Dread Apples and the Fiercest Bobbing (Castle)

[SteelEagle]

 

 

Arrr, you be here to bob fer her apples, yarr harr harr!

At least that's what Applejack thought she sounded like up on the banner that hung tight above the room in the castle set aside for the Apple bobbing room. Three large basins sat inside filled to the brim with some of the sweetest and most nutritious apples in the world. Most of them were part of the Apple family's largest stock, Red Delicious, but there were a few surprises. And to make it even better for the little kiddos there was a bowl full of candy that she was gonna hoof out to everypony who  participated, on account of Nightmare Moon and such taking over the castle and demanding sugary sweats before she'd depart. And that wasn't a job fit for little ol' Applejack, no siree! 

It needed the Dread Captain Buckyer Timbers, the feared buccaneer of Ponyville Cove! Yaarrr! She was here to make sure that those that were trying to rescue those silly ponies in the front went through the proper heck to do so! That's right, she said heck 'cause she was a reckless pirate and such! So ponies were going to come into this pirate themed room- the floor was wood, there was a plank set up next to a water tank in case anypony needed to walk the plank, and she had her crew to help her- and be forced to bob for apples! And if they went through it with BRAVERY, then maybe she'd give them a piece of candy! Yarr harr harr!  

Applejack was having a blast. This costume was custom made to hide her now obviously pregnant self which was just as good since she wasn't wanting to make this holiday about her. It was a joy to be able to interact with a whole raft of ponies and have fun with something a mite silly, and it sure as hay helped that her costume looked dazzling. She had gold earrings and a fake, magically powered parrot on her shoulder, a scimitar glinting in the light. Leather boots and a nice red/white piece completed the look, yarr harr harr and all that. It was fun watching some of the little ones come in and get really into it. Plus, bobbing for apples was one of the best traditions ever! 

Ponies would come in and pick a basin, then Applejack would blindfold them. That way they couldn't try to hunt down the special apples and everypony'd have a chance. Once they got their apple the blindfold would come off. They'd be given a choice. They could simply walk on out and fo where they wanted, or they could walk the plank! They'd land in a small canal dug into the right side of the room which would head towards some of the other rooms involved in this shindig. Or it could take them outside, who knows? It was all in a bit of fun. And she got to say yarr harr harr, which was pretty silly and fun. Nightmare Night was a real hoot! 

"Yarr! Open up the doors and let these land-lubbers in, y'all!" PirateJack exclaimed while two 'crew' opened the doors to the wave of ponies coming in. 

"Arr, Ah see some of y'all are here ta steal arrrrrrr booty! Well, Ah'm Dread Captain Buckyer Timbers and yer not gettin' any of mah treasure without BOBBIN' FER IT! Yaaar harr harr!" 

OOC-
Rules for the Apple Bob: 

There are three basins full of water with apples in them.
You come up to one of the three- righty, center, or lefty- and bob for an apple!
There are special apples inside of each basin, though most apples will be normal red delicous.
The special apples will be worth additional candy!
Each basin has a set number of special apples that will be decided out of character by a die roll.

[Zeig]

 

Life had yet to steer him wrong, he'd found out. 

 

Come rain and snow, sleet or hail, he had yet to come across an obstacle that he simply could not face. Even when traveling the wilds or traversing through mountains, there was little that the Ryuma could not hold his own against. Simply allowing himself to be swept up with the fates of life, time or downright luck, had regaled him a life of simplicities that accounted for confidence in every new situation he came upon.

 

But a pirate ship...that was a bit more than he was used to.

 

Of course, Kaede Katsuo knew that the ship was merely decoration. It had to be, because he had managed to wander into the town he'd been traveling to right on a night ripe with festivities. The words 'Nightmare Night' kept reappearing around the town - on banners, on flyers, even carved into a pumpkin, of all things - and it would have taken a fool to not realize that some sort of celebration was going on. Stranger still, the myriad of ponies walking around the festivities were all dressed quite differently than what he was accustom to seeing in Equestria. Some looked normal, sure, but others walked around with bits of straw in their manes, or rags falling off of their bodies, or - as was the case on this particular setup - pirate outfits. 

 

Ponies kept complementing him on his own outfit, as well. He wasn't really sure what that all meant.

 

Whatever the case was, though, Katsuo was well used to hitching a ride for the fun of it, and if Equestrian ponies saw fit to dress themselves in strange costumes and decorate their towns with all sorts of vaguely frightening imagery, then he certainly wouldn't complain. Nor would he complain about getting some free treats.

 

At least, what he assumed would be free treats, unless he was getting the translation horribly wrong. Which was entirely possible, considering he could hardly understand what the orange Earth mare was saying. 

 

"Who's 'bobbin' for what now?" Katsuo questioned, idly swinging his sheathed katana around his body so it could rest on his back, safely out of the way as he inspected the basin on the far right. There were shapes floating in the water, and as far as he could tell, nothing else of noteworthy interest was inside the structure, other than the basins. Closer inspection revealed those shapes to, in fact, be apples, and the sight brought a bright grin to Katsuo's face. "Oh hey, these the free treats?" the Ryuma asked, one hoof already reaching forward to scoop an apple out of the basin. "Great - I haven't eaten since breakfast!" 

 

 

[PyroBlaze]

Xieye wasn't entirely sure what was happening in this town. There was decorations scattered around the place, with many different ponies in many different outfits. There were some ponies that even commented about his costume. What costume? He was simply wearing his armor, today was no different than any other as far as what he was wearing went. No matter, he supposed, he was too on alert looking for spirits to really care about what others were saying about his armor. Eventually, the longma paused in front of a ship of some sort, with various ponies dressed as what appeared to be pirates. As he made his way in slowly, he looked around at the three basins with what appeared to be water and apples in them. There was also another longma near one of the basins dressed in a robe, and he approached the familiar sight with a small sigh of relief.

 

"[Hello. Do you have any idea what is happening in this town? I have never seen a celebration like this before. At least it looks like some kind of celebration...]" He said in his native tongue, his eyes traveling over the interior for a moment before looking back to the fellow swordspony. "[My name is Xieye Fengbao, who might you be?]" He added, offering a hoof to shake.

[RexDraco]

The spirit of chaos was quite delighted that the night had arrived so soon. He was in full 'costume' so to speak, an elegant mimicry of his prey. The costume was a pony guise which was perfect for such a night. It was truly in genius, backwards and unexpected! Who would have caught him? Save for a few nosy pones he knew a little too well, such as friends or those already immune to his magical tomfoolery... He was an ordinary unicorn, grey and old. Atop his head he toted a pumpkin-shaped pail, designed with the face of Pumpkin Jack. He had devious plans to release his pumpkin parade into Ponyville to stir up chaos and get some free candy and what better place to start than the center of Friendship? A few discreet placed, carved gourds wouldn't raise suspicion in the least in such decorative crystal halls!

 

Though as he approach it was not the usual spectacle of glimmering walls and gilded archways he was used to seeing, but a pirate's hovel. "Well, it seems the Apple Family has become little more than no good scallawags." The refined spirit of nonsense noted to himself.

 

His short, scruffy tail stood up as black hooves carried him forward. The pail sat atop his head, bouncing with each step. Looming around he felt as if he was in some schoolyard play. He was rather impressed by the plank, but otherwise it seemed a bone-dry amusement park. It needed a bit more pizzaz. Maybe a skeletal army, or a ghost boss. His grey ears perked up as he noticed two others about. The stallion moved toward the right most basin and allowed his horn to light up before setting it on the ground beside him. His pail was not yet full of loot, but soon it would be. He pressed his forehooves on the basin's edge and grinned cheekily, that snaggled tooth causing the most unexpected shiver for those prone to his shenanigans. He listened to the mare as she took on her persona. Oh it delighted him. Perhaps he should have a persona for this night?An ordinary Joe wouldn't stand the test of times. He tapped his coat absentmindedly, chuckling as he thought of it. A zipper would appear on his neck before he pulled if forward, creating a hood shaped like a Timberwolf head, a crown of leaves to hoof!

 

"A foal's game!" The older looking stallion boasted. He'd have those candy pieces in no time! Shifting his weight he would stand and dunk his head looking to harvest him some apples and take his fair share (or unfair as it was) of the pirate's booty!

[Pretzelparty]

 

OH! was that a pirate accent?! like the pirate's that still make appearances around the some of the seas of the world?! Neighpon still had the occasional pirate sailing it's borders... But thanks to the constant potential threat of Kaiju attacks on boats in the waters and the Shogun's rather... strict polices on the practice of piracy there were only a few pirates that Rin could name who were brave (or foolhardy) enough to attempt such nefarious things in those waters- or skies-. Some ponies found the very idea of the life filled with the buckling of swashes and plundering of booty. This Ryuma always found the idea rather thrilling... that and some of those outfits they were were just so cool looking! Not as cool as outlaws and cowponies, but close! 

 

... and speaking of Cow ponies...

 

Tonight a certain bluish-gray ryuma was wearing just that sort of outfit! Not just any cowpony mind you! But the amazing Jennet Hex! The only thing was missing what the iconic scarring on the side of her face, beyond that the costume was perfect! She had on a long duster coat that fluttered slightly in the autumn wind, and with the help of a little nifty little thing she'd bought from this awesome shop in Artisan's Alley: She had a very convincing horn attached to her head. It didn't do magic like a real horn did, but it looked real enough to be the horn of a spellslinger of the untamed frontier! Her fluttery fetlocks came up to bring the hat back down on her head as a particularly rough, cold breeze hit her and threatened to steal away the accessory. The only thing she had a hard time making a matching part of this ensemble was her wing. While she had painted it in a way so as to match the rest of her coat, The material of the prosthetic gave it a certain sheen that made it recognizably magi-mechanical in nature.

 

DEspite her fascination with this western region of the world, Rin's eyes were drawn to two figures that she didn't expect to see here: Fellow Ryuma... or Longma. At least she had a good hunch on who might might be the actual neighponese Ryuma beside herself here. The red stallion in the kimono being the best bet. She spread her wings and flew on over waving to the two in greeting.

 

"[Good evening! Did you travel all the way from the east too? I never thought I'd see others from the east again so soon!]" She said in her native Neighponese tongue, "Oh! where are my manners." The mare lowered her head slightly forward in a polite bow, "I'm Shiori. Shiori Rin."

 

 

[SteelEagle]

 

The very first pony who came up to bob for apples was really well costumed. You didn't see too many samurai types around Ponyville since Neighponese culture was as rarey a seen sight as Caribou culture in these parts, and as far as Applejack was aware they'd had maybe...one...two Neighponese residents ever? Until recently. She heard more were on the way which was cool but it was from Twilight's book that she understood what the new pony was going for. Pretty good work! And here she was working on looking like a pirate. She was obviously an amateur in comparison to this expert! Look at all of that fine detail he had going on, all of those pieces just looked so...real. Even the weapon didn't have that obviously fake quality she was used to.

 

Of course there always was the risk that he was a foreigner because he just started sticking his hoof in the basins full of water, entirely defeating the point of bobbin' for them. Was bobbing for apples such a rare concept that the common law decency that ruled over it was lost to him? Oh nelly. Applejack waited a second before deciding that tonight of all nights she needed to be in character, if still trying to be hospitable. And what if this wasn't a costume? That'd be one nasty sword attack...she shook her head. One thing at a time- the sanctity of bobbing for apples was at stake.

 

Applejack took the stranger's hoof and pulled it out, firmly but gently. You also didn't want too many germs in there! "Yar, whatcher doin' tha? This here is an Apple Bobbin' event, Sugarcube. Maybe y'all don't know how ta bob fer apples?" Applejack chortled. "Here, let me show ya landlubber!" She put her head into the basin and quickly bit into an apple. She pulled back, her mane flipping wet and dramatic, revealing the apple in her mouth. She then waggled her eyebrows and shot the apple up with the force of her mouth, catching it in one huge bite. She chewed it for a bit before working the stems and seeds out, firing them one after another into a nearby waste bin.

"Yarrr harr harr! Bob yerself an apple and get some real treats, ya silly stallion."

 

And then the second longma came in, also all armored up. Under what sort of sun was she living under that two Longma came in at around the same time, both armed and armored, equally clueless(judging by his facial expressions) of the night's activities. And Applejack knew she wasn't some sort of ambassador foe the night or anything, just a farmer pony having some fun. Still, she had a character to play and this fellow wasn't gonna get away that easily without the Dead Captain getting involved. "Yarr harr harr! You know this landlubber? 'Tis a mighty day that sees tha two of you in these parts! What brings the likes of you ta tha Dread Captain's ship on this, the most tempestus of Nightmare Nights?!" She asked, sure that there was nopony else who...

 

...A third one, really? At this Applejack broke character. At least the newest pony didn't have the same sort of confusion about her. And she spoke Equestrian, thank Celestia. "Uhh, howdy. This is Nightmare Night, sort of an annual spook festival. Ponies dress up, games are played, candy is hooved out, and this year there is a whole shindig up at tha castle. If y'all could explain that to them...they might be a little confused," she said with a nervous laugh. This mare looked lively!  Jennet Hex, was it? Applejack didn't read none of them comics but she'd had enough ponies come up to her during this season and ask her if that was who she was going as to get intrigued and look it all up. Wasn't her bag of apples, but a nice costume nonetheless. "Lovin' tha costume, sugarcube."

 

Speaking of costumes, she'd been around Discord enough to recognize that sort of atomic dancing of energy particles as being the tell tale sign of his presence. Probably. Hopefully. Discord was not one of her best friends by any stretch of the imagination. She was a mare of extreme rigidity when it comes to what is and what is not, while Discord represented everything that was anathema to that. He was chaos incarnate, the eternal spinwheeling of what was and was not into the equal halves of reality that created dissonance that made it difficult for ponies to understand what was happening. It was just a simple conflict of base desires that made it so that Applejack would never really be close with him.

 

That didn't mean she had a special hate for him or anything like that. She believed that his efforts were as honest as they appeared to be in the ways and means he knew best. She hoped that eventually it all worked out for him and maybe one day she could grow to give him more chances than simple allowance would allow. Nonetheless, she would play with him as well. "Yarr harr harr! Ah spy an aged unicorn with some strange features! An ill portent this dire night! Seems like somepony's a bit...chaotic?" She said, leaning in with a cocksure grin and a quick waggle of the eyebrow.

[Zeig]

 

Ah...bobbin', as in, bob his head? Dip it up and down and grab an apple with his teeth?

 

What a strange custom...although, Katsuo supposed it would be just as strange to an Equestrian pony to play Kogame Kogame with no rhyme or reason. Perhaps the fun was in the challenge? Apples for the victor, and none for the losers. Survival of the fittest!

 

"Aaah," the red Ryuma breathed, watching the pirate mare carefully as she demonstrated the game, "we must forage for our treat without the use of our hooves. Excellent!" Katsuo barked, clapping his hooves and rubbing them together as he eyed the basin that was now announcing its challenge for all to claim victory over it. "To the victor goes the spoils!" Though, the samurai had only just thrust his head downwards when he had to stop, as familiar yet simultaneously unfamiliar words caused him to pause, mouth stretched open over the basin, to look upwards and around.

 

Okay - pirate ships he could handle, unusual as they were. Make-up believe was the name of the game tonight, after all.

 

But two Ryumas, in quick succession one right after another? He was used to seeing a lot of weird things, true, but in a foreign land surrounded by strangely dressed and celebrating ponies...this one might very well grab the cake. 

 

They were actual Ryumas too, as far as Katsuo could tell - and he had seen some pretty unbelievable costumes from the Equestrian ponies wandering around, real enough to have had him fooled until he'd gotten a closer look - because he didn't really think a pony would learn Long and Neighponese for a single night of revery. And also in part of their confusion - at least for the first Ryuma. He didn't seem to realize that most ponies were going about dressed in costumes and outfits...which, now that he thought about it, was probably why he, Katsuo, had been getting so many compliments on his own outfit. Pah! As if the heritage of his ancestors and honor could be comparable to a singular night of festive costuming! 

 

Although the silk of his robe was of a rather fine make. 

 

And speaking of costuming, the second Ryuma seemed to have gotten the spirit of this Nightmare Night down pact, causing Katsuo to eye the ensemble as an elder looking red stallion wandered by. She was wearing an outfit reminiscent of the old Equestrian west. Cowpony, he thought they were called, ponies that lived on farms and...threw about rope to catch cows and whatnot? The orange pirate pony seemed to appreciate the costume more than he did, though - which was great, because it finally allowed her to speak in words he could understand, though the accent was still thick. But manageable, and Katsuo watched rather amusedly as she explained the situation to the both of them. The mare spoke the common tongue of Equestria, but he sincerely hoped the other stallion did as well. Otherwise, another demonstration would be in order. 

 

"Kaede Katsuo," the red Ryuma introduced himself belatedly, after the orange pony had finished speaking, "kon'nichiwa." The last was said more for the benefit of Fengbao, along with the hoofshake, because he only knew a little bit of Long. He hoped the other stallion spoke Equestrian common, or that Rin spoke Long fluently - otherwise, Fengbao was going to be having a bad time. 

 

Though, before Katsuo could say any of that, a strange sound from behind had the Ryuma turning around, where he saw the elder stallion from before standing next to the same basin he was at - and wait, did he have that wolf's head costume? He could have sworn the stallion had been carrying something else on his head, though admittedly, he hadn't been paying much attention, too focused on the other Ryumas. 

 

All of that paled in the end, however, as Katsuo watched with mounting horror as the elder stallion plunged his head straight into his basin, more than likely trying to grab the dinner he had rightfully staked out! "Hey!" the Ryuma growled out, launching himself back towards the basin to settle his forelegs along the side, mimicking the elder stallion's own pose, "I've yet to challenge the basin - I won't be defeated!" A deep breath was all his preparation, before Katsuo plunged his head into the basin right next to the other stallion, eyes squeezed shut to protect them as he determinedly searched out the treats with his snout. 

 

Those apples were his!

 

[PyroBlaze]

Neighponese... that's what came out of the next Longma's mouth. Xiêyè looked back at her, blinking at her outfit. She was part of this too? The swordfighter looked back and forth between the various speakers, his language skills being put to the test as he listened. He was better with Neighponese than Equestrian, but he wouldn't call himself fluent. 

 

"Nightmare Night? That is what you call this?" He asked, watching them start bobbing for apples. He then turned to the female Longma, trying to ignore the familiar unicorn that was apparently the spirit of chaos if the others were to be believed. It explained a lot actually. 

 

"<Hello, Shiori Rin. I am Xiêyè Fēngbào, if you did not hear.>" He said, doing his best to speak in her language while returning her small bow. 

[RexDraco]

What a way to make a stallion blush, had he heard such compliments. The prince of trouble and a loyal anarchist driven on mismatch in the shouldn'ts and wouldn't in, what was oft, an undesirable play that kept a crowd talking long after. Trouble was his middle name, but he could assure you it was P -- not that it mattered, but you know it was relative! But Discord was quite keen on having a bit of fun. Since Flutterahy seemed in and off with this holiday he didn't see the harm in finding out its fiber details. So far the only message he got was 'free candy', which was hard to ignore. His sweet tooth was rather large. That snaggletooth wasn't just for show. Nothing went better with sweets than tea, so why not store a bucket, or ten, for winter? 

 

After all the effort he took to try and disguise himself, not even a compliment, though his manic ego was stroked generously. Not that he really tried too hard. Such a form was well and done with simple conjuring. The greatest effort had was in manifesting the false Timberwolf hood to give him a semblance of effort in the holiday bonanza. He pressed his black hoof to his fur-covered chest, brow raising. 

 

"Madam are you calling me old?" Ugh, of all the things he picked out in that sentence. "I must say piracy isn't what it used to be." Something only an old pony would say, to hoof! 

 

His lips pulled back in an unmistakable Cheshire grin. The troublesome spirit was up to naughty. She wanted to play her role? Than too shall he. The spirit, er… old pony had dunked his head, that Timberwolf hood flopping back to prevent it from getting wet. A burbble and bobble the old neigh felt another dip into the basin. Puffing up the competitive, old spirit pushed to grab his prize. Throwing his head back he would have hoped to nab an apple, or three!
 

[Pretzelparty]

 

A smile spread over Rin's face upon his introduction. Thankfully she did have a passing knowledge of Long: She could speak it passably but to a native speaker of it she always sounded stilted and it was clear she hadn't mastered command of the language at all. "Shiori Rin!" She responded to the Red stallion in the lovely Kimono, "Yoroshikune! 

 

Rin's cheeks instantaneously heated up when she heard the strange orange pony drop that pirate voiced facade. That accent! It was exactly the type that she'd heard in all those imported films and books from her foalhood... and fillyhood... and marehood. Maybe she could've pulled off the Jennet hex look better than she could. Heck, the pirate pony's was closer to that oh-so-amazing frontiersmare of fiction that she knew. "Kobonwa-er... um. Good Evening!" She blurted out, "I'll tell them about it!... and you look really good in your costume too!" that last sentence was followed by an incredibly unsubtle bout of nervous, flustered laughter.

 

The now flustered Ryuma looked back to her fellow species in time to see one of then already plunging his muzzle into the barrel of apples. Okay, maybe this wasn't the best time to explain it to him. Thankfully though, The slightly older looking stalllion: Xieye approached her soon after Katsuo had began his competition with the curious looking older pony with an unnerving grin on his face. "[It's nice to meet you, Xieye! The pony in the pirate outfit wanted me to explain what's happening... Simply put: It's a festival focusing on a spooky atmosphere, hoofing out candy to ponies in Costume and This year there is something very interesting happening In the castle.]" The mare looked around nervously, straightening her hat to deal with the silence before she spoke up once more. "[Mind if I ask you why you decided to wear full armor to this town if you didn't know bout the festivities Xieye-san?]"

 

 

 

 

[SteelEagle]

 

Well, talk about a name right there. Kaede Katsuo? She had a hard time even saying it out in her head, let alone trying to say it out loud. That was her fault of course- she needed to brush up on how to say names and whatnot from the East. If today was any indication she should expect to see a great deal more of them in this area and she owed it to them to be the most getting alongest pony they ever did meet. Once Katsuo knew the score of this night's festivities with a bit of competitive boosting from Discord stallion, he went all in on bobbing for apples much to Applejack's great delight. And after he rummaged around in trhere he appeared back up with a green apple in his mouth.

 

"Yar, Ah see yer gettin' some of tha finest apples in tha land! Maybe Ah should make ya join mah merry band of pirates with smellers like that! Hardy harr harr!" She laughed, with the group of fellow pirates hardying harr harr alongside her. "Yer getting some treasure naw!" she said, hoofing over five pieces of candy. She wanted to brandish her scimitar right about now but probably wise to not do so with a pony who had a real sword right there. Probably wise to not get her confused that this was a real swordfight scenario.

 

The confusion would continue on with Discord and his 'costume', which was eye catching the more he changed it. Of course, knowing what he really looked like, it was hard to be shocked by anything he did. She had to smirk a bit at the line about piracy. Yeah, he would know a thing or three about piracy she reckoned. Being the spirit of discord and disharmony given life and form, he likely helped foster a few thousand piratical fantasies in his time. "Yarr harr harr! Well, you WOULD know somethin' about them older days, ain't that right ya old geezer?" She retorted as he dunked in.

 

His weirdness encompassed everything about it all but despite all of the untowardness with which he approached his very being, at least he was playing along. There was hope for him yet at this pace! After rummaging about for a second or three he came up with more than one apple, less than three. Not a bad haul: Two red apples, each worth one candy, for a total of five she hoofed over. Applejack chortled. "Hardy harr harr! This landlubber certainly got a bit of that piratin' SPIRIT in ya, don'tcha?" Then her tone lowered to a growl. "But yer insolence needs ta be punished. Off with ye ta yer watery grave- WALK THE PLANK!" She bellowed to the excitement of others as the plank extended over some water. "Yarr harr hardy har harrrrr!"

 

For as confident as Applejack was she felt bad, seeing as the most Equestrian of the trio seemed besides herself with nervous. Now why the hay was that? She blurted out a proper greeting and congratulated her on the costume. Applejack smiled broadly. "This here costume really is pretty swell! Masquerade did a great job hidin' mah foal belly, Ah think. Yer lookin' mighty fine yerself too, sugarcube. Don't be a nervous nelly- join in on the fun!" She said, motioning to the basins. It was a bit puzzling, but she wasn't about to force anypony to have fun- just happily invite them. And then pirate them something fierce when accepted.

 

The final pony involved seemed less enthused about the activities and more invested in the silly filly, but this was not gonna sit by the Dread Captain for long. This here was a ship sailing for tumultuous waters and he needed to get with the program or walk the plank! "Arr, whatcher plannin' ta do here, ya scallywag? Get bobbin' or walk tha plank!"

Katsuo: Two candies, two posts, green apple worth two candies, one extra! 5 candies!
Discord: Two candies, two posts, two red apples worth two candies, one extra! 5 candies!

[Zeig]

 

Success!

 

His efforts in this strange tradition had rewarded him with a very delicious looking green apple, and the Ryuma wasted no time taking a large bite from the fruit clasped between his lips. He was able to deftly catch the apple before the rest of it fell back into the basin, but for the most part Katsuo was focused on the burst of sour taste springing forth from the bite. Sour, bur crisp and very refreshing. He was more used to Fuji apples, or honey apples as some called them, with centers so sweet that they could almost be attributed to the taste of honey...but these sour green ones had their own sort of charm. 

 

That charm being a gratuitous filling of his belly. 

 

And on top of his prize for mastering the apple basin, the pirate dressed mare hoofed over some wrapped treats as well, causing Katsuo to perk up at the veritable bounty of food he was getting. "Hey thanks!" the Ryuma exclaimed brightly, tucking the candy pieces into the folds of his robe as he grinned at the mare. "for the - uh...treasure, yar-eee-yar-har-hoo." 

 

Which was a rather passable imitation at the mare's strange talk and mannerisms, if he did say so himself. Never let it be said that he failed to join in the spirit of Equestrian festivals!

 

Bounty now apparently extinguished at this venue, Katsuo was more than eager to visit other areas around the town and see what other sort of treats he might able to acquire this evening. Who knew? An apple from here, a three course blueberry and maple sap course from there...the night seemed all to ripe with providing. "Hah-Phi Nahmuh 'igh!" the Ryuma called out, repeating what he'd heard several ponies saying to each other this evening, and never mind that the words were completely muffled by the second bite of delicious apple filling his mouth. Katsuo waved a brief hoof to all assembled, but he pretty much focused on his goodies as he head back out the way he entered, eager to see what else the evening had to offer.

 

[[ Exit ]]

[PyroBlaze]

Xiêyè blinked a bit as the Longma spoke again, explaining the holiday to him. Did they miss the part where he spoke Equestrian before? Oh well, it didn't matter too much to him. 

 

"<I am traveling swordfighter, I always wear this.>" Xiêyè said, still speaking Neighponese to make it easier on her. He turned his gaze toward the orange pirate when she spoke to him. 

 

"Do not make threats you don't plan to act on." He said, his gaze remaining steady on her for a moment before he turned towards the basin and looked at the contents he could see in it. After a moment, he dunked his head in, searching for an apple. 

[RexDraco]

The old atallion's fur bristled at the remark. Oh, just for that Miss Apple, you will be getting twice the gourds he was originally planning to leave behind! His short, bobbed tail flicked, obvious annoyance curling though his form. While not great companions with Apple Jack, it was primarily driven from a lack of visitation. While free to roam again he rarely spent his time out from his home, a little pocket space he often said was located on the corner of Cuil and on an Avenue of Ingenuity. Quite difficult to reach, but nary impossible. Whenever he wanted he could appear at a whim, or the whim of a local princess. He would really dispel that call magic. It got irritating during meals. The Mane may seem something horrifying, especially when he was working in the gardens. Giant piranha plants weren't the most cleanly garden centerpieces.

 

Luckily the drive of the Ryuma's desire to partake in the tradition drove the rowdy spirit to compete. He couldn't cheat at such a game, but his hoof-eye coordination was oft ghastly. A master if magic and tyrant of time he may be, but he was far from athletic. It was not uncommon he dropped things or tumbled over other such. When you had one hoof in the future and a talon in the past, you've done run put of legs to stand in the present and fumbled with consistent frequency. In short, the spirit of chaos was a bit clumsy. Continuous levitation offset his unnatural feeling on mortal soils and magic balanced out his inability to really fit in and around anything pony. It was why this form had a limp to it. Getting used to walking on an even set of balanced legs was quite difficult!

 

When his head shot up, it seemed he managed to catch himself a red apple. Two! He wasn't too fond of the red ones, preferring golds, but he hadn't time to be picky as two came up in the stead of one. One was managable, but the second was nearly dropped. As he was perched back on his rump and his hooves on the basin's edge it allowed the goofy spirit the chance to reach out for the second one which seemed to pop right out his muzzle! Having absolutely no luck he'd manage to bounce it off the flats of his hooves. No paws or  claws to help! He snapped his head to shuffle his hood up, horn lighting up with a faint magic to pull the Timberwolf mask up. It would catch the second apple in its 'jaws' while he held hid in his muzzle.

 

He sat still a moment, the hood covering his eyes. Forehooves moved up to smooth against his maw and shove the apple in. Crunching it down he gave it a hearty swallow. A few coughs and a pat to his chest he would turn his head to levitate his pail over. The apple was surrounded by a white aura before it was yanked out the false jaws and plopped into his bucket of candy. Pushing to stand he trotted over to the pirate Apple, magic lassoing around the five, earned pieces before he dropped them into his pail. He looked to mare in the ryr, heat tilting. His pupils didn't have that usual mismatched sizing as it usually did, but when he grinned he offered that full sent of frontal, predatory teeth. His back teeth were more equine in nature.

 

"My, my. Cap'n Jack, best start believin' in the ghost stories goin' about. You've found yourself in one of them, if I ever did see." He practically purred in a whisper, but what had the mad god meant by that? "A little parting gift." His leafy 'wolf' ears swiveled forward before a few pumpkin gourds appeared on the 'ship'. The gourds were hoof-carved with what appeared to be a few members of the Apple Family, particularly Apple Jack herself, Big Mac, and Apple Bloom.

 

The old stallion limped off towards the plank. He cocked his head and spat out his tonuge, which seemed to slither from the Timberwolf mask. He gave a side glance to the Longma before departing off the plank. He'll have a little fun with the Longma another time. Soon. The spi-- grey, old pony walked off the plank, but twas no splash below. Where did he go? To play more tricks of course.

 

[Discord, out]
 

[Dubstep]

Dark Core! Greatest master of evil Equestria has ever known! Also probably one of the biggest fans Nightmare Night has ever known. Seriously, how often does somepony get to dress up as outlandishly evil creatures and commit outlandishly evil acts without getting into any trouble!...Okay without getting into too much trouble. It was the perfect time of year! Everything was just so dark and spooky and sometimes downright frightening. Yeah definitely not going to the horror house. N-not because he was scared of course! But he didn't want to scare the workers of the house out of it, no sirree, not scared a bit.

...Anyway, yes! Nightmare Night, costumes, acts of evil, all that good stuff! Speaking of which, the costume was the easiest part for him.  At the end of every Nightmare Night he starts thinking on what to wear for the next one! Unusual for the villainous colt, Dark was un-dyed! He didn't particularly need it for the costume, which consisted of a rather fashionable pair of yellow pants with heart shaped kneecaps, a tight black tank top, and an open jacket the same yellow as the pants with golden rings around the cuffs. His mane was spiked up and held back with a yellow headband with the same heart shape in the center of it and a black collar like necklace hung around his neck, he also had grabbed a pair of (fake) gold clip on ear rings to wear. Where he to show them off there was a faux scar along his neck, and a star shaped mark on his left shoulder. He wasn't really sure how many ponies would actually get it, but those who didn't were clearly uneducated and sad sad ponies. He would have had some gold contact lenses too, but he's not even sure how he managed to avoid the, admittedly flamboyant, outfit to begin with.

With his costume already settled, Dark made his way into Ponyville, turning a few heads as he went. In his mind he figured it was because they understood what an awesome costume he had. While the truth of the matter was they were just surprised to see Ponyville's self proclaimed 'evil mastermind' without his dye...

Choosing a starting place for tonight's reign of terror was simple enough. Without having to worry about his dye running and spoiling what he actually had planned, the apple bobbing tank was a perfect target! With confidence and swagger befitting not only a villain as evil as he, but also that of his costume's origin, Dark wandered towards the crowd...Lines. Ugh...Well even a villain has to wait his turn on Nightmare Night. Boredly he stood to the side and waited, rolling his tongue around in his mouth to make sure the little capsule he brought was still there, which it was. Oh this was going to be so good.

[Pretzelparty]

 

 

"A swordfighter? But don't ya get tired carrying armor wherever you go?" Maybe this was another sort of thing that would never make sense to a mare raised the way she was, "I might If yer going around everywhere like that why not wear something lighter, Xieye-san?"

 

The blush on her cheeks only grew larger as the mare spoke up again. Mighty fine?! REALLY?! Was that even possible?! Here Rin was thinking that some ponies might find thos outfit offensive or something and here was one of those types of ponies she dreamed of complimenting it. The Ryuma laughed nervously at this whole situation before coughing into her hoof, hoping clearing her throat might help clear her mind. "D-domo arigato gozaimasu! I-I mean thank you very much!. I'll do just that!" The mare took a deep breath and dove in seeking out the apples! Hopefully the water in this barrel would cool off her head too.

 

 

 

[Lux]

 

With his armor on, Guardspony Guiding Light was ready for action on Nightmare Night. So what if said armor was just painted cardboard and he looked a little short to be a guard? He felt strong and brave, something he wished he could be without the armor. That was something he'd tackle later, for now as his first "mission" as a guard was to choose the right apple bobbing barrel in the hopes of finding the right apple for his plan!

 

"Greetings, Applejack!" the colt said while trying to maintain his guard-like presence, "Guess I'll  just go ahead and select a barrel. How about...the right."

 

Showing no fear with his water-filled nemesis, he dove in and rooted around for an apple as he came up for a breath ready to try again, he flt something speared on his horn!

 

"Hey, I think I got one, though not with my mouth. Does that count?"

 

 

[SteelEagle]

 

Two of her momentary companions for the evening left, one far more pleasant than the other. Discord's growling tone and the gifts he left would have left her more uneasy had she not assumed from the start that he was going to be a chaotic troublemaker. She wasn't sure exactly what his plan was but she was more worried about how it would affect the event than anything else, since his 'games' and pranks seemed more inconveniencing then dangerous. If ghosts started popping about, she'd buck'm. The samurai-samurai left after having scored a nice prize, and Applejack was pleased to move on.

Kinda. Sorta. Apparently this fellow couldn't take much of a joke, nor could he relax and get into the spirit of things even after it had been explained. Maybe in their culture levity and fun were alien concepts, or even playful, obviously silly characters and their threats were to be taken with deadly seriousness. Either way, Xieye was doing a nice job of mucking about for a while. Applejack just rolled her eyes, “Sugarcube, just start bobbin' for apples already. It's all fun an' games on Nightmare Night,” she said without a trace of her normal pirate accent. Normal for Nightmare Night, anyway.

 

The nice 'cowfilly' was besides herself with happiness at Applejack's compliments. Well, it was all true! She wore it well, though she seemed absolutely flustered at such a compliment. Oh Celestia, she didn't have a 'thing' for cowponies, did she? Well, who was she to judge? Judge harshly, at least. She could still judge a little. “Yer welcome, scallywag,” Applejack said through a chuckle as both the cowfilly and swordpony went down.

The cowfilly came up with a pink apple! They had colored some of the red apples different colors, for the sake of the night. And pink meant a good deal of candies- Applejack quickly hoofed over six candies! “A nice haul, Sugarcube! Yarr harr harr yer'll make a fine pirate someday ta join me crew!” She said, her eyes catching the swordpony coming up with a red delicious. Not a bad haul- four candies! “Yarr harrdy harr harr! Four candies ain't bad for a landlubber!” She said as she hoofed them over, preparing for the next collection of ponies.

They were both colts, some of Apple Bloom's friends. Guiding Light was a sweet little colt that may or may not have a crush on one of the Crusaders and was generally just a gentle little one. Not a bad colt to have around, mostly very well behaved. He was coming in as a guard of some sort. “Yarr harr harr! Ah'm not Applejack, Ah'm tha Dread Captain of this here vessel! Now b-” she started, but Guiding went down into the basin quickly and ended up spearing an apple. “Yarr hardy harr harr! No! Spearin' me treasure don't count. Get bobbin'!”

Which left the last colt, a little troublemaker by the name of Dark Floor or Dark Pores. No wait, or was it Cores? Ahh well, she didn't deal much with him. He wasn't especially nefarious, just a little stinker. He was dressed like a yellow nightmare. “Well, look at you! We could string you up as a light to guide me ship through tha maelstorm! Whatcha say, mateys?!” She said to her backing crew, who all yarr'd their agreement. “So, you think yer stallion enough ta get me treasure? Then get over ta mah basins and bob for it! Make sure ta stand!”

 

 

Rin- Three posts, one pink apple, six candies!
Xieye- Three posts, one red apple, four candies!

[PyroBlaze]

Xiêyè put the candies away with the apple still in his mouth, giving a small bow in return for the, essentially, free food. With that taken care of, he tossed the apple into the air, drawing a sword and slashing it in half. Both halves landed on the flat of the blade, and he looked over to Rin again. 

 

"<I wear it so I am ready if a threat arises. Farewell, Rin-san.>" Xiêyè said, giving her a nod before heading off down the road. 

 

(Exit)

[Lux]

"Err... sorry Apple... I mean Aye Aye Captain!" Guiding Light said as he pried off the skewered apple from his horn then dove in the same barrel for another apple. For the life of him, he couldn't seem to grab one! Maybe it was the helmet getting in the way. Nevertheless, he finally lunged for one with his teeth and came up with an apple in his mouth! 

 

"Tho... those this thake he a thinner?" 

 

(Translation: "So does this make me a winner?")

[Dubstep]

While everypony else was taking the turns bobbing for the apples, Dark Core was taking his turn at judging their costumes. Not one, in his mind, even began to measure up to his. Sure he had to bother Glitzen for some sewing lessons months prior to get things started, but it was still by his hoof that it was brought into this world! It was just as gloriously eeeeevil as he was! No one could tell him otherwise. Not even Discord himself...okay maybe he would listen to Discord a little bit...

"Muda..." the colt mumbled to himself as the 'Oh so scary' Dread Pirate and her band of misfits addressed him. The unicorn smirked and took off his coat as he approached a basin. "Child's play, truly." Dark said with a smirk, tossing his coat onto the head of one of AJ's crew, who just kind of stood there and sighed in exasperation. With a pop of his neck and a streeeetch, the colt snatched up the blindfold before the mare would have a chance to put it on him and tied it tightly around his eyes. "I'll be getting the greatest treasure of all!"

With a great deep breath, Dark dove his head under the water. He played along a bit, as though he truly were bothering to go for an apple, but it was time to set the plan in motion. Letting out a burst of breath and a 'frightened gasp into the water to make a dramatic stream of bubbles, the colt started to flail around before biting into the capsule in his mouth, letting the fake blood flow into the water. He kept the flailing up for a brief moment before falling limp with his head under the water. Dark knew full well how to hold his breath long enough, getting dunked in fountains back in Stalliongrad taught him that.

[SteelEagle]

Guiding Light gave it another go, which worked well since he was giving the Dread Captain her proper respect! Well, at least somepony tonight was. She was starting to wonder if dressing up this year was worth it, or if running this theme with a character was a good idea. She expected more comments on the pirate ship! Oh well. Eventually he went back in after giving a hearty aye aye, and returned with a good prize for his honest efforts. A green apple wasn't anything to take lightly! "Yarr harr harr, at least somepony has respect! Here you go, little guard," she said with no small amount of fake, playful scorn as she hoofed over five pieces of candy.

 

The second colt went into it with gusto, but something went wrong. He 'gasped' and flailed wildly for a second before going limp, with the water starting to turn red moments afterwards. Her ears pinned back ever so briefly before she leaped over there, bending over the basin and grabbing a hold- wait a minute, that wasn't the right color. She worked on a farm and had seen blood plenty of times and was no stranger to the scent or sight of it. She sniffed it- no, didn't have that metallic screech to it that blood does. Nor did it seem to color well inside of the water. Perhaps outside of the water such capsules worked fine but the dilution of the water changed the shading of the color until it was lesser than blood would have been. 

 

She put one hood on his neck to feel his pulse- still there. Why, this little feller was trying to play a fast one on her! Good on him. At least somepony was working hard this year to really put the spooks into ponies. She smirked and then winked at her pirates, mouthing the words 'faker'. She then pulled her arm away from him, leaving him exactly where he was. "Yarr harr harr! Appears that tha deadly Apple Barracudas got to him! Hardy harr harr! Y'all better learn from him and take this seriously or tha barracudas'll GETCHA!" She said, leaning softly against the basin. Two can play at this game, sugarcube.


Guding Light: Two candies, two posts, green apple worth two candies, one extra! 5 candies!

[Lux]

"Great! Thanks, Captain!" Guiding Light said as he accepted his candy. For a moment he noticed the blood coming from the other barrel of apples with another's pony's head in it, but Applejack was there to assist. The stallion merely shrugged and went about his way back to town for more fun. 

 

(Exit Guiding Light)