Chapter 11: The Last Hope
At the Celestial Clock, the Villains were anxiously waiting for it to strike at zero. "The clock is only hours away from finishing its countdown to the Final Battle between good and evil," the Overlord said eagerly.
Tirek then noticed the sullen expression on Garmadon's face. "This is the moment you've been waiting for millennia, Garmadon," he said as the other villains turned to him. "I would've expected you to elated by this."
"Yeah, but you've been all mopey since yesterday. Why so sad?" the Storm King asked as Garmadon was startled and turned to them.
"What? Me? Sad? Ha! Nonsense," he laughed. "I couldn't be happier. It's just..." He then frowned and glanced away.
The villains all knew what he was thinking about "Lloyd?" they all asked in unison.
"I still have to battle my son in order to transform Equestria into my image," Garmadon reminded them in a sad tone.
"Battle and defeat, if evil is to prevail," the Overlord sternly reminded him.
Garmadon just looked at the Helmet's perch where he took it before he turned and walked away from the group.
Chrysalis looked at the others and just gave them a stern look. "Why don't we cut him some slack?" she suggested. "It's not going to be easy, fighting somecreature of your own blood."
Nightmare Moon however raised a brow at that. "And how would you know?" She asked Chrysalis. "Do you have a spawn of your own blood?"
Chrysalis looked surprised but sighed. "Yes," she admitted. "My original heir to the throne of my Hive... Princess Ocellus."
"Order up! Coconut cream pie! Served well done!" Trail shouted as he readied his Elemental Blade. A coconut was flung into the air as he shot a fireball with a direct hit to it. The Ninja, along with the Mane and Young Six, were wearing some beach wear as they were having fun with their newfound elemental and magical powers.
"Nice shot!" Smolder cheered.
"It's good to have our powers back!" Frost said.
"And the powers we have feels so awesome!" Rainbow Dash posted as she used her new horn to use rainbow lasers to fire a few flung coconuts. "Alicorn magic is so awesome! I'm like 20,000% cooler than I was before!"
"When we get home, my "Hooray-we-defeated-evil-and-became-alicorns party" is gonna go off," Pinkie started before Applejack launched another coconut fired into the air and she smirked, "with a BANG!" She finished blasting the coconut.
"I can certainly say, dears, that our victory will be coming in full," Gaia started before she saw Applejack kicked the next coconut and fired a blast of plants at it, "BLOOM!" she quipped.
Thunder laughed. "Yup, you're right. And since we've all been working on our witty quips to follow every cool thing we do, I'd say we got this Final Battle in the bag. Or should I say…" He signals Applejack to launch another coconut. And then she gives it a good buck, launching it into the air, "... I'd be SHOCKED if we lose!" he said, blasting the coconut as they all laughed.
"Enough!" Wu shouted as he, Celestia, and Luna approached them. "Are you trying to reveal our hidden location?"
"We know that you're excited to have your elemental powers back." Celestia told the Ninja before she looked at the Mane and Young Six. "And the powers you have attained are enjoyable, but that's no excuse to be goofing off."
"Uh, sorry," Flash spoke up as a rubbed the back of his head. "We were just practicing our cool new Elemental Blades and magical powers."
"And our witty quips," Thunder quickly added.
"Be wary of overconfidence, young ones," Luna warned. "While it is true your powers can defeat the Samu-Taurs and Darklings, only Lloyd alone has the power to defeat Garmadon."
"And do not forget that he has five villains and the Overlord to support him," Wu added. "When it is all over, then we will see who laughs last."
"Yes Sensei," They all said. The three then turn back to the Bounty where more vehicles were being prepared and Dr. Gear is repairing the Falcon while Lloyd, Cozy, and the CMCs watched.
"Every cog, every gear is important," she told them as she placed a cog in the Falcon and it reactivated. "If one piece is missing, or out of place, the invention won't work." She then closed the Falcon's front. "Come now, little one. Time to fly." The Falcon then took off into the sky as Sensei Wu and the sisters approached them.
"It is like you Ninja," Wu said. "You each serve very important roles,"
"No one part is more important than the others," Celestia continued.
"Alone you are nothing, but together, and you are all key parts to a magnificent fighting force," Luna finished as Applejack spotted the Falcon in the sky.
"Eat these apples, dirtbag!" she shouted as she blasted a beam at the Falcon, thinking it was a coconut. Frost let out a gasp as he nudged her aside and quickly used his Elemental Blade to freeze the blast before it could hit the Falcon.
"That is not a coconut!" he told her.
"Sorry, and very nice reflexes," Applejack complimented as the Falcon landed on Frost's hoof.
"Good to have you back, old friend." Frost told his Falcon as it took flight again.
"If we're all gears, what if I'm the gear that doesn't work?" Lloyd worried. "What if I don't do my part? What if I can't defeat my father?" he looked down.
Scorpan then stepped forward. "And what if there are no more 'What-ifs'?" he asked, placing a paw on Lloyd's shoulder. "The Final Battle is almost upon us. When that time comes, we will know the answer to what ifs whether we like it or not."
"I know you don't want to face your father, but there is no other choice," Cozy said as she stepped up to him.
"But perhaps there is," Misako countered as she and Hope stepped forward with the latter holding a scroll in her magic. "I used to think it was inevitable, but then Radiant Hope and I found this."
"You mean, maybe Lloyd doesn't have to fight?" Landrush asked as he and the others work coming up the hill. "This I gotta hear."
Misako then unraveled the scroll and it showed a terrifying image of the Samu-Taurs and Darklings on it with a countdown clock, its hands reaching towards a skull-and-crossbones symbol.
"The scrolls say that when the Keys of Darkness are bequeathed to their rightful wielders, the Celestial Clock will count down to the activation of an unspeakable weapon," Radiant told them. "The first sign that the Final Battle between good and evil has begun."
"Did you just say 'unspeakable weapon'?" Twilight asked in a worried tone.
"Uh, I'm still stuck on what 'bequeathed' means," Thunder said.
"Go on, Hope. Don't let us interrupt you, please," Rarity said as they walked up to the table.
"Yeah, how do we stop the Final Battle?" Flash asked.
"Well… it's uncertain, but there is nothing here that says what would happen if the Keys are returned," Hope told them as they were able to guess what she was getting at.
"Interesting," Wu spoke up with interest. "Remove the Keys, the clock starts. Put them back, the clock stops."
"And the Final Battle never starts," Ocellus finished.
"Bequeathed, anycreature?" Thunder asked, still frowning, "Is anybody gonna help me out with that?"
"It means 'given to somepony'," Twilight told him with a roll of her eyes.
"That sounds great and all, and I know we have our new powers, but you expect us to get past their whole army of Samu-Taurs and Darklings, and take their toys away?" Trail asked, making it sound more difficult than it needs to be.
"My brother's right," Aqua told both Misako and Hope. "They're good, but they're not that good."
"I know. And that is why I am going to take Garmadon's Helmet. I'll just need a little help in getting the others Keys," Misako told her.
"I'll handle getting Tirek's Armor," Scorpan volunteered.
"I'll come with you," Hope volunteered. "At least it'll still give me time with Sombra and hopefully take his Key. With the three of us, we should retrieve all six Keys and stop the countdown."
They all then gathered in a group huddle before Wu stopped Lloyd from joining in.
"I'm sorry, Lloyd," the old stallion apologized, "This mission isn't for you."
"But I'm all powered up, I can help," Lloyd argued.
"Wu is right, Lloyd. We mustn't let you and your father come face to face yet," Celestia told him. "We're trying to prevent the Final Battle, not welcome it."
Lloyd sighed, knowing that fighting his father was the last thing he wanted, and any chance to prevent that was too important. "Yes, Celestia," he sighed sadly.
Back at the Villains camp, Kozu and his lieutenant were showing their masters their new vehicles. "To combat your enemies' new power, we have honored your request to step up defenses," he gestured to the vehicles.
"They won't sneak in here again," the lieutenant assured.
"Ha-ha, excellent!" Sombra said slapping their backs. "Now, this is more like it."
As he and the other walked over to inspect the vehicles, the Storm King could not help but admire his own design. "I'm loving what I'm seeing!" he remarked as they looked at each vehicle. "I especially love the one that looks like a mammoth."
"Why build your forces, when all your attention should be on completing the Ultimate Weapon?" the Overlord asked when he floated above the vehicles.
"Don't ask us. Ask him," Nightmare Moon told him as she pointed to Garmadon.
"What good is an Ultimate Weapon, if we're not around to use it?" Garmadon asked as he turned his back to the Overlord and crossed his forelegs. "Do not question my motives!"
The Overlord then circled around Garmadon in suspicion,"It is not your motives I question but your resolve," He told him, "I fear you're hesitating as the hours count down to facing your son." Garmadon simply grunted and looked away from the ball of gas. "So it is true."
"Never doubt my evil again!" Garmadon shouted at the Overlord with rage. "Not if you wish to remain as our ally when we rule!" He then turned to some Samu-Taurs and Darklings looking at them. "Get back to building the Ultimate Weapon! Do not stop until it is complete!" Fearful of his rage, they all quickly got back to work on the Ultimate Weapon, bumping into each other as they ran around frantically.
He then whipped around to the five Villains as they flinched. "And you lot! Do something useful and keep a look out for the Ninja!" he ordered. The five Villains looked shocked that he was ordering them around before they heard the Overlord chuckling.
"Yes… now there is the Garmadon I am counting on," the Overlord said with delight while the other five villains looked at Garmadon with annoyance.
Meanwhile outside the Camp's gate, twelve Samu-Taurs were taking Misako, Radiant Hope, and Scorpan prisoner. Unaware to the soldiers watching the group approach, those twelve warriors were really the Ninja and the Mane Six in disguise what the help of the Shift Stones that Discord gave them when they traveled back in time, and surprisingly still had them when they were turned to the present.
"Where did you get these stones anyway?" Rainbow asked the Ninja.
The Ninja glanced at each other and then turned to a tree, swearing they saw Discord's eyes glaring at them. "Umm… trade secret?" Thunder answered sheepishly.
The girls shrugged and kept on walking to the gate. Once they were close, a disguised Thunder beat on the gate with his spear before it was being raised up by a few Samu-Taurs pulling on chains.
"Let us go, you creatures of darkness!" Scorpan demanded as he acted like they were really Samu-Taurs.
"We won't tell you anything!" Hope added as Fluttershy jumped from the gate closing behind her.
Kozu and his lieutenant approached, speaking on their native tongue as the twelve raised brows of confusion.
"What did they just say?" Landrush whispered to the others.
"I think it's an ancient language, because even I don't know what they just said," Twilight whispered.
"Well, somepony say something or they're going to get suspicious." Flash whispered as they thought of something to say. "Jew-jew-cala!" he said.
Landrush decided to play along. "Bada-bada bing-bong!"
"Kikiwaka! Kikiwaka!" Twilight joined in.
"Boom boom, bing-bang!" Applejack shouted.
"Cheep, cheep, tita-ta-ta!" Trail recited.
"Moolo-gula-gula!" Rainbow chimed in.
"Boo-loo, boo-loo!" Rarity exclaimed.
"Ity-ity-ity, wappa!" Gaia shouted.
"Tick-tock, tick-tock!" Frost said.
"Polly Wock Polly!" Fluttershy shouted.
"Eek, eek, eek! Mook, mook!" Pinkie Pie shouted.
"Bequeath, bequeath, bequeath!" Thunder shouted while doing a bit of an odd dance before he noticed the two Samu-Taurs glancing at him in confusion. He quickly stood back at attention and remained quiet.
Misako then took over. "That's right, you caught us. But we'll never tell you where our base is," She said as she looked Kozu in the eye. "And you won't hear another peep from me unless you take us to your leaders!"
Kozu growled frighteningly at her as he and his lieutenant took her, Scorpan and Hope away while the Ninja and Mane Six explored the area, hoping to not draw any attention.
Garmadon was resting in his tent before the other five villains came in. "I said that I was not to be disturbed!" he shouted at them.
"Apologies for the interruption Garmadon," Chrysalis said, "But we have a prisoner who knows the location of our enemies' base, and I think you know her."
Garmadon sat and then as the villains moved to the side, he saw a ghost from the past. A beautiful ghost from the past.
"M-Misako!" Garmadon said with shock. "You're…you're alive?!"
"It's been a while, my love," Misako said with a smile.
"Must feel strange to have somepony you never seen in a long ti-" Sombra said before he caught a glance of Hope, "…you…" He breathed out.
"Hello, old friend," Hope bowed her head.
Tirek then noticed the third creature. "Scorpan," he remarked with little emotion in his voice.
"It's so good to see you again, brother," Scorpan said with a smile on his face. "Have… you been working out?"
"Yes. Special regiment, courtesy of the Overlord," Tirek said curtly, crossing his arms.
The other villains glanced at the three, having never encountered such reunions. "Awkward…" the Storm King commented.
Garmadon then shook his head and cleared his throat. "Release them," he ordered. "They're in our territory now, so they'd be fools to try and pull something now."
"As you wish," Nightmare Moon answered, cutting their ropes as they all left, Sombra with Hope and Tirek with Scorpan.
Misako then approached Garmadon who looked up a bit nervous to see his long-lost wife approach him. "Take off that silly helmet. Let me get a good look at you," she said as she reached for the Helmet.
Garmadon gently batted her hooves away from her. "If you don't mind, I'd rather not," he said as he tilted Misako's chin upwards. "I've missed you, my love." As he gave her a gentle kiss, Misako was hesitant at first but she soon returned it.
At his own hut, Sombra was face-to-face with Radiant Hope. "How about a hug, for old times' sake, Sombra?" Hope suggested, causing Sombra to blush madly. "And how about you put down that sword so you can hug me properly?"
Sombra cleared his throat looked at her without emotion. "What do you want, Hope?" he asked.
"I wanted to talk to you," she admitted. "I really missed you." Little did either of them know that Nightmare Moon was watching them from the shadows. "We used to be such good friends before you let the darkness inside of you take hold and you did to Princess Amore..." The memory of that night was horrible for Hope to bear, so she decided to change the subject. "Remember when you first saw Princess Luna, you admitted that you had a crush on her?"
Sombra merely glared. "Only for her to reject me. Why bring that up now?" he growled, but Hope showed no fear.
"You were a colt back then." she reminded him as Nightmare Moon blushed a little as she remembered that day. "You even told her that at night you always look up at our night sky and saw the wonder and beauty that it had." Sombra blushed harder and looked away.
"A-As you said, I was only a colt back then." He retorted. "The past is the past."
Hope then placed a hoof on his shoulder and smiled. "And the Future is the Future."
Sombra glanced back at her smile.
In Tirek's hut, both he and his brother did not know what they were going to say to each other, considering they had not seen each other in a millennium. "So… how's the kingdom been, Scorpan?" Tirek asked his brother.
"It's been fine," Scorpan answered. "It's been a bit dull, from time to time." Awkwardness filled the air as they both did not know what to say or do. "Mother was heartbroken when I told her what happened to you," he said sadly.
Tirek flinched at the mention of their mother, but his expression turned back to null. "And our father? What did the great Vorak have to say?" he asked.
"He... To tell the truth, he was shocked that you used your magic the way you did," Scorpan answered with a tone that was sadder than before. "Even after you fought beside him in the Great War long ago, I guess he had… high hopes for you."
Tirek looked angry. "'High hopes'? 'HIGH HOPES'!?" he roared. "Nothing I did could ever impress him! In his eyes, I was always second fiddle to you, his favorite!"
Scorpan frowned as he shook his head sadly. "Father loved you more than you could imagine, brother. He loved you so much that he had to step down as King because he felt unworthy to lead anymore."
"How about this?" Frost asked the others as they were waiting for Misako, Scorpan, and Hope. "It's 'ice' to see you."
"Uh, I don't know," Thunder said in a unsured tone. "I feel like you could do better."
"I swear I've heard that before," Pinkie Pie commented.
"Ugh! I feel like a trampling Buffalo in this body!" Rarity whined.
"We just need to keep this up until Scorpan, Hope, and Misako get the Keys," Gaia told her as General Kozu came up to them and pointed to the worksite.
"Uh, what did he say?" Rainbow asked.
"I think he's telling us to get to work," Twilight guessed.
General Kozu pointed to the construction site and roared at them in their native tongue. The way he roared scared them and made them jump. Applejack accidentally bumped Thunder and he fell and stubbed Frost's two hooves that made him hop on the other two.
"Bequeath! Bequeath!" Thunder squeaked as he and the others hopped like Frost did.
"Polly wock!" Fluttershy added.
"Tick-tock!" Frost shouted as they all made strange noises as they humped on only two hooves to the construction site.
Back in Garmadon's tent, Garmadon circled around his wife. "So… you've been alive this whole time. And you chose not to tell me?" he questioned sounding offended. "But not only that, but you also know where our son is hiding, and I suspect you won't give him up that easily."
He then pointed a sword at her. "I know you too well, Misako. Why did you, Hope and Scorpan allow yourselves to get caught?" He questioned.
"Because Scorpan wanted to talk to his brother and Hope wanted to see her old friend once more," Misako told him. "And because I know you don't want to fight as much as Lloyd doesn't want to fight."
"Lloyd doesn't want to fight?" Garmadon asked in surprise before he quickly shook it off. "Uh, I mean, so Lloyd doesn't want to fight?" he exclaimed before he let out an evil chuckle.
Misako was unnerved by the laugh and pressed on, "If you're still the stallion who stole my heart, I know you would never want to see him harmed," she said.
"But it is foretold. It is our destiny," Garmadon reminded her as she looked at him with heart break, "I don't care about him. I only care about turning Equestria into my own image!"
"Then you're not the stallion I married," Misako said with a sad look before she turned to leave. "I should go to your dungeon."
"No!" Garmadon halted her. "Don't leave me, not again."
Misako turned to him as he took off his Helmet. "Misako, I may look different, and evil may now course through my veins, but I am still the same stallion standing before you." He placed his sword on the table and put the Helmet on a perch. He then walked over to Misako. "I want you to rule by my side, as my queen."
Meanwhile the Ninja and Mane Six were carrying crates of Dark Matter. "Aw, man! No matter how many bad situations we get ourselves out of, we never seen to be able to escape chores!" Thunder complained.
"What exactly is this gunk, anyway?" Rainbow Dash asked as she looked at the barrel of Dark Matter she was pushing.
"I don't know, but it's filled with so much dark magic that it's sending chills down my spine," Twilight said as she let out a shiver.
"So, in other words: Don't touch!" Flash said as he looked ahead of them. "Whoa, what is that?"
"It must be the unspeakable weapon Radiant Hope was talking about," Frost theorized.
"It sure looks massive," Trail said as they walked closer.
Then Landrush noticed something. "Hey look guys an elevator, sweet!" he said as he walked up to only for Kozu to block him. Kozu then spoke in his native tongue telling him that he is not allowed to use the elevator. "Ah. Relax, relax. Forget it." He and the others started to climb up the ramp to the top until. "Sheesh. What is wrong with these guys?" They soon saw a ginormous cannon as they continue their way up.
"I don't know about any of you, but that just looked like some sort of massive cannon." Trail pointed out.
"Oh... my..." Fluttershy whisper with worry when she saw the cannon.
"What do you suppose it's for?" Frost asked.
"Oh, I don't know," Gaia said sarcastically. "Perhaps it's to destroy us?!"
"No, I think whatever this stuff is, it powers that weapon," Twilight countered, "so it may not have any destructive power."
"Well, let's hope we don't have to find out," Flash whispered as a fore-Darkling came up to them.
"Move faster!" he ordered. "The master wants his Weapon complete by noon!" He then bonked Applejack on the head with his spear.
"Hey, why don't ya bonk somepony your own size, half-stack?!" she shouted at the fore-Darkling.
"You don't tell me what to do, you-"
**A quick word from the writer and his co-writer.
What he calls Applejack will be really insulting and illegal to any women out there. To assuage any sensitivities, we're going to skip to the part where she kicks him off.
Thank you.
The fore-Darkling screamed when Applejack bucked him off and he fell into a barrel.
Everyone looked up while Applejack dusted herself off. "Geez AJ!" Landrush exclaimed.
"What?! He had it coming after what he called me!" Applejack retorted. "Besides, you girls would have done the same if he called you then."
"Well, you just blew our cover by doing that," Twilight pointed out.
"Eh, we lasted this long anyway," Flash just shrugged.
They soon dropped their disguise as the Samu-Taurs and Darklings attacked them. The Ninja readied their Elemental Blades as the enemy charged towards them. "At least we get to break the ice!" Frost quipped as he threw the ramp coming up, causing the Samu-Taurs to slide all the way back down.
"Ha-ha! Nice one, Frost!" Trail complimented.
"Yeah, 'color' me, impressed!" Rainbow quipped as she blasted some Darklings away.
"Ha-ha, now you're cooking with gas!" Thunder laughed before he noticed some Samu-Taur coming up on the Elevator. "Or should I say, electricity!" he quipped, zapping the Samu-Taurs and sending the Elevator down. "Going down?"
"Save some lines for us, Thunder," Landrush told him. "I wouldn't want us to bowl over the competition." He grabbed a nearby rope and ran and swung on it at some Samu-Taurs. They dodged him but he came back around. "Oh, this is bad! This is really, really-" He crashed into some barrels. "Bad."
Flash shook his head. "Maybe focus less on puns and more on fighting!" he said as he blew away some more soldiers.
"He's right!" Twilight shouted as she blasted a few back. "Let's get Scorpan, Hope, and Misako and get out of here!"
"NINJA, GO!" The sixth Ninja did Spinjitzu as they fought their way through.
Meanwhile back at Sombra's tent Sombra had put away his sword as Hope slowly went for it while he was not looking. "You know, I only gave into the darkness because I was afraid that I was going to lose you," Sombra admitted as Hope was about to grab the Sword. "The Umbrum really have words of persuasion."
"The what?" Nightmare Moon said as she appeared before them, Hope quickly backing off from the Sword.
"My birth race. Creatures of darkness that trapped underneath the Crystal Empire unless the balance has been broken," Sombra explained as Hope reached for the Sword again.
"'Creatures of darkness'?" Nightmare Moon said with interest as she put down her Key of Darkness. "Do you think the Overlord might know something about them, my lover of my nights?"
"Y-you heard that?" Sombra exclaimed as Hope managed to snatched the Sword and Nightmare Moon's Glaive as the alarm blared and she ran out. The two turned and realized their Keys were gone!
"My Glaive!" Nightmare Moon exclaimed.
"My Sword!" Sombra yelled before glaring. "…Hope!"
"If you had a second chance, would you do everything different?" Scorpan asked his brother. Tirek just let out a sigh before he removed his Key of Darkness and stretched his arms.
"Perhaps, but know I've always wanted what's best for our kingdom." Tirek said as Scorpan moved towards the Armor.
"Even if it meant that you destroy a trust of another kingdom after fighting alongside it?" Scorpan asked as the Storm King walked in.
"Hey, you two!" he shouted as put his Key of Darkness down. "I just have something ask you both…" The Storm King appeared to have a menacing look on his face… before turning to one of curiosity. "How old are you guys, anyway? I mean, which of you's the big bro and the baby bro? I never really got the whole dynamic between you guys."
As Scorpan grabbed the Armor and reached for the Staff, Tirek answered. "Well, I am at least a thousand years old, and Scorpan is-" He was interrupted by the alarms as Scorpan grabbed the Staff and ran out.
"Hey! That's mine!" the Storm King yelled.
Tirek growled venomously. "Ever the cowardly Gargoyle, aren't you, brother?!"
In Garmadon's hut, he let out a sigh while his back was towards Misako. "Misako, I'm glad you finally understand me," he said as she quietly went for the Helmet. "Not many creatures do, you see."
Misako continues to tip-toe towards the helmet but stops as she heard Garmadon sigh. "Being evil these days is really unappreciated." he griped as she plucked the Helmet from the perch, "But you... I always knew I could count on you."
As soon as he said this, he heard the alarms blare as Misako ran out. He turned to see his Helmet was gone. "She deceived me? Stop her!" he ordered.
Meanwhile outside, the Ninja and the Mane Six continue to fight off the Samu-Taurs and the Darklings before they saw Misako, Scorpan, and Hope run to them with most of the Keys. "You got the Keys!" Frost pointed out.
"Most of them, and you got spotted!" Misako remarked. "We just need the Amulet and then we can make our way to the Clock."
"Don't look at us! It was Applejack!" Rainbow retorted as she pointed to the farmer mare.
"We can talk about it later!" Applejack shouted. "Let's just focus on what's in front of us, find Chrysalis, get that key, and stop that dang-darn Clock!"
They then heard loud stomping behind them and turned to see Garmadon piloting a giant black alicorn mech. "Maybe we should focus on what's behind us?" Trail suggested.
"Oh... my!" Fluttershy squeaked.
"Cut them down to size," Garmadon said as he let out a chuckle, signaling that he was going to enjoy this. He then controlled the mech to raise its sword and bring it down. They all jumped out of the way just in time as it hit the ground.
"If we don't get the Amulet and return the Keys to the Clock, we won't be able to prevent the Final Battle!" Misako told them.
"You were fools to even come here in the first place!" they heard Chrysalis saying before they turned to see her and the Darklings by her side.
"Well, now we have another problem!" Thunder shouted before you looked at the others. "How are we going to get the Amulet off her?!"
"And how are we gonna stop that mech!" Rarity asked as Garmadon stomped towards them.
"You girls try and get that Amulet while we handle Garmadon!" Flash told them as he readied his Elemental Blade.
"You be careful!" Twilight told him as she readied her magic.
"Let me knock you down to size, Chrysalis!" Applejack shouted as she bucked a rock at Chrysalis.
Chrysalis quickly changed into a small bug to dodge the large rock coming at her and crawled on it before she transformed into a massive bull and charge at them.
Rarity quickly stood in front of the group and concert up a diamond shield to stop her in her tracks. "She's been practicing!" she commented as she struggled to keep the shield up.
"But not enough!" Rainbow said as she blasted the queen with her color magic, only for her to change into a giant snake, weave around them, and then grab her by the leg and toss her into the siding. "Or maybe she did!"
"Surprise!" Pinkie Pie shouted as she gave Chrysalis a present. Chrysalis looked down at the present before Pinkie Pie popped out of it. "Double surprise!" She then fired a barrage of cupcakes right in her face.
"Try to keep her down, I'm going for the Amulet!" Twilight told her friends as she ran over to Chrysalis. She then jumped on to her and reached for them amulet.
"Get off of me!" Chrysalis yelled as she blasted them all away as her Darklings pinned them down. "You fools! None of you have the power to stop or take my Amulet!"
"Well how about me!?" a voice asked as Chrysalis was knocked over by a light blue blur. The blur itself kind of looked like Rainbow Dash before it transformed into a Flying Bison and rammed Chrysalis in the face. When Chrysalis transformed back, she saw the creature transform into a dragon, swiped away all the Darklings with its tail before it transformed into Ocellus. "Stay away from my teachers, mother!"
"MOTHER?!" the Mane Six shouted in shock.
Chrysalis merely growled a bit before she smiled. "Ocellus, my sweet little grub," she said pleasantly. "Such a fierce expression is worthy of a Changeling Queen."
"I'm doing it to protect my friends and the ones I love!" Ocellus growled. "Not that you would know anything about it!" Ocellus then transformed into a Bugbear and grabbed Chrysalis by the throat. "Now I'll be taking that Amulet!" She pulled the Key off her mother's neck and jumped back.
Chrysalis took some gasping breathes. "Such anger, such determination. Mommy's so proud of you Ocellus," Chrysalis cooed as Ocellus growled. "You know there could be room for you in the new Equestria we make. Then we could rule together, mother and daughter, like we always wanted!"
"We got what we came for, so I think you know what my answer is," Ocellus hissed at her mother before she saw the other villains coming towards her, so she quickly threw Chrysalis at them.
Meanwhile the Ninja were trying to hold off Garmadon. Garmadon was struggling to pull his mech's sword out when he slammed it down. "We must hurry before we run out of time!" Misako exclaimed.
"Don't worry, I'm on top of it!" Thunder shouted as he ran towards Garmadon when he got the sword out of the ground before jumping towards him. "Yah! Whoo-hoo-hoo!" Thunder grabbed hold of the sword when it was swung at him and was launched into the air. The mech then grabbed him when he came down before he was thrown to the ground and crashed. "Oh, maybe not. Unh."
"Let me wrap this up!" Gaia quipped as she used her blade to grow massive vines to wrap around Garmadon, only for him to pull the free and whip her away, "Oh, I'm going feel that tomorrow." She groaned.
"Didn't his mama ever teach him 'The bigger they are, the harder they fall'?" Landrush asked as he reading his Elemental Blade while Garmadon let out an evil laugh. Landrush then thrusted his blade forward causing some rocks to be thrown at Garmadon. Garmadon used his mech to slice and dice each rock being thrown at him. "Oh, apparently she did."
The mech walking towards them as Trail readied his blade. He charged at Garmadon and created a wall of fire in front of him. He did not stop however as he made his mech go through the flames as he laughed. "Oh, great," Trail groaned.
"Bye-bye!" Garmadon mocked before he swatted Trail away.
Trail groans as the others gathered around him, "Oh boy. We better come up with something fast because," he started as Garmadon and the Villains advanced at them, "I'm out of lines!" Suddenly, something emerged from out of the ground and poked him in the flank. "Hey!" He quickly jumped up and a giant driller vehicle burrowed out of the ground as the others got out of the way.
"Whoa, it's Aqua!" Thunder pointed out as Aqua punched it and drove towards Garmadon, knocking away a few Samu-Taurs in the path.
"Uh oh," the Storm King muttered before Aqua knocks them down and then rolls back to the Ninja.
"Hey, guys!" She waved.
"How did you know we were in trouble?" Twilight asked.
Aqua pointed to Frost's Falcon. "Look up." She said before gesturing to the other seats. "Get in!" The Ninja, the Mane Six, Scorpan, Hope, Misako and Ocellus climbed in as Aqua revved the engines. "Hang on." The vehicle soon drove into the earth and bore down faster.
"Don't just stand there! Get them!" Garmadon ordered the Samu-Taurs and Darklings as they took the vehicles down into the hole after them. The Overlord then hovered above him and the Legion of Doom.
"You fools!" he shouted at them with anger. "You let them get away with the Keys?! Don't you realize if one of them puts on the Helmet or the Amulet, they will control the army?!"
"No, and that would have been very nice to know beforehand!" Tirek retorted.
"We'll see to it personally," Garmadon said. "It's our turn."
Meanwhile underground, the group continued to drill their way towards the Clock with the Samu-Taurs close behind. "Heh. Cool hat," Thunder said as he put on the Helmet. "I wonder if it'll make me look more menacing."
"I normally don't go for jewelry, but this actually looks quite nice, despite being a Key of Darkness," Gaia said as she put on the Amulet.
"Are you sure that's a good idea?" Twilight asked, "If those things turn you evil, we're turning you both to stone."
"Uh, is that possible?" Thunder asked before he quickly took off the Helmet as Gaia quickly took off the Amulet. "Uh, it's probably got Garmadon cooties anyway."
"And I don't want Chrysalis germs all over me," Gaia said before she looked at Ocellus. "Speaking of, I can't believe you're the daughter of Chrysalis."
Ocellus sighed, "Yeah, technically, we were all considered Chrysalis's children when she was in charge, but I was hoof-picked to lead the Hive before Thorax took over. But even after, he still promised me that when the time came, he'd give me the throne," she explained. "Honestly, I was the only one in the Hive my mom showed anything close to compassion."
"Did you get the Keys?" Wu asked when a video call came through.
"We did, and we're all accounted for," Aqua confirmed.
"Then let's rendezvous at the Clock," Wu told them.
"It's so dark!" Rainbow complained as she started hitting buttons. "One of these buttons must be a light switch," she said before a Samu-Taur jumped on the Driller, scaring them.
"Uh, sis, can we go any faster?" Trail asked nervously.
"We're going as fast as we can!" Aqua told him as the Samu-Taurs behind started to speed up.
"We're definitely not going fast enough!" Landrush exclaimed as Kozu pushes them put of the ground.
"Okay, that works!" Flash said and looked behind him to see more warriors approaching. "Aqua, faster! Come on!"
"Okay!" she shouted as she pressed down on the gas pedal and went faster going up.
They soon burst out of the ground and continued to make their way to the Celestial Clock. The Samu-Taurs however, they came out of the whole they burst out of but our heroes were going faster than them.
"We're losing them!" Thunder shouted when he looked behind and they all cheered as they thought they were home free.
But then out of the forest were Garmadon and the Legion riding on his mech.
"Oops, spoke too soon," Pinkie squeaked. Garmadon and his Legion was catching up to them as Garmadon had an angry look on his face.
"You won't get away from me again, Misako!" he exclaimed as he was catching up.
"Faster, faster! They're gaining on us!" Applejack told Aqua before Sombra and Nightmare Moon grabbed the Driller with their combined magic. "Oh ponyfeathers!" The Driller was lifted into mid-air by their magic and they were face to face with them while they were still inside the cockpit.
"I believe you have some things of ours!" Nightmare Moon hissed as Garmadon shook the Driller, trying to get them out as the heroes bounced around. He then threw them in a tree.
"Let's get out of here!" Fluttershy cried as Aqua tried to open the cockpit.
"It's stuck!" She said as Garmadon picked them up again as they all screamed in panic.
"Oh, I'm gonna be sick," Landrush groaned as Garmadon held them up to his face.
"We finally have you in our clutches!" Garmadon shouted with delight before all six villains let out an evil laugh as they were going to enjoy torturing them.
"LET THEM GO!" Lloyd voice was heard before a blast knocked Garmadon and his Legion away from them.
The Ninja landed on a log as the cockpit opened and they turned to see Lloyd coming out of the jungle. "Lloyd! Be careful!" Hope warned as Lloyd turned to see his father climbing out of the mech while the other five villains were pinned under the mech. Garmadon however was injured from the blast and looked like he could not defend himself as Lloyd approached him.
"Holy guacamole, Lloyd and Garmadon in a faceoff!" Thunder shouted excitedly. "Take the shot, Lloyd!"
"He's vulnerable!" Rainbow Dash shouted. "You can end this now!"
"Do not hesitate!" Frost added.
"Strike now!" Trail shouted.
"Lloyd, do it! End this!" Flash exclaimed.
Lloyd quickly looked back at his friends before he turned back to his father who limped towards him. Garmadon let out a cough as a sure sign he is too injured to fight back.
"I'm sorry father, you leave me no choice." Lloyd seriously as Garmadon drooped his head, as if accepting his fate, "It is our destiny."
Lloyd then powered up his Light energy as everycreature held their breath, awaiting him to fire. But just as the light was fully charged, Lloyd saw his father in weakened state and halted his attack.
Garmadon stared at his son in shock. "No! What is he doing?!" Gaia asked.
"He can't do it," Twilight answered sadly as the Samu-Taurs and Darklings arrived.
"They're coming!" Scorpan pointed out. "Lloyd, we need to move!"
"The Clock is not too far from here!" Aqua told him.
"Okay!" Lloyd shouted as he quickly ran over to them as they drove off the log.
"Better hop in, Lloyd!" Ocellus told him as they made room for him before he jumped in.
"Go!" Lloyd shouted before they drove off to the Celestial Clock. Garmadon coughed as he was relieved by his brush with death.
"Umm, a little help here?!" Tirek asked as Garmadon turned to see him and the other villains struggling to free themselves.
At the Celestial Clock, Sensei Wu, the Royal Sisters, Spike, and the rest of the Young Six were waiting for the others before the Driller came out of the ground.
"You made it," Sandbar said as they stepped out.
"Wow, this Clock is mechanical masterpiece!" Aqua said in amazement.
"Such a technological marvel!" Twilight said as her eye sparkled.
"You're welcome to study after we stop it," Celestia told her pupil as Thunder noticed the Clock.
"There's only a couple minutes left!" he pointed out.
"Quickly, place the Keys back where they were before and find the Helmet's perch! It could be anywhere," Misako told them as Scorpan showed them where the other items go.
"You know where the other Keys go, but not the Helmet?!" Spike asked in shock.
"Its resting place was the most important part of the Clock," she told her as she placed the helmet down but the Clock did not stop. "Oh, it didn't work." She then climbed up on the Clock. "Maybe here." She placed the helmet down but it did not work again. As she was trying to find where the helmet goes, the Sword and the Amulet were placed where they were before and two parts of the Clock stopped.
"Perhaps I've found the perch!" Frost called out before she tossed him the helmet. He then jumped on one of the revolving orbs and placed it on it, only for it not working. "No, wrong place!"
"Yona think Yona found perch!" Yona said as Frost passed her the Helmet and she placed it on a gear but it did not stop. "No, Yona wrong." The Staff and the Glaive was then placed where they were and another part of the Clock stopped.
"Oh, what about here?!" Thunder called out as the Helmet was passed to him. He then placed it on another place on the Clock, yet it still counted down.
"Maybe it's here?" Twilight said as Thunder passed her the Helmet. She placed it down but it still did not stop as the Armor was placed back and another part of the Clock stopped.
"Could this be the place?" Wu said as Twilight threw him the Helmet. But then Kozu bumped him out of the way and took the Helmet.
"Oh no!" Silverstream cried as behind Kozu was the Samu-Taurs and the Darklings.
"There are thirty seconds left," Kozu said as the Clock continued ticking and he and his army advanced on the heroes. "I think it's time to-" he was cut off when a part of the Clock knocked the Helmet out his hand and higher up on the Clock. "NO!" One of the Samu-Taurs started to climb up the Clock to go for the Helmet.
"Get the Helmet!" Celestia told them.
"On it!" Flash said as he flew up towards where the Helmet is. It was a race between him and that Samu-Taur, the former having had a head start.
"Oh no, you don't!" Gallus said as he grabbed the Samu-Taur and pushed him off. Flash then grabbed the Helmet but it slipped out of his grip as the Clock had only nineteen seconds.
The Helmet fell towards the others as they all struggled to catch it, but it kept slipping out their grips. The Clock was now at twelve seconds before completing. Spike got a good look at the helmet then noticed a perch in front of the Clock. "The helmet's perch, I found it!" he shouted.
"Hurry, there's only ten seconds left!" Scorpan pointed out before Spike quickly rushed over and picked up the helmet. There was about only five seconds when he grabbed the Helmet and quickly jumped to where its perch was.
And just as the Clock's hands hit the top, Spike managed to place the Helmet and the entire machine stopped. "NNNOO!" Kozu roared.
"I did it. Ha-ha! I DID IT!" Spike cheered as Twilight hugged him.
"Way to go, Spike!" Twilight said happily as the others celebrated as well.
But their victory was cut short when the Clock restarted. The Clock soon emitted the blaring call of horns, as the pieces of the Clock started to move on their own despite the Keys being back in their places.
"Oh, no…" Celestia said in worry.
"Wh-What's happening?!" Rarity asked with fear in her voice as they heard the horns. General Kozu let out a laugh as he knew what was happening.
"It's the Horns of Destruction!" Misako explained in a worried tone. "We were too late!"
"You mean…?" Twilight asked fearfully.
Meanwhile back with the villains, Garmadon finally got the Legion of Doom out of the mech, "Thanks, Garm. You rule." the Storm King said as they all panted and then they heard the horns. "Uh, why do I hear horns?" he asked out loud as he covered his ears from the blaring noise.
"Overlord, what has happened?!" Garmadon asked.
"What is the meaning of those horns?!" Nightmare Moon added.
The Overlord was silent before he spoke in an elated tone, "...It has started."
The villains gasped in shock. "You mean…?" Tirek asked.
Then back at the Clock, a golden laser bounced around its many parts before its largest orb turned into a focusing orb as it fired the beam straight over the heroes' heads, slicing through the trees and over the villains heads.
"What is that light?" Sombra wondered as they looked up.
"It's heading back to the camp!" Chrysalis said as the six began the long trek back.
Back with our heroes, the Samu-Taurs had them being walked towards the edge of the cliff as the Ninja readied their Elemental Blades to fight back.
But then the ground beneath them began to shake and tremble. The Ninja, the Mane and Young Six, and their allies were on a rock about to fall while Aqua and Spike were still on the ledge.
"Aqua!" Thunder called out.
"Spike!" Twilight shouted.
"Twilight!" Spike reached out.
"Thunder! Trail!" Aqua called out.
"Sis!" Trail shouted before Kozu grabbed both Aqua and Spike.
"Let them go!" Thunder demanded.
"Or what?!" Kozu mocked. "You will make a big splash?!" he laughed as the rock chunk broke off.
"The ground!" Landrush exclaimed as they fell into the ocean screaming. Both Aqua and Spike gasp when they saw their friends fall before they were taken away. At the bottom of the cliff, our heroes gasped as they took in a breath of air when they resurfaced from the water and quickly got on to land.
"Yona... really need to... learn to... swim." Yona panted as they looked and saw the Samu-Taurs taking Spike and Aqua away.
Lloyd sighed, "This is all my fault!" he said. "I should've taken the shot!"
"We're all at fault, kid," Landrush assured Lloyd. "It's just the way the cookie crumbles."
"Ah! Are you still making jokes?!" Thunder asked with rage. "They have Aqua and Spike, and you're making jokes?!" He then tackled Landrush to the ground.
"It was just a poor choice of words!" Landrush explained.
"ENOUGH!" Luna shouted in her Royal Canterlot Voice, getting their attention. "We've already lost enough! We mustn't lose our focus or our unity as well!"
"Forget focus or unity!" Trail retorted.
"He's right! We have to get Aqua and Spike back!" Twilight added.
"By the time we get back up there, they'll be long gone," Flash told Twilight as he tried to comfort her. "We will get Spike and Aqua back."
"Yes, but the Clock has reached zero, and the Final Battle could start at any moment," Misako reminded them. "We must get back to the bounty to get prepared, so that next time you will not hesitate." She looked at Lloyd when she said it.
"Come on Lloyd, let's go home," Wu said, as they all walked back. "You'll get your chance."
Thunder and Twilight looked back up as they saw Aqua and Spike taken away.
Meanwhile Garmadon and his Legion of Doom made it back to their camp where they saw the beam of light hitting the construction site where the Ultimate Weapon was being built.
"Behold, my final gift to you all," the Overlord declared. "The ultimate weapon: GARMA-TRON!"
The light downed revealing the Ultimate Weapon, a giant black and red tank, shaped like a monster stallion's head with a large cannon coming out from its mouth.
"It… It's beautiful!" Chrysalis cheered with some tears.
"Now that's a weapon!" the Storm King declared as the Samu-Taurs and Darklings returned.
"We've retrieved your Keys, and two prisoners, my masters," Kozu said, gesturing to Aqua and Spike who were struggling to free themselves.
"Well, well, well, if it isn't one of the Ninja's sisters and Princess Twilight's pet dragon," Nightmare Moon said in an amused tone when they saw Aqua and Spike glare at them.
"You won't get away with this!" Aqua promised.
"Twilight and the others are gonna kick your butts into next year!" Spike added as Garmadon walked up to them.
"You know, I don't think those colors suit the both of you," he said as he placed an apple in both their mouths. "Why not try on a darker shade?" Two of the Samu-Taurs brought out two trays of Dark Matter. "Let's test it on the youngest first."
Spike looked nervous before spitting out the apple. "Wait, test me? Test me on what?" he asked as he was brought over to the Dark Matter. "Wait, what are you doing?!"
Sombra then levitated the Dark Matter over the baby dragon. "Now don't you worry, little one," he chuckled. "This won't hurt… Probably."
He then dumped the Dark Matter onto Spike as he screamed. The villains watched with evil grins while Aqua watched in horror as a monstrous black shadow loomed over and Spike's screams of terror turned into primal ravenous roars. Garmadon and his Legion of Doom then let out evil laughs at the sight of what the Dark Matter could do while Aqua quietly hoped the others could stop them in time.