Sunlight filtered through the stained glass windows of the Canterlot castle main room, as the Day Court was in session. One of the nobles was currently giving a speech, while the others listened with rapt attention. They talked about the affairs of the country – the different nuances and eccentricities of the political world and its provisos – and Celestia was bored; like, really bored. She struggled to keep her eyes open she was so bored. Not just bored, but tired as well. Those two emotions kind of went hand in hand with each other, emphasising just how bored she was. Just sitting around, not moving, and not being remotely interested in what was going on around you would quickly drain anyone’s energy.
Her head dipped slightly in tiredness, as she struggled to stay awake, but her head dipping was enough sudden motion to snap her out of it, returning her attention to the matter at hoof, which just as quickly renewed her boredom.
Celestia was currently in the middle of another boring court meeting. Yes, they were actually important meetings to discuss policy, law, current events, and so on, but calling them that still didn’t stop them from being soooo boring. Celestia didn’t pay much attention to what the courtiers were saying, and simply put her body on autopilot, nodding occasionally and giving a ‘hmmm’ in response.
Celestia had been doing these kinds of meetings for over a thousand years now, and they were always the same. Time doesn’t change everything; even she looked the same as she had when she sat in on her first meeting all those centuries ago. Well, except for the expression of utter boredom that she had on her face. Yes, she wore her face so that the average pony wouldn’t know how disinterested she was right now, but anypony that knew her personally, like her sister, Luna, would see it instantly.
Thoughts of her sister suddenly made the solar alicorn envious. Luna slept during the day and conducted her royal business with the Night Court in the late hours, which, due to being smaller in numbers, owed in part to most ponies being asleep at the time, was much easier and more tolerable.
Maybe she could somehow talk her sister into switching jobs with her for a while so that she could get some rest; Faust knows she’s been doing it long enough. Or, failing that, since Luna would likely be wise to her tricks at this point, maybe her former student could be talked into it. She could just tell her that it was an important step in becoming a princess, and even if she didn’t buy that, she would probably do it anyway, since she would never refuse anything Celestia asked of her. Anything to get a break from this boring routine of royal business that she’s been stuck in, and alleviate this boredom.
However, ultimately, she knew that everything that was done during these meetings was for the betterment of her country, so she knew that she had to pay attention to what they were saying; didn’t stop it from being boring, though. Reluctantly, she faced forward and returned her full attention to the pony speaking.
“And so, with the new financial situation in Fillydelphia, we will need to increase taxes by about 6% in order to accommodate these changes,” Fancy Pants said, pointing at the financial chart in front of him with the pointer he held in his levitation magic.
When he was finished speaking about the situation in Fillydelphia, he used his magic to return his pointer back to a more manageable size, and then turned back around to face the Princess and the other courtiers. “Also, I would like to move that we increase the insurance policy on the Ponyville water tower. The thing ends up destroyed every other week, and we need some way to recoup our losses from replacing it every time.”
This statement earned him a round of affirmative nods from the courtiers, in agreement. Even Celestia joined in, and she also let out a tiny giggle, as the memory of Twilight’s last letter came to mind, explaining what happened to the water tower this time. Of course, only she knew the exact details of what happened, and she wasn’t about to tell the rest of the court who was behind it.
Happy that the rest of the courtiers agreed with his presentation, Fancy Pants returned to his seat.
“Alright then,” Written Script announced from the head of the table, to Celestia’s right, as he quickly shuffled through several sheets of paper lying in front of him. “I think that that’s everything for now, so we’ll end the meeting here for today, unless anypony has any other business they would like to discuss.”
Celestia inwardly prayed that none of the other courtiers would speak up and that they would end the meeting here. When five seconds passed and nopony said anything, Celestia silently breathed a sigh of relief.
“Very well then,” Written Script announced, levitating a gavel next to him and slamming it down on the table. “Meeting adjourned!”
When everypony in the room got up to leave and made their way over to the door, Celestia shuffled out of the room a little quicker of step than the rest of them, just in case one of them stopped her to talk about something. It wasn’t anything against them; she was just too tired to deal with any more business today. Once she was out of the room, she was home free.
After Celestia had left the meeting room, she made her way through the hallways and up the stairs of Canterlot castle, towards her bedchambers, with the intention of taking a long and much needed rest. When she had ascended the final stairs and reached her chambers, she lowered her head down, closer to the ground out of tiredness, when her eyes suddenly widened and snapped to attention, her head lifting up quickly, the small amount of adrenaline waking her up a bit, when she spotted a shadow under the door, moving from something inside her chamber.
Deciding not to call her guards and face whatever was in her room alone, Celestia steeled herself into a strong expression. She then reached out with her magic, mentally taking a hold of the doorknob, and slowly pushing it forward, the door to her bedchamber opening inwards.
As the door swung open and she slowly stepped inside, light from the palace hallway slowly crept inside the room, revealing the silhouette of a mysterious figure, framed in shadow, standing right in front of her.
And she smiled.
“Now there’s a face that I haven’t seen in a long time, but one that I’m always happy to see.” Celestia said, in a calm and warm tone of voice.
“It has been too long, hasn’t it, Celestia?” The figure responded, stepping out of the shadows, revealing a bi-pedal figure, with ebony hair and purple eyes, similar to her own, wearing a black uniform, with gold trim patterns along the sides.
“Two hundred and thirty six years, but who’s counting?” Celestia replied, with a sly smile, perking up more at the sight of her old friend. “It’s good to see you again, Lelouch.”
“And the same to you,” Lelouch said, followed by a half bow in respect.
Stepping further inside her own bedchambers, Celestia’s horn lit up again and shut the door behind her, so that they were alone. “So, what brings you back here now of all times?” Celestia asked him.
“What, are you not happy to see me?” Lelouch teased, with a playful grin on his face.
“Of course I am,” Celestia replied, moving closer to him. “You know I always love it when you pass by. I was just asking.”
Lelouch just smirked at that in response. He then looked down at his feet for a moment before continuing. “I’m not sure if it was that witch’s intention, but ever since I died, I’ve been able to travel to all sorts of different worlds. No matter where I go, though, and no matter what kinds of worlds I visit, I always see the same cycle of conflict, endlessly repeated. They never seem to learn their lesson no matter how many times history is repeated.” He then looked back up at Celestia, and he perked up a bit. “That’s what I love about this world so much. It’s so clean and pure; innocent, if there is such a thing. It has conflict and violence, just like any other world, but it’s always minor, and whenever it does happen, it’s always fixed up quickly and without any bloodshed or loss of life. I think that that’s truly remarkable. I guess I just can’t help but come back here.”
Celestia smiled warmly at his response. “Well, while I always love seeing you, I hope you didn’t come by just to sightsee.”
“Of course not,” Lelouch replied, with a smile on his face, which Celestia reciprocated in kind. Turning around to the side, Lelouch continued. “So then, shall we get started? I already have everything set up over there so we can begin.” Lelouch said, making his way over to a chessboard, which had already been set up over on a nearby table, with two chairs at either side. The white pieces were set up closer to the two of them, and the black pieces were set up on the opposite side.
“Since I won last time, I’ll start things off, if you don’t mind,” Lelouch said as he walked closer to the table. While he was passing by the table, and before he sat down, he grabbed the black pawn that was right in front of the king and moved it forward one space.
“Not at all,” Celestia replied, even though he had already taken his move. Taking her seat on the side closer to her, she then enveloped the knight on her left, and moved it two spaces forward and one to the right.
As soon as Celestia had made her move, Lelouch then immediately took hold of his king and moved it forward one space.
Seeing this move and remembering that he always opened with it every time they played, Celestia simply had to ask him about it. “I notice that you always start with the king. Why is that?” Celestia asked, moving her other knight two spaces forward and one to the left.
“It’s simple; if the king cannot lead, then how can he expect his subjects to follow?” Lelouch responded simply, moving his own right-hand knight forward two spaces and one to the left, so that it was in line with Celestia’s knight.
“That’s certainly an interesting viewpoint,” Celestia said, moving one of her pawns forward one space. “But remember that the king is the most valuable piece, and the game is over if it’s taken. You shouldn’t be so reckless and have him tend to the pawns.”
“Perhaps, but it does show that he cares for his subjects, which makes them have more faith in him.” He said, moving the pawn opposite the one that Celestia just moved. “It’s harder to overthrow a ruler that is loved than one that is hated.”
Celestia smiled at that as she brought out her bishop. “Perhaps. A king without subjects is no king at all, but also keep in mind that a people without a king are equally lost, if not more so.”
“True, but that would imply that the king is more important than someone else, just on the notion of being born a king.” Lelouch said as he made his move. “It’s not good to flout your own position in front of the masses, putting yourself first, before them.”
“True, unless of course they themselves want to put the king before all of them. In which case, who are we then to deny their wishes?” Celestia countered both his argument and his move.
“A reasonable position to adopt, I suppose” Lelouch responded, making his next move, not even slowing down.
With her next move, Celestia could take out Lelouch’s knight at the expense of two of her pawns in the following rounds. However, she instead moved her knight back, which would prevent Lelouch from taking her own pawn.
When Lelouch saw this move, he suddenly noticed something about Celestia’s playstyle. “You know, Celestia, I just noticed something. In the times that we’ve played this game in the past, while I’ve always won, I have never once put you in check. Checkmate perhaps, but never check. Don’t you find that odd?” He said, making his move.
“Perhaps, but I’ve also noticed that in all those times we’ve played, while you have always captured my king in the end, I have nearly always captured more of your pieces. Don’t you find that to be odd?”
“Not really.” Lelouch responded casually, moving one of his pieces. “In any battle there are casualties, and most times they are necessary in order to obtain victory. The important thing is to make sure that the sacrifice wasn’t in vain.”
“True. No world is without sacrifices. But if we produce casualties, we would also sustain casualties of our own. And there are times when even a single loss can hurt even more than dozens or even hundreds.” She then winced slightly, as if in pain. “And it feels awful feeling like that. Even just thinking that any one life is more important than dozens, or even hundreds of others, just feels… wrong.”
“A million is a statistic.” Lelouch said in what was barely above a whisper, taking in everything Celestia said as they continued playing their game, neither one of them slowing down in their moves.
And he smiled.
“I get it.” He said. “You take your time to see several moves ahead, and then use that knowledge to protect your pieces, while I do the same to protect my king and focus my attention on using my pieces to capture your king. It really does show just what kind of person you are. Chess has always been a game that shows just what a person is really like. It’s just like a real war: it doesn’t build character, it reveals it.
“Of course.” Celestia responded. “Chess is typically used as a simulation of war in times of conflict. While not the case in this game mind you, the capture of the king, or other ruler in any case, doesn’t always automatically guarantee victory. If the people are strong enough, they can go it on their own, and continue onward, even without their ruler guiding them. Of course, that doesn’t really apply to the rules of this game, where you always lose as soon as your king is captured.” She let out an embarrassed sigh. “Maybe I’m just overthinking this game is all.”
“Not at all.” Lelouch replied both calmly and immediately. “We both know that how we play chess is more than just how we try and attain victory in this game. It’s how we react to the subjects that we’re in power over.” Lelouch said bluntly, taking just a bit of pride in that he had just captured her bishop. “However, even if your subjects can go on without your guidance, there’s no guarantee that they can keep going at the same level as they were while under your rule. If they’re so used to taking orders from you for so long, then they won’t know how to fend for themselves, and fall apart just as quickly as if the war had ended with their ruler.”
Celestia had to stop and think for a second to readjust her strategy after losing her bishop. “That’s why it’s important to build trust with your subjects, and to always be open and honest with them from the start, Lelouch. Then you’ll know that even without their ruler, they can still survive by themselves.” She said, getting her rook out.
Lelouch smiled honestly at that. “Yes, you’re right about that. Once upon a time, that was my biggest mistake. I was forced to leave the soldiers under my guard, and without my leadership, they quickly fell apart, forgetting what they truly stood for in favour of a quick victory. I at least managed to learn from it, however, and learned to place complete trust in those closest to me. The second time around, and from what I’ve seen, it worked out much better. There’s certainly no denying that when close friends work together, there’s nothing they can’t accomplish.”
Now it was Celestia’s turn to smile. “The very credo on which my entire kingdom is built, and one which you yourself once referred to as naïve and childish.”
“Well then, I guess I’m learning. You should be proud. After all, isn’t that the whole point of the two of us having these talks and games of chess?”
Celestia smiled at that. “Well, not the whole point. Mind you, I can certainly appreciate an interesting philosophical discussion between friends.” Celestia then saw her chance at victory. “After all, what could be better than simply playing a nice game of chess with an old friend, whilst having a friendly conversation? Friendship is much more than just a means to an end, Lelouch. It is a way of life. Check.” She said, moving her bishop adjacent to his king.
Both of Lelouch’s eyebrows rose as soon as she said that, however, a split second later, a silent smile crept on to his face. “Very good. You definitely seem to be learning from these games. This is the closest you’ve ever come before.” He then became more serious. “However, you recklessly charge in when you see a chance at victory. That is your biggest deficiency, Princess Celestia. You need to slow down and consider all your options. Survey the board carefully, and account for every contingency. This late in the game, every piece is important, and even the smallest move can completely alter your chances of winning.”
With that, he took a hold of his knight, which had remained where it was since he first moved it on his third turn, and moved it two spaces forward and one to the left. “Checkmate.” He said, smiling and sitting back in his chair.
Celestia’s eyes widened in surprise for a moment, but then she simply closed her eyes and smiled softly. “Darn it. I thought for sure that I had you this time.”
Lelouch simply smiled back at her. “Yes, but at least you put up a decent fight this time around. You were doing fine until you were sure you had won, but then you blew it.”
“I see.” Celestia said, looking contemplative. “So I finished too weak?”
“Yes. You can’t be ruthless enough.” Lelouch said, surveying the board closely and seeing what pieces were left. “I believe that makes ninety-eight games in a row,” he said, looking up, with a sly grin on his face, leaning his elbow on the table, with his fist against his cheek, supporting his head. “Don’t you think that you should change up your strategy a bit, by now?”
“Why would I do that?” Celestia responded immediately. “If I were to change it now, then with my luck, the next time we play would be when that strategy would work. For example, when you play the lottery for years, using the exact same numbers but never win, you can’t simply change your numbers because that’s when things are most likely to be different for you. Besides, this is who I am and how I play. I don’t see you changing up your strategy after all this time either.”
“I suppose you’re right.” He said, sitting up straight. “All this time, win or lose, we both always have fun and simply enjoy the game. It would be a shame to change things up now. I believe that it was Darwin who first said, ‘It is not the strongest who survive, but those most resistant to change’. If you can’t get with the new times, then you’ve got to stick with the old ones.” Lelouch then smiled again. “And I think that you’ve proven time and time again that you can survive anything, Princess Celestia.”
A moment later, his smiled dropped. “Still, if I lost that many times, I’d still consider changing my strategy a little to try and best you. But, I guess I just hate to lose.”
“Well Lelouch, as we’ve no doubt proven by now, while we may be very similar, we are also very different.”
“Yes, I suppose we are, but our differences and similarities are just another factor that makes us such good friends.” Lelouch responded. He then pushed out from the table and stood up again, looking serious now. “But remember, in a real life scenario, a failure like this would have much more dire consequences than simply wounding your pride.” He said as he walked passed her. “Being a ruler means that you have a lot of people who depend on you and put their trust in you. It’s really not fair to them if you behave secretly and prioritize your own interests ahead of their wellbeing.” He then lowered his head slightly, half in shame and half in thought. “So you must always consider what’s best for everyone, and not just the select few close to you.” He then looked over his shoulder at her. “I do hope you understand that.” He finished.
After that, he was gone. Celestia didn’t hear the door open, and she didn’t turn back around to check, but she still knew, after all this time, that he was gone.
When she was all alone again, Celestia thought back over everything that she and Lelouch had talked about. Taking all of that in, Celestia just looked down at the chessboard in front of her, staring intently at the king, who could not move or be intercepted without being taken. It was like she had said; the game of chess was representative of what her own country was like during times of conflict, and looking down at the helpless king, she realised something: it was her. On the chessboard of Equestria, she was the king; the one placed at the top by those under her. In times of crisis, she was the one at the top, calling the shots and giving the orders. But in the real situation, she knew all too well that even with her defeat, it would not be the end.
Reflecting back over what Lelouch had said to her, she simply raised her hoof, and then, with a playful smile on her face, she knocked her king down.
After all, in chess, the king was not the most powerful piece on the board, but the queen - and she was not the queen.
Turning back towards the doorway where Lelouch had exited, Celestia simply smiled warmly. “Until we meet again, Lelouch.”
