Trial and Error

by Kiernan

Chapter 17: Here's Hoping

Chapter 17: Here's Hoping

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Akaitora stepped into the alley first, followed closely by Usutora. They were in Hoofington, and mere minutes remained to dusk, yet the messengers of their misery were nowhere to be seen. The anti-magical aura still surrounded Usutora, though passerby simply attributed it to the unicorn travelling beside him. They waited, in the middle of the alley, eyes peeled, ears twitching at the slightest noise, for their contacts to reveal themselves.

"Do you think Fluttershy got home alright?" whispered Usutora under his breath.

"I hope so. Her job's the most important part." whispered Akaitora right back.

A few more minutes passed, and the sun set on the horizon. At that exact moment, three entities, all a bit large in stature, arose from the shadows. "Right on time, I see. And it seems you've even gone the extra mile and met all of my conditions. Well done." said the pegasus leading the pack.

"Hold, there," said Akaitora, planting his forelegs firmly into the gravel. "Before I hand him over, I must know that you've honored your end. Show me that Twilight is safe, else the deal is forfeit."

Bloodstain chuckled. "You're in no position to be bargaining. You see, we're the ones holding the cards. We have both Twilight, and your fortune. You have but the one bargaining chip, which we may as well have taken earlier. And might I remind you that we still hold that last piece in a position to where it can't be used?"

"You needn't remind me, I know these things. But might I remind you that I hold my own trump cards, and they may very well outweigh your own?"

Bloodstain thought it over for a moment, then broke into a cheeky grin. "Fine. I'll humor you, I've got enough of an advantage. Frostbite, our guest."

Frostbites horn lit up, casting a circle of light to surround the purple mare, trapped in an anti-magic field. No visible harm had come to her, but she wept, her head hung low, as she sat in the pool of blue light emanating from the horn of her captor.

"Now, send little Usu over, and Twilight may join you when he gets here."

"No. We trade at the same time. Usu leaves me as Twilight leaves you."

"You don't trust us?"

"With good reason."

"I suppose you're right. Smart, not to trust us. Very well, once more, we'll do things your way. Twilight," with these last words, he turned to Twilight, pulled her to her feet, and pushed her in Akaitora's direction. "You may go."

Usutora matched Twilight step for step, as their paths were slowly trodden. at the very center, Usu looked up, and as he passed, two words passed his lips. "I'm sorry." Both objects of trade finished their paths and turned around, looking to face the side they had recently left.

"Glad to see you listened to reason. I didn't want this to get ugly. Now, we must take our leave." Bloodstain turned, and lifted a hoof to step away, but was held back by the three words that breached his ears.

"Not so fast," called Akaitora. "Remove Twilight from this field you ut her in."

"And why should we do that? " said Bloodstain, turning back to face Akaitora. "It was never part of our deal to remove the field. You get what you've been given, and nothing more. It's not my problem if you're unhappy with your results."

"You forget that I, too, have a few tricks up my sleeve. I don't want to have to use them."

Bloodstain cracked up at this. "Well, now. I guess it's time to teach you to deal with the cards you're given, eh? Another field, Tundra."

As if it had simply happened, not just a cast of a spell, an anti-magical field surrounded Akaitora. However, instead of the usual reaction, being shock and horror, he chuckled, amused at the thought that crossed his mind.

"Something funny?" asked Bloodstain, pleased at his success, but confused at the reaction. "Spit it out."

"Oh, it's nothing really," Said Akaitora, wiping his eye with a hoof. "It's simply this. You've just cast a spell on me, to keep me from casting spells, but it will do you little good. I'm still able to perform magic, even though this field."

""What?" exclaimed Twilight, Bloodstain, Frostbite, and even Tundra in unison. Akaitor only nodded his head in response.

"You're bluffing, and it won't work." Said Frostbite. "Nopony can cast spells through a barrier, and nopony can override one of Tundra's spells, no matter what they do. And bronze only works on magic, not on Anti-magic."

"True, true, all of that information is correct, save for one piece." A wide smile crossed his face, and he tore his cape off, revealing his new wings. His eyes narrowed, and he crouched into an aggressive stance. "I wasn't bluffing."

With a leap, he burst from the ground, wobbling slightly with almost no practice, he had to keep his mind on the beats of his wings. His foes grew wide-eyed for a few seconds, each of them thinking the same thing. 'Impossible.' In this moment, Usutora set his job in motion. He tore at the band wrapped thrice around his leg, and swung it around Tundra's neck, effectively stopping the Anti-magic fields for a few moments.

Tundra was thus the first of the three to snap out of his trance, kicking at Usutora's chest, sending him flying backward into a wall, then tore the collar off his neck he cast once more a spell to keep Usutora from using any form of magic, followed by a barrier spell from Frostbite to hold him in place. This didn't last long though, for once again, the collar bounditself around tundra's neck, this time held securely with a padlock at the hooves of Akaitora, who was backed off into the air. The barrier faded as Frostbite began to activate the tumblers of the lock, trying to open it.

Bloodstain took to the skies, scanning the area for Akaitora, who seemed to have disappeared from the airspace. He spotted his quarry, flying low, going into another dark alleyway not too far from the previous. He seemed to be carrying something,large and purple. Twilight. Without a second thought, he sped down into the alley to confront his prey.

"Fluttershy should be at her house right now. Go there. If I don't make it back, she'll explain everything. I know this is a lot to take in, but I need you to keep a clear head through this. Can you do that for me?" Akaitora asked Twilight as they rounded a corner into a dark alley. A nod was all he got in response, before he set Twilight down, and she teleported herself out of town, to the path a short ways away, where she broke into a run, back toward Ponyville, teleporting herself from time to time to lessen the rip, and using what Kai had taught her to save energy.

Akaitora turned around, about to return to fight alongside his brother, when suddenly, a powerful sold mass struck his face, knocking him onto his back, sending a series of waves through his body, each one carrying vast amounts of pain. "You little Malequessant. Here I thought, 'Wow, how interesting, I think he'd make a fine addition to our team.' but you had to go and mess that up." A powerful kick to the stomach knocked all the wind out of Akaitora's lungs as he gasped for breath. "And you even come with wings. That would have given you quite the edge."

Akaitora bagan to roll away from his assaulter, to leave while still in one piece. He was almost to the lit area, he could almost see the street lamps, but a hoof came down halfway up his back, right between the wings. You almost got away with it too. A shame, really, that your story will never get out. Just know, you didn't have to die." Bloodstain raised his hooves, rearing back onto his back two legs, ready to strike Akaitora down, to finish the job.

Comments

[Balancer]

Issas cliff hangers hurt