//------------------------------// // How Many Points Do I Receive? // Story: The Stars That Circle the Moon // by Swaglestia //------------------------------// The Stars That Circle the Moon Entry One: How Many Points Do I Receive? ------------ "I do believe 'tis thy turn, my dearest." Luna raised an eyebrow at Twilight, the edge of her lip on the brink of a condescending smirk as she hushed a small laugh. She glanced at the game board (that may as well have just spelled out 'HAHA, LUNA WINS AGAIN'), then at the frantic desperation on her opponent's face. Looking down at the small wooden tray that held her remaining three letters, she contemplated her next move almost effortlessly. Now bored, she crossed her hooves; waiting. This was too easy. Meanwhile, Twilight was mere seconds away from flipping the table over, blowing up the library, and banishing Luna back to the moon. Her brow was furrowed in a concentration so deep and forced that it was painful, a dull ache pounding away at the base of her horn. This can't be! Wide-eyed, she ricocheted back and forth between her letters and the board. Nothing. Impossible! This must have been some sort of sick joke; yes, that was it, and now all she had to do was wait for Dash and Pinkie to pop out of a bookshelf and tell her that they rigged the game and it had been a prank all along. This inconceivable turn of events could never occur without outward intervention. She had been the Canterlot champion three years in a row, president of the club, and she even had a plaque dedicated to all of her winnings in the capitol's gaming hall; she was practically royalty when it came to this thing! And now she was being dethroned. By Luna. Twelve times in a row. The severely clenched muscles in her face relaxed as she sighed, defeated. "I have to pass." "Pardon?" Luna looked up nonchalantly, feigning that she wasn't listening. Again, she had to suppress a sea of laughter from escaping her throat. "I said I have to pass," she stated, her voice hitting a flat note. The agitation that brewed was only rivaled by the extreme weight of self-disappointment. Twelve times in a row! A particularly critical sector of her mind growled at her, sounding more like a scolding mother than her own inner voice. "It's your turn now." The princess's horn became illuminated in a deep cobalt glow, magic ensnaring her remaining letters. Lazily, they drifted to the board and placed themselves meticulously in position between two other words, conjoining them like a bridge. In disbelief, Twilight's head jutted out to assess Luna's move. She noted that the goddess had creatively incorporated her letters in obscure spaces that Twilight would not have even dreamed of attempting herself, almost as if the princess took the game as some sort of artform. However, the word she had devised appeared... doubtful. The unicorn didn't hesitate to take complete advantage of that. "Aha!" Twilight exclaimed with a twinkle of crazed triumph in her eyes, throwing a hoof in the air for dramatic effect. "'MUZJIKS' isn't a word! Luna was unfazed, the same bored feline indifference etched on her face. "'Tis, indeed, a word." "Prove it!" Desperation creeped into her every syllable, this same voice hauntingly reminding her: twelve times in a row!   As if rehearsed, the princess levitated a nearby book out of its wooden home, thick and heavy with volumes of information. Without as much as a mere glance, her magic flipped quickly through the pages, making that distinct rustling sound that was music to a reader's ears. Once content, Luna's horn sauntered the book over to the frantic unicorn across from her. "Fourth definition down," she stated matter-of-factly, a hint of playfulness ebbing its way through. Attempting to mask how secretly entertained she truly was, she watched as Twilight snatched the book and skimmed through the entry with haste. A carrousel of emotions circled her face, inhabiting every spectrum from malice to confusion and eventually landing on one that declared surrender and admitted supreme defeat. "It is a word..." Twilight absently plopped down on her rump, directing the statement more to herself than anyone else. "Well, my love," Luna began, sweet laughter tickling her voice. "It appears I am the victor, yet again." Thirteen times in a row! The unicorn sighed, vigorously attempting to analyze how in Equestria she (three-time Canterlot champion!) had been so easily thwarted at her own game by a pony who suffered from a thousand-year time lapse. Must be some crazy arcane alicorn powers, she assumed, with the ability to make words up and pass them off as legitimate! Or maybe Celestia had a spell to telepathically communicate with her sister, and she was feeding her words from a dictionary! Twilight could see it now; the elder princess curled up comfortably on a mat, drinking tea and curtly chortling as she spewed impossible words into Luna's psyche, guiding her to victory. "Shall we go another round?" The princess pseudo-innocently grinned, obviously amused at how her consistent winnings were driving Twilight absolutely insane. "I..." The younger mare looked down, her face adorned in an exhausted half-frown. The downcast demeanor of her companion almost tempted Luna into feeling the slightest pinch of guilt. "I give up. You obviously have the upper-hoof here." "Art thou certain?" The princess probed on, some undetectable excitement dancing across her eyes. "Dost thou not remember our agreement?" How could I forget? Twilight's mind sneered, recalling the misty whisper that brushed against her ear mere hours earlier, the warm breath eliciting involuntary shivers from the tip of her horn to the base of her tail. ------------------------ 'Twilight,' Luna's voice had called over to her from across the room, her head rising up from under the depths of the unicorn's bed (What she was searching for down there, Twilight hadn't a single clue). She had fished out a thin cardboard box, a film of dust covering its entirety. 'What might this be?' The younger mare had instantly recognized it, a pang of nostalgia coercing her heart as small tidbits of fond memories flashed through her brain. But this was the princess she was dealing with, and although they had gotten quite comfortable with each other over the past few months, in no way was she going to tarnish her image by repeatedly screaming, "yes!" and fangirling around the room like a filly. 'Oh, that.' Twilight attempted to casually brush it off as impassively as possible, a large portion of her wanting nothing more than just to rip open the box and play against anything, even considering challenging Owloysius if she became desperate enough. 'It's just some old game.' She felt her heart drop by even uttering such blasphemy, making a mental note to apologize to it later. 'A game?' Luna's ears perked up. 'What is the objective of this game?' Struggling not to appear too eager, Twilight trotted over to the box. As she opened it, the anticipation grew and she almost felt ashamed for being so thrilled over something as trivial as this. 'Well,' She began, blowing the dust off the board and carefully laying it out on the floor between them. 'We each start with seven letters. The object of the game is to use the given letters to make words on the board. Whoever runs out of letters first and has the highest score wins.' Oh, she could have gotten into much more detail. Luna had grown quiet, a thoughtfully distant look embellished her face as she peered down at the game before her. The princess's rigorous pondering felt tangible as Twilight waited, earnest and expectant. 'If I may propose a deal,' Luna said finally, looking up at the unicorn. Like lightning, something precarious and predatory quickly flashed behind her eyes. 'If thou should triumph over me in this game of words, then I shall bestow a reward upon thee.' She stalked closer, a smirk emblazoned on her face. 'Uh,' Twilight flushed deep crimson as Luna nuzzled up against her, almost certain that the larger mare could easily hear, if not feel, the relentless pounding of her heart that could have been mistaken for a stampede. 'A reward, huh?' A high-pitched nervous chuckle escaped her, feeling like a foolish schoolfilly. 'Yes,' Luna's lips brushed against Twilight's ear, her whisper eating away any conscious thought that may have been left intact. 'A reward of the flesh...' -------------- Thirteen times. In. A. Row. "Sure, we'll play another round." Begrudgingly, Twilight gave in, hopelessly unable to ever say 'no' to the mare in front of her but still frustrated enough to allow the darkness to seep into her voice. She cleared the game board of its pieces, then reluctantly redistributed them as she prepared for yet another carnal whooping.   Twilight watched as Luna calculated her next move, willing to bet her entire library that the word would surely be lengthy and painstakingly pretentious. The pieces became airborne, the blue aura gravitating them into position. Upon only seeing three letters, the younger mare curiously peeked at the board. She cocked an eyebrow. 'CAT.' She gazed up at Luna, suspicious. The princess merely smirked back. Twilight had won that round.