Arcane Equilibrium

by Prane

Chapter 10

Arcane Equilibrium
by Prane
Chapter 10

Gilda sniveled.

Never before had Trixie seen a griffon crying. It wasn't exactly something she could have expected, at least not according to the general opinion, as the griffons were usually perceived as proud, sky-reaching aviators that achieved dominance over their lands through prowess and uncompromising attitude.

The wet feathers underneath Gilda’s golden eyes, however, said otherwise.

Soaked with heavy tears, they were saying that, deep inside, the mighty griffon kind did not differ much from the ponies, that even those who soared high above the ground could fall and that even someone as tough as Gilda had her fears.

But, in turn, hadn’t revenge-driven, overworked unicorns had some as well?

‘Here, take my cloak.’, Trixie unhooked her dark blue wear and passed it to Gilda, which she immediately rejected. She didn’t even look up at the mare, only kept on mournfully stroking Goriel’s crimson coat.

‘Get lost.’, she replied in a feeble attempt to sound blunt and rude. ‘I don’t need it, just… just go away!’

Because it was in Trixie’s very nature to rarely do what she was asked for – or, at the very best, do it her own, specific way – she moved closer to Gilda, feeling that it was a right time to put some tricks she had learned over the past few weeks to good use. Befriending someone was one thing, but providing moral support – that was a whole new level of expertise for her. Luckily, Trixie had great teachers on that matter.

‘Oh, it’s not for you, featherbrain.’, she said softly. ‘Cover him, or he’ll catch cold.’

As if by magic itself, Gilda’s initial reluctance was gone. She looked at Trixie with helplessness written all over her face.

‘It’s my fault…’, she said, her voice trembling. ‘I should have known that…’

Trixie didn’t let her finish, but offered a comforting hug instead, knowing that Gilda was but a step from falling apart.

‘Don’t blame yourself.’, she whispered. ‘And keep in mind that it’s not over yet.’

Though Gilda was now a little bit more serene than before, she still didn’t seem convinced.

‘You see, I enchanted it several times in case of cold weather.’, Trixie assured, pushing the cloak in her talons. ‘Don’t say anything! He… he needs it more than I do.’

Another tear soaked into Gilda’s snow white feathers when she hugged the mare back, but unlike those of despair and sadness, that one was filled with gratitude and joy. With a genuine ‘thank you’ look, but not saying a single word, she took the cloak and spread it underneath unconscious Goriel and partially covering him.

Apparently, even the smallest of things could be considered great and of powerful impact – or maybe especially the smallest of things.

‘Good idea.’, Twilight, who came around, said. She just finished melting the snow and warming the ruined courtyard’s stone floor around them. ‘It’s the least we can do for now.’

Then she trotted by Trixie, giving her a meaningful look and making it clear she wanted her to follow. The mares walked away from Gilda and Goriel.

‘How is he?’, Trixie asked when they had gone a certain distance.

‘Not well, I’m afraid.’, Twilight shook her head. ‘He seems to be in some kind of magic-induced coma. I didn’t want to bring it out earlier,’, she hesitated, ‘but whenever I tried to reach into his consciousness and wake him up, I found only… emptiness.’

‘Like, the one in the crypt?’, Trixie inquired, to which Twilight nodded. She shuddered at the memory of mind-flooding lack of magic. It was a miracle Twilight managed to get Goriel out of there. ‘So you can’t help him, can you?’

Twilight kept on trotting back and forth.

‘If I only had more time, then perhaps.’, she replied. ‘Mental structures are sufficiently complex and difficult to understand, but given magic as one of the factors… well, I don’t know if I could do anything.’, she stopped. ‘By the way, it was a really kind gesture with that cloak of yours. Not only for Goriel, but for Gilda, too.’

Trixie blushed and kicked a pebble.

‘I caught it from Rarity, I guess.’, she smiled and pointed at her indigo scarf. ‘I still got this, so I’ll live. Besides, it feels good to be generous.’

‘It sure does!’, Twilight grinned. ‘So, what’s our next step?’

Before she could even reply, Sunseeker and Rarity approached them.

‘Well, whatever you’re planning to do, do it fast.’, he joined the mares with his usual enthusiasm. ‘I just spoke with Gilda’s scouts. They found fresh tracks of three ponies and a carriage in the Red Oak Valley – that would be the valley we flew over on our trip here. They estimate that Feldora must have left shortly before we’ve arrived. We might still catch her, but we need to move, like, now.’, he concluded.

‘But we can’t just leave!’, Rarity opposed. ‘We must help Gilda and her poor friend! I mean, the griffons have welcomed us like royalty – let us not speak about the balloon incident, shall we – so it is only the matter of propriety to help them now.’

‘You do realize that if Feldora exploits the Staff of Star Swirl the Bearded, the very state of magic in Equestria will be threatened?’, Twilight asked. ‘The outcome… just unthinkable!’

From the corner of her eye, Trixie saw Gilda listening to their conversation on the side. It wasn’t hard to guess that the ponies were about to choose between the fate of their homeland and the fate of her kinsbird. And Gilda, with her military mindset, had no illusions about that.

Yet, pursuing the cult and abandoning Goriel would result in his likely demise, as neither Gilda not the griffon outcasts of the Amber Aerie had any idea about magical affections. Besides, Trixie suspected that the crimson griffon wasn’t just any guy in Gilda’s ranks – he was someone special. Because of that, she could imagine herself in a similar situation, when somepony she deeply cared for would be lying there, on a stone floor, covered by but a cloak…

And so she was torn in between.

‘What I was trying to say,’, Rarity stated firmly, ‘was that I had a lovely chat with the Nightguard stallions. They’re saying that they are able to take only two ponies on the sky carriage, shouldn’t we want to sacrifice their speed.’, she explained. ‘I am well aware that the fate of the unicorns hangs in balance, and that preserving the status quo is still the top priority for the Conclave, but it would seem that we can’t all go, anyway.’

A solution came to Trixie’s head, one that was pretty obvious, but equally hard to take.

‘We split.’, she decided.

The ponies looked upon each other. They all knew that as long as they were together, they were unbeatable. Going apart, however, carried a risk of becoming more vulnerable and ultimately losing everything they were fighting for.

A necessary risk they had to take.

‘If so,’, Sunseeker began, ‘the two most magically skilled unicorns should go, as stopping Feldora and her wicked band is crucial. I say Trixie and Twilight.’, he stated.

Trixie chuckled. For once it was a fact, not a boastful stage exaggeration. They were, indeed, the most appropriate candidates for the job, and there was no way in denying that their magic was notable stronger. Besides, they had already fought together against overwhelming odds, like that Diamond Dog empowered by the same emerald that was now in the Staff’s head, so they had best chances to deal with it quickly.

‘Sunseeker and I shall stay, then.’, Rarity said. ‘We’ll try to help Goriel, fix the balloon and catch up with you as soon as possible.’

Twilight stared in disbelief.

‘Are you sure you’re up to it?’, she asked. ‘I imagine the Griffin Kingdoms aren’t exactly a place you’d spend your holidays in.’

‘Oh, I’ve been in worse places, believe me, Twilight.’, she winked.

They all walked towards the moon-ornamented sky carriage. The Nightguard began to fasten their harnesses, and soon Trixie and Twilight were ready to go. Sunseeker and Rarity, who were joined by Gilda in the meantime, moved back so the pegasi could make a running start.

‘To the village of Hollow Shades, sirs!’, Twilight asked, and the stallions whinnied and began to trot across the courtyard towards the castle’s open gate.

‘Hey, Trix!’, Gilda shouted. ‘Kick their butts for me, will you? And… you know, thanks!’

‘You got it!’, Trixie replied, feeling that they were moving faster. ‘Take care of Rarity!’, she shouted to Sunseeker, then sit back on the carriage’s soft seats.

‘I will!’, he assured, trying to keep up with them. ‘And Trixie…’

Trixie had no idea she could jump up and turn around so quickly. Sunseeker halted and was now shrinking in the distance, so she leaned out of the carriage, as she felt that he was about to say something extremely important.

Some part of her even expected that ‘something’.

‘Good luck.’

Trixie smiled.

After a while, when they were already soaring over the ancient ruins of King Aurum’s castle, Trixie could have sworn she saw Rarity running up and slapping Sunseeker in the face, but when the clouds obscured the view she could not see anything else.

* * *

It is said that coming back is always faster than going somewhere.

When Twilight Sparkle heard it for the first time, and that was long before she even got her cutie mark, she conducted a series of elaborate – for her age – studies on the subject of steps and heartbeats on her way to a local library and back home. It turned out that she had gone the exact same distance at the exact same speed both times, hence proving that it’s not scientifically possible for the return trip to be any faster. Time equals distance over velocity, and nothing could change that.

The given coefficients, however, could be altered.

For example, the velocity with which the Nightguard pegasi flew was far greater than the one achieved by a balloon. The distance remained mostly the same, though a small adjustment on the fact that Hollow Shades were a bit closer than Ponyville, was still vital. Therefore, since the former value was greater and the latter was smaller, the overall quotient had to be… greater. Science!

‘Bandit.’, Trixie said unexpectedly.

‘Excuse me?’, Twilight replied, snatched out of her brain-stimulating pleasures.

‘What?’, she looked at her from the other side the sky carriage, equally puzzled. ‘Oh! Oh, I’m sorry. I’m just wondering how to name my pet raccoon.’

‘The one which you, more than once, called ‘annoying pest’?’

‘The very same.’, Trixie giggled. ‘So, Bandit. What do you think?’

The black-grey raccoon was the actual reason Twilight had a chance to meet Trixie during the Everfree Fire. He made a terrible mess in the library, then guided her to the Everfree Forest where she found unconscious Trixie. Many of Twilight’s closest friends – actually everypony but Rainbow Dash, if you think about it – had a pet to play with and take care for.

‘I think it reflects his… personality?’, Twilight tried to guess.

‘Yes, that’s what I’ve been thinking. Thanks.’

‘Naming a pet…’, she decided to pursue the case. ‘It didn’t come to you just like that, am I right?’, she asked. ‘You’re nervous.’

‘No I’m not!’, Trixie protested. ‘I’m just a little…’

Unfortunately, she couldn’t find a proper word describing her current state.

‘Nervous?’, Twilight innocently suggested.

‘Nervous, fine.’, she unwillingly agreed. ‘I mean, the stakes are high and making a mistake is not an option now.’

‘Do you want me to go over the Plan A once more?’

Trixie waved her assent. Although she worked best with a considerable dose of spontaneity, Twilight’s thorough analysis was invaluable. Besides, she really beamed when she could plan, supervise, maintain and drill down into the details on every single step.

It was safe to assume that Feldora had to perform some sort of ceremony during which she’d strip unicorns of their magic, probably in front of her followers to demonstrate the power of the Staff and her own. In other words, Trixie and Twilight had to stop that ritual before it hits. Since they failed to track down Feldora over the last few hours of their flight from the Griffin Kingdoms, their best chance was to strike during a window of opportunity when she’ll be gathering her cult and preparing the ritual.

According to How To Test If You’re Evil 101 – which Twilight had read for theoretic, non-applicable scientific purposes only – one needed to make an obligatory speech before world-shaking events, occasionally burst into maniacal laughter and, if possible, arrange some lightning and thunder in the background.

Trixie noticed that if Feldora was that type of leader, their window of opportunity would be quite wide.

‘Well, yes, you could say that.’, Twilight added. ‘But in case something with Plan A goes wrong, we’ll be severely outnumbered…’

‘Always outnumbered, never outgunned!’, Trixie replied with passion. ‘We go in, snatch the Staff, then run and set fireworks all the way.’

It was early afternoon when they crossed the borders of Equestria. Cold, barren wastelands were soon replaced by a much more pleasant to look at fields of green, colorful patches of farmlands and vast woods. Simply put, Equestria was a place where the sky was bluer and the grass greener, so no wonder that its founders had chosen it for their new land. Twilight knew that story very well, as it was performed annually on a Heart’s Warming Eve, and as much as she was ashamed to admit, she would love to play a part in that spectacle one day.

‘We’ll be arriving at Hollow Shades soon, madam!’, the Nightguard informed when they passed the deafening roar of monumental Neighagra Falls, one of Equestria’s many landmarks.

‘Put us down on the edge of that forest!’, Trixie pointed ahead at a thin line of green in the distance. ‘We’ll go on hoof from there, we don’t want to draw any unnecessary attention.’

‘Right away!’

After few minutes, with a grace of highly skilled fliers they were, the Nightguard landed at their destination.

‘Wait for us here.’, Trixie commanded, jumping out of the sky carriage. ‘We might need an emergency exit in case something went wrong. Should we not come back within an hour, you are to return to Canterlot, report to Princess Luna and request support in the matter of… arcane equilibrium. Do you understand?’

The pegasi nodded, and so the mares were free to go into the forest embracing Hollow Shades. It was definitely more like the Everfree Forest than, say, White Tail Woods, with its gloomy density and palpable coolness in the air. There were, however, no bizarre creatures every two steps beyond the regular wildlife, so Trixie and Twilight could safely advance towards the village undetected.

At least until it happened.

They were just passing through a small clearing when a beam of emerald light shot into the sky, no more than a few hundred meters from them. Trixie felt the currents of magic around her tremble, then stop for a while, only to return to their usual flow shortly afterwards, as if nothing had happened.

Something had happened nevertheless, as she was getting the impression that some magic currents had been erased from existence… or rewritten, perhaps? The only certain thing was that the phenomenon knocked her and Twilight down.

‘What was that!?’, Trixie asked, frantically checking if her horn was still in its place. ‘Please, don’t tell we’re too late!’

Twilight hastily enveloped Trixie in a magenta mist and lifted her from the ground. Her horn shimmered as usual and there was no indication of her unicorn magic working any different.

‘It’s seems everything is fine.’, she said, moving Trixie around the clearing.

‘Great.’, Trixie rolled her eyes. ‘You can put me down now.’

‘Oh, sorry!’, she released Trixie over a nearby trunk.

‘Was that the Staff? If so, why weren’t we affected?’

‘Perhaps the ritual didn’t work!’, Twilight guessed with hope. ‘Anyway, we need to hurry!’

The mares galloped across the clearing back into the forest, trying to head towards a place from which the emerald beam fired. The forest path was surprisingly well-trodden, and led them to the brink of Hollow Shades, to a lumber mill. The mill consisted of a few huts with thatched roofs, wood logs lying in designated areas, as well as fields of scrubs covering the grass. Judging by sets of axes and saws thoroughly put by one of the huts, the mill was still active, although it was past working hours and there was no one there.

No one except a stallion, who was watching the mares from between the huts ever since they had entered the mill, but revealed his presence only now. He stepped forward, and although he was still hidden in the shadows, Trixie recognized him without much trouble.

‘Twilight, we’re not alone in here.’, she whispered, then spoke towards the shadows. ‘Zaeer.’

His crooked grin flashed in the darkness.

‘So, at last…’, he spoke. ‘I was eager to see you again.’

‘Hardly a compliment! Now you tell me where the Staff is or I’ll punch it out of you!’

‘Like you did with poor Drizzle Tail, so wrongfully imprisoned in Canterlot?’, Zaeer laughed, content that he caught the mare off guard. ‘Yes, Trixie, you will suffer for what you did…’

‘Leave her alone!’, Twilight interceded. ‘We're going to end this, so you better step back!’

‘It has been already done, unicorn!’, he replied, then turned again to Trixie. ‘I couldn’t compete with you back in Hoofington, but I have received a gift from my mistress and Star Swirl the Bearded himself! We all have received that gift!’

More than two dozens of ponies – pegasi and earth ones – stepped out from the forest and entered the lumber mill, spreading out around the wood logs and huts. Most of them were dressed in the cult’s official robes like Zaeer, which consisted of a black, body covering suit with silvery thorn-like markings around their hooves and along the back.

They stared angrily at Trixie and Twilight.

‘Acolytes, allow me to introduce!’, Zaeer boomed. ‘Trixie, agent of the Conclave! The leash that has been keeping us, earth ponies and pegasi away from magic for centuries! She is the one amongst many who have so greedily grasped such power for themselves, leaving none of it for us!’

The crowd muttered, seemingly agreeing with Zaeer’s every word.

Well, there’s go the part of ‘secret society’ for the Conclave. Curse you, Moonwarden!

‘I don’t know what you’re talking about.’, Trixie replied casually.

Zaeer laughed, clearly flaunting with his supposed superiority.

Trixie didn’t wait for him to finish.

She was in top form thanks to countless training sessions in Canterlot gyms. Her horn shimmered with an aura similar in color to Twilight’s, but much brighter. She casted a volley of magical missiles at Zaeer that would be enough to strike down three stallions of his size if they hadn’t been avoided in time.

Zaeer, however, did nothing to dodge them. But was not hit by her attack, either.

The projectiles halted in mid-air, just in front of the stallion who watched them with interest. Only now, when the blinking missiles had illuminated him, Trixie could see his face.

His stare glowed with emerald fire, and a similar mist seemed to be coming out from within his eyes. The veins on his neck and face were much more visible – they were casting a green light, giving the impression of the stallion being highlighted from the inside. Also his disfiguring scar, that was coming from over his eye down to the cheek, was glowing.

Zaeer stepped forward and blew at the missiles, just as if he was blowing out the candle.

And they vanished!

‘Better future,’, he said, raising his hooves to stomp on the ground, ‘begins NOW!’

It was understandable that earth ponies, often associated with manual labor, were physically stronger than unicorns and pegasi, but what happened in the lumber mill was beyond all understanding.

A powerful shockwave ruffled the earth on a path from Zaeer to the mares, and although it was relatively easy for them to avoid it, a colossal stone spike that came from the ground and its subsequent explosion was impressive nevertheless. Something like that could not be caused by mere physical strength.

It must have been caused… by magic.

Zaeer, the earth pony, used magic!

‘Go, brothers and sisters!’, Zaeer shouted, green mist coming from his eyes. ‘For the sake of equality for us all!’

Similar green mists appeared among the eyes of the pony crowd. Their veins shimmered, and plethora of short-lived, concentrated magical phenomena – more commonly known as spells – come into being, be that bolts, spears of blades of green energy.

And they were all tossed at the mares at the same time.

‘That’s impossible…’, Twilight mumbled in confusion.

‘Plan B!’, Trixie shouted, grabbing her and immediately creating a protective bubble. ‘RUN!’

Trixie and Twilight braced themselves for the overwhelming force, but did not expect anything like this! Trixie’s shield soon shattered after absorbing to much magical energy, and if it wasn’t for Twilight, who had set an improvised palisade out of wood logs, they’d probably severely injured. Their only option was to withdraw and rethink their strategy, so they galloped back through the forest, hoping that their lift was still waiting.

Running away from a furious crowd was never an easy task, but Trixie and Twilight had to be exceptionally careful this time. They had to watch out for both fitness of the earth ponies who ravaged through the forest, trampling everything like mad, and agility of the pegasi who kept assaulting them from the air. As if that were not enough, every single pursuer was now empowered by magic, and was taking full advantage of that!

Well, most of the time.

A poorly shaped blast hit a tree just after Trixie passed it.

‘They might have magic now,’, she shouted, breathing heavily, ‘but they’re like foals trying to lift their first pebble!’

‘Sure!’, Twilight shouted back, still running like crazy. ‘But they’re like avalanche! Besides, how is that even possible!? I was certain that…’

‘Leave that for now!’, Trixie said, then a thought came to her mind. ‘In fact, leave me and save yourself!’

‘WHAT!?’

‘I’m slowing you down! You can teleport out, right? I’ll draw their fire so you could concentrate!’

‘There’s no way I could leave you here! We’re in this together and…’

‘Watch out!’

A group of pegasi cultist created a tornado just in the middle of the forest. It wasn’t that kind of tornado from which a pony society could benefit, one that could lift water from a reservoir and transport it to weather factories. No, that one was a ravaging twister of excessive force, throwing emerald thunderbolts and spreading rough, viridian hail around the area.

‘Come on, we’re close! Just a little bit!’, Trixie shouted.

Suddenly, Twilight screamed.

‘TWILIGHT!’, Trixie looked back.

A strayed bolt of energy from the twister hit the purple mare, braking through her shield and knocking her down. She was lying helplessly, and the stampede of ponies was getting closer.

Before Trixie could even react, she tripped on a branch.

Only one thought came through her mind: Oh, how much she’d like to get out of here!

Poof!

Comments

[Emperor]

Trixie inadvertently teleported at the end there? Or perhaps Moonwarden came back and saved her.

I would love to hear some of Rarity's stories about those 'worse places' she's been in. Maybe the seedy underbelly of Canterlot in order to get her designs sold off?