//------------------------------// // The Flaw in Checkmate's Plan // Story: The Four Horsemen of Equestria // by CaleMcManus21 //------------------------------// Jack slowly came to and found himself lying on Fluttershy's bed. His vest and shirt were removed and there was a bloodstained bandage wrapped around his waist. Remy was sitting on a rocking chair eating salad. "We found you half dead on Fluttershy's kitchen floor" he said after swallowing a mouthful of salad. "Fluttershy... Is she ok?" Jack asked. "She's ok. Right now she's being comforted by Chase and Cale. Plus a mare named Rarity cleaned the bloodstain on your vest and shirt." Jack sat up and groaned in pain. "Where was Fluttershy?" He asked. "We found her hiding and scared in her closet" Remy answered. There was a knock on the door and I came in, with a bowl of salad. "Hey, how's it going?" I asked. "I got shot" Jack answered with an unamused look on his face. "That'll heal" I said as I sat on the floor. "Don't worry. We're going to eliminate every single human who dares tries to take over Equestria" I assured. "Damn right we will" Chase said as he entered the room. "Wait a minute, who's watching Fluttershy?! She's probably still scared and--" "Relax" Chase said, cutting him off. "Princess Luna is down there comforting her." Jack sighed with relief. "So what's going to happen now?" "We wait for a friend of ours, you tells us what this Checkmate and Sir Prize are planning, and we go for it" I answered as I took a bite out of my salad. "This is good by the way." Just then, the door opened and Princess Luna entered the room. I put my bowl down and bowed as did the other three. Jack just bowed his head. What surprised him is that Princess Celestia entered the room as well. "This is an important matter" she said before he could say anything. "Yeah, normally she wouldn't be here at this time, but this situation we are in right now, let's important to discuss" Remy explained. "So Jack. What's their play?" "They plan to raid Canterlot" he answered. "Not only that, he's allowing us to stop them but we can't use the Horsemen's power or he'll execute Princess Celestia." "That's simple. We barge in with the rings, and kill Checkmate." "That won't do" Princess Luna said. "Checkmate is a brilliant strategist." "She's right. Even if you approach my castle nonchalantly, Checkmate would know whether or not you're hiding the rings. And be careful, he can predict the moves of his opponents before they are even made." "Now we got two opponents" Jack said. "Checkmate and Sir Prize." Princess Celestia gasped at the latter name. "He's working with Sir Prize?" She asked. "What can you tell us about him?" Remy asked as he put his bowl of salad aside. "I raised him like he was my real son. I trained him to be the perfect prince so he could be the next heir to Canterlot. Unfortunately he used this as an advantage and turned into a power hungry individual." "She then sent him back to his home world, never to be seen again" Princess Luna said. "But there was something I forgot to do" she said sorrowfully. "I forgot to erase his knowledge of magic." "Shit!" Chase yelled. "What kind of stallion would want us to...." He stopped for a moment. "He's up to something. There is more to this plot." He began to pace the room. "There is a human hiding the fact that he knows magic, there's a pony out there who has the same mind as Sherlock Holmes, and that pony wants us to go against them powerless?!" I began to pace the room and thought this through. "Jack, what were Checkmate's rules for stopping him?" "He said that we can't stop him wearing the rings. That means we can't have the armor nor the power of immortality the ring grants us." I stopped pacing and turned to him. "Say that again?" I asked. "He said that we can't stop him while we have the armor nor the power of immortality." I grinned at this. "There is a flaw in his plan" I said happily. "What doth thou mean, Cale?" Princess Luna asked. "He said we can't wear the rings, right?" I asked. "Yes" Chase said with a confused look. "But he didn't say can't barge into Canterlot on horseback wielding our weapons." I turned to Princess Celestia. "Now i know you're probably forbidden to do this but can you give us magic powers? He didn't say we can use magic against him." Princess Celestia thought for a moment. "Cale you're a genius!" Chase shouted. "No, it's just common sense" Remy said as he crossed his arms. "He just beat me to what I had to say." 'No you didn't' he mouthed to me as he shook his head. 'I know' I mouthed back. "Actually I can" Princess Celestia said. Chase's excitement began to grow inside him. "Jack, when did Checkmate say the raid will start?" "In two nights" he answered. "Perfect. That's all I need" she said. "I shall start researching the magic for for you." "Dearest sister" Princess Luna began. "I have readeth about the Horsemen. I suggest thee you find the magic that bests fits them." Chase lost it. "Yeah! We're getting magic that doesn't follow Checkmate's rules! That pony is going to hell for good! And so is that son of a bitch Sir Prize fucker!" Without thinking, he hugged Princess Luna and then Princess Celestia. Realizing what he had done, he gasped and stepped back, cleared his throat and walked to a corner. Princess Celestia thought for a minute. "Now that you mention it, my dearest sister, I might have just the thing. Wait here." She teleported out of the room. When she came back, she had a book levitated with her. Now I can't grant you the magic teachings I have trained Sir Prize to do, but I can grant you magic fit for your Horsemen colors" she said as she flipped through the pages. "Wait a minute. Colors?" Jack asked. Princess Celestia stopped flipping through the book and showed us a page. I approached the book for a better look. I liked what I read. "Red, white, black, and pale. This is perfect" I said with a smile. "What is it?" Remy asked. "She's giving us magic that fit our colors." I took the book from its magic hold and read them aloud. "Red- Fire White- Light Black- Shadow Pale- Fog" "And we don't need the rings for these?" Chase said with a wide smile. "I love it already!" "But there's a catch to this" I said. "If any of us has any kind of restraint, we can't use them. So don't get caught." "I'm not going to grant these powers to you tonight though" Princess Celestia said calmly. "That's ok. In two nights, give us everything we need. We'll wait patiently. Now if you'll excuse me, goodnight" Chase walked out of the room. "Sometimes I don't understand him" Remy said as he picked up his bowl of salad and left the room. "I shall counting watching the night" Princess Luna said as she teleported out of the room. Princess Celestia turned to Jack. "Will you be ok to stop the madness like that?" "Don't worry Your Highness. This wound won't stop me from protecting you." I saw her blush a little. "How about you, Cale? How do you feel about this?" "Great. Knowing about the flaws in the plan and our way to retaliate with a plan of our own, I'm ready to take the son of a bitch down." Princess Celestia smiled at my confidence and teleported out of the room. "We're going to win this" Jack said with confidence." "I know we will" I said as I picked up my bowl of salad. I walked over to the door. "Shall I tell Fluttershy that you're ok?" "Please" he answered. I nodded and left the room. Jack leaned back and stared at the ceiling. 'I think I'm in love' he thought to himself. He shook his head. 'No, no, no, I can't jump into conclusions like that' he thought. He then closed his eyes and slept.