[Nightmare Night] Day 3 - The Changeling Lair

[MyLittlePonyTales]

Webs and statues adorn the dimly lit cave near Ponyville, creating one of the scariest areas in Nightmare Night history. Ponies in Changeling costumes hide in shadowy crevices, ready to pounce on anypony that passes by. After all, what would Nightmare Night be without a few heart pounding scares? Even with the recent threat to Equestria, everypony has been assured that there will be no real Changelings. But the decorations look so lifelike...

[QueenChrysalis747]

Darkness Eclipsed smiled as he soon reached his Nightmare Night Destination, the Changling Lair! Oh what an interesting place, you see Darkness had a very small weak spot for Changlings. Yes he had heard of all the stories about what the Changlings did, but if you needed good and this town was full of it wouldn't you try to take it too. But that was a side thought, he was really in the Lair of the one called Chrysalis, but to his Dismay there were no real Changlings to speak to.

I mean that would be great, to really speak with one, maybe find out more about them and all there abilities! He sighed, he was alone again, Moonlite was off somewhere else, probeley with more ponies, but he was alone. He admired all the decor and smiled, "Such hard work was put into this, vey interesting!" he said as he looked at everything, taking it all in.

[Lux]

This was it, a chance to prove his bravery. Having ventured to the Moon Palace in the Everfree Forest and the House of Mirrors, Guiding Light had two more hunts to visit and the Nightmare Moon monument.

With his horn aglow and a bll of yellow light illuminating his path, the colt made his way into the cave. Even with the light it was difficult to see. He fought his way through spiderwebs and blindly rushed into what he thought was a chaneling but unbeknownst to him it was another pony.

[colour=#DAA520]"Ahh...,"[/colour] he screeched as he ran and chashed into a statue along the wall, leaving him a bit dazed.

[Blueblood]

+2 Pieces of Candy

"[colour=#996699]Philosophy, we may say, is fairly holding the field. Twice we venture into terror's domain, and twice we keep our poise, our cool. Promising, very promising.[/colour]" Wordsworth Psmith was speaking to himself, in hushed and quiet tones, as he ventured into the alleged lair of the Changeling Queen. He would have considered it worth the price of the trip down from Canterlot alone for the chance to test his theories on conquering fear. Since Princess Luna made a habit of gracing this town on Nightmare Night, it may be fairly said that no other town in Equestria did the holiday with such verve and enthusiasm.

It was the older colt's theory that a Philosophically attuned mind, ready to accept whatever the world should bring it, need fear nothing. So far, fate had seemed to confirm his theory, rewarding him both a meeting with Princess Celestia, and candy from an unknown benefactor as well.

Dressed to the nines in cricketer's flannels (slightly dusty from the walk to and from the lunar palace), Psmith re-adjusted the bat and ball strapped across his shoulders as he walked through the insectoid architecture. He briefly wondered if this was all speculation, or if there was a living pony who'd made note of Chrysalis' home territory, when a bit of illumination proceeded into a room, followed in the parade by a younger colt, who bumped into Psmith and seemed to freak out. Pulling an eyeglass from within his costume, the Canterlotian put it on and inspected Guiding Light through it.

"[colour=#996699]Did you think we were a native inhabitant of such a place? I should hope I didn't look it; it is a most unsuitable domicile for a Canterlot Psmith. That's P-S-M-I-T-H, by the way; the first P is silent, like the tomb. You could call me Wordsworth, but I wish you wouldn't.[/colour]" The decorous gravity of his speech contrasted so sharply with his macabre surroundings, that any observer might be excused from laughing at the sheer incongruity. Or, so Psmith hoped. The poor colt in front of him could use a calming influence.

[MyLittlePonyTales]

[colour=#0080FF]After getting dizzy in Celestia's House of Mirrors, Scout stumbled her way to the next activity. Unfortunately, she ended up in the super scary Changeling Lair. And now, she was lost. She did her best to put one hoof in front of the other, trying desperately to find a way out. Manikins and ponies dressed as Changelings leaped at her around every bend, causing her to jump and scream. This certainly wasn't what she had wanted to spend her Nightmare Night doing.

It was during one such scare that Scout couldn't take it anymore, and simply ran away as fast as she could with her eyes closed. The pony that had been the deployer of the prank called after her and apologized, but Scout didn't care. It was a wonder she got as far as she did before she collided with somepony.[/colour]

[QueenChrysalis747]

(since I am the only one not active in a conversation..)

"Omph!" Darkness said as he fell back as a sudden pony came crashing into him. He sat up and held his head, "Ow," he said and shook his head a bit and got to all fours and looked to the pony who crashed into him and went to him. "He,.hey are yo..you ok?" he asked the pony.

Was this his fault, had Darkness been blocking the path, he sighed, "Um, sorry, I didn't me..mean to block the path," he said and shuffled a hoof then almost facehoofed. He handed out a shaky hoof tothe pony, "M..may I help you up?" he offered carefully. He was still such an outcast, well mostly because he wasnt outgoing at all any more:

[Lux]

Light was sprawled up against the statue he had collided with and saw a pony coming towards him.

[colour=#DAA520]"Oh I'm sorry," [/colour]he said, [colour=#DAA520]"I didn't mean to bump into you. I guess I got lost in the spiderwebs and couldn't find where i was going and I must have crashed into you."[/colour]

He accepted the hoof of the pony as he was opulled to his feet.

[colour=#DAA520]"My name's Guiding Light by the way. What's yours?"[/colour]

[Blueblood]

Psmith clicked his tongue. "[colour=#996699]Comrade Light, you must watch your steps in the future. These constant collisions do nothing for one's mental balance, and it is rather rude to treat any creature's home like a bumper car stadium. But, tut-tut, these things happen, and we bear with fortitude we may. To start off again, my name is Wordsworth Psmith, I prefer the second name, and wish to note that it is spelled with a preliminary silent P.[/colour]"

Flicking an invisible speck of dust off the sleeves of his cricket flannels, the colt regarded Guiding Light once again. "[colour=#996699]In any case, it is probably best we stick together. These macabre constructs can work to panic the mind, and this we cannot allow. If we are to make it through the night, comrade, we must maintain calm within the mind. I've heard tales of chaps who can walk over burning coals as easily as cobblestones by 'thinking cool.' It is a neat technique, and I am adopting it to conquer fear.[/colour]"

They began to move off together, right before a costumed pony jumped out at them. Psmith only turned to look at him through his monocle. The tableau stayed silently still for a minute, before the costumed one sheepishly retreated. "[colour=#996699]You see? It is simple. One simply resolves to expect any possible occurrence, and fortifies the mind in preparation. I will admit, however, that I have not yet tested it against actual changelings. Still, it is a hypothesis which fairly holds the field.[/colour]"

[MyLittlePonyTales]

[colour=#0080FF]”AHHH!” The dark coated pony before her looked like something that would be part of the haunted house rather than just somepony who was out enjoying the night's festivities. Which would explain why she yelled out when she ran into yet another scary thing in the cave. She wished she did have a horn, so she could defend herself, or wings that she could use to fly away faster than her little hooves would take her.

But she looked up as he spoke. He was just a colt, a little older than her. Scout grumbled to herself, a bit embarrassed that she had mistaken a regular pony for a creepy night creature. She extended her hoof skeptically. Where she came from, it was normal for a pony to offer to help you up and then let you down. But this was Ponyville, an entirely different town. So she allowed him to help her, mumbling a “thank you” before she backed off. “Name's Scout.”[/colour]

[MyLittlePonyTales]

This hungry spirit ruefully looks down upon the ponyfolk who mock her so openly on a night dismissively named after her. With a great clap of thunder and in a storm matching her fury, she will come down upon you and you will know true fear on this night! Only an offering of candy will send her away, as even cackling deities enjoy chocolate. Everypony loses a candy, but escapes with their lives.

[QueenChrysalis747]

(Awe she left to fast I couldn't say hi!)

Darkness jumped a bit at Nightmare Moon, but thinking she was only a practical prankster he smiled, "Oh Nightmare Moon, here you want chocolate or gum?" he asked her actually open heartedly. Not being in Canterlot long he only had heard bits and prices of the old tale and hearing it was resolved made him believe this Nightmare Moon was a fake, plus what better costume on Noghtmare Night then Nightmare Moon?

[Lux]

Before Light could answer Scout, the fearsome figure of Nightmare Moon appeared inches in front of him.

[colour=#DAA520]"N....nnnnNightmare Moon!"[/colour]

He was frozen in terror as the figure glared down at him.

[colour=#DAA520]"Here, take a candy. Just don't eat me!" [/colour]

The colt hastily drops a candy before dashing out of the lair and back into Ponyville.

[colour=#DAA520]"That was a close one." [/colour]

(-1)

[Blueblood]

*Boom*

The sudden crash of thunder managed to jolt Psmith's eyeglass right out of his face. With a languid daintiness which had infuriated many in its time, he dusted it off, screwed it back in and inspected the manifestation in front of him, nodding approval at Scout's attitude. "[colour=#996699]There, you see comrade? That is the very thing of which I spoke. He does not confuse the unusual with the impossible. Nightmare Moon comes, and he is prepared with a candy offering-[/colour]"

The Canterlotian was interrupted by Guiding Light freaking out and running away. He clicked his tongue. "[colour=#996699]Not the right spirit. Still, the philosophic mind is rare we must make allowances, must we not?[/colour]" He spoke this aside to Nightmare Moon as he levitated a bar of chocolate over to her. She cackled and departed upon receiving the offering. "[colour=#996699]Just so.[/colour]"

[MyLittlePonyTales]

[colour=#0080FF]Before Scout could get an answer, a mare she had met earlier appeared, none other than Nightmare Moon. Scout readily gave up the required candy, happy to escape with her life. After the stunt she'd pulled at the monument, she should be grateful for that. She thought perhaps the dark pony had discovered the deed and come to seek revenge, but this was thankfully not the case. Scout breathed a sigh of relief, before following the magical blue trail to the exit.[/colour]