Seraphis Virtuoso

by Absentialucci

Chapter 1

Chrysalis was not happy. Yes, the invasion had overall been a success. But in all of her planning… all the years of preparation and infiltration… she had failed to consider one thing.

“Princess Luna…”

Her voice came out as an aggravated hiss.

“Could one of you explain to me…”

She reared up, showing off her impressive size in comparison to her Generals.

“Just how that particular bit of information slipped the net?!”

She allowed herself a small moment of vindictive pleasure at how her generals cowered before her. They, each and every one, had started out as drones.

Chrysalis made sure to pay attention to all of her drones. Yes, many were identical and only fit to serve… but depending on the creature she had mated with, some drones came out different. Either physically, or mentally. She took special interest in these subjects. Many would distinguish themselves, and climb the ranks. She expected the best from each and every one of them. And in turn… each and every one could be removed. Demoted.

Chrysalis sighed mentally. The general in charge of her information net, a drone with the genetic markers of a Griffon, had gotten lazy. Sloppy. And though he had served her well for nearly a decade… he failed her when she needed him most to succeed. With a second Princess out and about… it would be significantly harder for her to convert Equestria to her cause. Princess Luna was a rallying point, and she had escaped Canterlot with a sizable portion of its defensive garrison.

“General Setae. Front and center. Now.”

A trembling Changeling moved closer to her.

“Y-yes my Queen?”

Chrysalis turned her cold, hard gaze down on him.

“Remind me, General, how long have you served as Netmaster?”

“M-my Queen! Please! The Lunar Princess… she–”

“Answer plainly, grub!”

General Setae flinched at the force of her voice. She took no pleasure in making him feel fear, but an example had to be set.

“T-twelve years. Three months. Seventeen days, your Highness.”

“And in that time you served me faithfully…”

The general visibly relaxed.

“...Until now.”

Chrysalis continued, voice unsympathetic.

“Until the greatest moment of our Hive! The moment, I may remind you, was only possible with accurate and updated information. Which is why we have our net. And why you bare the name ‘Setae.’”

Setae tensed. He knew what was coming.

“General Setae. Who is next in line? The one who you hoof-picked to act as second Netmaster. Who you screened, and trained to replace you, when you faded away?”

Setae swallowed hard.

“Caster… Confluent, your Highness.”

“Fetch him.”

Setae hesitated.

“Now, General!”

Setae scrambled up from his submissive bow, then nearly tripped over himself in his haste to carry out his last order as General and Netmaster.

Chrysalis did not move a muscle. Nor did she utter a word. The rest of her Generals maintained their stance, and silence. None wanting to earn the ire of their Queen.

It wasn’t long, though it likely felt like a small eternity for her Generals, before General Setae returned. A young drone following behind him. Chrysalis silently looked the Caster over. He had little to no discerning marks, as was typical for most drones, save for one mark across his mesothorax. While most drones sported three straight lines, two of his lines crossed the middle one. Unusual.

The general scrambled back to his spot, front and center, bowing so quickly that he nearly imbedded his fangs into the carpeted floor of the throne room. Confluent slowed, and bowed with more dignity.

“General Setae.”

Chrysalis began, watching Confluent carefully. She detected a momentary flash of disgust in his eyes when she spoke the General’s name. Good. He knew that his General had displeased her. He would offer no sympathy.

“You have disgraced and endangered this hive with your carelessness. You failed to pass on vital information to your Queen at the hive’s most crucial point of history! For this disgrace, I, Queen Chrysalis of Hive Mantis, hereby strip you of rank and name!”

Chrysalis noticed a hint of satisfaction flash across Confluent. He was certainly ambitious. This gave her hope in her next steps in the war with Equestria. One thing her former Netmaster hadn’t failed in, was finding a worthy successor.

“No longer shall you walk with freedom within, and without the hive. No longer shall you be entitled to the privileges of Generalship. You are nothing more than a drone! Fit for nothing more than the honor of carrying out your superiors’ orders! No longer will you carry the name ‘Setae.’ You are nameless. Begone! And pray that you never fail your Queen again!”

The drone unsteadily got to his hooves, then turned tail and fled away from the glare of the Queen he had once served.

Chrysalis turned her attention fully on Confluent.

“Caster Confluent. Step forward.”

He did so, with self-control and dignity. Chrysalis noted that for later.

“How long have you served as Caster?”

Confluent saluted smartly.

“Ten years, three months, seventeen days, my Queen.”

Chrysalis nodded. She of course knew this already.

“Caster Confluent, you have proven competent and efficient in all of your tasks. There remains a gap in the chain of command. A gap that must be filled, post haste.”

Chrysalis inhaled, then proclaimed.

“I, Queen Chrysalis, of Hive Mantis, hereby promote you to Netmaster. You will be free to come and go from the hive as you see fit. You will be my eyes, and ears across the world. Our information net remains intact, and I expect you to acclimate quickly to your new responsibilities. No longer do you bare the name Confluent. From here on, you carry the name of Setae. My Netmaster, and General. Serve your Queen faithfully, and you will be rewarded. Fail me…”

Chrysalis trailed off, not needing to finish her sentence.

General Setae stiffened and saluted once more.

“It is my honor and duty, Majesty, to spread your will across the world. I will not fail you."

Chrysalis nodded curtly.

“See that you don’t. Dismissed.”

Setae turned smartly, and marched out of the throne room. Chrysalis watched him leave, then turned her attention to her remaining Generals.

“Let this serve as a reminder. Failure will not be tolerated. You are the trusted advisors of the Queen. Now go!”

Her Generals saluted as one, then turned and marched out. Chrysalis suppressed a sigh, then sunk into the throne she had rightfully earned. She allowed herself a few moments respite, before rising once more.

She carefully tapped into the mind of the collective, bracing herself for the sudden influx of information. She followed a few threads until she found the individual she was looking for.

Codex Master. Fetch me anything we have on the Lunar Sister, Princess Luna. We have much to study.

It took but a moment for her to receive a confirmation. She rubbed her eyes. It would be a long night, but she was accustomed to long nights. The greatest path towards success, was planning and information. And Chrysalis had no intention of sacrificing the momentum she had picked up. Equestria would submit. Every creature had their weaknesses. Princess Luna was no different. All it would take is the right application of pressure. In the meantime, everything else would proceed as planned. She would not idly sit back, waiting for her enemy to strike back at her.

“Soon, Princess… soon you too will submit. Equestria will be mine.”

***

Princess Luna, lunar diarch of Equestria. Nightmare Moon. Princess of the Night. She had many names, some lost to history, some remaining from the civil war that had ripped Equestria in two, and some she only shared with her most trusted friends.

Centuries of history and culture… and none of it mattered. None could save her city from attack. She had failed in her sacred protection of the night. She could still see Canterlot in the distance, its protective magic shield long since having collapsed. All she could make out, were the dark forms. Fighting was still breaking out, Canterlot would not be so easily suppressed. Occasional bursts of arcane light pierced through the darkness of the new moon. Her enemy had chosen its time well.

She tore her gaze from the scene below her, and surveyed her collection of guards and civilians. Even now, there could be infiltrators amongst them. She could only hope that they would be found in time. They knew it would be foolish to reveal their nature now., but she would find them. She always found her enemies. And they would pay for daring to attack her ponies. Without another word, she began the march towards the nearest town. Towards Ponyville.

“Harsh Echo. Captain Sweet Siren. Attend me.”

Silently, her two summons flanked her on either side. The rest of her guards set about organizing the refugees. She knew they would keep a close eye on any and all, including each other. Thestrals, Unicorns, Pegasi and Earth Ponies. All dispersed before their Princess, like water from stone. They kept their distance, as Luna conversed in soft tones with her Captain and attendant.

“What’s our situation at a quick glance, Captain?”

Sweet Siren snapped his leathery wing in a salute.

“We have a ramshackle collection. Royal Guards, Lunar and Solar. They’re integrating with each other well enough, though there are some disagreements on protocol.”

“What disagreements, Captain?”

Luna kept her gaze straight ahead as she spoke, Harsh Echo silently walking beside her.

“Mainly amongst guards of the same rank, from different branches of the guard. I am the highest ranking commissioned officer, but several of the noncommissioned officers are quietly arguing their seniority.”

“We cannot afford such discourse. Identify the main cause of the disturbances, and have me a list of names put together by the time we reach Ponyville. We must squash this cancer early, before it has time to fester.”

Sweet Siren snapped a salute once more, then fell behind the two of them.

“The Captain seems quite capable, my lady.”

Harsh Echo commented idly, not breaking her pace.

“Yes… we are lucky to have him amongst those who escaped.”

“You sound weary, my lady.”

“Alas, I can’t hide anything from you, Harsh. Truth be told… I’m not sure what to do. My sister’s fate is unknown, Canterlot is under attack, yet we’re here. Outside the city limits. And even now, we could have traitors in our midst.”

“You made the right decision, my lady. Equestria needs some degree of leadership intact, and if you’d stayed you would surely have been captured or slain. Just…”

Harsh caught herself, and Luna turned her piercing gaze to her.

“Just as my sister was.”

She finished for her.

Harsh held her gaze, unfaltering.

“Yes, my lady. You couldn’t do anything else other than what you already have.”

Luna turned back to the road ahead.

“I know. Elysium, I know. It doesn’t make it any easier though.”

“Such is the burden of command. You’ve known this for centuries. There is no one here more important than you. I haven’t forgotten that. You must not lose sight of that yourself.”

Luna bowed her head, allowing one last sign of weakness, before she dropped the mask of cold calm over herself once more.

“I will need your help in organizing the resistance and recapture of Canterlot. Our first priority is to reach Ponyville safely, and set up a base of operations. I want you working with anything you can find. Scrolls, ancient texts, myths, anything you can get your hooves on. We do not know our enemy, and our enemy knows us. Until that is remedied, we are at a disadvantage. I want you to start a screening process. Basic tests, cantrips for Unicorns, feats of weather manipulation for Pegasi, affinity for the energies of Equus for Earth Ponies, and tricks of moonlight for Thestrals. Things that all creatures know of from a young age, things that should be second nature. With luck, we may weed out some of the infiltrators amidst us.”

“You think there are many?”

Luna was silent for a few paces.

“I am certain of it. Any creature of suspect is to be detained immediately. I will perform my own investigations through their dreams, but the screening of thousands will take time. It would be most helpful to have leads that could narrow down my efforts.”

Harsh Echo bowed her head, and touched a wing tip to her temple, a traditional gesture of respect amongst Thestrals.

“It will be done, my lady. I am at your disposal as you see fit.”

Then she too fell back, melting into the mismatched group of guards and refugees. Luna was left alone with her thoughts.

Not even a year has passed since my return. This is a different world than I remember. Ponyville was nothing more than a single farm when I rose against my sister.

She cursed herself.

Foolish. Uncoordinated. A reaction of emotion, without thought.

This time it would be different. She would not make the same mistakes she had made in her childish rampage against Celestia. Information was the key to victory. She would have to keep her emotional side in check. The very fate of Equestria depended on it.

Luna clenched her jaw, and picked up the pace of the march. There would be no stopping until she reached Ponyville. The screening process would be refined, and she would enlist the help of any she could find. Greatness was hidden inside every creature. She just had to find the ones whose spark was being ignited at this time of tragedy. She would have to be weary, however. Periods of great change had the equal potential to release the inner darkness within every creature. She was beginning to formulate a course through history, but navigating the course was its own challenge.

“One thing at a time…”

She muttered to herself.

She marched on. Movement and flow. The currents were dangerous and turbulent, but a skilled navigator knew how to use them to her advantage. At least she wasn’t alone, even if she felt the absence of her sister like a black hole within her… She was not alone.

Comments

[Crescent Nebula]

Really interesting , I look forward to seeing where this goes.