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Nightmare Night and Nyx

by RealityCheck

Chapter 28

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Chapter 28

It was an alicorn. At least that was the general impression; it was a pony in shape, was tall and slender had the wings and the horn after all. Beyond that it was a study in absurdity. The limbs were impossibly long and slender, the eyes impossibly huge and doe like with lashes like eagle's feathers. The wings were so large and floufed and feathery soft as to be surely useless for flight. The mane and tail were a billowing cloud of pink,  half again as large as the pony that wore them.

It was bedecked, or perhaps bejeweled, with an enormous rhinestone crown and collar and gem-studded shoes with ribbons that laced clear up the leg. It's cutie mark was.... either a sun made up of valentine hearts, or an enormous foal's rendition of a pink and yellow sunflower, Celestia couldn't make up her mind which.

Worst of all, it twinkled. No, not just sparkled-- though it did do that; it in fact seemed to walk in a veritable cloud of little sparkles. It actually made a twinkly sound as it moved about. In fact, one could faintly hear tiny, high pitched voices saying "twinkle twinkle" if one stood nearby. For an added touch, little pink hearts trailed like soap bubbles from the end of its horn.

"Oh I'm the prettiest pony princess in all the land," it sang as it pranced back and forth through the room.... leaving all the poor humble ponies present in a panic between falling down laughing in hysterics, and fleeing the fallout of the sure and inevitable wrath of their ruler.

Their ruler, for her part, sighed in eternal longsuffering. She knew it was a bad idea to ask to see Luna's Nightmare Night costume. Cadence was next to her, wearing an expression of pained amusement. "One of us is getting the Mickey taken out of her," the crystal princess muttered to Celestia, "and I'm not sure which..."

Finally the torture ended and Luna pranced/minced/twinkled her way out of the room and back to the dressing chambers where she'd transformed, leaving a trail of discombobulated ponies in her wake.

Nightmare Night. Heckuva party.

Twilight, Ink Spot, and Nyx came trailing up to sit next to them. Celestia took note of how closely the three huddled, and the contented smiles on Ink Spot's and Twilight Sparkle's faces, and gave Cadence one of her enigmatic smiles.

Cadence's knowing smirk was far less subtle. Ah, the trials of dealing with an Alicorn of Love...

"Hello, Celestia, Cadence," Twilight said. The trio made cursory bows and sat down next to them.

"Ah," Celestia, "Is the evening going well for you three ?" She cocked an eyebrow at Ink Spot.

The stallion blushed deeply. "She knows, your Highness," he said, chagrined.

"Oh?" Celestia said noncommittally.

"We sweated it out of him," Nyx said. Cadence snorted into her punch glass.

While the princess of the Crystal Empire hastily mopped the punch off her face, Celestia gave Twilight a surprisingly apologetic smile. "Twilight, I do want you to know that I wasn't.... trying to be conniving in this. I did want to avoid meddling in your life--" -- there was another smothered snort from Cadence-- "but circumstances dictated that I had to start taking precautions. You and your daughter and your friends are precious to Equestria, and precious to me.  Yes, Nyx, I'm including you in that," she said to the surprised filly.

"I understand, Princess," Twilight said.  "And I'm sure it's only coincidence that a stallion that so perfectly matched my personal interests and stated preferences ended up in Ponyville as my lead bodyguard."

"Oho, thinking about boys, are we?" Celestia teased.

The tiny purple filly blushed. "Kinda..." she hunkered down behind her book fort. Getting caught out boy-watching was proving to be a hundred new kinds of mortifying.

"So, what kind of stallion are you hoping for someday?" the Princess asked. "Big and strong with a flowing golden mane, perhaps?" she grinned.

"Oh no," Twilight said. "I'd like one with a dark blue coat, and a black tail and mane..." her eyes got an eager, faraway look as she hugged the volume she was reading to herself, "---and who has lots and LOTS of books!"

"I'm sure I have no idea what you're talking about," Celestia said, taking a sip from her punch. "But yes, I suppose I did pick one who seemed socially compatible...." she looked at Ink Spot. "Now that this is all over, what are your plans for the immediate future, my little pony?"

"Well it's hardly over, your Majesty," Ink Spot said. "Twilight and Nyx still need protecting... I may be no guardpony, but..." He pulled the two named ponies closer. "Watching over them is a duty I'll happily take." He paused. "It is quite fortunate that my publishing company is opening a branch office here in Ponyville," he said.

"Oh, quite," Twilight agreed.

"Real lucky," Nyx said.

"--Something about Ponyville becoming a new hub of Equestrian commerce, I think my boss said. What with the new rail lines and the Court of the Night moving here permanently, and all. Very sudden decision, but strike while the iron is hot, I suppose...."

"Very foresightful of your company," Celestia agreed.

"Amazing how fast my request for a transfer here went through..."

"Fortuitous, I can imagine," Celestia said. It did pay for the royal family to have private stock in various companies. She took a sip of punch.

Twilight smirked as she waited for just the right moment. "And of course it will be good to have the father close during my pregnancy," she said--- just as the punch glass touched Celestia's lips.

There wasn't so much a spit take as an explosion of liquid into supersonic vapor. The punch glass disintegrated, spraying across the room in near microscopic particles. "What--hack--cough--" the Princess of the Sun spluttered as Cadence patted her on the back with a wing. She caught her breath and looked up to find herself nose to nose with her most faithful student, who was batting her lashes and smiling serenely.

"Gotcha," Twilight said.

Twilight and Ink Spot shook with stifled merriment; Nyx and Cadence weren't nearly so restrained.  "I guess I deserved that," Celestia said, sighing.

Twilight smiled and pressed to Ink Spot's side. "Seriously though, Princess... thank you. For everything."

Just for a moment, Celestia relented. "You're welcome, my little pony."

The music changed pace; the rave lighting dimmed and took on a slower, dreamier cast. "All right you party animals, let's downshift it for a little while," DJ-PON-3 said. "Find your special somepony and pull 'em close for a slow dance." All over the room, couples did just that.

Celestia had to chuckle to herself as her madly blushing Loyal Student was tugged out onto the dance floor. "Ah, another plan come to fruition--" Celestia started to say to Cadence.... only to realize a certain formerly-headless horse had already wooed the alicorn of love out onto the floor. "Ah well." Celestia tipped her punch glass up. "Here's to me."

Over in one corner a dark grey pegasus in praetorian armor brooded over a plate of hors d'oeuvres. Thunderlane wasn't hungry, but he did tend to nibble when he was feeling sulky. He was just deciding between a little cracker thing with some sort of paste on it and and olive and cheese thing on a skewer when hoof tapped him on the shoulder. He turned around; there stood Dash, with an unreadable expression on her face. Dang, she still looked beautiful. Even as mad as he was at her.

He started to grump, then sighed. "Dash, I'm sorry," he said, putting the toothpicks back on the tray. "About what I said earlier. I know you're sort of skittish about what people think of you, and I shouldn't have gotten mad just because--"

"--Because a grown mare treated you like you were both in kindergarten and she thought you'd give her cooties?" Dash's smile was rather wry.

Thunderlane hung his head and rubbed the back of his neck. "Yyyeah. That." He snorted. "Guess I wasn't too mature myself--"

"No, you had it right," Dash said.She looked away and blushed, rubbing the back of one foreleg with her hoof. There was an awkward silence for a moment. She craned her neck down so she could look him in the eye. "Forgive me?"

The corner of his mouth quirked. "You first," he said.

"Deal." She smiled a bit. "Dance with me?"

Hope lit up in his eyes, but he reined himself in. "You sure?" he said. "Because if you really are, y'know, tensed up about it--"

"Hey, I'm a big girl, I can cope," she said. "It's not like everypony's gonna point and laugh." Her nervous stance told a different story.

"If they did, I'd buck 'em in the face," Thunderlane said. "But are you sure...?"

"Hey, c'mon, dance with me before I lose my nerve already," Dash said, holding out a forehoof. Thunderlane did what any guy in that situation should; he grinned and shut up. He took her hoof in his own, and together they floated up to the roof to spin slowly together among the chandeliers.

Down on the ground, a much younger pair was having its own little issues. Nyx got bit by a wild impulse and, blushing under her black coat, sidled up to Rumble. "W-would you like to.... um... dance?..... With me?" she asked, her voice rising to a Fluttershy-esque squeak on the last word.

Rumble started to say something, then looked unhappy and hung his head. "'m sure you'd like to dance with somepony else better," he said.

Nyx looked surprised, then hurt. "You don't want to dance with--?...I... I thought you liked me...."

Rumble's eyes widened. "Oh no, I do!" He blushed furiously when he realized how he'd blurted that out. "I mean--yeah,  I... kinda sorta l-l-like you. Like that." He looked downcast again. "I just figured you'd wanna dance with somepony else....who wasn't a big coward." His eyes remained firmly focused on his forehooves.

"You're not a coward!" Nyx said. She actually felt offended. Who had told Rumble that?

"I am. I saw that Flitter was a Changeling and I.... I turned into a big screaming wuss. She was trying to help you and I was too big a crybaby to--"

"You are NOT a crybaby!" Nyx stamped her hoof. "You went and got help. You even stood up for Flitter when all those stupidheads were yelling and wanted to get rid of her."

"Pipsqueak stood up for Flitter," Rumble said sarcastically. "I just stood there and shook like a-- like a big sissy."

"Yeah, but you still stood there," Nyx said. "Mom always says that being brave isn't not being scared. It's being scared and doing what you have to anyway. You were brave." She leaned forward and kissed his cheek. "That's the only thing that matters."

His head jerked up and he blinked in surprise. He looked at her, biting his lip nervously; she was sitting back, suddenly shy. "D-do you still wanna dance?" He finally asked.

She smiled and nodded. Awkwardly, happily, he took her hoof in his and led her out onto the floor. Their first few nervous steps were, as anyone could expect, comically awkward, but soon they were dancing together in a slow circle as the music played.

They were still young, and could only really flutter a few feet off the floor as they danced. But when Nyx rested her head on Rumble's shoulder, he could have sworn he could fly to the moon....


The party finally began to wind down. The night shift... or rather the day shift... of the castle staff tiptoed on duty and began cleaning up the remnants of the party. The last few guests began to make their congratulations to Princess Luna and take their leave as dawn crept near. The sky to the east began to be tinted with pinks and purples; Celestia was lingering over the sunrise this morning, starting the false dawn as early as she could to give her little ponies time to straggle their way home. The mane six, wings long dissolved into moonlight and morning dew, were trailing about the floor gathering up the various snoozing or half-asleep Cutie Mark Crusaders and their friends. Twilight and Ink Spot would carry home Nyx and Spike, and Rarity would be carting home a blissfully knocked-out SweetieBelle... but they'd all conversed and decided that the best approach for the rest of them would be to hitch Applejack to the Cutie Cart, load the foals up on it and haul them home.

They had wheeled the redoubtable pedal-cart in and were carefully loading sleeping colts and fillies onto it-- when they could work around Photo Finish, who had spent the entire night popping flashbulbs in random directions and in random ponies' faces, was even now snapping shots of the Crusaders, where they'd all tumbled in a sleeping pile. "Miss Finish, could you please step back a little?" Mac asked for what had to be the fifth time. "And don't pop that flashbulb in their faces, you'll wake them."

"Ach, but zis is-- ze magicks!" Photo Finish said, snapping away.  "Zey are so cute, mit de schleeping mit zheir little hoofies shticking up and zheir little round tummies in ze air--- it is all I can do not to run over und give zem all tummy zherberts! Eee!"

Twilight approached the throne to make her farewells, a sleeping Nyx draped over her back. The two princesses were relaxing with flutes of something a touch more potent than punch, and were dickering amiably in the manner of sisters anywhere.

"...You promised me you wouldn't bring out that ridiculous 'Pretty Pony Princess' illusion," Celestia was heard to complain.

"Thou didst promise me that thou wouldst not attempt to dance whilst in my form," Luna shot back, knocking back the last of her champagne.

"Fair enough I suppose," Celestia sighed, rolling her eyes. " But seriously, what does everypony have against my dancing--- Ah, we have company! Hello, Twilight."

"Hello, Princesses," Twilight smiled at her mentor and her sister.

"Wast thine evening pleasant?" Luna asked her. The lunar monarch's tone was rather inquisitive.

Twilight chuckled. "Well... except for that bit in the middle... yes, it was a good evening."

Luna rolled her eyes. "So that is to be my legacy," she said drolly. "'Twas a most wondrous night-- except for that part in the middle.' Twill make a lovely entry in the history books..."

Twilight and Celestia shared a giggle at Luna's expense. "No, really," Twilight said. "It really was a wonderful night, Princess Luna. Even with all the... unexpected surprises."  Nyx gave a tiny yawn on her back. Twilight chuckled. "And I'm sure Nyx would say it was a great party too... if she were awake." She looked back and nuzzled the filly back to sleep. A brief look of sadness crossed her face as she did so; Celestia was not so unsubtle as to miss it.

"Is there something wrong, my faithful student?" She asked, her voice soft.

Twilight shook her head. "Never mind me, Princess," she said with false cheer. "Just me being a little maudlin after a long night, is all..."

"Twilight," Celestia said. "Come now. What is it?"

Twilight looked over her shoulder at Nyx again. This time there was a hint of tears in her eyes. "Princess... I love her. More dearly than life, more than I could ever say. And... sometimes though, I can't help remembering; she's an alicorn, and I'm just a unicorn. And... as hard as it is with Spike, this is even harder. I'm going to be gone in a wink of their eye... and eventually even Spike will be gone and my little girl will be all alone in the world and... " She put her hoof to her mouth, tears leaking from the corner of her eyes. "I know you say we shouldn't dwell on such things, that it's not about how much time we have together it's how well we spend it but somedays the days just seem to fly and I...."

A white wing draped over her. "Oh Twilight," Celestia said. She gently wiped Twilight's eyes with a feather. "Come with me. There is something I should have shown you long before now." She got to her feet and gently guided a curious Twilight to the glass doors looking out on the garden. The sky was balanced, just on the tipping point between day and night. "Perfect," Celestia said. She tapped the tip of her shining horn to the glass. It shimmered like the surface of a pond, then stilled.

"Tell me, Twilight," Celestia said. "What do you see?"

Twilight looked out the window and gasped. There were no gardens... or there were, but they were faded into ghostly silhouettes, apparitions in the glowing false dawn. Overlaid on this, like a second image, just as ghostly yet somehow brighter, were rolling hills of tall, green grass, grass that rippled and bowed in unseen breezes. They went on forever. In the starry distance, neither day nor night, she could faintly see rivers, and forests--- Were those mountains? Clouds? Cities? all three? And everywhere, running over the endless grass, were--

Twilight felt her heart stop beating. "Are those.... ? Is that....?"

Celestia's voice was close, so close she could feel her breath on her ear. "Yes," she said.

And then Twilight saw that the ghostly fields weren't in the distance... they were here, the hills rolling through the glass and stone of the Castle of the Moon as if they were ephemeral as air, the ponies running over them passing by and through, and running down the roads--- how could she see the road outside the castle?--- between and among the living.... One of them stopped and looked at her. Smiled at her, before turning and running off. She caught herself waving a hoof in return and stopped, suddenly feeling like a goof.

And nearby, so near, she thought she recognized some faces...

Twilight's voice cracked. "It is, isn't it," was all she could say.

Celestia nodded. "Being an immortal alicorn, one of the fulcrums of this world, comes with a price," she said. "but Heaven in its infinite wisdom and mercy sees to it that it comes with a blessing as well. This is the gift of the alicorn. Though we must bear the pain of separation in this life, and know that mortal life is so fleeting, we know, we see, what mortals only can be told... that Death is only a door, time is only a window. That our loved ones taken in the Maker's grace are always but a feather's breadth away. When little Nyx is ten times ten as old as Luna or I, you will still be there for her, and she will still be able to look to you with love in your eyes... till His design is complete, and we are all united in body as well, when the last mortal star winks out."

Twilight's ribs rose and fell. She started to hyperventilate, to gasp for air with the overwhelming nature of what she had seen. "Princess... oh, Princess, what--"

"Hush now." Celestia's horn touched her brow. Twilight's eyelids fluttered closed. She rocked sleepily on her hooves, Celestia's wing steadying her.

"What? And thou art erasing her memory?" Luna said from her fainting couch throne with a little moue' of disappointment.

"What she has seen wasn't meant for mortal eyes, Luna, you know that," Celestia said. "It would have done her harm, in the long run." She cocked an eyebrow. "To say nothing of the mischief she would be tempted to. Giving this girl a peek at an unopened mystery is like giving a box of primed mousetraps to a monkey."

"Wherefore all that, then?" Luna waved her hoof from her reclined position. "Thy comfort will be of no avail, if she cannot remember it."

"She will remember," Celestia said. "In thoughts, in dreams, in her deepest heart." She gave Twilight a kiss on the top of her head. Twilight blinked, stirred, shook her head.

"Goodness! Ooo, what was I...? I'm sorry, Princess. I must be tired..." thought gave rise to action in the form of a massive yawn. "I'd better get home. SO glad tomorrow's a vacation day..." she shook her head again. "What was I talking about? It... slipped my mind."

"Are you feeling better, my little pony?" Celestia asked.

Twilight blinked. She had been feeling a bit sad a moment ago, hadn't she? "Yes, actually," She said. "I don't know why, but I do feel.... better about things." She smiled up at her teacher. "Thank you."

"What for?" Celestia feigned innocence.

"I.... don't know," Twilight half-laughed. "Excuse me, Princess; Ink Spot is waiting to walk me home..." She turned and trotted off.

"Take one of the carriages," Luna called after her. "And tell thy friends they can do the same, if they wish..."

"Thank you, Princess Luna," Twilight said over her shoulder. She joined  Ink Spot at the doorway. Peewee came fluttering down out of the rafters to perch on Twilight's horn. They waved at the princesses, and then they were gone.

Celestia sighed and lay back down on the fainting couch that had been procured for her. "Well, that went quite well," she said. She dispelled the "ignore these events" spell she'd cast over the immediate surroundings and retrieved her glass of champagne, refilling it. She loved this pink bubbly stuff; trite and yet pleasing.

Luna refilled her own glass and toyed with it. "Still going about our 'Great and Most Secret Wondrous Plan' all these centuries later, I note," she said. "Even in mine absence."

Celestia chuckled. It had been a long, long time since she had heard anypony else even refer to their plan. "True... though the work was slowed greatly by your absence," She said. Luna looked mournful. "Oh, don't look so sad, sister," Celestia said. "These things happen.... you are more than forgiven for what happened. And in the end we are immortal-- we still have as much time as before."

"I know, sister," Luna said. "But it still hurts to know that my own foolishness delayed the work."

"Enough of that," Celestia chided. "Anyway, what did you mean 'as you see?' "

Luna chuckled throatily. "Methinks you overworry about what thy student will discover," she said. "The-- shall we call it G.M.S.W.P.? I do like that--- has practically been staring her in the face, and she has overlooked it.

"One might overlook how much longer pony lives have become over the years. Or dismiss as simple circumstance how ponies are surrounded by creatures such as dragons that live for such vast lengths. Or disregard how many "age defying treatments" that ponies, especially unicorns, have on the market. Yet how is it that she is so uncurious about the growing prevalence of age-altering spells? Or the fact that Ponyville's founding daughter--- an earth pony--- is yet living after over a century and a half? One might think she would question, at least, the long-term consequence of devouring strange magical apples one had so conveniently found in the Everfree?

"And I have read of her adventures during the dragon migration. One would think that a scholar such as herself wouldst ponder the enigma: why a bird both immortal and so fierce that dragons test them with caution would need to lay so many eggs? There are flocks of immortal magical birds flying over Equestria, more and more every year, and she thinks not of it.

Luna cocked an eyebrow. "Nor, might I note, of the consequence of sharing her dwelling with a fledgling of such a magically powerful immortal species.

"Or for that matter, of the inevitable effect of the purifying light of the Elements of Harmony...and just what their true purpose might be--- for them and all of ponydom.

"The magic of youth and life surrounds her in countless forms, and by thy careful craftwork everyday it slowly grows... in strength and number of forms." Luna gave her sister a look. "She is going to be most displeased if thou delay this revelation. Especially since I can already see the effects showing... on her and the bearers foremost, but on every pony in Equestria.""

Celestia's eyes twinkled. "Well, she does tend to take surprises with a bad shock," she said. "Tell you what; if she hasn't cottoned to it, I'll tell her and her friends on her birthday. Say.... her three hundredth?"

"Tia..."

"All right, two hundred. She should start wondering where everypony's grey hairs are by then..."

"Tia..."


Applejack trotted out into the courtyard, the Cutie Cart trundling along behind her. Big MacIntosh had already left, escorting Rarity and a snoozing SweetieBelle back home. Bruce Mane stepped into place beside her. "Care for some help?" He said with a smile, taking up the makeshift tow rope.

"Cain't say as I'd mind," Applejack chuckled. He gave the rope an experimental tug and grunted in surprise. "You were planning on towing this all the way through town alone?" He asked. "You're a lot more tenacious than I'd even thought."

"I haul a cart full of apples to town and back every day the market's open," Applejack said. "A cart full of foals ain't--" She eyed the loaded wagon. "--ain't too much heavier."

Bruce chuckled.

Applebloom was curled up in the crow's nest atop the cart. She sat up, blinking blearily. "Whut is it, Applejack?" she said.

Applejack gave her sister a wry grin. "We were jest tryin' to figure out how to lighten the load here," she said.

"Oh." Applebloom looked over at the Day Guards standing post at the front gate. "Scuse me Mister Guard?" she said, waving at one.

He blinked, nonplussed, but decided to answer. "Ahem. Yes?"

"Kin we leave some things here, ifn' we promise to come back later and git 'em?" Applebloom asked.

The guard looked at his partner, who shrugged. "I suppose so," he replied. "We'll have the groundskeeper put whatever it is in a storeroom till you can pick them up."

"'Kay, great," Applebloom yawned. She reached over and pulled a rope. There was a clattering noise all up and down the CutieCart, and with a muted bang, the front and sides of the contraption fell off. Underneath was a low, wide wooden go-kart, with push pedals, small steerable wheels in front, large wagon wheels in back, a huge wooden trunk in the back as the, well, trunk, and an elevated lookout seat in aft on a sturdy skeleton frame.  

Several of the foals inside started and moaned at the noise, but soon nodded right back off. Applebloom pushed the teepee launcher out the back, along with a box of other assorted Nightmare Night prank equipment (which Applejack chose to overlook this time.) "That better?" Applebloom asked.

Applejack chuckled and nodded. "That'll do, sprout," she said.

Applebloom smacked her lips and started to curl up again, then sat up. "Oh yeah," she said suddenly. "There's one extra stop we need to make first...."


Zecora trotted through the Whitetail wood, laughing as she chatted with her escort, one of the Day Guard. The fellow was pulling a small cart behind him that clattered emptily over the path. If one looked closely, one might notice that the normally all-white guardspony's coat was faintly striped, where black body paint had been hastily scrubbed off.

Someone had apparently thought it amusing to send this particular luckless guard out with Zecora to retrieve the Nightmare Night candy. Fortunately Zecora had more of a sense of humor about things than ponies gave her credit for. After a short while she and the stallion had begun shooting the breeze like old friends. "So, I would like to know/ where this candy is bound to go?" She asked as they headed down the trail to Nightmare Moon's statue.

"Ponyville hospital, children's wing," the guard said. "Can't imagine how much we'll find, though.... what with the princesses pulling the plug on Nightmare Moon like that."

Zecora gave him a knowing look. "I believe that you will find/ As we have learned among my kind/ Generosity pours free and clear/ far more from love than out of fear."

He returned her knowing look with a skeptical one. "Well, maybe, but--- whoa." He stopped at the edge of the clearing, the little wagon rattling to a halt at his ankles, and stared in surprise at the Nightmare Moon statue. At least he assumed it was the statue; It was festooned from nose to tailtip with bags of trick-or-treat candy. Most of them marked with a little blue shield with a yellow prancing filly.

He looked over at Zecora, who was looking back at him with an absolutely insufferable smirk. He sighed and rolled his eyes. "Fine, you win this one." He regarded the pile before him; far more than the cutie mark crusaders had been by. Some ponies had even left small toys and--- was that a cake? "We're going to need a bigger cart, you know..."


The castle groundskeeper squinted suspiciously at the pile of leaves. He normally knew his way around a pile of leaves; they weren't prone to unusual behavior. And he knew this was a typical pile of leaves; he'd raked it together the day before, and had left it till this morning to bag it up. A very proper and typical routine. So he should be quite certain of his expected course of action. But there was one thing that was throwing him off his routine this morning:

This particular pile of leaves was snoring.

Squinting suspiciously, he took his rake and gave the snoring pile a poke with the handle. There was a yelp and an eep! and two ponies-- a tan and brown stallion and a yellow mare with a pink mane-- erupted from the pile. They looked around, startled, and clapped eyes on their rake-wielding assailant. "Oh, Mister GreenHooves," Fluttershy blurted out. "We're sorry! We just came outside---"

"Just took a little lie-down--" the colt stammered.

"---to look at the stars..." Fluttershy continued. "And it got cold and we snuggled down in the leaves..."

"-- must've fallen asleep..."

Both ponies caught the sly look GreenHooves had on his face. "...Now hold on," Caramel said. "It's perfectly innocent, we didn't do anything!" He looked abashed and tapped his hooves together. "Well... we did cuddle a little," he mumbled.

GreenHooves chuckled. Not just any chuckle; it was that smarmy, creaky chuckle that old farts everywhere use when they think they have one over on anypony younger than themselves. It ran right down Caramel's spine like a knuckle on a fist, setting his teeth on edge. "Eh, don't bother, young feller, I know how the story goes," he cackled. "Wouldn't be the first time a young couple couldn't wait to get back to the barn to find some hay to roll..."

Caramel turned flame red-- this time in anger. He sat up and glared at the old coot. "Mister, I do not like what you're insinuating. Fluttershy is a proper lady and I would never--"

A gentle yellow hoof pressed over his mouth. "Let me handle this, Snugglebunny," Fluttershy said. She got to her feet and trotted lightly over to GreenHooves. The groundskeeper grinned at her, chortling to himself. "Mister GreenHooves, we know each other, right?"

"Sure do," GreenHooves said, obviously relishing the idea of his future conversations with her neighbors.

Fluttershy smiled and leaned in close. "Well, then, I guess you know that I really really mean it when I say--" quick as a cobra, her hoof whipped out and latched onto his collar, twisting it into a knot under his adam's apple.

"If you so much as breathe another one of your disgusting dirty old goat innuendos about me or Caramel I will grab your lower lip, stretch it up over your head, and tie it in a bow knot in the back."

With great difficulty, GreenHooves swallowed, and nodded. "That's better," Fluttershy said with a smile, releasing his shirt. "Come on, Caramel, I have to get home and feed all my little animal friends." She trotted lightly out of the gardens.

Caramel got to his feet and trotted after. He looked over at GreenHooves and smiled goofily. "She called me Snugglebunny," he said.... and followed her out the garden gate.

For his part, GreenHooves mopped his brow with his kerchief and silently mouthed a prayer of thanks to the Maker for his narrow escape. Perhaps he should look into getting a job elsewhere. A distant monastery sounded good....

Next Chapter: epilogue Estimated time remaining: 4 Minutes
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