Twilight and her friends walked through the doors and saw a giant throne at the end of the room. Gold lined the floors as white shimmering lights danced in the air. Unfurled banners decorated the walls as the group of ponies all stepped across the carpet towards the few steps leading up to the throne.

"Princess Twilight Sparkle of Equestria." Queen Ephemer stood up from the throne and walked up to the group of ponies, who all bowed as her majestic body glowed and shimmered, displaying many different colours. "What a pleasure to finally meet you at long last."

"Queen Ephemer..." Twilight examined the queen in awe, taking a long look at all of her different body parts. She could make out four pony legs with a Cutie Mark depicting a Yo-kai wisp, an elongated horn on the tip of her forehead, a wide pair of white wings that glistened and twinkled with each flap, and a pair of human hands stretching out from her sides. "She's a centaur?"

"I am far more than that." Ephemer approached the bowing ponies and waved her arms. "You may all stand up now." She watched the girls all follow her orders. "I have transcended my old body with the help of the Yo-kai. I am now at one with their universe, and their energy has evolved me far from just a regular unicorn."

"So, you're a Yo-kai and a centaur?" Rainbow Dash cocked a brow at the spacial-bodied queen. "Seems kinda weird to me."

"I have had my eyes on you for quite some time now, Twilight Sparkle." Ephemer didn't even respond to Rainbow Dash as her eyes met with that of Twilight's. "Ever since I discovered that capsule machine in the forest, my entire life has changed drastically. The Yo-kai took me in and decided that I was to be their new ruler. Of course, I declined at first, but over time, I took in the sights, sounds, smells, and tastes of the Yo-kai World and I opened my heart to them as they did to me."

"Can you remember what you were like back as a regular pony?" Twilight asked.

"Well, I was often engrossed in my studies, not caring much about the ponies around me." Ephemer walked back up to the throne with Twilight following close behind. "One day, I just snapped and ran off deep into the Everfree Forest, in the hopes that none of them would ever be able to disrupt my work anymore."

Hang on a sec... Twilight began to think as Ephemer recapped her lengthy tale. This sounds a lot like Pinkie Pie's ghost story. It can't be a coincidence, can it?

"I came across the Crank-a-kai, and upon opening one of its' capsules, I was ripped from my world and taken into that of the Yo-kai." Ephemer looked up at the green sky, watching the clouds lazily drift by through it. "Time passed after my ascension and with the Yo-kai aiding me with every step, I soon left my feeble body behind and became Queen Ephemer."

"A very sparkly Queen Ephemer, if I might add." Pinkie Pie's eyes nearly popped out as they rubbed themselves over the queen's body. "How do I get a glowy space body like that?"

"Yo-kai energy, unicorn magic, and a lot of hard work and determination." She pushed Pinkie's eyes back into their sockets and illuminated her horn. A rainbow-coloured aura enveloped Pinkie Pie and put her back down by her friends. "But there is no time to recap the story of how I came to be. I'm sure you're all aware of King Void by now?"

"How could we not know who he is?" Rarity tipped her hoof. "That brute had his Dark Yo-kai destroy my entire cruise liner set of fashion! That horrific brute doesn't care a thing about us!"

"Rarity!" Twilight snarled at the unicorn, watching her eyes shoot wide open. "King Void destroyed Ponyville, turned Sailornyan into Oblivinyan, and forced me to become Midnight Sparkle TWICE, and all you're obsessed about is clothes?! What kind of idiotic kid are you?!"

The rest of the Main Six gasped at Twilight's outburst and insults and watched her friend turn to face Ephemer.

"I'm sorry that the rest of you had to hear it, but it's one-hundred percent completely true. Lives are more important than clothing, and she should know this by now." Twilight took a quick look back at her friends and softened her tone of voice. "If I wanted to stop being Rarity's friend, I would've been more aggressive about it. She's still vital to Equestria's safety, but she needs to grow up and learn when the fate of the world is on the line—not get distracted by sequins and silk."

"I agree." Ephemer smiled and tousled Twilight's hair, bringing the unicorn close to the throne. "Y'know, you remind me a lot of Nurarihyon. Without the constant nagging and prattling on about how to rush into battle, that is."

"Nurarihyon?" Twilight raised a brow at the mention of the name. "Who the heck is that?"

"He went out to deal with the Dark Yo-kai, but he hasn't come back with Inumaro or Nekokiyo. I'm really starting to get concerned about his safety..." Ephemer sighed and put her hand to her face, brushing away some hair that was dangling down over her eyes. "I just hope he hasn't gotten himself into trouble. You know what King Void can do with Yo-kai, right?"

"From what we've gathered, King Void and his subjects have the ability to take Yo-kai, remove them from existence, and replace them with Dark Yo-kai." Twilight envisioned the time when Kin and Gin attacked Ponyville, using their newfound powers to take Red Snow's Sailornyan away and create Oblivinyan. "Is there any way that we can change them back to normal?"

"Sadly, no there isn't." Queen Ephemer shook her head.

"WHAT?!" The entire Main Six chorused and stumbled backwards once Ephemer's answer stuck into their heads.

"So we're never gonna see Sailornyan ever again?!" Rainbow Dash threw down her arms. "That's just plain evil! This King Void guy's gonna get a kick to the face, courtesy of me when we see him again!"

"King Void's taken away so many Yo-kai from us that he's practically created his own species." Ephemer sat down on the throne and put her hand on her chin. "It's gotten to the point where it's become ridiculous."

"Hear hear." Twilight nodded and crossed her hooves. "I'm just glad that he hasn't targeted Earth yet."

"Though, to be fair, I think it's nice that the human world's being given a break from all of this fate of the world nonsense." Whisper put his arms behind his head. "After everything that Nate had to go through when I was his master, there's nothing more that Earth could use than some peace and quiet."

"I couldn't agree more, Whisper." Ephemer gave Whisper a tiny little grin. "But still, we can't neglect the matter at hand. Yo-kai are being taken from us each and every day, and I can feel that the darkness he commands will some crashing down on this world like a thunderstorm. We must prepare for when he makes his final assault."

"But how can we possibly defeat something that can't be hurt by the Magic of Friendship?" Fluttershy tiptoed forward and slunk her head back. "Plus, he's arguably the most scary thing I've ever seen. I don't think we stand a chance with what we have right now..."

"Hmm. May I see your Yo-kai Watch and Medallium, Twilight?" Ephemer picked Twilight's hoof up with one hand and retrieved the Yo-kai Medallium from Whisper's chest with the other. She brought both of them close to her face and began inspecting them. She mainly flipped through the pages of the medallium, getting a brief glimpse of who Twilight had befriended. "Interesting. You've made friends with Count Cavity, Unikirin, and Mermother? Those Yo-kai are usually never found by wearers of the Yo-kai Watch. You should feel privileged."

"Really?" Twilight thought about the friendships she had made with the Yo-kai that Ephemer described. She had known that they were powerful Yo-kai from the days that she had met them, but she would never have guessed that they were near impossible to find. "I might just have to call them more often."

"And now, your Yo-kai Watch." Ephemer twisted Twilight's hoof, rubbing the silver device tenderly as she felt the strap. She flipped up the lens and pointed it around the room. "It all seems to be in good shape. Good wor—" She pressed a button and activated the Yo-kai Watch EX, making the extra slots and computer screen appear before her "—Whoa! What the heck is that?!"

"That is the Yo-kai Watch EX version." Twilight showed the transformed watch off to the Queen. "I made it when Felycan attacked Ponyville and turned everyone into cats. It allows me to summon six Yo-kai at once so they can battle a giant Boss Yo-kai or any other villain that tries to attack. Case in point, I have a strong defence against King Void's army now."

"A Yo-kai Watch EX? And made by a mortal being?" Ephemer slid her finger across the screen, causing the stylus to pop out of the side. She heard the stick fall out of the side of the watch and drop onto the floor. Kneeling down, she picked it up and brought it up to her face. "And I assume that this is what you use to control it, given those rather large hooves of yours?"

"Exactly." Twilight used her magic to pick the stylus up. She then used it to perform long swishes and circles on the screen of the Yo-kai Watch EX. "It also allows me to instantly use Soultimates, purify inspirited Yo-kai, and target enemies for the whole team to focus on." She blushed as she slid the stylus back into the slot. "I've never used a Yo-kai Watch before I found Whisper, so I decided to give it some tweaks."

"Well I must say that it's a rather... intriguing watch you've got." Ephemer couldn't pry her eyes away from how futuristic the watch seemed. She couldn't stop thinking about how Twilight could possibly have managed to make such a device. "It's not like any watch I've ever seen."

All of a sudden, a purple portal appeared over everyone's heads, spitting out Nurarihyon, Inumaro, and Nekokiyo out of it before fading out of existence. Ephemer and the Main Six could only stumble backwards at the sight of the three giant Yo-kai now strewn across the floor.

"Nurarihyon! Inumaro! Nekokiyo!" Ephemer threw her arms over the three Yo-kai and lit up her horn once again. With a bright glow and twinkling lights around her, she healed all of the felled Yo-kai and turned them onto their backs. "What happened to you?"

"You... You were right, your Majesty." Nurarihyon coughed up purple blood and wiped his face clean with the back of his hand. "It was dangerous of me to think we could win alone."

"Who are you?" Twilight slowly stepped forward and looked down at the squid, cat, and dog. "You don't look so good."

"Twilight? Twilight Sparkle?" Inumaro slowly stood up and licked some of his wounds clean. "I wasn't expecting you to be here so soon. I thought that Ephemer would've put you through much more before inviting you here."

"Venoct and Kyubi called us here." Twilight stepped aside, allowing both of them to hover forward. "After the battle against Maelstro and Mermonster, they decided to take me here to keep me safe. Though, I'm not sure how long that'll last, though."

"Well, whatever the case, I do wonder whether or not you can defeat this King Void fellow. The name's Inumaro by the way. Pleasure to make your acquaintance." He stopped licking his arms and legs and held out his paw to Twilight. "Forgive the rather bulky stature of mine. Me, Nekokiyo, and Lord Nurarihyon were in a bit of a scrap with some of King Void's lackeys."

"I was just about to comment on that." Twilight shook Inumaro's paw and looked at his body. "You're ripped!"

"One second." With a puff of smoke, Inumaro shrunk down to his original size and stature. "Does this suit you better, Princess?"

"Wait, what?!" Twilight's eyelids flung straight open as she gazed down at Inumaro's new form. "B-b-but, you were so buff a few moments ago! How are you small now?"

"It's a simple trait, really." Nekokiyo put his hands together and coated himself in the same purple smoke. "True Yo-kai like us can change our size and statures at will. A sort of combat form, if you want. It helps us be both brains and brawn at the same time."

"Lord Nurarihyon can shape-shift as well, but not in ways that you can imagine." Inumaro pointed over to Nurarihyon, who shakily stood back up.

Nurarihyon breathed heavily, wincing at some of the lingering pain. His entire tentacled body turned into black ash and disappeared, revealing his own original form. He was now kneeling down with Queen Ephemer wrapping one of her arms around his shoulders to comfort and stabilise him.

"Nurarihyon. What happened?" Ephemer asked, pressing his chest as hard as she could and applying another spell to it. "Just breathe normally. All this battling has worn you out."

Nurarihyon could already feel the new spell eating away at whatever pain he had on the inside. To him, it felt like the flames inside of his body were being dowsed with magical water, rejuvenating and revitalising him. His breathing became much lighter with every second, and he eventually stood up and looked over at his queen. "Dark Yo-kai attacked. We managed to hold them off, but we came across something else."

"Really? Who, or what did you find?" Ephemer tenderly massaged his chest, continuing to apply the spell.

"Kin and Gin. The Time Witches attacked us all and left us near death." Nurarihyon gritted his teeth and coiled his hands into fists.

"Kin and Gin?!" Ephemer almost jumped at the names.

"Those two?!" The Main Six chimed in perfect sync with one another.

"King Void's either making a move, or those two are just jumpy." Twilight stepped forward to Nurarihyon and Queen Ephemer. "When I first met Kin and Gin in Ponyville, they didn't really seem to have much of a purpose other than spread the Dark Yo-kai. What were they trying to accomplish by attacking you and your allies, Nurarihyon?"

"Perhaps they want to awaken the darkness within me." Nurarihyon looked down at Twilight and put his hand on her back. "I can't help being who I am. I tried to usurp the throne, kill innocent Yo-kai, and cause unthinkable chaos in the past. Kin and Gin think that by making me use darkness like that again, I'll defect to King Void's side. But I will tell you right now, hand-on-still-beating-heart, that I will NEVER join that monster of a Yo-kai!"

"So, what do we do now?" Fluttershy asked, walking up to the group of Yo-kai.

"I don't know. I really don't know..." Twilight looked up at the sky as she began to think about her next move against King Void and the Dark Yo-kai.

"King Void, just hear us out for one second!" Kin was down on her knees, pleading to King Void in his throne room. She looked up at his eyes, seeing the malicious glare burn into her soul. "We had a perfectly good reason to attack Nurarihyon, honest!"

"I don't want to hear it, you two." King Void unfurled his wings and stepped closer to Kin and Gin. "I signed you up to my army to prove that you were worthy of the darkness, and to advance my cause against the forces of the light." He grabbed them both by the necks, hearing them begin to choke. "But, if you cannot sit still and obey orders like a bunch of rambunctious newborns, then you have absolutely no place serving me as you currently are!"

"King Void! Please!" Gin thrashed about in his hold for air.

"Enough!" He threw both of them down and stomped on them. "I want no more of this, Kin and Gin. You are ONLY to go out and attack whenever I say you can attack! Your unguided efforts lead to nothing, and buy Princess Twilight and Queen Ephemer valuable time to fight back against us!"

"But Your Highness! How can we possibl—"

"SILENCE!" King Void roared in Kin's ear, deafening her without any resistance. He ripped open a tear in reality with his claws, spilling black and purple energy out of it. "If you cannot obey orders, maybe I should just turn you two into Dark Yo-kai right now and be done with you!"

"No! Please! We can't become those mindless zombies!" Kin threw herself at King Void's knees. "We'll do anything, your highness!"

"Then obey my orders! You are to sit down, ponder your existence, and manage the training of the Dark Yo-kai." King Void sealed the rift up with another swing of his claws. "You two are on your LAST CHANCE. Disappoint or fail me again, and you will be worth nothing more to me than the armies I send out to combat. Now GET OUT OF MY SIGHT!" With a click of his fingers, he opened up another portal and kicked both Kin and Gin threw it ferociously, closing it up once they both flew through it.