//------------------------------//
// Chapter V: Recovery 
// Story: The Ancient Arcanist 
// by Histy 
//------------------------------//

With a luxurious red carpet floor, an oak desk perpendicular to the window which spanned the width of the room, and bookshelves at both ends to the right and left of the desk, the Governor’s study within the Western Capital wasn’t as fitting of a place for experiments as my quarters back in Tambelon, but for the sake of the post the Emperor had appointed me to, it would have to do for now.

In the center of the room, I carefully applied energy to the orange crystal in front of me, elevated by a pedestal, monitoring its responses to the influx. Across from it, on another pedestal, sat a purple crystal, still and unresponsive, surrounded by five more orange crystals in addition to the one currently being powered. The hope of this test was the transfer of energy from the orange crystals, the conduits, to the purple, the emitter, and then vice versa, thereby creating a cycle where magic which enters cannot escape unless commanded to. The experiment as a whole, meanwhile, was part of a project I have been working on for the better part of a few years, that being the creation of a magical artifact capable of mimicking the power of the draconeqii and the extinct alicorn, with the ultimate goal of taking down the Emperor and disappearing into obscurity.

“Let’s see if this works…”

As of now, I was in the stage of testing the crystals that had been gathered in previous stages for their durability and their ability to transfer magic.

As I continued to slowly apply energy to a conduit, it began to glow, accepting the energy as its own. Applying more, I began to see the emitter begin to glow slightly as the conduit crystal began to transmit energy to it. 

“So far, so good…” 

Encouraged by these results, I began to transmit energy to the other five conduits. As they glowed, the emitter’s light began to intensify significantly as it obtained energy from all six conduits, which it then released back to them, causing the conduits to brighten as well.

“That’s it…”

Pleased with my work, I ceased transmitting, and watched with satisfaction as the crystals continued to glow in spite of no longer receiving any more of my energy, meaning the cycle of magic between crystals was possible, thereby completing another stage of my grand project. The next was getting them to yield to my command, and after that would be attaching the crystals to an object to keep them from separating, interrupting the cycle, and choosing which object I was going to attach them to in the first place. As I continued monitoring them, I pondered about which object I could attach them to. There were many candidates, and I personally couldn’t really decide which one the crystals should be attached to. Oh well, I’ll cross that bridge when I get to it.

There was also the problem of finding the magic necessary to mimic the power of draconeqii. For that, I had to make Eris an unknowing participant in this project. Fortunately for me, fooling her into giving up her magic wouldn’t take much effort, as she leaves behind large amounts of magical residue whenever she teleports somewhere. So naturally, I just needed to wait until she did just that and absorb the leftovers into the crystals hidden in my clothing. Simple.

With that decided, I stretched, happy with the successful experiment, before turning to the desk to begin a task I was far less enthused to do; writing the weekly report to the Emperor. But just as I sat down, getting the ink and parchment ready, the entire study exploded in a bright flash.





“SCHEIßE!”

After waking with a fright, and believing I was under attack, I jumped out of the bed, snatching my staff from beside it, before pointing it to the perceived threat.

However, upon checking my surroundings, I realized I was not in danger, but safe and sound within the old sun-themed bedroom, now with the evening sun’s rays shining through the window, basking the bedroom with its light. There was no threat.

Sighing at my paranoia, I thought back to what had caused that reaction out of me in the first place, that being the particularly vivid dream I had. I had one prior to this, but I couldn’t dwell on it as I had ponies to worry about. But now that I am alone here, I have all the time in the world to think about it.

Unfortunately though, I couldn’t make heads or tails what these dreams were about, or what was causing them. Considering they only started happening after I escaped Tartarus, I couldn’t rule out the possibility of someone interfering with my dreams, despite how ridiculous that sounded at first glance. But the problem with this theory was that it meant someone was aware of my presence.

But who? The only beings capable of breaching minds to that extent were draconeqii, alicorns, and, god forbid, the Emperor. I shivered at the thought of the last candidate. Even after his defeat, the Emperor remained an almost omnipotent presence in my head.

But with that being said, there was simply no way this theory could be true, as so many things had to come together in order for it to happen. Eris had to come back from the dead, the alicorns had to pop back into existence, and the Emperor had to escape the alternate dimension he was imprisoned in, despite there being no means of escape. There was no way any of them were responsible for these dreams, so whoever, or whatever was causing them remained an enigma to me, that is if there even was someone manipulating them in the first place.

Turning my attention back to my staff, still in my hands, I decided it was time to take a trip to the library I had found the previous night in search of a way to repair it. Keeping my staff as a form of protection just in case I need it, I sent the undamaged conduit crystals back into the pocket dimension, and gathering as much of the shards of the emission crystal as I could and wrapping them up in a piece of cloth I found on the floor, I began my trek to the library.

On the way there, I couldn’t shake the thought of the possibility that there was someone who knew of my existence in some sort of way, which has the potential to completely derail my plans on living a nomadic lifestyle. What kept me on edge was that there was simply no way for me to tell who it was, or if it was all coincidental and I had nothing to worry about.

Regardless of that, repairing the emission crystal and getting my staff back to working condition again was my top priority, no matter if it is for simplifying travel for me or to protect me in case something does end up coming for me.

Arriving at the library after a few minutes of walking, I immediately went to work, setting the crystals on a withered table and searching the shelves for books relating to what I needed. After another few minutes of searching, I found an atlas of magical crystals, and began reading through its contents. Unfortunately, while containing interesting information on the many crystals which exist, it didn’t have what I was looking for. Putting it back on the shelf, I began searching again.

The next book I found was about building magical crystals, but disappointingly, this one also didn’t have any instructions on how to repair shattered crystals. This continued for about an hour, with nearly every book I found on crystals either not having information on how to repair crystals, or if they did, only told how to repair cracked crystals, which wasn’t what I needed.It was starting to get frustrating when something finally caught my attention: The Anatomy of Magical Crystals, by an author whose name was no longer legible. Taking it from the shelf, I flipped open to the index in the front and began skimming past several sections that were just about general knowledge and anatomy, before coming across a section titled ‘Repairing Shattered or Damaged Crystals’.

Jackpot.

Flipping the page, I began looking through the section, committing everything I read to memory, taking mental note of every method of repair there was. In that aspect, the book identified three “tried and true” methods of repairing crystals.

The first was the “wrap and apply” method, which involved wrapping the shattered pieces together and applying an external heat to them every few hours for roughly three weeks. Due to being wrapped, the internal temperature caused by the external heat would become trapped in between the cracks shards, causing them to become more malleable and ending with them fusing back together. This would last two weeks, with the final third week reserved for letting the now repaired crystal cool off. The end result of this method was that the repaired crystal would be as good as new; sturdy, reliable, and capable of taking as much magic as it used to. The only problem was that it lasted three weeks, time which I wasn’t sure I had.

The second method was the “replacement” method. This involved using another crystal to repair the shattered one. Predictably, this was off the table as I wasn’t willing to sacrifice one of the conduit crystals, and its case wasn’t helped by the fact the book itself described that it would lead to many stability problems after the repair was finished.

The final method was the “binding” method. It was exactly as it sounded; group up the shards together, and use a binding spell to make the crystal whole again. It sounded simple, but the problem was that multiple binding spells had to be casted at once, which inevitably led to a large amount of magic consumption, and as such I was certain that I would not be able to perform this method, given my limited magical capabilities as a human. But seeing as I wanted to repair the crystal as fast as possible, I decided it was at least worth a try.

Freeing the shards from the cloth, I brought my hands over them, and began to cast the binding spells I thought were needed to complete the process. After a few seconds of no results, I applied more magic. And more. And more…

After a few minutes of this process, it was clear this wasn’t working. Ceasing my appliance of the spells, I looked in dismay as the shards remained separated; none of them had been bound together. The attempt was a complete failure, as expected.

With the third method failing, and the second method a no-go, that only left the first method, where I had to wait up to three weeks until the emission crystal was ready to use once more. It wasn’t ideal, but knowing it was the only option I had left, I had no choice but to be patient, and hope someone doesn’t stumble upon me here, or vice-versa.

Wrapping the cloth around the shards once more, I rested them on my right hand. With my left, I snapped my fingers, sparking a flame in my hand effortlessly. I then transferred the cloth from my right hand to the left, obscuring the flame. And while it looked as if the flame had been snuffed out, the spell was very much still active, heating the shards within the cloth.

Lowering my right hand, I looked at what was going to be my singular fixation for the next few weeks of my stay in this run-down place, and sighed. This whole escape has brought nothing but misfortune down on me, and I often question whether or not it was worth actually escaping Tartarus only for the hands of fate to deal me a terrible hand.

But I quickly suppressed those thoughts. Of course it was worth it. Regardless of the setbacks I encountered along the way, being in these ancient ruins was infinitely better than spending another eternity in Tartarus. No chains around my wrists. No Cerberus. And no matter what happens, I will repair my staff, deal with whatever is causing those dreams, and finally start a new life as a nomad.

After reclaiming my staff, I exited the library, but then decided that, instead of returning to the bedroom to sulk about my troubles, it was time that I properly explore these ruins, learn the layout, and see if there was anything else of value to be taken besides books on repairing crystals. And given the reasonably good condition I had found both the bedroom and the library in, there was a good chance there was. With the decision made, I set out to explore this ancient site in full.

And as I explored the halls, my mind was enraptured with curiosity in how, in spite of the crumbling walls, floors and windows, most rooms were in rather good condition. The carpets and furniture looked as though they were recently crafted, with almost no signs of wear or dust on them. Certainly not what I expected of a place where most rooms had a collapsed ceiling. Regardless, I continued to explore the halls, taking mental notes of what I found as I went.





Everything was hazy.

Everytime he opened his eyes, he saw nothing but white. A bright light obscuring his vision? Maybe. His head hurt just by thinking about it.

He could also hear voices; what they were saying he couldn’t tell, muffled by the confused state his mind was in from waking.

However as the seconds ticked by, things started to become clearer. Instead of blinding white, he could slowly make out what looked more and more like a ceiling of an infirmary, its pure white ceiling making him think it was a light.

The voices too became more recognizable. While he still couldn’t fully understand what they were saying exactly, he could still recognize some words, although it wasn’t good enough to know what the conversations were about. It didn't really matter though, for the voices that reached him were far from familiar.

"Oh, goodness!" said one voice. "You're awake!" He saw a figure come over him from his left. His vision, now clearer, could make out the figure as a pink mare, most likely a nurse.

She turned her attention away from him and to somepony he couldn’t see. “Doctor, he’s awake!” she called.

“I can see that,” came the response. Another figure came, this time to his right, which he quickly identified as the doctor. He was a beige stallion, with a small but well trimmed beard and mane, whose bespectacled appearance and hardened eyes gave an impression of a no-nonsense attitude. The doctor studied him for a moment before turning back to the nurse. “Tell his family, they’ve been bothering me all day about him,” he told her.

After the nurse left, the doctor returned his attention to him. Bringing out a penlight, the doctor shined into his eyes, examining them. “Can you tell me your name, rank, and unit?” the doctor asked him.

After being asked, he rasped, “Comet Chaser, Corporal, 2nd Lunar Guards Regiment.”

“Good, good…” the doctor drawled, withdrawing the penlight, and replacing it with a clipboard, on which he scribbled down something. “And you are a direct witness to the events which occurred at the depot along with Sergeant Moon Shield?”

“Yes…”

More scribbling. “Good…” the doctor said. After finishing whatever he was writing down, the clipboard disappeared, and the doctor returned his attention to Comet Chaser.

“You suffered blunt force trauma to the head, which resulted in a concussion. Some of your bones were fractured, most of which are in your right wing. You’ll be able to fly again in about а month or two, but until then it’s advised you not stress it out too much,” the doctor stated. “Other than that, you’re fine. Just remember not to make any sudden actions, or stress out your wing before it’s healed, as it could cause irreparable damage to your bones.” The doctor readjusted his glasses before continuing, “We are still in the process of making a cast for your wing, but it should all be done tomorrow. In short, just don’t move it around, and you’ll save yourself from any further complications.”

The doctor looked at his notes once again, flipping through multiple pages before turning his attention back to Comet Chaser. “Unfortunately, I’m rather tied up with patients today. I’ll send in another nurse to finish your checkup, if you have any questions, you can ask them.” And before Comet Chaser could reply, the doctor left the room, shutting the door behind him, thus leaving the room in complete silence. The only thing Comet Chaser could hear was the clopping of hooves as infirmary staff passed by the room. Every time he shifted his body, twitched his ears, or even so much as tilted his head, he would hear it as clear as а firework in the sky. But nonetheless, he was alone, and as such, he had time to think.

Specifically on the strange creature he met that night.

There were a few things Comet knew about her, such as the tone of her voice making it clear she was female. But by Luna’s name, he’d never seen anything like her, with legs unlike any species he’s seen, arms similar to that of а minotaur, а nonexistent snout, and no fur to speak of except for the white mane that grew to her shoulders.

Equally as mesmerizing was the staff she carried, and the seven crystals which perfectly levitated above it, never being dislodged by any movement, remaining in absolute tandem with the object they were attached to. So mesmerized by it that he was, he decided to hold it for himself to inspect it more closely, which, looking back on it now, was а poor decision on his part.

But there was so much more Comet wanted to learn about her. Why was she here? What was her name? Where was she from? So many questions, all of which he needed answers for. Until then, however, he had to wait until he recovered from his injuries, presumably inflicted by the strange mare’s staff blasting him away before he went unconscious.

So he leaned back on the bed, burying his head into the pillow, while also being mindful about preventing his fractured wing from being crushed by his body from his adjustments. Looking around the room, he found it decorated with many posters typical of medical buildings, advertising healthy routines and the consequences of not following them. Some of them even featured real photos of such consequences, giving а rather morbid, but nonetheless convincing case.

Turning his attention away from the posters, Comet stared blankly at the ceiling. He hoped whatever nurse the doctor got for him would arrive soon, just so that he could have someone to talk to again. Being alone in an infirmary room with nothing to do was bound to become boring quickly. Add that to the fact he probably had many other days to spend here until his condition was deemed good enough for him to be discharged.

Hopefully, he didn’t have to wait long for that.