The Punishment of the Villains

"So YOU ACTUALLY WON!?" Cozy Glow bubbled.

Tirek nodded. "I think." He shot a glare at Sombra.

The umbrum rolled his eyes, and stuck his tongue out at the centaur, while Chrysalis eyed then both with interest.

The group was sitting in a lounge of sorts, Tirek in a smaller state, sprawled across a red sofa, Chrysalis on a singular chair, Sombra on a large black couch. Cozy hovered in the air, stroking her chin.

There was red wine on the coffee table between the chairs, and a couple of plants dotted the room. The once cheery and brightening room was changed into a darker, and more villainous state.

"You won't get away with this!" Twilight repeated for at least the 50th time.

Twilight and Spike sat in a corner of the room, trapped inside a cage that the villains never went without. They carried it with them, always cautious.

"We already have." Sombra purred at her, taking a sip of his beverage.

Chrysalis broke into a smile, and stuck her tongue out at the captives. "You still putting hope on your little friends to save you? It's been hours now. No-pony is coming to rescue you Twilight."

"That is a lie!"

The villains began to snicker, sharing looks at one another.

"Perhaps some discouragement is required on the princess...." Sombra said as the laughter died down. "Cozy, would you like to do the honours?" He pulled out his dagger again, and tossed it to her. (It was sheathed)

Cozy Glow grinned. 'Hello Princess!' She thought as she neared the cage

"What are we going to do?" Fluttershy wailed.

Pinkie patted her friend on the back comfortingly. The group was hiding out in the Ever-free forest. Brutally tortured, they sat around a fire, spooking at every sound.

"WE aren't giving up." Rainbow repeated for the 7th time after their escape. "We are saving Twilight, and defeating those monsters. We ALWAYS win. We've never lost. We need to get our rumps back there and save Twi right now!"

"I agree with Dash," Apple Jack stated, "but we need a stable plan."

"Perhaps we can help." Celestia called out.

The five ponies whirled around at the sound of rustling bushes. Cadence, Luna and Celestia limped out, wounds already infected. Cadence held something under her wing.

"We found the Crystal Heart." She explained when Rarity shot her a questioning look.

"We can bust those shadow ponies then!" Rainbow cheered, attempting to fly up. Instead, she stumbled, and landed onto her face.

"First, we need to heal ourselves." Luna pointed out.

Rainbow growled at her stump of a wing, and limped over to Cadence.

"And the heart needs to be fuelled with hope and happiness." Cadence added.

Fluttershy looked up. "I believe that TOGETHER we can defeat the villains. I am so happy that I met all of you, and I can't bear the thought of losing any of you. Especially Twilight, who brought us all together."

The heart glowed briefly. And the yellow mare beamed.

"I feel the same way." Rarity declared.

The rest of the ponies chimed in their emotions, and the heart began to pulse with a new found power...

"Why?" Twilight panted. "Why are you still doing this?"

It had been three days since Cozy's return, all three filled with abusing Twilight. Cozy had written her name all over Twilight's torso with the knife, and had even doodled some flowers. It was a sickening sight anyways.

Sombra now wore a satchel around his neck, a lumpy object inside. Chrysalis stood close to him, sometimes taking the bag and holding on to it herself.

Tirek chuckled, and lowered his gauntlet, finishing off the torture for that day. Blood soaked the floor, and Twilight landed in it with a hard 'splat'.

"We want you in as weak a position possible for your friends." Chrysalis explained, picking the defeated mare up in her essence. "So when the time comes you'll be here for blackmail."

Twilight managed to lock eyes with her, a pitiful expression on her face, and her tongue hanging out. Sombra sneered at her, and sat down on a nearby chair, clutching the bag close to his chest.

"What is in the bag?" Cozy asked.

Sombra and Chrysalis tensed, shooting each other panicked looks. "N-nothing." Chrysalis stammered, dropping Twilight and snatching it in her hooves.

"Oh, I get it, you two have a secret, and your not telling us." Tirek huffed, crossing his bulky arms. His eyes narrowed slightly.

"So?" Sombra demanded. He stood up, and glared at the centaur.

Chrysalis bristled when Cozy attempted to snag the sack, and hissed.

"Seriously, I just want to know what your hiding. It isn't good to keep a secret from your team mates." The filly snarled, lunging at the changeling again.

Chrysalis shrieked and dodged, causing Cozy Glow landed on the floor with a hard 'THUMP'.

"You're not aloud to look inside the bag! It's none of your business!" She growled.

Tirek reached up, and snatched the queen with his claws. Sombra barked like a dog, and shot into the air, wings forming. "Release her!" He demanded, circling the demon/horse angrily. "you might damage the-" He stopped abruptly when Tirek's free hand shot out and smacked him in the face.

"Damage what?" Tirek asked, gently removing the bag from Chrysalis. He released her, and fumbled to open it.

Chrysalis shot a beam of magic at Tirek's face a second before he opened it, and the centaur grimaced, dropping the bag. Sombra soared after it, catching it in his teeth seconds before it struck the ground. Tirek recovered and reached out to grab the stallion, but Chrysalis shot him again, making him roar in anger and pain. Sombra landed in front of Chrysalis, and spread out his wing defensively.

Cozy stood up, and arched her back like a cat, preparing to pounce on the duo.

"Stay back!" Sombra barked, spreading out his legs.

He handed the bag back to Chrysalis, who hugged it to her chest. A green force field circled the couple, and Sombra dropped his wings, making them dissolve. Twilight rubbed her head, and looked up curiously at the four. They hadn't started a fight like this, which meant that their alliance was in horrible condition.

"Just tell us what is in the bag, and we'll stop trying to steal it." Cozy said in an innocent tone. She batted her eyes in a cute fashion, and smiled wide. Her pupils grew larger.

Before the duo could even think of replying, the door slammed open, and eight mares bounced in, healed to the max.

"Oh....shoot." Cozy gulped when she noticed the heart shaped crystal Cadence held in her magic.

"It's over." Celestia said in a somber tone.

Twilight mustered a large smile, and sat up shakily. "Girl's! You came back!"

Spike, who had been hiding in a corner of his cage, ran forward, grabbing the bars and rattling them furiously to get their attention. "I knew you'd come!"

Rainbow growled angrily at the villains, and hunched over, preparing to strike on the first one who attacked.

None of them moved. Chrysalis held the barrier between her, Sombra and the rest of them up, gently rocking the satchel back and forth in her hooves protectively.

Sombra stood in front of Chrissy, prepared to attack anyone who came near them.

Tirek glowered at the visitors, his arms out as though he was about to attack something.

Cozy, lowered her arched back, and relaxed slightly when the moment remained still. "So...are we gonna fight or something?" She asked, floating up into the air out of instinct.

Cadence, holding the heart spoke. "Uh....That was the plan, but you were already doing that weren't you?"

Tirek rolled his eyes, and turned to face the intruders. "Enough gawking at each other. Lets end this now."