It's the month of the spooky and it seems like as good a time as any to scare up some ideas. Let's get started... finding out who is our prompter this month. Oh, and do we need the rules again? it looks like we all have been through one of these before. If you feel amnesiac (and lazy) or something, just let me know and I'll put them up again. Next to post gets to be the prompter!

Ah, of course. Tis the season to be spooky.

And also, garlic? On Halloween? I see what you did there, Firebird.

Mmmmm garlic

Too tired + ill to form a proper response. Will be back later.

This one's just a thought, but has anybody looked at this? What if we did something like that at some point?

Anyway, I look forward to Blazewing's prompt!

456836 I had seen it when it was posted, and immediately thought of you.

456827 Feel better soon.

456818 Ever try baked garlic? It's amazing.

456812 I'm prepared for some prime prompting posthaste...please.

456896
Hold on, me make the prompt? Well, this is kind of sudden, but I'll see what I can do...

Ok, here goes. It's my first time, so go easy. Ghost Stories Come True. Let your creative juices go wild, people. It doesn't matter what the scenario is, how the idea for the stories comes to be, who the ghastly ghoul is that it's about, but cook up some spine-tinglers.

If the prompt is vague in wording, I'll let Captain Barbossa say it for me:
"You best start believing in ghost stories...you're in one!"

If this one doesn't work, I'll try to think of a better prompt. I was kinda caught off guard at being selected.

456907 That'll do fine. Now for the 3 day thinking time.

Remember, you CAN post early if you are done.

456896 Awesome. Wait, why me in particular?

456907 Ooh, nice prompt. I like it. Hmmm...

456984 Spanish announce table goes first. It was in the description.

456896 Guess i know what i'm going to be cooking next time i go get food

457114 Awesome. It's like a spread in that form. You can put it on bread or something.

All righty, folks, I don't know if it's typical for the prompter to start things off, but here's what I came up with:

Title: Joculus, Clown of Tartarus

Genre: Comedy, Dark

Characters: Main 6, Spike, CMC (more if applicable)

Setting: Ponyville, the Everfree Forest

Plot: What starts as a normal Nightmare Night quickly turns into bedlam for all...

During a sleepover before Nightmare Night, Twilight tells the girls a ghost story she picked up when just a filly, involving a dangerous prankster known as Joculus. Originally a traveling clown, Joculus secretly hero-worshipped Discord and his brand of chaos, and so strove to emulate his jokes and tricks. He delved deeper and deeper into madness, until his pranks became life-threatening and out of control. Because of his heinous acts, he became labeled as the 'Clown of Tartarus'. He was eventually banished by Princess Celestia, but vowed to return one day to 'finish what the Lord of Chaos started'. It's said that, every Nightmare Night, his spirit returns to Equestria and finds some new way to trip up the unsuspecting citizens of Ponyville by pulling a yearly 'doozy', but what that doozy is, no one knows until it is too late...

That Nightmare Night, however, things start to go awry. Important items disappear, costumes are altered unexpectedly, ordinary objects and food are replaced with live animals or gross-out paraphernalia. The worst part?...None of it was planned by the citizens of Ponyville. Paranoia peaks, and suspicions rise. Everypony begins accusing each other of pulling these stunts, but is it all really just one big elaborate prank? Have Pinkie and Rainbow truly gone all out, or is there another force behind this madness? Has the Clown of Tartarus truly returned? If so, what will his 'doozy' be this time?...

Title: WhOOOoooOOO!
Genre: Comedy, Random
Summary: You remember that story that Applejack told Rarity on the night of Twilight's first sleepover? It was just to make fun of Rarity right? Right? Well, I guess you forgot that Applejack is the Element of Honesty.

Basically, the ghost of annoying neatness comes around and starts haunting Rarity, because she was the last one to hear the tale. Rarity becomes frustrated when her organized chaos is threatened by the unnecessary neatness of the specter. Having been driven "mad", Rarity can think of only one solution to the poltergeist problem: become a ghost buster. It. Is. ON!

And now, RULES! We seem to have picked up a new member, so here are the instructions he will need, to follow along with our merry revelry.

Step 1) Get a story prompt. This step is already done! See above.
Step 2) Think about it for 3 days. This step is over today.
Step 3) Write a summary here in the thread. We are finishing this step today, but you may skip this one and proceed directly to step 4 if you wish.
Step 4) Take a day to critique each one of the fics in turn. This is the fun one. We all post our thoughts and opinions on the daily summary, and can argue back and forth on whatever points are raised.
Step 5) tell us if you would actually write your story out. This one will happen when all summaries are exhausted.

457114 456984 Don't forget to throw in your summaries too!

Title: Dungeons and Ponies
Genre: Adventure, Comedy, WhatisthisIdon'teven
Summary: The Ponies play some Dungeons and Dragons, and Rainbow Dash comments that it would be even better if it were real. So Twilight looks up a spell and uses it.

After some facehoofs and 'why?' from Rarity, and some 'she wasn't serious' from some other character, and a 'Yes I was' from Rainbow Dash, they set off.

To fit the prompt, the campaign they'll be in is about the spirits of recently dead rising to hunt for something that the Mane 6 also have to find.

459845 Got it, thanks XD

458513 it sounds interesting. Rainbow and Pinkie are obvious scapegoats for the townsponies to blame, but if you made them the main characters to follow, you could set this story up as them trying to clear their good names. if you really want to make it creepy, have the two of them be targeted after alienating all of their allies. With nopony to turn to, they have to go up against Joculus alone. Then if you want to, you can swing back into the comedy part by revealing that they were behind the pranks all along.

459852 457114 456827 anything else to add?

Jeez, my team makes the postseason, and suddenly two weeks have gone by and I've forgotten all about writing.

Anyway, I don't do horror well, so I'll sit this one out, but I'll try to remember to come back and offer suggestions.

461101 Nope you seem to have said pretty well there

458513>>461101 Alternatively, you could have the main character be someone like Twilight who keeps seeing them being... suspicious. Then it's a mystery-type deal. Or you could write it as an after-action report where they interview different members of the Mane 6. There's all sorts of ways this can go.

461168 good ideas! Just let the reader in on little bits at a time, and make the doozy something they have to figure out slowly.

461174
So, sorry, I may have gotten a little discombobulated from the lack of activity until recently, but am I still being reviewed today, or have we moved on to your story, Firebird? Just wanna be sure.

461351 since it has been an extremely light load of summaries this time, I don't see why we can't spend an extra day on your fic. If you have anything to add, or just want to clarify something, go right ahead.

461372
All right. I just hate to imagine that my prompt wasn't easy to work with for some people. ^^;

461372
I do, in fact, have this to add. I drew my own concept of Joculus, as he might appear in a book's illustration or in somepony's imagination. I'm not that good at drawing equines, but I gave it my best. It's a download from my St.ash on deviantART.

Joculus, Clown of Tartarus

461376 Alright, it seems like you went pretty far for this prompt. I took a look at the picture and it's pretty good. Certainly better than I could manage. Oh, well. Regardless, that does give the impression that you can tell his origin in a foal's storybook. Perhaps they borrowed the book from the Golden Oaks Library?

461702
I find that hypothesis reasonable, and there's no need to be harsh on yourself. I wish I could be half as good as some artists I know.

461704 I'm not being harsh, honestly. I just wish I could draw as well as some kindergarteners I know

459012
Expanding on a funny moment in one of the actual episodes, giving it further purpose, chances for shenanigans...I like it!

462318 I'm glad you do. I keep envisioning Rarity as a horrible shot with a ghostbusting spell, and basically destroying Carousel Boutique just to get rid of the ghost. She would end up worse than she started, due to single minded focus.

462324
Ah, yes, like in those old cartoons where there's a guy or woman trying to get rid of a mouse or a fly, but all they do is destroy everything around them while the little bugger remains unscathed.

Well, I think that wraps up anything everyone has to say about my submission. Let's start on 459852 's. 462318 461106 461141 and 456827 make sure to throw something his way.

459852
Sounds like a description to one of those smosh videos, like "What if Video Games Were Real" or "What if Movies Were Real", and I mean that in a good way, of course. I could totally see this working, especially with a tag like "WhatisthisIdonteven". XD

459852 I have looked forwards to this one. If it were me, I would make sure that you define your macguffin to be something that will end the game in the right hooves, while giving the bad guys that come about from the spell a way to stay permanently. Also, at random gaps in the story, include excerpts from an official sounding game manual. With details on the monster they need to fight, or locations they go, or even on classes they pick, the excerpts should be pertinent to whats happening to them at the time, while being funny to read on it's own.

463467 Now to get that tag added to the site...

464149 Yes. Yes. Yes. Yes.

That is genius. THANK YOU. YES.

Well, now I want to write this. How did you just do that?

464154 It was spontaneously generated by my random brain. I don't have much to do with what it throws out, but in this case I agree with you. I would love to see this come about.

464163
I dunno if we've reached the point where we answer whether or not we intend to go through with writing the story, but I'll let this little sample answer for me. =) It's the beginning, but it sets the stage for Rainbow's propensity for pranks.

***

“Rainbow DASH!!”

To the normal pony’s ear, such a reproachful scream would send one running for the hills. Rainbow Dash, however, regarded the cry as music to her ears. With a big, goofy grin on her face, one that was difficult to keep straight from trying not to laugh, she floated through the library window, where a furious Twilight Sparkle was standing. To all appearances, the rainbow-maned pegasus was a non-offender.

“You called?” she asked, innocently.

“Invisible ink is one thing,” said Twilight, trying to keep her voice steady, but failing, “but combustible ink?!” She held up, in her unicorn’s magic, a scroll that looked as if somepony had dripped acid on it. Large gaps and holes, still smoking, dotted it.

It was no use. Rainbow Dash, flopping down onto her back, burst into a fit of hearty laughter, made all the more obnoxious to the studious unicorn by the scratchy, easily-cracked voice that emitted it.

“That’s not funny, Rainbow Dash!” snapped Twilight. “Somepony could get seriously injured!”

“Aw, lighten up, ‘Mom’,” said Rainbow, finally catching breath enough to speak. “Would I use something like that if I wasn’t sure it wouldn’t hurt you?”

Twilight raised an eyebrow, clearly indicating that such, given Rainbow’s attitude, was questionable. That single action made Rainbow sit up and stop laughing almost at once. This was clearly no laughing matter.

“Hey…” she said, in a softer tone, putting a hoof around Twilight’s shoulders. “Come on, Twi, it was just a little joke.”

“Little jokes don’t usually involve inked words bursting into foot-high flames.”

Rainbow snickered at the remembrance, but stopped at the sharp look from Twilight’s amethyst eyes.

“Ok, ok, maybe I went a little overboard. It won’t happen again, I promise.”

“You promise?…”

“Of course.”

“Pinkie Promise?”

“Er…let’s not go that far.”

“Right, of course,” said Twilight, awkwardly remembering the last time a Pinkie Promise had been put into play.

“Well, if that’s all you wanted, I guess I’ll see ya at the slumber party,” said Rainbow, removing her foreleg and heading to the window.

“See you, Rainbow!” called Twilight as, with her characteristic jet-engine roar, Rainbow took off into the sky, scattering loose papers in her wake. Shaking her head slightly, Twilight turned back to her work, setting a fresh scroll of paper down on her podium.

She was looking forward to the slumber party she’d arranged, especially considering it was on the night before Nightmare Night. Being the planner that she was, she’d taken the opportunity to warn Rarity in advance, to allow her time to finish the costumes she had been commissioned, and had even gotten a promise from Applejack that she’d bring some of her ‘Apple Family Pumpkin Tarts’, a seasonal delicacy. Pinkie Pie was, of course, enthusiastic to the nth degree over the idea of a slumber party, particularly because of the second word in that noun. Fluttershy was the only one to show some reluctance (being completely frightened of Nightmare Night and anything related to it), but capitulated when promised that it was just going to be the six of them having fun, and that they’d be there for her if she got scared.

As Twilight dipped her quill into the fresh ink pot beside her, she couldn’t help but smile at the prospect of what a night it would be: s’mores, truth or dare, pillow fights, and best of all, especially for this season, ghost stories. She was particularly looking forward to this aspect, as she had a story she’d been sitting on for quite some time, and hoped it might not only produce a few screams, but make a certain pony a little humbler about certain hobbies…

Twilight began writing, but stopped almost as soon as she’d started, eyes wide and jaw hanging open. The ink had looked black when she put it to the paper, but within moments, had begun changing colors rapidly, cycling from red to blue to green to purple to yellow, like a neon signboard. Stuttering some inarticulate words of confoundedness, Twilight looked at the pot of ink: its label was loose. Pulling it aside with her magic, she saw its real label: a drop of ink colored like a rainbow.

“RAINBOW DASH!!!”

But the perpetrator, grinning like a Cheshire cat, was already well out of earshot…

464419 sooooo, is that a yes? Interesting and intrigueing and I wouldn't mind reading more. Therefore, I'd say it's a good way to start off.
Oh, and for mine I wouldn't mind writing it, but it will wait till other projects are finished first.
Your thoughts 464154 ?

464483 Would I love to write that? Yes. Will I ever actually write it? Probably not, but I'll add it to my idea list XD

456812 456818 456827 459852 461106 Well, I think the universe had a good run. Now that all are doomed, I have to say it's been fun, guys. Does anyone want a spoiler on the end of everything?

469431 Firebirdbtops say what?

469435 What.

469439 'Well, I think the universe had a good run. Now that all are doomed, I have to say it's been fun, guys. Does anyone want a spoiler on the end of everything?'

Wait, did I miss something?

469447 You'll see, soon.

469450
Forgive me if I sound like a skeptic, but if this is about any of the end of the world stuff (zombie apocalypse, Mayan 2012, whatever), I just want to say I don't believe in any of them, but wish people would stop bringing them up, because it rattles my nerves. Again, it's nothing against you personally, Firebird, but I don't believe in a predetermined end of the world. It comes when it comes.

Oh, well i had a good run, and it was nice knowing you all then

469537 Heh. I hadn't even thought about any of that rediculousness. No, this is an entirely new bit of rediculousness to enjoy.

469572
Oh, really? Excuse my preachiness, then.

So, 474553 how is your october treating you? Over here the weather is playing tricks on me.
Oh, and one more congratulations 469574, on your PMV.

474638
Thanks, Firebird. It's my 4th overall, but the first to make it to EqD.