The Art of Subterfuge

In the time before Discord reigned, there was a pony general. He had quite a few wise sayings, and amongst them was the following: For victory to always be achieved, one must know themselves and their enemy. To know the enemy and not yourself is folly, and shall give victories infrequently. To know one's self and not the enemy is not enough, and shall yield defeats as frequent as victories. To know neither shall be the downfall of any, with the few victories you gain laid at the hooves of the skill of others or the luck you have received. To know both is wisdom, and in it you shall go from victory to victory.

This was a rare moment of lucidity on the part of a race who's base state, even at that most chaotic of times, was not war. It is also among the few pieces of advice from a pony that Queen Chrysalis of the changelings took to heart. Oddly enough, it wasn't the only piece of advice she took from that source.

The other, less well known, quote of the general was "Ego sum opus pistorium valentissimum repleti gelata," which, according to some sources, roughly translated as "Deception and subterfuge is the basis of any successful campaign." And how true it was. Chrysalis herself was living evidence of such.

It was no mean feat escaping the end she had been destined for. The fact the other two of them had expected her to stand with them to the very end was a source of mirth to no end for the changeling Queen. They had fallen for a ruse that changelings had perfected over centuries! To think that a changeling would be a friend with others and even die with them! Laughable!

Chrysalis, as soon as the others thought the victory was won, left them like a bag of puppies. They were cocky and thought victory was theirs before the Element Bearers had been eliminated. Having lost to them more than once - unlike the others - she had a wonderfully clear idea of how easily they could make a comeback.

And so, as shrewdly as ever, Queen Chrysalis developed a plan to come out on top like never before. She had lived a long life for a reason, and the biggest reason was that she was smart. She was conniving and duplicitous to an extreme. She knew a sinking ship when she saw one, and after several hard losses, she had learned when pride was no longer a badge to be worn and instead a millstone around the neck.

She stole away in the night - or what passed for night - and found the ponies. She gave them the forsaken bell and told them that she had escaped the others and that she had never intended to be on the side of the other two - that she had been forced to under the threat of extreme harm. She pleaded for forgiveness, despite it tasting bitter, and did her best to show contrition without overacting.

And the ponies bought it!

From that day on Chrysalis was somewhat trusted, though very minimally if she was to be fair. When the other two were reduced to a glorified lawn ornament, Chrysalis got to keep her freedom. She watched their flesh turn to arcane stone, and did her best to still keep up the act - restraining the smile that so desperately wanted to break across her features.

Walking up to the statue, as the others watched on with great trepidation, Chrysalis raised a hoof to Cozy Glow's cheek, touching the stone softly. "I'm sorry that this is your end." She said in a voice that did not rise too greatly over a whisper - ensuring all she wanted to hear her did while remaining unsure if they were supposed to. "I'm sorry I couldn't have saved you from this fate, little one. You deserved to grow into a better pony than you were."

Twilight, that pitiably sappy pony princess, walked up behind her and leaned against Chrysalis in a comforting gesture. "I'm sure you did your best to save her. We did too, but she was just not the sort to move past herself. Some ponies just can outgrow their own evil."

"Like me?" Chrysalis asked, forcing a short stream of tears to flow before ducking away. She almost wanted to cackle at Twilight for believing her rouse so much! Her acting was so good that it even, for just a moment, fooled Chrysalis herself - who felt an odd tugging at her heart as she moved away from the statue.

Before her lay a new life that she would get to live without fear if she but played the part of a reformed, though untransformed, changeling. It was a life she could accept, if only for the moment as she gathered her strength. Then, when the time was right, she'd strike and take back what she had lost!

The ponies were all fools for letting her into their ranks, for falling so completely for the deception that Chrysalis had constructed for them. One day, when they all trusted her fully and the balance of power hung on but a thread, the changeling Queen would strike. It would be the greatest deception ever committed by a changeling!

And so the days passed on and Twilight did her best to further Chrysalis' reformation. The young princess of Equestria took the older changeling under her proverbial wing, inviting her to live alongside the princess herself, providing accommodations as best she could for the changeling.

It also provided Chrysalis with all the opportunities she could ever hope for in plying her craft of deception and control. All she would have to do was play her cards in just the right way and at just the right time and the entire world would be wrapped about her hoof.

Who knew that ponies had been right about it all along, but had been so wrong in their application of the principle they had discovered? Hearts and Minds. It was all just a game of Hearts and Minds. Unfortunately for the ponies who wished to use this on others, there was a race far more suited to swaying the hearts and altering the minds.

In time Chrysalis would have herself a place in the world that no creature might've ever expected for her. With her skill in the craft of deception and the art of subterfuge, Chrysalis would make herself Queen of a populace that didn't know their own ruler. Oh how delicious it would be!