An Ally of Nightmare

Chapters

Prologue: Child of Corruption
Chapter 1: When Madness follows You
Chapter 2: Legion, meet Nightmare
Chapter 3: Reaching the Orphan
Chapter 4: Aid of Anxiety
Chapter 6: A Tale from the Dead
Chapter 5: The Truth of Spirit
Epilogue: A Promise to the Bane of Night

Prologue: Child of Corruption

Somewhere in the far regions of the Frozen North, there was a massive abandoned laboratory on the side of a very high mountain, yet it still looked operational. The mountains were snowing heavily as the Frozen North would usually do, and the moon was shining beautifully behind the clouds.

Inside the lab...

Somewhere deep within the laboratory was a pony head-scientist and his assistant.

The head scientist had deep orange fur and a light brown mane and tail. He had emerald-green eyes and the cutie mark of a dinosaur skull next to a vial with green liquid, and he had deep orange wings.

He stood about 6 feet tall, and he was about 127 years old. His name was Archipelago.

The assistant had emerald-green fur and an emerald-green horn with a white mane and tail, and he had a long white beard. His eyes were sapphire-blue, and he had the cutie mark of a blue and pink vortex surrounded by twinkling yellow stars.

He stood about the size of Cadence, and he was about 336 years old, older than his mentor. His name was Emerald Shine.

"Archi, I'm not sure of this is a good idea," Said Emerald Shine. His voice was old and a little gruff.

"Relax, Emerald, I have the utmost confidence that this hybrid will not fall into failure," Said Archipelago with a confident smile. Then he put a vial of this indigo and blood-red ooze into a DNA Injection Machine, and started typing in commands.

"Soon, the world shall know the truth of the Whelp in the Moon," Archipelago said with a grin.

"Sir, no creature has ever made a hybrid with the DNA of the First Satyr and the Corruptor together. You are agitating the works of forces that are far beyond anyone's comprehension.”

"The Magic of Friendship is too strong for any villain to handle alone or together. But at last, with the powers of Cosmetic Eldritch and Celestial Horrors, the Magic of Friendship shall be overtaken by the powers of a new source... Nightmare."

"You mean you have the means to use this hybrid to defeat Twilight Sparkle and her friends?" Emerald asked in shock.

"Not just them, but also the allies who would be foolish enough to stand by their sides. I will teach them that the Magic of Friendship cannot save everyone all the time," Archipelago said with a devious grin.

"You're mad!"

"That's what everyone called me... But no more."

In front of the two was a massive stasis chamber that held an egg. The ooze came down from the tubes and entered the egg. The egg was held in a container filled this strange ooze, which floated in the center of special fluids to keep the ooze and egg running and well.

There was a progression bar on a computer that showed how far this secret hybrid was from completion.

"36 percent comple- ERROR: Hyppocampus deterioration. Hypothalamus deterioration. Respiratory Disorder," The computer blurted.

"Is the rest of the brain and heart still stable?" Archipelago asked.

"Yes."

"Then proceed."

"Very well."

And with that, the process continued.

7 Hours Later...

It was completely dark and black, and there was nothing around the area. No Clouds, no Sun, no water, no land, no horizons… nothing.

All was quiet and still, until the echo of a heartbeat was heard all around.

Suddenly, white cracks started forming...

Archipelago saw the egg cracking, he pressed a button, and all the fluids inside started draining swiftly down. The tubes in the egg detached from it by the needles and retracted slowly into the ceiling.

The egg cracked and cracked even more, until it shattered below the surface of the ooze.

“W-Wait a minute! Won’t he suffocate under all that corruption?!” Emerald asked in panic.

“Do not fret, Emerald. Before the Corruptor passed, he altered the Nightmare recognize this creature as its new creator and master. It will serve this hybrid to the final days of time,” Archipelago explained.

Archipelago stared at the ooze as it bubbled and rippled like water. Then the ooze lifted the newborn hybrid out of itself and allowed it to breath in its phasmaphobic and twisting air.

The hybrid cried for his caretaker and master, pawing blindly at the air. But his cries were very ripply and raspy due to his disorder.

Then he was placed on a newly hardened yet very moist surface in front of this black and rotten stem with blood-red spots and patches of ash grey fuzz. The hybrid’s eyes were still closed, but he found his food source and started munching away at the spores like berries.

"So, let me get clarify this: That hybrid is designed to feed on the food and drinks the Nightmare makes for him?" Emerald asked.

“Yes, Emerald, and he will want nothing to do with anything that is freshly prepared or purely clean, unless it comes down to a food of last resort,” Archipelago explains.

“Ah, I see.”

“Is the specimen hatched?” Asked a gruff voice from behind the two.

Archipelago and Emerald Shine turned around to see their boss.

He had light grey fur and a light grey horn with a dark grey mane and tail, his eyes were a yellowish-amber color and he had the cutie mark of a dollar with a T-Rex head. He wore a black suit with a black tie and sleeves down his forelegs.

“Yes, Mr. Business, the specimen is alive and well,” Archipelago said.

“However, it developed a few... conditions before it was hatched...” Said Emerald.

“Conditions?” The colt known as Mr. Business asked.

“His Hyppocampus and Hypothalamus deteriorated in a few places, and he developed a respiratory disorder, which I suppose explains his raspy breathing...” Said Archipelago.

Mr. Business smirked and walked up to the chamber, staring at the hybrid that had just been born, hearing his altered and fatal breathes.

Mr. Business chuckled, “Look at him, a monster born of Shadow and Fear put into one. Who would’ve thought that this creature would be used for the army of the Storm King?” Mr. Business’ horn glowed with a green aura and enveloped the hybrid’s tail with his magic.

The hybrid squirmed and wheezed as he was pulled away from his meal. He opened his eyes and saw the one who was magically carrying him, or saw a glow in the middle perpetual darkness outlined by blood red mist at least.

Mr. Business chuckled, “This little lizard will surely make a fine pet.”

Suddenly, the hybrid fired a stream of his own saliva at the one carrying him by the tail. His saliva ethereally passed the glass and struck the carrier in the face.

The saliva got in Mr. Business’ eyes.

“GAUGH!! Why you little-!” Mr. Business’ eyes suddenly flashed crimson and his pupils slit. He looked around as everything started fading and his peripheral vision was outlined by this blood red mist.

“Wh-Wha-What is... What is happening?” He asked as he looked around frantically.

“Sir, are you alright?” Emerald asked. Mr. Business looked at his employees and saw them in the most horrendous and foreboding forms he never dared to imagine.

Their hooves and horns coated in eerie red auras, their fur shady-grey and their eyes piercing red.

“S-Stay back! Y-You are possessed! Get away from me!!” Mr. Business screamed frantically as he galloped out of the room.

When the creature dropped, he was caught by the ooze in the chamber and pulled back to it.

The hybrid snorted and resumed his eating. That was the first abuser he ever inflicted pain upon, and he liked it. He liked that he defended himself against that abuser. Once he finished the spores on the stem, he circled around and lied down to sleep.

The ooze slowly extended charred wood and blood-red crystals from itself and starting attaching to random parts of the hybrid’s body. More specific it’s forearms, feet, chest and stomach, the back, it’s entire jaws, and a quarter of its tail. The ooze was giving this hybrid the powers and abilities he would need to defend himself, and it nurtured his health.

The hybrid felt proud of himself for defending himself against his first abuser today, yet he wondered if there would be more abusers to inflict pain upon.

2 Days Later...

“He’s not ready, it’s too soon for his development!” Archipelago said to Mr. Business.

“I don’t care about his age, I want to see him in battle!” Mr. Business said back.

The hybrid watched carefully as he examined the two ponies in front of him fighting. He watched the light grey unicorn with a strange feeling in himself. He didn’t like the unicorn, he didn’t like it when he was picked up by magic. He barked loudly at the two, causing them to jump and whirl to him.

“Will somepony please deal with this infernal lizard!” Mr. Business said angrily.

The hybrid heard electricity to his left and growled demonically with gorish ripples in his throat. He saw two lights and lowered his head, giving a throaty hiss at the two.

The pony guards simply chuckled and jeered.

The hybrid growled until he pounced at the two and tried to bite at them.

“Aw, does li’l Terror want to play?” One guard jeered at the hybrid.

However, the hybrid slowly lifted his lip corners and made a creepy and insidious smile, his saliva dripping from his jaws.

The two ponies watched with dread as the hybrid smiled at them insidiously.

“Nu-Uh! Forget it!” One guard said as he ran away.

“Hey! Don’t leave-“ But the guard was cut off when he was caught by the neck and pulled to the cage. tendrils of the corruption gripped the sides of his head and grabbed his left foreleg. The guard squirmed and wriggled as he tried to escape. But it was hopeless.

CRACK!!

The tendrils snapped right and pulled foreleg left, breaking the pony’s neck. Then they pulled the guard inside of the hybrid’s cage and started removing the suit.

Mr. Business and Dr. Archipelago ran outside the room and saw the hybrid feasting on the lungs and smaller intestines of the guard.

“You never said that thing was smart enough to know how to kill its prey quickly,” Mr. Business said in shock.

“Well, your the one who allows your guards to quote-on-quote, “Teach it War”,” Archipelago remarks.

“This hybrid is meant for war, but you or getting in my way of letting it fight.”

“I told you, he’s too young to fight at this stage.”

“And I told you that I don’t care.”

The hybrid simply feasted on his meal and listened to what the two ponies were saying. They unicorn wanted him to fight a monster, but the pegasus wanted him to wait and grow stronger.

What the hybrid accomplished today was earning the fear of their guards, and he managed to catch one with his corruption.

2 Weeks Later...

The hybrid was already learning a lot from his experiences with pain, fear, and darkness.

Darkness was due to his vision. It was completely black and dark, and all he could see was void and blackness surrounded by outlines of an evil circle of bloody red mist. But when he turned his blind gaze to a living object, he would see crimson lights. Crimson lights indicated that these living organisms were evil to the heart, and that’s what the hybrid made out with his vision.

He could see the hearts of others, and the light coloration would determine who was pure and who was vile.

Most dragons and ponies would be given comfort and love immediately. But he was denied both. He was denied comfort and life, he was denied freedom and a good life. He was instead shackled to a life of negligence, abuse, and cruelty, doomed to become nothing more than a slave of bloodlust, a weapon of war and carnage, the abomination of massacre. The only thing that granted him comfort and love was the ooze that fed him the spores from 16 days ago.

Yet, he learned how to inflict pain and instill fear in the hearts of pony colts. He could spray his own saliva at an abuser and he would cause their faces to burn and melt. When he quickly turned 16 years old, he discovered that he could inflict diseases and mutate ponies by the magic they use on him.

He was still the height of a newborn foal, but he was 1/2 the size longer than one because of his tail, and he was bound to be much bigger than that.

The center of the floor opened and a baby antelope ascended.

The baby antelope bleated and honked out for her mother until she suddenly heard a shrill rippling screech to her right, she turned her head and saw a strange creature before her.

The hybrid looked over to see a towering white glow, indicating that it was an animal from the wilderness.

The baby antelope approached the creature slowly and lowered head, smelling the creature.

The creature felt the buck smelling him, and he smelled her as well. He suddenly felt the buck lick his snout, making him flinch.

Then the buck simply lied on her stomach and curled around the creature, nuzzling it affectionately like a mother.

The hybrid simply crawled up on the antelope and lied on her back as she immediately slept. As he did so however, the touch of his body started spreading its corruption onto the buck and twisting her very form.

Extracting Equestrian Hybrid Profile... The computer blurted. Then it showed a shape of the creature as completely black and unrecognizable. Then the creature itself showed.

“Dreadbane NR-H Mark 6: Engineered by former DRACO’s Dr. Archipelago.

This hybrid prototype has the base genome of a Neutron Starscale dragon, with a dangerous DNA blend of Crawg, Carnosaur, satyrs and Cosmetic dragons. However, the rest of its DNA structure is unknown and classified. The breeds of unearthly creatures have given this hybrid intellect that rivals Pony and Changeling combined, with enhanced strength, speed, acrobatics and tracker abilities.

The Parasitic and miraging powers of the Corruptor and the Nightmare Lord have infested this hybrid’s blood vessels and veins with living parasites and vital organs with hallucinating vapors and fear-infectious maggots, even the brain is infested with maggots and parasites.”

Archipelago and Emerald looked at each other in anxiety and utter disgust.

Emerald put his left hoof to his mouth and started slamming his right hoof on a table. Archipelago on the other hand, ran to a trash can and wretched, and he vomited so badly.

Emerald Shine slammed his hoof a couple more times before swallowing his late supper. "Why..." He groaned.

Archipelago raised his head and spit the last of vomit into the trash can. "That is far beyond anything a regular predator could handle eating."

"This isn't something a predator would want to eat at all," Emerald stated.

"Speaking of which... (gulp) That reminds me, let's test for what he eats himself," Said Archipelago as he approached the chamber.

“But didn’t you say that he only eats rotten things and the food and drinks he makes?” Emerald remarked.

“Well, sometimes the metabolism can change,” Archi stated.

"Okay, first item: Meat." Emerald Shine placed a large chunk of meat into a drawer and pushed it into the stasis chamber.

The twisted antelope was bleating softly in her sleep until the hybrid came out of her muzzle and took a whiff of a strange scent that had entered his surroundings.

He took a few more whiffs and turned to the source, walking on all fours towards the scent and extended a claw out in front of himself to catch the wall in front of him. What he felt instead was a hollow cubish object with this strange softness and liquid enveloping the underside of his ruby-encrusted talons. It was a squishy, wet texture, and it smelled like blood and goat meat.

The creature turned away and walked away, sitting on his haunches with his head turned to the opposite side of his surroundings.

Emerald wrote down the results while Archipelago put a hoof to his chin in curiosity.

"Meat: Not Applicable," Emerald said.

“Huh,” Archipelago said. "Try the plants next."

"Sir, reptiles with triangular teeth and claws don't really-"

"Just do it," Archipelago ordered.

Emerald shook his head and grabbed a large pile of leaves and grass. He put it into the drawer next to the meat drawer and pushed it into the stasis chamber.

The creature caught a whiff of new material and turned his head like and owl. Then he turned his body and smelt the scent of plants and leaves. He didn't even bother following the scent and turned his gaze to the ceiling, smelling the DNA of what he made out to be the Old Ones and Dreadful Abominations.

Emerald arched his eyes at Archipelago. Archipelago scoffed and took the clipboard. "Vegetation: Not Applicable," He said rather bluntly.

"Next, gems," Emerald said. Then he put different jewels and gems into the gem drawer and pushed it in.

The creature whiffed up the scent of rubies, sapphires, topazes, spessartite, etc. yet, he had distaste and walked further away from the gems.

"Huh... Gems: Not Applicable," Emerald said with curiosity.

"Try foreign crystals," Archipelago said. Emerald placed crystals of unknown origins into a drawer and pushed them into the chamber. The creature whiffed up the scent of foreign crystals and turned his head towards the scent. It smelled intriguing, but there was no scent of what he needed. He turned his head away.

"Foreign Crystals: Not Applicable," Archipelago said.

"So, what we've made out so far is that the hybrid won't eat anything freshly prepared," Emerald stated.

"Yes, now let us move onto the rotten items. Do we still have those leftover bagged meats from 2 weeks ago?" Archipelago asked.

"There still in the trash can, why?" Emerald asked in confusion.

"Grab the bagged meats, but don't grab anything else."

Emerald was bewildered. "Sir?"

"Just do it."

Emerald walked over to a large trash can and gripped his magic on the bagged meats from two weeks ago. They were completely fuzzy and green with mold and liquid illness. Emerald gagged and held his breath as he put the bagged meats into the meat drawer and slammed it in. He gasped and coughed for air after that horrible stench.

The creature whiffed up the scent of a rancid item and turned his head around. He got on all fours and walked towards the scent. He felt the cube-like object with a strange texture that grabbed his claws a little. He grabbed the smooth and sticky texture out and placed it on the floor. He smelled it and made out that it was plastic with a horrible food inside. He teared the bag open and smelled the horrible stench of moldy and oozy meat. He peeled off a small strip of moldy meat and softly lapped it up like a noodle.

After a few seconds he smelled the meat's location and started munching on it.

"Moldy Meats: Exceptional," Emerald said as he wrote on his clipboard. "Which is... strange. Wouldn't eating moldy foods cause severe food poisoning?" He asked his boss.

"There are some unearthly monsters of this universe that eat moldy things for a living. It would seem that this hybrid has inherited their physical taste for illness," Archipelago.

"But what about pure mold in general?"

"Hmm... Let us test that." Archipelago grabs a container of Saprophytes and places it within the plants drawer, pushing it inside.

The creature whiffs up the scent of what smelled like parasitic mushrooms. He walks over to what he made out to be the drawer due to the familiar noise of it. He placed his left hand inside and grabbed what felt like a container of these parasitic mushrooms and slammed it harshly onto the floor, breaking the plastic container in the process. he then smelled the mushrooms and started eating them whole, one by one, and two by two.

"It didn't even have the desire to taste them," Emerald said.

"Well, it wasn’t exactly pure mold, so we'll move onto that." Archipelago grabbed a bag with his mouth that contained 6 balls of straight mold patches clamped together with every type of mold around, and placed the bag within the drawer after opening it.

The creature whiffed up a scent of mold in the drawer and didn't even hesitate to inhale the spores that the mold released. He grabbed the bag and teared it in half to get to the mold balls and straight up ate them in one gulp.

"He... He didn't even hesitate..." Emerald said in bewilderment.

“So, the little lizard’s a mold eater is he?” Mr. Business asked as he entered the room.

"It would seem like it, sir, and it will probably eat anything moldy and rotten," Archipelago concluded. "Now that we know what it will eat, let us see about drinking."

Emerald Shine grabbed a hose attached to a container of distilled water and attached it to an import hole that poured out the water over a large, circular container.

The hybrid heard the water pouring and followed it to the source. After he find a circular object in front of him, he could smell the water in the bowl. He gradually turned away and walked into the middle of his surroundings.

“Distilled Water: Not Applicable,” Emerald said as he wrote down the results.

“Okay, try parasite-infested water,” Said Archipelago.

“It’s even better to say that this water is contaminated with Parasitic Algae from leathery-leaved plants,” Emerald stated.

“Perfect.”

Then the water container next to the freshwater filled up with the algae populated water.

The creature smelled the foulness of the algae water and navigated towards it. After he found the water and smelled it, he stuck his tongue in it and swallowed the taste. He licked his lips and started drinking from thirst.

“Algae-Infested Water: Exceptional,” Emerald said.

“Good, now try the Blood of Cthulhu.”

Emerald shot his head up and looked at Archipelago in shock.

“Sir?”

“Just do it, Mr. Shine,” Archipelago ordered.

Emerald was about to say something, but sighed and did as his mentor told him. He grabbed a flask of this black liquid, and inserted it through an injector. The injector sprayed the blood through a hose and landed into a small bowl.

The hybrid smelled the essence of Eldritch magic and navigated his way over to the small bowl of Eldritch-rich liquid. He smelled the liquid and slowly retracted his head.

The two scientists looked at each other in confusion.

“Blood of Cthulhu: Not...” Emerald was cut off when he heard liquid filling up inside the hybrid’s mouth. Then the hybrid dispersed his own saliva into the bowl of Cthulhu’s blood. Then the hybrid’s saliva and Cthulhu’s blood started bubbling and creating a new type of liquid ooze.

It was pearl black and a little rocky with these black, glowing red spores with bubbles of puss and infection, and you could even see live tapeworms squirming to get out.

Emerald grimaces and wretched.

Archipelago pickup the trash can waited to vomit again.

Once completed, the liquid ooze was mahogany-red with black, shadow-grey glowing bulges and bubbles, much more bubbles of puss, infection, and live tapeworms inside of them, and these stems with currant cherry-red spores with patches of black fuzz growing out of different spots of the ooze.

The hybrid whiffed the scent and licked his toothy lips. Then he started taking mouthfuls of the ooze he had just created, drinking the stems of the ooze like noodles.

Emerald slammed his head into a table and started pounding on the table with great force and both hooves, absolutely just waiting to vomit.

Archipelago on the other hand, didn’t hesitate and just puked away as he slammed his own hoof on the ground.

“Astonishing...” Mr. Business said in astonishment.

Once the hybrid was finished, he licked his lips for remaining ooze and walked to the corrupted animal, sitting on its back once more.

Emerald swallowed his supper again and groaned with tears.

Archipelago growled in disgust and spit the remaining vomit into the trash can.

“Okay! No more regularities! It’s time to test his coping skills,” Archipelago said.

“With what?” Emerald asked.

“First, we will try a dragon hatchling,” Archipelago answers.

The hybrid heard machines below him. The buck moved away from the middle of the chamber while the hybrid saw a white glow in his blindingly-dark surroundings. He smelled fresh blood and cold scales.

The dragon infant looked around it his surroundings and saw a creature in front of itself.

The buck came closer to the little creature, allowing the hybrid to approach the light and took small sniffs of it.

It was a baby dragon. He continued to stare at the white light until he heard a voice in his own head.

”Corrupt...”

The hybrid’s eyes started flickering, causing the baby dragon to whimper and whine in pain and fear, feeling its head being subjected to a mighty control. The hatchling started changing as tendrils of Nightmare began to seep their way beneath its scales.

It changed color, its eyes were getting cloudy, and veins in its legs and tail were becoming visible with pure nightmare.

The ponies were astonished. The hybrid didn’t even touch the dragon and it already succumbed to the Nightmare corruption.

“Next: Cockatrice.”

“Wouldn’t that just turn him into stone?” Emerald asked in confusion.

“Well the hybrid is blind and doesn’t really look into the eyes of what it sees, so...”

A fully grown cockatrice flew out of the hole in the ground and looked around.

“You might want to shield your eyes,” Archipelago said as he put a hoof over both of his eyes.

“Right.” Emerald extended a hoof over his eyes from the Cockatrice’s eyes. Mr. Business followed.

When the Cockatrice looked around, he saw nothing.

Suddenly, he was bitten by the tail and whirled around into the drawers in the chamber, causing him to by a little dizzy.

The hybrid revealed himself from camouflage and summoned tendrils, pinning the Cockatrice down by the body. Then the hybrid creeped his head down with the same bloody ooze dripping from his fangs and jaws.

The Cockatrice regained vision and looked up to see a monster looming over him.

The Cockatrice’s eyes glowed red as he let out a loud screech at the beast.

But the beast didn’t even flinch.

The hybrid thrusted his head and clamped onto the Cockatrice’s entire beak. Then he yanked and teared the monster’s beak off with the tongue and esophagus in tow as well.

Emerald groaned and Archipelago grimaced. Mr. Business simply frowned.

“I can only imagine that the Cockatrice suffered the same fate,” Emerald said in disgust.

“If that is so, then perhaps we can unshield our eyes from the Cockatrice’s gaze,” Archipelago said.

The three opened their eyes and saw the hybrid slurping up the intestines of the Cockatrice like a giant noodle.

Once finished, the hybrid tossed the Cockatrice husk to the side.

“Okay, next: Chimera,” Said Archipelago.

“Isn’t that a little escalational?” Emerald asked with concern.

“This creature is bred for war, Mr. Shine. I would expect you to know that we intend to have him understand the meaning of conflict,” Said Mr. Business.

The hybrid whiffed up the scent of a dangerous predator to hapless fools. He turned to see 3 crimson-red lights with black glowing in the center. He got into battle position and growled gorishly.

The Chimera looked around to see a strange creature in battle position, ready for a fight.

“Pfft! What is this, same kind of...” But the tiger head was cut off when nightmare tendrils snatched her head, and twisted themselves with the tiger head in their grasp.

CRACK!!

“BAAAUUGH!! You killed the-“ The goat head was cut off when the tendrils grabbed his head and twisted once more.

CRACK!!

The snake tail simply looked at the tendrils in shock and dread.

The hybrid looked at the smaller light and growled hoarsely.

“Please don’t kill me...” The snake tail pleaded, but the creature didn’t comply.

The hybrid shot out what seemed to be an elastic tongue and caught the snake head by the neck. He pulled her to his jaws, and he started chewing on the head. Once completed, he ripped off half of the body and lapped it up.

Once the snake head was finished off, the tendrils rolled the chimera over and dug themselves into the chest cavity.

Once the chest cavity was open, the hybrid started gouging on the internal organs inside, starting with the lungs, and blood flowing from the body.

Emerald simply cried from witnessing organs and blood.

Archipelago simply frowned. “I’m gonna pretend I didn’t see that,” He said bluntly.

Mr. Business simply chuckled, “Amazing.”

Once finished, the hybrid breathed his corruption onto the body and started changing the chimera into a very different creature much unlike itself.

The body started sprouting branches and plant-like appendages that fitted the Nightmare corruption perfectly.

Three viscous plant heads with glowing red leaves, the torso built up of roots and very thick stems with three root toes on pods, its tail very long with thorny leaves on the sides.

The new creature looked down at the small hybrid and began to smell it. It then realized that this little one was its creator.

The hybrid yawned, walking right under the former chimera and putting his head down to sleep. The creature settled down and shielded its maker from what he knew was coming. The antelope and the baby dragon also surrounded him for extra protection as his shields of meat.

“It would seem that the hybrid has spoken. That will be all for tonight,” Archipelago said.

“I need to go reevaluate my life as a biologist,” Emerald said as he walked away.

“Oh relax, Emerald, there will be plenty more bloodshed for you to witness,” Archipelago joked.

“That’s not funny,” Said Emerald. Archipelago simply chuckled.

Suddenly, the alarm went off and there were sparks everywhere.

“What’s going on!?” Emerald asked.

“I-I don’t know,” Said Archipelago. He ran over to the control and saw that there was an error.

”WARNING: Core Overheating! Explosion imminent, percentage of survival: 1” The computer blurted.

“WHAT!?! Is there absolutely no way of escape?!” Archipelago demanded.

”Escape pods have never been thought of before or after the construction of this laboratory.”

“SON OF A BETA...” But Archipelago was cut off when the explosion from the reactor core of the stasis chamber exploded, taking everything and everyone with it.

The explosion was so massive that it almost covered the peak of the mountain, causing the building to collapse on everyone.

3 Hours Later...

The laboratory was in ruins now. The roof had a massive gash over it, the walls had holes, the hallways were destroyed, flasks, vials and glass were shattered and spilt liquid chemicals everywhere, the stasis chamber had landed below the laboratory, there were steel pillars and debris of stone piled underneath the wreckage, and there was gasoline lit on fire, which lit the wreckage on fire as well.

Everything and everyone was taken by the explosion...

...

... Well, almost everyone.

Suddenly, there was a burst through all the rubble, and a roar followed.

The 3 week old hybrid had survived. He crawled out of the rubble and revealed himself unto the world.

The hybrid garbled as he pulled himself out of the rubble and stepped away from it.

He looked back at his birthplace and saw absolutely nothing in his ethereal gaze, but small flickering lights that once loomed over him.

He chitters softly, turns his head back and squeals hoarsely as he slowly walks away with a bit of a wobble in his step.

He looks back with a growl and lets out a raspy, gruesome roar out for bloodlust and corruption, thunder and lightning crashing down as he did so.

After so many millenniums, he was finally released unto the world, and free from death.

Chapter 1: When Madness follows You

"Hey, you guys stepped in on my que!" Cozy Glow complained, then the three villains began their argument.

Just then, Grogar himself stepped into the room. "Enough!" He shouts with a stomped hoof. The villains stop their bickering and turn their attention to their leader.

"I was hoping that during my time away, you three would have reached an agreement with each other, but apparently not!" Grogar gruffed.

"Well, if we knew what the plan for vengeance was, then we would be better able to prepare for it," Chrysalis marked.

"That is if you even have a plan in mind," Tirek adds.

"Of course I have a plan in mind! With the free time of focus I have given myself, I was able to finally locate an object of incredible power... And it just so occurs to me, that this would be the perfect test for you all to work together better," Grogar said with a sly smile.

Chrysalis, Tirek and Cozy all shoved each other to prove who would be better than the other.

"And you three will do so to retrieve it. Once you retrieve this item for me, those ponies won't even stand a chance against our might," Grogar said.

It was then that Chrysalis stepped forth. "I have come close to ruling Equestria several times before. Perhaps I should be the one to lead us," She said with a grin, but then Cozy shoved her out of the way.

"I nearly drained all of the magic from Equestria, that was the best plan any villain could ever come up with," Cozy said with a confident smile, but then was shoved by Tirek.

"I absorbed all the magic in Equestria! I could feel the power of it surging through me as I rule," Tirek said with power, then the villains started bickering again.

Grogar gritted his teeth and charged his horns, releasing a shock-wave of dark magic around the room. The three villains flew at the walls and were cuffed by the dark magic to the walls.

"Each of you FAILED to defeat Twilight Sparkle and the others!" Grogar shouted with powerful frustration. The three villains each struggled to try and get out of the cuffs, but they were much to powerful for them.

"My power is far more greater than all of yours combined into one ethereal embodiment. This is but a fraction of it, UNDERSTOOD!?" Grogar barked.

The villains conceded and were released to the ground.

"And now, you three shall work together to retrieve the rest of it," Grogar said. Then the emblems on his sash glowed darkly and released dark magic into the air of the room, showing an event that happened many years ago.

"Many thousand moons ago, the self-righteous Gusty the Great, seeing that she was unable to best me face to face, stole my Bewitching Bell, a talisman containing a vast majority of my power and a weapon used to take the magic of those who feared me, and the bell cannot be destroyed. At least not by anything that the ponies know of. Seeing this knowledge come to pass, Gusty decided to lock the bell away in a secret cave upon the top of Mount Everhoof. Also taking into account that those who sought the bell would venture the mountain, she placed a mighty spell over the mountain of enchanted winds and a golden barrier to keep it out of anypony and anyone's reach, and the winds would prevent any who scaled the mountain from reaching the peak of it.

There the bell has remained... Until now."

“You three must scale Mount Everhoof by working together. Go and retrieve my bell," Grogar said.

What the four villains didn't know, however, was that an eye of blood mass was watching them from the ceiling. Once it heard everything it needed, the eye seeped into the ceiling, every ounce and pint of the ooze going with it to not leave a mistake for investigation.

Chrysalis giggled loudly, "The ease of this task is laughable." Tirek and Cozy agreed.

A trip to Mount Everhoof later...

"Well it sounded easy," Chrysalis said.

"Well, Grogar never said it was easy, but the plan is simple. We scale the mountain..." Tirek began.

"Find the hidden cave and retrieve Grogar's bell..." Chrysalis added.

"Together!" Cozy Glow chirped, a rolled up piece of parchment in her hoof. "I drew out a detailed plan showing how we can..." But Tirek and Chrysalis already started off to their own directions. "Ditch each other and do it alone..." Cozy said rather reluctantly. "Maybe when I reach the top, they'll finally take the chance to appreciate me," She said more confidently, throwing away the parchment to the wind.

However, when the parchment reached the trees, an oozy tendril snatched the parchment and brought it to an eye, letting its maker see what it was seeing as it was attached to his head.

The hybrid sniffed it a couple of times, smelling the hidden desire of teamwork. He looked over in Cozy's direction and saw her heart in the nightmare shroud. It was crimson-red, but there was a spark of whiteness in the center.

The hybrid released the parchment and divided himself into 3 eye-worms.

With Chrysalis...

The former queen of changelings was flying through the air, feeling the wind getting a little stronger as she came closer. When she looked down, she noticed a small clearing for her to safely walk. She pushed through the winds and landed in the woods, and then started walking.

A bunch of yellow eyes with red pupils watched her as she walked, taking this changeling as a fresh meal to snack on.

Then, a shadow started following her in secret.

Chrysalis walked with a cocky smirk, until she felt a presence behind her. She simply narrowed her eyes, whirled around, and hissed loudly at the shadow.

The shadow whimpered and instantly retreated with a look of fear.

"Pfft! As if anything on this mountain is scarier than me," She said with a chuckle, hovering in the air as she continued to travel.

The shadow however, as it retreated, was devoured look smoke by something a lot smaller. It was an eye of nightmare secretly following Chrysalis as it stared at her heart, it too was crimson-red with a whiteness at the center. The eye kept following quietly to not be seen.

With Tirek...

As Tirek walked, he stopped by a river and scooped up a handful of dirt. He aimed it at the mountain and blew it. The wind barrier threw the dirt back into Tirek's face, making him grumble under his breath.

Just then, another nightmare eye peeked from behind a rock and saw the mighty centaur heading towards the woods.

With Cozy...

Cozy traveled a little ways up the mountain and saw a cabin.

That's when a pony came out and saw her. "Halt! Who goes there?" The pony asked. "A pony? Huh, there hasn't been any ponies around here in I don't know how long!" The stallion said in surprise.

Cozy saw the pony from afar and decided to play her innocence trick. She pretended to well up her eyes and give a sad and scared expression, fake sniffles following with big puppy eyes.

"Oh, good golly, good sir. I'm trying to look for some help on this cold mountain," Cozy pretended to say sadly.

"Aw, don't worry, little filly. Ol' Rusty Bucket is here and at your service," The pony known as Rusty Bucket said with a bow and a smile.

"Oh, I'm so glad I found you, sir. I was wondering if I could get some help trying to get to the top of the mountain," Cozy asked.

Rusty's expression turned dutiful. "Oh, no can do, ma'am."

Cozy's face suddenly turned from somber and happy to perplexion and frustration. "WHY NOT!?" She screamed in rage, causing the mountain to rumble.

"Shh! Not so loud, this is avalanche territory here. And I'm the guardian of this mountain, it's my job to keep pony's from heading up. There's absolutely nothing but dangerous snow, dangerous ice, and dangerous wind. So, basically, it's dangerous to go up," Rusty Bucket explained.

Cozy cooled off and got another idea. "It must be really lonely for somepony like you to be up here all by yourself," She said innocently.

"Oh, it most certainly is. I often wish I had someone to keep me company while I'm up here guarding the mountain."

"Maybe I could be your friend?" Cozy asked innocently.

"Aww, I'd love that, I haven't had a friend for so long," Rusty Bucket said happily.

"So, now that we are friends, would you be willing to help me get to the top of this mountain?" Cozy said with a smile.

"Well, if the mountain wasn't so dangerous and full of avalanches, I would. But like I said, it's incredibly dangerous," Rusty Bucket said.

Cozy suddenly had an angry look in her eyes. "ARE. YOU. KIDDING ME!?" She yelled, causing the mountain to rumble again. Then she walked away with an upset look. "I didn't wanna be friends anyway," She said rudely.

"Aw," Rusty Bucket said sadly.

While Cozy walked away and sat down to rethink her strategy, the third hybrid eye peaked from the snow and looked at her heart. It was a little redder than before, but the light inside grew a little against it.

All three eyes looked at the hearts of the ones they followed in secret. These were the ones with the unstable emotions, these were the ones in emotional and mental pain. The hybrid himself would see to it that they were fixed, especially Cozy and Chrysalis.

Chapter 2: Legion, meet Nightmare

"Yes, until that SOW, Starlight Glimmer freed Twilight and her friends, corrupted my subjects with friendship, and stole my entire hive!" Chrysalis said bitterly to Cozy.

"You should both remember that those ponies have weaknesses. I used Discord's weakness to turn him against his own "friends" that he calls," Tirek said as he put 'friends' in air quotes.

Cozy Glow ate a s'more whole and savored the taste of it.

"Hm, Discord was really a powerful enemy to Twilight and the others, until he allowed friendship to ruin him," Chrysalis said.

"But what was really funny, is when you both should've seen Twilight's face when I had her friends trapped in bubbles all around me! She was all, (incoherent babbling)."

Cozy and Chrysalis giggled and laughed a little at Tirek's impression.

"Twilight's always so stressed out all the time when things get tough," Cozy said.

"When I posed as her former foalsitter on the day of her brother's wedding, I thought she was going to implode!" Chrysalis laughed. Cozy and Tirek laughed.

What the villains didn't realize was that there was a hidden presence heading their way.

"I wish I could've seen Twilight's face when I nearly erased all the magic in Equestria into nothing," Said Cozy Glow.

"All the magic in Equestria seemed a little excessive, don't you think?" Tirek asked bluntly.

"Hey, you gotta think big. Besides, it would've been worth it just to see Twilight and her friends bow down to me," Cozy said with an evil grin.

"It would indeed. Who wouldn't love to see all those pretty ponies realize that soon, they would lose everything?" Said Tirek.

"One who would want to see them free of death," A voice answered in Tirek's head. Tirek looked around confused.

"Did you two hear something?" He asked the two females.

"No?" Chrysalis said in confusion.

"Hear what?" Cozy asked.

"I was certain I heard someone talking," Tirek said.

"Maybe it's the voice in your head," Chrysalis said jokingly, but Tirek only gave that thought.

"Actually, you may be right," Tirek said.

"I am? Er, I mean, yes, of course I'm right," Chrysalis said with a smile.

"There is only part of truth in his words, Queen of Changelings, but the voice in the centaur's head is not his own," The voice said in Chrysalis' head.

Chrysalis looked around herself with confusion as well. "All right, now that I definitely heard in my head."

"You heard it, too?" Tirek asked Chrysalis.

"Yes, but it wasn't my own voice," Chrysalis said.

"What are you guys talking about?" Cozy asked confused.

"They speak of the one who speaks through their thoughts... As I speak through yours," The voice said in Cozy head lastly.

"Whoa! O-Okay, now I heard what you guys did," Cozy said a little scarcely.

"I will set you all... free," The voice said to the three villains all together.

Suddenly, the three villains huddled together and prepared for combat.

"Whose there?" Asks Chrysalis.

"Show yourself!" Tirek demands.

"W-Wh-Who are you?" Cozy asks in a scared tone.

"The ones who shall shatter the shackles of this world that confine you."

"Confined? We aren't confined to anything!" Chrysalis says.

"Your pain cannot be hidden from the dead."

"We are not in pain, whatever pain you're thinking of anyway," Tirek says.

"I shall unveil the truth unto you."

"What truth?" Chrysalis asks.

Then, a rustling came from the bushes in front of Cozy Glow. "Who's there?" Tirek demanded. The rustling got rowdier.

"SHOW YOURSELF, INTERLOPER!!" Chrysalis screeched.

"M-My good friend T-Tirek is gonna b-blast you if you d-don't go away!" Cozy said scarcely. Then out of the bushes came...

"A... rabbit?" Cozy Glow said in confusion.

Tirek and Chrysalis looked at each other, and then Cozy Glow. Then, they burst out in vile laughter, pointing finger and hoof at the pegasus filly.

"Stop laughing at me!" Cozy Glow demanded irritably, but the two continued to laugh their heads off. "STOP IT!!!" She screamed furiously.

Suddenly, these bloody red crystals came up and trapped their hooves, wings, legs, horn, and wrapped around the centaur's hands.

The trio gasped and they tried to free themselves.

Chrysalis tried charging her horn, but it sparked and sputtered out in an instant. "I-I can't use my magic!"

Tirek tried to form an orb with his magic, but nothing appeared. "Neither can I!"

Cozy tried to stretch her wings, but the crystal were very tight on their grip. "I can't stretch my wings! I can't fly!"

When Chrysalis continued struggling, she suddenly felt like she was getting... weaker. "These crystals... are... draining my... energy..." Then she collapsed to the ground.

Tirek started feeling the same way. "That's not... good," He said before he passed out.

"Oh no..." Cozy Glow said. Then, she suddenly felt herself getting weary and cold, even with her coat on. "H-How c-c-c-can I g-g-get c-cold?" She said before she fainted as well. Before the 3, a figure came out of the bushes with the same crystals in his claws, except fur and blood was donned on them.

2 Hours Later...

Cozy Glow, Chrysalis and Tirek were all in a deep slumber, but they whimpered and moaned as they found themselves in a realm beyond their sensible fears.

The veins in their eyelids were very visible and were colored crimson, bloody red mist seeping through their eyelids.

Cozy felt cold, yet she was sweating, feeling as if she was under a moderate fever.

In the Realm of Nightmare...

There was nothing but pure dark smoke and flashes of red around the area, eerie red mist soaring all around the area.

What Chrysalis and Tirek didn’t understand was why they were even scared at all. They hardly feared anything save for Grogar, but yet here they are greatly weakened and frightened of the many whispers of madness and screams of agony.

"S-So... c-c-cold..." She moaned.

The figure turned to her and walked over. He lifted the filly's head up onto a small rock.

Cozy Glow blinked a few times before she regained her full vision. When she looked around, she saw Chrysalis' and Tirek's heads on rocks as well as hers.

"T-T-Tirek? C-C-C-Chrysalis?" She said to the two. The two moaned and groaned weakly.

"W-What... happened?" Chrysalis asked.

"I... I don't... know," Tirek answered weakly.

"Me..." Said the same voice the trio heard earlier.

They all turned their gazes to a creature that they had never set eyes on before in their entire lives.

He had Spike’s body height and body structure, but with a few inordinate features.

His scales were alabaster white, his arms and legs armored with arm braces and legbands and crimson crystal claws, a tail club and horns of pure crimson crystals at the end, his scleras tarry black and piercing red irises with snake pupils, armored head to tail with black carapace plating and pure crystal spikes, and visible crimson veins pumping pure Nightmare through the body.

They were too tired to scowl if not glare, and the creature was drinking what seemed to glowing green mist from the forehead of Chrysalis' Ophiotaurus meal, it turned smoky red with black light.

"W-What... are you doing?" She asked weakly.

"As you feed on love, I feed on nightmares yet to be born and dreams yet to be twisted," The creature responded. His voice was comparable to to that of a ten year-old, but he could speak full sentences like an adult.

"How... are you even speaking? Your lips... didn’t even sway..." Tirek pointed out.

"H-He’s... p-p-probably a... m-mind-talker," Cozy Glow shivered.

"Your words are truthful, pegasus," The figure said, "You should know, Chrysalis. You have done it before."

"Controlling a victim is different from telepathic speech," Chrysalis stated. She tried to get up, but then she fell limp. She exhaled, "What did you do to us?"

"You are all under moderate tedium... For now." Then, the creature turned to the trio, not looking at them though.

The trio looked at his eyes and saw that they had no pupils and no irises either, similar to a changeling's, but dead and emotionless. His expression was completely neutral and blank.

They also saw that he wasn't looking at any of them.

"He's... blind," Says Chrysalis.

"Yes, but one learns to accept it."

"Then... how are you looking at us then?" Asked Tirek.

"Eyes that see only darkness and black, but the light and darkness of another's pure or vile heart."

"You m-mean you... c-c-can t-tell who is-s-s... g-good or b-bad-d-d?" Asked Cozy Glow as she shivered.

"Yes. The friends and caretakers are spared, the taskmasters serve. But the abusers die, and become my fuel for sustainability."

"You mean... you need fuel to not lash out, as well?" Asked Chrysalis.

"You should know. But my curse is far more dire than yours." Then the creature pulled out a small mug and filled it with herbal tea, colored sapphire-blue and golden-yellow. He walked over to Cozy on his hind legs, and presented the mug to her.

Cozy could see soft steam and the colors of the liquid. "W-W-What is i-i-i-it?"

"Your medicine."

Cozy Glow grimaced a little at the liquid, but it was as flexible as water, and it was warm. She slowly and weakly raised a hoof to grab it. But by cruelty's bargain, the creature retracted it from her.

"For later."

Cozy simply shuddered with a weak breath. "W-Why?" She whimpered weakly.

"I know that none of you can be trusted, but I would at least give some hope that we can reach an accord with each other."

"An... accord?" Asked Chrysalis.

"You all seemed to be creating one after your failures to climb the peak. I want my fair share of this villainous bond."

The trio only looked at each groggily, feeling too tired to even be cranky about being sick and ail. This creature may have put fevers and fatigue on them, but it does seem rather useful for someone like him. Not to mention that he could also pull off the same crystal nullifying spell that Sombra used to put on Shining Armor's horn once. But what really gets their attention, is that this creature somehow knows that they are in pain - not physically, but emotionally and mentally. If he knows about their pain, could he also possibly relate to them? If they were going to find out, they simply had no choice but to accede his wishes.

Chrysalis sighed, "All right, creature... thing. You have our attention."

"Where do you want to start?" Asked Tirek.

"I have sensed that Chrysalis was to do an impression of this Twilight Sparkle who seems more pathetically stressed than one should be," The figure responded, looking over at Chrysalis’ heart.

"I would, but I don't think I can do that if I'm sick," Chrysalis pointed out.

"You are the strongest of your kingdom, Queen Chrysalis. I would suspect to recognize how much your pride means to you."

Chrysalis scoffed, "If you didn't sound dead, that would've sounded like a compliment."

The creature simply cocked his head in affirmation, and his inner eyelids blinked.

Then, the creature tapped his right toe, giving Chrysalis a small whiff of restored ability.

Once Chrysalis felt her changeling ability return, she transformed into Twilight Sparkle. "Oh, I'm such a pathetic, soggy little pony princess. I even made a very detailed list in all the ways that I'm an absolute failure," She pretended sob.

Cozy and Tirek only chuckled due to sickness, but the creature himself would have smiled at the impression. This caught the trio's attention.

"I thought you would've laughed at that," Chrysalis said.

"No emotions... No joy... No love." The creature seemed to have done his homework with changelings, even if he really didn't have any emotions.

Chrysalis was a little taken back. "Oh... noted."

"You know, working with you two, at least, may not be the worst thing in this world," Said Tirek, referring to Cozy Glow and Chrysalis.

"Perhaps... As long as it means the total destruction of our enemies," Said Chrysalis.

"I wouldn't have it any other way," Said Cozy Glow with a weak smile. Then she looked at the blank hybrid. "N-No offence, but..."

"We haven't really met properly," Tirek finishes.

The creature simply blinked, "All in good time. Would her gracious and deceptive majesty care to continue her impression?"

Chrysalis turned into Twilight again and started making sad and soggy faces again. Cozy and Tirek laughed softly if not hard.

Chapter 3: Reaching the Orphan

Soon the trio was full of laughs, and the creature made them feel much better with the blue and gold liquid he showed to Cozy earlier after releasing them from his realm.

"I had no idea you turned Shining Armor into a mindless zombie!" Cozy Glow laughed.

"Of course! But who would've thought that banishing Starlight without magic to Tartarus would've been as glorious as just ending her?" Chrysalis guffawed.

"And to think that Discord would have been a match against all of us, even without your throne of ancient darkstone!" Tirek chortled. Cozy and Chrysalis laughed along with him.

The creature simply stared at the trio's hearts on the ground, laughing away at their own villainous jokes. Then the trio stopped laughing and started wiping their tears of joy from their eyes.

"I think we've had enough jokes for now. Let's address the elephant in the room," Chrysalis said as she referred to the creature.

Cozy quickly looked around. "An elephant!? Where!?"

Chrysalis sighed, "There isn't a literal elephant here, and this is a forest."

Cozy Looked at Chrysalis confused. "Huh?" Chrysalis grew annoyed, but then the creature raised his palm and advised her to not speak out of turn.

"It is the expression in which a couple or many associates talk about a subject that is important at hoof or hand," The creature explained.

"Thank you," Said Chrysalis.

"Oh... Okay, so let's hear about you," Cozy said to the creature.

The creature was silent for a moment. "Before we move onto me, let us discuss... personal affairs."

"Personal affairs?" Cozy Glow asked.

"Villainy often originates from pain or an embodiment created out of evil," The creature explained.

"Oh, like that's going to be pleasant," Chrysalis scoffed as she rolled her eyes.

"Excellent, Ms. Chrysalis. Would you care to begin?"

Chrysalis' eyes widened a little. "Me?" But to her chagrin, the creature simply nodded. That just made her more annoyed. "I will do no such thing!" She said as she crossed her forelegs and looked away. Then the creature presented a vial of this pink liquid that gave off a bright pink mist. Chrysalis looked at it and found it curious. "What is that?"

"The love from your meal, I vialed out the rest before I devoured it," The creature responded.

Chrysalis was astonished and was about to grab the vial, but the creature pulled it back. She was annoyed as she was irritated with what he was trying to do. "For someone who has no emotions, you certainly show your levels of cruelty."

"One cannot be cruel without a motive," The creature vexed.

Chrysalis simply groaned and took the vial with her magic, opened it, and drank a small portion. She suddenly felt very empowered and... satisfied. "My goodness! This vial of love is even stronger then just taking it from that creature. Did you add it with other creatures?"

"I have my ways with different species," The creature responded. "Now... your story?"

Chrysalis sighed, "Right, right. Where to begin... Of course. I was created by a carnivorous plant that fed on literally nothing but bugs and bones."

"Wow, rough start, huh?" Cozy said.

Chrysalis chuckled, "It wasn't all that bad, I was a sinister foe to all of ponykind before I invaded Canterlot, and together we brought cities to their knees. But then one day, that sunny sun-raiser princess defeated me and my subjects after blasting holes in our legs!" She hexed as she showed her forelegs to the group.

"So... You weren't always born with those?" Asked Tirek.

"Of course not! I use to be whole."

"A grand motivation for villainy. Tirek, what pain motivates your villainy?" The creature asked.

"Well, my father, King Vorak, always thought very little of me. He would never let me outside of the castle, and never let me think of magic or ponies. And he always liked Scorpan best, who is my gargoyle brother," Tirek huffed.

"Daddy issues, I get you," Cozy Glow said understandingly.

"And what of your motivation of pain, Cozy Glow?" The creature said as he turned to the pegasus filly.

Cozy looked away with an immediate somber glance. "I..."

"Oh, don't tell me, 'My parents left me at the orphanage, and I cry myself to sleep at night thinking that they never wanted me in the first place," Tirek mocked in the filly's voice.

"Shut up!" Cozy yelled irritably, "And I do not cry myself to sleep!"

"Of course you do. We can hear you crying about the subject in your sleep. The least you could do is suck it up and just accept that your parents did abandon you," Chrysalis said.

"I don't accept it, and I won't accept it," Cozy said, "But if you guys were left alone your whole lives, I'm pretty sure you would wail yourselves to sleep with your little stuffed animals," Cozy said with a taunting smirk.

"Only if they live a lie with themselves," The creature says to the filly.

Cozy looked at the creature confused. "What are you talking about?" A sparkle of malevolence and cruelty secretly flashed in the creature's dead, grim, heartbound eyes.

"You believe that you do not show empathy or remorse for your crimes, you believe that friendship is power, and that you could have it at your mercy. But in truth, your actions, personality, and intentions are a lie. You do not snore, but you do weep and cuddle with your closest possession, trying in desperation to fight against the pain your heart suffers, yet... you discover that nothing can help your pain if you do not repent for your sins. You believe that you would never show remorse or guilt for the crimes you commit, but you do indeed mourn for your actions, trying ever so desperately to hide all of your shame inside the soggy and anxious coating of your heart..."

"I-I don't know what you're talking about..." Cozy says in a faltering defense.

"And there are your deceptions. Without magic or any other unique attributes, you use your wits and cunning to achieve victory over those you want to conquer, your cutie mark is the symbol of deception and devious strategy in word play, and the power of mind to play others into your hoof like the pawns of chess. But you could never fool those who see your devious symbolism the way I do. You think yourself a mastermind over all who would take your 'sweet and innocent personality' as a sincere fact, but you could not fool those who have watched you grow and submit to the arts of evil. But you grieve so truly, it hurts you so much to weep into your hooves as you rethink your actions, and you truly want to run to the Princess of Friendship and plead for her mercy, forgiveness, and her compassion. Yet you fear that she will never see you the same way she used to ever again."

Cozy Glow didn't understand what was going, especially inside her. On one hoof, this creature sounded like he was trying to get to her through his own arts of deception. But on the other hoof, it actually seemed like this creature was actually understanding her, as if he knew where all of this pain inside of her was coming from.

But she didn't want to feel the other hoof. Being remorseful and true was just a trick to throw her off guard.

"Okay, you need to stop, I see what's going on here. You think you know me because you think you went through the same thing. I'm done with ponies and centaurs and dragons trying to trick me with their own words and actions," Cozy hissed.

"I do not speak to you in general, I speak to your heart," The creature explained.

"You have a talent for seeing deceptions by others done to you before they reveal them, just like when you could see when the Cutie Mark Crusaders tried to distract you from what is important to you. But your heart knew they were trying to protect their friends and family from harm, and your heart admired them for that. But your outer greed blinded you from seeing what their intentions for others were. Deep down, you know what I am saying is true, but your outer thinking says otherwise."

"I said stop," Cozy ordered irritably.

"You are in no position to demand anypony of your goals, and it is a shame that you do not listen to your spiritual heart that pleads for you to stop everything."

"You simply try to command others because of what those houseparents always did to you those nights, didn't they?"

Cozy froze in place once the creature said that specific sentence. The creature simply blinked.

"Ahhh... so it is true..."

"You were broken those nights the houseparents took command of you. You became enraged and unstably dangerous to the other orphans, and you wished that you did not become a threat to the other orphans. I can understand trying to control your rage and instability. You have always questioned whether you were good enough for your parents, if they ever loved you, or if they loved something even more than they could ever want to love you. You even wonder if you had parents at all, and that is why you tell yourself that you did have parents, yet you fear that you were created out of nothingness. You cry in the night when you dream of parents that abandoned you for something of far less value. You draw pictures of what you would want your parents to be like or who you think they should be, depending on who you think would be qualified to have mother and fatherly traits and attributes of love and nourishment. You always cuddle with your favorite millipede you found during your stay in Grogar's homebase as you try hopelessly to think of proud and loving parents. You say you are 'cute and lovable', but those houseparents took the real you... from you, and you thought you could never have those personalities again."

"All your life after that orphanage, you've been furious, hurt, and strategically deceptive... because of your own lies," The creature finished.

Cozy was as embarrassed as she was furiously, yet depressingly confused. How in Celestia's name could this creature know her origin, yet feel exactly where she's coming from? This creature couldn't possibly know everything about her past life, yet everything that he said was true, and he... understood her. But how could he understand her? They don't even know each other! Yet this creature spoke to her very troubled and aching spiritual heart, and somehow, this creature talking to "her" was... pleasing. Her density was softening, but she was still a little stubborn.

"N-No, no. I don't care how much you know about me. Y-You don't know what I'm going through," She says with a little uncertainty.

The creature simply blinked. Suddenly after a few moments, a swirling mist of dark red and black appeared in front of the three. Then, the scenes with Cozy Glow and Everhoof's snow came on.

Cozy flew over Rusty Bucket with a devious smile, but then the wind picked up and blew her into a snow pile. Next, she tried climbing up on the edge of the mountain, but the snow collapsed and she fell in. Then when Rusty Bucket's staff hit the snow above his doorway, the snow above Cozy glow fell on her, and she opened her eyes in bewilderment.

Once seen, Chrysalis and Tirek laughed. Cozy shot them a dreadful glare. "Stop laughing! It's not funny!" She yelled.

The hybrid taps a toe on the ground. Then the scenes of Cozy and the snow replayed. Chrysalis and Tirek laughed harder.

"Stop laughing! Stop it!" Cozy shouted louder.

Then the scene of a giant boulder of snow came rolling down the mountain, and then took Cozy Glow with it as she screamed her way down the mountain.

Chrysalis and Tirek laughed hysterically.

"STOP LAUGHING AT MEEEE!!!!" Cozy screamed. Then, a large blanket of snow fell on her from the tree and covered her whole. Cozy shot up with a furious glare, but then a couple chunks of mushy snow fell on her head with a soggy 'sploosh'. Cozy gave a very sad and hurt look as she felt embarrassed and humiliated.

Chrysalis and Tirek simply laughed at her humiliation, and the filly was on the verge of tears. The hybrid however, rose up from his haunches and walked up to Cozy, clearing the mushy snow off of her head and summoned tendrils to pull her out of the snow.

"H-How do you know... (Sniffle)... What I've been going through? You... You don't even know me..." Cozy thinks in her head for the creature to answer.

"Perhaps you will not believe me, but try to when I say, that I too have been orphaned at a tender age of depression and despair. And I may not know you very well, but I can only imagine what it took for you to earn the respect you deserve," The hybrid says to the filly in her head.

Chrysalis and Tirek stopped laughing as they saw the creature make tendrils pull Cozy out of the snow.

"Wait, you feel... sorry for her?" Chrysalis asked in disbelief.

"If you three are to work together, not in the way Grogar asked of you, then you are to show sympathy to those who hide their pain," The creature responded as he crawled up on the filly’s back and stroked her mane.

Cozy’s eyes suddenly widened and sighed happily, taking a liking to the creature’s soft touch. This creature seemed to spy on her deceptions from a mile away, but he seemed to understand her, regardless.

Chrysalis gagged, "Showing sympathy is like showing care for another."

"And you should know. You showed love and empathy to your swarm, and I would expect you to do the same for your fellow allies," The creature vexed.

Chrysalis scoffed, "They were my children, until Starlight corrupted them!"

"Until your quest for love-power corrupted your spirit."

"I-!" Chrysalis was about to rage out, but then she was confused by what the creature meant. "What?"

"Unfortunately, you misunderstood how love can power you. The way you acquire love is by stealing it from others, but it only satisfies you for two days time, and it can only empower you so far. However, to share love, which you have despised your whole life, could empower you much more and sustain you for all eternity, even if your spirit passes on to the next life," The creature explained.

Chrysalis scoffed, "Love hasn't corrupted me. It is the only thing that satisfies me."

"Shortly, but not forever,"

"Exactly, my hunger can never be satisfied!"

"Because you misunderstood how it works,"

"I have not!"

The creature simply looked at her in a blank profession. "If you think that is true, then I would like you to test that theory."

Chrysalis was now confused again. "What?"

"I do not challenge you to a battle to prove me wrong, I challenge you to test your own theory of love-power to prove me wrong. When you find the next victim, you can feed your spirit with their love, your way. If your spirit hungers after days with nothing for your spirit to feed on, then you will know that I am right." The creature was speaking as Cozy was walking to the stump as she started feeling sleepy all of a sudden. "You two should also sleep, you all have a mountain to scale tomorrow."

"I'm not sure if you've ever heard of this saying, but evil never sleeps," Tirek stated.

"No, but even evil needs time to replenish strength." Then the creature burrowed under Cozy’s leg. "If you do feel the urge to want my assistance, you need only ask."

"Noted," Says Tirek, lying in his chair with his arms behind his head.

Chrysalis was about to say something as she turned to the creature, but she decided against. She sighed and then decided to lie down.

"What did he mean by love-power corrupting my spirit? Is that really why I've been starving for all these years...? No! That cannot be true! He's trying to poison me with those words! (Sigh) I just need to get some sleep," Chrysalis thought in her head as she prepared for a slumber.

"So, y-you really understand what I've been through, and it's not because you can read my thoughts?" Cozy asked the creature in her head.

"Of course not, Cozy. When the time comes, I shall tell you all my lament," The hybrid replies in Cozy's head.

"I... I always thought nopony ever cared about orphans in this world."

"I try my best to show care only for the ones who are in the deepest pain. The life you've lived as a youngling is a tragic one, and at last, I see your pain of being an orphan."

"I... I did so many bad things to ponies... But... Why are you being nice to me? I trick ponies into being my friends, I sent Twilight and the others to Tartarus, and I almost drained all the magic in Equestria... Even...

...

Even yours."

"My powers cannot be drained because they work differently. And I do not care for a princess who abuses her own younger sibling, let alone a baby dragon, not even her friends will be passed by their sins. I will punish everything and everyone who did wrong to the good of heart and the fallens of sympathy."

"Even... Even me?" Cozy asked with a strange feeling inside of her.

"Of course. Every villain, big or small, cruel or hurt, intent or misunderstood... they all should be given compassion by comrades who understand them."

"I... I..." Sleeping Cozy's eyes welled up with tears and she sniffled a little, curling around the creature. The hybrid huddled a little closer to her side. "Thank you..." She said sincerely and more happily through her mind.

"Of course... C... G..."

Chapter 4: Aid of Anxiety

It was mid-day, and the villainous trio and the hybrid traveled up the mountain and up to Rusty Bucket's cabin.

Rusty Bucket came out and saw the same filly with three different creatures with a shocked expression.

Chrysalis turned into a female Ophiotaurus and roared very loudly at Rusty Bucket, causing the mountain to rumble and come down with a rock-slide of snow on top of Rusty Bucket and his cabin.

Chrysalis, Tirek and Cozy laughed while the hybrid simply stared at the snow as he sat on Chrysalis’ back. He could feel that Cozy Glow was feeling a little closer to him ever since they had their talk last night.

Rusty Bucket popped out of the snow and gasped for some air. "I'm okay!" He shouted.

The hybrid, however, secretly whipped his tail at the stallion and released a plasma ring of Nightmare at him, turning him into a black, rocky skeleton with red crystals sprouting out of him, his clothes turning to ash and withering away.

A While Later...

The quartet looked around for the right direction. Tirek grabbed some vines from the trees, Chrysalis reluctantly allowed the creature to ride her because of his blindness and squashable size, and Cozy was a little ways ahead of them, looking for the right direction.

Coming at a crossroad, she looked left and right, and she pointed right with a confident smile.

Another While Later...

The villains climbed up the mountain, except for the hybrid, who seemed to have absolutely no trouble against the enchanted winds. What was even more interesting was that he was just hovering there like a chinese dragon would.

Cozy put a hoof on one part and accidentally slipped. Luckily, Chrysalis let her catch her hoof by a hole, and the hybrid called his nightmare tendrils to catch Cozy by the waist. Cozy looked at Chrysalis and the creature, seeing Chrysalis with a helpful smile and the creature with a reassuring nod. Chrysalis pulled Cozy up ahead of her and helped her climb the way. Tirek continued climbing fine with the creature watching his steps, making sure that the centaur wouldn't lose his step or slip.

A Third While Later...

The villains and hybrid got to the point where Chrysalis failed to cross to the other mountainside. Chrysalis motioned for Tirek to tie the vines on a rock, and the centaur did, while the creature tapped the vines and enveloped them in an ooze of nightmare to make them stronger, but the ooze only stopped an inch from Tirek's hands.

The hybrid crossed the chasm with no problem and landed on the other side, waiting to catch either Chrysalis or Cozy.

Chrysalis transformed into a Roc-bird and extended a foot to hold Cozy. Cozy took the vines Tirek held and landed in Chrysalis' talons.

Chrysalis took flight and flew as hard as she could against the winds. Once she was far enough, she threw Cozy Glow at the other side, and the tendrils caught the little filly. Cozy wrapped the vine around the other rock and made sure it was tight enough.

When the hybrid felt Cozy looking at him, he tapped on the vines again and they were fully enveloped by the nightmare ooze, making it much stronger.

Once tight enough, Chrysalis turned into a spider monkey and crawled across, Tirek following. Once the two got across the villains and hybrid looked up at the mountain peak.

A Final While Later...

After climbing all the way to the peak, the villainous trio and the hybrid came upon the enchanted cave that held Grogar's Bewitching Bell.

Chrysalis flew towards the cave, only to be repelled by a magical sphere and blown back with a yelp. The tendrils caught the changeling from falling in the snow and set her upright.

Tirek and Cozy looked at each other in surprise and approached the shield. Tirek touched the shield, but it zapped him with heat, causing him to grunt and shake his hand.

"It's no use, this shield is meant to keep everypony and everyone out," Says Tirek.

"Well, can you try to absorb it? It is a magical shield," Cozy Glow suggested.

"I can only absorb magic from living things, anything else that's placed by somepony is not considered living in this world," Tirek stated, then the trio began to think. When Cozy Glow looked at Chrysalis, that's when an idea hit her.

"Like... her?" Tirek looked at Chrysalis and the creature in realization.

"Hmm..." Tirek said.

Chrysalis looked at the two in shock, then she gritted her teeth. "Betrayal!" She shouted as she prepared to attack. The hybrid however, simply did nothing but land on the snow.

"No, no, no. Not betrayal, teamwork," Cozy reassured the queen.

"How is taking my magic apart of teamwork?" Chrysalis asked in a suspicious manner.

"If you allow Tirek to absorb all of your energy and magic, then maybe he might be strong enough to break through the field," Cozy explained.

Tirek looked at his muscles with glory and pride.

"And then what?" Chrysalis asked suspiciously.

"Then... he gives it back," Cozy provided. Tirek was taken aback and looks at the pegasus filly in confusion.

"I do?" He asked.

"Mm-hm."

"How do I know you won't just take my magic, grab the bell, and then leave me to freeze on this mountain?" Chrysalis asked suspiciously.

"Well, he said that for those in pain, we have to show them empathy. So if he says that you have to show it to us, I'm pretty sure that means we have to show it to you, too," Cozy stated as she referred to the creature that was with them, to which he agreed to Cozy's proclamation.

“Another thing that recalls to me is that you didn’t mention the creature’s magic.” Tirek pointed out.

Cozy was now in a pickle as she didn’t want to tell them that she and the creature were talking last night in their heads, risking the secret talk they had.

Luckily, the creature knew this and stepped up. ”My powers are not absorbable because they do have the same properties as mortal magic.” He explained.

Cozy sighed in relief in her head.

Chrysalis simply sighed in disgust, "Fine, but only if Tirek swears not to do it anymore at Grogar's lair," She said, eyeing Tirek.

"As I said, I have done nothing of the sort!" Tirek tried to defend himself.

"Tirek?" Cozy said with an arched brow. Tirek simply sighed.

"Fine, but only if she doesn't talk to her log every 5 minutes," Tirek said with a sneer.

"How dare you-!"

"Chrysalis, we don't have time. We need to get the bell, or who knows what Grogar's gonna do to us? We'll make it 15 minutes, okay?" Cozy said quickly with a persuasive smile.

Chrysalis sighed and stood up straight. "Do it." Then, Tirek started to absorb Chrysalis' magic and started to turn into his third form, the changeling could feel herself getting weaker by the second. Once finished, the changeling queen collapsed onto the ground with broken eyes.

"So. Much. POWER!!!" Tirek roared in greatness. “WELCOME BACK, BABY!!!" Tirek shouted with mighty joy. Then, he shot a mighty beam at the force field, but only a small portion of it opened. "It's not big enough for me!" He said straining.

"Not for you, but it is for me," Cozy said before she went through the hole. "Keep it open, or I'll be trapped in here with the bell forever!" She called back before entering the cave.

Chrysalis lifted her head weakly. "Would that really be so terrible to do?" She asked Tirek, who simply chuckled at the question.

"Can't... hold... much... longer!" He called through the hole. He could feel himself losing it. "HURRY!!!" He shouted.

"Just a little bit-!" But Cozy was cut off when Tirek lost his grip, and the hole closed off. Cozy fell to the ground and looked up to see that the hole had closed before she was able to escape.

"NOO!!!" Tirek roared, then he punched the side of the mountain. "We were so close!"

"We... we failed," Chrysalis said weakly.

"I... I'm trapped..." Cozy said. She saw that she had the bell, but she and it were now trapped inside the field.

"W-What do we do?" Chrysalis asked.

"Grogar said that we have to work together, so we can't just go back without the filly," Tirek stated.

"And we can't go back without the bell either!" Cozy called through the field.

Chrysalis was thinking, until she thought of one thing.

"Creature... You said that your powers work differently than mortal magic, correct?" She asked weakly.

The hybrid simply stared for a moment before he turned to the shield. "I understand your idea," He says as he approaches the shield. "Move," He said to the centaur. Tirek moved away and let the creature come to the field. Cozy looked up at the creature, hoping that he might be able to break her out of this field. "Beware, Cozy Glow. You will feel traumatically terrified,"

"W-What does that mean?" Cozy asked a little worriedly.

For an answer, the creature exposed his palm and placed it on the force field. The trio noticed that the creature didn't flinch at its touch, because it wasn't burning. Instead, the shield itself started to lose its golden color and twist into an eerie red mist as it began to deteriorate and collapse.

Cozy suddenly felt very scared as her vision started blacking out, despite being very much awake. "Wh... Wh-What... What-t-t’s h-happening...?" She quivered. Then she collapsed to the ground and buried her face in her hooves, shaking and whimpering frantically. "H-H-Help!!" She cried.

Chrysalis and Tirek couldn’t see Cozy, but they heard her cry out. "What's... happening to her?" Chrysalis asked, almost concerningly.

"Just a few more seconds," The creature responded without strain.

Cozy Glow started feeling like she was surrounded by her greatest nightmares. She heard whispers of madness and agony. She started to scream as she cried in terror and fright.

And then, when madness had almost taken the filly, the corruption stopped. Then a portion as large as Chrysalis shattered like real glass. He summoned tendrils and grabbed the filly, taking her out of the field. He then touched her forehead and siphoned all the fear she was seeing in her head.

Cozy Glow was still terrified, but she slowly opened her eyes and smiled softly at the creature. Then she sniffled a little and said, "T-Thank y-you..."

The creature simply nods.

Chrysalis looked at Tirek weakly and pitifully. "My magic..." She sulked.

Tirek looked at his muscles for a moment before he looked at Chrysalis with a reluctant look. He opened his mouth, and Chrysalis' magic was returning to her horn, giving her the strength she needed. Chrysalis jumped immediately and charged her horn with glee. Then she looked at Tirek a little shyly.

"I... I wasn't really sure you were going to give it back..." She said nervously, not used to telling creatures how she would usually feel.

"Neither was I," Tirek said with a shrug. "But, working together seemed... smarter than to... continue fighting," Tirek said with a slight smile.

"I-I guess when we... helped each other, it... it felt... better somehow..." Cozy said timidly as she smiled at the creature, who simply stroked her main in reassurance.

"I... I haven't felt like this since... before I lost my Hive. Having others who will be there for you feels... pleasing..." Chrysalis said thoughtfully.

"There is a value you three could learn from this experience. Working together does not mean that you have to become friends..." The hybrid began.

"Ugh!" Chrysalis groaned.

"Certainly not," Tirek said firmly.

"Y-Yeah, definitely," Cozy said a little more calmly, despite her anxiety from the Nightmare inside of her.

"Yes, friendship is as revolting as it can be for us villains, but working together does not mean that you have to be friends. The other way of thinking about it... Is that there are possibilities for you three to learn to cooperate with each other with only glimpses of sympathy for one another," The hybrid finished.

Chrysalis, Tirek and Cozy looked at each other thoughtfully on this.

"You... You're right, creature. We may not like the idea of being 'friends'..." Chrysalis began.

"But there are other ways we can learn to work together," Tirek said.

"Even if... we can show just... a little sympathy," Cozy added.

The hybrid nodded at the trio. "Now that you three have obtained the bell, perhaps it is time that you all head back," The creature said.

"Oh... You mean... without you?" Chrysalis asked a little reluctantly.

"I mean, we've only met you just last night," Tirek said.

"But... you helped us climb up the mountain and get the bell," Cozy said as she stood up with a smile.

The hybrid began thinking of what to say. "Would you... like me to walk with you, at least until it is time to part ways?"

"I think that would be exceptional," Chrysalis said.

"I suppose if you'd like," Tirek said with a shrug.

"I'd like that," Cozy said.

"Very Well." And with that, the trio and hybrid started their way down the mountain.

However, not before Cozy tapped the hybrid’s shoulder.

”Um... Could you... ride on my back please?” Cozy asked in her head timidly.

”Certainly.” The hybrid crawled up on Cozy and sat her her back. And with that she took flight and went after the others.

Chapter 6: A Tale from the Dead

The trio and the creature were almost at the border of the mountain, walking silently without a word to each other. However, the trio have been wanting something from the creature that they gave to him...

"So... We haven't heard where you come from, Mr... Creature," Cozy Glow said to the nightmare beast.

"Yes, we've all told you our stories, and now I think it's your turn," Said Tirek.

"You know that we're all in pain, so now it's your turn to tell us what your motivation of pain is," Says Chrysalis.

"Of course, of course. Where shall I start?" The creature said.

"How about the beginning, were you always like this?" Said Tirek.

"No, I was once whole as Chrysalis once was. If this is your choice, I only warn you that this is no tale for those faint of heart and feeling," The creature stated.

"I'm fairly certain we can handle any story that comes our way," Chrysalis said with a smirk.

"If this story is relative to the tune you were humming, I might cry again..." Cozy said sweetly and truthfully.

The creature simply stared into darkness, whistling the same tune as he began to observe in the beginning of his life…

There was nothing but darkness all around, a void of blackness and nothingness.

Then, a pair of eyes opened to see a very elegant and beautiful dragoness and a strange monster with a strange head and burning eyes.

"I was once a rare species of dragon. A dragon that would be charged to protect all of the Cosmos. My dragonflight was the chosen brood of the Titans of Light, the devoted guardians of their beloved creations, the children of stars, the avatars of spirits."

"We were... the Neutron Starwyrms."

"The Titans of Light themselves have proven to be the most powerful entities of the Multiverse, and have given only a small piece of their power to five individual dragons that started out as small drakes. They were of course: Alexstrasza, Ysera, Nozdormu, Kalecgos, and Neltharion. Eonar granted Alexstrasza the powers of Life and Ysera the powers of Dreams, Aman'Thul granted Nozdormu the powers of Time, Norgannon had first granted Malygos the powers of Magic until he became corrupt, and now the powers of Magic are given to Kalecgos, and Khaz'Goroth granted Neltharion the powers of the Elements. Over time, seeing the young Aspects doing good with their powers unto Azeroth, the Titans that granted them a small piece of their power, began to see them as their own children, and they taught them everything about their powers as mothers and fathers."

The pair of eyes looked happy and comforted at the sight of their mother.

"Alexstrasza was the primary guardian of all living things in the Titans' place as they discussed an important matter."

"Then she had me. And I was named 'Nutron'."

"However, my mother began to feel a terrible corruption of the mind in the world. With what little choice she had left... she sent me to a world far from the reach of her enemies, in hopes of a new dragonflight to be born, uncorrupted."

The pair of eyes saw themselves being sent through a portal and through the fabrics of space and time. Once they passed through, the portal closed behind the eyes, and they saw that they were on a strange world without a sky, but countless stars.

"I was sent here, the Equestrian Universe, but not in Equestria herself."

The pair of eyes began to cry for their mother for hours. The only thing that came was a strange creature never seen before.

That creature... was Princess Luna herself.

"The Princess of Night found me on her beloved moon in the Dreamscape realm. Seeing as I was supposedly abandoned, and seeing no guardian around to nourish me, she decided to raise me herself."

Princess Luna took the baby dragon to Equestria and showed him to her big sister, Celestia. The two sisters were only fillies at the time as their parents ruled over Equestria.

The eyes looked to see a dark lavanderish-blue filly and a snowy-white filly looking at him with warm smiles and comforting eyes.

"The Two Sisters gave me a prosperous and happy life, and Luna was my new mother. She would often take me to the moon and its beautiful Dreamscape Palace."

The pair of eyes were as tall as a filly and saw an older Luna and Celestia talking with their father, sadness in their eyes.

"But of course, their subjects did not take me so kindly..."

The eyes looked around at the ponies sneering or just glaring at him, same even intimidated to even by near him. He did not understand why.

Next the eyes found themselves in darkness, fear and sorrow as they felt many beatings from commonfolk fillies and colts of the kingdom, insulting him for what he was and very much enjoying the abuse they were inflicting him with.

Then they stopped and decided to leave him in the dirt as they mocked him with laughter.

And the same thing occurred over and over...

The fillies and colts endlessly tormenting him. They kick him until he is unconscious...

They insult him until he cries...

And they assault him with many things until he is bruised, scarred or scratched all over. They even dared to skin parts of him for his very thick scales for their own decorative fashions.

"But it did not last for a lifetime when she came..."

One filly was about to throw a rock at him until he was suddenly zapped away and blown into a cart of apples.

The fillies looked up to see a horribly enraged older Luna with gnashing teeth and glowing white eyes, a thunderstorm to accompany her as she kept assaulting her dragon's abusers until they ran and screamed in fear, not wanting to be incinerated by their own princess.

She turned to see her poor dragon child broken, scarred, bruised and scratched all over, same of his scales were even skinned off of him and his spines and ear fins were very tattered.

Luna held the dragon in her arms very tenderly, but the dragon whimpered and whined in so much pain that he had been enduring for over 6 months. Luna sobbed very much for her child that she damned herself for not having seen this any sooner.

Next, the eyes saw themselves on Luna's back, fillies behind her soaring with her to the moon. Yet he was still very much afraid of the fillies and colts she took with her.

"Luna's Children of the Night had pity for me seeing Celestia's commonfolk inflicting unseen torment on my very being, resulting them to care very much for me and protect me if they could when they came to Canterlot for Luna."

The pair of eyes saw three fillies looking at him curiously, but he was terrified and hid under a bed hissing fearfully.

The fillies backed off slowly as they didn't want to further frighten him. One of them pulled out a small gem colored like Luna's magic and gently threw to him.

He slowly came a little closer to the light, and then took the gem under the bed with him at an amazing speed.

A couple years later the eyes were munching on the same type of gem while they were watching a small filly looking at him softly.

He picked up the gem in his mouth and slowly approached the filly, wanting to try something.

The filly smiled softly as she saw the little dragon coming closer, putting her head on the ground.

The eyes stopped and placed the gem in front of the filly, waiting to see if she would take. She did, but she didn't eat it. He was confused only for a sharp second until he remembered that ponies don't really eat gems like dragons do.

Next the eyes found themselves among the fillies on a small blanket with many shapes of the moon and stars, eating the same gemstone they always fed him. They chatted amongst themselves as they were discussing what they could do to prove to Celestia's subjects that he wasn't a threat.

But the eyes knew that Celestia's subjects only treated him so because of him being a dragon and not a pony.

Then finally, the pair of eyes saw themselves lying with a trio of filly-sisters that vowed to protect him no matter the cost, even if their own parents forbid them to come anywhere near him. He smiled warmly, feeling that at last he could trust these ponies and their beloved Princess-mother...

"I thought they were worthy of my trust..."

...

"But how wrong I very.. much.. was..."

The pair of eyes saw their transformed mother fighting their aunt. Then they saw their aunt bringing out strange colorful rocks. Seeing that their aunt was about to blast at their mother, the eyes quickly flew up to their mother...

The eyes and their mother were banished to the moon, their mother being furious and angry.

"Once her banishment had begun, she became a monster..."

The pair of eyes were thrown all over their mother's chamber, crashing into furniture and walls, bruises and cuts all over their body.

His former brothers and sisters that he thought he could trust mocked him with laughter and became the very same abusers that Celestia's subjects were.

Next, the pair of eyes were being whipped upon or spat upon by their former brothers and sisters, the dream creatures throwing rocks at him.

Then they saw themselves being kicked or scratched by the ponies, and their mother smiling sinisterly at him.

Finally, the last thing they saw was a dagger coming towards them in the face, turning everything black.

"One day, we took it no longer..."

When the young dragon felt a slap on his left cheek, he bared his claws and felt them scratch his mother's right cheek. After a few moments of silence, the Alicorn monster left, leaving the poor tormented dragon alone in the room.

Nutron slumped on his haunches and started crying into his lap, feeling that his life of torment, abuse, neglect and abandonment would never cease.

"And then... our fate... had come."

When the dragon heard his mother coming closer, he suddenly felt his wings torn off of his body, feeling the blood gush from his back and onto the ground and his body. Next, he felt his feet, forearms, tail and jaws cut off from his body, more blood gushing out. Then, he felt himself being lifted into the air and slammed to the ground multiple times, knocking him unconscious. And finally, he felt a massive jab in his chest and a burst through his back, squeaking and groaning in pain...

"M-Mom....... W-Why-y-y.....?" He uttered with a sob.

"Because, little beast....... You were never my child." Nightmare whispered sinisterly.

And then...... He was lifeless after his last sobbing breath.....

"We were mutilated..."

Nightmare Moon started dissecting and ripping the drakeling limb to organ.

...

"Disembowled..."

Nightmare Moon carried a large sack that was dripping with fresh blood across the halls towards the Graveyard.

...

"Thrown away..."

Once Nightmare Moon took the sack to the graveyard, she placed it by a dead tree with an evil grin.

"Enjoy the darkness," She gawked, then she laughed sinisterly and walked away.

...

Many of his former brothers and sisters came to his grave and always partied over it, littered it with rotten garbage, pouring wine on the tombstone

"But, in a way... we were saved..."

After 20 years had passed, the bag was old and rough and attracted flies because of a very powerful stench from it. Then, these black branches with crimson-red crystal scythes came out of the ground with this black and red portal underneath the sack, and pulled it in. Then the portal vanished.

...

A small dragon body was placed into a hybridization chrysalis, and two figures were experimenting on him. The first had a humanoid torso, but he had the legs of a goat, his hair was brownish-red and his skin was crimson red, and he had very large goat horns on his head. The second had the full body of a man, but he had an octopus head and tentacle fingers, his skin was purple and his eyes were burning yellow.

The red figure inserted an orb of nightmare while the purple figure infused an orb of shadow inside of an chrysalis. Then they fired a beam of nightmare and shadow together into it. Then, the dragon inside started to change in appearance. His scales started to brighten into a greyish color, his fur began to shed, and his horns and tail began to deteriorate into something new.

"The mutation is beginning, Nightmare Lord." Said another man-goat figure to a nightmare flame.

”Excellent...” The flame said happily.

The figure looked at the chrysalis with hoping eyes. "Come on, Ruby Drakeling... Come on," He said quietly. The dragon's new form was almost finished...

"But we failed to be made again..."

But then, tragedy struck when the dragon simply burst into the crystal's the creature would eat.

The figure sighed in disappointment. ”The mutation has failed...”

"Try again, Morphael,"

"Yes, Nightmare Lord." The figure known as Morphael told his comrades to return to work.

"And many a time, we failed..."

...

The two infusers filled more nightmare and shadow into the chrysalis.

The dragon started forming again, but then the heart monitor gave out a long beep.

"We failed..."

Morphael looked over at the infusers and saw them show the dragon's brain deteriorating rapidly and turning into dead tissue and rotten holes. He sighed again.

...

"And failed..."

Next, the dragon started bulging, and the bubbles popped with living tumors of Nightmare and Void coming out of him.

...

"And failed..."

Then, various parts of the dragon started detaching and falling limp with blood of Nightmare on the ground.

...

"And so forth..."

Then, the dragon turned to crystal and shattered.

...

Then, a vital organ would simply burst or deteriorate.

...

Finally, the dragon would keep bursting into crystals.

Every time he was remade, the dragon would go through these bizarre events, and the Nightmare Lord’s followers would grow much more despair.

"All of this for over 8,000 years..."

8,347 years later...

Morphael was looking over the structured vision and schematics of the hybrid he was trying to create, wondering where he always went wrong.

Finally deciding to give up, the scientist took the body and the nightmare and void orbs over to a portal and through them in.

"After those times... we finally returned..."

The body and the crystals were found by Archipelago and Emerald Shine. But the same failing process went on, over and over and over again for 126 years.

”And at last... we were born again...”

Archipelago looked over at a container of the crystals and simply gazed. Then, something caught his eye within the orbs, looking back and forth at the two for a moment. The scientist gasped, "That's it!" Then he grabbed the two and placed them into another container together.

They started morphing with each other, transforming into this blood red mist and grey smoke with this tarry black mass leaking out in the center. Then Archipelago took the container with the mass to the lab.

...

Archipelago placed the corruptive mass into a larger container, along with a vial of the Nightmare itself. Once the scientist pushed the pad, the process began to start.

"So... what are you thinking about naming it?" Emerald asked.

Archipelago started thinking. He looked at the screen as it told him that the base genome was Neutron Starwyrm.

"I think I will name him... 'Nytbane'."

The creature was made, and thus... his life had taken the toll...

...

Present Day...

Then the creature known as Nytbane, the Dreadbane NM-H hybrid Mark 6, finally whistled out the end of the tune. Cozy Glow was simply in tears from the tune, Chrysalis simply gave a sympathetic look, and Tirek was simply astonished by how much this hybrid had gone through, and he here he stands- alive and walking.

"And so they perfected a creature that would be born to become the very skin of fear, made to erupt, spread and connect to all livings things that worship the moon, recreating them into vessels for my protection. To be made empty.. Dank.. Vile.. and Cruel..."

"...You..." Chrysalis said.

"Yes..."

Chrysalis now began to feel very sad and empathetic, only imagining what going through all that this creature has endured could have felt like.

"...They beat you and harmed... They discarded you and left you for the grave..."

"...And here I am, born to live with this eternal torment from my countless short-living deaths... My bleeding heart, never beating... My mind, bound to corruption... My soul, irredeemably shattered... Never to be whole again..." Nytbane finished.

Chrysalis simply couldn't think about these things and pecked Nytbane on the cheek very affectionately.

"You are truly worthy of my empathy..." She said.

Nytbane simply nodded at the statement. "Not all beings are simply born with a happy life, but they always learn to talk it over... unlike us villains."

"So your motivation of pain is the pony race?" Asks Tirek.

"Not them in general, but also the one who listened to lies of the moon ghoul."

"Ahh... So Princess Luna started all of this with you?" Asked Chrysalis.

"Yes... And they will all... feel... my... PAAAAAAAIIIIIIIIIIIINNN!!!!!"

Nytbane's body and eyes glowed a pure bloody light, and he released a mighty shockwave of Nightmare and plagued the entire base of the mountain itself with such twisted vegetation, eroded rocks and greatly polluted lakes and rivers with muck, diseases and the rotten corpses of every animal that lived on this mountain, under the influence of the nightmare.

The villains were very much frightened of Nytbane's power and shook uncontrollably until Nytbane simply huffed mists of noxious red air from his nostrils, showing great indications of anger, devastation and grief if he had the emotions to do so.

Cozy Glow slowly came to Nytbane and hugged him with so much empathy.

“D-Don't be angry, Nytbane. We’ll help you get revenge on Luna. And we promise that we won’t do anything mean to you also. Right guys?”

“Of course,” Says Chrysalis.

“Obviously,” Says Tirek.

Nytbane didn't respond, he simply stared on into the blackness of his dead vision as he still huffed the dangerous air from his nostrils, the veins inside him pulsating very frightfully.

Then the quartet was silent for a moment. The villain trio looked at each other and nodded.

"Nytbane?” Chrysalis asked.

The hybrid turned his gaze to Chrysalis’ heart.

“We were wondering, if it’s not too much of a concern to you… Perhaps you would like to join us back at Grogar's Lair? It's not exactly home as it is at your old one, but at least it doesn't get very cold inside," Said Chrysalis.

“Yeah, I can show you where my room is if you’d like. It’s a little small, but I think we can make a little more space,” Cozy offered.

“Although, there isn’t really anything ‘horrifying’ that you can feed on,” Tirek pointed.

“But I can make cupcakes,” Cozy remarked.

Nytbane started thinking on the offer. Being part dragon, it was dangerously cold on this mountain, but he did have the ability to store up more body fat to keep out the cold. And being up on this mountain was rather a little lonely, so he wouldn’t mind a little company. However, he took the word ‘cupcakes’ into account, which meant that he would have to make his own fuel of nightmare. However, that didn’t bother him.

"My faithful comrades, I would very much like to accept the offer, but I am afraid that I am not ready to reveal myself to your foes yet. But know that I will always be present within the mind of your hearts. I wish you all I farewell." Says the hybrid, then he released Cozy and flew back up the mountain, leaving the villains to know that he would be a very potential ally for them when needed.

What they didn't know was that Nytbane was watching them from above, the phrase Cozy said to him when she came up to him after his outburst.

"D-Don't be angry, Nytbane. We'll help get revenge on Luna, and we promise not to be mean to you either, right guys?"

"Of course."

"Obviously."

Nytbane's eye started to cry a pure power, but it was not nightmare.

"A promise... to me .....is not good enough.....anymore....... Cozy....."

Chapter 5: The Truth of Spirit

Tirek, Chrysalis, and Cozy Glow were walking through the forest, but every sound made Cozy twitch her head in startlement.

"Why do you keep doing that? It’s like you’ve suddenly developed a fear of your surroundings." Chrysalis said, a little annoyed.

"You should both be relieved that she isn’t twisted, or Grogar would have ended you both for letting her become inordinate by my claw," The creature says.

"What, are you expecting a thank you?" Chrysalis asked with a scoff.

"No, just your reliefs."

"We are," Said Tirek.

"Yes, of course," Says Chrysalis.

The creature simply nodded and they continued walking. It was silent for a few minutes, then the creature started whistling a specific tune.

30 Minutes Later...

Once the creature was done whistling, the changeling and centaur could hear the pegasus filly sniffling as gentle streams of tears slid down her face.

"Are you... crying?" Chrysalis asked in disbelief.

“No! I just... have something in my eye...”

"You would have if you were just as young as Cozy is," The creature said to the changeling.

Chrysalis scoffed, "Why?"

"It is a lament that only orphaned creatures would understand through heart. I would expect you to know since you are alone now."

"What?" Chrysalis asked confusedly.

The creature simply dismounted from Cozy Glow’s back. "You can take yourself ahead with Cozy Glow, Lord Tirek. I think the Queen and I will be having a discussion," He said to the centaur.

Tirek simply sighed, "Fine, but don't fall behind," He said as he started galloping ahead.

Chrysalis and the creature looked at each other. The creature's eyes looked dead and blank on the inside, but Chrysalis was otherwise suspicious. This creature seemed like he was trying to get into her head, and she would not have it.

Chrysalis walked in front of the creature, and he simply stopped before the ooze on his torso touched her hoof, which was safe for her. The changeling queen gave the creature a vexing glare.

"Alright, newt. I'm tired of you playing mind games on me, and I know what you're trying to do," Chrysalis irked the creature.

The creature didn't even arch an eyebrow. "Do you?"

"Cut the act! I see what you're doing, trying to get into my head and turn me soft, but it's not going to happen. I won't let anypony or anyone such as you tell me what I don't know about friendship," Chrysalis irked again.

"Do you know?"

"Of course I do! The Magic of Friendship is like a disease, and it infects those around you. You're just as blind as my hive, and I will not let it get me. So don't even try to put on the act of trying to make me change," The queen hissed.

"I'm not talking to you," The creature simply said.

Chrysalis only arched an eyebrow. "You can see my heart, but you're not talking me directly?"

"No, I am talking to your spirit."

"How do you know what my spirit wants to hear?" Chrysalis tested.

All the creature did was slowly lift up his left lip corner, generating a smirk.

"You don't have emotions, what are trying to smirk about?" The changeling asked demandingly.

"Your spirit has blinded you," The creature responded.

Chrysalis looked at the creature in disbelief. "What are you saying?" Then the creature slowly lifted his right lip corner, generating a smile. Chrysalis thought this was going to be a load of insults to piss her off...

But the creature was right, he wasn't talking to her, and these words were not insults at all.

"Your corrupted spirit has stolen your home and your swarm. Starlight offered you friendship, but you feared that she would have tricked you and taken you down to the depths of Tartarus and locked you away. You have cried and wept as you have believed that you have been disgraced and unloved by your subjects. You act vile, cunning, and malicious, but you can never stop the thought of how you could've lead your swarm... no, raised your swarm when the unicorn offered her friendship to you, but you threw that chance away and fell under Grogar's hoof to be a slave..."

Chrysalis shot a death glare at the creature, but she thought him accursed as he was blind. "Stop..." She threatened with a hiss. The creature dispelled his smile.

"Why? To cease your spirit from listening to its pain? It is your spirit's lust for love-power that has separated you from your kingdom, and it was that which has turned the unicorn's offer away, not yourself. You could have reformed, but you thought that love only means to hug everypony, throw out flowers to them, and say very sappy words to your neighbors. Your corruption has blinded you to the bone, and it has unbalanced you from what you wanted your children and yourself to be..." The creature continued.

Chrysalis was just about ready to lash out at the creature, but at the same time, she felt as if this creature was actually talking to her spirit. The creature talking to her spirit was making her eyes water warm tears from fury and lynch, but sorrow, gloom, and grief.

"Stop lying to... me!" She barked through a gasp.

"It is not a lie, your spirit just refuses to accept it. You even thought of Celestia as a sister from a time, but the plant that has made you, has cursed you with its devious appetite for flesh and bone. You thought your swarm and yourself accursed for that. You thought Celestia would have been a wonderful and loving sister, but your spirit's greed and darkness took hold and made you think of her anything but. When you struck down Celestia at the wedding, you wanted to cry, but your spirit thought it was exhilarating, and you took pride in her downfall."

"When you assumed that Thorax 'betrayed' your Hive, you knew that you wanted to be happy for him and take the chance to learn the ways he learned about friendship, instead your spirit grew hateful and despised the very thought, and that made you hate the idea. When your changelings attacked the Crystal Empire when Flurry Heart was around, you wanted your feral children to not harm your only true son, but your spirit would have him killed instead of spared because of its greed and lust for love-power. When you, Tirek, and Cozy Glow finally managed to work together, you seemed like a sweet little family, you even felt that way yourself, but the darkness and greed only wanted the task to be done and never see them again- which I daresay that you know that you would have deeply regretted."

"Your spirit is corrupt because of the greed for love-power that it has become accustomed to... And you don't even know it."

"STOP!! JUST S-STOP IT!! STOP T-TALKING... Sto-Stop it... s-s-stop..." Chrysalis was going to literally slaughter this creature, but this creature also seemed to… understand her... somehow. She would have torn the creature's brain out and shoved it down his esophagus, but it was useless as this creature could really get to her and really speak to her in a way that no one ever thought of before. She thought this creature resembled the Element of Kindness, but he spoke to her more directly, without hesitation, and he knew how to really speak to somepony or someone in pain. Chrysalis didn't even care to see herself sobbing and bawling into her holey legs, not even in front of a creature that was talking to her very soul.

"I am... not corrupt... I am not... corrupt," Chrysalis whimpered to herself.

"It is not you... You only think that it is." The creature said, sitting before the broken changeling queen.

Chrysalis shook her head, "N-No, I don't... I-I don't... I... d-don't..." Chrysalis could not see how to come back at the creature.

"You do... You just do not know it yet," The creature said as he knelt in front of the changeling, a soft touch on her muzzle. Chrysalis gasped at the creature's touch. She saw his tiny hand on her nose, making her blush a little.

"T-This- This feels weird, what are you doing?" She asked perplexed and a little embarrassed.

"Has there been nopony to comfort you when you weep for your crimes, reassuring you that you will still have a chance to repent for them and a chance to forgive yourself?" The creature asked.

If Chrysalis could read the creature, she would've made it out that he was trying to make the sentence sound polite, but sincere. Somehow she felt... pleased. For some reason she actually liked the creature stroking her mane, but of course she could not soak up his love because he had no emotions for anyone or anything, even if he was trying to show them.

"N-No..." Chrysalis admitted.

"I did not think you did," Then the creature got up and offered a claw. Chrysalis was as confused as she was still trying to pull herself together.

"W-What?" She asked.

"Just a simple hand to help you up," The creature answered.

Chrysalis hesitated as she looked at the claw and then back at the creature. She lifted her hoof and slowly moved it towards the creature's claw. However, the creature retracted it.

"Before you take the action you choose in your mind, test yourself on this: Is he offering a hand for redemption, or is he just going help me up and we can continue the rest of the way?" The creature said.

Chrysalis realized that the creature had a point. Starlight offered redemption, and she thought that Starlight was going to betray her and lock her away in the depths of Tartarus, but this creature was impossible to read. Chrysalis looked away and retracted her hoof a little.

"Just keep this in mind: Even of you don't accept my hand for help, I can always give you a little encouragement. A queen such as yourself... should not deserve to be alone without a comrade, let alone a guardian," The creature said.

Chrysalis looked at the creature in the eyes again, and then... she placed her hoof in his claw. The creature helped her up despite his size.

"I... I will kill you if you tell anypony or anybody about this... But......... Thank you," Chrysalis said a little weakly with a tint of sincerity.

"Of course. No matter what queen you want to be... you can always at least try to hope for a helping hand from a true comrade."

The two simply stood in place, the hybrid staring at Chrysalis' heart, and Chrysalis looking away with a somewhat reminiscent manner, putting one leg in front of the other.

"(Ahem) You are... returning?"

"Oh! Yes, yes, of course." Chrysalis snapped out of her strange feelings about the subject and buzzed off to her comrades, the creature hovering in tow.

Epilogue: A Promise to the Bane of Night

The trio had returned to Grogar's lair.

"You failed to retrieve the Bell!?" Grogar's voice echoed outside.

Inside...

The trio all bowed before the ancient goat. "W-We're so sorry, almighty Grogar," Cozy whimpered.

"But we did work together as you asked," Tirek said with dread.

"I suppose we just aren't as powerful as you," Says Chrysalis worriedly.

"AAARGH!!!!" Grogar shouted in anger and shot a beam of darkness at a wall, creating a massive tunnel in it. The trio were intimidated. "Obviously! But at least you finally came to an agreement and worked together," Grogar said in frustration and a small amount of relief that the trio no longer fought against each other, then he decided to go his quarters for some peace.

"O-Of course, master..." Cozy smiled.

"Whatever you command!" Tirek said.

"Forget about that old bell, my lord. You were right! We are the most powerful force in Equestria, when we work as a team..." Chrysalis said as she and her comrades looked at the bell behind a stalagmite.

A Few Hours Later...

Tirek was simply exercising with his workout set and Chrysalis was talking to her log about meeting someone who might actually understand her.

Cozy however, was looking out a window at the starry skies thinking about him.

He was orphaned like her, but he's been through more than anyone or anypony in her existence ever has. She had tears in her eyes and wiped them away as she sniffled just even thinking about him for a minute.

"Nytbane... If you can hear me out there, wherever you are... I'm waiting for you. Me, Chrysalis and Tirek... we're all waiting for you... I don't know how I can reassure you this, but I want to try and do everything in my power to help you know that......... that I love you..... I love you like a brother, Nytbane..... please know that...."

Elsewhere...

"Please know that I really do love you.... I want to help you, Nytbane...... I really...... want..... to help you......"

Nytbane felt these words from Cozy's heart and simply closed his eye with tears of strange power dripping down his snoutless cheek.

".......I..... will set you all.....

.......

..........

.............

................"

"...Free..."