Chrysalis knit her brows together in frustration. She had not expected this "Caldoric" character to begin bonding with one of her own in the way he had: while not unheard-of, it was uncommon in these parts for a non-changeling to accept an unmasked changeling for who they were, even in spite of any prior deceptions... but to so readily drench them in song and platonic affection, purely based on shared adversity? Inconceivable!

Admittedly, she too had been moved by Caldoric's song, even through the watered-down reception she had via her masked presence in their mini-network. These... "Humans," she silently mused in her bedchamber, they are a most unusual bunch, I must admit. Even when nearly drowned in pure Fear energy, his mind was all awhirl, where a mere Pony would've keeled clean over. He even went so far as to try and fight back! Defiant, they are, yet capable of the same level of compassion as most Equestrians; a most unusual combination. I simply must make him mine, even if for no other reason than to curry Makuta's favor.

And yet, how to most effectively control him? That question, it would so appear, is the key to all things...

She took a moment to consider her options, before an inkling of an idea came to her.

Wait... the power of Fear slowed him, if only for a moment, before it gave over to anger, though he did not use even the most instinctual of magics that a natural wielder like myself -- or, yes, even a unicorn, -- might try in such a situation. Yet he showed a distinct ability to do so earlier, which indicates either he uses direct magic only sparingly, or he is completely new to the concept of doing so at all. He also made no use of the natural, more subtle draconic fire-magic, nor of the equally subtle flight magics... Could it be that his kind are completely unused to magic as a whole? That they are more physical than metaphysical? After all, he did let slip that his present appearance was not his natural one: perhaps he meant more than merely his armor?

Hmm... That would explain why Hunger was so much more effective against him, though he's obviously shrugged off its effects just as quickly as with Fear before it. Perhaps, if I... No, I should confer with my mas-- with Makuta, before I consider such a tactic. In the meantime, however, perhaps I should leave them both without food for a few days, so they'll both be more compliant when next I visit them...

~~~~
Several days later, Chrysalis was subject to equal measures of surprise and satisfaction when she went to physically check on the pair of prisoners. Her surprise came not only from the fact that Midge was looking no more malnourished than when last she'd left him -- in fact, he looked a bit healthier than before, -- but the fact that Caldoric seemed just as determined to take her on in a battle of wits as the first day he'd been dragged into her hive, despite his obviously weakened state. Most ponies would be groveling and begging by now, promising just about anything for even the smallest morsel of food.

"How are you still sane...?" She asked him, knowing full well he'd come back at her with an array of unsavory comments. "You've been days with nothing but water. You should be starving by now!"

"Eh, I got over that a while back, dunno how long ago though." Caldoric said, shrugging calmly. "Thing is, not that you thought to ask, but my kind evolved by way of persistence hunting, which means we are biologically designed to be capable of going extended periods of time without food if need be. A handful of weeks, even, if I remember what I've heard correctly..."

"W-what?! No creature can do that and stay sane! Various races have tried and failed!"

"Who's to say we ever were to begin with? At least, by your standards, that is: we're absolute mad lads, given half the shit we do. Seriously, were you not paying attention to my rant before, when we first met? As for how I'm still holding myself together, and not just rolling on the floor out of boredom? Well, it's simple. Pure rage, Chrysalis: Pure rage. Also Hope, 'cuz that springs eternal. For 'tis hope that girdeth me with strength, and maketh my way forward possible. Hope, that maketh my feet like hinds' feet, and settleth me upon the highest points. Hope, which traineth my hands to war, that a blade of steel would be broken by mine arms. And Hope shall be unto me the shield of our salvation, for Hope lifteth me up, and its gentleness shalt make us great...!"

Chrysalis swiftly grew tired of his jabs, barbs, and strangely oft-changing manner of speaking, and acted upon the advice and training of her master. Weaving together at least a half-dozen different Makuta powers in one hand, (which thankfully had the effect of shutting Caldoric up,) she grasped him solidly by the face and lifted him bodily. As he began struggling, she flooded his form with Hunger to drain his energy, followed swiftly by Fear to slow him up. She then hit him with an extra-strength dose of Sleep to put him down for the count, and Stasis to keep him that way. But that was merely the first step...

As Caldoric went completely limp, the glowing green light of his angular eyes shrank and faded to a pair of flickering white pinpoints in a sea of black. There was an inarticulate cry of dismay from the room's other occupant, but a quick flick of Chrysalis' wrist had the protesting Midge pressed against a wall in the grasp of unyielding Gravity. With him taken care of, she returned her attention to Caldoric. "Alright, then, oh defiant one: let's see how subservient you are after this!"

A triumvirate of Beast Control, Insect Control, and Mind Reading, -- in addition to her influence in the hive-mind's neural network, -- was the next powerset applied to the unconscious being before her, backed up with a nearly surgical level of Anger. As she watched, Caldoric's body twitched a number of times, and the faint glow in his eyes began growing larger and more noticeable, taking on a deep, flaming orange hue that had even Chrysalis mildly concerned. The brightest portions of them, which seemed to serve the purpose of Pupils and Irises, were still small and unfocused, flicking every which way in jerky motions.

"You...!" Chrysalis said, with a forceful, commanding tone. "Heed my words, and obey! You serve me, and by extension, the one known as Makuta Teridax, and as far as you are concerned, our word is your law. If we tell you to jump, you ask 'how far?'. If we demand you give your life for any reason, you will do so without hesitation. Your only desire is to be of service to the Swarm, and by extension, to the forces of Makuta. Do you understand?"

There was no vocal response from the figure before her, but she could definitely feel that she'd gotten its mental attention through her lingering mental connection with it. Its right eye, the only one visibly uncovered by her clawed fingers, "swiveled" drunkenly before locking with her gaze. As it did, the beginnings of a grin could be seen leaking from beneath her hand. Without warning, the figure's mouth slowly opened to allow its tongue out, where it briefly pressed against the underside of her wrist and squirmed.

Before Chrysalis could get over her shock and jerk her hand back in disgust, Caldoric's body acted on its own. It seized her wrist all too tightly with its one good hand and, with the speed and precision of a snake, yanked its face from her grasp and bit down hard upon the softer material between her thumb and forefinger. Teeth like daggers and needles pierced the flesh and armor of the hand, only to come away stained the milky dark cyan of her blood, which dripped from the ill-gotten chunk of her hand held in its maw. Already, the monster was gnawing on the piece in the wake of their disentanglement, chuckling and grinning widely as it backed away on all fours. It never broke eye contact until it had finished chewing and had swallowed.

Chrysalis, however, was desperately trying to stem the flow of blood from her savaged hand, and was busy slowly backing out of the room when it spoke.

"That's gotta be the best thing I've ever eaten... hands down." It said, still chuckling.

As she rushed from the room and snapped the exit aperture shut, she heard the beast cackling madly as the now-abandoned Midge began running and shouting for help. Seconds later, long after his verbal pleading had faded over distance, she heard his mental cries cut short, though not as abruptly as she feared would happen. She felt sorrow, shock, and confusion, followed by fear above all else. But he was definitely not dead if her continued mental connection was anything to judge by... yes, this was a matter to discuss with Teridax if ever there was one.

~~~~
A few days later, she walked once more down the hallway leading to the cell, doing her best not to look at the strange object she was carrying, let alone think about it. Her hand had already healed within the first half-hour after having received the injury, though the flesh there had grown back in a slightly lighter shade of her normal blackish-grey. Meanwhile, the object of her intended ignorance was a mask, of sorts. It was a most unusual one, being long and vaguely saurian in design, though instantly recognizable as being shaped to approximately fit the former Caldoric's head...

That was another thing: given the apparent success of her mental meddling, Chrysalis was of a mind to give the seemingly-new "personality" an equally new name.

But it was of no concern in this moment: the Mask was what regrettably occupied the forefront of her mind. It was metal, and a little heavy for its size. Its surface was rusted and pitted, giving off an air of having been subject to ages of wear and abuse, yet in truth it had only been forged by Teridax himself the day before. In the time between its forging and now, he had taught Chrysalis of an aspect to her new powers that she had not been aware of: the ability to imprint a portion of her essence into a mask, "corrupting" it such that any being who wore it would become enslaved to her will, and thus were able to be controlled remotely.

It was one of the methods of achieving this end result that bothered her, however. The idea of direct influence was one thing, but seeing her master pull a long, writhing, serpentine creature from within his very armor had her more than squicked her out.

Her train of thought was derailed by the sound of an explosion farther up the tunnel. She quickly identified the source as she rounded a corner to see a portion of the wall blown in, granting free access in and out of not-Caldoric's cell. The guards posted outside had been rendered unconscious by the blast, and some were at least partially buried under rubble. Not-Caldoric stood proudly in the hole, lowering his wings from their formerly spread position, his tattered cloak covering them as they folded against his back. As he noticed Chrysalis, locking his wild eyes with hers, she made use of another power that had been granted to her by her transformation.

As Slowness took hold of not-Caldoric, all speed and inertia was robbed from him, leaving him almost as still as a statue. With several quick strides, Chrysalis made her way over to him and deftly secured the mask over his face. It left him room to see, and to marginally speak, but not enough to bite anyone or anything else anymore.

"Help the others," Chrysalis barked without even looking at Midge, whose notably thinner form had just cautiously peeked out of the chamber.

"Y-yes'm...!" He responded, and staggered over to assist the afflicted guards. Meanwhile, Chrysalis released not-Caldoric from the Slowness effect and warily surveyed him. Not-Caldoric, for his part, visibly sagged as soon as he was released: his shoulders slumped, his knees flexed, and his head drooped momentarily.

Neither of them moved for several seconds, before not-Caldoric lifted his head once more and looked around, seemingly in confusion. The glow of his eyes was still a vibrant orange, but the pupil-like bright spots were notably wider now, as Chrysalis quickly noticed when he locked eyes with her. His expression was a mix of confusion, anticipation, and even a hint of reverence.

"Where..." He seemed about ready to ask something, but trailed off, perhaps searching for the right words. "...where is this place?" His tone was a little harsh, as if he was almost, but not quite, holding himself back from demanding the information instead.

"This is the Ebonspire hive, home to myself, my fellow Changelings, and a few various others. It's your home, too... if you want."

"...who are you supposed to be, then?" Not-Caldoric asked, looking her up and down rather intensely. "You run this place or something? Yer obviously no good at keepin' shop, if you are..." He gestured to the rubble around them both.

"I am Chrysalis, Queen of the Ebonspire swarm." She answered, biting back a series of potential scathing remarks. "The vast majority of the Changelings in this, my hive, are my own children. The rest -- a mere hooffull, if that -- are expats, adopted strays, political exchanges and envoys from other, allied hives... You understand how it is: one must keep the gene pool flowing, or it will grow stagnant, and diminish."

Not-Caldoric was quiet for a moment, considering her words. "And... what of myself; who am I? Do you know?"

"You..." Chrysalis began, then trailed off for half a moment, considering what to say. "You are an experiment in progress. I made you who and what you are, from head to toe, every piece of your being. You are a force to be reckoned with, a nigh-undefeatable champion of my swarm, your brethren. As such, I am your Queen as much as theirs."

"I meant that more in the sense of 'what is my name,' in all honesty."

"How about... 'Artaegen'? How does that sound?"

"..." Not-Caldoric was silent, considering the name. "I guess it works. But, riddle me this: what if I decide not to stay with you and your brood? What if I choose to strike out on my own against the world?"

"And give up on all this?" Chrysalis asked, spreading her arms wide as she threw open his and Midge's access to the swarm's hive-mind once more. As she did, she sent a silent command to the rest of the hive, ordering them to be as welcoming and accepting of this new consciousness as they could. "This camaraderie? This sense of unity, of belonging to something greater? Together, with the rest of us, you would be made stronger than you are alone. Besides, the world out there is dangerous, and wouldn't understand someone like you: they're all the kind of creatures that would label you a monster as soon as they laid eyes on you just because you're different, and send their strongest members to hunt you down, likely to hurt or even kill you, just as they do to the rest of our kind. They are an unruly lot, and need proper guidance to see their proper places in this world. And the two of us, you and I, we can show them together."

Once again, not-Caldoric paused to consider the offer. The silence stretched on for several awkward moments, before...

"Alright, then. I, Artaegen Ebonpyre--"

"Ebonspire," Chrysalis corrected, before she could stop herself. The newly-minted Artaegen rolled his eyes, and continued.

"I, Artaegen Ebonspire, concede to operating under the rule of yourself, Queen Chrysalis, mistress of the Ebonspire hive, and thus do I swear allegiance to the aforementioned and to all allied parties thereof. Does that sound good enough, your majesty?"

She'd barely needed to make use of the various hooks she presently had in Artaegen's mind to force that decision in her favor; he'd been on the edge to begin with. So, she let the remark slide. "Yes, Artaegen," she said, with an almost natural smile. "It pleases me far more than you know to hear you say that. Come: I'm certain my master will be most pleased to see your progress."

"Wait, what?"

~~~~
Chrysalis wandered idly amidst the assortment of work surfaces strewn about the more experimental section of her master's quarters, located near the deepest section of her hive. Various projects in equally numerous stages of completion were scattered hither and yon, and she could make neither heads nor tails of it all. Teridax was a most strange one, she had to admit: some items looked to be alchemical in nature, while others seemed to be weapons or devices, and still others appeared to be based around the study of organic lifeforms, living or dead.

The few other times she'd come in before, she'd always been confused and/or disturbed by what she saw, and this was no exception. As for her companion, however... He was definitely more intrigued than concerned.

"Artaegen," she called harshly, snapping her fingers as she did, "come away from that: even I hardly understand what most of this is, so I'm certain you can't possibly comprehend how delicate any of it is. Teridax would be most displeased if anything were to be disrupted here..."

It had taken Chrysalis a while to acquaint herself with the unusual facilities of this new, bipedal body, though not nearly so long as it would have taken a non-shapeshifter. No stranger to changing the shape of her body on a whim, she was only mildly concerned at first about the involuntary transformation that had accompanied her recent boost in power and abilities. The new form certainly had its advantages, though she did bear a slight nostalgia for her old, quadrupedal body. But if all it took for a simple power boost was the exchange of one body for another, who was she to criticize? It was the standard M.O. of her species, after all...

"Yes, mistress," came the reply, shaking Chrysalis from her musings as the one she had called “Artaegen” stepped away from the large glass container he had been gazing at; a withered-looking hand was pulling itself back under the ragged cloak that covered most of his form as he did. The container itself was too large to be called a jar or beaker, but too small to be called a tank, and contained a quantity of luminescent green fluid, inside of which floated what was either a fetus or a brain. "I was only curious: 's not like I was gonna tap on the glass or anything..."

"Indeed," a third voice said, much deeper and menacing than either of the room's other two occupants. "You may look, stranger... but don't touch. As for you, R-- er, Chrysalis... I wished to personally offer you my thanks. Through the efforts of yourself and your underlings over the last few days, we now have an inside source of information from within the very heart of the Crystal Kingdom. I understand how hard it's been for you to hold back while in striking range of your old nemeses, Princess Cadence and Shining Armor, but trust me; the time will come for an opportune strike sooner rather than later."

Teridax, former Makuta of Metru Nui, master of Shadows and Deception and generally one of the greatest villains known to the Multiverse, turned his attentions back to Artaegen. "That said, what of this beast you've brought into my sanctum? Was he not to be kept in a cell until he could be made useful, rather than merely lashing out at all around him like a Kane-Ra Bull in a marketplace?"

"My master," Chrysalis proclaimed softly, taking a knee, "that is the very reason for which I brought him to you: his soul has been forged anew, his consciousness awakened, and he has sworn obesience to the both of us, upon his life. I feel that there is much that he can offer to our designs."

There was a pause, as the words sank in. "Is that so...?" Teridax asked at long last, his tone one of careful interest.

"It is, my master." Chrysalis replied, smoothly getting to her feet. "Consider Artaegen to be my gift, to you. A born warrior, he is, and a fitting commander for the armies we are due to amass in time, if I do say myself."

"Indeed..." Teridax replied, eyeing Artaegen up. "And yet, there is still one matter of concern: he is Hordika, and Hordika are notoriously unstable, if not maintained properly."

"Hence the mask," Chrysalis replied, gesturing vaguely to the rusted and pitted metal contraption wrapped around Artaegen's saurian-shaped head. "Among other measures, it should allow him to be, ah, reined in, as it were, if he were to stray too far out of line. But perhaps a test, of sorts, to determine if he be worthy and capable of leading under our design?"

"My design..." Teridax corrected her, and even Artaegen flinched at his words.

"Yes, yes, your designs... A-and if he proves himself useful in this test, he could be trained for grander things, yes? Would this... please you?" Chrysalis, uncharacteristically, was nervous, or so she appeared. Internally, she had already recovered from her blunder, but was letting the momentary weakness play out to appease her master.

As Queen of the Changelings, she knew well the art of appeasement. Of course, Teridax saw right through it, and they both new that he did, but the gesture was till there. Game recognizes game, after all, and Teridax had had far longer than anyone else to hone his game to near perfection.

"A fine offer, Chrysalis," Teridax admitted at long last. "Assuming he pans out, he may yet make a valuable addition to our forces." He then turned his attention to the heretofore silent witness to the conversation. "Now, then -- Artaegen, was it? -- come, and let me introduce you to the horde..."

~~~~
As Teridax lead the three-person procession through the tunnels, he had begun discussing business with Chrysalis while Artaegen listened in silence.

"And so, more of our pieces fall into place with every day," Teridax was saying, "whereas the Equestrian side of the board has been left just as woefully unpopulated as ever these last thousand years. And yet, their lesser numbers have come to be distributed, either by chance or by design, in such a manner as to be potentially problematic for us as we are at present."

"Understood," Chrysalis replied, with a nod. "That said, theoretically, if you were to compare the situation to a game of chess, who would be which piece?"

The massive, heavily-damaged suit of armor that presently housed the essence of Teridax shook its head. "I see why you would draw upon it as a metaphor, but Chess, as we commonly consider it, would not be enough to convey the complexity of our situation. Perhaps, though, if we discarded a handful of the more paltry limitations and expanded the scope of the playing surface, we might obtain a more accurate comparison."

Artaegen muttered something about "Déjà Vu" and a world "covered in a checkerboard," but they ignored him.

"On the Equestrian side of things,” Teridax continued, unabated, “we have the twin Kings, representing the astrological sisters, Celestia and Luna. They cannot do much in the way of action at present, for fear of leaving their precious nation down by one or both of its primary leaders, though that is likely to change in time. Beneath them, they have Cadence and Shining Armor, serving collectively as a single Knight, while the Bearers of the Elements --themselves mere Pawns when separated,-- form another Knight when united. Meanwhile, the differing branches of their pitiful Royal Guard make up a limited handful of Rooks, while the ostentatious Wonderbolts function in place of Bishops. Beyond that, there is the general population of useless Pawns, followed by Discord.

"As the self-proclaimed 'God of Chaos,' -- something I'll not dispute, -- he is a veritable wildcard for whichever side manages to claim his loyalties. However, I have strong suspicions that he would lean in favor of Equestria, on nothing more substantial than a whim and a fledgeling friendship with the meekest of the Element Bearers. If I were to quantify him as a piece, which would not be an easy thing to do normally, I would have to admit that the most equivalent piece would ironically be a Queen, though even that is barely adequate."

Chrysalis nodded and smiled, impressed with her master's assessment. "A most interesting selection, sir. And... what of us? How do we compare?" There was silence for several seconds, and Chrysalis began to fear her question had not been heard, until Teridax spoke at last.

"Unfortunately, while we outmatch them in our ability to produce a vast quantity of fighting forces in short lengths of time, they hardly merit ranking anything too close to the mid-tier pieces. Changeling drones, Visorak, even Rahkshi: their skills are all too diverse, so they are all mere pawns by comparison. You, at worst, are either a Rook, a Bishop, or a Knight; at best, a Queen. As for myself... Though I possess not the same level of power and ability as Discord, I am still far more powerful and cunning than any other on this world, so I am left somewhere between King and Queen. Not the best of spreads, I'm afraid."

"Indeed not," Chrysalis commented, looking concerned. "What more can we do to fix this? Don't we have other beings like Gilraea -- rest her soul -- on our side?"

"She was never of your concern, Chrysalis. The only thing we can do is try to bring in new, more powerful allies. After all, you are not the first to have challenged Equestria's might, nor the latest."

"And what of me?" Artaegen asked, pointedly. "Where do I fit into things?"

Teridax's attention was briefly diverted to the third member of their group. "You are untested as of yet, and as such, you are relegated to the level of Pawn as well. Perhaps, however, if you find your way across the board to the far side, unscathed, we might see what kind of piece you turn out to be in the grander scheme of things."

"Then I can only hope I receive the opportunity for an en passant on my likely circuitous route there," Artaegen replied, still slouching along beside them both. "Just make sure you retain an opportunity to Castle, in case things go South... my Liege.

Teridax actually came to a stop and turned to look at him, and if Chrysalis didn't know better, she would've sworn she caught a glimmer of pleased shock amidst the mild indignation in the Makuta's glowing, borrowed eyes. "I always do," Teridax said, not paying attention to Chrysalis. "That said, perhaps we've more in common, you and I, than I anticipated."

Artaegen merely raised a skeptical eyebrow at him as he moved past. The Master of Shadows, in turn, merely sighed in disappointment and resumed his heavy, stomping gait, and quickly took the procession's lead once more. "That was a compliment, Artaegen."

"Oh, thank you..." Artaegen grumbled, "my liege."

"You would do well to cherish the comment, whelp," Teridax replied, his tone low to partially hide the hard edge behind it. "Such praise comes sparingly, and only when deserved. Now, on another note... our forces, such as they currently exist, are obedient. They do anything I or Chrysalis command, and should you prove yourself worthy, perhaps they might be instructed to do the same for you."

"Of course..."

Chrysalis silently watched the exchange with nervous interest, and noted how it quickly faded into semi-awkward silence for a few moments, until the tunnel they were following terminated upon a balcony. The balcony itself looked out upon a vast underground cavern, almost every surface of which was buzzing with activity, both literally and figuratively. Changelings and Visorak spiders were crawling all over the walls, floor, and ceiling, while the shadows at the edge of things were occupied by tall, hunchbacked, semi-reptilian mechanical figures with dual-tipped staffs. As the three of them came to the balcony's railing, many of the beings present in the open space silently turned their attention to the trio.

"Behold," Teridax suggested, "the forces at our command: they are Changelings, Visorak, and Rahkshi, and they are all legion. Perhaps, Artaegen, you'd like to say a few words...?" He gestured invitingly to the mass of beings, who were all still looking back at them expectantly.

Artaegen glared into the middle distance for half a moment, then vaulted up and over the railing. His deformed left hand maintained a surprising grip as he leaned precariously into the open air, given the arm's sickly appearance. With the cloak cast behind himself, his unusual body was now revealed to all who saw him: the near-seamless integration of flesh and machine was somewhat off-putting, almost like something out of a sci-fi first-person shooter game, only more bestial. One foot was digging into the stone of the balcony's supports with its raptor-like talons as the other hung loose, his draconic wings were spread wide, and his bladed, reptilian tail waved slowly from side to side.

Without any warning, Artaegen inhaled deeply and then let out the loudest, most horrendous sound Chrysalis had ever heard from a living being, though Teridax seemed unfazed by it. The whole thing was multi-tonal, with a deep bassy rumble and a high, banshee-like screech that contrasted horribly with the two or three other layers she could marginally make out. It was enough to send a spasm of momentary fear down her back, especially when coupled with the resounding message he'd sent across the hive-mind: an assertion of dominance combined with the issuance of a challenge of authority to all who heard, the likes of which was best not ignored. Chrysalis hated to admit it, but she had a gut feeling that if Artaegen was given the chance to command, he'd likely be on par with the level of hive control she herself had possessed before meeting Teridax.

The reaction of the untold numbers within the chamber was nigh instantaneous. Nearly all who were present fired back with roused cries of their own, answering favorably to his call. There were a few dissidents, however, mostly within the Changeling camp, who did their best to hide their grumbling within the hive-mind itself, though only Chrysalis was skilled enough to pick out each individual mind and identify the individual dissidents. She stored this information away for later, on the off-chance it became needed.

The overall cacophony was loud enough to create unsettling reverberations in the chamber. After less than a second, the very earth itself seeming to shudder at the dark promise of that roar.

When the sound died down, Teridax was giving Artaegen a look that spoke volumes. If the suit of armor he was currently controlling had had a mouth, it would've been smiling from ear to ear... Or, whatever equivalent Teridax's kind normally had, that is.

"Lo," Teridax was saying softly, as he turned back to Chrysalis, "I feel that a moment of great consequence has just passed. Be ready: by the time we're finished, many things will have changed in this world." Teridax turned once more and began striding back the way they'd come without further ado.

"Perhaps we shall find a suitable test sooner rather than later..." He mused, and then was gone. Meanwhile, Artaegen had clambered back over the railing, his cloak once more properly draped about himself as he half-bowed to Chrysalis.

She looked at him for a few seconds, making sure to acknowledge his gesture with a curt nod, then turned and began striding down the tunnel after the Makuta. After a display like that, she silently told herself, making sure to hide her thoughts from the Hive-mind, is it truly wise to set him loose upon those who dwell in the light of day? Likely not, in all honesty, but the Plan must be preserved, and as such, my hand in this is cast. But perhaps... if he proves to be all we hope him to be, he may allow us to finally pierce that which has proven an impenetrable barrier to us in the past: the Elements themselves!

This had the gears turning in her head. Already, plans upon plans were stacking up. Yes, yes! If Twilight and her friends can be driven apart, if the faith they hold in one another can be fragmented, then surely the rest of the nation will fall in their wake! Heh! Their Loyalties can be poisoned, their Laughter replaced with screams, and the Honesty between them drowned in silence; Anger could bring their Generosity to an absolute zero, and fear would still their Kindness. And without those five, the Magic of their Friendship -- their Destiny, -- would shatter and crumble, leaving them without Unity, deprived of their sense of Duty, and ripe for destruction with but a single, well-placed blow! But how to proceed...?

~~~~
A few days later, Chrysalis was seated in her throne reviewing reports from Changelings out in "the field," when a ring of sparks suddenly forced itself into existence nearby. As seconds passed, the space within the ring warped, blurred, and changed, then Artaegen stepped through into the chamber. The ring sputtered and died as he exited, leaving him gazing about the chamber blearily and in obviously in confusion.

"Damn," he cursed, when his mind finally caught up with him, "this wasn't where I was looking to come out..."

"Wh-- how did you...?" Chrysalis sputtered, unable to fully process what just happened.

Artaegen shrugged and hitched a thumb over his shoulder. "Got bored, made a door," he said, as if that explained everything. "Now, if'n ya don't mind, I'mma go for a walk..." He then turned and began slouching off.

"Not. So. Fast..." Teridax's voice said from nowhere in particular, before its owner stepped out from behind Chrysalis' throne. Not an easy feat, given that he was easily half again as tall as the throne in his current form. "Where do you think you're going...?"

"North...ish? Sorta East." Artaegen shrugged. "Dunno where, really: just got this urge to head up North-ish, figured I'd know when I arrived by the time I got there."

"Hmm..." Teridax murmured. "North, with a slight easterly bent, you say...? Well, then, perhaps this is a perfect opportunity for your test..."

Author's Note

And thus, the backlog of chapters I had saved up is now exhausted.

Who knows what the next chapter will bring? What does Artaegen's "test" promise? Will Teridax ever reveal the secret of the Moon? And what of Caldoric's fate? These questions, and more, will be answered in the next few chapters... I hope.