//------------------------------// // Shah Mat // Story: Cozy Glow: FIENDship is Magic // by RainbowDoubleDash //------------------------------// Today The game had progressed at a steady pace. Black bishop to b4. Tirek could take it with his queen, but then Cozy’s knight would capture it. White pawn to c3. If Cozy took it with her bishop, Tirek could take Cozy's bishop with no risk. Black bishop to a5. White bishop to c4. Seemingly nothing gained, except for Tirek moving his bishop into a much stronger positon near the center. Black queen to e7. White queen to f3. Nothing special in the moment, only getting them out onto the field. But again, Tirek had moved it near the center. Black pawn to d6. White knight to d2. Cozy’s queen’s bishop was now free to enter the fray. Tirek’s knight was ready to defend the center. Cozy had opened with the Nickerwitz defense, essentially allowing Tirek to take the center of the board – allowing Cozy to isolate and then wipe out the pieces if she played right. It was one of her favorite openings against new opponents, especially ones she knew to play aggressively, as Tirek did now that he had practice with what were to him brand-new rules for chess. But she also felt uneasy. She couldn’t put her hoof on why. Cozy moved her king’s knight to f6, then looked up at Tirek. He was huge, the biggest living creature that Cozy had ever seen. And he was scary. His sharp teeth made a more primitive side of Cozy fearful due to a basic prey-creature reaction to a predator. The corded muscles woven through his upper torso and arms made it clear that he could break her in half like a toothpick. And scariest of all, he was smart. Giant monster who got bigger by eating magic, you might have thought that he was just a brute. But he was playing Discord, and had seen through Cozy’s deceptions even if he’d gone along with them. And he carefully considered each of his moves in the game. But for all of that, Tirek wasn’t what was making Cozy uneasy. Yeah, sure, he was big and scary and evil, but Cozy could talk to him. Understand him. He wasn’t like the Moon being pinned in the sky for too long, or the world turning upside down, or unbeatable vines and thorny clouds inexorably advancing towards Cozy. Plus, Cozy was certain he’d be defeated in the end. Princess Twilight hadn’t failed yet. White pawn to h3. Cozy frowned, not seeing the significance of the move. Possibly it was just a feint to throw her off – perhaps Tirek had sensed what Cozy was trying to do to the center of the board, bait him into a trap. She kept an eye on the pawn –and the rook that could potentially be released if it advanced another rank –but decided to otherwise continue setting up her gambit. She castled her king with her king’s rook. There was that uneasiness again. White knight to e2, adjacent to the other knight. Cozy’s eye twitched. She flexed and unflexed her wings, but for the life of her didn’t understand her pensiveness. Everything was going the way it was supposed to. Black rook to e8, behind her queen. Getting ready. White bishop to d3. From here it could defend Tirek’s pawn in e4 from Cozy’s knight. Black queen’s bishop to f5. Tirek could take it with his pawn, but he wouldn’t, it would expose his rook to her queen. White knight to g3, where it could defend the pawn in e4 that the black bishop now threatened. Avoiding the obvious move of just taking the bishop with the pawn. That was too obvious. Cozy had to have a trap, Tirek was likely thinking. But that was the trap. Didn’t Tirek see it? He’d seen so much else. But smart though he was, he wasn’t perfect. He’d misplayed and hadn’t even realized it – yet. Now, it was time to spring the trap. Black bishop to e4. Bishop takes pawn. White knight to e4. Knight takes bishop. Cozy’s eyes widened. She needed to move quickly now. Not give him time to think. Black knight to e4. Knight takes knight. White bishop to e4. Bishop takes knight. Black pawn to d5. Threatening the bishop and thence the white queen, but if the white queen took the pawn then it would be exposed to Cozy’s own queen. Cozy tried to hide the fact that she was holding her breath. Take the bait take the bait take the bait… White bishop to d5. Bishop takes pawn. “Wait,” Tirek said, but it was too late – he’d taken his hand off of the piece. Grunting, but also with the ghost of a smile on his face, he moved his hand and waved at Cozy. And Cozy’s world cracked. No, Cozy thought, even as her hooves moved automatically, even as she felt tears filling her eyes. Black queen to e3. Queen takes bishop. Check. That’s not possible, Cozy thought. White queen to e3. Queen takes queen. That’s not possible! Black rook – the one that Cozy had castled earlier, the one she’d set up so many turns ago – to e3. Rook takes queen. Check. But she barely saw it. The tears filled her eyes too much. Cozy’s breath hitched, hooves at her mouth. Through the blurry world she could barely see she saw one of Tirek’s massive hands begin reaching out towards the board. Cozy’s world shattered. Tirek’s hand paused before any piece was touched. Cozy looked up at him, and he down at her, one brow raised. “What?” he asked, and his head tilted to the side. “Why are you crying, Cozy? You played very well.” Cozy rubbed the tears from her eyes as she fumbled with the piece of paper her uncle had given her. She looked at it, and looked back to the board… Black: Rook e3 and a8, King g1, Knight c6, Bishop a5, Pawns a7, b7, c7, f7, g7, h7 White: Rook a1 and h1, King e1, Knight d2, Bishop d5, Pawns a2, b2, c3, f4, g2, h3 The same. The notation on the paper and the pieces on the board were the same. That was…it was impossible. It was mathematically impossible, Cozy wasn’t even very good at math for a pony as smart as she was, and yet she still knew that the odds of playing the same game were a million-million-million to one, or something like that. And yet… …and yet it had happened. By accident. Cozy looked back to Tirek, holding up the piece of paper for him to see. He reached down and took it, looking at what was, to him, comparatively small writing. “Well,” Tirek said, setting down the paper, “that is unexpected…” “You…you d-did this on purpose,” Cozy whispered. She wanted to shout it accusingly, but she couldn’t, because even she knew how impossible that was. Tirek shrugged. “I have many talents. Mind control isn’t among them. Your moves were your own, Cozy Glow.” He scratched at his beard, then looked to Cozy. His face…Cozy wasn’t sure what the expression was. “Do you want to stop playing?” Cozy stiffened, looking back to the board, She hugged her wings close to herself…and found herself shaking her head. Tirek nodded. He reached down, to his king, and moved it to d1. The only move he could make to move it out of check. The only move Daddy could have made. Black rook to d8. White bishop to c6. Bishop takes knight. A meaningless capture – Cozy didn’t need her knights. Black rook – the other one – to d3. White bishop to b7. Bishop takes pawn. Another meaningless loss for Cozy. Black rook to d2. Rook takes knight. Check. Tirek couldn’t take her rook, though, thanks to it being guarded by her other rook. White king to c1. Cozy hugged herself with not just her wings, but her forelegs too, in between making her moves. Tirek spent several turns trying to bring his own rooks into play, but it was too late as Cozy spent time maneuvering her rooks to finally box him in. Trap his king. Each move was almost physically painful. But each time Tirek tried to speak up, get her to stop, Cozy made her move. Until finally… Black rook to b2. Check. White king to c1. Black rook to a2. Inviting the white rook to take it, so that Cozy’s other rook could capture that piece. Tirek grunted. White rook to b1. He didn’t take the bait…because it would only be prolonging the inevitable. With Cozy’s rooks totally locking down the movements of the white king, it fell upon Cozy’s remaining bishop to end it. Her hoof was violently shaking as she reached out. She could barely see the board through her tears. But she moved the bishop to e3. The white king couldn’t escape. The white king was trapped. The white king had nowhere left to go. “Checkmate,” Cozy said. From Centauri shah mat. It meant “the king is dead”. Tirek nodded, reaching down and knocking over his king. Cozy watched it fall. Even through her tears, it was clear to her, as clear as day. Thud. Cozy’s father was never coming home.