“Applejack, I don’t know… Are you sure this is okay?” asked Twilight, her voice full of concern.

They all had traversed back to the throne room, everyone looking nervous at Applejack’s harsh demeanor. No one was as excited to be here anymore, but Applejack was determined to play this game and show Rainbow that she was brave.

“Twilight it’ll be fine,” answered Applejack, her eyes belying her words.

“Yeah, Twilight lighten up! It’s just a game,” confirmed Rainbow.

Twilight looked like she wanted to argue but piped down. Applejack set the old box on the floor area behind the thrones, and everyone sat down. She opened the weathered lid which read “Venatus Malum”, coughing at the small amount of dust that flew from it. She removed an instruction sheet and read aloud,

“You and five other friends are about to embark on an epic journey. Beginning at the first game square, each player will roll the die and move the number of spaces that the die reads. However, every time you land on a space, you must perform an action. That action will be determined by an action card you pull from the pile (included in the game set). If you fail to perform this action successfully, you must draw an affliction card. Whatever the card reads will occur and you must continue to play the game with whatever affliction given.
Note: ONCE YOU START PLAYING THE GAME, YOU CANNOT STOP. You’ll see why if you try to.
Enjoy!
~The Game Creators.”

Rainbow laughed, “Yeah, I bet if we stop, terrible things will happen!” she squealed in mock fright. The rest of the Mane Six laughed with her, but more of a nervous, unsure laughter.

“Might as well get this started,” said Applejack, pulling out the game board from the box. The board was a map of Equestria, covered in a winding path of colorful squares. The pathway started out in Appaloosa and made it’s way around the map to various other cities and areas, before finally coming to a stop in Ponyville. Applejack pulled out the two stacks of cards, one purple and labeled “Actions”, and the other green and named “Afflictions”, and set them at the edge of the board. She then pulled out six game pieces and set them on the board.

“Alright, who wants to be which piece?” asked Applejack.

“I’ll be the flugelhorn!” squealed Pinkie, scooping up the small silver item.

“I’ll be the lightning bolt,” said Rainbow, nudging the said piece near her.

“Hmm, I shall be… Oooh, that silver spool!” exclaimed Rarity, plucking it up with her
magic.

“Uhhh, I’ll be the picnic basket… If that’s okay,” said Fluttershy softly. When the others confirmed that it would be fine, she used her wing and put it on the starting point.

“Alright, I’ll be the wagon,” said Applejack, putting her piece on the starting point next to Fluttershy.

“And I’ll be the last piece, this pen!” said Twilight, using her magic to set the pen on the starting point.

“Alright y’all, place all pieces on the starting point,” said Applejack. Those who hadn’t already done it set their pieces on the square. “Who wants to go first?”

“Me!” called Rainbow Dash immediately. Applejack handed her the die, and she rolled, scoring a six. “Awesome!” she yelled, and suddenly, the piece moved on its own!

“Wow! The board and pieces must be enchanted,” exclaimed Twilight. Rarity and Pinkie Pie glanced at each other as if to say, “Another reason not to play this game”.

Rainbow Dash removed an action card and read aloud:

“Complete three loop-de-loops in the air, non-stop.”

“Easy-peasy!” she said, complete with an eye roll. Rainbow gave a quick flap of her wings and soon enough, she had done three loop-de-loops in the air. “And this game was supposed to be all-” she paused and put a gruesome look on her face. “Spoo-ooky!”

“You’re right!” Rarity suddenly said, a courageous gleam in her eye. “I can’t believe what I was thinking, I’ll go next.”

Applejack stared at Rarity in shock. Though she had always respected Rarity, she had never known her to be a thrill-seeker. The shock wore off quickly, but that spark in Rarity’s eyes unnerved her a bit…

Rarity smiled and picked up the die. She blew on it for luck, rotated it around with her magic, and proceeded to drop it. “Yes! Three, my lucky number!” she cried in her excitement. Rainbow Dash glanced over at Applejack questioningly. Applejack managed a small shrug as Rarity drew her Action card and the silver spool moved three spaces.

If Rarity’s coat could’ve turned ten shades whiter, it would have. Her eyes widened and she temporarily was unable to speak. Her mouth was mouthing words, but no sound came out. Fluttershy stepped forwards, her concern for Rarity overruling her fear. “Rarity… What’s wrong? What happened?” she asked softly, placing a hoof on her shoulder. When Rarity ceased to respond, she gently removed the card she was holding and blinked. “Oh no,” Fluttershy whispered.
“What’s wrong?” Twilight asked, grinding her teeth in a nervous manner.
“See for yourself,” said Fluttershy softly, handing over the card.

Twilight picked up the card and read aloud:

“Using the materials provided, create a dress that anyone would deem ugly.”

Twilight winced at the words. “That’s not good. That’s not good at all.”

Rarity suddenly took a deep breath. “It’s alright girls, I think I’ll manage.”
As if sensing her acceptance of the challenge, the air by her shimmered and a second later, a basket of fabrics and materials appeared. The basket contained shimmering gemstones, lavishly soft fabrics, beautiful strings, and other tools. A few seconds later, a mannequin appeared next to the lovely items.

Rarity’s eyes widened. “These materials…” She felt the soft fabrics. “They have to be imported! After all, most strings from Equestria are machine made,” she muttered. “This is going to be much harder than I thought.”

As the rest of the Mane Six watched Rarity work, Applejack’s mind was racing. How could this game be able to find Rarity’s one weakness? The board game was indeed enchanted but… How was it possible for it to know our lives, our stories, our talents? Applejack could not fathom how this worked, but her thoughts were interrupted by a whimper from Rarity.

She had finished her gown that was supposed to be hideous. However, despite her best efforts, it was still stunning. Even though she had tried to use loose and terrible stitches, cut jagged lines in the fabric, and use terrible colors, it had been for nothing. It had a silky black top, that flowed into a soft pink bottom. The bottom was a long skirt with a jagged rim, and the edges had a some gem shards loosely sewn into it, giving it a slightly rugged look. It hung tightly on the mannequin, seeming sheer and showy. It wasn’t Rarity’s usual style, but everyone could agree, it wasn’t ugly whatsoever.

“Sorry Rarity… That dress may not be your best work, but it’s still pretty,” remarked Twilight.

Rarity sighed, clearly disappointed at her failure to complete the task. “At least, this is just a game… Not a fashion show,” she teased, trying to cheer herself up. She was clearly failing at that task as well.

Rainbow glided over. “Hey, it’s alright Rarity. You’re just too good at making dresses to make a bad one. It’d be hard for me to make a good dress. Just take an Affliction card and let’s continue. You’ll do well on your next turn.”

Rarity cracked the smallest of smiles. She sat back down in her spot, feeling a bit more cheerful. She drew a muck green Affliction card and proceeded to read aloud:

“For your failure to complete the task assigned, you must wait in reflection till glass undermined.”

“‘Reflection’? ‘Till glass undermined’? What could that possibly mean?” asked Applejack.

“I’m usually great at riddles, but the only thing I can think of is that she just will have to think about what she did wrong,” remarked Twilight.

“Easy peasy! Rarity probably has to face her fears or something!” remarked Pinkie Pie.

“Pinkie, don’t be ridiculous. That’s not what the card says at all,” said Twilight, giving Pinkie Pie one of her prime glares. Pinkie frowned at this, but she piped down.

“Umm guys,” said Fluttershy softly.

Twilight continued on, not hearing her, “Well, maybe she just has to break a bunch of glass or something. Silly, I know, but it could be what it’s asking,”

“Guys!” Fluttershy called, but still, the mares continued babbling.

“GUYS!” Fluttershy yelled, louder than usual. The mares suddenly whirled around to face Fluttershy, whose face was stricken with panic. “It’s Rarity. She… She’s gone.”

Author's Note

Wooo! Chapter Two is FINALLY done! Oh this took such a long time, only because of school, but I hope you guys enjoyed! We did work hard, and tried to make it interesting for y'all. Chapter Three Part I and Part II shall come out soon. Enjoy Chapter Two for now, and please give feedback in the comments below! Hope you guys had a wonderful Holiday break!

Peace, Love, and Smiles,
Sunshine & Velvet