//------------------------------// // Fair Play // Story: Nightmare Day // by Leafdoggy //------------------------------// “Why do I gotta do it?” Sweetie Belle’s whining echoes throughout the fairgrounds. Teeming with life, the Nightmare Night celebration is in full swing. Games, contests, treats and more, everything a pony looking to have some fun could want. Colorful neon signs glow bright against the dark sky, beckoning the Cutie Mark Crusaders from stall to stall. “Cuz you’re the one with magic,” Applebloom tells her. “None of us are strong enough to pick it up.” Sweetie Belle groans. “Fine,” she says, and with some effort lifts the heavy mallet high over her head and drops it. The hammer hits the plate at their hooves with a loud thunk, and the disc flies up, lighting up signs on its way. First one light, then two and three, then- it falls back to the ground, landing with a dismal clink. “Hey, I did pretty good that time!” Sweetie Belle cheers. “Yeah, but we wanna hit the bell, remember?” Scootaloo says. “I know,” Sweetie Belle says, “but I don’t think that’s gonna happen. It’s impossible, there’s no way Nightmare Moon expects us to do that.” “Yeah, alright,” Applebloom concedes. “Where to next then?” The group tries to pretend they don’t hear the ding that rings out as they walk away, nor the raucous congratulations for Cheerilee. “What’s even left?” Scootaloo asks. “I think we might’ve tried everything.” “Well, then we start over from the top!” Sweetie Belle declares. “What was the first place we checked again?” Applebloom shakes her head vigorously. “Nope, nuh-uh, no way I’m doing that apple bobbing again. I’m still spittin out seeds.” “Okay,” Sweetie Belle hums. “Maybe we should question the ponies in the fair. One of them might be a double agent!” “If they’re a double agent, why would they tell us that?” Scootaloo objects. “Yeah, that’s true,” Sweetie Belle says. “I dunno then. Maybe there’s nothing in the fair.” “Hey, we didn’t stop at that booth!” Applebloom exclaims, pointing at a darkened box in a corner of the fairgrounds. “Cuz it aint open,” Scootaloo says. “Well, let’s try anyway,” Applebloom says, dragging the other two along with her. “Sorry, kids,” the pony operating the attraction tells them. “Dunkin booth can’t run cuz my dunker didn’t show up. Can’t dunk without a dunker, that’s the first rule of dunkin. Ya dunk?” “But this might be the key to beating Nightmare Moon!” Scootaloo pleads. “Well I don’t think she’d be a very good dunker,” the operator says. “Too big for the booth.” Scootaloo groans, and Sweetie Belle hits her shoulder. “What if one of us got dunked?” Sweetie Belle asks. “Well, sure, that’d work,” he says. “But dunkin’s hard work. You sure you’re up for it?” “Easy!” Scootaloo says, and the booth operator flashes a toothy grin and kicks a switch. A cascade of lights flows up into the booth, illuminating it brilliantly for all to see. Blinding strips of neon tracing the edges of a clear box holding water and a precarious chair, flashing arrows pointing at a tiny target, stylized drawings of ponies splashing into pools. The children gaze in amazement at the incredible display. “Alright, whichever one of y’all is dunkin, go around the side and hop in,” he tells them. “The other two can try to dunk ya.” “Not it!” all three ponies shout at once. “Aw, dangit,” Applebloom says. “Now what?” “Rock Paper Scissors?” Sweetie Belle suggests. The other two nod and get ready. “Rock, Paper, Scissors, Shoot!” ….. “This game don’t work without fingers,” Applebloom says dryly. “Let’s just take turns,” Scootaloo says. “We’ll all get dunked, so it’s fair.” “Sure,” Applebloom says. “I can go first. Get it over with.” Applebloom sets herself up over the water, technicolor signs pointing down at her, taunting players. Scootaloo is first up, grabbing a ball as soon as she can and throwing with all her might. It flies at a breakneck speed and slams into the wall of the booth, about ten feet above the target. Applebloom laughs and sticks her tongue out. Scootaloo blasts out three more balls, all of them going just wide. “Scootaloo, you’re supposed to hit the target,” Sweetie Belle says. “Well you do it if it’s so easy,” Scootaloo retaliates, tossing her friend a ball. Sweetie Belle catches the ball awkwardly and walks up to the counter. Slowly, carefully, she lines up her shot, and with a valiant toss she… doesn’t even reach the wall. Applebloom laughs as the ball bounces along the ground and bumps harmlessly into the wall. Grimacing, Sweetie Belle lifts up a ball using her magic and blasts it straight forward. The booth lights up as the ball hits its mark. Flashing lights, sirens, music, all victorious. Applebloom’s laughing cuts short as her seat drops out from under her and she plunges, flailing, into the chilly water below. Scootaloo and Sweetie Belle cheer and laugh, celebrating until Applebloom interrupts them, shaking water off as soon as she’s close enough to hit them with it. “Your turn, Sweetie Belle,” Applebloom grumbles. The other two snicker again. “Hey, wait, look!” Scootaloo suddenly exclaims, pointing above the tank. Following her gaze, at the top of the tank is a bright, glowing, single letter. “Was that there before?” “I dunno,” Sweetie Belle says. “Hey mister, what’s that letter?” she asks the operator, but he just shrugs in response. “I bet it’s a key!” Scootaloo says. “What’s it mean, though?” “Maybe there’s more,” Applebloom says. “Y’all better get in there and get dunked just in case.” With another concert of light and noise, Sweetie Belle falls into the water, and another letter reveals itself. Then Scootaloo follows suit, as does a third letter. Onlookers gather as the three cycle through, dunk after dunk, and soon others join in with them. Before long a line of ponies waits to be dunked, and a message loudly displays itself on top of the booth. “So what’s it mean?” Scootaloo asks as the three try to dry off. “Maybe it’s a code?” Sweetie Belle suggests. “It sure aint a word,” Applebloom says. Sure enough, before them was just a long string of seemingly random letters with no obvious connection. “Should we go back to the mayor?” Sweetie Belle asks. “We don’t need help,” Scootaloo says. “We just gotta… figure out what we need to figure out.” “Well, how do we figure that out?” Sweetie Belle says. “I dunno,” Scootaloo tells her. “Let’s figure it out.”