Tricks and Treats

by Liquid Savage

Ticket to Thick It

The unicorn sipped her tea and took a glance out the window. She smiled as some orange leaves fluttered in the morning wind. The chill in the air made her feel ever the comfier, curled up on her nice warm seat with a good book. Living in a little cottage deep in the White Tail Woods meant she was surrounded by fallen leaves, but dealing with an overabundance was no problem for a spell caster of her considerable talents.

Her coat was black as night, and her mane a soft lavender that flowed over her shoulder. Her physique was what she heard many current-age ponies call a ‘mom bod’, with her curvaceous flanks giving a groove to her cutie mark - a cauldron with a lollipop sticking out of the purple liquid inside.

“There’s no doubt about it,” she said, adjusting her half-moon reading glasses, “Autumn is my favourite time of year.”

Her ears twitched at a gentle knock on the old wood of the cottage door.

“Oh, now who could that be?” she wondered. “Do excuse me, my dear.”

Her horn glowed with a lavender purple aura, which then covered her body as she slowly floated off her seat and onto the floor.

Her seat was in fact an earth pony. A mare who the unicorn had found wandering the Woods the night before. She couldn’t just leave the poor dear on her own on a cold night, so she used some of her magic to bring the young lady to her cottage to stay for the night, and to give her something to eat while she was there. She couldn’t bear to watch any creature go hungry.

Of course, once the mare had one bite of the unicorn’s baked treats, she couldn’t stop herself. She ate and ate and ate, growing herself into a gargantuan ball of soft, jiggling fat that was currently splayed out on its back and snoring quietly. Something the unicorn’s guests were wont to do, not that she complained; she was having trouble concentrating on her book recently, and she needed something soft to rest on while she took in its contents.

“Oh, you’re still asleep, aren’t you?” she chuckled, gently pressing a hoof into her guest’s side. “Well, once I see who’s at the door, I’ll get breakfast going, hm?”

She sauntered to the door with a natural sway to her flanks, and used her magic to open the door. On her stoop was a pegasus stallion wearing a mailpony uniform. He looked a little apprehensive, though she wasn’t sure why.

“Good morning, ma’am,” he began politely. “Are you Spellbound?”

“Why yes, I am,” the unicorn said with a warm smile. She quite liked the look of him.

He presented his wing, with a plump envelope between its feathers. “Letter for you.”

“And you’re giving it to me personally?” Spellbound’s smile grew as she took the letter in her magic. “You simply must let me give you a little something for being such a gentlecolt.”

She fluttered her lashes, and his pupils dilated before he shot into the air.

“Sorryma’amnotimelotstodohaveagoodday!” he squeaked.

Spellbound puffed out her cheeks. “Why do the cute ones always run?” she lamented. “And he was such a skinny young thing too. More’s the pity.”

With her magic, she unfolded the envelope flap and opened the letter inside, starting to read.

Dear Spellbound,

Thank you for showing interest in partaking in the annual Nightmare Night Festival. We are pleased to inform you that your request to operate a stall for the Night Market has been accepted. Please find the corresponding information inclosed.

Sincerely,
Petal Wind
Manager, Ponyville Department of Recreation

“They let me in!” gasped Spellbound, her front hooves pattering on the floor. The main reason she loved autumn was because it contained Nightmare Night, her favourite holiday of the year. A night of treats, tricks and scares, that she herself had enjoyed for centuries now.

Indeed, along with the letter was a whole slew of information, including a map pointing out where her stall would be placed, and a list of what she was and wasn’t allowed to do.

“No provocative costumes,” she quietly read aloud as she paced back into the cottage. “No pranks that will cause harm or discomfort to guests or festival staff.”

She snorted at that. The very idea that she’d hurt or disturb any creature. They didn’t add that part just for her, did she? Was it because she turned the Running of the Leaves into the Waddling of the Leaves a few weeks prior? The onlookers seemed to agree it was all in good jest!

She trotted over to a nook that housed her huge, trusty cauldron, and zapped the enchanted coals beneath with her magic to stoke the fire and quickly bring the water inside to a boil. A mischievous smirk crossed her muzzle.

“I don’t plan to hurt anycreature, but Nightmare Night is not the time for good behaviour.” She scanned the shelves surrounding the cauldron. “Now, where did I put the Poison Joke…?”