Chapter 24: October 31, Fantasmagoriana
Yet Another Human in Equestria Story
By: Bardic Knowledge
Chapter 24: October 31, Fantasmagoriana
“It's a rather curious outfit, dear,” said Rarity, making certain my costume was absolutely perfect. I opted not to wear my gala suit on Nightmare Night, despite its vampiric appearance, and instead described to Rarity what my favourite coat looked like. Of course, like the empty sheath that hung in my room, it wasn't made out of leather like the original, but it still had the proper sheen. “If I didn't know better, I'd wonder if this is what this 'Absolute Darkness' you keep swearing by looks like.”
I rolled my eyes, not that she could see them under my hood. “I use variations on darkness because-”
“-I don't like swearing.” we finished together. Rarity continued with a chuckle, “I know, dear. I just said that I know better.”
I guess it might be beneficial to describe what my costume is, then. I was going as The Mysterious Figure from Kingdom Hearts: Birth By Sleep. Yeah, I know he's technically “Young Xehanort,” but I prefer to just use his Bonus Boss form. What separated this costume from a generic Organization cloak (and aforementioned Young Xehanort) was the cloth tied around my face that kept anything below my eyes from being seen. The hood was long enough to cover the rest of my face, but angled just right to let me see.
I still grin when I remember people at Youmacon 2011 declaring that I had no face. On Earth, I used the cloak in conjunction with my great-grandparent's scythe my gramma still had in her barn to play Death for a Halloween or two. Unfortunately, I couldn't do the same in Equestria because the two figures most associated with death don't use scythes. The gods Blood Money, Lord of the Dead (who reminded me of Hades. The proper one, not Disney's), and Soul Reaper, Lord of Journeys (I had to stop myself from making Bleach jokes whenever I heard his name), preferred a pickaxe and a giant oar, respectively.
Which meant I also had to resist making Minecraft and Soul Calibur silly weapons jokes. Turns out that the full pantheon of Equestrian gods was actually a combination of each tribe's own, and a majority of them actually came from the Earth Pony's culture. Blood Money, for example, was their god of death and riches because they believed that all their suffering would be repaid in the afterlife by him (and of course, the oppressive Pegasi and Unicorns would get to suffer in turn).
What kept Celestia, Luna, and Cadance from being dubbed deities (other than their continued insistence and despite ponies swearing by them) was the stark difference in depiction. While the Princesses were tall and made of all the races and had magic manes and all that, the gods of Equestria were said to be made of their domain. So Blood Money was actually made of golden bones, Soul Reaper looked like he was built of boats and roads and the like.
Still not sure how they depict some of the stranger ones, like Distant Horizons, the Lady of Time, or Absolute Glory, the Lord of Victory. I suppose they'd be made of clocks and trophies, respectively.
I can't even begin to speculate on Unknown Shores, the Lady of Mystery.
Regardless, my costume was ready, and Rarity needed some time to get ready herself. That alone told me not to expect Princess Luna this year. At least that gave me time to persuade her to be a bit less... abrasive when she does come by. I put my costume in my pocket (I love Time Lord technology, even if its actually magic) and headed for home.
Home. Yeah, I guess it has come to be that recently. I smiled to myself. Despite now officially being boyfriend and marefriend (yes, that's how we referred to each other), our lives hadn't changed much since the date. We cuddle on the couch occasionally, actually eat together sometimes instead of just cooking something when we're hungry, stuff like that.
Haven't heard back from the university on the progress for the anthropomorphizing spell yet, which kind of bugs me. And Twilight checked for a ponification spell for me, but there wasn't anything she could find in that direction, either.
Still, it was nice to have someone.
A few hours later and it was just getting dark out, signalling the time to Trick or Treat. I don't think there's a different phrase for Equestria other than the little Nightmare Night rhyme you hear in the show. I only ever missed one Halloween in my life, and that was when my whole household forgot it was Halloween. We had the candy when the first Trick or Treaters showed up, but otherwise we were unprepared.
I swapped my everyday coat for the Organization Cloak, tied on the mask, put on my gloves, and walked to the door.
Only to find a stranger in the kitchen.
More specifically, a strange human.
Even more specifically, a strange woman.
With very familiar hair.
I raised an eyebrow (even if she couldn't see it), and said, “Trixie?”
She stomped and pouted, “Oh, poo. And here I was hoping it'd take you longer.”
“It might have... If you had used a different hair style.” I chuckled, pointing. She glanced at her silvery-blue hair and sighed. “I'm guessing this is a rather convincing illusion?”
“Indeed. I've layered it well enough to fool sight, sound, and smell, but if I could do anything with touch it'd be more than just an illusion.”
Refrain from mentioning taste, refrain from mentioning taste I mentally chanted. “Well, I must say, you did well.”
She “stood” just a couple inches shorter than me, with a very slender form. If I knew what the numbers for measurements meant, I'd use them. She did remember to put clothes on the illusion, and she was “wearing” what looked like her cloak, a white shirt, a vest, and a knee-length skirt.
Altogether quite cute.
I left a bowl of candies by the door with a note saying “Take One.” Pink and Dash gave me a hand with enforcing it by putting up a prank scarecrow that would jump at anypony who tried to take more. There was also a camera nearby that would go off when it jumped, for laughs afterwards.
Walking around town, Trixie adding an illusion of ground fog to my costume, upping the creepy. I saw a few interesting costumes. Dash simply wore a mock-up Wonderbolts uniform (it was rather obviously not real from the way it was sown). Pinks had... fake wings and horn, with paper taped over her cutie mark, a badly drawn sun on the paper. Sweet Heart of Darkness she's dressed as Pinklestia. How does she...? Right Pinkie Pie, don't question it.
Big Mac had a rather elaborate Headless Horse costume, and Applejack wore what looked like tree branches with several buds, green leaves, and brown leaves on them. One was bare. Huh. That would be Reborn Seasons, Lady of the World, I believe. I guess it doesn't count as blasphemous if AJ was wearing it.
When the CMC ran by with their own bags of candy, I did a quick double take. I think they were dressed as the Fellowship's Hobbits. I'd have to see them later to confirm.
Rarity was trying to catch up to them wearing a bright white robe, which didn't tell me much. Not sure what she was going for...
I didn't see Fluttershy, but I expected that considering her reaction to the holiday in Luna Eclipsed. The odd thing to me was the lack of Twilight and Spike. So, Trixie and I went to the library and I knocked on the door. After a few seconds of no response, I knocked louder by kicking the door.
With a continued lack of response, I tried the door handle and it swung wide open.
“Maybe she's going for a haunted library?” I commented.
“Doesn't seem her style,” Trixie said.
“She did manage to scare AJ and Rarity when they had their sleepover before you showed up.”
“How do you...?”
“It was an episode of the show.”
“Should've known.”
I looked around the dimly lit library, and noticed a light from under the stairs. Looking, I found a closed door, with the light coming out of from under it. Opening the door, I heard beeping and clicking that reminded me of old movies like Forbidden Planet.
“Twilight?” I called, entering what turned out to be her basement from Feeling Pinkie Keen. She was deep in examining something printing off the reel computers, but when I spoke up, she turned and looked up.
“AAAAAAAHHHHH!” she screamed, flinching back I blinked, then looked at myself.
“Oh, right,” I flipped down my hood and lowered the cloth mask. “It's just me and Trixie. You can stop with the fog effect, Trix.”
She put a hoof over her heart and panted, almost hyperventilating. “J-Joe? WHAT THE HELL WAS THAT?!” she shouted.
“Jeez, it's just my Nightmare Night costume.”
“Nightmare... Night?” she gasped. “That was tonight?! Oh, I got so caught up in my research I completely forgot!”
“Sounds like you,” said Trixie, rolling “her” eyes.
“Do I still have time? I have to get my costume ready!” She tore up the stairs, knocking me off balance.
“Am... I done now, Twilight?” called Spike's voice. From behind the computer banks. We walked down and found him with what looked like jumper cable clips on his spikes and the brain-scan-colander on his head.
“Jeez, what kind of research was she doing?” I said, letting him loose.
“Well, I managed to get some things for her before she asked for them and she decided to see if I could read her mind.”
“Did it work?”
“Not so much. At least she gave me some gems before strapping me in.”
“You going to be all right?” Trixie asked.
“Yeah, I'll just put this stuff away and shut down the machines. You guys go keep enjoying Nightmare Night.”
Trixie and I glanced at each other (I quickly had to raise my eyes, too used to looking in her pony ones), shrugged, then left. There was a loud rustling coming from upstairs before Twilight burst out of her room, wearing... copies of Trixie's hat and cloak.
“I'm not sure weather to feel flattered or creeped out,” muttered Trixie.
“I'd go for 'flattered,'” I whispered back, before putting my hood back up.
Twilight set a bowl of candy by the door, which I took a piece of, and then we went into town. As per Luna Eclipsed, there were games to be played and there were stalls set up to sell noncandy food for the celebrations, one of which was run by AJ.
“Now I'm really wishing I had read the Oz books.”
“What do you mean?” asked Twilight and Trixie. I straightened and looked at both of them before continuing.
“Next year, AJ's going to be dressed as a scarecrow, and there's a character in The Wizard of Oz who is a scarecrow. I've only seen the movie, though, so I'd have to transcribe it... Come to think of it, I could write up a script for the movie for plays. I'd have to adapt certain lines, though...”
It did feel good to pass on the stories from my world. Being a storyteller is why my pony name would be Bardic Knowledge.
Regardless, we played a few games (I had a tough time with the spider toss game, and wouldn't touch the apple bobbing game), saw Snips and Snails also dressed as Trixie (“Still unsure,” she muttered), and got more candy.
Twilight didn't even bother suggesting that either of us were too old for Trick or Treating. I guess that conversation's not going to happen with Pinkie next year.
After the festivities were over and the children were being escorted back to their homes by their parents or other responsible figure, the Mane Six, plus Trixie and I, met at the library for a small party-ish thing, where we swapped stories and I traded what chocolate I got with some of Pinkie's non-chocolates.
I finally found out what Rarity's costume was supposed to be. She was simultaneously dressed as a Herald and Companion out of Mercedes Lackey's Valdemar series (of which I had introduced Burning Brightly to Equestria).
“So,” started Dash, floating near the ceiling. “Got any good scary stories, anypony?”
“I think I have one,” I said. “Though I'll need a quick memory spell to do it right.” After Twilight complied, I began. “Some of this might be hard to translate, because you don't have the same level of technology as we do on Earth, but... This is the story of BEN...”
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I wanna hear the story Ben drowned is awesome!
I adore fantasy religions. A pantheon is an excellent cross-section of a culture, showcasing all of the concepts that really matter to the society that created it. Seeing how the Therian pantheon got divided amongst the three tribes is very cool and very informative. (Though I can't help but wonder if Fine Wine was originally a very ambitious goat.
)
Plus, the countless variations on the theme of "god" are always interesting. I don't think I've seen divine elementals composed of their portfolios before.
Well, if nothing else, Twilight will have that template polymorph in a few years. Of course, story-you doesn't know that.
In any case, definitely looking forward to more. You're making the right choice by not doing every week. That would get old fast.
Awwww...I wish this was more interesting. Well, whatever. HAPPY NIGHTMARE NIGHT :DDDDD
Which one is Xenegos? Actually, I would like to see which Theros god each of your gods are based one and why. But only for curiosities sake.
4205004
Like I said, most of them were based on hypothetical gods, since I came up with the list before Born of the Gods named the minor gods. Even so, they're listed in colour order. Heliod, Thassa, Erebos, Purphoros, Nylea, Ephara, Athreos, Phenax, Keranos, Mogis, Pharika, Xenagos, Iroas, Karametra, Kruphix.
4205919 So if I am understanding correctly, Fine Wine is red/green? So he would be closest to Xenegos? That would make sense, god if Revels to Lord of Revelry. Cool. Thanks.
Speaking of witch. Do you Play MTG? If so what colors do you like? Red/green is good and I am having fun with blue/green.
Ben Drowned... HELL YEAH!!!
4205975
I've been playing magic off and on since Portal. I currently have about twenty-three decks, one for each mono-colour (plus another mono-red and mono-white), one for each guild, three five-colour, and three three-colour (WUB, BGW, and URG).
Of these, one is Return to Ravnica-only (one of the five-colours, as it is Gate-based), and three others are Standard (Boros, Rakdos, and Simic). Currently, the Simic deck (named Evolution of Heroes) is the one I'd probably take to FNM, in part because the Theros block keeps giving me cards for it, like Kiora.
My favourite and best deck (and the only one I pretty bought most of) is my WUB Commander deck, Ethereal Mastery, which is enchantment-based and designed to protect myself from attack until I either pull off a game-winning combo (Glorious Anthem+Enchanted Evening+Opalescence) or watch my opponents slowly die from Subversion-type effects.
I think you meant "do".
4208246 you've met with a terrible fate haven't you?
d̫̀̽̃ͧ͂ȃ̲̖̭̟y͖̺̟̜̜̹̗͢ ̝̽̓͒ͯͮ̀f͍̳̱̣͛̑ͩ̅͋͊ȏ̱̹̫̹̬̽ͅừ̻͉̚ͅr͓̲̥̘̯ͩͩ.̅ͫ̊ͬ͢wͪ̒̉ͦͦͣ̿m̋̃v̛̦̭ͣ̌̊̃ͣͭ
There's some rather unfortunate implications by observing that Trixie had a vest on when she was also wearing a shirt.
He has a hood instead of a hat; however, he sounds a little like this character.
The Shadow, who wears a black cloak and a long red scarf that covers his mouth and chin; he also wears a black, double-breasted trench coat and a wide-brimmed, black Fedora slouch hat.
i wonder if he ever got to tell them about the new episodes