Twilight Sparkle maneuvered through the crowd, glaring resentfully at all these ponies that had come into the library to woefully misappropriate its purpose to use it for a party.

“Hey!” Pinkie Pie popped out from seemingly nowhere, putting a hand on Twilight’s shoulder. “Why the long face, Twilight? It’s a party!”

“Exactly,” Twilight said, “it’s a party. Libraries aren’t supposed to be for parties, Pinkie Pie!”

“I don’t know. There’s a lot of space in. What are they supposed to be for?”

“Quiet, reading, and most of all …” Twilight glared rather hatefully at Pinkie. “Solitude.”

Pinkie withered under Twilight’s gaze, quivering her lips sadly.

“Forget it,” Twilight said. “I’m going to my room. If you need me, I’ll be up there … not partying,” Twilight added.

“But Twilight-!”

“Just make sure things are ready for the Summer Sun Celebration,” Twilight said. “Celestia would be so disappointed if it didn’t go well under my supervision.”

“Wait, you know Princess Celestia?” Pinkie asked.

Ignoring Pinkie’s saddened expression, Twilight marched up the stairs to the second floor. She grumbled under her breath.

“Everyone in this town is crazy …” Twilight said. “Why are they so obsessed with making friends? Who needs friends? I don’t have time for friends, I need to figure out what to do about Nightmare Moon’s imminent return … ”

“Oh, I don’t know,” a deep, suave voice cooed to Twilight. “I’ve found friends can often be quite helpful. They can do all sort of things, like, say, keep you from fading from existence because you’re trying too hard. But that’s a long ways off, I suppose.”

Twilight turned ‘round to see a stranger standing on the stairway. He was tall, wearing a brown cloak and hood which covered his face, revealing nothing but his yellow eyes and wispy goatee.

“Who are you?” Twilight asked, getting ready to fight.

“A friend,” the stranger said. “Or rather, someone that will be a friend. But not yet.”

“I’m not in the mood for riddles,” Twilight glared at him.

“What I’ve said is nothing but the truth,” the stranger said, sounding hurt and annoyed, as if he were used to not being believed.

Twilight noticed something strange about the room. A crosshatched stream of magical energy, the color of a bizarre mixture of purple, black and red plaid hovered in the air. The party had stopped. Like time itself had been halted. None of the party-goers were moving, frozen like statues.

The stranger shook his head. “Do you see them down here, held like statues? Oh, how it pains me to do this to them … I hate the idea of being petrified. It’s - ugh! Gag. But they’ll thank me later.” He turned back to Twilight. “You all will.”

Twilight, however, was more concerned with the minutia of his speech. “Did you really just say ‘gag’?” Twilight asked.

“Now, Twilight Sparkle, I don’t think you’re taking this very seriously,” the stranger said.

“What’s going on?”

Twilight’s eyes snapped to the ground floor. None of the ponies were moving - except Rainbow Dash, Applejack, Pinkie Pie, Rarity, and Fluttershy, somehow unaffected by the stranger’s spell.

“What’s that?” Applejack pointed to the stranger.

“Twilight, darling, who’s your friend?” Rarity asked.

“Ah-ha!” Pinkie pointed accusingly at the stranger. “So you DO have friends!”

“What, no, he’s not my friend!” Twilight insisted.

“Ah, so good of you to come. I was wondering when you’d join us.”

“Alright, pal!” Rainbow Dash flew up to him. “What’s the big idea? Did you do this? You unfreeze these ponies right now, and make this … cloud go away!” she gestured to the energy swirling in the air.

“All things in due time,” the stranger said, holding up his hands. “You can call me a friend. Well, you will, eventually.”

"Quit talking in riddles!" Rainbow Dash took a swing at the stranger, who evaded the blow, their body turning into a swirly pink mist that traveled to the other side of the stairs and then reformed.

"Huh-what?" Dash asked, blindsided someone could dodge her attack - her, the fastest pony in Equestria.

"I don't know nothing 'bout who y'all or where ya came from, but I know enough to know anyone who make their bodies all misty like that can't be good news for no pony."

"Oh, I do so adore your southern drawl," the stranger said.

"I concur with Applejack," Rarity said. "This stranger seems … well, strange and foreboding.”

"Git 'em!" Applejack shouted. She and Rainbow Dash pounced, jumping from their positions.

The stranger snapped his fingers. Applejack and Dash stopped in mid-air, as if all laws of momentum and gravity no longer applied to them.

"What - what's going on?" Applejack asked. "I can't move!"

"Always the sharp one, aren't you?" the stranger quipped. He became flushed. "I'm sorry, that was uncalled for. But yes."

The stranger dissolved into mist, then reformed behind Twilight Sparkle, giving her a scare and causing her to jump into Rarity's arms. Rarity wasn't quite how to react, so Fluttershy took Twilight from her.

"You'll never be able to defend Equestria like that, if punching is your go-to option and you can be stopped ..." the stranger snapped his fingers again. Applejack and Rainbow plummeted to the stairs, sustaining insulting injuries to their faces which hurt their pride more than their bodies. “That easily.”

"What do y'all mean by that?" Applejack asked, standing up and righting her hat, which had become lopsided.

"Listen well, and hear my warning," the stranger said. "Dire and dark things are coming. For you, for Equestria, for all your family and all your friends. But play my game, follow the rules, and you will have everything you need to save them, in the end."

"I hate rhymes," Applejack said.

"So, what?" Rainbow Dash crossed her arms. "We're just supposed to trust you for the most generic piece of advice ever? 'Bad things are coming?'"

"No, he's right," Twilight said, seeing a chance to make the others understand what she understood. "Listen. This the 1000th night of the 100th year of Nightmare Moon's banishment. She's about to make her escape, and when she does, she'll plunge Equestria into eternal knight!"

The stranger laughed. "Ha! Worse than that. Nightmare Moon is small potatoes compared to what you'll face in the future."

"What could be worse than eternal night!?" Twilight shrieked, frantically waving her hands in horror at the idea. "If Nightmare Moon takes control of the moon away from Celestia, the consequences could be disastrous! It could mean the end of life on Equestria!"

"Indeed," Rarity said. "Even if I believed that Nightmare Moon's return was imminent - and I don't - small potatoes compared to what, mister?" She didn't notice the insulted and frustrated expression on Twilight's face.

The stranger's mouth curled up and wiggled uncomfortably, like a disturbed caterpillar being poked at by a curious child who didn't understand the distress it was causing.

"I can't tell you!" the stranger burst out.

"What?"

"Why not?"

"I just can't," the stranger said. "Because of the rules of my magic, and the rules of the magic of how I got here, I can't just flat out spill the beans and tell you about every single threat you're going to face! But believe me, I desperately want to, but I'm not allowed to do anything that could seriously upset the balance of history!" As he spoke, a can of beans appeared in the air next to them and spilled its contents onto the ground. He grabbed the can, threw it down the stairs, then kicked the can angrily. The can bounced down and hit some poor frozen pony in the head.

Twilight and the others glared at him.

"Heh, oops. Easily fixed," the stranger said.

"So what all can you tell us?" Applejack asked.

"Ah, I'm glad you asked, my dear." the stranger said, appearing behind Applejack like a stage magician. A game board appeared in his palm. "You see,, you cannot quid pro nihilo."

"Can't what?"

"Can't get something for nothing," the stranger answered. "But, if you would all consent to play my game ..." he waved the game board dramatically, letting them all see it. "Then I could give you a little more than the tiny hint I have. A lot more, come to think of it, actually."

"So how does this game work?" Pinkie Pie asked, looking more interested in the board than the actual situation.

"The rules are simple ... ish. Simpleish. Simple enough. Each turn, each player rolls a die, then moves that many number of spaces."

The stranger lifted up and floated into the air, as idly as one would make a gesture during conversations.

"When you land on certain spaces, you get a Wish," the stranger said. "You can then use this Wish to learn more about the threats the future holds for you and all of Equestria."

"Sounds good to me, let's play!" Pinkie reached towards the board, but the stranger yanked away from her reach.

"Ah, ah, but there's a catch," he said, waving a finger.

"Of course. What's the catch?" Dash asked.

"I was getting to that," the stranger said exasperatedly. "Have some patience." Dash huffed.

"As I was saying, there are certain spaces you land where you'll be given a number of 'Traits' to choose from. There's no opting out. When you land on a space, you have to pick one from the options presented. You then have to go through the rest of the game with that Trait on, or until another Trait comes in to replace it. At the end of the game, you have to use a Wish to clear away all the traits. Or you could even use it during the game to get away a particular nasty trait that you don't like, but doing so costs you a wish you could've used to better prepare to protect the future and the people of Equestria."

"Oh my," Fluttershy said. "It sounds like there's a lot at stake in this game!"

"Indeed there is, my dear Fluttershy!" the stranger floated over Fluttershy's head and gave her an affectionate pat. "But not to worry."

He rotated like a tetris piece, then floated gently onto the stairs. "We have all the time in the world."

"So ... let me make sure I understand," Twilight said. "We play your game. We can get Wishes that we can learn about future threats to Equestria, even though it means dealing with Traits that might be unpleasant, and you've stopped time so we can play without worrying?"

"That's about the gist of it, yes," the stranger said. "You always were the smart one, weren't you, Twilight?"

"I'm game!" Rainbow Dash shouted. "If there's some big bad whatever-or-another threatening my friends, I want to know who it is so I can punch their teeth in."

"Likewise!" Applejack said.

"Oh, I don't know," Fluttershy said. "That sounds dangerous."

"It's perfectly safe," Discord said. "No harm will come to you, I promise."

"No harm?"

"Well, nothing that you can't fix, my dear," Discord cupped Fluttershy's chin, and the others got the disturbing sense he was flirting with her. Fluttershy blushed. "Or at the very least, nothing worse than what you could fix with a bandage."

"Come on, Fluttershy!" Pinkie Pie said. "It might be fun."

"There is one thing, though," Rarity said. "If we're going to trust you with our personal and bodily safety, might we have your name, good mister ...?"

"As exceptional as your manners are, Rarity, I'm afraid you cannot. Doing so might disrupt that timeline thing, or so I'm told. I think it's a bunch of hoo-ha myself, but I figure, why risk it? Too bad Star Swirl couldn't design a more time-travel proof spell .."

"We have to call you something," Rarity said. "We can't just keep calling you the stranger."

"Oh, you're right. How about ... Rob?"

"... Rob?"

"Rob! Short for "Random Omnipotent Being.'" He spread his hands across the air as if this was the most genius, most gloriously acronym anyone, anywhere, had ever thought of across the universe. "Yes, Rob will do fine, I think."

"Very well, Rob. And ... are we playing?" Rarity asked.

"That's a very good question. You see, I need at least four of you to agree to this," Rob said. "You're going to be good friends one day, so maybe I'd just need one or two of you after you’ve bonded, but for right now, I need a majority rule."

"I'm down!" Pinkie said.

"That's three. Can I get a fourth?"

"Oh, gee, I don't know," Fluttershy said.

"I'm still not sure I trust you just yet," Rarity said.

"Twilight?" Applejack said. "That leaves the decision up to you."

Twilight looked back and forth, between the determined faces Dash and Applejack had, the worried ones Rarity and Fluttershy had, and the ... she couldn't tell what expression Pinkie had. Was it supposed to be insanity? No normal pony ever smiled that big.

Twilight looked down at the board, the weight of her decision becoming apparent to her.
She took another look around the room, observing the frozen ponies.

She glanced out the window, observing the moon, and the shadow of Nightmare Moon visible on surface of its reflection.

Remembering her duty to stop Nightmare Moon, Twilight made her decision. This game would be the best way to prove to them, to all of them, to Celestia, that the threat of Nightmare Moon was real and had to be taken seriously.

"I'll do it," Twilight said. "I'll play the game."

"Vunderbar," Rob said. He held the game board. If you would all just put your hand on the board here ..."

"Uh, I don't see why, but since we're committed to doing this, okay." Applejack placed her hand on it. The others followed in turn.

To their surprise, the board game began glowing, giving off a harsh white light. To their greater surprise, they were sucked inside, pulled into the board game, their bodies stretching and contorting as the board game sucked them up like noodles, leaving Rob alone.

Rob smiled and merrily threw the game into the air like tossing pizza dough, then jumped onto the board and got sucked himself.

After their vision cleared, the girls stood up and tried to get their bearings.

"Is everyone okay?" Twilight asked.

"Think so," Applejack said. "That sure was a fancy light show, wasn't it?"

"I feel funny," Pinkie Pie said, rubbing her stomach.

Rob came to them, flowing down as if descending from the skies.

"Rob!" Twilight said. "You didn't mention we'd actually get sucked into the game!"

"Didn't I?" Rob responded as if this was a genuine oversight on his part. "I thought it was implied. Oh well, too late now, you already agreed to it, and we're playing this game."

"No," Twilight said. "I refuse. We're here under false pretenses! We need to stop Nightmare Moon!"

"Nightmare Moon's been waiting another 1000 years. I'm sure can wait another 3 hours. Now play the game," Rob growled with a tone of menace.

"Better do as he says, Twi," Applejack said. "No telling what else this clown can do."

Rob pulled a horn out of his robe and honked it happily, embracing Applejack's derogatory remark.

"Now, let's roll dice to see who goes first, if you please."

A single die appeared in each of the girls' hand. They rolled it in their own distinctive ways - Fluttershy gently as afraid she was going to break it, Pinkie with enthusiasm, Dash violently, and Twilight carefully. Ultimately, Rarity got the highest roll, with 5, Dash 4, Applejack 3, Pinkie another 4, and Twilight and Fluttershy tied with 2.

"Two 2’s. What are the odds of that?" Pinkie asked.

"Better than you might think,” Rob said. “Now, Rarity, if you would roll how many spaces you're going to move ..."

Rarity did as asked, rolling a three. She walked that number of spaces.

"It's not so bad," Rarity observed. "It's like going through a sidewalk."

She landed on a Trait space. The Trait space glowed gold and gave a trumpet of fanfare despite there being no visible trumpets.

"Oh, our first trait of the game! What will Rarity pick? Let's watch," Rob said, cupping his chin with interest.

A scroll manifested and hovered in front of Rarity's face. Rarity read the options, and she blushed.

"Well?" Twilight asked. "What is it?"

"Oh my," Rarity sighed. "This is apparently one of those kinds of games."

"Well?" Twilight asked. "What is it?"

"I have three options, darling ... enlarged …,” Rarity inhaled sharply, “breasts, breasts that lactate, or a - a ... certain piece of male genitalia between my thighs."

All the girls blushed as they realized the kind of time they were in for.

Pinkie Pie took it to the most naturally. "Bigger boobies! Bigger boobies!"

Applejack shook her head. "Could y'all read the list again?"

Rarity did so.

"Well, I hate to agree with Pinkie, but I think she's right. Outta those options, the uh, enhancements sound like the ones that'll do ya the least harm."

"Well, Rarity?" Rob said, floating over. "What will you do? It's your choice, after all."

Rarity gulped. Skewering her eyes shut, she pressed a finger to the line on the scroll about the enlarged breasts.

"An excellent first choice," Rob said.

The scroll rolled up, then disappeared in a burst of green fire. Rarity pursed her lips as her breasts grew, stretching the fabric of her dress, though thankfully not ripping it. When the changes finished applying, her boobs were the size of soccer balls, nothing like the somewhat busty but reasonably figure she walked into the game with.

"Ooh!" Rarity groaned, cupping the underside of her boobs and lamented how heavy they felt. "Ooh ..." now discovering they were more sensitive, Rarity let out a moan of considerable pleasure. “Oh, my, that does feel rather nice …” She continued to rub herself and moan, bringing her hands up to her nipples as well. She began wondering if she maybe she should have gone for the lactation option.

The others watched on in uncertainty and shock, doubting if they'd made the right choice. Though Pinkie seemed into it.

This was going to be a long game.

Author's Note

Ooh boy a commission in multiple parts! Exciting!

Not much to say about this chapter. The commissioner suggested using either Discord or a Rob, "random omnipotent being" - to kick the whole thing off. I compromised by having be Future Discord under the alias of Rob.