It was time. After all of the preparation, Harmony had finally finished setting up her plan for escape. She carefully adjusts the fake head in her bed and hid in her closet. Now all she had to do was wait for the teenagers she had managed to convince (Blackmail) to do their part. It left a bad taste in her mouth that she had to stoop to such methods, but it was for the greater good. She didn't have to wait long as she soon heard the music of a heart song wash over the area, though her grin did falter a little when she heard the lyrics...

"Just listen to our song and you'll see nothing wrong as our distraction keeps you dancing all night! Duping you is a piece of cake when all we need to do is shake and we'll string you all along like a kite." the two mares sang out.

"We can't remember why we're here as our eyes you do steer from side to side while trapped in your sway." All the guards sang along.

Harmony looked on with her mouth hanging open at the sight before her. The two mares were just standing there shaking their plots at the guards while all of the guards are tracking the two backsides with their eyes unblinking. It actually made her think of cats watching the red dot of a laser pointer that was out of reach. She was glad that she was able to discreetly slip them a potion to temporarily boost the power of a heart song and that Celestia and Luna only hired male guards. With the way those two were singing about how they were tricking the guards, this could have been a very short breakout otherwise. With a roll of her eyes, Harmony just turned around and took off as fast as she can. After all, there was no way that fake head she made was going to fool them long after the magic of the song lost its hold on all of the guards.

"We're a distraction!"

"Yes, you're a distraction!"

Yep... definitely not going to fool them long.

Rin's POV

"Are we ready?" I ask my fellow leaders. The plan was simple enough. Three of the four sides had fortifications built with an army stationed at each one. Celestia and Luna with their guards on the sides with Blueblood, Cadance, and Shining Armor at the back. Then, with all escape cut off My army would move in. Starting with a first wave of undead to clear any traps. Well, my attack plan is more complicated than that but we're just talking about trapping the invaders in for now.

"With the combination of our engineers, architects, enchanters, and those foxes, our fortifications are now complete in record time. All troops are in position and ready to decimate any enemy that might try to get through." Blueblood reported.

"What of the enemy?" Luna asked.

"They have not been idle. They have been building a stone fortress on top of their dungeon and filling it with all manner of creatures. Honestly, if I had not seen the raw numbers of skeletons that would be used in this coming battle I would call this plan suicidal. They've built their defenses well and even used the mote that was made to trap them in their designs." Blueblood answered as he brought up some pictures taken by the scouts. I can't help but frown at this. That was an impressive fortress. I wonder if I waited too long, but shake it off. Yes, I gave them more time to turtle up, but I really didn't want any of those guys getting loose in my world. As such it was best to finish cutting off all escape before attacking.

"What about the elements?" I asked.

"Twilight is running the support teams, ready to lend aid to whoever needs it. Fluttershy and Rarity are with the med teams, Pinkie Pie is with resource deployment... I have no idea where she got it but Pinkie has this giant canon that lets her shoot crates into the sky and parachute down where the supplies are needed with pinpoint accuracy. She even painted targets in several places in each camp so ponies will know it's a landing zone." Celestia explained.

"Lady Applejack will be with us in the coming battle, while Lady Rainbow Dash will accompany our sister," Luna added.

"So, we're all ready?" I ask getting nods of affirmation from all three. "Then let's give them Tartarus." I create a portal for Blueblood to take back to his camp while Celestia and Luna teleport themselves back to theirs. I walk back to my command station to give them time to give out any last orders. 'Alright, let's do this.' I think to myself as I take a deep breath to calm my nerves, put on a brave face, then marched into the room and sat in my command chair. "Charge up the projector, It's time."

The deep dark dungeon of dastardly doom!

Beth was not sure how to feel about her situation. On the one hand, as an epic dark mistress, she thrived on inflicting pain... or having it inflicted on her. So being able to enjoy getting to give a group of self-proclaimed goodly heroes the full treatment for a few days now is a dream come true for her. On the other hand, she and her lesser sisters have been keeping the torture session going for so long because they haven't been able to get anything out of their 'guests'.

None of them could figure it out, even the most stubborn of paladins would have cracked long ago. But they would not turn, nor would they talk. Had she not heard them cursing her and some dungeon keeper called Rin, she would have thought someone had just dressed up some animals and given them to her as a joke.

"Report!"

The shout made Beth jump. Her dark lord had a way to torment anyone who failed him. For the dark mistresses, he made what was simply called, 'The Box'. A masterwork of illusion that not only blocked all senses but messed with your perception of time as well. One day in the box was equal to one year of complete sensory deprivation. And try as she might, as she turned to her keeper, she couldn't think of a way out of getting put in the horrible thing.

"M-Master! These horse things are unnaturally strong-willed." She began nervously.

"I can see that you stupid bitch!" Keeper Valinars yelled angrily. "The fact that they are all still on the racks and not serving me tells me that much! Information! I want you to tell me what information you've managed to extract!"

Beth just stood there. What could she say when she failed to get anything from her victims. The moment she started questioning them they all just suddenly shut their mouths. Forget about information, she couldn't even get the Goodly Heroes to open their mouths to scream! She gulped in fear as she could only watch his eyes slowly narrow.

"The Box," Valinars said in an aggravated tone.

"No! Please master give me another chance!" Beth begged on hands and knees.

"The Box," Valinars repeated with an annoyed glair. He just watched as two black knights grabbed Beth by her arms and dragged her away kicking and screaming. No one said a word until the cries of the dark mistress could no longer be heard. Taking a deep, calming breath, Valinars spoke with exasperation. "If you want something done right, you've got to do it yourself."

"Steel Bones, Knight, Super Sugar Puffs." Said the earth pony he stopped in front of, making the Keeper blink in confusion.

"What?" Valinars asked.

"Our code, as stated by our founder, in the event we are captured there are only three pieces of information we are ever allowed to give. Our name, our rank, and for some reason, our favorite cereal. That's all we gave your slaves that's all we'll give you." The earth pony said with conviction.

"Oh please. You have no idea how many times similar remarks have been said, but everybody talks when they're on the rack. Some may last longer than others, but you'll crack just like the thousands that came before you." Valinars said with a condescending sneer before his face twisted into a sadistic smirk. "although, fair is fair, you lot have certainly lasted longer than most and my patience is reaching its end. So let's see how you handle the slow-cooked sausage and eggs. You will be hung up by chains on all your limbs. Then a single candle will be placed under your lower body with enough distance between you and the flame that it will just feel pleasantly warm at first. But as time passes your penis and testicles will get warmer and warmer until, after several hours, they will be cooked well done. At which point they will be slowly cut off and you will be forced to eat them. Every... last... bight. And do you know what the best part is?"

"That I'm just the opening act? That my friends will get to watch me suffer and you're going to do it to all of my companions one by one till one of us talks." Steel Bones replied angrily. "Your minions already did that, and I'm still ticked about that by the way."

Valinars paused at this before bending over to check and just as the pony said his private parts were gone. In fact, all of them were missing that all-important part of their bodies. Lifting his eyes to meet the eyes of his captives he only saw hate, accusation, and worst of all, defiance.

"That... has never failed before," Valinars admitted as he looked over the heroes with furrowed brows before giving a shrug. "Well, I do so hate to give a repeat performance. So let's see what you've already been through and work from there." At this, he turned and gestured to the remaining dark mistresses to list off all of the torture methods used against the prisoners.

The three dark mistresses looked between themselves with expressions of dread before all three began to attempt to force each other to step forward. Valinars sighed at this reaction as it could only mean that he was not going to like whatever it was they had to say.

"Ten... nine... eight..." Once they heard Valinars start counting down they became more desperate with their struggles. All of his minions knew that when their Keeper started counting down someone better answer him before he reaches zero or all of them get punished. "Three... two..." One of the three mistresses screamed as the other two pushed her towards the aggravated keeper. "One."

Fast as lightning the dark mistress moved from a sprawled position to a groveling one. "Oh, mighty Valinars, almighty lord of darkness, master of evil, killer of kings, destroyer of-" She began but Valinars quickly interrupted with an exaggerated clearing of his throat to prompt her to just get to the point. "We... can't think of any methods we haven't already tried. We've gone through every trick in the book but... nothing."

Valinars just looked down at the torture tools with an agitated expression. As much as he would like to break the heroes he knew he didn't have the time. The threat he made was a bluff he made in the hopes of getting intel on his adversary. Normally, the best option in this situation would be a war of attrition. With the never-ending flow of gems, he can build a lot of powerful defenses, and train powerful minions and so long as he had the portal he could just keep the resources coming.

However, Valinars did not believe in luck. What were the odds that so many gem seams would be growing right where he was setting up his latest heart? No, Valinars was sure that this place was naturally rich in gems. On top of that one of the stupidest things you could do against a necromancer was to get into a war of attrition with them. This other Keeper was obviously a powerful necromancer, or at the very least had one working for them, from all the undead they had in the army that ambushed his troops. Then there was that beautiful work of art that decimated his ogres and almost manage to land a finishing blow on his Overlord. Not to mention the strange behavior of his own undead. In the time he's been here he has been forced to destroy his own skeletons, exorcize his own ghosts and transfer his vampires to different dungeons back home because they kept looking off into space longingly. None of his warlocks were even able to figure out how the other Keeper was doing it!

Now on top of the three other wars he was already participating in back home, he was already being ganged up on in this new world as he was building his foundations. Valinars was running on too little information and he hated that. There was nothing he loved more than tearing his opponent's plans apart. To show how much smarter he is than everyone else and to really rub his superiority into their faces as they watch their plans and everything they hold dear crumble into dust around them.

Valinars turned to look off in the direction of the other Keeper's forces before turning to the communications mirror on the wall and with a wave of his hand the reflection of the room was replaced with the image of the undead army outside. He had felt a powerful pulse of magic just now and wanted to see what was going on. Over the undead, a massive illusion of some kind of fox was quickly taking shape.

"Greetings all fiends, monsters, horrors, and abominations!" The fox's magnified voice washed over the land as she spread her forepaws like a showman addressing an audience. "You are all now officially my bitches!"

Valinars just stared at the image just long enough to see the army start its march before turning to leave. If she wanted to be arrogant then he would humble her. He paused at the door to give the dark mistresses a contemplative look. On the one hand, they failed to get any information. On the other, there was about to be a battle and it would be a waste to just kill them now instead of just letting them die on the battlefield.

"... Come, prepare for battle," Valinars growled out. He waited for them to leave the room before using his hand of evil to dump several large barrels of oil all over the prisoners. If they were going to refuse to be of use, then he would just git rid of them now. Using his hand of evil to cast a weak fire spell he set the heroes on fire as he closed the steel doors. He couldn't help but smirk at the sounds of the heroes screaming their last curses at him as he walked away.

Deep within the Everfree.

"When I'm in charge I'm tossing every last one of those ideots out on the street." Harmony said with a deadpan. She had managed to make it to a hidden boat that was waiting for her under a bridge leading out of the city. Not that she was complaining about her freedom but after those two mares literally telling the guards they were being tricked she expected some kind of reaction. But she was able to leave the city unhindered and didn't see any sign that the royal guard was doing anything! There is being outclassed and then there is being incompetent.

Harmony had just left her boat and was trotting through the Everfree Forest. She found it strange that she was actually hoping to spot some guards flying through the air over the trees or moving in search groups to hunt her down.

"And they had been showing so much improvement too." She said with a disappointed sigh as she entered a cave hidden by powerful illusion magic fueled by the magic of the Everfree Forest itself so as to blend in better. She walked past several powerful defenses set up by her long ago until she came upon a vault. With a shaky breath, she opened it and looked at the only object that it held. Gulping, Harmony carefully picked up the small pouch and brought it up to her face, giving the unassuming item a nervous look.

"It worked for her, it can work for me. It worked for her, it can work for me." Harmony chanted to herself as she was drawing a ritual circle on the ground with chalk. It wasn't an aspect but it was made as a corrupt copy of the power she once held. A cheap attempt at attaining godhood. As such, she was sure she could make this work until she could get her aspect back. Sitting in the circle, she gave one last moment of hesitation at what she was about to do... And swallowed Tirek's black rainbow.

Author's Note

I'm not exactly happy with the way this chapter came out. But no matter how many times I rewrite it I never am. Originally this chapter was supposed to be one big escape for Harmony but I just couldn't make it work. I'm hoping this chapter will shake things loose for me and get things rolling again. The next chapter is the start of the end battle.