"In the depths of the night, when shadows grow long, and the moon hides its face behind a shroud of clouds, we gather here, young souls seeking to pierce the veil that separates our world from the unknown. We stand on the precipice of the supernatural, where spirits linger, and mysteries abound.
Beware, my friends, for this is not a mere game. It is a portal to the enigmatic, a key to unlock doors to realms unseen. The spirits, they whisper in the breeze, they beckon us, curious about the living. But remember, they are not all benevolent, and their secrets can be dark, shrouded in the echoes of the past.
As we place our hooves upon this ancient board, we tread a fine line between curiosity and peril. Our questions may be answered, but the answers may chill us to the bone. The spirits may guide us, but they may also mislead.
Perhaps they will guide us towards our salvation.
Or maybe, just maybe, they will lead us…
TO OUR DOOM!”
“EEEP!” cried Fluttershy. She then leaped out of her seat, instinctively flaring out her wings. In response, Rainbow Dash threw her head back and released a guffaw of laughter, at least until Rarity smacked her shoulder.
“Ow! What gives!?”
“Rainbow Dash,” Rarity hissed. “Enough! You’re scaring Fluttershy!”
“What? No I’m…”
Rainbow Dash then trailed off as she noticed Fluttershy. The canary mare had curled up into a ball, rocking herself back and forth as Pinkie Pie placed a hoof on her whiters.
“Uh… yeah. Okay, sorry,” Rainbow said with a meek smile.
“Oh, it… it’s f-fine,” Fluttershy said.
“Darling, if you’re not comfortable…”
“N-no! I’m… I'm fine. Really. It’s just… I… I’m worried about…” Fluttershy trailed off, a shutter over taking her body.
“Ghosts.”
“Aw,” Pinkie said, rubbing the pegasus’s back once again. “It’s okay Shy. I’m sure the ghosts will be friendly.”
“You… you think so?”
“I know so,” Pinkie said with her most encouraging smile. “And besides,” she continued. “I’m sure there will be plenty of dead animals for you to talk to!”
“I… I didn’t think of that!” Fluttershy said, her voice trembling.
“That’s the spirit!” Pinkie beamed. “I’m hoping I get the ghosties to celebrate their birthday parties again! Wait! Oh my gosh, what if I could get them to celebrate their deathdays too? Then we would have to double the amount of parties! We could even invite them to their own funerals! Maybe then we could use them to spread awareness about the importance of making plans for your death while you're still alive. Ugh! Everpony always has to make them so sad and borning. They always say “Pinkie no! We can’t have balloons and ice cream now, he just died!” Gosh, funerals are the least appricated type of party! Seriously, no pony appreciates all the planning and care that goes into them! You saw it during the pandemic! Morgues throughout the country were being overwhelmed, but no! Let’s not have the government intervene! We need to spend that money on banks that are failing due to their own incompetence, and on wars overseas that just so happen to align with the interests of our local oligarcies…”
“Pinkie!” Rainbow said.
The pink party pony blinked. “Huh?”
“We’re starting.”
“Oh!”
The four ponies grew quiet as Rarity pulled the Ouija board out of its box. It settled onto the table with a dull thud, its ancient wood worn and weathered. In dim candlelight, the board's surface gleams with an eerie, ethereal sheen, like moonlight on still water. The letters, numbers, and words etched into the board seem to quiver with otherworldly anticipation as Rarity lowered the planchette.
“Remember,” Rarity said, her voice barely more than a whisper. “Once the spirits start talking, we cannot take our hooves off until they say goodbye. Understood?”
The others nodded gloomy. Rarity then placed her hoof ontop of the planchette, and the other quickly followed suit.
"Dear spirits of the unknown, we stand before you as humble seekers of truth and understanding. We approach this Ouija board with reverence, asking for your guidance and wisdom. With utmost sincerity and a touch of trepidation, we place our hands upon this planchette and invite you to speak through us. Please, if you are present, we ask you to make our presence known and grant us the honor of your communication."
For a moment, there was only silence as the friends stared at the board with bated breath. Then, suddenly…
“Guys?” Rainbow said, her usual bravado evaporating at the sight in front of her. “Is… is it moving?”
Rarity swallowed. “I… I think so dear.”
The planchette then finally came to rest in one of the corners of the board.
“I-is…” Fluttershy stammered, “...is that a yes?”
“I… think so,” Rainbow Dash whispered.
“M-may, we ask the spirits if there is a specific reason you've chosen to communicate with us tonight?”
The planchette then began to slowly move again, making a small circle before coming back to the same spot.
Rarity felt a bead of sweat drip down her forehead. “May we ask the spirits why?”
The planchette began to move once again. This time, however, it began to spiral over the letters, which Rarity read out loud:
“H…E…R…” Rarity’s white coat somehow turned even pailer as she spoke. “Her.”
Fluttershy whimpered, wrapping her wings tightly around herself.
“Eh heh,” Pinkie said with a forced chuckle. “You know? Maybe this isn’t the funnest party game. Maybe we could…”
“Wait!” Rainbow interrupted. “It’s saying something else!”
The four then watched as the board spelled out its new message”
“S… H… E… she,” Rarity said.
“I… S… is…”
“H… E… R… E…here.”
“What!?” Rainbow cried. “Who is she!? Where is she!?”
Rarity’s eyes widened as the board crafted its next message:
“SHE…
IS…
H-here…”
“There you are!”
The four ponies shrieked as the light switch was flicked on, revealing an annoyed Twilight Sparkle flattening her ears.
“Ow, loud…”
“Twilight! Twilight!” Pinkie cried! “You gotta do something! I think the library is haunted!”
“What are…” Twilight trailed off, rolling her eyes as she realized the site in front of her. “Oh, come on! You’re still playing with that stupid toy?”
Rarity gasped. “Twilight! This is not a toy! It’s an ancient device used to communicate with the deceased!”
“It’s a toy,” Twilight retored. “It’s a party trick, one that uses the ideomotor effect to create the illusion of communication!”
“Wow,” Rainbow said. “You don’t have to call us names, you know.”
“I wasn’t! Whatever. Look, there’s trick or treaters outside and…”
Suddenly the planchette moved again, spelling out a new message:
TWILIGHT
“Oh, great,” Twilight said with another eye roll. “You know what? Fine, I’ll play along.” She then teleported away in a flash of purple, only to reappear seconds later with a notepad and pen that she set on the table. “Enchanted paper. Writes down whatever you say,” she explained. “Now, ghost, demon, whatever. What do you want to ask me?”
The planchette then began to hover over the letter ‘T’ before moving on to the ‘W.’ Rarity continued to read each letter outloud. Once the message was complete, Rarity lifted the notepad in her aura and read it out loud:
TWILIGHT SPARKLE WHY DO YOU NOT RESPECT THE DEAD
“Ha ha, girls.” Twilight said. “Very funny. I guess I’ve learned to not call dumb toys what they are.”
Suddenly, the planchette turned to point towards no, before spelling out a new message:
WHY DID YOU NOT USE YOUR STATUS AS A PRINCESS TO HELP RAISE MONEY TO HELP MOURGES OVERWHELMED BY THE PANDEMIC
“What!?” Twilight said indignatly. “Seriously? You’re still going on about that!?”
“I dunno,” Pinkie began, “it sounds like the ghost might actually have a point…”
Rainbow Dash then lightly elbowed Pinkie. “Stay out of it, stay out of it,” she said.
“Look. I’m sorry that we couldn’t donate more than we did. Okay? But there’s this thing called inflation that means we can’t just make more money whenever we want!”
The board then spelled out another message. Rarity’s eyes widened as she read it. “Now dear,” she said. “Let’s just…”
“Rarity…” Twilight said, narrowing her eyes. “What did it say?”
“Um… it said,” Rarity then sighed. “It said: “Unless you need a new wing for your castle. Then suddenly money becomes unlimited.’”
“WHAT!?” Twilight shrieked. “You know what? I don’t have to take this from some stupid toy made by Hasbro!”
The board then made another message. “Rarity. What did it say?”
“...”
“Rarity.”
“...”
“What. Did. It. Say?”
“It said… it said that… that… that you’re made by Hasbro!”
“OH!” Twilight growled. “Oh, I see. I see how it is.”
“Twilight no…” Rarity cried.
“C’mon Twi,” said Rainbow Dash.
“We were having fun…” Pinkie added.
“You know, what, you stupid block of wood? You want to get political? Well guess what?” Twilight spat. “We’re getting political!”
Twilight’s friends groaned. “Why?” Fluttershy said. “Why can’t we have nice things?”