Queen of Games

>"Checkmate. That's the third game today, Fluttershy."
>You are Fluttershy
>Student of St. Lauren's school for girls
>Right now you are having a game of chess as part of your extra curricular activities
>And you are being viciously defeated by Twilight Sparkle
>"I don't understand, Fluttershy. Why did you choose to join the chess club if you can't play?"
"Well...the thing is...I couldn't get in line to sign up for the nature walk club...and I they put me here"
>"Right. Well, don't worry, we'll make a grand master out of you in no time"
>Although it was meant to be a joke, there was a note of sincerity in her voice
>"Oh, before you go, I've been meaning to ask you about that pendant of you are wearing"
>She points to the amulet around your neck
>A golden triangle, encompassed by a wooden ring, with an eye carved in the middle and 5 small pendulums hanging from the sides
>You lift it up
"This? My father brought it from Egypt as a present. I don't think it's anything special really..."
>Twilight seems enamored by it
>She takes out a pen and paper
>"Just let me make a quick sketch of it. I think I can find something about it. It's something like a hobby. Amulets, pendants. You know."
>It didn't take her long to scribble down the basics of your medallion

>You are in the mess hall
>Sitting alone at a table
>Jabbing your food with fork
>Waiting for your only friend
>Well you consider her your friend
>Other may consider her a nuisence at best
>But Rainbow Dash is the only girl here that talks to you on a regular basis
>And sure she does eat your food
>And coppy your homework
>And steal your socks
>But at least she's willing to talk to you
>And there she is
>Coming in right after football practice
>She takes her lunch and sit opposite of you
>Sweaty and smelly
>"So...Flutters...how was chess?"
>Beans fly out of her mouth as she asks
"Umm...good..."
>"That's cool...I had to substitute for the goalkeeper...she got sick or something..."
>She swallows and drinks her juice in one go
>"Man, I can't be chained down to be a goalkeeper. I got to be on the offensive! You know what I mean?"
"I...I guess..."
>Rainbow stares at your lunch
>You slowlly push it towards her
>She doesn't waste any time and digs right in
>"Exactly!...I mean...I can't help it if I'm that good, right?"
"...no"
>Rainbow Dash finishes your lunch as well
>She lets out a small burp and relaxes
>"You know, you should stop being so timid all the time."
"...I know"
>"I mean, I get that that is who you are and all, but people change. Like, you gotta let yourself blossom"
>Those words caught you a bit off guard
>They seemed a bit too poetic for her
>"I'll catch you later, ok?"
"Alright"
>She gets up and gives you a light bump on your shoulder
>It's her way of saying goodbye
>Sadly, she's been saying goodbye to you so often, that your shoulder has turned purple
>You can't help but clench it


>You are still in the dinning hall
>You are about to get ready to leave, when a girl from an upper class approaches you
>Lightning Dust
>Hall monitor
>She sits across the table from you
>"I've been watching you and Rainbow Dash this entire time."
"Oh?"
>"I've also been hearing some rumours around the school. About how she treats you."
"...sh-she doesn't treat..."
>Lightning raises her hand, cutting your sentence short
>"No need to say anything. I'll take care of everything."
>She get's up and leaves
>You have no idea what she was talking about

>It's late
>Almost night time
>You are walking to your dorm when suddenly you hear you name
>You turn around and see Twilight Sparkle
>Apparently she was running to catch up with you
>When she reaches you, she hunches over, trying to catch her breath
>"Remember when I asked you about your pendant today?"
"...umm...ye..."
>"Well, I did some research. First I couldn't find anything on it and for a while thought it was just a necklace, but I couldn't stop there. I dug through all the books in the library and found something."
>She hands you an old book
>It's cover is falling apart
>And it's pages have turned yellow
>You can't believe that she spent her entire afternoon trying to find something about your medallion
>You take the book and read from the marked page
>There is a picture of an Egyptian tomb's wall
>On it there are a lot of hieroglyph and, without mistake, the necklace you are carrying
>Benath the picture there is a small paragraph
"The millennium ring is said to posses the great power. Only at times of turmoil will it's strenngth be revealed"
>You look at Twilight
>She nudges you to keep reading
"When the Sun sets for the final time
And the body is left to be claimed
The shimmering from the other side
Will bring forth the return of the shadow game"
>You look at Twilight again
>She has a grinning from ear to ear
>"Can't you see? You have the millennium ring!"
"...I...I guess..."
>"Don't you know what that means?"
"N-not real..."
>"It means that you have a magical artifact around your neck"
>OK
>This is getting weird
"Listen Twilight...I gotta go...I...have some homework to finish..."
>"Um, sure! Come by tomorrow for chess! We need to talk about the ring!"
>You've already bolted to your dorm
>This day just keeps getting weirder

>You are infornt of the building
>When yet again you hear your name
>You turn and see Lighting Dust leaning on the the wall
>"Come over here, I've got something for you"
>You know this will end badly
>But you feel compelled to go
>You turn around the corner and
>"One punching bag, just for you"
>Oh no
>It's Rainbow Dash
>She looks badly beaten
>You run towards her
"Rainbow, are you alright?"
>"Flutters...wha-what did you do?"
>She's barely conscious
>"You see Fluttershy, I solved your bully problem. There's no need to thank me. Throw in a kick or two. Now's your chance!"
>You turn towards Lighting Dust
"I-i-i...I didn't want any of this."
>You turn towards your friend
"Rainbow, I'd never want you to get hurt. I didn't tell her to do any of this"
>She's barely conscious
>"Sure you didn't. A girl like you wouldn't say anything. I just read between the lines and figured it all out. Aren't you gonna hit her? Final chance"
"Sh--she is my friend! "
>"Friend? You are a weird girl, you know that Flutters. By the way, these services aren't for free. This will cost you 200 dollars"
"Wh-what?"
>"Have them next time we meet, ok?"

>You are in your dormroom
>And you are cleaning Rainbow's wounds
>She got beaten pretty badly
>You've both been standing in silence this whole time
>You decide it's time to speak
"...Rainbow...I didn't ask her to do this...she just sat down at my table today and told me she'd take care of everything..."
>Rainbow Dash is silent
>Your eyes are slowlly waterring up
"P-please, Rainbow...I-I-I'm sorry this happened..."
>"Don't be Flutters. I'm the one that should be sorry. They way I've been treating you, people are thinking that I'm actively tormenting you. You know...you are my only friend here...and I wouldn't want to lose you"
>You can see a twinkle in her bruised eye
>You hug her tightly
>She can't help but to hug you too
>You can feel her warm tears streaming on your neck
>You pull away from the hug
"I-I should get some more ointment...I'll be right back"

>Good thing the nurse's office works through the night
>You got the ointment and you are walking back to your room
>When somebody grabs your hand
>"Hey Fluttershy. You got the money?"
>It's Lightning Dust
>Your knees start to shake
"I...uh...th-the thing is...I don't have..."
>She shakes her head
>"Oh, Flutters. You know that stealing is bad"
"I-I haven't stollen anything..."
>"We had a deal. You'd give me the money next time we meet"
"...I didn't"
>"And refusing to pay for my services is stealing"
"...B-but..."
>"And now I have to educate on what happens to thieves"
>She punches you in the stomach
>For a few seconds you cant breath
>She then punches you in the face
>You fall on the ground
>"Have the money next time, otherwise it will get worse and worse"
>You begin to black out


When the Sun sets for the final time
And the body is left to be claimed
The shimmering from the other side
Will bring forth the return of the shadow game


>You are
>Well
>Fluttershy
>To keep it simple
>We'll elaborate on the details later
>Now you have work
>You stand up
"Oh, Lightning Dust"
>Game time
>She turns around
>For a moment she loses sight of the world around her
>Next thing she knows, you are both standing on the opposite sides of a ledge
>On the middle of the ledge theres a plinth  with a box on it
>The ledge is wide enough to walk freely on it, but it's located on the top of castle, connecting two towers
>Beneath it is a moat
>You must be at least 50 meters in the air
>The both of you have nooses tied around your necks
>The nooses are actually two parts of the same rope
>It goes through two reals suitiated right above the both of you
>"Huh...What is this?"
>Lighting Dust looks around when she finally lays eyes on you
"Yo"
>"Flutters? Is that you?
"Sure, let's go with that"
>"What's all this then?"
"You see, Lightning, I have what you seek. It actually in that box in the middle over there."
>"You have the money? Why didn't you say so earlier? You wouldn't have had to go through that. Give it here and all'll be well"
"Yeah, about that. I want us to play a little game. Otherwise just handing it over to you would be too boring, you see.
>"Game? What game"
"It's quite simple really. We each throw two dice. We take that many steps towards the plinth. Of course, with each step the noose will get tighter for the both of us. You can take how many steps we want backwards, if we need a little break. Are you up for it?"
>She's trying to put on a tough front
>She's failling
>"Sure! I'm up for a little game."
"I thought so. Just so you know, cheating is forbidden, so be sure to behave"
>You throw her a pair of dice and she catches them


"Game start. You can go first"
>She throws the dice
>4 and 2
>"6! Good start"
>She takes six steps forward
"My turn"
>You throw the dice
>4 and 5
"9. I'll just take 8 steps"
>"Heh, you should seize fortune by the throat! My turn again"
>3 and 1
>"4 steps closer"
>You throw the dice
>5 and 5
"10. I take them"
>The nooses start to tigthen
>Lighting throws her dice
>6 and 6
>"12! I'm almost halfway there Flutters!"
"We can't have that now, can we?"
>You throw the dice
>5 and 6
"11. 10 steps again"
>Lighting is starting to lose her breath
"You know, if you pass out, you' fall of the edge and break your neck. You should take a few steps back."
>She's infuriated by your words
>But after thinking for a moment, she decides to step back 4 steps


>After catching her breath, she throws the dice
>1 and 2
>She bites her lip
>"I...I'll move one step"
>You smerk
>You throw
>6 and 6
"12. I take them"
>Lighting throws
>4 and 1
>"I take 5"
>You throw them
>2 and 4
"6 steps."
>You arms length to the box
"I need three steps more to reach the prize, Lightning."
>She's obviously angry
>You decide to put some salt in her wounds
"You know, you'd have to throw a pretty big number to make me fall back, right"
>"Shut up! It's my turn."
>1 and 1
"Oh, snake eyes. Better luck next time we play."
>You throw your dice
>1 and 5
"6. I win"
>"Fuck this!"
>She takes her noose off and runs towards the center
"Dear, Lightning, you know that,s not how the game is played"
>When she reaches the center she pushes you off the ledge
>You just grab your rope tight and lift yourself so your neck won't snap
>"The money is mine now!"
>She opens the box
>"W-what?"
>Inside there is a piece of meat
>"What is this?"
"The gate of darkness opens for all who do not follow the rules of the game, Lighting"
>There is cawing sound
>"What's that"
>A murder of crows fills the sky and shoots down towards Lighting Dust
"Penalty Game! Flesh From Bone!"
>The crows start pecking her
>Screams and caws fill the night
"Greed can consume even the strongest hearts. Yours was wretched from the very start"

>You are Fluttershy
>And you are sitting in the mess hall alone
>Rainbow is late for breakfast again
>You poke your cereal with your spoon a bit
>"Hey Flutters! What's up?"
>Rainbow jumps out of nowhere, scaring you so bad, that you throw your spoon
>"Chill, girl. Don't be so on edge. What happened last night? You went out for ointment and you never came back?"
"...I...uh...don't really remember..."
>"Anyway. You know what happened today? They found Lighting Dust in a bush, mumbling to herself something about crows. They say there was a rope burn around her neck. The head mistress thinks she tried to kill herself and sent her to the mental hospital! Crazy right?"
"...yeah...I guess..."
>You continue to poke around in your breakfast
>"Listen Flutters. You shouldn't feel bad about what happened to her. If you ask me, she's better off in the nuthouse, because otherwise she would have had to answer to me today!"
>You stare at Rainbow Dash
>And you can't seem to hold back your laughter
>You just burst out
>"What? What did I say?"
"Oh, nothing, Dash. I gotta go to class. I'll see you later ok?"
>"..ok"
>You stand up
>Walk past her
>And hit her gently on the shoulder