The Best Week of My Life: Night Two

It has been long since the owners of the three story house on the hill had gone to sleep, but their little visitors in the basement were not quite ready for bed yet. The four misfits had been doing all manner of things besides sleeping despite the fact that it was around 9:50 PM. This included playing board games, drinking soda (their parents weren't there to stop them), watching TV, and just recently deciding to start a new game. This game was something the group had seen a group of teenagers playing on TV during a sleepover. The TV called it 'Truth or Dare'. So of course, as pre-teens desperate to copy anything they thought the 'cool teenagers' did they started their own game. At first the game started out rather boring. None of the children really understood what kinds of questions to ask, or dares to make so they just asked questions like "What's your favorite color?", and dared each-other to make funny faces. It wasn't until Hiari witnessed something on the TV that things started getting more 'interesting.' When it came around to her turn a third time she asked Juno which he would prefer. Juno stated "Dare" seeming pretty confident that he could do whatever she was going to dare him to do. Hiari's dare was simply "I dare you to close your eyes." Juno does so with confusion. He waits a few seconds, and thinks about asking why he needed to close his eyes when he feels someone, or something soft peck his cheek before quickly retreating. He can hear Nar off to the side pretending to retch, and a quiet gasp from Asuka. Had Hiari just kissed his cheek? How scandalous! When Juno opens his eyes he can see Hiari turned away while trying to hide her red cheeks, as well as Asuka seeming fairly giddy, and Nar seeming grossed out. The game continues with Juno asking Asuka who replies with "Truth." The question is quite obviously. "Did Hiari kiss me?" To which Asuka replies with a small nod. He's not entirely sure how to feel, and the game continues. Things die back down for a few rounds before it reaches Juno's turn once more. This time his target is Nar who responds with "Dare" as he had every time he had been asked prior. Only this dare was nothing like the ones before. Juno utters a dare that would shake any child of their age group to their very core. "I dare you to go find the clown room upstairs." There's a collective gasp from the two fillies, and Nar seems visibly shaken. Juno presses the matter by asking "What? Are you too chicken?" Nar takes the bait and snaps back. "No I'm not! I'll do the bet!" The group watches in stunned silence as Nar makes his way up the stairs to the basement door. After a moment of hesitation the door opens, and Nar steps through into the seemingly infinite darkness above. Asuka nearly faints at the thought of going upstairs at night. (Luigi's Mansion music for effect: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8zIJ2IfjWJk) Nar's stubborn defiance only lasts all of two seconds. Once he's finally out in the dark second floor of the house he has second thoughts. No child had EVER been to the upstairs before. They'd always stayed in the basement, or second floor. Rumors said there was a man who lived upstairs who trapped you in the clown room if you ever went in at night, and you could never leave. Nar assures himself that there's absolutely NOT a creepy man that's going to trap him in the clown room. He's the biggest of the group, meaning he's the bravest, and strongest. If anyone was going to go into the clown room and come back alive it would be him. Plop. Plop. Plop. Plop. Nar's hooves make soft sounds against the hardwood floor leading through the kitchen/dining room into the foyer to the upstairs. The entire house seemed so large, especially at night. He often thought his grandparents actually lived in a mansion since his house in Ponyville was nowhere near as large. Nar steps out into the foyer, and takes a peak up at the covered railing above. The light of a smoke detector blinks for a split second, causing him to freeze. He had no idea what the thing was. Maybe it was a device that told the clown room man he was there. Nar steels his nerves, and heads to the staircase to begin his ascent. BING BONG BING BONG.... BONG BONG BONG BING... An overwhelming fear causes Nar's entire body to freeze. The dreaded Grandfather clock in the foyer strikes 10 times. 10 seconds of Nar being completely frozen, and exposed to the clown room man. Once the clock has stopped emitting sound freedom is restored to Nar's body, and he cautiously ascends the staircase. He reaches the top of the stairs,and finds a closet door in front of him. To his left is a hallway leading to a bathroom, a bedroom on the right, another door on the left, and another room at the end of the hall. Directly to his right is a door to another room. Nar's never been up here before, so he has no idea which room is the clown room. Starting from his right he begins opening doors. The right room is a small bedroom with an attached bathroom, and it's own closet full of Christmas decorations. No clowns. He closes the doors behind him before heading to the next room. The bathroom door slowly creeps open as Nar peeks inside. He sees another door, which appears to open into a shower room, with another door. The next room is also a bathroom with another door to the left. Opening THAT door leads into another bedroom. This one has three other doors. One leading to an outside balcony, one into an empty closet, and the other back into the hallway. Once all the doors had been re-closed there was only one room left to check. Nar's courage wains as his hoof grabs the last door's handle. He prepares himself to book it back down the stairs before opening the door. Peeking inside Nar finally sees them. The dreaded clowns. Shelf after shelf of dolls, and ceramic statues, all resembling clowns. Stepping into the room further Nar swears the statues are watching him. He looks to the right of the room's bed to find another door. Using his better judgement, and fear of being trapped by the clown room man Nar does not open the door, and instead exits the room, quickly, but quietly closing the door behind him. Asuka feels like she's about to cry. It had been 5 minutes and Nar wasn't back yet. Maybe the clown room man got him. Maybe he got lost. Maybe their grandparents caught him. Juno seems to also be regretting his choice of dare. Had he just sent his best friend to his death? The trio shoots up as the basement door closes. They see hoofs make their way down the stairs. The hoofs give way to legs, then a torso, and finally, a head. The three almost cheer as Nar makes his way back down into the basement. His legs are trembling, and he is visibly shaken, but despite this he grins to Juno and states. "I beat the clown man."