//------------------------------// // Arranging Pieces // Story: Chessboard Gambits // by Ebonysdagger //------------------------------// “Hello Lyra. It’s been awhile. I was wondering if you had time for a chat.” Lyra stopped playing her music in the park to address the newest princess who had decided to take time out of her day to visit. “Of course Twilight.. err Princess… uhm?” “You can just call me Twilight, Lyra. Just like back in school whenever we would have to work together. This shouldn’t take up too much of your time as I know you enjoy entertaining others. The problem is it’s a bit on the confidential side.” “Oh? Well I’m always willing to lend an ear to anyone, Twilight. You know that. How can I help you?” Twilight leaned next to Lyra as they settled on a park bench and then whispered into the green unicorn’s ear. “I know.” Lyra stilled for a moment but managed to keep her usual happy and cheery disposition. “You know what?” “I know about your uncle. Ein, I think his name was. Something of a scientist I’ve heard. I was wondering if I could meet him.” Lyra gulped but didn’t panic even though this meant Twilight knew a bit more than she should. “Oh? How did you hear about him?” “His employer mentioned him while I was speaking with her the other day. She said that he would be coming to Ponyville shortly and that I might be impressed with some of his work. You know I’ve wanted to help change Equestria for along time and if he is capable of what I was told I’m sure that together we could.” Lyra now was terrified because Twilight all but said outright that she knew were the Queen was. This could not end well for Lyra and perhaps not even for the hive. “Okay. He sent word to me that he would be arriving in two days. I suppose I could direct him your way when he gets here.” Twilight smiled as she stood up from where she had been sitting. “Thank you Lyra. I really am forward to talking with him. I’m sure we will have all sorts of things to speak of once he arrives, all four of us.” “Twilight, how long?” Lyra called after the leaving alicorn. “Since our second week of classes together.” The alicorn called over her shoulder before taking flight. “Oh buck me sideways!” If Twilight meant what she said then that means someone had allowed the changelings to get as much information as they had. That would not speak well for her if nothing else. For now though she had no choice but to keep to her usual schedule and play. If the music happened to have a coded message in it that a nearby changeling could pick up and relay to the hive no one would be the wiser. Well, she hoped they wouldn’t be. “That really worked well. Tell your shamaness friend that she has the compliments of royalty.” Chrysalis told Spike as the throbbing in her head had finally eased off with the last dose of the medicine she had been supplied. It would appear finally getting out of that little prison Twilight made for her and reconnected to the swarm had consequences on her during her weakened state. The changeling queen, and indeed her few soldiers she had with her when she was sealed, seemed to have settled in nicely enough in Twilight’s subbasement all things considered. The small gems around the room provided a small scale sympathetic wavelength to that of the Crystal Heart so as to heal them up. She had already decided to help with the plans she had been informed of. At least she had for the moment as they looked like they would be interesting and it would provide her swarm limitless food. “I’ll let her know. You sure you are alright now? We didn’t expect it to be that trying on you or we would have shielded you until we could move you and your ‘lings to the empire first.” Spike genuinely looked somewhat worried for the changeling queen which somewhat shocked her given their history. Then again she supposed some things were not what they had seemed given what she has learned over these last two weeks. “Of course. Too much information trying to be processed in a short amount of time on an empty stomach can cause such things. I’m sure you’ve seen it before given who you work for.” Chrysalis smiled at the young dragon. Perhaps, she thought, when this is nearly complete I will keep this one after replacing Twilight. “You don’t know that half of it. So I take it you’ve managed to get that scientist of yours to bring the tech Twilight was interested in? When you told her about some of the projects you were holding onto I was reminded of what she was like way back when and she found some candy she liked.” The changeling queen laughed a bit at that. “I had thought it was the pink one dressed up as her for a moment there. I’m still curious why she wanted the magnetic technology as its only good for transport.” “I can answer that.” Twilight stepped into the room having returned from her meeting with Lyra. “That technology can be used to revolutionize our train system first of all which is obvious as that was what it was designed for. The second and more immediately important reason is that it can be used as a weapon. A weapon with some decent range, speed, and most importantly no magic signature involved. Something House Star has been looking for awhile now in order to handle foreign upheavals with plausible deniability and can be sent out with non-unicorns in the field.” Spike and Chrysalis both go a bit wide eyed at this revelation. “I’m going to have to see this.” Chrysalis utters while Spike nods. “Then stick around. It’ll take at least until after Ein gets here for Vinyl to be set to smuggle your minions to the Empire.” It had been a long and trying day in Celestia’s court for all involved perhaps even more so for Admiral Oblige. He had to spend most of the day fending off rivals from other noble houses trying to get Celestia’s attention on the increasing amount of issues on a few of the islands that Equestria protected as part of its territories. The only day worse that he could recall was when he had tried to prevent that upstart House Star from trying to propose changes to how the ships the navy used were designed. Sure their designs might have been stronger and hold up longer but it would mean an entirely different process would be needed to build them. One that the shipyards his cousin owned could not meet and thus deprive his house of its monetary source. That had been quashed quickly. As he remembered that day as a happy one in the end in order to help cheer himself up from this day he arrived at his home. He had some mail in the box which was somewhat unexpected for him. Sure he had an overstuffed box at work all the time but never really anything personal. Most all of his family lived a fair distance away from him and his wife was about seven years dead at this point. None of them were fond of contacting him since the poor old girl had been barren so they had not managed to have any children. This naturally was a sore point between himself and some of the rest of his kin since he was the current head of the family and he was refusing to name any of the others as the next patriarch after he passed on. Checking through his mail revealed an unexpected boon. The letter in the blue unicorn’s similarly colored magic was marked as being from that musician he had been sending requests to for a personal concert. As he opened it and saw that it was a positive reception to the request, finally, and that she would be available tomorrow night. He would have to take the offer as she would not likely budge from it. A noble and admiral he might be but one could not really move those artsy types from their eccentric schedules once they made up their minds. He had learned that the hard way years ago. With this in mind he eagerly slipped into his house in order to put his things away and then step back out. His girlfriend, a beautiful young orange unicorn, had been asking him if he couldn’t arrange for them a private concert with this particular artist and he had finally managed to work it out. Why she liked the earth pony string player he didn’t know but he would do whatever it took to keep her with him. Sure she was probably just a gold digger but he had felt so charmed by her the last few times they had met. Perhaps there was still time to show up the rest of his family yet and if not then at least he could have a bit of fun in his old age. After securing the door again he left his house and set out to meet with his dear Sunset never noticing the slitted eyes watching him from a nearby roof top. The mysterious observer took flight on leather wings to follow his tail for the day. House Star always kept eyes and ears on those that crossed it after all and anything that made their rivals happy was something to know about.