//------------------------------//
// Twister! 
// Story: Game Night 
// by Sozmioi 
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I am Omar Greene, computational biologist, amateur astronomer, and, ever since the multi-pronged crisis around the return of Nightmare Moon, princess Luna's advisor.

If you think that last item rather odd, I agree. Let's just take it as given. If on the other hand you know all about that, there are a few additional details I can understand that you might want to know about, but they won't come up just right now.

On the policy front, it was an easy job. We were both new enough to circumstances that when ponies came to present their cases, no one expected her to render judgement, just listen and orient herself. I took notes, and with her leave sometimes asked questions. Court typically lasted to 11, and from then on, princess Luna would stand on her balcony, staring out over the land, tending the dreamscape.

But my job was far from easy - my main concern was getting Luna reintegrated to pony society and reconciled with her sister. She was very uncooperative in this regard. Yes, she had given the night sky a significant upgrade, including sending the moon up during the day. That had given her a temporary popularity boost for sure. But having the moon be more visible was a mixed blessing. The main drawback was that it highlighted to her how much lesser the moon was than the sun. The more Luna thought about that, the more she thought on how unnecessary she was compared to her sister. That in turn led to irritation, which made her less capable, aggravating the problem.

I tried nudging, I tried reframing, I wracked my brain for additional strategies. I half-convinced myself things were doing better, for there were some limited avenues along which there were improvements. She had really beaten the air force into shape, and was making strides with the ground forces.

I could go into detail on this, but it would be depressing, and really, this is about game night. So, I'll skip ahead to what got things moving.

One evening, the moon was due to rise just before sunset. Rather than remaining on the highest tower after raising the moon, Luna flew down and away from her sister, who was already approaching to set the sun. Seeing that solidified in my mind that things were not getting better. I didn't think she had intentionally brushed her sister off. She was just too self-absorbed to notice.

So, after court that evening, I asked her, "Princess, what do you think of inviting your sister to a private party this weekend?"

She considered for a solid ten seconds before asking, "What manner of party?"

"Some games. A bit different than the usual parties around here."

"Game? We had thought thou wouldst notice that we are not hunters."

"Not that kind of 'game'." I thought for a moment. "Games are special rules you can agree to follow for fun."

"What is 'fun'?"

This goes deeper than I thought. "A variety of joy. Fun things to do are difficult enough to be challenging but easy enough that it doesn't wear you out too much to do them. They can be unimportant. That's the idea behind games."

"Ah! Amusements." Oh, phew. Just a language issue. She considered for another ten long seconds. "We suppose that under the circumstances, such are no longer unconscionable for us to partake in." ... Or maybe not just a language issue.

"Excuse me?"

The look she gave me hit me like a ton of orphans. "Before our imprisonment, Equestria was not safe. This palace did not exist. Nothing could be spared for us to consider such grand beauty, or for 'fun'."

That must hurt too - for things to begin looking up only after she was gone.

With a shake of her head to clear it, she said, "We approve thy proposal. Prepare an invitation to be presented at her breakfast next morn." I had half expected that she'd refuse, but perhaps part of her knew this couldn't go on.

"I should invite her myself?"

"Yes. We would not know what we were asking for."





So I decided to attend princess Celestia's breakfast. Appearing after the start as a guest was my best chance to make the invitation without disrupting anything else. As I arrived, the looks from the several nobles around the table were very instructive, but for reasons pertaining to the details of politics quite aside from this tale. Celestia's face opened up in pleasant surprise at my being announced. "Welcome, Omar!"

"Good morning, your highness. I offer an invitation from your sister, to join her tomorrow evening for a few hours of games."

She had been drinking orange juice, and for a moment I thought we would witness a royal spit-take. A firm lip-clench put that fear hope fear to rest. After a few seconds, she replied, "Games! What an interesting idea. I suppose it was yours?"

"Yes, your majesty, but she approves heartily."

"I accept her offer. May I ask, who else is attending?"

I hadn't considered that. I'd assumed it would be the three of us, but having been asked, I realized that would have sounded very very presumptuous. "I am, and you may bring any others you wish."

"And may I also inquire, which games shall we play?"

Yet another question I hadn't thought through because in the parties I was modeling this on, we'd just talk it over. "Yet to be determined. I know of many options; something mutually satisfactory should emerge."

Celestia nodded. "Thank you for the kind offer. Please, enjoy your meal."

I did, and it was very educational, again in ways that would be pure digressions.

Over the next 36 hours, I tried to draw up a list of games that I thought would work. I didn't want anything too aggressive (Risk), complicated (contract bridge, inoculation), overly analytic (N-player chess variants), simple (war or parcheesi), or requiring impossible equipment (computer games were right out). What came forward? Lots of card games - Hearts, Oh Hell, Spades, Gin Rummy, Poker. Also, Settlers of Catan.

I wanted more options. I was already writing a batch of letters to friends in Ponyville, and added questions about suggestions for games to the letters to Pinkie Pie, Twilight Sparkle and Cheerilee (though in her case it stood a significant risk of being lost in the great length -- too much at once? I hadn't heard from her and that worried me more than a lack of response from the others worried me) - but realized as I was sending it that I wouldn't get the replies in time (I didn't know about Spike's connection to princess Celestia).

That night I drew up the tiles and cards we'd need for Settlers, and while I was at it, threw together a stack of Carcassonne tiles. Still, I went to sleep that morning dissatisfied.

My dreams were even worse. In one, Celestia brought Cadence and Twilight Sparkle and we played Axis and Allies, with the sisters as Axis. Luna was on Japan. She played perfectly, clearing Asia in a handful of turns and advancing on North America. But meanwhile, Celestia had taken the insane strategy of building bombers and one research roll... and got nuclear weapons. Luna's meticulous advances were overshadowed by Celestia's luck as she coasted to victory.

I don't know whether Luna checked up on my dream. If she did, I imagine she was too confused to intervene. But if I never dream of Celestia in a Hitler mustache giving Cadence a noogie again, that's fine by me.

The evening came - as it occurred, the moon was still nearly opposite the sun, but Celestia was to go first. She waited for her sister, and they flew down to Luna's balcony together.

I was waiting, standing with a deck of cards. As they landed, Celestia gave me her best look of detached amusement; Luna looked awkward. I gave the deck a few shuffles. "Princess Celestia - did you elect to bring anyone?" She shook her head. "Did either of you have anything in mind?"

Both shook their heads. "The main options I can think of are Hearts and Poker."

After I spent a few moments describing each, Luna said, "Present thy most favored game."

Of my list, that had to be Settlers. Before I was more than a sentence into the description, she stopped me once more. "Thou'rt holding back. What game is thy favorite? Which has brought thee the most joy?"

Well, the most joy? Heh. But moving on...

"That one thou dismisseth. What was it?"

I locked eyes with her. No way I was getting out of this, so there was no need to drag it out. "By historical accident, it occurs that the game that has brought me the most joy was Twister."

"And how does one play this game?"

"There is a four by four grid of circles on the ground, one row each of red, green, blue, and yellow. Someone who's not playing uses a spinner, which selects a limb and color. The players must touch one of those colors with that part." I gestured putting my right foot on an imaginary spot. "You hold that until instructed to touch something else with the same part. You keep spinning until you can't do it any more without lying down." I put my left hand on another spot. "That's pretty much all there is to it."

"Really." With a glow of her horn, a grid of lightly glowing dots appeared under me.

"That's right. This position would be after spins of left hand blue, right foot red. Look... the reasons this brought me the most joy really don't apply to this situation."

But already, Luna had conjured a spinner. "Let us see. Sister?"

I looked to her in the hopes that this stupid idea would be quashed. But instead, she said, "This reminds me of a dance exercise. Very well."

Resigned, I took the spinner, and spun. "Left forehoof green."

They complied easily.

"Umm, left wing green."

Celestia, being at the right, gently placed her wing across her sister's hoof. "May we use the same circles?"

"Yes, totally legal. And... right rear hoof red."

The princesses examined their situation. Both had locked themselves into facing one way, by putting hoof and wing on separate green circles. And red was in front of them.

Luna asked, "May we change which green circle we are touching with our wings?"

I couldn't remember the rule, so I made it up on the spot: "You have to be touching a green circle, but if you can touch more than one, then you can use that to shift from one to another."

Luna leaned close to the ground and dragged her wing across the stones, following my advice; Celestia moved forward, reaching far back with her left forehoof and wing, while her right rear hoof made it to a red circle.

"Horn blue."

Both were able to easily comply, as blue was in front of them.

"Left wing blue."

This was more compilcated; Celestia turned and reached under her body, while Luna ended up leaning quite precariously.

"Horn red."

Luna was facing entirely the wrong direction and could not reach back around; Celestia managed to get her horn onto the red circle behind Luna's rear hoof.

"Time's up. Sorry."

Once the sisters had shifted to more natural positions, Celestia said, "What an... interesting game. I do believe it is better suited to monkeys than ponies."

"Regardless, sister, I wish to try again." I was a little surprised to hear Luna say 'I', but I realized that she was feeling unofficial at the moment and had dropped the royal 'we'.

With an arched eyebrow and a tilt of the head, Celestia silently consented.

Luna was aggressive this time, cornering Celestia. If she had been human, or even if she had had a shorter horn, she could perhaps have slipped under Luna to get that third-spin left forehoof yellow; as it was, she tried to reach over, but came off balance and ended up forcing Luna to the ground.

"No pushing, princess."

Irked, Celestia pointedly asked, "Yet crowding is acceptable?"

"Quite. This is not a cooperative game. The score is 1 to 1."

Her lips formed a straight line. "I believe this is a good time to change to something else. Hearts sounds lovely."

Luna taunted, "To quit the field with no advantage is to concede."

Celestia rolled her eyes. "Nothing stands on it."

"If thou'rt victorious, I shall adopt the new form of speech for one week; if I am, thou shalt resume the old form for the same term."

Celestia's eyes narrowed. "If this is what it takes to get you to drop that dialect, already outdated a millennium ago, I agree."





I stood back, discreetly watching the results of my efforts as Celestia raised the sun. They seemed good so far - for starters, Luna was already in attendance, and stood close enough that their tails occasionally overlapped.

Finished, Celestia said, "Thy moon complements the heavens; we shall miss it when thou anon returnest it to its accustomed place in the night."

"'We'? And thou doubtest me overly formal."

"I speak not only of myself, dearest sister."

It was still a few minutes until the moon was due to set, but they just stood. Luna leaned her head lightly against her sister's neck.

I backed off and headed down the stairs, satisfied. Just before I passed out of earshot, I heard, "Eight to three! Couldst thou not find in thy heart the will to let the matter be close?"

I remained for a moment longer, and caught a tease in response, "Remind me, how many years hadst thou known when thy knees ceased to be raw from their bumping?"

"Next week, card games."