A Hero's Origins
By TheAlienBrony22

Lucky You, Princess!

At a prison, a young sorceress is seen taking down several police guards with magic. One by one, the guards fall and collapse to the ground. The sorceress tries to cast a spell to bust the door open, and closes her eyes to concentrate. "Fallum Quarca Daminigan." The sorceress chanted.

The spell breaks the door down, revealing Hex, who has been floating in the air whilst restrained in a straightjacket. "Charmcaster, I've been waiting. How kind of you to break your uncle out of this wretched hovel." Hex snided.

Charmcaster rolls her eyes. "Well, major jailbreaks aren't exactly easy to pull off, you know." Charmcaster snarkily remarked.

Charmcaster was immediately smacked across the face with one of the straightjacket's sleeves, revealing that Hex managed to somehow free himself without the use of his magic. Charmcaster held her face as a single tear formed in her eye. "You will show me respect my dear niece, or you will suffer the consequences. Understand?" Hex demanded, his voice echoed throughout the cell.

Charmcaster nodded her head hesitantly. "Y-Yes uncle, sorry uncle." Charmcaster stated, stuttering a moment out of fear.

Hex held out his hand. "My staff. You have it, yes?" Hex requested.

Charmcaster nodded her head, unzipping her little side pouch, and proceeds to pull out the Staff of Ages, and hands it to Hex, who snatches it impatiently. "Uh, the magic must have drained out of it or something, I couldn't get it to work properly," Hex looked over, unmoving and not showing any emotion at all. "It doesn't work, b-but I swear it's not my fault. I-I s-swear!" Charmcaster hesitated.

Hex grumbles and looks away. "Always the naïve girl you are, Charmcaster. It's powers can be brought to life, but only in the hands of a master magician. You have a long way to go before that ever happens, much longer than you've once assumed," Two more police guards step in, aiming their weapons, but Hex uses his staff to blast the guards away. "Now to find the keystone. The moment of alignment is nearly upon us," Hex snaps his fingers, causing the lights in his cell to illuminate a whole wall dedicated to Sunset and her temporary alter ego, Princess Empathy, as well as clippings of Chance's alien heroes. "Once I have completed the ritual and gained its powers, I shall take my revenge on the ones responsible for imprisoning me in this festering sewer!" Hex declared, his voice was strained and full of hate.

Hex and Charmcaster leave the prison, levitating off the ground as the sound of more guards being defeated echo out from the halls.

At the first sight of Sunrise, Chance and Sunset were busy jogging, all while wearing gray t-shirts and camo shorts. The both of them were sweating like crazy, but Chance was really determined to keep moving. Luna was running right behind them, smiling as she readied a megaphone. "Come on, you two! Put the pedal to the metal! I'm not training a couple of lazy couch potatoes to save the world, now get your butts into gear!!" Luna shouted.

Chance was putting in a lot of work into keeping himself at a brisk level of speed, but Sunset was pushing herself to the limits, perhaps a little too much from how blue in the face she was getting. Chance noticed some tires up ahead and side stepped through them as much as he could, all while Sunset was starting to trip over herself.

Sunset slowed down and lied down on one of the tires, all while Luna stood over her. "Alright, let's take five and relax a moment, you both did pretty well for first timers, though you could use a bit more focus and resolve, miss Shimmer," Chance ran over, jogging in place as he was entirely showered in sweat. "Mister Marsten, I said lets take five!" Luna repeated.

Chance came to a stop, standing up straight as he saluted to Luna. Chance helped Sunset back on her feet and guided her back to the RV, with Luna following close behind. "Man, I haven't felt like this in a long time. My body is aching, I'm exhausted, I'm sweating worse than a man stranded in the desert, and on top of all that, I've never felt better. Hah... I missed this feeling, reminds me a lot of when my dad would help me get into shape." Chance remarked.

Sunset panted and wiped the sweat from her brow as she made her way to the bathroom. "I'm gonna take a quick shower, I'm tired and covered in sweat. I know sweating is healthy, but sheesh, I feel like I'm drowning in it!" Sunset remarked, pulling back the curtain as she looked into her bag for a change of clothes.

Chance smiled. "You get used to it, though I highly recommend a cold shower after a workout like that. Nothing beats the aching in your bones like a cold shower after working and sweating like crazy!" Chance grabbed a bottle of water from the fridge and sat down in the front seat, all while Luna tied a durag around her head to reduce the amount of pouring sweat trying to get in her eyes. "So, how was that for a military kid's workout routine? Not too shabby, huh? A mile run, pushups, jumping jacks, and a good ol' fashioned obstacle course. Good thing this camping spot had so much junk we could repurpose, otherwise it'd just be going to waste for no reason." Chance commented.

Luna smiled. "Nice to know you're in a much better mood, but I can see why it's not for everyone. I hope you aren't too upset that we had to stop half-way." Luna remarked.

Chance chuckled, taking a sip from his water bottle. "I'm fine, I haven't felt like this in years, nearly a decade ago, I would've been crying and snotting all over, begging for this to stop. But, I think because of all the danger we've gotten into this summer and the magic stuff that usually happens back in Canterlot City, my body is retaining some of that old muscle memory, or some of that training is coming back to me in waves, I'm not sure how to explain it, to be entirely honest," Chance grabbed a nearby clean rag and poured some of the water from the bottle onto it, then wiped his face and neck, feeling the cool sensation wipe away the pouring sweat and grime he gathered from the training exercise that morning. "Either way, this is a very good way for us to keep getting stronger, but I can't solely rely on one form of training forever, otherwise, what's the point. We're doing good right now, but we could be better. Like my dad always said, you can train all your life to be the strongest, but no matter what, there'd always be room for improvement, even if you don't think so. He was wise like that, it always sounded like he spoke from experience." Chance explained.

Luna smiled, though a thought crossed her mind for a moment. "Mister Marsten, you seem to remember a lot about your father, including numerous experiences I'm sure you haven't told to us yet, but from what little I've gathered thus far, your father seemed like quite the capable man. It's almost baffling to assume he'd die or fall so easily on what seems like a routine job," Chance immediately became silent, something Luna noted for later. "Apologies, Chance, I'm not meaning any disrespect, but do you remember what your father looked like, any distinct facial features? From how you described your father from memories and past experiences, he seemed like a wonderful man who clearly took care of himself and those around him, but at the same time, with you being the son of a military man, he also seemed rather accustomed to the violence of war," Chance looked at Luna with a bit of confusion, but also with a twinge of intrigue. "For all we know, he was probably a Plumber operative, and you never knew or remembered because you were so young." Luna inquired.

Chance's intrigue was now at the highest it's ever been. "You actually think my dad was a Plumber?" Luna nodded her head, and Chance began to think hard about how possible it could've been. "I'm surprised you want to follow up on this conversation, but I already told you before that there's no possible way he was. He used to tell me stories about how he faced demonic creatures from beyond the stars before I went to bed each night, but I always thought he was just very passionate about his christian beliefs, I doubt he was a Plumber, since he'd probably call aliens demons, and I doubt that would go well. But, let me indulge you for a moment," Chance took a moment to think, then he got an idea. Chance got up and went to the back of the RV, grabbing his bag as he pulled it up front. "If it's true that my dad was a Plumber, then the stories that he told to me were just him remembering his days on the force! I remember before we left for Camp Everfree, I was packing up stuff that I didn't want to risk getting ruined by the ditzy drug addicts on Dwayne Street. Maybe one of the things I packed with me has some clues to confirm or deny if my dad was a Plumber." Chance explained.

Just as the teen unzipped his bag, the radio suddenly flared to life. "Attention! Attention! Is anyone on this frequency!? A tour bus full of senior citizens just spun out of control and is dangling off the side of a bridge! We need help!!" The voice called out in a panic.

The pair looked at each other, and Chance let out a sigh, setting the bag aside. "This can wait. We passed a bridge on the way here, didn't we? Strap in and step on it!" Chance stated, hopping into the passenger seat and buckling himself into his seat.

Luna turned the key and the engine roared out as it sped down the road, though she was keen on continuing their conversation later.

At a highway, a tour bus with several senior citizens inside is about to fall down the side of a bridge, but before it can finally tip over, something huge managed to pull the bus back onto the road. The citizens in the boat looked at the back of the bus, seeing it be torn open by Riptile and tossed to the side. "It's okay everybody. Everything's alright now, so if you'll be so kind to come forth one at a time, you'll be helped out of the bus and escorted to your destination when the next bus comes through." Riptile reassured.

One by one, the senior citizens approached the alien and were carefully lowered to solid ground. While Riptile evacuates the senior citizens, Sunset is back in the RV, looking at magical artifacts and princess regalia, all while reminiscing about her time as Princess Empathy. "Oh Princess Empathy, I wish you were more than just a Halloween costume," Sunset examined the domino mask she had along with her old costume, and couldn't help but feel melancholic. She looked out the window, seeing Riptile evacuate and assist the senior citizens. "I could've helped with the magic I have, but I'm still a bit spent from that training exercise. Good thing I heard the RV start, otherwise I would've been tossed around during my shower." Sunset told herself.

Luna walks into the RV, and a flash of red light envelops Riptile, transforming Chance back into his normal form. Chance walks into the RV and closes the door behind him. "Man, sometimes this hero stuff gets a bit stale. Like, I'm thankful for my powers and I'm glad I'm making a difference by helping others, don't get me wrong, but I'm not gonna lie, it's getting a bit stale." Chance remarked, slumping down in the empty booth.

Luna smiled. "You should be proud of yourself Ben. Those folks would've been in a real bad place without your help." Luna stated.

Chance nodded, looking rather spent. "I know. I'm glad I could help, I truly am, but I just wish we could have one regular summer day, where we could just hang out all day along and do nothing. No alien attacks, no supervillains, no magical psychopaths of any kind, you get the gist." Chance remarked.

Sunset frowned and furrowed her brow. "You should appreciate what you have, I only got to be Princess Empathy for a few hours, and I barely even remember any of the stuff that charm made me do." Sunset remarked.

Chance raised an eyebrow. "You're still hung up on that? You already have magical powers, ya dummy, so why not just don the costume, use the magic powers you already have, and bring your hero alter ego out the next time some psycho wants to come out and play?" Sunset opened her mouth to say something, but instead just chucked a pillow at her friend's face, now leaving him rather bemused. "Real mature, princess. Real mature," Sunset gritted her teeth and ducked down to hide behind her laptop. Chance looked over and saw how sad she was. hated seeing Sunset like this. From what he can remember, ever since what happened with the fall formal and Anon-A-Miss, he hated seeing her be so mopey and miserable. He hasn't seen her like this since what happened with the luck charm, but then an idea popped into the teenager's head. "Hey, I'm sorry if I pissed you off, it wasn't my intention. Tell you what, how's about I make it up to you? Those senior citizens were talking about a magic convention in Las Vegas, and we're on our way there, anyway. Wanna go and check it out?" Chance offered.

Sunset picked her head up and looked at her friend, curious as to what exactly this was. "I wasn't aware that there were such things as magic conventions. Anime and video game conventions, maybe, but never magic... I guess it wouldn't hurt." Sunset accepted, smiling a little.

Chance grinned and looked towards Luna. "So, viva Las Vegas?" Chance asked.

Luna chuckled. "Sure, we can make a day out of it, too, just a fun trip for the three of us." Luna agreed.

The two teenagers buckled up and Luna drove down the road, eager to check out Vegas for herself.

Somewhere out in a desert, Hex and Charmcaster are standing near a large campfire, and Hex has readied himself to use some kind of ritual magic. "Darkara Dorokey Aghosto!" Hex tossed a handful of strange pellets into the fire. The fire rose, the smoke and embers intensified, and soon an image of a red charm appears in the thick cloud of smoke. "The Keystone of Bezel. Reveal your location to me!!" Hex commanded.

The image of the keystone warps and forms into a magical octagon shape with various lines connecting and intersecting inside of it. In the top-center portion of the image, a blinking dot makes itself visible to the sorcerer, signifying itself as the location of the keystone.

Charmcaster seemed apprehensive about the whole thing, and finally started to slowly back away with a nervous smile. "Okay, well nice seeing you again uncle, good luck with your magic... thing. I'm gonna head out of here." Charmcaster spoke out.

As Charmcaster turned her back to her uncle and walked away, Hex blasts a magic beam from the staff, causing Charmcaster to jump and turn back towards Hex, who seemed ready to blast her again if she moved another inch. His eyes glowed a sickly yellow-green as his staff crackled with magical energy, and he stared her down. "You seem to have forgotten where your loyalties lie, Charmcaster. You may leave my service, only when I say you can." Hex bellowed out.

Charmcaster, out of fear for facing whatever horrifying fate could befall her if she stepped out of line again, shook in place as she slowly, but hesitantly nodded, frightened for her life. "Y-Yes uncle... apologies, u-uncle Hex." Charmcaster stuttered.

Charmcaster carefully stepped forward towards Hex, all while the sun continued to shine down.

Meanwhile, the trio arrives at the magic convention in Las Vegas, they walk past people practicing cheap magic tricks, much to Sunset's dismay. "Magician of the Year Expo?" It's all cheap junk and gross-out tricks," Sunset hung her head low, seeming more disappointed than she was before. "I thought it was going to be 'magic' magic, not cheesy stage magic. This is more up Trixie's alley, rather than mine." Sunset remarked.

Chance facepalmed and put a hand on her shoulder. "I'm sorry, pal, I thought it would be genuine, but I guess I didn't listen well enough... but hey, that doesn't mean we can't have a good time," Sunset looked at Chance as if he suddenly grew another head, to which Chance pointed over at a box on one of the shelves. Chance walked over and pulled a box labeled "Ogres & Oubliettes: 6th Edition" on the front of the box, showing a warrior mage fighting what looked like a spider-snake-starfish chimera. "Look, it may not be real magic like what you, your friends and I are used to dealing with, but I can assure you, that sometimes it helps to broaden your horizons, to get a better perspective. In layman's terms, it helps to escape to another magical world, to better understand the magic you already have access to. Entertain the thought please, for me?" Chance explained.

Sunset looked down at the tabletop game, and sighed in defeat. "Okay, we'll give it a try, but I'm still gonna find something here that is more my speed. I like tabletop games, don't get me wrong, but it's a bit insane, especially without as many people you'd typically need for it." Sunset remarked.

Sunset was still a bit disappointed in all the fake and staged magic stuff, but she was appreciative of her friend trying to help her find a way to make the most of their visit, even if it wasn't meeting her expectations.

Luna walked over to the two teens and patted them on the backs. "Well as long as we're here, we might as well make the most of it. Let's split up and look around for some items we're interested in, but remember to stay in my line of sight. Conventions are a breeding ground for the inept and arrogant." Luna stated.

As the trio splits up to look for a few items, Sunset walks around the place, gazing at various stands that have tons of stuff for sale, she finally settles on a magic jewel booth that offers magical charms. "Hello. I don't suppose you have any real magical artifacts for sale, would you?" Sunset asked.

The woman behind the booth, who was reading a book about wiccan incantations simply looked at the teen. "What you see is what you get honey, not much else to tell you." The woman stated before returning to her book.

Sunset looks at the jewels for a bit, uninterested by what she's seen so far, but then she eyes a gauntlet that was colored red, yellow and brass. She picks it up and examines it, taking notice of the red stone embedded into it, as well as it's uncanny resemblance to the Charms of Bezel. Her eyes widen, a twinge of curiosity tells her to put it on. 'Well, this is an interesting development. I should probably be worried, but if all of this is really fake, then this won't have any effect on me. It's likely just a coincidence,' Sunset puts the gauntlet on her wrist, and it feels like a perfect fit, with the way it seemed to pulse with a familiar energy. Sunset smiled and tapped the woman's shoulder with an eager smile. "I'll take it." Sunset stated.

Sunset pulled out a few dollars and handed the cash to the woman, all while Luna came by with a small basket full of fake magic stuff. A top hat, a magic wand, as well as a dreamcatcher, and various other items. Chance wasn't too far behind, though it seems like he was only able to keep the tabletop game on his person, as nothing else seemed to entrance the alien hero the same way as it did their vice principal. "Well, I guess Ogres and Oubliettes is the only thing that really caught my attention. Meanwhile, Luna made like a Harpy and got very grabby." Chance commented.

Luna chuckled. "I'll have you know, mister Marsten, that most of the items I have on me are going to be gifts for Celestia and Cadence. The top hat, wand and dreamcatcher are more so... keepsakes," Luna looked over at Sunset, noticing the gauntlet she now adorned. "I see you found something after all, miss Shimmer. What do you think?" Luna inquired.

Sunset nodded, admiring the gauntlet with intrigue. "Yeah, I love it. Y'know, it kind of reminds me of-" Sunset is cut off by the sound of a man's screams. The trio look at each other and quickly rush out of the building, only to look up in shock. A man is hanging from a rope attached to a flying helicopter, and it seems that the helicopter is breaking down. "Oh my god, that's definitely not good!" Sunset exclaimed.

Luna was very concerned. "I don't think that's part of the act, and even if it was, someone could get hurt if no one tries to stop this!" Luna advises.

Sunset and Luna look toward Chance, and the teen sighs, stuffing the tabletop game into Luna's basket. "So much for a normal day... Alright, I'll go save the half-wit Houdini!" Chance remarked, pushing through the crowd as he reached for the Omnitrix.

The helicopter continues to veer out of control as the man screams in terror. The helicopter flies into the power lines, slicing through them as the man almost gets the final shock of his life, but the active cable barely misses the defenseless man. Unfortunately, one of the other sliced cables manages to set fire to the rope that held the man in the air, making the man more terrified than before.

As the helicopter starts to veer towards the ground, Vitaguar jumps from the side of a building and clings onto the bottom of the helicopter. "Oy! Stop yer screamin'! Don't worry, ya cheeky thrill-seeker, everything's under control!" Before Vitaguar could try to save the man, one of the blades pop out of the helicopter and starts to go right towards Luna. "Or not!! Bloody hell, this ain't me lucky day!" Vitaguar exclaims.

Sunset looks at Luna, who is looking at her, not realizing that the blade is flying right at her. Sunset runs forward to try and help her, and unbeknownst to her, the charm in the bracelet shimmers and glows. Sunset jumps over one car, and bounces herself off of another and perform a mid-air front flip, and tackles Luna out of the way, letting the blade zoom by and slice into a nearby unmanned taxi, slicing the vehicle in half.

Sunset and Luna pick themselves up off the ground, and Luna is genuinely astonished and marveled by Sunset's attempt at saving her life, but she's also curious as to how she did it. "Miss Shimmer... how'd you do that? I knew you were athletic, but that was rather... lucky." Luna said, unsure as to how else it could've been phrased.

Sunset looked at where the blade landed, then to her gauntlet, and finally back at Luna, only to smile. "Just lucky, I guess." Sunset stated, just as curious and astonished as Luna was, but then she looks at her gauntlet again. Sunset thinks about the situation and what she just did, but the pieces start to click into place, causing the teenaged girl's eyes to widen at the realization.

Back up above, Vitaguar continues to hang on under the helicopter, and he uses his golden bone protrusions to rip his way into the chopper and start pulling any people inside towards him. Vitaguar quickly cuts the roof and pulls the dangling man close as he lunges toward the side of a nearby building. He digs his claws into the wall and slows his descent, but Vitaguar immediately drops the pilot, the endangered magician and whoever else he got out onto the floor and immediately chased after the plummeting helicopter.

Vitaguar quickly runs as fast as he can, and manages to get in front of the helicopter before it crashes to the ground. He kept it off the ground the best he could, but he suddenly felt as if it was lighter, for some reason. The feline alien looks over to his left, noticing Princess Empathy shouldering the extra weight of the copter on her back. "Princess?! Well I'll be damned!" Vitaguar exclaimed.

The duo carefully lays the helicopter on the ground as a fire engine pulls onto the scene, immediately hosing the fire down before the vehicle explodes. The people cheer for them both, but it becomes obvious that they are cheering for Princess Empathy more, though it doesn't seem to bother the alien hero.

Vitaguar looks at Princess Empathy, only to see her give him a glare. "Don't even start with me about taking your advice. I only put the costume back on because I got Princess Empathy's powers back." Sunset stated defensively.

Vitaguar smiled and lightly nudged the princess. "Cheeky move, lady, but to be fair, I'm glad you intervened when ya did. I was trying to go Fumesquito, but the watch has decided to act like a total bugger and turn me into Vitaguar instead, really tied up my initial plan into a knot," Sunset looked unconvinced, but Vitaguar continued to talk. "I'm serious, I'm just happy to finally get a little backup. But now I'm curious. How'd you suddenly get your Princess Empathy powers back anyhow?" Vitaguar questioned.

Back in the RV, the trio are sat at the booth with Sunset using her laptop to do some research on the charm bracelet. Chance examines the charm closely, and even he had to admit that it looked exactly one-to-one with the other charms. "This is some freaky voodoo shit, right here. I don't mean to be a downer, but just like the last charm you had in your possession, I got a bad feeling about this." Chance stated, feeling a chill run up his spine as he put the charm back in the gauntlet.

Sunset gestured for Luna and Chance to lean in towards the laptop's screen, displaying an image of the keystone they had in their possession. "You might have a point, bud. It's one of the Charms of Bezel." Sunset stated.

Luna was concerned and shook her head. "No, that's impossible. Miss Shimmer, you destroyed all those in that cemetery fighting Hex." Luna stated.

Chance nodded his head. "She's right, we saw you bust those things into pieces." Chance confirmed.

Flashback...

"I thought I did..."

Sunset swung the shovel in her hands down onto the charms as hard as she could, smashing the charms to dust as their mystical energy flowed into the Archamada book of spells, and then the book faded into pieces, scattering away in the wind and blowing into the sky.

The trio look at the charm in the gauntlet, now feeling extra cautious about what they were dealing with for the second time. "...but according to what I was able to dig up, this is the legendary lost keystone," Sunset pulls up a wall of text for Luna and Chance to read. "It's rumored to increase ten times the powers and skills of the one who possesses it. This could be my big chance to bring Princess Empathy back, after all." Sunset explained.

Chance facepalmed, he knew that nothing good could possibly come from this. All it took was one bad experience with one of these charms, and the alien hero wanted nothing more to do with it. "Well, legends seem to be more fact than fiction nowadays, and that's the most dangerous thing we could know is true... Sunset, make a Pinkie promise for me," Sunset looked at Chance for a moment, seeing the caution and concern in his eyes. "Promise me that the moment you feel like that charm is doing something weird to you, and not the good kind of weird, you take it off and bust it into pieces. Please? I have the utmost faith in you, really I do, but after what happened last time, I don't wanna take any chances that aren't worth the risk." Chance requested.

Sunset didn't say anything for a solid minute, but she had to admit that he had a point, and understood where he was coming from. "Cross my heart, hope to fly, stick a cupcake in my eye," Sunset did the hand motions that followed, and Chance felt himself be put at ease. "Well, what do we do now?" Sunset questioned.

Luna looked outside, noticing that everyone was going back inside the convention. Luna looks at one of the signs, and notices that a magic show is starting at this time, and suddenly she gets an idea.

Inside the magic convention, a magic show is commencing. On stage was the announcer, who was ready to get things started. "And remember, the magician of the year will be crowned in just a few hours during the solar eclipse. Now please welcome our next contestant, a determined runner-up who's competed for the past five years, the Amazing Alan!" The announcer spoke out.

Alan appears on stage, he was a caucasian man with blonde hair, a squared jawline, had streaks of gray and white hair that cascaded down past his shoulders, and was dressed in a white and purple outfit, mainly consisting of baggy clothes and accessories. "For my first trick, I need a volunteer." Alan told the audience.

The crowd clamored for one of them to be the volunteer, but instead, Alan set his sights on the absent-minded alien hero. 'Hmph... not paying attention, a foolish mistake,' Alan pointed a finger towards Chance, and a spotlight momentarily blinded him as the crowd gasped. "You, the one with the exotic watch! I choose you to be my volunteer! Be not afraid of the magical arts, for we shall face them together!" Alan proclaimed in a dramatic tone, striking a theatrical pose.

Chance's eye twitched as he slowly walked up to the stage, the crowd moved out of his way as he got closer. 'Maybe it's me who's not being fair, but I swear that Rarity chick must be around here. I can smell the excessive abundance of dramatics from where I was standing,' Chance stepped onto the stage and gave an uncertain wave of his hand to the crowd. Alan opens up a box, and the alien hero cautiously climbs inside it. 'Just relax, it's just fake magic, nothing you can't handle.' Chance thought to himself.

Alan closes the box and faces the audience with a confident smile. "And so, the boy goes in, but what comes out will amaze and surprise you!" Alan closes the lid and locks it with a padlock, then he starts to wave his hands and wiggle his fingers at the box. "Abracadabra! Alakazam!! Showeth to the audience the real magical sham!" Alan chanted in a dramatic voice.

Chance sat in the box with a smirk on his face. 'If you say so!~' Chance thought, dialing in one of his transformations.

For a moment, the box begins to rumble and shift in a couple directions, like something was trying to escape. Before anyone could wonder what happened, a burst of green light peered from the box, and all of a sudden, it stopped moving. Before anyone could wonder what happened, a gray decaying arm forced the lid open, and a sickly gurgled growl escaped the box.

In a swift moment, Zombrex leapt from the box and roared out at the crowd. The crowd screamed out in terror, as did Alan, but then the crowd began to cheer, much to the alien hero's disappointment. "Damn it! What's it gonna take to earn a proper scare from people nowadays?" Zombrex was about to walk off-stage and hide someplace till he timed out, but then suddenly, a red fog hovers above the building and enters the convention. The dust disappears, revealing Hex and Charmcaster. "Well, good thing I'm already changed... let's dance, you psychotic shaman!" Zombrex growled.

Alan stepped in front of the alien zombie and glared at Hex, who seemed unperturbed by the hero and the stage magician. "Hey! Wait your turn pal, you're ruining my act! I waited a whole year to try this again, and you won't--" before Alan could say another word, he was levitated into the air and thrown into a bundle of curtains, then fell onto a bunch of props, incapacitating the stage magician. "Ooouuuhh..." Alan groaned weakly.

Hex sneered at the alien zombie and readied his staff. "I have no time for amateurs, nor do I have the time to waste on you pointless pests. I will only say this once, and should you not comply, I will put you in the ground where you belong, you vile draugr!" Hex reached out an empty hand, as if he was expecting Zombrex to give him something. "Give me the Keystone of Bezel!" Hex commanded.

Zombrex stood his ground, but Hex was clearly not pleased by his lack of cooperation. Hex retracted his empty hand, and prepared his staff. "So be it. If it's magic you want, it's magic you shall have." Hex declared.

Hex starts to generate some kind of magical explosive fog around the convention, causing people to cough and panic, running away in fear. "Hex is back to his old tricks, I see. If I had to guess, that girl who's with him must've busted him out of prison." Luna stated, pulling her Plumber badge out of her pocket.

Sunset looked down at her gauntlet, and knew what she had to do. "This looks like a job for Princess Empathy." Sunset said, running to a place she can hide and change.

Zombrex growled as Hex approached, but before Zombrex could land a hit, the mad sorcerer tossed the undead alien hero to the side with a quick smack from his staff. Zombrex's head was hangling by a few purple bunches of strenuous rotten flesh, but the alien hero managed to get his head back on his shoulders in the correct position, though he was a bit stunned by how much that hurt. "Hand over the keystone or I shall destroy you all!" Hex demanded, his voice reverberating across the entire building.

From behind Zombrex landed Princess Empathy, equipped with the gauntlet and keystone, and using her geode's powers as well. Her eyes shimmered with a blitzing blue glow as she stared Hex and Charmcaster down. "You forgot to say "pretty please", Hex." Sunset remarked.

Hex's gaze falls onto the gauntlet, and the keystone refracts a glint of the sun's rays, making the sorcerer's eyes widen in surprise. "Princess Empathy and the keystone? How... convenient." Hex noted.

Zombrex roared out and tried to tackle Hex, only for the sorcerer to move and let Charmcaster play with the undead attacker. Hex tried to blast Zombrex away, but soon found his staff snatched away from him by one of Princess Empathy's magical tendrils. "You'll get this back once you surrender, like a good psychopathic magician." Princess Empathy quipped.

Hex groaned and looked towards Charmcaster, who was barely able to keep Zombrex from trying to land an attack, but it was becoming all too clear to the girl that she was running out of places to run. "Charmcaster, do something! Stop acting like you have nothing to show for yourself!" Hex reprimanded.

Charmcaster flinched, something the alien hero noticed and hesitated on his approach, but Charmcaster unzipped her little satchel, reached in and tossed a couple metal donut-shaped disks at Zombrex. The disks managed to stagger the undead hero for a bit, but Zombrex continued to press onward, as if the attacks weren't affecting him at all.

Hex's eyes glowed with power and managed to call his staff back to his hands, dissipating Princess Empathy's magic tendril and staggering her for a moment. Zombrex quickly whirled around, only to be met by a blinding flash and a sudden push launching him across the room, his gurgled groans and grunts could be heard as he landed on one of the booths. Zombrex managed to poke his head out of the debris, revealing a wooden table leg to now be jammed where his heart should be. While it felt like a mild form of discomfort, Zombrex just pulled it out of his body, and kinda collapsed on the ground for a moment.

Sunset moves forward and charges at Charmcaster, only for her to throw metal disks at her too. Sunset jumped to the right and managed to pull off a spin kick on the older teenaged girl, knocking her to the side as she got into a fighting stance. Before Charmcaster could try to fight back, a bowling pin suddenly hit the side of her head, revealing that Luna threw it to distract the young sorceress.

Already frustrated, Charmcaster retaliates by using her magic to make a giant metal disk chase Luna, to which Zombrex steps in and tries to stop the ring, leaving Sunset to fight Charmcaster and Hex two-on-one. Sunset grits her teeth and clenches her fists tightly. "I don't know a lot about you, but if you're paling around with Hex, then you're no friend of mine." Sunset stated firmly.

Charmcaster huffed, as if she were offended by such a statement. "Paling around with", As if I have a choice..." Charmcaster gets into a fighting stance and stares Sunset down. Both girls didn't move for a solid minute, but before Sunset could make the first move, Hex's hand grabbed her gauntlet, and she struggled to get free. "Oh come on, uncle! I was waiting for this and you--" Hex shot Charmcaster a nasty glare, and Charmcaster immediately felt her words vanish from her mouth, as if they never existed in the first place. Charmcaster swallowed and bowed her head, shaking with a look of terror on her face. "F-Forgive me, Uncle... many apologies, uncle, I didn't mean... I-I'm--I'm sorry..." Charmcaster quivered.

Sunset's eyes widened at Charmcaster buckling under Hex's glare, and soon felt his hatred-ridden glare on herself. "There's two kinds of luck, your highness. Allow me to educate you on the bad kind." Hex stated grimly.

Sunset smirked, much to Hex's confusion. "Clearly you didn't get the memo, Einstein. I'm not just lucky anymore, I'm a hundred-percent kick-butt," Sunset shoves Hex away and kicks him back, staggering the sorcerer a fair bit. The pain Hex felt was indescribable, and Princess Empathy just looked down at the sorcerer, as if he were but a mere peasant. "And I'm keeping this keystone, whether you like it, or not. Never thought I'd ever get the chance to say this in my life, but here's a command for you. Recognize the strength of my majesty." Sunset stated.

Hex got up and gritted his teeth, his patience has been worn thin for long enough. "Even with your new powers, you are no match for a master magician. You've barely even scratched the surface of what the charms are capable of, and you'll never understand their secrets like I do," Hex readies his staff to blast Sunset away, being completely unaware that Zombrex was trying to shove an entire radio down on him. "Now give me the Keystone!" Hex bellowed out in a rage.

Zombrex gives the radio one final push, and Hex finally looks up and behind him, noticing that it is about to fall on him, but he dodges out of the way at the last possible second. Zombrex lands on the ground, standing side-by-side with Princess Empathy as they ready themselves for another round. "Finders keepers, skull-face! Now go back to your witch hut and cry about it!" Zombrex taunted.

Hex glared at Charmcaster, who hesitantly got up and unzipped her satchel, causing both of the teen heroes to turn around and face the sorceress. "I-- I'm sorry for this, I-I really am..." Charmcaster throws some magic rock models in front of the two heroes, much to their confusion. "...Hear me spirits, my faith dost show, make my rock model monsters alive and grow!! Sapientaas Dormanicus Incantuulim!" Charmcaster chanted.

The small rock models began to glow purple, and soon grew to be rock monsters, now becoming the size of dogs. Two quadropedal stone golems with magical purple markings now faced them, ready to attack. "Okay, I know she's trying to kill us, but that's actually pretty good." Sunset admitted.

Zombrex grabbed one of them as they lunged in his direction and bit its head off, chewing on the rocky material as the monster crumbled into pieces. As Zombrex swallowed the rock, he noticed white magical patterns forming on his rotting and decaying skin. "Ooohhhh~ Magic powers! Nice!~ I'm the zombie supreme!!" Zombrex tackled Charmcaster to the ground, trying to figure out how to work his temporary magic abilities. "Let's see, how does this work?" Zombrex wondered.

Charmcaster struggled underneath the alien zombie, and finally decided to open her satchel again. A magical force escaped and pushed Zombrex off of Charmcaster and rolled aside, all while the Omnitrix started timing out.

Sunset was fending off the rock monsters pretty well, and using her magic tendrils seemed to take a lot less of a strain on Sunset's body than she remembered, so it was easy to dispose of the monsters by shattering them to pieces. Charmcaster was about to create more, but Luna got behind her and knocked the girl out cold with a magical scepter prop.

Finally, Hex got back up, and was finally at his limit of failures for the moment. "Enough!!" Hex uses a vortex spell to launch Luna and Sunset into a nearby hedge maze, and levitates Charmcaster's unconscious body to venture after them. Chance, now returned to his human form, soon got back on his feet and tries to stop these psychopathic sorcerers from accomplishing their likely sinister plan... or rather, he hopes to just beat the head sorcerer, Hex, if his hunch was correct.

Luna and Sunset flew out of the building and land smack dab in the center of a hedge maze, but they manage to get back on their feet, even without a sense of direction to properly escape. "Where's mister Marsten?" Luna asked.

Sunset shrugged her shoulders. "I think he's still in the building, he tried to fight that magic girl with the silver hair, but it didn't work out. We have to find our way out and keep the keystone away from them," Sunset was about to walk forward, until three more rock models rolled at their feet. "Well, we're not going that way! RUN!" Sunset exclaimed.

Luna and Sunset run away as the models morph into rock monsters and chase them. The pair make a right and hide behind a section of the leafy green walls. Two of the rock monsters pass by, much to their relief, but then the third one turns the same corner, wondering where they went. They stay still and quiet long enough for the rock monster to keep running in another direction, giving the pair a chance to keep going and distance themselves from the magical rock creatures.

Soon enough, another trail of red fog slams down in another part of the maze, revealing Hex, who was clearly angry and disappointed, and Charmcaster, now awake, back on her feet, and seems terrified of her uncle. "You have one last chance to prove yourself worthy of my mercy, Charmcaster. Circle around, and drive them toward me, like lambs to the slaughter," Charmcaster hesitated to move, her eyes started to tear up, but Hex was clearly starting to get angry. "NOW!!!!" Hex roared out, shaking the ground a bit from the sheer volume of his rage and impatience.

Charmcaster yelped and sprinted away down one path, while Hex stayed in place, waiting for the trio to be led to him. 'I grow tired of that girl, and her naïveness. Should she falter once more before the ritual, she will be whom I sacrifice to regain the power I deserve!' Hex thought.

Luna and Sunset run down a path, only to come to a fork in the path. Luna goes left, and Sunset goes right. Sunset runs almost aimlessly through the maze, while Luna is trying her best to memorize her path back to the crossroads, so she can try to follow Sunset. Unfortunately, Luna ends up running into a dead end, and two of the rock monsters had been tailing the plumber closely. Luna whips around and tries to block the monsters' attacks, but is soon interrupted by the sound of a rather aggressive intervener.

The sound of stone busting and cracking apart could be heard, and by the time Luna looked to see why they hadn't attacked, she was surprised to see Chance, now covered in scratches, bruises and his clothes were now torn and littered with the remains of the monsters. She noticed immediately that his knuckles were bleeding, and immediately tried to bandage them. "You okay, miss Luna?" Chance asked.

Luna looked at her student's eyes, briefly seeing a flicker of red fade from his determined green eyes. "I'm fine, but are you okay? H-How did you stop them? They were made of stone and likely imbued with a powerful magic, yet you broke them with your bare hands! You're bleeding, Chance, you don't feel that?!" Chance looked puzzled, but then he finally noticed the stinging sensation on his knuckles, as well as the fresh red streaks running down his arms. The wielder of the Omnitrix was rather confused, and yet, this feeling was familiar to him... too familiar. "Are you alright, mister Marsten?" Luna asked worriedly.

Chance shook his head and dusted himself off. "Not the first time I've bled, and it won't be the last, but I'll live. Where's Princess Empathy?" Chance asked, looking a bit scared at the blood that stained the remains of the rock monsters.

Sunset moves through the maze in a calm yet scattered manner. She's constantly checking behind where she was, periodically stopping to try and listen for anything, or anyone nearby. Eventually, she rounded a couple corners, only to stop once she heard the sound of leaves rustling. Sunset smirked and rubbed her hands together. "Okay, Hex, time for you to get taken out like yesterday's garbage." Sunset quietly remarked.

Sunset jumps and backflips over the wall, but instead of Hex, like she was expecting, she instead kicks Charmcaster, who already looked like she was fearing for her life. Charmcaster rubbed her head tentatively and made eye contact with the fiery haired magic girl, eyes widened like she was staring death in the face for the first and final time. "D-Don't hurt me!! Don't hurt me, I give up! I surrender, just don't hurt me, please!!" Charmcaster cried out, desperately trying to back away from Princess Empathy, who was rather stunned by the sorceress' change in behavior.

Sunset was not sure how to tackle this situation, but it was clear her original plan was gonna have to be benched. 'Okay, not what I was expecting, so maybe I should do this the old fashioned way. Why do I get the sudden feeling that this could backfire on me,' Sunset slowly stepped forward to Charmcaster, much to the older girl's fears and worries as she tried to shield herself from an attack, when no attack had been made. Sunset thought about her next move carefully, and removed the domino mask on her face, revealing her real self as she let her geode power down, showing who she really was. "Try to stay calm, I'm not going to attack you... it's clear to me that from how you're acting, someone has already attacked you before our fight." Sunset stated calmly.

Charmcaster's body shook like a jackhammer, the fear and tears in her eyes was unexpected to Sunset, but she saw her geode was reacting, and that was all she needed to know. Sunset carefully took one of Charmcaster's hands into her own, and took a momentary look into the sorceress' mind. She felt terrified, trapped, scared, betrayed, hurt... abandoned. Sunset let Charmcaster's hand go, and judging by the sympathetic and saddened expression on Sunset's face, Charmcaster knew that this girl somehow saw her memories.

Sunset reached a hand out to Charmcaster, though she was pretty reluctant to take it. She looked like a wreck, runny makeup stained her cheeks, she was gnawing on her quivering lip, she was clearly starting to unravel. "Okay, how's about we calm down, and let's talk. Okay? Clearly you're scared, and you have every right to be, but know that I'm not going to hurt you. I'll even make sure my friends won't lay a hand on you, but you gotta understand that they're the people I trust the most. Do we have a deal?" Sunset asked, trying to explain what needs to happen.

Charmcaster swallowed hard, she was scared, but then she asked the most important questions she could. "Answer two of my questions... a-and I'll c-consider it," Sunset thought for a moment and nodded in response with a warm smile. Charmcaster sighed and thought carefully. "That girl that Hex manipulated to get the Archamada book of spells, did she get home okay?" Charmcaster asked.

Sunset bit her lip and sighed. "She's running away with my ex. Both of them got involved with this crazy stuff during this summer, and it hasn't been easy to track them down, but we're not giving up. I'm surprised that you're worried about her, though, wasn't expecting that at all." Sunset responded.

Charmcaster nodded her head, she felt tired. "You could say we were... close," Charmcaster carefully thought about her next question, and finally she knew what to ask. "W-Why are you trusting me right now? I couldn't've done anything to earn your trust, I'm an accomplice to my uncle's prison escape, plus his crimes... why are you trying to help me?" Charmcaster asked, growing concerned by what possible answer Sunset may have.

Sunset didn't really know how to answer that one, but she did have an answer. "Simple, I look at you, and see someone who's a lot like me and my alien friend who tried to go full-on zombie on you. You're kinda like us, trapped in a bad situation and forced to live with it without an escape," Sunset held out her hand, and Charmcaster carefully accepts it, only to be helped back onto her feet. "I was having a rough time with my other friends due to a heinous incident, and Chance... well, I have no doubt that he'd probably relate more to your issue than you'd initially think. He may not look it, but he has some issues bottled up to the brim, and it's a miracle they haven't exploded," Sunset chuckled, though Charmcaster was a bit confused. "My point is, I think you could benefit from having a friend or two, maybe someone who can help you figure out where to start healing. Sure, we all still have our own repressed problems in regards of an untold past, an uncertain future, you name it, but it's through dealing with it together, we can finally overcome adversity and move on." Sunset explained.

Charmcaster thought for a moment, and her eyes widened with uncertainty. "Are you asking me to leave my uncle?" Charmcaster asked.

Sunset nodded. "I am, he doesn't seem to treat you very well, based on what I've seen... Nevertheless, I think you'd be better off sticking with us." Sunset explained.

Charmcaster looked nervous. "I-I can't. You know what he's like. He doesn't take no for an answer, I doubt he'd be happy if I aided in your escape," Charmcaster stayed silent for a moment, then she got an idea. "I-I can help you, though. I didn't mean to hurt anybody. My uncle made me do it, otherwise he'd punish me again if I didn't do as he commanded, but I can tell you his plan," Charmcaster pointed to the keystone in Sunset's gauntlet. "He's after the Keystone. He plans to use its powers to strengthen his own, and by doing the ritual of Bezel at the highest point during the eclipse, he's going to re-create the Charms of Bezel, the ones you destroyed!" Charmcaster explained.

Sunset's eyes widened in shock, but just as she was about to say something, the sound of footsteps running their way could be heard. From around the corner, Chance and Luna ran towards Sunset, though Chance could see that the situation had been handled. The pair came to a halt, all while Sunset reassured Charmcaster that they were on her side. "Easy, just relax, they're not your enemies, nor are you their enemy. The only enemy we all have, is Hex." Sunset stated.

Chance looked at Charmcaster for a moment, then carefully held his hand out for a handshake. Charmcaster was hesitant to return the gesture, but with some encouraging from Sunset, the sorceress shook the alien hero's hand, feeling an unexpected source of strength from him, which startled her a fair bit. "Now that's rather unfortunate, I thought my niece would fear me more than appreciating some pathetic show of kindness, what a pity," Everyone looked around, wondering how Hex sounded like he was everywhere around them. "Are you enjoying your new friends, Charmcaster? Wanna see me make them disappear?" Hex's voice called out.

Hex arrives, phasing through the leafy green walls of the maze, and begins to levitate a few of the convention visitors as a means of torturing them. "Give me the Keystone, or watch them suffer our painful demise." Hex demanded.

Luna and Chance get ready to fight, as does Sunset, but Charmcaster grabs her satchel and aims it at her uncle, gritting her teeth as fresh tears flow down her face. "I won't let you do this, uncle. Consider this my way of saying 'I Quit!'" Charmcaster exclaimed.

The satchel opens, letting Rock Monster bats fly out and surround Hex, disrupting his focus as he lets the convention visitors go, though he seems to be struggling with the swarm of rock monster bats. The bats begin to grab ahold of him, making him float and then get carried away. "Charmcaster, how dare you betray me, you ungrateful sow!!" Hex exclaims.

The bats carry Hex over the maze and towards a nearby pool, to which they drop him in and fly back to Charmcaster, leaving Hex to soak for a moment. Charmcaster lets the bats fly back into the satchel, and Sunset smiles as she pats her back. "I guess you were legit, I had a small bit of doubt, but now that's no longer an issue. Come on, let's get out of here and finish the job before Hex dries off." Sunset suggested.

Charmcaster shuddered, whimpering softly as she fell to her knees. "He-H-He's gonna be really, really, really mad at me..." Charmcaster stuttered.

Chance patted Charmcaster's back gently. "It's okay, you're gonna be fine. Look, give it time, and you'll get used to it, then it'll just be a momentary feeling of numbness. It'll almost be like you don't care about him anymore," Sunset and Luna looked at Chance with a concerned look on their faces. Chance frowned and looked unamused by the eyes on him. "Oh don't you dare look at me like that, I'm not gonna give a single care about my abusers, and neither should she. I don't care if they're family, that doesn't justify the twisted shit she's been put through because of them." Chance remarked defensively.

Luna sighed and helped Charmcaster back to her feet. "I'll stay with her, you two deal with Hex." Luna stated firmly.

The two teens nodded and ran towards where Hex got carried away, all while Charmcaster clung to Luna's side and started sobbing. Luna sighed and tried to comfort the poor girl, she knew this would be a crazy day, but she wasn't expecting all of this.

None of them were.

The duo arrive at the pool to confront Hex, who is making a fountain spell out of the water. Chance looks down at the Omnitrix, which was still in its inactive mode, glowing red. "Damn it, the Omnitrix still isn't charged yet! I'm gonna have to wait, you stall him while I try to get an alien dialed in!" Chance stated.

Sunset furrowed her brow. "We can't, there's no time!" Sunset remarked.

Sunset ran forward and tried to leap towards Hex, but soon found herself tripping over her dress, falling onto the ground. Hex slowly dismounts from the fountain spell, and Chance decides to charge at him, balling his fists. Chance jumps towards him, but Hex moves to the side, and lets Chance fall head first into the water.

Hex grabs Sunset's wrist, all while she struggles against his grip. "Give me the Keystone!!" Hex examines the gauntlet, only to notice that the keystone was missing. Hex thinks for a moment, then a sinister smile forms on his face. He lets Sunset go, and notices Luna and Charmcaster arriving on the scene. "We'll see each other soon and finish our business then. For now, however," Hex held up his hands and let a dark shadowy aura envelop his hands. "Ledger Hephis Dominu!" Hex chanted.

Before anyone knew what happened, black shadowy light beams wrapped around Charmcaster and trapped her in a bubble. She screamed out for help, but no noise could escape. She banged her fists on the bubble, but it was clear nothing she did was going to break it. "Hope you enjoyed playing with these pests, Charmcaster, because this is the last time you'll ever see them again." Hex proclaimed.

Before anyone could try to stop him, Hex and Charmcaster vanished in a red fog, gone without a trace. Chance finally manages to resurface from the pool and crawled himself out, coughing, hacking and throwing up pool water as Sunset picked herself up. "What... what just happened?" Chance gasped, trying to get his breath back.

Sunset looked down at her gauntlet, only to now notice that the Keystone was gone. Sunset didn't want to believe what she initially thought could've happened, but it was the only reasonable explanation for it. Sunset gritted her teeth, she was beyond pissed, and she pulled Chance back up on his feet, dragging him back to the RV. "Charmcaster... Charmcaster happened." Sunset growled.

On top of the Stratosphere Tower, Hex has Charmcaster trapped inside that magical bubble, to which she now sits in the fetal position. She sobs as Hex examines the Keystone with great satisfaction. "Yes, this is very promising. Even when you turn your back on me, you can't help but want to aide me," Charmcaster didn't answer Hex, she just continued to sob and cry. "Regardless, it matters no longer. Soon, I shall have enough power to destroy all my enemies and rule the world!" Hex proclaims.

Inside the RV, Chance is still coughing up water as he dries himself off. "Have I ever expressed how much I'm starting to hate those stupid charms? Because I'm starting to really hate how I've gotten the shortest end of the stick today." Chance remarked, clearly displeased by how waterlogged his ears were.

Sunset didn't seem to be paying attention, but she was clearly upset, practically seething with anger. "I can't believe it, why would she do this!? Was all that "my uncle made me do it" stuff just an act, was it because she needed to get close enough to me to steal the Keystone?! She tricked me, played me for a fool and I let her!!" Sunset punched the table, then curled up in her seat, burying her face in her knees. "Some hero I turned out to be... what was I thinking?" Sunset groaned.

Chance put a hand on Sunset's shoulder and knelt down by her side. "Hey, it's not your fault. You were just trying to help them, and sometimes, you never know what people are gonna do, you're not to blame for this," Sunset looked at her friend, who then held her in an embrace. "It's gonna be okay. For now, the thing we should be worried about is how to stop Hex and Charmcaster before they recreate the other charms." Chance stated.

Luna tapped a button on the dash, bringing up a holographic map of Las Vegas. "She said the ritual would be performed at the highest point during the eclipse, and the highest point around here is the Stratosphere Tower." Luna stated.

Chance raised an eyebrow in confusion. "The thing that looks like a bootleg space needle? Go figure, of course they use the knock-off space needle as the location for a ritual during the eclipse. Might as well ask for a blood sacrifice and the tanned hide of a virgin Mary." Chance remarked sarcastically.

Sunset looked out at the horizon, gazing at the Stratosphere Tower in the distance. Sunset clenched her fists tightly, knowing that the final confrontation was coming sooner than expected.

Hex uses his staff to blast a beam of magic at an elevator door, sealing it shut. "I do NOT want to be disturbed, not when I'm so close to imminent victory," Hex cleared his throat and began to concentrate, channeling his magic throughout his entire being as he gazed up at the coming eclipse, gripping onto the Keystone tightly. "Barban Hextida Zerzam! Barban Hextida Zerzam!" Hex chanted.

The Keystone began to glow with a golden aura, and soon began to float in the sky, causing the moon to synchronize with the sun. Charmcaster continued to try and escape the bubble Hex trapped her in, but it was becoming more and more pointless as the air inside got thinner.

Back on the ground, the trio arrive at the tower, where there is a live audience of people watching the ritual take place up above. "We're running out of time! The eclipse is only a few minutes away, you two need to stop them!" Luna stated.

Sunset hung her head low, then she made eye contact with her friend. "Guess it's all up to you now, pal. Without my powers, I'm just--" Sunset was then met by a firm backhand to the face. Chance had smacked her, and clearly wasn't amused. Sunset rubbed where she got hit and looked at him with irritation. "Okay, OW!! What was that for!?" Sunset exclaimed, clearly confused why she got smacked.

Chance pointed to Sunset's geode. "One, you may lack those dumb charms, but you still have magical powers. You were a hero way before I was, and you need to face reality and start acting like it!" Sunset was rather surprised to hear him so agitated, but he only got like that when she had lost herself to the luck charm. Chance then pointed at Sunset herself. "Two, you never needed those damnable charms to get the job done! You faced an alien invasion, you faced magical threats long before I found the Omnitrix, you're not some hopeless dope! You're my friend, and I'm not gonna listen to you demean yourself about those damn charms for another second!" Sunset was at a loss for words, but then Sunset looked at her reflection in the side mirror. She looked like a wreck, a torn up costume and wearing a mask like some kind of wannabe vigilante. She's no costumed vigilante, she's a hero, and a rather empathic one, at that. She nodded her head, a look of determination slowly formed on her face, which brought a small smile to Chance's face. "That's much better, that's the Sunset Shimmer I recognize. Now, pick your ass up, put your mask on, and ready that hoverboard Sugilite gave you! Your pal's gonna teach you how he survived dangerous situations before he found the Omnitrix; Making due with what you got, and giving it your best shot! Are you with me?!" Chance stated firmly.

Sunset smirked and put the mask back on. "It's Hero Time," just as Chance was about to walk away, Sunset held him still and smacked him across the face, leaving a red hand-shaped mark on his left cheek. "That was for smacking me. Tit for tat, remember?" Sunset stated.

Chance smiled and chuckled as he watched Sunset run back into the RV. "Nice to see you back to your senses. No more wasting time, let's get this magic show off the road!" Chance stated.

As the ritual continues with Hex uninterrupted, Charmcaster is slowly losing consciousness due to the lack of circulating air in the bubble. Soon enough, Charmcaster slumps to her side, her eyelids become heavy as her eyes begin to close, she sheds a few more tears as she finally slips into unconsciousness. "I-... I'm... s..o..r..r...y..." Charmcaster weakly whispers.

"Barban Hextida Zerzam! Barban Hextida Zerzam!" Hex chanted, caring not for his niece's well being.

"Hey, who-do-you-voodoo! Did you really think you could ditch me that easily?" Hex's eyes widened and he whipped around, mildly entertained by the sight of Sunset, who seemed to somehow be levitating in the sky. "Now, Hex, make it easy on yourself. Give me back the Keystone, or deal with the royal powers of Princess Empathy!" Sunset declared.

Hex was rather perplexed, he wasn't aware that the girl could already levitate herself, but then Hex thought about the situation more thoroughly, noticing that a window washer platform was currently in-use right where they were standing. Hex uses a telekinetic spell to lift Sunset and Luna up, revealing the latter to have never been levitating at all, just her principal holding her legs up. Hex discards the spell and drops both of them on the ground, then blows the window washer to pieces. "Your silly stunt has given you nothing! It's pathetic to think you could ever stand as my equal. No wonder Charmcaster warmed up to you so fast." Hex reprimanded.

Sunset smirked. "You of all people should know better then anyone, that magic is about misdirection!" Sunset remarked.

Hex is confused. He slowly turns around, only to see Chance driving into him with the X-321 Hoverboard. Hex is sent sliding across the ground, and Chance hops off the hoverboard, gesturing for Sunset to use it. "You two keep him busy and distracted, I'll make sure she isn't in harm's way." Chance stated, running towards the black magic bubble the sorceress was trapped in.

Chance looked into the bubble, seeing that Charmcaster was clearly unconscious. "That bubble isn't letting much air in, so it's time to pop it!" Chance punched and rammed himself against the bubble, but it was a bit more difficult than he expected. He was getting angry, and for once, his temper was gonna be in his favor.

As Chance tries to free Charmcaster, Sunset and Luna are keeping Hex's focus on them. Sunset rides on the hoverboard and whips Hex with her magic tendrils, all while Luna occasionally kicks and punches Hex back, or tries to keep him from casting another spell. Hex was getting aggravated, and uses his telekinetic spell again to throw Luna aside, sending her sliding across the ground where Chance was wailing on the magic bubble, slowly chipping away at it with every strike he landed.

Sunset jumped off the hoverboard and yanked the staff out of Hex's hands, and aimed it right at him. Hex smirked and simply stood, unimpressed. "Truly, you are just a foolhardy youth. That staff only works in the hands of a "master magician", and you are not a--" The staff began to channel magic from Sunset's geode, all while her eyes glowed blue and a scowl formed on her face. "--master magician?" Hex's eyes widened in surprise, and as he moved out of the way, Sunset changed where she aimed at the last moment, then fired the blast into the sky. Hex looked at himself, and simply laughed in a triumphant manner. "Silly girl, your aim needs work!" Hex taunted.

Sunset glared at him. "Who said I was aiming at you, skull-face?" Hex paused for a moment and looked up where the blast was aimed, only to go wide-eyed and gasp as the blast came into contact with the Keystone, cracking it and causing it to burst into pieces. "I just needed you to get out of the way while I really ruined your plans. Consider this an act of Karma, for all that you've done in the past." Sunset sneered.

Hex was not only furious that he had been stopped for a second time by the trio, but he was also pretty infuriated when he heard the sound of something breaking. Hex whipped his head around, noticing that his magical bubble had been burst and shattered open. Chance and Luna were carrying Charmcaster's body over, all while Sunset aimed the staff at Hex, charging up another blast. "Boy am I glad this thing works in my hands. Not sure how it is, but it helped stop your plan for conquering the world, and that's all that matters," Sunset passed the staff to Chance, who gladly took it and snapped it over his knee. Magical energy poured out of the staff, all while magic began to leave Hex and Charmcaster. "What's happening now?" Sunset asked.

Hex felt his body getting weaker. "No!! Do you know what you've done?!" The trio looked at each other, and then back at Hex. "You- I will have my revenge on you, yet!! Next time we meet, I will conquer this pathetic world!! I won't be denied!!!" Hex exclaimed.

Chance rolled his eyes. "Yeah yeah, you and all the other supervillains." Chance snided.

Hex growled and tried to charge at the trio, but he lets out a pained scream as the last of the magic leaves his body, causing him to pass out. The moon unsynchronises with the sun, and the eclipse comes to an end. The day is saved, but Charmcaster still hasn't woken up yet. Sunset uses her geode to try and look into Charmcaster's mind, but then Charmcaster's eyes slowly flutter open.

Charmcaster barely manages to lift her head up and smile weakly at Sunset, only to let her head hang low again due to exhaustion. The trio look at each other and go towards the hoverboard.

The next day, the trio stand on the outside of the magic convention, with Charmcaster facing them with a sense of appreciation. "Thanks for coming to my rescue. I'm sorry for taking the keystone, I've always been a bit of a kleptomaniac growing up. It was how I coped with my uncle's torment... I'm so sorry." Charmcaster stated.

Sunset nodded her head. "We're just glad that you're alive, and the day was saved anyway, no harm no foul. Though with your uncle back in jail, what're you gonna do now?" Sunset asked.

Chance stepped forward. "I was wondering the same thing, since she doesn't seem to have any magic powers anymore. From what I checked in your fancy magic pouch, it's now just a regular pouch with inanimate stone carvings inside, along with a small book with weird words written in it," Chance pulled the book from his back pocket and handed it to Charmcaster. "What is it, and do you want it back?" Chance asked.

Charmcaster shook her head. "There's no need. I don't need to have magic to recognize a spellbook. It still has a bit of my magic housed within, but I think she'll get a lot more helpful use out of it than I did," Sunset was rather surprised, but Chance gave the book to Sunset, who pocketed it for later. "As for what I'm gonna do now, I think I'll head back to school when the summer's over. Till then, real magic is a bit too much for me, but the fake stuff, like Ogres & Oubliettes? That's definitely more my speed. My uncle hated it, however, never lets me play it." Charmcaster explained.

Luna frowned, seeming concerned. "Are you sure we can't drop you off anywhere else, miss Charmcaster?" Luna asked.

Charmcaster smiled. "I appreciate the offer, but I'm alright staying here, for now. And for future reference, my name isn't Charmcaster. It's Hope, and thanks for saving the world from my crazy uncle. Hopefully this won't be the last time we meet, hope to see you again!" Hope introduced.

The trio smiled and got back in the RV. The vehicle drove forward, all while the trio and Hope waved each other farewell. It was a crazy time for the trio, dealing with the return of Hex, but the world was safe once more, and thus, the heroes moved on to the next location, where adventure continues calling to them.

Author's Note

That was 'Lucky You, Princess!', my version of "Tough Luck". I wanted to change Charmcaster's character for a short number of reasons.

One, she's my favorite magical villain in the original series, and always seemed like she had the potential to reform and be a good guy, like an occasional ally for Ben and his friends to look to for a magic problem.

Two, reforming Charmcaster made a little more sense (in my opinion) than reforming Hex, like what was initially done in Omniverse. I liked seeing Hex be not a psychopathic villain, but it just didn't feel as fleshed out as I would've expected.

Three, having Charmcaster be a TTRPG enthusiast who wants to go back to school, after not wanting to deal with actual magic anymore, sounded like a good idea at the time (I was writing this episode back in September), and I still believe it works out. It keeps her interested in magic, and she doesn't become a deranged lunatic like her Prime counterpart.

I also eluded to how Hex and Charmcaster's family relationship is more toxic and violent. The idea is that Hex is so enthralled and absorbed in his work with rituals, magic and the occasional dabbling in the occult, that his soul has become permanently stained by the sins of otherworldly demons, to the point where he doesn't really value Charmcaster as anything more than a mere lackey, or if push came to shove, an easy-to-access blood sacrifice.

Power corrupts, and in Hex's case, it's absolute.

I also wanted to experiment more with Sunset's magic, and how her interest in other forms of magic has played key factors in her development as a person thus far.

Likely being used to her geode's natural flow of Equestrian magic, Sunset would likely be intrigued and eager to study other types of magic that have no ties to Equestria, it's why she was so fascinated with the charms and the keystone of Bezel, it reminded her of a time when she'd do anything to prove her strength.

It also helps to add that her magic tendrils are tied to her geode as well, but it's a little more complicated than that, and judging by how easy it was for her to use Hex's staff against him, and now that she has Charmcaster's spellbook, magic in general is going to be the sole focus for Sunset, from here on out.

Hope you enjoyed this episode, the next one will be a bit of a side adventure, exploring the more personal side of the Omnitrix's user.