“So, do you think you’ve got all that?” Twilight asked as she turned from the blackboard she had covered in grids and notations. She repressed a sudden desire to frown as she saw the annoyed look on her sole student’s features, instead keeping her lecturing smile glued in place.
“Pssh, no need to treat me like a foal, Twilight,” Pinkie replied with a raspberry and a dismissive wave of her hoof. A confident grin appeared on the pink pony’s face. “You’re talking to the Board Game Champion of Ponyville! If I can master Settlers of Cataan, chess will be filly’s fun!”
The sense of relief Twilight had felt on seeing Pinkie’s smile was quickly overtaken by another feeling, one the modest unicorn rarely felt: the desire for victory. “Really now?” she asked in a smirking tone, her horn glowing in preparation. “And how, praytell, did you earn such a prestigious title?”
“Simple, my dear Twilight!” Pinkie closed her eyes as she began to explain, just as Twilight had anticipated, and the unicorn quickly floated what she needed from the shelves. “I am undefeated in any and all board games since I arrived in Ponyville years ago! I am terrific at Trivial Pursuit, superb in Sorry!, and a master of Mouse Trap! The only time I’ve even come close to losing is in Monopoly, because Applejack plays one mean game of Monopoly.” The earth pony opened her eyes, giving Twilight an honest look. “No, seriously, she’s mean about it. She gets this look in her eye, and she’s absolutely ruthless when—ooh, what’s this?”
Pinkie’s eyes widened in surprise as she finally noticed the ornate wooden box in Twilight’s magical grasp, the unicorn ever so gently setting it down between the two ponies. Twilight’s smile became more natural as she undid the golden moon-and-sun themed clasp that held the box closed, lowering the two halves of the lid to reveal a beautiful chess board of alternating white and black marble. A flash of light drew a gasp out of Pinkie as the enchantment on the board activated, placing the two armies – one white with golden accessories, one black with silver accessories – in their proper places.
“That’s beautiful, Twilight…” The awe in Pinkie’s voice made Twilight forget about the competitive spirit burning within for a moment, her cheeks beginning to burn for some silly reason.
“Princess Celestia got it for me for my sixteenth birthday…” Twilight practically whispered in reply to the unasked question.
“Aww, this was your sweet sixteen gift?” Pinkie’s question took a darker tone, and Twilight realized that she had better get the game started, lest her pink friend delve too deeply into what the scholar was slowly realizing was a rather sad past.
“Alright, Pinkie, time to put your bits where your breath is!” Twilight exclaimed, feeling that spark of competition in her heart rekindle. The enchantment was set to automatically place the white army next to the chess set’s owner, but with the magical equivalent of a finger flick, Twilight turned the board so the black army was on her side. “To be fair, since this is your first game, I’ll let you go first.” This was a little white lie – Twilight always played as black – but she figured it was harmless enough.
“Why, how very generous of you, Miss Sparkle.” Twilight didn’t know exactly where Pinkie had just gotten the monocle from, and she knew enough by now not to ask. “Hmm, decisions, decisions… The choices are infinite, I daresay!”
“Actually, though the full game has nearly infinite possibilities, there are only twenty possible opening… moves…” Her words trailed off as Pinkie glared at her, the monocle heightening the effect somehow, and she remained silent as her opponent aggressively moved her prince’s bearer’s pawn forward two spaces. It was an interesting choice; most beginners gravitated towards the prince's or princess’ pawns in the centre of the board, but if a single word could define Pinkie, it would be unconventional.
Not that the central pawns were only for beginners, Twilight reminded herself as she led with her own prince’s pawn, advancing it forward one space. She tended to favour more conservative openings, though she knew when to get aggressive.
“Aww, not going to challenge my pawn?” Pinkie said, a twinkle in her eye as she moved her prince’s knight’s pawn up two spaces as well.
Twilight sighed. “There was nothing for me to gain; you would have taken my pawn, so I would have been down a piece without a superior board position. Just a bad plan all around.” The scholar looked back down at the board, moving to the next part of her relatively simple opening, when she realized with a start just what Pinkie had done.
She could win.
She could win on her second turn.
Twilight had read about the Foal’s Mate, of course, but she’d never actually seen one in action; as a filly, she generally played against ponies older and more experienced than her, ponies that would never make such an amateurish mistake. But here it was in front of her: an terrible opening left by Pinkie that left her prince open to assault from Twilight’s black princess, with no way to escape.
All she had to do was that one move. Qh4#. Move the princess to the edge of the board and shatter Pinkie’s self-proclaimed title. The competitive flame within her demanded that she do so, that she grasp her victory when it was within her reach.
But if Twilight did so, if she took advantage of this amateur mistake, Pinkie would be devastated. It was likely that, no matter what, Twilight would win the game anyway, but if she won in such a quick and humiliating manner, Pinkie would probably never want to play chess again.
Twilight would never play chess with Pinkie again.
Her decision made, Twilight’s magical aura surrounded her princess’ pawn, shifting it forward two spaces. “Your move.”