It was day like any other in Equestria. The sky was a bright blue, the wildlife was flourishing as always. It was a calm day, for everypony but two unicorns in particular. They were moving along empty roads in direction of a small village.

“How long until we get to that village? We've been walking for hours at that point!” complained the mare. Her complains were par for the course, for she was the impatient type.

“We shouldn’t be too far away now; it’ll take about half an hour before we arrive.” responded the stallion in a nervous voice. The two were pretty tense, for they were on a dangerous mission. A mission to save a small village from an aggressive dragon that has made its nest nearby. There was indeed, much at stake.

For any unicorn, going up against a dragon would be suicide, but these two had a chance. They were widely considered the best of the best by their peers in Canterlot. They were sent to deal with the dragon for their combined magic could overcome nearly every obstacle. The mare however, wasn’t so sure they could manage such a fearsome beast.

“Please tell me you have a plan in mind? I don’t want to jump straight into my death.” she asked rudely, clearly harboring some dislike for the stallion.

The stallion’s nervousness slowly faded away as he began to feel more confident, seemingly overlooking his partner’s bad attitude. “That’s what I've been thinking about for the whole trip and I believe that my plan might just work. I’ll tell you right now, but please don’t forget the important details this time.”

---

Awakened by the startling sound of her alarm clock, Sunset Shimmer stumbled out of bed after a few minutes of mustering up the will to start her day. Thursdays are the worst days possible for she had a lot of very demanding classes that day. She had many classes to attend that day, including a lab report, though it was thankfully done in teams of two. She would be joined by Twi for this experiment, a good thing since the girl is known for being very good at chemistry and physics. It had been only a few weeks since she first met this world’s Twilight. She was still very much the same Twilight Sparkle from Equestria, though only much younger and less experienced in the concept of friendship.

Eating breakfast, packing her things up and leaving her dorm, Sunset quickly made her way to Canterlot High while greeting the many acquaintances she would come across. She went about her day in a state closely resembling lethargy. It was terribly boring, but at least her friends made it bearable.

Though they weren’t always together, Sunset did share multiple classes with some of her closest friends, which greatly helped for group projects. She sighed, knowing that they would all gather at Sugar Cube Corner after school. This would easily be the best moment of her entire day.

---

During recess, Sunset was approached by Rarity, who looked especially excited.

“Darling! Have you seen these new posters littering the hallways?”

Sunset shook her head. “No, what’s gotten you so excited, Rarity?”

Rarity pulled out a copy of the poster and shoved it into her friend’s face. “It’s the upcoming Halloween party! This is the perfect occasion to show everyone here my crafts! Oh, I can hardly wait for this day, or night.”

Sunset pulled the poster away from her face so she can take a better look. “How could I have nearly forgotten? Canterlot’s High Halloween party has got to be one of the most anticipated events in the whole school!”

“Indeed it is! I have been working hours on end for my costume, I really hope It'll knock ‘em dead.” Rarity glanced at the poster in Sunset’s hand for a brief moment. “You can keep the poster; I’ve already memorised everything on it.”

She left to go up to her locker, leaving Sunset to imagine how the party would go. She had only experienced it once before, but it was back when she was known as the school bully. This time, she’d get to experience the Halloween party to its fullest. And that is because she has actual friends now. This made her much more excited for this event.

Next up; fitness class. These classes were usually Sunset’s favorite, partly because they were very easy to pass, but it was mostly since they got to play all sorts of games. It was definitely a much-needed break from all the mathematic and physic classes she attended otherwise. Being at the top of the school didn’t mean she truly enjoyed these classes.

Bulk Biceps was dominating most games due to his incredible physique. Most people in Canterlot couldn’t believe that this guy was just a high school student. With the appearance of a body builder, most assumed that he was much older than he let on to be which would always make for some pretty funny reactions when they learned just how young he truly was.
Sitting on the bench and waiting for her turn to get in the game, Sunset Shimmer watched the game of volleyball alongside her fellow teammate; Applejack. They both remarqued just how much Bulk was crushing the other team. He was very skilled in volleyball and that skill really showed in how much he was enjoying every moment he got to play. He truly looked like a child stuck in a man’s body, which was a funny theory the two friends liked to entertain.

“Well, at least someone looks happy to be here. The same cannot be said for the team going against Bulk. This guy’s crushing ‘em all like ants.” noted Applejack.

Sunset giggled as she got to witness the ridiculous power behind Bicep’s smashes. “He really is good at smashing. I can hardly believe at times that he’s just a student.”

“Yeah, he really has the looks of a P.E teacher. Think he might become one someday?”

“Ha! That wouldn’t surprise me in the slightest.”

---

The rest of the day flew by quickly and soon enough; the Rainbooms gathered at their usual hanging spot; Sugar Cube Corner.

“So, I don’t suppose you girls have seen the fliers around school?” spoke Rarity as she took a sip of her milkshake.
Rainbow quickly chugged down her drink. “Aw yes! This year’s Halloween party is gonna be so, awesome! Cuz, we got Sunset and Twilight to join us this time!”

Twi looked really excited herself; she barely able to sit still. “This is going to be the first time I'll ever get to spend Halloween with friends!”

“Gee, were you spending Halloween all by yourself? That’s quite sad.” curiously asked Pinkie as she nearly splattered her drink around everybody.

“Well, not exactly all by myself. I had Spike, and Shining Armor too. Cadance would come too, sometimes.”

“Did you dress up Spike for Halloween? I know I do for Angel, though it can be a hassle to get this little bunny in a costume.” said Fluttershy as she was wiping away the milkshake stains on her clothes, courtesy of Pinkie’s extravagant method of drinking.

“I do, Spike really likes to get in costume too. It also nets us more candies, even though we can’t let him eat any.” answered an amused Twi.

Rarity was shielding herself with a napkin from Pinkie Pie’s mess, trying her hardest not to stain her face and clothes. “Are you done Pinkie?”

“Almost.” Pinkie burped immediately after. “Done.”

“Great...” Rarity finally lowered her napkin to finish her drink.

Sunset wanted to share an interesting fact about Equestria. “Did you know that in Equestria, we call Halloween; Nightmare Night?”

“Huh, I was just about to ask that.” added Applejack. “Where does the name come from?”

“The name comes from what we used to call Princess Luna, back when she was still corrupted by the nightmare on the moon. She went by the name Nightmare Moon. Ponies around the globe were so scared of her that they offered candies at the foot of her statues in hopes that she wouldn’t come to eat their soul at night.” continued Sunset.

Rainbow Dash found it especially cool. “Wow, that sounds way cooler than our Halloween!”

While they were talking, Trixie waltzed in Sugar Cube Corner, looking for a snack after a long day of school. She walked up to the counter, closed her eyes and struck a flamboyant pose. “I, the Great and Powerful Trrixie...” She opened one eye to view the menu up above. “... would like a banana sundae.” Mrs. Cake nodded gleefully and went on to prepare the treat.

“I heard you wanted to work part-time here, Pinkie. Have you applied yet?” asked Applejack as she took one last sip of her milkshake.

Pinkie Pie’s entire body snapped towards Applejack in a split-second, surprising her for a bit. “I already did! I’ve been scheduled an interview later this week and I can safely say that I'm going to get this job! I mean, I’m meant for it aren’t I?”
Trixie sat on the table located right next to theirs, with a rather mocking look on her face. “With how your hair look like cotton candy, I’m sure you’ll feel right at home here.”

Pinkie took a good look at her hair in realisation. “Ooh! It does look like cotton candy!” She took a piece of her hair and brought it close to Trixie’s face. “Want a bite?”

Trixie cocked her head back in slight disgust. “Um, no. The Great and Powerful Trixie only has eyes for more, refined food.”

“Man, I wish I could feel more secure about my appearance like you, Pinkie.” admitted Twi as she watched the exchange between the two girls.

Sunset Shimmer leaned in closer to Twi with a warm smile on her face. “Don’t worry about that, we’re gonna work on this little insecurity problem together!”

---

It got really dark when the Rainbooms finally left Sugar Cube Corner, each heading back home on their own. Walking down the streets of Canterlot, Twi wasn’t paying much attention to what was around her. She was mostly lost in her thoughts, thinking about what she was going to study at her room and of course, to come up with a good costume for the upcoming Halloween party.

She snapped back to reality when she noticed that it was much darker than usual outside. She looked around, trying to see a reason why when her gaze landed on a couple of street lights. They appeared to be broken; they weren’t lighting up like the other functioning ones. Funnily enough, the street lights on the other crosswalk were still very much functional.

Pretty bizarre, but Twi didn’t think much of it. She looked back down at the road ahead of her. She stopped walking when she spotted a man standing under the broken street light she just looked at. The darkness made it impossible to tell any discerning feature. All Twi could tell was that the man was quite tall and burly. He was wearing a jacket and a normal-looking pair of jeans. Most noticeable however, was his long hair going all the way down to his shoulders.

Twi knew someone from Canterlot High with such a physique. Could it be Bulk Biceps? Probably. She thought about calling out to him, but chose not to in the end. If this guy wasn’t Bulk, then it would be wiser to not let her presence known. A young school girl out at night, it was a recipe for disaster should she bring any unwanted attention onto herself.

His behavior certainly didn’t resemble that of Bulk Biceps. He was standing still, his back to Twi, looking at the ground. What was even stranger was the complete lack of movement coming from him. Normally, when a person took a breath, their chest would move to let the air in and out. This man on the other hand, didn’t even appear to breath. He was quite literally deathly still.

Unnerved, Twi decided to not bring any attention onto herself. She would simply cross the street and pass by at a safe distance from him. At night, a girl had to be careful regarding who could be lurking out there on the streets. This guy certainly screamed “stranger danger!”, better not get close to him.

However, before Twi could even take a step. The man turned his head around, slowly but surely. With each movement he made, his bones cracked and snapped. After a few disturbing seconds, he had his gaze locked on her. Twi froze in fear, becoming as still as a statue. Both were staring at each other, but only she showed any emotion. For a moment, none even dared to move a single muscle.

Then, the man’s entire body followed his stare, turning around to face the young school girl as his bones cracked some more. His face and eyes were completely hidden in the darkness.

“Uh, d-don't mind me sir, I am just p-passing by.”

Next Chapter: 2. Stranger Danger! Estimated time remaining: 4 Hours, 14 Minutes