//------------------------------//
// All In/Checkmate 
// Story: Rook Takes Queen 
// by Undome Tinwe 
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Before she could see if her plan worked, everything went wrong.

The day after their conversation about the wayward finance minister, right before when Cozy would usually appear for their daily meeting, Flurry heard a meaty thud outside, just past the darkness surrounding her, followed by the sound of metal clattering to the ground. She tensed up, recognizing the signs of attack.

Her horn was glowing bright when she saw an armoured pegasus approach wearing a crest displaying a crystal heart on his chestplate. "Your Majesty!" he exclaimed, bowing low. "We've come to rescue you!"

Flurry's heart sank. "You can't!" she hissed, desperately shaking her head. It was too early. "There's a barrier stopping me from leaving this room."

The guard in front frowned. "Your Majesty, you are a mighty alicorn. Surely you can use your magic to break through it?"

"The magic of Tartarus is beyond me," Flurry replied, hoping it would convince them. "Please, you have to leave before you get caught. Your courage and service is laudable, but this is an impossible mission, and I would not have you be captured because of me." If Cozy found them here, it could ruin everything Flurry had been working towards.

"The Crystal Empire will never abandon its princess," the guard declared. "We will find a way to free you, Your Majesty." He turned towards one of his compatriots. "Somecreature in this blasted realm must know the secret of breaking down the barrier."

"No!" Flurry commanded. "As your princess, I command you to leave this place."

"We have orders from your parents to do whatever is necessary to free you." The guard turned suddenly. "Someone's coming!"

"Oh no," Flurry muttered to herself, panic flaring up and threatening to shut down her mind. Given the timing, their new visitor was likely to be...

"Guards!" A familiar voice called out, and Flurry's heart stopped as Cozy came into view. "We're under attack! Defend your empress!" Flurry heard multiple sets of hoofsteps, and a weight sank into her stomach as she watched all her hard work becoming undone.

That disappointment paled in comparison to the horror that pierced her soul when the guard pointed their spears and horns towards Cozy. "Stand down!" Flurry shouted, trying to avoid a bloodbath that would likely lead to the empress' demise.

Unfortunately, it was at that moment that a host of creatures appeared behind Cozy, brandishing their own weapons.

"For the princess!" One of the guard's horns flared, and Flurry recognized the offensive spell she was charging.

If it hit Cozy, it would likely be fatal.

There was no time to think. Drawing upon all her alicorn magic, Flurry shattered the barrier around her room before teleporting herself between Cozy and the Crystal guards. With practiced skill, she conjured up a shield spell that blocked the incoming blast. "I said stand down!" her voice echoed through the realm, commanding obedience.

Before the guards could even react, however, Flurry heard a sizzling sound behind her, followed by an agonized scream that would haunt her for the rest of her days.

Extending the shield into a dome to surround them completely, Flurry turned around to see Cozy collapsing to the floor, an angry red gash against her chest. She rushed forward, catching the pegasus mare before she could land on the ground. Behind her, she noted that one of the Cozy's soldiers was holding some kind of glowing lance, looking horrified at what she'd done.

"You're going to be okay," Flurry whispered, trying to summon up a healing spell.

Cozy let out a weak cough. "Nope," she said, shaking her head. "I'm not a godlike alicorn anymore, and that shocklance blast is enough to kill any mortal. There's nothing you can do, Little Snowstorm."

"No," Flurry's spell touched Cozy's body, and knit together some of the wound, but not enough to save her. "No! I won't let you die!" she declared through gritted teeth as she began to channel the spell again.

"Wow, you really like me that much, huh?" Cozy chuckled before wincing again. Her voice was growing fainter, and her eyes had already become glassy.

"I love you," Flurry whispered. "I've always loved you, Cozy Glow." The confession was ripped out of her very heart, an anguished declaration that Flurry no longer cared to hide.

"Huh." It seemed that the shock was setting in, as Cozy simply stared at her blankly. "How about that. Well, it's been fun, Little Snowstorm, but I guess we'll never get to finish our little game. Would you mind letting a dying mare know what your plan was? I'm guessing it doesn't matter anymore, since I'll be dead real soon." Another chuckle. "You could've escaped anytime, so it wasn't power you were after, was it?"

"It was," Flurry admitted, tears streaming from her eyes. "Power and love. That's all I ever wanted. I fell in love with you when I studied your achievements, and I knew that being with you would give me everything I wanted."

She was sobbing now, and barely aware of the world around her. There was only Cozy, the object of her obsession, whose life was slowly draining from her body. "That's why I sent those soldiers to Tartarus to get captured," she admitted. "So that I could trade myself for them and get closer to you. My grand plan was always to win your heart. That was it."

"So you did all of this for... love?" Cozy asked.

A choked laugh escaped from Flurry's throat. "I told you I was the most passionate of the princesses."

"That's... the most ridiculous thing I've ever heard." Suddenly, Cozy's expression sharpened, all signs of pain leaving her expression. "I can't believe Cozy was right about you!"

"Wha—" Flurry's surprise was cut short as green flames surrounded "Cozy," consuming her dying form and replacing it with a familiar changeling queen. "Chrysalis!"

She turned around to see her rescue party similarly transform, and shame filled her heart as she realized she'd been deceived. 

"Hello, Little Snowstorm." The mocking way she said that nickname galled Flurry. "I have to admit, that was almost too easy. You ponies really are far too sentimental for your own good, you know."

"But..." Too many emotions were coursing through Flurry right now. Falling back on her training, she focused on the most immediate matter, narrowing her shield to protect only herself in case Chrysalis attacked. "What do you gain by doing this?" she asked. "Why would you organize this farce?"

It was somepony else who answered. "Because I told her to, of course."

Another emotion joined the maelstrom as Flurry saw Cozy stepped out from the shadows: betrayal. "Cozy?" she asked, unable to keep the hurt from her voice. "Is that really you?"

"I know you have a spell to detect illusion spells," Cozy said. "Good thing you were too torn up about me dying to remember them." There was smugness in her tone, but it felt almost forced, and Flurry could see a similar storm of emotions in Cozy's eyes.

Still, it was good to be sure, so Flurry cast her spell, revealing that Cozy was indeed who she said she was. "It's really you," she said, relief flooding her and blunting the mental image of Cozy dying in her arms. "I— I thought you were dead."

"I'm a very good actor, if I may say so myself," Chrysalis said, gesturing to herself. "And your love was quite delicious, as was your anguish."

"Enough," Cozy said, her usual cloying cheerfulness gone from her tone. "Everyone, get out. I want to talk to Flurry Heart alone."

For a moment, it looked as if Chrysalis was going to object, but the sheer strength of Cozy's glare was enough to make her simply scoff. "I suppose I'll let you two lovebirds sort out your little soap opera. Good luck, Your Majesties."

After that, the other members of the play dispersed, leaving Cozy and Flurry staring at one another outside of the room that had been Flurry's prison for weeks. "You planned all of this in one day?" Flurry asked, not knowing how else to break the silence.

Cozy shook her head. "No, I've been planning a fake rescue for a while. Made up the stories about the rescue parties too. I wanted to see if you could actually get through the barrier, figure out what kind of power you actually had. Also, I figured if you were with your loyal guards, you might be so relieved that you'd let them know what you were really up to."

"An interesting plan," Flurry acknowledged. "But a risky one. That's a very easy bluff to call."

"Yeah," Cozy admitted. "If you got suspicious and decided to cast an anti-illusion spell we were done for. It was always supposed to be a desperation thing, you know?" An awkward grin spread out across her muzzle. "But then, I found out that you were in love with me, and I knew the perfect way to make sure you weren't thinking straight."

"You used my own love against me," Flurry whispered in wonder. She cleared her throat, her voice returning to its cool mask. "I commend you on your cunning."

Cozy's head tilted in confusion. "Huh, I expected you to be a lot madder about it."

"I fell in love with you because of your ruthlessness," Flurry retorted. "You press every advantage you have, and aren't afraid to do whatever it takes to achieve your goals. If anything, I only want you more now." There was no point hiding it anymore— Flurry had put all of her cards on the table, and now it was time to see where the chips fell.

A blush crept along Cozy's cheeks. "Aww, you say the nicest things, Little Snowstorm."

"I do wonder, however, what gave my feelings away," Flurry asked. "I thought I was doing a good job seducing you without showing my own cards."

"You were," Cozy replied. "But then you said that we were more similar than not, and I realized that you probably felt the same way about me that I felt about you." She stepped forward, cupping Flurry's chin with a hoof.

Flurry's heart stopped in her chest. "You mean...?"

Instead of speaking, Cozy responded by leaning in, pressing her lips against Flurry's. After the initial surprise wore off, Flurry returned the kiss with all the passion she had been suppressing, and together their tongues danced in a battle for dominance, with neither side able to gain an advantage for long.

Eventually, they had to separate to breathe. Panting, Flurry stared at Cozy, fire burning in her eyes. "I respect you using my love for you against me, but if you lie to me about your own feelings and string me along, I will destroy you, and this entire realm will burn with my wrath."

Cozy laughed. "Oh, Little Snowstorm, I'd love to see you try. But I guess we'll never know, because I really do love you back."

Flurry allowed herself to smile. "I'm glad."

"I still can't believe that was your whole plan, though," Cozy said, rolling her eyes. "Did you really think you could just waltz into my empire and charm me into bed?"

"Sometimes, you just have to go all-in and hope your cards are good enough." Flurry fluttered her wings seductively. "And as the daughter of the Princess of Love, I was taught to have faith in its power to overcome all adversities. After studying you for years and obsessing over your achievements, I knew my love for you was true, so I came here to claim what was rightfully mine."

Cozy shook her head. "You princesses sure are something, alright. At least you're way more fun than your mom and your aunts." She leaned in for another kiss, and the battle for dominance began anew.

Once again, it ended in a stalemate, but that was okay. Flurry looked forward to testing herself against this beautiful, brilliant, ruthless mare over and over again.

But first, they needed to ensure their tomorrow together.

"I know negotiations with my parents are ongoing," Flurry said. "May I suggest a resolution?"

Cozy raised an eyebrow. "Sure. I'm curious what your plan was once we got to this point. There's no way you didn't have this figured out too."

"It's a classic solution to such a political hostage situation." Flurry grinned. "In exchange for my release, you demand to marry a member of the royal family in order to strengthen relations between our two nations, and to gain whatever dowry I would come with."

Cozy's eyes widened. "You want to get married?" she nearly shouted. "We've only known each other for a few weeks!"

Flurry rolled her eyes. "Political marriages have been forged on less," she said. "And I know our love for each other is true." Her grin widened. "Besides, I'm the Princess of Passion, how could I not follow where my heart led me?"

"You princesses really are crazy," Cozy said with a shake of her head. "But... It's a good idea, and I really like you. You're useful, too."

"Thank you!" Flurry replied cheerfully, glowing at the praise.

"I just want you to know that even if I love you, I'm still going to do everything I can to keep my power here and grow my kingdom." Once again, Flurry could see the cunning in Cozy's eyes, and loved her all the more for it.

"I would expect nothing less." Flurry held out a hoof. "Shall we shake on it, then?"

After a moment of deliberation, Cozy took her hoof, and then pulled her in a hug. "We're gonna do some great things together, Little Snowstorm. The whole world's all ours for the taking, now."

"And take it, we will," Flurry promised.