Heirs of Chaos

'My name is Cʜʀʏꜱᴀʟɪꜱ, rightful ruler of changeling kind. Many years ago, the lowly Thorax ousted me, and I was left with only my one most faithful marshal at my side. It has been my mission to retake those lands, but only some dozen moons later, my one compatriot was defeated, disguised and trapped in marble in my place by the sickeningly beloved Elements of Harmony.

'Though I have failed even still to retrieve my lands, I was able to secretly take a different kingdom. Under this facade, I reign as Mɪ Aᴍᴏʀᴇ Cᴀᴅᴇɴᴢᴀ. Her husband still cannot even tell the difference. Thankfully, I am not stuck with only that daft Shining Armor. I have reaped, quite often, the benefits of the role of the Princess of Love.

'Of course, I only have love for you. My share of love will be the greatest gift of all: the power over The World!'

Crystal City is a quiet town. Though once the great shining jewel of pony civilization, its disappearance for a thousand years prohibited the population growth that the rest of Equus benefited from. Though tourism spiked after the Crystal Empire's return, it's now very rare outside the season of the Crystal Faire.

With the Crystal Faire a week away, the influx of visitors has only grown just enough that the crystal ponies no longer stop and pay attention to outsiders. These conditions are what greet the trimotor carrying thestrals Calluna and Eventide Carol, as it lands in the east district.

Calluna and Eventide hop out of the airplane onto a hard landing strip. Unlike the Lunavale airport, this business has a full size building, but the duo are permitted to circumnavigate and fly away. They shortly realize they are not properly equipped for the northern cold of the Crystal Empire, and stop at a vendor of textiles and scarves.

'The frontier is gargantuan,' remarks Calluna, her voice hushed towards Eventide, 'We'll never find Cadenza's nephew without help.'

'What do you suggest then?' wonders Eventide.

'We can't barge into the palace, Pʀɪɴᴄᴇꜱꜱ Cᴀᴅᴇɴᴢᴀ wouldn't care for, wouldn't know the son of her nephew's old friend- if they even were that close. You might as well be her father's brother's nephew's cousin's former roommate!'

'What about Pʀɪɴᴄᴇꜱꜱ Fʟᴜʀʀʏ Hᴇᴀʀᴛ?' Eventide tosses a hoof full of bits to the scarf vendor, taking one scarf for him and dropping another on Calluna as they walk away, still whispering as they trot down the street.

'I don't see how much better the little mini princess is.'

'Well, we at least have a chance to talk to her.' Eventide pulls Calluna closer with a wing, turning westward as he points a hoof toward the palace. Gliding away is the young Pʀɪɴᴄᴇꜱꜱ Fʟᴜʀʀʏ Hᴇᴀʀᴛ, soaring now just overhead. Eventide releases Calluna, and the duo launch themselves after the princess.

The young princess is fast, but luckily, for a moment, she halts. As Eventide and Calluna approach, the latter realizes Fʟᴜʀʀʏ Hᴇᴀʀᴛ suspects something, and halts Eventide, whispering, 'Quick, split off and pretend we're just flying for fun.' Sure enough, Fʟᴜʀʀʏ Hᴇᴀʀᴛ turns around, but only sees two bat ponies flying around in loops.

'Tourists,' mutters the princess. 'I am not free for signatures!' she shouts.

She knows we're following her, thinks Calluna, but now our only choice is- 'Wait!' shouts Calluna back, 'We need to ask you something, it's about your cousin!'

The princess freezes. 'Cadence doesn't like me talking about Sho,' she states, softly. She glances away, conflicted, then meekly waves them over, landing on a side road.

'Sho, that's Cadence's nephew, yes?' asks Eventide, as he and Calluna land beside Fʟᴜʀʀʏ Hᴇᴀʀᴛ. The princess nods, and Eventide continues, 'What happened, why are you forbidden from talking about him?'

'He is banned from ever stepping hoof in Crystal City.'

'Pʀɪɴᴄᴇꜱꜱ-' Eventide is halted as the princess continues,

'Flurry Heart, just call me Flurry Heart. You were going to ask why? He believes Cadence has been replaced.'

'Do you believe him?' asks Calluna. Flurry Heart turns about, scanning the road. Deciding it's safe, she ushers the two into an alley. 'I get the sense that this is a yes.'

'I didn't want to at first. I know the story of my parents' wedding, of Chrysalis, but she was defeated when I was still a foal. I cannot deny it anymore, the mare on that throne is not my Cadence!'

'Do you know where he is?' asks Eventide.

'Not too well,' Flurry Heart admits, 'Though I still sneak out letters to him through an anonymous courier. You're Monsoon's kid, aren't you?' Eventide turns away with a grunt, muttering,

'If you must call me that.'

'I… see. Hey, I help you find Sho, you help me find my mother.'

'With our luck, this probably connects to the Factor users anyhow.'

Flurry Heart tilts her head, asking in confusion, 'Factor? What does that mean?'

'I'll explain later.'

'That later better come. Now, it's a long way westward, and I need a cloak.'

5 Years Ago

Crystal City was a bustling tourist center. With the Crystal Faire just a day away, everypony hurried to book reservations for board and dining. However, an unlikely group sat at a booth in a cheap diner, gathered not for pleasure or festivities.

Sho Cadenza- a lavender unicorn with a smooth, strawberry red mane tied in a ponytail, and deep violet eyes- sat in the back corner, covered in a deceptively cheap cloak. Opposite him was a familiar Earth pony, Monsoon. Next to Monsoon sat a griffon- her plumage a scale of browns with streaks of blue, a red beak complementing her dark, forest green eyes. Lastly, beside Sho was the only one focusing on eating, a pegasus- ash grey with a spiky crimson mane, his pale indigo eyes focused on an apple fritter.

'Yo, Denza,' called the griffon, Glitzy, 'You say there's a reason that bat pony looked just like Rosetta?' Just a week prior, Glitzy had been attacked by a crazed thestral who looked identical to her pegasus girlfriend.

'I am afraid so, it seems lots of ponies in New Griffonstone are disappearing,' Sho answered, 'At first, before these thestrals started showing up, it seemed like the griffons were lynching them, but it didn't make sense for the griffons to threaten their settling agreement. I think, somehow, these ponies are somehow being turned into thestrals, and the process destroys their psyche.'

'Can you cut the big words?' asked the pegasus, Cheap Trick.

'These ponies are becoming crazed, feral bat ponies.'

'Could it be the work of a follower of Nightmare Moon?' asked Monsoon.

'I do not have a better guess.'

'Is that possible?' asked Glitzy.

'There is precedent,' recalled Sho, 'But that was the magic of Twilight Sparkle.'

'No, I think I know that one,' said Cheap Trick, 'I think it was a miscast of a common spell.'

'Of course. If the error could be traced, it wouldn't be hard at all to intentionally involve that effect.'

Glitzy looked down at the cup of coffee she ordered, passively stirring with a talon. 'At least Rosetta is still alive,' she whispered.

'Hey, we'll find her before the Faire ends,' promised Monsoon.