The V-Team

by Reizthefakebrony

Chapter 23: Grave Complications

Zade and the rest of the group was running away from the tremendous Rhinotaur that was charging toward them, all the while destroying every tree in his passage. The earth trembled for each frenetic step the beast was making. The creature was slow, but very persistent and the entire chase began to take a toll to their stamina. That was a point that they must invent something before the creature crushed them.

"Any ideas!?" Sera asked.

"The Rhinotaur is a very stubborn and aggressive creature!" Jeska said. "It won't stop at nothing to get his prey!"

"We can't run forever!" Chris reminded. "We must doing something!"

"It's the same as the chase in Neo Canterlot Castle!" Jace lamented.

"We must have an idea as soon as possible!" Zade suggested.

During the chase, they reached the very depths of the Everfree Forest, where the vegetation was very abundant and the air was very cold. In front of them there was a rocky wall blocking their way in the distance and the Rhinotaur was still behind him, recklessly destroying any obstacles and trying to reach them. That was a dead end.

Or it was, until Starlight had a glimmer of genius regarding that, which impressed even herself.

"Keep running!" Starlight said.

"What!?" Zade looked at her perplexed.

"ARE YOU SERIOUS!?" Sera said.

"Just keep running! I have an idea but you have to trust me!" Starlight said.

"I can't smash through this wall! Is too thick!" Chris reminded.

"I hope you know what you are doing!" Zade retorted.

As they were approaching the wall, Starlight glowed her horn. In the very instant they got closer to the obstacle, the whole group disappeared, leaving the Rhinotaur crashing against it. The beast loudly flopped to the ground unconscious, causing the earth to shake another time.

---

At the edge of the Everfree Forest, an azure light flashed and Zade's group suddenly appeared. They looked around and realized to be where they were before, far away from the Rhinotaur. Zade and the others sighed heavily in relief and collapsed on the ground. Their hearts were racing so faster that they almost wanted to throw up, like they had participated to a very long marathon.

"I never thought about that being an actual idea." Jace said a tired tone while panting. "Anyway, thanks, Starlight. You saved our asses."

"Can you please use a very appropriate language?" Starlight retorted.

"Does that even matter?" Zade asked.

"We don't have time to rest," Kamahl reminded, standing up. "We have to retrieve the Caledum."

"Alright." Zade said as he and the others followed suit.

"Too bad" Jace said. "I was thinking about possessing that behemot."

"I won't recommend you that," Jeska said. "The Rhinotaur has a ferocious mind. Not only it will reject you but you will also waking it up. Do you want that beast go after our skins again?"

"N-no madame." Jace timidly responded. "I didn't had considered that... Jeez."

"It's a shame since we could have this beast on our side." Sera suggested. "Just saying."

"Let's go." Kamahl ordered.

---

In the cave inside the mountains, the Princesses and Discord were discussing about the rest of the situation that happened during the Inquisition. Discord just brought some a bunch of sweet and some tea for the quartet while he had his own pop corns. The tone of the discussion was anything but tranquil.

"And what about Starswhirl and the rest of the Pillars of Equestria?" Celestia asked.

"They had disappeared without leaving any trace," Discord responded- "But not before having told me about their quest."

"What quest?" Luna asked.

"Why. They went their way for the Caledum." Discord said.

"Seriously?" Cadence said surprised.

"At that time, I didn't know anything about that," Discord said while eating some pop corn- "But now that you have mentioned that and this Virum, now everything had sense. After all, I met the guy some time later."

"You met him?" Celestia asked surprised.

"Yes, and told me about his plan," Discord responded with an unsure tone. "However, he never had mentioned anything about Zade's group and his own motivations for doing this."

"Understood." Cadence said. "To think that he has a hidden agenda."

"Why didn't you had told that to Thorax or Starlight?" Luna asked.

"I should had to, but I couldn't risk being caught by Julius." Discord responded.

"Did he told you anything else about him?" Celestia asked.

"Now that you reminded me, there's a little tale that he told me about Julius," Discord said with a grave tone. "Or I should say... His own secret."

---

In a few minutes of travel, Zade and his party had reached a destroyed railway. It looked like a disaster had been occurred. There are multiple craters scattered on the place. The four demonic ponies wondered what could have happened. Starlight, Jeska and Kamahl, however, seemed to know very well what happened.

"What the hell is this? A battlefield?" Zade asked.

"That was the place where the battle between Discord and Twilegion had been consumed." Kamahl said calmly.

"Where Discord got almost killed." Starlight said with a grave tone.

"... I feel very sorry for that guy." Jace said with a bit of sympathy.

"It's ok. He's hidden somewhere else to regain his energy and his magic." Starlight said with a bit of confidence.

"Judging by the scene, I bet he was a tough guy," Chris said.

"Are you kidding me? He's the avatar of chaos after all." Jace reminded him. "He was first an enemy, until he got reformed for real by the Mane Six."

"Less chit chat and more walking," Jeska said harshly. "We have a long way before we reach the Badlands."

"Ok, but-" Zade was about to respond when a sudden scream coming from afar interrupted him.

"Somepony help me! I am sorry!" The voice from afar exclaimed.

"Wait... I know that voice." Sera said with anticipation.

The whole group rushed toward the source, headed on the other side of the railway. In their arrival they found something in the distance. There was a and yet familiar Night Guard running away from three alicorn Royal Guards, which eyes were glowing with a red murderous aura. The group instantly recognized the guy, especially Starlight.

"Lunar Riptide." Starlight said with a bit of melancholy.

"It's the bastard who had putted us into a trap!" Jace said furiously.

"It seems like he got what he really deserve." Kamahl commented.

"We need to help him!" Starlight said.

"Are you kidding me!?" Jace asked shocked. "That guy sold your our own insurgence and backstabbed you up!"

"I know that he's a traitor," Starlight said hesitant. "But-"

"Let me guess," Sera butted in. "You are pitting him, right?"

"... Sorta." Starlight said.

"Alright, leave that to me," Sera said reluctantly as she glowed her horn made to create a sphere of dark blue fire above her head and shot it toward the alicorns.

The dark sphere blasted away the three alicorns as it exploded nearby them. Riptide stopped his escape as soon as he realized what happened. He turned around to see the armored alicorns, whore were knocked out unconscious, full of bruises and with their armors being mostly destroyed, with black flames being scattered around the scene.

"You had almost killed them!" Starlight lamented.

"I know they were still brainwashed by Deofordred," Sera explained. "It's called Collateral Damage Control."

Starlight sighed heavily. "At least nopony was hurt during the impact."

"I can't believe we had saved an asshole." Jace lamented.

"Equestrian morality looks like a duty," Chris commented.

Riptide reluctantly approached them. "Y-you saved me. Thank you."

"That's not excused of your betrayal," Starlight said coldly. "Riptide, I had trusted you."

"I know that," Riptide said remorsefully. "But I had no choice. Julius forced me to do that. He had ponynapped my family."

"... Really?" Starlight said hesitantly. "I didn't had known that... I am sorry."

"Please forgive my act," Riptide said. "I will guide you to the Badlands."

Zade raised a eye brow. "What?"

"You can trust me," Riptide replied. "I will guide you to the thing you were looking for."

"The Caledum?" Kamahl demanded.

"Yes." Riptide answered.

"How did you know about that?" Kamahl demanded.

"I will tell you that, but you have to follow me so I can show you that," Riptide said with a half smile.

Starlight pondered for a moment until she reached to a conclusion. "Alright. I do believe you."

Starlight was about to give the hoofshake to Riptide when Jace abruptly interrupted the act and approached the Night Guard.

"Hold the phone, dude," Jace said as it's dissipates into a red mist.

"What- ARGH!" Riptide yelled as the red mist entered his body and fell on the ground unconscious.

"Jace! What the heck are you doing!?" Starlight tried approach Riptide but was then stopped by Sera.

"Wait, let him do it." Sera said calmly.

"You are allowing him to possess him. But why?" Starlight asked astonished.

"Let's see what explanation he's going to give." Sera replied.

Riptide suddenly woke up and stood up very slowly, groaning and scratching his head. He turned his attention to the group with an unusual calm.

"Guys, let me tell you that," Riptide said with a hybrid voice between his own and Jace's. "This fucker knows nothing about the Caledum's location. He wanted to lure us into another trap."

"What!?" Everybody except Zade, Kamahl, Jeska and Sera exclaimed.

"I knew that." Kamahl said with anticipation.

"I know, right?" Riptide/Jace said. "This guy never change. I checked up his memories and that is what I got. Essentially, he was sent by Deofordred to send us into a trap, which was a pit being located in the wasteland of the Badlands. His being chased and him being remorseful of his actions was just an act."

"Wait." Chris interrupted him. "Does that mean that you are also sharing your memories with him?"

Riptide/Jace gave a wide smile. "I wasn't sharing any of my memories with this asshole. You see, I can totally isolate my own memory from him."

"Seriously?" Sera said surprised.

"You can do that?" Starlight asked in awe.

"Yes. And I would have teleported you into the Badlands." Riptide/Jace said- "Unfortunately this guy isn't able to do a mass teleportation spell like Starlight does."

Starlight put her hoof under her chin and began to calculate the possibilities. Jace's abilities were mostly controversial but were also useful if that was saw from another prospective. After a long pondering, she smiled with satisfaction.

"I have an idea," Starlight said. "Jace. Could you please possess me."

"..... What?!" Riptide/Jace exclaimed.

"WHAT!?" Everybody except Starlight exclaimed.

---

In the epicenter of the Badlands, there are the ruins of a forgotten sanctuary. The structures was so enormous that almost covered the entirety of the area. The Mane Six arrived into the place with a sense of dread being perceived by them as a grave loud silence was present, like a specter whispering to them.

"Girls. Ain't remember this place having a sanctuary," Applejack said.

"Ditto." Rainbow Dash said. "Although this is our first time we got there."

"Even as Twilegion we never thought to enter this place before," Twilight specified. "There is so much thing I want to know about it right now."

"I hope that Sweetie Bell wasn't hurt," Rarity hoped.

"Me too. I hope she is alright." Fluttershy said. "Still, I don't think she would had entered this.. creepy place on her own."

"Are you sure that leaving Thorax alone with Chrysalis was a good idea?" Pinkie Pie asked.

"You don't have to worry," Twilght assured. "As long as the spell sealing chain is blocking her movement, she won't be able to do any more damage than the ones she had already done."

The bearers of the Elements of Harmony continued on their path until they stumbled into something unusual in front of them as they reached the cloister. There was a filly laying on the ground nearby an hooded pony, in the very center of the zone. The group gasped in shock and rushed toward her.

"Sweetie Bell!" Rarity exclaimed.

"Get away from her!" Rainbow Dash said as she flew faster toward the two.

Twilight felt a sudden sensation of cold coming from above her. She lifted her head upward and saw and saw an enormous dark shadow coming from beneath her and the group.

"GIRLS, WATCH OUT!" Twilight exclaimed.

Rainbow Dash turned toward her. "What!?"

But it was too late. The whole shadow wrapped Twilight, the other four elements and the other two ponies. Their figures were sunk inside the black mass formed around them. Rainbow Dash was the only one who had escaped such fate. Twilight, however, managed to give Rainbow Dash one message before her voice got silenced.

"Rainbow, you need to get some help," Twilight said as she glowed her horn before being sucked into the blackness.

"Twilight, wait-" Rainbow Dash couldn't finish her sentence that she suddenly disappeared, teleported away from there.

---

Meanwhile, nearby the destroyed railway, Zade and his group was considering this controversial solution.

"So in short," Riptide/Jace said. "I will possess you, teleport us into the right place and then leave this guy behind?"

Starlight nodded. "That's right."

"And your pity toward him?" Sera asked.

"He will survive on his own." Kamahl said. "I will allow that act, but only once."

"Alright, let's do that." Riptide/Jace said enthusiast.

"What?! You are leaving me on my own!?" Riptide voice ranged in his mind.

"Oh, shut up, you idiot." Riptide/Jace said, a moment before the red mist leaved his body and entered into Starlight's.

Both the unicorns flopped unconscious to the soil. After a moment of silence, Starlight opened her eyes and slowly rose up.

"Ok, guys." Starlight/Jace said. "Let's do that stuff."

The possessed unicorn glowed her horn. An azure light flashed and the whole group disappeared from the place.

---

In a wasteland inside the Badlands, Zade and his group reappeared from the nothingness. They scanned their surrounding, observing every detail of the place. Despite being deserted, the place was surprisingly filled with crystallized monoliths. Such scene had caught their interest.

"Were did those things came from?" Chris asked.

"is that a consequence of Twilegion's actions?" Zade asked.

"Indeed." Kamahl confirmed. "Her magical abuse had gave birth to such unnatural monuments like these. These are full of both the energy of the Twilegion and that of the Mirari itself. If unleashed, it will spread a harmful aura of mana that will engulf part of this place and damage anything who came in contact with it into."

"Like radiations?" Starlight/Jace asked.

"You got the idea," Jeska replied.

"So we should be careful to not destroying these monuments. I got that" Zade then turned to 'Starlight'. "Ehm, Jace. Get out of your body."

"Please." Starlight asked inside his mind.

"Got it." Starlight/Jace said, a moment before the red mist leaved Starlight's body.

Her body fell on the ground as Jace was reacquiring his appearance. The demonic pony scratched his head and groaned very heavily.

"Damn, I am having a hard time doing two possessions in the same day." Jace said.

Starlight woke up a second later and then slowly stood up with a dizzied expression. "Don't tell that at me."

"Seriously. The act of possessing people is still creeping me out." Chris said a little bit disgusted.

"Let's go." Kamahl said.

The whole group was about to resume their quest when Jace spotted something in the distance. There are two changelings fstanding in the middle of the wasteland. He instantly recognized them.

"Guys, you can't believe at what I saw." Jace indicated them

"Are these one Chrysalis and Thorax?" Kamahl asked unsurprised.

The party rushed toward the two and noticed a very situation. Thorax was standing nearby Chrysalis, whose hooves and wings were restricted by golden chains and her horn was adorned with a golden ring glowing with a blue aura.

"It seems like Twilight owned you hard." Jace commented.

"If only this ring isn't blocking my magic," Chrysalis lamented calmly.

"You have no right to talk after the damage you have done." Thorax stated.

"Wait a second. Shouldn't you be with Twilight or Celestia?" Zade asked.

Thorax rolled his eyes. "Well..."

Thorax didn't have the time to respond that Rainbow Dash suddenly appeared above the ground and ended up falling on it. Stunned, she slowly rose up and then turned toward the group. Rainbow flinched upon seeing the four demonic ponies, who were just surprised to see her.

"Rainbow Dash?" Jace said dumbfounded.

"Ok, I don't understand what is going on anymore," Zade said. "What are doing there? Weren't supposed to be with Twilight?"

"Well, I wouldn't be here if she didn't had decided to send me to you," Rainbow said.

"What's going on?" Jeska asked.

"Is about Twilight and the others," Rainbow said worried. "They fell into a very serious danger. And although I don't trust those four demons, I need their help too."

"Well, thanks for the trust," Sera said sarcastically.

"It looks like we have a serious complication," Kamahl said. "Where are they?"

"In depths of the Badlands," Rainbow said. "Inside a forsaken sanctuary. Please, we have to hurry up."

"I get, they are in trouble," Zade sighed. "Talking about complications... Let's go."

"You are not going anywhere." A male voice said.

All of the ponies turned toward the source of the voice and witnessed a very bizarre scene. There are two weird ponies looking in their direction. One of them was a black maned white stallion standing on his two legs, wielding a Rebellion like sword with five fingers protruding from his hooves. The other was a female blue pegasi, wielding a very large sword, also having the fingers on her hooves.

Despite their appearance being new, Zade's eyes widened in shock, probably for the incredulity. "That can't be..."

"Oh... Now that is looking interesting," Chrysalis commented.

"Silence, you demon." Jeskai retorted

"... What the hell are you?" Zade asked coldly.

"Long time no see, demented bloggers," The staillion said.

"... Nigel!? Teresa!?" Zade exclaimed shocked.

The sword of the stallion suddenly disappeared and was replaced by two guns. He then aimed his new weapons toward them, ready to do his move.

"Oh, crap," Chris flinched.

"I can't believe that... I know what they are turned into!" Jace said with a grave tone.

And now time for boss subtitles.

Nigel/DMC Dante

Teresa/Akroma Angel of Destruction.

"Alright," Nigel said while making a devilish grin. "Who want some!?"