some quick edits of sweet bat. first i removed her ears as a joke but then i started to take it more seriously and i think that the result is pretty cute, if a bit simple. it’s kind of the first time really trying to edit an existing AD image which i didn’t draw myself, though
2022 Haunted Palace was written by the staff member PrettySkitty(18716)
With her permission we are sharing the story in full!
This Monster Masquerade you were invited to play your violin at the palace for Goat Princess and this year's mascots Graveyard Groom and Ribbon Mummy. You left early for the long journey, but you seem to have taken a wrong turn, perhaps at that unfamiliar fork in the road. But the sign did say this was the way to the palace…
The road is overgrown, made of more weeds than stones. You’re surprised any road leading to the palace is this neglected. You wonder if there is a polite way to bring up the neglected road to someone at the palace. While trying to plan a natural way to mention the crumbling road to Goat Princess you see a traveling cart further up the road. Getting closer you notice a cloaked figure pacing back and forth.
“Oh lost again, the little trouble makers! When I find them-” They look up and notice you. “Oh, it’s you again! I don’t suppose I could employ your help again this year, could I?”
You tilt your head and inform the stranger that you’ve never met.
“Ah, of course.” They say, “Silly me. Even so, I’ve lost my darling frogs again. I believe they ran into the old palace up ahead.”
‘The old palace?’ You ask.
“Of course, from before Goat Princess and Goat Prince’s falling out. After he left, Goat Princess moved to a new palace.
You didn’t know?”
You shake your head and the stranger scoffs, “Bah, what are they teaching you kids in school these days?”
“Ah, but my darling frogs. There’s ten of them, and I don’t have much money but I do have something special I can give you.
Please, take my lantern.”
Lantern in hand, you head off towards the old palace. As it comes up over the horizon, you find yourself doubting this was ever the home of Goat Princess. The bright colors the palace is known for have faded away, the yellow brick becoming a dirty beige and the pink roof has turned a dark grey. The pointed towers look much scarier here.
As you get closer, you see a hole in the main roof, with burn marks all around it. This must be where the fight between Goat Princess and Goat Prince took place. The sky is a bright red as the sun sets, giving way to a grey sky. The red, monochrome rainbow in the sky unsettles you. For once you wish the palace didn’t have a rainbow beside it.
You turn your gaze to the garden surrounding the palace. With no groundskeeper, it’s become a mess of dead plants and overgrown vines. But it might be best to search the outside first before going inside.
You’re not stalling.
You walk past rose bushes that have been reduced to a tangle of thorny branches devoid of both rose and bush. You try to envision what flowers grew here. Perhaps those tall stalks were sunflowers, and these now brown petals were once petunias. Amongst the rotting flowers you see a peculiar brown lump. You’ve found the Brown Frog! It holds up a pink carnation for you. You tuck it behind your ear.
You move through the garden and come across the remains of an old fountain. Its size and craftsmanship give you the feeling this was once the most beautiful place in the garden. Now though, moss and weeds have taken over. Cracks in its foundation make it so the fountain doesn’t appear to even collect rain water. Even still, the three winged statues on the top have an odd beauty to them. Their faces appear tear-stained. You leave the garden and slowly ascend the steps to the front door of the palace.You give the door a hard push. It groans loudly as it opens.
The entryway reminds you much of your first visit to the palace. The ceiling towers over you, and with the help of the red sunlight pouring through the shattered stained glass, you can see the artwork painted upon the ceiling.
You continue on your way, passing by lines of suits of armor.You hear a metallic clanking behind you.
As the helmet falls to the floor, it makes a horrific clanging that echoes throughout the palace.
In the chestpiece of the suit of armor, a pink frog looks bashfully at you. You’ve found the pink frog!
The three of you continue down a corridor. If the layout here is the same…
A faint noise fills the air. The sound of piano and violin grows louder.
You nervously step into the ballroom. For a brief moment, you believe you see figures filling the room in an elegant waltz. Guests dressed in large dresses twirl around partners in sleek suits. Tables with lace sheets are adorned with roses and crystals. You blink, and realize you’re alone in an empty room. The only dancing you see is the clouds of dust floating in the sunlight. A few lone tables occupy this room, decorated only in cobwebs and shattered glass. A faint noise fills the air.The sound of croaking grows louder. Perched upon a tarnished candelabra is the yellow frog. You found the Yellow Frog!
You make your way out of the ballroom, and hum an unfamiliar melody. The hallway weaves in an unfamiliar manner, and you find yourself in a circular room. The mosaic floor tiles paint a picture of two large sugar stars. The first sugar star is swirls of pink and blue, the second is a deep purple with flecks of magenta. You’ve never heard of bicolor sugar stars. A purple tile stares back at you. You found the purple frog!
Upon the walls of the room are large tapestries, in front of which are pedestals. The first tapestry depicts a lush garden. You look down at the pedestal and read the plaque with help from your lantern.
“Once upon a time, there was a beautiful, lush meadow. Flowers of every color grew in the meadow, and if you dug deep enough into the ground, you would find glittering lumps of sugar magic that the fairies called ‘Sugar Stars’.
“Sugar Stars had all sorts of purposes. The fairies would trade them for handmade goods, use them in magic, you could even eat them! One day, two particularly beautiful Sugar Stars fell to the meadow from the sky, leaving a glimmering rainbow in the sky.”
“The fairies all flocked to see the beautiful Sugar Stars and the rainbow they had made. One Sugar Star was the color of the sky and spun sugar. The other, the color of the galaxy beyond the meadow.”
“The fairies were amazed to watch the Sugar Stars melt away, leaving two small Goatlings behind!”
“Oh my! Look at this beautiful princess,” The fairies cheered, “I can tell she is loving and generous.”
“Oh my!” The fairies cheered, “Another princess!”
The goatling with fur like the night sky spoke up, “I’m no princess!”
“Oh, silly us! A wonderful prince. I can tell he is caring and proud.”
“From the magic of Sugar Stars, our Goat Princess and Goat Prince were born. In that same meadow, under the rainbow that brought them here, they built the palace.”
“Once upon a time, there was an ugly kingdom. Ruling that kingdom were two goatlings. The princess was ditzy and selfish. The prince deserved more.”
“He listened to our whispers, and turned on her. He’s promised the kingdom to us. He is our King.”
“We built him this castle in the Phantom Forest, and made statues of him.”
The last tapestry has been torn to shreds. The plaque underneath scratched so badly you cannot read it. You’ve outstayed your welcome here.
You follow the winding hallway to the next room. There are several paintings lining the hallway. You recognize Vampirella, Lovepire, Cinnawitch and Graveyard Groom. One portrait wears a suit similar to Jack O Lantern, though his face isn’t that of a pumpkin. You think you hear giggling, but when you turn around you only see a portrait of Haunted Portrait. You look away for a moment, only to see the frame is now empty. This last portrait is of… a frog? The frog leaps out! You’ve found the Green Frog!
The hallway leads you to what must be the throne room. The throne that would be Goat Princess’ has been knocked over. Sitting on Goat Prince’s throne is a very smug looking black frog in a crown. You’ve found the Black frog!
…Where did it get that crown? The frog is very reluctant to leave it. You remind the frog not to touch things that don’t belong to it.
He looks… unhoppy.
Deja vu… You shake your head and move on.
Click Click Click
Your steps echo.
The next room you step into glows red. The ceiling looks as if it has been blasted off by some sort of- Oh… oh…
The duel…You quickly bypass that room to head further into the palace. The hallways are dark., and the darkness seems to be getting closer. As you get closer, you realize that the muted colors of the palace seem to blur to grey, the rest of the hallway now a monochrome. The wallpaper ends, revealing dark bricks that look hastily cobbled together.
Something’s wrong. More portraits. They all depict baddies. The eyes follow you.
You enter a room that looks similar to the tapestry room. This room is hardly as awe-inspiring. Rather than tapestries, the walls are crudely painted.
“Once upon a time, there was an ugly kingdom. Ruling that kingdom were two goatlings. The princess was ditzy and selfish. The prince deserved more.”
“He listened to our whispers, and turned on her. He’s promised the kingdom to us. He is our King.”
“We built him this castle in the Phantom Forest, and made statues of him.”
The last painting has been covered in dark paint, concealing the scribbled writing. That story wasn’t as good. Way too creepy, and the sentence structure needed work. You hear a croak of agreement. It’s the White Frog!
Yippee! You wish you had confetti to throw.
You hurry out of the room with your frog friends. The air feels tense, so you offer to tell them some jokes. They make a noise you assume to be a no. Your frog puns will have to wait.
You find several doors. You open one to see that it leads to a basement. You shut the door. No thank you. The next door leads to a kitchen. You wonder if the food is even edible. A plate of pasta is sitting on the counter. It blinks at you. You panic. “What do you call a bowl of fake spaghetti? An Impasta.” The plate of pasta laughs and slinks off. You open the fridge. It’s stocked full of Eye Jelly, Strange Cake, Witches Brew and Skull Water. And frog.
Wait a second!!!
You’ve found the Blue Frog! How did it even get in there?
You leave the kitchen, picking a path at random and following it. Slowly, color returns to the halls. You’ve returned to the old palace, though not to a part you had visited yet. You come across a grand staircase. Muddy, frog-sized footprints are leading up it. You follow the footprints to a small, powder blue room. A small vanity sits against one of the walls, its counter littered with dusty perfume bottles and dried rose petals. A small locket is wrapped around a dark purple bottle. The letters ‘GP’ are etched into it. You gaze at your reflection.
You look so tired. Something moves behind you. It darts out the door. You hurry after it. You follow the sound of tiny hopping feet to a large pair of doors.
You step into a large library, greeted by the scent of old books. Looking up, you realize you must be in one of the towers, as the shelves seem to ascend into the sky without end.
Heavy mahogany tables are piled high with books in piles that give the impression they’ve just been gathered, but the dust overtop of them says otherwise. You desperately wish you could stay and read a few. Despite being a probably haunted palace, you feel you could put up with it for a really good book. But no, you have frogs to hunt.
Maybe the frog would like to read? You check the section with books about frogs. No such luck. You hear croaking.
Gotcha! You find the red frog sitting atop a book on one of the tables. You’ve found the Red Frog! Maybe it was reading. You look at the book. “Memory Magic: A Guide to Magical Liminal Spaces, Memory Walkers and Memory Loss.” What a weird book.
You’re hit with a sudden wave of dizziness.What were you doing?
Croak. Ah, right, frogs. You leave the library, making a mental note to visit a real library after Monster Masquerade. Then you make a real note, because you’re very forgetful. No matter where you look, you’re unable to progress any further, so you begin to backtrack through the palace. As you approach the front door, a very impatient looking frog is sitting beside it. You’ve found the Orange Frog! You gather all ten frogs and exit the palace, stopping slightly up the path to turn around. The old palace stands still, now much emptier than when you had entered. You feel an odd sense of loss as you silently bid it goodbye.
Your vision blurs, suddenly filling with color. You stand outside of the palace, fellow townsfolk in costumes walking past you and into the castle. You look beside you to notice a cloaked figure with a basket of frogs. They seem to be scolding them as they walk up the palace steps. You remember your invite and hurry into the palace, clutching your violin case tightly.
Late into the night, you hear Goat Prince and Goat Princess chatting with Graveyard Groom and Ribbon Mummy. Goat Prince remarks that he can hardly believe the palace is the same one he left long ago, commenting on a large hole Goat Princess blasted in the ceiling. You feel like you’ve forgotten something, but whenever you try to grasp at it all you can think is the strange thought, ‘This is the same palace’.
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