The Price of Power
It would have been inaccurate to say that Twilight Sparkle was trying to run away from her problems. She was actually trying to fly away from them. In the Age of Harmony, such speed would have allowed her to outpace anything Equus could offer. Twilight desperately hoped that she would be fast enough to escape the nightmare that her life had become.
The problem she faced was not totally new. As a young filly, she had been inspired by the crime stories in the penny dreadfuls her brother was not supposed to have. When sandpaper on the forehooves proved inadequate to crack the antique safe her parents couldn't open, she cast a sense enhancing spell on herself. As much as she tried, she could not unhear the sudden roar from the boost in hearing. She could not unsee the creepy crawlies revealed by boosted vision. She could not untaste the yuck that would normally go unnoticed. She could not unsmell the scent of everything, living or dead, around her. She could not unfeel everything touching her.
With all of her senses overloaded, she had given herself the mother of all headaches that lasted long after the spell had worn off. Undaunted, she had accepted the pain as the price of learning. In time she had mastered the spell, but she had also learned her limits. She knew she would pay dearly if she used the spell for more than five minutes at a time.
What she now experienced was like the spell cast on top of the spell cast on top of the spell. Unlike the spell, she knew of no way to turn this off. She had lost track of how many times she had flown around the globe. She felt fortunate that she still had the presence of mind to vary both heading and altitude in her search for respite. The chilly heights of the stratosphere were calm enough, but she could not stay aloft forever. She had to find some place where she could land, some place where it would be quiet enough for her to properly think.
Although there was a plethora of uninhabited places on the planet, the sounds of wildlife, even insects, were enough to set her teeth on edge. This left just two places, the northern wastes and the southern wastes. In the end, she chose the northern. They were closer to what was home.
Twilight touched down in the middle of a snow flurry. She whispered, "All right. First priority is shelter. Let's start with a shield spell to keep warm while I figure out what to do."
Looking around, she said, "This place is beautiful. I never knew that ice could form in sheets like that; they almost look like glass walls." She paused for a moment. "I could do that. I could make a castle out of ice." she shook her head. "Bad Twilight. Survival first, architecture later.
"Let's take things from the top. Cut out a block of snow."
Twilight focused her attention on one of the white patches. Nothing happened. She went cross-eyed with concentration. There was no discernable effect.
"That's strange," she said. "The shield spell is working, why won't telekinesis work?"
The weight of snow pushed her bangs over her eyes. "Ack! Now my shield spell has gone out!" She brushed her mane out of her eyes. It slumped back down. She pushed her mane back again. This time, she kept her hoof there. "Wait. It's freezing out here; I can see my breath. Why don't I feel that cold?"
She gasped. "It must be hypothermia! Quick! Hayburner's Hoof Heater!" After a brief moment of concentration, she breathed a sigh of relief. "There. That should hold me for a while."
Twilight put her hoof down. "Strange. The snow should be melting a lot faster. Maybe I need a little more light."
Nothing happened.
"Come on! Even a foal can get her horn to light."
Nothing happened.
"My magic! What's wrong with my magic?" Twilight concentrated as hard as she could on a basic unicorn exercise. It was a simple tuning spell, one to make the horn resonate.
Nothing happened.
"Think, Twilight. You have all the clues in front of you. When you eliminate the impossible, you'll be left with the truth, no matter how improbable."
She sighed. "Let's see. Simple spells aren't working. Horn won't light. Diagnostic shows no resonance. That's it! There's no magic! Wait. I have no magic?"
She gasped. "I. Have. No. Magic. No. No! NO! NOOOOO!" In anguish, she slammed her forehooves to the ground. The shock wave could be felt even on the other side of the world.
Watchtower:
Batmare looked at the readings from the sensor logs. Doctor and Twilight had adapted the equipment gifted to them by Team Flash and had improved on it. Now, the planet was under surveillance by the League's sensor network. Looking up, she said, "Twilight is here; we've accounted for everything else that could be moving that fast."
With a wave of her hoof, she brought up a projection of the planet. A red dot appeared a short distance from the North Pole.
"The northern wastes?" asked Canary. "What can we do when we find her? She's faster than Rainbow Dash."
"Almost as fast," replied Dash. "When the Speed Force kicks in, I'm the fastest thing alive."
"Focus, Dash!" Lantern punched the wall for emphasis. "WE NEED TO SAVE MY SISTER!"
Sheepishly, Dash replied, "Sorry, Spike. I'm as worried as you are, and thinking about something else is the only thing keeping me sane." She frowned when she looked at the mark on the globe. "This is a problem. It's super cold out there, so I can't stay there very long."
"I'll go," said Lantern. "She is my sister, and the cold isn't a problem for me. The ring protects me even in outer space."
"I'll go with you," said Marevel. "You'll need backup, and I'm as strong as she is."
Lantern spun and pointed his ring at Marevel. "No one's harming Twilight on my watch!"
Arrow said calmly, "Are you the brother or the hero" You need to choose. We promised we would do whatever was necessary to safeguard the planet."
Lantern lowered his ring. "Sorry, everypony. You're right."
Marevel said, "She's our friend, Spike. We'll do everything we can to bring her back safe."
Arrow added, "We'll do everything in our power to save her."
Spike's mouth formed a grim line. "She is my sister. I swear I will do whatever needs to be done."
Batmare said, "Together, we can save her."
"And will keep the property damage to a minimum," quipped Sweetie. "After all, what's of value out in the wasteland?"
Spike couldn’t help but smile. “You’re right. For once, we'll do things right.”
Arrow turned his attention to the sensor logs from the coronation while time-indexed slow-motion video of the event looped. "I just don't know what went wrong," he muttered.
Canary gently placed a hoof on his withers. "No offense, Blue Blood, but this takes someone with postdoctoral studies in magical theory. With Twilight missing, where are we going to find one?"
Arrow huffed in frustration when the door opened. Garble walked in, yawning widely while scratching himself with both hands. He said, "Look at what the manticore dragged in. Was your stupid pony princess party that boring?"
The other members of the League eyed him hungrily.
"Wait. Why are you all looking at me like that?"
The League looked over to the monitor where the event log scrolled as the video played the corresponding parts of the event.
The dragon's voice and expression changed to Star Swirl's. "Impossible. Nopony should know that spell." Looking over to Arrow, he asked, "What happened?"
Arrow replied, "Sir! I'm glad you are here! As you can see, we need the assistance of an expert in magic."
Starswirl nodded and approached the monitor as Arrow rewound the video to the start of Celestia's spell. As the video started to play, Garble took control and sauntered toward the kitchen. He snarled, "No, no, no! Forget it, old pony! We are not going to stand around watching some boring ceremony."
Batmare blocked his way. "Look. We're trying to hold up our end of the deal. Twilight Sparkle is the one who made the most progress on your research. If you don't help her, you can say goodbye to any chance of going back to normal."
Garble groaned and looked back angrily at the League. “Fiiine! But I am not doing anything until I get my coffee!! Boiling, with three creams, six sugars, and a sprinkle of aged Abyssinian amber!”
The rest of the League groaned and rolled their eyes as Lantern went to get the order. With his oversized mug in hand, Garble settled into his chair and loudly slurped his drink, taking his time to savor every drop. Time seemed to drag until he finally tilted his head back and lapped the last of the drink. Setting the mug on an end table, he said, "Fine. Let's get this over with."
The recording started from the beginning of the ceremonies. Garble theatrically slumped over and snored, keeping an eye cracked open as the pomp and speeches played. Through all of Garble's acting, Star Swirl carefully took in every detail.
The two explosions played out at normal speed. Garble sat up abruptly, awed at the spectacle. Star Swirl seized control. "Freeze video!"
“Do you have any idea of what happened?” asked Canary.
“A tragedy. We can fix this, but we need to recover her magic."
“Recover her magic?” asked the Arrow.
The dragon's body flared with magic. He was now clad in his red and gold costume. Magic Storm said, "Her body couldn't handle the full power of the sun and the full power of her alicorn magic as the same time. Something had to leave, or they would tear her apart." Gesturing at the console, he asked, "Can this thing track her magic?"
Batmare replied, "Yes. All five princesses' magic signatures are in the database."
Magic Storm said, 'Find Twilight Sparkle's magic. It should be concentrated somewhere. Get it back, or we'll never be able to restore her."
Arrow said, "We'll find it, I promise."
Lantern added, "Marevel, you're with me. We'll go talk to Twilight while the others track her magic."
Magic Storm said, "I need to have a talk with my former students. If you do find Twilight Sparkle in the northern wastes, do not try to bring her back. It's one of the few places she can find peace." With that, he hurried to the teleporter room.
Canterlot Castle:
The structural damage had been repaired in a burst of alicorn magic. At first glance, the carnage Twilight Sparkle had left behind had disappeared. The hard part, however, had to be done the old-fashioned way, lest the structural integrity spells holding the repairs together be disrupted before they could take full effect. While Cadance had gone out to reassure the populace, Celestia and Luna led by example, taking brooms and mops in their telekinetic fields as an army of servants joined them on the stage.
A pegasus guard on patrol cried out, "Dragon incoming!" He flew to intercept as the other guards moved to meet the threat.
A wall of guards surrounded Magic Storm as he touched down in front of the princesses. Celestia looked over the intruder with a touch of suspicion until her gaze settled on his eyes. "Master!" she exclaimed. Turning to the guards, she said, "Stand down. He's a friend."
“What did you do, Celestia?” asked Star Swirl angrily.
"I thought I was transferring some of my knowledge and my feel for the sun. I just wanted to teach her how to move the moon and stars, that's all!"
"I swear, Master. We've been studying this spell for months!" added Luna.
Magic Storm frowned. “So, this is all you intended?”
Celestia nodded. "Yes. She already had the power to move the sun and the moon; she just needed the keys to doing it. I was trying to send her a memory of the feeling. I was trying to send her a gravity spell."
Magic Storm sighed. "I believe you. This is more troubling than you can imagine."
"Master?" asked Celestia.
Magic Storm replied, "I need to trace through as see exactly what you did."
Nodding, Celestia said, "Let's go to the medical wing."
In short order, Celestia was on an examination table. Luna watched as wild magic danced over Magic Storms claws. A lightning-like bolt leapt over to the tip of Celestia's horn. Starting with the most recent, images of the spells she had used were projected. A mop moved, picking up the last of the dust. Broom and dustpan gathered small bits of debris. Walls, stage, and other structures pulled themselves back together and waited for the bonds to solidify. Lantern was caught and brought down for a safe landing. Healing spells repaired injuries that would have killed an ordinary pony. The ghost of a golden sun poured into a hapless alicorn.
Magic Storm gasped, "It can't be!"
The alicorns asked, "Master? What is it?"
"Forbidden knowledge. It's a spell that should have been forgotten, one made long before my time by desperate unicorns."
"What do you mean?" asked Luna.
"The road to success is littered with failures," said Magic Storm. "Before unicorns mastered the art of celestial mechanics, this spell was created. Things went horribly wrong, but the unicorns learned from it, just as they learned from all of their other failures."
Magic Storm turned to Celestia. "That brings us to the issue at hand. Where did you learn a spell that can do no pony good?"
Celestia replied, "Master, I swear I've never even heard of that spell before. The only spell I tried to transfer was the gravity spell."
Magic Storm nodded. "Since you are telling the truth, there is only one possible explanation. I need to probe your mind to see where it came from."
Celestia gulped. "Master?"
"It's the only way we can find out who is responsible. It's the only way we can save Twilight Sparkle."
Clearly shaken, Celestia nodded. Magic Storm extended his claws. The wild magic shot out like a lightning bolt. Celestia's eyes rolled back while she twitched and trembled. Luna watched with concern.
It was the longest minute of Celestia's life. Visibly shaken, she gave a sigh of relief when it was over.
“Master?” asked Celestia weakly.
Magic Storm shook his head in disbelief.
“What did you see inside Tia’s head?” asked Luna.
"It's just as I feared. It's mind control on a level beyond anything I've ever encountered. I saw exactly what she was thinking. She truly believed she was sending the gravity spell, but someone overwrote memory of that spell with the solar transfer spell."
Looking at Celestia, he said, "I'm sorry I doubted you, my student. It's clear you were every bit as much a victim as Twilight."
"That can't be possible," said Luna. "How could anypony replace a memory seamlessly? There should have been some hint that something was wrong."
"I have heard of one capable of such things," said Magic Storm. "It is ancient, beyond even the dawn of pony history. I had thought it had left the planet until a few months ago when I met someone from the distant past, Clove, or Sorceress as she now calls herself."
Celestia growled, "Master Mind."
“Yes.”
“Then how do we find him?” asked Luna.
Magic Storm shook his head. “I don’t know. The only creatures who have seen him in person are his students: Clove, Grogar, and Lady Catrina.”
“GROGAR?”
Magic Storm nodded, visibly worried. “Those three are extremely dangerous beings by themselves. I cannot imagine what will happen now that they've teamed up with Master Mind.”
Forest of Tambelon, Grogar’s lair:
Grogar had never been a morning person, until now. Now that Master Mind had come to take charge, Grogar found himself little to do. All of his grand schemes had just been a small part of Master Mind's plans. With Master Mind taking personal charge of the minions, every moment in his lair was another reminder of his insignificance. He absolutely hated it, and he was not shy about taking it out on his minions. He could see they were now taking great pains to avoid him. He had finally admitted to himself that it was no longer worth the effort. Now, he left early in the morning just to avoid them.
Tirek breathed a sigh of relief when he entered the dining room for a late breakfast. With both masters absent, he actually had a chance for a quiet breakfast. He mumbled, "Morning."
Chrysalis nodded in acknowledgment as she sipped a large glass of fruit juice while Sombra gave a quick wave before returning to his plate of scrambled eggs. Tirek walked past them to get to the stove. He threw a handful of beans into the coffeepot and set it on top of the burner.
The smell of wet fur assaulted his nostrils before a large bear sauntered in. From its head, a caterpillar cheerfully said, "Good morning, big fella! How about starting off the day with something stronger than coffee?"
Every creature in the room turned to face the bear. They tried not to show their dismay at the prospect of yet another indignity that the caterpillar was sure to inflict.
“What do you want?” asked Tirek.
“Harry?” said the caterpillar.
The big bear groaned and placed a pawful of crystals in front of the centaur. They glowed seductively, bathing Tirek with their glow.
“What?”
"Can't you smell it? It's pure magic, straight from my collection," said Master Mind. "Right now, I need you, and I know you need magic. Do we have a deal?"
Skeptically, Tirek asked, "What sort of deal do you have in mind?"
Chrysalis added, "Yeah. Last time I did a job for you, I nearly got killed!"
Master Mind replied, "You can hardly blame me when Sorceress warned you not to try feeding from that dragon. The Pillars of Equestria are not to be underestimated."
Chrysalis blushed and looked away.
“Okay, you have a point,” said Tirek. “What’s the job?”
“I need you to take down a metapony but you’re not strong enough, not yet,” replied the Master Mind. “It's not that bad, is it?”
“It's perfect!” Tirek smiled. “Give me the magic!”
“It's all yours, and there's more where that came from,” said the caterpillar.
Greedily, Tirek swallowed one of the crystals. The effect was almost instantaneous. He could feel his power surge as his frame and muscles grew in response to the influx of magic. He savored the second and the third, but he left the fourth alone.
Master Mind said, "Don't be shy; I've got plenty more."
Tirek replied, "Thank you for your generosity, but my beloved teacher warned me about the dangers of consuming too much magic."
Master Mind nodded. "Of course. Caterina was one of my students, after all. Her research in magic transferal was groundbreaking. You're quite right about consuming too much magic at once. The results can be . . . messy."
Tirek looked at the caterpillar and nodded slowly. “Oh, right, not too much at once. If it's all right with you, I'll have more tomorrow.”
"I'll make sure you have three more crystals in the morning. When you're ready, you'll be in for a treat. You won't believe the magic that I have for you." The caterpillar smiled. "Come on, Harry, I still have errands to run."
The bear roared and left with the caterpillar still on his head.
“Are you sure you can trust him?” asked Chrysalis.
“I can’t, so I am preparing my contingency plans. Still, free magic is free magic.
“Just keep your eyes open,” warned Sombra. “Remember, even Grogar can't figure out what the worm is trying to do.”
Chrysalis added, "Whatever it is, it's got to be something big."