>You are Anon
>And your life sucks
>You've always wanted to be a wizard
>Not like those new age power of thought kind of wizards
>But an actual wizard
>And here you are
>Living in a world of colourful, magical ponies
>And the queen of magic tells you that you can't use magic
>Why?
>Something to do with biology
>You didn't get any of that
>You were too busy holding back your tears
>But as a token of friendship
>She gave you access to her private study, where she keeps her..."special" books
>On the condition that you never to speak to anyone of it
>Turns out she has been collecting and studing scriptures regarding the black arts
>And since you can't possibly do any sort of magic
>Forever
>It won't matter if you read them or not
>And here you are
>Going through tomes and tomes of books
>Basically just skimming through them
>Hoping to find some sort of way that Twilight overlooked to become a true wizard
 
 
>So far you haven't found anything of worth
>Maybe they would have had worth
>If only you could actually do anything
>You close a weird, flesh covered book and get up from your chair
>You go through the shelves
>Dusty old tomes
>And clean new ones
>She has been writing essays on some of the practices and ways they could be improved
>On theory of course
>As you look through the books something odd catches your eye
>Not a tome with an unsettling aura, as someone might suspect
>But a rather ordinary looking notebook
>Squished between "Souls: a greener power source" and something you can't possibly pronounce
>It's almost like the notebook was hidden in plain sight
>No one would pay attention to a small notebook when you have all these manuals of the unholy
>You take it out and examine it
>Nothing out of the ordinary
>It's in perfect condition
>The edges just seem a little bent
>The cover is a shade of yellowish brown
>At the bottom right corner there is a sticker
>"Research on Shadow Games"
>What the hell
>You like games
>And it is pretty light compared to the bricks you had to go through
>Might as well give it a read
 
>You list trough the notebook
>It's filled from beginning to end
>Formulas
>Incantations
>Instructions
>Symbols
>"...dangerous..."
>"...forbidden..."
>"...death..."
>...madness
>"...soulless husk..."
>"...gambling..."
>"...use of enchanted items..."
>Hold on
>You go back
>"In shadow games normally an enchanted item is used. A deck of cards or a chess set are more traditional examples, but there are items that can evoke a shadow game in any situation. No real magic is required by the used, however..."
>No real magic is required by the user
>Well now
>There seems to be a light in the tunnel
>You put the notebook in your backpack and get back home
>Finally, you'll have a nice bedtime read
 
 
>By morning you have basically memorized the entire thing
>The short version
>For anyone that might be reading your mind right now
>Is that shadow games are basically magical gambles
>You and a opponent have a competition in which cheating is strictly prohibited
>If any cheating occurs or the losing party doesn't fulfill their part of the bargain, there will be a
>"Penalty game"
>In a shadow game anything can be gambled
>From material things
>To knowledge, memory and souls
>Lives as well
>But that really didn't need explaining
>A penalty game can also have a horrible effect on the cheater
>They range from physical injury, hallucinations to madness, death and soulloss
>Where does the soul go?
>Who knows?
>Doesn't matter
>The important thing is that you will be able to do magic
>Well not exactly do magic
>More like do something to activate a magical game
>But all in all
>It's the same
>It's morning as of now
>And you've already bought yourself all sorts of games
>You've bought yourself playing cards
>A chess board
>All manner of dice
>Jenga
>The shopkeeper offered you some sort of new collectable card game
>But you refused
>You used to play one back on Earth
>Your savings went by you pretty quickly
 
>In her notebook, Twilight describes a pendant she has that can supposedly evoke a shadow game in any situation
>It's supposed to be some sort of ring with a triangle in it an an eye
>In any case, she'll probably be reluctant to hand it over
>You are dealing with black magic that you are actually capable of using in some way
>So, the best procedure would be to just take it from her
>It's probably in her private study
>Where else would she keep it?
>Probably under her pillow
>Or maybe in her dungeon
>Does she even have a dungeon?
>If not, she should get one
>What's the point of having a castle if you don't have a dungeon?
>Well, besides the power symbol
>She isn't really wagging any wars
>But then again, she does have all those forbidden books
>And now that she has real political power...
>Oh
>You are at the front of the castle already
>You do lose yourself in thought quite often
>Anyway
>You knock on the door
>...castles shouldn't have doors
 
 
>Twilight was delighted to see you again
>After some tea and a quick chat, she allowed you to go to her study
>She is all-for learning, regardless of the subject or ability of the student
>Bless her heart
>You enter the room and start looking around
>It's actually quite big
>Besides the desk and the bookshelf
>She has all manner of knick-knacks
>Bones
>Medallions
>Ragdolls
>It's astonishing how much you didn't pay attention to this place when you first entered
>This place seems more like an attic than a secret space for the study of the arcane
>And there is no way in hell that you can believe that 3 moldy pillows are actually an essential part in a ritual
>Who knows, maybe it really was an attic at first
>It is in one of the towers
>In any case, you start rummaging
>Hoping that you find the ring
 
 
>Two hours later and nothing
>At the very least you did clean her room
>You sit on a chair and hold your head
>Where could this thing possibly be
>You went through her stuff
>Checked the chests
>The desk
>All of the bags
>Maybe it really is in the dungeon
>Or maybe
>One of the books on the shelf is hollowed out and the key is in it
>You walk towards the bookshelf
>Going through the names of every single book, one by one
>Trying to find the odd one out
>"Necronomicon"
>"Soulconsumption"
>"Eldritch and unholy: basic guide to the other side"
>"Faust"
>Faust?
>The play?
>It's probably this one
>Of course
>What else could it be?
>A story of a man trading away his soul
>Perfect allegory for gambling
>You slowly pull the book out
>You open it and
>Words
>Just words
>It's just the play
>Why would she have a play on her shelf of evil books?
>You throw the book at a supply shelf
>Accidently hitting the ink bottles
>They all break and ink starts dripping on the floor
>Oh shit
>You quickly pull the rug before the ink gets to it
>You get the moldy pillows and start soaking the ink up
 
>Great
>Now you have to clean this mess and buy Twilight more ink
>You look through one of the chests
>You remember seeing a pair of gloves there
>You put them one
>Pony gloves have to be the most uncomfortable thing you've worn
>You start picking glass pieces from the shelf
>And every piece you pick up, you lose hold of
>This will take forever
>You just swipe your hand through the shelf, hoping you'd get all the pieces
>And you feel a sudden pain in your fingers
>Your first reaction is to put them in your mouth
>That was a bad reaction
>Turns out pony ink tastes as bad as human ink
>You spit it out and look for what hit you
>It's an ink bottle
>A still intact one
>Weird
>You grab it and jerk it
>It's stuck
>You try to pull it by force, but can't seem to manage
>You pull even harder
>There click
>The whole shelf starts turning
>A secret room?
>In Twilight's secret study?
>We are getting into deep shit now
 
>You walk into the hidden room
>It's dark
>You take slow, cautious steps
>Suddenly a rows of torches fire up revealing a hallway
>Pretty big place for a secret room
>In a tower...
>At the end of the hall, you see it
>The pendant
>It looks exactly the same as the one sketched in the notebook
>You run towards when everything starts to get
>Misty
>Purple
>Dark
>Oh shit!
>It's a shadow game!
>You read about those!
>But how does it work?
>You look around and notice that the last five rows of tiles are glowing slightly
>You turn towards the walls
>A message slowly appears
>"To reach the Millennium Ring, you'll have to pass the five judgments of body, strength, mind, will and soul. With each row, you will be faced with a challenge. You can not pass through a row without completing it or there will be a penalty game. Good luck."
>So
>It's a test to determine if you are worthy
>You are pretty sure you are more than worthy
>You are ready to beat this
 
>Ponies are pretty short compared to you
 
 
>You stretch your hand and grab the pendant
>Since you haven't actually passed through any row, you aren't cheating
>You wait for a moment, just in case if the shadows decide you've cheated
>Nothing
>The mist is still here though
>You can actually decline a shadow game
>You turn your back and leave the room
 
>As you walk away the mist disperses and the torches die down
>You exit the room and close the shelf
>You look at the pendant
>A wooden ring, in it a golden triangle with an eye
>From the ring, five golden pendulums hang freely
>The rope on it is kind of small for you
>But that can easily be fixed
>Right now, you have to finish up cleaning this place and get gaming
>The mess takes you about 20 minutes to clean up
>You pat yourself on the back for a job well done
>You put the pendant in your backpack and get going
>On your away to the door, Twilight stops you
>"Are you done for today, Anon?"
"Oh, yeah, yeah...I gotta...go for a drink...you know...too much black magic haha"
>At the utterance of those last words, her eyes got wide and she jumped on you, putting her hoof on your mouth
>"Anon! Never say that! Ever! Do you know what could happen if anyone found out? Public execution! And that's if I'm lucky! You'll get it much worse!"
>You gulp
>She slowly lifts her hoof from your mouth
"R-right...I'll keep it in mind."
>"Don't make me regret this, Anon"
>Her tone turned cold
>You quickly get up, say goodbye and exit
 
>Until nightfall, you didn't take the medallion out
>What was it called?
>The millennium ring?
>That was it, yeah
>You bought yourself a nice string and went home
>You were thinking of what kind of game you could play and with who
>The local bar seemed like an easy target
>Filled with drunks all ready to get a free beer
>Might as well hit the bar and test this sucker out
>You run the string through the hole at the top and made a knot
>You slowly put it around your neck
>You wait to feel the magical powers engulf you
>And you are left waiting
>Huh
>Maybe they'll engulf you at the bar
 
 
>The Fox and Owl bar
>A gathering for lowlifes
>They serve cheap whiskey to cheaper clients
>Enter
>You
>Anon
>You open the door with the wind waving your blazer
>Some of the ponies look at you
>None of them care too much
>You walk in
>The stench mold and tobacco assaults your nostrils
>You sit at the bar
>The bartender walks up to you
>"What will you be having?"
"Give me a beer"
>Your answer is a cool as a razor blade
>"What kind?"
"What?"
>"What kind of beer would you like?"
"Well...umm...lager?"
>"Alright. What brand?"
>"Umm...amm...Goblincatcher?"
>The bartender leaves you to take a look
>Well
>Morale got a bit low
>But that doesn't matter right now
>You take the notebook out for one final time
>You quikly check the more important parts
>You put it back and you are ready to find your victim
>You find a lone pony sitting in a booth
>He's the one
>The bartender returns with your beer
>You paying him and drink it up for courage
>It's game time
 
>You walk to the booth and you stare at the stallion
>He seems older than you, has unkept beard and smells like he hasn't washed in days
"Drinking alone?"
>He only moves his eyes towards you
>"What's it to you?"
"Oh, nothing, I thought you might enjoy some company or a game maybe"
>"What kind of game?"
"Geemu no jikan da"
>Those were the supposed words to activate the shadow game
>"Whatcha say, boy?"
>You ignore him and sit at the table
>You take out the 4 aces from your deck
"It's simple"
>You shuffle them and lay them facing down
"You have to pick out two cards. If you pick out the two aces of the same colour, you win."
>He scratches his chin
"Two out of three. If you lose, you buy me a drink. If you win, I buy you a drink. Deal?"
>He takes a swing from his cup
>"Deal"
"Geemu start"
>"Whatcha say, boy? Speak up!"
 
>You ignore him again and push the cards towards him
>He picks one up
>The ace of spades
>He picks a second one
>Ace of diamonds
"Oh, too bad. You lose the first round"
>He gets visibly annoyed
>That's good
>Supposedly a shadow game can also disrupt a person's calm and make them act more irrational
>Or this could be attributed to the fact that you are teasing a drunk stallion
>You take the cards, reshuffle them and lay them
>He picks up the ace of hearts and the ace of diamonds
"Very good. One on one. This one's a tie breaker"
>"You sure talk a lot for a bar gambler"
>You shuffle and lay the cards again
>Ace of hearts and ace of clubs
"Heh...too bad. You lose"
>"So I did. Ain't buying nothin though"
"You sure? We had a deal. It's only fair..."
>"Listen, kid, I know how this game works. On my second turn, there is a one in three chance of drawing the right card. I just wanted to humour ya. So now you can buzz off and be happy I'm not smashing your head in"
"I really think you should honour our deal"
>"The hell did I just say?!"
>He starts to get up
"Batsu geemu!"
>"What are you yap ugh!"
>He fell on the table
>That was the incantation for the penalty game
>And it worked
>You check his pulse
>He's still alive
>Maybe the penalty game is to fall asleep?
>You should reread how penalty games worked exactly
>But you can do that later
>The important thing is
>Now
>You are a shadow gamer
>You really did it
>You can do magic
>Kinda
>sorta
>Not exactly
>But still
>You get up from your seat and push the stallion on his
>You look around
>You notice the darts board
>You look at it a bit and remember how you got the ring
>You go in the center of the bar
>You clear your throat
>And you start yelling
"I've got a proposition to everypony here. Whoever beats me, get's to drink the entire night! I'm paying!"
 
>You are Twilight Sparkle
>And what do you know
>It won't be the quiet Saturday you were hoping for
>You were called to the hospital because of some strange incident
>Seems like last night ten ponies at a bar suddenly dropped
>Not dead
>Just in a coma
>The occurrence was a bit too suspicious and that's why they called you for your expertise
>You examine the ponies
>Lifeless
>Yet still alive
>You are pretty sure what this is
>Black magic
"Where did you find the bodies?"
>A local guard turns towards you
>"At the Fox and Owl bar, ma'am!"
"How where the situated?"
>"Around a darts board, ma'am"
>Darts board
"Anything out of the ordinary?"
>"No, ma'am"
>Strange
>No killings
>No death
>No blood
>No signs of resistance
>This wasn't a ritual
>But a darts board?
>How does it tie to all of this?
>Were they playing when this happened?
>Wait
>Oh, no
"Officer, it seems that there might have been some magical anomaly going on. A realease of energies from with the planet. It happens quite often really, but it seems this was stronger and it his these ponies a bit too much. They should be fine in a week or so. You don't really need my help. There's nothing to investigate"
>"Yes, ma'am! Sorry to bother you"
 
>You are running in toward you secret study
>Something like this couldn't be happening again
>Shadow games should have been lost by now
>Someone has been poking their nose, where they shouldn't have
>You reach the study room
>Turns out Anon cleaned this place pretty well
>You should thank him next time around
>You search your bookshelf
>You can't believe you have to do this all over again
>Where did you put that thing?
>It's supposed to be between "Souls: a greener power source" and the deep sea seapony dictionary
>There's nothing there
>Did Anon mess your books up?
>Wait
>You turn towards the supply shelf
>There's only one ink bottle
>Oh, no
>You pull it
>The shelf opens
>You walk through the corridor
>The torches light up
>Oh, no, no, no
>The ring is missing
"Jesus pony Christ, Anon!"
 
>"Anon! Get out here, right now!"
>You are Anon
>And you have been most rudely awoken by some carzy pony banging on your door
>You check the clock
>It's 9 o'clock
>You get out of bed
>Get dressed
>Just as you are about to open the door it comes crashing down
>On the other side an angry Twilight is glaring at you
"You are going to pay for that, right?"
>"Anon, what did you do?"
>She most rudely dodged the question
"I think it's more important what I didn't do, which is not break your door down"
>She trots in (uninvited)
>Magics the door up
>And leans it where it normally was
>"Anon, what have you been up to?"
>You scratch the back of your head, trying to think
"Mostly sleeping"
>Twilight is obviously frustrated
>"Did you perhaps take something of mine? Accidentally?"
>You scratch your chin
>"Something resembling a circle. With golden pendelums"
"Hm..."
>"Perhaps you found it behind a shelf?"
"Sorry Twilight, I can't say that I have"
>"JesuschriYOU ARE WEARING IT AROUND YOUR NECK!"
>You look at your chest
>You notice the ring
"OOoohh...you mean the milenium ring?"
>Twilight pounces on you
>"Shhh! Be quiet!"
"Pfff"
>She removes her hoof from your mouth
"Why? What's the matter?"
>"The walls have ears..."
>Aaaalrightie...
>Ominous
 
>"Anon, do you know what you did last night? Do you remember anything?"
"Yeah. I went to a bar and challenged everypony there to a shadow game and..."
>"No! You do not do that!"
>She climbs off you
>"You do not just go around challenging ponies to shadow games left and right"
"Well...why not?"
>She looks dumbfound
>""Why not"...You just don't do that sort of thing!"
>You cross your arms
"Pff...you said that there's no way I could do magic, yet I did magic. There's no reason for me to trust you in regards to these subject matters. Now begone"
>You motion her with your wrist to leave
>"First off, technically you aren't doing magic. You are just evoking preexisting magics. It's, like, a totally different thing. Second..."
>A magical aura envelops you and viciously bends you towards her
>She buries her muzzle in your ear
>"You do not go around practicing the dark arts, risking the lives of many and exposing yourself"
 
>She let's you go
>"The only reason to use that thing is for self defence and I doubt 26 drunkards were posing a real threat to you"
>The extends her hoof
>"Hand it over"
>You clutch the ring
"N-no. It's mine now. I took it fair and square"
>"You stole it and you are irresponsible. Hand it over. I promise I'll give it to you when you are worthy"
>Her hoof is still out
>You are still clutching it
>No way in Hell you are going to give away your only source of magic
>An idea springs to mind
"Well, Twilight, I could just give it over, buuuut..."
>You start playing with the pendant's rope
"...that'd be too simple, now wouldn't it?"
>She's undeterred
"I suggest we play a game. If you win, I'll give you this medallion back. If I win..."
>You tap your chin slowly
"...IIII...get your castle. We can play a simple, one round game of rock-paper-scissors. Deal?"
>Her expression doesn't change
>"How do you play?"
>You smirk
>Geemu no jikan da
"You have to choose either rock, paper or scissors and form your choice with your hand"
>You quickly show her the three signs
"Rock betas scissors, scissors beats paper and paper beats rock. Ready? Geemu start!"
 
 
Of course, it's obvious that you'll choose paper
>Horses don't have fingers, so any sign can automatically be viewed as rock
>Easy game
>Easy life
>You throw your arm, fingers extended
>As expected, Twilight just rose her hoof
"Paper beats rock, Twi. I think I'll be moving in today. After lunch. Be sure to make Spike clean the main hall. I want it so clean that I could eat off the ground. I've always wanted to do something like that in a castle"
>"I'm sorry, what?"
"I said be sure to have moved out after lunch and make Spike clean the whole place?"
>"Why?"
"I'll be moving in there! I beat you in the shadow game!"
>"No, you haven't"
"Yes, I have"
>"No, you haven't. I never accepted the challenge"
"Yes, but..."
>Wait
>What?
>Twilight smirks
"You can't do that!"
>"Why not?"
"Erm..."
>She blows her bangs out of her eyes
>The fall in the same place, but the gesture is what counts
>"I knew it. There was no way you could have defeated 26 ponies without a sever handicap"
"Not my fault you are all short"
>"It's a miracle you passed the judgment of soul"
"The what?"
>"The judgment of soul. One of the five judgment laid on the tiles."
>You scratch your neck
"Sorry. Doesn't ring a bell"
>"The things you had to do to get the ring"
"OOOOooo...nah. I skipped them. I just grabbed the thing and wazoo!"
>Twilight slaps her face
>"This can not be happening"
"Fraid it is. Now be gone! I have breakfast to attend to"
>You flick your wrist back and forth
>Twilight magics the door away
>"I'll be back for you, Anon. And I will be taking my ring"
>She slams the door behind her and it falls on your feet