Previously, in a last ditch effort to save Cozy Glow from a fatal illness, Luster Dawn used a spell to take Cozy's consciousness, and put it inside her own mind. Now the two ponies shared the same body. Cozy was basically a voice inside Luster's head now. Because Luster was the host, she remained mostly in control, while Cozy could only speak, and see from the same viewpoint. All of this was done in an effort to buy time while Discord tried to find a way to get the poison out of Cozy's physical body.

In the meantime, Luster Dawn was nice enough to show Cozy Glow around Canterlot and Ponyville the following morning, to see how much has changed since she's been gone.

"I know we had two rushed and awkward introductions, so allow me to reintroduce myself, Cozy. I'm Luster Dawn. One of Twilight's students." she said.
"So you're to Twilight what Twilight was to Celestia?" Cozy asked.
"I guess that's one way of looking at it." Luster replied.
"So does that mean you're gonna grow wings, become a princess, and Twilight's gonna pass the duty of supreme ruler to you and retire?" Cozy asked.

That was a loaded question Cozy asked, and it overwhelmed Luster.

"Well, I wouldn't go that far. That's a lot to think about at once." Luster said, anxious. "Not to mention, Celestia was princess for more than a millennium. Twilight's only been ruler since... how long were you in stone?"

Cozy gave Luster the silent treatment and didn't entertain her comment.

"Too soon?" she asked.

Later, Luster toured around Twilight's school of friendship.

"You remember this place, right, Cozy?" she asked.
"All too well..." she replied.

Luster walked by a trophy case in the school, which contained some very particular objects.

"And this here case is what holds the-" Luster started, but Cozy's voice chimed in.
"The Amulet of Aurora, the Talisman of Mirage, the Helm of Yksler, the Crown of Grover, Knuckerbocker's Shell, and Clover the Clever's Cloak..." Cozy said, enamoured.
"Right you are. Glad you retained the knowledge you learned in school." Luster complimented.

She thought about how Cozy nearly used the six artifacts to banish all the magic in Equestria to another dimension.

"They kept the artifacts here? Even after my... stunt?" Cozy asked.
"Looks to be that way. They are important symbols of learning after all. So they're best utilized here at the school where everyone can admire them." Luster said.

From inside Luster's mind, Cozy looked at the artifacts. Luster got the hint that Cozy was getting ideas looking at them.

"I can read your thoughts, Cozy. Even if you wanted to try your little spell again, it wouldn't work." Luster said. "(At least I'm pretty sure it wouldn't...)"
"Oh. I would never. True insanity is doing the exact same thing and expecting a different outcome." Cozy said, innocently.
"You're in no position to be crafting any nefarious schemes. Your body is with us, and your mind is with me. You ain't got nothing." Luster winked.
"I would never try to fudge a plan when I'm clearly in such a disadvantaged state." Cozy said. "I do hope someone is able to cure my body and return me to normal."

Meanwhile, in the same building, Chrysalis explored the school, disguised as the unicorn named Magnolia. One of her main objectives was a mission closer to home. She talked to every Changeling she could get within proximity to, and asked a ton of questions. All of this was in an effort to see if she could find a way to reverse their reformation, and have them feed on love again.

She found a tall green Changeling who looked smart, so she decided to pester them for information.

"Excuse me, Changeling." Chrysalis was less than subtle with her questions. "With your queen no longer in power, how are new Changelings being created?"
"You know, now that you mention it to me, I think King Thorax did mention something to that concern." they said.
"What? What did he say?" she asked, concerned.
"Something about concerns regarding Changeling population." they said.
"What?!" Chrysalis exclaimed.
"Don't quote me, I'm not an expert." the changeling said. "But it has something to do with our new forms I think."

Now that this was brought to Chrysalis' attention, she had noticed that all the Changelings she encountered were past adolescence.

I had no idea that Changelings were in such bad shape. If they were in trouble, then it's up to me to revert them back to their old ways, starting with this drone. Chrysalis thought.

She noticed two ponies giving each other an intense stare. She saw an opportunity.

"Those two ponies look like they're in love." Chrysalis pointed out.
"Bleh. Public signs of affection make me uncomfortable." the changeling said.
"Doesn't it make you... hungry?" she asked.

*grumble*

"You're right. It's almost lunch time! I don't wanna be at the back of the line!" The Changeling ran off.

*Hmph* "Guess they haven't gotten smarter. If anything, they're pushovers now. They'd never survive an invasion. Hmm..." she thought.

Her own kind was proving ineffective, so she turned her attention to somepony who looked smart.

"Excuse me, citizen, where do I go to research Changeling population?" Chrysalis asked a random pony.

The pony raised their eyebrow at the unusual question.

"Just uh, it's for a research." Chrysalis said.
"If you need information on creature population over time, then you should look in the archives to read up on population surveys conducted by the Equestrian Population Division." they said.
"Much obliged." Chrysalis thanked.
"Say, you look familiar." the changeling said.
"No I don't." Chrysalis snarked.
"I think you better come with me." they said.
*gulp*

Meanwhile back at the village, the real Magnolia went into the castle to check on Tirek. She found him on the balcony, looking off to the distance.

"You alright, Tirek?" she asked.
"I'm doing fine I suppose..." he replied.

But she could tell from his tone, that he was troubled.

"You're thinking about her, aren't you?" Magnolia asked.
"Cozy told me to trust Discord to heal her and bring her back, but this whole trust thing has me feeling very weary." Tirek said.
"I don't blame you. You have a rocky history with trusting other creatures." Magnolia said. "Your brother betrayed you, plus you and Discord double crossed each other on multiple instances."

"I'm not used to relying on others to do much of anything." Tirek said. "I'm used to taking down any creature who stands in my way."
"You know, it's only been one day, but if they can't find a cure, and we don't act soon, I'm afraid it may be too late for Cozy Glow..." Magnolia said.
"Then what do we do?" Tirek asked.
"What do we do? Are you kidding me? We literally have the most powerful item in Equestria beneath us! That Discord was too narrow sighted to realize we have it! This is our chance!" Magnolia said. "Discord said he'd bring back Cozy Glow once she was cured, but she's been gone for almost two days. So I say, Discord has failed to uphold his end of the deal, so let's break out side of the deal too. Let's get Cozy back ourselves!"
"Yes! Forget relying on others to help. We're going to take matters into our own hands!" Tirek said.
"This is the moment you've been waiting for. It is time to unleash your next big attack!" Magnolia said. "When we get to Equestria, if Cozy isn't cured, we'll force Twilight to do something! Celestia made Twilight into an immortal alicorn, I'm sure Twilight could do the same for Cozy."

Tirek clenched his fists in glee, anticipating the carnage to come.

"Magnolia, bring me the Rainbow of Darkness." Tirek commanded.
"Your wish is my command, my liege." Magnolia replied.

Meanwhile, Chrysalis was brought before the royal guards.

The captain inspected Chrysalis' disguise closely. She was sweating, hoping not to be discovered.

"Magnolia?" the captain said.
"...Yes. It is I. Magnolia the guard." Chrysalis replied.

The guards got closer to her. Then suddenly, one of them embraced Chrysalis.

"Oh, Magnolia! We're so glad you're okay!" one of them said.
"We were so worried when you went missing!" said the second guard.
"You were the only soldier unaccounted for after our guards were raided by Lord Tirek and Queen Chrysalis." the captain said.
"After seeing what they did to Gallus, we feared the worst." the first guard added.
"Yes... I survived the attack." Chrysalis said.
"What have you been doing in the meantime?" the captain asked.
"That doesn't matter. I fear we are on the verge of an imminent threat." Chrysalis said. "And so, if you shall allow me, I need access to the archives to get a head count for every creature in Equestria."

After a long day, it was now early in the evening, and Luster Dawn was ready to hit the hay.

"Why are we heading out to sleep so early?" Cozy asked.
"I wanna be wide awake for the upcoming Grand Galloping Gala! It'll be my first gala, and I wanna make a good impression on Twilight!" Luster replied.
"Bleh."

The door to Luster's place was conveniently placed too close to a dragon sneeze tree, which prevented it from opening all the way. Every time she tried, she would knock the door against the tree, and flakes would fall down.

"You better call the landscaper to fix this glaring oversight." Cozy said.
"No no, they designed it this way. I don't remember the exact reason why..." Luster said.

Luster got the door open, and squeezed herself into her place. Luster lived in a tiny one room suite in Canterlot.

"And this is what I call home. It ain't much, but..." Luster said.
"It really isn't much." Cozy added.
"It's all I got. Canterlot is a lot more populated, so some concessions have had to be made in recent times." Luster explained.
"I see. Guess Canterlot ain't the unicorn capital of Equestria any more." Cozy said.
"Nope! Unicorns became a minority here years ago. In fact, I don't know which creature is the majority here, but that's okay, because we all have something unique to contribute!" Luster said.
"... Lusty?" Cozy asked.
"Yes, Cozy?" she replied.
"Go to bed and stop talking." Cozy demanded.

Luster closed her lips, and hastily laid down on her bed. She tucked herself in, and said good night to that voice in her head.

"Good night, Cozy." Luster Dawn said.
"Good night, Lusty." Cozy Glow said.

.

.

.

Inside Luster's mind, she found herself in a void. The room was empty, besides her, and a familiar little pegasus standing in front of her.

"So, Luster Dawn. Do you like being Twilight's student? Is it gratifying? Is it cozy?" Cozy asked.
"It's really great. I consider myself so lucky that the Princess Twilight Sparkle took me out of all unicorns under her wing." Luster replied.
"That must mean you're pretty special and talented." Cozy winked.
"Oh, gosh. You're making me blush." Luster said. "I think I'm only decent, but Twilight seems to see potential in me."
"You know, I was also Twilight Sparkle's student. I was also pretty special, and I almost did a cool thing, but she didn't like my plan, so she locked me away in Tartarus."
"You're not jealous are you?" Luster asked.
"Jealous? Of what? Jealous that Twilight Sparkle took you under her wing? No way! Not even close." Cozy said.
"Is there something you wanna tell me, Cozy?" Luster asked.
"I just wanna say that, since this is a dream, and anything is possible." Cozy whispered.

Cozy lit up, and she grew a horn, and larger wings. Cozy transformed into Cozycorn right in front of Luster.

"You invited me into your mind, so we both have to share this confined space don't we? But don't worry, I have an idea to settle the playing field." Cozy said.

Cozy's horn lit up, and created a blinding light. When the light dissipated, Luster Dawn found herself on a large checkerboard.

"Tell you what, Lusty. Let's play a game." Cozy said. "A classic game of wits."

Giant chess pieces fell around Luster.

"Chess?" she asked.
"Of course. You thought my cutie mark was just for show? I earned this bad boy after winning a chess match in school. Of course, immediately after I earned it, I lost my next chess game against Brenda (so I have no idea if it's a direct correlation), but I do know one thing, I am a wiz when it comes to outwitting creatures."

The game was ready to begin.

"I'll let you go first, Lusty." Cozy said.

Luster nervously pointed to a pawn, and moved it to square c3.
Cozy, with a smug look on her face, cocked her head, and her pawn moved itself to f3.

"It's a shame Luna isn't around to spectate our dream match." Cozy smirked. "I have a feeling fireworks are gonna fly.

One intense game of chess later:

Cozy moved her rook into winning position. Luster was sweating, there was nowhere she could move her king.

"Checkmate, Luster Dawn." Cozy grinned.

"Come on. Best two out of three?" Luster asked.

Cozy nodded no.

"It's single elimination, winner takes all." Cozy grinned.

Cozy lifted her giant rook, overhead, and hovered it over Luster. Luster was compelled with fear, she was paralyzed and couldn't run. Cozy lowered her rook and *boom* crushed Luster Dawn.

Luster Dawn woke up, and immediately flung away her blankets, and trotted out of bed. She exited her room, and made her way through Canterlot.

She found the Canterlot archives, but it was closed, and locked with heavy metal bars. However, Luster used a spell, and phased through the bars as if they weren't there. She successfully infiltrated the archives, and took a good look around.

"Ahh, good ol Canterlot anchovies. Absolutely nothing you can't learn from here."

Luster opened a book about Equestrian history. This particular one told the story of when the ending ended, and Twilight Sparkle defeated the legion of doom. It conveniently wrote in detail exactly the precautionary measures taken after their defeat.

"Heh heh. Seriously? That was your solution? Whatever, not gonna complain about an easy task."

Luster closed the book, and put it right back where she found it.

She found herself in the forbidden corner of the archives. She pushed in the correct books, and successfully figured out the pass code. A secret passage opened, and she wandered inside. Inside the cobblestone ridden room, she found exactly what she was looking for. Her horn lit up, and brought to life one of the most powerful artifacts in Equestrian history.

*ring*

She activated its power, and absorbed the magic inside.

Luster grinned.

"It feels good to be back!"

The bright glow of Grogar's Bewitching Bell cast a silhouette of a powerful alicorn.

Meanwhile, back at the village, Tirek placed the box containing the Rainbow of Darkness in the middle of the table. Magnolia grinned a sinister looking grin.

"Do it, Tirek." Magnolia ordered.

Tirek shot magic at the box, and it started to glow, and open slowly. From inside, the ominous object revealed itself. It levitated in front of them. It was the sack that held all the dark magic of the Rainbow of Darkness. The sight had both characters star struck. Magnolia nodded, keeping her eyes on the object. Tirek reached for it, and grabbed the sack. He felt a jolt of power coursing through his body. He used one of the strings to attach it around his neck.

"Are you ready to be consumed by the darkness?" Tirek asked.
"Yes. I've been looking for a new personality anyway." Magnolia replied.

Tirek held the dark sack in his hands, and opened it wide. Dark clouds plumed out, and wrapped around Magnolia.

*tee hee* "It tickles." she said.

The darkness crept up around her.

"Okay now it's starting to hurt. Okay now it's REALLY starting to hurt!"

The darkness bound tightly around Magnolia.

"Sweet mother of Celestia the pain!" she exclaimed. "AAH-"

She was silenced when the darkness completely enveloped her. Tirek looked on with concern. Even to his eyes, it looked gruesome. The darkness completely swallowed Magnolia, and her body turned all dark. Her eyes glowed a sinister yellow.

"Heh heh heh. It's good to breathe fresh air again." Magnolia's voice had completely changed. It was now a much lower and sinister pitch.

Magnolia had been possessed, and turned into a dark demon like creature. The voice coming from her was not of hers, but of something far more sinister. She was under the influence of some kind of dark consciousness.

"Lord Tirek." it said.
"Magnolia?" Tirek asked.
"No. The unicorn is now gone. I made her better. I made her into something remarkable. I made her into something powerful."
"So this is the power of the Rainbow of Darkness..." Tirek said.
"Mmm hmm. Now, where is your little filly?" it asked.
"Right now, Discord has her! And so, we're planning an invasion to get her back." Tirek said.
"Discord, huh? That's no good. We must find her, and use the darkness' power to revive her." it said.
"But Cozy was afraid that using the rainbow would hurt her. She said the darkness brings disorder instead of order." Tirek explained.
"She's wrong, the darkness brings life! We can save her." it said. "We must rush to her. We must hurry to Canterlot to save your little filly. But we can't possibly do it alone, we will require some recruitment. There's an entire gathering of unsuspecting creatures outside. I order you to gather them."
"And do to them what you did to the unicorn?" Tirek asked.
"Yes. It is the only way we'll be strong enough to overthrow Twilight Sparkle. Now go, gather them, and bring them to me." it demanded.

Later, in the dead of night, Luster Dawn was once again in Ponyville hospital. There was one room she was looking for. Luster trotted into the room, and noticed it was crawling with royal guards. They noticed her walk in, and approached her.

"Uh, excuse me, no visitors after hours." a guard said.
"I need to see Cozy Glow."
"We can't allow for that." they added.
"She's coming with me."
"She needs to be hospitalized!" they affirmed.
"No..."

Luster's magic gripped the guards head. She lifted them up and-

*SLAM* "YOU NEED TO BE HOSPITALIZED!" she exclaimed.

She forced the guard to the ground. The guards went on the offensive. *pew pew* Luster fired magic at two other guards. She lifted a guard, and chucked them at a stack of guards. The last guard had her cornered, but she had a trick up her sleeve.

She revealed her wings, and a powerful wave of magic paralyzed the guard in front of her.

With all the guards defeated, Luster took the bewitching bell from her saddle bag, and rang it to suck up all the magic from the guards. With that done, she began what she came to this room for. She walked up to the lifeless and empty Cozy Glow body.

"Poor old Cozy Glow. Big ambitions, but small and weak body. But now, thanks to a very generous body donor, our plans are allowed to continue. I just need to borrow something before we can begin. I'm not sure how life support is supposed to help a mindless body, but I'm pretty sure it doesn't work if it *YANK*

Cozy disconnected her empty body from life support, threw the equipment to the ground, and stomped on it for good measure.

"Come here, Cozy. I pwomise not to hurt you." Luster leaned in and embraced Cozy's corpse. "You're so lonely, but don't worry, I say it's time for a little reunion!"

Meanwhile, Chrysalis was exploring a normal library... She had found exactly the book she was looking for. A census on Changeling population since the rise of King Thorax.

I'm so glad that I've taken up reading as a hobby. Twilight is right about one thing, you can learn so much from books. Chrysalis thought.

She was reading a recent publication on Changelings, and well, the contents were interesting.

All attempts at raising a new Changeling queen have resulted in failed results. No creature has been able to properly produce royal juice necessary to raise a queen. All experiments have failed to impregnate any female individuals. As a result, the population has been stagnant since the departure of Queen Chrysalis, and the rise of King Thorax. New offspring aren't being created. Although solutions are being explored, if there are no new advancements, the Changelings face imminent extinction! she read.

"So, you still care about all creatures, Twilight Sparkle? My creatures need me! They need their queen! They need-"
"Chrysalis." said a voice behind her.
"Uh... no. I am Magnolia, and no, I'm not on the side of the bad guys, I just-" Chrysalis said.
"It's me, Chryssie." Cozy's voice came from Luster's mouth.
"Cozy Glow? I thought that unicorn was..." Chrysalis trailed off.
"Yeah, but shh..." Cozy said.
"How did you..." Chrysalis was about to ask.
"Don't ask. I'll explain more later. But just know for now that the unicorn who tried to reform us is now my little pony puppet." Cozy said. "I'm in total control."

Chrysalis was confused, but anything to manipulate the minds of weak ponies was to her liking.

"Enough about me though, what have you been up to?" Cozy asked.
"I've made a startling discovery. With no queen, the Changelings are facing the threat of extinction within the next generation or so." Chrysalis said.
"That's awful. So viva la Changeling revolution was a mistake after all." Cozy said.
"The urgency of our mission has increased tenfold!" Chrysalis said.

Cozy grinned with Luster's face.

"Well, if that's the case, then I believe both of us have some family matters to attend to." she said.

Chrysalis scratched her head, not sure of what she meant.

"We can't afford to waste any more time. If your hive's in danger, then just take it back!" Cozy exclaimed.
"Sounds risky. Shouldn't we wait to regroup and use our secret weapon before we do anything of the sort?" Chrysalis asked.
"Here's the plan. You do your thing an hour before the sun sets tomorrow." Cozy said. "At that point, we'll begin our coordinated takeover."
"What about the brawn of our group?" Chrysalis asked.
"I have a feeling we'll be seeing him again soon." Cozy grinned. "Since Discord won't be fulfilling his promise, I guarantee you Tirek will be comin' around soon."

Somehow, the plan was starting to come together.

"Thanks to our time together, I have a newfound confidence, so I am definitely gonna try." Chrysalis said.
"That's the spirit, Chryssie." Cozy said.

"This may come in handy." Cozy gave an orb of magic to Chrysalis. The magic powered her up, so much so that, let's just say once Chrysalis revealed her true form, she may look just a bit more powerful.
"I feel like I can actually do this." Chrysalis said. "But, what family matters are you going to take care of?"
"Hmm hm hm. You'll see at the upcoming Grand Galloping Gala." Cozy smirked. "Now, be off. Before anyone catches wind of our conversation."

Chrysalis trotted off, and Cozy waved bye to her.

"She could probably use the bell, but, nah. She'll find a way, whereas I'm setting my sights on bigger fish, and I need the undivided magical power of Grogar." Cozy grinned. "If she fails, I'll come in and save her flank. Because this is only the beginning of my power."

Meanwhile, in the castle foyer, a mandatory meeting was taking place, and every single creature in the town was gathered. Many dozen ponies (most unnamed) were all in attendance. But for what special occasion they wondered.

"What do you suppose is going on now?" Lightning Dust asked.
"I haven't the slightest clue. And I'm Cozy's right hand stallion." Svengallop said.
"Another power nap?" Short Fuse asked.
"Perhaps some recognition for our hard work." Flim said.
"I have a bad feeling about this." Suri said.

*the lights went out*

A spotlight beamed onto the upper deck where Magnolia stood.

"Attention, everypony. I want to thank each and everyone of you for making it tonight. I know you all have done a wonderful job making this town a truly special place. So I just wanted to take the time to say, y'all a bunch of losers!" Magnolia exclaimed.

*confusion in the crowd*

"Huh?"
"What?"

"I mean, seriously?! Who in their right mind would willingly serve Equestria's most dangerous villains? Did y'all honestly expect this wouldn't backfire!? HA! Just look over your heads. See those cocoons?"

Everypony looked up, and indeed, there were Cocoons hanging from the ceiling.

"That's what happened to the folks who've gone missing! That's what happens to creatures who don't obey!"

"Y'all been sitting cozy for a long time, but no longer. Now it is time to fulfill your true greater purpose!"

Tirek stood behind Magnolia. So tall, his head was obscured by the shadows. He walked forward to intimidate the crowd. Tirek opened the Rainbow of Darkness, revealing the emptiness and evil magic inside. Magnolia stood on two legs, raised her front limbs into the air, and held an orb of dark magic in her hooves.

"Oh my god." Suri Polomare gasped.
"Oh boy..." Svengallop gulped.
"Let's get out of her!" Flim and Flam cried.

The magic power charged in her hooves. The ponies inside tried to make a run for it. They piled up at the main door, but it was locked. Lighting and the Washouts panicked and searched high for some kind of hole in the ceiling. But nothing. Flim and Flim bashed their heads against the windows, but they wouldn't break. There was no escaping.

Dark magic shot in all directions, and leeahed onto every creature in the foyer.

"AAAHH!"
"I trusted you!"
"HELP!"
"IT HURTS!"
"AAAHHHHH!"

The dark magic consumed everypony it touched. The darkness crept up, and wrapped around each and every individual creature. It slowly wrapped around them, and swallowed them whole. Finally, once the magic reached every creature, all motion in the foyer ceased. The dark magic even surrounded the cocoons on the ceiling.

"Wait for it..."

One by the creature's eyes opened revealing a terrifying glow. They each stood up, revealing they had been consumed, and turned into horrifying shadow demons. The ponies became vicious alicorns, with wings and horns, regardless of their normal race. Lightning Dust, Short Fuse, Rolling Thunder, and Wind Rider were sort of like shadow bolts. Fast, and evil. One of the cocoons contained Sludge, and yes, he also became a shadowy monster.

It watched in glee from Magnolia's body. It still controlled Magnolia's mind. Tirek however was, surprisingly unenthusiastic.

"This is perfect. Our very own army of darkness!" it said.

In the back of Tirek's mind, he had a feeling he never felt with any evil plan before. Doubt.

The darkness could sense it, and the creatures gathered close around Tirek.

"What's the matter, Tirek?" Dark Magnolia whispered in Tirek's ear.
"What are you waiting for? Do it, Tirek." Dark Sludge said.
"It's the only way to save Cozy Glow." Shadow Polomare said.
"She's waiting for you." Shadowgallop added.
"Crush that Princess Twilight Sparkle to pieces! And take over Equestria!" the Washadows said.
"And save Cozy Glow, right?" Tirek asked.
"Yeah, that too." every creature said simultaneously.

Tirek stepped outside the castle, with the Rainbow of Darkness sack around his neck. The creatures swarmed out of the castle, and landed beside him.

"Don't be hesitant because we may hurt a pony or two." Shadow Polomare said.
"Be extra destructive! Because that's what you want! It's what Cozy Glow wants." Dark Magnolia said.

Tirek grinned, thinking about all the power at his disposal. It made him giddy, and he was excited to unleash this incredible dark magic upon the helpless creatures of Equestria.

To be continued...