Nightmare Night has come again. Who better to help Princess Luna in her yearly haunt than Death herself?
During one of Rose Petal’s first few years of being Death, Princess Luna ropes her into her yearly tradition of terrifying the foals in the Everfree Forest. This year, she has an elaborate haunted house planned, spanning an entire wing of the old castle. Rose is determined not to work tonight, so can she avoid scaring foals to death while also keeping her boss happy?
Note: This is not a straight sequel, more of a spin off. Reading A Pony Called Death is recommended, but not necessary
The lower part of Rose Petal’s jaw thumped down on the counter of the Flower Sister’s Flower Shop. The empty Flower Sister’s Flower Shop. Out the window she could see foals running back and forth, some in costume some not. Barely audible through the open shop door is the gentle hum of ponies setting up the town square for the night’s festivities.
“Rosie, are you going to be in town for Nightmare Night?” Roseluck pawed at some of the flowers on display, attempting to spread out a thin bouquet.
“Probably not,” came the soft reply from the other side of the counter. “I have to work.”
“You always have to work. Take a day off! Daisy is helping with the decorations in town square and Lily is going to be busy helping to make treats to hand out in the store. I need another hoof to help keep things running while they’re away.”
Lily stuck her head around the corner to the back room. “Yeah, listen to your mom, Rosie. If Princess Luna can take a day off, so can you!”
So here she was, minding an empty store.
Bored.
Alone.
Without a costume...ish.
For a brief moment, Rose considered donning the Death cloak and descending on the soon-to-be bunches of foals hunting for candy, but knowing her luck, one of them would die of fright and she’d have to work tonight anyway.
Who even bought flowers for Nightmare Night anyway?
She watched as non-costumed foals become more and more rare, as did general ponies walking the street. There was a burst of excited chatter from the direction of the town square as a cloud of bats coalesced from across the town. It flew towards the center of town, clumping together as it descended down below the rooftops, out of Rose’s sight.
With a groan of frustrated boredom, Rose picked up her head only to smack her forehead down on the counter. Roseluck was supposed to be here hours ago, not to mention Lily. She didn’t take the day off just to stare in vain towards all the festivities!
“Well met, Rose Petal. What a surprise to see you here,” whispered a cool voice from the doorway. Princess Luna stood just outside the doorway, clad in her silver ornaments, though they looked somewhat muted outside the lights of Canterlot.
“Mom tricked me,” Rose grumbled in reply.
“As is the spirit of Nightmare Night. Shall you be joining the festivities later tonight?”
Rose shrugged. “I’ll try. My Aunt Lily is supposed to be here to hand out candy to the foals. I’m basically just waiting for her.”
“I see.” Luna nodded once, then motioned towards one of the bats now loitering around the town. “You, find this Aunt Lily and bring her here at once!”
The bat saluted with one wing and took off into the town. While Rose stared in shock, Luna crossed the threshold and moved towards the counter. “Now then, Rose Petal, I have a favor to ask of you.”
“A-A favor from me?”
Luna nodded. “You see, every year since my return from exile, I have joined the fine citizens of Ponyville for this, my most holy of nights. As per tradition, I do a trick for the foals in the woods. This year however, I wish to do something more exciting, and I require the assistance of another.
“I need you to don the Cloak, Rose Petal, and aid me in my mission.”
Once again, her mind flashed to hiding in the outskirts of the Everfree Forest, Death Cloak pulled over the skeleton projection of her face, scythe glinting menacingly in the bright moonlight.
Then she pictured having to collect the soul of a poor foal frightened to death.
A non-committal half-groan half-whine slipped from Rose’s lips. Luna grinned. “It is great fun, the foals love it,” she said.
Before Rose could respond, another voice cut through the gentle hum coming from outside. “--ing so pushy, you damn bats. You’re gonna make me spill the treats.” A pink earth pony stumbled into the shop, basically pushed by a cloud of bats, a basket of rice treats balanced precariously on her back.
On entering the store her wide eyes quickly took in Princess Luna, practically hanging over the main counter, vampiric grin stretching her face, and her poor niece Rose Petal, jaw low enough to almost be hanging off her face. “Uh, hi?”
“Excellent!” Luna clambered back down to the floor and turned on the newcomer. “Rose Petal has informed me that your duty tonight is to man the shop, is that correct?”
Lily nodded.
“So now that you are here, you can fulfill that duty. I have need of your niece, so she shall be leaving with me.” Without waiting for a response she turned and strode from the store, her bat entourage trailing behind. With a sheepish grin back at Lily, Rose pulled on the Death Cloak and followed, making sure her hood was down.
Luna lead her through the dark streets of Ponyville, barely skirting the center of town, out to a small shack at the edge of the Everfree Forest. The walls of the small interior were plastered in maps and diagrams; most of the floor space filled with half finished decorations and costumes. Rose took it all in, eyes wide, as Luna stepped away from the door.
“Behold, the blueprints that will win the night. Myself and The Planner have been building and rebuilding, planning and replanning, since last Nightmare Night. I must return to town to begin the festivities. Look over these plans, Rose Petal, quickly. The foals will be arriving in three hours. I would have liked for you to meet the Planner before hoof, but there is no time.”
Luna nudged her in the flank, pushing her inside, then spun and left, shutting the door behind her. “Oh boy,” Rose said, turning to look at the wallpaper of maps. It took her a few minutes to find the beginning, the entire room laid out like a road map the night was supposed to follow.
She studied quickly, memorizing the route the foals were supposed to take, and looking out for the little skull icons she quickly learned were notes specifically for her. Other ponies were to be involved as well, judging by the other little icons, but Rose quickly decided they must already be at the castle. After all, most of them had likely been recruited before the night of.
It was complicated, and a daring plan itself. It required almost two full deployed squads of Night Guard just to ensure the safety of the foals from the forest itself, and, as best she could tell, at least seven other ponies to be perfectly coordinated. Roughly two hours from now, this Nightmare Night was going to become either legend or laughing stock.
Rose took a deep breath before picking up several items from a workbench and stowing them within her Cloak. Opening the door, she blew out the single lantern and pulled her hood down over her face, feeling the familiar chill as her visage changed.
A crisp wind blew through the Everfree Forest, shaking the paper orbs lighting the path. Two foals gasp and freeze, forcing the whole group to stop, again. Miss Twilight turned and smiled, using a burst of magic to halt the swaying of the light. “Come on, it’s not far now.”
“Let us charge ahead,” shouted Pipsqueak, bounding up to Twilight’s side. The visor on his night costume flopped shut, making him push it up. “Remember, Princess Luna is a big trickster, so don’t be fooled. Anything could be a trick, we must remain vigilant to earn our sweets!”
Some of the gathered foals laughed, but they all started moving down the dirt path through the Everfree Forest again. Pipsqueak walked in front, next to Twilight, as their small group begun to climb the final hill. Just ahead, the spires of the Old Castle poked above the trees.
Almost every foal in Ponyville was walking with them. Princess Luna’s Nightmare Night appearances were almost a set piece in town now, as was her yearly candy haul for the foals.
They just had to make it through her scare first.
This year, Luna had left soon after the opening speech by Mayor Mare, but not before pointing to a witch-hatted Twilight Sparkle and extending an invitation for “any who dared” to join her in the Old Castle just before midnight.
Twilight paused once again at the top of the hill. Just before them stretched a rope bridge, the castle just beyond. “Okay, is everypony ready?”
A resounding but hesitant cheer answered her. Twilight smiled and moved towards the bridge.
“Let’s get into a single line here. This is an old bridge, but don’t worry. If anypony falls, I’ll catch you.”
The foals did as they were told, falling into line ahead of their guide. Two of them had already stepped out onto the rickety bridge when a rustle in the trees behind pulled Pipsqueak’s attention away.
“Miss Twilight, look out!”
Several ponies turned back at his shout, just in time to see Twilight’s shocked face as a black-handled scythe held by a hoof of bone burst from the bush. It caught against her barrel, trailing a thin line of red through her costume before yanking her back into the bush.
“Run! To the castle!” she shouted before being engulfed by dark leaves.
Somepony screamed, kicking off a mad dash across the rope bridge. It creaked and swayed, barely audible over the thundering of hooves over it. Not a one looked back, not until they’d slipped through the thick wooden doors and into the castle walls.
“Greetings, little ponies,” a deep voice boomed over the courtyard. One of the fillies in the group whimpered. “If you have come for my hoard of candy, turn back now. Only those brave and smart enough can even hope to attempt to lay claim to my horde.”
The foals jumped again as the large wooden door behind them creaked open, revealing the bridge and chasm again. “Any who would not attempt this task, leave now. I shall guarantee you safe passage home.”
Several foals left immediately, skirting the bush where Twilight vanished as wide as possible. Slowly, their group trickled down until just Pipsqueak, Scootaloo, and Featherweight were left. The latter lifted his camera and snapped a picture of the castle’s highest restored tower.
“Very well!” the voice boomed, punctuated by the slamming of the main gate. In the echoes, the door into the castle proper squeaked open. “Enter, if you dare.”
Featherweight quickly loaded another shot into his camera and snapped a picture of the door’s yawning portal before striding in. Pipsqueak and Scootaloo shared a look before following close behind.
“This is much more than last year,” he said, taking in the barely candle-lit interior. “Hey, do you really think that Twilight... y’know.”
Scootaloo shook her head. “No way. The Princess wouldn’t hurt one of her friends. It’s just another spook, like that test of courage thing a couple of years ago.”
The trio slowly walked down the entry hall, sticking as best they could to the circles of light provided by candles made of black wax. The only other sound in the hall was the slow sizzle and drip of wax falling and cooling on the floor. A cold wind blew through the hall as they approached the door at the far end.
Following the pattern, the entry hall door closed behind when Pipsqueak, taking up the rear, passed through. “There it is!” Scootaloo shouted, pointing a hoof towards a large black cage, barely containing their prize: several pillow cases overflowing with sweets. Three almost comically sized locks sealed the door shut, though that didn’t stop Scootaloo from walking up and violently shaking it. “Well, what now?”
“Perhaps we are meant to continue our quest?” Pipsqueak pointed towards the only open exit in the room, or more accurately, a small crack in the adjoining wall. A dark purple light shone through, too mellow to actually see anything by.
“There’s something down at the end,” Featherweight said, spinning the zoom on his camera. “Something shiny, but...”
Scootaloo stuck one hoof into the foal-sized crack and quickly yanked it back. “Yuck! There’s some sort of... something on the floor.”
Pipsqueak dropped the visor on his helmet and stepped up to the crack. The dark purple glow almost made it harder to see, but he could just barely make up some thin, wiggling things across the floor, walls, and ceiling of the tunnel.
“I’ll go,” he said. “I’ve got my armor, I’ll be safe.”
Scootaloo gently tapped on the edge of Pipsqueak’s chestpiece. “Pips, that’s cardboard.”
“Exactly, it’ll provide much more protection than your Wonderbolt uniform.” Before she could respond, he dropped down onto his barrel and slowly crawled into the tunnel. Quickly, purple became all he could see. His eyes demanded more light, but there was nothing.
Once in the tunnel, a wet heat permeated everything, making his cardboard armor itch and sag under his barrel. Whatever covered the walls and floor scratched against it and his coat where the costume didn’t cover. They stuck briefly, forcing Pipsqueak to half slide, half drag himself through the tunnel.
That was when that skeletal hoof crashed through the ceiling, inches from his face.
He shouted in surprise, freezing up for a moment before headbutting the outstretched hoof..
It recoiled back in shock for a moment before hitting back, knocking the helmet off Pip’s head. It retreated, but the damage was done. Now the things were free to rub against his exposed face.
He shivered as the first thing slapped against his face and slid off, leaving a sticky trail of goo across his muzzle and cheek. Without his face covered, it was easier to see the disgusting tentacles dangling all around. They almost seemed to pulse and wiggle in the light.
Pushing the helmet ahead of him, Pipsqueak struggled on, ignoring the feelers. He was already halfway through, and could make out the back wall. The heat and enclosed space threatened to make him panic, as did the lack of a visible exit. But it would be slower to work his way back out. Besides, the tunnel was too narrow to turn around, he would have to escape backwards.
The thought of the white hoof and scythe made him shiver again.
Now closer, he could make out a black key attached to the far wall of the tunnel, lit from behind by the purple light, and covered in goo. Gritting his eyes shut against the feel of the tunnel’s lining on his muzzle, he quickly grabbed the key in his teeth. There was a click and the sound of grinding stone to his left. Warm light bathed the front of his eyelids and he eagerly crawled forward, not wanting to stay in the tunnel any longer than he already had, and not really wanting to see what else was in there.
As soon as the warmth receded, Pipsqueak scrubbed at his face, trying to clean it as best he could before putting the helmet back on. A normal stone hallway greeted him, lit by the everpresent black candles. The hall stretched in both directions, one way back towards the main hall, the other deeper into the castle.
First, he had to meet up with his friends. A wooden bar held the door shut. He pushed it off to the side, allowing the door to creak open on its own. He strode back into the room, key dangling from his costume.
Click! Featherweight let his camera drop, then moved forward. He took the key from Pipsqueak, placing it in his camera bag. “Where to next?”
“My... key...” A voice, cold as ice, slunk it’s way through the main hallway.
Pipsqueak turned, breath catching in his throat at the sight of a figure in black. A thin scythe, somehow gleaming in the low light, hovered near it’s covered head.
“Away from that thing!” Scootaloo shouted, spinning and taking off down the new hallway. The others followed close behind, not bothering to look back. The door they fled through banged shut, but nopony slowed down. Loud, measured steps trailed behind them, growing fainter and fainter as the trio fled to the other end of the hallway
Scootaloo was the first through to the other room, followed by Pipsqueak. Last in the door, Featherweight spun to snap a picture, but barely managed to yelp before ducking a thrown scythe. Pipsqueak had just enough time to take a good look at all the chairs and small tables, some sort of sitting room, before the scythe arced up, slicing through the candles lighting the room, plunging them into darkness.
“What do we do?” Featherweight whispered. They all flinched as the door to their new room suddenly slammed shut.
Pipsqueak reached out with both forehooves, trying to grab his friends. “I think I saw another door. This way.”
Slowly, they inched their way around the room, avoiding where they thought any furniture might be. That same measured click paced the around the room, accompanied every so often by a loud hiss and the smashing of wood.
“Man, I really hope none of you have to sneeze,” Scootaloo whispered.
They’d made it about halfway across when the room’s other occupant fell silent. Pipsqueak stopped, tugging gently on Scootaloo and Featherweight, and listened. He wasn’t sure if the... thing following them breathed or not, but it wasn’t safe to move if they didn’t know where it was.
Nopony dared to breathe. Pipsqueak was starting to tremble, but he didn’t even dare to try and unclench his muscles. He just knew, any second, this thing was going to show back up and they would have to run again.
“I want my key,” the voice hissed, scratching at his ear. It was right behind him!
Somepony screamed. Later in life, he might even admit it had been him.
It was Featherweight who got them out of that jam. A bright flash blinded the room as he clicked his camera. “Come on!” he shouted, grabbing his dazed friends and bolting to where he thought the door was. He yanked the door open, flooding the sitting room with light, blinding them all again.
Right before Scootaloo slammed the door shut, a glint on the table caught Pipsqueak’s eye: another of the keys.
Then he saw the cloaked pony rising to its hooves between them and the key. Filing their discovery for later, he slammed the door and filed in the last spot in their flight down yet another hallway.
“We gotta lose this thing!” he shouted over the clack of their hooves. “There’s another key in that room!”
“Well, maybe there’s a fourth key,” Scootaloo shouted back from her leading spot. “Right turn!”
They all skidded to the right, then down another fast left, diving into a small cupboard. Being in last, that put him closest to the door. He kept it cracked, just a little, and held his breath.
He’d seen horror movies when his mom wasn’t around, the thing would run past them, they could go get the key, then continue on their--
“Boo.”
A skeletal pony face appeared right in front of him. His hooves slid backward, pushing Featherweight into Scootaloo into whatever else was stored in this room. A loud crash followed, several more screams, and then the skull was gone.
An angry orange pegasus shoved her way to the front, and threw the door open. Pipsqueak cringed back, expecting to find a sharp scythe, but the hallway was empty.
“What was that?” she shouted spinning around to face her comrades.
“Skeleton... pony head... ‘boo’” Pipsqueak stuttered, kicking a bucket off his hoof and slinking his way into the hall.
“I got a picture,” Featherweight added.
With all three back in the hallway, Scootaloo turned and started walking back towards the parlor. “Whatever, fine. So, two keys down, right? Where do you think the last one is?”
“This is a pretty big castle. We only have a couple of hours before we have to get back, right?”
“Do you think the others actually made it back okay?” Pipsqueak muttered. “The forest is dangerous.”
They arrived at the closed door to the sitting room. “The Princess wouldn’t send them back if it wasn’t safe.” Scootaloo said. “I’m glad they’re gone, though, we don’t have to split the candy.”
The three fanned out in front of the door, but nopony moved towards it.
“Do you want to open it?” Featherweight asked.
“Y-Yeah,” Scootaloo spluttered, shoving a hoof towards the knob. “I was just waiting to see if you wanted to, like, take a picture or something.”
Featherweight nodded once, then snapped a quick photo of an unamused Scootaloo as she inched the door open. They walked in, with Pipsqueak making a beeline to the table.
“The key is gone,” he whined, pushing up his visor to get a better look. “That stupid thing must have taken the key.”
“Great, now we have to find two keys.” Scootaloo groaned, then turned towards the door. “Come on, let’s go.” They wandered around for a bit, meandering the few open hallways. Every door they tried seemed to be locked, most hallways lead to dead ends.
Scootaloo lead on, getting more and more frustrated, until they tried just about their tenth locked door. She shouted, then spun and bucked the thick wood. “I can’t take it anymore! Why is everything locked!?”
The two colts shared a look and continued walking.
“H-Hey, wait up!”
“We should probably keep our voices down. I don’t want that thing to come back,” Featherweight said, turning them back down a previously explored hallway. “I don’t think the Princess would make us do something we can’t do.”
“Unless the Princess isn’t part of it,” replied Scootaloo. “After all, we haven’t seen her once. We haven’t seen anypony--”
“Except that thing,” Pipsqueak cut in.
“--since we got in here.”
“Did you think there would be more?”
“Well, no, but...”
Featherweight cut both of them off with a click of his camera. “Hey, look at this,” he said, pointing a hole bored into the stone wall.
“What is it?” Scootaloo asked, spinning back around to look.
“I don’t know, but I think there’s something in there.”
Pipsqueak glanced across the hall to a familiar door. “Have we been here yet?”
Scootaloo shrugged. “I think so, why?”
“This hole wasn’t here before.”
“It is now.”
Featherweight, camera pressed to his eye, took another step towards the hole. “There’s definitely something in there,” he said, pressing a hoof to the wall. “But it’s just too narrow to fit a hoof in. We’ll need something to get it out.”
Behind them, the door clicked open.
“Hmm, I wonder where we’re supposed to go,” Scootaloo said, pushing the door further open. “Uh...”
“What?”
The room seemed to be some sort of laboratory, complete with large metal surgery table. On top of the table was a pony-shaped figure covered by a bloodstained sheet. But what was interesting was the thing poking out from underneath. It was hair, and hard to tell in the dark room, but it almost looked like...
Purple. Purple hair, with a pink streak down the side.
“Oh no,” Scootaloo muttered, stumbling over and falling against the hallway walls. “That can’t.. That’s... S-She...”
After snapping a quick picture from the door, and turning a little green in the process, Featherweight pointed Pipsqueak towards the room, then moved to comfort Scootaloo.
With a deep, shaky breath Pipsqueak stumbled into the laboratory. The room really wasn’t all that big, most of it was filled by the...the table. He shook while trying to squeeze against the walls around the table. On one side was a blood-stained dish full of sharp instruments and other science-y things, the other had a lab coat on a hanger above a row of jars with mystery fluid in them.
Trying to avoid looking too hard at whatever was floating in the yellow fluid, Pipsqueak reached up and plucked the lab coat from it’s hook. The cloth itself was discarded to the ground, but the hanger... He quickly slipped from the room and, bending the hanger with his forehooves, walked towards the hole in the wall.
Somepony pulled the door shut. Scootaloo and Featherweight moved to stand beside him, one more shaken than the other, while Pipsqueak attempted to maneuver the hanger into the hole and pull out whatever was inside.
After a few frustrating minutes, a black key fell from the edge of the hole, landing next to a seated Scootaloo. “Got it.”
The second key clinked into the first in Featherweight’s camera bag. “Now where?”
“Away,” Scootaloo said, rising to her hooves and setting off in a random direction. All of them were happy to leave that room behind. But it couldn’t be Twilight, right? Just like she wasn’t really hurt when she was pulled back into the bush. It had to be the Princess, one of her Nightmare Night tricks.
Right?
They wandered the halls for what felt like hours, until their hooves hurt and their stomachs growled. Tempers were starting to fray, with the endless hallways and locked doors. They passed the door to what they started calling the Body Room several times, though the hole was now gone. Eventually, the castle started leading them up and in, towards the cobweb-filled halls of the second story.
It felt as though everything was filtering them inward, back towards the main room where their caged prize waited. It was getting later and colder; their breath hissed out in small clouds ahead of them. Even the candle fire that lit the halls seemed colder; their light seeming more blue than orange.
A flash of movement around the corner froze the trio in place. A door at the end of the hall opened and out walked the cloaked pony. It shut the door carefully, then set off down the hall - away from the foals. They all held their breath until the sound of scythe on stone faded into silence.
Pipsqueak immediately headed towards the now closed door. The others hurried to catch up. “Hey, what are you doing? Shouldn’t we go the other way?” Featherweight asked.
“Think about it,” Pipsqueak replied, pausing at the corner to make sure the skeleton pony was truly gone. “We saw the key in that sitting room. The skeleton pony was in there after us and really wanted our keys, and when we went back to the room, the key was gone.”
“I don’t think she should be poking around where that thing lives,” Scootaloo whispered as they approached the door.
“You can leave if you want, but I’ve never given up on the Princess’ challenges, and this year isn’t going to be the one. Now hush.” Pipsqueak removed his helmet and pressed an ear up against the door. Assured by silence, he pressed down on the handle and pushed the door open.
The interior looked a lot more unfinished than the rest of the castle. It was pretty obvious where the renovation stopped - a jagged line of dark, moldy stone cut the room practically in two. Most of the furniture was covered in tools and stains, all except for a single nightstand next to a bed of rotting hay. On top of that was the last black iron key.
“There it is,” Pipsqueak said, making a beeline for the nightstand and avoiding so much as even looking at anything else. He picked the key up and turned to leave when the other two rushed inside and quickly, but softly shut the door.
“Hide, it’s coming back!” Featherweight whispered loudly. He dove down into a crevasse between two large stacks of crates, Scootaloo managed to wedge herself underneath a low table, covered by a tablecloth. With not much time left to spare, Pipsqueak had to dig himself into the rotting hay. He held his breath and waited.
Not even a minute later, the door burst open. Pipsqueak couldn’t see much due to his restrictive hiding place, so he strained his ears as much as possible. Bony hooves walked quickly before stopping right in front of him, covering his peep hole with it’s robe. A metallic swish cut the air, followed by metal on wood.
“My key...” the thing hissed, presumably taking another chunk out of the nightstand. The robe swished quickly, revealing white bone legs, before stalking away further into the room.
From his hiding spot, he could just barely see Featherweight between the boxes. The low light of the room glinted off his camera lense, and for a moment, Pipsqueak feared his friend had been discovered, but the monster walked right past, out of his field of view.
Another hiss broke the silence, before slicing the top half off of Pipsqueak’s hiding place. With the key clutched tightly in his teeth, the colt couldn’t scream, but as he watched the plume of his helmet fall, boy did he want to.
Scootaloo burst from under the table, throwing the tablecloth over the cloaked pony and charged into it, knocking them both over. “Run!” she shouted, jumping to her hooves and bolting through the door into the castle hallways.
The other two followed, the trio once again sprinting through unfamiliar stone hallways. They attempted to find the stairs back down, but the turns were so much more unfamiliar at high speed. Plus, the skeleton pony seemed to pop in and out at random, often forcing them out of a hallway they needed to go down.
Eventually, they found themselves taking a couple of steps down, onto the balcony overlooking the main hall. Below they could see the black cage and, practically shining in the candlelight, the locks to their sweet treasure.
“It’s still coming!” Featherweight shouted. Pipsqueak looked around quickly. They were trapped on a little overhang, fenced in on the other side. Their only option was down, but a fall that far would be impossible...
A gentle breeze blew through the main hall, making one of the chandeliers swing. His eyes blankly followed the wobble of the rope up to the ceiling, then down to it’s locking mechanism, right next to his hoof...
“Everypony, jump on!” he shouted, after stashing the final key in the camera case. Scootaloo and Featherweight looked at him blankly for a moment. The former grinned, the color drained from the latter’s face, and they both jumped to the fixture. Sparing a glance back, Pipsqueak jumped on himself, smacking the rope release with a hoof on his way out.
For one glorious moment, he hung suspended from the air. Featherweight’s camera clicked. Then he grabbed onto the chandelier rope and rode the black metal fixture down with his friends. They crashed into the stone floor hard, rolling away as fast as they could. Pipsqueak spared a look back up to the balcony, but the creature was once again gone.
“Do you think we actually got away?” he asked.
“I think we shouldn’t stick around to find out,” Scootaloo replied, slowly rolling to her hooves. “Your camera okay, Featherweight?”
There was a moment of silence while he checked the equipment. “Yeah, I think so. Let’s get that candy and get out of here.”
Slowly, they limped over to the black cage. One by one, with an almost sort of reverence, Featherweight slotted the keys into the locks and turned. On well oiled hinges the cage swung open, at last allowing access to the castle’s treasure. Each foal bit down on a pillowcase and begun the long trek out of the castle, as fast as the heavy haul would allow.
As one they were tired and frazzled, but triumphant. The front door was in sight, victory was just a few short seconds away, when the cloaked skeleton stepped out of an alcove, blocking the door with it’s body and scythe.
The three foals tensed, prepared to drop their prize and bolt, but to their surprise the creature merely nodded, almost imperceptibly, and stepped aside. The front door opened. Wary of a trick, the three never took their eyes off the creature until they were safely past scythe range and back out into the night air.
By the gate leading from the castle stood a grinning Princess Luna, and behind her a sheepish Twilight Sparkle.
“Greetings, little ponies. Did you enjoy this year’s Nightmare Night?” Luna asked, while her purple companion only gave a sheepish smile and wave.
The three foals looked at each other and grinned. “Yeah,” Scootaloo replied, fishing in her pillowcase for candy. Extracting an alicorn-shaped chocolate and peeling off the pink wrapper, she popped it into her mouth. “Besht one yet,” she said.
Featherweight nodded as well, glancing down at his camera, unscathed through their merry misadventure. “Agreed. I have a lot of good material for the school paper too.”
“Another year down, Princess,” Pipsqueak added. “I don’t know how you are going to top this next year, but I can’t wait!”
Luna grinned. “I don’t know yet either, Little Pipsqueak, but I am excited to find out. Now come, let us carry your candy back to town, so that you may enjoy the rest of your night.”
The three sacks of candy floated up in a purple magical aura. “I’ll take that,” Twilight said. “You’ve made these poor foals suffer enough for one night, I won’t stand by and let you eat their earnings.”
The Princess pretended to pout, but opened the main gate anyway. “Very well. Shall we?”
Before the first of their procession could step onto the now markedly less rickety looking bridge, Pipsqueak spoke up. “Just one thing, Princess,” he said. Seeing a nod from the alicorn, he continued, “Who was the skeleton pony? I want to thank them too.”
Twilight and Luna stopped, passing a look between them. “Skeleton pony?” Twilight said, “I don’t remember hiring a skeleton pony.”
“Neither do I,” said the Princess.
As one, the three foals whipped their heads back towards the castle door, half expecting a scythe to hurtle forth at them once again, but the doors were already closed.
“Something wrong?” Twilight asked, cocking her head to the side.
“N-Nope!” Scootaloo said, pushing her way towards the front. “Come on, let’s go. I-I want to inspect my haul.”
Rose Petal crouched down behind some bushes, listening to the wind whistle through the Everfree Forest. She’d only just barely made it into position in time, now she just had to pull off some very... specific tricks with ponies she hadn’t met. Her eyes glanced down to where she knew the scythe rest. If only it could be made a little less sharp; after all, it was used to separate souls from bodies...
She tensed as the sound of foals began to fill the air again. Her scythe slowly lifted up into position in the bushes. Now, according to the plan, any second now the Guide would be appearing, and stopping right in front of her.
“Okay, is everypony ready?” A mare’s voice said. Rose peered through the bushes, eyebrows raising as she recognized Twilight Sparkle slowly meandering over to where the Guide was to stand.
“Let’s go in a single file line here,” she said after the foals quieted down. “This is an old bridge, but don’t worry. If anypony falls, I’ll catch you.”
Then she kicked the bush Rose was hiding behind, the signal to start.
Making sure to shake the bush, Rose waited until one of the foals turned before snaking her scythe out, and looping it around Twilight’s chest. She winced as she felt the blade bite down, adjusted the grip just a little and pulled.
“Miss Twilight, look out!” the foal shouted, drawing more attention over.
“Run! To the castle!” Twilight shouted before Rose pulled her into the bush. The two waited until the last foal made it across the bridge before Twilight pulled out a small pack of bandages from her costume.
“Sorry,” Rose said, pulling back the hood of her cloak. She offered to apply the bandage, and with Twilight’s approval, wound the cloth around the front of her barrel and behind her forehooves.
“It’s okay. I didn’t expect a sharp blade to not cut.” Twilight pulled her costume back on and smiled. “Thanks. Good luck in there.”
Rose nodded and headed towards the castle, waiting until Twilight was out of sight before jumping into the shadows.
She appeared in a back room, a walkway situated above some faux-plaster that housed a tunnel of some sort. A few steps away, a big red X notes her first entrance. Before it are a few slits cut into the material, allowing her to see into the tunnel below.
According to the notes, she’s to smash a hoof down into the X when a foal blocks the light from the view slit.
Luna’s voice booms over the courtyard and Rose sighs. It’ll be awhile until anypony stumbles into her trap. Rose stowed her scythe and settled in to wait.
This isn’t too much different from sitting in the flower shop, to be honest. Just, instead of waiting for her mom, she’s now waiting to terrify a poor little foal.
When Roseluck asked her to Ponyville, is this what she had in mind the whole time?
After just a couple of minutes, Rose started to get a little antsy. Luna knew that she could teleport, but did the architect? She rose to her hooves and started down the little walkway. Surely there was a door, or a peep-hole, or something.
The walkway ended at a wall with a little, almost comically placed, black sliding bar. Humoring the oversized hoofhold, she reached up and pushed the slide aside. Placing her eyes as close as possible to the wall she could look out into the main hall, where her targets were currently examining the cage.
She slid the peephole closed, and went back to her waiting spot. Only a few minutes later, the light flickered over the indicator slot. Rose counted until three then thrust her hoof down through the weakened ceiling.
Sharp pain blossomed across her hoof. Rose bit her lip and ripped the appendage up, ducking out away from the new hole in case somepony looked up there. Whatever little demon was crawling through the tunnel hit her!
It was so on.
The plan called for her to walk through the back tunnels back to the main hall, but that wasn’t necessary. With a tap of a hoof, she was away, into the next litle ready room.
A little light flicked on next to her, the sign that the main door had been opened. Rose slowly crept out of her hiding space, making sure the door was shut tight behind her, and stepped right to the edge of the shadows.
Under the peak of her hood, she could just make out the three foals trying to figure out what to do next. She saw one stash the tunnel key into his camera bag, and noted that as the target. The scythe practically hummed as she cocked it back over her shoulder.
“My... key...” she croaked, wincing as the sound scratched up her throat.
“Away from that thing” the orange filly shouted, spinning on a hoof and taking off down the hallway. Her friends followed soon behind. Rose, however, decided to move at much more leisurely pace. Close enough to be seen out of the corner of an eye, but not by much.
At least, not until they made it into the sitting room. Technically, the plan called for her to slip into another passage, and jump out when they left the sitting room. That was before the little knight one hit her hoof. Now it was personal.
She popped into the door quick enough to throw her scythe. It barely missed hitting one of the foals who stopped short, making her wince, before slicing through the candles. Stepping into the room and shutting the door plunged them all into darkness.
Well, it plunged the foals into darkness. Thanks to her Office, lack of light wasn’t a problem for Death. Clear as day she could see the foals huddled in the middle of the room. Making sure to step more loudly than necessary, she walked to pick up her scythe, then meandered around the room, enacting violence on the furniture.
Luna probably wouldn’t be happy.
“Man, I really hope none of you have to sneeze,” the orange one whispered. Rose nearly bit her tongue in half trying not to laugh.
When the foals were about halfway across the room, Rose ceased her attacking, and stomping. She tiphoofed around behind the knight, the one who hit her hoof, and leaned in as close as possible. “I want my key.”
The poor foal’s whole body seized up for half a second, then he screamed.
Then the damn camera clicked. The bright flash made Rose recoil, and by the time she could see again, the three were bolting. Rose shouldered her scythe and charged after them, only stopping to nick the key on the table. Time for another change of plans.
The three terrified foals led her on a wild chase through the castle. It wasn’t hard to keep up, but it was hard to not catch them too early. She was just far enough back that, when they ducked into a broom closet, she very nearly went by. Then thought better about it and walked past anyway.
She crouched, just on the other side of the door, grinning when the door peeked open. Rose slowly moved over to the edge, then thrust her skeletal face in the gap, right in front of the pony at the door.
“Boo.” she said, jumping back and kicking the wall when the chaos started, vanishing into a different part of the castle. She found herself in a room of floating windows, colored by Luna’s distinctive magical aura. Another pony resided in the room as well, occasionally consulting much neater versions of the haunt blueprints.
Knowing her appearance could be startling, Rose quietly lowered her hood, dropping the visage of Death, then opened and shut the only door into the room. The other mare still jumped, and spun around quickly,.fixing Rose with her light green eyes.
:”Oh, Miss Rose Petal. I didn't realize you were up here.” She frowned and consulted the map. “You’re an awful way from your next post.”
“Yeah, sorry. I spooked the foals pretty good, figured I had a minute, so I just popped in to recuperate. Besides, we need a new place to hide this.” Rose brandished the metal key.
The Planner’s frown deepened. “That was supposed to be a fakeout key in the sitting room. Why do you have it?”
Rose shrugged. “Seemed like fun. I wanted a more... personal run in with them. Sorry, but I didn’t catch your name. Miss...”
“Cheerilee,” she said, motioning Rose over with a magenta hoof. “Come on then, let’s figure out what to do.”
The two poured over the map, making and discarding plans. The route they settled on was much more roundabout, and required more shuffling, than either had initially planned. They would have to seal off the third challenge, after Rose gathered the key, then open a wing of the castle that had been partially rebuilt.
“You know, this might actually work. Good thing you can teleport, huh?” Cheerilee said. Rose sputtered answer, but both were distracted when the door opened. “Hey, Twi.”
“Hello Cheerilee, Rose Petal,” Twilight said, walking into the room and making a beeline for the window currently showing the foals. They currently wrestled with a wire hanger and a hole. “They took it well. Glad I didn’t have to step in.”
“Well, I probably don’t have too much time left,” Rose said. She donned her hood and stepped back towards the wall.
“Good luck!” the two mares said before turning to the window, and each other.
Rose flit around the castle, stopping by the next room, and letting the wolf-pony know they could head back. She took the key and headed upstairs, stashing it in the chosen room before moving to start filling in corridors and doorways. She would funnel the foals to her, then chase them back to the main chamber.
Key placed on nightstand, various restoration tools stashed, other pathways blocked. Rose picked a comfortable spot and settled down to wait.
Again.
This was starting to become a recurring theme.
She tapped a hoof for a few minutes before realizing a major flaw in the plan: she had no idea when the foals would show.
With a defeated sigh, she lifted the scythe and left the room. Just in time, too. As the door shut, she turned and caught a cardboard knight as he darted back past the wall. The skull mask she wore grinned as she continued walking, turning a corner and waiting.
She could practically count down to when the foals entered the room with the last key. Rose spun around, back towards the room, and bit down a curse as she saw the two other foals spot her, then hurry into the room. Brandishing her scythe, Rose started forward, eager to enter before they could slip back out.
For effect, Rose pushed the door open much harder than necessary, wincing as the metal latch gave way. Her gaze swept across the room: missing key on the nightstand, a subtle flash from a stack of boxes, a fluttering tablecloth, and gently shaking hay.
It was almost a perfect repeat of the sitting room. She hissed, “my key...” before stomping around the room. She stopped first by the bed, before slashing through the nightstand. The hay started shaking harder.
Rose leisurely made her way around to the crates. To the foals’ credit, it was the best hiding place of the three. If it wasn’t for the shine of his camera lens, Rose never would have seen it. She made a show of standing over him before moving out of sight of all three, back around towards the door and the bed.
The scythe leveled itself at just over the halfway point of the bed. A little reckless? Maybe, but as Rose’s scythe hummed through the air, slicing hay and a helmet poof, the payout was worth it. She had a couple of seconds of terror on the face of the young knight before the tablecloth was tossed over her eyes and something charged into her side.
Playing nice, Rose fell over.
“Run!” the pony over her said, before three sets of hooves tore off through the open door. Next came the hardest part of the plan: predicting the foals and funneling them back towards the middle. Thankfully, she’d already memorized what parts of the second floor were available.
Rose touched the nearby wall and popped out just in time to brandish her scythe at the approaching trio. She chased for a short moment before grazing a wall and heading off their next predicted turn.
Needless to say, it was a long and tiring few minutes.
Her breath came in gasps as their frantic chase neared its conclusion. This bit had been hard to plan, as there was neither a designed way down or time to make one. Because of that, she walked as slow as possible, always making sure to keep an eye out, and a hoof ready to step down should a foal need saving.
She nearly did so when the orange filly and the one with the camera jumped to the chandelier, and once again when the knight did as well. The fixture fell, and Rose couldn’t help but gallop forward, wanting to ensure that they made it down safely. They did, so she made herself scarce.
Three keys found, one candy cage opened, mission accomplished. The final part of the plan was to reopen the main gates, and she headed there happily. Twilight and Cheerilee waited in the final secret ready room, though the former was halfway out the exterior door to meet with the Princess.
“See you back in town,” Twilight said, though whether to her or Cheerilee, Rose didn’t know.
As Twilight left the room, Cheerilee turned to Rose with a frown. “You let them jump off the balcony.” It wasn’t a question.
Rose pulled back her hood and dispelled the skull. “I mean, I didn’t let them do anything, they just kind of did it.”
“You could have moved faster and stopped them.”
“That defeats the purpose, don’t you think?”
Cheerilee stood her ground, ears pulled back. “And if they got hurt? Then what?”
“I was close enough to stop them. They had hold on that chandelier, it’s fine.”
The teacher hummed and fell silent. They could hear the foals dragging the candy down the long entry hall, time was running short. “I want to thank you.”
Rose cocked her head to the side. “Hmm?”
“Nightmare Night has always been important to Twilight and I, even before we started dating. When she wanted me to get involved this year, I didn’t know what we could do to top the Test of Courage they put on last year. We may have planned it, but you pulled it off. Thanks, Rose Petal.”
Rose donned her hood again, hearing the foals draw nearer. “It was fun. Same time next year?”
Cheerilee nodded as Rose opened the door to the entry hall. “I’ll have Twilight send you the plans.”
“Nah, I’ll come visit,” she said before striding into the entry hall, stepping in front of the door while the foal trio was only a few feet away. They stopped dead in the tracks, eyes growing wide at the sight of her.
Technically, the plans called for some big elaborate thing, but that was likely covered by riding a chandelier down ten feet. Rose simply nodded, then stepped aside, opening the doors with a burst of magic.
It was hard not to laugh as the foals skirted past her, doing their best to stay out of the range of her scythe. They were pretty far off, though. It was cute. They made it through the door, then bolted towards where Luna and Twilight stood, by the gate of the castle.
“Greetings little ponies,” Rose heard Luna say before shutting the door.
The cloak slipped off, back to wherever it went when Rose wasn’t wearing it. Maybe this night off was good for her after all.
As long as she made it back to Ponyville to spend time with her mom.
