//------------------------------// // It's a Date! // Story: Nightmares and Dragonscapes // by Crosis //------------------------------// It was quite a warm day for late October, just a hair over sixty degrees. The sky was cloudless, and a light breeze stirred up the colorful leaves that lay scattered across the street. All in all, it was a perfect setting for Nightmare Night. Normally, Spike loved days like this. The amazing colors, the slight chill against his scales, the crunch of leaves under his feet that reminded him of potato chips… But he especially loved days like this when he had a date planned with the most beautiful unicorn in town! Resting his chin in his hands, Spike gazed out the window and uttered a long, wistful sigh. Twilight Sparkle huffed loudly and slammed her book onto the table. “Spike, do you realize that was the one hundredth and thirty second time you’ve sighed this morning?” “Sorry Twi, but I just can’t help it! This waiting is killing me. Can you believe it? Rarity asked me out on a date! She actually asked me out!” Twilight rolled her eyes. “Well, it shouldn’t be THAT surprising. I mean, shock and disbelief would have been expected for your initial date. And I concede that the resulting euphoria might carry over onto your second, or even third, in lieu of the short time frame in which they occurred. However, by my count this will be the sixth romantic outing which you have shared. Therefore, such a level of fidgety giddiness is rather inane, wouldn’t you agree? After all, you ARE her coltfriend, Spike. Going out on dates is the whole point.” “You know what? You’re right. I am her coltfriend. Me! In an actual relationship with the most beautiful, generous, talented, beautiful, affectionate, and beautiful unicorn on the face of the earth!” Spike rattled off another sigh, making Twilight’s jaw clench involuntarily. “Wow, ‘Rarity’s Coltfriend.’ I’ll never get tired of the way that sounds. Hey, maybe I should start signing all my letters like that. What do you think?” Twilight’s withering glare was answer enough. Spike rubbed his neck with a nervous chuckle. “Uh, heh heh. Yeah. I’ll, I’ll just go back over to the window and…” “Ohhhh no you don’t!” A violet aura looped around his ankles, and Spike found himself hoisted upside down and yanked across the room. “If you think I’m going to let you waste the entire morning languishing in front of the window like some Shakesponian balladeer, you’ve got another thing coming, buster!” He was dropped to the floor with a thud. Hands on her hips, the alicorn princess bent over and glared down her nose at him. “Yes ma’am,” he grumbled, knowing there was no point in arguing at a time like this. Satisfied with his compliance, Twilight smiled and helped him to his feet. “Good, I’m glad we agree. Now then, I’m sure we can find something productive for you to do until your ‘big date’ arrives. And you’ll find the time just flying by so long as you keep busy. So let me see… I’m certain there’s a few items on our library checklist still left to-“ “I’ve already shelved the returns,” Spike interrupted. He began counting off on his claws. “I delivered to all the ponies that had books on hold, I updated the call numbers on both the arts and sports sections, I picked out twenty picture books to choose from for the next ‘Stories for Sleepovers’ event, and I finished rebinding those Daring Do novels that Rainbow destroyed last Tuesday.” “Oh! Well, umm, what about household chores?” “Watered the plants, dusted the shelves, finished the laundry and cleaned up all the dishes from breakfast,” he replied. A bead of sweat rolled down Twilight’s forehead. Her eyes darted back and forth as she tried to think of something to occupy his time. “Alright then, how about going over your plans with Rarity? You don’t want anything left to chance tonight.” “We’re going to meet at the boutique at six o’clock to change into our costumes, then enter the costume competition being held at city hall. That’s gonna go about an hour and a half. Once it’s over, we’ll be heading up to the overlook for a picnic dinner.” Seeing a perfect opportunity, Twilight opened her mouth to interject, only to have a claw pressed firmly against her lips. “Like I was saying, a picnic dinner which is already packed. I’ve also considered the twenty minutes before and after to change out and back into our costumes so they don’t get dirty. At nine thirty we’ll attend the masquerade ball, and then go out for some cider at AJ’s afterparty until precisely one am. Does that sound like a rigid enough schedule for you?” “Okaaaaaaaaay then. Let me see… hmmm…” He could tell she was stalling for time, but out of the goodness of his heart, he decided not to rush her. Besides, it was kind of fun keeping the most meticulous of mares so off-balance. “Costume,” she finally blurted out. “What about that?” Spike folded his arms with a smug grin, eyebrows raised in challenge. “Chosen, cleaned, fits perfectly and is ready to wear. What else ya got?” She was really grasping at straws now, stuttering every other syllable and trying to avoid his gaze. But then her eyes widened, and she spun to face him with a look of manic glee. Feet planted shoulder-width apart, Twilight lifted one arm and jabbed it down to point directly between Spike’s eyes. “You ate three gemstones less than an hour ago,” she accused in a shrill voice. “DID YOU REMEMBER TO BRUSH YOUR TEETH!?” Without breaking eye contact, Spike slowly, sadistically twisted his head to the side. Pursing his lips, he blew out a long, deep breath. But instead of the usual green hue, Twilight was horrified to see a jet of cool bluish fire issuing from his mouth. Licking his lips, Spike reached up and gently pushed her hand away. “Mintiest flamethrower in town.” Twilight hung her head in defeat. “Okay, then I guess you can go back to moping at the window” she said. “Thanks Twi. And I’ll try and cut back on the sighing, just for you!” Spike was just giving his best friend a reassurance hug when a knock came at the door. “Ooh, wonder if those are our first trick or treaters of the night?” Twilight raised an eyebrow in her nonverbal way of asking if he was completely insane. “At eleven o’clock in the morning,” she asked. Sticking out his tongue, Spike headed for the door. “Who is it,” he asked. “~Nightmare Night! What a fright! Give us something sweet to bite!~” That melodious voice! Why, it was like the very skies had parted and some heavenly chorus was serenading him from above! Hearts in his eyes, Spike lunged for the doorknob. But no matter how he turned and pulled, the stubborn door refused to budge! Growling in frustration, he planted both feet against the door and pulled for all he was worth. Twilight slowly walked up behind him, shaking her head in pity. “Spike, I know you’re really excited to see Rarity. And I understand that it’s hard for you to think straight at a time like this. Even so, I would hope you’d remember that doors tend to open easier,” her horn glowed, and the door’s bolt clicked back. “…If you unlock them.” Spike gave another hard wrench on the suddenly unlocked door. This time, it flew open, sending him flying back through the air and right towards an unsuspecting Twilight. Seeing her friend on a collision course with her face. Twilight immediately tried to run out of the way, duck for cover, and magically halt Spike’s momentum all at the same time. Emphasis on ‘tried.’ Spike bowled the alicorn over, and the two rolled for several feet before coming to a stop, sprawled in a tangle of limbs and seeing stars. “Oh dear! Are you two alright?” A pair of warm, soft hands took him by the arms and pulled him out from under Twilight. “I’m perfect now that you’re here, my angel,” Spike said woozily. “Hee hee, silly Spike! That’s not what my costume’s supposed to be!” Spike shook the cobwebs out of his head to see a familiar pair of blue eyes. But those eyes were looking out from inside a MOUTH, one that looked to be made of wood… and was full of VERY large teeth. Spike let out a deafening high-pitched shriek and flopped onto his back. The wooden monster threw back its head and laughed in triumph. “Now, now, that wasn’t very nice at all. I mean really, frightening my poor Spikey Wikey after he just had the wind knocked out of him!” Standing just beside the monster, which he now realized must be a pony in costume, was Rarity. She looked immaculate in a conservative blue dress and heels, with a woolen stole wrapped around her shoulders. Behind her were three teenaged fillies, all wearing their own costumes. The first had her face painted white, with nose and lips a brilliant red. Her mane was hidden beneath an extremely wide hat, and she wore a bright yellow bandana, white and red checkered shirt, and ridiculously baggy overalls. Her boots were electric green and covered in sequins. The second had her entire head covered by a large wooden mask that looked like it came from Zecora’s house. Bones and feathers hung from the sides, and the eyes and mouth were carved into a bloodthirsty grimace. The rest of the filly’s costume was an apron-like dress that seemed to be made of palm fronds, as well as numerous golden bangles on her wrists and feet. She was carrying a large spear that had bird skulls hanging from the shaft. The last filly was wearing a black outfit that was uncomfortably familiar. Spike recognized it as the sneaky stealth suit that Pinkie Pie had worn when they’d snuck into Canterlot to help Twilight prevent the calamitous disaster of visiting her past self and causing a doomsday panic. The black suit had its arms cut off above the elbows, the pant legs up to mid-thigh. Not a bad view, Spike had to admit. The filly was wearing black combat boots and fingerless gloves, as well as a black beret that he knew belonged to Rarity. She even had on one of Pinkie’s eyepatches! Her legs, arms and face were covered in camouflage paint, but the distinctive red mane was a dead giveaway. “Applebloom,” he asked. “Howdy Spike! Sorry if’n Pinkie gave ya a fright! Her costume’s pretty danged spooky!” Spike turned his attention back to the party pony. He could see now that she’d made a costume out of the fake timberwolf the girls had used to try and make him save Applejack. The wolf’s head made a full mask, allowing Pinkie to look through the opened mouth. The wooden limbs covered her forearms and lower legs, and its body fit around her shoulders and torso down to her stomach. She’d elected to wear a pair of khaki shorts that mimicked the wood’s color to complete the ensemble. Pinkie hopped closer, grinning widely. “Isn’t it cool, Spikey? I sure make a scary timberwolf, huh?” Dropping to her knees, she bounded in a wide circle around the group before throwing her head back in a howl. “Awooooooooooo!” Now that his heart was no longer in danger of jumping out of his throat, Spike laughed at Pinkie’s antics. “I’ll say! You make a great timberwolf, Pinkie Pie! You almost scared the spines off of me!” Pinkie whooped and threw her arms around him in a tight hug. “YAY! Ooh, ooh! Now you gotta see the Crusader’s outfits. They’re really neat too!” Applebloom ran up first. Dropping into a crouch, she pantomimed sneaking around corners and pressing up against walls before bringing both hands up in a karate stance. “Ah’m a super spy! Just’call me Agent Orange!” “Agent Orange? What’s that supposed to mean?” The filly shrugged. “How should ah know? It jus’ sounds cool, like some kinda secret army project or sumthin’ ya know?” The masked filly jumped up and down, waving “Me next, me next!” Another mystery solved. Spike would recognize the bubbly, excitable voice of Rarity’s younger sister anywhere. Stopping in front of him, Sweetie Belle hopped from foot to foot and waved the spear overhead, like she was trying to do some kind of dance. “I bet that you wonder, ‘Who’s the girl in the mask?’ Well, if you want a hint than you just have to ask!” Spike chuckled. “I know that it’s you, Sweetie.” Sweetie stopped dancing and stomped her foot. “No fair! How’d you know?” Applebloom ducked behind the large mask. “Psst, Sweetie! Don’t forget, ya gotta be speakin’ in rhymes remember?” Sweetie slapped a hand over the mask’s mouth. “Oops,” she mumbled. “Um, uh… oh! How did you see past my perfect disguise? I see nothing escapes from your keen dragon eyes!” “Let me guess,” Twilight said. “She got her costume from Zecora?” “Yep! An’ Zecora said that if’n Sweetie’s gonna be dressed like a zebra, than she’s gotta talk like a zebra too!” “It’s hard to be doing this, all of the time. But if it gets me candy, then I’m happy to rhyme!” “And I’m a rodeo clown!” The last filly, who could only be Scootaloo, launched into a breakdance routine that even Rainbow Dash couldn’t pull off. After a wing-assisted frontflip, she began a series of backwards jumping jacks. The routine seemed to be a group effort, as Sweetie Belle was now hopping back and forth and trying to spear Scootaloo right in the seat of her overalls. The pegasus danced and weaved, avoiding the spearpoint and wagging her finger disapprovingly at the unicorn filly. Their act ended with Applebloom taking a running slide between Scootaloo’s legs and kicking the spear out of Sweetie’s hands. Scootaloo then flipped Applebloom onto her feet, and the earth pony struck Sweetie’s mask with an overly fake karate chop, sending her toppling to the ground and playing dead. Spike and Twilight applauded as the three fillies climbed to their feet and bowed. “Wow, nice job. I bet you three’ll do great in the costume contest,” Spike said in amazement. “Aw shucks, we’re not gonna have time for that! We’re goin’ up to Princess Luna’s shindig in Canterlot!” “Oh, I’d completely forgotten,” Twilight said. “So I guess you’ll be going as their chaperone, Pinkie?” Pinkie giggled loudly, making her costume’s jaws clack together in a way that Spike found really, really creepy. “Nope a dope! The princess asked me to come up and super-mavise the royal bakers! There’s gonna be lots of ponies coming to town you know! So we’ve got to make tons and tons of goodies to fill up all those hungry little tummies.” Twilight nodded. “Well, that does make sense. But then, why are you bringing Gummy with you?” She pointed to the alligator that was staring listlessly out of Pinkie’s handbag. Pinkie just smiled widely. “I have absolutely no idea!” Rarity stepped forward. “The point, Twilight, is that I shall be the one who’ll be looking after them.” If anypony had listened, Spike was sure they would have heard his heart break then and there. He should have known it was too good to be true. “So you’re… you’re leaving,” he asked. “I’m afraid so, darling. Not by my own choice, mind you. Rainbow Dash had already volunteered. But, impulsive hooligan that she is, she seems to have foregone her responsibilities in favor of an aerial prank war in Cloudsdale. ” Rarity sighed heavily and put a hand to her forehead, as if the inconvenience would result in a fainting spell. “Much as I abhor changing my schedule at the last minute, it was my sisterly duty to accompany Sweetie Belle and her friends.” “Then I… I guess our date’s been canceled, huh?” He tried his best to sound nonchalant. No sweat, right? He just had to express some mild disappointment, wish her a fun night, and keep smiling until she was out of sight. Then he could break down into a pathetic sobbing fit and spend the rest of the night gorging himself on ice cream and tanzanite. “Well, I should hope not!” Rarity looked appalled by his question. “In fact, Spike, that’s just the reason that we stopped by. I hoped that you might entertain the idea of relocating our engagement.” Hope blossomed in his chest, but he tried to keep his expression neutral. “Relocate?” ‘Okay, now just stay calm, Spike. You don’t want to look too eager. Remember, you’re RARITY’S COLTFRIEND, not some desperate dork.’ Rarity’s ears drooped. “Oh, I feel just awful even asking. I know how hard you must have worked to plan out this evening, but is there any way I could convince you to accompany us to Canterlot for the night?” As if Rarity’s pleading expression wasn’t hard enough to resist, her companions quickly crowded around him and added their own voices to the mix. Despite his best efforts, he quickly found that it’s hard to keep one’s cool when a pack of girls has you by the arms (and tail, in Pinkie’s case.) “Aww, come on Spike!” “You wouldn’t let my sis down, would you Spike? “What, you got some other plans for the night, Spike? “Please please oh pretty pretty please with whipped cream and hot fudge and rhubarb and eggplant chunks and a cherry on top? He was literally being pulled in every direction. “Well… I… I uh… that is…” As if she sensed his weakness, Rarity stepped in for the kill. She sauntered up to him, curling a lock of mane with one finger. “Oh, please, Spikey Wikey,” she asked with a coquettish eyelash flutter that set his heart racing. “I promise we’ll have a wonderful evening. A long, relaxing train ride? A holiday jaunt through your hometown? And later on, maybe you could show me to a nice, secluded place where we could do some private stargazing…” “I’LL DO IT,” he yelled, all semblances of composure forgotten in the wake of Rarity’s beaming smile and the Crusaders’ cheering. “Well, I suppose I’ll have to come along as well. Just give me a moment to pack.” Twilight shook her head in amusement, snapping her book closed and making for the stairs. “Really, but I thought you were planning to spend all day reading up on the history Nightmare Night,” Spike said. “What made you change your mind?” The alicorn looked back over her shoulder. “Oh, my research on the commercialization of holidays can wait. Tonight I think I’ll be needed elsewhere. It’s just a little hunch I have. An inkling that the chaperone might need a chaperone of her own…” Rarity gasped. “Twilight Sparkle! You can’t be saying that Spike’s presence would cause me to neglect my responsibility to Sweetie and her friends.” Twilight’s face was the very picture of innocence. “Oh no, I’m not saying that at all. But I am strongly implying it.” “I’ll meet you at the train!” Ignoring her friend’s scandalized huff, Twilight disappeared upstairs. “Very well then. Come along Spike, shall we proceed to the station? That is if our chaperone trusts us to walk about unattended?” Grabbing his hand, Rarity levitated her bags and stomped out of the library, leaving the others to catch up.