Chapter 9 Plans and preparations

Malonex and his group went on with their journey and Malonex told Lock to wear the metal shoes. At the evening as they sat down to rest for today Lock had slipped the metal shoes on and he began to wonder about the material. "What kind of metal is this? The hunters were able to block my magic with them."

Malonex looked up from the map. "This is a rare metal for from north. I don't remember what it is called but as far as I know it comes from a land far away from Equestria. The metal can only be found near strong sources of magic and if it is forged right is gains the ability to resist magic completely."

Tacit now turned around too and looked confused at Malonex. "If they can protect a pony against every magic why didn't you and I took a pair too?"

Malonex sighed disappointed. "You really don't understand magic don't you?"

Tacit lowered her head a bit and Malonex began to explain. "They are useless for us because we can't turn them into shadows or smoke when we wear them. They would fall off every time you change your form and, in my case, it would also block all my shadow-spells. I also weren't able to use my hoof anymore."

After a long way of walking Malonex said. "I think we should stop for today."

With that they all sat down and Lock gave everypony a sandwich. While they began eating Lock remembered something he wanted to ask. "Malonex, I have a question. After all this is over and there is no plan left to do, what do you do then?"

Malonex stopped eating for a moment as he heard Lock but quickly went on and began to tell. "Well I assume that king Sombra will offer me a the position as his adviser like my father was suppose to be but I am not really interested in this position. I think when this is over I would prefer to keep my title as archmage that my king already promised me years ago and go on with my studies."

Lock looked a bit surprised at Malonex. "Really? I thought you would want to be a teacher. I mean you know everything to teach others magic."

Malonex nodded. "As archmage I will be the headmaster of every magical academy but I don't think I will teach anypony. Maybe I will search myself an apprentice but for the most part I want to concentrate on my own experiments."

Lock nodded and then looked at Tacit. "And what are your plans?"

Tacit looked surprised up as she heard her name. "What? Oh, I don't really know. I still have to learn a lot and I hope I can find a teacher but besides that I just want to travel around the world and see different countries. What about you Lock?"

They already had finished their sandwiched and Lock lied on the ground. "My plans? I don't have some real plans either. I will just look how things go and see what comes next for me. Speaking of what comes next, when will we meet our allies?"

Lock threw the map towards Malonex who caught it and looked over it for a moment and then looked up again. "It should take us at least two more days then we will reach their camp. After that we can finally leave this forest and go to the empire."

Lock nodded slowly. "Well I think we should all rest now."

The others agreed with a simple nod and Tacit lied on the ground for sleep while Malonex began to meditate. That was enough for him to get the energy back he lost over the day and he decided that, after the hunter attack, at least one of them should always be awake.

Meanwhile the carriage with Rising, Twilight and Rainbow had reached the end of the trail of the hunters. Rising put the rune stone away. "Guard! Get down there as fast as you can. We have to know what happened there."

While the guards lowered the carriage Twilight began to worry. "I can't see any magical auras down there..."

Rising nodded slowly. "Me neither but the trial ends here that means the hunters either lost the stone, they captured Fallen or..."

He went silence and Rainbow began to get impatient. It took them a few minutes to finally reach to ground and Rising cast a strong light spell. They still had a few steps to walk till they reached area of the fight.

They walked for a few moments till they reached the first corpse. As Rising saw the dead body he immediately walked to it. As he came close he realized that the head was missing. He began to walk faster in the direction with Rainbow and Twilight following him. Only a second later they reached the area of the main fight. "Go! Try to find any survivors!" said Rising immediately.

It took them a moment to get over the picture in front of them but soon they walked in different directions to investigate. Soon they found every dead body and gathered them. Rising counted them and came to a conclusion. "Eight bodies of hunters and a pile of ash. There are no signs of other ponies and I can't find Fallens magic aura trail!" Rising stomped on the ground in anger.

Twilight was worried about Rising but she also had another concern. "I know that you need time to think about what to do next but what about the dead bodies?"

Rising took three deep breaths before he turned to Twilight and Rainbow. "We are going to do it like it is done with every magic hunter that died on a mission."

With a quick spell he set the pile of dead ponies on fire. Rainbow and Twilight both jumped back in surprise.

Before one of the could ask a question, Rising began to explain. "When a pony becomes a hunter he leaves behind his old live. He no longer has a name, a family or a home, so If a hunter dies his bodies gets burned to ash by his companions. It is also a security function for the case that their bodies were used for a spell or are infected by anything."

Both Rainbow and Twilight didn't dared to say anything against that and the three watched the fire slowly devouring the bodies. As the last body was gone Rising used a spell to stop the fire and turned around without a word. Twilight and Rainbow followed him in silence.

Soon they arrived at the carriage where the guards were already waiting for them. Rising stepped on the carriage and the mares followed. As everypony was ready Rising talked to the guards. "Bring us back to Ponyville as fast as you can!"

The guards immediately left the ground and flew towards Ponyville. Soon Rainbow couldn't bare the silence anymore and talked to Rising. "So Rising, what are we going to do next?"

Rising sighed and answered after a few more moments of silence. "This was our only hope of getting him. Now we have to wait till he gives us his location again and till then a lot of time could have passed by. As soon as we get to Ponyville I will personally go to Canterlot and talk to the princesses and talk about the next steps. I will also call for a meeting of the magic council. Twilight, you have to get Ponyville a better security. Double the guards and sent our patrols over night and day. We have to make sure that every place Fallen could go for is save till we know where he is going."

Twilight nodded and for the rest of the ride Rising stayed quiet while Rainbow and Twilight tired to get other thoughts by talking about other subjects.

After one and a half day they reached Ponyville again. As soon as they reached the ground the guards broke to the ground. They panted heavily and were unable to get up. Two other guards noticed them and walked to them. They helped them up and carried them to the barracks.

The mares stepped of the carriage and Rising put his hood over his head. "I will leave now. Tell the others where I am. I may be away for a longer time." He turned to the next two guards he could see and called out for them. "You two guards! Come here and put this carriage to Canterlot as fast as you can." The guards nodded and ran to the carriage. A moment later they pulled that carriage into the sky, directly towards Canterlot.

Twilight and Rainbow both nodded and headed straight towards the castle. They opened the door and went inside.

As they walked through the hallways they heard somepony running towards them and a moment later Bright was standing I front of them with an hopeful expression. "You are finally back. Everypony already began to worry that something bad happened. So how did it went?"

Twilight sighed and Rainbow looked away. "Malonex escaped and all the hunters are dead."

Twilight could see how her enthusiasm vanished and disappointment took its place. "Oh... and where is Rising?"

"He is going to Canterlot to speak with princess Celestia, princess Luna and the magic council about the next steps."

Brights head slowly lowered and she looked at the ground. "Oh, ok. Then I think I will go studying..." She slowly turned around and walked away with her head hanging.

After she was gone Twilight turned to Rainbow. "Could you please talk to the general about the needed security and please also tell the others what happened. I will try to cheer up Bright a bit."

Rainbow nodded and flew quickly out of the castle and Twilight began to follow Bright to the library. She walked through the hallways and on her way she noticed that they were guarded by more guards than usual. Twilight decided that she had to talk with the general about that later.

Soon she arrived at the library and opened the door. She quickly spotted Bright sitting at a table with her head over a book but it didn't looked like she was really reading it, instead it looked like she was lost in thoughts. Twilight walked up to her and looked over her shoulder. "What are you reading?"

Bright startled and looked surprised. "What? Oh, it is the book..." She levitated the book around and looked at the cover. "Levitation for fillies and colts, a guide for the young generation."

Twilight giggled at Bright who immediately shuts the book and walked to a bookshelf. "I must have taken the wrong book."

She then levitated a few books about advanced magic to herself and walked back to the table but she didn't started to read. She just looked at the covers. Twilight hated to see her friend and student like this. "Come one Bright. I bet Rising and the princesses will do their best to make sure that no more ponies get hurt."

Bright closed the book and looked at the ground. "That is not the problem, well partly it is but mainly I am worried about Fallen."

Twilight raised an eyebrow. "Why should you worry about him. He is in no danger, we want to capture him not kill him."

Bright slowly shook her head. "That is not what I meant. I meant that even when we manage to get him back, that there might be nothing left of Fallen."

For a moment Twilight didn't knew what to say and just looked at her student. After some time she opened a book and smiled at Bright. "Everything will be ok and now stop this sadness. How about we start with a new lesson today?"

It took Bright some time till she lifted her head but as she did her expression lightened up a bit.

Meanwhile Rising was on his carriage on the way towards Canterlot. The guards pulled the carriage as fast as they could and Rising began to close his eyes. He began to clear his mind and tired to get rid of his frustration.

After one more hour they reached Canterlot and Rising told the guards to land in front o the Castle. The guards did as they were told and pulled the carriage to the right place. He looked at the sun and saw that it was already afternoon what meant that Celestia should be at the throne room right now.

He stepped of the carriage and looked at the guards. "Go to the next barrack and wait for me to call you back. This might take a day or two, till then you can spend your time however you want."

The guards bowed before Rising and then walked away, while Rising already turned to the castle and made sure once again that his cloak was sitting properly and that his hood was over his head.

As he walked to towards the Castle the guards recognized his cloak and stepped aside for him and while he walked through the hallways a butler walked up to him to speak with him. "Sir archmage, it is an honor to greet you here. Should I tell the princesses about you arrival?"

Rising nodded. "Yes and tell them that I have important news about the hunt."

The butler nodded and quickly left through a side door. Soon Rising arrived at a big doorway that leads to the throne room and a guards stepped towards him. "The princesses are informed about you arrival and they ask you to wait here till they call you in."

Rising nodded and took a few steps back to sit on the ground and began to meditate. His mind became empty and he could focus his now clear mind on the task. Soon he heard one of the guards calling him inside.

As he walked inside the throne room he saw Celestia and Luna sitting each on their own throne. He walked till he was nearly directly in front of them and bowed down. They greeted him with a smile. "Greetings Rising Light. Us was told that you have news about the search for Malonex."

Rising stood up and nodded. "Yes, all hunters are dead and Fallen escaped without leaving a clue behind."

The expressions of the princesses immediately changed as they heard him. Celestia asked. "Do we know what his next goal might be?"

Rising shook his head. "No. Another thing I have to tell you is that Malonex managed to destroy the crystal and by now he might have gotten his usual power back."

Luna looked shocked at Rising. "We have make sure that he can't harm any more ponies!"

Rising nodded. "We have to sent guards to every place. I will meet with the high council and we will sent out the hunters to search for him. We also have to spread the news about his escape."

Celestia nodded. "We have to get him under control again. Rising we thank you for telling us so quickly. Now go and call the high mages we will take care of the rest."

Rising bowed again and turned around to leave the room but Celeatia stopped him. "Rising, you know that it might not be possible any longer to get him alive."

Rising stopped and let his head hang. "I know but we have to get him no matter the cost!"

He left the throne room without another word and walked to the corridor of the high mages. He walked through the long hallway towards the meeting room of the council. He entered the room with the big table. There are missing two chairs since two years. Malonex old chair and Risings old chair. Rising walked through the empty room towards the archmage chair and sat down.

He began to concentrate his magic and after a moment the table opened and reviled a bright blue crystal. Created by the former archmage with the help of arcane magic.

He touched the crystal with his hoof and closed his eyes. 'High mages! The archmage summons you to a meeting in one day! Don't bring you apprentices, this is an emergency.' The crystal turned gray as it lost its energy, it would probably take a few days till it has regained enough to sent another massage.

Inside the crystal six different symbols began to glow. A silver hammer on a golden shield, a mirror, a horn surrounded by a cloud, a complex rune, a ice shard surrounded by fire and a black crystal surrounded by purple flames. These were the cutie marks of the high mages that lived while this crystal was created three years ago.

Rising opened his eyes again and then sensed something coming from his back. He took his hammer and his shield from beneath his back and looked at them. The blue crystal in the middle of the shield was glowing. He touched it and immediately heard the massage he just sent in his head.

Rising looked at the big crystal again and saw how his cutie mark vanished. Each high mage has one of these blue crystals and Rising hoped that the others would get the massage as fast as he did.

He left the room and outside was already a butler waiting for him to step outside. "Sir, the princesses told me that I should bring you to the guest room. They told me that you can rest there till the high mages arrive."

Rising nodded at the butler. "Then lead the way." The butler bowed and they walked through the castle.

A short time later he reached the guest room and the butler bowed again. "If you have any request tell just ask a guard to get the butler and I will come as fast as I can sir."

Rising nodded and with that the butler left him alone in the guest room. Inside the room was a big bed a desk and a chair, all of that was designed with gold, silver and blue. The room had a window with a view over Canterlot. The curtains were blue and Rising immediately decided to close them.

The room was immediately dark and Rising used his horn to create a small light sphere. He closed his eyes and in the light of the sphere he began to meditate for the rest of the day.

While Rising meditated the massage began to reach one high mage after the other and they all made their way to Canterlot.

The next day Rising opened his eyes. He stood up and walked to the curtains and after he opened them he could see the sun. There was only one hour left till noon. As Rising realized that he looked out with his magic. He looked at the meeting room of the magic council. He saw the familiar four auras already waiting for him.

He turned away from the window and made his way towards the meeting room.

As Rising reached the door he heard the voices of the high mages coming from inside. He could hear them talking about what they thought was the reason for him to call them here so quickly.

He didn't waited any longer and opened the door. As he stepped inside everypony stopped talking and looked at him. He greeted them with a bow of his head and they did the same. Without any more words he walked through the room towards his seat. While he walked he looked at each one of them. They all took of their hoods.

The youngest one and the only mare in the room was Rain Bringer. She was the weather mage of the council and wore a white cloak with a cloud like design over her light blue coat. As she took of her hood it reviled her white short mane.

Next to her sat the grumpy looking Formulas Rune. The light gray stallion made sure that his glasses were on the right spot while he took the gray cloak hood of.

Next to him was the slightly older Mirror Illusion. The brown stallion with the black smooth mane and mustache. He already had his night sky designed cloak off and seemed to be the only pony in the room who was relaxed.

The last one was the oldest pony in this room. It was the big red stallion Ice Eruption. His coat and ash gray mane seemed to have became a little bit pale over the last year. He was the last one who took the hood of his ice blue and fire red colored cloak off.

He noticed that the room looked quite empty with only four ponies inside it. He sat down, looked around and nodded. "Good that you all came so quickly. I think it would be the best if we skip the formalities and go directly to the important point..."

Before Rising could say anything else he was interrupted by Formulas. "I can't allow this! Archmage or not you have to follow the protocol."

Formulas earned a sigh from Rain and Mirror and a growl from Eruption. Rising wasn't in the mood to argue with Formulas and decided to make this quick. "We will vote to abrogate the protocol for emergencies. Who is for abrogating them may now lift his hoof."

Everypony except Formulas lifted their hoof and Formulas looked shocked at the others. Rising rolled his eyes and stopped Formulas from saying anything. "I am sorry for my rudeness but now is not the time for something like this. We have bigger problems at hoof."

He looked around to see if he got their full attention. "You all know that Fallen escaped nearly a week ago and I was searching for him till now but the newest events change the situation dramatically. Three day ago Fallen managed to free himself from the crystal that blocked most of his magic. Now he already managed to kill nine hunters, around twenty civilians and has gotten himself at least one supporter. His magic becomes stronger with every hour!"

Every high mage was shocked about this. Eruption was the first who managed to say something. "We cannot let this happen! We have to sent hunters to every city for security."

Everypony agreed to his advice and Rising nodded. "Formulas, you will take care of sending them out. I trust you that you will make sure that every innocent pony is save. Rain tell every last one of your weather mages and pegasi to look out for abnormal events."

Eruption spoke up once again. "I will sent a few of my students out to different cities. They will assist the hunters with their task."

Rising was relived as Eruption said that and nodded. Eruption was known for training only the best. Every of his students is skilled in magic and in combat. Rising was still wondering how Eruption was able to find so many excellent students.

Rising now turned to Mirror. "Mirror, you do what you can do best and hold an eye open."

Mirror Illusion smiled at Rising and nodded slightly. "As always."

Rising nodded and Mirror already stood up to leave but Rising stopped him. "There is one last thing I have to ask from you. The council has lost two member over the last years and I want you all to look out for possible new high mages. This council can't properly operate with a small number of members. "

The high mages nodded and Rising stood up. The others did the same and they all bowed before each other.

Rising watched them leave one by one and soon he was alone in the room. He walked to his seat once again and opened the table as he looked at the crystal he saw that every cutie mark has vanished except the black crystal with purple flames. It was Malonexs cutie mark and Risings heart began weigh heavy as he saw it.