Checkmate? - Only chapter
I push a pawn forward. I gaze at the board, checking over my attacks and making sure they are protecting the necessary squares. I grin as I notice an optimal square for my knight. I glance over at my opponent, who appears to be stumped. I point at the board with my hoof. She glances over her queen and king and her eyes follow the knight's potential path. She grabs the rook with her magic and looks to where to put the piece before looking over my knight once more. I see her eyes widen in shock.
“Touch move.”
She glares at me for a split second before glancing back at the board. I smile as she looks over the board, but realizes that any move with the rook will lose her queen. She groans in frustration before placing the rook down on a square. I jump my knight over to fork the queen and king.
“Check.”
She frowns. Her eyes light up for a second as I catch a mischievous smile cross her face. She picks up her queen. I look at her for a split second, confused, before tapping my knight with my hoof and pointing to her king. She shakes her head, and I glance at her queen floating in the air. She playfully tosses the queen at me before her eyes fly over the time. Her eyes widen in surprise at the time, and I frown at the clock. She has to go. She grabs her stuff and hurries towards the door of Sugarcube Corner. I catch her eye as she leaves, asking a silent question, and she nods yes before she vanishes from sight.
I slowly reset the pieces to the starting squares to account for all the pieces. My eyes glance over a missing queen. It looks like I will have to get that queen from her tomorrow morning, but that is not a big deal. I pull over a quill and write down a note about the queen. It does not matter. I shall see her in the morning.
I've messed up. My eyes glance over the chess board, all perfect and clean, but missing one queen. My eyes glance over my opponent, or the lack of an opponent. It is all I can do to not quiver at the sight of an empty seat. I frown and I feel the tears come to my eyes. I never should have said the things I said...I never should have taken that chance. But I did say it...and now, I've lost a friend.
I hear Pinkie's chipper voice ask me what's wrong. I continue to stare at the seat, and I feel the tears coming to my eyes. The sinking feeling in my gut intensifies. I...I am the one to blame for this. I feel my limbs quivering as I reach out a hoof to touch the empty queen square. I am the one to blame...and now she's gone. I feel the tears burst from my eyes, and I bury my muzzle in my hooves. Pinkie grabs me and pulls me into a hug, reassuring me, much like a mother with her foals. I whimper, and pull her close to me.
And I cry into her mane. Every second I cry, Pinkie's grip grows stronger. Her voice constantly reassuring me, but the tears keep coming.
I glance once more at the empty seat in front of me. Pinkie Pie stops by with my normal order and picks up the two bits I left for her. She hesitates as she leaves, but she turns around and leaves. I sip on my water, and take a bite out of my taco. I glance at the clock and notice each second ticking by. I bury my face in my hoof again, barely muffling the tears. Pinkie Pie stops on by, and wordlessly hands me a box of tissues. She turn, pauses, and pulls a trash bin over to my table. She pats me on the back, and without a word, turns to her new customers.
I finish my taco and toss the other one in the bin. My stomach knots itself tighter the more I stare at the empty seat. I look at the time, and notice with a sigh that it is too late for her to come. I slowly pack up the pieces, and put the set in my saddlebags. I nod to Pinkie Pie at the counter and leave.
It's been one month. One month of tears, one month of emptiness.
I saw her yesterday. She refused to look at me, refused to say hi. I have only these memories to hang on to. I nod to Pinkie and she begins preparing the usual order for me.
I sit down at my usual spot, pull out the two bits and place it on the edge of the table. I slowly retrieve my chess board and smooth it over the table, with every corner perfectly even. I slowly lift out one piece at a time and place it in the dead center of the proper square. I place one piece down...then two...then five. At seven pieces, my ears twitch to the sound of my order being placed in front of me. I hear the bits being taken, and I place down the eighth piece, and then the ninth. Each piece is methodically placed, and I hear the seconds ticking down.
I place the final piece before looking at the clock. Still ten minutes to go till it is too late...again. I frown as I feel the tears come to my eyes once more. I can't keep doing this. I need something to distract me from this pain...funny. One month later and the pain has not lessened in my heart. If anything, the pain has grown. I grimace as a fresh wave of pain hits my heart. I stand up and sweep the pieces and board into my saddlebags. I toss my tacos in the bags as well and head out the door. I breath in the fresh air, but it does nothing to assuage the pain. Finally, I turn towards Twilight's library. She is bound to have a book that I can read....
I glance over the top of the book I'm reading at the set up board. My eyes once more gaze at the empty square, and then at the empty seat. I groan in frustration. The book helps, but it doesn't distract me completely. I can still feel the pain in my heart. But the pain is fading. It no longer feels like a slow dagger prod into my heart, now it's just a slow aching pain.
This life sucks. The school year is almost over, and with summer time around the corner, I may not be able to make it up to her before she leaves Ponyville forever. Please, don't let it end this way.
“Uh...excuse me?”
My ears perk up at the sound of a mare's voice. I glance over at her, and notice a different pony from well...her. I frown involuntarily, before covering it up with a smile. “What do you need ma'am?”
She shifts nervously. “Well, I saw the chess board, and I was wondering, if you would like to play a game.” I glance over at the time and notice it's already past the time she can come over anyways. I shrug.
“Go ahead.” She sits down across from me, with the white pieces. Before she moves a piece, she looks at her pieces and frowns.
“You appear to be missing a queen...do you have an extra?” I facepalm at this, and grab a spare queen from my bag. I place the queen on the square and nod to her. She nods back and makes her first move.
- D4
1... D5
I frown at the queen's pawn. She never played that on me...it was never that way with her. I feel the pain dig at my heart strings once more, but I push it aside. I focus on my next move as the clock continues ticking away.
I hear the bright chirping of the birds outside. Inside of my saddlebags are several chess boards and their pieces slowing my pace to the table. I put on a smile for everypony inside around my corner, and hand them pieces and their respective boards.
“Remember y'all, I'll be checking on your games and I'll correct anything I see wrong. But what I want to see primarily is this, practice. I want you to be able to defend from each others style in game.”
I see them all nod, before setting up their boards. I keep smiling at the scene for a little while before I hear Pinkie speak up behind me.
“Just drop the façade already. It's bad enough that I have to see you like this for months on end, but I don't need to see you faking it.”
I feel my smile twitch into a frown. “What are you talking...oh I give up. You're right. Time isn't helping me heal.”
I hear a sigh. She hugs me for a second. “Don't give in. Life's not over yet, and it would be a shame for you to waste your life.” She hands me my food. “Hang on in there.”
“Hang on to what Pinkie? She's no longer here...she is on vacation somewhere. Somewhere that only Celestia knows where. And you know as well as I do that it could be a permanent vacation. Then what?”
I hear a small frown enter her voice. “I do not know. But it ain’t over yet. That I can promise you.”
I flatten my ears. “Then tell me why does it feel like it is over?”
I sigh. I nose off the chess board off of my bag. I glance at the other chess boards in my bag and look around. There is nopony else nearby. I glance at the day on the calendar and see in bold letters:
First day of School (All ages!)
I face hoof at that. I slowly begin setting up a board. I move on to a second board, before I look back at the other board. On that white side, a proud King stands gleaming against the sunlight, but the pieces look saddened. My eyes are drawn to that proud and empty white square that is nested by the King. A whole year, and still, the queen has not returned. I chuckle at the irony. It is always the King who leaves the queen in the storybook, the queen who is in anguish, the queen who regrets. It is never the King. But here I am, the King of it all, and I’m brought low by a Queen. And the worst part of it all, is that I alone am responsible.
I hear my meal slid over to my table, and I slowly put the second board back in my saddlebag. I smell the food and I nose it away from me. I've lost my appetite. I lay my muzzle on the board, and I feel the tears run at my eyes. Why did I have to go and ruin the friendship that I had with her? I squeeze my eyes shut. I can't take this pain much longer.
“E4.”
My ears twitch at a mare's voice and I just sigh heavily.
“E5.”
I hear the piece moving over. I hear the seat squeak for a second, as somepony sits in the chair.
“Knight to F3.”
“Knight to C6.”
“Bishop to B5.”
My ears perk up at this statement. I have not encountered that line in forever. So many opponents play it safe or show off, but they don't play that line...not since...no. I dare not hope.
“Knight on G to E7.”
“Castle King-side.”
My mind visualizes the board for a second. I think for a couple of seconds before deciding on a move.
“D6.”
I think over my opponent's choices.
“D3.”
If she did that, and it's a she judging from the voice, then I'll have to guess that she'll aim at getting the Bishop out and then the Knight.”
“G6.”
“Bishop to E3.”
“Bishop to B7.”
Why does her style feel so familiar? It's like I've played her before, but it can't be. She wouldn't return.
“Queen to D2.”
Yep...strangely familiar. I mumble out my answer while pondering my confusion.
“Queen to D7.”
“Knight to C3.”
Queen...WAIT WHAT!?
I bolt upright in my chair and glance at the chess board. On the square D2 is indeed the missing white queen. I glance at my bag and notice the undisturbed spare pieces still in my bag. I glance hurriedly at my opponent and behold the familiar sight of her.
“You're...you're back?”
She nods to me. She points back to the board. I glance back at it. “A6.”
She moves the piece forward and looks at all her pieces. I look back at her face, trying to inscribe the face into my memory. I feel the tears coming to my eyes, but this time it is one of happiness. Pinkie stops on by to check up on me, and she stops in her tracks. She looks at me and mouths two words.
Told ya.
I smile at her. A true smile, despite all the tears flowing from my eyes. I mouth an answer to her.
Thank you.
I turn back to the game, and I feel the old ache in my heart finally beginning to mend. The tears still flow, but a content smile now graces my lips. I would not have this any other way.
Author's Note
Welp. Another one shot.
I hope you enjoyed, and just to let y’all know, the ponies could be anyone. Luna, Celestia, Twilight, Lyra, it doesn’t matter. The point is the conflict.
Enjoy this. Let me know how I did on unidentified first person. This is a style I have not tried before, but this idea stuck in my head.
As for why I wrote this, this experience is actually based off a real life experience. There's not much I can say, except for this.
This story is dedicated to a certain gal in my life, who put up with my random crap in my life for over a year, while still giving me second chances that I do not deserve. I wish I could take back everything I did wrong, but since I can't, I just want to say this. Thank you for being my friend. Thank you for continually stopping by in the morning and playing a friendly game of chess.
For the rest of y'all, hope y'all enjoyed and please Read and Review.
