"I'm soooo excited!" Rainbow Dash was giggling like a little filly as she and I looked at the finished front of my house. I'd hired the best decorators to make my house appear dark and dilapidated, much like a haunted one. Windows were broken and boarded, and the shutters hung loose on their hinges. The inside was decorated with extremely realistic cobwebs in plenty of corners, the candelabras were enchanted to go out every so often anytime lightning flashed outside, and the scrying spells were activated, acting like hidden cameras so Rainbow, myself, and Scarlet (who'd surprisingly volunteered to help) could keep an eye on our guests just in case anything went wrong. Rainbow had convinced the weather team to let her borrow a few clouds so we could have a miniature thunderstorm around the house in order to give it that extra creepy factor.

Aside from all that, I'd asked Twilight to cast a temporary soundproofing spell around Mica's and Gemini's room so they could sleep.

Rainbow Dash and I made our way into the house to look over the interior once more before we opened it to the public when the festival began. Rainbow had planned a few jumpscares, and was super excited to watch them go off. There was a fake Pony skeleton in a walk-in closet in one of the downstairs bedrooms that would fall out and shatter if that door was opened, there were some portraits on the walls that would become skeletal in the light of the lightning, something I'd suggested from my journeys to Disneyland's Haunted Mansion ride, and there was a bunch more, such as spooky glowing eyes from windows, ghostly wails and whisps of fog that emulated Pony ghosts.

Rainbow Dash was shaking my shoulders excitedly. "This is gonna be so awesome!"

"Yes. Yes it will be," I said, putting an arm around the Pegasus as I looked over the hard work.

She hovered there before she noticed my arm around her. With a shove, the now blushing mare huffed. "Don't get sentimental on me now," she said.

"Sentimental? My dear Rainy, you know me better than that." I leaned in close, catching the Pegasus off guard as I said, "I'm all about those feewings."

She bust a gut laughing, falling down and rolling on the ground as I joined in on her laughing. After a couple minutes, we both stood up and the laughter died down. "So…what do you think?" Rainbow Dash asked, gesturing to the large haunted looking living room. "I think this is gonna be super awesome!"

"Oh, I agree," I said. "Hmm…although the temperature could be…twenty percent cooler."

"Hey!" She flew up to my face, frowning at me playfully. "That's my schtick!"

I snorted, then reached out to stroke her mane. "Calm thy teats, RD, you know I'm just messing with you."

"Leave my sexy teats out of this," Rainbow Dash huffed, but I saw a blush creep up on her face. As I continued stroking her mane, she finally cracked a smile before pushing my hand away. "Yeah, yeah…you made your point."

I put my hands in my pockets. "What can I say? Messing with you is fun." And did she just call her teats sexy?

"I'll get you back, just you watch," she frowned, but soon a smile appeared on her face and she began to chuckle. "But later. For now, I can't wait to scare some fillies and colts!"

"All we need now is those clouds you ordered to arrive," I said.

"They'll be here by the time the sun sets," Rainbow promised. "By the way, how's the rest of the festival looking?"

"Twilight tells me we're pretty much all set," I said, heading back to the door and looking out. Twilight had actually reorganized things so that the majority of the goodie carts and attractions were within my property lines, but there wasn't enough room for everything, so the rest were outside along the street I lived on. She'd even had the Nightmare Moon statue moved to the back of my house temporarily, although, if I had my way, I'd have it here permanently, out of sight since I wasn't sure it was fair to Luna to be constantly reminded of her failings.

The Mayor herself had come and thanked me profusely for giving an extra attraction for the children to enjoy and for offering my house as a place to enjoy all the festivities. According to her, this was saving the town a ton of bits since I wasn't charging anyone for use of my land.

"Where is that egghead anyway?" Rainbow asked.

"She probably went home to get into her Star Swirl the Bearded costume," I said.

"There's plenty of time, though," Rainbow said. "There's, what, two hours before sunset?"

"Two hours and fifteen odd minutes, Miss Dash," a familiar voice said from behind us.

Twirling around, startled, I saw Princess Luna herself standing in the haunted house, staring at the two of us. She was in her normal Pony form currently. Rainbow Dash immediately bowed in respect, whereas I smiled and approached. "I'm glad you decided to come, Luna."

"Our sister told us it might be wise to face our mistakes and own up to them instead of hiding like a little foal in our royal bedchambers," Luna said.

"Well, this is definitely a night I hope you'll enjoy remembering for years to come," I said.

"We hope so too," Luna said, before looking around the room. "Whoever managed the décor here is to be commended. 'Tis a remarkably well-done haunted domicile."

"When you're as rich as I am, you can afford to pull out all the stops," I chuckled. "Welcome to your first Nightmare Night, Luna."

Luna nodded, then turned to the still bowing Rainbow Dash. "Thy name is Rainbow Dash, correct?" she asked, addressing the Pegasus. "Thou and thy friends were the ones who unleashed the powers of Harmony upon us and released us from our dark powers."

Rainbow Dash stood, trembling a little. "Y-Yes, your Highness," she said nervously.

"RD, take a deep breath," I said, "She's just here to enjoy the night's festivities. And speaking of that, Luna, I've been meaning to mention something about how you speak."

"Is there a problem with how we speak?" she asked, sounding offended.

"Not wrong, per-se," I replied without hesitation, "just outdated. Surely you've heard your sister addressing her subjects before, correct?"

"We have," Luna said, "but what is thy point?"

"My point is that the use of the royal 'we' went out of style ages ago," I explained. "If you think about it, using 'we' instead of 'I' could make a bigger gap between you and your subjects."

"We-pardon, I mean I-never thought of that before," Luna said. "Art thou sure?"

"Yes, and that's another thing," I added. "Have you heard anyone else using 'thee', 'thou', or any of the older forms of speech since you came back?"

Luna paused, then shook her head. "No, we-I-have not."

I smiled. "This is just a suggestion, Luna. I know you still want to be beloved by your subjects, so maybe trying to relate to them will help."

"Art thou-I mean, are you sure about that?" Luna asked, sounding unsure.

I was about to reply, when I had an idea. "Well, maybe if you saw another perspective, it might give you a better idea of what I mean."

"What perspective?" she asked.

I grinned. "Come with me. Rainbow Dash, I suggest you go and get yourself ready. Luna and I will be preoccupied for about half an hour in my other house."

"Um, sure thing, JB," she said, giving a bow to Luna and zooming out.

"What are you going to show us-I mean, me?" Luna asked curiously as we walked through the house to the back door.

"You'll see," I said, heading out the back door towards my home. "Let's just say it'll hopefully be an eye-opening experience…"

"Eye-opening? More like eye-popping," Luna said as the credits to Luna Eclipsed rolled on the screen. "I never thought to see myself say things I had never said before."

"Imagine how the Bearers of Harmony reacted when I showed them the Gala episode," I chuckled as I stopped the video and began disconnecting the cords. "Applejack even said her voice was too high."

Luna chuckled. "Did the human who portrayed her inhale helium?"

I laughed. "No, no. From what I've found so far, it was just her voice actress trying to find the right tone for the character."

"Hmm, I suppose that makes sense," Luna said. "Sir Jethro, I thank you for sharing this with me. While I still do not wish to frighten the Ponies, I would still like to try having some fun with them."

"I'm sure that once you engage in the festivities, things will start to go alright, but since I don't want to tempt fate, I think you should be formally introduced to the citizens," I reasoned.

"We-I would like that," Luna said with a small smile.

"Come on, I'll show you around," I said, opening the door and holding it for you. "After you, milady."

Luna blushed, giggling a bit. "Gentlecolt," she said gratefully as she walked out. I closed my door, locked it, then joined her, walking by her side as we passed through the barrier around my old house.

As we headed back to the stalls, a thought occurred to me. "Hey, Luna?"

"Yes?" she turned to me.

"I have a question for you. It's about a certain power I saw the show version of you use when you were Nightmare Moon."

"Do you refer to the mist form I took?" Luna asked.

"Yeah, that! How did you do that? I haven't seen you using that power whenever you show up in the show. It was only in the first two episodes."

"Ah, yes. 'Tis a powerful magic to wield," she admitted. "It is referred to by many names, Transfiguration magic, Transformation Magic, but I prefer Metamorphic Magic. Only the most powerful of wizards and mages can master it. From what my sister has told me, Metamorphic Magic is one of the more arcane arts today."

"Sounds like it could be a really useful magic to learn," I said thoughtfully.

Luna looked up at me, eyes slightly sparkling. "Jethro, wouldst thou like me to teach you some of our more arcane magical knowledge?"

Now there's an idea, I thought. Luna might be a mare out of time, but her knowledge of some of the more ancient magic might be fresher in her mind than in Celestia's. I turned to her, pausing. "So…you'd want to become to me what Celestia is for Twilight? One of my magic teachers?"

"It would give us-apologies, me-more purpose, and a chance to pass on my magic which has fallen out of the common knowledge," Luna explained, sounding slightly excited.

And potentially a chance to hang out with me more, I thought. It was a tempting offer, to be sure. I was positive Luna knew more arcane magical techniques than even Twilight did. Plus, she had enough power to raise and lower the moon. What isn't there to accept? I grinned. "That sounds like a really interesting offer, to be sure, but are you sure you'd be up to making the time for me? Aren't you busy in Canterlot with royal duties?"

"We-I don't have as much to do as my sister does," Luna admitted, "so I have plenty of time on my hooves."

"Hmm…personal student to Princess Luna," I thought aloud. "Has a nice ring to it, actually. Can I think about it?"

"Of course!" Luna said, "there is no pressure. I would much rather teach a student than write the spells down in a book."

"Oof. Well, I know at least two individuals who would purchase that book," I smiled.

"And who might those be?" Luna asked.

"Twilight Sparkle and me."

We looked at each other, and burst out laughing. Luna's laughter was pretty breathtaking, to be sure, and full of mirth. We were currently standing next to the apple bobbing basin which was currently empty. As the two of us laughed, I heard someone approaching. "Something funny, Jethro?"

I turned. Scarlet's voice was recognizable to me, but that's all I recognized about the Anthro who stood before me. Luna and I stared in awe at the now anthropomorphic Scarlet, who was wearing a custom crafted pink office pantsuit, which her breasts were practically spilling out of. She was wearing tights and the shoes were a bit like high heels for hooves. She had dyed her crimson mane pink. I immediately recognized the outfit, and made my face go neutral. "By the way, Narumi, are you going to the next Summer Comiket?"

She stiffened. "Don't tell anypony in the office that I'm an otaku!" she hissed.

We both stared at each other, me with an indifferent expression, her with an exaggerated look of anger on her face. She was the first to smirk, then I joined. Soon, we were laughing hard with Luna looking between us with a confused expression. "Is there a joke I am not understanding?" Luna asked.

"Ahaha…hah…sorry, it's just that the costume Scarlet's wearing is from one of the shows I like, and I had to make a reference," I said. Turning to Scarlet, I smiled. "I'm just glad you didn't come in a schoolgirl outfit."

"Oh? I can totally go change, if you want," she cooed. "Rarity made one of those for me, too, but I decided this would be more appropriate for a holiday based towards children."

"At least your brain isn't in your tits," I said, pointing at hers. "Seriously, don't those hurt?"

"Nope. Rarity made me a bra," Scarlet said. She finally noticed Luna and her eyes widened. She bowed. "Your Highness! Forgive me for not greeting you right away."

Luna waved a hoof dismissively. "'Tis alright," she said. "You are Scarlet Dusk, correct? The young mare Jethro saved?"

Scarlet actually blushed a bit, then nodded. "Yes, your Highness. Jethro has been kind enough to let me live here until I'm back on my own four hooves and until I work off my debts to the town."

"Indeed, I had heard that was the case," Luna replied, looking over at me with an unreadable expression. "I hope you are not taking advantage of his kindness and generosity."

Scarlet's eyes widened and she shook her head fervently. "Not at all!"

"She's not perfect, to be sure," I said, earning me a small glare, "but she's never taken advantage of me. She's been working hard to keep the house in order and to repay all the debt she owes to the places she stole from."

"I am pleased to hear it," Luna said, finally breaking a smile in Scarlet's presence.

By this time, the sun had just reached the western horizon and foals were beginning to arrive. The majority were looking over warily at us, but a few looked more genuinely curious than anything. After all, it wasn't every day a human, an Anthro and an Alicorn were talking together. Mayor Mare was the first to approach. To my surprise, she wasn't wearing a clown costume this time around, but instead was wearing a witch costume, complete with scraggly hair, pointed hat and dark black robe. She had on a prosthetic muzzle which looked crooked and had warts on it. "Um…pardon me, your Highness," she said, interrupting the conversation as politely as she could.

Luna turned and looked down at the mayor. "Yes, subject?" she asked.

"Ah, my name is Mayor Mare, and on behalf of all the citizens of Ponyville, I'd like to welcome you to our fair town," she said, standing a bit more bravely now. Her smile was the smile of a seasoned politician.

"I thank you, and am glad to be here," Luna replied.

"Would…you like me to show you around, your Highness?" the mayor asked.

"Please do," Luna said, before turning to me. "Will I see you later, Jethro?"

"I'll be spending a lot of time in the control room, keeping an eye on the children who come into my haunted house, but I'll definitely see you later tonight," I said.

"Very well." Luna turned to the mayor. "Lead the way, Miss Mare."

The mayor turned and began showing Luna around. I saw the Alicorn give me one more glance before turning back and looking around at all the stalls and attractions.

"Well, seems like she's all set to have a good time, my love," a familiar Zebra's voice said from behind me. When I turned, I saw Zecora in all her Nightmare Night costume glory, but instead of her Zebra form, she was once more in her Anthro form. She looked amazing in the show, but to see her in person was another thing entirely. The white wig she wore had small black spiders hanging from her fake locks, and her dark blue robe billowed in a small breeze that sprang up, revealing what could only be a shamaness' outfit underneath, dark gray robes that clung to her body in an enticing manner. She was still wearing her neck braces and her large golden earrings. She stood straighter and held up a hand. "What do you think?"

"…Gorgeous," was all I could say. Seeing her in this costume

I felt a pair of hands on my shoulders, and Scarlet's voice whispered in my ear, "Good enough to eat, eh?"

Zecora, presumably having heard that, approached and grinned. "That comes after the festivities, my dear."

"Oooh, now that sounds hot," Scarlet said.

My face was red from embarrassment, and I facepalmed to try and hide it. "Scarlet…"

"You two in for a threesome?" Scarlet laughed as she ran away from my swiping wing.

"Oh my God!" I groaned. "What is with her? Am I showing her too much Earth media?"

Zecora watched her go, a thoughtful expression on her face, which slowly turned into a smile. "I'm not the Princess of Love, but perhaps Scarlet also-"

"I already have to deal with Luna's crush," I interrupted, "I don't need to deal with an overly horny Scarlet trying to fuck me."

Zecora put an arm around my back. "My love, it very well may be that she likes you, too. And this is the only way she knows how to show it."

I groaned again. "Not another one…damn it…how'd I get so popular with the women?"

"Do not sell yourself short, dearest," Zecora said, leaning her head on my shoulder. "Alien though you might be, you have many things a mare looks for in a husband."

"What? A big house and plenty of money?" I snarked, but as soon as I said it, I knew it was the completely wrong thing to say as Zecora's smile faded. "Wait, that came out wrong, I didn't mean-"

"Do you think that is why I fell for you, Jethro Bethridge?" Zecora asked coolly, causing a shiver to run up my spine.

"No! That's not it at all!" I said.

Zecora stood in front of me, poking my chest harshly with her finger. "Don't ever say that about yourself again! You are more than what you own." Her expression softened and she cupped my cheeks in her hands. "I love you because of you, not because you are rich and own this large plot of land. Please don't put yourself down so much. It hurts me when you do."

My heart broke at those words, and I threw my arms around her. "I'm sorry," I said softly, holding her tightly. She hugged me back, and I finished, "I didn't mean to make you upset."

"I meant what I said," she said. "You have a lot to offer in a relationship, and those aspects are being noticed."

"Well…one mare at a time, huh?" I said uncertainly. "Besides, Scarlet could just as easily be teasing me because of my influence."

"You influenced me too, love," Zecora said. "I no longer speak in rhymes, remember? And don't say it's different, because it isn't. You've shown me your media just as you have shown Scarlet. Do you see us acting similarly?"

She had a point there. I sighed and shook my head. "I guess not…again, I'm sorry. I'm just not used to this much attention from females."

"Your old world is different than your new one, so it makes sense," Zecora said. "You've also had little time to adjust to our way of life since coming to Ponyville, but you've been doing your best to adapt, and it shows in your behavior. Others see that, and appreciate how far out of your way you've gone."

I relaxed, starting to feel better about the whole situation. "Thank you, Zecora," I whispered, "you know just what to say. But let's put the Scarlet issue on the back burner until I figure out this thing with Luna."

"We have time before the festivities begin," she said, taking my arm and leading me towards the back porch. We sat in the swinging bench overlooking my Earth house and the yard. "Why don't we talk about it?"

Zecora and I sat there for a while, discussing Luna, herds and more. Zecora admitted that from what she'd seen of the Lunar Monarch, she was quite a catch. She was strong, sure of herself in many ways, and quite lovely to look at. My marefriend also pointed out, much like Cadance pointed out, that we shared some interests.

I had to admit to Zecora that there was definitely some physical attraction I felt to Luna, in both her forms. I felt guilty for admitting it but Zecora reassured me that she didn't think any less of me for that. I also conceded that Luna and I shared a few common interests, such as stargazing. I admitted that we were both individuals who were still somewhat out of place in this world, trying to fit in as best we could.

The more we talked about her, the more I started to realize just how much of an attraction I was developing for Luna. Zecora had to hold me close to prevent me from having a small meltdown of guilt and shame. She told me she loved me no matter what, herd or no herd.

Having a marefriend so understanding and so caring brought me back from that meltdown. She never stopped holding me, though, and as the first stars came out, we sat there and continued talking. Even so, my mind was a bit of a jumble. Having two other mares possibly liking me was a bit of a shock, but I knew better than to become like one of those clueless harem anime and manga protagonists. I had to make a decision.

"There you are!" Rainbow Dash's voice called out from above us as she landed on the back porch in front of me and Zecora. She was wearing her hastily put together Shadowbolt costume despite her saying Wonderbolt earlier. "The night's almost here! What are you two doing back here?"

"Nothing, just talking," I said. "I thought you were going as a Wonderbolt?"

"Nah! Not scary enough," she said with a grin. "Hay, even Luna said it was a good likeness!"

"Did you make it yourself?" I asked, standing along with Zecora.

"Hay, yeah!" she said proudly.

"Looks pretty good," I admitted. "Never pegged you for a seamstress type."

"I'm not Rarity!" she giggled.

"You know, that's funny you should mention that, because in another earlier version of My Little Pony, you were more like Rarity." Clearing my throat, I sang. "We'll plan a party with Pinkie Pie and watch her balloons lift her up to the sky. Scootaloo will show us games to play, and Toola-Roola will be painting away. Rainbow Dash always dresses in style. Sweetie Belle's magic brings a great big smile. I hope we hear a story from Cheerilee, and a beautiful Starsong melody."

Rainbow Dash gaped at me while Zecora giggled. I'd researched the earlier iterations of the television shows after finding references to a specific human character Megan Williams in the fandom, and that's when I discovered her origins in the first generation. Rainbow Dash closed her mouth and glared at me. "If you ever tell Rarity about this, I will hurt you," she finally said as Zecora giggled.

"Fair, fair. Now, come on, let's get this party started!" I grinned as I walked down the steps. As we walked towards the front of the house, I sang again, "She's living in the past, so you won't last without the proper care. With a royal farewell, and an animate spell, you won't have long to prepare!"

"What was that?" Zecora asked.

"A song written by a My Little Pony fan about Nightmare Night," I explained. "Now then, let the Nightmare Night festivities begin!"