Spike and the other members of his team fell through the roof of a building, landing down on a solid wood floor after tumbling down the two-story building. Luckily, nopony seemed to be seriously injured; just a few scrapes and scratches. Gin was the first to get on her hooves, and her eyes danced about the new surroundings. There were empty tables and chairs scattered about the floor, a silent stage right behind her, and a bar just a few meters in front of her.

"A tavern...? How the hell did we get here?" Gin scratched her head as she looked up at the gaping hole in the ceiling they made.

"It was that Brand-user. He's got some kind of warping ability," Rummy answered her as he stretched out his aching back. "I bet they were counting on us to split into groups. This tavern must be a long ways away from Luna and the others."

"Crap... and I thought we had the upper hand," Spike said nervously as he surveyed the dark, decrepit building

"Hold on, everypony," Raiel shushed the others as she listened carefully. "Step out of the shadows, whoever you are! I can hear you!"

"You're a cunnin' one, ain't ya, Sheila?" A gravelly and ominous voice echoed all around them as a figure stepped into view atop the staircase on the second floor above. "I'm surprised you found me out so quickly."

"It's that weird goo-guy..." Spike recalled the last encounter they had on The Red Koi.

"I figured you would be here, Rufus," Rummy piped up as his hand began to pop and fizzle as gunpowder ignited in his palm. "Nice outfit. Still doing Gaines' spying I see?"

"Yeah, well..." Thatchet grunted as he removed his mask and hat, revealing his tattooed burgundy face and yellow mane. "I like what I do regardless on how stuffy my disguise might get." Thatches whistled as his eyes directed their attention to the tomboy pirate next to Rummy. "Hello there, Ginny. How ya doin', love?"

"Spare me the sweet talkin', Rufus, or I'll shove that silver tongue of yours up yer arse," Gin growled back at Thatches as she brought out two loaded flintlocks from her jacket.

"As feisty as ever..." Thatches snickered as he walked down the steps and strolled past the bar table, grabbing a tankard and filling it with ale.

"You know this guy, Gin?" Spike wondered as he saw Gin's eyes ignite in a burning rage.

"This bastard works for Goldblood Gaines," Gin answered Spike as she raised her pistols at Thatches. "He's responsible for my father's death!"

"It's what I do, love. We're pirates, not fuckin' paladins. Get over it," Thatches chuckled to himself as he downed his tankard. "And all I did was rat him out to Gaines. I didn't pull a trigger on em'."

"You've got some nerve showing up here, Rufus," Rummy's hand began to pulse more burn as more gunpowder seeped out of his arm.

"Ha! That's funny, mate— acting all high and mighty now that you've got that fancy rank of yours," Thatchet grinned as he cracked his knuckles. "Last time you tried fightin' me, I wiped the floor with ya. You think you can take me this time?"

"I've got some backup," Rummy said as he motioned over to the rest of his group.

"Heh... these guys? All I see is a wannabe dragon, a spoiled princess brat, and a pirate with daddy-issues..." Thatchet's gold tooth flashed brightly as evening light cascaded down upon him from the hole in the roof. "You call that backup?"

"Prepare yourselves, everypony..." Rummy warned his allies as Thatchet's body began to morph and grow. "He's got the Fester Brand, a Tradendi Brand. If he holds you for too long, his body will try to eight-inch your magic and your living tissue. Whatever you do, do not let that black shite touch you."

"My word..." Raiel gasped as she witnessed Thathet's Brand begin to reveal itself.

Thatchet's left arm began to fall apart and decay into a disgusting black tar, and it split into three tendrils, waving around in the air as if they had a mind of their own. Whole skeletons began to poke out of Thatchet's back and chest, grabbing onto his shoulders and forming macabre armor. More tar poured out of his mouth as he approached them, grinning menacingly.

"Once I kill ya, your body will rot in mine forever," Thatchet's voice became mixed with the frothing bubbles of the black goo. "I'm gonna enjoy this..."

****

Cyro and Jhettei reappeared in a puff of white smoke just a few meters above a flat piece of dirt, wide and long enough to fit a whole battleship within its circumference. They landed a little smoother; Cyro landed on his feet, and Jhettei landed on his forearms to absorb the impact with a break-fall technique. As they both dusted themselves off, they analyzed their surroundings. This flat piece of ground was the pit within an empty gladiatorial arena; thousands of vacant seats overlooked the pit, and the tarp overhead acted as a partial roof, casting a shadow upon the arena. What unnerved Cyro, however, was the ice growths all over the coliseum; stalagmites overrunning the stands, stalactites dangling from the edges of the arena. And all of the ice was red.

"That skeletal Brand-user is powerful; he must have some kind of warping Brand," Jhettei stated as he got back on his hooves.

"Yeah, and he dropped us right in a hornet's nest..." Cyro replied as his hands became shrouded in a veil of icy blue mist once again. "Get ready, Sven is-!"

"Right here!" Sven shouted as he burst out of a stalagmite nearby, taking a swing at Cyro.

"Arrgh!" Cyro groaned as he was flung back into the stone wall to his left. "No... not you..."

Sven's hands became sheathed in crimson ice, forming terrifying frozen gauntlets with a sharp, eight-inch claw on each finger. He also coated his armor in blue Dragon Skin, further strengthening his guard. Not only that, but Sven's body began to let off an ominous aura, fiendish and maniacal. His mouth widened into a jagged maw of icy teeth reinforced with Dragon Skin, and red stalagmites of ice burrowed out of his back, tearing his fur cape to shreds.

"What is this?" Jhettei's eyes were wide with fear as Sven walked towards him, hunched over like a wild beast.

"This is Sven's devil dragon; the ice demon known as Mahaha... The Smiling Devil," Cyro grunted as he got back on his feet.

"After I tear you both apart... I'll make sure to freeze a nice big smile on your faces..." Sven laughed, his voice more laced with malice than ever. "I'll make yours, especially wide, nephew..."

"Nephew?!" Jhettei gasped as he looked over at Cyro, who bowed his head in shame.

"Yeah..." Cyro mumbled.

****

Twilight felt her body crash into something soft and plush as she fell down into a dimly lit room, something fluffy; a pillow, many in fact. They were strewn about the carpet floor of the room, and they all seemed to reek of sweat and other unmentionable fluids. Twilight plugged her nose as the thick musk in the room wafted into her nose, and she looked around to get a better sense of where she was as she emerged from the pile of pillows. She could hear the giggles of a grown mare coming from behind a curtain in front of her. Was it some sort of stage perhaps? Based on the smell Twilight began to piece together just where exactly she was. It was a brothel. And as soon as she came to this realization, she soon came to another; Dross was gone.

"Dross?!" Twilight panicked as she ran towards the curtain, batting it aside quickly. "Dross, where-..."

Twilight scowled as she saw Lamia dead ahead on a throne, surrounded by bound and gagged prostitutes who were positioned face down on the ground as if they were just brutally beaten. Their breathing was heavy and tired, and they called out in muffled mumbles to Twilight as she approached Lamia. Lamia sneered as a prostitute fed her grapes, and she gave her a quick kiss on the cheek before he left her side.

"Where the hell is Dross?" Twilight growled at the grinning succubus as purple blades of magic formed in her hands.

"Hmm? Oh, that bug... I got him to loosen up a bit, you see," Lamia snapped her fingers, and awkward hoofsteps soon followed from yet another curtain behind her. "Some out, my dear..." Dross trudged out of his hiding place, eyes blank and rolled back into his head. He groaned softly as Lamia got off her throne and kissed him on the lips messily, sucking up his life energy. "Delicious... I can taste your saliva through his disgusting stallion mouth. Have you laid with this bug, darling?"

"You let him go right this second, witch!" Twilight snarled at Lamia as she raised her blades.

"Oh... I think I can do better than that, little princess..." Lamia vanished out of thin air, using her incredible speed to catch Twilight off-guard, appearing right behind her. "I think I'll have you join him!"

Twilight grunted as Lamia grabbed her by the throat and attempted to hypnotize her. Lamia's eyes became swirling, multicolor whirlpools, drawing Twilight in. Though, Lamia soon found it impossible to penetrate her mind any further; another, much stronger force seemed to challenge her. Twilight was one of the first ponies to resist her charms.

"Hmm... impressive," Lamia took a step back as she released Twilight. "Somepony has put up psychic blocks around your mind, dear. What have you gotten yourself into...?"

Twilight thought back to her final battle with the Sorcerer of Mind— the last words he said to her. "Even if you do that, a part of me will still live within you!"

"That piece of Gek's soul..." Twilight realized as she got back on her hooves. "It's blocking Lamia's powers." Twilight recreated her blades once again. "I can beat her, I can free Dross... I've just got to be careful. This snake demon is much faster than I am."

"Hmm... you're trying to formulate a battle strategy," Lamia deduced as she sat back down on her throne. "Cute, but you shouldn't be planning to fight me..." Lamia snapped her finger once again as she pointed at Twilight. "You should be worrying about him."

"Aaargh!" Dross roared like a mindless animal as he charged at Twilight with bear claws for hands.

Twilight dodged to the side, and Dross ran past her, tearing through the curtain and falling into the room full of pillows. He got up just a few moments later. Twilight had little time to think, but it became clear to her what she should do. She went after him and jumped down onto the pillows. "He's a lot slower like this, but I shouldn't underestimate him. I need to find a way to transfer a piece of Gek's power into his mind. If I do that, maybe he'll snap out of her hypnosis."

"Kill her! Make her bleed!" Lamia laughed as she watched from her throne.

"Sorry, Dross..." Twilight said to herself as she created a magic barrier and slammed it into his face like a shield. "But this is the only way!"

****

Draven and Nick popped back into existence on a hard wooden object. Though, they didn't fall from any height like the others. They were seated next to each other on a wooden pew. And as their eyes darted about the new scenery, they realized that they were within a cathedral. The grand place of worship was Gothic in style, much like the other complex structures in Mystwood, and images of angels and demons lined the cathedral, forever captured in the vibrant colors of its stained glass windows. Granite statues of archaic knights lined the walls, and a grand statue of Luna stood at the back of the church, overlooking an altar with incense and two empty podiums; one for the bishop and the other for a conductor to command his choir in the three vacant pews at the front.

"Is that Luna...?" Nick wondered as he got out of his seat and walked down the aisle in the middle to get a closer look.

"Aye. The ponies of Ccrondil worship her as their goddess— the mare who freed the miriads ten thousand years ago from Alptraum," Draven recalled his history as he joined Nick in front of the altar. "Those were dark times, and now they're here once again."

*Tchaikovsky's 1812 Overture plays: Begin at minute 2:30 mark - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RzK2e8jKikc*

Then, the piano to the right of the bishop's podium began to ring out throughout the cathedral. It was humming an ominous tune at first, harrowing yet silent. Then, the music became progressively louder, menacingly paced but solemn, as if announcing the arrival of a feared but respected tyrant. Draven tilted his head to see who was playing, and to his surprise, it was the skeletal gentlecolt named Theodore, lost in the music and oblivious to the two of them. However, just as the piece reached a climax, his hands went stiff, ending it on the highest point.

"What a visionary Tchaikhoofsky was..." Theodore rambled as if he were speaking to himself, then he turned his head to Nick. "Wouldn't you agree?"

"You're good at that, skeleton guy," Nick said as he pointed at the piano.

"Ah, you flatter me. I am no pianist— merely a dabbler of the art; my skill is only the result of centuries of careful study and the memory of my ears," Theodore went off on a tangent as he grabbed the cane that was leaning against the piano.

"Nick, back up," Draven ordered Nick as he stepped in front of him. "You're brought us here, didn't you? Why?

"Ah, to the point already then?" Theodore sighed as he stepped over to the altar. "Specifically, I wanted to bring young Nicholas here. You just so happened to be next to him as I cast my spell upon you all. I have scattered you, yes. But fear not, nowhere dangerous in nature. No, it is the tenants of those buildings that are the true danger— my fellow members of Indigo Rose. Though, what they shall do to your friends I know not."

"You want me...?" Nick raised an eyebrow at the eloquent stallion as he paraded beside the altar.

"You don't seem to concern yourself much with those so-called friends of yours," Draven said as he stood his ground. "Why do you want Nick?"

"I care not what happens to those sycophantic sheep. Ah, but I should watch my tongue... the word sycophantic, I suppose, could apply to me as well..." Theodore went off on yet another tangent as he rambled on. "Ah, but I digress. Down to business then. I am studying in the field so to speak. You see, I am a scientist looking to study items of magical property. Specifically, Brands. Doctor Theodore Connell, a pleasure to meet you. I have come to Ccrondil to study the Brand that Nicholas possesses."

"A Brand?" Draven took a step back as he turned to Nick. "Nick, your powers are from a Brand?"

"I don't know what a Brand is, Captain..." Nick said as he scratched his head.

"Hmm... I wish to see the full extent of these powers," Theodore then sighed as he withdrew the long blade from his cane. "Ah, but to do so requires the proper studying session, which I fear is somewhat violent. Would you both care to be the subjects of this experiment?"

"I don't like the sound of the big words he's using, Draven..." Nick said as chains began to shoot out of portals in his back, forming a mass of metal tentacles. "Are we gonna fight?"

"It looks like we are, lad..." Draven said as his fists crackled with electricity.

"Then on with it then!" Theodore announced in an almost triumphant manner as his cane became surrounded in more of his white fog.

Author's Notes:

Boom! You just got slapped with a quintuple-cliffhanger!