"I still don't see why you wear those," Phillip said, moving his rook to cover his queen, keeping his eyes on Time Turner.

Time Turner met Phillip's gaze with his own smile, peering at him through a pair of paper 3D glasses that were perched on his snout. "I like them," he said, moving one of his pawns forward.

Phillip pondered his next move, gazing down at the chessboard set up on one of the Ponyville park benches. It was a fall midmorning, and the two stallions had met for their weekly chess game in the park, which they had begun after Phillip, with the aid of Ditzy Do and Rainbow Dash had rescued Time Turner from changelings who had abducted him.

Phillip enjoyed these meetings. He was able to do something intellectually stimulating, with an intellectually stimulating pony. They would while away the time, playing chess and talking.

Of course, he had to put up with some of the obsessive-compulsive's strange quirks. One of which was his insistence of wearing the 3D glasses when he was focusing on something.

"I'd understand if they were a compulsion," Phillip said, trying to decide if he should take Time Turner's pawn with his knight or block his queen with his bishop. "Are they?"

"Perhaps a bit," Time Turner said, waiting for Phillip to complete his turn. "But really, I just like wearing them."

"Why?" Phillip said, deciding to use his bishop. "Seems kind of silly to me."

"It helps me get a new perspective on things," Time Turner said, castling his king. "It's, well..." He gestured around the park. "What do you see when you look around?"

Phillip looked up from the chess board and slowly panned his gaze around the park, taking in the sights. Ponies frolicked among the butterflies and birds, or simply took time out from their lives to enjoy the scent of the flowers, the light breeze and yellow sunshine through the remains of the late fall/early winter foliage. He spotted a nervous stallion (an orderly, based on the caduceus pin on his collar) waiting on a blind date, an elderly couple feeding some pigeons, a young mare (single, recently moved out, home schooled) walking her dog, and the cutie mark crusaders looking to get their cutie marks in rock skipping (it'd probably help if they would use the smaller rocks).

"Everything," he said. That's my blessing and my curse.

Time Turner was momentarily bewildered by Phillip's extremely literal answer. "Right. Let me tell you what I see." He advanced with his rook and gestured around. "I see movement, all the time. Everything, always moving, going forward, carried forward in time and space."

"Entropy," Phillip said, countering Turner's aggressive advance by taking his knight with a pawn.

"Well, not quite," Time Turner said. He gestured at the tree above them. "See that tree? A few weeks ago, it was covered in leaves, and then all the leaves fell. Next spring, the leaves will grow again. And the cycle will continue.

"And you know the thing about motion, Phil?" Time Turner retreated his rook. "It's relative."

Phillip raised an eyebrow as he pressed his advantage with his queen, prompting Turner to explain.

"Imagine that you and I were sitting in a cab in a train car," Time Turner replied. "From our perspective, we wouldn't be moving, but from somepony outside the train, we would be moving." Phillip nodded his understanding. "It's the same thing about time. See, in a way, that tree isn't the same tree that it was yesterday, and it won't be the same tree tomorrow. It's the same with ponies: you aren't the same pony you were yesterday, and you won't be the same pony tomorrow." He took Phillip's queen with his own, suddenly putting his opponent on the run. "Everything's always moving, constantly seeking it's proper place."

Phillip retreated his knight to cover his king. "Interesting."

"And when I think about it, that reminds me that all things are relative to each other," Turner said, taking one of Phillip's pawns with one of his own. "All of us, everything, all of us are connected to one another. Our actions affect each other, positively or negatively." He took Phillip's bishop with his own bishop.

"We're all part of this big, chaotic, wonderful world, interwoven in time and space," he said with a smile. "Check."

Phillip looked down at the chess board, observing the result of their game. He saw the result of the varied interactions, choices and responses, infinite possibilities leading to the final result.

It was so...fragile, constantly flexing and changing, pulled and pushed by the unpredictable current. It could turn out better or worse in a single moment.

That's what made it so precious.

He felt a smile tug at his lips as he selected his pawn and took the offending bishop.

Time Turner responded by advancing with his rook. "Checkmate."

"You got me," Phillip said, conceding defeat.

"Can I play you?" came a voice. Looking up, Phillip and Turner saw Ditzy, still wearing her mailmare cap and saddlebags, now empty, standing next to them.

Phillip raised an eyebrow. "You sure?"

"Checkmate!"

Phillip's jaw dropped in surprise.

"Five minutes, twenty-six seconds," Time Turner said, snapping his pocketwatch shut with an authoritative click. "That's a new record, dear."

Seeing Phillip's surprise, he laughed. "That's perspective for you!"

Author's Notes:

Remember that scene in It Ain't Easy Being Breezies where Time Turner had on the 3D glasses (Yes, I know that was a Doctor Who reference. I'm a Whovian, too)? That's where this came from. Came to me while I was in the shower.

And never underestimate Ditzy. She may be a bubblehead, but there's a surprisingly sharp mind behind those walleyes.