…
…
Lord Zedd was doing whatever he could to cope with his new surroundings. Here he was, now living with his father in law (who was a creature he most sincerely despised). To him it was nothing like living in the Moon Palace and fighting against the Power Rangers. In fact, to him it was torture.
"Zeddy!" Zedd heard his wife, Rita, shriek. "Daddy wants you downstairs for dinner!"
Reading a novel, Zedd tried to ignore his wife but was unsuccessful. "Tell him I am busy, Rita!" He grumbled as Rita stepped into his quarters. "Besides, I don't always have to be present for dinner."
"Oh come on, Zedd!" Rita rolled her eyes. "Applejack has prepared us a really great meal and it involves apples."
"Everything is apples or pears...what I wouldn't give for a nice bag of spider chips." Zedd complained.
"Now don't insult Applejack, Zeddy!" Rita playfully remarked while placing her hands on Zedd's shoulders. "I mean...you never insulted my cooking did you?"
Zedd reluctantly sighed. "No…"
At that moment, Mean Pinkie Pie knocked on the door and peeked her head in. "Hey!" She snapped while stamping her hoof down. "Get your butts downstairs! The master is waiting for you!"
Insulted, Zedd rose to his feet in fury. "What did you say to me?! I happen to be a creature who deserves respect!"
"You heard me, radiator face!" Mean Pinkie Pie snapped. "Master wants you downstairs! So move!"
As mean Pinkie Pie walked away, Zedd let out a loud groan and sat back down. "Remind me to have that abomination turned into glue or something," He groaned as he placed his face into his hand. "I don't get any respect around here anymore!"
"Technically, you are in my father's house." Rita pointed out.
"Of course we are stuck here living with your father," Zedd remarked. "Personally, I would much rather be serving Grogar than him…"
"Zeddy, don't you think this feud between you and daddy has gone on long enough?" Rita inquired. "Ever since we stepped foot in here, you've always wanted to destroy one another. But if it weren't for him, we would still be wandering the galaxy. Besides...he's letting you drive the camper again."
All Zedd could do was groan in disgust. "It's too bad that we couldn't access Serpentera II. It would certainly have been helpful. What I would not give to have it back beside me again." Little did he understand that his wish was about to come true.
…
…
Aboard Serpentera II, Scorpan continued to pilot the enormous zord through the galaxy with the destination set to Earth, in particular, Equestria. Stepping into the cockpit, Tirek walked towards his brother carefully.
"Why are you here, Tirek?" Scorpan asked, catching Tirek by surprise. "You should be resting after your harrowing escape."
"I thought you could use some company," Tirek whispered as he sat behind Scorpan. "Listen, brother, I've been thinking…"
"-I know what it is, Tirek," Scorpan interrupted, silencing his brother with a raised paw. "You think that after we are truly free, you plan on killing me the same way as you did Father. You want to be truly free of your past, free from ever having to think of it."
Tirek suddenly felt taken aback by this decision. "Why would you assume that? I obviously don't plan on killing my mentor, Sendak! And he's a part of my past!" He gasped. "You're my brother, Scorpan, despite our differences. And besides…" Tirek then looked back towards the door to the cockpit and suddenly began to think of Chrysalis and Cozy Glow. "What I really want is for Chrysalis and Cozy Glow to be safe. Surely, you know how it is, brother?"
"Why am I hearing this from you, Tirek?" Scorpan inquired. "You...a creature who would once stop at nothing to get all the magic in Equestria for yourself! Chrysalis may be right...you're getting too soft due to having feelings for her."
Tirek refused to believe the truth and felt he needed to prove Scorpan wrong in some way.
…
…
Back on the M51 Galaxy, Lord Zedd came downstairs and joined his wife, father-in-law and his minions at the dinner table.
"All right everyone, eat up!" Master Vile declared. "Can't let this food grow cold."
"Ah, dinner fit for a princess!" Nightmare Moon laughed , only for Daybreaker to slam her hoof down on the table.
"You mean, for two princesses?!" Daybreaker snapped. "Don't forget who provided the fire for the feast, sister!"
"Whatever," Nightmare Moon muttered. "We both know I'm the prettier one. You copied me because you were jealous."
"Hey, don't feel bad, it's all gunky!" Evil Applejack laughed, leaning forward and eating her own dish. "See, what did I tell you?"
"Thou doesn't insult me,. Nightmare Moon muttered again.
"Well, at least someone appreciates what I do," Daybreaker remarked. "That's why I came first."
"Oh, stop your bleating," Zedd snapped. "I can't hear myself eat with all your insistent jabbering!"
The entire table was taken aback by Zedd's sudden rage. Even Master Vile was slightly surprised by this development.
"You'll have to excuse Ed, Pop," Rito nervously chuckled. "He's usually like this when something is stolen from him. Why, I remember…" Before he could finish, however, Rito heard a clearing from his sister's throat followed by a motion to silence him.
"Why is old radiator face so down in the dumps, hmm?" Evil Fluttershy sneered. "I know it's not because of me. I should be the only one making others feel down."
"It's because I am reduced to nothing, you flying fool," Zedd muttered. "When I came back to life, I thought for sure that I would get back what I'd lost. But that seems like a lost memory now."
"Hey, as long as we are together that's all that matters, right Ed?" Rito asked. But Zedd said nothing.
"Yes, as long as you are all here with me, yes?" Master Vile laughed, ignoring the complaints. "Now eat, all of you! This food won't stay hot forever."
As the villains resumed eating, they all heard a knock at the door which interrupted their dinner.
"Now who can that be at this time of day?" Master Vile asked, putting his spoon down. "Globber!"
"Globber?" Goldar asked. "Since when did he get back in the picture?"
Just then, a blue monster of dripping slime wearing a black bow tie walked into the dining hall. "You rang, boss?" Globber asked.
"Yes, go answer the door and see who it is," Master Vile instructed and Globber complied as Master Vile turned his attention to the mean six. "After his original form was destroyed by the Power Rangers, I just had to make another one of him. He was the only company I had."
"I certainly wouldn't want him for my collection," Evil Rarity sneered. "He's so disgusting and hideous!"
Slightly insulted, Master Vile let out a small growl at Evil Rarity.
A few moments later, Globber returned to the dining room. "Uh, boss," He nervously said. "It uh... appears that we have some guests who... collapsed at the front door. Can someone help me bring them in?"
Unhestitantly, Master Vile turned to his son and most trusted warrior. "Help him out, you two!" Master Vile ordered and they complied. "Whoever it is is probably dead by now. But they may still be of some use to us."
"Whatever you say, Dad." Rito casually remarked.
Following Globber to the front door, both Goldar and Rito saw three human girls lying down on the front step, seemingly unconscious.
"Okay, so how do you want to do this?" Rito asked Globber, who could only shrug in confusion.
Bringing the three girls inside, Globber, Goldar and Rito dragged them towards the dining hall where they immediately caught the attention of Master Vile and his entourage.
"Here are the guests, boss." Globber said as he dragged in the unconscious body of Adagio Dazzle.
Immediately, Zedd rose to his feet in shock as he recognized the human girls! "Put them down at once, Rito!" He commanded.
"Uh, okay." Rito replied as dropped Adagio on the ground.
"Wait!" Master Vile called, motioning for Rito to pick Adagio back up. "Pick her back up, Rito!"
"All right, if you say so." Rito muttered as Master Vile got up from the table to inspect the unconscious girls.
Taking his staff, Master Vile placed it under Adagio's throat and he could immediately feel a pulse in it. "She's still alive," He murmured as he then walked over to Aria Blaze and placed his staff on her throat too. Feeling a pulse, he detected she was alive too. Then, he made his way over to Sonata Dusk, placing his staff on her throat as well. "They are all still alive. Incredible. Who are they?"
"Servants of Grogar, Master Vile," Lord Zedd explained. "They call themselves the Sirens and also apparently The Dazzlings."
Master Vile pondered the presence of his guests with keen interest. "Sirens, you say?" He asked himself. "You mean, creatures that can force others to listen and obey against their will? Creatures able to turn others against each other through song?" It was then that Master Vile gave himself an idea. "Globber!" He commanded.
"Yeah, boss?" Globber hesitantly asked.
"Listen to me," Master Vile instructed as an idea came into his mind. "It is time to get these creatures to join our ranks. Take them to the dungeons and wake them up!" Then, activating his staff, he sent Globber and the three sirens away..
"What are you planning to do, daddy?" Rita asked her father.
"I have a plan to regain all that was taken from us, my dastardly daughter," Master Vile laughed as he turned around to face Rita. "But first, we need some form of transportation, don't we? And I know just the thing."
…
Back on Serpentera II, Tirek made his way down to the cabins and saw Chrysalis in front of a sleeping Cozy Glow. "How is she?" He asked the overthrown changeling queen, catching her attention.
"Asleep, and have been for a long time," Chrysalis muttered as she stroked Cozy Glow's mane. "Listen, Tirek...I've been thinking."
"What?" he asked. "What are you talking about?"
"Well, it's...it's just that... you're right, about us having standards," Chrysalis explained. "Something that I didn't have with my hive. In fact, what good is trying to take Equestria for ourselves? We'll never get it back in this position...and I don't think we ever will get it back, period. All I want is my hive, the rest of Equestria is no longer my concern. As long as I have enough love to sustain me forever, I could care less if Grogar destroys the rest of the world."
Entering his girlfriend's cabin, Tirek placed his hand on Chrysalis' shoulder and sighed deeply. "You're probably right about Equestria," He said softly. "At this point, taking it for ourselves just seems like a complete waste of time. Even if by some miracle we could defeat Grogar, the ponies would make life miserable for us until they inevitably tried to overthrow us. I want what is best for me, for you and for our precious charge. If that includes going back to Tartarus, then that's what I think we should do."
Tapping into her powers, Chrysalis could sense something not just in Tirek, but in herself as well. "Yes, I guess you're right. If we can have our own lands to ourselves to be left in peace, nothing else matters," She sighed. "But Grogar still needs to be eliminated, he's much too dangerous after all he's done and tried to do to us. And whoever else stands in his way must also fall. We can't have any enemies left to oppose us."
It was then that both Tirek and Chrysalis agreed on a common ground...that Grogar needed to be eliminated. However, there was something else that was on his mind.
"In a way," Tirek said as he walked back to the door of Chrysalis' cabin. "Every time I see Grogar...I see my father."
"King Vorak?" Chrysalis asked.
"Yes, Chrysalis. My father was a monster to me...I was abused...humiliated...told I would never amount to anything in life," Tirek grumbled. "Far as I'm concerned he made me the monster that I am today, Chrysalis. And I see that with Grogar now that I think about it. Nothing would give me more satisfaction than to drain Grogar of his powers...and then kill him." As Tirek spoke, he formed a fist in his right hand, trying to hold back the range of raw emotion he had in his soul.
"No, not like that," Chrysalis suggested, placing her hoof on Tirek's fist and pushing it down. "He needs to suffer more than that. He needs to understand that fear is greater than anything. Power alone is not enough."
"You are right," Tirek sighed, looking back to Chrysalis. "But I need to prove to myself and to you that I can cause fear in others. I will not rest until I see Grogar fall and perish!"
As Tirek spoke, both he and Chrysalis heard Cozy murmur in her sleep. "And you are not the only one I need to prove it to." He softly added, remembering his brother.
…
Back in the dungeons of Master Vile's castle in the M51 galaxy, Adagio Dazzle opened her eyes slowly and found herself surrounded by Master Vile and his legion of villains.
"Why isn't she dead yet?" Mean Pinkie Pie bitterly remarked. "Come on, why isn't she dead yet? I wanna poke her."
"Shut up, you fool!" Mean Twilight snapped. "They are waking. Master Vile obviously sees great potential in them. So for now at least, we'll trust his judgement."
"Wha...what happened?" Adagio moaned. "Where are we?"
"You are in the presence of Master Vile, ruler of the M51 galaxy." Master Vile declared as Adagio tried to sit up only to find that she couldn't.
"M51 Galaxy?" Adagio moaned, feeling her head spinning as she tried to get her balance in place. "Is that where we are?"
"Of course, my child," Master Vile nodded. "Why, where else would you be?"
"In Equestria," Adagio mumbled. "I'm Adagio Dazzle, leader of the Sirens also known as The Dazzlings. What else do you need to know?"
"You claim to be creatures that feed on emotion," Nightmare Moon spoke up with a grin. "Are you not?"
"Yes we are," Adagio sleepily muttered. "Weren't you listening?"
"You'll have to excuse my sister," Daybreaker sneered, giving Nightmare Moon a dirty look. "Her cognitive functions are always clouded in darkness."
All Nightmare Moon could do was growl slightly at her sister's dirty remark.
"Hmm," Sonata Dusk moaned as she opened her eyes and tried to sit up, only for some slime to come out of her mouth. And suddenly, without warning, she turned and vomited into the bucket next to her.
"Oh, that's just peachy! Someone throwing up in my presence!" Lord Zedd cried, throwing his arms up in disgust. "Me! An emperor of evil! I've never been so humiliated!"
Once she finished, Sonata Dusk laid back down on the table. "Guess those tacos didn't sit well." She groaned.
"Of course they didn't," Adagio remarked. "I told you not to eat before we left Grogar's old palace. Don't you ever listen to me, Sonata?"
Rito then placed his hand on Sonata's forehead and could feel a sensation that almost burned him. "Uh, Dad. She's got a fever."
"Of course she does, son," Master Vile replied, walking over to the downed Sonata. "I can see that quite clearly. But, I must ask, children...why did you come here?" He then placed his staff at Adagio's throat and the lead siren briefly gulped nervously at the idea of being stuck in the throat.
"We...we were overpowered," Adagio gasped! "Those three fools…"
"What three fools?" Zedd questioned and the rest of the villains began to get an idea of what was going on. "Come on, out with it!"
"Tirek...Chrysalis...Cozy Glow..." Adagio willingly confessed.."They overpowered us and escaped. And they probably think they destroyed us because of that."
"Those blundering fools!" Nightmare Moon growled with her mane rising in anger. "I should have known they would have done something like this!"
"Yeah, well, they'll turn on each other!" Mean Rainbow Dash sneered, floating in midair while lying down. "Just you wait and see! They've betrayed everyone else."
"They plan on killing Grogar…" Adagio pleaded. "We have to stop them! They stole Serpentera 2!"
Hearing this made Zedd growl in fury and glow in equal anger. "They WHAT?!" He thundered with his visor turning red! "They stole MY ZORD?!" In a fit of rage, he couldn't believe what he was hearing. His own zord was stolen from him!
"Your what?" Adagio whimpered.
"My zord, you fool! Serpentera 2 was my own personal zord!" Zedd growled again and then furiously demanded! "Where did they take it?!"
"After goatface…" Sonata groaned as she leaned forward to vomit some more into the bucket.
Just then, Aria Blaze was awakened due to the sound of the excessive yelling. "What's with all the yelling?" She moaned. "Where are we?"
"Aria, glad to see you're finally awake," Adagio nervously greeted, currently feeling intimidated by Zedd. "But we've got an angry red creature in our faces!"
"This guy?" Aria laughed with a small smile on her face. "He doesn't scare me!"
"You should fear me, fool!" Zedd angrily glared at Aria. "Because I am going to see to it you suffer the consequences of my wrath unless you recover my zord! Where are those three taking it?!"
"I told you already, Equestria!" Adagio protested, causing Zedd to growl in frustration. "We...we were trying to find it when the riggers of space caused us to fall unconscious! If it hadn't been for that, we would still have gone after it."
It was then that Master Vile took command of the situation. "And so, you shall go after it once again," He declared before looking over at Nightmare Moon and Daybreaker. "I shall see to it that Serpentera 2 is recovered and returned here to us. You two shall lead the mission!"
Feeling that a sense of pride was given to them, both Daybreaker and Nightmare Moon stepped forward. Master Vile then turned to the attention of the Mean Six. "You shall be responsible for assisting in the mission," He commanded to them, pointing his staff at Mean Twilight. "Do whatever it takes to ensure Serpentera 2 is brought back to me! And destroy anyone who gets in your way!"
"The proper term is "everypony" just so you know!" Mean Twilight declared, before bowing to Master Vile in respect. "And yes, we shall do whatever it takes to retrieve your weapon, master."
"Excellent," Master Vile smiled. "Bring me Serpentera 2 and you shall be greatly rewarded. But fail, and you will suffer the most unspeakable of consequences!"
"Ooh, what are they?" Mean Applejack sarcastically asked.
Master Vile only replied. "If I told you then they wouldn't be unspeakable, would they?"
"Don't worry, Master! We shall do as you wish of us. We will not fail. Not with me leading the charge!" Nightmare Moon promised.
Satisfied with the commitment, Master Vile sent the six evil clones of the princesses and the two evil clones of their mentors away, leaving him alone with his core minions and the Sirens. "Now, as for the rest of you," He commanded. "There is much work to be done."
"What kind of work, my dreaded father?" Rita asked.
"The kind where we take what is ours for the taking," Master Vile answered. "Now, follow me!"
Following Master Vile, Rita, Zedd and their own minions complied, wondering what Master Vile had planned as he left the Sirens alone in the dungeon.
"What's happening?" Aria asked Adagio.
"I don't know, Aria," Adagio sighed. "But until we get our strength back, we're stuck here."
And right on cue, Sonata vomited some more at Adagio's words.
…
…
Back on Serpentera 2, Scorpan continued to pilot the enormous zord when he suddenly saw several dots on the radar coming toward them. "What in…?" He said to himself, before frantically pressing a button in the cockpit. "Tirek! Come up here at once!"
Down in the cabins, Tirek heard his brother's plea.
"What's going on?" Chrysalis asked.
"Stay here," Tirek answered. "I'll be back," Leaving Chrysalis and Cozy Glow alone, Tirek retreated up to the cockpit and answered his brother's call. "Scorpan, what is it?" He asked. "Why did you call me up here so fast?"
"We are about to have company." Scorpan urgently explained. "Prepare yourself to boarded!"
Then suddenly, a sudden jolt downwards caused Tirek to fall to the floor of the cockpit. "You're telling me!" He groaned as he tried to get back up to his feet. "Whoever it is is already here!" And sure enough, he could hear the sounds of hoofbeats coming towards the cockpit. Reluctantly stepping out, he saw Nightmare Moon and Daybreaker standing in his way.
"Hello, old villain friend!" Nightmare Moon cackled as she and Daybreaker charged up their horns. "We come to take what is rightfully Master Vile's!"
Tirek could only stand in front of the cockpit door, trying to figure out what to do. He was being invaded and the lives of his brother, lover and his daughter figure would be in his hands. "Don't take another step!" He desperately commanded, trying to sound confident. "Or else you'll regret it!"
"We should have expected this!" Daybreaker sighed and turned around, motioned for the Mean Six to bring a bound and gagged Chrysalis and Cozy Glow forward. "Your 'family' here didn't even bother to put up a fight. How sad, and pathetic."
Tirek was horrified and shocked to see the creatures he was so close to bound and gagged against their will.
"Look at us," Nightmare Moon whispered. "Look at us, foe!"
Tirek didn't look at Nightmare Moon and instead focused on Chrysalis as she struggled to talk to Tirek along with Cozy Glowm all while the Mean Six held onto them.
"Look at us!" Nightmare Moon thundered to Tirek in an angry voice!
"I am looking at you!" Tirek cried. "What do you want?!"
"We're the captains of this ship now!" Daybreaker smirked with triumph. "So you will do as we command...or else your 'family' will pay the price for your insubordination!"
Motioning to Mean Twilight, Daybreaker forced Tirek to watch as Mean Twilight placed a knife at Chrysalis' throat.
"So, what will it be, Lord Tirek?" Nightmare Moon cackled evilly along with Daybreaker as Tirek became fearful for the safety of the creatures that he was close to!
…
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