Despite past track record with accident and mishap, the original Cutie Mark Crusaders were not, in fact, dumb. Young, inexperienced, rash in their decisions, most certainly, but not dumb. Their friend Nyx, possibly the most emotional and sensitive filly they'd ever known, the filly who had once been Nightmare Moon, who had struggled so hard to overcome BEING Nightmare Moon, who had been dragged backwards through all sorts of guilt and trouble and outright traumatic moments because of Nightmare Moon, and who even now had ponies out there who wanted her imprisoned or exiled or worse because she had once been Nightmare Moon, had just asked them to explain Nightmare Night.... a holiday that featured a horrible twisted bogey-monster that would have given the timid Nyx nightmares for weeks--- Nightmare Moon.

This could only end well.

Scootaloo rubbed the back of her head and tried to think of what to say. "Well, it's like.... um... all about...ghosts and boogeymen and... um... stuff."

"Um, yeah! It's the night that all the, uh---" Sweetiebelle said.

"Ghosts and boogeymonsters and stuff--"

"Right, that--- when they all come out and run around. Woooooo," Sweetiebelle finished, waving her forehooves around.

"Lahk... the headless horse," Applebloom contributed. "And, um, timber wolves! And..Zombie ponies, and... Evil Enchantresses...."

"And the Schmooze!" Scootaloo said. "And.... all sorts of other spooky stuff. Yeah."

"....and y'r sposed to dress up in disguises, so that the ghosts and boogeymonsters and stuff can't find you," Applebloom said, relieved to get back on familiar ground. "And so that's what Nightmare Night's all about."

Nyx's wide turqoise eyes went from one Crusader to the other as they talked. She blinked a couple of times as the snow job went down. "Really? That's what it's all about?"

"Sure it is! Right everybody?" Applebloom, Sweetiebelle, and Scootaloo turned and stared at the others. Their grins as they did so were so unsettling they would have given a timber wolf pause. There was a brief silence, then the rest of the Crusader Club spoke up.

"Oh yeah---"

"Absolutely--"

"Sounds about right..."

"Yeah..."

Only one voice abstained. Pipsqueak frowned, and then spoke up. "But that isn't right! What about where NightmOOF!"

Scootaloo was fast. Not Rainbow Dash fast, but fast enough. As soon as she saw Pipsqueak start to speak, she shot across the room, all but hit the little Trottingham pony in a tackle, and dragged him out the door. "ScuseusaminuteIforgotsomethingIhadtoaskPipit'skindofprivateberightback!" The door banged shut behind her, and she and Pip were now standing out on the treehouse's balcony, the rain dripping around their ears.

        Pip caught his breath and looked at Scootaloo. "Blimey, what was that all about---"

Scootaloo shushed him. "Pip, you can't tell Nyx about Nightmare Night and Nightmare Moon!"

"Well why--- well why bloomin' not?" Pip complained, dropping his voice to a whisper when Scootaloo shushed him again.

"Don't you remember? Nyx IS Nightmare Moon!"

"Whaaaat?"

"Well she used to be. But she got better. She's just Nyx now, don't worry."

"I'm not worried," Pip said. "I'm confused. I thought Princess Luna was Nightmare Moon!"

Scootaloo facehooved. "How can you not remember any of this! Where were you when Nightmare Moon came back and took over Equestria?"

"In Neighpon wif me parents! We were gone for half a year!"

Scootaloo deadpanned. "Oh... .right." She struggled for a minute, trying to think of how to explain to Pip about Nyx's origins, and how she was Nightmare Moon and Luna was Nightmare Moon but neither one was the other, but finally gave up. "... It's complicated. Just trust me on this one, okay?" She decided to exploit the little colt's biggest weakness. "Look, if you tell Nyx that Nightmare Night is all about Nightmare Moon..... you'll make her cry. You don't wanna do that, do you?"

Pip looked stricken. Making a girl cry was the worst possible thing in the whole universe. "okay, I won't say a thing, ever," he promised. " On my honor I won't."

"Pinkie Pie Promise?" Scootaloo said. Pip nodded and went through the motions. "Good."

"Okay. But you gotta explain to me later how Luna and Nyx are both Nightmare Moon..." Pip said. "This is making my head hurt."

They stepped back inside just in time to hear Nyx say, "....So we go door to door and ponies give us treats. But why does trick-or-treating have anything to do Nightmare Night at all?"

"Why?" Truffle said. "I'll tell you why--"

"Because CANDY!!" he and Twist cheered together. Everyone laughed.

"I like how those ponies think," Scootaloo said. "So--- what ideas do we have for the costumes? "

There was a babble of voices as everypony tried to announce their idea first. Applebloom waved her forehooves in the air. "Hold it hold it hold it! How about we all write our ideas down, an' then we'll all read 'em one at a time?" Everyone agreed this was probably a better approach. "alright, Dinky, could you pass out the sheets of paper? Ah'll git the pencils..."

Nyx sighed as she looked down at her list of ideas. She had gotten as far as writing the numbers down the left hand side--- just like Mom always told her was the proper way to start a list--- but after that she was finding she was out of ideas. Her first idea had been the costumes from the school play they had done... but they were old costumes and everypony had seen them already anyway. And besides... she blushed a little... she really didn't want to remind anybody of Nightmare Moon anymore. Nightmare Moon, Nightmare Moon, Nightmare Moon, BLEAGH. She was even sick of the name. She hastily scribbled that idea out.

Peewee perched on her hoof and idly pecked at the paper. Maybe they could all dress up as birds? Naw, that was awful. And where would they get all the feathers?

Pirates? Soldiers? How about ghosts? That'd be easy, just lots of sheets with holes to look through.... she scratched those ideas down, but she wasn't really thrilled with them. How about space ponies? She wrote that one down, then in a brief flash of inspiration crossed everything else out and wrote down one last idea just as Dinky came around and scooped up the papers. Applebloom stacked them all in a neat pile and Scootaloo began reading them off. "Okay, lessee. Um.... Ghosts...."

"That'd be kind of easy."

"Yeah, and kind of lame. That'd never win the contest."

"Ninjas-- that's kind of cool..."

"But a bunch of people did ninjas last time. And they're almost as plain as ghost costumes--- just black pajamas. We gotta stick OUT."

"Nine ninjas would stick out to me...."

Robots, zombies and monkeys were likewise rejected. Pirates had been done by a couple of the Crusaders the last time as well. The idea for everyone to dress up like bugs--- butterflies, beetles, caterpillars--- seemed like a winner, but hit an impassible snag when somepony suggested what Pipsqueak's costume would be. The little piebald uncharacteristically had dug in his heels and refused to budge. "There is no ruddy way in a kajillion years I am going to Nightmare Night dressed as a LADYBUG!" he finally shouted.

"All right, all right! Bite our heads off, already, Sheesh." Scootaloo said.

Rumble surprisingly added his own objection. "It'll remind people of the Changelings," he muttered unhappily.

A pall settled over the group. It had happened shortly before Nyx had been born, so she didn't remember, but she knew all about it from the others. Scary bug-ponies with fangs and tattered insect wings, who drained the love out of ponies till they were nothing but a husk, and who could look like anybody at all..... Everyone shivered.  "Yyyeah, let's try another idea, huh?" Sweetiebelle implored.

Scootaloo flipped the next paper. She brightened immediately. "Hey, I think I like this one," she said. " 'Ponies From the Future.' " Was this yours, Nyx?" Nyx nodded.

"What, you mean like, time travelers?" Rumble asked.

"Yeah, that'd work too," Scootaloo said.

"What do ponies from the future look like?" Dinky said. Scootaloo looked at Nyx.

"Like in the movies," Nyx explained. "They're all... future-y." She waved her hooves around vaguely. "shiny tights and boots and stuff ? Like Rodger Bucks from the twenty fifth century."

"Antennas and visors," Applebloom added. "And machiney bits.. like Arnold Lippinazer in that one movie."

"Space helmets and rocket packs," Pip said. "And blasto rays and..."

"But what about H.G. Welshpony?" Dinky said. "He dressed all like a gentlepony with a top hat and had this big clock...."

"That's the great thing, ALL those ideas could work. We could all do different ones and still be one big group! We'd all just be from different places in the future..." Scootaloo enthused.

"But how would anybody know we were supposed to all be from the future?" Truffle asked.

"Maybe if we all wore watches?" Sweetiebelle suggested. Everyone took a moment to ponder this.

"Well... we could all have clocks on our cothtumes... hourglathes and thtuff?"

Dinky gasped. "A time machine!" She bounced up and down excitedly where she was sitting. "We could decorate the wagon to look like a time machine. Then we could all ride in together and..."

"Yyyeah, we're gonna need a bigger wagon, though," Scootaloo said.

"Don't y'all worry about that," Applebloom said confidently. "Ah got me some idears..."

"This isn't going to be like the trebuchet, is it?" Sweetiebelle said unhappily.

"Naw, naw, here, lemme show you..." Applebloom pulled over another sheet of paper and started to draw. Sweetiebelle and Scootaloo bunched in close, along with a couple of others.  The rest of the group started chattering about their costume ideas. The meeting broke up into little groups and pairs, everyone drawing and scribbling and giving each other suggestions.

Nyx found herself working next to Truffle and Twist. A warm happy glow settled inside her. She'd had an idea that everyone liked! She set to drawing her idea for her costume with a will, tongue sticking out of the corner of her mouth in concentration.

Twilight Sparkle sat across from her friend, sipping her coffee slowly. It was a double mocha blend, very rich and chocolatey; Rarity had been right in saying she would love it. The fashionista was sitting across from her, sipping delicately at her own coffee and blithely chatting about some customer or other at her store. "...So you can imagine, darling, when she asked for twille instead of taupe? Well I was at a loss for words..."

After a few hours of solitude at the library, Twilight had succumbed to boredom and used a message-scroll to make a date with Rarity for coffee. It was an old custom with them now, meeting at the Cafe' and chatting about the day. Of course there had been a few changes over the past year; among other things the outdoor half of the cafe was now sheltered under a large glass awning. The rain pattered on it now, beading it with shimmering raindrops. They sipped their coffee and chatted and listened to the rain fall.

Twilight was only half-listening to Rarity chatter. She was too busy brooding. Anypony who knew her knew that she very meticulous and analytical.(1) Unfortunately that gave her a tendency to dwell on the most inconsequential of things, and even to go looking for them when there wasn't something handy. This morning, alas, had provided her with something to nitpick over. That album cover...

She sighed and put down her cup. "Rarity-- am I getting old?"

Rarity took pause and blinked at her bookish friend. "Well that's a rather unusual question, darling," she finally answered. "We're all getting older, of course. But we're scarcely old. And you, you're barely twenty now...."

Twilight shook her head. "No, not old in years... I mean...." she waved her hoof and sighed. "You know how I spent this morning? Sending my daughter off to her club meeting, housecleaning, oh, and telling her to 'TURN DOWN THAT NOISE.' " She rested her chin on her hoof and looked sulky. "When exactly did I turn into my mother?"

Rarity's face lit up with understanding. "Oh, Ohhh, I see." She gave Twilight a wry look. "Let me guess. Latest album by Sapphire shores---"

They recited the title together. "If It's Too Loud, You're Too Old." The two of them shared a laugh. "Sweetiebelle took it upon herself to 'share' that little musical treasure with me and the entire boutique," Rarity said. "Poor Opalescence will never be the same." She rested a hoof on Twilight's. "Oh I know what you're feeling, dear. It's not so much you're feeling old; it's maybe that you, well you feel that you've gotten things out of order."

"Come again?" Twilight cocked an eyebrow.

"Well you know the old school rhyme, Twilight; 'First comes love, then comes marriage, then comes the foal and the two-horse carriage,' "Rarity recited with a laugh. "With Nyx you do seem to have skipped ahead a few steps."

Twilight blinked; Rarity had hit the nail right on the head. "I-- I guess you're right," she said. "I mean I never really thought much about romance, or marriage, or having a filly or colt of my own, but--- I guess I did sort of expect them to come in that order."

"And now you feel like you've missed out on something," Rarity concluded. "Well then the solution is rather simple."

"And that would be?"

"Do I have to spell it out for you, darling? Go out on a date or two." Rarity leaned forward. "It will make you feel worlds better to have somepony paying attention to you for a change. Besides, you deserve a Special Somepony in your life. Everypony does. And you're not going to find him if you don't go looking for him, now are you?"

Twilight thought it over. It would be nice to find her Special Somepony; A husband for her--- a father for Nyx? She'd never really had a chance to date. But it certainly looked like fun. Maybe it was time she started. "But where do I begin?" She said out loud.

"Well you could start with the Nightmare Night ball," Rarity said.

Twilight blinked. "Nightmare Night ball??"

"Hadn't you heard? Princess Luna is holding a gala celebration for the completion of The Palace of the Moon!" Twilight greeted this with a blank stare. "Her new private palace?" Still nothing but a blank stare. "The castle your daughter popped out of the ground like a toadstool not a mile outside of town?" Rarity deadpanned.

"Oh! Oh, that," Twilight said, blushing. "Um, I thought they were tearing that down..."

"No, absolutely not. Luna looked around the place and decided that it was just the place for her. You know I do imagine the dear must get a yen to get out from under her sister's wing once in a while." Rarity pondered. "Anyway, all those construction ponies were doing renovations. And Luna is going to hold a Masquerade ball on Nightmare Night to celebrate its completion, and everyone in Ponyville is invited!" She gave a little squeal of delight. "Ooo, I've been SO busy with new dress orders! The ball is going to be in the main ballroom, and they're going to turn the rest of the palace into a haunted castle. "

"To keep the foals busy?" Twilight hazarded a guess.

"And to give any fillies wandering the halls an excuse to cuddle up to their big, brave coltfriends," Rarity said with a sly wink. "so what do you say? Let me pick out the ball gown, and you pick out the lucky colt  who gets to escort you. Care to give it a spin?"

"Sure, why not?" Twilight said, feeling her spirits lift.

"Fabulous! And now you and I need to go over my little black book and pick a likely candidate," Rarity said. She and Twilight giggled. It was going to be one heck of a Nightmare Night.