*Crystal Castle, Crystal Empire, Equestria; November 11, 2019; 2:15 PM*

"Shining. Cadence. It's been a while." Alex greeted.

"It has... How are you?" Cadence asked.

"I've... Had better days.. I'm sorry about what happened with Twilight.." Alex admitted.

"It wasn't your fault. You had your hands full with protecting your own family. Besides, you're one of Twily's friends." Shining Armor replied.

"So.. Why are you here?" Cadence asked.

"Something went wrong, and I need to train again." Alex answered.

"Our Royal Guards aren't strong enough to train you. Not even Skirmish, and she's the most experienced I know." Shining told him.

Alex sighed.

"This... Is a different kind of training. This Castle still has it's fair share of secrets. One of them is perfect for what I need to prepare for." Alex stated.

Cadence's eyes widened in realization, and whispered to Shining. The two had a momentary exchange, with a few scared glances at Alex, before turning to Alex.

"What do you need? Besides.. We owe you one." Cadence asked.

"First: No one. Absolutely no one, can know I'm here." Alex demanded.

"I understand.. We just got news of your bounty. Luckily, I didn't hear reports of any humans in town." Skirmish said.

"Thank Christ. Second, I don't need much food. Once a day is enough. But water is going to be really important." Alex sighed in relief.

"No problem.."

"Third: I need 12 weights. All 50 Kiloes. Small enough to fit into the compartments of my armor." Alex finished.

"That's more than 1000 pounds!" Shining gasped.

"I can handle it." Alex smirked, pulling a lever on his armor and releasing the heavy, rectangular weights. All of them leaving cracks in the crystal floor.

Shining Armor, Princess Cadence, and Skirmish all stared at Alex in shock.

"How much were those?!" Skirmish gasped.

"30 Kiloes each." Alex replied.

"Are you insane?!" Cadence demanded.

"Better yet... Better bump it up to 60 Kiloes." Alex figured.

"Skirmish... Lead him to the stairwell." Shining ordered.

"Come on, Alex." Skirmish motioned him with her tail.

The two walked down the blue, crystalline hallway, leaving Alex to marvel at the scenery along his way.

"So.. Can you tell me anything about who's after you this time?" Skirmish asked.

"You remember Raven?" Alex replied.

"She's after you?!" Skirmish gasped.

"Apparently." Alex sighed.

"No wonder you need to keep up your training..! Though... I don't understand what you want with... this.." Skirmish shook.

"Discord said my training needed to be psychological as well." Alex answered.

The Honor Guard stopped at a large intersection in the castle.

"Well.. Here we are.." Skirmish told him.

"Thank you, Skirmish." Alex smiled.

"I don't understand.. How are you going to get there?" Skirmish wondered.

Alex raised his hand, letting the fear and anger within him combine with his Magic, causing a wave of Dark Magic to ripple over the floor, revealing a grey-crystal staircase.

Skirmish backed away in sheer horror.

"What the hell are you..?" She whispered.

Alex didn't reply. Merely unsheathing his sword, hacking through the stairs, and jumped, using the blade to slow his fall.

Once he made it to the bottom, he unleashed another wave of dark magic, sealing the way.

Walking through the dark hallway, he unleashed wave after wave of dark magic. Until eventually found a wooden door.

Alex sighed, dropping his backpack to the floor. He laid out a sleeping bag, changes of clothes, armor repair kits, and his old Pocket Dimension.

Tossing it to the ground, he unloaded a bench press kit, heavy dumbbells weighing in at mostly 700 pounds, and lastly, his old journal.

"Well.. I guess this is my home... For the next year.." Alex solemnly said, writing in his old journal for the first time in years,

Entry #93, Nov. 11, 2019

Things have gotten much worse. Raven's turned against me.. Yang's turned against me... Worst of all, I've been forced into hiding again. I won't be able to go anywhere without bounty hunters and hunters trying to kill me. Desperate times call for desperate measures, I guess.

I've been forced to hide Auburn to where even Yang would never think to look, with Neo of all people. Under Discord's advice, I've sealed myself under the Crystal Castle, near a door leading to my worst nightmares, where I'll be training for the next year. If all goes well, I can deal with those two... things... and maybe I'll have a fourth chance at life...

At any cost.

*22 Miles outside of New Magnolia, Fiore; November 11, 2019; 2:30 PM*

Cade, Auburn, and Oreonna had quickly escaped the town upon realizing it was under attack. Cade had been the first to sense something was wrong. Two high-leveled Auras were responsible for most of the damage.

But he wasn't sure which one scared him the most; The All-Maiden? Or his own mother's?

"What the hell was that all about?!" Oreonna suddenly demanded.

"How was I supposed to know?! We were caught completely by surprise!" Cade shouted back.

"You said you beat Cinder! You told us she was dead!"

"She is! I felt her die in that forest!" Cade recalled.

"I checked that Aura reading, Oreo. That wasn't Cinder." Auburn corrected.

"Then who?" Oreonna asked.

Auburn sighed.

"Our grandmother, Raven. But... It was weird.. When we met her, her Aura didn't feel this... dark." Auburn told them.

"Here's my question, Why would Raven and our mom come after us?!" Cade inquired.

"Because they aren't after us. Yang told you that father had a price on his head, right?" Auburn questioned.

"... Oh my shit. They're after Dad." Cade realized.

"So, let me get this straight. Your Grandma... and your Mom are trying to kill your Dad. And your Dad, panicked as always, went into hiding again." Oreonna figured.

"He probably took my counterpart with him." Auburn nodded.

"Let's think... Why would Dad have to hide? I'd like to think he's strong enough to handle all this.." Cade decided.

"If he was, he'd have settled this already. You saw them train, Dad literally can't beat Mom. Their fighting styles are too similar. By the time Father would have tired out, Mother would have gained enough power out of his attacks. And.." Auburn suddenly stopped.

"...Killed him?" Oreonna asked.

Auburn stayed relatively silent afterwards, troubled by the mere thought.

"So... Dad's probably training somewhere.." Cade figured.

"What are we gonna do, then? We can't go back to Fairy Tail, Yang and Raven would probably kill all of them!" Oreonna demanded.

"What, you think they'd actually massacre the entire guild? Please, we were all at the battle. Mom and Raven might be able to take down a few key members, but not the entire Guild. But... Even so, it isn't safe for us to stay there." Cade stated.

"So, what's the plan, hot shit?" Oreonna asked.

"We have to find Dad. And if anyone can find him, it's Grandma and Mom. We'll need to keep our Aura Levels low so we don't get discovered." Auburn stated.

"That was actually better that what I was gonna do.." Cade nodded.

"Okay... I can just barely sense them... They're on the outskirts of town and they're headed towards Hargeon." Auburn replied.

"Hey, guys!" Natsu shouted, running in through the mouth of the cave.

"Natsu?! How did you find us?!" Oreonna asked.

"I heard you two from a mile away. I'll help you get to the bottom of this..!" Natsu promised.

"You're not the only one, Firebreath!"

Gray, Lucy, Erza, Happy, and Juvia stood at Natsu's side.

"We've got your backs, guys!" Happy shouted.

"If Alexander knows anything about why Yang helped attack Magnolia, it's our job to find him." Ezra added.

"Alright.. Where we headed?" Gray asked.

"Hargeon Town." Cade answered.

*Ultimus' Hideout, Yuriko, Adenien; November 11, 2019; 3:00 PM*

"Impressive attack, Illiya. Though you will need to increase your strength. Sun almost blew you to the ground." Ultimus gave his critique.

"T-Thank you, Ultimus..!" Illiya panted, the raven-haired Adenienite now exhausted in her recent battle.

"And Sun. You almost had Illiya where you wanted her. You're too overconfident. Consider your defeat a lesson in humility." Ultimus instructed.

"F-Fine.." Sun nodded, limping off the training room.

"Julius. Spyden." Ultimus called.

The two young men, 13 and 14, respectively, stepped up to the small proving ground. Julius and Spyden looked eerily similar, but Spyden had shorter hair than Julius. Julius himself also had emerald eyes, where as Spyden had the family's red eyes.

"Weapons out."

Julius unsheathed his xiphos, and Ruby was immediately reminded of her late comrade, Pyrrha. Spyden himself carried an elegant short-sword with an plain, circular guard.

"Begin!"

Julius leapt first, forcing Spyden to counterattack and slash at Julius' legs.

Julius leapt over Spyden's blade, slashing at his opponent's neck.

Spyden, surprised that Julius was prepared to use such an attack, stepped backwards. Pressing a button on his sword, Spyden's blade split apart and moved to the other side of the sword, while the Guard split as well, causing the sword's guard to become a full circle.

Julius leaped above Spyden, clashing his sword against Spyden's guard. Spyden forced Julius off of him, and with a few key strikes, reduced Julius to a kneeling, wounded child.

Julius growled in anger, swinging his sword sharply upwards.

Spyden ducked around, pressing another button on his sword, causing both blades to spin not unlike a helicopter, making short work of Julius' sword.

Not wanting to kill, Spyden merely kicked Julius to the ground, planting his boot on Julius' neck.

"The fight is over. Spyden, I'm impressed with your mastery over your weapon. But not making a killing blow when you should will cost you." Ultimus stated.

"Are you saying you wanted me to kill Julius?" Spyden demanded.

"No. I'm saying you hesitated to even make a mark on him. At least Illiya managed to give Sun his proper punishment." Ultimus replied.

"I understand." Spyden nodded.

"Julius, your use of high-energy attacks was.. Admirable.. However, you're not making tactical decisions. You're just rushing into the fight at full-tilt." Ultimus stated.

"Okay... Thanks, Ultimus."

The two eventually got off the mat. Leaving Ultimus to stand at the center.

"All of you will make competent fighters.. Someday. Let me show you what a real battle is. Miss Rose, if you will?" Ultimus asked, raising the Family Sword towards her.

Ruby sprinted up in front of Ultimus, Blood Rose at her side.

"No holding back, understand?" Ultimus demanded.

Ruby immediately went to her Silver Eyes form, grinning at Ultimus eagerly.

"Let's do it!"

Ultimus then transformed into his Enlightened Zealot form, glaring at Ruby.

"Wonderful. Let us begin."

*Yang's Mind, November 11, 2019; 5:01 PM*

Yang's mind had essentially been under gridlock, meaning that... Thing on her forehead was doing most of the work, leaving Yang's soul, personality, and memories trapped within some unknown corner of her mind.

As you can imagine, being trapped within your own mind as you're being forced to hunt down the people you love and destroy everything around you was less than fun.

"Dammit, Mom!" Yang sharply kicked at the small crystal in front of her.

Enraged by her failures to break out of Raven's control, she punched the crystal repeatedly, hoping for at least a dent.

"That isn't going to work." A voice said behind her.

Yang sharply turned around to see a... Somewhat familiar face.

"Alex?! What are you doing in... Wait.. Alex has more scars.. And you don't look evil, so you can't be Alex's older brother... Who are you, anyways..?" Yang asked.

The young man cleared his throat.

"Well, I am Alex's older brother. But not the evil one, trust me." The boy raised his hands defensively.

"Wait a second.. Alex did mention him having two older brothers.." Yang recalled.

"You're on the right track. My name's Chūkan. Saisho, the oldest, killed me about 14 years ago, and I've been watching over both of you since." Chūkan shrugged.

"Wait, really?!" Yang gasped.

"Well, yeah. The afterlife is nice, no doubt about it, but it gets kinda boring after a while." Chūkan stated.

"Okay... So what are you doing here?" Yang wondered.

"Well, I was helping you to find a way out, but this stupid thing on your forehead keeping us in is... really good at it's job. The only way we can break out is if someone breaks the circlet from the outside." Chūkan explained.

"So... Now what?" Yang asked.

"You... Wanna know what Alex is up to?" Chūkan figured.

"Well, I guess it'd be nice.. Is Auburn okay?" Yang wondered.

"She's with Neo and Tukson right now. Alex flipped his shit when he realized you and Raven were responsible for the bounty, so he stashed Auburn with her, and Alex snuck over to the Crystal Empire to train." Chūkan suddenly stopped himself.

"What... Kind of training?" Yang asked.

"It's.... Best if we don't talk about it..." Chūkan replied.

Author's Notes:

So, Alex made it to the Crystal Empire, Cade, Oreonna, and Auburn are following Yang and Raven along with Team Natsu, Ruby and Sun are training with Ultimus and three of his cousins, and Chūkan is taking a short break in Yang's head. Did I miss anything?

Anyways, it's obvious some messed up shit is gonna go down eventually. Exactly what's going to happen, though?

I guess we'll find out next chapter or so..

-The Destoyer