//------------------------------// // Interplanetary, game 1; Myths, misconceptions, questions, and lasers // Story: Let's play some games with Leon, Luna, and Eddy // by Fireheart 1945 //------------------------------// "Is this working?" Luna asked. She blew into he headset, as if to clear it. "I think so," Leon answered. "I don't think there's any reason to think it isn't," Celestia said. "Oh, yep," Edward said quickly. "Someone just made a comment; it's definitely working." "Alright." Princess Luna cleared her throat. "Welcome, viewers, to our Interplanetary Livestream!" she said in a happy voice. "Where we'll be seeing who can blow everyone else off the face of the universe," Eddy broke in. "Indeed," the Princess agreed. "Even so, this is not the only benefit our viewers will be experiencing. We - more to the point, I - will be answering questions regarding Equestria, as well as addressing misconceptions and myths about our fair land." "That 'our' in the royal sense?" Leon asked, jokingly. "Let the viewers make of it as they may," Luna replied, sounding slightly amused herself, and Celestia chuckled quietly. "Hopefully, the answers were able to provide will be able to satisfy those who wish to know more about our world." "In any case, let's get going," Eddy said. Leon watched as the image onscreen - that of an orange and blue planet, with a list of his, Eddy's, Celestia's and Luna's Steam names - switched to a loading screen, then switched to a solar system. Leon saw that the planet under his control has a blue line tracing its orbit around the sun. It was also the furthest inhabited planet away from that same sun. "Right, people might not understand what this game is about," Eddy commented. "Care to explain, Leo?" "Oh me?" "Yeah, you; I don't know anyone else I call Leo." "Oh, well then..." Leon cleared his throat. "Ahem... basically, each player controls a planet, and for whatever reason - insults, mining rights, or just outright warmongering, everyone wants to destroy the civilizations on the other planets in their solar system. You end up building up an economy to fund the giant guns, lasers, and missiles that you shoot at those other planets." "Think of Defcon, only focused on multiple planets with even more destructive weaponry," Eddy added. "Yeah. And it's not just a point of aiming and firing; you have to take into account how gravity and planetary rotation and orbit will affect your shots. Note that some planets orbit the sun clockwise and others counterclockwise, which is unrealistic but adds a bit more challenge and unpredictability to the game." "It still catches me off guard when humans say that worlds orbit suns and not the other way around," Luna mentioned. "I can understand why," Celestia commented. "It was a little unsettling for me when I understood, but since then I've accepted that our world is but a special case." "Not that I do not enjoy astronomy, mind you," Luna went on. "I love borrowing books on the subject, as well as going to the Canterlot Observatory to view the stars and planets for myself, but being used to living on a planet where the rulers of one country control the sun and moon makes this a little..." "Uncomfortable?" Leon asked. "Not quite. Somewhere between that and fascinating." "Oh, I almost forgot," Leon added. "You cannot destroy the sun in the game." "That's rather obvious, wouldn't you say?" Celestia said. "That would kill everyone. The very thought makes me shiver." "Yeah, I know. Just putting something in in case people think its possible." "Might as well start playing," Eddy suggested. Leon didn't need to be told twice. He set up a solar plant and a mine off one of his five cities; every player had five cities they had to try to protect, which trying to destroy the five cities of the other players; the last player who had any cities left won the game. Every facility had to be connected to a power source or else it would cease to function. He didn't set up any railguns, which were the only weapons available to him; few players set up a weapon on their first turn, especially seeing that they wouldn't run without power. He set up one more mine, then was out of resources to place. He looked at the blue circle in the upper left corner of the display. That displayed how much material his planet had; the game was one where material could run out, although a player could theoretically continue the game on power alone, which was renewable; one didn't need to have operational mines in order to fire existing weapons, although it was necessary to build additional ones. He also began his research. He examined his planet; it was mostly white, indicating a snowy climate, which wasn't surprising, considering how far it was from the sun. Eddy's planet was approximately middle way between Leon and the sun, while Celestia's was closest to the sun, which amused hi mto no end. Luna was somewhere between him and Ed. "So, Leo, what do your people look like?" Eddy asked. "They're basically human, only blue," he answered. Of course, he had no way of really knowing; there was no race or species in the game per se, so players often made them up. "They make their homes underground, and built up over-ground cities slowly and painstakingly over millennia, with big domes to protect them from the freezing, below zero temperature." "Not for long, if I have anything to say about it." "Well what do your people look like?" "They're basically wolves who stand on two legs, and they're all clones." "My people are camel people, and lived in tents for thousands of years before building their magnificent desert cities," Celestia said without prompting. "Mine are giant bats who love the nighttime and sleep during the day," Luna noted. Each of them ended their turn, and waited and watched as the planets in the system - including some that were uninhabited, placed as further obstacles that could block laser and railgun shots. "Alright," Luna said," Misconception number one; because ponies are not shown wearing nail-on horseshoes in the show means they don't use them for that purpose. This is inherently false; ponies have been wearing horseshoes nailed to their hooves for thousands of years. They still wear them today. For some reason, the show's animators haven't depicted ponies as wearing them; in one episode in season five, for example, the ponies in the rodeo, as well as Trouble Shoes and some other ponies, were wearing horseshoes in that manner; how else would you account for the horseshoe print in the ground that Trouble left at the beginning of the episode? Which leads us to a second misconception; that pony hooves are made of marshmellow or flesh or something of the sort. Again, false. Pony hooves are made entirely out of keratin, a material without nerves, and cannot bend or feel. Our hooves actually differ from those of earth horses in that there is no frog or fleshy parts; it's all keratin, all through and on every surface. Our hooves are hard, unfeeling, and, despite what a few scenes depict, unbending." "Then what's the use of wearing horseshoes in the first place?" Eddy asked. "Applejack and other farmers use them while doing tasks such as pulling plows and carts to increase their ability to get a good footing on the ground. Other times, it's better for nail-on horseshoes to be used for gripping the ground than to rely on boots that can get stuck and slip off." "Can't the horseshoe just be held on by the pony in question?" "No. It's true we can hold things, but the diameter of the effect where we can hold things with our hooves is activated in the fetlock and is only about an inch in diameter at the bottom center of the hoof. It does not extend to the outer wall of the hoof, so the horseshoe would have to be nailed on to stay. It's not a painful procedure by any means," Luna was quick to add. "Without nerves in our hooves, we cannot feel the nails per se, though we can definitely feel the vibration in our legs as the nails go in. And we're careful to make nails for the purpose short, so they don't stick too far upward. And we've attempted to use spells to hold them in place instead of nails, but that interferes with out ability to pick things up." "Right, that consumed about a minute in which we could have been playing the game," Leon said. "Oh, is it our turn to play again?" Luna asked, a little surprised. "Right then." Leon built another solar plant, and then added a railgun to the network, as well as another mine. He didn't have enough energy to fire his new weapon on this turn, but on the next he would be able to get in a good shot at someone. "'What's better to have, lasers or cannons?'" Eddy read off one comment. "Well, railguns can do a lot of damage, but they're very inaccurate. Lasers are more precise, but require an un interrupted shot between your planet and that of your enemy. Asteroid Diversions and Solar Lasers work in the same way as railguns and lasers respectively, but they're bigger versions of those weapons and require a lot of power. Oh, and you have to mind what side you have your weapons on, seeing as your planet rotates every turn, so you have to build so that at least some of your weapons can face a target at any time. On some planets its harder to do, especially if your cities are all on one side or if you have oceans completely covering one side." "Ugh," Leon said, having been in that kind of scenario more than once. "Only advantage there is that sometimes your cities will be safe from enemy weapons simply because they can't get at them to shoot them." "Yeah. And I think none of us have any reason no to go to the next turn already." Leon hit the end turn button accordingly. "On to the next misconception," Luna said. "Number three; my sister only eats cake, and nothing else." "Obviously false," Celestia said. "Don't get me wrong, I love cake as much as the next pony, but my diet consists of fruits and vegetables, just like everypony else. I wouldn't be so thin if I ate as much cake as the fanbase thinks." "Misconception number four," Luna went on. "My sister and I regularly engage in practical jokes and like 'trolling,' as it were." "I like a good laugh," Celestia commented. "But I don't put others down just to get a kick out of things. My ponies deserve better than that." "Right, and-" Luna stopped talking. A shot had gone out. "Who fired?" "Not sure," Leon said, "But it's going right toward Celestia..." "Oh dear," the white alicorn in question murmured. The railgun projectile flew, closing in... then veered away, curved around the planet, struck the sun and exploded. "And missed," Leon said. "Who fired?" Luna asked again. "I did," Ed claimed. "Thought I could get an early nick in. I can tell that gravity is a little weird in this game." "That happens a lot," Leon said. "It's not just you. If the shot is heading directly at the planet, it will generally hit, but if it's a little off, it will usually slingshot around." "Can't wait for lasers, then." The time came for the players to further develop their worlds... and take shots at other planets. Leon added two more solar plants and another railgun, all three on the other side of the planet from the other gun and installations. That left him with barely enough energy to fire his existing railgun. He began to aim it. Aiming railguns wasn't just a job of saying "shoot here" and letting it fire. The red line that went out from his planet showed the arcing line the projectile would take showed that it wasn't going to be anywhere near straight. Leon aimed carefully at Eddy's planet. It would be approaching his own world, as the two were going in opposite directions around the sun (Leon's counterclockwise, Eddy's clockwise), so it wouldn't be a particularly difficult shot. He lined it up soon enough, but had to adjust his aim several times before he was satisfied. "Okay, end turn." He clicked the button, As they waited, Luna cleared her throat again. "Ahem. Now, misconception number five. Equestria and the world its in is free from war, crime, and all forms of evil that are in the human world." A sound came through the headset; it sounded like she had tapped her hoof on her desk. "This is one of the most common beliefs held about Equestria. And, sadly, it's utterly wrong. There are wars, if somewhat fewer than on human Earth, perhaps because there are fewer nations and ethnicities. There is also crime; Manehattan is well known for it, and for the various gangs there are. Luckily, magic helps, as do the police and Royal Guard, but it still exists." "I think we should start answering questions," Celestia said. "Our viewers can ask questions in the livestream chat. However," she added, with her voice hardening, "all inappropriate questions will be deleted unanswered, and questions that are otherwise offensive or for means of flaming and trolling will be deleted." "Oh, here we go," Eddy said as the game finally got to simulating the turn. Eddy again shot at Celestia. This time, his shot outright missed, went around the sun, then looped back and hit Luna. "Bother," the Lunar Princess groaned. Leon's shot went straight where it was supposed to go. It was less him hitting the enemy world and more of the planet running into the shot. "Oh, bother," Eddy said quietly. The next turn began. Leon heard Eddy laugh. "Ya hit me, yeah, but you didn't hit anything, just empty land." "Ugh. Next one is going to do some damage." Leon set up another two solar planets as well as a third railgun. "'Is the Royal Guard militarily deficient?'" Luna read, sounding offended. "No. No, no, and no again!" "This seems to be a common question," Celestia noted. "No, the Guard are not deficient or just there for show. They engage in up-to-date training, and, with the portal between our worlds, have gained access to modern tactics and weaponry. They still carry spears most of the time, but don't be fooled; they're now just as good with guns are they are with spears." "The problem is, whenever the Guard have been depicted, they're made to appear powerless before enemies like her, Tirek, and the Changeling Queen," Luna muttered. "Which can all be answered. Rest assured that military against military, the Guard is quite potent, and can fight with the best of them." "How widespread are modern arms in Equestria?" Leon asked. "They're only in use among the Royal Guard; civilians are forbidden to own them as is, and there are only a few hundred in use, which is enough for the Guard, seeing as their numbers aren't enormous. Equestria has an emergency draft law, in case of an emergency." "Couldn't ya just use the Elements or some big magical attack to stop an enemy army?" Eddy asked. "Or better yet, melt them to nothing with the sun?" "The Elements now reside - permanently - in the Tree of Harmony," Celestia said. "The Elements were best used against a single, very powerful opponent; they weren't well designed for defeating an army. And as for the sun, I can only use my magic to move it. I would never use it in such a way even if I had that power. There are limits to what magic can do, on the field of battle as well as in every day life." She paused. "Just because one has power does not mean that it has to be used. I think this game somewhat illustrates that point." Meanwhile, the next barrage began; Leon had aimed two railguns at Eddy, who shot once back at him and a third time at Celestia. Luna shot one shot each at Leon and Eddy. Celestia shot at Ed as well. Eddy finally scored a hit; Leon groaned as his own planet was hit, through he took satisfaction that both his shots had connected. Luna and Celestia both hit their targets. This time, damage had been done. Leon winced as he noted that one of his cities had been hit, though it was still standing. One of his mines had been damaged, as had one of his solar plants. He set both to repair. He couldn't do much for the city, other than wait for the population to grow to replace that which had been lost. He took satisfaction that the messages on the right side of the screen listed buildings that had been damaged on other planets. He had apparently damaged two enemy mines, as well as getting a hit on a city; railgun projectiles seemed to split once they hit an atmosphere, acting like shotgun pellets... assuming the pellets were the size of asteroids. He set up another two mines, as well as a solar plant and a telescope, which would help him to gain intelligence on enemy planets, as well as building another railgun. He set his three existing guns to fire again, one at Eddy and the other two at Luna before hitting the end turn button. "Here's another one," Luna said as they waited for the turn to be simulated. "'Are ponies the same size as they are in the show?'" "I'd have to say no," Celestia answered. "Twilight, for example, is almost as tall as an average human, perhaps a few inches shorter. I'm close to the size of a regular earth-sized horse, and Luna, while somewhat shorter, still stands at a significant height. Most ponies are shorter than ponies in the human world, but don't be deceived; the show exaggerates numerous things, size being included." "Which leads to misconception number six," Luna added. "'Ponies are invincible.' Untrue. Most viewers think this because of scenes like the one in the first season where Twilight gets hit in the head by an anvil; that didn't really happen, or she wouldn't be here now. I think the object was a flowerpot or something, but the show's developers spruced up the scene. They did that other times, like when they made it seem that Applejack threw herself off the platform, designed to launch Rainbow Dash into the air, and became flatter than a pancake when she missed. That's impossible. There are other examples, and I'm sure you can find them if you look hard enough. Its true that Pinkie seems to break some of the rules we know about, but I'm sure that there's an explanation of sorts. All we need to do is find it." The turn began to play out. Leon's three shots all missed their intended targets, but one (which had been shot at Luna) looped around the sun and hit Celestia instead. Celestia shot Leon, Luna shot Leon and Eddy, and Eddy shot Leon and Luna. "Oh, that's gonna leave a mark," Leon said. Two mines and a couple solar plants had been damaged, with one of the latter having suffered such damage as to have almost been destroyed. He set them to repair, set up another mine and a couple more telescopes, and added a kinetic defense to protect some of his stuff. The kinetic defense could shoot down railgun shells, but it required him to leave some power over for the turn, otherwise it would be inoperative and wouldn't work. "Ouch, three mines and a plant knocked out. Hope I can buff out the dents for next turn," Eddy said quietly. "Yeah." Leon clicked on the Briton's planet. "I see you," he said in a mischievous voice. He really could, too, or at least a little. The telescopes had given him a 34% view of the enemy planet, meaning that he could see about 34% of the structures, including cities, on it. "Oh, can you, ya blighted bugger?" "Yep. Nice mine near your northern-most city." "Yeah, its been hit twice already." "Which one, the city or the mine?" "Both." Leon laughed, as did Ed. "Well, all of you missed hitting anything on my world," Celestia broke in, "but all the craters from your guns have made something looking like a smiley face." Leon looked at her planet as well. Sure enough, there were two craters that seemed to be eyes, one for a nose, and five in what did, if you really stretched your imagination, look something like a crooked smile. "Oh yeah," he said, chuckling. "That city just above the eyes looks like a crown, too." "So there's some beauty in the middle of a solar system-wide apocalypse," Eddy commented, chuckling a little as well. "Hmph. Nothing like that on my planet," Luna huffed. "Two cities hit in one turn, and two mines damaged." "You'll get used to it. we already have." "Very funny... Not." "'Are you both - that is to say... are either or both of you... divine?'" Celestia read from the comments. "Quite a shy one there." "Hold on," Luna interrupted. "I know that account, it's Fl-" She stopped when Celestia coughed. "Oh, right." "A common belief, held by many ponies," Celestia said, addressing the question. "But common knowledge also lays this idea to rest. Neither I nor my sister were around when the sun and moon were controlled by the unicorn tribe in pre-unification days. My great-grandmother was the founder of our dynasty. Even today, I'm not sure just how the alicorn race began; it's a mystery that's been lost to time, and my great forebear never left any volumes on the subject. However, we were, in the eyes of most ponies in that era, the perfect symbol of unification for all three former tribes, considering that we share traits from all three. Considering that we spend most of our time in Canterlot, our earth pony abilities - which is to say, superior strength and a talent for farming the soil - are usually not shown off." "Wait, so you're as strong as, say, Applejack?" Leon asked. "Well, not quite, but the other day I ended up breaking a stone table in two by accident. Although it would have helped if the ambassadors from Iran hadn't been... Ahem," she said catching herself. "To answer the original question directly, no, neither Luna, I, nor any other alicorn are gods. We are born, live, have the same experiences as other ponies, and, eventually, die." "Not that saying so will convince anypony," Luna muttered. "They'll just claim we're lying for divine purposes, as if that's not a contradiction in terms." "Ah, here is another one.... 'why do you hang around with these two lowlife human dimwits?'" Celestia quoted, sounding unpleasantly surprised. "WHAT!?!" Luna bellowed in anger. "Who said that!?!" "I'm not going to bother answering that one; the only reason I read it was because I initially skipped over it too fast. However, if that doesn't prove that ponies aren't perfect, I don't know what ever will. I can only assume that the writer of the question is one of my own subjects who harbors racism toward humans, and possibly other races as well. Or it could be a griffon or minotaur with the same problem. It may even be a human pretending." She sighed. "Regardless, that comment has been deleted, and the account, I'm sorry to say, has been banned from the livestream." "I will answer," Luna said in her turn. "They are my friends, that's why. And no ruler has ever had such a pair of friends in the history of two worlds. They aren't perfect, but then nopony is." "Thanks, Princess," Leon said, touched. "Yeah, sorry for being morons so much of the time," Eddy added." "That's alright. Plus, that just means I get to beat the two of you more easily," Luna teased. "Oy!" "Another question, and this one isn't offensive," Celestia said. "'Did the events in Equestria Girls and its sequel ever happen?'" "No," Luna answered. "The idea was purely fictional. It never occurred. There is no mirror like that depicted in the movie, and, as far as any of us are aware, no other universe resembling that supposedly in the film." Leon set up a couple more solar plants, a couple more telescopes, and another kinetic defense. "Well, Equestria Girls does exist, after a fashion." 'How?" "In that song they used back in... was it 2012? It was basically a ponified version of the song 'California Girls.'" "Oh, yes," Celestia answered. "I remember that one. Pinkie loved to sing it. But that's the only truth about that phrase; the events in the movie, as my sister just said, did not happen." Leon clicked the end turn button. So far, his planet hadn't been damaged that badly. Hopefully things would continue down that route. "'Where do the concepts for bridles and saddles come from, if they are never used in the fashion that they were designed for?'" Luna read off one comment. "'Reins, too.'" "Better not ask a question like that in Equestria proper," Celestia commented. "I will not tolerate my subjects being treated in the same manner as Earth horses. Anyone I find doing so will be locked in jail and prosecuted under Equestrian law. However, to answer your question, they were all ideas somepony thought up at some point or another. The idea of reins came originally from earth pony farmers who worked together on farms, especially when more than one pony was needed to do a job, to coordinate pulling and controlling. Carriages still use them today, but in today's society, except in places like Appleloosa and other towns of similar make, the use is falling away, not least because ponies prefer to be free to make their own decisions. Hundreds of years ago, it was a different story, one of survival." "The bridle is still traditional in events like rodeos," Luna said. "But other than that - and the occasional, bejeweled objects some ponies wear purely for fashion - they are generally not used. As for saddles, they were indeed designed for riding, but usually it would be a younger member of the family, one who could not be expected to travel long distances, who would be sitting on it. For example, a father or mother might wear a saddle, even today, to carry their children if they are travelling long distances on hoof. However, as my sister warned, do not misunderstand. Unless a pony willingly consents to bear another being on their back, it is considered bullying or harassment and carries the same penalty. That warning is applied to humans, griffons, minotaurs, diamond dogs, and even other ponies, along with any other self-aware being. Do not take this for an idle threat; we will prosecute violators of personal privacy and dignity. " Luna paused, waiting for herself to calm down a little. "Today, saddles are usually worn simply because they're considered fashionable, and not for any practical purposes." Leon watched as the events of the turn played out. Celestia's planet lashed out with lasers at Eddy, as well as sending a single railgun projectile each at Leon and Luna, both of which fortunately missed. All other rounds launched that turn missed their intended targets are well; everyone was relatively distant from one another due to their orbits. "Might have figured the one who controls the sun would be the first to use a light-based weapon," Leon muttered. "Oh, what ever gave you that idea?" Celestia asked, before breaking out in laughter. "Ugh, you blew up two of my telescopes," Eddy complained. "Don't you know that you need eyes to see?" "If I just let you view my planet without taking precautions, you'd do the same." "Well... maybe..." "'Is English the main language used in Equestria?" Luna quoted off a comment. "Yes, it is, though its commonly referred to as Equestrian. French is the second most common, followed by Italian, German, and here and there some Spanish, along with Swahili spoken by our few zebra immigrants." "A lot of our audience are probably surprised that so many of the languages of our worlds match," Celestia noted. "Much of it is that our two worlds have had some rare contact, and here and there languages and words were traded. A few of our ideas came from human things, although until recently most have forgotten." "'Are there native humans in Equestria?' No," Luna answered off the bat. "No. I know that there are a few fan-made stories that are based off of Gulliver's Travels, but those are, as Equestria Girls is, purely fictional. Not that I can't understand the idea," she added. "Ponies are sometimes hesitant to go into the human world, considering the domestication of horses and ponies there. Eventually most get over it and realize that equines on Earth are not the same as those in Equestria, but the worry still lingers." "Most pony-human interactions are the same as between most people," Celestia observed. "That's why a recent film made in Equestria called The Truth about Humanity is so galling, as it plays on the fears you just mentioned, dear sister. It's nothing but pure, biased foolishness, based on false ideas of human Earth. It reminds me of the awful and hateful films the Nazis made as propaganda in World War II." She paused for a moment. "It might be the reason our little friend asked the offensive question a few minutes ago, or at least a factor." "I've never heard of it," Leon noted. "That's because its never been released outside Equestria. I'm hoping there's nothing like that on Earth about us?" "Well..." Leon sighed and scratched his head. "I don't like it, but there was this one film - not one made by an actual company, you understand - that said ponies are hypnotizing us using their magic and are trying to get us to accept pony domination over our world." "What? Who could possibly buy into that?" Luna demanded, shocked. "Luckily, about the same small percentage as buy into that movie Celestia was talking about." "Oh, good. I must confess that it's oddly comforting to know that the bad feelings aren't just ours." "Pretty lousy thing to take comfort over," Ed broke in. "You're right, of course," Luna answered him. "It is. So let's start talking about the opposite; the positive relations between humanity and ponies, to say nothing of the other races." "'Why did you choose to contact us after hearing about all the wars and stuff?'" Celestia read. "As I've said before, our world isn't immune to conflicts, plagues, and other terrible things. I'm quite aware of the threats we potentially face from the human world. Rest assured that nobody passes into Equestria without thorough examination, which includes having them made to sleep and having my sister check what is in their minds. It may be a violation of privacy, but it ensures that terrorists and criminals don't get through. We've caught several people who had bad intentions to say the least. There have been complaints, but unless we find something more effective, this practice will remain active policy." "All that is true, but it doesn't answer the question that was asked," Luna observed. "Oh right. Well, some ponies were put off when they learned about this world's troubles, but I know that there is good in all peoples; ponies, griffons, minotaurs, diamond dogs - yes, diamond dogs - Americans, French, British, Japanese. All have great numbers of people with good hearts and good intentions." "And the reason for this are purely altruistic?" Eddy asked. "Admittedly, trade opportunities and the hope that we could trade medicine and knowledge of disease were big factors in making the decision. And a lot of ponies and other people from our world have adventurous hearts and wanted to explore and study a different world. But them mutual aid we could offer one another was our chief reason." Leon build a couple data complexes, which were designed to counter enemy intelligence, making it harder for foes to be able to see his planet. He also set up another mine, a solar plant, and another gun. He set all four of his guns that could bear to fire at Luna and Celestia, who were the only targets he could hit at present. "'Why can sheep and cows talk, but are treated as livestock?'" Luna read. "All of you must understand, cattle tend to like nothing better than standing around, eating grass all day. They tend not to be as energetic as ponies when it comes to things like politics, government, and anything outside of their places of residence. Sheep are very shy creatures who want some measure of protection. They also aren't very expressive when it comes to 'important matters', as it were." "Which isn't to say that they don't have equal rights," Celestia broke in. "They do. They can run for office as much as any other citizen of Equestria. Indeed, we've had a few take one office or another. But most - indeed, the vast majority - don't bother to exercise that right. They prefer the protection of living on farms, as well as the certainty of food there. In millennia past, they were hunted by timberwolves and all sorts of carnivorous creatures, which still affects their thinking. Even though they've been relatively safe for hundreds of years, memories of that still run through them like wildfire. So it's not an issue of maltreatment or oppression, but one of voluntary symbiosis and mutual benefit, as well as a lack of energy for politics." The turn once more began to play out. All but one of Leon's shots missed; the one that hit struck Celestia. Celestia blasted her sister's planet with lasers, and Ed lashed out at both of them with lasers of his own. Leon got hit by a railgun shot from Ed. "Ugh," he groaned as he examined the damage. "You hit one of my telescopes. Thanks." "All in a day's work," Eddy said in a cheeky voice. "Speaking of a day's work, we're almost out of time," Celestia remarked. "Sorry that it's so short, but sadly, my sister and I have royal duties to perform and crises to solve." She chuckled. "I suppose that ruling has its downsides. We have time for another... two or three questions, and one more turn." "'Do equine diseases on Earth affect ponies?'" Luna quoted. "To some extent, yes. Our bodies and organs are not exactly like our counterparts on Earth, but they carry enough similarities for some plagues to affect both. Some are common on both worlds. Colic, for instance," she said, with a shudder in her voice. "That terrible scourge..." "Perhaps we should move onto a different topic.," Celestia suggested. "'Is Equestria the only pony nation in existence?' No. There are wild pony tribes, as well as a small duchy here and there. However, Equestria is undoubtedly the nation where the vast majority of ponies reside.." "'Do democratic and republican ideals exist in the pony world?'" Luna read. "Hmmm. Nowhere close to the extent that it does in, say, the United States. The current ruling body of most major nations are absolute monarchs. However, it has taken hold in a smaller way. For example, in Equestria, mayors are elected, and aren't just local nobles the way they used to be. Clubs and businesses also take votes. So, while not a factor in the ruling bodies of most countries in our world, democratic principles have taken effect." "Hmm. And now we take our last turn," Celestia said quietly. Leon built a laser of his own. "Are we saving this game for future play?" he asked. "Oh, definitely," Luna replied. In fact, we're planning another livestream with this game." "Ah. Good. So what I build here won't be for nothing." "Indeed." Knowing that, Leon added another solar plant and a second laser. The turn was very eventful. A laser beamed from the direction of the sun, striking Eddy full blast. "And solar laser, of course, built first by Celestia," Leon muttered. "Can't help using sun-based weaponry, can I, considering I control it?" Celestia chuckled. Ed wasn't the only target. Leon got hit by lasers as well. His railguns struck both Princesses. Someone - Leon wasn't sure who - must have set up an asteroid diversion weapon, for a comet and some surrounding asteroids came flying from outside the solar system and hit Celestia hard. "Huzzah!" Luna cheered. "Nice shot, little sister." Eddy, meanwhile, managed to get everyone with multiple railgun projectiles. One looped around the sun and hit Luna in the face... assuming planets could be said to have faces. "Feel my wrath," the Briton said, in a mock-evil voice. "Muhhahahahaha!" "Just wait till the turn is over," Celestia said teasingly. "I don't think you'll like what I ended up doing." Sure enough... "Bloody hell, I lost a city and two mines, all destroyed." "I've lost a city of my own, Celestia admitted, "and most of the infrastructure around it. Half my energy-production gone." "And I got hit by Leon and Edward both," Luna grumbled. "Two cities almost dead, and most of my buildings damaged," "Lost another mine damaged, along with three solar plants and a telescope," Leon said reluctantly. "And that brings this livestream to an end," Celestia announced. "Good-bye to all our viewers, and I hope we can come together again sometime soon!" "Is it off?" Luna asked, after a few seconds of silence. "Yes." "Okay, good. Sorry for the short session tonight, Leon and Edward, but sadly, there's a meeting of national leaders scheduled, and we cannot afford to put it off for the sake of a game." "We understand," Leon said. "Yeah. Hope you guys can play again sometime," Edward added. "Thank you both," Luna said gratefully. "May we meet again soon." After both Princesses had logged out, Eddy was quick to say, "Hey Leo, want to play a game of our own?" "You bet!"