Master Of Order And Balance
Anger Descending into Madness
“Here's to the crazy ones. The misfits. The rebels. The troublemakers. The round pegs in the square holes. The ones who see things differently. They're not fond of rules. And they have no respect for the status quo. You can quote them, disagree with them, glorify or vilify them. About the only thing you can't do is ignore them. Because they change things. They push the human race forward. And while some may see them as the crazy ones, we see genius. Because the people who are crazy enough to think they can change the world, are the ones who do.” ― Rob Siltanen
About fifteen years before Luna became Nightmare Moon, Greymane had deiced it was time to see what the Order of Balance was truly like. His reason behind it was to determine whether they could be trusted with dealing with enchanted items that were being created for nefarious reasons, and if they could then he would have nothing to fear in sharing a bit of knowledge with them. After a week of tracking them down he found a small group plotting a heist on a well fortified guard outpost, to many it was just a training ground but that is what caused suspicion on the place to rise not just in the small group; but in Greymane as well.
For Greymane the outpost was nothing when it came to sneaking in and poking about, nearly all of them had the same flaw with their guard rotations, patrolling rounds and frequencies, even which doors they left unlocked for convenience. For the young Group from the Order however it was the harshest outpost they had ever come across, three guards to a shift with rotations every few minutes or so with a rotating group of no less than six at a time; group patrols that came through every five minutes or so, each patrolling group containing ten guards with at the least ten groups. And they didn't even know which door was the one they needed, for them it was a failed mission from the start. Before they knew it Greymane was already sitting at their table pointing out the weakest of the rotations, as well as blind spots the guards left themselves vulnerable to. Startled by his appearance many in the group looked at him and compared him to what description they carried with them.
Raising his hooves in a joking manner Grey smiled at them, "Okay so you've caught me, tis I Greymane you can take me in now." Pointing at the map of the outpost he chuckled, "But if you do I may let slip my tongue and tell them about their little problems."
Before any of them knew what was going on some had found themselves bowing before Grey as others tried to keep their little spectacle hidden, as a few of the older stallions bowed to him calling him the saint and holy prophet of the world; others simply smiled saying that it was an honor to have the legend himself in their worthless presences. For Sabien whom had just come into command over this group it was his chance to prove to Greymane that he was worth something more, and though he would not know of it for some time Greymane saw this potential within him. Telling them they were not worthless Greymane explained his reason for coming to them, and though they were ecstatic to have him rate their value as potential allies in the future; they also feared that if he didn't like what he saw his very words were enough to make the elders disband, and that fear stemmed from the fact that this life was all that they had known and many had even earned their cutie marks in this.
Sabien was one of few ranking officers in the Order who had yet to receive his cutie mark and over the years it ate away at him, but seeing Greymane was real and he did not have one either made him feel better about himself. As they continued to plan out how the heist would go Greymane said that he and one of their group would go in, any more and it would be far too troublesome and draw too much attention. While he and one of them were inside the others where to keep an eye out, looking at their small group he could see that out of the nine of them three where unicorns.
"The group that keeps watch will be broken up into two smaller groups with one unicorn in each, if more guards show up or they somehow find out we are there contact either me or whomever comes with me with telepathy." Though it was a rather risky plan they had the greatest faith in Greymane as he had been doing this for years, little did they know he had as much fear as they did that anything could go wrong.
As they traveled to the guard outpost the unicorns argued who was going to go with him, Sabien claimed that as the commanding officer it was best he went; the others claimed that was an even greater reason for him not to go in the event something went wrong, one purposed that because he was far more gifted in the use of magic he should go. The third however said that it would be better to have him in one of the groups; so if things turned for the worse he could create a distraction and draw as many of the guards away, and it was for this very reason to let him go simply because he has the greatest experience from being out in the field.
Having over heard them bickering like a family Greymane stopped and smiled, "You know if I had known I would play the alcoholic father that the three of you where trying to impress I would have asked for a drink."
Blushing over how they embarrassed themselves in front of the one stallion they revered the most cause the rest of the group to start laughing, but what surprised them the most was Greymane wasn't anything like what they imagined; going off the old stories they had thought he would have been far more strict while commanding great power, so many times when they closed their eyes to envision him they saw him towering over them as though he could face gods and not even flinch. Instead what they saw before them was a relaxed laid back stallion who enjoyed getting to know them, and more times than not tried to meet them on equal ground; though he still seemed to walk as if he commanded a great amount of power the way he carried himself showed he didn't want anypony to fear him, as to if he could face even a single god was unknown; though it was mentioned in the old stories he could go hoof to hoof with an alicorn if he wanted.
Till they reached the location they had marked on the map Grey continued to talk and laugh along side them, it was his way of keeping them feeling safe and welcomed in his presence after having seen how they reacted to him back at the tavern. Though the trip took a few days they soon came to a hillside that overlooked the encampment, across from them was a rather wide river that was near impossible to pass unless you were a unicorn or pegasus.
Looking down they could see that nearly every pony there was one or the other and maybe two or three small groups of earth ponies, "So, here we are what are we to do now?" Sabien asked hoping to gain some insight into how Greymane thought.
As they pulled out the map Greymane pointed at the hill they were on saying that it was the key point for the group that overlooked the outpost, he then pointed to the road they could have taken and said the second group had to go keep an eye on it for any more guards that could come.
Nodding to his command they soon asked who would go with him inside the outpost only to watch as Grey patted Sabien on the back, "But sir surely you can't be serious, either one of us would be far more qualified for going alongside you, my experience from the many years I've been out here in the field could prove far more useful to you." Pointing to the other unicorn the old stallion gave a nervous smile hoping he wasn't offending his idol, "Or perhaps he could be of greater use to you, with his magic he can make the two of you unseen allowing this mission to go much more smoother."
Walking up to the old stallion as he smiled many feared that Greymane would hurt him for questioning him, as they backed away they watched as he placed on hoof on his shoulder.
"I am serious and don't call me Shirley..." Hearing a nervous laugh come from them Greymane knew that they were still uneasy about how he was going to act, "...now it's for those very reasons you gave me that I want the two of you out here, with your experience you can spot things the others can't; I want you to keep an eye on the outpost for any changes that can and more than likely will happen that only you can spot. And with his magic he can do what is necessary to buy us more time so long as no pony is harmed. Knock over a few trees, cause the road to split open I don't care what you do so long as no innocent pony is harmed. We are trying to make the world a better place, and we cannot say we are doing that if we act like a bunch of bandits going around attacking everything in sight." Walking back over to Sabien Greymane looked him in the eyes as he smiled at the untapped potential he saw, "I want him to come with me so I can see first hoof how you have been training the young ponies, it will also allow me to know what your organization is like so I can have a better idea as to if I should trust you. So far none of you have given me any reason to question my faith and trust in you, so I see no reason to start now."
With a smile they agreed with him believing this was the best option and Sabien was the brightest young stallion they had; so in their minds they asked who better to show Greymane they were worthy, as they separated to do their work Greymane and Sabien went to the outpost with Grey leading them.
Slipping past the guards seemed to be far easier than Sabien originally thought but following a master of Greymane's level made it all the easier, as Sabien followed Greymane he started to learn how much harder it was to simply sneak around as he did; and yet Greymane just seemed to be moving like a gentle stream as he moved around the guards, almost as if he was never really there. Though Sabien followed Grey's exact hoof steps he was nearly spotted several times causing him to worry that their mission would fail, once he caught up to Greymane he watched as Grey tried the first door they came to. As luck would have it it was locked by magic making Greymane smile as he thought about how easy it was to open, looking through the keyhole Greymane did what he could to see what was on the other side; and for the moment there wasn't a single pony, there was however a stack of papers sitting on a desk in the far corner of the room. As he prepared to open the door his attention was changed over to Sabien who was preparing to try and blow the door open, placing his hoof on the young crimson stallion's horn Grey quickly pointed to the guards who were just starting to pass them.
'Remaining unseen is our best weapon, if you blow that door open they will know it and they will spot us.' He whispered to the young eager stallion.
Carefully dispersing the magic around his horn Sabien asked how they where to get past a lock Grey couldn't pick and he didn't know the spell to open, tapping his lips with his hoof Greymane turned back to the door with a smile as he whispered to the lock. Though Sabien never heard what Grey had said to the lock he did hear the faint sound of the door coming open, as they walked in Sabien asked how he managed that being an earth pony; Grey simply chuckled as he said all spells carry the same weakness and all he had to do was find it. It wasn't the truth but it was enough of a trick to make the young stallion believe him, as Sabien went through the drawers looking for items of use such as keys or even perhaps a few bits; Greymane focused on the paperwork and took the time to read what he found to be important. Knowing Sabien was focused on his task Greymane soon discovered they were trying to duplicate an artifact, he feared that such work if even slightly successful could yield hazardous results; his greatest concern came from their testing of the item from what they discovered it could protect its host and anyone they thought of with an indestructible barrier, they wished to harness this power in multiple objects. And though Greymane saw the potential for a better world he knew that if they did succeed then what was to stop somepony else from duplicating this with another far more destructive artifact. His next fear came from what he saw in their testing, in each stage they did what they could to try and break down the spell that enchanted the ring without knowing the artifact had a mind of its own; they even went so far as to try and transfer a small portion of its power to a simple piece of armor, this caused Greymane to worry what that could have done to the artifact or worse what it would do if it got another host.
Worried about what he had discovered Greymane tried to keep his composure as he tucked away the reports in the sack on his right side, having a quick look around he hoped that what he took was the only copy besides what they would find further down. It didn't take long before Greymane found the construction plans for the outpost, clicking his tongue to get Sabien's attention Greymane pointed to what should have been a solid wall. As he felt around it was as he saw a simple stone wall and nothing else, walking over he watched as Greymane kept looking at the layout of the room; on the blue prints it shown there was a set of stairs that went down a few levels, to the touch it was solid but Grey recognized the symbol on the blueprints that meant it was either a magic door or a simple mechanism was used to open it. After a while of rubbing his hoof along the stone wall Greymane soon found a small carving of the same symbol that was on the blueprints, pressing on it he could tell the stone piece would not move so he turned to Sabien and waved for him to come over.
As the young stallion walked over Greymane continued to point at the mark on the wall, "Use a simple opening spell on that mark and hold it till the wall opens up."
Following the command he was given Sabien held the spell for as long as he could straining himself till the wall opened up, collapsing as the wall opened he soon found himself being carried by Greymane into the stairwell as the wall closed back up.
Trying to stay awake Sabine pondered why Greymane even took the extra second to bring him along when it would only jeopardize their mission, "You should have left me, anyone of my subordinates would have done it to make sure this mission was a success so why not you?"
Just before Sabien could pass out he heard Greymane let out a sigh, "I don't abandon anypony regardless of who they are or what I'm doing. If it came down to it I would fight this whole compound just to get you out of here."
Several hours later Sabien woke up in a supply closet with Greymane staring at the wall, unknown to him Greymane had asked Xiuhtecutli to cast a spell on his eyes to let him see through walls.
As Sabien walked over he asked what Grey was doing only to watch as he pointed at the blue prints, "The item I'm after is just beyond this wall, as well as a few of their experiments that need to be taken out of here and destroyed." Asking what they were experimenting with Greymane turned to look at Sabien as the spell on his eyes came to an end, "They are experimenting with very old, very dangerous magic that should have been left where ever they found it. And if they continue to tamper with it there's no telling what can happen, but I would rather not find out."
Asking what kind of old magic it was Greymane did what he could to keep the truth hidden while still sharing what he thought was helpful, explaining that the magic they are tampering with stands a chance to destroy a small empire only made Sabien question if anypony that was there innocent.
Pressing his hoof to his lips as he peeked out the door was Grey's way of saying now is the time we move but must keep quiet, as they slipped out of the closet Greymane took point to keep an eye out on the path ahead; Sabien knew that following him meant he had to keep his back covered and alert him to any patrols that could come their way. As they came around a corner they watched as a door opened and a young filly came walking out, closing the door she sat down as she held a stuffed animal close to her chest; as the door closed she yawned as he rubbed her eyes, stumbling down the hall while half awake she was unaware that Greymane smiled as he watched over her to ensure nothing bad happened to her. Though she was in their path Greymane felt it was best to wait till she left but was shocked to see Sabien had moved into the hallway, keeping a close eye on the young stallion he watched as Sabien looked back with a smile while pulling out a dagger.
As Greymane mouthed for him to stop what he was doing Sabien simply shrugged his shoulders as he mouthed back 'You said not to harm the innocent, as far as we know no pony here is innocent, not even her.'
As Sabien came close to her he prepared to slit her throat only to find himself being tackled from the front by Greymane unsure how he slipped past his sight, unknown to the young filly as to what went on behind her it had become a brawl between a legendary thief and a young rogue; as the fight raged on they were careful not to make too much noise knowing that even the slightest noise besides the young filly would draw the attention of the guards.
Not wanting to drag the fight on too long Greymane reached into a half pound bag he kept on his left side and threw some dust at Sabien, dodging the young stallion as he came in with his dagger Greymane watched as the powder he threw started to take effect.
Looking up at Greymane he soon noticed his vision started to blur as he started to feel exhausted, "I said not to harm the innocent, we don't know who's doing what here so we can only assume that everypony is innocent. As the coined term goes, Innocent till proven guilty!"
As Sabien passed out he watched as Greymane walked up to him fearing that this would be the end of his life, as he slept he could hear as well as feel a voice calling out to him; where it came from and who it was he didn't know, all he did know as the voice said he was perfect. Waking up about an hour later he found himself on the floor of what seemed to be a lab, looking around he saw a chemistry set sitting on a table to the far right and some shelves sitting catty corner to them; standing up he continued to look around only to see the entire room was picked clean, there was dust on the counters showing where potions had been and even signs that there were books and folders containing information that had also gone missing.
Feeling how stiff his body was told him he didn't sleep too well and the feeling of his gut being pressed in told him he had been carried, "Finally awake I see..." Turning around he saw Greymane standing there tucking away a gold ring with a diamond held in place by a jade setting, "...good as much as I hate to carry you around the last thing I need is to alert the guards we are here. I've taken everything worth even a fraction of its weight already, it's time we left this place."
Looking at Greymane he saw his entire appearance had changed and not in a good way, he was angry and stood in a way that drew out the greatest fear from within anypony; his voice wasn't that happy-go-lucky tone he had before, no it was aggressive and full of contempt for the young stallion that stood before him. And if that wasn't the worst of it Greymane appeared to walk as if he commanded the very natural powers in the world, almost as if the natural flow of magic would heed his very words and do his bidding; even without him having to give half a thought.
As they left Sabien took notice of this and grew angry that an earth pony could command such power as if he were an alicorn, reaching to take hold of Greymane he watched as a gust of wind blew him back a few inches away.
"How?" Turning around with the sound of a confused hum Greymane looked at the young crimson unicorn, "How do you command such power when you are just some stupid earth pony? I don't care if the stories are true there is no way in all of Tartarus that you can have this kind of power, and there is certainly no possible way that you could have lived as long as the stories say you have. So how in the fucking world did you become so powerful?"
Raising a single hoof Greymane shown Sabien that he could do just about anything he wanted as the young stallion started to levitate several feet in the air, "Push ups, sit ups, and lots of juice. I prefer a nice mix of apples, oranges, and cranberries."
"Oh now that is bull shit, no amount of exercise will help any pony do what you just did!" Sabien exclaimed as Greymane opened the door, only to find themselves looking out at the small group of guards being led by three stallions adorned in a similar manner as Star Swirl the Bearded.
Greymane tapped his chin with his hoof as he looked up at the ceiling, "See I told you it was a left at Albuquerque..." Pouting as he crossed his hooves while sitting down he turned to look at Sabien, "...now we'll never make it in time for the senior special at the beach!"
As they started to draw forth offensive spells Greymane slammed the door shut and blocked it with a chair, "That's not going to stop them, they will break through that and we will die!" Sabien exclaimed as Greymane grabbed him pulling him to the corner of the room saying to have some faith.
As the door came flying open Sabien and Greymane found themselves cornered as the guards laughed at them, as the guards laughed the three stallions who were guiding them commented on their valiant efforts for making it as far as they did; and even congratulated them on managing to try and escape from the depths of the compound, only to top it off by saying their efforts were in vain and they were going to drag out whatever bit of information they had by beating it out of them.
As they moved in Greymane started to laugh as he pulled Sabien in close to him self, "If you think it would be that easy then you haven't met me..." As the guards reached out for them a ring of fire came from out of nowhere causing the guards and their guides to take several steps back, "AKTA TOT FOUN ASSTA BARANIBA!" As the flames started to consume Greymane and Sabien the others in the room watched as Greymane started laughing, "Good luck explaining this one."
As the alarms began to sound and the guards began to go frantic Greymane and Sabien were already on the hill side they left the others, without saying a word Greymane walked away from them as the second group came back at the sound of trouble.
Frantically following Greymane they asked if the mission was a success only to hear the stern tone in Grey's voice, "Yes the mission was a success, and to add to it I have seen enough so I am leaving."
Running past him the oldest of their group stopped Greymane in his tracks asking for what happened only for Sabien to punch a tree, "I'll tell you what happened, he nearly jeopardized the mission, it was a simple task and he nearly cost us everything."
Turning around to face Sabien he could see the shocked expressions on their faces as they all looked at him, "I almost cost us everything..." Taking a few steps forward Greymane gave a somewhat confused look, "...I almost jeopardized the mission? You nearly killed a young filly who had nothing to do with what went on down there. I said do not harm the innocent..."
Bursting into a fit of rage Sabien tried to pull out his dagger, "SHE WAS NOT INNOCENT, SHE WAS AMONG THOSE DOWN THERE TAMPERING WITH SOMETHING BEYOND THEIR COMPREHENSION! Or where you lying to me about that and just trying to justify your actions?"
Attempting to pull out his dagger hoping to have the advantage against him this time, Sabien watched as Greymane pulled out the dagger and threw it into a tree.
As the dagger became embedded in the tree they watched as the blade sank into the tree all the way to its guard, "Innocent until proven guilty that is how it has always been. Just because she was there doesn't mean she had anything to do with what was going on, she was clearly the daughter of anyone of those stallions back there; we are not here to pass judgement on those around us, and we are not here to blindly kill just because we think we have a good enough reason. We are here to help save those who put themselves in far greater danger than they know they are in, and we do it without thanks and with out harming anypony." As Sabien tried to pull the dagger out of the tree he found it was impossible to remove as it started to glow and burn his hoof, "Till you have learned to draw a weapon without intending to kill before touching it, that dagger cannot be removed." Standing in the moonlight Greymane stared at the small group of ponies with nothing but disappointment, "If this is how you raise your young, and if this is who you place in charge then I cannot condone anything you do. Though I see much potential for your organization to do a great amount of good, I can also see its possibility for evil. If you wish not to take the darker path then turn back now and retrain your leader, have him start over with the most basic of all things."
Rushing towards Greymane with his hoof cocked back; Sabien cast a spell to augment his hoof and leg, the spell cast on his leg was to give it more power upon impact and his hoof was covered in fire.
As Sabien came close they watched as Greymane simply jumped over him with ease as Sabien shouted, "THAT LITTLE BITCH WAS NOT INNOCENT, HER BLOOD WAS TAINTED BY BEING THE DECEDENT THOSE WHO WORKED THERE!"
As his punch missed Greymane by several feet he turned around ready to strike him again only to find Greymane wasn't there, looking up they all saw him floating in the air and even in the faint light of the moon they never once saw nor heard the flapping of any wings.
"Let me ask you this, a young foal is born and has done nothing more than breath and cry is that foal innocent and should be allowed to live, or does it deserve to die?"
As the spells on his leg and hoof subsided Sabien let out a tsk as he slammed his hoof down, "Clearly it is innocent, the proof of that is as you said it has yet to do anything to condemn itself to death, the foal has only started to breath and cry."
As the others nodded in agreement they watched as Greymane landed in the middle of all of them, "Very well then but say that same foal carries the blood of tyrants who go around making lives miserable, exploiting those in their kingdom for their own selfish gain. Both have proven they are terrible and will not change, does this make the newborn foal innocent or does this mean the foal is condemned to die?"
Standing there Greymane watched as many stood there scratching their heads looking for the right answer while a few of them tried to discuss it between themselves, each time they came up with an answer they hesitated to give it as a new thought or question came to them in their own minds.
Bursting out into a fit of laughter Sabine cried out that Greymane cornered himself in a contradiction that exposed him as a fool, "You kill both parents and the foal, after all their tainted blood is in the foal so their evil will continue unless something is done about it. If its parents die then the evil that was once in them can still continue when the young foal is older, so to stop the continuation of this evil you have to kill the foal as well."
Sabien once had this same question asked to him in his years of being taught to be a proper leader so that one day he could make the right choices when they counted the most, though a few under his command agreed with what he said others questioned his answer but kept their mouths shut having been taught that the one's in command know best.
Sighing as he shook his head Greymane nearly shed a tear to the fact that the youth of the world stood a chance to be like Sabien, "Wrong, you let the foal live." As they gasped at what Grey said the ones who had questioned Sabien smiled to hear that their leader was wrong, "Life is far too valuable to waste and far too precious to just let the thought of tainted blood be the reason to end it. That young foal stands a chance to be the light in a dark world that its subjects would one day look up to as it undoes what its parents did, to give that one life a chance to turn what was once evil tainted blood into the most honorable and caring pony anyone could ask for. That is what I have done for all these years, I keep an eye on the world as best I can and save the lives of the innocent wherever I can. So that one day they can return the favor by helping others in need, there are those out there in the world right now who owe me their very lives but I ask nothing of them, one filly asked me if there was anything she could do to repay me for what I had done years ago. And can any of you guess what I said to her?" Watching as they all shook their heads Greymane could see the anger growing in Sabien, "I told her to live life to its fullest, and to care for others as well as love all those around her with all her heart, and though she may never truly know it I will know deep in my heart that in that way she will have repaid me."
Letting out a bolt of magic Sabien shouted that the answer he gave Greymane was the same he gave his instructor and it had launched him to the head of his class, as the magic bolt made contact with Greymane they all watched as a cloud of smoke covered the area. Laughing as he felt triumphant in his efforts have believed he bested Greymane they all watched as the cloud of smoke settled, and Greymane appeared before them shrouded in white aura that nearly blinded them.
As the light dimmed the aura that protected Greymane faded with it, "I don't know who you planned on harming with that, but you are five thousand years too young to stand a chance against me."
Wanting to try again Sabien started to draw forth more of the magical energies forcing himself to summon forth a spell he didn't have much control over, "Let me tell you something Greymane, even if I don't posses the years of experience to face you, all I have to do is hit you with a spell you can't defend against!" As the magical energies gathered and collected they all watched as it crackled and sparked in every which way till the spell blew up in his face.
Struggling to his hooves they were all startled by the sounds of a patrol group coming their way talking about the sounds and flashes of light they had taken notice of, "Go and take him with you, I will do what I can do stall the soldiers. And if you truly want me to call upon you in the future as my allies take strides now to change how you do things, and take my words as well as my actions to heart."
Carrying Sabien as they past all of them nodded to him as they thanked him for the short yet insightful lesson they would never forget, and though Sabien wanted to try his hooves at another round with Greymane he was far too exhausted from his attempt at blasting Grey with a spell he didn't have control over.
Running as far away as they could they stopped to look back only to see a bright light that almost turned the night into day, "DAMN IT!" Sabien shouted as he slammed his hoof down, "How in all of Tartaros does an earth pony like him posses such power, and why is that out of all the ponies in the world is he the one that is immortal?" Knowing they couldn't give an answer they kept quiet as all but three began to walk towards the East, "And where do you all think you're going, last time I checked I'm in charge here and I say we continue to do our job and hunt down another enchanted item. When we return to the Order I want to come back with something worth the time we wasted out here."
As the others continued to walk the oldest in their group stopped to look back, "That may be so sir but I was given orders off the record to report back when I deem it necessary, and being given guidance as well as a lesson by Greymane himself is far more important than anything we will ever find. So I am going back to Clopton Shores to report what we have, as for the others I don't think they wish to be under the command of a stallion who would not only anger the great prophet Greymane but also openly attack and try to kill him, and I for one don't blame them not even a little. Once I've made a full report to the elders I'm certain they will take his words and the lesson he gave us and put them to far better use than any of us ever could."
As they walked away Sabien's anger grew to newer heights as he looked back at the last place they saw Greymane, "One day I will prove that you are nothing more than a hound that should die."
After ten years of searching Sabien and his small band of stallions didn't find anything worth bringing back, and though they traveled all over the continent they never once came into contact with Greymane again.
Taking shelter in a cave on the side of a mountain Sabine slammed his hoof into the side of the wall, "Ten years, ten fucking years and not one sign of an enchanted item and not one little trail left behind by Greymane, no pony just disappears like that not even us. And we were trained by the Order of Balance and this organization has been at this for nearly twelve thousand years, and that's if our records are right I mean fuck have you seen the archives? Documents scattered around with no indication as to what what written when, only real clue is the the generations of elders we've had and even they don't know how long it's been since the first time the Order had any solid evidence of where Greymane was or had been."
As he continued to rant and rave the other two sat down to prepare a fire so they can start cooking, warming themselves up by the fire they could feel how angry Sabien was and they had felt it grow over the years since the last time they parted ways with the others.
Hoping that he would give the command to return home they sat there eating as Sabien threw his bowl at the wall, "DAMN IT GREYMANE! I can't sleep without him haunting my dreams and now I can't eat without his image showing up in my stew with that smug look on his face. What's next I start to hear his voice during every waking hour of the day? Ten fucking years it's been Greymane how long are you going to torment me, how long are you going to do this? Are you wanting me to admit that you're better than me? Is that it? Well let me tell you something you fucking charlatan I...AM...BETTER...THAN...YOU!"
Though his words echoed in the cave they were all startled by an old griffin that came from out of nowhere laughing, "Greymane you say, I remember him and how much of a pain in the tail end he is."
"Both of you move over, make some room for our guest." As the other two moved over they all watched as the griffin walked over but was missing its legs and claws just like a ghost, "Tell me old timer what do you know of him?"
As the ghostly guest sat next to the fire they could see right through him but that didn't bother Sabien at all, for him this was someone who had a grudge that stemmed from beyond the grave.
"It was nearly twenty thousand years ago to the date, my host at the time wanted to grow in power but knew she would die long before she achieved her goal, so I gave her an option to make that happen. All she had to do was posses those who had the power she didn't then spend a few years in their body to learn and master all they had, she feared that having power that was not just outside of her control but her comprehension as well was far too dangerous. Over the years she continued to train herself as I continued to remind her of the easier way to do it till one day she sought out a way to deal with me." As they continued to eat and listen to the old griffin they pondered what the ghost meant by its host, "Pouring through what texts and books she could she found no possible way to deal with me..." Pausing for a moment they could see the anger and hate grow with in its eyes as it stared deeper into the fire, "...that is till she came across a book with gilded letters that said The Legendary Thief pouring through that old book like it was some kind of religious text she became convinced that this Greymane existed."
"Let me guess Greymane did exist, we know of this. He's an immortal that's existed for who knows how long." Sabien scoffed at the mere mention at his name but the memory from their last encounter with him left a mental scar that ate away at his very being.
"At the time I didn't believe it, though I had heard small telepathic whispers from my siblings that this Greymane had been collecting some of them and then locking them away or hiding them where it would be impossible to get to them in the future. Calling out to them I soon learned that not only was he real but where to find him, I was a fool to think that I could trick my host into trying to posses someone like him, let alone hope that Greymane would be foolish enough to try and take me so I could then tempt him my self. Even know I hear of him from one of my siblings that he keeps close to himself, she is a golden ring with a diamond in the middle of a jade setting. Ten years ago her mind was fractured and broken do to some kind of testing being done on her, but over the years she's been carefully nurtured back to normal or as normal as we artifacts can be."
Simply guessing how the story ended Sabien thought back to that night and recalled the ring Greymane put away in that small bag, "What exactly are you artifacts, and why do you appear before us like this?"
Smiling the griffin looked at all of them just before looking down at itself, "This is a mental projection of myself that you see through your own eyes, as for my appearance I chose to take the form of my last host as it would have been easier to talk to you that way. And we artifacts are the single greatest physical manifestation of magic in all the world."
Staring at their guest one of the other two ponies stood up as he set down his empty bowl, "So...wait, you're basically enchanted items that can talk?"
Scoffing at the thought the griffin gave a disgusted glare, "Don't lump us in that umbrella term with those useless trinkets, when I say we are the single greatest physical manifestation of magic I meant it. The enchanted items you make can only last for so long and will only hold so much magic, as for us artifacts we are literally manifested from when the natural flow of magic reaches its climactic point and could destroy half a continent. The easiest way to explain it is we are born with minds of our own, you name a form of magic or a type of spell there is an artifact for it, name a form of existence I guarantee you there is an artifact for it, name a way to rule over a small group or even a large empire there is an artifact for it. We take many forms and come in all kinds of shapes and sizes. There are however a few downfalls to being an artifact, we take the form of inanimate objects and can only contact those whose minds are strong enough to handle our power, and of course we can never control our hosts; attempting to do so will kill them. That being said you the crimson stallion with the black mane and tail with the blue streak down the middle, out of the three of you here your mind is the strongest and I would love to be of great use to you. I can even help you get the revenge you seek against Greymane, though it would take some time you will have all the years you need to make that happen."
Though he lied about the consequences of what could happen if an artifact tried to control its host, the artifact smiled to feel how much ambition was in the young and eager stallion.
Walking over to the griffin Sabien smiled at the thought of being able to prove he was better, "How exactly would I live long enough to do just that, and why do you hate him so much?"
Giving a blank stare the griffin looked Sabien in the eyes, "It is as you said before, he is a charlatan. Once he's done helping my sibling he's going to give her off to some poor fool and wait till things start to get chaotic, and once they do he will appear out of nowhere and play the hero and save the day. Once he's done that he acts like a fucking saint telling others to keep his deeds a secret saying he needs no thanks and wants no reward, my siblings talk about it all the damn time the ones he locks away or hides are ones that refuse to help him in his little charade. So help me to help you and we both get what we want, Greymane's head on a pike."
Giving a faint smile Sabien sat down as he looked at the griffin, "Still doesn't answer my question as to how I will live long enough to pull it off."
Walking towards the back of the cave the griffin smiled, "Simple with my power you can possess any living thing you wish provided their will power and their mind is not strong enough to cast you out. Your current body is frail and will soon perish, however with me around your neck you will not need to worry about that, you can just let your current body die as you continue on in this world possessing others and growing stronger. And with each new skill you learn I can help transfer that skill over to your new body. Or even better, we can break Greymane and posses his body. After all he is immortal and with all that he knows and all that he is there is something to have in that isn't there?"
Following the image to where the artifact lied Sabien laughed at the thought of possessing Greymane and obtaining that power he once saw, "So what do I call you, simply artifact won't do after all from the way you spoke there could be dozens of you out there."
With a chuckle as Sabien dug up the artifact his eyes widened as he gazed upon the amulet, "My last host called me the Possessing Amulet, and to be fair there are about a million of us right now scattered across the world; with more of us manifesting almost every few hundred thousand years or so. Some of us powerful enough to control the very powers that be, others only slightly stronger than the most powerful and legendary of enchanted items such as the Sword of Storms or the Spear of Destiny."
Knowing those enchanted Items from the years of research into old war stories from when ponies once fought against the demons of Tartaros, Sabine knew that those two alone were among only a small few of the strongest weapons ever made but fell into the possession of Tartaros never to be seen again.
Placing the amulet around his neck Sabien asked for it to take him to Greymane, "I want to see the look on his face when He sees you with me."
Hesitating for a moment Sabien could feel the artifact caressing his mind as it spoke with them, "That would be unwise, for the time being we must keep this a secret from him, should he learn of me he will do all he can to take me from you. Then we will both be back where we started, however, there is a small village just to the South West of us that has one of my siblings. Greymane has let them keep her for the time being and is planning to take her when the time is right, I say we go there now and do what it takes to save these fools from themselves? Or would you prefer Greymane to keep up his little game, after all this will be the first step in breaking his mind and will, so that when the time comes you can posses him."
Laughing at the thought Sabien gave the order to move out and make their way to the village.
Though the trip took a few weeks they soon found themselves at the village celebrating a small festival, as a gag they had put up wanted posters of Greymane and even many of the ponies there dressed as him to let the young foals chase them down. Walking through the village the four of them were disgusted with what they saw, they knew Greymane was real but said nothing as they followed Sabien who was being guided by the artifact and though Sabien could feel the artifact caressing his mind the whole trip there; he was unaware that the amulet was slowly trying to gain control over him without Sabien noticing. However his subtle attempts were causing a far more rare situation that was unknown to most artifacts, as their minds were slowly bonding with one another causing the two to become one with Sabien being the dominate mind; and though this was a rare thing to happen among the artifacts, there were a few artifacts that knew the host whose minds they bonded with would not become the new minds of the artifact. Coming upon the duchess of the village they saw a ring resting on her horn, it was silver with an emerald gem stone that only seemed to complement the lovely mare's eyes as she cradled her newborn filly gently to sleep in the comfort of her own hold next to her chest as she hummed a lullaby. Asking to speak with her in private the young duchess was more than happy to see to them, having a rather lengthy conversation with them they soon learned that the duchess would not give up the artifact she had as it was a keepsake of her late husband.
Not wanting to take no for an answer they pleaded with her to give it up saying that if she kept it a great danger would befall her little village, they simply wanted to remove the item so that the danger would follow them as they could handle themselves.
As her filly woke up crying the duchess walked over with a bottle ready to feed her, "I'm more than certain you can and I thank you for warning me, however I wish to keep what little I have left of my husband so that when the day comes I can give it to my daughter on her wedding day. Please let me have this one wish my husband wanted to raise a family with me and wanted to be there for all of us through thick and thin, if my daughter could have this one item on her single special day then that would make me the happiest mare in the world." Taking a moment to cradle her filly as she hummed a little she soon turned around and looked at them, "And in some small way her father will be there too."
Asking how her husband died she told them that the nearby kingdom had requested all eligible stallions to come serve in protecting the borders from bandits, he had died defending the northern wall about half a years trip from the village; carefully putting her filly down in the crib as tears came rolling down the side of her face she looked back at them, as she cried she said her husband died far from home away from all those who loved and respected him.
Though they didn't like the outcome Sabien was slowly feeling the thirst to slaughter every single pony in the village just to get the artifact, as they left Sabine told them to gather what bit of lantern oil they had left and gather as much kindling from the surrounding forest by night fall. As the sun set Sabien couldn't have asked for a better night though the stars shone down it was darker than any other as it was time for the new moon, it funny in his mind as this was the appropriate time for there to be a new age in the Order of Balance. Spreading out all the firewood and kindling they had gathered around key points in the village, they soon took what little lantern oil they had left and spread it around on the kindling and a few buildings and blocking the doors. With a sinister laugh Sabien cast several fireball spells throwing them at as many of the buildings they couldn't cover, as the fire spread all over the village everypony there found themselves trapped in their homes.
As the fire continued to spread Sabien rushed into the home of the duchess diving through the window, looking down at the duchess who had one leg stuck under a burning support beam while trying to protect her filly with a spell he smiled.
Taking the ring from her horn he turned to walk out the way he came, "We warned you this would happen, and now you get to enjoy a nice toasty home just as you wished. There's just one slight change in your plans for the future, you won't have this ring. But don't worry I'll keep it safe for you."
As he jumped out the window he stopped to hear her cry out for help or at the least for him to save her filly, pausing for a moment he licked his lips as he chuckled savoring the screams of those who cried out for help. Wanting to stay and enjoy it all to its fullest his joy was interrupted as the amulet warned him Greymane was drawing near and they needed more time before trying to take him on, calling out to the stallions under his command Sabien said they were leaving now that they had two artifacts.
Running back in the direction of the cave they came from the amulet started to feel another of its siblings who thirst for blood and destruction, "After you've rested at the cave I know of another of my siblings who wishes to aid us in bringing down Greymane."
Laughing as they ran Sabien called back to his followers, "This is the start of a new era boys, soon we will rule this world and not even Greymane will be able to stop us."
Author's Note
'akta tot foun assta baraniba' translates to 'remove us from this place.'