All characters from Disney and other properties are owned by their respectful owners. The OCs made here are written entirely for the story. Enjoy this fic.

Chapter 124: Expect the Unexpected

The next day, Luz woke up to the sound of her phone alarm. She groaned and sat up with a yawn. She grabbed her scroll and saw that she had a ton of unread messages, which made her let out another groan.

"This is just like last time, isn't it?" Maya spoke up.

Luz sighed. "Let's just get dressed," Luz responded as she got out of bed. She grabbed Kay's flake shakes as she went to shake it over Kay's tank. "Here's your breakfast, Kay."

Kay smiled as she swim, up, eating the kelp flakes in the water.

"Try not to overfeed her," Maya advised as they stopped.

"I know, Amity's orders," Luz replied as she then got dressed.

After dressing up in her usual attire, Luz walked downstairs to where the rest of the family were. "Morning guys."

"Good morning to you too, Luz," Eda responded. "And Maya," she quickly added when she heard Maya clear their throat. She handed them their breakfast. "Here, for your energy."

"Thanks," Luz and Maya said at the same time while sitting down to eat their breakfast.

"So, Luz, what are you going to do about Emily?" King asked while sharing his food with Maurice. "Cause me and Maurice have come up with a strategy."

"And I help!" Hooty declared.

"Thanks for the sentiment, guys, but right now I don't want to focus my energy on Emily," Luz admitted.

"What? Come on! That crazy bitch will show up and try to do something funny to us again!" Maya claimed. "Especially now she's back at the Emperor's Coven!"

"Emily is still the least of my worries," Luz explained. "Especially when I got bigger fish to fry right now," she said while pulling up the dream snare Lao Shi gave to her. "I couldn't do anything with this yesterday because of everything with Nina, Sonya, and the Alchemist, but now I want to focus on dealing with the Inner Demon once and for all. Thinking later we should meet up with Snope."

"But what if Emily shows up?!" Hooty asked while shifting his eyes around "We can't risk letting our guard down."

"If she comes after me, I'll deal with her then," Luz said while pushing Hooty away from her face. "But in the meantime, I do want to bring all of my friends up to speed on everything first," she said while pulling up her scroll, texting to all her friends that she wants to hold a meeting.

King looked over to Eda. "What do you think we should do, mom?"

Eda sighed. "I don't know, but so far Emily hasn't marched up to our doorstep. At the very least, it seems she hasn't told the Emperor's Coven about how she returned, but fortunately she has no knowledge about what we know about Belos or that we have a portal key. So we're probably safe… for now."

"But what about Hunter? I mean, he was standing beside Emily when they unmasked themselves," King pointed out.

"We'll talk to him about it later when we have the chance," Eda said as she ate. "But today after breakfast, I'm going to check up on the orphanage. I think one of the kids is scheduled to meet up with potential parents today…"

"Am I the only one who's panicking about this?!" King exclaimed, looking around at Luz and Eda.

"Relax, King," Luz told her brother. "We'll be ready if Emily decides to show up. You still have the mighty screech of rage for defense."

"Oh yeah, I do…" King said in realization. He hummed thoughtfully. "I can also use the glyph cards on her as well. Maybe I could also set up some defenses…"

At the Brooke residence, the family was having breakfast at the dining table.

"How are you feeling, Nina?" Skara asked her, seeing Nina looking down and barely touching her food. "Is the filet not cooked to your liking?"

"The filet is fine, Skara," Nina responded. "I'm just… dealing with shit right now." She looked up at Slasher. "How's that arm, Slash?"

"Well, it's still healing," Slasher responded, his arm still in a cast. "By the way, after breakfast I was planning on checking in on Calypso today at the Healing Coven, I want to see how she's progressed."

"Can I come with you?" Scabrina asked him. "I want to see mommy."

Slasher looked at her and gave her a smile. "Of course, Scabrina. You can come as well." He looked at his other girls. "What about you girls? Would you like to come as well?"

"Maybe later, I got a message from Luz and she says she wants everyone to meet up," Skara admitted.

"And I'm planning to go to the temple today," Nina admitted. "Hang out with Lambi during the service. But I will try to swing by the Healing Coven later."

"Well, that's great for you girls," Slasher responded before they heard the doorbell ring. "I got it," he said while standing up and heading to the door. Once he was there, he opened the door and was surprised to see who was on his doorstep. "Well, this is a surprise."

"Good morning, Slasher," Napoli greeted respectfully. By his side was Tito. "Me and my aid, Tito, came by to offer you our condolences for what happened to Head Witch Calypso."

"It's nice to meet you, Head Witch Brooke's husband," Tito greeted. "Is Nina here?"

"She's inside," Slasher responded as she let them in. "Nina, there's someone here to see you."

"I know who it is, Slash," Nina said as she walked over and saw Tito. "I know his smell."

"Hey, kitten," Tito said as he and Nina embraced each other in a hug. "How are you holding up?"

Nina looked down. "Exhausted."

"Wanna chat about it?" Tito asked her.

"Yeah, I'd like to," she replied while the two went to another room.

"We should talk in our study, Napoli," Slasher suggested, Napoli giving a nod as the two walked upstairs. "Skara, why don't you help prepare Scabrina before we leave?"

"Okay, dad," Skara said with a nod while holding her little sister's hand. "Come on, Scabrina, let's get your things ready for your visit with mom."

"I want to show her a drawing I made while I was with Sunny yesterday," Scabrina replied as the two went to prepare for their plans.

In Slasher's study, he and Napoli talked in private.

"So… how bad is it?" Slasher asked him.

"Well, with the controversies surrounding you and your family right now, I've been getting calls from those under your record deal," Napoli admitted. "Some of the musicians want to drop their contracts…"

"I figured as such," Slasher said with a sigh while looking at all the silver records on his wall. "It was good while it lasted. But I do worry about how this will affect my kids."

"I understand," Napoli responded with a sigh. "It is a difficult situation. But Slasher, you've done a lot of good for the Bards in the Bard Coven. You've helped take many nobodies and turn them into somebodies. Heck, me and my former band had a record deal with you. Sure, we were one hit wonders, but we have you to thank," he said while looking down. "But you don't have to worry, because as Head Witch, I will use my authority to help protect you. I don't care if you are a werewolf, since you are still in my coven."

Slasher looked at Napoli and gave a grateful smile. "Thank you, Head Witch Napoli. I do appreciate your help."

In another room, the painting room, Nina and Tito had their talk. Nina told him about what she went through yesterday. To say the least, he was shocked.

"You went to another realm?" Tito asked.

"Yeah," Nina nodded. "Well, it wasn't my choice this time. But at least we managed to get ourselves out of there."

"Damn, Nina," Tito said while looking sympathetic for her. "And… I'm so sorry for what happened to Casey. Honestly, I wish I could have met him."

"Thanks, Tito," Nina responded while looking down sadly. "I'm still processing that he's just… gone. That and everything with Calypso and Emily…"

"Yeah, all of this is just… crazy," Tito admitted. "And about Emily's return… were you as shocked as I was?"

The werecat sighed. "Actually, I knew that she was back in the Isles before yesterday."

"What?" Tito asked in surprise. "When did you know?"

"Luz told me about it," Nina admitted. "She along with her rescue team managed to save her from the Underworld. I was angry, but after talking with Ms. Traveler about it, I chose not to focus on Emily." She then stared up at an unfinished painting. "But after the Emperor's announcement, I learned from Luz that the reason we found out where my mom and siblings were was because of Emily tipping her off about where Sonya might be."

"Really?" Tito asked. "How… how do you feel about that?"

Nina looked down, showing a frustrated look as she sat on a stool. "Honestly, even if she was the reason that I found my siblings and mother, it really doesn't change anything. Especially since Emily went right back to the Emperor's Coven. And I can't do a thing about it."

Tito sighed, leaning on the table next to Nina. "Yeah, I know the feeling, kitten."

Nina nodded before turning to Tito. "So… have you spoken to any of our other former classmates since you got out? Like Cain?"

"Oh, um… not really," Tito admitted. "I figured he wouldn't want to see me. What about you?"

"Nope," Nina admitted. "And I'm not really in a hurry to see him after what happened with Stella. It is probably for the best."

"Yeah…" Tito said with another sigh.

Nina was quiet for a moment, thinking back at the Chimeras from before. "So what about the former Top students from Glandus? Weaselton, Ruth, Goregon…"

"I haven't heard anything from them," Tito admitted. "Weaselton and Ruth were still in their cells after I got out."

"Oh, cause before I did meet up with some of our former classmates who… got experimented on by Emily's sister," Nina admitted. "Including Bria."

Tito's eyes widened. "Bria? Oh Titan, I heard from the news that she's been found. But she was experimented on?"

"Yeah, turns out Sonya wanted to make more of me with her little 'Chimera-X' project. Asi and Bangles were her other test subjects," Nina said while looking down in guilt. "I should've realized sooner that she was bad news… and then Casey, and those kids…"

"It's not your fault, Nina," Tito reassured her. He patted her on the back. "What happened to Casey was not your fault…"

"I… I know," Nina admitted with a sigh.

"So, what now?" Tito asked her as Nina stood up.

"Right now, I want to go see my girlfriend at the local temple," Nina said as she made her way to the door. "There's some breakfast left on the table so help yourself out."

"Oh that's… wait, girlfriend?!" Tito exclaimed. "You have a girlfriend now?!"

"Yeah, we've been on a few dates," Nina told him. "Maybe I can introduce you to her if you want."

Tito looked surprised, but he gave her a smile. "I'm happy for you, kitten," he said. "You finally managed to ask Donna out."

Nina looked awkward from this. "Oh, um… actually, it's not Donna who I'm dating."

"…Come again?" Tito asked in surprise.

"Um… well, it goes like this…"

Nina proceeded to explain to Tito about all the drama around Lambi and Donna. She told him how her confession with Donna turned out, about how Donna rejected her thanks to Emily telling her all about Nina's misdeeds and how Donna then tried to win her back again. She also explained to him how she met Lambi and the dates they went on.

"No… I can't believe Emily ruined my ship!" Tito was on his knees, banging the floor. "It's not fair!" he shouted as he cried anime tears.

"Yeah, it was pretty rotten," Nina replied with a sigh. "Though Donna isn't off the hook either. But at least I'm with Lambi now."

Tito sniffed, wiping his tears. "This Lambi must be a special witch."

"Yeah, she is," Nina replied with a smile. "If you want, you can come with me to the temple to meet her."

"I… I guess if it's okay with Napoli," Tito responded. "I would have to ask him first before I go to meet your little Lambi."

Nina just sighed again. "Don't make me regret this, Tito."

At the Pore-Ta-Geist, Amity was sitting down to have breakfast with Emira, Edric, and Geist. Ghost meanwhile was sneaking up to try to get Acorn, who was eating a piece of bread. Ghost jumped toward her as Acorn flew up, causing Ghost to almost crash into the wall if not for Sam catching her.

"Nice try, ya big pussy," Acorn told her while flying away, Ghost giving chase.

"Amity, your cat is chasing Acorn again," Emira said while eating.

"Sorry, but Sam's making sure that they don't do much damage around here." Amity replied while receiving a text from Luz. "Looks like Luz is calling a meeting."

"Just in time for the breakfast rush," Geist commented while eating his toast.

"You think it'll be about Emily?" Edric asked with a concerned look, thinking about what happened last night.

"Maybe, but Luz probably just wants all of our friends to be up to speed on what recently happened," Amity told her brother.

"Well, maybe after that we can talk about if there's anything we can do about dad… and mom," Edric said, causing Amity to pause. "Even though we freed dad from his parents, he's still working for the Emperor's Coven and chances are they could try to control him again."

"Yeah, and… there is what we learned about mom," Emira said while looking down with an unsure look.

"I…" Amity closed her eyes and gave a sigh. "I think we should focus on the meeting first. Then we'll figure out what to do about mom and dad later."

"Yeah, focusing on one thing at a time sounds like a good idea," Geist agreed as he got up. "So let's set up the tables for your friends."

Amity gave a nod as she and her siblings got up as well to help set up the tables.

Meanwhile, at the CATT headquarters, the rebels were having a meeting where Lilith shared the information that she acquired from Ulrich.

"A draining spell," Raine said while looking at the page. "Belos would use the eclipse to have everyone's magic drained through their coven sigils. All he needs is all nine Coven Heads in the same place for it to work."

"This… this is what we've been helping Belos to do all this time?!" Steve asked, looking shaken. "If he drains everyone's magic…"

"We'll die," Odalia said, narrowing her eyes.

"Despite my opinions about magic in my world, even I know that this is a death sentence for beings that need magic to live," Star said, looking just as shocked as everyone else.

"Doesn't… add up," Darius said while Eberwolf growled in agreement.

"They're right," Raine said. "Belos has said that the purpose of the Day of Unity is to protect the Isles from its enemies, but why does he need a draining spell for the plan?"

Bunker nodded. "Like, how does it help the Isles if our magic gets drained? What is Belos's logic?"

"Could we even trust this information at all?" the Bat Queen pointed out.

"She's right," Bindell agreed. "We should be wary about what Ulrich has given us."

"While we shouldn't bring Ulrich in just yet," Lilith said. "We shouldn't dismiss him or this entirely. Especially if Belos needs the Coven Heads for his plan, so having him and Alador on our side would help. But there is something else that could relate to Belos's plans."

"What's that?" Odalia asked.

"Artificial Titan's Blood," Lilith explained.. "An old project done by former Head Witch Staggertarius. Luz told me that Stags along with… an old friend worked together on a secret, classified project to artificially replicate the blood of the Titan."

"Is such a thing possible?" Bunker asked.

"If anyone could do it, it would be Stags Atos and Ford Pines," Lilith said while looking down. "And we do know that Belos apparently needs Titan's Blood for his plan, since he wanted the portal key and he sent his forces to the Knee to look for some. The artificial Titan's Blood is being stored in the Potions Coven, but if Belos was to get desperate enough to reuse the blood again, it could have catastrophic results, since it heavily injured Stag's body and is why Staggertarius retired with Vitimir succeeding him."

"That is worrisome," Raine admitted. "And we can't let that happen."

Everyone nodded in agreement, but then Eberwolf started yelping out. "Raff! Raff!"

"What's gotten into them?" Steve asked.

"Eber's asking about the… Blazer situation," Darius said. "They want to know what will be done with him…"

Blazer groaned as he woke up. The Dalmatian Hellhound opened his eyes and got up while wearing a t-shirt.

"Good morning," said a voice.

"Huh?" he asked, spooked before turning around to see Hikari in the room. "Oh, it's just you."

"Yep, I didn't get to introduce myself yesterday but I'm Hikari," she said while holding up a plate of breakfast. "Here, I thought you could use some food."

Blazer looked at the food and sniffed it before looking back up at him. "It's not laced, is it?"

"I can assure you, it's not," she said as she took a small bite of the food to reassure him before she handed it to him.

Blazer looked at his meal, still a bit cautious, but his hunger got the better of him and he started to eat it. "Mmm, this is good," he admitted. while eating the meat and griffin eggs.

"Is it true that you're from another realm?" Hikari asked him.

"Hell? Yeah," he replied after scarfing down the food.

"I figured since your aura wasn't like someone from the Boiling Isles," Hikari admitted. "You're similar to Star. Though… I can tell you've suffered a great pain."

He looked down. "Pain… you pretty much defined my entire life."

"Do you wish to talk about it?" she asked him. "It's okay that you don't want to."

"It's… fine," he replied after a moment. Blazer didn't know why, but he felt safe around this girl, like it was okay for him to share with her. "I literally live in Hell, for one thing. I'm a Hellhound and we Hellhounds are considered the bottom of the social order. A lot of us spend our childhoods in orphanages and pounds until we get adopted. Unfortunately, I ended up adopted by Cruella…"

"Cruella?" Hikari asked him.

"My foster mother… and a monster," he said, shivering slightly. "She took me off the streets and I thought I was getting a good deal, but she only wanted me so I could lure other Hellhounds to her because she was barred from adopting more due to her reputation as a serial killer who murders Hellhounds and makes fur coats out of them." Hikari looked shocked as he continued, a guilty expression on his face. "I'm not proud of what I did for her, but I didn't feel like I had a choice. I was afraid of what she might do to me…"

"She sounds like a cruel woman, Blazer," Hikari said. "She must've had power over you."

"She was a Sinner and she had powerful friends," he admitted. "The only way I thought I would be free from her was if I was in another realm, one where she couldn't get me. When I met Mel through her cambion friend, Trini, she offered to take me away from Hell and let me live with her in the Underworld. I was desperate, so I took that chance and joined her gang… up until she abandoned me here in the Isles." He had a hurt expression. "Then those two pirates, Eustace and Serpentina who were also part of Mel's gang, sold me out to this crazy Dr. Mera bitch and for a week I was her prisoner and a chew toy for Lupe."

"Lupe?" Hikari asked.

"A really, really big, bad werewolf. Guy even pummeled werekittens," Blazer said as Hikari looked shocked by this statement. "I don't think I would have survived much longer…"

"I'm so sorry that you've been through all of that," Hikari told him, patting his back.

"Thanks," he replied to her. "I appreciate your sentiment."

"You have been hurt so much," Hukari said sympathetically. "But do not worry, you are safe now."

"Am I, though?" Blazer asked with an unsure look. "I've been abused, I've been abandoned, and I have been betrayed by those I thought were friends. To be honest, I find it hard to believe that I'm actually safe and won't be hurt again." He gave a worried look. "I am worried what the others will decide to do with me."

"Don't worry, Blazer, I'm sure they'll find someone to take care of you," Hikari reassured him.

"So it's an agreement, Blazer can't stay here in the base," Raine said during the meeting. "However, he does need a place to stay. If anyone has any suggestions to give him a home…"

"I will take him in," Lilith said, raising her hand. "I can set him up to live with my parents. They were happy to have Hunter with them for a time, and they could use the young company."

"Alright, then that settles it," Raine said with a nod. "Anything else?"

"I have a question," Steve said, raising his hand up. "Are our guests from last night considered members now? The Parks, Gus, Viney…"

"No," Raine said, shaking their head. "Gus and Viney are just kids and we don't need to involve any kids-" They turned their head to Star. "Well, we don't need to involve anymore kids in this. And the Parks have to worry about both Gus and Willow. So no, we will not make them members. Any more questions?"

Over at the Emperor's Castle, Emily was in her room, sitting at her desk working on something on a board. When she heard knocking from the door, she acted quickly and hid the board under the bed.

"Coming," Emily said as she rushed over and opened the door, revealing a scout pushing a food cart.

"I have your breakfast, Silver Sentry," the scout said, showing Emily the delicious looking food. "All for your first day back. Courtesy of Head Witch Graye himself!"

"Thank you," Emily replied. "Though, I'm not hungry right now. I wish to see Head Witch Graye."

"Of course. So, do you want to save your breakfast for later? It is the most important meal of the day," the scout said. "Well, that's just a theory…"

Emily, now dressed as the Silver Sentry minus the mask, headed to where Head Witch Graye was. She found him in the EC's studio, where he had gathered the rest of BIG, including Hunter.

"Emily, you're here," Graye said enthusiastically, causing the members of BIG to notice her.

"Emily Tricks, back from the dead," Venoma declared with her arms crossed.

"Wait, how can we be sure that she isn't an illusion? Or a ghost of some sort?" Thunder asked.

Joana walked up to Emily and looked at her closely, poking her. "She's not a ghost alright."

"Please get out of my personal space," Emily told her.

"I am surprised that you survived," Alburno admitted. "But I am glad that you are alright, Ms. Tricks."

"Yeah, it's… good to see that you're okay, Emily," Le'Belle said while looking down awkwardly.

"Same here," Scameron said with a nod.

"Thank you," Emily replied while looking at the others. "Wait, what happened to Skrap?"

"Oh, he's taken a leave of absence," Barb replied as she walked up to Emily and raised her hand. "Hi, I'm Barb. I was chosen as his replacement. It's nice to finally meet you."

"Likewise," Emily replied, shaking Barb's hand, considering her friendly. "And about those two?" she pointed to Kiki and Pugsley, who stood on the sidelines.

"Well since we are the ones who found you, Ms. Tricks, Belos promoted me and Pugsley back to the castle!" Kikimora declared with a happy look.

"Yeah, as Head Witch Graye's new assistants," Pugsley added.

"Yes, just as long as you let bygones be bygones with the golden boy, Kiki," Graye reminded her. "We don't want a repeat of last time…"

"Oh, right, of course," Kiki said while looking over to Hunter, who turned around awkwardly.

"So… is there anything I can do?" Emily asked Graye. "Like, are we being given a mission, or…?"

"Actually, I've called you all here to do another commercial shoot," Graye explained. "I know that the team is supposed to go on legit missions as well, but these commercials are important to raise morale in the Isles, especially because of what is going on right now…"

"Another commercial shoot?" Emily said with a glare. "Why do we keep wasting our time doing that when we should be going out finding wild witches to take in?!"

"Emily…" Graye tried to ease her but Emily wouldn't have it. Something inside her just… snapped.

"We're supposed to be a specialized team and yet we're still doing advertising?!" Emily ranted at him. "I came back because I thought we would be hunting down wild witches in the Isles and bringing the Clawthornes to justice!" she declared. The others didn't look surprised by the outburst, though Barb did flinch at what she said.

"Emily, calm down…" Graye said. "The Emperor has already pardon them of their crimes-"

"That is not enough!" Emily shouted at him. "Luz Clawthorne should pay for all the crimes she's committed against the Emperor's Coven!"

"Here, here!" Kikimora agreed with Emily, only to fall silent when she realized nobody else was supporting her.

"Is… that all you care about?" Scameron asked her.

"Guess nothing's changed around her," Venoma said, her arms still crossed. "She's still the hate-filled, emotionally damaged girl we all know and love."

"I'd watch your tongue if I were you, Heathens," Emily told her off. "I can do to you what I want to do to Luz if you plan to talk sharply with me again!"

"Is that a challenge, little Paula Tricks?" Venoma hissed at her. "Fitting name for an illusionist brat!"

"I'LL SHOW YOU BRAT!" Emily growled as Graye got in between them to stop them from fighting.

"Would you two cut it out," Graye scolded them.

Hunter just watched as Emily caused a scene, letting out a sigh.

Over at Pore-Ta-Geist, Amity and Luz's friends had shown up for the meeting. Some were surprised to see Amity again.

"Amity, you're back!" Cat cried out as she and Boscha ran up to hug their lavender-haired friend.

"How have you been?" Boscha asked. "When Skara let us know that you're back, I just couldn't wait to see you again."

"Thanks, and I've been doing well," Amity responded, smiling as she hugged her friends back. "I'm glad to see you guys again."

"You too, Amity," Bo replied as Matt nodded.

"Yeah, though I am concerned about the whole you being back thing," Matt admitted. "Even though you're pardoned according to the Emperor…"

"We'll worry about that later," Luz said while doing a headcount. "Is everyone here?"

"Me, Gus and Skara are here," Willow said while sitting with Gus and Skara. On their side were Cat, Boscha, and Amelia.

"The three amigos are here as well," Jerbo declared as he sat with Barcus, Viney, Emira, and Edric on one side.

"And us too," Matt said, showing that he, Bo, Morty and Summer were here as well.

"Alright, cause now that everyone's here, we're gonna run you up to speed about what happened last Splatterday," Luz explained. "All of you are probably buzzing about the whole Emily situation."

"Yeah, like what was that all about?" Summer asked.

"I thought she wouldn't be returning to the Emperor's Coven," Matt said with a worried look.

Luz sighed. "This is kinda my fault," she said as she began to explain. "So yesterday Skara, me, her dad and Nina were looking for Nina's mother and younger siblings, who were kidnapped by Emily's crazier sister, Dr. Sonya Mera. Long story short, I asked Emily for help and in turn I promised to make sure she wouldn't get killed but I wasn't sure if I could keep it and because of complicated circumstances outside of my control, Sonya got crushed to death by falling debris. And that probably got her to rejoin the Emperor's Coven."

"Speaking of Emily, I did see her yesterday," Boscha said as everyone turned to her. "Me along with Tom, Hunter, and Ulka encountered her after she was captured by Nicole."

"Nicole?" Amity asked with a worried look. "Are you okay?"

"I'm fine, but Nicole brought Emily to me as a messed up 'gift', since she expected me to hurt or even kill Emily," Boscha explained. "And I didn't and we had to fight Nicole who used her weird shadow powers on us. But it also turns out she was trying to kill Emily because Nicole is a part of the Tarot Guild now."

"Nicole's in the Tarot Guild?!" Amelia exclaimed in shock.

"She really has gone downhill," Cat commented.

"She's not the only one," Emira mentioned. "Arthur and Destiny Blight were also part of the Tarot Guild as well… at least before they died."

"And don't forget the Alchemist," Willow pointed out. "He along with this 'Supreme' Ninja guy kidnapped me, Luz, Nina, Donna and Cross, taking us to the Yokai Realm so he could try to turn us into his mutant soldiers."

"Yeah, that happened about just after Sonya died," Luz explained. "It was also around that time we found Bria."

Boscha and Matt's eyes widened. "You guys found Bria?" Matt asked.

"Yeah, it turns out that she along with Bangles and Asi were experimented on by Sonya, who turned them into chimeras," Luz explained.

"We also encountered some of Sonya Mera's experiments at the Blight factory and they were also former Glandus students," Gus mentioned. "This Weaselton guy, the masked girl…"

"Was she mute and could only speak through sign language?" Boscha asked as Gus nodded. "That would have been Ruth, she was top of potions back in Glandus."

"Goregon and two of my muggers were also there," Amity said. "And Captain Hook."

"Geez, sounds like you guys have one crazy Splatterday," Morty said.

"Well, we also figured out some stuff about the Tarot Guild," Luz said. "For one, they had a doomsday bunker full of stock and rations, which is definitely weird. And according to the Alchemist, they are planning on making sure that the Day of Unity doesn't come to pass. Question is how they're gonna do it."

"Even after everything, we still know so little about their plans," Amity admitted. "All we know is that they're planning something big."

"If they had a doomsday bunker, wouldn't that mean they're expecting some kind of disaster that they plan to wait through?" Cat asked.

"We don't know, but right now there's one thing I can do," Luz said as she pulled up a snare. "When we went to New York, an old family friend who's a dragon guardian gave me this magic snare where I can use it to trap the Inner Demon, stopping him once and for all."

"Which means the Isles will be freed from him and the Forest of Fear," Amity realized, looking at the snare in awe.

"That's great," Boscha replied, nodding. "We'll be finally rid of that bastard."

"Yeah, though I am thinking of getting some help from Snope since he knows his way through the Dreamscape," Luz mentioned. "And he has the most experience with the Inner Demon."

"Huh, that would explain his sleepiness," Jerbo commented.

"Well, I wish you luck, Luz," Amity told her girlfriend. "And tell Snope that I said hi. However, I hope you don't mind, but I'm going to focus on my family right now."

"Hey, I understand, Ams," Luz replied with a nod. "Hopefully, you'll finally have time with your dad now."

Amity gave a smile. "I know,"

"What about the rest of us?" Viney asked. "Is there anything we should do?"

"Yeah, like should we do anything about the Emily situation?" Amelia asked.

"Right now, Emily isn't our priority," Luz explained to them. "She may be back at the Emperor's Coven, but we shouldn't go confront her. So instead, we should stay vigilant and stay in touch, especially since the Tarot Guild is planning something big. With them still a threat, Emily's nothing more to me than just a distraction."

Everyone agreed to this and as the meeting was dismissed, Cat walked up to Amity.

"Hey Amity, could we catch up for a moment? While you weren't in the Isles, something happened that I already told Luz about," Cat said.

"Really? What's that?" Amity asked her.

"Well, it turns out that after going through my family lineage, that I'm actually part-human," Cat revealed, causing Amity's eyes to widen.

"What?!" Amity exclaimed in shock, being taken aback by the news. "Really?"

"Yeah, turns out I have a human ancestor that came to the Boiling Isles long ago." Cat said as she began to tell her story. "And I actually encountered the spirit of my ancestor…"

Meanwhile, at the Titan Temple in Bonesborough, Nina was helping Lambi set up for service. Tito was present, along with Napoli who was speaking with Lambi's mom.

"Thank you for honoring us with your presence, Head Witch Napoli," Awassi said, shaking his hand.

"Oh, I'm just here because my aid, Tito, insisted on coming here," Napoli replied. "But if you would like someone to help you start service, I can give a great beat-boxing performance," he declared, demonstrating his beat-boxing performance, much to Awassi's awkwardness.

"Thank you for helping set up for service, Nina," Lambi commented.

"Anytime, Lambi," Nina replied while placing candles on the front tables. "Besides, I could use a distraction today,"

"So you must be Lambi," Tito spoke up as he greeted the horned girl, gathering the courage to go up and offer his hand to her. "Name's Tito Jackwitch."

"Oh, nice to meet you, Tito," Lambi responded, shaking his hand. "Honestly, I think you are the first one of Nina's old school friends that I've met."

"Nice to meet you too," Tito responded.

"Ey yo, wat'up, Nina?" spoke Raw as he and his brother Henry walked up.

"Hey, you guys," Nina said, waving to the brothers.

"We heard about what happened to Calypso, Nina," Henry said and even with a stoic face he did sound concerned. "We are so sorry."

"Thanks, but I think she's going to be alright," Nina replied as she saw Andrea, Eileen, and Puffer walking up to her.

"Hey Nina, is everything alright?" Andrea asked, looking worried for the werecat.

"Yeah, I'm fine," Nina nodded. "Thanks for your concern."

Andrea gave Nina a look, "Do you, um… want to talk about it?"

"Talk about what…?" Nina raised an eyebrow at her.

"About… Emily," Andrea said. "I mean, not like a super-duper now but maybe at a later time…"

"You're good, Andrea," Nina responded while sporting a glare as she helped set up the pamphlets. "I mean, I just find this whole thing bullshit. Everyone treats Emily like she's some kind of hero as if all of her past misdeeds, including the Glandus War, have been forgotten because our dear old Emperor said some pretty words to convince us otherwise," she ranted. "I'm just… ugh! This whole thing is messed up," she said, not noticing Andrea's nervous look. "I mean, the whole system is so rigged…"

"That's our society for you," Henry said while helping her set up. "Everyone is so in-deep with the words from their leader, it's practically a cult instead of a real government."

"Heh, yeah," Nina replied to him. "Do you know about this kind of stuff?"

"Eh, I like to read," Henry said.

"You know gramps don't like it when you say stuff like that, Henry," Raw pointed out.

"Gramps also said to mind your ass, Raw," Henry retorted.

"Alright, that's enough, both of you," spoke Awassi as she walked up and turned to Nina. "Nina, can I speak to you for a moment?"

Nina gave her a nod. "Of course," she replied while walking away with Lambi's mom. She turned to Lambi to give her a smile as Lambi smiled back and Tito gave her a thumbs up.

Once the two were alone, Awassi looked down at Nina and gave her a friendly smile. "I just want to say that I appreciate you coming here and helping out before service."

"No problem, although really I just wanted to see your daughter," Nina admitted. "Um, if you… must know…"

"Yes, I know you two are dating," Awassi revealed. "But don't worry, I don't mind. In fact, I'm proud that you've become my Mary's first girlfriend." She patted Nina's shoulder. "You have my approval."

This surprised Nina and she smiled at the shaman. "W-Wow, thank you, Mrs. Lambada."

"You're welcome," Awassi replied with a smile. "After all… you are one of the good ones."

This confused Nina and her smile disappeared. "Um… come again?"

"You know what I mean, and I don't want to bring your species into this, since you have been nothing but good to my Mary," Awassi said in a tone that sounded very condescending. "But I think it's for the best that you, um, should stay out of sight during the service so that you won't make other witches nervous or uncomfortable. You know how it is?"

"But I'm not going to cause any problems," Nina pointed out. "I thought everyone was welcome here."

"Oh yes, everyone is welcome to the temple… but you're still one of them," Awassi said while looking around. "So um… where are the Brookes?"

"They're occupied," Nina said. She couldn't believe what she was being told. "Slasher went to see Calypso at the Healing Coven…"

"Oh, well my condolences to them for what happened to Head Witch Calypso," Awassi said, but Nina saw that she had a look of relief when she heard that the werewolf wasn't here. "I understand if they won't show up."

Nina looked appalled, but she didn't want to create a scene. "E-Excuse me," she said as she walked out of the temple to get some fresh air.

This was starting to feel fucked up to her…

Meanwhile, Lilith brought Blazer home with her, the Hellhound riding behind her on her staff. Once she landed, Blazer, who was in his witch disguise, looked up at the place he'll be staying in.

"So… this is your place?" he asked her.

"Yes, the old Clawthorne home," Lilith replied as she opened the door. "Mom, dad, I'm back! And I have someone with me."

"Lily, so glad you decided to come home after last night," Gwen said while marching up and noticing Blazer.

"Wait, these are your parents?" Blazer asked in surprise, recognizing the two from the big fight with Mel.

"And who you might be, young man?" Dell asked.

"I'm Blazer," he introduced himself, a bit awkwardly. "I'm, uh, a Hellhound from Hell, the one from Mel's gang. Last time I saw you two, Serpentina dried you up."

"Yes, but thanks to drinking plenty of water, we're perfectly fine now," Dell admitted.

"I hope you still aren't hanging around with that goddess and her friends," Gwen told him.

"Well, Mel left me behind… and then Eustace and Serpentina sold me out to the Tarot Guild," Blazer admitted looking down.

"I found him passed out after he escaped from one of the Tarot Guild's bunkers," Lilith explained. "He was badly hurt, so I had to get him healed. But he had nowhere to go after that, so I thought I would bring him here, especially since we have a free bedroom."

"Well then, you are welcome to stay with us, Blazer," Gwen said to him, smiling kindly. "As long as you need to."

"R-Really?" Blazer asked in surprise. "You… don't mind me around here? Even though I helped Mel?"

"You hung out with a bad crowd, but you need help now, don't you?" Dell asked, placing his hand on Blazer's shoulder. Blazer looked up at him, nodding after a moment. "Then we are happy to help a kid like you out."

Blazer's expression softened with gratitude. "Thank you," he said before looking back at Lilith. "Though I am surprised that you are still living with your parents. I assumed that you had a place of your own."

Lilith looked surprised by this. "Well, I used to live in the Emperor's Castle… then the Owl House… and now here…"

"He does make a good point," Vina commented. "You have been living with your parents even when you had a job. Good Titan, Lilith, you're in your late forties and have never found a place of your own yet?"

Lilith looked down in embarrassment. "I guess… with everything that has happened, I never took the time to look for a place of my own. I should move out soon."

"Well, I can help you find your own place, Lilith," Gwen said while turning to Blazer. "Would you like something to eat, dear?"

"Y-Yeah," Blazer replied.

The old Clawthornes gave him some snacks they had, none of them being chocolate of course. While he was eating, Gwen and Dell pulled Lilith to talk to her.

"We didn't expect you to bring in another young guest, Lilith," Dell admitted. "Don't get me wrong, we are still happy to take care of him. But this feels similar to Hunter."

"I… do see the similarities," Lilith admitted. "I did find Blazer in a similar situation as Hunter…"

"Are you perhaps going through empty nest syndrome?" Gwen asked her. "You were quite saddened when Hunter left."

Lilith looked down. "Well… when I saw Blazer in the state he was in, I just couldn't bring myself to leave him just like I couldn't leave Hunter. I was just in the right place at the right time to do something to help them, since nobody else was around to help them. I-It's not like I'm replacing Hunter or anything, I just… want to continue being the type of witch I want to be."

Vina scoffed at her. "A weak witch…"

Gwen smiled at this and reached up to touch Lilith's cheek gently. "I am so proud of you, Sweet Flea."

Lilith smiled back. "Thanks, mom," she said.

"Just don't bring back anymore kids in need, okay?" Dell asked jokingly. "We only have so much food."

Lilith laughed lightly before letting out a sigh. "Though after last night, I do wonder how he's doing," Lilith admitted, thinking about Hunter. "I hope he's alright."

"Oh, us too," Gwen said, sharing Lilith's concern. "Us too…"

Meanwhile at the Emperor's Castle, the SSE were being led through the hallways by Hunter.

"Thanks for coming here, guys," Hunter said in his Golden Guard outfit while leading the gang to Hatesew's office.

"Well, thank you for giving us these EC passes," Linkin said while holding up the passes. "That way, we can show anyone who asks that you gave us the okay."

"Nice exposition, Linkin," Sioux complimented.

"Just show us to Hatesew's office," Eve told Hunter. "We can begin our investigation and start looking for some clues in there."

Hunter nodded as he led them to the office of Howard Hatesew. "This is his office. The scouts have already taken the body to the forensics lab," he explained.

"Going into a room where a dead body has been," Korn said, gulping out of nervousness. "Just hope we don't step into anything cursed…"

Once they entered the office, Sioux got her kit set up and ready and Korn looked at the odd stuff on the shelves while Linkin, Eve and the Cerberus Sisters checked out the books around the office.

"Maybe there could be some clues about why he was murdered in these books and journals," Blondie suggested.

"So what is the big deal about Howard Hatesew anyway?" Patty asked while looking through the books.

"He's a very prolific author, and a high-ranking member of the Emperor's Coven," Eve explained. "He's written a lot of poems, fiction and non-fiction books, and he even runs his own magazine dedicated to eldritch lore."

"He has quite the collection," Linkin said while looking at the artifacts on the shelves, including a broken tablet.

While nervously looking around, Korn noticed a mark on the desk. "Hey, check this out."

Sioux looked at the mark on top of the desk. "Hmm, it looks like… a scratch mark of some sort."

"A scratch like that on a desk like this?" Korn asked while checking the desk. "It's made out of molargamy, the toughest wood of the Isles."

"But it looks like his assassin managed to scratch that wood, if they were the one who left it," Cyndi commented.

Eve turned to Hunter. "Did they figure out the cause of death yet?"

Hunter looked down. "The scouts who took his body found that the cause of death was a stab wound to the side of where his kidney is. Said that he was poisoned."

"So he was killed by some kind of poisonous blade," Linkin said.

"So we may have determined a weapon, but where is it?" Eve asked.

"Nobody has found it," Hunter said. "When I found him, there was no weapon nearby."

"So the killer retrieved their weapon before they escaped the office," Sioux suggested while looking through the shelf and spotting something. "Hey, I think I found something."

"What did you find, Sioux?" Eve asked her.

"A dust imprint," Sioux said as she pointed at the imprint between the books. "Something was there, but now it's no longer there. Something was taken and recently too."

"But what could it have been?" Korn asked. "And who took it? The killer?"

"That's something we should find out," Eve said. "We need to find whoever visited his office recently and we can use their memory photos to compare to the current state of this room, to figure out what was taken. Then we might be able to learn if the item is connected to why Hatesaw was murdered."

"Wait, so does that mean-"

"Gang, we're gonna split up!" Eve declared, much to Korn's dismay. "Korn, you and your sisters will check out Hatesew's library for any clues, while me, Linkin and Sioux will go around the castle to interview those who knew and have been to his office."

Korn sighed while the Cerberus sisters comforted him. "Relax, Korn, it's not like we're dealing with a monster this week," Cyndi pointed out.

"I guess you're right," Korn said, feeling a little better. "Besides, looking through some old books, that's not too bad."

"I'll leave you guys be, just call me up when you find something," Hunter said as he walked out of the office, only to hear someone when he got into the hallway.

"Golden Guard!"

Hunter paused, turning to see Emily marching up to them. "E-Emily, what are you-?!"

"Why are there outsiders inside the castle?!" Emily demanded, giving him a glare.

"The SSE are here to solve the recent murder of Howard Hatesew," Hunter explained while some of the scouts watched. "I granted them clearance for their investigation…"

"So you brought them to a highly sensitive case?!" Emily pointed out with a scoff. "They are kids, not professionals! Not to mention they are also well known associates of the Clawthornes!"

"They're the only mystery team I could trust, Emily," Hunter countered as they began to argue, their argument drawing the attention of more scouts who were walking or standing by.

"Is that Emily Tricks?" Korn asked in shock.

"This is my first time meeting her in person," Eve commented.

Their argument continued to get heated. "Look Emily, I'm trying to solve this case."

"Then hire real help, not some meddling teenage amateurs who have no business with this kind of case!" Emily shouted. "Especially if they're allies to the Clawthornes!" She then stormed off with a huff.

"Damn, what a bitch," Patty commented as Hunter turned to them.

"Sorry about that, you guys continue on with your investigation," Hunter said before he left.

Meanwhile, Eda had made it to the orphanage, where she was greeted by Ban.

"Eda, glad you're here," he said. "How's your morning?"

"Pretty good, Ban," Eda responded. "Today's one of the kids' days being interviewed, right? For their new parents."

"Yeah, about that…" Ban said as walking past him were a couple covered in paint.

"Wait!" Hicky cried out to the parents. "Don't go! Just take him out of here!"

"Hey, what's going on?" Eda asked, confronting the couple "Why are you covered in paint?"

"Well we thought of adopting one of the kids, Jak, but then he performed a paint spell to demonstrate his 'magical prowess'. Kid ruined my rental suit!" the husband declared.

"Come on, honey, let's just come another time to look for another child to adopt," the wife replied as she and her husband left, just as Donna flew down on her staff.

"Did I… miss something?" Donna asked, seeing the couple run off.

"Jak happened," Hicky said while Ban sighed.

"That's the ninth couple he scared off," he mentioned.

"Wait, ninth?" Eda asked him as they walked inside. "What do you mean ninth?"

"Ever since Jak came to our humble home, he has been rejecting anyone that wants to adopt him," Ban explained. "Out of all the orphans, Crane had the hardest time with Jak."

"He's been the thorn to the backside of this place ever since he came," Hicky mumbled. "He's practically a problem child."

"Now, Ms. Hicky, we don't use that term in front of the kids…" Ban pointed out.

Eda sighed. "So we're dealing with a trouble-maker? Well that's no problem, I've handled a lot of them, I've been one of them, I'm sure what he needs is a good talking to."

"I don't know, Eda, Jak can be… cynical," Ban said awkwardly.

"Eh, I've dealt with cynics, even dated one," Eda pointed out. "Let me see him."

Inside his room, Jak was shown drawing spell circles to create light balls. He would flick them up in the air, up with the rest of the light spell balls around his room. He then heard a knock on the door. "It's open!" he shouted before he saw Eda come in. "Oh, you're here."

"Hey, Jak," Eda said as she walked towards him. "How are you doing?"

"Fine," Jak responded, shifting his eyes away. "You probably heard what I did so let's get to the point. So how much trouble am I in now?"

"What? I'm not here for that," Eda said while sitting on a chair next to his bed. "I just want to know what's up?"

"The ceiling," Jak told her, which made Eda snort.

"Okay, I walked in on that," she said with a snicker. "But what I do want to know is why did you scare off that couple who wanted to adopt you? If there's a reason for why you did it, maybe we can find something to work out."

"Why do you want to help me?" he asked her. "Do you just want to get rid of me?"

"No, Jak, we want to help you find a good family," Eda clarified. "I mean, that's the whole point of this place."

"What's even the point?" Jak said with a scowling look. "I get to stay here rent free, until they kick me out once I come of age. And even if I get adopted to a new family, they'd just only use me for either the checks or they only wanted to have a child for narcissistic reasons, and what are the chances that those parents don't want to use me for child labor?"

"Kid, you don't have to worry about that kind of thing," Eda reassured him. "We do background checks on those couples so that we don't send you kids with anyone who might be dangerous."

Jak just turned around. "Yeah, well… I just don't like that couple."

Eda sighed. "Okay, you don't like them. We can cross them out. But I want to ask you this… do you want to be adopted?"

Jak avoided looking at her. "No…"

"Well, why not?" Eda asked him.

"I… well, the adults are just stupid, that's all," Jak claimed.

"Is that it? Or are you afraid of leaving here?" Eda asked him. "How long have you been here?"

Jak turned to look at her, hesitating. "About… three years. Three years since I was… dropped off here," he said as he brought his knees close to him. "My own parents didn't want me, so why do I need new parents?"

Eda had found the issue, now understanding what this kid was going through. "Jak, I'm sorry that happened to you. No child should have to go through that," she said while patting his shoulder. "But you shouldn't let the past define you, kid. Your folks may have not wanted you, but you know what? Forget them. There are other nice couples out there that want to make you very happy."

"Really?" Jak asked her. "How can you be sure?"

"Hey, I promise to find a good family for you," Eda said. "But you'll never know if you stay stuck focusing on the witches who didn't want you, instead focus on the witches that do. I know full well how the past hurts, probably better than anyone else. But I do know that you have to keep moving forward or else you let that pain define you. You don't want to feel that pain all the time, do you?"

Jak looked at Eda. "No, I don't."

"Hey, we'll help you find a family that'd be perfect for you," Eda said while holding out her fist. "Fist bump?"

"What… is that?" Jak questioned.

"It's a fist bump, just form your fist and bump mine, something my daughter does," Eda said as Jak formed his fist and hit Eda's fist. "See? How's it feel?"

"It feels… great," Jak said with a genuine smile.

After talking with Jak, Eda left his room and saw Donna waiting for her.

"Hey, how's Jak?" Donna asked her.

"Well, we talked and he agreed to give the next family a chance," Eda answered.

"That's great for him," Donna replied before looking down awkwardly. "Um… Eda, can I ask you something?"

"Sure, anything," Eda responded.

"Well… thing is… it's about Emily," Donna said, surprising Eda. "I… how come you never mentioned that she was back? Nina knew but why did you never tell me?"

"You never asked," Eda pointed out. "In fact, we never had a discussion about Emily before…"

"I know that, it's just…" Donna looked down before she admitted. "Cross and Lindsay were also part of the rescue party with you, Luz, Amity, and the others when you went to the Underworld to save Edric and King. And they protected Emily and kept her hidden. I know that me and Cross have only been dating for like two days, but he and Lindsay still kept Emily's whereabouts a secret from me. They… they thought that if I knew I would go find her in retaliation for what she did to Nina."

"Well, what would you have done if you found her?" Eda asked her.

"I… I'm not sure," Donna replied, keeping her head down. "I do have my own grudge against Emily for getting into my head and causing me to doubt Nina, but I still should have known better and I shouldn't have hurt Nina…"

Eda sighed. "Donna, I know that Emily has done a lot of bad things. But I had to save her from Mel. I couldn't just leave her in the Underworld, especially not after what I did to her in the past. You do know that I have done some bad stuff in the past, right?"

Donna slowly looked up at Eda. "Yeah… but you've done so much good now."

"And from what I hear, Emily, when she was the Golden Guard, saved Lindsay from the Grim Goblin, saved your classmates during the Scarfish incident, and helped fight off the Grim Goblin when he attacked your school," Eda listed off. "She did a lot of good."

"Yeah, probably to save face," Donna muttered.

"Maybe, but that doesn't change the fact that what Emily did was good. She even helped Nina find her mother and siblings. That was good. And…" She paused, thinking about her talk with Emily. "I don't regret saving her. Because it was the right thing to do. And I'm sorry that I didn't tell you, Donna. I'm sorry that your friends didn't tell you. But they were just worried about how you might react. You may be a good witch, but it's not like you haven't done anything bad in your life… did ya?"

"I… have, actually," Donna responded, looking guilty. "I did hang out with a bad crowd, but I learned my lesson and got better. I once thought Nina was a lost cause, but I was wrong and I only ended up hurting her… and then I hurt her again… Titan, how is it that this kind of thing is so… morally complicated?"

"Look, maybe don't hold this against Cross and Lindsay," Eda advised. "They just wanted to help Emily to get better, and I think what they were doing for her was good."

"But despite the 'help' they gave to Emily, she still went back to the Emperor's Coven," Donna pointed out. "I don't know why you're not worried about this, she could be coming after you and Luz now."

"Well, it is a possibility," Eda admitted. "But I'm not entirely convinced that's the reason she's back in the Emperor's Coven…"

Hunter walked up to the door to Emily's room and knocked on it. Emily opened it and looked unsurprised to see him.

"Emily, I think we need to talk," Hunter said to her with a serious look.

"I was thinking the same thing," Emily responded as she grabbed his arm and pulled him inside her room, quickly closing the door.

Hunter looked around her room, noticing a silver platter with food on it laying on a cart. "I didn't know you were eating…"

"I wasn't," Emily told him. "And don't eat it, there might be a chance that it's poisoned."

"Poisoned?" Hunter asked her in confusion.

"You can come out now, Pretty," Emily called out and Hunter saw coming out from underneath the bed was the lion palisman known as Pretty, much to his shock.

"Y...You have a…" Hunter said as he turned to Flapjack in shock, who looked surprised as well. "Emily, we really need to talk about-"

"I need to show you something first," Emily said as she reached under her bed and drew a spell circle to dispel an invisibility spell. She then pulled out a board, showing it to Hunter.

"What the…?" Hunter asked as he looked at the board, both surprised and confused.

"This is something that I was working on earlier," Emily explained while showing him the board. The board was filled with pictures of many coven members: Coven Heads, captains, and some random scouts with pins and red threads connecting them. There was also a map of the Boiling Isles with markings drawn on it, pinpointing certain locations.

"This is… they're all coven members… Emily, what is this?" Hunter asked, confused.

"My revenge board," Emily answered.

"But… it doesn't make sense," Hunter said. "How does this relate to your revenge against the Clawthornes?"

"Actually, I'm not seeking revenge on the Clawthornes," Emily said with a serious look. "This is for… the Tarot Guild."

Hunter's eyes widened at the reveal. "But… I thought you're mad at Luz for the death of Sonya."

"Oh, I am still furious at Luz for breaking her promise," Emily growled, her fist tightening. "But when I thought about it, Sonya wouldn't have been killed if it wasn't for the Tarot Guild, who made her do all those bad things for them. She… she could've turned good if they didn't take her in." She gave a look of anger while Pretty looked down sadly. "They used Sonya like they used me, and I intend to make them pay for what they did to both of us, what they turned us into."

A surprised Hunter shook his head. "Wait, so what was that earlier behavior about? The whole 'revenge on the Clawthornes' thing?"

"That was an act," Emily explained to him. "The Tarot Guild tried to have me killed yesterday. They knew that I was alive, and likely that I was living with the Shystreams, which is why I think they were the ones who gave the tip about Lindsay's brother. But this meant that they weren't safe, especially around me. I knew that I had to leave the Shystreams to protect them, but I also wanted to find a way to get back at the Tarot Guild."

Looking at the revenge board, she continued to explain. "I knew that they had infiltrated covens, including one high-ranking member named the Producer, the one who found me and the one who ordered my death. I am determined to find out who the Producer is, even if that meant returning to the Emperor's Coven. But I knew that the Tarot Guild could still kill me, so I thought that if I can make it seem like I was completely focused on getting revenge on the Clawthornes, they wouldn't try to kill me again, especially since they could think I might still be useful to them as a weapon against the Clawthornes. But it was all an illusion, since I am an illusionist, trickery is in my name after all."

"Wait, then why are you telling me this?" Hunter asked her. "Why now? Why not earlier"

"Because out of everyone here, you're the only one in the Emperor's Coven I know that I can trust, since you are friends with Luz," Emily pointed out. "And I didn't tell you earlier because I had to make it look believable."

"Well… I still don't trust you," Hunter told her. "How do I know that this isn't all an elaborate lie?"

"You're not wrong to suspect that," Emily admitted. "But all I can do is reassure you that I'm not planning on going after the Clawthornes. I mean, last time it didn't exactly work out, did it? And I would like to think that I have learned from that… especially since hurting Luz would hurt Kay, and that's not something I want to do."

"Kay… Amity's godsister?" Hunter asked her.

"I met her earlier," Emily explained, looking down. "I… held her in my hands and looked at her innocent face. She could have died because of the Tarot Guild. She could have died because of me, because of my anger toward the Clawthornes. And if she hadn't died, she would have still been alone if the Guild had succeeded then…" She sighed. "I don't want it all to be for nothing. What I went through over the last week, that is. I won't deny that I am furious at Luz, but I want to channel my rage directly at the Tarot Guild for everything they did to me, to Sonya, and so many other witches. In fact, I have figured out where their safehouses and bunkers are." She pointed to the map of the Isles.

"How?" Hunter asked before Emily pointed to Pretty.

"Pretty here knows where all of their bunkers and safehouses are… since she was Sonya's Palisman and went to them with her," Emily revealed.

Hunter was once again shocked by this. "No way… okay, we need to assemble BIG for this."

"That would be a negative," Emily told him. "I still don't trust them enough and I don't know for sure that none of them are Tarot Guild members. And it's best that the Guild doesn't know that we're coming for them. So it'll just have to be just the two of us, and we have to work fast if we want to catch them by surprise. But I do need your help, Hunter, and I'm asking for it," she said, offering her hand to him.

Hunter reluctantly looked at his hand. "I… I'm not sure." But Flapjack chirped to him and he looked at him in surprise. "Really? You think I can-?" Flapjack kept chirping to him, making Hunter put some thought to it.

He looked hesitant, since he knew it was a risk to work with Emily. But if it meant stopping the Tarot Guild and saving the Isles from a potential disaster… he shook Emily's hand.

"Alright, I'll help you." Hunter agreed.

"Excellent," Emily replied as she pulled her hand away… and summoned a red flame from it.

Hunter was shocked yet again by this. "Wait, how did you-"

"I have a few new tricks now," Emily said as she put the flame out and turned toward her revenge board. "Now let's go take down the Tarot Guild…"

Meanwhile, at Snope's home, Luz had stopped by to drop off some materials.

"This is the dream snare," Luz said as she held up the canister. "According to an old family friend of my mom's, this was made with the purpose of trapping invading dream demons in the dreamscape. If you pull the cork, it will suck the Inner Demon inside and then you can pop him into the real world once you leave."

"This is perfect, Luz," Snope said to her. "Great timing, too. I have been studying some texts Eda gave me when she brought them from the Forbidden Stacks of the Bonesborough library. "

"Anything good in there?" Luz asked him.

"Just stuff like studies of the Dreamscape. How those who have a certain dream can have their minds release something out, and how we can dream at the same time through the wavelengths of our subconscious drawn together," Snope explained while looking over the books. "These are very useful. I shall make the preparations for the ritual to catch him."

"I promise to meet up with you later tonight to stop that creep once and for all," Luz declared with a determined look. "Oh, and one thing I should mention… Amity's back."

"Really?" he asked in surprise. "How is she?"

"Doing good, and she wanted me to tell you to say hi for her," Luz replied.

Over at Blight Industries, Alador was still dealing with the aftermath of yesterday.

"So we've reviewed everything that happened in Blight Industries," Wolffe said as she checked her clipboard while in Alador's office. "All productions should be halted until further notice. Your parents did not like safety protocols."

"That's why their previous business was shut down," Alador said while overlooking some files. He heard a knock on the door. "Come in."

Opening it was Gibson. "Alador, I've heard the news about your parents' unfortunate demise."

Alador said nothing to Gibson as he turned to Wolffe. "Would you excuse us for the moment?"

"Of course, Head Witch," Wolffe said as she exited the office. Once she was gone, Alador addressed Gibson. "Have a seat, Gibson, we need to talk."

Gibson went to his seat and sat down. "I just want to let you know that you have my condolences over the deaths of your mother and father-"

"You can cut the sentimental crap, Gibson," Alador said sternly, glaring at him. "I know that you were in on the brainwashing scheme to keep me in line."

"What?" Gibson asked, trying to look innocent. "Look, Alador, I can explain-"

"Explain what, Gibson?" Alador asked him. "You used me just like how my parents did. You all manipulated me for your own personal goals, you made me think that you were my only friend."

"Alador, I… I only agreed with Arthur and Destiny to help you," Gibson told him.

"Help me? By keeping me away from my family? My own daughter who I wasn't able to see or talk to? You should be ashamed of yourself, Gibson. And I don't think I want to trust you any longer," Alador said, looking disgusted while Gibson looked shocked. "So from this day forward, all of our projects we've been working on are done. Blight Industries will be cut from SCORN."

"You can't do this to me!" Gibson growled. "I've already spent millions on our projects!"

"Then you should've thought of actually helping me, instead of treating me like a puppet," he told him. "Now I'm gonna ask you one more thing… were you aware of what my parents were really up to?"

"Up to what?" Gibson asked in confusion.

Alador studied his face, trying to determine if he was lying or not. He sighed. "Then there's nothing more to talk about," he said while Gibson stood up with an angry look.

"Mark my words, Alador. You've made a grave mistake today," Gibson told him with a bitter look. "See you on the Day of Unity," he said before turning and walking out of the office.

Once Gibson was gone, Alador sighed and leaned back in his chair. "What else could happen today?"

"Hey, dad."

"Gah!" Alador shouted as he almost fell out of his chair while looking back to see Amity behind him. "Amity? How… how did you get in here?"

"Teleportation, something I've recently learned and I'm slowly getting the hang of it," Amity pointed out. "I am part-Fae after all."

"Oh, of course," Alador responded, remembering this revelation. "I'll admit, this will still take some getting used to. Though I am curious about your powers," he admitted. "Maybe if we can learn how they work…"

"Actually, dad, I think we need to talk," Amity interrupted him with a serious look.

Though surprised by this, Alador quickly responded. "Of course," he said as he pulled up a chair. "Have a seat, we really do need that talk."

Amity smiled, taking her seat as the two started their talk.

Lambi came out of the temple, looking for Nina. "Nina?" she asked before she spotted her sitting at the side of the temple. "Hey, service is about to begin. Do you want to come in? You can sit beside me."

Nina looked up at Lambi and she sighed. "Actually, Lambi, I think it would be better if I stayed outside."

"What? Why do you think that?" Lambi asked in concern.

"Well, I talked with your mom and she thought that me being inside would make other witches uncomfortable," Nina said, which surprised Lambi.

"Oh, Nina, I'm so sorry," Lambi said while walking over to her. "Look, I can talk to mom about this. Maybe we can-"

"Actually Lambi, I don't really care about the service," Nina admitted, looking down with a sigh. "And I don't really belong there anyway, since I only came here for you and because I… because I don't believe in the Titan," she revealed, shocking Lambi.

"What…?" Lambi asked her.

Nina then began to explain. "I've been an atheist since I was little, since I realized how fucked up our religious culture is. Werecats were raised to believe in the Titan, but we were also raised to believe that we were inferior to other witches, that we deserved to be looked down upon and treated like shit because we were the lowest amongst witchkind. And I refused to believe that we deserved this, so I refused to believe in the Titan as well." She looked up to Lambi with a saddened look. "I'm so sorry for not telling you this sooner, Lambi. I was afraid to tell you…"

Lambi, who was now sitting next to Nina, was quiet for a moment before she reached over… and patted her hand gently. "Hey, I get it," she said as Nina turned to her in surprise. "Nina, I won't judge you for not believing in the Titan. It would be unfair of me to do so, since I know that life has dealt you a bad hand and I can't possibly imagine what it was like for you, especially with my very different upbring… but I can still empathize with you. And you're right. You don't deserve to be looked down upon or treated like shit. I don't think that is what the Titan wants either… but you not believing in the Titan because of your bad experiences is valid and it isn't your fault, Nina. And I appreciate you telling me."

Nina looked at Lambi, feeling nothing but relief and appreciation for her girlfriend. "Thank you, Lambi," she said while looking down in silence. She honestly feared that this would have gone down similar to how it went with Donna, expecting Lambi to leave like Donna had. But… she didn't. Lambi had heard her out, didn't pass judgment, and understood how different Nina's situation was from her own.

"You know, it was two weeks ago at this temple that we first met," Lambi pointed out, breaking the silence. "Maybe we should celebrate this by going on a date," she suggested, surprising Nina.

"But what about the service?" Nina asked her.

"Forget about the service," Lambi said as she held Nina's hand. "Let's go somewhere that's fun. Your choice," she said as she and Nina sat up and snuck off together.

After texting Cross, Donna flew down to where they would meet up… at the Shystream home.

Donna stepped down to the porch, holding her staff up. "Okay… Cross said to meet him here…" she said to herself as she knocked on the door. Opening it was Bloom. "Hey, Mrs. Shystream, I'm Donna. A friend of Lindsay's."

"Yeah, hey, Donna," Bloom said as she invited her in. "Come in."

"Is she back?" asked Jojo as he ran up, only to see Donna. "Oh, nevermind," he said while looking down and walking back.

Donna went to the living room and saw the rest of Donna's family, all looking solemn. Hendrick was on the couch looking down in guilt, with Colt and George trying to comfort him. Aunt Dorothy spotted Donna coming in.

"Oh you must be one of Lindsay's friends," Dorothy said. "They're in the kitchen right now."

"Thank you," Donna replied as she headed over to the kitchen. There she spotted Lindsay and Cross at the table, the two were talking until they saw Donna. "Hey, guys."

"Hi Donna," Lindsay replied, though she sounded more quiet and she looked saddened.

"Hey, glad that you came," Cross said to her.

Donna took her seat, the three of them looking at each other in silence. "Um… so… how are you doing, Lindsay?"

"I'm fine," Lindsay replied. "Am I… getting kicked out from the team for not telling you about Emily?"

"No, no Lindsay, you're not," Donna reassured her. "I've… done some thinking and I understand why you guys saved Emily, and I understand why you didn't say anything about her to me. But at the very least, I deserve to hear an explanation from you two."

Lindsay and Cross looked at each other, then they turned to Donna. Cross started. "Well, you do know that I did work at the Emperor's Coven alongside Emily until they let me go. But what I didn't tell you is that Emily wasn't the only one who stood in for the Golden Guard…"

"What do you mean?" Donna asked him.

"I was also standing in for the Golden Guard… and it was me during the Scarfish incident," Cross said, surprising Donna.

"Wait, what?!" Donna exclaimed in shock. "And you didn't tell me that either?!"

"Don't hold it against him, Donna," Lindsay said to her. "Cross had his reasons for not saying anything about it."

Donna looked at Lindsay, then nodded and tried to calm down. "So… you and Emily were posing as the Golden Guard at the same time?" Donna asked him.

"Most of the time it was just for commercial shoots or when Emily wasn't available," Cross explained. "We weren't friends, but after failing to save Emily from being sucked into the Underworld, I knew that I couldn't leave her there. I knew that there was something we could do, so me and Lindsay decided to look for Mel to get her back. And we then traveled down the Underworld to save her."

"Once we did, I offered to have Emily stay here with my family. The ones that also knew she was here were Zee and my old friends Andrea, Tracy, Jackie, and Tabrella."

"Tabrella knew?" Donna said in surprise.

"Yes, and Emily even helped her out with her baby sister and Kay," Lindsay said before she looked down. "And… Gavin also knows."

"Gavin?" Donna and Cross asked.

"Me and Emily went on a date on Frieday, and Gavin showed up trying to pick a fight with her. But I intervened, telling him that she had done nothing to me," Lindsay explained.

"Okay, I do admit, Gavin shouldn't have done that," Donna said. "I'll talk to him about it in the next LOWTH meeting." She then paused. "Wait… you two went on a date?!"

Lindsay looked down, a little embarrassed. "Y-yeah, though we decided that we were better off as friends, especially since Emily thought she wasn't ready for dating."

"Wait, really?" Cross asked, looking surprised but also relieved.

"So… am I allowed to be at the next meeting?" Lindsay asked Donna, who let out a sigh.

"Of course, you're not in trouble at all, Lindsay," Donna reassured her. "You did for Emily is what this team's all about… helping others."

"It is in the acronym," Cross pointed out. "But… there's also something you should know about Emily rejoining back at the Emperor's Coven."

Donna looked interested as Lindsay explained. "It started after Emily learned about her sister's death. She ran off, and then she… disappeared in a cloud of red smoke. When I told my family about it, that's when coven scouts showed up. We assumed they came for Emily, but they were after my older brother, who was covenless. They could've taken him, but appearing in our house was Emily, who offered to turn herself in to save Hendrick from arrest."

"She… did that?" Donna asked in surprise. "But… why?"

Lindsay and Cross shared unsure looks. "We don't know," Cross replied. "We don't know what she's going to do while there."

"But we are worried about her," Lindsay admitted as she wondered what Emily was doing at the moment…

"Got any threes?" one Tarot Guild member asked as he and several others sat around a table in a Tarot Guild bunker.

"Nope," another replied while adding in a card. "Guys mind if I play some tunes?"

"Go ahead," another shrugged before turning to another member. "How about some sixes?"

"Damn, here's one," the Tarot Guild member said, handing him a card as the music played.

'I stayed out late one night and you moved in… I didn't mind cause of the state you were in… may I remind you that it's been a year since May…'

"What song is this?" one asked.

"Don't know, found this thing on the shore," another asked.

"Mind if I deal in?" spoke the Golden Guard.

"Why yes, you-WAAAAH!" the Tarot Guild members screamed as they saw the Golden Guard behind them. "The Golden Guard! How did you get in?!"

"Trade secret," spoke Emily in her Silver Sentry outfit as she appeared in a swirl of red smoke.

'Today the landlady, she said this to me, 'your loony friend just sneezed at me-'

The Tarot Guild tried to attack, but then Hunter teleported behind them and shot golden beams from his staff, knocking them over. Emily brought out a blade from her gauntlet and slashed them across the throats one by one. They fell down the floor, dead, as she turned to Hunter. "Let's handle the rest of them."

'So pack your toys away, your pretty boys away, your forty-fives away, your alibis away-'

The two ran through the bunker as many of the Tarot Guild members spotted them. Fortunately, Hunter and Emily were prepared to fight them. Holding his staff, Hunter instantly sped up to topple the Tarot Guild members charging at him. Emily also used her staff to fly around while stabbing and killing the fallen members with her blade gauntlet. She saw two Guild members coming at her, but she simply launched a few blades from her gauntlet into their skulls, the blades immediately being replaced.

'-Your silly lies away, your old tie-dyes today, your one more tries away, you're moving out today~!"

Hunter used glyph cards to summon large plants to entrap the Tarot Guild members in one room, and freeze them in another room. The Guild members were caught by their surprise attacks, unable to get organized enough to properly fight back as Emily teleported in front of another Guild member and repeatedly stabbed him until she kicked him to the floor. She held a fireball and threw it at him, setting him aflame. One member tried to attack her, but she just turned around and stabbed him in the face.

'Your nasty habits' finally caught you dead, the grocer told me what you do with bread-!'

As Tarot Guild members tried to look for a way to escape, they ran toward a door, only for Hunter to teleport in front of them and close the door.

"Sorry, can't let you out," Hunter told them as the Guild members backed away. "Though my friend would like to have a word with you guys."

'-Why don't you take it up to the baker's wife instead of me?'

They turned around and saw Emily standing there before she cast a fire spell on them. "AAAAAH!" they screamed in agony as they were burned alive.

After clearing out the bunker, the two left. "That's one down," Hunter said before they then started to hear… clapping.

"Now that was a good show," spoke up someone as Emily got on the defense, holding up her staff as someone came out of an alleyway. "Don't worry, I'm not a Tarot Guild if that's who you're thinking. The name's Hardy Boils, private Oracle investigator."

"Wait… I recognize you," Emily said, lowering her staff. "You were investigating Glandus a while back."

"Yes, and some of your, well, former associates tried to silence me. But I survived," Boils explained. "I have a whole file on you, Ms. Tricks. I've got stuff about you that even you don't know about."

Emily raised an eyebrow behind her mask while Hunter spoke up. "I've heard about you from certain circles in the Emperor's Coven. They say you're quite… infamous."

Boils chuckled. "So my reputation precedes me. Good. But I think I'm after the same thing as you two are," he said while lighting his cigar. "I've been after these %&^$ for quite some time, was even staking this place out until I saw you two. Gotta say, Ms. Tricks, I like your style," he complimented. "But we share a common enemy and common goal. If you want, we can compare notes on what we do know about the Guild."

Hunter and Emily looked at each other before they gave a nod in agreement, "Alright, we'll share what we know if you do the same," Hunter agreed.

"Great," Boils said as he held up a file with the Tarot Guild's name on it and showed them the notes he made about them. "I've managed to get some info out of two pirates who told me everything they know about the Guild's activities, including their drug rings, labs, and their hidden bunkers and safehouses they have."

"We also have locations on their safehouses and their bunkers," Emily responded as they compared their maps while Pretty climbed onto her shoulder. "My Palisman, Pretty, was my late-sister's Palisman. We both agreed that the Tarot Guild needed to be wiped out. Although… it looks like you may have found some bases that even Pretty didn't know about."

"And the problem with so many bases is that we can't take them all out quickly enough before they realize what's going on," Boils pointed out.

"Yeah, that is a good point," Hunter replied.

"Which is why I think we should work together," Boils suggested. "I can get my boys to help out. We will get this done faster and more efficiently that way."

Hunter turned to Emily, who looked up to Boils. "Well, I know for a fact that you aren't a member of the Guild," Emily admitted. "So yeah, I think we can work together."

'So pack your rubber ducks, I'd like to wish you luck-'

Hunter and Emily hit the next bunker with the assistance of Boils and his crew. They teleported inside and it immediately erupted into chaos, spells flying anywhere as the group deflected and dodged the spells while casting their own. Boils used his own weapons such as a meat-beater to slam against one Guild member while Marlin used his Beast-Keeping magic to transform into a more beastly form: a large bear with six arms, large claws, and teeth large enough to overtake his entire face. He slaughtered Guild members left and right while Pierre cornered the Guild members by terrifying them with his ghostly form.

"Going somewhere?!" Pierre shouted in his monstrous form.

"YAAAH!" the Guild members screamed in fright before being burned alive by Emily.

'-Your funny cigarettes, your sixty-one cassettes-'

They managed to infiltrate the next safehouse by having Emily disguise them as Guild members with her illusions.

"Hey, how's the-UGH!" one cried while being stabbed by the disguised Emily.

"GAH!" another replied.

"Hey do you know where the coffee is-WOOH!" one cried out after being stabbed in the face.

After killing most of the Guild members in the safehouse this way, Emily dropped the disguises so they could finish off the rest of the Guild members in the safehouse without them.

'Pack all your clothes away, your rubber hose away,-'

They hit another bunker, Pierre flying around to scare the Guild members out of their rooms with help from Boils's ghosts. The Guild members ended up stepping on some glyphs. It was a glyph trap which activated ice spikes and thorns, immediately slaughtering the members.

'-your old day glows away, you're moving out today!'

Emily marched forward, glyph cards in her hands. When some Guild members spotted her, she used the vine glyphs to trap them by their feet. She would then shoot flames from her fingertips, burning their heads.

'Tra-la, lalalalala! Tra-la, lalalalala! da-da-da, ba-ba-da! Ba-da-ba-ba! Ba-da-ba-ba!'

She kicked a door down and found Quakus, who was sipping ramen noodles. He was shocked to see her. "Emily?!" he exclaimed as she grabbed him by the neck.

"You're one of the higher ranking members of the guild, tell me who is the Producer?" she demanded.

"Y-You know I can't tell you!" Quakus exclaimed, struggling to get her to let go of his neck.

"Very well," she said as she teleported them out of the bunker while Boils and Marlin took care of the rest.

'I hate to do it, I just hate, I just hate to do it.'

She teleported them above the Boiling Lake as she stood on her staff. She held him over the lake.

"Tell me what I want to know, and your life will be spared," she told him.

"I… I can't squeal!" Quakus winced while he was choking.

"Fine," she said as she dropped him down into the boiling lake, giving him a taste of his own medicine for dumping innocent witches there.

"WAAAHH!" Quakus screamed as he was boiled alive until he was nothing but a roast duck that quickly sank into the lake. Emily watched long enough to make sure that he was dead before she teleported back into a bunker with a swirl of red smoke.

'I'm so sorry, I'm so sorry, I'm so sorry!'

The safehouse slaughter continued. "Yeah!" Boils shouted as he deflected and blocked spells, protecting Marlin the Maniac who summoned fire bees to burn more Guild members alive.

'Pack up your dirty looks, your songs that have no hooks-'

Pierre used his ghost powers to entrap the guild members, Hunter helping round them up before Emily joined the fun and roasted them.

'Your stacks of modern screen, your portrait of the queen-'

In another bunker, Marlin was mauling the Guild members as Hunter fought alongside Emily, the two back-to-back, deflecting spells and casting their own, Emily using her illusion spells to confuse their enemies and make them easier to deal with.

'Your mangy cat away, your baby fat away!'

Outside of one safehouse, Pierre phased out of the building and gave the okay.

"They're not expecting a thing," Pierre confirmed.

"Do it," Boils ordered as Marlin pressed the trigger, causing the safehouse to explode. Dozens of bodies of Guild members flew up while some screamed in agony from the flames.

'You're headed that away, you're moving out today~!'

Hunter uses a fire glyph to seal the doors of a bunker while seeing smoking coming through the cracks. Emily teleported outside and turned to him.

"All rounded up, now we just have to let the flames do the job," Emily replied.

"YAAHH!" the Guild members screamed from inside the locked safehouse as Hunter heard some of them try to escape through the door. "Let us out! Let us out!" the Guild member cried before the flames consumed him and his fellow members.

The two turned and walked away, stopping at a safe distance to enjoy the show as the safehouse burned down with all of the Guild members inside

'Can't help it, a girl can't help it. La la la la, la-la-la!'

In a forest, away from town and away from everyone else, Nina and Lambi were on their date.

"So this is where'd you like to go?" Lambi asked her.

"Yeah, just… far away from anyone else," Nina replied as they walked together. "Sometimes I just want to get away from everyone and everything, whether it be problems at home, or school, or when… Casey's not available to talk." She looked down in guilt, thinking about Casey's death. She sighed. "Why is it that shit always happens on the weekends?"

"I've been wondering about that myself," Lambi replied as Nina came to a stop, causing her to stop as well. They were in front of a large tree.

"Looks like we've found the tallest tree in this forest," Nina commented as she then began climbing up the tree. "Come on, climb up."

"Um… are you sure that we can't just… use our staffs?" Lambi pointed out. "We can just fly up. That's easier."

"That's not the point," Nina argued. "It's much more fun to climb up."

Lambi looked nervous as she looked up at the tree. She took a deep breath. "Okay, how bad can it be?" she asked herself as she tried to climb up the tree.

After a few seconds, she slipped and fell to the ground. Luckily, it wasn't a long fall. But Lambi continued to try to climb, even if she still fell off a few times.

As Nina climbed, she looked down and noticed that Lambi was still at the bottom. She watched as Lambi tried to use her Abomination magic to climb up, only to slip and fall again. She decided to go down and help Lambi up.

"Hey," Nina spoke up, offering Lambi a hand. "Need help?"

Lambi grabbed Nina's hand. "Yeah, I guess I'm not used to climbing up stuff," she said as Nina lifted Lambi up onto her shoulders. "Wah!"

"Hang on," Nina said while securing Lambi, who hung on to her. As Nina dug her paws into the tree, she started climbing up the tall trunk.

After climbing to the top, Lambi looked around at how high they were as Nina set her down on the branch for them to sit on.

"You okay?" Nina asked her.

"Y-Yeah," Lambi responded, looking nervous. "Just never thought I'd be this high."

"Don't worry, even if you fall, you have your Palisman to catch ya, or me," Nina said while her tail wrapped around Lambi's waist, causing her to blush. "Now that you won't fall, let's admire the view."

Lambi turned her head and her eyes widened when she saw the view. "Whoa…" she said, seeing most of the Isles from this high up, including the skull of the Titan. "You can almost see the whole Isles from here."

"Yeah, lovely, isn't it?" Nina asked her, smiling.

"Yeah, it's very lovely, Nina," Lambi replied, smiling and patting Nina's hand.

After climbing down, the two girls decided to go pixie hunting. Lambi spotted one pixie and used her Abomination magic to sling at the pixie, trapping it in the purple goo.

"Hey, I caught one!" Lambi said, turning to Nina. "How's your catch?" she asked while putting the pixie in her jar.

Nina was shown trying to eat the pixies as they dodged her jaws. "They keep trying to fly away from me!" she shouted while chasing the pixies.

Lambi giggled as she followed Nina. "Think they'll lead us to the pixie ring?" she asked while catching another in a jar.

"Pixie rings are usually hidden in this part of the forest," Nina commented while trying to catch more but the pixies kept flying from her.

The two followed the pixies to a pixie ring, a ring of mushrooms that a bunch of pixies gathered around. The two girls acted quickly, catching a lot of pixies in their jars.

Afterward, the two sat on a log to take a break. "So how many did you catch?" Lambi asked.

"About one… in my mouth," Nina replied as one pixie came out from her mouth. "Well, guess they don't like staying in much longer…" She then looked at Lambi. "You know, I still can't believe that you ditched temple service for this."

"Well, I'm actually glad that I did," Lambi admitted, smiling. "Because this has been fun, even if I will have to deal with my mother later. But it was worth it."

Nina became silent, something being on her mind. "Say Lambi… I gotta ask… why do you like me?"

Lambi hummed thoughtfully. "Well, I like how open and honest you have been with me, and despite everything you've been through, you consistently make the effort to be a better witch and I admire that." She held onto Nina's hand again. "I've admired how you have taken the lessons from your past and used them to try to better yourself, which makes me want to support and help you, Nina. Especially since you have been going through a lot with what happened to Mrs. Brooke, Casey, and everything else. But you are strong, passionate, and well, your fit body is easy on the eyes," she said with a blush.

Nina blushed at the compliment, causing her to brush her hair. "T-Thanks, Lambi. I appreciate that," she said before falling silent. "You know, I've been… thinking about our relationship," she admitted.

"Really?" Lambi asked her.

Nina nodded and continued. "On our second date, you asked me if I still had feelings for Donna, and I admitted that it was hard for me to stop having those feelings for her. But after the date at the restaurant, and especially after today… I don't think I have those feelings anymore," she said with a serious look as she sighed. "I was already trying to move on from Donna, but now I think I have moved on and I want you to know that I am committed to you, Lambi. Because you are exactly who I wanted Donna to be. You've acted like Donna should have, and I don't want to take that for granted. I don't want you to think that I am still holding a torch for someone who has hurt me several times now. I was in love with the idea that Donna represented, but Donna wasn't actually like that… instead, you are." She gave Lambi's hand a reassuring squeeze. "Look, I don't want you to think or make you feel like I'm only dating you because I can't have Donna. I'm dating you because I chose you, because I value you, and that is something Donna will just have to accept." She sighed after making her statement. "Man, I'm so sorry for talking about Donna a lot, I promise that I won't talk about her again."

"Hey, don't worry about it, it's alright," Lambi replied, smiling. "I get what you're saying and I'm happy to hear it. I trust you, Nina."

Nina smiled. "Thank you, Lambi," she said as the two decided to pick up their jars and open them. They watched as the pixies were released, swirling around above them and enjoying their freedom. After seeing them fly off, the two girls looked at each other, their eyes locking…

And then, they shared a kiss.

Their first kiss.

Over at the Healing Coven, Skara entered the room where her mom was. She saw her dad and sister there with her.

"How is she?" Skara asked.

"She's stable, but she still hasn't woken up yet," Slasher replied while patting his comatose wife's hand. "Dr. Harwitch said that once the vampire blood transfusion is complete, she'll get better."

Skara looked at her mom with a saddened expression before she saw the picture Scabrina drew of her. "Is this your drawing, Scabrina?" she asked.

"Yeah, it's a drawing of mom fighting all kinds of bad guys," Scabrina declared. "Because she's the toughest mom I know, and she's going to pull through."

"She will, sis," Skara said, patting her little sister's head.

Slasher looked over at Scabrina. He knew that in light of everything that happened, he should tell her the truth about her heritage. He took a deep breath. "Scabrina, there's something I should tell you."

"Tell me what, daddy?" Scabrina asked him, looking up at him.

Slasher has been prepared for this talk as he began. "It's… well, you know how my side of the family are werewolves. And that your sister's a werewolf and I know that you're probably expecting-"

"Oh, we're talking about that?" Scabrina asked him. "Don't worry, I already know that I won't be a werewolf because you and mom aren't my biological parental unit."

Slasher and Skara paused for the moment. "Wait, what?!" Slasher exclaimed in shock as Skara shares the same expression.

"You… knew?!" Skara said in shock. "When did you know?"

"I've known about it for a long while," Scabrina said. "I mean, I compared dad's and your fur with my hair, checking the DNA results, so I've known that I was adopted for a long time."

"DNA test… Scabrina, how come you never told us that you knew?" Slasher asked her.

"I figured that we'd have this kind of talk at some point, just didn't think it would be this soon," Scabrina said. "But besides the point, you guys have been my family all my life, and nothing's changed. You're my real dad and you always will be."

Slasher looked at his little girl and he smiled. He felt touched that even though Scabrina knew that he and Calypso weren't her birth parents, she still considered them hers. "Thank you, pumpkin," he said as they hugged.

Skara smiled at this before looking at her mom, sighing as she wished that she could be awake for this moment.

After that, the three left the room together. "Come on, let's go find something to eat here," Slasher told his daughters.

"Aw shit, that hurts!"

The Brookes found that in front of them were the Violet Dragons, who were all bandaged up. "Those cats really did a number on us," spoke the leader as he turned to the Brookes. "What? What are you all looking at?!"

"Hey boss, ain't that Slasher Brooke?" one of the goons pointed out.

"Yeah, the Bard record producer who turned out to be a werewolf," another replied, making Slasher nervous.

"Oh ain't this our luck," the leader said, giving a smirk. "And it looks like he brought his pups!"

"Hey, we're allowed to be here, we have as much of a right as everyone else," Slasher said, getting Skara and Scabrina behind him.

"Oh yeah? Then we'll see about that!" the leader said while he and his goons walked up to the Brookes.

"Hey!" spoke up Napoli, who appeared with Tito just in time. "You better not bother the Brookes if you know what's good for you."

"Huh? And who are you supposed to be, ya nerd?" The leader asked, seeing the slouching Bard Head in front of him.

"That's Head Witch of Bard, Napoli McGrady III, to you," Napoli told him. "And you better back off from Head Witch Calypso Brooke's family or you'll be answering to me."

The Violet Dragons looked at each other, then at Napoli. They burst into laughter. "HAHAHA! Answer to you? Some skinny nerd?!" the leader laughed.

Napoli turned to Tito and nodded at him. "Get some healers for these guys, tell them that I'll pay for whatever damage I cause after showing my mad skills."

"You're the boss," Tito said as he rushed over to find a nurse.

Hearing what Napoli said, the leader stopped laughing. "What? You're getting healers for us?! Okay, forget the lycans, let's pummel this guy!"

"But he's a Coven Head, sir," a goon pointed out.

"Does he look tough though?" the leader asked as he pointed to Napoli, who was getting into a fighting stance. "Let's finish off this overconfident nerd!"

The Brookes looked at Napoli with worry as the Violet Dragons gang charged at him. But what happened next… shocked the Brookes and the Violets.

Napoli saw the first goon coming at him as he sent a palm strike at his stomach. "Do!" he shouted. This caused a rupture effect that caused the goon to fly off from the palm of his hand. Another tried to grab him, but Napoli quickly slipped from his arms. "Rei!" he shouted and delivered a high kick to his face, sending a shockwave to the bigger thug's jaw as he fell down the floor. "Mi!"

As the goons tried to get Napoli, the Bard Head spun around and delivered another kick. "Fah!" he shouted, knocking another goon down. When another goon went after him, he dodged and grabbed the goon, throwing him at another. "SOOO!" he yelled. He swung his fists and back punched the two goons after him. "La! Ti!" he shouted as he looked at the leader, who was shocked by this.

"M-My men!" The Violet leader shouted as he glared at Napoli. "Yaaaah!" he yelled as he was about to throw his fist at him… only for it to get blocked before he was met with a two-knuckle punch.

"Dah," Napoli finished, now surrounded by the knocked out Violet Dragon goons.

The jaws of the entire Brooke family were dropped. "W-What was that…?" Skara asked.

"That was Brad-Kai Do," Slasher said just as Tito returned with the healers.

"I'm only a level eight master of the arts," Napoli revealed, adjusting his glasses as he returned to his usual position. "Told ya I got mad skills."

"Damn, you took these guys out, Bard Head," Tito commented, looking around in awe.

"Hettie's not going to like this," Dr. Pox said as he turned to the other healers. "Get these guys in the stretchers… again."

At a coven station, Bria had been under the scouts' custody since yesterday. As a precaution due to her chimera form, Bria collared and handcuffed. She was being kept in a cell, just like Asi, Bangles and Horace. It was then Larry showed up, calling for Bria.

"Bria Day-Carpenter?" he asked for her as Bria looked up to him. "Your parents are here to see you now."

Bria's eyes lit up as the door to her cell was opened and coming in were her parents. "Mama… daddy?"

"Bria? Is that… you?" Bria's mom asked, shocked to see her daughter in this state and in this form.

"M-Mommy!" Bria cried as she rushed over to hug her parents. She teared up, glad to have finally been reunited with them. And despite their shock over her chimera form… her parents still hugged her back. "I'm sorry! I'm… I'm so sorry!"

"Hey, it's okay, we're here now, Bria," her dad responded as he embraced his daughter. "We're just glad that you're safe."

"We're just glad that this nightmare is over," her mom said as she looked her daughter over. She saw her horns, her tail, and her reptilian skin. "Oh my… my Bria, tell me… does it hurt?" she asked.

Bria sniffed. "It hurts… all of the time," she admitted.

Larry watched the reunion from outside of the cell, sighing in relief. At least one family had been reunited.

"Sir, Mr. Torigore is here to see Asi," a scout told him.

"That's good," Larry responded. "What about the rest?"

"Well, we can't find a hold on um, the parents of the one identified as Horace no last name," the scout said,, "And Bangles Settu's sister didn't want to come."

"I see," Larry said, frowning behind his mask. "Bring Mr. Torigore in to see his son."

Asi was just staring at the floor of his cell, looking absolutely devastated. He then heard someone entering his cell and he looked up to see a witch-man in a purple robe. He was looking at his son in shock.

"Dad…?" Asi asked, seeing the man before him.

"Asi… oh, my poor son," Mr. Torigore said as he rushed over to hug his son. "Titan, how I've missed you."

"I… I miss you too, dad," Asi responded, tearing up. "And I'm so, so sorry for what I've done to myself. I was… I was so filled with anger since mom died…"

"I know, I know it's alright," he reassured his son. "This isn't your fault, son."

Asi's eyes then widened. "They're… they're gonna kill me," he said as he shook his chains. "Dad, please don't let them kill me!" he shouted in a panic, which concerned his father.

In the main hall, Sunny walked over to Larry, who turned to her. "Ah, Ms. Muse, just want to say thanks for making these arrangements for those chimera kids."

"It's no problem, Larry," Sunny responded. "I'm just filling in for Calypso, but I was more than happy to help these kids however I can. So what is the next step?"

"Well, this is a unique case," Larry admitted. "Because they were all experimented on and turned into chimeras, we're not sure who's more qualified to help them and undo this: a beast-keeper, a healer, or an alchemist."

"Yeah… this is something I've never seen before," Sunny admitted, looking concerned for them.

Larry sighed. "Unfortunately, right now the best we can do is keep them here for observation until we figure out something better," he told Sunny.

Sunny didn't like this. And neither did Larry. But right now there was nothing else they could do.

Meanwhile, back with the anti-heroes, they had finished hitting the last bunker.

"P-Please, have mercy!" the guild member begs while tied up in front of Boils.

"Shit-eaters don't deserve mercy," Boils replied while holding up a steel hammer. "Now… tell me what you know, especially about the Producer."

"I-I can't!" he cried out, trying to struggle against the ropes. "I really can't tell you!"

Boils sighed. "Wrong answer," he said as he brought down the hammer and smashed the Guild member's head, shattering through his skull and brain.

"I think that was the last one," Hunter said while looking around at the dead bodies of the Guild members. "No matter how much we interrogate them, they just won't say anything about the Guild's plans or who the Producer is."

"Well, it isn't like you could bring them in anyway," Marlin pointed out. "They would have probably just been killed or released by Guild members working within the coven system. Not much worth the effort, really."

"But at least we got some files from them," Pierre said as he flew next to Emily after they exited the bunker.

"Good job, you two," Boils said. "You know, Ms. Tricks, if you give me anything you found in these bunkers, I could give you the file that I have on you in return."

Emily considered this. "I am curious about what you have on me…"

Boils held up a file with her name on it. "Everyone's curious to know what dirt others have on them," he said as he and Emily made the trade. "Hope you like what you find, Ms. Tricks."

"Thank you, Detective Boils." Emily replied as Hunter stepped next to her.

"Welp, time to head back to the office," Boils told Marlin and Pierre before he turned to Hunter and Emily. "It was good teaming up with you, Golden Guard and Silver Sentry."

"Yeah, you too, Boils," Hunter responded as he and Emily parted ways with the private eye team.

Meanwhile, in Howard Hatesew's library, Korn and the Cerberus Sisters were looking through the books he had.

"Man, look at all the magazines he's written," Korn commented while reading the articles, "Look at this, sis, says here that he's done research on other demons existing in other realities and the doppelganger theory of meeting someone who is just like you but different in many ways."

"Yes, Hatesew's quite the genius," Cyndi admitted. "His books, poems, and magazines are truly amazing."

"Yeah, but they're not getting us anywhere," Patty complained while grabbing a book with her mouth.

"At least this is better than being chased by a monster," Blondie pointed out.

"Yeah, good that we're catching a break," Korn said while grabbing a book from the shelf, which caused a secret passage behind the shelf to magically appear. Korn and the three-headed sisters noticed the passage, as well as someone coming out. "What the hell?!"

"Grrrrrrgh!" shouted the octopus-headed creature with fiery red eyes, a slimy, black oozing body. Its long tendrils sprouted from its back as it dripped something acidic. "GRAAAAWWRR!"

"AAAAAHH!" Korn and the sisters screamed as they turned around and ran through the library. The octopus-headed creature charged after them, chasing them around the library. "What the hell is that?!"

"I don't know! But it looks like we jinxed it!" Blondie cried out.

"Why does the universe treat us like we're playthings!" Patty cried out as they ran away from the monster.

They split up as the monster paused to choose who to chase after. The creature decided to go after Korn, chasing around the lizard goth teen.

The monster kept chasing Korn from one aisle to another. The monster then ended up chasing after the Ceberus Sisters through another aisle. Then the monster goes through the same aisle alone, looking around until it spotted Korn and the sisters running to another aisle. The monster chased them to that aisle, but then the three came running from different aisles of the library from one section to the next. Korn and the sisters then ran down the middle, with the monster chasing after them.

The octopus-headed creature continued to chase them until they were met with a stop sign.

"Hold it right there!" shouted Korn, who was dressed like a librarian, his sisters hiding underneath the robe as a hunch. "You young man have some overdue library books!"

"Groah?" the monster asked in confusion.

"Don't groan at me! Now I'm sorry to say, but we're revoking your library card!" Korn declared.

"Groahoho!" the monster begged for Korn to not do it.

"Oh? You want a second chance? Well then I need you to write a million word essay about why it's horrible to have an overdue library book! Do it, and we might consider not revoking your card," Korn said while handing him a notebook and pen.

The monster grabbed the notebook and pen while looking around for a place to sit until the Cerberus Sisters, dressed as a librarian, pulled up a chair at a table for them to sit at. The monster complied. "Grayoo…"

"No problem, just remember to sit there until you've completed your essay," Blondie said as they walked away to leave the monster alone.

The monster kept thinking about what to write on the notebook. It wrote down something but then it ripped the page out and crumbled it up. The monster was so focused on the notebook, it didn't realize that Korn and the sisters had started to sneak away until the monster turned around and noticed them out of disguise. "GRAAOWL!" it shouted, knocking the chair and table over and continuing to chase after them.

"Run!" Korn cried out as he and his sisters ran out of the library. By the time that the monster also left the library, they were gone.

"GRRRROOOWWWGH!" the monster screamed in rage.

Meanwhile, at the orphanage, Boils walked up the front steps and knocked on the door. Answering it was Eda.

"Boils, this is a surprise," Eda said. "What brings you here to this neck of the woods?"

"Morning, Eda," Boils responded with a nod. "I'm just stopping by to let you know what Ms. Tricks and her golden partner have been up to."

Eda raised an eyebrow. "What do you mean?"

"Well, they, with some assistance from me and the boys, have been hitting every bunker and safehouse the Tarot Guild has," he revealed, which surprised Eda. "So I thought I would let you know that she's been targeting the Tarot Guild. Though, I can't be sure if your family is safe from her. I just know that you're not her top priority for now."

"Huh, I did have a feeling there was more to her going back to the Emperor's Coven," Eda admitted. "But hearing that she is working with Hunter is surprising. Reassuring, but surprising." She sighed while looking at Boils. "Does this mean the Tarot Guild's done for good?"

"Well, there might still be a few stragglers, but I feel comfortable saying that for the most part the organization has been wiped out and the survivors, including the ones in the covens, will be forced to stay pretty quiet," Boils admitted.

Eda nodded. "Thank you, Boils, really, you've done a service for everyone in the Isles," she thanked him.

"Nah, I just hate child-trafficking bastards," Boils responded humbly as he turned and started to walk away. "Have a good day, Owl Lady."

"But I do wonder, though," Eda said, getting Boils to pause. "What will Emily do now?"

Boils turned and smiled at Eda. "Oh, I'm sure she is asking herself the same question right about now…"

Back in her room at the castle, Emily had been looking over her file and at the information Boils had gotten about her. A lot of it was stuff she already knew, like her school history. But then she got to the information Boils had about her life before she was found by the Tarot Guild… and about her parents.

Emily dropped the file to the ground, spilling out its contents. Pretty saw this and looked up at Emily in concern. Whatever the illusionist girl had just read… it made her break into tears.

Emily sat down on her bed, Pretty attempting to comfort her while Emily let herself cry.

As for her revenge board, she had added something else to it. Something that wasn't there before. A wanted poster… for the Grim Goblin.

Back at the Shystreams, Cross stepped out of the door.

"Thanks for checking up on us, Cross," Lindsay said as she gave him a hug. "Tell Zee I said hi."

"I will," Cross replied before he looked at Hendrick. "Hendrick, good luck in finding a coven to join."

"Thanks, Criss-Cross Applesauce," Hendrick told him. "And I'm sure I'll be able to find a coven soon."

"You will," Colt told him sternly, making his eldest son nervous.

"It was nice to have you, Cross," Bloom said to him. "Take care of yourself."

"I will, Mrs. Shystream," Cross said with a nod as he walked out of the house while waving to the family. "See ya!"

"Later!" Lindsay said as she waved at him back, giving him a smile.

As Cross made his leave, he decided to go on a brief walk before getting on his staff. He turned to his phoenix Palisman, who sat on his shoulder. "You know, Elio, maybe things will be okay."

"Psst, Cross!"

Cross paused, looking around after hearing his name being called.

"Over here!" the voice shouted and Cross turned to a bush, seeing a hand stick out and wave to him. Cross turned to Elio, sharing a look before he narrowed his eyes at the bushes and cautiously approached.

"Whoever you are, you better not cause any-" Cross started to say before someone pops up from the bushes, causing Cross's eyes to widen in shock. "No way… it's you!" he said, shocked to see someone he knew too well.

"Cross… I need your help," spoke Teri Oscorne, giving Cross a worried look.

Meanwhile, in a part of the forest, Luz was walking somewhere while on a crow call with Felicia.

"This is where he wanted me to meet him?" Luz asked through the crow as she looked around.

"Yes, and he really wanted to meet you, Luz," Felicia's voice said through the crow. "Thorax said it was important."

"Well, where is he?" Luz asked.

"Over here," said a voice.

Luz turned around and saw the biped bee coming out from the bushes. He wore a green hoodie and black pants while he walked towards her. "Luz Clawthorne, human-witch daughter of Eda the Owl Lady, nice to finally officially meet you."

"I think I see him," Luz said before hanging up on the crow. "So you're Thorax?" she asked, crossing her arms.

"Thorax is an alias, most know me as Beel Zatar, one of the top three Plant students of St. Epiderm," he introduced himself.

"Top student, eh?" Luz asked. "So what's your deal?"

"I collect intel about what really goes on in the Isles," Beel explained. "I've been one of Felicia's info brokers and I have been meaning to meet you, especially with how you've made a name for yourself in the Isles, like with the Emily Tricks feud."

"Yeah, don't remind me," Luz commented with a mutter. "Busted her ass out for nothing…"

"Something tells me that you may have something to do with her return, right?" Beel asked. "Cause I have suspected that the Mel situation was a false flag to justify the shutdown in the Isles, just to make us scared and more subservient to Belos."

"False flag…? No, Mel is just some crazy goddess," Luz said, wondering what this bee guy was about. "What is it that you need me here for?"

"You and I both have a mutual friend in Felicia… and a mutual enemy," Beel declared. "And her name is… Terra Snapdragon."

"Really? You want me to meet you to talk about that crusty old %^?" Luz questioned.

'This guy's obviously off his rocker, Luz,' Maya told her. 'He's probably nothing but trouble.'

"Look, I don't want to do anything about that crazy plant witch, and you're already giving me crackpot vibes…" Luz mentioned, taking Maya's advice. She started to turn away.

"Actually, the reason why I wanted to see you… is because I know where Perry Porter is," Beel revealed, causing Luz to pause.

"What?" Luz asked, turning to the bee biped.

Beel smiled. "Now do I have your attention?"

Luz nodded. "Tell me everything."

The song used for the Tarot Guild slaughter is "Your Moving out Today" by Carole Bayer Sager.

To those wondering, this chapter is almost breather chapter after the chaotic Saturday our heroes have. This was meant tot mainly explore the aftermath of the previous chapters before we moved to the final battles with the Grim Goblin, Terra Snapdragon, and eventually, the Inner Demon, because things are going to be a very crazy Sunday from there.

Napoli being shown to be a prodigy of Bard-Kai Do is something I've thought of would be interesting of his character. Like, taking inspiration of Jim Hawkins from the 1988 Russian Treasure Planet movie, along with Bruce Lee. Showing the counterpart of Harold does have some legit mad skills.

As for Emily, well you know the scene with her and Kay in the "Coming Off a Little Shystream" chapter? That part actually completely changed our plans for Emily again, because we realized that Emily would just go back to being a villain wanting revenge on Eda and Luz, as the scene would meant nothing despite the impact it had on Emily in the chapter. So we thought it would be more interesting if Emily wanting revenge on Eda and Luz were just an act. Her wanting revenge on the Tarot Guild was always going to be a motivation of hers, but we decided to make it her main motivation to keep her character development intact.

Originally, it was going to be just Emily and Hunter going after each Tarot Guild locations. But then we included Boils and his boys, Marlin Maniac and Pierre, because Boils has been looking into the Tarot Guild case also and it would be fitting to have him join in the fun to taking down and wiping out the entire Tarot Guild once and for all. We wanted to give Boils some pay-off to his investigation.

And the part with him giving Emily her file… yeah, there's going to be some consequences.

As for the scenes with Nina, we decided that it would be more interesting if at this point Nina decided to get over her feelings for Donna, especially when she realizes that the idea of Donna that she was in love with was not the Donna that she knows now and that Lambi is actually the ideal version that she wanted Donna to be. And this gives Donna's negative actions more weight because they have consequences rather than being easily forgotten or forgiven. She hurt Nina and for the moment she's lost Nina. Because despite how cute of a couple they would be (as the fan art has proven), the just wouldn't work as a healthy couple right now.

Lambi is meant to be a subversion of the romantic false lead. To those who don't know, it is when there's a character brought in to be a decoy love interest to get in between the official couple. Like Liz Allen to Peter/Gwen in Spectacular Spider-Man, Jackie Lynn Thomas, Vixen in Justice League Unlimited, etc. Lambi seems to be the romantic false lead with Donna and Nina being the obvious 'childhood friends to lovers' endgame couple. But in the end, Nina chooses Lambi.

(Man, I'm starting to see the parallel between the Nina/Lambi/Donna triangle with the Jon/Vixen/Shayera triangle).

Now for the reviews:

BlueKnight-X2: She did.

Spantidem7: Okay, a lot of questions so breaking them down:

-The Requests: 1) No since Emily's not targeting them. 2) No. 3) No. 4) Soon. 5) No, they didn't.

-Proposal: We've already decided on the Inner Demon's fate, so that won't be necessary.

-The OCs: Not really that interesting.

Crash X Fusion: Well, actually as you've read, Emily isn't on the warpath revenge on Luz, but to the Tarot Guild. The trust issues with Donna having with Cross and Lindsay is resolved. And glad you like Zee's dragon form.

OMAC001: Yes, and working against the 'Producer'.

Franco Almiron: 1) No, the Draining Spell is still part of Belo's plan, since well, he is still evil. 2) More like, she's got another kind of magic. The Tarot Guild aren't involved about her newfound abilities, just that it's just interesting to have Emily unlocking her own powers that surpassed the sigil.

Matteso585: 1) A distant past.

Ultimate-drax: Well, guess you'd be surprised to see the subversion.

61394: Good theory.

Xndelongchamps: Good analogy.

Shuffollower: Star and Tom when meeting again after all the time, it's not really that appropriate or necessary to have them fight each other since, well, they don't see themselves as enemies. Tom did mentioned that Star helped opened his eyes about the prejudice Mewni has.

Gl1ck: 1) Um, do you mean that they're not aware that Skabrina knew who her birth mom is? The Brookes are aware that she is Scandalyn's daughter, just that they don't know that Scabrina knew.

2) Yes.

3) Nope.

4) Maybe.

5) Not at first.

6) Maybe.

EenE Scammer: Is he Weird Al's counterpart in that realm?

Yes.

How did Lindsay, Andrea, Tabrella, Jackie, and Tracy encounter Discord?

Discord likes meeting Fluttershy variants.

Are those five witch counterparts of the Mane Six or alternate versions of the Mane Six themselves as witches?

The former.

If there's a witch version of Twilight, is there one of Sunset Shimmer?

Maybe.

Is there a demon version of Spike?

Yes.

If Zee's a water dragon, is she immune to the Boiling Sea?

It was never established that Zee is a water dragon.

Best estimate, how long is it looking before Nicole loses her soul to the Baron?

No spoilers.

If Ollie knows about the Foretellers, is he one of them, a former ally, or a fanboy?

No spoilers.

Is Beel related to Terra, because they do have a similar hair color; is she a relative several times removed?

No.

If Soos has a witch counterpart, does the rest of the Mystery Shack gang have their own?

Yes.

Is Amity's stay at Geist's bar going to become a permanent one for the remainder of the book?

No spoilers.

Is Terra and Sonya from Oz?

...no. Why do you think that?

And with her major importance and connections to Emily and Cross, how has Lindsay not become a main character too, or will she become one in the next book depending on how things go?

She's just a supporting character.