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The Forever Game

by Shakespearicles

Chapter 1: Forever...

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It was a quiet evening in Canterlot Castle, not so long ago. But then, all time is not so long ago, compared to forever.

"Princess Celestia?" the young unicorn named Twilight Sparkle asked, "How old are you?" The Princess looked down at the purple filly under her outstretched, alabaster wing. It was such a simple, innocent question. But at the same time...

"That... is a very complicated question." Celestia replied.

"Why?" Twilight asked.

"Do you know the story of how Equestria was made?" Princess Celestia asked.

"Yes," Twilight said. "Once upon a time, the All-Mother wrote a book. The book was about Equestria and all of Equus, and all of the ponies and other animals. And she made a wish for it to be real. And her wish came true. And that's how Equestria was made."

"Yes. That is the story. But do you believe it, Twilight? Do you think that that is how Equestria was really made?"

"I don't think so," Twilight said. "It's just an old mare's tale. Nopony really knows."

"Well, I wouldn't say that."

"Do you know?" she asked.

"After a fashion," Celestia said.

"So what's the truth?"

"The truth is, I am as old as Equestria itself. I was a part of its creation, as was my sister, Princess Luna. We were a part of our mothe- the All-Mother's creation." Celestia said. Twilight scratched her head.

"So... when I ask how old you are..." Twilight began.

"You're asking how old the world is," Celestia finished.

"Which is?"

"It would not be a number you would understand," Celestia said.

"Is it forever?"

"Hmm, not quite. Time is a strange thing, you see. It's fairly linear and simple for mortal ponies. But for Luna, myself and..."

"The All-Mother," Twilight said.

"... and for Mother," Celestia continued, "time is more like pages in a book. You move through each moment of time, from one to the next, like pages in a book. Each page is the whole world, in that moment."

"Princess Celestia?" Twilight asked.

"Yes?" She looked at Twilight. Twilight glanced out the window, looking up into the night sky at the distant stars.

"Where is she?" she asked, "Where is All-Mother?" Celestia smiled knowingly.

"She's an inch away from your face." Celestia said. Twilight put her hoof up in front of her face, confused, and then looked at Celestia.

"You?"

"No," Celestia chuckled, "she is not a part of this world. She exists outside of it, beyond it, like an author outside of a book." Twilight looked at her, even more confused. "My dear Twilight, she is the one turning the pages of the book."


The Forever Game

The eve of the one-thousandth Summer Sun Celebration

"How long has it been, Celestia?" the Spirit of Chaos asked, from across the table. "How long has it been since we last sat down at this table?"

"Forever and a day, Discord..." Celestia said, regarding the game pieces on the chess board, "forever and a day." They both sat at the table in a place that was marked on no map. A place that did not exist, not in Equestria. It was a place outside of time and space.

"Five-hundred twenty-five-million six-hundred-thousand minutes," Discord said, looking at a wristwatch that magically appeared on his scaly, talon arm. The minute hand moved one increment. "and one." He looked back across the table at Celestia. She focused on the board, averting her gaze from those horrible yellow eyes. "Surely 'forever and a day' is enough time to have decided what your move is going to be," he taunted.

"There are never enough hours," Celestia said.

"Don't talk like you're one of them. One of your precious mortal ponies!" He practically spat the words, as though they tasted awful in his mouth. Celestia didn't react. "Do you know how many have died since your last move? How many of your precious ponies have perished? I do. I've been counting. Would you like to know? Should we do it by category? By disease, old age, accidents? Stallions, mares... foals?"

"Enough!" Celestia barked, "I will not rise to your bait, creature." Discord sat back in his chair that did not exist, along with everything else here, save the two players.

"Tell me, do you ever ask why?" Discord asked her, "Why she makes us play this little game? I do. Would you like to know?"

"Faust has her reasons," Celestia said without hesitation.

"Ah, blind faith," Discord said wistfully, "I'm almost envious of how simple your mind is sometimes. Do you miss her?" Celestia said nothing. "It's okay. You don't need to answer. I know you do. You miss her. You love her unconditionally, even as she cast you into this world without her, devoid of her presence. Well where is she now, hmm? Where is your 'All-Mother?"

"She's an inch away from your face," Celestia whispered under her breath to herself. Discord could plainly see that the Princess was stalling.

"And what of Alder?" he asked. Celestia pointedly looked at the fallen pawn beside the board. Discord smiled. "Ah, the first casualty of our little game. The human never really even had a chance, did he? He and I worked with your Mother, and we created the world. And what happened when we were done? She sent me here with you and your sister and he..." Discord looked at the pawn, his face was a shifting mix of bitter sorrow and maniacal glee, "he was the first to be cast aside."

Celestia said nothing, looking back to the board. Faust had her reasons, she thought to herself. It was the one prayer she clung to. And there was one secret that she knew, that Discord did not. The biggest secret of them all. The First Secret.

"Your sister would have moved by now," he purred through his wicked grin. Celestia winced. She regarded her white pieces that had been removed from play. Pieces like Pomneigh and Bitlantis, lost to black pieces of cataclysms. Another piece, an icy storm from Windigos.

The most recent White piece lost, however, was her Queen. A sacrifice to put the Black King in check, turning Discord to stone back in Equestria. But his spirit was still here, in this place that did not exist.

He took her queen, and Luna became overcome by jealousy, and was forced to be banished to the moon. He followed her eyes to the queen piece, out of play. "Hmm, that one was particularly sssatisfying to take," he hissed. Celestia turned her head. Her ethereal mane hid her tear.

"She'll be back. It's only a matter of time."

"Time is all that you and I have," Discord said. "Time... in abundance!" His lips peeled back, his smile revealing rows of fangs lining his jaw. "It's still... your move."

Today was the longest day of the thousandth year since she'd lost that piece. Today was the day she would get it back.

"Give me back my Queen!" Celestia said, her hoof pushing her pawn into his back row for promotion. The pawn vanished, the Queen piece vanished from the sidelines, reappearing in its place, in the same open row as the Black King. "And you're still a stone statue, you son of a bitch! CHECK!"

Celestia faded away to ethereal dust, blowing in an unseen wind before vanishing completely, leaving this place that did not exist, and returning to Equestria. Only Discord remained behind, regarding the board.

"We shall see," he said. He'd grown tired of playing by these sensible rules of the game. After all, "What fun is there in making sense?" Discord cheated, moving the pieces around, leaving the White Queen. Celestia could have her precious sister back, but he was done being in Check. A thousand years trapped in stone was enough.

But Celestia knew this day would come. The day the Spirit of Chaos would cheat at the Forever Game. The biggest secret, the First Secret, was that Alder was no mere pawn in their little game. Not any piece at all.

He was the board itself.

Next Chapter: ...and a Day Estimated time remaining: 7 Minutes
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