Chapter 6: Spellbound
High above Chen's Island, a blimp was seen flying with the remaining competitors riding inside. The remaining Ninja were wearing new suits given by Chen himself known as survival suits as these new Ninja suits have sleeves with each other elemental symbol on top of their hoods. There was a bit of tension inside so thick one could cut it with a knife before Thunder noticed Turner glaring at him. "What are you looking at, Zippy?" he asked Turner harshly.
"The next one out of the tournament," Turner quickly replied, causing Thunder to let out a nervous chuckle.
Trail was glaring at Shade. "Why so scared to show us your back, Shade? Worried we're gonna find a tattoo and know you're working for Chen?" he taunted with a smirk.
"I hope this next fight is between you and me because I'm gonna put you on your back," Shade retorted with a glare.
Pale Hound then gave a whistle at Topaz, who gave an uncomfortable look. "Do you mind?" she questioned as she turned away with her hooves crossed while noticing Rainbow Dash glaring at her. "What's your problem?"
"Oh nothing, but it just bothers me that the back of your coat was a different shade of Orange than the rest of you," Rainbow mentioned.
"So I got a nice tan on my body, just not my back," Topaz told her. "Is that such a problem?" Rainbow grumbled in response.
"Tensions are high," Garmadon mentioned.
"Yeah, not as high as we are now," Lloyd said while looking out the window, seeing how high they are as they see the whole island.
"Yeah. We can hardly see the whole island from up here," Twilight added before she noticed Grey, who was looking very nervous. "Are you feeling okay, Grey?"
"No. I've had enough of this," Grey said as he got out of his seat and walked up to the cockpit. "I can't stand heights."
"Yeah. I'm even afraid of being this high," Fluttershy muttered frighteningly as Applejack comforted the timid pony.
"But you're an Alicorn," Max pointed out.
"Yeah, but has anyone noticed that those with wings can't open them?" Flash asked as he struggled to open his wings.
"Flight-blocking spell," Luna theorized as she placed a hoof on her chin. "But what for?"
"Who cares?! Where's Chen?!" Grey demanded as he opened the door to the cockpit but found no one driving it, which shocked the competitors and Grey whimpered.
"No one is even in the cockpit!?" Rarity cried out in shock. "How are we even flying!?"
"Must be a self-driving blimp," Twilight theorized while looking at the controls. "Everything is remote-controlled."
"Yeah, but why?" Pinkie asked before a monitor on the console turned on and they saw Chen fiddling around in the D.B. Express.
"How do I know if this thing's on?" Chen asked, not knowing that he was live right now. "Oh, oh, oh, I see the light. Oh, oh, I'm on? Right now?" he asked while the competitors huddled behind Grey to listen carefully, as they watched Chen through the console clearing his throat. "Hello, final ten. I see you are all eager for the tournament to commence so one of you can win the Magic Staff of Elements. Instead of fighting for a Jadeblade, today you will be fighting for something different." He pressed a button as the monitor changed into the jungle while it showed four specs on the ground as it zoomed in to reveal Spike, Aqua, Smolder, and Starlight, while Aqua was in her Samurai X suit. The Ninja and Mane Six gasped at the sight.
"Aqua," Trail gasped when he saw his sister on screen.
"Starlight. Spike," Twilight said in great concern.
"Smolder," Rainbow Dash finished.
"You ponies know them?" Topaz asked in surprise.
"Aqua's my sister while the rest are our friends," Trail explained.
"We have uninvited guests on the island," Chen continued as the camera followed the four.
"And they must be holding the proof that will stop Chen," Flash said and interrupted Chen.
"Find them and you will automatically move on-" Chen added.
"The spell he plans to use when he takes our powers and magic," Twilight said.
"-to the final round!" Chen finished.
"He wants us all to hunt them down?" Thunder asked in worried. "They won't stand a chance."
"Then we have to find them before anycreature else does," Lloyd declared as the Ninja and Topaz put their masks on.
"In ten seconds, the bottom will drop," Chen informed them, which had them all frightened. "Some of you winged Masters notice that you can't open them. That's because it would be no fun if you can fly while the others fall." The winged competitors grew even more worried. "But to show you I'm not a bad pony, I gave you ten parachutes." Parachutes drop down from above the seats just as the floor starts to split open. The competitors all screamed as they raced to grab a parachute. "The Council is there with Sensei Garmadon and little Luna? Shoot, that makes eighteen. Oh well, I was never good at math. Heh. Toodle-oo!" He waved as the Mane Six, Garmadon and Luna glared before they all fell onto the opening trapdoor.
"That stallion's love of trap doors is really starting to get on my nerves!" Rarity yelled in aggravation.
"You're not the only one!" Lloyd called out before the hatch opened widely as they all screamed and started falling from the sky with the parachutes. Shade caught one and strapped himself with it as he opened his chute with a laugh.
Thunder than turned to Lloyd. "Lloyd, use your dragon form!" he called out.
Lloyd closed his eyes as he tried to bring out his light dragon form, but for some reason, he couldn't as Topaz and Turner caught their chutes. "I can't! I can't get it to work!" he called out.
Topaz opened her chute up, causing her to slow her descent. As Turner does with his, Thunder yelled as he fell onto Turner's parachute and held onto the edge as the Master of Speed saw him. "Get your own chute, Lead Hoof!" Turner yelled out.
Thunder whimpered as he struggled to hold on to the chute before he noticed another parachute coming down from above. He grunted as it hit him before he quickly realized he caught a parachute. "I got one! I got one! Ha-ha-ha!" he yelled out as he quickly put on his parachute and opened it.
Garmadon than fall towards Lloyd, who is trying to grab the parachute as he spoke out. "Your powers don't work because you aren't controlling your fear! Focus!" he called as Lloyd grabbed the chute, but Pale Hound appeared on the other side, holding the other end of the chute as well. Pale Hound chuckled as he took the chute from Lloyd as he opened it while Lloyd continued to fall. "Control your fear! Don't let it control you!" Garmadon called to his son. "Center yourself!"
Flash was falling as he managed to grab his chute before looking at Garmadon the Mane Six in concern. "What are you girls gonna do?! There aren't enough parachutes for all of you and we're getting closer to the ground!" he called out.
"We're working on it, Flash!" Twilight yelled as she and Luna closed their eyes and focused their magic.
"If we survive this, I'm gonna kill you, Chen!" Rainbow called out in anger while the other mares screamed, except for Pinkie who is laughing and cheering before screaming again.
"Please tell me we're gonna survive this?!" Rarity yelled out.
"Because if not, we're gonna be squashed like rotten apples!" Applejack yelled.
"That's terrifying!" Fluttershy cried while covering her eyes in fear.
Pinkie kept laughing before she noticed Twilight and Luna's eyes closed. "Hey, Twilight, Luna, what are you doing?" she asked naturally.
"We're trying to counteract Chen's spell so we can use our wings," Luna answered while still focusing.
"So that we can survive this freefall experience!" Twilight called out as her and Luna's horns then started to glow. "And… I think… we almost…" She strained as their horns glowed brighter.
"Got it!" Luna called as she and Twilight released a burst of magic that hit the other five. Their wings soon flapped out before they took off. Rainbow then noticed Trail swimming towards a parachute in midair before he quickly grabbed hold of it. Before he could put it on, however, Grey fell and grabbed the same parachute as the two of them spun around in mid-air as they continued to fall.
Grey managed to get the parachute away from the Trail and put it on before opening it while Trail continued to fall. He then noticed another parachute too far from his reach before he used his elemental power to fly closer to it.
Trail managed to grab the parachute, put it on, and open it before he noticed Garmadon and Lloyd falling with the last parachute. "There's only one parachute left," he said to himself in worry.
Garmadon and Lloyd both grabbed the chute as they drew closer to the island. "We'll share!" Lloyd said.
"They're only built for one!" Garmadon stated as they looked at the chute. "This is an easy decision."
"You're right," Lloyd told his father before he pulled the cord and opened the parachute for his father.
"What have you done!?" Garmadon called out as his son continued to fall.
"Control my fear," Lloyd said to himself as he closed his eyes and concentrated. As Lloyd fell through the trees, a bright light flashed before a gold and silver dragon flew out and roared as it flew up to the Ninja, Garmadon, Luna, and the Mane Six.
"Huh. He made it!" Trail cheered happily at seeing Lloyd in his dragon form.
"Ha, ha! Of course, he did!" Thunder cheered excitedly.
"The silver and gold look really suits him in his dragon form," Rarity complemented after seeing his new dragon form look.
"Hah! It's 20% more awesome!" Rainbow cheered.
"Atta colt!" Garmadon complimented to his son before the Ninja realized they are breaking off from each other.
"Guys, we're drifting away from the wind!" Flash called out. "It looks like we're gonna have to look for Aqua, Starlight, Spike, and Smolder separately!"
On the ground, the two unicorn mares and the two dragons looked up to see the competitors parachuting in. "This doesn't look good," Aqua mentioned with concern.
"This'll definitely complicate things a bit," Starlight commented.
"And I can't tell which ones are the others, but I ain't sitting around to find out," Smolder stated.
"Yeah, we should keep going," Spike said in agreement before giving a thought. "But how can we get the others to us if we're being hunted and lost in the jungle?"
"Leave that to me," Aqua said with a grin as she went up to a tree and craved something on the trunk.
Each of the competitors soon landed on the ground as Topaz removed her parachute once she landed. Turner landed a distance behind her as he took off his parachute.
With Trail, he was slowly gliding towards a volcano with Rainbow Dash flying next to him when she saw this, "Um, Trail. I think you're about to get roasted," she said to him.
Trail looked down and saw he was getting close to the lava. "Whoa!" he called out as he managed to land on the edge of the volcano. He kept his balance as the sheet of the chute fell in as Trail took off his mask and sigh in relief. "That was close," he said.
"Yeah. Looks like it's just you and me to find the others," Rainbow said as she landed next to Trail.
"Yeah. Let's go," Trail said as the two were about to climb down the volcano, but then Trail's chute than caught fire as they turned and saw this.
"Oh boy," Rainbow Dash muttered before Trail cried out in pain from the heat.
"Ow! Oh, ow, ow, ow!" Trail cried out in the distance while Thunder landed on a tree with Pinkie and Fluttershy flying next to him as they saw somepony jumping in pain while on fire.
Thunder took off his mask with a thoughtful look before Pinkie spoke. "That's Trail. I know that cry of pain and fire anywhere," she said with a smile.
"Oh my, I hope he's okay," Fluttershy said as Thunder struggled to get down from the tree branch his chute got stuck on. "You need some help, Thunder?"
"No. I think I-" Thunder said before his branch broke and he fell to the floor with a scream as he landed on his back as his parachute fell on him as the two mares cringed from that.
"You okay, Thundy?" Pinkie asked in concern.
"Argh. That did not feel good," Thunder answered from in the chute sheets with a groan.
"Oh, don't worry. We'll help you out," Fluttershy said as she and Pinkie flew down to help Thunder up.
Flash soon landed next to a river before removing his parachute and looking around. Soon, both Twilight and Luna landed next to him as he walked up to them. "So, any ideas on where to start looking?" he asked the two alicorns.
"Let's start by searching for some clues. Our friends would want us to search them the way we know them," Luna suggested.
"Well, they have to leave something around," Twilight said while looking around the jungle. "But with how tricky Chen is, it's gonna be hard to tell which is which."
Applejack soon spotted Max landing near some old ruins before he took off his parachute. She decided to join him as she flew down and landed next to him. "Applejack? Shouldn't you join the others to find your friends?" Max asked in confusion. "I mean, with what Chen is planning, I think your best course of action would be to find them."
"I would. But I wouldn't want to leave a friend alone, Max," Applejack said with a smile and a blush. "Plus, it was really kind of ya to stay in our alliance."
Max gave a small smile at Applejack. "Well, unlike the others, I'm not interested in fame or fortune. I only came here to correct a foolish choice I made."
"Well, maybe ya can tell me more while we find my friends," Applejack mentioned as they began the search.
Shade ran through the jungle until he spotted a bow and arrow inside of a fallen log before coming up to it. The sounds of a speaker turned on before Chen spoke through it. "Hail, combatants, I have left a few treats to help you in the hunt," Chen instructed as Shade took the bow and arrows before he ran off.
"I hope you use them wisely," Chen finished with a smirk as he turned to Grimoire and Charm. "Grimoire, Charm, why have I never had a mobile base? It's my new favorite toy. Hoo, hoo!" He laughed as he turned to the console while the twins shook their heads. "There's so many buttons and surprises."
Chen had left this message to be heard all across his Island as Thunder, Pinkie Pie, and Fluttershy walked by a speaker in a tree. "Like we'll ever trust a treat from you, Chen!" Thunder grunted with to a speaker.
"Yeah, like we'll ever get a treat from you," Pinkie added as she and Fluttershy help Thunder walk with his broken back right leg hurting him. "Though, it is gonna be a drag to move you around, Thunder."
"She's right. Maybe we should put you somewhere safe to rest your leg," Fluttershy suggested. "You can barely walk let alone find Aqua and the others."
They soon came across a silver mech before Thunder looked at his back leg. "Okay, maybe just a small treat." Pinkie Pie and Fluttershy helped him get inside the mech.
But the second Thunder sat on the mech, it beeped as it moved a bit. "Welcome, Master of Lightning," the mech addressed before it transformed with blue and gold details.
"Wow! That is amazing!" Pinkie cheered in awed.
"Aah. And suddenly, my leg feels much better!" Thunder said as he lifted one of the mech's leg.
"That's great to hear, Thunder," Fluttershy said with a smile. "You think you can manage it?"
"Oh, I most certainly will," Thunder said with a bright smile. "We're on our way, Aqua and friends!" He moved the mech further into the jungle with Fluttershy and Pinkie flying beside him.
Meanwhile, Lloyd flew to where Garmadon landed before he transformed back into his pony form. "If we're gonna find Aqua and the others before the other competitors do, we've got a lot of ground to cover," Garmadon told his son.
"Look," Lloyd pointed to some tracks on the ground behind Garmadon. "Their footprints."
"Huh? Aqua and Starlight are cleverer than that. And Smolder would make sure Spike doesn't leave any trails," Garmadon said as he inspected the footprints before he realized something. "No, they want everyone to follow these tracks. But only us to see this." He raised his hoof at a tree bark. On the tree bark was a Samurai X symbol that was carved into the tree. "Aqua's Samurai X symbol."
"Can I give you a lift?" Lloyd asked as he was about to transform into his dragon form, only for Garmadon to stop him.
"Save your energy," he told him. "It's best not to draw attention. Come on." They soon followed the direction of where the symbol was placed as they began their search for their friends.
Meanwhile, in the Samurai X cave back in Equestria, Misako, Sombra, the remaining Young Six and the Serpentine Children are monitoring the cave for anything from Aqua and the others.
"Aqua, come in?" Misako asked next. "Dareth?"
"Spike? Smolder? Can you hear us?" Sandbar asked next while he and his friends getting nervous.
"Washouts, are you even with them?" Sombra asked next in great concern.
"Can anycreature read us?" Ocellus asked desperately as she sigh in worry.
"Still no word?" Wu asked as the group turned and saw Wu and Celestia bring some tea for every creature in the room.
"Nothing. Not even a blimp," Gallus said in frustration.
"We lost all communication," Silverstream informed with a concerned look. "Not even the D.B. Express is responding."
Misako than turned to Wu and Celestia while noticing the tea they are holding. "How can you both be so calm? My husband and son are out there all alone," she pointed out.
"As are our brother, sister and pupils," Celestia said to them. "As well as the rest of our friends."
"But we must not let fear cloud our thinking," Wu said as he and Celestia place the teas on the table. "Sensei Garmadon and Luna are there to guide them through this. We have to believe so."
"For all our sakes, I hope they are okay," Sombra said in worry as the group than started having tea to help calm the tension.
At the underground factory, one of the guards are speaking to the others. "Still no sigh of the prisoners and that metal pony?" He questioned.
"They still haven't escaped the island," the lead guard informed. "We'll find them," he assured them as the Elemental Masters and other prisoners listened in. "Search the labyrinth and lock this place down." He and the other guards walked out the door as the factory's machines shut down.
"All clear," Yah-Karlof called as a few barrels moved around.
Coming out of the barrels are the three Ninja, Rivet and Dr. Gear, while Landrush is covered in flour again while Gaia is covered in sauce again. "Ugh, why do we have to take these barrels?" Gaia asked as she wipe some sauce off her. "We just got these off us."
"Well, there wasn't time to pick a barrel, so we were in a rush," Dr. Gear said as they slowly got off.
"Okay, back to our plan to all of us getting out of here," Landrush said, getting back on topic as Frost than brought out a projector of some pipelines as the prisoners huddled together. "Now if we tried to tackle the labyrinth, some of us would be sure to get lost. So that's not an option."
"Especially since the Serpent can block us off outside and inside the tunnels, ready to eat any of us, so no thank you," Gaia continued. "But Frost here, he analyzed the sewer network."
"Sewer network?" Shelly asked in repulse, "Isn't it stinky down there?"
"Hey, I'm no fan of this either, darling," Gaia stated.
"And we blast our way out of here if we could, but all of our powers are gone," Landrush reminded them.
"So we might as well make do with what we got," Rivet added with her hands on her hips.
"The sewer network is old and can only sustain so much weight," Dr. Gear stated while motion the pipelines.
"But after adding up all of our combined masses, the pipes will hold by the slimmest of margins," Frost explained.
"Did anycreature else get what metal pony and white pony say?" Yah-Karlof asked in confusion.
"They mean it'll work," Landrush answered.
"It will work!" everycreature cheered, but their cheering was cut short as the doors opened again as the guards tossed Dareth and the Washouts into the factory.
"Get to work!" One of the guards told them before they closed the door.
"You're gonna get it once the Council of Friendship gets a hold of you!" Lightning Dust shouted.
"Well, at least we found Gaia and Landrush," Rolling Thunder mentioned before she noticed Frost. "Oh, and their Nindroid friend thing. When did he get cooler?"
"Don't worry, fellas. The Brown Ninja and his team are here," Dareth said as they all walked up to them. "But before we rescue you, can anycreature show me how to make a Puffy Potsticker?"
"YEAH! SHOW US NOW!" Short Fuse demanded as the prisoners flinched.
"Landrush, Gaia, you're both here." Dareth finally noticed the two. "And so is Dr. Gear? And Frost. Is that you?" he asked once he noticed Frost and his mother while also noticing Frost's new appearance. "Boy, have you changed."
"Uh, when metal pony and white pony say 'slimmest of margins', how slim?" Yah-Karlof asked when he noticed how round Dareth and on top of the Washout's combined weight.
"We also need to be super quiet while we're down there," Rivet mentioned before she let out a sigh. "Back to the drawing board, everycreature. Because that plan won't work."
Back above ground and in the jungle, Lloyd and Garmadon are still following the symbol before a couple of rustling can be heard behind the bushes, which got the two into ready stances before they saw Flash, Twilight, Rarity, and Luna coming out, much to their relief.
"Oh, Flash, girls," Lloyd said in relief. "We thought you might be one of Chen's cultists."
"Same here with you," Flash said with a smile as he and Lloyd hoof-bumped together. "We saw the Samurai X symbol on one of the trees, having a feeling Aqua left it there for us, we follow," he explained. "And it looks like you two are doing the same as well."
Twilight then recalled something, "Hey, Luna, Garmadon, there's something I've been thinking about for a while now," she said, looking at the older pair.
"What is it?" Luna asked as they continued to search.
"You both said before that Master Chen was your Sensei, but nothing else," Twilight mentioned.
"Your Highness, there are some things from our past we're not proud of," Garmadon told her. "But perhaps it's time for you all to know the truth. After the Great Devourer bit me when I was a colt, it took years for the evil to fully consume me."
"And once Celestia and I were crowned princesses, it didn't take long for me to notice the praise Celestia was showered in and that I was greatly lacking," Luna said with a scowl. "So, in an attempt to find our own path, we left to study under Chen." As she continued, she remembered when Chen was their teacher and not their enemy.
Many years ago, in a training ground of a temple on Chen's island, a young Garmadon and Luna were facing off against a younger Grimoire and Charm. They used wooden swords to clash with each other while Garmadon and Luna ran on the obstacle course to try and catch them off-guard. But Grimoire and Charm caught up to them as they fell to the floor and started wrestling each other while a Young Chen watched them fight.
"Good, pupils, but you're still holding back," Chen told them as he walked up to them. Chen's mane and tail were in the shade of crimson red back then. "Might I add the team who wins this fight shall become both my right and left hooves, and the colt will be granted lordship while the mare shall gain a more suitable name?"
This caught all four of their attention and drove them to fight harder as the twins pushed both Garmadon and Luna off them before running to the other side of the obstacle course. They used their dark magic to bring four planks to life and attack Garmadon and Luna.
The two siblings then nodded to each other before doing Spinjitzu as they attacked the walking planks and knocked Grimoire and Charm down as the plank pieces fell on top of them. "They cheated, master!" Grimoire accused.
"You told us Spinjitzu was forbidden!" Charm told him.
"They did what they had to do to win," Chen said with a small smile as he looked at Luna. "And you Luna, your skills were a true nightmare fitting for a princess of the moon and…" He paused and thought for a moment. "Yes… Yes, I like the sound of that. Congratulations, Lord Garmadon and Lady Nightmare Moon." Garmadon and Luna smiled proudly before following him.
"Wait, Chen was the one who gave you the name Nightmare Moon in the first place?" Flash asked Luna with a shocked look.
"Yes," Luna said sheepishly. "To be honest, back then, it seems fitting. But in these times, it's something that I wish to forget. I was just a young filly at the time."
"And it was also a time in our history when ponies, Serpentine, and all creatures were not getting along," Garmadon continued before donning a serious look. "As our sides clashed, we hoped for a truce. But not Chen."
Another memory showed Chen, Garmadon, and Luna inside his dojo while looking at a map of Equestria. "Oh, peace and harmony are so boring, but conflict and turmoil are so unpredictable and exciting," Chen told the two.
"But, Master Chen, even the Anacondrai are making concessions," Luna pointed out. "Celestia and I have always wanted to make this land a utopia for all creatures."
"My little sister is right," Garmadon said in agreement. "There could be a truce, there could be-"
"Never trust a snake, you two," Chen interrupted with a firm look. "Remember that." Luna and Garmadon looked down before he continued. "And even if you get this Utopia, what's to stop Celestia from stealing all the glory and leaving you with nothing as she's always done, Nightmare Moon?" he questioned.
Luna looked down in sadness as tears formed in her eyes and Garmadon comforted his sister with a hug. "I don't know about this, Master. We're just not sure if we're doing the right thing," Garmadon said as he comforted Luna.
"Oh, don't look so sad," Chen said softly. "I've intercepted something that will make you feel better, Lord Garmadon." He reached from underneath the table and pulled out what looked to be a letter. "A love letter. Apparently, your pathetic little brother feels the same about that mare you admire." He passed it over to Garmadon while Luna was both shocked and surprised by this.
"Misako," Garmadon muttered in shock as Chen gave him the letter.
"His words are so heartfelt," Chen said as Garmadon opened the letter and started reading it as Luna looked over his shoulder. "They could sway how she feels about one for you."
"Garmadon, you didn't write that. You shouldn't even be reading it," Luna told him with concern. "What if Wu finds out, or Celestia?!"
"Oh, Nightmare Moon, you gotta learn not to be such a foal and make your own decisions, like a true mare," Chen told her with a hoof on her shoulder. "You're not going to let that big sister of yours control you all your life, are you?"
Luna thought for a moment before her eyes turned cyan and snake-like. "No, I won't," she replied with a stern tone.
"That's right. You do what you always wanted to do without permission. You are a princess, like your sister." Chen then brought out some ink and a quill. "And as a princess, shouldn't you advise your subjects, especially your family, on the best course of action?"
Luna looked at the ink and quill before turning to Garmadon. "You didn't write this letter Garmadon, but Misako doesn't need to know that," she told him. "The feelings you have for her are the same and Wu has no right to lay claim to your beloved. We shouldn't allow our siblings to take what is ours."
Garmadon took those words to heart as he took the quill and began to write his name on the letter. Little did either of them know that both Grimoire and Charm were listening and watching everything they were doing outside the dojo.
"Mom knew you didn't write that letter, but you took it from Uncle Wu?!" Lloyd questioned with complete shock as Twilight, Flash, and Rarity were.
"And Luna, you encouraged him to do it in the first place?!" Twilight added.
"As we've told you ponies, there are things in our past we're not proud of, but we have no regrets," Garmadon said as he and Luna continued walking before they stopped. "You wouldn't be here otherwise, Lloyd."
"And back then, I was shunned by everypony while they admired Celestia. What I did was something I wish to forget and change," Luna said in huge guilt. "And I didn't want Garmadon to go through something similar when not having somepony close to you for comfort."
"My fear of losing Misako controlled me and led me down a dangerous path," Garmadon admitted guilty.
"And my jealousy towards Celestia and fearing no pony would adore my night also led down a path of pain and suffering for my sister," Luna added with the same amount of guilt. "It is a path we hope to one day make peace with."
Inside the D.B. Express, Chen continued to press random buttons on the console while Grimoire and Charm stood behind him. "Master, if our men couldn't find them, why do you think they will fare much better?" Grimoire asked.
"If the mares and dragons get that spell to a Ninja or the Council, all of our plans will be ruined," Charm pointed out.
"Oh, Grimmy-Grimoire and Charmy-Charm," Chen waved off with a smile as the twins listened. "There's a reason why I'm the master and you two are my pupils. Why should I worry about the remaining fighters rising up against me, when after today there'll be no fighters remaining?"
He pointed to the monitor, showing a map of the island with some red dots moving around. "The little treats I gave them are tracking their every move. The little game isn't about them hunting the mares and dragons. it's about hunting them!" He started laughing while the twins smiled sinisterly at this plan.
"Master, you are a devious one," Grimoire complimented.
"Now let's get hunting. I do believe it's time I pulled my trump card for the Master of Energy," Charm said with a smirk.
Back in the jungle, Aqua and Starlight kept on going while Spike and Smolder flew above them. They saw Shade running close by. "Non-friendly, six o'clock," Smolder whispered to them.
"Quick, take cover!" Starlight whispered as the four hid behind a bush as Shade ran past them.
Shade then ran to a tree with a speaker on it as it played music, which caused Shade to stop in confusion before Grimoire spoke. "Your time in this tournament has expired." he said as Shade turned and saw him with a bunch of cultists surrounding him.
"The Ninja and the Council were right all along." Shade said as he realized he was being played the whole time. "Chen was never gonna hand over that Staff." He growled.
"Hmm. Only one can remain," the twins said with a smirk, "And it will, be, Chen!" They gestured the Cultists to grab Shade before the Master of Shadow yelled as he was dogpiled.
Aqua and the others gasped in fear while hearing Shade's screams. "This isn't a hunt for us," Spike started.
"It's a hunt for every last Elemental Master," Smolder summed it all up.
"We've gotta find the others before they do," Aqua told them as they had to find the Ninja and the Council before it was too late.
In the ruins, Applejack and Max continued walking together as they searched. "Max, ya told me the reason ya wanted the fortune was because of yer sister," Applejack recalled. "What do you mean? What happened to her?" she asked.
Max was silent for a moment before answering. "A few days ago, Miny came down with an unknown sickness and unfortunately my aunt and uncle didn't have the money to pay for proper medical care," he said with a look of guilt. "I thought I could make more, so I went to my village's local bar to try and gamble for more but, it was all for not and I lost all of the money we had to those accursed Flim-Flam Brothers," he growled.
Applejack's eyes widened at the name, "Wait, Flim and Flam? Those two-timin' varmints!?" she asked in anger.
"I take it you know them?" Max asked.
"Let's say we have a history," Applejack said simply.
Max could see they were bad memories so he continued, "I couldn't face my aunt and uncle again. How could they forgive me? Because of my carelessness, we lost any chance of helping my sister," he said in sorrow, "Until, I received an invitation to the Tournament of Elements and how it spoke of incredible wealth to the victor. I knew if I won the tournament, I could return to my family with the money to not just help Miny but also for us to prosper."
"But then you found out this is all a sham for Chen to steal your powers and magic?" Applejack guessed with sympathy.
Max nodded as his ears drooped. "And so I failed, again. I'm sorry Miny," he said while putting a hoof to his face.
Applejack kept giving Max a sympathetic look as she rested a hoof on him. "Hey, there's still a chance to help her," she said with a soft smile as Max turned to her. "Maybe when this is all over, I can ask Twilight to give some bits for your sister's treatment. She always tends to help others when needed."
Max looked at her in surprise as he turned to her. "You would do that for me?" he asked hopefully.
"Well, we are the Council of Friendship. It's not just us helping or being friends with each other, but it's about helping others and sharing as well," Applejack said with a small smile. " I'll have a talk with the others and we'll see what we can do for y'all." Before she could react, she was suddenly pulled in for a hug by Max who had a bright smile on his face.
"I… I don't know what to say. Nopony has ever been this nice to me before," Max said heartfully with tears in his eyes. "Thank you. Thank you for everything."
Applejack gave a huge blush from the hug as she slowly returned it while giving a sheepish smile. "W-What are friends for, partner?" They hugged for a moment before they broke apart. "I think we should get back to finding my friends and stopping Chen. We can't keep them waiting," she suggested.
"Oh, I think you can," The two perked up and turned to see Charm standing behind them smugly as the fanfare music played. "Terribly sorry, Master Maximum, but I'm afraid this is where your time in the Tournament comes to an end."
"Charm!" Applejack gritted her teeth as she stood in front of Max and lit up her horn while Max brought out his powers.
"If you think you can take my powers, you got another thing coming!" Max called while preparing to fire at Charm.
"Oh, but you will surrender, or there will be consequences," Charm said with a smug look.
"And what would that be, partner?" Applejack questioned. "Because there's two of us and only one of you. You should've brought back-up." she said with a glare.
"Oh, but I have leverage to keep you two from hurting me." Charm said as reached for the sack on her back and pulled out a little filly that shared Max's colors. "Unless this little one means nothing to you," she taunted as the filly squirmed in Charm's magical grip.
"Maxy!" The filly cried out.
"Miny!" Max called out in shock as he glared at Charm. "Oh, when I get my hooves on you…!" he yelled in rage as his powers brightened up but faltered when Charm moved Miny in front of her.
"Ah, ah, ah. I wouldn't if I were you," Charm said with a smirk as her hoof glowed up with dark magic and aimed it at Miny. "Unless you wanna risk the little one's safety to get to me."
"Don't listen to her, Maxy!" Miny called out as Charm's hoof went close to her as she flinched back.
"Please, don't hurt her!" Max pleaded as he backed off. "You win," he said in defeat.
Max looked at Applejack with a pleading look as she sighed and did the same, "Fine, we're all yours, Ya snake!" Applejack snarled.
Charm gave a chuckle as she moved her hoof away from Miny. "A snake, am I?" she mused as she guided the two away, "Well, once Master Chen has all that he needs, you will see just how snake-like I can be," she said sinisterly.
With Trail and Rainbow, they are walking through the forest while searching for the others. "Aqua! Where are you?!" Trail called out.
"At least give us a sign that you guys are close!" Rainbow called out, hoping to get a response. They then heard someone whoosh by before they turned around to see someone hiding behind a tree.
"Aqua? Is that you?" Trail wondered as he saw a pair of eyes looking at both him and Rainbow. They both stood their ground as they didn't know if it was a friend or a foe. "Whoever's there, I'm fired up!" he warned as he had his hoof on fire.
"So come on out or we'll blast you out!" Rainbow threatened before a familiar head peaked around the corner.
"It's just me," Topaz told them as she took off her hood and walked over to them. Trail sighed as he put out his hoof.
"Oh, it's just you," Rainbow said with a look while staring at Topaz in suspicion.
"We see you didn't pick up any of Chen's special treats either," Trail noted as Topaz walked up to them.
"Of course not, like I ever trust him," Topaz said as she got closer to them. "And I wanna find them to help you two get that spell and stop Chen once and for all."
"Trail, you seriously can't be buying this," Rainbow retorted before Trail walked up to Topaz.
"Maybe we should be together," he told her before a massive blush struck his face. "Aah, that didn't come out right! Heh. I mean, it's a big island, so maybe if we were a couple… Argh! No. Uh, heh. We wouldn't be a couple because Rainbow is here… and uh… What I'm trying to say is, um…"
"You want me to help you two find your friends and little sister," Topaz said with a small smile of amusement. "Of course. I'll follow you."
"Heh," Trail said with an embarrassed look. "It's good to work with people you trust," he said with a small smile as Topaz held his hoof.
"Yes, I couldn't agree more," Topaz said as she and Trail gave warm smiles while Rainbow gave a look of disbelief.
"Seriously? Is Trail that lovesick to notice anything?" Rainbow muttered in frustration. "That hothead. I have a bad feeling about this."
At the D.P. Express, Chen is listening to music while Grimoire, Charm, and one of their cultists enter while holding air for some reason. "Three fighters and one Council member down, seven and five remain," Grimoire informed.
"And this one was a bit harder to find than the others," Charm added before Pale turned visible as he struggled to get free.
"Argh. You'll never get away with this, Chen!" Pale promised.
"Are you serious?" Chen questioned. "Where have you been? I've been getting away with it time and time again. Oh, take him away, he's boring." Pale grunted as the cultists dragged him away. "Argh. You'd think they'd create a trap door in this thing…"
"Master, Topaz is with Trail and Rainbow Dash," Charm informed him.
"Good," Chen said with a smile.
"But we still don't know where Lloyd, Garmadon, Princess Twilight, Luna, Flash and Rarity are," Grimoire added.
"Bad!" Chen said with a frown. "Find them, you two. While you're at it, round up the rest of them."
With Lloyd's group, they kept following the Samurai X symbol on a fallen tree before Lloyd spoke, "Father, Princess, we don't understand," Lloyd spoke up.
"Yeah, you two said you trained under Chen, yet you both fought beside Wu, Celestia, and Equestria in the wars," Twilight added in wonder.
"What happened to the truce between the creatures of Equestria?" Rarity asked next.
Luna and Garmadon looked at each other grimly as they continued their story. "When Chen said, 'Never trust a snake,' he was right," Garmadon said regretfully.
"When we lowered our guard, the Serpentine invaded the Pony lands first," Luna added as they remembered the days of the Great War like it was yesterday.
Many moons ago, a village was under attack by the Serpentine as they are chasing the villagers who screamed in fear or causing destruction to their homes with their weapons.
"The Alliance of the Elemental Masters and the Pillars of Equestria fought back," Garmadon narrated as the previous Elemental Masters of Shadow, Water, Wind, and Fire with Rockhoof, Flash Magnus, and Mistmane leading attack the snakes with their powers and magic as they blasted the snakes back.
Rockhoof, Flash Magnus, and the Elemental Master of Shadow jumped down and faced the snakes head-on as they punched them back.
The Master of Water and Wind then used their powers to flood the streets to knock the snakes down and put out the fire they started on buildings. But then, a battalion of Anacondrai troops came slithering towards them.
"But even they had never seen the likes of an Anacondrai warrior," Luna spoke next grimly as the Anacondrai then started attacking the three Pillars and the Elemental Masters as they were pushed back and some of the town's guards rushed in to aid their protectors. "They were bigger, smarter, natural leaders on the battlefield."
Even with the villagers' guards, the Anacondrai kept winning. The guard clashed weapons with the purple snakes while some tried to use their magic on them, but they couldn't penetrate their hides or even hit them with their speed. "The Anacondrai were a proud race who fought with every ounce of venom. There was no greater warrior in the land. And with them in command, they proved to be too much for the alliance," Garmadon continued.
The Anacondrai then pushed the villagers away as the Master of Gravity flew in. "Charge!" The Stag called as he started kicking the Anacondrai Warriors on their heads, floating above them, not noticing the smirks on their faces.
"And that was before the Serpentine unleashed their Secret Weapon," Luna continued grimly as a large Green Serpent emerged right behind the Master of Gravity.
"The Great Devourer," Twilight answered as the Master of Gravity turned around just in time to see the Great Devourer lunge at him with a loud roar and nearly ate him had Somnambula not swooped in at the last second.
The village was now in ruin as a younger Pythor stood in front of another Anacondrai with gold armor, and green eyes and holding the Anacondrai staff. "We've taken the village, General Arcturus," Pythor informed with a bow. "And it won't be long before all of Equestria has been marked with our flag."
"Good. Only one can remain," Arcturus declared as his fellow Serpentine chanted in their native language.
In Chen's dojo, he is still showing the map to Garmadon and Luna of the marked territory the Serpentine already took. "Chen stood to gain more if he sided with the Serpentine and wanted us to help him," Luna continued as young Garmadon and Luna looked at the map in interest while Garmadon eye's glowed red while Luna's was cyan and slitted.
"Though the evil and jealousy boiling inside tempted us, we wouldn't fight a war for him," Garmadon continued as Young Garmadon and Luna shook their heads to snap out of it as their eyes returned to normal and remembered ponies important to them. "For me, I would only fight to see Misako again."
"And I wouldn't fight my sister, but with her," Luna added before Garmadon and Luna were seen with packed saddlebags as the two were leaving Chen's dojo. "From then on, we and Chen went our separate ways. So that we could join our brother and sister in battle."
In a snowy forest, Young Wu, Garmadon, Luna, and Celestia, along with the other creatures of Equestria, the Elemental Masters, Pillars, and shockingly, Tirek, Scorpan, and their father as well, marched through the snowy woods.
"We were the sons of the First Spinjitzu Masters and Daughters of the Alicorn King himself," Garmadon spoked.
"And together, with all of Ponykind standing together, as well as help with Tirek and his father, we stood a chance," Luna continued.
"Whoa, whoa, whoa! Wait a minute!" Twilight spoke up in shock. "I get the Pillars, the Elemental Masters, and all of Equestria will fight alongside you two, but Tirek and his father joined the war as well to help save Equestria?!"
"Wasn't he a bad guy to all of Equestria?" Rarity asked in a stunt.
"And who's the Alicorn King?" Flash added.
"This was before the time Tirek lost himself in his greed for magic," Luna explained. "Back then, he was one of the greatest warriors to ever fight alongside us. As for the Alicorn King, that's a story for another day. Now please, no interruptions," she said, "As I was saying…"
"With us and our allies united, we stood a fighting chance to drive the Anacondrai from our lands forever," Luna said as she, younger Wu, Garmadon, Celestia, and their army advanced on the Anacondrai army.
"Charge!" Young Celestia and Luna declared as the Ponies of Equestria charged at the Anacondrai with the Garmadon and Luna fighting Arcturus while Celestia and Wu faced Pythor.
The two sides clashed with each other while their teamwork seemed to be working as the Anacondrai screamed and retreated. The Alliance stood their ground as the Master of Fire then shot a fireball at the Anacondrai, but shockingly, the Master of Earth blocked it with his own body while facing his former allies.
"But Chen's deception changed all that," Garmadon said as the Alliance stood in shock at the Master of Earth's change of loyalties. "He manipulated the Elemental Masters to be turned against each other," The Master of Earth used his powers to knock his former allies back.
As the ponies picked themselves up, they heard another army approaching and turned to see a horde of Dragons rushing towards them. "And when that wasn't enough, he found ways to turn the Kingdoms of Equestria against each other!" Luna explained as the Ponies turned and saw Griffons, Changelings, and other creatures rushing at them as well, and before long, each race did battle with each other.
The Anacondrai then turned and saw the chaos before more Serpentine arrived and they joined the battle as the other creatures were overrun by the much larger army. Behind the trees, Charm and Grimoire watched the battle as the Alliance was overrun by their enemies, seeing that their plan worked.
"The battle was all but lost," Garmadon said in defeat.
"But in our darkest hour, we found hope," Luna continued as the defeated alliances all retreated to a village with Young Luna and Garmadon among them as they turned to see a group of foals playing ball with a young Griffon and dragon, while near them a stallion snake charmer was playing a familiar-looking flute as his snake looked hypnotized.
"The Scared Flutes," Flash said in realization as young Luna and Garmadon smiled with a brilliant idea on how to defeat the serpentine. Soon, The Spinjitzu Brothers, Royal Sisters, and pillars spoke to each Kingdom's leaders, asking for their allegiance.
"Before they could be created, we had to seek help from the other kingdoms, as we all shared a common enemy," Garmadon told them as each leader agreed to help. "In return for their help, each leader of each kingdom would agree that no creature in any of their kingdoms would ever set foot into others without permission." Soon each of the Elemental Masters was given a sacred flute to use to charm the serpentine as the Master of Lightning was riding on the back of a dragon while playing her flute just above the Anacondrai. "And soon, our hope found a way to end the war."
"With the other kingdoms' help and the sacred flutes, the Serpentine were defeated and locked away in separate tombs," Luna said as the Master of Life, Meadowbrook, and the Changelings imprisoned the Venomari, the Yaks, Rockhoof and the Master of Ice entombed the Hypnobrai, the Constrictai were imprisoned by the Hippogriffs, the Master of Fire and Mistmane, the Master of Wind, Flash Magnus, and the Griffons entombed the Fangpyres and the Anacondrai were trapped by the Master of Stars, Somnambula, the Dragons, and Celestia. Just before the Anacondrai were sealed though, Celestia got a dark glare from Pythor before each tomb was sealed.
"Chen, Grimoire, and Charm were exiled from every land for their part in escalating the war," Garmadon said as the Royal Sisters, Spinjitzu Brothers, and every creature behind them stood in front of them as Chen, Charm, and Grimoire while they were being forced on a ship.
"And in return for their help, Celestia and I drew the Kingdoms' borders, ensuring that everycreature got their fair share of the land," Luna said as young Celestia and she finished the map of the borders of the kingdom, showing it to the other leaders as they nodded in agreement. "But for Arcturus and the Anacondrai Generals, a worse fate awaited."
Celestia hit a gable as she, Luna, the Spinjitzu brothers, Star Swirl, and somehow a young Mistake, were judges of the Anacondrai Generals. "We ask for mercy," Arcturus pleaded as he and the other generals bowed their heads.
"'Mercy'? Never heard of it!" Mistake spat back.
"Perhaps you should have considered that before you decided to betray our agreement, old friend," Star Swirl said in disappointment as Arcturus bowed his head in shame.
"General Arcturus, for what you and your generals have done, betraying the truce and bringing the neighboring kingdoms into this senseless conflict, I'm afraid there is only one punishment worthy of all you've done," Celestia told them with a stern tone. "You and your fellow generals are to be banished to the Cursed Realm, never to return." Arcturus and his fellow generals gasped in shock at this as Celestia looked at Garmadon. "If you would do the honor, brother?"
Young Garmadon nodded as he opened the spellbook and muttered out the spell while his horn and eyes glowed with dark magic. "And so, the Anacondrai Generals were given the strictest sentence: Banishment to the Cursed Realm, so that they may never threaten Equestria again," Garmadon explained as a portal opened right above the Anacondrai Generals as they were sucked in.
Back in the present, the four ponies were shocked by what Luna and Garmadon just explained as well as what happened during the war. "The Cursed Realm? You banished them there of all places?!" Twilight asked in shock with wide eyes.
"We didn't have any choice, Twilight," Luna said in small guilt. "They caused so much destruction and harm to Equestria, they deserved the worst punishment yet."
"I'm sorry, but what is this Cursed Realm?" Flash asked in confusion. "I never heard anything thing like that before."
"The Cursed Realm is one of the worst realms there is in all of existence, it's so terrible it makes Tartarus look like a happy vacation spot!" Twilight explained in complete horror. "Once you entered, there's no going back. Princess Celestia told me that unicorns who became obsessed with learning Dark Magic were doomed to be trapped there forever," she shuddered.
Lloyd, Flash, and Rarity all looked in horror as they felt a shiver of fear go down their spines. "Okay, sorry I asked," Flash said.
"I am so glad I got that I will never ever learn any dark magic in my life," Rarity mentioned as Lloyd looked towards his father and Luna.
"So even after all this time, you two never told Wu or Celestia about your pasts with Chen?" Lloyd asked them.
"What would we have said?" Luna asked with a concerned look. "We would have lost everything if we told them. I would've lost my sister's trust."
"And I would have lost your mother, as well as my sister, my brother. Not to mention-" Garmadon listed out before he was cut off.
"Somepony once told me you need to control your fear, and not let fear control you," Lloyd repeated what his father told him before.
"Mm, you're right, son," Garmadon said with a smile as he and Luna walked up to them.
"Then perhaps once we put all of this behind us, we'll make things right," Luna suggested with a smile.
"That's great and all, but first, we need to find Aqua and the others," Flash said as they jumped off the log. "Come on. I think we might be close."
Down in the underground Noodle Factory, Rivet was running a bunch of plans down on a piece of paper before she crumbled it up and threw it away in a pile. "Why did I think that rolling ourselves into a giant egg roll would be a good idea!?" she asked in frustration before sighing and turning to the prisoners and Elemental Masters, "Alright, we're not out yet, we will find a way out of here, we just need to get creative," she told them.
"Yes, no such thing as a bad idea," Gaia said with her hooves out, "Anycreature have any suggestions?" she asked.
Yah-Karlof then raised his hoof. "Yah-Karlof once great Yak-Mechanic in Yakyakistan. Work on Roto Jets and Skychoppers," he said with a proud smile. "One or two could smash entire snaky pony army."
"Oh, excellent idea, Yah-Karlof, except for two little problems: We don't have a Roto Jet or a Skychopper, and what good is a jet and a chopper if we're UNDERGROUND?!" she exclaimed just as the conveyor belt she and Rivet were sitting on suddenly moved and they both fell to the floor as both Dareth and Short Fuse were riding on top of it.
"Okay. Don't mind us, just passing through," Dareth said as he and Short Fuse are holding a couple of components.
"YEAH! CARRY ON TO WHATEVERY BUSINESS YOU ALL ARE DOING!" Short Fuse shouted as he and Dareth stepped off the conveyor belt.
"Oh no, it's fine," Rivet replied sarcastically. "It's not like we were using that to hatch an Escape Plan! What are you two doing anyway?!"
"Well, if there isn't a machine that makes Puffy Potstickers, by Celestia's mane, me and my short-tempered friend here are gonna make one," Dareth said with determination as he and Short Fuse grab some spare parts on the shelves.
"EVEN IF WE HAVE TO BUILD IT FROM SCRATCH!" Short Fuse declared.
"Wait, that's it!" Frost exclaimed as he, his mother, and Rivet got an idea. "Dareth and Short Fuse, you've solved it!"
"How are Puffy Potstickers gonna help us?" Landrush asked as the others were confused by this.
"Not that, we can build our way out," Rivet corrected. "We'll use machine parts from this Factory to build a Roto Jet and a Skychopper."
Dr. Gear nodded and turned to Yah-Karloff, "Yah-Karlof, do you still remember the schematics for both of them? Because me and Rivet may need a hoof to build them," she requested.
"Of course," Yah-Karlof answered with a smile.
"Then it's set," Frost declared. "Yah-Karlof, Rivet, my mother, and I will create a blueprint."
"Everycreature else, find the parts we need to build it," Rivet finished before turning to the Washouts. "Think you and the Washouts can help us with that?"
Lightning Dust gave a grin. "Well, it sure beats making noodles down here. So, yeah, we're in," she answered.
"Alright everycreature, let's get to work!" Landrush declared as everycreature spread out, all except for Gaia, who was gobsmacked at this.
"But we're UNDERGROUND!" she shouted without her fancy accent before she groaned and shuffled after them to aid in this crazy plan.
Back above ground in the jungle, Thunder let out a sigh as he, Pinkie and Fluttershy continued to look for Aqua and the others. "Legs, getting tired," Thunder said as he kept moving his mech, which was tiring him out. "Must keep looking."
"Maybe we should stop and rest," Fluttershy suggested. "We've been flying and moving around the forest all day. It's getting tiring."
"I'm all tired out too!" Pinkie cheered with her usual smile, not feeling tired one bit as she flew around. "Hey, I think I might have found something!" She soon pointed towards a tree with a Samurai X symbol carved in it.
"Aqua!" Thunder cheered, looking at the symbol. "She must've left that for us to find her and the others."
"Then we should get going," Fluttershy said with a hopeful smile.
"We're sorry, your search ends here," Grimoire's voice spoke, causing the three ponies to turn and saw him and Charm behind them.
"Eep!" Fluttershy squeaked in fear as she hid behind Pinkie.
"Your time in the tournament is over!" Charm added before both hers and Grimoire's horns were covered in dark magic. The three gasped as the two of them blasted Thunder's back a few feet.
"Thunder!" Both mares called out as the twins used their magic to tie Thunder and his mech up with some vines before they quickly used their magic to blast the twins back.
"Stay away from our friend!" Pinkie yelled with an anger look.
Thunder saw the vines stopped, giving him the chance to break free as he jumped up and stood beside Fluttershy and Pinkie, "Magic's for Unicorns and Alicorns. I'll stick to good old nuts and bolts with a little ingenuity," he said as he aimed his blaster arm at the twins, shooting lightning shots as the two Alicorns join in and blasting the twins back while they dodged the blasts.
"You want ingenuity? Try this on for size!" Charm called as she and Grimoire then used their dark magic to bring some rocks to them, which made the three ponies nervous as the twins formed a four-armed rock mech.
"Magic versus nuts and bolts!" The twins declared.
"Oh boy…" Pinkie squeaked out before the twins charged and punched Thunder back.
Charm then used her rock mech to try and swat the two Alicorns.
With Aqua and the others, while Aqua was carving her symbol, the four heard noises as they turned to a direction.
"Ha! Is that all the hocus-pocus you two got?!" Thunder mocked.
"Yeah! We've seen tougher magic than this!" Pinkie cheered next.
"Please don't make them angry," Fluttershy pleaded in fear.
The four than realizes who they were, "It's Thunder, Fluttershy and Pinkie!" Aqua called out.
"Looks like they're close by!" Starlight called next.
"And in trouble!" Spike called in concern. "It sounds like they're fighting!"
"Well, what are we waiting for?! Let's go help them!" Smolder called out as Aqua jumped down the tree and ran into the direction their friends were.
Grimoire and Thunder's mechs soon tussled with each other while Charm pinned both Pinkie and Fluttershy against a tree. "Your Council is out of your league," Charm mocked with a smirk, "We did our research on you two, you're both not fit for fighting."
"Hey, at least we're trying," Pinkie said in defense.
"Guys!" Aqua's voice called out as they turned and saw her, Starlight, Spike, and Smolder next to them.
"Aqua! Starlight! Spike! Smolder!" The three ponies called while struggling to break free.
"We got our hooves full at the moment!" Thunder called as he tried to push Grimoire back while Fluttershy and Pinkie tried to break free from Charm.
"But did you find the spell?! Please tell us you got it!" Fluttershy pleaded in great worry.
"We do and when Chen gets all the elements and magic, it's not gonna be good!" Spike said, holding up the spell.
"Well, what are they going to turn into if they complete the spell?!" Pinkie asked before Grimoire and Charm glared at the four.
"Be silent, all of you!" they both exclaimed before Grimoire shot a rock towards them. The four then ducked out of the way, splitting them in pairs while Starlight and Smolder dodge to the left, Aqua and Spike dodged to the right as they fell to the ground.
"Okay, that hurt," Spike groaned as he shook his head.
"Hey, no pony hurts our friends and gets away with it!" Pinkie declared before she pulled out a cupcake from her mane and threw it into Charms face. That didn't stop as Pinkie Pie started to throw a barrage of cupcakes right at her, causing her to let go of the two alicorns. "I still got it!"
"You usually do that when you're serious, Pinkie," Fluttershy said with a smile.
"Because when somepony hurts my friends, I get serious when it counts," Pinkie said before taking out a cupcake and eating it in one gulp.
Charm groaned as she tried to wipe the frosting off her face. "Agh! Where do you keep this stuff!? It's impossible to carry this many cupcakes!" she called out.
"Go, Aqua! Tell the others!" Thunder called out as he used his mech to hold on to Grimoire. "We can't hold them for long!"
Aqua and Spike nodded as they were about to run off, but saw Starlight and Smolder standing still, "Smolder! Starlight! What are you two doing?! Let's go!" Spike called out.
"No way, are we leaving our friends behind! We can't just leave them to be caught!" Starlight pointed out while lightning up her horn.
"Go and find the others!" Smolder called out as she readied her Elemental breath. "We're staying to help them!"
Aqua and Spike were conflicted by leaving them, but saw their friends' expressions on staying as they nodded and ran off deeper into the jungle before Grimoire punched through Thunder's mech, ripping out some wires as it began to spark up.
"Primary power obstructed," Thunder's mech said as the side where the wires were ripped caught fire, "Automatic self-detonation in five, four-" It counted down while everycreature around gave nervous looks.
"Heh, heh. That's unfortunate," Thunder said with a nervous look.
"Oh dear," Fluttershy said fearfully.
Pinkie gave a nervous laugh. "Kaboom," she squeaked.
"That wasn't wise of you, brother," Charm pointed out with a nervous look.
"Brace for explosion!" Smolder called out as Starlight tried to form her shield.
"-three, two…"
Not far from where they are, Trail, Topaz, and Rainbow both heard and saw an explosion coming from deeper in the jungle. "Aah! That could be Aqua and the others, come on!" Trail shouted as he started to jump across a large swamp with tree stumps and rocks coming up from the bog.
"I guess we forgot to break the spell off of your wings," Rainbow mentioned before she hovered above the bog.
"Let me, I have a faster way!" Topaz called out as her horn glowed an icy blue aura before she zapped the bog and froze it solid. Trail however had a shocked look when she used the element of ice just as Topaz started to skate across the ice. "What are you waiting for? Your friends could be in trouble." She stopped when she noticed the shocked look on his face while Rainbow landed next to him with a glare at her. "What?"
"How did you just do that?" Trail asked in a stunt.
Topaz looked at them in confusion. "I can absorb elemental power and magic," she reminded them.
"Yeah, we know. But this is Ice," Rainbow spoke up with a stern tone. "Only one Elemental Master can use that,"
"And Frost's never been in the tournament," Trail pointed out in confusion.
"Trail, how do you think she got Frost's powers if he wasn't with us the whole time?" Rainbow questioned while glaring at Topaz. "There's only one explanation why she got the Ice element."
Topaz realizes the mistake she made while looking down in guilt, seeing that her cover is blown while Trail eyes widen in realization. "You're the traitor! You've seen Frost! You're working for Chen!" he called out in shock.
"I knew it! I knew there was something off about you!" Rainbow exclaimed.
"You don't understand, I had to obey my grandfather or else-" Topaz tried to explain.
"Chen's your grandfather?!" Both Trail and Rainbow asked in shock before they slipped on the ice.
"Yes!" Chen called as he appeared from a puff of smoke while giving a smile next to Topaz with his staff while Trail and Rainbow yelped in startled. "And now your time in the tournament is over, Master of Fire and Princess Rainbow Dash," he declared. "Take them, Topaz."
"Okay, granddad," Topaz said as she ran at the two ponies as they slide across the frozen swamp as Topaz was about to kick Trail, but he grabbed her back hoof and toss her to the ground while Rainbow pinned her.
"The reason you didn't have a tattoo was because you used the power of Form," Trail said as he raised his hoof at her.
"By the way, you should really work on matching your coat!" Rainbow added with a smirk. "I should know, I worked in a Rainbow Factory."
"Smart, but let's see how smart you are when I use the power of Smoke!" Topaz declared when her horn glowed gray and she became a puff of smoke to get behind them both before taking them back.
Chen gave a laugh at this as Trail lit up his hoof on fire while Rainbow lit up her horn, ready to strike before Topaz grabbed them. "Do it, and we'll all go in," she warned. But Trail and Rainbow didn't listen to her as Rainbow blasted her back while Trail lit up both his hooves. "No!" she called out.
"NINJA, GO!" Both Rainbow and Trail did Spinjitzu as they knocked Topaz back while also breaking the ice from both strength and Trail's heat.
"What are you two doing?!" Topaz called out as the ice began to break around them while Chen's ice tipped over and he fell into the water with a scream.
"Topaz, help me!" Chen cried as Topaz ran to him.
"Grandfather!" Topaz called in worried as she helped get her father out of the water.
Trail and Rainbow then stop doing Spinjitzu as they then start running away from both Chen and Topaz. "Enough of this!" Chen growled as he used his staff to use the Elements of Life to make a couple of vines grow and grab both Trail and Rainbow Dash. They both gasped when they felt the vines grab hold of their back legs before two more grabbed their fronts.
"Hey! Let us go!" Rainbow demanded as they tried to break free, but they couldn't move a muscle as Rainbow's horn was covered in vines to prevent her from using her magic, realizing that they are caught and trap.
At nightfall, Aqua and Spike ran through the jungle as fast as they could while they stopped with a gasp before realizing it's Garmadon, Luna, Twilight, Rarity, Flash, Lloyd. "Aqua! Spike!" Flash called out in surprise.
"Spikey-Wikey!" Rarity said with a huge smile.
"You're both okay!" Twilight said in relief.
"They took Thunder and the others!" Aqua shouted with worry. "They took everyone!"
"Slow down, Aqua," Garmadon told her.
"You're the only ones, guys!" Spike called next while bringing out the spell. "You are all the only ones left who can stop it!" he told them, giving Twilight the spell.
"Stop what?" Lloyd asked as Twilight unrolled the spell.
Twilight read through the spell before she gasped in horror. "Oh no! This isn't just any transformation spell. It's for a perfect transformation into one creature!" she called in panic.
"Transform into what, darling?" Rarity asked in concern while the others were worried.
Luna and Garmadon looked at the spell and gave grim expressions. "It's a spell to transform everycreature with the Anacondrai mark into an army of Anacondrai."
"Wait, Chen wants to transform himself and his army into Anacondrai?!" Flash asked in shock before fear took over. "That's the reason why he needs our powers and magic, to perfect the spell?!"
"With that many Anacondrai, Chen would be unstoppable!" Lloyd asked in great panic.
"The tournament may be over, but the next Great War may have just begun," Garmadon finished as the group looked at the spell in great worry.
At the D.B. Express, Chen and Topaz toss Trail and Rainbow into a cell, that was built entirely of Vengestone to block their powers and magic, with the other competitors and most of the Mane Six. They looked up and saw the defeated looks on their faces before they turned to Thunder. "Don't worry, Lloyd and the others will come for us," he assured them.
"I'm planning on it," Chen said to them with an evil look as he gave an evil laugh as he closed the cage. As they all glared at Chen while Trail looked at Topaz in betrayal. Topaz looked at Trail's look as she felt extreme guilt for betraying them, and most of all Trail, for spying on them and betraying them. She sadly turned away from them and walked away, not wanting to make things worse for them.