[Nightmare Night] Day 4 - Celestia's House of Mirrors

[MyLittlePonyTales]

The princess of the sun has returned with her traditional contribution to the Nightmare Night festivities, the house of mirrors! Organized in a winding maze, you can never quite tell when you're going to run into an image of yourself, or even another pony! Of course, getting through the maze of mirrors isn't impossible, though you may run into a few ponies—literally—before making it out.

[SteelEagle]

After her short little run in with Iron Will, Apple Bloom wasn't particularly interested in the goings on of Nightmare Night. She wasn't a baby and Celesta darn it, she wasn't gonna get treated that way. So she decided the best way to show her maturity was by staying out of the next event and pout. That'd show them. After she realized that meant less candy for her, Apple Bloom straightened up, held her back firm, and for the sake of candy everywhere decided she had to pony up and hit the next station with renewed gusto. After chowing down on an apple from the apple bobbing stand, the filly picked her target and within a matter of moments she found herself charging towards the House of Mirrors. Nothing was going to jump out at her and it was Celestia's event; surely, nothing was going to happen.

Apple Bloom entered and found herself transfixed almost immediately. The mirrors made you see in such funny ways, but due to her helmet she didn't really get the full effect as intended. Instead,it was how every hoofstep- including the regimented thunk of her guardspony costume- cascaded and echoes ominously, yet with a hint of excitement. Abby was willing to chalk it up to Celestial magic, at least for now.

[Lerian]

Curiosity was bolting hard, with fake wings bouncing and costume head trailing behind him on its ties. It was a night for scares but this was geting too serious! As his breath began to come in heavier gasps he risked a glance over his shoulder. No pursuit... He hoped the other ponies were okay, Discord had disappeared after all. Now he felt even more terrible! No, this was Nightmare Night. It was sure to be pranks and jokes, like his own costume.

He sighed and headed for Celestia's House of Mirrors. If he made himself known to both sisters he was sure to be safe, she had already watched over the kingdom for most of his life, and his parents and their parents and... It must be amazing to live for so long! He began thinking through his history lessons and marvelling at all the wonderful changes Celestia must have experienced, until he reached the entrance.

Now he was a lot calmer he could get back into the spirit of the night. He shifted the costume head back over his own and folded the wings so he could move more easily before heading to the maze itself.

[colour=#0000cd]'I'll take some time off from scaring and see if I can make my way through here. Yes, that will get me thinking sensibly again. Maybe I'll wait and see if anypony would like to join me first though.'[/colour]

Curiosity sat near the entrance to the maze chewing candy and trying to look un-scary for the next pony or ponies to come along.

[Blueblood]

Wordsworth Psmith would not have admitted it to anyone, but over his brow there lingered the faintest hint of perturbation. He hadn't been completely unprepared for a nightmarish manifestation, but Nightmare Moon herself, in a facsimile of a Changeling Hive? Something was odd about the whole situation. "[colour=#996699]Hm, this one will have to go to the judges, Ingenuity seems to be near to recovering a point, a fighting chance against philosophy. One should not, of course, confuse the unusual with the impossible, but I had been under the impression that Nightmare Moon was, in fact, no more. Could we have all been mistaken? This should not be considered lightly.[/colour]"

Thus chunnering to himself, he arrived at the House of Mirrors, to encounter a pony apparently dressed as Nightmare Moon. Psmith raised an eyebrow. "[colour=#996699]Ah! As Fetlock Hooves would say, we have an alternative, more probable hypothesis. Let us venture to disprove it, in order to show that the improbable is correct.[/colour]" Pausing only to re-adjust the crease in his cricketer costume, he ventured over to Curiosity.

"[colour=#996699]Pardon me, but I could not help but seem to recognize you. Did I not just see you in the Changeling Hive exhibit? The area was dark, and I could only make out the silhouette of you costume, but it seems distinctive enough.[/colour]"

[Lerian]

Curiosity raised his head as the dark purple unicorn approached him.

"[colour=#996699]Pardon me, but I could not help but seem to recognize you. Did I not just see you in the Changeling Hive exhibit? The area was dark, and I could only make out the silhouette of you costume, but it seems distinctive enough.[/colour]"

Curiosity shook his head saying,

[colour=#0000cd]"Sorry but I was just at the house of Tartarus and before that I was scaring ponies at the Nightmare moon monument. I haven't even been to the hive yet. Is it interesting? Does it look like a bee hive or an ant nest? Oh wait, does that mean somepony else is dressed as Nightmare moon?"[/colour]

A look of genuine relief passed across his eyes as he asked the last question and he offered the older unicorn some of his candies. [colour=#0000cd]"You're dressed as a cricket player, yes? I remember one of my father's friends from Trottingham talking about the game but I haven't seen it played. Does that mean you are here to try the maze as well?"[/colour]

[Blueblood]

Psmith held up a hoof. "[colour=#996699]Peace, comrade, and your questions will be answered. Firstly, one must have an interest in the macabre to be engaged in the hive; I do not know how far it replicates the insect world. In fact, I suspect that the whole thing is nonsense, given that I've never heard of anypony to return alive from an expedition into the nest of an actual changeling.[/colour]" He accepted the piece of candy, unwrapping it and chewing thoughtfully before continuing. "[colour=#996699]As for whether the Nightmare Moon I saw was in costume... well, the best advice I can give you is, never confuse the unusual with the impossible. Who knows but what we may encounter here?[/colour]"

Depositing the wrapper in one of the conveniently-placed receptacles, the colt re-adjusted his cricket gear. "[colour=#996699]In any case let us sally forth. The cry goes 'round the castle walls, 'Psmith is not so easily frightened off!' By the way, I don't believe I introduced myself? I am Psmith, you could call me Wordsworth if you're hung up on names, but I prefer the family title. Also, that is spelled P-S-M-I-T-H. The P is silent, see also: pterodactyl, ptarmigan, and psionic.[/colour]"

[Lerian]

[colour=#0000cd]'Hello Wordsworth, sorry Psmith, I am pleased to meet you!', [/colour]the colt stood and took the proffered hoof, shaking it warmly. [colour=#0000cd] 'Shall we get underway with the maze?' [/colour] He started towards the entrance with the purple stallion following.

[colour=#0000cd]'So, there is a silent p in your family name? Not like in terror, tarpaulin or, um, sign then?'[/colour] Although his face was invisible under his Nightmare moon mask, there seemed to be a smile in his voice as he spoke.

[colour=#0000cd]'I'm called Curiosity which is a bit of a mouthful for such a short word, I think mum and dad did it on purpose.'[/colour]

Chattering away his mask deformed suddenly when he struck a mirror, [colour=#0000cd]'Ow, maybe I should pay attention for now.'[/colour] He listened to the stallion for a while as they wound their way through the maze then with that same happy tone of voice began to quietly sing out of tune

[colour=#0000cd]'Did the cows and crows in field[/colour]

[colour=#0000cd]make your brow bow as you kneeled[/colour]

[colour=#0000cd]when... you went to see the princess[/colour]

[colour=#0000cd]I hope you took a bow when you saw her[/colour]

[colour=#0000cd]but you didn't take a bow or saw her[/colour]

[colour=#0000cd]when.... you went to see the princess.'[/colour]

[MyLittlePonyTales]

Bitter, angry and without a sweet tooth to speak of, Chrysalis feeds off of emotion alone and terror is absolutely delicious! After she and her minions scare you into submission, she'll take a single piece of candy. Your despair is scrumptious!

[Blueblood]

"[colour=#996699]Let us go.[/colour]" Psmith allowed Curiosity to go first, signaling his intent with a stately gesture. Even in Canterlot, his default just bordered the limits of exaggeration. Here, and now, it seemed more like he'd dropped in from another planet.

[colour=#996699]"You catch on quickly, Comrade Curiosity[/colour]." He remarked off-hand, pausing by each mirror in turn to inspect himself in it. "[colour=#996699]These exertions weary me; I grow thinner and thinner. I shall soon fade away altogether under the strain. I have matched my philosophy to the ingenuity of the engineers of terror, and I fear I cannot continue the fight long. I have done my best, but observe my shaking hooves. My nerves shall soon be a perfect hash.[/colour]"

It was a little way into the maze that it happened. Curiosity was busy singing, and Psmith was once again inspecting himself in the mirror, when he caught Chrysalis' reflection. "[colour=#996699]I say, Comrade Curiosity, did you encounter a particularly large pony, in a particularly accurate costume of the queen of the changelings? No? Then I suggest we beat a retreat post-haste. I recommend you close your eyes, and navigate by touch. We'll get out eventually, disregard your candybag, leave it for the lucky hive grunt[/colour]."

The colt had suited action to the word, leaving his candybag behind as he sidled off from the apparition.