Rachel and Elizabeth both crept quietly as they moved through the halls. Rachel being even more cautious. Double checking each path before making a choice. The talk between her and Elizabeth did settle some things, controversial at best, but Rachel really couldn't take it out on her.

The Dwellers were one thing - they were just defending their home territory. And if this Queen Rúna is who Rachel believes it is, it only raised many questions. Were the Dwellers actually the Mordi? What was the story behind all of this? How did the Mordi become what they are? How is Rúna still alive after countless centuries?

And if the Mother Cells - what the scientists back at Equestria shamelessly dubbed her and others - who happened to be girls who got tested - how come Rachel and others didn't become what the Mordi was now? How did she and others escape the change?

If there wasn't a time crunch and so much to do, Rachel would absolutely dive into that rabbit hole of a mystery. Though something told her she was going to know when having to face off against the Leader for the Staff.

Spending what time she did with the Dragons during the Migration, they were about old traditions, even the younger, newer dragons knew of them. Heck, even Spike, though he was raised about ponies for most of his life, knew of these traditions and held them high. If these guys carry the same traditions in their current state.

Maybe Rachel would get lucky and by some chance some lucky soldier takes the leader out and she can swoop in and grab the staff from her lifeless corpse.

Yeah, that's not going to happen.

The Queen would heavily guard that staff with her life, and there was only one way that staff would be in Rachel's hands. She won't tell Elizabeth or the others when they find them, they would just try and talk her down and she didn't want to hear it. And they can't face off the Queen.

It has to be Rachel.

Then there's the actual problem Rachel has now got to deal with: not getting killed by good ol' Dad. She remembers the last time the two faced off, right in front of his new wife and her half brother. Both got good shots in before her little brother came in and bashed his head with a metal bat. She may not know his name and didn't want him to know hers, but that four year old kid became a badass in her eyes. She told Spike that…

What she didn't tell him was that as she was on her way back to the Portal, she got a phone call in her hotel room from her father, he told her if he ever catches her, she was going to be dead.

For many years after that, she had looked over her shoulder, hoping to not see him. To not see him coming into her new life and destroy everything she worked hard to build back up. And now her fears were coming true and he was here. He knows she's there as well.

And he won't stop at nothing until she's dead. That soldier with him better watch his back because Rachel knows if he intervenes, he won't go back to his family.

Sure, Rachel was much stronger than the last time, she has powers, she could totally demolish him with a swipe of her claws and burn him alive. However, he will use every trick he has to make sure she won't fight back. He won't care that she's carrying his grandchild.

"You're awfully quiet, you okay?" Elizabeth asked her.

"Not really, but what else is new?" Rachel muttered as she looked around. "Just making sure no one is around to tear our faces off or shoot at us."

"Shoot at us? I know the soldiers from before aimed their weapons at us, but I don't think they would've shot at us."

Rachel turned and gave Elizabeth a glare. "Believe it or not, we do have a foe that is actually worse than the Dwellers. One soldier I loathe and despised is the reason why I moved to Equestria in the first place. The man who will kill me in an instance."

"Who?"

"My pathetic, angry bastard of a sperm donor." Rachel grunted before looking forward as they walked.

"Your father? You did mention he was rather abusive but is he that~" Elizabeth was cut off by a menacing look on her face. "I'm just going to shut up now."

"Please and thank you… and if you ask me to try and reconcile with him like an ex of mine tried to, I'm going to slap you." Rachel threatened.

"You were with someone before Spike?" Elizabeth asked then.

"Two guys before him. First ex, we separated after he went back to Earth and the second ex…. Well lets just say if I see him walk down a street, I will just run up on him and beat that pony's fucking ass with how he left and treated me."

Elizabeth stared at her. "You were with a pony?"

Rachel let out a loud, annoyed sound. "Yes. If you must know, the only ones I've ever bedded with are two sexlings (at once), one pony and one dragon. I never slept with my first ex, I never bedded with a human. Yes I know how that sounds, it just happens, I never expected to get my freak on with another species, satisfied?"

Elizabeth nodded her head.

Rachel snorted, shaking her head at her. "Sorry I snapped but I'm really not in the mood for answering questions. I don't want to take it out in you, I rather take it out on my demons that are here to kill me. He already took shots at me."

Like she told Spike before, everyone has their demons, some more physical than others. While Spike was gone and dealing with his demons, Rachel was going to face hers.

Elizabeth stared at her, wanting to ask more but didn't want her head bitten off.

The two came to a dead end when the Temple shook once more, the two girls stood where they were as the walls shifted wall in front of them moved, revealing another path, and when they turned around, where they came from was blocked. Blocked with a green X that Rainbow Dash spray painted a while ago.

"Well those were pretty much useless," both Rachel and Elizabeth said in unison. They looked at each other and chuckled softly.

The two proceeded down the new pathway, when it split into two halls, one side was completely blocked off by fallen debris, forcing them to go down the other way.

"Should we call out to them?" Elizabeth asked. "How else are we going to find our friends?"

"We'll also alert more than our friends if we do call out. No doubt we'll run into them either way." Rachel responded.

They soon came to a cavern, large painted rocks and debris were everywhere, exposing a dark hole. When they shined their lights on it, there were blast marks. Up against the blasted hole was crates dubbed C-4.

"Is this what those other soldiers talked about? The archeologists breaking into this room?" Elizabeth asked, trying to peer inside the darkness. It was so dark even her light couldn't break through.

"Could be," Rachel muttered as she scanned the debris.

She noticed a few had writing on it. She set the torch down and began collecting rocks that had the same writing on it. Rachel knew she wouldn't find all the pieces but working with what she has, she could figure out the rest.

Elizabeth turned and watched her. "Darling, it's no time to work on puzzles."

"Gimme a second." Rachel responded as she put what she could together.

She looks up at what writing was on the wall and then looks at what she has on the ground. "For those who find this tomb, do not disturb. We failed our Gods and are now doomed to live with our punishment. If released, run. If you can, however those brave and strong enough, relieve us from our suffering… Nenog, my love, I'm so sorry, I have failed you." Rachel translated. However she didn't speak in English, not her knowledge anyway.

"Uh, what did you just say?" Elizabeth asked, watching Rachel confused.

Rachel rubbed her head with a wince, looking at the writing below as she fell into a trance once more.

Screams of doom and panic erupted in the one beloved Temple of Draconia. Normally, the dragons and the loyal Mordi could handle human retaliation, but when their forces outnumbered them, led by those who craved power upon anything else, the dragons were losing. Their bodies mutilated and used for other means for human greed.

They did not expect them to rival that of the dragons.

It started with the egglings, but it grew to where the dragons were dwindling down to more than a handful left. Their kind were becoming extinct within the span of a hundred years.

Rúna tried to stop this from happening since she rose to power, doing what she can to make peace but it wasn't enough.

The Dragonlord and his Queen then devised a plan to send the dragons to another plane. Another world where they would thrive. However, as much as Rùna loved her Dragonlord, she knew she couldn't follow. She and their child would have to stay, against Nenog's wishes.

When it was time, the remaining dragons and the last of the loyal Mordi gathered in the throne room. The royal couple nodded at each other before both hoisting their staffs up.

The two chanted, lights of the Blue Celestial and the Bloodstone glowed. The whole world trembled as magic shot between the two. Beams crossed and the fabric of this reality began to tear, rippling into form was the Portal into an unknown world.

Nenog ordered the remaining dragons to go first. As he watched his subjects escape, they heard rushing sounds of the insurrectionists storming down the halls for them.

The loyal Mordi stood facing the entrance. Armed and ready.

Nernog took Rùna by the hands and proceeded to take her and their daughter. However, his Queen didn't move.

He asks her what the hesitation was. She wordlessly looked up at him, tears running down her face, and kissed him one final time.

"Goodbye, my love." She whispered before turning the staff at him and blasted him with its magic. The blast wasn't going to kill him, but the force of it was enough to push the dragon into the Portal.

She then turned the staff at the Portal itself as there the enemy began to make their appearance. The Mordi charged and began fighting them off.

She turned to the woman who had her daughter. The staff glowed and she raised a hand towards her. Telling the woman to take the child and leave the Temple.

Rúna watched her child leave, watching her screaming and crying, wanting her mother but she can't be with her anymore. The Queen began to use her magic and shot at the Portal. The world shook once more. Using the combined strength of the Staff's magic and her energy.

The Portal rippled and cracked before closing in on itself, sending a shockwave that knocked everyone down.

The vision then flashed to a different scene. The remaining Mordi who remained in the Temple along with the Queen were feeling pain. Their bodies contorted and twisted as the staff glowed on its own. Anger radiated from the staff, turning them all into monsters.

"Rachel? Rachel, darling, snapped out of it!" Elizabeth shook Rachel by her shoulders, seeing her fluttering her eyes as if she was waking up.

"What…?" Rachel asked, dazed, reaching a hand up and rubbed her head.

"You were just staring at this rubble. Are you alright?" Elizabeth asked, shining the headlight in her eyes, seeing her slit pupils reacted to them.

While touching her head with one hand, she placed her other hand on her chest. The pain she felt from the vision lingered. Rachel glanced back down at the scription on the ground. "I don't really have an answer to that…I think I just had another vision." She was unsure of herself.

She bent down and picked up the torch. Moving into the blown entrance. When she came in, she could feel the pain and the agony that went into this place. Though the light of the torch couldn't cut through the darkness, there was this energy in this room even Elizabeth could feel.

"Be careful, we don't know what's in here." Elizabeth said as she followed.

The girls walked around the darkness until their feet kicked something metal.

"Ouch, my shin!" Elizabeth hissed. "I'm fine."

Rachel felt what Elizabeth kicked and realized it was some sort of brazier. She took the torch and lit it.

Once she did that and set the brazier up, the other braziers in the room all lit in the same blue flame, expelling the darkness and showing what was inside.

And it was a sight. The girls let out a gasp as the room was filled with these large white crystals. Lining on the walls, the floors, stretching as high as the ceiling goes.

As they wordlessly looked around, something caught Elizabeth's attention. She tapped her shoulder before pointing to the left of them.

They slowly came up to it. At first, Rachel didn't see anything, but upon further inspection, a face emerges from inside.

It was one of the Dwellers. By the looks of it, it was asleep. Arms across their chest and was still breathing.

"What in the world? How did it get trapped in there?" Elizabeth asked before reaching out and touching the crystal.

As soon as her hand touched it, the Dweller's eyes shot open. It let out a shriek, muffled from being inside.

The girls shuffled back, quickly drawing out their climbing axes as the Dweller slammed its arms against the crystal. It took several times before it shattered like glass and lunged at them.

The girls swung at the same time as it attacked them. Embedded the ends into its exposed flesh, with Rachel's attack setting it on fire.

They brought the creature to the ground and swung at it several times, making sure it didn't come at them once more.

Once satisfied that it was asleep permanently, Rachel turned to Elizabeth. "Touch nothing, got it?"

Elizabeth huffed at her. "You're a fine one to talk to, hypocrite." She called her out.

Rachel glared at her. "Oh shut up, I know I am." Which she knows she has to work on being not.

They pulled their axes out of the body but kept it out, locked and loaded to swing for the next attack.

"How did it get trapped in there?" Elizabeth then asked.

Rachel looked around and noticed a lot of the crystals have holes in them, like the one that just burst out. She continued to look until she stared at the center of the room. There was a makeshift throne encased with the same crystal. A hole like the ones they've seen.

"Something bad happened after the Dragons left for Equestria." Rachel said. Looking around at this tomb. "There was a warning out there, written by the Queen herself, telling others to not disturb. If so, run."

"Did Queen Rùna turn them all into monsters?" Elizabeth asked.

"No, not her, " Rachel responded. "The staff did." She said as she still felt that lingering pain.

It reminded her of the pain she went through back at Equestria during her transformation but a thousand times worse.

"The Bloodstaff the Dragonlord is somewhat sentient. Only to the ruler, it would make sense that the Blue Celestial is also sentient." Rachel explains. "And like any sentient being, it has feelings. And some feelings are stronger than others… like anger."

"Angry for what? What caused this thing to change a bunch of people?"

"Being left behind. Being forced to stay while its counterpart goes. They were never meant to be separated. Angry of those who failed the dragons…" Rachel speculated as looked at her hands. "They were cursed. The Queen brought everyone she could who were affected and sealed them here. Encasing herself and others in these crystals. Never meant to leave."

"Until the archeologists came and blew it open and the chaos began." Elizabeth muttered. They looked up, though there were a lot of spots where the Dwellers escaped, there were still those still inside. "Let's get out of here before they wake up."

"Amen to that, sister." Rachel agreed and the two hurried out of the tomb.

"Okay, whoever is controlling these walls, I'm going to kick their asses." Rainbow Dash snarled as the walls shifted around them.

"I-I think we actually lost the Dwellers so the wall shifting saved our hides," Applejack pants, leaning against a wall to catch her breath.

"Just how many are there in this stupid Temple?" Lucy whined as she rubbed her wrist. Having accidentally sprained it from throwing way too many sprinkle bombs.

"Too many to fight at once, that's for sure." Spike grunted, shaking his head and body. "It's hard to get the girls' scent with the walls changing and us getting chased every five minutes."

Cassandra reached down and rubbed his head and scratched his neck. "You're doing great either way bud, we'll find those two."

Spike, though enjoyed the pets, gave her a deadpan look. "Cassandra, we talked about you chastising me." He called her by her real name.

"Sorry."

Sunset wiped the Dweller's blood off of her axe before holstering it. "There's gotta be a better way of finding Rachel and Elizabeth, us running around clearly isn't working." She said before looking over at Serenity. They did patch her up with what they could, but everyone could tell she's mentally not doing so well. "Fluttershy, I know this has been rough, but you have to pull it together."

"What we're doing is wrong. This is all wrong." Serenity responded. "I know both worlds are in trouble but we're committing~"

She was cut off by Rainbow Dash rushing up to her, grabbing her by the collar of her shirt and pushing her up against the wall. Causing her to yelp and the other girls and Spike getting alarmed.

"Flutters, I know you're scared, but you have got to shut the fuck up about how wrong we're doing being in this place! We have no fucking choice if we want to save our world and Equestria." RD snapped at her. "Sunset said is right, pull your ass together, actually help us fight these fuckers and don't say another goddamn word on how horrible we are, or how much you wanna leave because if we don't do this mission, WE WON'T HAVE A HOME! Get it through your skull or so help me God, I will knock your meek, sensitive, whiney ass out cold and then one of us - mainly my hot ass girlfriend over there - will be in charge of carrying you. And with the Dwellers hunting us down, your unconscious ass will only slow us down and perhaps one of us would get seriously hurt because they are constantly protecting you. Maybe even die, and guess what, that will be on you! Got it?!"

"Whoa whoa okay, back off Dash." Sunset Shimmer went up to her.

"I will, after she says it. Fluttershy, do you understand what the hell I'm saying?" Rainbow grunted, gripping her shirt tightly.

Serenity whimpered and nodded her head fast. "I understand… " her voice quivered and not loud enough for Dash to hear.

"I can't hear you, speak up."

"I understand, Dash." Serenity spoke up where it was heard."

Rainbow Dash snorted before letting her go. "Good." She said as she turned and went back to Applejack.

Applejack sighed before kissing her cheek. "I think she got it."

"Let's hope so." Dash muttered.

"Now what's all this?"

The gang jumped when they heard a new voice.

Coming out of another path were two soldiers. Only one of them had a helmet on while the other didn't.

Damian…