Chapter 145 - The Nightmare Night Arc
Flim places a single ball on the counter "Well then young colt, here's your ball. Keep hitting the targets and the prize will be yours! Good luck!"
Ok, should be easy. You try picking the ball up with your magic. But the moment you do. The ball let's loose a burst of blue powder that gets on your face. You spit out a little of the dust, and wipe off your face. The hell? "What happened?!"
Flam stepped up and replaced the ball. "Well, it's a special measure against cheaters. Sorry my boy, you're going to have to use your hoof. Any magic used on the ball or our targets let's loose this blue dust that let's us know that you tried to cheat. We'll let you have a free try since you didn't know. Again, good luck to you!"
Hoof?.....shit..well..wait..it shouldn't be too hard. You pick up the ball with your hoof as your friends cheer you on from the back.
"Yeah....yeah I can do this. No problem. HERE I GO!"
You toss the ball hard at one of the night bats.....and miss.
You hear the sounds of "ooohhhwwww" from behind you as your friends and the audience cringe from that terrible display.
"Ohhhh, tough luck" Flim says
"Better luck next time, eh?" Flam says as he picks up the ball and wipes it off.
You slam down another fifteen bits. "That was a practice throw. I've got it this time!"
Oh hell no, you weren't going to let yourself give up from missing the first shot.
"Practice throw eh? Well, remember. It's fifteen bits a ball. So don't go blowing your bits on just practice" Flim warns, trying to sound honest and caring as he puts down another ball.
"...Yeah whatever...ok..focus...there's the target. Grip with the frog, and flick the leg...ok..HERE I GO!" You throw the ball.....and miss. You grit your teeth, dammit. you couldn't be that bad. you were starting to get angry as you slam down another fifteen bits.
"Anon...umm....are ya sure you want to keep doing this? We could go to the ma-" You cut Applebloom off, you were sure you could do this.
"Hold on, hold on. I've got this this time, third time is the charm after all."
"Mmmmnn" Applebloom was already getting worried. Sooner than the others in fact. She didn't know how many bits you had. But she could already tell you were wasting it. Though Diamond Tiara had nothing to say, she wasn't even worried. She was just waiting for you to inevitably win. She chalked up your losses to just as you said. "practice throws"
You didn't plan to screw up this time. You'd just have to adjust your throwing style to be.......wait.
You couldn't use the horn on the ball....but you could on yourself.
"Are you ready?" Flim Asked
"Gimme a second.." You use your magic to slowly stand and perfectly balance yourself. You were gonna toss this shit human style.
"Well well, that's a very odd stance. In fact, I'd say that would be the oddest stance for throwing a ball I've ever seen. Right cousin?" Flim said
"Indeed cousin, but let's not put doubt in our young future winner. We must believe in him. For eventually we know he could win" Flam said, a little bit of a dirty smile showing on his face. He was going to try to milk you for all your worth.
The crowd and your friends we're intrigued by this. You were having a very easy time balancing on your two back hooves. Other ponies could do it sure, but staying up like that required a lot of effort. And you were doing it with ease.
You focus as much as you can on the targets. And toss the ball at the closest one and....HIT! "YES! DID EVERYPONY SEE THAT! I HIT THE TARGET!"
None of them applauded though...it was just one target.
"Come on Anon, any one of us could hit a single target. You gotta hit em all. We all know you can do it! So do it already!" Scootaloo yelled out, a sort of mocking praise.
"Ok..ok..I got this..."
Flim passes you another ball. "Keep going, only eight to go before Nightmare Moon appears"
You take the ball, and toss again. Another hit! There was a few cheers from your friends for that one, and a few from the audience.
You get another ball, and hit another target...and another...and another...AND ANOTHER
You were getting hyped to win, and you weren't the only one. The crowd started to cheer more and more. Three more to go!
"Come on everypony! Let's hear it for Anon!" Sweetie Belle tried to rile up the crowd.
Scootaloo flew up, pumping her hoof up and down "Yeah, let's hear it for Anon!"
The crowd started to slowly rise up with the hype, calling your name......yeah..you were gonna do it. You toss the ball.....HIT! Two more. Though, despite all the hype, Flim and Flam didn't looked worried. Now you knew something was up.....or did they just think you were going to fail? So far...things were pretty legit.
Toss the ball......Hit! The crowd was cheering, the mood was set. one more and you'd go toe to toe with Nightmare Moon. Yeah, awesome! "THIS ONE...THIS ONE IS FOR EVERYPONY WHO LOST SO FAR!"
You rev up, and let the ball fly........and you miss. You couldn't even speak...how the fuck...did you screw up?.....UGH! You were so close. You could hear the crowd's disappointment behind you as you go back on all fours.
"oohhhhh, that's bad luck...Anon was it?...I'm sorry to say, but perhaps you should have put that throw into something luckier, right cousin?" Flim said
But Flam said nothing. He looked at you with shock.....and then a smile formed on his face as he looked to Flim. "Right cousin. But can I speak to you in the back for just a moment?"
Flim was surprised. It didn't seem like it was part of the act. "Hm? What about our customers?"
"It will be just a moment, and then we can continue the game." Flam turns to the crowd "If you will excuse us for just one moment."
And then they went, behind the booth. As it turned out Flam recognized who you are. Or was supposed to be anyway. He figured your costume was top of the line, given how much you paid for the Radiant Gems. And he couldn't quite figure out how you could do magic. As he and his brother had not bothered themselves with that kind of news. But he recognized the name, and your yelling. And he was about to discuss how to properly milk all those sweet sweet bits from you.
Meanwhile your mind was curdling with anger. You reached into your bag to slam down another fifteen bits. But again, Applebloom stops you. "Anon, ah really think we should go. Yah gave it your best shot."
"Wait..hold on...I just need one more shot and I can do it., I got like..over ten thousand bits in this bag."
"Woah..." Applebloom didn't realize you were loaded....then again..Discord. She almost thought it'd be ok to give it another try. But, she could tell you'd probably never stop until you won. "...Anon...come on, please?"
"One more game, I promise...." You yell past the counter, trying to get the brothers attention. "Hey Ram and Dong or whatever your names are! I'm ready for another game"
Flim came out first, looking more dishonest than ever. "Sorry about that, and the name is Ring Ding. But, there's no reason to get hostile over a name. Not when there’s fun to be had.."
And then Flam comes out. "And prizes to be won. Mr. Anon, we'd be very happy to see you as tonight's winner. So please, play on."
Despite how full of shit that sounded. It made you want to win all the more. Applebloom said nothing more. She couldn't hold you back. She just didn't want to see you consumed.
The rest of your friends however we're now on your side, considering how close you got. Diamond Tiara especially. She wanted to see you win and get that prize.
But with this game? You only get so far, you hit five targets before missing. And like before, get goaded into another game. Three targets. Five targets. One target. No matter the amount of games you played, you lacked the proper skill to even get Nightmare Moon to appear. The crowd was getting restless. And the brothers continued to urge you on. You were making them bank.
you once again fall to four hooves. At this point, everyone was losing hope. Even Diamond Tiara.
Applebloom could see you reaching for more and put her hoof down on yours. And this time with force. "Anon, we're gonna go now. yer gettin' a little too obsessed with this game."
"Applebloom, come on. I have almost unlimited tries. Let me just keep going until I win. Ok?"
Applebloom shook her head and kept her hoof down on yours rather hard. "No. Anon, yer forgetting that we're all here together as friends. We're supposed to be having fun and gettin' scared. Ah know ya really really wanna win. But we're gonna be here all night if you keep going."
......
....Dammit. You looked towards the rest of the group. Besides the costumed ponies wanting a chance at the bag. Your friends we're just looking down and upset. "Hmmm....ok.....sorry..." You we're being an idiot. If there was a scam here. You didn't see it. And you, even with the advantage of standing on two legs. Still couldn't hit your mark.
"What's this? You're going? That's quite the shame..." Flim cut in, looking down at you with a false expression of sadness.
"A real shame...you were soooo close too. Perhaps a few more games and you will be ready to take down Nightmare Moon. How about it Anon? Just a few more? Or are you going to let your little marefriend tell you what to do?"
"MAREFRIEND?!" Diamond Tiara puffed up with immediate rage, hopped up on the counter and grabbed Flim by the collar "SHE'S NOT HIS MAREFRIEND!"
Flim gulped, unable to say a thing, actually frightened from Diamond Tiara's fury. The rest of you looked at her...stunned. Yeesh, she reacted damn quick.
"Woah..woah..Diamond, calm down now. We knew that...but...hmph" Applebloom looked at Flim as Scootaloo gently pulled Diamond Tiara off of him. "You all got some real nerve egging Anon on like that. ya just want him to spend more money."
"Preposterous!" Flim cried out as he straightened his tie and hat.
"Unthinkable! We are just trying to run a fun game here. It's not our fault that he lacks a certain set of skills to win. But with enough practice..." Flam proposed "He could surely manage it eventually"
"Well, he ain't gonna. You two remind me of these brothers that showed up here once or twice. And they were no good" Applebloom stated "And ah think you two are trying to do the same thing. Trying to take ponies for a ride and rob them of their hard earned bits."
Flim snickered. "Little filly, as you can plainly see. Our game is one hundred percent legitimate. your friend here was able to knock down targets just fine with his varying skill and multiple chances. But the only way to win is with a simple proficiency of tossing a ball straight. Now, unless you think you can do any better. Then how about you step aside and let him hone his skills?"
Ok..now you weren't liking the way they were talking. You finally realized that they were using you......wow...you felt stupid.
"Ah think ah could. In fact, ah think I could win yer stupid game first try!" Applebloom challenged, she seemed pretty sure of herself. "Tossin' a ball is the same as tossin' an apple. And I'm plenty good at that!"
"Well then, we'd be happy to let you have a turn. Of course, you still have to pay." Flam said, now trying to goad Applebloom into playing.
"Ah would....but..." Applebloom grit her teeth a little in shame and frustration. "Ah don't have the bits. But that don't matter cuz we were leaving anyway"
..........wait...THATS RIGHT. It also hit you that Applebloom was an all physical horse that would definitely have the skill to toss a ball accurately. She works on a farm after all. And if she's as sure as she says.....
But you knew you weren't just going to be able to convince her with just words. So you quickly grab the next set of bits and slam it down on the counter.
"Anon, what are ya doin?! What did ah just say!" Applebloom cried out, astonished at your sudden action as Flim grins, passing you a ball.
But you don't get ready to throw it...no...you hold it to Applebloom and smile. "You said you could win this game first try. All you needed was the bits"
"Anon, I ain't doin' it. And you ain't doin' it either. And if you don't wanna leave, then ahm gonna drag you out. Ya got that?"
Flam looked over the counter, he didn't want to lose you. You had too much cash "Mr. Anon, why don't you forget about her and come try again instead? Isn't it obvious that she's just one of those boring country hicks? She doesn't understand the importance to a game like ours. Now come on, the candy. It calls for a winner! And the winner will be you!"
Applebloom however.....she wasn't going to take that. "'scuse me? Did ya'll just call me a "boring country hick?"
"He did, but I must agree with my cousin. He's already paid for a new game. You might as well let him try. Hmm?" Flim said, but all it was doing was goading Applebloom to try instead of you.
"........Stand back Anon.....ahm gonna win this thing first try, just you watch"
You believed her.
"Oh ho, really? Well, just the same. You could win. But if you don't. You're always welcome to ask Mr. Anon there for another try. I'm sure he won't mind" Flim said.
Applebloom starts eyeing all the targets. "Ah don't need another try......"
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oh shit son
she gon break the targets
I think that blue powered stuff was actually done for a different reason, maybe to lessen the Ponies concentration and motor skills.
I mean how hard is it to just throw a dang ball and hit a target, I know I could have done this easily.
8622304
I'd say the same but my aim is shit even at point-blank.
15 bits doesn't even seems worth trying.
More DT!
8622304
Good idea, but then it only would have affected unicorns who use their magic the first time. I think that this would be much too risky of a scam for them. I personally think either the balls, or the targets are manipulated. Or maybe it is even manipulated on its way to the target by a...gust of wind, or something.
C'mon man use that brain. You have near infinite chaos magic. Make something to put the ball in like a pressurized cannon. Like one of those toys you get as a kid to shoot balls at people. No magic on the ball. Use magic on something around the ball. Throw the ball through a rift in space. Something. Anything.