Chapter 10: The Corridors of Elders
In Ponyville, smoke rose as Chen and his army began their attack. Everypony in the village ran for cover as they had no hope of vending off an army of Anacondrai. Chen soon landed the Roto Jet in the middle of town before hopping out of it. "Ha, ha! Run! Ha, ha! Run away!" he declared to the residents of Ponyville. "Oh, watch your ssstep! I feel sssorry for them, Zugu. They rely ssso heavily on the Ninja or the Council. They don't know what to do when they're not here. Doesssn't anypony here want to fight?!" An apple was thrown at his head before he turned to see Apple Bloom and her friends holding some with brave looks on their faces.
"Ya don't scare us!" Apple Bloom told him.
"If you think you can slither in here and scare us, you will be surprised!" Sweetie Belle added.
"We faced even worse things than you!" Scootaloo finished.
"Oh really?" Chen questioned before one of his soldiers threw a boulder at them, which they quickly tucked and rolled away from. "Maybe it'sss time to ssshow how worssse I can be: by destroying the School of Friendship!" The CMCs gasped when he declared that before Chen pointed towards the school. "Make sssure there'ssss nothing left of it!"
"Uh, Massster Chen…" a female Anacondrai spoke up with uncertainty in her tone. "Why would we do that? Isssn't taking thisss village enough?"
"Oh! Nothing isss ever enough!" Chen answered with his arms raised. "Why take over a village, when we can do ssso more damage to the Princessss of Friendship, by dessstroying all her hard work of thisss ssstupid unity and harmony!" he concluded as he laughed maniacally.
"But Massster, it's jussst that, ain't that a bit too far?" another Anacondrai asked uncertainty. "I mean, we learn from the ancient textsss of how the Anacondrai are honorable warriorsss and reasssonable creat-" He was cut off.
"You lisssten to me! I am your massster! You do as I sssay!" Chen yelled as most of the Anacondrai flinched back as he pointed to the school. "Now do it!"
The Anacondrai Army moved onto the School of Friendship, while most of them gave uncertain expressions about his words. While they would understand taking over Equestria, but going this far was something they had mixed feelings about his plans and his Anacondrai ways… if they could even be truly called "Anacondrai".
In the desert near the Anacondrai's old tomb, Trail and Applejack are inside the noodle truck they stop as they adjust the radio as Aqua spoke. "Chen has- Ponyville- Everycreature-" she tried to say but there was some static in the radio.
"We can't read you, Aqua," Trail said through the radio. "Repeat."
"Ya breaking up there," Applejack said as she tried to adjust for a stronger signal.
With Thunder and Pinkie, they are doing the same thing in the snowy mountain. "Attack first- Nothing- Stop them!" Aqua spoke but there was static as well.
"You're breaking up. Where do you need us?" Thunder asked through the radio.
"Yeah. We're all scattered, and there's no time to play fill in the blanks," Pinkie pointed out.
With Lloyd and Rarity, they have the same experience. "Hurry! -too late!" Aqua cried out.
"Tell us where we need to go, Aqua," Rarity said through the radio.
"I can't use my dragon form and Rarity can't fly fast enough, so if anyone is close-" Lloyd spoke before the radio buzzed and shut off, worrying him. "Aqua? Aqua?!"
"Can anypony hear us?" Flash asked as he and Twilight were in their noodle truck before the radio buzzed loudly as they realized the signal was dead as Flash growled and slammed his hoof down. "Chen and his evil schemes! It's bad enough that he took Melody, but he tricked us away from the real attack and made us give into fear!" he yelled in rage.
"We can't give up, Flash," Twilight encouraged him. "We'll stop Chen and get Melody back. She's strong. And believe me, Chen will get what's coming to him."
Flash took a breath as he calmed down and turned to Twilight with a small smile. "You're right, Twilight. I just hope she's holding out better than us."
"I'm sure she's fine. Now, let's get back to the cave and regroup," Twilight said as Flash nodded as he turned the keys and the engine started up and drove off back to the Samurai X Cave to regroup with the others.
Up in the sky is the new Harmony's Bounty, which has similar details to the original Destiny's Bounty but with some upgrades. It has elegant white sails, a gold, purple, and crystal blue paint job, and an Alicorn figurehead.
On the bridge were Garmadon, Misako, Topaz, Luna, Celestia, Wu, and Aqua as they were trying to contact their friends, but all they got was static. "They're attacking Ponyville. You have to stop them!" Aqua called out, but got no answer as she sighed and turned to the others. "All communication is cut."
"Chen must've taken over the signal towers!" Celestia said grimly.
"If our fightersss don't know where to go, who'sss going to ssstop my grandfather?" Topaz asked in worry.
Just then, the monitor of the map of Equestria started frizzing out as Chen appeared on the screen. "Hello. Asss you can sssee, I've taken over the airwavesss, just asss I'll take over Equessstria," he said to the group on the bridge with a smirk.
Garmadon and Luna both growled and slithered up the to the screen. "You'll pay for thisss, Chen!" Garmadon yelled.
"And you're going to regret what you did!" Luna yelled as well as Celestia and Wu came to their respective siblings.
"Brother, sister, enough," Wu said to them while placing a hoof on Garmadon's shoulder.
"Let us talk to him," Celestia said as she and Wu turned to him. "What do you want, Chen?"
"A truce," Chen simply said to them.
Luna just gave a sarcastic laugh. "Ha! Like the one the true Anacondrai wanted during the lassst War?" she questioned angrily.
"The truce that you dessstroyed by deceiving all the kingdomsss?!" Garmadon added while glaring at Chen.
"I will honor my word and nocreature will get hurt," Chen answered plainly, "if you two, and everycreature you both know, leave Equestria and never come back."
"We're not leaving our home," Luna said firmly as she and Garmadon turned their heads away from him with their forelegs crossed.
"Wait. Let us think about it," Wu said to Chen, much to their siblings' surprise.
"How can you even entertain him?" Garmadon questioned his brother.
"Can't you sssee thisss isss jussst another one of hisss tricksss?" Luna added.
"Our Ninja and Council are gone. We need more time," Wu explained to them.
"You ssshould lisssten to Wu, you two," Chen said with a smirk on his face. "He'sss alwaysss had a way with wordsss, jussst asss Celessstia has a way of inssspiring othersss," he said as Luna and Garmadon realized what he was about to say next as Chen chuckled. "Heh, heh. It convinced Misssako, didn't it?" At this question, Luna and Garmadon looked down in shame. "What'sss wrong? You two look a little purple. Oh, that'sss right. Once a sssnake, always a sssnake." As Chen mocked the pair, the rest all looked at the two Anacondrai siblings, who looked away in shame.
"Haven't you done enough harm, Grandfather?" Topaz spat.
"What is he talking about?" Misako asked in confusion.
"Oh, Garmadon hasn't told any of you?" Chen asked with a smirk. "The letter he wrote that made you fall in love with him, it was written by Wu," he revealed as they all gasped in shock while Misako was surprised by that.
"I- snake wasss trying to tell you," Garmadon admitted shamefully as he turned to them.
"Oh, but that'sss not all. At first, your big brother rejected that idea, but Little Luna convinced him otherwissse. In fact, you could sssay if it weren't for her, Misssako and Garmadon would've never been," Chen said as Luna turned away in guilt.
"Luna?" Celestia asked in surprise.
"I wasss a filly! I didn't know any better! I'm not proud of it!" Luna cried out.
"How could you both?" Wu asked, feeling hurt that his siblings would do that as Luna and Garmadon looked down in shame.
"Oh, and about that truce? Deal'sss off," Chen said to them with a smile. "I actually only wanted to drop those deliciousss little bombshells. Oh! And before I forget… If you're thinking going back to Twilie'sss little Ssschool of Friendship to hide… well, you'll find that it'sss a bit wrecked." He showed them a picture of the School of Friendship, which was completely trashed with broken walls, windows, and doors as they all gasped in shock at what Chen had done to Twilight's legacy. "What was it your Princessss sssaid? 'The more who know about friendship, the sssafer our world will be'? Well, I guess without your Ssschool, your world is DOOMED!" Chen maniacally laughed at their shocked faces. "Well, I'm off. Too-da-loo," he waved as the signal was cut off.
Wu was enraged as he rushed in front of the two Anacondrai. "Of all the things…" he started as he went up to their faces as Garmadon and Luna flinched back.
"Easssy, Wu," Luna said softly.
"Brother, don't let anger cloud your judgment," Garmadon added, trying to ease the tension.
"Don't tell me what to do!" Wu yelled as Luna and Garmadon turned away. "You're no sensei or princess, neither of you has ever been one!" At that remark, Luna and Garmadon felt hurt by his words.
"Wu!" Celestia yelled as he turned to the former Princess of the Sun, looking at him with a firm anger. "Stand down! And don't ever talk to my sister that way!"
"Or what?! Banish me to the moon!?" Wu questioned angrily.
Though that comment stung Celestia, she refused to sink to that low. "I said, stand down. There is no gain in clinging to what has passed," she advised them.
"Like how Garmadon just took my letter and then took Misako from…" Wu tried to retort before Misako stood in front of him.
"I knew that letter was not Garmadon's from the very beginning," Misako told him with a disappointed frown.
Wu, Celestia, Luna, and Topaz turned to her in surprise. "What?" Wu asked in shock.
"When I read the letter, I immediately knew it was not Garmadon's horn writing despite his name written on it," Misako said with her head up. "I realized he took that letter from somepony else but I never knew who and didn't care. It showed me that Garmadon loved me so much he would use someone else's words to win my heart, and that made me love him even more," she continued while looking at Garmadon with a warm smile which he returned before turning to Wu with a firm look. "What Chen revealed changes nothing, Wu. My heart will always belong to Garmadon, and nothing will change that."
"That's… That's not even… How can you…I'm the one who…?!" Wu stammered as he gave a frustrated yell as Celestia got in front him.
"Don't you see what Chen is doing?" Celestia questioned as she gave Wu a hard look. "He's divided the Alliance. Now he's trying to divide us!"
Meanwhile, in Chen's old subway base, Melody and Pythor were still running with the Manticore and Swamp Rat from their perspective traps as they are panting from all the running.
"Wretched contraptions!" Pythor complained.
"We can't run forever, you overgrown fleabags!" Melody yelled as she dodged another bite. "Oh. Chen is so gonna get it when we get out of here! It's bad enough already with him and his army of knock-offs, but he could've at least gotten rid of these beasts once he got our sweat!"
"What's the point in having friends, if they're never around to save your skin?!" Pythor questioned.
"They would, if Chen hadn't tricked them in his plans! Equestria is probably at war right now!" Melody pointed out. "I mean, you're one to talk to, since you helped the Overlord try to steal my mother and her friends' magic, along with Lloyd's and his powers, to destroy Equestria!"
"Hey! You gotta get revenge somehow! I thought I was the last of my kind after being in a tomb with no food or water for centuries, fed to the Devourer which caused my scales to be bleached, and not to mention being shrunken down after taking a pill meant for the Overlord!" Pythor yelled. Soon, they noticed the spell book and got an idea as Pythor smirked. "If there's no Ninja or friends to be found, may as well try and be one," he said.
"Luckily, I was trained by them," Melody said with a smirk as well as Pythor then jumped from the wheel.
"ANACONDRAI, GO!" he called out, landing on the Manticore's face and distracting him long enough for Melody to jump off the treadmill before she grabbed Pythor with her tail and pulled him away.
"Booyah!" they both declared.
"Now that's how a true Anacondrai does it," Melody said as she went up to the spell book as Pythor landed in front of it.
"The Book of Spells, finally," Pythor said happily as he opened the spell book. "Time to find a spell to make me big again." He started flipping through the pages.
"Seriously? Right now?" Melody asked in surprise as she took the book. "Pythor, shouldn't we use it for something more important than that?"
"More important than me becoming my own size again?" Pythor questioned as he leaped onto the book.
Just then, the radio next to them just went off. "Another village has fallen, and the Ninja and Council have yet to be found," Cyrus Borg's voice spoke through the radio. "It's only a matter of time before they take over Canterlot and all other major cities of Equestria."
Pythor scoffed, forgetting about Chen's invasion for a moment. "Ah the news, always a downer."
"Seriously?! Equestria's being attacked!" Melody pointed out with a look.
"How the Anacondrai returned is a mystery," Cyrus added.
That caused the two Anacondrai to turn to the radio in disbelief. "Not a mystery. They're frauds," Pythor called out.
"Seriously, if they'd even done their homework, they would know that they don't look a thing like Anacondrai!" Melody yelled. "A true Anacondrai would never stand for this insult!"
"Here-here!" Pythor said in agreement.
"If you hear this message, find shelter or find help," the radio pony finished as the message ended.
Pythor then thought for a moment. "A true Anacondrai would never stand for this insult, eh?" he repeated. "Well, we're true Anacondrai."
"But two Anacondrai aren't going to make a difference," Melody told him. "And all the other real Anacondrai are all gone."
Pythor then looked at the spell pages, which showed the Spell of Banishment and remembered something important. "Wait! Not all of them," he pointed out before turning to Melody. "Perhaps your father is the one we need to deal with these pretenders."
Melody was confused. "But, daddy's not an Anacondrai," she reminded Pythor.
"No, no, no. Not your pony father, your true father," Pythor corrected.
Melody was even more confused by this. "What? What are you saying, exactly?"
Pythor then gave a small smile and a light chuckle. "I think it's high time you finally learn the story of your true family lineage, young hatchling," he said to her as Melody looked at Pythor in curiosity as to what he was about to say.
In the middle of the road, Flash and Twilight are driving up to a village that is on fire as another noodle truck drives up to them as they stop between each other. They lowered their windows to reveal Grey inside his.
"They're heading west," Grey told them. "I tried to stop them, but I'm just a mind reader. I couldn't help anymore."
"But you can still help us," Twilight encouraged. "Can you send a message to all our allies and the leaders at once?"
"I can try, your highness," Grey said as he then focused his powers on sending the message to them now.
A little bit later, the Alliance regrouped back at the Samurai X Cave with the Equestrian Leaders joining in as the last of them entered the cave. "Thank goodness. You got my message," Grey said to them.
"We did. Major headache though, but effective," Rainbow said while rubbing her head.
Trail then walked up to Topaz. "Look at you," he said, seeing some purple mist coming off Topaz.
"The spell is wearing off," Topaz said with a smile before she lowered her head solemnly. "But my father's antics sadly have not." She soon turned to the elders.
"Tea?" Wu asked as he offered some to Misako, while passing by his brother and Luna as the two frowned while Lloyd and Cestia placed their hooves on their respective turned-snaked families.
"He knows about the letter?" Lloyd asked his father.
"The messssage was delivered," Garmadon said solemnly.
"He did not take it well asss we hoped," Luna said sadly as Celestia placed a wing over her sister.
Misako simply brushes past Wu and offers the tea to her husband with a smile. "I, on the other hoof, choose not to hold onto the past," she said in comfort.
"So why were we asked here?" Turner questioned Princess Twilight. "We should be fightin' snakes. No offense to the kids."
"None taken," the Serpentine Kids said in unison.
"Because anyone can fight," Celestia spoke up. "Only one side can declare victory."
"In the time it took you to get here, Chen has taken over the entire Eastern Seaboard and is moving Inland," Rivet told them. "With each village destroyed, they grow stronger." She pointed to the monitor showing a part of Equestria in red.
"So much red," Yona commented.
"Yaks not like red," Yah-Karlof said in agreement.
"How are we supposed to stop them?" Gravitrope asked.
"That's way too much to handle all at once, even with our powers," Ramerak pointed out.
"Plus, most of us have lost control of our Inner Dragon Forms. Not to mention we're outnumbered ten to one," Shelley added.
"Actually, 62.4 to 1," Frost corrected.
"Not the point, Frost. But thanks, darling," Gaia said with a sigh.
"Look, I'm scared like the rest of you," Lloyd spoke up to them. "It may look like we've lost, but it's not over." He then turned to Frost and placed a hoof on his shoulder. "When we thought we lost Frost, it nearly tore us apart. But we didn't quit. We let it fuel us. We grew stronger."
"And just like the Ninja, we won't quit either. For there is hope," Star Swirl spoke before he pointed to an area on the map. "The Corridor of Elders."
"Corridor of Elders?" Shade repeated.
"We know we don't stand much of a chance taking on his entire army at once, but after he's controlled the East, he'll move West tomorrow, and have to pass through Echo Canyons," Star Swirl explained while gesturing to the map while the Alliance listened. "Our best tactical position is to make our stand where it bottlenecks: here, at the Corridor of Elders, the monuments honoring our ancestors. It's the narrowest channel, but our greatest chance."
"If we can't stop them here, the rest of Equestria and the lands beyond will fall like dominos," Luna added.
"Yaks not like to lose," Yah-Karlof mentioned. "Yah-Karlof fueled!"
"Then we have one day, to save tomorrow. Gather everyone and assemble at Echo Canyons," Celestia finished with a serious look as they all cheered together.
At Equestria City in the comic store, Trail and Rainbow were inside speaking to the creatures in the store. "We wish we could say we're not facing an army unlike we've ever seen, but we have, and we know what they're capable of," he said to them.
"And they wanted to force us out of our homes just so they could have fun watching us fight. Well, they made a mistake for doing that," Rainbow added as the creatures then armed up.
At Mega Monster Amusement Park, the creatures are running in fear as the Anacondrai are chasing them away and causing chaos around the park.
In the dragon lands, Thunder and Pinkie have gathered the dragons and a few other creatures to stand with them. "Right now, our cities and villages are falling, which is why we're asking everycreature to rise up!" Thunder told them.
"They think they can stomp all over us because they think they're big and strong, but that doesn't mean we're gonna let a bunch of snake-fakes push us around and stomp on our parade!" Pinkie added.
In Equestria City, Frost is in front of his memorial statue with Fluttershy as they spoke to the creatures gathered around them. "We all may have different backgrounds, but we all share the same future," Frost spoke up.
"And that future is to live in peace and harmony and unite as one to make the world better," Fluttershy added.
In a movie theater of a movie playing Space Ranger, the Anacondrai burst through the screen as the crowd started screaming in fear as they all ran away.
In Kryptarium Prison, Landrush and Applejack are inside as they spoke to the warden and the inmates. "You may wonder why we're asking you to fight for Equestria. But we aren't," Landrush spoke to them.
"We're asking ya to fight for each other to protect yourselves," Applejack added as the inmates looked at each other from their words.
In Canterlot, Gaia and Rarity are in the middle of town as they spoke to the crowd. "Our homes are being threatened by these hooligans, and they are trying to divide us all so that they can keep us afraid!" Gaia spoke up.
"But we mustn't let fear control us! We have to show these Anacondrai imposters that they have no right to drag us away and that we can conquer our fears!" Rarity called next.
In Cloudsdale, Twilight and Flash are among the crowd in the air. "Equestria is a land of peace and unity! And Chen and his army clearly lacks any of that, thinking it's better in an age of war and strife," Flash called.
"We all live on the same land!" Twilight declared. "Our ancestors founded this land and gave their lives to build it into what it is now. The friendship and love they shared was what made it strong! If Chen thinks he can take away our land and prove us to be weak, he's got another thing coming! So, we ask all of you to fight, not just for yourselves, but for all!"
In Equestria City at the museum, Lloyd spoke out to the crowd in front of him. "And we're asking you to fight as one!" he called as the crowd then starts cheering him on for his speech.
In the Canterlot Castle meeting hall, while the Alliance went out to round up all the creatures of Equestria willing to fight with them against Chen and the False Anacondrai, the Royal Sisters and Wu Brothers remained behind to discuss their strategy with the other leaders and Aqua was tinkering up the Bounty with Rivet and Dr. Gear outside as they all waited for their friends' return.
"Okay, now if we had a secondary power conduit to the blasters, it should prevent them from overheating when rapid firing," Rivet instructed.
"That's good. Let's make sure we have extra fuel for the rocket boosters so that it can stay in the air longer," Dr. Gear added.
"Not to mention the extra armor. The last Bounty took a missile to the haul. So, let's make sure we don't lose this one," Aqua stated.
"Wait, last Bounty?" Rivet asked in confusion.
"It's a long story. But we had that covered," Dr. Gear said as she brought out her toolbox. "We should get started now and work through the night. We have one day before Chen starts his attack."
"Agreed," Aqua said as they continued.
As the three engineers worked on the Bounty, the leaders continued talking and discussing a vote of action when they take on Chen and his army.
Wu looked at his brother and Luna at him as he turned away from them as the two turned-snake ponies looked down in sadness.
Misako sighed from this as Misako turned to Wu. "Wu, may we have a word?" she asked.
"A word?" Wu asked in surprise.
"Yes, in private," Misako said firmly with a look that made Wu flinch from that.
"I'd lisssten to her, brother. You know how ssseriousss ssshe can be," Garmadon reminded him.
Misako and Wu walked away to talk as they stepped out of the meeting hall and out of earshot. "Wu, you have to let it go. It happened so long ago, and Garmadon regrets it greatly," Misako said to him.
"Yes. But that doesn't change the fact for what he did," Wu said firmly. "What kind of brother does this? Of all the things he's done over the years, this is something I will not forgive him for."
"Wu, he was still under the influence of the Great Devourer's venom. And Chen influenced him and Luna into doing that," Misako reminded him. "And even with their darkness growing, they still fought alongside you and the others. At least they're trying to make peace with it, but you seem to be obsessed with holding this grudge for no reason."
"He took you from me. He knew I loved you and yet he stole my letter and robbed me of a future with you," Wu reminded her before sighing at looking at Misako. "Misako, I implore you, you know that now that letter was from me, you understand it was my love for you in it not Garmadon's. Now that we know the truth, we may have a second chance to-"
"Wu, I know you see this as an opportunity but the way you are now is not what we need," Misako told him. "Think about how they feel right now. Garmadon kept the secret for so long and when he was free from the evil that he was under, it had bothered him so much and he was planning on telling us the truth. As for Luna, years ago she was envious of her own sister that evil grew inside of her. You think she does not feel guilty for influencing him to steal your letter?" she questioned.
Wu eyes widened as he looked at his brother and Luna, all were looking at the map of the canyon while Celestia came in and gave them two cups of tea, which they smiled softly as they accepted it.
"I… That's… I suppose," Wu said uncertainly while feeling guilt inside him.
"I know what they did was wrong, but even if I didn't know that letter wasn't Garmadon's, my heart still would have chosen him," Misako stated. "And if I hadn't, Lloyd may have never been born."
Wu then felt even more guilt as he never had thought of what would happen if Misako never married his brother, which now he realizes that Lloyd would not be around if Garmadon had not done so. Destiny for Equestria would have changed significantly if they had not. "My brother was right. I let my anger cloud my judgment. I should've known better," he said in shame.
"It may be too late for us to be anything now but it is not too late to forgive and be forgiven," Misako said with a small smile as she gestured to the turned-Anacondrai ponies, which he gave an uncertain look as Misako sighed. "Be sure to tell them when you can. Because if you don't soon, you might never get the chance again." She walked back to the main room, leaving Wu to his thoughts.
The next day at Echo's Canyon, Chen and his Anacondrai Army are slithering through the canyon while Chope, Kapau, Zugu, and Eyezor are carrying the Roto Jet with Chen on it. "Maybe Master Chen knowing our names isn't such a good idea," Kapau commented while feeling exhausted.
"Yeah. Tell me about it," Chope said in agreement.
"I'm hot and this skin doesn't breathe like my old one," Chen complained while feeling the heat from the hot sun. "How much further?"
"The Corridor of Elders is just up ahead," Zugu informed him.
"Good, maybe we can stop for a break," Chen suggested which made his men sigh with relief. "And you four can carve my image into the walls in my honor," That made them groan with annoyance.
They soon reached the Corridor of Elders where statues of different ponies were carved into the cliffs. At the end of the Corridor of Elders, the Alliance all stood at the exit as they had brought every creature from across the land to stand with them. Rumbling could be felt from beneath them as Thunder had a concerned look on his face. "Huh. There's so many of them," he said with concern as the Anacondrai army was getting closer before they came to a halt.
The two armies glared at each other as Lloyd then blasted to the ground, creating a line as he turned to his friends as he put on his mask. "We fight for each other. We fight as one," he declared as the Ninja put on their masks while the Alliance all cheered together.
"The Ninja and the Council!?" Chen asked in shock.
"Hold the line..." Lloyd said with his hoof raised as the Anacondrai armed their swords as the Alliance took ready stances.
"Charge!" Chen yelled as the Anacondrai army charged at them while most of them seemed hesitant to go.
"Hold the line," Lloyd repeated as they stood their ground while the Anacondrai ran towards them while most of the fighters prepared up.
"Hold!" Lloyd called again.
Just then, the Anacondrai came close to them, but before they could attack, a trapdoor activated beneath them as some of them fell in while the rest moved back in surprised by that while Chen was shocked.
"Trap Door?! That's my signature move!" Chen called out in shock as he growled in anger. "Unh! Destroy them!"
"Now!" Lloyd called out.
"Attack!" Twilight ordered.
Frost jumped in first as he used his ice to seal the trap up as the Alliance then started fighting the Anacondrai while the Elemental Masters used their powers while the rest of the Alliance either used their magic, hooves, or any other natural abilities they had to fight them off.
"Fear? Fear isn't a word from where I come from," Comic quipped as he clashed his glowing sword with an Anacondrai.
Skales Jr, Cozy Glow, the Serpentine Kids, Nyx, and the CMC hid behind some boulders as they threw some marbles at the Anacondrai, causing them to trip as the kids gave each other a high five. "That's for taking Melody!" Coal yelled.
Fluttershy turned and saw an Anacondrai charging at her and yelped. "Um, you look tense," she said nervously. "Wanna talk about it?" The Anacondrai being addressed raised a brow.
Gaia and Gravitrope then used their powers to tie up a couple of Anacondrai while the others either fought them off with their powers or hooves/paws. "Push them back!" Yah-Karlof called as he punched back an Anacondrai.
"None of them must cross this line!" Twilight yelled as she blasted them back.
The Anacondrai then backed away from them after seeing them being pushed back. "Not backward, forwards!" Chen yelled. "You're Anacondrai! Crush them!" The Anacondrai yelled and charged at the Alliance again while some of them kept having second thoughts about this whole thing.
"But sir, they've aligned with all the creatures of Equestria!" a female Anacondrai pointed out. "Don't you feel we're outnumbered?!"
"Who cares?!" Chen shouted. "It doesn't matter if we're outnumbered, just push through!"
The Anacondrai had followed Chen's orders as they charged at the Alliance, they all stood their ground as they held their hooves/arms/paws at them as they stopped the Anacondrai Army in their tracks, which they tried to keep back.
"I'm slipping!" Landrush called out, losing his grip.
"Don't let up!" Trail called next.
"Stay strong!" Twilight called next as they tried to push and punch them back.
"Push!" Lloyd called out.
"Push harder!" Chen yelled as both sides were yelling and attempting to push against the other side. "They can have the ground. We'll take the skies," he said as he powered up the Roto Jet and took off with the Blade Copters and Sky-Chopper followed behind him as they flew over them.
Shade and Gaia saw this, "Time to get my ride back," Gaia said before turning to Shade, "Think you can help?" she asked.
"Leave it to me," Shade said as he held onto to Gaia before they disappeared and went up behind the canyon as he got on one of the Blade Copters and tossed the Anacondrai pilot off it while landing beside Gaia. "Hop on. I'll give you a lift."
"Thank you, Shade," Gaia said with a smirk as she hopped onto the Blade Copter as Shade flew it to where the Sky Chopper was as she jumped at the side of it and glared at the Anacondrai. "Hey, excuse me, but you have something that belongs to me. NINJA, GO!" She did a quick Spinjitzu and knocked the pilot off as she sat on the cockpit chair. "Now this feels right."
"Now, let's take out the rest of them," Shade said with a smirk.
"With pleasure," Gaia said with a smirk as she and Shade flew their vehicles at the Anacondrai army, blasting them back as their friends cheered to them.
"Whoo-hoo!" Turner cheered.
"Nice moves, Gaia!" Landrush cheered on.
Shade smiled while pumping his hoof while Gaia gave a smirk down at Landrush. "Thank you, darling," she said as she and Shade kept blasting back the Anacondrai as Ember and the other dragons joined in.
"Hey, save some for us," Ember called with a smirk. "You gotta at least let the dragons have more fun."
"Besides, we've been waiting for a fight for a while!" Garble called out as he and his friends breathed out fire at the Anacondrai. "Oh yeah! Eat fire!" he cheered.
"Easy on the firepower, Garble. Our friends are down there," Spike pointed out as he blew his own fire next.
"Just keep up the pressure!" Nimbus said as she and the other Ultra dragons head kept firing.
"Push!" one of the Anacondrai shouted as they were doing their best to push their enemies back.
"Hold the line!" Lloyd shouted as they were struggling to keep them back.
Thunder was wrapped up by one of them as he struggled to get free. "Unh! They just keep coming!" he called out.
"They're just too many of them!" Rainbow called out as she tried to push hers back.
"Push!" the Anacondrai repeated loudly as the Alliance was doing their best to push them back.
"Unh! Don't give up!" Trail called out. "Ninja never say quit!"
Just then, the Harmony Bounty then flew into the battlefield. "The new girl hates feeling left out," Aqua said with a smirk with Misako next to her as she drove the Bounty. "Now!"
Just then, the Royal Sisters, the Wu Brothers, Dr. Gear, and Rivet then started firing the cannons as they fired nets at the Anacondrai as Chen noticed the Bounty. "Ships aren't supposed to fly! Sink it!" he ordered as the Blade Copters flew in and started firing at the Bounty.
"NINJA, GO!" the Ninja declared as they did Spinjitzu and knocked back a few Anacondrai.
With Fluttershy, she sat next to the Anacondrai that attacked her, but was crying their eyes out. "That's it, let it all out," she comforted them.
"Fluttershy!" her friends all called out to her as she flinched and turned to her friends.
"Oh. I should be going now. Bye-bye," Fluttershy said to them as she went back to her friends.
"Bye-bye," the Anacondrai said as they kept weeping while wiping off their tears.
The Harmony Bounty flew over the canyon while avoiding the Blade Copters as Wu turned to the bridge.
"Misako, Aqua, drop it like it's hot!" Wu called out.
"Aye, aye, Sensei!" Aqua responded as Misako pulled the switch to let down the anchor.
"No!" Skales yelled as a Condrai-Crusher was nearing him before the anchor dropped and destroyed it just in the nick of time. "Never thought I'd be happy to sssee that ship again," he said with a smile at seeing the Bounty.
Misako dropped the anchor repeatedly while destroying the enemy's ground vehicles while Chen saw the Bounty coming towards him. "Break through the line!" he ordered his men.
"We can't!" Zugu responded. "The canyon's too narrow!"
"Then make it bigger!" Chen yelled as he flew the jet forward and fired missiles at one of the statues, which caused it to come tumbling down.
"Huh? Watch out!" Yah-Karlof called out as he saw the statue falling over as everycreature screamed as Gravitrope used his powers to move the statue aside as it fell right behind them while the dust cleared up.
But there was no time for rest as the Anacondrai started pushing them back while using the gap that was just made to pass by them. "We have to stop them!" Flash called out when he saw the Anacondrai slither pass them.
"We don't have enough creatures!" Trail pointed out as they were crossing the line.
"We can't hold them all!" Landrush called out as the Anacondrai were steadily overwhelming them.
"They crossed the line!" Mistmane cried out as the ones on the bounty watched on in dread.
It seemed all hope was lost until Melody rode on the Manticore while carrying the spell book as Pythor was riding on the swamp rat behind them, both Anacondrai wearing their tribe's harnesses. "Faster, Manny! They need us now more than ever!" Melody told the Manticore.
"Come on, Rodrigo! You heard the hatchling!" Pythor called next as they ran through the ruined path as they raced through the Anacondrai Army as the Manticore knocked some away as they got in front of Lloyd and Twilight, who were fighting the Anacondrai.
"Melody!" Twilight called out as she bucked away one of them before she went and hugged her adopted Serpentine daughter before noticing Pythor, Manny, and Rodrigo. "What's all this?"
"Not the time to explain, Mom!" Melody told her. "We need to get to Garmadon. Pythor and I found a way to stop all of this!"
"Really, him?!" Twilight asked with disbelief while looking at Pythor.
"We have something he needs to see!" Pythor stated while Twilight and Lloyd looked at him in surprise. "Oh, come on. You two can trust me. After all, 'Friendship is Magic', right?" he added with a smile.
"That and if anycreature is going to take over this world, you'd rather it be you?" Melody asked with a brow. "Because that's what you told me before we left."
"Shh!" Pythor shushed before turning back to the two. "Just take us to Garmadon now, and I believe he alone can end this once and for all." Lloyd and Twilight thought for a moment before Lloyd punched one of the Anacondrai in the face back.
"Let's go!" Lloyd said as he picked up Pythor while Melody held on to Twilight before they flew into the air.
"Ha, ha! Be free, Rodrigo and Manny!" Pythor called out to the rat and the Manticore.
"You've both earned it!" Melody added as Manny and Rodrigo waved to them and joined the battle.
Meanwhile, Chen had landed the Roto Jet on the other side of the battle before the cockpit door began to open, as he had a sinister grin on his face. "Now nothing can stop me," he bragged before he was pulled out of the cockpit by his own granddaughter before throwing him to the ground.
"Ssssorry, but I have a few granddaddy issssuesss," Topaz said with a glare. "And if you wanna rule Equessstria, you're gonna have to take it up with her." She whipped her father around and Chen gasped as the Anacondrai Serpent slithered up to him while rattling her tail and growling angrily.
Meanwhile, Lloyd and Twilight carried both Melody and Pythor up to the Bounty before landing on the deck. "Pythor and Melody say they have something that can end this war," Lloyd informed them as they walked up to Garmadon, Wu, the Royal Sisters, and the Pillars.
"They have crossed the line of no return," Star Swirl said with dread. "No amount of power can stop this now."
"But the might of a true Anacondrai can!" Pythor declared.
"Do you sssee what'sss happening?!" Garmadon questioned him. "Thisss isssn't about you. Making you big sssolvesss nothing!"
"Pythor wasn't talking about himself," Melody explained. "He was talking about my father, my birth father." She placed down the Spell Book on a table and flipped through the pages until she stopped on a very familiar page to them. "My birth father was Arcturus, one of the Anacondrai generals you banished to the Cursed Realm after the Great War."
"And we came to the understanding that if he and the others all saw this mockery, they would stop this travesty at once, especially with what powers they acquired in the Cursed Realm!" Pythor explained.
"But that is impossible," Celestia spoke up. "Nocreature can return from the Cursed Realm."
Garmadon picked up the spell book and had a thought. "Unlessss the one who banissshed them takesss their place." Garmadon read as an idea came to him. "I could free the spirits of Arcturusss and the generalsss."
"But only if you banish yourself," Pythor pointed out. "Dark Magic has its rules, you know."
"We're not cursing you!" Lloyd argued as he took the spell book from his father. "We're not losing you to bring them back!"
"If we do nothing, we lossse Equesssstria and the Landsss Beyond," Garmadon pointed out.
"We don't even know if they'll help," Luna pointed out.
"We do know that Arcturusss and the real Anacondrai wanted peace asss much as usss and the other kingdomsss," Garmadon pointed out. "It wasss Chen and hisss liesss that ssstarted both warsss. I never thought I'd sssay thisss, but it'sss time to trussst a sssnake," he concluded gesturing to Pythor.
"I cannot allow this, brother," Wu argued.
"Who are we fooling?" Garmadon questioned. "There'sss not enough time for me to make up for the pain I've causssed in my life, but if I could sssave Equessstria…" he said with a determined look.
"You want my blessing to walk out on us again, fine. But don't expect me to stick around to watch you go!" Lloyd shouted as he shoved the book into his father. "My real family needs me!" He then ran and jumped off the Bounty.
"Lloyd, wait!" Garmadon called out before the bounty was hit as it was under attack.
"If this is going to happen, I strongly suggest we do it now!" Pythor mentioned as they all got up from that attack.
Lloyd kept falling from the sky as he closed his eyes as he remembered the time he had with his father, both good and evil, like the time when his father returned to save him when they went for the third Fangblade at the volcano in the Dragonlands.
He opened his eyes before landing on a hoverboard that was being used by Anacondrai as he knocked him off. He quickly by the throat and glared at him before throwing him away. He then rode on the hoverboard above the others as he remembered when he fought the Overlord when Garmadon was possessed by him.
Lloyd jumped off the board as he hopped on the Anacondrai's heads as he did Spinjitzu and remembered the time when he hugged his now purified father after defeating the Overlord as the two shared a hug.
Lloyd opened his eyes as he then flipped and kicked the Anacondrai troops off as he jumped up and charged up his powers as he then hit the ground while creating an explosion that knocked them back.
"What's gotten into Lloyd?!" Frost asked, seeing Lloyd's fighting and sensing something wrong with him while they struggled to keep the rest of the Anacondrai back.
"I don't know, but it's too late!" Trail called out as the Anacondrai kept passing through them. "We can't stop them now!"
Back on the Harmony Bounty, Garmadon gave the spell book to his brother as the others watched on solemnly. "Read it, brother. You know as well as I, the Ninja don't need two Sensei. Only one can remain," Garmadon grimly recited as he went up to Misako. "Goodbye, my love."
Misako shed some tears as she and Garmadon shared the last kiss they would ever have as Garmadon slithered back. "Do it, Wu," Misako told him solemnly.
"Very well," Wu said sadly as he opened the spell book. "'Komodo, nicktu, demic tara…'" he started as magical swirls circled Garmadon as he was raised up while they all covered their faces a bit before a huge wind blew around them.
"My friendsss, it wasss an honor to battle alongssside you once again," Garmadon said to his old friends.
"The honor was all ours, Garmadon," Flash Magnus saluted.
"Despite the mistakes you've made, you have always had a good heart, Garmadon," Star Swirl said with a small smile.
"Thank you, my friendsss," Garmadon said as he turned to his brother. "Wu, will you forgive me for the letter I ssstole from you?"
"I already have," Wu said to him solemnly. "And I'm sorry for letting my anger get to me. I shouldn't have acted towards you and Luna like that."
"And please, tell Lloyd I'm sorry," Garmadon asked them.
"You can tell me yourself!" They all turn to see Lloyd climbing back on board before he flipped up his hood. "If anypony should be sending you off, it's me." He then went over and took the book from Wu before he gave one last look to his father and continued the spell. "'Kenji, severus, toro-demada, cursono, neeboro…'" Garmadon felt the spell take hold of him before a beam of light shot up into the sky and opened a portal to the Cursed Realm.
Everycreature on the ground gasped when they saw this and wondered what was happening. "'Actu, Cursono, Neeboro…'" Lloyd continued as his eyes glowed in dark magic.
"I once yearned to make the world in my image," Garmadon spoke up before he looked down at his son. "I never realized I've already had, in you."
"'Sono, hokido, bo-rock!'" Lloyd finished the spell as Garmadon screamed as he was shot up into the vortex. They all watched in anticipation and wondered if this was going to work.
"Is he…?" Misako trailed off as she watched her husband being banished.
"We shall see!" Wu said before they were all blinded by a bright light when Garmadon entered the portal.
Once the bright light diminished, they all saw something emerge from the portal. They looked like glowing green balls of some sort of energy before they heard voices moaning from them.
The green balls flew around the ones on the Bounty while looking down the battlefield, almost studying the scene before soaring down to the Corridor of Elders as every creature looked at them in confusion.
"What are they?" Ocellus asked nervously.
And then, the green balls then flew straight to the Anacondrai while passing through them causing them to turn into ghosts while leaving most of them alone as the ghost-turned Anacondrai flew up to the portal while screaming in fear as they couldn't stop it.
The green balls flew in front of the Alliance as they took form, revealing to be Arcturus and his generals. "The Spirits of the Anacondrai Generals!" Trail called in shock.
"Twi and the others must've found a way to bring them back!" Flash said in realization.
"And now they're cursing Chen's army!" Landrush pointed out.
"Well, it doesn't look like it's going to be an army for long," Gaia commented as the Anacondrai generals continued to curse some of Chen's soldiers. Some of them were scared that they would be cursed as well before they saw the spirits just fly past them and curse others instead.
"But how come they're not cursing all of them?" Rainbow questioned before they noticed the spirits were chasing after Chen.
"Arcturusss, what are you doing?!" Chen exclaimed with confusion and fear. "W-We're on the sssame team!" The spirits then circled around him before Arcturus formed right in front of him.
"You will never be one of usss," Arcturus told Chen with venom in his tone as the false Anacondrai looked at the ghost with fear. "Because you're a warmonger, a liar, an honorlessss cheat, and above all…a wretched IMPOSSSTER!" he roared as Chen tried to make a break for it, but Arcturus flew right through him, cursing him as well.
"I can't be cursed!" Chen denied as he flew past Topaz as she watched her grandfather go. "Save me, Topaz!" he pleaded as he tried to reach for her. Topaz just simply backed away and waved him goodbye as she returned to normal.
Chen and his troops flew up to the portal as Chen gave a yell of terror before he disappeared through the portal as it closed while Everycreature stood in silence. The remaining Anacondrai looked at the Alliance before they looked at one another and dropped their weapons, showing they surrendered.
The Alliance were surprised by that. "Wait, y'all are giving up?" Applejack asked in surprise.
"What's the point in fighting? You've won," one of the Anacondrai said. "And as a word of honor, we surrender." They all quickly raised their arms raised.
"Honor? Wait? I thought Chen doesn't have any honor?" Rainbow asked in surprise.
"We thought he did. But all we wanted was to honor the Anacondrai, not destroy or tarnish their legacy," the female Anacondrai said in shame. "But what Chen did was wrong, so now that he's gone, we can finally be more honorable to the Anacondrai, the right way."
Everycreature then started cheering for their victory over this war as the Ninja took off their hoods and smiled brightly. "Ha, ha, ha! Yeah, we did it guys! We did it!" Flash cheered as they high-hoofed one another.
Lloyd however looked down in despair as he had just lost his own father to win this war. Misako turned to her son, feeling the same since she lost her husband and placed a hoof on his shoulder. "The war is over. It had to be done," she said to him.
"We're sorry, Lloyd," Luna, who was now back to normal now that the spell wore off, spoke solemnly as she, Celestia, Wu, and the rest of them looked down in sadness that Garmadon was now gone.
"He was the bravest Master in all of Equestria," Twilight said sadly as she held Melody close, who let out some tears from her eyes as the two held each other in a hug while Pythor stayed silent out of respect for Garmadon.
Just then, Arcturus and his spirit generals flew up to the Harmony Bounty as they stood in front of the heroes. "Thank you, Pythor," Arcturus spoke as he looked at his second in command. "You ssshall be rewarded for your courage and bravery. You have made your ancestorsss proud… finally!"
"Oh, what can I say? Anycreature can change," Pythor said with a shrug before Arcturus then shot a beam at Pythor, which returned him to his normal size as he gasped happily. "That's more like it. Ha, ha!"
Arcturus then flowed over to Melody. "And well done to you, my daughter," he told her as he gently placed a hand on her shoulder. "You have ssshown great honor and ssstrength in this time of unressst and dessspair. You are a worthy sssucesssor to the title of General."
"Wait, did you just say 'daughter'?" Twilight asked in shock by Arcturus' words. "Melody is your daughter?!"
"Pythor told me about my true origin, Mom," Melody said to her with a smile. "As it turns out, Arcturus is my birth father. Pythor was guarding my egg when our tribe was wiped out but he forgot about it in the Constrictai Tomb when he opened them up," she explained while giving Pythor a bow.
"Which he ssshould've kept a clossser eye on, even when I'm not around," Arcturus said with his hands on his ghostly hips.
"Eh-heh, I thought I forgot something," Pythor said while scratching his chin nervously. "But at least she's alive and well, thanks to Princess Twilight," he said with a shrug and gestured to Twilight.
"Then I thank you for raisssing my daughter, Princessss Twilight. For protecting my daughter, you have my eternal gratitude," Arcturus said while giving Twilight a bow.
"You are welcome, General Arcturus," Twilight replied but wondered something. "By the way, are there any other Anacondrai out there? I mean, if Melody's egg survived for this long, is it possible that more of your kind survived as well?"
"Yes. Our kind wasss ssspread out during the war. Sssome managed to avoid capture and left for the landsss beyond Equessstria after the war ended," Arcturus replied.
"Mmm. If there are more of our kind out there, then I shall seek them out," Pythor suggested.
"You sure you can handle finding your kind on your own, Pythor?" Celestia asked. "It's a big world out there."
"If I can handle being eaten by the Devourer and been out of my own for so long, I can manage," Pythor assured them before giving a smirk. "But don't think this is the last you see of me. Because the next time we meet, it won't be on friendly terms."
"Figures," they all said as Melody spoke.
"Well, being General is nice and all, father. But I'm still too young to lead our kind," Melody said while gesturing to herself. "I still have much to learn before I take on that torch."
"I underssstand, my dear," Arcturus said with a smile. "Your journey is far from done. But know that you made me proud and that I'll always be with you. And know that you are a true Anacondrai."
Melody smiled as some tears fell from her eyes. "Thank you, father," she said as she gave Arcturus a bow, which he returned as the group all smiled warmly at this as Melody walked up to Twilight as they hugged before Arcturus turned to Lloyd.
"And thank you, Massster Lloyd," Arcturus said with a bow as Lloyd smiled at him. "Becaussse of your friendsss and Princessss Twilight, you both have done what we never could: united the Creatures of Equestria as one." The group listened in closely as he spoke. "Becaussse of you, the balance is ressstored. And becaussse of your father, our ssspiritsss can be free," he remarked with a fond smile at now being free from the Cursed Realm. "You will have our eternal ressspect as the greatest warriors to have ever battled for Equestria." Arcturus then floated away with the rest of the Anacondrai generals as they vanished into the sky.
The Harmony's Bounty soon landed as the Ninja and Mane Six rushed to their friends. "Is everyone okay?" Flash asked.
"Looks like it," Twilight said as they shared a hug.
Trail then noticed somepony was missing. "Hey, where's Garmadon?" he asked which made Lloyd look down with a sad look.
"We'll explain everything that happened later," Luna told them as she had already returned to her original form.
"Ha, ha! You showed them!" Turner shouted as he bumped Landrush's shoulder.
"You mean we showed them," Landrush corrected as he placed a hoof on Turner's shoulder. "Thanks for fighting with us."
"Huh. Smarter than fighting against you," Yah-Karlof said as he brought Trail and Thunder in on a hug as they could barely breathe, which made them cringe a bit before they all laughed.
"Anytime you need our help, just holler," Thunder said to them.
"Same goes for you," Grey replied with a smile. "I imagine we all have homes and villages to get back to."
"As well as our families," Max added as he pulled in his little sister for a hug. "Thank you, Ninja, for everything."
"Thank you, friends," Frost said with a smile.
"And if you ever need a friend in need, we're there," Applejack said with a smile to Max and a wink, which he smiled warmly at her.
Gaia and Landrush went somewhere private as Gaia gave a small smile. "So, aren't you gonna tell me what you wanted to say, darling?"
"What?" Landrush asked in confusion. "What do you mean?"
"You know? What did you want to tell me after I kinda confessed to you back on Chen's Island?" Gaia reminded him while rubbing her head. "I know I kinda said it out of the blue, but I've been wanting to tell you for so long that I was afraid of what you think of me if I did. Which I sorta just spilled it out when I was put in your cell when I lost in the tournament."
Landrush realized what she meant as his eyes widened and looked at her sheepish with a light blush. "Oh, oh. Well, uh, what you said to me was pretty shocking to me back there, Gaia. And it sorta caught me off guard when you did," he said while rubbing his head as well. "But… uh after everything that happened…"
"Why don't we take it slow?" Gaia finished what he was about to suggest. "Yeah, I have a feeling that we're going to be very busy after what Equestria just went through. I'm a patient mare and I can wait a little longer." They shared a nuzzle and Gaia gave Landrush a quick peck on the cheek, which surprised Landrush as he looked at Gaia with a blush as she giggled. "But remember, I'm there whenever you need me."
Landrush blinked for a minute as he gave a small smile at her. "Uh, I get it," he said to her as the two share a laugh together.
Trail then noticed Topaz was walking away from them before he quickly caught up to her. "Uh… We could use a mare like you in our gang," he mentioned getting her attention.
"A mare like me?" she questioned with a brow and a smirk.
"Uh, I mean a Ninja!" Trail quickly corrected with a massive blush.
"Heh. Flattering," Topaz chuckled. "But now that my grandfather's gone, somepony's got to run the family business. Don't worry, no more underground crime. Just noodles," she assured as she and Trail leaned in as they were about to share a kiss, but Dareth and Short Fuse appeared between them.
"Please, you have to tell us," Dareth started as he went on his knees.
"Do you think you could…?" Short Fuse tried to say before Topaz spoke.
"Yes, I will put the Puffy Potstickers back on the menu," Topaz assured them with an amusing smile.
"YES!" Short Fuse shouted as he flew around.
"Ohh, finally," Dareth sighed. "All is right in the world."
Both Trail and Topaz laughed as he trotted away. "Ah. Keep in touch," Topaz said to Trail with a smile.
"I'd like that," Trail said as he watched Topaz walk off and away from the group.
The Alliance and the remaining Anacondrai troops were then picking up the junk and weapons from the battle. "This Corridor of Elders, not Corridor of Trash," Yah-Karlof called out.
"Help yaks clean up mess!" Yona added as they were working together to clean up the mess.
Up on a cliffside, the Ninja and the Council gathered around a fire and were told about Garmadon's sacrifice to release the Anacondrai Generals. Misako placed a hoof on Lloyd's shoulder as he looked towards his friends while Wu was pouring a cup of tea for Flash. "To General Arcturus and the Anacondrai, the greatest Serpentine Warriors of their time," Flash raised a toast.
"Yeah. Now it's our turn to make our ancestors proud," Thunder declared while gesturing to the fallen statue.
"Because we're proud of those who were here before us to show us the way," Lloyd spoke as they all gave solemn looks as they were missing one person. "Goodbye, father." They all bowed their heads in respect.
"His loss will affect us all," Wu said.
"Not his loss, his life," Misako said with a small smile. "He made us stronger."
"He brought us together," Luna said with a warm smile.
"And for that, he will never be forgotten," Celestia said as they all looked up.
"I am Lloyd Garmadon, son of Lord Garmadon," Lloyd started.
"Student of Sensei Garmadon," Wu added.
"He made me who I am today," Lloyd continued. "He was my father, he was my adversary, but in the end, he was my friend."
"Because of him, we will live to see tomorrow," Frost added.
"And for every tomorrow, we'll live to honor him," Trail spoke next before Lloyd tossed the Book of Spells into the fire. They all watched as the book burned and to never be used again before they turned to see a statue of Garmadon being carved alongside with the other statues.
"And because of him, we'll be ready for whatever comes next," Twilight spoke up.
"Evil Princesses, Spirits of Chaos, Changelings, Unicorn Kings, Centaurs, Enemies-Turned-Friendlies, Shadow Ponies, Storm Kings, Skeletons, Snakes, Stone Warriors, Darklings, Ancient Evil Spirits, Nindroids, and Anacondrai wannabes," Rainbow listed out every threat they faced up to this point.
"If they can't stop us, what can?" Landrush asked with a smirk.
"That's for tomorrow to decide," Gaia said as she secretly leaned close to Landrush.
"Today, we say goodbye to a legend," Celestia finished as they looked on at the setting sun.
In an underground sewer, shuffling could be heard as a pony with a cloak over his head was seen moving about the sewers. He then saw a junction area where three other stallions were seen together. "Is this really all that's left?!" he questioned the other three.
"Everycreature must've been cursed to the Cursed Realm or picked up!" the other stallion stated before he kicked filthy water.
"Or maybe they couldn't find this place," a mare assumed.
"Hey!" the stallion turned to her while pointing a hoof. "We all knew the sewer lines was our fallback spot."
"So now what are we gonna do?" the final mare asked the others. "With Chen gone, everything we worked for will be for nothing! And we all know that descendant of his won't even have a glance at the fun life of crime."
"Then it's a good thing I called in someone to help us," the first stallion mentioned before they heard footsteps coming towards them.
Approaching them was a male Abyssinian with his arms crossed while wearing a deep red lens over his left eye.
"Who are you?" the second male questioned.
"The cat I called," the first stallion told her. "He's the one who sold to Chen Frost Gear, his robot marefriend, and that engineer cat."
"Yeah, that's me," the male Abyssinian replied in a city slick tone. "You said that you got a job for me, but it's going to cost ya."
The first stallion then pulled out a briefcase from his cloak before sliding it over to him. "We always deliver," the stallion said, as the Abyssinian opened the case and started checking the bits, "Hey, you're not gonna spend the whole night counting, are you?"
Apparently, it did not take long for him to finish. "Hey… this isn't even half of what we agreed to," he said in disappointment.
"We know," the stallion said to him. "And you'll get the rest, once the job is done."
"All right, all right, I get it," the Abyssinian said as he closed the case. "So, what's the job, anyway?"
"Bring Master Chen back from the Cursed Realm," the stallion answered, which shocked the others.
The Abyssinian however only tipped his hat as he let out a small chuckle. "Well, if I'm going out of my way to do just that, then I'm gonna need some special equipment." He looked up with a smirk on his face and his left eye looking off. "And I promise you this, the Ninja and the Council won't know what hit 'em."