//------------------------------// // You Have Nothing to Fear... // Story: Rainbow Dash's Awesome Nightmare Night Haunted House Choose-Your-Own-Adventure Adventure // by TheDriderPony //------------------------------// No way! She may have started this fight, but you're going to finish it! Sensing a pause as the filly runs out of book in range, you decide the time to end this is now! With one powerful strike! Muscles tensing like coiled springs, you push off the wall, flying like a guided missile. At this speed, she'll barely have time to see you, let alone teleport! Wings pumping like a bellow, you pile on even more speed. Closer and closer, each fraction of a second stretching out in your hyper-focused awareness. Ten lengths out. Five. One— Her bangs part, revealing a glimpse of a dark smile as her mane moves even faster than you can comprehend. One instant you're flying at breakneck speed, the next your whole body aches from jerking to a sudden stop as she catches you in her hairy tentacles. One wraps around each limb and a fifth encircles around your stomach to clamp down your wings. You are well and truly caught. Exactly, as her toothy grin indicates, to her plan "Uh oh." Like a cat that's finally grown tired of playing with its mouse, her tense posture loosens. She turns and begins to drift back towards the inky puddle from which she rose, only with you still firmly in her grasp. "Hey! Wait! Can't we talk about th—urk!" Your desperate attempt at diplomacy is cut short as another length of mane wraps around your mouth, silencing you with the horrible taste of unwashed mane. She enters the pool without so much as a ripple, sinking in painfully slowly. The substance clings to your fur as your hooves breach the surface, so icy cold you immediately lose all feeling. As her mocking grin submerges and the not-ink, not-blood, not-tar creeps up your legs, up your barrel, up your neck, you have only a moment to regret your hubris of not-retreating when you had the chance. And thus, the greatest hero of your generation is brought down by a filly-sized monster. [The icy depths chill your soul. Add one (+1) to your Fear Meter] You awaken with a gasp as sensation returns to your body all at once. Your limbs are free, your fur dry, and there's no trace of the library or that monster save for the lingering bitter taste of mane in your mouth. You're back in the foyer, perfectly safe from harm. "A fair attempt, but a futile one." Physical harm, anyway. You follow Trixie's voice to the balcony where she stands cloaked in a new costume. It's simple, yet not one you recognize, a long black cloak worn over a collared shirt, vest, and a silver and green tie. She's also twirling around a short stick in her magic. "I'm surprised you kept going so long after it became obvious you were out of your depth. Little Sammy's quite a hoofful." "I don't back down from a challenge," you say defensively, even though you know it's not true. Part of being a competent flier who spends more of their time outside a hospital replies on knowing your limits and how far it's safe to push them. Not that you're going to say that to Trixie. "What kind of crazy specific fear was that supposed to be anyway?" Trixie rolls her eyes. "It was a reference. One I'm sure Twilight will understand and appreciate far more than you did. Though that does explain why you didn't know the correct solution. The reference was a clue." Finally, a useful clue from her taunts. Not that it matters since you're probably not going back. Maybe. Unless you figure out some key weakness that'll save you a repeat of your failed performance. There doesn't seem to be anything to interact with in this room, but there are three hallways that branch off that head LEFT, FORWARD, and RIGHT. If your Fear Meter is full, you must select the fourth option.