Working on a Halloween one-shot · 3:41am Oct 26th, 2020
Hey, Green Grass has a wonderful ability to make connections with children. Sometimes, too good. And not just unicorns. Sneak peek below the divider.
“Nightmare Night, what a fright! Give us something sweet to bite!”
Age was a terrible divider, but somepony had to stand by the curb and be a Respectable Adult while the children carried out their missions of pillage and plunder. And one good thing about Green Grass watching instead of participating was that he got to see all of the innovative costumes that brilliant little ponies had dreamed up, or purchased, or had certain older members of their families create, or in one particular case, had made herself, with an additional copy for her big brother.
“OoooOOooOOoo?”
There was a Windigo standing to his side, which was a little startling since Green Grass had been fairly certain that section of roadway was Windigo-free a few seconds ago. The fact that it was a Windigo did not bother him, because his own Windigo costume was one of several out in the darkened streets tonight. Besides, the Windigo was only slightly over knee-high, making him just barely old enough to go asking for treats without his parents. Or at least the voice sounded like a small colt under the costume. It was difficult to tell with the tattered white sheets billowing over his back and the low susurrus of frost noises. Unicorn enchantments were so fascinating, and when combined with pegasus wonders made amazing costumes.
“Are your parents around?” he asked, looking up and down the street for a concerned parent or two.
“OooOOoo,” replied the little colt, who did not look concerned at all about being parentless at the moment, but more than a little curious at the happy herd of similar youngsters collecting candy at the nearby house.
“Well, until they show up, you can stay with our group. Don’t want you running off by yourself and getting gobbled up by Nightmare Moon.”
“OooOOoo?” He had not meant to frighten the little colt, but from the trembling and the abrupt looking around, Green Grass had put his hoof right into his mouth with his last quip. Thankfully, he had reinforcements who arrived with a happy bounce along with her associated herd of tiny tots.
“Hey, big bro!” Frost billowed right up to him, looking almost as if she were gliding with the frilly bits of her Windigo costume whipping about in an unfelt breeze.
It was slightly unfair to compare his own little sister’s costume to an unknown colt he had just met, but the kid had done his up right. It was cold, with tiny wisps of fog drifting out around his hooves and a masking spell around the eyes that made them look like two red coals in the drifting of frost-wrapped cloth. It probably wasn’t as good as the alligator costume one of the earth pony colts had made, or the Crystal Princess filly who glittered as she bounded along on real pegasus wings, but the quality indicated a very wealthy family or a talent destined to Princess Celestia’s school.
After getting her smaller herd of costumed monsters as organized as they were going to get for the next house, Frost bent down to get a better look at the small colt’s costume with a cheerful, “Are you collecting more Windigo for our candy crusade? Who are you, little one?”
“Ooo,” responded the colt, seeming a little set back at the other small costumed ponies who flowed around them like energetic fireflies.
“Ooo’s parents are around here somewhere,” volunteered Green Grass. “I said he could collect candy with your unindicted co-conspirators until they show up.”
“OooOOo,” verified Ooo.
He's just a big lovable galoot who loves NuttyOatyOat bars.
Is it what we're all thinking or is there a twist?
5386170
Probably what we're all thinking.
Huh, interesting. Excited to read it.
5386170 5386173 No, he's not a ghost. (Sidebar: In Ultima Online, a dead character could talk to live characters, but whatever you typed came out as "OooOOoooOOooOOoo.")
5386179
Well, that wasn't I was thinking. I was thinking it's actually a real baby windigo that doesn't know what real windigos are supposed to do, and since weird shit practically exclusively happens in Ponyville, of course that's where it would end up. Because screw the Crystal Empire and that logical noise.
Oh I am definitely looking forward to this
Getting to see all the costumes is one of the main reasons I like handing out candy. It also lets me get a sense of the juvenile zeitgeist and see which costumes I still recognize. (And see how many fifteen-year-olds are trying to get away with extorting candy from houses while wearing nothing more elaborate than a hooded sweatshirt.) Fascinating bit of sociological data collection.
In any case, looking forward to some fairly typical Ponyville shenaniganery.
Ah, at least I will have something to look forward to this All Hallows Eve.
5386186
I was thinking the same thing.
I never got into the trick or treat game myself, mostly because I've exclusively lived in rural areas that are really too spread out for the whole door to door thing. I like this idea for your story since it comes from the perspective of somebody who's older and is more interested in the creative side of costume making, and hopefully his focus is more towards the homemade creations. He's kinda doing the whole "just drive around town and see what's what" thing my family did back in the day. Y'know, go into the city, bump some tunes, rent something from the video store, get some takeout pizza, and cook and eat that goodness at home, but that's mostly the almost 30 yr/old boomer in my head being nostalgic. Anywho, this looks like it could be a fun romp through Nightmare Night when published.