The Haunted House: Part 3: Research Center Attack

[Bardigan]

"So you're saying something's actually *in* the town?" Bardigan says as he canters along Fluttershy. The two of them jog along the darkened streets of Ponyville, trying to see what they can do about... whatever it is Fluttershy's trying to tell him. The streets are oddly dark for Nightmare Night, and the trick-or-treaters aren't paying them any heed, which suits Bardigan just fine. They need time and a place to figure something out. After what happened in Skyheart's house, anything could be going on in this town. "We need to find help! Maybe... maybe somepony can tell us what's going on. The research center? They have smart ponies there, delving into mysteries and whatnot!"

Dusk is inside the Center, having been restored after the "paradox vine" incident. He's wearing protective dark goggles and back to working on some of his special magic-reacting compounds. Those that have been around the Center the last month or so quite probably have seen Dusk working on one variation or another, and testing different magics upon it. He has about four different ones. From previous tests ponies have seen one creating flashes of light so intense it turned everything it touched white and all else appear black by contract. Another reaction created a high pitched sound and another even time-effecting bubble when interected with the paradox effect. He's carefully mixing and messuring them, pouring them into some sort of encasing with a measured flame under it.

"Yes! I mean, I-I dunno!" says Fluttershy to her companions. "All I know if that the strange pony came and told me we had to save the town from some 'idea'." She canters smoothly through the Center's automatic door and nearly shrieks again when she sees the big, looming shape surrounded by strange flashes and magic auras, but - "O-oh, it's only Dusk..."

Angel is riding on Fluttershy's back, sitting there eating more candy corn. He liked this particular vegimal.

Bardigan bumps right into Fluttershy when she stops at the sight of the unicorn fiddling with magic and beakers and other things above his level of comprehension. He looks around the center curiously, having only peeked his head in once or twice before. "Um... sir?" he asks quietly, coughing into his hoof. "Sir? Dusk? Terribly... *Terribly* sorry to interrupt your... whatever it is. But we've run into a bit of trouble..."
<OOC> Fluttershy says, "(oof)"

Solar_Solstice huffs as he arrives at the MGC's door, glancing around. Wow, it looks way creepier at night. "Ugh...Dusk, I don't suppose...you can help us with...this problem?"

Chance takes notes of Dusk's experiments, and fetches materials when needed. He tries to keep things clean and organized so Mirage won't have to worry when she gets back.

Chance takes notes of Dusk's experiments, and fetches materials when needed. He tries to keep things clean and organized so Mirage won't have to worry when she gets back. He's also Dusk's test subject.. if needed. He glances up at Fluttershy's voice and offers her and Bardigan a friendly smile, but as they seem to be worried about something, he defers the speaking to Dusk.

Derpy stands outside the Center and patiently knocks three times on the door. (knock knock knocn)

<OOC> Derpy says, "That last knocn? Was secret spell."
<OOC> Angel laughs

Dusk is quite engrossed in the work, seeming to be very careful. He doesn't even make heed when the new ponies arrive. But at the sound of Fluttershy's tiny shriek he's momentarily startled, stopping when he's doing, the magics almost instantly fading. But the little shriek seems to echo a few in the Center. Dusk turns from Chance and the experiment to look at the new arrivals. "Oh! Lady Fluttershy, and Mr. Bardigan. What brings you out? I'm afraid I'm a little busy to join in the festivities just now, but perhaps in a short while." He listens to Baridan and Solar, "Problem? Like a math problem, hopefully?" His ears perk as there's a knock at the door behind the three arrivals.

Fluttershy steps forward (for a change). "Oh, Dush. I-it's awful. First a strange pony came to my door and told me there was an 'idea' loose that I had to make everypony forget, a-and I think both she and her bunny were...were *ghosts*. And then it got darker than we've ever seen it before, a-and we found Skyheart cocooned by a Changeling-" Slow down, Fluttershy.

Angel gives a slight lifting of one ear at his owner's squeak. Seems he was used to that. Besides, if it was anything really frightening they would be inside a bush or a cabinet by now. He sits up a bit to see better, waving a little paw to Dusk and Chance, chewing on his candy corn. Wait, bunny ghost? pausing to listen a bit more closely now.

BlueFeather thinks this is the perfict opertunity to sneak out and grab more paper. She does not mind if theres writing on one side, she will just flip it over and write on the other side. A small pile of Dusk's and Chance's notes disapear in this manor

"Yes, yes... some very weird, very *dangerous* things are happening right now, and Fluttershy thinks she's seen a ghost!" Bardigan tries to say after Fluttershy is done. "We-" And then Derpy knock knock knocns, and he turns to let her in. "Derpy? Thank goodness you're here. Come inside. It's not safe out there!"

Derpy winces at the story of Skyheart. Her nose is wrinkled in consternation. "Coc-oon? Changele-ingg??" She stands in the entrance and glances left and right nervously. "Where is?? Have been chas-ed." She accepts Bardigan's invitation and trots inside.

Solar_Solstice finally manages to catch all of his breath. "Hey, hey! We need to isolate just what the problem is! Maybe...maybe Dusk can bring some of his instruments so we can investigate that house, Flutters?"

Chance furrows his brow a bit. "What kind of dangerous things? Is it harming any ponies?" he inquires. He tilts his head to Dusk. "Should we investigate?"

"Not that we know of," Bardigan answers. "But if what Fluttershy said is any indication, pretty soon it's going to *start.*"

Dusk gives a polite and formal nod to the bunny, magicing him over a baby carrort before turning to Fluttershy as she steps up and seems quite excited. "Easy there, Lady Fluttershy." He smiles reassuringly to try and help calm her. "That's a lot of stuff going on. But really, there are no such things are actual ghosts, my lady. But I do believe you spoke to somepony. What's this about an.. 'idea'? And yes, like Mr. Chance says, what's supposedly dangerous. Well the changelings are an obvious one! And what house?" He turns to keep track of the work he'd doing as it's already heating and he doesn't want to stop without ruining it. He mixes in another measured amount of the materials into the heated cast. "Hmmm where are those notes for the concentration levels, Mr. Chance? I'll need those."

Fluttershy shakes her head. "I don't know. A-all I know is that, whoever it was, she said only I'm kind enough to see her, and that I have to make sure everypony forgets so the idea will go back where it belongs...and to follow the screams." She glances back, making room for Derpy.

Angel flicks an ear. Why would ghosts come to them? Averroes wasn't exactly your most fierce of bunny ghosts either.

Derpy looks a little lost in all the consideration and confusion. She hesitates, patting her muffin satchel with her wing. And she follows along with the crowd. She seems less than satisfied, though.

BlueFeather is already rather busy writing something on the backs of those notes, perhaps she’s started a journal, after all she does write pretty well, even if its in block print, not cursive.

Chance says "They.. were just here." Chance glances around the table, looking through the notes, then spots BlueFeather doing something with some paper. He gives out a light chuckle, a shake of his head, and trots over to Blue. "Blue, Dusk and I need those notes so he doesn't accidently blow something up or ruin his experiment."

Solar_Solstice frowns. "Well...whoever that is, /it/ is, we've gotta figure a way to flush them out....I think." He seems so overwhelmed by all this!

"Here now! I've met some weird things in my life too!" Bardigan says, trying to back up fluttershy on her claims in the face of Dusk's rationalism. "There's something strange going on! Have you seen how dark it is out there? It's a full moon with few clouds and somehow we aren't getting enough light." He chews his lip and turns to Derpy, putting a hoof on her shoulder. "Are you all right? I haven't seen you since that changeling attack..."

Dusk hmms and nods. "So.. We need to find this idea, so we can forget the idea? Well that certainly sounds quite sagely. So far the only scream I've heard was your little one, Lady Fluttershy." He smiles as Derpy comes by, "Well here is a friendly face. Welcome, Lady Derpy. I don't believe we have any Changelings here. Well at least that we know of. Did you come by for something as well?" He glances over to Chance and Blue, giving a shake of his head. All while listening to Solar and Bardigan, and paying attention to his work. He mixes some more of the thick clear liquid from a couple of the flasks, marking off the new measuring point. The cast can be seen to slightly glow from the heat applied. "Well I haven't been out, but there can be explanations for that. I hear Princess Luna may be under the weather. Perhaps that has something to do with it." He glances back to his work and mmms, glancing over to Chance and Blue again. He is going to need those.

Derpy bursts out in response to Bardigan and Dusk's mention of Changelings with aggravation and frustration. "Was at-TAACK!!" She rears up and beats her wings. "No one come to saave! Change-queen attack, was so SCAARRE!" She sobs softly without shedding any tears. "Flew away away! And was chas-ed. Only Firefly save! If not Firefly?" She shakes her head sadly. "Maybe not Derpy."

BlueFeather snatches up the messy stack of papers she was writing on, and bolts! Seems shes not willing to let Chance have what she was writing, lest not at this time. She does not even go that far, darting across the desk where the notes had been before, then dropping to the floor and running full tilt into an open cabinet. It might be noticed that other than the initial strike of her hooves upon the wood of the cabinet, there is no other sound from withen.

"I-it's okay, Derpy," says Fluttershy, patting her on the mane. "You were *very* brave. If it wasn't for you, w-we might have all been - eep!" The loud banging from Bluefeather's chase makes Flutters jump and dart behind Derpy and Bardigan, peeking out only after she's sure there's no ghost in the Facility. "...s-sorry."

Solar_Solstice shakes his head, not sure what to make of it all. He yelps briefly as Bluefeather rushes out, but that seems to be the extent of the excitement. "I...I don't know about the sky, or this...creepy rabbit ghost, or anything, but I know is that we gotta get to the bottom of this, and the only way...is to go there, ourselves."

Chance blinks as BlueFeather makes a run for it. "Wait, Blue, Dusk really needs those!" He heads after her, and sighs when she bolts into the cabinet. "Dusk, we don't have the notes, unless you want to tug Blue back out." he mentions.

Bardigan attempts to take Derpy's hooves in his in an effort to calm her down. "Derpy! I'm so sorry! I should've been there... but there was so much confusion I hadn't even seen where you'd gone. But, ah... but we're all here now, and-" and crash! Bardigan swerves around in a fright, seeing only Bluefeather. At least she's still being normal and causing trouble. He glances at Solar and raises an eyebrow. "Go straight there? That's supposedly where it originated from, Solar. It could be even stronger there than it is here! In fact I-" He looks outside again, narrowing his eyes. "I don't see anypony. There should be more ponies outside, shouldn't there? It must just be getting late."

Dusk wells, perhaps more upset than friendly face. But this he can understand, "Of course, Lady Derpy. Most ponies are upset. Nopony expected something like.." Dusk is interrupted too by Blue's sudden dash across the work space. Fortunately the beakers are suspended, but the papers were not. They go flying and Dusk starts to reflexively reach out for them with magic, but then pulls back remembering he's around highly magic-sensitive materials, and what happened last time he did that. He chuckles a little friendly like at Fluttershy as he goes around to gather up the papers the old manual way. "That was just Little Blue. So, Mr. Solstice, where is this 'there' place? What house?" He nods to Chance, "Well try getting them if you can, Mr. Chance. I think I have the measurements right, but want to double check." Then there is swath of dim light that spreads out in a ring across the Center's interior and is gone in a moment. Dusk jerks up his head and looks around. "What..?" was that?, he finishes to himself, cutting himself off from saying it out loud. He looks back over to the experiment. It appears fine.

Derpy peeks out the door, too. "Yes, is late. Has night for a while long." She takes Bardigan's hoof and locks eyes with him, steeled a little by his support. "Is forgive." She's about to go on, but everyone seems to be panicking about papers and talking about leaving, so she sadly unwinds her hoof from Bardigan and slips out the door, perhaps in advance of the rush.

"Derpy!" Bardigan says, reaching out to stop her. "Wait! It's not safe out there right now! I don't want to lose anypony else!" Especially after Skyheart was nearly... well, that's not worth thinking about. "Listen, there's..." He looks outside again, watching the clouds. They slide across the sky on a strong gust of wind that blows through town, lifting up scraps of paper and decorations, scattering them all over. Their shadows dance over the ground like they did on Fluttershy's lawn, gyrating and shifting shape eerily. And on the wind there also comes a certain *energy,* a charge that rides the air like a tide, sweeping over the group. "There's something out there," he murmurs.

Fluttershy's ears and eyebrows shoot up. A tremor starts at her hooves and moves slowly up until it reaches the fur on the back of her neck, which all spikes and stands up all at once. "I-I feel it, too!"

Derpy cranes her neck forward and feels the strange energy suffusing the night. She looks back tremulously. "...Then...trapped??"

Chance helps Dusk retrieve any papers that's been blown off the table by BlueFeather, and then perks up at the strange light. He places the papers he picked up on the table for Dusk, then glances at the others as they seem to experience.. something. He trots to the door and takes a step outside, glancing about. "I have to say, it is strangely dark around here." He looks back to the others. "Are you all alright?"

"A-and-" Fluttershy still hasn't stopped shaking; this is no friendly neighborhood Pinkie Sense, though. The poor mare's nerves are fraying apart! "And it's getting stronger...a-and stronger..."
In the distance a wild, pained cry can be heard before it falls silent.

BlueFeather bolts out of another cabinet, and darts around Dusk, then glares at CHance from the safty of Dusk shelter, shes not got any papers on her now.

Dusk seems to relax just slightly, even as others get concerned about the outside. His attention though seems fully inside. He'd ask everypony to step outside about now, just to be safe, if it weren't for their other concerns. But when Blue pops out of the other cabinet the ring of light comes back in reverse, like it had reflected and came back. It concentrates on the experiment and bounces back out again, this time brighter and faster, making a series of rings now. "That's no incorrect mixture.. Little Blue's.. teleporting or whatever it is she uses, must be reacting off the material!" He turns off the heat source and tries to shut it down but the light grows increasingly bright as the rings bounce back and forth off the room, and things in the room seem to distort and change as if looking at something underwater. There's a whisper of a high pitched tone growing. And before ponies can run there is a total white light that you see no matter where you are looking, even with your eyes close, though it doesn't hurt. Actually the more upsetting part is that the sound turns to that of terrible curdling unearthly scream. So loud it seems to fill all sound as the white fills all light. If the door had been closed as it was designed to do, it likely would have contained to the Center, but the flash of light and the scream carries across all of Ponyville.

Solar_Solstice shuts his eyes as the light suffuses everything! "What in Tartarus!" he yells out, backing up and bracing himself against the wall. The confusion is terrible, and terrifying, but Solar tries to hold on to his sense of reality. "Back up! Don't get too close!"

Derpy shouts "A terrible, curdling unearthly scream is spreading all across Ponyville. u.u" (Public-shout)

"Strangely dark?" Bardigan whispers. "Don't you feel it? Look out there!" And the shadows seem that much darker wherever they fall, and the moon's light is muted. "Listen, something is going on in Ponyville, *right now.* And-" And then the light happens, and the scream, and... everything just seems to fall apart. Derpy being closest, Bardigan latches on to her just to make sure there's still another living pony in the room when he's blinded by the awful light... which, oddly enough, does nothing to actually *illuminate* the darkness outside. It simply travels on through, and the darkness is there to replace it again when it is gone as silence falls.

Derpy trembles, quaking with Bardigan, completely in the dark as to what's going on. She raises her head and lets loose her voice, keening in confusion and sorrow at the world being so hard to understand. And then she reflexively spins about and clings to Bardigan, falling onto her back if nothing is done.

Chance says "No, I'm afraid I don't feel anything. You obviously do though, and I don't doubt your senses. I.." He then spots Blue glaring at him, and lets out a light sigh. "Now Blue, you know that Dusk.." He trails off, watching the growing light show. "Dusk, do you think Blue's portal is still .." The sound grows and whites out everything, 'screaming' into Ponyville. If anypony could see him, he'd look annoyed. As the effect passes he has both ears perked, and glancing around. "I don't think that sound came from your experiment, Dusk. What if it's whatever is bothering the others?"

Fluttershy screams, too, and throws herself to the floor with her hooves covering her head as if the moon might crash through the ceiling at any second. When she's recovered enough to speak, she whispers, "I-it said to follow the screams...w-what if it's coming for me? It's still getting darker here, a-and stronger..."

BlueFeather seems far more interested in glareing on chance on some sort light show, or sound, shes also got more protection than most, after all, Dusk is right there to protect her from harm, and shes got her teething ring!

Tiger_Lily gallops towards the research center, slowing at the door, aprehensive.

Dusk himself had indeed grabbed hold of Little Blue and sheltered her just before everything went white. But she would still have seen and heard it all just the same. But at least would have known he was there too. Likely unnoticed even by Dusk, the scream itself was much like Fluttershy's earlier shriek, highly distorted and overlapped and vastly louder. As the 'scream' comes to a stop the white fades away too. But not entirely. Where the experiment was there is now some sort of glowing, spinning light or energy, about the size of one's hoof. It has tiny little motes that spin around, as if looking at a tiny little galaxy or something, but with a brighter glowing center shining, but still easy to look at and see the small details. The room otherwise seems to return to normal. Well unless someone notices a small lingering mist along the floor. Dusk checks Blue and looks around, "Is everypony okay?" He looks up at the experiment and sees the result. "Oh.. Well it was /something,/ Mr. Chance."

"Keep it together, everyone! It's just...light!" Solar shouts. The earth stallion may be confused, may not have a good understanding of things, but he doesn't lack in bravery. If Courage was an Element of Harmony he would likely be a shoe-in. "It's...gone?" He blinks and opens his eyes, feeling the powerful illumination fade from behind his eyelids. "What is...thaT?" He asks, staring at the spinning light, drawn towards it, somehow...

Bardigan refuses to let go of Derpy evenn long after the light fades and the sound is dulled down to nothingness, like... everything else. Being near the door, he listens to a quiet, high pitched whistle as the wind continues outside, unabated. And then he can see Tiger Lily coming up to them. "Wait!" he says, raising his hoof. "Don't come in here! It's not-" And then the strange, ethereal energy passes through again, and everything becomes that much more indistinct, blurry around the edges... and the darkness becomes that much more pervasive, that much more *solid.* Inky shadows dance and creep under the moon, coming up to the door... which slams shut just behind Tiger Lily with a loud bang. Bardigan sets his jaw and clutches Derpy that much more tightly. "Ponies. We have... several problems."

Tiger_Lily jumps back slightly as the door slams shut, confusion and curiosity building.

Freestone comes running up behind Tiger Lily, having dropped what he was doing when he and Tiger heard the blood curdling scream. He wasn't as quick to take off as the mare and had only just caught up with her as she asks two ponies holding open a door. He blinks as he see's the last of a blinding white light glancing around as darkness seems to be getting darker. "Yeah wah happen, What was tha scream?" he asks his quaint southern drawl thick with confusion.

Derpy has no idea what's going on. She keeps hugging Bardigan and lifts her head to cry: "WHAT! IS! HAPPEENN!"

Chance gets rather rudely pushed out of the way by something slamming the door. "Hey!" He blinks and glances back at Tiger Lily. No way she did it. He attempts to open the door again to see if somepony is somehow playing pranks outside.

( The door doesn't budge. If Chance pushes hard enough, he may even feel that some intangible energy is pushing back *against* his attempts to force it open. )

Fluttershy shakes, keeping down with her eyes covered. "W-we have to forget. We have to forget," she mumbles. "T-t-try not to think about it..."

Dusk is happy at least at how well Blue has taken it, glad he could be there. Dusk looks up and around at the strange blurring and darkening. "That's not from the experiment. That is coming from outside." The mist around ponies' hooves reacts to it though, growing more strong and thicker. As it does around the area with the glowing light effect where the experiment used to be. The mist is very slightly illuminate too, and with flicks of green illumination within it. "I'm not sure, Mr. Solstice. Perhaps an energy remnant from the reaction." It is quite fascinating to watch though. He sees more ponies showing up, just before the door slams. "Okay everypony, let's keep calm. We've just had a little explosion. Nopony is hurt. We can figure this all out." A table behind Fluttershy moves slightly with a loud scraping across the floor, as if some pony had fallen against it. But no one is touching it.

BlueFeather blinks and cocks her head, confused by the scream and the panic, though oddly unfazed by either, though the number of ponies now in the center are doing what the light and the noise and even the mist could not, scaring the little foal and causing her to do her best to keep Dusk between her and the strangers, ignoring Chance, and her disagreement with him over the stolen papers to deal with the more immediate threat of stranger ponies.

There is a groan from across the room and a door to one of the back rooms edges open. Inside a figure moves, its shape indistinct in the darkness. It emerges through the doorway, shambling slowly towards the other ponies. It pauses, and lets out a muffled croak, as if trying to speak.... There is a slight cough, and then a voice is heard, hoarse and scratchy. "W-who i-is there?" (Nimble_Hooves)"

Solar_Solstice can feel the darkness, can hear it breathe. He's not magical attuned like, say, his sisters, but he has studied with them all his life, so he knows the signs, the sensations. The rumble of shadow shakes him in the places where light doesn't shine, all over the inside of his body, as if trying to leap out of his skin. He grits his teeth. But he listens, and he learns, and also he sees the light, spinning fanatically as though to ward off the creeping darkness. He hears little else, Fluttershy's whimpers, the warnings and cries of the other, even the newcomer. All melded into the din as he steps to the light...and touches it.

Tiger_Lily holds her ground, hooves planted as she stares down the unknown, strange situation, memories of the recent, terrifying changeling encounter sending a small shiver of aprehension down her spine as the mare stands tall." to you.

No one is explaining what's happening to Derpy! This is no good. She rolls loose from Bardigan, climbs to her feet, and tears off into the darkness, her muffin bag flapping at her side. Somewhere, somehow, Derpy must find solace!!

Freestone jumps back as the doors slam shut and nopony answering his question "Wha in Equestria is goin on!" he shouts blinking as he watches the mailmare suddenly dashing off, so much from getting any explaination from her. He walks up to Tiger Lily "Ah don't like this, none at all, especially this here unexplained darkness. Ah say we high-tail it outta here. Things made more sense back at the farm." Ya with me?" he asks looking worried.

Nopony is getting in, or out whatsoever. With the door slammed firmly shut and not budging whatever their efforts, there's naught they can do but figure out what to do next. And then the worst possible thing happens as every light save the glowing ball in the middle of the room abruptly goes out, as if a curtain were draped over the building. The only light is a faded, half-illuminating moonlight seeping through the glass of the front door. Bardigan yelps and huddles closer to everypony else that he can see, turning to Solar before he can reach the strange glowing ball. "Solar, wait! We don't know what that does! Everypony just stay still for a moment!"

BlueFeather oddly enough, does not seem to be paying much attention to the dark, if anything, the foal seems to be rather distracted with the ground hugging mist, or fog, or whatever it might actualy be, to the point that she half crouches, wiggling a little, wings flicking open as she gets ready to pounce a paticularily large patch of the mist, her tail lashing rapidly from side to side.

Solar_Solstice hears Bardigan's words, considers them, but ultimately disregards them. He was not afraid of light. Some kind of primal feeling, some ineffable notion within his mind, resists the doubt and feat that plague the rest of him. Light. Sun. He was born on the summer solstice, his talent was very much attuned to the good warmth of the day, and he thinks - he knows - that something like this is hidden in that shining orb. "I'll be all right!" he cries out, reaching out to touch it.

Clara shouts "Suddenly, as if things weren't already bad enough, the figure of Luna appears--silhouetted in fuzzy yellow-white light against the jet-black sky! The stars behind the place she occupies in the sky follow the movements of her body as she fixes her glowing chartreuse eyes straight at YOU and speaks: "MY PONIES. MARES, STALLIONS, FOALS. BELOVED SUBJECTS." She allows a pause which admits a rising cry of hysteria coming from centers of population. "WE HAVE EXCELLENT NEWS TONIGHT. IT IS HARVEST TIME!" The dark wings rise to cover half the celestial sphere. "THE PLANTS YOU HAVE FILLED YOUR TRACTS AND ORCHARDS WITH WILL NO LONGER BE NEEDED. WE ARE VIGILANTLY RESEARCHING EXCEPTIONAL PLANTS AND FUNGI FILLED WITH HUTRITION AND GOODNESS THAT WE WILL SOON MULTIPLY TO LEVELS SUITABLE TO FEED ALL EQUESTRIA!! BUT FOR NOW, DIG UP YOUR CROPS! CONSUME YOUR FRUITS AND GRAINS WHILE YOU STILL CAN, BEFORE THEY WILT LIKE THE WEAK, SUN-CODDLED ORGANISMS THEY ARE. CELEBRATE! LIGHT THE NIGHT WITH PINPRICKS OF LIGHT" (Public-shout)

Chance tries the door again. No good. He glances around at all the ponies in here, and at the odd mist building up. He looks over to Dusk. "Should I get the door open?" he calls out from across the room. "Something's jamming it shut!"

Derpy shouts "...SUCH AS LANTERNS AND GROW-JARS, AS LIGHT WAS MEANT TO BE, AND ENJOY YOUR AUTUMN HARVEST! YOUR NEW STAPLE FOODS WILL BE BOUNTIFUL IN SHORT ORDER." Nightmare Moon turns to face directly at you from the sky, and in her face is an earnest humility. "OUR SISTER AND HER SUN MAY BE GONE, BUT WE WILL NEVER ABANDON YOU. YOU ARE EVERYTHING TO US. THAT IS ALL." And with that, the fearsome silhouette melts away, and stark nighttime returns." (Public-shout)

"I-I dunno," Fluttershy says in the thinnest of whispers. "I-is there a back door?" There's certainly no window, which isn't helping - not being able to see the things outside just fuels Fluttershy's imagination more and more...

Dusk smiles and gives Blue a reassuring little ruffle, letting her use him to hide if she likes. Papers are now perhaps the least of our concerns. He turns at the groan and shambling shape. "Oh good evening, Mr Hooves. I do hope we didn't wake you," he says a bit drolly and grins. But Nimble distracts him just long enough not to notice Solar. "Mr. Solstice! Don't touch...!" But too late. The little spiraling source of light spins more and spreads out it's tiny tiny motes of light as his hoof gets closer, then they start to spread around his hoof as if he was a new gravity source attracting the micro suns. But it's Solar that feels the pull, as if something was drawing his hoof and him towards the center of the light, which seems to be growing brighter. Dusk starts to rush towards him, not having time to respond to Chance just yet. The illumination of the mist upon the floor is more evident in the near dark, and seems to grow a bit stronger and thicker, getting Blue's curiosity. Before he can reach Solar though, Dusk trips over a chair that wasn't in his way a moment ago. He's about to go head first into the ground and only just manages to catch himself with a bit of magic. The mist around him flares up about the edges of it. Dusk quickly dissipates it, settling to the ground. He lifts his head to look towards Solar. Chance hears someone say, "Over here!" in a somewhat hushed but urgent voice coming from a dark corner away from the other ponies. It sounds like Starfire.

Bardigan's jaw drops when a chair shoves its way into Dusk's path. This isn't something that's supposed to be happening. He flares his wings and jumps to the air over the mist, watching it flare up like... he doesn't know. "Solar, get *away* from there!" he says loudly. "Just because it's *bright* doesn't mean it'll *help!* We have to-" The fluttering of his wings, or perhaps the ball of light seems to prompt something in the fog, and all too suddenly papers from all around the room are flying *everywhere* like a mini-tornado! Along with a couple of chairs, one of which sneaks up on Chance and attemps to knock him right off his hooves. "Agh! Somepony! Try the door again!" The maelstrom of fluttering paper forces Bardigan back down to the ground, struggling to get a clear view of the room as papers petulantly slap him in the snout, over and over. There's Fluttershy, and Chance, and Dusk... and something else flitting between the papers, jumping, it seems, whenever his vision is obscured, from one spot to the next. A

BlueFeather seems fairly oblivious to whats worrying most every pony else, rather, shes far too focused on playing with the mist. Its probably a good thing she has not really noticed the light ring thingie, else she would have probably tried to pounce it allready, just as she is trying to pounce that big mess of mist, little wings flaping now and again to alow her more monuverability than might be expected. She at lest seems to be happy for the momant, so focused on what shes doing that shes even ignoring the fact that there are so manyt ponys present

Chance blinks and glances at the corner where the voice is floating in from, then gets knocked off his hooves! However luck is with him and he catches himself. If any other pony was watching, it'd look like he stumbled back upright again, without taking the fall. He peers down at the mist and swishes his hoof through it, glancing about at all the other odd things happening. He knows Starfire wasn't here before, and he didn't see her enter. Besides, she always sees him first. "If that's you Starfire, I'm over here!" he calls out. Starfire has the talent of 'feeling' things around her, so if it really is her, she won't have any problem getting to Chance. He makes a decision, especially with the effects growing. He suddenly spins around and pounds the door with all his strength, and back hooves. If it held, it would have hurt him. As it is.. The door cracks and the doorframe shatters, but it's like in slow motion. No, wait.. the breaking door is in slow motion! The door pieces slide out toward the outside as if nothing will stop them, but the darkness pushes back unrelenting. There's a flash with the light-energy near and around Solar, then suddenly it pulses with energy, pulling some of the energies away from the mist. What affect this might have is anypony's guess. Like a pulse canon, part of the light flies away from Solar and straight through the door. Was it altered? With Chance around, one never knows. The effect isn't questionable though, as it blows the darkness back, then door exploding into pieces of wooden shrapnel out into the darkness.

Fluttershy *would* be hiding, but now she's too busy doding a whirlwind of chairs and papers and lab equipment, pressing her back farther into the corner. When Chance attacks the darkness, Flutters sees an opportunity; she jumps back in front of it, tenses her legs, and...hesitates.
The current pose order is: {Dusk Solar_Solstice Bardigan BlueFeather Chance Fluttershy}.
Something makes a surprising amount of sporadic clatter up on the second floor. Just oodles of banging and shifting and crashing.

Dusk is already getting back up to his hooves. The light around Solar is indeed growing stronger. But as natural as he thinks the pull is, it's drawing on his magic. Drawing it from him as little motes rising from his own body and being pulled into the spinning core which very slowly grows. Dusk is moving once more towards Solar when suddenly the wind(?) and papers and such all start flying around! And he /just/ had the place renovated from the vines! But he's more ready this time, as if pushing into a storm. He hears another cry. A familiar one. Derpy. But he can't stop now. Can't be distracted. For Blue, the mist seems to roil and flow about as she pounces it, making one large wisp break down, then another forms making interesting, fascinating glowing shapes. Even with the Blast of energy streaking to the door, Dusk tries to rush in, in the hopes of pushing Solar away.

Solar_Solstice grunts as the cavalcade of conflicting forces writhe and twist all around him, but the light is strong. He shields his eye, almost utterly dazed by the brightness, but then he remembers the words of his father: even those who have no power outside know of better things. He knew of better things; he knew how things live and grew, the vibrations of the living earth. He thinks of that, and also of the light that surges outward, enveloping the darkness.

Derpy stumble-tumble-bumbles down the stairs, boxes on her feet and bubble paper wrapped around most of her head and neck. "LET ME OOOUUUUT!!" she moans, collapsing at the foot of the stairs.

The door kicking worked. After a fashion. Earth pony strenth is rooted in the magic of the earth, or so the mist seems to think, since that little outburst brings retribution in the form of all those splinters are snatched in mid-air. Something grabs them. Something forms around them, twisting them into deadly looking pieces of shrapnel that fling themselves right back at Chance. Bardigan gasps in horror, attempting to jump at the pony and push him out of the way of the lethal avalanche... and then the whipping, furious darkness increases in intensity. A table rises up, coated in shadow, and begins lumbering towards Solar, hopping towards him like a giant macabre frog in an attempt to crush him. And then Bardigan is beaned in the head mid-leap by... a radio? He collapses in a groaning heap, watching the flickering shadow at the edge of his vision jump up in front of him and place its hoof on the dial. And then, amidst all the chaos and deadly flying instruments, the cheerful, sonorous voice of Sapphire
Shores rings through the building.

"Equestria Girls, we're kind of magical! Boots on hooves, bikinis on top! Furry coats so cute we'll blow your minds! Ahhh ah! Ahh ah ah ah !"

"AHHH!" Bardigan adds as he rolls away from a falling chair.

BlueFeather still mostly seems oblivious to whats going on around her, rather than in what shes doing at the momant, which is pouncing from one glob of mist to the next! Hey shes having fun, and shes focused very tightly on having that fun. Of course, its probably easy enough if someone wanted to snatch her up or something, but, tell then, she keeps pouncing the mist, if that moves her twords the light, shes not going to notice.

Chance narrows his eyes as the door pieces stop, and come back at him. Of course. He looks slightly amused, and slightly annoyed, at the same time. But he suddenly spots Bardigan comming at him. "Bardigan, watch out!" He leaps into the doorway, making the other pony miss him, thinking Bardigan was the one in danger, and he put himself in front of it. The door pieces slam into his side and neck. Or at least, that's what it would have looked like from the far side. A moment later though sawdust falls from that side and wafts away in the wind harmlessly. He didn't miss Bardigan getting beamed though, and rushes to his side. "Are you alright?" he asks.

Throwing up her hooves to shield her face, Fluttershy rides out the waves of shrapnel and, the moment things are clear, *bolts* out the door. "It's coming for *me*! Everypony run!" She takes to the air and arcs upward, out into the unnatural night...not that she gets far before she puts on the brakes and whips her head around...

Dusk keeps moving, avoiding some spilled barrings that roll right underhoof. He manages to get to Solar, able to see the glowing lights playing in the eyes of the other unicorn, and pull him away.. Dusk doesn't stop his forward motion, and makes sure not to let the motes touch him, pulling Solar with him and away from the spinning light source. The pin prick motes of light along Solar's leg seem to fall back towards him and vanish once more. Dusk sees the hopping table only just in time to dodge it. The mists do seem to be leading Blue off, away from the other ponies. Away until Derpy lands right before her, sending the mists flying out and about. Dusk is surprised to see Fluttershy dash so fast.. and make it out, just before the hopping table suddenly flies off slams in place over the door! He hopes Fluttershy getting out is a good thing.

Big_Mac has, as usual, been helping with a lot of the games and activities in the ponyville square. Most notably manning the bobbing for apples barrel, one of Nightmare Night's favourite games amongst the population of Ponyville. In fact, Mac is helping a foal who is just too short to reach over the edge of the water filled apple barrel when the explosion happens, causing the big draft stallion to fumble and practically drop the foal head first into the barrel, fortuantely his nerves are steeled enough to at least be able to recover. Looking up across the square in time to see bits of debris bouncing across the square as Fluttershy comes zipping out the door, moments before, as far as he can tell, debris falls and once again blocks the door. "WHa's goin' on" he shouts to the escaping pegasus mare as she passes.

Derpy looks around in a whir. She skitters out of the way of Bluefeather's pouncing, panicked up good. She makes a flying leap for the door, and crashes into the table just as it flies up. "WOOo0OOF!" she exhales, rebounding back along the floor, springs and stars dancing over her head.

Solar_Solstice gapes at the big table walking towards him menacingly, momentarily stunned, but when Fluttershy gives her signal he steels up. Snorting loudly, he rears up and bullrushes towards the table at full tilt!

Bardigan manages to stagger back to his hooves, keeping his head low as things continue crashing all around. His hoof comes away bloody: the radio struck him with a sharp edge. "Oh, great..." he mutters. "I'll be fine-AHH!" He ducks as another chair is flung directly at his head, trying to stab with its legs. It flies over both ponies' heads and impales itself in a wall. "We have to get out of here! Help me move that table!" he shouts, and staggers to the darkness infused table that seems to rumble as he attempts to get a hoof-hold on it, as though laughing at his attempts to move it. The table attacking Solar is pushed back by his attack, but only just... and then the flickering shadow appears behind it in the blink of an eye, and gives it a small tap with its hoof. Solar is suddenly contending with a table that feels like a *mountain* as it pushes back and attempts to crush him against a nearby wall.

"Once you've partied with ponies, you'll be seein' Rainbooms! Ooo, ooo-ooo-oo!"

Freestone had been taking cover when everything began to happen, and things began to fly around the room. Hearing bardigan's shout he finally stood ducking another chare as it flies by, "Ah'll help ya wi that table hangon!" he shouts making his way toward him. The help from a sturdy farm pony may be just the ticket.

BlueFeather sadly no longer has the balls of mist to pounce, yet is still very much in pounce mode, ohhh theres something! Its pretty and lite up, and it kinda reminds her of her teething ring. SHe crouches, and starts to wiggle her rump before making a pounce at the glowing light, wings flicking, jaws opening as she atempts to grab it with her teeth.

Chance nods to Bardigan and starts toward the table with him, then notices Solar having issues with his table. He's about to head over there instead, but Freestone is seen beating him at it. He glances at the table, and helps Bardigan in whatever way the other pony wishes. "Crazy night we're having, huh?"

Dusk lets Solar, now free of the draw of the twisting little spiral of energy. Well it's a little bigger now. He watches Solar charge off to the eerily mismatched background music, though Derpy beats him to it with a big thud. Dusk winces and starts to go to help the mail mare. But he soon has another crisis, seeing Blue about to pounce. Fortuantely he's still not far from the light source himself, and he makes yet another dash. Blue is already leaping and as her muzzle comes in contact with the energy her movements slow, even the flick of her beating wings until she's paused in the air. Again the motes swirl about her, and start to draw ones from the little foal. But that's for just a brief moment as Dusk is already pulling her away. Once free her movements revert to normal, but Dusk has a good hold of her now. "That's dangerous, Little Lady!" He gives her a big hug in relief, seeing she appears unharmed. He keeps her with him and starts heading for the door, and looking to help get Derpy out of the way too, drawing her aside, so the others can try clearing the doorway.

Derpy is frightened by all the banging and crashing and furniture and hyped up ponies. She lets Dusk lead her aside. But then a realization hits her. "Freestone!!" she shouts. "Where is deeliebob?? Gaved to you!!"

"Equestria Girls, we're kind of magical, fast, fine, fierce, we trot till we drop! Cutie marks represent, we'll blow your minds!"

Big_Mac frowns a little as Fluttershy seems to bolt and not even slow for a moment, both unusual for her given she doesn't usually /bolt/ anywhere without a good reason and especially wouldn't flat out ignore a pony if she were aware. Having let his gaze follow the yellow mare, he finally turns back toward the building, head tilted a little. Something is going on, and he's sure of it. Further doubt is removed as he trots closer, his pace brisk, albiet hesitant, especially as he sees what appears... to be... a table? pressed up over the doorway and voices coming from within. "Y'all alright in 'ere?" he calls, giving the table a solid thump-thump-thump with a hoof and pausing for a response.


Solar_Solstice grunts and struggles against the suddenly very heavy table! "You little...move!!" he screams, using his mighty earth pony strength to shove and push until the table gives way...or he does! Then, he starts to think a bit, and comes up with an idea. He tries to sidestep the table entirely!

"NO!" Big Mac hears the determined response from Bardigan. That and the shivery, shadowy way the table is clinging to the doorway is a clear sign things have gone horribly wrong inside. "GET US OUT! KICK THIS THING DOWN!" Alongside his voice is a rather muted series of crashes, bangs, and the bouncy rhythm of "Equestria Girls." They're kind of magical! Bardigan turns to Chance and Freestone. "Brace your hooves! We'll pull on this side, and he'll give it a whack from the other! Maybe it'll..." He gulps, unable to finish his sentence, since at this point he's starting to fret that somepony will die before this thing lets them leave. He glances back at Derpy, then to Freestone, wondering what kind of idea is brewing. But before he can ask another chair swoops in and knocks him to the side. It then whips around to attack Chance and Freestone, stabbing at them like a four-pronged spear with its legs. Solar manages to escape his grisly fate as the table continues forward and drives half an inch into the solid wall. The mist is lit up like a Hearth's Warming Eve tree from all the energy in the room, only adding to the chaos as pipettes and beakers are added to the randomly flying objects.
And all the while the flickering shadow stands calmly in the midst of the maelstrom, first here, then there, watching as if amused by the efforts of the ponies to survive.

Freestone makes his way over to help Solar with the table, ducking objects that seem to be trying to keep him from reaching the fellow earth pony. "Ya look lyk ya could use a hoof thar." he said ready to aid Solar with the table. He paused as he heard Derpy shouting to him uddenly and he looks confused for a second "Ya mean the orb thing? It's safe at mah farm! Why?" he replies as he begins to help push on the table.

Freestone makes his way over to help the others with the table blocking the door, ducking objects that seem to be trying to keep him from reaching them. "Ya look lyk ya could use a hoof thar." he said putting his hooves on the table, nodding toward Bardigan. He paused as he heard Derpy shouting to him suddenly and he looks confused for a second "Ya mean the orb thing? It's safe at mah farm! Why?" he replies suddenly ducking as the chair begins attacking "Whoah, Nelly!" he shouts swiping a fore leg at the side of the chair to try and knock it away.

Dinky gives Eclipse a look, standing just outside the table-door. "Banishing? Right. Lemme just scare this table into splinters or something." She takes a few seconds to rev up, sitting on her haunches and getting steamed. Then she lets loose, and it's audible inside the Center. "What the BRIDLEBITS do you think you're on, poletghost or WHATEVER the #*&$$ you think you are, screwing up the @*($*# Magic -Research- Center, which might be, like, the best @&#& chance we've #*@#$ got with Luna moon-crazy and zombies and rogue ideas--seriously, you want attention? Tyr tapping out a #*@&$ -code-, you moron spook, not getting punchy in ponies' faces? You think we're gonna help you with your @**&$#%$@ unresolved issues now?? Just take a HIKE!!"

Fluttershy just sort of gapes, sinking slowly to the ground.

( Well, Eclipse just looks at her a moment, then the table, then back to Dinky. "Ah, are ghosts scared of swearing?" he wonders, "Is that a thing?" His tail swishes back and forth and his ears perk, trying to hear what's goin on on the other side. )

Dinky shrugs and says quietly: "Hell, I don't know. Hope so." Then she's back at it.

Pain and terror are mostly what's audible on the other side.

As well as Equestria Girls, looping on maximum volume.

Derpy leaps away from the chair and vaults it on the return pass. She forgets to land and just flutters near the ceiling, cringing. "Maybe if ~all~ thing break... can break deelie-egg!" she exclaims.

BlueFeather shakes her head and squirms in Dusk's grasp, hey she was fine, she was just trying to grab the ring thingie! SHe was not even causing any trouble!

Dusk smiles, glad to see Derpy is rather well too. Relatively speaking. "We'll get everypony out, Lady Dinky!" He looks curious about the egg comment. He glances to Chance, "She has an egg-thing too?" He looks up seeing Big Mac and the others on the other side of the door. Good some help! "Hey, guys, help us out here!" Then the winds and flying objects caused by it come to a sudden stop, leaving just the radio's music, over which can be heard the occasional sound of something moving or creaking. But the mist has grown even thicker, licking about ponies' legs like phantom flames. Indeed it's oddly quiet not without the wind and crashing objects. But wait.. There is a sound. A scratching sound from way back in the dark back of the Center. It's faint, almost unheard at first. But it seems to keep growing slowly, closer and louder. Bardigan first spots what looks like some glowing eyes in the mist obscuring darkess. Then others spot some here and there too. The sound grows closer. A small shape mov
... moves in the dark, crossing a bit of mist for just a moment. Dusk makes sure he keeps a good hold on the squirming BlueFeather. "Um.. I think we need to get going.. you know. No rush or anything.."

Chance lets out a light snort. This isn't getting anypony anywhere. He looks to Dusk as he's asked about the egg. "Maybe they come in pairs?" He then glances around, spotting attacking furniture (oddly, any that attempts to attack Chance gets unlucky at it, or tends to break), and that shadow of a .. whatever it is. He lets the others deal with the stuck table, and heads over to the light. "So, you like ponies, do you?" He sticks his horn tip in the light. It attempts to absorb whatever energy it finds tasty from Change, but fails, but it doesn't stop it from trying. It gets denser and brighter at it tries harder. It attracts ponies, but that works against it now, as it's effectively stuck to Change's horntip. He turns, and charges at the glowing-eyes thing. "Let's see if you like what those things are!" intent on impaling one.

Fluttershy has been standing back with her hooftips in her mouth - if there were a seat, she'd be on the edge of it - biut now she shakes her head, stands to all fours, and throws herself against the door, giving whatever help she can...!

Big_Mac nodnods deeply at the panic stricken voices inside, the ones not shrouded by crashes and cries from others, at least. He does manage to catch Dusks request, definitely confirming the ponies within are trapped. "EEyup!" he answers the request for help in a deep and now confident voice as the big stallion turns his back to the door and squaring up his stance. "Y'all better get outta the way!" he warns, though whether it's to the ponies inside or out specifically is unclear, though he does wait for everypony on the outside to move as it becomes clear that this apple-bucking stallion is about to put his years of apple bucking to good use. The big draft stallion stomps his hooves into the ground, one at a time just before winding up and giving it a good double-barreled buck, much like AJ's technique when it comes to apple trees, opposed to his single-hoofed approach. The big stallion is not holding any bars against the door, or against whatever is holding it there.

Solar_Solstice yelps as he dodges past the flying objects, so he's quite disoriented when it all suddenly stops, the wind dying and the objects clattering to the ground. Then the fog comes, and Solar starts to wish that the objects were still flying instead. Before he can comprehend the situation, eveyrpony is already rushing to break down the door. He takes a deep breath. "I'm doing it too!" he yells, rushing right at the door as Big Mac breaks it down...and he zooms right out towards the square as a result. Or does he?

Bardigan is in a lot of pain right now. He doesn't need weird scratching noises and other such things assaulting his senses at the moment. When he believes he's starting to see things in the dark, shadowy corners on top of the strange flickering shadow, he staggers to his hooves and moves to the doorway, holding his chest where the chair collided with him. "Chance! WAIT!" he calls out, knowing any attempt to attack the darkness is asking for trouble. But surprisingly, such a direct application of light makes the shadows seem to shy away from him, just enough that it doesn't touch him. There are flame-like flickers dancing over the shadows that shy away as the dim light comes in contact with it, but the pony-like figure is suddenly right in front of the unicorn... and gives his light-bearing horn a tap with its hoof. There's a deep, rushing, roaring sound once the door is burst open, the table crashing to the floor as the darkness now spreads angrily, slithering for the entrance, hot on the heels of everypony attempting to escape. Dinky's cursing does nothing to the darkness, but behind the little unicorn, and even behind Fluttershy, there are two flickering shadows the moment the doorway is open, and then a another gust of wind that hides small, sibilant words spoken to them both... )

Dinky checks her flanks when the door goes down. Nope, no cutie mark. Oh, well. Now it's time to get trampled by half a dozen frantic escaping ponies. Ooh, and a slimy mass of tenebrosity! Fun.

As the thing taps Chance he feels an incredible force shoving him backwards to the door, accompanied by flashes of what can only be described as horrible things.

Solar_Eclipse peeks in "Is that a darkness spirit?" Sweet! Eclipse calls out, "Hey, you," eyes flashing a bit as he tries to pull off a cool pose. Of course he forgets to say something cool. C'mon, think-think. He comes up with "Shoo!" At least it rhymed. He'll never impress Dinky at this rate.

You whisper, "Thank you for remembering me. They will *all* remember soon. I am free. I will start here." to Dinky and Fluttershy.

Freestone was fighting off the psycotic attacking chair when it, like everythingelse just stopped. He blinks at the sudden silence other than the music. and he catches a glimps of the Deeliebopper Derpy drops. He blinks picking the object up as it rolls toward him not sure what to do with it for now. He jumps as Big Mac kickes the table down, Freestone dodging it as it crashes past him. It seems tonight's the night for close calls. But he froze as he notices the eyes in the darkness.

Dinky tries to get out of the way of Solar Solstice and anyone else who may come charging out. She was long ago impressed by Solar Eclipse--he doesn't have to worry, though he may not know it. She flinches when half-visible shadow things seem to speak to her. "Start here?" she retorts to thin air. "Start doing what? Start pissing ponies off? 'Cause you kinda already managed that pretty well. Who are you, anyway?" Who is Dinky talking to??

Derpy is set to fly right out the door now that the table is gone and the darkness is spreading! But... she stops dead in the air. "DINKY!!?" Awww, what's her daughter doing here?

Fluttershy shivers at about the same time Dinky says 'Who are you, anyway?'. She has a far-away look in her eyes, like she's no longer really in Ponyville, or anywhere are all...

Dusk makes sure all the ponies other than Chance and Eclipse are out. The mote of light some some effect on the Darkness, but it doesn't seem to have much effect on the creature things in the darkness, just shuffling around and away, always seeming to keep just out of reach or direct sight, lost in dark and mist, sounds coming from all around. The mist itself seems to grow stronger around the bit of glowing engery. And being away from the core it's slowly fading. "Hurry up! I'm locking this place down post haste!" He steps out with Blue, giving her a kiss. "We'll have to play outside. There's more mists out here." He doesn't let her go off just yet though, until the place is secure.

Chance tries to drive back the shadow-critters with the light, but then blinks lightly as the shadow-pony touches his horn tip. He braces against a flood of horrible thoughts, but these are quickly blocked by mental defenses, going up faster then the shadow-pony can push them into his mind. He shakes them off and shoves his back hooves against the floor. He actually comes to a stop, despite the powerful force trying to push him back (and it did, for a few moments). He gives a grin at the shadow-pony. "Well, this is interesting. Let's see what you've got. Get all the ponies out of here, Dusk! I'll keep this thing busy!" He takes a step, then another, his hooves seemingly sinking a bit into the floor, giving him even more traction. It's not breaking the floor, but rather the floor seems to be reshaping itself for Chance. The force that was applied to him is, somehow, now getting pushed back against the shadow-pony, and against all odds, Chance actually pushes the thing back. So strong is the force and counter-force that the floor between them cracks a bit. "Is that all you've got?" he says with a wry grin.

Dinky smacks her forehead. "Mom. Of course. If there's a stupid muddle, how could you -not- be in it? Yeah, it's me. Now if you'll excuse me, I'm being whispered at by evil spirits and trying to save Equestria or some sludge, and I'm kind of being enveloped by slimy darkness, so..." She glances after Eclipse, shrugs huffily, and turns to skedaddle.

The whispering shadows that flicker and blur around the edges of Dinky and Fluttershy's vision now spread to Solar Eclipse, and the seemingly one-sided conversation continues even as they run. On the inside, everypony is piling out. The Darkness within watches them leave calmly as the misty shadows accumulate around it. Bardigan staggers out and collapses, groaning on the grass from the wound on his head and the bruise on his chest. Chance is suddenly *surrounded* by pure shadow, and the shadow-pony regards him curiously. Things begin to whip up again, and something roars like an echoing waterfall as the Center begins to be completely overtaken.

[Bardigan]

( Did he just get a huffy shrug? Eclipse looks over as Dinky stalks out and he gives Derpy a little shrug. He'd love to help those two make nice with each other, but pressing matters are pressing. He starts to step out too as told. Once out, he tries kicking a bit of magic into things, to see if he can shadowshield. It's likely a failed experiment and one that leads to headaches. Failure hurts. )

Freestone looks around now that the table is no longer blocking the door he wastes little time high-tailing it out of this creepy place. Things are just getting a bit too wierd for him.

Solar_Solstice gasps as he suddenly meets empty air, tumbling forward into blackness and onto his face. "Ow! It's...cold!" He yanks himself up, back onto his hooves. He breathes heavily, his vision blurred from the strain, from all the blood rushing to his head. He looks around, letting the vague monstrous shapes of the town's buildings settle into his brain, looking for any sign of the others. Bardigan is the first pony he sees outside. "Hey...hey!" he shouts, trotting towards him. "Are you OK?"

Derpy is upset at first by her daughter's words. But she loses little snub-nosed time in speeding aerially out the door, bumping her head just a little as he goes, and hurrying after Freestone. "Deeeelieeboooop!!" she shouts. "Need to haaave! Dinky follooowww!"

"N-no..." Fluttershy begins dancing in place, backpedaling with her front hooves like shes' tryign to escape her shadow. "No, s-stop it!"

Dinky gives Fluttershy a hard nudge in the ribs. "Shake it off!!" she commands. "It's just words. Sticks and ^@#$&@ stones. Let's GO! You're the Element of Wussiness or Timidity or Breakfast or something. You've got to get your bling bling and find the rest of your team, 'cause the *#*$@ PRINCESSES are messed in the head!" Yeah, Dinky just got ghetto on this sitch.

Dusk yells back to Chance, "Gotcha! Just run out when you want!" He actually doesn't seem worried about Chance. Once the last of the ponies other than Chance are out there's an instant flicker and a blue energy covers the entire Center, a full sphere even underground, magically sealing it. However it's magic to react specifically to Chance's talent, which Dusk has studied extensively. He will be to run through it without it harming him or him the shield. "I don't know what all that will hold in. Particularly that Dark pony thing. But it should give us time to get clear and decide what we want to do next." He lets Blue down now, the wispy mists seeming rather strong around the Center now. The shield should block against both magic and physical things, including teleporting through it. But that doesn't mean that's every possible thing. He turns and starts checking on ponies. He sees Bardigan, but Solar is helping him. He turns to Flutterhy and Dinky, sensing something unusual. But Fluttershy is particularly reacting.. "Lady Fluttershy!" He reaches out a hoof and touches her reassuringly. "What's wrong?" )

BlueFeather continues to strugle, trying to get free. After all, she was having a lot of fun playing with the shadow things, she wants to play with them more! Thay where fun and seemed to like playing pounce!

Laughter comes out of the ocean of shadow that overtakes Chance and the Center. "This is wonderful! A truely marvelous opponent you are! Your name! I must know your name! Tell me the name of the shadow-stallion!" As if in response to the thickening blackness, the now very dim light on the end of his horn starts to grow in brightness, energy being taken from even the shadows itself. It continues to grow brighter and brighter, until thick shafts of light punch through the shadows this way and that, dissolving them in the light's wake. The Center is becoming a malstrome of light and darkness, and Chance's light only grows brighter still, one shaft of light punching through the doorway and out against the shield Dusk put up, lighting up the entire area inside like a giant 'Center under lightglass dome'.

( The shadow in the Center seems unconcerned by the light now literally burning away at its form. It approaches Chance step by step as it collapses, reaching out once more to deliver a final message. As for the ponies outside... )

The blue force field meant to contain the Shadow? It doesn't. Instead of the Center, the pony-creature appears on the street directly in front of the group. It stands still, letting them bask in the utter failure of their attempt to escape and keep it locked away, and then looks up at the sky, which is shrouded by clouds and nightfall. And then it simply... dissipates. On the ground is left a scrap of paper, and on that paper is a series of hastily written notes, scribbled in the midst of madness to a point where it's nothing but pure gibberish, save for one phrase standing out among them all: TRUE NIGHT.

The Shadow has only this to say to Chance before it disappears: "Darkness is waiting behind every light, and every light goes out."

[Derpy]

Want to know what was happening outside the research center while this was going on? Sure you do. I'll just go ahead and post it here.

-Dinky

[Derpy]

Ponyville Square
#=#=#=#=#=# PONYVILLE SQUARE #=#=#=#=#=#

At the heart of Ponyville stands a proud and massive pavillion known as Town Hall. Around it lies the town square, a well-kept ring decorated with tall banners and the occasional picturesque bush. A fountain sits before the entrance to the hall with a joyous, reared-up earth pony statue as its ornament. Various municipal officials have pitched colorful, conical tents in the square from which they run their operations. The town square is lined along one side by a stream crossed by a broad stone bridge, while on its other sides it's surrounded by a combination of commercial establishments and some of the oldest houses in Ponyville. The mood here is generally cheerful but officious.

[ Contents: Ballot Box, Wagon of Wonders ]


Spike rubs his bleary eyes and stretches, as he rides in on Twilight's back; he seems largely unaware of his surroundings and how they're altered, just yet. "Sorry I overslept, Twilight, it's just that the sun didn't come up and so my sleep ran into my morning nap which ran into my afternoon nap and..." He looks around with sudden concern as it sinks in. "Wait, where *did* the sun go?"

Twilight_Sparkle stares up at the sky. "That is a very, very good question."

Dinky is wandering through the streets in a manner almost -beyond- listless. She has her rucksack on, but it's open and half-leaking schoolwork. Oh, and candy. She seems very despondent, but she does peek up at the voice of the only dragon in town. "Eh. What's next?" she grumbles.

Spike waves, starting to wake up now, and becoming more enthusiastic. Probably a little too enthusiastic for the young pony's taste. "Hey Dinky! Careful, you're gonna lose your stuff." He eyes the candy a bit covetously, but decides he has more important things on his mind. "I don't suppose you know what happened to the sun?"

Twilight_Sparkle has a very serious expression on her face. "Something is wrong. It feels like...everything is wrong, in fact."

Dinky bug-eyes and blinks, after which she glances at her bag and responds by heaving it up a little higher on her side. A few hard candy rolls fall out and she doesn't even mind. "The sun? Yeah, I remember that thing, too. Used to be pretty bright, huh? I'm guessing we're all pretty doomed, but I'm not even ten yet, so what do I know? You two got any clues?" She turns to Twilight, trying to pretend she's not hoping.

Solar_Eclipse has arrived.

Spike looks to Twilight, too, although since he's sitting on her back it's more like staring at the back of her head. "Yeah, Twi...did something happen to your mentor?"

EconomistBrony shouts "Attention everyone! Please join me in extending a warm EquestriaMUCK welcome to Rainbow Dash!" (Wiz-shout)

Twilight_Sparkle sniffs the air. Her horn glows, and she looks around. "we have to get to Canterlot," she declares. "Something is *definitely* not right."

Dinky is half-lugging, half-dragging her rucksack of schoolwork and candy, looking like a half-alive shag rug. Despondent, or at least nearly so. Talking to Spike and Twilight has her energy level up a little. "Canterlot? You're sure?" She looks dubious about something and everything, including her own ability to say useful things. But eventually she mutters: "Have you tried sending her a letter yet? Or Luna?"

Spike rubs his head. "Yeah, maybe we oughtta try that first...I mean, it's a long way to travel in the dark, and this weird mist...are you sure it's safe?"

Twilight_Sparkle ponders this. "I sent her a letter last night, but a *lot* has happened since then. I...suppose this could turn out to be nothing. Spike! Take a letter. Two in fact."

Dinky stands and sighs while the letter is dictated...

Spike takes out a quill and parchment, per usual, and waits attentively. Truth is, he loves this part of his job. He gets to feel important.

Suddenly Eclipse is there. He's just standing behind Dinky, ears flicking back just a bit. "Hey dink," he says, frowning a bit. "Something's goin' on. Palace is weird. I think bad stuff's happening. Can't find my Aunt and Grandmother."

Twilight_Sparkle says "Dear Princesses! I'm writing you both one letter. This is to save time, butsince I'll have to have to have Spike write out two copies, and since I'm saying all of this, probably not much time. Anyhow, where are you? We're worried. Please get back to me! Yours, Twilight Sparkle."

And that's exactly when the sky transforms into a living thing. As if things weren't already bad enough, the figure of Luna suddenly appears--silhouetted in fuzzy yellow-white light against the jet-black sky! The stars behind the place she occupies in the sky follow the movements of her body as she fixes her glowing chartreuse eyes straight at the trio in the Square and speaks: "MY PONIES. MARES, STALLIONS, FOALS. BELOVED SUBJECTS." She allows a pause which admits a rising cry of hysteria coming from other parts of town. "WE HAVE EXCELLENT NEWS TONIGHT. IT IS HARVEST TIME!" The dark wings rise to cover half the celestial sphere.

Dinky's jaw drops. "*@#$#*ing #*&@^#$," she remarks.

Spike stops writing and stares straight at the apparition of Luna, jaw hanging open.

"Oh wait, there she is," Eclipse says, then shivers a little. "Oh...oh no, she's got that...that power again." Ears go back and he creeps up to his friend. "Wh-what are they harvesting?" he asks Dinky.

Twilight_Sparkle looks down. "...ugh. And she'd made SO much progress."

The dark figure continues. "THE PLANTS YOU HAVE FILLED YOUR TRACTS AND ORCHARDS WITH WILL NO LONGER BE NEEDED. WE ARE VIGILANTLY RESEARCHING EXCEPTIONAL PLANTS AND FUNGI FILLED WITH NUTRITION AND GOODNESS THAT WE WILL SOON MULTIPLY TO LEVELS SUITABLE TO FEED ALL EQUESTRIA!! BUT FOR NOW, DIG UP YOUR CROPS! CONSUME YOUR FRUITS AND GRAINS WHILE YOU STILL CAN, BEFORE THEY WILT LIKE THE WEAK, SUN-CODDLED ORGANISMS THEY ARE. CELEBRATE! LIGHT THE NIGHT WITH PINPRICKS OF LIGHT SUCH AS LANTERNS AND GLOW-JARS, AS LIGHT WAS MEANT TO BE, AND ENJOY YOUR AUTUMN HARVEST! YOUR NEW STAPLE FOODS WILL BE BOUNTIFUL IN SHORT ORDER." Nightmare Moon turns to face directly at you from the sky, and in her face is an earnest humility. "OUR SISTER AND HER SUN MAY BE GONE, BUT WE WILL NEVER ABANDON YOU. YOU ARE EVERYTHING TO US. THAT IS ALL." And with that, the fearsome silhouette melts away, and stark nighttime returns.

Dinky glances back sharply when she hears that Eclipse has finally caught up to her. She looks jittery and ready to panic.

Spike takes this fairly calmly. It can't be any worse than the pony food he's been eating, right? "Um...I guess you don't need me to send one of those letters, now?"

Twilight_Sparkle says "Um...yeah. One copy will suffice. And I really don't think we're going to be getting an answer, either."

Solar_Eclipse looks over to Twilight and Spike, "She's not there," he tells them. "Aunt Celestia's not there and... there's something going on. It's all screaming and the ponies I did run into were half out of their minds." He looks over to Dinky and his head tilts, "Nooo, no panicing. It's not going to help. Stay calm.." Not that he's doing much better.

Twilight_Sparkle narrows her eyes determinedly. "We need to go and see Luna."

Twilight_Sparkle nods to Eclipse, frowning. "That's...pretty bad."
Dinky looks like she wants to fall over dead, scream, or quietly kick somepony's ass. But instead, her gut writhing, she looks between their faces. "You were there, Eclipse? At the palace? What happened to your &#$$@ great aunt, Eclipse??"

Spike is wide-eyed, and the darkness dilating his pupils makes him look even more so. "D'you think she's finally done it, Twilight? Made it night forever?"

Solar_Eclipse looks over to Twilight, "No, no it's not. I don't know if its a good idea to go after my grandmother in that condition. Unless you think the Elements would work on her?" he asks. He sees Dinky panicing and sighs "I don't know why Grandmother Luna's like /that/ or where Aunt Celestia went." His foot absently strums the ground, over the faint shadow of a tree. The shadow moves as if he just brushed the real thing, even though the tree isn't moving. "I'm not sure what to do," he admits, clenching his jaw together a moment.

Twilight_Sparkle says "It looks that way! But...that doesn't make sense. Celestia missing means there's someone ELSE, or someTHING else, at work here. Maybe more powerful than both of them." She frowns. "Because this isn't the Luna I've come to know. We have to get to the bottom of this!"

Dinky sighs deeply. "Right. Well. You and your Elements or whatever might do the trick, I guess. If, um." She drags a hoof across the ground. "If it's not a big deal that Pinkie Pie is... uh, missing." She looks at Twilight with a mixture of fear and hostility, disguised as indifference. "Your trinket things still work if there's only five of you, right?"

Twilight_Sparkle sighs deeply too. "All of this has to be connected. And we *have* to get to the bottom of it. Failure isn't an option. Equestria depends on our succeeding!" Under her breath, she mumbles "aGAIN."

"No, this is that... power," Eclipse says. "She showed it to us once. Jealous, anger." He looks to Dinky, "She had this under control so something's happened." Again his hoof strikes shadow and again it vibrates. Even little shadow leaves fall from the shadow tree. "I don't know what we're going to do, but Dinky, we should probably get somewhere safe."

Spike frowns. "Yeah, we won't get very far without the Element of Laughter. And not many people here look like they feel like laughing, right now."

Dinky is frowning deeply, if not scowling outright. "Great. What power is that, Prince? Jealous anger power? 'Cause if that's a power, call me Mare-do-Well." She sits down with a plop in the thin layer of green-purple mist. "But yeah, it did sound like Luna -wanted- to find Celestia and couldn't."

Twilight_Sparkle has disconnected.

Solar_Eclipse squints to Dinky, "You were there," he reminds. "Your ghost lesson, remember? She...she showed us briefly all of -that-!" He waves a hoof up at the sky. "Didn't you feel it? It's wrong, and....sick."

Spike looks suddenly fearful, and wrings his hands nervously. "Ghosts? No one told me there were gonna be ghosts involved. Maybe I should just stay at the library and, um, guard it."

Dinky inhales sharply. She reflects for a few moments, seeming to get even more steamed. At least her lethargy is gone. "What're you gonna guard the library from, Spike? Ghosts? You got any ghost-killing tools in your toolbox? 'Cause I banished a ghost just by yelling really loud at her. And I was -proud- of it." She stamps her hoof.

Solar_Eclipse actually rolls his eyes a bit. "Yeaaaah, I think the ghosts can walk through the walls. Float around. Maybe come in the chimney." His hoof taps the ground, "Though I don't know of /anywhere/ safe right now.."

Spike considers this for a moment, and looks a bit relieved. "Really? You did? Okay, maybe I'll just stick with you then."

Dinky rolls her eyes at Spike. "Fine. Didn't say I could do it again, but." She shrugs. "So. What's our move? Gather the Elements, minus Pinkie? Or try and find Luna and talk some relative sense into her? She probably won't kill me... too much. She likes me. But she did once tell me that when you get as old as her, going crazy now and then isn't if, it's when."

"You can do it again," Eclipse says with no small amount of certainty. He believes in her, for better or worse. "I... don't know anything about the Elements and how they work," he says, "Seems doubtful it would do anything though." His ears lay back as he ponders, "We...we can try to talk to her, but that might not end well. I don't have any other ideas, though, except maybe hiding? Doesn't seem like that's too productive. Guess we have to get to her. Any ideas on that front?"

Dinky looks around. "Where... did Twilight go? She ditch us, or what?"

Spike frowns. "I don't think she'd ditch us. Maybe she went to get supplies for the trip." He scratches his head. "I think talking to Luna sounds like the best idea. I mean, she didn't actually sound *threatening*. She was offering to grow food that wouldn't need the sun. Plus, well, without Pinkie what else can we do?"

"Maybe she went in the library?" Eclipse suggests, half joking at this point. "She's my grandmother, I don't /think/ she'd kill me." He states, then adds, "P-probably." He fidgets some. "Maybe somepony needs to find Pinkie while we're trying to talk to Grandmother."

Dinky clenches her jaw. "Um. Right." Her voice is gravelly and doesn't want to see the light of d...night. But it does. "Well, we could, you know. Do what she says. Have a harvest, or whatever. See if things get better, and she comes to chat. But." She looks to Eclipse. "My thoughts exactly. Know what my mom was raving about last night? An egg. A green little egg that she wanted to break. And I was just... I got the idea that somehow, I don't know. Pinkie Pie was involved somehow?"

Screenplay has arrived.

Spike blinks. "An egg, really? I wonder what kind of egg? I don't know about Pinkie...I mean, who knows how long she was a changeling before the election. And she almost won, too."

"Egg?" Eclipse blinks a few times. "Mmmph, well, I guess we have to wait till Twilight gets back, unless one of you has any idea how to get up to her. I can teleport a bit, but without any sort of anchor it'd be a bit difficult and dangerous."

Dinky nods. "That. Is politics. I guess. @#*&#, Spike, being an adult is, like, a senior-level byzantine course in irrational #&^@$. Let's agree to be less idiotic when we're grown up, okay? See how long that lasts." She offers a hoof to the dragon. "Hey... something weird going on at the Research Center?" She glances at it...seems like really weird stuff is floating around the door. And more of that mist."

Spike makes a fist and brohoofs Dinky. "It's a deal. Maybe YOU shoulda been elected chancellor." He gazes over at the Research Center. "That doesn't look right. Do you think anyone's in there tonight?"

Solar_Eclipse sighs "Oh good, more weirdness," he says. He's a young pony, all this is just ...stressfull. "We...we could go check it out," he suggests. "I got no other ideas." Well hide, but no, he's brave and strong and super-smart! At least he tells himself that.

Dinky completes the gestures with a resigned air. "Yeah, right. The town'd be toast within days." She looks around and considers. "Well. I guess it kind of is. Where's Marble in all this, anyway? Or the Mayor, for that matter?" She nods to Eclipse and heads over toward the Center and the weird stuff. "If that table kills me, Eclipse, smash it or something, okay?"

Spike follows Dinky, sort of half-hiding behind her. "Dunno, I haven't seen Marble all day. All night? Anyway, uh, he's not really known for his bravery, I don't think."

Solar_Eclipse steps forward, keeping pace with Dinky. No way he's going to let her go ahead and get smooshed. "C'mon, let's...go beat up that table." Ears twitch up and he keeps watch, just in case.

Screenplay comes in to town and seeing ponies she huhs then what's the hays, "What the hay is going on?"

Dinky ... nods. Hesitantly. "Right. Beating up furniture is the most logical #&$%%# solution to our problems. I feel more rational already." She trots over, dragging her bag and leaking candy. "Whoa. Was that Fluttershy?"

Yes! Yes it WAS, Dinky! Fluttershy just streaked past, and now she's sort of hovering in mid-air, and the magic center's door just blew up, and there's all this light, and the loud noises, and and and and and-- Fluttershy grabs her face and sTUGS, trying to force herself back to her senses. "Somepony help!"

Spike had picked up one of Dinky's pieces of candy, and was in mid chew when the door blew open. He covers his dark-adapted eyes against the sudden light. "Fluttershy? What happened in there!?"

Ok, doors don't usually explode, at least not on their own. Eclipse blinks blankly, then there's fluttershy, grabbing her face "Uh..." he says, "What's going on?" He runs over to try to help Fluttershy.

Dinky jerks away, not as brave as she was kind of halfway sidewise pretending to be. "Oh, uh..." She shakes and comes back a little, avoiding stepping in any fomenting mist. "Fluttershy. Something bad going down in Chance and Dusk's place? 'Cause we were kinda wondering about the Elements of Harmony or whatever. And... did you see Luna just fifteen minutes ago? In the sky? There's aren't really any windows in there, are there?"

Screenplay looks as she sees the doors blow up and she asks "What is going on.."

Wait, the Princess did what now? "N-no, I didn't! What did Princess Luna do?" asks Fluttershy.

Spike says "She said we should harvest all our food crops before the plants die. And that she'd provide mushrooms and stuff for us to eat that wouldn't need sun to grow."

Spike adds, needlessly, "That doesn't bode well."

Dinky points a hoof skyward. "Full Nightmare mode, too. Not looking good," she tells Fluttershy. "You, on the other hoof? Pretty bad-plot. How'd you take out that living table?"

Solar_Eclipse puffs softly, ears twitching a bit. "Yeah, ok for one I wish Nettleglum was around. Now that I think about it, she'd probably have some insight, but I havent' seen her either." He nods with Dinky's explaination, "Yeah she's gone all evil. Again? Apparently that's a thing. You got your magic necklace thingie? Maybe that'll help?" He looks over to the building, "What's going on in there anyways?"

Screenplay dedids to move on and trot to see if she can find the chancellor.

Screenplay has left.

"Oh, no, not ANOTHER crisis!" Flutter's eyes get big as saucers and her irises shrink as small as rabbit feed. Poltergeists and zombies and Nightmares, oh my! "I- w-wait, what? What table? I-I guess that was Big Macintosh or something, b-but please listen! There are all kinds of hauntings and weird things loose, a-and a zombie pony even came to my door!"

Spike cringes. This sounds like a nightmare, of the non-capital-n type. "...a zombie pony? What did it want?"

"Nettleglum? The steward? I heard she was in Transylmania for a family reunion or something. Wonder how they're holding up there. Probably glad it's been pitch black for like thirty hours straight." She tilts her head as she listens to Fluttershy. "Alicorns. Seriously? A -zombie?- You sure it wasn't a costume?" Dinky still has traces of fake stitches and seams on her body, part of her Nightmare Night costume. But yeah, I got the idea something else was wrong. All that green and purple mist? What's up with that?"

Speaking of lingering costumes, Eclipse's form occasionally now starts to shimmer, a couple of night spirits hovering around him. He waves a hoof to shoo them off, but to everypony else it looks like it gets a little lighter, as if a shade is lifted. "Ghosts and stuff..." He blinks and looks over to Dinky. "Uh, Dink, that... that sounds like your area of expertise."

Fluttershy shakes her head. "N-no, not Nettleglum! B-but she said 'Nettleglum shouldn't have started digging', a-and that I'm the only one kind enough to see her, and - and there was an 'idea' that got away from her that everypony has to forget about, but she didn't tell me what it was. I...I think it's *coming* for me!"

Spike edges away from Eclipse a little. He *really* doesn't like ghosts. "Is there anyone still stuck in the research center? Do they need help in there?"

Dinky blinks a few times. "Digging? Kind enough to-- Wow. Layers on layers. Well, I'm pretty much dumb enough to be idea-proof, so I should be fine. We gotta run, or is there anypony in the Center we have to save? 'Cause Twilight vanished and I think Roseluck over there's having an aneurysm." She glances at Eclipse. "What, like I'm supposed to know how to deal with zombies just cause I felt a jar of rat bone magic? Oh my #$*@*. You all right, Prince?"

Beat. Blink. What? "O-oh my gosh, you're *right*!" exclaims Fluttershy. Poor girl is going to wear out her exclamation muscle at this rate! "There's still a whole *bunch* of ponies in there! Oh, no, we have to help them! There's some kind of haunting in there..."

Probably best Spike didn't mention the ghost/spirit thing, as Eclipse would probably give a nice lecture on how Spirits aren't ghosts, and it'd waste a good hour or so. Eclipse says "Hey sure, why not? I mean, according to Grandmother, it might be your thing. Oh oh, wouldn't it be cool if you get a cutiemark from this?" He nudges her then blinkblinks as he's asked if he's ok, "Hm, yeah, I'm fine, why?"

Spike gulps. "H-haunting, huh?" He edges toward the door a little, reluctantly...not keen to go in there, but not wanting to look like a coward in front of all these ponies, either.

Dinky sighs and nrrows her eyes. "Yeah, hellacool. Flying table cutie mark wearing a set of drapes, here I come." She wanders fatalistically over to the door and... knocks Against the table. Just a friendly knock.

Fluttershy shakes her head. "N-no, wait. You kids have to stay out of--" Too late. Dinky made the first move. Fluttershy watches with bated breath...

Solar_Eclipse snorts, "So negative," he tells Dinky. "Just think of it as beating me to getting a mark." He gives a big smile and heads forward with her now. "C'mon, Dinky, do that banishing trick.""

Spike whirls around...and sees nothing there. He backs away, nervously. "Guys...I dunno about this."

Magic Research Center
From the outside the Magic Research Center, with its magic wand and flask sign out front, looks much like any other Ponyville building. The door requires operating a latch and it automatically closes behind you. Inside, while rather smaller and simplier than a university site, the MRC is still quite spacious, and equally full of all maner of [lab equipment], projects being worked on, and things you're not sure about. There are no windows, and if you pay attention all the inner walls are covered with a material which blocks most all magic passing. Whether that's 'in' to protect the experiments, or 'out,' you're not sure. There are only the occasional loud noises or bright flashes. There are both stairs with a railing going up to an upper platform below an openable [dome] with telescopes and other gear, as well as stairs leading down to the lower level.

[ Obvious Exits: vote, <O>ut to Ponyville Square ]
[ Players: Derpy, Solar_Solstice, Bardigan, Freestone, Tiger_Lily, ]
[ BlueFeather, Snow_Bolt, Big_Mac, Chance, Dusk ]
[ Sleepers: Diamond_Dancer, Tootsie_Roll, Angel, Nimble_Hooves, ]
[ Nutty_Bullet ]
[ Contents: TheLog, clockwork squirrel ]

Dinky gives Eclipse a look, standing just outside the table-door. "Banishing? Right. Lemme just scare this table into splinters or something." She takes a few seconds to rev up, sitting on her haunches and getting steamed. Then she lets loose, and it's audible inside the Center. "What the BRIDLEBITS do you think you're on, polterghost or WHATEVER the #*&$$ you think you are, screwing up the @*($*# Magic -Research- Center, which might be, like, the best @&#& chance we've #*@#$ got with Luna moon-crazy and zombies and rogue ideas--seriously, you want attention? Try tapping out a #*@&$ -code-, you moron spook, not getting punchy in ponies' faces? You think we're gonna help you with your @**&$#%$@ unresolved issues now?? Just take a HIKE!!"

Fluttershy just sort of gapes, sinking slowly to the ground.

Well, Eclipse just looks at her a moment, then the table, then back to Dinky. "Ah, are ghosts scared of swearing?" he wonders, "Is that a thing?" His tail swishes back and forth and his ears perk, trying to hear what's goin on on the other side.

Dinky shrugs and says quietly: "Hell, I don't know. Hope so." Then she's back at it.

Pain and terror are mostly what's audible on the other side. As well as Equestria Girls, looping on maximum volume.

=================================

And that's how outside met inside.