Persona EG LTE | Mythril Moth Creations

Today's Horoscope (Virgo): Some use Halloween to reveal their inner selves. Food for thought.

Morning

It's Halloween.

The big Halloween party is tonight and lasts until past midnight.

Most of us decide to stay in at the dorm and watch scary movies all day until time to get ready for the party. Pinkie's at the school helping set up.

Fluttershy comes downstairs for lunch looking like she's feeling better. She sits in the lounge and plays with Spike and Angel.

"Do you think you'll be feeling up to coming to the party tonight, Fluttershy?" Twilight asks.

Fluttershy nods. "I'll be there," she says. "I paid too much money for my costume to let it go to waste." She gasps. "Oh! I'd better get upstairs and start working on my hair..." She rushes off.

"Well, she seems to be feelin' better," Applejack says.

Pinkie returns. "Wow, we got the gym set up in record time!" she says. "You guys are gonna love it!" She heads upstairs. "I gotta start getting ready. It's gonna take a while to do my costume!"

"I suppose the rest of us had best start getting ready as well," Twilight says.

Afternoon

I've never worn a tuxedo before. I'm not sure I like it. It's not exactly comfortable.

Granted, most tuxedos aren't as elaborate as this, but...

The black pants and jacket aside, I'm wearing a white dress shirt that feels like a strait jacket, and between that and the tuxedo jacket is this white vest that only buttons up at the bottom...is this what they call a waistcoat? I know nothing about formal wear. Except that wearing it sucks. There's something gold, pointless, and on a chain hanging from one of the buttonholes of this thing.

Rarity adjusts my white bow tie, then attaches some sort of medal to it. She steps back, then looks me over. "Be careful with the cape," she says. "Especially on the stairs and while dancing."

Yeah...then there's that.

I'm wearing a full-length black opera cape with red lining.

I adjust the white formal gloves I'm wearing. Rarity hands me the final two pieces of the costume: a black top hat and a white silk domino mask. I put on the hat, then, with difficulty, figure out how I'm supposed to wear the mask.

Rarity's cheeks turn pink. "You look...positively breathtaking," she says. "Twilight's going to be so surprised...oh! I need to go check on her. Her costume is...rather more difficult to work with."

I'll just bet.

I head down to the lounge, mindful of my cape. Rainbow Dash is lounging around. She's wearing a beige and olive green explorer's outfit and pith helmet, and has done something to her hair; instead of the usual vibrant rainbow hues, it's several shades of grey. She looks at me and busts out laughing. "Dude, the Fall Formal isn't for another two weeks!"

Fluttershy walks downstairs, and we both stare at her.

She's wearing a layered black Gothic dress with black stockings and calf-high black leather boots with stiletto heels. The fake fingernails she's wearing are long and blood red. A very dark red lipstick has been applied to her lips, and she's wearing very convincing false fangs. She's dyed black streaks into her hair.

"How do I look?" she asks.

"Like a vamp...ire," Rainbow says.

The next to enter the lounge is Euphrosyne.

...wait, what?

"Pinkie? What...what the heck are you wearing?" Rainbow asks.

Pinkie is dressed as, well...her Persona. Her entire body is covered in light silver body paint, half her hair has been dyed in vibrant, fiery colors, and she's wearing the blue, red, and pink belly dancer outfit. She's even wearing just one roller skate, and her left foot is bare. All that's missing is the cup and pitcher and the balloons exploding out of her hair.

"Oh...my..." Fluttershy says, eyes wide.

"Won't...won't you be cold?" I ask, trying very hard not to stare.

"Nah, it'll be warm in the gym," Pinkie says.

"What the heck are you even supposed to be?" Rainbow asks.

"Fun personified, of course!" Pinkie says, giving her chest a generous bounce.

"Yeah yeah, we can all see your fun hanging out," Rainbow says, sticking out her tongue.

"Speaking of fun, I'm really enjoying Buzz Lightyear," Pinkie says to Rainbow.

"Buzz Lightyear?" I ask.

"You know, that toy Dashie gave me," Pinkie says. "I call him Buzz because he takes me to infinity and beyond," she adds with a playful wink.

"AUGH!" I should've known better than ask...

"Nobody laugh," Twilight's voice calls from the stairs. We all turn.

Twilight walks into the lounge. Her costume draws every eye in the room:

A white sleeveless leotard with ribbed cuffs at the shoulders, cut low enough at the front to show decolletage and topped with a blue naval collar flap. A swishy blue miniskirt with a large red bow at the small of her back. A matching bow on her chest, with a gold brooch in the center that has four small round gems at twelve, three, six, and nine. Knee-length high-heeled red boots with white trim and small yellow crescent moons at the top. Elbow-length white gloves with red ribbed cuffs. A red choker around her neck with a gold crescent moon at the front, from which dangles a smaller version of the brooch on her chest. A slim gold tiara on her forehead, with a red oval gem in the center. Pearl-and-moon earrings. A blond wig with two small, intricate buns on top, from which trail long golden ponytails. Round red ornaments on the fronts of those buns, and two small clips with three white feathers in the front.

Pinkie gasps. "WOW, Twilight! That's an amazing Sailor Moon costume!"

"Ooooh, NOW I get what Flash is dressed as!" Rainbow says.

Twilight looks at me and covers her cheeks, blushing. "Oh wow," she says.

"Wow right back at you," I say. "That...really looks good on you."

"Awww..." Pinkie coos.

Twilight looks at her, and her eyes bug out. "PINKIE! What...?!"

Pinkie does a turn around the lounge on her single skate. "This is fun! Whee!"

"Wouldn't Sailor Mercury make more sense for you though, Twilight?" Rainbow asks, tilting her head. "I don't really remember much about that show, but she was the egghead, right?"

"But then my costume wouldn't match Flash's," Twilight says. She looks around. "Where's Applejack? I know Rarity isn't ready yet, she had to help me first..."

"Ah'm right...*cough* I'm here," Applejack says, forcing her voice into a lower register and trying to use a different accent. She walks in from the hallway connecting Cadance's apartment to the dorm.

Applejack is wearing black pants and a high-collared black jacket with white piping, as well as rugged black men's boots. A silver pocketwatch with a chain hangs out of her right pants pocket. She's also wearing a red longcoat and white gloves. Her hat is absent; she's restyled her hair, which is tied in a tight braid instead of the usual ponytail, and she's wearing gold contact lenses.

"Whoa, kick-ass costume, Applejack!" Rainbow says.

"What are you supposed to be?" I ask.

"You don't watch near enough anime," Applejack says in that cocky, more masculine voice and different accent. "I'm Edward Elric, the Fullmetal Alchemist!"

"I've heard of that show," Twilight says. "Never watched it."

"It's really violent and scary," Fluttershy says.

"Hey Flash, heads up," Applejack says, tossing something at me. I catch it. It's...a set of keys?

"Coach and Nurse Cadance had to go on ahead since they're chaperonin'," Applejack says. "Since you've got your license, Cadance wants you to drive the rest of us over in her SUV."

"Got it," I say.

"Where the heck's Rarity?" Rainbow wonders. "We gotta get this show on the road!"

"Sorry to keep you waiting, darlings!"

Rarity enters the lounge, dressed in a dark blue kimono patterned with diamonds, with a white sash and black lacquered sandals. Her hair is tied up in a stiff, shiny bun, pinned with chopsticks.

"Nice kimono," Twilight says.

"Yeah, you look...really Neighponese there," Applejack says.

I check the time. "Everybody ready? We should get going."

Everybody checks to make sure they have their phones and aren't missing anything. I lock up the dorm, then we all pile into the SUV.

Evening

I pull into the school parking lot and cut off the engine. As we all get out of the SUV, I look at the school's entrance and see that it's been completely decorated in orange and black and spooky bats, spiders, and pumpkins. We make our way inside, passing a number of other students in various costumes, and head for the gym.

Just inside the gym entrance, we run into Shining Armor. I have to struggle not to laugh out loud.

Twilight doesn't bother. She busts out laughing right in his face.

"Heeheehee...h-hi, Big Brother...hahahaha...y-you look...ridiculous!"

Shining Armor crosses his arms and frowns. "Oh, come on! I worked really hard on this outfit!" This actually makes Twilight giggle harder.

I honestly can't blame her. Shining Armor is barefoot, dressed in patched, dirty white Saddle Arabian pants that are so oddly ballooned it looks like he's got a bad case of elephantitis of the nuts, tied with a red sash at the top, and a sleeveless blue vest that's wide open, baring his entire chest. He has a tiny little red fez on his head, and his hair is all mussed up.

I tilt my head. "Couldn't you have at least gone with the prince costume? Or at least the outfit from the end of the movie?" I ask.

Shining Armor blushes and looks away. "I wanted to, but Cadance said no..."

Twilight completely loses it and has to lean against the wall for support.

Rarity smiles. "So then Nurse Cadance must be dressed as..."

Cadance walks up, wearing Saddle Arabian pants that are pale blue and ever so slightly sheer, matching slippers with curled toes, a matching off-the-shoulder top that bares her midriff, a matching jeweled hairband, and a gold necklace and earrings. She looks at me and Twilight and smiles. "Sailor Moon and Tuxedo Mask, now why didn't I think of that?"

"Yeah Cadie, why didn't you think of that?" Shining Armor grumbles.

Cadance laughs. "You all look ama...zing..." She does a double-take at Pinkie. "Umm...are you...sure you want to walk around like that?"

"It's warm enough in here," Pinkie says, shrugging.

"That's...not quite what I meant..."

Shining Armor turns very red. "Uhh...yeah, Pinkie, you...probably shouldn't..."

"It's not like I'm naked or anything!" Pinkie huffs. "Yet, anyway... Besides, I need to catch a guy tonight. Pinkie needs a boyfriend!" With that, she skates off into the gym.

"I'll...stick close to Pinkie Pie," Rarity says. "Make sure she doesn't...ahem..." With that, she minces off after Pinkie.

"I'm gonna hit the snack table," Rainbow Dash says. "You comin', AJ?"

"Yeah, I'm starvin'," Applejack says, still keeping up her fake accent. They wander off to the refreshments.

Cadance looks Fluttershy up and down. "That's an interesting look for you," she says. "I'm glad you're feeling well enough to be here."

Fluttershy smiles shyly. "Thank you," she says. "I...umm...I'm just going to stand over there with...with some of the other eco kids..."

That just leaves me, Twilight, Cadance, and Shining Armor. "Wanna dance?" I ask Twilight.

She smiles sheepishly. "Love to," she says. I lead her out onto the floor.

We do more people watching than we do actual dancing. Looking around the gym, I see a lot of people I know...

Vinyl Scratch is, unsurprisingly, handling the music. At least, I think it's her. She's dressed as one of those Daft Punk guys, so I can't be sure.

Trixie is dressed as a Playboy bunny. It's a good look for her.

Lyra is dressed as Korra. Her friend Bon-Bon is dressed as Asami. Interesting choice...

Coco Pommel is dressed in a cute lamb costume. Our new team manager is dressed as a classic mummy.

Sunset Shimmer is dressed as Blackfire. I don't see her two goons anywhere...

Lyra and Bon-Bon wander over to us when we take a break to get some sodas. "Hey, awesome costumes, you guys!" Lyra says.

"Thank you," Twilight says. "You too."

After about an hour, we regroup with the other girls and make the rounds, having a good time showing off our costumes and seeing what everybody else came as. It's a night for forgetting about things like hackers and deadly Shadows and school stress and all that...it's a night for having fun.

And tomorrow, there'll be pictures of a half-naked Pinkie all over Canterbook, but she seems strangely okay with this. She spends half the night flirting with (and being groped by) assorted boys...

Even though the party's going to last until well past midnight, most of the girls from the dorm are tired by half past eleven. Twilight falls asleep a couple of times on a folding chair. Rainbow is sitting more than standing and dancing; her leg is bothering her. Fluttershy has been sitting down for over an hour.

I gather all the girls together. "If anybody wants to stay late, you'll have to go home with Cadance," I say. "I'm taking Twilight, Fluttershy, and Rainbow Dash home now."

"Hey! I wanna stay!" Rainbow says.

"And what, sit by yourself? You've already overdone it tonight and you know it."

Rainbow sighs. "Yeah..."

"Ah'm gittin'...pretty tired," Applejack says. She gave up on the fake accent a while ago.

"This kimono is...growing uncomfortable," Rarity admits. "And I do need my beauty sleep."

"I think I'm ready to go," Pinkie says. "I've let enough boys grope me for one night."

"Hey, if you hadn't dressed like that—" Rainbow says.

"Oh, I let them grope me," Pinkie says. "I just...wasn't really into any of the guys I got felt up by."

"...yeah, you need to be hosed down, girl..."

"And disinfected."

"And dunked in holy water."

I cough. "Ladies? Let's...just go home."

I'm glad the drive back to the dorm is a short one, because I'm tired...

I don't even bother peeling off my costume when I get back to my room. I just flop onto my bed and crash.