“I must admit dear sister, you have fought valiantly. It is truly a shame it had to come to this.”
Princess Luna towered over Celestia, smirking with unabashed, gleeful malice. She held her head high and spread her wings in further mockery. Her strut was slow and paced, allowing her to relish every second of this long-awaited moment. For this day was a monumental one indeed. Her sister's reign was finally coming to an end.
All the plots and schemes she had conjured up over the years suddenly felt meaningless and mundane, compared to the stroke of luck that ended up ensuring Celestia's downfall. Luna could never erase her sister’s mocking smirk from her mind's eye, coupled with those pathetic words of comfort that always felt like an extra stab in the wound. Not that any of it mattered now. The last sliver of sunlight was soon to fade as well, to be replaced by her glorious night, signaling the beginning of a new Lunar Age. Only one thing was left standing in her way: the whimpering wreck of a once-proud alicorn.
“Please... Luna, you must have some semblance of mercy left in you,” Celestia said, her voice trembling. She could barely even look at her without the icy hoof of dread stampeding over her heart. “After all, are we not sisters?”
“Indeed we are.” She leaned down, putting herself close to eye-level with her cowering sister. “However, you have long played out your last chance at mercy.”
Her words made the alicorn whimper once more and scramble to put a larger distance between them. They both knew however, that there was no escape this time around. The centuries-long wrath of her younger sister was soon to be unleashed, surely spelling Celestia's doom. She had no one to turn to, nowhere to go and nothing to defend herself with. Her sister was holding all the cards and each of them promised a fate quite possibly worse than death.
“I only wish Twilight Sparkle were here to bear witness to the defeat of her beloved mentor,” Luna said and broke out in a fit of self-gratifying cackles. The taste of victory was inebriating. She raised her head and a brilliant glimmer enveloped her horn. “And now, Celestia, it is time I crushed you, like the pest you are!”
Luna smirked and pulled up the enchanted sliver of paper she'd been holding onto until now, reading it with a bright sense of amusement and satisfaction.
“Let's see... 'Oh no, it's a Black Hole! Your star-pony struggles against it, but can't fly away fast enough! You must return to... the starting position... and... every other player gets an extra turn'!?”
The princess’ chin hung loose and the disbelief on her face was almost palpable. Her legs gave out from under her and she slumped to the ground, her spirit crushed. At the same time, Celestia switched roles and rose high above her disheartened sister. Her smile was soothing, yet laced with dark delight.
“Aww and you were so close, too!” she teased, her words like a million icy javelins. “But cheer up, little sister, I'm sure you'll beat me someday.”
She saw anger flash in Luna's eyes and the blue flare of her horn ignited once more. Celestia immediately regretted her remark and closed her eyes, bracing for impact. The loud sound of cardboard ripping echoed across the chamber. When she opened her eyes again, she saw the lavishly painted image of a pony filly with a bowl over her head, keenly examining a small, inexplicably smiling star. She raised her hoof and pushed the game board aside to see.
“The card cheated! The game cheated!” Luna was alternating between growling and flailing around with her front hooves, as if she were trying to shoo away a cloud of flies. “You cheated!”
“I have no idea what you're talking about,” Celestia said, trying her best at damage control. “It was just an unlucky draw, it can happen to anypony.”
“Four times in just one day?” she said, fuming.
“I'm just having a lucky streak.” Celestia's horn started glowing, as she attempted to dislodge it from the ruined game board.
“No, you are not just 'having a lucky streak.'” Luna’s wings were fluttering rapidly in futile anger, lifting her a few of inches into the air. “You are manipulating this game. I have no idea how, but I swear this has your hoof in it.”
“Lulu, we have already been through this,” she sighed and gently put the ruined board down. “We have taken turns in shuffling the cards and you have personally examined the dice about five times already. I simply cannot cheat.” Celestia shook her head and smiled in the most gentle and loving manner possible.
She did take a step to the side though to avoid an incoming barrage of colorful pony-shaped game pieces.
“You are just the most arrogant creature in existence!” Luna shouted. She flung another few pieces in the alicorn’s general direction, till she ran out of ammo. “Not only do you cheat, but you are fully content with rubbing it in, too?”
Celestia didn’t even flinch as a stack of cards smacked against her chestpiece. She just continued to smile and raised a brow at her temperamental sister. “I have done nothing of the sorts, dear sister. You just keep finding reasons to further frenzy yourself, instead of just accepting that you cannot win at every game.”
“Are you suggesting, that I am just a sore loser?” Luna raised a hoof, her mouth agape from her sister’s blunt accusation.
“Why Luna, I would never even begin to suggest such.” Celestia dodged a clear answer and instead set the pieces on the damaged, but still usable game board. “Now, how about you settle down, so we can have another round? You can go first this time,” she cooed, ignoring any and all protests from her younger sister.
Luna had a much different idea though and while her sister was busy, she raised a large cupboard over her head, to act as her replacement. She would beat Celestia, one way or another.
Buckler was feeling quite good about himself. A promotion was well on its way and his current patrol route was nice and quiet, just as he liked it. Normally, he disliked night shifts, but this day had been good enough that not even this could quell his euphoria. Not to mention that as long as there was some chance he could come across Cloudy Scope, that cute mare from the Royal Observatory, it was worth it.
For now, he just continued along his patrol route without a care in the world. His armor had been repaired just recently, ridding him of the constant pain the slight dent on his flank had been causing him. Without it, he hardly had any concerns, other than to just follow along the trail of the smooth carpet under his feet and resist the childish urge to play hopscotch along the rectangular shapes adorning it.
The thunderous noise that echoed across the hallway signaled his peaceful night was about to be put on hold. His first instinct was to reach for his trusty sword and rush to meet whoever may have caused such a ruckus. He even adjusted his helmet to add to his stern appearance. Before he could have bravely galloped into battle though, he put two and two together. His patrol route, the time and even the pattern of the hoofsteps heading his way clicked together.
Oh no...
Buckler took a quick look around, checking for a possible escape route. The closest door led straight to the treasury and though he did consider himself a national asset, the rest of the guards would have voiced their disapproval. He also would have had to trade in his chance of a promotion for several days in the stockade.
The other possibility was no less scary, however. Having to face Princess Luna while she was in the middle of a temper tantrum, was something even his wisest superiors deemed hazardous to their well-being. Guards patrolling past her bedchambers regularly received unofficial safety grants and those who managed to catch a glimpse of her fury, told tales that regularly frightened even the most hard-boiled tavern rats.
With no other way out, Buckler made a wish and steadied his stance, walking straight towards the creeping darkness at the far end of the hallway. He was trembling so much his armor was rattling along on him, but he pressed on nonetheless. The oath of bravery he had taken rang in his ears, albeit followed by a string of swears. Princess Luna was visible soon enough and the look on her face indicated she was just as irritated as her steps had suggested it. He sucked his breath in and continued, counting down the seconds till impact.
I'm going to need a drink after this.
Soon, he was but a few steps from the princess, who still had a look on her face that would have made any object explode on spot. As per protocol, he stopped and lowered his head, letting her pass by him. Every single inch felt like a clawed hand was dragging him towards Tartarus; each agonizing second testing the limits of his resolve. Very little prevented him from just bolting off, like a frightened mouse.
Screw that, I'm gonna drink till I can't find my own horn.
Her spread wings passed over his head, casting a shadow upon the guardspony. The way they blocked all light for just a second brought him skirting dangerously close to a mental breakdown. To Buckler’s surprise, he managed to hold on and once the sweet caress of light touched his face, he very slowly let his breath seep through his set teeth. He had done it. He was officially the bravest stallion in Equestria and nopony could ever take this glory from him.
“Guardspony, there is something I wish to ask of you.”
Ponyfeathers.
He turned around to face her with the weight of an armored division on his shoulders. She folded her wings back, which was indeed a good sign, although her scowl was decidedly less promising.
“Have you ever heard of the game 'Galaxy Gallop'?” she asked, her voice as serious as if they were discussing the inner workings of the current economy.
Buckler’s mind threw out the notion of blinking for a couple of seconds. He expected a number of possible questions, considering that after several refresher courses, some things still baffled the long-absent princess. Instead, he got one about a board game for foals. He knew it would have been very unwise to try and bring this fact to her.
“Yes, Your Highness,” he said, his face plain like a statue.
“Do you like playing it?”
The guard raised a brow, thankfully hidden by the clever design of his helmet. Galaxy Gallop was a fun little board game, but he was long past the age of caring about something like that.
“I... haven't played it for a while now, but I remember it being fun,” he said, choosing to go with the most diplomatic answer he could think of.
“What's the easiest way to win, if you start from the Moon?”
“The Moon? Why would you ever want to start from there?” he asked. Every child knew that out of the two possible starting positions, the Moon was designed to trap and punish unfamiliar players. “It's impossible, you'd never―”
The unicorn never even got to the end of the sentence and already he considered biting his own head off. Her shoulder fell and he could clearly see the sadness in those beautiful eyes. Princess of the Night, Princess Luna, of course she would have wanted to start from there!
“Er, what I meant was,” he said, coughing to obscure his poor choice of words, “players who start from the Moon are handicapped. There are more traps and pitfalls along that way and since they have to pick Anomaly Cards more often, there's a much bigger chance of getting a bad draw.” Buckler never thought his knowledge of a board game would score him points with one of the Royal Sisters.
“How is one to win this game, then? Its difficulty is quite staggering.” Her adorable confusion was on par with Cloudy Scope's, whenever he tried to ask her out.
“Basically, you would want to avoid starting from the Moon,” Buckler said. He pointed at the rectangular shapes on the carpet and drew a couple of lines with his hooves. “Try to gain some early momentum with comets, but don't even try gambling at the Nebula; it's too risky and for little gain. Avoid the asteroids and try to trap your opponents in hostile clusters. Do that and you're sure to win!”
“Brilliant!” Luna dropped her regal demeanor long enough to start clapping in excitement. He made sure to forever burn the spectacle into his brain, before she recomposed herself. “Your advice will surely give us an edge over everypony, noble guard. I will most certainly put in good word for you.”
Buckler's smile ran from ear to ear, as he bowed before her once more. “Thank you, Princess. I'm glad I could help.”
“You have done so much more than that,” she assured and turned around to challenge Celestia again, feeling confident she would win for once. “Everypony, even my sister will tremble before the Princess of the Galaxy Gallop!”
“I'm sure she'll be surprised, when you beat her.” Buckler nodded, ready to resume his patrol route. “After all, she did design that game.”
In an instant, Luna's fluttering skips came to a screeching halt. “What?”
“Surely, you knew that your sister created the game, right?” he asked. The absence of her joyous smile was giving him all the wrong vibes.
“Is that so?” In just a single sentence, her voice shifted from bubbly, to slow and menacing. A white glow emanated from her eyes and Buckler could see raw magic power crackling through her hooves and coat. “Well then, I think Celestia and I shall be playing a different game, first.”
This is not happening. Please, in the name of every ancestor of mine, please don't let this be happening!
Luna turned away and walked towards the end of the hallway. Every step she made left smoldering holes in the carpet. She approached the room she’d left earlier and simply tore the door right off the hinges, much to Buckler's discomfort. He couldn’t hear any exchange of words, but as the first bookcase flew out into the hallway, he did know one thing:
He was going to need some backup.
Twilight looked around the almost-empty room, focusing on the two alicorns by her sides. Both were eying each other with the kind of love a hawk would have had towards a rabbit. Their rematch the day before culminated in substantial damage done to both the room and the surrounding walls. Much to their luck, Twilight Sparkle was in town and was immediately called upon to try and mend things between the regal sisters.
Her first request was unsurprisingly a book on psychology and with it, she managed to calm both of them down, more or less. After an emergency team of engineers managed to save what they could of the chamber, she organized a meeting between the two under her supervision. She expected this would smooth-out any rough spots they may have still had.
Once damage reports of that meeting rolled in as well, Twilight decided to take a different approach and address the root of the problem: the game itself.
“Alright, let's get started!” she announced. She levitating a scroll and a quill to herself. “To avoid any further incidents, I thought it'd be best if we redesigned the whole game, so no one will feel hurt about it.
“Now, I'd like you both to chime in with your thoughts, whenever there's a choice in the matter. No decisions will be made, unless they're unanimously agree upon. Is that okay?”
She glanced at both of them and rubbed her hooves against each other with a hint of trepidation. The situation wasn't completely unlike some she has had between her friends back in Ponyville, but trying to mend things between the Royal Sisters was a league of its own. Celestia was the first to pick up on her anxious behavior and sighed.
“Of course it is. Galaxy Gallop has an awful amount of flaws in it. No wonder it needs to be remade from the grounds-up.” She tucked her wings up and even her hair lost some of its vibrant coloring. “I'm sure your ideas would make a much better game, Twilight.”
“What? No, that's not it!” Twilight's voice rose to a squeak. “Your game is wonderful! I loved it as a filly and I love it even now! It really is one of the best―”
“Don't listen to her, Twilight Sparkle.” Luna help her hoof up before the unicorn, whole she glared at her sister. “That mare will do anything to bend your will. You must not think of her as your mentor, otherwise she will take advantage of it.”
“But I...” Twilight bit her lips and shook her head. She took a deep breath and her expression became as stern as Luna's. “I'm sorry, Princess Celestia. Your game is good, but it's clearly biased and needs a thorough rework.”
“As you wish, my faithful student.” Celestia smiled at both of them, barely stifling a chuckle. This exchange was promising to be quite fun after all.
“First of all, both starting points need to have roughly equal chances.” her student began. Her quill glided across the blank parchment. “The sun route should be safer, but slightly longer, while the Moon will be a lot shorter, but with much bigger chances of traps and hindrances. Agree, disagree?”
The next few moments were spent in tense silence, until both alicorns nodded. Twilight took a note of both their decision and behavior right away. She couldn't help but smile, since it seemed like this method was actually going somewhere.
“Next up, the sun route's traps.” She drew a line broken up into several segments on the parchment. “There should be at least one that has the players skip a turn and one that has them draw an Anomaly Card.”
“I suggest placing a few more. This seems far too easy.”
“That's the intention, Princess Luna.” Twilight smiled at her and levitated the scroll closer to show how she envisioned it. She allowed the princess to peek into her notes, while she took a sip from the hot chocolate one of the stewards had left for her. “It's longer, but a lot safer. If anypony takes the moon route, it may speed them up or slow them to a stop. It's a game of chance!”
“Hmm... seems so indeed,” Luna concluded, to which Twilight nodded in approval. “It's good to know this game portrays both of us so well. I am dangerous and exciting, while Celly is just plain boring.”
Twilight spit the hot chocolate right back into the cup. She looked at Celestia, dreading she'd seek retribution for the insult right away. The alicorn merely raised a brow, but didn't retaliate in any way, much to Twilight's delight. Even with Luna's prickly little insults, she refused to stoop down to that level. This clearly showed how much more mature she was, too.
“Coincidentally, the line also signifies quite well the line of suitors that have approached us before,” she said. “I get the bright ones in long lines, while my dear sister gets nothing, but a brief selection of dimly lit individuals and traps.”
Or not.
“Is that so?” Luna stood up and extended her wings with a loud growl. On this cue, Twilight jumped up and held onto to the princess, before she could have tried to ram Celestia horn-first.
“Let's not get into that right now, shall we?” she said. “We've still got a game to finish, after all.”
“There will be a time for that as well, Twilight Sparkle,” Luna said, unfazed by her attempts at cooling her down. “Right now, I wish to see my sister's head planted into the nearest wall!”
“Princess, please!” She had to set both her hooves firmly on the ground to keep Luna at bay. “Could you please postpone that?”
“Twilight, have you ever been to the Arcana Archives?”
The name made the young unicorn flinch. She dropped to her haunches and gazed at Celestia, her eyes like saucers. While she'd been to just about every library in Canterlot, the Arcana Archives was off-limits to just about everypony outside the princesses. It contained some of the most elusive magic spells every created and cast by ponies and to even so much as glimpse at those books was considered the highest honor for any scholar.
“No.” Her voice was barely above that of a squeak. Celestia smiled at her and levitated the parchment containing her notes over to herself.
“If you wish, I could write you a permit.”
“Can you do that?” Twilight asked, barely even realizing the sheer idiocy of her question. Of course she could have, she was the princess, after all!
“But of course.” Celestia winked at her, already scribbling something on the paper. “Fabulous secrets will be revealed to you, once you hold aloft this piece of paper and say 'I have permission'!”
Luna huffed and scowled at Celestia. Deceiving her student with such petty bribes was truly a new low for her. It was pitiful for princess to act like a traveling salespony seeking to evade the law. As such, she leaned closer to Twilight, not to be outdone by her sister.
“Have you ever wanted to see a star up close?”
Twilight's dumbfounded expression told her she was interested, even before she could have said a single word. Luna grinned and tore the paper from Celestia's grasp. She crossed out the whole chunk of notes her sister had made and started jotting down her own concepts for the game.
“I could take you on a journey through the sky, farther than any pegasus would dare dream of. All you need to do, is ask.” She continued to coax her sister's student, keeping her under what a hypnosis through her thirst for knowledge.
“I... I...” Twilight could only mumble, overwhelmed by the generous offers.
She shifted her weight from left to right and kept gazing from one princess to the other, struggling to decide on which offer to take. Celestia had no intention of surrendering though and tried to take the parchment back from Luna. Both of them were fighting for control over both the rules and the unicorn who was supposed to be supervising them.
“Star Swirl's journals are full of spells―”
“―the secret of the Ursae and their constellation―”
“―your own fiefdom and castle―“
“―the inner workings of Discord’s magic―”
“―whoever you desire―“
“―I love you, Twilight Sparkle!”
Twilight and Celestia were both dumbstruck by that last offer and even Luna realized she may have overdone it with her last offer. Before she could have said anything to save face, they all winced to a loud rip as their magical tug-of-war ended up splitting the parchment in half. These two proved to be powerful enough to snap Twilight out of her stupor and instead of waiting around, she bolted right out of the room without so much as a single word.
Twilight slammed the door shut behind herself and slumped back against it. She started panting, both from the sudden exertion and the fact that she had almost fallen prey to their manipulation. Once Twilight caught her breath, she walked over to the nearest window and looked out. She took in the sight of the bustling Canterlot below, hoping the sight itself wound inspire a solution. Much as she tried, she couldn't find a better way to bring the sisters together. This session had all but proved that she was nowhere near resilient to their attempts at manipulation. All this left her in quite the pinch.
A colorful object caught her eyes as it floated right towards the castle. It was just a bright blue balloon, set loose by a careless foal, or their parents. Twilight's mouth slowly opened from the sight though and an idea formulated in her mind. She needed someone who was impervious to the subtleties of manipulation, yet knew more than enough about games and fun to assist in turning Galaxy Gallop into a fair and balanced game.
It was time to bring in the expert.