And the stillness persisted; unblemished by the minotaur's attack. The old unicorn open his eyes slowly, begrudgingly, as sound slowly began to disappear from the world around him. What he saw was a massive fist hovering inches from his face. Muscle and jagged bone poked through flesh too old and thin to hold them back. Veins bulged as the arm they connected to pushed forward with all its might, yet to no avail.
Around the creature's wrist was as hexagonal pane of bluish-green energy. Another connected to each side of that, and another to each side of those, forming a wall of protective magic around the dais as Clover began rise from her seat.
"This is a court of law," she began. Slowly, softly, the little unicorn stepped up onto the desk in front of her to address the entire room. Her voice pierced the silence and attracted the gaze of both the hostages and their keepers. Slowly. Softly. Her words flowed as she looked from one face to another. From the living, to the dead, and back again.
"This is a court of law... and you have disgraced the meaning of its very existence." She looked at the cultists: hooded, cloaked, and painted to resemble their undead charges. "You have brought conflict into a place meant to be kept sacred. A place meant to be SAFE!" Her voice rose to shout as the barrier tightened around the minotaur's wrist.
Her gaze fell upon the pile of ash that had once been her friend. "Ardent may have brought you here, but you helped him willingly. You who still have your lives; you could have talked him out of this! You could have stopped this before it came to this point! Before innocent citizens were caught up in the middle of it! You could have saved him!"
"Clover, my dear. You s-"
"And you!" She cut off her old mentor before his venomous words could take form. "You're more to blame than any of them!"
Star Swirl stepped back, taken aback by her sudden turn. "Me?! But I wa-"
"You were the one who taught me how sacred the courtroom is! Its a place where lies go to die and where the truth is forged into a tool of justice. Somewhere that all citizens are equals. Where no one is guilty until every last shred of evidence dictates it!"
She turned to face him, any uncertainty she may once have harbored suddenly melting away as her conviction rose. "And yet here we are. In YOUR courtroom! Where we see perfectly clear how your concept of justice works. Here, you play the part of the judge, the jury, and the executioner; and you never need to answer for your actions..."
"Clover, what are you t-"
"I was told at an early age that the most terrible crime someone could commit was murder. To steal the life of another; nothing could be more condemnable than that. So tell me, master: Where is Ardent? Where is the accused? I haven't seen anything to indicate that he was proven guilty of the crimes we named, so where is he? Surely he should still be here if no verdict has been passed... Well?!"
As she shouted out the last words she could bring herself to say, tears began to fill her sky-blue eyes. The flash of emotion caused her spell to surge violently, severing the minotaur's imprisoned wrist with a metallic SHNK!!! It fell to the ground as the undead beast watched, unfazed.
Star Swirl had only a moment to regain his composure, and doing so was far more difficult than he would have liked to admit. The truth of the matter was that he had had no intention of incinerating his old friend. The fool just wouldn't back down! If he had simply gotten out of the way or deflected the spell, this all could have been avoided. What made him think he could handle that sort of power?
Finally, he decided to proceed not with caution, but with accusation; testing thinness of this new emotional ice. "My dear... You can answer that question just as well as I can. Anyone in this room can tell you where he is. He's dead. And as unfortunate as that may be, he brought it upon himself."
He met her glare head on, continuing to ignore the goliath minotaur slowly decomposing just beyond the magic barrier before him. "Yes, my spell killed him; but it was his own arrogance that brought this fate about. You're letting your emotions cloud your judgment, Clover. Think for a moment. You say that he was never proven guilty, yet here we stand in a room being held captive by the undead. He was guilty of necromancy, if nothing else, and as you know that is a crime punishable by death on its own."
Clover stood unshaken. "So you killed him as punishment for that? That is what you're saying?"
"Not at all! You misunderstand me, my dear. I merely meant to restrain him. Had he not so arrogantly attempted to absorb my spell he would have simply been rendered incapacitated, not dead. No mortal body was ever designed to hold that sort of energy within itself. That's the only reason he's dead."
The lie was only a little one really. The spell certainly would have incapacitated him; specifically it would have left him paralyzed as his body slowly evaporated over the course of a few hours. Instead, the process was sped up to a few seconds when Ardent chose to drain the essence of the magic itself.
Clover remained unconvinced, but Star Swirl went on regardless. "Open your eyes, Clover! You say I played 'judge, jury, and executioner?' Aside from it being a horrible cliche, I can't find any reason to disagree with you. And why wouldn't I have done just that? Seeing as he had already neutralized our executioner and was currently holding our jury hostage! I judged him to be a threat to the citizens gathered here and acted accordingly. In my position, you would have done exactly the same thing... though, perhaps you would have shown a bit more restraint."
The emerald unicorn suddenly began to doubt her own conviction, playing right into her old teacher's plan. He had no intention of making an enemy out of the most clever apprentice he had ever had. If he could convince her he was still in the right, he felt there was a strong chance the rest of the citizens present would go along with it as well.
"If that is your best defense you might as well just surrender now and be done with it!"
Star Swirl and Clover both turned at once, scanning the crowd as a murmur of uncertainty began to emanate from the left side of the courtroom. In the middle of the group of spectators a young unicorn glared down at them accusingly. His head was obscured by a pale grey hood, but the outline of a horn could clearly be seen under the cloth. The rest of his face, the portions they could see at least, were coated in a thick layer of white powder criss-crossed by a web of black line patterns. Clover could not quite make out the consistency of the powdery-base, but the old unicorn beside her knew at once that it was the dust of ground bones.
One of Ardent's fools. And this one speaks...wonderful... Were it not for his already tenuous grasp on the situation, Star Swirl almost certainly would have struck down the youth where he stood. As it was, however, he was forced to stand there and listen as the cultists suddenly found their voices.
"You know damn well that you are not innocent in this matter, Star Swirl the Suppressor! Too long have you lurked in the shadows of this kingdom, manipulating it from behind a smokescreen of good intentions!"
Confused whispers began to sprout from this new discourse. They were interrupted moments later by another hooded cultist form the other side of the room. This one was far more eloquent in her delivery and much more mature about her approach.
"Forgive my brother's outburst, his mouth moves far too quickly for his brain to keep up. We understand how this must look to you... to all of you. But I assure you, we are not here to harm any of you."
This one too wore a mask of bone dust under her hooded cloak, but she lacked the horn of her so-called "brother." What was more, despite this lack of a magical catalyst, her voice possessed a serene, almost otherworldly quality that Star Swirl was disturbed to find had seemingly entranced the entire room.
Devilry and speech-craft of some manner. I don't know where Ardent found these wretches, but he's trained this one well, at least... He did not want to give them a chance to say anything particularly damning; he still was not certain how much information Ardent had imparted on them prior to his demise. But if he allowed them to continue speaking out, the puppet-masters would soon all reveal themselves. Let them speak. Any that step forward to talk are simply marking themselves as targets. The undead will crumble the moment their living masters fall...
He saw no reason not to instigate them a bit; drawing them out a bit quicker. "And tell me, my dear, if you did not intend to harm any of us what was the point of coming here so heavily armed? And what of our third judge? Are you claiming he is ...unharmed?"
The mare looked down at him with glowing red flames that burned in place of eyes for every one of Ardent's soldiers. "I suppose that was a bit misleading. My apologies. We had no intention of harming anyone. However, we knew we would not be taken seriously if we did not at least appear capable of intimidation... Of course, spears and clubs are of little concern to one such as you, Master Star Swirl. Naturally, no one in the room is in any real danger. You could put a stop to this all with the blink of an eye if you wanted, yes?" She smiled, though its sincerity was questionable at best.
The old unicorn gave the thought a moment's consideration. "...Perhaps you'd like to put that theory to the test, Miss...?"
Her smile widened. "How rude of me, I've completely forgotten my manners." She pulled back her hood, revealing a head completely covered by black and white makeup. They bone dust and the black designs drawn into it were obscured only by a simply-cut black mane of, likely dyed that shade to complete the effect. She did indeed lack a horn, as the old unicorn had suspected. "My name is Solace, and I am the lieutenant in command of this branch of Master Ardent's army." Her eyes continued to burn, but the face that contained them seemed to soften significantly, as if giving her name had brought her a great sense off relief.
This time it was Clover who spoke up. "Solace, please, you have our attention. There is no need to keep the these good citizens locked up here any longer. Let them leave and we will continue without fear of violence. I'm very eager to get to the bottom of all of this; I promise you there is a peaceful solution to all of this."
The earth pony's smile quickly faded into the beginnings of a dejected frown. "I'm sorry... I truly am. But that simply isn't an option. If it were up to me we would have simply done this quietly, without involving anyone unrelated to the incident. But I have my orders, and I intend to stick to them." Again the soothing tone of her voice washed over the courtroom.
"Your orders? You no longer have a leader. Ardent is... I mean you saw what happened here. You don't have to do this anymore."
"I'm afraid you're missing the bigger picture here, my dear." Star Swirl began to step forward, examining Clover's barrier as he went on. "Guilty or not, Ardent came in here with an army and attempted to overthrow the authority of this court. What's more, assuming I heard Miss Solace correctly, this is merely one branch of a much larger force that he put together... So then I have to wonder just what it is that is going on outside while we're all trapped in here."
Solace motioned for the now one-handed minotaur to come to her. He left the front of the dais with a look of blind fury still plastered on his face, but made no effort to resist her beckoning. He reached with his good arm as she walked to the edge of the stands and onto his outstretched hand. He effortlessly brought her down to the floor of the courtroom as if she weighed no more than a feather. From there she made her way over to the two remaining judges; never once taking her eyes off the the old bearded unicorn.
She stood at the base of the dais, admiring the barrier with a discerning eye. "You unicorns really can work truly wonderful feats with your magic. Such beauty and such power. Spells like this are something that deserve to be shared with the whole world. Spells that keep others safe. That prevent harm. That make life better for everyone..."
She looked up at Clover, the flames that made up her eyes dancing brightly in their sockets. "And yet with all this power, with the ability to do so much good, your kind still sees fit to keep its secrets locked away from the rest of us. Those you view as inferior are left to fend for themselves. To toil in the fields, forage in the mountains, and starve in the streets while you live in comfort and prosperity behind your walls."
She looked back to Star Swirl. "Then, when somepony finally comes along who is not afraid to use his powers to help those in need; to end their suffering and even challenge death itself for them when necessary, you have him attacked in the night and dragged away from his research so that he might stand trial for crimes that you yourself are just as guilty of."
Star Swirl continued to meet her gaze through the barrier. A preliminary scan of the energy it consisted of had left him with a fairly good idea of how the spell worked. Now it was just a matter of waiting until the precise moment to use that knowledge. "If you're here to accuse me of something, best get right to it rather than beating around the bush like this."
Clover looked over at her old master with uncertainty suddenly growing in her heart. "Ardent said the same thing... That he hadn't done anything you hadn't done. What did he mean? What are they talking about?"
"Yes, Star Swirl. What am I talking about? Why was it that Master Ardent was so eager to argue with you in front of such a large crowd? Why did he go to such lengths to keep everyone here focused on your actions?"
"Insanity, most likely."
In the blink of an eye Solace had thrown herself at the barrier, rearing on her hind legs and crashing her front hooves into the closest octagon between her and the old wizard. It held, barely even vibrating as the blow landed upon its translucent shell. "You know damn well why he did it! You know exactly what he was trying to prove! So tell them! Tell all of us just what it was the two of you were up to!"
Star Swirl remained unshaken. "Oh? I must admit its sounding more and more like your beloved master didn't see fit to actually share his reasons with you. If your so confident I've done something wrong, by all means reveal these unspeakable deeds to us! I'll not interrupt... Or is it just that you don't actually have the slightest idea why Ardent ordered you and your brethren here."
He took another step closer, placing his own hoof upon the barrier to mimic the positioning of hers. "Don't think for a second that I wanted things to play out this way. Ardent broke the laws of this kingdom and was to be punished for doing so. But he was, before anything else, my friend. I had no intention of letting him be put to death. Locked up, perhaps, kept out of sight and out of mind, but with all the comforts befitting someone of his rank and loyalty."
"You're a monster and you know it! Any good deeds you might have done are past and none of them are so great that they would overshadow the darkness you've spread throughout this kingdom!" The calm had left her voice entirely; the entrancing tones quickly turning to a spiteful growl full of anger and hate.
Yet through all of it, Star Swirl merely held his ground. She knows nothing. None of them do. They're just following the final orders Ardent gave them. "You still haven't told us what's happening out there. What is the rest of this army of yours doing while we're preoccupied in here?"
Her face darkened into a scowl to match her tone. "Waiting. They're to do nothing until their leader orders otherwise. But once that happens, they'll being tearing down this illusion of innocence and good nature you've set up. They'll set to work exposing you for what you are. And they'll make sure your greed and your vanity never puts the citizens of this kingdom in danger again."
"Truly? But I wonder, with Ardent no longer with us, who does that leave to give such an order?" His strength had was almost back. He could feel his energy returning as their verbal duel came to its climax. "He must have had someone chosen in case something like this had transpired."
Her scowl deepened. "You won't escape justice just because Master Ardent is dead."
"Clearly I will, since no one on the outside knows what has transpired in this room, and you can't report to this new leader of yours while I'm still alive." In the blink of an eye a barrier of solid gold light unfolded around each of the doors. The undead closest to them crumbled like marionettes who had suddenly had their strings cut.
Solace continued to stare him down, her panted face illuminated by the glow of his horn from the other side of Clover's shield. "I don't need to report anything."
"Oh no? And why is that? Surely none of these simpletons are in charge. You're the only one here with enough sense to lead them, but Ardent wouldn't have made such a fatal flaw as making you his second-in-command."
"And why not? You even said I'm the only one here with enough sense to lead."
This time he leaned in close, dropping his voice to little more than a whisper. "Because, my dear, you're an earth pony. And it is your place to serve, not to lead."
Solace's rage erupted as she attempted to batter down the barrier once more. "Then may your prejudice be your own sentencing! SOLDIERS! A-"
The crackle of electricity deafened the courtroom as Clover's wall exploded outward. The blast blew Solace back toward the glowing doors, slamming her into them with enough force to shatter wood and bone alike. As the doors themselves fell to pieces around her, the golden aura Star Swirl had created to trap her army inside began to drain the life from her broken body. She tried to scream but could do little more than gasp for breath as the magic withered her physical form.
Cries broke out from the crowd as the other cultists and their undead charges began to fall to the ground as well. The living members of Ardent's army suddenly found themselves bound by translucent gold chains, dragging them to the floor. They lay there, paralyzed but otherwise unharmed. When the chains brushed against the undead, however, their bodies fell to pieces at every point the magical bindings made contact with them.
Clover had been overwhelmed by the sudden assault on her mind. She collapsed on her desk as her spell shattered around her. All the while, Star Swirl had been slowly advancing on the place where Solace hung suspended in the air by his barrier ward.
"Forgive me, my dear, I'm afraid you misunderstood me once again." He strode forward slowly, deliberately. The wards would drain the life from her in a matter of minutes, but he couldn't pass up the opportunity to gloat just a tiny bit before she ceased to exist. "I did not mean to belittle your race or even your own role in this little dance of ours."The flames in her eye sockets began to grow, burning more brightly as her life reached its final moments. "Its just simple fact. A unicorn might have been able to counter that little burst of magic, or even absorb it like your late master had attempted. But an earth pony or a pegasus has no natural means of defending itself in such a situation. That, is why you are unfit to lead such an army. Without magic, your grip on the situation can only extend so far."
Darkness set in as the pain finally began to subside. She took one last long, hateful gaze at the ancient unicorn walking toward her, and then finally gave in.
Master.... I've failed... Please. Forgive me...