Getting to Know the Castle (Morpheus) - Revised V2 Part 3

“Knight to E5.”

The chess piece moved over the board of it’s own accord, and my opponent’s piece moved in kind. The lights in the library briefly went dark only to reignite. The card in front of me had once said, “Mate in 8.”

Now it read, “Mate in 5. You made another mistake.”

I felt my cheeks burn green as ve saw what he meant. Our king was much more vulnerable now that he opened a path for his bishop. And ve didn’t have the knight for protection anymore.

Changelings didn’t normally play chess, but that was more because of our ability to keep track of all the possible ways the game might flow. It was too easy for us most of the time, and it usually ended in a stalemate. Playing Castle was something else entirely. Castle played mind game after mind game with me until I didn’t know what to predict anymore.

The very first turn that hive forsaken card had shown up after I blinked in surprise at his move.

It had said, “Mate in 42.”

His moves made no logical sense, yet at around turn 22 he’d moved a single pawn forward and the web of probable outcomes had suddenly shifted violently in his favor. Ve had spent the rest of the game trying to force a draw, but I was too panicked from the idea that ve might actually lose a game. Now it was a guaranteed loss in 5 moves.

I toppled my king in surrender. “Best two out of three?”

The pieces began to reassemble for another match.

“Interesting.” Twilight scribbled more into her notes. “Subject appears to be able to manipulate some objects anytime, but others continue to require a complete lack of observation from surrounding creatures.”

She pulled a couple more books from the library shelves around us. Looking at our set up in the middle of our current alcove in the library I saw her pupils dilate slightly as they passed over me. I could taste the faintest of spikes of fear that was quickly suppressed.

I internally sighed at that, but ve knew that she’d only acclimate to my appearance in time.

The chess pieces finished rearranging and Twilight addressed the chessboard.

“Castle, is there any way you can talk to us without turning the lights off? I’d like to actually see the process through which you communicate.”

The lights fell again and upon relighting she read her card and sighed. “Of course not.”

My own card now read, “Mate in 32, you’re slipping.”

I wasn’t going to take that. Neither of us had even moved yet. If he was gonna rub it in, ve were going to do this the changeling way.

“Twilight, can we play a different game?”

The lights flickered and I found my card unchanged.

Twilight read hers and huffed. “I can read the veiled sarcasm in that, Castle.” She looked at me. “What did you have in mind?”

I gave a smirk. “Chess is normally nymph’s play for changelings. I only agreed to begin with because I thought it would show you how well changelings handle probability. Problem is it Castle’s even better at it than me. I can tell when I’m outclassed at a game, so I suggest a real game.”

Twilight scrutinized me with narrowed eyes. “And by ‘a real game’ you mean?”

My fangs became just a bit more prominent as the smirk became a grin. “I suggest a game of Swindler’s Chess."

Right on cue I saw the head tilt. “Swindler’s Chess?”

I nodded. “Yes. Changelings need a bit more variety to their games than ponies. We’re simply able to optimize our strategies too easily. The Swindler’s Game is one of a number of rule set variations we’ve made to account for this. In a Swindler’s Game, each player is provided a list of five rules they may break and how they may break them. The players then use these cheats to ‘swindle’ their opponent of victory. Since we won’t know the exact rules until all the cheats have been used at least once, it’s a much fairer game for changelings – or upstart castles – to play.”

Twilight squirmed on her cushion. “That sounds a bit overcomplicated.”

I tasted a small bit of curdled milk in the air and realized I was still baring my fangs in a grin. I toned it down to a smirk and made a mental note to try and curb smiling widely around ponies.

Castle came to the rescue, however. Another flicker of the lights and we both read our cards.

“He is right, milady. Chess is foal’s play to me. I, for one, would relish an actual intellectual challenge, and his proposal has merit. I can’t predict the game if I don’t know all the rules. Think of it as a way to test my limitations.”

The princess relented. “Alright.”

“Excellent! Excellent!” I cackled and rubbed my hooves together gleefully in what may have been at least partially malicious glee. It had been a long time since I had been able to play a real game like this.

Most of my games with the lords were politely rigged for the sake of politics and saving face. There was no strategy or tension to them. This, on the other hand, would be a glorious struggle between Castle and myself to completely and utterly destroy each other.

There would be no quarter given in this game of kings.

It was at this point I noticed Spike had come in with dinner.

And that he and Twilight were staring at me.

And that I may have been accidentally been voicing my inner monologue on exactly how Castle would suffer a slow and agonizing defeat.

Curdled emotions ran rampant through the room as the two stood still and processed the scene.

I felt my face burning the most verdant shade of green. Ve couldn’t let embarrassment slip me up here though. I had just performed one of the oldest villain clichés in existence in front of the princess I was supposed to be on best behavior with.

I cast my gaze about in case escape was needed.

“I can explain that. Umm…” Words were not my strong suit at the moment.

I scrambled for some sort of cover story better than the truth.

But it wasn’t necessary.

The overwhelming taste of curdled milk was suddenly mixed with gobs of cotton candy and other sugary sweets as Twilight fell to the floor laughing. “Oh my gosh. That was just so Rainbow Dash.” She laughed harder as I blinked at her bemusedly.

Finally the laughter died down to a chuckle. “Don’t get me wrong. You were totally terrifying just now. You’ll need to work on that so you don’t petrify the townsponies. You could easily give Nightmare Moon a run for her money with that laugh. But it was all over winning a little game of chess. It just seemed so similar to Dash when she gets into a competition with AJ that I couldn’t help but ‘Giggle at the Ghosties’ as Pinkie would say.”

There was a clatter as the tray Spike had been holding dropped to the ground. A small cloud of dust denoted his parting. Twilight and I stared at the spot he’d been a second before. Twilight’s smile faded and my sigh of relief died before it even gathered in my lungs.

Twilight bolted to follow him.

Massaging my forehead I counted to ten and ran some very important estimations in my head. I could hear Spike fleeing down the corridor to the left at a fairly impressive speed. There was sobbing, crying, the whole nine yards. The question was whether or not I should intercept and help Twilight.

On the one hoof, helping would score points with my arbiter and judge.

On the other hoof, I had already said this was something they needed to work out on their own.

I sighed and let them go for now.

“There’s always the chance that he won’t completely ruin my chances of success this time.” I grumbled as I looked for something to distract me. Picking up the tray seemed like a good start. I could nitpick over every grain of food, take slow inaccurate sweeps with the broom, and drop it all again ‘accidentally’ just before I finished.

I managed this three agonizingly slow times over the next hour before the grumbling began again. “Yep, definitely coercing her against me. All my hard work lost because some dragon threw a tantrum.”

The light’s flickered and a card appeared before me. “If Twilight walks in on you right now, it’ll be all your hard work down the drain because you’re about to throw a tantrum – not Spike. Relax and take a deep breath. They’re about to hit the hug and make up stage.”

I snorted and kicked one of the cushions. “Does that mean I’m about to get evicted?”

A rapid series of flickering with a rapid number of responses followed. Eventually the lights settled and I could actually read one.

“You know, for the one who ranted on trust to Twilight yesterday, you are certainly lacking in it. You’re trying. I can tell. But you need the real deal if you’re actually gonna make friends here. Forget whatever life was like back at the hive. Life runs on different rules here.”

I opened my mouth to respond, but the flickering lights interrupted me.

“Don’t say anything. Just think on it. And for now let’s enjoy a round of this so-called Swindler’s Chess while we wait.”

The cushion I’d kicked out of place slid back into position, fluffing itself. Brooms floated in from down the hall to clean up the mess. And the chessboard was replaced with a much fancier jewel encrusted one.

I hesitated, but finally relented and sat down.

It was a glorious game.

“You cheated…” Somehow the text was sulking.

“Yes. That’d be the point of a Swindler’s Game if you hadn’t noticed.” I grinned in triumph. “You’ll get used to it, though. It took us forever to figure out how ve could best break the rules in a way that fit our play style. We have to cycle cheats around though. Otherwise it simply ends up being regular chess with extra rules.”

I arched an eyebrow. “Care for another?”

The flicker lasted slightly longer than normal. “No. You should be getting company in about 3… 2… 1…”

Twilight walked through the entryway. Her gait was just short of a shamble, and there were tear stains on her face. The occasional sniffle was loud – and congested – enough that I must have really been into the game not to hear her coming down the hall.

That wasn’t even considering I should be punch drunk on the amount of sorrow in the air.

“Hey…” She sniffled and I could see the effort she was putting forth not to cry again. “Spike’s going to be going to Canterlot for a week or two. Things were way worse than I thought.”

Her pout could melt carapace, and for the first time in a very long time I found myself truly sympathetic of another individual. I didn’t even need details.

“I-It’s me right? I-I can stay somewhere else.” That stupid double echo was back. I always hated that I stuttered when I got nervous.

There was a muted shake of her head. “It’s not just you. He’s apparently been having nightmares on and off since the Nightmare Moon incident. He’s terrified about being unable to help the girls and I when we need it most, and his encounter with Sombra apparently only solidified that. He seems to think that leaving him behind on most of our adventures meant I didn’t trust him enough to help. But I just can’t let him get—”

She choked on a particularly violent sob.

Her voice was wavering as she continued. “I’m sending him to my parents in Canterlot for a couple weeks so Princess Luna can start to give him counseling in his dreams. Hopefully by the time he gets back the rest of my friends will trust you enough that they won’t need to freak out about both you and him.”

I was at a loss on what to do. It had been a long time since I’d cared for another individual. I cared about the hive, but there was a big difference between a nation of changelings and any one individual changeling.

Looking through the friendship reports in the archives was taking too long, and Twilight was about to start crying again. WIth no solution to the problem presenting itself ve grumbled internally and shifted gears to damage control.

I patted the cushion Castle had conveniently slid next to me and offered a shoulder to cry on.

The friendship reports demanded it – no matter how awkward it seemed.

Twilight took a hesitant step forward and stopped.

I sighed. “Yeah. I figured that might be a bit much. We’re not exactly best friends yet, are we?” I tilted my head to the side. “Would it help if I looked like one of your actual friends?”

She almost looked appalled beneath the sniffles and watery eyes.. “It’s not the same, and you know it.”

I messaged my forehead. “Of course… Is there anything I can actually do to help? You’re the resident friendship expert here.”

“C-could you play a game of Swindler’s Chess with me?” She stuttered.

One could hear an audible crack as my head tilted to the side.

She gave a weak smile as I heard the pieces behind me being reset. “I actually got back somewhere in the middle of your game but didn’t want to interrupt. I really enjoyed watching you and Castle play. Celestia used to play all sorts of crazy games like that with Spike and I when we were in my lessons. She claimed it was to teach me to think outside the box. I’m not sure it worked, but they were always fun to play.”

“Sure.” I gave a small smile, remembering to hide the fangs this time. I motioned to the board. “Pick your color and pick your cheats, but I feel it’s only fair to warn you I don’t believe in ever going easy on others.”

That was my first real day in Ponyville – first as I think of it anyways. The following day Twilight took Spike to Canterlot. As for myself, let’s say Twilight’s schedule for introductions fell apart. I don’t have time to go into that this session, however. We’re already running late and ve have approximately half an hour at most until Celestia realizes ve sent another proxy to one of those dreadful dinner parties. I don’t know why she gets so upset when ve do that. It’s not like the nobles can tell the difference.

But I digress. I will see you at our next appointment.