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.