//------------------------------// // Xerath // Story: Ponies of Legend // by Rennoc215 //------------------------------// "What's this?" Twilight asked as she pulled a old book out from behind one of her massive study piles. "An old journal? And one I haven't read yet?" She asked herself as she pulled it closer. "Well, it looks like I have some reading ahead of me!" Gingerly, she unlatched the front cover and began to pour furiously over the first page. Mundus 2, First age, year Seven. Hello there, journal. I have decided to keep my future discoveries sealed away with you, so that others may end up following my path. My name is Xerath. At this time, I am fourty two years old, and my decades have not been in vain. In my home city, Shumira, our sole goal is to pirsue magic at all costs. But my definition is different from theirs. See, they like to focus on the specifics. Take my neighbor, for example. Stellar mare, wonderful pony, and focuses solely on restraining magics, which she takes particular pride in. I, on the other hoof, study the very foundation of magic in itself. If only my fellows weren't so simple minded. Hidden away, in the foundation of what makes us unicorns the most powerful of races, is a universal key. Something that, if used, could "unlock" a unicorn's hidden potential. With such power at my disposal, I could master all of the magics, and be the most powerful unicorn to have ever lived! By the end of this year, I hope to have discovered the key, and with it, unlimited power. Mundus 1, First age, year Eight. Greetings, journal. I hate to bear bad news, but the search is taking longer than I expected. My fellow mages grow more and more worried about my studies as I keep going deeper into the fundamentals of magic. But I think I found a shortcut, a way to make them understand, and even accept me. I found a deep, hidden magic, covered up by the shadow of purposeful secrecy. Fear magic. It allows you to manipulate the minds of others. I can't explain it here, for the fear (How ironinc) that it may be ill used by others. But I may be able to use it for good. To take their fear away, to show them I am doing something wonderous, something fantastic. They're at my doorstep. I have to go now. Mundus 3, First age, year Eight. This is bad. Very, very bad. The fear magic backfired, making them only fear me, and with a burning terror that even I can't fight. I'm considering moving, but no, my research is here. I'm so close. So I will ignore them. They cannot stop me from my destiny. After all, my special talent is magic. Mundus 1, First age, year Nine. Should the procedure go well, then I will write in you tomorrow. Ah, but I'm ahead of myself. Let me explain: I was studying, and a mental wall went down. I broke the second wall! I can feel the magical power in all of those around me, and I can even manipulate it to some degree! It's fascinating! Of course, they can feel me in their heads, and now they try to shield themselves, and I leave them be. My power is unmatched in all of academic society! I may be the most powerful Unicorn to ever live, and yet they fear me. Pity, really. But that doesn't matter anymore. Because I felt it the other day. I was preparing to make breakfast the other day when my magic exploded. I annihilated my kitchen, turning everything around me into a primal form of magic. And I found that my glorious golden-brown coat is flaking away, exposing the bare skin beneath it. My mortal body can't contain the power I have. I began to research ascencion, but everything lead to a dead end. There was nothing, in any library across our glorious Unicopia. Then, I gazed into the abyss hidden behind the second wall. And I found it. If I could gather enough raw, physical magic, then by will alone I could create a new body. One made of magic. The applications, and implications, are fantastic. No need for sleep, hunger, thirst, pain, death. Our mortal bindings would have no meaning. I would be, in effect, Immortal, and my power would be infinate. Tonight, I am going to attempt the spell. It will destroy my physical body. But it shouldn't be a problem. Why? Because my special talent is magic. Twilight shut the thin journal, thinking momentarilly. His special talent is magic? That explains how he nearly mastered fear magic in a year. But still, that's unnerving. I'll have to ask Princess Celestia about it at some point. She shook her head, and reopened the notebook. She turned the page, to find the charred remains of several other pages. Ah! I wanted to know what happened! Twilight thought agrivatedly. She shut the book angrilly, and set it down on her desk. However, she set it down precariously on the edge, and when she turned to go get something to drink, she bumped it, making it fall to the floor with a rather loud "thump". Frustratedly, she turned back and looked at the book. The back cover had cracked open, a hidden clasp having come undone. Inside sat one last white page of paper, which she delicately pulled from the compartment. It was painfully short, but it would give her what she needed. Final entry. It worked! I am sorry about blasting the last few pages, I was learning how to control this new body. It's amazing. But I can't talk about that right now. They found out what I was doing, and soon they will be coming for me. But I need to let the world know: This is amazing! and it can be done! But I have to hide this sheet. If they find it, then they might destroy this one notebook I have, while they sweep me under the metaphorical rug. I cant let my work be lost! Here they are. I can feel them outside. I wrote down a spell on the other side that will help me return. I beg of you, reader: Help me. By the time you read this, I will be an old soul, having missed out on so many years. Goodbye, faithful reader. Twilight flipped the page over, and saw the advanced mathematical calculations along with the components needed to cast the spell. Twilight smiled, knowing that this spell was well within her power. Then she saw something which worried her. The affects, things which define the spell, were mostly locked magics. Solar, Lunar, and Fear. Affects with mostly living embodiments. Embodiments which she knew, and personally too. That's alright, Twilight reasoned. I'm sure the princesses would be willing to help anypony. Especially one who has been opressed all these years. Twilight smiled, seeing the pieces fall into place in her mind. She would be able to meet another pony who's special talent was magic. "SPIIIKE!" She called, and was quickly rewarded with the sight of her number one assisstant. "Yes Twilight?" He asked, ear fins perked up in curiosity. "I need you to write a letter to the princess." She said, a smile crossing her face. -+-+-+-+-+- It was the next week when Twilight heard back from the princess. Or rather, it was the next week that she was visited by the princess. In person. "P-pr-princess! I didn't know you were coming!" Twilight stammered, looking about the room in dismay. Books littered the floor, and the shelves were stripped bare. "If you would have told me, I would have cleaned up a bit." She added sheepishly. Celestia smiled, that soft, motherly smile. "It's quite alright, Twilight. Besides, depending on how long this takes, I might be out before lunch." She stated, her smile dipping slightly. Twilight's eyes widened. "Is it really that easy to learn solar magic?" She gasped. "When do we start? Where do we start?" Celestia shook her head. "No, it isn't easy. I came here to talk to you about your request. First off, Solar magic is kept locked away for the same reason fear and love magic is: In the wrong hooves, it can be devastating. And it isn't something to be done willy-nilly. I need to know WHY you want to learn it." Twilight rubbed the back of her head with her hoof, slightly ruffling her mane. "Well... I was doing some reading, and it talked about solar magic being available to unicorns at that time. And I was wanting to learn more about it, but even this extensive library has nothing on the subject. So I knew I needed to see you. You know, being the sun godess and all." Celestia smiled playfully. "Twilight. I know when you are avoiding a question. So a different question is: Why? What are you afraid of me finding out about?" Twilight's shoulders sagged, and she looked down in defeat. After all, she couldn't lie to the princess. "I read the journal of somepony, and he provided a spell to contact him. He claimed to have discovered a way to increase somepony's magic a million-fold." Celestia's eyes flashed wide, then rapidly narrowed. "How long was this written?" Twilight looked up at her mentor, seeing the strangely suspicious, yet slightly fearful look on Celestia's face. "It doesn't give a date. Just 'First Age.'" Celestia stood to full height, looking down at Twilight. "Where is the journal?" Twilight reluctantly pulled the book from its hiding place, and floated it to the princess, who roughly flipped the pages. "I thought we disposed of all of his 'notes...'" She murmured to herself, before quickly snapping the journal shut, a plastered smile across her face. "Twilight, what could possibly make you think this worked? All that's left is just burnt pages." she said, flapping the book. Twilight looked down, averting her eyes to everything but her mentor. "Just a feeling." Celestia sighed, and sat down, motioning for Twilight to do the same. "Let me tell you about the unicorn who wrote this." She said, her smile friendly yet obviously fake. "Xerath, the Unicorn, was arguably the third most powerful unicorn in existence. In his time, he was the first most powerful. But that wasn't enough. He had one fear, and that was of death. So he sought something that wasn't rightfully his. He sought immortality." "But wait," Twilight interrupted, giving her a cold glare from her mentor. "If he had the power to make himself immortal, didn't he have the right to?" Celestia shook her head disapprovingly. "No. Ascension is something granted, from one immortal to another. Making yourself immortal is one of the highest forms of blasphemy, as it shows complete disrespect to your elder immortals. But this is a digression. He died in the flames of his own spell, his body, mind, and soul vaporized in a flash of primal magic." Twilight nodded, pretending to agree with her. "So... Even though he wrote the spell, you are telling me it wouldn't work, since he isn't alive to recieve it?" Celestia nodded, patiently waiting. "Then, why else can't I learn solar magic?" Celestia sighed, and gazed out the window. "The last pony I tought solar magic to accidentally shifted the sun, throwing most natural systems off balance. A few days later, they found his home, with him inside, vaporized." "Oh my," Twilight quietly gasped, before continuing. "Well, I guess I understand. Alright princess, I won't bother you about it an more." -+-+-+-+-+- "We are here, Twilight." Luna quietly said, standing inside Twilight's dream. It was oddly reminiscient of a hellish reality that existed elsewhere, what with endless books and scrolls stacked up upon each other, creating a labrynth of knowledge. It just has to be a coincidence. Luna reminded herself. "Are thou certain thou wishes to pursue this magic? We are fairly certain Our older sister refused to teach you." Twilight waved a hoof dissmissively. "She didn't think I was ready yet, but I know better." "Very well, Twilight. Solar and Lunar magic are very closely intertwined, and during our... bad days, we studied solar magic to help bring about night eternal. But we digress." Luna said, shaking her head. "When utilizing these magics, you must be able to feel the source of their powers. Just like you use your horn for magic, the sun and moon are their own focal points. During an eclipse, the two radiate together, allowing one to use both powers at the same time. Once you have focused on the point, pull a line of magic from itself to you, and then channel it like you would any spell. Solar and Lunar magic affect your spells differently, so it is important to know all of the modifiers for each." "Then what are we waiting for? Let's get started!" Twilight said impatiently. -+-+-+-+-+- Dreams can be an excellent testing ground for magic, as it allows one to test a spell with few repercussions. Plus, as a godess of dreams, Luna could easilly end the dream before any personal damage could happen to a testee. What she didn't expect is Twilight's rapid grasp of both magics. She had already harnessed sunlight to illuminate an object from every angle, so that no shadow existed. She had illuminated a dark place by bending sunlight around corners, providing true mastery of light, and she even fragmented it into its composite colors. But Solar magic wasn't the only thing she was proficient with. She had absorbed light levels, put things to sleep, and even accessed the star-matrix, which gave her a rudimentary fast-travel system. Luna nodded approvingly, until Twilight asked one question. "Luna, is it possible to use these loci for other uses? Say, supercharging a spell, or changing a target." Luna nodded sadly, remembering one proficient lunar mage who accidentally sent himself to the moon. "Yes. But again, the affects are determined by the source. When Celestia harnessed the moon, for example, she accidentally teleported herself to its surface. If I han't found out, she might have been left up there for years rather than hours." Twilight nodded, understanding. "What if it wasn't a teleportation spell? What about, say, a telepathy spell?" Luna frowned, thinking about it. "Well, if you used Lunar magic, I guess you could enter another ponies dreams. But that's why we kept these spells under lock and key." Luna gave Twilight a stern look. "You do know that you have to royally swear to not use these without supervision, right?" Twilight nodded her head absent-mindedly, and she thanked the princess for her time. The labrynth of knowledge dissolved around them as Twilight was roused, and Luna sighed. This younger generation... -+-+-+-+-+- "Good morning, Tia." Luna said, her older sister dragging herself from the bedroom. "Good morning." Celestia grumbled, plopping down into the chair across from her sister. Luna had been polite enough to go ahead and pour her cereal, which Celestia groggily ate. "How was your sleep?" Luna asked conversationally. "Fine." Celestia responded, laying her head on the table. "I'm still worried about Twilight, though." Luna cocked an eyebrow, before asking "Why?" Celestia rolled onto the side of her head, looking up at her sister. "She came across some old stuff. Things that were best left unfound." "Like?" Luna asked, waving her hoof in a 'go-on' motion. Celestia sighed. "You remember that city from before Equestria? Shumira, I think it was?" Luna nodded, and Celestia continued, her eyes closed. "You remember that really promising unicorn? The one who realized the truth about magic?" Luna nodded her head, although slower this time, slightly filled with dread. "She didn't find something of his, did she?" Celestia grimly nodded. "His journal. I flipped through it, and I'm afraid she may have found out that he didn't die in the explosion." "Is that why you didn't teach her solar and lunar magic?" Luna asked, lowering her spoon back down into the bowl of delicious cerial. Celestia's head shot up, snapping to attention, as if somepony had slapped her. "How do you know about that request?" She demanded. "I didn't tell you about that." Luna lowered her head in defeat. "Sister, I may have done something very very bad." -+-+-+-+-+- A knocking at the door disrupted Twilight's calculations, and she sighed in aggrivation. Her lesson with Luna had made her curious, and when she awoke, she began calculating some problems with the spell. For instance, the spell's diagrams are not to scale, and also involved a sacrifice. She couldn't kill another, but maybe the elements could provide power in enough quantity to make up for that. It also used runes, which were something few tampered with. They amplified magic, and she had only seen runes of this scale for summoning spells, casting doubts over whether or not this was a simple "communication" spell. She was tempted to bring it up to Luna, but worried that the princess would have changed her mind over teaching Twilight Solar and Lunar magic. The knock came again, and Twilight let out another aggrivated sigh. "I'm coming." Twilight called, standing up and shutting her notebook, hiding the note between its pages. Twilight walked over and opened the door, to see somepony she wasn't expecting. "Twilly!" Her older brother greeted her, smiling and pulling her into a hug. "Shining! What are you doing here?" Twilight asked, pulling out of the hug and taking a step back. "Heh, heh. It's good to see you too, lil' sis." Shining said, poking her in the chest. "What? A big brother can't come and visit his little sister?" "Not without warning me!" She nearly shouted, as she began to scramble around, setting books back on their shelves. "I would have cleaned and I would have planned and..." She continued, scambling about the room in a panic, before he set his hoof on her shoulder. "Relax. I'm actually here on a favor, but I'm going to be here a while." He said with a smile, tussling her mane with his hoof. "F-Favor?" Twilight asked, nervously glancing around. "What kind of favor?" "Officially, I can't say, because it's from the Princesses. Unofficially, It means we get to spend more time together." He said with a smile. "Can I use my position as 'personal student' to try and glean anything else." Twilight asked, moving discreetly closer to her notebook. "No." Shining replied sternly. Twilight smiled nervously, before picking up her notebook. "Well, the guest bedroom is upstairs. Soo... I'm going to return to my studies." She stated, before cracking the notebook open. She turned her back on her older brother, who laughed slightly. Quickly, she was reabsorbed into her calculations. "Spike? Can you help Shining move into the guest bedroom?" Twilight called over her paper. -+-+-+-+-+- "Shining, is something wrong?" Cadence asked him, the distracting background of dreamspace oddly comforting. "No, and that's what's worrying me." he replied, shivering slightly. "why would the princesses want me to spy on my younger sister? She seems to be doing anything out of the ordinary, so what's all the suspicion about? "Have you tried talking to her about it?" His wife suggested, pointing an accusatory hoof at him. "You know she isn't the best at picking up subtle hints." "No." He replied, shoulders sagging. "I don't want her to feel like I'm spying on her, because then she separates herself from me. I don't want to lose her due to a request from the princesses." "Just be honest with her. It's a request from the princesses, not a demand. You can talk to Twilight about it. You don't have to tell her everything, just enough to keep her feeling somewhat comfortable. Maybe she will even ask you for advice!" She said, finishing with a smile. "Honey, you really do know how to work hearts!" Shining remarked, pulling her into a hug. "Thanks for being the best." -+-+-+-+-+- Shining cracked his eyes open to the smell of pancakes, smiling softly. Spike does make some pretty good pancakes. Shining thought idly as he stepped out of bed. The walk to the kitchen was gracefully short, and he was met with the sight of Twilight sitting at the table, reading the local newspaper and drinking a cup of coffee. "Good morning, Shining." Twilight stated, her eyes barely lifting up from the paper. "Morning, Twilly." He replied. Talk to her. Cadence knew what she was saying. "Twilight... can I talk to you for a bit?" Twilight nodded slightly, her eyes still on the paper. "Uh-huh." She said. "Well, the reason the princesses asked me to come was... well, they told me that you might have wanted my help with some research. They said that it could get dangerous, and they wanted me to be here to protect you." He stumbled saying it, Trying not to lie, but not to say everything either. Twilight turned a page in her paper, seemingly disinterested. "Uh-huh." She said, nodding slightly. Shining sat there. What do I do? "So... Is there anything I can help you with?" He asked, taking a sip of his coffee. Twilight looked up and into his eyes. Her gaze lingered there for a few moments before she spoke, and when she answered, it was slow and deliberate. "Shining, I want to trust you. But I may be on the verge of the greatest scientific discovery of all time. So I need to know: Can I trust you not to tell the princesses a single word about what we are working on?" Shining was faced with a dilema he had hoped to avoid. His aunt-in-law and wife, or his sister. Shining sat for a few moments, before nodding. "Sure thing, lil' sis." Twilight sat there, looking him over, before smiling. "Thanks, BBBFF! I was hoping I could count on you." She said as she stood. "Come along, I need to catch you up on what I've been doing. -+-+-+-+-+- Shining Armor sat there, looking at the floor covered with diagrams and notes. It was certainly an impressive sight. "I see what you mean, here," he said, pointing to the note about needing a pony sacrifice. "This is off for a mere connection... I've seen diagrams like this before, and they were used by particularly powerful dark sorcerrers. They could instantly teleport to any offered sacrifice, as long as it was in their name." Twilight nodded. "Yes, I did some reading on the subject earlier. Do you think by using the elements, we could generate enough power to attract him?" She asked, tilting her head. Shining scratched his head. "I think so. I haven't used them before, so I don't really have any idea. We could always ask the princess..." "No!" Twilight shouted, accidentally blowing some sheets around. "No." She repeated, after a deep breath. "If they found out what I was doing, they would confiscate all this research before I could stop them." Shining waved his hoof. "What about Cadence? She loves you, Twilight. Just like me, only not by blood. She wouldn't betray us." Twilight shook her head slightly. "I don't know, Shining. What if she starts asking the princessess questions, and then they become suspicious that you aren't really preforming your duty? This spell has me consumed. I have to learn from this Xerath. Think of all the ancient magic he has! Centuries of knowledge, Shining!" Shining sighed, and nodded. "I understand. But, back to the spell: I don't want you trying this without me. I want to be there, so that I can be sure that you are safe when you cast the spell." Twilight nuzzled her big brother. "Sure thing, BBBFF." -+-+-+-+-+- Shining saw Princess Luna land before him, standing on the blank canvas that was his dreamscape. "Captain, report." "Nothing big, Princess." Shining said with a bow. "Right now, she has been seriously studying history, and the applications of magic during each major time period." Luna cocked her head to the side. "Is that all?" Shining nodded. "Yes ma'am. All I've had to do is give her my opinion on separate subjects." "Like?" She pressured. Shining tilted his head back. "For example... Channelling the elements to do something they weren't originally designed to do." "As in?" Luna asked, stepping closer. "Simple things. Amplification of average spells, working with advanced crafting. You know, day-to-day things, just... bigger." Luna eyed him suspiciously, but then shook her head, and smiled. "Very well, captain. Thank you for your time." She said as she backed off into the dream fog. -+-+-+-+-+- Shining awoke with a smile. The past week had been one of the most exciting he had had all year. And now, it was the big day. The culmination of a week of work, and now they were on the cusp of discovery. Twilight's excitement was infectious, and even her clueless friends were feeling it. The circles had been drawn, the incense was burning, and the candles slowly dripped wax. The time had come, and Shining was making extra sure that everything was in order. After all, it was his little sister at stake. Twilight's friends took their positions, as did Shining, and they waited. Twilight eventually strode down from upstairs, the elements floating in her grasp. She gave each member their respective element, and she took her place at the focal point. "Girls, I wanted to thank you all for helping me make this a reality, and so, I feel like it is only right to tell you what we are about to get into." Twilight took a deep breath, and then continued. "We are about to bring another immortal here. One who had been almost erased from history. His name is... Xerath." She said his name with relish, as if it were nearly sacred. "He was a master of all magic, and we share many things in common. Therefore, I thank you for helping me talk with a newly discovered hero." Each of the girls nodded, and Shining smiled. This really might go off without a hitch. He thought happily. The magic began to swirl around each pony, Twilight directing the strength of her friends into the pool of simmering magic, hanging in the air. A burst of light hit the group, and shining had to sheild his eyes for a moment. When he pulled his hoof down, he saw the girls still in formation, but standing opposite them, outside the rune circle, was princess Celestia and princess Luna. Shining felt something tug at him, like a once-sense of duty, before it dissappeared, and the safety of his sister filled his mind. He quickly raised a shield spell, keeping the two sisters out, and Celestia sighed. "I expected more from you, Prince Armor." She stated simply, before smashing his shield with a flick of her horn. "I'm sorry, captain, but this has to happen." She added, before taking a step forward, over the outer ring of runes. As her hoof crossed the line, a bolt of lightning raced up from the circle and knocked Celestia backwards. A faint smile crossed Twilight's face, before she spoke, her eyes still closed. "Ah, princess. I was wondering when you would arrive. Sooner than predicted, but I'm not suprised." She opened her eyes, letting the white light stream from them into the pool of awaiting magic. "No!" Cried Luna, before launching though the runes and tackling Twilight down, knocking her from the air. "We shall not allow this to happen again!" With Twilight gone, the spell began to collapse. Twilight struggled to maintain it, but she couldn't keep the spell up for nearly long enough. With a quick sob, Twilight blasted a large wave of raw magic into the pool one last time, and the spell collapsed, absorbing all the magic she had spent into it. Then, darkness grasped her mind, and all went black. -+-+-+-+-+- It was dark. Impossibly dark. As if light had not graced this place for millenia. But that changed rapidly, as a single shockwave of blue light illuminated the buried city with a sickly blue glow. The ancient ziggurats stood defiantly in the light, aside from the central, largest mock pyramid. From the top of that lost temple was the source of the pulse, which was a glowing blue sarcophagus, but one unlike any other. This one was not built to honor the dead, or to provide a vessel into the afterlife. Nay, this one was designed speciicly to restrain. Where normally there would be engraved metal, instead lay chains. Innumerable chains, connected to innumerable locks all intercrossed the container. Yet from two eyeholes, an unearthly blue glow emminated. In the dark silence, one voice rang out. "Freedom..." the dry, quiet voice whispered. The locks slowly clicked open, the chains falling loose. The sarcophagus divided into many individual plates, each separated by a beam of blue electrical energy. "So close." It whispered, after trying to shake the plates from his body. "More power is all I need." He whispered contemplatively. "And I know just where to get that." "Twilight Sparkle."