Arcane Equilibrium

by Prane

Chapter 9

Arcane Equilibrium
by Prane
Chapter 9

The blizzard ceased on the following morning.

Although the ponies considered its sudden subsidence disturbing, the griffons read it as a good sign. It simply meant that Windigos, the malevolent spirits of winter that had been haunting the Kingdoms' skies for over a thousand years, had roamed away for some time. Because of their presence, the climate there was much more unpredictable than in Equestria, where every cloud was scheduled and every snowflake carefully manufactured in weather factories, like Cloudsdale.

Cloudsdale...

Gilda soared far above the ground, reminiscing about her youth, classes during Junior Speedster Flight Camp and how she and Rainbow Dash used to cut them. She was reminiscing about the good, old days...

'Is that the place?', Trixie's voice sounded over her ear.

In her reverie Gilda almost forgot that she was carrying the azure mare on her back. As there were hardly any sky chariots or carriages in the Amber Aerie, and the ponies' balloon was fouled up beyond all recognition, the only way of getting to the ancient unicorn king's castle in time was to provide... well, a sky taxi. Neither Gilda nor the other griffons complained on that matter - it was all personal for her, but the rest was smart enough to know that losing Goriel would eventually become their loss, too.

The pony kind had a wise saying: 'a friend in need is a friend indeed', whereas griffons had even wiser one: 'unlucky involvement turns a friend insolvent'. Oh yes, they surely knew how important it was to help a kinsbird in need. And Goriel should really stop betting or someone would end up owning him.

'Hello, this is your captain speaking!', Trixie moaned impatiently. 'The castle is directly below us! Shouldn't you be descending by now?'

'Shouldn't you, I don't know, shut up?', Gilda muttered back and glanced below. Indeed, their destination was directly beneath them.

'Oh, you have wings, granted,', the poor mare was oblivious to what was about to happen, 'but doesn't make you-'

Her words quickly turned into a scream when Gilda performed a daring aerial roll, folded her wings and headed down with a wild cry. With Trixie barely holding on, the griffon dived for quite a few seconds before ultimately spreading back her wings and slowing down, just before they would turn into an avant-garde smudge on the castle's courtyard.

'You twisted beak!', the mare jumped off Gilda's back, struggling to stay still. 'Don't get me wrong, I love skydiving in the morning, as much as I love pancakes or a cup of tea in the morning, but you could have at least WARN ME!'

Gilda grinned.

'What's the matter, equine? Is your hangover kickin'?'

'I do not have a hangover, you featherbrain!', she pointed at the griffon condemningly, then put a hoof to her chest. 'I drink responsibly.'

'You. Responsible. Last night.', Gilda drawled. 'C'mon, I know what I saw.'

Trixie straightened her dark blue cloak.

'Well, I'm working on it!', she noticed Gilda's searching look. 'What? I had my share of irresponsibility and recklessness in the past, but it's the present that makes me who I am!'

'Seriously? Philosophy time?', she cocked her head in disbelief. 'Fine, consider this: isn't everything we've ever done simply leading us to 'today'?'

'Perhaps, but what if something we've done mislead us?', Trixie replied. 'I have learned that whenever the past is, shall we say, less-than-likeable, you need to leave it behind and give yourself a chance to change something. After that - it's already over the hump.'

Gilda didn't reply. She went with her thoughts back to Ponyville. It had never occurred to her to give herself a chance in a way Trixie proposed.

Unfortunately she couldn't ponder on the subject any longer, because the griffon warriors with Sunseeker and the Ponyville mares had just landed.

'Okay, listen up!', Gilda addressed her squad. 'There are possible lame-os in the area, namely one unicorn and three pegasi. Should you run into them, report to me at once. I will be staying with the ground team, you scout the Red Oak Valley for anything suspicious. And remember, it's a S-A-R for Goriel, so he's the priority. Any questions? No? THEN MOVE!'

The griffon warriors launched to the sky.

'What's a S-A-R?', Trixie asked.

'It's jargon we use for search and rescue, duh.', Gilda answered. 'Try to catch up, will you? Geez, you'd make a terrible outcast.'

'Considering the story of my life, I beg to differ.'

Gilda and the ponies gathered around Trixie in a semicircle.

'There must be a tomb entrance somewhere in the ruins, so we spread out to find it.', the mare spoke. 'Twilight, see if you can detect any unusual magical auras in here. Sunseeker and Gilda, sweep the ground floor for any cultists lurking in the shadows. Rarity, with me.', Trixie finished issuing commands. 'We're here for Gilda's friend, kicking the cult's flank and F-A-R the Staff of Star Swirl the Bearded.'

It was time for Gilda to be clueless.

'F-A-R? As opposed to 'N-E-A-R'?'

'Finding and retrieving.', Trixie grinned, to which Gilda could only roll her eyes.

Then they all nodded and trotted around the courtyard.

'Well, well...', Rarity said when they were far enough from the rest of the group. 'I've told you that you'll make an excellent leader.'

Trixie moved a portion of boulders and ice chunks from the stone floor.

'I feel more like an administrator or a manager than an actual leader.', she replied. 'When I look at Gilda... she's an icon for these griffons. Her presence is inspiring and I don't think I could do the same. If anything, it shows me how much more is ahead of me.'

'Not that much, I assure you.', Rarity stated and casually strolled to the side, pretending to pay attention to the floor, magical auras and finding the entrance. 'So... what about Sunseeker?'

The question surprised the azure mare, but fortunately she didn't have to ponder over it from a scratch. The white stallion's case concerned her greatly ever since Rarity had stated - with utmost certainty - that he would never betray or abandon Trixie. She even came to some conclusions, but she didn't feel like sharing them with her pony friend just now.

'What about him?', she reverted the question, taking a closer look on a partially smashed unicorn statue. 'Did he give you a hard time during your magic combat training last night?'

'No, not at all. He is extremely patient, you know.', Rarity replied, then continued in a slightly singing manner. 'One of his many virtues, I must say...'

Trixie didn't reply.

She wasn't a naive school filly anymore! She knew exactly what Rarity was trying to pull off, but she had absolutely no idea on how to respond. The truth was... she was very fond of Sunseeker's companionship and owed him a lot, probably more than she could ever repay him. With him around she felt safe and, more importantly, genuinely-yet-illogically happy.

Trixie was never particularly interested in committing herself to a relationship with another mare or a stallion. Especially that kind of relationship Rarity was merely trying to suggest for some time. It was because she was too afraid she'd blow it to smithereens, and since she valued Sunseeker far too much to jeopardize that, she dreaded the idea of getting involved.

On the other hoof, wasn't the concept of friendship essentially the same thing back in the days? Trixie had ultimately taken the risk of accepting Twilight's help and she had no regrets whatsoever. Then she had confided her greatest fears to Rarity and it actually turned out pretty well. And now she knew she valued Sunseeker. A lot.

Although Rarity was, by no means, imposing herself, Trixie felt that she's expecting some answers, judging by the fact that she'd been inspecting the same rock for the third time.

Luckily, Trixie found a way not to participate in her games.

'I think I found something!'

'About yourself, darling? Well, it's about time!', she threw the rock away and trotted by, disappointed by what the mare showed her. 'Oh, that. What's that?'

Trixie used her magic to lift a creased, black cape from the ground.

'It's a cloak.'

'It was a rhetorical question, dear, and this is actually a cape.', Rarity corrected her and took a closer look. 'They are usually shorter than cloaks and serve more as a decorative ensemble rather than actual clothing. Hmm... it's not Canterlotian by design, that's for sure... see those cuttings here? They're something very common for fashion houses in...'

'Trottingham.', Trixie finished.

'Very good! I did not realize you were into fashion?'

'I'm not.', she simply stated. 'It's Moonwarden's cape.'

'A very stylish one, I must say.', Rarity turned it over. 'Oh my, is that... is that blood!?'

Trixie inspected the cape, spotting irregular, crimson red stripes covering the inside. There was no mistake. Those were, indeed, resembling traces of pony blood.

'What is the meaning of this?', Rarity asked.

'Moonwarden was a unicorn deceived by Feldora's lies.', Trixie replied quietly. 'When he served his purpose and guided Feldora to the tomb, she must have used the power of the Staff to kill him. Which means we're too late. I bet the Staff has already been taken...'

She felt relieved. Not by the fact that the stallion she'd been chasing in body and running from in soul, had apparently ceased to be, but by a sudden realization that she was free. Free from her own anger and the urge to take righteousness vengeance over the one that betrayed her, the Conclave and the whole unicorn kind. She simply didn't need that anymore. Funny... when she finally felt she was prepared to face him, the confrontation had been denied.

And Trixie was glad, actually.

'But there is no body...', Rarity observed. 'And we still need to find Gilda's friend. Maybe we'll find some clues on the way.'

Trixie nodded, then cast a spell to set the cape on fire. The flames devoured the fabric quickly, leaving a pile of black, glowing ashes standing out against perfectly white snow. It was almost symbolic to her... she had already found reasons to live beyond petty revenge, thanks to Twilight, Rarity and... Sunseeker.

'You know it's... all for better now.', Rarity whispered and offered a comforting hug. 'You don't need to go through it anymore.'

They kept staring at a dying fire for a while, until they heard Sunseeker's voice.

'Over here!', he yelled. 'We've got the entrance! Come, quick!'

Trixie and Rarity galloped towards the stallion. Moonwarden might have been dead, but their mission went on. They still needed to bring those responsible for the events of the last Nightmare Night into justice, which meant Zaeer and Feldora were still on the list. They found Sunseeker struggling to restrain Gilda, this time with bare hooves instead of magic. Twilight joined them shortly afterwards.

'I have to... he must be...', the griffon was desperately trying to free herself. 'GET OFF ME!'

'What's going on!?', Trixie asked.

'Short version?', Sunseeker replied and pointed at something that was a likely entrance to the castle's undergrounds. 'Pony tracks leading in and out, griffon tracks leading in and in.'

'Goriel must be inside! I have to go, with or without your help!'

'I say with!', Trixie dashed by Gilda and galloped down the spiral staircase, sparkling up her horn to illuminate the crypt. 'We found Moonwarden's cape, by the way. Covered in blood.'

'Oh, too bad!', Sunseeker said on their way down. 'I liked him before he turned to, you know, the dark side.'

'He had it coming. Twilight, do you sense anything we should be worried about?'

'I think you should see for yourself.'

They walked through a ring-shaped passage in the wall and entered a chamber split by a deep chasm. There were golden doors, ornamented with stars and swirls on the other side of the room, and the only way to reach them was to follow a crumbling rock path.

Trixie closed her eyes and expanded her magical sensitivity towards the doors. Normally it would allow her to see nearby arcane auras, feel the flow of magic in the area and taste glimpses of spells already cast, but behind those doors... there was nothing. She felt nothing.

She opened her eyes and looked questioningly at Twilight.

'Can you feel it?', the purple mare asked.

'Feel what?'

'Exactly.'

Trixie took point and led the group across the chasm while Twilight explained the nature of this emptiness phenomenon.

'There are faint spell echoes in the ceiling and down the chasm, but there is no active magic in here.', she said. 'And there is absolutely no magic beyond these doors.'

'No magic? But how is that even possible?', Sunseeker inquired.

'I'm not sure... it seems that the magic was taken away from there.'

'Pfft... magical crap. I hate that.', Gilda opinioned.

They reached the other side and halted and the golden doors.

'Magic was taken? But how?', Rarity asked, looking around nervously. 'Are we in danger?'

'There's only one way to find out.', Trixie pushed the doors and entered the room.

By the time Trixie crossed the threshold of the library-like crypt, the final resting place of Star Swirl the Bearded, the light coming out from her horn faded a little, illuminating only a rectangular shape in front of her and few bookshelves by the doors.

Suddenly, a wave of magical emptiness flooded her mind. She barely managed to raise a mental shield on time to push it back. The emptiness kept storming, but she could hold on, though casting spells beyond simple tricks was a risk she didn't want to take. It seemed that everything magical in the chamber, including crystal candelabrums, which she assumed served as a light source, was turned off.

'Our magic is being suppressed, as you have probably already noticed.', Twilight looked up at her horn, which didn't seem weakened at all. 'If my theory is correct, we are experiencing the aftershock of something really bad that happened to magic in here.'

As if to confirm her words, the light coming from Rarity's horn shimmered and disappeared. She tried to bring the illumination spell back, but nothing happened. In the meantime, Sunseeker investigated the inscription on the alabaster tombstone.

'Here lies-'

'GORIEL!', the stallion was interrupted by Gilda's scream. She fell to her knees by her kinsbird's body that was lying by one of the bookshelves. Tears came to her eyes as she laid her head on Goriel's chest. She was shaking and mumbling incomprehensibly with lots of 'my fault' and 'sorry' being heard.

Twilight and Sunseeker dragged her back while Rarity approached the griffon's body, put a hoof on his neck and leaned over the beak.

'He's unconscious, but alive!', she said. 'But I wouldn't recommend carrying him out just in case of some internal trauma... Twilight! Can you teleport him outside?'

'I can try, but the suppression aura...'

'Just do it!'

Twilight crouched by the griffon's body and slowly veiled herself and Goriel in a magenta mist, or more like a magenta gel. It was dark and dense, as opposed to its usual volatile form, and moved heavily through the no-magic zone of the chamber. Although it took her more than usual and strained her severely, Twilight finally managed to disappear with Goriel from the crypt.

Still sniveling, Gilda rallied and regained partial self-control. She ran outside and Rarity followed her.

After a moment of silence, Trixie spoke.

'We should leave, too.', she trotted around the tombstone. 'There's nothing for us in here.'

'What about the Staff?'

'It's gone, just as I thought.', Trixie pointed at the empty stand on the other side of the chamber. 'They beat us to it, killed Moonwarden and left Goriel for certain death.'

The unicorns paid their respects by the alabaster tomb of Star Swirl the Bearded, founder of the Conclave, then left the crypt, sealing the golden doors with a simple lock spell.

'So... woah.', Sunseeker exclaimed on their way out. 'I've never imagined I'll be visiting a place like this. You know, there's still plenty of scrolls and books to study... I'm not saying I'd be into that, I'm not really a fan of non-field research, but there are bound to be some agents in Canterlot that are... Do you think we should arrange pilgrimages? I think we should arrange pilgrimages, we could...'

Trixie wasn't listening.

She was trying to sort things out. One, Feldora the Pegasus was now in possession of one of the most powerful magical artifacts Trixie had ever heard of. That's bad. Two, Moonwarden was dead, which wasn't really that relevant due to three, Goriel got hit pretty hard and was probably dying. Four, she had no idea where the cult had taken the Staff. And even if she knew, there was five - being stranded in the north with no practical means to chase them!

'It's seems that we've lost it, you know?', she said to Sunseeker. 'And unless something unexpected happens, I'm out of tricks...'

The stallion stopped just at the end of the spiral staircase, glanced outside and looked back at Trixie with a twinkle in his eye.

'Be careful what you wish for.', he smiled. 'Perhaps fortune favors us, after all.'

When Trixie entered the castle courtyard, she found it astonishingly crowded. On the left there were the griffon outcasts that Gilda had sent to scout the area, but what was really peculiar was on the right.

A pair of gray-coated pegasi with black tails and tufts of hairs on the tips of their ears was standing still in spite of the griffons' menacing glances. They had purple armors and helms with a webbed crest over them. An elegant sky carriage to which they were harnessed was ornamented with black, crescent moons.

Since Twilight was too absorbed with casting spells over unconscious Goriel and Gilda was too busy walking back and forth, it was up to Rarity standing between the griffons and the pegasi to prevent a wrangle.

'Oh, Trixie, thank the Princesses you're here!', she said and pointed at the pegasi guards. 'These handsome stallions insisted on speaking with you!'

Trixie couldn't believe her eyes, but she trotted towards the carriage with a new hope.

'The Nightguard? What is the Nightguard doing here?'

'We were sent by Princess Luna.', one of the pegasi said. 'We were told that you're chasing the enemies of Equestria. We are ordered to provide you with a transport to the village of Hollow Shades.'

Huh. Perhaps fortune really favored them, after all.

Comments

[Frankie2]

At least that have a way to move forward. I have a feeling that Moonwarden isn't dead.

[TranscendenCelestia]

That sort of came out of nowhere, with no build -up, and is rather convenient. *Cough*deus-ex-machina*cough*.

[Emperor]

Remember Trixie, if you don't find a body you can't assume he's dead.

I wonder if those are real Nightguards at the end, or Chrysalis' agents in disguise meant to lead the heroes into a trap.