Everyone looked at Twilight as they awaited for her to do or say something. She'd been stuck in the same position ever since lost and remained frozen in a state of catatonia for about ten minutes now. Her friends were starting to get worried about her, but they were also were getting annoyed at how juvenile and utterly ridiculous she was acting over a single loss at chess.
In fact, right now Pinkie was starting to believe that this was all a bad idea. She'd half expected for Twilight to have a little fit, but this was beyond her control. Even Victini, who was still invisible atop her head, couldn't bear the sight of this any longer.
Twilight stared wide eyed in shock with her mouth agape as she absorbed the single moment of absurdity laid out before her. Her brain went into overdrive and began to malfunction like a broken computer. She tried countless times over and over again to process the information given to her but it was of no use. She forced herself to refuse to accept defeat. It was all just a dream, she constantly told herself, or perhaps it was some kind of insane delusion fueled by a bad daffodil sandwich she ingested earlier that day.
She rubbed her eyes with her hooves, hoping that she was seeing everything wrong. But no matter how hard she rubbed the image never changed. The facts were all there on the table. Her white king had been knocked over by Pinkie's black knight. Pinkie still had fifteen pieces on the board while Twilight had none. It was plain and simple, just like that.
"But...bu-bu-bu.... bwuah?" Twilight babbled stupidly as a few strands of her mane popped out of her place "This... this can't be right! It can't be true, it just can't be!" she screamed, falling off of her seat and landing onto the floor of the bakery with an expression of abject horror plastered all over her. She assumed the fetal position, curling up into tight ball as she gently stroked her tail in an attempt to distance herself away from this horrid truth.
"It's okay, it's okay... this is just a dream that's all. Heh heh... just a horrible nightmare... In fact, I'm probably still in bed right now. I'm probably about to wake up right now!" she looked up, frowning upon seeing that she was still at Sugarcube Corner "I said I'm probably going to wake up now!" she shouted in exasperation before she began hyperventilating.
"Twilight, sugarcube! Breathe girl, breathe now!" Applejack yelled as she consoled the grief stricken alicorn. Her words did little to help Twilight as she began to mutter something about the end of days beneath her breathe. Applejack just put on blank expression and sighed at her friend's uncooperative ways "Oh, for crying out loud! Now you're just overreacting! So you lost, get over it!" apparently that seemed to get to Twilight as she immediately snapped back up and stared at Applejack square in the eye.
"I cannot get over it, Applejack! How could I, someone with over ten years of professional chess experience and a title to back said experience up, lose to someone whose just playing for the first time like... like... Pinkie!" Twilight yelled "This goes beyond everything that is right with this world!"
"No, this goes beyond your ability to function properly, dear. Now please, calm down and just admit that you lost. It'll be easier for you that way" Rarity chipped in "Losing is just another chance for you to win"
"But I don't lose, not at this!" Twilight whined.
"Sheesh, and I though I had pride issues..." Rainbow Dash whispered to Fluttershy, causing her to elicit a soft giggle.
"Why don't you try and do that thing you're always telling us to do" said Applejack "What was that again? Oh, yeah! Act rational you dunderhead!"
"Fine! Fine... I'll... I'll admit it..." Twilight conceded as she forced herself to speak such dreaded words "Pinkie... You wi- ahem, Pinkie, you wah... blech! Pinkeyouwin!" It was hard, but someway, somehow, she managed to swallow her pride and admit her defeat, even if it was kinda lackluster. She let out a deep breathe as the weight that was on her shoulder were lifted away. Although everyone couldn't help but notice her low grumblings of disdain. Everyone just rolled their eyes at that and moved on.
But after that little freakout, Twilight was looking in rough shape. Her hair was all raggedy, her eyes were red and puffy from bawling her eyes out, and her hooves were still shaking from experiencing such a traumatic event. Boy howdy was that incredibly hammy. Rarity had decided to help her out and took her to the little mare's room where she hoped to get her back to normal, or as normal as she could get. Ten minute later, she came back miraculously looking like new. But that still didn't stop her from complaining.
"Alright, now that that's over with, I must say Pinkie, you are quite the prodigy!" Rarity exclaimed, much to Twilight's dismay "For somepony who only played today, you managed to beat Twilight quicker than yours truly when I'm assembling a fall fashion line"
"I'll say. Even though I didn't know what was going on half the time" Rainbow admitted.
"Have you thought about going pro? You'd be the best that nopony ever was!" Fluttershy suggested, oblivious to the faint sound of grinding teeth in the background. Pinkie shook her head, she wasn't into that kind of thing.
"Oh no, that was a one time thing" said Pinkie "Besides, I have to work at the bakery anyhow"
"I just don't get it" Twilight joined in "How was it that you, a complete and total amateur, beat me? It doesn't make sense! Prodigies just don't show up all willy nilly like that. What your secret?" she prodded for information. Pinkie couldn't help but grin before bursting out into jovial laughter before her friends. The big reveal was on its way.
"Okay, you got me" she wiped away a tear from her eye "I had some help"
"WHAT!?" everyone recoiled from Twilight's second outburst "So you cheated!? Ha! I knew it! There was no way I could've actually lost in a fair game!" she exclaimed, feeling better than she should be.
"Well, yes and no, it's technically not cheating if you look at it from my angle" Pinkie replied coolly, shattering Twilight's high moment just like that "I really did beat you with my own two hooves, honest. But I had a friend help me to acquired it"
"Help you to acquire what, if you don't mind me asking?" said Fluttershy, curious of this friend of hers.
"Why... to acquire victory of course" Pinkie stated with a sly wink of her eye.
"Whuah? Acquire victory? How does that even work!?" Twilight asked.
"Believe me, I asked that myself. But really, to properly explain it to you, I'll have to introduce you to the guest of honor! Victini!" Pinkie exclaimed as she pulled out a stereotypical top hat "Everyone, please look inside and tell me if it is empty or not!"
"Oh, oh! I wanna see!" Rainbow smiled as she dashed on over and stuck her whole head "Yup. There's definitely nothing in there"
Everyone else gathered up to see the hat as well. Just like Rainbow had told everyone the hat was indeed empty. It was just a regular run of the mill hat. There was certainly nothing fishy about it, and that was what everyone thought was fishy about it.
"I don't get it, what does this have to do with the guest and winning?" Twilight asked, clearly annoyed of not knowing the answer to this bizarre turn of events.
"Who cares, I like where this is going!" Rainbow interjected "Come on! Let's get this how on the road!"
"I'm with Rainbow on this" said Fluttershy "This is getting exciting!"
"As you can see there is clearly nothing inside" said Pinkie as she placed the hat onto the ground and tapping it with a magic wand that she pulled out from her mane "For my trick, I will make a rabbit appear from out of thin air" she proclaimed, eliciting oohs and aahs from her little crowd "Behold and be astounded by the great and powerful Pinkie magical prowess!" she tapped upon the hat once more and to everyone's surprise, it gently glowed orange.
The warm glow was subdued at first, but that was before a wave of soft ember could been seen floating away from the open top. Slowly, the embers grew more and more intense as the room became warmer all of a sudden. Without warning, a spiral of flames beautifully and unexpectedly shot out from the hat, radiating its heat and causing the resulting ember sparks to float to the ground like petals of a cherry blossom tree. The whole room was now bathed in an reddish orange hue that just felt so... so peaceful and inviting to bask in.
Everyone was stunned by the jaw dropping performance that Pinkie was putting up. How she was doing it, they didn't care, it was just all to spectacular to ignore. Even Twilight had to admit that this was all amazing, but something in the back of her mind kept bugging her. Whatever it was, it could wait.
"Ladies and gentlecolts! I present to you! VICTINI!"
Upon the announcement, the hat was exploded like a bomb, obliterating it and reducing its entirety into char and burnt felt. From the ashes of the destroyed hat was a glowing ball of light that shone within the spiral of fire. Everyone held their hooves up to avert their gaze from the flash. Soon, the light died out and what they saw floating above Pinkie made them gasp with intrigue.
Victini hovered beside Pinkie, his ears glowing orange with power as he huffed out a small flickering flame. He then waved both his hands down and snuffed out the flames that was his backdrop. With a great big adorable smile and much excitement, he flashed everyone the victory symbol and spun around in a playful manner. He winked to everyone and properly introduced himself.
"Tini, tini, tini!"