This story is a sequel to A Mad Glimmer

The plan had been perfect, taking everything from Twilight Sparkle and trapping her in a no-win situation. Then Twilight showed Starlight the alleged consequences of her actions.

But there's a bit more to the story. Starlight Glimmer has paid a heavy price, but there's one more debt to call in.

After all, Discord doesn't make idle threats.

Story contains spoilers for the Season 5 finale, potentially disturbing imagery, and nuts. Story still does not contain Nikita Khrushchev or shoes.

"At the end of the game, the King and the Pawn go back into the same box."

In the land of Equestria, there are no differences, no heartache, no progress, no purpose. There is just life, and whatever comes after. Everypony is equal. Starlight Glimmer won, but she may have also lost.

She built the box, but the game is about to end.

Entry for EquestriaDaily's Writer's Training Grounds.

Time after time, through chaos and through wars, Princess Celestia prevailed.

Of all the terrible forces she could have fallen to, Flim Flam Industry was the last one anypony had expected.

With thanks to gardrek for editing (3-6) and PinkieDP, Ice Star, and Odd_Sarge for prereading help.

Maud did not love Rainbow Dash.

Maud did not understand love.

Maud understood war. Maud understood battle. Maud understood loss.

Those are the things Maud understood.

[Maud/RD - Season 5 finale AU]

Fresh cookies are a great start to a summer afternoon, and an unexpected surprise makes things even better. What's a little filly to do, though, when the best foalsitter ever is running late, her BBBFF starts acting funny, and her house is filled with molten rock?

Celestia: a filly of twelve. A cynical, hungry pauper, with a young sister to protect and feed.

But the food has run out. Winter has gripped the land for too long, and now the pair face starvation.

The cynic in Celestia knows she can't move the sun. But the child in her wonders... and so she tries.

(Inspired by the Donovan song of the same name.)

(Now with a dramatic reading here, by Crafty Arts, and here, by KeyframeProductions.)

(Now with a Spanish translation here.)

A year goes by and nothing changes: Octavia comes home late with tears and her family home is still in jeopardy, but Vinyl is used to it. They both are. The night ends no less calmly than any other Sunday too.
Then with the next morning comes calamity. There are few frustrations as painful as to be helpless against a loved one's suffering, and with the new day Vinyl comes to terms with the reality of how futile all that pain really was.
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Includes Semi-Mute Vinyl and other random minor headcanons, because fluffy pony ears.

Special thanks to FimFiction user AdmiralPopeye for collaborative proofreading and editing.

Supreme Overlord of the Dominion of Equestria.
Wonderful title isn't it?
Capture the Country, Marry the Princess, Take over the world.
Sounds like an Adventure story doesn't it?
Well this is no story.
How do I know? Well I'm not stupid for one.
All those other dolts that came before fell into too many simple traps.
They're all so easy to avoid.
That's why I work to rule.
The rules.
The Rules of an Evil Overlord.

Discord feels Fluttershy needs to be a little more assertive when it comes to expressing her own views and maintaining her beliefs against the weight of other arguments, especially when those counter-debates turn... well, personal. Fluttershy doesn't want to risk it.

So Discord mentions a simple fact: two plus two equals five.

Fluttershy naturally disagrees.

It gets worse from there.

(A stand-alone, no prior-reading-necessary part of the Triptych Continuum, which has its own TVTropes page (with new Recap section) and FIMFiction group: new members and trope edits are welcome.)

Now with author Patreon and Ko-Fi pages.

One night, like so many others, Octavia waits up for Vinyl Scratch and contemplates her day.