Harmonic Fellowship

by Sun Sage

13. Forging Ahead

Aiden stared, wide-eyed, at Garken. “Keia… was your daughter? I never knew.”

“Why would you have?” Garken replied absently, looking at the blade as runes upon its surface glowed faintly. “It wasn’t your concern.”

Aiden sighed, then snorted a faint chuckle. “I guess not. Still… there’s somepony I think I’ll introduce you to at some point.”

“I don’t think I’m quite ready to go native just yet, Windborne,” Garken muttered, banishing the blade with a flick of his wrist.

“Oh, and here I thought we were bonding,” Tempest chimed in dryly.

“I’ll buy you a drink after we knock over the pretty castle there,” he replied, flicking a thumb towards the energy shield covered Canterlot, and its castle in the distance.

“I’d rather we didn’t… but do what you have to to get in and out.” Twilight spoke up, stepping toward the group.

“Twilight!” Rarity exclaimed. “What happened to your face.”

“We’re at war, Rarity, I took a shot to the face. It happens.”

Rainbow rolled her eyes. “Don’t lie for me. I hit her, because I was freaking out. It was stupid and it won’t-”

“Hold it a moment, everyone,” Aiden said firmly. “...Does anyone have a grievance that absolutely must be aired before we head into the city to save hostages?”

Silence.

“Good. Then here’s the plan. Garken and… Tempest, was it?” She nodded. “Will cause chaos in the city and draw out any enemies they can from the castle. Sir Gram and Dame Gwendolyn will join them, along with… err…”

“Sir Gareth,” Gareth supplied. “And these are Sir Gaheris and Dame Galina.”

Aiden blinked. “Gareth… and Gaheris…? Uh… any relation?”

Gareth tilted his head. “Third cousins in fact; how did you know?”

“...Lucky guess. You wouldn’t know anyone named Gawain, would you?”

Gareth’s eyes went wide. “You know my elder brother as well?!”

Aiden facepalmed. “The universe has a sense of humor. I don’t know whether that’s reassuring right now… ANYway… you all join Garken and Tempest. Twilight, Rainbow, Rarity, and I will infiltrate the castle and get the hostages out, one way or another. If Rarity and I can’t use my Inner Verse, Twilight can teleport them, or Rainbow can fly them out.”

“Hmph,” Tempest said, “and we’ll just… rage around?”

“I support this plan,” Garken said solemnly.

“But why does the universe have a sense of humor?” Gareth muttered absently.

“We have intel that we can get in and out via the waterfalls beneath the city. However, breaking the shield gives us a quick way out in any direction, and an initial distraction, so I feel that’s the better option. Anyone have a good method in mind? ...And Sir Gareth, I’ll tell you later, but it’s a coincidence between your world and mine. ...Hardly the first I’ve heard of.”

“Fair enough, I shall look forward to hearing all of your tales after this engagement. ...I shall take it as a personal insult if you fail to survive.”

Aiden chuckled. “Noted. Anyone have any questions?” No one did. “Right, Our group will give yours five minutes to assault the castle before we head in. We’ll be using my method of travel, since they’re more likely to be on guard for Equestrian tricks. Again, any ideas on the shield?”

Garken was grinning as he stepped towards it. He clasped his large, sinewy hands together and flexed, cracking knuckles. He did the same with his neck before rolling his shoulders. “I have a plan.”

“...You’re going to punch it, aren’t you?”

“Possibly multiple times. Briareus may be the Hundred Fist, but I know how to set up destructive resonance well enough. This shield won’t last long.”

Twilight tilted her head. “You’re going to dispel it by… punching it a lot?”

“Precision punching, your highness. Rapid, and perfectly timed to take advantage of the previous punch’s effect on the shield’s output.

“Causing a resonance… yes I see,” she said, eyes going distant as she worked through the math. “That’s really clever… though I could probably just pull the spell apart. It’s not the cleanest construction, aetherically speaking. Shiny makes much better shields.”

“Defense has never really been our area of focus,” Garken admitted. “Most of our ‘fortifications’ are designed to lure in enemies to fight rather than guard much of anything. The Spires launched on Earth were more elaborate than usual, complete with death traps and labyrinthine interiors… because we were losing and Briareus ordered it. As you noticed, the Spire you found here was unimpressive.”

“Other than linking its General to the other Spires and a continuous supply of magical energy,” Twilight muttered with a grimace.

“Other than that,” Garken agreed as he trailed his fingers along the shield, causing small ripples on its surface. “But in any case, no. We are the distraction; you are the rescue team. Do not tip your hand; let him see that I am the one coming for him.”

“If you’re sure…” she acceded. “Ready to go, Aiden?”

“Yeah, let’s-”

“Wait!” Rainbow said suddenly. “I want to see this!”

“We could be in before it’s down, following the waterfall entrance,” Aiden pointed out.

“Do you really need to watch a shield get broken, Rainbow Dash?” Rarity asked.

“Yeah, Rarity… I think I do. It takes power, speed, and precision, right? Twilight’s been working overtime to get ready for this, and you’ve been training like crazy. You!”

“And what’s that supposed to mean?”

“It means I’m the one slacking too much.” Rainbow replied, looking down at her forehooves. “If I really want Twilight not to have to blow herself up again-”

“Wait, she did what?”

“-Then I have to step up, too. And I think… I know what’s he doing. I need to see it though.”

Garken raised an eyebrow at the pegasus, gauging her commitment. She looked up, meeting that gaze, and he nodded. “Very well, little pony. Watch carefully. As I said, we don’t specialize in shielding, so make of this technique what you may.”

“What did she mean you blew yourself up?”

“I’m fine, Rarity.”

“I can see that, but-”

A thrumming impact, like a massive drum, interrupted the conversation as Garken hit the shield with a straight punch that sent a shockwave reverberating through the domed energy and the air itself. With a brief nod as if confirming, he hit it again in a different spot, then again more quickly.

Then his fists became a blur. Rainbow’s eyes were wide, pupils flicking slightly as she took in what was happening. Garken spoke calmly as the ripples began cascading and undulating on the surface. “Aiden, vanish your group as soon as it comes down, take the long way around while we go straight in.”

Cracks were forming as Garken’s energy was shooting upward. It was the strongest he’d felt since Baltimore, and Aiden nodded. They were ready. He felt the shield shatter as Garken struck it a final time, adding in a headbutt that may or may not have been necessary. Rainbow laughed as she, Rarity, Twilight, and Aiden vanished into the flower garden.

------------------------------------------

Tempest snorted as the shield came down. The crackling aether in the air made her broken horn buzz worse than usual, but it also meant she could channel a bit more. Unstable aether was easier to grab, if not control. If these conditions prevailed inside the city she’d have an advantage. They rushed down the street, the griffons taking to the air in cover formation, with the two from Ponyville (Gram and… Gwen… something) flying higher to scout over the buildings. Tempest had to give them credit; they took to working together with no talk needed. They just fell into line together with the discipline of trained troops. It was nice to be working with that. ...The Storm King’s Storm Guard were… competent... if one wanted simple, brute force. But these were trained knights. She was confident she’d appreciate the difference.

“Suggestions, Commander Shadow?” Garken asked, amusement clear in his voice as they ran down the main thoroughfare towards the castle. They were moving quickly and Canterlot wasn’t really all that large. They’d be there in minutes.

“Perhaps you should punch the door, Grand Marshal. Should get their attention.”

“I can do that, but I thought you might have something more interesting. You have sieged this city before.”

“It was a joke. I don’t know what Princess Celestia uses for a training regimen for her guards, but they were not ready for an attack on a festival day. ...To be fair, we did cloak the airships until we got close.”

“I wondered why Cloudsdale or the like didn’t spot you on approach…” Gareth muttered from a few feet above Tempest’s head.

“The Storm King had a few tricks up his sleeve or he wouldn’t have had the success he did. It’s not as though he was a brilliant tactician.”

“Heh… prepare for deja vu. My king never struck me as much of one either. Then again, we do tend to disdain tactics. If you plan out your enemies’ defeat, the fighting is less fun.” As if to emphasize his point, he flung a blast of energy through a nearby window, destroying a three story building with a massive detonation.

Gareth winced. “These are citizens’ homes. ...Also, I disagree that tactics aren’t fun. The look on an enemy’s face when they realize they’ve been outmaneuvered is priceless.”

“Eh, they can rebuild. And as to-”

Garken stopped as they all felt two of the three large aether concentrations in the castle disappear… and one reappear in front of them. The second was behind them, and the two were already channeling massive amounts of magical energy. Tempest didn’t recognize either of them, but fired a lightning blast at the one behind them. She was vaguely aware of Sir Gram and Dame Gwen diving at her target as well. No hesitation, no surprised moment of inaction. ...For that matter, no bumbling around waiting for orders the way the Storm Guard often did. I could get used to griffons.

Her attack hit to little effect. The Oni, a general certainly, if comparing her to Ferrana was any indication, seemed to largely shrug off the electricity skittering across her form. Her charging energy exploded outward in a wide shockwave, throwing Gram backward and staggering Tempest (who’d been the primary target) while Gwen pushed through the wave. At the last moment she struck with a short sword Tempest scarcely saw her draw.

The Oni blocked the swipe with a bone plated forearm and countered, knocking Gwen forcefully into the wall of a nearby building. The griffon bounded off and took to the sky, clearly dazed but not out.

Tempest charged forward, seeing her opponent’s bright red eyes narrow as their stares met. She’s strong… and she wants to kill me. ...Try it! A smaller energy burst hit the cobblestones where Tempest had been running, sending the unicorn dodging to the left. The Oni had already moved, sending the blade of a halberd from nowhere directly into Tempest’s new path. She spun, knocking it aside and landing a rear hoof on her target’s temple at nearly the same time. The Oni seemed to scarcely notice, and a hand grabbed her hoof and flung her into the air, using her momentum against her.

Shit. She struck with her magic again, deflecting the halberd that’d been thrown after her, stopping it from piercing her barrel by mere inches. Another blast of power hit the Oni, but again had little effect.

She’s like a block of steel… Which was the least of Tempest’s problems in that moment, or so she thought, since she was about to have a rather painful landing after being thrown half a block. She was bracing herself to roll with the impact when-

“Gotcha!” Gareth said with a grunt as he plucked her from the air, bleeding off their momentum as he skirted the street below.

“Nice catch. ...Thank you.” Tempest said simply.

“Not a problem… though these two are. If we can’t handle them we’ll never draw out Briareus. Not to mention… there could be reinforcements coming.” They landed, a brief respite as Gram and Gwen held the Oni’s attention, though they weren’t faring well. Tempest risked a look past them to see Garken fighting the other opponent, who was, if anything, stronger than theirs. His first attack spell had badly burned Garken’s right shoulder, and he was already bleeding from several wounds. Their strength is amplified by the corrupted crystals, but how does that help us… “Do you know anything about corrupted aetheryte?”

Gareth’s head tilted before his eyes went wide. “That’s their secret? I do know a bit. An ancient griffon king had a crown imbedded with the stuff. It made his already potent magic strong enough to go from flight and cloudwalking to complete weather control over much of Griffonstone’s surrounding countryside. ...But his mind crumbled as it eroded his very being. In the end, his assassination was a mercy killing, by his personal champion.”

“How was he killed?”

“His will had faded to the point that his champion could overpower his control of the gemmed crown. They both died in a massive stroke of lightning he called down.”

Tempest grinned. “Contest of wills, huh? I can do those.” She took off at a gallop as the Oni struck down Gram, stomping down on his already torn wing while Gwen struggled to rise.

A sneak attack consisting of hooves on cobblestone is not a thing unless one’s opponent is deaf. The Oni wasn’t, and Tempest was counting on it. Channeling lightning through herself, she thrust forward in an attack the Oni was too confused by to properly stop: she stabbed into her torso with her broken horn.

With the magic channeling like a blade of lightning from her horn, it broke through the Oni’s thin armor and pierced her flesh. That same magic, now channeling through both of them, did more harm to Tempest than the Oni, but that didn’t matter. What mattered was that it bridged the gap between her and the imbedded crystal.

Tempest screamed as the foul aether within the gems reached into her mind. Like tendrils of acidic horror, she felt it eating its way into her very soul. This… how could anyone… no, this isn’t… It wasn’t seductive or appealing. It didn’t call out to her, she couldn’t reach it to take it, not without wading through a pit of vitriol that would peel away her mind and soul, leaving her a burnt husk. This isn’t just the stone. She isn’t old and weakened. Her will is here. This is an Oni General. Her name... is Senias… and she is… I must stop her! I can’t let this thing hurt my… friends… Tempest pushed forward, feeling herself being eaten away.

------------------------------------------

Garken grappled with Maegren while attempting to keep the now much stronger Oni-koru from killing him outright. It was utterly repulsive to be surpassed so cheaply; he could feel the corrupt strength of his opponent calling out to him. Because you were never stronger… only easier to fool. You are nothing on your own merits.

He caught a sword thrust, blood bursting from his hand as he directed it away from his eye. You have killed billions… whole civilizations have fallen to what you were. And now… you are nothing.

No! I was nothing then! I had earned nothing! His own blade, the one that killed Johnathan, appeared in his hand as he parried another attack. The two griffons that stayed with him had dived to help, but Sir Gaheris had suffered a debilitating wound almost immediately as Maegren materialized his blade, a black amalgamation of titanium alloy and corrupt aetheryte crystal. The griffon’s sword and armor had done nothing to stop it from driving through his chest. Had he not turned at the last moment he’d already be dead. As it was… Dame Galina had caught him and pulled him aside from a finishing strike, taking a shallow cut along her hind leg as payment for saving her comrade.

“Your helpers are out of their league, but then so are you.” Maegren said simply, ignoring a deep gash Garken scored upon his sword arm. Reasonably, since it healed almost instantly. “Our king grants us our power. I am not merely stronger than you now… I am superior in all ways. You cannot win.”

The whispers, and Garken now knew them to be from Maegren’s own enhancements, continued. You… were nothing, even then. You thought you earned your own strength, but how long ago did HE give you the aetheryte that made it possible?

I resisted its calling! I disobeyed him, forged my own way! I-

-Crippled your nemesis because you could not stand that his strength was pure… Watched your child die... Killed the one being that acknowledged you... Your first battle against the humans was like this. Brave, and strong, yet they fell to you like hewn wheat. Completely unable to face such a monster… Because bravery, determination… they mean nothing. You think yourself stronger with them, and not this power you threw away? Fool!

No… That was a lie. The humans had lost that day… but unable? No. He hadn’t killed them all. He hadn’t broken them. Enough escaped, got stronger, kept fighting. Their will… He’d known then… He grinned as he felt Maegren’s sword pierce his chest. He dropped his own blade, grabbing his enemy’s wrist with both hands.

They didn’t need to win that day; they just had to not lose it all. He laughed. Maegren twisted the blade, but it didn’t matter. He could feel what was happening behind him. And as Maegren looked past him, he knew that the Oni-koru Grand Marshal was seeing what he’d seen that day, over a decade ago. I don’t need to win… because I’m not alone. “It’s something, isn’t it?” he said casually, still grinning as blood ran down his lips. “Watching heroes rise up amongst your enemies. Pity you didn’t kill them first. You won’t get the chance now. But even if some fall… the rest are forged in their flames as they do. You couldn’t crush them, just as I couldn’t. ...But...”

Maegren’s eyes focused back to Garken, wide in shock. He tried to free his sword, but then froze as a much larger blade impaled him from behind. Keia’s sword, responding to the lightest request of Garken’s power, had struck his enemy and imbedded itself in the road below. Before he could remove it, a spinning blade impaled his head from the side. Garken looked over to see Dame Galina’s arm cocked from the throw. Snarling, Maegren faded and vanished, Galina’s sword fell towards the street before Garken caught it. Limping over, he handed it back to her.

“Is he dead?” she asked simply while reclaiming her weapon.

“No, an escape teleport. It takes a lot of magic for us, and between that and his injuries he’ll be unable to threaten our rescue team. Teleporting to pincer us was a gambit to begin with. Mission accomplished… assuming they can handle Briareus.” Garken gestured to Gaheris, whom she was half-cradling. “Is he dead? Or rather, will he die?”

“No. I was able to use a healing powder to mend his wound and a potion to replenish lost blood. He will recover consciousness soon, but cannot fight for many days. I will take him from here and find a safe place.” She looked over at the others, and her voice took on a note of awe. “...But… can… can you explain what Sir Gareth and Commander Shadow did?”

Looking over, Garken saw that Gwendolyn was tending to Gram’s maimed wing, and they would both likely be alright. The other three bodies… Two were unconscious, and one all but ash. He chuckled. “I prefer to preserve the mystery.”

Galina snorted derisively. “...You don’t know, do you?”

“Not really, no.”

*Moments Prior*

Tempest screamed silently in the darkest recesses of their shared minds. I don’t care! You won’t win! I overcame losing myself once, I’ll do it again! You won’t win!!!

Foolish child. You think you can take this from me? I know you as well, now. Poor little Fizzlepop… you think me a monster?! How many families suffered for your silly little horn? Who will you sacrifice here?! Who will you betray?! What price will you demand others pay for you?! You think you know sacrifice?! You think you’re ready-

I am! I am a monster who gave up everything… to serve her own greed. The life I could have built. The friends I could have asked for help. The ones I could have forgiven. The harder path I could have taken. She saw, in her mind’s eye, Twilight smiling at her, saving her. She pressed forward, feeling her flesh tear away. She didn’t care. They forgave me. They accepted me. You cannot take that. She knew that there would be no Staff to restore her this time; she would crumble away just as he had. But just like then, she’d take her enemy with her...

A brush, like a feather across her muzzle. What? Who had asked? Senias? Herself? No… Another presence joined hers, calming the storm within. I see her too… Tempest… Fizzlepop? Is that… your name…?

Gareth?!

I couldn’t let you do this alone, milady.

...Help me reach the center of this miasma! Can you see it?

Yes! Let me part the currents for you, ...Commander! Together, we will reach the eye of this foul storm! She will not hold against us!

Sir Gareth of Griffonstone. In that moment, Tempest knew him. If we’d fought at Canterlot… you might have won.

Nay, milady… my Commander. We’d have both lost.

You SHALL both lose!

Two wills, forged together in that moment of understanding, turned to the shrieking presence before them. A griffon’s sharp eyes and the strong magic of a gifted unicorn saw through it all. The Oni’s resolve, potent and vile, held them from their goal no longer. They surged forward, contesting her for control of the foul puissance that engulfed them all.

And won.

Comments

[keroko]

I should smack you for that cliffhanger at the end, but I'm too pumped by Garken showing he's in full redemption mode.

And I can't wait for him to meet that adorable little psychotic 'somepony.'

[Sun Sage]

9227430
Yeah... next chapter won't be long. Originally both team's actions were going to be one chapter, but it was just too long. So, in a few days.

[Yutah123]

She’s like a block of steel… Which was the least of Tempest’s problems in that moment, or so she thought, since she was about to have a rather painful landing after being thrown half a block. She was bracing herself to roll with the impact when-

Like a block of steel, you say?

...

Just electrocute her, then.

[Alondro]

“Twilight!” Rarity exclaimed. “What happened to your face.”

OH MY GOD, WHAT'S WRONG WITH YOUR FAAAACE!!

Never stops being funny.