“It was a simple decision, and it’s just as simple to revisit it later,” Tempest said with a bit of a huff.
“And I get that… or I think I do. It’s just, with everything you went through to get it back-”
“Everything I tried to give away that wasn’t mine to give… like Equestria for example.”
“Oh come on, who hasn’t tried to take over Equestria at least once? We could start a club,” Sunset Shimmer grinned cheekily at Tempest.
“I don’t even have to speak up, do I?” Raven asked with a smirk.
“I haven’t,” Celestia muttered.
“Actually, ma’am, that’s not true,” Sunset corrected, still grinning. “Bloodless though it was, you technically took over in a military coup with the backing of Clover, Pansy, and Smart Cookie. Granted the three tribe leaders didn’t protest or resist, but you weren’t elected or part of any of the noble families of the time.”
Celestia blinked, then smiled. “Well then! I didn’t ‘try’, now did I?”
Sunset chuckled.
“I too have not tried conquering this realm, though I once envisioned the possibility,” Garken spoke up. “I’ve determined I lack the strength. Which brings us back to…” He looked expectantly at Tempest, who sighed and rolled her eyes.
They were making their way east, toward the location indicated by the Map. A few hours of sleep for some of them had been all the more time they’d dared delay, and as such only Gareth had accompanied them from among the griffons. The others needed more recovery time to be combat ready. Garken and Aiden had both made clear the potential dangers the Spires represented. Twilight’s experience with one, and its guardian, had only added weight to the warning.
During that time, Tempest had elected not to have her horn restored. “Because it wouldn’t necessarily help right now. I’ve learned, throughout most of my life, to live without it. I still have magic, and I’ve learned to channel it through my body as well as this stupid stump. I can fight as well as anypony, thanks to that constant training under this condition. I mess with that now… and I have to learn all over again. Maybe it’ll come easy, maybe not. This isn’t the time to find out.”
Celestia nodded her approval. Sunset looked thoughtful, but eventually nodded. Raven just shrugged, not really caring one way or the other. Garken seemed thoughtful. “A correct decision in the short term… but if it affords you greater strength in the long run delaying this relearning may hurt us. Still, the choice is yours to make.”
Tempest nodded, not trusting herself to speak again. She’d caught the tiny hitch in his tone. He knew. Everything she’d said was true… but it wasn’t the whole truth. After everything she’d done… she wanted to make amends as she was, as best she could. Then, and only then, would she consider any attempt to be made whole again.
Garken snorted, speaking up as they crested a rise over a valley that housed at least their target area, per the Map. “It would seem they’ve no interest in hiding, this time.”
Tempest quickly saw what he meant. The Spire was massive: a white tower reaching hundreds of feet into the sky, made of what appeared to be granite or basalt. “Huh, I’d have expected metal.”
“The technology for creating the Spires is far older than our ownership of it… as is true for most of what we had. What you see as stone is a lifeform, of sorts, entirely controlled by the design of the structure, and altered to fit the unique needs of a particular Spire. The interior is similarly adaptable. As are…” Garken’s eyes narrowed, then widened as he moved in a blur to the front of the group. A flash from the Spire’s tip heralded a wash of energy across a hastily raised shield of magic. His hands and horns sizzled from the backlash as the shield buckled and shattered under the deflected force.
Tempest felt a tingle through her coat on her left side, and then… less. She looked over before crying out in shock. Gareth was down, quickly smothering the fire that had taken hold in one wing from where he’d tried to provide cover.
But Celestia and Raven were gone.
------------------------------------------
Evening Calm walked ahead of the others. Her injuries had healed well and she was quite happy basking in her princess’ approval and trust. Luna and her three companions, Starlight Glimmer, Trixie Lulamoon, and of course Princess Twilight Sparkle, followed the Guard Captain’s lead in a hushed conversation.
“I’m telling you, she did something to me!” Starlight whispered harshly. “I can feel Trixie standing there, and I don’t just mean in the aether field. Her emotional state…” she blushed lightly. “How she feels about me…”
“Right, because that was a big secret,” Twilight muttered.
“Stop dismissing this! How can you trust her?!”
“I don’t… which is why I’m dismissing this. Starlight, every spell I know that could analyze what she did was running, including the ones we’ve come up with concerning changelings. Yes, there are traces of changeling magic in your horn. Yes, your aetheric aspect has shifted, slightly, in a way that has not affected your casting ability-”
“Like fun it hasn’t! The shield I used in the hospital was basically powered by Trixie kissing me!”
The unicorn in question also blushed, looking away. “I don’t have enough smoke bombs to escape this conversation…”
“You’re exaggerating,” Twilight replied to Starlight, ignoring Trixie’s snark. “It was twenty-one and a half percent at most.”
“I… that’s…” Starlight shook her head, glaring at Twilight. “It’s usually me going after the crazy magic… what’s with you lately?”
Twilight smiled at her serenely. “It’s complicated, I guess. When I started hearing from friends around the world that the Oni-koru were here and causing trouble, even before I knew who and what they were, solutions started presenting themselves. I may not trust Chrysalis, but in an odd way I trust that, as long as I don’t trust her, I can trust her to help us even when she pretends she isn’t. ...This is something that’s been coming together for us ever since the Castle grew there. We’ve been making friends everywhere, sometimes from our enemies,” she placed a hoof gently on Starlight’s shoulder, drawing another blush from the other mare before she looked away. “Equus is moving towards something greater than it's ever seen before, and if the Oni-koru are our next big test, then I’m ready! No, we all are even if we don’t know it!”
“...That doesn’t make sense.”
Twilight lowered the hoof she’d raised to the sky, blushing in embarrassment. “Hehe… I may not be explaining it very well. My thesis on the subject needs a rewrite, but I was a bit rushed with everything going on.” Her eyes went wide and sparkled a bit. “Ooh, you want to proofread it for me?! It’s only thirty-nine pages!”
Starlight rolled her eyes, smiling in spite of herself. “Your love of being a nerd tastes nice, by the way.”
“You’re not a changeling, Starlight.”
“Yet. ...And I better not turn into one, or I’m putting that witch in a cocoon!”
“Girls, we’re approaching our destination, so perhaps a bit of quiet would be in order?”
“Sorry, Luna.”
It was true enough. Atop a mountain ahead sat a massive Spire of obsidian or some similar dark stone. Sleek and tall, it would have been all but invisible at night without the moon as a backdrop. Even in early morning the structure seemed to push away light.
“Tis well, Twilight,” Luna replied, dismissing the unneeded apology. “But focus up: the sense of foreboding about that structure demands our full attention. The aether seems to be shifting-”
A shadow blacker than night surrounded them all and they vanished.
------------------------------------------
*The Last Dream*
Aiden was helpless. He’d been staked to a massive tree by four spears that looked, and felt, exactly like what he’d endured during the raid on Veritech. He did not appreciate his subconscious so painstakingly reproducing that feeling four times over.
But compared to the sight before him, it was a nearly heavenly distraction.
Pinkie Pie was crying. All around her kitchen knives covered in blood and blue feathers littered the ground. Rainbow… what was left of her, lay nearby unmoving, barely breathing.
General Maegren was chuckling quietly as he patted Pinkie on the head, feigning comfort. “It’s alright, little Laughter… they can’t hurt you anymore. Soon now… soon I’ll end all your pain.”
Pinkie sobbed. “Please… I’m so sorry… please…”
“Be patient now.” He stepped around her, walking to Aiden with a smile. “You brought them here to face me, boy. Just as your General Grumman sent children to face me at the Southern Spire. It seems you truly do both walk the path to Hell. And no matter how many… corpses,” he chuckled, stepping casually over Rarity’s body. She wasn’t moving, wasn’t breathing. It was perhaps as well… she would never see what the knives had done to her face. “...you have to step across, you’re content to keep walking. Sacrifices for the greater good, of course.”
“...”
“...Nothing to say?”
“To my own messed up nightmares? Not really. I saw this and worse during the war, thanks to monsters like you. Not the Oni soldiers, following orders and fighting our militaries… both sides had their monsters. If this is some unworked trauma I’ll deal with it… if it’s a warning consider me warned. But you? Just a figment… and this?” He nodded his head towards the horrors before him. “Isn’t going to happen.”
“It can though… we’ve seen it.”
He turned his head to the new voice as the scene before him thankfully vanished. The spears were gone, and he floated gently to his feet, standing on grey clouds beneath a starry night. The moon, far larger than he’d ever seen awake, shone brightly.
“Show yourse- oh right… hi…” Aiden looked at the sudden newcomer.
A pegasus filly with an oversized shadow and softly glowing eyes smiled up at him.
“Hello, little hero.”
He snorted. “Look who’s talking, short stuff.”
Joyous Riot… Keia, laughed an entirely un-filly-like laugh. “Touché. It’s amusing to see you again. I believe you’ve grown.”
“I’ve figured out a lot about my magic lately.”
She shook her head. “I meant physically. Broader shoulders perhaps. It suits you.” She looked away, ear flicking as though she were listening to someone. “Oh very well, to work then.”
“Wait… so it was you who warned us, back on Earth? I mean it’s just… Joy doesn’t seem to recognize who I am, and…” He shrugged.
“Yes and no… I’m no prophet, Windborne, lest I’d have fared better against you at the Spire. I came to be of use to a certain being who sees the Universe’s patterns far better than you or I. Through little choice of my own, I came to be of service to her. As to my waking mind…” she smiled, again a calm smile that looked odd on the filly’s face. “These dreams are just that… dreams. While I may one day regain these memories as a part of who I am to become, I cannot say. I remembered some small bit of my martial prowess, though I owe as much of that to my parents. They are rather impressive, even by my standards. I suppose I did something right in my last life.”
“Right at the end, maybe.”
She snickered before sobering. “Windborne… it’s as you said. Maegren is a monster, he defended the Southern Spire by dementing your people into slaughtering one another.”
“I’m aware of that.”
“The corrupted aetheryte has only increased his cruelty, and his strength. At Canterlot he fought poorly… he’s a coward at heart, and an ingrained fear of my previous father was deeper in him than he’d ever admit. ...Reasonable. Garken hated him.”
“Can’t imagine why.”
“But further he was new to the power he’d received from Kirin. He is no longer so hampered. And you’re bringing him the perfect victims. ...I do not look down upon the peoples of this world, Windborne, far from it! But… but you cannot bring these paragons of virtue into that demon’s midst! Pure of heart they are, but they are not ready for him! He’ll have them tear each other apart… and make you watch them do it. We did not frivolously show you this.”
Aiden sighed, nodding his understanding. The nightmare had been her then, revealing their worst fears of what could happen. It explained why he’d felt so detached from it. No trauma needed… the warning was loud and clear. “So he’s guarding that Spire.”
“He is… and Kirin has given him more aetheryte, both as punishment for his failures and to increase his chances of success now.”
“How is it punishment?”
Keia looked away. “Windborne… you see the results of ‘death’. The universe wastes nothing; that is what we believe. Even awareness, the memories a soul can take with it, need not be lost. Whether it is so for humans, and ponies, I cannot say. I hope so, for your sake.”
Aiden smiled. “I saw my sister, before she moved on. Wherever she went, I doubt she’ll stay long before finding a new life to live somewhere.”
Keia nodded. “But no design is perfect. The aetheryte, corrupted and malicious, draws out strength by stealing it from the very foundation of one’s soul. Brief exposure, or small amounts of the crystal, are of no moment. I cannot say whether Garken will face a lasting effect…”
“He already is. He’s weaker than he was on Earth. I think he realizes it but doesn’t want to admit it.”
“It may pass in time, or not; I do not know. For Maegren though… he is beyond saving now. Vile magicks flow in his blood, cracking and corroding his soul. When he dies… and it will be a score of years or less, what little remains of it will scarcely be dust in the aether. He will not be born again.”
“...Making me feel bad for the guy… if he weren’t a complete psycho.”
“He wished for this… I cannot fully understand why.”
“Can’t even blame Kirin then? ...Wait… how do you know about all that? If you’re not really conscious…”
Keia chuckled. “That is the right question to ask. But I’m not the right person to answer. ...I’ll step aside now.” She turned her head, addressing someone Aiden couldn’t sense. “Thank you for allowing me to speak with him. He’s as I remembered. You can trust him completely.” She turned back, smiling with tears in her eyes. “Tell my father… Garken…” she shook her head. “...Nothing. I’ll find him… or rather Joy will. One day, perhaps, I will as well. But he’ll know,” she nodded with certainty. “He’ll know…”
The shadow enveloped her, growing larger before shifting, glowing in a reflection of the moon. It took on a new shape: a tall human woman with alabaster skin, jet black hair, and the same glowing eyes. She smiled warmly, and Aiden felt his breath catch in his throat. Her aether was a summer breeze at night, dew on primroses, and the soft light of the moon and stars shining down. He knew to whom he now spoke.
“It’s nice to meet you… Sidera.”
The Seraphim’s smile became a happy grin. “Progeny of Synnove Ó Catháin… somewhat removed. Pleased and honored am I beyond words to behold you upon Equus. Too long have I waited to once again give greetings.” The grin faded somewhat. “Would that tidings were better.”
Setting aside the casual mention of his apparent ancestor… “Yeah… erm, not to criticize too much, but…”
She shook her head, sighing. “I am entirely aware of my unforgivable failure concerning our ancient foes. In truth, twas my failure to protect fair Luna’s mind that led me to excessive self reflection, questioning. After so long with nothing intruding upon my Veil, I failed to notice either vessel until after the fact.” She winced, looking all the more human for it. “I apologize in particular for the damage to your vessel. I am responsible and yet am at odds as to recompense.”
Aiden grimaced. “Immortal or not, hard to stay vigilant for fifteen hundred years. ...I assume. I think I’d hate even fifteen hours on guard duty.” He shook his head. “...But nevermind that. Sidera, knowing what you know of Maegren… what do we do? As much as I’ve learned in these dreams, I don’t think it’s enough. If he’s stronger than Canterlot… even there we made sure to distract him so he was off balance, drawn out. This time he’s waiting for us and that’s exactly how he wants it, just like the Southern Spire back home. If I have to face him alone I will, of course, but…”
“...What I have seen of him, the reason I have known to come before you, is the depth of magic now at his disposal. It is blinding: a blight upon the world almost moreso than Kirin himself. I… I do not see a way to defeat him at this time, and yet…” Sidera looked away, her face falling into sadness.
“...Can’t wait him out, I’m guessing?”
She sighed. “The Spires will weaken Harmony and strengthen the corrupted aetheryte, in preparation for sacrificing the strongest of this world to create even greater weapons. The three you have been summoned to must be stopped… at any cost, lest you risk the destruction of all Equus… and other worlds besides…”
Aiden chuckled, shaking his head. “Guess Maegren made the best play, then.”
“His soul will burn away to ash in time… but not before this world, if left unchecked.” She visibly steeled herself before meeting Aiden’s eyes. “There… may be a way. I do not wish to ask it of you. The Elements of Harmony may not stop Kirin, but on Maegren they may be effective.”
“Well… that’s great news, except that we’re kind of sending the Bearers all over the place just now.”
“It is worse than you think… the magic coursing through him now, if countered by Harmony, would explode more violently than any Spire you remember. Worst of all, it could easily corrupt the Bearers.”
Aiden was pacing now. “Joyeuse contains pure aetheryte. Could it purify that… or even be used to focus the initial attack?”
Sidera’s eyes widened. “It… it’s possible…” she sighed and shook her head. “It is too much. The Bearer of Joyeuse and Generosity, though dear to you and impressive in her strides forward, is young and inexperienced in controlling so much power. The depth of his malice would be like to overcome her, and through her the blade and mayhap even the Elements themselves. Twould not be lasting, as such ill cannot overcome Them long, but…”
“Long enough for the fallout to be catastrophic.”
“Yes. And the damage to young Rarity’s soul may well be permanent.”
“Her soul…” Aiden said vaguely… catching at the wisps of an idea… one that pissed him off. “If you knew about this… why the Hell are you only warning us now?!”
“I had no choice but to cut myself off from Luna during her own corruption! I am no longer truly alive and lack the defenses I once had! Had I fallen to her Nightmare Equus would be a playground for the darkest horrors of the psyche. This conversation would be unnecessary, for the world would already be long doomed. It was only when I felt the presence of a foreign soul, one not of Equus and yet welcomed to begin life here, that I…”
“Keia… so that’s why Joyous Riot…”
“Yes. ...I did not realize, even then, that Luna had been completely freed of the Nightmare’s influence.” Sidera gave another shuddering sigh. “A demon of her own creation, slain by her bravery and her friends’ love, as I languished uselessly! ...I failed.” Tears clouding her eyes she turned back to Aiden, grasping his arms in desperation. “Please! I can see it within you! You’ve seen a way to protect them, to stave him off long enough that they can defeat him! Ask anything of me, anything at all, be it in my power! You must protect this world, as I have failed to! PLEASE!” She screamed, clinging to him as her legs seemed to fail.
He caught her. “Man…” He laughed quietly, gently so it was clear he wasn’t mocking her. “You’d swear I wasn’t a soldier or something.”
She looked up. “...What?”
“Rarity’s soul… if it were a bit stronger… a bit more experienced maybe. That’d turn the tide?”
“It… but there’s no time for-”
“So all we need to do, is find a guy who happens to have his own soul connected to hers… who’s also willing to go down swinging if it means this monstrosity we face will be a little weaker when her turn comes up. She can already access my power… a power that will stick around after I die, if we’re right, and Equus’ field is telling me I am.”
“...You…” her eyes went wide, realizing what he was saying.
“Heh,” Aiden grinned at her. “Told you… I’m a soldier. I may not always act the part, us Espers were kind of spoiled because we were young, and a lot was needed of us whether we wanted it or not, so we got some leeway. Funny thing was… almost all of us did want. Rarity said something about Earth’s aether field. The determination of it, the stubborn will to fight on no matter what, coursing through us. It’s different here… I feel inspired towards a plan I know is gonna work. And I’ve still got enough Earth in me that goddammit, I’ll make sure it does.” He shook his head, tears in his own eyes. “Maegren thinks he’s made the strongest play. Hell with that. All we have to do is lose one knight and we’re out of check and back to the advantage.”
“But…”
“Aw, but nothing. I jump on the grenade; that’s what we do. I won’t ask an artist to do it, or a farmer, or a scholar, or party planner. Not even a daredevil, and I know she would. Every damn one of them is brave enough to do it! All the strengths of this world, both our worlds! They’re about more than fighting. Garken, Keia, Inpes… they’ve all learned that, and who knows how many more will? I just have to clear the path for them to walk forward. That’s my job.” He faltered a moment, smiling wanly. “Besides… it’s… it’s not forever, right?” He looked at her, a touch of fear in his eyes as he contemplated what was to come and the path he would take.
“No… no!” She replied, certain. “That much I can promise! I didn’t dare even conceive of such… your people have given so much to us, to this world, and I… I will see that you find a place again! I swear it to you, this much I can do.”
“Ah, Hell… piece of mind like that, how can a guy not charge in headlong? There’s a real freedom to it, ya know?”
“She… she may not understand.”
He chuckled weakly. “Shit no she won’t. Not for awhile. Sweetest girl I ever met, dammit. She’d risk herself instead in half a heartbeat… and we’re not going to let her do it. This world needs her, and with what she can carry forward from me, she’ll be more than enough.”
Looking up at the stars, he went quiet for a time. “They really are something… being up here, seeing them this close. ...You know my dad was a pilot…”
“Perhaps a pegasus… in your… your next life?” She asked, lips trembling as she tried not to dwell on the full meaning of what she asked.
“Hmm… flying would be neat. But Rarity said I seemed more a unicorn. ...Then again, I wouldn’t mind trying my hand at growing a garden. ...Guess it’d be hoof, huh? Building something up instead of knocking things over…” He laughed, shrugging aside the brief bout of pensivity. “Ahh-ahh, I can’t decide!” He chuckled, hearing voices in the distance, in the waking world. “Surprise me.”
------------------------------------------
They’d covered the distance to their Spire quickly, and using Aiden’s method had allowed them to start a bit later than the other two. It had given him time to write a letter.
“We’ll be there in just a few minutes, hope you’re all ready for a fight because I feel that bastard already.”
“I as well, darling. Why do you suppose he’d come out of the Spire to face us?”
“The Spires are more than just a lure this time around. Further, with their ship destroyed they can’t replace them. He’s too strong to risk fighting us inside and damaging the thing.”
“That does make sense, I guess. ...Pinkie dear, are you alright?”
“...No,” the pink pony replied vaguely, somberly. “I don’t think I like this. ...Maybe it’s just something I ate…”
“It’s probably his aether. It’s practically poisonous at this point, so we’ll have to play it very carefully.”
“Yes,” Rarity said, staring at him. “Yes we will.”
Aiden frowned, feeling a twitch of concern. “That’s what I said.”
“Not what you meant though,” Rainbow said, landing next to them… with a note clenched in her teeth. “Dear Rarity… if you’re reading this…” she quoted, staring daggers up at him.
“Honestly, love, did you think you could run off alone with that look on your face, hide that letter, and I wouldn’t notice? This is almost as much my pocket world as yours, at this point. ...For that matter, why off on the edge near the water?”
Look… if you read it, you know why I’m-”
“Shut up!” Rarity shouted. “Of course I know why! I may not have seen Keia, or thankfully most of the rest of what happened leading up to it, but I heard EVERY. LAST. WORD!”
“...Shit.”
“Shit is right! You think this is the best plan?! You think that-”
“If you experienced that horror you know goddamn well what’s at stake! ...It’s not forever… it’s not so bad.” He chuckled. “I mean, I guess you’ll be a little old for me, but…”
“You do not get to joke about this!”
“Yeah, I do. Same as back home. You think Aaron got through it all moping around? You know better. We laugh at it.” He nodded to Pinkie. “That’s how you handle fear.”
She smiled at him, perking up. “Giggle at the ghostie… and the meanie. That’s…” Her eyes widened. “That’s why we’re here.”
“Damn right!” Rarity said. “You will NOT face him alone. You are not dying today so I can get some sort of stupid… power boost! I make dresses! I intend to go back to doing that! What am I going to do with some alicorn level power?”
“...Make dresses out of clouds and stuff?” Rainbow asked. “Or maybe Elemental Aetheric Water?”
Rarity blinked, and her eyes narrowed as she tapped a hoof to her chin thoughtfully. Then she shook her head to clear it. “Forget it! I’ll figure that out on my own, as I am, and with you as you are. So help me, if you die trying to keep us off your ‘road to Hell’ I will march right into Tartarus and pull you back out WITH MY TEETH!”
Rainbow stared at Rarity, and then to Aiden. She grinned. “Sorry, big guy… looks like you made friends a bit too Loyal to let you walk that road alone. ...I’d rather fly it anyway. ...Speaking of flight, I think I have an idea for this, too.”
------------------------------------------
Minutes later the group appeared in a clearing in the trees. Said clearing allowed them to see the Spire rising up from the forest, dozens of stories into the sky. The grey stone seemed to deflect the clouds, pushing them into lazy circles around its uppermost heights.
Aiden grimaced inwardly at the familiarity of the clearing. ...There was the tree the nightmare had seen him staked to. And there, across from them, standing tall and oozing corrupt magic, was Grand Marshal Maegren.
He was seven feet tall, blue skinned, and thin. Shiny black claws adorned his four fingered hands and three black horns topped his head, two curling around the sides from his temples, one rising from his forehead like a mockery of a unicorn’s horn. Cruel red in yellow eyes looked back into Aiden’s greys, and he could almost hear the mocking laughter in the air.
“You… you feel that?” Rainbow muttered, shaking her mane as though to push away that very air.
“I taste that,” Pinkie said, sounding disgusted.
Rarity didn’t speak, she simply drew Joyeuse from thin air, igniting the blade and bringing it to a telekinetic en garde.
“Welcome, my much awaited guests. ...I must ask; where is Twilight Sparkle? I expected her as well.”
“...Not sure what you mean. I think she was chasing down a colt with an overdue library book. Little guy had a set of legs on him, but she’ll get him. He’s in for it.” Aiden smirked as he rambled on, trying to keep his lunch down. This whole situation was…
“Droll… but even so…” Maegren muttered something about ‘one to each’ before seeming to dismiss it. “No matter. You’ve brought the mare I most wanted to meet.” He stepped forward, a slasher smile on his face as his head tilted slightly to the side. “Pinkamena. Diane. Pie. How nice to finally make your acquaintance… Little Laughter. We’re going to have such fun. ...You like fun, don’t you?”
Pinkie swallowed heavily, taking a small step back as he slowly approached. “Stay… stay away from me.” Her voice was steady, though her mane seemed to waver. Her aether, all but bottomless to Aiden, seemed to fluctuate. She’d known… what Rarity had explained of Pinkie Sense… of course she’d known. Of course they’d found the letter. Aiden shook his head. He’d made wonderful friends here. Amazing people, each of them. And it was time to make sure they kept being so. Now or never.
The magic around them coalesced, barriers of hardened aether, condensed by gravity to complete opacity, crashed down around the clearing and above, enclosing them. Aiden smiled grimly. “Plan B, girls.”
“Wha-” All three mares vanished through portals and the aether condensed where they’d been, sealing them out of the arena Aiden had crafted.
Sealing himself inside with a laughing Maegren.