Author's Notes:

Part five of five of a crossover with TDNpony's A New World, A New Stage.
FINALLY! You have no idea how frustrated I was that this wasn't getting done!

My son... you realize that I could more than likely attend to this matter better than you could, don’t you? Luke asked Vincent quietly after he’d heard his son’s plan.

You could, true. But this is something I have to do. If only to reign in Bit before he snaps completely.

The Gallade let out a sigh as he placed a hand on Vincent’s shoulder. Well then... just remember what I’ve taught you for the past few days. Dark types will think they have the advantage, let them think that until it’s time to unleash your light, he said before leaning down and giving Vincent a tight hug. And if you need my help, I will be with Ace’s team, a simple mental shout away.

I don’t even know where I’m going to end up, Vincent mused. All I know is, I want a role in helping to stop this damn thing before it gains any more traction.

As do I, Luke agreed with a firm nod. If we do not deal with this now, it will spread, and Abby’s new Union will not be able to deal with what it’s supposed to for some time.

Well then. Let’s just hope that nobody is stupid enough to actually attack either one of us, eh? The Kadabra’s grin was a lopsided thing.

Indeed, Luke said simply, releasing Vincent and straightening so that he was looking down at Vincent. And remember my son, do not kill unless you are forced to... and no Total Recall.

Gotcha loud and clear, dad, Vincent replied with a cheeky salute. Now if you’ll pardon me, I need to make sure the others are ready as well.

With a flash of blue, the Kadabra was gone from the roof.

Luke just smiled and shook his head before teleporting as well, it was time to get ready.

Vincent sat in the lobby, his eyes closed as he meditated. In a similar pose across the room, Lucy was focusing on the moves and forms she had learned from Maylene and her Lucario partner. Sam, thankful for the Float Stone that Seth had left, was practicing moving and battling so that he could get used to feeling only half as weighty as normal. Bit was being his usual creepy self at the moment, which hopefully, none of them would get used to. All of them were waiting for word from either the Fox, or preferably Jonathan, that they’d found where this new PegasusAir was operating out of.

However, the first thing that was heard was the sound of hoofsteps and footsteps coming down the stairs, as Sleight Hoof’s entire party, including Alice and her group, came down the stairs, suitcases packed. Even Scep was with them, followed by Christine, both of them looking rather...dazed.

“If you’re wondering what’s going on, Jonathan told me about what’s happening yesterday, and Sleight Hoof thinks that since our time in the city is up, it would be better if we cleared out,” Alice explained.

“Ah,” Vincent said. “Can’t blame you. How much did we charge you again? I think we can afford a small refund if you’re leaving a day early.”

“Now now, young man. None of that. You’ve been very hospitable to us for the last few days. Besides, my shows have turned over a decent profit, so we can afford to pay you in full. And with what’s going on, I can definitely afford to be a bit more charitable,” Sleight Hoof said, before giving Vincent a bag full of bits.

“We’re really sorry to just run like this, but none of us are really fighters. If we were to be here when everything goes down, we’d just be liabilities to you,” Alice said, bowing in apology.

“Speak for yourself, duddette,” Scep snorted, not looking too happy about leaving so suddenly.

“Ya know, Scep, if you want, you CAN stay behind and fight. Heck, if you want to stay here, be my guest,” Rascal groused.

“Really, you two? Now?” Alice sighed in annoyance, but nodded all the same. “He’s right though. If you want to stay and help them, we’re not stopping you.”

“I’d certainly appreciate more time with you,” Christine purred into his ear. “But, no pressure.”

“I’m sold. I’m not leaving your group, but I’m not leaving my mate hanging like this. I’ll meet you guys down the path in a day. You already showed me the map and path you’re taking,” Scep said, nuzzling Christine.

“Alright then. If that’s everything, I guess we better get going,” Quick Storm said, to which the rest of the ponies, and most of the Pokemon went straight for the door, and quickly exited the building, leaving only Alice behind.

“Good luck. It was brief, but we had fun during our stay,” Alice smiled, before she walked out the door.

“Take care, you guys,” Sam said. “And if Fox gets away from us and shows up on your path, sock ‘er one for us, will ya?”

Vincent nodded his agreement with the statement, while Lucy merely snorted. Bit, however, remained silent. Which was starting to get more than a touch eerie.

“We’ll keep that in mind,” Alice chuckled awkwardly.

Not long afterwards, Vincent tilted his head at the male Lucario in front of him. “You’re sure?”

“Yes. I’m positive. We were able to get some info on the ships that dock in the area. Our best bet is in field 7, where most of the larger ships dock in, perfect for one hauling supplies, or a large number of items,” he said.

Bit finally showed some semblance of emotion then. “If we have a location and a time, then we are ready for this play to end,” he stated, his eyes flickering quite quickly between their normal state and their red one.

“Not that simple. Unfortunately, this mission is gonna need stealth as well as power. We need to keep the guards busy, while some of our guys will slip in. For that reason, while I’m supposed to keep an eye on Fox, I suggested that each of us send at least one person in to infiltrate the ship, and maybe the nearby offices. Captain Blackstone has already volunteered to be the representative of the town guard, and I was hoping you’d be willing to be part of the stealth team, Vincent. And of course, there’s Fox...yeah, this is gonna be REAL fun night,” he said, groaning at the end.

“As we’ve had proven to me, I’m useless when it comes to Dark or Bug types...unless I really exert myself, I don’t think me being on stealth would do you much good. I could probably co-ordinate the thing, run comms for us all, but I can’t have it both ways,” he finished ruefully while keeping his recent lessons with Luke close to the chest. “Either I can go in, or I can sit back and help. Which would you prefer?”

“We’re going in blind anyway, so you may as well be on the front line. Only Dark-types are immune, and we’ve got plenty of Fighting-types on our side, so your level of psychic power would be too valuable to lose at this point,” he mused. “Again though, the plan hitches on one of us getting the documents that should be in the ship, as with that, we can get proof of Pegasus Air’s most recent illegal activities. Once we get that, and if possible, records of all of Pegasus Air’s activities, we can stop them cold for good this time.”

“Fine,” Vincent muttered with an eye roll, “but I don’t know any Fighting moves. Or really anything to help with Dark types. And sad to say,” he said, glancing at the rest of his family, “But Sam isn’t a stealthy ‘mon, Lucy would rather be on the offensive, and Bit...is a bit too unstable right now to trust to a sneaking mission.”

“Understood. As for Fighting moves, I’ll have Heat standby with you in case. As for stealth...as much as I hate to admit it, the fact we’ve got Fox on our side, as long as the distraction works, we’ve got a very high chance of success,” he shrugged.

“That ought to work,” Vincent said slowly. “So, when are we going? Cause some of us don’t do well with waiting too long.” Even as he said that, Bit’s arm’s twitched slightly.

“Then I’m afraid to say, that the shipment is supposed to come in at around 8 PM tonight. Since the shipment will land in an area away from the main nightlife areas, even at that early hour the place will be all but deserted. If you want, meet us at the Guard Station at 7 tonight. In the meantime, I suggest you train a little, prepare yourselves for tonight, and get plenty of rest. We’re gonna need everything we’ve got for this,” the Lucario sighed.

Sam, Lucy, and Vincent nodded, moving to leave, but Bit merely closed his eyes and started to recite something inside his head. It wasn’t something that Vincent was happy to hear at all from his little poke in there.

Calculating best move choices for apprehending Fox with extreme prejudice…

Quick Notes was not a happy mare, despite the circumstances.

Yes, everyone else had paid. Yes, there were Pokemon working for her. Yes, even Canterlot had coughed up what was owed. And yes, she was making a new name for herself.

But Mayhem had gone missing. And that was cause for concern.

The last time she saw this happening, it had been the precursor to Mind being taken down.

She wasn’t about to follow in all her predecessor’s footsteps. She tapped on the desk twice, and the form of her second-in-command, a Gengar, appeared.

“You rang?” he snickered.

“Mayhem is missing. The last time someone was sent after that psychic and failed to return, Mind went down. I don’t want that to happen again.”

The Gengar in front of her sobered up very quickly. “Your orders?”

“Tell the ‘mon and ponies to expect anything tonight, and if something does happen, whoever brings down anyone who intervenes gets double pay.”

The ghost saluted and vanished, leaving behind only his laugh as he did.

The day had crawled by for everyone involved. But at last, the time for the mission came, and everyone was gathered at the Guard Station. Everyone but a certain thief.

“...Why am I not surprised?...” Vincent muttered.

“Oh, she’ll come. She never breaks her promises, so she’ll come. We just have to wait. Knowing her, she’ll want to make a flashy entrance,” Jonathan sighed.

“Does she ever do anything normally?” Lucy questioned.

“She’s a Phantom Thief. Them and normal don’t mix,” Echo deadpanned.

“I think we went beyond abnormal when she went straight to us to offer/ask for help,” Howl commented.

“Though how much is out of a sense of obligation and a sense of guilt are up for grabs,” Sam muttered, rotating his joints and flexing his claws.

“She’s here, isn’t she? Considering she’s been on a thieving spree since she got here and Arceus, nor ANY of the Legendaries even did a thing about it must mean something,” Heat shrugged.

“Maybe the Legendaries just didn’t want to leave little old me behind. I’m flattered to be the center of your conversation, by the way,” Fox said, before appearing in a flurry of her cape that had suddenly appeared in thin air. “As they say in old Kanto, ‘Kaitou Fox, Sanjou!’” she joked, before giving a stage bow.

Her sudden appearance had the effect of galvanizing the small family of Nurem that had gathered with the Guard in the station. While previously the foursome had been looking around at everything and tapping or fidgeting nervously, none of them took their eyes off of her once she revealed herself. Or rather, none of them took both eyes off of her.

“Looks like the party’s all here,” she mused, ignoring the stares. “So Blackstone, when shall we start? Oh, and before we begin, no hard feelings for last time, okay. Nothing personal.”

“Oh yeah, of course no hard feelings,” he said, giving her a lopsided smile. “See, I’m not a guard captain, I’m actually secretly an Alicorn Prince with a thing for BDSM so what you did was fun for me,” Blackstone deadpanned. “So, thanks to Jonathan and your efforts, we know where the shipment from Canterlot is coming in. Jon?”

“Right. As we know, the shipment seems to be a shipment from Canterlot. It should be scheduled to arrive in field 7 by around 8 PM tonight. We’ll divide into 2 teams, our main force will create a distraction via a head on assault, during which our stealth team consisting of Blackstone, Fox, and myself, will infiltrate the ship, and secure any and all documents and incriminating evidence,” he explained.

“Keep in mind, ponies, ‘mon, and others,” Ace commented from next to her husband, “We don’t know how many ‘mon there are going to be in there, or how powerful they are, considering some of the rumors we’ve heard. If you think you’re outmatched, there is no shame in running and living instead of dying some sort of ‘hero’s death.’ Your purpose is to keep their eyes on you while our small team gets what we need. But if you get the chance, don’t be afraid to knock some upstart down a peg, and remember, if it’s do or die, do whatever you have to not die.”

The roars of approval were deafening, and when they died down, Fox decided to add her last two cents. “Well, you all heard the mare. I hope everyone is ready, cause its showtime,” she smiled from under her hat.

Vincent and Heat had been assigned to a small gate, while the rest of his family had been put with the main assault force. There was nothing really remarkable about this gate, if you didn’t know that the warehouses beyond were in the process of receiving the largest shipment of mob cash.

Or that the main gates and roads into the warehouse were being watched as well, for anyone trying to slip away.

It was only when you realized that this gate was fairly new and intended to be a backdoor for anyone to slip out with nobody the wiser that this gate became anywhere near important.

“They should be starting any minute now,” Vincent muttered.

“So, how you enjoying your first night as thieves?” Fox joked as she, Jonathan, and Blackstone ran along the nearby rooftops, giving them a good view of the field, while also letting them plot potential routes.

“Bizarre,” Jonathan deadpanned.

“While I enjoy the night,” Blackstone said before lightly jumping and gliding to the next roof, Noi flying silently a few yards above him, “This is a side of it I had hoped never to see.”

“Aww...you’ve got nothing to worry about. I’ll be sure to show you the glitz and glamour that is a night in the life of a Phantom Thief,” she chuckled, pulling out a rose from Arceus knew where.

“Why does that not fill me with confidence?” Jonathan deadpanned.

“Because you know her?” their thestral companion filled in.

“Probably,” the Lucario sighed. “Anyway, let’s get ready. The signal should come any minute now.”

With that, they got into position, ready to spring.

Bit watched his timer count down.

The members of the Guard, along with several ‘mon who they’d recruited over the last few weeks to their cause, were assembled on the other side of a tall chain link fence, beyond which they could see the faint outline of an airship and the building it had landed near. Or they could just be random blobs in the darkness. Which is what he was about to fix.

When it got to ten seconds, he turned his head to those behind him and warned them. “Shield your eyes.”

Every pony, ‘mon, and other followed his advice. Once the timer hit five seconds, he floated up to the gate and started to ascend. At zero, he was approximately twenty-five feet in the air. Perfect.

“Flash,” he said, and for a moment, there was a Bit-shaped star hovering in the air, blinding the workers that had been in the process of dragging in the large crates. Everything about the warehouse was thrown into the very stark light emanating from his form, revealing that the main doors had been open, along with the fact that Quick Notes employed ‘mon and ponies that just could not look away.

“THIS IS THE LAS PEGASUS GUARD!” Ace bellowed. “SURRENDER NOW OR BE TAKEN IN BY FORCE!”

Naturally, not a one of them followed her orders. Lucy gave the chain and padlock blocking them from entering the yard full of either fleeing or charging mobsters a quick Force Palm, and the Guard surged to meet their foes.

While this was happening, Quick Notes saw the light pouring through her window and ducked to avoid looking at it directly. Once the sound of the guard being there hit her ears, she groaned. “Oh for the love of Luna, but how is this happening again?”

Once the light had dimmed, she walked over to her desk and pulled her saddlebags and briefcase up on top, ready to fill them with all the paperwork she would need to destroy later.

However, in her focus, she never saw the outlines of 3 figures walking in, nearly invisible under the illusion that shielded them. “Nighty night,” came a sly female voice, right before she felt a sharp blow on the back of her head. And consciousness fled.

With that done, the Illusion faded away, revealing the three members of the stealth team.

“Remind me again why you didn’t do that to us at the casino?” Blackstone said as he regained visible form.

“Cause then you wouldn’t have been awake for the show,” Fox simply said. “That, and we kinda need to knock her out BEFORE she managed to destroy any documents.”

“Yes, but you could have waited until she picked out which documents she wanted,” Blackstone said. “Now we’re going to have to go through them all, and if there’s one thing Ace hates more than criminals, it’s paperwork.”

“...whoops,” Fox had the decency to blush at this. “Well...how many could she possibly have? And even if she has a lot, a LOT of it must be incriminating in some way, right?” she tried to reason.

“And now we’re gonna have a hard time sorting through it. Thanks a bunch Fox, for tempting fate,” Jonathan deadpanned. A quick search of the mare’s knocked-out body revealed a small set of keys in her saddlebags, which opened up her desk on the first try.

“Or we could get incredibly lucky with this mare’s attention to detail,” Blackstone muttered as the first drawer revealed a slew of files, but some were tagged with a sticker of a campfire while others weren’t.

“So...should we sort through them while everyone is fighting outside, or should we just grab everything and run?” Fox commented.

“Let’s grab the ones she wants destroyed first,” Blackstone said. “If we have room after, we can take the rest. Let’s use her bags as well, more space the merrier.”

“Now you’re talking,” Fox grinned, as the proceeded to grab all the documents that had the campfire sticker on it, before packing up anything else they could get their hands on.

“Uhhh... what?” Quick Notes groaned as she started to come to...only for Fox to whack her on the head again with one of the large paper weights on the desk.

“What? Last I checked we didn’t want her to wake up while we’re here,” Fox defended when she saw them glaring at her.

“We also want to take her alive, something a little hard to do if you keep hitting her on the head,” Jonathan deadpanned.

“Oh dear me, but this won’t do,” a voice said from everywhere and nowhere. “Someone pilfering boss’s desk? I’m going to have to deal with you…”

“Ghost-type?” Fox guessed.

“Ghost-type,” Jonathan groaned in annoyance. Of all the Pokemon the mare could have had, it HAD to be a Ghost-type, which he was completely useless against.

The briefcase snapped up the files that they’d been pulling out of her desk before clicking and locking shut. A soft ‘kekeke’ echoed around the room afterwards.

“Now that that’s out of the way...why don’t I have some fun with you three?”

“I’ve got a better idea,” Fox smirked, before yelling, “Duck!”

Hearing her, Jonathan and Blackstone immediately hit the ground, just as Fox let out a Dark Pulse from her body, the waves emanating through the room, and hitting the Ghost-type in the room.

The Gengar grunted as he faded into corporeality, sliding down the wall and glaring at Fox. He then drew one hand back, and it started to drip with a purple fluid. “Say goodnight!” he snarled before dashing at her with a Poison Jab.

“Curfews canceled,” Jonathan shot back as he got between Fox and the attack, the attack harmlessly hitting him in the chest, his Steel-type neutralizing the Poison.

“And once more,” Fox grinned, before throwing a Shadow Ball at the Gengar. The attack hit, causing the Gengar to drop the brief case with the files in it.

“Blackstone! Now!” Jonathan shouted, to which Blackstone dove for the briefcase, and snatched it up.

“Go! We’ll handle short and ugly here,” Fox ordered, to which the thestral nodded and flew out the door with the precious documents.

“Bloody Pokemon emasculating me and turning me into a damn paper runner,” he grumbled to himself. He managed to get out of the room, still hearing the sound of battle inside. However, it wasn’t until he heard a faint sound that struck him as just plain...unnatural did he start getting worried. He was about to go check when the room suddenly seemed to explode with energy, just as Jonathan came tumbling out, the unconscious mare in his arms. Nearby, Blackstone got off his flank, having been bowled over by the shockwave, though the documents were safe.

Likewise, even the ones on the battlefield saw that, causing several ‘mon and ponies to finally get in prone positions and allow themselves to be taken in. Bit took the blast in absently, and Lucy took advantage of the distraction to knock a few foes out. Sam blinked a few times and sighed at the thought of Fox being that strong.

Gengar rolled and huffed as he too hit the ground, but picked himself up and glared at Fox. “Oh you are going to regret that!” he spat. However, to his surprise...she was gone.

“...Oh fuck m-” he didn’t get to finish his sentiment, as his earlier attack finally took effect on him, and he fainted.

Back with the battle, Jonathan and Blackstone had rejoined the rest of the group.

“Is everyone alright?” Jonathan asked.

“We’re great,” his Pokemon said.

Sam and Lucy looked around, clearly not seeing someone, and Bit was the one to voice the question.

“Where. Is. She?”

Even the tone was hostile.

Jonathan looked around and noticed that she wasn’t anywhere to be seen. “She must hav-” his statement was cut off when he suddenly fell over. “Damn...Perish Song…” he managed to choke out before passing out.

“Jonathan!” came the worried voices of his Pokemon as they crowded around him. However, they all sighed in relief when they realized he was just knocked out.

(Meanwhile, at some point during the fight itself…)

Vincent and Heat idly waited outside the gate, playing with a deck of cards that Vincent had conjured from...somewhere. “Threes?” the Kadabra asked.

“Go fish,” Heat said. “You know, when we started this mission, I was hoping for a bit more action than this.”

“Well you can’t have every...thing…” Vincent trailed off as several minds suddenly came into range. “Scratch that, company.”

“Well it’s about time,” Heat grinned, the battle-eager Combusken jumping to his feet.

From the darkness, a wagon was being pulled by a pony, and several Pokemon were accompanying him. While the tarp did its best to hide and hold in the contents, a few bottles and candies still spilled off of it.

“Well, there’s our proof. Jump them?” Heat offered.

“Warn them first, offer them surrender, and then jump them,” Vincent clarified. “Hello there, my fine gentlemen!” Vincent loudly said, gaining their attention quite quickly.

“I’m a girl!” one of the ‘mon spoke up.

“And ladies,” Vincent amended. “It would appear you are trying to flee the scene of a raid in progress. We can do this the easy way, in which you simply surrender,” Vincent trailed off and motioned for Heat to finish the sentiment.

“Or, we can do this the hard way where we kick your sorry butts to next week and back,” The Combusken added, fire already dancing from his beak.

“Your choice,” they finished together.

There was silence for a moment, before the Pokemon decided via mob rule to try and both take what they could and get past the two defenders. Each one scooped up what they could carry off the cart and made a mad dash to the gate, pushing each other aside in their quest to get away. The pony elected to simply charge them, wagon and all. However, they were all met with a solid wall of psychic energy.

“Oooh, bad choice,” Heat snickered. “Tell ya what, I’ll be nice. Who would you rather face. Hot blooded me...or Vincent over here?”

“Hint: you really should go for him. I’m not nice at all when I’m angry,” Vincent finished with his spoon aglow. The crowd before them milled about, none wanting to take that first step, but none wanting to lose either.

“Oops, time’s up. Let’s get them!” Heat laughed, before lunging at them with a flurry of kicks and punches, which sent several of them flying.

Vincent caught several in his power, causing them to glow blue while they struggled to escape. “Hey Heat,” he said, gaining the Combusken’s attention before flinging one at him.

“Pull!”

“Ho!” Heat laughed, before sending the unfortunate victim into LEO (Lower Equus Orbit) courtesy of a Sky Uppercut.

“I could get used to this!” Vincent laughed, idly tossing the next one. “Pull!”

“Ho!” came the response, and before long, they ran out of targets to send to LEO.

“Well that was fun! We should do that again sometime!” Heat laughed.

“Yup,” the Kadabra said before pulling their last victim closer, the pony who’d been pulling the cart. “So what should we do with this’un?”

“Oh oh! I know! Volley Ball! No, Soccer! No, Rugby! And let’s use the pony for a ball!” Heat cheered.

“Hmm...and what about you,” Vincent questioned the pony. “What do you think we should do with you?”

“...Uh...lemme go?” he answered weakly.

“Bzzt! Wrong answer!” Vincent said, setting the pony to spin like a ball and placing him not too far from Heat. “All yours!”

“Taste my super soccer shot!” Heat laughed, before kicking the unfortunate Pony, sending him over the horizon...and straight into a conveniently placed dumpster...in a jail house. “Score!”

The night world swirled wildly around Noi, her eyes sweeping the battlefield for another opponent. The little dragon-bat had already eliminated several opponents and she was wheeling overhead of the battle for another. Unfortunately, one found her instead.

A simply massive form slammed into hers mid-flight, sending her wheeling until she got her bearings straight again. Once she finally got the ground where it was supposed to be, (under her), she looked around for the one that had interrupted her flight, to see a highly-muscular Pidgeot...well, as muscular as the simple Bird ‘mon could be. It was looking at her with as much of a smirk as its expression could allow.

“Easy prey,” it crowed, revealing that it was a male by the tone of his voice.

Noi narrowed her eyes at him and opened her mouth. Instead of words, a string of Super Sonic clicks launched their way towards him. When flying, the absolute worst thing, aside from being struck by lightning, was being disoriented! That was what her parents had taught her so long ago.

Unfortunately for her, once the Pidgeot felt the disorientation starting, he ducked his head down for a moment, then pulled out a small, familiar form from somewhere around his chest with his beak. Noi barely had time to recognize it as a Persim Berry before it vanished into his gullet. “Nice try, you won’t get another,” he retorted. “Now we can do this fast or slow, your choice.”

He’s going to be stronger than me, and with those wings he can outfly me easily, I need to stay constantly moving or he’s going to kill me, Noi thought to herself before tucking her wings to her chest, the wind whipping at her face as she unexpectedly dived. Though, I am more maneuverable!

The sound of the Pidgeot’s surprise reached Noi’s ears, and not long after, she could hear that he was attempting to follow her. The Noibat turned her head to look over her shoulder and saw that he was right behind her. He’s fast! she thought frantically, her wings beating faster, a Tailwind stirring up behind her and speeding her up just enough to stay out of reach of the massive claws which came within inches of snapping shut around her body.

“Get. Back. Here!” she heard him demand every time he failed to catch her.

“HERE I COME THEN!” Noi shouted at maximum volume, turning and launched herself straight at his chest, latching onto his feathered breast with a powerful Super Fang. Her fangs met feathers and then flood beneath as she dug in deep. The Bird ‘mon cried out in pain as her technique took hold, but she failed to take into account that getting so close would let him return fire quite easily. She sensed, then felt, his beak grabbing hold of one of her ears, before tearing a piece of it free.

A high pitched, ultrasonic scream left her throat as she released her hold on him, blood pouring from her ear as she winged back away from him, wincing in pain. She briefly saw the scrap of flesh that had been attached to her body in his beak before he jerked his head a few times. When it came back up again, his beak was empty, and it wasn’t because his prize had fallen.

“Not a fair trade,” he groused as he felt the wound in his chest. “But I’ll hold you down for the next one,” the Pidgeot vowed. “Maybe even give you a matching set.”

Noi’s vision went red for a moment as the blood dripped down onto her shoulder. “I... I... AIRSLASH!” she launched herself at him, her wings glowing as she charged forwards, her speed still boosted by the powerful Tail Wind, the wing slamming into his neck.

The Pidgeot let out a strangled squawk as he fell for a second. Once he got his breathing, and flying, back under control, the Bird ‘mon winged back up to where he’d last seen the pesky Noibat. She was nowhere to be seen in the inky blackness until suddenly-

“AIRSLASH!” Noi screeched as she dived down at an angle from above, her wing slamming into his back, barely missing a beat as she launched herself away again into the darkness.

Credit where it was due, this time, the Pidgeot did not fall. He did, however, turn his glare all around. With a mental shrug, he went for a move that would give him some breathing room, and hopefully a location. “Twister!” he screamed out, flapping his wings even harder and calling up a miniature cyclone of wind.

A scream in the cyclone alerted him to the Noibat’s location as the winds battered at her tiny form, throwing her about this way and that as she desperately attempted to regain control of herself. With a cry of victory, the Pidgeot raced at where his Twister had been the moment it died down, looking for the pesky Noibat that refused to go down.

He found her, oh he most certainly found her. She was flapping in place, shrouded in golden light. Eyes wide, he realized the reality of the new situation. With a quick flap, he attempted to fly off and save his own feathers rather than fight something as big as him, quicker than him, slightly stronger than him, and with a definite grudge against him.

He didn’t make it very far before twin blasts of pure sonic energy slammed into him, the sounds so loud that he almost fell out of the air from just them alone. The next thing he knew there was a VERY large, VERY angry bat-dragon tearing his chest to feathery bloody ribbons with powerful claws.

“HOW’S THIS FOR A MATCHING SET?!” she shouted at him, her voice loud enough to stun him. “I’D RETURN THE FAVOR FOR MY EAR BUT SEEING AS YOU DON’T HAVE ANY, LET’S IMPROVISE!” One of her claws grabbed onto one of his taloned legs and with a mighty pull, tore it clean off. At that point, the Pidgeot passed out from the pain, which was probably a mercy.

Noi hovered there for a moment before looking down at her heavily bleeding opponent and her eyes widened. “Oh... oh no... oh no oh no no no no!” she exclaimed, still holding onto the Pidgeot in one claw and his detached leg in the other, her eyes scanning for a field medic. She didn’t want to kill him. She desperately didn’t want that.

Vincent and Heat arrived from just across the yard, looking around at the mop-up in effect. He, too, took notice of the lack of a certain Illusionist, and growled. “She escaped?”

“Not. For. Long.” Bit proclaimed before zooming up into the sky to look at the scene from above.

“So...any reason why he thinks he can find Fox now? Knowing her, she might be miles away by now,” Heat commented.

“It’s not exactly him thinking that he can,” Sam started.

“It’s more...he was told to stop her once, so that’s going to stick in his mind until the task is done,” Lucy finished.

“That and well…” Howl started as he pulled Jonathan’s unconscious form over. “They were hit with Perish Song.”

“Good point,” Heat grinned.

However, despite searching, there seemed to be no signs of that thief. Even Vincent’s latest trick of looking for the hole that Dark-types normally left in his psychic vision didn’t work, thanks to the mass of ‘mon there were around them. Far too much interference, and more than one Dark-type had been taken down already.

Don’t think we’ll just let this stand, Vincent thought to himself. Not until Bit has recovered will I forgive you, Fox!

To say that Ace was a happy mare now that she had everything she could ever need to put the final remnants of PegasusAir down for good would be like saying Discord was kooky.

She was ecstatic. Oh yes, Fox got away, again, but at least she did some good, for once, before she did.

Blackstone for his part was in the middle of calming down and petting an incredibly large dragon-bat, THAT had been a surprise for both him and Ace but not one that they could really complain about.

Vincent looked over to Bit’s form, glad that he was back to his normal self, more or less. He still tended to look off into the distance some times, but after a few seconds, he usually got back on track.

Sam and Lucy went back to their normal routines without a bump at all, though each one took to their own training regimes with a new fire to their eyes, a new determination driving them. Vincent did the one thing he could think of doing the day after the whole ordeal was wrapped up.

“I swear,” he said to nobody in particular atop the roof. “You show yourself here, and I swear Bit will get his closure with you, Fox. For them, I do anything.”

“Easier said than done, little dude,” Scep commented as he leaned against the doorway, the Sceptile carrying a small bag full of the few belongings he still had when Sleight Hoof and the others left the city. “Even if Fox were to come back here, you’d still have to catch her first.”

“Yeah, fair enough,” Vincent said with a shrug. “But with my family back in action now that Lucy’s done with her Heat, we’d have another member to try with. And if she keeps escaping, I’ll keep recruiting.”

“We’ll see. We’ll see,” the Sceptile shrugged. “Anyway, I’m going after Alice and the others now, but I’ll definitely come around again. After all, I’ve got a reason now,” he smiled, before walking away. “You take care little dude.”

“You too. If only so Christine doesn’t hunt you down later on down the line,” Vincent warned. “If I were you, I’d write. At least.”

“Yeah...I’ll keep that in mind,” Scep gulped, fully aware of the hell he’d be in for if he didn’t at least do that. Ah, the things he’d do for his mate.

However, as he left, something suddenly fell from the sky, right into Vincent’s face.

“What’s this?” Vincent mused as he pulled it off with a quick burst of his power.

The item turned out to be a letter of some kind, complete with an envelope, but no return address. Of course, it wasn’t necessary, as the black mark that looked like a Zoroark’s head all but confirmed who it was from. “Fox,” Vincent hissed.

Opening the note, he saw what it said. ‘I’ve given some thought to what you said before, and here is my answer. What makes me different from people like Mayhem is simply intent. True, I nearly broke your friend, for which I apologise...again. But at the end of the day, I never intended for it to happen. Monsters like Mayhem on the other hand, do what they do with full intent, and without remorse. While its true my methods will need some...adjustment to this new world, and I thank you all for making me see that, but I’ll say this much. I accept the blame for what nearly happened to Bit, but compare me to a monster like that again, and you’ll regret it. I will not stand for someone stepping on the pride of our legacy’.

Vincent re-read the note, taking the words to heart, before looking at the horizon. “Fine,” he muttered. “We’re not even...but you are one step closer. I still don’t like you, but I’ll give you your damn head-start the next time you run.”

Author's Other Notes:
And now about half of the family goes up to Canterlot for the Contest...joy. More Auscrossing. Someone get my tranquilizer gun, I'm hunting Ausbronies.