Goldflame marched solemnly and with an inner fury bubbling just below the surface. As he strode along the road to his family villa, his ears swiveled and scanned his surroundings for the mare who had been pursuing him for the last few days—The mare who had kept him from being able to catch so much as a minute of sleep without fear of her falling upon him.

His joints ached and his hooves burned, matching the stinging sensation dancing across his coat from the cuts and scrapes he'd suffered fighting off the assassins Celestia had clearly sent after him. But he'd long since adapted to living with pain and so he knew countless mental strategies for coping to the point the mild discomfort he now felt motivated him and kept him moving.

In fact, he was so adapted to drawing strength from pain, that the thought of seeing Honeysuckle's horrified face as he entered the villa also invigorated him and managed to force a smile on his face. Said smile vanished as soon as his eyes fell upon his family villa and the forest not too far south of it.

Furrowing his brow, he paused and scanned the tree line. He rubbed his eyes and tilted his head before scanning it again.

"You're not seeing things. There seem to be more trees at the forest's edge than is natural," a familiar voice suddenly quipped, causing him to jolt. Whirling around and snapping his sword out of its sheath, he glared hard at the creature who'd snuck up on him.

The tall creature loomed behind him, its face obscured by a metal mask and its body obscured by long white robes. Goldflame hesitated, looking the thing up and down before it reached up and removed its mask and hood.

"You," he hissed, immediately recognizing the flat grey face, the cool blue and faintly glowing eyes, and the snowy white mane framing it all.

"Director," Pseudo said with a bow. "I owe you my thanks." Goldflame grimaced at the tall creature as he stood up to his full height.

"Had it been any other operative of Equestria's monster hunting corps that captured me, I might not have been granted the honor of seeing the Avatar of Chaos," he explained, tilting his head and offering the unicorn a subdued smile. "How is she, may I ask? Did she mature healthily?" Goldflame recoiled before hissing through a toothy grin.

"Ah," he hummed, gently sweeping his sword between the two of them. "So that's it, hm?" He pointed his sword at the smiling creature.

"You're here to try and spoil my plans?" He demanded, raising an eyebrow. "Doubtlessly as part of your bizarre devotion to instability and madness." Pseudo shook his head gently and raised a claw.

"No, truly I just wished to see you again and offer my thanks for your part in all that has happened, but I can tell you this," he replied bearing his teeth in a grin as he gestured toward the villa. "If you enter the grounds of this house, your plans will be laid bare and rendered moot regardless."

"Bien sûr, bien sûr," Goldflame said with a sage nod as he leveled his sword. He offered a narrow smile to the creature. "And I certainly believe you!" His sword suddenly slipped up and pressed against Pseudo's chest.

"Just as I believe you would have nothing to do with said rendering of my plans," the unicorn added with a sharp frown.

"I would not," Pseudo said, shaking his head before leaning in, causing the sword to bend slightly. "But my words mean little to you."

"Indeed," Goldflame replied before straightening his sword and plunging it straight through the creature's heart. Pseudo tensed up a little but his face remained unchanged even as a thin stream of blood began to run along the length of the sword impaled in him.

Goldflame twisted his sword and then dragged it out producing a wet squelch as it slipped free. He looked Pseudo in the eyes and then tilted his head when the creature remained standing. After another moment he huffed and gently poked him again, causing him to slowly slump back and hit the ground.

The unicorn considered Pseudo's body for a moment before turning and leering back at the villa. He narrowed his eyes when he spied out the shapes of a few dozen creatures creeping up to the walls and then entering his house. Snorting, he flicked some of the blood from his sword before trotting on toward the villa.

I took a few calming breaths as I peered through the trees at the fancy house in the distance. To my surprise, shortly after I made it to the edge of the forest, I saw none other than Blackbeard strolling up to one of the entry points with Double in a one-handed chokehold. Luckily, his presence would actually be pretty useful for what we were going to attempt.
We just needed to nab Honey and get out, after all, and that brick shit house of a historical figure was sure to cause enough of a disturbance to let us pull it off.

The leaves and bramble behind me crunched, signaling Sunset's approach. Turning, I gave her a nod. "Alright, is everyone ready?"

"Yep. I don't think we were noticed either," she replied with a nod, stepping right beside me to peer at the house. "Good call on us landing in and approaching from the forest." She frowned and raised an eyebrow at me.

"You're probably going to want to fumigate the lower decks of the airship once we're done though," she added, earning a hum from me.

"Good call, but circumstances and all that," I replied before adjusting the bands holding my robe up—I'd fixed its ends to hug my legs so I could actually run and move without too much trouble. Sunset watched me for a moment with an even expression.

"Hey, Vic?" She finally said.

"Yeah?"

"If Goldflame can see you be ready to kill him," she replied, causing me to pause.

"What?" I murmured, fixing her with a confused look. "I mean, Snowpea made it pretty obvious that Honey hates the guy, but what do you mean?" Her own expression hardened.

"I'm serious is what I mean," she pressed, raising a hoof. "If he can see you, you're within his reach." She furrowed her brow and looked to the side in thought.

"In fact, you should have one of your protection spells active the second you cross the villa's threshold," she hummed before shaking her head at me. "But above all else, if he can see you, you need to be ready to kill him." She locked eyes with me and spoke in a severe tone I wasn't used to hearing from her, even given the short time we'd known each other.

"He's bad news. Way bad," she warned, considering the villa again. "Before he retired S.M.I.L.E had a one hundred percent success rate in anomalous creature repulsion and capture operations." Her eyes snapped back to me.

"After he retired, that percentage dropped to thirty percent for three years while they worked to bolster their ranks and make up the difference," she said causing me to recoil slightly. She took a step closer and rested a hoof against my leg. "Brace yourself for that, okay?" I glanced at the villa, in which there were now signs of some kind of skirmish before I nodded at her.

"Sure," I replied.

My brief talk with Sunset just before I came charging toward the villa in hopes of pulling off one hell of a dramatic entrance flashed across my mind as the haggard and furious white unicorn who must've been Goldflame came speeding toward me. If he hadn't been coming straight on, I wasn't sure I'd have been able to see him move at all, but I could swear I saw the air distort around him as he flew toward me, sword outstretched.

I barely had time to get a spell or two in mind before he was right in front of me, and I almost didn't have time to fire either one off before his sword snapped out and stabbed me right in the chest.

Or so his dumbass thought.

In reality, while his sword was nestled firmly in the illusory fake I'd conjured with Phantasmal Forces the second we locked eyes, my invisible ass slipped around and grabbed his sword by the hilt. Sensing the contact, he recoiled with his jaw hanging. I smirked, causing my fake self to do likewise as I reached forward and slapped my palm on his open mouth.

"Shia-kazing!" I roared as I unloaded a fireball right in his mouth. As a result of my Invisibility spell breaking by the attack, his eyes lit up, metaphorically at first, and then very literally, just before a meaty boom erupted from inside his jaws. As the crowd of guests screamed, fire spilled out and covered his entire head in smoke and I yanked my hands back, leaving a wispy trail of flames as I did so.

Something strange happened then. I might not have noticed had the rest of the yard not suddenly gone silent, but seemingly everyone was focused on the explosion that had just taken off Honey's dad's head. Even Celestia was currently standing with her mouth agape. Blackbeard however was folded over cackling, which I took as a point of pride.

Goldflame was standing, however, which I thought was strange considering I'd blown his head up. He swayed for a moment before slamming one of his forehooves down in a manner that seemed hauntingly similar to back when Honey'd first arrested me and I magicked her to sleep.

Then he hissed out a chestful of air and the smoke was dispersed. The sight of him caused the goons Blackbeard had brought to shiver, and most of the crowd either collapsed or took off for the exits.

His eye was closed, but he was still very much alive. I use the singular this time as, while his mane was gone, his right eye was too. Most of his face was. The teeth he still had were exposed due to the sides of his mouth and his lips being blown off. His half-charred tongue worked for a moment before his somehow still intact jaw clamped shut and he heaved a gout of hot steam from his throat. Then his eye slowly opened and he looked up at my illusion.

"Huh," I murmured, causing his eye to then snap to my now visible ass. Following my gut's insistence that proximity to him was a bad idea, I Dimension Door'd across the grounds away from him. The high-pitched shriek I now associated with his sword whipping through the air proved I'd made a good decision.

The second I reappeared, I threw up a Shield and turned just in time to see him rocketing toward me. I raised my hand and prepared to hit him with another spell but then Blackbeard suddenly leaped between us and cocked his arm back. Goldflame let out a gurgling growl as he slid to a halt, giving him a narrow chance to roll aside as Blackbeard's fist came crashing down like a meteorite. The tiles under us cracked and then exploded out in a wave of earth, throwing me off balance. Luckily, however, as I was sent sprawling, I managed to avoid the sudden spear of black crystal that shot forward through the air I'd previously been inhabiting.

"You're mine!" Sombra yelled as he turned to smoke and rolled towards me. I looked over at him in shock before-

"Master Victor! Help!" I jolted at the familiar voice that now drew my attention to the second story of the house. There, alone, I saw Sneaky's head hanging off the side of the balcony with the rest of her clearly tied up. "It's me! Your first and favorite servant!"

"Sneaky?!" I squawked. Just then, a shadow fell over me.

"Die!" Sombra bellowed as he reformed, with a half dozen spikes of black crystal forming out of the darkness that flowed from him.

"Ah! Magic Missile!" I screamed, thrusting my hands at him. To my surprise, three bolts of magic shot up and nailed him in the face, causing him to recoil with a squeal. He threw himself back, kicking his forelegs as the magic scorched his face, causing his spears to dissipate just before he fell onto his back at which point he rolled around with his forehooves hooked onto his face.

"Aw, this is perfect! They're all bunched together!" I turned again to see Twilight and company lined up. The purple unicorn's horn lit up and from her saddlebags, the Elements of Harmony came floating. I choked and then hit myself with Haste and Fly, before lurching to a sitting position and then bolting into the air.

"He can fly?!" The pink one squealed as the six looked up in surprise.

"Heads up!" The rainbow-headed one yelled, snapping their attention back to earth just in time for them to scream and scatter out of the way of Sombra, who Blackbeard had taken and hurled at them. I sighed hard once the threat of their bullshit friendship powers was momentarily neutralized, but as I turned to look down at Honeysuckle, who was sitting under the balcony looking at the entire scene in shock, I lurched again.
Goldflame was in the air with me.

My haste spell and superior flying ability were all that saved me as I sped backward away from him. I swear to God, the air around him seemed to dim from the flash of his sword scything through where I had just been. I continued to fly back toward the forest as we had originally planned, pausing for just a brief instant to consider him as he fell. I picked up speed again when he lighted upon the corner of the villa roof and then shot toward me, sending roof tiles scattering in his wake.

Despite my magically enhanced speed, he was able to keep up with me until he finally arched toward the ground, at which point he began bounding across the open field after me. Every step seemed to propel him dozens upon dozens of feet, and my shield began to reverberate as I crashed through branches and trees. Regardless of the debris that began to fall and act as a sight block, he kept after me, somehow able to predict my flight path even when I dipped closer to the ground and began darting through the thick underbrush.

During a particularly lengthy period where the plant life had obscured us from one another, I touched down and darted toward the meeting spot.

There, I hugged one of the trees and peeked around it, looking for any sign of him. The whole forest was quiet and I swallowed hard, praying to whoever would listen that he hadn't figured out what was wrong.

Suddenly, I was slammed into the tree from behind, drawing a shocked gasp from me. I barely had time to glance behind me and adjust before being stabbed right through.

"Imbécile, I don't need to see you to track and kill you," Goldflame rasped with some difficulty as he stood, reared up with his forehooves pinned against my back and his sword crammed into me. "I can hear your panicked breath and your claws. Quivering."

"That- Ah! That's why he asked me to draw your attention, imbécile," I hissed with a grim smirk. Goldflame recoiled, as Victor suddenly lit up in yellow flames, revealing a changeling. His sword was stabbed right through one of the changeling's chitin holes allowing them to slip free harmlessly before zipping skyward, leaving the shocked and angry unicorn behind. Slowly, Goldflame clacked his exposed teeth together with a hiss before slowly turning and looking around for any sign of Victor.

Then he paused as the trees suddenly vanished, leaving behind a sight that caused him to recoil.

The Frozen North

Outskirts of the Crystal Empire

Four days prior

I shuddered against the frigid wind screaming across the plains outside of the crystal city. Even with the winter gear atop my robe, the stark contrast between the magically protected city and the rest of the north was jarring. Just ahead of me and providing the light by which I was able to navigate, Sunset suddenly stopped.

"Ah-hah! Here we go," she declared, lighting up her horn and producing a yellow flame she then sent out and weaved across the snowy field ahead of us. The snow continued to fall, rapidly covering up her work, but it still granted a momentary glimpse at what we'd found.

"Jesus," I gasped, both from the cold and surprise at what she'd led me to. "Sure are a lot of them." I scanned the icy field before us, glancing back the way we'd come and shivering a little from how easy it would be to get lost. The field was nestled between two towering peaks, but the constant snowfall hid them from view until we were right between them.

"Due to the frigid nature of the region and the constant snow storms, it was near impossible to recover them all after the battle with Sombra and his goons back in the day," she explained with a nod. "These were left behind as a result." I huffed hard and nodded back.

"They'll do."

MASS MORPH

LEVEL 4

This spell can conceal up to one hundred men or one hundred near-man-sized creatures as false woods or orchards until dispelled either by command or magic.

ANIMATE DEAD

LEVEL 5

Animates one to six corpses per level of the caster. Animated bodies remain animated and obey the caster until destroyed or the spell is dispelled.

Goldflame's eye darted left and right as he took a low stance, bracing for the approaching horde of who knew how many stiff and rotten zombified ponies. The armor they wore was rusted, but the design and faded emblems still visible confirmed in his mind these were the remnants of an ancient platoon that served Celestia and Luna one thousand years ago.

Where Fremont found them and how he revived them, he couldn't guess nor muster the strength to care. For now, they were in his way and the intent to kill was plainly written on their sunken and blackened faces and in the blue lights that made up their eyes.

He considered leaping over them, but frustratingly, a few zombified pegasi lurched into the air and began circling above like vultures. More distressingly, a few of the unicorns managed to tilt their heads at his sword and the magic holding it up. Then, they lit up their horns and grabbed rocks or fallen branches with their magic.

"Merde," Goldflame hissed in a throaty rumble.

"I almost got skewered!" My changeling companion complained as we flew through the forest towards the rest of the rescue team.

"You knew what you signed up for!" I shot back as we dived down to the clearing where the airship was resting and the rest of the team was waiting. Snowpea, Violence, Turnip, six of our burlier cultists, twice that many changelings, and Sunset all stood on the deck of the airship watching the treetops for us and then jolting upon spotting us.

We dove down and landed on the deck in the midst of them and I turned while gesturing in the direction we'd come from. "Alright, Goldflame's been isolated, but we're not out of the woods yet," I declared. "I'm pretty sure Double's dead, but the place is a lot livelier than I expected. Namely, Twilight and the other Elements were there." The ponies and changelings all wilted at my words, but Sunset furrowed her brow.

"Was Celestia?" She asked in an even and low tone, causing me to pause.

"Yeah. She- She was," I finally replied. Her eyes fell to the deck as a tense quiet fell over the forest. Before I could say anything, however, a weird, tingling explosion rang through the air like a metric ton of glass smashing to the ground.

"The heck was that?" Turnip gasped as all eyes snapped in the direction of the villa.

"Blackbeard probably," I sighed, adjusting my robe with a shrug. "Or Sombra. They're both there, too." An anxious squeak rang up from the group as they all looked at me in horror. At the very least, the revelation snapped Sunset out of her brooding.

"Oh, goody! Well, that should give us some cover," she declared with a curt laugh before fixing me with a firm look. "What spells do you still have left?"

"A second Magic Missile, a second Shield, Darkness," I explained, counting the spells off on my fingers. "And Telekinesis." She recoiled at my reply.

"That's it?" She huffed.

"Used the rest trying to kill Goldflame," I explained.

"Ah, fair," she hummed with a nod before giving me a confident smirk. "Alright, let's go."

"Bitch!" Blackbeard roared as he tumbled through the air, only to stop suddenly and then be hurled higher this time. "Gonna strangle you!" Celestia darted up in tandem with the pirate, circling a safe distance away from him before lighting up her horn again and snatching him by the ankle.

"Going to stick my thumbs in your eyes and hold on until you are DEAD!" Blackbeard howled as she wrenched her whole head, heaving him further into the air as the pair cleared the clouds. "Stop it!"

Miles below in the villa, the Element-bearers ducked and dived around the hail of black crystals Sombra had blasted at them shortly after Celestia pulled Blackbeard off of him.

"Come on! While Celestia's juggling Blackbeard this is our chance to take out Sombra!" Twilight yelled over the panic of the crowd. In response, Sombra hissed and turned to smoke before billowing up and towering over them to scan the villa.

"Get away from me! Where's the bespectacled buffoon?" He roared. Just beyond him and under the balcony, Blueblood continued to tug at the train of Honeysuckle's dress.

"Come on! We need to get inside!" He begged, glancing around anxiously as Blackbeard's minions chased the guests around, and counting his blessings none of them had approached the pair. Honeysuckle continued to stare off in the direction her father had flown.

"He came for me?" She murmured, causing Blueblood to flinch.

"Who, Fremont?" He huffed before glancing in the direction the wizard had flown. "I guess! Now, come on!"

"Wait!" Another voice squealed, drawing his attention to the edge of the balcony above, where another mare was sitting with her head hooked down to look at him. "Take me with you!" The voice and sight snapped Honeysuckle out of her stupor and she glanced up at the stranger.

"Sneaky Salvage?" She huffed, causing Sneaky to scowl.

"I wasn't talking to you!" She spat. "You keep staring off into space!" Blueblood glanced between the two for a moment and raised a hoof as he prepared to speak, but before he had the chance, a resounding and tingling boom erupted at the center of the villa's yard, heralding the appearance of a massive cloud of reddish black smoke that sparkled and swirled much in the same way Sombra's shadow form did.

All eyes fell upon the new cloud as it rumbled and crackled before slowly sinking to the ground revealing a hooded figure. Many of Blackbeard's followers bolted for the exits at the sight, followed by most of the wedding's guests, but Bally Hoo and his assistant leered eagerly at the sight.

Then, the figure stepped toward Twilight and threw its hood back, revealing a blue unicorn with a nearly white mane. "Twilight Sparkle," the mare hissed with a dark grin. The sight and sound of her caused the Elements to recoil with a unified gasp.

"Trixie?" Twilight cried. Sombra furrowed his shadowy brow and reformed off to the side, watching the exchange with a purse-lipped frown as Trixie brought a hoof to her chest and the black and red amulet current hanging from her neck.

"The one and only!" She declared before fixing Twilight with a venomous smirk. "You and I have some unfinished business. My magic-"

"You're doing this now?!" Twilight shouted, throwing a hoof in the air as a few hairs of her mane snapped out of place. Trixie scoffed and shook her head.

"Why not? Don't tell me!" She jabbed a hoof at Twilight. "You're scared to see how much more powerful I've become." Sombra snorted and covered his mouth with a hoof. Twilight scowled at him before fixing her fury upon Trixie.

"We are literally dealing with a quartet of villains right now!" She snarled through clenched teeth, causing Sombra to clear his throat.

"Ah, I believe the correct term is King Sombra and a trio of villains?" He declared with a nod.

"And I believe the correct term is a quintet," Trixie added with a grin. Twilight glared at the pair as her friends shared a confused look.

"So, who do we-" Rainbow began only to be interrupted when something heavy slammed into the tiled ground, causing all the ponies to jump. Turning, they found a kicked-up cloud of dust that slowly settled to reveal a pair of humanoid booted feet sticking up out of the ground. As they marveled at the sight, they jumped again when a white-hot ball of fire howled down into the space between the Elements and Trixie. Cinders danced through the air causing the amulet-adorned unicorn to recoil with a raised hoof. When the heat and light finally died down, she scowled at the phenomenon before wilting.

"So you're who took the amulet we were trying to locate and seal away," Celestia hummed as she loomed over Trixie with a close-eyed smile. She gently tapped the amulet around Trixie's neck with a hoof, which caused a slight creaking hiss like when metal is superheated. "I'd really appreciate you giving that to me." Trixie blinked and slowly looked the alicorn up and down, uncertain how to react to the fact her mane and tail were currently sagging off her like normal hair instead of whatever sort of magical material they normally were.

"No?" She finally squeaked in a raspy voice brought on by the sudden dry heat that had filled the villa.

"Oh, that wasn't a question," Celestia replied. Just then, Trixie squeaked when the heat caused her lip to crack.

"Trixie run," Rainbow murmured as she stood in horrified wonder.

"Trixe run," Twilight added, staring at Celestia with wide and terrified eyes.

"Trixe run," Sombra pressed with a firm, solemn nod, and an impressed frown. Trixie's ear twitched at the three of them, but her eyes remained locked on the alicorn before her. Suddenly, the ground cracked and Blackbeard exploded up behind Celestia.

With a feral and furious roar, he snapped forward and threw his arms around her body drawing a cry of shock from her as he then stomped his right foot forward and wrenched her up and over. The heat died as suddenly as it appeared and Blackbeard bent backward slamming Celestia down right on the top of her head, causing her eyes to go wide, her legs to stick out stiff and straight, and her tongue to shoot out. Several loose tiles across the villa popped up and flipped through the air from the force of his attack as everyone still present in the yard recoiled with a unified and sympathetic groan.

Blackbeard extended one leg and slowly rose back to his full height as Celestia slumped down onto her side. Standing up straight, the pirate sniffed and glared down at her before his eyes slowly fell upon Trixie. The little unicorn hugged the floor for a moment before scowling and shooting to her hooves.

"Who do you think you are?" She demanded, jabbing a hoof at him as her eyes flashed red. "The Great and Powerful Trixie needs nopony's assistance!" Blackbeard smirked and tilted his head with one hand resting on his hip.

"The Great and Powerful Who?" He chortled causing Trixie to recoil with a gasp.

"Trixie don't," Twilight urged, hanging her head and groaning when Trixie did anyway.

The amulet-adorned unicorn threw her head back and lit up her horn, which crackled with a mixed aura of faith blue and sharp red. With a shrill yawp, she swung her horn toward Blackbeard and blasted him in the face with a beam of red magic that produced a dull, bone-rumbling drone. Though his head was completely consumed, the pirate stood completely unfazed for the attack's duration, but when Trixie finally cut the spell, she smirked at its results. The rest of the observers looked in surprise at Blackbeard's now faintly steaming head.

For his part, as if sensing what had occurred, Blackbeard frowned evenly before reaching up and gently running his hand across his scalp, which was now bare. Slowly nodding, he traced his palm down until it reached his chin, which was also completely bare. The now utterly bald man slowly looked down at Trixie's smirking face.

"Trixie, right?" He hummed.

"The one and only," she hummed back, jutting her nose up at him and causing him to smirk back.

"Not for long," he replied.

"Can we just blast them?" Rainbow grumbled, throwing her head back in frustration. As a result, she was the first to notice and therefore the first to cry out. "Head's up!"

"What now?" Twilight groaned as she turned just in time to get smashed in the snout by Victor Fremont.

Twilight let out a squawk as she and most of her friends were swept aside by me as Sunset wielded me like a club. The rainbow-maned one was the only one who managed to evade the attack, but before she or anyone else could follow up, I swept my hands out.

"Darkness!" I hollered in my best fire-and-brimstone preacher voice. My spell didn't flow out, and instead the space around me just suddenly went dark, to the shock of all those caught in its radius. Sunset released her magical grip on me and I flew forward, past Blackbeard toward Honeysuckle as he and the ponies all groped around and voiced their displeasure.

"You!" Sombra roared before launching himself right at me. My haste spell kept me out of his reach until we were clear of the darkness, at which point I whirled around and shot him with another Magic Missile. He came to a screeching halt and hit the deck, causing the spell to shoot into the darkness and pop as it struck something. As Sombra glanced back with a concerned frown, I flew on straight for Honeysuckle, not even pausing when I heard the voice of who I'd shot.

"Okay," Blackbeard hummed in a thoroughly frustrated tone. Ignoring the sinking feeling his tone gave me, I swooped forward and landed right in front of Honeysuckle, causing the snooty-looking guy beside her to wilt. She looked up at me in shock as I nodded my head toward one of the exits.

"C'mon, we gotta dip," I pressed. She stared at me in silence for a moment before shaking her head.

"You came for me?" She asked.

"Yeah," I replied with a nod.

"Why?" She asked again.

"Sugarplum asked me to," I declared causing her to frown, so I gave her a severe look. "And having met your dad and heard about him from Snowpea, I think I can put two-and-two together on where your bad dreams are coming from." Her jaw dropped slightly and she recoiled with a quiet gasp. The snob beside her furrowed his brow as he looked between us, but before anyone could say anything, Sneaky squealed.

"Master Victor, look out!" She cried, causing me to look up and to the side. As a result, I saw the weird canister that was thrown at my head before it nailed me. On reflex, I recoiled and threw my hands up, which saved me from being blinded when it exploded on my shield. "See? I saved you! Help!" I looked up at her with an annoyed huff before glancing down at Honeysuckle who was swaying alongside the snob, who was blinking frantically. Scowling, I looked up in the direction the canister had come from before recoiling at the sight of a unicorn in fucking kill squad armor, gas mask and all.

"Aw, who the fuck is that?" I squealed, jabbing a finger at them before scooping up Honeysuckle. "Come on!" I flew straight up and snagged Sneaky by the ropes she was bound with.

"Sunset! Let's go!" I yelled, shooting toward the forest before being knocked off course when a spear of dark crystal nailed me in the head hard enough to cause my shield to reverberate.

"Stop running!" Sombra roared as he stamped a hoof and then launched into the air off a rapidly growing pillar of crystal.

"Fuck you! Magic Missile!" I yelled causing him to cry out and dive to the side and off his crystal. I smirked and then resumed my flight path just as all those I'd snared with my darkness emerged blinking into the daylight.

All except Sunset, which caused me to frown.

Not quite as hard as when I saw Blackbeard immediately sprint for the villa house itself and grab at its foundation. Just as the whole structure began to groan from his efforts, he was nailed in the side of the head by the death squad unicorn, who leaped in and dropped-kicked them with their rear hooves. Said attack didn't really faze him at all, but it did cause him to pause and look at them in surprise. I sighed in relief before turning my focus on the forest and shooting toward it.

Sneaky cooed and nuzzled against me as we soared. "Master Victor! I just knew-"

"Shove it," I spat, causing her to droop.

"Okay," she murmured.

"Where's Nettle?" I demanded as I dipped low and approached the treeline.

"Oh," she hummed glancing down to look back at the villa. "Uh, he was somewhere back there." As she scanned the field behind us, she inadvertently saw Honey, still dazed and murmuring, in my other arm.

"Wait! Why'd you grab her?!" She cried and thrashed.

"Silence, Slave," I hissed causing her to flinch. "Or I'll levy my curse upon ye." She flinched even harder and scrunched her muzzle but made no further argument. Moments later, we arrived at the meeting spot where Turnip and the other ponies waited alongside a host of spare me's and Sunset's who anxiously looked back the way we'd come.

"You got her? Nice work!" Turnip cheered as I touched down. "Doesn't look like you were followed either."

"Thank goodness," one of the Victors huffed to the relief of the other doubles. I set Sneaky and Honeysuckle down, the former of whom wilted at the sight of the other guard ponies with a horrified squeak.

"Sunset's still back there," I declared, causing the ponies to glance back at the villa. "Get these two to the ship." I turned and threw my hands out to the side.

"Changelings! With me!" I declared.

"Aw, man," the other Victor groaned.

Celestia groaned quietly as her head stopped spinning and the dull ache in her neck subsided. Slowly, she craned her head up before frowning upon finding herself in total darkness. Lighting her horn up, she scanned the dark for a moment before pausing upon seeing she wasn't alone.

"Sunny," she gasped as she locked eyes with Sunset Shimmer, who sat just before her. She considered the darkness for a moment before frowning. "Is this-" She slowly sat up and looked around, noticing a faint shimmering dome around her.

"Is this one of Sombra's tricks?" She huffed before turning back to Sunset, ignoring the faint shape she momentarily spied in the darkness nearby. Her former student looked her up and down before shaking her head.

"No, this is real," she declared, fixing Celestia with a weary scowl. "Vic blocked out the sun in this space for a little bit while he gets Funnysuckle out of here." Celestia frowned at her words before her ear swiveled at the lack of any noise from beyond the darkness. In response, Sunset's horn shimmered and the dome around them flashed for a moment.

"I took the liberty of weaving a deafening spell around us," she explained, donning a bitter smirk. "Like the ones you used to use to keep our private talks from being overheard by all those nasty scheming ponies you were worried about hearing the super special mission you needed me to complete." Celestia briefly grimaced at Sunset's tone before a lengthy silence fell between them. Eventually, Sunset scoffed and shook her head.

"It's funny. I've spent all this time thinking up all the things I'd say to you if I ever saw you again," she grumbled, her head slowly hanging. "All the things I could say to shut you up and pierce right through that facade you wear when you talk to everypony." Her ears shot back as she hissed.

"But now?" She croaked before quietly chortling. "I'm honestly at a loss for words." Celestia clenched her eyes before reaching out to her.

"Sunny-"

"Don't 'Sunny' me," Sunset snapped, adopting a fiery glare. She stared death Celestia's way for a few moments before a dark smile broke across her features. "I'll bet this wedding going to Tartarus on your watch is going to make all the headlines." Celestia furrowed her brow at Sunset's words, causing the latter to smirk harder.

"You couldn't even help your own nephew save his marriage," she purred, jabbing a hoof at Celestia. "That's what I think ponies will say tomorrow." As Celestia pondered her words, Sunset looked her up and down.

"Maybe then they'll finally see you the way I do," she added in a bitter tone. Before Celestia could do more than grunt in response, Sunset tilted her head back with a smirk. "Not a half-bad start to my partnership with Vic."

Celestia gasped and recoiled. "You've allied with him?" Sunset wagged her eyebrows at the princess.

"Yep," she declared, popping her lips as she spoke before leaning in and sneering. "I'll be that stings—one of your so-called prized students joining in with one of your newest enemies." Celestia's ears snapped back as she spent a few moments considering her former student's tone, words, and expression.

"Yes," she finally whispered. "But not for the reason you think." Sunset snorted and looked off to the side, so Celestia again reached for her.

"Sunset, please, listen to me," she begged, shaking her head.

"I've listened to you enough," Sunset snapped, her attention shooting back to the alicorn as she jabbed a hoof at her. "Now, you listen to me." She took a few steps closer and glared into Celestia's eyes.

"I don't know what Vic's long-term scheme is, but it's pretty damned obvious it'll boil your blood," she said before smirking. "The guy makes ticking you off look easy." Her face fell into a harsh glare.

"So, I'm helping him," she declared, her tone becoming dire. "I'm going to help him every step of the way until he tears down everything you've built up." She winced for a moment and blinked a few times before jabbing another hoof at the princess.

"Then we'll see how you like it," she hissed. "Watching everything you worked so hard on get destroyed by somepony who used to be close to you." She stamped her hoof on the tiles beneath her and glared hard. In response, Celestia's expression softened and she shook her head.

"I'm sorry," she whispered. Sunset's ears and lip twitched for a moment before she turned away.

"I don't care," she huffed before disappearing in a flash. Celestia considered the space Sunset had been standing on for a moment before her head hung low. As she sat there, she again noticed the faint shape in the darkness and lit her horn up to examine it, recoiling upon seeing who it was.

"Do I detect a degree of tension betwixt Her Majesty and the three-million-bit mare?" Bally Hoo hummed as he lay with his chin resting on a hoof. Celestia stared hard at him for a few moments before rising to her hooves. She considered the darkness for another moment before her horn lit up with renewed intensity, beating back the shadows in one go.

She scanned the villa grounds for a moment, taking in all that had happened after being stunned. While many of Blackbeard's cronies were still harassing the villa guards or guests, she noticed one lanky diamond dog loping away from the rest before slipping out of an exit. Sombra was nowhere to be seen, nor was the mare with the Alicorn Amulet. Or Sunset.

She winced at that last fact before turning and focusing on the creature who was still present: Blackbeard, currently engaged in a frantic grappling match with who she thought was Sundown, an agent of F.R.O.W.N. Despite his size and strength, the mare was able to scramble over him like an insect, giving Twilight and the other Element-bearers time to line up and redon their elements.

"Twilight Sparkle," she then declared, drawing their attention to her. Before Twilight could say anything, Celestia strode toward Blackbeard. "Pursue Victor Fremont."

The changelings and I were halfway to the villa when a flash of light burst in front of us. Recoiling from the sudden flash, I gasped in relief when I saw the source.

"Hey, Vic," Sunset said with a weary smile.

"Sunset!" I cheered before whiling around and thrusting a pointing finger back at the forest. "Fuck yeah! Vacate!" The changelings all sighed in relief before turning back into their normal forms and buzzing off at high speed.

"Thank the Hive Mother," one grumbled just before I turned back to Sunset.

"What happened? Where'd you go?" I asked, causing her to pause and frown.

"Nothing," she finally huffed, glancing back at the villa before trotting ahead. "Just needed some clear air." I watched her walk for a moment before glancing back at the villa myself and then blinking.

"Wizard. Hello," Nettle said with a wave.

"Hey," I murmured, weakly waving back.

"Where is Sneaky?" He asked.

I stammered for a moment before pointing back at the forest. "She's-"

"Fremont!" A frustratingly familiar voice suddenly shouted.

"Aw, fuck," I grunted, leaning to look past Nettle and see Twilight and company, lined up and elements ready.

"You're not getting away this time!" She shouted, stamping her hoof and lighting up her horn. "It's over!" I scowled hard as their jewelry began to glow and they were surrounded in a white light. Realizing what was happening, I blanched and turned before flying toward the forest.

I made it all of three feet before my spell ended and I hit the ground with a wheeze. Groaning, I rolled over to see Nettle reach down to help me up. Before I took his paw, however, I saw the Power Pony Party rising into the air with a whining rainbow orbiting them.

"Wait, wait, wait, WAIT, WAIT!" I cried, holding up my hands. "NO, NO, NO, NO!"

"Twilight Sparkle!" Someone else declared as they teleported nearby. "You're not getting away this time!" I looked at the new unicorn in shock.

"Trixie?!" Twilight cried in a vibrating voice that seemed to be a mix of her own voice and her friends as all six of them looked at the newcomer in shock. For my part, I rolled over to thrust a hand at the new unicorn.

"Telekinesis!" I screamed. My spell leaped off of my hand toward her in the shape of a comically large and disturbingly realistic version of my own hand. The new unicorn squawked as I firmly gripped her entire body. Then, rolling back with all my might, I hucked her at the floating ponies. "HWAH!"

The unicorn screamed as she arched at high speed toward the Element-bearers and upon colliding with their aura, all seven ponies cried out just before a deafening and screeching explosion split the air. The color of the world seemed to get blasted back for a moment before slowly being replaced by honest-to-God T.V static and then returning to normal.

I lay with both hands above my head for a moment as the ponies all fell to the ground. The Element-bearers all groaned as they rubbed their heads, and the new unicorn slowly wobbled to her feet. Then the ugly necklace she had on disintegrated.

She cried out and scooped up its ashes. "My! Amulet!" As she lay there aghast, Nettle helped me to my feet, causing her to look at me in horror. Blinking, I snapped my fingers and pointed at her.

"Sucks to suck," I declared before turning and sprinting for the woods with Nettle bounding beside me.

"Excue- Hey!" She screamed before giving chase. I glanced back at her as we slipped into the tree line. I couldn't hear her over my own heavy breathing, occasional and brief coughing fits, and footfalls, but she was practically leaping after us to shake her hooves at me.

Then Sunset popped up and blasted her in the side of the head, which caused the blue unicorn to tense up and then go limp. For reasons unknown to me, Sunset then scooped up the unconscious unicorn and took off after us.

My best guess was she was starting a collection of mentally unstable and distressed unicorns, but whatever the case, she caught up to us and then grabbed Nettle and me with her magic before teleporting us away.

Goldflame panted hard in a thick, wheezing manner as he trotted with his head hanging away from the horde of shambling corpses still after him. He glared hard back at them, especially those whose heads he'd removed or which otherwise should have been disabled. Most disturbing of all were the sheer sacks of skin he'd peeled off that seemed to take on new life all their own before rolling up and bouncing after him.

Whatever sorcery Fremont wielded was very unlike any the injured and exhausted old unicorn was familiar with. However, as he considered his pursuers, suddenly a mighty and towering wall of black crystal burst up, cutting them off. He grimaced at the sight before looking up to see Sombra, sitting atop the wall.

"The foul-mouthed magician is being pursued by the Elements of Harmony," the dark unicorn declared with a humph. "Thus, the timing for my revenge has been skewed somewhat."

"You spoiled everything," Goldflame rasped, drawing a scoff from Sombra.

"You say that like your scheme was anything worthwhile," he declared before slithering down as smoke and reforming beside Goldflame with a humph. "Not that I ever had a chance to hear it! What with you and your companions insisting on keeping me waiting!" Goldflame rolled his eye with a hissing sigh.

"I had intended to use your mind-controlling magic to ensnare the future ruler of Equestria," he explained, shaking his head. "We would use my daughter to lure him in, and then-" His face twitched and stung.

"Ah," he hissed before growling. "Fremont." Sombra considered him for a moment before nodding.

"Well, let's be optimistic," he offered, jabbing him in the shoulder. "Your stupid plan is ruined, so now we can do something more worthwhile!" Goldflame considered Sombra as he thrust a hoof in the air with a confident smirk.
"I never was one for ruling from the shadows. I prefer ponies to know exactly who is subjugating them," he declared, causing Goldflame to nod.

"Bien sûr, bien sûr," he murmured, tilting his head. "Well, may I take your tone and word choice to mean you are still willing to render us aid?"

"If for no other reason than to show you how a scheme for conquest is really done, certainly," Sombra declared with a firm nod. Goldflame gave him as good a smile as he could manage with his mangled face.

"Très bien," he whispered before turning and trotting away.

"Where are you going?" Sombra demanded.

"Stalliongrad before Celestia's henchponies beat me there," he replied, causing the dark unicorn to choke.

"Do you expect-"

"To trot the whole way?" Goldflame hummed before nodding. "Oui." Sombra recoiled before smirking and trotting up beside his companion. As they walked, Sombra considered Goldflame's charred features.

"You should probably get that mended," he said, drawing Goldflame's attention. Sombra grimaced before tearing a length of cloth from his cape and draping it over Goldflame's face. "Or at least hide it from my sight." Goldflame huffed before using his magic to fix the cloth across the right side of his face and his mouth.

"I've had worse," he grunted.

"Somehow, I doubt that," Sombra hummed.

Author's Note

Also, since some folks have noticed, have this concept of an exchange.

V.F "So you said Trixie has a cursed amulet on right?"

DM. "Ye, and she's-"

V.F "Like, cursed as in the elements would probably break it or something?"

DM. *checks notes* "Ah, yeah, probably."

V.F "Can I telekinetically throw her into the elements field?"

DM. *Furrows brow as they read notes* "..Huh."