The Cult of Equestria

Emerald Shield reached out his bit towards the barkeep. The barkeep snatched the bit from his hoof quickly and poured a drink.

“I seen you before. Dirty, dirty little cult you got there.” He snarled, and slammed a mug on the table. Emerald growled, but no sound escalated from his mouth. He grabbed the mug, ale sloshing unevenly.

“You’re not welcome ‘ere, curser. Away from me bar!” The barkeep barked. He signalled for a few regulars to push him out.

Emerald made no haste to escape the scene. He slowly chugged down his ale and looked at the regulars warningly. They of course, continued on and grabbed his hooves fiercely.

Emerald emitted a shining but faded emerald glow from his body, his eyes turning white. The room filled with colors, and his captors swiftly stepped back. The emerald colors glowed brighter and brighter until he disappeared.

Out of thin air.

Emerald Shield collapsed on the dusty ground, coughing and sighing. He dusted himself off and looked out.

Ahh. Their home.

The ruins stood out widely, pillars that were collapsing and had collapsed were starting to rot, and there was moss covering most of the wobbly stone bricks that sat as a road towards their home. The large and bushy forest was certainly growing too. Shrubs and dead plants remained hidden and out of sight.

Emerald glanced at a large mossy rock and walked up to it. He examined it for a second, then pushed a series of misplaced rocks around until a strange rumbling noise was heard. He looked down and a large corridor had appeared, spiralling down into the headquarters. He stepped inside and looked around for a moment once again. He had forgotten lots of details since the last meeting.

Emerald slowly pulled a stone lever, once again closing the large rocky door and took out a match from his cloak. He carefully lit it and steadily walked down the spiral staircase.

“Ey, it’s the Shield.” A gruff grey stallion welcomed his friend with a warm hoofshake. The headquarters was slightly buzzing, but nopony would hear it from outside.

Emerald grinned at the stallion and accepted his hoofshake immediately.

“Where have you been, man? The Buzzkill was looking for you.” The stallion’s voice was deep but had a nice and jokeful touch to it. Emerald paused for a moment before answering his question.

“The Buzzkill was also looking for Mithril and you. They almost found the last base.” Emerald replied shortly before joining him for a sit on the corner booth. Ekon Soul looked up wearily and sighed.

“They never give up, do they?”

Emerald shook his head plainly.

“Is Mithril here though?” Emerald asked quickly, diverting the topic. Ekon nodded and pointed at a dark-green cloaked stallion.

“Yeah, you woke me up.” Mithril said gruffly. He straightened his back and looked at the two earth ponies.

“So? I do know the Buzzkill has been tracking me. It’s good they don’t use spears.” Mithril grunted. He was the kind of stallion that you never wanted to upset, because it always ends up with somepony getting hurt.

“Where’s the headmaster?” Emerald asked curiously. Mithril shrugged and pointed to the oak-wood door with a stone-plated sign on it.

“Probably where he always is.” Ekon said.

Emerald trotted towards the door and knocked on it.

“Sir?”

“Come in.”

Emerald slowly stepped inside. The room was filled with freshly cleaned bookcases and experimenting tables. There were bubbling potions and stored ones that rested inside ‘The Fridge’ (Ekon had named it). At the front of the room lay a very mysterious stallion, no other than the cult master.

“How are you, Emerald?” He asked. His voice had grown and matured the slightest bit, but it was still clear that he meant business.

“I am pleasant, Master.” Emerald replied gruffly.

The headmaster originated from modern Equestria, where everypony was happy. After only a few years, everything had collapsed and he had lost his parents. With no connection to the outside world, he quickly built a group ‘Forbidden Answers’ and managed to survive underground for twenty six years. He had grown to the name Arcane Valdus Zephyr Magnar, the great and powerful cult leader and the only earth pony alive who has fully mastered the Forbidden Magic.

“Good. I am pleased to hear that.” Arcane gruffed back before continuing with his potion making. Bubbling noises and short puffs of air could be heard. Emerald waited a while before speaking again.

“Are you fine, Master? There seems to be a shortage of words in you.” Emerald said shortly. Not wanting to say more, Arcane nodded and sighed.

“Yes, I am fine, Emerald. For I am the powerful mage Arcane Valdus Zephyr Magnar, and I harness the ability as an earth pony to generate magic within the body.” He continued on with his business, and opened a few more books with his powers.

“Master?”

“Yes?”

“I am worried for you. Do you not have plans anymore to continue our cult? Are you unwilling to do so?” Emerald questioned on. Arcane shut down his system and turned around. A large scar on Arcane’s eye that Emerald had never seen before was menacingly look at him.

“I do have plans. I am to choose a new Headmaster to carry on our cult, for I am to be retired soon. Oh, how I shall regret this action.” Arcane sighed deeply, his shoulders drooping. Emerald patted Arcane's back silently, not wanting to upset his master.

“Emerald?”

“Yes, Master?”

"I am afraid nopony is good for the job, and I will have no choice but to host a competition for this role." Arcane straightened up his back and levitated the book's pages open once again, flipping through them thoughtfully.

"I see master." Emerald muttered. Emerald looked up at the small floating book that Arcane was flipping through.

"Master, have you paid what we owe to the griffins yet?" Emerald asked cautiously. Their underground headquarters was found out by the griffins after only a few years of populating the cult, and had almost been kicked out, but Arcane had quickly dealed a rent to pay.

"Good guess, Emerald. You are correct. A scar has made it's way to my precious face." Arcane smiled.

A wind of silence flew by them.

"Master, do you have a book I can borrow? I would like to master the final spell that you had promised me a few months ago." Emerald looked back to that day in complete thought.

"Of course, of course. Right here is the ancient book of my family, the Magnars." Arcane turned around once again and levitated his book over to Emerald's hooves and displayed the pages quickly.

"This is the journal of all the spells my family ever wrote, our prize and possession. I want you to keep it for a while, because I trust you the most. I will hope you learn all that is good and bad." Arcane dropped the book softly into Emerald's hooves before turning around again. Emerald, who was recovering from his shock, slowly took the journal and looked at his master's head uneasily.

"Are you sure? Do you trust me with it?"

"Of course I do." Arcane said confidently. There was no way his best student was not going to participate in the competition without that book, he thought.

"Thank you very much, sir. I shall use this wisely." Emerald bowed quickly at his master before carefully trotting out of the room to his quarters.

"I hope you do, Emerald. I hope you do."