> It's Just A Game
>  by Harmony Charmer
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

> But Is It Really?
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

	"Scootaloo, are you sure this is a good idea?" Sweetie Belle stammered, somewhat unnerved.

Scootaloo rolled her eyes. "Come on, Sweets! It's just some stupid game Button found in his attic, y'know."

Sweetie frowned at her. "Yeah, I know, but you remember what the book said about it, right? It said it was used to..." She gulped, deciding not to verbally address it. "And what if something goes wrong? What if something goes wrong, like the book said it would?"

Scootaloo shrugged. "It was too long for me to read it, so I wouldn't know."

Apple Bloom glanced up from the craft table, where she placing the candles. "Say what now? Ya didn't read the instructions?" She frowned at her. "Scoots, that's terrible!"

Scootaloo arched a brow. "Is it important to? I mean, come on, I bet it's just something to freak ponies out."

Apple Bloom sighed and rolled her eyes. "This is why we don't play Monopoly together... It ruins friendships..."

Sweetie ignored Apple Bloom and turned her attention to Scootaloo. "Do you even know what the board does, then? If you didn't read it, then why are you so intent on doing it?"

Scootaloo flipped her mane. "Because I remember Rainbow told me this wicked story about how she played with one! Oh, man, it was so cool! She told me that she talked to this mare who lived in the times of Discord's Reign and it was just so, so, so awesome! Apparently, there was this thing called "crocodile shears" or something like that that the mare told Rainbow about! When I asked her about it, she just told me it was something to learn about when I was older!" She pouted. "Yeesh, I get that she's older than me, but I wish she'd stop treating me like a kid!"

Sweetie rolled her eyes. "Scootaloo, we're all kids." Her troubled frown returned upon remembrance of her qualms. "Listen, I'm just worried about this, OK? I'm not used to doing this supernatural stuff... Besides, if you had read the book--"

"Gosh, Sweetie Belle, you're always such a scaredy cat!" Scootaloo interrupted, her eyes rolling in irritation, "Would it be too much for you to not worry?" She sighed. "Yeesh, you're just like your sister..."

Sweetie flinched at those words, but she held her ground. "Don't talk to me like that! I'm just being logical! I was just saying that the book strongly suggested that we don't do this! We could get seriously hurt or worse!"

Apple Bloom stepped away from the crafts table to the quarreling fillies. "What in the hay is so dangerous about a board game?"

"See?" Scootaloo dictated, "Told you!"

Sweetie frowned at her. "Because the book said that--"

"Are you sure that it's the book yer worried about?" Apple Bloom asked, "Or maybe it's the movie ya saw a couple weeks back about possession?"

Sweetie's was flummoxed and red-faced in an instant. "You swore you'd never talk about that again! You saw it with me!"

Scootaloo rolled her eyes. "And you screamed and cried the entire time, even when nothing scary happened. I think you spend too much time with Fluttershy..."

"I can't help it when spiritual possession scares me!" Sweetie snapped defensively.

Apple Bloom stepped between the two fillies. "Alright, enough of that, now! Are you two gonna stop fighting or what?"

Sweetie let out an angry huff. "Fine..." She glanced up at the clock on the wall. "Button should be here any minute." She turned to Apple Bloom. "Did you get the candles?"

Apple Bloom nodded. "Yep." She arched a confused brow. "Why do we need 'em for the game?"

"It's supposed to be for 'ambiance'," Sweetie responded, "that's why we're waiting until nighttime to do this. If it's bright and sunny, it won't work, so candles are encouraged in dark settings that way it matches the 'mood'."

"Mares and gentlecolts, the walking encyclopedia of weird," Scootaloo commented.

Sweetie ignored her. "Yeesh, where's Button? He said he'd be here..."

"Fear not, fair Sweetie Belle!" a familiar, squeaky voice exclaimed from outside the clubhouse, "I have arrived for thou!"

"'Thee,'" Sweetie corrected, somewhat annoyed by his mistake, but happy that he had arrived.

Button trotted in, his saddlebags lopsided from the uneven weight distribution. "I brought the game!" He blinked when he saw Sweetie. "Hey, you OK? You look kinda freaked..."

Sweetie opened her mouth to speak, but Scootaloo jumped in before she could. "She's fine." She turned to the window, where the sun was setting quickly. "Man, I love fall! It gets darker earlier every day!"

"Yuh-huh..." Apple Bloom commented, completely annoyed by the idea of it, probably because of her farm work and chores.

Button dropped his bags next to the craft table. "So, who's doing what? Didn't you say that there was stuff everypony had to do in the group?"

Sweetie nodded. "Yep. Only one pony is allowed to ask questions. If multiple ponies do it, it kinda messes with the spirit or something like that."

"Oh, oh, can I ask questions?" Scootaloo piped up.

Sweetie, still somewhat sore about Scootaloo's comments from earlier, frowned. "Why do you get to do it?"

Scootaloo frowned in return. "Uh, 'cause you'll just ask stupid questions! You'll probably ask it questions like it's name or something!"

"That's what you're supposed to do!" Sweetie exclaimed, "Seriously, this is why I said to read the book!" She sighed in frustration. "I'll ask the questions."

Button put a hoof on her shoulder. "Calm down, Sweets. What else is there to do?"

"One pony has to write down what the spirit is saying," Sweetie answered. She took a seat at the table, where Button followed suit. "Who wants to write what the spirit is spelling out?"

Scootaloo held up a hoof excitedly and waved it erratically. "Oh, oh, oh! Me?"

Sweetie sighed. "Fine." She slid a notepad and pencil over to her. "Just make sure you're spelling it right."

Scootaloo frowned, but she took the notepad and pencil nonetheless. "What else is there?"

"Well, since there's four of us, there are two options, even though one is totally not needed. One is the participant and the other one is the screamer."

"I think we know which you'll be, then!" Scootaloo said with a giggle, prompting frowns from Sweetie and Button, "Yeesh, tough crowd..."

"What does the screamer do?" Apple Bloom asked, somewhat intrigued.

"The screamer is supposed to scream whenever there's a loud noise from outside, that way everyone knows what's going on immediately." Sweetie shrugged. "Anyone want that?" When everyone looked at her, she sighed. "I'm gonna be asking questions! I'm not screaming for you guys!"

"How about none of us scream, then?" Button suggested lightly, "Me and AB will just be participants or whatever the heck they're called."

Sweetie smiled at him. "Great idea."

Scootaloo let out a small groan at the affection and she glanced at the window again. She grinned. "Oooo, it's all nice and dark out! Spooky!"

Sweetie ignored her. "Let's turn off the lanterns and light the candles." She paused. "Not in that order, though."

"Why, ya scared of the dark?" Apple Bloom teased.

"Not of the dark." Sweetie looked down at her hooves. "Just what's in it."

"OK, I did not need to hear that before a conversation with spirits," Button commented. He winced when he saw Sweetie's frown. "Sorry. I forget how much you hate the dark sometimes..."

She sighed. "It's fine. Let's just light the candles--" She blinked when she saw Apple Bloom blowing out the matches and the candles lit. "Oh. Never mind, then."

"Ya OK?" Apple Bloom asked, "Ya seem a bit antsy..."

Sweetie nodded. "Yeah, fine. Totally fine." She looked at Button. "Get the board out, please."

Button nodded in response and rummaged through his saddlebags. "Here it is!"

Both Apple Bloom and Scootaloo were audibly awed by the sight of the board. The board was small, but the detail on it's surface made it seem so large and intimidating. The upper left corner was decorated with a sun, much like Princess Celestia's, with  the word "YES" beside it. In the opposite corner was decorated in the manner of Princess Luna's, with the word "NO" beside it. Seeing the Princesses' cutie marks on the board gave Sweetie a small bit of ease, though it wasn't that beneficial. The alphabet on the board spanned across is like an arch, with 10 digits and the words "GOOD BYE" written beneath it horizontally. Then, on the top of the board, the word "OUIJA" stood out, with the small font of "mystifying oracle" written beneath it.

Scootaloo bounced in her seat excitedly. "Wicked! This is gonna be soooo fun!"

Sweetie frowned at her. "Scootaloo, this isn't a game. The book said that this was used to communicate with the dead and spirits on the other side." Her gaze turned fearful. "Did you know they developed this after the fall of Discord so that those lost in his reign could be communicated with? How messed up it that?"

Apple Bloom shifted uncomfortably. "Y'know, back in the Empire, Ah heard they started usin' these because King Sombra's gone... That's kinda freaky..."

Scootaloo rolled her eyes. "Not everything you read in books is true! Gosh, you guys, it's just a game!"

The room was silent for a moment, save for the occasional, light pop of the candle flames. Finally, Sweetie sighed. "Just let me do the talking... I don't want you upsetting the spirit..."

Scootaloo rolled her eyes. "Whatever. Let's just play the game."

Button picked up the Planchlet and placed it on the middle of the board, keeping a hoof on top of it. "Make sure your hooves are on it when the spirit is answering. It's supposed to help with communication or something like that..."

Sweetie Belle, Scootaloo and Apple Bloom all obliged to that, careful not to take up too much space so that way everyone had room. Sweetie Belle cleared her throat, then looked down at the board with determination.

"Spirit, I bid you welcome," Sweetie enunciated, "if there is anyone there, then my friends and I would appreciate an answer. "

It was silent for a couple seconds, not a sound to be heard except for the wind whistling past the windows. But, after a tense moment of hesitation, the Planchlet began moving.

The Planchlet slid to the "YES" corner, as if it were eager to answer. 

"Oh my, Celestia," Apple Bloom whispered, her eyes wide.

Sweetie, somewhat surprised, took a deep breath. "Um, OK, then. Are you sun or are you moon?"

Scootaloo frowned at her. "What is that even supposed to mean?"

Sweetie returned her frowned, but tried not to be tense. "The book said to--" She gasped when the Planchlet moved to the sun corner. "Whoa."

"This is kinda cool," Button commented, "ask it another question!"

Sweetie smiled a little. "Alright. Are you a filly or a colt?"

The Planchlet warbled a bit, almost as if it were hesitant on answering. Sweetie, remembering that the book stated that spirits would tend to get nervous in communications, smiled softly. "This is a safe place, spirit. There's three fillies here right now."

The Planchlet, almost immediately convinced, began sliding around the board.

"What's it saying?" Apple Bloom asked, her eyes not keeping up.

"'Filly,'" Scootaloo said, "it--" She shook her head. "She said 'filly'."

Sweetie smiled. "Hi, there. What's your name?"

The Planchlet slid about again, this time a little faster. Scootaloo quickly scribbled down the letters and she set the pencil down when the Planchlet skid to a stop. "Her name is Lily Pad."

"Hi, Lily Pad," Sweetie said, "How old are you?"

Once again, the Planchlet slid around, and Scootaloo copied down the letters. She arched a brow. "86? Whoa, that's a long time!"

Sweetie frowned at her. "Scootaloo!" She looked down at the board. "Sorry about her. She's special."

"Hey!" Scootaloo protested.

Sweetie ignored her. "Where are you from, Lily Pad?"

The process of sliding and copying repeated once more. "Oh, cool, Manehatten! Maybe she knew Babs!" All three foals looked at her with deadpan expressions. "What? We don't know when she died!"

Suddenly, the Planchlet began moving again, this time rapidly.

"Whoa, I didn't even ask a--" Sweetie paused when she saw what was being spelled out. "Oh..."

"What is it?" Button asked, concern lacing his tone.

Sweetie shook her head. "It's just... She said that she died a week ago..."

Apple Bloom gasped. "Oh my, gosh..."

Scootaloo looked down guiltily. "Sorry, I didn't know... I shouldn't have said it like that..."

The Planchlet moved again, this time gently and slower. Sweetie smiled. "She said it's OK. Anything you want to say to us before you go? A request or a message, maybe?"

The Planchlet once again began it's journey across the board, this time spanning across many letters, too many for Sweetie to keep up with. Scootaloo, who was keeping record of it all, stopped suddenly and her eyes widened. "Whoa..." she said.

"What is it?" Button asked.

"What'd she say?" Apple Bloom requested, leaning forward in anticipation.

Scootaloo let out a surprised sound. "She said, 'Tell Babs I said hi.'" She grinned. "I was right!"

Sweetie rolled her eyes, but she smiled nonetheless. "Goodbye, Lily Pad!" She slid the Planchlet down the bottom over "GOODBYE".

Button took his hoof off the Planchlet. "Dude, that was kind of fun, actually!"

Apple Bloom nodded. "Yeah, it was! Can we do it again?"

Scootaloo looked to Sweetie. "Can we do it again? Please?"

Sweetie, taken aback by the stares of her friends, tapped her hooves nervously. "Um, well... It didn't go so badly as I thought, so I guess it wouldn't hurt to try it again."

Scootaloo clapped her hooves excitedly. "Awesome! Let's keep going!"

The Crusaders all put their hooves on the Planchlet again, like they had the first time, and they all waited for Sweetie to begin the session. Feeling more confident than before, she smiled. "Spirits, we welcome your presence. My friends and I just want to ask some questions..."

And they did. In the span of two hours, the Crusaders managed to talk to almost half a dozen spirits, all differing in age and personality. 

There was Spinning Wheel, who was one of Princess Celestia's seamstresses. The Crusaders learned that she had been one of Celestia's closest friends during her time alive, and was often there to comfort the Princess when she was behind the closed doors, especially because it was so close to the banishment of her sister. She had died during childbirth, but her foal had lived to have grandchildren of his own.

Then, there was Heavens Above, a Wonderbolt who had died less than twenty years ago. She was a fast flyer and had been the mentor for the young group of flyers for the Young Flyer Competition for years, her having been a regular participant as a filly. She had a daughter who was aspiring to be a Wonderbolt like she had been, who had been orphaned after the death of her father in recent years. Heavens Above died mid-flight due to a heart attack.

After that, there was a little colt who had died of drowning. He had been a big fan of games, though not the kinds that Button was, but he was still interesting to talk to. Apparently, his dad had been the one to develop the first couple of 8-bit games, much to the delight of Button and Sweetie. He was eerily the same age as Button, though it did little to make these experience too strange. It was after that conversation that the Crusaders stopped asking about how the spirits came to the other side to begin with.

Then, there was the conversation with a mare who serviced King Sombra during his rule. She was rather quiet and she wasn't very open with her answers to begin with. When Sweetie had asked about her position and job, the mare had gone silent and ceased answering. Sweetie and the Crusaders closed the conversation soon after.

The last of the five was a young starlet from Fillydelphia. She was a singer and actress, but things began to get complicated as her husband made things harder for her. While she wouldn't specify what had happened between the two of them, the Crusaders could tell that it wasn't anything they'd want to hear. They closed the conversation when the Planchlet stopped moving, much like the last one had.

Afterwards, Apple Bloom let out a yawn. "Yeesh, guys, it's gettin' pretty late... Ya think we should head home?"

Scootaloo shook her head. "No way! We gotta keep playing! This is too cool!"

Sweetie rubbed her eyes. "Scootaloo, it's super late... Besides, Rarity's gonna start worrying if I don't get home soon..."

"But, it'll only take a couple minutes!" Scootaloo protested, "Besides, we're sleeping here, remember?"

Sweetie's eyes widened. "What? Why do you think that?"

Scootaloo arched a brow. "Because we always sleep here for our sleepovers! Why is it different now?"

Sweetie frowned at her. "Because, you're not supposed to sleep in the area of the game! It allows the spirit to leave the board!"

"But, those spirits have been super nice to us, Sweetie," Button told her, "is that really a bad thing?"

Sweetie groaned. "Spirits on the other side are supposed to stay over there for a reason! I don't know why, but when they stay here too long or feel strong energies in places that are usually occupied for sleeping--" She glared at Scootaloo briefly. "--bad things happen! They get attached and become stuck in our world!"

Scootaloo glared at her. "Yeesh, you're just overreacting. It's just a game, remember?"

"It isn't a game!" Sweetie snapped, "We've been spending the past couple of hours talking to dead ponies, Scootaloo! This sort of thing isn't a game!"

Apple Bloom shifted awkwardly. "Maybe we shouldn't play, then..."

Scootaloo put her hoof on the Planchlet. "We're playing!" She glared at Sweetie Belle. "Are you playing or not?"

Sweetie stared at her. "You can't be serious."

Button put a hoof on hers. "If you don't want to play we don't have to..." He looked down at the Planchlet. "This is starting to get kinda freaky..."

Scootaloo frowned. "Well? You playing?"

Sweetie looked at Button and he looked at her, both unsure of how they felt. Finally, after a moment of silent conversation between one another, Sweetie sighed and put her hoof on the Planchlet. "Fine."

Button hesitated, but he followed suit. "Let's just do one more session."

Apple Bloom nodded and put her hoof on the Planchlet as well. "Who's gonna ask the questions?"

"I'll ask," Scootaloo said, her gaze going to Sweetie, "Got a problem with that?"

Sweetie glared at her. "Only if you act stupid when you're doing it. This isn't something you can just screw around with, you know."

Scootaloo ignored her. "Oh, spirits, I ask for your presence!"

Sweetie sighed. "Example being..."

Scootaloo didn't seem to hear her. "I have questions to ask of thou!"

"Thee," Button corrected quietly, causing Sweetie to feel a little better about the situation, but only slightly.

The Planchlet didn't move. It remained on the board, motionless, not even a warbled or flicker in change.

Scootaloo frowned. "Is anyone there?"

The Planchlet remained still.

Scootaloo looked around the room, then back at the board. "Um, hello? Is this thing on? I asked if anyone was there?"

Sweetie sighed. "Try coaxing the spirit. Tell it that this is a safe place."

"Uh, what she said, " Scootaloo said, somewhat annoyed, "listen, is anything there?" She tapped on the Planchlet. "Hellooooooo?"

Again, nothing happened.

Sweetie shrugged. "Well, we tried. No one's there."

But, Scootaloo wasn't having it. "Come on, you stupid thing! We spent all night talking to spirits and suddenly all of you just stopped?"

"Scootaloo!" Apple Bloom protested, "Don't talk like that!"

"Yeah!" Sweetie concurred, "You aren't supposed to talk badly to the spirits!"

Scootaloo ignored them. "This is so stupid! You were all there for Sweetie, but not for me? Talk about lousy!"

"Scootaloo!" Button hissed, "You heard Sweetie, we aren't supposed to talk like that!"

Again, she ignored them. "Listen up, you cowards! I just want to know if anyone is there!"

Suddenly, the Planchlet jerked towards the "YES" corner, causing everyone to gasp in shock and surprise. Scootaloo, satisfied with the response, grinned. "That's what I'm talking about!"

Apple Bloom looked down at the board, her eyes shining with fear. "Ah think this is a bad idea... None of the other spirits did that..."

"Ask if it's a sun or a moon!" Sweetie hissed urgently, "Hurry!"

Scootaloo frowned at her. "Why? We asked the other spirits and they all said sun. What does that even mean?"

"Just trust me on this..." Sweetie looked down at the board. "The other spirits didn't jerk around like that..."

Scootaloo rolled her eyes. "Are you a sun or a moon?" When nothing happened, she sighed in annoyance. "Great, now the spirit isn't answering us... Happy now?"

"Fine, then close the session," Sweetie replied, "just pull the Planchlet down to--"

The Planchlet jerked to the opposite corner of the board, right onto the moon that looked so much like Princess Luna's cutie mark. However, unlike the Princess, it made Sweetie feel extremely uneasy.

"Whoa, cool!" Scootaloo proclaimed, "You're a moon? None of the other spirits were moons!"

Sweetie glanced over at Button, who shared her uneasy atmosphere. "Uh, Scoots, maybe we should close the session..."

Scootaloo gaped at her. "Now? No way!" She looked down at the board. "What's your name, moon spirit? Are you a friend of Princess Luna's?"

The Planchlet didn't move at first, almost as if it were hesitating. However, unlike the first time this happened with Lily Pad, Sweetie didn't feel the need to coax the spirit or make it comfortable. But, then, it moved.

The Crusaders all watched in silent awe as the Planchlet slowly scaled the board, slowly spelling out it's name.


NOBODY


"'Nobody?'" Scootaloo questioned, confused by what it meant, "Your name is Nobody?"

The Planchlet slowly moved to the sun corner once more and laid over the "YES", causing Sweetie to feel even more nervous.

"Scoots, Ah don't like this..." Apple Bloom said weakly, her face pale and her expression nauseous, "Can we please stop?"

Scootaloo ignored her. "What made you want to answer me, Nobody? Don't like being called a coward?"	

"Scootaloo!" Sweetie tried to say, but she realized that Scootaloo wasn't listening to her as she continued her questioning.

"What do you like to do, Nobody?" Scootaloo asked, "Is there anything to do on the other side?"

The Planchlet began to move slowly once more, however it seemed to jerk a bit more than before, in Sweetie's opinion. It took a long time for it to spell out what it had to say, which, especially to Scootaloo, was shocking.


YOUR MOTHER


Scootaloo gasped. "Seriously? Your mom jokes? Is that the best you can do?"

The Planchlet jerked hard, right back into the moon corner and hovered over "NO".

Scootaloo growled in frustration. "You just love sassing ponies, don't you?"

"Scootaloo..." Sweetie warned, extremely worried about the direction this session was going, "We should really consider--"

The Planchlet jerked once more, causing Sweetie to squeal in shock and almost lose her hold on it. It moved around the board quickly, almost too quickly for any of the Crusaders to keep up.

"Whoa, slow down!" Scootaloo exclaimed, "Yeesh, you're acting like a kid! Just how old are you?"

The Planchlet continued it's vigorous sliding, and Apple Bloom feverishly began writing down what it was saying. She gasped and her eyes went wide with fear as she looked down at it.

"What did it say?" Button questioned, somewhat unnerved.

Apple Bloom didn't say anything, but instead held up the notepad for everyone to see. They all gasped.


I AM FOREVER


"It's still going!" Button said, his eyes widening in fear.

"What the heck are you?!" Scootaloo exclaimed, loud and screechy.

The Planchlet slid about quickly, not spending a second on the letters. Apple Bloom looked nauseous just trying to keep up with it, so she put the pencil down and just watched it with the rest of the group, trying to decipher it.

"'I'..." Scootaloo read aloud.

"'Am'..." Apple Bloom continued.

"'A'..." Button added, somewhat fearfully.

Sweetie's eyes widen and she felt everything inside her seem to freeze. "'Nightmare'." She looked at the others in horror. "'I am a nightmare'."

"Like... as in, the Nightmare?" Apple Bloom gulped.

Scootaloo looked down at the board. "Y-Yeah, right! You're not Nightmare Moon! Nightmare Moon was destroyed by the Elements of Harmony! Rainbow said she kicked her flank!"

The Planchlet jerked hard this time, hard enough to where the Crusaders lost their hold on it, not that they would have wanted to hold it. It slid around in it's same, quick-paced dance, and it repeated it's message over and over again.


SHE LIED


Scootaloo's eyes widened. "Y-You're lying! Rainbow told me that she stopped you!"


SHE LIED


The candles flickered as strong winds blew into the room, swirling around the Crusaders and board. Their surroundings became blurred as the board began to shake and the Planchlet continued to spew it's spurned words.


SHE LIED


"Stop it!" Scootaloo screwed her eyes shut. "You're lying! Rainbow's never wrong, and she never lies, especially to me!"

Suddenly, the message changed.


SHE ALWAYS HAS


Scootaloo slammed her hooves on the board, but it did nothing to stop the Planchlet. "You're lying! This is just some stupid prank!"

"Scootaloo, we have to close the session!" Sweetie Belle exclaimed, feeling a crawl up her spine as the Planchlet kept moving, "We have to say 'goodbye'!"

"No!" Scootaloo exclaimed, "We have to talk to it! We have to figure out what this thing is!"

"No, we don't!" Button argued, "Sweetie's right! This has gotten out of control!"

"No, it hasn't!" Scootaloo snapped. She glared at Sweetie and Button. "How many times do I have to tell you? It's just a stupid game!"

Suddenly, the Planchlet stopped moving across the board and the entire room went silent as it did. The winds ceased, allowing the candles to maintain a solid, flickering light. The Crusaders all remained still, not sure what to do or if their actions would cause another reaction to begin with.

Scootaloo sighed in relief. "I'm glad that's over."

Suddenly, a candle went out. Then another. Then another. Then another. Much to everyone's horror, their light was fading and soon enough, the entire room was almost completely dark.

"We have to close the session!" Sweetie exclaimed, "If it's dark, we won't be able to--" Suddenly, she was knocked from the table, prompting a scream from Apple Bloom.

"Sweetie Belle!" Button cried, leaping down from the table.

"No, wait!" Sweetie tried to say, "If you leave the circle, you'll--"

She didn't get to finish it. The little light that was available went out, causing everything to become as dark as the night outside. No one dared to move a muscle.

Sweetie couldn't see a thing in the darkness to save her life, though she found little humor in the literalness of that thought. Her eyes flickered from left to right in paranoia, so frightened and so shocked. Out of all the things she had done in her time as a Crusader, this was without a doubt one of the scariest things to ever happen to her, which was really saying something.

Suddenly, she heard a laugh. One that sounded too familiar.

"It's just a game," the voice said.

Sweetie's eyes widened in horror, and she looked around, her eyes catching Button's in the darkness. They both shared the same expression of terror and fear, both knowing what horrible thing had transpired.

"It's just a game," the voice said again.

"What did you do to her?" Sweetie heard Apple Bloom whisper.

"It's just a game," it said once more.

Sweetie Belle looked around in the darkness, hoping to find the source of the voice, but she found she could not. Then, with wariness, she began to stand up, making sure not to make a noise. But, as she shifted her weight, the floorboards creaked loudly.

Sweetie froze. Had it heard her?

"You were wrong, you know."

Sweetie gasped lightly as she heard the voice in her ear, and prepared for a scream. But, as she turned to face who had whispered in her ear, she found she couldn't scream if she wanted to.

Scootaloo looked at her with the most sickening smile on her face. It looked almost real, but it was so forced and strong that it looked like somepony had glued it to her face. Her eyes, which usually looked so bright and determined, looked so dead and empty that it made the expression on her face all the more horrifying.

"It's just a game," Scootaloo told her, her eyes bright with fake cheer and her smile extending to a frightening length.

"Leave me alone!" Sweetie cried out, jumping back, "G-Get out of my friend!"

"It's just a game," Scootaloo said, her eyes losing their fake enthusiasm.

Sweetie darted away, screaming. "Apple Bloom, Button! Get to the table, now! We have to--"

She screamed as she was knocked away from the table by an invisible force and crashed against the floorboards hard enough to cause them to break. Wooden splinters sprayed through the air, stinging Sweetie's face and body as she cried out in pain. She looked up in horror as she saw Scootaloo down at her, her fake smile gone.

Scootaloo's eyes were empty as she stared down at her. "It's just a game..." She smiled again. "But is it really?"

"Sweetie Belle!" Button cried out, "Sweetie Belle, you have to--"

"Just a game!" Scootaloo screamed, "It's just a game!"

"Leave us alone!" Sweetie Belle screeched. Her heart was racing. Her head was reeling. Her entire being was fleeting and throbbing with fear.

"Sweetie Belle!" Button rushed over to her, almost impossibly fast. "Sweetie Belle, stop it!"

"Stop what?" Sweetie was so confused and so terrified.

Button grabbed her and looked into her eyes. "Sweetie Belle, you have to wake up!"

"W-Wake up?" she whispered.

"You have to wake up!" Button cried out, desperate and afraid, "You have to wake up! You're having another nightmare!"

Then, everything went black.


*	*	*


"Button!" Sweetie cried, jumping forward in bed.

"Calm down!" Button told her, holding her close, "You were having a nightmare again!"

Sweetie didn't her him. "Scootaloo... The board... That... That night!"

Button shushed her. "I know, I know... I was there, too, remember?"

Sweetie clung onto him tightly as she recollected her thoughts and being. She wasn't in the clubhouse anymore. She was at home, with Button, like she had been for the past couple of years. That night was years behind her. Yet, it seemed so real...

"Button, I was so scared..." Sweetie sobbed, "I wish we had never played that game!"

"I know..." Button replied, "I wish I never found it..."

Sweetie wept into him. "Button, I-I... I got to the part where Scootaloo was..."

"I know..." Button held her closer. "I heard you crying out and it woke me up."

She clung onto him tighter than before. "I was so scared... I thought that we were going to... And Scootaloo..." She sniffled. "Oh, sweet Celestia, Scootaloo..."

Button rubbed her back. "Don't worry... That board is gone, remember? I locked it up so we'd never play with it again, remember?"

Sweetie shook her head. "Button, I think that... I think that we need to end this."

"End this? What are you--" His eyes widened, then narrowed sternly. "No. No, we are not doing that again."

"Button, we have to do something!" Sweetie let out a ragged sigh. "It's been years since that night! And Apple Bloom... She's been having nightmares, too... I thought that they'd stop, but... It kept happening and I just... I just think that maybe if we--"

"Sweetie, the last time we played the game, we..." Button couldn't continue, so he gave her a hard look. "What if I lost you in the game? Or what if we lost Apple Bloom? We aren't risking it."

"We'll close it the moment we see trouble!" Sweetie protested, "Please, Button, we just have to--" She took a deep to calm herself down. "We just have to talk to her... And maybe it'll stop."

Button looked at her for a long time. He looked so tired and mature, despite how young he was. Finally, he sighed. "One session. And then we close it. For good."

Sweetie smiled at him through her tears. "Thank you."


*	*	*


It had been years since the CMC headquarters had been used. Ever since that night that the Crusaders used the board, nothing ever felt right when they were inside of it. Every time Sweetie and the others walked by it, all they could think of was the night that their lives had changed. The night that they lost their friend.

Apple Bloom had been reluctant to attend, much like Button had been, but she agreed when Sweetie told her of her nightmares. She shared the thought that the session would put an end to them, despite her misgivings on the matter.

The steps creaked as the former Crusaders walked up to the tree house, which looked so old and broken down, much like when they first found it. Sweetie felt a spark of nostalgia as she glanced at the shelf where the Crusaders put their trophies, which was little in amount. Beside it was the map of Ponyville and a list of potential crusades, written by Scootaloo, no less. Sweetie would have rolled her eyes if she had it in her to do so.

"Did you bring it?" Apple Bloom asked. Her magenta bow wasn't in it's usual place and was instead braided through her mane, making her look so mature. Work on the farm had made her tall and lean, so she held a couple inches over Sweetie and Button.

Button nodded gravely. "I did." He sighed. "We're really going to finish this, huh?"

Sweetie sat down on the floor. "Light the candles." She glanced at the window, where the night was beginning to take over. "Spooky, huh?" She had meant for it to sound like a joke.

No one laughed.

Once the candles were lit and placed around the board, Sweetie looked over to Apple Bloom, who had a notepad and pencil at the ready. "I'll ask the questions, OK?" She said it more like a statement than anything else.

"Do you think Scootaloo will show up?" Apple Bloom asked.

Button was taken aback by the question, so he didn't answer immediately. Sweetie, however, did. "Yes. She'll show up."

Apple Bloom, although somewhat troubled by the confirmation on Sweetie's part, nodded nonetheless.

Then, like they did so many years, they all placed their hooves on the Planchlet, all careful not to move it too much. Sweetie Belle cleared her throat and took a deep breath. "Spirits, we welcome you. We call you here to answer questions we have on the other side. Is there anyone there?"

The Planchlet was still, eerily so. Secretly, Sweetie hoped that the Planchlet wouldn't move at all, that way she could leave and never have to do this again. But, as that thought ran through her mind, the Planchlet warbled, and then began sliding. It went over to the sun corner and hovered over "YES".

Sweetie Belle took another breath. "Spirit, have we met before?"

The Planchlet remained on the "YES", though Sweetie wasn't sure if it was because it was the spirit decided not to answer or if that was it's answer. 

She sighed. "Spirit... What is your message to us?"

The Planchlet didn't move from it's spot for a moment. Then, after an eerie silence passed, the Planchlet began sliding around again, though this time slowly. Apple Bloom didn't even bother writing it down, because in all honesty, all three of them knew what it was going to say.


ITS NOT JUST A GAME


And, then, the candles went out.