The cupcake (with extra sprinkles) was absolutely delighted.
The party was in full swing and the town hall was full of revellers. Better still, it was a costume party, which she felt were the best kind. Pinkie (the cupcake (with extra sprinkles)) watched the ponies dancing and playing and eating snacks, each one dressed up as something scary or just plain silly. Pinkie's costume definitely fell into the latter category unless you were somehow afraid of cupcakes, but she didn't see how that was possible.
The "baked bads" incident might count towards that, but that was a one-time event and about a week later everypony trusted her baking enough to eat it again. Anyway, that technically hadn't been entirely her fault. She'd taken Applejack as an assistant, who, while an excellent baker in her own right, was half-deaf and bordering on insanity from sleep deprivation at the time. Not that she blamed poor Applejack or anything; in her addled state it was probably lucky the cupcakes had only made everypony sick. Besides, Pinkie had ended up being just as sick as the others, so it wasn't as though she hadn't paid the price for her poor choice of assistant.
Most of her other friends were there. The aforementioned Applejack was there, disguised as her big brother Macintosh, having dyed her fur red and her mane orange. She wore a fake yoke around her neck and spoke as little as possible, just like her big brother. Macintosh himself had stayed home to care for Granny Smith, who was feeling under the weather. It had been a fairly chilly fall and the cold was causing the poor mare's hip to act up. As the eldest sibling it was Macintosh's job to watch out for Granny, keeping her comfortable and tending to any foals who visited as she rested.
Dash was dressed as a Wonderbolt, which went without saying, and Rarity came to the party decked out as a fashionable and beautiful witch, her costume and hat done up with the finest jewels she had to spare. Say what you want about Rarity, but she didn't do anything half-way, not even a Nightmare Night costume. She may be kinda preeny and prissy and even a Snippy Snipperson from time to time, but she knew her business.
Pinkie would have liked to have spent time with her friends, but as the hostess she was just too busy making sure the tables were kept stocked with snacks and the punch bowls were full. This was much more complex than her usual spur-of-the-moment parties and she had to make everything was just right. She had a reputation to uphold, after all and she didn't plan to be found wanting this year.
Twilight had told Pinkie that she had no choice but beg off attending — she was far too busy with a research paper to go. She would have loved to attend, but this had been the work of weeks, she was just on the brink of completing it and didn't want to risk losing her chain of thought. Twilight appeared almost devastated when she told Pinkie; one of her parties was not something to be missed. She tried to send Spike in her place, but the young dragon resolutely refused – she might need her help with her studies and he’d feel bad attending when she couldn’t.
Pinkie didn't see why she couldn't have saved it for tomorrow, but she wasn't going to make Twilight come; parties are no fun if you're forced into them. She would miss the two but had to admit she was proud of Spike’s loyalty to Twilight in refusing to go because she couldn’t. It really showed how much he cared for his ‘big sister’.
Fluttershy, as usual, didn't come either. Nightmare Night terrified her even more than most other things. And there were a lot of other things: loud noises, sudden movements, her own shadow... She stayed in her cottage, safe behind a well-locked door, but left a bowl of candies out for the foals.
As she was willing to perform her duty of the evening, even if only in spirit, the foals reciprocated her kindness by taking only a single candy each. Pinkie would make sure to bring her a box of snacks the next day. It wasn't fair that she missed the party even if it was by choice. She'd do the same for Twilight as well, and an extra big one for Spike — loyalty like his needed to be rewarded.
Pinkie wondered what Fluttershy would come as if she ever did attend. Pinkie figured she'd probably come as a tree of some kind; Fluttershy liked trees almost as much as she liked animals. Sprinkles fell from Pinkie's costume as she scanned the crowd optimistically, but she couldn't see a single twig, leaf or anything of a tree-like nature. Pinkie sighed. Maybe she could talk Fluttershy into attending next year; help her branch out...
Oh dear.
Puns already. She couldn’t beleaf herself...
Pinkie let out small delighted snort.
As she was trying to think up as many tree-based puns as she could, managing to reach the root of the subject before finding herself stumped, she spotted three fillies dressed in ramshackle costumes, carrying goodie bags and trying in vain to frighten other party-goers. Scootaloo, Applebloom and Sweetie Belle, 'The Cutie Mark Crusader Nightmare Night Scare Squad' were doing their best to scare somepony in hopes of earning their cuties marks at last. Unfortunately, things weren't going as they'd hoped.
Not only did nopony find them the least bit scary, if anything they were considered cute. The three of them appeared have created their costumes from anything at hoof: Applebloom was dressed as a robot (but pieces kept falling off of her costume), Sweetie Belle was dressed as a mummy (but kept tripping over trailing strips of her bandages, most of which were completely different colors), and Scootaloo was dressed as...dressed as...Well, Pinkie wasn't sure what she was dressed as, but she bet it was supposed to be scary.
Perhaps Pinkie would give them some pointers for next year, provided they hadn't earned their marks already or wanted to bother trying again. The three tended to go straight to trying another skill if the current one had no immediate effect. She had to admit the three of them really put a lot of effort into earning their cutie marks, but unfortunately the effects were often pretty chaotic if not outright destructive. The Cutie Mark Crusaders tended to test out their latest believed skill with gusto.
They appeared to be behaving themselves this time, however; Pinkie just hoped that they didn't end up getting too out of hoof. She momentarily considered the irony of her worrying about something like that before returning her full attention back to the party.
A small green shape trundled across the floor, dressed in a vampire costume complete with fangs. Pinkie giggled: Gummy was even cuter than normal when he was in his Nightmare Night disguise. Pinkie took care to ensure that the fangs were made of soft foam should Gummy attempt to use his new teeth to make up for all the bites he had been denied due to his lack of natural choppers.
The gator blinked in that slow way of his as he scanned the collection of targets at his disposal, finally choosing a leg that was particularly pleasing to his discerning eye and latching onto it. The pony who was the victim of this unprovoked alligator-of-the-night attack smiled down at him and carefully shook him off. Undeterred, Gummy went off in search of something else to glom on. He certainly wasn't hurting for choices; somepony would fall prey to him before the night was through.
Out of the corner of her eye, Pinkie noticed a slight glow which faded as she tried to focus on it. After a moment, she shrugged and went back to her duties as hostess. An hour passed, filled with games and laughter. They played musical chairs, pin the tail on the dragon and the annual joke-off, the object of which was to be the last one to laugh. Pinkie always lost this game but didn't care; the jokes were worth it. Some games she simply made up on the spur of the moment.
She had to call off the egg and spoon race, unfortunately: it had taken her almost an entire day to clean up the mess last year. In retrospect, the race was probably an error in judgement on her part; doing something delicate like that with just your mouth to work with doesn't quite cut it. Most ponies couldn't keep their heads steady enough to even get past the starting line.
Nothing in the book she gotten the idea from said hands were mandatory, but it appeared you just couldn't play certain games without them. A unicorn could, using their magic, but that wouldn't be fair to the others. Perhaps she could come up with an alternative for next year.
Sweetie Belle and Applebloom were having trouble keeping their eyes open any longer; an hour of "Grr!", "Raar!" and "Oogy boogy!" can take their toll on a young foal, especially as it was growing late and nopony seemed to be reacting the way they'd hoped. After trying to tell Applejack and Rarity that they weren't tired at all (this assertion punctuated with yawns) the two escorted their respective younger sisters back home to tuck into bed.
Scootaloo remained behind, determined to stay until the end of the party at midnight and maybe get in a couple of scares. A few minutes later she let out a huge yawn herself and drowsily headed for the exit as well, grumbling in annoyance for not being able to hold out to the very end.
Pinkie saw the strange glow again and this time she wasn't the only one; several ponies noticed it as well and looked around to find the source. As before, it eventually faded out. The ponies mumbled amongst themselves until finally deciding that is must be something special Pinkie whipped up for Nightmare Night.
Pinkie knew it wasn't.
Kinda wished it was though: it was getting quite a bit of positive attention. Might be something to consider for next year, if she found the source. As the snacking was beginning to die down and she didn't need to restock the tables any time soon, she decided that she'd investigate this glow further.
She wandered through the crowd looking for any sign of the strange light that had caught the attention of herself and others. Eventually she noticed that several ponies had stopped what they were doing and were staring openly at the far wall. Standing there was the glow's source: a pony dressed in a wondrously designed ghost costume.
The costume covered the pony from head to hoof, had a dim blue glow and seemed to waver slightly. The costume was designed in such a way that the pony almost seemed to be floating an inch or two above the floor. The costume was marvelous; practically a work of art. After the party she would have to take this pony aside to find out who had made it and how they got it to glow like that.
She wouldn't be at all surprised if she were to be told that Rarity had made it. The normal clothing the unicorn seamstress created were magical enough. The pony looked over at Pinkie, waved a hoof in a friendly manner and trotted away, entering a crowd of party-goers. The glow faded out.
Pinkie continued trying to track the ghostly pony. A glow would momentarily appear and then flicker out as she approached. It always seemed to be one step ahead of Pinkie, almost as it were teasing her. As she wandered through the crowd, she passed Rainbow Dash. She was telling a party-goer, who was a Wonderbolts fan, like herself, about how she'd actually met the flight team in person a couple of times and how Spitfire was a close personal friend (an exaggeration, but only a slight one).
Rainbow turned away from the pony momentarily and noticed that Pinkie seemed to be looking for something. She ended the conversation with the fan, promising to get back to him later and crossed the floor to her.
"Whaddya looking for, Pinkie?" she asked.
"Well, I keep seeing this pony in a real neat kinda ghost costume — glow an' everything — and I'm trying to get a good look, but every time I get close they seem to vanish."
"Vanish? Are you sure you're not seeing things, Pinkie?"
"No! I mean yes! I mean...oh, that question always confuses me." Pinkie shook her head. More sprinkles fell from her costume. "Anyway, I'm not the only one who saw; it's a real pony dressed up as a real ghost! And it's really neat!"
"'zat a fact? Heh. It must be a pretty impressive costume if you're working so hard to hunt him down; I've seen the stuff you wear; your costumes are usually something you don't easily forget. Hey, mind if I come with? If you manage to find this ghost'a yours, I'd like to see this for myself."
"Sure, Dash. He's gotta be around here somewhere. Oh, wait…" The spectral glow reappeared. The two stepped through the crowd to find the ghost pony again. Several party-goers were mumbling appreciatively about the pony's costume.
"There, see!? I told you he was real!" said Pinkie, pointing a hoof.
"Wow," said Rainbow. "You weren't kidding; that is one cool costume. "
"You think so, too? I've never seen anything like it before! I can't wait until midnight to find out who that really is."
"Well, why don'tcha just get 'im to show you?" the pegasus asked.
Pinkie stared at her in shock, as though her friend had just sprouted tentacles. Actually, that’d be kind of neat – you could carry more stuff, tickle ponies twice as much... no no, focus, Pinkie...
Pinkie broke off her random train of thought before it crashed and shook her head, bringing her attention back to the conversation. "I can’t, because it's a costume party, silly! I haveta wait until midnight when they show me; it's a rule! Otherwise it's cheating!"
Rainbow rolled her eyes in exasperation. Pinkie had a point, but she hated waiting. Fortunately midnight was coming up fast so she wouldn't have to wait very long. She was as curious as everypony else to learn the ghost's identity; the mask the pony wore completely concealed their face in a strange fogginess. The pony noticed their attention, waved a hoof as before and once again melted into the crowd.
It was finally time for the midnight unmasking and those ponies who were wearing masks or costumes that covered their faces made their identities known to the others. There was one exception: the unknown pony that had attracted so much attention that night. The ghostly pony just stood there staring at Pinkie, face concealed by the strange blurriness that made up their mask. Pinkie trotted over to the pony, followed by Dash.
"Mister, I gotta to say I'm really impressed with your costume! I wasn't really planning on having a contest for 'bestest costume' this year, but if I did you'd be the winner by a long shot. Who are you and how'd you make such an incredible costume? You just gotta tell me!"
Some ponies began to clap, in both appreciation and in the hopes that the pony would finally unmask.
The pony simply stood there in silence.
"Umm…hello? Mister? I said I really like your costume. Can you show me who you are now? It's midnight, and you have to take off your mask…"
The applause became louder as more ponies joined in.
The pony stood there in silence.
"Mister?"
The applause slowed and then stopped. The situation was becoming more than a bit uncomfortable; the pony wasn't reacting in any way whatsoever. It simply stood like a slightly glowing statue, paying no attention to anypony.
Rainbow advanced on the pony, a scowl on her face. "Pinkie asked you a question, pal. You gonna keep bein' rude about it?" She tried to give the pony a prod with a hoof. She stumbled slightly as her hoof passed right through him. Both she and Pinkie went pale.
The spectral pony locked its eyes on them. Its pale glow brightened and it took to the air with a banshee-like wail. Pinkie dropped to the floor in shock. There was a loud ripping sound as she scrambled clumsily to her hooves and raced for the exit, trailing sprinkles and ribbons of her torn costume behind her. Rainbow Dash had already shot away with the speed she was famed for, likewise leaving shreds of fabric — and more than a few feathers — in her wake.
It was all well and good to giggle at the ghosties when you were really just afraid of shadows, but when it actually was a ghost…
The crowd erupted in shouts of fear. The panic was absolute; the chaos undeniable.
The front door of the town hall burst open and ponies streamed out in a screaming mob, the ghost following close behind them. The air was filled by the sound of several cottage doors slamming and then all was silent. A minute later, a bush beside the town hall shook and the tip of a small, lightly glowing horn poked out. The light dissipated and the ghost vanished along with it.
Twilight emerged from behind the bush, followed by a giggling Spike. She surveyed the town square, now devoid of any ponies and smiled triumphantly.
"Spike?" The dragon raised a quill in anticipation. "Experiment: 'Attempt to scare ponies with Nightmare Night practical joke'? Check."
Twilight began laughing at the cleverness of her prank — using her magic really added that extra 'kick' to it — but soon her laughter slowed and then stopped completely as she considered how panicked everpony had been. A good number had been completely terrified.
She looked around the town square again. All the cottages surrounding it were lit up as brightly as possible. She wondered if perhaps she'd overdone it; the magic might have been a bit much. According to the book, this sort of thing was 'a tradition' and 'a laugh riot,' though this one seemed to have caused more of a riot than a laugh. Still, she had merely followed the book's instructions, even if she had spruced it up a bit.
Tomorrow morning she would admit that the whole thing had just been a prank. She was sure everypony would find it funny in retrospect.