Twilight bit her lip. The crunching of branches beneath her hooves now bothered her immensely. How had she ever manage to tune it out before?
"Starswirl, you've never seen petrification like this before?"
Silence. Starswirl seemed to acknowledge the question with a movement of his head, but it could have been a trick of the eye.
"I sure haven't," Starlight offered. She gave her mentor a strained smile. "And I've studied magic just about as long as Twilight has."
"It is a puzzling thing," Starswirl said. The tail of his cloak had become dirtied and sullen by the black soot covering the forest floor. Small holes had torn in the fabric as battle scars from sharp twigs and roots. Even still, he pressed on, leading the studious mares ever deeper into the bowels of the woods.
"It is as you said, Twilight—whether cast by a pony or a cockatrice, all petrification in Equestria follows the same laws of magic. It is magical imprisonment, designed to hold a creature in a sustained state of limbo. To see no signs of life from these statues is to see something that goes against all that we know."
"Leave it to Discord," Starlight sighed. "Petrification must work differently in whatever dimension this thing came from. That much is clear. My question is, why isn't it being forced to follow our dimension's rules of magic now that it's here?"
Starswirl's horn ignited and toppled a fallen tree from their path.
"Our minds are as one, Starlight. I am pondering the very same thing," he said with a nod. "In most circumstances, you would likely be correct. A creature's powers should be impacted upon entering another dimension. When my companions and I banished the sirens from our realm, we did so with this in mind. We hoped they would become powerless in their new home, which we believed had no magic."
"Twilight never did give me the finer details of that fight," Starlight replied. "How did you select the dimension you did? Did you know from the start that it wouldn’t have magic?"
Starswirl audibly hummed in thought. His horn began removing even slightly precarious branches from their path, now.
"The timing was rather impeccable. When Stygian found me, I had already been researching what little information there was regarding other dimensions and realms of reality. Back then, this consisted largely of theorems and hypotheses—no tangible spells or detailed records for bridging worlds in a controlled environment had ever been conceived. Clover the Clever once utilized a portal to pursue a foe, but because the portal could never be found, this was anecdotal information at best. Naturally, I only saw this as a challenge."
A foalish squeak of glee came from Twilight. Starlight restrained her giggle.
"I developed a spell and faced the sirens with my companions," Starswirl went on. "I knew my spell would work, but I wasn't sure it would lead to a world without magic. I hoped, but I did not know."
"How likely did you think it was?" asked Twilight. "And, if you don't mind me asking, how did you come to that conclusion?"
They entered a thinner patch of trees. The sun baked the desecrated ground, though there were no longer any plants to drink the ray's nutrients.
"Thereafter, I began experiments to deduce how common magic was in other realms. With no focal point with which to anchor my spell, it opened to various dimensions with every casting, providing a convenient testing ground. I must have opened hundreds of portals—peered into hundreds of different worlds, using a vortex as a window."
Twilight bit her lip again. To think, her idol, flawlessly executing the scientific method.
"What was the ratio you found?" she asked again.
Starswirl grunted. "In regards to the sirens, I grew more confident in the gamble I took. But in regards to the greater possibilities of otherworldly travel, my excitement was crushed. Across hundreds of realities I saw no evidence of magic. Magic appeared—rather, appears—to be exceedingly rare in the grand scheme of the multiverse."
The sound of decayed, crunching twigs dominated the conversation again for a time.
"Returning to the matter at hoof," the sorcerer eventually picked up, "this world, the one Discord has so exhaustively connected us with appears to be the exception to my findings. It does have magic, and that is why all my previous observations are useless to us. I do not know how two separate worlds of magic will interact with each other because it has never happened before."
"Sound like it's time to take notes then," said Starlight. "These portals came from Discord transporting magical creatures over from another realm, right?"
"That is our current hypothesis," Starswirl replied.
"When Sunset Shimmer and I spent time in the world the sirens were banished to, no rogue portals appeared there or in Equestria," Twilight reasoned aloud. "If your hypothesis is correct, Starswirl, then it stands to reason that when two worlds are connected but one of them has no native magic, there's no risk of unexpected phenomena happening in either."
Starswirl nodded. "A thoughtful deduction, Twilight. Magic is a powerful and often unstable thing. Perhaps when it is introduced to the foreign magic of another dimension, chaos ensues—with or without Discord's tampering."
"Okay, let's tie this all back to what I was saying before about this creature," said Starlight. "Because it traveled to another dimension with magic, it got to keep its powers. But what about the petrification? That still differs between our worlds. Shouldn't our world's laws override the one it came from or something?"
"I cannot proclaim to know for sure," Starswirl admitted. "However, I do know there appear to be exceptions to the rules. Take Discord. Because his magic is intertwined with the bending of reality, itself, he can travel between dimensions and retain his magic regardless of where he ends up."
"Sort of like a self-contained reality that surrounds only Discord at all times," mumbled Twilight. Not a moment passed before Starswirl spun about.
"A brilliant thought, Twilight. Please keep track of that. We must return to it when the realm is no longer in peril."
Twilight squealed again.
"So this thing must have some unknown trait that’s overriding our override," Starlight pieced together. She pined for the wizard's gaze. "That’s about where I’m at so far, but I’m still confused. I’m assuming you have another hypothesis—about this creature’s trait, specifically?"
Starswirl chuckled. He paused to do so, daring to express merriment uncharacteristic of both himself and his surroundings. "I have not had this much fun debating the nature of magic and the mysteries of our universe for a very long time. Truly, I stand before my successors. You are correct, Starlight. I believe there may be a variety of factors that can determine a creature's magic when in other worlds. Most notably, how important a creature's magic is to its survival."
"'To its survival'?" Starlight repeated.
Starswirl nodded. Before his lips could part again, something happened that had not happened since they'd set hoof in these woods. A sound shouted to them in the distance. It was a crash, as if something large, somewhere, had just fallen. Three heads whipped about in response, and Starlight's horn lit on reflex.
"I fear we may need to continue these discussions later," Starswirl said quietly.
Twilight joined her protegee in flexing her horn's light, and the convoy continued their weary trek. Focus on the way ahead resumed as Starswirl continued to blaze a path for them. Again something loud reached out from the depths, an ominous crashing that echoed through the trees.
"We grow closer," murmured Starswirl. "Ready yourselves. We have no idea what this entity is capable of."
"I've seen enough," Starlight replied darkly. Sparks danced off her horn tip. "We'll cover you from behind. You ready, Twilight?"
"Mhmm." Twilight flexed her wings, ready to take flight at a moment's notice. Her precision in an obstacle course of trees had yet to be tested, but she'd learn today if she had to.
The trio came before another small clearing, shrouded in shade. The ancient willows here held such girth, boasted branches that twisted and curled so much that even strands of sunlight struggled to break through them. But it wasn't the trees or the darkness that begged for attention. Past a short set of sprawling roots and the broken skeletons of shrubbery was a figure, lone and still.
Starswirl regarded it with caution, but to Twilight, it was a sight to cause despair.
"Oh, no. Zecora."
Against her company's urgings, Twilight quickly trotted to her friend's side. A contortion of shock and fright gripped the zebra in both body and face as she stared off into the forest canopies. Her once vibrant stripes had melded to gray, matching her coat.
When Twilight opened her mouth, she found herself at a loss for words. She slumped to her haunches, and shortly thereafter her protege's comforting hoof pressed against her back.
"Do not despair yet, Twilight," Starswirl followed up. "It is grim, but the lack of a magical signature does not inherently imply this curse cannot be reversed."
Sniffing, Twilight nodded through a film of tears. Her learned mind knew he was right, but her heart couldn't get past the tragedy in front of her. She bravely faced her idol, who offered a hoof to pull her up.
"We must find the source of this power," Starswirl urged. "We must learn from it so that we can fashion a means to dispel it. In you, I know this is possible. You have done what I thought was impossible more than once before."
Twilight smiled. She briefly hugged the aged stallion, and he returned it, but the tender moment would prove to be short-lived.
"...I don't think we need to look any further for this thing," came Starlight. A shake plagued her tone. "Look at what Zecora was looking at."
Starswirl and Twilight followed the path of the statue's morbid stare and gasped.
Cradled in the dead canopies of the forest was a peculiar, egg-shaped object. Coal-black in color, a pattern of diamonds crested it in three sets of three, stretching vertically along its casing. It was colossal, easily the size of a small house, and appeared to have already caused a serious strain on the trees holding it up. Shattered wood laid beneath it, crumbs from the bending, breaking nest of branches.
Starswirl stepped forward, and he silently signaled the mares to follow him. With absolute care they circled the object, observing it from all sides before meeting back where they started. Unsure glances were exchanged.
"What is it, an egg?" Starlight asked. "Bon Bon described some kind of flying beast. I wasn't hearing things, right?"
Starswirl said nothing. His horn lit up, and a familiar scan of magic bathed the tree and the object. From behind his cloak, Twilight winced and held her breath, as if expecting something to happen.
"My magic cannot penetrate it, but I am sensing something powerful," Starswirl said. His racing heart became apparent in his widened eyes. "Egg or no, that is indeed the entity we're looking for. I am certain of it."
"Maybe it's sleeping?" Starlight put out. "Could it be curled up in there?"
"Maybe petrifying the forest took a lot out of it," Twilight suggested. She looked to Starlight, who nodded. "You said it might have acted like a frightened animal, Starswirl. If it lashed out in an unfamiliar environment after coming to our world, it would likely retreat somewhere safe to rest afterward."
"Of course," Starswirl replied. "The fact that it did not immediately return through the portal it came through is evidence of animalistic intelligence. At any rate, this is an optimal situation for us. We should report back to the princess, set up a teleportation key to this point. I must study this creature more closely, and from here, we can better keep an eye on it until—"
"Why thank you for those insights, Starswirl. You always did enjoy being the voice of exposition."
A deep, mocking tone came from seemingly all directions. While the twin mares aimed their horns around the clearing, Starswirl found himself rekindling long-forgotten anger. From out of the shaded forest stepped a tall, muscular centaur, cracking his neck as he pushed aside the treeline. His beady yellow eyes fell to the sorcerer at once.
"Tirek," Starswirl growled. "I should have expected to find you here, skulking about where there is great magic. What happened? Were the hospitalities of Tartarus not to your liking?"
Flexing his bulging biceps, Tirek sneered. "Couldn't stomach the food—not enough protein for a growing creature like myself. I'm shocked you still walk among us, Starswirl. What's it been, a millennium and a half since you and your kind brainwashed my weak-minded brother? Feels like it was yesterday."
Without warning, a great bolt of white magic shot at Tirek's face. With reflexes like lightning, the centaur captured the attempt from the air and held it in his palm. He smirked as he consumed it.
"To think we've allowed you to acquire this much strength already," the stallion spat. "Where have you obtained this much power in so little time?"
Tirek laughed a sardonic laugh. Outstretching his arms, he stepped around in a circle, motioning to the forest all around them.
"Where else but the untapped reserves of the Everfree?" the centaur sang, his smirk curling to reveal rows of teeth. "I don't know what this creature above us is, or where it came from, but I don't care. It's given me a bonafide buffet of raw magic, and so I must thank my host from the bottom of my cold heart."
The centaur bowed dramatically.
"Are you saying you've been absorbing magic from the creatures here?" Starlight asked, baffled.
"Slow on the uptake, are you?" Tirek mocked, raising a brow. "That's alright, with this fossil as a teacher I'm not surprised."
Starlight's bafflement sharpened to anger, but she held her tongue.
"I can absorb the magic of any living thing," Tirek explained, misplaced pride dripping from his voice. He clenched a fist towards his audience. "I can even absorb the very essence of magical creatures. Cockatrices, manticores, hydras—they are all of them chimeras in their own right, held together by magic. Locked within the warded walls of Tartarus, I could not steal the magic of my fellow inmates, but out here? The buffet is delicious."
"You must have no problem absorbing magic from statues, either."
Stepping forward into clearer view, Twilight stretched her wings. It was then that Tirek's smile fell from his face, and his attention sharpened to a point.
"...an alicorn?" he mumbled. "There is a fourth princess in Equestria?"
It was Twilight's turn to smirk.
"I don't know how long you've been lurking in the shadows, Tirek, but you've got some catching up to do."
An imposing wave of teal magic struck the centaur in the chest, taking him by surprise and knocking him back. His heavy hooves scraped through the dirt and soot, leaving elongated skid marks.
"And even those of us without wings are no pushovers," Starlight said spitefully, her horn already primed for another shot.
"With or without the aide of the Everfree's creatures, you cannot take on all of us in this form," Starswirl declared, priming his own horn. "Your brief reprieve from imprisonment ends here, Tirek."
Tirek scowled. Twisted orange magic enveloped his horns, and he turned his head towards the large, peculiar object. With an invisible hand, he reached into that slick, black exterior, fishing for the source of its power, but nothing emerged. The power to quash an entire woodland sat before him, asleep and ripe for draining, but try as he might, it would not yield.
A pair of lights fired upon him, knocking him further back and away from the creature. He composed himself with a long exhale, sweeping a glance through the ponies closing in on him.
"How unfortunate," he uttered. "I suppose there's no helping it, then."
The sinister orange magic appeared between his horns again, and Tirek clenched his fists. But as he did, the clearing fell into a clamor of noise and motion. More ponies emerged from the trees, perfectly in sync with each other's movements. Like a storm they descended upon him, knocking the wind from him and dissolving his concentration and spell with a sharp series of strikes.
"Rockhoof, secure him!"
"Aye, I'm on it like a helmet on a Viking, Flash!"
"Applejack, close his mouth!"
"Like grapplin' a cragadile fresh outta the pond. Yee-haw!"
In a matter of moments, the centaur was knocked from his hooves, bowled over by the lumbering form of Rockhoof. As he was promptly pinned to the earth, Applejack leaped atop his back, using her lasso to restrain his jaw.
"Cannot drain what you cannot consume, eh, laddie?" Rockhoof taunted, pushing into the centaur's back as a warning. "And if you so much as think about blastin' any of these fine folk, I'm gonna have a real grand time rearrangin' your spine."
Planted in the dirt, Tirek merely scoffed through rope and rolled his eyes.
As the tension in the air began to lax, Starswirl offered a smile to his companions. At once, Mage Meadowbrook and Somnambula embraced him, quickly followed by Mistmane and Flash Magnus.
"How in Equestria did you all know where to find us?" Starswirl asked, bewildered.
"Well, I suppose you could say it was a team effort," Meadowbrook giggled, casting an eye to Pinkie Pie, then Flash. "We were investigating the swamps when we happened upon tracks leading away, back towards the forest. We headed to Rambling Rock Ridge to see what we could make of the situation, and once we knew he was heading here, I was able to navigate us pretty well."
Something sparked in Twilight. With an impulsive jump, she joined Meadowbrook at her side.
"You know how to navigate the Everfree Forest?"
Meadowbrook modestly tilted her head. "Well, a fair bit. The forest and the swamps of my home share a lot of the same properties, bein' independent of weather and such. We also had the occasional hoofprint of Tirek to go by. Why do you ask?"
Twilight grinned. A map popped into existence by her face, floating in a magenta aura.
"I might have an old map that I'd love your help with finishing, sometime."
Meadowbrook giggled again. She took the map and began to look it over with Twilight.
"Starswirl," came Somnambula, beseeching the wizard with eyes still frightened. "We believe Tirek has the power to steal magic even from petrified creatures. He had no other reason to enter the forest."
"Thank you, Somnambula," Starswirl sighed. "We only came to this conclusion, ourselves after hearing as much from him."
He eyed Twilight, lost in a fit of girlish glee. He eyed the statue of her zebra friend, alone a few dozen yards back from the group.
"I suspect Twilight will take solace in this. If Tirek's powers could reach into this creature's victims and pull out their magic, even when my own magic could not detect it, then this petrification should be reversible. We need only find out how."
"And I take it, that is the creature there?"
Starswirl turned to Flash, who gazed up at the imposing, egg-shaped object overseeing them all. Voices among the group paused as ponies shifted their attention to do the same.
"It's huge!" shouted Pinkie, bouncing in place.
"It's kinda cool," Dash admitted, hovering closer before a disapproving Twilight reigned her back in with magic.
"It's rather tacky."
Eyes fell on Rarity. She smiled sheepishly.
"What? Oh, you can hardly see its lovely diamond pattern with all these greys and blacks. What am I supposed to say?"
Starswirl surveyed his company. Twilight's other friends had gathered around the petrified zebra, only now noticing her in the aftermath of their entrance. His own companions took to the mysterious object, circling it from underneath like curious dogs hunting a squirrel.
But the sorcerer's gaze fell elsewhere. It fell on the centaur still subdued by the strongest ponies in their group.
"We must return Tirek to Tartarus," Starswirl said decisively. His horn blew a hole through the very fabric of space to his left, revealing the dark corners of the hellish pit. He eyed the centaur with obvious disdain. "From there we can move on and study this creature. With any luck, we'll find a means to counteract its powers before having Discord send it back from whence it came."
Tirek's eyes lit with righteous fury, but Starswirl had already turned away.
"What were your words, 'how unfortunate'? An apt description of your attempts, Tirek. Not even this creature would entertain your gluttony. Perhaps if you'd considered your younger brother's pleas so long ago you'd not be where you are today."
A low, sinister chuckling challenged that unflinching bravado. By the time Starswirl turned again, a yell signaled an orange body crashing into him. A sharp pain filled his nose as he toppled backward under Applejack. The mare had been tossed from her mount by an arm broken free under Rockhoof's grip.
Enraged, Rockhoof slammed down into Tirek's back with all his might. A loud crack set off a howl to wake the clearing.
Starswirl got to his hooves in time to see the lasso torn from Tirek's snout. The centaur's teeth and the ghoulish smile framing them held strong even through insurmountable pain.
"Unfortunate for me," he rasped, his breaths short and ragged, "but no more fortunate for you, Starswirl."
Starswirl was joined by rushing hooves and horns primed to finish what Rockhoof had begun, but it was too late. An orange beam of light soared from the centaur's horns, streaking past a dozen shocked faces. It collided with the object overhead, spreading along its surface as a wave of electricity.
To Starswirl's horror, the object began to flex and glow, like a cocoon ready to split open.
"I didn't reveal myself to absorb it, you fool. I revealed myself to fool all of you," Tirek chortled, propping himself up on one arm from under Rockhoof's weight. "As soon as I heard you all approaching, babbling on about creatures from other worlds, I realized I may be unable to absorb its powers. So I thought of a new plan. I'll lure you in with some noise and give you a false sense of security."
Starswirl found himself tripping over his robes, Tirek's voice a mere afterthought. A sickly light beckoned from the abyss beyond the cocoon's exterior, bathing the crowd of onlookers in red. From the depths, two piercing eyes of violet emerged, paralyzing all who saw them with dread.
As wings and tail unfolded, a bird-like head extended eagerly into the waking world. It beheld Starswirl and his companions a moment before crowing indignantly, its voice shifting into tones barely hearable by pony ears.
With a wingbeat like a hurricane, the creature left its nest of dead trees. Clawed wings like crashing thunder gripped the earth as it landed, dwarfing the insects before it. It raised its head to herald an ethereal cry, and the forest shook in fear.
"Lads! Lassies!"
As Rockhoof abandoned Tirek in a moment of desperation, the centaur laughed again, cruel and delighted.
"Now comes the part where I unleash this supposed nightmare upon you and watch your hopes crumble."