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

by TheDriderPony

You Have Nothing to Fear...

You pull.

You pull and strain and twist like you've never done so before. The cultists watch you impassively. Amused by your struggle? Maybe. Whatever buys you a few extra seconds to fight the ropes.

Suddenly, it happens. One rope (whose knot wasn't quite as tight as the others) comes loose and just like that you've got a free hoof.

Two seconds later it's crashing into White Cloak's face.

"Checkmark!" the other cultist cries. Forgetting you entirely, he leaps over the table to aid his comrade, losing his knife in the process. It slips from his grasp into a lazy parabolic arc that sends it spinning slowly before it starts to descend all too quickly towards your face.

Pegasus instincts screaming, you watch it fall in practically slow motion, turning over end to end as it drops.

You twist your head into your neck at an awkward angle. You only get one shot at this.

The falling blade comes close and closer until, with a sudden striking blow worthy of a cobra, you jerk forward and catch it by the unsharpened side of blade.

Passing it from mouth to hoof, you make short work of the other ropes. Without preamble you pounce, launching yourself at the downed cultist before he can regain his bearings.

Hooves fly in a rain of blows, chops, kicks, bucks and every karate move you can remember, both real and imagined. You snarl and growl in animalistic fury as channel all your fear and fright into the one who'd do you wrong.

Black Robe stands back in shock or horror or maybe just a desire so stay out of your range as you rain terror upon his partner.

An White Cloak just... stands there. And takes it.

"Yes!" he shouts with a bellowing laugh. "Yes! Fight! Struggle against the inevitable! Prove to the world you existed by the force of your hooves! Show me your dance of death!"

Your anger boils over. He's enjoying it! You double your attack. Yet, for all your fire and fury, you can't seem to do a thing to the rock-like build hiding under the cloak. He weathers yours blows like a cliff weathers the sea.

An ancient stalemate. The immovable earth pony against the unstoppable pegasus.

If only you weren't outnumbered.

Coming out of the spin of a roundhouse, you notice Black Robe has retrieved his knife. "Don't worry! I got her! Just stay still and I'll—"

"No, Crank Shaft!" White Cloak nearly throws you off as he raises his foreleg in a halting gesture. There's a slight tremor to his voice, small guttural sounds like he's holding back pained grunts from your attack. "Wait just... just let her keep going for a minute."

Lowering his weapon with a groan of repressed exasperation, Black Robe holds back. "Seriously? Do you have to do this now? During the ceremony?"

"Hey I am not a masochist!" White Cloak declares even as he grunts from you continuing to lay the smack down on him. "I just want to see what my body can take. To push myself to go even further beyond."

...You suddenly feel decidedly weird about continuing to beat this guy. Were those really grunts of pain or something a lot more... skeevy? You hesitate before striking, just for a second.

"Got her."

But a second is all they need. A pair of forelegs like iron bars clamp around you in the world's least wanted bear hug. You struggle, of course, but it has even less of an impact than striking him did. The shapeless fabric hides it, but you can clearly feel that beneath everything White Cloak is absolutely ripped.

Between his strength and Black Robe's magic, they quickly get you tied down once again, the ropes retied with twice as many knots and even less slack.

"Now then, where were we?" White Robe muses.

"Just about at the stabby bit, I think."

"Of course." All the previous joviality flees his voice, leaving it cold and merciless. He raises a knife in mirror of his partner. "My favorite part."

[It seems you've managed to make your situation even worse than it was before. Add one (+1) to your Fear Meter]

---

The situation seems grim, but you're not out of options yet. You could try to use an ITEM... only you're bound far too tightly now to be able to reach your bag. Perhaps, maybe you could TRY AND REASON WITH THEM? Even crazy has to have a limit, right?

Or maybe this is all too much and all you can do is PANIC.

Author's Note:

What Will You Do?

[Snap the Bonds and Fight Like Tartarus]
[Try to Reason With Them]
[Use Item]
[Panic] [YOU MUST CHOOSE THIS OPTION IF YOUR FEAR IS OVER 75% FULL]