//------------------------------// // 23 - Dusk Falls // Story: Twilight Over Thanalan // by tom117z //------------------------------// Twilight remained deep in thought as she and her tall cat-eared friend set off from Thal’s Respite, moving at a steady pace down the dusty trail back for Camp Drybone and, beyond that, Vesper Bay. She remained focused on the task at hoof, the rescue of their friends from this castrum of the Empire. Mor Dhona… Y’shtola’s descriptions of the place had certainly piqued her curiosity. A place of corrupted magic, crystals and all… Her mind’s eye pictured the Crystal Empire under Sombra’s influence. Perhaps a little less snowy, and ridden with those more inclined to imperialistic tendencies than necromantic. Still, were times better than what they were, she’d be quite eager to get a study going. Maybe poke some of those crystals. In a safe and secure environment, of course! She’d only caused three and a half fires during her final year at Celestia’s school, so lessons learned and all that. Not that there would be any such opportunities for study, given the task that lay before her. Rescuing their friends, evading Y’sanna, and all while keeping her eyes out for Scarmiglione skulking somewhere in the wings… Still. Even if she couldn’t do any in-depth studies, that didn’t mean she couldn’t learn in other ways. And she did have a scholar walking right next to her. And so, with a nod, Twilight glanced at her companion. “Y’shtola?” The miqo’te glanced down at her curiously, not breaking her stride. “Hm?” “Mor Dhona. You mentioned the imperial Castrum, but is there anything else out there? Alliance cities? Towns? Camps?” “There is a settlement, but it is technically its own entity, separate from the Eorzean Alliance. This is due to a wide range of factors, not least of all being that the region is contested. It was set up by Adventurers Guild and is thus run by adventurers. It is, in truth, more of an extension of the guild than a state itself.” “Sounds… complicated.” “It is what it is, but more importantly it is a bastion of civilization for those wandering those barren wastes,” Y’shtola explained. “Aside from that and the remains of the Agrius in Lake Silvertear, the imperial warship downed by the dragons, the only other feature of note is the Crystal Tower.” Twilight blinked. “Okay, now what’s that?” “An ancient Allagan structure that was exposed to the surface following Bahamut’s rampage. It is a remnant of a lost era. Beyond that, however, I do not know. None have been able to approach it by land or sky. But judging by the choice of building material and the scale of it, I can only imagine its capacity for storing and manipulating aether.” Twilight hummed, trying to imagine the structure in her mind. All at once, her thoughts returned to the Crystal Empire, and the massive spire that served as the central palace in the heart of the city. “But all that only serves to complicate matters all the more,” Y’shtola explained further. “As you might imagine, all these factors create no end of chaos, and that instability has claimed the lives of many young and naive adventurers sifting through the remains. Between the beasts, rampant aetheric corruption, and the imperial presence, making our way into the castrum shall require no small amount of planning and careful preparation.” Twilight perked up and proudly thumped a hoof to her chest with an eager smirk. “If you need a risk assessment, I’m your mare!” she declared emphatically. “All I need is a stack of clean parchment, a few quills, some binoculars, and some time to take plenty of notes!” Y’shtola smirked in amusement at the enthusiasm. “Commendable, but I do not foresee that as necessary from you. I am not averse to paperwork, regardless.” Twilight pouted. “Oh, come on! I’m perfect for that kind of job! I always had to have the perfect quill, the parchment measured juuuust right, and the light levels to be perfectly ambient! A little perfectionism goes a long way to writing a good paper! Were you the same?” Y’shtola’s tail swished slowly, and her eyes became conspicuously focused on the road ahead. “I have no comment on the matter.” Twilight’s lips quirked up into her best approximation of a Rainbow Dash grin. “You were!” “...Back to the matter at hand,” Y’shtola deftly changed the subject in irritation. “If possible, I would like to reunite with the other remaining Scions before we launch any rescue missions. Though I acknowledge time may not be on our side, our chances of success would be much higher with the assistance of Alphinaud and the rest. Yda will also be most welcome, should it come to blows - which I do not doubt it shall.” Twilight set her hoof back down and focused ahead, her expression hardening. “I can imagine. I think she and Dash would like each other.” “Dash? One of your friends?” “Yeah, she’s also the ‘hit your way out of problems’ kind. Though with plenty of loyalty and friendship to balance her out. Mostly.” Y’shtola chuckled. “Then perhaps it is best such a meeting never occur. I cannot see Papalymo’s patience surviving anything of its like.” “Then he’d just love Pinkie Pie.” “You should tell me more about these friends of yours,” the miqo’te then suggested. “I have heard plenty of your world, but I’d hear more of your personal life, if it is not imprudent of me to ask.” “Oh! Not at all! Honestly, now that I think about it, why haven’t we talked about it yet!?” “We have been quite busy,” the woman pointed out with a sympathetic smile. “These Element Bearers are quite like the Scions in some ways, yes?” “Well, we’re friends and we protect people when the situation calls for it. So, I guess so? Well, I’ve mentioned Rainbow Dash and Pinkie Pie. There’s also Rarity, Fluttershy, and Applejack. And Spike! I’d never hear the end of it if I forgot about my faithful assistant! He’s a dragon.” Y’shtola raised an eyebrow at that. “Dragon? My, remind me never to take you to the nation of Ishgard. A curious assistant to have.” Twilight’s smile returned, albeit far gentler this time as her thoughts turned to her oldest friend. “He’s the best. And he’s only a baby dragon! Well, young by their terms, which is a lot since they live well into the thousands and he’s only in his teen years.” Her smile faded somewhat, and her eyes lowered. “I can only imagine how he’s taking my absence. He lives with me, you know? Just me and him in our library. Or, well…” she fidgeted, flinching at the memory of her library being reduced to ashes. “We did live in the library.” Y’shtola looked back down at her. “Something happened, I presume?” Twilight nodded. “You could say that…” she shook her head. “H-he’s probably fine. He’s probably staying with one of the others. Or maybe the others are helping him look after my place while I’m gone? I don’t know…” she sighed, then drew herself up and cast off her anxieties. “It doesn’t matter, though. There’s nothing I can do about it now, and if I know my friends - and I do, - then they’re taking good care of him. They’ll be fine.” Y’shtola hummed softly, and her own face lit up with a smile. “Your confidence in them does them credit. They sound as if they are quite an interesting group. They were with you at the moment Scarmiglione brought you to Eorzea, yes?” Twilight’s smile faltered, and her ears drooped. She looked down, her pace slowing slightly at the reminder of the last time she had seen them outside of her dreams. “Yeah…” From up ahead, a new and most unwelcome voice called out. “Oh, I wouldn’t worry about them. Word is they were left bloody from your bout with our mutual robed friend. Not that it matters, they are far from your reach, pony.” Twilight and Y’shtola stopped dead, their eyes immediately snapping from one another to the all-too-familiar and all-too-smug voice ahead of them. As if on instinct Twilight immediately dispelled her carbuncle glamour and called her book to her side. There was a flicker of magic, and her carbuncle snapped into existence, landing protectively between its summoner and the enemy with a vicious snarl. Y’shtola drew her wand just as swiftly, aether already gathering along the branch and thrumming with power. Her pupils dilated, a feline sighting a predator and immediate threat. Y’sanna and her crimson carbuncle, meanwhile, looked entirely unimpressed with their threatening postures. They stood a short distance down the road, the former with her arms crossed casually over her chest. “What, you are honestly surprised to find me here? We can’t very well leave things how we did, can we? Unfinished, as it were. Really, I’ve been dying to play some more. As has my pet. You made such an impression the last time.” When Twilight’s carbuncle smiled, it was cute. When that thing did so, it was very much the opposite. “Last time we faced one another, we defeated you,” Y’shtola spat. “And you had the element of surprise, then. If you think this brazen appearance will afford you any advantage, Y’sanna, you are sorely mistaken.” Y’sanna tilted her head slowly to one side, her expression flat and bored. “...You done?” she asked bluntly. “Just go away!” Twilight snapped, flipping through the pages of her book for the Aegis and Physik spells. It would not do to be knocked out of the fight too quickly. “I don’t want to fight you!” Y’sanna rolled her eyes in a manner that made Twilight’s blood boil. “Yeah, well, tough,” she droned before her hand flashed down to her book and pulled it free. Grey mists were already swirling from the pages, and Twilight’s eyes widened. She recognized that mist! It was the same thing the Amalj’aa had used to put her to sleep way back when. “I think not!” Y’shtola shouted, pointing her wand forward and sending forth a powerful blast of wind and stone. The air rippled around the rush of energy, but Y’sanna seemed unconcerned. Her feral carbuncle advanced and let out a frightful screech. A pulse of blood-coloured aether blasted forth from its maw in a shimmering dome, and Y’shtola’s offensive spell spluttered and faded before it could do much more than ruffle Y’sanna’s hair. Y’shtola’s eyes widened. “What?” Y’sanna’s grin grew predatory. “Whose the bad student now?!” she jeered before unleashing her spell. The grey mist surged toward them like a wall, and Twilight knew there was no time to avoid it.  She turned her attention to her carbuncle and focused her magic. The little creature dutifully leapt forward to meet the coming surge, the red gem in its forehead sparking to life and erected a thin wall of ruby light before them. The mist of the sleep spell parted around it, harmlessly passing by Twilight and Y’shtola like a silent breeze. Twilight, emboldened, took the chance to offer a taunt of her own. “Well, it’s not us!” And then she heard snarling next to her, and the colour drained from her face. She ducked down and back, barely avoiding it as Y’sanna’s carbuncle leapt at her from the side, twitching and spasming. Twilight gasped in shock. She knew this thing was fast, but she hadn’t realized it could close so much distance so quickly, and without making a sound to boot. Its paws dug into the earth, and with a feral cry, leapt at her, fangs bared. Twilight snapped her book shut and brought it around just in time to slam it into the offending monster’s side, sending it off course with a high-pitched yelp. At the same time, Twilight gathered magic in her horn, focusing it into the form of the Ruin spell. Behind her, the ruby wall created by her carbuncle dropped, and Y’shtola capitalized on the moment to launch another spell of her own. Twilight could hear spells firing off behind her as the two miqo’te set about their duel, but she kept her attention squarely on Y’sanna’s little beast. The crimson carbuncle rolled back to its paws and sprinted for her again, but not in a straight line. Its path was erratic and unpredictable, darting from side to side and throwing off her aim. With a grunt of panic, Twilight took a fearful step back, her wings flaring out in a reflexive instinct to take flight. The energy on her horn was growing unstable. She had to release it soon or else it might backfire! The carbuncle leapt for her, and Twilight fired her spell. Her aim wasn’t perfect, but it was good enough. The grey ball of gravitational magic scraped across the carbuncle’s side, knocking it off course from Twilight’s throat. She tried to scramble back, but the claws on its feet still dug into the side of her barrel under her flaring wing. Twilight cried out and kicked up into the air. “Twilight!” she heard Y’shtola calling out. She looked down to see a swirl of green aether around the conjurer, and she understood quickly. She flared her wings even wider while struggling with the carbuncle attached to her. She grit her teeth and braced herself. A moment later, a powerful blast of air rushed up into her wings, rocketing her higher into the air. The sudden lurch of momentum jerked the crimson carbuncle back in time with the drop of Twilight’s stomach, and both let out a squeak of surprise. And then Twilight punched it. Her hoof crunched hard into the carbuncle’s little nose, and she thought for certain that she felt something break under the blow. The carbuncle tilted back, stunned from the strike, affording Twilight a chance to strike it again, and again. All the while, she gathered more aether on her horn for a spell she hadn’t had a proper chance to test, but now seemed as good a time as any. “Get! Off! ME!” Twilight shouted before, finally, her spell was complete. Crimson aether swirled around her before latching onto the carbuncle like a flurry of leeches. Its eyes widened, and it only had the chance to squeak before it vanished in a flash of sparkling red magic. The energy that had comprised it swirled along the tendrils of the Energy Drain spell, and into the tip of Twilight’s horn, primed and ready for release. That done, she returned her attention to the battle blow. She was high up in the air, now, but even with her wings furiously flapping, she was losing altitude, and fast. She hadn’t managed to fully memorize the rhythm of the air in this region yet, leaving her with few options but to glide. Still, a glide would serve her very well here.  Down below, Y’shtola and Y’sanna were engaged in battle, spells flashing back and forth. Tides of water and walls of earth clashed with rushes of raw force and bursts of elemental magic. The air rippled and the expressions of power sheared the earth, and Twilight, from her spectatorial vantage point, felt a new sense of respect for these masters of the arcane arts.  The two appeared to be evenly matched, with Twilight’s carbuncle providing what support it could in its master’s absence. Y’sanna’s attention was squarely on Y’shtola, laser-focused and unfaltering. At that moment, Twilight spotted her chance to be rid of this damned predator once and for all. She turned to Y’sanna and flapped hard, bringing herself into a descending, arcing glide that, if all went her way, would bring her in behind the focusing imperial, where she could then unleash the stolen aether and take her out. She flapped her wings and began the descent. The air rushed in her ears alongside the pounding of her heart. Unfortunately, she barely made it a quarter of the way through the planned manoeuvre before something in the corner of her eyes disrupted all of her plans. A crackling ball of black and red magic came sailing at her from the side, tearing through space with a distorted peal.  Instinct took over, and with a grunt of strain, she turned and unleashed the stolen aether just in time to intercept the coming sphere. The orb erupted in an explosion of darkness, and the resulting shockwave knocked Twilight out of the sky, her flesh burning with pain. She heard Y’shtola calling out to her. Straining, Twilight tried to turn and right herself, her pegasus instincts and reflexes kicking in, but she had no time. Her fall was broken when she slammed side-first into the dry trunk of a long-dead desert tree. The air fled her lungs in place of a scream, and she toppled to the earth below with a gasp of agony.  “I think not, Princess,” a voice she had been dreading to hear again said from above and before her. Gasping and choking for air, she lifted her head, gritting her teeth in defiance. Scarmiglione floated above and in front of her, his lips curled up into a sinister smirk. “This day, your battle is with me.” Nearby, Y’shtola’s eyes widened. The spell she was preparing sparked and faltered as she took in the presence of the new arrival. “Twelve forfend. An ascian!?” “Scarmiglione. I think you know him well enough,” Y’sanna said in a tone that could almost be considered conversational. As she spoke, she was readying her next spell without missing a beat. “Seems your pet can take to the skies nowadays. Thought I’d even the playing field.” Her aether boiled a putrid purple and green, bubbling to critical mass before surging toward Y’shtola. The other miqo’te, in turn, silently cursed her momentary distraction before throwing herself aside. This act only served to deepen the gap between herself and Twilight, a gap which the ascian was quick to step into. “And so here we find ourselves at least,” the ascian calmly began. “I will confess, I made a mistake when I left you to roam freely in these lands. A momentary miscalculation after our previous bout. A mistake I now mean to correct.” Twilight grit her teeth as she painfully pulled herself back to her hooves. She looked past Scarmiglione to where Y’shtola remained embattled with Y’sanna. The two mages were clashing again, Y’sanna’s bestial ferocity proving to be an even match for Y’shtola’s stalwart determination. She had to help. “Get… get out of my way!” she shouted, lighting her horn and dragging her book back to her side. The ascian’s smirk fell away. He raised her hand and held it out towards the alicorn with darkness building around his clawed fingertips. “That is all you have to say? I expected questions at the very least. Or has this festering world twisted your priorities?” “Like you’d even tell me if I asked!” she shouted back. “Basic bad guy stuff. You’re not the first dark magic-using jerk I’ve faced, you know!” Scarmiglione’s expression darkened considerably. “Do not presume to compare me to the likes of your petty rogues,” he seethed. “You know nothing of me or my motives. You know nothing of our purpose. Nothing of our struggle!” His hand crackled, and another surge of dark energies shot out at Twilight. The alicorn on her part gave her wings an almighty flap, sending her shooting up into the air. The spell impacted where she had been and made debris of her fall-breaking tree. Nevertheless, she flipped her book open and called forth ruin towards the ascian. Almost lazily he waved his hand, the spell striking a barrier of shadow that nullified it instantly. “Your powers have left you. Mine have not,” he noted coldly. Twilight gasped as she suddenly felt the air forced from her lungs. Shadowy binds appeared from nothing, snaking around her body and holding her unceremoniously in the air, her wings pinned painfully to her sides. She struggled, biting at the binds before her muzzle, too was entrapped. “Your element will serve a grand purpose. A purpose nobler than you could imagine, pony. And now, so will you. Your secrets will be mine.” There was a sharp thud, Scarmiglione letting out a gasp of surprise as his binds came free and he was forced to catch himself from stumbling to the ground. As Twilight fell and caught herself beneath her own wings once more, the masked man turned to see the source of the disruption. The shimmering carbuncle yipped in defiance, driving its head towards the ascian once more. He snarled at the petty creation. “Pathetic.” He slapped the carbuncle aside, sending it toward the ground before he quickly returned his gaze to his intended quarry. He didn’t need to look far. The alicorn dove forward and unleashed a violent blast of undirected and malformed aether from her horn that sent the ascian sliding back in the dirt. Before he could react he was buffeted again by a gust from his right, his peripheral vision catching the Scion rolling back towards him after avoiding one of Y’sanna’s spells. “I think not! We defy your accursed ‘nobility’,” Y’shtola spat, sending one more wave towards the ascian before being forced to turn away and prepare a defence against the still-fuming Y’sanna. “Oh no, you don’t get to ignore me!” the imperial seethed, her own book flaring out and placing a barrier around Scarmiglione that absorbed the worst of the impact. “No last-minute saves for you!” Twilight saw the interaction occur as she circled for another pass, looking down towards her recovering carbuncle and whistling for its attention. “Carbuncle-I-really-should-name, turn up the heat!” The creation seemed to puff up at the command, bounding towards the ascian as its sparkling blue exterior darkened to a shade of ruby. Waves of heat rose around the creature before unleashing waves of flame simultaneous to Twilight’s next concussive strike. Shadows billowed around the ascian, sequestering the man away from both strikes as the umbral portal reemerged on the other side of Y’sanna and Y’shtola. “Begone!” He raised both his hands and three darkened crackling clouds materialized before him and shot off towards his three opponents. As Y’shtola turned to face the latest threat, she was blindsided as Y’sanna ran up and delivered a meaty kick to her stomach, staggering the woman as any prepared spell died before it could be materialized. Twilight twisted in the air, moving up and over the projectile meant for her before flipping through her book and shielding the Scion from the next. Her carbuncle, in turn, let the blazing heat build around him as he bulldozed his way through the spell. On the other side, he was battered, his form flickering, but yet functional. “Now we’re even!” Twilight shouted at Y’sanna, landing next to the miqo’te, a red bolt of magic rising from the alicorn and out towards her. The Pilus side-stepped the energy drain, snarling with fangs glistening in hunger. Whatever her counter, it was cut short when she was knocked away by a magically propelled group of rocks, blood splattering as a gash was left across the side of her head. Y’shtola, not missing a beat, brought her wand around with a second gathering and released it towards the ascian. He, in turn, gave a shout of rage as a pulse of darkness shattered the boulders. The shadowy energy lingered for a moment, then pulsed with power before shifting and cascading toward the pair. Twilight took a step forward, gathering magic and preparing a cast of the aegis to deflect the oncoming surge of shadows. Y’shtola seemed to have the same idea, throwing her arms wide and erecting a dome of blue light around them to catch the oncoming surge of aether. Twilight’s aegis joined the dome right as the wave of shadow struck them. A spear of pain shot down Twilight’s horn and through her nervous system as their combined barrier was placed under severe strain. The air split with the sound of breaking glass as cracks appeared across the surface of the barrier. Y’shtola growled beside her, straining under the force of the assault herself. “Gah! He has me pinned!” she spat in frustration. Twilight grunted, knowing she was in the same position. They could probably outlast the spell Scarmiglione was sending at them, but to do so would leave them vulnerable to Y’sanna, and the longer they maintained the barrier, the more aether they would waste. They needed a way to disrupt the attack. Her eyes darted off to one side. She saw her carbuncle there, circling around, clearly looking for an avenue to help. Another series of cracks appeared across the dome, and Twilight fell to a knee as another sharp lance of pain went through her system. “Carbuncle! Defend!” she commanded, sending Aether down the link to her familiar. The carbuncle’s nose twitched, and its tails shuddered as if a chill ran down its spine. Then, with a high-pitched battle squeal, it loped forward, energy gathering along its form. Bit by bit, it began to shift its hue from brilliant ruby red to a dazzling topaz orange. Twilight’s eyes widened as the flames it had conjured earlier dissipated with a burst of air and rippling heat waves. Then, it thrust its head up, and the earth in front of the barrier erupted. A cloud of dust and scattering pebbles burst from the ground as a wall of stone was forcefully pulled into the space between the defending duo and Scarmiglione. With that third, far more substantial layer of defence between them, the tide of darkness came to an end, and the two mages were free to refocus their aether. Y’shtola grinned, her wand glowing with similarly coloured light. “An excellent choice,” she declared before thrusting her wand forward. The stone wall before them cracked before exploding forward with tremendous force, a tidal wave of jagged stones swarming for the startled ascian. Scarmiglione cursed and dropped down out of the air, still being pummeled by stones as he descended. The moment his feet met the earth, Twilight’s carbuncle pounced, latching onto his arm and keeping him off balance. Twilight smiled and took a step forward. This was her chance! She flipped open her book and began gathering the aether required for ruin, hoping to finish this enemy off once and for all. She hesitated only for a moment as the memory of an imperial officer, his face mangled beneath the shorn remnants of his metal helm, flashed through her mind. She dismissed it quickly. She hated the ascians. She hated the empire, and they were trying to kill her and her friends. She couldn’t afford to show mercy now. Not here. This wasn’t Equestria, and it was well past time she stopped treating it like it was. She pointed her tome forward and prepared to release the spell, targeting Scarmiglione’s mask. In the corner of her eye, something moved. Something red. Twilight’s heart leapt into her throat, realizing what was coming a second too late. Y’sanna’s newly re-summoned crimson carbuncle pounced upon her, and its sharp teeth latched onto her horn. Searing pain, unlike most Twilight had felt before, reverberated through her skull. The flow of her magic was abruptly cut off, intermingling in unnatural ways with the aether of the carbuncle whose claws tore at the skin of her cheek, neck, and shoulder. She fell to one side, screaming at the top of her lungs, a pressure building in her skull. Her spell had nowhere to go, blocked by the carbuncle as it was. She couldn’t cast her spell properly! She heard Y’shtola crying out her name, but she couldn’t focus on anything beyond that. The pressure continued to build and build, and her skull felt as if it was about to burst. She screwed her eyes shut and screamed at the top of her lungs as, at last, the spell discharged off the mid-point of her horn: Raw, unfocused, and indiscriminate. The world went white, and the chaotic din of the battle was replaced with an ear-splitting ringing in her ears. The sharp burn of the carbuncle’s claws was replaced with a deep, all-consuming ache. She felt herself jostling and jolting as the kickback and burst of her improperly cast ruin spell sent her rolling along the ground. When she finally came to a stop, her world was a red-tinted blur, and everything was pins and needles under a blanket of agony. She heard Y’shtola calling out again and looked up. The miqo’te was charging her, green magics swirling around her wand as she prepared a healing spell. She didn’t make it. A blast of darkness slammed into Y’shtola from the side, knocking her into the air. She came down hard, her side slamming into a jutting stone with a sickening crack. Twilight watched, helpless, as her friend crumpled into the earth, and the healing energies that had been meant for the fallen alicorn instead had to be turned to Y’shtola. Twilight grunted, the need to help her friend driving her on. She tried to stand, but her muscles refused to collaborate with her commands. She twitched and spasmed on the earth, and fire danced along her nerves. Panic was already beginning to build within her heart. What had that misfired spell done to her?! Had it damaged her nerves? Her spine?! Was she suffering brain damage of some sort?! As if in answer she felt something warm leaking down her face. Something crimson. A lot of crimson. Up ahead, she saw Y’sanna’s fang-filled smirk staring back at her, and Scarmiglione marching toward her with single-minded purpose. The last glittering remnants of Twilight’s carbuncle lay in the earth behind him, crumbling away to vanish into the air. “A good effort,” Scarmiglione commented, now looming over her. “But ultimately futile.” Twilight let off a dry, gurgling groan, her heart pounding unevenly in her ears. She reached a trembling foreleg out to him and curled it into the fabric around his ankles. She glared up into his eyes, trying and failing to call magic to her horn. “I… hate you,” she seethed, any and all notions of hesitation dispelled. Scarmiglione’s smile faded. For a moment, he just looked at her. He then glanced back over his shoulder at Y’sanna. “Pilus. You have the rest under control, I take it?” “Just take the prize and get gone,” Y’sanna bit back, her crimson monstrosity already spawning at her side again. She had moved to put herself between Twilight and Y’shtola as the other miqo’te picked herself up. “Leave the harpy to me.” Y’shtola was back on her feet by now, her eyes narrowed with unrivalled rage. She lifted her wand, aether gathering around her in a violent storm of crackling energy. “Step away from her!” she shouted at Scarmiglione before rising her wand into the air. Above them, Twilight saw a swirling mass of green aether in the air, crackling with gathering power. Her eyes widened, the raw destructive force within so monstrously powerful that she could feel it in her bones. Scarmiglione smiled. “As you command,” he said mockingly before lifting a hand into the air. Darkness gathered around him… and the alicorn still clutching onto his robes. Twilight’s eyes widened, and she realized her mistake too late to let go. The darkness came in around her as it had the day she first met the ascian. She heard Y’shtola screaming as a shard of the sky itself broke away to fall upon their location like a judge’s gavel.  But by the time it hit the earth, they were already gone.