“Under the circumstances, let’s move this along. I wouldn’t want to infringe on your wedding plans. Would a set of horseshoes and a saddle be inappropriate wedding gifts?”
Aiden snerked as he read the words on his phone. “Probably, Will… but I’ll ask her.”
A different message dinged. “About time you made an honest mare out of her!”
Aiden rolled his eyes, chuckling. “Thanks, Aunt Lynn.”
Will’s message dinged again. “Jokes aside, Aiden. Meet me at Slocum’s Joe, on Baker Street in Baltimore, tomorrow at 10am. I know the owner and he’ll close the place for us. From there we can head back to your Fort Friendship.”
“Hah!” Aiden said aloud, before typing, “Isn’t that a coffee place, Mr. Tea?”
“I mostly come for the donuts… and they serve tea, thank you.”
“Heh…” he was considering another text response before a knock at the door distracted him from the phone. “Come!”
General Grumman entered, looking an interesting combination of annoyed and amused. It wasn’t an uncommon look for him, though Aiden hadn’t seen it in awhile. It was the look he wore when a subordinate had done something stupid enough to be funny, but also stupid enough to be just stupid, and thus required the General to deal with. Aiden grinned innocently. “Oh hi, sir! Fancy seeing you here!”
Grumman rolled his eyes and then pinched the bridge of his nose. “I suppose, young man, I had this coming.”
“Maybe just a little.”
“Where is Miss Rarity? Dare I say dress fitting?”
“Hah! Bath, actually. I think, despite going along with my prank idea, she’s a bit more stressed about this whole thing than she was letting on. I’ll check in on her in a bit, unless you needed to talk to her now?”
“Not necessary. Actually I’ll let you give her the news: we’ve found Equus.”
Aiden blinked. “Huh. I mean I was assuming we’d successfully decode the crystal… but that’s still great to hear. I’m kind of stunned. We’re really going to pull this off.”
“Indeed so, young man, which is why I’m here. I need to know if you’re serious about this. And by this I mean traveling to another world with her. I don’t want to send her alone, and I’ve clearly been grooming you for this, but-”
Aiden chuckled, holding up a hand to stop Grumman from continuing. “You know… before the war, I had a dream for the future…”
Grumman chuckled. “In fact I do. ‘I want to explore space, and be like Yuri Gagarin, John Glenn, and Neil Armstrong. I’m going to be an astronaut when I grow up!’” he quoted in a slightly higher pitch than usual.
“Pfft, okay I knew you had my school records, but you memorized it?!”
“No, I re-read it before coming up here to ask you about this.”
“Ah… okay that makes more sense. For the record, I had a list of twelve astronauts I wanted to use. Something about multiples of six appealed to me. Moira argued me down to three for the sake of keeping it concise.”
Grumman smiled. “From everything you’ve told me over the years, she sounded like an amazing older sister.”
“Yeah, she was that. And she’s all the more reason I’m definitely going. Hell, if you found that crystal and a ship and asked for volunteers to see what’s out there, I’d be first in line. As it is… yeah there’s no question. Rarity is going home. She’s going home to Sweetie Belle. And Twilight Sparkle, Rainbow Dash, Applejack, Pinkie Pie, and Fluttershy… and a bunch of others she’s told me about. If I have to carry her on my back the whole way, we’re getting her back to Equestria. It’s not just for her. Her family needs her back.”
“Heh… and they say you don’t hear anything good about yourself while eavesdropping.” Rarity said as she sauntered into the room, her mane wrapped in a towel.
“Actually you got here too soon. I hadn’t really started extolling your virtues.”
“Just as well I cut that short then, darling. I already know I’m fabulous; we can move onto more pressing, recent developments. ...Like why I have so many followers.”
“...Wat?”
“Excuse me, Miss Rarity?”
“This… Twitter thing. I made an account using the email I created on Google.” She floated her tablet in from the other room and showed it to them. Their eyes went wide. “Many people are ‘tweeting’ at me. It’s a bit overwhelming.”
“Well no shit… Rarity why would you do this?” Aiden said, stuck between horror and hilarity.
She grinned at him. “Honestly? After seeing many of the reactions to our little stunt I decided to sign up for it and see what happened, and look around at what others have been saying. People started finding me very quickly, as you see.”
“Never underestimate the internet, for better or worse.” Aiden noted, while looking over the screen.
“I… can’t say this hurts,” Grumman said slowly. “The more we reach out, the more people can find acceptance in understanding. Or be stymied by their surprise…”
Aiden nodded. “Confusion to our enemies!”
“The human race is not our enemy, Aiden,” Grumman said.
“Eh, some of ‘em are. The rest will figure it out. Oh, speaking of figuring things out, Will bumped up our timetable, in light of current events. We’re meeting tomorrow, in Baltimore, 10am. That work for you?”
Grumman chuckled. “Would it matter if it didn’t? You’re bringing him back here anyway. But yes, that should be fine. I’ll come along for this, as will Valerie. Knight Captain Ferreles and Mr. Kneargum will also join us, I’m sure. With that in mind, I’ll need to finish up a few things today that I had planned for tomorrow. If you’ll both excuse me. Also, Rarity, Aiden has news for you.”
She blinked, looking over to Aiden. “What is it?”
He smiled softly. “We found Equus,” he said. Her eyes, those luminous, amazing blue eyes, went wide as she stared up at him. “We found Equus and we’re picking up Will tomorrow. You could be home within the week.”
Her rump hit the floor as her lips trembled slightly before curving up. She gasped a breath, which became a happy little laugh as she tackled him in a hug. The tablet dropped to the floor, forgotten.
------------------------------------------
Minor Twitter explosion aside, the rest of the day was quiet. They’d just come back from dinner with everyone, and Rarity was finishing her notes on Grumman’s book, including a considerable update to the listings concerning Celestia and Luna. It seemed more urgent to add finishing touches and personal reflections now. But of even more immediate importance, she’d found something.
“Aiden… Sidera’s Veil!”
“Eh? Oh, that thing Vera mentioned?”
“Yes, it’s in the book here? It’s mistranslated in the English version… hmm, that’s rare. But I think it’s because it’s a name. Sidera. She was one of the angel race that brought humans to Equestria.”
“Huh. So she had a veil I take it?”
“Of a sort… she veiled all of Equus, to hide us from another attack by the demon race, after they’d been expelled from our world. Star’s light can’t pierce Sidera’s Veil. ...Hmm, but we certainly do see stars in Equestria. Princess Luna can even move them around…”
Aiden blinked. “She moves… whole stars around?”
“As far as we can see, yes… but now I’m wondering if it’s not something to do with this Veil…” she smiled. “Something to ask her about when I’m home!”
He nodded to that. “Damn right. I’m looking forward to meeting her, all of them, really.”
“And I’m sure they’re going to want to meet you as well. And not just for bringing me home. Is anyone else coming?”
He shook his head. “Not at this point. Vera probably would but she’s just not stable enough yet. She needs counseling, and a quiet environment. She’s been a great help but she’s still too on the brink for something like this.”
“But… you have forgiven her, haven’t you, darling?”
“Yeah,” he said easily, smiling at Rarity for the question. “No question there. She found her way back to us after being lost. But all the more reason she needs to stay here awhile. Even she’d admit that much. Being on a completely alien world is more than she’s ready for. Besides… she’s going to start dating Lily Vualez.”
“Ah, that’s right. ...And non-Espers can’t use the ship, if I recall correctly.”
“You do. The main drive creates a aetheric distortion that’s hazardous to anyone without a natural aether reserve, and we aren’t getting to Equus with nav thrusters. I know we’ll overcome that in time, NASA is already making strides, as is Adstrum, but we aren’t there yet.”
“And Donovan?”
Aiden chuckled. “He’s the least likely. Astrophobic.”
Rarity blinked. “A… fear of... space? That’s a thing?”
“Yep. To hear him tell it: ‘when your special talent is explosions having nothing between you and cold, unforgiving vacuum except a tin can is a big ole nope.’”
She giggled.
“Yeah… they may have to sedate him to get him there one day. But if necessary, Grumman won’t hesitate. For now though, Donovan and Vera need to stay here. In addition to their personal reasons Grumman still needs Espers here he can trust, and who can be a public face for us all. That’s especially true of Donovan.”
“He does play well to the camera, doesn’t he?”
“Yeah, he’s a performer whether he admits it or not.”
“Well, good for him though. Frankly I’ve felt a bit too exposed in the last twenty four hours.”
“Put some clothes on?”
She snickered. “What? A mare cannot be comfortably au naturale with her intended?”
He snorted and rolled his eyes. “I had that coming. Is this the Twitter thing though? Because you brought that on yourself.”
“Oh no, I already closed that off. They can discuss me just fine without my input, as I quickly discovered. Still, I think it’s good. You know, looking through fictional alien invasions, the aliens always seem to reach out so dramatically. Blow up a city here, attack an airplane there. Why not something more subtle?
“I dunno that Twitter qualifies as more subtle, or you as less dramatic,” she stuck her tongue out at him, “but it’s a fair question. There were a few times during the war when the fighting felt… really stupid. I mean, war is usually stupid in a lot of ways but… yeah. Like… they would have been just as happy with a giant barroom brawl, and were only killing because it was expected of them. They were playing a role, and not quite one they’d have chosen for themselves.”
She nodded. “I get that impression from Keia, when you spoke of the spires. Her people would be different, if not for their king.”
“Yeah, definitely punching that guy in the face if I ever meet him.”
“I’d just as soon not, darling.”
“Fair enough. ...So, it’s pretty early. Any ideas for passing the time?”
She grinned. “Weeell… somebody offered to show me one of the pinnacles of human cinematic entertainment. And I think a relaxing night of movies would be just lovely… particularly since Valerie was nice enough to get us a couple bottles of wine today.”
He returned the grin. “Hmm… that’s the sort of date with my fiancée that I can definitely handle.”
------------------------------------------
“Yes! Yes yes yes! I knew it! He wasn’t just a mercenary!” Rarity cried in triumphant vindication. “Oh… but… weren’t there a lot of people on the Death Star? ...Ugh, such a horrid name. And isn’t it much smaller than a star?”
Aiden chuckled. “I actually asked the same question as a kid. About the star thing anyway. I thought ‘Death Moon’ would’ve made more sense, but maybe star sounded better to them?
“Hmm… I think Death Moon would fit better.” She glanced askance at him. “All those people dying didn’t bother you?”
Aiden grinned sheepishly. “Honestly I didn’t think much about it back then. I mean… they were bad guys working on a station designed to blow up planets. If anything, I felt bad for Alderaan.”
“Hmm… yes that was rather dreadful. To think, an entire, peaceful planet. That’s… what the demon race wanted to do to Equus, isn’t it? Or even worse, really.”
“Scary to think about it in terms of really happening. Kind of hard to wrap my head around it… and I was front and center for some pretty serious stuff.”
“I know the feeling, a bit at least.”
“Nightmare Moon, Discord, Tirek… to name a few that I remember. You’ve seen more than your share of potential apocalypses…” he blinked, tilting his head slightly. “I don’t think that word needs a plural form.”
She snorted in amusement. “Definitely not. Now glasses of wine… certainly plural is good. Another?” she asked, floating the bottle up and tilting it back and forth.
“Why not? Next movie?”
“Yes, please.”
------------------------------------------
“HE’S HIS WHAT?!” she screamed as her magic mashed the remote’s pause button.
“...Father.” Aiden replied simply, grinning at her reaction. He couldn’t help feeling a bit privileged to witness this; it was a rare thing for anyone to be seeing Empire for the first time, even more so to be unaware of that particular twist.
“No…. no no no no… that’s impossible!”
Aiden snickered. “Search your feelings…”
“Stop that, I heard the lines just fine, thank you! But.. but Obi-wan said he’d been murdered… by Darth Vader! So how…”
“Well, we’ll have to keep watching to find out… unless you want me to just spoil-”
“NO SPOILERS!”
------------------------------------------
“What’d you think of that one?”
“I’m not sure… I don’t know how I feel about the Rebels getting so thoroughly trounced. And… ugh, Lando doing that to a friend.”
“He didn’t have a choice.”
“There’s always a choice to not betray your friends, no matter what,” she said, though with a sigh. “But… it’s not an easy choice, sometimes. And… well he had a whole city at risk, didn’t he, if he didn’t do as they asked… Urgh, the Empire are monsters.”
“I won’t argue that one. ...Our bottle seems to be empty.”
“Hmm… it does indeed, darling. Fortunately, I spy another… and a third movie to go with it.”
“Clearly Harmony at work.”
“Mm hmm, I’ll pour, you prep?”
“Yes, ma’am.”
------------------------------------------
“Wait, so is that considered attractive for human women?” she asked, pausing at the rather infamous gold bikini.
“Eh… honestly it never did much for me. Then again I was a kid when I watched this the first time. I don’t think less is more though, in this case. She’s beautiful, but that particular outfit is… gaudy. She doesn’t need much help, and that’s just… well I guess she is supposed to be his trophy, so in that sense it does what he’s after.”
“Blech… I need not speculate on the giant slug’s motivations, thank you. I try not to judge on appearances and always see beauty in everyone… but he’s hideous inside and out.”
“To be fair, I think that’s what they were going for.”
------------------------------------------
“Oh now this is ridiculous. Even I know you don’t put your soldiers in bright white armor in a forest! Where’s their camouflage? For that matter, does that armor even do anything? Even rocks are taking them out! This! This is how little bears defeat your ‘best troops’! Why not sequins while you’re at it, at least they’d look fabulous!”
Aiden laughed until he couldn’t breathe properly.
------------------------------------------
Rarity sniffled. “That was… so beautiful. He found his way out of the darkness in the end. I.. oh…” she hugged Aiden. “They got to reconcile, even after all the horrible things he’d done, he finally…” she sniffled. “I’m going to hug Starlight when we get back. And Sunset… I’ll go through the mirror if I have to. Discord, too, and Shadow… hmm. We’ve helped a lot of misguided sorts reform.”
Aiden smiled, rubbing her shoulder as she mused her way through the end of the trilogy. Her fair share of two bottles of wine were likely playing their part. “That’s a great thing, though… you were pretty damn good with Vera, too.”
“Ah, she wasn’t anywhere near those others. She was just… guided down a poor path.” She blinked. “Speaking of… what did happen to Colonel Owens?”
“Hmm… we have top men working on it right now.”
“...Who?”
“Top… men…”
“Aiden, what are talking about?!”
“Sorry, another movie series… though the same actor who played Han Solo.”
“Ooh, I liked him.”
“Didn’t we all? Anyway as to Owens… he’s in a medical coma. He’ll recover, but Vera did a number on him, for some reason.”
“Can’t imagine, darling. But enough about him… tell me more about these other Harrison Ford movies…”
“It’s… 3am, Rarity. We have to be up in six hours.”
Her eyes widened slightly. “Oh my, so it is, isn’t it? Hmm, change of plans.” She held her forehooves out to him. “Carry me to bed.”
“Uhh…”
“Dar~ling… I’m far too drunk to walk. I could stumble and fall right over! Surely you wouldn’t want that…”
Aiden rolled his eyes, though a grin tugged at his lips. “I suppose not. What if I’m too drunk and we both fall over?”
“Nonsense, darling; I trust you completely. And neither of us are drunk. Two bottles over six-ish hours? Even Fluttershy could handle that. ...Probably.”
“But you said you were too drunk to walk to bed.”
“I said ‘what if?’ ...can you take that chance when you could just carry me instead?”
“...I cannot.”
“You cannot,” she grinned as he lifted her easily.
His heart melted, just a little, as she cuddled against his chest, and his arms caught her hind legs, not too differently than carrying a human. She nuzzled his shoulder and hummed contentedly.
“Well someone’s being adorable…”
“Hmm… it’s been a nice night, and I’m feeling quite nice just now.”
He carried her into their bedroom, and her horn lit as she pulled back the covers for her bed. He found himself again taken with the music he could faintly hear whenever she used her magic near him. It was lamentable that he could only hear it when they were this close.
He set her on the bed, and pulled up the covers over her as she giggled at the excessive treatment. He grinned, and kissed her forehead. She nuzzled his cheek. “Night, Rarity.”
“Goodnight, Aiden.”
------------------------------------------
Upon hearing a very telltale snap-hiss, Aiden came immediately awake. The room was awash in a blue glow… coming from what was, by all appearances, a floating lightsaber.
Rarity sat near it. Her eyes were shut and her face serene. Her horn glowed gently, overshadowed by the bright blue of the glowing blade. ...Now that he looked at it…
“Rarity.”
“Yes, darling?” she replied calmly, not opening her eyes.
“...Did you turn Joyeuse into a lightsaber?”
“Yes… yes I did.”
“...I think I’m in love with you.”
She grinned, but didn’t open her eyes.
“But uh… how?”
“Well, I was wondering how they worked while watching the movies, of course.”
“As have we all, sure.”
“And I assumed they must use some manner of force field to trap the energy the way they do. It reminded me of the way Joyeuse wraps itself in telekinetic force while being held in my magic. Pure Aetheryte is a simply exquisite crystal.”
“Clearly.”
“So. From there I realized I could remake that particular force field by combining it with the light bending magic I use for my pseudo invisibility, except I channel in reverse. Mm… sort of. Instead of moving the light around, I gather and condense it, with the crystal as a focal point and the blade as a sort of guiding rod. Though at this point it’s as much concentrated concussive aether as it is light… like an attacking beam, but in sword form. And sharp by mimicking the blade’s form, so it should cut through most materials quite easily.”
“Yep… I love you.”
She giggled. “Jedi Knight Rarity, reporting for duty, sir!” Saying this, she struck a vaguely military pose, while performing a saber style salute with the blade held in front of her muzzle.
“Geh… and now I’m dead. Killed by cute. Well played.”
“Alas… I shall mourn your death, good sir. You were a true friend and inspiration… and you showed me Star Wars.”
They both laughed as she released her hold on the magic, and the light faded from Joyeuse’s pristine blade. “Bonus points for the accurate sound effects,” Aiden added.
Rarity took a bow.
“Okay so we have a couple hours before we actually need to be up, but I’m not going back to sleep after that,” Aiden said. “Showers then a light breakfast?”
“Sounds lovely, darling.”
------------------------------------------
“Alright. Everyone have everything? Because I’m not stopping for forgotten phones. And if you need to use the bathroom, go now.”
“I think we’re good, Aiden. It’s only about thirty minutes, right?” Johnathan asked. They’d even brought lawn chairs to sit on this time, which Rarity for some reason found hilarious, until it occurred to her that she could get Aiden to store a fainting couch in there for her…
“I’m ready when you are, Mr. Windborne,” Cade confirmed.
“Let’s be off, young man,” Grumman added.
Valerie nodded.
“Ready to shield everyone here,” Rarity finished the group check.
“Right then,” Aiden said. She felt him channel very briefly before the portal cycles began. The flower in her hair felt warm again, as though it were basking in sunshine despite the grey texture of the sky that day.
It was different this time. In the past she’d noticed a sense of laughter, shared happiness that she couldn’t explain. This time… was it anger? Preparation? She wasn’t sure. She didn’t like it, but she was quite glad Aiden had insisted she bring Joyeuse along. Not only did it help her center herself while in this pocket verse, it just in general made her feel safer. Not quite sure how to feel about that… but as long as I don’t misuse it it should be fine. I’ll have Twilight look at it when I get home. She giggled internally, but kept herself focused on the outside. When she got home…
It wasn’t long, less than thirty minutes, before they reached their destination: the back entrance to Slocum’s Joe. As they’d arranged, Aiden quickly grabbed the door and Rarity went in first, getting out of any public view. She’d delayed just long enough to let her senses get a feel for the building, and was a bit dismayed at what she felt. Dismayed, but not afraid. The concentration of aether within was no threat. As they all crowded in and made their way into the building, they were met with surprised gasps.
“I don’t believe it…”
Rarity didn’t either. If Donut Joe were a human, this would be him. He had a small grin on his face, as if to say ‘well now I’ve seen everything’ and was looking at her without fear. “Tommy Slocum, it’s a pleasure to have you in my establishment… alongside your esteemed fiance, of course!” and he gave Aiden a quick wink.
Rarity giggled. “Why thank you, kind sir,” she replied, speaking a bit slowly to let the translator keep up, though anymore that was scarcely necessary. “I am Rarity. It seems you know Aiden already.”
“By reputation, including before your little stunt,” he laughed quietly before turning and offering a hand to Aiden. “The world thanks you for your service, son. Don’t ever forget that. Plenty of us know what you did for us all.”
“I’d say you’re one of the ones we were most eager to fight for, sir.” Aiden replied with a sheepish grin while accepting the handshake.
“Best donuts and coffee in Baltimore!” Mr. Slocum proclaimed proudly. “Our tea isn’t bad either, but I won’t claim it’s the best.”
“Wouldn’t matter to me anyway, I’d love a coffee. But first… this is General Albert Grumman and his aide, Corporal Valerie Martinovich.”
Slocum gave each a nod and a briefer handshake.
“And Knight Captain Johnathan Ferreles, and Mr. Cade Kneargum, of Adstrum Technologies.”
“Heh, well, the rich and the famous eh? Will didn’t mention who all would be in the entourage. ‘Everyone with the unicorn will be important’ is all I got from him. Good kid though, like the lot of you Espers, I’d say, even if some went a little off their rockers. Can’t say I blame em, really. Speaking of Will, let’s get you settled in. I don’t usually take orders at the tables, but obviously this isn’t usual.”
“Speaking of that, the tab is on me, sir.” Grumman said.
“Oh, I don’t think so,” Johnathan rejoindered.
Rarity giggled as that little debate began, but was again focused forward as they crossed the baking area and into the customer portion of the building. Like many such places, they mostly pandered to carry out orders, but there were perhaps half a dozen tables in addition to high seats at a diner style bar.
And at one of those tables… sat a man about Aiden’s age. He stood, with clear difficulty, at their arrival. He had long, red hair tied back at the neck, and a well groomed goatee of the same hue. Hazel eyes swept over them all, and a smile transformed his face from a mask of pain into something lovely. A sort of happiness that existed in spite of a true understanding of evil and horror. One light in the darkness. She’d seen that look in Aiden before, but here it came through even more strongly. She tried not to tear up. He was broken. There was no doubt in her mind that his body, and his aether, were in pieces held together by strength of willpower and little else. She wanted to hug him, and was afraid to, that he might crack. Their gazes met, and he walked slowly from the table, and kneeled down to her eye level. She kept herself from wincing as his joints creaked worse than Granny Smith’s.
He spoke, in a kindly, slightly rasping baritone. “I’m Paladin Bellerophon ‘Will’ Williams. As you probably guessed, just call me Will. Though it’s a bit late to welcome you to Earth, I’m honored to have the chance to do so.”
“The honor is mine, Paladin… Will.” She raised her forehoof to his hand, and they shook politely.
He frowned in surprise. “I wasn’t expecting a grip…”
She chuckled. “I’m not a horse, sir.”
“Short range telekinesis, combined with precision muscle control in the frog… fascinating…”
She blinked. “You’re perceptive.”
“I’m little else, these days, but I think I can help you, just the same.” He got slowly back to a standing position while Rarity resisted the urge to help him.
He stepped past her to clasp forearms with Aiden. “Good to see you, Aiden.”
“You too… or so I’d like to say. You look like hammered shit. We didn’t have to rush this, if you needed time to center or whatever.”
Rarity winced. Earth’s first diplomat to Equestria, everypony!
But Will just chuckled. “To be honest, I got impatient. I tried to play it cool but this is just too exciting not to get involved in.”
And then he turned, and threw his arms around Grumman, embracing the old officer tightly. “Good to see you, sir. It’s been way too damn long.”
Grumman had blinked in shock, before awkwardly returning the hug. “Ah… you as well, Paladin.”
Will laughed. “Let it go, man. We all did our part. Time to walk forward, remember? Even covered in mud.”
“I have a lot of mud… Will.”
“Hah, me too. Plus my knees are shot. Let’s walk anyway… after donuts.” He turned greeting Valerie politely before…
“Ahh! Uhh.. Knight… erm.. Knight Captain..”
Will blinked, and rolled his eyes. “Esper… atten-SHUN! Give your name like you're not embarrassed of it, or I'm buying and you're getting nothing but plain donuts and decaf coffee!”
Aiden winced. "You monster..."
Johnathan snapped immediately to attention, eyes straight forward. “Knight Captain Johnathan Ferreles, sir. It’s an honor to properly meet you, sir!”
Will snorted, turning to Rarity. “Adorkable, isn’t he?”
She giggled.
“John, we’re retired and you’re almost a billionaire. Also, we met three times before. Relax man, war’s over.”
“Indeed it is,” Cade said, offering a hand to Will. “Cade Kneargum, Adstrum Co-CEO alongside Ferreles here.”
“A pleasure to meet you as well, then. Your company is doing amazing things for the world.”
“Yes. The war has left so much to rebuild but given us so much to work with in doing so.”
“I couldn’t agree more.” Will nodded, grinning appreciatively.
Cade returned the nod. “It’s regrettable then… that I must do something drastic to protect two worlds…”
It all happened in an instant. His hand shot out, directly towards Rarity. She felt a massive surge of aether, bigger than anything she’d felt before, as a blade seemed to come from nowhere between his pointing fingers. Time seemed to slow as the massive sword arrowed towards her. And then she was moving to the side. She felt the impact of a body against her, and heard herself scream.
The massive blade that had materialized had buried itself in Johnathan’s chest as he’d shoved her out of the way. Will’s fist smashed into Cade, sending him flying partly through the wall. His aether… monstrous and dark, was still building. Yet the fractured maelstrom of Will’s had hardened, drawn together into a semblance of strength in the face of a deadly threat. Despite that, he collapsed to his knees after that one punch.
Rarity didn’t give a damn about any of it.
“No no no…” she cradled Johnathan, who was looking up at her with a sad smile.
“Run…” he gasped.
“No…” she said, tears spilling down. This wasn’t like with Aiden. His magic was leaking out faster than his blood. He was dying.
Aiden vanished, appearing before Cade and tackling him before being thrown across the room. Valerie had already pulled Mr. Slocum out of sight. Grumman was nowhere to be seen.
And Cade… was changing. It was quick, as he regained his feet. He had been tall before, but now he easily topped two meters and towered over everyone in the room. His eyes were an all too familiar red within yellow sclera. A pair of white horns curved up from his forehead to closely hug his scalp, ending at the back of his head behind pointed ears. His teeth showed large canines as he bared them in a snarl. “Fool,” he said in a deep, urbane voice that sounded far too much like Cade’s had. “Why would you protect her like that… you were to lead your people into a new age. ...Her life isn’t worth yours...”
Johnathan coughed blood… and laughed weakly. “You learned… nothing… fighting us. Garken. Every life… is worth mine.”
Garken Caedum, Grand Marshal of the Oni-koru, looked taken aback. “You knew…?”
“Suspected… anagram… arrogant…”
Hmph. And yet you did nothing?”
“Reparations for the war. Espionage isn’t you. But ...why her?”
He walked over to them. Rarity cradled Johnathan and put up a shield. Garken smiled down at her. “Peace, little one. I won’t try to kill you again… just yet. I’d like to say goodbye to my friend. You cannot save him.”
“You killed him!”
“Yes, I did. Because he protected you. And for now, I’ll honor that. Because he’s right. I’ve had years to sabotage Adstrum, but I would never do that. I’m no longer the Grand Marshal; my king abandoned me. Adstrum is my reparation to this world. We lost the war, long before it officially ended. I would make amends by helping rebuild, by offering strength to surpass all we took. It is our way. Our kings often forget that. They serve our prosperity.
“Johnathan. It was fun. I enjoyed working with you. You were brilliant, and you challenged me to be stronger. Even hiding from your perception was a magnificent challenge, one that even allowed me close to this child of Equus, unseen. Be reborn, strong and proud. I’ll carry on through Adstrum, and fulfill my promise to your people. Humanity will be stronger than ever.”
Johnathan snorted, the last of his aether fading away. His eyes looked dim, but there was a grim smile on his face. “You’ll be… broken here… my friend…”
Rarity felt his heart stop. She screamed in anguish… and that scream was echoed across the room. A portal opened near her, dropping Joyeuse almost into her lap. Before Garken could react she’d already grabbed it in her magic, and ignited her newest spell. He caught her swipe in one hand, though the enhanced blade cut deeply into his flesh. His eyes widened at that. He laughed.
“I never expected you would able to-”
And then a car smashed into him, taking him and it out through the front window. Joyeuse had slipped from his grasp, taking a finger with it.
Rarity looked over to Aiden, her eyes wide. “What…”
“Grabbed a car from the parking lot…” his voice sounded like broken glass being ground up. He knew what he was ignoring. And she knew he knew. There was no time. “I dropped it a few times inside my verse for momentum while he was talking. It won’t finish him, so let’s go.”
She nodded, and stood up. A blue aura gently, reverently, closed Johnathan Ferreles’ eyes as she stepped into the street to face the strongest of the Oni-koru.