Dark as Chitin: Soul Theory

Chapters

Chapter 2: Self-Expression
Chapter 3: Help Me, Help You
Chapter 4: Idle Chat
Chapter 5: Expect Less
Chapter 6: Cease Seize and Desist
Chapter 7: Hangover, Pushover?
Chapter 8: Instability
Chapter 1: First Day, Again

Chapter 2: Self-Expression

Chrysalis

"Well," Doctor Coping said as he removed his glasses, rubbing his eyes before placing them back on, "it sounds like you've had it quite rough. You mentioned your son, Chimera, yes? How is he doing?"

What am I doing here? I don't remember scheduling an appointment today. Wait, did I?

"He's doing great, I presume. He saved Equestria and got engaged not too long ago," I stated.

"Good, that's good," he murmured to himself as he began scribbling away at his clipboard.

What is that? Why does he keep doing that?

"Would you say that you're," he paused, tapping his chin with his quill, "proud of him?"

Proud of him? Of course, I'm proud of him. "I am, very much so, yes."

"And, what of your other children? Thorax, for example. Would you say you're proud of him as well?"

"Of course not! He betrayed me and left me to rot in a stone prison!"

Doctor Coping hummed to himself, rolling his head around, chewing on the response before turning to write on his clipboard once more.

There it is again. Every time he does it, I feel anxious.

"But he also saved Equestria too, did he not? As well as lead your people into a far more prosperous age, correct?"

"What, well, yes, but," I found myself frozen at a loss for words.

"But what?" He said with that oh-so-familiar look of expectancy.

It's true, he did do those things, but he... he betrayed me!

"He turned on me!" I planted my hooves on the table, raising my voice more than I would have liked.

The doctor cocked an eyebrow at me. " Yes, that's what you keep saying. Do you mind going into more detail? Why did he turn on you?"

Why did Thorax turn on me? I-I don't know. H-He must've deemed me unnecessary to his plans. Yeah, that's it.

"He wanted the throne for himself! So, he sided with the ponies, persuaded the changelings, and overthrew me!" I declared as I brought my hoof down on the table to emphasize each point. I was angry, angry that I even had to explain this.

Doctor Coping clicked his tongue, placing his clipboard down. "Chrissy, you're hiding again."

"Hiding? A queen does not hide," I maintained, crossing my forehooves as I sat back down, avoiding the doctor's gaze.

"Then look at me and tell me about Thorax before he turned on you. What was your child like?"

Thorax was...well, he was like every other changeling, wasn't he?

"He was like every other changeling," I confessed as I turned back to face Doctor Coping.

"Like every other changeling?"

"Well, yes. We had a hivemind and I was its master, thus I controlled all of the changelings."

"You controlled all of the changelings?"

"Yes."

"Could they think for themselves?"

I pondered the thought. "I...suppose so?"

Coping's eyes narrowed, the anxiety from earlier returning.

"They could," I further elaborated.

The doctor looked at me incredulously, a look I was familiar with, but still served to increase my anxiety.

As if on queue, the mechanical contraption on the desk, an alarm clock, as the doctor calls it, began letting out its signature screeching sound. I felt my magic flare-up in preparation to eradicate the blasted thing, but Doctor Coping snatched it, turning it off with the press of a hoof.

The doctor clicked his tongue once more. "Temper, Chrissy, we talked about this. Anyway, it looks like that's all the time we have for today. Remember to keep up with your exercises, we'll meet again one week from now. Until then, I think you should do some self-reflection, maybe talk with your acquaintance, Starlight, about the revolution of the changelings. Perhaps the faster you reconcile these issues, the faster you'll get those grandfoals you've been pining over, eh?"

Hmm, that is certainly a possibility. If Chimera sees my progression, he might feel the need to expand the family to keep up. But...how am I to progress?

Luster Dawn

He really has come a long way. It feels like just yesterday when his magic was an out-of-control mess. Anon's already capable of utilizing teleportation magic in just a few months of having learned the spell. It's kind of absurd how fast he's growing. He's constantly training but somehow makes time for me and everypony else. Sometimes, I worry that he might be overworking himself, but he insists on being fine. I keep up with my training as well, yet not to the same extent. On some nights, he doesn't even come to bed, instead choosing to train further in the Magic Chamber. If he wasn't a changeling, he probably would have keeled over quite some time ago.

I can tell he's still not over what happened not too long ago. Honestly, I'm not either; it's probably the scariest incident in recorded history. He talks in his sleep though, consistently waking up in a cold sweat. To which I have to coax him back to sleep. He doesn't tell me what the nightmares are about, often brushes them off as "just a bad dream."

I haven't told anypony, but I'm contemplating telling his mother. Maybe she could get through to him. I don't want to be a tattletail; I'm just worried is all. He's been nothing but sweet and loving to me, us, actually. In spite of not yet being married, I already feel like we have a proper family.

I just wish Cozy would come around more. We've gotten closer, I think, but it's clear there's still some distance. I know what she did and I'm willing to look past all of it. It's just that, it's hard to bond with a filly that doesn't want to bond. It doesn't really help that she doesn't exactly have the mentality of a filly either. My friendship lessons don't seem to apply to her at all. Chrysalis makes sense, they have a history together, but I don't know how Anon does it.

Somehow, he treats her like both a full-grown mare and a filly simultaneously. Speaking of Chrysalis, my soon-to-be mother-in-law, she really seems to want grand foals. I mean, I want foals of my own too, eventually. I'm just not if I'm ready for that yet. I'm still a student of the princess after all, and it can be very busy work at times. I've just been lucky with my most recent break. If I have foals, I want to be there for them when they need me, not when it's convenient, just like my mother. I also don't want to leave the work of raising our foals to somepony else.

When we adopted Cozy, for whatever reason, I couldn't find it in myself to part with her. She seemed like such an essential part of our lives and still is. Now, I'm questioning if I'm really up for the task. What am I to her? Do I even amount to the role of a legal guardian? This role seems far more imposing than any task the princess herself has ever given me. Maybe I'll talk to mom and dad about it. Still, I don't want to give up on her. She's an amazing filly, in her own way, and I know she can do great things. I'm just not so sure about myself is all...

Discord

As per request by Twilight, I've taken the position of acting as counselor to Chrysalis. Also, it gives me a chance at the reformation I was trying to accomplish all those years ago. Although, it's not as easy as I had initially hoped. She's had a rough life, given her origins and whatnot, but she can't seem to get over one teensy weensy little event. The renaissance of the changelings has left quite the bitter impression on her.

Specifically, her memories of her son, Thorax. She vehemently believes that he betrayed her for his own selfish gain. Oddly enough, she doesn't seem to hold anything personal against Starlight Glimmer despite the fact that she played a hoof in Thorax's conversion. She even lives under the same roof as her, albeit to be closer to her son, but still...

If I could just use my magic, this would be so much easier. However, for whatever reason, Twilight made it very clear that under any circumstances am I to use it on Chrysalis. I can't imagine why. The princess works in mysterious ways. All she permitted was using an alternate persona to converse with her and "scheduling" appointments.

Even without the use of chaos magic, I find myself growing increasingly exhausted with each interaction. Alas, I'm determined to see this through until the end...

I could really go for a drink with Soul though, or maybe I'll just unwind with Fluttershy. Oh, the woes of a draconequus. Speaking of Fluttershy, I have to pick her up from work in a few hours.

Cozy Glow

Finally, it's lunchtime. I was starting to get real tired of all those friendship lessons. Hug this and compliment that, ugh. Friendship doesn't last long anyway, what's the point in all of this?

Never mind that, it's lunchtime now, possibly my favorite time of day. Not only does it signify the school day being half over, but it also gives me the chance to be alone.

Walking up to the servery of the cafeteria, I took note of just how diverse it was. There were signs detailing food options for the many different Equestria species attending the school; they even had meat.

To my relief, none of the meat seemed to be from any sapient species so I guess it wasn't that concerning. It's odd though, none of this was here when I last attended the school. I guess Twilight's been pretty busy since she became Princess of Equestria.

I approached the lunch lady of the pony servery, already playing up the cutesy facade. As expected, I got a little extra than everypony else.

Nopony can resist my charm...almost nopony anyway.

Caring my tray in the amulet's magic, I made my way to an empty table toward the back of the lunchroom. Taking a seat, ready to enjoy my meal, a shadow was suddenly cast over me.

Pry, I swear if that's you again, I going to shove my tray so far up your flank.

Apprehensively, I turned my attention away from my food, looking up. To my surprise, before me was a group of ponies, hippogriff, minotaur, and a few other species. Those that could fly were doing so with their front limbs crossed as they looked down at me with arrogance and disdain. It was a clique, the kind that thought they owned the school, the popular ones. I was used to this. Being cute comes with its own baggage, envy.

I knew what this was; they were sizing me up. I sat there, midway through taking a bite, waiting for one of them to say something.

One of the ponies was the first to speak up, a unicorn. She had a silver coat, fancy dark grey mane with streaks of blue, magenta eyes, and a cutie mark related to music; notes emanating from a keyboard. "So you're Cozy Glow...I've heard a lot about you. Also heard you've been a statue for eighteen years. Tell us, how'd you deal with all the bird poop?" She said as she looked over at her posy for approval as they began laughing.

So this is the leader. Guess I should take her down a peg or two. "Better than you can deal with your brown nose actually," I said while wearing a mock smile.

The very same group that had been laughing with her, were now laughing at her. The filly looked at me incredulously, clearly taken aback before her expression quickly switched to anger.

Without warning, her horn flared pink with magic, enveloping my tray as it was flung off the table. Before any of the food or tray could hit the floor, however, it all stopped as if suspended in time. Entropy on the objects seemed to flow in reverse as all of it rearranged itself to exactly how it was prior to being thrown.

Was that magic? I couldn't sense any. That felt so unnatural to see.

"Bullying? At the school of friendship no less? How distasteful. Can't we all just get along?" Pry said, suddenly appearing behind the group, smiling kindly.

The gang stumbled back, clearly put off by this turn of events.

The filly huffed to herself before turning to trot away. "Come on, let's go. We've wasted enough time here."

Pry tilted his head in confusion, still smiling as the group left. "Was it something I said?"

Chapter 3: Help Me, Help You

Chapter Music

Cozy Glow

"What the buck are you doing?" I said in a low enough tone to be heard only by the absurdly naive colt sitting across from me.

He sat there with a dumbfounded expression as he stuffed his face with a slice of cake, my slice of cake. His cheeks swelled as he suddenly began beating his chest with a hoof, presumably choking on the cake. Good. Unfortunately, he found it in himself to swallow the knot in his throat before turning his attention back at me.

"I was helping."

I felt my right eye twitch at that. "I didn't ask for your help, I had it under control."

If this stupid colt didn't get in the way, I could have wiggled my way into their little gang, solidifying myself as a higher up in the social hierarchy of the school. It would have been smooth sailing from there.

"Didn't seem that way to me," he countered, stuffing his face with one of my hay fries, "your food almost ended up on the floor."

To Tartarus with the food!

"That's it! What's the deal with you!? You keep appearing out of nowhere, you follow me around like some lost puppy, and now you get in the way of my plans! Spill it, what do you want from me?!"

Pry's ears folded back as he wore an expression of shame. As he should.

Sighing, he levitated the book out of his bag and onto the table, opening it to a specific page. Rotating the book the face me, he pushed it forward. That specific page held an oddly specific list, a bucket list.

"I want to be your friend, Cozy."

Buck-It List

Raid Twilight's Royal Pantry (Again)
Prank Celestia With Luna (Never Again)
Buy Shining Armor A New Ponies & Dragons Set (Again)
Finish Tech Blueprints
Apologize to Pinkie Pie For Teaching Li'l Cheese The B-Word (Too Dangerous)
Beat Rainbow In A Race (Not Cheating If She Can't Prove It)
Get Discord Laid (W.I.P.)
Model For Rarity (It Makes Me Feel Pretty)
Become Friends With Cozy Glow
Seranade Luna

What is this? Is this some kind of joke? Why does a colt have a buck-it list? Why is that what I'm questioning? I smacked the book off the table, standing up in my seat as I planted my hooves on the tabletop, causing Pry to lean back. "Read my lips. I do not want to be your friend."

He looked down, the gears in his head grinding the cobwebs as he came to terms with what he had just been told.

"Understandable, have a nice day," he formally stated, sliding out his seat while simultaneously slipping on a deer-stalker hat from his bag.

He trotted over to the book on the floor, tossing it into his bag with his magic before turning to face me. "If you change your-"

I cut him off. "I won't."

He simply nodded, "I see," trotting off to Faust knows where.

Once he was gone, I allowed myself to calm down, becoming aware of what I had just done and where I was. Everyone in the Cafeteria was now staring at me.

Sometime later...

Today's been a massive pain in my flank. Luckily, it's the last class of the day, Stinkie Pie's lesson in laughter.

"As all of you know, it feels good to laugh. Laughter is an essential part of every friendship. So, for today's friendship exercise, your goal is to make your partner laugh. However, there's a catch. Your partners will be," she paused as a drum roll sounded from nowhere, "random!"

On queue, confetti shot out from the ceiling, leaving many students both astonished and annoyed. Take a guess on which side I fell into.

Ms. Pie began drawing straws from a tin can in pairs, calling out the various names of students. I was on the edge of my seat the entire time, praying to Faust that I didn't get paired with Pry. That would be awkward, to say the least.

"And the final pair is...Cozy Glow and Private Eye! Also, as an added rule, you aren't allowed to leave until you get at least a giggle. I'll be watching, go!"

Gosh, darn it! Can't anything go my way?

I looked around the comically messy classroom only to see that many of my peers were already finding success. What I didn't see, however, was Pry. Now's an awful time to finally buzz off.

My desperation grew by the second, realizing that I might have to stay after school just because I couldn't complete some stupid assignment. Maybe Mera could bail me out...fat chance.

I continued looking around until I finally spotted him sitting just behind me. How had I not noticed him again? He sat at his desk looking down at the open pages of his book, wearing an indifferent expression, tired eyes darting from word to word.

I began trotting over to him, but the closer I got, the more nervous I became. I couldn't explain why. It was like something was eating away at me inside. I'm probably just fed up is all.

Many of the smaller individuals of the class had appropriately sized desks, so I was now standing at eye level with Pry. Only, his eyes didn't meet mine; he didn't acknowledge my presence at all. Calling his name bore no fruit either. I knew what this was, it was the silent treatment. I didn't take Pry for the petty type. This is bad. Still, even if he pretended not to notice me, he should be able to hear me.

"I have a joke about trickle-down economics. But you won't get 99% of it." No reaction.

Okay, so that one didn't work. He's gonna be a tough nut to crack.

"When does a joke become a dad joke?" I paused, knowing he wouldn't respond, "When it leaves and never comes back."

He smirked, flipping a page in his book. Still not good enough. Come on! Everypony loves that one!

The following few minutes consisted of me executing every possible joke and act I could think of to get his attention, but nothing worked.

Ugh, you're the most stubborn colt I've ever met.

I had exhausted all of my other options. It was time to take a more physical approach. Nopony could stand being tickled, it was just a matter of fact.

Maneuvering behind him, I began targeting his obliques, prepared to end his lifetime career of breathing. It's payback time.

Throwing my hooves out, I was shocked to find that they stopped short, suspended in some sort of matrix. There was like some kind of invisible force field in the way. The harder I pushed, the more resistance I was met with. A barrier? No, that wasn't it. The farther I reached, the slower I went. At this rate, I would never reach him. Darn Colt, cheating with magic. I can't even dispel it, I don't even know what spell this is.

Suddenly, I fell on my face, the resistance abruptly vanishing. As for my momentum...not so much.

"Sorry Cozy, didn't notice-," he paused before chuckling, "What in Equestria are you doing, Cozy? You look ridiculous."

Against my own expectations, I began laughing as well. Not because I found the situation humorous but because I was glad I had finally accomplished my goal. I can't stand this colt.

Chimera

Right then, should be about that time. Pinpointing Cozy's location with my magic, I activated my teleportation spell, appearing just outside the School of Friendship. Students were filing out of the building, happily greeting their family members in various ways. I searched the sea of heads, looking for a particular pink filly when I finally spotted her. She trudged through the front doors, head hanging low as she let out an exasperated sigh.

I trotted over to her, meeting her halfway. "Rough day?"

"I wanna go home," she muttered without looking at me.

No snark? It must've been really bad then. "Say no more."

My magic shimmered to life, enveloping Cozy as I retraced my previous coordinates. In a flash, we were back at the Castle just outside her room. Well, it was once my room, but I moved in with Dawn as her personal cuddle buddy, but I digress.

Cozy stumbled onto her bed, throwing herself down face first, unmoving.

Whatever happened, it clearly had taken its toll on her. When this happens to me, I find that talking about it helps ease the stress. Mom's a surprisingly good listener.

I sat beside her on the bed, not too close, but also not too far. "You wanna talk about it?"

Through pillows and bedsheets, I heard a muffled, "no," in response. Maybe I should give her some time to herself.

I shifted my weight on the bed, prepared to get off when I suddenly heard something else more clearly. "Why are colts so dumb?"

Colts? I'm not really sure how to respond to that. I haven't really interacted with many colts, and I kind of skipped that stage in development.

I stayed silent for a moment, unsure of what to say. Looking over my shoulders, I saw that Cozy was now laying on her back, limbs laid out as she blankly stared up at the ceiling. Think, Chimera, think! This is one of the rare moments when Cozy is actually seeking guidance from you! What will she think of you when you have absolutely nothing to offer!

Folding my forehooves over each other, I cleared my throat. "Colts are...complicated, yet incredibly simple at the same time. When you talk to a colt, you have to be as direct as possible without coming off as rude. It's a tight balance to maintain, and difficult for almost anypony to figure out. Luckily, you're not just anypony," I unreadily stated.

Cozy slowly moved her hooves up to her face, rubbing her eyes in slow circles. "Neither is he," she muttered.

He? Is she talking about who I think she's talking about? Oh, Faust, what did he do?

"He? It's one colt?"

"Some blank flank named Private Eye. He keeps popping up out of nowhere and following me around. Not to mention that weird magic he uses. I can't wrap my head around him, but I want to wrap my hooves around his throat," Cozy snapped as she violently mimed the action in the air.

Yup, it's him. I'll be sure to have a chat with Soul later. "While I'm sure your feelings are...justified, I don't think it has to come to that."

She moaned in frustration, allowing her hooves to plop to her sides once more.

"Hey, chin up. Tell you what, I'll talk to the school about it. I'll also make you a deal. If you can go at least a week without strangling this colt, I'll take you shopping wherever you want."

At this, Cozy's head slowly tilted toward me. "Really?"

"Cross my heart and hope to fly, stick a cupcake in my eye."

Sitting up slowly, she stretched out her wings. "Fine. It's a deal."

Honestly, I might come to regret this later, but I think she deserves it. She's actually been pretty well behaved lately, and I'd hate for Soul to tip her over the edge.

Cozy rolled out of bed, making way to the door before opening it with her magic.

"Where are you going?" I asked curiously.

"I'm hungry."

"In that case, Dawn made dinner. She should still be in the kitchen actually."

"'kay."

Luster Dawn

I tried my hoof at making Spaghetti and Wheat Balls, one of my dad's recipes. I normally don't cook, but dad said it would help take my mind off things. Almost everypony said it was good, but I'm just not so sure if that's the case. It feels like it's missing something. Oh well, everypony's already eaten, I'll just throw it out.

As I levitated the pot to the trash, I was surprised to see the small figure of Cozy Glow coming through the kitchen doorway. She looked...out of it.

"Oh, e-evening Cozy, I made Spaghetti and Wheat Balls. Care to try some?"

"Yes, please," she tiredly responded.

Manners? That's rare. I canceled my actions, setting the pot down and scooping out a spoonful onto a plate. I levitated the plate over to her just as she climbed up onto one of the high chairs using her stubby little legs. Adorable.

I waited with bated breath as she lazily took a bite, levitating the fork in her magic, something I didn't know she could do. It must have something to do with that necklace she's wearing. I'll ask Mera about it later.

She chewed on the food for a while before swallowing with an unchanging expression.

"What do you think?"

"I mean, it's good, a bit bland though," she then stuck the fork in a wheat ball before levitating it a bit off the plate.

I watched as the wheat ball fell apart with ease. "And the wheat balls are a bit soggy, don'tcha think?"

I knew it was something. "Bland? How so?"

She placed a hoof to her chin before pointing it just behind me. "Pass me those."

I had left the spices I used on the counter. Intrigued, I floated the spices to the table, placing them in front of her. She picked up each bottle, inspecting the labels closely before she began adding a blend of her own spices to the food. Afterward, she mixed the pasta up before taking another bite, giving a content nod.

Unconsciously, I tilted my head curiously as I watched her. Cozy took notice of this and pushed the plate over to me. "Try it."

Grabbing the fork in my magic, I twirled it in the center of the pasta before lifting it to my mouth to take a bite. It was...better. Perfect, actually.

"Cozy, this is... this is amazing," I stammered out in bewilderment.

"Yeah, I can't do anything for the wheat balls though."

This gives me an idea. "Cozy, are you free right now?"

"I guess."

"Good, I'll be needing your help."

Sometime Later

Starlight Glimmer

After a long night of research, I was fully intent on indulging in a bottle of Apple Cider. Emphasis on "was."

As I entered the kitchen, it was now an unrecognizable mess, a diverse array of food dishes strewn all over the place.

"No, no, two tablespoons of black pepper, now we have to start over," Cozy Glow yelled as she reprimanded Luster Dawn who was frantically sifting through various assorted spices while Cozy flew above her.

"What's going on?"

Chapter 4: Idle Chat

Chapter Music

Starlight Glimmer

"What's going on?" I asked in confusion, my words falling on deaf ears.

Okay, I guess I'll just come back later. Turning to trot away, I came just a few steps away from bumping into Chrysalis who was wearing a difficult-to-read expression.

"Chrysalis, I didn't see you there. Are you going to the kitchen? It's a bit of a mess right now so-"

"No," she said as she shook her head solemnly before looking me in the eyes. "Starlight, could I have a moment of your time, to talk, in private?"

She wants to talk to me? Well, I've never been one to turn down a friend.

"Of course, did you have somewhere specific in mind?"

I always wondered what Chrysalis' room looked like. I never went or even peered inside out of respect for her privacy, so now is kind of a confounding moment for me.

We had cleared out the old storage room for her, giving her full reign to decorate it however she liked. Surprisingly, her knack for interior design is phenomenal. Seriously, this room would put Twilight's royal chamber to shame. Hard to believe it was just a dusty storage room not too long ago.

We sat across from each other at a small coffee table as Chrysalis poured each of us a cup of tea. Taking a sip, I savored the flavor of lemongrass before placing the cup back down. Such a gesture was something Twilight had taught me; it establishes an unspoken vow of trust between parties.

I'm sure my display did not go unnoticed as Chrysalis smiled softly to herself before clearing her throat. "Anyways, the reason I brought you here was to talk about...Thorax."

Thorax? Oh boy, this can't be good. I nodded understandingly, bracing myself for what she had in store.

"What," she paused, looking down at the table with a troubled expression, "what was he like?"

Huh?

???

The soul is a semi-self sustainable storage medium, a culmination of a being's experiences, memories, and will. Every being has a soul, even artificial ones can eventually develop a soul if they reach a certain level of intelligence. As for what the soul is made of, it's ephemeral metaphysical energy I've dubbed, anima.

The mind and body nourish the soul and vice versa. When the body perishes, the soul will extract the data from the mind before separating itself from the vessel and finding its way into the afterlife. It will then enter "The Cycle," where it will be cleansed and recharged, the data extracted into "it." Shapeless, incompressible...hungry. Subsequently, the souls will be distributed throughout the universe at unfathomable speeds in search of a new vessel.

I'm not quite sure what "it," is, but I do know that it won't let me go. I've existed for quite some time, from the primordial soup to the modern age of man, reincarnating an incalculable amount of times, unable to escape the grasp of the entity. For whatever reason, "it," refuses to extract my data, I'm uncertain if it even can at this point.

Through my many lives, I've obtained knowledge of countless species, some surpassing any advancement mankind could ever hope to accomplish, others as insignificant as dust. After being alive for so long, however, I want nothing more than to be freed from my shackles of existence.

Thus, I devised a plan. Under normal circumstances, souls are bound to the realm of reality they're created in, but by modifying my anima and injecting it into another's soul, those restrictions come undone. Gateways to other realities open.

When the soul leaves the body, it also leaves behind its anima signature in minuscule amounts. That signature can then be traced back to the soul, no matter where it is. It's part of the reason I can't escape this eternal cycle of torment. That changes now though.

You see, the universe doesn't like it when you change its rules, and it tends to react rather violently to even the smallest adjustments in its laws. So, what would happen if one were to create a breach in reality, establishing a link between worlds: worlds in separate plains of existence, worlds with their own laws of physics, worlds with their own forms of energy?

In theory, as the most likely outcome, both worlds will perish. When exposed to unknown elements and physics, dark matter becomes highly unstable, destroying itself and whatever it was exposed to.

It just so happens that dark matter accounts for nearly 85% of the matter in the universe. Once the link is established, destruction is assured. I just need to make sure to be careful with my newest subject, he's one of a kind. I'm starving for freedom and I just found my meal ticket. Now then, let's see where his soul went.

Soul

I feel like someone's talking about me...oh well. Now that the day's over, I can finally stretch my wings. Releasing the transformation spell I had on my vessel, I grew to my full height as I took on my alicorn form. To be honest, I have many forms, but I've grown accustomed to this one after centuries of training in Faust's domain while using it. I'm not truly an alicorn or anything else, for that matter. I suppose I'm something akin to a golem, capable of conjuring a physical form around my core through magical transmutation.

Staring up at an open window from below a building at Silver Shoals, I steadied myself in preparation to sing my heart out, taking in the visage of the beautiful night sky, Luna's night sky. Just before I could start, however, I sensed a familiar magical presence from behind me.

I spun on a dime already in the motion of initiating I and Chimera's signature hoof-shake, which was met with a satisfying click and thud. We pulled each other in hugging the other with our free hoof. "Chimera, what's up bro?"

We broke our embrace, standing a few steps away from each other. "Not much," he said as he looked up at the sky, "I just wanted to talk about Cozy."

Cozy? Oh, that filly I was assigned to watch.

"Yeah? I'm listening, cute ki-," I stopped mid-sentence, remembering that's the technical term for a baby coat "filly, cute filly, by the way."

Chimera shook his head as he smiled to himself. "Firstly, thanks for looking after her, but I was wondering if you could maybe dial it down a bit. She came home exhausted, talking about wanting to...strangle you."

Huh, I do have that effect on people.

"I'll admit, I was a bit overbearing. I'll tone down from now on, pinkie promise."

"Thanks, Soul. I, uh, guess I'll leave you to do what you were doing," Chimera gestured with a hoof before stepping back and teleporting away.

Alright then, back to Luna. Now I know what you're thinking, "it's not a good idea to fall for your bosses' daughter," but I fear it's too late. It happened shortly after my departure from Faust's realm. Yes, I remember it like it was yesterday. I had been taking a nap under the night sky atop Twilight's Castle when Luna came to me in a dream, curious about my identity. With good reason; I would be concerned too if a demi-god suddenly appeared in my world without warning.

From there we bonded over common interests like foalish pranks and concepts of modern technology. Before I knew it, I had fallen for her, which brings us to now. I cleared my throat once more in preparation to sing when a sudden crippling wave of nausea passed over me. It was as if I was being pulled, but not in any particular direction, just pulled. As quickly as the nausea had hit, it had left, leaving me very confused.

What was that? Has Pinkie Pie finally sought revenge on me by using her experimental laughing gas?

"Fine, you win, Pinkie! I'm sorry! I'm sorry for teaching Li'l Cheese the B-word!"

"You should be!" Pinkie yelled as she popped out of a nearby bush.

It's always something. I looked again as I heard the sound of stifled laughter to see Luna giggling into a hoof. Well, at least she's happy.

Starlight Glimmer

"No, that can't be true," Chrysalis muttered to herself as she paced back and forth before snapping her head to look at me, "you're lying!"

"Chrysalis, I've done nothing but tell you the truth. Thorax didn't want to do what he did, he felt he had to."

"B-but, that would mean," Chrysalis suddenly fell on her flank, a looking of defeat on her face as she came to tears, "I'm a bad mother."

Oh Faust, no, no. I can't leave her like this. Getting off my seat, I trotted over her, bringing her into a hug. The fact that she didn't fight it in the slightest was concerning.

"Chrysalis, while I'm sure your parenting antics have been...questionable in the past, that's clearly no longer the case. Just look at Chimera. You raised him all on your own while being trapped in stone, only to have him go on to save all of Equestria from one of the greatest threats it has ever faced. He's now engaged and continues to rigorously push himself to new heights just in case the situation ever arises where he'll need to step up. Some nights, he doesn't even sleep," I pushed Chrysalis away, holding her by the shoulders to look her in the eyes, "Please talk to him about that, by the way. It's scaring my daughter."

Chrysalis looked down at the floor. "Even so, that doesn't change the past. I did terrible things to my children: used them, abused them, I even sacrificed them for my own selfish ambition."

"Yeah, that does sound pretty bad...but owning up to your mistakes is part of the path to redemption. Believe it or not, that guilt you feel is a good thing, in moderation. But if you hold that guilt inside without reconciling the issue behind it, it will eat away at you. You feel like a bad mother, so apologize to your children."

"But how can I?" Chyrsalis' voice cracked. "How can I face them after everything I've done?"

I grabbed Chrysalis' face in my hooves, craning her head until she was looking at me. "You don't have to do it alone, but the words need to come from you," I pressed a hoof to her chest, "your heart."

I released Chrysalis, walking over to the door, opening it with my magic, and turning to look back at her. "I'll be waiting, so when you're ready just let me know."

Turning back around to face the doorway, I took a few steps before stopping as I heard Chrysalis speak up from behind me. "Thank you, Starlight. I really don't know how to repay you."

"It's what friends are for, but you could start by talking to Chimera about his...insomnia. He's probably in the magic chamber as we speak."

Chimera

Damnit, it's still too inefficient! Whenever I teleport, I expend far too much magic during the execution of the spell, so I can't use it more than three times in a row under normal circumstances. The only reason I'm still conscious is that I'm in the magic chamber. How can I protect anypony when I'm still so weak?

I took a deep breath, prepared to teleport once more only to stop myself as the door to the room creaked open. I craned my neck around to see my mother. Immediately, I concealed my frustration, trotting over to greet her. Mother hardly ever come into the magic chamber, so seeing her here felt somewhat strange. Not that I wasn't happy to see her, I mean, I'm always happy to see her. Unless it's when I catch her on the other end of a door, listening in on conversations between Dawn and me.

"Mother, what brings you-," I paused, taking note of the telltale signs that she had been crying, "Is everything alright? What's wrong?"

She wiped her face with a foreleg, shaking her head afterward, "I'll tell you what's wrong, your sleep habits are terrible. It's not good for your health."

My sleep habits? "Mom, it's fine, I can just replenish my vitality using ma-"

I promptly silenced with a hoof to the mouth. "None of that, besides, even if you are fine physically, you won't be mentally. The mind needs time to rest, it's not meant to be running at full capacity all of the time. Don't you know your performance decreases the more sleep-deprived you are?"

I did read something about that...

"Whatever has gotten into you, child?"

I looked down at my hooves, unsure of what to say.

"Hmm, yes, I see. That certainly is cause for concern."

Huh?

"Dear, please. Hiding your emotions from me is as impossible as it is to hiss and yawn at the same time," she stated plainly as she turned my face toward her with her hooves, "you're scared, frustrated even, are you not?"

She's right. I am scared, scared of not being strong enough to-

"You're scared of not being strong enough to protect those important to you. Well, that's natural. Yet, in pursuit of power, make sure you don't lose sight of the reason you started in the first place," she paused, giving time for the words to sink in, "Tell me, when did you last allow yourself to rest?"

"Two...days ago," I murmured.

"That won't do at all, your future children will suffer. Get to bed," she said, releasing me as she trotted over to the door, "and look after your health from now on. Don't forget, your betrothed worries about you as well."

Dawn...I should probably get to bed. I have been feeling kind of strange lately.

Chapter 5: Expect Less

Chapter Music

Cozy Glow

I sighed as I trudged over to my first-morning class. Another day at my dismay. Thankfully, Mera talked to the school. Pry's presence isn't nearly as infuriating as the first day. Sometimes, if I'm not careful, I actually find myself enjoying his company from time to time...ugh.

He's still annoying though, but, at the same time, it's almost like he's the only one I can talk to as an equal in this place. Everypony else is just too foalish, naive, or stupid. While Pry is foalish and stupid in his own right, he's far from being naive. I wonder if I'm even talking to a colt my age at times.

There's also this look in his eyes, it's hardly noticeable if you're not searching for it. I missed it the first day, all I saw was tired eyes. It's cold, calculating; nothing like what his personality would suggest. He's always watching like some kind of overseer, even when he's reading!

I feel like I'm in the frog of his hoof and it makes me want to strangle him even more, but I can't. It's the last day of Mera and I's bet, and too much is riding on me being well-behaved.

Walking through the doorway to the classroom, I could see that students were already in a talkative mood. Ignoring the ambiance, I took my seat near the back of the classroom. I also took note of the time on the clock above the entrance. Nine minutes until class starts.

Resting my chin on a hoof, I turned my head slightly zoning out a bit. Pry was already seated next to me, reading a book like usual. I attempted to read the title, but I didn't have a very good angle.

"Mornin'," Pry said, without looking up from the book.

"Yeah, it is."

He smirked, closing the book as he slipped it into his bag. "Smart-aleck."

"Blank-flank."

"Pygmy."

"Egg-head."

He chuckled to himself in response. "Alright, Dozy-Grow. You win."

See what I mean? Still annoying, and I don't even have a good comeback for that. So what if I'm short? I'm still growing. I'm one centimeter taller since being trapped in stone, Dawn measured me!

Pry's eyes drifted away from me and toward the front of the room, eyes widening a bit as he did so before going back to his neutral expression. "3 o'clock, look."

Glancing in said direction, I was surprised to see the same filly from the other day, the alpha mare. She trotted from the front of the classroom toward our direction with her head held high. I'm not even sure if she could see where she was going, but she never crashed so I guess she could.

Eventually, she reached the vacant seat next to me, sitting down in an overly theatrical manner. She whipped her mane back and forth before moving it out of the way with a hoof, head turned toward me. Her eyes went wide with synthetic surprise as she raised a hoof to her muzzle. "Oh, it's you!"

"Hello Ms. Song," Pry said, peering around me.

Her eyebrows contorted in confusion. "You... know me?"

"By this point, who doesn't?"

Pry, what are you doing? She's clearly up to something. Why are you feeding her ego?

"It appears my reputation proceeds me then."

"That it does, musical prodigy and fashionista extraordinaire," he added amiably.

"Golly, might as well ask for an autograph while you're at it," I muttered.

"My, my, it appears somepony's done their research. Say, how would like the exclusive opportunity of being my personal protégé?"

Protégé? Come on! That's just another term for lackey. Can she be any more transparent? Pry, you better not accept.

"As enticing as that offer sounds, I'm afraid I cannot accept. I already have a mentor."

That's right, he already has a mentor! Wait, he has a mentor? I never would have guessed that. I'm kind of curious who they are now...

She grimaced for the briefest of moments before putting her facade back on. "I...see. What did you say your name was again?"

He pointed a hoof at himself. "Private Eye, Pry for short."

"Say, Pry, we should be friends. My friends and I having lunch behind the school today, you should join us."

Pry hummed to himself, as if deep in thought. "I don't see why not. Consider me there."

No, you idiot! It's a trap! Song smiled to herself, standing up from her seat just as the five-minute bell went off. "I should get to class now, it was wonderful meeting you."

With that, she walked out of the classroom and out of sight. She wasn't even in our class, the audacity... why did she show up in the first place? As for Pry, I'm starting to think has he a few screws loose.

"What is wrong with you?" I whispered aggressively.

"What? She said she wanted to be friends."

"Friends? Are you actually mentally challenged? That was an obvious lie."

"Relax, what's got you so worked up?"

"I-,uh," I found myself stumbling over words, unable to answer, "whatever."

Why am I getting so worked up? Like I care what happens to this colt! Far be it from me to help the fool.

Chrysalis

I've conquered the most vicious of warlords, stolen the hearts of the most faithful, and have been brought to the brink of death countless times, but all of that pales in comparison to what I feel now. I've never been more terrified. Today's the day I reunite with my children. It's also the day of my next meeting with my therapist, but that doesn't come until later. It doesn't help my situation much though.

There's another glaring issue that I'm not sure is good or bad. My children don't know that I'm coming. They should know that I'm no longer in stone, but I haven't made contact with them in any way, shape, or form since then. Starlight requested an urgent meeting with the changeling's royal council without discussing the topic at hoof. Now I'm wearing the guise of Crackle Cosette, while putting all effort into concealing my emotions as I trot beside Starlight to the council room.

Eventually, we came to a halt; the fleet of changeling guards opened the entryway, allowing us passage. While Starlight stepped forward, I found myself unable to. There they were; my children sat atop their thrones in all their regality, and at the center was none other than Thorax. The whirlwind of emotions I had been feeling had finally become too much to bear, effectively paralyzing me: guilt, joy, and most prominently, fear.

My eyes were locked on Thorax, as he eyed me with confusion. I felt a hoof on my shoulder, as the visage of Starlight came into view, smiling warmly.

"It'll be fine, Chrissy, just breathe," Starlight suggested, before strolling into the room.

Despite my fear, I did as she suggested, following suit as I had no desire to be left behind. The door's behind us shut with a thunderous reverberation, doing nothing to ease my anxiety.

The oligarchy descended their thrones, making their way over to the two of us. Upon reaching us, they bowed, an action we mimed before they all took on more serious expressions.

"As great as it is to see you, you spoke of an urgent issue, correct?" Thorax questioned.

"I did, yes. It's something concerning all of changeling kind."

The oligarchy shuffled nervously. Starlight took a step back, presenting me as she gave another courteous bow.

Starlight's voice suddenly entered my head, telepathy. "It's time, Chrissy, remember to just breathe, speak from the heart."

I took a few deep breaths, allowing my disguise to slip off in a burst of green smoke and flames. My reveal was met with shocked gasps as my children were taken aback.

"Chrysalis," Thorax hissed, venom lacing his voice.

That reaction was something I expected, but that didn't mean it hurt any less.

Thorax's magic flared, but before he could do anything, Starlight stepped between us, standing on her hindlegs as she held her forelegs defensively out toward Thorax. "Wait, wait, wait! Everypony, just calm down. She's not here to cause any trouble. All we ask is for a bit of your time."

Thorax's magic died down as he allowed the tension to somewhat subside. I could tell based on the maelstrom of emotions in the room that I was on thin ice.

With one last deep breath, I spoke up. "It's been a while, my children."

Many of them grimaced at this, making no attempts to hide their disdain, an act that served to inflict further pain upon me.

"Why are you here?" Pharynx asked curiously as he stepped forward.

"I-I," I couldn't help but turn my head away from them in shame, "I've come to...apologize."

A commotion broke out in the room again. "Apologize?"

"She's never apologized."

"What if it's not really her?"

"Everypony, please!" Starlight snapped, returning the room to silence.

I continued. "I realized that I haven't been the mother you all deserved, that my pride caused me to lose sight of what mattered most. I'm," I found it in myself to look at my children once more, no longer concealing my emotions, "I'm sorry."

"Step aside," an unnamed changeling said as she stepped forward, her horn glowing light pink.

The light from the horn enveloped my form for a brief moment only for nothing to happen once it had faded. The changeling stepped back in shock. "Sh-She's the real deal," she announced in disbelief.

It was at this moment that any semblance of majesty that Thorax possessed dissolved. In the span of a few seconds, Thorax's filled with horror as he scrambled to an open window, throwing himself out of it, and flying out of sight in a hurried manner.

"Should...we go after him?" Pharynx asked, sounding confused.

Out of all the things that could have happened, that was the least expected.

A Few Hours Later...

Cozy Glow

Welp, it's lunchtime and for once, I'm alone. Alone...it's not as peaceful as I had hoped it'd be. What is this sinking feeling in my gut? Where's that stupid colt at? Right, he agreed to have lunch with that filly and her friends behind the school. Maybe I'll check it out.

I rounded the corner for a hallway, making my way to the back of the school when I spotted the blank-flank himself, trotting without a care in the world.

I hid behind a wall, not wanting to get spotted. I'll probably come off as a stalker if he sees me; he'll never let me live it down. Once he rounded another corner and disappeared out of sight, I stealthy made my way over to where he had been. We repeated this process for some time until he reached a set of doors that led outside. This place got some major expansions since I last attended. It's crazy big.

He pushed the doors open with his magic, stepping outside, and rounding yet another corner.

"Pry, over here!" Somepony yelled from somewhere outside.

I pressed an ear to the double doors, listening as his hoof-steps drew further away. Once it was clear, I quietly opened one of the doors and slipped through, shutting the door softly behind myself. I went in the direction Pry went, reasoning that he must have turned another corner. I stopped against the wall I had been walking along, peering around the edge.

Pry stood with his flank turned to me, looking around confused. I heard a sloshing sound from nearby, but couldn't determine where exactly it was coming from.

Without warning, a downpour of water fell on Pry, rendering him soaking wet. Laughter ensued from the rooftop, revealing the alpha mare, Song, and her posy.

"You actually came? Do you have something lose in that head of yours? Why would I want to be friends with a blank-flank?"

Pry remained still before suddenly shaking his body, wringing the excess water out which caused his coat to puff out a bit. Even after he had rung out the water, he stood there sniffling and shaking. Was he crying? Whatever, I have no sympathy for him. I did try to warn him.

"Aww, is little Pry gonna cry? Should have just accepted my offer then," Song mocked.

The sniffling continued, growing louder before it developed into a giggle, then a chuckled. Pry threw his head back, laughing maniacally putting everyone on edge, including me. I knew there was something wrong with that colt. Did he finally snap?

Pry settled down, wiping a few tears away from his eyes. "On a scale of one to ten, I give it a seven," he stated with hubris. He then cast a spell, drying his body completely and fixing his disheveled coat.

"B-wha?! Hey, that's cheating!" She yelled from the roof, pointing a hoof vindictively.

Unfortunately, she made the mistake of leaning a bit too far off the ledge, plummeting to her demise, as her friends were too slow to catch her. Not that they tried. She screamed as she flailed around frantically with her eyes shut tightly, trying to slow her fall with magic but failing miserably. From that height, she'll undoubtedly break something and it won't be a clean break either with how she's panicking. I guess it's true what they say, karma's a witch.

Just as Song was about to hit the ground, all of her momentum vanished as she was caught in a veil of pale blue magic, floating mere centimeters above the ground. Song continued to flail around even as Pry gently lowered her to the ground, providing quite the spectacle.

I can't understand why he saved her, but even I have to admit, he's pretty talented at magic. Why doesn't he have a cutie mark yet?

Her friends laughed, but Pry only looked at her with deep concern. Pry then shook his head lightly before clearing his throat and nudging her with a hoof. "You can open your eyes now, Ms. Song."

She slowly creaked one eye open, seeing the ground just below her. Her eyes then shot open as she stopped her spasming. Pry released his magical hold on her, watching as she stood up shakily.

"Thank you."

Pry simply turned around and walked away...in my direction. I ran to the door as fast as possible, slipping through and making my way down the hallway. It occurred to me that I wasn't going to get far without being noticed. So in a last-ditch effort, I removed the lid from a garbage bin, throwing myself inside and placing the lid overhead.

I listened as the hoof steps moved past the bin and down the hallway, growing more distant with each passing second. After a while, I peered outside of my hiding spot only to be met with a set of dark and tired eyes staring back at me. I jerked back in fright, knocking over the bin with myself in it while Pry just laughed to himself.

"Why are you so weird, Cozy?"

Stupid colt.

Chapter 6: Cease Seize and Desist

Segment Music

Starlight Glimmer

When Thorax fled the throne room, everyling and myself split up to look for him. Chrysalis and I have had no luck in finding him though, which is strange because Chrysalis is actively trailing his emotions.

"This doesn't make any sense, Thorax is one of the bravest stallions I know."

He even stood up to Chrysalis once before, so why did he run away?

"Chrysalis, do you have any idea what he might be feeling?"

Chrysalis, who was running beside me, remained silent for a moment. "Fear, confusion, and...sadness."

"Sadness?"

"No, that's not quite right. It's...guilt?"

I can understand the confusion and even the fear, but guilt? Why would he feel guilty?

"Wait, Starlight, he's nearby."

That's good, he won't get away this time. Every time we encroached on his hiding place, he would just fly away again while spamming a plethora of spells that made it hard to track him. Luckily, I've already thought of a plan to counterattack his attempts at fleeing.

Igniting my horn, I laid out a semi-permeable barrier one hundred meters around the area with the set condition that nothing organic could enter or leave.

"Alright, let's put an end to this."

Chrysalis took the lead as I followed close behind. After rounding a corner and clearing a few bushes, we came upon a diamond dog ferociously digging a hole. Seeing through the changeling magic, I dispelled it immediately, returning Thorax to his usual form.

Thorax jolted upright with a terror-stricken expression written across his face. We inched closer to the changeling monarch slowly as to not startle him. He scooted back.

"Thorax, we only want to talk. Please, stop this coltish behavior."

Chrysalis held a hoof out, stopping my advance as she proceeded. "Thorax, dear, I know what you must be feeling. You're scared and confused, aren't you?"

Thorax continued backing up slowly until his back was against the barrier and there was nowhere else left to go. His eyes darted all over in search of an escape.

"But underneath all that, you feel guilty, why?"

It was at that moment, that Chrysalis had apparently gotten too close, causing Thorax to make a run for it. Impulsively, Chrysalis jumped at Thorax, wrapping her forelegs around the back of his barrel.

"Not this time, child!"

Unfortunately, with Thorax's mental state and sudden loss of stability, the two began toppling over each other, rolling through the dirt with increasing speed. Thorax continued flailing around while Chrysalis adamantly refused to let go.

Somewhere in the whirlwind of chaos, Thorax shot off a repulsion spell causing the two to soar through the air for a few seconds.

Deciding that the chaos was too much to leave by itself, I thought to use telekinesis to restrain the two, but just as abruptly as skirmish started, it stopped. I allowed my magic to die down as I watched the dust cloud settle with bated breath, but what I saw was not something I expected in the slightest.

As the dust cleared, I could see that Chrysalis still had her forelegs tightly wrapped around Thorax's barrel, but Thorax was motionless. Not only was he motionless, but he seemed to have landed rather uncomfortably on his neck, his back arched in an unnatural manner; a flawless germane suplex.

"Good, it would seem you've finally calmed down," Chrysalis huffed but received no response.

I maneuvered myself around the two to get a better view, shocked at what I had discovered. Thorax's eyes had rolled back in their sockets, the only indication of him being alive was the shallow breaths his body was instinctively taking at irregular intervals.

"Now then, let's talk like-"

I interrupted her. "Uh, Chrysalis, I don't think he can hear you."

Chrysalis released her hold on Thorax, rolling out of the way and onto her hooves as Thorax's limp body hit the ground.

"What do y-oh...oh dear."

Segment Music

Cozy Glow

Well, lunch was a bust. Instead of eating, I decided to trail Pry and was embarrassingly caught. Now I'm stuck in fancy schmancy Charity's generosity class while I starve. Great.

As I rested my head on my desk, I heard the familiar sound of a magic teleportation spell in front of me. I peered up only to see that a minor assortment of pastries had appeared on my desk. I looked around the room, my sight stopping on Pry who was absentmindedly munching on a half-eaten glazed donut as he looked to the front of the class.

Of course, he knows how to use teleportation. Whatever, he is the reason I'm starving in the first place. Might as well get what I deserve.

I picked up a danish, inspecting it closely, sniffing it to make sure no tomfoolery was running amuck. For all intents and purposes, it was just a normal blackberry cream cheese danish, still warm as if freshly baked. My stomach rumbled in protest of my suspicion; the hunger was a sensation I could no longer fight.

Reluctantly, I brought the pastry to my muzzle and took a bite, and before I knew it, the pastry was gone. I looked around in confusion only to realize that I had eaten it in a momentary lapse of awareness. Luckily, there were still a few leftovers. I devoured those as well, thankful no one was looking at me.

With my newfound energy, I found it in myself to tune back into Rarity's lesson.

"Yesterday, we discussed the importance of sharing, but we ran out of time to put such lessons into practice. That is why today, we'll be doing a little exercise."

Excercise?

"We'll be doing a bit of roleplay, if you will. Students will be organized into several groups, but one student will act as a resource manager. The resource manager will be given a bag of supplies and tasked to evenly distribute said supplies to their group members. The group can give their input on how resources are to be distributed, but it is ultimately up to the resource manager to decide."

Sound's tedious. I already want to get it over with.

"Our first group consists of Igneous, Axolot, Diamond Rose, Lilac Dusk, Starkwing, and Cozy Glow."

Huh, it's rare for me not to get grouped with Pry. Guess I earned a bit of breathing room in Faust's eyes.

"Resource managers should find a tote bag containing the necessary supplies at the front of the class."

Trotting over in the indicated direction, I grabbed one of the bags in my magic, inspecting the contents. It was a bunch of plastic-wrapped cookies, five of them to be exact. Immediately, I understood the exercise. There weren't enough cookies for everyone; we were one short.

Trotting over to my peers, I hoofed over a cookie to each of them. If I had been in my hunger-stricken state, I wouldn't have even entertained the notion, but I was currently full and content so it was fine. Each member scarfed down their cookies rather quickly, leaving nothing left over.

"An interesting decision, Ms. Glow. Sometimes generosity calls upon the individual to make hard, even self-sacrificing decisions. But it doesn't have to always come to that," Rarity offered, trotting up beside me and pointing a hoof at another group.

One group member decided to split their cookie with the resource manager, every member happily eating away as a result.

"There's nothing wrong with giving everything, dear, but sometimes sharing is enough to suffice."

"I...guess-"

A sudden commotion drew everyone's attention toward the center of the room. There was a group circling around something, all watching or commenting in abstract horror and concern.

"Is he alright?"

"Ohmygosh, ohmygosh, ohmygosh!"

"Pry!? What's wrong?"

"I'll go get Ms. Rarity!"

Rarity stepped toward the group, myself following after. "I'm already here, what seems to be the-sweet Celestia!"

The group cleared an opening, revealing Pry's violently spasming body and wildly fluctuating magic. Song had gotten down to his level, desperately nudging him to no avail. It was a shocking sight, to say the least.

"What's happening to him?"

"Same thing use ta' happen to gramps. I think it's called a sea sure?"

Ms. Rarity attempted to grab hold of Pry in her magic, but her telekinesis was effortlessly broken through by his rampaging magic. She attempted this several times with no success. Pry's eyes began to glow a pure vibrant white, streaks of magic shooting out from his body.

"Everyone evacuate the room immedi-"

Astonishingly, Pry's spasming suddenly stopped, his magic calming down as a result. His unconscious body laid in the middle of the room which was now filled with nothing but silence.

Ms. Rarity apprehensively attempted to grab Pry again, this time without issue. She trotted to the doorway, turning back to address the class. "Sit tight, class. I'll be back shortly."

With that, Ms. Rarity closed the classroom door behind her, disappearing out of sight, for everyone else that is. In a split second after Pry had calmed down, I had already anticipated that Rarity would carry Pry out of the class. Reactively, I slipped out when no one was looking, casting a light refraction spell upon myself. So long as I didn't make any sudden movement, I was invisible to the naked eye.

I had no idea Pry had such a medical condition. Is that why he always looks so tired, because he's sick?

Carefully, I flew after my briskly galloping teacher who made her way through the maze of corridors of the school. Eventually, she slowed down before entering a room that looked to be the front office. I slipped in after her, quietly landing on carpet flooring. She entered another nearby room, placing Pry on a hospital bed of sorts.

Rarity exited the room, almost running into me in the process. She began calling out to various staff members, wondering where Starlight was.

I walked up to Pry's bedside to get a closer look at him; it didn't look good, but he was still breathing. A trail of drool escaped his loosely open mouth, his eyes now closed, probably by Rarity.

I'd like to think I snuck out of class solely because I was curious, but that wasn't exactly it. Deep down inside, I could feel a tinge of fear threatening to break free. What is this? Why can't I calm down? Nothing even happened to me.

"This is the colt in question?"

The sudden question startled me, almost causing me to jump out of my coat. Thankfully, I had the self-control to remain calm and carefully step away from the bedside, still remaining invisible.

The mare Rarity had brought along wasn't Starlight like I had expected, instead, it was a unicorn, her coat, a brilliant azure, her mane was a pale cornflower blue with very pale cerulean stipes. She looked familiar. I think she was in a few pictures around the castle actually.

"From the sound of it, he seems to have suffered from an acute magic surge attack. It's not common, typically only present in those with an innately large reservoir of magical energy, or so Starlight says. Trixie will run a diagnosis now."

Trixie? Is she talking in the third person?

The mare reached into a small bag with her magic, pulling out a small device that looked much like a gem detector. She pointed the device at Pry only for it to go haywire and burst into scraps.

Rarity covered her mouth with a hoof. "Oh my..."

"Well, Trixie can adequately say that this colt's magic level is quite high."

Trixie pulled out a few more devices, this time checking his vitals, which were actually fairly normal from what I could tell.

"It would seem that all the colt needs is some rest. Trixie will stay and watch over him until he wakes up," Trixie's head suddenly drifted in my direction, before dispelling my refraction spell, "you should take her back to class in the meantime."

Rarity's eyes widened in shock. "Cozy?!"

Oh buck, how did she spot me?!

"It's no easy feat to conceal one's magic, but it's virtually impossible when it's emitting so brazenly from an external apparatus," Trixie stated as she pointed a hoof at my necklace.

"Well, we'll be going now! Please do take care," Rarity snatched me up in her magic before making her way out of the room.

The tattletail mare simply waved with a moderate smile.

Rarity smiled back before turning to me and quickly switching up her attitude. "Whatever were you thinking?!" She whispered harshly.

This is all that stupid colt's fault.

???

It would seem that opening a portal so soon was a bit too ambitious even for me. The soul wavelength was extremely unstable; I can't imagine it was too pleasant for the soul itself. Luckily, I have established a window to the soul if you will. Now I can see everything the soul sees.

It may not seem like much, but this should provide me with ample opportunity to gather data of all sorts: physics, energy, life forms, and even potential obstacles. In the meantime, I should give the soul time to recover and return to a state of homeostasis.

It won't be long now.

Chapter 7: Hangover, Pushover?

Segment Music

Chrysalis

"He's coming to," Starlight announced to the room.

Trotting beside her, I saw that Thorax was groggily returning to the land of the living, sitting up in the cot we placed him on. Moving just within his direct line of sight, his tired eyes fixated on me, before opening wide in a panic. Thorax desperately struggled against the magical restraints Starlight had placed on him, attempting to escape to no avail.

"Brother, calm down, we're all here," Phrayrnx stated, stepping forward as well. Thankfully, this seemed to actually calm Thorax down; he stopped his hopeless struggle, instead choosing to plead with his family members.

They frowned sympathetically, knowing that this was for his own good. I had already explained myself to the rest of them, now it was Thorax's turn to hear me out.

"Thorax," I softly called out. He stopped moving, head rigid and eyes refusing to look at me as he stared toward a corner of the room.

"Thorax," I said more firmly, this time eliciting a response, to some extent. His head craned ever so slightly until he was looking at me sideways.

Well, at least it's a start. "I'm sorry, I hurt you. I was selfish, coldhearted, and abusive toward the changelings, towards you. In the pursuit of conquest, I-I lost sight of what I already had, family," I found my eyes drifting downward, despite myself.

An awkward silence filled the room, the cloud of guilt hanging over me becoming more prevalent. "You...have a younger brother, you know. He's a few months old now, physically, I think. I'm not quite sure, it's complicated with changelings, he's a special case, but I digress. It was he who taught me how to give love for once in my life. Thanks to him, I realized just how terrible I had been."

I tilted my head back up to see that Thorax was now looking in my direction but not quite at me yet. Shaking his head, he raised a hoof to his forehead before lying back down. Thinking I had lost him, I trotted closer to his bedside, both eager and anxious to explain myself.

I stared down at him as he massaged his head in slow methodical circles. "I abandoned you," he mumbled too quietly for me to discern.

"I-I'm sorry dear, I didn't quite catch that."

Thorax remained silent. I shot a glance at Starlight who only offered a sympathetic frown. "Were you conscious?"

I turned back to Thorax, confused. "What?"

"Were you conscious when...you were in stone?"

Just as I was about to respond, I took note of the noticeable change in the atmosphere of the room. The emotions emanating from Thorax were bitter, suffocating. The overwhelming sense of guilt I had mistaken as solely being my own, was not entirely my own. I knew I had to be very careful with what I said next. I felt like I should lie and say no, but at the same time, I knew that honestly was crucial at times like this. Panicked, I glanced back at Starlight for some type of answer.

She nodded firmly, an action that spoke volumes. Somehow, I now knew what I needed to do. "I...was, yes."

He arched his back, moaning in frustration. Honestly, it wasn't all bad...okay, it was up until Chimera hatched. The feeling of not being able to move your own body, watching as the world went by but still being conscious was unbearable. But he doesn't need to know that.

Rotating on his side, Thorax fell silent once more. No longer did respond to any form of stimuli, nor did he attempt to escape. Starlight placed a hoof on me, motioning her head toward the entryway toward the room, where everyling was already going. Regrettably, I trudged out of the room as well, a taste of sadness lingering in the air.

This wasn't at all how this was supposed to go. I came here to be forgiven for my sins. How can I resolve this issue if the one I sought forgiveness from can't forgive themself? Unbecoming of myself, a sudden spike in frustration and confusion caused me to do something rash.

Just before I stepped through the door frame, I slammed it shut, securing it with an advanced sealing spell. It was a spell I often used to protect my nests whenever we lacked martial power or had too many young to risk. Millennia of refining the spell have made it virtually unbreakable. Of course, it can be broken through with excessive force and only works on inanimate objects, but the spell itself should be indestructible.

Moving away from the door, I faced down Thorax, who was now sitting upright in his bed, shooting me a very confused look.

Slowly, I trotted up to him, ignoring the metallic banging sound coming from behind me. I was fully intent on settling this matter once and for all. I'd be damned if I came all this way for things to end like this. As a queen - no - a mother, it is my duty to see this through until the end!

Soul

"Testing, testing, can you hear me?" An echoed voice spoke from the bog that was my mind.

Sweet filly Celestia, I feel like a butt cheek on a stick. From the looks of it, I'm in some sort of medical treatment room. How did I get here? I could've sworn I was in Rarity's class. I can't remember anything. "Faust, is that you?"

"Ah, it appears you're finally awake," she said, sounding relieved.

Finally? "Wait, what happened?"

"Via unknown methods, it would seem that your soul was temporarily destabilized. I did my best to patch you up, but I suggest you take it easy for a while," her tone instantly transitioned to a more stern and serious one, "However, reality's been compromised, but I can't discern what exactly was compromised. When you're up to it, feel free to investigate the matter, several other lords are already on top of it."

Destabilized? What could have destabilized my soul? I've gained mastery over it after centuries of training. Sitting up in my bed, I was quickly advised by my own vessel that I was not okay. The splitting 'headache,' that accompanied my every movement made itself very apparent. It's not actually a headache, that's just the closest sensation I could compare it to.

"How long was I out?"

"A few hours at most."

Dragging my body off the bed, a much large wave of pain washed over me, causing my legs to buckle underneath me. I need to perform a self-evaluation.

Closing my eyes, I retracted my sense of self into myself. I started by realigning my soul with my core, adjusting the magicules to precisely accommodate my soul. This is a mess, something really did a number on me. Magicules strayed far away from the nucleus, some colliding with each other at high speeds, others escaping entirely, causing unnecessary damage to my vessel.

Breathing a sigh of relief, I stood up, the pain dissipating with each step I took. "That's better, but I've lost a lot of magic...oh well, it recovers passively."

Until then, I should probably let Ms. Rarity know I'm fine. Look at me, acting like a normal student...

Segment Music

Chimera

As we trotted through Ponyville, I couldn't help but notice how out of it Cozy seemed. I thought she would have been excited being able to covet whatever she wanted. She held up her end of the bargain after all.

"Something up, Cozy?"

Dawn, who eagerly insisted on joining us, shot her a worried glance. "I can go back if you want," Dawn somberly offered.

"No, that's not it, just doing some thinking."

I hummed to myself, attempting to process her words for more than face value. Despite being a changeling, I couldn't quite discern what it was she was feeling. It was incredibly complicated, something unusual for the filly, but there were hints of something akin to...anxiety? If she was feeling something, she was hardly able to hide it, magically that is. She's quite good at wearing fake faces.

"Anxious?"

Her forehead creased ever so slightly before a devious smile quickly crept across her face. "Nah, but I hope you are," she brazenly announced as she flew in front of me, pointing a hoof at my face, "because your wallet's going to need a stretcher when I'm done with it."

In not even a second, she managed to switch her mood up, impressive. "Oh, yeah," I teleported a noticeably bulging bottomless bag in front of myself, levitating it just before her, "do your worst."

She smiled smugly. "Alright, let's go to Manehattan."

A cold shiver ran up my spine.

Regret, that is all I feel right now. How could one filly be so expensive?

Cozy excitedly pointed at a...toilet bowl night light as stood up on my back. "Ooh, and that!"

I let out an exasperated sigh to which I heard Dawn giggle. I shot Cozy an incredulous look from over my shoulder, taking in the large mountain of miscellaneous items I was levitating in my magic. "Seriously?"

Cozy returned the expression in kind. "You said anything."

Unfortunately, I did. Steeling my resolve, I reluctantly pulled out my almost empty bag of bits, pulling the night light off the back wall and placing it on the counter. The cashier gave me a sympathetic look before she rang me up once again.

Exiting the shopping center, I noticed that the sun had now fallen, a testament to how long we had been in there. I checked my bottomless bag; there were no more than a few hundred bits left.

Damn, she really bodied my wallet. A small rumble spread across my back. Cozy spontaneous flew off my back, clutching her stomach.

She's probably hungry. Ah, what the hay, I should have enough bits left to eat out.

"C'mon, let's find someplace to eat."

"Ooh, I've been wanting to try authentic Japaneighse food," Dawn chimed in.

Japaneighse? Sounds familiar. I don't see why not. "Sure, you fine with that, Cozy?"

Lowering herself in the air, this time landing on Dawn's back, she nodded. "Anything's fine so long as it tastes good," she muttered.

Starlight Glimmer

"Chrysalis! Open the door!" I shouted, pounding on the dense blockade.
"What's going on?"

"I'll go around, see if I can get in through a window or something."

Pushing nor pulling on the door bore fruit. The direction of the keyhole indicated that it should have been unlocked, yet it wouldn't budge. That's when I noticed the copious amounts of magic surrounding the door itself.

In an attempt to decipher the spell set in place, I found that it was not only extremely refined but also complicated. The magic also distinctly belonged to Chrysalis. Why had she sealed us out? Or...did she seal herself in?

Brushing the thought aside, I set out to teleport inside of the room instead, but I found myself unwilling to. I had the nagging feeling that I just shouldn't. Thus, I opted to listen instead. Pressing an ear to the door, I could hear the sound of muffled voices exchanging words back in forth. It was hard to make out and I didn't want to risk using a sound amplification spell in case the volume ever peaked.

"Not...fault!"

"...Is!"

The sound of glass suddenly shattering caused me to wince but I resumed listening anyway. "Love you!" Chrysalis screamed before the room was consumed by the sound of violent thumping and more things breaking.

Unable to bear the suspense any longer, I teleported inside the room, beholding a familiar sight. Thorax and Chrysalis were tumbling over each other as Chrysalis tightly held onto Throax's barrel once again.

"Forgive me!"

"Forgive me first!"

Their banter caught me off guard, almost to the point where I was unable to act. Almost...

Separating the two with my magic, I was remise to see that they were still shouting at each other.

"Foolish colt, why are you so stubborn!" Chrysalis sneered.

Taking offense to this, Thorax glared back. "Oh, I'm stubborn?!"

This is gonna be a long night.

Author's Note

Sorry about the late update. Ran out of insomnia meds and was low on energy for a while.

Chapter 8: Instability

Starlight Glimmer

Eight hours, that's how long I've been acting as a mediator to these two very grown adults. Any attempt at intervening between their conversation was seldom acknowledged. Now, everypony's exhausted. Still, at least they've finally made some progress. The only problem now is that they've become somewhat inseparable.

"You let go," Chrysalis muttered as the two held each other in a somehow tight yet weak embrace.

"No, you," Thorax retorted stubbornly but tiredly.

Sighing, I dragged myself over to the two of them, separating them with my magic. Honestly, acting like children... what to do next... After such a pivotal moment in their relationship, it's best to bond over something mundane. Oh, I know, food. Besides, they've been at it so long, it should be around breakfast time anyway. And I know they're hungry. They've quite literally been throwing love at each other, but not accepting it.

Chimera

Teleporting multiple bodies and a mound of recently purchased goods on a full stomach over an extremely vast distance is among the list of worst ideas I've ever had. If my body was in protest before the warp, it was definitely on strike now. Still, I managed to do it. Though, if I had known the hangover would be this bad, we would've just road the train.

Feeling my gag reflex kick in, I threw a hoof over my mouth as I leaned over the edge of the bed in preparation to hurl. A comforting hoof gently patted my back which did little to soothe the waves of nausea I was feeling. I appreciated the gesture from Dawn though.

I'm currently in a state similar to Mana Burnout. I didn't use up all my magic, but I did output more than my body was capable of handling comfortably in a single instant. There are remedies for this, none of which I currently have access to.

"You alright?" A concerned Dawn asked.

A curt nod was all I could manage in her direction before the dam walls were overpowered by the pressure of stomach bile.

"The bucket! Aim for the bucket!"

Cozy Glow

I should be asleep right now, but what the hay? There's no way I'm going to rest while my spoils of war are right in front of me. Besides, I don't have school tomorrow, so I can sleep in anyways. Rubbing my hooves together, I rolled off my bed and over to the dragon hoard in the corner of my room.

"Let's see what we have here," I said to myself as I began rummaging through the pile.

Honestly, I don't really remember everything I got. I put in some thought toward a few things. As for the rest, I was just trying to get my money's worth for all the trouble I've been put through.

"Chemistry kit, 6x6 Rubik's cube, inflatable dragon, toilet night-light, and?" I paused for a moment to take in what I was looking at.

It was a large gold-rimmed book with purple bound leather, a large golden horseshoe was stationed on the cover with a strange star in the middle. Almost immediately, I recognized the star as Twilight Sparkle's cutie mark. I picked the book up in my magic, not even using my hooves out of disgust. "Eww, why would I ever get this?"

Opening the book to the first page, I began to read, "Twilight Sparkle's Friendship Journal, Cosigned-" I immediately slammed it shut. Even if I wasn't fully conscious of my spending, there's no way I would have just missed purchasing...this. Flinging the book in the corner, I continued examining my pile with a now bitter taste in my mouth.

Twilight Sparkle...my arch-nemesis, the pony who has it all. I could've gone centuries without seeing her again, literally. I'm not sure why she released me: pity, guilt, legality? Whatever the reason, it won't change how I feel about her. I don't like her, not one bit, nor will I respect her, even if she is an almighty alicorn princess.

Still, if that book was written by her, it might give some insight into what makes her tick. In that case, there might be some merit to reading it. Reaching out to the book, I levitated it back over to myself, eyeing it wearily. Friendship's failed me, it always has, so why did it seem to work for so many others, especially purple star-butt. Is it really just because she's an element of harmony, because she was chosen by destiny?

Reluctantly, I cracked the book open again, skipping the first few pages until I saw something that intrigued me. With a sigh, I silently began reading. Dear Princess Celestia...

Soul

Rarity's great and all, but I had no idea she could be so overbearing. After what seemed like hours of constant consoling, concern, and bear-hugs, she finally calmed down enough to let me go. In the end, I was given a recommendation for Celestia's School for Gifted Unicorns. My cover was almost blown though. When Rarity realized she couldn't get ahold of my parents or guardians, she started asking all sorts of personal questions.

After all, I forged my documents and slipped them into the system to get in. It's actually pretty easy if you're proficient enough with magic...which looking back on is maybe not such a good thing.

If Discord hadn't suddenly come to pick me up, I would have had a problem on my hooves.

"Thanks again, dude. Man, the look on Rarity's face, priceless." I reminisced, leaning back on a floating couch.

"No problem, but daycare pickup's not exactly why I showed up. But, yes, it was rather amusing."

I sat up straighter, already suspecting what this was about.

"There's a sudden spike in chaos earlier, which I immediately traced back to you."

Wait, immediately? "Wait, if you knew, then why did you show up so late."

Discord shrugged. "I was with Fluttershy."

"Fair enough, but you know, I've been wondering," I paused tapping my chin with a hoof.

"Wondering what?"

"When you'd shoot your shot." Discord stared blankly at me as if I had said nothing at all.

"You know, put a ring on it?" Again, no reaction.

I began to gesture with my forelegs crudely. "Discord you gotta get la-" With the snap of his talons, I suddenly found that I had no mouth.

I struggled in vain to speak - as if it would do something - before smacking my hoof against the armrest of the couch a few times to signal that I tapped out. I could just use my magic to cancel out the chaos magic, but there's no telling what would happen if I did that while inside Discord's chaos dimension.

My mouth reappeared as let out a gasp.

"Anyway, I suspect you had something to do with said chaotic burst."

I rubbed my muzzle lovingly. "Well, you'd know if you'd answer Faust's calls." Discord cocked an eyebrow, threateningly raising a talon to snap again.

"Yeah, yeah. Faust said reality's been compromised and in that same instance, my soul was destabilized."

Discord stroked his beard, seemingly deep in thought for a change.

"I see. Can you describe how it felt?"

I gave Discord an incredulous look. "Heavenly."

"Interesting. Well, this is just my two cents, but it seems like something or someone attacked your soul from outside our reality."

Wait, what? "How is that even possible?"

"Beats me, but I suggest you be careful of where you go from now on. You never know if it might happen again."

The thought of it happening again was nerve-racking, to say the least.

"So what do I do?"

"Well, I'm no expert on the soul. Perhaps you should ask Faust. I hear a few Zebra tribes have some knowledge on the matter as well."

"Hmm, well it's an idea," I said as I floated off the coach and toward a portal, "thanks Discord."

"Of course."

Cozy Glow

I think I finally understand it all now. All this time, I just couldn't see it. Twilight Sparkle and her friends... are all bucking insane!

Author's Note

A shorter chapter, but it's not dead.

Chapter 1: First Day, Again

Chapter Music

Chimera

Cozy Glow's second first day at The School of Friendship is today and I can't help but feel worried. She's a...troubled filly, to say the least. I suppose foster care could do that to a pony though. She's apparently been in and out of nine different homes, struggling to adapt to the families she was assigned to. As horrible as it sounds, it's not surprising. Cozy's too ambitious to live a mundane pony life, especially with her level of intelligence. I've seen her records, she's brilliant, but she's also a high-functioning sociopath.

Dawn and I have spent a few months looking after her, bonding in our own way. Princess Twilight offered to look after Cozy personally, but we couldn't bring ourselves to part with her, strange as it might sound. Thus, we sought out legal guardianship over her, which we obtained fairly easily thanks to the princess pulling a few strings. We're not like a traditional family though. We don't force our roles on her, instead, acting as more of equals in our household.

Mother and Cozy seem to get along well, but I'm not sure if that's a good thing. Most of their time together is spent making fun of ponies and gossiping behind closed doors. I guess it's better than plotting to take over Equestria and it has helped my mother cope with her xenophobia for what it's worth.

I suppose that brings us to now.

"Cozy," I stated as we arrived outside The School of Friendship in a flash of light, "promise me you won't cause any trouble. If not for my sake, then for your own," I cautioned.

Cozy held a forehoof in the other in mock innocence. "Me? Cause trouble?"

I cocked an eyebrow at her, unamused. As much as I enjoyed our banter, now was not the time.

She dropped her shoulders before sighing. "Fine, I promise."

"Good," I said, smiling warmly before I apported a necklace with a dull grey gem in the middle of it. It was a reproduction of Chrysalis' Embrace. Its magic wasn't as strong as the original, but it came with a few added features.

Levitating the necklace around her neck, I watched as the gem came to life, taking on the color of moderate amaranth. Good, it bonded to her without issue.

She looked down at the necklace confused, inspecting it with her hooves. "Uh, thanks?"

I chuckled to myself a bit. "It'll protect you if you're ever in any danger. It should also allow you to use low-tier unicorn magic if you really focus."

Using a magical apparatus to enhance or support magic casting is apparently an old science, but for whatever reason, it isn't commonplace. I also left trace amounts of my magic in the gem, so I'll be able to sense any fluctuations in her magic, but I wasn't about to tell her that. She'd probably lose trust in me thinking I didn't trust her, but I didn't do this to spy on her. I'm doing it because even after all these months, I'm still...worried. There was something bigger going on under everypony's nose, yet we hardly found out until it was too late.

Cozy looked at the necklace with an expression that could only be described as confliction. With her personality, she was probably struggling to find the words, but I wasn't about to force anything out.

"Alright, get your flank moving," I nudged her forward with a hoof, "the princess herself made time to hold the opening ceremony, can't miss it. I'll pick you up as soon as school gets out."

Cozy nodded before walking off, "Yeah, yeah, I'm goin'."

I watched as Cozy made her way to the front doors with the rest of the students, a bit proud that she was even willing to return to the school with no problem. Now comes the hard part, waiting. Luckily, I called in a favor that eases the tension a bit.

Soul

I spent centuries inside Faust's domain, which was only a few months in Equestrian time, learning the ropes of divinity, yet it amounted to nothing. Literally. Every other interesting and important role had been filled: magic, love, chaos, dragons, demons, sun, moon, dreams, time, death, and so on. Thus, I became The Lord of Nothing.

I rule over nothing and do nothing...unless prompted to. It also means I'm not bound by a lot of the same rules as other lords. I've familiarized myself with many forms of magic and can tap into them, but I can never truly master any of them, all but one, void magic. Our roles empower us, but also limit us so that no being grows too powerful.

But, if you ask me, I think Faust made the role up just to make me feel better. Bless her heart. I mean, there's no way that's an actual position, right? Then again, she is the goddess of creation sooo.

So what does a being like me get up to in his spare time? Contrary to my title, I do quite a bit, but productivity isn't my strong suit. Raiding Twilight's royal pantry is one of my favorite pastimes. Still haven't been caught. When I'm not doing that, I'm either hanging out with Discord, visiting my bro, Chimera, watching random individuals that catch my interest, or serving as a therapist to Tirek.

But now, things have changed. I've been assigned a job that is possibly the most important one I've ever been assigned. I'm a babysitter. Alright, so maybe not a babysitter exactly, but that's pretty much was it amounts to. Luckily, I perfectly fit for the job. A little shapeshifting here and there and I'm in.

The target's name is Cozy Glow, allegedly between the ages of eight and ten, and has just entered the school of friendship for the second first time. Currently on standby awaiting further development.

Cozy Glow

I never thought I'd have to see this place again. Actually, I thought that I would never see anything ever again after being petrified. Guess I got lucky in that regard.

I stood amongst a crowd of various equestrian creatures. To my surprise, I wasn't being alienated. I suppose I either wasn't infamous enough to be feared or if too much time had passed since I was last here. At center stage was the princess herself, Twilight Sparkle, flaunting her royal heinie on all of us. Whatever, it's not I wanted to be the princess of Equestria or anything. Okay, maybe a little, but it doesn't bother me in the slightest.

"Thank you all for coming. Today's a special day, as it is the day we welcome the next generation of first-years who will grow to contribute to Equestria's future. That's all of you promising individuals. Each and every one of you has something to give and a chance at success regardless of past accomplishments and failures. Most importantly, remember to embrace the magic of friendship, for it is that which really makes all the difference in the world," Twilight said before smiling, waving, and vanishing in a flash of light.

That's it? I mean, I wasn't expecting much, but I at least thought it'd be more than that. Leave it Twilight to subvert your expectations.

Shortly after Twilight left, Starlight Glimmer walked up to the microphone, comically adjusting it to her level.

"Excuse me," someone whispered from behind me.

I craned my neck to look over my shoulders. What now?

It was a tired-eyed apathetic colt with a black mane, grey coat, and silver irises. From what she could tell, he was a unicorn, but he lacked a cutie mark. "Are you, perhaps, Cozy Glow?" He said in a somewhat deep monotone voice.

Why is this blank flank talking to me? I could feel my wings raise ever so slightly, attempting to spread out defensively, but I fought the urge. He's giving me weird vibes. "What's it to you?" Anypony else and I would have put on my cutesy facade but I just can't with this guy.

He flipped open a saddlebag, revealing a black leatherback book with monochromatic tabs sticking out of the sides. "I've heard a lot about you, I'm Private Eye, Pry for short."

Great, I should have known they'd keep a close eye on me. Could they have made it any more obvious?

"Okay, so what do you want from me?"

He levitated the book from his bag in pale blue magic, opening it to a page full of scribbles that vaguely resembled words. This guy's weird for sure.

"Your autograph, please."

What?

Contrary to the ridiculousness of what he had just said, his expression remained dead serious.

"My...autograph?" I felt my wings lower, the tension replaced by confusion and disbelief.

"Precisely," he confirmed as a pre-inked quill appeared in front of me.

Odd, that didn't look like teleportation. It's like it just suddenly existed.

I looked around myself, wondering if anyone else noticed this strange pony. To my surprise, it was like we were invisible to the rest of the world. Actually, it seemed a lot quieter than it should have been; Starlight sounded almost muffled despite me being able to hear her clearly only moments before.

I turned my attention back to him reaching out with my right wing to grab the pen, then I remembered that I could use magic.

Well, now's a better time than any to test it out.

Concentrating on the pen, a faint veil of amaranth magic surrounded it. Still got it. I levitated the pen to a blank space on the open pages, signing my name more messily than I would have preferred.

The pen then vanished, the colt turning the book over to look over the pages. He stared down at the pages for a moment before slowly lifting the book up to cover his face.

"Pfft."

Stiffled laughter, is he laughing at me?

He abruptly closed the book before placing it back in his bag, "Thank you."

"So why'd you want my autograph?"

"I'm somewhat of a collector. I've made it a point to collect the trinkets and signatures of important figures, infamous or otherwise."

I guess that makes sense. Despite his odd demeanor, he came off as uncharacteristically charismatic.

Suddenly, as if my encounter with this individual was just a daydream, the world around me became audible once more. I returned my attention to the stage just as Starlight finished up her little speech.

"If you'll turn your attention to the east and west walls of the room, you'll find several stands ready to hand out welcoming bags. You'll also find that these bags come equipped with your schedules, please make sure to take care of them."

"You'd think they'd give us our schedules before hoof, right Pry?" I said as I turned around to address him, but he was gone.

I flew just high enough to see over the crowd of students, yet he was nowhere in sight.

Could that colt have been any weirder?

Sometime Later...

"Okay class, today's lesson is in kindness. First, I want everybody to find a partner within one seat near you," Mrs. Flutterbutt said from the front of the classroom.

I see; the classes were organized in such a way so that an even amount of races would be present and strategically placed so that interaction would be forced. Not a bad approach. My only issue is that I'm in the left corner of the room, the student in front of me already found somepony, and the seat to the right of me is vacant. Great.

I'll just wait until Flutterbutt notices and either tells me to join a group or embarrassingly partners with me. I rested my cheek on a hoof, staring at nothing particular when a familiar voice came from the right of me, causing me to sit upright and rigid.

"To see a world in a grain of sand, and a heaven in a wild flower," I heard the sound of a book closing before the voice addressed me, "we meet again Ms. Glow. I've encountered quite the plight. You see, I arrived late, thus I cannot fulfill Ms. Fluttershy's instructions. Would you do me the favor of being my partner?"

You know what? Fine. Figuring this guy out probably won't get me anywhere. Might as well take advantage of the situation.

"Now that everyone has a partner, I want each partner to first compliment the other on at least one trait of theirs. It could be anything. Remember, look at your partner directly when speaking to them. Direct communication is essential," Flutterbutt instructed.

Pry stood opposite to me, smiling softly with those same tired eyes. "I'll go first," he stated, pointing a hoof at himself then pointing it at me, "I like your mane, very curly. And the color compliments your coat nicely."

Huh, I actually didn't expect that.

"I like your...uh," I paused mid-sentence, realizing that I wasn't sure what to compliment about him, "your saddlebag. It's...nice?"

Way to blow it, Cozy.

"Yeah? I spent a lot of time picking it out, thanks," he smiled as he looked it over with pride.

Or, maybe not.