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// Metal beyond words 
// Story: Costumes 
// by Talon and Thorn 
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“I just want to forget that tonight ever happened,” grumbled Trixie as she stomped back into the residence. Her neck was bandaged and a large cardboard cone had been affixed around her head. According to Nurse Redheart it was too stop her scratching at her wound. Trixie was certain the nurse had some sort of vendetta against her. It wasn’t her fault she’d accidentally halved her clinics budget, all the forms looked far too similar, and anyway she’d fixed it in less than a week.
 
“I can agree on that,” said Twilight, the purple unicorn was covered in sticking plasters almost from head to hoof, her coat had had to be shaved to allow them to be affixed over her many scratches and she was looking very sorry for herself as well as a little cold.
 
The two of them had spent the last several hours in the Ponyville hospital and it was rapidly approaching midnight. The magical disaster which had resulted in the place being overwhelmed by the number of minor injuries caused by a proportion of the population living out their fantasies. Luckily there didn’t seem to have been any serious injuries.
 
To Trixie’s amusement Prince Blueblood had been among the injured having apparently been attacked by his enchanted marefriend. The medical reports she’d sneaked a peek at said he had suffered a minor head trauma and severe chafing. Trixie wasn’t entirely sure what had occurred but it sounded unpleasant.
 
“Well I had fun,” noted Pokey, the only uninjured member of the trio, “It’s not every day I get to see what it’s like to be another species. I’d leap at the chance to do it again.”
 
Trixie was about to reply to her assistant when she noticed the office was filled with her friends.
 
Raindrops was standing in the centre of the room dressed in an slightly torn pink dress, her brother and Snips were standing behind her wearing gaudy superhero costumes. Both looked exhausted and the shorter colt’s eyes had a dreamy sheen to them as he gazed upon the yellow pegasus.
 
Cheerilee was wearing a purple leather cat suit and leaning against a stallion in a Batstallion costume. An orange filly in a matching Robin costume was asleep on the stallions back.
 
Carrot Top was wearing a green body stocking and sitting at Pokey’s desk. Ditzy was wearing a bowler hat and leaning against the desk, while Dinky, wearing a deerstalker, led in her back making gentle snoring sounds.
 
Lyra and Bon Bon were standing at the opposite ends of Trixie’s desk, the aqua unicorn wore an old fashioned suit while her cream marefriend wore an equally antiquated dress. Propped up in Trixie’s seat was a bound and gagged unicorn stallion.
 
Trixie opened her mouth to speak but couldn’t decide where to start so she shut it again.
 
“Trixie, what happened to you?” gasped Ditzy staring at the magician’s bandaged neck and strange head covering.
 
“She got bit,” noted Pokey.
 
“Bitten?” asked Carrot Top, “By what?” she began to poke at the blue mare’s neck causing her to flinch.
 
“Vampirus Rarityus.”
 
“What?”
 
“Rarity was using Zebra magic to enhance her costumes, it backfired on her and turned her into a vampony. She bit and hypnotised Trixie but Mr Pearce managed to remove the spell turning everypony back to normal,” summarized Twilight.
 
“I wish mistress would bite me again,” mumbled Trixie looking spacy, “It felt nice,” she let the last word out as a long sigh. Then she shook her head and fire returned to her eyes, “Arghhhh! When is that going to wear off?!” she cried.
 
“Rarity did always like to play dress up, and to bite,” noted Cheerilee, Heavy Roller’s eyes grew large, “We used to date, if you’re lucky I’ll tell you all about it,” she continued wiggling her eyebrows.
 
“Wait a minute!” exclaimed Raindrops, “Rarity did all this? I thought one of Trixie’s spells had gone wrong.”
 
Trixie harrumphed, “The great and powerful Trixie’s spells never go wrong,” Lyra and Bon Bon glared at her, “Well hardly ever.”
 
“So where is Rarity now?”
 
“She’s back at the boutique deciding on the best outfit to wear while she throws herself on the mercy of the guard.”
 
“You just left her alone? What if she runs?”
 
Trixie and Twilight looked at each other, “I’m sure mistr... I mean Rarity wouldn’t do that,” mumbled Trixie.
 
“Neither of us were at our best,” noted Twilight, “We were both injured. I was attacked by a beast from Tartarus itself.”
 
“Rarity’s cat.”
 
“Beast from Tartarus itself! Eye’s big as dinner plates and claws, claws everywhere!” Twilight started to rock back and forwards gently, clutching her tail for comfort.
 
“Ok, so we messed up, I’m sure you all got through this much better than we did,” growled Trixie.
 
“Um,” said Lyra holding up a hoof, “I think I robbed a bank. But don’t worry we left all the bits safely in our... low... class... motel...” her voice trailed off and Bon Bon face hoofed, “You don’t think that will be a problem do you?” she continued brightly.
 
Trixie just glared.
 
“I definitely robbed Sparkler’s store,” noted Cheerilee cheerfully. Ditzy stared at her. “Don’t worry I’ll put it all back, and give her a few suggestions on how to improve her security.”
 
“We beat up a bunch of stallions, it was awesome,” noted Snips not breaking eye contact from Raindrops.
 
“And Digger,” noted Snails, “But he deserved it!” Raindrops, Carrot Top and Cheerilee all nodded in agreement.
 
“I sort of kissed Snips,” said Raindrops sheepishly. Cheerilee did a double take and reluctantly moved away from Heavy Roller to position herself closer to the colt and the weather pegasus.
 
“It was amazing,” noted the love struck colt.
 
Trixie tried to facehoof but was stopped by the cardboard tube covering her head, she batted at it angrily but only managed to cause it to knock painfully against her horn, “Ok, so you didn’t do better than me. Now, and this shows just how messed up things are given that this is the least important thing to have happened. But who is that?” she pointed at the bound stallion propped up in her chair. He struggled at his bonds for a moment before unbalancing and falling to the floor, no pony helped him up.
 
“That’s Penny Pincher, he was embezzling from the bank,” noted Ditzy, “Dinky figured it all out,” she bent around to nuzzle her dozing daughter.
 
“It was fun, just like the stories in my books,” mumbled Dinky raising her sleepy head, her mane ruffled.
 
“I got to fly,” commented an equally drowsy Scootaloo before snuggling deeper into her father’s mane.
 
“I suppose it was sort of fun,” said Heavy Roller, “Getting to play a hero.”
 
“I got to rob a bank!” noted Lyra with more enthusiasm. “It’s not like it’s something I’ll get to do again.”
 
“You never forget your first bank job,” said Cheerilee dreamily. The rest of the party turned towards her, “Or so I imagine,” she added blushing slightly.
 
“I got turned into a stallion, and me and Bon Bon...” her voice trailed off as she remembered there were foals present, “Well it was different, you know.”
 
“I suppose it was sort of romantic,” said Bon Bon muzzling her marefriend, “The two of us against the world, living as outlaws.”
 
“It nice to be a princess,” agreed Raindrops with a sigh, “Being rescued by a handsome knight.”
 
Snips preened. Cheerilee give Raindrops a hard stare and tipped her head towards the blue colt.
 
The yellow pegasus knelt down to get her head closer to the colt. “Look Snips it was nice of you, of both of you,” she motioned to her brother who grinned, “To rescue me but you know I wasn’t myself when I kissed you and you weren’t yourself either.” She looked awkwardly around at the rest of the room who were hanging on her words, “What I’m trying to say is that you’re a great little guy and I’m sure you’ll make some filly very happy someday but, I’m a bit old for you.”
 
Snips screwed up his face in thought, “So you’re saying we should wait a while before getting married?”
 
Raindrops looked torn for a moment, “Ok, yes. Let’s go with that. If you still feel the same in about ten years we can talk about it.”
 
“I will wait for you my lady,” declared Snips with a bow. Raindrops blushed a little.
 
“Anyway,” said Trixie changing the subject. “Some of you really enjoyed tonight?” she said incredulously.
 
“It was interesting to be somepony else,” said Ditzy, “And nopony got hurt.”
 
“Apart from Digger,” noted Raindrops with a grin.
 
“No one who matters got hurt,” agreed Carrot Top, “And it’s given me some ideas on how to use my plants to deal with any of Corona’s minions who try to attack us. Still no eye beams through,” she muttered.
 
“Are you seriously telling me you’d do it all again?” said Trixie.
 
“Well, not without being warned, but under controlled conditions it’d be fun,” said Cheerilee, “Haven't you ever wanted to be Daring Doo? Or Wonder Mare?”
 
“No,” said Trixie sorely, “Trixie is great and powerful enough as herself thank you.”
 
“I suppose there is some merit to it,” said Twilight considering it.
 
Suddenly there was a rumble of thunder from outside.
 
“There’s no storm scheduled,” noted Raindrops.
 
“What now?” complained Trixie as she and the rest of the room rushed for the door which being too small to allow all of them through at the same time resulted in a ball of hooves and tails rolling out into the street.
 
Outside the sky seemed to have split open to reveal a black vortex from which dozens of bat winged, fanged ponies were emerging and orbiting in formation. The few ponies still on the street were frozen in place at the sight. Suddenly a single larger shape emerged and majestically swooped towards the ground. It was an alicorn so black in colour as to look like a hole in space clothed in armour of blackened steel along which tongues of black flame licked, it’s eyes glowed a demonic red. Her wings seemed to blot out the sky and its horn was sharp as a winter morning. Oddly a bright multi-coloured fluffy clown wig adorned her head.
 
“Greetings my subjects,” bellowed Luna as she touched down, fire rising from the ground where she stood, “I declare Nightmare night to be officially opened.” She looked around but apart from the elements and their friends the rest of the town’s folks seemed to have fled.
 
“Sorry, I’m late,” she said to Trixie in a more normal tone, “Some fool reported a Corona sighting, it turned out to be a filly in a poorly thought out costume. What do you think of my outfit?” She turned to give her pupil a better view.
 
“The wig is an interesting choice,” noted Trixie.
 
“As is your own millinery,” noted the princess prodding the cone surrounding Trixie’s head. “Some of my advisors considered my costume too frightening for the general populous. Although several of my younger subjects stated it was ‘Metal beyond words’ one asked to include my likeness on an album cover. Anyway I had to tone down my image, hence the wig.” She looked around at the damaged town. ”Did something occur here?” she frowned, “You said you could run one little festival without something going amiss.”
 
“There were one or two problems,” admitted Trixie shuffling her hooves, “But my friends said it made the night more fun,” she continued with a nervous grin. “I can tell you more while you extort sweets from children and we save some apples from drowning.”