“Well,” Hondo Flanks smiled, “that’s mighty impressive. I’d expect nothing less of our little Serendipity.”

Aaannnnnd there it was.

Sweetie Belle felt the weight crash back down onto her heart, tugging at the corners of her lips so desperately trying to keep the smile on her face. The weight clenched her chest, old thoughts stirred up by the force of the impact within her.

‘Serendipity…’

‘“Our happy little accident…”’

‘They never wanted you…’

‘They just dumped you here…’

A softly-cleared throat snapped her away from the old spiral. Her eyes flicked to Rarity, her big sister smiling lovingly at her.

No matter what, that smile alone was always enough to make her feel better. Because Rarity never saw her that way, and made sure to let her know it, too.

After all, it was her big sister who helped her choose her new name.

Her ears tuned back into the conversation, her father’s voice rambling on to whatever else was going on in their parent’s life. If Sweetie Belle was honest with herself, she couldn’t care less about whatever adventure they were going on next.

It wasn’t like they were taking them, anyway.

The clock struck 7 o’clock, and Sweetie Belle broke out into a genuine smile, one she quickly beat back with a practiced disappointment.

Rarity tutted, “Oh, goodness, is that the time already? You two should go ahead and head out, we don’t want you missing your train now, do we?”

“Oh, dear, I guess you’re right,” Cookie Crumbles chirped. “We best be going now, Hondo. We need to be in Fillydelphia before midnight to cash in that deal, right?”

“Right you are, Cookie,” Hondo nodded in agreement as he stood from the table.

“Right, then,” Rarity stood, smiling as she motioned for Sweetie Belle to do the same. “Do you two have everything you need?”

Their mother hummed thoughtfully. “Oh, I think so. You’ll mail us anything we forget, won’t you, dear?”

Rarity nodded, giving one of her winning smiles. “Of course I will, Mother. I do hope you two have a grand time together.”

“Oh, thank you, Rarity, dear.” Her mother beamed as she gave her oldest a tight hug, planting a kiss on her cheek.

A practiced, pleasant hum of a chuckle rose from Rarity as she pulled away, patiently motioning toward her little sister. “Sweetie Belle, come say goodbye.”

The youngest of the family stepped forward, smiling brightly up at her parents. Cookie Crumble stooped down, pulling her youngest into a one-forelegged embrace.

“I love you, Serendipity,” Sweetie Belle’s mother said, squeezing her a moment.

“Mm-hmm,” the little unicorn replied, smiling through her bristling fur. “Love you too.”

The moment passed, and Sweetie Belle felt some of the tension leave her body as her mother let her go, only to return the slightest bit as her father scooped her up in an ursa hug.

“Behave for your sister, okay?” her father lightly chastised, grinning down at her.

“I will,” she promised, Hondo releasing her. Sweetie Belle backed up to stand beside Rarity, her big sister’s presence beside her helping her relax and making her parting smile more genuine.

“When should we expect you again?” Rarity inquired.

Cookie Crumbles actually looked a little sad as she smiled. “Oh, it’ll be about six months before we get back from this trip. We’ll call you, okay?”

Rarity hummed pleasantly, nodding. “Yes, please do.”

Finally at the door, their parents gave a final shared goodbye, waving at their daughters.

The two younger unicorns returned them with lovely smiles, waving as their parents at last slipped out the door.

The moment the door closed, Sweetie Belle’s hoof and face fell, her body sagging with mental and emotional exhaustion. Rarity gazed down at her sister sympathetically, reaching for her.

“Sweetie…” the moment her hoof made contact with the little unicorn’s shoulder, she ducked away, rushing for the stairs and hurrying up them. Rarity lazily followed after, stopping at the base of the stairs in time to hear a door slam.

If she strained her ears, she could hear a muffled, frustrated scream, Sweetie Belle’s face buried into her pillow.

Her heart sinking, Rarity turned her attention to the kitchen.


Half an hour later, Rarity adjusted the plate in her magic, and knocked on Sweetie Belle’s door.

“Sweetie, darling?” she called, only to be met with silence.

She pulled on a chipper tone. “I made hors d’oeuvres!”

Silence.

A little breath escaped her nose, and she sat against the adjacent wall. “It’s your favorite,” she sang. “Blueberry cream puffs!”

More silence, and she heaved a sigh, popping one into her mouth. “Come now, don’t make me eat these all by myself,” she said around it.

She allowed a moment to pass, before she heard little hoofsteps from the other side of the door. She watched it open, greeting her little sister’s tear-stained face with a warm smile.

Sweetie Belle trudged to her sister, sitting down against her. “I hate it when they visit,” she grumbled.

“I know,” Rarity sympathized, lowering the plate to her sister’s level.

A small shade of light green enveloped her sister’s horn, one of the cream puffs tilting and twitching in the failing aura before Sweetie Belle gave up with a grunt and picked it up with their hooves, popping it into her mouth.

She pressed into her sister, closing her eyes as she savored her favorite snack, nerves and stress beginning to melt away. Her heart skipped a beat, and tears rose to her eyes. She buried her face in her big sister’s side. “I hate that stupid name,” she spat, losing the fight against her tears.

“I know,” Rarity breathed, putting a foreleg around her sister and pulling her close.

Sweetie Belle sniffed, her little forelegs wrapping around her sister’s barrel. “Thank you for never calling me that.”

Putting down the plate, Rarity tugged her precious little sister into her lap, hugging her tight. “Of course, Sweetie. I wouldn’t dream of calling you something that you are not.”

With the tiniest of giggles, Sweetie Belle pressed into her, nuzzling her chest. Rarity planted a kiss into her sister’s mane, running a hoof along her spine.

Closing her eyes a moment, her mind brought her back to all the other times her little sister planted herself against her like this.

The long, tearful night of confession and pain. Her precious little sister pouring her heart out to her, her own tears joining the flood taking place behind the closed doors of Carousel Boutique.

The tears of joy just a few days later, when careful, thoughtful contemplation finally produced fruit worthy of the beautiful filly she held so close to her heart.

The evening of tearful disappointment as the remaining two could not see through the veil they had set up for themselves to gaze upon the pony underneath.

Rarity had made a vow to herself that night. No matter how many times she needed to, no matter how long it would take each time…

She would make sure her little Sweetie Belle knew, beyond the shadow of a doubt, that she was far more than her parent’s Serendipity.

A long, quiet moment passed, the two sisters wading in comforting, shared company, before finally Rarity piped up, “Alright, now. Why don’t we get ready for tonight, hm? That wig isn’t going to pin itself!”

The mare’s heart leapt at the giggle she got out of her little sister, her little face still streaked with leftover tears, but smiling brightly, eyes beginning to spark with anticipatory excitement.

“Okay!”


Rainbow Dash chuckled, straightening out the strap around Scootaloo’s head, adjusting the goggles that sat securely over her eyes.

Scootaloo’s nose crinkled, nudging the reflective goggles a bit before grinning up at her sister. “How do I look?” she asked Rainbow’s fetlock.

The mare grinned down at her, rubbing her nose against Scootaloo’s, the filly giggling in delight as she answered, “Like a real Wonderbolt, squirt!”

A bark of laughter escaped her as she felt Scootaloo’s bright blue hooves clamp on either side of her dark navy muzzle, the filly bringing her nose to touch hers.

The moment the topic of Nightmare Night costumes had come up, the two had had nearly the same idea almost instantly, and were now overjoyed the night had finally come to show off the most awesome team costume of the night.

Rainbow Dash glanced at her reflection once more, ruffling her mane and brushing it down, laying it better over her Shadow Bolt costume. The tiny Wonderbolt in her lap reached up for her, and Rainbow Dash chuckled as she helped her onto her back, Scootaloo squirming a bit as she got used to the way two layers of costume felt between her and her big sister.

The filly hung on tight to her sister as she moved, her body dipping downward a moment before leveling out again. The brush of a breeze, and Scootaloo shivered in the cool of night, her heart leaping as she thought of all the fun she was about to have with her sister and best friends tonight.

The duo glided easily away from the Cloudominium, Rainbow’s heart leaping as she spied her friends almost instantly, the small group gathered at Sugarcube Corner, all donned in their costumes for the night.

Twilight was dressed in her ‘historically accurate’ Starswirl the Bearded costume, Pinkie Pie zipping about in a retro-style skater outfit. Rainbow Dash couldn’t help her internal chuckle as Applejack took a step, a piece of hay falling from her scarecrow hat. With barely a thought, Rarity, dressed in a well-fitting Renaissance outfit (with a wig to match) picked up the stray piece in her magic and tucked it back into place without a word.

Marveling at each other’s costumes, Sweetie Belle and Apple Bloom chattered excitedly to each other, the former wearing a matching outfit to her sister, looking like a near-copy of Rarity, while the latter wore a fur-tight brown suit, black flippers on her hooves and a similarly black duck bill over her muzzle, Rainbow Dash realizing after a moment of thought that the filly was meant to be a platypus.

Grinning to herself, she stayed along the cloud layer, where her friends couldn’t see her for the moment, and maneuvered Scootaloo to her chest, nuzzling the filly’s forehead with her own. “You ready to show them?” she asked with a barely-contained giggle. Scootaloo nodded, and Rainbow Dash twisted around, pulling Scootaloo back onto her back, where the filly hid behind her mane.

The mare cleared her throat as she hovered down to her friends. Her voice coming out big and deep, Rainbow’s voice boomed:

“Citizens of Ponyville! I, Rainbow Dash of the Shadowbolts, am here to end the festivities of Nightmare Night once and for all! Mwah-ha-ha-haaa!” As she laughed, Rainbow Dash reached back and tapped Scootaloo’s back hoof, giving the filly her cue.

Scootaloo gave a little shout as she jumped up, hooking her hooves over Rainbow’s head as she revealed her face.

Rainbow Dash gave a mock gasp, straining her eyes to look up at the revealed filly. “And who is this, trying to ruin my fun?” She reached up and back, pulling the filly off her shoulders and holding her up overhead. “Aha! The mighty Wonderbolt, Scootaloo! And what could you possibly think to do to try and stop me?” She brought Scootaloo down in front of her, the motion serving as Scootaloo’s cue.

With a little smile, Scootaloo lunged forward with hooves outstretched, the tiny things landing squarely on Rainbow Dash’s nose as the filly gave a short huffed call.

Rainbow Dash let a moment pass, her friends giggling below her at the cute motion from her filly. “Your adorable antics are no match for my prowess. You’re gonna have to try harder than that.”

With a snap of her wings, she rose in the air, holding Scootaloo a foreleg’s length away, the filly’s laughter beginning to pick up again as Rainbow Dash pulled her into her chest, pulling off a wild series of twists and flips, changing Scootaloo’s position every few seconds to give the illusion of the filly actually fighting her in the air.

After a few moments, Rainbow Dash prepared for the final blow. Pulling Scootaloo onto her stomach, the little filly braced with her hooves pulled under her chin, just like they’d practiced. Both pegasi grinning, Rainbow Dash flipped into a backflip, stopping her curve so her belly face the sky, before pushing Scootaloo into the air.

The flightless filly giggled almost maniacally as she rose a couple meters in the air, hooves braced as if to pounce onto the attentive Rainbow Dash below her.

Rainbow aimed, catching her with a faux cry of pain, slowly lowering herself to the ground as she cried: “No! I have been defeated! The great Wonderbolt is far too powerful for my evil!”

Scootaloo could feel the vibrations of her sister’s words as the two of them were lowered back onto the ground with expert control, finally feeling their descent come to a halt, Rainbow Dash going limp as she played dead beneath her.

Her throat jumped as she giggled, rising to her hooves and bouncing on Rainbow’s chest.

The rainbow-maned mare let out a light ‘oof’ as Scootaloo landed on her chest, chuckling as she moved to stand back up to the lighthearted laughter and applause of their friends.

Rainbow chuckled sheepishly, hugging Scootaloo tight. “That was perfect, kiddo! Good job!”

Scootaloo giggled wildly in return. “Thanks! That throw was perfect, too!”

The mare ruffled her filly’s mane. “Thanks, squirt.”

As the pair came down from their shared high, Rainbow Dash felt a nagging at the back of her mind, and she looked around the steadily moving crowd all around them. Her well-trained eyes pierced through the glass of her goggles, scanning the surrounding faces and colors for a familiar flash.

“Whatcha lookin’ for, Dashie?” Pinkie Pie chirped, effortlessly skating literal circles around her.

Rainbow Dash sighed. “I invited a pony to Nightmare Night, but I haven’t seen her yet. She never responded to the letter I sent, so I figured she must’ve been busy; but I was hoping I’d still see her.”

Rarity chuckled warmly, putting a hoof on her shoulder. “Oh, never fear, darling! The night is still young!” With a little hum, she added, “Why don’t you tell us her name, and we can help you look for her?”

A small, grateful smile from the faux Shadow Bolt, and she answered, “Uh…her name’s Foggy Day. She, uh…she used to shadow Scootaloo. She raised her until I adopted her. I…I thought it’d be nice if she could come visit tonight, so I sent her a letter. She never replied, but…I figured she was too busy to, but that we’d still see her.”

“Hmm…” Pinkie Pie hummed. “Well, we can look around. I’m sure with all of us looking, we could find her! Who knows, she might see you before you see her!”

Applejack chuckled, “Pinkie’s right! We’ll help ya look, sugarcube.”

A smile curled Rainbow’s lips, relief coating her heart. “Thanks, guys.” A squirming in her forelegs brought her attention back to Scootaloo, the tiny Wonderbolt reaching for her friends, who were tapping her cannon bone. “Oh! Right.”

She deposited the filly beside her friends, giving her her pillowcase and tapping on her withers, “Stick with Apple Bloom and Sweetie Belle, okay? I’ll be with my friends, but I’ll come check on you in a couple hours, okay?”

“Okay!” Scootaloo tapped back, grinning wildly, her hooves dancing in place.

“Have fun, Scoots!” Rainbow tapped a final time, nuzzling her filly’s nose with her own before finally letting her go.

Apple Bloom and Sweetie Belle at once deposited themselves at Scootaloo’s sides as she waved goodbye to her guardian, the three fillies excitedly tapping each other as two told one the plan for the night, letting their friend feel their costumes and marvel and the creativity behind them.

With an excited nod from Scootaloo, Apple Bloom and Sweetie Belle turned her around, heading for the mingling group of foals set to head out on their hunt for treats.

Twilight brushed down her Starswirl beard, smiling at Rainbow Dash. “Okay, Rainbow Dash. What does this Foggy Day look like?”

Rainbow smiled, already feeling a weight rise from her shoulders as she described the mare in question, her mind racing to think what kind of costume she might be wearing.


As the night wore on, the three little fillies gradually made their way from house to house. The group of foals they traveled with ultimately moved faster than they, with no pony having to guide another, and no other pony having to be guided. Still, this didn’t bother them in the slightest, as they now had all the time in the world to take their hunting at their own pace, the feeling of being rushed having left with the other foals.

Eventually, the tiny trio made it to Sweet Apple Acres, the foals from before running about playing games and trying their luck in the haunted maze, where plentiful screams abounded, Apple Bloom guessing with a giggle that Big Mac was responsible for most if not all of them.

As they walked, slowly trekking to the barn, Sweetie Belle and Apple Bloom did their best to tell Scootaloo what was around them, finally making it to the entrance of the maze.

Granny Smith grinned at the little trio, her granddaughter grinning up at her in anticipation.

She had promised her youngest grandchild that she’d make sure to go a little slow for them, the precious filly requesting such to ensure her friend would be able to enjoy it as much as she would.

Sweetie Belle exchanged an excited glance with Apple Bloom, having just told Scootaloo where they were and what they were doing.

Scootaloo bit the inside of her cheek, happy her friends wanted to include her, but knowing deep down that she wouldn’t be able to enjoy it in the same way they would. Still, appreciating their efforts, Scootaloo marched on as Apple Bloom began tapping away on her shoulder, Granny Smith having begun her speech.

The next ten minutes went by about as Scootaloo predicted. For her, the scares were secondhoof as she jumped at her friends’ jumps, and didn’t have much time to think about the atmosphere before she was pulled along again to the next. As much as she enjoyed the idea of spiders reaching for her head and mummies chasing them down a hallway, she couldn’t help but feel most of the effects were lost in translation.

Even still, she appreciated her friends’ willingness to include her in the activity, and thanked both them and Granny Smith once it was over, giving them her best smile.

She felt her friends’ hooves, the trio turning around and walking for a couple minutes before they stopped. “Well, that was everything,” Apple Bloom’s flippered hoof said. “You wanna get a head-start on eating our candy?”

A rush of air passed Scootaloo’s nose as she snorted, beaming as she nodded.


In the deep sky of night, a darkness loomed. Piercing eyes scanned those below, patiently lying in wait for the one to strike against. Pure innocence trotted this way and that, chasing each other to and fro.

Each and every one of them…were the perfect prey.

Without so much as the stirring of a breeze, the darkness crept toward the sound of screams, the high-pitched shrieking of foals being the one thing it sought. The one thing it wished to exploit.

A reverberation passed through it, gleeful anticipation of what was to come sending a shiver through the otherwise perfect pitch blackness.

Unseen eyes crept across the landscape, pairs, trios, and more divulging themselves in the distractions of the evening, shrill cries rising into the air. None of these were precisely what it was looking for. All were already taken by the waiting activities.

A flash of light blue caught its eye, and the darkness grinned. Three lone fillies sat at the entrance of the maze. They were alone. No pony was watching them.

It was perfect.

Slowly, eerily, it crept up behind the small foals as they dug around in their pillowcases. After a moment, the fillies extracted pieces of wrapped candy, their hooves fiddling with their sweet prizes a moment before the candies revealed themselves. With triumphant little giggles and coos, the fillies popped the candy in their mouths, grinning happily as they chewed.

The perfect opportune time came in the form of the fillies reaching in for another piece. The darkness could already hear it.

Their screams would be glorious

Drawing itself up, the darkness sent a smoke to either side of the fillies. Gradually, it revealed itself, the soft blue glow of moonlight shining off their backs. The darkness took a silent, deep breath…

“RRAAAAAAAAWWWWWRRRRRRRRR!!”

The mighty roar cracked like thunder and reverberated through the air as a maniacal cackle followed in its wake, fillies’ screams rising to join the cacophonous atmosphere. Darkness opened its eyes again, grinning in glee at the…the…

One of the fillies hadn’t moved.

A blink sent the darkness back a touch, the filly cooing to herself as she popped another piece of candy in her mouth, giggling in delight at its flavor while her two friends stared wide-eyed as they clutched their chests and panted in fright.

The darkness’s ear twitched, all around it having gone silent, save for the filly that had not responded to the fright meant for her.

In fact, she carried on as if she couldn’t see the obvious smoke billowing around her, as if she hadn’t seen her friends move or heard them scream.

The darkness sank, its hooves touching the ground as it stared down at her. A shimmer of royal blue, and the smoke dissipated, pulling into the figure that was underneath, wrapping around them like a cloak before vanishing altogether.

Behind the little filly, Princess Luna stood, curiously gazing down at her. She glanced up at Apple Bloom and Sweetie Belle, whose wide eyes and gaped jaws were steadily leveling out as they calmed down and recognized the friendly Princess. “Pardon me,” said the Princess of the Night, “but is she incapable of hearing me?”

The honest question made the friends exchange a glance, bright smiles instantly lighting them up at the idea of introducing their best friend to the Princess.

“Yeah!” Sweetie Belle finally answered as they stepped back over to her. “She can’t see you, either.”

Apple Bloom picked up, “That’s Scootaloo. Rainbow Dash just adopted ‘er not too long ago.”

Princess Luna smiled kindly. “I see.” She knelt down beside the little pegasus, the tiny Wonderbolt reaching into her pillowcase again. “May I be introduced?”

“Sure!” the fillies said in unison, gently taking Scootaloo’s hooves and explaining the situation.

Scootaloo gave a little gasp as she perked up, a grin splitting her features. “You two know Princess Luna?!”

“Yeah!” Apple Bloom responded with a giggle. “She came by last year and joined in the festival. She came back this year!”

Sweetie Belle added, “She was pretending to be Nightmare Moon, and scared us. And now she wants to meet you!”

Princess Luna watched the little filly’s jaw drop open in shock, before her head ducked down bashfully. She chuckled to herself, imagining the filly was blushing underneath her costume. As she was guided up and led to her, Princess Luna dug up centuries-old knowledge from the depths of her mind, recalling diagrams and practice pieces as Apple Bloom and Sweetie Belle guided one of her hooves to Scootaloo’s.

The tiny pegasus cooed softly, marveling at how large her hoof was as she shook it with a bright smile. Luna grinned, moving her hoof to rest against the filly’s chest before she spelt her name out, each passing letter sending more and more shock through the three fillies.

“You know Equestrian Hoof-Speak?!” Sweetie Belle squeaked.

“Yes,” Luna smiled. “Equestrian Hoof-Speak was first created a little over a thousand years ago. I was there when it was officiated as an Equestrian dialect, and my sister and I were promptly educated in it.”

As two marvelled at her words, the remaining one practically vibrated as she hugged Luna’s hoof to her chest. With an excited, airy little chuckle, she tapped Luna’s cannon bone, drawing the Princess’s attention enough to draw out two crooked curves, creating the obvious shape of a crescent moon in the air.

Princess Luna couldn’t help her laugh as she ducked her head, nudging her nose against Scootaloo’s. The happy little filly instantly grabbed hold of her muzzle, her hooves delicately running over Luna’s face as she felt her features, the Night Princess patiently waiting until the filly was satisfied, purple locks tickling her face as Scootaloo nuzzled her muzzle.

“Are you three enjoying your Nightmare Night?” Luna asked as she sat back up, asking Scootaloo the same thing.

Three little faces broke out in grins, nodding in excitement.

With a mischievous smirk, Luna lowered herself to their level,tapping and asking, “Would you care to help me scare a few more ponies?”

The little trio’s eyes widened at the idea of helping Princess Luna with Nightmare Night antics. Hardly a moment later, and their own grins curled their lips, making them look every part of the adorable little imps they were.

With a nod from Luna, her deep blue magic pulsed around her, and Nightmare Moon gave them a full-toothed smirk. “Now, why don’t we get started?”


Rainbow Dash couldn’t help but feel the steadily growing weight of disappointment grow to its apex as she and her friends checked the train station for the fifth time that night, each arrival of the locomotive only punctuating the fact that Foggy Day was nowhere to be seen.

She wilted, her heart sinking as the final trip around town came to a close, with no results. It was now past midnight, and time to find Scootaloo and her friends to get them all back home and to bed. She tried to hide her disappointment, offering her friends a grateful smile as she faced them. “Thanks for trying to help me look, girls. Sorry I dragged you all around town for nothing.”

“Oh, nonsense, darling,” Rarity beamed, putting a hoof to her shoulder. “We’re happy to have helped you. And it has been a wonderful trek around town.”

Applejack nodded, “Yeah. It was actually kinda nice ta just catch up with you girls.”

“It sure was!” Pinkie tittered. “I know we usually just play a bunch of games on Nightmare Night, but I’ve seen everyponies’ costumes! That never happens!”

Twilight chuckled, giving Rainbow Dash a friendly nudge. “Never feel bad for asking for help, Rainbow Dash, even if it doesn’t end up working out. We all had a good time, regardless.”

Rainbow felt a small smile crawl up her face as she watched her friends give affirmative nods and hums and chuckles. “Thanks, guys…” With a moment to gather up her bravado again, she gave Rarity and Applejack a wry grin. “So, how much trouble do you think our sisters have gotten into?”

No sooner had the words crossed her lips that three distinct hollers suddenly erupted in the air above them, the black figure of Nightmare Moon swooping overhead, cackling evilly as three familiar little fillies rode on her back, holding on tight as they shouted their mirth into the night sky.

Five jaws dropped from the initial shock, three of which quickly morphed into a bemused worry. “Welp,” Applejack sighed, “Guess that’s our answer.”


The cyan mare kissed her orange filly’s forehead, Scootaloo asleep almost instantly. Rainbow Dash couldn’t help her chuckle, remembering how the her little hooves had quickly grown slower and slower as she recounted her nightly adventure, the filly half-asleep as she was helped out of her costume and bathed, nodding off even as her guardian held her in a fluffy towel to dry her off.

Rainbow Dash sighed contently to herself as she stretched out her wings. She meandered into the living room, a small, thoughtful frown creasing her face. She slid a piece of paper off the stack on the coffee table, once again plucking up a pencil. Concerned embarrassment fueling her, she began to write:

Dear Foggy Day,

Sorry we missed you at Nightmare Night. I tried looking for you, but we must have just missed each other.

It’s okay, though! Next month, Pinkie’s hosting the town-wide Hearth’s Warming party at Sugarcube Corner. I don’t think Scootaloo would know what to do with herself if you suddenly showed up then!

Hope to see you there! It’s the big bakery shaped like a giant cake, you can’t miss it. It’ll be on the opposite side of town as the train station.

See you soon!

-Rainbow Dash


Twilight yawned heavily, carefully hanging up the last item of her costume as she rubbed her eyes. A tiny snore drew her attention, Spike breathing deeply as his chest rose and fell under his blanket.

With a sleepy little smile, she picked up the latest scientific journal from Canterlot. After long, exciting days with her friends, reading about the joys of scientific and medical discovery never failed to relax her and put her to sleep. Journal in tow, she trotted up to bed.

Lying comfortably, Twilight flipped open to the first article, skimming through experiments and method developments, smiling contently at the progress being made toward the treatments of some of the most ruthless diseases known to ponykind.

Giggling contently, she flipped the page to the next article, once again beginning to read.

As she began, the pleasant smile on her face faltered. She shook her sleepy mind from its half-dozing, re-reading the sentence, only for her heart to leap to her throat.

Reaching the end of the abstract, her widened eyes only grew. Suddenly, she became all too aware of her thundering heart in her ears as she sat upright in her bed, her previous tiredness all but forgotten as she gripped the journal in her hooves, eyes flying across the paper, internal gears grinding to process the information being presented to her.

By the time she had finished, she almost couldn’t breathe.

“SPIKE!” she nearly screamed, vaguely aware of the dragon at once leaping from his dead sleep out of pure fright.

The baby dragon scrambled to standing, limbs twisting up in his blanket, the corner drooped over his face. “Y-yeah, Twilight?” he asked, desperately rubbing the remaining sleep from his eyes as he saw the look within her eyes.

Eyes wide, Twilight gave the familiar command:

“Take a letter.”

Author's Note:

”You will be given a new name that the Lord’s mouth will announce.”
- Isaiah 62:2, CSB

“Now this is what the Lord says — the one who created you, Jacob, and the one who formed you, Israel  — “Do not fear, for I have redeemed you; I have called you by your name; you are mine.”
-‭‭Isaiah‬ ‭43:1‬ ‭CSB‬‬

Hey, everyone! Sorry this took so long to get out! I hit a pretty hard wall with this chapter for some reason, and honestly had to really force my way through it. I’m sorry if the quality is a little lacking in this one because of that.

So, what do you guys think about Sweetie Belle’s name, hm? What do you think of her parents in all of this? Those two were always a bit of a mystery to me. We see them twice in the entire show, and we don’t even get much information on them. We didn’t even get an episode with them as its center. I tried to make them as show-accurate as I could in the four minutes of content we get with them, but in the end I think it worked out all for the better:twilightsmile:
(Also, ignore the fact that they call Sweetie Belle ‘Sweetie Belle’ in the show, this is an alternate universe story, after all:twilightsmile:)

Speaking of: did anyone else notice in “Scare Master” that Rarity said “Period costumes are all the rage” and later on the the episode we see Sweetie Belle in a period costume!:pinkiesad2: That tiny detail just made me insanely happy when I noticed it:twilightsheepish:

So, other than that: thoughts? Where do you think Foggy is? What did Twilight read that got her so excited?:moustache:

See you guys in the next chapter! Should be a bit easier to write than this one was!:twilightsheepish: