//------------------------------// // Season 5: Episode 9 - Two Stories (Tanks For Memories Background) // Story: My Little Pony: When Friendship Shimmers - Reboot // by RobtheMorpherPony //------------------------------// The Following day, Twilight was entered a different part of her castle where Pharynx, Thorax, and Chrysalis were waiting; the last of which had been nursed back to health over the past few days in secret since the damage done to Chrysalis was done by Marina the Merciless. "I'm more surprised that you would come to me, instead of one of the other Princesses." Twilight said. "Let's be real here: Princess Celestia would've probably sent me straight to Tartarus with both Pharynx and Thorax without a second thought. Princess Luna would've probably suggested turning me to stone before sending Pharynx and Thorax to Tartarus. And there's no way your brother was going to even let me have a single chance before he finished what Marina started and then who knows what would've happened to Thorax and Pharynx after." Chrysalis said. "You were quite the only logical choice to at least ensure the surival of my hive. I could care less if I'm ultimately turned to stone or sent to Tartarus once I'm done explaining what happened to my hive, but please, I beg of you to spare the rest of my hive. They were only following orders." "You are the one that's fully to blame for what happened, though you said that Marina attacked you?" Twilight asked. "Yes, that is what I said. It's that Mawile who killed that kobold from the wedding." Chrysalis said. "Marina the Merciless. I'll have to fill you in on what's been uncovered, and you can trasmit that to the rest of the changelings. And while I'll try to convince Princess Celestia that your hive should be spared from whatever punishment she deems fit for you, everything will be a decision all four princesses will have to make together so I can't make any garentees." Twilight said. "But I think the fact that the enemy of the changelings is currently an enemy of both Ponies and Pokemon alike will assist in making the case that only the queen of your hive shall be punished." "If Chrysalis is no longer our queen...then who gets to be in charge?" Pharynx asked. "I have no royal heir...in hindsight, I should've probably made one. So alas, the hive's leadership will default to the youngest female." Chrysalis said. "Occelus...she was just born before Marina attacked us. She's way too young." Pharynx said. "Well then until she's old enough, if I should be removed from power by the Princesses, then I am trusting the two of you to make sure the hive survives." Chrysalis said. "I care not how you do it, in fact, I'd rather you not cause any further trouble with the ponies. Focus on making sure the hive can survive. I could care less on how." "Right, let me do some explaining..." Twilight was about to begin when a knock occurred at her door. "I'll be right back." Twilight said. Meanwhile, the Pegasus Filly known as Cozy Glow was off on her own at the Lightning Strike Orphanage when Lightning approuched her. "So, still adjusting huh?" Lightning said. "Noticed you had a rook for a cutie mark. Do you like chess?" "I'm the best from Manehatten. No pony was able to match me." Cozy Glow said. Lightning got out a chess board. "Would you like to play a game while we talk?" He asked. "Only if you can solve a puzzle I made up first. Solve that puzzle, and I'll certainly consider you worthy enough to waste time on." Cozy Glow said. "The puzzle in question will be a situation that you could see in chess. You'll be allowed one move and one move only. The puzzle will be a situation where your king will be in check, and you must make the one move that'll either result in your king being unable to be put right back into check, or the move would result in checkmating your opponet." "Sounds like you have a lot of these puzzles in your head. Exactly how many have you made up?" Lightning asked. "About one hundred or so. We'd be here all day if you wanted to attempt them all though." Cozy Glow said. "Actually, I was only going to suggest making the condition more steep: I have to solve five of your chess puzzles." Lightning said. It took all of Cozy Glow's willpower to not do a spit take just then. "Are you crazy? You really believe you can beat five of my puzzles?" Cozy Glow asked. "Just watch me~" Lightning said. Meanwhile, Twilight had explained everything to Chrysalis and then informed Princess Celestia that a meeting between the four princesses needed to be made. "Can't believe it...a little girl possessed by something she was given as a late birthday gift..." Pharynx said. "Is there any hope for her?" Thorax asked. "I'm unsure. But I wouldn't bet against a miracle occurring. This just sounds like the sort of thing that would cause a miracle." Twilight said. "...For some reason, I believe you." Chrysalis said. Back with Lightning and Cozy Glow, Lightning had just managed to solve the fifth puzzle. "Wow. Your actually pretty good. Guess I'll entertain you for the time being." Cozy Glow said. "Told you I could do it." Lightning said. "I'll take white." He said. "That's good for me, because I do better on black." Cozy Glow said. "So, mind telling me why your parents were abusing you?" Lightning asked as he moved one of his knights. Cozy Glow raised an eyebrow at that opening move before she moved a pawn forward. "Actually it was mostly my father. He comes from a long line of rich Unicorn Ponies. My mother lied about her family herritage to marry into it, and it caused a lot of tension. Thing is, if he doesn't produce a unicorn heir before grandpa dies, he gets cut out of grandpa's will. But my mom doesn't want a second kid. So my father started abusing me, trying to get me to die so my mom would be convinced to have a second child. Only for her to recieve some of that abuse too." She said. "Of course now that I've been made an orphan because of what he was doing, the family money is no longer his to begin with." "You know, you could make a name for yourself amongst the chess community; I'd even help make sure you'd be able to handle the big tournaments." Lightning said, moving one of his own pawns this time. "Sounds tempting, but I don't know if I want that..." Cozy Glow said as she moved one of her rooks next. "Look, even if your not a unicorn, you can be influential in your own right. I hang out with Raiden, and he has the power to just make magic within a one hundred mile radius of himself be unable to be used. Well that, and actual Pokemon moves as well as items Pokemon are able to use." Lightning said as he moved another pawn. "So don't think you have to be magical to be good. Raiden and I practice battle a lot where he uses his special power just to toughen up." "I don't think your capabilities to do that correlate well into chess though." Cozy Glow responded by moving her rook again. "You say that, but then you fall into a trap." Lightning said, using the knight from earlier to capture her rook. "By the way, check; checkmate in two moves." He said. "Wait what?" Cozy Glow took a quick glance. Sure enough, she had no real response to the knight to stop it from capturing her king in two moves. "H-how? How did you do that? Not even I've ever managed to win as fast as that." She asked. "Well, I did have to basically live a lie for a lot of my devolopmental years. That was when I was undercover trying to sus out the Elite Four of the Mafia Gangsters because no one in town; not even the police force; had ever seen their face and lived to tell the tale. And after I rescued Raiden from being added to that list...I decided that I had to do something to finally put the lid on the mafia gangsters once and for all. And I did." Lightning said. "So yeah, I'm really great at doing some clever stuff." "...I have so much to learn..." Cozy Glow said, almost in awe of Lightning now.