Modern Day Equestria, Canterlot
In the richer part of Canterlot next to the School for Gifted Unicorns stood a mansion, this however, was no ordinary mansion but in fact the house of the reinstated headmaster of the of S.F.G.U. The door opened and a stallion in his late twenties with a blue coat, a white mane and tail stepped out of the mansion wearing a scarf enchanted to look like the night sky and keep him warm. On his flank was a cutie mark was a sun with a crescent moon in it surrounded by a sphere, this was Spell Nexus. After the fight with Nightmare Moon, Princess Celestia had charged Spell Nexus and his team to find a way to permanently dispose of the Nightmare Force that was left within the armor once and for all. However, through an error in judgment Spell Nexus instead became its next victim. It controlled him and made him attempt to resurrect Nightmare Moon and take over Equestria. He failed on both counts and was returned to normal.
For half of that year he kept punishing himself even tried to lock himself up in the rarely used Canterlot dungeon. In fact, it was not until Hearth Warming eve last year after a visit from Nyx the last filly that he had thought would visit him that he finally started to forgive himself. As he walked out of the house, a unicorn stallion trotted up next him. The stallion’s coat was white and perfectly groomed. His mane was expertly oiled and slicked back to the side, his tail was brushed so perfectly that not a hair dared to be out of place. He wore a monocle over his right eye, an exact replica of the cutie mark on his flank. He levitated a winter coat with a matching hat and hoofins.
“Sir, are you sure that you won’t need these. It is frightfully chilly out there,” The unicorn said.
“Thank you Proper Etiquette but I won’t need them. This scarf is enchanted to repel cold and the elements. Besides I’m not going far,” Spell Nexus said.
“A spell will never be able to replace good winter gear if you ask me,” Proper Etiquette said.
Spell Nexus laughed at Proper Etiquette’s persnickety attitude.
“I’ll be fine Proper Etiquette I won’t be long,” Spell Nexus said.
“Would you like me to start decorating while you’re gone sir?” Proper Etiquette asked.
“Yes and watch out for Lumber Jack he’s bringing the tree over soon,” Spell Nexus said.
“Oh joy,” Proper Etiquette said in an annoyed tone rolling his eyes.
“Oh and please try not to get into a hoof fight with him this year,” Spell Nexus implored.
“As long as he keeps his tree decorating tips to himself,” Proper Etiquette said in a huff.
Spell Nexus smiled and shook his head, as he walked out on the path the scarf’s spell began to take effect an invisible barrier formed around him keeping him warming and toasty. Spell Nexus detoured over to his fountain, touched his horn to the base, and closed his eyes. A white aura lit up his horn as it flowed throughout the fountain a white fire flowed from the top of the fountain and into the base filling it with multicolored lights and soothing flame. Then a heart began to form a few inches above the fountain until it became an exact replica of the Fires of Friendship. Spell Nexus looked up and admired his handy work he then trotted out the gated and headed to S.F.G.U.
From the doorway, Proper Etiquette watched this display and smiled. He was glad that Spell Nexus was finally getting out of his depression; it had been troubling to say the least. After Spell Nexus’s ordeal, he was a broken stallion, Proper Etiquette shuttered to think what would have become of his friend if he had not stayed, but thankfully, it was finally starting to be put behind them. Proper Etiquette walked back into the mansion and magically closed the doors behind him.
Spell Nexus went over to the doors of the school and put his horn in the lock causing the door to open, as he trotted inside the door closed behind. As he walked through the hallowed halls he could not help but remember his own days here as a colt. He smiled at the living book spell accident that caused the entire school’s books to come to life and rebel against the student and teacher body, it also helped him to realize his special talent of creating new spells when he countered the enchantment. Spell Nexus sighed at the memory until he came to his office and inserted his horn into the lock causing it to open. As Spell Nexus entered his office he magically the closed door and locked it, a barrier of privacy formed over the entire room. He then looked at the wall behind his desk and pointed his still glowing horn at the center, a door began to form on the wall’s surface when it was completely formed, it slowly swung open to reveal a long stairwell lit by crystal orbs of light. Spell Nexus entered the door and descended the stairwell as the door closed behind him and once more vanished into non-existence.
This secret door was one of many secrets that the school held. This one was only known to the headmasters and to the Princesses. It was a special warehouse under the school that held powerful magical artifacts, spells and things best left forgotten and in the wrong hands could lead to extreme disastrous consequences, in fact, the room was charmed to implode if somepony tried to steal anything. Good thing that he sealed the doorway when he realized that he was about to be taken over by the Nightmare Force or there would have been real trouble. Spell Nexus walked down the last of the stairs and stood at a huge and wide set of oaken doors. On the door where heavy nth metal bolts all connected to a lock made of nth metal on every wheel was a circle of symbols, the picture writing of the ancients. Spell Nexus closed his eyes and focused his energy into the only spell that could open the door. As he opened his eyes, they lit up with power and plunged his horn into the hole in the middle of the lock. The symbols lit up and the wheels began to move until the symbols matched up. As Spell Nexus took his horn out of the lock he shook his head.
“I’d forgotten how that takes a lot out of a pony,” Spell Nexus said as the room stopped spinning.
The doors opened revealing the treasures that it held, the walls were lined with books so numerous that they rivaled even the library of the Crystal Empire. Ancient artifacts and scrolls laid in glass cases including the map used by Smart Cookie to find Equestria. A more curious piece on display was a spell book opened to some ripped pages. Since the school was first established the missing spells was still a mystery all attempts to magically restore the missing pages had failed so the attempts were abandoned.
'"For the best," Spell Nexus thought as looked at the display. "The pony who wrote that grimoire was a horseshoe shy of a pair."
Spell Nexus however, was not here to marvel or check on the things held in this room but on the thief that nearly succeed in stealing one of the most dangerous items this vault had ever held the Nightmare Moon's armon. The one who started everything, he remembered it like was yesterday. Spell Nexus had stayed late that night doing some paperwork to put a new colt into the school system, when he suddenly felt tired, he had thought he would rest his eyes for a minute. When he fell asleep, somehow the thief sneaked in and accessed the passage. If it were not for that bolt of lightning that woke him up the mare would have gotten away.
“At least I think it was mare couldn’t tell with that strange cloak on,” Spell Nexus said to himself.
At the sound of the lightning Spell Nexus’s eyes shot open and saw the thief levitating the Nightmare Force in a completely sealed box made of ice. He commanded the thief to stop but she fled. Spell Nexus quickly activated the anti-thief barrier that kept thieves from leaving the school. He gave chase the mare cornering at the school’s entrance.
“There’s no place to run give up now and make things easier for yourself,” Spell Nexus said.
“I’m sorry but for the good of this land I can’t afford to do that,” The mare said and fired a blast at the headmaster.
Spell Nexus dodged the blast and returned fire only to see in shock that the spell completely bounced off her.
“How the buck did you do that?” Spell Nexus asked astounded at what he just saw.
Even though Spell Nexus could not see her face, he knew the mare was smiling.
“It is foolish to reveal one's advantages in battle,” The mare said as she raised her horn causing a gust of snow and wind at Spell Nexus sending him flying.
However, in midair he stopped, conjured a force field around himself and floated down to the ground.
Spell Nexus’s eyes lit up as he reared up and brought his hoofs down with a crash, as waves of energy rose up from the ground and headed for the mare a ball of energy formed around the thief blocking the magic attack. The mare sent bolt after bolt at Spell Nexus, he barely dodge most of them and wherever the spell made contact an ice crystal appeared. Spell Nexus knew that he couldn’t keep dodging forever and long as the mare wore that cloak would protect…her.
“The cloak; that’s it I know how to beat her,” Spell Nexus said in his thoughts. "I can trick the cloak into turning its charm against the wearer. All I need to do is use her magic against her and with a few modifications it will not be able to deflect the spell because it will think that it is her's. It’s not going to be easy but Celestia didn't entrust me with her school for nothing."
Spell Nexus took a deep breath and concentrated on this new spell, when he was ready, he leapt out of his hiding spot, the mare sent another attack at him but a funnel swirled from his horn, caught the attack, and sent it right back at the mare. Spell Nexus panted heavily as the energy cost began to take its toll, when he looked up the mare was frozen solid a look of shock on her face. Next to her stood the case of ice that held what remained of the Nightmare Moon's armor. Spell Nexus trotted towards the mare and scanned her with a health analyzation spell. The mare was frozen but very much alive and unharmed. Spell Nexus then performed the "mess be gone" enchantment and cleaned up the havoc that was left by the spells, when that was done he teleported the thief and the chest to a little windowless and doorless room hidden in the back of the vault.
“In case you’re wondering you are alive and I know that you can hear me. I deflected your spell back at you and since you are still alive this tells me that you are not a killer and not intended to hurt anypony. I promise that I will report this to Princess Celestia when she thaws you out and questions you. Until then you will remain here under citizen’s arrest, I modified the spell so that you will remain alive without the need for food or water until you are freed” Spell Nexus said as he used his magic to create a sphere of light. The sphere floated up into the air lighting up the dark room like a star.
“You should at least have some light in here, I’m not an unreasonable stallion after all,” Spell Nexus said as he vanished.
Of course, he never did report it to Celestia due to his exposure to the Nightmare Force contaminated armor and his depression that followed, the thief was the furthest thing from his mind. Nevertheless, now was the time to get some answers. As he walked to the back of the vault, Spell Nexus’s horn lit up as the bricks began to recede revealing the hidden room. As he walked in Spell Nexus’s jaw dropped in shock, were the thief once stood a pile of cracked ice took her place, she was gone.
“No this isn’t possible only I and the Princesses can come and go out of here at will!” Spell Nexus shouted out loud.
“I’m such a foal! I should have told the Princesses the first chance I had,” Spell Nexus said slapping his hoof to his face.
As many scenarios flashed on the motive of the thief to try and steal the Nightmare Force, a thought came to the forefront of his mind that made his blood run cold.
“Oh sweet Luna, Nyx! What is this thief goes after her now? Oh Celestia what have I done?!” Spell Nexus berated himself.
He had caused so much pain in that filly’s life and yet she still chose to help him even if she did not know it. If anything happened to her, he would never forgive himself. Spell Nexus galloped out the room determined to do what he should have done long ago.