//------------------------------// // Episode 1: The Fourth, Part 1 // Story: My Little Pony: The Days of New Equestria (Season 2) // by ScorchingFlamesInc //------------------------------// It was a new day. The light from the rising sun started to bathe the town of Ponyville, and also began to reflect off of the large castle that reformed villains Chrysalis, Tirek, and Cozy Glow currently lived in. In the Cutie Map room, Tirek sat on the ground in front of a table, lifting a dumbbell with ends as big as his fists. The doors opened, and Chrysalis walked in, her mane showing signs of bedhead. "Good morning," Chrysalis greeted with a yawn. "Doing another morning workout?" "You know I like to stay in shape..." Tirek said. "After all, I do have a special some...um... ling." Chrysalis chuckled, sitting on the seat next to where Tirek sat. "Well, is it a problem that I didn't do the same?" she smiled. "Messy mane or tidy mane, I still love you." Chrysalis sighed. "What's wrong?" Tirek asked. "I'm just worried about Leo..." said Chrysalis. "He still hasn't came back. I know the whole incident with those clones happened last night, but knowing Leo still isn't here just... bothers me." "Relax, Chrysalis," Tirek assured. "He's probably either far away or... um... imprisoned..." Chrysalis gave him a glare. "But that doesn't mean we don't have hope," Tirek continued. "When the Princess sends her search party, perhaps a couple of the guards can accompany us. Maybe even their captain himself." "I suppose so... but what if we're found? Sure, we'll probably have a lot of guards with us, but with the combined strength of Grogar, King Sombra, the Storm King, and now our own evil duplicates, we'd be outnumbered in terms of magic. Plus, we've never been beaten by royal guards in the past." "But all of that stuff with us always beating guards was 20 years ago. Obviously, the Princess acquired new recruits along with a new captain." Chrysalis let out a brief chuckle and rubbed a forehoof over her eyes. "You're right..." she said. "I should probably work on thinking about what could go right in situations like this, huh?" Tirek put his clawed hand on Chrysalis' back. "And if you need help, that's what we're here for," he said. Chrysalis smiled from the encouragement. "So..." Tirek stood up. "Should we wake the kid?" "Probably," replied Chrysalis. "No need," a voice nearby said as the doors opened yet again. Tirek and Chrysalis turned their heads and saw Cozy Glow enter, looking awake, and ready. "I'm already up, and I'm ready to go." "Could we maybe... let me get ready first?" Chrysalis requested. "Right! Sorry..." Cozy sheepishly smiled. ... Intro ... Gallus led the reformed trio into the throne room where Spike, Twilight, and over a dozen guards waited. "Thanks for waiting for us," Cozy thanked. "She does stick to promises," Spike said. "Alright, so... here's what we know or believe," Princess Twilight started. "Your friend, along with my student and her own friend, are missing. They vanished when we were all brought under attack." "That is correct," Chrysalis nods. "And considering last nights incident may have been linked to Grogar, there's a chance that they're being held captive in his lair." "So if they were to be there, we'd have to bring as much help as we could," Gallus said. "We'd need you three, and all of the royal guards. The Princess and Spike have agreed to come with and help." "Now, you three have been in Grogar's lair before, so you should know where it is, right?" said Twilight. "Correct," Tirek nods. "It's in a swamp far away from here." "Then we better get to it," Gallus opened his wings. "We'll have to go by flight if we want to make it fast. We have enough carousels to carry the guards without wings. Though..." He pointed at Tirek. "I'm not sure if they'll be able to carry you." "I wouldn't worry to much," Tirek said, before gesturing to Chrysalis. "I already have my own method of transport..." "Oh, yeah..." Spike muttered. "Changeling." Grogar's Sephtis' lair... Last night, Grogar was overthrown. And Sephtis, an evil clone of Leo, took charge. Before everyone went to sleep, he gave the message that Grogar was no longer the leader. His second course of action was to give the evil clones their own name. Evil Cozy's new name was Lilith Dazzleglow. Evil Tirek's name was now Alagmir Behemoth, and Evil Chrysalis was now known as Cicada Grizelda. Mean Twilight also got a new name, now being dubbed Nightfall. The rest of the Mean 6 are, at the moment, nameless. At the moment, Cicada, Lilith, Alagmir, and Nightfall were all in the middle of the main room, waiting for Sephtis. King Sombra and the Storm King were there too. "When is that pathetic pony going to start this little get-together..." Cicada hissed angrily. "Be patient, insect," Nightfall spat. "He's still trying to make those other incompetent clones actually useful!" Cicada leapt and landed in front of Nightfall. Nightfall wasn't fazed by the threatening glare she gave her. "Call me insect again, and I swear on my behind, I'll turn you back into the paperweight you once were!" Cicada hissed. "Now girls," Lilith intervened, appearing next to them. "I understand you've had your differences... even if one of you didn't exist at the time... but now is not the time to bicker. After all, Cicada, we both have the memories of our goody-four-hooves counterparts, and we both remember having our own desires to destroy each other before teaming up." "I suppose..." Cicada groaned. "Plus, you also remember your original counterpart also carrying Nightfall around when she was a log." Nightfall raised a brow. "She wasn't some annoying sow who thought she could outsmart me!" Cicada barked. "I hate to break up this argument," Alagmir began, seeing the fain red glow in the nearby hall. "But he's coming." "This isn't over," Cicada grumbled into Nightfall's ear. Sephtis exited the hallway, carrying a book and the Bewitching Bell with his magic. When Sephtis entered, five familiar ponies... the rest of the Mean 6... came out of the hallway behind him. However, something was off... they appeared to be in a trance, and they were quiet. Were they being... obedient? "Join the audience," Sephtis ordered. The five ponies nodded, and did as they were told. "He actually did it..." Nightfall muttered. "He made them useful." Sephtis sat behind the crystal ball. "Alright, so... I might as well do a quick roll-call to remind you all of your new names," Sephtis started. "Along with the Storm King and King Sombra, we have... Cicada Grizelda, Alagmir Behemoth, Lilith Dazzleglow, Nightfall, and... the other five clones. Now, unlike Grogar, we're not just going to sit around and do nothing. I already have a plan. Not something to give immediate conquest, but... it will help. Now make way... I'm coming down." Sephtis came down from the spot. He lifted the Bell off of the table it sat on. He launched a beam of magic at it, causing it to shake, before shooting a beam of its own. Instead of hitting what was in its way, the beam stopped, and a portal opened. "Where are we going?" asked the Storm King. "You'll see..." Sephtis grinned, before entering the portal. ... ... Sephtis stepped out of the portal, and then everyone else did. When the portal closed, everyone looked around. They appeared to be in a cave. A cave big enough for the Storm King and Alagmir. "Where are we?" Cicada asked. "Deep in the belly of a cave no equestrians have set a hoof in before," Sephtis explained. "A place where nopony will find us, and where we can perform the required spell." Sephtis lifted the book. "This book contains a spell... a very important spell... a spell that will lead our way to victory!" he explained with a dark grin. "What does this spell do?" Nightfall asked. "All we need... is this..." Sephtis tapped the bell. "So..." Lilith said. "We're draining magic?" "No. We're going to be doing something else. It will be our own portal to another realm, allowing us contact with whatever's behind. I will set it to where the most vile Equestrian creatures are, and we can go from there..." "But the bell doesn't have the power of every creature in Equestria..." Sombra explained. "Just Grogar's magic, as you told us, and the magic it already had." "Well, that's another reason I brought you all here..." Sephtis grinned. "You all are going to be assisting as well... all you need to do is access your inner hatred and disharmony... after all, the Elements of Harmony are symbols of friendship, and the magic of friendship lives in everyone. Even though we have no symbols of disharmony, well... you know what that means." "Will those five even help?" Cicada pointed at the clones who were dazed. "They will help because I'll tell them to," Sephtis said. "Now... I need someone to head back to the lair and grab a quill and ink. I haven't put the finishing touches on the spell yet. Any volunteers?" Sephtis looked at the group. Meanwhile... The large army of guards and carousels soared through in the air. And in front of them all, with Twilight and Spike flying above them, were Chrysalis, Tirek, and Cozy Glow. Chrysalis was a large roc, and Cozy and Tirek were riding her back. "There!" Tirek pointed down at the swamp underneath them. Something caught his eye. "I think that's it!" "Should we all go down with you?" Princess Twilight asked. "Me, Torek, and Cozy will go in!" Roc Chrysalis said. "Just stay up there and circle the area! We'll let you know what we find out." "If there's trouble, we'll signal," said Cozy. "On it!" Spike saluted. "Grab on, you two!" Chrysalis instructed. "We'll land so you're out of sight, Chrysalis started to fly down, Cozy and Tirek tightening their grip, but not gripping to tight to avoid hurting Chrysalis. Chrysalis lowered down to the trees, but she was too big to get through. "No worries," Tirek assured. "The trees aren't that high. Just get as low as you can." Chrysalis did that, and Tirek leapt off. He stomped right through the short swamp trees, before landing on the ground. Cozy flew off and lowered herself, and when that was done, Chrysalis returned to normal and flew down to the ground. "Alright, when the lair is in sight, I'll put on a disguise and see if Leo and the others are being kept," Chrysalis said. "Gotcha!" Cozy nodded. And so they were off. It only took them three minutes before Tirek signaled for them to stop walking. Chrysalis hovered up off the ground and gave Tirek a quick peck on the cheek. "Wish me luck," Chrysalis whispered, before green flames engulfed her. When the flames were gone, a ladybug was in place. And Chrysalis flew off. Tirek and Cozy, although they couldn't see Chrysalis enter the lair due to her size, kept their sight on the stone structure. "I hope we can do this..." Cozy mumbled. "I know we can do this," Tirek said. Silence. "So..." Cozy whispered. "You and Chrysalis, huh? Finally starting a relationship with her?" "Indeed," Tirek replied. "Are you worried about messing up?" "I was worried at first, but I'm going to try my best to make it work." "I think it can work," Cozy shrugged. More silence. "So, Cozy..." Tirek started. "About your parents-" "Is that Chrysalis?" Cozy pointed to the incoming insect. "That was fast." The ladybug stopped and hovered in place when it was close to Cozy and Tirek, and with a whisk of green flames, Chrysalis returned to her form. "He's not here," Chrysalis informed them. "None of them are." "What?" Tirek cocked a brow. "Yeah. When I arrived, a portal was in the process of closing. I didn't see who entered." "Should we get the others?" Cozy suggested. "It may be a trap," Chrysalis warned. "After all, he has that crystal ball. He may have been watching us." "Would it be better if we went alone?" asked Tirek. "Considering the power and allies Grogar has, maybe it would be best if we brought everyone?" Cozy asked. "I have no clue..." Chrysalis muttered. "If he really does know what we're going to do, he's going to have a plan that could make things even worse." "And with his allies, it will be tougher for us to win..." Tirek pondered. "Even with all those guards, including the princess and her dragon. "So what do we do?" Cozy questioned. Chrysalis sighed. "I don't know..." "Pssssst!" The quiet sound from a nearby bush brought everyone's attention. "Did you hear that? "PSSSSST!" the sound said again, even louder. "Who's there?!" Tirek balled his fists. Just then, a figure poked its head out of the bush. None of the trio could see who it was. It was a hooded figure, likely a pony, and it appeared to be wearing a satchel. "Who are you?" Chrysalis asked. The pony didn't answer. It lifted its concealed hoof and motioned for them to follow, before ducking behind the bushes. "What does it want?" Tirek wondered out loud. "I think..." pondered Cozy. "I think it wants us to follow." And so they started for the bushes. ... ... In Sephtis' lair, a portal opened up, and the trio consisting of Cicada, Lilith, and Alagmir stepped out. "So I guess if he's not here, then he ran away?" Lilith asked. "I doubt he'll help our enemies," said Alagmir. "If anything, he's probably running out on his own again." "He should have learned from last time," Cicada grumbled. "He'd be a fool to think he'd win. He would have two sides against him, both of greater proportions." "So what should we do about him if it's true?" Lilith asked. "Destroy him?" "It may be an option," Alagmir shrugged. "Before we look for him, let's first bring Sephtis what he needs." "I'm on it!" Lilith said, before flying around the room looking for the quill and ink. "I don't see why she looks so happy," Cicada scoffed. "Personally, I hate the fact that I'm agreeing to work with all of you, especially Sephtis. At least Grogar had some importance in history, but him? He only started existing a week ago." "As much as I feel the same way, he's also managed to outsmart Grogar himself," Alagmir pointed out. "That still doesn't make him special. It just means he's smart and knows what he's doing." "I guess you're not wrong on that," Alagmir shrugged. Lilith came back with a quill and ink in her magical grasp. "Got 'em!" she said. "I'll also grab this..." The crystal ball floated over to her. "...just to be sure." "Are you sure he'll know what to do with that?" Alagmir asked. "Beats me," Lilith shrugged. "Well, we might as well get to it, then," Cicada said. Cicada, Alagmir, and Lilith all returned into the portal, and when they were through, it closed behind them. Meanwhile... Chrysalis, Tirek, and Cozy Glow continued following this hooded figure. "Wait!" Cozy called out. "I forgot! We need to get the princess!" The figure paused and looked back at the trio. It slowly shook it's head. "Then we shouldn't trust you," Chrysalis said, lighting her horn just in case. The figure turned around. "Can you even speak?" Cozy asked. It nodded. "Do you choose not to?" asked Tirek. Again, it nodded. "Alright, I guess we're doing this..." Chrysalis muttered. "Are you here to help us?" The hooded figure nodded for the third time, before motioning to them to follow. "Wait, but why can't the Princess know?" Cozy asked. The figure continued forward. "I'm not sure if we should keep going," Cozy whispered. "Just go along with it," Tirek replied. "He may not want the Princess included, but this may be important..." "It may be a trap," warned Chrysalis. "Well then, we'll just have to be ready..." Chrysalis sighed. "Alright." The trio continued to follow whoever was leading them through the woods. It wasn't long before they finally reached a small clearing, with the top completely covered by trees. The figure stopped, but did not turn. "So... is this it?" Cozy asked. The ground started to shake. And all around them, black crystals suddenly grew out of the ground. "I knew it!" Chrysalis shouted. The crystals formed a wall that surrounded the trio and the pony, preventing any escape through running. No crystals grew above them, giving the trio the potential to fly away. But they didn't want to do it... yet. The pony turned around and sat down. Chrysalis, Tirek, and Cozy Glow all lit their horns and got into battle-stances. "We now know who you are!" Tirek growled. "Show yourself!" The figure lowered it's head, before lifting it's hooves, and bringing down the hood, revealing the face of King Sombra himself. "I am not here to pick fights," said King Sombra in a calm, yet slightly stern voice. "Then what are you here for?" Chrysalis questioned. "The reason I brought you three here was to warn you!" Sombra explained. "And after that, I'm going to... to..." Sombra swallowed. "I'm going to help you three," he finished. "Huh?!" Chrysalis, Cozy, and Tirek exclaimed in unison. To Be Continued...