Celestia stood in front of Luna, her Sister, Princess of the Night. “We have a problem,” she intoned, voice thick with worry. She, Luna and Princess Cadance of the Crystal Empire stood in the Throne Room, seat of power for untold generations. Celestia glanced from side to side, her ethereal tail swishing around. “I knew when Twilight ascended, there'd be problems, but not like this!”
Cadance spoke up, gaining the elder alicorn's attention. “Is it that bad?” she asked, tilting her head to the side. “I'm off with Shiny in the Crystal Empire most of the time, anyway. Surely Twilight and I could rotate?”
Luna's eyes widened. Her body turned to blue mist, speeding to Cadance and reforming in front of her. “Do you know what you say?!” she shouted, voice not quite at the level of the Royal Canterlot Speaking voice, but still loud enough to cause Cadance to flinch and her ears to flatten against her skull.
Cadance licked her lips. “Is it... that important?” she asked, looking between Luna a half-foot from her muzzle and Celestia, standing by the Solar Throne. “I mean, I know you've been doing it for so long, but in the grand scheme of things, is it truly necessary for both Twilight and I to be at every single one?”
“Every single one what?”
All three alicorns occupying the throne room turned to the newest alicorn of Equestria, Twilight Sparkle. The purple-coated alicorn trotted in, her wings folded tight against her body and a bit of a jaunt to her gait. “Hi, everypony,” she said, slowly extending a wing and waving it. Twilight suddenly stopped. “Wait, is this bad?” She craned her head around to look at the feathery appendage. “Did I break some royal protocol? Was it some awful insult that will cause me to-”
Celestia was by Twilight's side in an instant, leaning down slightly and nuzzling her former student. “Hello, Twilight. It's good to see you again.” She looked back to Luna and Cadance and extended her wing to them, waggling it at them.
Luna and Cadance walked over to the pair. “Hello, Twilight Sparkle,” Luna said, bowing her head. “It is good to see you here.” Her eyes shifted to Celestia before she continued speaking, her expression dark. “There is something we need to discuss, something of vital importance.”
Twilight straightened up, swallowing at Luna's words. “What is it? Is it something to do with my duties? Is it some upcoming ceremony? Whatever it is, I can help!”
Celestia smiled and let out a breath. “I'm glad to hear this, Twilight.” She turned and began walking off, Twilight, Luna and Cadance following behind. “Although to be honest, I'm not entirely sure what you can do to help.”
Twilight bit her lip as the quartet approached the two thrones at the back of the room, one decked out in midnight-blue and the other sunlight-white. Celestia looked them over. “For as long as Luna and I have been alicorns, for even longer than we have ruled Equestria, there has been an ancient ritual, a... Game, if you will.” She spread her wings wide and the tip of her horn lit up. “The Game of Thrones!”
A gasp escaped Twilight. “The... Game of Thrones?' she repeated. Her head darted this way and that. “Oh, my! That sounds so... serious!” She trotted over to Celestia's front, looking up at the Diarch of the Sun. “Please, Celestia! What is this Game? I've never read about it, and trust me, I would've!”
Cadance let out a sigh. “It's not that big a deal,” she muttered.
Celestia snorted slightly and her mouth formed a thin line as she looked down at Twilight. “It was never written down anywhere, for only Luna and I ever took part in it.” She paused for a moment to collect her thoughts, a moment too long...
“Is this some sort of complex political maneuvering to keep us all in check?” Twilight blurted out. “Are there ancient codes and rituals to learn? Is it a way to balance the day and night between the Diarchs, so neither would grow too powerful?” Very specific bits of her mane began springing up and her right eye developed a rather familiar tic to it. “But with Cadance and me here, the Game is more complex. There are now four sides to it!”
Cadance glared at Celestia for a second before trotting over to Twilight's side. “Twilight, remember the exercises?” She placed a hoof on her chest and inhaled deeply before blowing it out. “Repeat after me, Twiley. Let's get rid of those nerves, now!”
Twilight followed her former foalsitter's instructions, breathing in and out. She finally sighed and her entire body drooped. “Okay, sorry about that,” she said, blushing slightly. She focused on Celestia. “So Princess, what is the Game of Thrones?”
Celestia's wings spread out once more, but Cadance quickly spoke up. “Oh for the love of it, Aunt Celestia!” she blurted out, rolling her eyes. “It's musical chairs!”
Silence permeated the throne room for almost a minute. Celestia's cheeks turned crimson, while Luna's blushed violet. Twilight's eyes shifted between the three before she finally focused on Celestia. “What.”
Celestia hesitated for a moment. “Cadance is... right.” She looked back to the pair of thrones. “We were talking about musical chairs using the thrones.”
Twilight blinked. “Musical chairs, which is a game, and you're using the thrones – I get it!” she finally shouted, grinning. The grin quickly fell away. “Wait, I don't get it. What's the big deal?”
Cadance bit her lip, but her body betrayed the laughter bubbling up from within. “Oh, perfect!” She looked to Twilight and leaned in close. “I've been telling those two that for quite a while.”
Celestia snorted. “All right, all right.” She turned to the pair of thrones and began trotting up to them, Luna close behind. “When we were foals, one of the games Luna and I loved was musical chairs. When we matured and became the Diarchs, for a time we stopped. But one day we saw the thrones...” She trailed off as her gaze looked past the two ornate chairs, her eyes glistening slightly.
Luna wrapped a wing around her older sister and pulled her in for a hug. “When I became the Nightmare, Celestia apparently did not play musical chairs for quite some time. At least until Cadance came into her life.” She looked over her shoulder at Cadance and Twilight, motioning to them with a simple flick of her translucent mane.
The younger alicorns trotted up. “Celestia taught me the game,” Cadance said, continuing the story. “She also told me why it was so special to her. When you helped Luna, the third thing the pair did was an hour-long marathon of the game.” She nickered slightly. “The two were big foals all over again.”
Twilight's eyes slowly widened. “Even with Cadance here, you still had enough thrones for the game. But with me here...” She ducked her head. “Oh, but I don't have to be a part of it! Princess Celestia, Princess Luna, I still live in Ponyville! There's no need for me to do this! I'm not even family!”
Cadance stared at her. “I fly in from the Crystal Empire for this, Twilight,” she said. "I don't have to, but... it does mean a lot.
Celestia slid out from Luna's wing and walked over to Twilight. She reached out with a hoof and raised Twilight's head. “My dear Twilight, thank you. But never think you're not able to participate in this. I've long wished for you to be able to partake in the Game.” She glanced to Cadance. “And with Shining Armor married to Cadance, that does technically make you family,” she finished, winking.
Twilight beamed at the Solar Diarch. “Thank you, Celestia.” She trotted around her and up to the two thrones. “So, you need another throne for this to really work? Not just any old chair?”
Luna nodded. “It would be best. We can't teleport Cadance's throne here. It would weaken the foundation of her own throne room and be far too taxing. Even for you.”
Twilight tapped her chin with a hoof before brightening. “I know just the three who can help!” Her horn brightened for an instant before she vanished.
Twilight paced back and forth before the three. “So, you're sure you know what to do?” She leaned in close. “I'm counting on you.”
Applebloom, Sweetie Belle and Scootaloo all leaned back. “CUTIE MARK CRUSADER THRONE BUILDERS, YAY!” they shouted before running off.
Twilight twisted her head around to watch them run out of the treehouse. “Perfect plan!” she said. “I'm sure everything will turn out just fine.”