5/25/2023 0 Comments Applejack play poker“No.” Rarity raised a hoof to cut Rainbow Dash off as the pegasus opened her mouth again. “So can I attack you guys and take over your companies?” “Ohhhhh.” Rainbow Dash looked at her cards again. That’s the sort of power you have at your hooves in this game.” Imagine owning your own private Cloudsdale over every city in Equestria, and all of the water in its rainclouds to boot. “A megacorporation isn’t like owning one Cloudsdale, Rainbow Dash. “Can you imagine if the Carousel Boutique had enough wealth and influence to own all of Cloudsdale? Theoretically speaking, of course.” “Very big companies, dear” Rarity replied. “Megawhatsits?” Rainbow Dash interrupted. “To Terraforming Mars! The exciting new board game in which you are one of several Equestrian megacorporations tasked with turning a barren planet into a lush, beautiful new world for ponies around the world to live in.” When she opened her eyes again, they had all the raw charisma and aggressive salesponyship of a carnival barker, and for a brief moment it was easy to see the Starlight Glimmer that had enthralled and enslaved an entire town full of ponies half a decade ago. “Right.” Starlight Glimmer stretched her forelegs, closed her eyes and took a deep breath. “So when you said that you didn’t need to have me explain the rules again…” “Totally! Just as soon as, uh, I get a quick reminder about something.” “Right! Uh.” Rainbow Dash grabbed at her pile of cards. “You said you wanted to go first, right?” “Okay, so that’s all five of us, then.” Starlight turned back towards Rainbow Dash. I think I’m ready, too.” Fluttershy squeaked. Fluttershy, now the center of attention, went from staring at Starlight to trying to hide her face behind her cards in record time. The quartet of ponies turned their heads in unison. Not the greatest start that I’ve ever been dealt, but I should be able to manage.” Starlight chuckled. “I believe that I’ll be able to make a fair amount of use with what I’ve been dealt. “Likewise.” Rarity matched Applejack’s smile with a grin that could cut diamonds. “Me? Pshh! Nah.” Rainbow Dash rolled her eyes. “Do you want me to explain the rules again?” “Uh…” Rainbow Dash looked at the small pile of cards in front of her. “But I don’t reckon it’s gonna get any shorter if we spend all our time up here flappin’ our gums about how long we’ve been on the train for. “Nope.” Applejack looked back at her cards. “Try mega-ultra- super stir crazy! Like, does anypony have any idea how long we’ve been on this train?” I can understand if everypony’s a little stir-crazy - ” “Look, maybe we should give this a try some other time. “An’ I’m jes’ tryin’ to figure out what sort of competition’s the most likely to be a burr up my backside if’n I’m tryin’ to win, too.” Applejack looked over at Starlight, blinked and weakly held her cards up in the air. “I’m nsidering what courses of action may be necessary throughout the game if I wish to to be victorious in my endeavors.” “Of course we are, dear.” Rarity sniffed, straightened up in her chair and dropped her gaze down to her hoof-ful of cards. ![]() Which was impressive, since the game hadn’t even technically started. ![]() It spoke volumes in silence, about impossibly high stakes and life-defining moments and the cold reduction of a pony to a fleshy bag of organic pulp and assumptions about courses of action that were calculated down to a hundredth of a percentile. It was the sort of cold, mutually evaluating gaze normally exchanged between two ponies playing poker for preposterous sums of cash, or perhaps between mob bosses negotiating an underground alliance over similarly preposterous sums of cash. Load Full Story Next ChapterĪpplejack and Rarity stared at each other from opposite sides of the train car’s table. Login This is why you should never let ponies play Terraforming Mars by PetrichordĬhapter 1: Chapter 0: No matter how well things start off.
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