Magic and Games.

“Apple Bloom, Sweetie Belle, you two have to wake up right now!” shouted Scootaloo jumping up and down excitedly.

“What is so gosh darn important, Scoots?” asked Apple Bloom, rubbing her forehoof under her eyelids. She let out a soft longing yawn. She had been hoping to get a bit more sleep before having to go back to the farm and work on her chores.

“It's the colt we were helping. He's gone!” spoke Scootaloo in a concerned tone of voice, wide-eyed.

“Gone? What do you mean he's gone?” asked Sweetie Belle as she got up out of bed and yawned in a ladylike manner.

“I'm mean it, I went out on my scooter to see how he was holding up since yesterday and his parents said he's missing. It's like he's vanished or ran away or who knows what might have happened!” explained Scootaloo. She fidgeted around, the look in her eyes growing more frantic.

“Hmm… that seems rather odd. Ponies just don’t disappear Scoots.” Applebloom remarked.

“Maybe he's on some adventure! You know, like in his games?” asked Sweetie Belle. After all, Spike and Big Mac liked to play that game too and they could really get into it, but she always knew from Rarity's stories that it was just silly nonsense, there was no way any of it was real, right? Right?

“We're going to have to find some clues, right now we don't have much to go off of other than he's missing and that nopony knows where he went,” began Apple Bloom, taking the position of leader of the Crusaders.

Scootaloo and Sweetie Belle nodded towards Apple Bloom, they would have to put their heads together if they wanted to fix this.

“The first thing we need to do is go to the scene of the crime.” suggested Apple Bloom, as she got up onto her hooves, quickly followed by Scootaloo and Sweetie Belle, as the three went to Wild Ace’s home.

Apple Bloom knocked on the door gently, hoping his parents might be able to tell her a bit more than Scootaloo had. It seemed like just yesterday, the three of them were helping this young colt to find his purpose in life, and now he was just gone.

Wild Ace’s mother answered the door with a polite smile forming on her lips. “Oh, well if it isn’t the Cutie mark crusaders. Oh the three of you are just so cute. Do come in.” Lilly Blossom gestured them into the living room. Fiery Dust was seated upon his recliner, sipping at his coffee, when he turned his attention to his wife.

“Dearest, you did tell them our son is missing right? That can’t very well help a colt whom isn’t here.” he muttered slightly. He couldn’t believe the nerves of his son. How could he do this to them and make them both worried for his safety? Whenever he got back, Fiery Dust planned on giving his son a piece of his mind.

“Wild Ace isn’t here, little ones. I looked for him all over our little cottage, but it’s as if he’s just vanished into thin air. I’ve already sent a letter out to Princess Twilight, but right now I’m not sure what I can do. I hate to think of my boy out there scared and alone.” replied Lilly Blossom.

“Hmm...” began Applebloom, lost in thought. Ponies usually didn’t just disappear without reason. “We need to look for any clues he might have left behind. I reckon his room might be a good place to start.”

“Yeah, that’s a great idea, Apple Bloom! We’ll be just like real detectives,” spoke Scootaloo, with an excited sqee, her wings flapping slightly as she felt her hooves leaving the ground, for just a friction of a second.

Apple Bloom nodded and gestured with her forehoof for her fellow Crusaders to follow her into Wild Ace’s room.

His room was a bit messy, board games littered most of the floor. They could see one of his games hooked up to a small tv, a bunch of books on a shelf. His bed looked like it hadn’t been made in days. The colt’s room was empty other than what was left behind.

Apple Bloom decided to look at the books, maybe they could find some clue in them, after all Twilight always would say, you could never go wrong with a good book. She couldn’t help but notice that each and every book had something to do with games.

“Shessh, this is like Applejack having nothing but books on how to farm.” spoke Apple Bloom out loud, a bit frustrated, shaking her head, and looking towards Sweetie Belle, and Scootaloo once more, sitting down on her flank.

“You know...maybe he ran away on his own adventure.” suggested Scootaloo.

“Without a word to his parents though? That just doesn’t seem right. He seemed to be a kind and gentle colt. I mean we were just helping him the other day.” replied Apple Bloom with a slight sigh. How in the world were they going to get to the bottom of this.

Scootaloo stumbled over one of the many dice within the room, falling head first into what looked like some kind of map.

“Ouch, what’s this?” she questioned, as she looked towards the map, and picked up the dice.

“Oh this looks like a game of Orges and Oubilette’s.” Sweetie Belle informed with a slight excitement, a slight cough to seem composed. Sweetie Belle knew Button Mash and her loved these games, but that’s all they were just games. There wasn’t any way they were real.

“I know it’s crazy, but what if he went into the game?” questioned Scootaloo.

“Ya’know that sounds ridicolous Scoots. These games aren’t real.”

“But...we have to consider all possibilities. I mean we have Discord for Celestia’s sake. I think we should try it.”

“Alright...but how the heck are we going to get into a board game?” questioned Apple Bloom.

“Hmm...that’s a good question.” replied Scootaloo, there had to be some trace of what had happened to him. She couldn’t help thinking of Rainbow Dash and how she would never give up, even in the face of uncertainty.

Suddenly, the dice Scootaloo had been holding onto slipped out of her grasp, and rolled onto the board game. At first nothing seemed to happen. Scootaloo shrugged her shoulders, slightly, and was about to turn to Apple Bloom and Sweetie Belle, when suddenly, she felt something pulling them into the board game.

The next thing the Crusaders knew, they were standing on a grassy hill that surveyed a field of wild and unknown territory in the distance. The view was beautiful, yet imposing. Scootaloo couldn’t help but swallow a gulp of fear.

“What the hay just happened?” questioned Apple Bloom, confused she looked back at the others. “Scootaloo, you have a spear, do you actually know how to use one of those?”

“Of course! It can't be that hard right?” questioned Scootaloo as she attempted to use the spear in a jabbing movement and ended up face planting. “Perhaps it's not as easy as it looks.” she said with a mouth full of dirt, spitting it out and dusting herself off as she stood up once more.

“Well if your a knight, and your a mage, what am I supposed to be?” questioned Apple Bloom confused.

“Oh! Maybe your a Princess! After all you have your loyal guard and mage by your side, that makes sense right?” smiled Sweetie Belle.

“There ain't no way I'm a Princess, I would have to do some great accomplishment to make that happen.” replied Apple Bloom.

“Yeah I suppose you have a point but wait you have a sword, maybe you're a knight! Yeah that totally makes sense.” spoke Scootaloo with a bright smile.

“A knight? Me a knight? Wow this is totally awesome!” smiled Apple Bloom as she couldn't help but jump up and down excitedly.

“Um...Apple Bloom I hate to interrupt your excitement but shouldn't we figure out where Wild Ace is?” suggested Sweetie Belle.

“Oh right yeah...ahem, alright Crusaders, we might not know how we got here, but now that we're here we've got to find Wild Ace and figure out how to get home. Alright let's go!” smiled Apple Bloom with a big grin on her face as she picked the sword from it’s sheath and leaped up into the air with excitement and Scootaloo and Sweetie Belle both jumped up alongside her. The three were about to embark on a crazy adventure but they didn't mind because it was more exciting then sitting around helping blank flanks find cutie marks, for a change of pace, they got to have excitement again.

Though Sweetie Belle herself couldn't help but to think of another pony she knew that liked games, perhaps it would've been helpful to have him here with them but she didn't think of that sooner and it was too late now to turn back in their tracks.

“Come on Sweetie Belle you're going to get left behind.” spoke Scootaloo.

“Hey come to think of it Scoots if this is a game, I reckon ya might be able to fly,” spoke Apple Bloom.

“Really? I'll try.” smiled Scootaloo as she lifted her wings up and began hovering in the sky and a huge smile spread across her lips. “I can fly. Oh my gosh this is epic!”