//------------------------------// // Chapter 4 - The Archives // Story: Starlight Glimmer's Plan // by garatheauthor //------------------------------// Virus. Plague. Those two words came to the forefront of Starlight’s mind as she thought about the pox before her. It had spread through the ranks of the library at a slow but steady pace. First, Bookmark was struck by it, then Lemon Glaze, Written Word, Jelly Donut. One by one the female patrons and staff had been afflicted until Starlight remained one of the brave few unmarked. The princess dress, it was all the rage of Canterlot. Any mare who was worth her bits had ordered one. Rumour had it that there was a waiting list which now stretched into the months to get one tailored. Starlight couldn’t help but feel giddy at the sickening irony of it. Mares spent huge sums of bits in order to make themselves sparkle and shine among their social circles. Yet when everypony tried to sparkle, none of them could. In their quest to be special they had all become the same. That very idea brought a smile to her lips. After all, she did always have an affinity towards sameness. It would have been wonderful if not for one little fact. The source of these dresses was Rarity. The very same mare who had helped ruin her life. A bearer for one of the accursed Elements of Harmony. The fact that Starlight had to thank one of her enemies for this monument to uniformity made it taste so bitter. Rarity probably didn’t even appreciate what she created. This mania towards the princess dress was probably an ego stroking experience and helped make Rarity’s talent shine. Oh how Starlight hated to think about talent. Talent was just like the dress. If everyone had one, why was it anything special? Her co-worker coughed, breaking the silence between them. “You seem happy today. Got big plans?” Lemon Glaze asked with a cheery smile. Lemon Glaze and her had been banished to a little side room within the library. They were tasked with doing an apparently despised job. The two of them had to record all of the new foal books and properly categorize them. It was a tedious job that would probably take them two or three days. Starlight was actually quite fond of it, though she would never admit it. “Actually I do. An old friend is in town,” Starlight replied. “Oh, who are they?” “Her name is Lemon Hearts. She has apparently lived in Canterlot for awhile. I only ran into her recently. Its been forever since I’ve seen her.” “Small world, eh?” Starlight nodded, agreeing with her. “Small world.” “Wait, is this the same Lemon Hearts who does party planning?” “Yeah, do you know her?” “I mean. I know of her. She’s a pretty big name in town. I heard she’s the best party planner in Canterlot, and the third best in Equestria.” “Only third best? Who’s better than her?” “Uh, some guy in the badlands is second. Cheese Sandwich or something?” “Cheese Sandwich? What do parents think of when they name their kids?” “I know right,” Lemon Glaze paused, “anyways number one is Pinkie Pie. You know, the element of happiness.” “Element of laughter,” Starlight corrected. “Wait, really? I’ve been calling her the element of happiness.” Their work drew them back in, causing a silence to once more settle between them. The work was tedious but simple. Starlight would flip through a book, find out its genre, and then slap a label on the spine. She looked up at a clock on the wall. the large hand nearly settled on three in the afternoon. While it was not quite home time, it was still early enough to shuffle out of the room and make a go for the door. Upon leaving the small side room she walked over to the front desk. There, she squandered away the last moments of her shift making small talk with one of her fellow librarians. All the while her eyes gazed at the large clock affixed to the wall. When three o’ clock finally rolled around she left as quickly as she could. Once on the street she could only sigh and shake her head at the ponies around her. Dresses were never big in Canterlot and in all her time here she had only seen them saved for the most special of occasions. Now here she was, surrounded on every side by them. One little act had transformed the dress from a luxury, to daily ware. It grated Starlight to see her enemies succeed. She trotted home quickly, eager to get away from the social parasites that wandered around her. Plus, she had to get ready for her little get together with Lemon Hearts. It was going to be her first meeting with the mare and she had to put on her best impression possible. That involved putting on a little disguise she had in the works. Back in the safety of her room she sat at her desk. A specialized kit was now opened upon it. Inside were an assortment of blushes and paints which covered the whole spectrum of the rainbow. Starlight held a brush, dipping the thin bristles in a purplish powder. The brush was then brought over to her flank. There it stroked back and forth applying a nice even coat of colour. This effectively erased any trace of her cutie mark. A stencil then came out. It was in the shape of a pencil. She pressed it against her now barren flank and applied a yellowish powder over top. It looked roughly like its intended target but still something was missing. A fine tipped brush began to carefully apply black paint forming the lead tip, and the various strands of detail. The brush was then washed off and the black was replaced with pink. This colour was used to form the eraser. Starlight looked in the mirror, her eyes locked onto the artificial mark. It wasn’t perfect, but unless somepony was staring right at her flank it would do. The process was then repeated and another pencil occupied her other flank. She blew air into her cheek. Changing cutie marks was good and all, but it wasn’t enough. She’d have to do something a bit more extreme in order to further muddle her appearance. Starlight had no idea if Lemon Hearts even knew of her, though she didn’t want to take any chances around a friend of Twilight Sparkle. Her hair was pulled out of its traditional ponytail, spilling out upon her shoulders. She wasn’t a hairstylist, nor somepony who even really cared all that much about appearances. She poked and prodded at her mane trying desperately to call on inspiration from memory. When none came she simply left her hair straight and flowing past her shoulders Starlight gave herself a final once over in the mirror. The disguise was flimsy but it was the best she could muster in such a short period of time. She left her apartment and began her journey towards the core of Canterlot. Her destination was a small neighbourhood known as the village. It was a trendy neighbourhood. The buildings were short and had an architecture style to them that wasn’t repeated anywhere else in Canterlot. Structures which had their origins in medieval stone found themselves adorned with modern looking accessories made of metal, glass, plastic, and cloth. Each building was filled with various shops, and each of those was selling something exotic. There were bars with craft ales, restaurants with outlandish names, and stores which sold all manners of crazy goods. The stores were not the only exotic fixture of the neighbour. Its citizens gave the area a character that the stuffy elite, and working class could never hope to match. In a city dominated by unicorns it was refreshing to see so many earthponies and pegasi walking around. Along with them were also zebras, yaks, gryphons, and batponies. While the area had its fair share of average looking citizens, there were also a lot of freaks. There were ponies with heavily dyed coats. There were gryphons with piercings that jingled in the wind. There were zebras who kept their manes in unique styles. There was even a Yak who kept himself completely shaved. Starlight walked deep into the neighbourhood before stopping in front of a small boutique. It was located inside of a crimson brick building. A yellow and blue overhang shielded a heavy looking door that was painted a majestic shade of emerald green. Above the overhang was a wooden sign with the phrase, “Lemon Hearts’ Party Planning” etched in an ink black cursive. Starlight entered the establishment with a little bell jingling as she opened the door. A grey pegasus stallion peaked up from behind a desk and offered her a warm smile. His black mane was shaved around the sides with a nice puff of length sprouting out at the top. “Hello, can I help you?” he asked, his voice as smooth as silk. Starlight approached his desk. “Ah yes, my name is Glistening Sapphire. I’m here to see Lemon Hearts.” The stallion nodded. His wing flipped open a book, and he quickly scanned the page. “Alright, I see you right here. She’s just finishing up with a client and should be out in a moment. Can I get you anything? Water, juice, coffee?” “Coffee please. Two sugar, and a dash of cream.” “Right away miss.” He gave her a smoldering smile before standing up and leaving the room. The pegasus had a pretty nice build. He had a slender body, with a powerful gathering of muscles tightly grouped around his chest. Starlight chuckled to herself. It seemed that Lemon Hearts had a sweet tooth, considering she hired such nice eye candy. She waited patiently, grabbing one of the magazines scattered on the coffee table. It was about cooking, something she really never held much interest in. She skimmed through the pages while waiting for the stallion to return. He was back in less than two minutes, with a mug of steaming hot coffee balanced upon his powerful looking wing. “Thank you,” she said before taking the mug from him. Starlight took a small sip, her eyebrow rising in surprise. The coffee was actually really good. What else could Lemon Hearts’ “assistant” do? Before she could think to much on the subject a door opened. Lemon Hearts marched out, talking with a pony who was still in the room. “I swear Gleaming Sabre. I have no idea how a party goer got into the royal guest chamber. I promise you, it will never happen again.” A stallion in full golden armour stepped out of the room. He had a stern expression etched onto his snow white face. His mane was buzz cut into a short blue Mohawk. He turned and stared at Lemon Hearts. “I trust you Lemon Hearts, but my guards have better things to do than throw your guests into the drunk tank. Please try and keep them out of restricted areas.” Starlight’s expression quivered, the edges of her lips practically vibrating. She peered over the magazine, staring at Gleaming Sabre in pure awe. Literally steps from her was a pony who could take her into justice if he so desired. Lemon Hearts’ expression was firm but it was obvious how nervous she was. “Of course, of course. I wouldn’t want to compromise my partnership with the guard. Right?” Gleaming Sabre smiled. “Yes, I could imagine how much of a drain that would be on your business. Have a nice day, Lemon Hearts.” With that the guard did an about face and headed for the entrance. He looked at Starlight, meeting her gaze. The two of them locked eyes, and for a moment Starlight’s heart stopped. He knew her, there was no other explanation. Gleaming Sabre paused at the door, still looking at her. He then smiled and dipped his head. “Ma’am.” With that he left. Lemon Hearts sighed and looked to her assistant. “What a f-“ The assistant raised a hoof, pointing it at Starlight. This cut off whatever Lemon Hearts was going to say. He then leaned in and whispered something to her. Lemon Hearts put on a big cheery smile before sauntering over towards Starlight. “I am so sorry for the delay, miss Sapphire.” Starlight got to her hooves. “Trouble with the Guard?” “No, well yes, but nothing I can’t handle.” “What happened?” “I had a party in the Royal Canterlot Garden and one the guests wandered off. They found him passed out in one of the bedroom of the palace,” Lemon Hearts walked towards her office, gesturing with a hoof for Starlight to follow, “when the guards finally managed to wake him, they nearly charged him with treason.” “Oh Celestia. What happened, then?” “It turned out his brother was the president of the Royal Bank of Canterlot.” “So he bribed his way out?” “What? No, he just had the right connections to make things difficult for the guards.” Lemon Hearts stood behind her desk, gesturing to a seat across from her. Starlight sat upon it with the party planner then taking her own. “So how exactly can I help you today?” Lemon Hearts began. Starlight smiled. “Well, my name Glistening Sapphire and I represent the Friends of the Equestrian Library society. We are a non-profit who fundraises and collects donations for libraries across the kingdom. It’s our organizations tenth anniversary and we want to do something big.” “And let me guess. Something big involves the royal palace.” “I mean, what better place to celebrate and raise money for books then the royal archives themselves. They are the oldest collection of books in the kingdom after all.” Lemon Hearts nodded. “I think we can work something out. There might be a bit of a hurdle getting permission to use the space but I’m sure the palace will let it slide for a charity. I will admit I have yet to organize an event in the archives. It should be fun.” “Oh, that’s fantastic news,” Starlight paused biting her lip softly, “would you be opposed to a small personal favour?” “It depends?” “I’ve uh, always wanted to visit the archives on my own. Is it possible that you could take me on a small tour ahead of time?” “Uh, yeah, sure. I don’t see why we can’t do that. I could take you sometime this week if you’d like?” It took a lot of effort for Starlight not to grin even wider at the prospect. “That sounds fantastic, thank you very much.” Their conversation slipped into the details afterwards. What type of foods are you thinking of serving? Who were you going to book as an entertainer? What colour of napkins are you going to use? Starlight thwarted each question with a vague answer, all the while having Lemon Hearts nod along silently. The meeting dragged on, though eventually the long list of party questions had come to an end. Seeing this they decided to call it a day. Lemon Hearts was the first to stand up, quickly trotting over to the door and throwing it open for Starlight. “We’ll work out the finer details later. Maybe we can talk it over when I take you to the archives?” she said, turning to face Starlight. “That sounds fantastic. I’m free this Friday,” Starlight replied. “Hmmm, I should be free. Let’s say we meet in front of the palace at seven?” “That works for me. It’s been a pleasure working with you Lemon Hearts.” ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- The week went by without any problems. Work crawled along at its standard tedious pace, Starlight’s private life was as absent as ever, and her hobbies were reduced to the zealous worship of the manila folders on her desk. By seven on Friday, Starlight found herself back in her disguise. She stood in front of the palace, a sense of awe washing over her. The palace was a building you could see all across Canterlot. It was massive with its sparkling white granite walls and spires being the most pristine in all of the city. Banners with regal imagery flowed gracefully in the wind and hung from pretty much every ledge. At the base a garden made of hundreds, if not thousands of species formed a natural moat of life. Barring her from any of this was a massive steel fence which surrounded the whole compound. Only a single gate allowed access in or out and it was protected by the watchful gaze of a half dozen guards. That wasn’t even including the additional patrols which walked both inside and outside of the gate. Starlight couldn’t pull her eyes away. The structure radiated importance, and demanded attention simply for existing. After all it was the home of half the Equestrian monarchs and the de facto seat of power for the whole kingdom. “Glistening Sapphires,” a voice cried, drawing Starlight’s attention away from the palace. She turned and saw Lemon Hearts approach, looking as composed and professional as ever. Starlight smiled at her and waved a hoof. “Hello, Lemon Hearts. How have you been doing lately?” “I’ve been doing alright,” Lemon Hearts answered before diving straight into business, “I narrowed down the list on food choices for you. I was hoping we could tackle that on our little tour.” Starlight replied as they made their way towards the palace gates. “I hope so as well. I need this to go off without a hitch.” “Well, I don’t mean to brag, but I’ve never received a bad review.” A guard lifted a hoof stopping them at the gates. He looked them over, his eyes narrowing in examination. He cleared his throat. “What is your purpose for being here today?” “I am here to take a client on a tour of the royal archives,” Lemon Hearts replied. The guard nodded. “Can you supply proof that the captain of the guards okayed this?” Lemon Hearts pulled a card out of her saddlebag. It was printed on a thick white paper and had a bright blue stamp imprinted on the bottom left corner. The guard took it from her, his eyes quickly scanning the words printed upon it. He looked up and down, up and down, comparing the details on the card to the two mares in front of him. Starlight was sweating buckets at this point. What in tartarus was the hold up? Finally, the guard returned the piece of paper, which Lemon Hearts slid carefully back into her saddlebag. “You are free to go on in,” the guard said, gesturing to one of his comrades to open the gates. They passed through, heading along the cobblestone path that led to the palace’s doors. These doors were guarded by yet another two stallions in shining armour. They parted, allowing the mares to enter unopposed. The interior of the palace was incredible as everything shimmered and shined. Colourful glass windows formed moments of Equestrian history. The sunlight causing them to glow in radiance. Pieces of art ranging from statues to paintings filled the walls. Grand marble pillars supported balconies trimmed with precious metals. There was no other place quite like it. Palace staff rushed about in a frantic hurry. Their numbers must have ranged in the dozens with everypony seeming to have a separate purpose and duty. The concept of remaining idle did not seem to exist for these ponies as not a single set of hooves was empty. Lemon Hearts trotted forward. “The archives are on the south end of the royal garden. We can cut through the palace to get there.” “Are we going to meet the princesses?” Starlight asked, a nervous edge creeping into her voice. “I doubt it. Luna’s probably unconscious at the moment and Celestia’s in the throne room. So anyways, we should probably get started. How do you feel about cheese?” Starlight placated the mare, asking questions and giving answers to fill time as the two of them made their way through the castle. As they progressed they garnered no attention. They were neither famous nor important meaning that the staff simply ignored them. The exception of course being the guards. They were all over the place, marching in every direction and posting sentries at nearly every door. Their eyes would constantly follow Starlight. Though everypony was treated to a similar gaze. They crossed through a chamber which had a massive golden door facing eastwards. Outside was a line of ponies all dressed in their best. Acting as a barrier between the ponies and the door was a wall of royal guards. Each of them staring straight ahead in a stoic manner. Starlight raised a hoof, silencing Lemon Hearts’ rambling about decoration and invitations. She then pointed towards the chamber. “What is that room?” she asked. Lemon Hearts looked over and grinned. “That would be the throne room. Today, Celestia will be doing hearings from the public until sundown.” Starlight nodded. “I didn’t realize she actually did that herself. I would have thought she’d have an army of bureaucrats.” “Oh she does, but sometimes ponies aren’t willing to be placated by some faceless being. So they come here and pester Celestia instead.” Starlight nodded and Lemon Hearts took the pause as a que to enter into another party related spiel. Now she was onto the bunting. Starlight had no idea that there were so much bunting options but by the time they had made it outside she could have written an essay on the subject. They exited the palace through one of a dozen identical doors. On the other side was a place so utterly foreign in the cobblestone and brick of Canterlot. It was a rolling meadow of green grass. If it were not for a few small structures littering the landscape she could have sworn she was back in the country. Lemon Hearts turned left and headed towards one of those structures. It was a flat building, being only a story tall. It had a dark stony exterior with a bronze trim laced around the top. It was a nice looking building, if not a bit mundane compared to the palace. “This is the Royal Archive. I am thinking for the party most of the activities can take place outside, with limited food and drink service within,” Lemon Hearts lectured. They approached the structure and Starlight took note that it was surrounded by guards. Maybe this wasn’t going to be quite the cakewalk she had planned. Lemon Hearts’ voice began to fade, becoming replaced with the rapid beating of Starlight’s thundering heart. Her vision became sharp and senses tuned as each step brought on another hit of raw adrenaline. A guard halted them, though Lemon Hearts waved a hoof showing off, once more, the little card of royal authority. He stepped aside and the door opened. The interior of the archive was like a hybrid of library and royal palace. There was a single hallway which was bathed in sunlight by the many outwards facing windows. The wall opposite of the windows housed several doors. The middle one lacked a traditional wooden door, instead opting for a series of heavy metal bars which covered an empty entryway. Over top of those bars was the room’s title. It was known as the, Starswirl the Bearded wing. Bingo. Once they walked in, the door behind them closed, leaving Starlight alone with Lemon Hearts. She was still chatting about some useless party accessory that had now drained Starlight of all interest. A vase crashed down on the back of Lemon Hearts’ head. She staggered back and forth for a moment before slumping to the ground. Her eyes were shut tight and her breathing was swallow but steady. The sound of the vase being smashed caused a guard to come rushing out of one of the archive’s rooms. He had his spear at the ready, and his eyes were alert. “What’s going on!” he shouted. He looked at the body on the ground before staring at Starlight. She smiled nervously before sending out a beam of raw light. The light hit the wall just over the stallion’s head. He looked alarmed, the tips of his helmet singed by the blast. His expression shifted from shock to sheer rage. He charged at Starlight, his armour clad hooves pounding against the ground. She shot at him again, this beam hitting the wall next to him. He drew closer as her third beam scorched the ground beside him. He stumbled but still continued his hasty advance. There was a single doorway between them at this point. If she didn’t act fast she’d find herself in intimate contact with his spear. She gripped the door and threw it open just before he reached it. A loud ‘thunk’ came from the other side. When the door closed, the guard was out cold upon the ground. Starlight smirked, walking past both him and Lemon Hearts. She headed for the Starswirl the Bearded wing. She reached the metal bars which restricted her access. Peering inside Starlight could see shelves filled to the brim with scrolls, books, and scrips that looked impossibly old. In the centre of the chamber was a massive hour glass surrounded by tables littered with literature. The metal bars would have been an issue if not for the fact that Starlight was a powerful unicorn. As such, all she needed to do was teleport. With a little blip of magic, she found herself on the other side, staring through the bars back into the hallway. A brief scan of the shelves showed that she was in for quite the task. There were hundreds of publications and little order among them. They were not alphabetized or ordered by any reasonable system. They were just there, scattered on the shelves as if the archivist was a child throwing a tantrum. The door to the archives themselves came crashing down, the clattering of metal filling the space outside the wing. Shouts of surprise and anger joined in, growing nearer with each passing second. Starlight whipped around and cast a spell upon the metal bars. It would act as a barrier denying the key entry to the lock, hopefully buying her a bit of time. The guards came crashing against the barrier their expressions aggressive and filled with rage. There was three of them, each armed with a long spear which they pushed through the gaps in the bars. Starlight could only laugh at this as she continued her search. She picked up a scroll and quickly read through the first few lines. When it held little interest to her she tossed it to the ground. “Grab the key!” one of the guards shouted. A different guards slipped away, though Starlight paid him little attention. She was to busy flipping through the tomes and scrolls looking for one little word, time. The mage from so many centuries ago turned out to be a real idiot. He didn’t give any of his papers useful titles meaning that she had to waste precious seconds reading the opening sentences. Hooves came pounding over, and the guard had returned with the key. It was a big brass thing, almost comically large. He attempted to press it into the lock, managing to get it about half way in. A flash of light erupted and the key came rocketing back, along with the stallion who was thrown against a wall. Starlight swept a shelf empty, an annoyed roar erupting from her mouth. She shuffled over to the next shelf, scanning its contents. They were all books, and each of them had to do with Starswirl’s alchemy lessons. They might have been useful for many things, but none of them were her desired topic. “She cast a spell on the door!” another guard roared, “grab a unicorn!” The guard who had attempted to insert the key was lying on the ground, groaning loudly. He’d be fine in a while, but for now he was a kindly reminder of the damage her magic could perform. Hoofsteps thundered away and the doors to the archives swung open with a bang. Starlight went from shelf to shelf, searching eagerly for any trace of the legendary scroll. She found one on teleportation, another on instant fire, a third concerning research on coffee. Each was an aggravating thorn in her side. The delay in reinforcements gave her a solid chunk of time. A good ten minutes to search through the shelves. More and more tomes spill out before her. She saw a few instances of the word time but none in the context she so desperately needed. The door the archives burst back open and the thundering of hooves returned outside of the wing. A mighty unicorn stood before her, his white horn gleaming in the light. He had a sneer on his face, one of incredible anger and determination. His horn glowed and a beam of energy burst forth. The beam connected with the gate where a barrier composed of her own aqua radiance fought back. This instantly put a strain upon Starlight who was forced to give up her search for the spell in order to shore up her defenses. Her own magic sifted towards the gate bulking up her defense and slowly but surely repealing the guard’s spell. Suddenly the beam coming from the guard was forced back as her own aqua magic crawled along it like vines. Her vines grew and grew forcing the guard back until she enveloped his horn. He cried out as his magic was extinguished. With a small pulse of energy, he was flung through a window and out into the garden. The guards around him all looked awestruck. Starlight grinned before rushing back into the wing. She quickly ran over to the central tables, hoping that some clumsy scribe had left the article she desired upon it. “Quick, Sterling Silver go and get Princess Luna. We need to get his gate open,” ordered one of the remaining guards. A chill went down Starlight’s spine, sending her into a short shivering fit. Sure she had been able to handle a unicorn, but to face Luna, that would be insanity. Starlight zoomed along the tables quickly searching the surface for any instance of the desired document. So much knowledge was before her hooves yet none of it held an ounce of interest at the moment. Who cared about medicine, engineering, or ascension when the spell she needed evaded her. Time seemed to slow as her search grew more and more desperate. She picked up any document she could reach, her eyes frantically scanning the text upon the pages. The torches inside of the archives dimmed as its doors opened for a final time. A powerful sounding set of hooves marched into the space, their steps echoing impossibly loud. The guards skirted away, bowing at whatever figure approached. It was Princess Luna and she did not look pleased. She examined the staff around her before staring at Starlight through the bars which separated them. The princess opened her mouth, the powerful shriek of the Royal Canterlot Voice spewing forth. “INTRUDER, I GIVE YOU ONE FINAL CHANCE TO SURRENDER. I CAN PROMISE YOU A SWIFT DEATH!” A guard whispered to Luna, causing her to wince. “I CAN OFFER YOU A FAIR TRIAL WHICH WILL RESULT IN YOUR DEATH!” Another whisper. “I CAN OFFER YOU A FAIR TRIAL WHICH WILL RESULT IN JAIL TIME,” she paused, “my, how this generation has grown soft.” Starlight was sweating buckets at this point. She ran over to a final shelf, her hooves franticly pawing at its contents. The princess’ horn glowed and a massive bloom of light bathed the metal bars. Instead of simply shattering Starlight’s charm, Luna smashed the gate causing it to explode into the wing. Metal pieces of shrapnel flew through the air embedding themselves into solid brick and wooden shelves. The guards began to rush in as Starlight grabbed at a final scroll. Written on the first line was the phrase Time Travel. It would have to do. As the guards pounced upon her, Starlight cast a teleportation spell. She would not end up in prison tonight. Instead she found herself in a small field outside of the castle. Clutched tightly to her chest was the contents of the forbidden scroll. The legacy of Starswirl the Bearded was now in her possession.