“Oooh, no wonder he looked so familiar,” Rainbow Dash remarked.
“Thank you, by the way,” Kanathara exclaimed, swiftly putting the vial into an extradimensional pocket.
Fluttershy sniffed. “You are welcome.”
Rainbow Dash scratched her head. “So, uh, what are we going to do now? Shouldn't we take off before those reinforcements come... or at least lock the door?”
“One moment,” Kanathara replied, lighting her horn.
A second later the door was covered by ethereal purple chains, sealing it despite the giant hole left in the center. “There, that should give us a good amount of time to figure out a plan on how to get our hooves on the Element,” Kanathara explained.
“Couldn't we just use that spell to find it?” Rainbow Dash questioned. “I mean, stealth is pretty much off the table now anyway.”
Kanathara shook her head. “We’ll attract too much attention if we head straight to where the Element is being held. Our little fires have likely already been put out, and if we get swarmed, we’ll be in deep trouble.”
“Why don't you enfuse a fire with lightning essence?” Fluttershy offered, only to immediately blanch. “On second thought that would be terrible.”
“Wait, lightning essence? What are you talking about?” Kanathara questioned, turning to Rainbow Dash.
Who shrugged. “I’m not a pegasus anymore, and besides that, I’ve never heard of doing such a thing.”
“What would that do, Fluttershy?” Kanathara pressed.
The pegasus squirmed slightly. “I don't know if I should tell you this, but it would create a fire that would actually feed off cloudcrete.”
“Wait, that's a thing?” Rainbow Dash replied, scratching her head.
Fluttershy nodded. “It was in the news a few years ago. A fire broke out at the weather factory and even the store of snow couldn't put it out. Thankfully no one was hurt, but it really hurt Cloudsdale for awhile.”
“How exactly do you enfuse fire with lightning essence anyway?” Kanathara continued.
“Oh, I know I shouldn't have said anything. This is a terrible idea, and so many ponies are going to get hurt,” muttered Fluttershy under her breath, her gaze lingering on her father who lay unconscious in her forehooves.
“That could be the key to creating a big enough distraction. Plus it may actually enable us to avoid unnecessary bloodshed,” Kanathara offered.
Fluttershy sighed and laid her father’s head on the ground. “I’ll tell you how, but you have to promise me that you won't hurt anymore ponies.”
“You know we can't promise that, Fluttershy,” Rainbow Dash retorted with a hint of sadness.
Fluttershy sighed. “Okay, but you have to at least spare those poor ponies who aren't here by choice.”
Kanathara nodded. “That sounds alright to me.”
“Oh, and can you please make sure my father is safe?” Fluttershy added, standing across from the two demons. “I know he was a bad pony, but he should still go to prison for what he’s done.”
Mistress and familiar exchanged a glance, Rainbow Dash’s eyes containing an intensity that Kanathara rarely saw.
“Fine,” Kanathara sighed, “I’ll use a stasis spell on him and teleport him outside. I won't be able to send him far due to the anti-demon shield still being up, however.”
Fluttershy let out a breath she hadn't been aware she was holding. “Thank you, Kanathara and Rainbow Dash.”
A dull thump coming from the door stopped whatever Rainbow Dash had been about to say. “If we are going to do this, we should get moving,” she exclaimed.
“Right. Fluttershy, you tell Rainbow Dash what must be done. While you do that, I’ll bubble the rest of the ponies who survived and send them away with your father,” Kanathara declared.
Fluttershy smiled and nodded. “Sounds good.”
Kanathara lit her horn and trotted away from the two winged beings, focusing completely on simply getting the few living enemies out of their hair. For a moment the demon considered simply consuming the souls of those who were still alive, only to quickly dismiss that notion. She didn't want to make an enemy of Fluttershy, and at this point killing their fallen foes was down right unnecessary.
Pointing her horn from one unconscious body to the next, Kanathara quickly enacted a stasis spell on each of them. One by one their forms glowed a faint gold before freezing in place and then being teleported away by another flash of magic. A quick scry of the area confirmed that a dozen or so inanimate objects and unconscious enemies were lying on the training field they had seen earlier.
Dozens of ponies both winged and otherwise were running to and fro, some of whom were gathering near the edge of the magical shield. A good half were readying themselves for some form of attack, while the other ponies were clearly panicking or were shaking their frozen allies. Not like it would matter, Kanathara thought, as only time would be able to break the spell and awaken them once more.
Kanathara gave one last look through the floating scrying sheet before dismissing the spell. By then the dull thumping on the door had grown nearly constant, and Kanathara could tell that her spell was starting to take a beating. She estimated that there would only be five to ten minutes left before they finally managed to break in.
With that in mind, the demon turned towards her allies, where Rainbow Dash was breathing a gout of hellfire towards an overturned table. Above it flapped Fluttershy, the pegasus’ wings glowing the same color as her eyes, mainly on the tips of her primary feathers. Knowing that they were likely working on their little distraction, Kanathara merely stepped back and watched.
As soon as the pile of debris they had collected caught fire, Fluttershy flapped her wings as hard as she could in a single rush of air. Twin lightning bolts of the deepest blue shot from each of her primaries, connecting in the center before striking the flaming debris. Immediately, the deep scarlet-colored hellfire twisted, sputtering out for a moment before lurching to life with a new, bluish tint to it.
Fluttershy stumbled back a step, a quiet look of concern crossing her face. “There. That should be pretty much impossible to put out,” she murmured.
Kanathara nodded. “That will serve as the perfect distraction, and by now they’ve likely evacuated most people, so there should be little collateral damage.”
“I don't like it. This all feels a little slapdash for my liking,” Rainbow Dash remarked.
Kanathara chuckled. “Did Rainbow Dash just complain about flying by the seat of her pants?”
The vengant snorted, her helmet receding fully into her gorget. “I know how it sounds, but this whole thing doesn't sit well with me. There are too many innocents. At least back home we didn't have to worry about who we hurt.”
“Demons usually deserve it, but think of it this way. These people will likely all become demons after death anyway,” Kanathara remarked.
Another thud, this one louder, made the room’s inhabitants turn from the fiercely burning pile and towards the door. Where one of the chains snapped, giving the trio a view of a dozen or so pegasi standing on the other side. Each one wore armor and were equipped with what appeared to be magical weapons which varied greatly from one soldier to the next.
“We should probably get moving,” Rainbow Dash exclaimed. “Before they get a big enough hole to start taking pot shots at us.”
“Rainbow Dash, you lead the way, I’ll keep an eye on Fluttershy,” Kanathara commanded, lighting her horn and quickly casting the detection spell. “Our destination is above us. Way above us, by the feel of it.”
“Right. Keep her safe, boss,” Rainbow Dash replied.
“I will,” Kanathara stated confidently.
“Oh um, thank you,” Fluttershy added awkwardly.
Kanathara lit her sharp horn, purple energy erupting from the end of it and causing the keeper’s body to be covered in a wave of black fire. When the fire receded, the horned demon had a large pair of batlike wings attached to her back, and after giving them a flap, she was airborne. Fluttershy stumbled to catch up, the pegasus ascending shortly after Kanathara did and following the demon as she made a break towards the skylight above them.
Are you sure the fire was necessary, boss? Rainbow Dash asked as she released a torrent of hellfire from her mouth, destroying the reinforced window and allowing her to fly through it. They are going to be pretty distracted already with the paladins showing up.
Kanathara snapped off a lightning bolt, stopping the first pegasus from squeezing through the narrow hole they had opened in the room below them. It is. For after the paladins get here, we are going to need something to keep them busy, lest they give chase to us.
Rainbow Dash emerged through the sky light, unfurling her great wings the second she had cleared the opening. Makes sense. Now, where are we going?
Kanathara emerged into the open air a second later, a terrified Fluttershy following behind her a moment after. From up here she could see that dozens of pegasi and their enslaved soldiers were moving about the grounds below them. The cloud yard must have been enchanted, Kanathara figured, as earth ponies clad in armor stood in rows, ranged weapons in their hooves.
Unicorn soldiers were readying themselves nearby while their pegasus overlords flew ahead, barking orders and trying to create a proper defence. In the distance Kanathara could see several dozen sky chariots making their way in this direction, on the back of which stood from one to three unicorns or earth ponies, all of whom were garbed for battle.
Kanathara was about to look away, when an enormous disc burst through the clouds with an entire battalion of paladins atop it. Rows of unicorn casters were flanked by a veritable wall of armored earth ponies, each one wielding enormous metal shields. The second they emerged from cover, the pegasi below them immediately began to scramble, and a large blue shield sprung up around the entire facility a moment later.
“I guess they received my letter,” Kanathara murmured.
“Oh wow, that's a lot of ponies,” Fluttershy remarked.
“Quit gawking, you two, we are working against the clock now, remember?” Rainbow Dash shouted.
Kanathara cursed her curiosity and turned skyward, pumping her wings and following after Rainbow Dash. She could hear Fluttershy following shortly thereafter, as well as shouting from the room below them. From what Kanathara could tell, it seemed as though their pursuers were busy trying to extinguish the flames and had given up on following them.
Which gave the trio more than enough time to search for their next objective.
Lighting her horn once more, Kanathara cast the detection spell, only to get the same vague sense that it was above them again. Sending that feeling off to Rainbow Dash, Kanathara poured on the speed, gaining altitude as she scanned the next plate. The property above them was attached to the library facility below with large chains, and from this angle she couldn't tell much else.
Before they got far, Kanathara cast a quick shield spell on Fluttershy, causing a bright purple dome to spring up around her body. The pegasus was startled by this but adapted surprisingly quickly, following after the two demons as they made their way higher into the sky. Upon getting around the cloud shelf the property sat upon, the trio were relieved to find that it was not another training field.
There were a scattered few ponies running this way and that, but most were unarmed and the few that weren't were running in the other direction. Making haste to the next cloud shelf, the three winged beings managed to get out of range before a pegasus with a crossbow fired off a shot at them. The bolt fell well short, and the guard, after finding that only he seemed interested in giving chase, quickly gave up.
Leaving behind the small cluster of cloud homes, Rainbow Dash pushed onward to the next level, where two repurposed storefronts rested side by side with another, their large front-facing windows displaying a wild flurry of activity within. Guards scrambled for weapons while barking commanders ordered them this way and that, some strapping on armor while others were winding crossbows.
Overall the entire level gave off the appearance of an armory, as there was a chest-high wall of storm-fortified clouds which surrounded the perimeter. One patrolled by several flustered guards who stumbled back upon seeing the two demons spring up in front of them. Kanathara paid them no heed, however, as one had already fainted while the other two were scrambling to find the triggers on their weapons.
Rainbow Dash merely continued on, trusting in her armor, while Fluttershy had to be dragged along by Kanathara’s magic when her wings had clamped themselves against her sides. Two scattered crossbow bolts followed after them, and for a moment Kanathara thought they might have to turn and fight. Which didn't end up happening, as some older guard burst out of one of the stores and started barking orders at the terrified squad.
Together the trio pushed on, with Fluttershy flying under her own power once they had gotten out of sight of the crossbow ponies. The second they cleared the final shelf, Kanathara lit her horn, though even a glance at the facility before her told her what she wanted to know. Where the other cloud homes were obviously repurposed or had been abandoned at one point and had then been reclaimed by the cult, this building was obviously new.
Built like a castle’s central keep, this level was ringed by a high wall of storm-infused clouds, upon which stood numerous armed ponies. Within was a taller, squarish building constructed entirely from dark storm clouds which towered over its surroundings. Arrow slits, defensive fortifications, and an enormous solid black door added to its intimidating look, making Kanathara rethink her entire strategy.
Almost immediately a hail of arrows and projectiles erupted from the walls, raining down on the trio’s awkward position just below and away from the battlements. On reflex, Kanathara cast a shield between them and their assailants, rendering the entire attack useless, their bolts bouncing harmlessly off her magic. Rainbow Dash exploded into motion a second after, the vengeant inhaling a deep lungfull of fire as she made a beeline for the fortification.
Behind them hovered Fluttershy, the pegasus squeezing her eyes shut in order to avoid witnessing the bloodshed that was sure to come. It arrived the second the vengant got in close, unleashing all the pent-up fire on a group of terrified pegasus guards. The gout of hellfire burnt through enchanted metal armor, leather and flesh alike, killing three out of five of the squad members in an instant.
A fourth was so badly burnt that he would perish in moments while the final was impaled by a summoned lance of purple magic. Other guards scrambled to get into position, the soldiers fanning out so as to not end up like the first group before raising their weapons. Kanathara was about to start unleashing her own attack, only for a sudden flash of bright pink to catch her attention.
Harmonic magic washed over the area, temporarily blinding the keeper and stunning her familiar just as Rainbow Dash had been about to pull the forelegs off some poor fool.
What the hell was that? Rainbow Dash thought, her helmet deflecting an arrow as she stumbled along the wall.
I don't know, but I’m about to find out, Kanathara replied.
Shifting her magic into the form of a more comprehensive series of defensive wards, Kanathara raised a forelimb, covering her eyes. Behind her, Fluttershy hovered in place, watching with confusion as her two demonic allies struggled while she felt only a faint tingling at the back of her head. Though after a few seconds, the pegasus suddenly felt a crawling sensation emanate from her spine, leaving Fluttershy with a distinct feeling of nameless wrongness.
On the battlements, Rainbow Dash rolled out of the way of a lightning belt, falling off the side of the wall and opening her wings at the last second. Weaving out of the way of leaping attack from a pegasus wielding a longsword, Rainbow Dash shook the last bit of disorientation from her mind. Her next attacker would be surprised when the demon spun in mid-air, knocking aside the guard’s scimitar and grappling her tightly.
The pony screamed when hellfire shot from every single joint in the vengant’s armor, only to be tossed away a second later after she dropped her weapons. The few guards who were left after the initial assault had spread out, some trying to go around Kanathara’s initial shield while others tried to pin Rainbow Dash down. Reinforcements came in the form of a five pony squad of pegasi which came from atop the main keep, the sword-wielding cadre heading straight for the vengant.
Cursing her foul luck, Kanathara finished erecting her defences before shifting her focus on the wave of magic which had washed over her a few seconds earlier. At first it had almost felt like a banishment spell, which wouldn't have worked due to the final binding still located somewhere in Canterlot. After running through a few diagnostic spells, the keeper quickly discovered that wasn't the case, as it was actually what felt to be an altered dominate person spell.
Only where that original incantation needed a singular target, and one that had no mental defences to speak of, this one was seemingly cast over the entire area. It also had so much power behind it that even Kanathara had felt swayed for several moments before the spell’s effect faded. Confused and more than a little startled by this strange realization, Kanathara quickly went about locating the spell’s origins, a new plan already forming in the back of her mind.
We need to get to the Element, now. How long do you need to deal with these fools? Kanathara asked, counterspelling a trio of magical bolts which had arched around her shield.
Ten minutes or so? Rainbow Dash replied, grunting as she was hit by a lightning bolt and then a sword strike which impacted her gorget. Scratch that, I’ll need at least fifteen if I’m going to have to deal with those spell casters.
Kanathara frowned as she looked over the battlefield.
Dozens of pegasi now filled the air while on the battlements several white-eyed unicorns shot spells and a few earth ponies fired crossbows. Though the wards on their enemies’ armor were not particularly good, Kanathara knew there were enough of them that it would take time. Time which they apparently didn't have as Kanathara could already feel a second pulse beginning to gather within the keep’s confines.
We need to get inside that thing, now! Kanathara exclaimed. I’ll summon some cannon fodder. Lead as many off as you can before rejoining.
Rainbow Dash grunted, ducking under a sword swing before sweeping the legs out from under a guard, knocking him to the ground and ripping his throat out. How did they hide this place anyway? I didn't notice a frickin’ castle before!
Perception ward over the whole area. It only works from a distance though, Kanathara explained, turning back to an absolutely petrified-looking Fluttershy. “Stay on my back, that shield should protect you!” Kanathara shouted.
“Maybe I should go. I’m only getting in the way!” Fluttershy shouted back, the pegasus letting out a strangled yelp of surprise when a bolt bounced off her bubble.
“Too late now, come on!” Kanathara yelled back, reflecting a jet of magical fire towards a nearby guard, burning his wings away.
As the unfortunate pegasus began to plummet towards the ground, Kanathara pulled open a portal between her forehooves. On the other side were a quartet of imps who stared wide-eyed at the interplanar intruder, who had opened a hole into their realm. As spells, arrows, and swords bounced against her shields, Kanathara continued to work her magic, strengthening the wound in reality. Until the entry was about the size of an adult pony, which hung several dozen feet above and in front of the battlements.
“If you have wings, get over here!” Kanathara shouted, gesturing to the other side of the portal.
The imps hooted and howled, every winged member of their cadre sprinting towards the interdimensional opening, as well as a few who didn't have wings. Just in time too, as the last of Kanathara’s defences went down as she had finished opening the gateway. A bolt whizzed through the leathery membrane of her wing, and two bolts of pink magic slammed into her chest, knocking the wind out of her.
The pegasus guards were close behind, swords raised and ready to strike at the reeling spell caster. Unfortunately for them, the imps had reached their destination and burst through the portal, with one of the non-winged ones latching onto the face of an unfortunate guard. Screaming in confusion, the pegasus swerved this way and that, trying to free herself from the grasping red talons of the imp.
Who gleefully ripped the eyes out of the guard’s head before clambering onto her back and pinning her wings down. While this happened, the winged imps had already engaged the pegasus guards with a sadistic glee. Some of whom were wielding minor spells or flimsy daggers while others attacked with nothing but their claws. Either way, the guards were completely surprised, and after a shout, the unicorns and earth ponies changed their focus.
Allowing Kanathara enough time to heal the hole in her wing, grab Fluttershy and make a beeline for the entrance of the keep. In front of them, Rainbow Dash cut a bloody swath through the few guards who managed to stay in a loose formation. That was until the vengeant ripped the face off their sergeant before kicking him in the chest hard enough to snap several ribs.
With their chain of command now in disarray and morale at all time low, the two remaining guards threw their weapons aside and bolted. Rainbow Dash spat several balls of hellfire after them, but made sure to only graze her targets, keeping their fear up without killing them. By the time Kanathara and Fluttershy joined her, the way was clear, and no one was following them as the other soldiers were too busy fending off the growing demonic incursion.
Kanathara glanced over her shoulder, only to wince when she noticed a rather large imp pull its way through the opening. Unlike the others, this one had six arms, two tails, and a spiral horn growing from the front of its head, signalling its more evolved status. Knowing that her summoned allies were as likely to attack her as they were to attack her enemies, the keeper turned away, heading towards the door.
“We’ve got some bigger guys coming through. They should hold off any reinforcements, though we should watch our back regardless,” Kanathara exclaimed, the keeper landing beside her familiar and Fluttershy.
Rainbow Dash nodded, gesturing towards the large, obsidian cloud doors. “You want me to bust ‘em down?”
Kanathara shook her head. “They likely have some defensive magic in place, let me do a quick scan and-”
A second pulse cut off the keeper’s response, dropping the demon to her knees, her forehooves pressed against her head. Rainbow Dash wasn't much better, the vengant’s entire body vibrating with rage as she reared back and belched fire into the sky. Fluttershy, however, merely stood there, her head lolling weakly on her neck, eyes distant and her breathing shallow.
Fighting through the wave of unpleasant emotions and strange urges, Kanathara stomped her hoof against the ground. Shaking her head, Kanathara looked up to find her familiar ripping apart an imp, the vengant tearing the shrieking creature in half. Before it even had a chance to die, Rainbow Dash’s helmet pulled back, revealing a red-eyed demon, whose maw was already open wide.
The vengant’s teeth slammed shut over the imp’s head, severing what little was left of its neck.
“Rainbow Dash, snap out of it!” shouted the keeper.
The familiar shook her head, her eyes returning to their more normal coloration a second later, a confused look spreading across her face. “Whab bush happen?” she stuttered, opening her mouth to reveal a charred imp head.
Spitting out the offending bit of demon flesh, the vengant scraped her tongue, removing any blood which clung to the inside of her mouth. “Augh, gross!” she shouted.
“What's gross? Where are we?” Fluttershy asked, the pony looking around in confusion. “And why does my mouth taste like purple?”
“No time to explain,” Kanathara shouted, pointing to the door. “We’re going loud. Rainbow Dash, get ready to go straight for the Element so we can get out of here asap.”
The vengant nodded, her helmet slamming back down her head, armor rippling up her body and growing visibly thicker. Rising onto her back legs, Kanathara lit her horn and began to cast a powerful spell, one which started as a tiny orb of darkness at the tip of her horn. That black ball grew and grew, pulling in bits of debris and random objects which were caught on the wind that had suddenly built up around her.
“Hold on to me. This is going to get crazy,” Rainbow Dash remarked, wrapping a hoof around Fluttershy.
The pegasus blanched as Kanathara’s black orb grew to the size of a watermelon, bits of cloud tearing off the walls and vanishing into the spell. “What is going to happen?” Fluttershy whispered, shuffling back a few steps along with Rainbow Dash, who kept a tight grip on the pegasus’ barrel.
“She's going to blow the doors off this place and hopefully not take us all with her,” Rainbow Dash shouted, the wind suddenly spiking to the point that it was hard to hear.
Behind them a few rather bold imps took one look at the building spell and promptly turned right back around, choosing to take their chances with someone not casting an incredibly powerful destruction spell. Even a hidden archer backed off when their bolt was sucked into the orb, missing their target entirely.
Throughout it all Kanathara remained unphased, her eyes distant as she chanted in a strange, guttural language. Then, just as the orb began to twist, and its perfectly spherical sides began to bulge, Kanathara fell back to the ground. Pointing her horn at the door, the keeper released all the pent-up power she had been building for the last thirty seconds.
With a catastrophic boom, the spell released, rapidly tripling in size before exploding into an enormous beam of pure darkness. The door was erased, and a thunderclap nearly knocked Fluttershy off her hooves, the pegasus only being saved by Rainbow Dash’s firm grip. Floors, ceilings, and walls vanished as the dark beam annihilated everything it touched, no matter what it was made of.
The wards that reinforced the structure stopped the blast for a second before they exploded in an eruption of colored lights. With nothing to stand in its way, the beam surged deeper into the structure before finally blowing through a large wall and slamming into a golden array. This massive bubble of magic rippled for a moment before suddenly pulsing with energy, disrupting Kanathara’s attack.
The spell flickered, and before it could go out of control, Kanathara released it, causing the beam to shrink to almost nothing before finally winking out a second later. When the dust cleared, a circular hole about nine feet wide had cut its way straight through the structure, annihilating everything in its path. All save for a central dias, upon which rested a gold amulet with a strange pink butterfly at its heart.
The amulet itself seemed twisted, as the pink jewel had strange lines coursing just beneath the surface. It almost appeared as though the jewel had greenish veins within it, each one pulsing with a sickly green light.
“Finally, let's move.”