Pony Stories: Season 5

by lunabrony

5.1/5.2 - The Fun Zone - Dark; No Spoilers

October 15th - 7:00pm

Aurora Blaze and Skygazer arrived at the admittedly strange attraction at exactly 7pm, approximately thirty minutes after the gates swung open for its daily haul. Both were Earth ponies, Aurora was of a primarily green coloration, while Skygazer was, as might be expected, a dark blue. Their appearance was not, however, primarily important, so we shan't linger on it.

It was the season of Nightmare Night, and cheesy haunted attractions had popped up all over Equestria in the last few weeks. Aurora and Skygazer were your average teenage off and on couple who had both grown up in Manehattan, and so were unused to the strange traditions of the country. They approached the front gates together, tall, menacing spires of iron laced with clearly fake cobwebs that provoked more of a laugh than a chill.

"This looks so stupid, Sky," Aurora said, her emerald mane swept across her forehead and pinned between her ears. She hadn't wanted to come out here in the first place, but Skygazer had insisted on it, and had promised that if she hadn't at least had a little bit of fun after an hour, he'd take her home.

"That's the fun of it, I think," Sky said, and approached the ticket window. The mare behind the counter gazed down at him with an unnaturally wide, unsettling grin that never so much as twitched, and for the sake of comparison would not have looked out of place upon the face of the shinigami known as Ryuk who haunted other dimensions.

"Hi!" The mare said, staring down at him. A silver nameplate across her upper torso read Silver Chime. "Welcome to The Fun Zone! Our job isn't done until you're having fun! How many will be risking their souls tonight?"

Skygazer rolled his eyes. "Two, please," he said, and slid across two bits.

"Great," the mare said, her smile never faltering, and Skygazer actually found himself taking a step backwards until she slid the pair of tickets across to him. "The Fun Zone would like to remind you that not all who enter are guaranteed to leave, and we hold no responsibility in the case of your eternal damnation. Enjoy your night!"

Sky snatched the tickets, and rolled his eyes. Aurora pressed up tightly against him, so closely that he could feel her heart pounding.

"I thought you said this was stupid," Sky said as they walked through the gate. "If I didn't know better, I'd say you were scared."

"I'm not... scared!" Aurora insisted, with only a moment of hesitation. "I just don't like the way she was grinning, it's creepy."

"It's supposed to be creepy. The kids get to gather candy for Nightmare Moon, and we get this cheesy haunted crap. The circle of life continues. Would you rather be out begging for candy with the foals?"

"Ugh, no," Aurora admitted, and gave only one more look behind her before hurrying onwards with him.

The main concourse consisted of a single wide lane, crammed with kiosks and vendors on either side. They were not the only ones here tonight, and at least a couple dozen other ponies were wandering around with the same idea. Some had come alone, still others were trying to win novelties for their partner.

"You want a stuffed panda?" Skygazer asked.

"If you think you're going to drag me here and not win me something adorable, you're sorely mistaken," Aurora teased. She looked around for something she wanted, and noted a few other staff members wandering about. Each of them had that same manic grin plastered on their face, and it unsettled her.

"I really don't like it here, Sky," she said quietly. "I know I'm being silly, but... let's just finish up here and go back to my place, alright? Please?"

Skygazer sighed. "Alright, if that's what you want." He stepped up to a booth with balloons tacked to the walls, and slid across a small pile of bits. He was given several darts with which to pop the balloons, and although he threw with what he thought was impressive accuracy, the darts that did not bounce off the corkboard in the rear bounced off the balloons and fell to the floor. He frowned.

"What's the matter, champ, can't pop a balloon?" Aurora teased.

He snorted at her, and repeated the gesture of giving up his hard earned currency. This time he managed to pop one of the balloons, and was rewarded with a cheap plastic snap bracelet.

"Try again?" The vendor asked, flashing him that too-wide smile he was becoming increasingly familiar with.

"No... I'm good, thanks." He gave the bracelet to the mare, and Aurora snapped the bracelet around her foreleg, and gave him a shy smile.

"Hey, at least it's something," she said.

"Yeah," Skygazer said, and looked back down the row of booths laced with orange and black lights. His eyes widened. "Whoa."

Aurora followed his gaze, and immediately cringed. "Oooooooh no," she said. "No way."

Sky didn't hear her, and was walking towards the large network of steel beams that was erected at the very end of the middle lane, his eyes reflecting a look of admiration and desire that Aurora hadn't seen since he saw her for the first time. A small line of ponies was waiting in line for a rickety metal cart that was taking small groups up the curving track, which would in turn take them up and around at high speeds to almost certain death.

"Don't even think about it!" Aurora said, hurrying after him. "This whole place wasn't here a month ago, they probably put that thing up in two days!"

"Aw, come on," Sky said. "It looks awesome, and look, it's going around and around just like it's supposed to. No problem." He watched it dive down a steep incline, the cheers and screams of its occupants filling the night air.

"Doesn't matter," Aurora said. "It's a death trap."

"Come on, one ride?" Sky asked. "One ride, and we leave, go home, no questions asked."

Aurora paused at this. They'd barely been here twenty minutes already, and she did want to leave. "Well," she said slowly. "Ugh, I hate you. Fine. But if we die a horrible flaming death, I am haunting your flank forEVER."

"Deal," Sky flashed her that charming grin of his, she fell for it, and she hated him even more for it. The two got in line, which was mercifully short, and waited only ten minutes before stopping at the yellow line, and watching the metal cart come to a rest on the other side of it.

The ride operator flashed them that chilling grin, his seemingly dead, glassy eyes fixed on them. "Step inside, pull the harness down until you hear the click. A reminder that The Fun Zone is not responsible for your souls in the case of-"

"In the case of eternal damnation, yeah, we know," Aurora said, pulling down the harness. "Let's just get his over with." She wasn't usually so grumpy, but she really did hate cheesy sideshows like this. But she went because Skygazer liked them, and she liked Skygazer.

The operator pulled a switch, and Aurora gave a yelp as the cart jolted forward and started rolling. She tried to cling to Skygazer, but the harness pinned her to her seat. The cart veered left and up a small hill, crested, and rolled smoothly down the other side. Sky was laughing, Aurora was terrified. The cart swerved right, then up a much, much bigger incline. The draining of color in Auroa's face seemed to be directly proportional to how high they were going. Then they crested, paused, and dropped.

Aurora shrieked as they plummeted downwards, swerving to the left and shooting into a pitch black tunnel. The tunnel was so long it was as if all color was drained from the world. It lasted for an unpleasantly long time, and she had to squint in the fading light when they rocketed out the other side. The cart slowed to a stop, and the harness clicked as it unlatched.

Aurora bolted out the other side as if was on fire, and Skygazer followed laughing.

"Home. Now. Please." She begged.

"Alright, alright. I promised." Sky shook his head. They began to loop around the exit queue when Aurora took hold of his foreleg.

"Sky, stop," she said suddenly. "Do you hear that?"

Skygazer stopped. "No, I don't hear anything."

"Exactly."

It took him a moment to realize what she meant, and a further moment to turn his attention from her down to the rest of the attraction. It was absolutely and completely deserted. There was no sign whatsoever of the dozens of ponies who had only minutes before been milling about, nor even any sign of the operator who had launched them on their (arguably) horrifying excursion.

They stopped together in the middle of the lane, looking this way and that, but saw nopony. Only fluttering debris such as streamers and paper that was cast along in the wind.

"Sky, I don't like this," she said slowly.

He didn't either, but wasn't about to say so.

They moved forward towards the large iron gates, and as they did, the silent, smiling staff slowly began to emerge from the sides of the booths. There was more than a few of them now, there were dozens. None of them looked familiar, except for the mare who had sold them tickets what seemed like ages ago.

"Welcome to The Fun Zone," one of the stallions said as the group slowly converged on them. Our job isn't done until you're having fun!"

"Aurora, move!" Skygazer ordered, and she didn't need to be told twice. The two broke into an immediate run, first trotting then full galloping towards the entry gates. They found a heavy presence of silent, smiling staff there, however, and the gates swung closed with a heavy clang, blocking progress.

"Where are you going?" The ticket mare asked cheerfully. "Aren't you having fun yet?"

"This way!" Skygazer panted, banking a hard left with Aurora right behind him. The large group of smiling staff was right behind them, and the couple ran along the iron fence that bordered the attraction.

"Here!" Aurora cried. "It's loose!" She kicked with her forelegs at the dirt beneath the fence, uncovering a small hole near a small section of fence that jiggled precariously.

"Squeeze!" Skygazer ordered.

"But you-"

"Squeeze damn it!"

Aurora forced herself underneath the fence, sucking in her waist to fit in the shallow hole. The bottom of the fence ripped against her back, leaving long, painful scratches. Upon exiting, she turned immediately to grab Skygazer's forelegs, who was desperately trying to squirm through the opening. But being a stallion, he was larger.

"I can't make it!"

"Yes you can!" She scrabbled at the dirt with her hooves, trying to widen the hole. On the other side, the smiling stuff was on him, grabbing his back legs and flank and tail and pulling him backwards. Aurora screamed and pulled on his forelegs, but it was one against many.

"Aurora, I love you," Skygazer exclaimed. It was the first time he'd ever said it. "Now run!"

"Sky, I'm not going to-"

"Run!" It was the last thing she ever heard from him, and the stallion disappeared beneath the still smiling swarm of staff. Tears flowing from her eyes, with only a single look back, Aurora ran.

October 27th - 7:35pm

The young pegasus couple slowly approached the large iron gates of the spooky looking carnival attraction, the stallion nibbling on the ear of the female, who protested despite bursting into giggling. "Nexus, stop, we're in public!" She whispered. "You can do that later."

"I'll do more than that later," Nexus replied, with such a charming grin that the mare felt her cheeks burn like fire. He approached the ticket window, where a dark blue earth pony was manning the counter. The young stallion wore only a silver nameplate reading Skygazer, and an unnaturally wide grin seemed permanently plastered on his face. He stared down at Nexus with dull, glassy eyes.

"Welcome to The Fun Zone! Our job isn't done until you're having fun! How many will be risking their souls tonight?"

Nexus rolled his eyes. "Two, please," he said, and slid across two bits.

"Great," the stallion said, his smile never faltering, and Nexus actually found himself taking a step backwards until he slid the pair of tickets across to him. "The Fun Zone would like to remind you that not all who enter are guaranteed to leave, and we hold no responsibility in the case of your eternal damnation. Enjoy your night!"

Nexus took the tickets, spread a wing across his mare, and the two entered through the large iron gates. The carnival looked stupid and it looked cheesy, but more than anything... it looked like fun.

Author's Note:

As a sidenote, I have been reading WAY too much Stephen King lately...

Comments

[Julia]

THE FUN HAS BEEN DOUBLED!

I will tune in every week~

[Matt11]

this will be interesting.

[Stalins Moustache]

Dis 'gun be good

[Revenant Wings]

Could have expanded on how Skygazer was changed, but otherwise interesting and suitably creepy.

[lunabrony]

5823901 1. I don't know myself 2. I didn't want to ruin it with exposition 3. Some of the creepiest elements are more creepy when left unexplained...

[Tatsurou]

Well...that was horrifying.
...more please.

[Neko Majin C]

They approached the front gates together, tall, menacing spires of iron laced with clearly fake cobwebs that provoked more of a laugh than a chill.

Extra space.

upon the face of the shinigami known as Ryuk who haunted other dimensions.

The young stallion wore only a silver nameplate reading Skygazer, and an unnaturally wide grin seemed permanently plastered on his face.

Extra space.

At least the Pegasi should have an easier time escaping. They will not have to ride the roller coaster for a thrill. If you can haul ass through the sky under your own power, what is the point of rolling around on a rail in a cart?

I got a rather familiar vibe from the creepy smiling ponies.

Once again, you have caught my interest. A possible twenty-four different stories in one? I am there! Count me in.

~KBO.

[Angelgrace]

5823901

One of the best literary devices is "Show Don't Tell."
Isn't it just a little bit creepier, not knowing what they did to him?

[lunabrony]

5837116 Thaaaaaaaaaaaaaank you!