//------------------------------// // 14. Chaos Beckons // Story: Harmonic Fellowship // by Sun Sage //------------------------------// Tempest’s eyes opened reluctantly. She felt as though she’d walked through a fire… backwards, slowly, while dragons fueled it from the sides. “First time… my horn hasn’t hurt… in years…” Gareth chuckled from next to her, though she couldn’t turn to look at him. “I believe it’s just your ‘everything else’ hurting more. I’m reminded of my first joust.” “...Did you win?” “I think I still have splinters from that day.” “I’m not hearing a ‘no’...” She felt a familiar presence approach, and she could feel his good humor. “Tempest, I regret to inform you that your victory over an empowered Oni-koru General has not resulted in some sort of transcendent state. Frankly, you smell like singed horsehair and it’s terrible.” “Bite my singed, stinking flank, Garken Caedum.” He grinned down at her, showing off impressive fangs. “Tempt not a hungry carnivore, little pony.” She snorted. “The last wolf who tried eating me got his teeth knocked out. ...Then I got mean.” She struggled slowly to her hooves, waving off his offer of help though giving him a little smile of thanks for it. “So we won?” “You killed General Senias, Grand Marshal Maegren Fallo has quit the field. Killing Senias is a fine accomplishment though; she was a sociopath.” “And you aren’t?” she asked with a raised eyebrow. “Jury’s still out, Ms. Kettle.” Tempest grinned at him. “So now what?” Gareth stood up heavily next to her. “Bluntly, Commander, we should withdraw. Dame Gwendolyn is relatively unharmed, but the rest of us are in no condition to continue. Losses would be inevitable for very little gain.” Tempest glanced sidelong at him, but then nodded. “Agreed. We’ll have to hope it was enough heat off of them.” Garken nodded, but turned toward the castle. “Go on ahead. I’ll catch up.” “You’re not charging in alone; you’re injured too,” Gareth protested. Garken turned back to him, lifting the remains of the already tattered shirt he’d been wearing. The flesh beneath showed the thin red line of a large, new scar, but no wound to speak of. “I heal faster than you. I can continue to be a thorn in Briareus’ side, and I intend just that. I’ll catch a ride out with Windborne and company. Go on.” Tempest’s eyes narrowed. “If you die doing something stupid, I’ll erect you a grave just so I can spit on it and then write ‘Here lies a moron. He died the way he lived, like a moron.” He laughed loudly. “I’d have it no other way, Tempest Shadow.” Before she could stop him, he reached out and tousled her mane. “Now get your troops out of here. They deserve some R&R after a successful op.” He turned again to the castle and vanished in a blur. “Dammit. ...Let’s get out of here.” Moving faster than was comfortable, but damned if she’d mention it, she led her battered group out of Canterlot. ------------------------------------------ “This is really remarkable, Aiden. This entire place is folded into your natural aether field… I can scarcely calculate the amount of energy it would’ve taken to pull that off!” “Scarcely?” Rarity asked, sounding amused. “Well, I might be off past four decimal places, measuring in thaums,” Twilight replied distractedly, more focused on looking around. “Your field permeates everything here. ...You’re stronger than it seems from the outside, you know? I see how you cracked my floor now.” Aiden laughed sheepishly. “Yeah… sorry about that. A lot of it is a recent development though… thanks in no small part to Rarity.” “Least I could do, darling.” “You sure I can’t fly around a bit?” Rainbow asked, looking around with equal curiosity. “Sorry, not this time. I’m portal hopping us while Rarity narrows your senses to only see my verse here. Within twenty feet or so is fine, but any more than that and I have to snag you individually every time, which slows us down a lot. Like this, I can go about as easy as walking. Let’s not waste any energy before we get in there.” “Yeah, that makes sense,” Rainbow admitted. “Some other time though. The winds in here are pretty interesting.” “Properly directed, you can use the aether currents in here to increase the winds, create a sort of jet stream. I played around with it as a method to increase my offensive abilities, but couldn’t do much with it. It… used to be uncomfortable for me to stay in here too long, and I didn’t know the real reason…” His eyes narrowed. “Rarity, is this..?” “Yes, darling, if you angle up we can get a look through the broken windows before we go in.” “We want to give them a few minutes. I’m stopping inside here.” The portal spam ended, and they sat in the garden with only the lightest thrum of aetheric noise around them. Aiden sighed in contentment, appreciating the moment. Compared to the resonance of what had turned out to be the slumbering souls of the victims of the Seattle attack, the current humming was a touch of serenity. “...Jet stream, huh? Bet I could set new speed records in here if that’s the case.” “Wouldn’t that be cheating, Rainbow?” “Personal records, Rarity, nothing I’d brag about.” Rarity raised an eyebrow. “No, really! See how fast I can get in optimal conditions, take note of everything, and then reach for that in normal conditions, like the next Equestria Games or something, you know?” “You should be focused on what’s directly in front of you, Rainbow Dash.” She nodded. “I know. I’m distracting myself. There’s three really strong monsters in there, but that’s not even the problem. It’s like a chill wind blowing from the wrong direction, you know?” “I… can’t say I do, no.” Rainbow grimaced, trying to find the words. “Something’s out of place. We’re going in to bust up a storm, and I feel like there’s a tornado waiting to hit us the moment we do. But I can’t see where it’s hiding.” Twilight’s head shot up. “Not three monsters anymore. Can you feel that?!” Aiden’s eyes were wide. “The two smaller of the three just left. Hah, Garken’s team did it… mostly.” “Shall we give them more time?” Rarity asked. “No. Can’t risk the two seeing it’s a ruse, and frankly I don’t want them to have to face all three. We’re going in now.” Twilight nodded, her horn lit as Rainbow took to the air, hovering just above them. Joyeuse floated at high guard next to Rarity, and Aiden reached out a hand to catch a baston, while the other sat in the air near his shoulder. A portal opened to just above the broken window, and he looked down at the being most directly responsible for five hundred million deaths on Earth. King Briareus of the Oni-koru looked right back at him in that eye blink of time, unnaturally fast. Aiden flung a baston surrounded by telekinetic force, opening five portals at once as, in that single moment, he stared down the tyrant nemesis of two worlds. The first portal swallowed the baston before it reached him, a feint that had his hands moving up to block and his attention tunneled. The second opened near the unicorn chained to the wall. The third opened near the Discord statue, but (unsurprisingly) failed to move the aetherically massive object. Aiden, it turned out, could no more push even a statue of Discord than he could raise the sun, but it had been worth a try and had even shuddered a bit… he thought. The fourth portal put them on the floor of the throne room. The fifth opened beside Briareus’ head, causing him to jerk away and adjust his block… Meaninglessly, as the baston flew out through portal two, smashing into and through the chain holding Raven. Another portal opened to get her away, but a pulse of aether through the room smashed it as Briareus roared furiously. “YOU DARE!” “Sure do,” Aiden muttered, blinking away as a blast of aether flew past where he’d stood. He reappeared at the monster’s left, a swing already in progress… ...When a fist smashed into him, throwing him backward. Briareus followed, towering over the human as he threw another massive, nearly instantaneous strike. Aiden blocked, the aether infused baston bending under the force of the attack. And then another, and another, and then ten more as the Hundred Fist lived up to his name. Aiden had regained his footing and redoubled his defensive strength, even correcting the damage to his weapon, but in only a handful of seconds any advantage was gone. His arm cracked but aether reinforced it. Fingers broke and began mending. Twenty punches landed into faltering blocks and dodges... And then Rainbow plowed into Briareus. Taken off guard in his tunnel vision on a hated Esper, he staggered under the force of the pegasus at nearly the speed of sound. Aiden backstepped as Rainbow pressed the attack, and he risked a glance at Twilight. His eyes went wide as he saw her hovering, the light of her horn suffused by a massive overglow. He couldn’t feel anything. She could have been lighting a candle. She opened her eyes, and they were glowing white. “Now, Rainbow,” she said simply. Without waiting for a reply, she fired. It would have lit one hell of a candle. Rainbow shifted right as what looked to Aiden like the Death Star Superlaser shot past them both. Briareus saw it incoming, and threw both fists at it, inches apart one atop the other. He might have destroyed the blast; the strength in those fists laughably surpassed ordinary physical force. But Joyeuse threaded through his defense like a needle, piercing his right hand and marring his counterattack. The energy hit his fists and exploded just as Joyeuse vanished, its damage done. Briareus was flung backward, smashing into the far wall and sliding limply down it with his fists charred nearly beyond recognition. His magic was already recovering as he stopped himself from hitting the floor. “How… dare… you,” he said simply, standing up. His throne exploded, caught in his magic and flung about the room in a storm of stone debri. Joyeuse danced, deflecting the results of the improvised attack away from Rarity and Raven. Twilight shielded herself with no effort, Rainbow at her side, and Aiden still couldn’t feel any power from her. It was almost distracting enough that he was hit by the shards of marble himself. Almost. The floating baston lacked Joyeuse’s flourishes, but it took care of defense in its utilitarian way. But that wasn’t the reason they hadn’t pressed the attack. The aetheric force in the room had become stifling. Briareus was King of the Oni-koru, and clearly not for nothing a race that so valued strength would follow him. The depths of his reserves seemed bottomless. His initial surprise was gone, and now there was only anger… anger at the little birds who dared flap around in front of a dragon. “Why are you doing this?” Twilight asked. “Hmph… you even bother asking that, little princess?” he answered disdainfully, stepping towards her. “I don’t mean attacking Equestria, or even Equus. I never get a good answer to that one anway. I sometimes think villains don’t even know what they’re really doing… But no, I mean… why are you hiding what you really are?” There was quiet laughter in the room… from the (headless) Discord statue. “SILENCE!” Briareus screamed at it, before turning to Twilight as the anger fell from his face. “And frankly, little princess, you’re one to talk. Hiding your magic itself… is there some purpose to that at this juncture? Why not fight me at my full strength?” “Oh, that?” She smiled beautifically at him. “I needed a few seconds to find something without you noticing. You see… I know how to reverse Discord’s magic. I’ve known for awhile now, since we first faced him. I don’t mean freeing my friends from his mind warping, or Spike and Celestia freeing me from it. I mean, full-stop, returning Harmony to Chaos.” Her smile became a grin as an ear twitched, and her pupils shrank. “I also learned… how to go the other way…” Her teeth ground together as her magic exploded outward, washing through the oppressive Oni’s dominating power. But it didn’t dispel it or even fight it. Instead… Crack… The Discord statue shuddered, riddled with cracks, and fell over… And shattered. “Wha-!” Twilight started, before more laughter interrupted her. “Oh my dear, dear Twilight… I really have been underestimating you!” Discord’s voice filled the throne room. “I’d have never thought you’d come so far… but I suppose I can’t be too surprised. Such a lovely little bundle of neuroses… of course you understand Chaos better than you’d ever care to admit! Delightful! ...Any plans Saturday night?” “Discord… where are you?!” Twilight asked, sounding worried. “Oh, Twilight Sparkle… not all countermeasures are so kind as the Elements of Harmony. But… I’m free now, and I can recover, instead of being stuck in two places at once. ...Can you imagine being limited to only two places?! Preposterous!” “No…” Briareus said, quiet but forceful. “You will not escape my grasp… you will-” Briareus reared back as an oddly shaped stone flew through the air, hitting him in the forehead. It floated there in front of him… ...Discord’s stone head. “Discord used Head Butt!” the head statue said. “...It’s not very effective. ...Discord used Self Destruct!” The head exploded in a flash and a bang, knocking Briareus off-kilter but doing little damage. Still, his control was shattered. Before he could recover his stance, Aiden swept his legs. As the Oni fell he stepped away, opening four portals. The first carried his backstep to across the room, near Rarity and Raven. Without even a word between them, he formed a shield interweaving with Rarity’s. The second portal placed itself in front of Twilight and Rainbow as a shield of sorts. The third dropped a tanker truck into the throne room, directly atop Briareus. The fourth opened a hole in the side, and poured in a concentration of oxygen and a tiny, shielded match. A touch of telekinesis struck the match, and the throne room exploded into flame. Briareus’ shriek of rage was drowned out by the wave of destruction washing over them all. And yet somehow, Aiden heard Rarity mutter “Weren’t we just here to rescue captives?” “Meh,” Aiden replied, grinning. The portal in front of Twilight dropped away as Aiden opened another. The Falcon landed in the throne room. “Aiden, what are you doing?!” “Kicking ass…” Three portals opened as Briareus struggled to rise, dazed and still on fire. The first opened under him, forcing him to direct his magic downward or be pulled in (or worse halfway in). The second opened behind the Falcon’s main sublight thruster, and the third right behind Briareus. “Twi, hold the ship in place!” “Are you crazy!?” “YES!” A raspberry aura caught the Falcon as an orange flick of telekinesis activated the engine. Plasma shot through the portals, immolating Briareus. He staggered forward, trying to marshal a defense as his flesh melted away. With a pained shriek, he blurred forward and away from the portal. It closed, and another opened in front of him. He fell away from it reflexively, rolling away as portals spewing plasma followed him. At last he grabbed a massive column in his magic and yanked it down, flinging it at the Falcon, which vanished as Aiden sent it back through to his verse. The column hit the doors behind where the ship had been, smashing them open with surprising force. Clearly, Briareus had power to spare. “I thought the batteries were dead on your ship!” Twilight said. “They are, but the auxiliaries recharge themselves. They just aren’t worth much… can’t do that one again for awhile.” Aiden replied, thinking of the next move. “Then couldn’t we have not crashed?” Rarity demanded. “Not at the speed we had. Like I said, they’re not worth much. Oni-koru ‘engineering’.” “Who cares?! That was awesome!” Rainbow said, taking to the air again. “But what do we do to keep this guy down?!” It was a fair question. Briareus was slowly getting back up. His strength was wavering, but still almost impossible to gauge. What would it take? Aiden began recharging his magic. He could sympathize with the Falcon… he was running low... “My king!” Maegren shouted as he appeared, shielding Briareus as he got to his feet. Aiden cursed as he realized he’d lost track of the fight outside. Still, Maegren looked much the worse for wear. And that was before Briareus slapped him with enough force to send a shockwave through the room. “FOOL! You lost to that miserable traitor and a unicorn we’d already captured once?!” “I prevented them from approaching, Your Majesty!” Maegren protested as he formed a shield around his king against any more attacks. “...Yes, so you did.” Briareus muttered, reaching into what little remained of his robes. His hand came out with a large chunk of matte black crystal. “And now you will continue to serve in my defense.” “I… of course! My king!” Maegren puffed out his chest despite the look of trepidation clear on his face. Briareus shoved the crystal towards Maegren’s chest… and it vanished in a flash of light just before making contact. “What?!” “I’m sorry,” Twilight said, “But there really is a good reason shields should always defend against teleportation magic.” Maegren’s shield shattered as Briareus fired a massive blast of aether through it, engulfing Twilight’s shield. The princess’ eyes went wide as her power buckled under the onslaught. Aiden felt it at last as she could no longer hide her power, pouring everything into defense. She was… amazing. There was a strength there to match Will’s in his prime. She had only begun to tap into what she could do… He could feel it now. Her power wasn’t diffuse between her friends. Her power was her friends. He could see it; her Element connected them all, drew upon the bonds forged between their very souls. She’d have died for them in an instant, killed for them without a thought. The darkness she feared in herself… they were the lights that kept it away. They were her everything. And she… she was their best hope. And she was being pushed back… He charged, stepping through a portal only to have it shoved sideways, taking his exit portal five feet further from Briareus than intended. His strength was enough to push it back. Maegren attacked Aiden, but his movements were sluggish and weak compared to his King. He was clearly depleted from the battle outside. Aiden caught his wrist, breaking it easily as he twisted the larger fighter into his own momentum. He completed his spin, smashing Maegren brutally into the floor, crushing him into the marble as Aiden manipulated gravity around them during the swinging takedown. Rarity had already charged past him, Joyeuse dancing around her like a hummingbird. It lit with the full force of her magic, shining brightly as she brought it down at Briareus. He caught it with one hand, still directing his dark aether at Twilight, but his attack faltered as his attention split and blood spurted from his already damaged hand. Twilight regained her balance, the cracks in her shielding mended. Briareus’ fingers wrapped around Joyeuse and he wrenched it away from Rarity’s magic. Quicker than she could react, he leveled a brutal kick at her head. Rainbow blocked it, appearing seemingly from nowhere in a prism flash as she caught his leg, slowing it enough for Rarity to duck. She reclaimed Joyeuse, pulling it straight back from his grasp. The pure aetheryte weapon sliced easily into his already charred, slashed fingers, carving them away. Rarity’s eyes went wide as Rainbow tackled her away from Briareus’ flailing attempt to crush them both. “Aiden!” she cried out. “He isn’t healing!” “What?! ….The hell…” It was true. The Oni-koru healed from battle injuries quickly when their magic wasn’t exhausted. Granted, Briareus was focusing on mostly offense, but even so… healing was what the Oni did. Briareus directed a second blast of energy, this one at Rarity, but Rainbow shoved her aside, yelling more in annoyance than pain as the blast singed her tail. The blast hit the wall near Raven, who’d crouched and stayed quiet the entire time. But in that moment… as Briareus was looking in her direction, but not right at her… her hoof flicked, and there was the tiniest glint in the air, the shine of metal reflecting light. Briareus reeled back, a dagger buried in his left eye. His attack on Twilight flickered out entirely as he stumbled. Inspired, Rarity directed Joyeuse at the other eye, blinding him and more as the enhanced weapon impaled his head completely. Rarity winced, clearly taken aback by her own action in the heat of the moment, but she didn’t look away. Aiden held out a hand, gathering strength. He grit his teeth as he poured everything he could into piercing Briareus’ scattered but still thick defenses. Thirty portals opened. Each tore into the flesh and bone of the Oni-koru King. He fell to his knees, and then forward onto his face. His aura vanished from the room.