//------------------------------// // Delitescent (Slice of Life) // Story: Varia Visive // by journcy //------------------------------// Prompt #497: “Stepping Up” “The last five hundred steps.” "Luna?" Celestia called out. She heard a muffled groan from behind the door. Celestia couldn't blame her sister; it was, after all, sundown, and she was just waking up. But Celestia had a plan, and it was a plan that needed Luna awake. "Come, sister, I wanted to play a game with you!" Thump. Thunk. Celestia coughed over a giggle. After another minute or so, the door to Luna's room swung open with its customary creak. "...Yes, sister?" Luna said, looking more than a tad grumbly at being woken unnaturally. "I was hoping that we could spend a little time together before I take my leave for the night. I was reminded of a delightful little game of strategy that we could play together!" Celestia said, keeping her voice lively. "And what is this game?" Luna responded, sounding unconvinced that any such activity could be exciting this early on in the night. "Oh, you'll see. I promise you, it's a classic," Celestia assured her. "...For you, sister," Luna replied begrudgingly. "Oh, thank you, Luna. Now let's go, it's all set up in my study," Celestia said, turning briskly and beginning to walk gracefully away. Luna followed, shutting the door behind herself. + + + "...and the Grimoire allows Serfs to defeat Mages!" Celestia explained happily. Luna stared dumbfounded at the board before her. "You say that your student created this game--and at the age of eleven?" she asked. "Yes, it was Twilight's creative project that year," Celestia said. "She had one every year; I like to think this is one of the better ones." Lying on a table between the two Princesses was a game board. It was fashioned of marble, and looked at first glance like a chess board. However, it was much, much larger than a chess board--four times larger, in fact. It was sixteen squares on a side, alternating black and white, and adorned with a large assortment of pieces that again resembled chess pieces at first glance. There were far more, however (again four times as many), and instead of the classic chess pieces they were a variety of different shapes. Celestia had just finished explaining the intricacies of the game to Luna, and they were many. Several pieces seemed to play no role other than augmenting their fellows, and the movement patterns were as varied as the shapes. Luna gulped. She had a feeling this would be less than a fair battle. "Five hundred moves remain, sister," Celestia said. + + + "You see," Celestia said, taking another of Luna's Serfs, "Twilight felt that she would do best taking an already winning formula and simply adding in more complication. Quite a challenge to pull off with something as brilliantly complex as chess--without disrupting the order of the game, at least." Luna moved a Knight--one of the few familiar pieces--but to no avail; Celestia immediately took it with a Messenger and a Hoofsoldier. "In fact, I find one of the most curious portions of the game to be how well she pulled it off. Not only are the old pieces still useful, but the new ones compliment them perfectly. And the interactions between the pieces make learning the strategy even more difficult." Luna simply grimaced. + + + "Ready to get back to the game, sister?" Celestia asked. They had taken a temporary caesura to allow Luna to raise the moon--something that, Luna was surprised to learn, there were actually rules for. "Indeed; however, I am not nearly as sure of my chances of victory, or even graceful defeat," Luna said. "You seem to be cornering me." Glancing at the board as she sat down, Celestia was not so sure. "Another beautiful thing about Quizad is that the victor is not known for certain until they have won," she said, advancing a Captain. + + + "Sister, were you truly not aware of such an integral flaw in your defense?" Luna said, easily capturing one of Celestia's Rooks. "As I am sure you are aware, Luna, there are sometimes sacrifices that must be made in order to ensure success, especially in chess. The same ideology plays equally into this game." Luna thought about this for a moment. She was relatively good at chess, having been playing it for nearly all the time it had existed, save the period of her banishment. And what Celestia said was true, sometimes pieces had to be sacrificed. But--and this was only a beginner's thought--she wasn't sure the same theory applied to Quizad. + + + "And so the endgame begins!" Celestia announced, taking the last of Luna's outer circle of pieces. Luna growled. Her strategy of defense was failing her. But at the same time, she had made several exploitable holes in her sister's lines... Perhaps this game wasn't over yet. + + + "Ha! I use my Archer, my Amulet, and my Serf! Your line is broken, sister!" Luna cried, jubilant. (<<-->>) "Yes, dear Luna, it certainly does seem the tide has turned. But as I said, that is the beauty of this game. Just when victory seems assured, a clever combination can change everything. Just a few pieces, working together, can save a whole army. I never have managed to realize just how Twilight created such an intricate game. But I do know one thing," Celestia said, grinning. "What is that?" Luna said, suddenly suspicious. "You only have twenty of your five hundred moves left."