SECOND PREVIEW - The Archmage's Last Bow, Chapter 9

Hello everyone. I know I said it was on temporary hold a few months ago, but I've been actually getting words out lately, so I figured I'd give you another preview of the new chapter, to go along with the one here.

Get it after the page break.

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“He’s through on goal… and that’s a magnificent strike!  Three-nil to Arsenal, surely that puts the game to bed!”

“Ha-haaaaaaa!” Nova grinned as the broadcast of the evening’s match panned away from the pitch, where ponies wearing red and white were celebrating a goal they had just scored to the crowd to show jubilant celebrations from the spectators wearing primarily red and white as well.

“See, it’s good to have this version of you back.”  Aegis reached out and thumped him on his withers, briefly driving the air from his lungs.  As Nova sputtered, he turned and gave Aegis an annoyed look, which Aegis met with a faux-innocent expression.

It felt strange to be out of his armor.  Being part of the guard, they made you wear it so often that you often felt more comfortable in it than out of it after a while, and it seemed that after eleven years of service, he was finally hitting that point.  But today wasn’t a day that called for him to wear his barding.

Today, he had forgone the armor and was wearing a lily-white hoofball kit and trying desperately not to vomit because of the red and white one that Nova was wearing.  How such an intelligent pony could willingly commit their life to a shit team like Arsenal was beyond him.  He supposed this was Nova’s Persian flaw.

One of them, anyway.

"You're just mad we're gonna finish ahead of you this year and challenge for the title this season."

“Yes, we can really see how quality the Gunners are, winning three-nil to relegation battling Crystal Palace.  Truly a challenging opponent,” he noted dryly.

“Remind me the last time Spurs won a trophy, Aegis?” Nova fired back, that usual smug smile he had whenever he brought up Trottenham’s woes settling into place.  “Was it before or after you bottled the league to Prancester City?”

The rest of the Council of Gentlestallions’ eyes flicked between the two at lightning pace.  It was always worth it when Aegis came down to join them on hoofball nights.  They got wonderful banter matches like this to pass the time by.  Lyra and Roseluck were observing the proceedings eagerly from a booth several spots over.  Applejack and Rainbow Dash had abandoned their usual arguments in favor of covertly listening in.  Elsewhere in the bar, Hearty Brew had a tub of popcorn that he was munching on, watching the two of them quite eagerly.

“Yes, as if a few HA Cups are anything prestigious,” Aegis rolled his eyes.

“I guess they would be to a team that hasn’t won anything in the last 15 years.”

“It’s so nice to have him back,” Pierce whispered to Big Mac.

“Eeyup.”

Even though it had only been a few days since Nova’s midnight run for the Poisoned Apple, things this evening seemed a lot calmer than one would expect around a unicorn as volatile as Nova Shine.  While there were still a few nervous glances from many of the bar’s regular patrons, not to mention Hearty Brew himself whenever it seemed like Nova was getting just a bit too rowdy, things tonight seemed to be progressing pleasantly and normally.  Aegis had heard about Nova’s moonlit scamper, so to see things going as if that hadn’t happened was both somewhat concerning and yet a relief.

“You know,” Sharp Eye observed, “all things considered, it’s nice having you both in the bar again.  Been too long since we saw you two going at it.”

“Hear, hear,” Time Turner toasted them with his pint.  “This is the kind of quality entertainment we come here for.”

“Really?” Aegis arched an eyebrow.  “You’re not here to watch how this poor sod loses the will to live whenever Arsenal bottle Top 4?”

Nova’s smile disappeared immediately, and for the briefest of moments, Aegis saw the briefest change in his eyes and watched his irises contract until his pupils were pinpricks.  But then Nova looked away and seemed to deliberately blow out a breath.

Then a moment later, he shoveled some of his hay bacon cheese fries into his mouth and followed it up with a great several gulps of beer, and Aegis realized exactly why he was here.

“Anything to avoid talking about it, eh?” asked Sharp Eye, nudging Turner.  “Watching them slowly but steadily let it slip must really have done numbers on his sharp tongue.”  Pierce chortled.

Thankfully, Big Mac seemed to notice it too.  He’d had an easygoing smile the entire night, seeming to enjoy the night of company with everyone around, but the moment Nova’s expression had changed, that smile had vanished.

Aegis often wondered why Trixie only considered the Apple family to be nothing more than country bumpkins.  In his few conversations with the stallion, Aegis had long since concluded that Big Macintosh was both much more intelligent than he let on, but also incredibly observant.  Hell, he was also incredibly strong.  To hear Princess Twilight tell it, he had managed to drag an entire house behind him completely unawares once.  If he didn’t prefer the quiet farm life, Big Mac would have been a shoo-in for the Groundshakers.

There was a small burst of cheering as Canterlot HC managed a late goal against Cloudsdale Wanderers, and fate decided that now was a good time to play the most unfortunate coincidence.

“ARE YOU WATCHING THIS!?  FROM THE VERY BRINK, CANTERLOT HC HAVE SNATCHED AN EQUALIZER AT THE DEATH!”

There was a clatter, and Nova hastily excused himself from the table and made a break for the exit, leaving in his wake half-eaten food, a half-full pint, and a perplexed Council of Gentlestallions.  Aegis’ reflexes had been honed by years of guard training, and while he deliberately let Nova go, he wasn’t far behind, tailing the archmage as he pushed his way past a few ponies making their entrances and out into Ponyville Square.

Nova hurried to the stone edge of the fountain, fell into a seat on the ground next to the fountain, and started taking great gasps of the cool night air.    Aegis watched him for a moment, wanting to give Nova some space as he tried to prevent himself from hyperventilating.  Rushing into it when he wasn’t in his right state of mind could make things worse.

After several moments, Nova seemed to get his breathing under control, slowing his breaths down and deepening them, before letting out a great sigh and falling back against the fountain’s edge.

Aegis stepped forward, slowly but deliberately so that Nova knew he was coming, and now that he had a moment to have a proper look at Nova, he could see just how exhausted Nova looked.  On the surface, everything looked fine, although he had faint bags under his eyes.  Aegis could see the tension in his shoulders and arms.  Above all, however, Nova could just tell from the body language that Nova Shine did not have the energy he was trying to present himself as having.

Nova met Aegis’ eyes as he approached, and Aegis watched as his face shifted to a resigned expression.

“Sorry about that,” he mumbled.  Aegis admired his resolve sometimes.  He could cover his fatigue with training, but Nova didn’t have such training yet still tried to pretend like he was minorly inconvenienced by this panic attack.

“What’s there to be sorry about?” Aegis asked, trotting over to his side and having a seat.  It was oddly ominous, having a pony statue up above them staring down with a big smile on its face.  “I said something insensitive without realizing it, the others didn’t notice your distress, and then that damned broadcast…”

Nova couldn’t resist a chuckle.  “Brilliant timing, I’d say.  Couldn’t have planned it better myself.”

“Nova, don’t laugh this off.”

“What else can I do?” Nova threw up his hooves.  “I came out here to have some fun, dammit!  And I’m not gonna let my… my issues stop that from happening.”

“I call bollocks,” Aegis shook his head dismissively.  “I know you, Nova.  You weren’t here to have fun.  You were here to look like you were having fun.  You were putting in an appearance just to put in an appearance.”

Nova opened his mouth angrily, but Aegis met his anger with a challenging look of his own.  Am I wrong?  Tell me I’m wrong.

Fortunately, rather than escalate, Nova let out another great sigh and just wilted under his gaze.  “You’re right,” he grunted, rubbing his eyes.

“Be honest with me,” Aegis scooted just a bit closer to him and threw a scowl at Rarity, who had been lingering just a little bit too long outside the door to Sugarcube Corner and not-so-subtly craning her ears to try and pick up on some juicy new gossip.

“It’s not like I can lie, you can sense energy too,” Nova groused.

As Rarity gave him an offended look and stepped into the confectionary cafe, Aegis snorted.  “True, but I was being courteous.  Anyway, Nova, did you even want to be here tonight?”

“I…”  He nodded, but it was slow, as though he didn’t quite believe it, or know whether it was true.  “I… did, after a bit.”

“After a bit?”

“I didn’t want to.  Not at first,” he admitted softly.  “But… I was having fun there, after a while.”

“You needed it.”

“Yeah,” Nova nodded.  “I really did.  I’ve just been trying to do everything lately.  Training Gleam, study the Alicorn Amulet, teach at Twilight’s school, do my job as a High Noble, do my job as the Archmage…”

“That’s never a good thing,” Aegis gave him a stern look.  “I know it’s hard, Nova.  I can’t begin to imagine what it’s like.  But you can’t do everything.  No one can.  You’re going to have to decide what you want to do most and pursue that.”

“I just wish I had more time…”

“Don’t we all,” Aegis muttered, just loud enough for him to hear.  “I think that’s part of the beauty of it though.”

“Not having enough time?” Nova asked, sounding skeptical.  “How’s that a beautiful thing?”  Aegis supposed he couldn’t blame Nova for feeling that way.  How to put this without being patronizing…?

“No one has enough time,” Aegis shook his head.  “Even when you do what you want, there’s always something else to do after, innit?”

“Celestia and Luna have enough time,” Nova spat.

“What about Twilight or Cadance?”

“Not immortal,” Nova shook his head.  “Neither is Flurry Heart.  They’ll get to enjoy normal lifespans, maybe longer ones than normal, but they’re as mortal as everyone else.  No, only the ancient alicorns got to be immortal.”

“And look how they ended up,” Aegis added, silently thankful that they’d somehow managed to segue back to the point.  “Gone like everyone else.  Like I said, no one has all the time in the world.  Just means the individual moments matter more.”

Nova snorted.  “Did you read that off a fortune cookie?”

“No,” Aegis elbowed him, glad that Nova wasn’t serious.  He must never know… “Believe it or not, there’s some ways that I’m kinda jealous of you, you know?”

“Really,” Nova grumbled, rolling his eyes.  “You’re jealous of someone who won’t even live to be 30.  Now I know you’re just saying–”

“Shut up, for fuck’s sake, and let me finish,” Aegis snapped.  Nova gave him a frosty look, but he did as asked all the same.  “Look, no one knows when the end is, right?  Some of us die young, others live to be a hundred fifty and decrepit.  Some of us die peacefully, others die tragically.  But none of us knows when it’s coming.  No one except you, by the look of things.”

“And the terminally ill, and the ponies who commit suicide, and the–”

“For the love of Harmony, stop taking my point out of context and just take it for what it is!” Aegis snarled at him.  “If you want to keep feeling bad about things and jamming jade-colored glasses into your eyes, then I can’t stop you, but at least try to let us help you.”

Following that, Nova fell silent.  The only sounds that they listened to were the running water of the fountain, the occasional babble from the Poisoned Apple whenever the door swung open, the clip-clop of hooves on the stone as ponies went about their nightly business, and the occasional whistle of the winds.

Nova must feel right at home.  Never met a pony so attached to a bit of a breeze as him.

“I needed to hear that,” he finally admitted.

“Yeah, you did.”

“You know, I don’t think I’ve ever told you,” he smiled wryly.  “You remind me of an old friend of mine.”

“That Captain, right?” Aegis asked.  Yeah, Nova had told him about this.  How he had the same coat and mane color.  How coincidental, having grey and black.  Truly a one-of-a-kind combination.

“He said things I needed to hear, too.  And he also wasn’t afraid to get rough with me.”

“Can’t imagine why.  Must have been your sparkling personality back then.”

Nova couldn’t help but chuckle at that one.  That was good.  He was finally lightening up.

“Really, though,” Nova continued softly.  “I needed you and him both for different reasons at different times, and here you are, still giving me the bitter pills to swallow.”

“Cruel to be kind,” Aegis nodded.  “Lord Star Swirl seems to believe you can save yourself from… your thing.  I just want you to be happy, one way or the other.  And I know it scares you,” he added before Nova could cut in, “but… I just want you to be able to make your curtain call feeling content, with no regrets.”

“Curtain call?” Nova asked, arching an eyebrow.  “You make it sound like it’s all just some show.”

“You act like it’s all just some show.”

“Touche.”

“Now come on,” Aegis got back to his hooves and offered a hoof down to the Archmage and pulled him to his own hooves.  “We’re gonna go back in, and we’re gonna enjoy the rest of the evening.  You’ll take a load off, and you’ll have a good time, alright?  Tomorrow’s troubles can wait until then.”

“Yeah,” Nova nodded, brushing off his kit.  “Alright.  Let’s go.”

They trotted back to the bar, and Aegis was pleased with how things had gone.  Sure, everyone knew it was going to take a long time to get Nova back to normal, but hopefully Nova took what he had said to heart.  Not to mention, rest was an important part of anyone’s life, not just those who weren’t made into important ponies like archmages.  Even if it was just for one more night, it was good that Nova could come into a place where he was always welcome, sit among friends that always loved having him around, and just enjoyed food, drink, sport, and pleasurable company.

Unfortunately for Nova, fate had one more nasty surprise for him when they stepped back inside.

“WHAT DO YOU MEAN WE BLEW A 3-GOAL LEAD IN UNDER TEN MINUTES!?”

Also unfortunately, Aegis too.

“HARRY MANE SENT OFF FOR THAT!?  HE’S BARELY TOUCHED HIM!  THAT’S BOLLOCKS!”

But still, it was the sentiment that counted.