We Could Build An Island

by Crimson Enjoyer

Chapter 1: Fish and Chess

“Checkmate!”

She’s so confident in what she says. So delighted. How she’s managed to stay so upbeat in spite of everything, I couldn’t tell you.
“That was a checkmate, right?” she asks, as the floor beneath us raises slightly. I give her a reassuring smile. “No, Pinkie. That was not a checkmate. Sorry.”
“What?!” She seems more genuinely confused than upset, which is good, as I’ve been doing my best to avoid making her upset.

“But my little guy-“

“Pawn.”

“Whatever- is right in front of the King! That means checkmate, doesn’t it?”

“That’s the Queen, Pinkie.”

My Pink opponent glances at the offending pieces, and realizes her error. “Oh,” she says flatly, slumping her shoulders. I begin to worry, but before I can offer some sort of comfort, she perks right back up.

“Oh well! Ya can’t win ‘em all! And look,” She points a hoof at her own King, which is completely exposed, my last knight standing very close. “Looks like you’ve got an opening!”

Not sure what to say or even what expression to make, I light up my horn, and envelope the knight in my magic. I lift it up, move it to her King, and boom. Checkmate.

“Hooray!” She stands upright on her chair, forelegs in the air. “Twilight Sparkle holds her title as the best Chess player in the seven seas!”

I feel an earnest smile form on my lips. If Pinkie Pie wasn’t here, I’m not sure I would have made it this far.

---

The wind rustles through my mane, as I stand on the deck, waiting for Pinkie to finish setting everything up. It’s chilly, but not unbearably so. The Tattered Scarf around my neck is keeping me warm, if quite a bit itchy.

I look over at the other mare, watching as she fiddles with the rope, and I take note of her lack of winter gear. She had given the scarf to me at the beginning during a particularly cold afternoon, a very noble gesture that unfortunately left her a bit more exposed to the elements.

It’s a real shame we couldn’t have brought along our winter clothes. She always looks really cute in that jacket and beanie. Oh, and they also would have kept us warm. That too.

“Done!” She exclaims from nearby, trotting over with a large burlap sack in her mouth, and a rope over her back. “You ready?”

I turn my gaze over to a small bucket to my right, and then to the open waters. Closing my eyes, I light up my horn, and lift a small plastic fish out of the bucket. I Begin to cast the spell, putting all my focus into it. After a few brief seconds, I open my eyes again. The Fake sea animal now has a noticeable glow to it, and thin white strip of light connecting it to my horn.

I step forward to the edge and lower the piece of plastic into the ocean, I keep lowering it until I reach the right spot. And then I wait.

After a few seconds, I begin to feel pressure building over the bait from all around, slowly but surely. It’s getting heavier, but I can still hold on to it. More seconds pass, and I now feel it has reached an acceptable weight. Straining a bit, I throw my head into the air, and lift the bait back to the surface. Grouped all around the small artificial fish is an entire schools worth of trout, magnetized to it, flopping in place and spraying water all over the deck.

“Now, Pinkie,” I all but shout, a bead of sweat rolling down my head from the sheer weight of what my magic is holding.

The Pink Pony leaps into the air, sack held open in both hooves. She entraps the aquatic critters into the burlap, and lands back on deck, swiftly pulling the rope from her and tying it around the opening. She excitedly holds the bag up, as if showing off her own big catch. “Look at our haul! This is gonna last us the week, at least!”

This is what our lives have been like for the past four months on this Chronos-Forsaken boat. Fish, and Chess. There is actual food stored in the cabin, but we’ve been savoring it, so about three times a week, we come out to the deck, and “go fishing,” so to speak.

I was never big on fish. Bear food as far as I was concerned. But it’s been growing on me, though maybe it’s just some weird food-version of Hockholm Syndrome. Pinkie seems to like the fish just fine, though I can pretty easily tell that she’d much rather be eating cupcakes, or pancakes, or cupcakes baked inside of a pancake. Hmm. That sounds disgusting, but I bet she would love it. Heck, I’d probably eat something like that if it meant a break from the fish.

I’ve been saying fish a lot, haven’t I?

Anyways, the boat also happened to have a Chess set, and so, to stay occupied and to keep our minds from drifting to other, less pleasant topics, I began teaching Pinkie how to play. She actually picked up it pretty quickly, even if she never refers to the pieces by their actual names, and has still only beaten me 2 times out of... Huh. Guess I stopped keeping track at some point.
Something has been bothering me though. I was a bit too tired for it to really register with me last night, but Pinkie mistaking the Queen for the King seems a bit…odd. That mare is a lot of things, but she isn’t stupid, nor is she forgetful.

Also, she called it the King. She usually calls the King and the Queen something silly like “wizard tower” and “fancy toilet”.

Maybe I’m just being me, and looking too deeply into things, but I’m starting to worry about her.

---

Sitting at the table, I look up from my plate, with a single, barely eaten trout on it, to the pony sitting opposite of me. Currently, she is eating her trout as if it were a corn on the cob. For a while, I simply stare at the way she munches on the seafood, listening to the little noises she makes whenever she’s chewing.

Some may see others eating the way she does and be grossed out, but I personally find it endearing.

I might be biased though.

“Twi, you’re staring at me again.”

Pinkie breaks me out of my thoughts, and I zone back in, shaking my head a little. “Uh, sorry Pinkie, I-wait…again?”

“You’ve done it a couple times.” I notice she’s beginning to blush. “N-not that I mind, ya know,” she adds, laughing somewhat tensely... “I…see.” I feel a blush of my own, as I avoid eye contact.

There’s a brief moment of near complete silence, which Pinkie once again breaks:
“WELL GOODNIGHT!”
Before I can say anything, the pink pony has already bolted out of her seat and into the hallway. I hear the door to her quarters slam shut.
“…………..Good night.”

I look at where she was sitting seconds ago. She didn’t even finish eating her fish.

Guess I’m on dish duty tonight.

---

I change position for probably the thirtieth time. I’ve been in bed for 2 hours now, and I don’t feel tired at all.

I stare up at the ceiling. It’s too dark for me to really see any of its details. I breathe a large, but quiet sigh, pick up my scarf, and get out of bed.

Stepping out of my quarters and into the hallway, I notice Pinkie’s door is slightly open. I peer inside, and see that she is still there, sleeping soundly. She must have gotten up earlier and forgot to close it when she came back.

Her snores are so quiet. Not at all what one would except from a pony like Pinkie.

For a while, I just look at her. I look at her body rising and falling with each snore, she looks so unbothered. I wonder what she’s dreaming about.
I then suddenly remember Pinkie’s comment from earlier, and I realize that not only am I staring at her again, but I’m also watching somepony sleep without their knowledge.

I quickly take a step back, and close the door as quietly as possible.

I continue walking down the hallway, passing through the cabin, and finally reaching the exit. I open the door and instantly feel the chill of the night on my coat.

I step out onto the deck, and lift my head to look up at the night sky. There aren’t any more clouds, so I get to see the stars in their full glory.

Sitting down on my plot, I turn my gaze over to the moon. Its continued presence has served as one of the few comforts I’ve had during this time. The fact that every day, the sun sets, and the moon rises, lets me know that at least one of them is still alive.

As I continue to bask in the night’s beauty, I finally start to relax. My eyelids start to feel heavy.

I fall asleep.

Author's Note:

First fic on this site. i hope that at the very least, I've made this story intriguing.

I do have an answer as to how the events that led to this story occurred, which i intend to reveal over the course of the story, cuz who doesn't like a good mystery?

Second chapter should be coming out fairly soon, and will be from Pinkie's POV.

P.S i have no idea how chess works.

Comments

[Mockingbirb]

I then suddenly remember Pinkie’s comment from earlier, and I realize that not only am I staring at her again, but I’m also watching somepony sleep without their knowledge.

I find that ever since I was turned into a vampire, I seem to do this a lot.