Welcome to Your Nightmare!

by Ganondorf8

Rating: teen
Tags: My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic, Dark, Other, Adventure, Sunset Shimmer, Random, Human, Main 6
Length: 14927

Pinkie Pie has a new game for her friends to play, but it's a different kind of game. Over the course of the next hour, they will be experiencing their worst nightmares.

Note 1: This story is told from Sunset Shimmer's perspective.

When does a game become more than that? What if it becomes a game where you are in a race against time? What if you were trapped within the darkness, and you have to struggle to find a way to return to the light? When Pinkie Pie hosts a sleepover where all of her friends, they discover that she has found a board game unlike any they have seen before, and insists the group play it.

This game is interactive... where twists and turns abound... it is a video board game where one must face their greatest fear...

Note 2: This story involves the Mane Seven playing a board game known as Atmosfear, sometimes referred to as Nightmare in other regions. Rather than go into the history of the game, I'll provide two links. One is the article about this game on Wikipedia, and the other is a YouTube of the actual video that is used to play.

Atmosfear - Wikipedia

Atmosfear - YouTube video of the first game in the series: The Gatekeeper.

Published 2015-10-21 22:00:02 UTC
Last updated 2015-11-01 09:00:11 UTC

Chapter 1: Before the Game Begins...

Author's Note

Disclaimer: I do not own anything regarding, My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic, and My Little Pony: Equestria Girls Friendship Games. These are the properties of Hasbro.

And so begins this Halloween themed story using a board game which I own and played many years ago because it was a different kind of game. Hopefully, you'll enjoy the antics that are to happen.

Chapter 1: Before the Game Begins...

Welcome to Your Nightmare
By Ganondorf8
October 20, 2015
Chapter 1: Before the Game Begins...

Normally, when Pinkie Pie decides to throw a sleepover, she will constantly tell you every last detail about it to the point where she practically spoils it days before it even begins, but this time she has been awfully quiet about it. It's as though something in her brain told her to keep this one secretive from your friends, and surprise them by giving subtle hints as to what kind of fun activities were to be had. My friends and I were invited to her place one night, Rainbow Dash, Rarity, Applejack, Fluttershy, Twilight Sparkle... the human version of her, and not the princess from Equestria, and myself, Sunset Shimmer, for she had discovered something which one of her cousins had given to her family some years back, but completely forgot all about it until several days ago.

A Pinkie Pie Sleepover is something you shouldn't take too lightly, for whenever she throws one, you are guaranteed to leave with a smile on your face, and quite possibly a bellyache what with all the food that she prepares which has lead Pinkie to have a certified guarantee in the form of a Pinkie Promise. If you don't leave with a smile, she will have broken her promise, and while the rest of us may not always understand this aspect of her personality, she is dead serious about it which is why we've never questioned it.

In my mind, this was a chance for all of us to enjoy a sleepover, and on the weekend of Halloween no less--Pinkie's favourite holiday next to Easter and Christmas because of all the fun that's involved. It was also a chance for Twilight... the other Twilight... the one from this world, to be able to get to know her new friends better. Since the Friendship Games, she has slowly been coming out of her shell, yet she still shows signs of regression in the form of wanting to bring over so much homework to last her the entire sleepover.

When it comes to bringing the essentials for one of Pinkie's sleepovers, that would consist of a change of clothes, a sleeping bag, something to entertain yourself with, a noise maker for some odd reason, your own basic necessities, and whatever else you think is necessary. This time however, Pinkie wanted us to bring along six specific items which made no sense at all... she wanted an old hat, a cape, bandages, fake teeth, a wig with wavy hair, and for whatever reason... a pacifier.

I didn't understand why she wanted those six items, and that goes for the others as well, yet Pinkie insisted, and who were we to try and understand how she thought at times. Throughout the week leading up to the sleepover, we were all expecting Pinkie to tell us more about what she was planning, yet she was tight-lipped about it. Tight-lipped!?!? Pinkie Pie!?!? That term and her name just don't mesh well together given how much energy she has, so this must be something really big if she has been keeping it so secretive.

And then in the early hours of the evening where all of us had arrived at her place at roughly the same time, we were all excited for the sleepover, yet we were also worried because of how Pinkie had been behaving. I mean, it's just not natural for her to be so passive about something she loves, and for that we were a little hesitant about going inside, but this was our friend here! Pinkie may been acting... differently from her norm--if you can call it that, but I'm sure she had a good enough reason.

" Well, we're all set for this sleepover, but I feel like we're being cheated." Rainbow Dash said as she ran her hand through her hair as a sign of wanting to look cool which was part of her character trait, but her choice of words as always were ones where she speaks before she thinks.

" Cheated darling?" Rarity asked in her usual manner. " Just because Pinkie decided to keep the details of this sleepover a secret doesn't mean she has cheated us! Far from it! She just wishes for us to be surprised this evening, though I must admit that some of her requests are questionable." Rarity then produced one of the six items Pinkie had requested, and the expression on her face was evident to the rest of us. It was one of sheer disgust, for she was holding the wig which goes against her code of ethics as a fashionista. The way she was holding onto it, Rarity wanted to give it to Pinkie at the earliest opportunity.

" You ended up getting the wig?" Rainbow Dash asked with a hint of sarcasm in her voice.

" And believe me when I say that this is perhaps one of the most embarrassing things I've ever done." Rarity answered before we all started to chuckle which caused her to stare at us with a cold expression as though knives had suddenly pierced our hearts.

" Well, I ended up getting the fake teeth courtesy of my Halloween costume from last year." Rainbow Dash said reaching into her pockets, and pulling out a pair of plastic werewolf teeth which looked pretty authentic before putting them into her mouth where she pretended to snarl like an actual werewolf. If she was trying to make us laugh, it wasn't her best attempt, but it's the thought that counts. Rainbow then spat the teeth out which prompted Rarity to stick out her tongue in disgust. " These things make it difficult for me to talk, but I still don't see why Pinkie needed them in the first place. What about the rest of you? Did you get your hands on those items?"

" I... I brought the pacifier." Fluttershy answered in a meek voice. She reached into her pocket, and pulled it out much to our surprise, for we were certain that Pinkie would be the one to have that on her person.

" Wasn't expecting that." Rainbow Dash said folding her arms.

" This belonged to one of the animals down at the shelter who had just recently outgrown it, so I washed it vigorously, and brought it to the sleepover." Fluttershy said, placing the pacifier back into her pocket.

" Well y'all, ah reckon that ah was able ta get my hands on some bandages courtesy of Granny Smith who had some left over. She had bought several cases of bandages for the Apple Family Haunted House, but I reckon she got too many, and ended up with more than she needed. So, she said I could have the rest, so ah brought over some for the sleepover. Still don't quite get what Pinkie needs this fer, but who am I ta question that one?" Applejack asked, dangling some of the bandages in front of her. I remember going to the Apple Family Haunted House last year just after the Fall Formal, and while I enjoyed myself, I wish that I had enjoyed it a little bit more. That's because back then I was just starting to understand friendship, and for me to be invited was like a dream come true.

" Okay, that leaves the hat, and the cape." I said.

" Y'all got the cape or the hat?" Applejack asked.

" I did get this which I happened to find in the Canterlot High Library's Lost and Found Department." I answered, brandishing a rather dusty looking piece of cloth which was in serious need of cleaning. " They said I could have it as no one had bothered to claim it for several months." Rarity kept her distance from the cloth as the sight of it made her feel rather queasy, so I put it back into my backpack so that she wouldn't be offended.

" Still can't believe ya still reside in the library." Applejack said with her eyebrow raised.

" Just taking a cue from Princess Twilight--" I said before quickly covering my mouth due to whose name I just said. The moment my hands were across my mouth, my eyes darted over to where Twilight was standing, and she seemed perfectly fine... at least on the outside. I have to remember that she isn't the same Twilight as the one we've come to know, and that means not comparing them with one another.

" One of these days Sunset, ya really do need a proper place of residency." Applejack.

" It's on my to-do-list, and believe me that list has been getting pretty long." I said sarcastically before turning my attention to Twilight. She had been silent the entire time, and I felt awful about what I said regarding Princess Twilight. I also felt bad for not including her into the conversation as though she didn't exist, so I walked over to her where she took a few steps back due to feeling awkward about being approached in such a manner. " Twilight, did you get the final item Pinkie asked for?"

" What was it again?" Twilight asked having not been paying attention to the discussion.

" We have everything except for the hat." I answered while each of us quickly showcased the other five items in unison.

" I've been so busy with my studies that I didn't really have that much time to look for a hat." Twilight said, resulting in everyone except for me to groan because once again she was fixated on her grades which isn't a bad thing mind you, but she could have spent tonight not worrying about it like it were the end of the world. " However--" Twilight began before reaching into her backpack, and pulling out a tattered old hat which obviously had seen better days. " I did manage to get this from my brother! Who knows why he had something like this to begin with, but he said I could have it for the sleepover."

" Well, that's one way of gettin' one of the items, sugarcube." Applejack said.

" How do you feel about all this?" I asked Twilight.

" It's still pretty new to me Sunset, and I know it will take me a while before I'm finally used to being around other people like this, but it's like what Dean Cadance said to me the day before the Friendship Games... sometimes being around other people helps you understand yourself a lot better." Twilight answered. A warm smile appeared on my face as a sign that Twilight was going to be just fine considering what happened during the finale of the games.

It still frightens me a little--Twilight becoming a demon... just like what I became back when I was the "bad girl" as many labelled me as. Hopefully, this sleepover will allow her to further come out of her shell. " I did bring some homework as well which you all already guessed given your reactions--" Twilight then stopped for everyone groaned again which informed her brain that we weren't aware of that. " Oh... I guess you didn't know, but now you do, so... umm... sorry about that."

" Y'all are just bein' you." Applejack said.

" I do want to have a good time." Twilight said.

" Just enjoy yourself in yer comfort zone sugarcube, and if you desire ta really come out of yer shell, we'll be here waitin' for ya with open arms." Applejack said. Those words were met with sarcastic laughter from Rainbow Dash which prompted all of us to look at her with cold expressions, and she quickly stopped with her mockery. Twilight was going to be just fine at the sleepover, yet it's not out-of-the-realm of possibility for us to give her a little help when it comes to fitting in.

" Okay, we have all of the items Pinkie wanted us to get, so what do you suppose it means?" Rainbow Dash asked. Her answer came in the form of shrugs, confused looks, and even one or two thinking moments which made her sigh in response. " This is why I feel like we've been cheated! Pinkie wanted us to get these, yet she didn't say why, and we'll all look like fools should we have wasted our time getting these." Rainbow then began stomping her foot in frustration, and Rarity walked over to her in an attempt to calm her down, but I suppose she does make a valid point. Pinkie has never been so secretive about a sleepover, or anything for that matter unless it was extremely important, so why decide to keep it all to herself? Her mind can be best described as a party cannon... you never know when it will go off, and what kind of confectionary will come out... actually, her mind is more like a child who is exploring every facet of the world around her, and is in complete awe of it all.

" Shouldn't we head inside now?" Twilight asked. We all started sharing the same embarrassing expression with one another, for we've been out here for about ten minutes now, and Pinkie was probably wondering why we're all outside when we clearly could have entered by now.

" So who wants to knock?" Rainbow Dash asked.

" I did it last time darling, and it wasn't the most gratifying experience." Rarity answered, prompting all of us except for Twilight to laugh. The last time we had a sleepover at Pinkie's house, she had decided to rig the doorbell, all in the name of fun of course, which caused pudding to fall down on top of Rarity. I had never seen her face explode with so much red in her cheeks before, and I remember everyone backed away because they knew how much Rarity cares about her looks. Before going into her usual trope of complaining that her outfit was ruined, and that she had worked hard on it, her face exploded, but not literally as that would have caused more than just a scene. Luckily for us, Rarity started laughing after having her moment, and was in a good mood although Pinkie did have to get all of the stains out using the proper detergent as Rarity only wants what was best for her outfits given how serious she is about them.

" Why don't y'all ring sugarcube?" Applejack suggested to Twilight.

" Why me?" Twilight asked feeling somewhat nervous.

" You're our newest friend darling, and I'm sure Pinkie would be thrilled if you rang the doorbell, for it would be a reminder that you're slowing coming out of your shell. No point in simply hiding behind us, for you do need to get yourself out there!" Rarity answered, pushing Twilight forward gently as a indicator of wanting her to do it. She looked at the rest of us, and we each gave her a thumbs up signalling that we were in agreement... and that she didn't really have much of a choice. Twilight gulped which sounded rather loud given the location of Pinkie's house which was in a rather loud neighbourhood, and she slowly walked up to the door. The door felt intimidating to her judging from her facial expressions, yet it was just a typical door on a typical house in a typical neighbourhood... yeah... on the outside it looked normal, but on the inside... that's where things will get interesting.

" Here goes." Twilight said before pressing the button that activates the doorbell. Ring... ring... ring... giggle... She was taken aback by the last sound from the doorbell which made the rest of us roll our eyes, for we knew Pinkie Pie was just being Pinkie Pie. A few moments later, the sound of footsteps could be heard coming from behind the door, and then it quickly swung open revealing Pinkie, and she looked exhausted as though she hasn't slept in days.

" You all made it!" Pinkie said with her usual joyous tone in her voice.

" Gee Pinkie, y'all look like yer about ta collapse or somethin'." Applejack said.

" I've been working really, really, really hard to make this sleepover the best one we've all had, and it just so happens that I've got a super-duper fun activity that's just perfect given that Halloween is tomorrow night." Pinkie said, a big grin flashing across her face as though she were either excited, trying to hide something, or was trying to get into the spirit of the occasion. Ushering us into her house, we all made our way to the living room, and our jaws dropped at what we were seeing.

" So this is your secret?" I asked.

" Sorry if I didn't want any of you to know what I was planning, but if you did know then it wouldn't have been much of a secret now would it? I found this board game up in the attic when I was trying to find some decorations for the Apple Family Haunted House, and when I stumbled upon this, I was all like WOW! HOW COME WE FORGOT THIS WAS EVEN UP HERE! I was so nervousited that I just had to read up on every last shred of information that I could find." Pinkie answered, almost forcing herself to start foaming at the mouth what with being excited about finding this game.

" But why the set up darling?" Rarity asked.

" According to some of the more advanced rules, you're supposed to turn the lights down, turn the volume up, and make sure that everyone who's playing are seated around a table for maximum effect. It also recommends players dress up as the characters to add more authenticity to it." Pinkie answered.

" That explains the extra items." I said.

" Did you manage to get those? Huh? Did you? Did you?" Pinkie asked. We each took out our respective items... the hat, cape, bandages, teeth, wig, and pacifier before placing them onto the table, and Pinkie's reaction was one of sheer joy as confectionary suddenly came out of nowhere as though we had just won some kind of prize. " Wow! I'm totally amazed that you were able to get these, and on such short notice." Pinkie quickly ran to the kitchen, and came back seconds later with a large chest before dropping it onto the ground with a loud thud which almost caused everything on the table to fall over. " I thought Rarity would have brought along some costumes, but then I just-so-happened-to-have-this-chest-filled-with-spooky-costumes."

" I don't have any 'spooky' costumes." Rarity said.

" Umm... I'm not sure I like the idea of wearing anything scary." Fluttershy said meekly.

" And I do have some homework I need to complete." Twilight added.

" This game only takes an hour to play." Pinkie said, grabbing the back of a large cardboard box before presenting it to all of us. " See, this game is called Nightmare, and the main gimmick is you use a VHS cassette in order to play the game as it's all interactive." Pinkie then showed us a tape which must have been at least 20 years old or more, but what was surprising is that she even had something which can play it.

" So how do you play?" Rainbow Dash asked, looking rather impatient.

" First, we have to choose our playing pieces, and then choose a number from between one and six. All of this is placed into a bag, and a random player hands out a playing piece, and a number piece which slides into the bottom of the playing piece. We can use our own names as the names of these pieces to make it feel like we're the ones actually there in the world of this game. There is this one character, the Gatekeeper, who rules the game, and is determined to make sure no one succeeds." Pinkie answered. We all scratched our heads, for this wasn't the kind of board game we were thinking of, but she insisted that it would be a lot of fun.

" All right, we'll play." I said prompting everyone else except Twilight to nod in agreement.

" But, there are seven of us, and only six characters which means someone has to be left out." Twilight said. We all went silent for her words were true, and that didn't settle well with Pinkie, for she wanted all of us to enjoy the game together. That's when she came up with an ideal solution, but I don't think Twilight and I were ready for what she had to say about it. " You and Twilight can share the same playing piece Sunset!" I hope she wasn't implying anything here, yet while everyone else just laughed at the notion, Twilight blushed, and began fiddling about with her hair while I gave a cold expression to Pinkie causing everyone to become silent.

" Why have us pair up?" I asked, and my words caused Twilight to recoil in slight bewilderment.

" You two have a lot in common if you know what I mean." Pinkie answered, winking in the process. I know what she was referring to, but even if she was being subtle about it, did she have to remind us of what we once became due to becoming consumed with magic? I turned my attention to Twilight who nodded her approval of us using the same character, and it prompted me to do the exact same thing.

" Well, that was easy enough ta sort out." Applejack said.

" We'll start the game in about ten minutes, for we need to pick our pieces, our numbers, place all of these cards onto the board, write down our deepest fears on the back of these cards--" Pinkie said before being cut off by Fluttershy.

" WHAT!?!?"

" We have to write down our deepest fears." Pinkie said.

" Why do we have to do that?" Fluttershy asked.

" It's all to do with the game silly, and besides you don't tell anyone what your fear is anyway. You just write it down, shuffle the cards together, and place them in the center of the board. In order to win, you need to collect six different keys. Once you have them, you make your way to the center of the board where you have to face your greatest fear." Pinkie answered before having to take a sip of water due to saying so much.

" And those other cards?" Rainbow Dash asked.

" Those are there to further enhance the playing experience. Maybe we should spend an extra ten minutes going over the rules, for I don't think my voice can handle anymore explanations." Pinkie answered before taking another sip.

" It kind of reminds me of some of the magic games we used to play back in Equestria," I began which prompted everyone to look at me with blank expressions. " I know I've not said much about the world I'm from, but we used to play a game which took roughly an hour, and the aim was to see who had the best magic."

" Sounds like fun." Pinkie said.

" Sounds lame." Rainbow moaned.

" Granted, it did get repetitive after a while as we all had to use the same magic spells so that we wouldn't endanger everypony... everybody, but the point was having fun while learning to better control your magic." I said. Pinkie then began jumping up and down as though she were a sugar rush, and began saying that this was going to be a really enjoyable game. Since we all agreed to play, we pretty much know what we're going to be doing for the next hour. Hopefully, this game will be a fun experience...

Chapter 2: The Gatekeeper

Welcome to Your Nightmare!
By Ganondorf8
October 23, 2015
Chapter 2: The Gatekeeper

" Well, did you all understand the rules?" Pinkie Pie asked before placing the booklet on the table, and to her surprise, our expressions were ones of sheer confusion as we had no idea what some of the rules even meant. I mean, I can understand a board game having a number of complex rules in order to make it a more enjoyable experience, but this was perhaps a little too much. Still, we couldn't back out from playing as we all did agree to play, and it would crush Pinkie's heart if we suddenly say no. " You know... we could just skip some of the more complicated rules." Pinkie said, her face lighting up with the suggestion.

" Are you sure about that darling?" Rarity asked.

" I had to spend an entire afternoon going over these rules in order to understand them, and despite having to sit there reading them while ignoring practically everything else all around here, I managed to figure them out, but I can't understand why you guys are having trouble." Pinkie answered, scratching her head. Twilight then spoke up by saying she understood all of the rules save for maybe one or two, and the rest of us rolled our eyes because we were expecting her to say something like that. Our reactions prompted Twilight to blush a reddish pink before stepping backwards while playing with her hair in embarrassment.

" Not surprised Twilight would understand the rules! She is an egghead after all!" Rainbow Dash laughed before quickly coming to the conclusion that no one else was laughing along with her, and stopped due to our cold expressions. I walked over to Twilight in order to give her some encouragement, and continued staring at Rainbow Dash who had no idea why I was looking at her as though she had just committed a terrible crime. " Why are you looking at me like that?"

" We don't want to frighten away Twilight considering she's new to the concept of having friends!" I answered with a snapping motion which my mind quickly registered as me losing my temper... a characteristic of mine which I'm not too proud of, so I calmed myself down with some breathing exercises before addressing Rainbow Dash again. " I didn't mean to be angry with you Rainbow, but it's just that Twilight has certain... needs which we have to accommodate for."

" Right! Say no more!" Rainbow Dash said, giving me both a smile and a salute.

" Umm, you don't need to worry about me you know." Twilight said, stepping out from behind me. " Just because I happen to be the newest member of your clique doesn't make me appear insignificant or anything. I'm just trying to get adjusted to having friends for the first time in my life, and also getting used to your magical abilities." The look in her eyes tells me that Twilight is still having doubts about magic even when she unintentionally used it to transform into a demonic monster. She still feels that science is able to answer all of her questions, yet there are things which go beyond the limits of science. Whenever I look at her, it reminds me of what I used to be like although I was more concerned with wanting power rather than trying to use science to explain the impossible.

" Twilight..." Rainbow Dash began. " What rules haven't you memorized yet?"

" The only one that still leaves me confused is this thing called the Black Hole. I mean, every time I say those two words together, it reminds of the anomaly that exists out in space which scientists even now are trying to figure out how it works." Twilight answered, earning herself a slight chuckle from me because I found it adorable that she is still using her love of science to explain her perspective on things.

" If you end up landing there, or get banished by the Gatekeeper, who apparently loves doing that, you need to either roll a six to get out, be released by the Gatekeeper, or have one of the six keys which allows you to free yourself." Pinkie said, holding up what looked like a key made of some rather thick cardboard, and showing us the text on the back of it which clearly stated that it could be used to free yourself.

" Sounds like a space you want to avoid." I said.

" It's pretty hard to dig yourself out of there unless you wind up getting freed by the Gatekeeper, or you happen to have a card or the key that lets you out." Pinkie said, earning herself the expression of my jaw dropping ever so slightly. She wasn't kidding about knowing all of the rules, for she clearly had an understanding as to how they worked. It gave me the impression that she had become some kind of encyclopedia on this subject even if it was just a board game with an interactive feel to it.

Pinkie then grabbed all of the playing pieces, and numbers which were scattered throughout the box before placing them all into a velvet bag, and handing it over to me. The force of her placing the bag into my hands did push me back a little, and when she gave a rather creepy looking grin most likely because it was Halloween, or because she was just being Pinkie Pie, it quickly dawned on me that she had the desire of having me distribute the pieces and numbers.

" Why me?" I asked.

" You were the closest to me Sunset, for if I tried to give that bag to someone else, I would have dropped it, and we'd be spending who knows how long trying to find them all given how dark everything is." Pinkie answered. That could easily be alleviated by simply turning on the lights, so I made a motion towards the nearest light switch, and Pinkie grabbed my arm in response, and tugged on it as hard as she could all while shaking her head back and forth. " Oh, no, no, no, no... we can't turn on the lights because it would kill the setting." That just sounded so counter-productive, but she did have that look in her eye... the kind that makes you want to submit to her desires, and since she did take the time to set all of this up, I sighed which was my way of caving in.

" Well, that was melodramatic!" Rainbow Dash.

" Why don't you give out the pieces and numbers?" I asked.

" Pinkie gave that task to you, and I wouldn't want to rob you of the desire of carrying out a simple task." Rainbow Dash replied, her face giving off a snarky expression all while placing her hands on her hips in a rather suggestive fashion, but deep down she was loving the fact that I had to resort to something that can be described as mundane. Heaving a heavy sigh, I placed my hand into the velvet bag... it was surprisingly silky despite it not being fashionable, and the texture made me think that whoever made must have incredible skill, but I kept this little tidbit to myself as I don't want to offend Rarity. She... she can be rather offended whenever one of us talks about fashion, and compare her creations to said fashion, for she is still trying to improve on her craft with every dress she makes.

" Since you just had to go and say that Rainbow Dash..." I began, walking up to her with a sly smile on my face. "...you won't object to being the first person to place their hand into the bag, and taking both a piece and number?"

" Aren't you supposed to do that?" Rainbow Dash asked.

" I thought it would be more fun to do it this way." I answered, extending the bag out in front of her in a playful manner all to see what kind of reaction she would get. At first, Rainbow remained defiant thinking that I should be the one to give her a piece and a number, but my sly smile continued to spread across my face, and the sweat pouring down her face meant that she was about to crack at any moment. I know this made me appear rather cruel, but I wanted to have a little fun. " Okay!" Rainbow shouted upon finally caving into the pressure. " I'll take a piece and a number from the bag. Happy now?" I closed my eyes and smiled a happy smile in response to that, and she in turn simply frowned before putting her hand into the bag, and taking out the white piece along with the number five.

" There... that wasn't so bad." I said.

" No need to make a big deal out of it." Rainbow Dash moaned.

" Okay, who wants to go next?" I asked.

" I'll go next." Rarity answered, stepping over to where I was, and placing her hand into the bag where she pulled out a red piece, and the number two. " Red really does clash with what I'm wearing, but I suppose that I could provide some accessories to make it more appealing." I rolled my eyes in response to that, for only Rarity would consider the idea of decorating a playing piece, yet who were we to stop, for that's just her inner fashionista kicking in.

" My turn." Applejack said boldly before reaching into the bag, and taking out a black piece and the number six. That's when I decided to reach into the bag myself which I should have done after Rainbow Dash given that Pinkie did give me the bag in order to distribute everything. My hand then pulled out a blue piece and the number four which I then showed to Twilight for she and I were going to be sharing this piece together. It felt strange that both of us were sharing the same piece and number, but Pinkie insisted on all of us playing together, and she didn't want anyone to be left out of the loop as it were.

" What do you think?" I asked Twilight.

" Blue is a very fine colour Sunset, and the number four is very satisfactory." Twilight answered before quickly covering her mouth with her hands when she realized that she was speaking through the perspective of a scientist rather than simply being mellow about it. " I'm sorry... I didn't mean to say it like that." Twilight then blushed again before sitting down on the couch with a look of shame on her face, but I walked over to her, and placed my hand on her shoulder as an act of comfort.

" No need to apologize Twilight." I smiled.

" My choice of words don't bother you all?" Twilight asked.

" You're just being yourself Twilight, and believe me when I say don't ever change that aspect of your personality." I answered, prompting Twilight to get up off the couch, and give me quite a powerful hug which certainly wasn't something I was expecting from her. Everyone else then went "awwww" in response to the kind gesture... apart from Rainbow Dash who pretended to gag by sticking out her tongue in response to this mushy moment which made everyone look at her with cold expressions before we began laughing again because her reaction was expected.

" Is it my turn to choose?" Fluttershy asked meekly.

" You haven't said all that much since we got here." Rainbow Dash answered.

" I didn't want anyone to feel concerned about me given how I'm not what you would call a fan of Halloween, or anything scary." Fluttershy said. It was true that she had her issues with this particular holiday, and Pinkie did make sure to address this particular sensitive issue with her so as to make sure that she was okay with being out of her usual comfort zone. I walked over to Fluttershy where I presented her the bag, and she reached into it with her hand, and pulled out the purple piece, and the number one.

" That means I get the grey piece and the number three!" Pinkie shouted with excitement. Since she already knew what was left in the bag, I handed it over to her where she took out both pieces from the bag before tossing it into the box where it landed with a soft flumping sound. " Now that we've gotten our playing pieces and numbers, it's time to finally get this game started... even if you don't know all of the rules--"

" We'll figure them out later!" Rainbow Dash shouted cutting off Pinkie.

" Okie dokie lokie, but don't complain when the rules catch you off guard." Pinkie said as she hopped over to the table, and sat down on the chair that was the closest to the television set which made sense as this was her place after all. We all then sat around the table, and took a closer look at the game board where we saw that it was very complicated in design, and also rather disturbing what with all of the gravestones. Whoever designed this board must have either been going for a cemetery motif, or just wanted to scare people out of their wits before the game even begins. Pinkie told us to place our pieces on the respective gravestones whose names were on our pieces, so we did which felt strange as usually everyone starts in the same location.

" Shouldn't ya put in the tape?" Applejack asked.

" Oh yeah! Can't blame the game if we don't put in the tape." Pinkie answered, picking up the box the tape was located in, and pulling it out where she proceeded to insert it into the VHS slot on the player deck. Hopefully, this was going to work seeing as the video is over two decades old, and may not even work anymore, but surprisingly enough, the video began to play the moment Pinkie pressed play on the remote control she was suddenly holding. " I made sure to rewind this back to the beginning beforehand otherwise we'd be waiting for at least another two minutes or so." Pinkie said.

" So what do we do now?" Rainbow Dash asked.

" Wait to see what happens I guess." Twilight answered. Her answer would come a few moments later when an image of the game box appeared on the screen along with the following words: "The Video Board Game...Experience Atmosfear"

" Is this supposed to be a form of advertising?" Rarity asked.

" No idea." Pinkie answered, which reaffirms that she hasn't watched the video even though she did rewind it. A few seconds later, and the box image faded away only to be replaced with another series of words: "Turn the Volume up and the Lights Down" Well, at least we now know where Pinkie got the idea from when it comes to the atmosphere of her living room, for even the video suggests to do this.

" Gasp! What's that noise?" Fluttershy asked, almost jumping out of her seat.

" What noise sugarcube?" Applejack asked.

" Someone is laughing, and I don't like how scary it sounds." Fluttershy answered. We all kept quiet, and sure enough we heard the same laughter which sounded like a small child was trying to sound scary, and was doing a good job of it given how it affected Fluttershy.

" It's coming from the video." Twilight said.

" If you ask me, it was pretty lame." Rainbow Dash said. After waiting for about 30 seconds, the words disappeared, and were replaced with a single word inside of a plaque surrounded by two bats, one on the top left, and the other on the bottom right, and the word was simply "Nightmare". Just as Rainbow Dash was about to complain about why this was taking so long, a loud lightning sound suddenly came out of nowhere.

" Eep!" Fluttershy screamed resulting in her jumping out of her seat before landing about two seconds later.

" Who's that?" Twilight asked. The plaque disappeared and was replaced by a man who appeared to be wearing a cloak on top of his head although his face, and portions of his hair were visible. His expression was one of complete seriousness, and I had a feeling this was the Gatekeeper who Pinkie had been talking about.

" Whoever he is, that cloak he's wearing is just ghastly to no end!" Rarity said.

" So... you want to play the game... my game... by my rules..." The man said, speaking with a rather slow voice. " I am... THE GATEKEEPER! I rule this game... and you... you will obey my rules..."

" As if!" Rainbow Dash shouted.

" When I speak, you will stop... and you will LISTEN!" The Gatekeeper said, his last word catching us by surprise, and causing us to jolt slightly as we weren't expecting him to shout like that. " Hmmm? I see... you have all been stained with a colour, and marked by a number... if I call your number, or your colour, you must answer, YES MY GATEKEEPER!" The Gatekeeper's last words caused Fluttershy to jump out of her seat again, and to be honest, I almost did the exact same thing.

" Quite the boisterous one isn't he?" Rarity asked.

" It's all part of the game." Pinkie answered.

" I'm not so sure about that," I said.

" If you fail to answer yes my gatekeeper, when I call your number or colour, YOU WILL BE PUNISHED!" The Gatekeeper shouted, prompting us to all exchange glances of concern towards one another with the sole exception of Pinkie Pie who was merely giggling away. The Gatekeeper's expression then suddenly changed where he developed a smile, and his eyes opened wider as though he were excited about what he was going to say next. " I'd like to punish one of you now... you... the one who holds the lowest number--" The Gatekeeper's expression suddenly changed again which made me think he would be doing this on a regular basis, and then I realized that Fluttershy had the lowest number, for she picked the number one.

" Fluttershy, he's referring to you," I said.

" What do you mean?" Fluttershy asked.

" You have the lowest number," I answered.

" I have the lowest number?" Fluttershy asked.

" YES YOU!!!! ANSWER ME YOU MAGGOT!!!!" shouted the Gatekeeper which caused Fluttershy to scream and jump out of her seat.

" Answer him, quickly!" Twilight shouted.

" Y-y-yes my Gatekeeper." Fluttershy said in a nervous voice as she landed back in her chair, her entire body quivering like jelly, and it prompted Rarity to ask her if she wanted to continue playing given how so far the game was already having an adverse effect on her, and we haven't really even started. " I-I'm okay--" Fluttershy answered cutting herself off before breathing heavily for a couple of seconds. " I'll continue playing even if it means being scared out of my wits."

" Time's up!" The Gatekeeper said using a more quieter voice this time. " If you failed... to answer yes my gatekeeper in time... you are punished... move your mark to the closest Black Hole... you will not play... until I choose... to release you..." The Gatekeeper's words were very soft now which made us all feel relieved, but at the same time nervous because who knows when he was going to shout again, and quite possibly frighten Fluttershy in the process. " But... if you answered in time... you have learned my first lesson..."

" Some lesson." Rainbow Dash said sarcastically.

" Well, ya wanted us ta experience somethin' new Pinkie Pie, and this is definitely new." Applejack said.

" DO NOT FORGET, FOR YOU ALL BE CALLED, AND YOU ALL BE TESTED!" The Gatekeeper shouted, causing all of us to pay attention to his words. So all of us will have to endure him yelling at us for no particular reason? We all share concerned glances towards one another, and in our minds we were having second thoughts about playing, but we did agree to play for Pinkie's sake, and we don't want to ruin this sleepover. For her part, Pinkie was still giggling away, oblivious to what was really going on.

" The music sounds creepy." Rainbow Dash said.

" And I thought I was the only one thinking that," I said.

" Let us begin my game with you... the one who holds the highest number... ANSWER ME!" The Gatekeeper shouted, and all of our eyes opened wide in shock before turning our attention over to Applejack, for she had the highest number which was six.

" Yes my gatekeeper!" Applejack shouted, her voice filled with worry, for she wasn't used to being on the spot.

" You will be the first... to roll the dice... and begin my game... and your nightmare..." The Gatekeeper said before his image disappeared from the screen, and was replaced with a time which began at 00:00 which started to tick upwards indicating that the game had just begun.

Chapter 3: Game On!

Welcome to Your Nightmare!
By Ganondorf8
October 25, 2015
Chapter 3: Game On!

" So, do we um, start playing the game, or what?" Fluttershy asked, not sure as to what we're meant to do next. I was surprised at how quickly she recovered from being scared out of her wits given the Gatekeeper did call her out specifically, but then Fluttershy isn't as shy and meek as people assume. She can be very brave whenever the situation demands it, and she's certainly being brave what with having to endure an hour of playing this kind of board game.

" We only have 60 minutes, so we need to play as fast as possible." Pinkie Pie answered.

" Okay, so someone hand me the dice, and I'll get this game started!" Rainbow Dash shouted, rubbing her hands together with glee as though she were super-excited about playing this game, and it was also ironic given a few moments ago she was scared when the Gatekeeper raised his voice, and berated both Fluttershy and Applejack. " Come on! Give me the dice! We've already wasted 30 seconds wondering what we're supposed to be doing!" The anger in her voice indicated that Rainbow was getting impatient, and I couldn't blame her as I wanted to get this game over with as soon as possible.

" Oh no-no-no Dashie!" Pinkie said, grabbing the dice and handing it over to Applejack. " The Gatekeeper said that the one with the highest number goes first, and that someone is Applejack who has the highest number which is six."

" Fine, so then let's get going!" Rainbow Dash shouted, getting more and more impatient, her legs stomping on the floor at a rapid pace. We all then checked the clock, and it showed that a minute had already passed, so already we were wasting time even though it was unintentional. Applejack then rolled the dice where she got a four, and moved her playing piece signalling the start of the game. " Uh, do we know who's supposed to go after Applejack?" Rainbow Dash asked, which prompted all of us to shrug our shoulders, and she smacked herself in the forehead with a loud smack while groaning. " We should have determined this before starting to play!"

" Not to mention writing down our deepest fears." Twilight added, our eyes opened wide when we looked at the center of the board, and the "Nightmare" cards weren't in the middle because we spent so much time on learning the rules, we completely forgot about them.

" Stop the game!" Rainbow Dash shouted.

" If we do that, the Gatekeeper wins by default!" Pinkie shouted.

" We're already struggling here Pinkie, so I agree with Rainbow Dash in that we should stop ta game for a moment, rewind it back to ta beginnin', and play from there as I reckon we jumped the gun a little too soon." Applejack said. All of our eyes turned to Pinkie, and she lowered her head in shame before pressing the stop button on the VCR before pressing the rewind button, and then pressing stop again a few seconds later. " Sorry if we forced ya to do somethin' you weren't comfortable with sugarcube, but we really needed to have done those extra things before gettin' started."

" But... but... the Gatekeeper--" Pinkie said.

" I promise ya Pinkie, once we figure out the rest of this here stuff, we won't be stopping ta tape no matter what unless one of us is about to win. You know that I'm telling ya ta truth, so y'all don't need to feel concerned that we're trying to weasel our way outta this game." Applejack said. I'm not sure why she had to say it like that, for we all agreed to play even if it meant some of us would be more uncomfortable than others, but I guess it was her way of reassuring Pinkie that things would be okay.

" Alright, why don't we go over those last details." Pinkie said, her voice a lot less bubbly than usual.

" Now, since I have ta highest number, I get to go first which we've already established, or rather that there Gatekeeper did, so the question is who is supposed to go after me, and go from there until it comes back to me again?" Applejack asked.

" The rules do say the order of play goes in a clockwise direction." Pinkie answered.

" And you didn't tell this before why?" Rainbow Dash asked, her mannerisms clearly showing her to be annoyed by this revelation, but she quickly calmed down when she realized that all of our eyes were trained on her again. However, she did make a valid point as Pinkie never did mention that part of the rules, or she did, and we didn't hear her due to our minds being preoccupied by something else.

" You never asked." Pinkie answered, her face beaming with a huge grin that caused all of us to gasp in sheer frustration. " Anyway, we need to have a proper seating arrangement otherwise if one of us, or several of us had to go somewhere, and then come back a few moments later, we may not remember where we're supposed to sit, and that could cause us quite a problem." Pinkie gasped before needing another sip of water as her explanation came without her having to pause even once.

" For example, Applejack sits here on seat A... get it?" We all rolled our eyes in response to her bad joke, but she didn't feel offended, for she blushed slightly, her shade of pink matching her skin tone. " Yeah, that wasn't a good joke, and I did just make it up on the spot. Anyway, Applejack sits here on seat A, and Fluttershy sits to her left on seat B. That means once Applejack has finished her turn, the dice is given to Fluttershy, and she has her turn. After that, whoever is sitting on seat C gets to go, and so on until we're back to Applejack again."

" That... makes sense... kinda." Applejack said, scratching her head after removing her hat.

" Why not go in numerical order?" Twilight asked.

" I'm with Twilight!" Rainbow Dash said, agreeing with her suggestion which did make a lot of sense.

" If we go in a numerical order starting from six because Applejack has the highest number, the next person would be who has one, then two, three, four, five, and back to six again before the order is repeated. That way, we won't need to memorize seating arrangements, and we can simply play by following the order of numbers." Twilight said, adjusting her glasses because they were sliding down her nose ever so slightly. The rest of the group began chiming in, agreeing with what Twilight had to say, yet Pinkie still thought her method sounded better, and in a way I actually agreed with her.

" I'm with Pinkie on this." I said.

" I had a feeling you'd say that." Twilight said, rolling her eyes which brought a smile on my face, for it meant she was bonding with her new friends. " You want to follow the rules like Pinkie, and even though I would usually follow the rules because it makes the most logical sense, my method actually prevents any kind of confusion. Plus, we can sit anywhere we want without having to be confined to one spot for the duration of the hour." Twilight then turned to face Pinkie who seemed a little hesitant about all of this. " Pinkie, we'll still go with your seating arrangement as I think that's only fair, but going in numerical order would make it easy."

" Yeah, that does make sense." Pinkie said.

" It's your sleepover, so the decision is up to you... and no one give her any pressure!" Twilight said, placing her hands on her hips as though she were a coach, and had just given out a direct order to her players that was to be followed no matter what. It only took Pinkie less than ten seconds to come to a decision, and she agreed while producing a big smile on her face.

" Well that was easy." I said.

" Now what?" Rainbow Dash asked.

" We write down our greatest fears on the back of the Nightmare cards, and one of us without looking at them, shuffles the pack, and places them on the Nightmare space in the center of the board. Oh, and we need to use this special pencil because the back of the cards are laminated, so as to remove the words for future use, and this pencil was made to work on any laminated surface." Pinkie said. She then grabbed the pencil in question which she brought to our attention by presenting it like she were a game show assistant, and then secretly wrote something down before handing the pencil to someone else. In the span of about two minutes, everyone had written down a fear with the exception of Twilight and myself because there was only one Nightmare card between us.

" Why don't you write something down." Twilight suggested.

" Are you sure?" I asked.

" I'm not particularly bothered by it given how I already went through my own personal nightmare, but I'm sure you want to write something." Twilight answered, handing me the pencil, and using her hands in a way to encourage me to go for it. In truth, I was hoping to have done this because there was one fear that continued eating away at me even though I'm better off now than I was long ago. My greatest fear... I could have just been silly, and write down something nonsensical, but I couldn't do that, for it would just be an excuse for me to not express my feelings on the matter. So, I wrote down the one fear which plagued me... I didn't want to lose my friends... all of them... even if it meant one day having to leave them.

" Everybody written down their fears?" Pinkie asked, and all of us nodded our heads in approval. " Okie dokie lokie, so now we need someone to shuffle them all into a pile without looking at them, and place them Nightmare side up in the center of the board. Hmmm... Twilight! You do it!" Pinkie then scooped up all of the cards, and thrusted them into the hands of Twilight who dropped them on the table due to being caught by surprise.

" Why me?" Twilight asked, scrambling to pick the cards up while blushing in sheer embarrassment.

" You didn't write down any kind of nightmare, so you should be the one who gets to shuffle the cards." Pinkie answered. While her logic may have sounded baffling, she was actually correct, for Twilight insisted that I write something down as opposed to herself. Turning my attention to her, Twilight shrugged her shoulders due to not really getting Pinkie's way of thinking, and shuffled the cards a few times before placing them in the center.

" Can we play now?" Rainbow Dash asked, more impatient sounding than ever before.

" We can now Rainbow, so you don't need to continue stomping your feet. I answered, prompting my friend to actually stop doing that as she began to do so again when Pinkie was figuring out who was to shuffle the Nightmare cards. With everything finally set up, we all sat back down in our chairs, and Pinkie pressed the play button on the VCR with a cruel smile on her face... her way of telling us that we can't stop the tape again under no circumstances. Since Applejack already had her turn prior to our sudden stop, the dice was handed over to Fluttershy, who rolled a six, and moved her piece before quickly giving the dice to Rarity because we needed to play as fast as possible given the one hour time limit.

" I must admit darling..." Rarity began. "... this game is simply divine once you get past all of the scary stuff associated with it."

" I'd rather there not be anything scary." Fluttershy said.

" So far it's pretty lame if you want my opinion, for I thought you said this game would be unlike anything we've played before." Rainbow Dash, feeling slightly disappointed because this was seen as boring in her eyes. To Rainbow, if it isn't as awesome as she is, then she will quickly get bored, but I have a feeling she is going to change her mind before we reach the end of the 60 minutes alloted to us. After Rarity finished her turn, and passed it over to me, I rolled a one which felt disheartening, but landed on a gravestone marked with the word "Time" on it.

" What does that mean?" I asked.

" You take a Time card from the pile right here." Pinkie answered, her hand moving across the board like a flash before stopping above the pile of cards with the top one saying Time on it. " On each Time card is a set time which is when the card has to be activated in order for it to work. If the time on the clock on the screen has exceeded what's written on the card, you just return it to the bottom of the pile, and do nothing else until you get another Time card." Pinkie started gasping for air due to having to explain all of that, so she took yet another sip of water. Upon giving the dice to Rainbow Dash, I picked up the top card of the Time pile, and read it to myself as I assume we're not supposed to let our opponents know what we got, but I can show it to Twilight as we are playing together.

" At 09:00, you immediately receive two free turns. Return this card to the bottom of the pile after use, or if time has expired." I said to myself. I then showed Twilight the same card, and she adjusted the rim on her glasses before clapping her hands with glee, and had to stop when the rest of the group looked at her. At least she's showing signs of improvement on the whole-opening-yourself-up-to-friends bit.

" Alright! It's my turn now!" Rainbow Dash shouted, her hand shaking the dice as she prepared to roll it.

" STOP!" The Gatekeeper shouted as he appeared on screen suddenly with the sound of lightning echoing his entrance, and causing Fluttershy to scream before she jumped out of her chair again. " WHOSE TURN IS IT NEXT... WHO IS JUST ABOUT TO ROLL THE DICE... ANSWER ME!" The Gatekeeper was once again being serious, and all eyes turned to Rainbow Dash as she was the one who had to answer. Our faces expressed worry that she wasn't going to answer because of her attitude about the game being lame, and our fears became a reality when she chose not to say anything.

" As if!" Rainbow Dash said, boldly and without a care in the world as she spun the dice on her finger as a show of arrogance.

" Time's up!" The Gatekeeper said. " If you failed, to answer yes my gatekeeper in time... YOU MUST ROLL... A SIX, before you can play again."

" What!?!?" Rainbow Dash exclaimed not realizing that she had just been dealt with a harsh blow right from the start, and we were only two minutes into the game which meant the Gatekeeper wasn't fooling around. Before Rainbow could protest, he disappeared from the screen, and was replaced by the timer which continued to count upwards. " I have to roll a six before I can play again? But, I haven't even had an actual turn yet!" Rainbow started to show signs of frustration before rolling the dice, and getting a six which was either a miracle... or just plain lucky on her part.

" Y'all gonna play the game seriously?" Applejack asked.

" Yeah, I'm definitely taking this seriously now!" Rainbow Dash answered, placing her hand onto her chest to make sure that her heart wasn't beating erractically because she almost had to do something that can be considered unbearable for some. Since her turn was now over because of having to fix her own blunder, Rainbow handed the dice over to Applejack, who proceeded to roll a three, and landed on a Time gravestone of her own.

" Yee-haw!" Applejack shouted before taking a card, and reading it to herself, but not before giving the dice to Rarity. " At 19:20, you and I are going to scare the living daylights out of the Chosen One! Here's how! When the Chosen One leaves its seat, and sits before me, you are to sneak up behind it. When you hear the words "... so that I may show you... my fury!", scream as loud as you can, and if you can frighten the Chosen One, you can take its key! Return this card to the bottom of the pile after use, or if time has expired." I could see a confused look on Applejack's face as she scratched her head, but then a cruel smile appeared on her face which indicated that she had something which could prove either beneficial to her, or a complete disaster for us.

" I've landed on a Fate gravestone!" Rarity said.

" Take a Fate card, and see if it applies to you." Pinkie said, prompting Rarity to do exactly that, and she read the card before keeping it by declaring that the card had the name of the character she was playing as, but she didn't say anything more than that.

" This little card is going to be helpful later." Rarity said.

" My turn now!" Pinkie said happily, grabbing the dice, and throwing it up into the air where it bounced off the ceiling before landing on the board which almost knocked everything over, but then the dice rolled along before stopping on a five. " Sorry about that everyone... guess I threw it a little too hard."

" You think!?!?" Rainbow Dash said sarcastically. Pinkie moved her playing piece, and landed on a gravestone marked with an X which made no sense, for why would there be something like that in a cemetery? Then again, there are other spaces with an X on them in addition to the ones that had Time, Fate, Chance, and the names of characters. Upon receiving the dice, I handed it over to Twilight as I felt she should roll it this time, and just when she was about to do so...

" STOP!" The Gatekeeper shouted, once again appearing on screen with the sound of lightning.

" Eep!" Fluttershy shouted, and almost jumping out of her chair again.

" Those of you on gravestones marked with an X... receive a free turn..." The Gatekeeper said, a smile appearing on his face as though he were proud of what he had just done, and then disappeared with the timer re-appearing again. Since Pinkie's playing piece was on a gravestone with an X on it, she got to have another turn, so Twilight handed the dice over to her without any kind of fuss, and I personally felt that was unfair. Pinkie then rolled the dice with more sense behind it as opposed to tossing it into the air like before, and she landed on a Time space where she proceeded to pick up the top card.

" At 15:30, roll the dice, and if you can roll your number, take a key! Return this card to the bottom of the pile after use, or if time has expired." Pinkie said to herself before making a giggling sound although considering none of us knew what she had just read, it could either be a good thing, or a bad thing. Pinkie then handed the dice over to Twilight, who finally got a chance to roll the dice, and got a six where she moved our piece until she stopped on a blank space which meant nothing.

" My turn again!" Rainbow Dash shouted, taking the dice, and rolling a four which landed her piece on a Time space as well, and she picked up a card before reading it to herself even though a part of her wanted to describe it out loud. " At 24:00, scream as loud as you can, and if you manage to frighten someone, you can take a key. Return this card to the bottom of the pile after use, or if time has expired... since I need six of these keys, this card practically guarantees me one seeing as everyone is already on edge, and I'm not referring to just Fluttershy on her own. This game is actually a lot more enjoyable than I give it credit for." Rainbow Dash said to herself.

" Guess I'm up again y'all." Applejack said.

" STOP!" The Gatekeeper shouted as he appeared again with his now usual entrance. " Those of you on gravestones marked chance... take the dice and roll it. ROLL IT NOW, and if you can roll your number... you can take a key..." He then disappeared which meant so far things were going pretty well even though no one was on a gravestone with the word Chance on it, so none of us could roll our number for a key according to what he said. I had a feeling this wasn't going to be as bad as Pinkie made it sound, but I was about to be proven wrong when the Gatekeeper would make his next appearance...

Chapter 4: Games of the Gatekeeper

Welcome to Your Nightmare!
By Ganondorf8
October 28, 2015
Chapter 4: Games of the Gatekeeper.

06:00

That was what was displayed on the clock, and so far none of us have made any progress when it comes to collecting six keys. A few of us have picked up some Time cards which we can't use until the proper time comes as indicated on the card, and Rarity picked up a Fate card which made her giggle with glee while making the rest of us wonder what she had planned. Applejack rolled a four where she moved her playing piece landing in the Black Hole... the one space on the board that Pinkie said we needed to avoid.

" Shoot! I went and landed myself in ta Black Hole! So, what do I do now?" Applejack asked.

" Because you don't have the key which allows you to free yourself from the Black Hole, you either have to roll a six in order to get out, or the Gatekeeper chooses to release you, but if you want my opinion, you'd want to roll that six as the Gatekeeper releases players from the Black Hole once every five or six minutes." Pinkie Pie answered, folding her arms while giving off a smug smile which served as a reminder that she knew all of the rules to this game.

" Guess I'm going to be stuck there fer a while." Applejack said, looking dejected. Fluttershy then took the dice, and rolled it where it rattled along the board before hitting one of the three main card piles before stopping on a three, and moved her playing piece along until she landed on a Fate gravestone.

" Do... do I take one of those cards?" Fluttershy asked.

" You landed on a gravestone marked Fate, so that means yes!" Pinkie answered. Fluttershy, nervously reached for the top card on the pile that said Fate, and began to read it in silence where her expression ranged from sheer horror, to absolute bliss as though she too had gotten something good like Rarity did before. She was about to say what was written on the card, but Pinkie gave her a cold response followed by shaking her head back and forth as though she were crazy. " No need to tell us what that card says Fluttershy, as it's meant for your eyes only until you choose to activate it." Pinkie said.

" Are you sure?" Fluttershy asked, unsure if she should keep something a secret.

" Believe me! When it comes to wanting to keep a secret, you're really good at it, and I'm like, really bad at it as all I ever want to do is tell someone because keeping a secret really stresses me out sometimes." Pinkie answered. Truer words have never been spoken when it came to Pinkie's antics, for while she was eccentric in nature... which means a little out there to the common person, she does have trouble keeping secrets. She always has this urge to spill the beans as she calls it, and it prompts people to want to tape her mouth shut, and tie her hands together as apparently she is an expert when it comes to using morse code. I know these all sound like extremes given Pinkie is just being herself, yet she is the one who insists people take these measures so as to keep their secrets. I'm guessing that when it comes to playing games, she is dead serious about keeping secrets as though it were some kind of unwritten rule.

" My turn again!" Rainbow Dash shouted, reaching across the table to grab the dice, and almost knocking over the cards and playing pieces in the process. " I've got a feeling that this is going to be a lucky roll, and I'm about to win one of those six keys!" She had a look in her eye that we've all seen before many times during our struggles against the powers of evil magic... a look of sheer awesomeness coupled with a strong desire to win because it was in her nature due to being so competitive.

" STOP!" The Gatekeeper said as he appeared on the screen along with the lightning which signalled his appearance, and what can be described now as being a usual occurrence for this game, Fluttershy leapt slightly out of her chair before landing again. What was unexpected was the Gatekeeper yawning as though he were already bored of us playing... were we really that bad at this? I mean, it's only been seven minutes since we started, and granted, we did have some problems in the early going, but to just flat out yawn at us out of sheer boredom? " I... yawn... release those of you in the Black Hole..."

" Look at that Applejack! He released you from the Black Hole, and you've only been in there for about a minute." Pinkie said.

" Well that's a relief, but I don't take too kindly to his yawning at us! I reckon that's just mighty rude of him to go and do that." Applejack said, taking offence at what we have all just witnessed with regards to the Gatekeeper's questionable behaviour. " No need to be bored just because we ain't playing up to his expectations! We're all new to this kind of board game, well... aside from Pinkie as she did read ta rules, but there's no reason for crudeness like that!" Applejack is known for being honest, and I could tell that she didn't appreciate what just happened. I'll admit that it wasn't what I could call appropriate, but then the Gatekeeper rules this game as he himself said at the beginning, so really, he can do whatever he wants without any kind of consequence attached to it.

" Let us all play the first game together..." The Gatekeeper said, using a rather soothing voice which was a stark different from his usual demeanour.

" He wants us to play a game? Right now?" Twilight asked, a look of worry and concern appearing on her face, and to me this was a sign that she was really getting into the game now, and she wanted to do her homework during this sleepover. " I've noticed that in these first seven minutes of play, we've only played about four of those minutes with the remaining time allotted to the Gatekeeper appearing on screen, and forcing us to stop playing according to the rules. If this game is supposed to last an hour, and based on this relevant piece of information, we probably only get to play about 40 minutes out of the 60." Twilight's words sounded very logical, that she was using her agile mind to come up with this conclusion which did sound very feasible.

" For an egghead, that was pretty good." Rainbow Dash said, giving a thumbs up.

" That's why we have to play as fast as possible, to make up for the time that the Gatekeeper takes away from us with his presence." Twilight said.

" Guess it adds to the challenge." I said.

" A logical assumption Sunset, and one that will test our resolve as the hour progresses." Twilight said.

" I want each of you to take a turn to roll the dice... what are you waiting for eh... DO IT! DON'T WASTE MY TIME, FOR YOU HAVE PRECIOUS LITTLE OF IT!" The booming shout coming from the Gatekeeper scared all of us this time around in addition to Fluttershy, and Rainbow Dash immediately rolled the dice without even taking a moment to figure out why she needed to do so.

" No way am I going to be punished again." Rainbow Dash said, reminding us of what happened when she didn't listen to the Gatekeeper. She ended up rolling a six which must have been pretty lucky for her, Applejack rolled a two, Fluttershy rolled a five, Rarity rolled a two Pinkie rolled a four, and finally I rolled a one which left me feeling slightly heartbroken as I wanted to roll a higher number. " Time's up... and if you haven't yet, had a turn, you can blame it on the others, not me!" The Gatekeeper said, and we all breathed a sigh of relief as we each managed to roll the dice before he said that. " NOW! Who rolled the highest number? ANSWER ME!"

" Yes, my Gatekeeper." Rainbow Dash answered, discovering that she had rolled the highest number, and wasn't about to make the same mistake a second time.

" Time's up... if you answered in time... you may take a key... but if you failed, you have lost a precious prize!" The Gatekeeper said, causing Rainbow Dash to start clapping her hands with glee over the fact that she had just won herself a key simply by having the highest number in this "game". Pinkie asked which key would she like as the rules state that you can collect the six keys in any order you want, and Rainbow didn't even take any time to think, for she immediately chose the key that allows a player to free themselves from the Black Hole. " As for the one who... rolled the lowest number... answer me!" The Gatekeeper said, indicating that he wasn't finished with us just yet.

" Yes, my Gatekeeper." I answered due to having rolled the lowest number.

" You will miss a turn." The Gatekeeper said, disappearing once more, and the timer returning where an entire 90 seconds had passed. I felt bad that I rolled the lowest number as it meant Twilight and I would be missing a turn, yet we congratulated Rainbow Dash on winning her first key. That's when I noticed the timer was getting close to the nine minute mark, and the Time card I picked up earlier allows me to have two free turns, so I guess missing a turn will come after that. Rainbow Dash handed the dice over to Rarity as she had to forego her turn due to the Gatekeeper showing up, and as soon as Rarity rolled the dice, I revealed the Time card where everyone acknowledged that Twilight and I were to receive two free turns right away.

" Why don't you roll both times Twilight?" I asked.

" If you want me to." Twilight answered, taking a precautious approach when grabbing the dice from my hand. Her first roll resulted in us landing on a blank gravestone, and her second roll landed us on a Chance gravestone where she took the top card from that pile, and showed it to with confusion on her face. There was nothing on the card apart from a drawing of the bottom half of a key, so I shrugged my shoulders before indicating to her using my head that we should keep it to the side just in case we get the other half. With our free turns spent, Twilight handed the dice over to Pinkie who was just about to roll with one of her crazy motions when suddenly...

" STOP!" The Gatekeeper shouted as he appeared once again on the screen. " Whose turn is next? Answer me!"

" Yes, my Gatekeeper!" Pinkie shouted in a cheerful tone.

" Give me your real name." The Gatekeeper said.

" Does that mean he wants Pinkie, or Pinkamena?" Pinkie asked.

" I'd go with your full name." I answered.

" Pinkamena!" Pinkie shouted.

" Huh? I must have missed your middle name." The Gatekeeper said.

" Um, no you didn't as you didn't ask for my middle name, but my first name in full. Why do you want to know my middle name all of a sudden?" Pinkie asked, prompting all of us to slap ourselves in the forehead apart from Twilight, as Pinkie was arguing with a character on a video who can't really answer her back. Twilight then whispered to me about why Pinkie referred to herself as Pinkamena, and it dawned on me that we've never explained that to her at any time. I then told her that Pinkie's full name is Pinkamena Diane Pie, yet she doesn't like being called that as it sounds too formal, so everyone simply refers to her as Pinkie... aside from her parents who get to call her that. " Diane... my middle name is Diane!" Pinkie shouted.

" That is a stupid name isn't it, you maggot." The Gatekeeper said laughing at Pinkie's expense.

" Don't listen to him Pinkie..." I began, "... your middle name is wonderful."

" Thanks Sunset." Pinkie smiled.

" Well... answer me." The Gatekeeper said softly.

" Yes, my Gatekeeper." Pinkie said.

" I think it is... so do all the others." The Gatekeeper said, prompting Pinkie to look at each one of us in turn hoping that we didn't agree with his statement. All of us shook our heads no which made her smile, yet I don't why I had to seeing as I already stated my opinion on the matter. " NOW! PICK UP THE DICE, and roll it... eh... what number did you roll?" The Gatekeeper asked.

" A two." Pinkie answered.

" There are 26 letters in the alphabet, and you have rolled one of the first six. What letter would that be?" The Gatekeeper asked, and Pinkie answered with B, as that was the second letter after A. " Eh? If that letter is in your middle name... you will miss the number of turns you have rolled. If it is not... take a Fate card." The Gatekeeper then disappeared where the time revealed the following:

10:52

That entire sequence took about two minutes to go through, and all Pinkie got out of it other than having her middle name ridiculed by a character on the television screen, was a mere Fate card which she picked up from the top of the pile. I was expecting her to have received one of those keys given what the Gatekeeper put her through, but I suppose he did this in order to have fun at her expense, and to waste our time with something trivial.

" Are y'all okay Pinkie?" Applejack asked.

" Yeah, but I was surprised at how he insulted my middle name which is what my parents gave me, but then I realized something else. If any of you had been asked to provide your full name and your middle name, you'd only be able to perform the former, as I don't think any of you have the latter." Pinkie answered as she began to laugh until she fell backwards, and off of her chair before rolling around on the floor laughing up a storm which caused us to laugh alongside her.

I knew she wouldn't let the Gatekeeper's words get to her on an emotional level, but then we all quickly remembered that we were playing a game with a time limit, so we had to get back to it. Since Twilight and I now had to miss a turn due to rolling the lowest number during the first "game" the Gatekeeper had us play, the dice was handed over to Rainbow Dash where she rolled a five, taking her straight to the Black Hole which didn't shrug her in the least.

" Good thing I got the key that allows me to free myself." Rainbow Dash said smugly.

" Just make sure you don't lose it." Pinkie said.

" What do you mean?" Rainbow Dash asked.

" You can lose keys by order of the Gatekeeper, or if someone else playing manages to make you lose one. Just because you have that key right now Dashie doesn't mean it's yours for the rest of the game, so I'd be a little more cautious as you never know what can happen." Pinkie answered which in turn made Rainbow Dash stare at her with an expression that can be best described as slightly annoyed, but also understanding as she knew that she had to take this game seriously. She then handed the dice over to Applejack who rolled it, and the resulting three had her land on a Time space where she picked up a card.

" At 12:00... shoot! That's in a few seconds from now, so I gotta read this quick! At 12:00, roll the dice up to the number of players at the table. If you manage to roll your number, you will receive a key. Return this card to the bottom of the pile after use, or if time has expired." Applejack said to herself, looking straight at the time on the screen where it displayed 12:00 exactly, and she began to roll the dice six times which made us all wonder what she was doing. " Sorry y'all, but I gotta roll this here dice six times because there's six of us playing according to this card I just picked up."

" Wouldn't that be seven darling?" Rarity asked, pointing at both Twilight and myself who were sharing the same playing piece.

" Yeah! I reckon that should count, so that gives me a seventh roll of ta dice." Applejack answered, rolling the dice over and over in order to roll her number, and ended up succeeding upon rolling for the fourth time where six came up. " Yeehaw! I got my number! That means I get one of those keys in my colour right?" Pinkie nodded to Applejack indicating that she was correct, and she pulled out a lasso which she happened to have on her person before spinning it around her head for a few moments before stopping due to all of us looking at her, making her feel embarrassed. We all thought she was going to ask for the same key that Rainbow Dash had, but surprised us all when she said that she wanted the key that had to do with time. " I feel pretty good about having this key seeing as I rolled my number to get it!"

" It... it should be my turn again." Fluttershy said.

" Go right ahead sugercube." Applejack said.

" I release you... from the Black Hole." The Gatekeeper said as he appeared briefly on the screen in a transparent form before disappearing, yet we were more concerned with his appearance which has changed from what he looked like before.

" Oh my! He looks as though he's completely lost all of his colour, and his hair is even more of a mess than it already was." Rarity said.

" I wonder why he changed?" Fluttershy asked.

" Well, I for one will be finding it harder to play this game what with his new look being rather vulgar." Rarity answered.

" STOP!" The Gatekeeper said, appearing as usual, and once again he was transparent with the timer ticking away in front of him. We didn't know if this meant we could keep on playing despite his transparency, but we decided against it just in case it was a violation of the rules. " Those of you on gravestones marked with an X... do not play again... until I return..." He then disappeared, yet none of us were on one of those gravestones thus making his threat non-existent, so Fluttershy proceeded to roll the dice where she rolled a five, and landed on a X marked gravestone... right after the Gatekeeper talked about it which was quite ironic, but the moment the dice was handed over to Rarity...

" STOP!" The Gatekeeper shouted, appearing when it had only been mere seconds since his last appearance, and now he was there completely as opposed to being transparent like he was the previous two times. " I release you from the Black Hole in time for a game of my choosing! All of you... will now take a turn to roll the dice... and the one who rolls the highest... is the chosen one... REMEMBER! For when I call the chosen one... it will answer... or it will pay dearly." The Gatekeeper said before disappearing, leaving all of us to wonder what he meant by one of us becoming the chosen one. Did this mean he was willing to give one of us some kind of benefit? Or, was this his way of pretending to make amends before taking us down simply because we were leads into a false sense of security?

" What should we do?" Rarity asked.

" Roll the dice, and see who gets to be the chosen one." Rainbow Dash answered. Applejack looked a little glum, but that was because she had a card which stated that she was to frighten the chosen one later on, and she was hoping that it wasn't going to be Fluttershy who gets picked. We each then took our respective turns to roll the dice, and to our surprise, Rarity was the one who ended up getting the highest number... which ended up being four as both Pinkie and I rolled the same number, the same with Rainbow Dash and Fluttershy.

" Oh my! I'm the chosen one! This is just simply divine!" Rarity said, her voice full of self-praising.

" It doesn't necessary mean it's gonna be a good thing." Applejack said.

" Don't be ridiculous darling! I'm sure it will be a most satisfying experience, so you might say I'm looking forward to seeing what the Gatekeeper is going to do... even if his threat is uncouth in nature." Rarity said.

Chapter 5: Chosen One

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