Chapter 15 "...Then down came the claw..."

Harmony Citadel, outer ramparts...

Heavily armed pony guards patrolled atop the heavy stone walls, trying to be extra vigilant due to new orders from Lord Pure Line. Many did not see anything yet or did not actually bother looking out for any attackers. Reasons being mostly that the citadels three sets of outer walls had been enchanted against almost of any tampering or bypassing, including teleporting or just flying over them, dotted with watchtowers and ballista. And majority of the guards felt that besides the Royal Castle in Canterlot, the Harmony Citadel was nigh un-assailable. Especially against the non-pony tricks in the main keep.
Upon the ramparts atop the main gate, two unicorn guards kept watch while chatting.

"So what do you think that alert is about?" younger of the two asked his senior.

"Eh, apparently Pure Line got some new test subjects and is taking overt precautions again. So just keep watch in case some bigger beastie arrives to cause trouble."

"Yeah, but what kind of beast would even have the power to break through all our defenses? Even adult dragon has issues with first wall."

Almost right after, as if on cue, having their exchange, both guards suddenly felt a powerful chill run through them. It could not have been due to the weather, which was quite sunny and with no wind to speak of. Then both of them, along with all the other guards looking out noticed something moving fast towards the citadel wall and soon around the whole of its surrounding area. Something that looked like a dot of light, just zipping by faster than eye can track, leaving behind an annoying afterimage line in the guards sight.

Before the two guards atop of the main gate could even mutter a "what was that?", that something came to a sudden stop right before them and the gates ramparts, now clearly visible to a naked eye.
The being seemingly floating before them resembled a slightly smaller manticore with its leonine body, and with an ordinary lion tail. Only it had feathered wings, that looked like they were made of the shiniest brass that shone with otherworldly power. All across its body were glowing golden scriptures, forming some sort of intricate pattern.
But it was its head that drew most of their attention. It wore a beyond majestic looking nemes upon its head, and on its face was a flat mask that seems to cover its face in its entirety, with only eyes being visibly separate from the rest of it. The whole mask looked like it was made of living liquid metal, still like calm pond, but the eyes where like separate mirrors, just staring at them. Maybe at even more than just their physical forms.

Panic gripped the two guards, as the senior one rushed to sound the alarm bell, which seemed unnecessary since many others had also seen the new arrival at the gate. And the said new arrival was now extending her left front leg towards the gate, spreading its metallic looking claws wide. The liquid-metal mask rippled a little bit as she, uncaring about the guards, said only a single word in an echoing voice.

"Dētonō."

And with that word, a barely visible wave of of power flew from her claw, hitting the metal gate, shattering it and the stone it was attached on, sending pieces of stone and the guards flying with a loud boom. Not waiting for a permission, Hena flew right in the citadels outer yard, heading towards the next gate. Few of the ballista tried taking a shot at her, only to miss by a wide margin. Any flying guards realized quickly that they had no chance of catching up with her to any proper damage, and instead tried to get ahead of her
Soon enough she was at the second gate, blasting it to pieces with barely an effort via same spell and kept on flying towards the third gate. By the time she reached it, guards where ready or at least thought they where. The moment the greatly enhanced sphinx stopped, many arrows and bolts, both physical and magical came flying toward her from the top of the wall and the gate. She merely flicked her wrist and whispered something, and an enormous transparent shield appeared before her, deflecting every shot.
All the guards began to panic when they saw Hena raise her claw towards them and the gate.

"My turn...Dētonō."

And so the third gate shattered, sending stone and guards flying once more. Hena did not care where they landed or if they even survived the blast or the resulting fall. Her attention was focused to the citadels visibly much tougher looking gate, and the heavily armed pony guards in front of it blocking her path. While visibly tense, they did not show any fear as Hena landed gracefully safe distance from them. She still knew that no matter how many guards they brought out, it did not matter to her.

"Leave and I might spare you from what I have planned..." she said to them, causing all of them to point their weapons, waiting for a command to use them. They did make way for somepony coming forward, a commander if the fancier looking armor was any indication.

"We are under oath to stop any creature from entering the Harmony Citadel. No matter how much false magic they try using." he said with determined tone, causing some confidence in his troops. Even in later arrivals from outer walls. They really thought that they had a chance with sheer numbers, maybe a hundred or so.

"Then you made a bad oath to a rotten equine. I advice all of you out here try to rethink your life... Depending how much you get after I am done with you..." Hena shot back, while lifting her claw and preparing a spell. Upon her palm appeared some kind of combination of a scale and an hourglass made of magical energy.

"Tempus Iudicii"

The spell began to work immediately, with scales cups moving up and down and the hourglass starting to spin, sending streams of ethereal streams of sand at all the ponies present withing the citadel yard, seemingly ignoring all the armor they had on. At first it did not seem to do anything, causing some snickering from the prouder ponies among the guards. Even the commander let out a half snicker.
Before they could properly laugh at the seemingly weak sand-spell, its effect began to show. Specifically all the ponies present beginning to age rapidly; some forward, some backward. Panic began to show when the ones getting younger could not fit in their armors anymore and the ones getting older starting to loose some teeth, and all of them starting to feel much weaker, finding it difficult stay up standing.
Soon enough every single guard outside of the citadel was reduced to either a small foal or aged up elderly, none of them capable to even stand on their own.

"Ninety days, or ninety years. Maybe your learn something when time is taken from you."

As the affected guards tried to make sense of what sphinx had done to all of them, she merely walked past them. Some actually still tried to stop her, but what could aged up elder or a little foal barely able to stand do to a enhanced mystical beast on a mission? Nothing...
Now before the main gate of the citadel, she put her paw on it, feeling its metallic surface and the enchantments woven into it. And Hena had a single word for it to make it open.

"Perē..."

Right after the word left her mask covered lips, the spot on the door she was touching began to rust rabidly. Like some kind of nasty infection, it spread quickly, soon covering the entire tough looking metal doors, making it chip and crack. And soon it just crumbled away, leaving behind a rusty dust cloud, that was soon swept away by a random gust of air.
Surprisingly there was nopony, guard nor servant, waiting past the doorway. Perhaps they put the guards outside, while leaving potential elite somewhere deeper in this citadel? Well, if they did, they better stay out of her way if they value their existence...

After speed walking deeper down the citadels corridors, Hena came upon another study door. Not nearly as tough as the main entrance, but clearly blocking her way to her little ones. Especially since next to it on the wall was a sign saying 'Main research room waiting room', and behind it she could sense something potent in magic clearly waiting for her.

Before even touching the door, Hena casted several layers of shield and other kinds of protection spells. Only after that she cast other kind of spell upon the door, that actually did not damage it.

"Knock."

And so the door simply unlocked and began to creak open... Followed by a barrage of several spells impacting sphinx's prepared shield harmlessly, like some child was tossing some peas at extra armored tower shield, thinking it really would do some visible damage.
Stepping in to the room, Hena took note of another locked door on the other side of the room, smelling her little ones with her currently very enhanced senses. She also noticed the source of the sensed power and shooter of the useless spells. Four of them actually.

Partially blocking her path to the door, was a group of four larger ponies, two mares and two stallions. First she thought of them being just tall unicorns, but then she noticed that they also had wings on their backs.

'Alicorns? No, they all look and seem a bit... Off... Wrong... Stitched together...' Hena thought over while taking in the details on the four 'alicorns'. They indeed had plenty stitching scars on them, even few fresher stitches here and there. Like something was added in or on them piece by piece. Sphinx had only one plan for them now, ignoring the words reaching her ears, as the stitched up crimes against nature started to talk to her, sounding proud for some reason.

"So, you do have some powers to stand against our purest might of pony magic." one of the 'alicorn' stallions stated, looking down on its snout at the sphinx, who had started to chant something quietly.

"One o'clock... Two o'clock... Three o'clock..."

"Indeed, somewhat impressive, even for a mere animal..." another 'alicorn' stallion commented, sounding proud of his words.

"Four o'clock... Five o'clock... Six o'clock..."

"We don't care why you have come here, for this misguided attempt of yours will end in this room." one of the mare 'alicorns' said, spreading her half-stitched together wings in a boasting manner.

"Seven o'clock... Eight o'clock... Nine o'clock..."

"No matter what you can muster beast, you simply cannot surpass the might of the god kin! Destined to lead ponykind to greatness and create a new breed of ponies with the current monarchs and with ones deemed worthy!" second of the mare 'alicorns' boasted loudly, almost tearing the stitches holding her cheeks together.

"Ten o'clock... Eleven o'clock..."

"Oh, do speak up louder animal. We might actually hear you say something before we end you..." the first 'alicorn' requested, receiving some snickering from others. And the sphinx indeed said her end of her chant louder, while making a transparent face of a clock to appear behind her, its hands pointing up and its etheral bell striking its time-magics.

"MIDNIGHT..."

At first the stitched up ponies looked a bit wary, then confused. Like they had expected something flashy to happen, but only got a mere image of an clock. Before they could say anything boastful, or prideful, or anything else entirely, something started happening to them.
They began to taste blood and dust in their mouths, their limbs started to feel weaker by the second. One of them lifted their now tingling hoof up to inspect, only see it rabidly decay and fall apart, until it suddenly just came off and crumbled into dust on the floor. By that point, panic began to settle upon four of them.

As the sphinx began to approach the door they where guarding, the rabid denial had given way to begging and bargaining, as the four crimes against nature had began to fall apart from everywhere. And not because of a shoddy stitching work. More like their entire being was being undone, and very painfully if their gurgled screams and wailing were any indications.
Hena did not care. Even when one of the mares tried to reach towards her, pleading expression in her one remaining eye, because rest of her face was barely even that anymore. Others seemed to try to pull themselves back together in panic with whatever parts of their limbs they had left. Absolutely nothing they did helped their predicament... And during the short time Hena had reached the door and put her paw unto it, the four 'alicorns' had grumbled to some unnamed substance, that would be lesser than dust. If even that.
What where their names again? Did they even think of telling? It did not matter to the sphinx. Those obstacles where no more. Clearly in a very literal sense.

Hena looked over the door for a moment, sensing no magic on it, and simply casting another 'Knock' to open it. And as she entered the room, before she could properly look it over, she received a strong two hoof kick from Stone Leg, right on her left cheek, making her bend her neck a little bit. After he had landed back on his hooves, sphinx merely looked down at him.

"...Please..."

Before the stoic earth pony could try another futile attack, Henas mirror-like eyes seemed to glow a little, causing Stone to suddenly float up and fly against a wall, followed by the stone on the wall to come alive and bind him tight, both limbs and mouth. There was some mild discomfort showing on his face for once.
As she turned her head to look in further into the room, there was the red pegasus, Crimson Wing, rushing towards her with a dagger. Another glow of her eyes, and the pegasus was stopped in his tracks, clearly to his annoyance. Even more so as he too got the same treatment as Stone Leg, being bound and silenced against the wall to wait for something.
This left the grey unicorn, Pure Line. He did seem to be bothered to even notice that the sphinx had arrived, as he was just focusing on working next to a table with few tools held in his magic. There was also the headband wearing dark grey unicorn assistant, who was just standing there. The headwear looked to be reason for their apparent calmness.
With a snap of her fingers, Hena shattered the headband, and sent Pure Line to be bound to the wall with his comrades. The assistant seemed to instantly panic as the band on his head broke, shaking his head vigorously, like he was more than just dizzy from something.

"Don't try to run. I'll decide your fate soon..." Hena said coldly to the assistant, who simply froze with visible fear. Now with all the equines secured, Hena finally looked over the room, first noticing the cell she had seen earlier in the mirror. And behind the bars where her children-

"Mother... You... You came..." Antheia managed to whimper out in relief, as Hena telekinetically bent the bars away carefully. As soon as the bars where out of the way, all of the young aetherwings rushed out and hugged their mother in tears, who hugged back with her wings in a clear comforting manner.
"It's alright. You're safe now..." Hena said calmly, before noticing one little one missing. "Where is Orion?..."

"Th-... The table..."

With a slow dread, Hena turned to look at the table, and it was only thanks to her current extra power she did not absolutely break at what she saw, as she walked next to it... Her youngest, barely even a year old... Laying on the table open like some school project sometimes done with live frogs. Walking over slowly, she noticed that her baby boy was somehow still barely alive, with his visible little heart still beating. But clearly fading fast... If the current mask on her face would have enabled it, Hena's tears would have formed a dual-river on the table.
As she was watching over her youngest child fading, the little one somehow still managed to reach for her with one intact little claw and touch Henas masked face, causing a small crack to form on it surface beneath her eye. And it visibly grew a bit as Hena could hear the tiniest whisper reach her ears.

"Ma..ma..."

And the little claw went limb... Only silence followed...

"You..." Hena finally said, pointing at the still fear-frozen assistant. Then some threads of magic flowed from her extended claw, and flew into unicorns forehead. "Do that, and your punishment will be a milder one..."

"B-but... I was forced to work in this room by that damn slave-band-"

"Did I stutter? And don't even think of running away from this citadel."

Clearly with no choice in the matter, the assistant began to follow instructions that had just been forced into his mind. Starting with leaving the room to find some proper bandages from somewhere in the citadel, along with some oils he knew where in storage.

"Mother? What was that about?" Antheia asked mildly confused, as sphinx momentarily covered her youngest with a cloth.

"Your baby brother needs to be prepared for his final rest. Doing it with only magic would taint his body. And we don't want anyone rising from the grave on accident..." Hena answered trying to remain calm.
"Your father is seriously injured. I'll try sending you to Wissen. With the gates broken, the wall wards that blocked me from just teleporting in should have a hole in them too."

With some visible effort, sphinx drew some glowing symbols on the air, which soon created a swirling portal, revealing a familiar street from Wissen on the other side.
"Hurry, please. I will follow soon on my own. I have a promise to keep."

With one more group hug to their mother, the young aetherwings hurried through the portal, visibly wanting get as far away from this place as possible. As soon as all four of them had made it through, the portal closed. Now that her living children were safe, Hena turned to look upon the three ponies, still bound against the wall.

"Now, to deal with you..."

Author's Note

This one was a bit difficult to get out in text because of... Reasons...