Stretching her arms up, Shadowfright steps out of a dark portal into her command centre on the upper floor of the dorm the Nightmare Force occupied. Glancing behind her, she waits a few seconds before rolling her eyes.

"Hurry up and step through, we've got little time to mess around... Edward." She continues further, sliding around the old oak table holding her scaled shadow map of the campus.

Shortly after, Edward steps through after her, now wearing a black with gold trim version of his Wyvern house uniform.

"So, what's our situation then? How long have I been away?" Edward asked since he had no concept of how much time had passed by.

Shadowfright slips down into her slightly bigger chair at the head of the table. "Seven days, if I'm bothering to remember correctly. We've simply been fortifying the dorm as of yet... Though Golem House has been busy." Shadowfright makes her hands glow as she adjusts and zooms to show a wall built of stone erected between the Golem House and Sports Centre. "That affront to nature standing in our way..."

"Stay hidden or reconnaissance?" He asked simply stretching his back. It then pops into place making him sigh.

"You ask the question as if they are mutually exclusive from each other..." Shadowfright sighs as she leans back on her chair, "Also, brave of you to assume I'd consider sending you out on a mission when I'm unsure I can trust you."

Edward sighs again when popping his neck once on the left and right, "How else are you going to trust me? If you just give me one order while I'm on your side, wouldn't that make you a reluctant leader?"

Shadowfright chuckles before standing up, "It makes me cautious... Last person who promised me success trapped me in a box and my people on the moon... I'll not apologise for refusing to let history repeat itself. That said, it'd be a waste to not use you while I can... Maestro."

The girl in question steps out from the shadows, tossing her coat to the side for dramatic flair before bowing, "You called, Shadowfright?"

"I want you to accompany the human and scout out the Golem House defences." Shadowfright states before laying down on a nearby sofa, tipping her trilby to cover her eyes.

'Welp, this is going to be a bit difficult isn't it Eddy?' Edward thought, naming his own shadow in the process. "Of course, now I see that you have your doubts and I understand." He looks to the pale girl, "Nice to meet you Maestro, and may I say that your eyes are very alluring." Edward extends his arm for a handshake.

'I'm going to pretend you didn't give me such a silly nickname and continue sleeping...' Edwards shade grumbles before falling silent, leaving only caution against the woman before them. Maestro tilts her head before smirking with an unnaturally curved wicked smile as she glanced at Shadowfright.

"Can I eat him? He doesn't look like he has much to offer, but it'd do." She adjusts her head with a further tilt to add empathise to her creepiness.

Shadowfright hums before chuckling, "Not yet."

The man ignored her comment before grinning, "Oh? You have some jokes, don't you? Most men would find that very kinky."

"Cute of you to assume I'm kidding." Maestro licks her lips before turning to leave the room.

"I guess I should follow her then?" He asked Shadowfright.

Shadowfright has already started breathing gently, clearly in the midst now of taking a nap prompting Edward to simply follow Maestro out of the room as he sighs.

Maestro practically saunters ahead of Edward, seemingly paying him no mind as she focuses mostly on the mission they have been given. Travelling through the forest in the direction of the academy sports centre.

'Would be nice if I had some kind of disguise spell...' He thought to himself as he kept up with Maestro, "So... Is this going to be a one-sided thing where I talk and you don't acknowledge me until I do something useful?" He asked quizzically.

"You assume I want you to talk at all. We've spent centuries on the moon simply because we trusted one of you once... Not eager to make that mistake again." Maestro comments, keeping her sight ahead of them.

Edward thought back to the history lesson that Ignis taught, "As far as I know, Shadowfright wanted to conquer the land, but the leaders of Camelot stopped her." He thinks about it for a moment, "What was her reason, or rather what were both of your reasons to come to that conclusion?"

Maestro grumbles, "Figures history is written by those left standing... That witch filled her head with such drivel and delusions of purpose, proclaiming herself our long-awaited queen of the night. Only to be stabbed in the back, sealed in a box while I was sent to the moon with the others..."

"Morgana was her name right?" Edward wondered as he matched Maestro's pace again, "As far as we know in history her 'good' deeds seemed to be suspicious when written." He glances at the pale girl, looking at her eyes, "I know it isn't saying much, I am sorry for what you and Shadowfright have gone through..." The man sighs, "Being betrayed like that doesn't sit well with me either... Twice actually."

Maestro glares, "When you've spent several centuries away from your betrothed because some human with illusions of grandeur and revenge dragged your whole village into a war they should have had nothing to do with, then come back and try to sympathise... I tell you all this not for your pity, but so you understand why I will never trust your filthy kind and won't hesitate to end you if you get in my way." She explains picking up her pace.

Just like that past scars of Edwards past seeped through the cracks, his moulded expression went dark to only have a creeping smile on his face. In quick succession, he stomps his foot to cause a wave of earth to ripple around them, tree's shook as it made them fan wind in a circular direction, "Oh... Oh... I know what it's like when you're dragged into an alluring bitch who seems to be the entire world only for the entire mafia that is my family to go to war with the Japanese underworld." His hands go into fits, making his fingernails stab into his palm, "Tell me this, how would one feel if someone had the motherfucking balls to kill their family member in front of them?" Now he's gritting his teeth, "Knife and all..." With one step and swipe his hands chops down three trees as he realizes what he's done. "Hah.. hah.. hah..." His breathing was erratic as he slowly came back to reality.

Maestro tilts her head, seemingly unfazed by any of Edward's outburst. "Your pain amuses me and you'll find no words of pity either. I wonder if she should have left you in that place till needed... Which would have been never as we don't need the help of a human." She comments, unflinching in her hatred towards his kind as she hastily moves on from the site to avoid any attention he might have caused them.

"Tch." Edward clicked his tongue as he follows her, "I don't need your pity." He forcefully cracked his neck and continued, "I think this conversation is done." It was that moment Edward saw his personality had changed since the ooze from those scars were bleeding through. Hatred was slowly taking back control.

Maestro stops them when they reach what looks like the sports centre, glancing around to see very few people around. Grabbing Edward's shirt behind her, she quick-steps across the beach clearing using her bat wings which recede once in the cover of shadow. "You would have been too slow had I left you there to follow..." She comments before sneaking in through the back door, not exactly following the scout order they were given.

"Sure... Just watch out for the supply boxes..." He whispers as he sneaks behind her.

"Make sure you don't fall behind..." Maestro replies as she morphs from shadow to shadow, avoiding any security devices that might have been set up. The pair eventually come to a stock room where humming can be heard making Maestro smile widely, "Sounds like lunch is just around the corner." She glances at Edward.

The man leered towards her, "Scouting mission remember?" He hissed quietly, knowing full well who is in the room. "Or do you want Shadowfright's trump card exposed?"

"Says the one who threw a tantrum only five minutes ago." She slinks away in the shadows, around the crate to aim for the humming, Edward hearing a surprised squeak from the individual. Glancing above the crate he can see it's Twilight being restrained in the most unbecoming fashion, a clipboard on the floor.

"Fuck." He says under his breath as he covers his face with a towel. "You have no idea what you're toying with." Attempting to guise his voice.

"Lunar, you look ridiculous... If I'd known your on hand thinking was that awful I'd left you back at the base..." She rolls her eyes, groping Twilight and keeping her subdued with horn stimulation, "In several hundred years, you Unicorns never change, do you... Though you're of the more colourful variety..." Maestro is prompted to think a moment.

Thinking very carefully of what he should do, "You'll might as well take her magic or do you plan to torture her to make her build up so you can take it?" He said keeping the guise voice while crossing his arms, hoping that Twilight will climax and cause a large explosion for them to flee.

"R-release me! W-watch where you put those!" Twilight struggles, blushing only slightly but struggling more than she is aroused, blowing Edward's plan away somewhat.

"How little you know of our people..." Maestro sighs, "I could simply eat her, it'd be the simplest solution. The other would be to hold her hostage and lure this familiar master into a trap." She smiles wider, knowing Shadowfright would be pleased.

"I-It's not going to work..." He said trying to come up with something until he concocted a plan, "I know the familiar's owner, his name is Adam and he's away from the island while his familiar is collecting missed homework assignments." He just had to wait a little longer for Twilight to be stimulated more, "It might get his friends to help find her, but that's only a small handful."

"Ha, j-jokes on you, Adam's true familiar would be too much for you to handle and Edward wouldn't be so stupid as to fall for your trap anyway." Twilight blurts out making Maestro squeeze her a little tighter before binding her wrists and horn in some form of shadow bonds.

"Oh really, he wouldn't?" Maestro smiles, glancing amusingly at the man in question wearing such a shoddy towel disguise.

Edward sighs as he cracks his back, "Alright, you win, let's take her in." He gives in while holding the different voice.

Maestro wears a playful expression, stroking Twilight's horn. "I think my darling will enjoy this little development, don't you?" She opens a dark portal to her right, glancing back at Edward before stepping through.

Edward sighs to himself, "As my British friend would say, 'Fuck a duck...'" He states walking through the portal.

After Edward steps through the portal, Tara walks into the storage room with two vanilla ice cream cones, looking around confused. "Twilight? I got the ice creams with extra sprinkles. Where did you go?" She frowns, before licking her ice cream with a pondering look.

Author's Notes:

Another chapter finally, we thank you all for your patience as things develop in our lives. More coming soon!