One Last Halloween

by Tumbleweed


Chapter 3

Rarity spun around, and immediately started asking herself questions. Including, but not limited to:




How did she get into this?




Did the presence of wild animals make a property more abandoned, or technically less so?




Had Gargantulon ever fought a giant raccoon in any of those old movies?







The fat, ring-tailed critter scrambled over Rainbow Dash, chattering away. Thankfully, the thick foam rubber of the Gargantulon costume protected Rainbow from the raccoon’s claws and teeth. But at the same time, the costume’s clumsy bulk also prevented her from stopping the raccoon from diving into her open candy bag. The raccoon’s hind legs kicked wildly as it gorged itself on stolen candy like the lawless beast it was.

Cutting her losses, Rainbow Dash dropped her bag of candy and lunged away from the brazen raccoon. Near-blind from panic (and a googly eyed mask), Rainbow Dash slammed into Applejack, who in turn slammed into one of the vertical porch supports. The termite-gnawed wood gave way, and Applejack could do little more than swear as the entire porch roof collapsed with a hellacious crash.

Knocked to the floorboards, Rarity’s world was reduced to dust and darkness. She squirmed, mostly on instinct, but the debris kept her pinned. An alarmingly warm trickle of … something trailed down her cheek. Blood, perhaps, but it was too dark, and Rarity was too rattled to confirm. Which was probably for the best-- she hated to think of what blood would do to the pressed felt of her swashbuckler hat. But if she was bleeding, then what had happened to--

“Applejack!” Rarity’s voice cracked with desperation. “Are you alright? You’ve got to be alright, or else I-- I just don’t know what I’d do!”

“I’m fine. Mostly.” Applejack grumbled from somewhere close. “Been through worse, at least. What ‘bout you?”

“A little battered, but I’ll endure. Once I get out of here, that is. I’m, er-- stuck.”

“I can fix that, just gimmie a sec.” Applejack grunted, pushing against the wreckage. “Rainbow Dash, how ‘bout you?”

“That raccoon stole all my candy!”

“If that’s the worst you gotta worry about, you’ll be fine. Now hold still everybody, I think I got a way out.” Wood creaked and shifted as Applejack worked an arm loose in the debris-- and soon a heavy chopping sound filled the cramped space of the collapsed porch.

Fresh air and silver moonlight flowed in from the hole Applejack cleaved through the porch’s shingling. Rarity gave a soft, scandalized gasp once she saw what Applejack had cleaved the hole with.

“You kept the hatchet?” said Rarity.

“I mean, yeah?” Applejack said. “Figured it was better than leavin’ it at your place. ‘specially ‘cause it wasn’t as dull as I thought. Now hold still.” Applejack got to work, methodically chopping away. Brittle wood shattered under the old hatchet and soon Applejack pulled herself clear. Her braid had come undone and her dress tore in several places in the process, which, combined with the hatchet in her hand, made for her spookiest costume of the evening.

With a few more hatchet strokes, Applejack freed Rarity and Rainbow dash. As soon as they got clear, Apple Bloom, Sweetie Belle, and Scootaloo rushed over from where they’d been watching at the curb.

“Holy smokes!”

“That house tried to eat you!”

“Until you killed it with an axe!”

“That … ain’t exactly what happened.” Applejack rubbed at the bridge of her nose with her free hand.

“So what did happen, sis?” Apple Bloom pushed the brim of her witch’s hat back and looked up at Applejack with wide, eager eyes.

“What happened is, Rainbow Dash learned a very important lesson. Isn’t that right, Rainbow?”

“Uh, yeah!” Rainbow Dash stood up straighter-- or at least as straight as her battered costume allowed. “Next time we explore an abandoned building, we should bring Fluttershy.”

“Is that all?” Rarity narrowed her eyes, and her voice went cold.

“Oh, and, uh. Next time I won’t make up any scary stories just to scare little kids?” Rainbow Dash added on.

“That’ll have to do.” Rarity brushed moldy sawdust off her doublet. “And now, I think it’s best we called it a night.”

So they did.

The hour grew late, and the street grew darker as each home turned off its porch lights to signal its retreat from the seasonal ritual. As before, Rainbow Dash and the younger girls ranged ahead, while Rarity and Applejack followed a short distance behind them.

“You are alright, aren’t you?” Rarity wrapped an arm around Applejack’s and leaned in close, in case the taller girl suddenly developed a limp and needed proper support. That such supporting allowed Rarity the chance to run her hands over Applejack’s toned bicep was nothing more than a pleasant bonus. Or so she told herself.

“You can stop fussin’.” Applejack said with a wan smile. “Couple splinters ain’t nothin’ compared to some of the stuff I’ve done. Like, I ever tell you ‘bout the time when I was a kid and I got beat up by an angry sheep? Junior Rodeo ain’t no joke, I tell ya.”

“This is not Junior Rodeo, thankfully,” said Rarity.

“Honestly, I should be worried ‘bout you. Me n’ Rainbow Dash, we’re used to a little rough n’ tumble. But I thought you were more … “ Applejack trailed off, searching for the right word.

“Delicate?”

“Yeah, that.”

“Perhaps.” Rarity ran a hand through her hair, then winced as she felt the stickiness of congealing blood beneath her fingertips. “But I’ll have you know, Rarity d’Aubigny is made of sterner stuff than you’d expect. If anything a few bloodstains may make this outfit more historically accurate.”

“I’m more concerned with Rarity-dee-This Here Neighborhood.”

“Rest assured, she’s fine. I’m fine. It’s just--”

“What?”

Rarity leaned against Applejack’s soothingly strong arm. “You know, Halloween is about … fear, I suppose?”

“Well, yeah. What with all the ghouls and ghosts and whatnot.”

“Exactly. And do you know what I fear most, darling?”

“Uh. I dunno. Clowns? Ain’t nobody trust a clown.”

“Not that, no.” Rarity sighed. “It’s just … when that porch collapsed on us, I realized what I most feared was … “

“What?”

“Losing you.”

Applejack stopped in her tracks. “Say again?”

“It’s foolish, I know. It’s just … what if something happens? Ever since we met Twilight Sparkle-- the first one, from the horse dimension –it just seems like nothing is impossible. Which is thrilling. You’re thrilling.” Rarity clenched her fingers in the sleeve of Applejack’s peasant dress. “But what if something horrible happens, and-- and--”

“Sugarcube.” Applejack turned to face Rarity, and gently traced calloused fingertips over a porcelain-pale cheek. “I ain’t goin’ nowhere. And hell, even if some weird magic monster did manage to knock me off, I reckon I’m too stubborn to die quiet. So, like, I’d crawl back from the dead or something.”

“For me?”

“Well, mostly for revenge, but I guess I’d stop by to say howdy while I did.” Applejack smiled. Winked. It was entirely too charming.

“Forgive me if I don’t find that too encouraging.”

“If it helps, I don’t plan on dying anytime soon. Or, uh, leaving you, for that matter.” Applejack looked away, even as she trailed a hand downwards to twine her fingers with Rarity’s. “No matter what happens. Way I figure, weirder things get, that just means we’ll, uh … hang on tighter.” She squeezed Rarity’s fingers, and smiled wanly. “Or something.”

For the first time since a porch fell on her, Rarity allowed herself a genuine smile. “Or something.”

And with that, Rarity stood up on tiptoe, and pressed her lips against Applejack’s.
That’s what Rarity d’Aubigny would do.