Happy Haunts
- Story by Ted Anderson, Art by Andy Price
"Twilight's new students experience Nightmare Night in Ponyville for the first time! Big scares are in store, but things start to get downright dangerous when they wander into a very haunted Castle of the Two Sisters!"
"An annual tradition goes delightfully awry"
Tropes:
- The Cameo:
- In the splash page, Princess Celestia, Princess Luna, Princess Cadance, Starlight Glimmer, Sunset Shimmer, and Trixie all make appearances.
- A bust of Queen Chrysalis is among the decorations at the Castle of the Two Sisters.
- Call-Back: Silverstream mentions the last time the Young Six were at the Castle of the Two Sisters.
- Continuity Nod: Ocellus transforms into the "T. rex Fluttershy".
- Cute Little Fangs: For some reason, Ocellus is drawn as having fangs in this issue.
- Halloween Episode: Well "Nightmare Nights" episode, but by now it's pretty much a given this is Equestria's version of Halloween. Oddly this is the first and only time in the comics the holiday is celebrated.
- Monster Mash: Not exactly, but the costumes the Mane cast wear for Nightmare Night is reminiscent of this trope.
- Twilight Sparkle is Quasimodo.
- Pinkie Pie is a fish pony.
- Fluttershy is a werewolf.
- Rainbow Dash and Applejack are Frankenstein's Monster and Bride respectively.
- Rarity is the Phantom of the Opera.
- Spike is a mummy.
- Poor Communication Kills: Twilight left a note for Pinkie Pie, instructing her to decorate the castle for the students. Unfortunately, the rest of the Mane Six found the note, each one assuming the instructions were for them, leading to the castle being filled with mis-matched items.
- Remembered I Could Fly: Smolder is afraid of the castle burning down until Yona reminds her that she is immune to fire.
- Rummage Sale Reject: Silverstream, being unable to decide which costume to wear, chooses to wear all of them at once.
- Security Cling:
- Smolder clings onto Yona when the decorations catch fire.
- Harry jumps onto Fluttershy's forelegs after he and the others run out of the castle.
- Shout-Out:
- There are several in this issue, mostly involving the Nightmare Night costumes.
- Big Mac is dressed as Calvin, with a stuffed tiger for Hobbes.
- The Cutie Mark Crusaders are dressed as The Three Stooges.
- Bon Bon is dressed as Uhura, while Lyra is dressed as Princess Leia.
- Owlowiscious wears a Batman cowl.
- One of the ponies is dressed as Captain America.
- Another one of the ponies is dressed as Jack Skellington.
- There are six ponies wearing the same costumes as the kids in It's the Great Pumpkin, Charlie Brown.
- When Ocellus turns into a Tyrannosaurus, she makes the same pose Rexy does at the end of Jurassic Park complete with falling banner.
- There are several in this issue, mostly involving the Nightmare Night costumes.
- Use Your Head: Yona and Sandbar headbutt their way through a stuck door.
- Verbal Backspace: After the Young Six escape the castle, running right into the Mane Six, Twilight assumes they must have been scared. Gallus claims that they weren't, but admits otherwise after the others glare at him.
