It was now after school and the challenges would be tomorrow. Cherry rushed home and got dressed in her casual clothes, but made sure her hair looked nice enough since she was going to meet Teller at the SugarCube Corner now.

"Why the sudden rush, Cherry?" Michelle asked.

"Erm... I'm meeting somebody..." Cherry said, freaking out since her mother was now slowing her down.

"Who?" Michelle asked.

"Mom, I don't have time for this..." Cherry grunted in impatience.

"Who is it?" Michelle still wanted to know before letting her go.

"You wouldn't believe me..." Cherry sighed.

"Oh, come on, try me." Michelle said.

Cherry sighed. "It's Teller."

"Penn and Teller Teller?" Michelle asked.

Cherry nodded to her mother.

"That's amazing, Cherry!" Michelle smiled.

"Uh... Yeah..." Cherry sounded rushed.

"So, what's he want?" Michelle started to ask.

"Moooom!" Cherry groaned.

"Okay, go have fun," Michelle smiled. "Tell him I said hi if he says anything back." she then joked about how Teller was the silent between him and Penn on stage.

Cherry rolled her eyes at that and ran out the door, not going to let anything or anyone stop her.

"Wow, she must really want to get to this date of hers without anyone getting in her way." Michelle said.

"IT'S NOT A DATE!" Cherry yelled back.

---

Cherry anxiously sat at a booth table in SugarCube Corner, Teller had not yet arrived, so she was sitting alone as of right now with her leg jiggling in anticipation.

Within moments, Teller arrived himself and sat across for her. "Sorry about that."

"Oh, you're fine..." Cherry smiled. "Um... Shall we?"

"Yes, we shall." Teller said.

Mrs. Cake took their orders. A couple of hot chocolates with fluffy whipped cream with a couple of blueberry muffins.

"So, uh, what did you wanna talk about?" Cherry asked as they waited for their drinks.

"It's getting worse," Teller said. "Patch has lost his Equestrian magic as well."

"Oh, no... A-Are you sure?" Cherry's face paled.

"Positive..." Teller nodded. "He had a headache and I'm afraid he can't turn into his Equestrian form."

"Teller..." Cherry whispered sharply to him. "What if we can never go back to Equestria again!?"

"That's what I also needed to tell you, I'm afraid that Sci-Twi's device also took away the portal to Equestria." Teller frowned.

"Oh, my gosh..." Cherry sunk in her seat. "What do we do?"

"Patch needs to destroy the spectrometer as soon as possible before Sci-Twi and Atticus unleash the magic by the final Game," Teller reminded and warned her. "The magic won't rest until then... I'm afraid I'm useless."

"Never call yourself that..." Cherry whispered, looking deep into his captivating blue eyes.

"But I am, there is nothing I can do to stop this." Teller frowned.

"T-T-Teller..." Cherry bit her lip.

"I'm sorry, Cherry, but I'm afraid unless this moment happens, it'll be too late..." Teller said once he took his cup. "Faciler will win... I'll be no more..." he then took a sip.

"What do you mean you won't be no more!?" Cherry grew emotional.

Teller sipped his drink and set his cup back down, looking her in the eyes. "Cherry, there's something you don't know about me... Not even the internet... Not even Penn, but... I am a victim of Dr. Faciler myself..."

Cherry cupped her mouth.

"It all started when I was six-years-old..." Teller started to narrate.

---

*Flashback to a young shy and quiet boy*

"I was watching magic acts on television and they truly made me happy..." Teller narrated. "I wanted to be a magic man just like that someday, I told myself. So I decided to show the kids at school what I was made of."

"What happened?" Cherry asked.

"It didn't go so well..." Teller sighed.

"Oh, come on, it couldn't have been that bad?" Cherry asked.

"Well..." Teller drawled out.

Six-year-old Teller was trying to make jokes while doing his magic tricks, but they were a bad mix. The kids threw rotten vegetables at the boy and booed at him. Six-Year-Old Teller sniffled and ran back home to his mother.

"Gosh..." Cherry sounded heartbroken for him.

"Yeah, I was publicly humiliated." Teller said.

"Poor thing..." Cherry soothed.

"I even considered running away from home..." Teller continued. "That is, until I met him..."

---

Six-Year-Old Teller sniffled as he carried a hobo sack over his shoulder, passing a slender man with purple eyes in a black suit with a top hat as he leaned on a walking cane.

"Hello there, young boy..." the man greeted. "Where are you off to?"

Six-Year-Old Teller pressed his lips together and looked up at the man and did not say anything. Kids his age weren't supposed to talk to strangers without adult supervision.

"What's the matter?" the man smirked to him. "Cat got your tongue?"

Six-Year-Old Teller was still silent, not talking to this man.

"Aw, come on..." the man came closer to him with a wicked smile. "You can trust me... My card..." he then did a sleight of hand and made a calling card appear in his hand. "A tip of the hat from Dr. Faciler..."

Six-Year-Old Teller took the card and read it aloud. "'Tarot readings, charms, potions, dreams made real'..."

"What's your name, boy?" Faciler asked.

"R-Raymond Joseph Teller."

"Now, there's a smile..." Dr. Faciler took his hand. "Come on in... I think I can make you happy all over again... A child your age shouldn't be sad..."

Six-Year-Old Teller frowned and backed away. "I-I-I don't know... My mother says-"

"Don't you disrespect me, little man!" Dr. Faciler stopped him right there. "Don't you derogate or deride... You're in my world, not your world... And I got friends on the other side."

'Why do I have a bad feeling about this? Then again, his card does say that he can make my dream real.' Six-Year-Old Teller thought to himself.

"So, what did he tell you?" Cherry sounded fearful.

"Well, as you can guess, he made a deal with me," Teller narrated as his child self was being seduced about making his dreams into a reality. "He would give me access to magic of all sorts: Voodoo, hexes, Equestrian magic, just any magic imaginable! But... Even though I was a child... He forced me to sell my soul and if I agreed, I'd shake his hand, and if I disagreed, I'd be a failure."

"Teller, you didn't!" Cherry cried.

"Unfortunately, I did." Teller said.

Cherry gasped, putting her hand to her mouth.

Six-Year-Old Teller shook Dr. Faciler's hand.

"Yes..." Dr. Faciler grinned darkly as there were chants from the ancient masks in his room. "Are you ready!?"

"Are you ready!?" the masks echoed him.

"Are you ready?" Dr. Faciler took out a talisman and opened it up, making Six-Year-Old Teller float in the air. "Transformation Central, Reformation Central, Transmogrification Central. Can you feel it? You're changing, you're changing, you're changing alright. I hope you're satisfied But if you ain't, don't blame me. You can blame my friends on the other side..."

A glowing blue sphere left Six-Year-Old Teller's body and was sucked into the talisman.

"Wh-What was that?" Six-Year-Old Teller asked.

Dr. Faciler laughed wickedly.

---

"Dr. Faciler had taken my soul..." Teller narrated. "Yes, it's true, I became better at my magic... I was so shocked and frightened from the experience that I became mute for a full month... I then realized I did better with my tricks without talking, so I made it that whenever I preform on stage, that I would never speak a word."

"So that's why you never talk when you and Penn have a show!" Cherry realized.

"Yes." Teller nodded.

"Teller, I-I-I don't know what to say..." Cherry shook a little.

Teller took her hands suddenly. "I know it's a lot to take in, but I trust you with this information, because..."

Cherry gulped slightly, looking puppy eyed back at him. "B-B-Because...?"

"Because I love you." Teller said.

Cherry's face turned bright pink. "Y-You... L-L-L-"

"Shush..." Teller whispered, getting closer to her face and kissed her on the lips.'

Cherry's face turned brighter pink and she felt weak instantly, shaking slightly, but in a positive way, she did not even stop him. 'And here comes the sparks and fireworks...' she thought to herself. She did feel a sensation in her body, but it did not feel as big as it did than when they first met.

Once Teller was done, he let go of her.

"Run away with me, Cherry..." Teller said.

"Excuse me?" Cherry asked, hoarsely.

"After we're done with this magical mayhem, let's just run away together and start our own lives," Teller urged her. "I'll live forever and I know you will too... Let's just drop our lives and start a new life somewhere like Venice, Italy."

Cherry found that offer tempting. "Gee, I'd love to, but..."

"But?" Teller said, confused.

Cherry bit her lip and rubbed her arm.

"Wouldn't you want that?" Teller tempted her. "We can just leave the pitiful lives we have now... Start over and make new ones in the most romantic country in the world..."

"I... I'll think about it..." Cherry promised.

Teller seemed disappointed that she didn't agree right away.

"I'll get back to you on that," Cherry vowed. "I-I swear."

"O-Okay, no matter what your answer will be, I'll be alright with it." Teller said.

"Yes, sir..." Cherry nodded to him.

Teller patted her on the head and bit into his muffin. Cherry then sipped her drink. Penn walked into SugarCube Corner then. Teller did a spit take in his cup and hid his face so Penn wouldn't see him.

"Come on, kids, we'll get something to eat and then get back into the car." Penn told his children as they came inside with him.

Moxie and Zolten came to his sides.

"What do you recommend?" Penn asked Mrs. Cake as she grabbed one of her twin babies.

"Umm... Well..." Mrs. Cake smiled. "We got blueberry muffins as a special today."

"We'll have three blueberry muffins please." Penn, Moxie, and Zolten told her in unison.

Mrs. Cake nodded and went to fetch them.

"Cherry, don't look, but Penn, Zolten, and Moxie are right here." Teller whispered sharply.

"Where?" Cherry turned her head to them.

Penn looked over and spotted her.

"Oh, man, I made eye contact." Cherry quickly looked down like Teller did.

"Please don't let him come over here, please don't let him come over here." Teller prayed quietly.

"Since when do you pray?" Cherry glanced at him.

"Desperate times call for desperate measures." Teller whispered sharply to her.

Penn walked over and folded his arms. "Hello, Teller..."

"Guhh..." Teller frowned in disgust, then looked up nervously. "Hi, Penn..."

"Teller, you are in so much trouble!" Penn glared at his partner.

Teller chuckled nervously as he sunk his seat.

"You too." Penn looked to Cherry.

"What did I do!?" Cherry glared at him.

"I don't know yet, but don't think you're getting out of this!" Penn grabbed Teller by his sleeves and pulled him out of the booth.

"Dad, not now while everyone is watching." Zolten whispered to his father.

Penn looked to the patrons who were staring at him and he smiled back nervously. "Uh, excuse me, I need to have a word with my good, small friend..." he then dragged Teller outside.

"Penn, don't hurt him!" Cherry cried.

"Why are you so protective of him?" Penn glared at her. "You don't even know him! He's like me, just an old man with a successful life, something you'll never have!"

"Penn, I love him!" Cherry cried out.

This surprised everyone in there.

Cherry sniffled, she seemed very emotional right now. She was usually emotionless, doomy, and gloomy. What changed her?

"You love him?" Penn snorted at her. "Man, you're pathetic..." he then continued to leave with Teller to have a word with him.

Cherry started to cry as she was on her knees and put her hands to her eyes. Zolten and Moxie came to comfort her. Cherry looked to them, she then got up to her feet and she ran out of SugarCube Corner, just going back home, and ignored anyone who called for her.

---

"DAD!" the kids yelled.

"What's so important you gotta shut me out of?" Penn shoved Teller against the wall in the back of the corner.

Teller grunted from the brute force, he may had been older, but since Penn was bigger and stronger, he was rather weaker in comparison.

"ANSWER ME!" Penn demanded.

"You wouldn't understand!" Teller's voice struggled from the pressure.

"DAD!" the kids yelled again.

"You're gonna tell me right now, right here, PRONTO!" Penn demanded.

"Your children are calling you..." Teller said to him.

Penn pushed him further. Teller grunted, squeezing his eyes shut as he was in a lot of pain right now.

"Daddy, stop it!" Moxie begged.

"You're hurting him!" Zolten added.

Penn's eyes widened when he realized that they were right. Teller whimpered and struggled with his eyes squeezed shut. Penn then dropped Teller flat on the ground. Teller yipped and hit the ground hard, he then flinched as he reached into his pocket and took out the sphere that was supposed to hold Dr. Faciler's shadow hostage.

"Ooh, what's that?" Zolten asked, noticing the sphere.

"It's very important..." Teller got to his knees, setting the sphere down.

Unknown to him, Moxie got a hold of it and walked with it, trying to open it.

"If that sphere got opened, we would all be doomed." Teller continued.

"Why?" Penn asked.

Teller chuckled and shook his head. "Just more magic you have yet to understand, Penn, but no worries, because there's no way it'll ever-"

Moxie hit the sphere against the wall, cracking it open.

"OPEN!" Teller yelled out in fear.

"Moxie, what have you done?!" Penn glared.

"I... I don't know!" Moxie cried.

Teller looked to the sphere as the black shadow laughed wickedly and escape.

'YOU DIDN'T THINK YOU'D CONCEAL ME FOREVER, DID YOU RAYMOND TELLER!?' Dr. Faciler's voice laughed. 'I'M OFF TO DESTROY THE ONE YOU OH-SO LOVE!'

"You better not lay a hand on her!" Teller growled.

'Oh, and what are you going to do if I do?' Dr. Faciler's voice asked.

Teller narrowed his eyes. "I'll make you pay..."

'I don't think so, boy!' Dr. Faciler laughed at him. 'You trapped me when I gave you your life... Perhaps I shall take my pay back... Something very valuable to you...'

"No..." Teller whispered in fear, knowing just what the voodoo man meant by that. "Oh, no!"

'Oh, yes!' Dr. Faciler laughed.

Teller was then zapped with an electrical charge and he fell flat on the ground, not moving or breathing.

"NO!" Penn yelled.

"U-Uncle Teller...?" Zolten and Moxie came to their father's partner's sides.

Moxie turned Teller over. Teller was lying frozen and dead on the ground.

"No, Teller... Please..." Penn knelt down next to his partner, then slapped his face. "Wake up, buddy, wake up!"

Teller did not respond.

"No... This can't be..." Penn had actual tears in his eyes, he then removed his glasses and put his hands to his eyes. "Teller, you stupid idiot..." he said, choking up, then hugged his kids as Teller was now dead.

'Well, I'll be taking my leave now.' Dr. Faciler's voice said.

"No, please, give Uncle Teller back his life, please!" Zolten begged.

'Oh, he'll get his life back all right...' Dr. Faciler's voice chuckled as it faded away like the graying clouds.

It started to rain, almost as if the heavens felt the Jillette's family's mood and sympathized. Dr. Faciler's voice sounded closer and louder as there was a form of Teller made in thin air, it looked just like him, but had fiendish purple eyes that Dr. Faciler had in his own body and he was now taking over as a new Teller to make Cherry, Atticus, and Patch give up their Equestrian adventure and allow darkness to take over the world of magic.