Chapter One: That was then...

Frolic and chatter colts and mares...

Giggling children; busy parents and guardians; prop shops keeping their lights on those extra few hours into the dark of night. So many signs, it would be hard to not notice the mounting anticipation of this most spooky of nights. Not a block from Canterlot to Ponyville was without decorative cobwebs, play goat skulls, bales of hay for the spirit of it all, or anything of those sort. One could just smell it in the drawing air. Nightmare Night was on the horizon. Nopony was without glee. But none as much as the princess of the night herself.

Laugh till sunset in your pairs...

"Doest thou mean this truly, sister?" Princess Luna, one who would always hold regality over all else had for a moment been in a gleeful spirit; much like a young filly being told she could attend a party.

Her elder sister nodded with a soft smile, allowing for the briefest of chuckles before she spoke. "I mean it. This is your festival. It always has been, even in the time of your banishment. Though the traditions have changed, the core has always been you. You, Princess Luna, are free to do with it whatever you want."

Pure joy was these words to Luna's ears. Her wings fluttered against her body as she withheld the impulse to cheer. Instead, she composed herself as best she could and put on her best poker face. "Thusly so. I thank thee, sister."

"It's my pleasure, little sister. I'll announce your--"

"No!" Luna sprung up into her sister's face, her wings frantically flying her up as close as she could. "You mustn't! It is--"

"Tradition..." The two said that single word at once, Celestia sighing a bit but smiling as she watched her sister return to her normal stature on the ground.

"Indeed, sister. We mustn't break tradition..." Luna was very firm on that point.

"Alright, alright. I won't say a word. You have my word that I will not say a word," Celestia bowed her head a bit to her sister.

Luna accepted this with a bow in return. "I will hold thee to your word..."

"But don't you find it at all unfair that you're the only one who will be ready?"

In that moment, Luna turned away from her sister and began to move out from her sister's room. At the door, she gave a look back; a sinister, devilish smirk. "If you do not read, you will always be unprepared."

That was it. Luna exited the room and left Celestia alone, still smiling warmly.

Parents will call you with their cares...

"Nightmare Night: Fact or Fiction?"; "A Thousand and One Nightmare Night Pranks"; "Myths of the Ages"; "Equestria Serial Killer Almanac"; "Equestrian Ailments and Equestrian Remedies". These were the books Twilight Sparkle would have ready around this time of the year. Candy was always a great gift to give at the door, but so was a little knowledge. Not only that, but a few also served as a pretty fine jumping off point for a few fillies and colts that were looking for an original costume idea. Also, Nightmare Night was a known time of the year for egg throwers and the alike to show themselves...

There's no such thing as too prepared. That was a value Twilight upheld with the utmost care.

In her home built into a rather large tree, Twilight Sparkle was hard at work crafting her newest Nightmare Night costume. It was nearly finished, and once Spike returned with the fabrics she needed from Rarity, it would be just right. Twilight took a step back and studied her outfit bit by bit. She knew she wasn't much of a seamstress like Rarity or Fluttershy; but costumes had been a crafting skill she was remarkably good at. It was nearly complete, but since she could not carry on without Spike's delivery, she removed herself from it and looked over one of her books in the meantime.

"Myths of the Ages"; a book she had been well through many a time, but felt that since she could not carry on with her outfit, she would read a little passage pertaining to Nightmare Night itself. Using her own magic, Twilight flipped the pages swiftly until her eyes set on a picture of a hunched figure. The beast had sickly black limbs and stainless steel blades protruding out from its body. The caption beside the picture named it--

"HEY TWILIGHT!" Twilight let out a sharp yelp as the book she was reading flung up into the air with the aid of her magic grip.

Spinning around, Twilight saw her assistant Spike standing at the open door, carrying with him a bag. "You alright?" Spike asked when he saw Twilight's frantic expression.

It took some time, but Twilight managed to calm herself down and picked the book up; returning it back to the table. "O-Of course. I was just getting a little reading done while you were out... Did you get everything I asked for?"

Spike nodded and put the bag down by the costume Twilight had been working on. "Excellent. Did you see if Rarity finished making your costume while you were there?" Though Twilight had asked this, she paid little attention as she returned to putting the finishing touches to her costume.

"Yeah. She said it should be done just in time... So tell me again what you're making?"

"I told you Spike. It's a replica of Dr. Frankenmane's lab coat and goggles... I even made the boots!" Twilight said this proudly as she applied the finishing touches to the head piece.

"I still think you should've just fixed up your grandpa costume..."

"It was a Star Swirl the Bearded costume, and no. It's not in any good spirit to wear the same costume twice in a row."

Spike simply sat down and watched Twilight study her newly finished costume while he himself took hold of the book Twilight was just reading. It seemed that when the book was thrown, one of the pages was bent in. Spike turned to the bent in page and looked at the caption of the mythical creature illustrated on it.

Linger in darkness if thou dares...

"'Ight, 'Ight! Come on, I gotta' ge' goin'..." a stallion of a brown coat and spiked black mane called off to a well lit bar where much laughter and chatter was happening.

He gave a final wave to a group watching him from a window before departing down the dirt road. His friends had invited him to stay longer, but his school work was piling up and he was late enough as it was. The walk through Ponyville was rather quiet, the air growing to its chill for the season. The stallion shuttered a bit as he looked around at the decorations for the festivities later that night. Nightmare Night seemed to always enter this eerie silence right before the celebration and festivities.

Seeing cobwebs collecting around light posts and signs sent another chill down the young stallions back; cursing evermore that he let those mares at the bar talk him into staying longer than he expected. His hooves sounded dryly against the cool dirt road, offering little echo to the empty town. Suddenly though, he stopped. From the corner of his eye, he could have sworn he saw something move. "H-Hello? Som'ne there?" He called out.

No answer.

By chance it could have been just a house prop gusting through the wind, so he moved on; granted with a bit of hesitation in his step. Once more, a shape caught a glance from his eye. He snapped a quick look to it and saw that something had slipped down an alleyway. Every aspect of him screamed to just keep moving and ignore it; but with a deep gulp, he steeled himself to follow the shape. Slowly, his hooves lagged against the ground as he moved into the rather wide way between the two buildings. Both homes had their lights out, most likely the cause of the families being out to get the final preparations for the night to come.

Moving down the way, he saw a looming shadow further down the path. The shape was unmoving, but clearly out of place as it blocked the opposite end of the alley. His mouth opened to say something, but all words quickly curled up and died as from the dark shape, a slinky dark tail curled out from behind it and two piercing eyes shown through the darkness.

The ponies nestled in their homes, readying for the coming fun heard a sharp scream echoing through the cold Nightmare Night for a brief moment...

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