//------------------------------// // Pinkie's Balloon Pop III: Balloon with a Vengeance [Halloween] // Story: Amor Vincit Omnia // by BRyeMC //------------------------------// “Are you almost ready? You know I don’t like being late.” Clyde shifted his black-felt hat so he could look at himself in the large mirror in the main lobby of Rarity’s shop-slash-home. The Halloween party was about to start and like he was accustomed to for almost a year now, Rarity always took extra time to get herself ready. “I’m almost ready!” yelled a voice from upstairs. Clyde smiled and looked back at the mirror, looking at his costume again. He nodded to himself on how well the costume turned out. He wore an old, torn duster that was a few inches from touching the floor. The duster’s leather smell was rather strong, even though it was in Magnum’s closet for a long period of time. Underneath the duster, Clyde’s outfit consisted of a black button-up woolen shirt covering a plain white shirt and dark colored jeans. His boots were mostly covered by the ends of his jeans, which was fine by him, as he didn’t like wearing them anyway. Around his waist was his belt that had a holster for his fake revolver and around his neck was a black bandana. His bronze belt buckle shined in the mirror as he put a hand through his black hair and put his black hat back on his head. Clyde took out his phone from one of his duster’s pockets and sighed. “Rarity, the party starts in five minutes.” He glanced up the stairs and in the hallway’s darkness, he heard the sound of high heeled boots clicking around upstairs. He turned away from the stairs and walked over to the counter. He leaned against it as he scrolled through the sports feed waiting for her to come downstairs. In roughly two minutes, the sounds of the boots clicked louder as they echoed down the stairs. When the noises stopped, Clyde turned his head. As he saw Rarity, he instantly forgot where he was. Rarity’s outfit matched Clyde’s theme of an outlaw. She wore a white lace and burgundy-trim black dress with a scarlet corsage that was placed on her dress near the chest area. A see through black, white, and red overskirt surrounded her lower body to give off a duster-type of look. Her black high-heeled boots and matching lace stockings ran up to her mid calf and thigh, respectively. To top it off, she also had a pair of black lace, fingerless glovelets. She looked over at Clyde and flipped the end of her violet and curly hair, making sure not to tip the white hat off her head. “So? I take you like it?” She smiled at him. Clyde didn’t respond as he stood there looking at her outfit. To him, it was just like her nurse outfit she wore last year on Halloween day. “I guess I failed impressing you...” Clyde broke out of his daze at the sound of disappointment in her voice. “What are you talking about? You look stunning. Like always.” “You’re just saying that,” said Rarity with a grin. “You’re bias towards me.” “Eh,” said Clyde with a shrug. “Maybe.” He slyly looked over at her to see her walk up to him. After a gentle punch in the arm, Rarity wrapped her arms around him and gave him a loving kiss. After the kiss was over, Rarity leaned a few inches away from him to look into his eyes. “So, my love, out of this costume or last year’s, which do you prefer?” Clyde thought for a moment before he felt heat in his cheeks. “I actually like them both and would not be opposed of you wearing them more often.” He laughed before giving a smirk. Rarity giggled. “Is that so? Maybe I will wear them again, but you have to behave first.” She dropped a wink and Clyde instantly felt his cheeks blaze. Before he could react, Rarity hugged him tighter and leaned in for another kiss. She was abruptly stopped by a phone alarm going off. She frowned and stepped backward away from him. Clyde took his phone out of his duster and read the small text on the screen. “It’s noon. The party has started,” he said, relaying the message to his lover. Rarity shrugged this time. “Oh well. Now everyone can witness our fabulous costumes as we walk in late!” “I thought you told me you hated being “fashionably late”?” questioned Clyde. “Usually, but today I don’t think it matters much. We are only going to a simple Halloween party.” She walked over to the shop’s main door and looked back at Clyde with a smile. “Aren’t you coming, darling? We have parties to rob.” Clyde laughed and tipped his hat. “Of course.” After locking up the shop door, as her parents and sister were somewhere else for the day, Rarity climbed into the passenger seat of Clyde’s car. He quickly ran to the driver side and entered the car. Once he knew the two of them were ready, he drove off. Clyde was extremely grateful that Coach Iron Will showed generosity in the young basketball season so far. Last year he had practice mostly every day around this time, so the only Halloween activity he was able to do outside of school was watch the Trotsburg movie with Rarity. Of course, for this year, he wanted to spend more time with her compared to last anyway as she was his girlfriend now instead of just a good friend. “Do you think there will be a “Best Costume” award for us to win here?” asked Rarity as Clyde turned onto a street. “I doubt it,” said Clyde, paying attention to the slow driver’s actions in front of him, “he said it was only going to be a basic costume party, even though it’s at noon.” He briefly looked over at her. “Why?” “Oh, nothing. I just wanted to win as many awards and events I can this year with you. You already helped me win back my crown at the Fall Formal a few weeks ago, so I wanted to make sure I kept winning, whether they were as important as a school crown or not.” Clyde laughed. “I’m sure you’ll win more stuff as the year goes by. Hopefully I can win a game for the basketball team in the playoffs this year, too.” Rarity grabbed his right arm, the arm he usually has on the center armrest while driving, and smiled. “You’ll do fine this year, Clyde! When I watched some of your games at the park during the summer and I can confidently attest with my own eyes that you improved drastically!” “I tried,” replied Clyde with a nod and smile. He flicked on the radio and the two of them listened to the music for the rest of the drive. After a couple of songs and minutes, Clyde pulled along the curb in front of a house. There were plenty of cars already parked in the driveway and along the curbs, but Clyde luckily found a spot near the end of the driveway. He helped Rarity out of the car and together, the duo walked up the driveway and knocked on the door. The door remained closed for a few moments, but soon, a certain boy lit up as he opened the door. “Aw shit, it’s my dawg, C!” said Tyrone excitedly. Sounds of the party in the house boomed out the door. Tyrone clasped Clyde’s hand and looked at him. “So, what are you, dawg? A cowboy?” “Even better,” said Clyde, drawing his revolver and spinning it on his finger, “we are outlaws.” He put the fake gun back in its holster and chuckled. “Aren’t we just simply lovely?” asked Rarity, trying to look flirty and evil, before giving up and hugging Clyde’s side. Tyrone nodded at them with a smirk. “I’d say so.” He quickly turned around and motioned them inside. As the door behind them closed and they stood in the foyer, Tyrone looked at Rarity. “Your one friend is downstairs getting something ready.” “Who?” “That Pinkie girl. She showed up in a waste collector outfit and a big trash bag. I asked what the bag was for, but all she said was it’s important to the party.” “Oh!” said Rarity suddenly as if she remembered something. “I will go help her. She’s downstairs, yes?” “Yeah, girl. Near the pool table. The layout of this house hasn’t changed since New Year’s so you’ll find her easily.” “Perfect.” Rarity turned to Clyde. “I’ll be downstairs if you need me, darling.” Clyde nodded. “I’ll be down then. Have fun.” Rarity flashed a big smile. “Oh, we will. Just wait.” She gave him a kiss and walked away, giving one last wink before turning the corner and entering the party in the living room. Clyde kept a smile as he watched her walk away. “Damn, dawg,” said Tyrone with a whistle, “how’d you get lucky and get with her?” “Don’t even think about it,” said Clyde with a deadly look. “Chill, dawg. Damn. You know I have a bae, and plus, you’re my best dawg. I also know how much she means to you. You told me yourself.” Clyde gave a light chuckle and a nod. As he looked at Tyrone, he noticed something odd about him. “Hey, T, when are you dressing into your costume?” Tyrone was wearing a basketball jersey and some shorts. Tyrone burst into a laugh. “I am in my costume. I don’t need to “dress-up” and pretend to be something I’m not. I’m a baller so I have to show my passion.” He pinched and held up the jersey, making sure Clyde could see the ‘23’ on his chest. “One day, my jersey will be worn all over the nation.” “I believe in you, T,” said Clyde patting his friend on the shoulder, “but we still need to win a championship for the school first.” “Yeah, dawg. We’ll–” “TYRONE! STOP SLACKING AND GET BACK TO ATTACKING!” Clyde was confused on where the girly shout came from, but Tyrone froze in place and stood up straight. “Yes, Coach!” Clyde looked behind Tyrone to see a small girl dressed in a gray baggy hoodie and matching sweatpants. Around her neck was a shiny whistle and In her hands was a clipboard. Her rainbow hair illuminated the room with its various streaks of colorful light. “You dressed up as Coach Iron Will?” asked Clyde with a laugh towards First Light. Iron Will wore the same hoodie and pair of sweatpants everyday so the costume wasn’t hard to replicate. First Light seemed to make the plain outfit look better than Iron Will himself could. “Of course!” giggled First Light. “Bae needs motivation so he can be the best baller he can be!” Her light-hearted giggles instantly faded and her face turned serious. Clyde could tell she struggled trying to look serious but he found the attempt amusing. “Don’t be boring like my brother, show them how to smother!” “Y-yes, Coach!” Tyrone dropped to the floor and began doing push-ups. “Sorry, C, but I have to train. Enjoy the party!” He continued his pace as “Coach” First Light giggled and yelled at him for slowing down. Clyde gave them a wave and walked to the kitchen. For the next few hours, Clyde spent time talking to his peers or teammates and eating some food. He talked to various people, but mostly the fellow basketball team, such as Thunderlane and Bulk Biceps. The Halloween party didn’t have nearly as many people as Tyrone’s New Year’s party, but there still were plenty enough for a party. For some reason, Clyde couldn’t spot Rainbow Dash anywhere. Normally, Rainbow Dash attended every school or public event possible, so her absence confused him. After the long debate about a sports team, Clyde walked away from a group of boys and headed to the basement. As he was walking down the steps, Clyde noticed the carpet of the basement was covered in a sea of orange and black balloons. When he reached the floor, he looked around and saw Pinkie standing by the large TV, waving at him. She was standing by two other girls Clyde was used to seeing when he was with Rarity during school or sometimes at other random gatherings. “Hiya, Clyde!” shouted Pinkie Pie with a smile. Her waste collector costume outfit was a really random costume, but then again, it was perfect for Pinkie. “Hi...” whispered Fluttershy, giving a slight wave. Fluttershy was one of the least known out of Rarity’s normal group of girls she hung out with that Clyde knew. Due to her quiet personality, Clyde never had a chance to talk to her, even after all this time of being Rarity’s boyfriend. He was, however, always glad to see she didn’t act like she hated him, but he also never could see Fluttershy hate anyone, just like Pinkie. She wore a long, brown trunk for a costume, with a hat with fake branches and leaves spreading outward. He knew Fluttershy always liked nature and animals, but he didn’t understand why being a tree was an option for a costume. The third girl gave a welcoming smile. “Hello, Clyde.” Even though she was wearing a mask, Clyde knew the bright red and yellow hair. Her purple masquerade mask accented her purple and gold Victorian-styled dress. Sunset Shimmer was a newly added member to Rarity’s group of friends after the Battle of the Bands event that occurred shortly after the Spring Fling. Compared to the Sunset Shimmer he briefly met during Fall Formal week over a year ago, he liked this Sunset Shimmer much more. He wasn’t as acquainted with her as much as Rainbow Dash, but Clyde had a few interesting conversations about music and sports with her during a shopping day with the girls during the summer that Rarity dragged him to, even to his disinterest with the idea. Luckily for him, it was the only “Girls Shopping Day” he was forced to go to. “Hello, ladies.” He noticed someone was missing with them and frowned. “Where’s Rarity?” A sudden giggle later, a pair of arms quickly wrapped around his torso from behind him. The pair of arms hugged him tighter before he heard an angelic voice behind him. “Looks like you found me.” She stood on the tip of her toes to place her head on his shoulder. “Do you like what we did with the place?” she asked. Clyde tried quickly counting the balloons in his head, but gave up after twenty. There were at least two-hundred, maybe more, balloons scattered around the basement. “It’s dangerous to step anywhere, but I’m guessing this is another one of your “Balloon Pops”?” asked Clyde towards Pinkie. “Yup!” she answered in joy. “I carried in a big trash bag full of them! Rarity and the girls helped me with making these for the past week!” “Yeah, and of course your balloon pump broke, so we had to manually fill them with air,” said Sunset Shimmer, rolling her eyes. She shrugged and a smile formed. “But, it was fun filling them up with its contents, though.” “Oh, yes! Spending time with the girls was very fun! Especially making these balloons!” agreed Fluttershy. Clyde looked down at the balloons. The dark colors of the balloons made it impossible to see through them. “What is the prize this time? More movie tickets?” Rarity and the girls laughed. “There aren’t prizes, per se, darling. However, there could be a prize if you get lucky.” “What?” asked Clyde extremely confused. “You and everyone else will find out soon enough,” nodded Pinkie. “Oh, okay. When is that?” “Now!” Pinkie skipped through the balloon field as if they were mines and hopped up the stairs to the main floor of Tyrone’s house. She leaned through the door and took a deep intake of air. “HEY EVERYONE! COME DOWNSTAIRS!” she screamed. After she gave a laugh, Pinkie quickly slid down the stairs and skipped back to her original spot near the TV, giving a large smile as if nothing happened. Soon, the people in the kitchen began filing down the staircase and carefully found a spot to stand. Tyrone’s basement was spacious enough for all the people, but with the balloons on the floor, people had to gather closer to each other in order to see Pinkie. Tyrone eventually walked down the stairs and stood on the bottom step. “Aight, girl. Everyone is down here. What’s with these balloons?” “Okie dokie! Friends, lend me your ears! It’s time for another installment of Pinkie’s Balloon Pop!” Pinkie jumped in the air to celebrate, flailing around and screaming in joy, while everyone casually stood there confused. Once grounded, Pinkie lit up a grin. “Unlike my last few balloon pops, this time the contents of these balloons are much more deadly!” “Deadly?” asked a boy in fear, “you’re going to kill us?!” “What!? No!” Pinkie shook her head. “We are playing Truth or Dare!” The room fell silent and a few coughs and sighs were heard from the crowd of people gathered in Tyrone’s basement. “Oh, come on! It’ll be fun!” “I-I don’t know, girl,” said Tyrone scratching his head, “that may sound fun and all, but I don’t know if we can dig that, you feel me?” “I think you’re just scared, T,” said a voice from the crowd. Tyrone quickly looked for the source before it stepped out of the crowd to face him. Thunderlane’s grin on his face made Tyrone shake his head at him. “I ain’t scared, dawg.” “Then why don’t you go first?” said Thunderlane with another smug grin. He shifted his combat helmet on his head and crossed his arms. Thunderlane was decked out in a soldier outfit, combat helmet and all. “You don’t think I will?” laughed Tyrone. “Nope.” “Shit, I’ll do it.” The crowd cheered and Clyde shook his head. Tyrone let peer pressure win again. Tyrone took a few steps away from everyone, his head hovering over his chosen balloon. As he lifted up his foot, a shout from Pinkie stopped him. “Wait!” yelled Pinkie, holding up her arms. “I didn’t tell you how to play!” “I just stomp, girl,” said Tyrone, his foot still in air, “I got this.” “No!” Pinkie shook her head. “Not that part, silly! That’s obvious! I meant the Truth or Dare part of it!” Tyrone lowered his foot and waited for her answer, giving a sigh. Pinkie looked across the room and nodded. “‘Kay! Before you begin, you must declare Truth or Dare! After popping the balloon with any means you want, then, you must obey the corresponding slip of paper within! There’s a slip for each. After the person is done with their Truth or Dare, they pick the next one in line!” She exhaled and smiled. Tyrone smirked. “Aight. Dare.” He slammed his foot to the ground, smashing the orange balloon underneath. The loud explosion caused a few people to jump, including Rarity, which Clyde felt hug him tighter in reaction. Tyrone slowly lifted his sneakers and bend down to pick up his Dare slip. As he stood up, he frowned. “Break the nearest portrait on the wall?” He looked around the basement and once he saw a portrait, he began to cry. “Not that one... My mama is going to beat me...” The room glanced at the portrait on the wall that Tyrone was crying about. It was a small dog, a tan chihuahua from what Clyde could tell. The dog had to be somewhat of importance to Tyrone’s family if there was a painted portrait on the wall of it. Tyrone sulked over to the portrait and sniffled. He took it off the wall, and with a mighty sigh, smashed it against the wall. The frame of the portrait fell apart and the picture of the dog fell to the floor and disappeared under the ocean of balloons. A few members of the crowd laughed or coughed as Tyrone sadly walked back to Thunderlane. He looked at him angrily. “If I get grounded because of you, I know where to find you, dawg.” Thunderlane waved him away. “Yeah, yeah.” “Go ahead. Your turn, dawg.” Thunderlane shrugged and burst into a chuckle. “Fine with me. I’ll pick Dare, too.” He picked up the black balloon under him and smashed it together with his palms. As he read the small slip, he twitched his eye. “Seriously?!” “You can’t back out of it now!” said Pinkie with a giggle. She couldn’t possibly know what it was, but Clyde knew most of these dares had to be embarrassing or something of the like. “You heard her,” stated Tyrone with a nod. Soon, the crowd around Tyrone begin to holler, awaiting Thunderlane’s actions. Thunderlane shook his head and looked over at Tyrone. “Hey man... I need to borrow an orange.” “Why?” Thunderlane gulped and his face turned red. “I need to passionately kiss an orange for a minute...” Tyrone blinked a few times before he, and the rest of the crowd, burst into a laughter. Thunderlane shook his head in embarrassment trying to conceal his face. “Oh man,” laughed Tyrone, almost unable to breathe, “that is hilarious, dawg!” “That is funny!” laughed Pinkie, “I don’t even remember who put that one in there!” “Just get the damn orange!” yelled Thunderlane in embarrassment. “I want to get this over with!” Tyrone patted him on the back before running up the stairs. After a few seconds, he ran back down the stairs to the basement with an orange in his hand. He handed it to Thunderlane while giving a coy smile. Thunderlane quickly grabbed it, trying his best to ignore the laughter around him. After a sigh, Thunderlane placed his lips on the orange and began to “passionately” kiss it. The rest of the room fell silent as they watched Thunderlane move the orange around in his hands and use his lips and tongue to kiss it all over. After the minute was over, Thunderlane dropped the orange to the floor and shook his head rapidly, nearly sobbing. “I can’t do that anymore, man. I just can’t...” “There, there, dawg. You did good.” Tyrone game him a hug while Pinkie burst into a loud laugh. She looked around the room at the growing amount of smiles and smiled herself. “I told you this would be fun! Who's next?!” The Truth or Dare Balloon Pop went on like this for hours. The silly twist of the balloon pop soon took the party by storm, and laughter and ‘oohs’ carried throughout the basement. Pinkie had the biggest smile of all in the basement due to the fact so many people began to enjoy her newest activity. Clyde noticed a lot of people picked Dare, which led to some interesting situations. Bulk Biceps had to sing a famous boy band song and dance to it. Seeing him do that in his snowflake costume made it even more amusing for people. As for a random girl, she had to say the whole alphabet of a foreign language while spinning. Eventually Clyde was up and he decided to pick Truth for once. As he read his slip, he was glad it wasn’t something too embarrassing. Clyde said his favorite guilty pleasure song and walked back to his spot against the wall beside Rarity. Instead of picking an obvious choice for whose turn it was next, he picked Pinkie. Rarity gave him a pout. “Finally! Truth!” Pinkie hopped off the couch and circled the room looking for her prey. After a quick nod, she dove down and held a orange balloon above her head. The balloon somehow popped by a magical force, or maybe because it was Pinkie, and the Truth slip landed perfectly in her palm. “Say the name of your crush!” she read aloud before giggling. “I don’t have a crush! I love everyone!” A few groans from random boys emitted, but Pinkie ignored them and continued her giggles. After a few moments, she glanced at Fluttershy and Sunset, before stopping at Rarity. “Your turn, Rarity!” Rarity smiled. “With pleasure. I pick Dare.” The crowd fell silent and Clyde felt a nervous feeling within him. He hoped she didn’t get a dare involving another boy, because he would have to stop it. He wasn’t going to have any of that, even if it was a trivial party game. Rarity stopped at a black balloon near the TV before digging her heel into it. With a loud pop, the balloon burst and she bent down to pick up the Dare slip. As she returned to a standing pose, she smiled with lowered eyes and looked directly at Clyde. “Oh, hello there, darling...” The eyes in the room all slowly turned towards Clyde as well, making him feel nervous again. Clyde ignored them as best as he could to focus on Rarity. After knowing her for over a year now, he knew that look by heart and realized something was about to happen that Rarity, himself, or the both of them would enjoy tremendously. His nervousness washed away and he smirked. “I’m guessing I’m involved, so what is it?” Rarity kept her coquettish gaze on him and giggled. In his peripherals, Clyde saw Pinkie, Fluttershy, and Sunset look at each other before smiling. “It looks like I have to be locked in a room and make out with someone in a matching costume for the rest of the game?” Rarity closed her eyes and elegantly chuckled. “How in heavens did I ever manage to get this lucky?” “Wait, are you serious?!” asked Clyde in bewilderment. Boys from the crowd sighed in disappointment, wishing they had the same fate as him. Rarity walked towards him and handed him the slip. “See?” she said with a big smile. Clyde looked down and, sure enough, the dare Rarity detailed was written on the paper. He saw that there was a purple heart for a period to end the sentence on the dare, but before he could question it, Rarity grabbed his hands and led him away from the crowd. Girls in the crowd, including Pinkie and them, oohed at them while most jealously-filled boys shook their head. Clyde couldn’t feel anymore prouder of the moment, even though he could kiss her anytime he wanted to. “Get it, C! Get it!” called Tyrone as Rarity led Clyde down the hallway of the basement. They stopped in front of the small door and Rarity quickly shoved Clyde inside. She turned towards the crowd and smiled. “Now, now. Don’t be prying on us~!” she sang before closing the door and letting darkness enter the room. The room was completely in a blackout and Clyde didn’t know what to expect. Suddenly, arms wrapped around him and he felt a gentle breath close to his face. He instantly blushed and put his arms around her. “So, I–” “Shh,” whispered Rarity. He felt one of her fingers cover his lips. “My dare was to make out with you, not hold a conversation. I figured we could mix it up for a bit, so save the talk for later, darling.” She quietly giggled to herself and Clyde saw a sparkle in her sapphire eyes. Her eyes were the only visible light in the room. Clyde couldn’t respond back as he felt Rarity press against him and kiss him lightly. He returned the action and soon, the two of them began kissing each other lovingly in complete blindness. Clyde had never kissed her in “complete” darkness before, but he did seem to enjoy it just as much. He never really saw her anyway while they kissed in complete daylight, as his eyes were always closed, so almost nothing changed. Their love for each other hadn’t changed nor had their personalities. What did change, however, was the setting and the clothing that they wore, which both of them didn’t care about at the moment. As minutes went by and Clyde and Rarity continued their kissing deadlock with each other in total blackness, a single thought flowed through his mind. This was the best Halloween ever. ~ ~ ~ The city of Canterlot was beginning to be bathed in the glow of twilight as Tyrone’s Halloween party drew to a close. After Rarity’s dare, the Truth or Dare game lasted a few more rounds until everyone went. Fluttershy had to break open the closet door to get Rarity to stop kissing Clyde. Rarity gave Fluttershy a pout before clinging back onto his arm. Fluttershy smiled at them before helping Pinkie and Sunset Shimmer clean up the remnants of the balloon pop. Eventually, Clyde and Rarity said farewell to their friends and peers and were stopped by Tyrone as they walked out of the house. “Ey! Wait up, C!” Clyde turned around. “What’s up?” “What are you two doing tonight? Bae wanted to go to that haunted house near the mall and I figured, since you are my best dawg, wanted to come, too.” “A haunted house?” questioned Clyde. Clyde always wanted to see what the thrill of a “fake” haunted house was, but he never had an opportunity to go with someone else. He refused to go himself because truthfully, he wasn’t a huge fan of horror-related things. That was until he met Rarity. “A haunted house?” repeated Rarity with disinterest. “Absolutely not! Why would I go to some strange, dilapidated building where strange people that are dressed up in awful looking costumes try and grab me?” “Come on, Rarity. I’ll be there with you if you need something to hold onto.” Clyde gave her a grin, but she shook her head. “Yeah, girl. All you gotta do is let C carry you through it if you want. The people are saying this house is freaky.” Tyrone nodded. Rarity crossed her arms with her head up high to ignore them. After a few seconds, she instantly smiled as if she had a revelation. “Now that I think about it, maybe we should go, Clyde. It could be fun.” “Yeah!” exclaimed Tyrone happily. “We’ll meet up at the place around eight or so, C. You know where it is, right?” “You just said it was by the mall. I’ll find it.” Tyrone rubbed his head and lightly laughed. “Aight, dawg. See you then. Peace!” Tyrone quickly ran back inside of his house allowing Clyde and Rarity to enter the car. After starting it up, handing the auxiliary cord to Rarity to allow her to listen to her music from her phone, and pulling away from the curb in front of the house, Clyde drove back towards her home. “So, how did you know?” asked Clyde a minute later at a traffic light. “Excuse me?” “How did you know which balloon it was on the ground? There were way too many to get that lucky.” Rarity looked out the passenger side window. “Clyde, I have no idea what you are talking about.” “Sure,” said Clyde with a smile. “You obviously had something to do with it. The slip was in your handwriting and there was that small heart you usually use when you write about or towards me.” Rarity giggled and let out a dreamy sigh. “You have to admit, I did create a wonderful dare for myself.” Clyde raised his eyebrow. “So, it was you?” “Of course it was, darling! It was quite easy, too.” Rarity pulled out a small bottle of nail polish from her boot and showed it to him. The color was as black as the balloon she popped. “As you know, the girls and I spent some time with Pinkie this week to write these slips. I wanted to have fun, so I wrote my own dare, since our matching costumes were to signify us being a couple. Anyway, I placed the dare in a black balloon and marked it with this nail polish. It might be the same color, but this has certain glimmer so I could easily tell which balloon it was. You know what happened next.” “I love how creative you are.” Clyde gave her a grin which caused her to smile greatly. “Thank you, my love. I have to be creative at all times for my work and having you around now helps me very much!” She grabbed his right arm and snuggled into it. “Are you ready for the haunted house tonight?” “I’m surprised you actually decided to go. Normally you hate horror stuff.” Rarity slyly grinned. “I do. However, I figured if this house is truly as scary as people say, then I have a perfect excuse for you to stay over tonight! You have to protect me at all costs, correct?” She gave him a usual flirty wink. Clyde smirked and quickly snapped his focus back to the road to prevent a crash. At a stoplight, he thought about something again he told himself earlier. Now it was a fact. This was definitely the best Halloween ever.