Mind Games

Dross made his way down the twisting passages that he so easily navigated through.  To an outsider, the hive was a labyrinth, impossible to find your way through with dead ends, circular corridors, and offshoots that led nowhere.  It was as if every hallway was built simply on a whim, with no logical attempt to lead directly to any given location.  But to one who lived in the hive, it was as easy as breathing to find one's way.

The hive was extremely dark; what little light there was trickled in through cracks in the walls or gaps in the ceiling.  Even so, it was almost impossible to see anything.  Unless you were a changeling.  Having lived in darkness, one became accustomed to seeing in the dark, and they were suited perfectly to that lifestyle.  They could interpret the dark of the hive as well as any pony could see in the middle of the day.

The changeling, Dross, made it to his destination.  An opening that was covered in what appeared to be a gossamer veil, almost as if made from spider silk.  Two guards stationed at the opening saw him approach, and bowed slightly as they let him pass.  Dross acknowledged the gesture with a nod.

Parting the silk, Dross made his way into the chamber.  It was a massive, spherical room, empty save for a long strip of carpet leading down the slope to a grand throne centered at the opposite side from the entrance.  No matter where one walked, it would have to be downward, always underneath the queen's eyes, a constant reminder of her authority.  He made his way casually down the gradual slope and came to a stop in front of the throne before bowing deep, practically prostrating himself before her.  Chrysalis, Queen of the Changelings, glanced down, bidding him to rise.  He stood formally in front of her.

"Do you know why I have summoned you before me today, Dross?"

"I assumed it was for my overwhelming charm and wit, Your Majesty."

Chrysalis looked at him disdainfully, unamused.  "I have called you here so that we can make plans in order to take Equestria.  As my most trusted advisor, I would assume you have at least one plan of action."

"Of course, my Queen, ever since your failure two weeks ago," the queen's look grew grim and menacing. Dross spoke quickly, "No, no.  You misunderstand me.  It truly was a marvelous plan.  By feeding upon their relationship, you were powerful enough to overtake even Celestia.  It was only an unforeseeable circumstance that allowed the pair to be reunited and drive you off.  If not for that one variable, you would have succeeded."

Chrysalis nodded, looking appeased.  Dross still chose his words carefully.

"That being said, it is my philosophy that the changelings are much better suited toward more…covert…tactics.  By feeding off of love, you were able to grow powerful enough for a frontal assault, and almost take Equestria by sheer force, an incredible feat, to be sure.  However, I feel that our strengths lie in more guerrilla strategies.  Our kind are perfectly suited for deception, infiltration, and deceit.  If we can find a way to use this to our advantage, we should be strong enough to stage a coup while the ponies are off-balance."

The queen was thoughtful.  "That colt, Shining Armor, will be on his honeymoon by now.  Celestia won't be expecting another attack so soon.  They fail to realize that they simply drove us off, they did not defeat us in the slightest.  With her Captain away, Canterlot may be weak enough to assault, and once we have infiltrated their society, it will crumble at the slightest provocation."

Dross stood still, thoughtful.  The queen continued.

"Under these circumstances, the only real threat to our goal is the Elements of Harmony.  They are the only force capable of driving us away yet again.  That is why I have called you here today."

"Me, Your Majesty?" Dross knew what was coming, however.

"Yes.  You are the only one I trust, both in loyalty and competence, to be able to stop the Elements of Harmony from impeding us."

"Surely you are more than capable of doing this task, My Queen, why turn to me when you could do it yourself?"

"Don't patronize me, Dross.  I work best when I have power, which has been leeched out of me since the Captain was reunited with his true bride.  I have neither the want nor the will to engage in such underhanded methods."

Dross smiled, "Of course, with our head-on plan foiled, you need a Changeling of my inexhaustible patience and cunning to do this for you."

Chrysalis spoke in a disgusted, but exasperated, voice, "Your insolence borders on insult, Dross.  I've been far too lenient on you.  You had best watch your tongue with me before I am forced to do something drastic."

"Of course, Majesty, I beg forgiveness."  Dross said unconcernedly. "So, what would you have me do?"

"I do not care.  I leave the formulation of the process completely to you.  So long as the Elements of Harmony are useless against us, I do not care what methods you employ.  Just get the job done.  As soon as you are successful, we will begin our assault, and Equestria will be mine."

"And as for your restrictions regarding this mission, Your Highness…"

"None.  I give you absolute authority, in my name, to take any action you desire in order to achieve these ends."

Dross's eyes widened.  Unrestricted actions.  The queen always assigned some limitations in the event of a mission, either to insure that changelings could avoid detection, or because she merely did not want to deal with the consequences of their actions.  Changelings thrived on surprise, and if their existence was common knowledge, their capabilities would be restricted significantly.  Chrysalis had been so confident in her plan that she exposed the presence of the changelings to all of Equestria.  Before that moment, very few ponies even suspected they existed.  It would take a long time for changelings to pass once more into obscurity.

This proclamation of no limits either meant that the queen had absolute faith in his abilities and actions, or she was desperate to have the power that she had been so close to weeks ago.  He did not delude himself into even thinking it was the former.

"In that case, when would you like me to begin?"

"I will give you two days to plan and prepare.  After that, you have two weeks to complete your assignment.  By that time the Captain will have returned and the mission will be a failure."

Dross gave a grin. "I will have it done in a week, Your Highness.  Equestria will be yours by the end of the month."

"I am glad to hear it," she said, unenthusiastically, "In that case, you are dismissed."

Dross bowed once more before making his leave, turning and slowly walking out of the throne room.

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Chrysalis watched him go, until the curtain obscured her view of Dross.  She let out a small breath she was unaware she had been holding.

She did not like that changeling.  Far too confident for his own good, he seemed to perceive himself as second to her.  She had lavished him with titles and honors and that led him to a sense of self-importance that she despised.  Of course, those awards were well earned.

Dross was the cleverest changeling the queen was aware of.  He executed every assigned task perfectly, hardly seeming to have trouble on even the most difficult missions.  It was he who had devised a way for Chrysalis to make the switch with Cadence, allowing her plan to come to fruition.  He seemed to have a knack for trivial details.  He knew of the caverns below Canterlot, when almost nopony living even suspected their presence, yet somehow, he had come to learn of them.  Yes, he was cunning, that one.

After years of continued success and flawless actions, Chrysalis had promoted him to an advisory position, and met him personally for the first time.  He was not nearly so cocky back then, yet he was confident.  And absolutely devoted to Chrysalis.  He obeyed her every need, always the perfect servant, never questioning, never doubting.  He gave her sound, logical advice and he was always able to see what hidden variables could affect the outcome of a plan.

His changing abilities in themselves were unrivaled.  Even by her.  As Cadance, Chrysalis had been unable to reduce herself to even give the impression of caring for creatures so inferior, as Cadence did.  As a result, that filly, Twilight Sparkle, had seen through her façade.  Even so, the queen had been able to deceive everypony else, including the husband, though she had needed magic to assist with that charade.  Dross had no such problems.  His impersonations were practically flawless.  Perfect voice, mannerisms, and the ability to debase himself in order to imitate his target.  Before any mimicry, he would study his victim before even attempting to copy them.  He needed to know practically everything about them before he felt confident enough to be them.  His preparation was painstakingly thorough, but the results were spectacular.

All things considered, Dross had been the perfect choice when she chose to grant a changeling the title of High Advisor to the Queen.  His abilities were unrivaled, his intelligence unmatched, and best of all, he harbored an absolute devotion and undying loyalty toward the queen.  He was, in essence, the perfect tool for Chrysalis.

Unfortunately, that title seemed to have gone to his head now.  He was far too familiar with her in their personal dealings, even if he was perfectly respectful.  That attitude disgusted Chrysalis.  For any changeling to think they were worthy enough to treat her colloquially was asinine.  Every meeting, her dislike grew, and now she cringed internally whenever she saw that half-mocking grin that he wore constantly.  Even her rebukes today against his attitude didn't seem to faze him.  Yes, he was far too comfortable with her, and she planned to do something to change his demeanor.  The day would come when she would crush his independence.  In the meantime, however, she needed him fully functioning in order to complete this task.  She abhorred the changeling, yet his abilities were too valuable to risk at this time.

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Dross practically skipped out of the throne room.  Ever since he had been promoted, he spent all of his time stuck in the hive, ready at a moment's notice to be called upon by the queen.  Now, however, he had the chance to go outside and bask in the glory of a mission.

He always loved missions.  It was a chance to see how well he could trick ponies into thinking he was one of them.  To do this, he focused on charisma and mannerisms;  if those were mastered, any complication could be avoided or worked out.  He had done a variety of missions, though most of them were simple matters, like getting food or materials for the hive.  Changelings sometimes impersonated ponies for extended periods of time in order to gain an education, either in farming, medicine, or some other profession generally unknown to the changelings.  However, despite having these experts, sometimes they weren't around to offer their services and missions had to be carried out to get resources for the hive.

Once Dross had been promoted to an advisor, he was placed into a role of thinking, rather than action.  He reveled in the mental challenges given to him, having to monitor every conceivable and potential complication and finding a solution for it.  It was this mentality that brought him to the queen's attention:  his attention to detail.  By thinking of what minor things could go wrong, he avoided many issues that others would have stumbled upon.

Now, he was completely free to formulate, set up, and execute an entire mission.  He shook his head at that thought.  Completely free.  He had never heard of a mission with no restrictions before.  Usually they were self-explanatory things:  don't come into contact with a pony familiar with your victim, don't kill unless absolutely necessary, don't come into contact with the princesses, and anything else that could lead to risk of discovery.  Most other restrictions were boundaries;  this was to ensure that changelings wouldn't try to take a mini-vacation and try to enjoy themselves in the freedom of a mission.

Well, if he could do anything he wanted, he was going to make sure he had fun with it.  Most changelings regarded him as perfect.  He was the High Advisor, after all, and they had started treating him as second to the queen, even to the point of bowing when he walked past.  He was far from perfect, and he knew it.  It was simply a matter of not succumbing to your faults.  Dross knew he had a love for the dramatic, and embraced it unfortunately frequently.  The look on ponies faces when something unexpected happened filled him with happiness.  He loved to be able to test how well he could control ponies' actions, and therefore, observe their reactions.  But so long as he kept that desire in check, his missions went smoothly.

Now that he was free to do as he willed, he was going to make a plan that he could execute, as well as enjoy.

He was already prepared for this mission, though.  He had expected the queen would want to take Canterlot again, and soon.  He had studied the Elements of Harmony, the Princesses, and the high society in Canterlot for months, all in anticipation for a mission such as this.  Make the Elements of Harmony useless.  An important task, to be sure.  Nightmare Moon and Discord had both been defeated by their power, and most of the changelings forces had been devoted to stopping those six ponies from reaching the Elements.

But how to render them useless?  Getting into Canterlot was easy enough; getting into the castle, however, was a different matter.  He was confident that he knew the princesses well enough to impersonate them, but that wouldn't help in getting access to the Elements.  As far as he knew, they were locked up in Celestia's vault.  Perhaps they had been moved after Discord got to them?  But no, the six were definitely running toward the vault to get the Elements during the invasion.

Suddenly, the answer became clear.  Discord had been able to render the Elements useless when he made the ponies representing them abandon their element.  All Dross had to do was make the mares do that again.  The plans were already formulating in his head when he reached the exit of the hive.  It felt good to be outside and in action again.  He really was going to have some fun.

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Twilight Sparkle sat reading a letter while her friends talked around her.  They had decided to have a picnic today, and she was more than happy to attend.  The letter was from her big brother, Shining Armor, talking about how he and Cadance had decided to go through with their honeymoon, even after the delay that the invasion caused.  He seemed to be very happy with his marriage, and had taken to writing to her more often after he saw how hurt she had been from their lack of communication.  She put the letter away and went to rejoin the conversation.

The picnic was the usual:  Rarity refusing to lay on the grass, opting instead for her lounge; Rainbow Dash provoking Applejack to some kind of physical challenge; Pinkie Pie being…Pinkie Pie; and Fluttershy sitting quietly, smiling softly as she looked at the others.  Twilight lay close to Fluttershy, knowing she wouldn't be distracted, and opened a book to read.  It was the same as every other picnic they had.

Suddenly, Twilight Sparkle came galloping over a hill, breathing heavily.

"Everypony!  Get away from her!"  she pointed a hoof at the reading Twilight.  "She's an imposter!"

Twilight stared at the newcomer, mouth agape, "What are you talking about?  I'm Twilight!"  She looked around at her friends who were staring at her in shock.  Slowly, they started backing away.  What in Equestria was going on?

"No, really, I'm Twilight!"

They looked between her and the new Twilight, uncertainty evident in their eyes.

Suddenly, laughter broke out as the new Twilight turned into a small figure.  It had a similar body shape to a pony, but that is where the similarity ended.  It was dark, had blue eyes, sharp teeth, and almost all of its appendages were pointed in some way.  A changeling.

Dross laughed, a full, mirthful laugh, as he saw the surprise on the ponies faces when he changed back.  He always loved the reactions he saw when he unveiled himself:  utter surprise and astonishment.  It cast the silliest look on the ponies' faces and it was irresistible!  Normally, he would never reveal himself, but hey, there were no restrictions on this mission.

"I am sorry, that was a rather twisted prank, but you should see the look on your faces." he wheezed, "Priceless!"

The other ponies stood still, all except Pinkie who did look around, and starting laughing along with him.

"You're right!  We do look funny!" she burst into another set of giggles "That was the best prank ever!  Don't you think so, Dashie?"

Rainbow Dash stared at the changeling, distrust evident on her face, "Yeah Pinkie, funny…" she said in a dead tone.

Twilight finally recovered and walked up to the changeling, "Who are you?  And what are you doing here?"

Dross starting to calm down and looked at her, a mirthful glint still in his eye.  "Now, now.  You can't just expect me to reveal my entire plan, can you?  Not without a price."

She looked at him suspiciously, "What type of price?"

"Nothing serious.  I'm a changeling that enjoys games.  Why don't we play one?  I will ask you to confirm something I believe to be true, and I will tell you the truth of one question you want to know."

Twilight's eyes narrowed, "And why would you do that?"

Dross shrugged nonchalantly, "It's no fun playing a game that your opponent doesn't know about.  It's much more rewarding to place their full wit against your own."

Twilight considered for a second, "So we confirm a statement with a yes or no, and you respond to a question with a whole statement?  That doesn't seem like a fair exchange.  What do you really want?"

"Only that, I assure you.  I know that your mistrust for my kind must run deep, considering the activities of the last few weeks, but really, all I want is to have a little fun.  If getting the short end of a deal is the first step to achieving that goal, I will gladly accept it."

Twilight didn't trust him for an instant, but she knew virtually nothing about these changelings.  If this could help her studies, she was willing to bite.

"Fine."

"Splendid!  Let me begin.  I assume that you are Twilight Sparkle, the Element of Magic?"

Twilight was taken aback, that was pretty much common knowledge, why would he ask that question?

"Yes.  Who are you?"

"My name is Dross, Changeling Extraordinaire!"  He turned to Applejack "You must be Applejack, the Element of Honesty."

Applejack looked surprised to be addressed, "Uh… yeah, that's me."  She looked at Twilight, uncertainly, "What should I ask 'im?"

"What are you doing here?" Twilight addressed Dross.

"I am here on a mission that, if successful, will allow my queen to take control of Equestria."

Twilight was dumbfounded.  She certainly did not expect an honest answer, let alone one of such importance.  Surely he must be hiding something, covering for his real motives.

"Why would you tell me that?"

"Ah ah ah.  I get my turn first."  he turned to Fluttershy "You, my dear, are Fluttershy, Element of Kindness, are you not?"

Fluttershy shrunk in upon herself, looking through her mane.  Dross looked at her expectantly.  They stared at each other.  Finally Twilight spoke up.

"Yes, she is.  Now, answer my question."

"Why would I honestly reveal to you this most secret of plans?  Well, I truly believe in honor.  I gave you my word that I would answer truthfully, and I always keep to my word, no matter the consequences."  He looked at Rainbow Dash now, "You must be Rainbow Dash, Element of Loyalty, the fastest flier in Equestria, master of the Sonic Rainboom."

Rainbow Dash stood up straighter under the praise, a cocky smile on her face.

"Yes, it's all true!" she looked at him, "how do you know that?"

"I make it my business to know about what is going on in Equestria.  Having a pegasus of your caliber around is no small secret."

"So what is this plan of yours?" asked Twilight Sparkle.

Dross turned to her apologetically, "I'm sorry, but I answered Rainbow Dash's question."  He turned to Pinkie Pie, "You must be Pinkie Pie, Element of Laughter."

"Yes, she is," snapped Twilight, frustrated, "Now, what is your plan to take over Equestria?"

The changeling looked at her calmly, "I honestly don't have one yet.  I have a few half-formed plans, but none that I think will work, unfortunately."  He turned finally to Rarity, "You obviously, are Rarity, fairest of the unicorns, and the Element of Generosity."

Rairty blushed slightly at the compliment and opened her mouth to speak.

"Yes, but I think you already knew the answers to all of your questions!" Twilight interjected.

"As I said, I merely wanted for honest confirmation.  'One can hear rumors, but may not know the truth.'"

"Whatever," Twilight muttered, frustrated, "Why are you really playing this game?"

Dross laughed, "Ah, I see you are indeed rather clever.  I do have hidden motives.  I like to have fun, and whatever my plan turns out to be, I assure you it will take the form of a game.  Games are much more enjoyable when the opponent is prepared.  As for the reason to not simply tell you of my motives outright, this is a much more enjoyable method, I find.  Now for the confirmation of something not obvious:  are there really hidden caverns underneath Canterlot?"

"Yes."

Did that mean one of his plans involved infiltrating Canterlot via the caverns?  But surely he must know about them if the queen did.  Was that a genuine question, or was he throwing his turn away again?  Was he trying to mislead her?  If this changeling was really telling the truth, he didn't have any more information to share about the plan.  If he was lying, he wasn't going to tell her anyway.  In that case, it was time for her to do some studying, this time from a primary source.

"What is a changeling?"

Dross looked surprised, "That's a rather existential question, don't you think?  Hmmm.  I suppose you could say that we are basically parasites.  We are rather weak ordinarily, but we grow stronger the more we feed off emotions.  Most of us feed off love, but a rare few can absorb other emotions.  The power gained is directly proportional to the strength of the given emotion, whether its intrinsic strength, or how strongly a pony feels at a given time.  Love is a powerful emotion, and if we feed off of it at a loving time, say a wedding, we grow even more powerful.  I hope that answer suffices."

Twilight nodded.  It would do.  Knowing their source of power was useful information.  If it was true, that meant that the changelings had probably been at their most powerful at the wedding.  That would explain how Celestia had been defeated.  At least the queen's power was merely circumstantial.  Assuming this changeling was telling the truth, that is.

There was a silence and Dross started, "Oh, yes, it is my turn to ask.  Let's see…  Is the sky blue?"

Twilight's brow furrowed, "What?!  That's not a very subtle way to throw away your question, is it?"

Dross shrugged.

"Yes, Dross, the sky is blue.  Where do changelings live?"

"We have a hive in the Everfree Forest.  It's not a very suitable place for ponies, very dark and confusing.

Well, it seems I have run out of questions, so I must say that this game has come to an end.  I hope you found it educational, and that you will be willing to play another game later."

He turned to face all six ponies, "It was a pleasure meeting you ladies.  Have a wonderful day!"  He bowed to them before flying off into the Everfree Forest, gone as quickly and randomly as he had come.

_______________________________

Twilight was in the library, pacing her well worn path in the floor of the tree.  She was obviously agitated, and Spike let her be and had gone to bed early.  She was now talking aloud to herself, trying to reason through the random events of that afternoon.

"What was that all about?  Why would some changeling reveal a plan to take over Equestria?  Surely he knew that I would tell the princess about it.  Unless…"  Twilight paused, the wheels turning, "Unless there is some other type of plan that he wants to carry out.  Maybe he knew that we would focus on defending against another attack while the changelings get away with something completely unrelated."

She groaned, "But there is always the chance that he was telling the truth, so we have to prepare for an attack, regardless.  Ugh!  What does it all mean?"

She started retracing the events of the afternoon, trying to make sense of his comments and determine his motives.  He had run up to the picnic as Twilight Sparkle and called her an imposter only to start laughing and reveal himself.  Why would he do that?  He had called it a "twisted prank", but is that really all it was?  An opportunity for some laughs?  Or was there an underlying message?  She had seen the doubt in her friends eyes when they looked at her after the accusation.  Was he showing how easy it was to destroy the trust the six friends held so dear?  No, her friends would never distrust her that easily.  Would they?  It was simply a joke he wanted to play.  Even Pinkie Pie saw it as a harmless prank.  But then why did it bother her so much?

Next, he had offered to play the game.  He claimed he loved games, and Twilight was willing to accept he was telling the truth to that.  Throughout the entire exchange, he was playful and light-hearted albeit formal and rather verbose.  That seemed to support that his initial appearance was also a joke.  But if he wanted to play a game, why didn't he play seriously?  Unless he had.  His first questions were simply confirming the elements.  That was common knowledge though.  What information could he get out of it?  Twilight thought for a moment before coming to a realization.  He hadn't confirmed one piece of information each question, he confirmed three.  By seeing the ponies himself, he was able to identify which pony was which.  The second part was their name, who they were.  The third was what their Element was.  He used the opportunity to have three assumptions confirmed, not just one!

Still, it was common knowledge, so in a way, he must have thrown away his turns in the game.  Unless he was also giving her a hint with that.  Maybe he knew she would figure out that he was gaining more information than was apparent.  If that was the case, he must be giving her a message that he was more clever than he appeared.  Then again, she could be completely over thinking the situation.  She growled in frustration.  How was she supposed to know what the changeling had really been doing?

Wait.  What was it he had said?  "It's no fun playing a game that your opponent doesn't know about.  It's much more rewarding to place their wit against your own."  Did that mean what she thought it did?  He said opponent, not opponents.  Was he saying that he was matching his intelligence against hers, and hers alone?  Surely he must know about her being a bookworm.  He probably assumed she would be the most cunning pony to play a mind game with.  If that was the case, he had probably planned the entire exchange that took place at the picnic.  If so, her first two assumptions were true; he wanted to show how fragile trust could be and show how clever he was.

Twilight felt a strange feeling come over her.  It was almost like…excitement.  This changeling was obviously smart, and he was trying to pit his wit against hers.  This must be the feeling Rainbow Dash got whenever she was challenged to a physical feat.  Except this was a different type of game entirely.  Instead of seeing who the fastest, strongest, and fittest pony was, it was a game to discover who could outsmart the other.  It was a game suited exactly to Twilight's strengths.  If this changeling wanted to see how smart she was, she would give him a run for his money.

Twilight was prepared to look at this problem now from the point of view of a game.  Since he had initiated the game, surely he would be compelled to play by its rules.  He had said he would tell the truth, so logically, Twilight had to assume he had.  That meant there really was a plan to take over Equestria.  But how was he going to do that?  Almost every question he asked had to do with the Elements of Harmony.  He also asked about the secret caverns underneath the city.  Therefore, he must be planning to get to the Elements of Harmony through the caverns!

Dross was playing  a game with her.  A sort of meta-game that encompassed the one which they had played this afternoon.  The real game had started the moment he revealed himself and brought her into it.  Well, if she was going to beat him, and save Equestria, she had to make sure she didn't fall into his traps.  Any other game he wanted to engage in, she would decline; she would play the game on her terms.  If she gave even an inch, he would gradually wrest control of the situation out of her hooves until he had won.  She was confident that she would be able to stop him.  She was, after all, Celestia's star pupil.  Now that she knew Dross was only playing a game, the entire interaction seemed less threatening, and more like a greeting.  It had been an introduction of two competitors.

Twilight had finally calmed down.  She started planning.  First things first, she had to contact Celestia to warn her about the caverns.  That would foil any invasion that he was plotting for Canterlot.  Next, she had to start planning her moves, and anticipating his.  If she wanted to help Equestria, she had to stop Dross' goal from coming to fruition.  The adrenaline coursed through her, making her feel more alive than she had in weeks.

"Spike!" she called.  The baby dragon stumbled out of his bed, rubbing his eyes.

"What is it Twilight?  I was having a good dream where…"

"I need you to take a note."

He sighed, "Fine."

The game was on, and she was determined to do everything to win it.

"Dear Princess Celestia,  today I came into contact with a potential threat…"

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