A Butlers Symphony

by PyraBlue Heart

First published 10th of January, 2016

With Spike moving out to live with Rarity, Twilight is in need of a new assistant. During a walk through the now tame Everfree Forest she comes across a strange being, a being that will solve her assistant problem.

Twilight knew the day would eventually come, the day that Spike would move out to live his life. As he had become of age Rarity had accepted his feelings and after a few years they were to be wed.

Twilight thought she could handle things on her own, but she had become so accustomed to having someone by her side to help her. After taking a walk through the now tame Everfree Forest she comes across a strange being in a tux. This being is the solution to her present problem.

Little does she know, this being isn't just in Equestria to find someone to serve, it's on the lookout for something that could be a danger to all living things.

This is not a human X pony fic, the romance tag is for something else further down the line

1) Our story begins

Twilight Sparkle, prized student of Princess Celestia, Princess of Friendship, defender of Equestria and bearer of the Element of Magic. She had lived through so much in the past few years of her life, defeated a spirit of chaos, befriended said spirit of chaos, helped stop an invasion of creatures that feed off of love, destroyed a tyrant that had kept an entire empire as slaves, battled a giant centaur that had power comparable to a God, freed a village from a mare that was blinded by her view of what friendship was, battled said mare and traveled to various different timelines in the process, befriended said mare and restored the balance of harmony in Equestria.

Yet after living through all of this, she couldn't even put on a fake smile for what was happening. The day had arrived, the day she had dreaded for years. Her adoptive brother and number one assistant, Spike the Dragon, was moving out. Spike was no longer the small drake that Twilight had grown up with, he was now taller than her, matured in a way, more independent.

Spike had come of age, ready to marry the mare he had fallen in love with, Rarity Belle. As he had proposed Twilight had secretly wished that she would turn him down, but she didn't. Rarity said yes and they were to be wed in a few months from the present time.

Twilight sat idly packing boxes with her magic, not taking more than a glance at each item to avoid reliving memories in her head. With her blocking out the world she failed to notice her new housemate walked in the gold plated door. Starlight Glimmer watched with a worried look as Twilight sulked. "Twilight?" She got no answer. "Twilight?" She walked over and sat beside her friend before shaking her slightly. "Twilight!"

Twilight snapped out of her depressed trance and looked to Starlight. "Yes Starlight?"

"Why don't you let me do this? It's obviously too much for you, why don't you just go see Spike before he leaves?" Starlight suggested. "Twilight, it's not like you're never gonna see him again, he's literally right down the road and you can visit each other at anytime." Twilight looked at her with saddened eyes. "I let myself fall from the thought of never seeing my friend again, don't you make the same mistake."

Twilight managed a sad smile. "Don't worry Starlight, I won't let this take over me, I promise."

"Pinkie promise?" Starlight asked with a raised brow.

Twilight sighed and began the ridiculous movements. "Cross my heart, hope to fly, stick a cupcake in my eye."

"Good, now get going before you fall into a funk again."

Twilight did as instructed and slowly walked out of the room, leaving her friend to sort through the items in the boxes.

Spike stood outside the castle of friendship, loading a few boxes of his stuff onto a cart. A golden ring rested on one of his claws, something he wore with pride and love. As he was about to reach for another it was coated in a lavender aura and floated into the cart. Looking up the crystal steps he spotted Twilight walking out with a sad smile. "Hey Spike."

"Hey Twilight." The two looked away from each other slightly, Spike rubbing the back of his head while Twilight ruffled her wings. "So..."

"This is actually happening."

The two remained silent before bringing each other into a meaningful hug. "I'm sorry about this Twi, but I've got to start living my life, I can't be your little assistant forever."

"I know...it's just, gonna be hard for me to get used to not having you by my side."

"Come on Twilight, I'll visit as much as I can, and we'll see each other everyday anyways."

These words helped to calm Twilight, making her feel more comfortable with the situation. "Still, I need someone by my side to help me."

"What about Starlight?" Spike asked, pulling away from the hug and looking down at his adoptive sister.

Twilight shook her head. "Spike, she does her own research and studies, we help each other on occasion but when we have our own projects to work on we're alone."

Spike paused for a moment, thinking over what she had said. The two mares did get together a lot for Twilight to teach Starlight more about friendship and magic, but beyond that they were housemates, friends, not assistants. What Spike was about to say was hard for him to even peak the words, he knew that Twilight needed someone with her to keep her straight and to remind her of what's important when she got caught up in something and was blinded by determination. "Twilight, I know this will be hard for you to hear but, maybe you should look into finding my...replacement."

Twilights eyes widened. "Replacement?! Spike, you aren't just something I keep for a few years and once it breaks I get a new one, you're my friend, my brother. I can't replace you, no one can ever replace you." Twilight wrapped her forelegs around Spikes neck and held him tightly.

"I know Twilight, and no one could ever replace you in my life either, but times have changed. You need someone by your side, to help you organise, to keep you company." Spike pulled Twilight off of him and looked her in the eye. "Promise me, Pinkie promise me, that you'll look into a new assistant."

Twilight closed her eyes and took in a deep breath. Performing the promise she looked up at Spike with saddened eyes. "I'll miss you Spike."

"I'll miss you too Twilight." As the last box was loaded into the cart by Starlight who had walked out with the remaining items in her magic, Spike walked up front and grabbed the two wooden poles. Taking one last look at Twilight he flashed her a sad smiled before turning around and began walking towards his new home at the Carousel Boutique.

As Twilight sat on the crystal steps and watched him walk away Starlight sat beside her and rubbed her back to reassure her. "Hey, it's alright Twilight. You'll manage without him, right?"

"That's the thing Starlight, I've had someone helping me for so long that I don't know if I'll ever get used to not having that help." She sighed and looked up at the sky. "Where am I gonna find an assistant as good as Spike?"

Little did Twilight know, there was someone listening to the conversation. A being that had sensed her distress, came to analyse what had caused this negativity in her. This being sat on a small white circular platform in a black void, watching Twilight through a magic screen.

The being heard the sound of a door opening from the opposite end of the platform, echoed footsteps approaching him. "So son, have you decided on which world you would like to be stationed in?" The figure behind him asked.

"Yes father, I believe I have." The being returned to watching the screen as he heard the echoed steps fade and the sound of a door closing. "This world will do just fine."

Author's Notes:

Hope you enjoyed the first chapter of this long tale. If you enjoyed please leave a comment below a hit that like button. This story is going to go on for awhile at least, in the future there will be a kind of Romeo and Juliet romance theme, not between the mysterious being and Twilight, no that's not what this story is about.

2) Hello there

A few days later

Twilight lay on her side, staring at the crystal wall as she thought about her situation. Not about Spike leaving, just her current situation. She needed someone to help keep her organised, Starlight couldn't do it because she was busy with her own research and any other time apart from studies was either training with Twilight or having some down time with a good romance novel and a tub of ice cream.

Sighing she got up from her bed and began walking towards the door. She had held auditions for another assistant, but none of the ponies who tried out could handle the amount of work or put up with Twilight for more than a few hours. She had given up on the idea of auditions the day before, and was now trying to form a plan in her head. "Maybe a walk through the Everfree will clear my head." She nodded and began her journey to the pacified forest of thorns.

???

The mysterious being watched Twilight exit the castle from the screen in the void. After a few minutes of contemplating what may happen if he were to reveal himself to an Equestria that had no contact with any parallel universe. On one hand it would give him an opportunity to give a friendly introduction of the inhabitants of the multiverse, maybe even allow some to settle in that Equestria that were looking for a home. On the other hand he could end up scarring the populace and stopping any chances of allowing anyone to settle down in that world, and then have to look for another one suitable to his needs.

Soon he deactivated the screen, having made up his mind. He walked to the other side of the white platform where a door seeming to only lead off the edge of the circular foothold stood. He placed his hand on the doorknob and twisted. As he opened the door a long hallway of various other doors could be seen through the door frame. Closing the door behind him he began to walk down the hallway.

He looked to his current appearance, nothing but a black silhouette with his eyes being all white save for two reptilian slits that acted as pupils but having no irises. He stopped as he reached a bookshelf filled with various books with photos of different outfits listed in a section. He picked one out and began flipping through the pages, stopping as he came to one photo that caught his eye. A tux, that would be perfect for him, for both the situation and his line of work.

Setting the book down he began to change. His plain black body growing his article of clothing of which he choose. Soon he was wearing a black tailcoat with dresspants and leather shoes. He also wore a white shirt underneath with a neat bow tie. His black skin became peach, revealing the face of a young twelve year old boy with slick black hair. His eyes were the only thing that stayed the same, his hair had grown a little to where the back with reaching just past his neck. "There we go, this will do just fine."

"Finally on your appearance then son?" A male voice spike from behind. The figure looked back to see a man that looked about nineteen standing there with long white hair and piercing purple eyes and a small buzz of a white beard on the bottom of his face. He was wearing a grey trencoat which he wore open to show a purple t-shirt underneath,mas well as his grey jeans and purple boots. You may be thinking why a nineteen year old has a twelve year old kid, well they are actually ageless and the child was not born naturally, he was created.

"Yes father, I've decided that this is the form I shall take while helping the people of the multiverse, as well I have decided that now is the time to start my own journey as you did in your early years, but by following my own path." The boy replied.

"A wise choice, I would prefer if you did not follow the path I took in my first Equestria, I ended up in more trouble than I could handle. You do whatever you need to do, and...good luck, Symph." With that the man disappeared. Symph looked at the spot his father was previously in and nodded, making his way to the door leading into the Equestria of his choice.

"EQ 509, EQ 510, EQ 511...ah, here it is, Equestria 512." He said as he reached his door, turning the knob and opening the entrance, revealing a portal instead of a room. "Alright, here I go." With that he jumped in, the door shutting behind him.

Equestria

Twilight walked through the now peaceful Everfree Forest, the magic from the Tree of Harmony having dealt with the chaos of this once cursed forest, now the only threats were a few Timberwolves that stayed in the deepest parts of the forest and the thorns in the trees. The sounds of nature helped to calm Twilight, allowing her to escape from her troubles for a while.

Everything seemed so distant, so meaningless and so senseless while she was in this relaxed state. The years of dealing with the stress of Ponyville had forced her to learn relaxation techniques that would calm her quickly in situations where she needed to keep a cool head.

As she was about to turn back she head a crackling sound, sounding like wild bolts of electricity. Cautiously following the sound she saw what appeared to be a portal closing, but whatever had created the portal was nowhere in sight. Shaking herself she turned back and began heading for home, thinking it was just her imagination running wild with her clear head...that is until a voice spoke, causing her to jump.

"Hello there." A friendly voice said from the treeline. "No need to worry, I am a friend, I only seek to help you."

Twilight regained her composure and looked around cautiously,maher horn charged at the ready. "Who's there? What do you want?"

"Now now, there is no reason for violence Miss Sparkle, I am a peaceful fellow. I only wish to help you with your problems." It replied.

"Then show yourself!"

"Ok, I'm coming out, no need to shout." With that Twilight heard the rustling of leaves and watched as Symph walked out from behind a tree with a smile on his face, although her expression was one of fear and confusion. "hello."

Author's Notes:

Hope you all enjoyed this chapter

3) What are you?

Twilight just stared at Symph in shock, fear and confusion. He had done his best to pick a form that would appear friendly, but it was hard to seem friendly when your eyes are black slits and you have slightly sharp teeth. Twilight just stood there frozen, wondering what to do next.

"Oh come on I'm not that scary am I?" Symph asked with a raised brow. As he looked to her waiting for a response he sighed and looked at her with a frown. "It's rude to stare you know?"

Twilight snapped out of her trance and shook herself before looking at the boy cautiously. "What...are you? Who are you?"

Symph just smiled warmly and gave a polite bow. "My name is Symph Shattered, I am what's known as a symbiote, although I have taken on the appearance of a human for now and possibly for a long time."

Twilight just looked at him confused. "What's a symbiote, I know about humans but I've never heard of symbiotes before?"

"That Miss Sparkle will be hard to explain in full, so I'll give you the short version. My body is made up of a liquid-like material with a consciousness, I can merge with other living beings to either control their bodies, rest and regain energy or grant the individual with greater power." Symph explained with a kind smile.

"C-Control their bodies?" She asked with fear.

"Do not worry Miss Sparkle I have never done such a thing and I do not plan on doing anything of the sort without the willingness of the individual." He stated while putting a hand on his chest. "Now, I can assure you that there is nothing to fear, as I have said before I only wish to help you with your problems."

Twilight looked at him with a raised brow. "What problems?"

"You are in need of a new assistant am I correct?" He recieved a reluctant bod in response. "Well I am here to offer my services."

Twilights eyes just widened in shock. "What? How do you even know about this anyway?"

"I may tell you sometime in the future, for now can we please focus on the matter at hand...er, hoof?"

Twilight sighed and sat down in front of him. "I'm listening."

Symph smiled softly and cleared his throat. "Well, my sole purpose is to serve someone that has a kind heart and good judgement, while I was created with this by accident I have a drive to assist those that need a helping hoof, that includes your little predicament." He explained as he pointed to her. "My abilities can be of great use to you, and do not worry, it would not be like I'd obey you like a slave but as a friend, I would help you grasp the understanding of what you do not know, I would not follow a request if I find it questionable unless I know the full details and I happen to be a pretty good cook." He said with a smirk. "I do however have my limitations but that can be discussed later."

Twilight looked to the ground and began to think. Should she give this strange creature a chance? Should she just say no and get on with her day? These were just a few questions that bubbled in her mind. "Alright, I don't see the harm in at least giving you a chance." She said with a sigh while looking up to him.

"Thank you Miss Sparkle, I'll do my best to ease your worries about this situation, that I promise." Symph said happily. As Twilight nodded she suddenly started feeling sleepy, the many interviews during the day had left her exhausted. As she was about to fall face first into the dirt path Symph dashed forward and gently caught her before she fell. "Poor thing, her conflicted thoughts were distracting her from her exhaustion. Let's get you back to your bed shall we?" He picked her up in his arms and began slowly walking towards Ponyville with a satisfied smile.

The next morning

Twilight slowly opened her eyes, surprised to find herself in her bed back at the Castle of Friendship. Confused looked around with half lidded eyes, still trying to waken herself up. 'Was it all a dream?' She thought as she climbed out of her place of slumber.

As she opened the golden doors of her bedroom she slowly walked down the long hallway. She smelled a faint scent coming from down the hallway from the kitchen where the door had been left open slightly. It was a sweet, delicious scent that managed to wake her up a bit.

'Is Starlight making pancakes for breakfast?'

As she approached the door to the kitchen she could hear someone humming a catchy tune, but it wasn't Starlight. Looking in through the gap in the double doors she spotted Symph by the crystal stove with a frying pan in his hand, he flipped a half cooked pancake from the pan and it landed perfectly on its uncooked side back into the pan.

'So it wasn't a dream.'

Suddenly the door was opened up by a strange black appendage that grew out from Symph's back, it was like one of his hands but all black and was stretched over to the door until it retracted into his body. "Good morning Miss Sparkle, I trust you slept well last night?"

She just stared at him in shock before returning to reality. "Well...good morning to you too Symph."

"Why don't you go sit in the dining room, Miss Glimmer is there and there is a cup of coffee waiting for you, I'll bring in your breakfast shortly." He said as he placed the fresh pancake on a plate and bean to make another.

"Oh...uh ok, thank you." Twilight turned around and began walking towards the dining room where Starlight was waiting.

As he was now out of her vision Symph grew multiple black tendrils out of his back, each of them forming hands at the tips. Three of them picked up frying pans while the rest managed the ingredients and began placing some strawberries carefully and neatly around the already made pancakes. "Ahhhh, this is much more efficient. I'd best keep use of this ability to a minimum around the ponies as to not scare them off."

Meanwhile Twilight and Starlight idly sipped at their coffee. It would take awhile for Twilight to become fully comfortable with Symph and his strange abilities, even longer to actually trust him, but she was willing to give him a chance to prove himself.

Author's Notes:

Hope you enjoyed.

4) Getting to know you

"Sooooo...you gonna explain the well mannered creature in the kitchen?" Starlight asked as she took a sip of her coffee.

Twilight just rubbed her face with her hooves. "I found him in the Evefree and he followed me home..." She replied jokingly but tiredly.

Starlight rolled her eyes and turned to the door as she heard footsteps approaching. Symph walked in with two plates of fresh pancakes in his hands. He set them down in front of the mares and smiled. "Enjoy, if you need me just speak my name and I'll be there, I'll go find something to do in the meantime."

As he was about to walk away he felt a hoof being placed on his shoulder. Turning his head he saw that Twilight had stopped him. "Actually, I was wondering if you'd answer a few questions."

Symph smiled warmly. "Alright." He took a seat across from Twilight and poured himself a cup of tea. "What do you want to know about me?" He asked politely.

Twilight took a sip of her coffee before turning to face him. "Ok, first off, where are you from? Are there more of your kind waiting for people that need assistance or something?"

Symph just chuckled. "No there's just me, I'm not part of a big civilisation. I'm from a place known as the void, essentially the place between realities or universes."

"Wait, a place between realities? You mean multiverse theory is true?!" Twilight asked in excitement.

"Yes, it is. There are multiple versions of Equestria. There are a few where you two are stallions." Symph stated causing the two mares to look at each other. "There are also realities where Celestia is a tyrannical xenophobic overlord hell bent on proving pony supremacy."

Twilight just looked at the symbiote wide eyed, shocked that a version of her mentor even existed. Meanwhile Starlight couldn't help but laugh at the fact that there were such universes. "N-Next question." Twilight said in a panic, desperate to change the subject. "How old are you exactly?"

Symph just shrugged. "Technically I'm ageless, but my body right now is that of a twelve year old human boy. However, my actual age is...a few months."

Twilight remained silent. "What?!" Until she yelled.

"I wasn't born naturally, I was created in a lab by my father who was researching symbiotes and their creation." Symph said simply, taking a sip of his tea while waiting for the mare to respond.

"O-Oh...I-I'm sorry." Twilight apologised.

"Why are you apologising? You haven't said anything to offend me, I'm completely comfortable with how I was created and so is my father. You did nothing wrong." He reassured her with a small smile.

She nodded and wiped some sweat from her forehead. "Ok then. What are your hobbies?"

"Hmm, I'd say relaxing on a cloud watching the sky would be one, maybe read a bit here and there and just helping out. It may not seem like a normal hobby to some but I still get enjoyment out of aiding people." He replied happily. "And a walk in the woods or just being around nature."

Twilight smiled at the happier topic. "Ok, what are your abilities?"

Symph stopped as he was about to take a sip of his tea. "That's complicated to answer Twilight."

"Ok, just list some of your abilities you use regularly." She suggested.

Symph nodded and closed his eyes. "I can grow multiple other limbs from any part of my body, mostly hands or tendrils. I can read minds by looking into someone's magical aura and I can fuse with any magical being and give them a power boost or create a new being, a fusion."

"What do you mean, a new being?" Starlight asked.

"In some cases with symbiotes, if the two fuse regularly and are close enough, their fusion will be its own separate entity but will not be able to physically exist outside the fused state. While the two that fuse are apart the fusion will stay in a sort of waiting lobby and can see what the two are doing and even talk to them in their minds. Such is the case with my aunt and uncle, they fuse so often that one of their fusions can fuse them without their consent but is still bound to what they say in a few ways but can still disobey them." Symph explained in the simplest way he could without confusing the mares.

"So, if we were close enough, and we fused regularly, we could end up making another being?" Twilight asked with interest.

"Yes, but both my aunt and uncle are symbiotes so they can do it naturally, I'm not really sure what would happen if the same conditions were met with an organic being in the fusion process." Symph scratched his chin in thought. "It's something to look into. Right then, anymore questions?"

Twilight nodded. "What is your kinds main diet?"

"I don't really need to eat, I can sustain myself on the unused energy of others. My diet isn't limited, I can pretty much eat anything that can be eaten." He explained while taking a sip of his tea. "And as long as I think it tastes nice of course." He added with a smile.

"Favourite food?"

"Ramen noodles."

"Favourite colour?"

"Purple."

"Least favourite colour?"

"Amber."

"Favourite flower?"

"Water lilys."

"Favourite animal?"

"Raven."

"Favourite time of day?"

"Nighttime."

Twilight continued to flash his questions, some to do with just him as a person and others about what he was, her scientific curiosity driving her to ask more and more to learn more and more. Twilight and Starlight had finished their breakfast and Symph had grabbed the plates to clean in the kitchen before beginning to work around the castle.

As Twilight walked towards the entrance of the castle to go out and visit her friends her thoughts went back to her conversation with the symbiote. Now knowing a few things about him and seeing how openly he answered personal questions allowed her to trust him, not completely but still there was a level of trust building.

Author's Notes:

Don't worry, the distrust won't last long, Twilight is merely being cautious about a new sentient being that could potentially be dangerous, she just has to make sure first, even though he is kind at heart.

Hope you enjoyed.

5) First day

Symph walked through the hallways of the castle with his hands behind his back while whistling a happy tune to himself, ready to start working around the castle. As he walked his grew multiple black arms that streched out to either dust off a small area or tilt a painting so that it was sitting perfectly. He did all of this with a smile as he slowly walked around, having a wall of streched out black limbs behind him as he looked around.

He would do a sweep of the halls before focusing on the rooms. As he was about to turn a corner he spotted something white out of the corner of his eye. Looking back down the hall he saw a white bunny rabbit hopping down the crystal floor. He rolled his eyes and folded his arms, sending a tendril after the small rabbit.

As the black appendage reached the bunny it spilt up and formed a small black cage around it. Retracting the tendril with the captured bunny Symph looked through the tiny bars. "Angel Bunny I presume?"

The bunny looked at him in fear for a moment.

"Relax, I don't eat bunnies or any type on animal. I work for Twilight."

This calmed the bunny for the most part, but still found the strange and unfamiliar look of Symph scary. He then began tapping the bars of the cage impatiently.

"Sorry little buddy, but you're staying in there until Miss Fluttershy comes for you, I don't need you causing trouble on my first day."

Angel glared at him and tried biting through the bars, but came up short.

"Gonna take a lot more than that to break outta my material, so you'd best make yourself comfortable." Symph chuckled as Angel tried every method he could think of to escape his cage. "You're staying with me until I can return you to your caretaker, so it would make things easier on both myself on you if you just stopped struggling, it's a waste of energy." Symph was ignored as Angel continued to try to free himself. "Or you could just ignore me. Have it your way then."

Symph turned away and began walking around a corner to his next area in need of a sweep, the cage dangling just behind him as he went, Angel eventually gave up and sat down in a huff.

"That's better." Symph said softly before growing more limbs and continuing his cleaning.

Some time later

Twilight and her friends were walking towards the castle, her friends offering to help organise the library and the newly delivered crates of books sent by Princess Celestia. Twilight had been telling the mares following her about her new assistant, her doubts and what good was coming from the situation. While the group raised a brow at her trust issue, they agreed to discuss that at a later date. At that moment the mares had one thing in mind, meet the strange new creature.

"So Twilight, where did ya find this 'Symph' anyway?" Applejack asked with curiosity.

"I...well, he found me when I was walking through the Everfree trying to clear my mind, he just showed up and offered to be my assistant." Twilight explained.

Applejack raised a brow. "Why do ya think he wanted ta be yer assistant anyways?"

"He said something about a drive to help others. I think it's just what he wants to do, help others, and he acts as if it's his goal in life." Twilight replied.

The mares looked to each other in confusion. "Well, I for one think that dedicating your life to helping others is a very generous path to follow." Rarity stated with a smile.

Twilight and the others looked to each other and then to Rarity. "You think so?"

"Why of course darling. Anyone who wishes to dedicate their lives for the benefit of others either has to be very kind or extremely generous. So I am looking forward to meeting this new friend of yours Twilight." The fashionista answered with a soft smile. "Now come on, we don't have all day, let's pick up the pace."

The group nodded and began walking at a faster pace towards the castle of friendship.

Once inside the castle the group made their way to the library. Upon opening the large doors to the huge library they stopped as they saw multiple black lines around the large room, black arms placing books on shelves or moving books to their right place if they were misplaced. Looking down to where the lines see,ed to be coming from they saw Symph by a desk marking off books from the delivered crates, once he did he grabbed the book with a tendril and streched it up to its rightful place.

Seeing them out of the corner of his eye Symph smiled and began retracting his limbs that were growing out of his back begore walking over to the group, the caged bunny still behind him. "Ah, hello there everyone." He greeted politely.

The group, apart from Twilight and Fluttershy who was looking at him in interest, stared at him in confusion while trying to figure out what he was. Figuring that he would not be able to get them out of that state he turned to Fluttershy with a soft smile.

"Miss Fluttershy, I believe this little troublemaker belongs to you." He said gently in a soft, welcoming voice as he retracted the small cage and placed Angel in his hand before handing him over to his slave caretaker.

As Fluttershy began to scold Angel for running off Symph turned his attention to Twilight. "So Twilight, how was your day?" He asked with genuine interest.

Twilight waved her hoof dismissively. "That's not important right now, we can talk about our days later." She began looking around the now orginised and restocked library. "You sorted all of this out on your own?"

"Well I did have some assistance from Miss Glimmer, but other than that yes. Although it was mostly organised to begin with, just a few groups of books either in the wrong sections or were not in the correct alphabetical order, so while I was organising your new books I decided to organise the rest of them as well." Symph said with a smile.

"And that didn't bother you or put you to the point of exhaustion?"

Symph looked a way slightly for a second. "Well it has made me a bit tired actually, but nothing along the lines of exhaustion." Symph reassured the alicorn before letting out a small yawn.

"Well...you've done enough for today, I think you should really rest up for awhile." Twilight suggested with concern.

Symph's eyes began to feel heavy. "Yeah...maybe you're right." His body became black and he fused into Twilights body, causing the group to look at the mare in shock.

"I'll explain it to you over dinner, right now I'm really hungry." The group gave reluctant nods before following Twilight to the kitchen, all the while Symph was restoring his lost energy by taking the unused energy from Twilights body.

Author's Notes:

There will be more interactions between Symph and the mane six, don't worry.

6) Stranger in the night

The mane six all sat around the crystal table in the dining room of the castle, eating away at the daisy sandwiches that they had made while talking about random things. After a bit of friendly banter, the group moved onto the main topic of interest, the symbiote that was currently fused with Twilight.

"So, what was with that guy going all black and then disappearing for inside you?" Rainbow asked while crossing her forelegs.

"He told me that's how he survives. He doesn't need to eat like us, but can if he wants to, instead he survives off the energy of others." Twilight explained.

"You mean he's stealing your energy?!" Pinkie exclaimed as she appeared in front of Twilight won pushed her back to her seat.

"No, he doesn't use the individuals vital energy, he uses the energy that goes unused and uses that to fuel himself. Without it he would either become extremely weak or perhaps even die." Twilight corrected, but a frown came to her muzzle as she explained the last part.

"And it doesn't make you uncomfortable?" Rarity asked curiously.

"I may not be entirely comfortable with a creature I've never seen before being inside my body feeding off of my energy, but it's vital to his survival so I'm able to make an exception." She stated with a small smile. "Plus, whenever he is fused with me I feel stronger and more aware of my surroundings, so it's kind of a pleasant experience."

Looking to Rainbow everyone raised a brow as the cyan mare struggled not to burst out laughing. "What's so funny?" Applejack asked.

Rainbow managed to control herself for a few moments to speak. "So, what you're saying is, you feel good when that guy is inside you?!" With her question asked she was unable to suppress her laughter and broke out into a fit of hysteria as Twilights cheeks turned a shade of red.

'Don't think too much of it Miss Sparkle, Miss Dash is inappropriate in almost every universe...' Symph commented dryly in Twilights mind causing her to jump slightly. 'Do not be alarmed, we're sharing this body right now, I'm able to speak to you through your thoughts as I gather energy.' He explained in a soothing voice to calm the mares nerves.

Twilight nodded, finding the sound of his voice somehow relaxing as she calmed down and looked back to the mare that was on her back laughing on the floor. "Alright, does anypony have any questions that don't involve any sex jokes?"

"I do have one." Rarity said. "How was he able to fuse with you in the first place? He seemed to just become a blob of slime and jumped onto you."

"His body is made up of black liquid Rarity, he just takes the form you saw him in to interact with others. It's just one of his natural abilities. I think he can turn into a pony or griffin if he wanted to."

'I can yes, but I do prefer the form you've seen me in up until now.' Symph commented. 'Just another two hours or so then I'll be fully recharged.'

'Ok Symph.' Twilight thought. "Any more questions?"

The group all looked around and shook their heads, no questions coming to mind.

"Alright. If you'll excuse me, I want to get some reading done and to have some downtime." Twilight pushed her seat out and walked out of the dining room in silence.

'A bit sassy don't you think?' Symph commented.

'I'm just a little tired is all. After an hour or so of reading I'll head to bed, it's been a tiring day.' Twilight responded.

As Twilight finished reading one of her favourite books she walked through the dark hallways with a candle as her light source until she entered her bedroom. Crawling under the covers and yawning the princess then snuggled into her blanket and nuzzled her comfortable pillow. 'Goodnight Miss Sparkle.' Symph whispered.

"Goodnight Symph..." Twilight responded before she let sleep take her.

A half an hour later, Symph was collecting his thoughts on the day when he felt a strange energy nearby. 'I wander what that could be.' He unfused with Twilight and became a black puddle on the floor. He then started to move across the floor and under the door, entering the hallway without disturbing Twilights peaceful slumber.

Deciding to stay a puddle to keep hidden, Symph stuck to the shadows as he moved around the castle, searching for whatever that strange energy was. As he slid under the front door of the castle he formed back into his body, but kept everything on him a solid black, making him almost invisible in the night.

He closed his eyes and focused on the strange energy, trying to pinpoint where exactly it was coming from. As he searched with his mind he found that it appeared to be coming from the Everfree Forest. 'I should have guessed, everything happens there nowadays...'

He opened his eyes and dashed towards the forest of thorns. As he went deeper into the woods he began to use his tendrils to occasionally swing on a branch or to quickly pull himself behind a large rock or tree if he came across a slumbering beast, while most were now tamed by Fluttershy or just from the energy from the Tree of Harmony, there were still those that would act violently and aggressively, so he decided to stay clear of any beast he came across.

He soon came to a small clearing, but found nothing. Seeing that the clearing had a path that broke through the forest he focused again nad found that the strange energy was coming from the end of the path. He began walking up this new route, looking around carefully expecting some form of attack, but found his trip went undisturbed. As he reached the end of the path he hid behind a tree and peeks over the edge of it, only for his eyes to widen at what he saw.

Atop a small hill that was illuminated by the moonlight, a young girl stood. However, Symph could tel she wasn't human. Four black tendrils grew out of her back, making Symph take a more defensive stance. The girl had long dark purple hair that draped down her back to the bottom of her torso. She wore a dark purple shirt and plain grey jeans, purple sneakers on her feet. Her eyes though...her eyes were all black, save for the red dots that acted as her pupils.

'Wait a minute...what's a Nightmare doing here?' Symph thought to himself as he recognised this girl as a creature he and his father had come into contact with many times. She was a Nightmare Fuel. The Nightmare Fuels were a species made of pure darkness taken physical form, they were a parasite to the multiverse, entering worlds and causing chaos and killing anyone in their wake. But, they were always lacking in detail on their bodies. This girl seemed...different somehow. Symph could feel the darkness but could also feel light from her. That was what the strange energy was, the dark and the light mixed together.

As the girl turned around and saw him, they made eye contact before she gasped and teleported away. Symph rushed out to tray and stop the teleportation but was too late.

He looked around the area confused, his heart beating fast after they had made eye contact. He grabbed hair chest and looked around as his breathing became jagged. "Who was that?" He asked aloud.

Author's Notes:

Strange things are going to start happening now.

Also, if you'd like to see more of Symph, he is also a main character in the story Of Symbols And Ciphers, which I co-write, give it a look, although it is set after this story so a few spoilers may show up.

7) Time to relax

Symph returned to the Castle of Friendship and lay his back against a wall as he held his chest while trying to control his breathing. "Who...who was that girl? Why am I acting like this?" He managed to slow his breathing and let his body relax. "Well, I won't find any answers by standing here, I guess I'll just have to let things play out. If she turns out to be a danger I'll deal with her swiftly, if not...I don't know."

He sighed and lifted himself off the wall, his heart rate returning to normal and his thoughts calm.

"I should find something to do, maybe I'll explore or something...you know what, I'm not in the mood for doing anything right now, I'm going back to sleep." He shrank into a puddle again and made his way to Twilights room, seeping under the door. Once at the side of the bed the liquid formed a small pillar and fused with Twilight.

Now deep in her mind, Symph's conscious mind did its best to cast away any troublesome thoughts so that he could rest. He could worry later, at that moment all he wanted to do was rest.

The next day

Twilight and Starlight sat around the dining room table with plates of hay bacon, eggs and toast in front of them with a glass of freshly squeezed orange juice accompanying the meal, all prepared by Symph who currently creating a checklist as Twilight explained what needed to be done by the end of the day.

"You know Twilight, if we leave the organisation until tomorrow evening when we're clearing out the library again and quickly get through the paperwork sent to you by Celestia this morning, you could have the rest of the day off, maybe spend some quality time with your friends." Symph suggested.

Twilight set her orange juice down and placed a hoof to her muzzle in thought. "You're right, but o dint want to leave the organisation to tomorrow though, it needs to be done." She countered.

"Twilight, I have already sorted out ever book in the library yesterday, and only one book was taken out of its place and then put back, it doesn't need dome again. Take some time away from this, go down to the beach or something, enjoy yourself." Symph stated. "I'm sure you're friends would love a day out with you."

"He's right Twilight, you could use some more downtime, you've been overworking yourself since the whole...time travel incident." Starlight added with a concerned look. "Plus, I think it would be good to just relax for a change."

Twilight looked to the two before sighing. "You're right, I need to do something for myself. Symph, could you go tell the girls to get ready for a day at the beach and to meet me outside the castle this afternoon please?"

"With pleasure." As Symph was about to walk out of the room he was interrupted.

"Wait!" He turned around and looked to Twilight. "You can't go out like that, the ponies in town may think you're a monster or something."

Symph just smirked. "Don't worry, I've got that covered."

Rarity had finished adding the last few details on a sparkling red dress that she had been working on for a few days and admired her own work of art. "Simply magnificent, I've really outdone myself on this little beauty." She used her magic to place the dress carefully onto a mannequin and sighed happily. "Finally finished, but now I have nothing to do..."

Suddenly, she heard the front door knocking. She knew that it had to be one of her friends as they were the only ones to ever knock before entering the boutique. Smiling happily she walked over to the door and opened it with her magic. What she found was not one of her friends, but rather a pony she had never seen before.

A stallion with white fur and slick black hair stood in the doorway, a black tailcoat on his body, his cutie mark being a black raindrop. She was confused at first until she saw his eyes, having only slits with no irises. "Symph darling, is that you?"

"Yes Miss Rarity, it's me." Symph responded with a smile.

"How exactly are you a pony?" She asked as she looked over his new body.

"I'm a shape shifter...of sorts. I can take on many forms, even imitate other beings if I need to." Symph explained. He noticed Rarity looking over his body in interest and smirked. "Careful Miss Rarity, if you keep looking at me like that I'm going to get the wrong impression."

Rarity blinked before registering his teasing and blushing slightly. "O-Oh, terribly sorry darling."

"It's alright Miss Rarity, I was merely teasing." He gave her a reassuring smile and apologised. "I am here to tell you that Twilight is planning to head down to the beach to relax, she asked me to inform you to meet her outside the castle this afternoon."

"Oh, a day at the beach, that does sound like fun. I'll be there as soon as possible."

"Take your time, we aren't going until after we've sorted a few things out. Well, I'll see you later Miss Rarity, I need to inform the others." With that Symph turned around and walked off towards Sweet Apple Acres.

Meanwhile

The girl from the night before sat in an empty void, shaking in fear. "I didn't realise the son of Symbol Shattered would be in this world, I came here to get away from all of the violence between the Nightmares and the Chaos Family, and now one of them is here!" She got to her feet and kicked a black rock that had appeared away in anger. "And here I thought I had found a world far enough away from it all."

She sighed and sat down again, a sad expression on her face as she hugged her legs close to her body.

"It took so long to find a normal Equestria far enough too, I'll never escape the conflict." She spoke to herself softly. "If I try to kill him his father will take notice of me in this reality and kill me for sure, and I don't have time to find a new world. My best bet is just hiding out somewhere far away from Ponyville..."

She sighed and closed her eyes, trying to think of a more solid course of action.

Little did she know that there was a different mysterious figure watching her from the shadows of the void with great interest. It watched her for awhile before disappearing and returning to wherever it came from.

Author's Notes:

Yep, introducing the main villian soon. Don't worry it's not just gonna be one huge story about stopping him, there are various other problems that need Symph's and Twilights attention.

8) Day at the beach

Later that day, after Symph had gathered the group together having finished the days workload with Twilight, the group began to get ready to leave. Symph just watched as the mares began to walk towards the train station with their beach supplies and cleared his throat to get their attention. "You know, we don't have to take the train. I have a way that will allow us to get there in a matter of seconds."

The group looked to each other begore Twilight spoke up. "And how would you do that?"

Symph smiled and his body became all black, save for his eyes. His body fell apart into the black liquid which rose into the air and began to form a small black vortex of some sort. Symph's eyes appeared in the centre of the vortex before it expanded, an image of a beach appearing in the centre. "Hop through the portal quickly, I can't hold this for long."

Twilight took a careful step forwards, cautiously approaching the portal. Rainbow Dash groaned, flew forward and pushed Twilight through the vortex and out into the beach that had been shown. The rest of the group soon followed, giggling as they came out the other side to see Twilght with her face in the sand. Once everyone was through, Symph collapsed the portal and popped back to his normal self behind the group while wiping some sweat off his forehead.

He noticed Twilght and grabbed her hind legs before pulling gently, pulling her face out of the sand. He looked to his left hand which became black and turned to liquid which wiped across Twilghts face to remove the sand in her eyes, mouth, nose and fur. Once she was clean the liquid spat the sand out in a little ball on the ground which collapsed into a small lump on the ground. He returned his hand to normal and smiled at Twilight, who was shaking herself from the shock of the weird sensation. "Are you alright Twilight?" He asked, concerned to whether or not he had scared her with the action.

Twilight blinked and looked up to Symph nervously. "O-Oh, yes, I'm alright. Just...give me some kind of warning before doing something like that ok?"

"Of course." Symph clapped his hands together and looked about with a smile. "Now, shall we get set up?"

With a nod from the other mares, they all began to set up their own places on the beach, laying down towels and pulling whatever else they had brought with them out and placing them to the side,

As Symph wiped some sand off a towel while the mares either sunbathed or were playing in the water, he approached Rarity with curiosity. "Miss Rarity, if you don't mind me asking, where is Spike?"

Rarity took off her sunglasses and stared at the symbiote curiously. "He's away gathering rare gems by Canterlot, why?"

"Oh, I was just wondering, I assumed that he would be accompanying you during this. Nevermind then."

As Symph turned away Rarity used her magic to stop him and turn him back around to face her. "You wanted to talk to him didn't you?"

Symph just frowned and looked over to Twilight, who was laughing as she splashed water at Rainbow Dash and Pinkie Pie. "I just feel that I have to talk to him about all this, not to see if he's ok with it, but to make sure he knows he can trust me. The last thing I want is for a growing dragon to be breathing down my neck one day in a rage over something small."

Rarity just bummed in thought, tossing his words around in her head for a moment before smiling. "Well, I think this is a good thing for you."

"How so?"

"You want Spike to know that he can trust you right? Well you're showing genuine concern and from what I have seen you care about Twilights well being. If that does not prove to Spike that you can be trusted then I don't know what can. Besides, Soike is a very open dragon darling, he understands that Twilight needs someone to help her, he's ok with it I promise you." She replied with a happy sigh. "Now, since we've gotten that out of the way, would you mind rubbing some lotion into my back for me?"

Symph was unfazed by the request and merely nodded, but not without wondering why a pony with fur would need sun lotion in the first place. He took the bottle of lotion in a tendril and got to work.

As Symph lay down on a nearby hill in a patch of green watching the clouds go by, his Twilghts went back to the girl he had saw. Why did he react the way he did? Who was she? Why was she here? These were questions that he would find the answers to in time.

Then his thoughts went back to his conversation with Rarity, was she really right about what she said? He could only wait to find out when he would finally meet the young dragon face to face. He didn't doubt that Spike would be understanding and knew there would be no anger as long as he chose his words carefully, but a part of him was worried as he has seen many universes, many Spikes, and a good few of them seem to be kind, helpful and understanding at first, but soon turned out to be very, very angry and violent beings.

He sighed and closed his eyes, ready to take a nap and recharge when suddenly he heard the faint flicker of flames. Opening his eyes he saw a small purple flame floating above him. It expanded and formed into a sealed letter, the seal being a silver sun symbol. Breaking the seal and taking out the letter he began to read into himself.

A smile made its way to his face as he saw who it was from. "A letter from father, I wonder what he's doing right now."

As he began to read down the page with great joy he suddenly found his smile faltering and his eyes slowly widening in shock. He grabbed both sides of the letter and brought it closer to his face to pick up on every detail. Once he was finished he slowly set the letter down, his eyes wide and a worried expression in his face.

"Oh no..."

Author's Notes:

Yeah, I love ending things on cliffhangers, sue me.

Also, a good friend of mine might be turning this into a reading on YouTube, nothing is confirmed at this point, just thought I'd let you know. He did a reading for me awhile back with the first chapter of Symph's fathers story.

9) A fake smile

"God damnit..." Symph groaned as he set the letter down and fell onto his back. "This is exactly what I didn't want to happen in this Equestria." He just stared up at the clouds, trying to focus on anything other than what was detailed in the letter in his hand. "Well, this is what I get for coming here, with my family's history it's no wonder trouble followed me on this world."

"Symph? Where are you? We're about to play volleyball and we're short one pony!" Twilght called from the beach, she seemed to be enjoying herself at least.

"Right, I'll be there in a second!" He called back. Standing up on the small patch of grass he looked back down at the letter before folding it up and absorbing it into his body to keep it safe. His body became black and he shifted to his pony form. Brushing himself off after the transformation he put on a smile and began to walk towards the area where the seven happy mares were waiting. "Well, as long as I'm here I might as well enjoy myself, even for a little bit."

A few hours later

Twilight stood with Symph and Starlight by her side at the front of the castle of friendship as they bid farewell to their friends before watching them walk off towards their own homes. Although he was still smiling, Symph was desperately trying to tear his focus off what was described in the message sent by his father. He knew that the problem would nor present itself immediately and that he could handle whatever trouble came his way, he was more worried about the safety off the ponies in this world.

In most words he and seen, when an evil being from another world entered that reality p, the ponies generally never stood a chance against what they faced, either being wiped out, being enslaved or any other horrible fate imaginable. He would be more uncomfortable with that fact if it wasn't for his father working to stop that needless violence and free those enslaved realities.

"Hey Symph, you've been really quiet since the volleyball game, is everything alright?" Starlight asked out of concern.

Symph turned to her and blinked. Realising that he had indeed remained quiet for so long he internally facepalmed. "Yes, everything's ok, just a little tired is all." He reassured the unicorn while scratching her ear, causing her to sigh happily and lean into his touch.

"If you're tired why don't you fuse with me to regain energy? I'm just going to be reading so I don't need any help with anything right now." Twilight suggested as she rolled her eyes at Starlight who was getting way too much enjoyment out of Symph scratching her.

"Well, I guess I should turn in for the day. Would you like a cup of tea or anything before I go to sleep?" Symph added as he tuned to Twilight, still scratching Starlight with a black hand with his back to her.

"Maybe some tea, thank you Symph."

"Not a problem Twilight, I'll just be a few minutes." With that Symph walked up the steps to the castles entrance and opened the large doors. When he was out if earshot Twilight turned to the pouting Starlight.

"What's that look for?"

"I liked it when he scratched my ears." Starlight just turned away with a frown.

"Oh don't be such a foal, come on, let's get inside, it's almost dark out." Twilight jutted her head in the direction of the door and slowly walked up the steps with the pouting Starlight close behind.

After a few minutes of walking Starlight stopped her huffing. "Well, I think today went great, what about you?"

Twilight smiled brightly and giggled slightly. "Today was a good day that's for sure, I can't believe that Symph imitated Rainbow like he did."

"Oh yeah, that was really funny, just seeing Rainbow arguing with a copy of herself was priceless. I'm surprised it took her so long to catch on." Starlight laughed at the recent memory, remembering how Symph had transformed into a slightly duller shaded Rainbow Dash and he proceeded to copy everything she did fir the rest of the mares amusement.

"Hey, did you notice him acting strange on the way here?" Twilight asked with her head tilted slightly.

"Now that you mention it, he was acting a little on edge on the way home. He was looking around as if something was going to attack us or whatever. I wonder what made him put his guard up like that." Starlight answered as they rounded a corner, putting a hoof to her chin in thought.

"Well whatever it is it's probably best for us to leave it alone, we don't know what he could be watching out for and I don't think he'll let us know. We should just see how this all plays out and see if he gets better."

"Agreed."

Starlight eventually broke off to go to her bedroom and get some rest, leaving Twilght alone in the candlelit library. As she lay her stomach down onto a small pile of soft pillows she used her magic to select a few books before pilling them besides her neatly.

Soon she saw a black puddle sliding across the floor towards her, although it appeared to have a black arm sticking out with a small plate and cup of tea held in its grasp. "Symph, are you alright?"

"Yeah, I'm ok, just conserving my remaining energy by keeping out if a solid physical form is all." He set the small plate down on the counter next to Twilight begore retracting the black arm. "Whenever you're ready Twilight."

Twilight nodded and smiled at the small puddle. "It's alright, I'm ready for you to fuse with me now. Goodnight Symph."

"Goodnight Twilight." The puddle rose up Imi the air before joining with Twilghts body again, the sensation starting to become familiar to her.

Deep in her subconscious, Symph lay awake. He remained still and didn't let him mind wander too much, as to avoid Twilight sensing that he was unable to sleep. Instead, he focused in gathering the leftover energy he needed, which was slightly lower in supply due to the activities of the day. He managed to find enough energy and began to slowly absorb it into hai own body.

He began to let himself fall asleep, a certain princess of the night watching him from the dream realm.

Author's Notes:

We'll, looks like Luna is coming out to play.

10) The dream realm

Symph stood alone in Twilights subconscious mind after absorbing enough energy. He remained completely still as he focused on thinking of one specific topic, whatever was in that letter. It was a warning, a warning sent by his father informing him that a creature he knew all too well had entered that world, a creature that was given only one name, a name that was known through the the many realities of the Multiverese. This being was named, the Nightmare Fuel.

A parasite, seeking only to corrupt and destroy any reality it visited. There were thousands of Nightmares out in the void, some stronger and smarter than others, and Symph could only hope that the one that had followed him into this works was weak enough to destroy on his own before it could cause serious damage to the ponies and the world.

He mentally sighed and closed his eyes, hoping that he'd be able to enter a dream that would distract him from the current situation and maybe cheer him up a little. While he had expected to fall into a realm of his own dreams, he found himself being pulled out of his own dream and into another, one with the sky being black and the moon shining down beautifully as the stars twinkled around it. "Hmmm, interesting. They only pony I can think off that would dream of the night is-"

He was interrupted as he heard something land behind him with a gentle thud. "Interesting." The voice of the night princess says quietly.

"Princess Luna I presume?" Symph finished as he turned around to face the blue alicorn mare with a small smile, as to not appear hostile to the being that had almost full control over the realm he was currently in.

"You'd be correct creature. My apologies if calling you as such is rube, but it is the only thing that I know to call you right at this moment..." Luna apologised as she studied the symbiote in front of her.

"No offence taken your highness, my name is Symph Shattered by the way." He greeted while holding his hand out. Luna looked at it confused begore remembering that it was a common gesture between species like Minotaurs, Drahons and Griffins. So, she placed her hoof in his open hand and gently shook it before pulling her leg back and setting her hoof on the ground.

"A pleasure." She replied simply before beginning to circle Symph, analysing his body and measuring his energy. "Tell me Symph, what exactly are you? I know of humans but you are clearly something else, it doesn't even seem like your body is made up of solid matter, and you appear to be in a physical form in the dream realm. How is that?"

Symph smiled and began to go over what he was, explaining his symbiote body to the night princess like he had done fir the rest of the ponies he had met. The only thing that he didn't explain to anyone was his physical firm in the dream realm. "I explained that my body was made up of a liquid, but that liquid is just energy in liquid form, it can be absorbed or transferred by myself or another living being. When I fused with Twilight my liquid form became my spirit form and granted me a physical form in her subconscious. When I unfuse with her I'll be transferred into reality as my physical liquid form once again."

"Interesting, very interesting. So, you are a being of living energy?" Luna asked with curiosity.

"Partially, a part of me still has to be physical in order for me to manifest into into reality, half of my body is energy and the other half is a very special material which properties cannot be properly explained. It is absorbed into Twilight and kind of shrinks down or compresses itself until I need to become a physical entity again."

"And if that part were to be destroyed?"

"Half of my remaining energy would become physical matter and I'd hide away to regenerate my lost parts." Symph answered with a small smile, happy to explain his bodies structure and properties to someone that was being so curious, whether out if fear or out of pure, innocent curiosity.

"Alright, so now that I know what you are, there is only one question remaining. Why are you in Equestria in the first place?"

"That, even I don't know, but I have a feeling I'll soon find out."

Meanwhile

The mysterious girl walked through the Everfree Forest once again with her hands in her pockets, her tendrils moving twigs, branches, bushes or small creatures out of her way as she strolled didn the small dirt path. "I need to find a place to hide out, otherwise I'll just be found by that symbiote and most likely be destroyed. Why of why did the Chaos Family have to follow me out here?" She groaned as she began to quicken her pace, trying to get as far way from Ponyville as possible to avoid confrontation with Symph.

As she quickly walked along the path a manticore jumped out from the bushes and landed in the middle of the path, blocking her way.

"Move it or lose it hybrid." She shot a tendril forward that she used to slap the beast out of the way, clearing the path. "Seriously, why do these things even think they have a remote chance against me?"

From the shadows, a figure stood watching her. His grey coat reached past his knees and the collar coveted the bottom half of his head, a small grey hat sitting atop his head. His entire head was covered in shadows, even the parts in light. The only features visible on hai face were his two glowing yellow eyes. As he stared at the girl he clenched his fist, his hand wrapped in grey bandages.

"Zerlinda Nightmare..." His deep, dark voice spoke out quietly in the darkness as he continued to follower her from the shadows.

The girl now known as Zerlinda looked back, thinking she had heard a voice in the darkness. When she used her own natural ability to detect energy she came up short and could not see anything, so she assumed she was hearing things.

Despite this, the man hadn't done anything to shield himself from her detection nor was he that well hidden. She should have detected him, but she didn't. It was if the man didn't even exist.

Author's Notes:

Ok, main villain appearance. Don't worry just there are many problems that Symph, Twilight and the others need to deal with before facing him.

11) Spike part one

The next morning

Symph jumped out of Twilights body after leaving the dream realm behind to begin the day, trying to get into a routine that he could stick to. Wake up before Twilight, do a bit of organising, make everyone breakfast, wait for Twilight to wake up and find out what was on the agenda for that day. After his conversation with Luna, Symph had a small smile stuck to his face, always enjoying friendly chats with people. The void wasn't exactly a place to make friends, most beings there were either hostile or just didn't give a damn about anyone else.

No, it was the universes that dot the void that were more welcoming, especially the many Equestrias since its universes are naturally peaceful. Although, there were Equestrias that had fallen into darkness or conflicts, mostly due to brings from the void getting bored and wanting to see an entire universe crumble as if it were a mere crumb, with no regard for mortal life. To them, mortals were nothing but a currency and instruments of amusement for higher beings.

Symph's smile slipped slightly as he thought about this, soon becoming angry with his body beginning to turn completely black. He stopped himself and his body returned to normal. This was not the time nor the place to let his emotions get the better of him, especially not around any of the ponies. He took a deep breath and counted to ten, relaxing his muscles before forming into a puddle and moving through the castle.

He got about organising the kitchen and living space while he kept his thoughts in check to avoid causing a scene. Although he had taken his mind off the void, he couldn't distract himself from sensing two familiar auras in the world. One being the girl he had seen and the other feeling...unnatural. The presence of the new aura made him shiver slightly, a sense of uncomfortableness washing over him. Shaking his head he began to bake some pancakes for the mares that would soon wake up to start the day.

As he was about to sit down with a cup of tea he heard the front doors of the castle being knocked. Curious as to who would be coming to visit at the time, he set his tea down and collapsed into a puddle before seeping through small cracks in the walls until he ranched the front hall, making a note to fix the walls later on.

Playing it safe, he switched to his pony body to make sure whoever it was wasn't scared off by his appearance. When he opened the door he was surprised to see a purple dragon about the height of his human form standing there on the crystal steps. It was Spike.

"Hey there." Spike said simply.

"Hello, can I help you?" Symph greeted with a smile.

"You're Symph right? The new assistant that Rarity told me about?" Spike asked curiously.

"I am yes."

"Do you mind if I come in for awhile?"

"Of course not, this place is still a home for you, you dont have to ask." Symph opened the door a bit father to let the drake enter the building.

"Thanks." As Spike walked past Symph the symbiote prepared himself for whatever it was the dragon had to say. He was confident that things would not get heated, but he was prepared just in case, not that it was at all likely that things would take a turn for the worst. "Before we talk, stop hiding." Symph turned around and looked up at him confused. "Get out of that pony body, let me see the real you."

Symph shrugged and fell into a puddle. "There we go."

"You're not in a body..."

"This is the real me, the bodies I form are just like puppets that I use to blend in with different societies and to fit in with other organic life. This is my true self, I'm just a living puddle of black liquid." Symph explained readily.

"Alright...then, show me the form you use around Twilight and Rarity."

"Alright then." The liquid came together and Symph formed his human body once again, matching Spikes height while giving him a small smile. "This better?"

Spike just stared in shock before shaking his head. "Man, I wasn't expecting to see anything like a human in Equestria, I thought that would be exclusive to that world through the mirror portal."

"Which mirror, the one with the opposite world or the human world?" Symph asked jokingly.

Spike shook his head in disapproval before smiling slightly. "Well, at least you've got a sense of humour."

Symph smiled and dusted off hai sleeve. "You're here to talk about Twilight and I, correct?"

"Yeah, I guess you've kinda been expecting this huh?"

"You and Twilight are practically siblings, it's normal fir you to either be protective or careful when it comes to who she's around, especially with a strange being such as myself." The Symbiote reassured the dragon while fixing up his bow tie. "You just want to talk about the situation and whatnot, that's understandable. Come with me, I've got tea ready and I'd rather not let it get cold before Twilight and Starlight wake up."

Symph began walkimg down the hall with his hands crossed behind his back, Spike just shrugged and followed him. "You know, I never expected to find someone else up and ready this early."

"Comes with the job, I usually wake up early anyway so it isn't a problem, unless I run out of energy of course."

"So, where do you sleep? In my old room?"

"Nop, I sleep in Twilight." Spike froze as Symph continued on with a playful smile. "And yes, I kno what that sounded like."

Author's Notes:

Stuff like this requires two chapters to get through

12) Spike part two

Author's Notes:

Sorry for the wait, been putting this one off to deal with issues and slight writers block. Enjoy the new chapter anyway and let me know what you think.

Zerlinda watched the ponies of Canterlot go about their day from the top of a cliff overlooking the mountainside city. Secluded by the shadow of the top of the mountain she was able to watch them without disruption, allowed to enjoy a peaceful moment to herself. Although the peace was calming and cleared her mind, all it did was allow her to focus on her situation, ruining the sense of peace she had searched for when finding that spot of the cliff side.

Just when she found a world she wanted to call home the very thing she had been running from decided to show up in the form of Symph. She sighed as she picked up a flower with her tendril and held it up to her face to look at it while also staring over the horizon. "Maybe I can make this work..." She mumbled to herself as she twirled the flower in her tendril for a moment before stopping and looking to the ground. "Maybe it won't be so bad. I'll just need to be aware of my surroundings. Shouldn't be too hard right?" She used another tendril to brush some of her hair to the side.

"You..." She heard a dark, crackled, almost glitching voice speak from the shadows.

She immediately jumped up and held up her tendrils defensively. "Who's there?! Show yourself!"

There was no movement, but the voice spoke again. "You...you are Zerlinda Nightmare..."

"Who are you?! How do you know my name?!" She demanded, beginning to panic.

"Who I am is not the question...the question you should be asking is..." She saw the figure in the coat step out of the shadows while glaring at her. "...what...am I?"

Meanwhile

"Trust me, I'd never think of doing that with Twilight." Symph reassured Spike after that little joke he had made earlier. "Unless of course something were to happen and we got together then maybe, but I don't see that happening to be honest." He added before sitting across from the drake.

"Why is that?"

"I guess you could say that she is t really my type. Granted I'm still figuring out what my type is and I'm way too young for anything to actually happen, although I am ageless and can craft a more mature body at any time, I think I'd prefer something else." Symph answered while taking a sip of his tea. "But, there's no way to predict the future. I'll just wait and see what happens."

"Then what are your real intentions with my sister?" Spike asked with curiousity and concern.

"I merely seek to help her, to aid her when she needs someone to be there by her side. The type of pony that Twilight is needs to have someone around her most of the time, she can handle herself fine, but she needs someone there to keep her on track and to make sure she doesn't go too far."

Spike looked into his eyes and studied his voice, there was no dishonesty in either. "Twilght can go overboard if not kept in check by someone else."

"Indeed. I have seen many of the multiverses Twilights, and I have yet to see one without this flaw. It seems like reality has created her to be around others, to make friends and work with others to be in the company of someone else." Symph set his cup down while finishing the sentence with a smile. "And given her role in Equestria, it may very well be true."

"I guess you're right about that, she is the Princess of Friendship afterall." Spike smiled at the thought. "Alright, what would you do if Twilight was threatened for in danger?"

"I would protect her to the best of my ability, get her to safety as soon as possible and fight whatever dared to attack her."

"How would you protect her?"

Symph smirked as he grew multiple tendrils with sharp ends. "I have a few means of protecting her."

Spikes eyes widened at the sight of the many limbs and their ends. "Alright then...at least I know you can protect her. But know this..." Spike stood up and glared at Symph with a gleam in his eye. "...if you hurt her in any shape or form, I will hunt you down."

"I promise that an event like that will never come to pass." Symph retracted his tendrils as Spike slowly sat down again. "Your sister is in good hands Spike. I have no intentions of harming Twilight, if I do I will accept any punishment given to me."

"That's...reassuring I guess."

As they were about to continue, Twilight and Starlight walked in the door. "Spike?" Twilight rushed forward and took her adoptive brother into a hug, which he gladly returned. Starlight took a seat next to Symph as they watched the pair in amusement. "What are you doing here? Not that you aren't welcome I just didn't expect you over so early in the morning."

"I was here making sure my sis wasn't in any trouble, and to see who you had got to trail behind you all the time." Spike joked as he set Twilight down.

"Oh please don't tell me you threatened to hurt Symph if he did something wrong..." Twilight groaned.

"He did, but it's fine, I understand." Symph said calmly while eating a donut with chocolate icing and rainbow sprinkles. Starlight saw the treat and looked to Symph pleadingly, he then streched a tendril over and grabbed one for her.

Twilight glared at Spike for a mo,met before smiling again. "I expect as much. You have always been protective of me, not as much as Shining Armour though..." Twilight stopped for a moment. "Shining Armour..."

Symph shook his head and finished off his donut. "While you panic over something that obviously won't be a real problem I'm going to get your breakfasts ready." He got out of his seat and nodded to Spike who nodded hack and held down Twilight so she wasn't running all over the place in panic while Symph slipped off towards the kitchen.

13) Targets

As Symph hummed to himself quietly while preparing breakfast for everyone he suddenly stopped, a strange feeling crawling up his spine. He sensed another being in the room with him, but couldn't see anything. He set down the kitchen knife he had in his hand and grew some tendrils in caution. He slowly turned around and began walking across the room, keeping his senses sharp, and keeping his tendrils moving around his body to prevent anything from getting close.

"Why so defensive?" He heard a voice echo through the room.

He didn't answer back, instead he moved towards the door and locked it before coating it with his arm, sealing it with a wall of black goo, trapping him and whoever else was in there. He turned back around and found himself in a dark purple void, standing on an invisible floor with light surrounding him, which moved with him as he walked.

"I figured we could use some more privacy while we talk..." The voice echoed out.

"The ponies would not have been able to hear us anyway." Symph pointed out.

"I wasn't talking about the ponies..." Symph looked through the corners of his eyes, trying to find the source of the voice. "There are beings that I have...issues...with, that I cannot risk overhearing our conversation. As such...I brough you beyond reality."

'Beyond reality? Outside the multiverse? But...that's impossible.' Symph grew more sharp tendrils in a defensive manner. "Who are you?"

The voice was silent. Suddenly, the figure that had confronted Zerlinda faded into existence. "I have many names, given by many beings. But there is one that I favour over the rest..."

"And that is?" Symph asked calmly, trying to keep his cool in what could be a hostile situation.

The man lifted his head up, revealing his eyes. "Dementia."

(OK, just something I would like to note before we go further, his name is pronounced De-mon-tia. It may be a bit confusing but that's how it is. Now let's continue)

Symph turned to the stranger and glared. "What do you want? If you've brought me all the way out here you must have something against the Chaos Family, either that or a grudge against my father, a lot of you mysterious being do these days..."

Dementia shook his head and gave out a long sigh. "Your father is a threat to me yes, but I have never come into contact with one of your family until this point."

"Then what do you want?"

Dementia snapped his fingers and an image of Zerlinda appeared. "Do you recognise this girl?"

Symph looked at the image, frozen in place as he looked at her. "Yeah, I recognise her, I saw her in the Everfree."

"Her name is Zerlinda Nightmare. Princess of the Nightmare Fuels, heir to the throne of the Nightmare King."

'Their King created an heir to the throne?' Symph thought in shock, confused by the unusual act of the Nightmares ruler. "I see. But what does that have to do with you and I?"

"Simple. I want her dead."

Symph felt something inside of himself that immediately objected to Dementias objective, but he hid it. "Why are you telling me this?"

"Well, your family is dedicated to destroying the Nightmare Fuels correct? Perhaps we could assist each other, you taking out a priority target while I work for my own reasons." Dementia explained while holding his hand out to shake. "Do we have a deal?"

Symph looked from his hand to Zerlindas image. He thought for a moment before reaching a tendril out. Dementia was about to grab it to confirm the deal when it became sharp and pierced through his chest. Symph then wrapped another tendril around him before tossing him off into the void. "You have made a terrible mistake..." As soon as he was gone, Symph appeared back in the kitchen of the castle.

Sensing no other presence he took down the barrier on the door and got back to preparing breakfast for everyone else. As he did, his thoughts went back to Dementia and Zerlinda, what Dementias motives where, why was Zerlinda here and not guarded by hundreds of Nightmares? So many questions yet he could not find the answer for even one of them. He would either figure it out or find out about it in time, right now he had two things to do. Take care of Twilight, and find Zerlinda.

Once of which was easier said than done. While he was able to sense whenever he was near her, he couldn't sense her from far away, the only thing he could sense was that she was indeed still in Equestria. That at least meant he didn't have to go searching through the multiverse to find her. He's either be able to sneak out during the night to search or he could get Twilight to give him some time off if he explained that he needed to do something important.

Speaking of Twilight, Symph realised that she must be hungry and got back to working on breakfast, doing his best to block out any other thoughts so he could focus on finishing the task at hand.

He placed everything on a tray and slid through the hallways at a faster pace with the lower half of his body being liquid. Once he reached the door to the dining room he formed his legs before walking in, ready to start the day with his new friends,

Meanwhile Zerlinda sighed as she sat down in a deep underground cave, having only narrowly escaped Dementia during their encounter. "As if the Chaos Family weren't enough to worry about..." She lay her head down and closed her eyes, sealing herself in a dark purple pod that blended into the darkness so she could rest and recover in peace, without fear of some creature or other being from spotting her.

Author's Notes:

I'm sorry this took so long, but I hope you enjoyed.

Please point out any mistakes you find, it will help me a ton. Thank you.

14) Calls from father

Late at night, Symph slid out through the front door of the castle as a puddle, rising up from the ground he made sure the coast was clear he sighed in relief before stretching his arm up to the roof of a nearby house and pulling himself up. He stood on the top of the roof and looked out at the moon, ready to begin his search. He closed his eyes and began to focus on locating Zerlinda, which would be no easy task. However, as long as he could figure out the area of which she was hiding he would be able to find her once he reached that location.

After a few minutes of searching he managed to find the basic area of where she was hiding. "The Crystal Empire huh? This could take awhile..." Symph looked back at the castle and scratched his chin in thought. "Guess I'll have to be gone for a day or two..." While he contemplated what he should do he remembered something. "Hey wait a minute...tomorrow is when Twilight gets the invitation to the Empire to attend the Crystalling."

He decided that he'd head out to the Crystal Empire after leaving a note for Twilight. After sneaking back into the castle he reached inside his body by turning a small patch into liquid and pulled out a piece of paper and a pen. Once he left a note by Twilights bed he opened the window and jumped out before using a tendril to close it behind him.

Since there was nobody about other than a few nocturnal animals he didn't need to hide himself, the dark of the night already concealed him enough anyway given his colour scheme. He grew four tendrils out of his back and joined them together to create two black wings before lifting himself off the ground. While he could have tried to teleport to the Empire, he didn't want to risk it as he could end up in the wrong place or on the other side of the planet given he hadn't actually been there before, so there was nothing to directly focus on for a teleport to actually work correctly.

While he was flying through the night sky he felt a slight vibration. He pulled up his right sleeve slightly to reveal a purple wristband with a blue gem in the shape of a sun embedded in it. The gems glowed softy as it sent a soft vibration over his body. Tapping the gem with his finger caused the vibration to cease. "Hello father."

"Hey Symph, how's it going in that universe?" Symbol asked, his voice emitting from the gem.

"It's ok so far, I ran into a being that could venture outside of reality, confirmed hostile."

Symbol was silent for a moment. "I see...I'll be honest I didn't want this sort of thing to happen in your first world alone."

"It's fine, what matters is that we now know a being like this is in our own Multiverese and that we need to take him out."

"You're right. I'll inform Roden, he can get the message back to the rest of the Chaos Family." Symph smiled as Symbol mentioned their shared mentor. "If you find anything else make sure you tell me, especially if it's a Nightmare. I already have enough worlds that were completely devoured by them to deal with as it is."

Symph decided to keep Zerlinda a secret for now, at least until he could actually talk to her. There have been friendly Nightmares in the past, but only around four out of millions. "I will, don't worry."

"Good. I'll check in with you again later Symph, one of my displaced is finally waking up." (Note right now that this story is only connected to the displaced universe, a displaced will never actually show up here).

"Alright, see you later father." The voice stopped and the glow on the gem faded. Slipping his sleeve down again he sighed and looked up at the moon. "What're you doing Symph?" He asked himself.

The next morning

Symph retracted his wings and fell down to the snowy ground below him. He landed on his feet without feeling the effect of the impact before he began walking through the soft snow. He could feel himself getting closer to Zerlindas location, something he was happy about. As he felt a slight shiver from the harsh cold he went all black and formed a layer of a black metal-like substance over himself to shield himself from the cold.

Pressing on he heard the howls of arctic wolves close behind him. He turned around fast enough to punch away a wolf mid pounce. Taking a quick look around him he spotted around ten other wolves surrounding him. "You predators really need to pick your targets more carefully." He lifted his hand and five large tendrils grew out of the ground and swatted the wolves away like flies. "Pathetic."

With the wolves retreating he made his way onward to a large cave near the Crystal Empire border. As he got closer he was able to pinpoint Zerlindas exact location within the cave, being deep underground, most likely hoping no one would try venturing so far into the cavern.

"I hate to cause you so much trouble, but I need to make sure you're out of Dementias reach." He spoke to himself while walking into the cave, failing to notice Dementia standing behind him, covered by the heavy snowfall.

He just watched as Symph disappeared into the caves entrance and looked to his open hand which he then clenched into a fist. "Well...if that's what you are trying to do Symph...game on."

Author's Notes:

Sorry if it seems a little rushed, suffered a little but if writers block for awhile

15) Finding Zerlinda

As Symph ventured futher down the cave it began to become increasingly darker, luckily his eyes could adapt to this over time, but given the situation he had to use a faster method of seeing through the darkness. He held up an open hand and clicked his fingers. Suddenly a white flame appearedfloating just above the palm of his hand, lighting the area around him enough to see where he was going but not enough to be easily seen. "I really need to get a better grasp on my abilities involving fire, the most I can do is a few fireballs and small flames like these." He thought to himself as he continued walking with the flame held out in his hand.

As he descended further into the caves he noticed that there were multiple claw marks on the stone, most likely from the ice wolves or something else, perhaps even Zerlinda if she was fighting, Nightmares tended to have very sharp claws. He shook his head as he saw drops of red near the marks as he went further, looking as if a fight had taken place with small drops of blood being thrown around.

"Whatever did this certainly did some serious damage to the caves and whatever this blood belongs to." He said quietly. He heard the faint noise of a voice coming from futher down in the cave, the echoes carrying the voice up to him. To be safe, he extinguished his flame and became a puddle, moving slowly through the darkness as he let his eyes adjust. "I hope Twilight is ok, I kinda did leave at a time she would need help organising things with Starlights first lesson and the Crystalling coming up." He thought as he slid across the rocks, moving towards the sound of the voice.

Further underground

Zerlinda sighed as she lay back against a wall and looked into the fire she had made in the middle of the dug out area to keep herself warm. "I just don't get it." She said sadly as she hugged her legs while one of her tendrils brushed some of her hair out of her face. "Why me? Certainly there were other Nightmares that you could have chosen to have free life." She continued while hugging herself tighter. "I've got this life...but I'm always on the run, always living in fear and unable to really rest, never being able to just enjoy my existence."

She used a tendril to toss a few twigs into the Fife as she continued.

"So why? Why give me this freedom? Why did you choose one of the most important Nightmares to be allowed to...live?" She wiped a tear from her eye and looked up. "Well? What's your answer Hilda?! Why give me this life if all I have to look forward to is more running and fighting?!"

She recieved no answers from the one she was calling out. Instead, she felt a presence approaching, a very familiar one at that. She would have gotten up to blow out the fire if the one she sensed didn't just slide into the room as a black puddle. The puddle formed back into Symph's body and he began stretch. "I hate having to rapidly form so many times in one day, especially in this cold..." He looked around the room until his eyes fell on Zerlinda huddled up in the corner. "Ah, there you are, I've been looking for y-"

He was cut off as a tendril just barely missed him. Zerlinda stood up with her four tendrils pointing at him defensively. "Get away from me! I don't want anything to do with you!" She snapped as she began to back away.

Symph put his hands up defensively and shook his head. "Now now there's no need for violence, I'm not here to hurt you."

"Lair!" She shot two tendrils his way, only for a wall of black to block the attack. The wall broke down into liquid and retracted into Symph's arm.

"I'm not lying, I have no intentions of harming you." He stated calmly as he moved his head slightly to avoid another tendril.

"I don't believe you! What other reason does a member of the Chaos Family have for searching for a Nightmare Fuel of not to destroy it?!" She leapt forward and attempted to slash him with a claw, only for the part she struck to turn to liquid which her claw passed through. The liquid shot towards her hand wrapped around her before pushing her up against a wall.

"I'll let you go once you've calmed down. Until the, you're staying pinned." Symph stated as he sat down in front of her as the liquid detracted from his body and hardened around her, trapping her. She tried to burst free but was unable. She then managed to get a tendril free and attempted to shatter the material, only to fail. Then she turned the tendril towards Symph and shot it forward, only for him to smack it away with a tendril of his own. "There's no getting out of it this way, you need to settle down, then I will get you out of it and we can talk."

Zerlinda kept struggling, but slowly she began to lose her energy and let her body relax. Symph smiled and held out his hand. The material turned to liquid once more and returned to his body through his hand.

"There, now, all I want is to ask you a few things. Is that alright with you?" He recieved no answer, she just looked st him while breathing heavily and sat down with her back against the wall. "You really tired yourself out didn't you? Oh well, I can wait until you get some of your energy back."

"Thank you for weakening her, now she hasn't got the energy to fight back!" Dementia came out of the shadows and threw a punch towards Zerlinda, only to have his fist kicked away by Symph.

"Sorry, but for now, this girl is under my protection." Symph stood between the two as his body became all black save for his eyes, the ground beneath him began to turn black as well as the walls. Four tendrils grew out of Symph's back and two balls of white fire appeared in his hands as he stared down the hostile being before him. "Come on, let's see how threatening you really are."

Author's Notes:

Well, things seem to be getting serious right now huh?

16) The escape

Twilight and friends looked out at the Crystal Empire as the train sped towards its destination. Twilight looked out in thought, wondering what Symph could be doing out in the Empire by himself. She felt slightly disappointed in him, going off somewhere to do who knows what in the middle of the night without letting her know beforehand, I read leaving a very vague not on her dresser. But, those feelings were only faint, she knew he was his own person and had things to do or that it may have been a last minute thing. She'd still want an explanation for when he got back though.

She couldn't focus on that at that moment, as she needed to concentrate on her students first friendship lesson. A few nights prior, Starlight and Twilight had a discussion involving their relationship. At first it seemed like Twilight was just watching over Starlight and keeping her in check, but Starlight wanted something more. She wanted to learn and grow like Twilight. As such, Twilight made her her pupil and would begin teaching her about friendship and her own self.

Her first lesson would be confronting her old friend Sunburst, something she was not happy about. Twilight wasn't blind, she knew that Starlight wasn't looking forward to seeing the stallion, but it was something she had to confront eventually, and it was better to do it with a close friend nearby to help her work through it with a steady mind.

"Hey, where's that little butler guy?" Rainbow asked as she looked over to Twilight.

"He's somewhere in the tundras, I don't know what he's doing, but he said he'd meet us in the Crystal Empire before the Crystalling." Twilight answered while looking out at the snow.

"Is something wrong Twilight?" Rarity asked as she walked up to her friend.

Twilight sighed. "I've just got a bad feeling is all..."

"I'm sure he can handle himself just fine Twilight, whatever it is he's doin' it can't be too dangerous for him." Applejack reassured.

Meanwhile

Symph streched his arm over and hit Dementia in the side of the jaw before retracting his limb and dodging some form of glitched electricity. Symph shot four of his tendrils over to his opponent, only for him to glitch through reality and appear in the spot next to the point of impact. Suddenly small tendrils grew out of them and wrapped themselves around Dementia. Symph smirked and wrapped his white flame covered hands around the tendrils, causing them to be set on fire, burning their captive.

Dementia managed to gain enough focus to glitch behind Symph and smack him away with a backhand. Symph crashed into the stone wall and grunted in pain before forming into liquid and wrapping himself around Dementia, beginning to crush him. Dementia summoned two large, glitchy, pixelated fists that grabbed the liquid crushing him and tore it in half and throwing the pieces down. They reformed into Symph who used three black limbs to counter and incoming fist.

Dementia then rushed up to Symph and stabbed his hand through the symbiotes chest. Symph winced and headbutted his enemy, causing him to pull his hand away while he staggered. The hole in his chest filled up and reformed before Symph created a large fireball and coated his fist with it. He dashed over to the recovering Dementia and struck him in the chest. Dementia coughed up a small amount of grey blood before grabbing Symph's arm and sending glitched electricity through it, causing the symbiote to yell in pain before separating from the arm and growing it back, the detached limb breaking down into liquid aged returning to his body.

Dementia held up his hands and time seemed to slow down. Dementia was unaffected and summoned more of the large fists and began to furiously attack his opponent with them. Time returned to normal and Symph was able to break apart into liquid before more damage could be done. 'Ok, this is getting us nowhere.' He thought as he dodged a kick from Dementia that cracked the stone wall behind him.

Symph looked to Zerlinda who was trying to sneak away and nodded to himself. His body returned to normal as he rushed over to the girl and picked her up bridal style. "Hey! What are you doing!?" She yelled in suprise.

"Just trust me." Symph then began running up through the caves as Dementia glitched to try and block their path, on,y for Symph to slap him out of the way with a tendril. 'Starting to run low on energy, I need to get out of here, and fast.' He came to a halt as he exited the cave and came to the tundras. "Hold onto me." He instructed.

"What?" Zerlinda asked as she tried to get free.

"Just do it!" Zerlinda immediately wrapped her arms around him and he encased them both in his liquid. "Just hope this works..." He closed his eyes and concentrated on finding Twilights energy. Once he had located her, he and Zerlinda nerfed together in a small black vortex with Symph's eyes in the middle, which closed resulting in the vortex to disappear before Dementia could exit the caves.

As Twilight and the others got off the train and walked out onto the Crystal Empires train platform they saw Shining Armour standing there with a slightly messy mane and tattered fur. They were about to greet him when they saw a black vortex appear out of nowhere, which dropped Zerlinda before it gathered together and formed Symph who fell to the ground exhausted. Seeing as Shining had fallen asleep standing, Twilight rushed over to her new assistant and looked him over. "Symph? What happened? Who's this girl?" She asked with concern.

"I'll...explain later...just, get her to safety...I need some...energy..." He said weakly.

"Alright, come on, in you go." Twilight spoke softly as Symph broke down into liquid and coveted Twilight before being absorbed into her body.

"Yeah...its just strange seeing that." Rainbow Dash commented.

"Who's this he brough with him?" Starlight asked as he looked over the now sleeping Zerlinda.

"I don't know, but Symph wants us to get her somewhere safe, so she must be important." Twilight answered before Turing to the sleeping stallion. "But first we should wake up my brother..."

Author's Notes:

I hope you enjoyed this chapter, if you spot any mistakes please feel free to point them out in the comments or a PM.

Any fight scenes in this story are going to be far apart from each other, they're not the main focus. If you'd like to see more of them though, I'll happily write up more scenes like them.

17) The flashbacks

"Symbol, are you alright? What's going on back there?"

"I'm fine Doctor Gaster, I just cut myself on a shard of glass...wait...Doctor! Get over here!"

"What is it?"

"The blood from my cut, it fell into the symbiote material, it's moving on its own."

"Are you serious? Let me see! Yes...it appears we were lacking physical, living chemicals. I think it can hear us."

"Well, if it is alive now, we've succeeded, even if it was by mistake."

"This is a living creature now, should we give it a name? Also, should we inform 'her' about this?"

"I will tell her after we've confirmed its sentience. As for the name...perhaps...Symph would be appropriate."

Symph woke up in Twilights subconscious, gently floating in the back of her mind. Still not fully awake, he tried to ignore the dream he just had and fell back to sleep, only for the same memory to play in his head. To avoid having it okay in his mind a third time, he just remained floating there, his eyes feeling heavy. "I must still be collecting energy..." He muttered to himself as he rubbed his eyes. However, he couldn't feel any energy flowing into him. Curious, Symph tried to take some of Twilights spare energy, but there was none. "Great...I need to wait on her body producing more...I wonder if any of the others...would be willing to let me take...some spare energy."

He didn't want to try to take more from Twillight, as he'd be taking it directly from her life force, essentially shortening her life significantly. Deciding to ask someone else to help him regain his strength, Symph first looked through Twilights eyes to see what was happening before he just showed up out of the blue with no warning to those that haven't seen him yet. He found Twilight was sitting next to a bed where Zerlinda lay unconscious.

"Alright..." Slowly separating himself from Twilights body, he tries to form into his human body but failed, bit having enough strength to add details, so he settles with a fully black body with his eyes remaining the same, although half lidded as he was tired.

Twilight was about to greet her friend when she saw his plain body and noticed he was struggling to maintain it, his arm almost breaking down into liquid before he solidified it again. "Symph, are you ok?"

"I'm...fine. I'm just tired is all." He reassured with a weak smile, although it was invisible with his current body, no mouth to move.

"Then why don't you just stay in my body and get the energy you need?" Twilight questioned with confusion.

"Your body is currently void of any waste energy...I seem to have absorbed it all and it's still not enough. Fighting out in the tundra...and teleporting with extremely low energy...must have taken its toll...I used far too much energy, probably more than I actually had..."

Twilight nodded and looked around. "So...all you need is someone else to feed off of?"

"Yes, although in my state, it may have to be two."

"Alright, I'll ask you what happened in the tundra later, right now I want you well rested and healthy, with an actual stable body." She stated as she walked up and allowed him to lean on her side for support. "If you find it easier, why not just travel along as a puddle?"

"I may just do that..." Giving up on wasting energy maintaining a broken form, Symph collapsed into black liquid and followed Twilight out of the room, but not before separating a pice of himself and placing the separate piece up on a shelve. An eye formed on the blob of black goo and I could see through its eye, allowing me to keep an eye on Zerlinda.

As the two were traveling down the large crystal castle, Symph stopped as another flashback came into his mind.

"You may have been created by accident, but you're still a living thing, and I'll accept the responsibility of raising you."

"I don't think it can understand what we're saying, why are you talking to it like it's real?"

"He's as real as he needs to be."

He shook his head, not wanting to be reminded of his first few weeks in existence. While it wasn't unpleasant itself, he was happy with ow he was raised and he had accepted how he was created, didn't mean he was pleased about how he came into existence.

Soon, the two reached the dining area where everyone was gathered for breakfast. "Morning girls, good morning Shining and Spike." Twilight greeted as she moved over to the table.

"Uh...Twily? What is that black goo that's following you?" Shining asked cautiously.

"Oh, that's Symph, my new assistant after Spike moved out to be with Rarity. Speaking of Symph though, do any of you have an objection to temporarily sharing your body with a second soul that will feed off the energy you don't use through the day?" She asked.

Timidly, Fluttetshy raised her hoof. "Um, I'm ok with it, if it's helping someone."

"Thank you Miss Shy." Symph spoke before sliding over to Fluttershy and fusing into her body, suddenly feeling warmer.

Cadence and Shining just stared in shock, close analysis or confusion. "Ohhh, that's actually quite a nice feeling..." Fluttershy moaned when he went into her subconscious and gently sent pleasant energy pulses around the body to pull in the useless energy and feed off of it.

"So...what exactly is he?" Shining asked along with cadence."

"I'll let him explain it." Twilight stated before sighing. "He can better describe things for a moment as..."

Symph completely ignored everything and just relaxed for once. So he continued to gain energy, readying himself for the rest of the day.

Author's Notes:

Sorry for the wait, my bad, if you see any mistakes let me know and I'll fix them ASAP.

Also, if a few things seem random near the end due to tiredness. Hope you enjoyed anyway.

18) Stating the obvious

"What other species have you seen?" Fluttershy asked with a smile as she talked with Symph, who was currently still feeding off of her energy, but felt like she'd be more comfortable if engaged in a pleasant conversation about animals. So, to ease her mind, he began to tell her of animal species in other universes he had visited with his father or knew through researching other worlds.

"Well, there are these little beings known as Chao, blue, cute and cuddly fair-like creatures with heads shaped slightly like a rain drop with little floating balls above their heads that they can shape in order to communicate. Very friendly little creatures that hatch from giant eggs, some are even golden." Symph explained happily, slowly getting his strength back.

The group were currently in the Crystal Empire library, with Twilight trying to find out an information on the Crystal Heart as she could, while the others were looking for any other books on the subject, as Shining and Cadences new foal had accidentally shattered the gem and they needed a replacement or a method to repair it. Fluttershy was at the side making tea for everyone, also taking tips from Symph on how to make an even tastier cup of tea.

"Oh wow, I'd sure love to meet one of them one day, I'm sure they'd get along well with my other animals." Fluttershy replied as she began to pour the tea.

"Actually, the Chao can copy and shape their bodies to be like animals they encounter, such as forming cat ears, bird wings, paws, those sort of things, which actually helps them to grow. Oh, now just add the tiniest bit of sugar to the cups, then let the tea leaves sit for a few minutes." The symbiote continued as he grew a black arm out of Fluttershys back to add the sugar, since Fluttershy could only really add cubes and not pinches.

"Wow, that's really interesting, I'd love to see one with a cute pair of bunny ears." Fluttershy smiled warmly as she sat down to wait for the tea leaves as Symph had instructed.

"So we're just gonna ignore the fact that Fluttershy is talking to herself and sprouting limbs out of her back?" Rainbow Dash asked with a bored expression as she read through a book on Crystal Empire instruments.

"She's just talking to Symph in her mind and he's just materialising his limbs outside if her body to assist her Dash, now stay focused, we have no time to waste." Twilight instructed as she tossed another book to the side. "There has to be some kind of book in here that can telll us something."

"Um, Twilight?" Fluttershy asked as she placed a cup of tea on the desk Twilight was currently sitting at. "Symph says 'Why not just look for the fanciest book in the library, those always end up having what you girls need.'"

Twilight blinked and paused, completely oblivious to the fact that Pinkie and Cadence rushed in chasing down the alicorn foal that had gotten them into their current situation. "Huh...why did we never think of that?"

"Symph says 'Because you just want an excuse to read as many books as possible.'"

"Well Twilight says 'Stop being a smartflank.'" Twilight countered with a smirk.

Fluttershy paused as she tried to hold back a giggle. "Symph that's evil."

"What did he say..." Twilight asked flatly.

Fluttershy took in a breath and calmed down before answering. "He says 'Is that the nickname you gave to your imaginary coltfriend?'"

Twilight just froze with a blush on her face, Rarity, Rainbow and Applejack trying to hold in their laughter, Pinkie and Cadence being to preoccupied with the rampaging infant to focus in the insult. "Ugggh, fine you win."

Suddenly, Cadence ran up to the group with a book in her magic. "Pinkie has got the baby, for now anyway, is this the book Fluttershy was talking about?"

"Well it's the fanciest and had gold borders, to I'd say that's it." Twilight took a sip of her tea, complimented on the taste, before opening the books summary. After locating the appropriate spell, she cheered in victory as she began to read the pages, only for the baby to sneeze, causing a bolt of magic to shoot out of her horn. The bolt was blocked by Twilight, then deflected by Starlight, bounced off if Raritys pocket mirror before shooting right through the book, destroying it and the restoration spell. "Well...who saw something like that coming?"

Symph grew a black limb out of Fluttershy and raised his hand.

"Shut up Symph."

"Just trying to lighten the mood." The symbiote spoke as he climbed out of Fluttershys back and materialised beside her, his body now back in its original state.

"Well you failed. Did you get the energy you needed?"

Symph streched his stiff body for a moment before hearing a satisfying crack. "I've got enough to go in for a few hours, still not at 100% and Fluttershy is currently out of spare energy."

Twilight nodded and looked to the ruined book. "Any way you can help?"

"Repairing that is beyond my ability, but I know that you have a near photographic memory, you should be able to replicate the notes with a bit of effort and concentration." Symph explained as he wiped away the ash of the books burnt pages. "While you're trying that, perhaps Starlight could contact her old friend that is living in the inner city, maybe he could be of assistance."

"That's not a bad idea." Twilight said as she turned to Starlight, who was sweating slightly. "I've got the address from when I was planning your friendship lesson, it's on this piece of paper, now go, we don't have much time." She instructed her student as she paced a piece of paper in Starlights hoof.

"Um, I don't know..." Starlight mumbled to herself.

"If you're feeling uncomfortable or worried just take Symph with you, now go!" Twilight exclaimed as she and Cadence got to writing.

Symph placed a hand on Starlights withers reassuringly. "Don't mind her, she's juts a little stressed out. Now you get going, I'll catch up." He said softly as he began to walk away.

"Where are you going?"

Symph stopped as he opened the door. "I need to check on Zerlinda..."

Author's Notes:

Sorry for the wait, and sorry if it feels a little rushed.

If you spot any spelling mistakes or errors let me know and I'll fix them. Thank you for reading.

Ending early

Author's Notes:

To the few that are still interested in this story, I'm sorry but it's gonna have a bit of an abrupt ending. I just have no will to write this and I don't think I ever will, and I'd rather not leave it without some sort of wrap up.

Again, I am so sorry to anyone who enjoyed this and was waiting for more, but I want this and other stories wrapped up before moving onto new and better stories.

Thank you to everyone who read this story, liked and commented, it means a lot to me.

A few months later

With Demontia defeated and destroyed, peace returned to the lives of Symph, Twilight and their new addition, Zerlinda.

It had taken a long time, but Symph had managed to befriend Zerlinda and bring her out of her shell, eventually starting a relationship with her.

Symph had decided to stay in this world and continue to work as Twilight's assistant, comfortable with the peaceful and entertaining life it brought with it.

He was happy, and so was Zerlinda, who was now free of a life of running and hiding to survive.

Symph would disappear occasionally to help his father, but was never gone long.

At first not knowing what his true purpose or reason for being, now filled with a sense of purpose and fulfilment as he went through life with great friends, and a wonderful, if sometimes brash, partner by his side.

In the end he was satisfied, and his adventures filled him with cherished memories.

His life, once chaotic and filled with doubt, now rode along smoothly, like a heavenly symphony.