Chapter 7
After dinner Checkmate and Bishop sat at the table a game of chess in front of them. Bishop said confidently
"Now have you ever played chess before son?" Checkmate shook his head no
"I saw the guards play it out side my cell once and awhile" he said looking into Bishop's eyes. He smiled to his new son
"It's ok ill teach you to play" as Bishop explained how the game worked to Checkmate Bright Rose smiled and walked in to the room where checkmate would be sleeping. "Alright do you think you got it?" asked Bishop. Checkmate nodded and made his move.
"Pawn E-2 to E-3"
"Knight G-8 to F-6"
"Bishop F-1 to C-4" Bishop looked at Checkmate surprised about how quickly he picked up on the names and the way the pieces moved
"Knight F-6 to G-4"
"Queen D-1 to F-3"
"Knight G-4 takes F-2" Bishop smirked "what do you say to that son?" he said confidently
"Queen F-3 takes F-7 Checkmate?" asked Checkmate he looked up at Bishop wanting to make sure he understood how the game was played. Bishop stared at the board in shock he shook him self
"That's incredible you beat me!" Bishop said excitedly Checkmate grinned a big grin "Play again?" asked Bishop. Checkmate nodded excitedly they reset the broad and played again after about 20 minutes
"Checkmate!" called out Checkmate Bishop had lost again. Bishop Laughed as Checkmate did a victory dance
"Three out of five?" asked Bishop. Checkmate sat down and reset his side and nodded. Three out of five became five of seven, which soon became seventeen out of nineteen each game ended the same phrase said by Checkmate
"Checkmate! I win again!" Bishop couldn't believe it he wasn't the best chess player but he wasn't a slouch either and his new son who just learned how to play just beat him seventeen games in a row. He looked up form the game at his boy who was doing a victory dance and song
"Checkmate that's right Checkmate I win I win" waving his hooves like he did care and shaking his flank bishop did a double take when him and his son started playing he was a blank flank now on his flanks was a black king piece the top of it broken off and falling from the rest of piece. He leaped over the table and hugged his son
"I think I know what your name should be son"
"What?" asked Checkmate excitedly. Bright Rose walked into the room over hearing her husband
"And just what do you think we should call him?" she asked,
"Checkmate" said Bishop happily, Bright Rose Looked at her husband Skeptically
"Why in Equestria would we name him Checkmate?"
"How about because he just checkmated me 17 games in a row and his cutie mark seems agree with me," said Bishop smugly. Both Bright Rose and Checkmate looked confused then Checkmate looked at his flank and saw the broken king piece and leaped in the air happily shouting out
"Checkmate I am Checkmate!" Bright rose just shook her head knowing in her heart she wasn't going to win.
"Fine Checkmate it is" Bishop and Checkmate both hugged Bright Rose unexpectedly they all fell to the floor laughing and hugging.
"Bishop and Right Rose became my family" Said Checkmate to Castle Rook
"Sir what made you warm up to them so quickly one minute your scared witless and the next your hugging them?" Checkmate sighed and told Castle Rook
"As a side effect of this curse I can see ponies emotions. I could see the honesty and love…" Castle Rook looked at Checkmate in awe next to him stood a pony who was ripped from his birth family and tortured but was still able to let other ponies into his life. Castle Rook looked over to the memory the young Checkmate yawned sleepily
"Aww is somebody is sleepily?" Bright Rose asked Checkmate nudging his nose
"No I want to play another game" Checkmate yawned again bishop laughed
"Maybe tomorrow night Checkmate" said Bishop as he picked Checkmate up and carried him back to his room. Bright Rose tucked Checkmate in and kissed him good night.
"Good night my little Checkmate" she whispered as she left the room and went to bed. Over the next few weeks Checkmate grew used to Canterlot but only left the house with Bishop or Bright Rose
"Checkmate come out here please" called Bright Rose Checkmate scrabbled out of his room and to the living room
"Yes mom?"
"Tomorrow you young man, are going to school" she said sternly
"With you or dad right?" Checkmate asked nervously
"Your father will take you with him the school is right next to his work" she paused and looked at checkmate she could tell he was anxious Bishop told her that Checkmate would always be nervous around unicorns because of what ever happened to him. "It will be ok Checkmate Bishop won't be far away"
"Do I have to go?" Checkmate asked
"Yes I know your smart Checkmate you will do wonderful I promise" she pulled checkmate in for a hug and kissed his forehead "now come on we need to get you some school supplies" Bright Rose said happily. Checkmate followed Bright Rose nervously looking at every pony that walked by. As they walked into the saddlebag store "alright look around pick any bag you like" Checkmate nodded and slowly walked through the store briefly looking at the bags on the other side of one of the racks he heard a filly say
"But Tia you are always getting a new bag like every week it isn't fair!" Checkmate looked around the corner he say a tall white unicorn with a pink mane but she also had wings like a Pegasus and her cutie mark was a sun. Next to her stood a stallion with a horn and wings as well his mane was golden yellow mane he couldn't see his cutie mark from where he was. As he looked down he saw the filly who was complaining and she was the most beautiful filly he had ever seen she had dark blue coat and a blue mane that looked like it had stars in it her cutie mark was a splotch of black with a moon on it
"Tia! Stop making kissy faces with Solar flare and give me the bits!" the two ponies looked down at her indigently the stallion which must have been Solar Flare said snobbishly
"Luna you should know better then to speak to your elders like that!"
"Can it Solar Flare!" shouted the little black filly who was Luna "Tia give me my bits!" the white pony with pink mane must have been Tia
"Luna how many times to I have to tell you its Celestia not Tia!" she growled at Luna. Solar flare pushed Luna in the bag rack making her fall over tipping over the rack he and Celestia started to laugh and Luna's eye welled up with tears. Checkmate felt a stirring in his heart he didn't like these ponies they reminded him of the unicorns at eh test lab he took a step out from behind the rack
"Leave her alone," said Checkmate as he glared at the two ponies they stopped laughing and looked over to Checkmate the store was silent the stallion Solar Flare walked over to Checkmate
"What did you say to me?" said Solar Flare his voice filled with loathing. Checkmate could see the malice in his soul it scared him but he glanced over to Luna and saw the kindness she had despite the pain covering her face. Checkmate looked back to Solar Flare and said firmly staring into the eyes of pony
"I said leave her alone" Solar Flare began to laugh
"You must be new here and have no idea who I am silly earth fool" Solar Flare started to walk back to Luna and Celestia and something hit him in the back of the head unexpectedly causing him to lose his balance and fall onto his face to the floor the store was dead silent Bright Rose looked at Checkmate shocked he had a saddle bag in his mouth ready to throw it at a moments notice solar flare looked back behind him was another bag he got up angrily and launched into the air with his wings and landed in front of Checkmate. Who said with no fear or pause in his voice,
"I know exactly who you are, you are a bully who thinks because he has wings and horn that you're better then everyone else!" The stallion looked down at Checkmate and growled
"You listen to me you little earth pony scum I am Prince Solar Flare I am royalty I am better then everyone else and if you know what's good for you…"
"Stop Solar" someone interrupted him "lets just go its not worth our time he is just a little earth pony" said Celestia Solar flare growled one last time at Checkmate before leaving the store with Celestia leaving Luna behind Checkmate walked over to her and offered to help her up and asked
"Are you ok?" the filly blushed a little and said
"Yea thank you for standing up for me" Checkmate blushed deep red not sure what to do "But it was stupid Solar Flare is mean and doesn't like earth ponies" Checkmate laughed and Luna looked at Checkmate confused
" I don't care who he is or what he's like a bully is a bully" Luna laughed and smiled at Checkmate there was something different about this pony and she liked it "so which bag is it that you wanted" Checkmate asked looking around
"What no umm you don't have to I have my" Checkmate interrupted her
"My dad says colts like me should look out for fillies because it's our jobs as knights"
"Is your dad a knight at the castle?"
"No he's a guard but he tells me all about the knights and I want to be just like a knight when I grow up" lunna looked at the young colt and tried to picture him as a knight but she couldn't all the knights she knew acted like solar flare this colt was to nice. Then Bright Rose walked over
"Are we making new friends Checkmate?" Checkmate looked oddly at his mom and back to lunna
"Are we friends? I've never had friends" he smiled at lunna
"I've never had any friends either" she blushed Checkmate held out his hoof to shake hooves Luna looked nervously at Checkmate and shook his hoof
"Luna lets go!" Celestia shouted inside the store Luna cringed at the sound
"I better go" she said sadly she ran to the door and looked back at Checkmate and gave him a half smile. Checkmate blushed a little and smiled back at her as she ran after Solar Flare and Celestia. Bright Rose looked out the door with concern she was sure he didn't know he had just made an enemy of Prince Solar Flare and hoped it wouldn't come to haunt him then she looked to Checkmate who was helping the store owner pick up the selves and bag that Solar Flare had knocked over. After a few minutes Checkmate found a saddle bag he liked it was red and black checkered and had a chess piece as the clasps Bright Rose smiled and wasn't surprised why Checkmate had chosen that bag they walked up to the counter
"How much for the bag sir" Bright Rose asked the storeowner he looked at Checkmate who was smiling up over the counter at him and he said
"No charge miss any pony with guts enough to stand up to bullies and help old farts like me clean up afterwards should get a little break" Bright Rose looked at the storeowner and asked
"Are you sure it's not a problem"
"I'm sure miss, and you young colt if you ever what to make some bits you are more then welcome to come here and work under me." Checkmate grinned at the storeowner and nodded excitedly Bright rose laughed
"Thank you maybe when he's older right now he should focus on getting ready for school" the storeowner smiled and waved them good-bye as they left his shop. The rest of the afternoon Bright Rose and Checkmate gathered up his other school supplies and met Bishop on the way home. Checkmate showed excitedly to Bishop his saddlebag and regaled what happened in the shop
"And after I helped the storeowner clean up he gave me this bag for free and told me if I wanted to work for him I could!" bishop smiled at Checkmate and said
"That's awesome son you are on the right path to being a true knight" as they walked home the sun was setting and checkmate yawned as they walked into the house.
"Why don't you go to bed son you have a big day tomorrow" Bright Rose said sweetly to Checkmate
"Ok mom good night" he walked off to bed sleepily. After Checkmate was sound asleep Bright Rose and Bishop sat in the living room.
"Did he really stand up to Solar Flare?" asked Bishop somberly Bright Rose nodded silently "and he did it for Luna?"
"Yes" Bright Rose said softly Bishop thought for a moment.
"Well it's about time some pony did I'm just shocked it was Checkmate he's normally so nervous around other ponies, well at least we know he knows what's right and what's wrong." Bishop said proudly smiling a huge smile. Bright Rose looked at her husband unbelievingly
"Bishop this isn't something to be proud of!"
"I know I shouldn't be proud but I can't help but feel proud of Checkmate he is conquering his fears Bright Rose." Bishop told her calmly "our son is destined for greatness I can feel it"
