//------------------------------//
// Raise/Fianchetto 
// Story: Rook Takes Queen 
// by Undome Tinwe 
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"Well, Little Snowstorm, your parents aren't happy about your little stunt," Cozy said a few days later as she entered Flurry's room. "They're already demanding a meeting to negotiate your release right now. I wonder how long it'll be before they start sending rescue parties."

"They're probably already on their way. Are you going to give them the meeting?" Flurry asked, resting on the chaise lounge. This had definitely been some kind of guest bedroom before Cozy had turned it into a prison. "There's advantages to striking while the iron is hot, but you also don't want to appear too eager to get rid of me. It'd be an obvious tell that could be exploited."

Taking the seat opposite to her, Cozy glared. "That attitude is really starting to get on my nerves."

"And yet, you keep coming back to me," Flurry replied, doing her best impression of a Detached Princess Smile. "I'm managing to keep you interested enough to return to me every day for our chats."

"It's going to feel really good when I finally break you," Cozy replied, allowing herself to slouch against the cushions.

"You have to admit, it's an interesting set of cards you've been dealt," Flurry said. "You're incentivized to return me of sound mind and body, but you also need to figure out my secrets before it might be too late. An ace up your sleeves that you don't know if you want to slip into the turn, because your opponent might have an ace in the hole."

"That's the rational option, but then again, I'm not exactly a rational mare." Their gazes met, and yet another battle of wills began. "You might want to remember that before you piss me off some more, Little Snowstorm, or I might just decide to lose the match just to capture the queen. Tirek was a valuable lieutenant, but I still had him killed when I needed to set an example."

Their staring match lasted almost a minute, with both sides refusing to yield. The iron will behind Cozy's eyes was staggering, but Flurry had been raised by the princesses to rule, and she was not so easily cowed as some of the monsters in this place.

Still, she had to admit that Cozy held the obvious power here, and they both knew it. Even if Flurry had an ace up her sleeve, she couldn't play it if Cozy decided that she wasn't worth the hassle of keeping alive and sane, and Cozy had the advantage of being a known loose cannon.

That didn't mean she would just roll over though, but she needed Cozy to think she was at least winning a little. Flurry sighed. "It's my nature," she said, keeping eye contact. "Like I said, it's part of my cutie mark. Ponies think it only symbolizes my skill at games of chance, but they don't realize that poker is as much a battle of intellect as it is a matter of luck."

"And chess is all about reading your opponent and winning the mind game," Cozy reminded her. "But that doesn't mean someone won't do something stupid because they're mad, and in this case, you really don't want me mad."

"True," Flurry acquiesced. "I'm also just enjoying getting to be the one with the secret for once. Do you know what it's like growing up with a princess as a mother and three more as aunts? Not to mention your mom being friends with a bunch of teachers?"

Cozy snorted. "I can sort of imagine. I was one of the first students to attend the School of Friendship, before I ended up down here the first time."

"I studied your history," Flurry said. It wasn't a lie, but it didn't quite capture the whole truth either. "One thing I've always wondered is why you decided to try and eliminate magic. Did you really think that was the best way to take over Equestria?"

A faraway look entered Cozy's eyes as she shook her head. "You don't get it," she said softly. "If you studied me, then you know I was an alicorn once, for a little bit. I still remember what it was like to have that much power, so much that I could crush anypony who tried to stop me. And you just had that handed to you when you were born." A bitter chuckle escaped from her lips. "Life's really not fair, huh?"

"It's not," Flurry agreed.

"Anyways, the point is, you don't get what it's like to have to worry about a single pony ruining all your plans," Cozy said. "It didn't matter if I could manipulate all of Equestria into following my rule, one alicorn or really powerful unicorn could just incinerate me and that'd be that."

"So you had to make sure that couldn't happen." It made perfect sense, really, and Flurry had to respect her dedication.

"Sometimes, you have to give up something to make sure somepony else loses even more." Cozy stood up, a smug smile on her face. "But you already know that, don't you, Little Snowflake? It's the same in chess and poker."

"It is," Flurry replied. "Why do you think I'm here now? Sometimes, you have to call a raise when you have the worse cards so that your opponent doesn't know what to expect in the future."

"So sure of yourself, princess." Cozy trotted over and booped her playfully on the nose. "You have no idea how much I want to see you suffer for the crimes of your kind. I spent a lot of years locked up in that stone prison, you know."

"Well, if negotiations go south, you might get your chance," Flurry said, refusing to show fear. "Then again, they did release you eventually."

"Because they thought they could brainwash me into being a good little filly who would do whatever they said." A vicious grin spread out across her muzzle. "I played along for a little bit, just long enough to learn a little bit more about this realm and how to make it my own. And the rest, as they say, is history."

"You've done pretty well for yourself." Flurry made a show of looking around at the darkness surrounding them. "Nopony thought you'd be able to unite all the creatures of Tartarus together, let alone form them into a nation capable of waging war against Equestria and the Empire."

Cozy shrugged. "It's their fault for not acknowledging us as a country in the first place. Not that I didn't want to see them all burn, but I would've been fine with Tartarus and a little bit of land around the entrance to call my own. With you, though, I might be able to get some more."

"We'll see," Flurry replied.

The sound of hoofsteps paused their conversation as princess and empress turned to see a blue, goat-like creature approaching them. "Your majesty," he said, bowing.

"Grogar." Cozy nodded at the ancient necromancer. "Can't you see I'm busy with my guest here?"

"My apologies, Empress, but another messenger has arrived from the Crystal Empire."

"Ooh!" Cozy clapped her hooves in excitement. "Let's see what they're going to try next!" She took to the air, turning around to wave at Flurry. "I'll see you later, Little Snowflake."

Flurry waved back, settling back into her seat as she watched Cozy and Grogar head off into the darkness. The empress still had no idea what Flurry's plan was, and while things hadn't gone completely as predicted, Flurry was making good progress.

She just needed to make sure that her time here wasn't ended prematurely.