Mother shows Best

by Skyeheart

Act 5: The Lulamoon Legacy

The mares just stood at the base of the five step slate front porch for awhile. No one seemed to dare take a step closer towards the imposing poplar doors that stood five ponies tall. That was, until, four sets of hooves pushed Twilight's flank forward. She looked back at them with a 'why me?' face. They all answered in kind with the 'this was your idea' look, plus one 'do you think their garden has any morning glories?' look aways.

Gulping down her anxiety, the lead pony approached the entryway. She took note of the thick, white corded bell rope that hung over the side of the frame, reached a tentative hoof out, and slowly pulled down the ringer. The series of chimes that followed felt more like cathedral's peal than a door bell. After a long drawn out twenty seconds, the sliding of a steel latch could be heard, and the wall-like entrypoint creaked open several cracks.

A stoic grey earth pony with a well cut coiffure that was only beginning to recede answered. He had a black and white suit specially tailored, well kept and ironed on, and his cutie mark was a crossed hoof that had a white dust cloth with a rose folded neatly over it. There was no hiding his age, he was clearly old enough to be a grandfather, but unlike most elderly ponies Twilight met, his back remained straight, leaving no hunched posture most his age would carry. His eyes were slightly bagged, but held no glaze. His green irises retained their steely focus of alertness. His wrinkles weren't shallow, but compassed more muscle than fat underneath the skin, making his features much less pliant and soft, like the grooves of a weathered mountain ridge. Heck, if wasn't for his suit, he'd probably look more like a retired guardspony than a domestic servant.

"Yes, can I be of service to you?" he calmly addressed her in the same passive tone that Twilight had experienced from Moonlight.

"Um, uh, yes. Is this where the Lulamoon family lives?" Twilight asked with as much politeness she could muster.

"It is indeed," the stallion replied, never once moving the door he held further open or closed by even a smidgen. "I am Silver Platter, chamberlain of the Lulamoon stable. What can I do for you?"

Twilight plucked up her nerve as the first moment of truth came. "We'd like to speak with Lady Moonlight, if you please."

Without even raising an eyebrow, the butler cast a discerning eye over the five mares. "And who is it that I will be announcing to her Ladyship?"

Twilight chose her next words carefully. "Twilight Sparkle, of stable Twilight, and her friends Honey Do, Orange Sherbet, Blossomforth, and Octavia Melody."

Again, a deep silence hung over them all as he seemingly judged every aspect of their characters. "Very well," he said at last. It was only then did the doors creak widely open, finally beckoning them into the dimly lit darkness.

The group took a better view of their surroundings as their eyes adjusted to the halved brightness. The interior was certainly more modern looking than the outside, but there was still a large impression of antiquity to the decor. Twilight noted the self lighting magic candle lamps that hung symmetrically from the walls, these were the old kind, used by high ranking mages of the classical era. A flight of twin stairs from either side of the central corridor led the way up from the wide antechamber to the second floor balcony, where a large paladian window provided the only opening for sunlight to enter. There was not a speck of hardwood or linoleum covering the ground floor, but polished onyx tiles with long silver trimmed rugs that acted like a path from one hall to the next. A mighty brass chandelier completed the entrance hall, its holders curved in the shape of crescent moons.

"Please wait here while I inform the mistress of your arrival."

With that, Silver Platter ascended the left staircase and was gone, leaving the five of them alone in the big empty chambers of the Lulamoon mansion.

"...I'm guessing they don't entertain much for guests," Sherbet finally ventured as she took note of the most decorative object in the room to be a lone stand against the archway into the west hall too small to hold anything but a single Chineighse ceramic vase.

"I'm guessing they don't have many guests," Honey said. "Take a look at all these portraits."

Everypony looked to the sides of each flight of stairs. Pictures of various unicorns, posed regal and majestic, gazed down on their admirers impassively. Honey lifted off the ground to inspect the framework. "There's definitely an age difference in the pastel coloring. Some of these have only hung for a few decades, while others here are...centuries old!"

"These...these must be all the household predecessors..." Twilight deduced. "Incredible, this entire hallway must be like one giant genealogy tree."

She stopped at one with an elderly royal blue mare with a long smoke white mane. This one seemed different than all the others. She held a genuine smile, it was one of pride and grace like most of the others, but it also seemed to project warmth, as if she wanted to like everyone that would look at her picture in the future. What really set her apart though to Twilight and the others as they gathered around, was her cutie mark. While many of the others displayed cosmic bodies, symbols of power and magic, or even legislative parchment and tomes, hers was a pair of split color comedy and tragedy theater masks, comedy overlapping tragedy.

It was a cutie mark that no doubtedly related to the performing arts.

"This one...seems different from the rest," Blossomforth stated the obvious as usual.

"I wonder who this particular pony was to the Lulamoons..." Octavia thought out loud.

"That would be the stable's most previous matriarch, the late Helena Quartermoon Lulamoon."

"AHH!" The mares all jumped a step back from Silver Platter, who had seemingly returned and gotten into the center of their circle without anypony noticing.

The butler continued regardless. "Mistress Moonlight is attending to some important work within her study. She says she will finish within the hour and speak with you then. In the meantime, you have her permission to wander about the mansion freely so long as you do not disturb anything. Will there be anything else?"

"Um, no. That'll be fine," Twilight said, still unsure as to how this earth pony was able to sneak up this close on all of them unnoticed.

"Very well. I have household duties to attend to, but if you have need of assistance, please do not hesitate to call." Silver Platter then briskly exited into the main corridor.

"Permission to wander about freely...that had to be the most abstract term of make yourselves at home I've ever heard," Honey surmised. She then looked to Twilight. "So, now what?"

"Well, we have about an hour. I guess we could look for Trixie."

"Ooh, ooh! I got an idea, let's split up gang!" Blossomforth exclaimed.

"Why would we do that?" Sherbet asked.

"Cause that's what the heroes are supposed to do in all the movies I've seen. Big, spooky, old-timey house, pictures that seem to watch you, a gaggle of family members and staff that have varying degrees of mystery and creepiness, a group of five in search for a pony, all we're missing is some specter haunting the place that needs to be unmasked!"

"Do we have to use hackneyed catchphrases such as 'Jinkies' or 'Zoinks'?" Honey deadpanned dryly.

"Joking aside, perhaps there is some merit to Blossomforth's proposal," Octavia suggested. "Sometimes it is cliché because it is practical. This is a rather large place for one pony to cover. In addition, one of our objectives is to learn as much about the Lulamoons as possible, which we could do more individually than as a group. Plus, on a personal note," she trailed off to glance back at Helena's portrait from the corners of her eyes, "there are some mysteries that I think need solving."

Twilight thought for a bit, then nodded. "Okay. Octavia, Auntie, you take the east wing. Daring, Blossomforth, check out the other end. I'll look around upstairs. If we don't run into each other before the hour's up, we meet back here and trade notes."

---

"Tell me Octavia," Sherbet asked her partner as they marched down a long hallway with doors on one side, paned windows on the other, and decorative suits of armor in the gaps between, "what exactly did you mean there were some mysteries surrounding the Lulamoons?"

"When we first met Moonlight, she made it quite clear to us her disdain in using magic for thespian purposes," the cellist explained. "And yet, her mother, the only authority that was above her, bore a talent that seemingly falls under those lines at first glance. There is undoubtedly a connection there we do not know of yet."

"That is rather peculiar," Sherbet agreed. "But how do you suggest we go about finding out? I can only assume it is a sensitive issue for the mare involved."

"Which is why we look for another family member to ask." Octavia opened one of the doors and entered what appeared to be a hobby room. There was a shelf with a few scrapbooks for coins, stamps, and other memorabilia. On scattered tables were various train sets and model buildings. The windowsill was cluttered with bonsai and mini-ships in bottles. And over a slanted desk, observing some scriptures on a stone tablet with a magnifying glass, was a unicorn stallion of deep turquoise and pale silver, his body wrapped in a red bedrobe. "And it appears our search is over."

The pair approached the stallion from behind, though if they came from any other direction it probably wouldn't have mattered. He was clearly so engrossed in his business that he wasn't aware of his surroundings.

Orange Sherbet decided to make the first move. "Pardon me, good sir-"

"Huh? What-" The started stallion jerked up, almost dropping his lens. "Silver, you know I don't like it when you sneak up on me here of all place-" He then took notice of the two mares standing before him as opposed to his dutiful servant. "Oh...oh! Hello there. Wasn't expecting company, but you probably already guessed that from my attire."

"It's quite alright, this is your home after all," Sherbet replied. "Are you the father of this household?"

"That I am." He placed his magnifying glass aside and flicked a stray hair down. "You may call me Starshine."

"Delighted, I am Orange Sherbet."
"And I am Octavia."

Starshine seemed to scrutinize the latter for a moment, then his eyes lit up. "Ah, a von Clef! How charming! Haven't socialized with one since the last Canterlot garden party!"

Octavia thought back. "Did she have a viola by her side?" Her question was answered with a nod. "That was most likely my sister, Symphony. We alternate between soirées."

"Well met. So tell me, what's the occasion of your visit?"

"We are close friends of your daughter," Sherbet explained. "And we had some concerns considering recent events that have surrounded her. Perhaps you could answer a few questions regarding them?"

"By all means. Let's make ourselves a bit more comfortable, shall we?" He guided the two over to quartet of lounge chairs. As the pair seated themselves, he took the liberty of extending his back legs over an ottoman as he pulled out a pipe and a fez.

"Before we begin," he started, "might I ask you a question first? To which of my daughters are you referring to?"

Octavia and Sherbet looked to each other in great surprise.

"Which?"

---

"Trixie?"

Twilight roamed the darkened corridors that sported small marble pedestals of lionesse-like figurines. So far, her investigation had proved fruitless. The first three rooms she had tried had been a locked vault, a cleaning closet, and an empty one with nothing but mirrors for some reason, all void of any clues or ponies of vital importance.

"There has to be something up here that can help me understand this family better, or at least help me find Trixie..."

Another door down the hall came up, and she hoped there would be at least somepony behind it. What she found however, was better.

"They have their own library?!"

Twilight's face lit up in a squeeish grin as she trotted around the five shelves of textbooks. A personal library, perfect! There had to be something here that could give her insight to the machinations of this clan. Deciding to start with a particularly large green one on the top, she gripped it with her magic, only to find it was wedged pretty tightly into the rows. Anchoring the shelf against the inertia with her hooves, she gave it a little mana grease, and it popped out...with the entire row like a coiled spring.

Twilight yelped and covered her head against the book avalanche that buried her. Digging out, her ears twitched to hear the sound of a mocking laugh.

"A fan of heavy reading much?"

Craning her neck around, Twilight saw an azure unicorn mare walk out from a silhouetted corner in the shadows.

"Trixie?" But Twilight's elated grin quickly faded as the mare came into the light.

Yes, this mare bore a very striking resemblance to her friend, but her coat was slightly darker, and her mane slightly lighter and a bit more wavy, combed back from behind her head. She wore a dark grey vest, resembling a business suit, although there were some alterations and ornamentations to give it a more higher class uniqueness, and had on black horseshoes that gleamed in the reading light. But the biggest difference Twilight could ascertain were her eyes. The two purple orbs fixated on her were completely unlike the mirthful and teasing ones of her friend. There was no glimmer of playfulness or tint of compassion. These cold, calculating, condescending eyes were like Moonlight's, analyzing anything and everything about them, undressing their target to its soul, reading them, and seeing what could be used towards the mare's advantage and hers alone.

Twilight couldn't help but instinctively shuffle a scoot back from within her pile. As the mare got closer, Twilight could make out her cutie mark, a red heart with three chess pieces in it, two pawns and a queen. "You're...you're not Trixie..."

The Trixie lookalike did not answer her directly, but circled around her instead like a prowling cat. "So...you are Twilight Sparkle, firstborn mare of the stable of Twilight, personal protégé to Princess Celestia, and holder of the Element of Magic."

"H-how do you know who I am?" Twilight's head twisted around, following the circling mare, not daring to ever break contact as if she would pounce the moment she looked away.

"I make it my business to know everything that goes on and about my family," the other unicorn stated know-it-all-factly, "friends, allies, adversaries..." She leaned in close, bearing a smile of thinly veiled conceit. "After all, that's why you're here, isn't it? To find out about us. What role does each of them play? And what rules do they play by? What skill sets to they have? What do they like, what do they hate, what do they want? What are they planning, and what are their motives? Because if you know what they know, you can act on it to see that things go your way in the great scheme of things." She finally broke away, a smug sense of satisfaction on her face as her deep violet aura unearthed her guest and reshelved the entire row. "Knowledge is power, you know."

Twilight could not help but feel a chill down her spine, as if that last sentence had been emphasized just for her. "W-who are you?"

Her haughty converser turned about. "See? I know you, but you don't know me. Therefore, I possess an asset over you in which you can only have if I so allow it. Advantage, Checker Monarch Lulamoon, second daughter of Moonlight and Starshine Lulamoon."

Twilight seemed a tad vexed at how this Checker introduced herself. It was clear she had very intention of doing so, but had to do so in a fashion that seemed as if she won a game or something. She attempted to diffuse the situation by pushing the subject along. "Oh, so you're Trixie's little sister."

"Only by about eleven months," Checker remarked. "A rather negligent amount when you consider the accomplishments performed within that frame of time...for any of her time."

"Well I- wait, what?" Twilight suddenly got a feeling that that particular turn of phrase was meant as a slight. "Are you insinuating something about Trixie?"

"It's not so much as implication as it is a fact. I've always been the better sister, regardless of age." Checker held herself up vainly. "I actually graduated Canterlot's school for gifted unicorns for one, plus I pretty much run everything that my mother doesn't. The only real reason Trixie's back at all is to be mother's little figurehead, not that she's ever done any real responsibilities before she left either. I was balancing dad's checkbooks and sweet talking foreign dignitaries while she was out playing with her glitters and glamors."

Now Twilight was riled. "Trixie may not be important to you, but she is to us! And just because she's not a super powerful mage like you or your mother doesn't make her magic any less special! Her spells may seem easy and childish to you, but I'll bet every book in my personal collection you could never make them the same way she does."

Checker didn't even try to feign shame. "I don't doubt that. And I never said she wasn't important to me, I simply said my role is greater than hers. It's always good to have a lesser to compare yourself to. And of course, you can't win a game unless you have all the pieces in play."

"P-pieces?!" Twilight nearly drove a hoof through the floor. "I can't believe you! At least Moonlight had the decency not to declare her intentions in the most demeaning and obnoxious manner! All you other Lulamoons seem to care about is power, because that's the only thing you seem think the world revolves around! Friendship is not some bargaining chip or capital investment, magic is more than just power and prestige, and ponies are not pieces or tokens that you can use as you please in some sick, twisted design you nobles think is nothing but a game!!"

Checker flung a devious gleam Twilight's way as she moved to a small table offside. "Oh, but it is a game, Twilight Sparkle. Life is game filled with winners and losers, and unless you start learning how to play this one and fast, you're going to be of the latter." A checker board then appeared on said table, along with two small boxes containing a set of white and black chess pieces. "But, I digress, arguing here and now isn't going to accomplish anything for either of us. Let's not have our first encounter end on the wrong hoof shall we? I know you're waiting for mother, so how about a little friendly game of strategy to pass the time, hmm? It's been quite a while since I've had an intellectual challenge."

Twilight was smart enough to know in this situation that if she chose to sat down and play Checker, it would become much more than a game to both of them. Even so, she would not back down, not when Trixie was on the line. And judging by the smile Checker wore, she knew it too.

"That's odd..." Twilight observed as Checker sorted the pieces on the board before her. "You're giving me the white set? I thought you said you take every advantage available to you."

"Hmm? Oh..." Checker seemed mildly amused. "You believe in the first-move advantage, do you?"

"It's a valid gain based on statistics. White win counts have been recorded to be about 6% more than black wins."

Checker rested the tips of her hooves together at the level of her mouth. "So the books say, Twilight Sparkle. If indeed you do think your first move will decide the match, then go ahead...make...your move..."

Trying to psyche me out already? For somepony who claims to be a master manipulator, you sure are transparent a lot...

"Pawn to d4."

---

"Trixie? Triiiixie? Olly olly oxen free!"

Blossomforth's voice echoed across the candlelit hallway. Maybe it was the fact that this was the fifth time she called in a row, or the fact she had a small grin on her face, but Honey was pretty sure Blossomforth was more interested in the reverberating noise that accompanied her every call than actually looking for their friend at the moment. Frankly, in her defense, it was the most entertaining thing to found in this narrow hall. All that could be found throughout the long and winding corridors so far was creepy portrait after another, and the occasional dresser or cabinet that was used to decorate the place.

Finally they found another door to the side as the path before them split.

"Hmmm...what could be behind door number one?" The archeologist thought out loud, and pressed the door open. Her companion oooooh'd at the several large basins built into the granite before them.

"Wow! They have their own swimming pool!"

Honey felt the floor and tapped the rock beneath them. "Actually Blossom, given the slight warmth of the stone beneath us, it stands to reason there's a furnace directly below that's meant to heat them when there's water in there. I believe we've found the family bathhouse." She looked over the side to confirm her theory by finding a small changing room with various toiletries.

Blossomforth's awe apparently hadn't diminished. "They have all this for their bathroom? All I've got is a showerhead, some lavender body wash and a rubber ducky."

"It's not a common practice except in Neighpon these days, but in the olden days bathing was considered a group activity, so baths had to be built big enough to accommodate all members of a family at once," Honey began to go off on another of her historical tangents. "These units were more costly to build and more work to maintain than single ones, so only the richer ones pursued this particular eccentricity. Still, nopony in Equestria builds these things anymore. This place must be older than I thought if it has one of these, and in working condition too it appears."

Having finished her lesson, she pulled Blossomforth away from the fancy mermare faucet over the bath's side. "Well, nothing else of interest here. Let's double back and try the other corridor."

The two pegasi peeked into another room that made almost entirely of domed glass and had a perfect view of the gardens outside.

"Huh, a solarium. Must be a recent addition to this building since they weren't conceived until the turn of the last century."

Another door presented downward steps leading into darkness and protruding faint wisps of various stimulating smells.

"Whoops, this must be path to the wine cellar."

Blossomforth sniffed the air with deep breaths. "And judging by the nutmeg to black pepper ratio, that's Old Bay I'm smelling. So they must have a spice kitchen down there too."

Honey blinked. "One day, we're going to have to get that nose tested to see what kind of plant you can't smell."

Two long galleries later, they chanced upon a room on the northwest corner. After turning the glass knob, Honey and Blossomforth found themselves in a somewhat small circular room that had more curtains than wall. A shelf for horseshoes, a shelf for jewelry, and a dress hangar guarded the sides of a canopy bed with silken sheets.

"Huh, looks like somepony's boudoir."
"Boudoir?"

Honey turned her head to Blossomforth. "It's a Prench term, basically a mix of a dressing room and a bedroom."

"Who's there?"

Both heads turned to see a shadow behind the dressing screen near the window.

"Jinkies! Somepony else is here with us!"

Honey glared at Blossomforth. "What?" she asked in return. "You suggested I say it."

The figure stepped out from behind the screen, and the pony behind it widened her eyes at the two intruders. "Blossomforth? Daring?"

Confusion struck the pegasi, who was this dolled up mare and how did she know-? Wait...Honey stared past the layers of lace and frills that decorated the hoopskirt, the braided tresses topped with a veiled headress that looked like a butterfly was sitting on top of the mane, the ridiculously poofy sleeves and chest of the silken jeweled bodice, the ribbon tied hooves, and the pearled visage of eyeshadow and blush...

"Trixie?"

Honey's mouth gaped at the conclusion she drew from the almost unrecognizable mare. Blossomforth reacted in a different manner though.

"*PFFFFFFFTT* BWA HA HA HA HA!!" Her bitten lip could hold it in no longer. "What's with that ridiculous getup, Trixie? Don't get me wrong, your old hat and cape was already flashy and gaudy to a point, but this...is just gaudy! Ha ha ha! You look like a wedding cake with legs!"

"Actually, that is a pretty traditional Canterlot style for mares of the upper class to wear," Honey analyzed. "6th, no...7th century design I presume?"

"You were correct the first time Daring," Trixie said. She tugged a bit around the waistline as she grunted in discomfort. "And Blossomforth is correct all over. This garish excuse for dress couldn't appeal to even the most esoteric of fashionistas!"

Blossomforth cocked her head. "You don't like wearing that outfit?"

"I loathe it with every fiber of my being. Plus, this corset is killing me!"

"Then why are you wearing it?" Honey asked.

Trixie's eyes seemed to somber up and dull as she looked to Honey, her mouth not carrying even the faintest of a smile. "Because Daring, it's as you said. It's what I'm supposed to wear as a noble." She then turned to Blossomforth. "More to the point, why are you here in the manor, let alone Canterlot?"

"Oh yeah!" The white pegasus grabbed her azure friend by the hooves and tried to drag her out. "We're here to spring ya Trixie!"

"What?" Trixie then found her posterior being pushed along by the other pegasus.

"Yeah, we're going to have another chit-chat with your mom, and this time she's going to listen to us! So come on, ditch the duds and meet the others in the foyer. We'll have you back in Manehattan by sundown!"

"Daring, Blossomforth, stop!"

The pegasi pair lost their footing and fell forward at the sudden rooting of their friend's hooves. Pulling themselves back up, they looked to Trixie with confused expressions.

"I'm sorry you came here for nothing, but I'm staying here in Canterlot. I...choose this."

"HUH?!" Their mouths opened even further from this second shock. "Wha- but...how did-? Who...don't-? You-?"

"Why?" Blossomforth finished for Honey.

Trixie turned away down the hall and started to distance herself from the two. "Because there's no point in leaving..."

Honey and Blossomforth looked to each other with worried faces, then back at the azure bundle of melancholy they thought was their friend sauntering away from them. They immediately ran after her as she disappeared around a corner.

"Hey Trixie, wait!"
"Hold up, Trixie!"

---

"Well, that does sound like my Moonlight, never one to resist going all out on even the simplest of tasks." Starshine pulled his pipe away from his mouth for the moment to chew a hoofful of cashews he plucked from the bowl next to him one by one.

"You seem quite unperturbed to know your wife has forcefully abused near non-existent contracts with your kin and uprooted her from a livelihood she was more than content to be with." Orange Sherbet seemed rather inquisitive with her host's continuous docile demeanor throughout her and Octavia's explanation. Starshine seemed pleasant enough, there was certainly nothing cold or stiff about his quaint smile. On the contrary, it was actually a bit inviting. But if he really was as amiable as he seemed, how could he not show that much concern over something so serious happening amongst his family? "As a married mare, it actually baffles me to some point that any stallion could find enough common ground with a lady like her to even hold a decent conversation with her, let alone start a family."

"Oh, you just don't know my dearest the same way I do," he replied in kind with a knowing smile and a slow shake of the head. "Almost nopony does, but there's an entirely different side to Moonlight's face that she never shows. I can see it's there though, after so many years of being with her I'd be blind not to know it."

He put his pipe back in, blowing a slow, solitary bubble from it. "You may not realize it yet, but family is by far the greatest thing my wife treasures above all else. She does love our daughters with all her heart, she just...has a very difficult and different way of showing it."

His horn lit up, expanding the bubble and placing the image of a memory inside. "But I've seen it. From the day I was betrothed to her to her first pregnancy, I've witnessed hints that prove to me beyond the shadow of a doubt that she is the most compassionate mare I've ever met."

"Betrothed?" That raised an eyebrow from both mares.

"Well, yes." The bubble showed a younger version of himself and Moonlight, almost as young as foals, facing each other in the palace's grand ballroom on a moonlit eve in front of their respective elders. "The ponies of my family were the Galaxies, owners of one of the most prominent magitechnology firms in the capital, Star Industries. It was the usual beneficiary arrangement between the business and nobility class. My side would gain their peerage and title, and hers would replenish their coffers of old money with our new money."

Octavia nodded knowingly. The von Clefs had been long standing members of Canterlot's mercantile clan as well, so she knew all too well about the unspoken traditions of arranged marriages here. In fact, it brought back a memory of a coupling her parents tried with her during her fillyhood with one of the Dreams.

Of course, that had been before she met Vinyl so...well thankfully it had only lasted three weeks before both sides agreed to break it off.

"But doesn't that mean you wed out of obligation, not out of love?" Sherbet asked. "It's just that...how should I say it...Mosely chose me to be his wife."

"And I chose Moonlight," Starshine returned simply. "Well, I guess you could say she chose me since she was the one with the list of suitors, but I was only one who tried to get her to pick. Other stallions soon turned to other, easier ladies to woo in the coming years, but I courted only her...because I did indeed fall in love with her."

---

The scene in the bubble shifted to a moonlit night where the two children exited a large amphitheater with an orange-red stallion leading them to a carriage. "It was perhaps two months after we were first introduced when it started. We had just finished seeing a midnight performance of The Glass Otter."

The image hazed violently as the stallion fell out onto the cobblestones with a blackened eye as the carriage was pulled off into the darkened streets and deterred off into the unlit alleyways. "When all of a sudden, the driver threw my father off as he finished buckling us in and sped off into the undertown of the city. It was then I got a good look at the ponies pulling our carriage and realized these were not the same ones that had brought us to the theater earlier that night. We had been hijacked!"

The colt quaked in his seat, eyes nothing more than pinpricks. "Apparently, we were going to be ransomed to our families for half a fortune. And if they didn't pay...well I had heard stories from places like Detrot, but I never thought they would happen here! Needless to say, I was a ball of nerves. And the fact that our horns and legs were bound only furthered my panic. But Moonlight, when I looked to her, she was a rock. Not a twitch, not a tear, not a heart in her throat, only a stone cold line on her lips. And with what little movement she could do, she clasped my hoof with hers, making my shivers stop." The memory continued on in a softer light. "I don't know what it was in those rose tipped eyes of her, but keeping in contact with them kept me calm. It kept me calm when we stopped at the abandoned air lots on the most isolated west edge of the city. It kept me calm when they threw us into the brig of a rickety old airship bound for parts unknown. It kept me calm when the hull rocked like there was an earthquake in the sky, and I could hear blasts of gunpowder and shots of arbalests outside."

It finally changed to a clearing at the base of Canterlot mountain, where the airship was downed and swarming with pegasi clad in the golden barding of the Royal Guard. "The foalnappers never had a chance to succeed, not in Canterlot at least. As fast and convert as they were, they severely underestimated how quickly the guards could be rallied, or how heavily armed they would be. All it took was a single sentry seeing their airship making an unscheduled takeoff across the outer wall, and they were done." A brown and black squadron led the thugs out of the wreckage in chains, while a white pair carefully carried the now unbound foals out from the other side on their backs. As they set them down by the side of the road to await the chariots that could be seen coming down the mountain in the distance for them, the filly leaned into the colt's side, eyes squeezed shut.

"It was then I realized as I felt her against my withers, she was shaking. She had refused to give our captors the benefit of her fear, her pride would not allow herself to show weakness to those that didn't deserve to see it. And now that it was over, she let it all out. She seemed so strong back there, and now I was seeing she had been just as helpless and scared as I was. That one moment, she was a filly like any other her age, one that needed me to lean on."

The bubble began to hopscotch through rapidly progressing ages. "It intrigued me, it did. How a lady like her could be so strong and so weak all at once. It made me watch her more closely, and because of that, I saw things about her no other suitor of hers did. How she would take the weakest moon lily out of her garden and pot it by itself so it could grow without competition, then replant it in the exact same spot when it was healthy enough to compete. How she always dueled at the academy on the outside grounds, facing away from the school walls to minimize damage. How she had her servants shop for her only from vendors with families.

She was a night-blooming cereus. Stiff, guarded, and indomitable, yet only at the loneliest of times, for a rare fleeting moment, blooming like any other flower. And every flower has its frailty, its kindness, its love. She would need a special somepony to confide in those soft moments, so matter how brief." The young mare that was Moonlight reached out a hoof to lift a black witch moth, too soaked from the rain to fly from the street to a covered windowsill where it wouldn't get trampled on, she touched the hoof of another, cradling an equally drenched luna moth. Her eyes then locked on the silvery ones that gazed back at her softly.

"As the only stallion that ever waited long enough to see her bloom in tenderness, how could I ever let it be anypony else but me?"

---

Octavia and Sherbet could only stare in wonder at the bubble as it faded back into its clear complexion. The way Starshine had portrayed his life getting to know Moonlight, it almost made her seem...well, normal. But then why? Why did it seem that she was the center of such archaic dysfunction in this family? How was forcing such inflexible and intolerant ideals onto her children any way of expressing how deeply she cared for them?

"A puzzle cannot be solved so long as there's a missing piece..." Octavia muttered to herself. And she had a sneaking suspicion what that piece was.

Meanwhile, the stallion reached into the bowl for another nut. "Hmm? Oh, empty. Well, at least I get to change my selection now." He levitated several jars out from mini pantry on the wall's bottom corner. "What do think? Walnuts or chestnuts?"

"Walnuts sound good," suggested Sherbet.

"I was thinking that too," Starshine said as he refilled the bowl. "But I will need my cracker for those."

"Right away, sir."

"AHHH!" The mares nearly leapt out of their chairs when they noticed Silver Platter suddenly standing right between their individual seats with said appliance in hoof.

"Where did you come from?" Octavia asked.

"The room's entrance of course," he aloofly replied with indifference.

"But..." Octavia looked back at the now open doors. "Not a sound..." she whispered.

"Yes, it's a little bit of a talent that Silver Platter of ours has," Starshine affirmed heartily. "Always good for a surprise." He then took the desired tool and waved him off. "That'll be all for now."

"Very well, sir." And he was gone.

Blinking back into their conversation, Octavia and Sherbet resumed pressing their next issue their host. "Perhaps you could tell us about another individual of this family we'd like to know more about."

A noisy crack shattered the room's tranquility for a brief moment before Starshine addressed them with the edible seed nestled tastily between his molars. "Certainly, who did you have in mind?"

"Her mother, Helena Lulamoon."

---

"Knight to b4."
"Rook to e6."
"Pawn to c7."
"Queen takes bishop at a3."
"Bishop takes rook at f5."
"Pawn to e3."

The war was at a fever pitch as decisions were made within seconds between the two strategists. Both Twilight and Checker had units immersed deep within enemy lines, and a constant sway of offense and defense had a piece falling almost every five turns.

But the game's conversation wasn't just a set of commands each turn. No, each move reflected a bigger debate between the mares.

"Knight takes pawn at e3. You're out of pawns now."

Checker arched an eyebrow at Twilight. "So? They're only pawns. Queen to a4."

"Pawns are the body of the army. The fact that I have all of them means I have over half your forces, you've only managed to capture three of mine. Rook to d1."

"A ton of weaklings are still weaklings. Pawns aren't meant to battle. The only role the lesser skilled have is to make the greater skilled roles easier. Knight takes knight at e3. I still have all the pieces I need, whereas you, Twilight, lost your queen within the first ten rounds."

Twilight hid her little smirk. "Just because someone starts weak, doesn't mean they stay weak. All they need is a little help, a friend to guide them along and support their endeavors. Pawn promotes at c8." She then replaced her pawn at the end of the board with her more powerful unit. "Every pawn has the potential to become a queen. Check."

Checker did not hide her returning smirk. "Ah, but not every situation is so ideal and rewarding for the little hard worker. Just because she makes it to the top doesn't mean there will be room at the top. What happens then? She will be robbed of her prosperity and knocked back to the bottom before she even has a chance. Rook to f8. Check."

Huh? Wait, how was that check? All she did was block her-

Then Twilight saw it. Right behind where the black castle had been sat Checker's bishop, and moving it to guard her king had given it a right shot at Twilight's king. In fact, that piece had been poised to check her king for almost fifteen turns when she did the math. Why hadn't she moved it earlier? She could have easily forced Twilight to reel back and fortify her formations instead of clearing a line for her pawn to-

That was it. She was waiting for her pawn to reach the end of the board. The bishop was never meant to trap her king, it was meant to trap her pawn, her pawn that she gave up three other pawns and a rook to guard, that had just become a queen and was about to corner the enemy king. If she moved the king out the bishop's way, in the next turn the rook would take her new queen. She could easily take the rook first, but not while her king was in check! Wait, she had a pawn positioned at the right end in range. She could take out the bishop and then...no! That still wouldn't work! Checker's rook would still take her queen!

There was no way out of it, her queen was pinned. All that work to get it and...now it was gone.

"If she gets knocked down," she finally admitted, "we can just help her get back up again. Pawn takes bishop at g6."

Checker's grin widened "As long as I'm playing, with the same result. Rook takes queen at c8."

---

"Trixie, wait a moment!"

Blossomforth finally managed to catch sight of her overdressed friend who had come to a stop in a wide hall full of pedestals and various objects mounted on them, several were even hanging from the wall next to the occasional picture.

The white pegasus skidded across the marble tiles as she overshot her target and nearly knocked over a vial of some kind of liquid gold on the white column she crashed into. "Staff around here does not go light on the waxing," she said to herself as she turned over off her back and moved more cautiously towards Trixie. "Ooh, look at all the knick knacks. What is this place?"

Honey, who had been taking it a little less rushed than her friend, took in the artifacts on display without the additional benefit of getting to know the floor better. "A gallery, I should have known. Every noble house has to have at least one of these. I know it's perfectly legal, but I still can't help but be a bit miffed that titled mares and stallions would pay millions of bits to have priceless relics added to some private collection where nopony can look at and learn from them."

"Actually, none of these artifacts were bought," Trixie said. "Each and every one of these items have belonged to my family the moment they were made."

"Wha-wha-what?" Honey reeled back a bit in surprise.

Trixie proceeded to clarify. "This room is to showcase the works and accomplishments every proficient mage in the lineage has done."

Honey inspected the magical tools displayed more closely, and as she did, her eyes lit up with wonder. "An Eye of the Abyss...a World-Tree charm...is that a flask of living silver? By Faust, these are some of the most potent magical objects in the known history of ponykind! That is, if any of them still had any power left inside. Heck, no one knows how to craft over half these things anymore! Trixie, your ancestors were complete wizzes at wizardry!"

Her enthusiasm trailed off when she noticed Trixie was staring glumly at one of the empty glass casings. "Whenever I came in here, I always thought I'd get to place some mystic item of my own among these someday. I had it all pictured out, the Big Boomer. It would be the ultimate pyrotech. A full fledged spectacle of every color that could fill the entire sky and last for hours, and you could light it as many times as you wanted.

...I was so stupid back then, to think that such a thing could ever be allowed to share a room with these."

Blossomforth scooted over to Trixie's side, leaning over it in mild apprehension. "Gee Trixie, don't you have any happy memories in this house?"

Trixie lulled her head down, then pulled it back up with the weakest of smiles. "Well, there were the stories..."

"What stories?" both pegasi asked at the same time.

"My grandmother's stories...back when she was still alive."

---

"My grandmother...she was a kind mare, a mirthful mare. Her eyes had the kind of zeal you would usually find in a foal, and yet her tone was always so mature. Whenever I walked the halls with her, she would always regale me with fantastic stories of my ancestors, old plays and folklore, and especially her exploits of her globetrotting days when she was young."

The little azure filly eyed a ruby ring with edges curved circular like a ram's horn on a pillow pedestal, just barely able to peek over the edge on her tippy hooves. "Ooh, that's a pretty one."

"That's the ring of Aries," the elderly mare spoke from beside her. "It belonged to your great-great-great grand uncle Comet Light. He used it to beat a minotaur in a duel of strength where they literally butted heads with one another."

"He beat a minotaur with this? Neat! Does it still work?"

Helena's horn glowed as she darkened the room and painted out the tale in glimmering light. "Only for him. You see, the ring is as ordinary as any other one, it holds no special power. For him though, it served as a symbolic vessel for his pact with the zodiac warrior Aries."

"Zodiac warriors, those were the Princess' twelve immortal champions, right?"

"Indeed, but they dwelled in a realm apart from ours, their constellations in the sky serving as the doorway between our worlds. Comet Light was a skilled astral wizard, and he used his mastery to open Aries' door for but the tiniest moment. In that brief meeting between pony and celestial spirit, Comet Light asked for a contract with Aries, and this ring was physical object that binded said contract. So long as he wore it, and the conditions of the pact were met, he could tap into Aries' unstoppable charging power."

"What conditions?"

Helena gave a chuckle as she painted their ancestor in a more vibrant light. "Well...there were certain promises he had to fulfill in the zodiac's name, some of which were...a tad silly. For example, he had to have at least one garment of wool on whenever he went out, and he couldn't eat any sort of bread unless it was left out in the sun for over thirty minutes."

Trixie giggled in tandem with her grandmother at the sight of the stallion sweating in the summer heat with a wool cap on his head.

"Beatrix, you don't really believe that nonsense story, do you?"

Trixie lowered herself from the platform to look square in the eye with her sister. "Why is it nonsense?"

"Because the zodiac warriors don't exist, that's why. After all, what would the Princess need with twelve all powerful heroes when she's already all powerful?"

"They do too exist!"

"No they don't!"

"Yes they do, because grandma says so!"

"And no they don't, because mother says so!"

"Now, now." Helena stuck a hoof between their puffed up faces. "There's no need to get all hostile over a story, that's not what they're meant for."

Trixie's pout lingered long enough to ask a question. "But who's right? You or mom?"

Her mane was stroked gently twice over. "Trixie, Checker, does it really matter who's right and who's wrong here? Your mother is a very wise mare and if she has ample reason not to agree with me on everything, then it's perfectly fine to let her choose her own beliefs, just like you can choose to think my tale fact or fiction. But none of that takes away from the appeal of my story, does it?"

Trixie nodded dutifully while Checker shuffled a hoof. "I guess not..."

Helena smiled at her youngest granddaughter. "Tell you what, why don't you pick out an item in the gallery you want to know about this time, and I'll see that it becomes a fable you'll both like?"

Checker smiled, her argument largely behind her all of a sudden. "Okay, howwww abouuuut that one!"

"Ah, Autumn Glow's epoch orb. Quite an adventure behind that one. She was a seer, and while most seers use their magic to gaze glimpses of the future, she was only interested in looking to the past..."

"And when I felt down, especially after failing another lesson from mother, I could always count on her to put a smile back on my face."

In the confines of her bedchamber, the retired matriarch snoozed her daily siesta within her luxurious canopy bed. She stirred however, when her door creaked open and a sniveling little filly shuffled in as quietly as she could.

"Mmm...hm? Trixie, is that you?"

She just shuffled against the bedside without a word, scooting underneath miserably. Helena just smiled as she levitated her up and onto her sheets. "Come on now, a growing lady like yourself shouldn't bury herself in self-pity. Tell me what's wrong."

Trixie lowered her head level to the mattress and her grandmother's stroking hoof. "Checker beat me at mote casting again."

Helena chuckled. "Oh, Trixie, you know your mother's magic lessons aren't a competition."

"It is to her," she grumped back. "And mom knows I haven't won even once. She let her leave early while I had to do it five more times! Why doesn't she like me?"

"Oh, Trixie. She loves you to pieces. She just has a different way of showing it."

"No she doesn't, all she does is scold me for trying! Why can't you just teach me instead? You'd never nag me."

"Hmm hmm, my little trickster. I could never deprive my daughter the opportunity to pass on all she has learned and enjoyed to her own daughter. Teaching is a learning experience in and of itself, the success and the mistakes."

"But I'm just a failure to her," Trixie continued to whine.

"And what is wrong with that?" Helena's horn began to light up again as she began to paint another story. Some of the greatest things in history are failures. Did you know that aether, one of Starswirl's greatest discoveries, was a failure?"

"It was?"

"Oh yes. According to the scriptures, aether's discovery was Starswirl's attempt to combine the four basic elements to create a superelement that held all four of their properties. But aether wasn't hot like fire, solid as earth, soluble like water or light as air. It held none of their characteristics, intangible to change and completely useless for what he had planned. But it was because this mysterious fifth element behaved differently from the other four that made it do things none of them could. It defied the physical law the other four elements were bound to, opening an entirely new branch of magic that could be studied called celestial magic. It's that very same failure that allows Princess Celestia to raise the sun and moon each day, you know?"

She twirled her fetlock around her granddaughter's horn. "I suppose what I'm saying is, if you can't get the results you want with Moonlight's magic this way, maybe you should try finding a new way to use her spells."

Trixie furrowed her brow in confusion. "I...I don't know how."

"That's the thing when making new spells, you never know what will happen. But that's a magic of its own too, of course." Studying the expression on her the filly's face, the elder mare could tell she had lost her. "Tell you what. I can't tell Moonlight to stop or change her lessons with you, but if you want, I can show you how to do a few tricks she never bothered to learn from me. Would you like that?"

Trixie started to nod vigorously. "Can you show me how you make those pretty neon lights to tell your stories?"

"Why certainly, my little trickster. It's just a little trick with colors that actually involves conjuring some light motes..."

---

"She certainly sounded like quite the affectionate mare." Orange Sherbet sipped from a glass of iced tea.

"Quite," Starshine looked fondly at the bubbled image of his mother-in-law. "She was perhaps the only pony in all of Equestria that could bring out that elusive smile from Moonlight better than I."

"Curious, there was no animosity of any kind between the two?" Octavia asked.

"Far from it, Helena was the light of her life. She could never be cross at her."

"Yet she deplores the life she represented. The mystery deepens ever further. Just what is the causal link we are missing?"

Starshine's face grimaced slowly and quietly. "That, I'm afraid, is one of the more somber stories of the Lulamoons. She did not always think the theater and shows trivial and insignificant. Helena had a long standing love for the performing arts, and throughout her life as head of the Lulamoon stable, she used her status to endorse quite a few successful playwrights and amphitheaters. Like how she entertained our daughters, she did so with her daughter the same way. As you might have guessed, presentation and glamour spells were her forte, a prestigious skill set for any thespian. But the problem was, she was among the innermost circles of nobility too. And any lord or lady who dedicated more time to anything other than affairs of the court...were considered easy targets."

The pair of mares looked at each other with uncertainty. "Easy targets...for what?" Sherbet finally ventured, though she feared she already knew the answer.

The unicorn stallion hardened his face into the most serious expression they'd seen so far on him as his pipe's bubble darkened over the glow of his horn, ready to project another memory.

"Scandal."

---

"It was only a year and a half since our official ceremony of matrimony, and Moonlight was just barely pregnant with our first daughter. She had taken us to the newly built Vanner auditorium to see the premiere one of her favorite plays, Flight of the Spring Breezie. It was actually a performance that was very growing in popularity at that time, add it to christening a brand new performance hall and you had quite a few of the higher houses attending just for the sake of appearances."

The aged mare in the memory was talking to a distressed stallion in a private corner of the reception lobby.

"She was close friends with the stage manager, and that night he confided in her that both one of the acting leads and her understudy had taken ill. The show was in danger of being canceled."

Nodding understandingly, Helena gestured to herself and her friend lit up, hugging her. The scene then switched over to her coming out of a dressing room in a fancy costume with antenna and transparent wings.

"Helena knew the play by heart, and volunteered to fill in. It wasn't the first time she helped in such a direct matter. She'd often assist struggling newcomers rehearse lines or stagehoofs set up. The theater community often considered her their godmother for it."

She stood on the stage with the other cast members, while her daughter and Starshine sat in the front rows with the other dignitaries.

"The performance went flawlessly with her at the helm, she even covered several mistakes the other actors made. Then came the final song..."

As she stood on top of the grove stump, a rope snapped and a sandbag came crashing down on her, bathing her in tomato paste. The Breezie queen Changing Seasons now looked like the psychotic high school filly from Shetland King's novel. And like the character, she was met with raucous laughter from the audience.

"She fell victim to a trap from the lead's jealous understudy, a very poor and mortifying circumstance for any performer, but for a noble, in front of other nobles no less, it was even worse."

Helena however, smiled through the mocking laughter and finished the song as if nothing had happened. As the curtain closed, Starshine was among the few who applauded weakly. Moonlight, however, looked at the amused and smug faces of her peers, the dilation of her pupils the only thing betraying her stone cold expression to shock.

"Helena was a plucky mare though. She shrugged it off with a laugh of her own, knowing full well the ponies she really cared about and who cared about her wouldn't mind. Sadly, my dear Moonlight did not share that insight. I saw her look among her privileged peers, the same peers that she would one way consult and exchange ideas with as successor to her stable, who seemed to respect her mother for her long standing peerage and title for so long and in turn respect her, and how they now reacted with glee to such humiliation that came with the performance. She could already hear their whispers, 'a senile, old mare more suited to wear grease paint at children's parties than handle tax reformations'. Helena had become a joke to the other nobles. She was all but shut out of any serious decisions, unable to weigh in or have her opinion taken seriously. The hearsay that buzzed around the ears of every upper class pony in Canterlot months afterwards only furthered her contempt for what she believed ruined her mother.

When Helena's life as a reputable noble died, her daughter's love for the arts died with it."

---

The bubble finally popped as the last image faded to black.

"How horrible," Sherbet murmured.

"It wasn't long after that when Moonlight pressed to have her succession date moved up and retire her mother, allowing her to live the rest of her days away from the den of snakes that were her rival stables as much as possible," Starshine finished. "Helena didn't mind. In fact, it freed up her time to help raise her grandchildren while Moonlight was in the courts, establishing her own name. Shamefully, she could never convince her to go or allow her children to go to a theatrical, musical or any sort of entertaining performance ever again."

"It all makes sense now," the Orange matron surmised. "Any daughter would think the world of her mother. And when that world came crashing down, she blamed the cause of it. That's why she dislikes non-practical applications of magic and was so against Trixie's pursuits of showmareship. She fears her child following the same hoofsteps her grandmother took, and it's ostracized end. Celestia knows I'd do anything to keep my Tangerine from falling in with the wrong herd."

"Suspicion and worry are the most potent poisons of the mind," Octavia cited. "We cannot fault Moonlight for doing what she thinks will bring the least anguish to her progeny, no matter how unparalleled her apprehension of the catalyst."

"Yes," Sherbet agreed. "It's only natural she'd think the path of any entertainer would inevitably end in shame. But Helena held her head high regardless, it seems the only one who truly felt shame that day...was Moonlight. What could we possibly do to make her think otherwise, that whether or not Trixie shares the same fate as her grandmother, it won't be as devastating as she's led herself to believe?"

"That, ladies, is a conundrum I've wanted to answer for years. But, having seen no solution before me after so long, the best I myself can do is stay by her side and weather her concerns together." Starshine tapped his hooves together at the bridge of his nose. "Perhaps though...Beatrix's return could change things."

"I can see you're perplexed," he added, taking note of the mares expressions. "You see, Helena traveled the world in her early years, absorbing the experiences of many things not found in Canterlot. It's those globetrotting experiences that allowed her to give her daughter that inner smile in the first place. And our firstborn daughter is the only pony in our family that has ever stepped hoof outside of Canterlot extensively in fifteen years. A wild card just may be the only thing that can be a game changer at this point. After all, she brought you here, what other surprise may come to us through her?"

Octavia and Orange Sherbet nodded at each other, the hidden message clear to them. It was Trixie that had to change Moonlight's view, she was probably the only one who could.

It was just then that the grandfather clock across from them rang upon the hour.

"Hm, well. It would appear the work day for my wife is over." Starshine moved to get up. "She's always stops at four on the dot, no matter what the issue is. So she should be ready for you momentarily. Why don't I save you the rush of scrambling around and lead you to her office?"

"Much obliged," the pair said in unison.

---

"Well, enough reminiscing. Let's get back to getting you back to Manehattan."

Trixie just hung her head away from Honey. "I already told you, there's no point..."

"What do you mean there's no point?" the archeologist exclaimed. "Don't you want your life back?"

The overdressed unicorn then stared steely into her tan friend's eyes. "Was it ever really my life?"

She waved a hoof to the many once powerful artifacts adorned in the hallway behind them. "Look at those magiworks!"

She whipped around to point the other way, towards a line of regal profile paintings. "Look at these portraits!"

She reared up to free her front hooves to gesture widely. "Every single one of them has led the exact same kind of lifestyle with the exact same kind of magics, here, in Canterlot. Why? Because it was what they were meant to do! It was what was best for them. Every Lulamoon ever born was an aristocrat, traditional in magic, and traditional in manner."

Her eyes fell upon an empty frame that had not been mounted yet. "Why should I have been any different? How could I have been any different? Fifteen long years, I've thought every choice I've made was my own. But it was all an illusion, it was the will of my mother that let me go...it was the will of house Lulamoon. That's the true curse of nobility. You're not defined by your individuality but by your stable. That's why she was always right, because it wasn't best for her, or me, or any one pony, it was best for the family."

Her head drooped down in resignation. "So even if I could leave without her say, even if she couldn't control me, it still wouldn't matter. Staying here, and supporting mother, is what's best for the Lulamoons, so it's what's best for me too."

The pair just stood there, expressions blank, as if they just shut down. This was not the Trixie they had been expecting to find. They were staring, for the first time in their lives, at a pony that had truly and completely given up. How could they possibly save a pony, that didn't even want to be saved?

Did...did she even need saving? This thought had not crossed their minds until now. Trixie was the legal heir to everything here, so one day...she would have to take over all this stuff anyways, right? Could Moonlight taking her back under her hoof actually be what was best for her in the long run? And if so, should they succeed in their original goal, wouldn't that make them the kidnappers?

"Will...will you at least just let all of us talk with her first? Maybe we can work something different out entirely," Blossomforth suggested. "Or...at least let the rest of us talk to you."

"You're free guests in this house..." Trixie relented.

Honey nodded over at Blossomforth. "Right, let's regroup with the others before we think of anything else."

"Okay, so did Twilight say to meet with her upstairs or back at the entrance again?"

Blossomforth's last sentence suddenly galvanized their downtrodden friend into a panic. "Twilight's upstairs?!"

The pegasus gave a hop back to pull her muzzle away from the unicorn's. "Huh? Y-yeah...why? Is there something up there she shouldn't mess with?"

Trixie's mouth shrank into a dot, whispering a single word. "Checker..." And then she was off.

The pegasi took that cue to resume their chase.

"Hey! Trixie, wait!"
"Not again..."

---

"Queen takes pawn at d5. You're going to lose Sparkle, you do know you're not going to succeed in your mission here, don't you?"

She was toying with her, Twilight just knew it. She had been using only the queen for the last 12 turns and 3 captures. Not that she had much left aside from that, a rook, and a knight. But Checker hadn't moved either in so long! They weren't even guarding or being guarded.

I just have to get rid of that queen, then I have a chance.

"How do you figure that? It's not over yet. Pawn to a4."

"Because you're still not playing the game right. The minute you walked in you haven't been playing it right. Queen to a5."

Twilight was too engrossed in setting up her trap to retort. "Knight to f3."

"You think it'll all be over and you'll have your precious Trixie back the minute you win over mother," Checker continued. "But that's never going to happen since you've got the wrong order of things. It's not her you have to convince, but all of Canterlot. Queen takes pawn at a4."

"Bishop to d3. What are you talking about? Only Moonlight has power over Trixie, I know there's no ancient rule that can give absolute authority over somepony else's child, noble or not."

"There's more to every rule than what is simply written on parchment. Queen to d1. Especially to those who make them."

"Knight to e5. That's fundamentally impossible. Every rule has the exact same restrictions and privileges to everypony regardless of status, otherwise it wouldn't be a rule."

Checker simply grinned. "Ever heard of following the letter of the law, but not the spirit? The rules many serve as the great equalizer for the game, but they're only as equal as every pony's understanding of them. Just because the rest of the stables can't influence your friend, doesn't mean they can't influence those who can, or influence those who influence her influencers. Queen takes bishop at d3."

"What are you saying? That my friends and family can be convinced to keep Trixie here? I think you'll find our friendship to be stronger than any bribe or threat any of you nobles can make. Knight takes queen at d3."

Gotcha!

"One perhaps, but what about ten? Or twenty? Or a hundred? Did you know that while the Manehattan's weather department is a university funded organization, the financial distribution of its budget is handled by the city's federal committee, which answers to the Cloudsdale council, who address the needs of each of the shareholders of their industries, where three of the major ones happen to be families right here in Canterlot? Oh, and if I recall, all museums are considered public property, meaning no one else can own it except our national government or trustee of it. I suppose that also means most of the money for its exhibits comes out of the pockets of its policymakers too. And concert halls, I do believe three-fourths of all their endorsers and critics are also lobbyists for our country's policymakers, though I'm sure they'd be happy to provide something other than their hard earned bits to push their ideas forward. Speaking of bits, the Orange Conglomerate today seems to be in violation of several anti-trust laws that were repealed half a century ago, but I'm certain enough votes from the inner court could have those rules reinstated. There would be massive layoffs and corporate buyouts that follow, but that's the price one pays for regulation of competition.

You see Twilight Sparkle, when you fight one noble, you fight them all. That's the irrefutable truth, a truth you and your companions clearly aren't prepared for. You're the minority here, and that's because you haven't convinced the majority what you want is what they want. What they don't want, they don't like, and when the majority doesn't like your notions, you make more enemies than you do friends here. And those enemies can make their friends your enemies, and they can make their friends your enemies too. And before you know it..."

She swung her rook in a defining arc against the knight, a malicious gleam across her eyes. "...you're all alone. Rook takes knight at d3. Checkmate."

"What? No, that's not checkmate!"

Checker's smile only widened. "It might as well be. Take a closer look at the board, Sparkle."

Twilight scanned the board, stupefied as to her opponent's statement. It wasn't checkmate, it wasn't even check. Her king was safety out of reach from any of Checker's pieces at the edge of the board, and-

And then it dawned on her. Her king was the only remaining piece on the board. Yes, she had managed to finally end the queen's reign of terror on the board, but as long as Checker had at least one other piece on the field, she would be able to eventually corner and mate Twilight's helpless king. It was one against the rest, and a king couldn't win by itself.

Checker was right, there was no way Twilight could beat her now. Her opponent had won through sheer dominance of the board.

"I...lost..."

The thoughts still swam sporadically through Twilight's head. How could she have let such a neophyte way to lose come to pass? In retrospect, her memory recalled a ton of different famous strategies that could have easily countered the ones Checker played out, but why hadn't she done them?

Then she recalled her arguments with Checker while she played. Their words ended up reflecting their movements on the board. Checker had psychologically affected her judgement in playing, the more control she had gained in the conversation the more control she had gained over the board.

This...this is how nobles operate, she realized. Their biggest weapon isn't their wealth or their titles, it's their words.

"Twilight! Get away from her!"

The beaten mare snapped out of her humbled stupor to regard the trio that bounded into the room, the lead one more frantic than the others.

Twilight immediately rekindled her smile when she recognized who it was. "Trixie?!"

Her urge to glomp her was quickly overwhelmed when she did it instead, pulling her away from the table and bringing the two sisters face to face.

"Checker, I swear if you did anything to her..."

"Oh my dear Beatrix, why must you assume I'm always out to get you?"

"Because you are!" Trixie spat back at her smugly grinning face. "It's always been that way! And it hasn't stopped being that way the minute I walked back in here, so why should it stop now?"

"Touché," Checker simply said with a shrug. "But in this case I was actually helping miss Sparkle by giving her a taste of what she was planning to go up against. I'd be lying if I said I didn't enjoy milking it though."

"I take it you wanted to avoid any of us meeting this one," Honey inferred.

The moment she drew attention from the conversation, Checker breezed past her sister as if she was air and circled the two pegasi the same way she did with Twilight.

"So, these are your other friends... Blossomforth, bearer of loyalty. Manehattan junior weather cadet, third division. Graduated Cloudsdale Technical with a Bachelor's in Weather Engineering, and a double minor in mechanics and botany. And Honey Do, bearer of Honesty. Archaeology major at Canterlot University, ten year excavator, five year curator at the Equestrian Museum of Supernatural History. Of course, that's not what your friends call you by."

"Oooh, can you guess my weight too?" Blossomforth asked.

Checker eyed the oblivious grin the pegasus held, then chuckled. "Yes, I can definitely see why my sister would make friends with you."

"I thought I heard voices coming from this room."

The personal library was starting to get a little crowded as another trio walked in.

"My, it's a regular soirée," Sherbet said before she noted who was amongst the crowd. "Trixie! Darling, so good to see you and...Trixie?"

"No Auntie, I believe that is the other daughter Starshine said he had," Octavia corrected.

"Hello father," the pair greeted automatically as he walked up to them.

"Well, it seems I wasn't the only one entertaining guests today," he surmised, looking at the pieces on the board. "Another one of your famous chess matches, Checkmate?"

"Yes father," the haughty mare politely beamed. "And as always, I won."

"I suppose this means you'll be wanting your usual victory snack?" he asked.

Checker tapped her chin, as if pretending to decide. "Indeed, nothing compliments the thrill of triumph than the victor's spoils. I'm thinking artichoke bites with goat cheese dipping this time."

"Exquisite choice, young mistress."

"AAAH!" Every non-Lulamoon jumped back from the empty space that was now filled by the stoic Silver Platter, presenting a serving dish with the aforementioned treat.

"Punctual as always Silver," Trixie said with a roll of the eyes.

"Thank you Jeeves," Checker quipped as she took one, only one, piece from the tray and motioned her hoof for him to take the rest away.

The others, meanwhile, were still trying to process on how the enigmatic butler snuck up on them yet again. The fact that his appearance was from the other end of the only doorway made it even more difficult to wrap around.

"What the heck did he do?" Honey whispered out loud. "Crawl out from under the bookshelves?"

It was at that moment the stallion turned to address them. "In addition, Mistress Moonlight is ready for you. If you would please follow me to the training hall."

---

It was only a two corners and a corridor down from where they had gathered, but in the dimly lit halls, it felt longer. The room they entered at the end of the walk could be best be described as a mix between a classroom and a dojo. A chalkboard with an accompanying rack of scrolls hung against the royal blue wallpaper. A line of fencing rapiers, archery equipment, and channeling rods stacked neatly against a mirrored wall. Posture weights and braces complimented the vacant space between an alchemist cauldron and a runestone array.

And at the center, imposing and regal as always, stood the matriarch of house Lulamoon.

Silver Platter was the first to break the silence. "I have brought them as requested, mistress."

"You are dismissed, Silver," Moonlight ordered with equal straightforwardness.

"By your leave."

And the room was soon one stallion less.

Twilight looked back at her friends. As usual they nodded the silent you first. Twilight raised a hoof, but before she could set it down in a step forward, Moonlight raised one of her own by the knee.

"Beatrix, Checkmate. Lesson review."

The two Lulamoon daughters walked forward past a stunned Twilight, across the room until they stood in a perfect triangle from their mother.

The mares spectating at the edge of the line didn't have an inkling of what to make of this, until Moonlight's horn began to glow. A shield barrier enveloped the trio.

"Vulcanism's Pyre."
The pair immediately lit up their horns as well, and two mini volcanoes erupted in front of them.

"Sublime’s Scintillating Sparks."
A graceful chain of lightning loops from their horns in a spiral, striking the targets Moonlight materialized.

"Holly's Breath."
Green vapors caused the potted ferns summoned to go completely limp.

"Damascus Skin."
Patterned, grooved, steel hides encompassed them as several darts thrown bounced off.

Twilight recognized the range of spells she was seeing. These are from the 4th century school of Macto. Class A dueling spells! Moonlight...was able to initiate these spells into Trixie in only a week?

Or perhaps...Trixie already knew these spells, and just never practiced them...

As the last spell faded, Moonlight's horn winked, and the damage to the room winked away just as fast.

"Checkmate, laudable spell strength from last time. Beatrix, your casting time has only shown a 0.2 millisecond improvement, lower it by 0.5 next time."

The two mares bowed to their mother gracefully. It was then Moonlight finally acknowledged the others presence.

"What you saw," she began as she walked towards the Manehattanettes, "is the standard of magic every Lulamoon is brought up to uphold. Magic of grace, power, and dignity. For unicorns, the exercise and utilization of spells is the very core of their being. As such, how they learn and practice their magic extends outward and reflects upon all other aspects of their existence. Talents, poise, mannerisms, respect, all are a mirror of our command in magic."

Without so much as giving a pause to breathe, she glided out into the hall, ushering for them to follow. The hallways seemed to darken more in the direction she led them. Finally stopping in front of two large midnight blue double doors rimmed with real silver trimming, Moonlight dropped the other horseshoe.

"Who else could be the pinnacle of such virtuous force, than our Princesses?"

Twilight and the others gasped at the sight they saw as the doorway opened before them. A darkened grand hall welcomed them, with walls and ceiling that could easily be mistaken for a night's sky, glimmering with beautiful constellations. And standing at the far end, was a statue of obsidian, features adorned with black onyx and gold beryl. It was a statue of Princess Luna, not the yearling form they first saw her as when they freed her from Nightmare Moon, but her true, majestic, shape, in full power and beauty. Very old paintings complimented the midnight tapestry on the sides, paintings of her, in the regality of her old castle, a vast untarnished difference from the ruins they were now, accompanied by the various mares and stallions, each one in each painting bearing the same crescent moon emblem on their robes.

"The Lulamoons were more than just noble servants to Princess Luna, we were her right hoof at one point. Among her advisers, her confidants, we were the surrogate children of the night. We few of her stables held the night, both its mysteries and magic, sacred. Even when she fell to darkness, we did not descend to the same madness like the Astrals, nor did we abandon her doctrines and love as did the Tides! We held true to her blessings, loyal not to her ideals, but what they represented. When Celestia ended the era of darkness, only three families of the lunar's inner circle remained. We were of those three. We consented to keep our heads low to end the fear of night. We agreed to let time heal the wounds, to let the name of Luna fade into obscurity for the greater good.
But we would not forget. We acted not as erasers of her existence but as her keepers. We took the records, the depictions, the secrets, and hid them all away safely. For like her sister, we knew there would be a time when it would be needed again, a time when the Princess of the Night's name could be spoken again freely, a time when our shepherdess of dreams would return to her rightful place, wise, benevolent, and guiding."

She then turned abruptly to face Twilight.

"And now that time has finally come! One thousand years of absence, and our loyalty and dedication to her has remained as steadfast and unwavering as ever. Princess Luna is about retake her place on the throne of Equestria, by her sister's side. And the Lulamoons will soon be by her side once more as well, guiding her into this new age as she guided us for so many a generation. And I will not allow anyone save the Princess herself, to deny the reward our family has waited so long for: Recognition of our legacy, not just as a stable, but the stable...of the moon."

She then turned away, proceeding to leave hall behind her. "This is what I need my family for. This is what I will have my family for, all of it."

She passed by her respective members one by one, calling them to follow behind her.
"Come Starshine."
"Yes, dear."
"Checkmate."
"At once, mother."
"Beatrix, have Silver Platter see our guests out."

As the rest of the family disappeared out into the hall, Trixie stopped at the edge of the doorway to look at Twilight with sad, resigned eyes.

"Go back to Manehattan, Twilight Sparkle. There is nothing left for you here."

"But...but Trixie-"

"The Great and Powerful Trixie is gone!" she painfully spat. "Now...there's only Beatrix Midsummer Lulamoon the second, heir to house of Lulamoon, scion of the original lunar stables..."

She then turned away, head hung low.
"...and that's all that ever will be there from now on..."

And so Twilight and her friends could do nothing but watch in despair, as Beatrix Lulamoon disappeared from their sights and into the shadows after her mother.

---

Shining Armor trotted up the steps to his home, sports cap on his head and pennant sticking behind his ears. His saddlebag also contained a model train set plus conductor's cap as well as a leftovers box from a Private Pansy's Pizzeria. A little baby dragon sat on his back, foam finger in one claw, and a huge waffle cone in the other.

"That was definitely some long overdue bonding between bros," Spike said, his lips richly decorated in rocky road.

"You can say that again. Best day off ever," his adoptive big brother concurred, remembering to wipe his hooves before entering. "Wonder if Twily had as good a day as we did getting her friend back."

He stopped short of the living room though. Peaking over his head, Spike soon saw why.

"Well isn't this a familiar sight," he groaned to himself as he took note of the five mares draped over the living room furniture on their stomachs and backs with pathetic, half dead looks on their faces.

"I take it things didn't go as well as previously hoped?" Twilight's B.B.B.F.F. ventured.

"Not even close," his L.S.B.F.F. mumbled, not even bothering to lift her face up from the couch cushion.

Night Light and Twilight Velvet came from out of the kitchen, a pitcher of iced tea and glasses on hoof.

"Sorry punkin, it was long shot at best anyways. The Lulamoons have been one of the most traditional of stables since the construction of Canterlot. I actually doubt anything less than a royal decree could convince Moonlight to let go of Trixie what with the current situation surrounding Princess Luna."

"This really sucks now," Blossomforth grumbled, her hooves wrapped around a throw pillow. "The Lulamoons don't want Trixie to leave, the other nobles don't want Trixie to leave, even Trixie doesn't want Trixie to leave now! It's like this whole city's against us for some odd reason!"

"It seems there's nothing we can do at this point," Orange Sherbet surmised. "As long as Princess Luna remains a hot topic for the nation, I doubt anypony here is going to want to keep their hooves off nobles with even the slightest relation to her."

"And to think, this all got started from some dumb, archaic, almost non-existent law," Honey groused.

Twilight's head turned to the side, gears beginning to turn in her head.

"It's not her you have to convince, but all of Canterlot..."
"Princess Luna...nobles with even the slightest relation to her..."
"...the family title of Twilight is still a stable of Canterlot in name..."

"THAT'S IT!" She suddenly exclaimed at the top of her lungs.

Everypony jumped, their hearts nearly beating out of their chests.

"Goodness, Twilight. What's it?" Octavia asked.

"Checker was right, I have been going about this all wrong! If I'm ever going to have equal hoofing against Moonlight, I have to beat her at her own game!" She turned to her father. "Dad, the stable lords meeting, it's tomorrow evening at the palace, right?"

"That's right, punkin. Tomorrow at seven pm."
"And every stable of Equestria will be in attendance?"
"As far as I know, yes."
"Then I'm going with you."

Everypony looked to one another, not entirely sure where Twilight was going with this.

"What are you hoping to do, Twily?" Shining Armor asked at last.

Twilight looked to her friends and family with a scheming grin, full of determination. "If the Lulamoons won't budge on this issue, then I'm taking this case to court. The royal court!"

---

"This blows big time."

Babs rolled around on Twilight's old bed, bored out of her skull. "A new city to explore, with tons of new cutie mark earning opportunities, and we's stuck, cooped up here like a buncha jailbirds!"

"Well, it's not a total loss. Twilight's mom was nice enough to let us tag along on her errands today," Firecracker said.

"That is true," Tangerine agreed, crossing out a list of items she wrote on Smartypants' notebook with her quill. "We got to try being cutie mark crusader greengrocers, jewel appraisers, printing pressers, bank tellers, dust busters...and we did get fruit smoothies afterwards."

"Yeah yeah yeah. I'm talking about the neat stuff we should be doing 'ere. Moat digging, gem mining, cannon testing! But no, we's gotta be punished for trying to do something good. I mean, how can they be for sure we won't be able to help Trixie?"

"I do still want to do something to save her," Firecracker admitted. "If only we knew something about those mean nobles' plans..."

"Hey girls!" Featherweight skidded into the room, excitement plastered all over his face. "You'll never guess what I just overheard in the living room!"

Author's Note:

The base character concept of Helena and Checker come from Shadow Raikou's Trixie's Gettin' Back On Her Hooves, and Starshine and the Lulamoon family butler from DerpyMuffins15's It's The Thought That Counts.

Although if you read theirs, like Moonlight's character, you will find there are some variants.

Next time, the climax! Everything comes together in the castle court! Secrets will be revealed, questions will be answered, and of course, the antics will ensue!

Comments

[redandready45]

Glad to see you're back!

So Moonlight doesn't just desire power. Her attitude has been shaped by years of judgement from a noble caste that might as well be animals in a jungle on the attack. She wants her family to be great, but her idea of greatness has stifled all else.

So it appears the final verdict will be given by the Princess of the Night herself. That will be a sight to see.

i0.kym-cdn.com/photos/images/original/000/169/432/nic_cage_moar.gif

[Seanchow806Napoleonic]

Nice Update. What took you so long if you pardon me? Anyway, I was gonna create The Solar Princess of Fascism and Luna's Sleepy time.

[touileasaso]

What are those tykes up to now...?

Anyway, glad to see you back. I really need to write more...

[Seether00]

Noooo! I hate Checkers so so much. I had enough of her in her base story. She is mare you just want to punch in the face.

Here is hoping that Trixie gets some solace.

[Raistlin]

4409519

Checker´s greatest flaw as a character is that she is more of a Magnificent Bitch Wannabe rather than the real deal. She has too many of canon Trixie´s flaws (bragger, obnoxious.) to be taken seriously; Monarch will lose her cool as soon as someone press the right buttons.

[Obsidian Raindrop]

You know I could make a valid case saying Twilight and her friends are the bigger villains trying to destroy the hopes and dreams of forty generations (If the have kids every 20 years) of ponies just because Trixie doesn't like her day job.

[Obsidian Raindrop]

4409519 Checkers WANTS Twilight to win if Twilight gets trixie home checkers get to be luna's right hoof mare. (that is if she is smart enough to manipulate Twilight so she gets trixie out of her way but not enough to hurt the lulamoon name for her not to be in luna's good graces) Why else do you think twilight's next course of action is the one checkers TOLD her to do.

After thought:

When her mom is done with this whole Twilight debacle it might be so bad that she had to step down, with twilight getting what she wants trixie will be out of the way meaning if twi wins checkers wins it all and if twilight loses all she has to do is count the days until trixie make a foal out of her self again (probably another controlled scheme by checkers) and she would have to step in to regain some of the dignity that her sister lost. Plus Trixie's enemies could still use her past already to bring her down.

[Obsidian Raindrop]

Quick question that has been bugging me; How is Twilight the hero? Sorry, but after my fifth rereading moonlight seems to be more in the right. If this story was from Trixie's perspective she would be the chosen one born to accomplish some great feat, but is reluctant to do it so she ran away from her destiny. Now that the time is upon her her mentor or mother in this case is forced to get her to do what she reluctantly doesn't want to do and fulfill her destiny. Now her friends are trying to get her to run away from that destiny so they could be happy and damn 1000 years of work. Granted moonlight only wants her back as a figurehead but even without the elements just the fact that her family has been loyal for over 1000 years while she was banished would make the lulamoon (and trixie by extension cause she still is the heir of the lulamoon) vary liked.

[Skyeheart]

4411254
You're reading too into this, much like Moonlight is.

[Obsidian Raindrop]

4411417 look I love this story and think you made really complex characters, Take pleasure that i wrote this because this is everything I want in a story. I love it and this is how I'm showing it.

why is twilight the hero in this? I mean in the grand scale of this she is just screwing over 1000 years of work just because trixie doesn't to have her pretty fucking awesome inheritance.

She has at least 40 generations of her family that gave up so much time and effort so she could be here. I mean you have to imagine in the past there must have been lulamoon's who didn't want to be heirs who thought they would never make it to 1000 years but still went though this training so she could be here. Or if you look at it on the other side of the spectrum the lulamoon's who would of loved to meet luna. This was a family who must of lost a dear friend when she was banished they must of been persecuted for because of there devotion to luna and yet they still did it all for her. can you imagine the songs they wrote or the paintings they wanted to show her (there should be a side story where luna has to see what every lulamoon wanted to show her) Think about Helena she must of been so sad when she thought she couldn't meet princess luna. Think about all of them they must be so pissed (and rightfully so) that the lulamoon that gets to meet not even serve princess luna doesn't want it. Trixie deserves to get haunted for this.

[Obsidian Raindrop]

Oh and you didn't answer my question>

[Skyeheart]

4412190
Moonlight's depth of character and circumstances around it has caused her to exaggerate her perspective on why her ancestors have preserved Luna's memory, let's put it at that. Her family may have a bit closer than most, but that's really it. Like every other noble, she's blowing her return out of proportion.

[punzil504]

I get the impression that Moonlight believes that Trixie is destined to become to Luna what Twilight is to Celestia... and from what Skyeheart is saying that's not the reality of the situation. Trixie is the Element of Laughter for a reason. Maybe it's not exactly fate or destiny, but it is part of who Trixie is. If Trixie is thrust into a role at Luna's side, even if she is doing so out of love and loyalty to her family, she won't be happy, and how can the Element of Laughter be unhappy for the rest of her life?

Ironically, both of the Manehattanverse Trixie-centric stories have involved a very unhappy Trixie at some point... but by comparison even Pinkie Pie isn't happy 100% of the time (Party of One, Pinkie Pride, even Too Many Pinkie Pies stick out as examples).

[Obsidian Raindrop]

Yeah but for 1000 years her family knew of luna hell trixie probably knew and forgot about luna's return. That isn't something that can be faked they clearly are devoted to her in away others aren't hell Twilight didn't even know of nmm until she read about it.

But you keep on dodging my question how is twilight the hero.

[Obsidian Raindrop]

4412782 well moonlight did say that the lulamoon were princess luna's right-hoof mares and the only one of luna's inner court that hadn't been lost (the astrals going crazy and the tides abandoning her over time) While agree that trixie in this world won't be princess luna's student (as much as that kills me) she could be some pony that isn't a yes-mare and that is important.

[Ethereal Trixster]

This chapter was amazing, I'm now waiting for what the conclusion is.

[Skyeheart]

4412982
She's not. If you'd catch my hints already, you'd know it's going to be Trixie who ultimately solves this scenario.

[Skyeheart]

4415454 Relax, I've assured everyone this will not bleed into the Manehattanverse. It will start and end with this.

[Obsidian Raindrop]

4415630 sorry it's just because you've set it up where I want the bad guy to win she seems like the one most in the right.

[RK_Striker_JK_5]

*Raises hand* Okay, can Checker please get kicked in the face? please? I loathed her in Getting Back on Your Hooves. In the best possible way, mind. But dead-serious, please?

Great chapter overall, too.

[Linksta]

4415642
I certainly hope so. The biggest problem with the Lunaverse was that the creator of the Lunaverse declared all the stories by different authors as canon. This meant that while each individual story with an evil noble or two would be understandable, by making all the stories connected, the entire Night Court was a wretched hive of scum and villainy. The result was RainbowDoubleDash hamfistedly destroying the entire Night Court, with the Lunaverse Six acting just as bad as the nobles.

Unrelated to the above: One of my pet peeves in any fiction is when life is described as a game of chess, or someone acts like life is a game of chess. Oh, but that's not what bothers me. What bothers me is that they usually win. It's almost a deal-breaker that causes me to drop a fic automatically. The only thing that can save a fic like that in my eyes is if the so-called "chessmaster" has their plans completely blow up in their face.

But it almost does; instead, circumstances always align to "just as keikaku." Which is likely what would have really happened is the "chessmaster" would have been stabbed, or imprisoned, or something that is a consequence of horribly crashing and burning. They simply not deserve to succeed. If anything, they should be thinking, "Holy shit, I cannot believe that actually worked! Now that I think back on it, this was a stupid plan that could have failed in countless ways!" You see, life is never so simple as chess. For instance, if I or someone else was losing at chess, we could always choose to simply flip the board.

Seriously, what is with people thinking that smart people are good at playing chess? It is a game of how well you can memorize the moves dammit! It's been proven that any idiot can learn to be a master of chess. Now, some people say that chess is about planning ahead and entrapping your opponent through subtlety and trickery while playing within' the bounds of very strict rules, while your opponent can see every move you make, and that's why it's used as the symbolic equal to strategy and politics.

The problem with that analogy is that in real life, no one is that omnipotent. You can't see every move the other guy makes as well, and neither can he. There's simply too much going on for any one person to keep track of everything, and setting up huge spy organizations to try and keep track of everything just results in possibly important information getting filtered out before it ever reaches you.

Of course, that's why Poker is the other great life analogy. You only know what cards you got and are forever guessing what the other guys has based how well you can read them, and everyone's cards are dictated by sheer chance.

Really, a good game analogy for life would combine the two. You'd have double blind chess where each piece can only see the squares that it can move to, each piece would be dealt their own set of five cards, and every attempt to capture an opposing piece would result in a poker hand being played using the cards dealt to the respective pieces with the losing piece being captured and the winning piece gets dealt a new hand of cards.

[ward282]

When is the next chapter likely to be out, if there is one?

[Skyeheart]

4761324
I know it's slow going, but I have a job now. Shouldn't be too long.

[ward282]

4761359 sure thing! Thanks!

[Smilekat]

Hmmmm, I must say this is one of the most interesting Manehattenverse stories I've ever read, I really look forward to seeing where it goes.

[Alchemystudent]

Oh, how id I miss this chapter? Ok, start reading.

"Wich one of my daughters?"

Oh, a sister.

An Azure mare

Well, I don't see how that is...

A sinister look, haughty clothes, and a cold an caluclating stare

No, no, it cant be... you didn't.

You hav to know everything about your opponent

That sounds like her, but you didn't, you couldn't have...

Checker Monarch Lulamoon

OH YOU DID!!! YES!

(Is gone, I told you if you put in Checker that I would be the FIRST out the door.) GOD I love that mare. and I mean in all of the right ways. I love her cold calculating nature and I love her because of her maness. She reminds me in everyway of...Azula. An yes, I kept hearing her as I read Checker's dialouge.

[Alchemystudent]

Well, I suppose if you got to go evil, you got to bring out the second most evil OC villian in all of Ponydom. Look, I love Starshine and all, but Checker kind of stole the show with her just being her. i love the complexities here on all sides. not know what is truely right and wrong. the only thing i do know is this...checker needs a but whoppping!