(https://i.imgur.com/nqb1h9r.png)
On the subject of Halloween, Witch Hazel had a lot of theory and very little practise. Her father was not fond of the holiday and had kept his children bundled away from the terrifying cries of 'trick or treat!' lest it invite bad spirits into the house.
But she was older now and Cirrus was slowly coming to terms with the fact that he needed to give his children a little bit more freedom and was completely booked out today due to everyone wanting to have their fortune read at the local monster house on Halloween.
So that left Witch Hazel the opportunity to do something she had never done before.
Go trick or treating.
She didn't really have much of a costume. She'd quickly rustled up an old sheet, cut some eyes in it and then scurried out the door before anyone could stop her.
It was still early but families and friends were already out and about, wandering up and down the local streets, admiring decorations and filling their baskets of candy. Oops, she'd forgotten that part.
Well, all that was left now was to take part.
But instead, Witch Hazel just stood and watched, a lonely little ghost all on her own. Basket or not, she could still get a little bit of candy.
[ORP setting: Everyone starts hanging out and goes trick or treating together, cue fun and laughter!]
(https://f2.toyhou.se/file/f2-toyhou-se/images/40992887_w3aFflqOMFvionb.png) | Thunder Bird didn't plan anything ahead - at all. If she had a costume idea, she had forgotten what it was, so she took one of her dad's canvas cloths for covering up the furniture and threw it on. She cut holes for her eyes and just tore slits for her wings and grabbed a paper bag. GOOD TO GO!
It wasn't long until she saw someone standing alone in the middle of the sidewalk. She sidled up to them, not a clue who it could be.
"BOO!" |
@Ruriska OOC: Thunderbird's Journal entry
https://mylittlephony.citycyb.org/forum/index.php?topic=49.msg183#msg183
Witch Hunt was surprised enough (not really because of the ghost attire but because somebody was talking to her) to give an obligatory 'ah!' for the sake of her fellow ghost. Her eyes even widened, not that you could tell very well beneath the sheet.
Either this other kid had also thrown together their costume last minute or sheet ghosts were surprisingly popular. Regardless, it felt nice not to be standing alone anymore.
"Are you out... trick or treating?" She asked, somewhat hopeful that maybe this other ghost wouldn't mind a companion while on the hunt for candy.
@Syrcaid
(https://media.discordapp.net/attachments/317384640815955968/900421489277423616/Untitled_Artwork.png)
Mended Memories had thought himself soooo clever.
He was going based off the memory part of his name, dressing as a 'Memory Past', thinking that so many other foals would have the most outlandish costumes that he would stand out for being simple and unique.
But when he fluttered down the side walk as a ghost sheet and ran into not one, but two other ghost sheets, he felt his heart drop.
"Well haysticks..." he said softly to himself before shaking his head and fluttering on over to the other two. "Um.... Happy Halloween......fellow.....ghosts?"
@Syrcaid @Ruriska
"Yeah," Thunder Bird nodded to... whoever this was. "This is great! I'm Thunder Bird, but you can call me Tee. Sometimes Dad calls me Tee Bird but I shortened it to Tee."
She looked down and to Witch's feet and into the cut eye holes, with little sense of personal space. She and her father shared close quarters with many different kinds of birds who were loud and social.
"Boo, to you, too!" Thunder Bird waved to Mended and started laughing. "Look, ANOTHER ghost!"
@Fealine @Ruriska
Witch Hazel was a big fan of personal space and didn't exactly appreciate having the other ghost getting quite so close. But she wasn't about to complain and being in a sheet somehow gave her a sense of security. Despite the closeness, there was still a barrier there.
"It's nice to meet you, Thunder Bird. Tee."
And then there were three! So sheets really were the fashion choice of the night.
"Good evening," she greeted the other ghost, whose arrival officially made them a group. What was a group of ghosts called? A haunting? She wasn't sure but it sounded good.
"My name is Witch Hazel."
@Syrcaid @Fealine
Mended laughed softly but beneath his hood was a slight frown. "Who knew sheets were the number one thing to go for today?" he said before he shrugged and let himself land.
His spindly legs slightly stuck out from beneath his sheet and his tail flicked through the hole he had cut. "Hi, I'm Mended Memories. I uh... thought I'd be a....memory past...." he said before feeling like it was now a really silly idea.
"You guys get any nice treats yet?" he asked curiously.
@Syrcaid @Ruriska
"Ooo, hiya, Mended Memories!" Thunder Bird sidled up and inspected Mended the same way she had Witch Hazel. "Maybe sheets are just fashionable? I just grabbed mine off my dad's sofa!"
She looked at his thin legs, feeling like they reminded her of her father's finches. She wondered if Mended ever made "beep beep" noises or threw seed everywhere.
"So like... a memory past is a piece of old sheet?" she thought out loud. "I would have come dressed as wads of pooped on newspaper if I was 'memory past'," she laughed. "That's what I usually have to clean out from the smaller cages!"
Thunder Bird looked around for more foals, but the sidewalk looked oddly deserted. "Gee, we haven't even started trick or treating. Are we early or something?"
@Ruriska @Fealine
Witch Hazel, who enjoyed books but wasn't exactly up to speed on pop culture and the classics, was also confused by the correlation between sheet ghosts and memories past. And Thunder Bird's interpretation wasn't much better.
"Maybe a memory past costume could be a lot of old pictures?" She suggested, and then quickly added for Mended's benefit, "But I'm sure your old sheet idea is just as good."
She gave a ghostly shrug. "I... haven't trick or treated before, so I'm not sure. Should we... start?" The thought of waltzing up to someone's door and demanding anything was strangely daunting but at least she had company now.
And Thunder Bird seemed the sort who would be more than happy to lead them into the battle for candy.
@Fealine @Syrcaid
(https://i.imgur.com/pGJ4arh.png) | Serendippity shook with excitement. Halloween! It was easily Dippy's favorite holiday. There was so much to decorate! There were yard decorations, food decorations, and oh my gosh, the costumes! Her wings buzzed happily, causing a drizzle of spooky-colored glitter to fall from them.
She had been spending more and more time at her little treehouse, trying to perfect her costume. She'd tried everything. The green filly had made a ball gown out of duct tape and recycled candy wrappers, but that was too bulky. Then came the pirate phase, but tossed out the idea when she realized she had too many legs for a peg leg. The trashbag elephant costume was really cute but waaay too hot, so that was no good. Bird? Nah. Skeleton? Nope. Close, though! It had taken months but she had finally figured out the best costume. It was simple, a classic.
A ghost!
There... had been a few hiccups though. She'd run out of her craft fair earnings and only had enough for half the materials she'd needed. But not to worry! She'd make do with what she had, that was what Dippy excelled at! She added a layer of old cheesecloth over the pretty white, after lots of washing it barely even smelled! And the way it held the copious amounts of glitter she'd applied, ah it was perfect! She looked up at the sticker covered clock and jumped into the air, her tiny wings buzzing.
"Oh no! How is it that late already?" She snatched up a bucket and tossed herself out of the treehouse.
A few minutes later she was trotting down the street happily, leaving a trail of glitter as she walked. Dippy heard voices and upon turning a corner, spied-- what's this!
"Oh wow! Same hat!" She chirped happily, approaching the gathering of ghosties. She spied her sister's bright orange wings and fluttered her own in joy, "Hi Tee-Tee! You should have told me you were dressing up! I would have lent you my glue gun!" She set down her sticker covered bucket and gave the group a wave, "Hello everyone! Happy Halloween!" |
They couldn't see it but Mended's face went about as white as his sheet when the other ghost mentioned pooped on newspaper. If the other filly hadn't chimed in when she did he might have slightly cried in confusion.
"Um...no like... when someone passes away...."
Oh nevermind. That wasn't the point of tonight, he was eager to get some trick or treating going that when the orange ghost, he now knew as Tee, mentioned starting, he eagerly fluttered his wings and hovered in the air. "Yes, lets get going!" he smiled, pulling out a fabric sack from beneath his ghost sheet when yet -another- ghost arrived.
"Oh....oh wow.... " he simply said baffled at the fact that they were all the same thing.
Which was actually starting to become really neat. Just this band of ghosties going around for candy? Maybe they'd take over the entire block?
"Happy Halloween fellow ghost." he smiled, waving a spindly hoof in their direction.
@Ruriska @Syrcaid @Blinded By Silence
"Hi, Dippy!" Thunderbird recognized that voice anywhere. "Oh, man! How much glitter did you use!? I didn't use any glue, just the scissors. I don't think Dad will notice, anyway. We hardly ever even use that sofa."
She laughed and looked at all of them. There were one... two... three... FOUR ghosts!
"We may not scare anyone, but we're bound to get some candy if we go as a team! A-haunting we will go! Who's ready? Y'all got something to put all our candy in right?"
She readied her paper bag. Everything in the house was covered in paper, cloth, or something machine washable. It was no problem finding bags from the massive stack of recyclables in the storage room. Granted, majority of them said "Fine Seed" on them and smelled of sunflower seeds.
@Fealine @Ruriska @Blinded By Silence
They now had quite the ghostly coterie, with two of them being especially extroverted. Witch Hazel was content to be a much quieter ghost, nodding along and occasionally contributing with a word or two. The new ghost was apparently called Dippy and had taken her ghostly form into glitter territory. It was a bold move and Hazel quite liked the effect.
"Welcome to our haunting," she offered the newcomer.
When Tee asked if they all had bags for their candy, Witch Hazel didn't answer. She wasn't going to lie but she also wasn't going to say the correct answer of 'no' and admit she'd forgotten an integral part of trick or treating and now didn't want to go back and get one.
"I'm ready," she said instead, a small flutter of nerves in her belly as her first halloween moment approached. "Lead the way."
@Syrcaid @Blinded By Silence @Fealine
Her feet were so happy, she could hardly keep them still! She giggled turned proudly in her costume,
"Three jars! The big ones too! Been saving up all year for this." She shook her rump, causing another shower of sparkles.
At the flapping of her sister's paper bag, Dippy shouted,
"Oh right! Thanks for reminding me, Tee-Tee," The little green filly flipped up the skirt of her gossamer gown to reveal her duct tape saddlebag. It was bright orange, bordered with pink cheetah print and flashed with bottle cap buttons. She rummaged around in it until she finally pulled out a bundle of crinkling paper. She tossed them on the ground at the center of the group and spread them out with her hooves,
"There! I brought extra, just in case!"They were popcorn bags, or rather, they were. Now they were treat bags, painted black and smattered with halloween themed stickers!
"I made them! Help your self if you want!" She beamed, picking up one of the bags.
(https://nymrealm.com/nymtea/nym/phony/ghosty.png) | Paladin hadn't picked his costume this year, but he didn't mind what his mother had made him. He was adorned in a ghost costume, complete with a hood for him to slide on and off. She had prepared it weeks before Halloween and in a haste, but it was still warm and clearly made with love. He tugged on the collar, pulling the hood down to breathe in the cold air as he wandered down the street, alone. His mother had been with him until she excused herself, urging the boy to make new friends.
Friends -- he didn't have many, and most other foals and fillies didn't find him as interesting as their peers. Still, he promised to try.
He wandered down the street with his pumpkin pail balanced on his back, glancing between the houses. He caught sight of the small group of ghostlings; just like him. Should he approach? Try and speak? Maybe?
"Hello," he called, slowly meeting the group. Nerves touched his heart, fluttering anxiously. "It seems we all had the same idea. It- you all look great." Ugh, he didn't know how to talk to other kids. |
Dippy pranced in place with a giggle as a new face approached. Another ghostie! Oh this was just too good, she couldn't believe their luck!
"Thanks, you too! Welcome to the group, new friend!" She beamed brightly through clenched teeth. She shook her head to open up her bag, "Let's get going, yeah? I can't wait~"
This was all becoming crazily overwhelming and yet somehow fun at the same time. The flutter foal couldn't help but shake his head and laugh softly to himself as he watched the two siblings bubble over with enough energy for all of them.
He softly pulled out a small cloth bag that he had hand painted himself with various flowers, flourish and a clock face right in the middle, it's time painted at random, at least to anyone but him. "I am ready!" he smiled, nodding, ready to get going when another foal joined them, also a ghost.
"Ghosts really are popular this year!" he smiled beneath his sheet, waving a purple hoof at the pink ghost. "Just in time, I think we were just leaving to go trick or treating." he said, glancing around at the others, excitement now welling up inside his chest.
@Syrcaid @Ruriska @Blinded By Silence @Nym (sorry for the delay, life gave me covid)
"Hiya, every ghosty!" Thunder Bird said. "If you're okay with me leading us around, I can start going to the first street! Everyone got their bag? Dippy made some real good ones!"
Thunder Bird wasn't necessarily a good leader, as she'd never been one before, but she was more than happy to give it a go. How hard could leading a haunting of tiny ghosts from door to door be? It was all in a (mostly) straight line.
"Oh! Before I forget..." she sighed. "It's time for the
Safety Lecture..."
She pulled off her ghost costume for a minute and cleared her throat.
"
AHEM! Be sure you are visible at all times. Don't wear dark, non reflective costumes."
She looked at Serendipity. "I don't think THAT'S gonna be a problem," she laughed.
@Ruriska @Nym @Fealine @Blinded By Silence
"That's right! Safety first!" She trilled, tossing a hoof full of glitter into the air, letting it rain over the group.
Dippy tucked her bag under her wing and showed off her saddle bag once more, "If anyone has any costume accidents, I brought tape and my stapler, and glue and..." She blushed and let her gauzy costume fall back over it, "Hehe, sorry to interrupt, Tee-Tee."
Paladin nodded, taking the safety talk very seriously. He'd make sure everyone was close to the group!
"I know the neighborhood pretty well, I can help if we get lost." Paladin nodded around them, gesturing gently. He doubted anything would happen to the group, especially on a date where many phonies were aware of the children rustling about and kept an eye out for them, but it was best to be prepared. Always.
The glitter stuck to his skin and he blinked at his arm and shifted it in the lamplight. Ah -- that'd take forever to wash off.
Witch Hazel had quietly and very graciously picked up one of the extra candy bags Dippy had brought, thinking how nice that everyone had been so prepared. It made her feel a bit silly, turning up to halloween with barely any effort put in. Even her sheet looked so much more tatty compared to everyone else.
She admired one of the halloween stickers, a funny little bat, and smiled underneath her costume.
It shouldn't have come as any surprise to have yet
another ghost arrived. "Hello," Hazel said softly, not one to seek attention when others were so much brighter and louder. She was happy for them to remain the focus while she basked in just being part of something fun and innocent.
She nodded along to the safety lecture, though she hardly considered this a dangerous activity. Hanging out near your mother's pond while she was feeling extra murderous was dangerous. The only danger Hazel faced here was tripping on her costume.. or yes, maybe getting a little lost. She didn't know the streets very well.
"Which house do we go to first?" She asked.
@Nym @Blinded By Silence @Syrcaid @Fealine
"Dippy and the new kid," Thunder Bird said, gesturing to
Paladin. "Dippy can be in charge of safety and you can be my second in command. If anyone else wants to take up a job helping the other kids, just say so! Let's get going before all the good candy is gone!"
She made a costume check one more time, got her bag and picked a direction.
"We're going this-a-way, new kid, which door first?"
@Nym @Ruriska @Blinded By Silence @Fealine
Mended listened to the safety talk and nodded in agreement. Though he wasn't sure anything bad was going to happen he did have to agree he didn't fancy getting lost. When Paladin mentioned knowing the area pretty well he felt a sigh of relief. "Ah our Ghost in shining sheet!" he smiled, chuckling a bit at his own joke before ducking back and hoping they laughed too at his cheesy joke.
He glanced over towards the tattered ghost and landed next to her, smiling though she couldn't see it beneath his cape. "Nice bag, I love the stickers. " he said holding out his plain bag, wishing he had a sticker or two. Hopefully they'd get a lot of candy to fill it up. "You excited?" he asked, hoping she was ok, she seemed rather quiet, but then again, Dippy and Tee seemed great at taking charge and he was ok with this. He'd offer his support where needed!
@Ruriska @Syrcaid @Blinded By Silence @Nym
Paladin nodded towards the greeting from another ghosty-filly, flipping his hood back over his head in an effort to feel just a tad more comfortable. He stiffened upright as attention was drawn to him, although the task handed to him was something he actually felt he was fairly suited for. Helping others and leading was something Paladin enjoyed, he found, especially if it ensured everyone was safe in the end.
"Alright," he answered, sliding beside Thunder Bird and tilting his head in thought. He watched a crowd of foals approach an extravagantly decorated house and return back with caramel apples and shrieks of delight, nodding towards it.
"There, before they run out?"@Ruriska @Fealine @Syrcaid @Blinded By Silence
"Aye Aye, Captain Tee-Tee!" She saluted dramatically and grinned ear to ear. She looked over the group, counting them and holding their details in her mind. She'd make sure to do a headcount after each house. No one was getting lost on her watch!
"Ooh, that sounds like a great idea! I love caramel apples! Lead the way!" Dippy waiting for the others to start walking. After all, it was easier to keep track of everyone if she took up the rear watch.
@Syrcaid @Ruriska @Fealine @Nym
Witch Hazel was quiet for a long time after Mended spoke to her, long enough it might have seemed as if she wasn't going to answer. But she was just sorting out her emotions and deciding on the right sort of reply, which ended up being a very simple, "yes, I
am excited."
She watched as the kids ahead of them laughed over their full bags and caramel apples.
This was it.
This was the moment.
She was really going to go trick or treating.
Nobody had moved first yet, even after Dippy called for someone to lead the way. So Witch Hazel stepped forward. "Follow me," she said, her voice low, as she started towards the first house, a little ghostling ready for her first treat.
(10000 years laterrr....
@Fealine @Nym @Syrcaid @Blinded By Silence )