The Sparkle Dash Family
Prompt # 358: The Crystal Empire falls
Disclaimer: I do not own My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic
It was a tense atmosphere that hung over the Crystal Empire. The streets were almost completely deserted. Most of the crystal ponies had already fled, the few who chose to remain behind were hiding in their homes. Loved ones huddled together in fear, waiting and watching the doors.
It was over. If anypony were to be honest with themselves it was over before it had ever truly started. The Crystal Empire and her ponies had fought bravely, but in the end bravery was not enough. They had been all but decimated and now they were just waiting for somepony to finish the job.
Inside the Crystal Palace, Princess Scootaloo worriedly cast her gaze to the horizon. She could already make out the fires of war. The battle had reached her home. Any second now the gryphons of Talonsgard or the dragons of Embris would be marching down her city streets, and there was nothing she could do to stop them. Not even the Crystal Heart could help her people now, as it had been stolen by a dragon she had once called her brother.
It was that betrayal that had precipitated the fall of her kingdom. With the Crystal Heart gone there was no way to keep the Empire safe. Soon spies and saboteurs had begun wreaking havoc amongst her populace. Their food stores were destroyed, their waters were poisoned. Starving and sickened, her soldiers never stood a chance.
She knew she should have never agreed to an alliance with the dragons of Embris. Even if it was her brother who had proposed the alliance. Of course everything went well at the beginning. The combined might of the Embris and Crystal Empire armies were more than enough to invade Equestria. The march upon Canterlot had gone on without a hitch, and Equestria’s Princess had been banished, and then imprisoned in the place she had been banished to.
It was only after Equestria had fallen and the Crystal Empire was embroiled in a war with the gryphons that Princess Scootaloo had discovered the dragons’ deception, and by then it had been far too late.
So now she simply waited. Waited for the end to come, waited for either her brother or her mother, whoever won the battle currently waging in her lands, to come and take her life. She would not go quietly, but she held no illusions over the reality of the situation. It was game over.
“Hah! Take that Scales! My Talon Guard unit destroyed your forward command base! I win!” Rainbow Dash cheered as she knocked Spike’s piece off the game board with a flourish.
“Darnit!” Spike groused, folding his arms over his chest. “I can’t believe I forgot that the Talon Guard got a +2 attack bonus if they moved more than 3 spaces! I was soooo close!”
Rainbow shook her head tauntingly. “Close, but no cider! Now it’s just you and me Scoots!” Rainbow looked over the board, grinning at the vast empty space on Scootaloo’s side. “Awww, but lookit that! You don’t have anypony left to guard you keep!”
Twilight rolled her eyes. She had been the first one defeated after the rest of her family had allied against her. “Come on Rainbow, you don’t need to taunt her. Just finish the game already.”
“Oh I will Twi, but I’m gonna do it in style!” Rainbow Dash picked up the figureher commander, Griselbrand the Gryphon King, and placed it in the Crystal Palace. “I believe that means I win!” Rainbow Dash cheered.
“Not so fast featherbrain, Scootaloo still gets a chance to play a card in response.” Twilight said. She gave Scootaloo a small smile laced with pity. “Do you have any cards to play Scootaloo?”
Scootaloo just sighed. “I guess.” She said, pulling a card out of her hoof. She looked around the table, pausing for dramatic effect. She then smiled menacingly at Rainbow Dash and slammed the card on the table. “I play “The Elements of Harmony Activate!”, I get to target one enemy piece in my palace and banish it to the moon!” Scootaloo then flicked the Griselbrand the Gryphon King figure, causing it to go flying until it bopped Rainbow Dash in the nose.
Rainbow Dash was staring in shock at the card Scootaloo had just played. “I... I lost? I lost?!” She gasped in disbelief. “But...but we even took out Twilight first! I thought I had this game in the bag!” Rainbow Dash slumped in her chair, before sitting back up and giving a good-natured smile to her family.
“Wow Scoots, that was an awesome play! How did you know to hold onto the Elements card?” Spike asked.
“I just know my moms. Rainbow Dash always likes to win in person, so I figured she’d just waltz into my Palace. I was actually worried that you might win that last battle Spike, I wasn’t sure if you would’ve risked sending your commander in.” Scootaloo said.
Twilight ruffled Scootaloo’s mane. “Well well well, look at that. My little Scootaloo, thinking ahead and using tactics! I think that deserves a reward.” Twilight used her magic to gather up all the pieces of the game, placing it back into its box. “How about we go to Sugarcube Corner and get some dessert to celebrate Scootaloo’s victory?”
Rainbow Dash’s perked up visibly at that and flew to Twilight’s side. “Oh! Can we get a milkshake Twi?” She asked, wiggling her eyebrows at her marefriend.
Twilight rolled her eyes. “Sure thing Dashie,” She then leaned forward, placing her muzzle next to Rainbow Dash’s ear. “But only if we share it.” She whispered, before nipping playfully on Rainbow’s ear.
“Ugh, you two are gonna put me off milkshakes for the rest of my life!” Spike said, making hacking sounds.
“Seriously!” Scootaloo agreed, “Can’t you guys act all mushy after we’ve celebrated my win?”
“Oh? So we can be all mushy then huh?” Rainbow Dash said. She started making kissy faces at Twilight, who just giggled and pushed her away.
“Later Dashie, after the milkshake. Come on guys, let’s get going” Twilight said, opening the door and motioning for her family to head out.
Princess Scootaloo smiled as she led her defeated opponents out of the library. Victory was sweet, but she knew her reward was going to be much sweeter.
I like how you describe the game. :)
Great story this chapter made my day 100% better
Family board game nights... the memories, the nostalgia.... the hatred.... and I still say my aunt cheats at clue every god damn time. Loving this story so much. I started with just toying with scootadpotion as an idea after I read a short little thing with it. Recently it's become really popular, with the fics just coming from everywhere. No idea why, but I approve of this development whole-heartedly.
For a while there, I was like, "Wait... Wut?" But now I'm grinning like a loon. Risk II was one of my families favorite games.
No fair! The Elements of Harmony are hella OP!
Ahhh.... The many nights of Monopoly.
And the subsequent clean up of a flipped game board....
~Skeeter The Lurker
So that's how board games work in Equestria. I like it!
Great Game. I liked how you made it look like it was real.
Yeah, most family board games ended with the board being flipped over. Monopoly damn near ruined us.
Funny, I've found I play more board games now than I ever did as a kid. Their more complicated of course.
Also, nice to see Rainbow's victory snatched away by her own predictable nature. Nice save, Scoots. Nice save.
2622463 Are not! The enemy commander(s) are the only ones affected by it, so if Dashie had just sent a 'regular' troop in to capture Princess Scoots, then it would have done precisely jack. Scoots only won on the technicality that she was the only Commander/Leader type unit left.
Also, totally called that it was a game from the very start. Still, well-played.
I knew it was Risk-like half way in. I love that game, and I always won among my family.
Methinks someone is a Magic player.
why didn't scoots ask dash if she liked bananas? it would have been a good point for that joke.
Oh maan, Monopoly lasted all nightonce. We started as normal but then my uncle and my dad refused to give in and we all just made deals with them over property and then suddenly Monopoly money becomes hard currency when you have a stack and two determined players (I got a new pair of shoes out of it!).
I shudder at the thought of us playing Risk.
Typical family board game night is never complete without: at least 2 ticked off players, someone who lost early to have left or be half asleep but forced to stay, my dad calling foul against people he thinks are cheating (usually just whomever is winning), my dad gloating like a child when he's winning, and the inevitable "winner cleans up" shouted by one of the losers as the game ends.
I will say this once, and only once.
I WANT THAT GAME!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
There was no temper tantrums cause they weren't playing monopoly. That game is a relationship killer.
As corny as it sounds, Candy Land was the very first board game my mom bought and played with me when I was little. I ended up loving board games and then came TROUBLE! and everyones favorite (I wanted to be the car!) Monopoly (though I was terrible at it and think my mom just let me win from time to time lol), and when I was older (9ish-10ish) I played Risk with some kids from the area. It was addicting. Never knowing which thing you're attack or where their generals are (especially if they trick you by overly defending something that turns out NOT to have been a general!) just ups the replay value a lot with that game.
I would LOVE to have a FiM Risk board game! What happened to that FiM Monopoly we were supposed to get? Was that just a hoax or limited edition or simply not out yet? (not like we can't make our own!)
Yeah, good thing Spike was taken out by RD. He'd never risk his general like that. Also, kissu-kissu-kissu~ RD to Twi was cute, playfully keeping and batting away the teasing RD. Spike and Scoots make great siblings. Nice to see him have someone his age he can hang with and stuff.
2622534
Competitive gaming should never be done between friends and loved ones. It breeds hatred, the victor cannot hide their elation which only causes rage in those who could not find the game in their favor.
ESPECIALLY if it's a game where a meta exists, whoever gets steamrolled and couldn't lift a finger to put up a decent fight regardless of how skilled they are - is going to be hopping mad!
Griselbrand says, "How DARE you demote me to a mere griffin! I'm going to pay 7 life and draw 7 cards to look for an answer to your insult!"
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You should see me and my cousins play Monopoly.
Feels like Lord Of The Rings RISK to me, or possibly a miniatures game.
You maniacs! you blew it all up! Damn you.... damn you all to Tartarus!
There are pony trading cards, just not a game. Hey, maybe we bronies could make a game!
I really want to play that board game. Sounds awesome.
I was feeling this was a Battleforce2 (large scale Classic Battletech) game with the different cards being played and unit rules and miniatures movement.
I wondered why Scootaloo was suddenly a princess
that had to be the most anticlimactic chapter i have ever read in my life so far. i seriously thought that scootaloo was an alicorn and inherited the crystal kingdom.but was still an amazing chapter
First of all, that was brilliant, and cute.
Second: Was that a warhammer/catan/M:tG boardgame?
Haaa, that moment when your family and friends conspire against you in the monopoly, Twilight i know that feeling.
Awesome chapter, realy awesome
Huh, look at that, there is currently an MLP:FiM:TCG coming out soon.
So many abbreviations that I don't understand! Took me forever just to figure out 'OC'! Loving the story though. You're right. There just aren't enough Twidash Scootadopts out there!
I almost believed it until I saw it was a board game
Dang!
I thought it was a MLP version of Axis and Allies. I so wanna see that happening.
Wow so much happiness. Squee!
Wow. That's rather dam all of a sudden...
Oh it's just a board game
6354614 I know right? That was awesome and adorable.