Chryssi's Hyperspace Hyperwar III: Of Ends

>"That is quite enough!"
>Cadence's new boy toy had had raised his voice at me
>That was rather unlike him
>"I've had enough of your foul lies, you rumour-monger!"
>What the hell was he ranting about?
>"I, Lance Stub, challenge you, Captain Shining Armour, to a duel!"
>The room went silent
>A duel?
>Was he out of his mind?
>"Pick your weapon, be it spear, lance or pistols at dawn."
>He just wouldn't shut up
>Now, this breakfast had already gotten fairly awkward before Mr Stub here hit his hooves on the table
>Everypony (that means the royal sisters, Cadence, Chryssi and me) just stared at him, not sure how to react
>I figured I better try to reason with him
>"Why?"
>"To protect the honour of me, and my lady."
>He pointed at Cadence, who was more than a bit embarrassed
>"So you're really prepared to fight me, the Captain of the Royal Guard, over some petty rumours?"
>"Yes, and the rumour are far from petty!"
>I couldn't help but smile
>"Very well, prepare to be annihilated. In a game of Hyperspace Hyperwars."
>A moment of silence, then laughter broke out
>"Hyperspace Hyperwhat?"
>He looked confused
>"Hyperspace Hyperwars, a tabletop wargame."
>"You want to duel me. At a boardgame?"
>I felt the need to correct him
>"Tabletop wargame. And it's not against the rules, is it?"
>"I suppose not."
>"Then it's settled. I challenge you to play as the opposing commander in a Ragnarok game. You'll need two... squires to form a full army. And since you challenged me, I get to pick squires first. Or isn't that the custom?"
>All the anger had gone away from him, and he looked truly remorseful for the gears he had set in motion
>"It is. So who do you choose?"
>I smiled
>"I choose Queen Chrysalis and Princess Luna."
>They both smiled
>Victory was all sure to be mine
>"You can't choose members of the Royal family as squires!"
>Celestia, who had been a passive, yet laughing, observer until now answered him
>"There is no law that prohibits members of the royal family to act as squires."
>Her voice was calm yet playful
>She added a further argument
>"And, since you claim to be representing a member of a royal family, it would only be appropriate that we were involved."
>Lance looked crushed
>"Isn't there some other method you'd rather choose? Being shot really isn't that painf---"
>He was interrupted by Cadence, who looked less than pleased by the recent turn of events
>"You've already made me look like a fool, don't make it worse by backing down."
>"But?"
>"You've started this. Finish it."
>He sighed
>Things were not going Lance Stub's way
>"I choose Princess Candace as my squire."
>"What!"
>"But you told me to---"
>"I didn't tell you to pick me!"
>"Should I pick somepony else?"
>"Sigh. No. It's fine. Let's play with Shining's dolls."
>"Very well. And my second squire will be..."
>He just stood there for a second, obviously searching his mind for anyone he knew who might play Hyperspace Hyperwars
>Celestia raised a hoof
>"Oh, pick me."
>"What? Your highness, do... do you know how to play?"
>"No, I can't say I do, but Luna has tried to explain it to me. Besides, it's just a game. It will be fun. I particularly liked the... the common soldiers. Whatever their name was."
>Luna spoke:
>"We've talked about this before sister. They're called The Royal Guard."
>"Yes, that's the one."
>Celestia looked pleased to remember at least something from Luna's many attempts to get her sister into the game
>"That is well. Princess Celestia will be my second squire. We will meet in this very chamber in a week."
>And with that he was off, presumably to learn the difference between Hyperspace Hyperwars and Mareopoly
>Cadence followed shortly after
>The breakfast just kind of... dissolved after that
>Luna wandered off to get some sleep
>Celestia left to ask the royal quartermaster if he might know how to acquire an army of plastic figurines
>Chryssi and I retreated to my... our quarters
>I never quite got the feeling that she had moved in
>She spent large parts of the day, usually when I was on duty, wandering the city
>Or so I presumed anyway
>Sometimes she would be gone for days at a time
>She was a queen after all, and I couldn't make her leave her people
>Still, she would spend most nights here, with me
>And she stored many of her things here, like clothes, tabletop books and props, and business cards of all things
>I'd been meaning to ask her about those
>We were both dressing for the day
>She had helped me put on my armour, and was now finding some formal clothes for herself
>The purpose of which I fear I will never know
>"Say, Chryssi, why do you have all these business cards anyway."
>She froze
>"N-no... particular reason... w-why do you ask?"
>"It just seems odd. Like this one that reads:"

Ursarka Seed
Tactical Genius

>"N-no reason.... probably just misprints. I-I mean, what does Ursarka even mean... G-give them to me!"
>She took the box of cards from my hooves and placed it into one of the closets she used
>I felt the need to ask some more, but I was running late, and I knew that pressing her for information wouldn't leave anywhere

>Night was falling, and I was exhausted
>I didn't really feel up for it tonight, but it had been a while since Chryssi and I had visited Luna for a nightly game
>Something had been nagging me all the time I was at work
>Ursarka Seed
>Wasn't there something awfully familiar about that name?
>Seed
>Huh
>Chryssi was back from... whatever she had spent the day doing
>Normally, the observatory was dark when we arrived
>But even now as we approached it, we could see the warm light of a hundred candles flowing from above
>Luna hardly noticed us as we entered
>She was deep within one of the many huge tomes in front of her
>This wasn't all that uncommon
>Luna was known for keeping a sizeable part of the royal library's astronomy section for herself
>Though, as I approached her, I could see that tonight's reading material was of a different matter
>"The Complete Unabridged Strategy Guide to the Royal Cosmoscommandos"
>I read the title out loud
>Luna closed the book
>She looked tired, which was odd, seeing as she should just have woken up
>"Yes. I've been told that Lance has acquired an... exceedingly large Royal Cosmoscommando army. Plus everything else the guys at Games Factory were able to push onto him."
>She was doing research
>Chryssi voiced her concerns
>"Have... have you been up all day?"
>Luna stared at her
>"Yes, but as a trusted squire it is my duty to be prepared for anything."
>I looked over at the Hyperspace Hyperwars table
>It was in the middle of a large six-way battle
>I recognized all the models as Luna's own
>One side had two warbands, one kitted for ranged combat and the other for melee, and a balanced Sludgenoid army
>The other side had two royal commando legions and a an army from the royal guard
>Chryssi continued
>"I-it's three new players. It's nothing to worry about."
>"Do not take your role lightly, fellow squire. We should both know that the seemingly simplest of players can show enormous skill."
>We both knew what she was talking about
>Pointing at me really wasn't necessary
>Apparently Luna believed that her loss that first night was due to my "well hidden tactical genius", as she would so gently put it
>I saw no reason to tell her otherwise
>Instead, I figured I might ask the tired princess another question or two
>"What about Cadence, or Celestia?"
>"My... informants... have been unable to find out anything about Princess Cadence. The only thing I know is that she seems to take this seriously, and have had members of her guard ask around for Hyperspace Hyperwars tutors."
>"H-has she found anyone?"
>Chryssi looked a bit concerned
>"Not that I am aware of. While I believe they would find many willing to give a princess lessons, she is looking for remarkably skilled tutors. Tournament winners and the like. As for my sister..."
>She paused
>"My sister has been painting."
>"That's all?"
>"It would seem that way. She's actually quite skilled, though her idea of grimdark aesthetics aren't what would call appropriate for such a serious setting as Hyperspace Hyperwars."
>"Is that it?"
>"That is all I know. Now if you would both forgive me, I feel an urge to sleep. Could we reschedule the game to another night?"
>Chryssi and I said that we understood, and retired for the night as well

>A couple of days went by without any major occurrences
>The name Ursarka Seed was still bugging me, but there was little I could do about it
>Luna seemed more and more worn out for each day that passed
>She kept cancelling our game sessions as well
>She could, however, tell me that Cadence had found a suitable tutor, and was trying to hire her
>Lance had spent more time assembling his massive forces than anything else
>And Celestia had... painted
>And, as Luna assured me, she was really quite skilled
>Chryssi was gone again
>She probably had important matters to see to
>I knew that it was silly of me, and that she was more than capable to look after herself
>But I still felt a bit uneasy every time she left
>And I honestly felt a bit lonely
>I tried to pick up a book I'd been meaning to get into, but had neglected for... a few years
>Unable to focus, I went to bed early that night

>Things weren't much better the next morning
>Strictly speaking, the only reason I even attend breakfast with the royal family was because I was Chryssi's guest
>And while some of them, especially Luna, valued formalities, I would usually spend my mornings with them even if Chryssi was out of town
>Speaking of Luna, she fell asleep during breakfast, much to the dismay of her sister
>Cadence didn't even bother to show up
>The tone around the table had been somewhat strained ever since this duel stupidity had started
>And while I might have dodged a bullet (or sword) by turning this into a tabletop duel, I had not succeeded in avoiding the hostilities that often surrounded duels
>Celestia had offered some discussion, especially on how amusing she found the Hyperspace Hyperwar setting
>Something about how it was the mark of an generation who had never seen true conflict
>And about how the fascistic something or another was good satire of... something
>I didn't really bother following her
>She looked very pleased with herself over her realisation, and I didn't have the heart to tell her how she'd gotten it all wrong, and how you were meant to take the 9 foot tall axe-wielding commandos seriously
>It was as if she didn't get it at all
>I retired in the evening, only to find my quarters still empty
>Someone, probably Chryssi, had been there as her army was now lacking
>Along with her army, some of her rulebooks were now apparently gone
>I didn't even bother visiting Luna that evening
>Tired, but not enough to sleep, I decided to look for some reading material
>Most of what I found was of little interest, and what was of interest was a bit too much for my tired mind right then
>Shifting through our stuff, I found a small collection of hobby magazines
>I didn't know Chryssi was subscribed to any of those
>Or, for that matter, how she was subscribed to anything at all, seeing as her continued existence in the castle was still kept secret
>Sigh
>At least it's easy reading
>I navigated aimlessly between the articles
>"RPG of the century? We review Realms of Atlantasia"
>Boring
>"16mm, 28mm or 44mm? When does miniatures become too small?"
>Boring
>"Thin your paints now"
>Boring
>"The Rising Stars of Hyperspace Hyperwars"
>Bor... ah, if I was going to put down every article I might as well go to sleep
>The article was about new or unknown tournament winners and promising players
>Winner of the Marehattan tournament: Silver Song
>Winner of the Los Pegasus tournament: Second Wind
>Winner of the Canterlot tournament: Ursarka Seed
>What?

>There's parts to the story that I can't tell you everything about
>I wasn't present for this bit, but I've had it retold to me from somepony who was
>Somepony I thrust
>As I've mentioned earlier, Chryssi would sometimes wander the city
>And while I've spent a lot of time thinking about what she was doing
>I don't think I've spent any time thinking about who she was
>Turns out... she was a lot of ponies

>She'd been gone for over a day now
>It wasn't all that uncommon, seeing as she had a hive to care for
>I sometimes think she felt guilty, like she'd left her own behind... for me
>Celestia had, rather kindly, made it perfectly clear that while Chryssi was welcome as a guest of state, she would not allow her to rule from here
>"No good can come from the establishment of a changeling court at the heart of my own court"
>Thus Chryssi's travels

>It was sort of fascinating seeing Chryssi disguise herself as someone else
>She'd grow perfectly into the role
>Any insecurity melted away as she effectively became someone else
>Fascinating, and terrifying
>She had arrived back at Canterlot in the early afternoon
>I was already on post
>Taking another form, she had dressed up, taken her army and gone outside
>I asked her about this, but she seemed hesitant to tell me anything more, eager to get to the point of her story
>One of her... personalities had made quite a name for herself in the Hyperwar community
>Going by the name of Seed, she'd won a local tournament
>Her sudden climb to fame made her, as any champion, wanted by many as a sparring partner
>I can see why
>One thing I learned while training for the royal guard is that the best way to train is to do so against someone who's as good as you
>Or better than you
>You'll learn more from getting beaten ten times by a veteran than beating ten recruits yourself

>Chryssi said she'd found the two large pegasus stallions unsettling from the moment she'd seen them
>Looking like they've stumbled into the game store on their way to the gym, they'd approached her at the end of a round
>"Are you Ursarka Seed?"
>"Y-yes."
>"Would you kindly follow us."
>It was not a question

>"Y-y-yes."
>"I understand it if you're... displeased with our means of employing you, but you're a hard mare to find."
>Cadence gave a disarming smile
>Cadence was used to getting things the way she wanted, but she was not afraid to take actions and force them to come her way
>Chryssi, not quite sure just what the Tartarus she should do, just stood there
>"Come on, don't be shy."
>Cadence pointed at the cushioned chair the noblestallion had been sitting on
>Chryssi took a seat
>A moderately sized, heavy wooden table stood between the princess and my hidden queen
>With the wave of a hoof from Cadence, one of the guards, who had been carrying a large bag, came over to the table
>He handed Cadence a rulebook and an army case, and began building a battlefield on the table using bought ruins and props from the  bag
>"Now, Miss Seed, I have been trying to learn this game, Hyperspace Hyperwars. And while I have no interest in the game itself, a wager has made it so that I need to become a good player in a short amount of time. I've made some progress on my own, but I realised that I needed a tutor."
>"A-and that's why I'm here?"
>"Yes, that's why you're here. You will receive payment, granted that you understand that nothing that is said or done inside this room ever leaves it."
>Chryssi nodded
>"Quiet one, aren't you? Now, what kind of army do you play?"
>"Sludgenoids."
>"That's great actually. I'm expecting to play a Sludgenoid army. I would especially appreciate it if you thought me the best ways to counter discorded Cosmoscommandos and Sludgenoids. I care little for the other factions."
>"W-w-what army do you play, y-your highness?"
>"Mares of Battle."
>They're a rare faction
>Kind of an oddball
>An all-female faction of priestesses, they are known for their faith and their flame-throwers, burning away disharmony, one warband after another
>In close quarters, they can be devastating with fervour and fire
>"Why... why do you play Mares of Battle?"
>Cadence leaned her head sideways, and gave another smile
>Her voice was calm as the eye of a storm
>"I just want to see my enemies burn."

>They started playing
>Chryssi said that Cadence was nothing if not thorough
>I knew from experience that she was right
>They spent hours just going over tactics, without really playing
>How to deploy, where to deploy, the advantages and disadvantages of a spread firing squad, the viability of light infantry, allies that could be brought onto the field, and much more
>I thrust Chryssi, I really do
>But this whole... thing... made me feel uneasy
>She claims that she really tried to teach Cadence the wrong things to do
>Cadence just looked at her, and with a voice that had no hint of anger in it said:
>"I know that you probably know tactics that go way over my head. But Miss Seed, really, you cannot expect me to believe that I would deploy out in the open like that, when I can clearly create a choke-point by setting my flame-throwers behind this ruin. And I do not believe that lighting my own troops aflame when the enemy charges into melee is worth it, especially given that my troops are less fire-resistant than Cosmoscommandoes. While this nonsense is all surely very fun around your friends, you will not leave this room before I'm pleased with the results."
>It was well into the night before Chryssi was allowed to leave
>She had been instructed to turn up again the next day
>It wasn’t going to happen

>I could see Chryssi was tired the moment she walked in the door
>Thinking her trip had been rough, I asked her if everything was fine
>"No. It's not fine. I.... I-I-I've... I didn't mean it..."
>"You didn't mean to do what?"
>The whole story, or as much of it as she would tell me, came shortly after

>It was late, and while I knew it could wait, I felt the need to tell Luna about this whole deal
>She'd worked so hard to prepare, and it was only fair that she was told
>We braved the chilly night wind to go to Luna's observatory
>This night, it lay in darkness
>I tried to enter as I normally would, but the guards at the foot of the alabaster tower met we with crossed spears
>"Gale, Steel, how's the night shift been so far?"
>Gale, the senior of them, answered
>"Good, Captain. Bit chilly, but the night wind is rarely gentle."
>"Good, stand down, both of you. I'm here on a regular visit."
>It was Steel's time to talk
>"Sorry Sir, can't let you, or anyone in. Orders from above."
>"From above? How far above me are we talking about?"
>"As tall as the sun, Captain. Direct royal orders, sorry. The princess is asleep, and not to be disturbed."
>There was little I could do against Celestia's words
>I gave up, and went back to my quarters to sleep
>I could have been mad, but in the end, I was just happy to fall asleep listening to Chryssi's breath, feeling her warmth against my body

>Another morning, another amputated breakfast
>Let me explain, for it will be the last of significance before it all comes down
>Cadence was missing yet again, and Lance had ordered he eat in his chambers
>No one had really seen him outside in a few days
>Celestia was radiant as always, and gave pleasant conversation about everything from matters of the realm, to claiming she had rediscovered her love for painting
>Luna seemed... better than I'd seen her in days
>She told us that she had read everything she needed to read
>Or, to quote her:
>"The planning phase is over. I have researched the enemy and formed a grand stratagem, planned through series of mock battles. Everything is accounted for."

>Chryssi seemed to have slept off most of her fatigue
>But I knew that neither Chryssi nor I wanted to tell Luna about last day's events
>We waited until breakfast was over, and Celestia had directed her ever watchful eyes against matters of the realm
>We intercepted the dreamwarden on her way to her study
>"Luna, there's something we need to tell you. About Cadence... and the duel."
>We were about halfway through the story before Luna stopped us
>"Does this tale end as badly as I think it will?"
>"Yes."
>"Then I guess it can't be helped. Tell me the rest, but with haste, leave out unimportant details."
>When we were finished, Luna acted as if someone had knocked the air out of her
>She thanked us for the information, and left for her study
>The last thing I heard before the key turned in her study door was something about "strategy tomes and battle plans"

>It was well past midnight when we were awoken in our quarters by a series of knocks on the door
>Fearing some incident related to castle security, I grabbed my spear and ran to the door with all the precision and speed of one who had just been awoken from the deepest of sleep
>Or to put it another way, the visitor would knock many more times before I threw open the door, spear ready and eyes groggy
>For a split second, I was sure I was attacked my some... bizarre golem made of scrolls
>It was not before I saw the crowned head behind the scrolls that I left my guard down
>Luna smiled
>A tired smile
>"Be glad I'm not here to test your alertness, Captain. May I come in?"
>She was halfway carrying, halfway levitating a pile of scrolls and maps
>"Oh, yes. Please, enter, you highness."
>Luna strode after me into the living room
>She was even carrying saddlebags
>She dropped the scrolls on the floor
>"Chryssi, Princess Luna's here!"
>"Chryssi? Hah, is that what you call her? But I shouldn't be surprised. I already knew you were intimate."
>Luna gave a short laugh
>Or maybe it was more of a giggle?
>I must confess, I may have blushed a little
>But just a bit
>And in a very stallionlike way
>Chryssi joined us, looking every bit as sleepy as I
>"So, Princess, what brings you out here in the dead of night?"
>"Well, after my fellow squire's... let's just call it as a tactical blunder, endangered our glorious victory at the duel, I found out that my current analysis of their team composition wouldn't stand anymore, and I've designed a new model for us."
>She cleared the living room table and began unfolding some of the scrolls before continuing her speech
>"Now, as you can see, I've drawn this key map, listing possible strategies and tactics we can use to counter their moves, or counter their counters. Now, near the coloured zones you will find letters or numbers referencing one of the three reference charts, who will again le---. Are you two paying attention?"
>Neither Chryssi nor I had moved over to her
>"Princess. Luna. It's... it's in the middle of the night."
>"And? In my experience night-time is the best time for planning matters of war. How else do you think I earned the name 'The Nightmare' during the Equestrian Unification Wars?"
>"The Equestrian Unification what?"
>Luna stopped for a moment, looking truly confused
>"Don't tell me you've all forgotten about Th--- Oh. Ooooh. That's right, you wouldn't know anything about that. Because... that never happened. Right. Everything you learned in school is true, books never lie, don't ask questions."
>We stared at each other in complete silence
>"So... where was I? Something about charts? Yes, reference charts. Now, these are also colour coded, though using a different sys---"
>Chryssi interrupted her
>"It's just a game."
>"Nonsense. It's a duel of honour. About rumours and claims."
>My turn to answer
>"No. It's just a game. I don't know what rumours Lance's referring to. It's probably nothing. Even if he wins, the only good it will do is showing off for Cadence."
>Chryssi stared at me in disbelief
>"Y-you don't know what the rumours are about?"
>"No. Is it important?"
>"You know... I come and go... often in many different disguises... and your nightly visits to the Princess. Even guards have loose lips. Ponies talk. About how Cadence left you, and about all the mares who come and go... It really isn't considered appropriate by a Captain of the Guard."
>Luna added:
>"It concerns us all. Well, it doesn't concern me quite as much. Some of the rumours are actually a bit amusing. But there is no place where rumours spread faster than at court. Now, let's look at the reference cha---"
>I sighed
>"Princess, I appreciate what you're doing. I really do. But please, leave us to sleep and we'll deal with this later."
>"Very well. We'll pretend that time is irrelevant and we need not prepare. Captain... Chryssi... I bid you goodnight. And before I leave, this is for you, Chrysalis. Can't have you play Sludgenoids against Cadence."
>She opened a saddlebag and pulled out an army case and a rulebook and left in on the table
>I could swear she seemed annoyed as she left, leaving her scrolls and plans behind
>Chryssi looked at the rulebook
>"Necquine?"

>I tried ask Luna the next morning if she would come by and show us her master plan this evening
>I hadn't been able to make any sense out of her maps and charts
>Oddly enough, she said no, claiming that she had other things to do
>Had I really offended her last night?
>Chryssi and I spent some time running practise games against each other
>The balance of the board changed dramatically as she tried out the new army
>I won
>Again and again and again
>She confessed that she'd never played this faction before
>Their sleek skeleton bodies and long, skull-like heads might look cool, but on the battlefield they were a disaster
>After a few more losses, she confessed to never actually having played anything but Sludgenoids
>Great
>The last days went by with little but work and practise for me
>Luna denied any attempt to play with her, or even talk about the duel with her
>She seemed to have relapsed back into sleeplessness, looking wearier every time I saw her
>And Chryssi?
>She learned, and she learned fast
>But she was nowhere near the level she was with her Sludgenoids

>I was returning from my shift, the last day before it all came to an end
>More than eager to get back home, more to sleep than anything else, I held high speed on my way through the corridors and hallways of the castle complex
>Due to my speed, what would normally be an awkward meeting became an awkward collision
>Or to use simple terms, I quite literally ran into Lance Stub
>Being the first one who got back on my hooves, I offered him a hoof
>"So sorry about that. Are you ok?"
>The fact that I was wearing armour hadn't made the impact any lighter on him
>He grabbed my hoof and rose up
>"No... yes. I'm fine."
>I hadn't really had anything to do with Lance since he challenged me a week ago
>Now that I thought about it, I wasn't sure I'd even spoken to him since then
>I kind of felt obliged to
>"So... How's things? Everything good with... everything?"
>He looked surprised at my interest
>So was I, really
>"Oh, I'm fine. Everything is... sigh. Look, Shining Armour, don't mention this to anypony, but I'm sorry about this whole mess."
>My turn to be surprised
>"You're sorry?"
>"You could say so. Cadence has been in a bad mood lately. Something about a tutor who never returned. This never had anything to do with you in particular. All these rumours, about you. About Cadence. She started showing more interest in them than she did in me."
>"Then why did you challenge me?"
>"Well it seemed as a simple enough solution. Be a knight, defend my lady's honour. Make you look bad in the process by roughing you up as needed, and having you take the blame for the rumours. But it's hard to be a fairytale knight when I have to kill the dragon with plastic miniatures."
>"I guess it was sort of a dick move."
>"Oh, it was way more than that. How you became Captain of anything is a mystery to me. But I guess I'll just go with it. The only thing that is worse than losing is giving up."
>"So you're doing all of this for her attention?"
>"Of course. You didn't honestly think I had anything against you? You've got your... Queen. I know you're over Cadence. I just hope I can repair what I damaged with this whole mess."
>"I still can't understand why you went to such measures to prove yourself for her."
>Lance paused for a bit
>"Shining Armour. Do you love your... whatever the Tartarus you call your bug queen?"
>"I do."
>"Does she love you?"
>"Pretty sure she does."
>"What if she didn't? What if she acted like it, but deep down you knew she didn't feel the same way back? I would go to war for her attention. And that is what I've done."
>And with that he was off, walking away
>Preparing for war

>This was it
>The last night before the duel
>It had all seemed so bright and easy last week
>I had the best allies a stallion could ask for
>Now all I had was a nocturnal dreamwarden with insomnia and a changeling queen who couldn't adapt
>Some team
>But that wasn't the only thing that was on my mind
>"Psst. Chryssi, are you awake?""
>Her answer was low and barely intelligible
>"Barely."
>"Do you miss your hive?"
>She went silent
>She was lying with her face turned away from me, and by the time she answered, I was beginning to think she'd fallen asleep
>"Sometimes."
>"Do you ever want to... move on?"
>"Move on from you?"
>She sounded worried
>"No. Move on from here. From this place. No more duels and princesses. No more guards and secrets. Just you and me and with the whole world at our disposal."
>"You know it can't be that way. You can resign from your rank of Captain. I can never resign from the rank of Queen."
>"Then it will be just you, me and a changeling hive. With significantly less of the world at our disposal. I wouldn't mind. I've been your Prince long enough. I would travel with you as my Queen."
>She turned around to face me
>"You're just nervous for tomorrow. We can talk about this later, when you realize the full extent of what you're suggesting."
>She sealed my lips with a kiss
>I've never been any good at days like these
>Be it a big test, graduation day, tryouts for the Royal Guard, entry tests for officer training
>Or my own wedding
>My head was light
>My hooves were heavy
>And I couldn’t eat

>I had food brought to my quarters
>I couldn't stand the thought of going to another broken breakfast today
>I tried to ask Chryssi about last night
>About my offer
>She wasn't willing to discuss it any further
>Not now
>She said that she didn't want to distract me from the duel
>I didn't say that I wanted to be distracted

>We would begin early
>I was thankful for this
>I don't think I could have gone a whole day trying not to think about the duel
>I packed my army and put on my officer's uniform
>Uncomfortable thing, but showing up without is was considered disrespectful
>Or so I’d been told
>Luna had briefed me on duel etiquette during one of our breakfasts almost a week ago
>I half suspected she was the only one who cared, but it wasn't a risk I was willing to take
>Damnable archaic rules
>Chryssi took a form I'd never seen before
>Tall, skinny, glasses
>More cute than beautiful
>I guess she had her reasons

>The Hall of Harmony looked almost empty as we arrived
>Four figures already stood by a large table
>Waiting
>"THE DEFENDING PART COMETH. CAPTAIN SHINING ARMOUR,CAPTAIN-IN-COMMAND OF THE ROYAL GUARD! "
>I swear, I almost jumped straight out of my hide
>Just by the wall, near the entrance, stood an elderly stallion with a ceremonial hat
>A herald?
>A fucking herald?
>I stared over at the royal sisters
>Celestia was laughing at my reaction
>Luna, however, seemed to take it all very seriously
>She might claim to have reacquainted herself with the present, but sometimes that mare seemed stuck in another millennia
>"AND HIS SECOND SQUIRE:"
>The herald's voice, booming and powerful despite his age, halted
>She hurried over to Chryssi, who was still in disguise
>"Dear lady, what's your name?"
>"Ursarka Seed."

>It took me a moment to realize what she was doing
>Of all the ways she could have arrived, she chose masterfully
>Clever, clever girl
>I took my place at the large Ragnarok table
>It was formed as a part of the battered ruins of a once sprawling city
>In the middle of the table, on a cratered plaza stood a lone stone globe, with arrows pointing towards the cardinal and ordinal directions
>Seems like I was playing from the north
>Lance had the south, Celestia had his eastern flank, and Cadence held the western
>Luna was standing on the north western edge of the table, apparently intent to take on Cadence on that front
>Chryssi just walked over to Luna, and without saying anything, signalled the princess to move
>Cadence just stared, in disbelief
>Luna took my eastern side, now facing her sister
>"Now. I will guide the combatants in the general rules of a duel."
>The herald had moved over to the table as well
>He continued:
>"As decreed by the Royal Court, in Decree #143-B, under Rules and Conduct of Duelling, the winner shall be declared when all but one part has surrendered, or is unable to fight on. There shall be no harm done to civilians or bystanders, and material damage should be avoided at all expense. The wanton slaughter of a surrendered or otherwise incapacitated part, is illegal by Equestrian law, and is punchable by exi---"
>Celestia had interrupted him
>"I'm sure you could skip ahead a bit."
>He let out a disagreeing grunt
>"Very well. I will skip all the additions that are more than a millennia old. By Decree #1873-E of the Royal Court, the following actions are disallowed during a duel: The calling of hurtful names, tearing of hair, writing your initials in the opponents flesh, the writing anything in the opponents flesh, the imi---"
>"I'm sure that's quite enough. Thank you for your service. You may leave us now."
>I could easily tell that he wanted to protest
>But there was little he could do, opposing his rightful ruler
>We started deploying our troops right after he left
>Chryssi, still disguised, smiled at Cadence, and opened her army case
>Sludgenoids
>She continued smiling as she transformed back into her true form
>An excellent bluff
>Chryssi's apparent lack of confidence was washed away
>Though, I guess, she'd always been brave, hadn't she?
>Seeking out me without knowing how I'd react
>Confronting Luna
>And in turn, Celestia
>Moving in with me, a forbidden queen in a formally hostile land
>I hadn't even had the guts to meet Cadence's new stallion in a real duel
>Some Captain I was

>"You've made changes to the duelling rules?"
>Luna seemed a bit more taken by what the herald had said than the deployment itself
>"There was a surge in duels amongst nobles about.... 6, maybe 7 centuries ago. I learned that restricting the rules only helped so much, and saw an increase in unregulated duels. Making a mockery of it, like outlawing foul language and having heralds initiate every duel by reading every rule about duelling in the Equestrian law system eventually caused the duellers themselves to be ridiculed. It was mostly gone in a few decades."
>Hearing one of the sisters talk about decades and centuries like I talked about years never ceased to unnerve me
>It was easy to forget how ancient they were, especially with Celestia's playful tone and Luna's ability to obsess over a game
>So normal, yet so alien

>Speaking of alien, each of my opponent's armies stood out in their own special way
>Celestia had obviously spent a lot of time painting hers
>And, as Luna had assured me, she really was quite skilled
>Her Royal Guard Regiment, painted white with golden highlights, actually looked good, despite its liberal use of flowers and multi-coloured banners
>From infantry and artillery to cavalry, her army looked balanced and viable
>The 45th Harmonizers stood out, like the eye of the storm, or a pegasus with a PhD
>But that didn't make them any less precious

>Lance and Cadence proved an odd couple
>Not too much to say about either of them
>Crude
>It was the only word I found appropriate to describe Lance's handiwork
>Not necessarily bad, and probably better than my childhood armies, but not good by any stretch of the imagination
>They were standard Cosmoscommandoes of the Megacommando Chapter
>Even if he'd tried, it couldn't get much more generic
>And Cadance?
>Same Mares of Battle Chryssi had seen her use, built to counter Sludgenoids and melee
>They weren't even painted

>We started deploying
>Had this been under normal circumstances, the opposition wouldn't have been that interesting
>Celestia's Harmonizers were by the book Guard, and probably no match for Luna's warband, that was built for maximum effectively, to say the least
>The Harmonizers were even lead by a named Commissioner
>Lance's army was the equivalent of vanilla ice cream, which shouldn't be that challenging
>The interesting match-up was Cadence and Chryssi

>Deployment didn't take long
>We didn't really talk that much
>Luna seemed occupied with her own plans, and I knew better than to say anything against her
>I was never much of a tactician anyway
>We actually spent most of our time waiting for Cadance, who never seemed pleased with her deployment
>She'd look over at the Sludgenoids, move some troops around, look over again, and repeat
>She seemed sure that Chryssi was playing some trick on her
>In a way, she was right

>The first turn belonged to the 45th Harmonizers
>Commissioner Sol took action to fortify in ruins near the deployment zone
>Luna's nocturnal Dark Legion took to the shadows of cover near my deployment zone, effectively moving away from her sister
>I started moving towards the central plaza, but was careful not to put my troops out in the open
>Getting my ranks torn asunder by Chryssi time after time had learnt me that while constant and relentless charges were good, there was also a time for hiding
>Cadence moved her towards the westernmost edge of the table, advancing, but trying to keep her forces collected
>But it was what Chryssi did that was interesting
>She split her troops up, and started charging them towards the middle of the western flank, covering much of the map with spread units

>With suppressive fire from Luna, I was able to run my troops into the middle of the map fairly quickly, and it was not many rounds before I crossed axes with Lance, who had been advancing straight forwards to meet me
>Chryssi and her Sludgenoids had gone into guerrilla warfare mode, playing on Cadence's insecurity and unwillingness to split her troops
>Every attack was like an ambush, but even though Chryssi was the better player, Cadence's flamethrowers hit hard in close quarters, and some good rolls of the dice from the princess's part could make the attacking Sludgenoids pay dearly for every fallen Battle-Sister
>They were fighting each other to a slow stalemate
>Celestia had moved almost unopposed northwards, and was now pressing Luna's flank

>"Captain?"
>"Yes Luna?"
>"You should be able to handle this by yourself now. Commissioner Sol is rising in the east, and I need to deal with my sister before I can offer any more assistance."
>Seemed fair enough
>I had already connected with Lance's troops, locking a decent amount of his rangers in bloody melee
>This was going my way
>Grogar the Destoryer, my veteran warlord, charged at the head of his savage Grognards
>As any true commander should
>If the battle with Luna had taught me anything, biting off the head of the snake seemed the easiest way to win
>Grogar connected with Lance's commander, a force commander with no helmet and a desperate need for hair gel
>"Guts!"
>I looked at Lance, who looked more than a bit confused, and rolled attack dice for what was sure to be another glorious charge
>"For the Gut.... shit."
>Snake eyes
>Grogar's axes missed the force commander
>Lance smiled
>It was his turn

>My chargers, trapped amidst his lines of battle, might have caught a decent portion of his troops in melee
>But when his turn came, those who were yet free unleashed their fire, raining brimstone and plasmafire upon my berserkers
>Roll after roll
>Hit after hit
>Causality after causality
>Luna had probably put too much thrust in me
>”Well. For the princess.”
>His voice reeked with poorly hidden smugness
>”Empress.”
>Had felt the need to correct him
>”No.”
>He rolled attack dice for his force commander
>Boxcars
>Fuck
>Brandishing his damnable Force Maul, the force commander hit Grogar dead on, almost killing him there and then
>Now, I was used to having my army slaughtered, but in the heat of the moment some not so muffled curses escaped my lips
>Chryssi and Cadence continued wearing each other out, though at a slower pace
>None of them wanted to commit troops to any major confrontation
>It was a silent battle, neither side talking more than they had to
>Luna didn’t fully manage to get her troops into positions to counter attack her sister, and a series of good rolls and great decisions let the 45th Harmonizer take a decent bite out of the nocturnal warband
>I must say I was surprised at how fast Celestia, who by far was the most audible player, had picked up the game, especially since neither Luna nor I had actually seen her practise
>Let alone read a rulebook
>It was probably due to her long experience as a leader of ponies
>Never mind what the critics say about Hyperspace Hyperwars having nothing to do with actual wars
>I was a military officer, and I can attest to its realism
>Not that I’ve actually been at war, but that doesn’t matter
>I’ve read a lot about war
>If reading about everything made my sister so knowledgeable about… everything, then Master Sun’s ‘On the Topic of War’ made me a reliable expert on war
>Sun had served Celestia as her general
>She’d probably picked up a thing or two from him

>With Chryssi locked in combat, and Luna trying to press against her sister, I didn’t really have many options
>Even if things looked bleak, I had to deal with Lance
>Half my forces were in active close quarters combat
>The other half, now battered from Lance’s turn, were either seeking opponents or cover
>I honestly weren’t sure
>I was desperately trying to remember if my military education had thought me anything that would come of use
>Fear not the enchanter?
>For princess and realm?
>Square roots?
>Think, Shining Armour, think!
>Fight or flight?
>Yeah, that sounds about right
>I retrea…. tactically withdrew my wounded warlord and his elite berserkers into some alleyway, plugging the gap with more expendable troops
>Lance didn’t even bother giving pursuit
>Losses on both sides stabilised
>I wouldn’t call it a true stalemate however, as Luna was gaining the lead on Celestia, and Lance was definitely going to beat me if nothing changed
>I was down to just under half strength, making my army the smallest in the field
>My wounded warlord was moving westwards to the relative safety of Chryssi’s troops
>”Why are you moving troops towards me? Shouldn’t you focus on winning in the centre?”
>Chryssi gave me a puzzled look
>”Don’t worry. I have a plan.”
>I could tell by the look on her face that she didn’t believe me
>Fitting
>I didn’t believe in it either
>I hear a voice from my other flank
>”I believe I’ve grasped your plan. I’m ready to commit to it.”
>Luna looked at me
>What in Tartarus was she going on about?
>When her turn came, Luna began moving towards Lance again, in a full frontal assault completely disregarding Celestia’s troops
>With her assistance, the balance of power in the middle of the table was completely reversed, and Lance’s troops were falling rapidly, unable to defend against both ranged bombardment and savage melee
>It was not without a cost

>Celestia’s Royal Guard were carving away at Luna’s troops, each strike harder than the other
>At least she was a pleasant opponent, letting out small cheers whenever she rolled a six, or managed to hit just right with her artillery
>My roving ravagers had entered into the passive conflict between Chryssi and Cadence, who still held the largest armies
>While interesting, I couldn’t let them keep going on like this forever
>If Chryssi was able to free up her troops and assist against the other enemies we would gain the upper hoof for sure
>And how do you force the battle to pick up pace?
>Raid and ravage
>Charge and cleave
>Lashing on my suicidal charge, Chryssi stormed the amassed ecclesial enemy
>Losses were heavy, but an edge in numbers and melee equipment turned the tide in our favour
>And while the main body of my warband was winning against Lance’s loyalists, Celestia was inflicting casualties on Luna almost as heavily as we were inflicting on Lance
>Cadence and her grey spiritual soldiers were too concentrated, and unable to move away from the troops of me and my queen, but their tight formation made us unable to reach all of her troops
>An straight-from-the-box High Priestess with a light-flamethrower, a faith beacon and mold lines stood vigilant just outside of fighting range.
>I had more stallions near Lance’s soldiers than I had commandoes to fight, so I committed no more troops than absolutely necessary to melee, and sent the rest of them down to help deal with Cadence
>It was Celestia’s turn
>The familiar sound of rolling dice was met whit an unfamiliar silence

>Luna’s face warped into a mask of disbelief, not unlike the one I’d seen when I killed her commander during our first battle
>”Sister, I thought you had a reputation as quite the commander. Too bad you’re losing to me again. This is just like when we played Mareopoly.”
>I couldn’t but smile at Celestia’s taunts
>”We agreed not to speak of that… incident.”
>”Ashamed, are we?”
>”A millennia of playing games with nopony but only myself, and you expected me to take defeat lightly?”
>I let them bicker on for a while
>It almost reminded me of me and my own sister when we were younger, even though there was a bit of an age gap between me and her
>I could only guess towards the age gap between Celestia and Luna
>I looked over at Chryssi, who was studying the result of Celestia’s devastating dice toss
>I wonder what the age gap between me and her was?
>As much as I’d like to know, I don’t think I’ll ever dare to ask
>The Royal sisters finally settled over some new Mareopoly-agreement, and Celestia went on to show us just what her attacks would do
>The result was… devastating, to say the least
>She had now broken through to Lance’s forces, splitting Luna’s forces away from mine, and almost eradicating the last of her sister’s warriors in the process
>It was not long before my troops who had been fighting Lance fell
>”Ummm. Do you need help?”
>It wasn’t really a true question
>Luna knew as well as Chryssi and I that our troops would never reach her in time
>It was too late for that
>Luna just looked at us with tired eyes
>”But it is all according to plan, is it not?”
>I didn’t know what I should say
>So I said the only thing that felt right
>”Yes. Everything is going just as planned.”
>Luna’s next turn would prove to be her last

>”Ave Dominus Nox!”
>With a last battlecry, the last of the Black Legion warband threw themselves at the followers of the carrion empress
>As Noctaria the Warlord, last of her warband, fell to loyalist artillery soon after, we were officially down to five players
>And with me and Lance reduced to small rag-tag bands of survivors, and Cadance’s once so safe fortifications having tuned into a slaughtering ground for her Order of the Purity Talisman
>Chryssi and Celestia had the two large remaining armies, Sludegenoids being the most numerous of all
>Like griffon butchers, the combined forces of our armies grinded the Mares of Battle into the dust
>We were almost through the last of them when Celestia’s troops came knocking on our door
>Chryssi started moving her troops away from the battle to deal with her
>”Finish this. The last stretch is between you and Cadence.”
>Me and Cadence
>Less than a hooffull of miniatures each
>Ripping through the tired theologs, it all came down to her last few units
>And it really felt underwhelming
>I didn’t roll an amazing roll, there was no fight with named characters to speak of
>It just kind of ended
>She was beaten
>I looked at her, who had been my bride and my princess, and I felt... nothing
>No joy, no sadness
>But I knew this was the end, in more ways than one
>And if the eyes who met me told me anything, I was not the only one to realize that

>But there was still a task at hoof
>I wouldn’t want to lose face, did I?
>United, my queen and I, forced our way towards the enemy
>Her forces mighty, mine next to insignificant
>If the game had been able to produce any sounds but the familiar rattling of thrown dice, I shudder to think of what horrid screeched and howls would ignite the air as the Sludgenoid battlehost connected with the Royal Guard
>The sickening crunch of bone being shattered and bodies being bluntly barraged under the feet of the Sludgenoids forming the deep bass notes in a macabre orchestra, where the sound of cries of primal fear and the telltale ripping of flesh from bone drove this butcher’s ballroom from crescendo to crescendo
>Or at least, that’s how imagined it would sound
>Not that I knew any of the sounds I described either
>Not at the time anyway
>”Um… Shining, dear?”
>Chryssi snapped me out of deep thought
>”Yes? What?”
>Everypony at the table was looking at me
>Staring, almost
>”It’s your turn. What… what were you thinking about?”
>Think fast!
>”Music.”
>I didn’t give her, or anypony else, time to respond
>My turns were short, as I had little to
>There wasn’t any room for my stallions along Chryssi’s long battle lines
>And while the big Cs fought rifle and claw, in what was going our way, I tried to hunt for easy prey from Lance’s army
>There was no such thing as easy prey
>Crashing one last time, broken and mangled, our stallions met in glorious combat

>Part of me knew I had lost even before the dice landed
>Fuck, part of me probably knew that I had lost when Luna was knocked out
>He rolled better, played better
>In more ways than just this game
>Beaten, bloodied, broken
>It doesn’t matter what word you use, the result was the same
>And I should have been angry, shouldn’t I?
>His smug grin as he lifted my last miniature off the table should have upset me
>Or if anger was too much, shouldn’t I feel… defeated?
>And though it was how I felt, it seemed wrong to be relieved that it was over

>I didn’t really follow the end of the game that closely
>We could still win, although it seemed unlikely
>In the end, this was all a game of dice, where anything could happen
>One stallion could destroy an empire, or fall prey to the smallest of foes
>I think Chryssi picked up on my, well, disinterest
>And though she was heading for a costly enemy victory, her army collapsed into disarray like I’ve never seen her let happen before
>It all ended as most battles do
>With the last bullet being fired from just another nameless soldier
>This time it happened to be one of the 45th Harmonizers
>Celestia expressed genuine joy at winning
>I didn’t mind
>She’d earned it
>And I guess Lance had earned the grin he was so shamelessly sporting
>Luna was the closest thing I’ve ever seen to a living question mark
>Not upset, not yet at least, just surprised

>And my queen
>She looked down upon me
>And smiled as well
>No threats, warnings or smugness
>No subtext at all
>I had lost
>We had lost
>But that was ok
>I smiled back
>A true smile

End of part three.
Part four:
http://pastebin.com/t1V4GBr0
Optional side-scene:
http://pastebin.com/RNGguHqb