The mare was indeed angry at Gas, she didn’t hear the voices of the little crusaders, and the only thing that her head was processing was: he’s a bad guy. And in a sense, she was right, Gas was a bad guy, doing what he done in the last reunion and how he reacted at the Twilight Sparkle’s brother. Now, he was with the Cutie Mark Crusaders, three troublesome kids with a tendency of always attracting problems, and Gas was the problem they had attracted this time… or maybe it was Rainbow Dash?
“Well, this must be my time to go to the…” he turned around, trying to walk away, but the mare speed in air was incredible “How can I help you, Rainbow… Day?”
“It’s Dash, Rainbow Dash!”
“Yeaaaaah, but, before you say anything; aren’t Rarity and Applejack worried about their children?” he asked, but the most comical thing was that, he believed that Rarity and Applejack were the crusader’s parents, or at least two of them.
“They aren’t their parents, they… what I am talking with you about that?” she asked herself “What were you doing with them?”
“We told you, Rainbow Dash. He was just playing with us and trying to help us finding our special talent.” Scootaloo tried to protect the masked stallion.
“Yeah!” Apple Bloom commented “He’s a good guy!”
“Girls, please, there is no problem.” Gas said “You are good girls, so please, don’t be worried about me, I have a terrible luck, and a terrible writ… I mean, fate, so, let me end this right now” he look at Rainbow Dash.
“What are you looking at, jerk?”
“I am just looking at a mare that should be right now with her friends, telling them that their children are safe and they were just playing around, if you want, you can tell them that you were playing with them at… I don’t know, the moment that you were trying to finding them?” he started to thinking “Meh, that would have worked if you had been searching for them earlier. Anyway, please, let me go in peace and I promise that you will never see my face around here.”
“I wish I could agree to that, but, Twilight told me that Princess Celestia is calling you.”
“Wait… what?”
Valhalla Castle
The most surprised pony after this notice was Twilight Sparkle; she didn’t believe that her teacher, Princess Celestia, was calling that stallion named Gas. She wasn’t expecting that “How can I help you, Celestia?” he asked “Right now I should be at home… or trying to get drunk.”
“Gas, I don’t want to bother you, but, can you please try to use the princess when you are speaking with her.”
“No.” he answered without thinking twice “She might be a princess, but I call her like I want, so, please, don’t bother me.” He changes his vision to the two princesses “Please, my time is vodka.”
“Gas, do you know where Scarlet Nightmare is?” Celestia asked nicely, without getting upset for the treatment she received from the masked hero.
“My little Scarlet… I miss her so much, we don’t know where she is, and the only thing that we know is that you are her doctor, can you tell us anything that could help us?” Sonne asked with some preoccupation in her voice, indeed she was the one who always loved her little ponies.
“I don’t know anything that could help you. Last time I had a nice chat with her was before that particularly beautiful dinner. And our chat was so nice that she kicked me in the jaw.” he sighed “She was only trying to get here and talk to Sonne. Wether she managed or to accomplish what she wanted, well, I feel sorry, but It ain’t my problem.”
“Wasn’t she your patient?” Twilight Sparkle asked.
“Indeed, she was my patient, but she’s not my patient anymore, so, she is no my problem anymore either.” He looked at the two goddess “So, deal with you own problems, because I am nothing more than another unlucky bastard here.”
“I understand. But, before you go, do you want to play a little game with my precious student Twilight Sparkle?” she asked nicely, Twilight blinked after she heard what “It is just a simple chess game.”
“Okay, I don’t have a problem with that kind of game, I like chess, but I promise you,” he looked at Twilight Sparkle “this will end soon.” Twilight’s face showed her interest at having a great challenge, or maybe that’s why she thought that, she was a great champion of chess since she was a little girl, the only one who could smash her on the ground was Princess Celestia.
Gas played first with the white ones. In only two moves Twilight managed to win the game “Well, I gotta go home.”
“Wait!” Twilight Sparkle yelled “Why did you let me win the game?” she asked, everypony was surprised, except of course for the two princesses, they already knew what was happening “That was the Fool’s Mate, the quickest way to end a chess game.”
“What are you talking about; I lost because I am bad in chess.”
“You are lying. I demand another game.” Gas sighed after hearing those words “I can believe that a doctor lost a simple game of chess with the most popular way to win newbie players.”
“Okay, but under one condition.”
“And what is that condition?”
“You must answer some questions, history and magic, those questions are really simple-well, for me they were a hell-“
“I don’t have problems with questions like that, I would be glad to answer them”
“Good, well, white or black?”
“Black.”
Gas make his first move “In the Griffon Civil War some evidence was found which involves Equestria in some dealings, can you tell me which are them?”
“Supplies and medicine.” When she answered, she moved another piece. Gas didn’t care to tell if the question was right or not.
“Nice, in the first book of magic, who was its writer and the spell, them, tell me what was his first use of that spell.”
“Aztarof Sky, creator of the teleporting spell. He managed to deal with economic problems and made better options in terms of transportation of objects, but not anypony could use it.”
"You are a nice player, by the way. Who painted "Goodbye My Lady" and what is the meaning behind it?"
"Sir Puffly Tail painted it. He symbolized his farwel to her goddess, Princess Luna. The next day he was found dead, the causes are still unkown. Novels have been inspired from this painting and changed ever since. By the way, thank you."
"Why was Luna sealed in the moon?"
"Because her jealousy created an evil creature named herself Nightmare Moon who represented a threat to Equestria, claiming she wanted to submerge it into eternal darkness; in other words, she wanted to bring an eternal night"
“Well, this game is nearing its end.”
“Indeed, was quite interesting.”
“Well, before I move, let me ask you something, you are happy being Celestia’s student?”
“More than happy, without her, probably I would be another unicorn with a normal magic level” Gas sighed “Something wrong?”
The stallion didn’t answered, he only moved one piece “Checkmate.” the place was completely in silence, Twilight Sparkle couldn’t believe what she heard, she was watching any position, but, indeed, was a checkmate, Gas was the second pony to defeat Twilight Sparkle in a simple game of chess.
“How?” she asked, still amused.
“Hmm? I only won because I was lucky, nothing more than that… and the answers… well, I give you a 3 out of 10.”
“Why a 3 out of 10!? I gave you all the right answers!”
“Indeed, but those answers were incomplete and one of them was incorrect. Please, the next time that you answer something, do it completely.” He sighed, he turned around and started to walk towards the exit.
“Wait.” Celestia said “It’s the first time I’ve seen anypony wining against my faithful student in chess… are you interested in a match against me?” Gas stopped and looked at Celestia.
“Ok, Celestia, but only one more and no more problems, ok?”
“I promise you that, but, with only one condition.”
“And that is?”
“If you lose, you will show me your face.”
“Ok.”
The game started, Celestia was using the white ones and Gas the black ones, he was just there, sitting in his chair, watching Celestia’s first move while he was using that Pony Ranger costume. Few turns passed, and one of Gas’s moves surprised everypony, not for being incredible, but for being incredibly risky and “Moving your king is not always a good idea.”
“A leader must be in front of his people, if he tries to protect himself with his soldiers, he is nothing more than a coward.” Gas’s words were interesting, because Celestia’s king was well protected by her pieces. Was it an indirect or only what he thought? Anyway, the game was quite interesting, five minutes pasted and they didn’t lose one of their pieces… They seemed to be preparing for the real game. Gas moved one of his pieces, making a smile come from Celestia “Bad move.”
“Indeed, it was a bad move, but, meh.” nopony was talking about this, they were only watching the game, first time that a pony could survive 15 minutes with Princess Celestia before losing the field.
“You are quite interesting, Gas. Do you have a master?”
“Nope, my master is dead.”
“Sorry for making you remember something like that”
“Nah, I thank you instead, you reminded me something about him and his moves in chess.”
“He was good?”
“The best, that bastard was the best chess player. I couldn’t defeat him, and he was too damn good.”
“I wish I could have played with him, then…”
He didn’t respond about that, he was just thinking.
“Is there any problem, Gas?”
“…Hmmm? Sorry, I was thinking about one move…” if he wasn’t wearing that helmet, anypony could have seen a smile on his face “Well, let’s do this.” After those words, he moved one piece.
“Interesting move, but is too reckless.”
“Maybe, but, hey, this game is fun.” the stallion started to moves his legs, like he was using all the energy he has in those legs.
“Check.” After hearing that, Gas moved another piece “Gas, can you tell me how old you are?”
“I have more than 30… I think, I don’t remember my birthday… if I had one. The kids in the orphanage always create they own birthdays.”
“You’re adopted?”
“Kind off, if I had a father, he would be my bastard master.”
Half-hour had passed, the game was in his peak, this was the longest game Celestia had ever had in years, but it was clear that Celestia was winning once again “I think this is the end, Gas.”
“Indeed… Celestia, would you like a Tie or a Win?”
“Of course I would rather win! A tie is not always a good choice, much less if we are talking about chess” He sighed and moved another piece.
“Checkmate. Now, I will go home” Celestia was shocked, this was the first time in millenniums that she had lost a chess game, Twilight Sparkle believe believe what she was seeing.
“How… The Chinese Dragon Mate!?” first time she yelled “But…” she couldn’t believe what she was seeing, that was a Mate created by a Chinese Dragon, an old friend of Celestia, the first and only one that could defeat her in chess with a move that you couldn’t predict, unless you knew it in the right moment, but she wasn’t prepared for that move “Gas!” she yelled again, it was the first time that she broke her composure in a long time. Sonne was amused, for two specials reasons.
“If you want another game, no thanks, you promised that you wouldn’t bother me again, and I need to get home… Goddamit, I can’t believe that old bastard’s move works…” he murmured for himself.
“Wait…” she returned to be like she is always “Gas, please, can you tell me who taught you that move?”
“That is not important, the dude that taught me that trick is now buried in the ground, I buried him with my own hooves.” After those words, he left.
“Princess Celestia… how could he… and what is the Chinese Dragon Mate?” she looked at the chess table, but she couldn’t understand that kind of move, the only thing that she could see was something like… “Oh, this looks like astronomy, and its looks like a Chinese Dragon, I get it!” she was amused “Fist time that I see this move, I need to learn how something like this is possible.”
“Twilight Sparkle, my precious student and my little ponies, can you please call Gas again? I need to talk to him about some important matters” they were confused after hearing that. In a few minutes, the room was empty except for the two goddesses.
“How could that bastard have managed to defeat you?” Sonne asked.
“Remember, we lose against that exact same move and the only one who knew it millenniums ago. We saw his corpse.”
“But how could have that masked bastard known it?”
“I do not know, but we need to ask him.”
“If he doesn’t answer, we punish him... Or maybe he is just a genius.”
“No, a genius he is not, but he knows more than it seems. We must know who he is and how he knows this much. He could represent a serious threat to our plans…” After those words, five minutes passed, Twilight Sparkle entered to the room running.
“Princess Celestia, Princess Sonne, we can’t seem to find Gas anywhere!”
Dawn of The Moon Cavern
“I need a drink… I must… wait… what that hell!?” he yelled at the moment when he saw the ground, it wasn’t the ground of a castle… or even Valhalla “Where the hell I am!?”
“Hey you, asshole!”
“That voice… and that swearing… Red-Red?” that indeed was Scarlet Nightmare with the rebels and Garnet.
“Cool, a dragon.”
“Are not you surprised?” Garnet asked.
“Nah, I don’t fear dragons, they look more normal to me than ponies… anyway, can I ask you something? Where the heck I am?”
“Greetings, Mr. Gas,” Kalut’s waved “my name is Kalut and you are in the Dawn of The Moon base, we are rebels.”
“Oh my god, that is a freaking griffon or a freaking pony!?” he yelled with fear.
“You are not afraid of dragons, but you scream in horror when you see a half griffon?” she asked nicely.
“Nah, I’ve seen too many things in my life; I was kidding. By the way, why the hell I am here?”
“Before we answer that, who was your master? No one in millenniums has defeated Celestia in a chess game, you must be a genius.” Gas started to laugh.
“Dude, I am not a genius, I suck in math and I won’t talk about my grammar, I don’t know how the hell I finished my studies but I can tell you this, I won that game because Aaron taught me that move.” Garnet blinked at that name.
“Aaron… that is the name of a master… The greatest master of knowledge and arts. The Chinese Dragon, Aaron.“
“Weird name for a Chinese, though.”
“But, I thought he passed away.”
“Indeed, he passed away few years, like I said, I buried him after I… forget about that, and the thing is, why the heck I am in this place?”
“Incredible… Aaron was alive… and he taught you… I have so many questions for you and your knowledge,” Gas sighed deeply “Oh, sorry, you are here because you are a special pony for os. Arc, the pony with the special talent of probabilities says that you are a 40% for winning the war… and we have 40% right now, with you, we are 80% for freeing Princess Luna!” after hearing this explanation, Gas started to laugh, but this time, really hard.
“What is so funny, you freak?” Scarlet asked, but them, Kalut looked at her with a deadly gaze.
“I am only a 5%, my lady;” they took a deep breath after hearing this “the other 35% must be referring to the Endless Book, a book that has every existent and not existent spell. You must be looking for one if you want to free Luna.”
“Yes, that’s the one! Do you have it!?” Kel asked, she was so happy about hearing that they could free Luna with a spell.
“Nope, I left that book in my old house… or hell, Dragon’s End, the realm of dragons.”
“Dragon’s End… I have never heard about that place.” Garnet commented.
“Because you are alive, Dragon’s End is a place that only the dead know about… Oh, and few living, if can consider them living things, but that is not the point. The easiest way to go to that place is dying… and the other one is walking through hell itself.”