Trash of the Royal Castle

Raven Inkwell woke with a smile.

A full week has passed since the second Nightmare Moon incident, recently titled as the Nightmare Invasion for easier archiving purposes, and no major problems have occurred.

It was great.

But what really made Raven smile on this fine morning is none other than the wonderful holiday of Nightmare Night, where ponies all around Equestria dress up in costumes and collect candy.

Some ponies might say that she was too old for such childish holidays, but Raven knew better than them.

Nightmare Night is the best holiday for one simple purpose!

"A Paid vacation..." She sighed as she looked at her basic costume, consisting of red devil horns, a tail, and a cape.

Yes, it might be basic, but it was also very cheap.

For all intents and purposes, Raven Inkwell was ready to have some harmless, childish, fun.

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"You will be coming with us to Ponyville in order to celebrate this Nightmare Night," I blinked and turned my head to see Princess Luna looking over my shoulder as I wrote down orders and lists for the upcoming negotiations with Caninia.

My oh-so-eloquent response to having the Alicorn Princess of the Moon tell me that I will be accompanying her to Ponyville was so profound and magnanimous that I can easily assure you that- "What?"

"Nightmare Night," Luna said the words with a smile on her face as she walked away from me and looked wistfully out the window, "Such an interesting Idea for a Holiday, Celestia explained the basics of it when we asked and we couldn't help but simply fall in love with the idea,"

"Okay... Look, Luna I-" I tried to interrupt her talk in order to explain to her that I'm too busy for that.

"Just imagine it, Ponies from all walks of life, wearing costumes and enjoying the night," She said with a smile as she looked at the moon slowly rising in the sky, "This is simply the perfect Holiday,"

"That sounds great," I smiled at her, "But I don't have the time to accompany you, I'm very busy getting the Caninia trip ready," I told her, and she simply nodded her head in understanding.

"You see dear Blueblood, This is why you should join us! Take a break," She smiled widely at me.

"I can't,"

"You can and you will," She said, her face getting closer to my own.

"Okay, Well. I can't leave the castle without Starlight, And she's all the way in Sire's Hollow visiting her parents," I told her, fully intent on not going back to Ponyville.

Every time I leave the castle, something happens.

Art Museum? I got into a fight.

Searching for a Missing Mare? Got stuck in the Yakyakistani Tundra.

Buying a suit of the GGG? Another fight.

Getting my Nautical Science degree? Chocolate Rain floods the city.

Recently I got kidnapped in my sleep for crying out loud! If I'm forced to leave the castle again something horrible might happen!

"That is fine," Luna said with that same smile on her face, "We will be taking some guards with us anyway," Ah yes... The Guards. The Guards who have repeatedly failed at their job, those guards.

"Actually, I promised Raven that I will help her with some paperwork! How could I forget!" I gave myself a slap on the head, "Oh how silly of me! Anyway, Hope you have fun!" And with that, I stood up and quickly walked away from the Princess of the Night.

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"Miss Inkwell, Please open the door," Raven Inkwell perked up as she heard someone on the other side of her door.

"Just a minute," She called out to whoever was on the other side as she put the finishing touches of her costume on and adjusted her Glasses before opening her door to see what the pony wanted.

"May I come in?" Raven froze when instead of a Guard or Servant, she was face to face with Prince Blueblood Platinum.

"Oh, yes of course, please make yourself at home," She quickly said and moved to make room for him to enter her room.

"Sorry for the intrusion," The Prince said as he entered her room, "But I needed someplace to get away from Luna for the night, and you were my last resort," He told her, and as the prince looked her in the eyes Raven could feel her heart flutter.

She didn't know when she started feeling these feelings for the prince, But she was sure she noticed them after the Gala when the two of them drank that delicious hot chocolate.

"Oh, Is that so?" She asked him before mentally cringing at how she was acting.

She was almost thirty years old dammit! She didn't need to act like a love-struck teenager!

Just act your age and ask him your question.

"And so I was hoping I could spend the evening with you, in order to keep away from Luna," He told her, and whatever question Raven was going to ask simply packed its bags and grabbed a boat to a tropical island because it just left her mind.

"Oh, Sure!" Dammit Raven! Not so obvious! "I mean, I was going to leave the castle in order to celebrate Nightmare Night, but if you will be accompanying me I can change my plans," YES!!! Just like that!

"No need to change your plans," He told her with a smile, "As long as I can stay away from whatever trouble Luna was inadvertently going to cause me, I would be happy to accompany you," Raven held back a girlish scream of excitement.

"Oh, Okay... Do you have a costume prepared?" Raven asked him, and he simply smiled at her.

"Raven," He said as he looked her in the eyes, "I am always prepared," And with a glow to his horn, an illusion was cast on him, covering him in a grey coat with a tan vest beneath it, above a yellow shirt.

Grey pants covered his back legs as a belt held them up. A small clock-looking device appeared over his left breast and he ended the illusion by styling his hair differently and covering his face with a mask that looked identical to his face.

"Illusion magic is pretty handy, isn't it?" The now costumed Prince asked her with a smirk, His tall stature towered over the short secretary, If Raven was being honest with herself, this moment reminded her of a dream she once had.

Only in that dream, neither of them were wearing Nightmare Night costumes.

In fact, She's sure that in that dream neither of them were wearing anything at all.

"Hehe, He, AHEM!" Raven coughed to hide the blush that grew on her face, "So, will we be off then?" she asked the prince, unable to look him in the eyes.

"Sure," He said, his mask smiling for him, "Where to?"

"Ponyville," She said, missing the Prince freezing as the name of the town escaped her lips.

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I'm going back to Ponyville?

...

FU-