Check Mate is Best Pony

by DayDrifter75

Like a Snake in the Grass... Erm- Stone

The steady clopping of hooves echoed throughout the empty plains as Check Mate trotted along the singular path leading straight through the field towards Canterlot. There was not much else in terms of scenery, other than the gravel path and grass. Occasionally a few birds would appear and glide along beside the man-pony, happily twittering their little songs before their little birdy lungs got decimated by Check Mate's powerful fists. Other than that, his trip towards the mountain was relatively quiet.

"Are we there yet?"

Aside from the three children that had decided to pester him. Check Mate reached behind himself and grabbed onto the scruff of the young unicorn filly that decided it was a good idea to constantly jump on his back for a ride. He looked the filly in the eye and said, "No," before placing her on the ground to walk with her two other friends. "Must thee ask the same question every ten seconds, knave?" he asked without breaking his pace or looking anywhere other than forward.

The white would have answered had the one with the bow not interrupted to ask, "What's a knave? Is it some sort of fruit? Like an apple?"

The winged pony quickly interjected. "No way, it's probably an awesome weapon!"

Check Mate grunted before responding. "It is what grown ups call annoying young children such as thyselves." He turned to his left to look at the orange girl that he had dubbed 'Kiwi', due to the girl's inability to fly, even though she had wings. "That remindeth me, where art thine parents? I do not enjoy thine company in the slightest and would suggest that thou return to thy parents immediately," said Check Mate.

The three fillies zipped in front of him and began trotting backwards at precisely the same pace as both himself and each other, perfectly in sync.

"Our older sisters are watching us today," said the white one that Check Mate decidedly named 'Margaret'. He thought it fit. As did he think his nickname for the southern-accented yellow pony.

"They said we can go crusadin' wherever we want as long as we don't go gettin' hurt or somethin'," said 'Apple Bow'.

"And we sure won't get hurt walking, right girls?" Kiwi asked. She looked to her left at her two companions in time to see Margaret trip backwards over a rock and land flat on her face. The rest of the group stopped to stare at her for a moment before she answered.

"Yeah, walking. Can't get hurt doing that..."

Check Mate and Apple Bow looked to Kiwi, who simply shrugged in response.

"The point is," she said, "We can go wherever it is you're going. We don't need any adults. They're okay with us because we're big ponies."

---

Meanwhile, in front of a fairly large farm back in Ponyville...

"Consarn it Apple Bloom, where are you? You're supposed 'ta be doin' chores today!"

An orange stetson-wearing mare was wandering about and yelling, searching for her missing younger sister. She had just come back from searching one of the nearby orchards and was returning to the barn for a short break. Trotting toward the door, however, she happened upon a small note attached firmly to the door with what looked to be several badly hammered in nails.

"Out Crusadin'. Will be back by dinner. Maybe. Signed..." Her eyes flared up. "APPLE BLOOM!"

---

"Yeah," Apple Bow muttered, "perfectly okay with us goin' out on our own."

Soon enough, the horse-man and three fillies came to a full stop. The area that they had arrived at transitioned quickly from an open field to a dark and looming forest. It was tough to see anything under the shade of the trees that seemed to have grown so unnaturally and wildly. It was—

"The Everfree Forest," the girls whispered to themselves, continuing to smile.

"The Everfire say-what-now?" Check Mate asked.

Margaret was the one that decided to answer for him. "The Everfree Forest!" she exclaimed, jumping up in front of his face, almost too close for his own comfort.

"And what, pray tell, may that be?"

"It's the scariest forest in Equestria," stated Kiwi. "The plants grow without ponies planting them, the animals all take care of themselves and the weather isn't controlled by Pegasi. It's all unnatural and creepy."

Chek Mate stared at her as if she was joking. He knew for an absolute fact that that was exactly what a normal forest was. Animals, plants, weather all acting on their own without any assistance, but the look on the young girl's face said otherwise. He decided not to question it. Things like that did not matter. He needed to collect his pieces and return to his home. That was all that mattered to him. Questioning the logic of three fillies would not get him any closer to completing his quest.

Whatever the case, he decided it best to enter the forest. There was not to be a single rock overturned if he were to find his pieces. He continued on at a normal pace, simply trotting into the Everfree without a care. Though the girls had expressed ponies' concerns about the forest, it seemed like they themselves did not believe in the rumours of danger. They continued to follow Check Mate without hesitation or worry, which was not exactly what he was hoping they would do.

The group of four cantered into the dense overgrowth the forest provided, all light beginning to drain from the world around them, and the cheery chirping of birds fading out of existence. The forest introduced them to the sounds of the true wilderness; wild and untamed. But such atmosphere did not deter the little ponies (and one large man-stallion) from continuing forth.

Margaret hopped back onto her favourite spot on Check Mate's back, spinning around a few times before sitting down comfortably.

"You still haven't told us what you're looking for, or told us your name," she stated.

"That is correct," Check Mate responded blankly, letting the statement hang in silence.

Margaret raised an eyebrow and said, "Sooo... You should tell us. You know, so we can get to know each other!" She climbed up onto his left shoulder (The one where his rook piece would normally stand), and smiled intently at him. "I'm Sweetie Belle! They're Scootaloo and Apple Bloom." The two came up from either side of him and 'Sweetie Belle' —Margaret— motioned to each as she told him their real names.

Check Mate did not look at either of them, though he did respond. "I am Check Mate. I am the greatest wrestler in the entire world. I feel no pain and cannot be hurt, for I doth be perfect. And to tell thee what I am questing for, I seek my two missing chess pieces that grant me the power to change forms. I must find mine rook and king pieces and return home from this world."

Apple Bloom's eyes grew very wide, along with her smile. "Wow! You can't feel pain! That's really neat. Does this hurt?" She bucked one of his front legs as hard as she could, which wasn't really all that hard. But if it were actually hard like the bucks of one of her siblings, it would have elicited the same response from the man.

"No."

"What about this?" Scootaloo took a running start before leaping forward and bashing her head into his side. Still trotting, his body did not budge.

"No.

"What about—" Sweetie Belle was cut off before she could suggest another way to hurt Check Mate. He raised his hand to signal for her silence. They were in front of a giant ruined castle, probably the very same one that Apple Bloom and Sweetie Belle's sisters and their friends fought the dreaded Nightmare Moon. At least, that's what they thought from the stories they were told. The entire place was crumbling apart, pillars toppled over and archways caved in on themselves; the place was a right mess.

But Check Mate paid no heed to the decaying infrastructure, as there was only one thing on his mind. And that thing was sitting in front of him. An oversized chess piece stood firmly in front of the entrance to the castle. It was a rook that looked almost as if it was made out of sandstone.

Check Mate silently walked towards it reaching out with one arm, bewildered at the sight of his missing piece.

GRRRRRROOOOOOAAAAAAAAAAAARRRRRRRRRRR!

The ground began to shake violently. A few stones began to fall down, pillars toppling over all around him. The three fillies that had decided to act as temporary companions stumbled about before falling over. Sweetie Belle screamed.

"Aaaaahhhhhhh!"

A large chunk of the castle decided it would be best to detach itself from its previous resting place and leap off, hurling itself toward the ground and towards the Cutie Mark Crusaders. Check Mate turned his head, slightly curious as to what the girl's scream was about. He saw the chunk of stone plummeting downwards. It would be a great relief for his stalkers to be crushed. That way he would not have to deal with them any more. It seemed profitable, but then he remembered that he was supposed to be a good guy. After his loss to Kid Muscle, Check Mate made a vow to dedicate his life to being not bad. Unfortunately for him, that meant he had to do extra work to help those other than himself.

CRASH!

The sound of stone smashing against stone rattled through the air. Check Mate had managed to gallop at top speed to the fillies and snatch the three up in his very muscular arms and place them out of harms way. He turned back to try and find the chess piece he sought, only to find it rising out of the ground somehow. Raising above him was a strange creature, something he had never seen before. The monster's height came not from being tall, but from its length. It was a giant serpent, rising out of the ground, slowly. It had a scaly purple body with a pink head in the shape of an elongated dome. It seemed to have a red collar made possibly out of fur. It didn't matter what it was made out of though, Check Mate could not see it. The beast's mouth burst open into three pieces, revealing three long black tendrils that wriggled and writhed about as it screeched.

GRAAAAAAAAHHHHHHH!

"Ah, forsooth! A challenge I see before me! Prepare thyself, creature, for you face the might of Check Mate, greatest wrestler in the world!"

Comments

[JeckParadox]

I love this story.