//------------------------------// // Chapter One // Story: A Classy Game of Chess // by Lunatone //------------------------------// Rainbow Dash stood in front of the Golden Oak Library. Letting a murmur escape her lips, she glanced down at her saddlebag; several posters jutted out from it, and a couple of old Daring Do novels weighed it down. Hoping to snag the newly-released Daring Do novel, she went to the local bookstore, but they’d told her that every single copy had already been sold. In retaliation, she bought all the posters pertaining to the new novel in hopes that it would enrage other customers. Now her only chance was Twilight. She definitely had to have it. It’d be a load of horse apples if she didn’t. Taking a deep breath, Rainbow knocked on the door, though the rhythmic action was interrupted by a voice within. “You don’t need to knock, you know. This is a public library,” came Twilight’s voice. “Heh, right... silly me,” Rainbow said, pushing through to the Ponyville Library, after which she made her way to the bookshelf labelled “D”. Twilight was writing something on her desk, but she averted her attention to her friend. “Hey, Rainbow Dash. How’s it going?” “Not good. Say, do you have the new Daring Do novel that just came out today?” Rainbow subconsciously placed her saddlebag on the ground while she continued to search the shelf. “I uh...” Twilight rubbed the back of her head and looked away. Darn. I knew she would ask that. “Well, do you?” Rainbow tilted her head as she waited for a response. “You see, the thing is...” “Go on.” “Somepony signed it out an hour ago. It won’t be back until next Wednesday. I’m sorry, Rainbow Dash.” “What?” Rainbow pulled Twilight in, their noses touching. The look on Twilight’s face was horrified while the look on Rainbow’s face was absurdly ludicrous and shocked. “How is this possible? How could you let this happen?” The pegasus shook Twilight crazily while keeping her eyes on her. “Do you have any idea what you’ve done‽” Twilight teleported away from Rainbow’s hold, reappearing in the relative safety near the staircase. Stars orbited her head, her eyes swirled all over the place, her hooves shook, and her mane was a mess. Within five seconds, she collapsed to the ground. Eventually, Twilight picked herself up and asked, “What in Equestria are you talking about, Rainbow Dash?” “I’m talking about how you let some bozo sign out the book. It just came out, and it’s already gone! Didn’t you read it?” The pegasus crept closer to her friend, though, this time, without the wild behaviour. “Of course I did. It was the first thing that I did this morning...what’s gotten into you, Rainbow Dash? You seem...tense.” Of course she was tense. Usually she would be the first one to lay hoof on a newly released Daring Do novel, but by the time she got to the bookstore, a line of ponies a mile long were already waiting. It was cider season all over again. Now she desperately wanted to read the latest tale of Daring Do. That’s all. “Don’t you mean tender?” Rainbow asked. What are you a bozo? How can you be tender? Sometimes, I wonder... “Huh? I don’t understand the question,” Twilight said, looking dazed. She put a hoof on her friend’s shoulder. “Look, Rainbow Dash, I know you’re anxious to read the new novel, but think about it: It’ll be returned next week, which means you can take it home to read. But until then, you have to wait.” Rainbow pulled back from her friend’s touch. Then she sat near her saddlebag, looked at her friend. Sighed. “Yeah, yeah, you’re right. Sorry about overreacting like that. I just get so damn excited about something like this, you know?” “I get it. No need to be sorry, Rainbow Dash.” Twilight's eye wandered off to the rolled up scrolls in Rainbow’s saddle bag. Raising a hoof towards the saddlebags, she asked, “What’s that?” “Oh, these?” Rainbow slid the bag out of her reach and grabbed the posters with her teeth, then set them down. “Well, you know how I totally love anything to do with the Daring Do series?” Twilight nodded. “Well, I decided to buy all of the posters for the newest book since I wasn’t able to get an actual copy. Thought it would be better than not getting it. Wanna see some of them?” “Alright, sure.” Twilight joined her friend, which put a smile on Rainbow’s face. Twilight unraveled the posters with her magic and spread them out on the floor. They were magnificent, to say the least. “Talk about artsy,” they both said at the same time, after which there came a laugh from the two ponies. “Did that seriously just happen?” Rainbow asked, a tittering built up in her throat. “I guess it did,” Twilight said. “So, listen. As much as I like spending time with one of my best friends, I have to get back to writing a letter to Princess Celestia. Do you mind?” Rainbow shook her head. “Not at all. Do what you gotta do. Mind if I stay here?” “You can stay here as long as you want.” A smile crossed the Twilight’s face. “Just give me thirty or so minutes and I’ll be done.” “Sure thing,” Rainbow said, turning her attention to the posters laid out flat. Twilight took a deep breath and went back to her desk, after which she leaned forward in writing mode. Fifteen or so minutes later, Rainbow could be found twiddling her hooves around, waiting patiently for Twilight to finish writing her letter. She wondered what Twilight was writing about, and, more specifically, why she was writing it so intensely. The question of what was going through the her mind intrigued the pegasus, to say the least. Then Twilight giggled. I wonder what’s going through that savvy head of hers, Rainbow thought. Could she be laughing at my crazy reaction earlier? Nah, it can’t be that. Twilight sensed that she was being watched, so she peeked at her friend. “Rainbow, you’re distracting me. Please don’t stare at me. You’re making me very tense.” “Right, sorry. My bad,” Rainbow said. She looked away. Twilight, dunking her quill in the inkwell, resumed her writing. In a way, Rainbow kind of found Twilight to be adorkable when she wrote with such intensity. The way she had a quill in her magic, the way she inscribed her text on a parchment, and the way she had her tongue sticking out of her mouth as she tried to concentrate, all gave Rainbow the more reason to find her “adorkable”. Without even knowing, Rainbow let a loud sigh creep pass her mouth—because of the thoughts that were sailing around in her head—which unintentionally disrupted Twilight. Twilight dropped the quill and shook her head at Rainbow’s impatience. “I’m almost done, Rainbow Dash. Just a few more minutes, okay?” “Yeah, yeah, hurry up, please,” Rainbow blurted out. She didn’t mean it. Twilight went back to her adamant task. There was a clock in the room, and it was driving Rainbow bonkers to say the least; the obnoxious noise of the clock’s ticking only fuelled her impatience even more, making her more wildly susceptible to madness. Rainbow kept moving around, as if she had ants in her fur, unable to sit still. She really craved Twilight’s attention, but she couldn’t have it now, which made her even more impatient. Stupid clock. If I could, I’d smash that thing to pieces! Tick-tock, tick-tock... The clock still clicked, and Rainbow slowly lost her mind. “Are you done yet?” Rainbow yelled, eager to break the tense silence. She lay flat on the floor, her hooves and body all twisted out of sheer boredom. “Yeah, yeah, cool your feathers,” Twilight said, quickly jotting down a few more words before rolling the letter up. “About time.” “Hey, it was a very important letter and I had to concentrate.” “Yeah, yeah, same as always. So what you wanna do?” Rainbow got up from the floor, a smile marking her face. “How about we play a board game? Maybe it’ll help clear your head from Daring Do,” Twilight said. “Okay, what do you have in mind?” “How about chess? Unless you’re not up for the challenge. I mean, we can always play snakes and ladders if you’re up for something easier.” A grin crossed Twilight's face as she focused her attention to her friend. “Now, wait just a second.” Rainbow forged the most friendly yet intimidating expression possible, and she aimed it at Twilight. “Do you really think I’d pass on a challenge? Besides, I’m one of the best chess players out there.” Twilight’s facial nuances twitched because of the tittering that was building in her throat. Then she said, “You’re bluffing.” “Wanna bet?” “I bet you don’t even know how to formulate a strategy in a game of chess.” Twilight walked toward a shelf with several board games atop, and she then pulled a chess set off it. Rainbow crossed her hooves, her arrogant smirk still on her face. “Of course I do. It’s all about speed and eliminating the nearest piece.” “You sure about that?” Twilight placed the set on a nearby table, opened the box, and placed the board down. With her magic, she then placed the pieces on the correct squares. Rainbow gulped down a mouthful of air, then said, “Couldn’t be more sure.” “Well, then, shall we play?” “You’re on, Twilight. Get ready to lose.”