//------------------------------//
// Big Blind/Queen's Gambit 
// Story: Rook Takes Queen 
// by Undome Tinwe 
//------------------------------//

It was a cold day in Tartarus when Flurry Heart finally reached the mountain pass guarded by Cerberus.

All three heads of the great beast roared at her in perfect unison, sending waves of icy air blasting through her mane. It was a technique practiced over the centuries and designed to scare the cutie marks off any pony foolish enough to approach. Poets had written reams and reams of scrolls on the ferocity of this fell creature, and even the most hardened of warriors would have wet themselves at the sight of the towering mass of teeth and claws.

Flurry Heart rolled her eyes, extended her wings, and flew towards the snarling beast. With her magic, she conjured up three buckets of dog treats, each larger than herself, and floated them over towards the three open maws.

"Thanks, Aunt Fluttershy." She deftly dodged around their slobbering tongues to give each head a quick nuzzle before moving on.

The magical locks on the door to Tartarus had been heavily reinforced since the days when Princess Twilight Sparkle had trapped Tirek here, and the Key of Unfettered Entrance had long since crumbled to dust, but none of that mattered to Flurry Heart. She wasn't here in a show of force or stealth.

"I, Princess Flurry Heart of the Crystal Empire, Daughter of Princess-Empress Mi Amore Cadenza and Prince-Consort Shining Armor, request entrance into the Republic of Tartarus for the purposes of parley as a representative of the Crystal Empire."

As she waited for a response, Flurry Heart's composure finally began to falter, and she pawed nervously at the ground. She'd done her best to purge herself of the tell, but as the weight of her decisions began to press down on her, the comfort that the repetitive motions brought outweighed the break in discipline.

Fortunately, she didn't have to wait too long. The large stone doors creaked open with a soft rumbling, allowing her to see the dimly lit corridor that awaited her. Two guards, one a lamia and the other a changeling, stood waiting, their spears conspicuously pointed near her but not at her — threatening an ambassador would break the rules of parley, but they wanted to make sure she knew she was being watched closely.

"Please come with us, Your Highness." Flurry did as instructed, and was led through the twisting passages of Tartarus. She tried to map out as many paths as she could see along the way, forming a mental map of the network of endless floating paths that stretched outwards, like a hive stripped of its walls.

Though she should have been able to see the entire realm with ease, some artificial darkness kept her vision from reaching beyond more than a couple stone's throw in any direction. It was almost as disconcerting as the fact that the illumination surrounding her also seemed to have no central source. Tartarus was truly an odd realm, and if Princess Twilight's notes were correct, one not fully tethered to Equestria.

Eventually, they reached a — well, room wasn't the right word for it, since it had no walls, but the darkness that swallowed up anything beyond the floating island they were standing on made it seem like it was enclosed, so Flurry decided to stick with that nomenclature for the sake of her sanity — room that looked to be around the size of the throne room back in the Crystal Palace.

And, just like in her home, there was a throne in this room too, though this one was carved from obsidian and towered over her from atop a set of stone steps.

And sitting — no, lounging — on the throne was the Empress of Tartarus.

"Well, well, well, what do we have here?" To her credit, the Empress sat up straight at the sight of the young alicorn standing before her. "A Little Snowstorm here to blow us all away?"

In any other setting, the pegasus mare who had united this prison realm into a nation would have blended seamlessly into the background. She was ordinary in every way, from her pretty-but-not-beautiful looks to the casual way she was slightly slouched in her posture. Your eyes wanted to skim over her with barely a mental note as to her presence.

But in a realm where the worst monsters to terrorize Equestria had been banished, the Empress commanded attention. Her sneer conveyed the disdain of one who had seen the most powerful beings in the world brought to their knees, and found the supplicant before her wanting. And her eyes sparkled with a cunning that captivated Flurry.

Still, she had spent most her life around beings of unimaginable power, and she would not be cowed by this one. "As I said, I come in peace, with only the intent to parley." She wasn't sure why she was sticking to formalities when the Empress didn't really seem to care about them. A product of a lifetime of upbringing, she supposed. "You have captured twenty members of the Crystal Guard, and are holding them in captivity here in Tartarus. I wish to negotiate for their release."

"Your guards were very naughty and sneaking around where they shouldn't have." The Empress was waggling her hoof at Flurry, like a parent scolding a child.

Despite the lack of respect, Flurry kept her tone calm. "They were investigating an incursion on Crystal Empire soil by Tartaran troops," she argued.

"Uh huh, and they just happened to poke their noses in the spell matrices that keep this realm stuck to Equestria." Cozy rolled her eyes. "Please, princess, you really need to get better at lying. I know Honesty is one of the Elements, but this is politics, and you're going to have to learn how to make up a more convincing story." Her eyes narrowed. "Especially if you're trying to buy time for something."

"We didn't know they were located there," Flurry argued. "And I came alone. This isn't a rescue mission."

"She's right." Another voice, one that seemed to reverberate against itself, made Flurry turn around to see a tall, dark changeling walk into the room. "At least, about coming alone. Our scouts searched the entire perimeter and didn't find anything."

"Thanks, Chrysalis," Cozy said. "Tell the scouts to double patrols anyways."

Chrysalis nodded. "Yes, Empress." Flurry could hear how much saying those words grated at her, but she nevertheless still bowed to her ruler. "So, what's this whelp doing here?"

"She's trying to argue that we were the bad guys for defending our land." Mock outrage filled Cozy's voice. "Imagine us doing something so evil!"

Chrysalis ignored the outburst, her calculating gaze focusing on Flurry. "Huh, you're an impulsive one, just like the other heroes that Equestria is plagued with," she said with disdain. "I wonder how many times one of your type will just waltz right into our lands."

"I believe in following one's heart," Flurry replied simply. "That's my nature, and the reason I received this cutie mark." She glanced towards her flank, which proudly displayed the image of a Queen of Hearts playing card, with the hearts replaced by the Crystal Heart.

"And your heart is telling you that you were right to order an illegal invasion of Tartarus?" Cozy taunted.

Flurry sighed. "I'm not here to discuss legalities and trade accusations about what may or may not have happened. Those ponies have families, wives and husbands and children and parents who want to see them again and who are worried sick about what might happen to them."

The Empress' expression didn't change at all throughout Flurry's impassioned plea. "That's very sad, and I feel bad for them for getting caught up in all of this, but we can't just ignore an insult to our republic like that. Actions have to have consequences."

Flurry nodded. "I understand, and I'm not here to ask you for mercy. I'm here to negotiate for their release."

"Oh, and what is the Crystal Empire willing to give us?"

"Me."

For a moment, the tension was thick enough to choke on. And then, the Empress laughed. "Your parents have no idea where you are, do they?" she fluttered up into the air, her wings stirring barely enough to keep her aloft. "I wondered why it looked like you came here alone. I thought it was some kind of trap, but no, you're just being an idiot and trying to play hero."

Flurry grit her teeth. "Do we have a deal?"

"Hey, if you're stupid enough to trade yourself for a few guards, then I'm not going to stop you." The Empress waved a hoof at her guards as she continued to buzz about in the air. "Free the prisoners and make sure they get back to Equestria safely."

"Empress," Chrysalis interjected. "You do realize this is a trick? There's no way she doesn't have some kind of trump card to play."

At that, Cozy scoffed. "Well, duh. But that doesn't mean she isn't way more valuable than some random guards. And Tartarus is a pretty special realm, good for making sure princesses can't just walk out."

"I'll triple the patrols," Chrysalis muttered. She then added hastily, "If that pleases you, Empress."

"Knock yourself out," Cozy replied with a casual wave of her hoof.

"And I'll pen a letter for them to carry back informing them of the trade, if that is agreeable to you as well." Flurry was technically a prisoner now, so she felt it was a good idea to defer to her new captor.

"Yeah, sure." The grin on the Empress' face grew wider. "Oh, this is great. I never in a million years thought I'd have my own princess as a guest here." Her erratic flight path brought her muzzle to muzzle with Flurry, and the young alicorn could smell the musk of power and command coming off from the Empress. "I am so looking forward to talking to you." Her smile turned wicked. "You're going to be my key to getting everything I want."

"We'll see about that, Empress."

"Please, call me Cozy Glow." Genuine warmth flowed from her tone. Or at least, perfectly feigned amicability. "After all, we're going to be such good friends down here."

"I'm sure we will, Cozy." Flurry bowed her head to hide her own smirk. Cozy Glow might be the Empress of Tartarus, but Flurry Heart was a Princess of the Crystal Empire.

The cute pink pegasus wasn't going to know what hit her.