Non Sequitur: The Campaign

Celestia sighs. "To simplify it, your friend just has to go over some paperwork with me, and then I can send you all to talk to that old zebra, if you want to help Luna return to normal. If you don't want to help Luna return, then I'm not stopping you from being by his side as he rules the kingdom for a year. Before any decisions can be made, however, the current ruler of Equestria has to stop running in circles around the room."

"nonono... I still don't understand why he needs to do the paperwork to begin with. What the deal with that?" Maddie adds.

"A really old piece of legislation, combined with the fact that he is the closest direct descendant of me, makes him the ruler of Equestria for the next year. The paperwork is so that he can effectively dump that responsibility on Dandelion, who actually knows how to handle it." "I do? Since when?" Celestia gives him a lighthearted glare. "Right. Trying not to freak out Ghoul anymore than he already is. Sorry." "Does this make any more sense?"

"Oh... It's politics... I hate that stuff... So happy the Island helped me forget most stuff relating to that long ago..." Mad Nopony comments.

"...."
"...."
"..........Waht?"

"Oh I'd love to tell you all about it... After all I'm sure the place is recovering nicely after Discord got himself locked up in stone thanks to you and your sister, White Queen." Maddie said with a mad smile. Then she gives Sugar Rush a little nuggie. "Oh just adult-pony stuff that mostly doesn't worry us overall... Other then we'll have to wait a while before we can leave to the new destination of that old blind zebra who might know things about the unknown evil we're now questing to defeat."

Having run blindly around a pillar up until now, Ghoul finally loses his balance and falls over, sliding across the floor and stopping right in front of Celestia's hoofs. Between heavy breaths he mutters, "N-no...I...don't...I can't....they'll...they'll know...find me...I can't..."

Celesia blinks, confused. "You cannot what? Rule the country, or go in search of the old zebra? Who?"

"If somepony is looking for you Ghoul, you'd be better off sticking with a pony who'd make whatever looking for yea run in fear... Like me." Mad Nopony comments with a smile.

Ghoul opens his eyes and stares fearfully at Celestia, and manages a quiet, "can't be seen...can't be found" between panicked breaths, before rolling to look at Maddie and muttering the recitation, "can't be reasoned, can't be forced, always flee the darkest horse."

"Therefore we kill whatever's after yea, Ghoully." Maddie retorts with a smile. "Not many ponies can be willing to kill, but this little joker is one of the few. And have yet to fight something that I couldn't kill, outside of danquest-beasties and Discord. Best part of a kill is carving the carcase for the meat... Then pouring joker-goo onto the meat to make it edible for ponies."

Ghoul stares very confusedly at Maddie and starts taking slower breaths. After a few moments he stands up shakily before backing a short distance away from Celestia and saying, "Uh...so...uh...I uh...I can't. Can't...can't rule. Not even a little...sorry."

"Then you would like to give that responsibility to Dandelion, I assume?" Celestia says in a kind tone.

"Y-yes?" Ghoul replies, more question than answer.

"Would you please follow me, then? You too, Dandelion. For the rest of you, I will send somepony to get you prepared for your upcoming adventure." Celestia starts walking toward a seemingly empty wall, when her horn glows, and an invisible door opens to a dark corridor, which is quickly lit to full daylight with her magic.

Ghoul frowns and trots slowly after her, but remembers his mask and quickly grabs it. He turns to the rest of the group and gives a light 'goodbye' wave before going into the tunnel.

The door closes behind Ghoulish Guise, becoming invisible in the wall again. After a few minutes, the door opens again, revealing a new pony.

(Cue Zacharias?)

Close your eyes, they said. It'll be fine, they said. All those dumb Zachs. Just had to chase after me, just had to offer a transport poem to who-knows-where. I couldn't even hear what they were chanting. Bother.

I opened my eyes and found myself in a castle. Well. Better than middle of the forest, I suppose. A small, eclectic looking crowd stood before me.

[i]"Pardon me, good ponies!" I asked from across the room, adjusting my purple fez slightly. "Pray tell me where I have found myself? I am somewhat disoriented... I'm number eight! Wait! NO. I washed my hooves of the Numbered ones," I corrected, ripping off the parchment from my cape, throwing down the infernal double circles and stomping on them vigorously, until the parchment was left in shreds.

"There! I am Zacharias, a humble poet who does not comprehend his nature. Where was I? Right! Where are we?"

((Have not read the other character sheets, by design; a quick visual description of what I'm looking at would be verra helpful.))

"Hello, I'm the Mad Nopony. You seem fun, therefore you may call me Maddie." The Green Earth Pony who was wearing a purple-blob-monster as a hat.

Runeheart fell back into existence in the middle of the room, landing on his face with a resounding Thud.

"Well, I've never considered myself particularly amusing," I replied, making a note to keep an eye on this "Maddie".

Suddenly a red unicorn fell into the room.

"You too? Is this simply a dump-spot for mislaid travelers of magic? I'd still like to know where here is. Let me see..."

"How bizarre! When flung afar;
That none will tell us where we are!
Show me a map! And then highlight
The spot on which I've come tonight!"

Magecraft:

"Oooo! Neato rhyming magic, I still prefer necromancy though." Runeheart says, suddenly standing next to Zach.

"Oh neato, you exist again, Runeheart." Maddie comments with a smile. "Well we're mostly waiting for word on when we depart to deal with some unknown evil that morphed the Princess of the Night into some evil pony..."

"It was really scary. I mean, I'm brave, but some of us were definitely scared," says the tiny grey bat pony colt who had been clutching Maddie's leg just moments prior.