A Game of Chess

The day after the gala, all hell had broken loose in Equestria. Ponies from the press were questioning Celestia and Luna about the "windigoes who attacked the Winter Gala" (although the only windigo who attacked them was Wendigo, and they actively ignored Rolan and Khaza not attacking civilians or attempting to help). It was all that the two rulers could do not to run away from the mob of curious, sometimes enraged, ponies.

Checkmate stood with the princesses as they addressed the reporters, the questions often coming to him, directly. As much as he despised answering the questions of those who would only go on to sew fear into the hearts of ponies everywhere, he knew that, if he chose not to answer, then the reporters would only become more suspicious, perhaps going into a frenzy over his denial.

"Excuse me, sir?" one of them, a bright-looking mare, stated, "is it true that you have been consorting yourself with monsters that have attempted to destroy all of Equestria?"

"Yes," replied Checkmate, bluntly, ignoring the looks from the other reporters and the two princesses.

The mare wrote that down, then, and continued. "Is it also true that said windigoes are planning an attack on Equestria?"

"No," Checkmate's response was just as blunt as it had been, "not that Wendigo has told anypony of, at least. So, based on the fact that he enjoys watching others suffer, he's likely not coming after you anytime soon."

The reporter breathed a sigh of relief, before adjusting her hat, and writing again. "And, as a final question, since you are obviously so ingrained within the culture of these barbaric creatures, what can you tell us about them?"

"I'm not sure," replied Checkmate. "What about you, Khaza?"

The windigo, having left her form of a sword, stepped out from behind Celestia's throne. "Oh, we're very fascinating creatures," she said, voice calm. "Why you should know just what we do to ponies who annoy us..."

The reporters all let out a unanimous scream of "WINDIGO!" and ran as if their hooves were on fire.

Checkmate allowed himself a small smirk. "Well, that was satisfying," he said, and turned to the princesses. "Well? How about it?"

Luna was grinning at this. "Ha! Did you see them run?" she put her hooves to the side of her face in mock horror. "Windigo!" She started laughing, and nearly doubled over in mirth.

Even Celestia could not hide her smile. "Yes, at least it cleared them out for us," she said. "Although... I'm not exactly sure if this will look too good for us when the papers roll around."

Khaza rolled her eyes at this. "Really? Is that all that you can think about? Believe me, Celestia, your subjects aren't stupid; I'm sure that, after last night's little escapade, they can judge for themselves whether or not I'm some evil Hell-demon born to reap their souls and devour their children."

Celestia grimaced. "Yes, you're right about that... Considering that Checkmate, yourself, and Rolan all fought diligently against Wendigo last night, I'm certain that at least most of the ponies who were at the gala will at least have some trust in you."

"Indeed," mused Checkmate. "There's nothing for you to worry about. After I make Wendigo pay for what he has done, I will ensure that the windigoes will gain the respect that they deserve."

Khaza grinned. "Looking forward to it," she said. "But I'm amazed, Checkmate. You don't seem to have too many questions, considering that eight years of guilt has just been lifted off your shoulders."

Checkmate shrugged. "I'm just happy to know that you're alive. And, after what I've seen, I've learned not to question these kinds of things. Yet this leads me to a question in-and-of itself..."

"What's that?" Luna asked, pulling herself off the floor.

"The Ignis," Checkmate said. "It has a spirit as well, right?"

Khaza nodded. "Yes," she said. "The Ignis contains the spirit of a sleipnir."

"A... what?" Checkmate cocked his head at this, as he had never heard of sleipnirs before, barring Wendigo's outburst the previous night.

"A sleipnir," repeated Khaza. "They're kind of like us windigoes. They feed on fear, are phantom-like in appearance... Oh, and they have eight legs."

"That sounds rather cumbersome," Celestia mused.

"You would think so, but those guys are faster than most ponies," Khaza said. "Not to mention the fact that they can hold several weapons at once without terribly restricting their movement."

"How do you know so much about these 'sleipnirs', Khaza?" asked Luna.

"There's always been a massive rivalry between sleipnirs and windigoes," answered the spirit of the Glacius. "After all, windigoes are spirits of ice and wind, and sleipnirs represent fire and earth. The two factions were pretty much made to hate each other." She rubbed the back of her head with her hoof. "However, Wendigo's been trying to win them over for centuries with promises of 'limitless fear' and other such crap. They're smart enough to understand that what he means, though, is just 'you fear and hate me, and I grow stronger'. He's pretty much given up on them at this point."

"You windigoes are just full of information, aren't you?" Luna said.

Khaza sighed. "When you've got nothing to do but talk and listen for 2,500 years, you generally learn a lot of useful information, and then you just want to tell it to everypony who'll listen."

"So, Checkmate," Celestia said. "You plan to go to the place sleipnirs call home and ask them to give you the Ignis, correct?"

"It'll be easier than you think," Checkmate said. "If they hate Wendigo, after all..."

"Of course," breathed Luna. "Then you can just tell them that they can help kill Wendigo, and then..."

"While that is all well and good," Celestia stated, "the fact remains that we do not know exactly where sleipnirs live, correct?"

"I do," Khaza said, ruefully, "although I doubt that you're gonna like what I tell you."

"Really?" Luna asked. "Where are they?"

The windigo looked throughout the room, to the three ponies, before she answered. "Windigoes live in a place where it's almost always cold, right? Well... sleipnirs live in a place that is almost always hot."

"Go on," Checkmate said.

"Well... sleipnirs live close to Equestria's borders as well. There's enough fear in this area that they can live peacefully nearby, but... the problem lies in getting there."

"We can easily send some of our guards with Checkmate in case things get nasty," said Celestia. "Please stop beating around the bush and tell us just where it is he'll need to go."

"Sleipnirs don't live somewhere easy to reach like Darkfrost," Khaza said, slowly. "They live somewhere harder to reach." She licked her muzzle, and looked away. "In order to reach their home, an underground cavern filled with magma, Checkmate is going to have to traverse the Desert of Death."

Celestia's eyes widened with horror. "You... you're not actually being serious now, right?"

"I told you, didn't I?" asked Khaza, shaking her head. "I told you that you wouldn't like it."

Luna bit down on the outside of her mouth. "The Desert of Death... We can't bring Checkmate to the sleipnirs's home by chariot because of the high winds, and the area is too dangerous for even the most hardened of soldiers..."

"Let me guess," Checkmate remarked, dryly. "We can't just go around it, either, because their home is located in the middle of the desert, isn't it? Right in the center?"

"Naturally," replied Khaza. "They had to keep their home safe somehow... And with all of the predators in that place, its short supply of water, and that's not even getting into the worst of it..."

"And not only that," Checkmate said. "Deun is going to be tailing us, too, and his army is likely more dangerous than anything we could possibly find out there."

Celestia sighed. "Indeed," she said. "This quest is dangerous regardless of who goes on it... But going to the Desert of Death yourself is suicide."

Checkmate looked her in the eyes. "I'm going to guess that you have an idea of just who to send with me on this mission, right?"

At this, Celestia smiled. "Of course. I'm sure that you've met them before. They may just be some of the strongest ponies in all of Equestria."

At that moment, as if perfectly on cue, the massive door to the throne room opened, and inside stepped the six mares who Checkmate knew all too well.

He stared at them for just a moment. "You're not entirely serious, are you?" he asked.

"Of course," Celestia's eyes seemed to twinkle. "They are the six Elements of Harmony, after all. Who better than they to go with you on your journey?"

"Yeah, Check!" Rainbow said, grinning. "I mean, you still owe me for what happened back in Darkfrost."

"Maybe," he admitted, "but you do realize that you would be going on a dangerous, life-threatening journey, right?"

"It wouldn't be the first time," Twilight replied. "Believe me, Checkmate, we've fought off changelings, Nightmare Moon, Discord, King Sombra, ursa minors... I think that we should be fit to tackle this 'Desert of Death'."

Checkmate sighed. "You planted them there just to come in at this moment, didn't you, Celestia?"

"Of course," replied the princess. "I figured that they would need to know just what to look out for."

The stallion sighed, again. "Very well," he conceded. "I can tell that I'm not going to change your minds, regardless of what I say... Just know this: If we are attacked by Deun, or, Chronos forbid" - Luna and Celestia winced slightly at that - "Wendigo himself, I do not want you all to get yourselves killed. So make sure that you express the utmost amount of caution that is physically possible."

"Don't worry, Checkie!" said Pinkie, appearing behind him and making the stallion jump. "I'm sure that we'll be absolutely fine against any mean ol' windigoes who attack us!"

Khaza coughed, and Pinkie turned towards her. "Hey, I'm not talking about you! Just about that big ol' mean Wendigo and that other guy... what'd you call him?"

"Deun," Checkmate answered. "Wendigo's general."

"Hey, speakin' of nice windigoes..." Applejack said. "Where's Rolan? Shouldn't he be here ta talk 'bout this journey?"

"Rolan went back to Darkfrost," replied Khaza. "He's seeing what he can do to slow Wendigo down between now and when we arrive. Also... I don't think that the sleipnirs would be too happy to see the former king of the windigoes arrive in their land. They're rather hot-headed creatures."

"Oh, like yourself?" asked Rarity, immediately covering her mouth with her hoof after realizing what she'd said.

Khaza's eyes changed to a strange light red for just a second. "Who are you calling hot-headed?!" she shouted, angrily. "I am not hot-headed!"

Rarity stepped back, trying to make herself look small. "Please... Please don't hurt me..." she whimpered.

The windigo's eyes returned to normal, and she glanced around at the ponies, obviously terrified (save Checkmate of course - he'd long since grown used to her bouts of anger).

"Right," mused Checkmate. "Let's move on with our conversation, shall we? We're not going to have Rolan with us on this trek, and based on the fact that Khaza will likely have to remain as the Glacius for the duration of it, we will have to use our own arguments to get the sleipnirs to give us the Ignis."

"But didn't you say that you already had an argument for that?" asked Twilight. "I mean, we just have to tell them about Wendigo, and how the Ignis could stop him, and then wouldn't they give it us then?"

"Not necessarily," replied Khaza. "Sleipnirs are proud creatures. If they think that they can stop Wendigo on their own, then we'll never get the Ignis. Our best bet is to do something important, something that can help their kind and give them a debt to us. If we can do that, then they'll certainly feel inclined to hand over the Ignis, just to make us both even."

Celestia nodded. "Yes... If they're as proud as you say they are, Khaza, then they will likely not just give up such an important spirit as the Ignis just because you tell them that you might be able to defeat Wendigo."

"But what could we possibly do for them?" asked Rainbow, sighing. "I mean, I'll admit that I'm kind-of-sort-of too proud sometimes" - This earned her a look from her friends - "but even I know that some ponies just can't be talked into things."

"Right," Checkmate murmured. "Worst case scenario, we'll need to take the Ignis by force. Hopefully it won't come to that, but we must take all necessary precautions, just in case."

"Just in case..." repeated Twilight, softly. "Hey, Checkmate? I've been meaning to ask you, but... What did Wendigo mean by what he said last night?"

"What part of what he said?" Checkmate asked.

"The part about this entire thing being 'a game of chess'..." Twilight said. "What do you think he meant by it? He didn't specify his role in it, after all..."

"I'm not exactly sure," mused the stallion, "but there's something... off about what happened last night. Wendigo is not the type to just walk away when his foe is wounded, especially with such a minor wound..."

"Right," Khaza said. "There's definitely something going on, here... Normally, that bastard'd just go on with the attack, anyway. Unless, of course, he's planning something, but that's absurd."

"How so?" Celestia asked, turning towards her.

Khaza scoffed. "Please. What kind of a plan involves putting yourself in such a dangerous position? Wendigo is not the type to gamble; he makes his plans specifically so that nothing can fail for him. Letting his most credible threat - or, at least, the most credible threat who is actively trying to kill him - live is just... not his style."

Luna nodded. "Maybe," she said, "but the fact remains that he did just that. And yet... it does seem off, doesn't it? If he's as much of a 'chessmaster' as he implied last night in his speech... then this plan of his must have hundreds of failsafes."

"But that's just it," Twilight said, and the room turned towards her. "I mean, like I said, Wendigo never specified just what he was in accordance to this 'game of chess'... He never said if he was the player, or the king, or the knight, or even the pawn..."

"She's right," Checkmate said, "For all we know... There could just be something else... Something pulling the strings, here."

Khaza snorted. "You're not honestly insinuating that the Catalyst is behind this, are you?"

Checkmate shook his head. "No, I doubt that. I doubt that there even is a Catalyst, much less one that would still be forcing Wendigo's hoof this late into his life... But that doesn't change the fact that there is still the possibility of such a thing existing."

"That is an excellent point," Rarity mused. "Perhaps that ruffian is being controlled, but we cannot base everything upon the fact that he never specified his position in a last-minute speech."

Applejack nodded at this, "She's right," said the mare, "Such a thing as this ain't ta be messed with... It's just a possibility, ain't it?"

Rainbow Dash flew up. "And either way," she said, through grit teeth. "That bastard's gonna pay for all that he's done to Check! Nopony messes with our friends and gets away with it!"

Luna looked at Rainbow Dash, bemused, and glanced over at Checkmate. "You taught her the word 'bastard'?"

Checkmate shrugged. "She overheard me calling Wendigo that when I went to Darkfrost. I still don't think that she understands its meaning."

"Either way," mused Celestia, "Rainbow Dash has a very valid point."

"I do?" asked the cyan pegasus, before puffing out her chest. "I-I mean... Of course I do!"

Twilight nodded at this. "Yeah. No matter what the case is, it doesn't change the fact that Wendigo's done a lot of bad things back in Darkfrost -"

"Understatement of the last three millennia..." Khaza muttered.

"- And we can't let him get away with what he's done!" Twilight finished, ignoring Khaza.

"So then," Checkmate mused, "we're all agreed?"

"YEAH!" Even Fluttershy joined in on that cheer, albeit at a much lower volume than the others.

"How long should you all take to prepare?" Checkmate asked. "And, before you ask, we are going to need water, food, and possibly some form of shelter to protect us from the cold desert nights."

"It shouldn't take me long at all, actually," Twilight said. "I'd say... no more than one day, at the most."

"Same fer me!" Applejack said. "I'll make sure ta stock up on apples fer the journey there! How long do y'all reckon we'll be in that Desert of Death?"

"Theoretically speaking," said Luna. "It should take you no more than four days, provided that you keep to the path and do not become sidetracked."

"Alright..." Applejack said, "So, uh... seven ponies... four days... at four meals a day... uh... Well, I'll just bring along two-hundred."

Checkmate's jaw dropped. "T-two-hundred?" he gasped. "How do you expect to carry that?"

"Easy," mused the orange earth pony. "Hey, Pinkie, can I borrow that weird bag of yours? The one that lets ya carry all that stuff around with you?"

"No problem, Applejack!" Pinkie replied, grinning. "I've got about a dozen inside of the one I already carry with me!"

Checkmate turned towards Twilight. "How...?"

"Don't ask, Check," Rainbow said. "Twilight spent days trying to discover the secrets of Pinkie Pie. She nearly went insane, had various objects dropped on her, and was almost eaten by a giant hydra before she accepted the randomness that surrounds her."

"But that... that doesn't even make sense from a physical standpoint!" Checkmate said. "I mean, just... I'm beginning to wonder if Pinkie could possibly kill Wendigo, now that I think about it..."

The pink pony shrugged. "Sorry, Checkie," she said, sadly. "If Discord can't beat him, I don't think that I can, either."

Checkmate looked at Twilight, who answered. "Discord and Pinkie are... similar in the way that they break the laws of reality," she supplied. "The main difference is that Pinkie's abilities are more based around her physical being, and Discord's are more based around everything that surrounds him. To put it simply, Discord can do everything Pinkie can, and more, and if he can't even stop Wendigo - if he's as terrified of Wendigo as he showed last night - then she can't, either."

Checkmate sighed. "You know what? I've seen Wendigo -" he paused, and shuddered "- never mind."

"What?" Asked Khaza, "What've you seen Wendigo do?"

"Some things are better left unsaid..." whispered the stallion, and he shuddered again.

"Well, let's not press any further, shall we?" asked Twilight. "I mean, we just got completely sidetracked, again, with a conversation about Pinkie Pie's impossible reality-warping abilities - I'm seriously wondering if she's somehow related to Discord, but that's beside the point - and we need to get back to the matter at hoof."

"Right... Checkmate?" Khaza nudged the stallion, still shivering, in the side. "C'mon, Check. Get up!"

"R-right..." he whispered, and shivered. "Rarity... how much time should it take you to get ready for the journey?"

"In total? Well, I'll need my make-up applied, probably designing outfits for the occasion..." At a glare from the others, she sighed. "It should take me about a day. I'll need to convince Sweetie Belle not to come along with us on this journey."

"Same for me," Rainbow admitted. "That squirt'll get herself killed if I take her along..." She shook her head. "Yeah, I'm gonna be about a day, too."

"And it'll be too dangerous for Spike," murmured Twilight, "so I'll just need to find somepony to look after him while I'm gone."

"I'm ready anytime!" Pinkie said, pulling a suitcase from nowhere. "See? I've got my luggage and everything?"

Checkmate's eye twitched. "I'm not even gonna question this," he stated, bluntly. "Pinkie, I'm afraid that a suitcase isn't going to cut it, here. You realize that we're going to be crossing a desert, right?"

"Of course, Checkie! That's why I'm putting this in my bag," as she did so, Checkmate could almost feel a piece of his sanity snap in half. "See? I'm all set and raring to go!" She jumped into a fighting stance.

"Right, right..." said the stallion. "Fluttershy, how about you?"

The pegasus, for lack of a better term, shied away. "W-well, I'll need to find somepony to care for Angel while I'm gone... The others can probably keep themselves occupied, but he is... well..."

"How long?" Checkmate asked. These ponies, while kind, were beginning to grate against his nerves. He was beginning to question whether going alone would actually be a bad thing, at this point.

"Probably... erm... a day?" offered the mare, before stepping back further.

"Okay, then," Checkmate said. "How about this: in approximately thirty-six hours from now - in order to give you all time to prepare - we'll meet here in this throne room. Celestia, you can provide us with transport to the edge of the desert, correct?"

The princess nodded. "Yes," she replied. "I can definitely get you a chariot there. Thirty-six hours from now, I'll have a chariot waiting for you all in the royal gardens. We'll wait as long as is necessary, but make sure that you don't take too much time."

"Good," Checkmate mused. "Do you all understand that?"

The nod was completely unanimous.

"Very well," he said. "In thirty-six hours, the seven of us shall gather here, once more, and then..."

His eyes glimmered. "... And then we shall go and find the Ignis, and from there, we shall progress towards Darkfrost, to end this battle once and for all!"

Four children watched the entire conversation through a crack in the door.

"Really?" asked one, her voice cracking slightly on the word. "They're going on this big adventure, and they didn't invite us?"

"I know," grumbled another, a male dragon. "I mean, really! I proved just what I can do in the Crystal Empire, but Twilight doesn't want me to come along because I'm young?! Figures..."

"Well, not much we can do about it," said the third, her voice having a slight accent. "Ah mean, this doesn't exactly sound like a safe journey..."

"Don't chicken out on us now, Apple Bloom!" hissed the fourth, a pegasus. "This could be just the chance that we're looking for!"

"What chance?" remarked the third, dryly. "A chance ta get our flanks handed to us?"

"No, I mean our chance to get our cutie marks!"

The dragon rolled his eyes. "You're willing to risk your lives just to get a mark on your side?"

"Well, to be fair," said the first, "Checkmate obviously got his from adventuring!"

"How can ya tell?" The third asked. "He's always wearing that cloak."

"After he was beaten up by Wendigo in that Darkfrost place they keep talking about, I snuck a peek at him in Rarity's room. It wasn't a pretty sight, but his cutie mark was of two swords - a blue one, like the one he has, and a red one - and they were crossing."

"Weird," said the fourth, "but cool! Maybe we can get ours from hunting monsters with them!"

"Ya think they'll be mad?" asked the third, cautiously. "Ah mean, we're gonna bring along our own stuff, right? Food, water..."

"Of course we will," said the first, "and I'm sure that they'll be fine with it."

The dragon sighed. "Well, if I know Twilight well enough, then she'll yell at us for about twenty minutes, berate us in a softer voice for five, and then either let us join or send us back."

"Well, there's a fifty-fifty chance," said the fourth, "and you know how much I like to gamble."

"So it's settled, then?" asked the first. "We're going on this journey with them?"

"Ah guess so," said the third. "Spike, what 'bout you?"

Again, the dragon sighed. "At this point, I think it's better for me just to go along with you guys..."

"Awesome!" said the fourth.

And then, in perfect unison, the trio of ponies - to the combined amusement and horror of the dragon - shouted out their catchphrase. "CUTIE MARK CRUSADERS ADVENTURERS, YAY!"