Arcane Equilibrium
by Prane
Chapter 7

Moonwarden leaned out of the silver pegasi-drawn carriage and looked at an ancient castle below. It was barely visible through a thick layer of clouds, but at least snowstorms that were so annoying the other day were gone. He really should have taken a scarf, though.

Goriel, their feathered guide flew by. He was a crimson-coated griffon with white spots along the neck, and a rakish stare in his steel gray eyes, now covered by a pair of flight goggles.

‘This is it!’, he yelled. ‘There is an abandoned road nearby where you can land!’

‘Take us down.’, Feldora commanded and the pegasi acolytes began to descend, following the crimson streak to the snow-covered clearing.

When they reached the ground, the caped stallion got out of the carriage first. He took a deep breath of fresh mountain air, which instantly washed away his drowsiness. The cold night he and the cultists had spent in an uncomfortable cave was far from rejuvenating. Especially due to crackling snoring of the pegasus acolytes, who were now taking off their harnesses. But even if the night itself wasn’t as appealing in this middle of nowhere as it was in Canterlot, it had provided a necessary rest…

…for the big day. Moonwarden heard a voice in his mind. For today.

Indeed. I have to admit, this is the most intricate intrigue I have ever participated in…

But you’re not the weaver! You’re merely a thread!

True, but I am being interlaced at right angles, and the fabric cannot be made without me.

You’re replaceable.

Not in this craft.

Once again he struggled to silence his inner disputes, shifting attention to the green mare, who stepped out of the carriage and was immediately joined by her pegasus guards on both sides.

‘Are we in the right place, Moonwarden?’, Feldora asked, taking a mistrustful glance at Goriel. ‘Or did our ami à plumes not earn the bits we have paid?’

It seemed that ever since they had encountered the griffons, the pegasus mare wasn’t too fond of the newly met companion. He probably didn’t fit her perfect equation of ‘balance’ and ‘better tomorrow’. But, it was either hiring one of them or being torn to pieces by all of them. A simple choice.

Not to mention Goriel and his kind could still prove themselves useful.

‘He certainly did, mistress.’, the unicorn bowed in response, hopefully for the last time. There was only one mistress for him in Equestria, and it certainly wasn’t that mare. ‘This is the Red Oak Valley, from which Princess Platinum had led the unicorns to the south.’

There was a mountain towering over the valley, on which the old castle was settled. It had a long, partially cracked stone bridge leading to it, obviously designed to be the only way in or out. A necessary precaution in case of any earth pony incursion at the time of the tribes. Adjacent to the castle’s back wall was a demolished tower, with stone blocks covered with frozen mud and snow. It must have once served as the overlook for guards so they could spot any threat around the fortress and above it. Another necessary precaution, in case of a pegasi squadron storming the place from the air.

All in all, the castle’s architecture was a symbol of adversity among the ponies of the past.

The adversity which lives on, perhaps?

‘This,’, Moonwarden continued. ‘This is the castle of King Aurum, the last of the mighty unicorn kings and the father of Princess Platinum.’

‘Or rather what’s left from it, if you ask me.’, Goriel said, joining the conversation. ‘It is a ruin and most of the goods were either taken by your kin or… commandeered by the… most respected griffon clans.’

The way he pronounced these words was much different from his usual laid-back attitude. His barely opening beak as well as an expression of contempt and disgust suggested Moonwarden that it was better not to ask about his clan affiliations. The griffon reached inside his bag and began putting flight goggles back on.

‘But I guess it’s exactly what drives you archeologists. Just some dust and rust to satisfy your lust, eh?’, he shuddered, then spread his wings. ‘Well, my work is done here.’

‘Please, pass our compliments to your leader.’, Feldora said. ‘We en sommes reconnaissants that you have brought us here.’

‘Mistress, if I may,’, Moonwarden cut in, trying to sound as polite as he could. He looked at Goriel. ‘You were hired to be our guide.’

‘And… I guided you here, as requested.’, the griffon answered, slightly confused. ‘C’mon, the castle is, like, five minutes from here.’

The unicorn shook his head and trotted around Goriel.

‘I believe your leader’s exact words were: ‘Geez, that’s a lot of bits, take them wherever the heck they need to go and help them’, am I correct?’, he said firmly, building up a mask of somepony who greatly cares about his duties. ‘We would appreciate your company in investigating the area underneath the castle.’

Persuasion was one of the arts the dark grey stallion considered himself to be good at. But now, without magical augmentation, he could only hope that his reasoning was enough to keep the griffon nearby.

Oh, how he’d like to use a simple mind-affecting spell!

But Feldora was watching. She had gladly accepted Moonwarden as the unicorn so very ‘agitated’ by her vision of everlasting equality. Maybe she even began to trust him after he had proven his loyalty by stealing the emerald, which was now safely hidden in his cape. But any usage of magic beyond duties she had committed him to would most likely compromise the stallion. If the green mare wanted Goriel gone, Moonwarden wanted him to stay, as it was always good to have another of these around. And should she had any doubt, he could easily talk himself out of it by telling how much he cared about her safety.

Good one.

The crimson griffon blinked at the unicorn, then sighed and looked up at the sky.

‘Oh, Gilda… I hate you so much.’, he smiled in an incoherent manner, which was quite odd and puzzling for the stallion. ‘Alright! I remember an old bet I made that involves examining those ruins, so I’ll come. I see that you are interested in what the dead had left there, down in the castle crypt, hmm?’

‘Precisely.’

Goriel walked along the snowy road towards the castle, and the rest of the group followed him. Feldora approached the unicorn.

‘Is it really necessary?’, she said, making sure that the griffon was outside hearing range. ‘Surely you and my… acolytes are enough ponies to explore the crypt.’

See? That’s why I plan ahead.

Oh, how astonishingly clever of you, really...

‘But mistress,’, Moonwarden replied, hating himself so much but still showing his best mask of kindness and care. ‘He could help us, the griffon’s talons are much more precise than our hooves…’, he explained, then whispered to the mare. ‘And we can send him first to check for traps.’

Feldora nodded reluctantly, accepting the stallion’s idea.

Sweet Princesses, you’re quite an actor!

‘You know that there might be traps inside?’, Goriel asked and turned around. ‘Mechanical, magical… I heard spooky stories about the unfortunate griffons who ventured there…’

‘Rest assured, I will dismantle them.’, Moonwarden replied, passing by the griffon and taking the lead of the group. ‘All of them.’

All but one. And you don’t really know what it does to griffons.

Forgive me, Goriel.

They were by far the most peculiar archeological team ever – three equality-seeking pegasi cultists, one ex-Conclave unicorn agent and on completely clueless, yet hard-working griffon.

After almost an hour of digging through the rubble and snow they managed to uncover what they were looking for – an entrance to King Aurum’s castle crypt, where Star Swirl the Bearded was supposedly buried, along with his prized Staff, which was missing only the emerald in its headpiece.

It makes you wonder, you know.

What is it?

If Star Swirl came back… why didn’t he take his Staff with him in the first place?

Good point. Why didn’t the supposed ‘Star Swirl’ come here today?

Feldora’s heart touching story just doesn’t add up.

Yes, it will be most entertaining to finally see it crumble.

‘Yo, you’re coming or what?’, Goriel asked.

Moonwarden opened his eyes. He saw the griffon holding a provisional torch and illuminating a spiral staircase. Feldora and her guards were waiting for the unicorn expert to come in first.

The stallion trotted downstairs, relying on his own horn to provide light, and the rest followed him. He levitated a small, blue notepad out of the cape and skimmed through his scribbles. Everything that he had ever learned about Star Swirl’s resting place was here. It certainly pays to read, contrary to what some bigger and louder ponies from his colthood were more than once trying to prove him of.

To his knowledge, there were three security measures between them and the Staff, with a large, iron gate being the first obstacle. It looked like a round hatch, made of six rings, with bigger surrounding the smaller ones. The rings were covered in symbols carved in the iron surface, which wasn’t even remotely rusted despite the old age of the crypt. There were letters, numbers and various shapes, and none of the symbols appeared more than once on each ring.

‘This one is easy.’, Moonwarden said. ‘The crypt was designed and secured by Star Swirl’s apprentice, Clover the Clever. Those runes she had carved onto rings,’, he pointed at the letters, ‘can be activated. All you have to do is to input her name and the gate will open.’

‘Proceed.’, Feldora said. ‘There is a C on the outer ring, then L and O… ‘CLOVER’.’

The stallion chuckled.

‘And this is where I come in. You see, her full name was Clover the Clever, so you need both words to break the lock.’

‘But there’s only six rings, and Clover plus Clever makes…’, Goriel frowned. ‘Twelve, right?’

‘These words are very similar.’, Moonwarden said, sparkling up his horn and activating the first two runes, which shined with viridian glow. ‘They only differ by one letter…’

Instead of lighting either O or E as third choice, the unicorn used his magic to illumine a small relief of a simple three-leafed clover. He then proceeded with the rest of the word, activating runes up to the letter R on the smallest ring. The sound of metal rubbing the stone was heard, the rings began to spin, gradually folding into the walls and opening a passage.

‘Oooh.’, Goriel expressed his amazement. ‘Clever.’

‘You mean, Clover?’, the caped stallion smiled and proceeded inside.

There was a giant chasm splitting this part of the crypt. It seemed that the only way out was to follow a thin, unsettling rock path connecting the entrance with an exit. It was impossible to tell exactly how high the ceiling was or how deep beneath the mountain the chasm went, because the pitch-black curtain veiled one and the other.

‘I see a way out. And it is opened!’, Feldora said, pointing at the golden, ornamented doors on the other side of the chasm. ‘Flying there is a solution, isn’t it?’

‘I’m afraid not.’, Moonwarden replied.

He took a stone from the ground and threw it at the ceiling. The stone not only disappeared in the shadows, but is also never fell back down.

‘You see,’, the stallion explained, guiding the group through the rock path. ‘Clover the Clever believed that the earth ponies would be too ignorant and uneducated to figure out the first trial. And that the reckless pegasi would lack patience and just… fly through the chamber.’

‘So anything that reaches a certain altitude of this place,’, Goriel said. ‘Is trapped? But how?’

‘You don’t want to know.’

They got to the other side and went through the golden doors.

That was it.

They were inside the tomb of Star Swirl the Bearded, the most important unicorn of the pre-classical era, creator of more than two hundred spells and the father of the Conclave itself. The spacious round room, illuminated by crystal candelabrums of an unknown origin was filled with bookshelves, full of ancient tomes and scrolls. One could have even mistook this place for a library, if it weren’t for a rectangular alabaster tombstone in the middle.

‘Here lies Star Swirl the Bearded,’, Goriel read an inscription. ‘Revered wizard, beloved teacher and blameless friend. He died protecting what he cared for most.’, he whistled. ‘Sounds like a cool guy.’

Moonwarden remained silent, with even voices in his head ceasing for a while.

‘And here is his famous Staff…’, Feldora’s eyes widened as she trotted towards a stand on the other side of the chamber. She completely ignored the tombstone. ‘I guess it’s protected by magic. Do your part, Moonwarden.’

‘As you wish.’

Are we ending this?

We are.

There was one thing that nopony but Moonwarden knew. Clover the Clever intended not to protect her master’s legacy from just earth ponies and pegasi, but from unicorns as well. That was why she had developed one final spell to ensure Star Swirl rests in peace.

The stallion approached the Staff and gradually enveloped it in a subtle, silver mist.

He had already known the nature of the spell. Once the emerald was placed in the headpiece, the Staff would create an arcane phenomenon, temporarily disabling any flow of magic in the area.

So it hits hard on unicorns. Why are you still here?

Moonwarden understood the true nature of magic. Contrary to a popular misconception, it wasn’t something exclusive to the unicorns. In fact, earth ponies had a magically ingrained connection to the Earth, which was helping them with animals and plants. Pegasi were able to control the weather one way or the other, walk on clouds or create weather-related wakes such as rainbows.

Magic was the binding force of all living creatures, but it was expressed in more subtle ways in case of non-unicorns.

So, the effects of magic suppression are going to be subtler in case of Feldora and her guards?

Oh, by all means no. Actually, the more magic a pony has, the weaker the outcome. It will disable my magic for a while and probably cause severe dizziness, but that’s all…

And the pegasi?

Anything from deprivation of consciousness, through coma, up to the most extreme… death.

Feldora had become an icon in the eyes of her followers, and the cult she had created was a threat to Equestria. She couldn’t be stopped in Hollow Shades, as the royal influence there was feeble and unstable. Taking her down would turn her into a martyr, and create a backlash of hate against the Princesses, so there was only one way to solve this. Separate Feldora from the cult and then dispose of her in some remote place, say, the Griffin Kingdoms. Without the leader, her followers would scatter… with or without encouragement.

It is funny. Feldora herself, on a silver plate, gave me the way of dealing with her.

And the griffon? A necessary casualty?

His kind is tougher than the pegasi. He’ll hold on. Besides, how else am I supposed to bring three ponies to justice in Canterlot?

I thought you had arranged that already.

I did. This, and more.

Moonwarden finished investigating the Staff, leaving the trap-spell intact.

‘It is safe now.’, he said and levitated the emerald to Feldora. ‘Do the honors… mistress.’

The green mare took the gem and put it into the Staff in the solemn manner.

‘The future… begins… now.’

A pulse of emerald light launched from the Staff and went through Moonwarden, the pegasi and the griffon. The stallion felt cold throughout his body, then another pulse came, bringing the experience of emptiness. He heard a griffon cry and saw Goriel falling to the floor. Third wave sliced through his mind, just as if he had been cut from the most important sense he relied on. He looked at Feldora and saw her… smiling?

Indeed, the green pegasus mare was still standing, casually observing waves originating from the Staff.

But that should not be possible!

You’re in trouble.

‘Seize him.’, Feldora ordered. ‘He is now defenseless.’

The acolytes dashed to Moonwarden. He attempted to break away, but he was too weak, and it seemed the pegasi weren’t affected by the spell at all.

Feldora laughed. She turned around and approached the apprehended stallion. The Staff’s emerald began to glow stronger, releasing a final wave which washed over the mare.

And changed everything.

Her coat began to alter, taking darker shades of green, finally to become a sleek, tar-like black carapace. Teeth grew larger, especially fangs which were now coming out of her mouth. The mane was gone, leaving a bald head with a horn, chipped ears and a pair of deep blue eyes, in which there was no way to distinguish the iris from the pupil. She had shear wings and holes in her legs. The creature looked more like an insect, than a pony.

‘What… what are you?’, Moonwarden asked, feeling that something went very wrong.

Feldora – or the creature that was Feldora the Pegasus just a minute ago – laughed again. Although the stallion had heard her sinister laughter before, this time it sounded like if it was multiplied inside her throat.

‘We are the heralds of upcoming doom for Equestria!’, she yelled. ‘Our Queen is preparing something special for your world, and we found an opportunity to make our kin even more powerful! But first, we need to test it on ponies…’

‘You want to take away unicorns’ magic!’, the stallion shouted. ‘Why do such a thing!?’

‘Bah! You’re more foolish than we had suspected!’, the creature replied with contempt. ‘We have never said that. We will give you equality, as promised. Tell us, are you familiar with the concept of… equilibrium?’

‘It is a state in which all competing…’, he mumbled, trying to recall an excerpt from a scientific book he once read, experiencing a painful aftershock of the suppression spell. ‘All competing influences are balanced.’

‘Yes, and does it have to be achieved by reducing the amount of magic here?’

Moonwarden gathered the remnants of his shattered mind.

It was all clear now.

Taking the magic away would cause problems, but granting it to those who opposed the Princesses, for example a group of cultists in Hollow Shades, would be a disaster. It would eventually create rifts between royalist ponies, and those who’d blindly accepted Feldora’s gift. Authority of the Princesses collapses, ponies are against each other, Feldora and her Queen’s influence spreads… and even if that had failed, Feldora would be still in possession of the Staff of Star Swirl the Bearded, which she could use to empower her ’kin’, whatever she was. Either way, more and more are accepting Feldora as their leader…

Leading to a downfall of Equestria.

And he made it possible.

Feldora saw a sudden realization in Moonwarden’s eyes and laughed again.

‘Kill him.’, she ordered to her guards, who became altered as well and were now indistinguishable.

‘And the griffon?’, one of them asked.

‘Leave him to rot.’

Just before the guards dragged Moonwarden out of Star Swirl’s tomb, he heard a voice in his head. And it wasn’t his own, for a change.

It was… a memory.

In time of thy need, speak my name. It shall grant thee strength.