A loud buzzing orchestra signals the Scourge’s approach as it grows in volume with every passing moment, the large insectoids, numbering in the hundreds, casting their shadows upon the desert sands and nearly blocking out the afternoon sun’s rays.

With a plan in mind, both Hangaku and Radahn brace themselves for combat, a scarlet shade starting to wash over the area via the pegasus’ magically instilled clouds above as if foretelling the coming conflict.

“On my command,” Radahn ordered with a raised forehoof, seemingly waiting for the opportune moment as he and Hangaku allowed the swarm to continue their advance.

The ravenous clicking of mandibles joined the approaching buzzing wave. At a closer range, Radahn confirmed that these entities were a perfect blend of an antlion and a dragonfly.

It reminded him of the giant dragonflies that inhabit the swamps throughout the Lands Between, and that wasn’t even getting into any other types of giant insects. Suffice it to say, he wasn’t a total stranger to dealing with pests of such proportions.

“Hold.”

Hangaku narrows her eyes, shifts her form sideways, and lowers herself to the ground with outstretched wings.

Radahn maintains his raised gesture and steeled gaze, waiting to give the order as the seconds that felt like eons ticked on by like those mechanical clocks his brother Rykard had invented.

His steeled face turns into a joyful grin, and the titan of a stallion shoots their raised limb forward, “GO!” He ordered, hovering in place and folding his forehooves across his chest.

Grains of sand within Radahn’s vicinity are lifted via the gravitational effect he gives off and swirls around his now lavender-aura form like a cyclone. At the same time, his pegasus ally takes off into the sky, rising higher and higher before disappearing into her red and gray storm clouds above.

Radahn’s mane and tail whipped in the winds as he drew upon more of his power. In hindsight, he knew this was a great risk, one that he was sure to bring up while he and Hangaku formulated their current plan.

‘It’s time to test my new body,’ the red-maned earth pony states internally.

Radahn howled out the sky while spreading his forelimbs apart, letting out a pulse of gravity that forced an indent into the sands below him. He then tries to bring his forehooves together as if he were struggling to catch something between either hoof, but when it comes to the swarm, something awe-inspiring has occurred in tandem.

“Subarashī…” Hangaku muttered in amazement as she looked down upon the events unfolding below from her cloudy overwatch, wings folded to either side.

Following Radahn’s movements and warcry, the pegasus bore witness as the swarm of massive insects were all trapped together in a sphere of gravity magic. It happened so fast as the gravity globe itself had manifested at a much smaller size at first before growing and expanding alongside the strength of its gravity pull.

The neighponese mare even recollected the large stallion’s words as she observed the spectacle:

‘I’ll use Starcaller Cry, a far more advanced version of the Gravitas skill, to gather them all. Once I do that, you provide the ‘zap’ for our bugzapper. I must admit, I’m excited to see your abilities for myself! Ahahaha!’

She wasn’t exactly sure what it was then, though she was certain it pertained to his powers. But to see it unfold before her very eyes…

“R-Radahn…” Hangaku mused. “Just… What in Selene’s name are you…?”

Of course, her question coincided with something else the large stallion had revealed, which was still being processed in the back of her mind. Radahn wasn’t always an earth pony? What does that even-

She abruptly shakes her head in an attempt to clear her mind. “Focus, Hangaku.” The mare chastised. “Remember your training.”

Gritting her teeth as urgency consumes her features, the pegasus flaps her wings and goes up a short way before roaring out and shooting downward for a fearsome kick with her right hind leg.

The pegasus strikes the cloud with ample force, causing a red and yellow electrical charge to travel all across the condensed mass of water vapor, followed by the crackle of a powerful bolt of lightning.

Radahn grunts in strenuous effort due to the grand scale of his task and current display of power. On one hand- er, hoof, he knew that this smaller equine state would limit the overall output he normally could exercise in his manly man form. But on the other hoof, this wasn’t his manly man form…

Still, he had to commend his current capability, and in a body he hasn’t entirely mastered, no less. But when it came to the Great Rune within him, he felt it to be quite…odd.

It was difficult for him to explain in words, but it felt like the rune was active in some instances while inactive in others. He could feel its’ fiery vigor while dealing with the brigand band, which persisted until just before his bout with the larval-staged antlions, yet here? Nothing.

He was running purely on what power did remain in this earth pony body from his Great Rune. And that power was being used up fairly quickly as the grips of fatigue tried to take hold.

Radahn’s tired yet enduring eyes became locked on the bolt that had descended from the heavens, its loud declaration twitching his ears as the lightning struck the Scourge swarm gathered in the equine titan’s magical grasp.

The Scourge let out pained screeches as every member felt the sting of the lightning bolt’s touch and the surge of electricity coursing through and searing their bodies, a particularly pungent aroma filling the air.

Once the last vestiges of their gathered cries had gone silent after moments of suffering, the gravitational containment released its’ hold on them, allowing charred, chitinous remains to rain down and litter the desert battlefield.

Radahn panted in utter exhaustion as he lowered his gaze and stared at his hoof. Victory had been achieved for the time being, which brought a strained smirk on his muzzle. But the purple stallion realized that using such high levels of skills and sorceries—at least by the measure of his homeland—so casually would be a detriment to this body.

With that in mind, and despite his exhausted frame, Radahn managed to raise his head up high for one crucial thing.

“Ahahahaha!”

His boisterous laughter continued to travel across the earthly grains until it slowly died down as the stallion surrendered to sleep’s embrace.

“Radahn!”

And the last thing he could see and hear…

“Radahn!”

…was the presence and echoing voice of a rapidly encroaching pegasus.

“Radahn!”

The large stallion falls over and crashes upon the desert sand on his side in unconscious bliss. Hangaku sets herself down after the stallion’s fall and makes her way over to his head.

“Hang in there, big guy,” she said in worry along the way, whereupon she spotted pure satisfaction plastered on the stallion’s face.

She was initially taken aback until she realized he was like any other warrior after a well-fought battle. Such a way of life was present worldwide and engraved into many cultures—like her homeland, Neighpon, especially among the samurai and ronin.

“You’re a strange warrior...but a warrior nonetheless.” Hangaku giggled while draping a wing nurturingly across the earth pony’s head. “You big dummy.”

She pulls her attention away from her companion and proceeds to survey the area, shuffling through the Scourge’s chitinous remains in the short distance and along the chaotically disturbed sands before resting her sights on what remained of the oasis.

A look of sympathy forms as the pegasus hates seeing the once-peaceful oasis in such a sorry state, its pristine waters tarnished and most of its vegetation torn asunder. It also didn’t help that it was one of the few oases left in all of Saddle Arabia. Still, what remained was salvageable for what they’d need for the coming night, and she was confident that she could retrieve some of Radahn’s collected resources and supplies.

A glance over her shoulder showed Galib’s comatose body and, by extension, Shirley’s wrapped head a ways away, but nothing a quick flight couldn’t handle.

Hangaku nods as she completes her assessment of the situation. She would need to make preparations, the most prominent being starting a fire to combat the coming chilly Saddle Arabian night, properly storing Shirley’s head, and securing Galib to prevent any possible escape attempts. The diluted hydra venom was still in effect, but the pegasus wasn’t taking any chances.

“I’ll be right back, big guy.”

The pegasus takes off and flies over to the oasis, landing at its tattered outskirts after a short flight and searching for anything useful amongst the sandy terrain. There was undoubtedly no wood shortage or lack of anything capable of stoking and maintaining a fire. She could even use another lightning strike to start a flame after erecting a pyre with all of this material.

Given Radahn’s fairly thick coat and Hangaku’s feathers, the pegasus was more so building the fireplace for Galib rather than entirely for herself or her slumbering ally. She couldn’t allow that plothole to freeze to death in his sleep. The information he possessed was invaluable to the guild.

Slumbering… Sleep…

“Wait…”

An epiphany dawns on Hangaku, stopping her in place as realization presents itself on her face.

“Of course!” She exclaimed with outstretched wings, “We’ll be able to extract all of the information we need from Galib in no time, but,” she looked back to Radahn, “the big guy, on the other hoof…”

Meanwhile, among the charred remains of the Scourge, a single dragonfly-esque member manages to stir and rise up on quivering legs while suffering from significant damage.

The insect’s wings had been singed off, so any chance of flight was obsolete. But flying wasn’t required for what it had in mind. Its elongated annulus began to enlarge as the Scourge entity dug out a hole in the sand with its back legs, lowered its annulus into the hole, and entered a struggle.

With clicking mandibles, the antlion and dragonfly hybrid performs one final push as green juices spill and drip from its rear end, along with a single white, ovoid-shaped egg.

Upon finishing the birthing process, the insectoid buries the egg before finally keeling over, having spent the last remnants of its life to ensure its lineage…and for this offspring to inform the Matriarch about what had transpired.

Long live the Scourge of Saddle Arabia.

Radahn sharply opens his eyes, raising his torso in a panic and stretching his right gauntlet out-

“W-what…?” He looks his hand over in genuine confusion, followed by his left. It was his hands. Not hooves, hands. His eyes travel down his lion-motif golden armor-clodded 38ft frame, noticeably sitting on a hard surface.

He brings up his hands to touch his helmet. “I’m…a man again?”

The titan then found himself at a loss for words as he was drawn to his surroundings comprised of all too familiar territory.

Redmane Castle Plaza.

Radahn hurriedly rises to his full stature, taking off his helmet and placing it under an armpit while looking around in disbelief.

“I’m…home…?” He questioned but was completely unsure of how to go about this.

The open plaza was just as he remembered it, with tables filled with food for the hungry and drinks for the thirsty, walls and pillars decorated with swords, shields, and armor, along with those that hung above via long ropes.

It was undoubtedly the most lively part of the castle, so where was everyone? He didn’t spot a single member of his elite force. No maid, smith, or farmer was in sight; not even Jerren could be found.

“Greetings, Radahn.” A feminine and authoritative voice presents itself, echoing as if approaching his sense of hearing from every direction.

“Who’s there?” Radahn asked while turning in place to find the source.

“Yes… I trusteth thee wilt has’t innum’rable amounts of questions.”

“Your speech pattern… Are you, by chance, affiliated with any member of the Carian Royal Family?”

A thoughtful pause takes hold.

“Nay, mine own dram pony.” An amused chuckle emanates from all around Radahn. “Though...’little’ might not beest so accurate, eh?”

Radahn crosses his powerful arms with growing suspicion. “Before we go any further, I must ask: are you friend or foe?”

“I cullionly thee nay harmeth.”

“Then you won’t have any problem revealing yourself? You have me at a disadvantage, miss. Come on out so that we may converse in a civilized manner.” Radahn narrows his eyes. “You see, I’ve already been disappointed by those brigands out in the desert. Will you disappoint me, too?”

“Hmm. Thou art precisely as Hangaku toldeth me thee’d beest—kind, disc’rnable, and stout.”

“Hangaku? If you know of her, then…” His eyes solemnly fell to the floor, “It wasn’t a dream…”

“Aye. F’rgive me f’r mine own subt’rfuge approach, but I did want to seeth thy charact’r f’r myself, albeit tis alien to aught I’ve ev’r seen before.”

Radahn’s eyes are drawn toward the wooden platform stretching out at a higher elevation, often used to proclaim all manner of events and festivities, as a series of white particles gather and form the unmistakable shape of an equine.

A dark-blue-coated mare is brought into being with closed eyes as the particles disperse, yet some of them retreat into the equine and form luminous lines along her body.

A single horn and a pair of transparent, folded rainbow wings were traits that Radahn used to draw up his conclusion, accompanied by a flowing pink tail and mane. But what truly sealed the deal was the sun and moon insignia present on her flank.

He knew of her thanks to Hangaku and Philomena, but now he had the fortune of meeting the alicorn he’d heard so much about.

The mare’s eyes slowly opened as sapphire pupils inhabited a light-blue socket.

“Alloweth us speaketh, Radahn Carian. I am Selene Sol Invictus, Equus Demigod of Night and Day. And this lodging, although familiar to thee, is a fabrication of the Dream Realm.”

Next Chapter: Chapter 15~ Estimated time remaining: 1 Hour, 38 Minutes