The Reign of King Checkmate
It was storming loudly outside the castle walls.
"The pegasi have truly made one heck of a storm," said a guard to his friend, the other guard simply nodded. Than a gray filly ran into the guard, she was a small pony with a grey coat and white mane. She stumbled back and tears welled up in her eyes from the pain of running onto the guard's armor.
Guard just chuckled and helped her up then asked, "Are you ok princess?"
The filly nodded, "Yeah, I'm ok." She then looked at the ground shyly.
The guard looked at her, "Princess shouldn't you be in school?"
The filly teared up again. "The kids say that Daddy is an evil monster."
The guard looked sadly at the young filly and calmly said, "Your father is a good king, he has been kind to us but many do not share that view of him," as he opened the door to the throne room and nodded to the filly.
She smiled brightly at the guard. She ran into the vast throne room, red and black banners decorate the walls she reached the throne. It was a large throne cut from black stone, atop the throne sat a grey stallion with black and red streaks through his mane. His cutie mark was a broken king chess piece.
He looked down at the young filly with concern and asked, "My dear, why are you not in school?"
The filly began to cry again. The stallion on the throne came down and hugged his daughter, asking, "What is wrong my child?"
The young filly cried into her father's chest and between sobs she said, "The kids at school were calling you a monster, Daddy."
Checkmate simply looked at his daughter, she looked up at him and saw the caring love he had in his eyes.
"Don't worry about those kids, my child. Some have not accepted my reign as king yet, but give them time. They will in time come to see that I'm not a monster." He hugged his daughter.
She hugged him back tightly and smiled and said, "I love you, Daddy."
Checkmate smiled and broke the hug. "You should get back to school. Don't let those kids get you down."
The filly smiled and ran out the door back school. Checkmate stood there watching his little girl, he walked over to the window and looked out. The storm had let up and the sun was starting to shine through the clouds.
"Hard to believe that the gauntlet was merely ten years ago, isn't it my lord?" said a female voice from behind checkmate.
He didn't turn as he said, "I've told you before Luna please call me Checkmate."
He looked back at the former princess Luna, now Queen Luna his dearly beloved wife.
"I know but my lord just feels right," said Luna playfully.
Checkmate rolled his eyes and walked over to his wife and hugged her. They broke the hug.
Luna asked, "Is she ok?"
Checkmate nodded. "Some of the kids have gotten the idea I'm a monster."
He turned away and began to walk back to his throne. His queen looked at him, walked to his side, and nuzzled his side
"Don't worry dear, they will come to love you as I do."
Checkmate merely nodded as he sat at his throne.
"What happened to Celestia is not your fault, Checkmate." He looked at his wife, he could see the concern in her eyes
"I know it's not, but my subjects do not see it that way." Checkmate looked out the nearest window.
He could see the arena that had once been the site for the gauntlet that changed all of Equestria and rocked the very foundation of pony history. As he gazed he remembered those days of the gauntlet. The Luna could see the sadness in her lover's eyes she ran up the throne and hugged him and whispered in his ear
"I love you checkmate" checkmate hugged Luna and said
"I love you too Luna I don't know where I would be with out you" checkmate began to feel the warmth of Luna's love for him. After a few moments they broke the hug checkmated thought for a moment
" I am going to the gauntlet Luna" he paused " alone" he said to her before she could protest he knew that she wouldn't like the idea of him going back to that place, but he felt he needed to so he could think without any interruptions. Luna looked at him with concern
"I don't think you should checkmate" her voice brimming with concern
" I need to Luna" with that he kissed Luna and went to the door "I love you Luna" Luna tired to hold back tears of frustration as checkmate left she whispered to no one
"I love you too checkmate" the weather outside was cool and breezy checkmate cloak followed behind him softly everything was quite as he walked the coliseum wasn't far form the castle. Than checkmate heard a faint hoof step following it was nearly in tune with his own… nearly checkmate whipped around so quickly that the pony following him nearly ran into him and fell over. Checkmate looked down at the pony realizing it was one of the guards form the castle he stomped a foot down and shouted
"Why are you following me soldier?" the guard quickly recovered stood at attention and responded as if he was at boot camp
"Sir I am just following orders form the queen she asked me to follow you to make sure you are alright my king!" checkmate looked at him with a certain amount of curiosity
"What is your name?" he asked
"Sir I am private Castle Rook"
"You can stop with the sir and king business I am checkmate nothing more" the Castle Rook looked him with shock he had always been told to address the royals only by formal names " you can pick up your jaw castle I know the captains tell you to address me as so, but it was not under my rule that those rules came into place is was under Celestia." Checkmate said with a far off sound in his voice
"But si…" Castle Rook started but he caught himself and said "but checkmate if you do not wish to be address by the formal names why not tell the captains that you do not wish it?" checkmate looked at the Castle Rook and chuckled to himself quietly at first it slowly grew louder until checkmate was laughing uncontrollably and even rolling on the ground after a few moments he rose slowly still chuckling to himself "I don't understand what is so funny" said Castle Rook
"oh its nothing really" said checkmate "I just think its funny how you think I haven't told them so already" Castle Rook looked at the king with a look of confusion then slowly, but surely he put the pieces together in his mind and than he shouted
"You mean you have told them and yet they disobey a direct order from the king!" He stamped his hoof in anger and frustration checkmate looked at Castle Rook there was something different about him he had a fire in his soul it was plain to checkmate. Castle still ranting about all the injustice that his captain had done suddenly realized that he was still talking to the king of Equestria he quickly bowed down and began to beg for the king's forgiveness checkmate walked over to Castle Rook and said proudly
"Stand castle rook" the guard looked at the king surprised and confused as he stood looked into the eyes of his king
"Yes lord checkmate?"
" I have decided that you will be my advisor" castle rook looked at the grey stallion in awe
"W-what do you mean?" castle stammered the king looked at castle and said to him
"I see a fire in your soul boy a fire that is far above the satiation of a guard the fire I see should be next to a king as a royal advisor" it took castle a few minutes to process what the king had said he fell onto his rump looking at the king slack jawed. Checkmate simply waited for castle's mind to stop reeling. Castle rook shook himself out of the shock and argued " but checkmate I am merely a lowly guard I am not worthy of such a position" checkmate looked at castle rook
"Castle rook it is because you think you are not worthy that makes you worthy I do not need advisors that seek the title I need advisors with a fire in their soul for peace and justice, come we must go make arrangements to have your shifts covered so you may begin at first light" with that checkmate began to walk back to the castle with castle rook leaving the shadowy area where the gauntlet took place in the horizon. Tomorrow checkmate thought to him self as he glanced back at that place tomorrow I shall go and castle will come with me and he will come into the full light of knowledge
END OF CHAPTER 1