4. Qxf7#
It felt like the whole Empire had gathered to watch their game.
Cozy could have laughed at that. They were all coming to see a farce, to witness Flurry wrap her in swaddling clothes and gently carry her to victory. Honestly, she wouldn't have minded if she'd manipulated the princess into doing that, but it left a pit in her stomach knowing she didn't have control over this.
The final game was going to be a best of three, which meant that it was probably going to end in two matches. "May the best player win," Flurry said as she took her seat.
"Uh huh, you too." Cozy sat down across from her. The coin flip had given her the first move, and so Cozy opened by moving her king's pawn forward. Flurry responded with queen's bishop's pawn, and the game began in earnest.
Considering all the words that had been said before, the game was surprisingly even, as both mares traded pieces and positional advantages, with neither getting the upper hoof deep into the mid-game.
And then, it happened. Flurry moved her knight into a position to bait out a capture from Cozy's queen. They could both see that if Cozy took the bait, she would lose the queen three turns later, but would then be able to trap Flurry's king in a checkmate five moves after that.
It was a perfect throw, and none would be any wiser to what had happened.
Tamping down her frustration behind a beatifically-smiling mask, Cozy took the bait, and won the game as predicted.
"Wow, good game," Flurry said, pretending to wipe sweat off her brow. "That was a close one. I guess you're not going to be nice to a princess and let me win, huh?" She angled her head so that only Cozy would be able to see her wink as she said that.
A moment later, it clicked in Cozy's brain, and her smile grew slightly more genuine, even if she was still not completely sure about what was happening.
The board was reset, and the game began anew. They played their best, as they had before, but this time, as they approached that same point where the game had been decided before, Cozy pushed out one of her pawns a little too far, in a move that could be seen as being overly aggressive rather than deliberate sabotage.
Flurry had no choice but to take the pawn, which set her up for victory as Cozy tried her best to regain her advantage, while both of them knew it wasn't possible without Flurry very obviously throwing the match.
"Checkmate." Flurry said. "I guess we're both getting the hang of this, huh?" she said cheekily, grinning at Cozy.
Cozy grinned back. "Looks like we are. Last match, Your Majesty?"
"Of course, Miss Glow. No matter what, it'll have been an honour to match wits with you." She moved the pieces back into starting position and waited for Cozy to make her move.
The final game was unlike anything Cozy had ever played. They were both trying to lose now, but they couldn't afford to have their audience realize this, and so every move had to appear optimal or part of some advanced strategy.
Now, they were trading disadvantages, and setting up baits that would lead to greater losses further down the road, but which looked good enough that the other side couldn't ignore it.
At one point, Flurry offered up a rook to Cozy, which would have given the pegasus mare a massive positional advantage four moves down in exchange for a queen. Still, it was a balanced enough trade that Cozy could afford not to take it, even if it would likely have given her the win eventually.
However, Flurry had anticipated that, and moved the rook even deeper into her territory, forcing a trade for Cozy's knight which looked good for Flurry, but would eventually lead to Cozy being able to take Flurry's queen in a pincer that Cozy couldn't possibly pass up on without looking suspicious.
It made Cozy's head hurt, trying to maneuver herself into a loss, and it was exhilarating. She'd never been challenged like this before, and as their eyes met, Cozy saw the same determination in Flurry's expression as she smiled grimly. And beyond that, she could see the princess' love for her, could feel that same love echoed in her own smile.
They were dancing on a knife's edge, challenging one another in a wholly new way that the two of them would never forget.
A few minutes later, Cozy moved her pawn up right up the edge of the board. Another turn, and she'd be able to promote it, which would spell a loss for Flurry. Thus, Flurry had no choice but to use her king to take it, moving it out of the potential checkmate that the princess had been setting up against herself. Cozy smirked at Flurry as her fiancée lost yet another one of her victory conditions.
Instead of frowning, Flurry smirked back and moved her bishop in for a check. That was when Cozy realized her error, as they were forced into a chase that ended up with Flurry losing her final rook.
At that point, they could both see the writing on the wall.
"Mate in five," Cozy declared, her heart sinking as the path to victory was laid bare before her eyes.
Flurry sighed. "I guess that's why you're the chessmaster," she said, pushing her king over. Her sadness didn't last long as she smiled her Secretive Royal Smile. "Congratulations, Cozy Glow. For your victory, you may ask a boon of me."
Cozy bent down on one knee, and pulled out the same rings that Flurry had proposed to her with. "Princess Flurry Heart," she said formally, "will you marry me?"
Flurry nodded. "So shall it be." And with that, they kissed, to the cheering of the crowd.
"Congratulations, your majesty," Cozy whispered into Flurry's ear afterwards, when she was sure they wouldn't be overheard over the din. "I still can't believe you managed to turn that around."
"That's what you get for calling me weak," Flurry replied, giving her a devilish nibble on the ears, much to the crowd's delight.
"I'd say I'll never cross you again, but that's not what either of us wants." Dropping the bravado, Cozy let her next word flow from the heart. "Thank you, Flurry. I really appreciate you doing this for me, and I'm impressed with your creativity."
"A good ruler must be able to adapt to the needs of her people," Flurry replied. "I won't ever stop taking care of you, but that doesn't mean I won't let you show off your skills either."
"I was thinking the same thing." They broke apart and waved at the crowd. "I love you, Flurry Heart."
"I love you too, Cozy Glow," Flurry replied. "And I look forward to losing to you at chess again."
"Not if I lose first!"
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D’awww. This was cute.
Don’t suppose you’re a fan of Star Trek: the Next Generation? If you are then you probably know the Data scene I’m thinking of from Season 2. This chapter reminded me of it.
Did I miss a reference?
...aaaaaaaaaaaaaand I'll just go ahead and add this to the Chess group now. :V
Ultimately it's just sweet and I love it. Flurry and Cozy seemed to have a lot of fun together near the end. they really do ship this two quite a lot.
As always, I love the way you write Flurry and Cozy. This is a really fun set up, and you explore it really well. Them competing to lose at the end was a neat twist.
Sicilian or Caro-Kann? Come on, these details are important!
This was a very cute story. I love that at the end they both ended up trying to throw the game. I love how you write these two, and I look forward to possibly reading more.
Easily the most wholesome Flurryglow I've read. Brilliant dramatic arc and grand reveal. Thank you for it.
this story is fantastic, unfortunately 2. Ke2
what a nice story
Good stuff
"I guess" is repeated where it shouldn't be. Either change it to "That's why you're the chessmaster, I guess," or "I guess that's why you're the chessmaster''
Just offering some friendly suggestions, not criticizing. And actually...
This was the 2nd best FlurryGlow story I ever read in my life and that's saying a lot. I've read TONS of FlurryGlow stories, but this one really caught my eye. It was wonderful. Amazing job!
11184260
Fixed, thanks! Also curious what your #1 is. Mine's absolutely Aquaman's And I Hope You Die but if there's another good one I'd love to read it.
11184351
I haven't read "I Hope You Die" yet... but my favorite is currently "Run Away With Me"
11184362
Oh, that one is incredible too.
Short, sweet, wholesome with characters who can have thier cake and eat it too. Magnificent story!
Added bonus I got to see a Speed Racer video with a hilarious comments section.
This is perfection. :D
Mastermind x Mastermind FlurryGlow is a dynamic I didn't know I'd absolutely adore as much I as I do. My only peeve with the story is that the first two moves on the chapters don't align with the picture
Also I love how both your fencing stories and now this chess story align perfectly with when I get super into the subject lol
This was an excellent read. I loved the way Cozy was offended when denied her change to prove herself and then I loved more the way Flurry came up with a plan to truly test Cozy without risking it will. Really good read and chemistry between them, this is easily my favourite crackship and this is now one of my fave fics of it.
This is adorable.
Short. Sweet. Adorkable. Well done, and congrats on the win yourself!
11204295
Took the words right outta my mouth