#opal storm

“And I’m really doing quite well. I’ve been doing a lot of relaxing.”

I drew some cute.

 “It sure was nice of your parents to give us their tickets for this.” Mortis said, leaning forward to refill his date’s glass with a rich, ruby-red liquid.

   “It was,” Opal replied, taking a sip of the wine with a satisfied sigh. “They both had to work late tonight so I figured hey, why waste the tickets, right?” She asked, gathering the pasta on her plate with her fork.

    The silver-haired stallion smiled, looking around the dimly lit room. “It’s pretty impressive I must say. Converting the aquarium to host a dinner service is a neat idea.” He admitted, watching as a school of red fish swam by in the deep blue of the tank besides their table.

    “I’ve always liked the aquarium,” Opal marveled, following her boyfriend’s eyes up to the tank to watch a giant sunfish lazily float by. “But we didn’t really get to come all that often.”

   Mortis turned away from the tank to continue eating. “I’ll mark that down as a future date idea then.” He said, taking a bite from the lump of pasta wrapped around his fork. “You make it really easy to decide on dates, Y’know?”

  Opal smiled up at him. “Well, you’ve always had great ideas in the first place. I just mention things I’d like to do and you figure out the logistics.”

    Mortis chewed thoughtfully, glancing around the atrium at the various other tables and their occupants. The Canterlot aquarium held this event annually and the wait list for reservation would be full by this time next week he imagined. And while he would love to have his name on the list, he’d learned not to plan too far ahead.

   Opal wiped her mouth with her napkin before pushing her empty plate away with a content sigh. “I’ve never been much of a fan of eggplant, but I guess anything can be good if you put it over pasta.” she smiled, leaning against her hand and watching the stallion finish his food. “I hear they have chocolate for dessert.”

   “Chocolate sounds fantastic to be honest.” the silver-haired stallion said, meeting her eyes. “So, have any plans for the rest of the night?” he asked.

   “Oh y’know,” she began, smirking. “A shower, maybe a little more wine, perhaps a massage, snuggling, other things.” she said, raising an eyebrow. “You?”

    “I haven’t put much thought into it. I figured I’d just go with the flow.” He replied, turning as their waiter stepped forward with a tray and covered dish.

   “Your dessert.” he said simply, resting the tray in the center of the table and removing the lid to reveal a heart-shaped chocolate cake before stepping away.

    “Told you it was chocolate.” Opal said, leaning forward and taking a piece of the cake. “Oh! It’s got chocolate inside the cake.” she exclaimed, dipping her fork into the chocolate sauce and pressing it to her tongue.

    “That it is.” Mortis replied, taking the other half. “I guess that’s why they call it a lava cake, huh?” he asked, cutting off a piece with his fork and eating it.

    Opal shrugged, beginning to eat her own cake. “It’s a little too chocolaty for me though. If it was just the cake it’s be fine, but the sauce is just too much for me.” she sighed, “but I suppose it’d be rude to not eat it.”

    “Opal, if you don’t want it then I’ll eat it. You know I like chocolate anyway.” Mortis said, chewing on another piece.

  The spotted mare sighed, pushing the plate over to him. “That’s true. I’ll just have some hot chocolate when we get home.”

   Mortis nodded, finishing off the first piece and beginning on the second. “For what it’s worth, it’s good cake.” He said in between bites.

    Opal sat back, adjusting her dress and looking around. “So, should we get a carriage or are you gonna do that teleporty-magic thing you do?” she asked, watching her boyfriend finish the cake.

    “Well, if it’s all the same to you, it’s not that far of a walk and I’d like to spend as much time with you as possible.” He smiled, stacking the plates.

    Opal smiled and nodded. “Oh you silver tongued devil. Fine, I suppose we can walk.”

    “Fantastic,” Mortis exclaimed, standing up from the table. “Well then, shall we get going?” He finished, stepping around to the other side of the table and helping her up.

    “let’s.” she smiled, taking his arm as they head towards the entrance of the aquarium.

    “Enjoy your evenings.” the receptionist said, smiling as the pair heads out into the night.

    “I’m glad we got to do something this year. Hearts and hooves has always been such an iffy holiday for me.” Mortis said.

    “To be honest, as long as we get to hang out it doesn’t really matter what we’re doing or what day it is.” she sighed, laying her head on his shoulder.

    “I can agree with that.” he said curtly, sighing. He brushed his hair out of his eyes as they turned down a side street and continued towards her home. “I’m glad I met you.” he said, pushing his free hand into his pocket.

    “Well, I can agree with that.” she said, looking away with a light blush. “Some of my past relationships weren’t nearly as good as this one.”

Opal sighed, looking up at him. “Where did that come from?”

    “I don’t really know. It just seems better than saying I love you. Especially on a day where it’s to be expected.” He explained. “That being said, I do love you.” he assured her.

   “I know, you don’t even have to say it.” she laughed, kissing his cheek. “My feet are starting to hurt. Turns out heels aren’t that great to walk in.”

    “I guess i’ll, as you so eloquently put it, teleporty-magic us back.” He laughed, wrapping his arms around her. “nobody should be in your backyard at this time of night so it’s a safe bet we can arrive there unimpeded.”

    “Well, nobody else is home so I’d hope nobody’s in the backyard.” she said, leaning up to kiss him as violet light exploded and swirled around them like a cloud of fireflies.

    The cloud quickly dispersed and the pair were standing in the center of the garden, lip-locked.

    “Hey! As wonderful it is to see that your relationship is doing fantastically, y’think you two could stop with all the PDA?”  Caramello called from the back porch.

    “I- wait, what are you doing here now? Weren’t you going on a date tonight mellow?” Opal asked, breaking their kiss quickly.

    “Nope, I just said that to get the happy couple out of the house so i didn’t have to be reminded that I’m single.” she grunted, turning back towards the back door. “It was nice while it lasted, now get inside so I can lock the back door.”

    “Oh, well I suppose that makes sense. Alright, we’ll be right in.” Opal sighed, watching her coach head inside before turning back towards Mortis. “Well, the other things I had in mind might be more difficult to pull off so we may just have to settle for cuddling.” she whispered, glancing towards the house before kissing him briefly. “Thanks for joining me.” she said, taking his hand and leading him towards the house.

    “Oh, it was my pleasure.” he said, squeezing her hand and following her inside. “You know I’ll join you for anything you want to do.”

    “You should be careful with that kind of promise mister. You never know when I’ll make you keep it.” she giggled, twirling around and kissing him again.

    “Hey! I literally just said knock it off! At least go to your room to do it!” The caramel colored mare yelled from the kitchen with a frown on her face. “Otherwise I’ll be having both of you running laps tomorrow.” she warned.

    “Ew, wouldn’t want that.” Mortis said, lifting Opal up into his arms with a delighted squeal and carrying her towards her room. “We’re sorry for disturbing your solitude ma’am. It won’t happen again.” He called back down the hall as he kicked the door closed and dropped Opal onto the bed. “So, shower, massage, or snuggling first, miss?”

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Cutecutecutecutecutecutecutecute! <3 I missed these two so much, and salty Mello too c: Thank you @askthe-apocalypse-ponies , you always the real MVP. I’m gonna start drawing the accompanying picture ^w^

  Mortis hummed quietly as he trotted up the steps and onto the porch of the little townhouse his marefriend called home.

   He quickly pulled the hidden key from under the rim of the potted fern beside the entrance, turning the cold metal over in his hand before sliding it into the lock, turning the key, and hiding it again.

  “Babe, I’m here!” He called into the home as he set his bag down by the door. He closed the portal and turned around just as Opal dove into his arms with a laugh. “You’re early! What if I had been setting up a surprise for you?” She asked, kissing him on the cheek.

  “Well then it would have been a surprise for both of us, wouldn’t it?” He said chuckling and hugging her.

  “Hey, nice scarf,” She said, unwrapping it from his head and hanging it on the coat rack. “Where’d ya get it?” Opal asked, pressing her hands to his chest and smiling up at him.

  “Well, I got it from the most beautiful mare I’ve ever seen actually. She bought it for me as a gift,” he said, smirking and kissing her forehead.

  Opal giggled, pulling away from him and heading for the kitchen. “Smoooooth,” she nodded appreciatively.

  “I had a feeling you’d like that one,” he smirked, reaching into his bag then pulling out a bottle of red wine and a rectangular box.

  “So, I brought some nice wine,” the stallion explained, stepping into the kitchen and setting the bottle on the counter. “In addition to the drink, I also took the liberty of getting you these,” he said, opening the box and handing her a bundle of six large, spotted, fiery orange lilies.

  “Aw, you got me some tiger lilies?” She smiled, taking them and placing them in a black-and-white striped vase on the kitchen table.    

  “You charmer. I can’t believe you actually remembered,” she giggled, sliding up next to him as he leaned against the counter.

  “I think we should just order pizza tonight. Cuddle on the couch and watch something on tv,” she stated, hugging his arm.

  Mortis nodded, raising an eyebrow. “Onions and mushrooms?” He asked.

  “Sure, but only if I can have spinach on half of it,” Opal added, leaning up to kiss him.

  Mortis nodded, lifting her up and setting her on the counter. “You can have anything you want, my dear,” he said, leaning forward on the counter and pressing his lips to hers for a deep kiss.

   Opal sighed, pressing back against him as the kiss dragged on. Eventually the pair had to break away to breath and Opal grinned, biting her lower lip. “Anything?”

  “Anything,” he nodded, reaching around her waist and dragging her closer, her legs sitting spread before him as he moved forward to steal another kiss from her lips.

  Just as their lips meet the loud clanging of the doorbell rang out, interrupting them. Mortis sighed, closing his eyes and nodding. Opal smiled, shaking her head. “Now who could that be.”

  The stallion took a step back and headed to the door. “Guess I might as well grab the door,” he sighed.

  He threw on a smile and pulled open the door to confront whomever may be on the other side and his smile immediately faded as two spotted arms wrapped around his neck and pulled him into a hug. “Oh Mortis! What a pleasure it is to see you again. It looks like we caught you two at a much better time than the last, you’re fully dressed and your hair isn’t considerably sexed up,” the mare giggled, reminding him of their previous visit.

  “Hello Ebony,” he sighed, looking past her at her husband, Blizzard. “Opal, it looks like we’ll be having company.”

  “Well, that’s gonna kill the mood hard,” Opal said, giving an exasperated sigh as she hopped off the counter and headed for the door. “Hello mother. Hello father. It’s a pleasure to see you both again.”

  “Oh, there’s my little girl!” Ebony said, smiling and stepping forward to hug her daughter as Mortis stood aside for Blizzard to enter.

   “How have you been, my dear?” The tall, bearded stallion said, smiling and hugging Opal as his wife headed for the couch.

  Opal hugged the pair tightly with a smile before answering.

   “I’ve been great. The team has been getting along nicely and we’re consistently placing well in event. Plus, I’ve got Mortis here along for the ride so, no complaints,” she said, watching her father sit down on the couch beside Ebony.

   “You been doing a lot of riding with your boyfriend, hm?” Ebony smiled, glancing from her daughter to the gray-haired stallion who was locking the door with an eyebrow raised.

   “Geez mom!” Opal sputtered, blushing lightly as her eyes darted from her mother to her father, who was sitting as stoic as ever, to her boyfriend.

  “What? I just want to make sure your being satisfied. I’m only looking out for my daughter,” she said, smiling innocently as her husband turned to stare her down.

   “Oooookay, well that may be the fastest a conversation has turned awkward so I’m just gonna go ahead and order the pizza now,” Mortis sighed, avoiding eye contact with his girlfriend’s parents.

  “Oh that’s right,” Opal clapped, turning to her parents. “We were just about to order some pizza if you two want to join us,” she continued.

   “Pizza? Oh heavens no, not while we’re here. It’s a special occasion! Why don’t we go out somewhere nice? Our treat,” Ebony smiled, standing up from the couch. “There’s a nice little bistro just a few blocks from here. They’re almost always busy, but they’ll most certainly have room for us,” the older mare said, unzipping her coat and flashing the patch and badge of a high ranking official.

  “Wait, you’re actually planning to pull your rank out to get us a table?” Mortis asked incredulously.

  “Mortis, dear, this is what my mother does,” Opal sighed, watching her father stand and follow her mother to the door.

  “We insist that the two of you allow us to treat you to a nice meal,” Blizzard said solemnly. “We won’t take no for an answer.”

  Mortis grumbled, gently massaging his temples before relinquishing. “Fine, fine. Let’s just get going before it gets much later.”

  “Wonderful,” Ebony said, flashing a smile. “Let’s move then. Oh and Opal dear, do bring a coat. I’m sure Mortis keeps you plenty warm, but you can never be too careful.”

  The older couple step out into the cold and are quickly joined by the younger pair. Shortly thereafter, the group begins on their trek towards their destination.

  A short walk later and the group arrives at the bistro, a lavish building sitting alone on a quiet street corner. Light music snuck down from the roof where a mare, accompanied by piano, sang of the joys of the night.

  “And that’s the story of the first time Opal flew.” Ebony said, finally concluding the story she had been telling throughout their walk.

  “Ugh, mother. Why do you always need to hang on the part where I miss my landing and slam into a stormfront?” Opal sighed, elbowing her boyfriend in the side as he suppresses a chuckle.

  “Oh come on. I thought it was cute,” Mortis said apologetically. “At least you had a soft landing.”

  “Indeed, it could have been significantly worse Opal,” Blizzard began. “The clouds could have been freshly charged or packed to the brim with rain. You might have ended up soaked or shocked,” he said before smiling and looking towards his wife. “Like your mother did on her first try.”

  “Blizzard, I thought we had agreed that we weren’t going to talk about that ever again,” Ebony said quietly, leaning towards her husband with a smile. “You don’t want to fight this war, honey.”

  “I’ve fought plenty of your wars, sweetie. I haven’t lost one yet,” he said, smiling.

  “You haven’t won any either darling,” Ebony said sweetly.

  “That’s just because we’re both brilliant military tacticians and neither of us can quite get the upper hand,” Blizzard continued, giving his wife a bemused smile.

  “Opal your parents… appear to be fighting some type of battle here, would you care to accompany me inside?” Mortis asked, looking down at his date.

  “I would like that. I haven’t gotten to eat anything yet today,” she said, patting her stomach.

  “Anyway! Let’s get in there,” Ebony said, clapping her hands and leading the group inside.

  The restaurant looked just as sleek on the inside as it did out. The lights were dim and the low talking of the other patrons mixed with the somber tone of the piano as they entered. A short stallion with a dash of gold in his rusty red mane greeted them at the door.

  “Hello, will it just be you four this evening?” He asked, looking down at his seating chart.

  “Of course,” Ebony stated, stepping forward and flashing her badge. “And we’d like a nice table, we don’t have very long.”

  The stallion’s eyes widen as he sees the badge. “Of course ma’am. Right this way,” he said, retrieving four menus and leading them into the dining hall.

  The four are quickly seated at a wide table at the front of the restaurant and the waiter quickly explains the night’s specials as he takes their drink orders. As he walks away towards the kitchen, Ebony turns around and looks between the couple sitting on the opposite side of the table.

  “So, how have you two been doing?” She asked, glancing between the two.

  “Well, like I said earlier, everything seems to be going well,” Opal started but stopped as Ebony held up a hand.

  “I’m well aware you are doing well. What I asked was how were you two doing. Your relationship,” she explained leaning forward. “Like, for example, are you still using protection?”

  “Mother, can we please not ta-,” Opal started. “Dear, I’d like your boyfriend to answer,” Ebony finished.

  Mortis sighed, looking towards the older mare. “Of course we are. We wouldn’t want any accidents,” he said.

  “And which of you is more dominant in the relationship?” She continued, looking from the stallion to her lightly blushing daughter with a grin.

  “We like to change it up occasionally,” Mortis explained, rubbing Opal’s back. “Y’know, gotta keep things exciting.”

  “It’s not fun to tease you if you’re not even gonna blush,” Ebony sighed as their drinks arrived.

  “Have you all decided on what you’d like to eat, or would you like a little more time?” The waiter asked.

  “I believe we’re ready.” Ebony said, picking up her menu. “We’d like the porcini mushroom salad,” she said, tapping her husband’s shoulder and looking towards her daughter.

  “Uh, I think I’d like the dumpling soup please,” Opal said, collecting the menus and handing them to the waiter.

  “I’ll have the grilled vegetable salad,” Mortis said. The waiter nodded, jotting down their orders and headed away towards the kitchen.

  “So, have you two ever had a third join the party?” Ebony smirked, raising a brow at the couple.

  “Oh… Well, no,” Mortis stammered, shaking his head.

  “Oh? But I thought you two liked to keep things exciting, no?” Ebony said, smiling.

  “Well, I think there’s still plenty we can do to keep, uh, ‘it’ exciting without going that far,” Opal said, looking around the restaurant in the hope that none of the other patrons were listening in on their questioning.

  “You mean like doing it in public? I didn’t think you two would be into that,” she smiled.

  “I really don’t think these are appropriate questions under any circumstances,” Mortis said, ignoring the older mares question.

  Ebony leaned over to her husband, covering her mouth. “Neither of them denied it,” she whispered, still loud enough for the pair and anyone nearby to hear. Blizzard sighed, rolling his eyes.

  Mortis sighed, tapping his fingers on the table and looking down at the tablecloth. Opal looked over and smiled, patting his knee.

  “I can see i’m making you uncomfortable. That’s fine, I’ll leave you alone. Besides, it looks like our foods here,” she said, watching the waiter emerge from the kitchen with their plates. He stepped up next to the table and quickly passed out their meals. “Is there anything else I can get you, master tacticians?” He asked, standing up straight.

  “No no, I believe that will be all,” Ebony said, stroking her chin. “Thank you very much.”

  “Of course, ma’am. Just wave me over if you need absolutely anything. we are very proud to be hosting the two of you and your guests,” he said, practically beaming as he stepped away and returned to his other duties.

  “What a nice lad, too bad he wasn’t being honest,” Ebony sighed, beginning on her food.

  “How do you know that? He seemed pretty honest,” Opal asked, following her mother’s lead.

  “Well, it was very simple my dear. As we walked in I noticed the manager rush into the kitchen. It’s more than likely he spoke to our server after he went to get our drinks. It’s even easier to believe because he wasn’t nearly that talkative the first time he was out here, his shirt was untucked, and his tie was off-kilter. On top of that, the couple sitting at the booth behind us ordered their meals before we ordered ours and yet we received our first even though our order was twice the size of theirs. Furthermore, he called us by our proper and lesser known titles of Master Tactician over the more commonly used and less eloquent battle coordinator. Also, nobody who’s being honest would smile that wide for no reason.” She finished, continuing her meal.

  “Did you notice that he had also fixed his mane and changed his coat? The original one he was wearing had only two buttons, barely covered the stain on his shirt, and was well-fitted. That one had three, covered much more of his lower stomach, and didn’t quite fit him around the shoulders.” Mortis said, picking through his salad.

  “I had noticed all of those things except for the stain. How did you see it?” The white-maned mare asked, raising an eyebrow.

  “It was just as he was passing out the menus. When he handed one to blizzard he had to stretch to reach and that’s when I saw. It was on the left inside, there was no way you could have seen it because he straightened out his coat right after,” he explained, popping a bean sprout into his mouth.

  “Interesting,” she said, nodding as she looked up from her meal. “I knew there was a reason I liked you. There aren’t many who could or would bother to take note of any of that, I’m impressed.”

  Mortis nodded, continuing to pick through his meal.

  The group sat quietly for a few minutes as they ate, before blizzard cleared his throat and broke the silence. “Opal, I have a few questions for you.”

  “Alright, shoot,” his daughter said between bites.

  “How long does he last?” He asked, looking towards his daughter. “I know it’s a strange question for me to ask, and I understand if you’d prefer not to answer, but I’m curious if he… Well, makes sure your satisfied.”

  Opal looked from her father to her mother, who was trying her best to suppress a giggle, to her boyfriend before shaking her head. “I have yet to have a serious complaint about my boyfriend, sexual or otherwise. I realize you two worry about me, I get that. But you also have to realize that I’m an adult and I can make my own decisions on who I want to pursue a relationship with at any given time.” Opal said, looking between her parents. “Now, I’d appreciate it if we could stop attempting to make Mortis uncomfortable. Let’s just finish our meals, pay, and head home.” She finished, nodding her head.

  Blizzard looked over at his wife before returning his gaze to his daughter. “Alright sweetie. That’s all,” the tall stallion said, returning to his meal.

  The group remained in silence, albeit an uneasy one, as they finished their meals and

watched as their server returned.

  “Will that be all for you this evening?” He asked, stacking their empty plates.

  “No thank you. I believe that will be all,” Ebony said. “How much will this be?” She asked, smiling as the young stallion straightened.

  “Oh no ma’am, tonight’s meal is on the house. We appreciate your patronage and hope to see you again soon,” he said, smiling and heading back to the kitchen.

  “Well alright then,” Ebony said, reaching into her coat and pulling a few bits out for the tip.

  “I believe you wanted to go home yes?” She asked, standing up. “Let’s get going then,”

  Ebony was quickly joined by her husband as they began out of the bistro. Mortis and Opal sat for a few more seconds before standing up and joining them outside.

  As the group started back towards Opal’s home Ebony turns around and raises an eyebrow. “Sooooo… How’s he taste?”

  “Honey, we’ve already said we wouldn’t ask anymore questions. We’re true to our word and I dread the day they decide to give you a straight answer to your questions,” Blizzard sighs.

  “Oh fine,” she huffs turning around and wrapping her arm around his.

  Opal sighs, pressing against Mortis and grabbing onto his hand. “Sorry, it’s just how she is,” she said apologetically.

  “It’s fine, really it is. I suppose the fact that they’re so curious just shows that they care,” Mortis said, squeezing her hand before raising it to his lips and kissing the back of her palm.

  Opal smiled, leaning up and kissing his cheek. “Come on, let’s catch up. Besides, we still have to finish those movies you brought over.”

  The stallion nodded, leading her behind her parents. “I’m glad half of date night’s still gonna go off without a hitch,” he said.

  The group arrived just as the sun was beginning to set below the horizon and the streetlamps were beginning to come on. Opal quickly unlocked the door, ushering them in before closing and locking it again.

  “Home, sweet, home,” she said, slipping off her sweater and hanging it on the hook beside the door.

  “Dear, I do have one more question to ask you, well, I suppose it’s more of a favor to your dear old mother,” Ebony said, leaning against the couch.

  “I swear, if this is something about Mortis,” she began only to have her mother cut her off.

  “No, no, of course not, I just wanted to ask if your father and I could use your guest room for the night?” Ebony asked.

  “Well, I suppose you two may. I’d feel bad saying no to you guys,” she said, watching mortis take a seat on the couch and quickly moving to join him.

  “Thank you very much. I knew we raised you well,” she said, leaning down and kissing her daughter on the top of the head.

  “Now, if you’ll excuse us, I believe we should be getting ready for bed. Early morning meeting require a great deal of preparation you know,” Ebony said, looking towards her husband and nodding down the hall.

  The pair begin down the hallway before Ebony freezes and turns back. “Besides we wouldn’t want to get in your way, just keep it down a little bit if you can, alright?” The older mare said, winking at them and heading into their room.

  “I’m not gonna lie. If I wasn’t sure your father would try to beat me, I’d be tempted to bang you as hard as I could against that door just to spite her,” mortis sighed, finally relaxing for the first time that evening.

  “You really think that would spite my mother?” Opal asked, kissing his cheek and fishing the remote out from the couch.

  “Sadly no, though I am afraid of what she might do in such a situation,” he smiled, standing and turning off the lights before heading into the kitchen.

  “I don’t know and, as tempting as it is to have you screw my brains out, I don’t really want to find out,” she chuckled, flipping on the television and setting the volume low. “I’ll go ahead and get the movie set up,” she said.

  “I’ll pop open this bottle of wine and grab a few blankets,” Mortis said, opening one of the drawers and retrieving a bottle opener.

  “Just pour the glasses, I’ll grab the blankets,” Opal said, hopping up and heading towards her room.

  Mortis hummed lightly as he retrieved two glasses from the cupboard and filled them with wine. Meanwhile, Opal was stripping her bed of it’s blankets and began carrying them down the hallway towards the living room.

  The two met in the living room and with smiles on their faces took their seats on the couch and began the movie.

  Ebony stretched lightly in the early morning sunlight, watching as her husband slipped on his dress shirt and began buttoning it up. “Y’know, you had a lot of questions you wanted to ask and hardly asked any of them,” she said, clipping the pin that designated her rank to her dress collar.

  “I know, but then we actually showed up and I saw them and I kinda froze up. I didn’t want to make a bad impression or scare him off with an interrogation,” the tall, bearded stallion said, slipping on his coat.

  “Well, we certainly left an impression that’s for sure. Whether it’s good or bad has yet to be seen,” she chuckled, walking to him and helping him button up his coat.

  “That is true. Regardless, he stood up will to your questioning so I guess that’s a start, plus it’s rather obvious that he cares greatly for our daughter,” he said, kissing her cheek.

  “I take it he made a good first impression then, hm?” She asked, returning the kiss.

  “Indeed, better than the last anyways,” he sighed, flattening out his coat and looking around the room. “Ready to head out?”

  “Yup,” she said, quietly opening the door to the room and heading down the hallway, followed by her husband.

  The pair entered the living room and immediately noticed that the television was still on and the title screen of a movie continued repeating. Upon further inspection they found the young couple lying on the couch, sound asleep in each other’s arms.

  “Well, they’re adorable together, I’ll give them that,” Blizzard said, smiling and flipping off the tv.

  “Not as adorable us, but pretty close,” Ebony chuckled, quickly writing out a note and leaving it on the kitchen counter. “Oh Blizzard, be a dear and leave them enough for some pizza. I feel a little bad making them change their plans last night,” she said.

  “Of course, my dear,” blizzard said, quickly counting out twenty-five bits and setting them next to the note before joining his wife by the door.

  Ebony took a deep breath, looking at the two snuggled up on the couch. “I think they suit each other well. I approve of him,” she said.

  “That’s fine, I’m still going to have my reservations for now, but he made a good impression,” Blizzard said, unlocking and opening the door quietly as a blast of cold, early-morning air greeted them.

   “I would expect nothing less from you,” she said, pushing him out the door before casting one last glance around the room and closing the door.

  Birds chirped quietly as the young couple sat quietly for a few minutes before they opened their eyes.

  “Think they’re gone?” Mortis asked, watching the door suspiciously.

  “Yeah, I’m pretty sure,” the spotted beauty said, sighing and leaning back against him. “Well, sounds like you did well enough,” she smiled. “Nice job.”

  “Thank you very much,” he said, sighing and leaning against her with a yawn. “Can we go back to sleep now? It’s like six in the morning,” he said.

  “Of course we can,” she said, rolling over and pressing her forehead to his chest. “Then, we’ll get up and order pizza. Sound like a plan?” She asked, yawning and shutting her eyes.

  “It sounds perfect,” Mortis yawned, pulling her close and closing his eyes.

  “I had a feeling you’d say something like that,” Opal grinned.

  “I always do.”

“Mortis, do think there will be zombies?” Opal asked, squeezing her coltfriends hand lightly as they walked down the sidewalk towards the celebration in the center of town. “Well, we are going to a Nightmare Night celebration. So, it’s likely.” Mortis said, glancing around them at the few others heading towards the festival. “Why? You scared of the ghoulies?” He smirked. “Pft, yeah right. I’m not scared of anything.” Opal said, elbowing his side with a sidelong smile before moving closer to him until he draped his arm over her shoulders. “Riiiiight, I shoulda known. Show no fear, and all that.” Mortis said, moving his unoccupied hand into his sweater pocket. “You sure you’re not gonna get cold? It’s starting to get dark and you didn’t bring a jacket.” He said, worriedly. “Oh, I’m fine. Besides, if I get cold I’ll just have you warm me.” She giggled, leaning up and kissing his cheek. The sound of the festival became louder as they approached the park in the center of Canterlot. “And I will be more than happy to assist you in that endeavor.” Mortis nodded, leading her through the gates and into the carnival.

Nightmare Night only came around once a year and Canterlot, like many of the larger cities in Equestria, held a celebration every night leading up to the holiday. This was one such celebration, with performers in costume, food, drink, music, and general revelry from all in attendance. The city sponsored many different attraction for the festivals, local business selling seasonal treats and traveling performers as well as a small number of haunted houses just to name a few. The couple had come for what was said to be one of the most frightening of these fiendish attractions, a haunted house not for the faint of heart and only open on the evening before Nightmare Night.

As the pair made their way through the crowd and towards the clearing at the center of festival, the haunting sound of violin and piano permeated the air from the night’s musical performance. Mortis’ ears perked as he listened, taking in the sound of the musicians masterful use of rhythm to send a shiver of unease down the spine of anyone listening. “Oh, I very much enjoy this musical choice over last night’s ruckus.” He whispered, thinking back to the bells and whistles of the prior evening. “I had a feeling you would. That’s why I said we should come tonight. Plus, this is the night where the adults get to have their fun. They open up the casks and hold contests to see which brewery has the best pumpkin ale.” Opal smiled, leading her escort through the spaces between other guests. “I also choose the night with the smallest number of children running around.” She giggled, following his gaze to a group of costumed mares. “Hey now stud. Eyes on me.” She pouted, hugging his arm. “Just admiring the craftsmanship, nothing more.” He smirked, kissing her forehead as they headed towards the haunted house and the line waiting outside.

As the sun sank below the horizon every branch and leaf cast strange and unfamiliar shadows over the otherwise familiar park. The groups ahead of them joked and chuckled as the occasional scream from inside the building marked another scare. Costumed actors walked along the line, speaking with customers and scaring any who weren’t paying attention. Opal tapped her hoof anxiously as they slowly moved closer until they were finally standing before the doors. ”Thanks for coming out for us tonight, we hope you enjoy the show.” The door attendant said with a smile as he opened the doors. “Enjoy!”

As the stepped into the building the world was transformed into twilit causeways and cramped corridors. Metallic clicks and crashes could be heard deeper into the maze as well as the occasional scream marking another satisfied guest. The wall ahead of them had a grimy sign nailed to it with a pair of arrows pointing to each side. “Looks like we can go either left or right. I’m sure they both likely lead to the same place, but I’ll let you choose.” Mortis said, walking forward towards the wall. Opal quickly followed, staying just behind him. “L-left. We should go left.” She said shakily. Mortis nodded, grabbing her hand and squeezing as he leads her down the left hallway. Pipes hung overhead, providing eerie clicks and the occasional burst of steam to add to the atmosphere. As they neared the end of the hallway the sound of clicking chains began to approach them from behind, causing the couple to turn and notice the figure slowly shuffling towards them covered in blood-caked chains and locks. Mortis sighed, feeling Opal grip his hand harder and tug lightly away from the figure. He followed, heading around the corner and away from the figure, deeper into the maze of haunted corridors.

“You sure you’re alright?” The stallion asked as they walked through a set of double doors and into a dark hallway lined with paintings on each side. Peeled wallpaper hung freely from the walls and the stained carpeting ran all the way to the opposite end of the hallway and around the corner. “Yes! I-I mean, yeah totally. Not scared at all.” She said, laughing and hopping forward. A faint knocking begins ringing down the hall, drawing their attention towards a few of the paintings along the walls. Opal quickly finds the source of the knocking and leans forward to inspect the painting. Suddenly, the center of the painting pulls away and flashing strobe light illuminated the actor behind the painting as he slammed his hands against the plastic and yelled. Opal yelped, hopping away from the painting and returning to Mortis. “Alright, so I might be a teensy bit frightened.” She said sheepishly, grabbing his hand tightly. “And as such, I’m appointing you as the leader.” She said. “Sure,” He laughed “But as the leader I say we do need to keep moving and not stop. We aren’t the only ones here, y’know.” He said, leading her down the hallway. Two more painting burst open along the way, each one culminating in a brief flash of light and a scream, before they finally reached the end of the hallway and following along the corner.

As they round the corner the floor abruptly transforming into bare concrete, the walls following suit and changing to chain-linked fences secured into the floor and roof with bare light-bulbs hanging from the ceiling. A few of the lights flash on and off, illuminating the pools of crimson liquid seeping under the fences as moans call from ahead. “Oh, I have a bad feeling about this.” Opal said, moving closer to him and squeezing his hand tightly as they continue down the hallway. As they near the center of the room, the overhead bulbs flash off and the sound of many things hitting against the metal fence fills the darkness as the moans grow louder. Suddenly, the bulbs flash back on revealing two groups of actors against each side of the gate, groaning as they pushed against the chain-linking. Each was spattered with a decent helping of gore and viscera, a few were missing arms or had gaping holes in their chests or heads, revealing bone and organ underneath. Their skin was pale, and most had a large chunk of meat missing from their neck, clearly the cause of their transformation into one of the unliving horde. They groaned and gurgled in unison, pushing up against the fences and clawing at the chain-links trying to get through to them. “M-Mortis… I-I’d like to leave now.” Opal said, quickly hiding behind him and pressing her face into his back. “Like, right now.” She said, as they quickly made their way forward, her eyes closed tightly. The actors followed them down the chain-link corridor, until they reached the end of the hallway and push into the next hallway. “I-is it over? Can I open my eyes?” Opal asked, sniffling and peaking out from behind him. “Yeah, we’re through. Do you want to keep going?” He asked, nodding towards an exit door. “Not really, I’m a little rattled now and I kinda just want to go home and have hot chocolate.” She said, holding onto him tightly and jumping at a sound from down the hall. “Alright, come on.” He said, leading her out the door and back outside and back towards her home.

“I’m sorry I made you leave early. I didn’t think the costumes would be so good.” She said, shivering slightly and squeezing his hand. “No no, it’s fine. Haunted houses aren’t really scary once you learn to just always expect something to pop out at you.” Mortis laughed, quickly unzipping his sweater and laying it over her shoulders. “So, zombies don’t do it for ya, huh?” He asked, moving his hand around her shoulder. “Yeah, I really don’t like them. The thought of being eaten alive freaks me out, with all the tearing and shredding. Plus the sounds they make! Ugh, it’s just the worst.” She said, shaking her head as they turned onto the walkway leading to her front door. “I guess that settles it. I’m gonna stay the night, after all I did promise to keep you warm and I wouldn’t want you to have any nightmares tonight.” Mortis grinned, kissing her lightly as she giggled. “How chivalrous of you.” She said, returning the kiss before unlocking the door and leading him inside. “So, bad scary movies and hot chocolate?” She asked, nodding towards the couch. “Sounds like a great night. You pick the movie I’ll grab the drinks.” He said, heading towards the kitchen and beginning to boil some water as Opal begins sifting through their selections. “Uh, The last specter or Mountain-beast?” Opal asked, chuckling and reading the back of the boxes. “These both sound awful. Perfect.” She giggled. “Mountain-beast. You can see some of the film crew the first time they see the monster in the warehouse.” Mortis chuckled, filling two mugs while Opal starts the movie. He brings the drinks over, sitting beside her on the couch as they flip off the lights and settle in. “Hey, Mortis.” She said, leaning against him and sipping from her mug. “Thanks for coming.” The stallion smiled and nodded, kissing her forehead. “I just couldn’t stay away.”