Knights and Nightmares

Deep within the Everfree Forest, a violent storm is brewing. The winds are howling, and droplets of rain pound along the forest floor. Hiding from the storm, the traveling magician: Trixie Lulamoon, has found refuge within her carriage. Using her magic, she strikes a match and lights several candles around her carriage. She blows out the flame of the match with one quick blow, and smiles as she enjoys the sounds of the storm. The warming, orange glow from the candles illuminates all of the clutter within her carriage. Trixie takes a good, long look at the array of wooden chests, random assortments of fabric, fireworks and other sorts of things she would use for her performances. “Hmm,” Trixie ponders with her hoof under her chin. “Perhaps it’s time Trixie tidy this place up a bit.” A sudden flash of white light slips through the cracks of the wood that make up her carriage, and is followed by a deafening crash of thunder. Trixie’s eyes widen as she gasps from fright, but quickly feels foolish for having been startled by something so ordinary. Just as she is about to dismiss her embarrassment, she hears a series of knocks at her carriage door. She turns to the door, confused and quivering. “W-Who could possibly be out in this storm? And why did they have to come to ‘Trixie’s’ carriage?!” She panics in a low tone of voice. The knocking continues, forcing Trixie to take action. “J-Just one minute!” Cautiously, she turns the handle of her carriage door. She can feel sweat starting to form at the base of her forehead as the anxiety starts to weigh down on her shoulders. Not wanting to delay it any longer, she slowly opens the door as the rain starts to pour in from the outside.

“Trixie!” A series of voices exclaims, causing Trixie to scream with fright. She slams the door out of impulse, then realizes that the voices that called her name weren’t of a very sinister nature at all. She opens the door back up, and sees a young trio of fillies shivering as their soaking manes droop over their faces.

“H-Hey there, Trixie!” One of the fillies greets.

“Who are you three?” Trixie asks. “And how do you know Trixie’s name?!”

“. . . It’s written all over your carriage.”

“Oh. . . Well, so it is. Nonetheless, who are you? And what brings you here?”

“Uh, you don’t remember us?”

“Not at all.”

“I’m Apple Bloom, this is Scootaloo and Sweetie Belle.” The other two fillies smile and wave their hooves. “We’re the Cutie Mark Crusaders?”

“Nope. Still nothing.”

“You came to Ponyville not too long ago.”

“Maybe Trixie did. Maybe she didn’t.”

“Do you at least remember Twilight?”

“Her!” Trixie immediately fumes, sending the three fillies into a fright as they huddle near each other. “Yes. . . How could Trixie forget?”

“Um . . . good! So, you remember us then?”

“Which one of you is Scootaloop again?”

“Um,” one of the other fillies raises her hoof. “It’s Scootaloo.”

“That is neither here nor there—regardless! What is it you three could possibly need from The Great and Powerful Trixie?”

“Well,” Apple Bloom begins. “We’re kinda stuck in the middle of this storm, and Ponyville is a bit of a ways away from here.”

“Uh-huh.”

“So, when we saw your carriage, we were kinda hopin’ you might . . . let us stay with you until the storm is over?” Trixie ponders as she looks to the trembling fillies. She knows she doesn’t want children messing about with her precious belongings, but the helpless looks on their faces overcome her.

“Oh. . ! Very well,” Trixie finally gives in. “You may stay.” Upon hearing her answer, the three fillies let out a joyful cheer. “But as soon as the storm is over, you have to promise that you’ll head straight back to where you came from!”

“We swear!” The fillies smile with one hoof placed over their chests.

“Alright, come inside.” In a puff of smoke, the fillies dash inside so fast that Trixie’s mane blows across her face. Bitterly, Trixie closes the door and turns in shock to find the fillies running loose in her carriage. Like mice, they skitter across the room from corner to corner investigating anything that catches their interest.

“Hey! These look cool!” says Scotaloo as she holds up a bundle of fireworks. “Can we light some of these?”

“Not if you want to burn us all to the ground!” says Trixie as she swipes the fireworks from Scootaloo’s hooves.

“Hey, guys!” Sweetie Belle calls from across the carriage. “Check this out!” Trixie and Scootaloo turn to see Sweetie Belle dressed in one of Trixie’s extra outfits. The violet cap and cape are clearly too big for her as she lifts the brim of the cap up from her eyes. “I, The Great and Powerful Sweetie, shall dazzle your eyes with magic you’ve never seen before! The Great and Powerful Sweetie will show you just how great and powerful Sweetie . . . is! Gather around me—I mean, Sweetie! Gee, it’s hard to talk like this.”

“The Great and Powerful Trixie does ‘not’ speak that way!”

“Actually, you kinda do,” says Scootaloo.

“Do not correct Trixie! And you! Give back Trixie’s uniform!” Trixie lunges towards Sweetie Belle who giggles as she hops out of the way. Trixie slides across the floor, growling from frustration. “Trixie demands you relinquish her clothing!” she declares as she gets back up to her hooves.

“Never!” Sweetie Belle retorts, following it up with laughter. As Trixie chases Sweetie Belle around the carriage, Apple Bloom is rummaging through one of Trixie’s dusty, old chests. Her eyes widen with intrigue as she pulls out a thin, ornate-looking, wooden box with the words: Knights and Nightmares, embossed on it in shiny, golden lettering.

“Hey, Trixie! What’s this?” Apple Bloom asks as she shows the box. Levitating Sweetie Belle in the air by her magic, Trixie scowls as her as Sweetie Belle smiles nervously. Trixie removes her extra set of clothes off of Sweetie and sets her down.

“Oh, what could it possibly be now?” Trixie asks in a huff. Upon noticing the box in Apple Bloom’s hooves, she walks over to get a closer look. Both Scootaloo and Sweetie Belle join as they examine the box curiously.

“Woah! This thing looks ancient!” Scootaloo comments. “Trixie must be real old if she has something like this lying around.”

“Trixie is far from old!”

“What is this thing, Trixie?” Sweetie Belle asks.

“Probably dinosaur bones,” says Scootaloo.

“Why dinosaur bones?” Apple Bloom asks.

“Because Trixie’s old.”

“For the last time!” Trixie yells. “Trixie is not old!” Trixie uses her magic to take the box from Apple Bloom’s hooves as she walks over to the other side of the carriage. “It’s a surprise to see this again. Trixie thought she had lost this years ago.”

“What is it?!” Apple Bloom trots towards Trixie in excitement.

“It’s a board game I used to play when I was young. It’s a game about action, adventure, choices and chance. Not to mention the horrifying creatures to be met on your perilous journey as you tried to save the kingdom from evil.” The fillies’ faces all light up with joy. “Just looking at this thing reminds Trixie of all the adventures she had back in the day,” she sighs, “At least, when she had somepony else to play with.”

“Can we play?!” The fillies suggest in unison.

“Knock yourselves out.” Trixie uses her magic to levitate the board game back into Apple Bloom’s hooves as their faces appear somewhat disappointed.

“But. . .” Scootaloo begins. “We don’t know how to play.”

“There should be an instruction booklet in there somewhere.”

“Can’t you just teach us?”

Trixie groans. “Fine. If it’ll keep you three out of Trixie’s mane for a while.” Trixie opens up the wooden box to reveal a game board, multiple-sided dice, and many little figurines along with a couple of booklets.

“Woah, look at all this stuff!”

“Now, the first thing you’re going to want to do is create your own character to play as.” Trixie uses her magic to open up a drawer from the other side of the carriage and lift out a few scraps of paper. “Your character can be a boy, girl, pony, unicorn, zebra, griffin—whatever you wish.” Trixie pulls out a pencil and begins writing on each sheet of paper. “Your characters are going to have five statistics: Health Points, Magic Points, Agility Points, Strength Points and Knowledge Points.”

“Well, how do we know how many points our characters have?” Sweetie Belle asks.

“For the sake of argument, all of you will have twenty Health Points. As for the others, you’ll have twenty more points to play with. So, by the end, your four statistics should add up to twenty. After you’ve gotten those numbers, go ahead and think of a few of weapons and/or abilities specific to your characters. Make sense?”

“Umm. . .”

“Good!” Trixie gives them all their own sheet of paper. “Once you’ve all gotten that settled, then you’ll be ready to play. While you do that, Trixie’s going to try and tidy up her living space.” Instantly, the three fillies get to work on their characters, and Trixie relishes the fact that they’re occupied with something. “There, that should keep their little minds busy for a while.”

“Finished!” the fillies shout in unison as they hold up their sheets of paper.

“Curse children’s imaginations,” Trixie mutters under her breath. “Alright, let Trixie see what you’ve come up with.” Trixie walks over to them and angrily swipes the papers from them as their faces beam. “Impossible! How could you three have done this so fast? Not only that, but you’ve drawn pictures as well?”

“Yeah!” Apple Bloom cheers. “My character’s name is Redwood Orchard. She’s a cowgirl-slash-ninja armed with an unbreakable lasso, throwing knives, and—since she’s also a ninja—is super quick and stealthy! She’s been cursed by a witch, and can morph with the shadows to conceal her body, and move around unnoticed. Her highest statistic is agility, while her lowest is knowledge.” The picture Apple Bloom drew depicts a mare dressed in a black, wide-brimmed hat, cape and scarf.

“Oh, my turn!” Scootaloo waves her hoof for attention. “My character’s name is Marigold Wings. She’s an earth pony, but is so brilliant that she’s built these mechanical wings giving her the ability to fly. Her wings can also be used as weapons since their razor sharp, and since she’s a genius, she’s also invented a device attached to her foreleg that can fire off bolts of lightning! Her highest statistic is knowledge, while her lowest is magic.” The picture Scootaloo drew depicts a mare wearing an intricately drawn pair of mechanical wings that are strapped to her back like a backpack.

“Me next!” Sweetie Belle declares. “My character’s name is Aloe Vera, and she comes from a faraway land where the trees are so tall they almost touch the sky! She’s not a pony, she’s a deer! She’s so in tune with nature, that she’s able to use it to her advantage. She can cast spells, but not like a unicorn. Instead, she uses her singing to do all sorts of magical things! I’ve written down a list of spells she can cast. I wasn’t sure how many I was allowed to write, so I just wrote until I ran out of ideas.”

“I see. . .” Trixie skims her paper in shock.

“As for weapons, she has a bag full of many different kinds of seeds that can be used offensively or defensively, a canteen of water to grow the seeds—which grow super-fast—and jars of magical powder for casting spells! Oh, and her highest statistic is magic, while her lowest is strength.” The picture Sweetie Belle drew depicts a lovely doe adorned with all sorts of beaded necklaces and bracelets.

“Trixie . . . is . . . dumbfounded! There is absolutely no possible way you all could’ve thought of all of these details over the span of a few seconds!”

“But we did,” Scootaloo puts it bluntly.

Trixie thumps her forehead with her hoof. “Very well! Your characters are impressive—now go ahead and start playing. One of you will have to be The Overseer of the game for this to work, however.”

“What’s an overseer?” Apple Bloom asks.

“The Overseer is who controls the story your characters go through. The places you visit, the enemies you fight, and the main villain at the end are all determined by The Overseer.”

“. . . Trixie?”

“Trixie already knows the question you are about to ask, and the answer is no.”

“Aw, come on!” The fillies whine and whimper.

“Look, Trixie doesn’t wish to be involved in that old, childish game. You three will have to decide amongst yourselves who will be The Overseer.”

“Come on, Trixie! Play with us!” Sweetie Belle begs.

“Yeah!” Apple Bloom adds. “You said you haven’t played the game because you didn’t have anypony to play with, right?

“. . . Trixie may have said that,” Trixie murmurs.

“Well, now you can play with us! It’ll be fun!” Trixie bites her lip, reluctant to give them a definitive answer. Trixie opens her mouth to respond, but struggles to form words as her eyes dart around the room.

“P-Perhaps . . . Trixie could—”

“She won’t play because she’s old,” says Scootaloo.

“Okay! That does it! I will be your Overseer, and we are playing this game!” Trixie stomps her hoof. In a flash, she hurries over and plants her rump near the game board.

“Yes!” the three fillies celebrate in unison as they gather and sit on the opposite side of the board. Trixie concentrates as her horn starts to glow. In a burst of light, Trixie manages to create three small figurines that resemble the drawings the fillies made of their characters.

“Woah, cool,” says Scootaloo.

“They look just like our characters!” says Apple Bloom.

“Now,” says Trixie. “Let the game begin.”