“Scootaloo, your costume is amazing!” Sweetie Belle exclaimed, admiring her pith helmet and khaki shirt with wide eyes.
“Thanks Sweetie, It was Rainbow’s idea. She helped me get a shirt that would fit me and let me borrow her hat.” Scootaloo gleefully replied, a huge grin and a slight blush appearing on her face. “But I think I might need your help with the cutie mark though,” she nervously chuckled, motioning to a crudely drawn circle surrounded by messy drops of body paint plastered across her flank.
“Yeah, I think you might have a point there,” Sweetie laughed. “I’ll help you out once I’ve got my costume on,” she continued, swinging a dark, stylish cloak around her body.
“Hey, how come nopony’s complimented me on my costume yet!” Apple Bloom shouted in mock anger, leaping out of a shadowed corner of the treehouse in a werewolf costume and striking a pose as she howled into the air. The three giggled simultaneously, and set to work finishing their costumes.
“Man, tonight is going to be awesome!” Scootaloo said in a muffled voice, one corner of Sweetie’s cloak in her teeth. “Diamond’s house is so awesome, it’s a real shame she hasn’t put it to use like this before."
“Yeah I can’t wait!” Sweetie giggled, levitating her expertly made witch’s hat onto her head, making minute adjustments. “Plus I hear Rumble will be there!” she added, a devious little smile making its way onto her face. Scootaloo almost choked on Sweetie Belle’s cloak, spitting it out as her cheeks burned.
“What’s that supposed to mean!” she cried, her whole face turning a deep red.
“Come on Scoots, the two of us can see it from a mile away.” Apple Bloom laughed as she adjusted her makeup in the mirror, before noticing Scootaloo's discomfort. “B-But don’t worry, we’re the only ones that know!” she added, breathing a sigh of relief as she watched Scootaloo slowly calm down.
“Yeah we won’t tell anyone!” Sweetie cooed, finally happy with her look in the mirror. Scootaloo’s breathing finally returned to normal, but her face remained pink.
“Thanks girls, you’re the best. Now how’s about helping me finish my cutie mark and then hitting the road?” The two fillies nodded and each grabbed a brush and palette of body paint. Sweetie’s horn lit as she grabbed a few pillows and laid them out on the floor, motioning for Scootaloo to lay down.
“Just sit down and stay still, we’ll have your marks finished in no time!” she exclaimed, her voice gushing with enthusiasm. Scootaloo hesitantly lay face down on the pillows, waiting for the first excruciatingly icy touch of the cold liquid. Sweetie’s brush landed gently upon Scootaloo’s already pre-blanked flank, eliciting a gasp from the filly, and then stifled laughter as she squirmed under the brush, wings twitching.
“I thought I said to sit still!” Sweetie said in an irritated tone, lifting her brush back off Scootaloo.
“I can’t help it! You know how ticklish I am!” Scootaloo giggled, wiping a tear from her eye as she looked up at a very unimpressed Sweetie Belle.
“You’re right, we do know how ticklish you are…” Apple Bloom said deviously, slipping on her furry paw gloves. She them and down Scootaloo’s body, who was frantically trying but failing to swat away her attacks. The combined laughter of the three erupted out of the clubhouse walls ringing throughout Ponyville as the sun began to set and Nightmare Night began.
“That was fun,” Scootaloo laughed, wiping a tear from her eye as they finally set out from the clubhouse. They passed the rest of the Apple family adding the finishing touches to their corn maze.
“Y’all be careful now,” shouted Applejack to the crusaders, as she waved farewell in a skeleton costume, "And have a nice night, ya hear!" The three made their way past the spider-web coated barn, and just as they began to make their way into Ponyville a familiar rainbow streak flew overhead before landing infront of them
“Hey girls!” Rainbow said happily, dressed in a dark blue body suit with a blue belly and hooves, and a hand on the end of her tail.
“Wow, your Ahuizotl costume is really good!” Apple Bloom blurted out, gazing as Rainbow struck a pose in front of her.
“Thanks," Rainbow chuckled"I had a bit of help from Rarity on this one,” The three crusaders gave her a sceptical look. “Ok, a lot of help!” she laughed. “Mind if I borrow Scoot for a sec?” Apple Bloom and Sweetie Belle looked at each other and shrugged their shoulders.
“Fine by us,” Sweetie said.
“Great, thanks,” Rainbow said as she picked up Scootaloo and dragged her out of earshot. Once she was sure they were far enough away, Rainbow gently placed Scootaloo on the ground and landed next to her. “I gotta say squirt, you make a great Daring Do.” Rainbow said ,, taking Scootaloo’s hat off and tousling her mane.
“Thanks Rainbow, you look great too,” Scootaloo replied, blushing a tad at the complement.
“Just wanted to tell you to have a good night, and remember to be safe.” Rainbow said softly, bringing Scootaloo into a warm hug with both wings. “And remember, you only have a few chances to chase that colt you like, so make tonight count!”
“Rainbow!” Scootaloo exclaimed, mortified as a heat welled up within her face.
“Oh my bad squirt, is it a filly?” Rainbow amended, chuckling nervously.
“RAINBOW!”
“I’m just joking Scoots,” she chuckled, releasing Scootaloo from the hug. “Have a great Nightmare Night kid,” she said with a warm smile, tousling Scootaloo’s mane one last time before replacing her hat. She picked Scootaloo up, carrying Scootaloo back to her friends. “Bye girls, try not to get eaten!” Rainbow said with a diabolical cackle as she shot off into the night sky. Scootaloo sighed, watching her sister's trail slowly fade.
“Man, I have the best sister ever,” she said to herself, as the three resumed their journey to the party.
The sounds of party gradually became louder as the crusaders passed the gravestones and skeletons around the front door of Diamond Tiara’s house. They exchanged glances and Scootaloo took a deep breath, before knocking on the door. A few moments later, the door opened to reveal a happy looking Diamond Tiara dressed in a simple cat costume.
“Wow, so glad you girls could come, your costumes are amazing!" she gestured warmly, shutting the door behind the crusaders as they entered the house and letting them take in the atmosphere. "Come on in.”Her family had really outdone themselves; there were spider webs, jack o lanterns and skeletons in every corner of the building, along with a subtle layer of ethereal mist permeating the air, no doubt a spell that must have taken ages to practice.
Everypony else seemed to have already arrived. Not wanting to miss out, the three fillies headed into the next room.
After an hour or so of mingling and talking to the other foals, Scootaloo decided that she needed a bit of air. She moved towards the outside deck. As soon as she set hoof on the wet and slippery wood, however, she found herself slipping backwards and landing very painfully on her flank.
“Gah,” she groaned, her head reeling as she used a spare hoof to massage her now throbbing rear. “Good thing no one saw that…”
“Ouch, that looked painful… need a hoof?” came a smooth, familiar male voice from above. Scootaloo gasped and looked up, seeing a colt with a salt and pepper mane, drawn on stubble, a shirt and a golden skull cutie mark. It didn’t take long for Scootaloo to figure out that it was Rumble in a Caballeron costume, and once she did her cheeks burned red. Her pupils became pinpricks and she quickly tried to scramble to her hooves before noticing Rumble’s outstretched hoof and earnest expression. She grabbed his hoof and let him pull her upright, before looking away with a blush.
“Thanks, I really like your costume,” she said awkwardly, brushing a hair out of her face as she looked in every direction but ahead.
“Cheers," he replied, a good natured smile on his face. "It was my brothers idea. I love yours too, the hat looks really good!” Scootaloo blushed, her eyes still struggling to find his. “Looks like we’re a bit of a matching set though, wanna hang out?” he asked, looking at Scootaloo with big, hopeful eyes. Scootaloo almost blurtedout but managed to recompose herself.
“Yeah sure, that sounds good,” she said coolly, following him back inside and hoof-pumping the air once he wasn#t looking
“So, can I get you a drink?” he said through a ladle between his teeth, clumsily pouring a cup of punch.
“Yeah, I’d love one right about now,” she said casually, gripping the plastic cup between her teeth and drinking the beverage in one swift gulp before letting out a big belch. He looked at her inquisitively, and then chuckled. She began to break into a cold sweat. What could that mean? she worried nervously, but all her fears were washed away when Rumble put a comforting hoof on her back.
“Dude, you are one awesome pony,” he said with a laugh, giving her a hoof bump as they moved into another
room.
Another hour passed, with Rumble and Scootaloo mingling with other guests but staying tightly together. At this point the party began to wind down, with Diamond Tiara’s mother coming down the stairs to take pictures of the party. She moved in front of the two, holding a camera with her mouth.
“Smile!” she said with a muffled voice. Scootaloo tried her best, but she could only form a distorted, fake grin that wouldn’t fool anypony. Suddenly however Rumble put his leg over her back, and she let all of her tensions melt away leaving her with a sincere and content looking smile. Many more photos were taken that night before the party ended, and in every single one Rumble had his foreleg around Scootaloo.
As the party reached its end, Scootaloo and Rumble walked out the front door holding hooves.
“Thanks for picking me up earlier, I had an amazing night”, she said, red-faced, finally having
the courage to look Rumble in the eyes.
“Cheers Scoot, I think that was the best night of my life”, he said contentedly, a warm smile gracing his lips as their hooves parted. Scootaloo lurched forward and planted a quick kiss on his cheek before turning away, leaving both of their faces burning a deep red.
“Happy Nightmare Night!” Scootaloo turned back to say, before breaking into a run back home.
High above, two pegasi watched intently, one with a rainbow mane and one with a silver mane, mouths agape.
"Yes" shouted Rainbow, before quickly hiding back behind the cloud. "Great job squirt!" she said quietly as she jumped into the air to perform a quick flip, giving Thunderlane a quick hoof bump as he took off and they flew off into the night.
