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// Ace in the Hole 
// Story: Pony Poetry, Perhaps? 
// by Mikemarksman 
//------------------------------//

There's an old saying amongst us tacticians,
On the elements that make our plans whole.
That behind your burning ambitions,
And sincerest admissions,
Always have an ace in the hole.

A show of force would never work, I thought,
We aren't creatures built to fight.
So then why go to all that trouble, for naught?
Simple. My ace was a pony named Twilight.

She was smart enough to realise,
That her old foalsitter was gone.
A slip up on my part, in the area I specialise?
No, it's what I was counting on.

After all, who would suspect the prisoner?
The anguished, suffering bride?
She bought it all, what an excellent listener!
Unaware of the monster inside.

But how, if the 'Queen' was in the castle above?
And I, helping Twilight break free? 
Because it wasn't myself draining Shining's love,
But my servant, masquerading as me.

We broke from the caverns, my double revealed,
The spell was ready to cast,
My minions fled, and I, still concealed,
Completed my plan, at last.

They had seen my clone defeated,
They thought it was over and done.
Yes, my forces retreated,
But theirs were conceited,
And in their complacency, I'd won.

Now I have an Empire, my hive's exact antithesis,
And grounds for my subjects to feed,
And the brother of a hapless, clueless nemesis,
Eager to satiate my greed.

And poor little Cadence? I'll give her a mention,
She's not quite gone just yet.
But I'll build up the tension,
And her apprehension,
Before I add her to the set.

And to think all it took was a switch with my closest of blood,
To leave all my ambitions unfettered.
Yes, whilst an ace in the hole is all well and good,
Two are undoubtedly better.

Chrysalis looked out over her Crystal Empire and smiled.