> Baby's First Nightmare Night > by paddedfox > -------------------------------------------------------------------------- > Chapter Gilda > -------------------------------------------------------------------------- Ponyville slept in a still, strange silence as the fleeting moments of dusk lingered in the air. No movement to disturb the picturesque peace. No noise save for the choir of crickets. Not a single soul on the scene, though the stage had been fully set for an evening of spooks and sweets.  In that twilight gap, the streets lay barren and the inflatable bats and plastic skeletons stood forlorn. It was as if the whole town had been struck by some anticipatory stupor. For the brief period bridging day and night together, the only ones to enjoy the sunset were the street lamps just flickering to life and the various ornamentation that beautified the town.  Any other night, you’d find most residents of the quaint little Equestrian village rushing to the comfort of their homes to comfortably cap off their busy day, but not tonight. This was the night of nights: Nightmare Night. And as Celestia’s light sank further and further beneath the horizon to usher this particular night in, ponies once again flooded the streets; each and everyone transformed by the costumes they wore and hungry for some tasty treat or devilish trick. And within the elaborate holiday glazed macrocosm, across the amber and violet coated sky, two silhouettes soared above the now bustling town. Not unlike a pair of bats ready to begin their nightly hunt, they eyed their prey from way on high and flapped down to a colorful group of ponies clustered together near the town square.    A cyan mare with neon rainbow fluttered excitedly just above the ground as she noticed their descent towards her and her fellowship.  “Gilda! Gabby! Perfect timing!”  As the two griffons landed, they examined the costumed troupe assembled before them.  Twilight kept it classic and simple with her own outfit; a jet black witches robe with the matching pointed hat. The little details however, such as the frayed edges of the fabric and touches of cobwebs stuck onto the outfit went a long way to make the get up work.  Spike as per usual went with something that would compliment his studious caretaker’s look, a furry black cat suit sewn and fitted by Rarity herself much to his delight.   Applejack opted for something a bit different from her usual choices for Nightmare Night apparel. She donned a Renaissance era musketeer uniform, complete with a faux rapier and elaborate plumed hat.  Pinkie Pie was wrapped head to hoof in gauze for the classic mummy look. Though from afar it appeared as simple gauze tossed about her body, a closer look revealed a much finer attention to detail with slight discolorations and deliberate frayed edges. She also donned a Ponegyptian headpiece with gold bangles around her hooves.    Rarity spiced things up with a very form fitting and elegant, but not too risque nurse outfit.  And lastly Rainbow Dash went all out on a Daring Doo inspired look, complete with an explorers vest and pith hat.  The studious purple pony waved her hoof and greeted them with her warm and delightfully dorky demeanor.  “Welcome! So glad you two could join us.”  “Yeah! I almost thought you’d chicken out on us last minute,” Dash joked, “That’d Nightmare Night would be too spooky for a couple griffons.”    Gilda intercepted her old wing-mates banter.  “Pssh, remember who you’re talking too. We griffons are made of much sterner stuff than you ponies. A couple goofy decorations aren’t anything to us.”  Gabby flapped her wings excitedly as she tried exceedingly hard to contain her joy.  “There’s no way we’d pass on an invite like this! I mean get a look at this place! Everything’s so different from Griffonstone! It’s so bright and colorful and fun! I totally wish we had a holiday like this over there! I can’t wait to get the feathers scared right off me!”  “I’ll say,” Applejack added, “I couldn’t imagine this time of year without Nightmare Night. Me and the folks back at the farm spend practically the whole month getting ready, what with organizing the corn maze and baking all sorts of treats.”  “Wow! That sounds so awesome! You ponies put so much effort into working together to really bring the holiday to life! I mean, just look at your costumes, they’re so great and detailed!”  As Gabby gushed over the intricacies of their attire, she noticed that the group was one shy from being the complete bunch she had just begun to know. “Hey, where’s the yellow one?”  “You mean Fluttershy?” Twilight answered, “She doesn’t really like partaking in Nightmare Night. I think you’re well aware how easily she startles, so naturally a night of spooky hijinks isn’t quite her cup of tea.”  Rarity chimed in.  “Precisely why we usually find an extra friend or two to enjoy the night together with. The more the merrier, or so they say.”  Gilda nodded her head understandingly. “Figures why Dash threw the invite our way.”  Pinkie Pie furiously shook her head, causing the headdress she wore to slide down and cover her eyes, much to her delight.  “Exactamundo. And we thought it’d be a great idea to get you guys to come since Griffons don’t really get to celebrate one of the bestest holidays we ponies have to offer! It’ll be like your guys’ first Nightmare Night!  She continued to ramble on excitedly to herself . “I remember my first time. I was just a little foal, all dressed up with visions of sweet treats and fun frights in my eyes. I still remember the big ol’ pumpkin outfit I wore, it was so silly!”   “Speaking of costumes, where are your outfits darlings?”  Gilda looked at her companion expectantly, waiting for her to have the same confusion she did.  “Costumes?” “Yeah!”, Spike shouted, “Nightmare Night’s all about costumes and candy!” Gabby giggled in agreement. “Don’t you remember? Dash told us all about all the cool pony traditions they do! Trick-or treating, bobbing for apples, corn mazes, and most importantly, costumes!”  Gilda cleared her throat and turned away to hide her embarrassment at being suddenly singled out. “I kinda just remembered the part about the free candy…”  She snapped over to her griffon companion in a poorly hidden attempt to pass the blame off of her.   “Wait Gabby, you don’t have a costume either! You should have said something! How was I supposed to know?” “I assumed you had something worked out with Dash. As for me, I’m going to meet up with my CMC gal pals. We planned to do a group thing and they’d have a costume all ready for me.”  “Ugh, this is so not cool.” Gilda groaned, “Can’t I just go out like normal and trick-or-treat or whatever.” Pinkie Pie gasped. “Trick-or-treating without a costume!? How could you say such a thing!”  She pulled a flashlight out from her jack-o’-lantern and lit it beneath her head in dramatic preparation for the spiel she was about to spew. “Don’t you know that the spirit of Nightmare moon herself punishes ponies that don’t properly pay her tribute. She’ll unleash horrible frights that defy comprehension as punishment! Believe me you don’t even want to try and comprehend it! And let me tell you, costumes are the biggest bestest part of the tradition!”  As she finished, all of the girls but GIlda laughed.  “C’mon, you can’t expect me to be afraid of some silly pony myths.” A shockingly fierce wind suddenly gust through the night. Her spine tingled, as if the breeze itself was crawling right where her wings and up toward her head. It even felt as if the air itself began to whisper something to her, but the sound Applejack’s voice distracted her from pinpointing the sensation. “Myth or not, it’s the whole point of Nightmare Night. And I reckon most ponies won’t be too keen on giving candy to folks who don’t at the very least put in the effort.”  “Fine, whatever. I’ll throw on a stupid cape or something and call it a day.”  Rarity let out an exasperated gasp. “Oh no no no no no, and any friend’s friend of mine isn’t going trick-or-treating with us in anything but the best costume.”   The increasingly cranky griffon couldn’t help but groan once more. Dash, however, attempted to offer a bit of reassurance.  “And don’t worry G, she’s got plenty of really cool outfits, not just frilly fru-fru dresses.  The fashionista huffed a bit at the snide comment. “No offense Rare. Gilda’s just picky when it comes to her image. Like imagine how specific I am with clothes and multiply it by ten.”  “Not to worry, part of being a top notch designer is being able to please all kinds of clients. Come now, I’ll have you done up in no time.”  Pinkie leaned against Gilda’s backside in an attempt to urge her on, much to the Griffon’s annoyance. “C’mon! If you want that candy as bad as I do we gotta get out tails into gear!”  “I’m going, I’m going, knock it off cotton candy brain. Don’t make me regret tagging along with you dweebs.”  “You’re coming as well Pinkie?”, Rarity confirmed, “Perfect! Things will go much quicker with an assistant. Twilight, Applejack, Rainbow Dash, you three can hit a few houses while we’re away. We shouldn’t be very long.”  Gabby took to the sky with glee. “Awesome! I’m gonna head over to the CMC clubhouse and spend the night with them. We’ll meet back up here later on in the night.”  The remaining ponies nodded as they parted ways.  “Sounds like a plan.”  Twilight and her group mingled amidst the townsponies that began to slowly crowd the square as Gilda was whisked off. --- A flood of light slayed the darkness nestled within Rarity’s boutique, much to the disdain of the trio’s pupils who had grown accustomed to the dark of night.  Gilda rolled her eyes as she espied the mannequins displaying the fashionista’s fall fashion line and the rows and rows of racks. She never did quite understand ponies’ fascination in tangling themselves up in layers of cloth. Guess in her mind the ease of movement when flying played a more pivotal role in the day to day lives of Griffons rather than ponies who were free to mill about on the ground.  Rarity carted over one of the racks and began rifling through it, every now and again picking one set out and tossing it over to Pinkie Pie who was quickly becoming a living coat rack.  “Here we are.”  Rarity spoke as she carted over one of the racks and began rifling through it, every now and again picking one set out and tossing it over to Pinkie Pie who was quickly becoming a living coat rack.  “Let’s find you something. I’ve got plenty of unsold outfits I’d be glad to let you borrow. If you’re anything like Rainbow Dash, you’ll want something rather ‘cool’ I assume.”  Gilda begrudgingly dragged her paws across the floor as Pinkie Pie pushed her up onto the runway.  In a flash of pink lightning, the party pony zipped around her and instantaneously threw on her costume. “How about we start you off with something classic. Something stoic and dashing I’m sure you’ll suit you well. A heroic knight!”  “Too clunky.”  She growled as the helmet closed shut around her eyes.  Pinkie zipped again, this time adorning her in a set or tattered jeans and t-shirt.  “Zombie’s are rather scary and light on clothing”, she muttered as she levitated a tray of assorted face paints, “we can try-” “There is no way you’re putting a single drop of whatever that stuff is on my feathers.”  “Duly noted. Well then how about a vampire? A frightening queen of the night! Doesn’t that sound-”  Gilda admired the fancy cape a bit after Pinkie was finished setting her outfit up, but then recoiled at having a pair of novelty teeth shoved in her beak. It didn’t take more than a second for her to spit it back in Pinkie’s face.  “The fake teeth are a deal breaker, no way.”  Another speedy wardrobe change found fitted in a wolf costume with her head peering out of the goofily gaping maw. “How’s that for cool and intimidating? A were, uh, were-griffon, transformed by the light of the moon, rawr!” “Totally not for me. Just makes me look like a big ol’ dweeb dog.”  After another five rejected costumes, Rarity began to appear quite frazzled at the Griffon’s nonchalant dismissal of her initial choices. She took a moment to straighten out her mane and regulate her breathing before speaking.  “Dash was right, you are a tough cookie. I’m going to have to pull out the big guns.”  Pinkie Pie shook the cluttered mess of mismatched costumes she had wrapped around herself. “I just think someone’s being a serious party pooper. Nightmare Night is about having fun and getting out of your comfort zone. A costume might feel a little funny at first,  “Well I’m not gonna have any fun dressed up in some lame get up. I’m at least humoring you guys, c’mon.  If it were my say I’d have hightailed it out of here after the second try. Not my fault I’m having to adjust to this dumb holiday.  Pinkie Pie, now frazzled herself, let out a sharp gasp at Gilda’s disrespect. Rarity, however, kept her cool and made sure Pinkie did the same.   “Don’t worry about it darling. This isn’t the first time I’ve had such a picky patron. Comes with the territory. But I never let  my client’s leave unsatisfied. We just gotta find the perfect outfit is all, and I assure you I have just the thing. Pinkie, darling, come along.”  Gilda slumped onto a chair at the edge of the runway as the two ponies trotted off. She smoothed out her fur and preened her feathers that were heavily ruffled from the constant changes.  She hated to admit it even in her thoughts, but a tiny part of her began to warm up to the whole idea of dressing up. Some of the costumes were, dare she say it, kinda cool. The much larger, stubborn headed griffon part of her chose mutter curses under her breath about how stupid it still all was.  “Why’d I even take Dash up on her offer? If it weren’t Gab begging me I’d be back home relaxing or doing something much cooler. I knew the whole free candy thing sounded too good to be true.”  With a swift frustration fueled kick, she toppled over a stack of decorative pumpkins at the edge of the runway she was just on. They rolled off and many landed upside down. The smile etched into them now a frown. One of them, however, rolled off into a dark corner of the boutique. Gilda’s eyes followed it to a strange mannequin far off from any of the others. She could barely grasp it’s shadowed figure from the runway area, but the outfit it showcased was enough to claw at the back of her mind. So much so that she couldn’t help but rise from her seat and confirm that she wasn’t imagining it Gilda cleared her way of the clearance racks holding last season’s fashion that seemed as if they were guarding the lone mannequin. And there, in the shadowy recess far from any other Nightmare Night costume, she beheld a certain dress; a poofy orange and black pumpkin themed gown. The colors popped out the most, accented by the lack of light and dark trim at its edges. The shoulders were themselves like two large jack-o’-lanterns whose smile beckoned all who looked upon warmly. Layers and layers of dainty frills waiting for it’s wear to swish them to and fro were hidden within the dress’s undercarriage.  The frilly skirt was long enough to give it a nice plump illusion of the festive fruit it mimicked, but short enough to proudly display the garment nestled within the frills beneath. That particular element of the costume is what confounded Gilda in the first place; a thick, almost comical looking diaper with the most playful jack-o’-lantern print and orange trim against their stark white backing.  The dress was so bright and colorful it didn’t dawn on her that the mannequin who wore it was not a pony like all the others, but a griffon. A griffon that seemed to be the exact size and build of the one standing before it. And that the head of it had a white faux alicorn to match her bone white feathers.  Just as she stood on the verge of her opening her beak to sling some kind of comment regarding how this is the most dweebish costume she’d seen yet, something about her foreclaw distracted her. It was half raised and on the cusp of touching the dress.  She shook her head and blushed as she looked around the empty boutique as if to see if anyone had noticed her brief lapse in sanity.  “Psh. Lame costume. Why would anybody even want to wear something so stupidly babyish.”  Distracted by the sheer absurdity of the costume, Gilda failed to notice the stray pumpkin she kicked over earlier right below where her paw was about to step. Her full weight came crashing down on the plastic pumpkin as she toppled backwards. In a futile attempt to latch onto something to keep her from falling, she grabbed a rack of clothes and knocked it over herself.  For a moment, the griffon laid in a daze reeling from the impact of her fall. Entombed within a mound of cloth, she desperately clawed her way out. She peeled layer after layer off in a fit of quite literal blind rage until she could finally pop her head out of the pile. And when she did Pinkie Pie and Rarity were staring right back at her.  “Oh no! The poor baby!” “I knew I should have had you watch her! She’s far too little to go unsupervised!” “Baby? Who are you talking about?”  She looked up and saw Rarity and Pinkie Pie rapidly sweeping clothes off of her and propping her back on her feet.  “I can help myself up, geeze, it’s your fault for having these dumb decorations lying around. ”  Despite not having all the clothes dogpiled on top of her, she still felt the hefty weight of fabric wrapped around her. A few more attempts at clawing it off, however, made it apparent that it was something she was wearing rather than just draped on her. And it didn’t take too much guess work with the bright orange color of the dress and the thickness between her legs to know what exactly she had on.  “How did this get on me? Pinkie Pie, is this one of you’re stupid pranks!? I should have known better than to walk right into it. Hey! Let go of me! Why aren’t you listening?” Rarity promptly shushed the griffon’s squawking.  “Shh, no need to cry. You’re okay, you’re okay. We got your jack ’o lantern and can go trick-or-treating now sweetie.”   “Make sure before we go you put on her harness, Pinkie dear. I don’t want her to have a little spill again when she’s running about”  “You got it! One harnessed hatchling coming up!”  Gilda fiercely clawed at Pinkie Pie in a desperate defiance, but it amounted to nothing. Her hardest kick and fiercest punch bounced off as if they were made of rubber. In fact, every action she took felt devoid of strength. It wasn’t long before she grew too tired to resist and had the child restraints leashed around her chest as well as a pair of saddlebags brimming with diapers and other assorted infantile accoutrements.  “Perfect! Nice and snug. Now you can skip and prance about without any worry of getting lost or hurt!” “Quite so. And look how it matches your cute little costume! Oh aren’t you so excited? You’re all set to go on trick-or-treating on your very first Nightmare Night. Yay!”  Rarity cheered with the certain enthusiasm reserved for rallying a small child. “What is the matter with you two!? I know you ponies like to go overboard with your lame cutesy stuff but this is on a whole nother level! Get me out of this stupid dress right now!” “Mhmm, that’s right. Your dress is cute.”, she said dismissively, “Now let’s get a move on. The rest of your new friends are waiting for you and we want to get you as much candy as we can tonight, don’t we?”  Exploitives of varying severity flew out of the griffon’s mouth, but it was all too apparent that to anypony else it was nothing more than senseless babble.  Pinkie gently tugged on the reins of the harness and in spite of her rock solid mental resistance, her body easily crumpled and dragged off into town. --- The once empty cobblestone streets now teemed with life. Crowds of ponies skittered about from one house to the other. Others simply mingled about, either by some sort of spooky themed activity or at their own doorstep at the ready to freely give away their sweet treats.  Many of those strolling by gladly took time out of their night to stop and admire the griffon being paraded through the town. There was no hiding from the onslaught of pinched cheeks and patronizing cooing. Her practically neon orange dress stood out like a sore thumb even in the sea of other costumed ponies, as did her naturally tall griffon stature. The only respite she had came from Pinkie tugging her along when the onlookers overstayed their welcome a tad bit, as the party pony didn’t want to have them cut in on valuable trick-or-treating time.  Despite all the constant attention, not a single soul seemed even the slightest bit disturbed, bewildered, or even just plain old weirded out that a fully grown griffon toddled by them. Even the ridiculous diaper that Gilda so strenuously attempted to keep hidden was as normal the crescent moon above them. Her mind raced to rationalize this spiraling descent into pure absurdity. Is this lame excuse for a costume normal in this town!? I don’t see any other dumb pony wearing something this stupid. It can’t just be that, my whole body feels different. And no one seems to understand a word that comes out of my beak. It just sounds like a bunch of nonsense, Like I really am some kind of big dumb ba- The gears in the griffon’s head grinded to a complete halt before she let herself finish that thought. A frigid chill coursed through her veins, and if not for her already white coat of feathers, her face surely would be pale with terror as the grave reality set in.  No no no, that’s impossible even with stupid pony magic. I’m still me. I don’t feel any smaller, is that just how these ponies see me? And I can’t do anything, my body just feels heavy and does what it wants on it’s own sometimes.  At this juncture, she gave up trying to fight off the horde of gawking onlookers. Her mind was far more preoccupied with unraveling this mystery laid in front of her.  After what felt like an eternity and a half to the griffon princess, the trio finally reunited with their companions at the center of town. And just like the other gaggles of ponies, they eagerly greeted Gilda with a chorus of awws.  “There’s our little hatchling. You ready for a night of fun?”    “Which one of you idiot ponies did this!?”, she barked in response, “Give me a straight answer now!” Nothing. Again. Completely ignored. But they at least seemed to grasp that the griffon was quite agitated.  “Sounds like somepony is a little cranky.”  Spike said as she moved to pet her. Gilda snapped her beak shut on his finger, or at least tried. To the dragon it just felt like gentle teething.  “She’s just a little fussy with all the excitement of tonight. This is all new to her so it’s a lot to take in.” Applejack nodded.  “You should probably give the little fella a bottle before we head on out for the night. Might calm her down some.”  Pinkie jumped up and down. Her excited prancing jostled Gilda around, much to her annoyance.  “Ooh, can I feed her!? Can I!?” “Be my guest, Pinkie.” The mention of bottle feeding was more than enough to push Gilda over the edge.  “That’s it, I’m out. Pinkie you’d better hold on tight because I am flying as fast as my-” With one mighty flap of her wings, she lifted off the ground. And after wobbling in the air for a brief moment, she took a mighty fall onto her diaper butt.  Dash flew over and propped her back onto her legs.  “Woah woah woah there, I know you’re excited for Nightmare Night and all but slow down little speedster. Just relax and have a little drink.” Twilight levitated a chilled bottle of milk from the diaper bag saddled around Gilda. She obstinately dug both her pairs of claws and paws into the ground, but Pinkie had no trouble pulling her away. The pink pony led her over to an empty bench and laid her down on one end, whilst sitting on the other so that the griffon’s head rested comfortably on her lap. Though she did her best to keep her beak shut, it took little effort at all on Pinkie part to worm the supple nipple in. And Gilda’s tongue suckled autonomously.   The milk flowed steady as she lapped it up. The sensation of drinking from a bottle felt foreign, as even baby griffons didn’t partake in milk. But nonetheless she drank the whole bottle dry as if she had been starved. The other ponies crowded around her, taking turns petting her feathery head or rubbing her furry belly as it gently bulged from all the creamy liquid. Even Spike took a turn scratching her chin as she downed the last drops.  Pinkie Pie gave her a few pats on the back to force a couple belches out of her.  “There there, isn’t that much better dear?”, Rarity assured, “She seems much more at ease now.”  The sheer volume of the beverage quelled any rebellious intent for the moment. Her mind still wanted to fight back and resist being caressed and pampered, but her limbs were far too plagued with lethargy to comply.  Pinkie rose up and helped Gilda back onto her paws. Twilight in the meantime levitated a little something out of Gilda’s diaper bag and promptly plopped it into the griffon’s mouth in exchange for the empty bottle. “And this’ll make sure she doesn’t get too fussy. Auntie Gabby told me just how much you love your little paci.”  Much like the bottle, Gilda could protest all she wanted but her beak happily accepted the offering and sucked away.  “C’mon!”, Pinkie exclaimed as she pranced ahead, “now that you’re all nice and fed we can get on with the Nightmare Night fun!”  The griffon waddled behind, thoroughly sloshed from the hearty feeding.   After a brief stroll past various well decorated houses, the group arrived at a particularly active neighborhood that had a steady flow of door to door foot traffic from eager trick-or-treaters. Without any further hesitation, they began their candy crusade with Pinkie Pie at the helm. Which naturally meant that Gilda would be toddling close behind.  “C’mon champ, you got this!” Rainbow Dash ushered her now fully infantilized friend along with a playful nudge.   The griffon slammed her foreclaw on the wooden door, which of course equated to a couple wimpy pats. She sighed and held out her jack-o’-lantern expectantly as it swung open.  Her entourage of caretakers gave a resounding trick-or-treat, but she herself stared at the ground waiting to get this song and dance over with.  “Oh my! What a cute little pumpkin princess! You’re so sweet I can just eat you up!” The mare deposited a piece of candy into each of their receptacles, but kept her hoof hovering right over Gilda’s.  “Alrighty now.”, Applejack began, “What do we say when we go out trick-or-treating?” “Bite me.”  Applejack attempted to coax her into complying.  “Close. C’mon, what do all the good little fillies say?” “I said bite me.”  “She’s just a tiny bit nervous.”, Twilight assured the patient mare, “It’s her first real Nightmare Night out trick-or-treating. Back in Griffonstone they don’t really celebrate it.”  Gilda dreaded having to utter such an asinine phrase, but felt no need to prolong the inevitable, especially seeing how a line was forming and it would mean more ponies staring at her. She spitefully spat out the childish chant around her pacifier. “Nightmare Night, what a fright, give us something sweet to bite. Or whatever.” And just like that, her hard earned candy marked the first of many for the night. She rushed off the doorstep, eager to fly the coop, but her harness only let her go a few feet before a sharp yank reminded her of her limitations. “Ah ah, what do we say?”  She snarled much like the half lion she was.  “Thank you.” The mare at the door just smiled at the failed attempt at intimidation. “Good girl. Now we can go to the next house.” Gilda already felt utterly defeated by the very first house. The rebellious fire raging within still burned as bright as Celestia’s sun, but every attempt to lash out just reminded her of how utterly powerless she had become.  Running away either had her reeling back from the strength of the harness or stumbling over herself and adding to the humiliation as her padded bottom stuck up for all to see until one of her “aunties” helped her up. Everypony only heard what they wanted to hear, so even the loudest and most rude use of language she could muster did nothing but strain her voice. That is to say if she could even get the words out behind the pacifier she couldn’t stop suckling.  She simply forced herself to accept her fate and opted to get this over with as fast as possible. Her caretakers naturally interpreted this as her simply being excited and enamored with the fun joy of trick-or-treating and merrily pressed on.  Compliments assailed house after house. Treat after treat.  “Oh what a cutie!”  “Such a well behaved princess you have!”  “What a lovely costume!”  “My oh my, you’re the most adorable baby I’ve seen tonight!”  All came with their own piece of candy to be added to the burgeoning collection.   And all the while buried underneath the resentment on the forefront of Gilda’s thoughts, a certain urge chimed louder and louder “I have to piss, can we take a break already?  Nopony so much as acknowledged her. They just continued on, collecting more and more candy. Her bladder was filling up just as much as her collection of treats, and the weak tingle telling her to tinkle quickly became a roaring bell in her brain. Every ounce of the sapped strength she had was now wholly relegated to waddling with her legs crossed.  “Hey! Let me put it in words you can understand. I need to go potty so I don’t wet my diaper! Did any of those dumb baby words get through your lame brains!?”  Swept up in her desperation, the weight of her words didn’t hit her until they flew out of her beak.  My diaper… My diaper!?This isn’t my diaper! I just fell into it and now I have this dumb outfit glued onto me! None of this is mine! I’m not a baby!  Twilight’s voice snapped her out of her racing thoughts.  “Don’t worry. You can be a big girl and hold it until we’re done trick or treating and find a place for you to go potty.  They walked up to the doorstep of a motherly mare with a young filly by her side, who ran around the yard in her costume whilst her mom handed out sweets. “Oh my goodness! What a cute little alicorn princess! Aren’t you just the sweetest thing!” Pinkie Pie nodded while scratching the griffon on her chin.  “She just loves princess stuff. She wanted to be a pony princess for Nightmare Night all year long.”  “Well she’s the prettiest princess I’ve ever seen. All frilly and extra poofy in her little pumpkin dress. Hold on one moment.” She retreated inside for a brief moment. “Let me get a special snack I keep around for especially little foals. Or hatchlings in your little one’s case.”  Meanwhile, Gilda had put her candy basket down and pressed her claw up against the front of her diaper up against her crotch. Her iron bladder that she was so used to relying on had rusted away and did little in containing the storm about to rain down.  She unconsciously squatted slightly as if to signal to everypony within eyeshot that she was relieving herself. And it worked, as passing trick-or-treaters couldn’t help but glance over at the griffon taking a much needed potty break. A steady but light stream of piss discolored the front of her padding. If it wasn’t already obvious that she was in the midst of an accident, the fade-when-wet pumpkin pattern slowly but surely faded from view. The sweet relief of release sent a pleasant shiver through her body for a moment before it was replaced with shameful anger. Twilight blushed and apologized on behalf of her little one for the night.  “Sorry, you know how it is with girls her age. She still needs pretty hefty diapers even at her age.” “Oh no worries. My daughter was the same way, but she just graduated to training pants. You’re little griffon will get there one day I’m sure.” The fury welling up within Gilda turned her face blood red. Everypony around casually patronized her while all she could do was let her diaper soak up her piss. Without even stopping a moment to contemplate the words welling up within her, she shouted at the top of her lungs.   “I’m a big girl! I’m not a baby!”  Rainbow Dash nuzzled her head with her hoof.  “Of course you are squirt. You’re a big girl out trick or treating with your aunties. You’re very big and brave. You just need a little extra protection is all.”  “Auntie Dashies right!”, Pinkie added, “Don’t you like your lovely diapers?”  The motherly mare consoled her by handing her a couple fresh baked sugar cookies.  Gilda remained silent while she stuffed her still flushed cheeks full. She then proceeded to storm off as best she could before being quickly reminded of the limitations of her leash.   “Aww, she’s a shy one isn’t she. Well, you all have a wonderful Nightmare Night.” They waved goodbye and continued along their route. Gilda was so flustered by the previous exchange that she forgot about her warm, wet diaper until she felt it squishing between her as she walked.  “Are any of you going to do anything about this?” She exclaimed as she motioned to her slightly soggy rear. Rarity gave her diaper a slight squish, then tugged the waistband back with a bit of magic for further inspection.  “No need for a change quite yet. Still quite dry, relatively speaking. And it’d be quite difficult to get you back into that dress with how fussy you’ve been tonight. So a change can wait till the end of the night.”  “What do you mean I don’t need a change! I just pissed myself! Get me out of this thing now!”  Her shouts fell upon deaf ears. But they did take note of her pouting.  “I reckon we got plenty of candy for the night seeing as all our lanterns are full. Think it's about time we head on over back to the square for some games before little Gildy here gets too tuckered out.”  --- The moon had risen much higher amongst the stars than last they were here, and so too did the number of ponies. Various stands and booths peddling their wares, from scrumptious smelling food stuffs to festively themed trinkets and souvenirs, as well as Nightmare Night themed activities for ponies to participate in.   Spike drew his attention to one such attraction, a haunted house that had been set up nearby. Ponies were steadily pouring in and their terrified shrieks could easily be heard echoing into the night. “Why don’t we check that out! It looks super scary!”  Twilight shook her head. “No can do Spike. It’s way too much for our little one here. She’s barely able to handle trick-or-treating, we don’t want to give her any more stress.”  The dragon’s head drooped a bit at the disappointing decision. Gilda admittedly shared Spike’s sentiment. The horrific decorations adorning the entrance and costumed ponies spooking the life out of the ponies waiting in line had to have been the first thing she’d seen all night that looked remotely fun to her.   “But if Rainbow Dash and Applejack wanna take you, that’d be no problem. Rarity, Pinkie and I can handle this precious little pumpkin and get her some food and play games.”  He lit straight back up with a toothy grin on his face.  “Yes! Thanks so much Twilight! Rainbow and AJ, what are you waiting for! We gotta hurry and get in line. Oh man I can’t wait to get scared silly.” The two brave hearted ponies raced off with Spike in tow. Twilight turned back to Gilda who fumed to herself over being stuck as these pony’s playthings while the others got to do something cool for a change.   “How does that sound Gildy? You hungry?”  “I don’t want to eat! I want to go to the damn haunted house!”  “Ah ah ah, no need to fuss now darling.”, Rarity soothed, “We’ll get you something to eat, don’t you worry. That ought to make you feel better.”  Come to think of it, she hadn’t had anything to eat since flying over here save for a couple cookies. Though she’d rather remain silent lest she be made to have another bottle, her stomach betrayed her with a fierce growl.  “Aww, she’s practically starving! C’mon girls, we gotta get some food in her tummy asap!”  Rarity and Pinkie Pie found a table near the stands for ponies to enjoy their meals and rest their legs while Twilight went to procure the food. With a bit of unicorn magic, an especially large bib flew out of the diaper bag and wrapped itself around Gilda’s neck snuggly. “There we are. Don’t want that beautiful dress of yours getting any stains on it, do we.”  Her mind raced as she dreaded what putrid concoction of mashed peas or carrots they’d surely force down her gullet. But as Twilight returned with trays of hay burgers, carrot dogs, prench fries, and other assorted equine street food delicacies, Gilda couldn’t help but let a bit of drool seep out her beak and onto her bib.  “Do you think our darling little pumpkin here will be fine with this junk food, dear?’ Pinkie Pie answered through a mouth full of food.  “She’ll be fine. It’s Nightmare Night, nothing wrong with spoiling her a bit.” Gilda reached out tentatively, half expecting her to get reprimanded and insist that one of them feed her instead. But no, she was free to grab whatever she pleased and eat to her heart’s content. And after a night of having everything done for her or having to do things their way, she couldn’t help but relish in the freedom. She spit out the pacifier she’d honestly even forgot was in her mouth (which her caretakers spared no time in clipping it on her dress for easy access) and began chowing down.   With this little independence granted to her, she didn’t even care that Twilight had poured her apple juice into a sippy cup. She gladly knocked it back whilst pigging out on the food. While it was true Gilda hadn’t eaten in some time, the hunger she felt hit her particularly hard. She ravenously chowed down, letting whatever dropped or spilled out of her claws stain her face and bib.  Her appetite had such a hold on her that she completely failed to notice her three aunts taking turns wiping her face clean from the mess she was making. And just like the bottle from earlier, the copious amounts of food lulled her body into complacency.  She let out a few soft burps and slumped into her chair.   “Whew, I’m stuffed! That was de-lish!” “You said it Pinkie, I don’t think I could take another bite without bursting.” Rarity rose from her seat. “What say you we burn off some of these dreadful calories with some games?” “Excellent idea. Let’s head out girls.  They perused the booths set up and dabbled in a bit of window shopping before getting to the section of the square reserved for games and activities.  Fully at the mercy of the three ponies’ wishes, Gilda was helpless to do anything but play along. They didn’t, however, force her to try very hard. She made a pitiful attempt at pinning the tail on the black cat, sticking the thumb-tack tipped tail end to the feline's forehead, and fumbled at the bean bag toss. “Aww look at the little baby. Good job!” “She’s doing her best, how adorable!” “You’ll get it next time sweetie!” Her plan of putting as little effort as possible into these games completely blew up in her face. She didn’t care if she won some stupid stuffed animal for these dumb games designed for foals, but the incessant consoling and encouraging ignited her competitive nature. With renewed, frustration fueled vigor, she began making more and more earnest attempts at winning.  Her body, however, remained the noodly shadow of its former self, which made her scampering about in search of scavenger hunt treasure and missing her mark in the horseshoe toss all the more comical. She had grown so swept up in the desire to win at least one game that she paid no mind to the voices egging her on and giggling as her dress swayed around her poofy and still slightly soggy padding. The girls certainly enjoyed watching their little griffon’s efforts and freely gave their patronizing words of encouragement. They also took note of her heaving panting amidst her deep concentration. “Look over there Gildy, why don’t we try bobbing for apples.” Pinkie Pie pointed over to a booth with several buckets that ponies happily submerged their heads within.  “We can make this the last game before we take a short rest since you’re getting a little pooped.”   Gilda, thoroughly worn out and over exerted from trying her hardest to even come close to winning a game, stumbled over to her final chance. She took a moment to steel herself before she took the plunge, but just as she got into position, a stray apple tripped her up.  She fell head first into the bucket, which caused her dress to get flipped inside out like a frilly flower blooming. Her still slightly soggy diaper stood out even with the dress on correctly, but now there was nothing between her padded rump and all the nearby ponies. The griffon at the very least had the blissful ignorance of not having to see or hear all of them having a playful laugh at her flailing display.   After struggling underwater for a brief moment, she finally lifted her head out of the bucket of water. Beads of water dripped off her feathers and off of a plump apple that impaled itself on Gilda’s beak during her unplanned bob. The pony manning the stand pulled the tag off the stem of the apple, revealing a gold stamp. “Looks like we got a winner folks! This little filly here wins the grand prize!”  All eyes were on the waterlogged griffon as she was presented with a massive stuffed bat nearly half her size. The speed at which everything transpired left her slightly shell shocked, though toting the massive plush and having everyone cheer filled her with a satisfying twinge of pride. Though it took little more than the thickness between her legs to be reminded of the totality of the situation.   “Wow you did it! You did such a great job getting the apple!”  Pinkie glomped Gilda, who was more concerned with shaking her head dry and hiding her face.  “You finally got a prize, just like you wanted!” Twilight levitated it out of her claws and kept it saddled on her back.  “Here, let me hold onto it for you.” A voice coming through a megaphone suddenly boomed over the low roar of the crowd. “Attention! Attention! Registration for the costume contest ends in five minutes! If you’d like to enter now is your last chance! The show starts at nine sharp, so all participants proceed backstage and  be ready to come out as your name is called. That is all.”  “A costume contest, that sounds absolutely fabulous! I say, why don’t we enter our little princess in the running? She is sure to win the crowd over with her adorable little get up.” “There is no way you’re making me do that! I’ve been seen by enough people. We’re done here, I did all of your stupid Nightmare Night stuff, just get me out of this and let me go home.” “There’s no need to be nervous, Gildy,” Pinkie consoled as she pet the griffon’s head, “being on stage is fun! All the ponies in town are gonna think you’re awesome! Who wouldn’t love a cute little baby like you!”  By now Gilda had grown accustomed to having her protesting shot down, but the more it happened the more it seemed to sting. She didn’t notice until now that she’d been stomping her paws and pouting around every time she didn’t have her way, just like a real toddler would. Her defiance just played right into the role thrust upon her more so than if she simply complied with everything up until this moment.  Pinkie led the griffon awash with trying to make sense of the sudden emotions welling up within her over to the registration booth, where Mayor Mare herself had been managing the sign up sheet.  “Oh, hello there Miss Pie, having a fun Nightmare Night?” “Yes indeedy. We’re just here to sign up this little princess for the costume contest, I hope it’s not too late.”   “Oh my goodness! Would you look at that, an adorable baby griffon! Are you watching her for a friend? Oh, and not at all, we’ve still got a few openings.” Pinkie grabbed a pen and began filling out an entry form for Gilda.  “Mhmm, We invited a buddy from Griffonstone to come celebrate Nightmare Night, and she wanted us to take her little Gilda here trick or treating.” “How nice of you. I’ll gladly watch her for you while you and your friends find a good seat to enjoy the show.” “Thanks, I hadn’t even thought about that!”  The party pony unhooked the lead from Gilda’s harness so that Mayor Mare could get her in the participant line situated behind the makeshift stage constructed in the middle of the plaza and so Pinkie could join the rest of her friends, half of whom had just got out of their haunted house escapade. Gilda’s eyes lit up. Her golden opportunity had just arrived, one she had waited for all night. She outstretched her wings who’d been itching for the chance to try and fly far from this Nightmare of a Nightmare Night once more.  She didn’t even get an inch off the ground before losing all sense of balance and falling back on her cushioned tush just like the last time she tried.  “Isn’t she the silliest Mayor? She just loves to try and fly. But she’s not quite ready for that. You should try working on getting your potty license before you get your flying one.” Ms. Mare smiled as she helped the griffon back on her four legs.  “They’re so precious at this age. I’ll make sure she’s taken care of. C’mon little princess, let’s get you in line.”  As much as Gilda still wanted to try and book it as far as her legs could take her, she knew it wouldn’t be far enough. So she conceded to postponing her escape plans until she was clear of her new caretaker.  Mayor Mare made short work of gathering the contestants up and organizing them by their registration number. And her little griffon had the joy of meeting all of them personally, which of course led to as much embarrassment as there were compliments for her.  “Here, this is your spot right here near the end. Now I trust you’ll be a good girl and behave yourself while I go work while I call out names.”  She gently pet the griffon’s head before circling around to the announcers podium, right by the panel of judges for the contest.  Gilda wracked her brain to whip up her escape plan. The line roped off to ensure it was kept as orderly as possible, so leaving that way was out of the question as the simple fear of getting tangled up and shamefully helped out in front of everypony backstage. There was still, however, a bit of hope; Gilda held the second to last place in line, so all she had to do was slip past them and she could slowly toddle out of this fiasco. She turned around and hurriedly scooted away only to bump into a grey-ish blue mare covered in a strange mess of paper bags and cardboard.  “Oh, hi there little fella.” “Could you move out of the way?” Gilda growled as she cooked up some excuse to get through. “I, um, just gotta go to, uh, the little griffon’s room real quick.”  She shook her head, which caused the paper bag over her head to fall over her crossed eyes.  “Oh, no can do little buddy. I don’t want to lose my place in line for a hayburger. It’s kinda weird how they make you sign up just to get food, but I guess it makes things a whole lot more organized! That Mayor Mare sure runs a tight ship!” “I just gotta go to the restroom real quick, let me-” “Huh, potty? But you’ve got a diaper on. You don’t have to worry about potty breaks. You can just relax. Kinda makes me wish I could still wear them. They must be super convenient! Like when I’m on long mail runs I wouldn’t have to stop for anything! But then ponies would probably look at me funny... But they kinda always already do! so maybe I should find some in my size…” The griffon shoved her face into her paw. Not only was she stuck in this Celestia forsaken line, but now had to listen to some derpy mare prattle on.  As the line moved, she shuffled forward. Gilda had been through so much in such a short time, from the being bottle fed to diaper checked all the while being constantly cooed at, but something about this costume contest made her nervous to the pit of her stomach. Now that she gave it some thought, she did have to excuse herself.   “Please give a warm Ponyville welcome to Gilda the griffon!” Gilda poked her head out from behind the curtain. Her nerves immediately gave out at the sight of the illuminated set. The silence of the expectant crowd rattled her more than if a sonic rainboom had just gone off right in her ears. She jolted as a hoof pressed against her padded butt. “You can do it little birdie. Don’t be nervous, it’s just a hay burger, it’s not gonna bite.” The soft nudge was more than enough to knock Gilda off-kilter and onto the stage. She did manage to keep herself from falling for the first time all night, but the small milestone went unnoticed as she was now center stage for nearly all of the residents of Ponyville to see.   “It says here she’s only two years old and is dressed in as the Pumpkin Princess. And it seems she’s come all the way from Griffonstone to join in on our Festivities. So this marks her first Nightmare Night, everyone, give a round of applause.” The crowd stomped wildly at the sight of the dolled up griffon wobbling on stage. Her wings stretched out to shield herself from the audience, but it just made the crowds collective d’awwing harder.  “What a beautiful costume for such a pretty little girl.”  “She’s so shy!” “I didn’t know baby griffons were this cute!”  “What a gorgeous dress!”  “All the costumes have been great so far, but how can anything compete with this lovely little princess!?”  Her stomach churned as she froze on stage. All night she endured the cheery looks ponies gave her, but it was nothing like this. Harsh stage lights clouded her view of her surroundings with a thick hazy glow that made her feel all alone. The crowd melded together to form a mere amalgamation of eyes glued to her every action and their patronizing words scalded her ears. Her whole body trembled, buckling under the weight of the unbridled attention.  The severe bout of stage fright sent nauseous waves crashing within her. And to make matters worse, the food she so greedily scarfed down began to unsettle from.  Gilda’s mind became ravaged by the desire to relieve herself from the discomfort plaguing her. So she crouched down in that all so telling position and let her body handle the rest without so much as a shred of restraint. The seat of her diaper expanded rapidly. The droopy bulge made its descent towards the ground as the steamy mess filled up the padded interior. A hot stream of piss flowed as well, this time far stronger than the previous wetting.   She panted heavily as she finished up using her diaper. The horrid fear gripping her body seemed to have been lifted, if but only for a moment. She felt slightly more calm, almost relaxed, but the crowd quickly reminded her where exactly she was.  “Pee yew, a little too much candy tonight huh?” “I bet she’s just nervous, little foals have accidents all the time.” “Somepony’s gonna need a wardrobe change after that one.”  “Good thing this little griffon was all diapered up.”  Her head spun from what she just did in front of what had to have been nearly the entirety of Ponyville. That brief moment of respite while she availed herself shattered into a million pieces.  With renewed panic, she wanted nothing more than to run away from it all. And in her hasty attempt to rush off the stage, she tripped over herself and fell flat on her cushioned posterior.  As her loaded bottom careened into the waxy wood flooring, the icky contents of her diaper now fully spread all across her backside. And with that fall, the final nail in the coffin had been hammered into place; Gilda’s already struggling psyche snapped in two. Any air of toughness she retained to this point had melted away like an ice cube thrown into a volcano.  Tears streamed off her feathers and down her beak as this new and frightening reality tumbled down on her.  Anytime before this point she could find a way to deny it. That she felt big. That she was too smart. That she could do things on her own. That this was still an elaborate prank. That she was too cool for any of this dumb Nightmare Night stuff. That she wasn’t a baby. But now the truth had her utterly crushed within the palm of its hand. This is what she had been reduced to. A sniveling, whiny baby griffon on stage in her princess dress and full to burst diaper.   Twilight swiftly trotted up the side of the stage to escort her off whilst making every attempt she could to console her.  “Aww, how precious. Everypony, give a hoof for little Gilda, she did great!”  She did her best to soothe her little princess as Derpy took the stage to recite her hay burger order to a very puzzled crowd. Nothing, however, seemed to quell the flood of emotions pouring out of the griffon, until she remembered the bat on her back. She levitated it and magically animated its wings to make it seem like it was flying across the sky.  For some peculiar reason, the memory of her winning it and the pride it brought completely abated the shame from her embarrassing performance.  After a bit of discussion and deliberation on the judges part, they came to a decision regarding who would earn the title of costume champion this Nightmare Night.  “There were so many great costumes tonight, all of you did so well, but I think the judges have reached a consensus. The winner seems to be tonight’s special little one, Gilda!”  The crowd cheered on the shy little griffon had the spotlight turned on where she sat in the crowd.  “See? You did wonderful! They all loved you and your outfit! It’s okay that you had a little accident, you’re just a baby. It happens all the time. And you’ve got your pretty little diapers to protect you.” Gilda trepidatiously toddled back on stage and accepted her golden jack-o’-lantern filled to the brim with assorted sweets. She had given up on trying to hide her saggy diaper, obfuscate her dress, or mask her face with her wings. She simply did her best to smile amidst her sniffling. “Why do you give a little curtsy for the lovely audience?”, Mayor Mare whispered as she handed her her prize, “They were so happy to see your lovely costume.”  She did as she was instructed, trying as hard as she could to not squish her soiled diaper any more than it had been as she used one claw to daintily lift the edge of her dress. The crowd ate her now demure and reserved demeanor up as they drowned her with adulation.  As the audience began to dissipate back into other corners of Ponyville to prolong the Nightmare Night festivities, Gilda was led off the stage by the mayor and guided back to Pinkie Pie.  “You did so great up there Gildy!”, Twilight spoke as she slung her arm around her for a hug. “Auntie Gabby is going to be so proud of you when she sees your trophy.”  “Quite so! And I imagine you wouldn’t mind sharing your well deserved earnings with the pony who designed your costume, right?” Rarity teased as she gently ruffled Gilda’s feathers.  “Yeah, no harm in taking a bit of the pot right squirt? You’ll get the lion’s share of course, seeing as how you had the guts to rock your princess outfit up there.” “And well because she’s half lion!”  Pinkie’s joke landed her a couple of stifled chortles and rolled eyes. They began walking away from the crowd to unwind a bit after all the festivities. Gilda subconsciously stayed right by Pinkie Pie completely without the aid of her harness.  “You had such a fun Nightmare Night, didn’t you? What was your favorite part?” “The candy... and the plushie I won.” Gilda sheepishly answered. “Aww. It’s gonna be too late for you and your auntie to fly home, so you can spend the night at my place and play with your little bat all you want.” “Ms. Twilight-?” “Oh, baby, you can just call me auntie. We’re all you’re aunts just like Gabby.”  Gilda didn’t so much as bat an eyelash at the fact that everypony seemed to be able to understand her now that she spoke more appropriately. “Auntie Twilight, am I a big girl?”  The group couldn’t help but simultaneously d’aww at her question. “Of course! You walked up on stage all by yourself, and you only fell on your tushie once! And you were such a good girl when we went trick-or-treating, you knocked on the door and asked for candy all on your own too. You’re a very big girl!”  For some reason hearing the list of trivial achievements rose her spirits significantly.  “Really?”  “Mhmm.”  “But what about my diaper. I couldn’t hold it…”  “That’s okay. It’s normal for fillies your age to still need them.” Twilight ran her hoof across the griffon’s back.   “And auntie Gabby told us she’ll keep you in diapers as long as you need them. But that doesn’t make you any less big.”  “Not to mention you’re really cool. You’ve got the coolest costume in town and the coolest diapers don’t you.”  Of course Gilda thought as she nodded to herself. That makes perfect sense. “I bet you had so much fun that you’re already looking forward to next year’s Nightmare Night! It’s not the lame and dumb holiday you thought it was right?”  “Mhmm.” Gilda’s brain soared past what she just said, fully and utterly submitted to her new role as the toddler the world seemed to see her for.  “You’re going to come with auntie Gabby next year, right? Well get you a costume just as good as this years and the cutest diapers we can find to match.”  “Yes Auntie.”  “Good. Very good. I’ll be waiting, little one.” The voice Gilda heard wasn’t Twilight’s. It felt like it resonated from the very back of her head. A deep menacing and almost maniacal laugh echoed into the night. She darted her head everywhere to pinpoint the source of the strange voice, and right in the corner of her eye, she thought she saw something high up in the sky, right by the moon. She blinked and the fog that seemed to cloud her every thought vanished in that instant. The dress she was so used to wearing all night had felt different. The heavy frills were replaced with a different sort of weight. That of a long tattered pirate coat and matching tricorn hat. The thickness, and most noticeably the thick stench, had vanished.  “What’s the matter G? We gotta hurry and go meet up with Gabby at the shrine to Nightmare Moon to offer her tribute to leave some candy.” “Huh? What?”  Dash cocked her head to the side quizzically. “You alright? Getting a little sleepy, you seem real groggy. Not used to partying out this late or what?” Pinkie giggled. “The food coma’s probably setting in, I know I’m beat.”  “Oh, um, yeah. Sorry it’s, uh, yeah I guess I’m tired. And it’s kinda hard to see with this eye patch thing.”  She said as she folded up the piece of the cloth that she didn’t realize was blocking her vision. “Still not used to it? I’m surprised that’s the costume you settled on after like a year of trying stuff on.”  “Yes picky as she may be, she does have an eye for fashion it seems. She ended up winning the whole costume contest. The griffon look must have sold it to the judges well.”  “Wait, this is the costume I’ve been wearing? Not, um, anything dweebish and, you know, like frilly or whatever?”  “Uh, duh! Too much sugar on the brain, silly? Don’t you remember, I picked it out myself while we were at Rarity’s. You wouldn’t even look at anything with frills, what are you on about?”  “Yeah, I’m just still not used to this costume thing. Practically everything you ponies wear feels like lame dress or something.”  “Well it looked like you enjoyed yourself mighty fine the whole night, so I reckon it can’t be all that bad right? Got yourself plenty of candy and even a cute little stuffed toy.”  “Um, yeah. I uh, yeah it was quite the experience.”  The questions piled and piled in the griffon’s mind, but she didn’t care to think up any sort of answer to them. She was just glad whatever haunted her was over and done with. And frankly considering what she’d been subjected to, she’d rather keep it to herself if she could.  “Oh!”, Twilight exclaimed, “Almost forgot to give you back your bat since you didn’t want to take it with you on stage.”   She took it and tucked it under her wings. As the group began the trek out of Ponyville and into the woods, a fierce gust of wind blew through the night.  “Does anyone hear that?”, Spike asked “Like a weird sorta rustling?”  “I heard it too? Kinda like a scratchy, plasticy sound right?”  Gilda jumped and stopped dead in her tracks, her eyes darting around to see if any of them were looking her way. The girls couldn’t help but giggle at the griffon.  “I know it’s Nightmare Night, but there’s no reason to get spooked over it, Gilda, it’s just the leaves blowing in the wind.”  Gilda nervously joined in on the laughter, one claw tugging at the frock of her coat instinctively to hide a diaper that wasn’t there as they ventured off into the shadowy depths of the forest.