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Making a Better Nightmare
Bone Blossom sighed, her gaze drifting again to the fog-covered hills on the horizon, her mind to the land beyond. A place that shared her passion. She went there once, a few years ago, but she couldn’t fit; she was too different. Kindred in spirit, but condemned to be forever apart.
Crestfallen, she shuffled her bony hooves towards the fringes of Nightmare Valley, where her humble shack stood.
A bloodcurdling scream sent her spirit soaring. Perhaps this time… Her horseshoes echoing in the now silent village, Bone Blossom raced, searching for the source. She found the Nightmare, queen of the valley, just in time to see her put both forehoves down on the table and open her mouth to scream again.
At Digor, who was pawing a candy pile. His stitched dog face was set in a wolfish grin, his other paw flashing his winning cards around the table.
The scream turned into a giggle, the queen finally having noticed her. “Ah, there you are, Blossom. Want to join in our game?”
Bone Blossom swallowed angry words and turned around, galloping away. How could they forego the forthcoming Nightmare Night, the only important thing in this wretched place, to play games?
Eyes still misty, Bone Blossom focused on a wet patch by her door. She had cried her rage, then her despair; she now felt as empty as her bony body. How could nopony understand how important making Nightmare Night was? Perhaps she should just go ahead…
A sudden red light was all the warning she got before something toppled her. Feeling a wetness in her muzzle, at the same time warm and chilly, she rolled, using all four hooves to pry her attacker.
Its body was a white sheet, barely large enough to cover a small filly; the head was shaped like a cone, with long ears, black holes where the eyes should be, and a bright red nose. She knew this ghostly dog.
“Zero?” But if Zero was here…
“What do we have here? Tears?”
Blossom’s gaze met a lanky skeleton in a pinstripe suit — a bipedal one, not a pony like herself. He was the most imposing figure she had ever seen, his every movement as confident as if he owned the world.
Which, in a way, he did. Jack, the Pumpkin King, scariest denizen of the Holiday Worlds. And now the great explorer, the one that went through all separate worlds to finally unite them.
Blossom looked from him to the foggy horizon, beyond which lies Halloween Town. “What are you doing here?”
“He thought you needed help. Good ears.” Jack patted Zero, its white sheet shaking as if a tail was ferociously wagging inside. “Still worrying about Halloween here not being scary enough?”
“Nightmare Night. Yeah. Nopony here knows about terror, they wouldn’t recognize it even if it screamed inside their ears.”
“Your Nightmare Queen seems scary enough. Marrow-chilling, even,” said Jack with a wink.
“And she will stop to gobble any candy you throw in front of her. The fillies even sing about it.” Blossom looked up, eyes pleading. “Are you sure you can’t take control of Nightmare Night? Add a few heads and disembodied hooves, finally make it scary?”
Jack’s gaze softened. “I can’t force my halloween on other holidays. I almost destroyed one learning this lesson.”
Blossom lowered her head. “Are you telling me to give up?”
Jack’s explosive laughter nearly knocked her over. “Never! Be the best that you can, the best in what you do! Just try to not ruin your Nightmare Night while you do it, like I almost ruined Christmas.” Jack scratched his chin. “I am researching Nightmare Night, and could use someone that knows it well. Perhaps we could exchange ideas to… improve it in a safe way?”
Blossom’s jaw fell to the floor. “I… With you… Of course! Oh, wait.” She raced into her shack, returning with a paper-filled bag. “My plan to make Nightmare Night more like Halloween. I’m not going to use it anymore, but could you…”
Jack’s orbits grew wide as he leafed through the papers. “Well, look at this. Perhaps I should have been asking you to help me with Halloween instead!”
Luna woke to find a box with a smiling skull sigil besides her bed. She wondered about the strangely familiar sigil as she opened the box…
And grinned deviously. Pinkie had nearly begged to be scared last time; she would be very scared this Nightmare Night.
Crestfallen, she shuffled her bony hooves towards the fringes of Nightmare Valley, where her humble shack stood.
A bloodcurdling scream sent her spirit soaring. Perhaps this time… Her horseshoes echoing in the now silent village, Bone Blossom raced, searching for the source. She found the Nightmare, queen of the valley, just in time to see her put both forehoves down on the table and open her mouth to scream again.
At Digor, who was pawing a candy pile. His stitched dog face was set in a wolfish grin, his other paw flashing his winning cards around the table.
The scream turned into a giggle, the queen finally having noticed her. “Ah, there you are, Blossom. Want to join in our game?”
Bone Blossom swallowed angry words and turned around, galloping away. How could they forego the forthcoming Nightmare Night, the only important thing in this wretched place, to play games?
Eyes still misty, Bone Blossom focused on a wet patch by her door. She had cried her rage, then her despair; she now felt as empty as her bony body. How could nopony understand how important making Nightmare Night was? Perhaps she should just go ahead…
A sudden red light was all the warning she got before something toppled her. Feeling a wetness in her muzzle, at the same time warm and chilly, she rolled, using all four hooves to pry her attacker.
Its body was a white sheet, barely large enough to cover a small filly; the head was shaped like a cone, with long ears, black holes where the eyes should be, and a bright red nose. She knew this ghostly dog.
“Zero?” But if Zero was here…
“What do we have here? Tears?”
Blossom’s gaze met a lanky skeleton in a pinstripe suit — a bipedal one, not a pony like herself. He was the most imposing figure she had ever seen, his every movement as confident as if he owned the world.
Which, in a way, he did. Jack, the Pumpkin King, scariest denizen of the Holiday Worlds. And now the great explorer, the one that went through all separate worlds to finally unite them.
Blossom looked from him to the foggy horizon, beyond which lies Halloween Town. “What are you doing here?”
“He thought you needed help. Good ears.” Jack patted Zero, its white sheet shaking as if a tail was ferociously wagging inside. “Still worrying about Halloween here not being scary enough?”
“Nightmare Night. Yeah. Nopony here knows about terror, they wouldn’t recognize it even if it screamed inside their ears.”
“Your Nightmare Queen seems scary enough. Marrow-chilling, even,” said Jack with a wink.
“And she will stop to gobble any candy you throw in front of her. The fillies even sing about it.” Blossom looked up, eyes pleading. “Are you sure you can’t take control of Nightmare Night? Add a few heads and disembodied hooves, finally make it scary?”
Jack’s gaze softened. “I can’t force my halloween on other holidays. I almost destroyed one learning this lesson.”
Blossom lowered her head. “Are you telling me to give up?”
Jack’s explosive laughter nearly knocked her over. “Never! Be the best that you can, the best in what you do! Just try to not ruin your Nightmare Night while you do it, like I almost ruined Christmas.” Jack scratched his chin. “I am researching Nightmare Night, and could use someone that knows it well. Perhaps we could exchange ideas to… improve it in a safe way?”
Blossom’s jaw fell to the floor. “I… With you… Of course! Oh, wait.” She raced into her shack, returning with a paper-filled bag. “My plan to make Nightmare Night more like Halloween. I’m not going to use it anymore, but could you…”
Jack’s orbits grew wide as he leafed through the papers. “Well, look at this. Perhaps I should have been asking you to help me with Halloween instead!”
Luna woke to find a box with a smiling skull sigil besides her bed. She wondered about the strangely familiar sigil as she opened the box…
And grinned deviously. Pinkie had nearly begged to be scared last time; she would be very scared this Nightmare Night.