Yojimbo's brows furrowed in bemusement as he looked from Ancient Scroll to the three fillies, then back to his old friend. When Ancient Scroll did nothing but give him an amused grin, the massive, brawny husky turned to Rouge instead. The Abyssinian molly just closed her eyes shook her head in response to his unasked question.
Everyone, including Fell Wind, had gathered within the sitting room of the Vardo. Ancient Scroll had stopped the magical caravan several dozen yards from the main road they'd been traveling until roughly half an hour ago. A little before that, the old stallion had sensed the abrupt deactivation of the colossal barrier around the edge of the forest they'd all recently escaped.
Worried about what such a development could mean, Ancient Scroll decided to err on the side of caution. He and the rest of the group had run into enough trouble both before and after they set out on their journey. No one here wanted to deal with whatever might or might not have been following after them.
In all honesty, Ancient Scroll wasn't one hundred percent certain what or whoever had broken down the barrier was after them specifically. Given their run of luck so far though, it was likely a safe bet that they were being chased. With that in mind, the stallion had come up with a plan that would hopefully throw their potential pursuer off their trail.
It would've been easier if they could hide the Vardo beneath a thicket of trees, but they'd already passed out of the forest. The land around them was all grass, wheat, and only a sparse smattering of wild foliage here and there. Their only saving grace outside of Ancient Scroll's plan was the uneven terrain. Ancient Scroll had managed to find a relatively deep valley behind some hills that would keep them out of sight of any creatures traveling the road.
The problem was that their cover wouldn't do anything to hide them from any eyes in the sky. If they were being pursued by the Guard, then they'd likely have at least a few pegasi in the air looking for them. In light of such a possibility, Ancient Scroll had come up with a solution that sounded simple, yet was anything but, apparently.
“So, hold on, lemme get this straight,” Yoji said, rubbing a thick paw across his forehead as he turned back to Ancient Scroll, “you're planning to turn this whole barkin' caravan invisible?”
“It's a bit more complicated than that, but yes, that's about the size of it,” Ancient Scroll replied with a simple nod.
“And this, ah... spell takes too much power to sustain by yourself, so you're gonna use the pups—” the husky nodded toward the three nervous fillies with a mix of skepticism and disapproval “—like some kinda battery to make it happen?”
Ancient Scroll frowned and shook his head before replying, “While that isn't entirely inaccurate, I'm not looking to drain them dry of their magic. Nothing of the sort. No, I estimate needing only about half of each of their reserves to fuel the spell for as long as we might need,” he switched his attention to the three fillies in question, “even then, if you all aren't comfortable with the process, we can try something else.”
In truth, the circumstances may not have been worth the effort. It could've been argued that the stallion was being paranoid and that just hiding behind some hills was enough. The problem was that, with everything they knew and everything they'd been through so far, Ancient Scroll didn't believe that for a moment. Neither did any of the others for that matter. It was with this in mind that Twilight spoke up first.
“If it keeps us safe then I don't mind giving up some mana,” the disguised filly replied in an uncertain tone, “I just... I'm not sure how to give somepony else my mana. I've never done anything like that before.”
“Neither have I,” Sunset added with a shake of her head, “I think Celestia mentioned something about it once, but I never actually studied up on how to actually do it.”
“Trixie's never transferred just raw mana before, but she does know the principle behind mana transference,” Trixie said. Her mouth twisted into an affronted scowl when she saw the other two fillies looking at her in mild surprise. “What? Did you think Trixie was just clicking her hooves together while you two were studying back home? I'll have you know that mana transference is the basis for a lot of mind magic spells.”
“Alright, fair enough,” Sunset replied, raising a placating hoof, “you worked just as hard as either of us, I get it,” she shook her head and turned to address Twilight with an incredulous look, “I'm personally more surprised that Twi—ugh... Fia doesn't know about mana transference.”
“I had other things I was studying at the time,” Twilight replied, her expression growing bitter, “I probably would've gotten to the subject eventually... but I never really got the chance.”
A heavy silence fell over the group as the words left unsaid washed over everyone, but it thankfully lasted for only a moment before Ancient Scroll spoke up. The stallion cleared his throat and looked at each filly in turn before explaining.
“Well, it's nothing to worry too much over,” he gave Twilight and Sunset a reassuring smile, “there are a few methods to transfer one's raw mana to another pony depending on tribe, but for unicorns, it's a fairly straightforward process.”
“Trixie can take it from here, Uncle Scroll,” Trixie cut in before turning to her fellow foals, “so basically, the process depends on if your taking or giving mana. Trixie is assuming Uncle Scroll is gonna be the one taking so in this case, he'll send out a kind of thaumic 'signal' to each of us. Once we received it, we just give a thaumic 'okay' in return and then the transfer begins. Once it starts, we should be able to cut it off if it becomes too much... right?”
The last—more uncertain—question was directed at Ancient Scroll, who nodded in return. “That's more or less it in a nutshell,” the stallion answered, “once the process begins, it should be simple enough to stop the flow of mana from your end.”
“But how would that work?” Twilight asked, frowning in confusion, “how will we know what to look for?”
“It's simple enough from what Trixie knows,” Trixie answered with a shrug, “if somepony tries to take mana from a unicorn, they'd feel some kind of 'tug' from their wellspring. At that point, they could either reject the connection or let it continue.”
“So basically, we'll know it when we feel it,” Sunset surmised, “and we'll know what to do when it happens. Is that it? Is it supposed to be instinctual like that?”
“Basically,” Trixie replied, “it's a really weird experience at first, but you get used to it pretty fast, or at least Trixie did.”
What Trixie didn't tell the others was that she'd gotten her experience not just from what she'd done to Fell Wind, but had also gotten some practical lessons from a certain armored alicorn. The azure filly still wasn't sure how it had all worked within a dream, but the results had paid off in the end. At least, Trixie thought so. Everyone present already knew about the Mare of Dreams, but, Trixie didn't feel the need to bring her up again.
Twilight furrowed her brow, still slightly uncertain about what to expect. Something tugged at the back of her mind—some nebulous, indefinable worry that caused her to hesitate. “Is it... going to hurt at all?” she decided ask.
“Not unless I try to force my way into your wellspring,” Ancient Scroll explained, “and I plan to do no such thing, naturally.”
“Well, it sounds as if you've given this a lot of thought, Ancient Scroll,” Rouge commented from her seat next to Yojimbo, “but I can't help but remain a bit dubious. Is this invisibility spell of yours really so potent as to be beyond you of all ponies?”
“I have the requisite knowledge, experience, and skill to cast spells like these, but I'm no powerhouse,” Ancient Scroll replied with a serious frown, “especially not at my current age. In this specific case, this spell is complex and requires me to continuously feed mana into it to keep it going.”
“What kind of spell is it, exactly?” Twilight asked curiously, “you make it sound like it's more than just an invisibility spell.”
“That's because it isn't an invisibility spell, filly. Not exactly,” Ancient Scroll said, turning to answer Twilight's question, “in actuality, it's two spells folded into one another—one to bend the light around us, making us completely undetectable to the naked eye from any angle, and the other to mask our thaumic signature.”
Twilight's eyebrows shot up in surprise at the explanation. “That... sounds complicated. One of those sounds like a light magic spell, but I'm not sure about the other one.” She frowned thoughtfully, “...mind magic, maybe?”
“Precisely,” Ancien Scroll nodded approvingly, “a tricky bit of long range mind magic to fool the thaumic senses and some light magic to fool the eye. A handy spell combination I crafted on the fly back in my younger days.”
“Oh, that's right!” Yojimbo suddenly shouted with a rumbling cackle, “I remember that spell now! That thing saved our hides from that riled up Ursa Major! Ha! I don't think you ever forgave Old Den for that one!” After a moment, his smile fell and a look of annoyed bemusement replaced it as he asked, “But seriously, if you had that spell in your back pocket, why didn't you use it back there in Farhoof? Woulda saved us a lot of trouble.”
“Didn't think about it,” Ancient Scroll replied with a shake of his head, “didn't know I'd need it, and by the time the idea came to mind, it was too late. The captain of that Royal Guard patrol was carrying a null stone when we met her. So it wouldn't have worked.”
“Ah, well,” the large husky frowned, then shrugged dismissively, “no use cryin' over spilled milk I suppose.”
“Indeed,” Rouge agreed before giving Ancient Scroll a pointed look, “now, if the little ones don't mind, I believe we should enact this plan of yours with no further delay. The Gaurd could be coming out of the forest behind us as we speak.”
“Quite right,” Ancient Scroll conceded. He looked down at each of the fillies before him, “well, you three? Are you ready to begin?”
They all looked at each other for a moment, then gave the old stallion determined nods—all except Twilight. Ancient Scroll and the other two fillies looked over to the disguised filly with a mix of concern and confusion. Twilight, for her part, just bit at her lower lip and stared at the ground. That strange sense of foreboding was still there, nagging at her, but she still couldn't place it.
Still, they had to do something and she couldn't come up with any ideas of her own. In the end, she put on a brave face and gave each of the others a nod in return. Ancient Scroll eyed her for another second, but if he noticed her reluctance, he didn't say anything about it. Instead, he gave another nod and took a deep breath. He closed his eyes and let his horn flare to life, a brilliant emerald green glow cast over the magical appendage.
Twilight and the other two fillies watched the stallion intently, waiting for something to happen. For a long, tense moment, nothing did. Ancient Scroll just stood there, his horn glowing and his expression locked in concentration. Then Twilight felt something lurch within her own wellspring. She gasped in surprise, the sensation catching her off-guard. Sunset and Trixie had similar reactions, but Twilight couldn't focus on them.
She instead focused on the feeling in her wellspring. The sudden lurch smoothed out into a subtle, halting tug, almost as if something was asking for permission to tap into her font of mana. The filly was unnerved at how invasive it felt—how personal. She almost shied away out of instinct, forcing the sensation out. It was only the thought of who was on the other side of that connection that stopped her.
Twilight's eyes flicked back to Ancient Scroll, but he hadn't moved. His eyes were still closed in concentration, though he didn't look like he was straining. At least, not yet. What did change was that Twilight could now just barely make out three wire thin tendrils of bright green magic connecting the aura around Ancient Scroll's horn to hers and the other two filly's horns.
Two of those tendrils were pulsing slightly and Twilight saw that both Sunset and Trixie had similar looks to Ancient Scroll. It didn't take her long to realize they'd already begun the transfer process. She was the only one who had yet to accept. In that moment, Twilight suddenly felt like she was being left out. Before she could process the emotion, she felt another soft tug at her wellspring.
The metaphysical sensation somehow seemed to convey both concern and curiosity. Twilight winced at the feeling, slightly guilty that she'd taken so long to respond. She hesitated a moment longer, then finally, gradually, opened herself up to the prodding connection.
Or rather, that's what she tried to do.
Despite her conscious attempt at caution, her magic had other plans. What was supposed to be a careful transfer of mana became a torrent that ripped through Ancient Scroll's connection like a raging flood. Several things happened at once after that. Twilight's body seized up, the filly unable to even let out the scream building in her throat. Ancient Scroll staggered, letting out a strangled gasp as Twilight's mana slammed into his horn and down into his own wellspring like a speeding train.
Sunset and Trixie cried out, the violent feedback screaming along their own connection. The two reflexively cut off their connection to Ancient Scroll, but that only put more pressure on the stallion. Both fillies could only watch in horrified bewilderment as Ancient Scroll's joints bent under the weight of Twilight's oppressive influx of mana. The stallion groaned, his horn lighting up like a second emerald colored sun as he tried to bring the connection under control.
Twilight's mind had gone blank.
All she could she see—all she could hear, all she could feel, all she could taste was the mana pouring out of her. Somewhere in the distance, far, far away, she thought she could hear voices calling out to her, but they were drowned out by the mana. It roared through her wellspring, the flood so powerful and violent that it seeped out of her wellspring and leaked into her veins. For what could've been a fleeting moment or an excruciating eternity, the mana was her entire existence.
Twilight was Magic.
Magic was Twilight.
And then... there was nothing at all.
Celestia hadn't been looking forward to Day Court. Truthfully, she never did, but the hours long sessions had become downright migraine inducing in the last few weeks. With the unrest in the city boiling just underneath the surface, the citizens were looking for some assurance. They wanted to know their Princess was looking out for them, for their safety. They demanded it.
Day after day, hour after hour, the nobles and minor politicians berated and bombarded Celestia with questions and complaints she didn't care to answer or acknowledge. Normally, the Princess would've happily reassured her little ponies, and she still made sure to do just that. The problem was that their questions and complaints had all been the same, day in and day out.
The same worries about public safety, about what was being done about the murders, about baseless and frankly ludicrous rumors floating around. Each and every day it was the same thing, and Celestia—despite her years of experience and unflappable patience in front of the public—was getting sick of it all. Still, she did what was required of her. She still spent long nights sifting through an endless sea of reports and long days attending to the needs of her ponies.
She was the ruler of Equestria. The sole ruler. She had a duty to keep order, to keep her ponies happy. She wanted to—truly she did, but it was getting harder and harder to do so. She found Discord's words echoing in her mind more than once, mingling unpleasantly with her own doubts and fears and insecurities. It had been getting harder to ignore all of that, but Celestia pressed on nevertheless.
And to be fair, things had become somewhat easier now. Now she had something she could work with. She had some answers to her longstanding questions. Sure, it wasn't as many answers as she would've liked, but it was enough for now. She had information she could publicly spin into a story that would hopefully quell some of that civil unrest building up. For the first time in weeks, Celestia thought she just might be able to get something productive done and relax a little.
But then she felt it.
As she was making her way down one of the main corridors to the throne room to start Day Court, she froze mid-step. Her head snapped to the side, her eyes wide and focused on something in the distance. Raven Inkwell, who'd been walking at her side as she gave a report the Princess had no interest in, stumbled to a stop next to her. She tried to call out to Celestia, her voice concerned and confused, but Celestia didn't hear her.
Her eyes grew hazy, wandering southwest to look at something nopony else could see. In truth, Celestia had no idea what she was looking at either, or even what she was looking for, but she felt something in that direction. It was like a tug at her mind.
No... not my mind... but something else. Something deeper. Magic...? A powerful spell, maybe? Or...
Pain, sudden and inexpressible, smashed into Celestia. The Princess let out a small gasp and staggered, clutching a hoof to her chest. She continued to ignore her faithful attendant's worried ramblings as her mind locked up. The pain passed just as quickly as it had come, but that wasn't what made the Princess pause. No, what had truly shaken Celestia was the familiarity of that pain. It was an old pain—one she hadn't felt in centuries.
No, that isn't possible... not now.... not yet...
She slowly straightened back up and turned her gaze southwest once more. Her expression was grim, but beneath her pristine white fur, her face was pale as a sheet. She didn't know for certain what had caused such a reaction but the Princess had a few ideas and knew full well what it meant. With a decree to her flustered attendant to suspend Day Court, Celestia turned back the way she came and began making her way to the Royal Archives.
She needed to check the vault. Despite her fear of what she might find within, she had to know for sure if something had changed. As she hurried to the Hall of the Damned, Celestia tried to ignore the familiar cackle of a mad tyrant trying to push its way into her mind.
Elsewhere, far to the southwest, a bruised, battered, and bloody thestral mare raced across the midmorning sky, her icy blue eyes focused and her expression murderous. Distantly, she felt a flare of magic coming from somewhere below her, but the mare had no eyes for the rolling hills below. With the remains of the Guard on her heels, she had no time to investigate.
She tore through the air with grim purpose, desperate to make it to the Everfree Forest before it was too late. Had the ancient voice in her mind mentioned a large caravan hidden within the shadow of a hill vanishing in a blinding flash of emerald green light far below them, maybe the thestral would've stopped. Maybe she might've considered the risk worth it.
But as it stood, the voice said nothing, content to observe the phenomenon in silence as the determined mare sped off to the east where her family of misfits were hopefully waiting for her.