Dressed-Up Apples

by Mr Merritt

Chapter Two

“Nightmare Night in Canterlot must be amazing.” sighed Silver Spoon. The pretty grey filly and her equally grey colt companion sat at their usual table at Ponyville’s ice cream parlour.

“I wish…I could say yes…or no to that.” remarked the colt. He sipped at his root beer float, but there was no mistaking the excited twinkle in his dark eyes.

“What is that supposed to mean?” queried the filly.

“I have never…spent a single…Nightmare Night outside…of the restaurant.” The colt focused on a long sip of his frosty drink, glancing up at the open-mouthed shock on his friend’s face.

“You mean you’ve never been out trick or treating?!”

“Don’t forget the…restaurant was in the…middle of Canterlot’s business…district. The closest… neighborhood with…homes was way too…far away for me to go. At least…that was what…Mother and Father…always told me.” Silver Spoon let this explanation sink in for a moment until Peppermill spoke again.

“Don’t get me wrong…you would have…been amazed at what went…on during Nightmare Night. Anypony in…a costume was given…a discount on their meal. Father went all out…to make special spooky…dishes and Mother…had a knack for…dark décor. Believe me…I didn’t miss out…”

***

“Ah always missed out on the fun…every year.” Big Macintosh and Caramel were having their usual get-together at the local watering hole, and the red pony was oddly talkative on this day. The younger stallion knew better than to dare interrupt the massive pony’s…well, for all purposes rant, and remained silent as he nursed his bottle of cider.

“It aint lahk I didn’t enjoy carrying ponies on the hay wagon. But ah always had to wear that same costume every year.”

“The…uh, costume?” Caramel knew fully well the stallion referred to the rather simple hat and cloak combo that was as famous as Big Macintosh’s harness.

“Do ya know I had them since I wuz just a colt? It was the only thing I could wear…”

***

“I always loved…looking at all the…fancy costumes the…guests to the restaurant…would wear…” Peppermill’s eyes shined as he and Silver Spoon headed out of the ice cream parlour and into downtown Ponyville.

“Since when are you interested in dress up?” teased the filly.

“I have always…liked the idea…of dressing up…” The filly realized that her friend was serious, and gave him a surprised look.

“The idea of…looking and sounding…like a completely different pony. I just found it…amazing. Sometimes even the staff…would dress up. Some of them were…really good at…changing their mannerisms and…their voices to the point…I didn’t recognize them. I wanted so badly…to do that…”

I would have never expected this sort of thing from him… thought Silver Spoon.

***

I never knew Big Mac was so…intense about this sort of thing. Caramel could only watch and listen as the draft horse continued his speech, probably the longest amount of time he had ever seen Big Mac speak.

“It seemed all the other ponies were havin’ so much fun during Nightmare Night, wut with the parties, the food and the trick or treatin’. I never got a chance to do that on account ah had to go to bed early to work the next mornin’. But ya know nwut I wanted to do more than any of that?”

“Um…”

“I wanted to dress up…”

“Dress…up?” The smaller stallion winced, bracing himself for some sort of angry response, but it was obvious Big Mac was far too deep in his memories and longings.

“Ah ain’t talkin’ about fancy stuff. Ah mean in a costume, or so gussied up that no pony could recognize ya. I always thought that if ah looked lahk a different pony, maybe they wouldn’t be so shy around me cuz of mah size. Or maybe I could feel lahk somepony other than mahself. Maybe…more inclined to be friendly and social-lahk…” The sudden sobriety made the smaller pony feel the need to say something comforting, despite having no idea what exactly to say.

“You are plenty social Big Mac…”

“Mah own younger sisters and little brother have more friends than ah ever had, and all cuz they ain’t shy. Ifin I wuz a different pony, ah could be that way to…”

***

“Why would you want to be a different pony? I think you are just fine the way you are.” Despite her sincerity, Silver Spoon found herself a bit…concerned about just how zealous the little chef seemed to be about the topic of costumes.

“I don’t know…why anypony wouldn’t. Didn’t some famous…pony say something about…walking a mile…in some other pony’s…horseshoes?”

“I think you might be a bit confused Peppermill.”

“Well ok then…what about the idea…of confidence? Rarity…always talks about how…a beautiful dress makes…her feel even more…glamorous than usual…”

“I don’t see you as the…ahem…glamorous type.” snickered the filly.

“This coming from…the filly who has a servant…spend an hour every morning…braiding her mane…” It was all Peppermill could do not to swallow his tongue when Silver Spoon spun around and waved a hoof under his snout.

“Don’t go saying things like that so loudly!” hissed the filly through bared teeth. “I don’t want any of the other fillies to hear about that. I am trying not to seem like some sort of spoiled princess…”

“You just about…said brat.” Peppermill simply grinned, knowing the grey filly’s fierceness was more show than anything. She gave a haughty snort and turned around, flicking her tail under his nose. The colt gave a chuckle, but continued on his train of thought undaunted.

“Maybe it was because…I always loved how Mother…looked in all those…amazing dresses and outfits…she wore as a…fashion model.”

“So what you are saying is you want to wear dresses?” teased Silver.

“…maybe.”

“What?!”

***

“The moment ah saw that there trophy fer Best Nightmare Night Costume, ah wanted it. Ah figured the other colts an’ fillies would think that I wuzn’t so scary and more lahk them, they might, ya know, want to be friends with me…” Big Macintosh’s semi-rant had dissolved into morose self-pity much to Caramel’s chagrin. The smaller stallion felt he had to say something…anything at this point even though he was grasping for straws for ways to comfort his friend and mentor.

“Maybe…maybe this year will be different?”

“Darn right it’s gonna be different!” The massive stallion slammed a hoof on the table, rattling the empty cider bottles and making Caramel stifle a squeak of fright (not to mention squeaks from some of the surrounding patrons). Big Mac blinked and looked around sheepishly. “Uh, ah saw an ant on the table…” Once the other ponies were satisfied (and their heart rates had returned to normal), the Apple stallion continued in a more moderate tone.

“This tahm around ah got a secret weapon. Ah realized the reason I ain’t had a chance to win the costume contest is that I kept doing it fer mahself. But now I got a better reason to fulfill mah dream…”

“A better reason?” questioned Caramel. Big Mac leaned in, his green eyes twinkling.

“Ah got a little brother. A little brother just the right age fer costume contests.”

Comments

[Someguy987]

That last bit didn't sound creepy at all

[moguera]

Oh this is gonna be good!