"It's your turn, Rainbow." Twilight reminded Rainbow.
"Okay," the latter said. "I'm headed away from the junk room, and I'll check the rooms to the south."
"You have to make a Might roll, Rainbow." Rarity chimed in.
"Wow, almost forgot." Rainbow said, picking up the dice. "Come on, roll a three!"
Rainbow rolled and stared at the dice. "Four." she noted, smiling.
==
Rainbow Dash passed Fluttershy, who was using her wing to hold the little filly close to her and consoling her, and headed for the room opposite to Fluttershy. The light from the junk room vanished as she took her first steps into the deserted hallway.
Creeeeaaaaaak.
The decaying wood sent a shiver down Rainbow’s spine, far colder than anything around Hearth’s Warming Eve. The creaking wood also startled her for another reason: whatever evil was in the house, this creaking noise would alert it to Rainbow’s position, allowing it to sneak up on her…
“Euargh!”
The mere thought of something sneaking up behind her in the wooden staircase caused her to lose her balance. She expertly recovered in the air, and chose to go right rather than further away from Fluttershy.
“Are you okay, Rainbow?” Fluttershy asked from the other room.
“Uh...yeah!” Rainbow Dash feigned her confidence. It was around now, however, that she remembered the Rainbow Cannon. She aimed it down the hall, behind her, above her, and finally crept up behind the door. She aimed it, ready to fire, as she kicked down the door with considerable force.
This room, like the hallway behind it, was completely deserted. Unlike the other rooms which the others had encountered, this one simply had a misshapen, filthy, dreary rug in the middle of it. Rainbow took one brief look down the hallway before shutting the door behind her, leaving the creepy hallway behind.
==
“Another omen! We’re getting close!” Rainbow Dash exclaimed. She drew from the Omen card deck.
SPIRIT BOARD
A board with letters and numbers to call the dead.Before you move during your turn, you can look at the top tile of the room stack.
If you use the Spirit Board after the haunt has been revealed, the traitor can move any number of monsters 1 space closer to you. (If you are the traitor, you don’t have to move those monsters.) If there is no traitor, all monsters move 1 space closer to you.
Make a haunt roll now.
“How many are in play now?” asked Twilight.
“Only two.” replied Rarity.
“Alright, let’s go.” Rainbow Dash picked up the dice and rolled them. She felt the entire group’s eyes stare at her hooves as she completed her roll.
“Seven.” announced Twilight. Fluttershy breathed a relieved sigh.
==
Applejack, meanwhile, followed the sounds of Rainbow Dash’s kicking the door, but chose to investigate the room to her right instead. She followed the old dusty hallway and took a right. She took a deep breath and opened the door.
A kitchen! Something truly familiar to Applejack, who was likely the best at cooking besides Pinkie Pie herself. Yet something about this kitchen felt neither homely nor familiar to Applejack, who drew little comfort despite its familiarity. Indeed, it seemed as though this once homely kitchen had been corrupted by something.
It was then that something glittered in Applejack’s vision.
==
RING
A battered ring with an incomprehensible inscription.If you attack an opponent that has a Sanity trait, you can attack with Sanity instead of Might. (Your opponent then defends with Sanity, and damage is mental instead of physical.)
Make a haunt roll now.
“Well, consarnit, my sanity ain’t the highest.” Applejack sighed.
“Who’s the highest?” asked Rainbow Dash.
“Pinkie Pie, definitely. After all that ‘Giggle at the Ghosties’ stuff, it’d take a lot to truly scare Pinkie.” Applejack said.
“Haunt roll!” Pinkie chimed as Applejack picked up her six dice.
“Nine.” Applejack announced to Fluttershy’s relief.
“Wow, that’s really high.” Rainbow sighed. “I guess this means...what? All the lights come on?”
“It’s actually a theme park! Haunted house!” Pinkie added.
“It’s just one of Luna’s nightmare night houses!” Twilight continued.
Applejack, who was closest to the dice, handed it to Fluttershy. "Here, don't forget to make your Might roll."
Fluttershy took the dice from Applejack and rolled a four.
"Great, so you're not affected by the junk room either." Twilight announced.
==
Putting on the ring she found in the kitchen didn’t seem to make Applejack feel any different. She wasn’t entirely sure about how it’d work, but it somehow seemed to manage.
Hearing Rainbow Dash kick down the door not too far away, Fluttershy made a beeline to help calm down her friend. The mysterious filly in tow, she opened the door to the Mystic Elevator’s right, taking extreme care to not trip over the junk in the junk room. It was a wonder anyone could navigate it at all...
Fluttershy timidly pushed open the next door, revealing a dining room. It was clearly set out for someone; ivory teacups and dollies decorated the dark, wooden table, but the jet-black wooden chairs had been tipped and scattered all around the dining room; whoever was here had clearly left in a hurry.
Fluttershy shivered, and the seemingly mute filly had no real reaction to the dining room. The filly stared, eyes unwavering, at the large dining table before the group. Fluttershy noted this attention to detail, and chose to avoid the table. She crept around the side carefully, her eyes never leaving the suspicious table…
==
“That looks a little weird,” Twilight remarked. “I’m going to spin the room so that it links the Junk Room and Abandoned Room.”
“Fluttershy, dearie, you need to draw an Omen card.” Rarity reminded her. Fluttershy jumped the tiniest amount; clearly she had secretly hoped that somepony would forget that minor detail. She begrudgingly drew an omen card.
HOLY SYMBOL
A symbol of calm in an unsettling world.Gain 2 Sanity now. Lose 2 Sanity if you lose the Holy Symbol.
Make a haunt roll now.
“Well, see, that doesn’t seem so bad!” Rarity assured Fluttershy, who clearly looked relieved for it to not be a severed head or something similar.
“Haunt roll! Haunt roll!” sung Pinkie. “Three in play, can you MAKE IT??”
Fluttershy gingerly rolled the six dice.
“A five!” Applejack exclaimed, concern growing in her voice. “Things’re getting closer…”
Fluttershy didn’t appreciate Applejack’s apprehension one bit.
==
Rarity, meanwhile, decided to continue exploring the upper floor. She crossed above the front foyer, heading away from the upper landing and the attic. As she left the attic, however, something appeared to fall from up above. Rarity had just a split second to react.
==
Rarity picked up four dice with her magic, gave them a little shake, and rolled them with a clatter to the floor. She had to roll a three or higher to avoid taking any damage upon her leaving.
She peered cautiously at the dice before breathing a sigh of relief. "Five." she breathed.
"It's not a lot of damage, you know." Twilight reminded her.
"All the same, I prefer to keep myself in top condition at all times." Rarity explained, her high-class upbringing becoming apparent.
"In a case like this, it's actually practical to as well." Applejack added. "Granted we're gonna encounter a traitor, so may as well stay in the best shape for when she shows up."
"Exactly, Applejack!" Rarity smiled, followed by Twilight. Given their greatly different upbringings, it was very seldom to have Rarity and Applejack agree on anything, yet the board game did bring them together; if only for a short while.
==
Rarity expertly dodged the falling debris and avoided getting caught in any of the barriers in the cluttered attic. She headed a different route, away from the attic and found something entirely different.
She found some extremely cramped quarters - two beds, with one dark blue blanket and another a dirty brown. The quarters were designed clearly for function over form; not Rarity’s favourite.
“These must be the Servant’s Quarters…” Rarity commented to herself.
==
“Wow, another haunt roll!” Pinkie Pie exclaimed as Rarity picked up the next omen.
SPEAR
WEAPON
A weapon pulsing with power.You roll 2 additional dice (maximum of 8 dice) when making a Might attack with this weapon.
You can’t use another weapon while you’re using this one.
Make a haunt roll now.
Rarity’s magic engulfed six of the dice as she made her roll.
“Five exactly!” Rarity exclaimed. The tension in the treehouse skyrocketed as the players shuffled nervously.
==
Despite her original misgivings, Rarity decided to pick up and hang onto the mysterious, glowing spear. It was definitely a brutish weapon indeed, but her practical sense prevailed in a case like this: one weapon was better than no weapon, indeed.
She then heard Pinkie Pie bound off and enter a room that was directly across the wall from her.
Pinkie Pie entered a room with a high-vaulted ceiling and neat, orderly rows. Stained glass windows decorated the wall just behind a huge table. Pinkie Pie had found the house’s chapel.
As she stepped forward to get a better view, however, she felt little invisible wires stretch around her face and hooves. It was only after trying to brush it aside did she realize she was entangled in a gigantic mesh of cobwebs.
“Aarrgh!” Pinkie exclaimed.
==
WEBS
Casually, you reach up to brush some webs aside...but they won’t brush away. They cling.You must attempt a Might roll:
4+ You break free. Gain 1 Might and discard this card.
0-3 You’re stuck. Keep this card.If you’re stuck, you can’t do anything until you’re freed. Once during an explorer’s turn, any explorer can attempt a Might roll to free you. (You can also attempt this roll.) A 4+ succeeds, but you don’t gain the 1 Might. Anyone failing an attempt can’t move for the rest of that turn. After 3 unsuccessful attempts, you break free automatically on your next turn and take your turn normally.
When you’re free, discard this event.
“Boo!” Pinkie Pie exclaimed. She picked up the mere two dice that represented her might.
“Enh, a one…” she sighed.
==
Pinkie Pie struggled and struggled to loose herself from the cobwebs, but to no avail; she was stuck fast.
“Rarity!” she shouted to the other room. “Help!”
“Pinkie!” Rarity exclaimed from the next room over. “Are you okay?”
“Help!” Pinkie shouted. “I’m stuck! Heeelp!”
==
From the extremely bloodied room Twilight found herself in, she hugged the wall and took the first right she could. She ended up in a room with clear air, but that was just as dark and foreboding as the rest of the house. The house’s interior garden had done little to draw her mind away from the creepiness and possible supernatural powers at work here.
Suddenly, Twilight felt light-headed and collapsed.
==
IT IS MEANT TO BE
You collapse to the floor, visions of future events pouring through your head.Choose one of these 2 options:
You can look at the top 3 tiles or cards of any one stack. If you do, rearrange those 3 tiles or cards in any order and put them back on top. Do not tell anyone the results.
You can choose instead to roll 4 dice and write down the result. For one future dice roll of your choice that you attempt, you can use that number instead of rolling. If that number is higher than the maximum possible result, use the maximum possible result instead.
“...wow, that’s a toughie.” remarked Twilight. She tapped her hoof against her head in thought.
“Wow, I really can’t decide.” Twilight said. After what felt like hours of deliberation in her head, she decided. “Okay, I’m doing the dice roll. The haunt is probably coming soon, so I’m gonna be prepared.”
“Makes sense.” agreed Rarity as Twilight made her four dice roll.
“Four?” sighed Twilight. “Well, I guess it’s better than nothing…”
==
Twilight’s headache eventually passed. All sorts of images had flooded her mind, but she couldn’t make any heads or tails out of anything. The foreboding feeling continued, eating into her soul. She stubbornly continued on, however.
Elsewhere…
Rainbow Dash’s apprehension continued as she cautiously opened the door across from the creaky hallway she entered earlier. This room smelled of carbon, and was scorched beyond recognition.
No embers in this room, however. The flame that all but annihilated this room and its contents had long passed.
==
Rainbow Dash drew yet another omen card.
“Ohhh boy!” she exclaimed. “Haunt time, I bet!”
MASK
A somber mask to hide your intentions.Once during your turn, you can attempt a Sanity roll to use the Mask:
4+ You can put on or take off the Mask. If you put on the Mask, gain 2 Knowledge and lose 2 Sanity. If you take off the Mask, gain 2 Sanity and lose 2 Knowledge.
0-3 You can’t use the Mask this turn.Make a haunt roll now.
“Wow, Rainbow has...like, four cards.” Twilight noted.
“Yeah, Pinkie and I only have one.” Applejack said somberly. “We’re pretty screwed if Rainbow ends up betraying us.”
“At least you’re not stuck in cobwebs!” Pinkie Pie shouted.
“Only one way to find out who’s the traitor!” Rainbow eagerly scooped up six dice. “How much?”
“Need a six or higher.” Twilight announced.
“If only one of the dice is blank…” Fluttershy said, shuddering at the thought.
Rainbow Dash rolled and watched as everypony’s eyes stared at the dice.
“Eight!” Twilight announced to most ponies’ relief.
Rainbow Dash, however, was looking forward to bouncing some in-game heads - either the traitor’s, or everypony else’s.
==
Applejack scowled at her relatively low speed stat. “Well, there’s not much else I can do this turn. All the rooms I got are all dead ends.”
“Well, it’s still decent.” Rarity said. “The closest room is the Bloody Room. That one has an unexplored room by it.”
“Guess so.” Rarity moved Applejack’s token to the bloody room. With all the rooms already revealed, it was an uneventful walk.
==
Fluttershy, meanwhile, cautiously crossed the abandoned room that Rainbow had found moments earlier to another door. She opened it to reveal a long but straight hallway. Lining the hallway, however, were lifelike ivory statues. Some were grotesque monsters...others were ponies in equally grotesque situations.
Some of the statues had shattered, leaving gaping holes where eyes, legs, or wings would be.
It was around then that her whole world turned sideways.
==
WHOOPS!
You feel a body under your foot. Before you can leap away from it, you’re knocked over. A giggling voice runs away from you.
Turn over all your item cards (not your omen cards) and shuffle them. The player to your right randomly discards one of them. Then turn your item cards face up again.
“Oh...well, it seems I have no item cards.” Fluttershy breathed a sigh of relief, putting the card back into the bottom of the item pile.
==
Fluttershy stood up, shaken from her fall. The giggling made her bolt all the way to the end of the corridor, where she came. Had one of the statues come to life and tripped her? She then swore she saw one of them move.
The pegasus statue whose entire right face was shattered. Yes, it definitely moved. Or did it?
Fluttershy took one look at her companion, and the kindness empowered her to forge on, moving statues or not.
==
“I’m coming, Pinkie!” Rarity exclaimed as she made her way to the chapel. She found Pinkie Pie completely entangled in a giant set of cobwebs.
“I’m going to get you out! Stop moving!” Rarity ordered and Pinkie Pie stared back at her with worry in her eyes.
==
“A four!” Rarity exclaimed. “You’re free, Pinkie.”
“Woohoo! You’re the bestest, Rarity!” Pinkie Pie thanked enthusiastically.
==
Rarity’s magic did what Pinkie’s raw strength couldn’t - she cut Pinkie free of the giant cobwebs, using her magic to finally brush the webs into a corner.
“Are you okay, dear?” Rarity asked.
“Yeah...phew…” Pinkie sighed. “This house is starting to get to me.”
“I know what you mean...I hope the others are having better luck investigating this house than either of us.”
Pinkie Pie proceeded with more caution, leaving Rarity behind in the chapel.
“Thanks again, Rares.” Pinkie smiled as she left.
She proceeded across from the stairs on the upper landing. Opening the door, she found herself in some sort of lab with all sorts of beakers, hotplates, and test tubes scattered all about the place. It seemed like some sort of science classroom, but the sickly colours of the test tubes and the grotesque images and instructions over the shelves made Pinkie doubt whoever’s room this was.
It was then that Pinkie heard a creepy voice from...beneath her hooves?
===
THE VOICE
“I’m under the floor, buried under the floor…”
The voice whispers once, then is gone.You must attempt a Knowledge roll:
4+ You find something under the floor. Draw an item card.
0-3 You dig and search for the voice, but to no avail.
Pinkie Pie took the dice and rolled them. “Come on, four!”
She rolled.
“Four exactly!” she cheered. She drew an item from the item card pile.
SMELLING SALTS
Whew, that’s a lungful.
If you or another living explorer’s Knowledge is below its starting value and you’re in the same room, you can raise that trait to its starting value using the Smelling Salts. Discard this item after you use it.
“Could be useful, especially for somepony like Twilight.” Pinkie noted. Twilight smiled at her.
==
Twilight, meanwhile, forged ahead after recovering from her crashing in the gardens. The images were starting to fade from her memory, but the headache persisted as she opened the next door.
This room contained a huge bearskin rug, a circular corner in a table, and a checkered board opposite the larger table. This place clearly was intended for entertaining guests, but the rug seemed just a little too...real.
When she stepped on something uneven, she gave a shout in surprise. She had stepped on the bear’s paw, and the bear’s head looked none too pleased having done that.
“It’s fine...everything’s fine...it’s not like it can come up and get me from there…” Twilight assured herself half-heartedly.
It was then that she felt something...unnatural fall onto her back. She shuddered, daring to look back.
==
SPIDER
A spider the size of a hoof lands on your back...and crawls into your mane.
You must attempt a Speed roll to brush it away or a Sanity roll to stand still:
4+ It’s gone. Gain 1 in the trait you used to attempt this roll.
1-3 It bites you. Take 1 dice of physical damage.
0 It takes a chunk out of you. Take 2 dice of physical damage.
Twilight grimaced, looking at the dice for hope. She blew on them for luck, and rolled them.
“...two.” Twilight’s grimace worsened. She then rolled to see how badly the spider had hit her.
“...zero!” Twilight’s grimace easily turned into a smile as her friends congratulated her.
==
Twilight reflexively shook her mane to loosen the spider’s grip but the arachnid proved faster than she did. She felt a sting in her head as the spider bit her.
“Argh!” she shook even more furiously and saw the massive creature fly off of her head and scuttle away to parts unknown.
Reaching around her with her magic, she found that the spider’s fangs had in fact failed to harm her in any way, short of giving her a scare. The spider proved too fast to identify, so she was left guessing. Either the spider wasn’t venomous, or it merely a juvenile that had wandered into the wrong spot at the wrong time. The latter meant there might be a larger one somewhere…
Twilight genuinely hoped it was the former.