Nightmare Night
The foreboding organ playing, the colorful costumes, and the sweet candy scent. One of the few elements describing a special night once a year in Equestria: Nightmare Night. And though many fillies and colts galloped around town to see who could get the sweetest treats and other ponies celebrated by participating in the usual party games, there was one cottage on the edge of Ponyville that refused to honor it.
“Discord, the answer is no!” shouted a middle-aged mare. Fluttershy was carrying pillows up the cottage's stairs, while a pleading draconequus had an assortment of blankets behind her.
“Come on, Fluttershy! I know you don’t like the holiday, but can you join me for at least one night! The children love it when I give them interdimensional candy!” cried Discord.
It became a tradition for the Lord of Chaos to bring large sacks of treats and give it to all the kids that come near. What made his batch of candy far more popular was its contents were from many different universes. Every year his library of sweets was different, making the children of Ponyville all the more excited when they see him. Princess Twilight had some concerns, but rest assured, all candy was tested to be safe by a self volunteered Pinkie Pie.
Upon entering their master bedroom, Discord threw all the blankets on top of their bed frustratedly. “Why can’t we decorate the house just a tiny bit? I’ll give the foals their sweets, and you can still read quietly in our room!” he pleaded.
“I can’t concentrate on my reading when so many strangers are visiting the house. The last thing I want is to be anxious during this holiday!” She said as she stacked some pillows. “And why do you always want me to be part of this? We’ve known each other for years! We’ve gone on dangerous adventures, defeated several evil-doers together, and got married!” She grabbed a frame from the bedside table, wielding a photo of the lovely couple with a certain draconequus as the bride, “and yet you still insist that I need to like Nightmare Night?”
Discord stretched his eyelids to inconceivable proportions. “Ugh, no! I’m not saying that you should like Nightmare Night! I just want you to be by my side! It feels wrong celebrating something without you!”
Fluttershy stopped her building and regretfully looked at her husband. “Oh, I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to sound like I didn't care how you felt.”
Discord sighed, “It’s fine, I’ll just go by myself. Like every year. Enjoy reading your eastern comics, honey.” Fluttershy felt Discord’s warm kiss on her forehead. “I’ll be in the town center if you need me. Love you," he said, defeated.
With a snap of his fingers, he disappeared. Leaving his wife in the comfort of their little cottage on the edge of Ponyville. Despite getting what she wanted, guilt was striking her down. “I love you too,” she said as her eyes began to water.
The town was booming with spooks and laughter! A humongous row of children waited excitedly for the upcoming collection of sweets. However, many mothers were sitting impatiently, hoping to complain to the draconequus once he arrived. And arrived he did, with a massive burlap sack of candy that could rival Twilight’s old castle in size, the symbol of Nightmare Moon plastered on the center. The children roared; the hype of seeing “The Candy King” almost made them break the line. Thankfully, Discord stopped them with his magic and set them all in a straight row. If he could, he would let the little ones go wild, but he wasn’t in the mood right now for chaos.
Every child was getting candy from a little hole Discord made to reach into the sack's contents. All wished him a happy Nightmare Night, not knowing it would be another one without Fluttershy by his side.
“Nightmare Night! What a fright! Give us something sweet to bite!“ a foal said beside him.
“Back in the line, kid,” Discord said without looking.
“Uncle Discord, it’s me!” pleaded the child. Ponyville’s party planning pupil, Cheesecake Pie, or Lil’ Cheese as most called him, was right next to him, candy bucket in mouth, dressing as a bloody zombie sailor.
“Hey, if it isn’t my favorite nephew. Why are you here? Planning to steal some candy?” Discord said as he was giving him a noogie, the boy laughing in response.
“My mom said since your family, I have special privileges where I don’t have to wait in line!” Lil’ Cheese said as he hopped off of his uncle’s grasp.
Discord smirked; out of his friends, Pinkie was one he respected more over the years. The only pony he met that could match his chaos. “Your mother is a smart one, that’s for sure,” he said as he handed Lil’ Cheese enormous amounts of different candy.
“Hey, that colt cut in line!” shouted an angry mother.
“He’s my nephew, and he has special privileges!” Discord shouts back in glee, which only irritated the mare further.
While Pinkie’s son was chewing on some pizza flavored taffy, he noticed the unhappy enthusiasm splattered across Discord's face. If there’s one thing Lil’ Cheese inherited from his mother, it’s the need to ensure every creature around him wore a smile. “Is something wrong, Uncle Discord?”
“Just a little spat with your Aunt Fluttershy. She doesn’t like coming here,” he said, giving a foal a lollipop the size of his head.
“Why didn’t you give candy away at your house then?” asked Lil’ Cheese, seeing if he could stuff his face with ten pieces of sour peanuts.
Discord sighed, his actions becoming more robotic when giving the children their treats. “She didn’t want to have the house decorated. Nor did she want children to come over; she just wanted to be by herself.” He explained, his tone becoming sadder with every word, “but I didn’t want to be alone.”
“Have you tried using your magic to hypnotize her?” Lil’ Cheese suggested, believing the solution to be obvious.
“No!” Discord dismissed, offended by such a thought, “she’s my wife! I don’t want to use my magic for that, and that’s something old stupid me would use. If she doesn’t want to come, so be it.”
Lil’ Cheese apologized, feeling guilty of his words until another solution cropped up in his brain. “Have you tried finding a middle ground, something you both can enjoy?” he asked while dipping peppermint cane into blueberry powder.
“What middle ground? She doesn’t like anything about Nightmare Night, not even the candy! She just wants to read those black and white comics she keeps convincing me to check-“
Suddenly, the gears inside Discord’s head began to turn, and an idea was crafted as a result. It might not be the Nightmare Night he expected, but anything spooky with her by his side is worth it.
“I got it!” Finally standing up, Discord climbed to the top of his massive bag of candy, which greatly confused everypony minus Lil’ Cheese, who has too busy cracking chocolate eggs and examining the prizes inside.
“Sorry, Ponyville, but your Candy King must take his leave,” he announced.
“Awwww…” the children disappointedly cried while their parents signed in relief.
Discord was in a better mood, and history has taught everypony that trouble soon follows when the Lord of Chaos is happy. “But I don’t wish to leave all my adoring fans without anything, so…” Pulling scissors from his sleeve, the parents watched, terrified, while the children had a feeling something unforgettable was about to unfold.
“Let’s make it rain!” Having snipped the little rope holding the bag's entry, it made all the lollipops, chocolate, taffy, licorice, hard candy, sour flavored, peanuts. Anything that the gods have created related to addicting sweets flew in the air and landed everywhere in town.
The foals rejoiced, all swimming in the glorious pools of candies and future dentist appointments. “I love you, Candy King!” Shouted a passionate filly. This event will be known in the future as Ponyville’s Sweet Flood, and every foal that night will fondly carry it in memory till their deaths. They will tell the stories to their grandkids of the Candy King and his legendary sweets, a new addition to the folklore of Nightmare Night for years to come.
Discord disappeared in a flash, Lil’ Cheese puffed up his chest in pride, his face a brown mess of chocolate. “Happy Nightmare Night, Uncle Discord! Another smile mission solved.” That victory, however, was brought to a disgusting halt. Lil’ Cheese’s stomach growled in a fury, a green smear formed on his face. He inherited many things from his mother, but her metabolism was not one of them.
Fluttershy skimmed through the pages of her latest read, under the comfort of her self-made fort, in her dimly lit room. And though many animal friends accompanied her, including possibly the oldest bunny in Equestria, Angel, she still felt alone with her husband, like every year.
A small burst of magic was heard outside the fort, frightening some animals. But Fluttershy knew it could only be one particular creature. “Discord!” She exclaimed joyfully. She quickly ran to embrace her husband, tears forming. “I’m so sorry for the way I acted! I should have known you just wanted me to be there. Maybe there’s still time! We can go and-“
He hugged her back with such a gentle warmth that anybody in his embrace would cry from the unconditional love they were receiving. Even though she has known this draconequus for years, she felt like the luckiest mare in the world whenever he embraced her.
The two didn’t wish to break apart, but she felt a weight to his arm and saw a plastic bag from the New Oak Library. “What were you doing at the library?”
In his hands, from the bag, we’re various comics that Fluttershy loved to read. The only difference is while Fluttershy loved stories of the more romantic and slice of life genre, these were of horror.
Discord tries to find the right words to describe what he’s feeling, “I know you don’t like Nightmare Night, and I don’t want to force you to do anything. But I still want to celebrate this night with you. So I thought we could read something spooky together. In the coziness of our room, with the lights on, if that’s ok.” He was anxiously waiting for her answer.
He didn’t expect the warm lips from his wife pressing against his. He hoped this moment would last forever, and he hoped life with her could last forever. “I’ve never read horror before, and it might scare me, but reading it here with you during Nightmare Night. I’m willing to try that.”
Sometimes, the Lord of Chaos asks himself every day how a mare so sweet and kind would fall for someone like him. No matter how much Fluttershy explains, he will never truly understand. He felt like the luckiest creature in all known realities.
The two snuggled with each other below the blankets held by the weight of many pillows. Even the animals joined in, though Discord wished it was only the two alone; he was used to their company, including the old bunny kicking his side to annoy him.
Many pages frighten the mare, but the warmth of her husband's arm around her comforted her enough to continue reading these horrifying tales. Fluttershy never thought this idea would emerge from her, but she wished this Nightmare Night would last for an eternity.
And soon, the very next morning, books could be seen scattered across the floor, every page read. And the Candy King snores as his Queen sleeps, a sense of bliss across her face.