//------------------------------// // Night of scares // Story: Do as you like // by PonkaPlatinum //------------------------------// “Hey Chryssy, how do I look?” you ask turning around from the body mirror by your dresser as you finally tighten the headband around your head. It’s that time of the year again, the long awaited Halloween, or rather, Nightmare Night. “Dashing as always, Anon. Who are you supposed to be again?” Chrysalis responds snugly lying on your bed with a tilt of her head. You look yourself in the mirror one last time wearing your mercenary uniform as you tell her, “Well, I’m supposed to be a pretty cool guy I always really liked. I’m sure no one here really knows who he is but he is a great man.” “And who’s that?” “Solid Snake.” “Well ‘Solid Snake’ looks good on you.” “Thanks!” you heartily reply as you leave the mirror in your room and start making your way towards Chrysalis. “And who are you supposed to be tonight? Yourself?” you quip noticing that she’s still in her base changeling form which gets you a pout from her. “I’m still thinking. There’s so many choices with so little time, I’m just not so sure of any of it.” Chrysalis confesses looking a little distressed. “Well, you gotta be sure soon. It’s almost 6 PM and we gotta group up with the others for Nightmare Night. Why don’t I leave you here for a bit while I go rendezvous with Rarity? Maybe you just need a little alone time, how does that sound?” you smirk as you let out some light military lingo. “I think I’d like that.” she says with a smile which grows evermore as you responds by ruffling her mane. You get up and sign off by giving Chrysalis a cheesy little salute to which she does the same rolling her eyes. You’ve already made your way down the staircase as you happily exit your diner. With a smile on your face you start striding towards your destination, Carousel Boutique. As you ring her doorbell, your thoughts are filled with the multitude of reactions that Rarity may have from your Nightmare Night costume until your pondering is interrupted by the swing of a door. “Why, Anonymous! You certainly look dashing this fine evening. Though I must say your costume could use a little more...color.” Rarity compliments with a spout of her accent and a twirl of her hoof. “Well, that kind of ruins the idea of camouflage.” “Fair enough. And please, do come in.” she hospitably offers sidestepping and welcoming you inside of her home. “If I remember correctly, it’s your very first Nightmare Night here in Equestria is it not?” Rarity asks with glee. “Not exactly. We had something similar back in my world.” “Well it looks like you still pulled out all the stops this year with that stunning outfit. I take it you’re dressed as something from your world too.” “I’m supposed to be a mercenary. And please, call me Snake.” you request with a smile. “I don’t exactly know what a mercenary is but note taken.” “Maybe I’ll tell you someday. But hey, what about your outfit?” you curiously ask after noticing she doesn’t have a costume on, just like Chrysalis. She’s definitely pampered herself up for the night though, like the only thing she’s missing is a costume and maybe some makeup. “Well, Sweetie Belle told me she wanted to make her own Nightmare Night costume this year. She even pleaded me not to interfere by secretly making her a costume like last year so I happily let her this time.” “Well, that answers Sweetie Belle’s costume. What about you?“ you ask once more with a smirk. “If you know me, you know I always like to have matching outfits with my sweet little sister.” “That’s a sentiment I can appreciate. I’m guessing you’re waiting for her to see what you should change into then?” “Spot-on intuition, Anonymous. My never ending wardrobe should have whatever she’s prepared. And if I don’t, well, you wouldn’t mind me asking for a favor, would you?” she asks with big puppy eyes. You quickly give in to the sheer adorableness tapping in to your heart, “You have my word, Rarity. Mind if I go check on her?” “Thank you, darling! You should find her in her room.” she answers you squeeing in delight. You give her a smile and a nod before you start moving. Just as you try to remember where exactly Sweetie Belle’s room is while you’re treading the stairs, your memory is jogged by the muffled sounds of a certain somepony hastily rummaging through her room. This can’t be good. “Knock knock.” you say and do as you reach Sweetie Belle’s door. “A-Anon? What are you doing here? I’m uhhhhh...kinda busy right now.” “You were supposed to say who’s there. What’s poppin’, Sweetie Belle?” you tell her as you enter the room. The place is a mess as you’d expected. Boxes and clothes and pretty much everything else is scattered around the room as Sweetie Belle keeps rummaging through each pile of everything. “Looking for your costume I presume?” “Worse, I don’t HAVE a costume yet.” Sweetie Belle pants nervously while searching a different pile. “I’m looking for anything I can find to make some sort of Nightmare Night costume. If I can’t get a costume ready then Rarity will get me a costume for tonight instead, and she’ll definitely make me wear costumes she’ll prepare next year too, and the year after that, and the year after that, and...” she’s stopped looking through her piles and started to be deep in thought about the future as she keeps repeating her last line over and over. SweetieBelle.exe has stopped working. “Hey, what’s wrong with that? Your big sister’s just looking out for you.” you kneel and lay your hand by her withers and caress her comfortingly. “But she does that all the time, not just on Nightmare Night. I know I’m more independent than before ever since I got my Cutie Mark but I wanna feel like it too. That’s why I told her I’d make my own costume this year. I was really happy when she agreed but one thing led to another with my job helping other ponies with their Cutie Marks and I just forgot to make my own costume. If I’ve got nothing to show for to Rarity, then she won’t think I’m as independent as she thought I was when she trusted me with making my own costume.” she buries her face in her hooves as she contemplates her next move. “Hey, it’s okay champ. We all forget some things here and there, and we all definitely need a little help sometimes. So why don’t I help you? What do you say?” “I don’t know, Anon. Won’t that make me irresponsible if I relied on others to get me out of a hole I dug?” she asks with a genuinely troubled look on her face. “You forgot because you helped other ponies, right? I think that says something about how responsible you are. It’s good in my book at least.” “Alrighty then. Thanks, Anon.” Sweetie Belle smiles widely and gives you a warm hug, well, as much of a hug as a little filly can wrap her small hooves around you. “Well then Sweetie, any ideas what you wanna be this Nightmare Night?” “Hmmmm...not really. I was just looking for anything I could find, but what do you got for me?” Sweetie Belle asks in wonderous anticipation. With great passion, you transform into each creature that you enumerate, “For one I could turn you into a zombie, the complete set even with the dripping blood and the white bandages. Or if you’d like, a batpony, with an added bonus of night vision, sharp fangs, bat wings, and the whole shebang. Or the Eldritch deity, Cthulhu, with controllable tentacles and reality mending. Or the Lovecraftian Shoggoth, with...” you stop as you notice your form has been turning a little...graphic. You’re certain of it since even Sweetie Belle is shuddering in fear a bit. “Maybe we shouldn’t delve too much into my old world. How about something a little less scary?” “Y-yeah, I think I’d like that b-better.” Sweetie reaffirms as she still shudders. “Welp, here we go.” you reach out your hand to Sweetie and touch the tip of her horn with your pointing finger. The room is then filled to the brim with a blinding bright light. The light dies down and Sweetie Belle has been completely transformed. Now she’s ready for Nightmare Night. She taps her hooves on the floor which makes a clunking sound that resonates within the room. “What am I supposed to be, Anon?” “You’re a robot, Sweetie Belle.” “A what?” “You’re a miracle of the future. Metallic fragments brought together and birthed with sentience. The essence of life fueling your circuits and wires coupled with the soul that branches into the cosmos of infinite possibilities, crawling through one future at a time within the multiverse.” As you end your speech, Sweetie Belle just looks at you dumbfoundedly with a tilt of her mechanical head. “You’re a machine.” you sum up. “Oh, well that makes sense. But what’re these things I’m seeing? They look like...data?” “That’s your User Interface, or Heads-up Display, or whatever you’d like to call it. It shows you information about yourself and what you’re looking at through a scanning mechanism.” you haphazardly explain. Sweetie Belle simply tilts her head still in confusion. “Here, why don’t you read through this manual instead?” you materialize and hand her a very well-compressed but detailed pamphlet that should educate her thoroughly about her new form. “Wow, thanks Anon!” she gleefully replies with a smile after giving the cover a quick skim. “Welp, you better not keep your sister waiting. Same goes for me, I’ve got a mare to see. See you in a bit, Sweetie Bot.” You notice her give a little chuckle at your quip just as you fade back into your diner after snapping your fingers. “What’s poppin’ Chryssy?! It’s just about time to leave, you find a costume you like?” you shout from the bottom of the stairs which gets you a simple “Eep!” in return. “C-coming!” Chrysalis timidly shouts back as you hear her trotting down the steps slowly. You notice her hooves first as she appeared before your eyes bit by bit. It seems she hasn’t changed into a costume at all. You’re finally certain she hasn’t now that she’s come down the steps to the diner area. “What’s with the getup? You too embarrassed to show me the costume you picked?” you joke around as Chrysalis partially hides her face behind her hair. “This...this is my costume.” she looks away from you. Stepping up her game, huh? She’s probably trying to ease herself into social acceptance, either that or she’s testing the waters. Regardless, you better be supportive instead of being reluctant. “Well, don’t you look stunning in your costume, Chryssy?” “I-it’s supposed to be scary!” she barks back. “Oh no. Oh my, how frightening. You nearly scared me to death with that costume.” you reply in a monotone voice, moving your hands hysterically. She gets even angrier, and you can tell because she’s pouting now. You give her a chuckle, “I think you look great, Chryssy.” you cup her cheek and give it a little stroke. “Let’s j-just go! We’re gonna be late.” she dismisses your affection with a blush as she walks past you. “Onwards and upwards then.” you start to walk beside her, a hand resting on her barrel, towards Fluttershy’s cottage. “Ah! It’s Chrysalis! Blast her! Blast her with magic!” Pinkie Pie hysterically shouts in fear. Well it wouldn’t be the first time someone’s said that tonight. It was just one filly dressed as a ghost with a white blanket though. Still, everyone else gave curious and fearful looks your way. And then there’s Pinkie. “No, Pinkie. It’s just me and Sunshine. Also, where's Spike?” you defuse the would’ve-been situation seeing as Twilight’s horn started to glow and her fur started to show sweat. “He said he had his own schedule to follow for the night, but, that IS an impressive shapeshifter spell.” Twilight compliments Chrysalis with a rub of her chin. Well, technically it IS a spell, at least you think it is. “T-thanks, I...used to study magic thoroughly for years.” Chrysalis quickly makes an excuse. A double edged excuse it was, for little does she know that she merely triggered Twilight’s curiosity. “Really? What branch did you focus on?” Twilight continues. Well, at least she’s asking out of curiosity and not doubt. “Well, just about anything I could get my hooves on, really.” she goes on. “Even magic for flying kites?!” Starlight gleefully chimes in. And so the huddle forms, everyone drowning Chrysalis in questions. Even Dash joined in. You step back a few meters and take this moment to observe all their costumes. Pinkie’s gone full bozo with a clown outfit, which actually looks cuter on her than scary. Dash looks like she’s part of the Royal Guard. But from the darker shades of the armor and the intricate design on her wings, she’s supposed to be a bat pony. Twilight looks pretty much the same except she changed her color palette to look like Celestia’s. She’s even got the flowing mane right. You’ve got to make fun of her, or Celestia, later, but just a bit. Lots of bits. Applejack has an actual pumpkin for a mask and is supposed to be, from what you can only assume, a headless horseman. Or at least Equestria’s version of them. Maybe a dullahan? She’s certainly got the armor for it. Fluttershy and Rarity are still missing in action. Glim Glam’s wearing a simple military general uniform. She’s also walking towards you. You give her a rigid salute as she draws near. Still looking to the night sky, you greet, “Good evening, General Glimmer ma’m!” “At ease, Private Anonymous.” she jests as well. You give her a chuckle, “Aren’t you gonna stick with the herd?” you say, pointing towards the rest of the gang that are present. “Three is a crowd, four is a problem and five just isn’t my cup of tea. I remember what it’s like being huddled by everypony so I try to give people the privilege of a little space when I can.” “Are you still being huddled in your little guidance counseling office?” you smirk at her. “More than the number of mates hitting on you.” she triumphantly returns with a smug grin. “You’re pretty good.” you give the trademark shtick line as said by Snake to stay in character, “But zero isn’t greater than zero.” The two of you have a grand little time laughing. As the howling dies down with the air returning to your lungs, you ask “So why a military uniform?” “Well, it’s not very common here and I thought it’d be kinda fitting because of...my past.” she cringes a bit at that last part, “And now that I think about it it was probably a bad idea reminding myself and everypony else of what happened before. Hahahaha.” she nervously laughs. “Hey now, I think it’s a great costume.” you attempt to comfort her, which you probably did if her now-crimson cheeks are any indication. Shifting the topic, she stutters, “S-So where’s Rarity?” “I don’t know. She should be here by now.” you answer, just as curious as the mare in front of you. “Anonymous!” Rarity Bellows in the distance, catching everyone’s attention. You turn to see that Sweetie Bot is quickly hovering towards you on all fours using her rocket hooves. “Hey Anon, check out what I can do.” Sweetie Bot starts to fade away, her mechanical exterior mimicking the environment and flawlessly camouflaging her from the eyes of the many. “No! God, she’s dead! She’s dead and I killed her! How could I!?” you drop to your knees and start to dig your fingers into the ground. Your friends all give you a curious look, and even a few passersby. “Wait, no! Anon, I’m here! See!?” she begins to reanimate her original form into the world seen by eyes. You give her a boop on the snoot, “And I knew that.” You laugh at her expense as she simply responds with a metallic pout. At least everyone else seemed to think your hysterical overdramatization of the prospect of death was funny. “Dear heavens, Anon. I’ve been looking for you.” Rarity finally catches up. “When I saw Sweetie Belle, I immediately tried looking for a costume I had that, and, well, I don’t exactly have anything made of metal. Could you be a dear and-“ *snap* “Done.” Rarity is now clad in a robotic design similar to Sweetie Belle’s. “I don’t mean to be picky, but don’t you have something less...mechanical?” she taps her plated chest for emphasis. With another snap of your fingers, her exterior is coated with synthesized membranes, skin and white fur. You didn’t forget the pristine hair on her either. She looks organic from a distance, but everything else about her screams she’s a robot. Especially her face. You made sure that stayed the same. “Oh, darling! This is simply marvelous.” her programmed robotic voice plays. “Anon, what did you do?” Twilight perks up curiously. “I turned her into a robot. A complex machine, to sum up, my Princess of the Sun.” She stares at you blankly, ignoring your answer entirely because of your little joke. One of many, for sure. The door to Fluttershy’s cottage finally opens, grabbing everyone’s attention. Except for you and Twilight. Your stare off with her hasn’t ended. But suddenly, your hairs stand on end. An impending presence overcomes you. You feel like something’s...different. “I still don’t get who you’re supposed to be.” Fluttershy, with an adorable vampire costume, speaks to her companion as they exit the humble cottage. “No one cared who I was until I put on the mask.” You turn around to see what you can only presume is Discord. With a simple costume, all he has is a thick brown coat and...a mask. Those and no hair on his head too. And if there’s one quality about him that’s quick to notice, it’s that… “Whoa, you’re pretty big, Discord. Bigger than usual at least.” Pinkie points out. Big. Heh. Hehehe. Hahahahahaha. You start to approach him slowly, rematerializing your clothes into a blue collared shirt, a black jacket, and a light brown pair of pants. “Are you supposed to be an egghead?” Rainbow Dash jokes, alluding to his bald feature. Without looking at her, you stop her from getting closer by putting your arm in front of her. She gives you a confused look as you march on. You’re now at a point blank range from him. You notice that he’s about a head or two taller than you. “Oh, I forgot. You two haven’t met yet, have you? Anon, this is my friend, Dis-“ “Whoa, you can’t bring any friends.” you cut Fluttershy off. “Huh? Wh-what do you mean?” she’s severely confused at the moment. “She’s not my friend.” the bit continues. As does Fluttershy’s confusion. “D-D-Discord!?” She looks at him in awe, and quite possibly, grief. “If I pull that off, will you die?” “It would be extremely painful.” “You’re a big guy.” “For you.” A staring contest ensues between the two of you. “Uhhhh, y’all reckon we should go ahead?” Applejack suggests. “We should.” Anonpone arrives, with the color palette of a standard brown horse but with the clothes of a standard human. Everyone else turns to the little filly. “Wait, that voice. Is that you, Anon?” Twilight starts. “Yeah, it’s him.” Chrysalis remembers. “I’ll explain on the way.” Anonpone starts moving. With a shrug from Dash, everyone follows. Except for you and Discord. “I see you’re well-acquainted with human culture.” “I find it all amusing to say the least.” he twists around you, given his long form. “Have you heard of anime?” “Hmmm? What’s that?” he shoots you a curious look. “You and I are gonna have plenty of fun.” You’ve been walking with Discord for a while, trying to catch up with the rest of your group. The discussion have been pretty much just about anything you two could think of. “And that’s why I never did a triple somersault off a cliff while stuffing a chicken with carrots and beer at 4:27 AM on a Tuesday ever again.” “Really?” Discord asks. “No.” You share a laugh with him as you both walk along. “Now that’s my kind of humor. And speaking of humor, would you be down for scaring a few foals and fillies tonight?” his tone turned a little mischievous as he said so. Well, he IS a harbinger of chaos after all. “Hmmm...I mean I would, but it might be a little too...bland for me.” you answer honestly. “However do you mean?” he asks. “Well, my kind of scares and horror might be a little too extreme for Equestrian standards.” Discord plasters a skeptical look on his face, “Getting cocky, are we?” he raises an eyebrow. “No no, it’s just…it’s either it’s too boring for me or I’ll scar these ponies for life.” “Yep, definitely cocky.” he walks past you. You give him a shrug. Maybe someday you’ll show him. Or maybe he’ll show you. You don’t really know, but you sure would like to eventually. “Any other plans for tonight then?” you catch up to him. “Actually, no. Not really. It’s all I do every Nightmare Night.” The two of you finally reach the Town Hall where everyone is gathered. Sounds like a speech is ensuing. You’d listen but you’re still talking to Discord. Before you can continue though, the cheers from the crowd make you and Discord look their way. “Please welcome, Princess Luna!” Mayor Mare announces just as the blue princess makes an appearance. Huh, you haven’t seen her in a while. You both look at each other, a more malicious expression on Discord’s face. “Care for a wager?” This time it’s your turn to walk past him. A tug on your hand stops you from moving further, so you turn around. “If I win, I get a free breakfast coupon in your diner.” Hmmm...well that IS pretty cheap. And Luna IS a big mare. Sounds like fun, why the hell not? “Fine I guess. But if I win, I get to take over one “Tea Time with Fluttershy”.” He flinches at the thought, but gives in. “...Fine.” “I’m assuming Luna is the bounty?” you inquire. “First one to get her to scream wins. No rules.” “No violence and danger and you got yourself a bet.” you extend your hand. He hands you his paw with a firm grip and he disappears with a flash. Showtime baby. The town’s speech is over and the night has commenced at 6:30 PM. You start to approach your group with Discord nowhere in sight. Oddly enough, Luna seems to have joined the roster. “Ah, how goes, Anonymous? It has been a while.” you take notice how she’s not wearing a costume. “Great actually. You should come by our diner sometime.” “I will certainly look forward to it. And if I may ask, what hath inspired your costume for this Nightmare Night?” You crack her a smile, happy for simply asking about your attire. “Well, let me tell you on the way.” “So how’s your sister?” “Why don’t you ask her? She’s right over there.” You turn around to see Twilight who’s at the back of the group. Good to see she’s got a sense of humor. “Hehehehe. Could you give me a second?” “Certainly.” You excuse yourself and slip to the back of the group, passing by your friends who’re conversing with each other. Except for Sweetie Belle. She went off with Applebloom and Scootaloo at some point earlier. You could tell by how absolutely star struck her friends were with her costume. A shame that Anonpone had to leave as well, or rather, decided to join the Cutie Mark Crusaders. He always did have an affinity for defending the Holy Land, even if "Crusaders" WAS just in name. Deus Vult. “Oh, Anon!” Fluttershy stops you, interrupting her conversation with Rarity. “Hmmm?” you match your pace with hers. “I forgot to ask earlier, but do you know where Discord went?” “Oh, well, ummmm...could we talk? Privately, I mean.” “Oh my, is he scaring foals and fillies again?” she leans in with you as to keep the conversation from unwanted listeners. “Not exactly.” “What do you mean?” “We made a wager on who could make Luna scream first. I don’t know where he is, but he’s probably plotting something.” “What were the stakes?” Fluttershy asks with keen interest. “Either he’ll get breakfast on the house from me or I’ll get to take over one of his Tea Times with you.” “Well then, I hope you win. Maybe that’ll teach him a lesson about pranking.” she smiles genuinely. “Thanks.” you ruffle her mane for a second as you give Rarity a smile and start to move along. “Oh, wait. Anon.” Fluttershy speaks, but you’ve already moved a little too far for you to hear her voice, “Well, maybe later then.” she tells herself. You want that “Tea Time with Fluttershy”, and you’re gonna get it. “Say Celestia, what can you tell me about your sister?” “Well Anon, I’d gladly tell you, but I’m not Celestia. And lay off with the jokes.” she pouts, a little annoyed and peeved. Hmmm… a noble sacrifice, for a greater purpose. “Fair enough. I’ll stop, but I’d like to know more about Luna.” maybe you’ll get to know something important about Luna that you could use. Twilight wears a small smile at your words, but her joy turns into curiosity as you ended your sentence. “May I ask why?” You give her an abrupt, “No.” She gives you a deadpan look before continuing on, “Nightmare Night is a yearly celebration originating from the legends of Nightmare Moon. Nightmare Moon is the corrupted version of Princess Luna that possessed her, ultimately leading to her thousand year banishment to the moon. She only appeared recently. Since then, she’s been using her ‘dream walking’ ability to suppress ponies’ nightmares.” Huh, well that’s pretty interesting. You didn’t know that before, but that’s not exactly the kind of information you were looking for. The “dream walking” thing might mean that she has a resistance to fear and scares. That’s not good. “Oh, well I was hoping you could tell me something more personal. Like her dislikes or something.” Twilight has a moment of realization. “You’ll probably need to ask Princess Celestia if you really want to know. Sorry, Anon.” “But you ARE Princ-” you’re cut off by her menacing glare. You remain still, and thankfully, she presses on, Though her expression still remains the same. “Hey Twilight?” “Yes, Anon?” she looks your way. You pull up a camera and take a picture, yourself disappearing just as the flash blinds her. You better scare Luna before Discord does. The first scare should have the most buildup. The group has finally reached the edge of town. Starting here to systematically acquire candy from all the houses and have fun with maximum efficiency and in the shortest amount of time, as planned by Twilight so everyone can go back home early and give candy back to everyone else. Apparently the festival gets more active as time passed, and so they’d opted to hand out candy late into the night. Rainbow Dash gives the door a firm knock. The door slowly opens. “Hmmmm...” Luna proceeds skeptically, opening the door to reveal no one. You tap her left side. “Huh?” she turns to see no one. She turns back to the door and- “AHHHH!!!” The entire group, save for Luna, flinches as you scream like a Banshee, a mere few centimetres from Luna’s face. “Anon!!!” even Rainbow got scared, you can tell from her crimson cheeks of embarrassment. Luna has only been staring blankly at you. You notice her expression turning into a smirk, then you hear a suppressed giggle, and then laughter. You snap your fingers in disappointment, “Darn!” “Your attempt to exploit my laxness is admirable, but I cannot be scared.” she smugly returns as her laugh dies down. “Is that a challenge?” you cross your arms with an eyebrow raised. “Perhaps.” Derpy comes into the scene, confusion overcoming her in her cute little muffin costume. She’s literally wearing a muffin. “Sorry about that, Derpy.” you take a chunk out of her costume and gobble it down. “Was that even edible?” Twilight asked. “It ish now.” you speak muffledly. “It tastes like Blueberry.” Pinkie confirms as she’s eating a chunk herself. You make sure to reanimate the chunks you’d taken from Derpy’s costume. Though she’s just happy to be here, giving the rest of your group some candy. Everyone’s leaving already after thanking Derpy, and in the middle of conversation, a lighting bolt strikes right beside Luna. Thankfully, Discord acquires the same results as you. Scared mares, but no Alicorns. Except for Twilestia. You look up to find him lying on a dark cloud with an expression of disappointment. “Discord!” Twilight barks at him. “Awww c’mon! Have a little fun tonight, Celestia. You haven’t celebrated ‘Nightmare Night’ in ages!” Hey now, you said YOU wouldn’t make those jokes, not Discord. You feel pleased with this loophole, mostly because of how Twilight’s pouting right now. Getting back on track, the only difference this time is that Luna is giving him a gaze of boredom and contest. “No cigar either huh?” he asks you rhetorically. You shake your head at him, thankful that he didn’t win but still worried about how high her resistance is to getting scared. The group simply starts to move again, but you stand still staring at them go as Discord lowers his cloud until he’s next to you. “This won’t be easy, won’t it?” you ask. “I believe it’s time to pull out all the stops.” No, not for you. Not yet, at least. Nothing’s working! You’d tried everything that’s basic enough to scare ponies. From floating ghost blankets revealing nothing inside them to creatures of the Everfree forest. Discord even planted a rubber snake on her barrel, which you transformed into a real snake. You’d made sure it would be harmless, but Discord took over your take over by turning into the snake. It had Discord’s face on it, but before he could even give her a scare, Luna tried to bite him. It’s already been long since everyone else had gone back to their homes to give candy. And yet you’re still chasing Luna with Discord. Maybe it’s time to give her a little taste of human horror. Just a little taste. “Luna!” a voice cries out from the Everfree where Luna is near. “Sister?” Luna approaches nearer towards the forest, stopping right by its edge. “Luna!” after confirming what she’d heard, she enters. Deeper and deeper into the shrubs and trees, she shouts, “Sister! What art thou doing here?!” The voice keeps leading her on, until she’s lost in a maze of greenery. The wind blows gently, but eerily as well. She finds herself paralyzed, not from fear, but from actual incapacity. A sharp object trails its way along her neck. She turns quickly and...nothing. She begins to sweat profusely as she hears whispers from the beyond. Several hands rise from the ground and attempt to pull her down. Immediately, she felt herself regaining control in her movement. She broke off from the hands and started to gallop back towards town. Her movements are stopped by two tentacles grabbing her by her hind legs, slowly pulling her towards the bush that they originate from. As she got close, she shouts, “O-oh no! I left my candy bag!” Wha-? “What? Jesus Christ, Luna!” you emerge from the bushes. “I know not of this Christ, but I do know that your tactics are in need of some work.” she smugly returns, literally unphased by all of your attempts. You’re tired and a little miffed now. Though you still raise your hand dejectedly, and summon Luna’s candy bag. “Yay!” she takes it in her hooves and starts munching on one of the candies. “I’ll just...head back for now, Luna. Stay safe.” She says something through her munching but you can’t exactly comprehend. Coming back, you notice how Discord’s flying towards Luna into the forest. Taking his turn huh? You arrive at your diner, finding Chrysalis by the table nearest to the entrance inside. “Sorry I’m late. I had a bet with Discord.” “Did you win?” she asks. “Neither of us have, and I don’t think either of us will.” “You probably would’ve won anyway. Here, wanna solve Crosswords with me while we wait for other ponies to come by and ask for candy?” she pats the seat next to her. That sure is comforting, and you always did like how quirky she was like how she liked solving Crosswords. “I think I’d like that.” you take a seat next to her and hang your arms at the backrest. “Oh, Fluttershy was looking for you earlier.” she says, keeping her eyes on the paper. “Really?” “Mhmm. Say, what’s an adorable animal? Three letters, second letter is O.” “You.” you boop her on the nose and wrap her in a hug. She’s speechless, blushing profusely as she instinctively leans into your hug. You stand up after a few seconds and scratch her ears just as you leave. “It’s probably a ‘dog’. I’ll be back in a bit, I just need to see Fluttershy.” “A-ah! I-i-it is ‘dog’. Th-thanks.” she stutters, the blush still decorating her face in embarrassment. With a smile, you teleport yourself to Fluttershy’s cottage and give it a knock. “Who is it?” she asks. “It’s me, big guy.” “Discord?” “No, other big guy.” She opens the door, “Anon! Please, come in.” “Sorry I was too into Discord’s bet with me tonight. I probably should’ve just been enjoying the night instead.” not that you didn’t enjoy yourself, but it could’ve been a little better. “Actually, that’s what I wanted to talk to you about.” “About tonight?” “No, Discord’s bet.” “Hmmm? Did he concede?” you ask, hopeful to get an affirmative. “No, but I could help you win.” Now you’re interested, not because of how you’d like to win, but at this point, because of how there’s something that can actually scare Luna. “What is it?” you grasp her withers firmly, “S-sorry about that.” She giggles at your excitement, “That’s alright. Anyway, when Princess Luna returned, Princess Celestia asked us to help her get back on her hooves.” “And?” “Well, she was helping me bathe my critters when it was my turn to help her. Apparently, she really liked animals too, but…” “But?” you continue your single-syllable questions. “But one of the tubs had a...rubber duckie in it.” “...” “...” “...That’s it?” “Oh my, she was so frightened when we got to it. I had to take all of them out before we could continue. But please don’t tell anypony else. I just figured that it could help you.” “It will, thanks Fluttershy.” you ruffle her mane once more, her head leaning into your hand. “Good luck now.” she gives you a wink. “The fire rises.” with a snap, you disappear. You reappear and her a piece of candy before disappearing again. She can’t possibly make this up, and you’ve got to see it for yourself. Back in the forest where Discord still is, desolately failing to scare Luna. You see that she even has a bag of popcorn with her, enjoying the Draconequus’ displeasure. Stealthily now, you plant a rubber duckie in her bag. You pull Discord from the skies and hide in a bush. “Hmmm? What’s this?” he stares at Luna, looking for any signs of what you’d done. “Check this out.” you tell him. “Discord? Huh” Luna shrugs at Discord’s absence and blindly reaches down for some more popcorn. Her hoof touches something a little less poppy or corny. It’s something a little more… rubber. She looks down as her eyes turn into pinpricks upon realizing what it is. For icing on the cake, you make it go- “Quack!” “AHHHHHHHHHHHH!!!!!!!” She jumps, like, REALLY jumps, as in, “several feet into the air” jumps. All that’s left in the mystical scenery of the forest is a spilled bag of popcorn with a rubber duckie next to it. It’s almost artistic even. Looks like Luna’s not coming back. “Well played...very...well...played.” Discord gives you slow and monotonous claps as he pauses. “How did you know though?” he asks, leaning in as if you’d immediately give your answer. “That’s for me to know and for you to find out.” you shrug as you start walking away. “I suppose it doesn’t really matter now does it?” he sighs and starts to dejectedly follow you back into town. Jeez, he looks pretty bummed out. You can’t tell if it’s from losing the bet or his “Tea Time with Fluttershy”, but you’ll do your best anyway. “Look, big guy. I’ll be the bigger guy and share that ‘Tea Time’ with you and Fluttershy instead of just me. It’ll be just the three of us, what do ya say?” you wrap an arm around him and poke his chest. “Really?” his yellow eyes light up. “Only if you promise to eat in my diner when you can. Your pay.” “I’ll bring the bagels!”