Legends of Magic #12 Review

With word that Season 8 was finally ready to air, the IDW comics no longer needed to support the hiatus and the main series continued to fall by the wayside and be relatively ignored. Meanwhile, the Legends of Magic series was ready to draw to a close, with only one issue left and then its annual before it would be done for good. So was this issue able to wrap up everything in a neat little bow, or did it somehow bring it all crashing down? Well, let's find out.

We begin with Stygian recounting in his head the exploits and the story so far, repeating that he is not a hero but a scholar. Starswirl the Bearded becomes intrigued by the legends, as he thought only some of them were real. He also unintentionally brushes off and disregards Stygian, though thankfully the other legends back him up. It makes sense though that Starswirl would be the one who knew the least about Stygian, and seeing as their first interaction had Stygian telling Starswirl he got the legends all wrong Starswirl probably didn't have the best opinion of Stygian. Plus, he's distracted with tutoring Celestia and Luna.

Speaking of Celestia and Luna, Starswirl doesn't tell them about the other legends or his quest with them. He simply says he's going on a seaside vacation with some of his friends, claiming it's what old ponies do. Celestia and Luna plead with him not to go, Celestia even saying that while she'd be fine (of course she wouldn't but she's too prideful to admit it) Luna wouldn't be. Foreshadowing, perhaps, Nightmare Moon.

Starswirl leads the group along and finally dubs them all the pillars, going so far as to describe each of their elements one by one (after dismissing Stygian's plan to cut off the Dazzlings' source of power gradually). Interestingly, Somnambula's glowpaz necklace is featured and not her blindfold (once again I really do feel like her glowpaz necklace and not her blindfold should've been her item of importance). He asks Stygian if he has anything to contribute and guilt trips him into going along with the plan. At that point Stygian starts to believe he really isn't a hero but a scholar, arguing that he chose security over hope (he really didn't).

Starswirl explains that he can't change the minds of others, and announces that he will be opening up a portal to dump the sirens in (after Meadowbrook protests the idea of destruction). They reach Stygian's village and make use of a special potion created by Meadowbrook to take on the Dazzlings. With Somnambula distracting the brainwashed ponies, Flash Magnus distracting the sirens, Rockhoof throwing up trenches, and Meadowbrook using a sleeping potion, Starswirl is able to open the portal and banish the sirens! Looking on at the whole scene, Stygian feels regret that he couldn't fight to save his own village, and the journal ends with him documenting his plan to take the artifacts from the pillars in order to become a hero in his own right.

Back in the present, Sunburst realizes Stygian sent him the journal (thus clearing up the confusion from Legends of Magic #7, the first six take place before "Shadow Play" and then the next six take place after "Shadow Play") and talks to him. The talk is productive for a while, but then Sunburst starts projecting as he points out the problem with the Dazzlings (now defeated), and lays the blame for the Pony of Shadows and Nightmare Moon at Starswirl's hooves, which I don't agree with. Stygian never tried to talk to the pillars to explain his plan, and almost all of them would've backed him up. And there is no indication that Starswirl would've lived to prevent Nightmare Moon had he not vanished into limbo.

And that's the story, so what do I think of the issue? Well, aside from the very end that tries to absolve Stygian of any guilt or responsibility for his actions, it's a pretty good story and one that is even kind of tragic. It's nice to see that the rest of the pillars don't completely forget Stygian, and that Starswirl isn't intentionally trying to shove Stygian aside so he can take over. If anything, I would've liked to see a bit more of this story play out, chronciling Stygian's downfall into the Pony of Shadows and leading up to his banishment (sadly we wouldn't get that in the annual, we'd instead get an unwanted and poorly written story taking place in an alternative universe). Still, it manages to end the series on a high note (though like with Friends Forever I wish it could keep going, it could be used to tell stories about the pillars now that they've returned). So I say pick it up if you liked the other ones.