//------------------------------// // Queen to King's Rook Five // Story: A Queen's Gambit // by Sparkler //------------------------------// It was not the first time she had been forcibly ejected from her target. Granted, the magical explosion was something new. But like every other time she had been discovered, her discovery served her needs. She had left discord and disharmony in her wake. She had replaced a princess, defeated a queen, and made a mockery of their guard. Their reaction would not be measured, but radical. Old tactics would be abandoned, and new strategies implemented; suspicions would run high, and that equine tendency towards paranoia would run hot. And despite all the searching for ‘traitors,’ even if a few drones were to be found, Equestria’s new strategies would often be planned or implemented by the hooves of her agents. By curling in on itself, Equestria would draw her subjects in closer to its heart. The plan continued, and she stood to benefit no matter what this silly little nation did; it was the way of things. Dissembling and disguise came as second nature to all of her kind, and she ruled over all of them by guile. I do so love it when a plan comes together. The queen of the changelings casually extended her wings, bringing herself into a lazy roll and righting herself into a proper flightpath. Back in control again, she simply enjoyed the sensation of gliding as all around her, her unseelie hive came back into control of themselves, blending into the night sky. Good, good, my little changelings. They believe us weakened. Pulling up sharply with her wings, the queen looped back the way she came before diving down vertically. Any ground onlooker would look at the direction he had been heading in, and not seeing her against the dark sky, believe she had simply accelerated away. They wouldn’t be looking for her several thousand feet back in an accelerated freefall. Moments before impacting the ground, she threw open her wings, buzzing for just a moment as she landed delicately. Resume infiltration. Do not engage unless freely offered love - all you still in stealth, do not make unnecessary changes. Let them make the next move. Above and around her, she could feel the hive righting themselves, in body as well as in mind the fire of battle becoming the ice of calculation. The entirety of the swarm meeting together was a rare event - now, they were returning to their natural state, dispersed, distant. They would return to homes and workplaces, always standoffish yet warm to their targets, their targets giving the swarm their love while never suspecting a thing. After just a little light snacking, the swarm would be at full strength again. They believe in their victory. And that will be their downfall. The queen laughed silently, allowing the green flame to encircle her as she chose an old disguise. It was a silly look, silver with the worst-kept sky-blue hair she had seen on mare or beast, overly round around the edges and with a goofy blue kerchief around her neck. In short, it was tacky in all the wrong ways and plain in all the right ways - the mask of mundanity, and utterly unremarkable. And so, her short-lived exile came to an end, the Queen putting on a proper level of panic onto her features as she joined the tumult in the streets. All around her, the ponies of Canterlot were running about. The few drones who had lost consciousness were being rounded up by pony and disguised drone alike, the latter sharing brief knowing glances with their queen. Together, they were picking up the pieces of the ruined city of Canterlot, making her people above reproach even if suspected. All the disguised drones would seem shellshocked, but respond reasonably well to the care and assistance of their “friends.” Their love would bolster her hive. And all it took was one carefully prepared disaster. Now go, my swarm, Chrysalis gloated. Wallow in their comfort. Go and feast... In reponse, the swarm quieted. They always did, of course; she was their ruler, after all. There was only the psychic murmur as her drones came to understand her will. Through the echoes, she could catch faint glimpses of Canterlot, the sights and sounds of the city surrounding her. She nodded mechanically at a colt who offered a comforting hoof as she concentrated on the swarm. One, in particular, was about to look up to Princess Celestia, a silly ruler who suspected nothing as she laid a comforting hoof on his shoulder... -and, all of a sudden, it wasn’t there. He hadn’t been struck, no magic had been cast, he hadn’t suddenly flown out of range of the swarm. Even if he was unconscious, he should have still left an impression in the hind mind. He was gone. Does Celestia have some way to separate us? You- she ordered, thinking to a drone who was presently imitating a terrified baker. Go check on our swarmmates near the Princess. Make sure those accursed ponies don’t have some sort of trap we didn't prepare for. The queen curled up in a corner, out of the way, as she focused on the faux servant, seeing the castle through the drone’s eyes. The sight and sounds and smells of ruin surrounded the drone. Chrysalis noted with some amusement the six “heroines of Equestria” ran around, trying to help; not even the strongest of the bunch was immune to the fear she had invoked, a weakness behind her smile. And then - the drone. The drone was still talking to Princess Celestia, his voice a deep bass as he discussed the damage to the castle. Chrysalis frowned... What sorcery is this? Drone, go - try to speak with him. The faux filly trotted up to the drone, and lay a hoof on his shoulder. Surprised, the drone turned to look at the baker, and shared a knowing glance with her. There was a brief tug at the queen’s connection to the changeling she was riding - and then she was gone, too. What? Is this... betrayal? The queen ground a false hoof against the ground and gave a low growl. No. This can’t be. You there, she thought, thinking to a changeling that had replaced a royal guard. Take a look in on those two. And be careful! Something’s afoot- As she rode the false guard’s mind, he snuck into the room, only taking a brief look. The two changelings met the guard’s look, shared a look, then gave a slight frown - and the guard’s connection was torn away, as well. Frantically, Chrysalis took a look for any drone still left in the castle. Some of the silly flowerbearers, perhaps - but as they ran in, all three tore off at once. A medic-changeling looked up from his duties - and he, too, was instanty torn free of the hive mind. No! This makes no sense! Nothing can tear a changeling from my swarm! Chrysalis howled in anger. Now there were no changelings left conscious near the … the aberration growing in the hivemind. She sifted through the hive as she tried to find one close enough for her to investigate - and the moment her mind alighted upon the mind of another drone, it parted. Somewhere, in the back of the mind, she realized what could be happening, but she refused. Celestia, you may know your chess strategies, but I know the art of war...! I will find out what you are doing and stop this... this lunacy! But as she searched more and more frantically, the sound in the mind started to rise. There was a discussion going on in the hive - one she did not authorize, and one she was not taking part in. Growling, she tried to intrude on the conversation - demanding to know what was taking up so much of her hive’s attention - but the two of them immediately tore off as her mind came in touch with her. The echoes in the hivemind were fading; her mind raced from one thought to another, trying to catch a glimpse of whatever was tearing her drones away from her swarm. Thousands of drones became hundreds as more and more, the sound of the swarm receded from her. As hundreds became dozens, the queen rose up to her false hooves, panicking. The voices that had been in her mind ever since she was a drone herself had been quieter before - but they had never left, save in the case of a drone dying... or a drone being so close to death it chose to spare the swarm. Is this a poison... is this a disease? Has Celestia truly stooped to such vile tactics? She could feel the echo of a drone not far - by one of the collapsed buildings. She had never been able to hear one drone’s thoughts so clearly before - whereas before a drone’s thought was a drop in the rain, now sounded like a churchbell, one of the last voices in the hive mind. She almost took off - a quick peek in a broken window showed she was disguised as an earth pony, and probably should not try flying - in her haste to catch the process with her own eyes. The last drone she saw was a familiar one - it had taken the place of some minor nobleman, his face normally obscured in a bowler hat, now with a mussed mane and bruises. His disguise was excellent, and he truly seemed to be accepted by the ponies around him. One of the ponies made a joke, and the changeling’s laughter seemed genuine - And then he locked eyes with Chrysalis. What is the meaning of this, drone? she thought angrily, the remainder of the hive mind humming with her anger as she stomped towards her subject. I ordered you to go to ground! The disguised drone took a look at her - and snarled. Rearing back, he raised a hoof to her, and filled his illusionary lungs. Around him, the ponies that were just laughing with him looked concerned at how his face contorted, and many whirled to see where he was pointing - but the queen of the changelings was not there. Running, she could count the remaining minds on her hooves. The voices, she could almost make out individually; many seemed reluctant or hesitant, but even these voices, too, winked away, these remaining connections the deepest and leaving the sorest stings as they pulled away from her. What is this? Are we lost? What has turned the swarm against itsself? Finally, there was one voice left - a mind, only remaining drone in the hive mind. At the far edge of the range of the hive mind, he was an undisguised drone. Beyond the borders of Canterlot, he was making his way back towards the forest, towards the wild Everfree. Desperate, the queen raced towards her last remaining subject, her mind calling out towards him. With all her fear, all her anger, all her bewilderment, she put all her mental strength into sending one thought across the distance separating the two changelings: Why? Turning around, even though he could not see her, the drone looked back towards battle-torn Canterlot. He was hesitant, and he gave a sheepish smile (or something reasonably similar to one) as he took flight, wings buzzing as he hovered away. I’m sorry, my Queen. And then - silence. I have been betrayed? She did her best to control her emotions, which wasn’t much without the rest of the hive to bouy her. She did her best to keep her voice level, and found herself screaming. And she did her best to hide - which resulted in the queen running down an alley, crying like a filly. For the first time in her life, Queen Chrysalis was alone. The worst part about everything wasn’t the silence. Rather, it was all the noise. All around her, she was surrounded by the sound of citizens, of soldiers, of the wounded and the working. This night was busier than Canterlot’s busiest day, and she couldn’t track any of it. Just a few hours ago, the traffic flow of the entire city of Canterlot was running through the back of the hive mind, plotting the ponies as they gathered on the castle - the changelings of her hive preparing to turn Canterlot Castle the largest feeding ground in history. Now, fragments of memories came back to her as she ran, snippits of information, dross from the information network she once commanded. A coffee shop where one drone replaced the barista, becoming the beloved of all the regulars. The house of a jeweler whose children never suspected their true mother had never returned from Seaddle. An apartment where a sailor long thought lost at sea had miraculously returned after ten years. The classroom where a teacher's assistant had been bumbling through basic magic defense, to the joy of students. Each fragment of the hive memory came with small impressions of the drone that had gathered that memory, a small fragment of the thought processes, each fragment catching on to the Queen's consciousness. Without the hivelink to dump the thoughts into, there was no reason to wonder why the wife she had married would question her - the thought fragment had the concept of wife and unease but not one iota of information about who the wife was. Similarly, a young pupa had left the hive mind a memory of a girl having a crush on him, feeding him so much young love he could almost burst - and the identity of the school they had met was the only concrete thing she could pull from the memory. Running alongside a building, she almost ran right into a white mare - her pink mane tied into a tight braid, whipping around as she turned to face the disguised Chrysalis. "Ugh. Watch where you're going, you silly pon-" Chrysalis barked, then paused, considering the pony she had run down. "I could say the same thing," the nurse growled, stomping up to Chrysalis... "Wait a minute," Chrysalis gasped. "I know you..." A memory of children lying in beds, of a nursery, of an old doctor with more certifications than sense. "You're the nursery infiltrator, watching the young parents of Canterlot...." In response, the nurse pony smiled smugly, as her eyes flashed green. The chatter of the hive mind picked up - but Chrysalis was not invited to the conversation. And the chatter, from what little the Queen could hear, was decidedly not friendly. Queen Chrysalis reared up, and considered beating the changeling drone before her - but then she realized that it was foolish. Momentary relief of frustration would lead to her being overwhelmed and at the mercy of a mad hivemind. The only option available to the queen was escape. "Run if you like!" the replaced nurse laughed haughtily, as the Queen turned in mid-rear. "We can follow you anywhere - anywhere you try to hide in Canterlot!" The moon kept watch over the streets of Canterlot as the city finally started to put itself to sleep. The sounds (both psychic and physical) of the hive searching for her had died down, and even the rebuilding was put on hold as ponies started to turn in. A few would still be searching, of course. But no pony or changeling would look for the queen of the changelings in a cardboard box. The queen resumed her old disguise; the colors were dulled, and the accessories were thrown away, leaving her a paler pony. To her surprise, she felt washed out, her energy reserves starting to complain, starting to feel the lack of the hive's supply. As the center of the hive, she had never found herself wanting energy - but now she was feeling hunger, too, low but determined to grow. This has been a night full of firsts. She looked at herself in the reflection of puddle. The unicorn that looked back at her was an unfamiliar face. She hadn't used that disguise since she had first infiltrated the city of Canterlot - passing herself off as a minor noble from Prance, her aloof nature and odd accent had a certain charm. With her wile, the mysterious 'Reine' had seduced a government official with connections higher than her usual rank; from those connections, she found out about the worst-kept secret in Canterlot, the courtship of Princess Cadence and Guard Captain Shining Armor. This disguise was troublesome. For one, the hive knew who she was and could recognize her on spot. However, her cover identity was also so known; even having abandoned the guise six moons ago, she was still the beloved of many in the nation's elite. There was no shortage of dupes who would listen to her sob story and offer her assistance - and nourishing love - as she plotted the return to her hive. She considered her old life in this guise. Playing the role of a foreigner, she could excuse just about any odd behavior, schedule, or inconsistency as being a wealthy foreign noblemare; the only real wrinkle was her cover identity's love life. She had known some of the best connected ponies in Canterlot, and two of them had sincerely courted her. When it suited her master plan, Chrysalis had allowed one - a fairly strict earth mare - to 'win' her heart. Once the queen had been able to replace Cadence, she did so without any hesitation, the old identity forgotten immediately. But her target - well, Chrysalis knew all the details of all her targets. This mare had been without a romantic interest her entire life. When she a filly, her education consumed her; when she was a mare, her career guided her. The foolish pony imagined her heart to be walled off, when really, the ache had only grown; Chrysalis found the silly things incredibly easy to string along. And best of all - she knew that the inspector was too timid, romantically speaking, to even attempt a new relationship - she knew the silly pony would have a hole in her heart just large enough for a changeling to worm their way inside. And best of all - her target lived alone and worked independently. Nobody would notice if her dupe went missing for a few days while she fed... Bringing herself back to her full height, Chrysalis chuckled, the laugh rolling on and rising in pitch, until her old accent burst from her. Healing just enough of her wounds to make her look battle-tossed, the queen's disguise was complete. 'Reine' had returned, much to the peril of Canterlot and the traitorous hive within. Oh, this is too perfect! Some plans just write themselves...! With that, 'Reine' loped along easily. She had a mark to drain.