"They're not just going to let you marry me. You know that, right?" Cozy asked as they lay in bed later that night.
Flurry had taken after her mother, and had given Cozy an absolutely enchanting night of wonder as she'd invited her to the very top of the Crystal Palace for dinner, where she'd had Luna arrange the stars into the shapes of their cutie marks before kneeling down and popping the question. Even now, Cozy couldn't stop staring at the ring hanging from a slim gold chain around her neck.
A ring that they would have to hide tomorrow morning, lest the rumours and the objections began to flow.
Flurry sighed, pulling Cozy closer to nuzzle her on the forehead. "I'm aware," she said, sounding so, so tired. "And I hate it. You're a good mare, and worthy to stand beside me as my wife, and I hate that all those fools out there can't see it. They just see a commoner who tried to take over the world twice."
"Twice that they know of," Cozy corrected as she peppered her fiancée's neck with quick kisses.
Flurry giggled, rolling her eyes. "Yeah, sure." The temporary burst of good cheer faded as she frowned again. "Obviously, we have enough political advantage to power through any objections raised by the nobles, and the royal family is beloved enough that the ponies won't say too much."
"But it's gonna cost quite a bit to make it happen." The ring had been set with a heart-shaped diamond, and Cozy idly fiddled with it as she spoke. "No reason to spend all that political capital and goodwill if we don't have to."
"Yeah." Another nuzzle from Flurry. "I wish I wasn't in a position where I had to think about these things. The common ponies don't know how easy they have it, sometimes."
"You could always abdicate," Cozy offered.
"Yeah, no, I'm not gonna do that," Flurry said dryly. "Besides, you'd probably break up with me the moment I didn't have a crown on my head anymore."
"I mean, not if you had a plan to conquer some other country." Scrunching up her face in thought, Cozy pretended to consider the matter. "You know, the crown of Zebrica is pretty nice."
Flurry shook her head. "I wouldn't last a day in that heat. No, we need some way to make people cheer you on." She tapped a hoof against her chin. "You know, a long time ago, long before the Empire disappeared, some nobles would set trials for their hoof in marriage."
"Oh, like that one mare, who said that anypony who could shoot an arrow through a bunch of rings could marry her." Cozy grinned. "Of course, that was just to buy time for her husband to come back and complete the challenge. I guess if you decided to have an archery contest, we could rig it to make me the winner."
Flurry raised an eyebrow at that. "You'd cheat to win my hoof in marriage?"
Cozy rolled her eyes. "If the challenge was archery? Yeah. I know what I'm good at, and it's not epic feats of physical skill. Give me something intellectual to chew on instead and I'll wipe the floor with them all."
"Like a chess match?" When Cozy looked up, she saw Flurry staring at her flank. Specifically, her cutie mark.
Cozy's grin widened. "Oh, that's perfect. You could hold a chess tournament, and the winner gets to marry you! It'll be like something right out of a fairytale, and everyone will eat that narrative up, especially when a dark horse like me fights her way to the top!"
"Actually, I was thinking that the last mare standing would play a match against me for my hoof in marriage." They were serious now, and Cozy could see the concentration on Flurry's face as she schemed. She looked so beautiful. "Just in case someone else makes it to the end, I can destroy them and we can try something else."
A sharp shard of indignation flared up in Cozy. "You think I can't win?" She asked, heat entering her tone as her eyes narrowed.
"I like to plan for every eventuality," Flurry replied. "You never know when someone might not play fair, or you might end up incapacitated, or just get sick at just the wrong moment."
That calmed Cozy. "Fine." Her grin returned as she wrapped a foreleg around her beloved. "I'm not going to give up a chance to go up against you in public. It'll be fun!"
"Mhm." Flurry melted into the embrace, and they set aside their planning for a time to celebrate their love and impending nuptials once more, secure in the knowledge that nopony would be able to stop their union.
They come from all over the Crystal Empire, Equestria, and beyond.
Creatures from all walks of life were summoned by the opportunity to win the hoof of the Crystal Princess in marriage. Flurry was beloved and loved by so many, and held enough power that everycreature wanted to share in it.
It was good for the economy too, as the Crown would only cover expenses for those who made it to the Round of Sixteen, which meant quite a lot of foreign money coming into the Empire. The ponies living and doing business there certainly loved the princess and her economic stimulus plan.
Meanwhile, Cozy had been steadily making her way up the ranks, one win at a time. Flurry and the rest of the royal family had worked with her to make sure the press was following her progress, and between the interviews she was giving and the praises the princesses were singing, most everyone had forgotten her past sins and was riveted on the story of this Mare Out Of Time fighting to win love after overcoming her hate.
Unfortunately, for the sake of appearing fair, Cozy had been forced to stay away from the Palace outside of her scheduled matches. It hurt to be away from her fiancée, especially so soon after their unofficial engagement, but they both knew how the game worked, and she'd had to content herself with experiencing Flurry's wit through their love letters for now.
After a long, grueling month, in which Cozy had nearly been knocked out twice, she finally rose to the top, achieving first seed status for the Round of Sixteen and also being granted accommodations in the palace.
They put her in the same guest room she always used when visiting, which very conveniently had a secret passage leading to Flurry's room.
That was how the two of them found themselves playing a casual game of checkers the evening before the game that would determine if Cozy made it to the quarter-finals.
"This is so much more relaxing than chess," Cozy said as she captured one of Flurry's pieces, giving up her positional advantage for a free kill. "I swear, I don't want to see another chess piece for a year after this."
Flurry giggled, moving a piece forward to bait Cozy into taking it. "Isn't there a rook right on your flank?"
"The only flank I wanna stare at is yours, anyways," Cozy replied, debating if she should take Flurry's piece. It would let Flurry promote one of her others, but it was still a free capture. "It's fine, I just need to win four more games before I can face a real opponent."
"Mhm." There was something odd about Flurry's tone as she kept her eyes on the board, and Cozy was immediately suspicious.
"I can't wait to see everypony's face when I defeat their beloved princess." Cozy put a bit of bite into her boast, waiting to see how Flurry would respond. It was easier to get her to open up after getting her riled up a bit. They were similar like that.
But instead, Flurry just nodded. "It'll be interesting to see," she said calmly, way too calmly, and a crushing thought occurred to Cozy.
"I know I'm good, but you don't have to admit defeat that fast," Cozy said, her statement dripping with deadpan sarcasm.
Flurry glanced up, staring Cozy right in the eyes. "You're not going to lose the final match against me," she declared. "I won't risk losing you."
"Wait, you're going to throw the match?" Anger flared up in Cozy's chest as she stood up, the checkerboard forgotten. When Flurry simply stared at her impassively, her rage grew hotter. "How dare you take away my victory from me! I thought you loved me!" Tears were forming in her eyes, but Cozy ignored them, focusing on her beloved.
Meanwhile, Flurry was tranquil as an ocean. "I do love you, Cozy. More than I could possibly put into words. And that's why I refuse to let you lose this match."
"I'm not going to lose!" Cozy shouted, stomping her hoof on the ground in frustration. "After all we've been through, all I've done to help you grow into the princess you are now, why can't you just respect me as your equal!"
"I don't see why you're so angry about this anyways," Flurry said, still infuriatingly calm. "Weren't you saying that you'd be willing to cheat to win my hoof in marriage?"
"In an archery contest, yeah." How could Flurry be so stupid? "But this, this is the one thing I'm good at, the one place where I'm your equal. I'm not better at flying, and I don't have magic, and I don't wield a tenth of your political power, and I definitely couldn't beat you in any kind of fight, but I can outthink you, and I'm going to prove it!"
"We can play a fair game afterwards," Flurry offered.
"Not good enough," Cozy said. "I want everypony to see my triumph."
"Then I guess we're at an impasse," Flurry replied.
"I guess we are," Cozy seethed.
"You're too precious to me to risk," Flurry said. "I hope you can see that."
"And you need to understand that I'm a tool, just like every other pony around you, and that you need to be willing to put them at risk to get full use out of them. I need to win this game fairly, to cement my position as a mastermind who isn't to be trifled with." With that, Cozy tromped off back through the secret entrance back to her room. "Have a good night, your majesty."
"Cozy, please." Flurry didn't chase after her, though, and the couple spent their night alone.
Cozy had won her next few matches with a vengeance, completely destroying all of her opponents with almost gleeful viciousness.
"Mate in seven," she declared as she moved her bishop into position, staring her opponent in the eye.
Deep Blue, the reigning Equestrian Grandmaster, stared at the board for a solid minute before sighing. "I concede," he said in a near-monotone voice. He had such a dispassionate playstyle that Cozy wondered if he even cared about marrying Flurry, or if he'd just learned about a massive chess tournament and couldn't resist the urge to join.
Either way, they shook hooves, and the crowd cheered as Princess Cadance congratulated Cozy and informed the populace that the final match against Flurry would be played tomorrow.
Flurry herself also congratulated Cozy, her tone perfectly polite and cool, as befitting of a royal speaking to a stranger. Cozy, in turn, had bowed deeply and respectfully, her every word prim and proper and with not a single cheeky aside.
Afterwards, she was escorted back to the Palace. As the winner of the tournament, she'd also won the chance to have a private dinner with Princess Flurry Heart. This was supposed to be a celebration of their impending nuptials, and a chance to banter with one another in advance of their game, but instead, the two of them ate in total silence except to thank the staff and give their compliments to the chef.
Finally, as they picked at their desserts, Flurry spoke up. "I miss you, Cozy. You haven't visited since..."
"Since you said you were gonna throw the game tomorrow?" Cozy said after looking around to make sure the Bubble of Silence spell around them was still active. "Yeah, wonder why."
"I respect you, Cozy, truly I do." Flurry chuckled bitterly. "Do you think I would have proposed to you if I didn't? I don't fall in love with weak mares. Just like how I don't allow failure to be an option when I make my plans."
For a moment, Cozy almost relented. She did love Flurry's sharp mind so much, and honestly, she should have seen that her fiancée would pull something like this. But... "I won't let our marriage start with you coddling me."
"It's not like I could give it my all knowing the price of victory," Flurry pointed out. "Even if I tried to play fair, I'm not in the business of fighting against my own interests."
"You know, I'm not in the business of falling in love with weak mares either," Cozy said casually as she took another bite of her cake. It was perfectly moist, a delicious level of sweetness that wasn't saccharine, but it tasted like ash in her mouth. "Maybe you should think about that for a bit, Your Majesty."
Flurry's fork dropped onto her plate as her eyes narrowed dangerously. "Don't test me, Cozy. You won't be able to goad me into destroying you tomorrow."
Cozy snorted. "As if you could."
Flurry sighed. "I know what you're trying to do. It won't work. I'm not that easy to manipulate."
Shrugging, Cozy took another bite from her dessert. "It was worth a try. So, what happens now?"
Something lit up in Flurry's eyes, a spark of inspiration that Cozy loved to see. The princess grinned. "You'll see." She stood up, canceling the Bubble of Silence around them. "Enjoy the rest of your meal, Miss Glow, and I look forward to facing off against you tomorrow."
With that, she made her way out of the dining hall, leaving Cozy staring at her in confusion with her mouth open and full of cake.
It felt like the whole Empire had gathered to watch their game.
Cozy could have laughed at that. They were all coming to see a farce, to witness Flurry wrap her in swaddling clothes and gently carry her to victory. Honestly, she wouldn't have minded if she'd manipulated the princess into doing that, but it left a pit in her stomach knowing she didn't have control over this.
The final game was going to be a best of three, which meant that it was probably going to end in two matches. "May the best player win," Flurry said as she took her seat.
"Uh huh, you too." Cozy sat down across from her. The coin flip had given her the first move, and so Cozy opened by moving her king's pawn forward. Flurry responded with queen's bishop's pawn, and the game began in earnest.
Considering all the words that had been said before, the game was surprisingly even, as both mares traded pieces and positional advantages, with neither getting the upper hoof deep into the mid-game.
And then, it happened. Flurry moved her knight into a position to bait out a capture from Cozy's queen. They could both see that if Cozy took the bait, she would lose the queen three turns later, but would then be able to trap Flurry's king in a checkmate five moves after that.
It was a perfect throw, and none would be any wiser to what had happened.
Tamping down her frustration behind a beatifically-smiling mask, Cozy took the bait, and won the game as predicted.
"Wow, good game," Flurry said, pretending to wipe sweat off her brow. "That was a close one. I guess you're not going to be nice to a princess and let me win, huh?" She angled her head so that only Cozy would be able to see her wink as she said that.
A moment later, it clicked in Cozy's brain, and her smile grew slightly more genuine, even if she was still not completely sure about what was happening.
The board was reset, and the game began anew. They played their best, as they had before, but this time, as they approached that same point where the game had been decided before, Cozy pushed out one of her pawns a little too far, in a move that could be seen as being overly aggressive rather than deliberate sabotage.
Flurry had no choice but to take the pawn, which set her up for victory as Cozy tried her best to regain her advantage, while both of them knew it wasn't possible without Flurry very obviously throwing the match.
"Checkmate." Flurry said. "I guess we're both getting the hang of this, huh?" she said cheekily, grinning at Cozy.
Cozy grinned back. "Looks like we are. Last match, Your Majesty?"
"Of course, Miss Glow. No matter what, it'll have been an honour to match wits with you." She moved the pieces back into starting position and waited for Cozy to make her move.
The final game was unlike anything Cozy had ever played. They were both trying to lose now, but they couldn't afford to have their audience realize this, and so every move had to appear optimal or part of some advanced strategy.
Now, they were trading disadvantages, and setting up baits that would lead to greater losses further down the road, but which looked good enough that the other side couldn't ignore it.
At one point, Flurry offered up a rook to Cozy, which would have given the pegasus mare a massive positional advantage four moves down in exchange for a queen. Still, it was a balanced enough trade that Cozy could afford not to take it, even if it would likely have given her the win eventually.
However, Flurry had anticipated that, and moved the rook even deeper into her territory, forcing a trade for Cozy's knight which looked good for Flurry, but would eventually lead to Cozy being able to take Flurry's queen in a pincer that Cozy couldn't possibly pass up on without looking suspicious.
It made Cozy's head hurt, trying to maneuver herself into a loss, and it was exhilarating. She'd never been challenged like this before, and as their eyes met, Cozy saw the same determination in Flurry's expression as she smiled grimly. And beyond that, she could see the princess' love for her, could feel that same love echoed in her own smile.
They were dancing on a knife's edge, challenging one another in a wholly new way that the two of them would never forget.
A few minutes later, Cozy moved her pawn up right up the edge of the board. Another turn, and she'd be able to promote it, which would spell a loss for Flurry. Thus, Flurry had no choice but to use her king to take it, moving it out of the potential checkmate that the princess had been setting up against herself. Cozy smirked at Flurry as her fiancée lost yet another one of her victory conditions.
Instead of frowning, Flurry smirked back and moved her bishop in for a check. That was when Cozy realized her error, as they were forced into a chase that ended up with Flurry losing her final rook.
At that point, they could both see the writing on the wall.
"Mate in five," Cozy declared, her heart sinking as the path to victory was laid bare before her eyes.
Flurry sighed. "I guess that's why you're the chessmaster," she said, pushing her king over. Her sadness didn't last long as she smiled her Secretive Royal Smile. "Congratulations, Cozy Glow. For your victory, you may ask a boon of me."
Cozy bent down on one knee, and pulled out the same rings that Flurry had proposed to her with. "Princess Flurry Heart," she said formally, "will you marry me?"
Flurry nodded. "So shall it be." And with that, they kissed, to the cheering of the crowd.
"Congratulations, your majesty," Cozy whispered into Flurry's ear afterwards, when she was sure they wouldn't be overheard over the din. "I still can't believe you managed to turn that around."
"That's what you get for calling me weak," Flurry replied, giving her a devilish nibble on the ears, much to the crowd's delight.
"I'd say I'll never cross you again, but that's not what either of us wants." Dropping the bravado, Cozy let her next word flow from the heart. "Thank you, Flurry. I really appreciate you doing this for me, and I'm impressed with your creativity."
"A good ruler must be able to adapt to the needs of her people," Flurry replied. "I won't ever stop taking care of you, but that doesn't mean I won't let you show off your skills either."
"I was thinking the same thing." They broke apart and waved at the crowd. "I love you, Flurry Heart."
"I love you too, Cozy Glow," Flurry replied. "And I look forward to losing to you at chess again."
