Queen Chrysalis had been in exile in the more desolate and less populated areas of Equestria ever since her defeat at the hoofs of Starlight Glimmer, plotting her revenge.
I can't do it myself. She had thought to herself. Starlight will no doubt bring along many of those petty friends I captured back during my second attempt on an invasion of the most love-filled place I've ever known. And I can't defeat all of them on my own—especially in the absence of my changeling army! Chrysalis wandered for months, experiencing both extreme heat and cold, in both mountain and desert, near sea and land. When she heard Spatium's mental message to everypony in Equestria regarding him taking total control of everything, however, she began to venture back into the urban areas.
"I'm certain Spatium could use a few more...henchponies, as it were," she giggled. "And I know just the pony—aside from me of course—he would be most interested in teaming up with!"
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The Crystal Empire had not been destroyed by Spatium. The forcefield produced by Shining Armour, Cadance and Twilight was still as strong as it had been when the former had bid the latter two his poignant farewell.
Sneaking past security will be filly's play! Chrysalis thought. All I have to do is impersonate Princess Cadance, just as I did on her wedding day all those years ago. I'll say I've come back to see Shining Armour. The guards simply couldn't refuse to aid such a lovely pony as her. Chrysalis did just as she had psychologically planned. A single drop of pony blood running down her face like a tear, the guards instantly understood and began to escort 'Cadance' to her beloved husband; not many steps up to his place of residence, however, the masquerading monarch broke free of their grip and gave each of them a single, but violent kick to the head, rendering them unconscious. With nopony to stop her, she ran back outside and directly to the Crystal Library.
"Hey, whadda ya think yar doing?!" The Librarian shouted. "That's the restricted--" Chrysalis rapidly transformed back into her true form and sucked every bit of love out of the stallion. Having done so, she was able to access the restricted section. Her search for the book she needed did not take too long; when it was complete, she opened it. A vast blanket of dust covered each page, so she gave the book a brutal shake. And then, at long last, she found the page! And she recited the spell: the spell to enable her to enter Tartarus itself! There was a blinding flash, and in literally no time at all, she was there.
"I just need to find," she said aloud in hope that her desired prisoner would overhear. "...where Lord Tirek is kept!"
"Whoever happens to be seeking me," the voice that replied was Tirek's, no doubt about it. "Lord Tirek is up here." Chrysalis darted her eyes about the place. The voice seemed to be coming from up ahead; and it was. She trotted slowly forwards, avoiding the other ghastly inmates, and eventually sighted Tirek's cage. One lengthy flight of stairs later, and she was as close to him as she could possibly muster under the circumstances.
"What is it that you want with me?" Tirek was very small, given the fact that none of the magic he had stolen the last time he had broken out was contained in his body any longer.
"Did you hear Stellas Spatium's mental cry out to everypony in Equestria?"
"I don't believe it was just to Equestria," said Tirek. "He was detailing plans to enslave and command different dimensions, so it makes sense that he would wish for as many creatures in the multi-verse to hear his commands as possible. I wish I could help him!"
"That's what I'm here for," said Chrysalis.
"Go on," Tirek demanded, intrigued now.
"You broke out of here once before," Chrysalis explained. "Who's to say you can't perform such a feat a second time?" Tirek paused, breathing heavily and menacingly through his nose.
"NOPONY!"
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"We need to get to Chaosville!" Fluttershy urged the rest of her group.
"To where now?" Applejack asked.
"It's where Discord lives," explained Fluttershy. "I've been there for tea parties myself on several occasions. It's really spooky, but if Spatium's gonna tear it down and be ruler of it as part of his quote-unquote 'master plan', I for one suggest hurrying there at once!"
"I agree with her," said Cadance. "Discord's magic is extremely powerful and could prove most useful in bringing about Spatium's downfall."
"Besides," Twilight continued. "I don't think we're ready to confront Spatium again just yet."
"Your logic is, as always, overwhelmingly enlightened, my dear," Rarity said selflessly. "We need time to form a cohesive plan!"
"How do we enter his dimension?" asked Rainbow Dash.
"Oh, um...I don't think it's an official dimension...actually," Fluttershy confessed. "It's more like a...void between all the different dimensions in the multi-verse."
"You mean like a sort of gateway to all them?" bleated Starlight.
"I guess so, but..I'm no scientist," said Fluttershy sadly.
"If Discord's so-called void is a gateway to all the dimensions," said Twilight. "That'll be Stellas Spatium's first stopping point, and the very first inter-dimensional location he invades. Oh, we simply must hurry!"
"How do we get there?" Applejack questioned.
"Discord's always transported me there himself," Fluttershy admitted. "But now he's not physically here, I wouldn't know where to start!"
"How's Stellas Spatium getting there then?!?" Pinkie yelled at break-neck pace.
"That's a good point, Pinkie," said Cadance. "He's the most powerful allicorn in existence, right?"
"What are you saying?" Twilight inquired curiously.
"Well," Cadance explained. "I'm certain he'll be using some form of teleportation spell to achieve inter-dimensional travel. After all, no library in Equestria has any number of books containing spells to reach every dimension in the entire multi-verse."
"You think we could try it?"
"Anything is possible," Cadance said warmly, smiling for the first time in days. "With the magic of..."
"FRIENDSHIP! WE KNOW!" Rainbow Dash interrupted. "Just please hurry and get us to Discord's realm, we don't have time for all this chit-chatting!"
"Here goes..." Twilight and Cadance began.
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At the same time, Tirek and Queen Chrysalis were making their way to the Everfree Forest, the site of Spatium's most recent sighting.
"Have you considered the prospect he will refuse to work with anypony?" Tirek asked.
"Pfft!" Chrysalis replied immaturely. "It will work out."
"Working out isn't something that's transpired very much during my lifetime," said Tirek. "How about you?
"Started out just fine," Chrysalis detailed. "Started out just like any other Changeling's. The infinite thirst, and lust, and hunger for love. And then I became Queen." She began to laugh lightly. "Took them long enough—two hundred years, no less!"
"When myself and Scorpan grew distant and he befriended Starswirl the Bearded, I began to feel the weight of a sour life on my shoulders," Tirek sniffed. "And when I was first thrown into Tartarus, my life...it was just over. When I escaped and began to thirst for ponies' magic, just as your race thirst for love...it was the greatest thing ever. But then my life was turned to torment yet again by Princess Twilight and her fellow figures of nobility."
"I, too, have one which I am seeking revenge on," said Chrysalis empathetically. "The unicorn named Starlight Glimmer, for bringing about the downfall of my race."
"You don't mean..."
"I do. I truly do! Every last one of my people turned into good-hearted individuals..."
"Surely...you have more love to feed off that way?" Tirek grinned evilly.
"You're an ingenious one!" she cackled. "We make quite a pair, do we not?"
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Reaching the forest at last, the two found Stellas Spatium immediately. He was on the ground with the Cake family, who were trotting in the opposite direction.
"That's it," he said demandingly. "Out of here! Find me ponies that have escaped being turned and find them now!" He turned and sighted Chrysalis and Tirek. Their eyes were not black-and-orange, as all slaves to Spatium were. That is how he could tell:
"Ah! Mr. and Mrs. Cake, no need!" The earth pony couple shifted around and began to head back into the forest. "I have found some myself."
"Massive fans, just saying," Chrysalis began.
"Allow me to handle this, my dear," Tirek interrupted. "I have recently broken free from Tartarus, the prison for the criminally insane..." He stopped. "Alright, maybe forget that part, but the point is..." Tirek's words were drowned out by a horrifying scream—it was that of Queen Chrysalis herself! And her eyes were no longer swampy-green; quite the opposite: fifty-percent orange, fifty-percent black!
"You're next!" Spatium grinned. Tirek did not even consider fighting back, he ran. Oh, how he ran! It is astonishing that he was able to get away, considering how much of his strength had been diminished in his battle with the four princesses.
"NOPONY WORKS WITH THE LIKES OF STELLAS SPATIUM!" Spatium roared. "ONLY FOR HIM!" He paused and surveyed the area. "Bulk Biceps!" The ghostly-white and totally humongous male pegasus stomped up to him. "You must go and fetch me Lord Tirek at once!" Bulk did not reply verbally, only nod his head and charge off after Tirek, just as Spatium had requested. His slaves would perform any task he requested!