//------------------------------// // Prologue: Notes of a Knowledge Seeker // Story: The Legacy of Magic // by Solaris Rin Ursa //------------------------------// Entry Number 371: It's been awhile since I've done one of these... although I have been busy experimenting with the dark arts again, very dangerous business that magic is. But back to why I'm making this entry, Discord the Ruler of Equestria mistook his power for what it was not and like many before him underestimated the sisters of the sun and moon. Like every other time the power of their foe has been too great for their soldiers to handle they brought in those mysterious gems that they call The Elements of Harmony. It was over before he knew it, in a flash he was turned to a statue... I have no idea why but I guess it's just how it goes, some are sent to Tartarus and others have their fates worse off by having their punishment something related to who they are. But in this case that could have been anything with Discord being the Lord of Chaos. Although I do admit that his fate is quite ironic in more ways than one. On a side note I don't know why so many think that they can straight up challenge the beings that have defeated so many before them, maybe they think they might be the lucky ones that finally defeat the sisters and their pony empire but either way they are all fools for doing so. As for me I am content to stay here in my hiding place recording my thoughts, and doing my magical research. Entry Number 457: Well, that is a change of pace and probably the last true fight these ponies will get for a long time to come. The Sister of the Moon challenged her Sister of the Sun for reasons unknown to me. But nonetheless the sisters are fighting now and it doesn't seem like it's going to stop any time in the near future. Other than that I have figured out that Necromancy, or otherwise known as the magic of the dead is not the best dark magic to learn... it seems to want to corrupt you just as the flesh on the bones of the dead you raise. Although it would be interesting to find a worthy specimen to see what this corruption does to one's body and soul, let alone mind. Entry Number 462: It seems that the Sister of the Moon has stopped the sun from rising in the east, this has thrown the entirety of Equestria into darkness. Not that I'm complaining quite on the contrary, the light of the sun always burned my eyes and makes it hard to work with some dark magics. On another note it seems that a shadow is more than just you being projected on the ground by the light. I have found a way with some very complex magic -that I will not go into detail for if someone finds these notes and or steals them from me, they will not be able to use the magic I have spent decades perfecting- to turn my shadow into a perfect copy of me, although it can't use magic and only had the physical attributes of me it is still a great discovery nonetheless. I will be studying this to see if I can improve on this spell any further, who knows I might be able to get it to use magic. Entry Number 483: This War -if you can call it that- between the Sister of the Sun and Moon has been going on for longer than I thought it would. The Pony Empire has fallen into a sort of civil war state and the blood shed has just began. It seems that what started out just a stupid fight between sisters has caught headway with the people and the infighting has become out of control. Although the Sister of the Moon does not seem to be trying to stop, quite on the contrary it seems she welcomes her new found army and is using it to try and overthrow her sister. My research has been met with a metaphorical brick wall once again. It seems that to fully alter my shadow into another me that is capable of it's own thought as well as using magic needs a large assortment of animation spells as well as a means to give it coherent thought. So I guess it's time to try and find another project to work on, luckily for me I found a suitable subject to experiment with the necromancy mentioned in Entry Number 457. I think his name was Sombra... yes I think that was it. Entry Number 484: It seems that my choice of test subjects was fairly misplaced, he keeps rambling on about being a king and losing his empire to the sisters. I have not heard of this event but from the looks of it, if they used the elements on him like he said he was not hit by the full power of them. Though he is severely weakened and is unable to use most of his magic at this time. Sadly I can not see use of him in my experiments, for he is not of sound body, mind, or soul so any data i get would be unrecognizable of any change. Furthermore this means I need to find another project to work on yet again. Only time will tell -which I have a lot of it seems- whether or not I find something to work on that interests me. Entry Number 498: I was going through a tomb up in the Yakyakistan mountains just last week when I came across a personal study of some kind. There were many books in there and most of them reeked of magic, but the most interesting part of all was that a good few had a hint of dark magic. It will take me some time to decipher these texts but that does not bother me in the least. When I got back I found out that this so called King Sombra was still in my abode. I asked him why he didn't leave and he just replied. "I have nowhere else to go, I am a king without a people to rule and a mage without his magic, so I see no reason to try." This only confirmed that he has either given up on life or will soon fall into the pit called revenge. He continued to talk and asked me why I hide away in this dark place even though I am easily just as powerful as he was in his prime, I only answered with the truth. "Power? You have it all wrong I have no power. Power is a concept that describes the difference between the strong and the weak, and I recognize that everyone is strong but weak in their own rights. I only have what has been given to me, what I make with my own two paws and the knowledge that I have collected. So why should I go out and forsake all my knowledge for something as dumb as exerting my so called Power?" Entry Number 513: The texts I have deciphered have a very interesting type of magic that i would love to work with but I have no idea where to begin. It looks like a way to tap into the natural magic running through the world to power your spells, which in return makes it to where you are only limited to what your magic output is. Many have theorized that this is how Discord and the sisters use their magic but there is only one way to find out, and hopefully I will have my chance soon enough. Entry Number 517: As always I have run into a metaphorical wall, and it seems I will not be able to go any further into the texts that I have deciphered. A good number of them came out to be random bits and pieces of a multitude of spells and that leave a great deal missing on how to use any of them, and sadly this includes the magic I mentioned in Entry Number 513. I do not know who wrote these but it seems they were just as cautious a I, they have gained my respect of their ability to keep their magic a secret even though they are long since dead. Other than my research Sombra left about three and a half days ago. Although not entirely unwelcome his type of magic was one I would've liked to look into. Entry Number 530: Well it seems like the so called War is over between the sisters. although I have not dared to go out and find the results like I usually do when it comes to this stuff, it seems that the sister of the sun has won this battle. My work is now under way on a very interesting type of magic that my friend Star Swirl was working on, he left it to me to finish after his death and I completely forgot about it. I found the papers on it stuffed in my desk... time to see if I'm missing anything else that i might have been working on these past few decades. Entry Number 539: Well yesterday was one of those days I wonder if I should be grateful nothing bad happened, or preparing for this hole thing to turn around and get me killed. As usual I was working on one of my projects -luckily it was not one of my dark magic ones- and I heard a knocking at my front door. I usually don't get visitors unless I bring them here myself and the only one that would go to such lengths to visit was Star Swirl, and he is dead now. I was surprised and I'll admit scared to find it was none other than the sister of the sun herself standing in my doorway when I opened it to see who it was. I welcomed her inside -not like I could turn her away- and lead her to my fireplace where she then took a seat. After she got settled in and warmed up from the cold of the snowy mountain she had to go through to get here, I got straight to the point and asked why she was here. She told me she was here for some of Star Swirl's research and after she found a bit of info on me in his study in her old castle she figured I would have it. I told her that I did have some of his research and I would have to go get it from my study down the hall. She nodded and I went on my way to find what she came her for if only to get her out of my fur before it became a problem. After a while of looking around to find the papers she wanted in my study, I returned to find her half asleep. As much as it bugged me to have her stay in my home longer than what was necessary it was almost night time and the cold would only get worse from this point forward till morn. I then gave her the papers and told her that I will let her stay the night as long as she does not leave this room without permission, to which she agreed and promptly fell asleep where she lie. The next morning she thanked me for my kindness and left out the front door with a small smile on her muzzle and the papers she asked for and said that she would come back to visit some time when she had the chance. Entry Number 557: Star Swirl left me a lot of research and other spells he was working on but one particular spell has caught my eye. From the way it was made it seems like he was making some type of portal or teleportation spell, although it also has some components that seems to be meant for bending something. It is incomplete at the moment but from the notes that came with the diagram for the spell I should be able to finish it, or at least I hope I will. Entry Number 563: I have completed the spell that I mentioned in Entry Number 557 and I will be testing it tomorrow. I don't know what will happen when I use this spell but the protection spells I have in place should be enough to stop anything from going wrong... I hope. I also got a visit from the sister of the sun this week and she seemed interested in getting me to take take the place of Star Swirl as the courts magic expert. I told her I would think on this offer and to come back next week for her answer, hopefully by then I will be done with this spell and have made my decision. Twilight let out a yawn as she finished up reading the last paragraph of the book she found. She was sitting in Princess Celestia's personal study as she usually does when she visits Canterlot and has a bit of free time to herself. Twilight looked at the clock hanging above the small fireplace to check the time only to discover it was now 10pm and she had spent the last four hours in here. Then closing the book and taking a good long look at the plain deep sky-blue cover that had only one word on it. The word in question was Cerulean It seemed to be a name of some kind but she has not heard of it, nor has she ever seen this particular book in Celestia's study before. Twilight then got up and walked back over to the bookshelf and place it where she got it from. "This pony -or whatever he is- seemed to know a lot about what was going on back then. That and what happened to him? From the look of his last entry he was testing a spell of some kind. Hmm... I'm going to have to ask Celestia about this book, but at the same time it's getting rather late." Twilight stood there for a while debating on whether she should do that tonight or wait till in the morning until her train of thought was interrupted by another yawn. "I'll go and see her in the morning I need some sleep or pretty soon I won't be able to think straight, let alone be able to hold a full blown conversation." Twilight then tidied up what little mess she made and turned off the light's before she left the study. She moved down the halls of the Canterlot Castle to find the comfort of her own bed, and all the while as she walked down those hallways to her guest room one thought was tingling in the back of her brain... he knew Star Swirl the Bearded.