One would not think an eight foot alicorn dressed as a sexy bunny would be all that stealthy. Luna was kicking that theory’s teeth in as she slipped away from the party, still in its infancy, and dashing between hiding spots to watch the little foals go from room to room in search of their treats. It never failed to warm her heart each time she heard their squeals of delight turn into bouts of laughter each time some stallion or mare jumped out at them.

“Best Nightmare Night ever!” One foal dressed as a ghost declared as his friends joined in the cheer.

Luna had nearly fallen from her spot in the rafters at what she’d heard. She’d initially been nervous about what she’d heard about the holiday celebrating her greatest failure had become. But seeing all those happy foals as they showed off their bounty for the evening, Luna had no doubts that this was a holiday she could really get behind.

Speaking of getting behind things, all this jitteriness was giving way to a different kind of anxiety. Seeing so many mares and stallions dressed in such provocative costumes was not helping. The Princess of the Night needed relief if she was to be in top form for her later performance.

**********

Moonlight’s behavior was much improved for the remainder of the evening as she allowed ponies to approach and converse with her friend as they saw fit. She’d even joined in and struck up a few conversations on her own. That said, one would be forgiven for thinking that she and her human friend were attached at the hip with how she stuck by his side. The same could be said for Silver.

At some point the mares had started this odd competition with one another to see who could impress Thomas the most. The preliminary round had started when they took him over to the buffet and tried to see what kinds of food he liked, though he’d resisted their efforts to feed him. Next they’d tried seeing who could introduce Thomas to the most new ponies. More than simple quantity, the mares seemed to be keeping an unwritten score regarding quality of the conversation, how polite the other ponies were, Thomas’ overall enjoyment, and other factors that only they knew of.

Thankfully the buffet had a helping offering of popcorn, from which Talon simply could not resist as she watched the show unfold. Only once did she have to step in as referee when Silver had encroached on Moonlight’s turn to introduce Thomas to a mare dressed like a witch. After that the competitors behaved themselves much better, but were no less determined to win.

“I wonder if this monogamy thing’s contagious,” Talon mumbled to herself. It was the only explanation that seemed to fit. These grown mares were fighting over a stallion like little foals over a ball, too riled up to realize that balls are at their most fun when shared. “Ha,” she laughed at her unintended yet remarkably topical joke.

“Psst!”

Talon perked up from the table she’d been leaning on and swiveled her head around.

“Psst!”

The griffon glanced down to find a large black gloved hand sticking out of the white table cloth and motioning her forward. Never one to disappoint, Talon made sure the coast was clear before diving in after it.

“Why Moonbutt,” Talon cooed, batting her eyelids playfully at the mare huddled under the table. “What brings you here this fine evening?”

Luna glared condemningly at the griffon as her ears were bent forward in the confined space. “Why have neither of my faithful concubines responded to my summons?”

“Say what?”

“I sent out the call over ten minutes ago, yet the both of you have blatantly ignored it in direct violation of your duties.” She hissed in clear agitation. “Why?”

Perplexed, Talon tapped a claw to the side of her head but didn’t notice anything odd. She then blinked as her eyes widened in realization. “Leste,” she whispered.

“Sister?” Luna pulled back in shock as her lip curled up into a snarl. “Of course. We should have known it was her. That oversized flank of hers was always infamous for practical jokery, but this, interfering with the private beeper system… It’s just going too far.” She added with a hint of desperation.

“Say no more.” Talon pressed a clawed finger to the alicorn’s lips. “It’s alright,” she said sympathetically. “Now, do you think you’ll be good with just me, or do I need to call chimp over too?”

Luna peeked through a crack in the table cloth to spy Thomas with his arms locked between Silver and Moonlight as they lead him around. “We would hate to interfere with such touching bonding,” she trailed off with a whimper.

You have no idea. Talon rolled her eyes.

“On the other hand, it would be such shame to put the modifications of his costume to waste.”

“Modifications?” Talon asked as her eyebrow rose. “What modifications?”

Luna let out a defeated sigh. “Later. For now, you will have to do.”

“Well you sure know how to make a wren feel appreciated,” Talon said with a snark, only to find herself in Luna’s chambers following a brief flash of light,

**********

Firestorm shook his head as he pretended to touch up the makeup meant to make him look extra grimy. The mirror had turned to static. He’d expected nothing less as the enchantments protecting the Princesses have always been top of the line. And while he was disappointed that he wouldn’t be able to see what manner of debauchery Luna was getting up to, he couldn’t ignore the opportunity he’d been presented with.

**********

“The haunted house is open?” Silver repeated the good news as she tugged tightly on Thomas arm. “Oh, we simply must partake. Thomas. Would you do a humble mare the honor of allowing her to escort you to this much anticipated attraction?”

“Humble?” Moonlight softly grumbled before tightening her grip on the human’s other arm. “I admit, I’ve also been dying to see what the Princess has come up with all night,” she cheered.

“That old thing?” A posh mare dressed as a mummy scoffed as she swished her wine glass around. “You mean to say you’re actually interested in some silly funhouse meant for foals?”

“Haunted House!” Thomas, Moonlight, and Silver said in unison.

“And it’s not just for foals,” Silver added defiantly. “I’ll have you know I heard from Party Banner himself that this haunted house, the finest he’s ever worked on, will be an absolute ‘scream’ for the entire family.”

“That’s exactly what I said.” The posh mare elaborated. “Family friendly is just another way of saying it’s something adults have to put up with as they’re dragged along by their snot-nosed foals.”

“Oh dear.” Moonlight said woefully as she cupped her free hand to the side of her face. “I’d hate to see how upset Princess Luna would be at hearing such disparaging words of something she designed.” She accented with a warning.

The posh mare looked momentarily taken aback, but quickly recovered with a dismissive scoff. “Oh please. As if the Princess would lower herself to designing something so petty. And shame on the both you for telling such lies just to impress your colt.” She gestured to Thomas.

“I’m not their colt,” Thomas said evenly. “I’m Sir Thomas, Senior Concubine of Princess Luna’s Harem.” He puffed up his chest, never feeling prouder in his title. “And these lovely ladies,” he pulled his elbows in close, “were just going to show me to my lovely Princess’ latest creation before my next meeting with her. Well ladies?” He looked to either mare to see they were both holding their heads up high in pride. “Shall we?”

“We shall.” Silver and Moonlight said together as they, in unison, threw back their heads, waving their manes, and marched in step right past the dumbstruck posh mare.

It wasn’t until after the trio were out of sight that the posh mare remembered herself and tried to chase after them to mitigate whatever damage she might have caused. Instead, the bandages around her legs had somehow tied themselves together in a nice neat little bow, causing her to trip, tear at the costumes of several important ponies in her frantic flailing, and throw what remained of her drink into a certain white stallion’s face. The whole thing was so perfectly coordinated; one might suspect it was staged.

**********

“Excuse me.”

Stopping as one, trio turned to see a unicorn stallion dressed as a bandit casually approaching from behind.

“Hello. Sorry.” He took note of both mares’ posturing. They’d assumed a defensive stance, the sort a herded mare would take when she wasn’t in the mood to share her stallion. “Sorry for not speaking up sooner.” He lowered his head meekly and stopped at the invisible line that instinct told him was not meant to be crossed. “I was just really interested in meeting you.” Continuing to observe the mares carefully, he waited until his submissive body language had successfully disarmed their wariness. Mastery of what were normally involuntary physical responses was just one of the many benefits that decades of training had granted the stallion as he reached out his hand. “My name’s Firestorm.”

Seeing the hand offered specifically to him, Thomas awkwardly reached out to shake it while keeping hold of Silver’s arm. He might not see everything, but he’d certainly felt the way both mares had tensed up, only to relax later. “Nice to meet you, Firestorm. My name’s Thomas.”

“Y-yes. I know.” Firestorm blushed as he gently shook Thomas’ hand, carefully measuring the mythic beast’s strength. “I read about you in the papers and,” he chuckled bashfully, “I just fell in love with your story.”

“My story?” Thomas furrowed his brow.

“Yes,” Firestorm said. His shy demeanor was the perfect cover to let his eyes roam over the human. While the makeup and costume were an obvious impediment, Firestorm pressed on as he took note of every flinch, facial twitch, and shift if posture that the human offered. The human’s face was far less expressive than a pony’s with his small eyes and immobile ears, but that just made it all the more important for the stallion to pay attention. “The story of how a foreigner, and a creature most ponies consider to be a myth, comes to Equestria only to be taken in by the Princesses.” He sighed romantically. “It’s like something out of a story book.”

“Y-yeah,” Thomas awkwardly agreed as he looked down at his still shaking hand.

“Oh!” Firestorm immediately pulled back his hand. “Sorry about that.”

“I’ve heard about humans being myths before, but I’ve never really heard what the myths were about,” Thomas said with glaring curiosity.

“Oh. Well…” Firestorm mumbled in embarrassment as he rubbed the back of his head. He kept his true glee at engaging the target in idle chatter well hidden. “That’s the thing. I’ve been doing a little research on the subject and, if I’m honest, most of what I’ve read has been either vague or blatantly contradictory.”

“Excuse me, Mr. Firestorm.” Silver interjected.

“Oh! How terribly rude of me to ignore such ravishing and gallant looking mares.” He gasped, addressing Silver and Moonlight respectively. “Ladies?” He bowed, grinning internally how his charms causing both mares to blush.

“Well, erm.” Silver coughed. “My name is Silver Bell, attendant to Princess Luna.”

“And I am Private Moonlight Shield of Princess Luna’s House Guard.” She nodded cordially. “I’m also Sir Thomas’ bodyguard,” she added with a proud twinkle in her eye.

“I see.” Firestorm nodded, not missing the subtle cues in their body language. Thomas was still difficult to read, but the mares were less complex. Even if Firestorm hadn’t been watching Thomas and his cohorts for the last few months, the signals these mares were giving off might as well have been put in neon lights for how obvious they were. “Well then, as his bodyguard, I imagine I have to go through you if I want to schedule a meeting with Mr. Thomas.” He paused. “That is how this works, isn’t it?”

“Wha’d’you need to meet for?” Thomas asked.

“You’re not a journalist are you?” Silver asked warningly. “Because if you are…”

“Oh goodness no.” Firestorm pressed his hand to his chest as he vehemently shook his head. “I’m not some bottom feeder looking for a good scoop.” Not entirely, anyway. “But I was hoping for an interview of sorts to discuss with Sir Thomas about human myths, such as their origins and how they compare to reality. I know a professor of mythology at Canterlot University and I think her class would flip if they got the chance to meet a real life human.”

Despite his charming attitude and appealing features, there was something about this stallion that rubbed Moonlight the wrong way. Even so, she’d vowed to back off and be supportive of Thomas making new friends and that’s exactly what she would do. “Well, Thomas? What do you think?”

“I’d have to discuss it with Princess Luna; make sure there’s room in the schedule and all that.”

It was a blatant avoidance tactic if the stallion had ever seen one. “I understand.” He removed a card from his pocket and handed it to the human. “This is my address. My family owns a little bookshop in Canterlot. If you’re ever in the mood to share the gift of knowledge, just write me. Or better yet, stop by. I’d be happy to treat you to coffee. I’ll bet somepony as sweet as you takes lots of sugar,” he tittered. While mostly intended to deflect suspicion, Firestorm couldn’t deny this feminine little male had a certain charm about him. While somepony he’d ever date, the stallion wouldn’t deny a little tryst now and then if it were offered.

“I guess.” Thomas sighed impassively. He’d been flirted with enough by mares and stallions so much this night that he’d more or less become numb to it. Hopefully I can stop feeling weird about it from now on. I mean, it’s not like there’s anything malicious going on. It’s just a little harmless flirting, right? “Heck. Everyone keeps saying I need to get out more, so this might be a great excuse. Thanks Firestorm.”

’Heck’? Is that a the human equivalent for ‘hay’? Firestorm thought. The context seemed to fit. “You are most welcome, Sir Thomas. But please, my friends all call me Storm.”

“Sure thing, Storm.” Thomas nodded with a grin.

They said their goodbyes and the stallion made his way back to the grand hall while the trio resumed their journey to the haunted house. As they chatted about mundane things, Silver and Moonlight exchanged wary looks. Both mares had gotten the same uneasy vibe about Firestorm. While their rivalry had not been completely forgotten, they both nodded in silent agreement to hold a truce to protect Thomas from the likes of Firestorm and any other outside threats.

The pair had no idea how right they were, for the moment Firestorm was out of sight he ducked behind a corner and pulled out his compact. After doing a little fiddling with a spell, he flipped the mirror open and confirmed that it had worked. He’d successfully applied the tracer spell when he shook Thomas’ hand. There was an unusual level of background noise interfering with the signal; something he’d have to look into later; but what mattered was that the tracer worked. Now, not only would he be able to track the human’s movements with greater accuracy, but his scrying mirror should have a back door around those annoying wards set up in places like the Princesses’ offices and bed chambers.

Finally they arrived at their destination. The training field had been completely renovated to resemble the Everfree Forest with eerie dead trees swaying to and fro even when there was no wind. In the middle of it all was a massive tent with little blips of light poking through in random patterns. The mares huddled close to Thomas. They weren’t scared, mind you. That’d be silly. They were the big tough mares, some more than others, and Thomas was the small and petite stallion. It was only common sense for a frightened stallion to fling himself into his mare’s arms for protection when scared. Silver certainly held no delusions on what she was hoping to happen on this trip, but Moonlight was still a little confused as to why she was holding to such a fantasy.

They followed a trail of floating red lights just in time to join the next group to be allowed in. The ponies ahead of them, a mix trick-or-treater groups, families, and groupings of young ponies who all looked to have similar plans to Silver and Moonlight, were all laughing in anticipation of what was to come. Silver and Moonlight agreed that they were better off trailing behind the main group for the privacy it’d grant them. Not to mention that the scares happening in front of them would no doubt add to the atmosphere and send Thomas scurrying into their arms. It was a well-crafted plan the mares had contrived, save for the minor flaw that both were holding so tightly to Thomas’ arms that he couldn’t scurry anywhere if he wanted to, but that was beside the point.

“Eep!” Silver squeaked as the branches of a nearby tree reached down and swung at her. The group had pulled away together, but when it was over Thomas and Moonlight were the first to start laughing. Silver did her best to compose herself and join in the laughter, but was disheartened by the mocking eyes of Moonlight. The unicorn had earned the first win of this round.

Then the singing started.

“When the crypt doors creek and the tomb stones quake. Spooks come out for a swinging wake.”

It was a deep baritone occasionally accompanied by a haunting aria that sent chills into everypony who heard it. The group ahead, once boldly claiming their fearlessness, had all huddled together in their respective groups as the trees sprung from their roots and danced to the rhythm. The only ponies to not have knees quaking in fear were the wide eyed foals and the human smiling in nostalgic fondness.

It was when Thomas started pulling the mares from side to side as he swayed to the beat that said mares realized another terrible oversight. Thomas had foreknowledge of what was to come. While the exact extent of his knowledge was unknown, the broad grin on his face showed he clearly lacked the fear of uncertainty present in the others. The mares’ plan had failed.

At least, that’s what Silver thought before Thomas started singing along. He was hardly a professional, but there was something about his voice that calmed her down immeasurably. While the same was true for Moonlight, it was Silver who had the most immediately relevant cutie mark. In no time she had joined in Thomas’ singing, calming down the adults and exciting the foals to try and sing along. When the song ended and the trees were left behind, the group resumed a more leisurely pace. The ponies ahead all looked back and offered their gratitude to the pair who had rekindled their courage.

Moonlight was torn. On the one hand she felt herself swell with pride in Thomas’ bravery and gratitude for sharing that bravery with her. On the other hand, Silver being the first to regain her cool while Moonlight cowered like a filly and then joining in the song meant that the little bat pony had earned a wide lead. Not about to let herself be overstepped by this little fanged shrimp, Moonlight hardened herself in preparation for the real test as they finally arrived at the mouth of the tent.

Inside the pitch black tarp, the group was greeted by ponies dressed as unfamiliar monsters in neon lights to help them be seen. These costumed ponies directed them to a white line where they would wait for their ride. Behind the white line a miniature train with open cars came to a screeching halt. While it was too dark to make out the details on the cars, what was more than apparent were the passengers shaking with fear.

As they waited, an announcer dressed as a vampony gave his rehearsed warning to the ‘victims to be’. Naturally his voice was exaggerated for that extra creepy factor as he explained that this was not a roller coaster, but just a simple train ride that would take them on a simple tour of the haunted house. Yet as they watched as the ponies before them were shaking like maracas as janitors made disgusted faces while cleaning up leavings best left unseen, the ‘victims to be’ couldn’t help but feel a little bit anxious.

“Come on, guys!” Thomas announced as he began pulling the mares forward. “We came all this way and I wanna see what Luna did with the place. Besides, I want the front seat so I don’t miss anything.”

Once more the human’s outburst had rekindled the courage of the ponies. For most, they were not about to let themselves look scared when such a young colt had shown such daring. For two others, it was a challenge to their dignity as mares that they could not leave unanswered. Silver and Moonlight sat to either side of Thomas in the first car. There was more than enough room as other groups divided themselves as they saw fit. The mares finally released their hold of the human’s arms to allow all to grip the bar meant to secure. With one last click, the announcer bid them a fond farewell as Silver and Moonlight braced themselves for the worst and vowed not to make complete fools of themselves.

One reenactment of the opening to The Nightmare Before Christmas later…

It was only by sheer stroke of luck that Thomas had managed to lean forward in time to avoid being crushed as the mares clung together in fear. They’d managed to get through the tomb stone shadows, ghosts, and the first few monsters well enough, but it was when the vamponies emerged from the furniture that things started to get bad. The screams never ceased as each new ghastly creature brought on a new wave of fear. Thomas feared that he’d have to spend the remainder of the ride leaning forward, but found the quivering mares so solidly gripped together actually made for a half decent vibrating chair. The human regularly found himself torn between the remarkable sets, stunning makeup on the costumes, and the reaction the mares had to it all.

When it was all over, Thomas, along with the foals, had to call for assistance in order to extract many of the grownups from the ride. Moonlight and Silver were at least able to lift themselves up despite still clinging to one another. Afterward they were directed down the hall to a moderately lit room where the walls were painted with fluffy clouds, smiling sunflowers, and other images one normally found at a kindergarten or pediatrician’s office as the sound of chirping birds and laughing children was played over the speakers. Thomas lead the way for his friends to sit at one of the nearby benches as one of the ride staff, a pony not wearing a costume, said that the next batch of hot cocoa would be ready in just a couple minutes.

“Jesus, they thought of everything,” Thomas mumbled as he examined the room. Some ponies had looked downright traumatized, but quickly seemed to be relaxing thanks to the tender care of the ride staff and their loved ones. The adults had been affected the worst as it was up to the foals to try and give comfort to their parents, older siblings, adult friends, and quite possibly even strangers. Still, some adults had taken it better than others and looked ready to move on after less than a minute. Either way, Thomas was certain that Luna would have her work cut out for her for the next few nights of dream walking.

Good friend that he was, Thomas moved behind the still conjoined mares and pressed his chest against their combined sides as he rubbed their shoulders. For some reason, Silver had spread her wings and engulfed the unicorn in their grip. The sides of their faces were pressed together and he could hear their raspy whimpering. “There, there, you two,” he whispered softly. “Everything’s gonna be alright.”

It was hard not to smile as Thomas listened to their breathing even out as their muscles relaxed against his touch. As much as he didn’t like to see his friends so shaken, what guy didn’t fantasize about having a girl leap into his arms in a moment of fear? It was a sign of trust that, at least subconsciously, the girl regarded the guy as a source of safety and comfort. And if they were dating, well that was a ripe opportunity to… wait…

Thomas’ train of thought derailed as he peered up from his position to spy a very familiar mare off in the distance. If he didn’t know better, he’d have sworn he saw Sun Dancer, dressed as a timber wolf, huddled close with Red Amber, dressed as a sea pony, as they shared a cup of cocoa. The mare had apparently felt his gaze upon her as she shot up and fixed the human with an icy stare and silently mouthed ‘You. Saw. Nothing.’ With no reason to argue, Thomas maneuvered himself around the mares so as to be in front of them, that way there was no chance of him accidentally looking back at the thing that absolutely was not there.

The bat pony and unicorn had apparently recovered enough to recognize the brief absence of the human’s touch. For when they felt it again, the pair had opened up like a giant clam of doom and promptly yanked him inside. While his initial response was to struggle against the sudden pressure and loss of light, Thomas found that he was not being held in a death grip. It was tight, but not enough to hurt. And with the combined warmth of the two mares mixed with their sighs of relief, Thomas couldn’t help but relax into their grasp as he found a comfortable sitting position on someone’s knee. Even the way the two mares smelled seemed nice.

No words were spoken, but plenty was said. The mares, Moonlight and Silver, had inadvertently sought comfort in each other’s arms in a time of peril. What’s more, they found that comfort offered freely as little rubs of their hands and cheeks did not go unnoticed or unappreciated. And when the human stallion had pulled them close and whispered his assurances, something just clicked. Regardless of the reversal of their traditional roles, there was a rightness to this moment that neither mare could deny. The rivalry between the two seemed less than irrelevant now. And while no moment lasts forever, for now at least, the mare pair were happy simply being with their human stallion and each other.

Well that was a lot of fun. I probably could have gone into greater detail on the competition between Silver and Moonlight, but that was proving a little elusive. It’s been a struggle to think of much to do with Firestorm, but I liked how he turned out here. His motivations are unclear, but his suave and savvy skills cannot be denied as he expertly convinces Silver and Moonlight to let down their guards while he invites Thomas for tea, just tea, and probably nothing nefarious.

The haunted house was also a lot of fun. I’m sure some of you suspected that these references were coming, but I bet you didn’t expect Silver and Moonlight to have such powerful reactions. And yet while all the adults are freaking the hell out at this new flavor of fear, the foals are eating it up. Maybe it has something to do with how the views of adults are more rigid while the younger crowd is more open to the new stuff. But that final moment was really something, wasn’t it? I wonder if that’ll have any long term implications for the story… Nahhhh!