Session 41
Session 41.0 Kendell2
"So, what exactly is this game?" Trixie asked, looking at the board, which was...Nightmare Night themed. Oh so Nightmare Night themed.
"Well you remember the game where we're all alien exchange students?" Twilight asked.
"Yes."
"Imagine that, but with Nightmare Night monsters having a night out on Earth visiting from a reality were everypony are Nightmare Night monsters who dress up as humans for one night a year instead," Twilight explained. "We're just scary, not evil. It's just meant to be fun! Runs on Rule of Funny as much as the other game."
"Oh, I'm so in!" Rainbow Dash exclaimed. "So we just come up with something you'd be on Nightmare Night?"
Twilight nodded. "That's the idea! Go wild!"
OOC: Just throwing this out there. I REALLY want to see what someone can come up with with this.
Session 41.1 BrutalityInc
"Oh, oh! I'll be the frankenmare monster! I call dibs on the frankenmare monster!" Pinkie declared, waving her hoof.
"Alright, you can be the frankenmare monster. Do you have a backstory to go with that?" Twilight asked.
Pinkie screwed up her muzzle in thought, "Hmmm, the problem is not that I don't have one, but that I have too many to use! I'll think of something..."
"I believe we all know what I want to be, darlings..." Rarity commented as she started working on an attire design for a vampire countess, "Although I imagined Applejack would want to play the frankenmare."
"Oh, and why's that?" Applejack asked, "Is that 'cause I'm not that bright or somethin'?"
"Perhaps... Your education is rather lacking except for mathematics." Rarity teased.
Applejack snorted, but did not rise to the bait, "Truth be told, I was thinking of a wolf..."
Twilight smiled, "Werewolf it is, then. Now..." Twilight turned to Fluttershy and Rainbow Dash, "What would you two like to be?"
Session 41.2 Alex Warlorn
Twilight added quickly. "And no Rainbow Dash, you can't be Dracozilla."
"... Dangit."
Session 41.3 Mtangalion
Fluttershy raised a hoof. "Well, I was thinking... I tried being a tree that one time, but then I couldn't go anywhere with the party, and I had to roll a dryad character anyway..."
Rainbow Dash snickered.
"So maybe this time, I could be a Timber Wolf! A *good* Timber Wolf who looks really scary, but she sleeps with her roots sunk into the earth, and never has to chomp anypony!" Fluttershy beamed.
Rainbow crossed her forelegs, kicking back and looking at the ceiling for inspiration. "I just can't decide! If I can't be a giant dragon..."
"Well, you could definitely be some sort of dragon," suggested Twilight. She teleported a book onto the table - Astonishing Creatures and Where You Won't Find Them, by Professor A. B. Forward - and pointed to the pony-dragon creature with flaming wings on the cover. "Actually, I might take this one myself, if you don't want it."
Rarity grinned. "You could always be a nightpony, darling."
Rainbow made a sour face. "Ugh, this isn't Dusklight gaming night! I don't do mushy stuff like that!"
"And yet, somehow you do seem to know what a nightpony is," said Rarity smugly.
"Um... I'll be... one of these!" Rainbow grabbed the book, flipped through the pages, and jabbed a hoof down on a page at random.
"A Deep Pony?" said Trixie, eyebrows raised. "Well, that should certainly be scary enough."
Session 41.4 BrutalityInc
Shining's tabletop RPG friends walked into the Crystal Empire game room to find themselves witness to a peculiar scene: Trixie Lulamoon, the special guest for this afternoon session, was sitting back in her seat smugly, while Shining Armor and the rest of his Royal Guard friends, whom are also joining the table today, was huddled together, pouring over a rulebook disgruntledly.
"Hey, guys, did something happened?" Gaffer asked.
"What happened, my dear fellows, is that Trixie won the game!" Trixie declared proudly.
"Says you! We'll find the rules that said you can't do what you did! Just you wait!" Caramel retorted, before looking back down the pages with the rest.
The Gaming Three looked at each other, shocked at what they heard; they knew about Trixie Lulamoon and her guile from Shining Armor's correspondence and gaming magazines, but to hear that she had managed to win a tabletop war game that they're playing today against the Guard Four was something that they didn't believe was possible.
It's not that they question her skills; she was without a doubt the most cunning mare they ever heard, given what they knew and read of her amazing victories (They also believe her to be one of the most jinxed players, given her tendency to epic fail in a most spectacular manner one game out of three on average). But at the end of the day, she was just a show-mare with no real knowledge of military strategies and tactics, whereas the Guard Four – Cherry Fizzy, Meadow Song, Noteworthy and Caramel – are trained soldiers of the Royal Guard.
"Okay, and how exactly did she win?" 8-Bit asked.
"Why, isn't it obvious? She bent the rules like taffy – and then ate it for good measure!" Noteworthy complained, flipping another page.
"And Trixie wears such charges with pride!" Trixie asked rhetorically, standing up and approaching the Gaming Three "Trixie knew she is out-classed in terms of military know-how compare to these four doltish stallions..." They glared at her momentarily, with Trixie blowing a kiss in their direction in response. "Realizing that, Trixie instead went for what that mare Lyra would call 'Being a sneaky-pants'."
Trixie trotted to the figurines and pointed a hoof at them "As you know, under the rules of this game, the match begins with the deployment of a commander unit, after which the players would take turns deploying and counter-deploying until all their forces are on the field, with the exception of reserves, which you can deploy as many as one likes at any turn when the match starts."
"Now, Trixie learnt, from her small-talk with the stallions, that they are power-gamers in this tabletop wargame, and their favourite tactic is to withhold their entire army in reserve. This would force the opponent to deploy in a conservative manner with their opponents' field being empty." Trixie pointed her hoof to the Guard stallions in discussion for emphasis, "When the match begins proper, they'll deploy everything on the field simultaneously, in a compact spearhead formation. This would allow them to advance and break the enemy's line easily at its weakest point."
"So what? It's perfectly allowed in the rules!" Meadow Song protested, before going back to the book.
"Yes, but so is what Trixie did in response." Trixie flared her cape, "So, having brought no figurine army of my own, they let Trixie use a spare army they have in their possession. I picked the one which had the most scout units in them, having devised a plan after reading the rulebook that would turn their power-gaming against them."
"What did you do? Deploy the scout units into teams to slowly pick their army apart in hit and run attacks?" Pointdexter conjectured.
"We wished! But what Ms Lulamoon actually did was downright humiliating!" Cherry Fizzy interjected. The others grumbled in agreement.
"The others, as I predicted, declared that they will deploy nothing and hold everything in reserve – as Trixie predicted, leaving her to deploy her forces." Trixie continued, now pointing towards her forces, "Scouts could be deployed anywhere Trixie wished across the table, so she deployed her scouts in a skirmish line. That line was at the very edge of the table, and ultimately surrounds the entire rim. Under the rules, Trixie can't deploy anywhere within 30 cm of the enemy forces – but there are no enemy forces to speak of, so no problems there."
"And she only deployed her scouts during her deployment phase!" Meadow Song added.
"That's insane!" Gaffer exclaimed, "You have them exposed out in the open ground without cover, concealment or even support. The moment the other four deploy their army, they're finished!"
"Correct, but here is the thing: under the rules, now my opponent CAN'T deploy their army!" Trixie declared proudly.
"Explain." The Gaming Three chorused simultaneously.
"As you know, there are so called 'anti-cheese' rules noted in the book which prevents players from deploying their reserve units right next to their enemies', and mandates a minimum 5 cm distance from an opponent's model." Trixie explained, "And so it happens, there are no gaps in my round-the-table skirmish line greater than 5 cm. Which means, technically, my opponents does not have any entry point on the edges of the field that would allow them to deploy their units!"
"Wait, so without any room to deploy... Cherry Fizzy and others' entire force would be forced to sit in reserve until the game ends, after which, under the rules, they would automatically lose. And add the fact that Trixie controls the entire field by default..." Pointdexter muttered as he realized the implications, "So that means...!"
"Victory... in round 1." Shining Armor, the GM, finished it for them, "Trust me, I didn't want to believe it either, but it's all within the rules."
"This isn't over!" Cherry promised, waving a hoof even as he flipped more pages, "There will be a reckoning for this act of rule-lawyering!"
"Well, Trixie won't hold her breath for when that happens." She said with a grin, before turning to the slack-jawed Gaming Three before her, "Now then, Trixie believes that you three would be playing with us next..."
(Based on a true story!)
Session 41.5 Alex Warlorn
Rarity, Queen of the Vampires, sighed. "That last battle with the She Whose Name Is Too Awesome To Speak, left my zombie horde rather low. I'll have to spent some time harvesting more corpses from the graveyards."
"I'm surprised there are any fill graveyards left," Spike Lord of the Undead said.
-
The Pink One giggled. "My cultists are almost done constructing the mega portal! It was worth sacrificing those smaller portals to the were-ponies last battle."
"This is gonna be so awesome!"
-
"Okay, Ah've gone and infected the rest of Ponyville, and burned the bodies of our losses so them dang vamp' ponies can't use 'em! They're all part of the pack now."
"Oh, and we've driven the last of the Deep Ponies from Everfree too! It's so pretty with every pony one with nature!"
"Ah'm kinda worried, they gave up almost too easily."
-
The girls and Spike were in the throne room again for another session of gaming. No Discord, no Trixie, no Starlight, no Gilda, no Alisa, no Thorax, or any of his estranged relatives.
Applejack and Rarity had no intention of saying it out-loud, but both of them had become sick to death of shape shifters, wolves in costumes, and politics of giant bug pony societies that had hidden themselves since the dawn of Equestria. And just wanted to get back to gaming on the table that the crystal tree in the forest used to command its obedient little puppets.
"So where's Alisa?" AJ asked.
"I promoted her. She's now the manager of my branch in the Diamond Wolf lands."
"You have a store in the diamond wolf lands?"
"I do now."
"Ah."
The table was armies of different types of monsters, and a buncha tokens of normal ponies, ripe for impressment into their forces.
"Haven't we played this game before? Or something like it?" Rainbow Dash asked. After all, they'd played so many games... so many.
"Yes, but this is the new version, and with a much more Nightmare Night centric theme," Twilight said. "The principle is simple, we have an army of Undead, Werebeasts, Eldritch Horrors... There was also supposed to be a faction of Cryptids... but they couldn't seem to find enough to fill the ranks."
"Crypt tides? Are those zombie fish?" Pinkie Pie asked.
"... No. Cryptids, as in 'animals not proven to exist by pony science."
"Like giants?"
"Oh yeah."
"And bug ponies?"
"Ugh..."
"And draconequi."
"Don't speak his name!"
"And then there's-"
"AGH! Alright! . . . But I swear if it turns out that the talking muffins and/or sapient cookies from Dinky's story book are real, I'm finding the Alicorn of nature and giving them a stern talking to! And CANCELING game night FOREVER!!!"
Session 41.6 Alex Warlorn
Discord sighed, "Do I have to do this every year?"
"YES!" All the Princesses told him.
"Fine! .... I Discord, solemnly swear, by the unbreakable and all encompassing Pinkie Promise, that I will not sell, give, create, leave about to be found, or otherwise provide costumes or props during Nightmare Night that will transform and/or mentally affect or otherwise enchant the wearers or any pony else, nor shall I attempt to loop hole abuse this oath. Cross my heart, hope to fly, stick a cupcake in my eye."
Session 41.7 Alex Warlorn Mtangalion SomeRandomMinon
"Your Majesty? What are we doing at the old decoy castle that you ... uh, the big changeling queen destroyed?" Asked Locust.
"It's off the books and the maps, and there are enough rooms left intact to keep out the rain." Queen Chrysalis said.
"Very wise your Majesty..."
"Any word on the other changeling outcasts?"
"Uh... they said they're not interested in a queen who can only lead her hive to disaster. They said 'she may have ALMOST conquered the cattle lands two or three times, but almost only counts in horseshoes.' "
"... They'll come around eventually, it's not like their current situation is all that good."
"Oh, and this note came for you... apparently a magical evil imp challenged your daughter to a board game called 'Alicorn Takes All' that she lost and was turned into one of his playing pieces as a result."
Chrysalis groaned. "At least she didn't get herself eaten by the sand worms."
"You going to save her?"
"If only so mother doesn't catch wind of it and beat me to the punch and starts brainwashing one of my babies."
Papa looked at a picture book, with a picture of a walled eyed pony, with the changeling word for 'Food' underneath in big bold letter.
(Board game 'The Grouchiest Game in Town' reference from Smurfs).
-
Rainbow Dash using the enchanted warp mirrors from the mysterious distant and HEAVILY defended land of Funtasia to go visit queen Supia for some giant monster LARPing might have seemed rather self indulgent, but what not enjoy some 'saved the world' perks?
After all, Queen Supia had to know a some some size-shifting spells....
Queen Supia, queen of the neighponese 'giant wasp' changelings spoke to the Element of Loyalty. "You might have to wear a colorful spandex costume."
Dash smiled. "And that's supposed to discourage me?"
"A VERY skintight costume. Every male within a half mile is going to be staring at your flank. Which will be the size of a building at that scale."
"Again; not discouraging me."
"... Very well, in the name of friendship between my hive and your kingdom, 'ambassador' I can make time in my day for some play acting. Ahem. Sugoi!! With this enchanted hoofband, you shall become Ultramare Prism and defend the cities of Equestria from... Wait, don't push that button yet!"
Rainbow Dash pressed the button. "Why not--YIPE!"
Rainbow shoots up in size until she was big enough to smack her head against the roof of the cave she and Supia are in. Dazed, she tumbled back into a sitting position...
As a rounded shadow covered him and his friends, a Neighpon Changeling shouted. "INCOMING FLANK!"
They all barely scampered away in time as Rainbow's rump hit the ground with meteoric force, shaking the cave and cracking the stone floor.
Supia facehoofed. "That is why, Rainbow-chan. Size-shifting and tight spaces don't mix."
Session 41.8 Grogar The Onser
"Hey captain, er general, I been meaning to ask... but what happen to Kabuto?" Blood Flea asked, both were cleaning the castle till the queen returned with her daughter.
"Huh that's a good question...." Locust muttered. He definitely couldn't see Thorax accepting the mad scientist even if his form had change to one of Thorax's hideous mutant changelings, he hadn't seen if he had. "Guess he's trying to gain amnesty in another hive."
"Who would accept that craze lunatic besides our queen?" Blood Flea asked.
+
"Hmm.... you know for a craze lunatic, there something about you I like, your hired!" Emperor Blackthorn said as both he and Kabuto were playing chess.
"Thank you, you won't regret it," Kabuto said with a grin.
Session 41.9 BrutalityInc
It was Nightmare Night, and even in Canterlot, the shining capital of Equestria, the ponies celebrated enthusiastically; the streets were decorated with motifs, images and props evoking the monstrous and the supernatural; gangs of fillies and colts dressed in various costumes happily galloped across cobblestone streets, playing Nightmare Night themed games in stalls set up all over the city, or getting candy and treats, their similarly dressed parents and guardians trailing behind them. The sound of merriment was thick in the nightly air - broken occasionally by screams of fright or profanities of outrage from those who had been pranked for not giving out enough candy.
In one of the houses, five of the Canterlot Six - and one guest outside their circle - were settling down after a night of reverie.
"It's too bad that Moondancer is with Twilight in Ponyville." Lemon Heart commented with a note of disappointment. She was dressed in a giant lemon for her costume tonight, "They're missing out a lot of fun and games that only Canterlot has during Nightmare Night!"
"Well, they have their own schedules and we have ours. We can't exactly expect them to accommodate us." Minuette joined in. She was dressed as the Batmare rogue gallery villainess Clock Queen, and her attire resembles her old serial incarnation, black-cape and top-hat with a clock inside it, and additional clocks and watches adorning her clothes.
"Still, given how rare it is nowadays for all of us to be together, you'll think that they'll make room to spend time with us." Lyra Heartstring muttered. She wore a toga and laural leaf attire costume with her trade-mark lute by her side, looking like somepony from Classical Equestria. "Well, at least I managed to made it here. We were planning to celebrate in Ponyville, too, but I couldn't give an invitation by my old classmates a pass!"
"And you brought your friend in Ponyville too." Twinkleshine added, dressed as Dracozilla, turned to said pony, "Nice of you to join our company tonight, Bon Bon! You seem to know Canterlot very well, despite living in Ponyville."
"Well, I have done several deliveries here before. Ever since Twilight moved into town, there had been a lot of orders from Canterlot." Bon Bon explained, dressed in a chef's costume. She felt slightly uncomfortable being the only earth-pony in the group.
Of course, the fact that she had also done monster-hunting missions in Canterlot during her time in S.M.I.L.E. went unsaid, and Lyra, the only other mare who knows, has promised to keep it a secret. It brings back the memories, being here – both the happy and painful ones.
‘I'm just a candy-mare now...' Bon Bon thought to herself, over and over, ‘The past is the past... and I should hope it stays that way!"
"We've all done our share of trick or treating for tonight..." Twinkleshine said, popping some candy from her bag full of bounty for emphasis, "And Amethyst Star is keeping Tootsie-Flutes for company while she kept going, we're ready to continue on to the next part of tonight's entertainment: GAME NIGHT!"
The four unicorns cheered, which Bon Bon joined in half-heartedly. Yes, she really doesn't feel fit in with them. She didn't feel like an ordinary candy-making mare with a new group of friends. Maybe she just hasn't find something that would allow her to blend in...
"You were always the gaming pony, Twinkleshine." Lyra remarked, "So what's the pick tonight? Something to fit in tonight's theme of spookiness and horror?"
"Well, I do have something special for this specific occasion..." She confirmed, before she brought out a booklet from under the table.
What Bon Bon saw caught her attention, like Albino Wolf's ‘Hunter: The Vigilance' did in that Midsummer Night festival game she played with Octavia, Vinyl Scratch and the others all those sessions ago.
It depicted an earth-pony, a unicorn and a pegasi, all dressed in gothic-looking leather and wool attire, complete with capes, long-dusters and cloaks, tricorne or cavalier hats, and masks that cover their facial features. They were armed with silvery blades and old-fashioned firearms, and stood in defiant poses against a dark, nocturnal background, a starless night with flocks of bats flying in front of a large, blood-red moon.
The title read ‘Eldritch Nights'.
"‘Eldritch Nights'? I never heard of this one before..." Lemon Hearts noted.
"You wouldn't have. It's completely new; I got this early-released version, along with several campaign modules, for being a long-time costumer of one of the companies that made it." Twinkleshine explained, "From my understanding, this is a massive collaborative project between all those game and comic makers to produce a new Gothic and Cosmic Horror themed setting and franchise, for horror-adventure RPG games and other assorted fiction."
"Geeze, just look at this: all these company here are in the big leagues!" Lyra commented, eyes widening as she looked over the brands above the title, "You have famous ones such as Mages in the Mountains and Albino Wolf, to more infamous ones like FROM Gaming from Neighpon, and even normally non-gaming focused entertainment companies like Enchanted Comics. And all of them are pooling their resources to making this? What couldn't they do?"
Twinkleshine shrugged, then read the manual introduction, "In the land of Ciaradh, the great alicorn Solas, the Dawn King, has mysterious gone missing, and in his wake, the forces of darkness that had been long been held back by his power are on the rise, led by Shadowlieges that are either escaping their prisons, or expanding their existing dominion."
Whereas the others gulped in fear or shuddered at the rather terrifying premise laid out before them, Bon Bon listened more and more intently as Twinkleshine spoke of the array of horrors facing the innocents. Somewhere in the depths of her mind, an old urge is returning, a sense of duty rising back to the forefront, a drive that had been stopped for years is restarting its engines.
"Without the presence and guidance of Solas, the innocent ponies of Ciaradh are finding themselves becoming the common prey of monsters, the weapons, wards and prayers that had protected them for centuries weakening and faltering in the face the dreadful creatures before them. Now, it is up to the Sancthars – you, monster hunters and holy warriors – who had defended Ciaradh for generations in Solas' name to hold back the darkness before it devours the land and its people, and perhaps uncover the truth to the disappearance of their sovereign and the source of the various evils that now assail Ciaradh."
"Well, doesn't that fit in tonight's theme!" Lyra whistled.
"None more so than this module..." Twinkleshine pulled out an Enchanted Comics adventure manual from the box, "‘Shadow Over Yearning' is said by the developers to be a particularly scary and hardcore campaign module out of all the ones currently available in Eldritch Nights. We can try the main campaign or some of the other modules as well, although we probably have time for one tonight."
The other unicorn mares cheered once more and picked Shadow Over Yearning. Lyra looked beside her and noticed that Bon Bon was frowning.
"Is something wrong? If you don't want to, we can play some other –"
"No, I'm in." Bon Bon dismissed, giving a determined look, "Just got this strange feeling about it, that's all."
= = =
When they woke up, they found themselves in a dimly-lit, old-fashioned looking clinic room, with bottles and books of medicine lining the cabinets surrounding the tables they were lying on, and infusion vials dripping with some mysterious red liquid hung from carriers. They also found themselves dressed in the attires of the ponies they saw in the cover of the box.
"Okay, that felt weird." Lyra commented as she got up and hopped onto the wooden oak floor. "Then again, this is the first time I've been in one of those Enchanted Comics style magical adventures, so I'm not qualified to judge."
Twinkleshine looked at her surroundings, "Look at the detail in the level designs; they must had pulled all the stops in making this."
"Well, looks like this is going to be fun! Scary, but fun." Lemon Hearts added. "I'm so excited!"
"Yes, fun..." Bon Bon repeated. There was a sense of foreboding dread in the air that the others doesn't seem to notice, one that made her instincts urge her to take note.
"Let's gather around and head out. I bet the ‘tutorial' is in the room downstairs." Minuette said, pointing towards a door, opening to stairs leading down.
Together, they went down – only to find an empty room.
"What gives? There's nothing here!" Minuette exclaimed, "Where's the tutorial?"
"Maybe it's unfinished?" Lemon Heart suggested.
"That's usually how these EC adventures go; drop you right in the middle, and let you figure out how to play through it by yourself." Twinkleshine explained.
"Well, I say there should be a tutorial here! How are we supposed to investigate and fight monsters if we don't know how to actually do one or the other?"
Bon Bon grimaced. She is effectively the only mare in the group who actually knows how do either, but there won't be enough time to teach others the ropes...
"That corridor leads out to the main foyer. Maybe there would be something there." Lyra pointed.
There was indeed something there – but something that they did not expect. And it terrified them.
"It's... a wolf." Minuette noted, eyes widening at the creature illuminated under the dim light of the chandelier.
"Yes." Twinkleshine concurred.
"It's a very big wolf." Lemon Heart said, her heart was racing with fear.
"Ahuh." Minuette nodded.
"A very big and scary wolf that's eating that poor dead pony on the floor." Twinkleshine added, looking rather ill at the sight.
"This IS a horror RPG game." Lemon Heart reminded.
"It's not an ordinary wolf." Bon Bon suddenly interjected, eyes narrowing with recognition. "It's worse: That's a werewolf."
"How can you tell?" Lemon Heart asked, now more terrified.
"I see it, too." Lyra said, pointing a hoof, "That thing looks big as a bear; the gait doesn't look like it belong to either a wolf, or a pony; the fur has tints of what looks like pony fur in it; and the red and yellow glowing eyes are a dead give-away. Bonnie's right – that's a werewolf."
"They – they're going to make us fight that when we don't even have any weapons?!" Minuette gasped in horror.
"Did anypony see a back-door to this place?" Twinkleshine asked urgently.
"There wasn't. Only way out is through that door over there – and that werewolf is in the way." Lemon Heart noted dismally.
"Alright, alright, don't panic; we are ponies! Monster-hunting ponies in-game, too!" Twinkleshine declared, "We can outwit that thing and escape from this place. As long as we don't attract its attention..."
"Twinkie, it's looking right at us!" Lemon Heart exclaimed, now genuinely afraid.
Indeed, the werewolf has noticed their attention, and is now striding towards them, eyes dancing with hunger and its bloody jaws snarling in bloodlust.
"Okay, NOW we can panic!" Twinkleshine muttered.
To Be Continued...
Session 41.10 BrutalityInc
Lyra looked to Bon Bon – only to see her already galloping towards one side of the main foyer. "Bon Bon, what are you doing?!"
"Getting its attention!" Bon Bon shouted back. The gemstone encrusted on her Sancthor attire's hat glowed – she's thankful that the developers are considerate enough to put that feature in for non-unicorns – and with a bout of telekinesis, she grabbed for a vase stuffed with dead flowers. "Run across the other side of the foyer and make for the door, NOW!"
The werewolf was ready to pounce at the fleeing group when Bon Bon's vase smashed into its face, the broken ceramic pieces cutting into its flesh. That enraged it, and it turn its attention on the lone mare that had hurt it so.
"That's it...look at me! I'm the one you wanted!" Bon Bon jeered at it, presenting herself, daring the creature to attack.
The werewolf howled, and charged forward, before leaping at Bon Bon. Bon Bon dodged and rolled sideways, letting the werewolf land where she was a moment before, smashing into tables and cabinets through its momentum.
It recovered quickly, much faster than Bon Bon liked; it swiped at her with one of its claws, trying to rend her flesh and disembowel her, as it is common tactics for wolves on the hunt for game. But Bon Bon anticipated this, and ensured that she rolled and positioned herself to just the right place; just next to a pillar holding up the ceiling
She ducked, her reflexes still sharp even years after she left her vigil. As she anticipated, the swiping paw sailed over her head and slammed right into the pillar. The pillar bent and splintered from the force of the blow – but even the enhanced strength and ferocity of a were-creature could do little to break a thick solid pillar made of hardened oak.
The creature howled in agony, and backed away, pawing and licking its wounded limb as it found that its broken front-paw couldn't support its weight. Already, it's starting to heal, but it would take time; plenty enough that Bon Bon could get into an advantageous position.
Bon Bon looked and saw that the others had only just got the doors opened – doors which were apparently barred from the outside. Between the eaten corpses on the floor and that, she pictured what happened; that the werewolf turned whilst its pony self was in the clinic, then rampaged and slaughtered many of the helpless patients and defenceless healers here. The survivors, possessing no means to fighting and killing it properly, resorted to barricading the only exit to ensure it would not escape.
Well, now they had found themselves in the same bind, but this time, they might not be fast enough for there to be any survivors. Not unless she finds something, anything, that could help them hold it off, but to look for that in this dim light...
The light. She looked up, and saw the half-lit chandelier. She noted earlier how it looked like it was on the verge of falling down, dangling precariously on a rusted, nearly broken chain.
She looked back down on the werewolf, already recovered, and now more enraged and determined than ever to slaughter them. She has to act quickly.
"Lyra! The chandelier!" She shouted at her friend, hoping she and the others would get what she wanted them to do.
Lyra looked from the door they were trying to force open and looked up. Fortune has it that she noticed what Bon Bon noticed, too, and realize her intent.
"Lemon! Twinkle! Minny! Help me with this!" She cried out, before her horn glowed and her magic.
The other unicorns in the Canterlot Six got the cue, and their magic added to Lyra's to pull the chandelier down. The ceiling started to creak in protest, and the chains begin to bend out of shape as the force stretched the weakened, rusted metal to breaking point.
The werewolf wasted no time pouncing on Bon Bon, and Bon Bon wasted no time herself in grabbing a nearby wheelchair and throwing it in its direction, connecting with its head mid-pounce. She jumped sideways in time to have the werewolf land in a heap, dazed by the smashed wheelchair, right under the chandelier. That was the moment when the chains gave way.
All ponies winced as the large decorative ornament piece smashed into the werewolf with a resounding crash.
"Is it dead?" Lemon Heart asked.
"Not by a long-shot. But it'll stall it long enough." Bon Bon commented. In a harsh, commanding voice, she turned to the rest and shouted, "What are you waiting for?! We've to get out of here now!"
With record speed, the doors were cleared, and making over the junk and debri that was used to block it, they rushed up the stairs towards a second set of door, light filtering through its opaque, baroque glass windows into the dark stairwell.
Wasting no time, the moment they were outside, they closed the door behind them, and began grabbing anything they could with their hooves and magic to pile in front of it, barring them like the inner doors, until the doors themselves was not visible under the veritable wall of stone, wood, masonry and other assorted junk.
All the while, they could hear the inner doors being breached, and then the howls of a monster that had just free itself from the indignity of being pinned heavy broken ornament was followed by the sound of its form crashing into the outer doors.
For a few moments, the group of players held their breathes, watching the pile shake as the werewolf tried to escape the confines of the clinic, fearing that it might breach it. There was the sound of claws scratching and banging from the doors being rammed by a monstrous pile of flesh and fur, mixing with lupine growls of rage and hunger.
Then, slowly, the banging and shaking stopped, and with a frustrated howl, they hear the werewolf going back into the depths of the abandoned clinic.
All ponies sagged with relief, collapsing on the floor completely or sitting down on their haunches, feeling the adrenaline rush peeling off as their hearts stopped racing, and their terror and excitement disappeared. It took them a few minutes before they were calm enough again to speak.
"Well, that's one way to start a Nightmare Night campaign module!"
All the mares gave tittered laughs, reminding themselves that this was all just a fictional adventure – and that they didn't just barely escaped from a cursed animalistic horror.
All except Bon Bon.
"That was...that was too close..." She muttered to herself, taking a moment to remove her hat and wipe the sweat off her brows, "It's all just so real...just like Hoofington all over again..."
The other unicorns looked at each other, confused. Lyra stepped in quickly before they started asking uncomfortable questions.
"Tell me about it, Bon Bon! It's my first time too in one of these magical adventures..." Lyra said aloud, putting a comforting hoof over Bon Bon's shoulders, "Really gave us quite a fright, didn't it? Just like that carnival in Hoofington that other time. But don't worry, we'll get used to it."
Bon Bon smile, putting one of her hooves on Lyra's. Lyra winked for good measure.
"Wow...remember when I said the details were impressive?" Twinkleshine commented, finally noticing their outdoor surroundings, "I was wrong. THIS is impressive detail, right here!"
Indeed. Now, they could see the city of Yearning in its full glory, and it stretched out before them. In the dim twilight of the setting sun and rising moon, the impressive gothic sprawl seemed to obscure the horizon and stretched as far as the eye could see. In their immediate vicinity, they could see that they had found themselves in a plaza, also impressive in its design and appearance, with a fountain in the middle, and the streets were filled with displays of beautifully crafted metalworks and many great stone and marble statues, depicting regal-looking alicorns standing tall, cloaked maidens in prayer, or knights in armour wielding weapons high.
But out here, in the streets, its apparent that the city had seen better days; the place looked deserted, and there were many abandoned and broken carriages parked on the sides, some of which had skeletons still in their seats or in harnesses. There were empty and trashed shops, as well as remnants of what looked like stalls, seemingly subjected to looting. The gothic-architecture were defaced, seeming by fighting, and some buildings looked like burnt-out shells, as if burnt, complementing the piles of ashes and charcoal. There are junk, more dead bodies, abandoned belongings and broken weapons scattered on the ground in many places.
The ponies looked around as they explored the neighbourhood they found themselves, both in awe of the impressive world, and dread as they searched and watched every corner and shadows, out of fear of something like the werewolf in the clinic ambushing them. Bon Bon was the one who did more of the latter than anypony else, always vigilant and cautious of her surroundings
It took them a few minutes before they met a local.
The pony carried a torch in its pensile tail, and said tail and mane looked dishevelled, overgrown and dirty. His clothes looked ragged and overlong, patched up in many places, and didn't look like they fit him. They could see an axe tucked in his belt, and a hat adorning his unicorn head.
"Hello? Excuse me!" Lemon Heart called out to him, "Can you tell us where we are, we just came by here, and we're wondering..."
Lemon Heart's voice died when she saw that she caught his attention, and he turned in their direction.
That was when they noticed that there was something VERY wrong with him.
He seemed taller than the average pony; in fact, it just occurred to them how disproportionate his body shape seemed. His legs were long and lanky, the torso looked stretched, and the neck seemed to be taller and more forward leaning than your average pony. His hooves looked like it has something sharp, poking out of the fetlocks, and he moved with a swinging stride.
And then there was his face.
The skin was taut and grey, and was covered with bandages with exception of his eyes, nostril and muzzle. Low-set ears poked out of the sides under his hat, and his eyes were yellow, and pupils seemed blurred, as if affected by cataracts. His face was covered with unnaturally overgrown hair, between the thick unibrow and his facial beard. And his teeth...
His teeth had canine fangs.
"Oh, fewmets!" Lyra cursed, recognizing instantly what they were facing.
The pony – creature – gave them a feverish, demented look. Then, with a hateful snarl, he roared:
"Foul BEASTS!"
(Wanted to continue this, but I want to see what other people would come up with)
Session 41.11 Alex Warlorn
Apple Bloom said, "Thanks ya kindly for givin' up the blue-he-prints and runes for the costumes for us and our friends Discord."
"Before we get started however," Scootaloo asked, "Are these designs going to be enchanted so we turn into what our costumes are of?"
"Yes," Discord said. "You made them, not me. You asked for MY help."
"And when the enchantment happens, we'll think our costumes selves are our real selves?" Scootaloo asked critically.
"The law requires that I answer yes."
"And the spell undoes itself at midnight no matter what?"
"Unless one of you is a super hero in deep space or underwater when it hits midnight, it'll last until the spell being undone won't kill you, or one of you is say made of ice and thrown into a fire, the spell will end automatically. Princess Luna promised I'd dream of being an officer work-drone every night for the next 1000 years if I didn't include that part."
"Okay, Ah kinda figured," Apple Bloom said. "But Ah want one thing! The core of what makes us, 'us' stays intact. And NOPONY or ANYCREATURE, singular plural, ya get the gist, does anythin' they'll be horrified or sick of in the mornin'."
Discord sighed. "FINE! Costume you, no matter what different she is from you, will still not do anything YOU with your fundamental, (what are those called again? Oh yes), 'moral code' wouldn't do or nor NOT do something you'd morally do. But no guarantees on different social taboos or cultural attitudes otherwise."
"That works for me." Scotaloo said.
"You've been waiting for this for a long time haven't you?" Discord asked.
"Since we didn't turn into giant monsters for that game of ours."
"Well, I did have to avoid doing anything TOO outrageous. And yes, you'll remember everything Costume You did, though Costume You won't be aware of 'you' you. Besides, the costumes designs I gave you are all foal size, so the adults' costumes will all be just costumes if anything goes wrong."
"Girls! Tonight is the ULTIMATE GURP LARPING!" Scootaloo declared.
Session 41.12 Ardashir
Nightmare Night in Ponyville. The normally peaceful village was transformed into a weird fantasyland of ghouls and ghosts, witches and werewolves, vampires and villains. Whinnying fillies and colts would soon be galloping through the streets in search of candy, parents and older siblings barely able to keep up with them.
And inside the Friendship Palace, Twilight Sparkle and Sunset Shimmer were finishing up yet another of their hard-fought chess games.
"So, how was that 'Halloween' parade back in the Canterlot High world?" Twilight said, examining the chessboard. She smiled and made her move. "I take your Rook."
"And lose your Knight," Sunset responded. "The parade was pretty good. The Sirens were surprisingly well behaved. Well, Adagio and Aria were. Sonata, not so much. Ach! My last Bishop!"
"Watch your game better," Twilight chided her. "And what did Sonata do? Or don't I want to know?"
"Well, actually things were going just fine," Sunset carefully examined the board as she spoke, "at least until our float began passing by some food stands. One was selling tacos. You can imagine the rest."
***
"TACOS!"
The crowd fled screaming in every direction as the massive blue-scaled water beast leaped from the tank she rode in. Licking her fangs, she headed straight for the nearest food stand. Its terrified proprietor stood frozen in horror as the ravenous monster headed right for him.
"Sonata!" Adagio snarled at her sister. The 'victims' of the Sirens, several of the boys from Canterlot High, looked on in confusion as she followed Sonata out of the tank, Aria close behind. "Get back in here! We all enjoy scaring people, but this is just gonna get us in more trouble! Come on, Aria!"
"I think I saw the local SWAT team back there in the parade," Aria groused, refusing to leave the tank. "They must have rifles or something, let them handle it." She winced as Adagio gave her a snarl.
"Not! Helping!"
Meanwhile Sonata had overturned the cart and was feasting on the piled tacos. The owner was hopping up and down, tearing at his hair and yelling imprecations. Sonata ignored him entirely.
"Ohh, tacos!" Her eyes drifted half shut as she crunched away. "Yummy, sweet, hot, bloody, spicy meat!"
***
"I can see where that would cause problems -- my Queen!"
"Keep your eyes on the game, Twilight!" Sunset smirked. "Actually, that kind of amused people after the initial panic died down. They paid for the contents of the cart, so the owner was happy; Sonata got to eat her fill of junk food, so she was happy. But that Canterlot Scottish Bagpipe band behind us wasn't happy at all. Especial when the wind whipped up enough to start tossing their kilts." Sunset shuddered. "You think you've seen horrors, but when fifty guys with hairy legs start having their kilts tossed... Ah! You took MY Queen."
"That I did," Twilight said smugly. She frowned at the board. "Now it's my King versus your King and last Bishop. Another draw."
"Looks that way," Sunset grumbled as she rose to leave. "By the way, what are your friends here doing tonight?"
"Dash, Rarity, and Applejack will be taking their little sisters around for treats," Twilight said as she set the board and pieces away. "So it should be a peaceful Nightmare Night. For once. I mean, we're owed, right?"
Session 41.13 Ardashir
"Apple Bloom! Ya ready yet? 'Bout time ta go trick-or-treatin'!" Applejack turned and looked at Big Mac and Granny Smith. "Ya both sure ya won't need any help with the corn maze?"
"Eee-nope," Big Mac said, wearing his Frankenpony costume."
"We'll be just fine," Granny said before she stuck her Sass-squash mask on. "Now git along an' take little Bloom out for her candy."
Inside the room, Apple Bloom took a deep breath and put the Timber Wolf mask on.
"Ah hope Discord didn't try an' prank us." And as she said those words, her body and mind both began to transform as planned.
A moment later a flaming and growling Timber Wolf left the room.
"Woah!" Applejack almost jumped out of her Tin Woodspony costume. "That's a mighty well-made costume there, Apple Bloom!"
"What costume, fleshy pony?" The Timber Wolf growled as it pushed past her and loped out the open door of the farmhouse, stopping just long enough to snatch the bag for treats.
Applejack blinked and smiled.
"Heh! Guess 'Bloom really wants ta get into the spirit o' things tonight!"
***
"Sweetie Belle!" Rarity, wearing a werewolf costume (sent to her by Alisa, and only a costume, thankfully) called upstairs. "Soon now, dear! Let's not be too fashionably late!"
She winced when she saw what her sister was going as. A white and pink Changeling Queen trotted down the stairs, her green eyes almost glowing.
"Hiya, Rarity!" Sweetie grinned at her sister. Rarity tried not to flinch from the impressive fangs her sister was wearing. She seemed on inhale, and Rarity felt slightly weaker. "Boy, your love tastes great. I bet it'll taste even better from all the other ponies in town."
Sweetie hurried out the door, leaving her stunned sister to snatch up her hoof-sewn treats bag and follow her.
***
"C'mon, squirt! Time ta get going and -- WOAH! What're ya supposed ta be? A griffon supervillain?"
"Who's a supervillain, tiny?" Scootaloo, dressed in the costume of a heavily muscled griffon, strode heavily out of her room. She spread her wings, lashed a leonine tail, and scratched at the dirt with her foretalons. "Now let's get going. I wanna meet my friends so we can have fun tonight, and I don't wanna be late because of some slowpoke dweeb pony!" She dropped over the side of Dash's cloud house and flew fast for the ground.
"Yeesh, mouthy much? An' hey! Wait up!"
Dash flew down after Scootagriffon, glad that for once they'd have a nice, quiet, normal Nightmare Night.
Over at Fluttershy's house, where he was sipping some tea with the shy pegasus, Discord grinned evilly.
Session 41.14 Alex Warlorn
The Cutie Mark Crusaders had been very explicit to make sure each of their school friends knew exactly what the costumes did, and what the conditions of the enchantments were. None had told their parents, knowing their families would say 'NO!'
Button Mash looked at his Legend of Cadence costume, Shining Link. Button Mash had been split between this or his Minecraft costume... but this won out. But Sweetie had turned down being the Princess, oh well.
Still, this was a night of immersive gaming he couldn't miss. He put on the costume... and nothing. "Oh wait, I have to put on the cap." Button Mash reluctantly look off his beanie, and put on his head the cap of the hero.
Button Mash stiffened, his ears becoming pointed, and his eyes blue, and his mane turned blond, and an earring appeared on one ear. With the Master Sword and Equestrian Shield on his back, he trotted out of his room.
"Hav a good time honey!" Said his mother, dressed as Mrs. Pac-Mare (you can guess what her husband was).
"HAI!" Shouted the hero, not exactly known for speaking much in game. Taking the candy bag with him to where his friends were.
-
"So... you ready?" Diamond Tiara asked.
"I'm ready when you are." Silver Spoon said.
"Alright then... one."
"Two."
"THREE!" The two said together and put on the gold (and silver) tiaras that were the last parts of their costumes. One magical filly in a white dress decked out in diamonds, the other one in a dark purple costume with silver trim. Their eyes became larger, their noses shaped like ski slops. Their mane becoming black and strayberry bonding. Memories and forms changed.
"CUTE CURE! LIGHT AND DARK!" Shouted the two magically fillies as they struck a nose, and skipped out of the house, chatting to each other in Neighponese. They too their candy bags and skipped out into the night.
In minutes, though none of them were consciously aware WHY, all six transformed foals had arrived together at the spot they didn't remember agreeing on.
Session 41.15 Mtangalion
The Doctor came trotting along, wearing a maroon coat, a floppy hat, and a scarf so long it was a wonder he could walk anywhere without stamping his hooves all over it. "Good evening, ladies! I must say, your costumes really are quite lifelike. Care for a jelly baby?"
"Don't mind if I do," said Sunset, reaching into the offered bag with a slim *hand*. "I've always wondered what these taste like."
Princess Twilight finished putting the chess pieces back in their starting positions. She looked like she was all set for a day at Canterlot High School, textbooks and everything. "I really thought a pair of humans in the middle of Ponyville would attract more attention. I guess anything goes tonight!"
"Rawr!" cried Spike, leaping into view and waving his "talons" at them, cardboard wings wobbling on his back. "Hey, Twilight! Check out my cool griffon costume!"
Just as a shadow swooped in, miming fierce swipes of her "scaly claws." "Wow, wow wow WOW!" whooped Gabby the griffon. "This holiday is so much fun! Look at me, I'm a dragon!"
Spike and Gabby froze, blinking at each other, then burst out laughing.
"What?" asked Windy Whisper, lounging nearby. She was wearing a fake horn and an outfit painted to resemble Luna's regalia. "Heh, isn't anybody going to be offended?"
Sunset grinned. "We Alicorns won't be if you aren't."
"Thestralcorn. I'm a thestralcorn! But, eh, you got me there."
Session 41.16 Richforce
(Author's Notes:
A sequel to my Cosmosis segment. Here's what they are basically dealing with. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tr9M3HZ_nH0
-
"Thank you for letting me join you on your Cosmosis server," Fluttershy. "I'm a little nervous, I never played anything this complex before."
"Just remember the four x's," said Sunset. "Explore your surroundings, expand your holdings, exploit the resources you control and exterminate your enemies when needed."
"I'm not sure about that last one. And don't those all start with a E?"
"Yeah but the X makes it sound cooler."
"In any case we were all going to start a fresh campaign anyway," said Twilight. "We'd have to anyway for the new patch and story expansion."
"Trixie for one is looking forward to this," said Trixie. "They've added some really powerful spaceborne entities and they feature some particularly lucrative rewards."
"That's not the only thing," said Sunset. "Starlight Glimmer and her friend Sunburst will actually be joining us in a few days once this campaign really gets underway."
"Ok, I'm starting up…" Fluttershy said as she logged. "Oh… looks like my empire is on the other side of the galaxy. It will take time before we can interact in the game itself."
"Probably just in time for Starlight and Sunburst to show up."
+++
Starlight and Sunburst did show up about a week later and the game was getting interesting at that point. By then Twilight had discovered a giant space born creature called a "Star Dragon" that held control on a single star system that included a planet that was much richer in energy and minerals than almost anything else in the game. But getting past the dragon would be far from easy, its relative power allowed to face entire fleets on its own so the Canterlot Federation had formed once again, not just for mutual survival but to try to win through expanding their combined territory gain to over half the galaxy. The rewards on offer from the Dragon's "Hoard" would go a long way to achieving that goal.
"Ok, we're each sending a good portion of our fleets, upgraded with the best tech we have available to slay the dragon," said Starlight.
"Here's the plan," said Sunburst. "On Starlight's signal the two of us will launch our attack on the dragon. When our battleships start taking heavy damage we'll retreat and Twilight, Sunset and Trixie will swoop in and launch a second wave of attacks on the dragon. Once it's down Twilight will send a construction ship in to build a frontier outpost, securing the system and then set up the mining outpost to claim the hoard."
"And the rest of us benefit from this endeavor, right?" asked Trixie.
"Of course," said Twilight. "Once the hoard is claimed I'll set up trade agreements with all of you. You'll each get one fifth of the hoard's output and I'll set up a research agreement if I also find any new technology there as well."
"My fleet's in position," said Sunset. "Just waiting for Starlight to give the word.
An in-game notification came up. "Seriously?!" Twilight said turning to Fluttershy. "You're declaring war on us?! Now?!"
"I'm sorry," said Fluttershy. "But that dragon isn't hurting anybody. It's…It's not right to kill it just for some rocks and electrity. I'm setting my war goal for you to cede control of the system, that way no one will have a reason to kill it."
"It's not real," groaned Trixie. "It's just a video game baddie."
"It's still the principle, and besides I thought we were encouraging role play."
"It is still wildly impractical," said Starlight. "Your empire only got into official contact with ours by contact between one of your science vessels and Sunburst's. With the distance between us by the time any of your fleets gets here it will all be over."
"I… still standby my decision."
"Ok then, Sunburst commence the attack!"
Starlight and Sunburst's fleet began firing their first volleys and the Dragon fired back, at that point another in-game notification appeared.
"I don't believe it," said Twilight. "The War in Heaven event, the patch's other big introduction!"
"The one where two hyper advanced and stagnant empires start expanding again and declare war on each other?" said Trixie.
"The same," said Sunset. "It's supposed to be a cataclysmic event that lasts for centuries in game. Looks like one of them the "Vornerian Ascendency" is approaching Fluttershy's "Butterfly League".
"I still think that name is too no the nose," said Sunburst.
"But the butterfly portrait is so cute," said Fluttershy. "Oh, the Ascendency wants me to ally with them. Since I wouldn't stand a chance I'll have to say yes."
Trixie looked at a new notification. "And because they are now Fluttershy's allies the Vornerians are declaring war on the whole Canterlot federation!"
"We'll worry about that later!" said Starlight. "You guys get ready to swap with us!"
"Hostile fleet engaged," came a voice from the computers.
"The Ascendency is here!" said Twilight. "We're not ready to take such advanced ships!"
The forces of the Canterlot Federation soon found themselves sandwiched between a very angry Star Dragon and a fleet of hyper advanced warships. In short order, most of the military might of the Canterlot Federation was wiped out by the two-pronged attack.
"Well that was a disaster," said Starlight. It's going to take our empires months to build the fleets back up.
Fluttershy gave a gasp of relief. "Well at least the dragon is safe now."
It was then the weakened dragon attacked the Ascendency fleet, prompting a counter attack by the now awakened empire. After a short battle the only known Star Dragon was dead.
Twilight looked at Fluttershy sadly. "She wanted it alive, Fluttershy is going to be crushed."
The first battle of the War in Heaven didn't end how anyone expected.
+++
Fluttershy was grinning as her forces launched an attack on Xil'lith Continuum, the mortal enemies of the Ascendency. "I was sad when the dragon was killed, but I'm happy with how things turned out. You ended the war right away, even let me keep the Hoard."
Trixie grumbled.
"Trixie you can't still be upset about what Fluttershy got," Sunset said.
"It's just…she could have called it something amazing, why call it Wayne?"
Fluttershy played with her hair a bit. "Well he just looks like a Wayne."
Soon after Butterfly League claimed the Dragon's Hoard their scientists had found something miraculous, a single egg. After a considerable research project the Butterfly League had made themselves from another species siding with the Ascendency to an ally who stood to help end the War in Heaven centuries sooner than was thought possible by gaining one of most powerful weapons in the galaxy.
But all Fluttershy could think of was how happy Wayne the Star Dragon looked as he unleashed death and destruction on another Continuum armada.
Session 41.17 Mtangalion
President Sombra adjusted his red crystal lapel pin, then straightened his tie as he sized up his audience.
"Good morning, and welcome to CrystalCon!" He grinned broadly, clasping his hands behind his back. "I just can't say enough how much we appreciate all you fans out there, your dedication, your energy... And most especially the fifteen bucks that you shell out every month to keep playing this crazy game, plus the extra forty on top of that for our latest and greatest expansion, Wrath of the Crystal King!"
He raised a finger, gesturing. "Paid sex changes! That's an actual item in our budget now, folks. Only at CrystalSoft, and we owe it all to you!" He pulled a big round plush toy out of his coat. "Parasprites, on sale for twenty bucks in the convention store, right now! Can you believe that? I sure can't, but I'm not gonna argue!"
He chortled. "So you can knock yourselves out having more lame cartoon horse adventures in the frozen north... Or you can stop being a bunch of Nightmare Moon-farming pansies and sign up for Royal Academy Arena! Red team rocks! Am I right?!
And then you're gonna queue up for the new War Games feature, cause I had to approve a lot of dev and art hours for that, and our lead writer nearly went insane trying to justify PvP battlegrounds in a game with only one freakin' player faction... but we did it, folks! You're gonna play it, and you're gonna love it... or maybe you won't, cause I'll be personally in there ganking your scrub flanks up one side and down the other. Hah! Ahhh... hahaha!"
Chrysalis, Vice-President of Software Development, slid back the curtain behind him, giving him a smug look. "Did you get it all out of your system, sir?"
"Yes!" declared Sombra, turning away from the mirror. "Yes, I did!" He marched out of the dressing room, took a left down the hall, and marched onto the main auditorium stage. "Good morning, CrystalCon!" He raised a clenched fist, soaking in the rock music and the cheers from the packed audience.
Sombra clapped his hands together. "Are there any ponies here?" A fresh round of cheers.
"YEEAAAHHH!" bellowed Snowflake, wearing a homemade pegasus costume with tiny wings.
"How about griffons?" boomed Sombra. "Do we have any griffon fans here today?" A smaller, but more boisterous bunch of fans started cheering and yelling. "Now that's a proper Griffonstone welcome!" His sharp eyes zeroed in on one particular fan. "Gilda, right? Good cheer. You're not fired." The crowd laughed, eating it up. "Okay, we've got a lot of exciting news, so let's get to it!"
Session 41.18 Kendell2
The Changelings' buckball team took on the Ponyville team, and it was far from an easy game.
Not only were they the SAME genetically selected Changelings as Chrysalis, the purification of Thorax's hive had resulted in a considerable power up.
The game went back and forth for awhile, but finally they Ponyville team just BARELY edged out a one point victory.
"That...was hard..." Fluttershy panted, laying on her back. Even Pinkie seemed tired.
King Thorax flew over to congratulate the winning team...then blinked as the changeling team looked fearfully, but expectantly at him. "What?"
The trio blinked, looking to each other. "W-We lost..."
"Yes...so?" Thorax asked. "You look more scared than disappointed..."
"Y-You...you aren't going to harshly punish us for embarrassing you, your majesty?" another asked.
Thorax was quickly reminded of just who he'd overthrown for his position. "Oh...No, I won't..." he blinked, then produced a book called 'How To Be a Good Ruler' by Princess Celestia and double checking. "Unless I missed a rule somewhere...No, you didn't do anything wrong and tried your best. You didn't embarrass me."
The trio stared at him in blind shock, causing the new Changeling King to feel awkward.
"Is...something wrong?" Thorax questioned.
"No...I just feel a strange feeling..." One of them replied, looking bewildered. "I think this is what being encouraged feels like..."
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All those ponies (except maybe Bon-Bon) are going to be destroyed in that city, so many times. Nice reference though.
So Fluttershy has no problem killing her friends but she has problem killing a dragon...Double standard and hypocrite much?
7698471
Most likely. But Bon Bon is rising to the challenge, at least...
7699365
At the end of the day, she's flawed as everyone else. Plus, hypocrisy is Civilization's greatest virtue.
7699378 Reminded me of that one GATE fanfic that I'm reading.
Sitting on High Horse right until the right trigger is...triggered...and the become no more morally right than the Empire. Minus the whole enslaving thing.
7699419
Ex-Dragon Lord Torch, "That tickled."
A Happy Nightmare Night to you all! This enchanted comic seems awesome, but I'm worried it's going to trigger some nasty flashbacks in Bon Bon. On the other hand, if her cutie mark is actually some kind of monster-hunting destiny, she might need these exercises to remain content as a candy maker.
They really nailed Discord to the wall with those promises. I'm sincerely worried that they've succeeded, and nothing unexpected or chaotic will happen. But I suppose I should have some faith in Discord's ability to weasel some fun out of any situation.
Oh, and Fluttershy should have named her new pet star dragon Tad Cooper
7700098
Oh yes, it's going to trigger some memories. And it would seem the Hunter is about to resurface...
Meanwhile, Lyra and the others' struggle would be adapting to the sort of nightmarish scenarios that Bon Bon/Sweetie Drops had encountered in the past, even if only in the framework of a magical horror/adventure game.
7700397
Bon Bon's not trapped in the comic with monsters, the monsters are trapped in the comic with Bon Bon.
I was wondering about that. The level of difficulty for an enchanted comic to pose a challenge to Bon Bon has to be at a level where it's basically impossible for the rest of the girls. How is the difficulty level generated? Is it magically adjusted based on the average monster-fighting capability of the players or something?
Smart.
Trixie in a nutshell. If it's a game, she'll break it one way or another
Alex, you're about as subtle as a supersonic flaming brick.
I remember that fic.
No, he will soon enough.
I dunno, you tell me.
You're so wrong.
I think I know that one. Aren't the the ones who have to deal with something called Traquena which possesses objects and have some sort of Marble Beam that looks like a black and white Kamehameha?
It is.
7703637
It is possible that Blackthorn snagged Kabuto first so he could put that lunatic in a short-leash, prevent him from falling into the hands of unsavoury groups, like his own sons, potentially use him as a bargaining chip in the future, and monopolising every scrap of innovation that Kabuto's brilliant if twisted mind could conjure - the ones that he could actually use to advance his interest, that is. He's a crafty sort like that, as I portrayed him.
Of course, there's still the chance of it backfiring horribly, to his irritation.
7702277
Ha! Watchmen reference.
I don't think they're that advanced yet. And there's a reason why it's marked as a hardcore module; it's meant to be difficult for everyone. Bon Bon just had a less difficult time because she was actually a real monster hunter once.