“I think it’s my turn.” Ocellus said.
Silverstream was treated at this point, Zecora had cleaned up the wound and patched it up as best as she could. Yet, before they could continue with the game, Smolder was showered with reassurances that what happened was an accident. However, with the evening drawing near, it was decided that they should at least try to finish this cursed game while there was still enough daylight to do so.
Picking up the dice, Ocellus paused with a thought. “I realize at this point that after me, Silverstream could win the game.”
“That is if she rolls at least an eight.” Twilight pointed out. “The odds of her rolling an eight for her are roughly two in three, which means there would be a likely chance that she might not roll the winning number. If she doesn’t, the game would have to continue for at least another round or so.”
“But there’s still a chance,” Sandbar said. “Even when the odds are against us, there’s still a chance this could be over soon.”
“Speaking of which,” Ocellus clenched her hoof to rattle the dice, “is everycreature ready?”
“As ready as we’ll ever be,” Smolder murmured.
“Okay, here we go.” Letting the dice go, they rolled on the gameboard a pair of twos. Instantly meaning that she will have to go again. They watched Ocellus’s elephant piece move forward four spaces until it stops.
In the center, they all watched in dreaded anticipation of what the next danger was going to be. This time the words formed said:
You’re almost there, with much at stake
But now the ground begins to quake.
“Ah’m no good with riddles.” Applejack commented, “But that sounds an awful lot like…”
That’s when they felt it. Underneath them, something was vibrating. It started small at first, but all around, they started to hear a low, dull hum. As it grew, the dust from the walls and ceiling fell as the vibrating became more intense.
Zecora lowered herself to the side to place her ear on the ground to listen, when she sat up, she confirmed what they all suspected. “We need to get out for pity’s sake, here comes an earthquake!”
Slamming the folds of the game, Ocellus picked up the game to be hold under her foreleg just when the room was shaking so bad that noticeable cracks were forming in the floor and the walls. They found that standing was difficult as they felt the floor being lifted and dropped. Those who couldn’t take flight found that they couldn’t walk without falling over.
Then it happened. The stone floor beneath formed a long, deep crack that split the ancient throne room in two. With every passing second, a jagged chasm opened with heavy stone from below and above falling. Twilight cast a shielding spell overhead as parts of the now shattered glass ceiling and stone fell. Meanwhile, those who can fly were doing all they can to keep their friends from tumbling into the ever-gaping abyss. Rainbow, Spike, and Smolder were pushing Yona away from the collapsing floor. Zecora held on to Fluttershy’s hoof for dear life. Pinkie held onto the game with Ocellus. Rarity used a spell to get around a column. Gallus picked up Sandbar. And Silverstream pulled Applejack away from a falling piece of the floor.
Even though the earthquake was short, it left the once-mighty castle of the Two Sisters to rubble. The once-grand throne room with its towering walls was reduced to shattered stone, tumbled columns, and thrones that have fallen into the chasm. After a good coughing fit before the dust was settled, the group found that they were separated by a space that couldn’t be jumped across. Twilight, Zecora, Fluttershy, Rarity, Rainbow, Yona, Smolder, and Spike, were on one side; Pinkie, Applejack, Ocellus, Gallus, Sandbar, and Silverstream were on the other.
“Is everyone alright?” Rarity asked.
Getting back on her feet, Smolder turned to Zecora, “Of all the things you put into this game, why did you include an earthquake!?”
“I understand you being so livid, but earthquakes are quite common in Zebrica,” Zecora replied, dusting herself off. “Still, that was quite a shaking of dirt, now is anyone here hurt?”
Fortunately, no one was. After dusting themselves off, Gallus flew over to look at the deep rift. “Woah… good thing nocreature fell. I can’t see the bottom of this thing.”
“Do you think we should move?” Silverstream asked. “Suddenly I don’t feel safe around here anymore.”
Ocellus set the game down to open it up. “Maybe we should keep going. It’s my turn again since I rolled doubles.”
“We almost got crushed and fell into a bottomless pit,” Rainbow Dash pointed out. “Don’t you think we should go somewhere else?”
“Professor,” Ocellus said, looking up at her. “Don’t you get it? No matter where we go, we’ll always be in danger. All day long we’ve been running and dodging, and we’ve come close to dying so many times that I’m able to count. We’re nearly there. Just a few more rolls of the dice and we can finally finish this nightmare.” Ocellus picked up the dice. “I am already two hundred percent done with this today, and if I have to end my turn by releasing whatever deathtrap that would come after us anyway, so be it.”
With that, Ocellus rolled the dice, landing on ten.
She watched as her Elephant piece move ever closer to the centerpiece. Reading aloud the latest message from the gem, her frustration gave way to horror as she said aloud:
With a cough, spots, and a seizure
Shows signs you have Jungle Fever.
As soon as she finished that rhyme, she looked up at her friends and teachers, terrified of what she just unleashed. She suddenly felt cold and yet, suffocatingly hot at the same time. “Guys… Guys, I don’t feel so-” Ocellus let out a coughing fit. She could barely breathe as her lungs were forcing out more air than taking in.
“Ocellus!” Silverstream rushed over to her friend, along with Pinkie, Applejack, Gallus, and Sandbar. The Hippogriff felt her forehead as Ocellus’s chitin was getting pale and forming orange dots all along her body. “She’s burning up! Somecreature do something!”
Twilight lit her horn to quickly carry everyone on her side of the chasm to the other side. As soon as they got across, Zecora quickly attended Ocellus by fetching a few leaves from her saddlebag. “Chew on these quick, before you become too sick.”
Ocellus tried while coughing her head off. Taking the leaves into her mouth to try to chew without spitting the bitter taste out. Whatever she gave her made her able to breathe a little, but she was still feeling unbearably freezing.
“What I gave her would only slow the illness down,” Zecora told everyone, “But I’m afraid that we have no choice but to go into town.”
“What? Why?” Sandbar asked. “Wasn’t that a cure you just gave her?”
“No, it only gave us some time a little. But Jungle Fever requires going to a hospital. Ocellus is already showing two of the signs, I will not lie… but if she falls into a seizure… she will die.”
Looking at the game, Silverstream picked up the dice. “But… it’s my turn, right? There’s still a chance that if I roll these now, everything will be fixed, right?”
“Silver, now isn’t the time for taking on a risk,” Twilight told her. “Ocellus needs immediate medical attention, and we can’t afford to let the dice deiced if she is going to live or not.”
“Perhaps I can make that decision for you.” Everyone froze when they heard Van Pelt’s voice. He walked over to them with a limp in his step with the arrow still in his hind leg, letting him have a burning hatred in his eye while he held his gun. “I must say that this is by far the most frustrating hunt in my entire career. But it’s all over now.”
Smolder stood in front of Gallus, her wings and arms spread. “I’m not going to let you hurt Gallus.”
Zecora picked up Ocellus’s sickly body. “This girl requires medical attention, please stand down and defuse this tension.”
“That girl you are holding has Jungle Fever. She is already good as dead. Though I will tell you what, I’ll let you pass by me if you all will give a clear shot at the griffon there.”
Silverstream quickly glanced at the clenched fist that held the dice. “And if we say no?”
Van Pelt cocked his gun. “More game for me to carry.”
Instead of moving aside, both student and teacher stood between the hunter and Gallus. Doing all they can to block his clear shot at him.
Shaking his head, the hunter said, “A noble gesture, but a foolish one.” He held up his rifle up where, taking a huge gamble, Silverstream dropped the dice, not taking her eyes off him. “Now, any last words?”
Silverstream looked down at the game board. “I do,” she said as she watched her Crocodile piece move across. Taking a moment to read what the gem said, “in fact, I have only one word.”
“Spit it out, girl. What is it?”
“Jumanji.”
Everyone turned to look at her.
“Pardon?” Van Pelt questioned.
Silverstream eyed down at the game, and everyone saw what she was smiling about.
“Jumanji.”
Before Van Pelt could pull the trigger, there was a strong wind that came, and before their eyes saw the hunter’s gun started to disintegrate into sand. It was such a shock to Van Pelt that he dropped his weapon before he too was being blown by the wind. They backed away from the game as cyclones now formed over the center of the game. One so strong, that they saw the things that have tormented them being sucked in. From the screaming monkeys to the jaguar that tried and failed to take hold of anything solid, from the murderous tribe being flung about to the giant spiders that were being sucked up – everything that came out of the game was now being forced back into it. And the sound… a terrible wailing of cries and screams that whirl around that made everyone there lower to the ground. Trying to hold on to each other, praying to make this horror go away once and for all.
The shrieking became louder and more horrifying until all was silenced by a clap of thunder.
For a while, no one wanted to look up when everything became silent.
“Is it over?” Gallus asked.
Silverstream opened an eye to see that all the game pieces were now knocked over. Blinking, she looked up to find that they were back in the student lounge with Gallus, Smolder, and Ocellus. She looked about to see there were no nightmarish creatures in sight, and the room was left intact.
“I think the game is over.” She told them with a heavily relieved sigh. “It’s over…”
Looking up to see that everything has been set back to normal, the four friends cried out such a cheer of joy as they hugged in celebration.
The nightmare was over.
Yet, turning back to the game, Smolder immediately placed the tokens and the dice back before slamming the folds shut. There was one thing now that was on all of their minds, "So what are we gonna do with this thing?"