At long last, it was halloween.
October was considered the spookiest time of the year and the 31st would end it with this scary holiday. This day was also celebrated in space. Either children in Nefarious City or similar planets roamed the houses collecting candy in costume or adults had parties with this day as the theme of the event.
Such was the case at Zurkies.
Zurkie held a halloween party every year on the 31st, where pirates, guests and many others met dressed up and celebrated with each other. Food was in surplus, drinks were reduced to half price, and sweet treats were also prepared in bowls on each of the tables. Matching songs were blaring from the jukebox and everyone had taken out their best costume and were enjoying their time together that day.
There were also two well-known heroes there.
"Hm, I wonder where they are," the silver little robot Clank stood waiting outside the entrance. His costume was a movie agent with the identification number 007 on the end, even with a matching toy gun on his belt. He was not alone, because his best friend Ratchet was also standing next to him. He was almost torso free, had brown fur pants, a plastic axe in his hand and white paint on his face. In addition, a red line through his left eye and for this outfit he even grew a beard. He called the costume God of War, "They're coming for sure, buddy. It's not like she invites us and then doesn't come herself." Not only the heroes had come here from their dimension, their friends Qwark, Skidd and Rusty Pete were also to be found celebrating in the pub, but Ratchet and Clank were still waiting for the last guests of this party, for which they waited patiently.
"Hey, dummies. Here we are!"
And that's when they entered Zurkies. Rivet and Kit also put on a costume and these even looked very good. The rebel was dressed as a notorious bounty hunter, wearing a red helmet with green visor, blue white armor and where normally her prosthesis was now covered by a blaster arm. The yellow bot next to her had put on a rag and had green ears on the sides of her head. Discussing it with Clank, she said the figure came from a TV show that she and the white lombax were currently watching. "Hey, you look awesome," Ratchet approached Rivet, who pulled off her helmet and also took a closer look at her counterpart, "So do you. Who's that supposed to be?"
"Oh...an old friend...it's a long story," he took you gently to him and kissed the rebel softly, who returned it gladly, "So for all I care, you can grow that beard more often."
"Hmhm," only the giggle of the little robots could be heard. Before the orange lombax could turn to his best friend, a new face appeared. Quantum stood before them, dressed as his favorite pirate from a movie, and greeted the heroes of the dimension vigorously, "Greetings, friends. Are we having fun today?"
"You bet," Rivet didn't hesitate long and pulled the orange one along to the dance floor, where Gary was already riding the rodeo dressed as Buddha. The pirate gave the snow-white lombax another look, before glancing sternly to the side and striding toward the bar. "Hi, sheep," Quantum walked past the sheep, who was sipping his drink dejectedly as usual, and then stood with Phantom and Pierre. The hacker was dressed as an ice superhero wearing glasses similar to his and the robot captain looked like Shakespeare. The two immediately spotted the dark-skinned alien staring determinedly at the dancing rebel lombax.
"Guys, we're going to make it this time! We're going to scare Rivet this year!"
That's gonna bomb again, like always," Phantom was not as determined as the captain in orange, "The invisible man didn't work, the creature from the black lagoon didn't work. Dude, even Frankenstein didn't work, and the costume was life-like!"
"But this year I have a great plan," Quantum pounded his fist against his palm, "Pierre, you're in too? Remember, if we make it, Rivet will have to run to someone to save her!" This tantalizing scenario caused the blue bot to join right in, "Oui, if that means Mon amour Rivet asks her Pierre for protection I'm in!"
"Ohhhh...okay, let's try it," now Phantom also gave in and the three men from the resistance went over the plan.
"I already have the horror figure to go with it too!"
The party continued to pass fun-filled to the Halloween music until the clock struck midnight. Everyone knew what that meant. Zurkie had a tradition of ghost stories being told at twelve to keep the spooky atmosphere going. Now the lombaxes and the robots settled down on their regular table and sipped the drinks, even indulging in the sweets on the table. "Didn't know you liked sweets so much," Ratchet had to grin as he watched Rivet dig into one bar after another, "Hm, Zurkie just knows which ones to buy. Some he even makes himself!"
"Well...they're not as sweetas you," the rebel blushed at the compliment, but before she could say anything back a voice suddenly came through a microphone.
"Everybody, listen up!"
Quantum stood there with the microphone in his hand. He had stood up first to tell a story, "We know what time it is. And I hope now there are enough brave people here to listen in on the horror."
"Oh man," Rivet just grinned unimpressed, which her boyfriend immediately noticed, "Ratchet...they do this every year. Always trying to scare me. They're desperate to prove that I'm not as fearless as they know me to be."
"Really? Well, good luck with that," the lombax grinned unimpressed as well, but Clank pushed through that feigned expression.
He knew Ratchet was often afraid of ghost stories.
"Ratchet. Maybe you should tell the truth sa...," before the silver bot could talk sense into it the dark skinned alien began to launch into his story.
"Just listen close and I'll elucidate. I'm going to tell you what's going outside, when it gets late!"
"The rhymes are new, Quantum," Rivet gave unimpressed, to which some goons laughed. Not to be distracted, the captain continued, "Is all know that midnight is the ghost hour. Oh yes, creepy creatures roam the galaxy and want to get us all scared. They're bad, there's no arguing with that." He paused for a moment. Ratchet had turned his attention to the story, which caused his best friend to slam his palm against his forehead, "Oh dear, this is going to be bad." Quantum took a sip from his mug before finally continuing, "But among these ghosts, there is one who is the worst of them all!" He then picked up a jack-o'-lantern that Zurkie and Mrs. Zurkon were carving, still shining brightly.
"And that is the Headless Horseman!"
That was the cue, Pierre now lowered the light to create an eerie atmosphere. The orange lombax immediately realized that this was not going to end well, but he was now very curious about the story, only Rivet still seemed unimpressed, "If he has no head, how can he ride?"
"Because he is a SPIRIT," Quantum ignored the cheeky grin and continued, "They said he was a soldier, so terrible and cruel until the army beheaded him. Others think he was a sinner who tricked the devil and now can't enter heaven or hell..."
"Wasn't that Jack O' Lantern?" asked a pirate, which was followed only by a scowl from the captain.
"Next he comes with Jack Skellington," the rebel gave a laugh before then Quantum continued, " Whatever the case is...he's a lost soul riding his steed across the country doing his havoc on Halloween..."
"Then how can he be riding across the Galaxy?" the rebel asked with a laugh, but Quantum immediately had an answer ready, "BECAUSE HE IS A SPIRIT!" This outcry made some audience members flinch, and Ratchet also began to shake his glass in his trembling hands. "Relax...it's just a story," the hero whispered to himself, continuing to listen to the man in orange, "Where was I? Oh, that's right! And he's getting tired of carrying around only a jack-o'-lantern as a substitute for a head...and so every Halloween he looks for a new, fresh head, but in the process he has to decapitate a poor guy for that!"
It was getting darker and darker, so only the lantern's candle almost lit the room, and the pirate's scowling face got the most of the light: "Oh yes, the Headless Horseman is unpredictable. With one hit, he's out looking for a head to chop! There's no hope for figuring a plan, 'cause you can't reason with a headless man!" The rhymes returned, and with that he already had all the listeners in his grip, because they too became afraid. Rivet was still unimpressed, but her friend was already starting to sweat as he listened to the details of the rider. Now Quantum stood in the middle again and continued the story.
"And if you doubt, I'm telling the truth...because I met the spook a year ago on Ardolis!"
Now the orange lombax was only more unsettled. Was the headless horseman for real? Rivet also noticed the anxiety of her friend, who was now also a little worried, wondering if there was something to the story. "Why I survived," Quantum now added, "I ran for my life before I saw one of my crew beheaded...his oil shot out of his neck and covered the ground before the ghost took his head and disappeared from Ardolis!" He had the guests in his grip as the dark-skinned alien now pointed his finger out the window, "Who knows? He might even be outside waiting for one of us to go home!"
With that he ended his story and pulled back laughing, "But it's a story, so..." Then suddenly the lights went out for good.
All the guests shouted worriedly through the rows and even the lombaxes looked around in wonder before the light came back on, only to reveal a horror. "HE KILLED PHANTOM", in front of them on a table you could see the head of the hacker, under which blood formed and the guests began to scream in panic and fear, before then loud footsteps could be heard. Out of the corner he then stepped out, the Headless Horseman himself with sword and pumpkin in his hands. Fear and screams filled the room as the ghost strode toward the lombaxes and Ratchet now lost his composure as well, but still reached for his blaster. Rivet couldn't believe it. The ghost was really standing in front of them, laughing and swinging his sword around, spreading fear and terror in the hearts to her boyfriend and all the other guests.
"...Hey, wait a minute!"
She noticed something else behind the black robe of the rider and pulled the orange fabric. It fell off him and there stood the true culprit of this prank.
"QUANTUM?!"
As if he were naked, he held hands in front of his torso and laughed nervously to himself, "Uh...hehehe...be honest, I almost had you..."
"Oh man, the plan is ruined" Phantom had not been decapitated, for he had sawed a hole in the table and stuck his skull through it. The blood had only been fake blood that Pierre had procured. Some of the guests, rather the goon for less, resented angrily the captain, whose face became more and more worried and already accepted the beating.
But then only began to laugh.
"Man, he was really good," the guests all laughed together, where now also the rebel grinned and hit the captain lightly against the shoulder, "Not bad...you ALMOST had me!"
"But you had me for that," laughing, the orange hero scratched the back of his head and the little robots chuckled to themselves as well, "Ratchet almost wet his pants." And so it had all ended well for all parties and the evening continued in celebration until it was time for the Lombaxes to leave. "Man...that was a Halloween party, huh," Ratchet strode up to the ship with Rivet beside him, who just grinned in amusement and then suddenly stopped her friend, "Yeah...and I wouldn't mind getting my candy now."
"Oh...I see," they both snuggled closer and kissed again before then boarding the ship.
However, someone tapped Rivet's shoulder.
Questioningly, both lombaxes looked at the culprit. He was dressed in armor, wore a purple cape...and had no head. He was sitting on a black horse with red eyes and on the man's left hand was a jack-o'-lantern. "Okay, Quantum. You can stop now," Ratchet admitted first, to which both lovers and their robot friends laughed as..."
"Stop what?"
The captain suddenly stood next to this figure, unsuspecting and confused. The heroes jerked their eyes up as they saw the dark-skinned alien without a costume, and then onto the stranger with the horse. Could it be? "T...T...T...," Rivet suddenly began to stutter and both she and Ratchet clutched each other in fear, "T...That's the REAL HEADLESS HORSEMAN!"
"HAHAHAHAHA!"
The Unholy laugh of the Ghost escaped from the hole where his head once sat, while the lombaxes and the Captain ran into the ship in a panic to fly away from here at full speed, but then the Horseman rode after them, despite being in space, and able to make it through the stars at all thanks to his ghost horse.
No one knows if the lombaxes escaped the spirit, or not.
Happy Halloween 2023