Session 13.0 Kendell2
"What is this?" Starlight asked, looking at the board that showed a pirate themed setting, but one that was decidedly up beat and happy.
"Well it's a game from Neighpon, sort of," Twilight explained. "Thanks to Button and his father making Manega themed RPGs popular, they gave the game an actual proper Equestrian translation through Button's father since he seems to be doing a good job of it. The basic plot line is that the Pirate King died years ago, but before he did he left his immense treasure somewhere at the end of the most hazardous sea on the planet, and whoever finds it will take his place. There are two sides you can play, pirates or marines, both of which have their subsections..."
"Aren't pirates normally bad guys?" Fluttershy asked.
"Yes...sort of..." Twilight explained, rubbing her head. "In this game, there are two types of pirate. Peace Mains, pirates who just want to have fun and go on huge adventures, finding lost treasures, and so on and so forth. Oh, and taking down BAD pirates. They see their crew as more valuable than any treasure. Then there are Morganeers, who are out for personal wealth, power, or to oppress and harm others. Those terms weren't really used in the FULL manega, only in the version one story the author did, but the game uses them for the sake of character aliment. The marines can be broken up into three categories: ponies who GENUINELY want to do the right thing and follow the SPIRIT of justice, even if they sometimes have to bend the rules, then there are those who believe the law is absolute and MUST be followed no matter what, even if it involves harming innocents, and lastly, those who are genuinely corrupt people. Basically, Marines try to stop pirates and bad people for the most part, just 'pirate' doesn't automatically equal 'evil.'"
"Oh yeah, I'm liking the sound of this!" Rainbow said.
"There are also magical fruits scattered throughout the setting that give whoever eats them super powers, which are divided into three types. However, a BIG part of the game is there's no such thing as a BAD one: you simply need to be as creative as possible to turn what seems like a dud into a very useful superpower. The main character of the Manega has one based on rubber, he's just very creative with it. The trade off, though, is you can't swim anymore if you eat one."
Starlight sighed. "So in other words, certain people have powers to put them above others."
"Well, actually no," Twilight replied. "Normal people in this setting can ALL use various tactics to fight people with the powers, and a few of the strongest ponies on the planet never even had one. The powers help, but its more or less stated in setting that people who RELY on their powers don't last long at all because of it."
"...Okay, I can see a few ways that makes things more fair."
"Oh, and you'll probably like this part," Twilight said, getting a somewhat sly look. "A few bosses are snobby nobles who are abusing their power and you need to take down."
"...Okay, I can get behind that..." Starlight said. She then blinked, looking at the game. "So the adaptation also used crowd funding?"
Twilight nodded. "Yes, though I didn't do it..."
Starlight then blinked, looking at the characters. "And why does one of the pieces look like me?!"
"Says it was a funding reward...at least you're not a big guy, but I wonder who did it..."
---
"Thanks for donating that money in my stead, Discord" said a mare looking identical to Starlight, only seeming much more fit and muscular. She was looking to the spirit of chaos through a dimensional portal. "I would gladly have done so myself, but you know how things go when our worlds directly interact."
"You're quite welcome," Discord replied, giving a chuckle. "I admit, I mainly did it to troll your alternate self...Okay, I did it SOLELY to troll your alternate self."
Mirror Starlight shrugged. "I'm just happy that a game promoting the idea ANY power or anyone can become great with enough work and creativity hit the shelves in your Equestria. Now if you excuse me, I have to go teach a garbage pony how to weld because he wants to apply his special talent to artistic endeavors."
"And that is why I like you! Such a good outside the box thinker! Now if you excuse me, I'm going to go ski down a mountain in the middle of a heatwave on sticks of peppermint while unfitting music plays in the background."
Session 13.1 Kichi
Twilight and the others were almost ready to begin another game night when suddenly a knock at the door interrupt them. As Twilight open the door, she could see Queen Chrysalis sitting in front of the door smiling and a package in his mouth.
"Girls! Chrysalis is here!" Shouted Twilight as she and the others got ready to battle.
"Wait wait... I come in peace, please, don't hurt me," Squeaked Chrysalis making all the other look at her confused. "I come with a new game even," assured the queen. Twilight raised an eyebrow and with her magic took the package, and opened it.
"Let's see... 'Changeling: The Hive, you live as changelings with the chance of one of you becoming a queen as you try to survive in Equestria'... Really?" Ask Twilight.
"Well, a Queen need to try sometimes, right?"
Session 13.2 Mooncalf99
"Are you quite sure Twilight will be okay with this?" Rarity asked, concerned.
"Oh yeah, sure," the young dragon said. "This is just the thing for having two game masters, isn't it? Twilight's fine with it. I bet she'll be happy for our initiative."
For the evening, the second half of the gaming group had gathered at Fluttershy's cottage. While it lacked the table space and general amenities of the castle, it more than made up for it in coziness and readily available animals. Admittedly, only Fluttershy considered the latter an actual advantage, but they made do. Spike was considering enlisting Angel Bunny to play any particularly vicious alien baddies, though.
"Oh, you bet?" Discord asked. "Care to back up that bet with something?"
Spike gave him a look. "Sure. I'll wager… my limited edition Wonderbolt Adventures #63, the Nightmare Night issue."
"One of your rare comics, huh?" Discord mused. "Very well, I'll match it with something interesting. I think Screwball collects comics from alternate timelines… well, on those days she actually exists."
Sucker, Spike thought. #63 is an overhyped piece of garbage nopony would pay a bit for. "Anyway," he continued out loud, "can we get started? You've been suspecting that the rest of your friends are up to something, right? Especially since they've been missing classes for days now."
"Playin' hooky, are they?" Applejack said sinisterly. "Well, Crimson Tape ain't havin' none o' that."
"And they might be in trouble," Starlight pointed out, tapping her white mask against her cheek. "As their friends, it's important that we help them in any way we can."
"Of course!" Fluttershy said. "Um, Starlight? Are you going to be okay with this? I mean, playing on both teams? I've never really done that, but it seems like it could be very confusing."
"Don't worry about me," Starlight said confidently. "You girls know that I can be… duplicitous, when I need to be. I'll keep everything we and they do separate. From myself, or should I say, myselves, as well."
"Unless knowledge can be passed along between you?" Spike suggested.
"No," Starlight said. "That would be cheating. And I'm not going to invent powers like that unless Twilight is okay with it as well. Pulling tricks out of your sleeves is something Trixie might do."
"Okay then," Spike said. "So, I guess we begin with Crimson Tape…"
Applejack suddenly stood up and raised a hoof towards the ceiling. "Mua-haha! Aahahaha! Science!" She looked sheepishly at the others. "Sorry, jes' getting into character. Ah figure ah'm sciencin' away in the lab."
"Science is a verb now?" Starlight asked in curiosity.
"That's fine and all, but you're all at the soda shop," Spike pointed out.
"Oh," Applejack said. She shrugged. "Ah, t'heck with it, ah keep goin'." She cleared her throat. "Earth pony science is the best in Equestria! We can save the world… with steam!"
"Groovy cat," Rarity mused dryly. "Just to be clear, did you say that for a reason, or just… because?"
"Jus' because," Applejack said happily. "Now, mah classmates, ah've gathered y'all here fer a reason."
"I thought we came here for the Tuesday discount cupcakes, since Hungry for once isn't around to eat them all," Discord objected.
"Hmm… okay, fair point," Applejack said. "An' that's jus' it. No Hungry with her weird eatin' habits. No Wings crashin' into everythin'. No Bright wantin' everypony ta pay attention ta her. No… whatever that other weirdo with all the claws an' fangs an' flamey breath calls herself, tryin' ta pick fights."
"So we's chill and peace for once," Rarity pointed out. "You got trouble with that?"
"Well, yes, I do at least," Discord said. "It's rather boring, once you've grown used to them. At this rate, I'll have to be the bad guy."
The rest of the group stared at him.
"That was out of character!" Discord said hurriedly. "Random Act is very careful to maintain his image as an upstanding model pony and student."
"Well, I for one would never doubt Random's decency and earnestness," Fluttershy said with a happy grin. "Besides, they might be in trouble, and as their friends… wait, we said that already, didn't we?"
"Not in character, but yes," Starlight said. "Anyway, Ra's been separate for a while now and might be involved too. And it's causing me considerable distress."
"Really?" Spike said. "Twilight didn't say your separation was dangerous."
"Well, not rules-wise, but Lib is probably getting anxious since this has never happened before," Starlight pointed out.
"Okay, back in character," Rarity said. "So how do we bust those cats?"
"With science!" Applejack cried triumphantly.
"Not everything can be solved with science," Discord pointed out.
Applejack grumbled under her breath. "Blasphemy. Twilight would wash your mouth out with soap if she heard you say that."
"Completely unexpectedly, Agent L of the Mares in Black sits down at your table," Spike said. "'Greetings, faithful students!' she greets you. In a very loud voice."
"Just so we're clear," Starlight asked. "That's actually Princess Luna, right?"
"What? No, no, that's silly. What gave you that idea?" Spike said glibly. "Agent L wears a black suit and shades, unlike Luna."
"But she's got wings and a horn and a dark blue coat, right?" Starlight asked.
"Could be prosthetic," Spike replied. "To throw you off the scent, be able to look like anypony."
"Prosthetics?" Starlight asked, raising an eyebrow in disbelief. "What, even the coat?"
"Especially the coat," Spike said.
"Ahem," Applejack said pointedly, cutting off the pointless out-of-character digression. "Greetings, yer… Agentness, ma'am. What brings ya here? We all got our IDs an' exchange student Visas…" She threw a glance at Starlight, Rarity and Fluttershy. "…Right, gals? We ain't in no trouble, are we?"
"'Nay!'" Spike announced, trying spiritedly at emulating the Lunar Diarch's voice. "'Yon wayward compatriots hath asc… abso…'" He coughed. "Ah, buck it, I'm not doing the voice," he said, sounding his normal self. "Just play along. Ahem. 'Your friends have stolen several pieces of classified government property, including the Mark 86 Patho-Fusion Overthruster. If it isn't recovered in time, our secret alliance with the Changeling Master Hive may be in jeopardy.'"
"We have an alliance with the changelings?" Fluttershy asked.
"Secret alliance," Applejack corrected helpfully. "That's why we don't know about it. Prob'ly part o' the plot to taint our water supplies wit' love-fluoride chemicals. 'S why Crimson Tape only drinks cider."
"You have an awfully conspiracist streak for somepony who's supposed to be straight-laced," Discord said. "I'm impressed, really."
"So you want us to go after them and bring back those things?" Fluttershy asked. "Because you can't get involved yourselves?"
"'Yea…' Uh, 'yes, that is correct. We cannot afford to tip our hoof this soon, lest the Tirexian Alliance finds out,'" Spike said. "'But nopony would suspect a group of hapless foo… four students… FIVE students, would be up to anything important. Also, agreeing to this and carrying it out successfully may absolve you of up to twenty-eight percent of your accumulated past transgressions.'"
"That's a pretty good deal," Discord agreed. "I think some ponies would prefer not to think about the antimatter apple incident."
"You botch one single splicing roll, and you never hear the end of it," Applejack muttered. "Fine. It's a deal. Only problem is, we ain't got a ride to chase 'em in, and I *suppose* I ain't allowed to build one."
"I probably should have a ship *somewhere*…" Starlight mused. "I guess Ra took that memory with her."
"I stowed away on a ship that landed on my home planet," Fluttershy offered. "They were in a great hurry to leave. Barely stepped out in the forest for more than a few minutes before running back. Such a shame."
"'Fear not, a craft of sufficient power is hidden away in the Everfree Forest for your disposal,'" Spike said. "'And so we have an agreement. Now, we must remove all memories of this meeting.'"
"Wait, what?" Starlight protested.
"Agent L then shouts at you all loudly until you all pass out from - thankfully - non-permanent ear damage," Spike continued. "When you all eventually wake up, you have no memory of meeting Agent L, changeling alliances, love fluoridation, or who put five boxes of mooncakes on your tab. You do know - somehow - that there's a hidden spaceship in the forest for you to take. Also, you want to spend more effort appreciating the beautiful night. Also, you think that Luna is best princess."
The players looked at him incongruously.
"Well, all right then," Applejack said. "Hey, ah know where we can find us a spaceship! Let's go after them varmints!"
"Great thinking!" Discord agreed. "Also, praise Luna!"
Session 13.3 Mtangalion
Filthy Rich laid a stack of chips on the board, making a show of chuckling ominously. "I'm purchasing two additional houses each for Boardtrot and Park Place, for a total of eight hundred bits."
"Done," said Big Mac, deftly sweeping the chips into the bank and laying down four of the miniature house tokens. Mr. Rich still wasn't sure how he did it, with hooves that large.
Mr. Rich frowned ever so slightly... his opponents didn't seem intimidated at all, and his cash reserves were low. He suddenly found himself grinning instead. He might actually lose. How exhilarating!
The Doctor scooped up the dice and threw yet another lucky roll, squeaking right in between houses and hotels to land on his own property. "Neigh York Avenue! My, now that's a relief... This has been a fascinating, wonderful game! Though I'm still curious as to how it was arranged, and why."
Spike merely grunted as he took the dice, apparently undecided whether to propose a trade or roll right away.
Mr. Rich hoof-shrugged. "The credit or blame for that must go to me, I suppose. Just recently, my dear Spoiled Rich found some of these peculiar games quite therapeutic. Did you know, she's actually thinking of changing her name back to Golden Tiara? At any rate, Princess Twilight proposed that I too could benefit from a game, and asked what sort of game I might enjoy."
Spike rolled the dice and counted out nine spaces... past the starting line and right onto Saltlick Avenue. The little dragon huffed, paying Big Mac the four hundred and fifty bits he owed with a murderous glare.
Mr. Rich glanced towards Big Mac and could only note the slightest flick of an ear. The red stallion's poker face hardly budged. Mr. Rich coughed, continuing. "In the end, I wound up making a small wager, that she could not arrange a game of Monopony that would be a true challenge." He gave his moneybags cutie mark a significant glance. "Even to me." The business-pony allowed himself a chuckle. "I should have known... the Princess, with her resources... I say, Big Mac? How many bits are in the bank, exactly?"
Big Mac glanced at the bank, tapping a hind hoof as if he was counting. "Seven thousand, eight hundred, and thirty-five," he answered, after a few seconds.
"You see?" exclaimed Mr. Rich quietly. "I knew who it was who managed the bits in the Apple family, but merciful Celestia, his business instincts are uncanny!" He pointed a hoof. "You, Doctor, are as devious a schemer as I've ever seen. And young Spike... well..."
"Pardon me a moment," said the Doctor, when Big Mac took the dice. "Mr Apple! I propose to trade the Friendship Express and the Horseshoe Line for Marevin Gardens. Oh, and Saint Sweetheart Place as well."
Big Mac leaned across the table, giving the Doctor a hard stare. "Is that a fair deal?"
The Doctor actually began to sweat. "Of course... that is to say... Define fair!"
Big Mac smirked and rolled his dice, then abruptly looked less smug when he landed on a hotel. "Horseapples," he muttered quietly, pushing eleven hundred bits across the table to Spike.
Spike snatched the bits with a sharp-toothed grin, adding them to his hoard. The little dragon hissed at them too, letting off a plume of green smoke.
Filthy Rich leaned towards the Doctor. "What are we supposed to do if he starts growing?"
The Doctor tugged on his lapels. "Ah, well, I have a clever plan. It firstly involves not losing."
Filthy Rich blinked. "And failing that?"
"Being elsewhere, naturally!"
Session 13.4 Alex Warlorn (This is just something I had to get off my chest. Sorry.)
8-Bit sighed. "Hey guys... it's a letter from Princess-"
"Let me guess, LUNA again?" Gizmo groaned.
"No, Celestia this time. Princess Luna apparently LOVES it, minus her typical dislike of her being lampooned, but Prince Celestia had her promise not to invade our dreams. Princess Celestia says that Celestia appreciate us lampooning heads of state, as it encourages ponies to think for themselves, and not to think of their leaders as infallible, and she appreciates the message that even 'winning' such a war is no real victory. And the message of how distant and unreal the lives of others equines can seem when they're just numbers on a list and coldly reminds ponies how easy it is to fall into that. But she says that she feels having no diplomacy option indirectly creates the idea that such a war is inevitable, and thus trying to prevent it is meaningless, and goes against the Equestrian mandate that it is never too late to broker peace."
Gaffer shuddered. "... I'll admit... I didn't think how some ponies might take it that way... maybe we should include a way to shut the game off half way and a 'Peace!' message pops up? Or would that simplify things too much?"
"We'd have to come up with a completely different game engine for diplomacy, and that would dilute the message if it was that big a part of the game."
"Let's sleep on it, at least know Princess Luna won't be visiting our dreams tonight."
Session 13.5 Zaku and Alex Warlorn
Luna pause in her work at the dreamscape "Hmm.... don't know why.... but we feel as if we have miss a great opportunity to mess with Discord over something he doth speakish."
"Help!!" A Pony shouted as he ran away from a group of one arm bandits AKA slot machines.
"Oh right, nearly forgot about that." Luna said as she blasted them "HAVE AT YE, thy caricature from that one Twilight Zone episode." (She'd watched that show from the human worldd under Sunset Shimmer's suggestion).
But Princess Luna was not without her friends.
"Great thinking!" Discord agreed. "Also, praise Luna!"
Nopony (or draconequus) had any idea that Pipsqueak just outside the window of Fluttershy's cottage, had JUST recorded Discord's words: 'Praise Luna!'. Pipsqueak thought, 'This is SO Her Nightjesty's new magic scroll ring tone!'
Session 13.6 SomeRandomMinion Ardashir Alex Warlorn
"Queen Tiamat?? What does SHE have against us? We made dragons heroic in the last game!"
"By making one of the victory requirements the sacrifice of a dragon's hoard to save their young. My children find this ridiculous; no dragon worth their scales would choose between their hoard and their young. They would consume the offender and incinerate their home as a warning to other fools!"
The ponies whispered.
"..Guess Tiamat isn't one to accept the idea of dramatic license..."
"Dragons are notorious for their tempers."
"And thin skins..."
"My draconic-senses can hear you!"
Gizmo, having no family waiting for him at home, rolls eyes at Tiamat. "Welcome to the world of mass media."
Queen Tiamat roared. "Oh, so it's their fault!" Tiamat flew off to incinerate the local news paper.
Gaffer looked uncomfortable. "... Guys, I think we made a boo-boo."
8-bit said. "Well, that one columnist DID make that one joke about Tiamat accidentally sitting on a Griffon city Bahamut gave to her for her birthday..."
Point-Dexter grimly nodded. "Yeah, that'll do it."
Gizmo looked out the window. "We're okay... looks like Princess Celestia is challenging Tiamat to an ancient divine trial by contest."
"What's the contest she's chosen?"
"... Cookin' Mommy for the Whinii."
"Mina of Dragon Town!"
"Yes your Majesty?"
"You will take this contest for us... these ponies do not make... controls in our size."
"... Yes your Majesty."
Session 13.7 Mooncalf99
"…And after fending off the last cragodile, you cross the rope bridge and stand before the Castle of the Royal Pony Sisters™," Spike announced.
"About bucking time," Applejack groused. "The real Everfree didn't have wildlife this ferocious. Ya sure yer not slippin' back inta the ol' 'killer GM' mood there?" She turned to Starlight. "Thanks fer carryin' me. Can't believe I got knocked out that fast."
"Lib will gladly shoulder any burden for a friend," Starlight said. "As she knows you'd do the same for her. Because we're friends." She winked.
"I couldn't help but notice how every single one of those plunder vines went after me," Discord said, a bit annoyed. "Almost as though a certain individual was still harboring a grudge."
"I have absolutely no idea what you're implying," Spike said with a shameless smirk. "Blame the random number god."
"Oh, we'll have words later, she and I," Discord muttered sinisterly.
"I think it was a wonderful trip," Fluttershy gushed. "So many cute animals to hug."
"Cool, cool," Rarity said. "But let's mosey before my antigrav hightops run outta fuel. Where's our dream ride at? Inside Big Mama's crib?"
"Inside…" Spike began, trying to translate Rarity's incomprehensible disco-speak. If he didn't adore her to the point that gainsaying any subject of her wondrous being became an epic-level challenge, he'd opine that she was maybe laying it on a bit thick. But he did, so he couldn't, so he didn't. "No, it's not inside the Castle of the Royal Pony Sisters. But after looking around a bit, you find an old shed out in the back. Also known as the lesser-known Castle of the Royal Pony Nephew."
"Great. Blueblood's place." Rarity rolled her eyes. "Just the pony I didn't want to be reminded of during my leisure time."
Meanwhile, in Canterlot…
Blueblood looked at his cards and grinned victoriously. "All right, I accuse… Colonel Mustard, in the library, with the candlestick."
Fleur de Lis tilted her head quizzically at him. Fancy Pants cleared his throat. "Ah… Blueblood, old bean?"
"Yes?" Blueblood replied. "Go on, see if I'm right."
"Blueblood, we're playing Canasta," Fancy Pants said.
"Oh." The prince paused in thought. "So… I don't win?"
Back at Fluttershy's…
"I search the shed for any spaceships," Fluttershy said. "Is it big enough to hold one?"
"Might be one of those 'bigger on the inside' thingies that are popular right now," Discord said. "Incidentally, Rarity, about your boutique…"
"You're not supposed to notice that," Rarity said quickly. "Spike, does Mane find anything?"
"Hidden under a pile of old 'Pony Beat' magazines and empty soda cans is a square panel with a dirty, scratched screen," Spike explained. "When you touch it, it lights up and says, 'input password'. There's no keyboard, but a small grill underneath the screen looks like some kind of microphone."
"A password, huh?" Rarity said, sounding annoyed. "Bogus."
Discord tapped his chin thoughtfully. "Well, I suppose we could bruteforcing it…"
"I'm not sure damaging government property is the right thing to do," Fluttershy protested. "Besides, all the powerhouses are on the other team, aren't they? Do we even have anything that could work?"
"We have you, my dear and admirably humble little Griffonese army knife of alien abilities," Discord said, causing Fluttershy to blush deep red. "But I was more thinking of password bruteforcing. That is to say, we simply try everything we can think of until we find the one that fits."
"Won't work, would take too long," Applejack said. "Assumin' it's eight letters, that's in the neighbourhood o' a hundred an' fifty billion combinations. Even if ya trim out the nonsense words…" She fell silent. "What? Why y'all starin' at me like that?"
"How did you… get that number?" Spike asked in disbelief.
"Shucks, Spike," Applejack laughed. "It's jus' twenty-five to tha power o' eight. Numbers are easy when ya work with apples. If'n ya asked Mac, he'd give ya the exact figure."
"And some still call you a silly pony," Rarity chuckled. "Okay, so if that's not an option, what can we do?"
"Hold on a moment. I want to try something," Starlight said. She cleared her throat. "'Luna is best princess'."
"'Beep. Password accepted,'" Spike announced. "The floor starts shaking and splitting open while the walls fall away."
"Of course!" Applejack exclaimed. Then she added, "…Of course, ah had no idea that something like that would have worked, because ah don't know what this place is. Ah definitely don't remember an assignment by the mibs."
"Clever, clever," Discord mused. "I take it the whole poorly built shed was just another cover and it's folding away to allow access?"
"No, it's just genuinely poorly built and collapsing because the ground is shaking," Spike said. "You may want to get out before the roof falls on you."
Several hasty dodge rolls and a few points of bonk later, the group had moved back outside.
"The ground opens in a circle, and a massive craft rises out on an elevating platform, coming to a stop before you," Spike said. "It's big but sleek, shaped like a fish, painted matte black, and looks like it's moving incredibly fast even when it's sitting still. The name 'Mochi Maker' is written in dark blue. Also, on the rear fin is scribbled 'Jerome was here'."
"Aw," Fluttershy sighed happily. "I wonder how those boys are doing."
"Since Ah've got the closest ta mechanical skills here, ah check it over, see if it's workin'," Applejack declared. "And… anythin' ah can improve on?"
"It looks to be in perfectly spaceworthy shape, with full tanks and everything," Spike said. "Although inexplicably it's actually smaller on the inside than on the outside."
"That is such a rookie mistake to make," Discord scoffed. He nudged Rarity. "Right? Right?"
"Shut up, Discord," Rarity hissed. "Well, mamas and papas," she announced, "this ride looks ready to roll! So I'mma take the helm, slam my best mixtape into the deck--"
"Hang on one cotton-pickin' minute, I wanted to drive!" Applejack protested.
"Shotgun!" Fluttershy shouted quickly.
"Dang!" Applejack swore.
"--And takeoff!" Rarity announced. "Wahaha!"
"So we shouldn't… prepare or…" Starlight sighed. "Oh, all right. I get in. Just make sure everypony is buckled in properly."
"The engines fire, and the ship takes off into the sky," Spike declared. "You're hot on their trail now. Or you would be, if you had any idea where they went, besides 'into space'."
"Oh, right," Discord said, snapping his claws. "That would have been useful to know, too. Too bad for us!"
Session 13.8 BrutalityInc
Twilight’s friends and the rest of Ponyville were getting worried.
Over the last few days, Princess Twilight has not made a single public appearance. While there was no important ceremonial or diplomatic functions that she was missing, she had not shown up to meet with friends, buy groceries and attend to appointments.
Given her usual obsessive-compulsive adherence to schedules, such a deviation from her daily routines was jarring, and adding to the fact that that her presence has become a familiarity in town, her sudden disappearance was inevitably worrying, disturbing even.
Compounding that worry is that during that time, the Friendship Castle had been hermetically sealed, allowing no pony, not even Twilight's friends in the Friendship Council, to enter. Attempts at entrance all ended in failure – not only was every window and door barred, multiple layers of magical wards had been placed to prevent any attempts to break in by brute-force or arcane sorcery.
Speculation quickly spread across town, with each pony having their own theories as to why the Princess of Friendship was missing or what she was doing. The most-widely believed ones were that the Princess was either conducing some experimental science project, researching powerful new magic, or is being held hostage by some villain who had absconded her and is secretly holding her inside her own castle (Not that the last one would be any surprise, given the frequency of evil villains running around in Ponyville as of late).
It wasn’t until the seventh day of her absence that there was a definitive answer. On that morning, a purple baby dragon stumbled out of the main entrance of the Friendship Castle.
Rainbow Dash, just then discussing what to do outside with the rest of the Mane Six, was the first to spot him. “Look, everypony! It’s Spike!”
Almost at once, the ponies turned and rushed to his position, “Spikey-Wikey!” Rarity called out to him, “Oh thank Celestia you’re alright! What happened to you? Where’s Twilight?”
“Wait a minute… this isn’t the kitchen…” Spike muttered, seemingly half-awake, as he wandered about in a daze. Upon closer inspection, the ponies saw that he was looking worse for wear; he was exhausted, his scales were tarnished and dirty with pen marks, and his whole body was covered with, of all things, sheets of paper, stuck to his scales with blue-tag.
“The kitchen? Spike, what in tarnation were yah and Twilight up to? We haven’t seen y’all fer a week!” Applejack asked, looking mildly incredulous by Spike’s appearance.
“Indeed. We’re worried sick for you two, darling! What were you doing? And why are you…” Rarity removed one of the sheets on his surface and glanced through them, eyes widening with shock as she grasped the contents, “… covered in what seemed to be score-sheets?”
Spike tried to answer. Emphasis on ‘tried’; a moment later, his mind promptly gave up, and he collapsed asleep into Rarity’s embrace, snoring loudly.
“The poor dear. Whatever it is Twilight’s been doing, Spike’s exhausted because of it!” Fluttershy shook her head, “I think it’s best that we put him to bed in his room, then ask Twilight in person.”
But before they could even act, a purple magical aura – and an orange magical aura – grabbed one of each doors of the Friendship Castle’s entrance and slammed it shut.
“… Or we could bring him to Sugarcube Corners and ask him when he wakes up.” Pinkie Pie suggested. “I’ll go make some hot cocoa.”
= = =
When Spike had woken up and recovered sufficiently, he told the gathered group of ponies everything he knew.
“It all started one week ago, when Sunset came back from the other side of the Magic Mirror for a visit.” Spike said, pausing to take a sip of Pinkie’s hot cocoa, “It was meant to be just an afternoon chat, and the conversation drifted to Sunset’s extracurricular activities.”
“What kind of activities? Does one of them include a party club?” Pinkie Pie interjected excitedly.
“No, Pinkie, but Sunset did joined a lot of the nerdy ones – the debate club, the maths club, the student union, the science society, and the rest.” Spike said. At the back, Rainbow Dash was looking decidedly bored. “But then Sunset mentioned she was a member of the chess club. Hearing this, Twilight decided that Sunset Shimmer would be the ideal pony to play chess with her.”
“A game of chess? Is this what the whole fuss is about?” Rarity asked.
“Not just ANY game of chess, a special variant that Twilight just recently discovered.” Spike elaborated, “Tell me, what do you think a classical chess game would look like if it had been designed by O&O players?”
At the ponies’ shrugs and head-shakes of cluelessness, Spike continued, “Apparently, that was a question that one pony, who was none other than the creator of O&O himself, once found himself pondering about. Unlike most O&O players, he actually went on to design and make it a reality. He called it –” Spike raised his claws dramatically, “– OGRECHESS!”
As if on cue, there was a crack of thunder and flash of lightning. The ponies looked out the window to see Muffins flying past, her mailmare uniform slightly singed, a dark storm cloud floating nearby with her face imprinted on it.
Spike carried on, “Anyways, it was the strangest board-game; Instead of one normal chessboard like in classic chess, it has three chessboard. They were stacked on top one another in a special rack.”
“Three chessboards?! How the hay does that even work?!” Rainbow Dash exclaimed.
Spike shrugged, “I won’t go into the details of how the game works, since it’ll probably take me a whole day to do it, but basically, the upper chessboard represents the sky, and is populated by three sky units – six Sylph, two Griffons and a Dragon on each side. The middle chessboard represents the surface, and is arranged closest to normal chess with land units – twelve earth-pony Warriors, two Oliphants, two unicorn Riders, two Heroes, two Thieves, one Cleric, one Mage, one Paladin, and last but not least, one Alicorn Princess, again on each side. The lower chessboard represents underground, and each player has six Diamond Dogs, two Basilisks, and one Elemental. Many of the units are bound to their levels, but some can move and capture pieces in the boards above and below them.”
“That sounds mighty wacky, if yah ask me…” Applejack commented. “How come she didn’t tell us earlier about it?”
“She was planning to invite Rarity or Fluttershy over to try it out, knowing that both of them has some chess experience in the past. She honestly thought that the other three wouldn’t be interested in the slightest, or even capable of playing with any ability.” Seeing the glares from said Applejack, Rainbow Dash and Pinkie Pie, Spike covered his slipping mouth. “Oops…”
“Back to the matter at hoof; how’s this explain why Twilight has disappeared from the public eye for over a week?” Rarity asked, interjecting, “Surely a game of chess couldn’t possibly be the cause of that?”
“That’s the thing, Rarity; somehow, it DID. Both mares got excited about testing out the chess game variant, but then Sunset suddenly told Twilight not to feel so bad if she lose the first time.” Spike winced, and took another sip of hot cocoa before continuing, “She kept it hidden well, but I could tell that Twilight got cheesed off by that comment in her heart. You could almost hear something snapping in her brain.”
“But why? It’s just a game! And just like any game, whether you win or you lose, it doesn’t matter so long as you have fun!” Pinkie Pie asked, “Why did Twilight took it so seriously?”
“Because she has never lost a game.”
Silence reigned momentarily at the table at that declaration.
“Are you sure you aren’t exaggerating?” Fluttershy suggested, “I mean, it’s almost a given she’ll win most games, being the smartest mare we ever know, but...”
“No, no, Fluttershy, everypony, listen to me. Take this from a baby dragon who has lived his whole life by her side: Twilight. Has literally. Never. Lost. A game.” Spike insisted, almost with reverence, “Twilight is probably the smartest mare to ever walk Equestria, let alone the smartest we know. She told me that she learnt how it was played just from seeing her father and her brother playing it, just once, in Canterlot Park. From that day onwards, she has beaten virtually everypony, without a single loss.”
“Everypony?” The Mane Six asked as one.
“EVERYPONY – her father and Shining Armor? Complete curbstomps. Her teachers at the Academy? A breeze. Professional chess players? No problem. World Chess Champions? Their defeats by her was in the newspapers. Even Princess Celestia, with all her thousand years of chess experience, could only hope to delay her own inevitable defeat for around an hour or two. Despite it being nothing more than a hobby, Twilight was mighty proud at being the undisputed queen of the chessboard.”
“So when Sunset Shimmer went on her high horse and hinted to Twilight that she was going to win…” Applejack began.
“… Twilight took it as a challenge.” Spike finished, nodding.
“Sunset Shimmer just had to go poke a hornet’s nest, does she?” Rainbow Dash said, smirking slightly. “Did Twilight kicked her flank?"
“Actually, no. Because as it turns out, Sunset Shimmer, Princess Celestia’s previous student and Twilight’s intellectual rival, ALSO never lost a chess game in her whole life.” Spike said, “Sunset was honestly believing that she was going to win just like any other time, and was baffled that Twilight was a match for her. As far as it is concerned, both mares never met anypony who has ever been their equal in chess, whatever the game mode or variant, until recently.”
“And that’s what happened?” Rarity asked. “They went to play Ogrechess, and they just never stopped?”
Spike nodded, “First game ended in a draw by insufficient material. Second game ended in another draw by stalemate, with neither Twilight or Sunset being able to move legally or in check. Third game tied too by threefold repetition, and it just went on, and on, and on.” Spike shook his head, “All this time, they had me running ragged, writing down every move made and the scores, going to the kitchen and the library to fetch coffee and magical spells that could keep them up overnight. They've become completely obsessed with it!”
“Alright, we’ve heard enough! So what do we do? How can we get them to stop?” Rainbow Dash asked aloud, ready for decisive action.
“The only ways I know would make them stop would either to destroy the Ogrechess board, or they run out of food.” Spike said with a shrug, “But both mares seemed to know how to magically conjure food, so that option’s out. And as you can see, they had shut off all the windows and doors to remove all distractions or interference. They’re not going to stop playing until one of them wins, and none of them wanted to be the first the lose.”
“Plus, none of us wants to be turned into oranges by them in a fit of rage, even if we managed to get in and destroy the board.” Applejack muttered dismally, “This leaves us with just waiting until either one of them wins. But how long do y’all think THAT is going to take?”
The ponies present either groaned or shook their heads.
“Well, at least this answers the question my sister Maud always pondered about.” Pinkie Pie said suddenly.
“What’s that?” Somepony asked.
“‘What happens when an unstoppable force meets an immovable object?’” Pinkie Pie said, “It’s obvious they’ll cancel each other out!”
Session 13.9 Mooncalf99
Fluttershy heaved a sigh. "Discord?"
The draconequus poofed into existence, dressed in a fancy Saddle-Arabian outfit for some reason. "What is thy bidding, my friend-mistress?"
"Um... could you please get Twilight out of there? I think this is taking things too far."
"Oh, no no no," Discord protested. "With her occupied, I won't have anypony opposing my evil scheme."
Fluttershy just raised a single eyebrow.
Discord hung his head. "Fine. I don't have an evil scheme. I don't get to have evil schemes. I don't want to have evil schemes anyway, so there." He sighed, then tapped his chin thoughtfully. "Ahah!" What he intended to do, nopony could tell, but Discord poofed away again.
Several seconds passed.
From inside the castle, the sound of wooden playing pieces and playing boards hitting a crystal floor could be heard.
Several more seconds passed while nothing was heard.
Then a window shattered as Discord burst out, his legs spinning like wheels as he tried to flee. With a playful "Meep meep!" he hit the ground and took off towards the horizon. Two blurs of orange and purple erupted from the window, snarling like timberwolves, and followed in hot pursuit.
"Well," Rarity said. She paused, at loss for words. "Well, I suppose that's one way to solve things."
TO BE CONTINUED! BWAHAHAHAH!
Pinkie Pie said, "Oh no."
Session 13.10 Alex Warlorn
Then the doors of Sugarcube Corner blared open... A blinding white light shining behind two Alicorn silhouettes, the only details visible was one with glowing teal eyes, the other with purple eyes. Two voices boomed together in the Royal Canterlot Voice.
"WHERE IS THE SCORE KEEPER?! YE SHALL RETURN HIM TO US!" Spike covered himself in a hoofball helmet and pillows from somewhere and hide behind Rarity.
Twilight! "What did you do to Discord?!" Fluttershy gasped.
"THE INTERLOPER HAS BEEN PUNISH! THE GAME MUST RESUME!" The two voices echoed.
Discord wandered in, smoking and sizzling. He was wearing square glasses, a slick back hair cut, and wearing a boy's school uniform that screamed 'NERD!' with a pocket protector. And he has braces. He coughed. "She's... gotten better... Been a while... since I faced two angry Alicorns at once... I think I'm out of practice. This is what happens when you don't let me do anything that inspires the Princesses to try and hurt me."
It was amazing the ponies' didn't laugh at Discord, both from not wanting to be on the bad side of the chaos god's misfortune this once, and distracted by the two goddesses of chess.
Spike was caught in the glow of Twilight's telekinesis, and dragged back to the Princesses... his claws leaving scratch marks in the floor as he tried to save himself. Rarity grabbed Spike with her magic... and for a moment seemed like she'd be able to hold him against the pull of a goddess, until Sunset Shimmer joined in and pulled Spike right towards him.
Then in a flash of light, they were gone again.
"Any other bright ideas?" Rainbow Dash crossed her arms annoyed.
"Well..." Pinkie Pie said. "Let's hope that they haven't gone so crazy that they're going to start kidnapping random ponies and creatures to serve as a LIFE SIZE Ogrechess game! But... Twilight's not that crazy... that would be like brainwashing half the town starting with the cutie mark crusaders to get some homework done on time. Right?"
The other ponies looked at each other in dread.
-
Sunset Shimmer's friends were beginning to worry. Sunset had SAID she was going to be only gone for a brief afternoon with princess Twilight Sparkle... but that had been over a week now. The girls' worry turned to dread as they wondered what happened.
"Evil overlord?" Rainbow Dash suggested.
"Maybe she got kidnapped!" Rarity gasped.
"What if the universe on the other side vanished and she's gone forever because people stopped believing in ponies?!" Fluttershy wondered in horror.
"Maybe she ran into some long lost relatives and doesn't want to leave them?" Applejack suggested.
"That's silly," Pinkie Pie said. "I mean, what kind of person who leave behind their friends, without so much as saying good-bye, just because they made new friends?"
-
Twilight sneezed, but she didn't let it effect her concentration.
-
"I wonder if they've crowned her princess there and won't let her leave?" Twilight didn't really believe it, and normally would never suggest random theories with no proof, but being part of a social group was new to her, and she wanted to, she HAD TO, contribute SOMETHING by virtue of just being there. Well, other than the undefeated chess club champ... which at a school like Crystal Prep, only meant you were the biggest enemy to other students with the same interests as you rather than being someone to share interests with.
Spike on the other paw said. "Tried that magic journal?"
"Doesn't work," AJ said. "Apparently if the portal is open, then the book doesn't work, don't ask me, I don't know this magic stuff."
"Well we sure know a freakin' lot more than most people," Rainbow Dash said. "I say it's about time we go in there and save her!"
"Ya mean go? Just like that?" Applejack asked.
"Why not? That's how most adventures go."
"And how they end BADLY darling! If we're going to where no woman has gone before, we have to be prepared first!" Rarity declared.
"Uh. Let's just keep waiting? I'm sure everything will work out," Fluttershy said.
"It would be the safer idea," Spike suggested, but a dog's opinions didn't matter that much sadly.
"Better than just sittin' here doin' nothin'," AJ said.
"Yes yes yes! On the other side of the mirror we go at last!" Pinkie Pie cheered.
Twilight Sparkle thought about it... it was scary... but... a chance to see a whole new world... WITHOUT destroying the universe? It was too tempting to pass up.
"First we should test things," Twilight suggested.
As fate would have it, neither Princess Twilight Sparkle, nor Sunset Shimmer, had thought to close nor block off the portal.
As it turned out, a camera with a cord attached to it, COULD pass through the portal, along with its feed... The girls were in AWE of the crystal library they saw. At least this confirmed that there was no monster waiting for them on the other side, and that the world on the other side hadn't been blown up.
Rarity had made sure that the girls were well packed and prepared for whatever might lay ahead... not that they had any clue what to expect besides what their 'scout' had shown them... but still ...
"Entry number one-" Twilight Sparkle began as she recorded everything for scientific study later, of course.
Into the brave unknown the teenagers went... and got know what taffy in the machine feels like.
And on the other side, first the girls found they couldn't keep their balance on two legs and fell forward, then they noticed.
"EEK! I'm naked!" Rarity gasped.
"OH MY! You're all naked!" Fluttershy covered her eyes.
"Will ya all get a grip, we're all girls here!" Applejack snorted.
"Easy for you to say, you still have your hat!"
"Wings 24-7?! YES!" Rainbow Dash flapped around.
"I'm a dragon? Cool," Spike said, inversely finding out that standing on two legs was actually a lot easier than standing on four now. "This two-legs thing feels weird."
"OH! OH MY!" Twilight blushed. She then crossed her eyes looking at her horn. "I wonder..." Her horn glowed. She looked at her tape recorder, which strangely hadn't vanished along with their clothes, and remembered how... how it felt to have magic... and... after some effort... her new instincts nudging her along, she managed to slowly lift it up. "I... I have magic," Twilight whispered.
"WOW! We're all ponies now!" Pinkie Pie cheered. "And we get pictures on our butts too!" What did you expect? These girls NOT to know their callings in life?
"OH DEAR!" Fluttershy covered it with her tail using it on pure instinct, as if the tattoo was more embarrassing than being naked.
"So," Pinkie Pie suggested blithely. "Do you think that now that we've been transformed into ponies, that now means we're brainwashed soulless spineless zombies who are better off dead who are programmed never to get angry and obey without question the evil queen?"
The girls stared at her. Applejack cough. "Pinkie Pie, where did ya get an idea THAT CREEPY yet THAT STUPID?"
"The internet."
"Of course."
"Oh my! What is this?!" Rarity said looking at her horn. "Where did this come from? I don't get this when I pony-up!"
"That's your horn, I think it's where your magic comes from as a pony," Twilight suggested.
"Really? I repeat my earlier statement then: odd I don't have one when I pony-up."
The girls sneaked through the big crystal castle... until the came to a large room where two Alicorns were staring down each other. Between them was a very large three layer chess board. And next to them was an exhausted looking identical Spike. It took a moment for the girls to recognize those colors, cutie marks, and those manes.
"Why does other me have wings?" Twilight wondered.
Spike spotted them first. "GIRLS! You're here! You got inside! Thank Celestia! Now let's... another Twilight?.... And... " He looked at the identical Spike before him, except not tired off his feet. And kept laying down on his claws. "Oh, you're me from the other side... let's hear it, bark-bark out of my mouth."
"Would you like me to sing too?"
"Wait-What? Did coming to this side make you smart?"
"Naw, magic accident back home."
"It involved your Twilight?"
"How'd ya know?!"
"Experience."
"Oh."
"So you're... you're Twilight's pet in this world too Spike?" Fluttershy asked.
"Pet nothing! We're family!"
"I don't see the resemblance," RD said.
"It's complicated! Look! Uh! It's great to see all of you again! And nice to see the universe isn't exploding from you all being here... but uh... we kinda have a situation."
"What's wrong with Sunset?" Fluttershy asked.
"And Twilight, I mean Princess Twilight!" Rarity said.
"This is gonna make the SECOND TIME I've explained this to you guys! Well not you-you but, you know what I mean!"
"Wait! You mean there's versions of us here too?!" Rainbow ironically put it together first. "I'm finally gonna meet someone as awesome as me!" Rainbow Dash said grinning.
"I thought we all already knew that," Pinkie Pie said looking at her friends in confusion.
Spike quickly began to explain (technically again) to the girls the situation, which was interrupted with "SNACKS!" "NOTES!" "SCORE!" More than once. The two Alicorns hadn't even noticed the seven strangers in the room, so consumed they were with the game.
"So... they're just stuck like this?" Applejack asked.
"Discord came in here, the less said about him the better, and trashed the board, but the girls just zapped him and made a new one! ... Don't ask where they got the pieces."
The visitors cringed.
The girls were all silent as Twilight and Sunset's pride would allow neither one to back down. At this point, it seemed more down to which one of them made a mistake first due to exhaustion.
"Have you consider slipping some sleeping pills into their coffee?" Spike suggested. "That's what I do when my Twilight tries staying up for a week."
"WHAT!" Twilight gasped.
"UH! ONLY JOKING!"
Twilight rubbed her tumbles. She'd never played chess with Sunset before... it had never come up... When she heard all the clubs Sunset had joined... Twilight had been wondering if she should have followed suit. To be fair, she understood her Twilight... her being undefeated in chess was one of my precious few marks of pride she had ... okay, there was also her flawless grades, a loving family, and now dear friends... but still, being unbeaten at chess and its countless variants was something she was proud of. Still... seeing it from the outside in was rather uncomfortable... she wondered if she was how Sunset Shimmer felt seeing Twilight become Nightmare Midnight.
She had to save them!
"EXCUSE ME!" She shouted. "I'M UNDEFEATED AT CHESS AND ALL ITS VARIANTS!"
The two Alicorns turned their heads as one and looked at her with ominous glow eyes that blacked out any other feature on their faces.
"DO YOU DARE TO CHALLENGE US?" They echoed.
It was a true sign that Twilight had grown a spine since she didn't wet herself or run away screaming.
Rarity however fainted. "Where did this couch come from?"
-
"For the record," Starlight said, the girls having come to her, begrudgingly thinking her cutie mark spell might be the best way to handle this. "I prefer checkers and chinighes checkers, to chess, I mean, there the pieces are all equal. There's no all important piece better than than the other pieces."
That was when the ground shook.
The earth shook... some ponies wondered if it was an earthquake. The mane six plus Starlight Glimmer rushed outside... (Starlight had been staying with Fluttershy since the castle had been closed off, where Starlight had been staying in Ponyville... then tried Pinkie Pie and finally Rarity as the chaos from Discord and then Pinkie were close to driving her batty).
Trixie... by chance... was also there... upset because she believed Twilight had banned her from the castle for no apparent reason when she found the barrier in place when she'd shown up for their alien teenagers game.
The castle exploded in a mass of white light... and the doors slowly opened... and two alicorns with their eyes doing the Derpy stumbled out...
"The chess board... blew up on its own..." Native Spike said in awe...
Vistor Twilight blushed... even if she was covered in ash... she didn't expect a three way magic chess match to do that ...
Session 13.11 Mooncalf99
"Sooo..." Rainbow Dash began.
It was some time after the whole 'chess showdown' debacle, and things had finally calmed down. The destroyed chessboards and other debris had been cleared away, and Spike had made a spirited attempt to scrub away the bigger soot stains. The girls from CHS (and the other Spike) had taken their dazed friends back to their world, but promised to come visit at another, less disastrous occasion.
"Sooo..." Rainbow Dash began again. "Any chance we're gonna play anything tonight?"
"Ugh," Twilight groaned. She was currently reclining on her bed with a blanket over her face. "Uuugh. Sorry... I don't think... I..."
"It's okay, Twilight," Fluttershy said. "You don't have to do anything if you're too tired. You've worn yourself out really badly this week, after all."
"Yes, but... still, I don't want to let you down. But..." The young alicorn groaned again.
"It's cool, it's cool," Rainbow said. "Gilda and Trixie weren't too happy, though. They come a long way to be part of this."
"Great, now Trixie's going to be mad at me too," Twilight groaned. "Is she here?"
"No, she left," Pinkie Pie said. "She said... uh... that she didn't want to get in the way and that she'll be in touch later."
Meanwhile, in a wagon on the outskirts of Ponyville...
"Yeah, Trixie's not going to be around when those crazies blow up." The magician unwrapped a deck of cards and began shuffling them. "We'll just wait it out until the all-clear signal."
"Who the flying feather gets worked up over chess, anyway?" Gilda said. "Soo boring. Now poker, that's a game for thinkers."
Limestone Pie slammed her hoof on the table. "Will you stop shuffling all the time and deal already?!" she yelled, in a tone that with a different pony might have been intended to convey unyielding rage.
"Yeah, yeah, yeah. Go chew granite, Lime." Trixie cut the deck and started dealing. "The game's five card stud, Las Pegasus rules, two bits ante, fifty bits betting limit. You in, Stoneface?"
Gilda turned to their fourth player, whom she hadn't paid much attention to earlier... and felt a chill run down her spine. This one's going to be a challenge...
'Stoneface' put her two bits on the table. "I'm in," Maud Pie said.
"I feel like I'm missing out on something," Pinkie said, perplexed. Then she shrugged. "Oh well!"
"Maybe we should let you rest, dear," Rarity said, giving Twilight a gentle pat on the shoulder. "We'll get back together in a few days, okay?"
"No!" Twilight cried. "I mean... I want to spend time with you all. I'm just too tired to set up something.
"We could just watch a movie?" Starlight suggested.
"Actually, ah got somethin' ah've wanted to try," Applejack said. "Somethin' ah picked up at PonyCon."
"You go to PonyCon?" Rainbow asked in utter disbelief. "You?!"
"What?" Applejack protested. "Ah was visitin' mah relatives, an' I throught ah'd drop in ta pick up some comics fer Spike's birthday--" She facehoofed. "Spike, forget ya heard that."
"Sure thing!" Spike said happily, suddenly anticipating his birthday a great deal more.
"Anyway, ah sat in with a bunch what needed a sixth player," she continued. "Afterwards, they wanted ta play this game they had made up an' I went along with it. They said ah could run it with y'all if ah wanted to."
"So... it's not just about farming and apples?" Rainbow Dash ventured.
Applejack gave her old friend a scathing glare. "Ah'm more than that, thankyaverymuch. Is flyin' the only thing you think about?"
Rainbow considered. "Yes, pretty much." She stuck out her tongue playfully.
"Nevermind the neighsayer," Rarity chided. "Do you think this is something Twilight can handle?"
"It's freeform, an' pretty psychological," Applejack said. "She'll be fine. Only problem is, it's limited ta six players, GM included. And, well..."
"I'm fine with just sitting in and watching," Starlight said.
"Me too," Spike said. "I'll go get some snacks." He got up and left.
"Applejack?" Twilight asked. "When you say it's 'psychological', what do you mean?"
"Meanin' we're gonna get inta yer noggin, sugarcube," Applejack said with a grin. "Okay, everypony find a seat an' ah'll explain."
After a few seconds, everypony had seated themselves around Twilight's bed, while she herself opted to stay lying down. "Here's the deal. Yer gonna go on a bit o' everyday adventure, sugarcube. Maybe it's jus' an average day, maybe somethin' out o' the ordinary happens. Maybe it'll go off the rails an' ya go to Manehattan ta fight vamponies. Who knows. Ah'm the game master, gonna narrarate what's happenin'. Got the gist of it?"
"Got it," Twilight said. "Fairly straightforward."
Applejack laughed. "Ya wish. Yer not the only pony in yer head. Ya got this bunch ta 'help'," she made air quotes with her hooves, "on yer adventure."
"Oookay?" Twilight said dubiously.
"Twilight, yer the Self, the one who's you. But ya can't form decisions on yer own, so ya listen ta the other parts o' yer mind." Applejack turned to Rarity. "Rarity, yer the Superego. You wanna be idealistic an' always do the right thing. Yer pure an' good an' proper. An' that's the path ya want Twilight ta walk."
"If I didn't know any better, I'd say you were flirting with me," Rarity said with a smirk.
"Rainbow Dash," Applejack continued, turning to the brash flier. "Yer the Id, an' yer her opposite. Yer the base urges an' the immediate needs. Ya wanna have fun an' ya wanna have it now. You don't think about the future 'cuz the present's the only thing that matters. Far as yer concerned, nothin' else matters compared ta gettin' Twilight's personal an' immediate needs an' wants satisfied."
"It's the role I was meant to play," Rainbow Dash said with a sharp salute.
"Fluttershy!" Applejack barked, making the timid girl jump a little. "The voice o' reason, rationality an' sense. Ya go wit' whatever seems sensible at the time, nevermind all that emotional attachment an' other garbage boggin' down the decision-makin'. Mind ya, that don't mean sidin' with Rares all the time, 'cuz that whole 'doin' the right thing' business doesn't always sound the most sensible, an' oftentimes the simple urges have a point, you get what ah'm sayin'?"
"I think I understand, yes," Fluttershy said hesitantly. "Although I think the role is better suited to Twilight?"
"I'm too tired to be rational," Twilight said happily. "I'll play the brainless pony today, thanks."
"An' lastly, Pinkie Pie." Applejack smiled at the sixth player, who was giddy with anticipation. "Yer the emotions. You go with the feelings. Whatever mood Twilight should be in, ya wanna act on that. Go with yer heart."
"Woooooooo!" Pinkie crooned, bouncing on her seat. "So cool!"
Spike chose this moment to wander into the room, arms laden with popcorn and drinks. "Okay, what did I miss?"
"Applejack explained their roles," Starlight said. "Long story short, they're little voices in Twilight's head and get to steer her around."
Spike blinked and set down the snacks among the group. "This I gotta see."
"That's pretty much it, everypony," Applejack said. "Twi, you can't make any independent action yerself. Ya have ta go along wit' their instructions. An' if they conflict... well, ya try yer best ta cover them all, or go wit' whichever makes the most convincin' arguments at the moment. Or however ya find yerself persuaded. Got it?" She grinned. "Alright. Our day begins in Ponyville..."