Celestia's Finest: Nightmare Night Bash!

[DigoDragon]

The doorway out is behind the chocolate altar. It has a...suspicious slope leading downwards towards a very out-of-place exit sign.

"He shows up at official functions around the court," Red Tape says, looking around, "State dinners and the like. He keeps things...interesting. I think everyone at the EDF has met him, er, once or twice." Under his breath, he mutters, "Me more than most."

"Hmm. Guess my sis is an exception. Something I got over her for once," Scarlet comments. She swishes her tail, as if meeting Discord before her sister was finally something going her way. "Well, RT, this looks like the exit, but it looks like a playground slide and... well a bit out of place so I imagine it drops us off somewhere... chaotically."

[D.KnightSpider]

It's hard not to be infected with Rem's positive energy-- not that Longshot is particularly trying.

"You're probably going to explode once we get to the buffet." He comments.

He follows Rem into the other room and takes a look around the Indiana Pones reproduction. Sigh. The entire situation created a certain expectation. An expectation that Discord was most likely going to dash into itsy-bitsy pieces. 'Itsy-bitsy' being a technical term.

"I'm usually the fastest of the group." Longshot snaps his wings to hover off the ground. "Should I grab the... 'Idolle of Chokolate' while every pony else prepares to run from any impending boulder drop?"

[DigoDragon]

"Hey, you two," Scarlet greets. "Well, if you want to grab the prize, sure. I was about to jump in anyway, so you can count off if you want to."

[Elbeyon]

Maze

Love gives Munes a concerned look. "A pony can get used to a lot."

That's everyone sounding off on food. "Food!"

HoloLove steps on her tipy hoofs and needles the ground as she 'Swish, Slowshes' around. Rem's vigor causes Love to cackle and smile.

"It's a whole new world!"

She says to Longshot, "That does sound fun."

She says to Scarlet, "Four!"

She notes, "I can't carry the Idolle without slowing to a crawl. I have no body." Love puts a hoof through her head.

She chuckles. "Munes! Take me with you." HoloLove hugs her and the BugBot lands on her coat so they can travel together.

She says to Longshot, "You have the lead, Longshot!"

Party

Love rubs her chin. "This is tougher than I thought."

She pumps her hoof. "We're not going to give up so easily! Tonight is Nightmare Night!"

She says to Happy, "I could have some fried carrots myself. I'm going to guess she isn't the foodie type. Maybe, we can find something she super likes while we finish eating!"

Love waves a hoof over the table. A screen appears in the seat next to Love. "Would you like to play a game. I have everything." Love raises a hoof. The screen starts cycling through traditional games, board games, video games, and all types of games. She waits for the initial answer or a few seconds before turning to Star.

She leans over to Star and whispers in her ear, "Sunshine, I have a secret to share with you. It's a secret you and I should keep close to ourselves. The person in front of us is the Grim Reaper. Why don't you look at her again?" Love rubs Star's shoulder. A light smile adorned on her face.

[D.KnightSpider]

"Alright, then... places every pony."

Longshot will give the others an opportunity to get a head start. Then, upon Love finishing the countdown, he'll grab the Idolle of Chokolate.

[DigoDragon]

Scarlet gets ready to jump down.

[Miltonian]

"I wouldn't put it past Discord to have that lead to a ball pit where all the balls complain about you moving them," Red Tape says drolly.

--

Rem grins back at Longshot. "I'll try to contain myself," she says with a slight giggle.

Everyone gathers in the room, waiting for Longshot to make a grab at it. There is a tense air of excitement in the room. All he has to do is reach out and touch it for things to kick off, so to speak.

---

"It is," Death agrees, "The one night I do not seem out of place. Not that anyone notices me anyway."

Happy nods and leaps to her hooves. "I'll get her a little of everything!" She races off.

Death stares at the screen, neither entranced nor repulsed by them. "What is the purpose of these games?" she asks.

Star frowns for a moment, but nods. "Yes, I suppose her costume does resemble the Grim Reaper a little," she says. Love's words did not break through.

[Elbeyon]

Maze

Love focuses on the path to follow. The idea causes her tail to wag.

"6 Loves!"
"5 Scarlets!"
"4 Red Tapes!"
"3 Munes!"
"2 Longshots!"
"1 Rems!"

"Prepare yourself, Munes!" Love smiles real big. "We might have to dash to our dine!"

[D.KnightSpider]

Longshot reaches out to touch the idol so as to kick things off.

[DigoDragon]

Scarlet goes for the exit.

[Elbeyon]

Party

Love isn't breaking Star's denial that easily. "She really does." Love resumes eating.

There Happy goes - off to save the world.

She says to Death, "I would find that frustrating. I'm glad you got my attention. Feel free to visit me in the future."

"Games are art! They can have any purpose. They draw out a pony's emotions. Let them have a good time. Twists their mind with a puzzle. Help them relax after a long day. My friend, Longshot, is the board game player of the group. He is always kicking my flank at chess." Love puts a chess board in the middle of the table. "Don't get me wrong! I love playing board games. The haunted mansion is always a good one!" The board changes to a creepy mansion before fading to a stack of tile pieces. Though, I'm better at video games. There are even dancing games!" Love holos a dancing pad onto the table and smiles. "This one: You have to press these pads with your hoofs that correspond to moving arrows on the screen with perfect timing!"

[Miltonian]

The moment Longshot touches the idol, a slot in the ceiling opens up. A black, round, metal ball drops down in front of the door they entered by. Two eyes open and a wide, toothy mouth splits the front. The eyes roam about and focus on him. "Arf arf!" it cries and begins to roll his way.

The ponies jump down the slide and zoom away! With another "Arf! Arf!" the not-boulder follows them. They slide and slide and slide, but it seems to be catching up...

--

Death studies the board offered to her. "Hmm. I see. And what is the, I believe it's called, 'object' of this particular game? This 'chess'?"

[D.KnightSpider]

Okaaaaaaay. That wasn't scary so much as just plain weird. He hops onto the slide and hopes for the best.

"Well, I'm open to ideas." Longshot shouts to the others.

He hefts the idol to get a feel for the weight. Maybe...

[DigoDragon]

"I don't know! Throw the chocolate at it something. Maybe it'll go fetch it instead of us!"

[Elbeyon]

Maze

That's an energetic boulder! "Jump!" Love sticks close to Munes and 'jumps' with her. She wraps her in a hug as they go sliding down the slope. "Weeee!", she screams until Longshot gets her attention. She looks back at the ball.

"Ideas are in demand! I'd say we should hold a summit, but that's just put us back where we started!"

"I don't know any tricks, but maybe he does!"

Love puts a hoof to her mouth and yells, "Roll over!" Beat. "I can't tell if he's listening." She tries a different command, "Sit!" She pauses for a response, and if that's not working says, "Lay down!"

Party

"Chess?" Love smiles real big. Death showed an interesting in a game! Time to pan for gold. The pad changes back into a chess board. The pieces are very ornate. The white pieces face Love and the black Death. "The goal of chess, the way to win the game, is to capture the opposing person's king. I think chess is best when played with two players, but there are lots of variants to the rules. All the different shaped pieces move in unique ways. It can be fun crafting a strategy against the other player's strategy. There is a good bit of thinking and skill involved. That's one of the reasons why it's so popular. It pits brain against brain!"

[Miltonian]

Weird? It's almost as if Discord conjured this whole thing. The chocolate idol is pretty weighty. About the size and heft of a high school sports trophy.

"Arf! Arf!" the boulder barks.

"AHHHHHHHH!" Sandy screams, eyes fixed on the slide ahead.

Red Tape has a slightly manic grin on his face. Looks like someone would be fun to have on roller coasters.

Rem's eyes, however, are quite wide. "I...I...Longshot? My stomach feels funny."

The boulder is already rolling. It tries to sit and keeps rolling. It tries to lay down and keeps rolling. Its spherical body is capable of exactly one thing right now: rolling.

----

"Brain against brain?" Death says, "I suppose those without them are excluded from play?" She studies the pieces rapidly. A hoof reaches out and she touches the board. Her eyes flare for a moment and she nods. "I think I understand."

[DigoDragon]

Scarlet leans into the slide and keeps going as there's really a lack of options at this point for her other than riding gravity.

[D.KnightSpider]

Discord had a claw/paw in this? Never would have guessed.

There's not else to do but ride this crazy slide to the end of the line and it's embarrassing end. Oh, right. This was a first for Rem...

"Deep breaths!" Longshot calls over to Rem. "Remember gravity? You're falling faster than the contents of your stomach which is why it feels weird. Try not to panic and focus on something else, everything will be fine!"

He hopes, anyway. Longshot preps for some emergency aerobatics if necessary.

[Elbeyon]

Maze

She keeps holding Munes, "Oh, I like that scream better! AHHHHH!"

Love looks around for anything that could help them.

Spoiler: Roll

Show

(3d6)[9] vs 13 (Perception)

[Miltonian]

Rem takes a deep breath and groans. "Oh, so this is what they mean when they say 'I'm going to be sick'," she says.

Sandy continues her scream, clinging to Love as they slide down, down, down...

A flashing neon sign appears up ahead that reads "Prepare to Jump!" Other than that, it's a straight shaft, though it does bend up rather sharply up ahead.

Spoiler

Show

I will need an Acrobatics check. Digo, use whatever you think is appropriate for Scarlet.

[DigoDragon]

Scarlet is not a very athletic pony! She attempts to make the jump, but...

Spoiler

Show

Scarlet is probably defaulting with an average Dex!

(3d6)[10]

[D.KnightSpider]

"Unfortunately, yes, and it's about to get worse." Longshot points a hoof toward their untimely end. "You might want to grab onto me."

He moves forward into a crouch and prepares to spring into flight. It's Rem's choice whether to try and make it on her own or no...

Spoiler: Rolls!

Show

Attempting to substitute Aerobatics for Acrobatics.
(3d6)[3][5][4](12) VS 16

Otherwise, the Acrobatics Default is DX-6, which in Longshot's case is 7.

Never mind, see Elbeyon's note?

[Elbeyon]

Spoiler: Aerobatics

Show

Good news! Aerobatics and Acrobatics default to each other at -4.

Maze

"I can't tell if the boulder is listening to me! I feel like I"m talking to a brick ball!"

Love panics at hearing a very sickening detail. "No, don't get sick Rem!"

HoloLove tries her best to not clip through Munes as they cling to each other. Love tells Munes, "The flashing sign said: Prepare to Jump! You jump with style, and I'll follow right behind you!"

Party

Love waves her hoof to dismiss the idea. "No, no. Everyone is welcome to play. There are no physical requirements." Love is entertained by the question. "Technically, I don't have a brain." Love chuckles at the thought. "And, I'd like to play."

Love studies Death while she eyes the board and reaches out to touch it. She nibbles her lips at her reaction. Is Death some type of super genius?

A nibbling goes into a hay burger.

"How much do you understand? Would you like me to explain the rules?"

[Miltonian]

The slide slips past and jumps over a small gap to freedom! A shining door.

Scarlet leaps, but her legs slip out from under her and she falls down into the Pit instead! Darkness swallows her and she hears Discord's cold laughter echoing in her ears.

Sandy jumps with all her might and clears the gap! Love lands on top of her. Longshot also makes it, his wings voiding the need for Acrobatics. However, his roll is enough to assist Rem across. Red Tape scrambles and plummets off the side without even managing to jump. He falls down into the Pit as well. The Boulder rolls off the edge and falls down after him.

Right as Scarlet thinks her heart is going to stop, she lands in a pool filled not with water but with foam balls. Red Tape lands beside her. The Boulder does not reappear. A sign that says, "Thanks for Playing!" hangs above a door to the outside.

Red Tape groans and looks around. "...I think we're in the barn."

--

"No. I understand," Death says. She eyes Love and smiles, an expression that comes surprisingly naturally to her. Though to be fair, if she appears as a skull most of the time, she's got a lot of practice grinning. "I believe you have the first move."

Star looks at the board and sighs. "Chess? At a party?"

[DigoDragon]

Scarlet is shocked for a few seconds. It passes and she starts to chuckle. "Stars and moon, I was scared out of my wits for a moment there! Guess you were right about the ball pit."

She tosses a couple balls around then hugs RT. "That was fun . Come on, let's see what the Apple family has for drinks."

Scarlet swims her way to the exit out of this barn.

[Elbeyon]

Party

Love says amused, "Oh, this should be good!" She can feel a good flank kicking coming her way.

She cheers, "I'm ready!" Love chuckles, "You're a very quick learner. White does go first." She says more serious, "I gave myself white so I could explain the rules during my first turn. I wasn't looking to give myself the first-move advantage. I figured our game was a tutorial game."

She 'picks up' a holo pawn. "Pawn e2 to e4."

She rubs her mane. "Sorry about not having a physical board. I didn't plan for a chess game. I'll see what I can do about getting a board while we play."

Love munches on her burger.

She says to Star, "It is unusual." Everything about today is unusual. It's been a wild party. "I don't need a body to play chess." They've been looking forward to tonight. They should do things together. "I want myself and body to stay by your side. There is so much to do. There are so many games to play. Tonight is ours to seize!"

[D.KnightSpider]

With Rem in tow, Longshot charges through the shining door to the unknown!

[Elbeyon]

Sweet wastelander athletic ability! The BugBot holds tight to Sandy, and HoloLove screams the entire way through the door.

[Miltonian]

Red Tape shakes his head to clear it. "A drink does sound nice right now," he admits. With only a little trouble, he scrambles out of the ball pit and joins Scarlet at the door.

As for the others, they step through the shining door in front of them and find themselves standing next to Red Tape and Scarlet, all of them exiting through the barn door at the same time. Sandy breathes a sigh of relief. "So assuming we didn't just jump into a whole other world, we should be at the party now, yeah?"

--

"Physicality is overrated," Death says, "Truly, it is. The ability to move matter around is insignificant, in the grand scheme of things."

She makes her first move and the game progresses quickly from there. Love finds herself outthought and outflanked at every turn as Death inexorably close in on victory.

Star watches for a few turns before she rises. "Well! I'm going to go bobbing for apples. You're welcome to join me, Love, if you can find another one of you to man the game here."

[D.KnightSpider]

"That seems to be about the sum of it." Longshot replies. "And I rather hope we didn't just switch realities."

He glances at Rem and the others. "Who's ready for some food? How's the stomach, Rem?"

The Idolle of Chokolat is wordlessly handed over to Scarlet.