Episode 19: A B Movie Show
In stark contrast to all previous appearances by him, Discord was now standing on the Dock of Shame at night as the glow from the full moon cast an eerie glow over all of Paradox Island. But what hadn't changed was his dedication to the opening narration while looking into the cameras. "Last time on Total Magic Pony Island." And as he spoke the camera began to play clips from the previous challenge.
First up was a clip showing Rainbow Dash hosting a spur of the moment meeting with her fellow pegasi as Discord was narrating. "After clearing the halfway point, Rainbow Dash was determined to keep her fragile alliance from falling apart. But Derpy and Fluttershy were no longer willing to let Rainbow call all the shots. Fortunately for Rainbow, Scootaloo was willing to stick by her idol's side for another round."
The next clip showed all the contestants being tasked with constructing their own scooters as Discord explained. "Meeting aside, there wasn't too much going on while the contestants built their own scooters for a race around the island," Then the camera showed Rainbow Dash more or less "borrowing" parts from the pile that Scootaloo was picking out. "Though Rainbow Dash insisted on roping Scootaloo into helping her build her own scooter, even as the kid was working to get her scooter ready."
After that, a clip was shown of the contestants lining up their scooters at the starting line for the single lap. "Some of the scooters looked ready to fall apart to me, but even with all the traps .I set up none of them fell apart during the race," Discord kept on narrating. "Well, all except one. And oh boy was it a shocker!"
The camera now showed the clip of Scootaloo appearing without the scooter she had built, which had fallen apart and become a pile of pieces on the beach. And Discord narrated. "Scootaloo of all ponies was the only one who couldn't complete the race, because it was her scooter that wasn't up to par. Turns out building an entire scooter from scratch is a lot different from just making small repairs. Guess maybe the kid should've considered that."
Then a clip showed Scootaloo pleading with Rainbow Dash as the witty spirit explained. "Scootaloo begged and pleaded with Rainbow Dash to give up her invincibility, but Rainbow Dash was determined to hold onto it so as to stave off what she believed would be her elimination instead. And that set poor Scootaloo off on a tirade with words I dare not repeat on air."
Briefly, the camera showed Scootaloo snapping and cursing at Rainbow (though thankfully without also broadcasting what the filly had said aloud), then it showed her heading down to the Dock of Shame as the chaos maker kept narrating. "So it was that Scootaloo got the axe and took a one way trip to loser town on the Boat of Losers. And everyone else could only try to comprehend how one of their own could be so cruel."
The clips ended as Discord was standing on the Dock of Shame and the moonlight seemed to dim. "Now that only eight contestants are left in the games, I'm raising the stakes again. Your eyes don't deceive you, this challenge is going to take place at night. And no, Nightmare Moon will not be hosting it," He then grinned. "I've pulled a few strings and arranged for a rather spooky challenge to test these ponies' mettle. If there are any children in the audience, now might be a good time to put them to bed. Or not, I don't care."
After pausing for only a few seconds, Discord then declared. "Well, ready or not it's time to witness this spooktacular episode of Total Magic Pony Island!"
Rainbow Dash found a very cold reception waiting for her when she came back to the cabins that night. Needless to say, after the display they'd seen her fellow contestants had some "choice words" about it.
"How could you string Scootaloo along like that?" Rarity accusingly pointed a hoof at the brash speedster. "Have you no shame at all?"
Rainbow rolled her eyes and groaned. "Ugh, not this! It was nothing personal. It was her or I and I had to protect myself. That's how the game works. Besides, I didn't see any of you bothering to stick your neck out to help her."
"Have you forgotten that she wasn't on your team at the beginning?" Twilight snorted. "Even Trixie was never this cruel towards Scootaloo, and she tricked her and Apple Bloom just to stay in the game."
Rainbow Dash bitterly snapped. "Don't you even think of comparing me to Trixie! I can't believe you're all willing to stick up for a selfish bragger like her after all she's done. And I have no idea how she's managed to survive this long other than because of dumb luck!"
At that Trixie scoffed. "Ha, the Great and Powerful Trixie has has no need for luck! She's only had to win invincibility once to stay alive, which is more than she can say for you, Rainbow Dash. And even Trixie knows better than to promise a filly that she'll take her to the final two. You can never guarantee anything in a game like this."
"It wasn't my fault! How many times do I have to repeat that?!" Rainbow stomped a hoof down! "All she had to do was make it through one more turn and she would've been spared. Rules are rules."
But Princess Celestia only shake her head in disapproval. "You're not the same pony who proved herself worthy of the Element of Loyalty, Rainbow Dash. Many of us have changed since we came to this island, but it's clear to me that you've changed for the worse. I just can't believe it's taken this long for that to become the case."
Trixie then flashed a taunting smirk. "Sounds to Trixie like you're on your last legs, Rainbow Dash! Too bad you lost the only pony who would still vote with you. Now nopony trusts you and nopony wants to help you. Oh, your defeat in the next challenge will be so satisfying to watch! But don't worry, Trixie will send you a postcard from the winner's circle."
At that Rainbow Dash stood up, growled, grit her teeth and lunged at Trixie! "I'm going to make you eat those words, Trixie! I swear by the maker herself, I'll outlast you and everypony else no matter what it takes! And when I do none of you are going to see a single bit!"
Undeterred and unconcerned by Rainbow's turn to violence, Trixie only cackled. "In your delusional dreams, maybe."
However, before any punches could be thrown, Fluttershy raised her voice! "That is ENOUGH!" And all eyes fell upon the usually soft spoken pegasus. "I can't stand watching you all act like this! Why can't we all just get along and let the contests speak for themselves?"
Twilight and the rest of the contestants were quick to jump in to pull Rainbow Dash and Trixie apart after Fluttershy's little speech. "Fluttershy has a point," Derpy pointed out. "We're better than this. I think."
"Besides," Twilight spoke up with concern. "I have a feeling Discord would punish any contestants who engaged in physical violence outside of normal competition."
Rarity looked down at the ground in shame and guilt. "He seemed pretty willing to look the other way when I attacked Silver Spoon in the paintball challenge."
Pinkie Pie quickly pointed out to Rarity. "That was different. The whole point of the challenge was to hit other ponies with paintballs. You just took advantage of that because you got jealous."
"Not helping, Pinkie!" Rarity grumbled under her breath.
Rainbow Dash just sighed anew. "Look, I'm in no mood to be lectured by all of you about what happened with Scoots. It's unfortunate, but like I told her if I had given up my invincibility I'd only be prolonging the inevitable for her. I'm pretty sure that without me by her side to protect her, she wouldn't have made it past the merger. If she had a problem with that, well that's on her," And she folded her hooves. "I rest my case. If any of you wanna make something out of it, all you gotta do is stop me from winning."
A brief flicker of the camera then showed Rainbow staring at herself in the confessional, blinking and even pondering aloud. "Was what I did really that harsh? Everypony's acting like I broke poor Scootaloo's heart and everyone who tried to stop her from sticking by me was a saint. Have they all forgotten what Spike, Gilda and Cheerilee all did? I never did anything close to that! And if the roles were reversed, I wouldn't have expected Scootaloo to save me at the expense of herself. Besides, if Derpy and Fluttershy hadn't gotten cold hooves, we could've swung enough votes to keep Scootaloo in the game."
To the surprise of all the contestants, Discord showed up at the cabins just moments after the arguing had ended. And if he had any knowledge about what had transpired, he didn't show it outwardly. "Just a quick heads up, everypony," He told the eight remaining contestants. "The next challenge will begin at midnight tonight. So you all better get some shut eye now."
Derpy blinked in confusion. "Didn't you already force us to stay awake for a challenge?"
The witty spirit nodded. "Indeed I did, I didn't say that's what your next challenge would be. I'm letting you all get some sleep now while you still can. Trust me, with what I have planned for you all you're going to need it." He delivered the last line in a rather spooky and ominous fashion, and then disappeared with a snap of his talons.
Fluttershy began to whimper. "I don't like the way he said that."
The shrunken down sun princess could only groan at what she was certain would be in store for them. "It's probably another challenge where he lets Nightmare Moon do whatever she wants with us. I can only imagine what she has in mind for her idea of fun this time."
Twilight couldn't help but comment to her mentor. "Is it just me, or does it seem like Nightmare Moon's had it for you especially, Princess Celestia?"
"I suppose it's a result of whatever it was that Discord used to give her a life independent of my sister," Celestia unhappily replied as she hung her head. "There were many times during the thousand years of Luna's banishment where I feared she would never forgive me. I suppose it was silly of me to think that the Elements of Harmony could completely purge her of such feelings."
"Hey, she attacked you not the other way around!" Rainbow Dash pointed out! "You did what you had to do to protect Equestria. It's not like you were trying to kill your sister or anything. In fact, I'd say she got off pretty lightly," And she quickly changed the subject as she let out a yawn. "You know, it's probably for the best Scootaloo lost when she did. I don't think she'd be able to handle a midnight challenge. Unlike my parents, I'll bet her parents are a lot less hoofs off about enforcing bed time." And before anypony could say anything more to her, the brash speedster scrambled up to one of the bunks and fell asleep.
Reluctantly, the other contestants decided to do the same. But Pinkie Pie grumbled about it in the confessional before heading to bed. "Sleep is so overrated. I can stay awake for hours with no problems! The only reason I didn't do so good in that staying awake challenge is because all of those cupcakes I ate."
Twilight also had something she felt she needed to get off her chest before going to bed. And she was glad the confessional afforded her the privacy to do so. "Ever since this whole thing started, I've begun seeing Princess Celestia in a new light. She's not just some all powerful ruler or my teacher, she's a pony just like me," Then she commented. "All this time, I've never even thought to ask her what it was like to live alone for hundreds of years. I wish I knew how to make it all up to her."
And then the seven remaining contestants that had not already fallen asleep all went to bed as well, some of them very reluctantly.
Hours later, the eight contestants rose from their slumber and stumbled out of the cabins under the bright light of Luna's moon.
Strangely enough, Discord was nowhere to be seen and neither was Nightmare Moon. There was only a note that looked like it had been hastily written. And it read as follows: "Go to the fire pit where elimination ceremonies are held. All will be explained there."
So the eight ponies made their way toward the pit near the Dock of Shame, and upon arriving they saw an old film projector had been set up alongside a blank canvas screen. The projector was already flickering to life, displaying the film contained within its strips on its reels. And there was still no sign of Discord or Nightmare Moon at all. It all contributed to a very unnerving sight to say the least.
However, Pinkie Pie eagerly bounced over to one of the stumps and sat down. "I don't know about the rest of you, but I'm always up for a good movie!" And she proceeded to pull a rather large bucket of popcorn out of her mane (or at least that's how it seemed to be to all who saw).
Rainbow Dash shrugged her hooves. "Oh, what the hay? I've got nothing better to do. An old movie under the stars sounds better than sleeping anyway." And she sat down on one of the unoccupied stumps.
Twilight couldn't help but put a hoof to her chin, deep in thought. "Something isn't right about all of this. It's not like Discord to announce a challenge and then just disappear, especially with Nightmare Moon also missing."
But Trixie only trotted past Twilight while swishing her tail. "You worry too much, Twilight. Even Trixie isn't afraid of the dark."
"I never said I was!" Twilight protested. "Don't tell me I'm the only one who's worried about what's going on! You all should be worried too! Nothing about this makes sense!"
And Rarity replied. "Since when has anything Discord's done truly made sense, darling? I'm sure he'll turn up eventually as part of some dramatic entrance."
Even Princess Celestia, despite putting a hoof around her student, told Twilight. "The others have a good point, Twilight. This could all be part of whatever challenge Discord has planned for us. For now, let's just enjoy the free entertainment."
Derpy, meanwhile, was questioning (while she sat down right next to Pinkie Pie despite how many unoccupied stumps there still were, a fact that didn't go unnoticed by the other contestants). "What kind of movie are we going to see?"
Fluttershy shuddered ever so faintly. "I hope it's nothing too scary."
The film flickered across the screen, jumping from one scene to the other very quickly. Details were hard to come by but it seemed to involve some kind of blob shaped monster. The monster stalked unsuspecting ponies across a landscape that looked not unlike Paradox Island, revealing itself to some of them at various points throughout the movie!
Poor Fluttershy had to look away from the screen at several instances, unable to bring herself to watch the terrifying scenes that were playing out before her.
Even Twilight, Princess Celestia and Rarity seemed to be unusually uncomfortable and frightened by what they were seeing. Though in Rarity's case, she made it clear it was for vastly different reasons than it would be for most ponies. "That creature is so hideous and repulsive. I don't even know what it's made of," She remarked with dismay. "I sincerely hope such a creature doesn't actually exist."
Of course, Pinkie Pie and Rainbow Dash weren't so easily scared or frightened. And they seemed to be the only ponies who enjoyed watching the movie as it continued, despite the poor quality of the film that made it difficult to see or hear what was going on.
Eventually, however, the projector seized up and the film strips came off the reels. Just like that, the old film came to an abrupt end before anypony could figure out what had happened to the monster's latest victim.
Pinkie tried to no avail to get the projector working again, clumsily fiddling about with the film strip in her hooves. "Why does it always have to cut out at the best moment?" She complained.
Meanwhile, Twilight was looking all around for any sign of Discord or Nightmare Moon. But neither of them had appeared anywhere. That was enough to convince Twilight that something was wrong. "Something has to be up! I just know it! There's no way Discord and Nightmare Moon would just abandon us on this island all alone!"
Then suddenly, Rarity's sparkling blue eyes caught notice of something in the distance. "Hey, the Boat of Losers is leaving!" And she pointed a hoof down to the edge of the Dock of Shame where, sure enough, the rusty old boat was already well on its way out into the open waters.
The eight ponies rushed down the dock as far as they could to try and catch even a glimpse of the boat, and could just make out the outlines of Discord and Nightmare Moon onboard. But it was impossible to call out to them because both were too far away to be seen or heard properly. All that was left behind by them was another note.
Twilight picked up the note and read aloud its brief and cryptic message: "Beware of The Smooze!"
Derpy's walled eyes went wide with shock! "The Smooze?! One of the doctor's companions mentioned something about during our trips. But I... I thought that was just an urban legend!"
Shaking all over, Fluttershy asked. "W-what's... T-The Smooze?"
"It's that blob shaped monster from the film, I think," Derpy explained as she scratched her head. "I don't remember much about it though, I just know it's bad news."
Rarity let out a shriek! "You mean to tell me that we're stuck on this island with no magic, and no Discord or Nightmare Moon to come and save us, and that... that... thing is after us?!"
Trixie was far from convinced as she loudly laughed! "Ha, the Great and Powerful Trixie sees this set-up a mile away! The Smooze doesn't actually exist, no matter what anypony claims. It's just a campfire story like the Olden Pony. Discord is making the whole thing up to scare us."
"But why would he do that? Haven't we been through enough already?!" The timid pegasus mare squeaked!
Rainbow Dash couldn't help but comment. "Hay if I know. But if The Smooze does exist it's no match for me! My black belt in karate isn't just for show you know."
But Twilight could only protest. "This is serious, everypony! Discord wouldn't leave us behind if this was just a prank or a challenge. We need to start thinking about how we're going to survive, and how we're going to make The Smooze go away."
However, Trixie just walked off in a huff as the magician remarked. "The rest of you can do whatever you please. The Great and Powerful Trixie doesn't scare easily. If you need her, Trixie will be taking a shower."
Twilight could only blink and stare in disbelief at her fellow unicorn's complete lack of concern for her own safety. And in the confessional (which was thankfully still recording footage when contestants entered it) she grumbled. "That Trixie! I've been trying to understand her ever since she helped our team win the camping challenge, but every time I try to get close she keeps brushing me off. And then she goes and does stuff like this. What does she still have against me?"
Another flicker of the camera showed Fluttershy staring directly into the one in the confessional as she pleaded. "Somepony, please, if you're listening..." She took a deep breath and then shouted! "Send help, NOW!"
Then the camera cut back to the seven remaining ponies as they walked back from the Dock of Shame. By now, the only source of light that they had was the light from the moon.
"I wonder if Princess Luna would know what to do," Rarity pondered. "She must've regained her powers upon leaving this island, no?"
Princess Celestia could only reply in uncertainty. "I have no way to know what my sister knows. There's no way to communicate with anypony from anywhere else in Equestria."
"Then we really are on our own." The timid pegasus mare anxiously commented as she shuddered anew.
The studious unicorn firmly nodded. "It sure looks like it, I'm afraid," And she then declared. "Which means we need to come up with a plan. Fortunately, I'm just the pony to do so!"
Rainbow grinned and ribbed Twilight lightly in the side. "Of course you'd say something like that, egghead! You always have a plan for everything!"
"Well, I'll need some supplies first," Twilight replied while ignoring the teasing remark from the brash speedster. "Including markers and a piece of paper. It's not gonna be anything hi-tech but it should work, though I'll also need a bit more light."
"So what, we all just sit around here and wait for you to save us all?" Rainbow Dash rolled her eyes. "Twilight, we don't need you to babysit us. We're all grown mares, we can take care of ourselves."
The unicorn mare just groaned. "By all means, go ahead and do your own thing if you want, Rainbow Dash. In fact, I think it's best for all of us if we go our separate ways for now. Just meet me back at the fire pit in about half an hour. And if you see Trixie, let her know that it'd be in her best interest to meet me there too."
The tomboyish pegasus mare only shrugged her hooves in reply. "Yeah yeah, I got it. I might show up if you have something valuable to say. But I'm not worried, if Trixie isn't scared than neither I am. Unlike her, I don't cower in fear from an Ursa Minor."
A flicker of the camera showed Rainbow Dash eagerly rubbing her hooves together in the confessional, completely unconcerned about all that was going on around her. "I'm calling it now! The Smooze is gonna turn out to be Discord or Nightmare Moon in disguise, and they're just trying to scare us away so they can keep the million bits for themselves," Then she threw back her head and laughed. "Boy are they gonna be surprised when they find out I'm the only pony besides Trixie that they couldn't scare off. And it comes down to Trixie versus myself, I know I can beat her!"
And so it was that, while Twilight was busy with her own "plan" on how to survive against a creature that nopony knew much of anything about, the rest of the contestants went off to pass the time in their own. And none were aware that something was watching them from afar. It had been told by a reliable source that there were lots of ponies on this island, and it couldn't wait to meet them all.
With half an hour to more or less kill until they were supposed to meet up with Twilight again, Pinkie Pie and Derpy had decided to go off together to be safe. And without thinking for even a moment they wandered far away from the camp grounds, far away from any sources of light that might illuminate anything lurking in the shadows.
"So, Derpy," Pinkie began chattering with the wall eyed pegasus. "Who is this 'doctor' you mentioned earlier? What kind of patients does he treat if a pony working with him knows about 'The Smooze'?"
Derpy innocently replied with a giggle. "He's not that kind of doctor, Pinkie. He doesn't deal with medicine, he deals with time and all sorts of scientific stuff. His work is super top secret, even while I was part of his crew he wouldn't tell me everything about what he was doing."
The pink party pony was quick to inquire. "So, did he give you permission to come back and compete on this show again? I meant it when I said I missed having you around," She even blushed a bit. "Having you by my side again, I feel something with you that I don't feel with anypony else. Like you complete me. You know what I'm saying?"
Derpy nodded, blushing right back. "I've kind of felt the same way, Pinkie. The two of us, we're special in our own special ways," She then coughed into a hoof, eager to change the subject. "And tell you the truth about the doctor, I'm kind of not supposed to be here. He said a lot of the same things Twilight's been saying, about how this island causes pony to change and act weird. But I couldn't let you all face it alone."
Pinkie Pie happily exclaimed! "You came back to help us?! That's great! Then that means you must have some super inside knowledge or something."
"All I have is what I heard the doctor mention," Derpy glumly responded. "If he finds out I'm here and tracks me down, I'm not gonna be able to say no if he wants me back."
Pinkie immediately protested! "Hey! He can't make you leave if you don't want to! Why should you have to give up your chance at a million bits because of this 'doctor'?!"
"If you knew what I learned about him after meeting him, Pinkie," Derpy unhappily replied as she let out a sigh. "You would understand. But for now, I'm glad to know that there's at least somepony who would miss me. Even Rainbow Dash only cared about me for my vote."
The pink party pony then insisted. "Well that's all in the past, and this 'doctor' stuff is in the future. So why don't we just focus on the here and now, like stopping that no good Smooze?"
At that the wall eyed mare jumped and gasped in horror! "Oh my gosh, I completely forgot!" And she quickly looked all around. "Uh, where are we?"
Pinkie blinked in confusion. "I thought you knew," Then her ears heard a faint rustling sound! "Hey, do you hear that?!"
Derpy gulped. "No, but I sure feel it! We're not alone anymore, and I think I know what's in that bush!"
Meanwhile, the rest of the contestants (except for Trixie who was still off showering) had all gathered back at the fire pit per Twilight's suggestion.
Twilight, for her part, had set aside a large piece of paper and was currently using her hooves to try to (clumsily) get a fire going so as to provide better light. "Come on! Come on!" She groaned as she rubbed the sticks together over the pit, trying to make them spark. "Oh, this would be so much easier with magic!" But after a bit more struggling, there was a faint spark and soon a fire was crackling away.
Rainbow Dash yawned a little, more from boredom than any kind of lack of sleep. "This better be quick, Twilight. I'm going to hunt down that Smooze and prove to you all that it's just Discord and Nightmare Moon trying to scare us away."
The studious unicorn could only snarl ever so slightly in response to her "friend"'s behavior as she propped up her paper against a stand and unfolded it. "Alright, first thing's first, did nopony bother to tell Trixie about this meeting?" She questioned.
Rarity was quick to speak up. "Fluttershy and I tried, darling. But she refused to come out of the shower. Obviously, she's not interested."
Rainbow yawned again. "Because she sees this for what it is. I'm telling you, you're all wasting your time!"
Twilight just rolled her eyes. "It wouldn't kill you to listen to me, you know. I don't believe in coincidences. And as far as I'm concerned, all that's happened here tonight can't be a coincidence. So let me please explain what we're going to do to stay alive. If it makes any of you feel better, think of this as our own private challenge."
The brash speedster grinned. "Now you're starting to make some sense, Twilight!" And she rubbed her hooves together in delight. "Alright, lay it on us. What are the 'rules' for this 'challenge'?"
Twilight cleared her throat. "Well, there's eight of us and only one monster. Simple math would suggest that if we all stuck together, the monster would never be able to get to us. But Trixie has already decided to strike out for herself, so I'm forced to write her off," And she held up a chart showing crudely drawn images of herself and the seven other contestants. "I've read lots of horror stories, and I've concluded that there are a few mistakes that the heroes always make when confronting the monster."
Princess Celestia simply encouraged with a smile. "Go on, Twilight. Tell us more."
Twilight, happy to receive acknowledgment of her knowledge, just went on speaking. "Well, the first rule is obvious: Don't ever go off by yourself! Always use the buddy system no matter what the situation is. Going off by yourself is a death sentence."
Fluttershy let out a small gasp of horror! "So you're saying Trixie's already a goner?!"
Twilight reluctantly nodded in reply. "Maybe not yet, but as long as she continues to blow this off and remain that lone wolf she always likes to portray herself as, she might as well be offering herself up as a snack for the monster," She proceeded to use her hoof to pick up a marker and draw a squiggly line across Trixie's face. "So I'm afraid I'm going to rule Trixie out. That means the seven of us..." But then she looked around and noticed something that had previously slipped by her. "Hey, where are Pinkie Pie and Derpy?"
Fluttershy spoke up. "Um, I think I saw them trotting off towards the woods together, not that they seemed to be paying much attention to where they were going."
The studious unicorn groaned in annoyance! "Going into the woods?! That's another painfully obvious mistake the heroes always make in horror stories!" And she quickly brought up the marker again, drawing squiggly lines across Pinkie and Derpy's faces. "Great, so now that's three ponies already doomed. This is how it always goes, the monster starts by picking off the ones that stray away from the group to thin their numbers."
Meanwhile, miles and miles away, Pinkie Pie and Derpy were horrified to see a bright green colored blob like creature emerge from the bushes! There was no mistaking it, it was The Smooze!
"Uh, Derpy?" Pinkie nervously inquired as she and Derpy slowly backed away from the approaching Smooze. "Did your 'doctor''s friend mention anything about how to stop The Smooze?"
Derpy frowned. "Actually, no. I don't remember anything about that."
The pink party pony gulped. "I was afraid you'd say that."
The wall eyed mare then nervously responded. "So, what should we do now? I don't think The Smooze is here for a social call."
"The only thing we can do!" Pinkie Pie declared before screaming at the top of her lungs! "Run!" And without even thinking or noticing, she knocked her fellow mare down with her tail as she took off!
Derpy quickly rose to her hooves again and ran after Pinkie as best as she could! "Wait for me, Pinkie! Don't leave me behind!" She cried out!
Running quickly became the only thing the two mares could think about, both dashing through the forest as fast as their hooves and their lungs would allow them to! And yet, to their horror, they saw that The Smooze was only closing in on them no matter how fast or how far they ran!
"P-p-please, Mr. Smooze," Pinkie stammered as she flashed a nervous smile. "Don't hurt me!" And she was quick to shove Derpy in front of the creature. "Take Derpy instead!"
"What, Pinkie?!" Derpy gasped in disbelief!
However, another development soon replaced the one that had just transpired between the two mares. A faint aura of brilliant light blue with light violet sparks enveloped them both, pulling them away from The Smooze and into a rather large tent!
And who should be inside the tent but Discord and Nightmare Moon themselves? Discord in particular was laughing hysterically! "Oh man, you should've seen the looks on your faces back there! You looked like you were both about to die of fright!" Then he looked across to Nightmare Moon. "And you said bringing The Smooze here was a bad idea. Old Smoozinator's still got it!"
Pinkie Pie and Derpy exchanged glances of shock as their mouths dropped open in unison!
Nightmare Moon unhappily sighed as she looked at the two ponies she had "rescued". "Gosh, you ponies really are as dumb as a sack of bricks sometimes. Haven't you figured it out yet? This is your next challenge."
Discord nodded. "That's right! You and all of your fellow contestants are going to be stalked tonight by our special guest star, my old friend The Smooze," And he then clapped his paws together. "Oh Smooze, you can come in here and say hello properly now."
Sure enough, the big blob of ooze came sloshing into the tent and seemed to smile at the very same ponies it had been previously chased after so convincingly.
"You'll have to excuse it," Discord apologized to the ponies. "The Smooze is one of those strong, silent types. But as you ponies like to say: Actions speak louder than words," Then he patted The Smooze on the head not unlike the way one would pat the head of a pet. "Great job on your first victims, Smooze. Keep it up, the night is far from over and there's still six unsuspecting ponies left to find."
Derpy, meanwhile, finally found the words to speak up. "Uh, if this is a challenge then does that mean that Pinkie and I..."
The witty spirit only vaguely answered. "Maybe, maybe not. I mean, it's not exactly fair for either of you to be eliminated when you didn't know about the challenge. Besides, we don't have a plan in place for double eliminations... yet."
Both mares gulped.
Nightmare Moon then flashed that toothy smile of hers that she usually reserved for Princess Celestia. "But look on the bright side. Now you get to watch your fellow contestants be subjected to the scare of their lives! And if The Smooze can successfully hunt down all of you ponies, it gets to be on the show in place of one of you."
"Exactly!" The spirit of chaos nodded in agreement. "A deal's a deal after all. Let it be said that The Smooze can drive quite a hard bargain," And he then clapped his paws together again. "Speaking of which, Smoozie, you'd better get back out there. Time's a wasting!"
And without saying a word, The Smooze obeyed.
"Wow!" Pinkie Pie exclaimed in what sounded like a giggle. "Now I really feel silly. But at least I'm not alone in feeling that way. Right, Derpy?"
But Derpy refused to answer, she just turned her head and pretended she hadn't heard the pink party pony at all. It didn't take a genius to figure out what the most likely reason was.
The Smooze was now on the prowl again, and six mares were still none the wiser about what was really going on with it. And of the six mares, only five were at the fire pit that provided the best source of light on the island.
Twilight was now reiterating some of the rules she had been explaining earlier to anypony who would listen. "Alright, I'm only repeating myself once!" She declared while growling ever so slightly. "Rule number one: No going off by yourself under ANY circumstances! Always use the buddy system no matter what you must do. Rule number two: Never go into the woods or anywhere that has no light of any sort, natural or otherwise. Rule number three: Never try to fight the monster, always run away!"
Rainbow Dash rolled her eyes. "Fighting back is a legitimate strategy! The only reason ponies in those horror stories don't do it is because if they did there wouldn't be a story."
The studious unicorn ignored Rainbow's rude mark as she just continued. "And last but not least, rule number four: If for any reason you break any of the rules above, scream as loud as you possibly can if you run into the monster so that other ponies will hear you. Then that way you might have a chance at survival."
As soon as the little lecture was finished, Fluttershy raised her hoof as though she were in class. "Um, Twilight?"
"What is it, Fluttershy?" Twilight asked while sighing.
Fluttershy sheepishly looked down at the ground. "I kind of have to... you know... use the little fillies room."
Rarity was quick to volunteer. "I'll go with you for protection, Fluttershy."
Twilight held back the urge to groan. "Fine, but make it quick. And if either of you see The Smooze, run away as fast as you can, understood?"
Rarity firmly nodded her head. "We will, Twilight. Don't worry about us," And she then looked across to the timid pegasus mare she would be escorting. "Let's go, Fluttershy. This actually works out since we can inform Trixie. I have a feeling she'll be done with her shower soon."
Rainbow rolled her eyes again. "I'll say. I didn't think anypony could take longer to shower than you, Rarity."
The fashionista scoffed and snorted. "Just because we're stuck in this forsaken place doesn't mean our hygiene customs need to suffer. Just like I told Spike before the gala: 'Some of us do have standards.'" And then she and Fluttershy trotted off together.
The two mares were hardly out of sight before Rainbow Dash was complaining in the confessional. "Seriously, I feel like everypony's just ignoring me or picking on me!" And she swished her tail. "At this point I'm starting to almost wish I'd let them vote me off after the scooter race. Key word being 'Almost'."
Fluttershy (with Rarity by her side) soon made it to the communal bathrooms, and although her need to answer nature's call was growing by the minute she still took time to instruct to Rarity. "No matter what, you can't leave me!" She told the fashionista unicorn. "I don't care if The Smooze offers you the million bits right on the spot somehow! Don't abandon me, please!"
Rarity waved a hoof. "Fluttershy, darling, you must relax. I'm not like Rainbow Dash. I'm not about to abandon you just because it's convenient or useful for me," And she then added. "If you should see Trixie, make sure to tell her about Twilight's rules."
"I'll try, Rarity. I really will." Fluttershy nodded in confirmation before heading into the communal bathrooms, leaving Rarity to stand guard outside.
But Rarity had hardly been standing at her post when suddenly her ears picked up a very loud and high pitched scream coming from inside! Fearing the worst, she dashed inside the communal bathroom only to find there was no trace of either Fluttershy or the Smooze anywhere.
Indeed, all the fashionista managed to find was a very grumpy Trixie who had just stepped out of the shower stall and had wrapped herself up in a towel the same shade of blue as her coat. "What do you want?"
"Didn't you just hear that scream?" Rarity inquired of her fellow unicorn. "I know I heard it!"
Trixie simply shrugged her hooves. "Maybe Trixie saw something briefly and maybe she didn't. It's hardly her concern what happens to anypony else. Besides, Trixie thinks you're all being too paranoid. Discord at least would never let anything truly bad happen to us."
Rarity just groaned and turned her head, trotting away. "Well, thanks for nothing. I guess you don't care about surviving this challenge."
Trixie only replied. "Trixie knows how to survive on her own. She doesn't need any of you to care about her, thank you very much," She then opted to continue drying herself off, either unaware or unconcerned that somepony else might have been in the building with her. Yet the unicorn hadn't been alone for long when she heard a knock at the door. "Rarity, if this is because you need Trixie to go with you to look for Fluttershy, so help me..." She grumbled as she went over to the door and opened it.
Instead of Rarity (or Fluttershy for that matter), however, a horrifying bright green colored blob like creature appeared on the other side! Trixie took one look at the horrific thing and screamed at the top of her lungs, retreating back into the shower stall! "D...don't come any closer!" She nervously insisted while clumsily brandishing the shower nozzle like a weapon. "The Great and Powerful Trixie has water and she's not afraid to use it!"
But when the monster advanced on the powerless magician, it didn't react at all to the steaming hot spray coming out of the shower nozzle that was aimed at it. The water didn't seem to stop it even for a second, it just kept on advancing until it had cornered Trixie alone in the stall.
Trixie screamed again as she did the only thing she could think of doing in this situation and started to run! But she hadn't gotten before she was suddenly teleported away, finding herself stumbling over some grass inside of a huge tent.
"That's three for The Smooze and zero for the ponies," The familiar goofy voice of Discord taunted, speaking and sounding more like he was an announcer for some kind of sports game. "And now there's two more ponies on the run all alone. Can The Smooze make it four or even five in a row?!"
Trixie slowly rose to her hooves, quickly finding herself gazing up at Discord and Nightmare Moon! "Aha!" She proudly boasted! "Trixie knew this was all a set up!"
Nightmare Moon just grinned and taunted. "Yeah, but you still didn't win the challenge. And with a performance like that, well... let's just say you'd better hope The Smooze doesn't find the rest of the ponies. Because otherwise, you might just be replaced by that blob."
"What?! Replace The Great and Powerful Trixie?!" Trixie scoffed in disbelief!
Pinkie Pie then spoke up. "Hey, join the club! At least you'll make for better company than Derpy," And she whispered while gesturing briefly to the wall eyed mare who had turned her back to the pink party pony. "She still won't talk to me. Nothing I've tried works. I'm running out of different ways to say sorry."
As The Smooze was leaving the communal bathrooms in order to search for the rest of its unsuspecting victims and Rarity was trying to look for any lead on Fluttershy's whereabouts, the loud screams had attracted a lot of attention even from all the way down at the fire pit near the Dock of Shame.
Rainbow Dash in particular didn't hesitate to leap to her hooves! "Ha! So The Smooze has finally decided to show itself! Took long enough," And she put her hooves together and made them crack. "This shouldn't take long. Invincibility, here I come!"
"Rainbow Dash, wait!" Twilight tried to call out to the brash speedster, but alas her plea fell on deaf ears as she was powerless to prevent the pegasus from taking off at a breakneck pace! Groaning and kicking the dirt, she picked up the marker again and hastily made a squiggly mark across Rainbow Dash's face. "First we lost Trixie, then we lost Pinkie Pie and Derpy, and now even Rainbow Dash is going off by herself!" She complained aloud.
Princess Celestia, for her part, tried to reassure her student. "Don't blame yourself, Twilight. And don't assume the worst in your friends or in anypony else for that matter."
But all Twilight could do was snort and stomp! "Honestly, doesn't anypony care?! Am I the only one who's worried about some horrible monster roaming free on an island where nopony but Nightmare Moon can use magic?"
The shrunken down sun princess sympathetically replied. "I'm worried too, Twilight. I know we stand a much better chance if we're careful about what we do and where we go," Then she added. "But I've come to realize since this game began that there's only so much we can do to control the actions of others. In the end, everyone chooses for themselves what to do and what not to do."
"I just don't want to lose anypony for good!" Twilight complained with tears in her eyes. "Even Rainbow Dash despite the way she's been acting lately. If anything were to happen to anypony tonight, I... I don't know if I'd ever be able to live with myself. A part of me would always think there was more I could've done to prevent it."
To the surprise of the studious unicorn, Celestia rose from the stump she'd been sitting on and clumsily put a hoof around her student. She knew it didn't mean as much when she was even smaller than said student, but it was the thought that counted. "Have faith in your friends and in others, Twilight. They're made of stronger stuff than you may think."
Twilight sighed. "I guess so, I really hope so," And then she looked across to the alicorn that looked more like a younger sibling rather than a wise alicorn with over a century of wisdom. "You know what, maybe I should forget about the chart for a while," And she then asked. "Is there something you wanna do tonight, Princess Celestia?"
Celestia put a hoof to her chin. "Well now that you mention it, I am kind of in the mood for a late night snack. If Nightmare Moon were here I'd be terrified of her finding me out," And then she grinned. "But she's not here now, is she?"
A goofy grin broke out across Twilight's face as she couldn't keep herself from giggling. "I like the way you think, Princess Celestia. I'm kind of in the mood for a little something to eat myself." And with that, teacher and student left the fire pit. Just like that, all eight contestants had gone off somewhere to do something and had abandoned any idea of trying to stick together.
By now, Rainbow Dash had reached the communal bathrooms and had already prepared herself for combat against The Smooze! "Okay, Smooze! You've met your match!" She boldly declared as she swung open the door only to find all the stalls empty, even the shower stall. There was not a trace of anypony anywhere, let alone The Smooze.
The tomboyish pegasus groaned in annoyance upon seeing such a sight. "Oh come on! Really?!" And she called out to the vast emptiness! "Hey, Smooze! If you're out there, stop hiding and show yourself so we can end this!" But there was no reply.
With a sigh, Rainbow left the bathrooms and trotted back outside. She had no lead to follow, and there was no way she was going to go back to the fire pit after this. She was in no mood to be mocked and teased for coming up empty, not after all she'd been enduring already tonight.
Yet as the brash speedster was sitting there and feeling very sorry for herself, she happened to suddenly turn around upon getting the feeling that she was being watched. And what should her moderate violet eyes see staring straight back at her but the very monster she'd been trying to track down?!
Rainbow Dash jumped back in excitement! "Guess you must've heard my plea," She grinned while stretching a bit. "Well good! I have no patience for cowards who run and hide!"
The Smooze said nothing in reply, it just advanced on what it assumed would be its next victim.
"Oh, I see you don't have the ability to speak," Rainbow noticed. "Well good! That means no one's gonna hear the sound of me whopping your sorry behind!" And then she lunged forward, raising one of her back hooves in preparation to strike!
However, The Smooze just absorbed the blow as Rainbow Dash passed right through it like nothing had happened. "What the?!" Was all Rainbow could bring herself to say before she was suddenly whisked away in a flash!
When the brash speedster got her bearings, she suddenly found herself looking at the interior of a huge tent. "W-where am I?! What is this place?! Where's The Smooze?!" She asked as her eyes darted all about in confusion.
Discord quickly appeared in front of the confused brash speedster, eager to explain everything to her. "You mean, you don't remember what you've been saying all along? How this was just part of a plot to scare you and the other ponies?"
Rainbow Dash immediately jumped to her hooves upon hearing such a statement! "Ha, I knew it! Too bad for you I caught onto your little game! One way or another, you're gonna give me those million bits!"
But Discord only waved a finger on his left paw. "Ah ah ah, you're in no position to be making demands. I wasn't simply trying to scare you," He told her. "Twilight was more right than she knew when she suggested that this challenge was about survival."
Nightmare Moon then declared. "You're not the only pony who's turned in a poor performance tonight. Now you're going to have to watch and see if The Smooze can catch the rest of your fellow competitors before the sun comes up."
Rainbow Dash reacted with disbelief to this realization, even putting her hooves to her face when the camera briefly flickered to show her in the confessional! "No way! Fluttershy and Twilight of all ponies beat me at a horror challenge?! This... this can't be happening! This has to be a bad dream or something!" And she threw herself hard against the sides of the confessional, only receiving pain as a reward. "Nope, definitely not dreaming." She groaned.
It wasn't long before another pony joined the cast of the eliminated contestants. Fluttershy suddenly appeared, though to the surprise of everypony she was completely coated in the same colored ooze that The Smooze was made up of.
"What happened to you?!" Derpy exclaimed in shock, thus speaking up for the first time since she and Pinkie Pie had learned what was really going on tonight.
Fluttershy slowly stumbled and stood up. "The Smooze is such a fascinating creature," She commented even as her eyes were spinning all around. "It's really not a monster at all, it's just misunderstood," Then she let out a weird giggle that could've been mistake for Pinkie Pie. "Ooh, pretty colors!" And then she fell to the ground, still coated entirely in the ooze.
"Uh, is she gonna be okay?" Rainbow asked with concern.
Discord replied in a relatively unconcerned tone of voice. "She should be, eventually. But it looks as if she had an up close and personal encounter with The Smooze. Most ponies don't react the way she does if they come into contact with The Smooze, though."
Nightmare Moon, meanwhile, was just grinning. "Well, now there's only three ponies left to target. And aside from a certain know it all unicorn, I'd say they're all easy pickings," Her grin only grew wider as she added. "At least The Smooze won't complain about my cooking or laugh off my nightmares all the time. I never would've imagined there'd be a contestant I could actually root for in this game."
Pinkie Pie quickly protested! "You guys haven't won yet, you know!"
Discord only rubbed his paws together in response. "I know! Isn't the anticipation of it all just killing you?! It's really making me feel ready to fall apart! And I would do it too, if I didn't have this show to host."
A brief flicker of the camera showed Trixie staring directly into the confessional's camera as she declared. "I knew Discord was crazy, but I never imagined he was this crazy. If not for the million bits that Trixie sorely needs, she wouldn't bother with this show at all."
The camera then cut away from the secret observation tent Discord and Nightmare Moon had set up, showing two of the three surviving contestants in the well lit mess hall as they were enjoying the fruits of their labor. Their little fridge raid had been a success.
Princess Celestia was currently munching on some cupcakes, delighted to be enjoying ones that actually tasted like they should for a change instead of ones that tasted like books or were loaded up on sugar. She didn't even care about the crumbs she was leaving on the floor or the frosting that was smearing all over her face. She only paused between bites to call out to the kitchen. "Twilight, what's taking you so long? At this rate, I'm gonna eat everything before you."
Twilight called back from the kitchen. "Just hold on, I'm making myself a sandwich," And she was currently trying to put as many different things as she possibly could fit between two slices of bread, the process causing her mouth to water. "I'm so used to Spike's cooking I've forgotten what it's like to make your own food for a change."
Celestia nodded as she called back in reply. "Me too. I'm so used to having meals provided for me by castle staff or personal chefs," And then she fondly smiled while saying to herself. "Though that hasn't stopped me from sneaking a slice or two of cake every once in a while."
"What was that?" Twilight replied as she put the finishing touches on her dream sandwich.
Celestia fought back a blush. "Oh, nothing. Nothing." But she still giggled not unlike a school filly.
Suddenly, the peace in the mess hall and kitchen was abruptly disturbed by the sound of a well known dramatic shriek, followed by the sound of the door swinging open! And the familiar voice of Rarity cried out! "Twilight! Princess Celestia!"
Twilight groaned in annoyance for what felt like the tenth time that night! "What is it now, Rarity?!" She complained! "Please don't tell me you did something stupid and ran into The Smooze."
Rarity just panted heavily as she continued to run! "It's here! The Smooze is here! I saw it with my own two eyes! And it got Fluttershy!"
"Didn't I just say not to tell me that?" The studious unicorn complained as she sighed, setting her dream sandwich down on a plate before trotting out into the mess hall. "Are you absolutely sure you saw it?"
The fashionista unicorn nodded, continuing to pant quite heavily. Her mane and tail looked very disheveled, a clear sign that something was really bothering her. "I know what I saw! The Smooze is on its way! I was trying to find Fluttershy and then suddenly, it was on top of her and she was gone!"
The shrunken down sun princess got up, abruptly licking her lips to get rid of the frosting on her cheeks. "Rarity, when you say 'here' do you mean..."
But there was no need to ask for confirmation, for at that very moment who (or perhaps 'what' was the better term) should come oozing in through the open door of the mess hall but The Smooze in all its glory?!
Rarity shrieked and jumped back a bit, adopting a fighting stance! "You horrible monster! I'll never forgive you for what you did to Fluttershy! She didn't deserve... whatever it is you did to make her disappear!"
Princess Celestia, meanwhile, nervously commented. "Rarity, I don't think fighting this thing head on is going to work. If what you said about Fluttershy is true, this thing is completely impervious to physical attacks."
Rarity then commented in response. "And thanks to this island, we can't use magic. I sincerely hope you and Twilight have a plan."
"We're... working on one," Celestia nervously answered before shouting back to the kitchen! "Right, Twilight?!"
"Huh? Oh, yeah, yeah! Definitely working on it!" Twilight hastily answered! "Just give me a moment, I... need some brain food!"
"Twilight, this is serious!" Rarity groaned in annoyance. "This is hardly the time for you to be stuffing your face. And after all that lecturing you gave the others about goofing off."
However, Twilight hastily replied. "I know, I know. But I'm serious. I can't think on an empty stomach! Believe me, I've tried!" And the sounds of what could best be described as messy eating could be hear coming from the kitchen.
That gave Princess Celestia an idea. "Follow my lead, Rarity!" She encouraged as she ran towards the kitchen! "Maybe we can get The Smooze to walk into a trap."
Rarity obeyed, thinking that at the very least Celestia might know what to do even if Twilight didn't. Even though she wanted nothing more than to rest at this very moment, the fashionista unicorn knew that she couldn't do so against The Smooze if she wanted to survive.
The two white coated ponies made their way into the kitchen with The Smooze in hot pursuit! Twilight met them when they entered, still hastily scarfing down her sandwich as fast as she could!
And when Twilight got a good look at The Smooze, she screamed and panicked! In doing so, she knocked down several pots and pans that had been hanging overhead. They clattered to the floor with a loud crash!
It seemed that the crash sound triggered a reaction from The Smooze considering it froze in its oozy tracks upon hearing it.
"That's it!" Twilight realized as a light bulb went off inside her head! "The Smooze reacts to vibrations! If we make enough of them, we can drive it away!"
Princess Celestia smiled. "Good thinking, Twilight. Rarity and I are right behind you." And together, the three ponies grabbed what pots, pans and other objects they could and started banging them together in unison!
The noise echoed everywhere, and the vibrations did the trick as The Smooze slowly backed away. But the vibrations didn't cease until it had been driven all the way out of the kitchen and out of the mess hall, at which point a mysterious portal opened it. The Smooze quickly oozed its way through the portal that then disappeared!
The familiar voice of Discord then called out. "Way to spoil all my fun, Twilight. Just when I was finally looking forward to having The Smooze on the show." And then he appeared before the three ponies who had repelled The Smooze, looking unusually grumpy.
A little later, Discord, Nightmare Moon and all of the contestants were back at the fire pit (Twilight happily tossing her crudely drawn sketch into the fire). And Discord was explaining everything to those already not in the know. "Rainbow Dash and Trixie were right when they said this whole challenge was devised as a way for me to scare you. But even they didn't know that I was rooting for The Smooze to win so that it could take the place of one of you."
"See, I told you all but you wouldn't listen to me!" Rainbow boasted.
Trixie, however, butted in. "For the record, Trixie caught onto the plan before you did."
And Rainbow Dash countered. "Yeah, but you also got captured before I did and screamed like a little filly when you did."
Rarity, meanwhile, just rolled her eyes. "You both lost though. Quite badly too. Honestly, Fluttershy of all ponies managing to somehow do better than you two is a miracle."
Derpy then asked. "So, what happens now?"
Discord reluctantly sighed. "Well, there's no way The Smooze can be on the show now. He'll never want to come back as long as Twilight, Princess Celestia and Rarity are here. So reluctantly, they're the winners of tonight's challenge."
A flicker of the camera showed Rainbow Dash and Trixie both putting their hooves to their faces in unison during their turns in the confessional, both saying the same thing. "Three contestants with immunity, and none of them are me?!"
The camera then cut back to the fire pit near The Dock of Shame where The Boat of Losers had returned, waiting to take a contestant away. Discord then continued. "But it doesn't matter, there's no need for a vote to decide who to eliminate. We have a loser."
Pinkie Pie and Derpy both broke out into a nervous sweat upon hearing such words, both fearing that one (or even both) of them was the "loser" Discord was referring to.
The witty spirit then dramatically declared. "And that loser is... Fluttershy!"
"WHAT?!" The seven other contestants all gasped at the same time!
Discord was quick to explain. "It's not because she did the worst out of all of you, though. If that was the case, Derpy would've gotten the boot," And he shook his head. "No, I'm afraid Fluttershy is going to have to leave the show because of what The Smooze did to her. She needs time to recover. And before you ask, no, The Smooze will not be taking her place!"
Fluttershy, with her eyes still spinning, spoke up. "Thank you, Discord. But I'm okay, really. Now stop waving your paws so I can count them." Then she fell off the stump she was sitting on.
The spirit of chaos could only sigh and shake his head. "See what I mean?" And he made his way over to the battered pegasus mare. "Come on, this episode's already running long enough as it is. No times for goodbyes." He promptly scooped her up, carried her across the Dock of Shame and dropped her onto the Boat of Losers.
Just like that, Fluttershy was gone from the game and only seven contestants were left. A majority of whom were breathing sighs of relief to know they had escaped a brush with elimination.
Discord then looked into the cameras as he declared. "Seven ponies soon to be six, stay tuned to find out which one will be eliminated next here on Total Magic Pony Island!"
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WHAAAAAAA? Fluttershy is eliminated? I was not expecting that.
Uh, yeah. GIlda is one thing but Spike and Cheerilee did it to stop YOU, because of how horrible you were acting, Rainbow!
..Top ten anime plot-twists.