Lines and Webs

by Airstream

Of Castles and Champions

Twilight Sparkle opened her eyes, taking in the room around her. She was in a comfortable bed, in a room that was pleasantly warm and clean. She could hear Morning Star and Radiant Zenith talking outside, low murmurings so as not to wake her. Twilight lay there for a moment more, allowing the last cobwebs of sleep to fall from her mind. She felt the crystal around her neck, its weight cool and comforting. She threw back the covers, rolling out of bed and landing on the floor with a delicate *click*. She stretched, hearing her back popping and crackling as she did so. Twilight stretched, and rolled her shoulders. Finally, she gave a shake, and deemed herself ready to face the day. Levitating the crystal from her neck, she slid it into her bag, rolling it in her blanket to provide it with protection. She made her bed, fastened her bags to her back, and opened the door, trotting down the hall towards the kitchen, where the voices we coming from.

Morning Star and Radiant Zenith were sitting at the table, two steaming mugs nearby. Bowls of warm oatmeal, with honey and sugar, stood before them on the table. Twilight noticed a place was set for her as well.

"Twilight!" Morning Star said, a smile on his face. "Good morning! How did you sleep?"

"I slept very well." Twilight replied, leaning in close and kissing him on the cheek, causing him to flush a bit. "Good morning, ma'am. Thank you for putting us up overnight."

"It was my pleasure, dear. Here, have some tea and breakfast." Radiant Zenith said, levitating a bowl and cup over to her. Twilight began to eat. Truth be told, it was very good tea. The oatmeal was excellent as well, nutty and warm. Neither lasted for long, and soon Twilight sat content, belly full and ready to face the new day.

As she ate, Morning Star fastened his bags to his back, checking to make sure that everything was packed properly and accounted for. Radiant Zenith added several flasks of water and an old magelight to their inventory, claiming that they had greater need than her. The three unicorns checked each other over, making sure that their supplies were properly fastened. Thusly prepared, they headed out the door into the swiftly gathering dawn.

It was going to be a hot day, Twilight could tell. Already the air felt humid, and she was glad for the extra containers of water. The sunlight filtered down through the trees, sparkling and winking off of the swiftly flowing river. Twilight and Morning Star stepped down into the boat, a tiny thing made for three at the absolute most. Settling in the front, they kept their bags on, in an effort not to unbalance the small craft. Radiant Zenith busied herself with tossing the lines binding the boat to the dock away, seating herself in the back. With a glimmer of silver magic, she sent the boat into the river. The skiff began to pick up speed, traveling faster by the minute. It began to resonate with magic, creating a light thrumming sound that played perfect counterpart to the rush of the water. Faster and faster they went, the boat skimming along the surface with incredible speed. "Hold on, dearies!" Radiant Zenith cried, her mane flowing in the wind. "I've taken this boat of mine across a hundred times, and I haven't tipped it yet!"

The shore was approaching with alarming speed, and soon Twilight was able to discern leaves on the trees and rocks on the bank. She was suddenly pinned to the bottom by Morning Star, who realized that they wouldn't be stopping once they hit the shore. "Hold on." Morning Star muttered, and Twilight tensed up in anticipation of the impact. She braced herself against the bottom, waiting for a thud or terrible scrape...that didn't come.

Twilight glanced off to the side, surprised to see that there were trees rushing across her vision at an incredible rate. Morning Star tentatively lifted himself off of her, sitting back on his haunches, his expression impressed and a little mystified. Twilight looked over the side. The boat was hovering a few inches off of the ground, on a barrier of silver light that rippled in much the same way the river had. The boat was speeding along through the forest at a pace far faster than any gallop, weaving through trees with ease, picking its way through the woods. With a lurch, it swung onto an old stone path, worn and aged but not cracked or overgrown. "Whoever made this road was amazing!" Twilight called over her shoulder.

"Unicorn architects, dear!" Radiant Zenith said, a grin on her face. "The best in history made this road. Never cracks or wears down. There's even storm drains along the side, and it widens as we get closer to the castle!"

Morning Star spoke up, raising his voice over the wind. "By my estimation, we're passing though the outskirts of the old town! This was probably a merchant district way back! We might see some more permanent ruins further in!"

Radiant Zenith nodded. "Aye, dear! But look quick, the path to the castle is a straightaway, which means you get to see what this boat of mine can really do!" And with a gleeful cackle, she pushed more magic out of her horn. The boat growled in response, picking up even more speed. Soon, trees and undergrowth were whipping by at ludicrous speeds, with the occasional tower or half-decayed wall passing by. The trees began to thin out, and Twilight could see the towers of the castle ahead, seeming to claw at the sky in decrepit fury. The trees stopped, and Twilight saw a field of rock and blasted earth ahead of her, giant gouges and craters in the ground making the landscape seem like the surface of the moon itself.

"This was the site of the Third Battle of Dunsinane!" Morning Star cried. "Nightmare Moon was defeated here, in a battle that destroyed the capital itself!" He seemed ecstatic, realizing that they were finally about to reach their destination after all this time.

Coming over a rise, Twilight saw the crevice rapidly approaching. "Hold on, you two!" Radiant Zenith shouted, flaring her horn. The boat shot up into the sky like it was launched via catapult, soaring higher and higher into the air, before reaching the tip of its arc and gently angling down. Twilight saw the canyon below her, mist concealing its depths even in daylight. The trip, which Twilight had thought would take several hours, had lasted a mere fifteen minutes. Of course, the next ten seconds were probably some of the most terrifying she had experienced. The boat fell gracefully, which was more than could be said for its occupants, two of whom were clutching each other and screaming, and the other laughing into the wind. Just before it hit the ground, the boat came to an abrupt halt. Twilight and Morning Star clumsily disengaged from each other, Morning Star falling out of the boat and collapsing near the side of the canyon, struggling valiantly to keep his breakfast in. Twilight laid her head along the side, panting with stress.

Radiant Zenith leaned in close and murmured into her ear. "Twilight, listen to me. If you ever outgrow your teacher and wish to learn more of Breaking, come to me. Be wary, the trees whisper of terrible secrets. I cannot linger here, this place is inimical to me, no matter how I love it. Good luck." And with that, Radiant Zenith hefted Twilight out of the boat with her magic, setting her gently on the ground. The boat rose into the air, orbiting the castle before slingshotting off into the woods again.

Morning Star walked over unsteadily. "Well, I think we found our witch, even if she was a good witch. I swear, if there's a dragon in this castle, and we make it out of this, I'm publishing the story when we get back. What do you say?" he asked, nuzzling her gently.

Twilight tried to process what she had just heard. Radiant Zenith wanted to teach her Breaking, to venture out into the woods by herself. Suddenly, the words of the ghostly captain played loud in her mind. "Beware the White One". That settled it. They had gotten lucky with Radiant Zenith. She had known far too much, and they should have been more cautious. Her white coat clearly concealed a darker heart. Twilight thought of the crystal in her bag. She'd be analyzing it when she got back home, that was for sure. She wanted to tell Morning Star about the gift she had been given, but something deep inside her told her that this was a problem for her, and her alone.

"I say we get inside. Something about this place is off, and the sooner we can find the throne and get back home, the better off we'll be." Twilight said, picking herself up. She kissed Morning Star, on the lips this time, a proper kiss. "Let's go. This is your dream. It's waiting for you, so let's go catch it."

________________________________________

The courtyard of the castle was well kept, unicorn architecture heavily prevalent in its design. The walls were high and thick, where they still stood. In sections, some terrible force had torn them down or blasted them inward. In others, the stone was melted and twisted, scorched black by intense heat. The gate was locked and barred, so they scaled one of the mounds of rubble, making their way inward, toward the keep itself. The courtyard was wide open, paved over with cobblestones, so that their hoofsteps rattled off of the walls and created the illusion of several more ponies inside the walls as well. Twilight flared her horn to be sure. She could sense no other life here, or any magic that was active enough to be dangerous. This place truly was abandoned.

Twilight looked around. This place didn't strike her as scary anymore. Without ponies inside, it just felt...empty. Like it was a faithful friend that had been left to die when wounded. It was not a dead place, it was a place waiting to live again. The rumors were that this place was cursed, that anypony who wandered in here was sure to meet something dark. Twilight didn't think that was true. In a way, this was a place of peace, the quiet undisturbed peace of a stone standing in a field, or a solitary eagle nesting in some craggy tree. Lost in thought, she hardly noticed that they were at the entrance to the keep proper. Twilight could see a brief glimpse of the other side of the castle, the courtyard where she had found the elements, and the astronomy tower where she had fought Nightmare Moon with her friends ten years ago. The top of that building was a wreck, clearly severed by some kind of magical blast. The building they were in looked almost unscathed.

Twilight looked around, gasping in wonder. High Equestrian spiraled around each pillar, the symbols tantalizingly familiar, yet utterly unreadable. The script was beautiful, each rune flowing seamlessly into the next. The walls were covered in bas relief of great ponies and heroic deeds, telling tales of bygone battles and ancient heroes. Statues of mages and knights stood watch over the silent room, each different and incredibly detailed. The room ended in a master staircase that ascended before splitting in two different directions. Massive Alicorn statues, one marble white and one onyx black, arched over the stairs, hooves barely touching. The air itself seemed to hang in reverence, the sounds of hooves on the stone curiously subdued.

"The Hall of Heroes." Morning Star said quietly, his tone reverent. "Only the bravest were honored here. This was where most official parties were received, when this was still a city. It's more beautiful than I could have dreamed."

"I agree. However, we have a problem. That staircase goes in two directions. Which way to the throne room?" Twilight asked, as they approached the foot of the stairs.

Morning Star thought. "Got it!" he exclaimed. "I'll set a beacon here. We can split up. If one of us has trouble, then they'll teleport back to the beacon. I'll tune it to us, too. If one of us uses it, it'll pull the other back to help them. That way, in case we run into a problem we can't handle, there's a safety net." He withdrew a piece of chalk from the bag on his back, sketching a rune on the floor, which began to glimmer and glow. "There, it's set. Now, send a bit of magic to it." he said, a spark falling from his horn onto the symbol. Twilight did the same, and was rewarded with an almost electric tingle in response.

Morning Star stepped back. "Now, which way would you like to go?"

Twilight needed almost no thought. "I'll take Celestia's side." she said, trotting over to the marble statue.

Morning Star approached the onyx statue. "Right," he said, looking at her. "Good luck. If you run into trouble, come back here. I couldn't bear seeing you hurt."

Twilight smiled. "See you in the throne room. Good luck." she replied, trotting up the staircase. Morning Star did likewise, and the two unicorns traveled in opposite directions, heading into the depths of the ancient castle. The eyes of the heroes watched as the two brave young mages began their greatest challenge so far, by themselves, and with nopony around to hear their cries.

Comments

[Darth Brony]

First comment, and a great story in one night. Perfect

[Commonancestry]

This story seems rather epic, and no real noticeable grammar or spelling errors either.
Though I am debating whether morning star or radiant zenith is the "white one"

[Horsemaninthewoods]

1783130 How about Princess Celestia?

[Stiggerzz]

radiant zenith is still suspicious in my books, but i doubt she is the "white one" that twilight was warned about.......morning star, and Celestia are also white.

though i can understand why she is opting to be suspicious of radiant more than the other two, so far the other two haven't given her that much reason to suspect them.

[Circuit Link]

That was rather short, but quite interesting.

[Pleaseworkforonce]

from the first chapter i am going to assume the white one is celestia, but not morning star he seems to be a pawn manipulate since birth. (and on the agent thing he probably think he is doing good)

[Azure Sandora]

1917498 That's who I think "The White One" is.

[Rakdar]

2017334 1783130>>2578394>>2633358 all these "The White One" statements make me think the author is a racist

[Airstream]

3141758
Correct. All hail the Unicorn Master Race. Ein Horn, Ein Reich.

[Aroughs]

3141830
HEIL
31.media.tumblr.com/c9c066626ee2efffda5c7ff09321b3fc/tumblr_mk3tpwPGil1rej2ezo1_500.jpg

[Runcible Spoon]

Finally, we've reached LUDICROUS SPEED!

[Spanner]

2017334 If you play DND you always be wary of little old women. They are the scariest, most dangerous of them all.

[EverfreeSparkle]

Morning Star thought. "Got it!" he exclaimed. "I'll set a beacon here. We can split up. If one of us has trouble, then they'll teleport back to the beacon. I'll tune it to us, too. If one of us uses it, it'll pull the other back to help them. That way, in case we run into a problem we can't handle, there's a safety net."

Oh, NOW they can teleport! Why didn't they teleport to escape the liches, or to cross the river? Plot holes.

[jwizard]

6204628

It was covered in an earlier part of the story that using magic was like a beacon for very bad things. Now that they're in the castle, they're at a point where magic can be used without risk.

Also, the meeting of Radiant Zenith was a major part of the story I think. If they had teleported across the river, they would never had met her. Sometimes you need an otherwise obvious plot hole to further the plot of the story.