Author's Notes:

To paraphrase Mark Twain, anyone attempting to find a moral in this story will be shot.

Three months had passed since Twilight and her friends had defeated Nightmare Moon and restored monetary equilibrium to the economy. August was past, and with September and the new school year, Twilight's friends suddenly had a lot of free time on their hoofs while their younger sisters were in school. Twilight was mildly pleased to learn that being friends, in addition to teaming up to save the world from the forces of economic evil, also entailed playing board games together in her treehouse.

Twilight liked games. Games had rules.

Rainbow Dash rolled the dice between her hooves.

“Come on, give me a twelve!” she said.

“You know that’ll land you in jail, right?” Applejack said.

“It’s not a race, Dashie,” Fluttershy said.

“You’re just saying that because I’m in first,” Rainbow Dash said. “I’ve already made seven laps!” She rolled a four. “Darn! Just a dumb old chance card. What?! I have to pay a 15 bit poor voluntary defense fund! I’m not poor!”

“How does she have half the properties?” Rarity said.

It was a good question. Twilight, the banker and rule-enforcer by default, considered the board. Rainbow Dash’s empire was, well, a rainbow of property cards, a smattering of green houses, and two red hotels, all organized on their colored bars by Rarity, who Twilight felt didn’t quite get Monopoly.

“Ooh, a trip to Manehattan Avenue!” Rarity said, moving her piece to where the dice commanded. “How delightful! I wonder if I can find a decent salon.”

“Have fun,” Applejack grinned. “That’ll be sixteen bits. It’s an all-inclusive package.”

“Overpriced tourist trap,” Rarity muttered, hoofing the bits to Applejack.

“You do all know this is just a board game, right?” Twilight said.

“Do you want to play with us?” Pinkie Pie said. “You can be the carriage.”

“No, thanks.”

The race for second place was tight. Applejack held on with her railroads. Pinkie Pie ran the utilities, Rarity only bought properties that fit her color scheme, and Fluttershy was protesting Boardwalk’s excessive price-gouging. She didn’t have any money or property herself, refusing to buy any in case somepony else wanted it, and giving all her excess bits to the Free Parking space.

“Oh, no!” Rainbow Dash said, landing on the voluntary defense fund square. “I’m going to have to mortgage my properties!”

“And you’ve rolled three snake-eyes,” Applejack said. “It’s off to jail with you.”

“No! Twilight, please, help me out!” Rainbow Dash turned to her, eyes wide. “If you don’t bail me out, the game will end!”

“Good,” Fluttershy said.

“No, it won’t,” Pinkie Pie said at the same time.

“Pleeeeease,” Rainbow Dash said. “I really don’t want to go to jail. And I want to have all my money and not pay anypony anything.”

“Fine,” Twilight said, giving Rainbow Dash an extra pair of 500 bit bills. “But spend it sensibly—”

Rainbow Dash bought a second hotel and placed it on top of the one she already had on Boardwalk.

“That’s against the rules,” Fluttershy gasped.

“Okay, okay, maybe that’s what’s written down,” Rainbow Dash said quickly, looking at Twilight. “But who enforces the rules?”

“I do,” Twilight said.

“And you’re great at it.” Twilight preened. “So as my friend, maybe we could…?”

“I’ll allow it.”

“Eep,” Fluttershy eeped. “There are no rules!”

“Can I have 500 bits?” Applejack asked sardonically.

“No.”

“What’s the difference?” Rarity said.

“Your turn, Pinkie Pie!” Twilight said loudly.

Pinkie Pie rolled. “Oh, no!”

“Yes!” Rainbow Dash laughed, taking her token for her and placing it on Boardwalk. “That’s 3000 bits, Pinkie Pie.”

Pinkie Pie’s ears drooped. “I…I don’t have that much money.”

“You can pay me in installments,” Rainbow Dash decided. “I’ll take your token as collateral.”

“But…but that represents my soul!”

“So?!”

“Are you gonna let her get away with that?” Applejack said to Twilight.

“Yes.”

There was a bit of a protest after that, with four ponies against two. Fluttershy tried to occupy Boardwalk, but no pony cared. Finally the game continued, albeit slowly, until Fluttershy flipped over the game board with an apology and walked out.

“I was winning!” Rainbow Dash said.

“You can’t win,” Rarity said. “The game just continues until everypony else dies.”

“I was winning,” Rainbow Dash repeated.

The End.