"Wait a second, did you really expect to storm inside Neo Canterlot unnoticed?" Thorax said.
"Not with my teleport, of course." Jace responded.
"There's only way we can enter the city," Kamahl pointed out.
"Really?" Sera asked.
"There's someone, a pony, who knows how to introduce ourselves in the lion's liar. Follow me."
After that, the group traveled all the way back to the forest where they came from. Kamahl and Jeska explained the group about the Mirari Sword and how they intended to save Starlight. Zade, however, has other thoughts about what happened so far.
"What the hell was that dark force that constantly aiding us?. First, we got saved by two alicorn Royal Guard captains and now we got saved by Twilegion. The more I think about it and the more I'm convinced that there's a hidden ally."
"But more importantly, Chrysalis, should Twilegion not be able to teleport at the vault?" Jace asked suspicious.
"It's seemed like her powers made her immune to the barrier blocking powers," Chrysalis said.
"It doesn't matter," Zade said. "At this point we act with order, starting by find the guy Kamahl mentioned"
"His name is Daring Serpent." Kamahl said.
"Not a parent of Daring Do I assume," Jace said before being glared by Sera.
"Nobody even knows his existence and I know his whereabouts."
"But we have a huge problem, if you permit," Chris asked. "Where did you had obtained the Mirari?"
"I stole that from him during a failed rebellion and the destruction of Appleloosa," Kamahl said.
Jace's eyes widened. "Even Appleloosa...?"
"Julius is acting under Twilegion's aegis, but is currently after the Mirari."
"And you are now bringing to us a very dangerous item, the same cause of the problem, as the solution." Zade said.
"Are you sure that we are not going to be corrupted by that?" Jace asked alarmed.
"I know what to do. I won't make the same mistake as I did. Nor even you. It's a promise." Kamahl said.
"We better hurry. I tell you how to reach his place." Jeska said calmly.
In one of the rooms of Neo Canterlot Castle, Twilegion was absent, leaving only Julius and Riptide. The former was reporting about the capture of Starlight Glimmer and the change of side or capture of multiple member of her Insurgence caused by the revelation of Zade and the other three demonic ponies cooperating with her, who got save by some mysterious force. Julius, seemingly least interested by that but nonetheless irritated by Zade's group escape, didn't seemed satisfied as he slammed the Night Guard on the floor.
"What do you mean with you didn't had found anything else in the vault?" Julius asked.
"I am sorry," Riptide said apologetically "But that's it. There was no other room. I have my soldiers having inspected the vault and there was no secret room."
"You idiot! You..." Julius stopped having realized something and then slammed his hoof furiously while screaming. "So that was what Kamahl was after."
"What are... Referring to?" Riptide said confused.
"I wasn't talking to you." Julius said with a demonic voice, scaring the hell out of the guard. "Now get out of my sight without saying anything or I will destroy you."
"Y-yes sire." Riptide said before instantly standing up and fleeing away.
Now alone with himself, he put his hoof on his face. He trembled, like he was losing the control of himself for a moment. After a few attempts, he regained her composure.
"It's just getting worse," Julius commented. "Especially with him interfering with my experiment and Kamahl having the Mirari Sword on his side. Hopefully I have a solution to this."
"Fortem. There's Starlight." A voice from behind him said.
"Let her in, but leave us alone." Julius said, with the sound of hoofsteps getting far away from him.
Julius turned to a furious Starlight, now chained and with her horn bound to a magical blocking ring, glaring at him. Julius didn't felt anything.
"So you finally failed," Julius said.
"You lied to Twilight. You turned my friends into that monster. You started a era of fear," Starlight bellowed. "WHY!?"
Julius grinned. "Do you think I care about this? Did you had considered that it's not about Harmony or Order in the first place?"
"It's all about you, isn't it?"
"No, it's something that I wanted to perform. An experiment if you want to call that. Now, I would had killed you this instant. But there's a problem... Kamahl has something that belongs to me and you are going to help me."
"I won't cooperate with you."
"This isn't needed. I will start your execution just lure them out and give them the coup the grace." Julius said gleefully.
"But what are you exactly after?"
"Something that Kamahl stole from me. I am talking about the Mirari."
Starlight eyes widened. "Kamahl has the Mirari?"
"He didn't had told you? He stole that during the destruction of Appleloosa and kept it for himself for this whole time in the vault without telling that to any one else."
"YOU LIE!!"
"Really? You should had considered that he would had used as a secret weapon... But seriously, you still trust him."
Starlight trembled and then fell on her hooves. She shook her head for the shock. She wouldn't even believe at something like that and doesn't even know what to believe.
Julius passed nearby Starlight and then went out the room. "Well, I pass my torch to your friend. Take your time."
As he went out, Twilegion Spadeus entered the room. Starlight turned toward her and look at the amalgam that used to be Twilight and the rest of her friend. And she was afraid, very afraid about what she was about to do. And she knew her words wouldn't reach her.
At the base of Neo Canterlot Mountain, nearby a unsettling swamp, a huge pillar of black flames suddenly appeared, bursting in a black fiery explosion. One second after that, the four, demonic ponies appeared out of nowhere in front of the wall of the mountain, along with Kamahl, Jeska, Chrysalis and Thorax.
This time nothing was devastated during their teleportation.
"Nothing is devastated, hopefully," Sera commented.
"I don't think this is the moment for that detail," Chris said.
"This place is below the city... Why we are there?" Thorax asked.
Kamahl took a few steps toward the wall. "Serpent! I thought we have a deal."
At first there's no response, until a hoof sprouted out of the grass, followed by another one. And then a entire pony body went out the grass. Zade, Jace, Chris and Sera almost freaked out. The creature was a hooded beige maned green unicorn stallion with serpentine eyes and were looking at Kamahl with annoyance.
"You must be in real trouble to ask my help," The pony said, approaching him and Jeska.
"For a second I believed to be in The Walking Dead," Jace commented.
"Or trotting," Sera commented deadpan.
The pony noticed them. "Wait, who are those ponies!?"
"My own insurance of victory, Serpent," Kamahl said. "Now you better get me into the lion's lair."
"Ooooh, you want to go to the extreme assault?" Serpent asked gleefully.
"Don't make me repeat myself."
"..... Alright, follow me. But I tell you now. I don't trust that lot."
"Hey!" Jace complained.
"You put me in the same league with them?" Chrysalis lamented.
"You better be quiet and follow him," Jeska suggested.
The group followed Serpent around the wall of the mountain for minutes. After a while they finally arrived nearby a huge hole covered by multiple vines. Slowly, they entered inside the darkness of the caverns, accompanied by the light of Serpent.
"This way," Serpent said. "We are going to get higher for about one hour. Don't try anything that would compromise the passage or our cover. Understood?"
"I wonder what if Starlight is still alive?" Zade asked.
"Julius wants lure us for the Mirari, so of course she is." Kamahl said.
"And you have hidden her existence for this whole time," Chrysalis reminded.
"We have our reasons," Jeska retorted.
"I expect to came out of this whole thing alive." Sera said.
"Depend of how the situation will evolve." Kamahl responded.