"You can look now, Fluttershy."
Fluttershy, who had her head buried in her hooves, looked up. "That image of Nightmare Moon wasn't really going to hurt them, right?"
"Really Fluttershy," Discord cocked an eyebrow. "as my best friend I would think you'd have more faith in me."
"Sorry, but you have to admit it's hard to tell with you, sometimes."
"True, but even at my worst I DID have limits. Oh, and look who's getting close to the candy! Time to prepare the final challenge!
Twilight, Starlight and Spike ascended the stairs to the central spire, which led to a trapdoor. Twilight pushed it open, and led the others into a single, circular room. Standing in the center was a cloaked and hooded pony, standing behind three small upside-down pots. Twilight thought she heard a faint gasp from the cloaked pony, then it cleared its throat and spoke.
"To find the candy that you seek,
Pick a pot and take a peek,
But if you pick the wrong one,
You'll go back to where you've begun."
Twilight knew that voice anywhere. "Fluttershy?"
Fluttershy pulled back her hood. "I've been watching you all with Discord; I agree to help out with this part, as long as he didn't make it scary!" She cast a stern look at the ceiling.
"So we just pick a pot," Twilight mused. "and if there's no candy under it, we'll go back down to the foyer?"
"Discord thought it would be more interesting that way," said Fluttershy.
"Well, no big deal, we can just come straight back here." Twilight looked closely at the pots, which all looked identical. Starlight and Spike drew up at her sides. She pointed at the one in the middle. "That one."
Fluttershy tipped it with her hoof, and the moment they saw nothing was underneath, Twilight vanished.
"One down..." Spike murmured. "I'll go next." He approached the row of pots, which suddenly scrambled themselves.
"Oh c'mon!" Spike yelled.
"Discord!" Fluttershy shouted into the air.
"Really now, surely you didn't think it would THAT easy,"Discord scolded. "If I left the pots alone, one of you three would get it right through mere process of elimination, and the others wouldn't get a chance at all! Really, where is your sense of fairness? But, if you don't think you can handle it..."
"Oh I can handle it," Spike interrupted. Then he pointed to the left pot. "This one." Fluttershy exposed the empty inside, and Spike vanished. Starlight stepped forward as the pots scrambled themselves again. She studied the pots, muttering to herself.
"The one on the right's now on the left, I think the one on the left is in the middle...I pick this one!" She pointed to the right pot. Fluttershy tilted it.
"Sorry," she said as Starlight vanished.
Starlight found herself back at the foyer, facing Spike and Twilight, who were staring down the hall.
"What are you two looking at..." Starlight turned, and saw that instead of the grand hallway, there was a huge tangle of staircases zigzagging to and fro.
"I guess we have to climb that," Starlight said in a resigned tone.
"Yep," replied Twilight. They started to move to the first staircase, when Rainbow Dash appeared in front of them.
"Aah!" she squeaked. "oh, it's just you. I wasn't scared, just startled, a little.."
"I guess you made it to the pots?" Spike observed.
"Yeah, you all picked the wrong ones too?"
"Yep."
Starlight piped in. "If we're going to make it up those stairs before the sun comes up we better get moving."
"Applejack's still up there," Rainbow pointed out. "Maybe we should wait and see if..."
FLASH! Applejack appeared in their midst. "Ah nuts," she said angrily. "I was sure it was the right one!"
"Well, let's all get back up and try again," Twilight said with resignation.
"I just hope Discord isn't playin' us for chumps." Applejack muttered.
Some time later, they reached the top of the spire again, their legs sore.
"How long did it take us to get back here?" Rainbow Dash groaned.
"I'd say about half an hour," Twilight guessed. "I know a time-keeping spell, but...you know, can't really use it now."
Pinkie Pie and Rarity were with Fluttershy and the pots. Pinkie saw them come up and squealed.
"What took you so long?"
"Don't ask," said Spike and Twilight in unison.
Rarity looked up from the pots. "Good to see you all!"
"Yes, everypony together again! But for how long?"
"How about we NOT do the teleporting thing again?" Starlight asked.
"But Pinkie Pie and Rarity haven't experienced the stairs. It makes things so much more dramatic!"
"We can't keep wasting time hoofing it back up here!" Rainbow Dash protested.
"I'm okay with being teleported," Pinkie said happily. "I want the whole haunted experience!"
"In that case darling," said Rarity, "you can go next."
Pinkie Pie pointed to the middle pot, which Fluttershy exposed as empty. Pinkie vanished.
"So, can the rest of us NOT be teleported again? Starlight asked.
"Those stairs were awesome!" Pinkie Pie said behind her.
"Aah!" Starlight turned around. "How'd you...never mind." She spoke to the ceiling again. "So for those of us who aren't Pinkie Pie, how about we all just turns like normal until somepony gets the right pot?" All the others voiced their agreement.
"But, but..."
"Discord," Fluttershy chided. "this was supposed to be fun for everypony, and dragon."
"Oh, very well. Rarity will get her teleport if she fails, and the rest of you can simply move to the back of the line if you fail."
Fluttershy started to object, but Rarity cut in.
"It's alright, darling, I can take the same medicine everypony else took." She pointed to the right pot. Fluttershy tilted it to reveal three pieces of candy.
The whole group suddenly found themselves in the dining room. Discord was standing on the table, holding the pot in his lion paw.
"Congratulations Rarity," he cried. "You've survived my castle of horrors and claimed the prize! I'm sure you'll want to share the bounty..." He turned the pot upside-down, pouring out a stream of candy, which soon covered the whole table. Discord stepped down. "Well, did you all have fun, or were you traumatized beyond repair?"
"Best Nightmare Night EVER!" Pinkie Pie dived straight into the candy pile.
"Well Discord," Twilight smiled. "There may be hope for you yet." He grinned in response.
"I have to admit," Applejack said between mouthfuls, "I can't think of anything scarier than what you cooked up tonight."
Pinkie Pie popped out of the pile. "By the way, I should probably tell you there was a bunch of other stuff I was looking forward to tonight, so I made a quick stop at the Mirror Pool."
The castle halls reverberated with the sound of screaming.