Session 38.0 Grogar-the-onser
"I'm sorry about this." Twilight said.
"Just make it quick darling." Rarity said.
Twilight used her magic and plucked a hair from Rarity.
"Yow!" Rarity winced. Twilight quickly wrote in her notebook, 'Anything?'
+
'Nope.' Sunset wrote. She then looked at Rainbow "Are you okay with this?"
"Yeah, the plucking hair thing is wimpy. Plus it good to to remind people how tough I am." Rainbow stated.
Sunset shrugged and Punch RD hard in the gut. "You okay."
"Never felt better." Rainbow wheezed as she grasped her gut.
"Is this test really.... necessary." Twilight said.
"You grew wings when your alicorn counterpart started as a unicorn." Sunset said annoyed. "That a sign of Starswirl fear of dimensional decay. the next sign is that a dimension counterpart feel the same physical pain your feeling."
Twilight was about to say something but was stopped by Rarity. "Let her have this, or she snapped with wing envy again."
+
"Do you feel anything." Twilight asked.
"Not a thing." Rainbow said playing solitaire.
Session 38.1 Kendell2
"But what confuses me is where MY wings went," Sunset said, tapping her chin. "I mean I had them fighting Midnight Sparkle...Even if that WAS happening, I AM Equestrian Sunset, if anything my human counterpart should start developing the same powers..."
"Oh! Oh! I know!" Pinkie Pie said, waving her hand.
"...Yes?"
"Well we're magical girls, right?!" Pinkie Pie asked, then ponyed up into her new threads.
"Yes..."
"Well in Magical Girl anime, when a magical girl gets a new super mode, they normally have it on top of their normal form, it isn't their normal form, so maybe you have to 'double pony up' into Daydream Shimmer?!" Pinkie Pie asked excitably.
"...That....surprisingly makes some sense..."
"Either that or the writers chickened out or forgot."
Session 38.2 Alex Warlorn
(Continue of Session 37.15 Mtangalion)
Starlight flew through a window shouting, "DON'T WORRY TWILIGHT! I'LL SAVE YOU!"
Starlight telekinetically ripped the ordinary piece of quartz from Gilda's claws.
"HEY YOU CRAZY NAG! WHAT ARE YOU DOING?!" Gilda roared.
"I WON'T LET YOU DO THIS TO TWILIGHT YOU WITCH! I WON'T LET ANYPONY OR GRIFFIN REPEAT MY MISTAKES!" Her horn glowed.
Twilight gasped. "Starlight what are you doing?!"
"Don't worry Twilight! I'll free you, and give her a taste of her own medicine!"
"Starlight stop! This is just a-" Gilda got hit by the spell full blast. "-game."
Gilda stood perfectly at attention, zombified and waiting for her command trigger like a good brain-zapped griffin.
+
"Well." Starlight blushed. "You can't really blame me for thinking Gilda had been corrupted by an ancient magical artifact and had used mind control magic on you could I?"
Twilight sighed. "Okay, I'll admit, it was no laughing matter. And if I was going to play along, I should have told you what was going on. We live in the same home. How'd you find out anyway?"
"Spike saw what was going on and send me a dragon mail."
"And I should have told Spike too that it was just a game, in particular with the kind of stuff that happens to us ... and will you stop with the Freedom and Disenchantment spells already?"
"Sorry. Just making sure. So are you really into-"
"NO I'M NOT! GAME! YA KNOW? ROLE PLAY?!"
"I finished making you some lovely scones Miss Starlight Glimmer, what else would you like me to do?" Gilda said with as much a smile as a griffin could do, and her eye dotted. She was also wearing a maid's uniform.
"AND NOW WILL YOU LET ME TAKE THAT ENCHANTMENT OFF GILDA ALREADY?!"
"OH! RIGHT! HEHEH! SORRY! But I DID think that, well, after you suggest I experience what it was like-"
Twilight sighed. "Just stand behind me so she doesn't try to claw your face the moment the enchantment is undone."
"But being Starlight Glimmer's zombified griffin slave is totally radical." Gilda said. "She, like, does all the thinking for me."
"And the sooner the better." Twilight said.
+
A few hours later, Gilda sat on a couch in Rainbow Dash's house, an ice-pack on her head. "So how long before this stupid headache is gone?"
"Ours wore off in about a day. And you might want to watch out for residue from the spell. That took about a week to vanish for us. So you might want to think extra hard about whether you really want to do anything Starlight Glimmer says."
"Whatever you say Rainbow Dash... Ugh! Please tell me I did not just say that! Please do me a favor and DON'T let me near any maid dresses this week, I don't want to know if I'll want to wear it or rip it to shreds."
"Gotcha Gilda... "
+
"Of all of Princess Twilight's punishments, this isn't so bad." Starlight Glimmer said.
"Maybe cause she admits it was partially her fault." Spike said.
"I notice you got off scott free."
"I think she's just happy I didn't mail Princess Celestia instead. Now forward my steed! We must slay the ogre and rescue the princess!"
Starlight said resisting a roll of the eyes. "Yes oh brave knight! Your loyal steed obeys!"
Starlight carried Spike into 'battle' with the giant ogre cut out. Sweetie Belle wearing a princess outfit made by her sister as she played Button Mash's borrowed Joy Boy. Then realized the break was over and began calling, "Save me! Save me oh brave knight!"
Session 38.3 Mtangalion
Another bright Ponyville morning found Princess Twilight doing paperwork on her balcony again, with Gilda sitting across from her. The griffon was slumped in her chair, groaning, and she hadn't touched the chess set.
Twilight smiled and levitated the teapot, refilling her cup and pouring one for Gilda too. "I have to admit, I didn't expect to see you here again for a while."
Gilda chuckled, then winced, kneading her forehead. "Well, yeah. I never got my shiny back."
Twilight blinked, then lifted a rough, translucent stone in her magic. "What, this thing? Gilda, it's just a piece of quartz."
Gilda sniffed at her teacup, then downed all the tea in one gulp. "So? A shiny's a shiny. Especially when it's *my* shiny."
Twilight got a thoughtful look, then grinned deviously. "Ah, but I hold Grover's Glorious Gemstone now! Why should I share you with Lady Starlight? Ha, ha! Now the big tough griffon will bow to me, helpless to resist my Alicorn might! I can have you waiting on me paw and claw, saying 'Yes, Princess!' as you kiss my hooves and..." She trailed off. "Gilda, am I turning you on?"
"Uh... no?" rasped Gilda, coughing and trying to refold her wings. "As if!"
Twilight put Celestia's Diplomatic Method #6 to good use, hiding her dismay by sipping her tea. "No offense, but I really don't understand griffons sometimes. Is it normal for griffon relationships to be... how can I put this politely... a contest of wills?" Twilight shrugged her wings. "Admittedly, I don't have much experience with romance, but I've heard that a relationship based on equality with mutual admiration and respect can be fun and fulfilling too."
Gilda rolled her eyes. "Ugh... Boring!" Alicorn and griffon both wound up laughing.
The balcony door slid open a few inches. "There isn't any *evil* mind control going on out there, is there?" asked Spike.
"Nope, no mind control here!" said Twilight, humoring him.
"Are you sure?" asked Starlight, also peeking through the door. "We're fully prepared to rush to your rescue!"
Gilda bristled, seeing Starlight again. "Oh gosh, I think they're on to us, Sparkle. We'll have to go make out someplace else."
Starlight facehoofed. "Would you just figure out who you really want to date and go chase after *them* already!?"
Gilda blinked slowly, pupils shrinking a bit. "That's an awesome idea, Starlight Glimmer. Thanks for the advice!" She shook Starlight's hoof in her talons, then Twilight's, and then she flew right off.
"Well, that's no good," mused Spike, picking up the piece of quartz. "She forgot her shiny again!"
Session 38.4 Grogar-the-onser
"Why- no.... how did this happen?" Applejack asked
"Well..."
(Flashback)
"Are you sure you want that toy squirt." Rainbow said.
"Yeah, but i can't seem to get it, that game is rigged." Scootaloo said giving the claw machine the stink eye.
"Step aside squirt, I'll get that toy for ya." Rainbow Dash stated as she pulled out a bit, placing it in the machine. The game started with a 30 second timer. Rainbow moved the crane over to the toy Scootaloo wanted, it was in the perfect position. All she had to do was hit the button to drop the crane down.
The crane lowered, grabbing the toy with ease. It glided across the machine towards the drop box.
"Easy, easy." Rainbow kept muttering to herself. The claw was about to reach the drop off area when suddenly, the toy managed to fall out of the claw's grasp and landed in a awkward angle. Rainbow blinked abit. "Heh, don't worry squirt, even a master know you can't catch it on the first go."
(Ten tries later)
Scootaloo, standing beside RD, watched as the rainbow haired pony maneuvered the claw over her target, swooped down to pick it up, and missed, for the eleventh time. Rainbow let out a furious growl before pulling out another bit and forcing it into the game's slot.
"You know it's okay Rainbow Dash, I don't need that toy." Scootaloo said
"Oh i'm getting you that stupid toy!" Rainbow snapped. She growled annoyed as the claw couldn't properly grasped it.
"I just think your taking it a little too seriously...."
"Oh i'm taking it as seriously as I need to." she eye it annoyingly, it was as if it was mocking her. "And I know it purposely escaping the claw like the jerk it is!"
".... Okay." Scootaloo said, suddenly worried for Rainbow Dash sanity
"It thinks it so smart, letting it get caught the first time getting close only to drop in a place that its hard for the machine to grasp it, but i'll show it!" Rainbow said, she looked at the drop box hole with fury in her eyes-
(Flashback end)
"And I think you can guess what happens next." Rainbow Dash said her hoof stuck in the machine.
Applejack rolled her eyes.
Session 38.5 Alex Warlorn Ardashir
Princess Celestia said, "My dear Twilight Sparkle... if there's any pony alive who knows what it's like to have a trans-dimensional relationship... she's speaking to you right now."
"Okay, but cross-species too?"
Celestia smiled. "They're not exactly unknown in Equestria. More than a few pegasi have griffon ancestors."
"Huh." Twilight blinked in surprise. "I guess that explains the letter Gilda gave Fluttershy a few days ago."
***
"Eep!" Fluttershy looked at the letter listing the results of the ancestral research spells, and then at Gilda. "We're related?"
"We're cousins ten or twelve times removed on my mom's side," Gilda folded her forelegs across her chest. "Just don't tell anygriff or pony about this, okay?"
Zephyr Breeze called out, "COUSIN!"
Gilda growled, "If there's one thing griffins can't stand, it's parasites!"
Session 38.6 Mtangalion
Twilight took another sip of tea, trying to calm her nerves. "So, I take it you've heard about some of the... issues we've been having lately."
(A few hours ago...)
An orange pegasus with a blue mane and a shield and lightning bolt cutie mark stumbled out of Twilight's mirror room, tripping over his hooves and everything else. "Don't worry, Twilight! I'll save you!" He tried to run again, but his hooves slipped every which way and he went down in a heap.
"Hey, are you okay?" said a familiar raspy voice.
Flash Sentry groaned, puzzled by the four slim blue hooves on the crystal floor in front of him. He looked up and found himself nose to nose with... "Rainbow Dash? Why do you look like a pony in World of Horsecraft? Oh my gosh, you're naked!"
Rainbow snickered. "Uh... Newsflash, buddy." She whispered in his ear, "You're naked too."
"Gah!" Flash sprang to his hooves, which was a lot easier when he wasn't overthinking it. "Don't remind me!"
Rainbow flapped her wings, lazily floating into the air and inspecting Flash front and back. "Human, right? Gotcha. I'll go find Twilight."
Flash stared. "How are you doing that? I mean, that was weird enough in the my world, but those wings shouldn't be able to generate nearly enough lift..."
"Yeah, you're definitely gonna need Twilight to help you with that one." Rainbow plucked a loose orange feather and used subtle wind currents to balance it perfectly on her nose. "Spoilers... it's magic."
Twilight smiled at Flash, sitting by her side, and Gerold the griffon... blue and white feathers with dark fur, nice to finally have his name... and Gilda too. The human world Gilda, not the native one, Twilight had to keep reminding herself. They were still trying to track down the other Gilda before that mind control spell got her and Starlight Glimmer in any more trouble.
Flash was trying to be nice and not gawk at Celestia, without much success. "I don't know if I'll be able to take Principal Celestia seriously after this."
It was a wonder that there had never been a lawsuit, even though the in-game models and voices of the pony princesses were just different enough that there could still be some doubt. Flash had no doubts at all, now... Princess Celestia was real, and she was unquestionably his high school principal as a pony. It made Flash wish that he could have played the game with Sunset's friends more, maybe even joined their guild, but hanging around his ex-girlfriend was awkward, and having a Twilight who wasn't his Twilight join them only made it worse.
"It's alright," said Celestia, smiling diplomatically. "I've heard quite a bit about her."
Gilda glanced up... she'd been busy staring at her own claws, just lifting them off the floor and wiggling her talons. "Dang, you're huge. I mean, boss characters are always huge in World of Horsecraft, but... dang!" She coughed and twitched her wings, remembering how she'd thought she was actually inside the game world last time. "If you're not a video game character, then how do you do that hair thing?"
Gerold coughed, trying to play it tough and cool when he was obviously intimidated, being face to face with the same Invincible Sun who had *decisively* ended the pony-griffon wars centuries ago.
Gilda rolled her eyes. "How do you do that hair thing, your highness?" She grinned slyly. "Happy now?"
Gerold slyly grinned right back.
Flash was trying to scratch the back of his neck offhandedly, which wasn't working so well with hooves. "So, Twilight... now that I know you're okay, maybe I should be getting on home? We wouldn't want to unravel time and space, and all of those other things you mentioned."
Twilight beamed at him. "Are you kidding? Now that you've finally come to see me in my world, we have so much to talk about! In fact, I've made..."
"A list?" said Flash.
Twilight smirked, poking him with a wing. "Yes, a whole list of things we can do together while you're here! Hmm, maybe we should move 'Flying lesson together with Rainbow Dash' to the top. Then you could be a guest character in our afternoon roleplaying game. Oh, and you have got to try buckball! You certainly can't do that in the human world..."
Gilda sighed. "I'm gonna miss you when you're here and I'm back home, you big handsome turkey, you." She nudged Gerold playfully. "You didn't forget we can go flying there the same as here, right?"
Twilight choked on her tea, and Flash helpfully thumped her on the back.
Gerold took Gilda's talons in his. "Yeah, yeah that helped a lot, but I was going nuts, missing my beak and my feathers and... my everything! You know, you could always move to Equestia..."
Gilda's breath caught, looking into his eyes. She *couldn't* just drop everything and fly off to another world, but she wanted to. She'd forgotten what this was like... the strength, the confidence... seeing things miles away so clearly... this griffon body rocked! Wait, did that mean she was a furry?
She tried to laugh it off. "Oh sure, no problem. I'd only fail all my classes, and get fired from my part time QA job. I just know that jerk Discord would rat me out to Chrysalis if I didn't show up. Heck, I might get fired by the big boss himself. They say getting chewed out by President Sombra is the stuff of legend."
For the first time in at least a century, Celestia dropped her teacup.
Session 38.7 BrutalityInc
Button Mash was just entering the establishment for his regular sojourn at the arcade, when he was tackled by a white blur. When he found his daze clearing, he found himself around the corner in the alleyway, staring right into the eyes of Sweetie Belle, standing right on top of him.
"Mashie, I need your help!" Sweetie Belle pleaded
Blushing, Button Mash stuttered as he replied, "W-w-what for?"
"What else do you think?" Sweetie Belle asked aloud, before getting off of him and helping him up, "Come on, let’s go the Sugarcube Corners. I’ll explain everything over some milkshakes."
Button Mash found himself dimly nodding in agreement, and followed her. He couldn’t say no to that pretty face, could he?
= = =
It took half an hour before he found all his senses again. But when he did, Button Mash was quick to grasp the situation, especially once it was apparent, as Sweetie Belle mentioned, that it involved videogames.
"So you got into an argument with Diamond Tiara? I thought you two are friends now!" Button Mash mentioned, confounded by what he heard.
"Well, YES, but just because we buried the hatchet doesn’t mean that we agree on everything, or that we forgotten all the ill-feelings that happened between us... which might explain how it got so heated." Sweetie Belle paused to take a sip from her milkshake, then continued, "So anyways, we decided to settle the issue – which I’m not going to say – with a contest, and the loser would have to admit she’s wrong and owe a favour to do whatever the other filly could think of."
"And the contest you choose to play ‘Battleships’ in the Arcade?" Button Mash asked, "You do know that the Multiplayer on that console is broken, right?"
"Well, we didn’t at the time, but neither of us can agree on something else. So we decided each of us will play single-player VS CPU match, winner being the first pony to win one more round than the other by the end of five rounds." Sweetie Belle confirmed, "This is going to happen tomorrow morning, which is why I’m coming to you now; do you know any secrets or tricks that may help me win?"
Button Mash tapped his chin, his face screwed up in deep thought. Then, he said, "Alright, here’s what you need to do. But for it to work, you’ll need to change the rules of the game slightly..."
= = =
When morning came, Diamond Tiara was already at the Arcade with Silver Spoon, waiting for Sweetie Belle and the rest of the CMC when they arrived later. After the greetings and boasts, they settled down at the Battleships game console machine to begin their match, coins ready.
But before then, Sweetie Belle added a new condition to their bet.
"We’re playing in ‘Salvo’ mode?" Diamond Tiara queried, surprised. "How’s that different from normal Battleships?"
"If I heard about it correctly," Sweetie Belle explained, "It’s not that much different. Basically, instead of each players getting one shot per turn, we get one for each ship we have; that way, when we attack, we do so with a ‘salvo’, in naval terms. The number of shots you have decrease with each ship you lose, but so does your opponent if he or she loses their ships. I reckoned would make our match much more exciting."
Diamond Tiara raised an eyebrow over this, but shrugged and agreed, pressing the buttons needed to change the game mode on screen.
Indeed, as Sweetie Belle implied, it made for a much faster and more intense game; by mutual agreement, Diamond Tiara went first, and all the fillies present found themselves gripped by the action as Diamond Tiara fired her salvos through the metaphorical fog of war onto the other side each turn, and receiving a rain of munitions in turn.
Diamond Tiara’s first round ended well; she lost her gunboat and cruiser, and her battleship was damaged, but ultimately took out all the other ships the CPU has. Second round ended less well, with Diamond Tiara losing, all her ships ending at the bottom of the waves, though she did take out at least three of the CPU’s vessels, including the battleship, before she went down.
However, Sweetie Belle found herself sweating, her heart skipping beats, as Diamond Tiara won the next three rounds; the third and the fourth rounds were close-shaves, the former with Diamond down to only one gunboat, and the latter with Diamond literally ONE SHOT away from defeat.
The fifth round capped Diamond Tiara’s turn with a great victory, with Diamond losing only one ship, a destroyer, while annihilating the CPU’s fleet. She left the console with a triumphant grin, almost like the one she wore back when she was a bully.
Four out of five. Sweetie Belle will have to top that with a flawless five-round run if she would have any hope of winning. Even her friends’ cheers of support from behind her didn’t help her much with her confidence.
‘Just remember what Button Mash taught you...’ Sweetie Belle recited in her mind, even as she entered her first coin and the game began.
As every colt and filly knows, a game of Battleship begins with placement of the five vessels – gunboat, destroyer, frigate, cruiser, and battleship – on your tactical grid. Your opponent can’t see your placement, and neither can you your opponent, and the objective of each game is to guess where your opponents had place their ships and sink them, one/five squares per turn, one ship at a time. Where one place the ships has considerable impact on victory or defeat.
Luckily for Sweetie Belle, Button Mash told her where to place them for maximum protection.
"Wait a minute, what is she doing?" Silver Spoon asked aloud.
Diamond Tiara and the rest of the CMC found themselves surprised and confused at where Sweetie Belle positioned her fleet; whereas most players would randomly criss-cross them across the board, she had all her ships placed at the very four edge of the grid, their broadsides hugging the boundaries of the board, their sterns and bows touching the very corners.
Then the round begins in earnest, with the CPU firing first. When the shots landed, the fillies saw just why she did so.
"The shots... they all went wide!" Scootaloo gasped as five random squares lit up at the centre of Sweetie Belle’s grid. "Even Diamond wasn’t so lucky the first time!"
Diamond Tiara tightened her eyebrow, "We’ll see if her luck holds out..."
It was Sweetie Belle’s turn to attack. Like Button Mash taught her, instead of random shots like most players would try, seeking to probe where their opponents placed their vessels, she picked the 3 X 3 squares in one corner, and landed her shots in an X shape, one in each outer corner squares and one in the middle.
After the next CPU’s salvo also landed in the empty squares at the centre of the grid, Sweetie Belle maintained her attack pattern, moving to the next 3 X 3 square to the left. This time, she ensured the shots landed in such a way that the X is linked with the previous, producing a pattern of chequered squares resembling the one in a chess checkerboard.
"She’s going through the grid like some confounded scanning machine!" Applebloom commented, "Given the way she spaced her shots, there’s no way Sweetie is going to miss anything..."
Indeed, the first two shots of her next attack turn landed direct hits on a vessel. Sensing blood, Sweetie immediately broke the pattern, and the next three shots followed the same line as the first two, each scoring a hit.
"She... she just took out the battleship within the first three turns!" Silver Spoon muttered with disbelief. It took Diamond Tiara five salvos turns in her first round just to HIT something!
The rest of the CPU’s ships fell the same way in short order under the guns of Sweetie Belle’s fleet... with absolutely NO LOSS OF HER OWN. A flawless victory.
"Yes! Onward, to round 2!" Sweetie Belle cheered.
Diamond Tiara grimaced. If this keeps up to round 5, it seems she just might lose this bet after all...
= = =
"So, how did you figure this out?" Sweetie Belle asked Button Mash.
"When you played games as long as I had, you’ll pick up a few things." Button Mash boasted.
Sweetie Belle cocked an eyebrow of doubt, given that Button Mash is no older than he is, but let that slide as Button Mash continued, "The thing about CPU players in these consoles is that, even with many of those programmers like my dad doing a very good job, they’re still not exactly SMART."
"In Battleships, the CPU fires randomly until it hits something, and only then start hitting whatever it hit repeatedly until there’s nothing left. After that, the process repeats itself. Even ship placement is completely random." Button Mash explained, "They say Battleships is a game of intuition and strategy, but the CPU can do none of that. Realizing this, I figured out it’s just a simple matter of using that antic against itself."
"So if I’m reading this right..." Sweetie Belle, "By not putting your ships out in the open, you can get the CPU player to hit empty squares for 3/4 of the game, while the checkerboard pattern sweeping attacks would allow you to comb the CPU player’s grid systematically and take out the randomly placed ships far quicker than with normal probing attacks?"
"That’s right. You don’t even need to play it in Salvo mode; normal mode is just fine. I just liked Salvo mode because a shot per turn is just too slow and tedious for conducting the sweeps." Button Mash explained, "Although the tactic wouldn’t work if you play against another pony. The thing about pony players is that unlike CPUs now, they learn from their mistakes; they’re all but certain to figure out your game after the second or third time and know where to hit you. Maybe they’ll even copy your style for where to place ships."
"But against a CPU player, I’m all but guaranteed to win, no matter what?" Sweetie Belle asked.
"At worst you might get a hit on one of your ships, or maybe even lose a ship... but, let’s just say that I have never, EVER lost a Battleships game against a CPU opponent after I figured that out. " Button Mash confirmed with a grin. "... and since you're not playing against a pony, victory is almost assured!"
Sweetie Belle squeed and hugged Button Mash, "Thanks, Mashie! You’re the best!"
She kissed Buttons in the check. Love-struck, Button Mash found himself dazed again, smiling like a dope, before he fell on the floor in a faint.
Session 38.8 Kendell2
"Good job, Pinkie Pie!" said Rainbow Dash, as Ponyville's Buckball team just scored the winning point against the Yakyakistan team (on their home court). The opposing team consisted of a Yak in the Earth Pony spot, a Griffon in the pegasus spot, and finally a reindeer in the unicorn spot.
"Thanks, Dashie! That was fun!" Pinkie Pie called, bouncing over.
Fluttershy looked at Snails as the two came back over, the colt only wearing a scarf and hat while the rest were wearing more fitting clothing for the frozen north. "Are you sure you're okay?"
"Yeah! The cold doesn't bother me much..." the colt said, looking like his body didn't REALIZE it was supposed to be cold.
"Yeah, but here comes their Prince, and if this is like when we got a point against them in Boffyball, you'd better brace for impact," Gilda, who'd been in the audience, said as Prince Rutherford marched over.
The Ponyville team gulped, looking up at the huge Yak.
Rutherford looked to the scoreboard, it having been a close game the ponies winning by a single point. "Pony's victory not perfect! Ponies may destroy!"
The group blinked, looking to one another.
"The stadium?" AJ asked, blinking.
"Yes!"
"Um...no offense but...we don't quite understand..." Fluttershy said. "You're not mad you lost?"
Prince Rutherford shook his head. "No! Yak custom! Yaks build arena for each game! If winning team's victory perfect, it stay, but if not perfect, Yaks destroy! Yaks believe it please Yak God of Victory!"
"Oh...uh...big guy?" Gilda asked.
"Yes?!"
"...Might want to tell that to the teams you're going to be playing with, just in case they DON'T want their stadium trashed," Gilda asked.
"...Yaks remember that next time!"
"Well, don't know about you," said Rainbow Dash, smirking. "But destroying a stadium DOES sound like fun."
"...She has a point," Applejack pointed out...then punched a hole through the wall behind her.
"That the spirit!" Prince Rutherford yelled.
Session 38.9 Alex Warlorn
"On behalf of the ponies of Maretropolis, I accept this giant medal in honor of my achievements in the field of beauty and zeal in cart design!" Waved waved at the crowd of cheering ponies. Behind her was a blue ribbon medal the size of truck.
Then, wearing a top hat and cape, a shadowy figure sneaked up to the giant medal, and laughed in a insister yet insane voice. Then lifted up the giant medal lie it was a made of styrofoam. The crowd of ponies gasped, and Rarity turned around. "Oh my!"
"It's the Medal-Burglar!" Shouted a little filly.
"Bwahahahh!" Laughed the gray villainous, her yellow eyes looking in opposite directions.
Then in spite of having wings began to skip away holding the giant medal above her head.
"She's stealing the giant medal!" Cried another pony. The police stood in the way of the Medal Burglar, only to be knocked away she knocked them away with the giant medal.
Rarity began behind stage, and raised her bracelet.
"In fabulous day,
In gaudy night!
No evil shall escape my sight!
Let those who worship garish might,
Fear my power, Radiance's Light!"
Rarity transformed into the superhero, and then flew after the super villain.
"Look! It's Radiance!"
"She'll save us all!"
The ponies cheered.
-
"What's Rarity's doing?" Scootaloo asked looking at the custom enchanted comic.
"She said something about needing some 'me' time." Sweetie said.
"An enchanted comics?! Who cool!" Said somepony.
-
The blond haired fiend continued to make her get away, but not for long, as Radiance created a huge brush and dust pan to scoop up the bubble cutie marked thief. But just before she did, the Medal-Burglar was struck by lighting and switched. The shock actually made her eyes see straight. "N-no fair... you're not supposed to catch me... only Radiance is supposed to catch me..." The Medal Burglar fell over.
"Huh?! But I order a solo adventure!" Rarity said, upset the comic shop had gotten her order wrong.
"Hi Rarity! I help catch the bad guy!" Cheered a happy somehow boyish voice.
Rarity looked... it was Zapp... but it wasn't the comic book pony, nor was it Rainbow Dash in the costume.
"What... DERPY?!"
"Hi Rarity! Oh! I mean, Radiance!" Derpy said, not wanting to run the fun by breaking character.
Rarity blushed and quickly flew between the Medal Burglar and Derpy's line(s) of sight.
Session 38.10 BrutalityInc
"Trixie, you really should think about cleaning up your caravan more often." Starlight Glimmer commented, wincing at the sight of the disorderly dump that Trixie has requested her assistance to tidy up, "Honestly, I was hoping to spend time with my friend over some game or talk about philosophy, not wasting time in late summer spring-cleaning!"
"Trixie admits that she could had done a better job." Trixie concurred apologetically, even as she lifts and toss out yet another junk from her collection out of the window "Unfortunately, Trixie often finds herself too caught up in preparing for her next great act to care about trivialities such as tidiness. Trixie can always find what props she needed from the misplaced piles, and even if she doesn’t, she always manages to improvised. Hence there was no incentive to do so until now..."
"Well, I hope you learnt your lesson, then. I nearly had a heart attack when I first saw the mess in your caravan." Starlight muttered, shuddering. Given her compulsion for order, it was her worst nightmare, besides the ones spawned by her guilt for her crimes.
Of course, the latter problem was the reason why she was here, helping out and spending time with Trixie. She was still getting used to trying to be friends with others without the use of magical solutions, and past bad experiences had done immensely in encouraging her initiative. It helps that Trixie had been more accommodating.
Celestia knows, this skill might actually become important to the future of Equestria...
Now, she just needed something that could allow her to 'click' with Trixie, something with intellectual challenge that they could both enjoy.
Reeling from the reek as she removed some dirty laundry and old magazines, Starlight stopped when she beheld something. "What’s this?"
At the bottom of the heap, Starlight found and picked up an old, battered metal box. Blowing air over its surface, she cleared the dust away to discover words of a strange language, printed in gold and red, forming a sentence on the lid under the smudged icon that vaguely resembled a bird, and another icon of a five-coloured flag.
Starlight didn’t know what it says, but the logo-grams does seem awfully familiar...
"Tsk, tsk, Starlight, did Trixie not tell you to inform her if you find anything of interest?" Trixie said, looking over her shoulders and interrupting her train of thought. Trixie’s horn glowed, and the rest of the dust scatter, revealing Trixie’s distinct cutie-mark imprinted on the side, "You may never know if you had just uncovered some lost treasured artefacts of mine and mistaken it as junk."
"Sorry..." Starlight said, before hoofing it over to Trixie, "You did travel widely in your younger years, is that right? I mean, I don’t recognize the language on the box, but I’m pretty certain it’s definitely not from anywhere on this side of the world."
"Obviously not." Trixie muttered, reading the box, before giving a thoughtful frown, "It appears that you have stumbled upon a relic from my time spent in the East. This is Chineighese, the official language of the Republic of Chineigh, home of the Kirin, the Oriental Dragons, the Shi Lions, the ‘Ma’ Ponies, and a myriad hundreds of races, tribes and cultures, forming a continuous civilization of succeeding dynasties and empires with a history spanning thousands of years..."
"Chineighese! I knew there was something familiar about those characters..." Starlight Glimmer said, "You told us that’s where you learnt mah-jong from, playing against dragons and all that."
"Ah, but that’s not the ONLY game Trixie learnt whilst spending time over there." She pointed to the box, "For your information, the words on the box says ‘Golden Phoenix Game Corporation’. They’re the preeminent producers of all traditional and modern Chineighese tabletop games over there. And as you can see, they make them to last! The Great and Powerful Trixie would be more than happy to advertise for their products with her spectacular shows-mare skills, as one of their previous devoted customers. For a substantial fee worthy of my skills, of course..."
"Well, if you like their games so much, do you remember what game’s in the box?" Starlight Glimmer queried sceptically.
At this, Trixie paused, "Well... not quite." Trixie admitted, "But there’s plenty of time to remember and re-learn, or learn yourself, if you’re curious." She looked around, then turned to Starlight, "Trixie doesn’t see a key... probably lost it sometime ago. Do you have a paper clip you can spare?"
One paperclip and some lock-picking later, the two unicorns opened the lid with anticipation.
True to Trixie’s word, and that of the company’s, what they found was still in relatively pristine condition, despite having been neglected for many years. Wooden, circular cut-block pieces were stacked on top of each other, with more chineighese characters on them, and tucked in the spaces between the stacks, was a folded piece of paper.
"Well, definitely not another set of Go or Mahjong. Not even one of those Chineighese Tien-Go Dominoes..." Trixie muttered as she picked up the paper and unfolded it.
"Is that... some sort of grid?" Starlight Glimmer asked, looking into the opened paper.
= = =
Describing Princess Twilight as exhausted from the second Friendship Summit is somewhat inaccurate, to say the least.
Having rarely been doing international relations beyond reading the books, she had found herself having to hit the ground running when it comes to making negotiations like a trained diplomat, now that she’s a Princess herself and expected to handle diplomatic functions herself.
The Diamond Wolves had been a start, if a rather unusual one, and her first Friendship Summit in Griffonstone had given her much needed experience, but she still had much to learn if she were to be as good as Princess Cadence or Prince Blueblood is in parley, and play the ‘game’ of International Politics as well as Princess Celestia.
At least with Princess Luna, who remains a fish out of temporal water, she was in good company.
Things had been hectic, and she didn’t know how Spike still had the energy afterwards to accept a mailed invitation to visit and play Mahjong with Mina again, catching the first train to Fillydelphia the next morning. But Spike’s growing up to be his own dragon; Twilight is coming to terms with the fact that sooner or later, like all other dragons, he will do what he wants, when he wants.
Twilight had expected to have a day’s rest before she had to deal with anything important, but all that changed when she received a most unusual visitor. Now her excitement and curiosity had given her extra strength the carry through the meeting with this representative, one which had appeared unexpectedly, and revealed to her his true identity away from prying eyes.
"Again, sir, I would like to thank you on behalf of the Principality of Equestria for coming forward and make contact with us." Princess Twilight continued where she left off, reciting from memory etiquette for meeting with foreign dignitaries.
"Much appreciated, your majesty. And I must thank you for being a most understanding and generous host." the unicorn stallion replied, with a more practiced ease, as if he has either done this before a lot, or done significant amounts of preparations in anticipation of this very occasion. "My people are very insular and distrustful of the outside world, and many of my peers had... voiced objections for this venture, out of concern for how Equestria would react and how it would affect their interests. This first contact, I hope, would go a long way in... sparking interests for further interactions on more... peaceable grounds."
"I am glad to be able to help." Princess Twilight paused, pondering hard as she rolled that statement in her head, then asked, "Although, I am curious. From what I understand what you said, your people had willfully isolated themselves from the world for ages. May I inquire as to what caused your people to suddenly change their minds?"
"Let’s just say that the... circumstances have changed." The unicorn offered diplomatically, shrugging in his cream-coloured suit, "And adding that the Others had done so before us, our Court has decided that it is better to follow suit."
"I... see." Princess Twilight muttered, raising an eyebrow.
She’s not a diplomat like Princess Cadence, but she had learnt a few things from her; namely, how to tell when some-pony isn’t being entirely forthcoming. There was a vagueness in the sentence that seemed to hint at something deeper, and is trying to distract her from that fact with the following statement.
How she wished Applejack is with her right now. But with her currently occupied with helping her cousin...
Then she realized something... and she berated herself internally; she had made it too obvious that she noticed to him. And one of the many golden rules of parley, as Prince Blueblood putted it, is never let your negotiating opponent realize you’re onto his or her game.
For his part, if he noticed, he didn’t show it. Then again, considering what he is, Twilight realized, having that sort of experience/knowledge should had been expected...
She decided to change the subject, "I apologise for not being able to set up a proper reception. Your coming was rather unexpected, and I had just returned from another Friendship Summit."
The maroon unicorn beamed a kind smile, "I understand. I did send a letter ahead, but neither of us could had anticipated the extension of the Summit." It was extended by three more days, in fact, "And I’m perfectly fine with this arrangement. My people want this first contact to be done as low-key as possible. We wish take our integration into the wider world on a slow and steady pace."
"By all means, take all the time you need. Equestria is more than happy to assist your people in any way." Princess Twilight promised.
"I’ll take your word for it." The unicorn said simply.
"Now, since it’s nearly noon. Would you like some lunch? My assistant hasn’t returned yet, but I or my student can cook a decent meal, or order some from the local restaurant..." Twilight suggested.
"Oh, no, no need to trouble yourself personally; and I would love to sample some of the local cuisine..." The unicorn offered as they reached the main throne-room, "Maybe also a game, while at it? I heard that table-top games have become quite a fad in Equestria, for most part thanks to your highness and your friends..."
"By all means, let’s!" Twilight concurred cheerfully, as she opened the door, "Given most of my friends are busy as it is, there’s plenty of time and room for afternoon for..."
Whatever she wanted to say next never came out, for that was when she noticed that two of the Friendship Castle thrones are being occupied by two familiar unicorn mares.
"Trixie? Starlight?" Twilight gasped.
"Hey, Twilight!" They chorused, not turning from their game.
"That would be your illusionist friend and your student in Magic, I presume?" The unicorn asked.
"Yes." Twilight confirmed hastily, before turning her attention back to the two mares. This development had derailed her plans somewhat, "Trixie, Starlight, what are you two doing here? I thought you are both cleaning up Trixie's caravan!"
"Found a game. Don't have enough room. So we came here." Trixie said tersely, moving a black piece.
"Mostly done anyways." Starlight added, countering it with a red piece.
"How long have you two been playing this?" Twilight asked as she moved closer to watch them play, followed by her guest, "And who’s winning?"
"Lost count..." Trixie muttered, "Probably two hours, or three."
"Game is five-rounds match. 2-2 so far." Starlight answered the latter question, "One more, and I will win!"
"Says you!" Trixie responded, louder and boastful than moments before, "Trixie shall be the one to win this match!"
"... What are you two playing anyways?" Twilight asked, looking at the game thoughtfully.
"Not now! Tell you later!" They chorused, unwilling to let any-pony or anything distract them from their game.
"From the looks of it..." the unicorn beside her finally said, eyes widening with recognition, "I think they’re playing Xianqi."
"Xianqi?" Twilight asked, confused.
"Xiangqi. It is a rather popular tabletop game in the Orient, particularly in Chineigh and Hind, with a history stretching back thousands of years into antiquity." The unicorn said, nodding, "One might know it better as Elephant Chess, its raw translation."
At the mention of chess, Twilight snapped to attention. "Elephant chess?"
The unicorn gave a look like he is a fisher-pony who had ensnared a catch. "It has been compared considerably with Chess of the west, and both are similar to each other in many aspects. But there are also considerable differences. I’ll be more than happy to run you through it, if you’re interested?"
At Twilight’s nod, he began, "In Xiangqi, two players face off on a grid, where they play their pieces against each other, moving and capturing on the intersecting points instead of the squares. Like in Chess, the goal of Xiangqi is to capture the enemy’s ‘King’ piece, which in Xiangqi is either the ‘Jiang’, the Marshal," he pointed to the Red piece on one end of the board, "or ‘Shuai’, the General." he then pointed his hoof towards its Black counterpart on the other end.
"Why are there two different but similar names for the some of the same pieces?" Twilight asked. She noticed that this also applied on other pieces, each with the same general name and role, but represented by different Chineighese characters.
"I believe the idea was that one side is subtly hinted to be more noble than the other. Most likely, Red represents the ‘good’ side, given the meanings of their characters, and the fact that most games starts with the Red player going first." The unicorn continued, "Like in western Chess, the capture is performed as a checkmate, where the King piece is placed in a position where there is no means of escape. Unlike in western Chess, however, you cannot hope to force a draw; if a stalemate occurs, the side with no safe, legal move remaining must concede."
"Well, this would had been convenient..." Twilight commented. Watching how intently both Trixie and Starlight had become indulged in their game, she was reminded of her obsessive chess duel with Sunset, so many sessions ago.
"It is, isn’t it?" The unicorn concurred, seemingly unaware of what Twilight is thinking, "One could also not pursue a state of perpetual check, or a perpetual attack, which would lead to repeating game positions. The player doing so must do something else if such a situation occurs."
"Wait, why is Trixie moving the General piece like that?" Twilight asked, pointing to the black piece in question.
"That is because your student is moving her Marshal piece." The unicorn explained, "The Commander pieces are bound by special rules. Notice if you will, that the maps are divided into two zones, for each player; and at the baseline centre of each zone, there is a 3X3 grid which is linked by a cross. That represents the players’ respective ‘Palaces’. Unlike the King in Chess, both the General and the Marshal are confined to each of their respective palaces, and have limited movements therein; they can move one space to the left, right, forwards or backwards per turn. The other special rule is that the ‘Commander’ pieces can never face each other in a straight line at any one time, without another piece intersecting between them. This is important for an attacking player near end-game, who wishes to protect the pieces invading the ‘Palace’ to capture the enemy ‘Commander’."
"What’s that piece next to the General? That ‘Shi’ piece?" Twilight asked, as Trixie took out one attacking Red piece with a diagonal move, "It seems to be limited to the ‘Palace’ area as well, but I can’t tell what it is supposed to be in terms of western Chess..."
"You wouldn’t. There is no analogue for it in western Chess. Some say the closest Chess piece which these ‘Advisors’ and ‘Counsellors’ would resemble in role would be the Queen, though that is a rather unfounded comparison, given the vast differences. Because they can only move and capture diagonally within the Palace, they are limited to five points on the map. Given their role of defending the Commander, their limited move sets made their positioning critical near end-games, with their starting positions being next to the Commander piece on baseline."
"Fascinating..." Twilight muttered, watching as Trixie countered Starlight’s advance, dealing with another of the latter’s attacking piece with one particular piece, which moved diagonally by two points to capture it. "And this piece, ‘Xiang’, or ‘Elephant’, I take that is Xiangqi’s analogue of the Bishop in Chess?"
"Indeed! Although again, there are differences." The unicorn pointed, "The Black Elephant, and its Red analogue Minister, are also primarily defensive pieces. Unlike Bishops, its movement is limited to not just no more than two points, but exactly two points. This means that their movement cannot ‘jump’ over an intervening piece, and thus can be blocked by positioning a piece diagonally adjacent to them. This is called ‘Blocking the Elephant’s Eye’ in Xiangqi, I believe; and if I remember correctly, it is recommended that two Elephants or Ministers be used to defend each other due to how easy it is for them to be threatened or trapped, despite them being powerful if played correctly."
Twilight watched as Starlight retreated her last remaining piece, with Trixie moving another of her Elephant in pursuit. Twilight found herself dumbfounded as while Starlight moved her piece across the rectangular space that divided the two sides of the board, while Trixie’s Elephant couldn’t follow.
"I see that you notice why your friend didn’t have Elephant pursuit your student’s piece, past the divide." The unicorn noted, "Well, that divide is the ‘River’, and it is actually ignored in terms of gameplay. The players can just place pieces on its banks as if they are normal lines. However, they do affect gameplay somewhat; the reason why the Elephants and Ministers are limited to only seven positions on their side of the board in terms of movement is that they cannot cross the River. It also affects movement for another piece."
"You mean the ‘Ping’, or Soldier, one of which Starlight lost whilst trying to checkmate Trixie’s Palace?" Twilight chanced, "I reckoned they are like the Pawns in Chess, until I saw them start moving left and right on the other side of the board."
"Very astute! Yes, the Red Soldier, and its Black counterpart ‘Tsuh’ or Private is the analogue of the Pawn. Like in Chess, they can only move forward one point per turn, never backwards. Unlike Pawns, however, they would not promote upon reaching the end, and captures just by moving normally, not diagonally." The unicorn explained, "And crossing the River alters their movement sets, allowing them to move left and right by one turn. They could also move left and right after reaching the baseline on the other side."
Starlight's failed attempt at checkmate had left her open and depleted of valuable pieces, and Trixie took full advantage of it with an offensive of her own. Twilight saw Trixie opening her move with positioning a piece that across the River, one point vertically and another point diagonally.
"That 'Ma' piece, I presume, is Xiangqi's analogue of the Knight?" Twilight asked. Rhetorical, really, given how obvious it is.
The unicorn nodded, "Of course, the Horse, unlike a Knight, can also be blocked by a well-positioned intersecting piece. All in all, moving diagonally is not as important in Xiangqi's as in Chess, not when so many movements be intervened."
Starlight moved a piece, her last 'Minister', in preparation for defence against Trixie's 'Horse', only to her shock see it taken out by another of Trixie's pieces, which leap over another piece across the river to capture. Starlight realised, too late, that Trixie's ploy with the 'Horse' all along was to lure out her 'Minister' to capture.
"What is that?! I thought..." Twilight exclaimed, surprised by that move.
"That would be the 'Pao', or Cannon. There is no analogue for it in Chess. It can move anywhere horizontally or vertically until reaches the end of the map, or is intersected by a unit." The unicorn elaborated "For it to capture other units, however, it has a special rule; namely, it cannot capture any piece unless there is an intervening piece, friend or foe, in the way. And it could only be performed in capture; it cannot move towards any spaces in between the enemy piece and the intervening piece."
"Alright... So what piece are not so restricted?" Twilight asked, "Is there an analogue for a Chess Rook in Xiangqi?"
"That would be the ‘Che’, or Chariot." The unicorn explained, as Trixie moved one of said piece from her side of the map into Starlight’s side, resulting in the loss of Starlight’s remaining Horse, "Like the Cannon, it can move anywhere horizontally or vertically until reaches the end of the map, and it can capture any unit in the direction of movement."
A well-positioned Horse by Trixie took out one of Starlight’s Advisor piece, resulting in the intrusion of the Palace. With Trixie’s Chariot taking out the other Advisor as well, Starlight’s Marshal was all but surrounded. Realizing she had no legal moves left, with a heavy sigh, Starlight accepted the inevitable, and forfeited, leaving Trixie as the overall winner of the match.
"Aha! Checkmate!" Trixie whooped with glee, "The cunning and calculating Trixie still got it!"
"Nicely done, ladies! That was quite a good game I saw!" The unicorn said cheerfully.
That was when the two playing mares turned and noticed the presence of the other unicorn in the room, standing next to Princess Twilight, "And... who are you supposed to be?" Trixie queried.
The unicorn beamed a bemused smile, before his horn glowed green.
There was a flash of green fire, and in its wake, another creature – one tall, dark and majestic – stood where the unicorn was.
"A... a changeling!" Starlight muttered, gaping in shock along with Trixie.
"Well... not quite." The voice he spoke with was the same as the unicorn, but carry a ‘Voice of the Legion’ echo, so distinctive of Royal Changelings.
"Trixie, Starlight, I would like you to meet Metamorphosis, a Changeling King (among many). He has come on behalf of his father and his brothers as a representative of the Summer Court Changelings, to make official first contact and open relations with Equestria. Thanks for explaining Xiangqi for me, your majesty!"
"You’re very welcome, your highness." The Changeling King replied, before striding forward and sitting down between the two still gawking mares, still beaming his warm smile. "Mind if I join in, dear ladies?"
To be continued... Maybe.
Session 38.11 Mtangalion
Gustave le Grand glared at the three-hoof mark which hung beneath the sign of his Soaring Skies Cafe, then tore it loose, hurling it to the ground and stamping on it. "Quel désastre! First Canterlot ponies say that all food must be made a certain way! Then they say, 'No, this is awful,' but it's the same food!" The griffon scowled, stroking his mustaches. "Ponies hate bland food now, eh? Perhaps the great Gustave le Grand shall serve them spiced meats! We'll see how they like that!"
Gustave turned back to the cafe to tell the staff he'd be out flying to clear his head, and saw a shadow with outstretched wings, quickly growing more distinct. Not used to being on the receiving end of this, the griffon didn't realize he was getting dive-bombed until he heard the keening cry... and a griffon hen hit the ground right beside him, almost close enough for their beaks to touch.
"Hi!" said Gilda, looking pleased with herself. "We should date."
Gustave squawked and stumbled back, nearly losing his chef's hat. "I'm very sorry, miss..."
"Gilda! Ponyville, remember? The cooking contest?" She made air quotes with her talons.
He shuddered, remembering. "And I thought nesting hens were terrifying. Look, surely you were not serious. You were merely overwhelmed, being in the presence of the great Gustave le Grand..."
"We should definitely date," insisted Gilda. "Starlight Glimmer said that I should pick someone to date, and chase them. You're good looking, and you don't seem like as big a jerk as most male griffons. You can cook. Cooking is awesome. We should definitely date."
Gustave felt his feline fur trying to stand on end. Perhaps he should just fly away now and shout for the town guards... "And, ah, do you always do what your friend says, this Starlight Glimmer?"
Gilda's pupils shrank, staring past him. "Starlight Glimmer is the best. Every idea she has is awesome."
Gustave frowned, and started stroking his mustaches again. "I see... Tell you what, Mademoiselle Gilda. We are going to have a very special kind of date. It's called a cooking date."
Gilda blinked once. "There's different kinds? Starlight Glimmer didn't say what kind. I guess that's cool."
Gustave opened the door and beckoned like a gentlegriffon. "This way, if you please! Make yourself at home."
"I'll go this way and make myself at home..."
At this hour, Gustave's cafe was mostly empty. There were a couple of nobly-dressed unicorns, engrossed in a game of chess, one waitress keeping their teacups full, and a junior cook stewing extra-spicy vegetables for tonight's special.
In the kitchen, Gilda gave Gustave her undivided attention and did everything he asked, grinding coffee beans, then adding seasonings and starting the coffee brewer. Gustave tapped his claws restlessly, until the last of the sand ran out of his hourglass. "At last. Now for the next step in our cooking date! Have some coffee, Miss Gilda."
"I'll have some coffee," said Gilda, nodding along. She picked up the coffee pot and lifted it towards her beak.
Gustave cringed. "Non, non! Pour some coffee in a cup! Blow on it to cool it, then drink!"
Gilda smiled. "I'll pour coffee in a cup and blow to cool it before I drink." Then she took a sip, and blinked several times. "What the Tartarus. Starlight... I'm gonna wring her neck!" Gilda set the coffee cup down shakily, then changed her mind and took another long sip. "Wait... murder is bad. I'll do something else, but no promises if I see her horn lit up and pointing in my direction!" She drained the coffee cup. "What's in this stuff?"
Gustave smiled genuinely. "It's a blend from the old Griffon Kingdom, supposedly able to clear the mind and bring one great clarity, but I did not expect it to be quite so effective for *this* purpose. Marvelous! Well done indeed, you were a splendid student."
Gilda blushed something fierce. "Yeah. Cool, thanks. About all those things I said..."
"You know... Perhaps this little game does not need to be ended quite so soon. Tell me, what are you best at cooking?"
"Really? You want to..." Gilda thought about it. "Well, duh! Sweets, of course!"
Gustave clapped his claws together. "Excellent. You will be making classic Prench salad. The ingredients are right here..."
"Salad?" Gilda saw the sacks of whole grasses and grains, and made a face. "That's pony food, we can't eat that! I mean... How do you even know if you made it right?"
Gustave grinned darkly. "My dear Gilda, that is what taste-testers are for."
Session 38.12 Alex Warlorn/Ardashir
*FLASHBACK!*
Starlight Glimmer look at the disaster inside the castle, and said, "Oh buck me."
Applejack who had been standing right behind her, her eyes became pin pricks. "Whatever ya say Starlight Glimmer."
A second later, an outward impression of Starlight Glimmer's outline, was suddenly visible on the outside of the crystal castle.
Starlight began to pry herself from the wall. "I have GOT to be more careful what I say when I have somepony under a mind influencing spell!"
Zephyr Breeze silently watched what happened between Starlight and Applejack. He looked to his side and smiled. Rainbow Dash had just entered the room.
He trotted up beside the suddenly wary mare and said, "Hey, Dash -- wanna make out?"
Dash froze. Her pupils went pinpoint. "Make WHAT out?"
"You know," the frustrated Zephyr said. He pointed to his mouth. "Just start planting some, right here!"
A second later, a Zephyr Breeze shaped outline appeared in the side of the castle.
Inside, Dash shook her sore hoof. "Dunno why that jerk wanted me to plant a punch in his mouth, but I'm game!"
Session 38.13 sonicandmario826
Apple Bloom, Sweetie Bell, and Scootaloo were playing World of Horsecraft with Diamond Tiara and Silver Spoon. They were having fun playing with the former bullies until Apple Bloom thought of something strange.
"Hey Diamond. How come your dad wanted to tear down Camp Everfree? He's already rich, so why would he need to make it a spa to get more money?"
Diamond didn't respond right away, but eventually said. "Let's just say he was given some.... motivation for the idea."
*sometime in the past*
"Are you sure I should be doing this?" Filthy Rich asked the other figure in the room wondering if this was really a good thing to do.
"Of course honey, this will bring us much more profit than that pathetic camp ever could." Responded Filthy's wife, Spoiled Rich. "Not to mention Diamond deserves to be at a spa. Not some run down camp."
"Are you sure this is something that Diamond would want?" Asked Filthy a little unsure.
"Absolutely! Diamond would never degrade herself to go to something so common like a camp.", Spoiled sneered.
"If you say so say so dear."
*Later*
Filthy was at his desk in his office when he was suddenly interrupted.
"DADDDYYYYY!!!!", yelled Diamond Tiara as she barged in his office.
Filthy was shocked and his eyes were filled with worry. "What's wrong princess!?"
"Is it true you were going to tear down Camp Everfree?!?" Diamond asked sounding a bit peeved.
Filthy stammered, "Uh... Y-yyyes sweetie, but it was for you. I thought you would rather spend summer relaxing at a spa rather than roughing it at a camp."
"I want to go to camp with Silver, Apple Bloom, Sweetie Belle, and Scootaloo. I want to be outside, race canoes, tell scary stories at the campfire, and actually act like a kid for once!!!" Diamond yelled seeming hurt from what he tried to do.
Filthy felt horrible. "I'm sorry princess. I-I guess I never asked you what you wanted."
Diamond gave a Filthy a hug saying "I forgive you, but please ask me next time what I want before you do something like that again."
Filthy returned the hug saying, "I will my diamond... I will."
*back to the present*
"I don't think he'll do something like that again." Said Diamond Tiara with a smile.
Session 38.14 Alex Warlorn
(Minor SPOILERS for season finale. Haven't seen it myself. Nor have I watched the previews. HAVE been spoiled by images. Don't want to be spoiled more. No commentary please. Read at own risk.)
"Epic Lich Sombra is gone, you saved Equus, you're all hailed as heroes forever."
"Nice game Chrysalis," Cadence said begrudgingly.
"See you next week?" Gaffer asked politely.
"Yes... next week." Chrysalis trotted away from the crystal game table.
"Uh, did she leave her character sheet?" Native Flash Sentry asked.
Cadence and Shining exchanged looks.
Cadence whispered. "It's a warning."
-
"So My Queen, what's the agenda this week?" Asked Locust.
"Pack up the embassy, we're leaving."
"And our gaming, I mean study into contraband next week?"
"END GAME!"