> Phantom Krystal: An Unstable Ruby
>  by Lifeblood_Wisp
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

> Coming Out the Chamber
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

A small colt floated inside a cylindrical chamber filled with an unknown green liquid. The pony’s coat was a light scarlet with stripes of crimson at various parts. Underneath his closed eyelids, his left eye was white with a green pupil and his right was a solid red, with no pupil to be seen. Despite this, he can still see with both his eyes. Atop his head, stood his horn. It was a singular shade of red and it occasionally flared up with a red aura nearly every twelve hours. His tail, like the rest of his body, was a shade of red. His hooves were a bit bulkier than the ones that other ponies his age had and on his backside, he was equipped with changeling wings. 

Cords of black and green stuck out from his back and into the chamber’s transparent, but tough walls. The walls of the room that contained the chamber were lined with black material and green bumps, the bumps being the only source of light. The room was full of changelings kneeling toward the colt. The door of the room opened and in, walked Queen Chrysalis. 

The changelings made way for her to trot to the chamber. She stomped her hoof and the changelings exited the room and hissed towards all of their kin. They all gathered at the extremely large throne room. Meanwhile, Chrysalis’ horn flared up with a green aura, and her magic activated. She focused on the chamber, and it was surrounded in the same green aura. Not long after, and the walls began to crack. After another five seconds, the walls shattered, and the green liquid spilled onto Chrysalis’ feet, along with the red colt. Despite the loud crashing sounds that came with the chamber shattering, the colt remained asleep. 

Chrysalis levitated the colt to the throne room, where she sat on the throne in front of millions, if not, billions of changelings. When they saw the young colt, they all roared, hissed and cheered. The noise woke up the colt. His eyes shot open and he scanned the audience before him. He gave blank, intimidating stares to all of them. Chrysalis stomped her hoof again, and the room went silent. 

“It is time, my minions. We have waited nearly five years for this moment. In that time, I have tampered with this changeling’s genes, using the unicorns and pegasi that we imprisoned all those years ago. This is one of the very first changeling/pony hybrids, and it will help us take over those wretched ponies! He has been given the magical ability to make himself invisible and intangible, and to be able to copy attributes and powers of anything he encounters, so he won’t be needing these anymore.” 

As Chrysalis finished her last sentence, she activated her magic again. This time, the green aura surrounded the hybrid’s changeling wings and with little effort, Chrysalis ripped them clean off, leaving two small but noticeable blood holes. Green and red blood leaked from the holes where the wings came. The colt grunted and eventually yelled from the sheer amount of pain he was experiencing. 

“Bow down before your prince, for he holds my DNA. My foal and I will bring the elements, Cadence, Luna and even Celestia herself, TO THEIR KNEES!” The changeling crowd hissed loudly once again. They admired their leader, and what she had done to increase their chances of survival. Chrysalis leaned down to the red colt and spoke to him in a caring tone. “I know it’s scary young one, but you serve a great purpose to me…and to your people. When all is said and done, we will rule Equestria, not just as Queen and Prince, but as mother and son.” She pecked the colt’s forehead with a light kiss and used her magic to heal his wing wounds. The colt meanwhile, didn’t know how to feel about his current situation. It was clear that this moment would be engraved in his memory for the rest of his life. 

Chrysalis stomped her hoof again and the changelings all went back to what they had been doing before they were assembled. She motioned for her foal to follow her, and he attempted to do so as best he could. His legs struggled to hold up his body, and he was on the verge of losing his balance until Chrysalis levitated him up and onto her back. She looked back and smiled. “We’ll practice walking later my little one.” She said. 

They eventually reached a hallway at the back of the hive, where the occasional changeling would pass by. When they got to the end, they were greeted with a door, which was unlike the rest in the hive, as it was decorated with shades of red instead of green or black. Upon entry, the red colt was amazed at what he saw. A room with most things that a standard bedroom would have, a bed, nightstand, desk with a lamp, and even a closet with some personal belongings. Chrysalis levitated the colt around the room for him to marvel at his living space. “Well? What do you think of your room, little one?” She asked. The colt didn’t speak, for he did not know proper english, so he responded by simply growing his very first smile on his face. He once again, tried to walk. This time toward his mother. She levitated him and brought him closer.

The colt’s eyes began to blink frequently and he gave a small yawn, which meant only one thing to Chrysalis. She simply laid her colt down on the bed, tucked him in, and softly kissed him goodnight. “Goodnight, Arachnis.” 

She left the room with haste, being sure not to make any loud sounds. She eventually made it back to the throne room, where she stomped her hoof. Three changelings of the zeta type appeared before her and kneeled. The zeta type changelings looked much more humanoid than pony, which was the result of a mutation that occurred during Twilight’s adventures in Canterlot High. They carried small greed tridents and their limbs were skinny, as was the rest of their body, except for their chests. Chrysalis looked to each one. “You three have been chosen to protect Arachnis. Guard him with your lives, for if he dies, or is fatally injured, I will see to it that your choked with your own intestines and your tongues are fed to my starving prisoners! Are we clear?” She asked. The three zeta changelings nodded and flew to the hallway, circling it like a hawk with its next meal. Chrysalis sat on her throne, and looked to her side. There sat another smaller throne in the color of red. She smiled and thought to herself “I’ll make sure you live. One day, your powers will be needed…
> Royalty in the Hive
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

Nearly seven years have passed since Arachnis was “born”. In that time, he had his fair share of ups and downs in his life. He cherishes small memories such as his first words and learning to walk, and even bigger memories for him such as his first spell and learning to hone his intangibility and invisibility. Despite combat being his true purpose, Chrysalis was almost reluctant in letting her son practice magic and train for extended periods of time, even though Arachnis was quickly becoming the second strongest in the hive, even without his magic. Despite this, he still had the three zeta changelings as his bodyguards, and they still take their job very seriously. With all this power as royalty, one might’ve thought that Arachnis had a big ego and an even bigger mouth. In fact he was quite the opposite. He was quite silent, and oftentimes used his strength and magic for many things in his life, from making food to sparring with changelings, which he did a lot. 

As of now, he was having breakfast with his mother. Chrysalis usually didn’t eat the foods that ponies ate, mostly because she didn’t have easy access to it, but she stocked up in advance for her child, who was eating a pancake with a plate of eggs at its side. “So, how’s your magic coming along?” Chrysalis asked. “It’s been fine I guess. Only real interesting thing I’ve learned recently is copy magic, and I haven’t even mastered it yet so it still has its limits with me.” Arachnis responded. “I’m sure with time, you’ll get it down.” Chrysalis said, in an attempt to get some emotion out of Arachnis’ words. He often spoke in a dry and cold voice, but he didn’t do this as much around his mother. “Yeah, I guess.” He said blankly. 

Arachnis’ horn flared with red energy and a portal materialized behind him. He gave a lifeless farewell to Chrysalis before walking into it. On the other side, he appeared in the main room of the hive. All the other changelings in the area bowed to him and cleared a path for him. He hadn’t even waked a whole yard before his three bodyguards surrounded him. Arachnis’ temper had already flared. “I thought I told you three I could take care of myself!” He yelled. The eldest of the three, Zoey, came to his side. “But this is our jobs, your highness. We would bring dishonor upon ourselves if we did not do as we were told.” She said. The second eldest, Zane, joined the conversation. “Older sis is right Prince Arachnis. If we didn’t do this, we’d be goners!” He said with a dramatic tone. Arachnis almost wanted to show them what being a goner really felt like, but he had only just eaten, and did not feel like exerting more energy than he needed. One thing he did find odd was that the youngest of his protective trio, Zack, was silent. He suddenly stopped and looked toward the crowd that was making way for their prince. Arachnis, Zoey and Zane all looked back to see him focused on on a singular changeling. 

“I remember you. You’re the one that snarled at the prince after the queen made some changes three weeks ago. I can tell by the pattern on your wings. Now you face the ultimate punishment!”. He flew over and began to constrict the changeling, stabbing his trident into his hind hooves to keep him still. Zoey and Zane both flew over and helped in jumping the poor changeling, spouting words like “For the prince!” and “You are subordinate to him.”. Arachnis saw this as an opportunity, and went invisible. Unseen by his three overprotective obsessors, he quickly left to practice his magic. 

Arachnid now stood at the outskirts of the hive, where there was a great forest but with mostly dead trees. He scanned his surroundings, as this was where he went when he needed privacy. He had come here on many occasions to make the half dead trunks his lab rats. He explored the dead biome until he came across the biggest structure of wood he could find, and readied his magic. He closed his eyes and focused deeply on the dead tree, and a jolt of electricity shot from his horn, and burned right through the dead tree. Seconds later, and it was up in flames. Arachnis focused on the tree again and it was surrounded in a red aura. Suddenly the tree started to freeze, with ice growing on it until it was completely suspended in ice. Arachnis then stomped his hoof, and the ice shattered. The tree now had burn marks and traces of frozen liquid all over it, and Arachnis was going to try a shrinking spell when he scanned his surroundings again, and saw Chrysalis atop the balcony of her room. 

Curiosity punctured Arachnis’ train of thought like a needle, and he made use of another one of his attributes. As part changeling, he had the natural ability to climb walls and ceilings. While he never used this ability much, it came in handy in some cases, like now. Arachnis sprinted up the outside walls of the hive, and leaped to the balcony, which startled his mother. “Oh my! You scared me Arachnis. Did you want something?” She asked.
“Well, I saw you up here, and I got curious, nothing more.” He responded. “Y’know I saw you practicing your magic. You’re definitely getting better.” She said while looking to Arachnis, who had his eyes glued to the now setting sun. “I came out there to be alone. It’s just those three clingy ass zetas! They don’t know how to take a hint.” Arachnis explained. Chrysalis began to stroke her son’s mane. “I know they can be a bit clingy, but they hold you to such a high regard. You’re their prince. And they’re just as immature as most changelings are, including you.” She said with a laugh. Arachnis gave a mean look to Chrysalis and said “Haha, very funny, mom”. 

Chrysalis bent down to her kin and pecked his forehead with a kiss. “I’m going back inside now. I have to head to the breeding center. Mother loves you, Arachnis.” She said as she walked inside. Arachnis waited until she was out of earshot, and said to himself, “I…love you too, mother.”. The moon arose, and he smiled to himself.
> A Prince’s Affairs
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

Arachnis sat in his room, staring down the tens of papers that contained things such as court cases, law suggestions, and even small insubordinations occurring in the hive. Now being fifteen, Chrysalis had trusted him with the task of handling royal affairs while she was away. He remembered the conversation like it was yesterday. 

“So, I have to be able to fix all of that!? Half of this wouldn’t even affect the hive that mu-“

“Now Arachnis, I understand your distress, but mommy has to be away for a few days. Besides, we wouldn’t want the army we’ve breaded to be defiant if we’re going to enslave the ponies.” 

“I guess you’re right…and I don’t really have a choice in the matter. I mean, you do like it’s nothing, how hard could it be?

Looking back, Arachnis almost wanted to punch himself for saying something as cocky as that, as he now sat having to settle each affair one by one. Seeing it as the easiest, he decided to start with the lack of prisoner inspection. He levitated the paperwork into his desk and teleported to the door that led to the prison. Due to his genetic alterations, he was beginning to learn advanced spells at a hastened rate. Changelings around him made a clearing for their prince. “Who here is in charge of prison keeping!” He yelled to the crowd. It took a few minutes, but eventually, four delta changelings stepped forward. The delta variants of changeling were big, tanky, and could even walk on their hind legs, though they didn’t have any wings for flight and their teeth were much more dull compared to other variants. 

Arachnis motioned for them to follow him into the prison, where an array of cells could be seen, with nearly each one occupied by either a pony, or a defiant changeling. “Be lucky I’m not executing you four for your incompetence, now watch the prisoners.” He said to the deltas. They all bowed as a showing of gratitude, and went to their posts. Arachnis stepped down to inspect the prisoners himself, as he at least wanted to know which were alive or not. He paced multiple rows before encountering a lime pegasus. As he walked by, the line prisoner made a noise and Arachnis felt a sudden chill by his hoof. 

He looked down, only to see that he was spit on. 

His horn flared up with energy, and he slowly turned to the pegasus. His face gave hints of fear, but he remained firm. “You don’t scare me, bug! If anything, I pity you!” He said. Not even a second after he spouted those words, and both his hind hooves were glowed in a red aura and they were tied into a knot like shoelaces. In the process, multiple sounds of breaking bones and the squishing of flesh could be heard. The pegasus was now screaming in agony as he watched his superior glare at him. “I never asked for your respect. It was demanded of you the moment you were locked in here.” He said to him. The pegasus didn’t even speak again, and instead worked on untying his hind hooves. 

Arachnis observed the surrounding area, and called to the deltas. “This sector doesn’t have anyone here. What gives?” He asked. One of the deltas approached him. “Your highness, we sent one of the guards on a retrieval mission, and a foal and his mother escaped. We were given permission by the queen.” He explained. Arachnis nodded in response and teleported back to his room, happy that one affair was done. He checked his papers, and saw two that interested him: Breeding Control and Crime Punishments. He activated his magic again, and teleported to the breeding cellar, where most changelings were hatched. He saw multiple changelings making sure the place was under control, and one of them trotted up to him. "Your Highness, welcome to the breeding cellar. I was not expecting your arrival to be so early. We were just finishing up cleaning the place." He said. Arachnis looked the cellar up and down, making sure there wasn't an inconsistency to what he had heard. The owner motioned for Arachnis to follow him, and so he did. They explored each breeding sector, where each sector respectively held a specific variant of changeling. All seemed fine to the prince except for the last, that being the gamma variants. "I knew the gammas were rare to see, but this looks like they're starting to dwindle..." He said. The rest of his sentence continued in his head, as that's how he liked to think. The owner, on the other hand, was feeling a surge in anxiety. He knew this wouldn't look good to the prince, let alone trying to convince the queen that this wasn't an incompetence on his part. His train of thought was broken by Arachnis catching his attention. "I think I know what the problem is. Each room is lit the same way, and gammas need a lot more light to grow better. I want this room illuminated, now!" He demanded. The owner quickly hissed to his employees to get to work on lighting.

Arachnis teleported out the room and into the throne room, where an ocean of changelings flowed before him. He patiently waited for the changeling that was listed in his paper to step forward, and soon enough, he did. Arachnis looked him dead in the eyes and said, "State the purpose for why you stand before me.". The changeling took a few deep breaths before saying "I am here because I prematurely sentenced another changeling to death. It was seemingly an attempt of murder, but I had only realized after he was beheaded. My humb-" was all he could say before he was levitated by Arachnis. "You were chosen for the role of executor because my mother thought you had good judgement. If you don't want to show that quality, then I have something for you." He said before setting the changeling down. Arachnis called for two more changelings and they stood on each side of the executor. Arachnis smiled before saying "This one is to be killed before the day is over. You're dismissed.". The changeling screamed, hissed and begged with the little time he had left, before he was taken away. Arachnis  turned to leave before the deltas rushed to him. "Your highness, we caught them. The ones we told you about in the prison." One of them said. Arachnis leaped down from his throne and headed toward the prison, with the deltas following. They made their way there, and Arachnis saw a foal, who was only a few years younger than arachnis, and his mother in separate cages. The foal was crying out of the sheer amount of fear he was experiencing, and his mother carried a frightful expression. Both of their coats were beige, with tan splotches scattered around it. "So, what do we do with em our highness?" One of the deltas asked. "Nothing for right now. As for you four, sweep the village you took them from again. And this time, make sure nobody else may have survived." Arachnis commanded. The deltas all left the prison, leaving Arachnis with the foal and his mother. He turned to leave, before the foal began to beg. "P-please let us go. We'll do anything for you!" He said. Arachnis chuckled a bit, and activated his magic. In an instant, he, the foal, and his mother were outside the hive. 

Arachnis turned to them with a blank expression. "Since you're willing to do anything for me, would you mind telling me where the others are?" He asked. Before the foal could answer, his mother intervened. "Crumble! Don't say anything to him. And you! Don't hurt him, please. Take me instead." She said. Arachnis grew a smile on his face, as this was delicious entertainment for him. He levitated the mother's cage, and to foal began to cry again. "N-no! Don't do anything to my mommy! Please, please, I love my mommy!" He screamed. Arachnis stopped in his track completely, as Crumble's words seemed to affect him.

"How would you like it if someone did this to your mommy!?" 

"...Shut up.." Arachnis' horn started to flare up.

"I bet she's the worst pony to ever exist!"

"I said to shut up...." His body began to flash.

"You probably never even loved-"

"I SAID SHUT THE HELL UP!"

Arachnis yelled to the top of his voice, and a red wave bursted from his body, and it surrounded the three of them. Suddenly, the scenery began to change. The dead forest that surrounded them became Arachnis' red room. He turned around and saw Chrysalis, brushing his mane. "Now, my little one, theres something I want you to remember. It's that no matter what may happen to either of us, I'll always be with you. You'll always be my little junebug!"She said. The wave subsided, and the three were back in the dead forest. Arachnis set down the mother's cage, and he broke down into tears. "W-what was that?" She asked. Arachnis didn't answer, but instead broke both the cages oven, freeing Crumble and his mother. Crumble walked up to the now, crying Arachnis, and embraced him in a warm hug. "I-i'm sorry....I didn't know she was your mommy." He said somberly. Arachnis got up and turned to the mother. "Take him and get out of here. You aren't safe here Ms...". "Sand. Erode Sand. And he's Crumble Sand." She said. Crumble looked up to Arachnis and asked, "T-thank you mister. A-and, will I ever see you again?". "M-my name is Arachnis. And I dunno if we'll cross paths again." Arachnis answered. Crumble went and hugged him again. "Well I sure hope we do! It looks like you could use a friend. Well, I have to go, goodbye." He said before leaving with his mother. 

Arachnis warped the broken cages to parts unknown and teleported to his room. His breathing was heavy and light sobs could be heard. He levitated a picture of him with Chrysalis, and tears flowed down his cheeks again. He couldn't tell why, but Crumble' words punctured him, and that somehow triggered the illusion that he had brought about himself. That night he laid in his bed, and wondered how he's be able to trigger it again. "I'll just ask her when she gets back..."
> Strategic Altercation
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

Queen Chrysalis sat in a dark and moist cave, with the only source of light coming from her horn. Across from her, was Tirek. In between the two, was a chess board with various pieces of both black and white were scattered across the board. Chrysalis sat on the white side and the Tirek on the black side. Chrysalis was skeptical when her ex-partner invited her to chess match. She reluctantly agreed, although she had somewhat of and idea of what he really wanted from her. Nonetheless, she acted clueless. 

"...Your turn." Tirek said flatly. 

Chrysalis moved a pawn two spaces up. "How much of my time do you plan to waste here? I've got a whole hive to run. Your turn."

Tirek moved his pawn one space. "Correct me if I'm wrong 'your highness', but don't you have a spawn to keep things warm over there?"

Chrysalis then moved an adjacent pawn two spaces up. "What happens in my home is none of your business."

Tirek smiled, and captured a white pawn. "Don't you care that those ponies chose to have mercy on me, and not you?"

Chrysalis captured a black pawn with one of her own, and her stare became more blank and emotionless. "I fought, and I lost. I did more damage to them than anyone ever could. Your turn."

Tirek laughed a bit, and moved his knight, and captured Chrysalis' other white pawn. "Nevermind the fact that they beat us in our own game, but at least they let me go down with decency. Those primal apes were savage at you. They chained you up and tore you apart. Your turn."

Chrysalis moved her leftmost bishop to the very left of the board. "Look who's talking about dying with decency. Last time I checked, you were at Luna's mercy until I showed up to save you. Had I not intervened, you would have ended up rotting in Tartarus."

Tirek kept the smug grin on his face. He moved a pawn upward. "And you would've met the same fate had Discord not saved us both. Chrysalis, my point here is that you can't use a pony to fight ponies, even if he does have changeling blood.

Chrysalis moved her queen diagonally to the very right of the board. "Even then, he loves me, and I love him. He's too young to understand his purpose."

Tirek moved a middle pawn upward two spaces. "But how long before they tell him the truth? How long before your 'child' turns on you? How long before he leaves you?"

Chrysalis held back the urge to attack him right then and there, but instead moved her queen to capture a pawn. "Notice that I'm not contained by your displeasureful speech."

Tirek moved a knight next to his pawn. "And yet you retort with vigor. I can tell you're not being completely honest with me, nor yourself."

Chrysalis moved her second bishop in an attempt to attack Tirek's knight. "And what truth would I have to hide?"

Tirek moved his second knight outward. "That you'll eventually regret putting that glowing rock inside him."

Chrysalis moved her knight diagonally left, and captured Tirek's pawn. "He was given that power for a reason. He needs to be able to defend himself."

Tirek moved his queen and captured both a pawn, and a bishop. "So you don't have faith in him? Very motherly of you, Chrysalis. 

Chrysalis was reaching her melting point. throughout the game, her expression had become much more angrier by the second. She knew deep in her heart that she only wanted the best for Arachnis, but she also knew that people would come for him because of what he had. After several more moves in silence, she finally gave in to her impulsive urges. "Drop the act you piece of shit! What are you doing!? What is it you want from me!?" She yelled. Her feral voice echoed across the cave's walls, and her anger levels lowered when she heard her own voice. Tirek gave a blank expression to Chrysalis.

"Checkmate."

"But you didn't..."

Chrysalis looked down, and saw that her king was surrounded by a bishop and a queen. It was rare for her to lose, as she was the more level-headed of the two, but in chess of all games was a very rare sight. It didn't take long for her to see what had happened, as it went on the entire game. Tirek's words had basically costed her the match. Tirek seemed to see Chrysalis' realization, and laughed in response. "I went into the game expecting to lose, but I guess I was right." He said. "About what?" Chrysalis asked. "About you not being able to think straight when you're ticked off. You lost your cool, and it costed you." He said in response. "Well, it was nice talking with you, Chrysalis, but it's about time I left here. I have slaves waiting to be punished for no good reason." Tirek said as he exited the cave. With his presence no longer there, Chrysalis spoke the words that admitted her defeat, "...Good Game."
> Ripples in Trust
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

Chrysalis returned to the hive in a state of ignorance. She felt as if the walk to her room was quick, and without sound. every changeling that approached her was brutally ignored, and most weren't even acknowledged. Chrysalis sat down on her bed, thinking to herself the worst. Though she didn't want to admit it, Tirek's words were getting to her. She got too deep in her thoughts, and began to think aloud. "B-but he's never talked to me that way before. What does he want from me? UGH, I HATE HIM!" She yelled. She was in a state of silent rage when a few words brought her back to reality. "Umm, you ok mom?" Arachnis asked. Chrysalis' gaze snapped up to her son. "Oh...hello Arachnis. I..didn't see you, apologies." She said. "Well, it's ok, but who are you talking about? Was it a defiant pony?" He asked. Chrysalis tried to dodge the question, as she found it unsafe for her to reveal Tirek's identity to Arachnis. "Oh uhm, n-no. It was, just a rowdy changeling." She said weakly. Arachnis sensed that she was lying, but decided to respect her privacy. He told Chrysalis to get some rest, and phased through the floor of her room and into the main room of the hive. 

Arachnis wandered the hive, pondering about what might be troubling his mother. This wasn't the first time he had seen Chrysalis like this, but something about her weak tone and quickness to answer questions made Arachnis think there was something deeper going on. If there was someone hurting his mother, he was going to find out and he was going to find them. The first thing that needed to get done was to find out what exactly was going on. Obviously, simply asking wasn't going to get her to talk. Part of him wanted to just pry it out of her, but then that would lead to the convolution of what to do next. Arachnis went invisible, and reluctantly decided to spy on his mother. He crept up to Chrysalis' room, and noticed that the door was locked. He phased through the door, curious of what she could possibly be doing. He walked in on Chrysalis talking to a green projection. The one she was talking to was unknown, his body shrouded by the green aura that Chrysalis was supplying. 

"So, Tirek's given his take on the matter, yes?" It said. 

"Yes...but he's not on board with it. He says that fighting fire with fire isn't a viable strategy. And what's more, he expressed this over-" Chrysalis responded.

"A game of chess, perhaps?"

"..Precisely. How did you know? Were you spying the whole damn time!?"

"Only near the end of the game, when he outplayed you marvelously. In that time, I sent some soldiers out to investigate his weird behavior. Turns out he was being mind controlled." 

"But by who? That's high level magic."

"That...we don't know. Not yet at least. In fact, that's why I called you. I need you to send your ladybug out to find information. His ghostly abilities make him the perfect one for a stealth mission."

Chrysalis' gaze turned to the door of her room. She waited a few moments and listened for sounds. She wanted what she was about to say very private, and only for her caller to hear. Finally, she gulped and spoke. "In all honesty, I don't wan't to send him out like that. It's not that I don't have faith in him, but Tirek's pretty damn powerful, despite not being very smart. I feel like he'd be a lot to handle for Arachnis."

The unknown caller snarled and scoffed at what he had just heard. "You mean to tell me it's been fifteen goddamn years, and you're unconfident in your own child's abilities. He doesn't even need to fight! All he has to do is follow him. Is that so much to ask from your ladybug?"

"I understand this isn't what you wanted to hear, sir, but unlike you, I care for my people. Actually, I know just who I can send. I would solve two problems, both for me and Arachnis. It's gonna take longer to get the info you need, since these three aren't magic wielders." 

"I guess that's fine, but we need that as fast as possible. we don't know when Tirek could be controlled again." 

The projection vanished, and Chrysalis turned to leave her room. Unbeknownst to her, she walked right through Arachnis as she exited her room. As he became visible again, a look of disbelief could be seen. At first, he began to curse his mother, and whoever she was talking to. After a few minutes of silent rage, he finally sat down and recognized what he was feeling. It bothered him greatly that Chrysalis was going to chose some other people other than him.  He was genetically altered for something exactly like this, and yet other people were being chosen. He felt that his mother didn't trust him, that he wasn't good enough. His thoughts led him to realize something: That if he wanted his mother to trust him, he'd need to prove himself. 

Meanwhile, Chrysalis stood at her throne of hive, and stomped her hoof. Since she was their queen, she had access to to the hive mind of all changelings, meaning she could command any specific one at will to do any certain thing for her. Eventually, Zoey, Zane and Zack, all crashed through the crowd of changelings and into the throne room. They all kneeled before their queen. "You three have been chosen to go on a recon mission. I'll send you the coordinates via the hive mind, but you are to spy on Lord Tirek without being spotted nor identified. Find out who's behind his apparent mind controlling, and report back to me asap. I won't stress this enough: do not, and I mean, do not engage Tirek, nor anyone you may encounter along the way. He'd likely squash you three like bugs. You are to leave, now! You three are dismissed." She said to them. The three zetas nodded to each other and hastily left for their mission.

Now, outside the hive, the triplets were traveling the dead forest that surrounded the hive. They had never been on a mission like this before, and so their nervousness eventually kicked in. Zane was the first to break the silence with an anxiety driving question. “Y-you guys ever feel like you being followed? C-cuz I’m startin to get that feeling right now.” He said. “Well shoot, now that you mention it, I feel like I’m being watched too.” Zoey said. Little did they know, they were being watched, and they were being followed. Arachnis slowly trekked behind them, careful not to be seen. 

”I’ll make sure you know what I can do. I’m ready to regain your trust.”
> Infiltration
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

Zoey, Zane and Zack wandered the cave where Chrysalis had her conversation with Tirek. The old hangout for Chrysalis and her ex-partners was lifeless as usual, with the occasional drop of ground water being the only noise in there. The trio split up, looking for any clues as to who was behind his mind controlling. After fifteen minutes of mindlessly scrambling, they all came to the consensus that there was nothing here. "Well, we didn't find anything, so now what?" Zoey asked in frustration. It was that question that slowly made it apparent to everyone that they didn't have any of what Chrysalis wanted, and that this was the extend of what they knew from the hive mind's memory transfer. Eventually, they came up with a flimsy plan. "Why don't we jus wait for tat big ol' Tirek dude to show up? He should be able to lead us to the person controlling them." Zane said. With a lack of options, they went with that as their "great scheme". The trio hid behind a large bounder in a corner of the cave. And so they waited....and waited...and waited. 

After a few minutes of doing nothing but slumping around behind a rock, they came to realize two things. The first of which being that lying on stone ground was somehow less comfortable than lying on the hive's walls, and the second being that camping like this would take forever, and that it was likely impossible that neither Tirek, nor his captor would even show up. Still, even with the hopelessness they had, they sat there and waited for something to happen. thirty minutes later, and both Zane and Zack were asleep. They both heard a loud noise and they both awoke from their respective dream worlds. They saw that Zoey was gone, and they jumped from their hiding spot. 

And they saw Tirek holding Zoey by the neck. The brothers sprung into action, both charging at Tirek with their pitchforks. They took Tirek by surprise and two pitchforks went into Tirek's legs. He felt immense pain, but didn't react. Instead, he grabbed Zane by the leg and swung him at Zack, knocking him into a boulder, the sheer impact creating a large crack in the middle. Tirek then continuously slammed Zane into the ground. With every slam, a rope of green blood flung from his face until eventually, he was dropped on the ground with a grotesque facial structure. Zack got up and tried to oppose Tirek with all the energy he had left until Zoey was dropped by Tirek. Zack crawled to his sister with tears in his eyes. "Zoe...what did he do to you?" He asked. Zoey didn't answer, but instead thrusted her pitchfork through Zack's chest. He fell to the ground and looked up with blood and tears running on his body. "W-why..." Was all he could muster before he dropped to the ground. Zoey got her pitchfork unstuck from Zack's body, and flew atop Tirek and sat on his back like he was her horse. A pink portal opened behind them, and out came Cozy Glow. "Hmph, I always took you three for idiots, but I didn't expect you to actually do it! Now c'mon, we got a castle to redecorate!" She said. What she didn't notice, was that an invisible Arachnis was now following her.

A pink portal opened in the throne room of Tirek's now stolen castle. Since the conquest, Cozy had made major redecorations to the structure, turning it's red and black color scheme to a new pink, purple, and sometimes brown pattern. She had been using Tirek himself to gather any sort of info without showing an ulterior motives. Her mind controlled slaves stood on both sides of her throne while she read a book about different types of magic. "Geez, why did they have to use this cryptic ass language. I can't tell the damn u' or v's apart. Ugh, they all look the fucking same to me. This is exactly why I'm against that purple nuisance. She's always got the right answer to every damn thing!". Her ranting diverted her attention to her surroundings, giving Arachnis the perfect opportunity to levitate the book away from Cozy, unbeknownst to her. All she saw was the book in a red aura before it was teleported out of the throne room. 

"H-hey! Come back back!" She growled before throwing a tantrum. "Just WHO do YOU think you ARE!? Stealing my magic book like this! Tirek! Zoey! FIND WHOEVER IS STEALING MY SHIT AND GET IT BACK. MOVE DAMMIT!" She commanded to her brainwashed soldiers. They mindlessly searched the entire castle for the book poacher. Arachnis eventually exited the castle through a wall and deactivated his invisibility. He could only hold it for so long before it begins to drain him. He began his trot home, with the book in hand, before the castle doors bursted open behind him. Arachnis looked back, and saw Zoey and Tirek. Their stares were like an assassins, precise and cold. Arachnis knew that he needed to at lest free Zoey from Cozy's spell to be able to return home, so he prioritized that over anything else. "Alright beauty and the beast, bring it!" He yelled. Tirek and Zoey rushed right at him.

Zoey hovered in the air to supply air support while Tirek charged at Arachnis. He held his fist up, and slammed it down in Arachnis' direction. He jumped out the way and leaped onto Tirek's arm. He jumped behind his head and concentrated his magic into an energy beam. It blasted into Tirek's neck, which made him yell, as the beam burned a bald spot in his long hair. Zoey swooped in for a blindsight and Arachnis teleported in behind her. He levitated Tirek's hand and slammed it into Zoey with enough strength that it sent her flying into the outer wall of the castle. She hit her head and went unconscious. Arachnis turned to a now recovered Tirek, who had empty eyes but rageful body language. He lunged at Arachnis, landing right on top of him. He thrusted both his fists down on him, intent on crushing his skull. Arachnis opened two portals, one for each fist. The other side opened on the side of Tirek's head and his fists slammed right into both sides of his temple, knocking him out cold. Arachnis made a sigh of relief and pushed Tirek off him with his hind hooves. He ran over to Zoey, who was beginning to awaken from her light concussion. Arachnis activated his magic and a green ray flowed from his horn. It flowed to her head and his slowly began to heal her head injury. 

Zoey's eyes opened slowly. "Y-your highness...what happened?" She asked. 

"You were being mind controlled by somepony. I had to knock you out to get you to snap out of it." He said. 

"Guess that explains why I gotta headache." Zoey tried to get up, but the pain in her head detested any sort of movement. She quickly sat back down and held her head. "Jesus fuck this hurts." 

"Don't push yourself." Arachnis said as he levitated Zoey. "Just give me the directions and I'll take you home."

"Will do. But we ain't leaving without Zack and Zane. We gotta head back into the cave." She said. 

Arachnis went dead silent. He had only just remembered what happened to them. He faced Zoey with a somber expression. "About that.....Zoey, you did some things while you were under that spell."

"Like what..? Did I hurt them!?"

Arachnis shook his head, which denied Zoey's initial fear, but confirmed her worst fears. Despite the agonizing pain in her head, Zoey yelled at the top of her lungs. Tears pooled down her cheeks like a waterfall. Arachnis was hesitant at first, but he eventually rubbed a hoof along her shoulder. Her sobbing eventually dwindled and she spoke again. "I swear I'm not gonna let any lowdown animal get away with this..." She said. "A-are you able to get us home?" Arachnis asked. "Y-yeah. Let's go, your highness." Zoey replied. 

After that, Arachnis took Zoey's directions, and began their journey home from the stolen castle.
> The Cold Truth
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

Dawn had approached and a conflicted Arachnis and a tired Zoey both approached the hive. They both stopped at the front entrance, sorting out their current thoughts and clearing their minds. Zoey lamented on both her siblings' deaths, and Arachnis pondered on his recent actions. While they both thought about different things, they had a common question in mind: How would chrysalis react? On one hand, they had the info that she asked for, but that came at a cost, heavier than one might've thought. Both Arachnis and Zoey stood for what might've been the longest thirty seconds of their lives, before Zoey spoke up. "I guess we both see the issue here...Chrysalis." She said lightly. "Of course. She won't take it easy on either of us. Listen I'll-" Was all Arachnis could get out before Zoey cut him off. 

"I'll take the fall. I shouldn't have been sleeping on such an important mission. It's my incompetence that got me here." She said boldly. Arachnis began to get more aggressive. "A-are you serious!? You can’t possibly be saying any of this is your fault." He retorted. Deep down he knew good and well that he could've saved Zane and Zack, which was mostly why he wanted to take the blame, but he couldn't say it aloud. It was like some otherworldly force was preventing it. Zoey went from bold speaking to blunt yelling. "BUT. IT. IS. I LET THEM DIE....and I couldn't save them..." She said while teary eyed. Arachnis had never seen such boldness from her, but he knew arguing was pointless as it stood. He knew she was determined, and that no amount of logical reasoning was going to stop her. From a young age, he was taught that the smartest fighters know when they're beaten. He gave up arguing. "Alright. Fine, you win. Let's just get this overwith." He said. Zoey simply nodded, and they both entered the hive. 

Upon entry, changelings instinctively made way for the duo as they neared the throne room. As they came closer, Zoey began to shudder. Unlike, Arachnis, she wasn't going to waste her mental bandwidth trying to suppress the overwhelming feeling of dread and nervousness. Queen Chrysalis looked forward from a glowing gemstone she was observing, and saw Zoey and Arachnis walk in. "Well, it's about time you returned. Wait...Arachnis, what are you doing here? And where are Zane and Zack?" She asked with a confused expression. Zoey stepped forward, and in a shameful tone, she explained what had happened. "Your highness, we ran into Lord Tirek and we found the one who had mind controlled him....but Zane and Zack were killed." She said somberly. Chrysalis took on a face of annoyance and anger. "I SPECIFICALLY SAID not to engage him! It is nobody else's fault but yours that your brothers are dead! Now give me one reason not to snap your-!"

"Wait..." Arachnis said. He walked up to Chrysalis, slightly looking down. When he was close to her, he looked up to her eyes. "I snuck with them on the mission. I saw with my own eyes how Zoey was mind controlled into murdering her kin. I very easily could have stepped in to preserve their lives, but I didn't, because revealing myself would be a compromise to the mission. I eventually followed Tirek to his now taken over castle, got the info you needed, freed Zoey of the mind controlling, and came back here. This rests on my back, not hers.". Chrysalis looked down to Arachnis with nothing but absolute rage in her eyes. She didn’t wish to yell at him, but her anger wouldn’t be quelled otherwise. “Y-you..! I DIDNT SEND YOU FOR A REASON! I thought you’d be mature enough to understand, but it seems you’ve went wrong! You are the reason Zoey’s brothers are dead! Just when I thought you were beginning to be competent!” She yelled. Her words pierced Arachnis’ feelings like a spear with fish. He didn’t respond, but simply went invisible and ran out the room with tears in his eyes. 

Not even two minutes later, and Arachnis was on his bed, silently crying. He began to replay what Chrysalis said in his head. His sadness turned to anger and he thrusted a hoof into the wall of his room, the impact being so great it left a hole in the wall, and a stinging pain in his hoof. Despite this, he punched again. With every hit, his body would glow, until eventually he threw one last punch to the wall, and it set off his hidden power. The glow expanded and began to warp Arachnis’ surroundings. They went from forming his room, to materializing the chamber he was born in. He saw his past self inside of it. A door opened behind him, and Chrysalis walked in with another strange pony. His appearance made it look as if he was covered in dark flames and certain parts of his body were covered in metal armor. He approached, but it was as if he wasn’t really there. The black pony observed, and spoke his mind. “He’s evolved a lot since you first showed me to him. When will he be ready?” He said. “Only a few months left. But he’ll still need to hone his abilities.” Chrysalis replied. “Really? You say that as if he’ll have much time before he’s one the field.” The black pony said. Chrysalis gave a worried expression. “We send him out prematurely and he’s gonna get killed. Give him some time, it may be hard for him to understand.” Chrysalis explained. “And since when did you care so much? It’s not like he’s your real spawn. He’s just your little sheep until he’s ready.” He said. Chrysalis’ expression went sour, and she gave up contesting the facts that the black pony had given her. “Y-yes, I guess so.” She said and the illusory scenario has disappeared before Arachnis’ eyes. His mind was scrambled trying to make sense of what he saw. 

The door of Arachnis’ room opened, and in walked Zoey. “Y-your highness, forgive me for not knocking but, I wanted to thank you.” She said. Arachnis put his current thoughts aside and tended to his visitor. “No need to be so formal…call me by my name. And, why thank me? I could’ve saved both your siblings, and I didn’t.” He responded. Zoey rubbed her forearm and looked down. “Yeah but, you took responsibility. I though you would’ve let Chrysalis make mincemeat out of me. I’m thankful. And in return…I wish to help you. Any way I can.” She said. Arachnis was surprised by her proposition. He thought for a moment, and finally, he knew what he wanted to do, and how Zoey would help him with it.

“Zoey…I’ll let you help me, but I can’t promise you’ll be happy with what I’m about to say.”
> Royal Runaway
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

Zoey looked wide eyed at Archnis, dumbfounded at what he had requested of her. It took her a moment to realize she was thinking to herself and had not responded to Arachnis for at least fifteen seconds. Eventually, she snapped herself out of it and planned to get some reasoning for his seemingly irrational intentions. “B-but why? You can just leave us after one screw up! Think about how Chrysalis would-“

“She wouldn’t feel a damn thing…”

Zoey’s words stopped dead in their tracks as she processed what Arachnis had said. She couldn’t believe what she was hearing. Even as a changeling, she at least knew that mothers naturally loved their children, blood related or not. She tried to ponder the possibilities, but only came to two conclusions: Either Arachnis was in his feelings, Chrysalis didn’t have any, or maybe even both were true. Nevertheless, she tried to find the reason in what Arachnis wanted to do. "Even so, you're an asset to the hive. We wouldn't be as threatening without you."

"Exactly." Arachnis said. "Listen, I don't know how to explain it, but I've heard Chrysalis talk about me...about why I was..made. I need to know if it's true. It's my life...I should have the right to know more than anyone." He continued. Zoey began to understand his intentions better. As she pondered further, she realized that the purpose for Arachnis' existence was never a topic that was talked about in any great detail. She wondered if Chrysalis had any deeper plans for him. "I understand, kind of, but just leaving everything like this doesn't sit right with me. Are you even sure you're gonna be ok?" Zoey asked. Arachnis sat down. "I can take care of myself, should it be necessary, but that's not what I'm worried about. It's finding an answer. I feel I'm ready to learn more, but I still feel something. It feels like nervousness, but it's not exactly that.

Zoey sat beside him. She couldn't fully understand why he wanted to leave, but she knew it meant something important to him. It went against her own sense of judgement, but she was willing to help him. It was only fair after what he did to free her. "Arachnis. If you're really leaving, then I'm coming with you.  " She said. For the first time in a long time, Arachnis smiled. He was grateful for the kindness that Zoey was showing him. "I uh..thank you." He said. He got up, and walked out his room. Zoey followed, sticking as close to Arachnis as she was when she was first assigned to be his protector. They swiftly traversed the hive and made it through the main entrance. Once outside, they slowed their pace. 

"So, any plans on where we're going? Cuz I have an idea on where we can head." Zoey said. Arachnis wondered what she meant. He originally planned to head back to Tirek's conquered castle, but he decided to be open minded. "I was planning to head to Tirek's castle, but I'm more than open for suggestions. There aren't a lot of places that'll let changelings in." He responded. “It’s called Ponyville. Ponies there don't exactly like changelings, but they do know quite a bit about Chrysalis. She’s sent me there more times than I can count. There's a forest near there, so if we need to hide out, we can." Zoey explained. Arachnis pondered the thought of sneaking around for answers as opposed to demanding them upfront. While he was capable, there were definitely some ponies out there who could overpower him. “Hmm…ok, we’ll go to Tirek’s place, then head to Ponyville.”.

Meanwhile at the hive, Chrysalis sat atop her throne, distressed and disappointed with herself. She had lashed out on her only real shot at a child, and suddenly he disappears the next day. She had sent out multiple search parties, most of which searched around the perimeter of the hive, and some searching within. Whenever approached by a party, sparks of hope would flash inside her, and when they would come up negative of her son’s location, those same sparks would dim, and fade. Eventually, those little sparks became ones of anxiety. She tried to think of place where Arachnis might’ve gone. 

And then it hit her. 

The last place Arachnis was at was Tirek’s castle! Chrysalis thought that perhaps something there interested him, or maybe there was someone there that he had unfinished business with. Either way, at least she had somewhat of a lead. She called for Search Party C, which consisted of a delta, two betas, and a sigma, betas being the most common changelings, those that walk on all fours and have wings on the back. Sigma changelings resembled insects, in the sense that they have six limbs; two that they walk on, and four that they use for other tasks. The entire party bowed before their queen. Chrysalis eyed them with sharp eyes. “You are to go to Tirek’s castle to look for your prince. Should he resist, I want him back alive.” She said. The party confined their understanding with either head nod or a “Yes, your highness.”. They set off with haste. 

Meanwhile, Arachnis and Zoey were about to reach Tirek’s castle. The entire time they had been walking in silence. Arachnis needed it, for he was pondering why he was made. Zoey, on the other hand, felt highly uncomfortable with it. Along with telling herself that she had enough, she also decided to break the silence. “So…what are you gonna do once you find out why she made you?” She asked. “I’m going back, and confronting her about it. What I do next depends on what she says.” Arachnis replied. “Oh, ok” Zoey said. She felt that was enough social interacting until they made it, although something about this didn’t seem right to her. She felt concerned for that might happen in the future. If Chrysalis really didn’t care for Arachnis the whole time, how would he react. If things were to go how she feared they went, Arachnis might end up seriously hurt, or even worse. She tried not to think about it too much, for the feeling pained her. 

Just as she suppressed this looming thought, Tirek’s castle came into view.
> A Cozy Welcome
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

Horrible memories hit Zoey when she approached the lost castle. In her mind, she would constantly replay the moment when she was informed that her siblings were deceased. It was one thing to lose your family, but to be the one to have committed such actions was something very different. She held back her tears as best she could, but it was too much a weight on her frail shoulders. They flowed from her eyes to her cheeks, and eventually, the ground. Arachnis didn’t even need to look at her to know her condition. 

“Listen. I’m-“

“It’s alright…I’m fine.” 

For what it’s worth, Arachnis had a large passion in exploring new places. Though he’d never show it often, he enjoyed investigating the mysteries of uncharted territory. Almost feeling exhilarated, he phased right though the door and Zoey opened it and entered behind him. The castles walls which were once red were now in hues of pink, cyan, and white. The start of the immense hallway that housed the visitors had various statues of what seemed to be a filly, standing in a commanding position. With every considerable amount of space, the statue repeated itself. There were many doors, each that led to different rooms for different purposes. Arachnis and Zoey explored each one, observing the contents within. The rooms served purposes such as potion brewing, spell documentation, and even execution. At the very end on the hall, was the doors to the throne room. 

Zoey was the first to approach, curious as to who the new ruler(s) of this place might be. “Hold on.” Arachnis said. “We don’t know who’s in there. They might not be open to visitors.”. Zoey stood back, giving confirmation of her understanding. Arachnis went invisible. “I’ll check for anyone hostile. I’ll let you know when the room is clear or not.”. “Okay.” Zoey said. Arachnis phased through the massive doors and entreated the throne room. Upon entry, he found a soulless Tirek standing beside a pink alicorn filly. At first Arachnis was perplexed as to why a filly was sitting at the throne as opposed to a grown stallion and/or mare. He went back through the doors and made himself visible again. 

“Anything?” Asked Zoey. “Well..Tirek’s still under control, but by a filly. She’s sitting at the throne.” Arachnis replied. “That’s weird. A filly is totally out of place.” She said. Arachnis smiled a bit, and looked to the doors. “I can take down Tirek without much problem. Then we can go confront her, and see what the deal is.” Arachnis proposed.   Zoey was a bit reluctant, but she trusted that Arachnis knew what the situation was, and how to  handle it. Arachnis kicked the doors open with his two hind legs, startling the filly in the throne. At first, she was annoyed, and ready to immediately engage in battle, but upon seeing the two intruders, she smiled a bit.

“Oh, what a surprise. I didn’t expect you to be back so early…Arachnis. You even brought along the zeta.” She said. Her tone was teasing, playful almost. She sat her elbow on the armrest of the throne and rested her head upon her hoof, ready to be amused by the child of her former partner in conquest. “Who are you? And…how do you know who I am?” Arachnis asked. He neglected to mention Chrysalis just yet, as she might’ve been why this filly knew him. He stood corrected with her response. “Chrysalis had you in the works for a looong time, but I was out of the loop. Sooo I guess that means she doesn’t think of me as an ally anymore. Such a shame, we had so many memories together. As for who I am, the name’s Cozy Glow.”. Arachnis was now interested to learn more about her affiliation with Chrysalis. “Wait, you know Chrysalis? She’s never told me about you.”. Cozy chuckled in response. “Your mother never told you much, did she? I bet you’re looking for some answers. Is that what you want, hm?” She teasingly asked. 

Zoey stepped forth with fury in her eyes. She was glaring at Cozy, and her pitchfork was aimed right at her. “YOU! You had me under control! You made me…”. Cozy Glow broke into a fit of laughter  that could only be described as one you’d hear from a psychopath. “Oh the sad reality of things can be most heartbreaking. I bet you’re just this close to lashing out. Even if you do win, which you won’t trust me, it won’t bring back what you lost.”. Zoey adhered to her impulsive tendencies, and lunged right at Cozy, pitchfork in hand. As she was mere inches away a pink glow formed around  her and she stopped dead in place, caused by Cozy’s magic. She threw her to the leftmost wall of the castle. She fell to the ground with a loud groan and Tirek stood over her “Tirek, be a good boy for your queen, and give this atrocious changeling a very warm welcome.”. The brutish slave obeyed, cracking his knuckles and chuckling at the puny adversary before him. “Say goodnight tiny bug girl.”. 

Arachnis attempted to aid Zoey in her altercation, but was promptly stopped by a rounded pink barrier conjured but Cozy. “Arachnis, I might just be the only person seeing your potential here. Chrysalis obviously isn’t treating you right, and most other ponies don’t like changelings, but I can help you get right where you want to be. All you have to do is join me. We’ll be powerful you and I. I can even show you so many things along the way.”. Arachnis gave a sharp stare. “I don’t do business with crazy ponies like you. All I want to know is about my origin, not to serve or work with you. I don’t care if other ponies aren’t willing to understand me, I’ll just live how I always have been.”. Cozy’s horn flared up. “Fine then. I tried being reasonable. I guess I’ll have to do this the hard way.”. 

Cozy fluttered her tiny wings, and ascended into the air and fired multiple magic blasts from her horn. Arachnis put up a reflective barrier around himself, sending the powerful concentrations back to their sender. Cozy smirked, and teleported out of the way. The blasts then bounces off the larger barrier that surrounded Arachnis and Cozy and they continued to fly everywhere. “You should’ve just let them hit you. Now how will you be able to attack me?” Cozy said whilst laughing. Arachnis cursed his lack of thought toward the possibility that Cozy would possess similar, if no higher levels of magical abilities than him. While he did have his intangibility, he decided to save that for when the time was perfect. Revealing it now would hinder his chance at winning.

Both ponies now stood at opposite ends of the barrier. Cozy concentrated energy in her horn and fired a powerful laser at the ceiling of the barrier. Now knowing the reflective property of the arena, Arachnis tried to counter it with one of his own. He fires a laser directly at Cozy’s and the beams struggled against one another. With every second that passed, Cozy and Arachnis would increase the power of their beams to ensure a victory in the struggle. Cozy saw this time as a good opportunity to show Arachnis just how powerful she was, in an attempt to give him a reason to join her. Her horn’s flare became larger by the second and her beam increased in size and power threefold. Eventually it over powered its opposer, and split it down the middle. Arachnid was then struck directly with the beams power, pushing him against the barrier’s walls. He hadn’t experienced so much pain in a while, and it caused him to yell. He very quickly, phased from the behind the beam and outside the barrier.

At first, Cozy thought she had completely destroyed Arachnis with her beam, and so she laughed maniacally. That was, until she saw him standing atop the barrier. “W-what!? How did you escape!? Nobody escapes my barriers!” She yelled. “There’s a first for everything little filly.” Arachnis said flatly. His horn flared up, and Cozy was surrounded in a red aura, hindering her movement. She was then transported behind Arachnis, where she was immediately kicked in her chest and into a nearby wall, cracking it. Cozy fell to the ground with a heavy ache in her midsection, and attempted to continue fighting. She levitated a nearby shelf and threw it at Arachnis. It phased right through him, leaving no affect on him. “Damn-! For someone only a few years older than me, you hit hard. You could’ve been so much more if you were under my wing.” Cozy said weakly. Arachnis smiled and stood over her. Cozy expected to be tortured or even killed right then and there, but arachnid phased his hoof inside her head. He then inserted the rest of his body, until he had phased completely inside Cozy Glow.

Tirek was holding Zoey down by her head. She grabbed her pitchfork and jammed it into his hand, spewing blood from his hand, and yells of pain from his mouth. Zoey took advantage of her opening and dragged the blade up his arm and to his shoulder, splashing blood all over the floor. Zoey then swiftly flew backward, careful to stay out of Tirek’s range. Tirel himself was in immense pain, and ready to charge at Zoey. He roared and began to run, but was immediately stopped. A pink aura surrounded him, and he stood idle. Zoey lowered her weapon, confused as to why Tirek suddenly stopped fighting. She looked to her right, and saw Cozy Glow working her mind control. “Why are you stopping him…? And where’s Arachnis!?”. “Zoey, it’s me. I sorta took over her body. Tirek’s just gonna stand there until Cozy actually wakes up. Arachnis said. He jumped out of Cozy, and she fell unconscious.

Arachnis flared up his horn and Zoey was encased in a red bubble. Suddenly, she felt her wounds being healed and her body being nursed to health. “Thanks, I needed that.” Zoey said. She looked Arachnis in the face with a slight blush. “Wait..why’s your eye hot pink? Wasn’t it red before?” She inquired. Arachnis levitated a nearby mirror to his face, and noticed that it was indeed a different color. Seeing as it was the same color as Cozy’s magic aura, he deduced that it had something to do with how he possessed her, its meaning was unbeknownst to him. He looked around the room, making sure his sight wasn’t affected, and he spotted a peculiar looking book. Almost instinctively he levitated it toward him. 

He opened it to a random page and read it for a few moments. Zoey looked over his shoulder, and found it to be a book of spells. Eventually, Arachnis found the mind control spell that Cozy had been using the whole time. Right then, something sparked in his mind. Suddenly he immediately knew how to use such a technique. “Strange..it’s as if I already knew this spell, but I didn’t.” Arachnis said. “That’s weird. Hold on, if you suddenly know how to do it after you possessed Cozy, you might’ve gotten it from her, almost like you copied it.” said Zoey. Arachnid pondered before saying “You might be right. I guess that explains why my eye is pink. Anyway, we gotta go, and I’ll be taking this. “. Arachnis said while levitating the book near him. “What about Cozy Glow? Shouldn’t we do something about her?”  Zoey asked. Arachnis looked back at Cozy and Tirek. “We can leave them be for now. As long as they don’t know where we are, we should be fine.” Arachnis said. Zoey gave an unsure “If you say so.” and Arachnis began to take his leave. 

Before Zoey took hers, she glared at Cozy and spat on her cheek. “You took away my family….one day, I’ll take you away too.”
> Through the Eyes of Kindness
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

It had been the dead of night after Arachnis and Zoey’s skirmish at Cozy’s new castle, they both knew they had become targets now. As such, they  trekked for another three hours on top of the two hours they had spent simply distancing themselves from Cozy. They knew her dangerous potential more than most people did, and they knew to stay as far away as possible. They decided to make camp in the deepest parts of a nearby forest. It was now morning, and Zoey awoke to the sun’s warm glare. She felt so much better now that she had time to rest her body. Her muscles, while deeply sore, felt much better than they did last night. She looked to Arachnis, who was sleeping inside a translucent bubble he had conjured for himself. Zoey closely examined the restful half-changeling.

“He’s so peaceful when he’s sleeping.” She thought. “It’s…almost cute.”. Zoey now had a small blush forming on her face. After some fantasizing, she eventually stopped her mind from going to unsanctioned places. She refocused herself and tapped Arachnis’ bubble with her pitchfork. “Arachnis…yo, Arachnis. Wake up will ya!”. Arachnis’ eyes fluttered open before he deactivated the bubbles and stood. “I’m up, I’m up. So how far are we from Ponyville?” He asked? “Actually, we aren’t far at all. This is a neighboring forest to Ponyville actually. Ponies don’t really come here at night, which made it a good place to rest. We just gotta head…this way!” Zoey exclaimed while pointing westward. She fluttered her wings and hovered ever so close to the ground. “Ready?” She asked. “Ready.” Said Arachnis. 

And so they continued their journey to Ponyville. As time went on, Zoey wondered more and more about Arachnis. As a matter of fact, he’s been the only thing on her mind as of late. At first she found it a bit weird for her to think about her superior so much, but it took her mind off grieving for Zack and Zane, so she allowed her mind to go places, but not too far. She felt it was dishonorable to think lewd or inappropriate about him. After all, he was still her prince, and in her eyes, a valuable pony in her life. Now that she thought on it more, she didn’t think Arachnis would be so up in arms about a few questions about himself. 

Finally finding the courage to speak, she took a deep breath and ventured outside her comfort zone. “So uh..Arachnis? How was life in the hive before the whole Chrysalis situation?” Asked Zoey with a profuse blush on her face. Arachnis gazed at her, almost confused as to where the question came from, and what she might be getting at. Nonetheless, he answered. “Well, it wasn’t terrible. Chrysalis fed me well, royal situations were relatively easy to deal with, and…well just having power over others was, kind of fun in a sense.” He replied. Zoey was a bit surprised, not at Chrysalis being a good parent (for the most part anyway), nor was it how easily he dealt with the royal side of life, but about him saying that having royal power was somewhat fun to him. She never really heard him describe something he does as fun. Then again she thought it a common characteristic of a prince to deeply enjoy their power, so she thought nothing more of it. “Uhm..oh! As a little filly, did Chrysalis ever-“. 

“Shh!” Arachnis said, pulling Zoey up and into a tree, cutting Zoe’s off mid-sentence. Initially, she was going to ask why. Then she looked down, and got her answer. They both saw a pegasus mare with a light pink mane that covered one of her eyes and pale coat. She was happily humming and trotting along with a basket full of fruits in her mouth. She stopped next to a large bush of multiple types of berries. She sat her basket down and began to pick any berries she saw fit to take. “Hopefully I’m able to get this to Pinky before night.” She said. Her voice was very soft and low in volume, like a nervous pony speaking publicly. Zoey looked at Arachnis, who was staring intently at the seemingly harmless mare. She was about to verbalize her inquiry, but Arachnis gave the answer right then and there. “I’ve…seen this mare before. Chrysalis showed me…”. 

Arachnis’ mind went back, way back. Back to a time where he didn’t have much worries with being a prince, that his only responsibility was himself, and nothing else. He was in his mother’s room, and she had a hexagonal graph in front of him. On each corner, was a symbol; a purple star, pink butterflies, . Each symbol was worn by a mare that occupied the corners. Chrysalis levitated it for Arachnis to see. “Arachnis. These six mares all hold a powerful force called and ‘element’. When they come together, they form the Elements of Harmony. These six are what stand in our way from expanding our empire. These are our enemies.” Chrysalis explained. Arachnis grew a cocky smile on his face and said “One day, I’ll be just as strong as them. I’ll be able to beat them all!”. Chrysalis gave a chuckle, and levitated Arachnis onto her back. “Mommy believes in you, my little June bug.“ Chrysalis charismatically said.

Arachnis had to stop himself from playing back those old memories. He didn’t wish to cry, at least not in front of anyone. “That mare…is an Element of Harmony…” He said. Zoey looked to him with a confused expression. “What’s..an Element of Harmony?” She asked. “It means she holds a powerful force inside her. Though, now that I’m thinking, she doesn’t look like she has much power at all. No horn, but has wings…”. Arachnis began to slowly think inside his head as opposed to thinking out loud. “Should we engage?” Zoey asked. Arachnis thought for a while, until his eyes opened a bit wider, signaling to Zoey that he had a plan. “Remember how I might’ve taken Cozy’s abilities? I might be able to mind control her. Then we can go from there.” He said. “Alright, go for it.” She said enthusiastically. Arachnid made a successful attempt at activating the copied magic. His horn flared up, but not in red. Instead, it glowed pink, and within a few seconds, the pale pegasus froze in place. Her eyes went from expressive to lifeless as she succumbed to the mind control. 

The pink-haired mare looked up at Zoey, and gave a nod. Zoey then flew down with an excited expression. “Wow! You did it.” She said. Arachnis spoke from the mare’s mouth, and our came a very soft voice. “Yeah. I didn’t know Cozy was able to control speaking as well. I see what she sees, and can look into her memories. Apparently, this mare’s name is Fluttershy, and she’s the element of kindness. She….has memories of Chrysalis, but they’re all fuzzy. We might actually be able to find some things about her if we find the others.” He explained. He turned to walk in the direction from whence Fluttershy had originally came, but Zoey tugged at his tail. “She probably came from Ponyville, in which case, I’m not gonna let you go on your own. I’ll stay in the air, and swoop in if things get hairy.” She said. Arachnis wanted Zoey to stay where she might’ve been out of danger, but he knew that Zoey was capable of taking cer of herself and even then, she wouldn’t take no for an answer, especially it’s is about protecting him. It was what she was hired by Chrysalis to do after all. “Alright, fine. Just try not to attract attention.” Arachnis said.

Ponyville came into view as a controlled Fluttershy and a zeta changeling stood at the exit of the forest. Arachnis gave a nod to Zoey, and she flapped her wings, and ascended into the air until she was barely visible. Arachnis then looked forward, and ventured into uncharted territory. He has never seen so many ponies in one place before. He was a bit shocked to see how lively and colorful Ponyville was. Almost every pony he passed by waved at him, and he reluctantly waved back to all of them. He could tell that Fluttershy was well known here. As he explored the town, he looked into her memories and searched them for where the other elements are, or might be. 

With most memories being blurry to Arachnis, he struggled to find one that could be a lead. Eventually, he saw trying to master this power right then and there would be too difficult and time consuming, he began to simply search through the town manually, by himself. Even though he was controlling another pony’s body, Arachnis felt heavily nervous around others ponies, insecure almost. He wondered what they would think or say had he not been using mom control. He began to over analyze, thinking for the worst when he conjured scenarios in his head. He was now in his own world, only being occupied by his mind rather than looking for the other elements. He began to wander, not fully conscious of where he was going, nor why he would go there. All sounds were  blocked out to him, with the only voice he could hear being one in his head. It sounded identical to that of Fluttershy, but it sounded more intimidated and scared rather than shy and bashful. 

“W-who are you! Get out my head, please! W-what have I ever done to you!” The voice yelled. Its pitch was high, but it wasn’t what snapped Arachnis out of his daydreams. It was the voice’s words that got to him. Arachnis slowly felt himself being pulled from Fluttershy’s mind, a sign that he couldn’t keep up the kind control for much longer.  He looked all round him, and eventually saw a peculiar treehouse. On its door, was a painted star in purple and white. Nearly a second later, and Arachnis found himself back in the forest. Zoey noticed quickly, as she saw Fluttershy suddenly collapse. She flew back to the forest as fast as she could.

Zoey found Arachnis slumped by a tree stump, catching his breath. Zoey descended to him, resting a hand around his shoulder. “Hey, you ok Arachnis? What happened?” She asked. “I was in her head, but she fought back. I don’t have full masterly of Cozy's magic, so I came up short.” He said almost weakly. “Did you find anything before that though?” Zoey asked. “Yeah. I know exactly where we need to go now.”.
> Paranormal Activity
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

After Twilight Sparkle, the element of magic, had become an alicorn and a princess, she had  gained many perks. She got her own castle, her own subjects (courtesy of Princess Celestia herself), and arguably most of all, the magic and knowledge to back up her immense potential in terms of a ruler. Even with all that under her belt, she felt lonely in her castle without her most loyal subject, someone she could call her own child if she wanted to, someone who meant the entire multiverse to her: Spike. Spike was becoming more and more independent as time went on. Eventually, he spoke up to his mother figure about it. They were both equally reluctant about leaving each other, but they also knew that all ponies and dragons have to move on one day, and find their own path. Spike now lives at Twilight’s old live-in bookstore, a place where he made so many memories. 

Sadly, the next memory he’d make wouldn’t be so pleasant. 

The day started off as normal as it could be. Spike woke up, took his morning shower, made himself breakfast, and began to sort books for his library. Because the bookstore was now Spike’s to own, he decided it would be a good start for his life to run the bookstore altogether. It paid good bits, and many of the bestiaries taught the drake some new tricks. He learned to better control his flames, making them suitable to help with cooking or heating. With his age, also came growth in his wings, making them finally large enough for flight. After getting in the swing of things, Spike felt much more content and peaceful within himself. 

While Spike liked his job, he also needed his own time to recharge. He designed his schedule to where he had off on the weekends, and Fridays weren’t full days. Sometimes he felt severe burnout, and would take the entire week off. This week was one of those weeks. Spike had been feeling heavy burnout from his job, and decided to treat himself. He had already made nearly 300 bits from last week alone, so he felt it wouldn’t put a dent in his wallet. After sorting books, he checked his pantry, and found a lot of nothing in there. “Figures…” he said, almost annoyed at how he managed to devour nearly everything in his pantry in the span of a week. He didn’t dwell on it much, and instead set out to the markets to buy some more food, and hopefully enough to last him a few months at the very least.

He flew to the markets as fast as he could, eager to get what he needed (and wanted) to get, and go back home. After getting there, he scoured the place, looking for a multitude of things. He looked for ingredients to most of his favorite meals, brand name snacks, heatable lunches, and most importantly, sweets. Lots and lots of sweets. Spike arrived at the register and placed everything he had on a desk for the cashier to place values on. The cashier was a brown stallion with a red mane. After seeing the numerous amounts of things Spike had placed for him, he gave a small but audible sigh and looked at what Spike had, and how much of it he had. After doing what seemed like a dozen calculations, he finally turned to Spike and told him what he owed. “Alright, that’ll be 137.” He said flatly. Spike quickly paid the desired amount of bits, placed his things in bags, and flew off with them in hand. “That costed a lot. I think that’s the last time I become Pinkie’s little guinea pig.” He said, referencing a time when one of Pinkie’s “experimental” cupcakes gave him the munchies. 

The sun was setting as Spike reached his house. He opened the front door and stepped inside. His eyes widened from the sight that was before him. His entire house was an absolute mess. Books were all over the floor, with some of the shelves they were originally on now broken. Some of his personal belongings in his desk and drawers were scattered all over the place. He might’ve even saw some of his work papers somewhat ripped. He closed the front door, dropped his groceries next to it, and ran upstairs to see what else of his had been ravaged, and witnessed paranormal activity. He saw a floating book pertaining to the Elements of Harmony, and a floating map of the country of Equestria. Spike knew this wasn’t levitation, because he didn’t see any aura surrounding the floating objects. “Uhh..hello? Who’s there!” Spike called. Seemingly out of nowhere, a pink aura in the shape of a horn materialized, and soon, Spike began to lose consciousness. Eventually, he gave in, and his body’s motions were completely out of his control. 

Arachnis made himself visible and examined the dragon he had managed to get under his dependence. “Zoey, it’s clear now.” He said. Zoey dropped from the high ceiling of the room, and looked the little drake up and down. “I’ve never seen a dragon like him before. He looks kinda cute.” She said. “I don’t see the symbol. It’s not him, but he probably knows who is…” Arachnis said. Tapping into more of Cozy’s power, he scoured Spike’s memories. He found it much easier to do so with him as opposed to Fluttershy, as she showed resistance to mind control, while Spike showed little to none of it. Eventually, he found one where Spike was traveling with a purple alicorn to a grand castle. Arachnid looked further, and saw that the purple alicorn had a purple and white star ear her flanks. He immediately exited his mind. “Zoey…I found another one.” He said. “Oh, great. Where to?” Zoey asked. Arachnis motioned for Zoey to follow him and departed for Canterlot. The magic wore off, and Spike fell unconscious.

Several hours later, at the crack of dawn, Spike awoke on the floor in a cold sweat. He quickly remembered everything that had led up to his faint, and scrambled to get up in quick fashion. He looked around the room, and saw none of what he had seen several hours ago. Finally in a sense of security, he rushed downstairs and looked for his quill, ink, and paper. After sifting through the mess that his visitors had left for him, he found the required things for long distance communication. He got to his desk, and quickly wrote up a letter. He rushed as fast as he could without making any grammatical or spelling errors. Spike rolled up the paper and blew green flames onto it. The paper disintegrated into thin air and was transported to Twilight castle.  

Meanwhile, Arachnis and Zoey were on their way to Canterlot to find their next target.
> A Fight to Reunite
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

Twilight Sparkle awoke in her queen size bed. She rose with a long but soft yawn and looked around to get her eyes adjusted to the morning’s golden light. Her eyes adjusted, and she noticed a yellowed piece of paper with singed edges on her nightstand. The somewhat burnt paper was an indicator of who it was from, thus, Twilight pounced on it with charisma and joy in her face. She read the letter intently from top to bottom. 

Hey Twi. The strangest thing happened to me last night. I was doing some shopping, y’know, normal Ponyville stuff. Then I got to my house, and it looked like a bunch of foals had trashed the place. Everything was everywhere. I went upstairs to see what else had happened, and I saw something floating. I know magic can do the same thing l, but there was no aura around the floating things. They just stood stationary in the air, as physics just didn’t apply to them! I looked at the floating objects, and then I just fainted, out of nowhere. The next thing I did was wake up and write to you. Hopefully we can find out what’s going on together. 

P.S. I’ve missed you Twi.

Twilight’s face showed genuine concern, but nonetheless, she smiled at the last line of text that Spike had left for her. She set her letter down and began to think aloud. “Floating, but no aura…but that could only be possible if somepony is invisible. The invisibility spell is really advanced though. If this pony isn’t good news, we might be in for a big threat.”. Feeling that this was important and interesting enough, she levitated a device that had symbols of all the elements on it, and pressed a purple, crystalline button in the middle. She then teleported to the meeting room, where she and all her friends met up when there was an issue. After that, she sat, and waited for the other to arrive. 

Meanwhile, Arachnis and Zoey were sneaking through Ponyville on their way to Canterlot. Arachnis was invisible, walking through Ponyville’s streets, hidden in plain sight, while Zoey was high in the air, following Arachnis’ tether from above. A tether being a sort of beacon that links a magic user to anyone he wishes. Its maximum tensile strength depends on the user’s magic power, and unless one uses a spell, it is invisible to anyone other the two people being linked. This is what Arachnis casted on Zoey to help her follow him while he was invisible. This also allowed Arachnis to travel as fast as he could without leaving Zoey behind. He was dashing through the crossroads that linked Ponyville and Canterlot together. Eventually, they reached the much more majestic, and more advanced, Canterlot. Arachnis was amazed at the visual features of this kingdom. He felt much more interested at what secrets the place held. He phased through shops, homes and other structures to see the wonders of his location. One place after another, and he had reached a magmatic looking castle, one that had many distinct differences from Tirek’s. It was much more inviting. He phased through the front doors. Using his tether, he spoke to Zoey through telepathy.

“I’ll go straight in. If anyone’s here, they’re more likely to see me first, which buys you time to find any info. I’ll be fine.” Arachnis said. Immediately after, the bond was severed between him and Zoey. Tethers become weak and sometimes break if too many surfaces are interrupting the connection. Arachnis ventured on, seeing if he could find anything useful. Zoey looked for an entry point and spotted an open window. She flew inside like the rays of sunshine that also entered. She landed, but froze dead in place when she saw Twilight Sparkle sitting right there in front of her. Twilight readied her magic and Zoey tried to escape through the same window. The window suddenly had a purple aura around it and it closed right in Zoey’s face, causing her to ram right into it, giving her a bloody nose and cracking the window. She fell to the floor, and tried to resist further, but was held still by Twilight. 

“Now, changeling…” Twilight started, being sure to put heavy emphasis on the word changeling. “What’s your business here? What’s Chrysalis planning next hm? Did you come with anyone else?”. Her interrogation, combined with the immense pain from her bloody nose made the experience overwhelming for Zoey. She relaxed her muscles, and gave her answer. “I ain’t telling you a damn thing. My friend would beat the shit outta you if he saw you interrogating me.” She said smugly. Twilight’s patience remained intact, and she trapped Zoey in a purple bubble and lifted her up next to her. “You’ll stay by me for now.” Twilight said. Meanwhile, Arachnis had been through numerous rooms, and many more staircases, all to end up back where he started: the main hallway. He was about to start phasing through ceilings to find Zoey until he heard a creaking near the front doors. They opened, and in walked the other elements: Rainbow Dash, Applejack, Pinkie Pie, Rarity and Fluttershy, all in the midst of conversation. 

“It’s mighty disrespectful that they just left ya there like that Shy.” Applejack said. “I strongly agree. It’s highly unsanitary to just lie on the floor for extended periods of time.” Rarity said. Rainbow butt in, placing a hoof on Fluttershy. “So what if it’s a ghost? So what if it’s anypony? We got this!” She said charismatically. “Oh don’t worry Shy. The cupcakes I made should get your mind off it. If you want, I can feed you another one!” Pinkie said.”. Watching them converse so casually whilst in a royalty’s domain somewhat confused him. He swiftly came to the conclusion that they might’ve been acquainted with the element of Magic. Intrigued to learn more, he went invisible, climbed onto the wall, and eavesdropped on the group. As they walked by, the front tip of Pinkie’s mane began to twitch, and point in Arachnis’ direction. Arachnis realized this, and moved higher up the wall and even strafing left and right. Her mane followed his every motion, and eventually, Pinkie looked behind her and spoke up. “Uhhh, girls? We might not be the only ponies in here.” Pinkie said nervously. She looked around, as if her sixth sense didn’t already identify Arachnis. The other four mares had known Pinkie long enough to know that her “Pinkie Sense” was more than just accurate. After she had performed the feat of dodging falling objects while blindfolded, they knew never to underestimate it again. 

“Well? Where is it, Pinks? I’m ready for a workout today!” Said Rainbow. “Yeah sugarcube, where’s it sittin’ at?” Said Applejack, nervous but wanting to match Rainbow in fearlessness. Pinkie’s tail slowly pointed in Arachnis’ way. Arachnis himself was dumbfounded at how an earth pony had a magic-like ability. He wondered if he was looking at a psychic. Thinking he had not much of any other choice, he jumped from the wall with Pinkie’s tail following his position. He uncloaked himself, and his horn flashed red. “So you thought you could just sneak into our friends castle and do whatever you wanted huh?” Rainbow said smugly. “I sure did. And now, I think I’m gonna put you all to rest and move on.” Arachnis replied. “Tough colt, eh? Bring it then!” Rainbow said. Rarity flared up her horn, Applejack cracked her joints, and Pinkie Pie and Fluttershy ran to the higher floors of the castle to alert Twilight.

Rainbow opened the battle with what she did best: rushing in for a quick win. She blasted right at Arachnis at nearly the speed of sound, tackling him into the wall. Arachnis, who was astounded at Rainbow’s speeds, saw her demonstration as a reason to go all out. Rainbow held him against the wall, an arrogant smile forming on her face. “Still think you can beat all of us now!? You can’t even match my speed!” Rainbow said. “Maybe not…” Arachnis phased through rainbow, and his eye turned cyan. “But I can now.” He said coldly. He tapped into his imitation abilities, and seemingly out of nowhere, he grew cyan wings, and flew into Rainbow at her signature speeds, cracking the wall behind her, and knocking the wind out of her. Arachnis’ horn flared up, but he was levitated by Rarity. Arachnis teleported behind her, and the blast that was meant for Rainbow was directed to her. The large wave of energy devastated the ground below it, and Rarity herself. As it subsided,  Rarity fell to the ground, but not unconscious and cyan hexagon disappeared. She drained herself of her energy, and barley had enough to keep herself awake. 

Rainbow was now furious. She decided not to waste her breath; she saw no point in reasoning with Arachnis. She charged at him, yelling in anger. Arachnis strategically placed himself right in front of a wall, and made himself intangible. Rainbow went full speed right into solid stone, nearly breaking her nose and making her brain smack against her skull, which put her unconscious. “Hold it right there, bastard!” A voice yelled. Arachnis then turned to Applejack twirling her signature lasso. She slowly inched toward him, careful to watch for any sudden movements. Arachnis, on the other hand, stood perfectly still, a grin forming on his face. “Go ahead. Make your move, cowgirl.” He said. Applejack made no attempt to reply, and instead kept inching forward. Almost in a sudden burst of energy, she ran, jumped over Arachnis, and prepared to roundhouse kick him with her hind legs. As she propelled her limbs, Arachnis swiftly moved behind her with a rainbow trail behind him. “How did-“ Was all Applejack could say before she was kicked right in her gut. She fell to the floor, the wind knocked right out of her lungs. She tried to catch it, but the only result was uncontrollable coughing and gagging. 

“Ready to set your badge down sheriff?” Arachnis smugly asked. Applejack couldn’t respond due to her excessive failure to properly breathe. Arachnis noted that Pinkie and Fluttershy were nowhere to be seen, and immediately ran for the stairs. He tried to form a tether with Zoey to see if she ran into them, but to no prevail. He suddenly heard a sound that could only be described as struggling, and it only got louder as he approached a peculiar looking room. He opened the doors, only to see Zoey, tied up and in the corner. Arachnid walked forward, and right into Twilights trap.
> Warping Perception
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

“…Zoey?” Arachnis said, slowly creeping toward her. She seemed to try to warn him, but all the came out was a series of muffled yells. Nonetheless. Arachnis crept closer.

M-mph! Hmmm!!

As he continued to close his distance, he felt the room getting darker, like a large perturbing shadow was looming over it.

MMM! MmmmmMMMaaa! Miiimuuuu!

He stood atop the muffling mess, and removed her gag. Her eyes were wide, her breathing was fast, and sweat was beginning to form on her face. “Shit, it looks like you ran from a banshee or something.” Arachnid said casually. The second he removed the gag, it was already too late. 

“ITS A TRAP!” Zoey screamed. 

Arachnis was then surrounded in a purple aura and raised into the air. From behind him, Twilight Sparkle walked in the room, and from above came Pinkie and Fluttershy, who had been covering the captive fireflies that lit up the room. It went back to its illuminated state, and the three ponies surrounded Arachnis. “Yayyy! We finally got him!” Pinkie yelled. “Pinkie, Fluttershy, go check on the other girls and make sure they’re ok.” Twilight said. Pinkie donned a nurse costume (which had seemingly materialized out of thin air) and she and Fluttershy ran downstairs. 

“I knew there was a connection between you two. Now it’s just a matter of why. It’s totally not normal for a pony to be traveling with a changeling. And more importantly, why isn’t she with Chrysalis.” Twilight said, turning Arachnis to face her. “My business with her is none of yours. Now let us go!” Arachnis said firmly. “And I don’t associate with Chrysalis anymore.” Zoey said in similar tone. “What would Chrysalis ever do to deter you from serving her? I thought she was your leader?” Twilight inquired. Zoey looked to Arachnis with worry in her eyes. He couldn’t turn around, but he knew what Zoey wanted to say.

“Arachnis? Do you wanna-?” 

“No. We can’t trust her.”

Twilight sighed. “I know you don’t really trust me, and to be entirely honest, I don’t think I could put trust into you. But it’s my responsibility to ensure that everyone in Canterlot is safe. I can’t do that if I don’t know what you guys want. All I’m asking, is cooperation.” “No.” Arachnis yelled “Leave us alone! Let us go!”. His body began to flash, his various shades of red all conformed to a single lighter shade and transition back to its former appearance. Twilight stood back and shifted from mere levitation to forming a barrier around him. It was all in vain, as a red wave bursted from Arachnis, breaking the barrier with ease. Twilight closed her eyes, as she and Arachnis were engulfed in it.

Twilight opened her eyes in a dark room. She turned around to find Arachnis on the floor, heavily breathing with the occasional sniffle. 
Twilight came closer, and suddenly, a pair of green, sharp eyes opened above Arachnis. Twilight was startled, confused as to what how exactly she got to where she is now. 

Suddenly, the eyes jumped at her. Twilight screamed in what could only be described to real fear. She fell to the floor and her heart rate increased drastically. She quickly got up to see herself in the hive. She remembers the times where she was imprisoned here, and wondered if she had been taken to Chrysalis herself. She heard cheering behind her, and was immediately swarmed with changelings of all kinds. She braved herself, but was never hit. All the changelings went right though her. Even stranger, they didn’t notice her. She looked to left, and saw elder Arachnis still on the ground, now crying. She looked up, and saw a younger Arachnis looking down to the crowd, looking afraid and confused and Chrysalis standing over him.

“That’s…you. Isn’t it?” She said to Arachnis. 

“Y-yes…” Arachnis said. “When I was ‘born’.”

“Wait…so Chrysalis is…” 

“My mother. Yes…”

Twilight was in complete shock at what she was hearing. She knew Chrysalis had some amount of good in her, but she never would have expected her to have a child. “But why do you look nothing like her?” Did she take you in or something?” She inquired. 

“No. I’m genetically engineered. She took the best qualities of pegasi, unicorns, earth ponies and of course, changelings. Then..she shoved em all into me. I could belong to so many different bloodlines. Who knows who I’m related to?” 

“I see. But, why’d you run away? Was she abusive?” 

“She…treated me like the prince that I was meant to be. She just…had so much to hide from me. I needed to know why she wanted me. I feel like I have a right to know.” Arachnis wiped his eyes, and his illusory world transitioned again. Arachnis and Twilight now found themselves at Arachnis’ chamber, where an even younger version of him floated. Arachnid knew what this memory was, and he covered his ears, not wanting to rehear what had provoked him to run away before. He simply let it play out in front of Twilight, who was still having trouble wrapping her head around the situation. By the end of the memory, she had an even harder time. She rested a hood on Arachnis’ shoulder.

“You always had a right to know. So, you wanted to know more about Chrysalis right? I’m willing to share all of our encounters with her. How does that sound?”

“…Better than what I’ve been doing this whole time.” 

“Alright. Oh! I wanted to ask. Is there a reason you have a zeta changeling with you?” 

Almost as if it were a direct command, Twilight’s words changed Arachnis’ illusions. They shifted and conformed to show a memory when Zoey visited Arachnis after the death of her brothers. “Her name is Zoey. She insisted on coming with me after an accident happened back at the hive. She wanted to support me, and she was intrigued just as much as I was. I owe it to her.” 

“I see.” Twilight’s train of thought was ruptured by a conundrum that had only just hit her now. “Wait…how exactly do we get out of this?”

“I…don’t know. This has only ever been triggered a few times now. I don’t know how to control it. Only thing I’ve deduced is that it happens when I’m under a lot of pressure or feeling negative emotions.” 

Twilight pondered at what Arachnis said. “Illusions that surface when feeling strong emotion…I wonder.”

Arachnis sat down and tried to calm his nerves. He closed his eyes and thought of a time where everything was much simpler. His memory went to when he was first introduced to his room. He smiled in both memory and reality, and slowly but surely, the illusion subsided. Both Arachnis and Twilight were back in the castle. The looked around to see an untied Zoey and the other elements keeping watch over them.

“Arachnis!” Zoey yelled. She rushed to Arachnis, tackling him in a hug. The elements surrounded Twilight, asking her what had happened. She explained what she saw, made each pony promise to not reveal the information to anypony. Arachnis told Zoey of his mini adventure with Twilight, and told her that the elements could be trusted. Both Arachnis and Twilight looked to each other. 

“So, what now?” Arachnis asked. 

“We pay some princesses a visit.” Twilight responded.
> Inner Intrusiveness
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

Chrysalis opened here eyes and took a deep, sharp breath. Each subsequent inhale and exhale wasn’t as deep, but almost all of them were followed by uncontrollable coughing. Eventually, she gained control of her breathing, and looked to the pool of saliva on the floor. “Just how long was I coughing that up?” She thought. She also noticed that the only flooring below her was glass. She looked around, trying to get a bearing of her surroundings. Everywhere around her was pitch black. Even using her horn for light proved next to futile, as little to no light was produced. Suddenly, she heard faint tapping of the glass behind her. As the sound approached her, it got faster. 

Chrysalis did a 360 turn, being sure to check everywhere around her. She saw nothing but the back that surrounded her, and the glass that supported her. The tapping eventually turned to cracking, and once again, it increased in speed and volume. Now, Chrysalis began to panic. Her movements became more sudden and quick, and her breathing mostly uncontrolled. “W-who’s there!” She yelled. The yelling made the rapid cracking come to a sudden stop. She looked down, only to see the glass below her was cracked and that faint red light illuminated behind her.

WHOSH CRACK

Chrysalis felt a sharp pain in her midsection Ana d fell to her side. Her stomach now aching, she couldn’t find the strength to get up. She couldn’t even find no energy to do anything but breathe and speak.She was then rolled onto her back and she looked up to see Arachnis standing overtop her. “I left…and all you did was send your dumbass lackeys after me? I feel like a mother might’ve been obligated to actually look for her child, but I guess you’re just different.” 

Chrysalis’ expression said it all. She was shocked, in pain, and holding back tears. “That’s…n-not true. I loved y-“ Arachnis backhoof slapped the queen at his mercy, causing blood to flow from her mouth. “Don’t give me that sentimental bullshit. I was your tool, remember? Of course it doesn’t cross your mind until now. You don’t know, because you don’t care. Well guess what? I’m not yours anymore.” Arachnis stomped a hood on his mother’s neck, closing her airway and disallowing her to breathe. Her consciousness slowly drained from her body. When her eyes were already almost closed, a red flash blinded her. 

In that same moment, Chrysalis woke up.

She kicked the air in reckless panic and eventually fell over from her bed. She didn’t explode in anger, but couldn’t help but give a deep sigh at her embarrassing episode of a panic attack. She got up, and looked in the mirror that occupied the back corner of her room. She looked terrible. Her hair was a mess, her face was glistening with sweat, and she could see the crust in her eyes. “Another terrible night…” she said to herself. “That’s the second time…”. Chrysalis knew that even if she wanted to, it'd simply be a waste of time to taker her anger out on anything for anyone, so she suppressed her emotions, got up, and began to do what she thought was taking care of herself. She walked through the hive, making sure to keep her horn flared up to signify to every changeling that doing as much as looking to her would result in a death sentence. She traversed into the lowest part of the hive, a sector reserved for the only her and Arachnis. Even just being there reminded her of her child. She pushed the thoughts aside and descended to the very bottom, where many small insects made their homes. Chrysalis didn't mind, as she loved bugs. She'd never show it around others, but she liked to make homes for them. she opened the trapdoor that separated her from her special place, and fell right into a room she had been making for a long time: a hot springs. She sank into the heated water with an audible sigh, that if heard from afar, one might've assumed she was performing a more indecent activity. Only her head was above the water, and she closed her eyes. She let the liquid soothe her body, and began to sort out her mind. 

"What's been up with me today? I can't take my mind off...him." Chrysalis thought. She sank a bit deeper into the near boiling water, and faced the ceiling. Once again, she tried to block out any thoughts, memories, or inside voices that had anything to do with Arachnis. She tried all she could, not even for a flicker of success to present itself to her. Once again, she found herself in a dream of sorts. Like last time, she found herself in a black void, only being help up by a long and thin, but also durable pane of glass. To her relief, there were no footsteps to be heard and red glows to speak of. That relief was short lived, as she knew that if Arachnis wasn’t coming after her, something else was. 

She nervously looked around her, and found a cracked area in the see-through flooring. The cracks seemed to be perfectly branched out to only stay in a designated rectangular shape. The glass then shattered, and every last shard connected with one another before Chrysalis like sentient puzzle pieces. They eventually formed a large rectangle, but had gone from being see-through to reflective. Chrysalis was now standing before an amalgamated mirror, and her reflection stared back at her. She moved closer to the mirror, and glowed her horn. Her reflection did the same. “I…made the right call..right?” Chrysalis asked herself. 

Her reflection’s horn glowed brighter, and it answered back with a cold “No.” Chrysalis quickly jumped back and quickly set up a barrier. Unfortunately for her, she forgot she was in a dream, and that the laws of physics were completely in the control of some otherworldly force. The blast went right through her defense, and collided right with her face. The hopeful attempt at keeping herself safe went down and Chrysalis went flying, skidding across the floor before coming to a complete stop. The reflection stepped through the mirror, and approached Chrysalis. “Took you long enough to notice there was something wrong. You always seem to notice something is wrong after you pay a price.”

“W-what do you mean by that!?” Chrysalis yelled. 

The reflection scoffed. “We both know exactly what I mean. What’s the one things happening right now, that you think is wrong, huh?”

At first, Chrysalis was confused by what she was being asked, it took her a minute to finally read the room. She had already been in this specific setting for a dream before, and she sensed a theme. “Arachnis…” Chrysalis said softly. 

Her reflection rolled its eyes. “Well congrats, you aren’t oblivious to his potential interpretation that you’re a negative person based on how you handled him being missing from the Hive. Good. For. You.” It said, being sure to put emphasis on every single word. 

Ever since the first dream, Chrysalis was always feeling some type of anger toward her intrusiveness, but it was only now where that emotion began to take over, and she made it known of how she felt. She stared directly into the reflection’s eyes, and lunges at it. She pinned it to the floor, and began striking it in the head with all the strength her adrenaline could offer her. Her sense of revenge was gone, but her anger remained. She kept the onslaught going, with each swing eventually drawing more and more blood out of her victim’s mouth, and even their head. The excessive blunt trauma slowly ceased, and when it was completely out of her system, Chrysalis noticed that she was no longer punching herself. 

A bloodies Arachnis cried and struggled to breathe beneath her. She got up and took a few steps back. The conjured colt struggled to speak, but was able to get out one last message: “T-this..is how I felt *COUGH* a-after you told me off…like a piece of..garbage. M-maybe your worst enemies…are good ponies to be with….”. Chrysalis’ eyes opened wide at that last sentence. Her horn flared up, and she shot an energy beam right at him. The bean burned through the dream-bound Arachnis. 

It screamed for mercy and help, and Chrysalis awoke once again. 

She shot to the surface of her hot spring, and gasped for air, even coughing up a bit of boiling water in the process. She got on her hooves and looked all around her, ready to attack anything that so much as made a sound. It took her another dunk of hot water to keep her heart rate from reaching dangerous levels. She quickly left and ascended back to the Hive’s more habited levels and sat at her throne.

At this point, Chrysalis didn’t know what to do anymore. Admittedly, she knew deep down inside that she felt guilt for not bothering to go after Arachnis herself, but she couldn’t see why it was doing this much to her. She had changelings looking for him already, so she didn’t see a clear problem. She saw her son as a smart pony, and thought that there was no way  he’d end up anywhere that would be bad for him or her.

But then it hit her.

Chrysalis‘ heart had skipped a beat when the thought of Ponyville came to her head. It wasn’t impossible that that’s where he would’ve ended up. Arachnis didn’t resemble a changeling all too well, so the ponies could’ve easily mistaken him for one of their own. “…One of their own. Not my own.” She thought to herself. Arachnis was the closest thing she had to a real child. Chrysalis wasn’t about to let the ponies take him from her. 

She got down from her throne and exited the throne room, looking down on all the changelings before her. She stomped her hoof, and each and every one stared at her. “I’ll be on leave, in hopes that I find my child, and bring him back here. Until then…” Chrysalis’ horn flared up, as did the rest of her body. “Clonus” She whispered to herself. Miraculously, a second Chrysalis materialized. The first one turned to leave, while the second sat at the throne. The changelings made way for Chrysalis as she exited the hive. 

“Ponies won’t take kindly to my presence, but I need to find him.”
> Misplaced Malice
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

It was a cold and windy nightfall as Chrysalis traveled along the dark green grass. The sky turned from a nice orange to pitch black. From an outside perspective, one could’ve mistaken the changeling queen for a demon, as one could only see her green eyes and maybe make out her semi-green mane if one were close enough. She strode through the darkened landscape with swift movements that would’ve made it seem like she was a ghost. These movements mostly made possible through her antipathy toward her first target of investigation. She played back the memory of her chess game with Tirek, being able to recall every little detail, as if it were only moments ago.

"I went into the game expecting to lose, but I guess I was right."

“Oh that brutish bastard won’t be winning the next game I have planned.” Chrysalis mumbled to herself. In her lifetime, she was told many times, by friend and foe, that simply letting one’s anger rise was a weakness. She, however, saw it a different way. She felt that anger often comes from (or creates) a strong desire to be rid of something. Letting herself get angrier let be hellbent on doing exactly what she motivated herself to do. In this case, she felt VERY motivated to make Tirek feel at least some pain. His castle was the main focus of infiltration, and she felt it was very possible that Tirek told Arachnis something about the truth. Chrysalis felt he was too young to know such things about his origin. 

Finally, she reached Tirek’s castle, or so she thought it was. Wanting to make a grand entrance, she used magic to slam each front door open, cracking the walls of the hall, and making a very loud rumbled throughout the castle. She walked in, expecting to be seized by guards of some kind. She only saw the walls that used to be stained red were now painted hot pink. The statues of Tirek’s greatest victories were now sculptures of the filly that had control over the castle. “Cozy…” Chrysalis thought to herself. 

Though she was never privy to the takeover until now, she wasn’t surprised it could and did happen. Though Tirek would never admit it, he knew just as well as everyone else that Cozy could easily overpower him, solely because of her lengthy experience in magic. Chrysalis was more intrigued by why Cozy decided to do this. She knew not what could be gained from having a castle like Tirek’s. Tirek didn’t do much these days aside from be a tyrant to those he enslaved, and execute those whom he captured and saw as weak. At least that’s what he told Chrysalis. She truly didn’t know where he kept any slaves, or the remains on the ones who were felled. Nonetheless, she was about to get her answers. She forced open the throne room doors…

To see the pink filly being held by her throat by Tirek.

With them still not noticing her arrival, Chrysalis was now thrust into a situation she marked as more awkward than anything. She had just walked in on something she thought was very unlikely. She found it a bit suspicious, but nonetheless, she quickly thought up a plan to get the very best out of the scenario. She began with levitating Tirek off of Cozy and throwing him across the entire room, which finally got the attention of the two. “A pleasant surprise to see you, insect.” Cozy said humorously. As if she had not even heard what Cozy said, Chrysalis didn’t react at all. She only rushed toward Tirek, and in one swift spell, he had the inability to move. She stomped on his neck, nearly blocking off his entire airway. He struggled to get her off him, but the spell proved too much for him. 

Cozy knew that Chrysalis was a calculated changeling more often than not, so it took her by surprise that she simply charged at Tirek with reckless abandon. She smiled to humor the situation before her before happily trotting closer.  “Soooo. Wanna tell me what’s botherin ya Chrysie?” Cozy asked. “It’s nothing.” Chrysalis responded flatly. Cozy gave a smug smile. “Any reason you’re still choking the meathead then?”. Chrysalis quickly lifted her hoof, letting Tirek breathe again. He coughed just to catch his breath. “Just making sure he doesn’t. Get. Up.” She said with emphasis on the last bit of the sentence. “Lemme get this straight. I took over meathead’s castle, and you decide to help me instead of him. And you’re STILL gonna tell me nothing’s up between you too?”. Chrysalis just sighed. “Ok, something happened. Happy now?” 

“More curious than anything. Wanna tell your favorite filly what happened Chrysie?” Cozy charismatically asked. “It’s a personal thing.” She said in a low voice. “Ah I see. I mean, if someone told me how to raise my own child, I’d be pretty pissed too.” Chrysalis whipped her gaze to Cozy. “Especially if what they were saying was one-hundred percent correct. But I guess some just have to learn the hard way, don’t they Chrysie.” Cozy continued. Chrysalis’ jaw dropped at Cozy’s comment. To say the least, she was shocked. Shocked long enough for Tirek to lock her in a bear hug. He squeezed at Chrysalis, chuckling with every painful yell she let out. 

“Dammit Cozy, how did you figure out!?” She yelled. Cozy sat at her throne and laughed to herself. “My good friend Tirek here laid out all the details for me. He was a good dog for her princess. Your son is quite competent with magic, though I wish he would’ve cut his relationship with you and stood by me. A cold heart like yours clearly isn’t fit to parent a child. I, however, would’ve made a great replacement. I guess I have to resort to other methods now. Sooner or later, ‘Auntie Cozy’ will be in the picture.”. Each word that left Cozy’s mouth held a great deal charisma, evil and playfulness. Each sentence tore deeper into Chrysalis, and she let her anger run free in her mind. 

Tirek looked down at Chrysalis to see a green glow on her horn. The green light flashed in his eyes, blinding him. Chrysalis quickly scanned the room to find a display hammer decorating one of its walls. She levitated it and slammed it right into his chest. She had him right where she wanted him, and she capitalized on her opportunity. She lifted the hammer again, and slammed it on his chest once more. She continued her onslaught, not even bothering to stop at the sounds of cracks and the sight of blood pooling from his mouth. She didn’t stop until only a bloodied mess lay before her. Cozy clopped her hooves. “Well done Chrysalis. And to think it only took one good game of chess would prove me right.”

Chrysalis only turned her head back to Cozy. Her pupils diluted “About what…?”

"Hmmm. Something about you not being able to think straight when you're ‘ticked off’. You lost your cool, and it costed you. A lot more than you think. Huh…doesn’t that sound familiar.”

Chrysalis’ pupils reverted back to normal size, and it was then that she realized the full weight of what Cozy said. Her horn flared up like a wildfire. “I..didn’t mean for this to-“

“Oh we all make mistakes Chrysie. Just look at your son for a completely unrelated example. Anyway, I think I may be out of time here. I’ll see you…whenever.” Cozy turned and opened a magenta portal in front of her. Chrysalis lunged toward her in an attempt to stop her. The attempt was null. She was held in place by her magic. “Y’know, sometimes you just need to know your worth.” Cozy said. She entered her transport, and Chrysalis dropped to the ground as it closed before her. 

She looked to Tirek, who was still out cold from her assault. She frowned upon her work. She levitated the tyrant and teleported to the outside doors of the castle. She glanced at the castle one last time before walking away with Tirek levitated behind her.
> Tested By The Moon
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

With every passing minute, one could hear the commotion that was slamming doors, angry ponies, and fearful foals. This was the commotion that filled the streets of Canterlot, and Zoey was the changeling to cause such chaos. Her presence could only ever be described as unwelcome, and even that seemed to be a stretch, especially when citizens began showing propaganda against the changeling and hurling the nearest blunt objects at her. Arachnis formed a barrier, but only around her and himself. He gave her a concerning look. “I knew they would react this way. I was knowledgeable beforehand and still it…hurts.”. Arachnis looked her in they eyes, and was about to speak, but Zoey raised her pointed finger at him. “It’s alright. This is for the better. Right?” She asked. Arachnis nodded in silence.

The Elements of Harmony felt it best to converse amongst themselves, at least for now. It wasn’t a consensus they all wanted, but it was one that felt best, especially after seeing what Arachnis was capable of. Of those that were a bit more interested in speaking with Arachnis, was Twilight. She had so many questions about him, Chrysalis, the Hive, and more. She did find it a bit unfair that she might be the only pony in the world to have even a chance at getting such information out of him, but for his sake, she respected his priority for privacy. 

After countless angry adults and scared foals later, and they had finally reached their destination; A large palace of pure elegance. Both Arachnis and Zoey were amazed upon entry, though only the pureblood changeling chose to make it known. “Wow! This place is-“. “Majestic? Awesome? Just reeking of royalty? Cuz yeah, this place is all of that.” Rainbow said. “Ya sound awfully prideful taking about a place ya don’t even sleep in.” Applejack smugly retorted. “And are you any prideful about living in a barn, Applejack?” Rarity asked in the same manner. Applejack’s lack of response and slight smile at the joke prompted Pinkie Pie. “We all know you wanna laugh A.J.!” She said with her signature charisma. Eventually, she chuckled and admitted that Rarity’s remark was at least a bit funny. They all chucked as they pressed toward the throne room. 

Twilight noticed that Arachnis wasn’t even observing the situation, but instead giving blank stares to the castles architecture. She flew over to him as he looked at a statue of the rules of such a living space. “I guess our sense humor humor isn’t exactly your thing?” She inquired. Arachnis thought for a moment before answering. “I can’t say that it is. I haven’t exactly laughed in a long time.” He responded. “It’s strange. It feels like almost five minutes ago that we were against each other. Now Zoey and the other Elements seem to be getting along like it’s nothing. Well, most of them at least.” He continued. “That’s exactly what friendship can do to a person.” Twilight said. Arachnis thought for a moment before the purple alicorn lightly tapped his horn. “C’mon. There’s two princesses I want you to meet.”

Twilight called the attention of the others, and approached the doors to the thrones. The doors handles lit cyan, prompting a magic user to open the doors they were attached to. “These are magic locks. Basically you have to show that your magic is strong enough to open the doors. Now I just need to- woah!”. The Elements were astounded to see that Arachnis’ magic was already nudging the door. Arachnis, who was opening the door, suddenly stopped due to the silence. “Did I….do something wrong?” He asked. “No. Actually, keep going.” Twilight prompted. Arachnis simply nodded and continued opening the magically locked doors. They resisted greatly, requiring more effort out of him. Eventually he forced them open, warranting a large exhale from Arachnis and a “Woah” from everyone else, most were audible, others silent.

“Strong lock. Damn…” Arachnis said, resting a hoof on his horn. “Does a number, doesn’t it?” Rarity remarked. “I remember my first time as well.”. Arachnis looked forward at the sheer majestic sight that was the throne room for the controllers of the sun and moon. He trotted to the middle of the room, confused as to where the rules in question would be. “Did we miss them?” Zoey said. “Juuusst give it a sec!” Pinkie said. Seconds later, and a blinding white light enveloped the room and everyone inside it. As it faded, the presence of Princess Celestia and Princes Luna had become known to everypony.  They each stood atop a pedestal of respective colors. Celestia’s, a bright white that could only be seen if the sun shone radiantly forth and Luna’s, a dark shade of blue that could only ever accompany the millions of stars in the night sky.

The commanders of the celestial bodies scanned those before them and they dropped the serious attitudes that would’ve been held with anypony else. “Why it’s so good to see you six again.” Luna said. “Agreed. We’re glad you came to visit.” Celestia said. “It’s an honor to have you both here.” Twilight said as she, along with everyone else bowed their heads to the two rulers. 

Everyone except for Arachnis

His eyes were fixated on Princess Luna. He had been starring at her since she appeared. He looked her up and down, scanning almost every one of her physical features. He wasn’t even subtle about it until both princesses exchanged confused looks and Luna asked: “Is…there something wrong young one?”, which caused the elements and Zoey to raise their heads. Arachnis blinked a few times before going invisible. “Uh, Arachnis? You ok?” Zoey asked. Arachnis had finally got his thoughts together, and made himself visible again. “Y-yeah. I’m fine…” He responded. “A zeta and a pony…interesting new friends Twilight. I assume you didn’t come here just for a mini-reunion?” Celestia inquired. “Got that right.” Rainbow said. “New guy wanted to know more about a ‘friend’ of ours. He says she’s his- Mmph!”

Rainbow Dash’s lips were closed shut by Arachnis’ magic, causing everyone, even Luna and Celestia to snicker. He looked at Zoey, who gave an affirming nod. He then turned to the princesses before him. “We wish to speak about it...alone. Away from the Elements.” He said boldly. The princesses both thought a bit before nodding in sync. “As you wish.” Celestia said. “Twilight. You and your friends may take your leave.” She continued. “Well, you heard her girls. Let’s clear out.” Twilight said. The Elements of Harmony all took their leave from the palace, leaving Arachnis and Zoey with its rulers. 

“I see you wield magic, young one. Tell me, are you experienced in it?” Luna asked. Arachnis was about to speak, when Zoey jumped in front of him. “Oh words don’t do his skill any justice. It’d be way better if he showed you!” She said. She smiled and looked back Arachnis. “Really Zoey…” he said rather softly. “I see, “ Luna said with a smirk. “Well certainly you wouldn’t mind a testament, would you?” She continued. Her horn glowed a dark blue, and she disappeared into white and blue sparks. Suddenly, Arachnis could hear Luna’s voice in his head. “Don’t worry. It’s only a game of hide and seek. All you have to do is find me. Now get to it!” She said playfully. “Oh Lunnie…always playing games with your guests. Welp, good luck!” Celestial said before vanishing into golden sparks.

“They just…left us. It’s like they’re toying with us.” Zoey said. “Then let’s show them that we’re serious. Arachnid responded. He stuck his hoof out to Zoey. “Grab on.” He prompted. Zoey rested her palm on his hoof, and they both disappeared into red and white sparks.
> A Presence Ever Somber
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

Darkness. Darkness as far as the eye could see. At least for anypony unfortunate enough to happen upon his domain. With every step, one could feel shadows grow upon them, and their once bright color becoming a dull shade. Those who entered would either leave a different pony, or not at all. The creatures of this caliber were commanded by only one ruler, and his tyranny was matched by few. It was almost a death wish for any normal pony to to enter his warped dimension. There was just one slight issue. 

Cozy Glow was not any normal pony. 

She entered the Dark Domain with little to no concern for her survival. If anything, she was confident in what she was about to do. She walked through the swarms upon swarms of the dwellers of the Dark Domain, simply dismissing the ominous sounds that each of them made toward her. Strangely enough, none opted to attack her. She eventually made it to the stronghold where he remained. She strode up to a pitch black room and called for the one she’d been looking for. 

“I’m back ‘your majesty’. Turns out you were right. She’s really insecure about him.” She said. Suddenly, darkness began to materialize, and it contorted into a shadowy pony towering over Cozy. It opened its snake-like green eyes and its red pupils focused on Cozy. “Y’know, you got more of a knack for this stuff than I do. I do have to ask, why exactly are we focusing on her?” She continued. The shadowed pony responded in a low voice. “It won’t be as simple as 1-2-3 when we have him. It’ll take time for the magic to do its job. Until then, we must keep her on her hooves and away from the Vertia.” It said. It’s front teeth were quite sharp, and it’s voice, easily distinguishable as that of a male. 

“ Is that all you came for?” The shadowed pony asked in a way that could only convey curiosity and tease. “If it was, I would’ve just told you over portal. I needa relax,” Cozy said. “I had to fight the Vertia, and then wait for Chrysalis, then watch the oh so very lackluster fight between her and Tirek, then get into her head, which requires a lot of thinking mind you, and THEN I had to open a portal and walk through your slaves, come alllll the way here and talk to you. So yeah, I’m gonna need a couch, some food and one of your slaves.”. Cozy’s horn glowed, and suddenly, she was lying down comfortably on a soft, one-pony couch, with a dweller of the dark domain feeding her a broad assortment of foods.

The shadowy pony gave a smug laugh in response. “If I remember properly, weren’t you beaten by the Vertia. You had ample amounts of rest then.” He said smugly. His comment made Cozy almost choke on a grape she was being fed. She eventually spat out a saliva filled, half chewed grape. “Ok listen, I was double teamed by the Vertia and his little bitch rodent. Not my fault Tirek’s a fat piece of deadweight.” Cozy complained. The shadowy pony rolled his eyes. “Nonetheless, could you check the Vertia’s extraction quarters?” He asked. “Already did on the way here. Say, why do we need it out of him. What’s stopping us from just putting him under a spell or erasing his memory or something.” Cozy inquired. “We can’t have a sentient pony/changeling be our puppet forever. It leaves too much to chance to just leave it within someone who can adapt, learn and understand.” The shadowy pony began. “So getting it out of him lets us bend it to our will without fail.” Cozy finished.

“Question 2. What exactly is the Vertia? What makes it special from the stuff at the Crystal Empire?” Cozy asked with a mouthful of cheese. The shadowy pony began to almost fade, until not but a grey pony mostly covered in armor except for a few certain parts. A red royal cape warmed his backside, and a black fiery mane flowed from the crown on his head. His horn was sharp and red, and purple wisps flowed from his eyes. “It’s powerful. It houses a powerful force known as kamige. Has the power to manipulate the rules of magic and nullify it entirely. With it, I can finally be the king I was once meant to be. I, King Sombra will finally have what is his and rule as the gods intended!” Sombra said. Cozy smiled at his self-motivation. “Egotistical much?” She remarked. 

“One could say that, but I owe it to my people. Look at them. They’re aimless without someone to rule over them.” Sombra said as he pointed to the thousands of dwellers below. “Don’t ya think that’s neutering them a bit? Even pawns need a mind of their own, don’t they?” Cozy inquired. “Sometimes they do, but pawns are useless when under no influence. What I mean is, if you sent them into battle without someone to call the shots, their value decreases drastically as opposed to someone to lead them. Competence stems from leadership. It isn’t neutering, it’s nurturing.” Sombra explained. 

Cozy raised an eyebrow and smiled. This was the first time she had been genuinely interested in a topic in a long time. Problem was, she was clueless on how to ado on the conversation, and it was her turn to speak. She simply sat there silence as that seemed to be her only option. For a while Sombra left alone growing silence that would occasionally be broken by Cozy’s chewing. After long enough, he broke it. “Not a talkative one? It seems to contrast your former self.” He said. Cozy, having enough to eat, sat upright. “My entire thing is taking down to people, making them feel bad about their existence, and don’t get me wrong that’s fun, but you’re more powerful than I am right now. I don’t exactly know what to say to someone higher than me. If I’m being honest, it’s a tough pill to swallow. That’s why I like working with you. We think the same. Sombra gave nothing return but a flat “Interesting.”

Suddenly, a dweller rushed into the room, breaking the conversation. They spoke a language unknown to Cozy, but native to Sombra. He motioned for Cozy to follow him, and so she did. “What happened?” She asked. “Another ally has made themselves available to us.” He said. “Somepony who desires something that was stripped from her powers.”
> Mirroring the Bug
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

“Arachnis…we’ve been to this room alre-“

“I…know Zoey….I know.” 

Zoey held Arachnis’ hoof as they disappeared into red and black sparkles. They had essentially been playing Luna’s game of hide and seek for roughly an hour and a half now. He knew good and well that this test was to show a specific something from him, but what the secret to its completion is, he didn’t know. For now, he sat in the castle’s library, looking for any sort of written lexicon that could aid him. 

“So like, does that eye ever bother you when you’re reading stuff?” Zoey asked. Arachnis looked up from a documentary on the founding of the Crystal Empire. “Well despite it being a solid color I can still see out of it, akin to yours. It only ever really bothers me when it changes color.” He explained. Zoey thought for a moment and quickly went from digging through books to hovering over Arachnis. “Soooo. What’s the new power?” She asked playfully while pointing to Arachnis’ cyan eye. Knowing what she was referring to, he set the book down and set all his focus on the power that Rainbow Dash had involuntarily granted him. Suddenly, a pair of crimson wings sprouted from his sides. “I’ve been so used to changeling wings. These feel so alien to me.” He thought to himself. He looked up at Zoey, who’s mouth was agape with wonder and surprise.

“Oh. My. GOSH!”. Zoey zipped right to Arachnis’ sides to inspect the advancements to his anatomy. “Dude you should’ve told me that you had wings earlier!” She shouted. “I always thought changeling wings looked good on you, but this is just…wow. I mean just look at these feathers. You gotta show me how well you can fly with them!”. Zoey’s face was only inches away from Arachnis’ and her cheeks were full of blush. Arachnis was surprised to see Zoey this enthusiastic over him having wings. “Zoey I…ok sure. But only after we get outta this.” He said with a sigh. “Yayyy!” Zoey said as she swooped up and embraced Arachnis in a short but tight hug. “Now let’s hurry up and find Princess Luna.” Arachnis said. Zoey latched onto his hoof and they both disappeared into red and black sparkles. 

Meanwhile, Princess Luna sat in her room at the peak of the palace, where she had been observing every move from Arachnis and Zoey. Her horn glowed and a dark blue portal opened behind her. “I wish to summon the Sun’s guardian.” She whispered to herself. Suddenly the portal enlarged and turned a bright yellow. Princess Celestia exited and the gateway behind her closed. “I’d like to think you called for a good thing, but your expression gives that thought pause. What is it, sister?” She inquired. “I’ve been observing the pony and the changeling. He’s no ordinary pony. He…sprouted wings on command.” Luna said. Celestia gave a look of genuine confusion and motioned for Luna to move out the way. She stepped forward and looked into a strange looking telescope. She saw Arachnis warping into an unknown room equipped with his new wings. “That…isn’t normal. Wing development doesn’t happen that fast.” She said. “Exactly. There’s something more to him than meets the eye. I worry that Chrysalis may be coming after him.” Luna responded. “And to think he knows nothing about her efforts…”.

Suddenly, a flash of red and black sparkles filled the room as Arachnis and Zoey materialized. They quickly noticed where they were, and what they had accomplished. “Holy shit you did it!” Zoey exclaimed. “I sure did…” Arachnis said, glaring at Luna and Celestia. The two princesses exchanged looks and Celestia stepped forward. “Arachnis. In light of your performance today, Luna will inform you on anything you need to know about Chrysalis. I must have a private conference with the young zeta.”. Celestia laid a hoof on Zoey’s forehead, and vanished with her, leaving only Luna and Arachnis in the room. 

“Why’d she take her? This privacy certainly isn’t for no reason.” Arachnis inferred. Luna decided to just be blunt. “No, it isn’t. Arachnis, Chrysalis is a very persistent enemy to us here in Canterlot. Her plans usually went along the lines of overthrowing Celestia and I and enslaving Ponyville.

“I knew that much. She told me about the Elements of Harmony, about you and Luna, about how she was always Canterlot’s proper ruler.” 

“She…told you? But why would Chrysalis see any need to share such info with you? You would’ve had to have some kind of relationship with her. One of bond and not….genetics.” Luna’s eyes widened with realization. Arachnid was quite surprised to see Luna connecting the dots so seamlessly, but he wondered why her mind went to genetics and not some other connection. 

“Arachnis. Did Chrysalis ever capture ponies before your birth?”

“I..don’t know, but I do remember her bringing in a few unicorns and alicorns”

“Oh my….oh my..fuck…”

Arachnis looked wide eyed straight into Luna’s eyes. Anypony would know that something was wrong if a goddess of all ponies began to swear.

“Arachnis…Chrysalis made you, didn’t she?” 

“…yes, she did.”

Luna began to take deep breaths and sat where she usually did to look in her telescope. Tears began to well up in her eyes. “P-please forgive me f-for breaking…down like this.” She said weeping. Arachnis looked at the princess who was trying to keep her composure. He assumed he wouldn’t exactly care much, but he felt something. He blinked rapidly out of confusion and suddenly, It was no longer Luna he was looking at. He saw a crying Chyrsalis warranting emotional comfort. His body flashed and moved on its own and before Luna could react to the flashing, she felt Arachnis embracing her hoof in a short hug. He quickly let go. 

“If anyone asks….that never happened.” 

“A-as you wish, but why hug someone so quickly. You barley know me.”

“You….remind me of Chrysalis. I see her in you.”

Luna grinned a bit. “From any other pony, that would’ve been an insult, but I assume you were raised by her….how was she as a parent?”

“She…cared. At least I try to believe she did. She spoiled me with the perks of royalty. Always let me have time to myself, and sometimes let me make executive decisions.” 

“That…does sound spoiled. But you say you like to believe she cares. What changed.”

“I…walked in on her talking to someone. They said that I was just Chrysalis’ sheep until I was ready. What they were preparing me for, I don’t know. It… hurt to find out that even with all this power I have, I’m still a pawn.“ 

“You’re definitely formidable. Don’t tell anyone but…Celestia and I were watching your bout with the Elements. You make good use of your ability to copy others.”

“Comes with the territory of being part changeling.”

“I see…part changeling and part…pony.” Luna cleared her throat. “Anyway, how about a parting gift.”

“Gift? What kind?” 

“Demonstrate to me how you copy one’s abilities, and I’ll let you keep my abilities.

“Oh. Um alright then.”. Arachnis lunged at Luna, and rather than colliding, he went right inside her.  He jumped out of her body a second later. He opened his eyes to reveal a dark purple eye to Luna. “Well isn’t that a pleasant touch. Use my powers as you see fit.” She said. 

“Thank you. Oh! One more thing. Think you can lead me to Zoey.” 

Luna nodded. She whispered “ I wish to summon the Sun’s guardian.” to herself and a yellow portal opened. “Through there is your friend.” Arachnis gave a sure nod and jumped through. The portal closed behind him. 

“Quite ironic. He reminds me of all of them.” Luna thought to herself
> Harmonic Interval
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

Twilight Sparkle stood before shelves upon shelves of books pertaining to ancient magic skills from centuries ago, back when Celestia and Luna were just foals. So far she has flipped through nine whole books, and yet she still didn’t find what she was looking for. She had asked Rainbow Dash to fly over and lend some help, but Twilight knew that she wasn’t going to get Rainbow to put down the newest installment of Daring Do, and so like many other times where she’s asked for Rainbow’s help, she was likely to be left to only her tuition. Still, she attempted to gain at least some aid, as this situation in particular was more important to her than others.

She sighed before speaking. “Rainbow, I called you and only you over here for a reason. If you don’t mind, I’d like a bit of help.” She said almost flatly. Rainbow’s immersion in her favorite story was effectively broken as she sat the book down and looked up to a worried Twilight. “Everything ok Twi? You look worried. And sure, you’re always worried about something, but this seems more…bad than the other times.” She said with worry and confusion. “You’d be right Rainbow. Remember the way Arachnis copied your-“

“Oh just how could I forget about that! I’m pissed as hell about it. He just hit me with my own speed. Kinda makes me feel bad about when I spar with you and Starlight.” Rainbow responded. “At least you know how we feel” Twilight thought to her self. “Well, that’s exactly it. Magic normally lets people copy techniques like projectiles or things like levitation. Your speed was something you were born with, meaning it wasn’t a learned power. He’d normally have no way to copy it. He also grew wings! Being able to copy one’s anatomy is very much not normal.”

“Unless you’re a…a changeling.” Rainbow interrupted. 

“Exactly.” Twilight said. “There is something that confuses me though. He has a unique appearance, one that could point to him being one or the other, like his solid eye or his horn.”

“Or maybe…he’s both? Rainbow said. It wouldn’t be too out of the ordinary.”. “It’s plausible, but the thing is, we won’t wait for an answer from him. I feel like this is more than just running away from Chrysalis. I know this is a bit aggressive of me, but its Chrysalis. I want to make sure everypony is safe from her, even rebel changelings.” Twilight said proudly. “Ok commander Twi, what’s the plan?” Rainbow said, leaping out her chair. Twilight smiled at Rainbow’s enthusiasm, and opened a portal with her magic. “Get AJ and Pinkie. I’ll find Rarity and Fluttershy. We’re going to find Chrysalis!”

Roughly two hours later

Rainbow Dash and Fluttershy flew above the other Elements, scout not just their surroundings, but the path ahead of them. The day had grown dark, so Rarity and Twilight lit the way in front while Applejack and Pinkie Pie watched behind them. With each minute the air around them grew thicker, and the sky darkened until it was pitch black. Everypony was on edge, ready to give a callout at a moment’s notice. Suddenly, Twilight and Rarity stopped, looking wide eyed at the sight in front of them. Pinkie and Applejack soon followed suit, confusing Rainbow and Fluttershy. They lowered themselves, curious as to what blocked their path.

They saw a shadowy figure, with green eyes and a green aura around its horn. It stepped forward, revealing an all too familiar face to the six saviors. “You six...! But why are you here!?” Chrysalis said. “We ought to be asking ya that! You’re awfully far from home to be this close with Canterlot. What gives?” Applejack inquired. Chrysalis’ heart felt heavy. The once gentle breeze that filled her with the comfort of traveling was now a heavy gust that forced the weight of adversity on her back. She desperately wanted to turn around and run, but she couldn’t. She knew they wouldn’t let her. She knew all too well they wouldn’t just let the same person who tried to rule over their home simply flee. Nonetheless, she wouldn’t. She wasn’t going to let six ponies stop her from seeing her only child. She assumed a stance, and readied her magic.

”Im not in my advanced form, so theres no defeating all of them. I can at least match Twilights magic, so I need not worry about her. I do need to worry about the speedster. I try and run and she’ll catch me. I need to break her wings somehow, or at least stop her flying.

Chrysalis teleported behind Applejack and thrusted a hoof onto her back, pinning her to the ground. Twilight and Rarity both fired a barrage of blasts at Chrysalis. She put up a barrier to block the flashes of purple and light blue. Pinkie then contorted her hair into a drill and burrowed into the ground. Chrysalis’ eyes went wide. She forgot how versatile Pinkie could be. Before she could come up under her hooves, Chrysalis flapped her wings and took to the skies. She saw Twilight saying something to Rarity, but was out of earshot. Rarity and Pinkie tended to Applejack and Twilight flew up to Chrysalis. “I wouldn’t be this high if I were you.” Twilight said with a grin. It was at this point that Chrysalis realized that Fluttershy and Rainbow Dash had been missing the whole time. 

Knowing how fast Dash was, she already knew it was too late. The next thing she knew, Rainbow had slammed into her back, hooves first. The impact forced Chrysalis’ body to contort into a crescent shape. Dash planned to drive the changeling all the way into the ground, but she was suddenly incapable of movement and in a green aura. She was levitated right in front of her glowing horn and the next thing she knew, she was in a world of pain in a green flash. It was now Rainbow who was being driven toward the ground, but also toward Rarity. She tried to levitate her, but the momentum from the blast was too much. She slammed into Rarity, creating a cloud of dust and two painful moans. 

Perfect! She’s down, but she’s an arrogant nuisance. Even injured, she won’t stay out a fight for long. As much as I’d like to pummel her further into the dirt, I need to flee now!

Chrysalis looked behind her to see Twilight and Fluttershy accompanied by a flock of hawks amassed by Fluttershy. She fired a blast from her horn straight at Fluttershy. The shot was promptly blocked by Twilight. The shot exploded into green sparks that shone brightly, causing the alicorn and pegasus to shut their eyes. They opened them, and the two pairs of eyes saw no Chrysalis to speak of. Chrysalis on the other hand, was already making a beeline for Canterlot. Twilight swooped to the ground to chase her, but saw Rainbow and Rarity being helped up by Applejack and Pinkie respectively. “Twi. Rarity took Rainbow straight to the noggin. She mighta’ been concussed. We gotta help her. Rainbow leaned forward from being slightly laid back. “No! Chrysalis is gonna cause a whole lot more injuries in the city. Go after her, we’ll be fine! Not the first time I crashed into Rarity.” Rarity put a hoof to her head. “I hate to do this but I’m siding with Rainbow. There’s a greater risk in letting Chrysalis do as she pleases.” She said. “There’s already a great enough risk of you being untreated!” Fluttershy said. Whether it be tending to Rarity’s wounds, or chasing Chrysalis down, Twilight needed to act fast.

Chrysalis was now in Canterlot, scanning the entire place for any signs of Arachnis or Zoey. Her presence brought fear to city, but even more confusion when they realized she wasn’t doing any harm to anything. Eventually, there was only the castle left to search. She approached the large structure from above. 

ZZZZZAP

Crysalis was almost immediately shot down by a dark blue laser. It hit her directly in the horn, causing her immense pain. So much so that she had to land right on the castle steps, where she saw Celestia and Luna standing above her. 

“Quite the precarious situation, no?” Said Celestia. Luna remained silent.
> Bitter Reunion
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

If Chrysalis wasn’t already angry, she was now. She was now at the hooves of Celestia and Luna, half thinking she was going to be blasted into oblivion. A crowd of cheering and roaring ponies rose behind Chrysalis, pouring salt onto her already fresh and open wound. She couldn’t make out what the crowd was saying, but still she could hear voices with each yell from the crowd. Voices that sought to taunt the powerless queen and gain immeasurable pleasure from doing so. While everyone else heard senseless yelling, she heard the ponies calling her weak and foolish, asking how she of all changelings was the queen, and with each roar she heard something new.

“Ain’t this a bitchy queen?”

“No wonder she always loses!”

“Well if she does always lose, why even bother anymore. She’s just embarrassing herself.

Embarrassing. That was it. Right there. The trigger word. Embarrassing. The word that slammed into her mind like a sledgehammer on drywall. The word that went through her emotions like a brick through glass. It was that very last set of words that got to her. ”Thats right….the wise do know when to yield…don’t they?” The changeling thought to herself. Her dive into deeper thoughts was broken by Celestia’s command to be “on her hooves”. Like Luna, she expected to see some form of retaliation, but all they bared witness to was a broken mess of mixed up emotions on the floor. Nonetheless, the mess rose before them with a dour expression, and motioned for the princesses to lead the way.

As soon as the palace doors closed behind them, Celestia donned a more serious mindset. She always hated to be the one to break silence, mostly because she knew Luna liked it. Nonetheless, she knew she had to do so in order to get any further with Chrysalis. “So, Chrysalis. Any specific reason why you came so quietly? I at least expected some retaliation from you.” She said. In most other scenarios, Chrysalis would’ve opted to keep her cards close to her chest, but the sheer sense of defeat felt too great for her, hence her more revealing response. “I…fought the Elements on the way here. I wished not to, but they saw me as a threat. 

Luna’s head snapped around to glare right into Chrysalis’ eyes. “Why didn’t you want to fight hm? Maybe it’s because of somepony you wanted to see?!” She said viciously. Chrysalis’ eyes opened wide as her glance shifted to thats of Luna’s. Both their horns flared and their bodies glowed with magical energy.  

“Where. Is. He!”

“Answer me first, insect! Where are they!”

“I can send you to them if you want!”

“Try to do so and you’ll have secured your spot in the fresh hell that is Tartarus!”

Celestia would’ve intervened, but her course of action suddenly changed once Twilight Sparkle entered the palace. Celestia quickly warped in front of Twilight. “Get back! Ready yourself!” She urgently said. Twilight’s horn now flared up, as did Celestia’s. Everyone in the room was prepared for the worst.

But they were not prepared for what the worst would bring.

First, it brought the horns of Chrysalis and Luna together, creating a multicolored spark that further lit the already light abundant room. Next, it brought words from out Celestia’s and Twilight’s mouths. Ones that expressed deep desire for the two adversaries to calm themselves and prevent a destructive battle from taking place. It then brough a dark blue flash from behind Luna. One that brought her to her knees and eventually to the ground. The worst had now brought about the worst voice that could’ve been heard in the room. 

“It’s….you!” Arachnis said.

His horn radiating with Luna’s magic, he and Zoey emerged from the settling light that came with the aforementioned flash. They glared at Chrysalis with eyes that could pierce through even the thickest of skin. Chrysalis’ anger was suppressed and her more worried and cautious self came back in an instant. She felt unadulterated fear from the looks that she received, but nonetheless she approached them both in a relieved but cautious manner, careful to not seem like she was angry. She was relieved more than anything to see her kin after what seemed like weeks to her. 

Arachnis whispered in Zoey’s ear and she looked at him with to wide eyes and a worried face. If Arachnis was to do what he just told her, the collateral damage would certainly make the princesses and the elements angry. She wanted to show her resentment for his decision, but she knew with how he felt at the beginning of their journey together, he wasn’t going to change his mind now. She accepted the inevitable, and gave Arachnis a nod. As Chrysalis got within earshot, she heard Zoey say “Don’t overdo it.” and she tools some steps back. Chrysalis approached once more. 

“Arachnis I….you’ve got wings, and I feel Luna’s magic within you. I always thought you’d advance your powers but this…I’m proud..”

“Proud of me? Or the weapon you created?”

“W-what?”

“….bout time your experiment backfired.”

Before Chrysalis could even react. Arachnis readied his wings and tackled Chrysalis, ramming her into the floor first, and then upward through the ceiling and outside the palace, making two large holes. As Arachnis sent Chrysalis higher in the sky, Chrysalis formed a barrier around herself. 

“Arachnis…why’re you doing this?!” She yelled.

“To show that I’m more than just your fucking puppet!” He yelled back.

Chrysalis thought on that response for a moment. W-what? My puppet? Surely he isn’t talking about Somba, right? No…he couldn’t be. Those damned princesses must’ve gotten hold of him! Even so, he isn’t relenting. I have to fight, then I’ll free him. It’s either that, or he beats me into a pulp, and turns to them for good.

A green aura appeared around Arachnis, and the next thing he knew, he was sent straight into the ground with a loud BOOM. The citizens of Canterlot stopped what they were doing to rushed out their residences to witness what had fallen into their streets. Many speculated it was a shiny crystal or a meteor fallen from space.

Their conjecture were only half correct

As the dust settled, the townsponies gathered around the the crater and from it, came a creature that amazed them all. Something that possessed features that resembled both pony and changeling, but none seemed to overlap the other. Arachnis rose to his hooves, stood firm, and looked up to his tyrant mother, as did the townsfolk. He readied his wings, sparked his horn, and flew right back up and straight into Chrysalis, charging a dark blue beam that, while not as powerful as something Luna could’ve mustered, was still far beyond most ponies around his age could dish out. Even through she properly defended with a shield, Chrysalis was sent careening downward and into the Everfree Forest. 

Chrysalis made deep tracks in the ground from how far back she was sent. She knew Arachnis had the upper hand, but she couldn’t bring herself to hurt what she created. Nonetheless, it was painfully clear that she would have to try a bit harder. She once again levitated Arachnis and shot him right into the ground, being sure to position him a fair distance away from her. It was then that she noticed a glow. One of red and blue that could only be coming from an infuriated Arachnis, letting her know she played her cards right. 

From a thicket of bushes and trees, Arachnis rushed at Chrysalis with large blue wings and fury in his eyes. Chrysalis’ horn glowed just as bright as she simply looked at Arachnis coming toward her at dangerous speeds. He finally made contact,  first driving his hooves into her and slamming her into the ground. Arachnis’ horn dimmed, and eventually its light faded as he fell to his knees. He observed his damage only to look wide eyed at his victim.

It wasn’t Chrysalis

Only seconds after noticing, green electric shocks struck him and the sting populated his body faster than a virus. He then felt his hooves being tugged, as four vines e were keeping them tightly locked, almost cutting off his blood flow. He turned his head only to see a heavily breathing Chrysalis applying the vines. She teleported in front of him.

“A pony can only handle a goddesses power for so long….” She said

Arachnis wanted to retort, but his body ached so badly he didn’t even know if he had the energy to speak. Chrysalis noticed this lack of words.

“Arachnis! I…I’m sorry for what I had to do. I-I put my baby through so much pain…. But it was the only way to free you from their control. Why I would’ve been more gentle if I-“

“S-shut the hell up…and drop the act Chrysalis.”

Chrysalis had never felt so much worry, and confusion in her life, but she only chose to facialize one of those feelings. 

“W-whatever do you mean? I-I thought the ponies in Canterlot tried to-“

“You didn’t free me from a damn thing! I tried to free myself from you!” He yelled

“I-I don’t…”

“Oh now you don’t know?! YOU THINK I DIDNT KNOW ABOUT WHY YOU MADE ME!?”

The vines loosened around Arachnis

“YOU JUST WANTED SOMEPONY POWERFUL ENOUGH TO DO EXACTLY WHAT YOU COULD NEVER DO”

The vines dropped Arachnis

“I…gave you that power because I lo-

“Because you wanted a weapon, that’s why!”

Arachnis struggled to stand. He slowly walked toward Chrysalis

“That’s…Arschnis none of that’s true! I-I…”

“I don’t want to fucking hear it. If an experiment is all I am to you…then you aren’t my mother anymore.” 

Arachnis walked right past Chrysalis and into the town of Canterlot.

Chrysalis’ horn glowed, as a nearby tree had a green aura around it. Its leaves turned brown, eventually they fell. Soon the tree was nothing but a hollow husk of what it moves was. 

Arachnis had been far from doing so, but Chrysalis truly felt like Arachnis had killed her.
> What Once Belonged
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

Fizzlepop Berrytwist walked along the foot of a barren mountain. On her back she carried flowers in a clay pot. The flowers themselves, while varied in color, were very dull in their hues, with the brightest color of the bunch being a darkened yellow. She looked up the face of the mountain and at the very summit, was her makeshift dwelling. Sparks of electricity flared up  from under her hooves, and soon, all four were covered in condensed electrical energy. she placed her hoof on the mountain, and began to defy gravity's force as she walked upward and to her destination. 

She could never pinpoint when they began, but she started to see the same things in her dreams, and her imagination always seemed to take her back to her childhood days. The days when she had far less worries in life. The days when she could still see her friends on a daily basis. The days when she had magic. She began to have these thoughts once more, and like every other time, she repressed them. She told herself they didn’t matter to her. That was the past, events that have already taken place. Events that she can no longer change. Ones that she can’t  forget, no matter hard she tried every single day. Ones that…could've been different.

And once again, her repression did little to keep her thoughts stable. At least she had reached her destination before her mind could wander any further. She needed to be focused on the here and now. She climbed to a large platform on the side of the mountain that led into the one thing that changed her life: a cave. Before she could even walk inside, she saw it. The tragedy that took away her every right to be called a unicorn. She envisioned every second of it so vividly. From the ball rolling into the cave, her declaring to get it with such boldness in her voice, and that boldness eventually making like her horn and being painfully ripped from her body like a band-aid. Again, she attempted repression.

Ironically enough, Berrytwist wasn’t afraid to step inside. She focused lightning into her hoof and shot small bursts in four directions. Each one struck a wooden club held up by metal scaffolds, sparking a fire. With the cave lit, Berrytwist made her way to the last remnants of the Storm King. It was a dark, and barren graveyard that consisted of his, and other notable soldiers that fell during their fight with the Elements. While some died in the midst of battle, others couldn’t handle the mental strain that came with war. She placed flowers on each of the graves, and placed the most on the makeshift shrine of the Storm King. It was a statue made frail by years of degradation, and mossy overgrowth. Nonetheless, she paid her respects to each of them. She then sat down on the cold but soft grass that surrounded the Storm King's statue, closed her eyes, and paid a moment of silent grace to her former ruler. It was only minutes, but it felt like hours to her. She stood up, and exited the cave to create a nice ambience for herself. Electricity jumped from her ears, and she shot a large bolt in the sky. The bolt dispersed a group of clouds, and seconds later, it began to rain. The droplets peppered her whole body and before long, she was soaked. Not that being soaked bothered her anyway. Berrytwist always had a history with rain, but unlike most ponies, she loved whenever it did. It was one of the few things that brought her peace and would allow her to sleep peacefully. And sleep peacefully she did.

Her time of peace was short lived, as the once light rain turned into a howling storm with lightning cracking down on the surface below. Berrytwist rose with urgency to the situation. She knew she hadn't used too much lighting, and yet a hurricane could be forming with how fast and hard the wind was blowing. She looked to the cave behind her, and saw that the torches she once lit had gone out. It was pitch black.

"Quite ironic that you shelter yourself in a cave Fizzlepop. I once ventured you'd learn from your mistakes." Sombra said.

Berrytwist whipped around as electricity surrounded her body. "Who the hell are you!? And why would going in a cave be a mistake?"

"I'd much rather skip the formalities until later. Then again, you are the Tempest Shadow. The one that lost something very dear to them in a cave." Sombra responded smugly.

Berrytwist's electricity declined in intensity. "That isn't who I am anymore! I left that life for good!"

"You may have left that behind, but your past stays with you in some form Fizzle." Sombra said as he pointed to Berrytwist's forehead.

"...How do you know so much?"

"Hm. The amount of tales I heard about the Storm King's battle with the elements was nearly uncountable. Most of all were tales of you. while others looked at you as a tragic traitor, I saw your power, and potential."

"Potential? What potential do I hold anymore? I wield no magic to grant me such..."

"I see.... I find your little shrine to the Storm King quite comical. Aren't you glad you have no master to order you like a sheep?"

Berrytwist figured there was no point in trying to hide anything. "I served him well, as he served me well. I owe him for the second chance he gave me." she said softly.

"Serving his people. One of the few things he did right as a monarch." Sombra said jokingly.

Berrytwist immediately retorted "And what would you know about being a king?" 

Sombra stepped out of the shadowy cave, to reveal his form. "While he could've taught me a few things, I'd like to think my rule had many things over his."

The moments in which Berrytwist was genuinely shocked was few and far between, but this was certainly among those moments. She looked wide-eyed at Sombra, almost taking a step back. "I-it's...you. You're...him." She stammered

Sombra laughed in response. "I see you know of me Fizzle."

"How could I not? You once tried to overthrow Cadence and the Crystal Empire."

"To reclaim what was mine, not overthrow."

"Where have you been? Everypony thinks you're dead. Wait...all this time you could've attempted to 'reclaim your throne'. Why haven't you?" Berrytwist asked

"Simple. I need ponies like you. Of all the stories I've been told about you, y'know what you showed me. You showed me that even without magic, you can prove a challenge for those who wield it. I believe you'd make a valuable asset to my cause. My key to victory is a gem called the Vertia. Its abilities are capable of granting you something that once belonged to you. Help me obtain it, and you’ll be able to use magic once again.” Sombra explained.

Berrytwist pondered the possibilities. On one hand, she didn’t know if she could fully trust the dark king, but on the other, she would finally be able to be a unicorn again, to rewrite her story. She’d finally be able to catch up with Glitter Drops and Spring Rain again, and she’d even be able to surpass those who once shunned her. The thoughts of revenge and redemption would’ve been questionable to any other pony, but to Beerytwist, it was all she cared about at this point.

“Are you willing to join me Fizzlepop?” Asked Sombra

“Call me Tempest Shadow.” 





Cozy Glow laid flat on the meeting room couch with empty bowls covering just as much as the blankets were. Not even the sound of Sombra and Tempest walking in was enough to wake her. 

“So, this is what infamous Cozy Glow does in her spare time?” Said Tempest.

“I assure you she carries herself far better around others.” Sombra responded.

“Well, what’s our next move? Getting the Vertia?” Tempest asked

“Not right now. See the Vertia is inside a pony/changeling hybrid and his ‘mother’ is Chrysalis. All we have to do is wait until he fully rejects her, and then our time will come. In the meantime you should prepare yourself. You and Cozy will be out for recon tomorrow, so rest yourselves. Your quarters are to the right, Cozy’s is to the left, and mine are on the upper floor.” Sombra explained.

With those parting words, Tempest went straight to her room. She looked around. It had most of what made a room, a room, but also had other small things that made it look like a place for planning and preparation. She looked out her window to a pleasant surprise that the storm was still producing the rainy ambience that she loved. She looked out the window before bringing herself back to peace

“I’ll finally show you two what I can really do…”
> Rewritten
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

Arachnis stumbled through Canterlot like a pony attempting to walk on only its hind hooves. His energy was still heavily drained, and there was too much on his mind after his recent encounter. As each minute went by, he only felt he was covering less ground. He dragged himself along until he reached the mark that his fight with Chrysalis left on the town. He looked up to see the large crater that he left when Chrysalis slammed him into the ground. Townsponies of all kinds gathered around it, and the crowd that formed was full of whispers. Arachnis could only make out some of the sentences, but most of it sounded just sounded like noise to him. Noise that irritated him. He tried to quicken his pace, to leave the noise as fast as possible, but he only found that to hinder more than help as he tripped and tumbled down the crater that Chrysalis helped him create. 

Now at the bottom with even more bruises on his body than he did before his fight. He fell to the floor, feeling almost drained of his energy. The crowd seemed to move in closer, surrounding Arachnis on every side. Despite the masses asking if he was ok, and even some offering a hoof up, Arachnis almost didn’t appreciate any of it. Too many voices for only two ears to handle. Arachnis felt as if his body was on the verge of shutting down completely, and only then did his hidden power return to him. His body that was one various shades of red began to conform into only two different shades, and contort between those two shades. The flashes made the crowd back away in fear, even causing some foals to cry. Arachnis’ head was in a throbbing pain, one that kept him from even standing. He was about to close his eyes…

Until he saw a familiar changeling land right in front of him.

He looked up to see Zoey with an expression so worrisome, she might’ve been on the verge of tears. “I thought Chrysalis would’ve done you in a lot worse….let’s get you outta here.” Zoey carried Arachnis and hovered in the air. She suddenly felt something graze her leg. She looked down to see a pencil falling toward the ground and an uproar of ponies. They detested Zoey from throwing objects to shouting names and even what many to be considered slurs. Zoey looked down upon the angry audience she caused. She knew Changelings weren’t liked everywhere, but so see this about of hatred directed only toward her was…off putting to say the least. She turned around, took one last look, and flied away, Arachnis in hand.



Arachnis felt a cold but soothing sensation on his forehead. One that he knew he had never felt before but in some sense or another, felt familiar to him. He opened his eyes, expecting to still be in the middle of Canterlot, but instead found himself lying in what appeared to be a hospital bed. He leaned into a upright sitting position only discover to a sharp pain in his midsection. His body yelled at him to go to a more desirable position, but his mind told him to scan his surroundings. Telling himself he can push through the pain, he sat up and looked around. The architecture was quite similar to Canterlot's palace, but something seemed...off about it. He attempted to get up, but to no avail. His efforts only resulted in him falling off the bed and onto the cold floor below. Eventually, he stood himself up, only to see a singular door in the room. It was the only exit, but it felt like the wrong one. As Arachnis approached the door, he could hear voices, familiar ones at that. He listened closely, and realized that recognizing those voices was one of the worst things he could've done. They were the voices of both Zack and Zane, the two changelings other than Zoey tasked with protecting him as a foal. They weren't just normal voices though, they were quiet. muffled screams  that Arachnis remembered all too well. At this point, he didn't want to open the door, but it was the only way out.

He turned the knob, opened the door, and stepped into...the Hive? This made even less sense to Arachnis, and was a clear indicator this was a dream, but no ordinary dream. It seemed to him it was one that targeted specific memories of his, almost as if it was being dictated by someone or something. Still, Arachnis had no way to go but forward, so he continued. It was down a long, thin hallway, only dimly lit by small green lights. With each step he took, he heard the voices of Zack and Zane, slowly taunting him in the worst way possible. Their tones were dull and full of spite, and their words were carefully sharpened to cut deep into Arachnis' mental state, and warp it into the frail foal they saw him to be. Zane spoke, "We could've lived our lives...", then Zack, "...if you hadn't been so afraid.". Arachnis was now trying his very hardest not to show it, but the voices...they were agonizing to hear. "Afraid?" Zane started. "Only afraid? It couldn't have been only thing that stopped him. It was our lives. Something else had to be there. Something... like disregard." He continued. "Oh? Or maybe it was...weakness? Yes, weakness always seemed to plague those higher than us. No different from Chrysalis.

He couldn't object to anything they told him. He knew he couldn't. He could've sworn up and down that he didn't care for Chrysalis anymore but deep down, he felt this slight sting when they called Chrysalis weak, but what seemed to pain him the most was his own apparent weakness. He recalled his encounter with Cozy Glow, and his fight with Chrysalis. He felt so powerful then, like he was taking steps to being as strong as Chrysalis and yet, he felt so helpless, like intangible knives were cutting straight though his heart. His pace through the tight hallway quickened, like a fish trying to escape a predator. His speed trot quickly turned into a full sprint as he raced down the hallway, desperately looking for a way out. The word began to ring in his head, constantly repeating itself.

"You're weak...you know you are..."

"All your power came from her...she's gone"

Arachnis couldn't do anything aside from visualize the words "shut up" in his mind's eye. Eventually, he came to a dead end. He tried to use his magic to blast the wall open, but it was of no avail. A hand grabbed Arachnis by the neck and tossed him into the air. During that short period, he saw Tirek with a smug smile on his face. His eyes hadn't even widened all the way before he was slammed into the ground. With each slamming motion, ropes of red and green blood escaped from his face. before making a contorted mess. Tirek winded up a punch, and thrusted his fist at Arachnis with everything he had. Once it made collision, Arachnis' vision went black.



Arachnis woke up in a room nearly identical to the one he was in before his nightmare began, the only difference being that the design was much more "nighttime" and "hospital". He was in considerable less pain, yet still some muscles ached and many others felt stiff. He looked to his side to find Zoey's clawed hand, leading up to her body in almost the same position as him. He quickly deduced that she was asleep. 

"Quite the nap you took Arachnis."

Arachnis looked up to see Princess Luna sitting down, looking out her telescope and into the cosmos. She turned away from it to give Arachnis a short lived, but warm smile. Arachnis was hesitant to return the sentiment, but did so anyway. He looked toward the sleeping Zoey.

“She carried you all the way up here.” Luna explained. “You were out for hours, but she refused to leave, even after I advised her to. She’s a loyal one.”

Arachnis looked at her, and thought about his “dream”. Though she forgave him, the guilt would probably never leave him. He didn’t want to think about it too much. He wanted to leave the past in the past.  Zack and Zane, Chrysalis, even the name she gave him, he wanted to leave it all behind. He thought it fit to start with the pony that closely reminded him of his mother.

“H-hey Luna?”

“Something wrong Arachnis?”

“Well…” Arachnis looked at Zoey again. “I’ve put Chrysalis behind be but…I wanna start with a clean slate. I wanna erase everything I had to do with her, including my name.” He said.

Luna have a surprise expression but it followed with a much longer lasting smile. “Chrysalis was a bad influence for all of us. I deeply understand. In such a case, what would you like to go by?”

Arachnis had thought long and hard about this is a younger colt. There was always a name that seemed to resonate with him, no matter how many times Chrysalis told him it sounded a bit edgy.

“Phantom Krystal.” He said, half smiling. "Oh! Could you tell everypony else about this. I...wanna stay with Zoey for bit." He asked.

Luna simply nodded, and with a flash of her horn, and popping of midnight sparks, she was gone. Phantom looked back at Zoey, noticing a small scratch on her leg. She and his horn were enveloped in a crimson light and before long her scar was healed. He smiled, and laid down beside her.