4.2
“Rejection is such a cold word...”
A light blanket of snow covered the city and the surrounding countryside on this December morning. After having a quick, warm shower and shaving his face, Aiden made his way out to the front of the Royal Palace. He was greeted at the Palace entrance by Celestia, a chariot not unlike the one that was his transportation to Taotras sat behind her, headed by two large pegasi guards. Night Step and Tempest Runner were both onboard already, looking back at their Princess and human companion with looks of nervous anticipation.
“Are you ready, Aiden?” Celestia asked as he came to her side.
“As I’ll ever be, Princess,” Aiden replied with a small salute. “Let’s get this show on the road!” He smiled as he followed the alicorn back to the chariot.
“Good,” Celestia said as her wings unfurled, lifting herself into the air slightly with a moderately sized gust of wind. She landed right into her own personalized seat at the very back of the chariot; it looked like an almost exact replica of her throne, only smaller. Aiden followed suit, placing both of his hands on the chariot’s edge and lifting his entire body up.
Aiden shifted his position a little bit as he sat in the cushioned seat, trying his best to get comfortable. Tempest smiled and greeted Aiden; the pegasus was wearing his Solar Guard armor just like any other day; and Night Step only spoke Aiden’s name to acknowledge his presence. He was clothed in his mage robes as always.
Aiden could tell that both of them were just as nervous as the Princess, if not more so; Tempest was noticeably trying to keep himself from shaking with uneasiness, like a kid about to present a major project in front of his entire class. Night Step simply stared onward into space with a distant look in his eyes; his mind was clearly somewhere else.
The four of them said nothing as the two pegasi gave powerful flaps with their wings and the chariot was soon lifted into the air. Aiden turned his head to his left, watching as Canterlot ever so slowly shrank behind them. The journey would likely take at least five hours total; two hours to reach the Rachay Mountains, and three to four more from the border, to Gryphonia’s capital city, Stormview.
Aiden leaned back his his arms resting on the chariot’s rim. His head tilted back, as the wind whipped through his hair and his eyes drifted close, his thoughts mostly on about what might happen in the meeting with the foreign government. His mind wandered to how the Princess would handle this meeting. “She must be used to these kinds of things, judging from how calm she seems,” he thought as his lips curved into a small frown. He then scoffed softly. “But then again, she is usually able to contain her emotions pretty well.” He gave a barely noticeable shrug as he allowed his eyes to open.
“Are you nervous?” He heard the voice of Tempest Runner to his right. Aiden turned his gaze towards the young Solar Guard pegasus, who was sitting with about three feet of space between them. The pegasus had his helmet clutched between his forehoofs in front of him, his blonde mane also flowing in the moderate breeze.
Aiden didn’t answer at first. He drummed the fingers of his left hand against the chariot’s rim for a brief moment before responding. “Kinda,” he said while shaking his head. “I guess...” he paused while Tempest looked away from him. “Are you?” The young pegasus’s ears twitched suddenly at his inquiry.
“No,” Tempest immediately answered...perhaps a little too quickly. Aiden raised an eyebrow as the pegasus bit his lower lip, as though regretting his simple answer. Tempest’s eyes shifted up, while he seemed to be contemplating a more accurate response for his human companion.
Tempest breathed in deeply. “I highly doubt that the griffins will be trying anything drastic during our visit,” he said slowly. “I think that they are just being cautious, especially since our two countries were at war only thirty years ago.” It wasn’t hard for Aiden to detect that Tempest clearly felt the opposite; in fact, probably anyone could see past Tempest Runner’s poor stretch of the truth.
“You sure you’re alright?” Aiden asked with honest concern.
“Positive!” Tempest said with the assertion he usually mustered while tossing an scowl in the human’s direction. Aiden put up his hands defensively.
“Okay...” Aiden thought. “Somepony doesn’t seem to be in the mood for it...” He sighed and cupped his chin in his hands, hoping for the journey to go by faster. The wind continued whipping through his hair, as he felt his eyelids grow heavier. He slowly turned his gaze back in Tempest’s direction to see that the pegasus had his eyes clenched shut and he was rubbing his left temple with a hoof. The young pegasus began shaking his head as his brow furrowed. Aiden’s hands returned to his sides as he sat straight up, concerned for what could be wrong with him.
“Tempest?” Aiden asked, his voice just over a whisper.
“Just a headache,” the pegasus replied a few seconds later, but his mixed expression of irritation and pain did not falter. Aiden frowned, concern clouding his mind again. “Damn pulse is back...” he muttered, just audible enough for the human to pick it up.
“Pulse?” Aiden thought to himself. “He couldn’t mean...” He thought back to his first encounter with Vanguard in Taotras. “Hey, Night Step,” Aiden said while turning to the unicorn. “I think...Tempest is...” To Aiden’s dismay, the mage was exhibiting a similar condition. Night Step had his hooves over his ears, as if trying to blot out an annoying sound; his teeth clenched and his head bowed, trying to ignore the apparent pulse that only he and Tempest were hearing.
“Shit...” Aiden mentally cursed as his gazed turned to Celestia, hopeful that she wasn’t suffering the same effects. The alicorn, however, was having trouble keeping her composure as well; her head nodded repeatedly and her eyes fluttered open and shut rapidly, trying her hardest to remain awake.
“Aiden...” the Princess wearily uttered. “Do...you hear it too...don’t you?” She spoke in a slow voice that sounded as if she had just been awakened in the middle of the night.
“Dawn’s mercy...” Night Step hissed. “My head...” Aiden turned his attention down to his left hand; to the Praemian Thorn under his skin. He swiftly removed the glove on his hand, revealing that the Thorn was glowing furiously. The hollow navy blue colored circle on the knuckle of his thumb stared back at him like an accusing eye. It too glowed like the rest of the Thorn as it rested underneath his skin.
“Not now!” Aiden pleaded with the ancient weapon, gripping his arm at the wrist with his other hand. It apparently didn’t listen as it began to glow even brighter, the glyphs illustrated under his flesh quickly becoming more defined. He soon felt a discomforting tingling sensation in his forearm, and he was certain that he could hear the pulse that was affecting Princess and company. For a moment he was certain that it was merely his own heartbeat, but after a moment passed, he determined that the pulse was getting much stronger, and that he could faintly feel it coming from the Thorn itself, as it slowly caused his arm to fall asleep.
Aiden brought his left hand up to his face, his right hand still clenched around the wrist. The young man frowned deeply at the Thorn as its light blue glow intensified even further. Aiden turned his attention to the two pegasi who were leading the chariot on its journey, only to discover that they were both surrounded in a white aura, exactly like the ones that surrounded both Celestia and Nebula when he first ventured into the Equinox the previous night.
“So they can’t see or hear any of this,” Aiden sighed with defeat, returning his gaze to the Thorn. Tempest and Night Step were both out cold now; Aiden reached his right arm out to keep the former from falling forward on his face, but kept his eyes on the Thorn and what it was doing. He casted a quick glance in the Princess’s direction, wanting to see how she was doing. She was leaning far forward, looking as though she were about to fall from her seat and onto the chariot’s floor.
“Aiden...” the Princess whispered in a weary tone. “W-what...what’s happening?” She asked as the pulsing became much louder and more rapid. Aiden’s vision became hazy at this point. The young man slumped in his seat as he tried his hardest to keep his hand in his vision.
“This thing is alive, isn’t it?” He asked himself as his eyes finally caved in to the insufferable pulse.
---
“Alright, what does Wonderland have in store for me today?” Aiden sarcastically thought as he felt a familiar chill overtake him. He felt the sands of the Equinox being whipped around him by the wind, occasionally pelting and stinging him in the face. Without opening his eyes, the twenty year old man extended both of his arms out and tilted his head upwards, offering a simple prayer. “God, if you really do exist...why do you hate me?”
A sudden noise that sounded like a mix of a growl and a screech caught Aiden’s attention. His eyes snapped open and he quickly scanned his vision across the wasteland in front of him, trying to see through the perpetual sandstorm. The next noise Aiden heard was the sound of a large pair of wings flapping. “Now what...” the young man muttered as he squinted in the direction from where the noise was coming from. He was certain that he could make out a faint silhouette, no more than thirty or so feet away from him in the midst of the storm. “The hell is that?” Aiden whispered to himself as he saw the silhouette suddenly lunge towards him.
“Oh shi-”
Aiden yelled as he was tossed into the air for what was really only a brief few seconds. He landed on his back, sending sand up in a small tidal wave. He writhed on the ground in pain as whatever had just hit him landed several feet away, letting out what sounded like a satisfied screech. Aiden coughed and choked up sand as he swore under his breath at the creature that had attacked him.
“Fucker...” Aiden groaned while placing a hand on his ribs. He attempted to lift himself up, only to be met with more pain in the side of his chest. The creature let out another screech, gaining precedence over the pain in his ribs. Aiden let out a gasp as he turned his head as far as it would go, spitting out more sand. He soon began screaming in agony as some of the burning hot sand entered his eyes. Aiden placed his hands over his eyes, cursing and swearing up a storm, so much so that a seasoned veteran or mafia boss would blush. He tried his hardest to wipe the searing hot particles from his eyes, as they teared up extensively and turned an irritated red.
The culprit was a large winged, dragon-like creature. The black and grey scales that covered its entire body seemed to glisten, as though they were damp. It reared its head to meet Aiden’s gaze with glowing white eyes; its jaw opened, revealing rows upon rows of razor sharp teeth, and a thin snake-like tongue. The most Aiden could describe it would be as a wyvern, as it only had one pair of hind legs and a set of leathery wings. Its spiny tail, which ended in a single spike, slammed into the ground with a loud thud as it turned full circle to completely face its prey.
Aiden slowly rolled onto his stomach, taking care not to upset his ribs. He hoped that they were not bruised or broken. They didn’t hurt as much as they did at the initial impact, but Aiden attributed that to adrenaline. He slowly placed a foot firmly into the ground before standing up to his full height. The wyvern let out a guttural hiss as it slowly began approaching him, one step at a time, each one sending loose sand up in small waves.
“Shhh-shit,” Aiden stuttered right before he stumbled back over his feet and was on his rear, a yelp of surprise escaping his lips. The wyvern slowly continued its approach as Aiden crawled back away from the monster. “Oh fuck, oh fuck, oh fuck!!” Aiden’s voice cracked on the last swear as he looked down at the Praemian Thorn. “If you’re going to do something, now would be the fucking time to do it!” He gasped in surprise when his back was suddenly stopped. He looked up, only to be met with a familiar face.
“Hello, Aiden,” the man in white said.
Aiden, for a moment, forgot that there was a scaled beast intent on making him its next meal approaching. The young man tilted his head, mostly in shock and confusion at the man’s sudden presence in this place.
“Then again, maybe I shouldn’t be surprised...” He thought to himself with a frown. The man looked forward at the wyvern as it couldn’t be anymore than thirty feet away. Aiden soon joined him in staring back at the beast as it closed the distance even further. The older man cleared his throat, drawing Aiden’s attention once again.
“Well?” The man said in an inquisitive tone while raising an eyebrow.
“Well, what!?” Aiden shouted as his gaze shifted back and forth from the wyvern to his old dream friend.
“You’re not going to run?” The man asked, unphased by Aiden’s anger. He lifted a hand and gestured to the slowly approaching monster. Aiden stuttered, even more incredulous at the man’s question. He threw one more frightened glance at the wyvern, no more than ten feet from him.
Throwing the pain in his chest out of his mind, Aiden scrambled to stand up and turned his back to the wyvern. Probably not the smartest thing he did that day. Aiden cursed again as he heard the wyvern screech again and lift itself into flight behind him. Aiden’s eyes clenched shut as he tried to focus on nothing else but running away from the dragon creature.
“Well, I wanted to know what I saw last night,” Aiden thought, trying to ignore the burning sensation that was just beginning to emerge in his calfs. The wyvern apparently landed to his front, judging from the crash a few feet in front of him. Aiden opened his eyes to be met with the wyvern’s pure white gaze. The young man cursed again as he turned to his left and kept running.
“Alright, Mr. All Knowing Dream Mentor Guy,” Aiden muttered in between breaths. “If you’re here to actually help me for once, how about you cut the bullshit and actually do something about this fucker!?”
Aiden’s plea was answered. He returned his gaze forward to see that he was approaching what looked like stone ruins, not unlike the ruins he saw when he first visited the Equinox on the night he received the Thorn. Aiden made a complete break for it (as though he wasn’t already going as fast as his feet could manage). The second his boots touched the stone tiled floor, his legs protested, cried, and begged him to stop, but he knew he would be a dead man if he gave in.
He continued running, hearing the wyvern roar with frustration behind him. Aiden looked over his shoulder to see that the beast had become stuck on one of the stone archways that led into the ruins. It swung its tail, it struggled, trying to break itself free from its new prison. Aiden turned his head sideways, looking back at a doorway leading inside the ruins themselves.
Aiden turned back to the wyvern as he began backing himself into the open doorway. He threw a smug smirk in his assailant’s direction as it continued to roar in anger. He flipped it off; both hands. He extended his arms out as far as they would go, wanting to insure that the monster could see his obscene gesture.
“Alright, Aiden, that’s enough,” the voice of the man said from behind him. Aiden turned to meet his gaze with his dream friend, then back to the monster outside. He shrugged, and followed the man deeper into the ruins.
“So, care to explain why you’ve brought me here?” Aiden asked as the two of them began their descent down a spiral staircase, lit by the occasional torch. “Am I going to be subjected to even more of this freaky voodoo shit?”
“If you would categorize training in how to use that ancient superweapon living in your arm as freaky voodoo shit, then yes,” the man casually replied with a laugh as they made their way towards the bottom of the stairs. Aiden just hoped that at the least he would learn how to get the Thorn to listen to him.
Aiden and his personal escort reached the bottom of the stairs, when the young man suddenly stopped in place, four steps from the stone floor. The man did the same a few feet ahead, turning back to Aiden with an inquisitive look.
“Is something wrong?” He asked. Aiden replied by simply pointing an accusing finger at him. The man raised an eyebrow, unsure of what Aiden was trying to communicate.
“I just remembered something,” Aiden mused with a chuckle. “Last time we talked, I was about to ask you your name.” Aiden paused for a little bit as a frown curved its way across his face. “But then you simply vanished; you ditched me!” Aiden finished his accusation, crossing his arms with an even deeper frown on his face. The man sighed, while rubbing the back of his neck with an open palm.
“Aiden,” he said. “Can this wait until we’re finished here?” He gestured onward into the poorly lit hallway ahead. Aiden shook his head and leaned his back into the wall of the stairwell.
“Not moving until I get an answer,” Aiden gave the man an ultimatum. “I promise I won’t laugh, no matter how ridiculous your name is.” He grinned at the man. The man’s fists tightened, and Aiden smiled even wider, knowing that he had provoked a reaction for once. For a moment, the man simply stood there, staring down Aiden, until his clenched fists relaxed, and he took a few steps backwards.
“If that’s the game you want to play,” the man said. “Then so be it.” He finished with a grave tone, but Aiden could just barely see a tiny smirk on his face. The man turned his back to him, beginning the trek down the long hallway. Aiden tilted his head, unsure of what the man was planning.
“Now what’s this asshole planning?” Aiden thought as he scratched his head. The man continued onward, even when Aiden yelled out to get his attention. He threw his hands up in frustration and finally began giving chase.
Aiden held a quick and steady pace of walking after him, yet he couldn’t seem to catch up, despite the fact that the man appeared to be doing little more than a casual walk as if he were merely on a stroll through the park. Aiden picked up his pace even further to a slight jog in an attempt to catch up with his companion. His efforts were met with the hallway seeming to “stretch” further ahead of him.
Aiden nearly stopped in his tracks as his attention headed down towards the stone tiles. They were indeed stretching forward, ahead of him, as though they were rubber or clay. Aiden blinked, wanting to be sure that he was really seeing this. He looked forward again to see that the man seemed unaffected by this. He simply continued onward, as though he hadn’t a care in the world. Aiden shook his head as he continued his attempt to catch up with the man.
“This is what you call fucked up,” Aiden panted to himself as he pressed onward into a steady sprint. The faster he sprinted, however, the faster the hallway seemed to stretch. Even so, the man managed to gain even more distance between them and kept a simple walk. It hurt Aiden’s eyes to merely look at it.
The man was soon no longer visible; he disappeared into the distance, and the hallway still stretched further ahead. Aiden looked over his shoulder to see if he was actually moving; he couldn’t see the stairs that had led him down here. Aiden stopped where he was, looking back and forth between the two directions that were available to him. There were no more torches along the walls, yet the hallway was still illuminated by a dim yellow glow. Aiden continued pursuing the man, shaking his head.
“No; this is fucked up,” he corrected himself while trying to catch his breath. Aiden sighed and began to pick up his pace again as his breath finally began to back into rhythm with his heartbeat again.
Suddenly, Aiden slipped, and with a small yelp, he was on his back. Aiden groaned with what was mostly annoyance at his misfortune. He swore softly as he rested his head against the stone floor. He would’ve considered having a few moments of shut eye at that moment, had it not been for the fact that he was sliding forward.
He lifted his head up again to look forward. Indeed he was sliding forward, for the hallway had seemed to tilt itself downwards; at what angle, Aiden could only guess and be thankful that it wasn’t ninety degrees. The hallway’s vertical angle became even steeper, and Aiden braced himself for a potentially harsh landing. He had only one thing on his mind at the present moment:
“This is that asshole old man’s doing, isn’t it?” He thought with a look of irritation on his face.
Aiden could see in the distance a faint cyan glow and what finally looked like an end to his little ride. What that ending would begin, however, was any sentient being’s guess. “You know, the next time I hear someone complain about their morning commute, I think I’ll just punch them...” Aiden thought with an amused smile as he reached the end of the slide. After a brief fall, he was on his rear again.
After rubbing a hand on his sore spot, he corrected himself again. “No, this whole place is fucked up!” The sound of a person clearing their throat caught his attention. Aiden’s gaze turned up to meet with the man several feet away, standing on the other side of another well of mercury, just like the one at the ancient castle of the Royal Sisters.
“You alright?” He asked with a chuckle. Aiden eyed him with disdain as he stood up.
“I feel about as good as I look,” Aiden replied. After taking a deep breath to regain his bearings, Aiden approached the mercury well as the man leaned his hands on the well’s edge, looking down into the silvery liquid. Aiden soon joined him in this action from the other side of the well. They both looked up and met each other’s gaze. The man raised his eyebrows, waiting for Aiden to do something.
“Soooo,” Aiden drew out the word. “This song and dance again, huh?” He asked pointing his left index finger at the pool of mercury. The liquid had the same cyan glow as the first well he encountered, but this time, he could make out a very noticeable ball of crimson at the center of it. Aiden placed his right hand on his left wrist. “So should I start rolling up my sleeves, or what?”
The man nodded and gestured to the well. “Whenever you’re ready, son.” Aiden leaned in slightly closer to examine the ball of crimson. With one more glance at the man, Aiden rolled his left sleeve up.
“Here goes,” Aiden whispered as he plunged his arm into the pool of mercury. Like before, the pool of mercury didn’t seem any deeper than two or three inches, yet Aiden managed to fit his arm in up to the elbow when he met with the resistance of the pool’s bottom. And just like last time, he felt a slight pinch on his skin, but this time on the knuckle of his left index finger.
Aiden cringed slightly as he felt something pierce the skin around his knuckle. He looked down to see the glowing ball of crimson being drawn to his hand. The second it made contact, Aiden closed his eyes and grunted as he felt something metallic being jammed into the opening of his skin.
He was surprised, looking at it, that there was no blood leaking out. Of course it could’ve simply been hidden by the crimson color of the object that was making his hand its new home.
After a moment, the pain subsided, and Aiden finally drew his hand from the mercury; there wasn’t a single trace of the liquid on his skin. Aiden examined the back of his hand, noticing that the navy blue ring on the knuckle of his thumb had once again started glowing; but this time, it had a neighbor. On the knuckle of his index finger, was a ring of crimson color, glowing just as brightly. Both of the rings were surrounded by the familiar cyan glow of the Praemian Thorn itself as its glyphs seemed to slightly highlight and illustrate the outlines of the bones, joints and tendons of Aiden’s hand, running all the way up to his elbow.
Aiden rolled his sleeve back down as he looked up to his dream companion and shrugged his shoulders. “So, what happens now?”
“Now,” the man said as his hands returned to his sides. “You will be tested in your new power.” He gestured a hand for Aiden to follow.
“A new power?” Aiden asked while still looking at his hand with curiosity. Aiden looked up to see the man ascending a staircase on the other end of the room. He quickly resumed following him, leaving the mercury well behind, the cyan glow slowly losing its luminescence.
This new stairwell was also illuminated by an unidentifiable source. Aiden continued examining his hand, even as the glowing weapon underneath his skin was no longer lit up like a Christmas tree. “So what is it that this new power of mine does?” Aiden asked as they made their way up the steps.
“The Thorn currently holds two powers,” the man began. Aiden cringed slightly, knowing that there was another long explanation coming his way. “Abitrath’s Gate, which is the ring on your thumb; it allows you to enter and exit the Equinox whenever you find it necessary. The one on your index finger is Algat’s River; it allows you to control forms of energy, mainly heat and electricity, and use them to defend yourself from attack.” He paused for a moment, turning his head to Aiden. “You can also, with time and training, eventually be able to manipulate light and sound, and bend them to your will.”
The man paused for another moment for Aiden to take all of this in. Aiden simply stared at the Thorn under his hand again, perplexed at the thought of manipulating all these things to his will alone. He flexed his fingers, watching as the glyphs of the Thorn stretched with his skin.
Aiden panned his gaze over the entire chamber; it was large, about two hundred feet or so in diameter. “So how will this training go about?” He asked while still surveying his surroundings. The man walked onward, closer to the center of the chamber before finally answering Aiden’s question.
“First,” he began. “You’ll learn how to control sources of heat.” He raised his arms towards the ceiling, spreading them out as Aiden could just barely notice sparks gathering in his hands. The sparks quickly turned into flames with a flex of his wrists. He slowly brought his hands together, forming one single sphere of fire in the palms. He turned his gaze up to Aiden, with a small look of worry on his face. “Are you ready, son?”
Aiden held his left arm up, examining the still glowing writing under his skin. He looked at the man with a look of determination. “Ready,” he replied with a nod as he extended his left arm. He prepared himself for whatever was about to be thrown his way, while simultaneously eyeing the Thorn with irritation. “Work. You antiquated. Piece of shit,” he thought with spite against the ancient weapon.
The man drew both of his arms back, the large flame still remaining suspended in front of his chest. “Catch!” He yelled as he pushed his arms forward, flinging the ball of fire forward towards Aiden. Aiden gulped nervously as the fireball flew towards him. All he could think of was to hold the Thorn out as far as he could extend his arm, close his eyes, and hope for the best.
After a brief period of silence, Aiden opened his eyes, and turned his eyes forward to see that the crimson ring on his index finger was glowing brightly, standing out from the rest of the Thorn. To top it all off, the ball of flame was now resting safely in the palm of Aiden’s left hand, to which the young man eyed it, astonished.
“Good,” the man stated as he clapped his hands together. “Now, the flame will react to your willpower; the more focused you are, the more magic you can draw from your surroundings and direct into the Thorn, and with it, you will be able to shape and use the flame however you see fit.”
“Huh, cool beans,” Aiden thought as he tilted his head, still staring at the flame in the palm of his hand. “Okay, so what should I do next?” He asked, waving his arm slowly from left to right.
“Control the flame with the flow of your hand; strengthen it with your will,” the man said while stretching out his arms.
“Alright, I can do this,” Aiden said while clenching his hand into a fist, causing it to become enveloped in the flame; he only felt a small amount of the heat, as though he were standing a good distance away from a bonfire. He eased his grip, and the fire in turn seemed to calm down, along with the glow of the ring. He repeated this action of clenching his hand into a fist, and easing it, to get in touch of controlling the flame’s intensity.
“So far, so good,” the man said. “Now, try and use the fire to hit the targets behind you.” He pointed forward, and Aiden turned to see several glowing orbs of light, one atop each of the many pillars that formed a circle around the interior of the chamber.
“Huh, okay,” Aiden shrugged as he lifted his hand up, trying to focus on the odd spheres of light. Under normal circumstances, he would’ve questioned where they had come from, or question the man as to why he was helping him; but these conditions were anything but normal.
Aiden clenched his hand into a fist, brought it to his chest for a moment, and then threw his hand back out again, his fingers easing, thus releasing the flame forward. The ball of fire was flung towards the top of the nearest pillar, and shattered the glowing orb of light like a glass ornament. Aiden stared at his hand for a moment, a live flame still flickering within its palm. He smiled.
“Aw, hell,” he laughed with excitement. “It’s that easy?” He turned his attention to the nearest pillar on his right, and did the same as for the previous one. The orb atop it also shattered, just like the last one, when the flame touched it. Aiden laughed with amusement as his attention was drawn to the next two pillars on each side of the chamber.
“Great work, Aiden!” The man called behind him. “But try some other methods!”
“Other methods?” Aiden asked, still eyeing the next two orbs down the line. He turned his gaze from the one on his left, to his right. “Okay...” he sighed. He brought his left hand to his right shoulder, the ring of Algat’s River glowing a furious scarlet. He simply hoped that he wouldn’t end up catching his clothes, or his hair on fire by mistake. He made a semicircle with his hand starting at his right shoulder and ending right above his head. He had the idea of forming a whip, or chain with the fire. After all, the fire would obey him, right?
“Right!” Aiden thought happily as his plans came to fruition. He swung what kind of looked like a rope on fire, only without the rope, over his head for a moment before allowing it to come down onto the next orb in his sights.
“Good!” The man complimented. “Again, on the next one!” Aiden did as he said, shattering the fourth glowing target. There were eight targets left, four on each side, making for a total of twelve pillars in the chamber.
“What next?” Aiden asked as he allowed the string of fire to fall to the ground, eventually leaving little more than black scorch marks where the flames once were.
“I’ll bring the next two targets a bit closer to home,” the man said with a snap of his fingers. With a bright flash, two of the remaining targets vanished from their positions atop the pillars; a split second later, they reappeared with another flash on either side of Aiden, both about five feet away.
“Alright,” Aiden whispered as he clenched his left hand into a fist once again. He tossed a quick glance to both the glowing orbs, then back at the flame enveloping his fist. He slammed his fist into the stone ground, being sure not to injure his hand. His efforts were now met with a small shockwave of fire being sent outward from him, shattering both the orbs.
He stood up straight, looking around at the result of his work with a confident smile. “Excellent,” the man said as the sound of his footsteps approached from behind. “Now let’s try something a little different, Aiden.”
“Like what?” He asked, turning to face his new mentor.
“Try commanding a facet of nature other than fire,” the man replied. “Such as lightning.” Aiden looked back at the flame still resting in the palm of his left hand.
“Okay,” Aiden replied as he turned to his teacher.
“I’ll give you a source to get started on,” the man said, snapping his fingers again. “Oh, and you might want to get out of the way.” Aiden tilted his head slightly.
“Now why would he-” his thought was cut off by an audible cracking noise, followed by what he felt was sand falling onto his head. Instinctively, he brushed the burning hot particles out of his hair and looked up for a brief moment. The ceiling of the domed chamber had large cracks forming in it, getting larger by the second. “Oh...I guess that’s why...” Aiden quickly backed away from where he was standing, which was soon littered with large fragments of stone rubble, courtesy of the newly formed hole in the ceiling.
“Back up a little bit more...” the man said. Aiden did just that, and more debris fell to the ground, making the rift in the ceiling even larger. Sand from the storm now freely poured in the hole, which was now at least half the diameter of the chamber itself. Aiden shielded his eyes with his right hand, keeping the Thorn ready for whatever was ahead.
“Okay,” Aiden whispered. “So...lightning,” he said as he held the Thorn up, his palm open. The clouds of the storm were occasionally illuminated by a flash of lightning, almost always followed by a crack of thunder. “I feel like some stupid asshole using my hand as a lightning rod...” Aiden whispered while shaking his head.
What happened next, was far too fast for Aiden to make any sense of it at first. Aiden’s hand; or rather the Thorn; did indeed behave like a lightning rod. A bolt of pale blue electricity shot down from the sky, striking Aiden’s index finger. The crimson ring that was named Algat’s River was gleaming furiously. For a moment, Aiden was simply too shocked (get it?) to fully understand what had just happened. He lowered his hand back down and brought it back into his field of vision, his right hand still shielding his eyes from the sand.
The electricity arched from one finger to the next, but it seemed most attracted to his index finger. “Oh man,” Aiden let out a small laugh. “This thing is so fucking cool! Nikola Tesla, eat your heart out!” He heard the man laugh a little at his comment. Aiden turned his attention to the remaining six targets.
“I think you’re starting to get the hang of this!” The man yelled. “Now, you know what to do!” Aiden nodded, a confident smile being played across his face. Aiden again brought his left hand to his opposite shoulder, this time with sparks of lightning enveloping it. Like with the rope of fire he did earlier, Aiden made a whip out of the electrical current flowing from his hand; he just hoped he wouldn’t end up electrocuting himself by mistake.
The lightning whip crackled with energy and flared as Aiden swung it at the next two targets, shattering both of the orbs like he did with fire. “Easy peasy,” Aiden said, popping the joints in his neck. “Now,” Aiden focused on the next two. “Let’s try and make a projectile with this.” He pulled his left hand back; slightly closed, but not really a fist. He aimed for the next target on his left, shortly letting his hand fly forward. The Thorn must’ve read his mind, for it did exactly as he wanted, sending a short bolt of electricity at the glowing orb, making it share its companions’ fates. He did the same for the remaining three orbs, thus completing his little session of target practice.
The man offered a small round of applause to congratulate Aiden. “Very good!” He said ecstatically. “So what do you think? Pretty handy, wouldn’t you agree?”
Aiden smiled as he held his left hand up, the Thorn’s glow slowly dying down. “I love this thing,” he replied. “With something like this on my side, I bet I’ll be able to kick Vanguard’s self righteous ass up and down the interdimensional curb!” The man held up his own hand at that statement.
“You’ll have to hold on with that goal, Aiden,” he said as his smile began to fade. “Your brother is no joke; you wouldn’t last a single minute against him, even with this new power. You need to keep tempering yourself and your abilities with the Thorn. There are more powers for you to wield, as well as improved versions of Algat’s River.” He paused for a moment, resting his hand on Aiden’s shoulder. “One of these days, you will be ready to face your brother, and you will protect the ones you love from him. And from your other siblings as well...” The two of them shared a smile. “But for now,” he said as he allowed his hand to return to his side. “You must focus on gaining new strengths for the Thorn; prepare for what will come.”
Aiden lowered his head to see the ring on his thumb was glowing. He looked back up at the man for an explanation.
“This will be the last time you see me for now,” he said as he closed his eyes, and the Thorn glowed brighter again. Aiden brought the Thorn up to his face, looking in awe as the glyphs under his skin began glowing with the ring.
“For now?” Aiden asked in response. “Huh, I guess what you’ve taught me here will have to do, then.”
“Don’t worry, Aiden; you’re a smart lad, I get the feeling that you’ll be able to learn most of the rest on your own.” The ring of Abitrath’s Gate glowed even brighter now, and Aiden felt that familiar sensation of being stuck between sleep and consiousness. Before the boy’s eyes closed, the man whispered a few more words.
“Stay safe, my son...”
---
Aiden awoke to a hoof prodding against his right arm. “Hey, Aiden,” a familiar voice said. Aiden groaned as he placed his left hand on his forehead, eyes still closed. “Come on, Aiden, you lazy bum; get up!” Aiden’s eyes rolled open, obeying the voice’s command.
“I’m up...” he groggily whispered.
“Good,” the voice of Tempest Runner said. “We’re almost there.” Aiden looked around, seeing that everything was back to normal on the carriage. Celestia had her eyes forward, her poker face on as usual. Night Step sat on the other side of the carriage, his eyes staying pointed at the chariot’s floor. Aiden looked over at the two pegasus guards pulling the chariot through the sky; indeed, everything seemed normal, as though nothing unusual had happened while Aiden was having another spectacular adventure in Wonderland.
With a hand rubbing his temple, Aiden looked over to Tempest. “What happened?” He asked wearily. The pegasus looked at him with a raised eyebrow.
“Pardon?” The Solar Guard asked. Before Aiden could repeat his inquiry, Tempest answered. “You dozed off, that’s all.” He said this with a casual tone of voice. Aiden took a brief moment to let his answer sink in.
“But,” Aiden replied. “What about the pulse you were all complaining about?” He asked as he allowed his hand to return to his side. Tempest raised his eyebrow again.
“What pulse?” The pegasus asked. “We talked a little bit after leaving Canterlot, you fell asleep, and her Majesty decided to make conversation with Night Step and I.” Aiden was certain that he heard the pulse before slipping into the Equinox again. The Princess and the others complained about it, after all! There’s no way it was all just in his head, was there?
Aiden shrugged. “Then again, I’m the guy stuck in a cartoon fantasy world of ponies, griffins, ancient evils, and God knows what else, so maybe all of this really is going on in my head...”
“How much farther until we reach Stormview?” Aiden asked, rubbing some dust out of his eyes.
“Another two or three minutes,” Celestia answered for him. “Not much longer, Aiden.”
The young man leaned back, cupping his face in his hands. “Fair enough,” he replied with an exasperated sigh. “So what exactly do you plan to say to the parliament?” He asked turning to the Princess.
“Don’t you worry yourself over that,” Celestia assured him. “I’ve done this many times before, my friend.”
Aiden remained silent for a few seconds, looking over the edge at the slowly approaching city of Stormview, nestled into the side of one of Gryphonia’s many mountains, not unlike Canterlot. Aiden had read in one of the Royal Library’s many volumes that the first Canterlot architects were inspired by how many griffin duchies of times past built their cities into the sides of mountains. The mountains all around them were capped with snow, but a closer look at the city of Stormview revealed green gardens filled with flora of many kinds. Several towers rose up over the skyline of the city.
Aiden saw two griffin guards closing in on the chariot’s left; he heard one of them shout something to the two pegasi, but he couldn’t make it out as the freezing wind carried it away. Aiden shivered. “Winter nights this far north must be exceptionally brutal,” he thought while shaking his head. “Just my luck that we have to come up here at this time of year...”
The chariot swerved to the right; the pegasus guards seemed to be following the griffins’ directions onto a stone landing pad of sorts. The two pegasi were expertly trained, so it seemed, as the landing was smooth enough for one to sleep through it, although Aiden only expected as much for Royal transport. The two griffin guards flew overhead and vanished back behind Stormview’s walls. Celestia, Aiden, and the others patiently sat there, waiting to be greeted, as was her usual custom.
What appeared to be an ambassador exited the gate, flanked by a guard on his right. For the first time, Aiden could note the main difference between male and female griffins. The guard was a male, and his gold colored beak was slightly rounded; the feathers and plumage atop his head seemed to be have been dyed red.
The ambassador was a female, judging by the purple dye of her head feathers, the eyelashes, and the sharper, more jagged beak. She wore robes of the same color, only more of a lavender shade. Both of their faces were void of expression. The ambassador was the first to speak.
“Greetings, Princess Celestia,” she began. “I am Ambassador Lamia, and I have been asked to guide you and your subjects to the Parliamentary House for the summit.” She raised her right arm and pointed a talon at her bodyguard. “This is Lieutenant Cadmus of the King’s personal guard; after the summit, he will take you to where you will be staying for the night.”
Celestia seemed surprised at her last sentence. “I wasn’t told that we would be staying for the night,” she replied. The ambassador gave an honest smile.
“Believe me, flying through a Winter night in Gryphonia is dangerous, your Highness,” she said as she gestured towards the city’s gate. “I’ve tried doing it before back during my younger days. It was so cold and the wind was so strong that I lost consciousness while flying and plummeted to the ground. I was lucky that the Lieutenant’s father was out at the time and found me.” She threw a glance of acknowledgement in Cadmus’s direction. The Lieutenant seemed to nod in appreciation.
The Princess turned her gaze to the ground, most likely considering the offer. “Very well,” she said with a sigh. “I suppose I could use the rest after the meeting,” she said.
“Excellent,” Lamia replied. “Right this way.”
The griffin guards, as well as the citizens, actually paid more attention to Celestia and the other ponies than to Aiden. The most regard that Aiden got at the city’s main plaza was a few teenaged griffins pointing at him.
“What’s with the weird monkey thing?” One of them asked.
“I dunno,” another one replied. “Maybe it’s that princess’s pet, or something?”
“Maybe she’s going to use it to try and intimidate the King!”
This was the most attention that Aiden was getting; occasionally he would get a curious stare from one of the guards or average citizen, but no more words were spoken regarding him, as far as he knew at least.
The Parliamentary House was a rectangular building with a domed top. Celestia and company stood at the giant wooden doors that led inside. “Now then,” Lamia began. “It will be some time until the actual summit begins.” She turned towards the alicorn. “Princess, his Majesty, King Samran wishes to speak with you before the meeting begins.”
The Princess nodded once. “So be it,” she replied.
The ambassador turned to Aiden and the others. “As for the rest of you, Lieutenant Cadmus would be happy to give you all a small tour of our capital city.” The lieutenant stepped forward, nodding, and with a smile on his face. Tempest, Night Step, and the other two pegasi followed the griffin officer into the crowds as he began speaking to them about the history. By this time, the crowds of curious griffin citizens began to disperse, mostly due to the griffin guards gently ushering them away, normally by saying “nothing to see here,” or “move along.”
Aiden looked over to Celestia with a somewhat worried look. “Are you sure that you’ll be okay?” He asked. Celestia gave him a warm smile.
“I’m sure,” she replied. She nodded her head in the direction that the others were headed. “Now go on, they’re waiting for you.” Aiden turned his head back to see that both Tempest and Night Step were looking back in his direction, waiting for him to join them. Aiden began to make his way down the steps and into the city’s plaza, only now beginning to gather attention from the bystanders, judging by a few sudden gasps or yells for the guards.
Aiden turned back to her one last time before disappearing into the streets of Stormview. “You sure you got this?” He asked just over the background noise of the busy city.
“I’m sure,” she replied with a wave of her hoof. Aiden smiled back and went to join the others. Celestia turned towards the doors of the Parliamentary Hall and sighed. “I got this...” she thought. “Nothing to worry about...”
---
“Oh, Dawn’s Mercy, they can see me,” Celestia thought as she entered the main chamber, Ambassador Lamia at her right. Several diplomats sat alongside the king on perches above her, the king being in the center. “Alright girl, you can do this; it’s only been what...twenty years? Thirty?” She refused to allow her nervousness to show; rule number one to playing politics. They all eyed her with poker faces of their own.
Now that she thought about it, it might’ve been a little longer since she last had a meeting with Gryphonian leadership; the two countries had just fought a war thirty years ago, the two races had deep rooted hostility that dated back to antiquity, and this was a new king to top it all off; she had no idea what his personality was like, or how he would react. She took in a deep breath.
“I don’t got this...”