Rainbow Dash's Awesome Nightmare Night Haunted House Choose-Your-Own-Adventure Adventure

by TheDriderPony

You Have Nothing to Fear...

The foyer of the old Bristlebark manor is just as dilapidated and crumbing as its exterior. You remember that it was built about sixty years ago during the big construction boom when a bunch of Canterlot elites got the idea that Ponyville would be perfect place for all their summer retreats. This was one of the few manors that was completed before they realized that local farmers weren't too keen on selling their fields and giving up their livelihoods to a bunch of yuppie tourist snobs.

The once plush carpet is dried and matted down, torn and ripped where teenagers have broken in to race and cause mischief. The splintered remains of a double staircase lead up to a balcony that wraps the room's second floor, though all the doors on that level have been boarded shut.

A brisk October breeze cuts through the night, worming its way through the many holes in the walls to send a chill down the back of your neck.

A chandelier lies on the floor, shattered and rusted, but pushed to the side of the room. A pony-sized hole in the ceiling, black as pitch, marks where it once hung.

It's dark. The only light comes from the scant beams of moonlight that pass through the hole-riddled walls and low-burning jack-o-lanterns set every few paces along the walls. Their meager flickering light seems to only add more shadows to the room.

You're alone. Completely and totally alone.

"What's this that the Great and Vampiric Trixie sees before her?"

If only.

You follow the sound of the voice to a figure up on the balcony. She may have traded out her star-spangled cape for one of red and black velvet (spangled with tiny bats), but Trixie's enormous ego is still big enough to be identified from across the room.

"Have we our first challenger come to attempt to conquer our most magical of mansions, our spookiest of chateaus? Whom is it who thinks they have the might and mettle to face their fears and return unscathed?" Her gaze lowers to meet yours and her posture shifts immediately. "Oh. It's you."

To this, you do take insult. No one should be disappointed when Rainbow Dash walks into a room. "Gee, thanks for the warm welcome." Honestly you don't know what her problem is with you. All she has to do is acknowledge that you're a better performer than she is and everything would be cool.

"Well I was hoping it might be somepony who could actually offer a challenge to my myriad of illusions, my hosts of ghosts, and my phalanx of frights. But if all I have is you, well..." She shrugs. "I suppose it wouldn't hurt to do a trial run on the lowest setting to work out any final kinks in the spellwork."

You shoot her a scowl. 'Lowest setting' your right flank! "Hey! Don't look down on me! I can take your strongest illusions and throw them right back at ya!"

Trixie grins. "Is that a challenge?"

"Yeah! I want your best, your strongest stuff!"

Her grin widens from merely cheeky to downright vulpine. "You asked for it!" Igniting her horn in a sizzling azure corona, she quickly draws a series of sigils in the air, her horn leaving a trail of light behind as it bobs and weaves through the air. Each new symbol floats away from her, adding to what quickly becomes a giant ring that spans the full two-story height of the room. As the last symbol slots into place, the whole spell matrix flashes once, twice, three times before exploding into a silent firework the soaks into the walls and floor like dew on dry sand.

"Impressive," you remark, and it is. You've picked up enough rudimentary magic fundamentals just from hanging out with Twilight to know that whatever she did was actually something of a respectable feat. Something that really should have taken a lot more preparation than it looked like it did.

Her smile hasn't gone anyway, but she rests her weight on a solid piece of railing. "Thanks. Now go have fun. Trixie will be here to supply a little helpful advice and color commentary when you get turned around and frightened. Oh, and don't be surprised if some of the scares know your name. I've made a few... custom adjustments for you."

She's confident. It radiates out from her like a beacon, outshone only by the twin brightness of her smugness. It's enough that a thought starts to form in the back of your mind. A niggling doubt that maybe goading her to up the ante wasn't the smartest decision.

You squash that thought with prejudice. No. You are Rainbow "Danger" Miriam Freaking Dash and you refuse to be beaten by a corpse of a building and a souped-up version of one of Trixie's performances!

Your resolve hardened, you soldier on.

---

There doesn't seem to be anything (or anypony) of note to interact with in this room, but there are three hallways that branch off that head LEFT, FORWARD, and RIGHT.

Author's Note:

Which path will you take?

[LEFT HALLWAY]
[CENTER HALLWAY]
[RIGHT HALLWAY]