Six Best Friends Play Diplomacy

Chapters

Game Start
Summer 01
Winter 01
Winter 02
Year of 03
Year of 04
Year of 05
Appendix A
Summer 02
A Letter to the Princess

Game Start

“So do you got any idea what Twi wanted to meet us about?” Applejack asked Rarity as the two of them made their way down the street towards the library. It was a pleasant afternoon, and they enjoyed a cool breeze blowing through their manes for a moment before returning to their conversation.

“I only know what you do, I expect.” Rarity replied airily. “Something about a game she wanted to try out. She didn’t even stay long enough to explain what the game was, just ran off saying she had to find Rainbow Dash.”

Applejack snorted and rolled her eyes. “She must be very excited about this game, then. Just glad Ah don’t have much work to do at the farm tonight. She told me that the game could run a mite late.”

“Oh dear, you don’t think she’s planning another sleep-over, do you?” Rarity asked in mock horror. “I didn’t think to bring any of my night gowns or facial creams with me!”

“Ah think she might have mention it if we were to be stayin’ the night.” Applejack reassured.

“Really, though.” Rarity went on, as they approached the door to Twilight’s library. “I find it a little hard to believe that Twilight could get this excited about a simple little game. It’s the kind of thing I’d expect from Pinkie, not somepony as serious as her.”

“I KNOW RIGHT!” Pinkie shrieked in Rarity’s ear, somehow appearing right out of nowhere behind the duo. Rarity whinnied in surprise and jumped a foot into the air, her mane shooting out straight on end like she’d been electrified. Applejack didn’t fare much better, leaning away from the other two with a startled gasp and nearly losing her hat before slamming a hoof on it to keep it in place.

“You don’t think Twilight is trying to edge in on my territory, do you?” Pinkie continued, completely oblivious to the distress she’d caused. “I mean, when Twilight says hop, I say how high, and not just because I like hopping, because who doesn’t, right? But Twilight is the one who’s always in charge, and it is fun sometimes, but I’m the one who plans the parties and fun get-togethers, and I don’t think there’s room for two fun-party-ponies in this town. Unless… there IS room for two party-ponies in this town, and we could plan them together, and…”

“Calm down, Sugercube.” Applejack admonished, placing a hoof on the pink pony’s back and holding her down to stop her jittering. “Ah’m sure it’s nothing like… whatever you’re worryin’ about.”

Before Pinkie could answer, the door opened and Twilight poked her head out. “Just in time, girls! I just finished setting it up. Come on in!”

She stepped aside to let the three new arrivals in, Rarity shooting dark glances at Pinkie’s back, and ushered them over to the table in the center of the library. Rainbow Dash and Fluttershy were already at the table, the former leaning on her elbows and looking surprisingly bored. Fluttershy looked up from studying the contents of a box and waved to her friends in greeting.

“Get ready for a dull time.” Rainbow warned as they joined her at the table. “The egghead found an educational game to play.”

“I’d call it more historical than educational.” Twilight said, happily ignoring the light-hearted name calling. The newcomers gathered around the table and got their first look at the game.

The board, spread over the oaken tabletop, depicted a map of Equestria and all of its surrounding nations as they were a long time ago. Each nation was colored differently to easily tell each other apart, and divided into a number of overly-simplified territories. The oceans, which surrounded the whole continent, were also divided into differently shaped spaces. Six notebooks and six pencils were spaced around the board, obviously meant for the players. The slightly crumpled cardboard box contained a number of stacks of tiles, a cloth bag, and an hourglass that looked like it counted about fifteen minutes.

“Diplomacy.” Rarity read, lightly tapping the edge of the box with her hoof and recoiling at the faint trace she left on the dust covering it. “Where did you find this, Darling? It’s positively filthy!”

“I just stumbled across it while I was making some room in the basement!” Twilight answered, levitating a feather duster from under the table and brushing off the offending dust. “Somepony had shoved it between one of the roots and a bookcase and must have forgotten about it. It looked like it had been there for years, but all the pieces are still here.”

“So how do you play?!” Pinkie asked, eager to learn a new game. “Is it an exploring game? Or are we building civilizations? Oh! I bet we have to manage resources, like farms and banks and stuff!”

Twilight shook her head and mentally shifted into lecture mode. “No, in this game we each take command of a nation and try to take control of the rest of the board. We do this by marching our pieces into unclaimed territories and pushing the forces out of the other player’s spaces. Each time you take a territory with a symbol like this, you can add a new army to the board. There are three types of units: armies, navies, and air forces, and they each have different ways of moving and affecting the game.

“But here’s the best part! There are no dice or cards or anything like that. Each turn, we each just write down where we want our pieces to go and then we move them! It’s got all the strategy of chess but with far, far more possible scenarios! Why, the fact that six ponies can play it at the same time alone…”

“And that’s the whole game.” Rainbow Dash grumbled. “We just talk to each other for a while and move pegs on a glorified chart. Color me unimpressed.”

“What, don’t think ya got what it takes to win?” Applejack pressed, knowing just how to get the pegasus motivated.

It worked like a charm. Rainbow Dash straitened up from her slouch and slammed her hooves challengingly on the table. “You know I have what it takes! Let’s get started already!”

“But… um… won’t it be a little difficult to keep track of everything? I mean, none of us have played this before…” Fluttershy’s question broke apart into mumbles.

“I already thought of that.” Twilight said, placing a reassuring pat on Fluttershy’s shoulder. “The rules book had a ton of examples of what would happen in any given situation. Spike volunteered to be the turn-keeper and he’s been studying them since I found the game.” She raised her voice. “How’s it going, Spike?”

“It’s a lot more complicated than it first looks, you know.” Spike answered from his perch on the staircase, waving a thin booklet at the assembled ponies. “Nearly all eighteen pages of this is ‘what ifs’ and ‘when this happens’. I’m gonna need five minutes each turn just working out what’s what!”

“I’ll help if you need it, but I should remain impartial if I’m taking part.” Twilight turned her excited gaze on her friends. “So, want to play?”

“Well, duh!” Pinkie exclaimed.

“Sure, sounds interestin’.” Applejack grinned.

“If she’s playing, I’m in!” Rainbow Dash declared, matching AJ’s grin.

“If everypony else want to.” Fluttershy said, offering a brave smile.

“Well…” Rarity said, tapping a hoof lightly on her chin. “I suppose it does sound fun. Why not?”

“Excellent!” Twilight clapped her hooves and levitated the cloth bag out of the box. “Then the first thing we have to do is pick our nations!”

“Oh! Oh! Me first!” Pinkie shouted, bouncing onto the table and reaching into the bag before anypony could respond. She dug around a bit before pulling out a light purple plastic card. “It says… the Tapir Empire?”

“They’re this one here in the south.” Twilight instructed, tapping the territories on the map with the same color as the card. “They start with mostly seafaring units. You should probably try and consolidate you hold on the southern seas until…”

“Come on, Twilight. It’s not much of a game if you tell her what to do.” Dash interrupted, reaching into the bag and pulling out a card. “The Buffalo Tribes? Aw, come on! Can’t I be the griffons or the elks instead? They are at least a bit cooler.”

“Now behave, Rainbow. You did pick it fair and square.” Rarity levitated a card out of the bag, which still looked a bit grimy to her eyes, and held it up close to read. “Well, speaking of which, I’ve got the Griffon Kingdoms. This could be interesting…”

“Fluttershy? Do you want to pick next?” Twilight asked, floating the bag over to her.

Fluttershy dipped a hoof quickly in and out of the bag and peered closely at what her card said. “Um, the Naqah Caliphate? Who are they?”

“That’s the camel’s land.” Twilight explained, tapping to the appropriate nation on the board. “It looks like your right in between several other nations.”

“Oh, my…”

“Guess it’s my turn.” Applejack said, pulling one of the last two cards out of the bag. “The Elkheim Clans, huh? Alright, this sounds like fun!”

“Then that means…!” Twilight said, pulling the last card out of the bag with her magic to make sure her memory wasn’t playing tricks on her. “I’ve got the Principality of Equestria! Yes!”

Twilight hopped and hovered for a few seconds in her excitement, her inexperienced wings struggling to keep her aloft. She suddenly seemed to realize what she was doing and dropped back to the table with an embarrassed blush spread over her cheeks.

“W-well, I guess we’re ready to start then. Spike! Are you ready?”

“Coming.” The baby dragon replied, jogging over to the table and placing the rules book down in front of him. “Um, are you sure you guys want to play this? The book here calls it ‘the true test for one’s bonds of friendship’. That sounds a little ominous…”

“Oh, Spike. It’s just a game. What could possibly happen?” Twilight looked around the table for confirmation and received five nods.

“Well, alright. If you say so.” Spike reached out and grabbed the hourglass. “You get twice as long on the first turn to get started, so I’ll flip this twice. Ready, set… and go!”

Author's Note

Just between you and me, I have no idea how this story is going to end. I've got an actual board set up and I'm playing the game out as I write, letting the characters make their moves in "real time". So first things first, here's the board:

Click here for a closer look.

I'll also post up a picture of each turn as it passes, so here's the board again with all the pieces in place. The pieces are color-coded for your convenience.

Click here for a closer look.
A blank peg is an army unit.
A peg with a stripe is a navy unit.
A peg with a dot is an air force unit.

This is going to be fun!

Summer 01

As soon as Spike flipped over the hourglass, everypony spread out a little bit to gather their thoughts. Applejack went off by herself, leaned against a bookcase, and studied her card. One side was completely covered in a small copy of the board, and the other had a brief description of the units and what they were each capable of, including which ones she’d be starting with. She also had a much larger paper map, complete with names and the symbols marking the ‘supply centers’, which she could mark up. She concentrated on the notes, making sure she knew all that she could before she started making any decisions.

“Let’s see now… Ah start with one of each unit. The armies can only move over land, and the navies can move over oceans and dock in spaces that border the sea. Air forces can move over any land or sea space, but always lose in a one on one fight. Seems simple enough.”

She set aside the card and studied the map. “Hmm… the only unclaimed supple center nearby is in… Pferdreich? Am Ah say’n that right? Well, guess Ah gotta start there. That’s a bit close to Naqah, Ah’d better talk to Fluttershy about it.”

AJ looked up and saw Fluttershy was still at the table, opposite Twilight. She looked a little lost and was shooting glances around the room at everyone else. Applejack put her best smile on her face and started trotting over, but Pinkie Pie bounced right into her path and stopped her short.

“Hey, Applejack! Are you going to be sending your navy east or south?”

“Um… what?” Applejack muttered, a little flustered by the direct question. “You know what my pieces are already?”

“Well, duh!” Pinkie said, draping an arm around Applejack’s shoulders and pulling her into a huddle. “Spike just put out all the units onto the big map just now. Plus, I could totally hear you talking to yourself just now.”

Huh. Ah didn’t even think about the others hearin’ me. Ah’d better keep that in mind… “Ah honestly haven’t thought about where that piece’s goin’ yet.”

“Okie dokie! I’ll ask you later then!” Pinkie bounced off before Applejack could say anything else.

Applejack stood still for a moment, then looked down at her card again. It only said anything about the starting positions of her own units, not any of the others. “Hmm…”

…

“Um, Twilight? I think there’s a typo on my card.”

Twilight looked up from studying the board. “What do you mean?”

Rainbow offered up the offending card for inspection. “It says here that all of my pieces are armies. Shouldn’t I have one of each?”

“Well, no.” Twilight answered, gesturing to the big board in front of her. “Each nation starts with a different mix of units. In the case of the buffalo, that means it’s all ground forces.”

“What?!” Rainbow exclaimed. “I don’t start with any flying pieces? What kind of unfairness is that?!”

“Just take some more territories and make some air forces.” Twilight said, turning back to studying the map. She had a different notebook from the game one in front of her and she was taking notes in it.

“Darn right, I’m going to make some flying units!” Rainbow Dash growled, leaning over the map and searching for all the closest spots. After a moment, she took off across the table, grabbing Fluttershy by the elbow and pulled her into the air.

“Come on, I need to talk to you.”

“Oh… ok…” Fluttershy said softly, glancing apologetically at Applejack. The farm pony had just been about to say something, she was sure, but Rainbow Dash seemed to really need to talk to her.

Once they were as high as the ceiling would allow, Rainbow clapped her hooves on either side of her friend’s face and pulled it close. “Listen, I need to take the West Dune Sea, so don’t go down into Samak next turn, alright?”

“Oh, but, I’ve got an army in Naqah… it can only go down…”

“No, that won’t work…” Rainbow said, already running through the possibilities in her head. “If you take Pte after I leave it, I’ll get nothing. Look, just stay put for a couple turns. I’ll make it up for you later, OK?”

“Oh… ok…” Fluttershy said softly, pulling back in embarrassment.

“Alright!” Rainbow said, and shot off in search of where she left her notebook.

…

“So Twi, you want to talk strategy?” Applejack asked.

Twilight looked up from her notes. “Not just yet, Applejack. There’s just so many different ways to start, I want to work out what the best starting moves are first.” So saying, she turned back to her work. The Sea of Tranquility can reach two different supply centers. Caballeria would solidify my defense in the south, but Ard is most likely to be empty first…

“Ah was just wonderin’, though, if you were goin’ to try for Pferdreich? It’s the only one nearby for me right now, so Ah’d appreciate it if you left it alone.”

“Sure, whatever.” Twilight said, not really paying attention. All of the territories in the Cavallia peninsula are pretty much mine for the taking, but maybe I should try to get Konja and Hippopotamia before the griffons do...

“Oh, if she wants to be alone, let her.” Rarity said, pulling Applejack aside and walking her in the direction of the kitchen. “I’ve actually got a few things I wanted to go over with you, dear…”

Good, now I can think without distractions. Twilight thought. Now, my air force in Canterlot can easily support my navy, but it could also reach Pferdreich pretty quickly. I wonder if anypony is going for that space…

…

“You want to form a team?” Applejack said in surprise.

“Hush now, no need for anypony else to hear.” Rarity admonished. “And I think it’s more of an… alliance. We are right next to each other, after all, so there’s bound to be a little conflict. But I have nothing to gain from going after you this early on, and it would take you too long to get to anything on the other side of my kingdoms.”

“So, you want us to just ignore each other?” Applejack asked, looking down at her map.

“Exactly!” Rarity said, pointing it out over her own map. “You go down the left side and I’ll go down the right. After all, there are too many open spaces right now to fight over the ones we already have.”

“Well, that does make sense.” Applejack said, already seeing the future turns play out on her map. “Sound like you got yourself a plan! Ah promise not to send anything your way.”

“That’s great, dear!” Rarity said cheerfully, waving as Applejack wondered back into the main room. A slow smile crossed her face after a few moments, and she wrote something down in her little notebook.

…

“Hi Dashie!” Pinkie chirped, having climbed up to the top of the stairs to get level with the still flying pegasus. “You got a moment? I just want to ask you something.”

Rainbow Dash had nearly dropped her notebook when Pinkie surprised her, but caught it and clutched it to her chest in annoyance. “What is it, Pinkie, I’m trying to work out my plan here.”

“I was just wondering if you were going to be building any navy units in the future.” Pinkie said. “Most of mine start as navies, and I didn’t want to get in your way. After all, the oceans are the easiest ways out of the corner down here.”

“Nah, I’m going air units all the way!” Rainbow said, for a moment too eager to remember to keep her voice low. “It says here that unlike the other two units, air forces don’t have to be in an adjacent space to support an attack! With an army of air units, I can outnumber any fight I want! It’s flawless!”

“Sound like!” Pinkie agreed. “So… that means no navy units?”

“Why bother?” Rainbow asked dismissively. “Air units can go over the water anyway.”

“Okie dokie!” Pinkie said happily, hopping off the staircase and dropping to the ground floor with a laugh. Rainbow shook her head and let her go, before turning back to her plans.

…

“Are you sure you don’t want to talk to the others yet, Twilight?” Spike asked, looked over her shoulder worriedly.

“Not just yet, Spike. I’ve almost got the perfect plan all set and ready to go.”

“Alright, if you insist.” Spike sighed, and flipped over the timer. “Halfway point, everypony!”

…

“Sounds like Rainbow has a plan already.” Fluttershy whispered to herself, watching the flyer recover from her talk with Pinkie. “All flying units… I wish I had a plan. I mean, I suppose I could go to…”

Something tapped her lightly on the shoulder and Fluttershy eeped, clutching her map and notebook to her chest protectively and spun around. Applejack looked apologetic and smiled reassuringly.

“You alright, hun? Ah just wanted to ask you somethin’.”

“Oh… it’s alright, Applejack. What did you need?”

“You weren’t thinkin’ about sending anything north this turn, were you? Cause Ah’m sending my army into the Western Badlands here, and if’n you send yours there too then neither of us would get to move. See?”

“Well… yes…” Fluttershy said, trying to put her misgivings into words. “But, you see… my piece can only go to a few places… and that’s…”

“Oh, Fluttershy! Could you come over here for a minute?” Rarity trilled, beckoning daintily from the other side of the room.

“Looks like she needs you!” Applejack said cheerfully, propelling Fluttershy in the unicorn’s direction with a nudge. “Just remember what you promised, ya hear!”

“O-ok…” Fluttershy said, trying to remember if she had promised anything at all. She slunk slowly into the kitchen and smiled worriedly.

“Oh don’t look that way, Darling. I’m not going to bite you!” Rarity kidded, trying to lighten her friend’s mood. “How do you like the game so far? I haven’t seen you writing any moves in your notebook yet.”

Fluttershy fidgeted a little under the attention. “It’s fun. I just… don’t have a lot of moves right now…”

“You are in a bit of a tight spot.” Rarity said, pouring over her map. “Caught right in the middle of all those other nations. I just wanted to let you know that if you need anything, you just let me know.”

“Thanks Rarity.” Fluttershy sighed in relief. “That means a lot. I was starting to think everypony was just going to think about themselves the whole game.”

“Perish the thought…” Rarity said softly, almost to herself. She broke out a beaming smile. “So, where so you suppose Twilight is going to start, hmm?”

…

“Hey, Rainbow!” Applejack called, trying to get the speedster’s attention. “Want to have a little chat?”

“About what?” Rainbow Dash replied, waving her map over her head without turning in the farm pony’s direction. “We aren’t anywhere near each other. I don’t think we’ve got anything to talk about.”

“Be that as it may, Ah’ve talk to everypony else already, so we might as well go over what we got.”

Rainbow rolled her eyes. “Don’t need any help. I’ve already got my orders all written down here. Nothing can stop me now.”

“Oh really?” AJ said, her temper starting to rise. “You think everythin’ will just go smoothly? The game is called Diplomacy for a reason. You probably can’t just win all on your own.”

“You think you can stop me?” Rainbow demanded. She turned around and landed in front of Applejack, matching her glare for glare.

“You know, Ah think Ah just might!” Applejack returned.

“Oh, yeah? Well, how about we make this official? You against me, for the rest of the game. We’ll see who’s got the better strategy!”

“Yer on!” AJ declared. The two of them spat on their hooves and slammed them together, marking their competition.

…

“All set!” Twilight said, closing her personal log with a snap. “I’ve got the perfect plan all set!”

“And just in time, too.” Spike said, poking the hourglass with a claw. “You’ve got less than five minutes left.”

“More than enough time to tell everypony what they need to do.” Twilight said confidently, looking around for the closest pony to talk to. “Ah, Applejack! I’m going to send my Canterlot unit north, so…”

“Not now, Twi!” Applejack interrupted, still engaging in a blinking contest with Rainbow. “I’ve got somethin’ more important to deal with right now.”

“…alright…” Twilight said, taken aback. She spotted Pinkie sitting in the corner by the stairs and trotted over. “Pinkie, I wanted to talk to you about the Garanha and Cavallia territories…”

“I don’t have any interest in them.” Pinkie said, not even looking up from writing down her orders. “Besides, I don’t think you and I are going to meet much during this game. You’re landlocked!”

“I’m… what?” Twilight asked, not sure how that was relevant. “You don’t want to plan anything?”

Pinkie thought for a moment and shook her head. “Like I said, I don’t think we’re going to ever meet. Have you not even started writing orders yet? The time is going faster than you think.”

“No… I…” Twilight started but couldn’t find the words to continue. This wasn’t going at all like how she thought it would. She saw Rarity and Fluttershy chatting near the kitchen and bounded over, mindful of the time slipping away.

“Fluttershy!” she said, speaking quickly to get the question out. “Are you going to go into the Sea of Tranquility?”

“The Sea of…?”

“Because I think it would make more sense for you to start in the Crescent Sea!” Twilight continued. “You can reach the other sea spaces that way. I have no choice but to start here, but there’s no reason to trap yourself…”

“Actually, Twilight.” Rarity interrupted smoothly, stepping between the two ponies. “Fluttershy had already decided to have her navy start on the Crescent Sea side. We thought it would make more sense that way. But shouldn’t you and I have a moment to talk?”

“Yes!” Twilight said, flipping through her notes to find her thoughts on the Griffon Kingdoms. “I think I should take the three spots in Cavallia-Zaldia, and you focus on the three open ones around Morkovo. That way…”

“Last minute!” Spike called out, and Twilight nearly dropped her notes.

“Oh, no no no! I haven’t explained it all yet!”

Rarity places a calming hoof on Twilight’s back. “Don’t worry. We can talk at the start of the next turn. Just write down you moves for now or you’ll miss it.”

“Right!” Twilight said, using her magic to scribble in her game notebook quickly. She’d just finished writing the last word when Spike called time.

…

“Alright!” Spike said several minutes later, shuffling a stack of pages torn from everypony’s notebooks together. “I think I got this. There weren’t any conflicts, so we’re just moving the pieces this turn.”

Spike reached over the board and started moving the various tiles around the board. Each piece had a symbol featuring a hoof, a sail, or a wing in their nation’s respective color. The group gathered around the table and watched his moves with interest.

“Starting at the top,” Spike read as he worked, “the Griffon’s navy went from Poronajsk to the Gulf of Poronajsk, and their two air forces moved to Kaunas and the Gulf of Hippopotamia. The Elk’s Navy entered the North Pellagic Sea and their air force took its place in Elkheim. The Elk army went down into the West Badlands.

“Fluttershy… didn’t write anything on her paper, so the Camels don’t move this turn.”

“I…I didn’t know what to do…” Fluttershy said miserably. “I didn’t want to get in anypony’s way.”

“Don’t worry.” Twilight said, draping a wing over her friend. “It’s just a game. You’ll come into your own soon enough!”

“If you say so.” Fluttershy said in a soft voice, hunching down until she was almost level with the table.

“Come on! What about mine?” Rainbow demanded impatiently.

Spike flipped through his notes. “I’m getting to it; don’t rush me! The Buffalo armies moved into Samak, Caballeria, and East Dune Sea unopposed, so Rainbow Dash gets the first new territories.” Spike placed a yellow flag on the East Dune Sea and Caballeria spaces, marking their supply centers as claimed.

“Yes!” Rainbow cheered, pumping her arms. “I’m totally winning!”

“It’s still early yet, Sugercube!” Applejack said curtly.

“Twilight’s navy moves into the Sea of Tranquility.” Spike continued. “Her air force goes up into Trottingham and her army moves right into Caneighda. And lastly, the Tapir’s navies sail into the Alpaca Sea and the Azure Reaches, while her army claims Alpaclan.” He marked the territory with a purple flag. “And that’s it.”

“Sweet!” Pinkie laughed. “You and me, Dashie!”

“Do we get to put our new forces down now?” Rainbow asked, already searching through the box for her own colors.

“Not yet.” Twilight explained. “We only gain new pieces every other turn, so you’ll have to wait until the next one.”

“I think I’m getting the hang of this.” Rarity said lightly. “There’s a lot more one can do in this game than it first seems."

“Well, it can only get more interesting from here on out!” Twilight agreed. “Spike?”

Spike picked up the hourglass and turned it over. “From now on, I’ll only turn the timer once. Go!”

Author's Note

So the game has officially begun! Let's have a look at the board:

Click here for a closer look.

By the way, the flags are not color-coordinated with the players like the pegs are. The flags are colored for their respective nations.

Winter 01

“Why don’t we have our interrupted talk now, Twilight.” Rarity said smoothly, drawing the alicorn away from the table. They walked over to the same area by the kitchen and Rarity set about adjusting some cups and dishes. “I set a pot for tea to boil earlier. You don’t mind, do you?”

“Go right ahead,” Twilight said absently, pulling out her personal notebook and flipping through it. “As I was trying to say last round, I think you should go to Konja, Gryphos, and Hippopotamia-”

“Now, now, slow down.” Rarity interrupted, checking the teapot on the stove. “I heard you say that last time, but you left out the most important part.”

“And that is?”

“Why?”

Twilight blinked. “Why what?”

“Why should I take those three countries right now?” Rarity continued to bustle around the kitchen as she talked, seeming to barely be paying any attention to her friend. “You are heading to the south, not the north. Pinkie Pie is too far away to reach them any time soon, and Rainbow Dash must first walk all the way up the coast. If Applejack doesn’t come around the top, which it doesn’t seem like she’s going to do; why, then there’s nopony else who can take them from me. It would be a waste of my first few turns not to try for more valuable territory.”

“But… but…” Twilight stuttered, at a loss for words. She wanted to argue, but the fashionista actually had a really good point. It just wasn’t a very good point for Twilight.

“Oh, don’t look at me like that!” Rarity said, draping an arm around Twilight’s shoulders and pulling her into a quick hug. “I’m not going to take all of them from you. Just one. After all, there’s a very good reason for me to be down there.”

Twilight started flipping through her notes. “What are you talking about? I didn’t make note of anything advantage for the Principality of Equestria allowing the griffons to go south.”

Rarity sighed and pushed Twilight’s notebook down so she could look her in the eye. “It wasn’t on the board, dear. I’m afraid our dear Rainbow Dash has made her plans quite clear. She told Pinkie rather loudly that she’s going to amass a squad to storm up the coast, right over the spaces you want for yourself. Really, you should pay more attention to the players…”

“I was a little distracted…” Twilight said sheepishly, blushing a little bit and backing down.

Sensing the opportunity, Rarity smiled and went for the kill. “That’s all right dear, I have a plan. With my air force down here, I can help you defend until you can make more forces of your own. On the next turn, I’ll go down here…”

…

“You see, AJ? My plan I working already!” Rainbow boasted, leaning back in her chair and putting her hooves back.

“It’s only the start, Rainbow. Plenty can happen in the next few turns.” AJ returned.

Rainbow Dash snorted and waved her notebook over her head. “I’ve already got my moves all written down. There’s nopony who could get in my way.”

‘Cept for Pinkie Pie. Applejack thought, but she kept it to herself. She turned around and there was the party pony herself, close enough to nearly slam her face into AJ’s own.

“Hey Applejack! Have you decided what you want to do with your navy yet?” she half shouted.

“Hold yer horses!” Applejack said quickly, clamping her hooves over Pinkie’s mouth. Casting a glance over her shoulder in case Rainbow was paying attention, she pulled Pinkie a safe distance away from the table and sat her on her haunches.

“Listen, you’ve got an army in Alpaclan. You can stop RD from takin’ the West Dune Sea.”

“Why can’t she have it?” Pinkie asked, cocking her head to the side.

“Because we don’t want her to win, do we?” Applejack said, exasperated. “Wouldn’ you rather get it anyway?”

“No, I’ve got a different plan!” Pinkie said excitedly. “But if you are that worried about it, then…”

…

“So, um, Rainbowdash?” Fluttershy asked softly. “…Can I move my army now? I just think I should…”

“Hold on for a little longer.” Rainbow said dismissively. “There’s nothing for you to do right now, so stay where you are.”

“…If you think that’s best…” Fluttershy said softly, sitting back and staring morosely at her notebook. Maybe this isn’t such a fun game after all…

Suddenly, a steaming cup of tea was placed down in front of her eyes. She looked up as Rarity slid down into the seat next to her and sipped from her own cup. “Are you alright? You look a little down.”

“I’m fine…” Fluttershy sighed, picking up the cup carefully and breathing in the aroma. She could already feel the tea soothing her tensed muscles.

Rarity glanced at the other pegasus. “There’s more in the kitchen if you want some.”

Rainbow Dash pursed her lips and flapped up off her seat. “Nah, but maybe I’ll see if there’s a soda or cider or something.” She flew off and left the two of them at the table.

“You know, you don’t have to listen to her.” Rarity said softly, watching her leave. “It’s no fun if you don’t even get to move a single piece.”

Fluttershy looked down into her cup as if it contained some kind of perfect answer. “I know, but… it sounds like it’s really important to her. I don’t want to get in her way…”

“Well, there are other kinds of moves you can do; even in you don’t want to upset Rainbow.” Rarity started pointing out places on the board and the shy pony leaned forward to watch.

…

Looks like they’re really starting to get into it. Spike thought, sitting at the top of the stairs with the hourglass on the step next to him. Good thing I kept clear of it, myself. It's starting to get a little intense.

He held up a specially prepared bag in his claws and breathed a slow trail of green fire over it. Within seconds the bag started shaking as the kernels inside popped. He kept his breathing even until the popping slowed down, and then cracked the seal on the bag with one deft gesture. The smell of fresh popcorn wafted out and he closed his eyes to enjoy the smell.

“HEY, is that POPCORN!?!”

“Hi Pinkie.” He sighed, already extending the bag out to the pink pony. Pinkie grabbed it out of his claws and buried her face in the bag. Spike was already picking up a second bag and set about popping it as she ate greedily.

“Mmmm…” Pinkie said a minute later, finally coming up for air. “Thanks, Spike! What are you doing all the way up here?”

“Just watching the sparks fly.” Spike said, popping a kernel into his mouth. “This looks like it’s gonna be more fun than playing, anyway.”

Pinkie looked confused. “What do you mean? You didn’t want to play with us?”

“It’s not that!” Spike started, trying to find a way to put it into words. “There was an option for a seventh player, but I didn’t really want to get involved. Twilight… well, we used to play chess sometimes back in Canterlot. Sometimes other strategy games; she really likes those. And she can get a bit… competitive… when things don’t go her way.

“Besides, I like being the announcer more than a participant, anyway. Like at the Running of the Leaves, remember? It takes someone very important to memorize all these rules!” he said, proudly producing the rules book and waving it.

Pinkie snatched it from his claws and opened it to a random page. “Wow, you really memorized all this? This is a lot of… hey, wait! This means… ah, I get it! That’s clever!”

“What is?” Spike asked, trying to look over her shoulder.

“No time, I gotta make a few changes!” Pinkie exclaimed, flipping the book back to the dragon and bouncing down the stair.

Spike scratched his head as he watched her go and picked up the rules, trying to find the page Pinkie had been looking at. “Did I miss something…?” he mused. His train of thought was disrupted as he remembered to watch the hourglass and he set the book aside.

…

“Just another two minutes!” Spike’s voice called out.

“Already?” Twilight said, looking up from where she sat in the kitchen. She’d gotten caught up in her planning again. But this time I’ve got a better plan. Rarity really knows what she’s talking about. We’ve got to stop Rainbow Dash from claiming all these territories in a row. But… wait a second…

Twilight pulled her map closer to her eyes as something dawned on her. She said Rainbow will probably be leaving Caballeria and that I should take it to cut back on her territories, but that would put me right between her armies. I can’t hold that! She’d just push me right out… A clicking caught her attention. Rainbow Dash was right behind her, half inside her fridge as she hunted for drinks.

Twilight came to a snap decision and walked up behind the speedster. “Hey, Rainbow? I was thinking about taking one of your spaces next turn.”

Rainbow bumped her head as she backpedaled too fast out of the fridge. She rubbed it and glared in surprise at Twilight. “What?!”

“Don’t worry; I’m not going to go through with it.” Twilight said, levitation her notebook up and crossing out the move where Rainbow could see it. “Just promise me you’ll go after Rarity’s pieces before mine.”

“Uh… alright?” Rainbow said, scratching her head and backing out of the room. “I wasn’t thinking that far ahead, but sure. Thanks.”

Twilight nodded to herself, not catching the backward glance Rainbow shot her as she flew off. She picked up her pencil and wrote a different order on the paper. That should do for now. Rarity was clearly trying to trap me, and I’m not going to fall for it. Besides, I’m sure Fluttershy won’t mind me borrowing a space for a turn. I’ll give it back after a turn…

…

“Ok, Rarity’s navy moves into the Griffon Sea.” Spike said a few minutes later, when they were all gathered around the table.
“And her two air forces take both Konja and Zaldia unopposed. You get two new units this turn!”

“Thank you, Spike. I know just which ones I need.” Rarity said, brushing aside the praise with a dainty laugh. “You’d better move on before the others get impatient.”

“Oh, right.” Spike said, pulling a green flag out of the box. “The elks navy moves into the Sea of Naqah, their air force goes into Breidas, and their army takes Pferdreich and claims the supply center.”

“But wait, I moved into Pferdreich too!” Twilight interrupted.

“Yeah, with an air force.” Spike said, pointing out the piece. “An army beats yours since you didn’t get support. The good news is that your army takes Semental, so you are getting a new piece next turn. The other bad news, though, is that you tried to dock your navy in Ard and Fluttershy’s navy didn’t move, so your attack there also fails.”

“What?!” Twilight exclaimed.

Fluttershy also put her hoof up. “Um… but I did move that piece. I know I did.”

Spike held up the page for the rest of the ponies to see. “I’m sorry, but you got them switched when you wrote your orders. You put down for your army to go into the Crescent Sea and for your navy to go to Samak. Since neither piece can go there, neither gets to move. Again.”

“Oh… but I was so sure I did it right that time…” Fluttershy said, sinking low in her chair.

Rarity tapped her on the back comfortingly. “Don’t worry, I was helping you write. The mistake was probably mine.”

“Anyway…” Spike said, getting back to the game. “Pinkie moves into the Zebrican Sea and Horse Steppes, claiming a second supply center. Her army in Alpaclan doesn’t move for some reason. And Rainbow Dash moves into West Dune Sea, Heyuktan, and Garanha, raising her territories to seven!”

“Aw, yeah! Halfway there!” Rainbow crowed, pumping her arms in victory. “That’s four new units!”

“Actually, since you can only make new units in your starting spaces, you can only get three right now. But you can get the fourth in two more turns, if you still have it. Now, everypony can put their new pieces on the map. We can start the next round after their all out!” Spike pushed the box into the center of the table and the others started digging around in it, searching for pieces of their color.

All save Twilight, who sat and stared at the pieces spread out on the board. Nothing was working like she’d thought it would. Her moves had been countered, nopony seemed to be listening to her ideas, and now it looked liked she’d been the first to try and attack a friend. And now, aside from Fluttershy, she was in last place. She was losing.

Twilight gritted her teeth in determination. Alright. No more Mrs. Nice Mare…

Author's Note

Well, now things are getting interesting! Let's take a look at the board:

Click here for a closer look.

I got some complaints about how confusing it was with the flags and the pegs being different colors, so now they are all the same and matched with the pony playing them. I also added on the pieces each playing is getting this turn, so let's count that as a minor sneak peak of the next chapter!

Winter 02

Twilight was the first from the table, darting to the back of the library as quickly as she could without seeming to be running. I don’t have a lot of time. If this doesn’t work just right, I’m going to be all but finished. And I will not accept that! Now if only I can remember where…

She quickly opened up the top drawer on one of the many writing desks and breathed a sigh of relief. It was right where she’d left it all those months ago. Silently thanking her tendency to keep hold of things ‘just in case’, she opened her notebook to the next blank page and planned her next move.

…

“You ready, partner?!” Pinkie Pie exclaimed right in Applejack’s ear.

The farm pony clamped both hooves over her poor ears and grimaced. “Tarnation, Pinkie, don’t do that!” She clapped an arm around her bouncy friend and pulled her a safe distance away from the table.

“This is your chance!” Pinkie interrupted before AJ could say anything. “Go for the Dune Sea and I’ll support. Not that you’re going to need it, because Rainbow Dash is moving to Ptehinchala next turn, but I’ll do it anyway. Because I made a promise and when Pinkie makes a promise, you can count on Pinkie!”

“Wait, wait, wait, slow down there!” Applejack said, struggling to get Pinkie’s attention. “What do you mean by that? How do you know where Rainbow’s goin’ to go next?”

“I overheard her talking with Rarity, duh!” Pinkie gestured wildly as she explained, several times nearly smacking Applejack in the face had she ducked any slower. “I was sitting on the top of the stairs writing in my notebook and you know how hard it is to find privacy in this library. I mean, it’s just a large round room! Anypony can just stumble into you, which is hard when you’re trying to be sneaky. And Rainbow was right below me. You’d think she’d remember to look up, but she never did! I look up all the time, just in case something interesting is happening and I don’t want to miss anything interesting-”

“Pinkie! Focus!” Applejack said, clamping her friend on either side of her head and forcing her to hold still.

Pinkie grinned and extracted herself easily from her friend’s grip. “Rainbow was showing her book to Rarity and she’s already written her moves down for the next several turns! So I know what she’s going to do and Rarity knows and Twilight knows and Fluttershy probably knows and now you know, so now everypony knows but…”

Pinkie shuddered all of a sudden and looked down at herself. “Wait a minute. Knocky knees, eye flutter, twitchy tail. That means… oh.”

She turned slowly to the side and Applejack followed her gaze to find Rainbow Dash staring at the two of them with a look of horror on her face.

…

Fluttershy sat pensively at the table, staring at the board. She’d been doing a lot of that over the last hour and it didn’t seem likely to change anytime soon. Still, she was almost starting to see patterns emerging. Nothing specific, just… directions mostly. Like each nation was shifting in a certain direction.

It did not escape her notice that her own tiny brown forces had only shrunk in on themselves and were being slowly encircled by the green shape of the elks.

But the rest of the nations were also in motion. The blue shape of Twilight’s ponies was slowly bending down to meet the charging yellow of the buffalo. The purple of the tapirs was spreading out along the bottom of the map like water collecting at the bottom of a glass. The red of the griffons were edging south along the coast… and…

Wait a minute. Fluttershy thought, blinking several times and leaning closer to make sure she was seeing things correctly. Everypony is moving south?

They were, she realized. Every one of her friends was slowly but steadily consolidating towards the bottom half of the board. This didn’t make a lot of sense, because that would only leave a bunch of unprotected spaces in the north.

And suddenly everything clicked into place. In a split second she understood exactly what was going to happen. I... I have to warn her! Before it’s too late!

…

“Can I talk to you for a minute?” Twilight asked, only looking up briefly from her notebook as she approached. “I need another favor.”

“Well, I hope you don’t plan to threaten me for it again!” Rarity returned disdainfully, turning away with a huff.

“No! Just… look.” Twilight sighed and set her book aside, seeming to gather herself. “I’m sorry about how I acted. I’m not sure what came over me. I just thought I was going to be the first to lose and I… said some things I regret. Will you forgive me?”

Rarity smiled and turned back around. “What are friends for, darling? Now, what is it you needed?”

“It’s about the note you gave me,” Twilight explained, pulling it out from the place it was marking in her notebook. “You wrote down that Rainbow’s going to be attacking Hyasanguia with her army, supported by the air force in Caballeria. I could defend it myself, but I’d need both my army in Konikticut and my air force in Canterlot to do it.”

“So what’s the problem?” Rarity pressed.

Twilight pulled out her map and pointed to the other side of her territory. “The problem is that Applejack has two units in Pferdreich and Paarvdveld just waiting to attack my Broncordia. To stop that, I need my Canterlot air force to support the navy. I can’t defend both at the same time!”

“You’re going to lost one of your spaces no matter what.” Rarity mused, understanding the situation quickly. “What do you propose?”

“If you use your air force in Latigo to support my army, I can send my air force to block Applejack and stop both attacks. It’s just a holding action for now, but with a little bit more time I know I can work out a way to knock them both back.”

“Say no more!” Rarity said airily, patting her friend affectionately on the head. “Of course I’ll help you. I don’t want Rainbow Dash breaking through the coast either, after all. We’ll put a stop to her together!”

“Oh, thank you!” Twilight sighed in relief, levitating her notebook and writing the move down where the other unicorn could see it. “I was worried for…”

“Just a moment.” Rarity interrupted, a flash of movement catching her attention. “It looks like I might have another situation to deal with. Good luck!”

“You too!” Twilight called as Rarity walked briskly away. She watched her go for a few seconds, then cracked her book and made a little note in the margin.

…

“How… long have you been standin’ there?” Applejack asked hesitantly.

A multicolored blur shooting past her face was her only answer as the race pony launched herself at Pinkie, stopping just short of bowling her over. Pinkie bent backwards easily as Rainbow leaned up right into her face. “YOU WERE LISTENING?!”

“How could I not? You were almost shouting at her.”

“Kinda like what your doin’ now.” Applejack put in dryly.

Blushing to her roots, Rainbow Dash stepped back and started flipping through her notebook desperately. If Twilight and Pinkie know where I’m attacking next… “But that means my plans are all ruined!”

“Well, what did you expect, showin’ somepony your moves like that?” AJ asked.

Rainbow crossed her arms defensively. “It wasn’t going to hurt Rarity! I thought she’d be happy with me taking care of Twilight for her!”

“And who were you goin’ to attack after that?” Applejack pointed out. “She probably figured that she’d be next and would rather let Twi stop you cold. The two of them have been cozy the last half hour…” She trailed off and seemed to be mulling over something.

“What am I supposed to do now?” Rainbow demanded.

Pinkie took this opportunity to bounce back into the conversation. “Don’t worry, you still have time to change your move. And the best part is, neither Twilight or Rarity will be expecting it!”

The two others ponies blinked at her for a moment, then a smile broke out over Rainbow’s face. “Hey, you’re right! I can use this against them!” She pulled her notebook out and the others crowded in next to her to help.

“I was going to attack Hyasanguia with my army,” Rainbow explained, this time keeping her voice low. “My awesome flying units would move along the coast, into Garanha and the Azure Reaches and head straight for Cavallia.”

“Wouldn’ it make more sense for your air force to support the attacking army?” Applejack asked.

Pinkie shook her head almost before AJ had finished. “Then none of her other pieces would get to move. Caballeria is a bottleneck; if the piece in that space doesn’t move, nothing can get past.”

“…um… excuse me…”

“Exactly!” Rainbow said, winking. “I’ve got to keep moving through if I want to attack. But now Twilight’s probably going to block me.”

“With what, her air force in Canterlot?” Applejack mused. “It’d have to be the army. Nothing else is close enough.”

“… I really have to talk to you about…”

“And that would leave Konikticut open!” Pinkie said excitedly. “You could slip in behind her unit and Semental would be all defenseless!”

“Awesome!” Rainbow said determinedly, pumping her arm in premature victory. “And I can move the air force to Rocinante instead too. That will really mess up her thinking! I think I’ve got the hang of this! Gotta go and make some changes fast!” And I gotta set something up… thanks for the idea, girls!

…

Rainbow took off into the air to find a quiet place to write, leaving the three ponies to watch her thoughtfully.

“…now that’s she’s gone, I really need…”

“Do you think we did the right thing, helping her recover like that?” Applejack asked. “I mean, we are playin’ against her as well, after all.”

“Yeah, but now she’s thinking about changing all her moves,” Pinkie said sweetly, scrunching up her shoulders innocently. “And since the rest of her units were going to attack me next…”

Applejack gave the pink pony a long look. “Pinkie, remind me to never challenge you to a game of checkers.”

“Aww…”

“I’m sorry!” Fluttershy squeaked, “But we don’t have a lot of time left and…”

“Fluttershy! How long have you been there?” Applejack asked, genuinely surprised with herself for not noticing her. Girl could teach tip-toe to a mouse.

“Yes, what is it that’s got you so excited?” Rarity asked, walking up to the group and stopping next to the farm pony.
Fluttershy’s mouth opened and closed a couple of times, but no sound came out. “…nothing…” she finally whispered, before dashing away.

“Ah don’t think ah’m ever goin’ to understand that one.” Applejack muttered, turning to find Pinkie Pie had disappeared at some point. “Or that one. Been a while, Rarity. How’s the game treatin’ you?”

“Can’t complain.” Rarity said, adjusting her hair slightly. “I just wanted to remind you that there’s not long left in this turn. You all looked so caught up in your discussion, I didn’t want you to miss it.”

“Thanks, ah haven’t even started writin’ yet.” Come to think of it, ah barely know what ah want to do this turn, myself. Spent too long talkin’ with the others. Let’s see, I guess I have to decide whether to attack Fluttershy or Twilight…

…

“Having fun?” Twilight asked, writing in her notebook with the pencil carefully held in her magic.

“Actually, yeah!” Spike said, idly flipping through the rules book while keeping an eye on the dwindling sands of the hourglass. “Can you imagine how difficult this would be if you didn’t have someone keeping track of all the moves for you? The game would take twice as long without me helping out like this. It’s a really important job! Plus I get to sit here and read while you all run around like maniacs.”

“As long as you’re enjoying yourself.” Twilight said, tearing the page out. Before she could turn it over, though, Fluttershy ran up to her and slipped right between the two of them so she wouldn't be ignored.

“Twilight, you need to help me stop her!” she whispered wildly. “We don’t have much time. Er… that is, if you’re not busy…”

“What are you talking about?” Twilight asked, setting her notebook and the torn page down on the table top. “What do you need me to do?”

Fluttershy glanced over her shoulder and her eyes widened. “It’s Rarity. I tried to warn Applejack, but then she was there and I just knew she knew that I knew and oh my goodness, I haven’t even written down my own moves yet! I was just so excited and I still haven’t warned…”

“Calm down.” Twilight said soothingly, placing an arm comfortingly over her shoulders. “One thing at a time. Do you have your book? You still have a minute to fill it out. Do you remember the move I told you about?”

“Yes, but what do we do about…”

“Don’t worry about that, just focus on protecting yourself right now.” Twilight looked up as the rest of her friends gathered around the table. “It’s too late to do something about it this turn, but I’ll handle it.”

…

Applejack froze just as she sat down at the table. Twilight was staring at her and Rarity, and right in front of her on the table was a piece of paper torn from a notebook. The writing on it was a little faint, but she could still make out what was written there.

Navy in Sea of Tranq. moves to Broncordia
Air force in Canterlot supports Broncordia
Army in Konikticut moves to Hyasanguia
Army in Lusesiana moves to Cavallia

Those are Twilight’s next moves! Does she not realize she’s left the paper face up? A quick glance at the hourglass revealed that there was barely a minute left in the round. Time enough, ah suppose…

Coming to a quick decision, she pointed to the page. “Hey, Twi? You dropped somethin’.”

The alicorn looked down and sucked in a breath, quickly snatching the page off the table with her magic and whisking it into Spike’s claws. “Thanks, I didn’t even notice I did that.”

“No problem.” Applejack returned, and then bent down to make a quick adjustment with her own orders. Ah’m sorry, Fluttershy, but she’s defendin’ this turn for sure and ah haven’t taken a new space since the first turn. Ah’m not goin’ to let this good fortune go to waste.

…

“Pinkie,” Twilight asked, “What are you doing with your map?”

“Making a hat!” Pinkie said happily, continuing to fold while they waited.

“I can tell that, but… nevermind.” Twilight sighed, as Spike finished shuffling through the papers and hopped up to the head of the table.

“Alright, here we go,” he started, “Applejack moves her army into the West Dune Sea with support from Pinkie’s army in Alpaclan, taking it from Rainbow. Her army in Paardveld attacks Ard with the support of her air force. The army in Elgland doesn’t move.”

“Ah knew ah forgot somethin’.” Applejack said, “So, do ah get Ard?”

“Actually, Fluttershy used a convoy move.” Spike pointed out the pieces as he explained. “The army in Naqah used her navy in the Crescent Sea as a bridge to move into Ard, which also counts as the navy supporting the move. Since it’s two against two, neither of you get to move and the army goes back to Naqah. The camel’s other army moves into Heststed. Meanwhile, Pinkie’s navy in Zebrica stays where it is and this one enters the now empty Sea of Naqah. Twilight’s army, Rarity’s air force, and Pinkie’s last navy all tried to get Cavallia, but Pinkie supported her attack with the air force in the Sea of Neighrobi so it goes to the tapirs.”

“HA haha ha!” Pinkie cackled, bouncing up into a victory pose with her new three-cornered paper hat perched on her head.

Spike ignored the interruption and continued where he left off. “Rainbow’s army in the South Dune Sea tried to go back to the West, but the tapir-elk combo cut that off. Her air force in Ptesan goes out to the Azure Reaches, the one in Caballeria moves into Rocinante, and last one supports her army’s move into Caballeria. This is a good thing, because Twilight’s navy tried to take it from her.”

Twilight frowned in confusion. “What?”

“Rainbow Dash’s last army tried to take Konikticut, but Twilight’s army there didn’t move, so that fails. Her air force leaves Canterlot for Hyasanguia…”

“Wait a minute!” Twilight interrupted, pushing herself up onto the table. “Those aren’t my moves!”

“Yeah! Her paper fell face up on the table. Most of us saw it!” Rainbow shouted.

Spike looked flabbergasted. “But that’s what’s written here!” he said, pulling out the appropriate page. The girls all gathered around to get a closer look.

It was definitely the same page, torn in the same places where it was removed from the notebook. The instructions were just as Spike described, written in Twilight’s careful cursive script. There were no other marks, not even eraser smudges, on the front or back of the page. There was nothing to suggest that the page was anything out of the ordinary, aside from the completely different writing than what was there only a few minutes ago.

Eventually, a confused Twilight sat back down in her chair and Spike picked up where he left off.

“Well, all that’s left is Rarity pieces. Her air force in Palomino got stopped from going to Cavallia, but her other one moves into Hippopotamia and takes the supply center. Her army in Ternej takes Gryphos and its supply center, giving her two this turn. And each of her navies move west the Griffon and Iceflow Seas.”

“But why would you…” Applejack started, then her eyes widened. She turned to the fashionista sitting next to her.

“I’m sorry, Applejack,” she said, reaching into the box containing her pieces. She slapped an army onto Haupstadt. “But every game must have a winner.”

Author's Note

I'm back! And my goodness, it's getting a little intense! Rarity has finally played her hand, so to speak. Let's look at the board:

Click here for a closer look. Sorry the quality is bad on this one, I'll try to make it better later.

I'm going to try to get these out faster, possibly compress some of the chapters together. You don't want to see every single exchange, do you? Or are there people actually trying to follow the game? Let me know!

Year of 03

Fifteen mostly silent minutes later, the seven of them gathered around the table once more.

“Ok, guess I’ll get started?” Spike said hesitantly, testing the air.

“Yeah, let’s go!” Rainbow shouted, practically slamming her hooves down on the table, “I know I’ve got it this time!”

Applejack placed a restraining arm around her friend’s wings and pushed her back down into her seat. “Whoa there! Let the little guy do his thing at his own pace, ok?”

Rainbow Dash grunted and settled down reluctantly. The dragon coughed into his claws and shuffled the papers, waiting for everypony to calm down before diving into it.

“I’ll start with Rarity, I guess. All of her air forces move west this turn, going into Kaunas, Latigo, and Coronetto, while her army leaves Gryphos for Ternej. Her other army attacks and takes Hirvi, with the support of the navy in the Iceflow Sea. Applejack, you need to move your army to a new space.”

“Don’t worry, ah planned for this.” Applejack said, pushing the piece into Elnias. “Ah’m not gonna let you keep that, Rarity.”

The fashionista sniffed and said nothing.

“And this time, I won’t be putting down any flags.” Spike said, “Sorry guys, I can’t believe I skipped over the part where you don’t claim territories in Summer turns.”

There was a round of consolidating remarks about how it wasn’t his fault, but they quickly subsided as their attention focused back to the board.

Spike picked up the sheaf of papers again. “Anyway, Rarity’s last navy doesn’t move this time. Applejack’s other units are all retreating north, with her air force going to Breidas and her two armies going to Pferdreich and Elkheim. Her navy doesn’t go anywhere and holds the West Dune Sea.”

“Biding your time?” Twilight asked. The farmer nodded affirmative, and there was no denying the spark of determination in her eye.

“Fluttershy’s actually moving this turn,” Spike continued, “sending her navy out into the Sea of Naqah and one of her armies into Paardveld. Pinkie’s navy moved out of her way, heading up into the North Pellagic Sea. She also moved her navy into the Alpaca Sea with support from the air force in Yana, her army into Ayani, this navy into the Zebrican Sea, and this other Navy abandons Cavallia for the Gulf of Hippopotamia. But I should probably get to Rainbow Dash’s moves at this point.

“Rainbow tried to attack Konikticut with her army in Anojo, with support of her two air forces in Rocinante and the Azure Reaches. But Pinkie attacked the Azure Reaches with her last navy and the support of the air force in the Sea of Neighrobi, cutting it off from supporting this turn and displacing it.”

“Yar, har har har!” Pinkie chortled, striking a pose on her back legs with one hoof raised triumphantly into the air. Her hat had been joined with an eye patch, which had been pulled out of the chimney Twilight had been certain she’d cleaned out just the other day. “Beware my pirate armada!”

“Right…” Spike said slowly before decided to ignore the outburst. “Meanwhile, Twilight’s navy attacked Rocinante with support from Hyasanguia, cutting off support there too. That means that even though Twilight’s army in Konikticut was defending alone, Rainbow’s attack is also alone and therefore fails. Plus you have to move those two pieces.”

Rainbow grumbled and started to push her piece into the Sea of Tranquility, but Spike held up a hand to stop her.

“You can’t actually go into the space the attack came from,” he explained.

“But… but the only other place it can go is…” Rainbow gritted her teeth and placed the unit in tiny Yegua. After a moment of thought she also pushed her other air force into Pinkie’s Cavallia, nearly knocking over the purple flag. “This is bogus! I know I had it right this time…”

“Rainbow’s first army moves into the East Dune Sea,” Spike continued, rushing to get the last of the orders out, “and her last two units both move east into Garanha and Caballeria. And Twilight’s other pieces don’t move, so that’s it.”

“Then let’s get started!” Twilight said, eager to get going. She hooked Applejack by the foreleg and pulled her away from the table. “Come on, you and I need to talk.”

…

“What do you need, Sugarcube?” Applejack asked as soon as they were a safe distance away from the others. She already had an inkling, but it would do to confirm her suspicions. “This is about Rarity, isn’t it?”

“She’s poised to sweep down on both of us, if we don’t do anything about it.” Twilight pulled out her map, which she’d marked with the latest developments, and indicated the wide open stretch of her northern borders.

“You don’t have to tell me twice.” AJ said, shooting a quick glance over her shoulder at the unicorn, “Ah plan to shove her pieces all the way back where they came from. There’s no way ah’m lettin’ her get away with betrayin’ me like she did without a fight!”

“I actually had a better idea,” Twilight interrupted, once again drawing her friend’s attention to her map. “Thanks to her attack, her own Haupstadt is empty. You could attack into it from below while she’s expecting you to just defend. Then you’ll have her navy surrounded.”

Applejack frowned. Ah won’t get my space back this turn, but ah wouldn’t lose any pieces for it. Still… “But that means ah can’t defend Elkheim with my air force. Ah’ll need it to support the attack, just in case. And even still she’d got more than enough air forces of her own to stop me.”

“That’s only if she’s expecting the attack,” Twilight said, her gaze slipping off her friend as she visualized the moves ahead unfolding before her. “I can use my air force to disrupt some of her support this turn. Then we can start attacking her from either side. Classic pincer formation. All the historical battle commanders swear by it. Two-pronged attacks, divide and conquer… there’s no way it can fail…”

“Unless Rarity changes your moves again.” Applejack grumbled.

Twilight’s attention snapped back to the here and now. “Do you still think it was her?”

“Who else could it have been? She’s the only one who profits from stoppin’ Rainbow from stompin’ her way through you.”

“Possibly, but how? I told you last turn that I didn’t sense any magic being used. And I think I would have noticed something like that.”

“Ah’m not sure how she did it, but ah know it was her! Ah just have to figure it out…” Applejack muttered, going over the events of that turn once again in her mind. What did ah miss…?

“Well, for now, temporary truce until the griffons are dealt with?” Twilight asked, holding out her hoof.

“Sure thing, until she goes down.” Applejack replied, bumping her hoof solidly back.

Twilight levitated her quill, dipped it in a pot of ink, and wrote Air Force in Hyasanguia attacks Latigo into her notebook. Applejack gave it a cursory glance to be sure everything was in order, but her mind had already returned to the problem of Rarity. Ah’m sure it was her that pulled that dirty trick. Not sure how, but ah’ll find out. Watch out, Rarity, ah’ll be watchin’ you like a hawk from now on!

…

“Um… Rainbow? What are you doing up here?”

“Nothing!” Rainbow Dash said quickly, lifting off the top of the stairs and flying to the center of the room. “Just gathering my thoughts, making plans, you know. So what’s up?”

Fluttershy glanced down at Twilight and Applejack, who were standing almost directly below the landing, but said nothing. She reluctantly flew up to where Rainbow was waiting.

“Well… I think that we need to stop-”

“Actually, I’m glad you're here.” Rainbow interrupted, “I’m stuck right now and I just need a few more units to break through. So can I borrow one of your territories for a while? I’ll send my army up from the Dune Sea and take Ard.”

“You… want me to give you my space?” Fluttershy asked, startled enough to temporarily forget why she’d come over.

Rainbow nodded energetically and clapped her hooves together in supplication. “I only need it for a round or two. Just long enough to overwhelm Twilight’s defenses. Then you can have it back, I promise. Please?!” She flew so close that they were practically touching, her eyes big and pleading.

Fluttershy instinctively flew backwards a little and rubbed her shoulders self-consciously. “Well… if you really need it… I suppose that’s fine…”

“Yes! It’ll take me two turns to get my army up there, and another turn before I can place my unit for it. Another two turns or so to crush her armies, call it six turns total. Just to be even… maybe longer if needed…”

“I don’t mean to interrupt,” Fluttershy said softly, trying to attract Rainbow’s attention. “But I really think we should do something about Pinkie Pie.”

Dash blinked and looked down at the board spread out beneath them. “Pinkie? She’s no threat. All her units are spread out on the ocean. None of those spots are worth any points."

“Yes… but they do reach a lot of other-”

“Though you are right, she does have a piece next to my Ptehinchala! I’ll have to defend it with my army and send my air force to take Ard. Good eye, Fluttershy!”

“Oh, but that’s not what I…!” the yellow pegasus started, but Rainbow had already zoomed off to another part of the library. Fluttershy flapped uncertainly in the middle of the room for a little while before looking around for somepony else who would listen to her.

…

The salty sea air cut sharply over the hard wood deck, billowing the sails out full before tapering off. The view of the shoreline appeared and disappeared behind the rail as the galleon rocked gently in the deep waves. Skilled tapirs, bedecked with bandanas and stripped shirts with ripped sleeves, swung from ropes and scrubbed the poop deck and did… other sailing stuff. Like swash buckles. And walking the planks.

And in the center of the rocking deck, reclining on her opulent deck chair, the Pirate Queen looked down at the figure before her. “And why have ye come before me?”

The ambassador of the far north, Rarity the Griffon, seemed momentarily flustered. “Ye?”

“All pirates talk like that, silly!” the Pirate Queen explained, leaning back and crossing her forelegs behind her head. “Now what favors have you come to ask of me?”

Rarity ran a tongue slowly over her beak and decided to press on. “Yes, well, I seem to have over-played my hand a little early. Applejack has been glaring daggers at me all the last turn and Twilight hasn’t been treating me any better, for some reason. I haven’t done anything to her that I can see, but there you have it. And I’m thinking that I need to have a few new allies at this stage of the game.”

“So ye have come to join my armada!” Pinkie declared cheerfully. A tapir ambled over and presented her with a bowl of green grapes. “Thank you, Hummingbird of the South. Those look tasty!”

“Er… right.” Rarity said, looking like she was starting to regret her choice of companion. “I didn’t come over here to work under… um, ‘ye’. I was just thinking that since the two of us have the most pieces, we work together to eliminate the others before going head to head.”

“I don’t know… the Pirate Queen doesn’t think she needs the help of Northerners like ye-self.”

“Look Pinkie, you mentioned favors earlier. What will it take to keep you out of the Cavallia peninsula?”

“Nothing at all,” she said, picking a grape from the bowl and eating it with relish. “The Pirate Queen strikes where she wants, whenever she wants-”

“I can get my hooves on those fancy chocolates from Canterlot you like so much.”

“And we have a deal!” the Pirate Queen shouted, leaning forward to offer the bowl to her guest. “Grape?”

…

“Where did the grapes come from?” Applejack wondered out loud, but quickly shook her head and dismissed it as Pinkie being Pinkie. That’s not important right now. Ah knew the two of them were plottin' behind my back. Why else would her navy be headin’ north at just this moment? They must’a been planin' against me from the start!

“Um, Applejack?” Fluttershy asked uncertainly, almost biting back her question when she saw the farmer was deep in thought. “I’m sorry to bother you with this, but I need to talk with somepony about what Pinkie’s doing.”

“Ah’m lookin' at the problem right now!” AJ said, still not taking her eyes off the two traitors.

Fluttershy sighed in relief. “Oh good, I’m glad I’m not the only one who saw it. With where she’s placed her units, she’s poised to strike-”

“Right at my unprotected Elgland!”

Fluttershy paused. “Um… what?”

Applejack produced her map and studied it thoroughly. “Or perhaps she’ll join forces with Rarity and force me out of Elkheim. Either way ah can’t defend against it; all my pieces are too far away this turn…”

“Um… that’s not what I mean…”

Applejack’s eyes widened as a sudden thought struck her. “Maybe ah could take over another country and place new units in those spots. It’d be a lot faster than movin’ all the way up there myself. Say… can I borrow Naqah from you for a couple turns?”

Fluttershy tried one last time to get her point across. “No, listen. Pinkie can attack anywhere she wants! The ocean spaces reach a lot more territories each than the land ones do and she’s almost circled the whole map. Her air forces can support any of her navies. If we don’t get out there right now, she’ll win!”

For the first time Applejack seemed to focus her attention fully on her friend, putting down her map and turning to look Fluttershy in the eye. “Look, ah know that she’s in a good spot,” she said, not unkindly, “but there’s nothin’ ah can do about it right now. If ah can’t do somethin’ about Rarity, ah won’t be around long enough to worry about what Pinkie’s doin’. Although if it helps, ah can take a spot from her right now. She’s left Alpaclan all alone.”

Fluttershy sighed in relief. “Thanks. I’m glad somepony is finally listening to me.”

“Ah won’t be able to hold it, of course.” she continued, turning back to see that her targets had split up. “Just long enough to get the unit, and after ah can go back up the coast and hold Naqah to keep it. Gotta go, ah just had another thought.”

If Pinkie can strike anywhere, maybe ah can get her to strike where ah want her to…

As she trotted off, she failed to see the look of concern on Fluttershy’s face.

…

“And is that all ye want?” the Pirate Queen asked. She looked down at her newest guest, Applejack the warrior, champion of the Elks, and giggled brightly.

Applejack paused. “What is it?”

“Just thinking you look silly with antlers!” the Pirate Queen laughed. She held one bracelet bedecked forelimb up and flipped her little tapir nose.

“Pinkie, please, ah need you to focus!” Applejack said, trying to keep the desperation from her voice. “Ah promised you double fritters if you help me hold Rarity off my territories. With the two of us combined, we can keep her from takin’ Elkheim from me!”

“But I just made a deal with the griffon nation. To go back on my word… what kind of a pirate do ye take me for?”

“Look, ah can throw in a barrel of cider ah’ve been agin’,” Applejack said desperately. “It’s all yours as long as ah don’t lose any more spaces to her!”

The Pirate Queen smiled and rubbed her chin, pretending to think the offer over. She still has cider left over!!! And for such a small favor! This is the best game ever!!!!!

“Of course we will accept your request!” she said out loud, leaning forward conspiratorially. “The noble pirates of the South Seas are always for hire, if the price is right. We will hold off those scurvy curs for ye, don’t ye fret!”

Applejack sighed. “Good. Ah’d better start writing my moves; the turns almost up.”

The noble elk warrior, at least to the Pirate Queen’s eyes, bowed before clambering down the ladder and onto the dingy that would bring her back to the shore. The Pirate Queen’s attention was already on another approaching rowboat, bearing the next dignitary come to beg her favors. She reclined further back in her recliner and watched as the figure lifted off and flew the remaining distance to the deck of her vessel.

Princess Twilight Sparkle, immortal ruler of the Pony realms, alighted before her and said, “Pinkie, we need to talk.”

“Of course!” the Pirate Queen said grandly, gesturing around herself at her underlings working to keep her ship in order. “And what can my illustrious crew do for ye?”

“I know that you’re cheating. You’ve got an extra piece on the board that you shouldn’t have.”

“Aw, caught already?” Pinkie sighed, setting aside the half eaten bowl of grapes and climbing down from the table. “I was hoping to last longer than one turn.”

“It’s obvious to anypony who’s watching the board. I didn’t think you’d actually cheat like this.”

“Actually, it’s in the rules.” Pinkie stretched over and snatched the rulebook from where Spike had left it on the table, flipping it open to the page she had randomly glimpsed earlier. “See, it’s called the Flying Dutchmare maneuver. A player can place an extra unit on the map and as long as nopony catches it, any moves it makes are legal. Although now that you’ve caught me, I’d better take it off.”

Twilight held her hoof out before Pinkie could go for the board. “Now hold on. You can keep the unit if you have a new territory to support it, right?”

“Well, yah!”

“Then nopony has to know about this.” Twilight said, leaning forward to look Pinkie directly in the eye. “Here’s what we’re going to do. You can keep that navy if you use it to help me take this spot right here. I’ll keep quiet, and you can take some other country to keep it, so the others don’t have to know. You’ve got plenty of options.”

“Uh, sure.” Pinkie said, cocking her head to the side and looking at Twilight quizzically. “Are you alright, Twilight? You’re looking a little… sparkly.”

Twilight blinked and stepped back quickly. “No! No, I’m feeling fine. Just… do what I said. I gotta go write down my moves before we’re out of time.”

…

“Oh, Twilight! I need to talk to you about-” Fluttershy started, but Twilight ran past fast enough to whip her hair into her face. By the time she’d brushed it back into a semblance of order, the alicorn had already holed herself up at the other end of the library and was writing furiously in her notebook.

Fluttershy bit her lip and looked around the room. Rainbow Dash and Rarity were having a discussion by the kitchenette. It didn’t seem to be going very well; the two of them were frowning pretty hard. She’d already tried Applejack, and Pinkie had disappeared somewhere. Time was running out and she didn’t know what else to do.

“One minute!” Spike said, looking closely at his hourglass.

Oh no, I’m out of time. Why won’t anypony listen to me? I know what needs to be done, but they just won’t listen! What can I do to make them listen?!

Suddenly she froze. Pulling out her map, she stared at it as an idea burned it’s way though her mind. Almost in a trance, she pulled out her notebook and wrote three lines down slowly and deliberately. Then, before she could think better of it, she ripped the page out and shoved it into a surprised Spike’s arms. And then she fled to the other side of the table and didn’t make another move until Spike was ready to begin.

…

“Alright, let’s start with Rarity,” Spike began, sifting through the papers in his claws. “Her navy in the Iceflow Sea tried to attack Elkheim with the support of her army, but Applejack’s army got support from Pinkie’s navy in the North Pellagic, so the attack fails. Rarity’s other navy goes east into the Wingover Sea, her army moves west into Ternej, and her air force in Latigo goes up into the East Skyshaper Peaks.

“Her second air force tried to go into Haupstadt, but Applejack attacked there from Elnias with the support of the air force in Breidas. The territory is taken by the elks.”

“What? Applejack!” Rarity whined.

“Turnabout is fair play!” Applejack returned, planting a green flag in Rarity’s territory.

“Applejack also took another space this turn,” Spike continued, “When her navy moved down the coast and took Alpaclan unopposed. Her last army moved up from Pferdreich into Hjort. Moving on to the next big mess, both Rarity’s last air force and Rainbow’s tried to go into Zaldia, and repel each other.”

Rarity smiled smugly, regaining some of her composure. “A perfect defense! I knew you’d try to take it from me.”

“Yes…” Spike said hesitantly, “but Twilight attacked Cavallia and since her unit is an army, Rainbow’s air force gets displaced to any empty space. And since you weren’t able to move into Zaldia this turn…”

“I get to take it anyway!” Rainbow Dash crowed, moving her piece triumphantly into the space. “It’s about time I got some good luck this game!”

Spike coughed into his fist. “Don’t get too far ahead of yourself. Your other attack was to send your army in Garanha into Rocinante with support from all three of your other units, and that worked because Twilight didn’t stay there to defend it. Her navy attacked Caballeria with support from Pinkie’s navy the Azure Reaches. She takes it and displaces your air force.”

Rainbow grumbled and pushed the unit into Heyuktan.

“Twilight also attacked Anojo from Konikticut with support from her air force, so your other army gets displaced too. The only open space is your vacated Garanha. Your last piece blocked Pinkie’s attack on Ptehinchala, so neither unit moves.

“Moving on to Pinkie’s moves, two of her navies travel into the Sea of Naqah and Cerulean Sea, and her air force moves into the vacated Zebrican Sea. Her other navy lands in Hippopotamia and takes it unopposed.”

Pinkie shrugged innocently at the dark glare Rarity shot her way. “Hey, you only said to stay out of Cavallia!”

“Wait, I thought Fluttershy had her navy in the Sea of Naqah.” Twilight interrupted, studying the board. “Where did she go?”

“Right!” Spike said, brightening up and avoiding everypony’s eye contact. “I was saving that for last because it was so unexpected. All of Fluttershy’s units moved this turn into unprotected territories. Those spaces were… um… Pte, Broncordia, and West Dune Sea. So Rainbow Dash, Twilght, and Applejack each lose a unit this turn, and Fluttershy’s forces double.”

The table exploded.

“WHAT!?!” Rainbow shouted, taking to the air in her agitation, “Fluttershy, how could you?”

“You knew ah was in trouble and you do this?” Applejack spat. Her mouth instantly twisted as her mind caught what she just said and she blinked in surprise with herself.

“What did I do?” Twilight demanded.

“And you all have the nerve to call my playing dirty, when you act like this.” Rarity sniffed, turning her nose up from the table.

“Oh, like you’re one to talk!" Applejack shouted, forgetting her brief moment of clarity. "Twilight’s moves changed again, and ah-”

“Stop!” Fluttershy shouted shrilly. Everypony was so startled by her unexpected outburst that they all froze and stared at her stupidly.

Fluttershy tried to hold back tears as she quickly spoke into the stillness. “None of you were paying any attention to me! I tried to tell you about important things and I just keep getting brushed aside and you were all starting to take advantage of me and I just thought that if I, if I could just get your attention… maybe… I’m sorry!” Breaking into tears, the yellow pegasus charged up the stares before any of them could move and disappeared into the second floor.

“Fluttershy! Wait!” Applejack called out, racing up the stairs after her. The others were quick behind, but as Spike stepped onto the first step he felt a hoof on his shoulder holding him back.

“Spike, are there any other moves or is that it?” Twilight asked.

“What are you talking about?” Spike asked, “We should be cheering up Fluttershy with the others, not talking about the game!”

Twilight blinked and shook her head, reaching up to brush a long strand of hair that had somehow gotten into her eyes. “You’re right; I don’t know what I was thinking.”

Twilight ran up the stairs after her friends, but now Spike hesitated. After a moment, he reached over to a nearby end table and picked up a quill, ink pot, and a blank scroll. Then, arms full, he dashed up to the others.

Author's Note

Well, that was unexpected! Let's take a look at the board:

Here's the end of the summer turn at the beginning of the chapter:

Click here for a closer look.

And here's the end of the winter turn at the end of the chapter:

Click here for a closer look.

I'm trying something new, seeing as I just can't seem to make these come out at a decent speed. Nothing of interest was going to happen during that summer turn anyway, so why make you all wait an extra month? Let me know if you prefer these combined chapters or if each turn needs its own.

This was one of the chapters I've been looking forward to since I started this fic. Fluttershy's little explosive takeover is one of only two events I've planned in advance for this story. But this! I didn't predict it would launch her into first place like this! Just goes to show you can never tell how a game like this will fall out. Pun definitely intended. And I'm sorry for that. Don't worry, Fluttershy will be fine, I promise!

And if you're wondering why the second map doesn't quite match the events of this turn, remember that most of them have less spaces than they used to and therefore needed to remove a piece or two from the map. Only Twilight and Fluttershy got to play new ones. Convenient... isn't it?

Year of 04

“Spike, are you almost done over there? You have to read the moves so we can get going!” Twilight called impatiently from the other side of the room.

“Just a second!” Spike called back, quickly latching the window closed again. He caught the last bit of green flame out of the corner of his eye as he turned around and prayed a little for a fast response. Things were getting… out of hoof.

In the meanwhile, he rushed over to the table and picked up the pile of six papers. “Alright, end of the fourth Summer turn. Let’s start with-”

“Let me guess, Twilight stayed in Caballeria instead of going into the Sea of Tranquility!” Rainbow Dash interrupted, slamming her hooves on the table angrily. “Just like every turn! Don’t think I don’t know what’s going on!”

“Er… Twilight did send her navy into the Sea…” Spike said.

“And how did you know what my move was?” Twilight accused. “I didn’t tell you what I was going to do this turn. Were you spying on me?!”

“Oh, come on! The way you’ve been holding your notebook half-open all the time, any of us could see what you write!” Rainbow shot back.

Fluttershy gasped. “Girls, calm down! Rainbow Dash, I’m sure she didn’t mean it the way it sounded.”

Twilight frowned at the yellow pegasus. “What do you mean, the way it sounded?”

“I didn’t… I meant…” Fluttershy paused and seemed to waver with herself for a moment, then took a deep breath. After a moment to compose herself she looked up at Twilight with renewed confidence. “You all convinced me to give this game another chance and I’m going to do just that. Now let’s listen to what Spike has to say and continue playing… alright?”

“Oh sure, you’re confident now that you’re winning…” Rarity mumbled under her breath, but only Pinkie caught it. The rest of them turned sharply to look at the baby dragon, who swallowed nervously under their stares.

“Uh… ok, let’s keep going then…” Spike said, shuffling the page with the neatest writing to the front. “Like I said, Twilight abandoned Caballeria…”

“Like I wrote!” Twilight interrupted, and Rainbow grunted and crossed her forelegs petulantly.

“…And Rainbow moved into it, with the support of her two nearby units.” Spike continued. “Her other two units moved from the Dune Sea into Ptehinchala, and from Zaldia into Palomino. Twilight makes up for her lost spot by slipping into Zaldia, though. She also moved her army into Garanha as well, just as Rainbow Dash leaves it.”

“But… but… but…” Rainbow sputtered, unable to believe what she was seeing.

Spike pressed on. “Twilight was on fire this turn, taking back Broncordia as well, but only because Fluttershy moved her unit back into Paardveld. Twilight’s last unit moved south into Konikticut. Fluttershy’s only other moves were to move this army into Heyuktan and this army into the Western Badlands. The rest of her units held their spots.

“None of Applejack’s or Rarity’s pieces move this turn. AJ’s navy in Alpaclan and Rarity’s army in Markovo each tried to attack alone, but neither Fluttershy nor Pinkie moved their defenders. Rarity also attacked Haupstadt and Elkheim, but Applejack defended with an equal number of units each time.”

The farmer and the fashionista glared at each other from across the table.

“And Pinkie…” Spike paused to clear his throat, wishing he’d stop leaving the bad news for last all the time. “Pinkie landed a navy in Elgland and Gryphos, taking a nation from the griffons and the elks.”

The farmer and the fashionista blinked and shifted their glare to the party planner in perfect synchronization, as if on a well oiled spring. Pinkie smiled innocently back at them.

Spike flipped through the last few notes, eager to get through it quickly. “Pinkie also sent her air force up into the Cerulean Sea, her army up into the South Dune Sea, and her other air force into Intiq. And that it! Good luck with the next round!”

He flipped the fifteen-minute timer over and quickly backed away from the table. The vibe in the room was getting ugly and he wanted to get as far from the flying sparks as he could.

…

It was a close one, but Applejack reached Pinkie a hair ahead of Rarity. She dropped an arm around her pink shoulders, swung her around, and stalked off in a half-drag, half-huddle. Out of the corner of her eye she watched Rarity put on a pout and stamp her hoof.

“Now, I know you might be a little upset about that last move…” Pinkie started, but Applejak didn’t let her continue.

“Yer darn right ah’m upset!” she choked out in a barely contained harsh whisper. “Ah thought we were in this together, but you stabbed me in the back! Why would you do that?!”

Pinkie’s smile froze on her face and she pulled back a little, not quite leaving the huddle. “It… you were open. I’ve been sneaking that unit up the sea all game and I thought it was a really clever move…”

“Oh, real clever!” AJ spat. “Ah’m sure impressed. So you were plannin’ to attack me like that all game? Ah thought we were a team!”

“We are! We are! But… it is just a game, you know. We’ve each got to play it to win or it’s not any fun!”

Applejack gaped at Pinkie, stunned by what she’d just heard. A game? You betrayed my trust and think you can claim you were just playin’? First Rarity betrays me, now this… ah’m startin’ to see just what kind of traitors my friends really are!

“You don’t even know what you’ve done.” Applejack said in a low, hurt voice and Pinkie reacted as if she’s been slapped.

“What, no! Look, I was going to help you take back the West Dune-”

“And you think ah would trust you again?!” Applejack interrupted once more, turning away and stalking off. “We’re quits now. Good luck with your game.”

Pinkie sat on the floor and stared after her as she walked away, her silly little paper hat slipping from its perch. For once, she didn’t know what to say.

…

“Pinkie sure was aggressive this turn.” Twilight said conversationally as she slid into the seat next to Fluttershy at the table. “Though considering what she did earlier, this doesn’t come as much of a surprise.”

Fluttershy nodded shyly, but she had a thoughtful look in her eye. “I still can’t believe she would cheat like that. She must have had some reason…”

Twilight shrugged. “Either way, something needs to be done to stop her. And I think you’re in the best position to do something about it.”

“M-me?” Fluttershy squeaked, suddenly paying a lot more attention to the conversation.

By way of explanation, Twilight swept her foreleg over the board. “Look at that piece she’s got in the Dune Sea. Where else does it have to go than into Rainbow Dash’s unprotected space? Your army is the only one on that side of the board that can stop her.”

“Yes… I suppose…” Fluttershy said, obviously wavering between her desire to avoid conflict and her recent decision to play the game seriously.

Twilight sensed her indecision and moved a little closer. “You don’t want Pinkie to steal from everypony the same way you did, right?”

“Well… no. It felt awful making everypony angry with me…”

“And you do owe Rainbow for what you did to her.”

“That’s true… it would be nice… to protect her.” Fluttershy looked up and stared Twilight straight in the eye. “And… it’s a good move, right? I mean, it’s a move a brave pony would make in this game?”

“Of course it is.” Twilight replied immediately, her face a perfect picture of sincerity. “I’d even say it’s the smartest move you can make right now.”

The shy pony studied her friend for a few moments, and then swallowed and nodded. “R-right. Alright! I’ll protect Rainbow Dash! Thank you for the advice, Twilight.”

“Anytime.” Twilight smiled, hardly able to keep the grin off her face for a moment longer. She patted her friend companionably on the shoulder.

Fluttershy smiled back and turned back to the board. “Oh, and I understand why you took your land back from me last turn-”

But Twilight was already walking away. Fluttershy opened her mouth to ask if she’d heard her apology, but thought again and closed it. Its fine, I’m sure she has plenty to talk with the others about. I shouldn’t take up all her time. And it really was nice of her to help me out like that!

But it’s strange… I thought she was fighting with the Buffalo right now. Why would she want to help Rainbow out?

…

“Rainbow, get down here! Everypony can see you up there!” Applejack called out.

Rainbow Dash started in shock and peered down over the edge of the top banister of the staircase at the farmer. She descended in a flash and pushed her to the side of the room. “Shh! Do you want to give my position away or something?!”

“Give away what?” Applejack shot back. “It’s pretty obvious you’ve been spyin’ on Twilight for the last hour. Those wild accusations you throw around every turn is a pretty big giveaway.”

Rainbow opened her moth to retort, realized she had nothing to say in her defense, and started growing red in the face. “I’m not crazy! I know she’s doing something to make me look crazy and I’m this close to figuring out what!”

AJ sighed and slipped a hoof over her eyes for a moment. This is getting’ me nowhere… “Ah’m not sayin’ you’re crazy; ah’m sayin’ you’re not doing it right! Let me lend you a hoof.”

Whatever the pegasus had been expecting her to say, it certainly wasn’t that. “What?! Why would you want to help me spy on Twilight?”

“No, ah want to find the cheater!” Applejack nearly shouted, but gathered in her frayed nerves at the last minute. “Look, ah’m basically out of this game at this point. Between Rarity’s, Shy’s, and now Pinkie’s last couple of attacks, there’s no way ah’m makin’ it through the next round without losin’ somethin’. Barrin’ a miracle, ah’m going to be eliminated any time now. There’s just nothin’ ah can do about it anymore.

“Everythin’ started goin’ bad when Twilight’s orders changed that first time! It’s clear that somepony here ain’t playin’ fair and if ah can’t win this game anymore, ah’m at least going to make sure that cheater isn’t goin’ to! Now do you want my help or not?!”

Rainbow Dash bared her teeth in a ferocious grin and stuck out her hoof. “Best news I’ve heard all night!” The two of them bumped hooves and just like that, their earlier disagreement was set aside, if not forgotten.

“But I don’t know what more we can do.” Rainbow continued. “I’ve been watching Twilight nonstop, but aside from all the notebooks she’s writing stuff in and how she sometimes switches to quill and ink, she’s not doing anything very weird.”

But AJ was already shaking her head. “Then maybe it’s not her. Ah’ve kept my eye on Rarity for a while now. Ah thought she had the most to gain by stoppin’ you from beatin’ Twi, but she hasn’t taken advantage like ah thought she would. The point is if whoever it is was usin’ magic, we’d have seen that aura thing around her notebook. Ah sure haven’t; what about you?”

“…No…” Rainbow admitted.

Applejack spread her hooves as if that proved her point. “It’s just a guess, but ah think they aren’t usin’ magic here. Which means the cheater could be anyone.”

“If we’re looking for a cheater, we don’t need to look any farther than Pinkie Pie.” Rainbow grumbled. She was only half-serious, but if she expected the farmer to rise to her former ally’s defense she was about to be disappointed.

“Right now, ah’m not ruling out any suspects.” Applejack deadpanned. “First thing’s first, we need to lay a trap of our own. Listen close…”

…

“Applejack’s mad at me!” Pinkie shouted right into Rarity’s ear.

With a massive effort, Rarity managed not to leap squealing like a pig from her seat. Instead, she smiled dazzlingly to hide her true feelings. “I can’t imagine why, Darling!”

“I know, right!” Pinkie continued, completely oblivious to the fashionista’s sarcasm. “I mean, I know it’s no fun to lose, but that just makes fighting your way back up that much more fun! It’s not like she can’t get it back, I mean, it’s only one teeny tiny little ship and she could get Fluttershy to help if she really needed it. I just don’t see what the big deal is…”

“Oh no, I have no idea either!” Rarity cut in sweetly, still grinning pertly without looking directly at her. “Why ever would she be upset that you stabbed her in the back with no warning or provocation whatsoever?”

Pinkie stopped her pacing and whirled around. “That’s not what happened!”

“Oh no?” Rarity said archly, snubbing up her nose. “I was at the same table as you and I must say, I sympathize with Applejack on this one. I can understand how it feels to be attacked with no warning, for no reason. Leaves quite the bitter taste in the mouth.”

“I’m just playing the game!” Pinkie cried, indignant. “That ship had been moving up every turn. Don’t blame me if you didn’t leave something to stop it!”

Rarity finally looked Pinkie in the eye, pinning her in place with distaste. “Oh really? Was it there the whole time, or was it another of your ‘extra’ pieces?”

“Ah! I-I-I… ahh!” Pinkie sputtered, her shock momentarily depriving her of normal speech. She pulled the rulebook out of thin air and angrily opened it to the back. “I already told you, that was a real move I found in here! See! The Flying Dutchmare Maneuver, right here, see! ‘Any extra piece that is sneaked onto the board is a legal piece so long as no other player notices, but must be removed immediately if discovered”. I got rid of it as soon as it was pointed out, didn’t I?”

“Only because Spike noticed it when you put on new units last turn.” Rarity huffed, turned away again. “And I do not care that the book says we can’t take back any moves it might have made, the rest of us haven’t been resorting to such cheap tricks!”

Rarity stood up quick and started away, but paused and turned back over her shoulder one last time. “Applejack may be able to fight back, but I can’t. So enjoy your new spot. Oh, and don’t worry about your chocolates, I’ll make sure you get what’s important to you!”

Pinkie was near tears as Rarity stalked away from her. She lay her head down on the table with a thump and stayed like that for a bit. What just happened? I was just trying to do something fun! And I’m winning! But… why is everypony so angry that I’m winning? Aren’t games supposed to be fun?

…

OK, I think I’m getting the hang of this. Fluttershy thought to herself, bending over her notebook. I’ll attack Pferdreich from Paardveld and support it with my two other units. Twilight’s the only one who can intervene, but she’s probably going to sit on Broncordia to get it back. Her navy will most likely be protecting it… this might actually work! The others were right, I just needed to give playing it a chance and-

“Hey Fluttershy!” Rainbow said brightly, completely throwing her friend’s train of thought awry. “Got a question for you!”

“Ah! Um… wha-what is it?” Fluttershy asked once she recovered her voice.

Rainbow Dash rubbed the back of her head and grinned, trying to act super casual and not at all in a rush as the last few minutes of the round counted down. “Well, it’s not so much a question really. I just wanted to tell you that I was going to attack right up into Twilight’s territory this turn!”

There was an awkward pause as the two ponies stared at each other. It only grew worse as time dragged on and neither one made a move to break it.

“I’m going to attack Twilight.” Rainbow repeated. “Right up through here where she’s defenseless.”

“That’s… good?” Fluttershy ventured.

“Right. Well, I just wanted you to know that.” RD said awkwardly, mind racing for some way to change the subject. “You know, with you trying to get that place she stole back. It’s like, a distraction. Attack from two sides!”

“Oh, I’m not trying to get Broncordia back.” Fluttershy said.

Rainbow was turning to make a hasty retreat, but this new tidbit caught her attention and she swiveled back. “What do you mean? Why wouldn’t you want to strike back?”

In answer, Fluttershy hesitantly held up her notes. “I was thinking she’s probably going to defend it with the two she’s got here, so it’s be just a tie if I tried to take it back. Instead I’m going take Pferdreich.”

“Oh!” Rainbow said, eyes lighting up with understanding and realization. “I see! Well, I should go. Gotta talk to somepo-I mean, not talk to somepony! Orders! I’ve still got to write my orders! So… good job! Remember, I’m attacking Rocinante. Gotta dash!”

Fluttershy blinked in confusion as her friend beat a hasty retreat. "Well… that was strange…"

…

“Haven’t talked in a while, have we?” Rarity said in greeting.

Applejack shrugged. “Not since you declared war and ah had to respond in kind.”

Rarity bristled, but the farmer held up a hoof to forestall her outraged response. “Ah didn’t mean anythin’ by it, just blowin’ off some steam. Sides, we got another bale of hay to turn.”

Rarity raised her eyebrow at that. “Bale of hay to turn?”

“Yeah, you turn hay. It’s a farmin’ thing.”

She shrugged, conceding the point and dismissing it. “I know what you mean. Pinkie attacked both of us. I assume you have some plan to get revenge for it? If so, I’m all ears.”

“Still workin’ on that.” Applejack grunted in distaste. “Ah can maybe force her out of my country, but not if ah have to defend myself from you at the same time. Ah was hopin’ we could call a ceasefire until our mutual problem is dealt with.”

The unicorn sniffed and brushed an invisible spot of dust off her hoof. “I can certainly understand the sentiment, but I still don’t see how that improves my situation. What are you offering me?”

“Information.” AJ said, leaning in closer. Ah did tell Rainbow to say this to Fluttershy, so it's technically true... “Ah hear that Rainbow was the one who got Pinkie to attack us.”

Rarity jerked backwards, but her eyes quickly grew introspective. “Pinkie is taking bribes for favors. Still, it seems a little farfetched that Rainbow Dash, of all ponies…”

You were usin’ Pinkie too, eh? Applejack thought, filing that piece of intel away for later. She could feel drops of sweat starting to form on her brow, but she plowed on with her prepared story before her nervous ticks gave the game away. “Believe it; ah was just talkin’ to her and she let it slip. I don’t know what she promised Pinkie, but she’s givin’ up on the lower coast and goin’ right up after your stuff. Pinkie’s just softenin’ you up and is goin’ to back off as soon as Rainbow arrives.”

“I... I never would have imagined…” Rarity said in a shocked voice.

“She’s goin’ to avoid Twilight’s forces by passin’ through Rocinante. You got plenty of time to get your armies back to block if you go this turn.” Applejack paused for a calculated few moments. “Twilight could stop her, ah suppose, but she’d have to step in this turn. Well, not much time left. Ah’d better get to writin’.”

She trotted off, but not before catching Rarity shooting a speculative glance Twilight’s way. She grinned to herself, pleased that her seed had been successfully planted. Now to see what kind of tree grows…

…

“And then Rarity got mad at me!”

“Uh huh.” Twilight said distractedly, continuing to write notes in her various books.

Pinkie, completely oblivious to her audience’s disinterest, pressed valiantly on. “I just don’t understand why they’re taking it so personal! It was a great move! OK, not for them, sure, but either of them could have done something about it if they’d seen it coming!”

“Uh huh.” Twilight repeated, turned to a fresh page and licking the tip of her pencil.

“And what do they expect of me?!” Pinkie said, spinning in place and pacing in the other direction. “To just sit around and do nothing all game? Do they expect me to just up and leave for no reason?”

“It might make them feel better…” Twilight said, still barely paying attention.

Pinkie, however, froze in place as the idea worked its way through her mind. “Wait, that’s it! They’re upset that I attacked, but they don’t lose anything if I’m not on those spaces this turn! They’ll be so relieved that they’ll forgive me! Great idea, Twilight!”

Pinkie shot off across the room to where she left her notebook on the other side of the room. As she passed by Applejack and Rainbow huddling next to the table, she overheard one of them whisper “She’s going to do what?!” in a shocked whisper. While she was tempted to stick around and figure out which of them said that and what they were talking about, the end of the round was almost here and she didn’t have time. She scooping up her notebook and started furiously erasing.

Twilight paused in her writing and looked up with one eye. She smiled to herself and made one last mark in her book before Spike called time.

…

“Let’s get this started.” Spike said several minutes later, shuffling his papers into an ordered stack. “I’ll start with the tapirs. Surprisingly, Pinkie chose to move her navies out of Elgland and Gryphos and took to the sea again.”

“There, see?” Pinkie interrupted. “I took it back! That makes it all better, right? Right?!?”

“A little too late, partner.” Applejack grumbled. Rarity sniffed and turned her head up as well.

Pinkie’s jaw dropped. But… but… but… I took it back!!! Why are they still so angry?!? I don’t understand!!!

Spike cleared his throat to get their attention. “Anyway… Pinkie also moved her southern forces north into Intiq and Northern Dune Sea, while her other two defend Hippopotamia. Rarity’s army and air forces moved east into Ternej, Markovo, and Latigo. Her other pieces also are doing nothing this turn, which is surprising because Applejack is leaving Elkheim.”

“Um… wait. Does this mean Pinkie didn’t try to take the East Dune Sea?” Fluttershy said softly, but none of them paid her any attention. “Oh… dear…”

“Instead, she took back Elgland… from no one, but that’s beside the point.” Spike continued. “She also rushed her army down into Pferdreich with the support of her air force in Breidas. The bad news is Fluttershy also sent her army there, with the support of two other units in the area.”

“Three to two…” Applejack sighed, slumping down over the table. “So ah lost that one, huh?”

“Normally…” Spike said, scratching nervously at his throat as everypony’s attention perked up. “Twilight’s navy attacked Ard, displacing Shy’s air force and cutting off its support. That made it a tie between you two and nopony gets Pferdreich. And Fluttershy needs to move her unit out of Ard.”

The pegasus nodded morosely and pushed it over into Jama.

“None of Twilight’s other pieces moved this turn. Her unit in Garanha got support from the air force in Konikticut, which is a good thing because Rainbow Dash tried to take it with the units in Caballeria and Yegua. Another tie, so neither moves this turn.”

Rainbow and Applejack couldn’t resist shooting a knowing glance at each other from across the table. The other four only looked confused, but only one at the table was paying any close attention to everypony’s reactions to this news.

Spike, sensing something was happened, waited for a little bit before hesitantly going on. “Fluttershy moved her air force from Naqah to Pte, and also took the East Dune Sea from Heyuktan.”

“What?!” Rainbow shouted, shooting her friend a murderous look. “You took more land from me!”

“I-I was trying to protect it for you…” Fluttershy mumbled, but Rainbow turned her back to her angrily and she subsided.

Knowing that there was still one move left to go, Spike prepared for the worst. “And Rainbow Dash ends her turn by taking Killa unopposed from Ptehinchala, with support from Tatanka.”

He flinched, prepared for another outburst, but Pinkie still seemed to be lost in shock over something, so he pressed on to the finish. “That means when it’s all totaled up; Fluttershy loses one unit, Pinkie Pie loses one unit, and Twilight gains one. And that’s it. The next round starts now!”

Author's Note

It has been over a year since I last updated this story. That is inexcusable. I am sorry. I will attempt to speed things up and give this story the conclusion it deserves.

In the meantime, let's take a look at the maps.
Here's the end of the Summer turn at the start of the chapter:

Click here for a closer look.

And here's the end of the Winter turn at the end of the chapter:

Click here for a closer look.

To make these chapters a year long apiece, I'm having to mash together things a little more quickly than I envisioned. Still, I think the gist of what happens during those missing fifteen minutes is coming through. And while everyone seemed to love the idea of Pirate Queen Pinkie, that's not really how a game of Diplomacy goes, does it? The higher you rise, the harder all your "friends" try to drag you back down. Cheerful, no?

Also, the Flying Dutchman Maneuver is a real thing. While not explicitly included in the rulebook itself, the game does state that any piece on the board that shouldn't be there, whether on purpose or by accident, is considered a legal piece until someone figures it out. The one thing this game is very clear about is no matter what happens or what any player does, there is no going back and redoing turns. All moves, cheating or otherwise, are permanent. This can be interpreted in several ways, as we shall see in the next chapter...

Year of 05

Did you two really think I wouldn’t notice? The pony thought, watching Applejack and Rainbow Dash huddled together in whispered conversation. It’s clear that you’re trying to find me, but you never will! I’ve worked too hard to allow anything to stop my nation’s rise now. I’m afraid I will need to break apart this lovely ‘team’ you’ve got. And I know just the way…

She gave a quick look around the room, but none of the others were watching. She quickly slipped her hoof into the unprotected game box and drew out a piece, slipping it onto the board. She ducked back over to her usual seat just as Spike called out that the round was almost over and hid a smile. And now to watch the sparks fly…

…

Spike hummed and scratched at invisible itches for nearly a minute, but it soon became clear he couldn’t hold it off any longer. He shot one last glance at the window, fluffed the papers in his claws again, and began.

“Alright, Summer turn, fifth year. Fluttershy moved her air force from Pte to Heyuktan, and her other one supported her army’s attack on Ard. Twilight was leaving it for the Sea anyway, so there’s no fight and Shy gets her spot back.”

“Fair’s fair, I suppose…” Twilight grumbled, crossing her forelegs sullenly. “I couldn’t keep it anyway.”

“Right, well Twilight also got pushed out of Garanha,” Spike continued, trailing a claw down the page to the next point. “All three of Rainbow’s pieces here attacked together. Her army travels from Zaldia to Palomino and this one moves into the newly empty Paardveld. Her last unit went up into Latigo, but Rarity left it anyway when her two air pieces pushed Pinkie’s piece out of Hippopotamia.”

“Ha!” Rarity exclaimed, jabbing a hoof at the earth pony. Pinkie bared her teeth and growled steadily back.

“Er… but Pinkie’s unit in the Cerulean Sea took Gryphos…”

“HaHA!” Pinkie exclaimed, mocking the fashionista’s tone perfectly. Rarity’s eye started to twitch and she pushed herself up from the table as if about to start something.

Spike took in a deep breath and started running through the rest of the moves at a high speed, trying to get through with it as quickly as possible. “Rarity’s army here moves into Ust-Kamcatsk. Applejack’s navy Alpaca Sea. Fluttershy’s piece moved into Heyuktan. Pinkie’s army takes the East Dune Sea. And for various reasons, those are the only units that get to move this turn.”

There was a general uproar as half the girls at the table spoke up at once, angrily talking about how he must have made a mistake. Spike had to talk louder to explain.

“Look, everywhere else was evenly matched! Applejack and Fluttershy both sent one unit into Pferdreich and tied. Pinkie attacked Elgland, but AJ didn’t move so nothing happened. And both she and Rarity sent two into Elkheim too! Look, it’s all written here!”

Twilight shook her head and magically pushed back the papers the dragon tried to hold out for inspection. “Don’t worry about that, Spike. You’re in charge of the moves, so if you say it happened we have to accept it.”

The dragon smiled his thanks and snatched up the timer, flipping it over. “R-right! Well then, that’s it. Next round starts now.”

There was some grumbles, but everypony set about collecting their notebooks and pencils. Most of them had walked away from the table when Rarity unexpectedly said, “Wait a minute, did Applejack have this many pieces before?”

There was a pregnant pause for a crystalline moment, and then everypony rushed back to the table.

“No, look!” Applejack said, jabbing a hoof at the top of the board. “See, ah’ve got two of my original spots and three others, makin’ five. And there are five armies right here!”

“Plus this navy down here,” Pinkie pointed out. “Which makes six. You know, it’s not cool to be a copycat. You should have tried something new.”

“Applejack, you cheated?!” Twilight exclaimed.

“Ah have no idea where that came from!” Applejack shouted in confusion.

“Actually, I think that one’s been there for a while,” Fluttershy said thoughtfully. “It’s been sitting on Alpaclan for several turns now, preventing my piece from moving. I mean, I haven’t had much else to watch this game, so I know…”

“So she must have put on one of these up here.” Rarity said coldly, turning back to the top.

Applejack slammed her hooves down hard enough to make all the game pieces jump around a little. “AH DIDN’T CHEAT!”

“You’ve got too many pieces on the board,” Rarity returned, “More importantly, you wrote orders for each of them. Are you suggesting that you simply didn’t notice your own pieces?”

Applejack sputtered and her cheeks began to burn. “Ah… Ah didn’t even think about my moves until the end of the round. Ah’ve been too busy to even-”

Rarity sniffed sharply and turned her back to the farmer, marching stiffly away.

Twilight shook her head and gave AJ a disapproving stare. “Nopony else has a motive for helping you out there. It had to have been you.” She left the table as well, and Fluttershy and Pinkie went with her.

The orange pony was left alone at the table, looking around the room in complete confusion. “But… but ah didn’t cheat! Ah have no idea where that piece came from. You believe me, don’t you, Rainbow?”

She blinked and noticed for the first time that the pegasus hadn’t been at the table with the others. She quickly spotted her about halfway up the staircase and rushed over. “Hey Rainbow, look…”

“Save it!” Rainbow Dash snapped, staring furiously at her notebook. “I thought we were a team, trying to find the cheater together, but I’ve been working with a cheater all along!”

“What are you talking about?!” Applejack said, hurt and anger warring within her tone. “You were with me the whole time, when did ah have time to plant a piece on the board?”

“I don’t know, but it must have been you!” Rainbow closed her book with a slam and spun around to face her. “Do you think I’m an idiot? I’ve been following your ‘plan’ for several turns now, and where has it gotten us?”

“We’ve narrowed it down to -” AJ started, but Rainbow wouldn’t let her finish.

“Twilight’s moves haven’t changed since we started! Yeah, that could mean she was doing it the other times, but it also could mean that they’re just not doing it anymore! Like maybe she’s trying to get me to suspect somepony else.”

Applejack blinked and her mouth dropped open. “You think it was me?!”

Rainbow snorted derisively. “I’m the only one who’s been sacrificing my moves to your plan when I could have been pressing forward like I wanted. You’ve just bottled yourself up and gotten stronger while I’m getting picked apart. And you did just sneak an army out to defend yourself, so you’re the most suspicious one here!”

“How can you say that?!” Applejack shouted in a strangled cry. “How can you believe that I’m the cheater?”

“I don’t know who to believe!” Rainbow exploded. “I can’t trust you anymore! I can’t trust anypony in this room anymore! I’m going back to what I should’ve done, what I wanted to do from the very beginning! Enough of this teamwork stuff if all it gets me is stabbed in the back! I’m going to do what’s best for me and only me!” She snatched up her notebook and shot into the air, zipping to the other side of the room in a rush of air.

Applejack watched her go with burning eyes. “Fine then! Ah didn’t want to work with you anyway!” She sat down heavily on the stairs and crossed her forelegs, glaring bloody murder after the weather pony.

Down below, another pony hid a smile as best she could. Perfect…

…

“Uh, Twilight?” Spike said, tapping her on the shoulder to get her attention. “I think the game is starting to get to everypony.”

“Oh? In what way?” Twilight asked absently, scribbling something in her notebooks. “Hmm, I’m going to need to have a talk with Fluttershy…”

Spike stamped his foot and held up his caws in a ‘come-on’ expression. “This is serious! Applejack and Rainbow Dash just blew up at each other! Don’t tell me you couldn’t hear them just now! We have to do something!”

Twilight sighed and spun around in her seat to face him. “I know Spike. This game is bringing out the worst in them and we have to put an end to it.”

Spike sighed in relief and wiped sweat from his brow. “Thank goodness. I was afraid that-”

“Which is why I’m going to win as quickly as possible!”

“Uh… what?” Spike said, freezing in place.

Twilight turned back to her writing. “I’ve got it all planned out. Once the game is over, I’m sure everypony will forgive each other for how they acted. So I’m going to… plah. Pah! Gah!” A long strand of hair from her mane had floated around and into her mouth and she had to spend a while spitting it back out.

Spike took this moment to try and interject some logic. “Wouldn’t it be better if you all, oh, I don’t know… just stopped playing?”

The alicorn brushed her tongue a couple times and shot him a condescending look. “Don’t be silly Spike, we can’t stop the game now. We’re each too even right now. There’s no way to decide who’d be the winner.”

Oh no… Spike thought, but tried one more time to get through to her. “Come on, these are our friends! Don’t you think you should set the books aside for them?”

He reached out hesitantly to push the papers away, but Twilight magically pulled them out of his reach. “I’m doing this because they are my friends. It’s best for everypony if I win quickly and decisively. Which is why until the game is over I can’t think of them as my friends,” she started writing intently again, and the rest of her words came out quietly, as if she were unaware she was speaking aloud. “I have to think of them as enemies, threatening to take away my realm…”

“Right then!” Spike said with fake brightness, backing away from her with a terrified smile. “I’ll just… leave you to it then! You know what you’re doing… I guess?”

“Of course I know what I’m doing.” Twilight said absently, but she wasn’t really paying attention. A new thought had occurred to her, and she had to go over her notes again to see if it’d work. Another strand of her hair floated into her eyes and she brushed it away.

…

“Pinkie.” Rarity said stiffly, walking up behind the party pony.

“Rarity.” Pinkie returned in the same tone, albeit a little warier. It didn’t feel good to act this way with one of her best friends, but darn it she’d been the one to start it! And it still hurt her a little inside. I even tried to apologize!

“I see you have once again attacked my Gryphos,” Rarity said, “I will get right to the point. What will it cost me to get you to leave?”

The odd little pain in Pinkie’s chest grew a little heavier. “What do you mean?”

Rarity sniffed and tilted her head back a bit so she was almost staring down her nose. “That is what you’ve been doing, isn’t it? So what must I pay this time; more chocolates, some of my private, expensive blend of tea, a brand new dress? Or perhaps you wish me to get on my knees and beg?”

With each word Pinkie’s chest felt worse and worse, and at that last bit the pain lurched unpleasantly. Her eyes burned as she struggled to deal with the emotions. “How can you say that to me?! I’m just playing the game like it’s supposed to be played!”

“I’m sure.” Rarity scoffed, but her eyes hardened. “But I will not allow you to take my space from me.”

Pinkie’s mouth tightened with distaste and she struggled to think through the muddle the anger had turned her thoughts into. “Well, maybe I don’t wanna leave Gryphos. Seems to me like you can’t do anything about it!”

Rarity stared at her for almost half a minute before she continued in an icy-cold tone. “Perhaps you didn’t understand. That country is mine! I will not allow you to take what is MINE!!”

She leaned in closer as she spoke, putting more and more emphasis on her words. “I have taken enough accusations today to deal with any more! So here is what is going to happen. I may not be able to remove you from Gryphos this turn, but you can’t get Hippopotamia back from me either. That means the number of pieces I own won’t change, and I outnumber you. I will throw your little air force from my lands and you will never get it onto one of mine again!”

At the end of that little rant the two of them were nearly nose to nose. Pinkie, usually more than comfortable with that level of personal space, suddenly found herself wishing to be as far away from this unicorn as possible. Something, probably her pain and anger at being treated like this, gained control of her active mind and drove her forward. Rarity had to lean back sharply as Pinkie shoved herself up until she had the high ground.

“Oh yeah? Maybe you will, and maybe you won’t. We’ll see who’s laughing soon!”

Rarity bit the inside of her cheek and turned away furiously. “Ha! I doubt that will be you, dear.” She stamped away from her in a huff.

Pinkie sputtered over herself a couple times, her wounded pride refusing to allow Rarity the last word. “Yeah? Well… it won’t be you either! No one will be laughing! This isn’t a game anymore! This isn’t fun anymore!” Her mouth twisted over her words as if she had bit into something sour, but she was caught in the tide of her fury and pressed on. “This is war!”

She spun in place and dashed over to the one pony in the room who could help her deal with Rarity right now. On her way she passed Spike, who was building some kind of fallout shelter out of a stack of books. The dragon slipped the last book onto the pile and crawling behind it, shivering and determined not to attract anypony’s attention unless he absolutely had to.

…

Fluttershy let out a little “eep” as a hoof hit her on the shoulder from behind.

Applejack froze in confusion as the yellow pegasus spun around, and then comprehension dawned and she had the presence of mind to look a little sheepish. “Sorry, sugar cube, guess ah put a little too much force in that one. Ah’m a little angry right now.”

Fluttershy rubbed her shoulder, but she had been more surprised than hurt. She’s angry? Was it something I did… no. I haven’t done anything to her. And I have to stop thinking like that! I need to act tougher or I’ll never get anywhere in this game.

So instead of accepting the apology like she’d normally do, she forced her hoof back to the floor and looked at the farmer levelly. “I’m fine. What did you need?”

AJ blinked in surprise at the reaction, but then violently shook her head and focused. “Look, ah just want a straight answer to a question. Are you the one who has been changin’ other pony’s moves?”

Fluttershy froze. That hadn’t been close to what she’d been expecting her to say. She thinks I’m the one who’s been cheating? Why would she think that? I haven’t… wait. Is this one of those tricks I’ve seen the others playing? What could she be trying to gain by trapping me?

It hadn’t escaped Applejack’s notice that Flutters was not only hesitating to answer, but was apparently thinking furiously. No way. Fluttershy? Ah was only askin’ her to rule out the obvious, but why else would she act like this? Has… has she been lyin’ to us this whole time?

Meanwhile, Fluttershy’s eye had happened to fall on her map and a dark suspicion had blossomed. Wait… is this about Pferdreich? Is she trying to intimidate me so I don’t attack this turn? How… could she?! I promised the others I was going to try and play for real, and she’s trying to scare me away?

A small voice tried to tell her that Applejack would never do such a thing, but Fluttershy overrode it with a little shake of her head. I have to try to act like Twilight said I should. I need to be brave and forward if I want to play. I can’t afford to be kind right now; I have to be hard!

So she looked AJ in the eye and said, in as calm a voice as she could manage, “I have no idea what you are talking about.”

Applejack stared at her until the tension in the air was thick enough to cut, and then nodded slowly. “I see… well then… ah’ll leave you to it.”

Applejack walked away, her thoughts awhirl. Ah simply can’t believe that she’s the one, but why is she actin’ so suspicious? Does she know who the cheater is? Why wouldn’t she tell me? What is she tryin’ to hide? And most importantly, how many of these ponies have been lyin’ to me this whole time?

Fluttershy watched the orange pony until she was sure she wouldn’t look back and then spun around and buried her head in her arms. She felt terrified, exhilarated, hurt, and proud all at once, and it threatened to overwhelm her. She’d done it! She had put herself first, thought it through, and she’d come out of the confrontation ahead!

While it was on her mind, she wrote Army in Western Badlands attacks Pferdreich and Air force in Jama supports attack on Pferdreich in her notebook. She had to make the most of her personal victory, after all.

…

Stupid Applejack, Rainbow Dash fumed from her corner on the kitchen, as far away from the others as she could get. Twilight had come in and tried to ask her something, but she’d just ignored her until the egghead had wandered away. Stupid whoever it is messing with the orders. Stupid buffalo for only starting with armies. Stupid Twilight for finding this game in the first place! Well I’m not going to get taken down like this! Starting now, I’m taking this game to the cleaners!

Stubborn pride surged through her veins and galvanized her into motion. With a deft motion she picked up her pencil, mentally ran through her plans for the turn, and pressed the tool to the paper. It’s immediately snapped in half, throwing tiny splinters in all directions.

“OH COME ON!!!” Rainbow nearly screamed, spitting the ruined end out of her mouth. She glared down at the pencil, but it didn’t magically fuse back together. In a fit of pique she slapped the broken ends and send them spinning out into the main room. She growled under her breath and swept up her notebook under her wing. She’d have to ask Twilight for another one.

The thought of asking for help after her outburst galled her, however, so her first stop after leaving the kitchen was to swerve over to the box to see if it had a spare. It didn’t, but she did see that somehow there was only five minutes left in the round. She’d have to hurry if she wanted to finish in time.

Twilight was deep in conversation with Pinkie as she walked over. “Sure, I think I can do that for you,” Twilight told the party pony, but was interrupted when Rainbow fell heavily into the seat next to her.

“Hey, I need to borrow your pencil, mine broke.” Rainbow said, doing her best to avoid eye contact and maintain her dignity.

Twilight glanced up at her own pencil, which was magically writing out line after line in the air above her, and back to her friend. “I’m kind of using mine right now, but here. You can use this.”

She levitated a quill and pot of ink over to the weather pony and set them on the table. Rainbow sighed and popped the top of the well. There was only a little ink left inside, but there was enough for her needs. She dipped the quill in and hurried to write out her moves.

She had barely put the last word in when Twilight snatched up the paper with her magic and folded it in half. “I’ll take this over for you, since there’s not much time left in the round.”

Rainbow snapped the paper out of the air with her wing angrily. “I can do it myself, thank you very much!”

She stamped away, tossed the folded paper over the pile of books that was Spikes fallout shelter, and flew off somewhere to sulk. Twilight watched her go and glanced over at the hourglass. She nodded to herself and made one last adjustment to her own page just as the last few grains ran out.

And with that, everything is in place.

…

Applejack had kept mostly to herself after her failed conversation with Fluttershy. Most of that time had been spent taking deep breaths and trying to work through what she should do next. Her heart simply wasn’t in the game anymore, but she’d be hogtied with a garden snake in a nest of fire ants before she’d give up a contest.

She broke out of her musings when RD shouted again and rushed out of the kitchen, and it occurred to her that there was very little time left in the round. With no other plan for her time she scribbled out something or other and headed over to turn it in. She’d barely taken two steps when her hoof came down on something sharp.

She looked down and grunted. “Oh, is just a bit of the pencil Rainbow threw away.”

She started forward again, but something tickled the back of her mind and she turned back. At first she couldn’t tell what was bothering her. It looked normal, just a broken pencil like every other one she’d ever seen…

It was broken on the wrong end.

AJ blinked and leaned down for a closer look. Without magic, most pegasi and earth ponies picked up the knack of writing with a pencil in their mouths. It wasn’t something she thought about much, but it tended to put stress on the end of the pencil near the eraser, where a pony’d bite into it with their teeth. Once you’ve accidentally bit down too hard and got yourself a mouthful of splinters, you learn pretty fast to take care of your writing implements.

But this pencil had broken at the other end, about a quarter of the way up from the tip. Which made absolutely no sense. Normal writing, even pressing down hard in anger, would only snap it either at the point or near where it’d been gripped at the top. A pencil would only break down there if it had been bent or something like that. But why purposefully break a pencil? What would be the point…?

“Applejack? We need your orders.” Twilight said, and AJ almost jumped a foot.

She grinned and shuffled over. “Sorry, ah was woolgathering,” she started, but her eyes happened to fall upon the table. Specifically, upon the quill and bottle of ink sitting innocently there.

Twilight didn’t seem to notice her suddenly tense up, simply grabbing the sheet with her magic and turning back to Spike. She said something to the dragon about how he should stop fooling around, but Applejack’s attention was elsewhere. She quickly scooped the jar aside and walked a little ways from the table. The other girls, sans Twilight, gave her departure a curious look, but none of them said anything.

“It can’t be…” Applejack said softly to herself. She opened her notebook to a fresh page and popped the lid on the ink well. She dipped the quill in and wrote Equestria with a quick flourish. Then she spat the quill aside and waited.

For ten seconds nothing changed and the thought that she’d been wrong flashed through her mind. And then, all at once, the word faded and vanished from the page.

Applejack felt the tension flood from her limbs as she picked up the jar and whispered, “This is invisible ink!”

Invisible ink! Could it be the same stuff from that prank thing Rainbow and Pinkie did way back when? It’s just like Twilight to never throw away supplies, but would she really hold onto somethin’ like this? Wait, what was it Rainbow told me earlier?

She wracked her brains, and in a flash she remembered. “But I don’t know what more we can do.” Rainbow continued. “I’ve been watching Twilight nonstop, but aside from all the notebooks she’s writing stuff in and how she sometimes switches to quill and ink, she’s not doing anything very weird.”

“This is how her moves kept changin’!” she said aloud, her shock slowly building into grim fury. “We weren’t accidentally seein’ her orders at all! She’s been showin’ them to us on purpose! And each time she did, she keep the paper pressed flat on the table! Ah bet she had her real orders written normally on that side, while the ones we saw just vanished away by the time she handed them over! She’s… she’s been playin’ us this whole time!”

Applejack grit her teeth into a snarl and turned back to the table. Somepony was about the get what was coming to her.

…

“Spike has decided that he doesn’t want to run the game anymore,” Twilight said, floating a stack of papers after her as she finally approached the table, “so it falls to me to take his place. Thankfully I read the rules extensively before we started, so it wasn’t as hard as I thought it would be.”

The four others all turned and stared at Spike. The dragon had added a colander helmet to his head and it flashed as he ducked back into his fort.

Fluttershy leaned back into her seat and tilted her head at the other empty chair. “Shouldn’t we wait for Applejack?”

Twilight shook her head. “This won’t take long, and I can fill her in later when she feels like joining us.

“Now let’s get the little stuff out of the way. Elgland was going to support the elk army in Hjort going up into Elkheim, but the tapir navy attacked Elgland. This means Hjort had no support, which would have been a problem if both of the griffon units hadn’t attacked Haupstadt instead. Both of the elk’s remaining units defended that territory, so nothing changes over here.”

“Urgh,” Pinkie grunted in frustration, flopping onto the table and glaring at the green pieces as if they were mocking her. “I can’t believe she still hasn’t moved! What’s the point of having all these armies if you’re not going to use them for anything?!”

“Well maybe she’d have more options if you all didn’t attack her each turn!” Dash accused the others pointedly.

Rarity pinned her with a glower. “Oh, don’t even pretend you wouldn’t be acting the same if you were up here with us.”

Rainbow crossed her arms sullenly but had nothing to say to that, so Twilight continued. “The tapirs tried to take Hippopotamia back, but the griffons defended the space with both their air forces. Pinkie does take Gryphos though, while the griffon army here goes to Borzja. This left Konja wide open for my army to concur.”

Rarity’s eyes widened in shock and no slight amount of rage. “What? You’re attacking me as well?”

Twilight’s eyes flashed and her horn lit up and she moved her piece sharply onto its new home, knocking over Rarity’s flag. “If you didn’t want me to take it, you shouldn’t have split up your forces so much. Now over in Ptehinchala, but the tapirs and the buffalo-”

“Wait a minute!” Applejack interrupted, stomping up and tossing the ink well onto the table. “Ah think Twilight has somethin’ she needs to say to us!”

The little bottle’s top popped off when it hit the table and what black ink was left spread out over the collected notebooks and a bit of the game board. Everypony jerked in surprise and rushed to pull their respected papers out of the little pool, save for Twilight. She just stared coolly at the farmer and ignored the tiny spot of black that had landed on her fur.

“Applejack, what have you done?!” Rarity exclaimed, recoiling from the mess as soon as her notebook was clear. But she’d barely finished speaking when the ink just seemed to fade away from every surface, leaving nothing but a small filmy residue.

“It’s invisible ink!” Applejack shouted, jabbing her hoof at the princess’s chest. “Twilight’s been usin’ it to write fake orders this whole time. That how her orders have been changin’!”

“WHAT?!” Rainbow Dash practically screamed, launching herself into the air in her agitation.

“Ooh, that’s actually a pretty good idea…” Pinkie said thoughtfully, tapping at her chin.

Meanwhile, Twilight sat calmly on her chair and brushed another batch of long, floating hairs from her face. “Yes I was. And?”

“And?!” Applejack sputtered. She’d been prepared for an outburst or a denial, not this calm acceptance. “You cheated!”

“How?” Twilight asked, tilting her head to the side as if interested in a minor problem. She sat up a little straighter, and it seemed to AJ that she was a little taller. “Where in the rules does it say that I can’t change my orders before the round ends, if I want? The ink hardly takes any time to vanish. How is it any different than erasing it normally?”

Applejack gaped at her, momentarily too shocked to return with anything, but luckily Rainbow Dash filled in. “How is it different? You were doing it on purpose! To trick us!”

Twilight turned her attention to the pegasus. “You all were the ones who were spying at my orders. Isn’t that more like cheating than what I did?”

Rainbow sputtered for a few moments before twisting in midair with her hooves pressed to her head, groaning. Then a horrible thought crossed her mind and she froze. “Wait, I just used that ink!”

Twilight nodded and levitated a conspicuously blank page from the stack. “That’s true. Which is why none of your units have any orders this round.”

The table exploded.

Rainbow Dash screamed and made as if to tackle Twilight, but Pinkie and Applejack leapt onto the table and held her back. “How could you do that to me?” she screamed, struggling against the others but no longer in danger of striking her friend.

“That’s hardly fair at all, no matter what you say!” Rarity put it, offended.

“It ain’t fair at all!” Applejack growled. She looked like she was seriously regretting stopping Rainbow.

“How could you?” Flutterhsy said in disappointment.

Twilight bore the brunt of the outburst until there was a lull, then used her magic to push her friends from atop the table while simultaneously straightening the pieces. The three ponies all landed on their feet and Applejack watched her incredulously. “You can’t seriously be continuin’ the game?”

“Of course I am,” Twilight said as she righted the last flag, “We haven’t finished.”

“Hardly!” Rarity said, pushing herself up dramatically on the table. “After all that, do you really think we are going to let you just continue what you’re doing? You can’t win now!”

Twilight’s eyes flashed, not just metaphorically but actually flashed, and the others leaned back from her in surprise. “Can’t I? Perhaps I should finish reviewing the rest of the turn!”

The room seemed to grow a shade darker as Twilight’s magic picked up the papers and various Equestrian flags from the box. “My two armies in Palomino and Konikticut force this buffalo piece out of Semental, claiming it for me. And my two armies further down the coast shove this woefully not supported army out of Garanha, claiming it for me!”

Twilight slapped the buffalo piece aside with her own and it skittered across the table. “But it can’t go back because my navy claimed Caballeria unopposed. For Equestria!” This time she slammed her piece down so hard it snapped Rainbows flag in half beneath it.

As she spoke, Twilight slowly started to rise into the air. Her eyes were now completely white and glowed with an inner power. Her hair was almost thrice as long as it should have been and nebulous, floating about her head like a living thing. Her coat had taken on a darker hue, and random violet energies began to swirl around her. The light in the room was noticeably failing, dipping the room into the kind of light found at a cloudy twilight.

“That’s four new territories I’ve claimed! Even counting the one I’ve lost to the camels,” she shot a glance at Fluttershy, but didn’t seem to be actually seeing her, “I still gain the maximum new armies! And I sent my army up here into Heststed, so next turn I will press into the heart of the Naqah Caliphate and crush them!”

She slammed her piece down inside Fluttershy’s borders, and the yellow pegasus shrank back from the table shaking force of it. The others were struggling to see through a sudden wind that was coursing through the library from nowhere. Spike pressed himself further down under his pile of books, utterly terrified.

Twilight spread her forelegs and wings out to the sides and her voice took on a fever pitch. “Every general I’ve ever read has detailed exactly how to win a war like this! Divide and conquer! Split up the enemy and sweep through them in their chaos! And I have! I’ve been studying you all since the day we met! I know exactly how to drive you all apart! And now it’s too late for you to stop me! You’ll never pull your fractured nations together to stop the might of Equestria! And soon I will push my forces to every edge of the map and claim it for myself. And then my rule will lastFOREV-”

And then Princess Celestia crashed through the library window and shot a beam of pure magical force into the game board, setting it on fire.

Author's Note

Here's the map at the end of the Summer turn:

Click here for a closer look.

And here's the map at the end of the Winter turn:

Click... uh... here for... uh, for a closer... um...

Perhaps we should look at the board slightly before the end of the Winter turn:

Click here for a closer look.

Well, that certainly was... unexpected! Seriously though, this chapter was a pain-and-a-half to write, but it was so worth it! I had to pay careful attention to subverting each of their elements in a way that seemed perfectly natural based on their personalities and the circumstances, but still left them at exact odds with their element. I doubt even Discord could have done better!

And bonus points if you caught on to the invisible ink trick or if you noticed Twilight was growing "Nightmare-like" for the past few chapters. They're small, but the hints where around if you could find them!

Appendix A

While the story is over, there was one part of its creation that I wanted to share. Between my two stories I had twelve separate players I needed to balance, and to help myself not go crazy I gave each pony a different play-style to use in the game. Here is the list of styles used in this story:

Twilight Sparkle was playing as The Psychiatrist. The Psychiatrist knows how the other players think and gets into their heads in order to get them to do what they want. Maybe that involves playing with their trust or spreading rumors about people they don't trust. Sometimes it means lending a helping hand to a player who's struggling and getting them to lean on your advice more than they should. Either way, the psychiatrist plays the players more than the play the game. Everything this player knows about the others is a weapon in their arsenal.

Applejack was playing as The Turtle. The Turtle is defensive minded, grabbing some territories at the beginning of the game but retreating once contact is made with the enemy. Focusing solely on keeping the others from taking what they've managed to collect, this player tries to wait out the competition. Towards the end game, the Turtle's units will be fresh and poised to leap on the lost territories of any foe that falls victim to another player's action. Has the added benefit of appearing small and nonthreatening, no matter how many units they actually have.

Rarity was playing as The Mafia Don. The Mafia Don doesn't like to come out and face their opponents, rather preferring to offer "advise" and "assistance" to the others in the game. Best played from a position of strength, they try and become the person the other players come to if they need a hand dealing with someone else. Meanwhile, all these little deals means they have a ton of "favors" to call in if someone dares to attack the Mafia Don instead!

Rainbow Dash was playing as The Rhino. The Rhino does one thing and one thing only: attack, attack, attack! As soon as the game begins this player launches all their pieces at the nearest opponent, hoping to surprise them into not having a proper defense ready in time. This player often doesn't last long, but if they can come in from an unexpected angle they might just catch a more stealthy or manipulative player off guard, without the sheer bulk to fend off the stampede.

Fluttershy was playing as The Unseen Threat. Basically the Unseen Threat bides their time, not doing much of anything to attract anyone's attention at the beginning. Sometimes this player even makes purposely bad moves to appear incompetent. After a while even the best players let down their guard around this player, thinking that they aren't any real danger and that their focus would be better used elsewhere. And that's when they strike! Usually only good for one blow, but if that blow is costly enough, it's all the Unseen Threat needs to pull a win.

Pinkie Pie was playing as The Mercenary. The Mercenary is a player to whom the actual winner of the game is inconsequential to making a profit from the chaos. This player will offer to do whatever any other player wants, usually in exchange for something outside of the game. Whether its straight up money, favors, or literally any kind of collectable, the Mercenary always walks out of the game a winner. And being mobile like that often puts their pieces in places where they can do a surprising amount of damage, if this player wants to try winning the game as well.

And these aren't all the different possible players there could be. Check out my other story to see a list of six more!

Summer 02

The new units were barely placed on the board when Twilight draped a wing around Rarity and pulled her away from the table. “Come on, we need to talk right now.”

“Not so rough, Twilight!” Rarity complained, disentangling herself from her friend’s grasp when they were a good distance away. “What’s come over you, Dear? It’s just a game, after all.”

“I see what you’re doing.” Twilight said, cutting past Rarity’s complaints. “She might not see it yet, but that last unit you put down makes it plain as day.”

Rarity carefully controlled her face into an expressionless mask. “I’m sure I don’t know what you mean.”

Twilight shook her head and fixed her friend with a piercing look. “Say what you like, there was no other reason to choose that type of unit if you weren’t planning to invade. Perhaps I should call her over and tell her all about my theories…”

“No!” Rarity said before she could stop herself. She took a deep breath, composed herself, and looked at her friend in a new light. “What’s come over you, Twilight? That was mean.”

“If I do nothing, I’m going to be out of this game.” Twilight said, her voice hardening with determination. “At this point, I need every advantage I can get. And for that, your plan needs to go off without a hitch.”

Rarity leaned back thoughtfully. “So… you’re not going to expose me?”

“Not if you do something for me…”

…

“Ah thought you were gonna stop Rainbow from takin’ the Dune Sea!” Applejack hissed, looking over her shoulder to make sure the pegasus in question couldn’t overhear the two of them.

Pinkie Pie shrugged and rooted around in her bag for any remaining kernels. “But then I’d have it. Wouldn’t you rather take it from her yourself?”

“Well, Ah suppose Ah do at that.” Applejack said thoughtfully, scratching her chin. “That’s mighty kind of you, Pinkie. But isn’t it a little late? She’s already got her piece for holdin’ it.”

“But she won’t get to keep it!” Pinkie said, pulling AJ into a tight huddle and glancing around all secretive like. “She’ll move all her pieces away over the next few turns. With a little help from me, you can take that spot without any trouble. All we’ve got to do is wait for her to get far enough away that she can’t recover and fight back.”

Applejack blinked and realized her mouth was hanging open. “Pinkie? That’s the smartest thing Ah ever heard comin’ out of your mouth. Where’d all this come from?”

“Well, duh!” Pinkie said with an exaggerated sigh, releasing the orange pony from her huddle. “My special talent is throwing parties, remember? And what do you think ponies play at parties? There isn’t a game I don’t know how to win at! You stick with me, and together we’ll win this thing!”

“R-right!” Applejack said through a forced grin. Well don’t that beat all! Looks like Ah made the right ally after all!

“Although… now that I look at it, that space would be very useful…”

“Well, do you want it or not?!” Applejack asked, exasperated.

“Oh no, the spot is yours, all right.” Pinkie’s eyes grew distant as she stared off just over AJ’s shoulder. “I was just thinking about those delicious apple fritters you know how to make…”

…

Fluttershy stared remorsefully at the game board spread out before her. Looks like another turn of doing nothing at all…

“Fluttershy?”

The yellow pegasus jumped out of her seat and spun around to face Twilight. “I’m sorry, I was lost in thought, if you want me to get out of your way, I’ll go…”

“No, I need to talk to you right away.” Twilight said, patting to the seat next to her. “Please, you’re the only one who can help me now.”

“M-me?” Fluttershy asked. She lowered herself to the table.

“Applejack is coming down on both of us,” Twilight explained, using the game board to point out the position of the pieces. “But she’s going to take my territories first. Just look; all I’ve got in the north is a single air force and a navy. I can probably hold her off for a turn, but no longer. I need you to help me stop her.”

“But…” Fluttershy frowned. “But you tried to take from me last turn. I’m not sure I should trust you…”

“I’m sorry that I attacked you.” Twilight interrupted. “It was a mistake. But the game’s changed and the Elks and clearly coming for both of us. We need to work together.” She extended her hoof and Fluttershy stared at it like it contained an explosive.

“But what can I do? I haven’t been able to make any moves at all this whole game.”

“That’s not true. You’ve actually set yourself up for a very interesting play. Here, let me tell you about a move I read about before we started playing…”

…

“Oh Rainbow, could you come over here for a moment?” Rarity called from the kitchen area.

Rainbow Dash shrugged and flew over. “What do you need? Worried about me stomping all over you already?”

“Have you finished writing down your orders again?” Rarity asked with an arched eyebrow. “Confidence is a good thing, but you can’t really expect to win without gaining any allies at all.”

“It’s been working for me so far.” Rainbow said defensively. “Did you call me over here just to point out all my flaws?”

“No, no, here. Let me start over.” Rarity composed herself and beamed. “I think you and I could really work together on this. If we combine…”

“You’re just worried that I’m going to take your spot on the coast first.” Rainbow interrupted, rolling her eyes.

Rarity’s smile slipped for a fraction of a second. “That’s not it, I just think that Twilight…”

“Oh, I’m all prepared for Twilight!” Rainbow Dash said confidently, floating onto her back and relaxing.

“She’s in a better position than you give her credit for.” Rarity tried to say.

“Not better than my plan.”

“Somehow I doubt that.”

“Well, look if you don’t believe me!” Rainbow Dash exclaimed angrily, opening up her notebook and thrusting it in Rarity’s face. “I’ve got it all planned out ahead. There’s no way she can stop this!”

“That’s… well! I am impressed!” Rarity said, reading as quickly as she could. She’s written several turns down already! Does she really think that’s a good plan?

Rainbow snapped her book shut and tucked it under her shoulder. “You’re darn right to be impressed! Now if you’ll excuse me, I’ve got some more relaxing to do before the turn ends!”

Rarity watched the flyer leave and shook her head. Twilight was right, that’s was almost too easy. And I suppose I can put this to my use as well… She ripped a piece of paper out of her notebook and started writing down as much as she could remember.

…

Applejack stepped up to the table and grinned at the others already there. “How’re y’all doing?”

Fluttershy ducked under the table and peered up at her from the edge. “Nothing! We’re not plotting anything!”

Applejack blinked and looked around at the other two. Rainbow Dash was leaning back in her chair with her hind legs resting on the table. She cracked an eye at Fluttershy’s antics and chuckled good-naturedly. Twilight just sighed and placed a hoof over her face.

“Don’t worry, Fluttershy. We don’t have to keep it a secret.” Twilight pointed an accusing hoof at Applejack. “We were talking about how you were going to attack me next turn.”

“Ah see.” Applejack said, suppressing a smile of her own. And you can keep thinkin’ that, if you want. Ah can do the math too, Twi. We both got two units next to your Broncordia; if Ah went for it now, we’d just both get stuck. If you want to waste a turn defendin’ an attack which ain’t comin’…

“Almost time!” Spike said, holding up the hourglass. “Everypony finished writing down their orders?”

“Give me a sec!” Applejack said hurriedly. She picked up her pencil and quickly jotted down her last few thoughts onto paper. Alright Pinkie, Ah’m trustin’ you…

Out of the corner of her eye, AJ saw Rarity walk up to the table across from her and slip a piece of paper into Twilight’s lap. The alicorn read quickly through what was written on it and smiled, pulling out her own notebook and make several adjustments. Twilight glanced furtively around the table, saw Applejack watching her, and hid the paper a little too late.

So Rarity’s got a plan with Twilight. Applejack thought back to the deal she’d made with Rarity back on the first turn. The two of them hadn’t talked since, but she had been true to her word so far. But if Rarity is workin’ with the two of us, who is she fightin’ against?

Unfortunately she had no further time to speculate as Spike chose that moment to call time.

…

“There are a lot of pieces on the board now, so I’m going to try and go through this quickly.” Spike said, flipping through the stack of papers in his claws. “Pinkie’s navies go into the Alpaca Sea, Azure Reaches, and Zebrica. Her air force goes into the Sea of Neighrobi and her army doesn’t move.” He placed a purple flag on Zebrica and moved on.

“All of Rainbow’s pieces move east unopposed. She doesn’t take any new territories. Twilight’s armies go to Lunesiana and Konikticut and her air force moves back into Canterlot. Her navy doesn’t move.”

“Huh.” AJ mumbled. I didn’t expect that…

“Applejack’s navy doesn’t move either, and her army clashes with Fluttershy’s for the western Badlands, so neither of them moves. Her other two units go down to Paardveld and Pferdreich. Fluttershy’s only other move is to put her navy out into the Crescent Sea.”

“Sorry, Applejack.” Fluttershy said softly, but inside she was amazed. It went exactly like Twilight said! How did she know what Applejack was going to do?

Applejack tipped her hat in the pegasus’s direction. “It’s nothin’, Sugarcube. Was just bumped heads, is all.”

“And last but not least,” Spike said, leaning slightly into Rarity’s side. “Rarity moves her air forces into Latigo and Palomino, her navies into the Griffon Sea and the Wingover Sea, and her army into Ternej. And that’s it.” Spike frowned a little and held up his notes close to his face again. “Honestly, it’s a little underwhelming after the last turn.”

“I think Summer turns are going to be.” Twilight said, picking up her notebook with her magic and tapping it several times on the table to straighten it. “The real action is going to happen during Winter, when everypony scrambles to get new territory and units.

“Ready girls?” she asked, the challenge gleaming in her eyes.

“Ready!” came the chorused reply.

Author's Note

Plans are starting to come to fruition, alliances made in ignorance are beginning to fray... let's take a look at the board:

Click here for a closer look.

Twilight hit the nail on the head; most of the fun is going to happen during Winter turns. There's not much point in ambushing another player if they then get a chance to retaliate. Of course, if you know that no one is going to do anything rough during Summer... I'm keeping some things purposely vague because I love mystery. I look forward to seeing what theories you all come up with for what everypony's current plans are. Happy sleuthing!

A Letter to the Princess

Dear Princess Celestia,

I know that you said I didn’t have to write any more letters to you once I became a Princess, but I feel that the lesson of friendship I’ve learned today warrants an exception.

Today I’ve learned that sometimes you and your friends can lose sight of each other’s friendships in times of stress. It feels awful to be betrayed by ponies you like and it can cause you to feel resentment and anger towards them in turn. Even a simple game can become a test of your bonds with each other if you put too much importance on winning. But if you truly care for your friends, then it’s important to remember that it is only a game, and that the fun comes from playing it. Sometimes it’s worth losing a little if it makes everypony else happier.

If Diplomacy has taught me anything, it is this: A game is just a game. You should not take it so seriously that you might lose somepony close to you.

Your ever-learning student,

Twilight Sparkle

P.S. – My friends and I also wanted to apologize once more for our behavior. If Spike hadn’t sent a letter to you and if you hadn’t responded so quickly, I’m not entirely certain what would have happened. I’m pretty sure the elements are still OK, but until something comes around we can test them on, I can’t be entirely sure. In the meanwhile, we promise to deepen our friendship, just in case.

P.P.S – I would personally like to apologize for the things I said after you showed up. And for blasting you into the Mayor's house. I swear I don’t really want to depose you and Luna. That was all the heat of the moment. I hope your leg is feeling better.

P.P.P.S. – We checked, but Fluttershy is almost sure that the game did not come from Discord. Still going to keep my eye on him, though. He was suppressing giggles the whole time we were interrogating him, but that could be because he found the whole thing “hilarious”. The jerk.

Author's Note

And that's the end! I want to thank you all for sticking around around despite how long it took me to write each chapter. And if you want more Diplomacy, check out my other story where the Lunaverse six play. Trust me, they come to a much different conclusion!