Chapter 2: Nightmare Night

Angel delicately poured the concoction into a small empty perfume bottle, the slowly bubbling pink fluid emitting an occasional puff of acrid pink smoke.  Fluttershy either didn’t notice, or she chose not to comment on what was happening.  When the bottle was full to the brim, Angel carefully screwed the spray nozzle in place, the small bulb dangling limply from its attachment point.  When Angel put the small bottle down, Fluttershy rubbed her nose on Angel’s cheek once more, letting out a happy noise.

The swill had only been taken off the burner an hour ago, long enough for it to cool, but it’d been stewing non stop since Fluttershy had started it yesterday.  All of the animals in close proximity to her cottage had grown used to the smell of the perfume, but for those that came to the cottage only intermittently the odor sent them into a minor frenzy.  Even Fluttershy wasn’t immune to the effects, but she had been asleep when the worst of it hit her.  All she knew about the potion was that she liked the smell.

Her entire day had been spent around the cottage, making sure that all her animal friends were taken care of, and would be able to spend the night without the butter yellow pegasus around to take care of them while she celebrated Nightmare Night in town.  With the time rapidly approaching for her to head into town to get her costume, Fluttershy had experienced some minor jitters.  After bottling the perfume, though, it had passed.

“Alright, Angel, I’ll be back much later, so I’m trusting you to be a good bunny.  If anything goes wrong, come and get me.”  Angel merely rolled his eyes, knowing all too well that if something went wrong Fluttershy’s first instinct would be to hide, rather than confront it.  “And if you can’t find me, try one of the others.”  Now that was an instruction that Angel could get behind.  While her friends were far less understanding of Angel’s plight in life, they were far more useful in high stress situations.

Just a few minutes later, and the pegasus was trotting out the door, her small bottle of perfume clutched under one wing.  As the door closed behind the pegasus, Angel finally allowed his shoulders to slump.  With a small sigh, the rabbit hopped into the kitchen, grabbing a carrot.  A mouse, one of Fluttershy’s other woodland friends, approached the contemplative rabbit.

“Does... Does she even realize what that perfume does?”

The rabbit looked to the mouse for a moment, before looking back at the door, slowly shaking his head.  “No.  No, I don’t think she does.”

“Three hours?”

“Two.  Three if she’s having a good time.”

“Does she have enough supplies to last through her ‘embarrassment period’?”

“I hope so.”

Fluttershy slowly walked down the road that led from her house to Ponyville.  She knew exactly how long it would take, and she also knew exactly how long it would take her to get to the Boutique from when she made it to Ponyville.  She’d arrive just on time, and that was what she was aiming for.  As much as she loved to spend time with her friends she sometimes felt a bit overwhelmed by the things that went on in town.

Her closest friends were usually pretty understanding of her shyness, so it wasn’t a problem around them.  It was the rest of the townsponies that were the problem.

Even though the actual celebration wouldn’t be starting for another couple of hours the town was already starting up some of the activities, including the customary gathering of candy.  At this early hour, though, it was only the youngest of foals that came out.  Their adorable costumes brought a smile to the timid pegasus’ features.  She even stopped a few times to share a few words with the parents of some of the foals.  Never lengthy conversations, but it was still something.

About halfway to her destination, Fluttershy spotted Pinkie setting up a table of sweets in front of Sugarcube Corner.  As Fluttershy grew nearer to the table she couldn’t help but hope that Pinkie wouldn’t notice her.  Not that she minded the company of Pinkie, but she didn’t really have time if she wanted to arrive on time.  Luckily for the pegasus, Pinkie just offered a wave to the feathered pony, a small group of foals garnering the majority of the pink pony’s attention.

The remainder of the trip was largely uneventful, and it was with no small sense of satisfaction that the pegasus entered the Boutique right on time.  The gentle chime of the bell above the door signaled Fluttershy’s arrival to the unicorn proprietor.

“I’ll be with you in just a moment.  I’m finishing up a small alteration.  Please, make yourself comfortable.”  Acquiescing, Fluttershy sat herself down on one of the seats that dotted the small shop.  Several minutes passed in relative silence before Rarity emerged from the back of her shop.  “Oh, Fluttershy, you should’ve said something!  I would’ve taken you into the back, since it was your costume that I was working on.”

“Oh, that’s okay, Rarity.  I don’t mind waiting.  Besides, I wouldn’t want to impose on your creative space.”

“You would never...  But, what’s done is done.  Come, now, Fluttershy, and I will show you my masterpiece of Nightmare Night craftsmareship!”  Fluttershy did as was asked of her, and soon she was looking at the same costume as yesterday, seemingly unchanged.

“Oh, Rarity, it looks wonderful!”

“Try it on, dear.  The costume you tried yesterday pales in comparison to this one.  While the fabric is the same, the magic within has been... altered, slightly.  I do think that you’ll much appreciate the extra bit of effort I put in.”

“Okay.  Just...  One moment.”  With a gentle ruffling of her wings, Fluttershy extracted the small bottle of perfume, placing it on one of the counters around the room.

“Fluttershy!  You brought some perfume?  Who’s the lucky stallion you’re trying to impress?”

A deep crimson blush flushed to the pegasus’ cheeks, and she dropped her gaze to the floor.  “No, it’s not like that.  It’s to make the costume more realistic.  That scent is going to work with what I’ve decided to go as this year.”

Rarity’s gaze switched rapidly from scandalous interest to one of abject disgust.  “You made a perfume that smells like skunks?”  Her eyes widened for a moment, as she suddenly looked all around her shop.  “And you brought it in here?  Do you have any idea how long it’ll take to clear out the smell?”

In a rare moment of total peace, Fluttershy let out a single clear laugh.  “Oh, I would never.  It only smells a bit like skunks, and it doesn’t even last that long.  I’ve had it brewing since yesterday, and after just a short while I couldn’t even smell it anymore.  I think that my animal friends are a bit more sensitive to it, but, well, they’re all in the forest, so I don’t think it’ll be a problem.”

Still eyeing the bottle suspiciously, Rarity approached it.  “Are you sure that it doesn’t last long?”

“Yes.”  The unicorn reached for the bottle, looking at the contents suspiciously before using her magic to manipulate the pump bulb.  “Oh, please don’t use any!  I want it to be a surprise for tonight.  It’ll add that last bit to the already wonderful costume you’ve made.”  With a small sigh, the unicorn looked between the bottle, and the pegasus a few times before she put the bottle down.  “Thank you.”

A few minutes later, and Fluttershy had the costume on, but not zipped up just yet.  It fit much better than it had yesterday, and she could already tell that Rarity had outdone herself on this piece.  It fit like a second skin, the fabric hugging her body perfectly.  With her magic, Rarity could easily pull the zipper all the way up, but she stopped just before finishing.  “I think that now would be a good time to let you know the last of the enchantments that I used on your costume.  In addition to hiding your wings, which I told you about yesterday, this costume will also become a temporary second skin for you.”

“A...  A second skin?”

“Yes, dear.  Using some fairly simple spells that I wove into the fabric the cloth will hug so tightly to your body that it will be, for lack of better terminology, your new coat of fur.”  The look of fear that flitted across Fluttershy’s face was enough to garner a hasty elaboration from the unicorn.  “Don’t worry, though, your regular coat will be unharmed beneath, and it’s an entirely temporary spell.  In order to make it last, though, I had to imbue it with quite a bit of magic.  Since I don’t expect you’ll want me to have to constantly recharge it, it has a limited lifespan of five hours.  After those five hours the costume will simply fall off your body.”

“Are you sure?  What if it won’t come off?”

“Darling, even Twilight couldn’t find a flaw with the magic that I worked into the fabric.  And while I’m not quite as powerful as she is, I am not to be doubted when it comes to fashion, and fashion accessories.”

Bowing her head for just a moment, the pegasus looked at the floor.  “Sorry for doubting you, Rarity.  I just wanted to make sure that I wouldn’t get stuck in the costume, or something.”

“Well...”  The unicorn’s gaze shifted away from the pegasus for a moment.  “Technically only a unicorn can take the costume off of you.  The magic that binds it to your coat prevents the costume from being simply removed.  But don’t worry, it’s a simple dispelling spell.  Any unicorn can cast it.  If you really need to take it off, for whatever reason, simply ask any unicorn to cast a dispelling spell.”

Fluttershy looked up at Rarity with a bit of fear in her wide eyes.  “I...  I can’t take it off?”

“N...  No.  But, like I said, any unicorn would be able to cast the spell that would allow you to take it off.”  Rarity walked a quick lap around Fluttershy, admiring her craftsponyship.  “It’s probably one of the easiest spells I know.”  She finished her lap standing in front of the pegasus.  “Don’t worry so much, darling.  It’s just for one night.  And I promise that I’ll make it up to you if you don’t have fun.”

Fluttershy’s hoof drew small circles on the floor as she looked up at Rarity.  “You’re sure I won’t get stuck?”  Rarity nodded.  “And it will only last for the night?”  Another nod came from Rarity.  “Then I’ll do it.”