//------------------------------// // 1) A Simple Game of Chess // Story: Silent Artemis // by Hokusai3211 //------------------------------// “That’s check and also mate.” Came the raspy voice of Stormy Days, as he blew out the cloud of smoke from his pipe across the table, the others watched him and for a moment their was only silence and then the laughter started.  “Told ya it’d be a gobsmackin’!” Howled the older stallion, a old northerner by the name of Mac Cloud, as he slapped the back of his long tome friend Tenderfoot who grunted at the forceful blow, then begrudgingly knocked down his king with a grumble. It was nearing the middle of the day in the tiny heart of Ponyville and after a chaotic morning dealing with the Cloudsdale weather factories many blunders, the head stallion of the weather division of Ponyville had somehow managed to salvage the correct temperature for the Ponyville climate today, from the unscheduled pleasantly warm to the correct temperature of unbearably hot.  It was a job he loved and followed like a religion, but blast it all if he sometimes didn't want to just want to throw the handbook away and make it snow in the middle of summer, just for a moment of reprieve. Soaked with sweat and seeking a break from his usual date with a packed lunch of soggy cheese sandwiches with a side of soggy fries he always packed the night before, he decided to spend his well earned bits on some luxury today. Which was why he found himself nursing an ice cold coffee in the shade of the butter bean café, competing in his other life long religion, decimating fools at chess.  His opponent, Tenderfoot a purple old earth stallion, cantankerous at the best of times was a competent enough chess player, who had decided to spend his golden years not nursing an ale in the backwaters of some den of drunkards, like his contemporaries and instead sitting outside the café and keeping his wits sharpened, playing any pony who wanted a game of chess.  Stormy Days respected the old codger for that and the fact that he would let any pony use his chess set to play against any other pony, but it did mean he liked having to listen to his incessant conspiracies and ramblings about whatever dreck was thrown up on the local paper that day.  Like he was doing right at this very moment. “‘N'other Ripper sighting apparently, not too far from my own homestead they say.” Tenderfoot began as he meticulously started to put his pieces back together, Stormy Days inwardly rolled his eyes, but kept a façade of a pleasant enough smile on his face.  “Who says?” Mac Cloud asked, Tenderfoots partner in crime and also mediocre chess player, a burly wizened stallion with a thick beard and even thicker curly orange mane just about kept in check under a patched up mangy flat cap. “You know… they,” Tenderfoot said with a shrug.  “No I don’t, ye ken, what they?” Mac Cloud answered with mild irritation. “The paper dummy, you know there's been sightings all these last few months, I tell you it’s all them damn Royals faults.” Tenderfoot answered in a sagely voice of an older gentle-colt who took his age to mean that his word was fact.  Stormy Days did his best to hide the groan, it had only taken one game today for the old fool to get onto that topic, condemning the Royal family, the senile old idiot must have had a second cup of coffee this morning.  “The Royals? You mean ta’ princess, what are ye gettin' at Tender?” Mac Cloud asked with a growing warning in his voice. “Not that one you hot blooded old git the other lesser royals, the pink princess you know, horse-apples you ain't in the guard anymore, so stop actin’ like one.”  “You were a guard?” Stormy Days asked despite himself, and then immediately regretted it, when he saw the look of aggravation on Tenderfoot's face. If even that pony could recognise a long winded story with no pay off when it was about to hit him, then Stormy Days was sure his hour long break was about to be well and truly wasted.  Thankfully for all involved and the universe at large, the old man just nodded his head and smiled, “Aye, t'was a mighty fine one at that, even made it to first sergeant, back when the guard had real stallions, not these new money prissy little mustangs, like them,” he pointed primly behind Stormy Days and both he and Tenderfoot turned to look at the patrolling guards behind them decked out in the shining golden armour and spears. They had at first been a spectacle in the quiet township, not many if any of the denizens had ever seen one up close before. But with the recent happenings around the town, they had become even more present in the lives of the ponies of Ponyville and made their presence known much to the denizens growing discomfort.  Not that they had a choice, after they found the last body, body number six or what was left of it anyway, there was little choice but to double up their numbers. Rummy, his name was, if the coroner reports were right. The town drunk, when he wasn't also the town thief that was, tolerated when he wasn't outright hated at the best of times, it was no secret the town folk wanted him gone for good, but not like that. Even Stormy Days who had little to no time for ponies like that wouldn't have wished that sort of fate on him, what had happened to him went beyond comprehension. In some ways worse there were rumours circulating of a curfew after this newest incident with the mare on the edge of town. But that little truth to that was quickly squashed by the protests of the local farmers who none to subtly brought up the fact that the last incident, had happened to a mare right in her own home and not in the streets like Rummy's did. What was the point of a curfew after all, if this monster was already in ponies homes?  “If'in it t'was back in the day, me and the lads woulda’ had this murderous beast bagged up with narey a sweat off our brows.” Mac Cloud said with a point of pride in his voice.  “That’s because it’s all a plot to keep us in line, there probably ain’t even a beast, just some ploy by the Princess to seize more power.” Tenderfoot said leaning in conspiratorially.  “Ye better take that back lad, I’ll hear no wrong doing of our fair princess in me presence.” Mac Cloud warned, even going as far as to lift up his well worn cane to add to the threat. Stormy Days leaned back and sighed, he had been hoping for at least one more game, had even set up his first move and everything, it was a favourite of his as far as an opening gambits went. But he knew there was no stopping these old timers when they got to bickering.  Brooding over the board, he didn’t even notice the shadow that had loomed over the pieces, until it was right on top of him. Stormy Days turned and stared at a pony standing over them, smiling warmly and all but reflecting the light from his gleaming teeth.  “Can I help you?” Stormy Days said wearily as the two older stallions also noticed the peculiar unicorn stallion and quieted down, watching with an equally weary expression as the stallion in question blinked. Then as if only now had he realising he had been staring, turned slowly towards Stormy, fixing him now with the same intense stare and unnerving friendly smile.  “Is that a hand carved oak set?” The young stallion, or colt as they would have called him, asked. “Why yes it is my colt, hoof carved it myself, back when I had the eyesight to do it,” said Tenderfoot, puffing out his chest with a mixture of pride and mild bashfulness, that only an Earth pony who’s very own work was being appraised could. The younger of the four Stallions leaned further in to appraise the work and somehow his smile grew, “Amazing, I’ve only ever seen magically carved ones, they just don’t compete with the real thing, there just too perfect, no charming imperfections or real affection behind them like these ones, you know?”  The other three Stallions all looked at one another and shrugged, the only one of them that had been in the land of unicorns had been too preoccupied beating up said unicorns that got out of line, to admire any so-called perfect chess sets.  Stormy watched as the other stallion looked around and then as if noticing he was leering, blushed deeply and leaned backwards, “heck I’m sorry, I just interrupted your game didn’t I, my mother would whip my horn if she knew how disrespectful I was just now.”  Mac Cloud nodded sagely, “Ah your mother practicing the proper way of parenting, nothing stops bad behaviour like a good slap across the horn.” Stormy Days rolled his eyes at Mac Cloud's comment then waved his hoof, “don’t worry about it, we were on a break anyway, what’s your name kid, don't think I’ve seen you around here before?”  Storm lifted his hoof to shake the stallion's hand and almost lost it in the crushing response of his hoof sake, heck if this colt was strong for a unicorn, “My name's Checkers, I just got here actually, I was looking for some refreshment when I saw some fellow players.”  “Ah a fellow enthusiast, I see?” Tenderfoot asked.  “Way of the game, sit brother, kin to kin, you ken?” Checkers blinked, looking for some sort of translation from the two other stallions, “Err yes?” “I think he’s asking if you want to play a game?” Stormy answered, taking a long sip of his coffee.  Checkers blinked, “Oh no, I couldn’t impose like that!”  “Nonsense” Tenderfoot said, waving any notion of a dismissal away, as he slowly got off the chair with a few muttering curses and a clicking of ligaments, “we don’t get many new players in town and it’d be nice for somepony to knock that smug grin off Days face.”  “Aye, the grey git’s been on that winning street far too long I think, whoop his flank for us lad.” Mac Cloud said hefting a hoof to Stormy who simply sat back folding his foreleg over the other. Checkers looked around for any kind of protest, but when Stormy Days pointed to the seat invitingly, he smiled and nearly shot to it with a quickness that shocked the older stallions. How the heck does a unicorn that big, move that fast, was all he could ask himself. “I can’t remember the last time I got to play with proper pieces,” Checkers said eyeing the pieces like a foal in a candy story, lighting up his horn and lifting the king up for consideration, then suddenly he blinked and placed it down again, “I’m sorry I did it again, I’m so used to playing with other unicorns.” Stormy shook his head, “You can use magic if you want, not like it cheating or anything.”  “What’s the point of a game if you can’t feel the pieces, I’d prefer the traditional way if you don't mind?” Checkers said and Stormy inclined his head, with a smile Checkers eyed the board, and watched Stormy make his first move.  “Playing the sicillian, I always enjoyed that opening the most.” Stormy shrugged, “me too, so you do know your plays I see?” Checkers shrugged, “My dad was an avid player, I sort of learned a bit from him, but my sisters the real chess player in the family.”  Stormy leaned closer towards the board, if this was how it was going to be then, maybe he would actually have to put some thought into this. The first few moves came smoothly, knights came out early, then Bishop, pawn, Bishop retreated and attacked where there were openings. “So what were you guys talking about earlier?” Checkers asked, eyes glued to the board, his hoof scratching his chin in thought, Stormy would have slapped his forehead at the continuation of the nonsensical conversation, but for once his mind was actually on the game at hoof, and not his blithering companions.  “Err, I canny remember actually, something about the guards?” Mac Cloud questioned.  “The local menace you mean, taking over Ponyville, can’t even throw a can of soda on the ground without thirty of them comin’ from the bush to fine you.” Tenderhoof answered with a smouldering look.  “Ye canny do that anyway, it’s not right!”  “Exactly, there's too many of them to get away with it now, all thanks to our gracious host, and that royal filly stickin her hooves where they don’t belong.” “Gracious host?” Checkers asked castling his king.  “He means the princess or the guard, you can never get a proper answer from that old fool,” Said Stormy, snatching the knight with his bishop.  “Good one.” said Checkers acknowledging the move, before he turned back to the other older ponies, “Is the presence of the guard really that bad?” Tenderfoot almost spat his answer out, “Bad are you-”  “I think,” Said Stormy Days as he massaged his grey hair before moving his queen forward, “that Tenderfoot is just a little offset by this show of force, he won’t admit it, but we've all lived here in this little town since we were colts, we know about the terrors lurking in the Everfree.” He bit his lip for a moment then moved his queen back and looked up from the board.  “-so for this Ripper thing to be the reason the princess has put out a whole garrison of guards for the first time ever on our doorstep is intimidating to the whole town, we’ve all a little unnerved, even those who don’t want to admit it.” He said flashing a wink to Tenderhoof who grunted and folded his forelegs to his chest. “I see…” said Checker who looked down in contemplation, his smile falling for a moment into a deep frown. “Cheer up lad, now’s not the time for that, he’s only tryin’ his mind games on you, go on son, you got him on the backhoof.” Mac Cloud said jovially.  Stormy smiled, it was true, he had been going easy on the kid at first but now he was paying for it. His little traps he had been setting up for the less experienced players had been seen immediately and were countered with almost no effort or pause in the game, he was impressed. But soon it would be time to end things, he had a job to get back to. “Well I don’t know about that," Tenderhoof said, flagrantly dismissing Stormy's explanation with a wave of his hoof, "Guard or not, this Ripper wouldn’t have come to Ponyville at all if it weren't for those lion arses chasing it into our lands.”  “Lion-what?” Checkers asked, almost dropping the pawn he had taken out of his hooves. “He means ta' Griffons lad, it’s what some of our less cultured kinsmen call 'em.” Said Mac Cloud giving an icy glare to his friend who neither noticed nor cared.  “Well, isn’t that to be expected, that creature, this Ripper, did kill at least four griffons, one of them being the nephew to an important Jarl.” Checker asked looking back at Stormy Days who shrugged. “Aye, and it killed a royal guard no less, not to mention nearly killin’ that bonny lass a few nights ago, nearly got her in her own home an all, ain't nopony safe anywhere now.” “There was another attack?” Checker asked, his eyes wide as he nearly knocked the table over with his sheer size, thankfully Stormy and Tenderfoot who’s pieces it actually belonged to managed, to grab the edges just in time. “Careful lad, careful!” Chided Tenderhoof. “Sorry, it’s been a long trip here, I’m a little tired.” Said Checkers sheepishly. “It’s not confirmed that it was the monster,” grunted Stormy as Checkers shot him an apologetic smile. “But that’s what the papers are calling it, could be the mare just tripped for all we know.” “Ain’t she yer little nieces friend, the one with all the animals?” Said Mac Cloud.  “About the only friend in her life she hasn’t tried to hit on.” Stormy grumbled almost to himself, looking back down at the board and hesitated before moving again.  “So why do you think it was the griffons fault then, Mr, err,” he looked to Stormy who mouthed Tenderfoot and Checkers nodded in thanks. “Mr Tenderfoot, I mean it seems only right that such a monster needs to be driven out, if it’s killing your villagers, you can’t just surrender to it?” Tenderfoot rolled his eyes, “do I have to explain everything around here, don’t you all get it?” “We can't shut up your gob anyway.” Mac Cloud said. “Here it comes,” Stormy Muttered as he focused on his next move, Checkers bit his lip and moved his rook sideways.  “If that damn new Princess hadn’t have been suckin' up to those over grown hens, the griffons I mean, they wouldn’t have dared chase that thing so far into pony territory, they just wanted to push it on us, they throw a murderous monster onto us to deal with and if the new princess takes care of it, then she gets all the praise and can grow her power base, regular pony lives like me and you be damned, this is all a power move to elevate her position to take over the throne, I know it in my bones.”  Stormy looked at Checkers and for a moment he swore he could see his eye twitch, but then it was replaced by the same smiling face of the large blue unicorn that it had before.  “Will ye shut up with that dreck, you old fool.”  “You're just afraid of the truth, you watch it’ll all come out in time, we'll all be speaking that Hen language soon if this keeps up, I even heard that they’re sending that disgraced what's his name in to cover for the scandal, you know the one who was caught in bed with that very same princess Caden- ” “-Tenderfoot for the love of all the sky would you shut your sun dried muzzle, I’m trying to have a game here, not listen to the rags gossip column!” Yelled Stormy loud enough to slap anymore words from the older stallion's mouth. He was getting angry now, and not just because this colt was starting to push him back onto the defence. “Aye Tender shut your gob will ye, before ye make us all sound like as big a fools as ye are, sorry lad don’t go thinking we’re all like this.”  Stormy watched the colts face and for a moment he did not look up from the board, but then quick as a flash of lightning he turned and chuckled rubbing the back of his neck, “oh don’t worry about it all, I understand, not everypony is happy with the current circumstances, It’s not great back where I come from, so I can’t imagine it can be any better for the ponies it’s actually happening to.” Stormy Days chuckled, “your a bigger colt than I am Ch-”  “-Oh sorry that’s check and I think mate by the way.” Checkers said before he could finish.  “W-what!” Both Tenderfoot and Mac cloud yelled at the same time jumping up with the spry nature they had not had for years as they studied the board. “Impossible, he actually beat the bugger.”  “Well it’s only a check actually, now that I think about it, he could get out of it.”  “I may only dabble here and there, but that check bloody mate if I see it clearly. Checkers blushed, “No really, it’s still on I-” he paused as a droplet hit his face. They all turned to the sky and spotted a large darkened rain cloud floating nearby. “Funny I thought it was going to be cloudless all day?” Checkers muttered.  “It was, growled Stormy, who’s expression grew darker than the cloud above them as he glared upwards. Without taking his eyes off the cloud, he grabbed at one of the taken pieces from the side of the board and after studying the cloud for half a second, hoofed it into the air with speed.  There was a thump as the piece went through the cloud then a thud, followed by a sheik of surprise and then a scream of another nature as whatever it had hit, flew like a blur from the sky and hit the floor a few feet away from the group of stallions.  They all watched unblinking, as a scruffy cyan pegasus with neon hair groaned on the floor for a few seconds, before lifting herself up on shaky hooves and almost drunkenly, trotted over towards the group. “What the heck, you could have killed me!” She screamed, flinging the piece back at Stormy Day, who caught it and placed it gently back on the table.  “Said the mare who flies through storms,” grumbled Stormy who pointed up, “What the hell do you call that?”  The mare glared at Stormy for a moment longer then curiosity took over and she looked up at the cloud, then back at the group, then up again and back down at the group once more, her eyes getting wider with each upward glance, “I was just getting to that one, I swear!”  “More like sleeping on it, bad enough you nap through your job but to do it right above me, I’d have half a mind to fire you right here and now.”  The panic in the mare was palpable as her eyes shot open, Stormy could see the blood redness in the whites of them as she looked up and almost wanted to roll his own, he had almost believed her when she said she was going straight to bed last night, the gullible idiot that he was. “Wow wow, hey calm down uncle, please, I’ll take care of it quick,” she pleaded in her scratchy tone of voice, and there was a flash and a prism of colour and before any of them, save Stormy, could blink the cloud was gone.  Stormy actually heard Checkers whisper between his gasp “so fast” on the other side of the table as the rainbow pegasus landed just besides Stormy prostrating herself by his hooves and looked up at Stormy pleadingly. "See what'd I say uncle, all gone right?" “Don’t you uncle me, missy, it’s sir or boss when work is involved, this ain't about the cloud and you know it, you're in deep for this one filly, I have half a mind to fire you right now.” he said, but then he made the mistake he always made with her and looked into her eyes. She blinked up at him, her eyes shimmering as she stared and he cursed inwardly. She had the exact same look as his little brother did, shimmering eyes that seemed to melt away the anger swelling in him, though he tried his best to keep hold of it. The eyes might have been her mothers by simple D.N.A, but the look itself was entirely his little pain in the flank brothers. “Blast it all, fine, your not fired, but I’m docking todays pay.” he grumbled then crinkled his nose, “Ponyfeathers filly, you stink like a brewery, let me guess you found some new young mare and where up partying the night away, am I wrong?” Rainbow leaned back and sniffed at her breath, then wrinkled her nose and at least had the decency to look down before muttering, “not all night.”  “Ain’t nought wrong with that Stormy, she’s a young lass, what wrong with feeling your oats, sowing the land ya ken, ye where no better back in the day lad.”  Stormy grimaced at the thought of his little niece ‘feeling or sowing anything’. “Maybe so, but I didn’t do it when I had a job to do, a job that you’re holding onto by a feather right now filly, a feather.”  The cyan mane looked around nervously, trying her best to find anything to take the topic off of her, “so what are you guys doing?”  “Don’t think you can just change,-” Stormy began, but Rainbow was as always, too fast for him. “-Oh yo, haven’t seen you here before, uncle don’t be rude who’s your new friend?” She said extending her hoof at the larger stallion. “My name's Checkers, I just got here. Your uncle kindly let me play a game of chess with him, it’s a pleasure to meet you by the way. What's your name?” “And whooped his flank no doubt.” Mac Cloud added much to Stormy's chagrin.  “Rainbow, Rainbow Dash.” she said smiling back, then she cast her gaze downward to the table between them, for a moment Rainbow examined the board, her smile dipping into a thoughtful expression, before she moved a piece from her uncle's side.  Checkers blinked, looked down again, then moved his own piece.  Then Rainbow without a word moved again, and then so did Checkers, this went on for about a three minutes the two silently moving pieces again and again all the while the three other stallions where leaning close and closer towards the table edge. Before finally Rainbow said “Check” and once again the aging joints of all around suddenly became far more spry as they surveyed the chess board proper.  Checker rubbed his forehead thoughtfully for a moment, pursed his lips, smiled then carefully knocked his king down, “well done.” “Wahoo, dude that was fun, play you again Checker?” she said, and her smile widened as when Checkers nodded enthusiastically. Rainbow smiled back triumphantly, then Stormy noticed her ear flicker, and caught the noise of a mare calling from off in the distance for Rainbow. "Rainbow!" the mare screamed in the distance. He watched his niece turn her eyes over towards the noise and her smile dropped significantly, was that recognition of fear in his nieces expression? He supposed both, what had she gotten herself into this time, and before he could get any answers, Rainbow turned back towards the stallions, her smile now much more forced than before as he stepped backwards and spread her wings.  ”Hehe, actually, would you look at the time, gotta’ go, work to do, laters Checkers, see ya Uncle!” Stormy rolled at his eyes, ignoring the figure who was now waving at Rainbow and leaned backwards on his chair, poor filly, he thought for a moment before turning back to Rainbow, before she could take flight. “I want that sky spotless Rainbow, spotless!”  “You got it boss!” She said over her shoulder as she flew away at speed. Chancing one last look at the mare, who’s wave faltered for a moment,  before she stamped her hoof on the ground went red in the face and stormed away, Stormy couldn’t help but grimace, he had seen that look before, Rainbow was in a world of hurt if that mare ever caught up to her again. “Too much like her old stallion that one.” Stormy said, shaking his head.  “Eh, you were pretty much the same Storm.” Tenderfoot said with a chuckle as Stormy rolled his eyes. “Like hell I was!” “Is she a professional, your niece?” Checker asked, still focusing on the chess board and then looked around at the faces and looks of confusion shared between the other three stallions before they all to a stallion, burst out laughing.  “What did I say?” Checker asked, lifting a confused bashful smile at his own expense as he looked around at the howling older ponies.  “It’s not you lad, It’s just the thought of that mare at a Canterlot open.” Tenderfoot answered, which set them all back laughing even harder than they had before. Eventually it was Stormy who fought through the laughter to respond, “sorry but the filly's just competitive, she’s always been like that, I showed her chess when she was young, whooped her flank enough times, until she got determined enough to out play me and the other stallions and mares of Ponyville, then she moved onto the next thing.”  Checkers balked, “but she’s amazing at it, why didn’t she commit, I’m nowhere near the best, but even I know she could be a master in a few years, if she really tried, maybe even a grandmaster someday.”  “Trying to get that filly to commit to anything kid, is an impossible task,” Stormy said sagely, “as soon as she finds something new she likes, she drops whatever interested her before like a lead balloon, chess, hoofball, other fillies,” he indicated point to the space the mare had occupied before storming off, “there’s a reason some of my colts at work call her the heartbreaker.”  “Oh aye, little heartbreaker is that right? Kinda' remind me of somepony else, nay Tenderfoot?”  “Yeah, sounds familiar to me, Cloud.” Tender said with a sneering smirk. “I was not that bad!” Stormy barked, but with the ghost of a smirk on his lips. “Take it from me kid, she’s too much like my brother, it’s a shame, I’m about the only discipline she gets in her life and you saw how that worked out.”  “That is a shame, so much raw talent, she’d have made for an excellent guard, wish I could train her.” Checkers said tapping his hoof to his chin. “What was that?” Mac Cloud asked as all three eyes locked in on him. “I eh-” Checkers stuttered out, but paused and looking over Stormy Days shoulder smiled and waved, which in turn caused the three other stallions to take there eyes from the big blue unicorn and on to what Stormy Days would call the second most stunning mare he had ever seen in his life.  “There you are honey, I’ve been looking all over for you, you said you were going to meet me at the station, I’ve been there for nearly twenty minutes.” The white mare said, as she crossed the street towards them. Whilst it was true the three older stallions were past their prime each one of them subconsciously puffed out their chests and sucked in their guts and even Mac Cloud with his scruffy unruly orange hair, did his best to put what could only be described as an explosion of curls back into his moth-eaten cap. So stunningly good looking was the mare to Stormy eyes, that he almost didn’t even notice the large black sunglasses and umbrella tucked between her wings until she was standing right in front of them.  Then again, he supposed in this heat with her fair fur, an umbrella wasn’t that out of the ordinary, given she was clearly a city mare. “H-honey?” Checkers answered with a stutter, then seemed to collect himself, “right of course dear, my apologies, I was just grabbing a drink and then I ended up talking to these nice stallions and well... I sort of lost track of time.” The mare lifted her brow at that and for a moment, Stormy thought he could see the faintest colour of red in her eyes before the mare pushed up her sunglasses and smiled, “Well it’s nice to see you making friends so soon dear, but we really have to get going, there's that meeting we need to get to.” She said and let the weight of the implication hang for a moment before her serious glare turned into a smooth smile, “I’m so sorry gentlecolts, my cupcake is a bit of an airhead sometimes, I don’t mean to be rude but we really need to get going to the marketplace.”  “Cupcake?” Tenderfoot whispered with a snort to Mac Cloud, who fought back a chuckle, as Checkers blue face turned slowly crimson in a blush.  As always it was Stormy who collected himself first, “it’s no trouble at all Miss err?”  “Night Light,” She said giving him a curt nod. “We were about done here anyway, I need to get back to work anyway, it was good meeting you Checkers, hopefully we could schedule a rematch, I’d like a chance to play you properly next time, now that I know who I’m dealing with?”  Checkers smiled as he rubbed the back of his neck, “I’d love that, I might be a bit busy in the next couple of weeks, but if I find the time, I’ll definitely swing by again.”  Both Checkers and Stormy got up from the table and with a nod, Stormy slowly unfurled his wings and lifted himself up into the air, when he was high enough for his liking, he looked around at the sky. Not a cloud in sight at least from what he could see so far anyway.  “Not a bad job, I guess,” he said to himself, it was a shame he thought, that the only way to ever get results out of the mare was to threaten to fire her. She had to have known by now that he was never actually going to do it, at least not until she had lifted that debt anyway, he’d like to think he had instilled some element of responsibility into her, but he wasn’t that deluded. He shook his head, he was back in work mode now, no time to think about that not so little anymore terror of his. He turned to fly back to the offices, but something nagged at him and he looked back at the stallion and the drop dead gorgeous mare he had just met, who were crossing town towards the market already.  He kept his gaze on them and raised his brow when they instead turned towards an alleyway and not towards the market like they said they were going. Almost at the exact time a pair of Royal Guards were also doing the same at the other end. Lifting himself further into the sky he caught the tops of the ponies in the alleyway and watched as the two guards sat at attention and saluted, only for the white mare to snarl something at them and the two bulky stallions to freeze and snap there salute back to the there sides as quickly as they had started them. Stormy chuckled darkly. “Now that I defiantly know who I'm dealing with.”  He watched for a little longer as the four ponies spoke and then passed one another in the alleyway as if their chance encounter was just that, he was pretty far away from them now, but even at this distance he caught this Night Light and Checkers conversation, just in time for Night Light to say. “Checkers, that's what you went with?”