Pipp Petals was a lot of things. A pop star princess, a social media sensation, a stylist with her own salon and a fan of all things horror. She was also the special somepony of a certain shy Unicorn. If someone had told Pipp a few months ago that she’d end up dating Misty Brightdawn, the Pegasus would have been hopeful but doubtful at the same time. The two of them came from such different backgrounds that it seemed almost impossible that they’d be able to make a relationship work, yet somehow Pipp wound up with the mare she could never quite get off her mind as her marefriend. And while Pipp couldn’t be happier, there was something weighing on her mind. Pipp sighed as she refocused on her phone. She had been watching a tutorial on a new mane style that was the newest craze online, but she had stopped paying attention. She paused the video and put her phone away. She could watch the tutorial later.
Pipp was currently alone in the Brighthouse bedroom. Faintly she could hear Misty moving around in the kitchen downstairs. The two of them were the only ones home. Zipp was out doing detective work, Sunny was running her smoothie cart and Izzy had apparently borrowed Misty’s skates for something. Pipp glanced over at the witch hat she wore for Nightmare Night, which was sitting on her nightstand. Pipp enjoyed horror, but her marefriend was someone who had lived through a lot of real life horror. Misty’s time with Opaline had left a mark on her, something Pipp knew better than anyone else. She was the only one Misty talked to about things like the shadow doppelgänger of herself that appeared occasionally to taunt Misty. And dating Pipp meant most movie nights were horror movies. Misty never seemed to mind, but it could have been an act. The Unicorn had a habit of hiding her emotions because she didn’t want to upset others. Pipp was worried that watching horror might be causing Misty to remember the actual horror she had been through. Pipp took her witch hat off the nightstand and examined it. Well, there was only one way to know for sure if Misty was unnerved by horror and that was to ask her.
Downstairs Misty was looking over a cookbook Sunny had lent her. Next Nightmare Night she wanted to be able to help make the snacks rather than just being in the way, so she was practicing by making ghost shaped cookies. Right now she was looking over the recipe one last time to make sure she had done everything right. Satisfied that she had, she levitated the tray of cookies into the oven and closed the door.
“Hey, Misty?” Pipp asked from behind her as Misty was setting a timer for the oven.
“Yes, Pipp?” Misty turned around only for her brain to short circuit at the sight of Pipp wearing her witch costume. The Pegasus had even taken the time to apply the same kind of makeup she had been wearing on Nightmare Night. Misty opened and closed her mouth several times. Pipp always looked cute, but the witch costume amplified her cuteness to the point that Misty was rendered speechless.
Unfortunately Pipp interpreted Misty’s silence as a bad thing and started to panic. She had put the costume on to see how Misty reacted to seeing it again, and this was not the reaction she was hoping for. “Misty? You okay?” She began to gently shake her marefriend.
Misty shook her head and blinked. Her brain finally seemed to reboot. “Huh? Oh, sorry Pipp.” She smiled sheepishly. “What’s up?”
Pipp breathed a sigh of relief before beginning to draw circles on the floor with her hoof, avoiding eye contact with Misty. “How do you feel… about horror?” She finally asked.
“Horror?” Misty tapped her chin in thought. “Well, Frankeinstallion’s Monster scared me the first time I saw it, but other than that horror doesn’t really scare me.” She chuckled. “The shadow of my spell book flying around or the thought of riding on the Zippercoaster have scared me more than any horror movie ever has. Why do you ask?”
Pipp felt a weight being lifted off her shoulders and a smile breaking out across her muzzle. “Oh nothing. It’s silly really. I was just worried that watching horror with me might be bringing back bad memories for you. I didn’t want something I love to be hurting you, or for you to have to put up with it for my sake if it was bothering you.”
“Oh, Pipp.” Misty pulled the Pegasus into a hug and kissed her cheek. “I don’t mind your love of horror. In fact, I love how passionate and excited you get whenever you’re talking about something spooky.”
“So you’re fine with watching horror with me?” Pipp asked.
“Of course.” Misty answered, before once again looking at Pipp’s costume. Now if you don’t mind me asking, what’s with the witch costume? Don’t get me wrong I’m not complaining about you wearing it again, but it seems kind of random.”
“I put it on to see how you’d react to me wearing it, since wicked witches are a trope in horror.” Pipp explained. “You weren’t scared at all, but you did zone out for a second upon seeing me. What was that about?”
“Oh, that?” Misty gave a nervous chuckle and rubbed her cheek with her hoof. “You really rock the witch look, you know that?”
“Oh, oh.” Pipp giggled softly at her marefriend’s nervousness. Then an idea occurred to her. “Hey, want to watch a horror movie right now while the others are gone?”
Misty smiled. “I’ll get the ponycorn.”
Pipp set down her box full of horror movies and began looking through it. “So what should we watch? Nightmare on Mane Street? Frankeinstallion’s Monster?”
“How about the Invisible Stallion?” Misty suggested as she took a bowl of ponycorn out of the microwave.
“Oh, great idea.” Pipp reached into the box and pulled out both versions of the movie. “Which one? Modern or classic?”
“I’ve never seen either, so how about we start with the classic?”
“Classic it is, then.”
Later the two were snuggled up together on the couch watching the movie. They had eaten their way through half the bowl of ponycorn and were now helping themselves to Misty’s ghost cookies.
“So what do you think of them?” Misty asked.
Pipp swallowed before answering. “Not quite as good as Sunny’s, but still pretty good. And you still have time to improve before Nightmare Night.”
Just then the two heard the sound of ponies on skates approaching from outside, accompanied by Sunny and Izzy’s laughter. This was followed by the sound of wings flapping and Zipp’s voice saying “Looks like you two are having fun.”
“Sounds like the others are back.” Misty said.
Sure enough a moment later the Brighthouse doors opened and their three roommates entered.
“Hey, Pipp. Hey, Misty.” Sunny greeted.
“And… they’re watching a horror movie again.” Izzy realised. “I’m just gonna…” she pointed to the ramp leading upstairs before galloping up it. Sunny followed her up. Zipp rolled her eyes before flying up after them.
“I guess you and I have sort of made a habit of watching horror movies together.” Pipp said as she helped herself to another cookie.
“I guess we have,” Misty agreed as she nuzzled against Pipp. “But I wouldn’t have it any other way.”
Author's Note
The movie Pipp and Misty are watching at the end is the pony equivalent of The Invisible Man from 1933, based on the 1897 novel of the same name.
