Another burst of magic exploded out from Gusty shattering what little earth remained around them. A vast pit of molten rock had bubbled up from the rent ground as the power of the errant mare continued to ravage the landscape. Guardian Angel kept beating his wings against the current of air and magic, determined to reach her. In this moment that objective was his only purpose, the only reason he existed. Gusty needed to be kept safe, from herself, and he was the one creature that could make that happen. His only real complaint with regards to this obligation was: why? Guardian Angel already knew the answer, but it seemed that he was more questioning the underlying reasons for the answer. However, now was not the time for introspective thought.

A blast of energy impacted his face and spread down through his body. The magic that spawned the attack powerful enough to rip his flesh, causing tears along his sides and hooves. It did not matter, even if Gusty’s strength was enough actually to hurt him, it was not enough to kill him, for now. His eyes focused again on the alicorn, after the pain of being partially torn by magic subsided.

Her face was contorted into an angry snarl, her brow bent low. Her eyes glowed with a white hot intensity so ferocious he could not directly look into them, even with his regeneration running full-tilt as it were. Her coat had at least regained its bright sheen and what had seemed previously to be a broken, withering mare had been replaced by a healthy, albeit, furious one. Clutched in her hooves was the old book, the record of what had happened to her. He had only managed to read a portion of the account, the details on what had been done to Gusty so gruesome it had made him sick to his stomach.

What was more, as Gusty floated on the ethereal wind she controlled, was the sheer volume of power he could feel. Not quite all of that magic, however, came directly from the mare. What she held constituted true strength, but within her, Guardian Angel could feel it: the dark stain of Shadow-kin magic. Laid bare now before him for the first time, it became undeniable.

Gasping with horror and rage before another shockwave forced him to focus on the mare that was trying to kill him, Guardian Angel bared his fangs. He had not made much progress toward her, and every inch was getting more difficult as he neared her.

“Judgement shall be rendered!” Boomed a voice of legion, it came from Gusty. “And the vile atrocities of the Shadow-kin will return to be forced on them!”

That particular statement furrowed the demon-stallion’s brow. The crimes of his kin had long ago come back to consume them. That could only mean Gusty was experiencing full relapse, her mind was resetting. A sharp, unbearable pain hit his chest, and it was not from any attack the wayward alicorn threw at him. It was an all too familiar feeling of loss and regret, the same kind he had felt twelve years ago. That was the last time he had lost a mare he cared about. He would not lose this one.

Guardian Angel threw himself forward with his will. There would be no repeats of the past, no do-overs. Things had certainly gone off-script but that was pretty normal for the mare in question. This was the singular chance to prevent Gusty from going critical, it did not matter the means, only the result. He had one last thing he could do to try and prevent the reset. The trouble was that he had no idea what sort of side effects could occur. Gusty had existed under the influence of that strange and seemingly all powerful magic for thousands of years, and now that was about to end.

The thought of Gusty forgetting who he was hurt without any practical reason. In truth it would be better to just let her go. Getting a fresh start with her made sense, from a pragmatic point of view. Unfortunately, Guardian Angel could not bring himself to believe he deserved that second chance. Gusty would have to remain as she was, he could not go on knowing he cheated her otherwise. Regardless of the consequences, that was his decision. Opening up their mental link again he found her consciousness asleep. The movement of her body now caused only by the spell she had once cast. If he was going to stop the reset he had to wake her, he could if he could just reach her...

The Onyx had stopped moving forward, the weight of the wind too great for her engines to overcome. Zeccaran had moved up to the bow, staring on at the battle between angel and demon. Stormwalker had nearly closed the distance to Gusty the power streaming off of him turning white like the alicorns. At some point Bunker had made his way there, as the larger stallion placed a hoof on Zeccaran’s back. The zebra looked at his friend for a moment before turning back to the fight. It was hard to look into the eyes of another stallion that knew they were likely going to die.

More of the ground fell down into the ever growing lake of lava at the behest of even more magic. As Zeccaran watched, more of Stormwalker’s flesh cracked open and beams of blinding light poured out as the condensed raw magic slipped out instead of blood. He was giving it his all, the zebra could feel it. There was no telling what exactly the demon intended, but whatever it was he was either going to die or succeed. Momentarily, Zeccaran was overcome with the urge to toss a fireball at Stormwalker simply out of spite. The urge fortunately passed as quickly as it as come. There was no need to add to the list of problems he had should whatever was happening be of malicious intent.

Staring on, Zeccaran considered their options. Below them was a growing pit of death, and in front of them a display of magic and will beyond their abilities. Should one of the explosions from Gusty fly foul the Onyx along with himself and Bunker would be quickly careening into a fiery death. He came to a simple resolution.

“Bunker!” he shrieked over the howling ethereal winds. “We need to back up, if something happens we’re all dead!”

“What about Gusty? We can’t just leave her to deal with him!” the larger stallion countered. Zeccaran paused, unsure what to say. Afterall, Gusty was Bunker’s wife, as confusing and improbable as that still seemed. However, his devotion was clearly unquestionable.

“You aren’t gonna like this answer,” Zeccaran said moving on to his next thought aloud. “But we are going to have to trust Stormwalker.”

Bunker’s face twisted into a disgusted grimace. He looked back out to the battle as his features relaxed some.

“I do not like it.” He shook his head as he yelled just enough to be a normal volume.

“But, if he means what he told me before, he won’t hurt mine wife. Alright, let’s move,” he stated conclusively. He rushed up towards the helm before Zeccaran could even nod in agreement. The zebra followed after a momentary pause of confusion. It seemed Stormwalker got around, he had no idea what conversation Bunker was referencing. Then again if he had not spent the last two years in a laboratory he might have noticed.

Finally to the cabin door, Zeccaran slipped inside and bustled down to the engine room. He was going to need to keep the system in peak performance if they were going to be able to move in this volatile field of magic. He smartly had propped open the door mechanism the last time he had exited the chamber. It had been a gut feeling at the time, and now it was paying its due, as Zeccaran immediately began shoveling coal into the fireboxes. A set of sharp dings indicated Bunker had thrown the vessel into a different gear and the zebra looked up from the black soot around him to see the lever indicator on the throttle swing into the flank reverse position.

Zeccaran turned about to the toolkits and grabbed a set of pliers, moving to check any loose bolts as the engines began to whir with power. Keeping as much steam as possible in the boilers was going to be essential if they were to build enough speed to escape the immediate area. Gripping the tool in his mouth he moved up and down the big twin cylinders looking for leaks, doing his best not to focus on what was happening outside the ship.

Gusty! Guardian Angel called out via their connection. There was no response. He had drawn the distance between them down to a mere two inches, but still nothing. Applying yet more pressure both with his wings and with his mind, he watched as his hooves came closer still, but not enough to touch her.

The spell, the psychic cushion she had crafted had proven tougher than any other magic he had ever encountered. He had not be able to destroy it like he could most other pony magic, but instead only chip little bits off of it. That progress had been too slow to make him feel like it was working. Unfortunately, it was all that he had, and as he pushed himself the rest of the way to the alicorn mare, more dread continued to build in his heart.

Please! Wake up! He shouted at Gusty’s mind. There was no response but this time he felt a sudden shift in emotions coming from her. As if amplified by his touch the dark blight of his kin’s curse suddenly thrust deep into Gusty’s presence. Words poorly described the sensation, but Guardian Angel could feel the slow slithering sensation creep up his spine. It moved as if to greet him, its new onslaught on the poor mare causing her mind to buck in pain at being violated.

Experiencing Gusty’s suffering sparked a boiling rage. She had suffered enough at the hooves of Shadow-kin, even now what he was doing was hurting her, no matter how much he wanted to help. It did not matter, he would end this debauchery, he would have his prize.

Summoning the full fury of all his might, Guardian Angel closed the distance to Gusty, wrapping his forehooves around her withers. At the same time he slammed on the two spells of old, inserting his will into the equation. Around him the wind pitched into a howl and he could hear the intense rumble of more earth being shattered into dust. The fool pressed forward breaking the attacks of both his forefathers’ curse and Gusty’s circular solution. Both magics bounced off his consciousness, slamming again and again as they recoiled. He could not tell how long this persisted. It could have taken years, or perhaps less than the blink of an eye. Guardian Angel remembered what Luna had said once: “Time in the mind is not the same as the time of the world.”

In a synchronized attack both hexes collided into his mind a final time. A powerful shattering seemed to rebound endlessly in his ears alongside a long, pained wail. Fatigued from the constant assault, his brain was unable to identify what the noises meant. He quickly became too distracted by a sharp pain in his shoulder. He opened his eyes to find the still glowing-eyed Gusty biting the flesh. Wrenching the mare’s mouth off he held her at bay, as the ethereal wind still rushed about. Confused and bludgeoned Guardian Angel reacted instinctually. Drawing a hoof back he punched the flailing alicorn in the mouth.

Immediately, her white hot orbs dimmed down to her beautiful ocean blue irises. Her body relaxed and her eyes fluttered closed. Around them the storm of magic died down and Gusty went fully limp. She began to drop the book she had been clutching before Guardian Angel quickly caught it with his mouth. After all the trouble the damnable text had caused he was not about to let it fall into a pool of lava. Gusty herself slowly stopped floating and the demon stallion slipped his hooves into a position that would support her weight, beneath her chest. Gliding away from the center of the great pit, Guardian Angel looked around at the destruction Gusty had wrought.

The pit of churching liquid stone was at least a mile wide. If she had been left to keep going, the hole certainly would have been larger. A slow blink and a yawn momentarily obscured his vision as Guardian Angel came to realize how much energy he had just expended. Gusty seemed to be getting heavier and the chasm below wider. With more effort than it should have taken, he pulled the errant alicorn onto his back and let her legs drape over his barrel. Gusty’s soft mane bundled itself up against his neck and kept her head and neck hanging near his own.

You are going to be the death me, you know that? He spoke into the still active mental connection. Better that than opening his mouth and dropping the book. Somehow he swore he could feel her smiling at the thought, laughing at him both in spite and in genuine amusement. He gently nuzzled Gusty for a moment afterwards, too fatigued to stop the urge as they slowly made their way towards safe ground.

Another minute or so passed before his hooves touched down onto the coarse tundra grass, a good distance away from the crater. Letting his legs buckle gradually, the demon-stallion found his way to the ground, keeping Gusty balanced on his back as he lay down, huffing. He dropped the ancient tome down to the dirt and drew in a deep breath, trying to settle his mind and jump start some essential regeneration.

It took longer than he would have liked. The effort expended to keep Gusty together had become far greater than he was prepared for. Unlike repairing a broken limb or closing up a stab through the heart, restoring a brain suffering from mental fatigue was particularly difficult. Even taking direct brain damage was easier than this nonsense.

“Let’s hope I don’t need to do that again,” he grumbled, after finally feeling just a little bit better. He rotated an eye to look at the sleeping mare’s face, resisting other urges now that he had more facility. She seemed rather unaffected by the ordeal, save the small snores and ruffled fur. A curious loud buzzing caught his ears and Guardian Angel turned his neck towards the sound.

Bustling towards him through the sky was an Eyrie-class aerial battleship. He could not see any crew on her decks, nor were her guns deployed, leaving Guardian Angel to sit still in befuddlement.

“You know, Gusty, I’ve seen a lot of things but I never expected one of those to just show up,” he said aloud to his slumbering companion. The mare mumbled something unintelligible before she lifted her forehoves up around his neck, holding tightly to his body. He felt a small grin play on his lips as he slowly stood, adoring the unintentional affection,

Guardian Angel tentatively reached out with his life-sense. The ability was still fuzzy and unfocused from the mental joust but it was working enough to identify just two other lifeforms. Two familiar ponies to be exact. The airship they were on slowly turned, her speed drastically dropping as a long, low hiss marked her turbines releasing pressure. Staring on as he continued to rest, Guardian Angel fought off the persistent feeling of hunger he got after such large amounts of exertion. Lumbering down to the ground, the vessel came into an angled stop attempt several hundred yards away. Her hull screeched against the hard ground and still snowy tundra away from the chasm. After a few seconds she sat still as snow piled up under her bow. Not a moment later the pair of stallions jumped down from her deck into the deep snow.

Zeccaran pulled himself up out of the snowbank with some effort. Bunker had beaten him out of the snow and was already in a brisk trot towards Stormwalker. Moving to follow the zebra noticed a curious collection of dark objects falling to earth out above the great crater Gusty had made. He paused to gaze at the strange sight, and as he did a great whump! shook the ground beneath his hooves. Zeccaran turned towards the source of the disturbance to find a large chunk of frozen dirt impacted into the snow. Another few landed in the distance making his brain kick into overdrive as he looked up in panic.

“Holy shit! Look out!” He shouted seeing a hail of dirt and debris as soon as he had shifted his gaze skyward. Zeccaran dove back towards the Onyx just as another blob of dirt impacted a little too close for comfort.

Poking his head back out of the snowbank the zebra caught sight of Bunker who was slowly working his way back towards cover. The other stallion cautiously dodged as he looked up at the sky, moving carefully between sprays of pebbles and chunks of earth. It was not long before the burgundy fellow dove into the same depression in the snow where Zeccaran hid. Here, against the edge of the leaning vessel they were safe from the debris.

Looking out from their cover they could easily see Stormwalker. He had stood up, shifting Gusty to lay on the ground below his barrel as more rubble continued to plummet around them. Strangely, as if by pure chance not a single bit of dirt or rock landed on him, Zeccaran observed. The demon was making no attempt to move, and there was no visible signs of his magic being used to shield them, therefore the zebra could only surmise long but favorable odds.

“What is that flashing?” Bunker pointed with a hoof up above them. Zeccaran shifted to follow his friend’s indication and found the strange object reflecting the sun in a regular interval as spun. Quickly spotting another curio that seemed to billow in the wind, he was left stumped until he recognized the color. It was Gusty’s sleeping bag and travel pack.

Whump! “Oww….” groaned Bunker. Zeccaran snapped his head over to his friend to see what had hit him, only to find the familiar scaled layout of Gusty’s mail covering the other stallion on the ground. The equipment had slipped down into the cover at the perfect angle. The zebra slowly helped pull the armor off of his companion giving the cursing Bunker a wry smile once he was freed.

“Remind me again why I married a mare that could destroy the planet?” He slurred though his accent and a wobble of his frame.

“Hopefully because you like her?” Zeccaran offered deciding to play the straight colt.

“Da, da, da, da…” Bunker dismissed with a wave of his hooves. “Of course I like her! Is just sometimes all the baggage that comes with her makes my head hurt. Figuratively, and today, literally.” He rubbed his temples with his big hooves.

Zeccaran gave a short laugh before looking back over the debris field. It seemed that the large and dangerous material had stopped falling. He was even able to see Gusty’s wayward bag, floating down like a big parachute. The parcel eventually came to a rest near Stormwalker, who still stood dutifully over the mare. With a hefty sigh, Zeccaran pulled himself through the snow and down onto the tundra pack between two large froze boulders.

“Well, let’s go see what the demon did, eh?” he nodded to Bunker once the other stallion had joined him. His friend gave a low grunt and they proceeded.

It did not long to reach Stormwalker and Gusty. Easily noticeable, the familiar sight of the mare’s sword stood stabbed into the ground only a few feet from the pair. The sun glinted off the blade with a bit of an aggressive tinge, causing Zeccaran to blink. However, the flash of light he had seen before when the weapon had been tumbling to the ground. Giving the pommel a flick with his hoof he stepped up the rest of the way to the curious male amalgamation. His slitted eyes and fangs not hidden in the least.

“Convenient all her stuff just comes falling down where it is easy to find,” Zeccaran commented. Stormwalker met his gaze with a cool glare.

“Yes. Perhaps as convenient as me finding her first. Then again, it is Gusty, so is it truly convenience or just normal for her?” he answered smartly.

“You got me there.” The zebra rubbed his too-long mohawk. For a brief respite silence fell between the stallions as the two friends eyed the demon warily. He kept guard over Gusty as if he did not believe he was truly speaking to them.

“Is my wife alright?” Bunker broke the quiet.The burgundy fellow took a few steps forwards only to stop as Stormwalker’s gaze turned to him, his eyes narrowing.

“She’s fine, as far as I can tell. Can’t be for sure until she wakes up. She’s been through a lot today,” the demon commented his demeanor relaxing some. He gave a look around his eyes tracing over Gusty’s equipment.

Stepping to the side of the sleeping mare Stormwalker slipped one of his big wings underneath her body. Zeccaran cringed as the limb bent in unnatural directions and wrapped around Gusty’s body hoisting her up onto his back. Without looking he pulled her legs over his back and let her weight balancer her in place, before half folding his wings as guards.

“Let’s get the hell out of here. Grab our stuff.” He pointed where the pile of bags and the canvas sleeper. Neither Bunker nor Zeccaran moved as he started to make his way between them.

“Who put you in charge?” Bunker said putting a hoof on Stormwalker’s chest. Zeccaran winced as the razor maw and slitted eyes turned from relaxed to antagonized. He adjusted his neck carefully, purposely keeping Gusty’s head from sliding off his neck.

“I do not have the patience for the particulars. Know this: I am not letting this mare out of my sight until she wakes up,” he snarled, stepping closer to Bunker. “Got a problem with that?”

“Da.” The burgundy fellow scrunched up his nose in disgust, leaning the rest of the way towards the demon’s face. Stormwalker slowly built a low rattling growl his eyes hardening as their pupils expanded and his nostrils flared. Bunker still did not back down leaving Zeccaran to feel the need to butt in.

He cleared his throat looking between the two stallions, “Aren’t we all supposed to be on the same team? Not to mention, Princess Luna sent me-uh...us here to find you,” he said breaking the silence.

Stormwalker’s face relaxed his attitude shifting quickly, easily felt in the air itself. He took a step back from Bunker as he rolled his tongue over his fangs.

“Sorry. I’m just a little hungry. Come on, show me the nicest bed on your ship. Cause you are at least going to have to let me carry her till then.” The demon raised up a hoof to match Bunker’s.

“That sounds better. After all, aren’t we supposed to be working together to corral this mare?” he responded with a hard smile. Zeccaran released a sigh of relief. He could do little to help Bunker in the event that Stormwalker had not remembered his patience.

“Let’s go then,” the burgundy stallion pushed off of the demon’s hoof, “I know which cabin she’ll like.”

Stormwalker nodded cordially, leaving the zebra to sit there in silence. That was until he realized they were just leaving all of the equipment laying around a frozen field. A long hiss of boiling rock behind him kick his gumption the rest of the way forward.

“Hey! You guys! You’re just leaving all this stuff here!” he yelled after them.

Both stallions paused. They turned to one another before twisting to look over their shoulders.

“You carry it, you dumb zebra!” the pair shouted in unison before returning to walking away, Gusty still fast asleep.

Feeling more than a bit miffed but unable to mount an argument against their decision, Zeccaran began tidying things together. Everything would be easier to manage if it was all in a single bag, such as the enormous sleeper. It took him a while to get the scattered goods in order, and not a moment too soon either. Just as he was grabbing Gusty’s sword with his mouth a rumbling and cracking made its way to his ears, and then to his hooves. Immediately in a dead sprint as he drug the bag of equipment behind him through the snowpack, Zeccaran did not turn around until he had made it to the Onyx. The chunk of land where he had been had collapsed down into the chasm.

Heaving a sigh of relief and looking up to the deck wondering how he would get everything onboard. It was probably best to just do it quickly, he turned into a grand eagle, wasting no time on this small second chance afforded him by the universe. No sir! A sudden realization struck Zeccaran, Gusty was probably going to beat him into a new set of stripes once she woke up. Dying in a pit of lava would have been much nicer; It would seem fate was just twisting the knife.

Mr. Macguffin strikes!