* Chapter Three - Part 9 *
Regarding the amount of information Twilight had to work through, a relatively short time lapsed until the eyes of the young alicorn mare began to brighten. Shortly after, she shook her head to scatter the last of her thoughts into the wind so she may concentrate.
Once it looked like Twilight was prepared for more new knowledge, Luna set her teacup aside. "Let us proceed where we left off”, she began. “There are several more auras, but these are not quite as important as the others. If you are really interested, and I know you are, you will find your thirst for knowledge satisfied in the delineated area that I've already hinted at many times."
The moon princess paused: “Ohh that reminds me of something.”
Luna’s horn shown for a second and her chest began to glow in the likewise same shade. She began creating a small ball of white-blue shining light about three inches in front of her hooves, then both the shine of her horn and chest vanished.
The glowing sphere proceeded to hover and shine for a good two more seconds until it began to warp. In the matter of the next few moments it changed it’s form and became a rather large golden key. The key however had two wings at it’s sides, that were together about as wide as half of it. It also seemed to be at least particularly see-through if one focused onto it. Fading in and out of existence in a constant rhythm. There was also a tiny amount of white energy flowing from the tip to the back of it constantly. It was almost invisible to see and could likely only be noticed if the looker was gifted in the arts of magic – or was an alicorn.
The key suspended in the air spun around itself as Luna levitated it nearer to Twilight.
“Maybe you have seen some object like this already in your magic studies”, Luna began. “If not let me tell you it’s a soul-key. A key that binds to the soul of the one it is gifted too and also the most advanced charm a non-alicorn could create. Obviously it still needs a very gifted and experienced caster with years of knowledge and incredible amount of mana to pull off. The effort however is always worth it. Such a key is used wisely a very powerful and special gift.”
“And what exactly does it do?”, Twilight had leaned her head to the side, her violet eyes scanning the key two inches in front her snout from every angle she could. Her ears were laid partly back in interest and Luna had to giggle as she saw how sweet Twilight looked because of that.
“A very interesting question and one I’m happy to answer”, the taller princess smiled. “A soul-key binds as mentioned directly to ones soul. You can see it therefore as a key that you always have with you; can’t loose or could be stolen from you. By any means imaginable, for several good reasons that I won’t go into. Simply put, souls are very special and you’ve already learned the rest through your advanced magic studies.”
“It’s purpose is simple – it’s a key, it unlocks. In your case that would be the gates to the restricted area of books and knowledge where you can find many of the answers you will seek after today. Without the key your access to said realms of knowledge will remain closed and inaccessible.”
“So that’s the only way to get inside?”, Twilight seemed incredibly curious but also a tad lost as was audible from her voice. “Aren’t we alicorn’s like crazy powerful? Can’t our god-like powers simply break or overwhelm the protections and grant us access either way? I have seen that my powers can strain the concept of reality enough to break it earlier this afternoon. Not that I would try to break in. It’s clear your trust in me is great enough to grant me the key even without me specifically asking. But still.”
Now it was Celestia’s time to giggle.
“That’s precisely the same that I wondered as Luna told me she had created a new powerful line of defense. First of all - jep Luna was the one with the idea and also yes it is. The protection and clothing enchantments used were fulled and created with alicorn-magic. As we talked, not even another alicorn’s magic, stronger than the caster or not can break and uncover such. This soul key is really the only thing that can grant one access to anywhere it leads.”
“Non-alicorn keys are almost the same as the initial idea of them was created with the use of an alicorn’s abilities. We four however are the only ones that could still break and uncover them if we want.”
Twilight smiled, satisfied with the answer given by Celestia and turned back to Luna. The dark-blue and lavender alicorn blinked to each other silently and the older of both began.
“You already were gifted such a key earlier in your life – well two in fact. Yet both were without you knowing what they were. I will hold it short and outright tell you. The first was the key my sister gave you as you had become her next faithful student. The same key that unlocked your private rooms also imprinted onto your soul and granted you pretty much permission to walk around anywhere in our castle freely. The areas you were not allowed to access without our permission and had to be accompanied where the ones the key wasn’t infused with. A soul key can’t be modified once it was gifted to another person – at least by non-alicorn magic. That would be mingling with the soul and is an art luckily to draining for normal ponies and other natives, as well as also highly forbidden.”
“We also put an unbreakable enchantment onto the most sacred part of what makes a pony a pony the day we began creating Equus. It’s an enchantment that renders non Equestrians incapable of learning or understanding how the concept of the live-death cycle of Equus works in basic. I am well aware that sounds weird and confusing - as it also is. Yet if they don’t know how it works they can’t begin to form ways of influencing it.” Celestia had said that and both other alicorn’s had followed her words letter for letter. Even if Luna already knew, it was one spell she was incredible proud off and liked to be reminded.
Twilight shortly put a hoof to her chin, then lowered it back to the pillow. “I think I understand. If your not aware there is a way that would function. Like for example needing a key to unlock a door’s lock when all you know of is push and pull. Then you won’t ever be able to accomplish the goal you had or even think about it being possible for you too.”
“Interesting way of thinking, but your right. As you have heard me, our magic could have infused the first key Celestia gifted to you. We could have modified it and slowly unlocked the areas on by one as you grew even more powerful and needed access to continue your studies. Yet we had good reason not to and it was not lacking trust. Believe me Princess Twilight. I never heard once that you weren’t trustworthy.”
“Thanks!”, voiced Twilight almost inaudible her cheeks reddening, gaze cast down in embarrassment for the praise, shortly interrupting Luna.
“As unlucky as it is, modifying a bound key to the soul of someone other than yourself inflicts agonizing pain. Alicorn-magic might be pure and casting it works without flaw, but the soul is a very special and complex construct. Inscribing or removing something directly from it is much easier than trying to change said afterwards. We sadly found that out the hard way and it almost instantly killed the poor soul outright due to shock. Without alicorn-magic he sure would have died that day. We swore ourself than to never try so again and rather create a new key to complement the old.”
“That brings us to the second soul-key you were gifted so far. It was I that gave it to you, the day we crowned you the newest Equestrian princess. The key was infused into your new crown and activated as we lowered it onto your head. It was the bright glint your crown exceeded as you faced the crowd. Maybe you have felt a strange feeling of warm luck as you did so. That wasn’t just your initial feelings for being gifted such a high position, but also partly the spells matrix setting into place.”
Luna made a pause long enough to sip from her teacup and eat another of the tasty moon-cookies.
“As you surely can guess the second soul-key unlocked every remaining part of so far forbidden areas in our castle and some in Canterlot in general. Well apart from the restricted library this conversation is about obviously. But that’s why we talk about it now.”
Luna pushed the key again nearer to Twilight and the younger alicorn looked at it with mixed feelings. Ears laid back to her skull. On the one hoof it was tempting to get access to restricted sources of knowledge. Especially one highly guarded and extensive with special subjects not found anywhere else. But there was also the thoughts in her head that stunned and – well terrified her a little. How did it feel? Did it hurt? If Twilight thought about it with a second thought, it probably wouldn’t. She hadn’t known about the existence of soul-keys until minutes ago and there had be no pain as she received her first two.
Her hesitation seemed to have been obvious to her surrounding as Luna smiled an even greater smile. “It’s completely save Twilight. I promise. I would never forgive myself if it wasn’t. Just reach out and grab it with your magic, the rest the key will do for you.”
Twilight slowly lightened her horn and extended her magical grasp to the key. As her magic brushed against it she felt an intense hot feeling, surprising the mare and letting her magic jerk away. A second later she tried again, reached out her magic and grasped the key firmly in it. The feeling wasn’t as warm this time – rather comfortable in fact. She smiled as the soul-key began to flash faster and faster and then lit up a last time in a bright magenta glow. Once the light faded the key was gone and Twilight’s chest glowed for one single instance.
“Wasn’t as bad as you’ve thought?”, Celestia jokingly snickered. Twilight and Luna also gave the same little giggle.
“It really wasn’t”, Twilight voiced with a quirk in her voice. Still a bit high on endorphins.
“Can’t blame you. I was even more nervous than you as Luna gave me my own key. I won’t elaborate but I made quiet the fuss back then.” Celestia’s cheeks had colored itself with a deep blush that was perfectly shown as the tall alicorn’s coat was otherwise pure white. Luna just smirked to herself barely holding back another giggle.
That – my dear sister, was the understatement of the millennium. 26 degrees in December at half past seven in the morning speak for themselves.
Celestia carried on after a few seconds of wordless silence. Her cheeks now not as red as before but still colored.
“There is one more mayor matter I would like to add to the subject of soul-keys. Once applied they can only be removed by the wielder whose soul they were bound too. In contrast to inscribing, removing a key isn’t hard. Basically everyone could manage that and it also inflicts no pain on oneself.”
“There is a process in existence that could strip the privilege from the soul of another, but again that requires alicorn-magic and won’t work on an alicorn. Also it’s again highly unpleasant for the one it is cast upon as it is done without constant. Otherwise the art wouldn’t have to be done in the first place by others. Soul-keys just weren’t designed to be removed by others. They are a sacred craft of magical art and stand for the ultimate trust between two individuals.”
“Yet that aside, soul-keys are an incredible powerful safety measure. With them it is possible to create a protected place only and only the ones you entrusted with said key can enter. I suggest to create your own and protect your castle in Ponyville with it. Your already countless applied wards are pretty impressive for themselves and it speaks volume of your skills with magic. However a soul-key would up that another time considerably. Would you like to know how it is done?”
Twilight nodded enthusiastically.
“Then my sister will surely explain it to you. She was the one that designed the magical work initially and was anyway always the better of us two for magic related subjects. Might come from being a unicorn before ascension and not a pegasus like I was”, Celestia pondered.
Pricking up her ears Twilight turned to Luna and faced her with a broad grin all over her muzzle. It made the other alicorn also return the same facial expression in delight for the eagerness of her equal.
Luna swished her tongue around inside her mouth for a moment, then began. “The process is very ease. For an alicorn even more so and I know your gifted in magic rather well. Once a soul key is created, the creator – that’s you, receives a master soul-key. It’s about a third bigger than the other soul-keys. Said key is retained by you as long as the enchantment exists. If you destroy your key or enchantment both will fade away together. Only with the master key you can modify your enchantment and grant or revoke all privileges you want.”
“Now if you wish to give a soul-key to some creature else there is a second spell. Even less harder to cast than the first. It copies your key and creates a near identical duplicate of it, just without the ability to access, modify or duplicate. The second can be done infinitely for a single master-key - at least we never hit a limit.”
Luna closed her muzzle and fell silent. After a second Twilight’s gaze became uncomprehending. Was that all?
Luna began to laugh kindly. “Your eyes say it all young one and yes that really is all I can say. There isn’t anything more to the creation and use of soul-keys. No further charade, secret or whishing of ones horn.”
Twilight just shrugged her shoulders. Why make matters harder than they needed to be?
“I can however show you how to visualize your keys in your magic eye, see their abilities and what they allow and restrict. Please, if you would close your eyes and concentrate on your inner middle. I know for a fact you know what to do as you surely have checked yourself quite a few times.” Luna explained while she did so with her eyes, visually showing what Twilight had to do. The lavender mare shortly glanced to Celestia, but the snow-white alicorn had already followed the lead of her younger sister. So Twilight joined the two, closed both her eyes firmly and concentrated as hard as possible onto herself.
Soon she felt the familiar feeling of her mind relaxe, her thoughts slowing to infinity and her body and every other outside sensation slowly fade away from her. For a moment it felt for Twilight like she was falling through dark nothingness but that soon was overcome by a stability as her mind focused onto her inner being. She had reached for her inner middle a few times in the past already but the feeling still felt weird to her.
Checking her internal mana-well was almost the same but one hadn’t to truly reach for ones middle to be able to localize and read the current amount of ones stored magic. So that was what she normally did when concentrating onto herself. It even came like second nature and thought to the young alicorn. She was skilled enough to check for her power-level each time she closed her eyes longer than a blink without having to think about.
Compressing her thoughts she focused to visualize her innermost middle. In her inner mind she now saw an endless white surface with a light-blue sky above. Standing on the white surface and a couple of hoof-lengths before her was a junior lavender alicorn smiling a relaxed and careless smile. The mare was partly translucent and didn’t move. It was just a construct, showing her current status of mirth and appearance and nothing truly sentient
Beside said alicorn mare was a slowly but strong pulsation beach-ball sized ball of light the same color as her magic – her soul. Well not really, but it was the shape her mind came up with. Nopony actually knew which form the soul of a living being had. The tremendous force and unflawed state Twilight could detect from it however, showed her she was healthy and at her peak. Maybe even a tad more than usual. What was fairly new about her soul too where the two large gorgeous lavender wings left and right stretching from the orb that pictured her soul. Her now also a tad bigger horn extending out the top of the orb was also a sight Twilight marveled on for a second. So much has changed already in my barely 20 years of life.
Why and since when these graced her soul ought to be obvious. It had taken Twilight less than an hour after her ascension to find out. Of course, she had been checking her mana pool right after her transformation into an alicorn. At least immediately after she had processed the fact of having switched races. The by far less common and mysterious on top of that. That she was now also a princess of Equestria and a member of the royal house of Canterlot.
At a second look she saw something new she never had witnessed before from her soul. Circling around the sphere and connecting to it where five considerable smaller but still brightly pulsating orbs in various colors. Very familiar colors in fact…
Twilight was unaware of what it meant for her, but she knew it had something to do with her and her friends. Also there was the tiny thought both older alicorn’s knew something important about it she so far didn’t . But at the same time also that she wouldn’t get her answer just yet if she asked any of the two mares. Twilight would have to wait for a later time when the matter came to hoof. Why and from where all that knowledge came was a thing she couldn’t get to. Yet she was confident to not be wrong.
Twilight blinked and once the lavender alicorn reopened her eyes she squinted. For some reason the five lines connecting the smaller orbs to her bigger alicorn-soul one seemed now just a microscopic bit stronger. For better comparison she blinked a second time…and then a third; fourth, fifth…a lot of times to be absolutely sure she was right with her theory. Each time the lines seemed stronger and Twilight tried to ponder what that meant. But no matter how hard she wracked her brain about it she just couldn’t find a valid reason. So for the moment, Twilight arranged herself with it and looked further around.
Far she didn´t come, for soon from somewhere she couldn’t discern she heard Luna’s voice calling for her to further concentrate onto her soul. So she did just that after collecting and filing all the thoughts carefully in her mind. Then sorting them into the almost uncountable labyrinthian caverns of neurological filing cabinets that made up her cunning mind.
Her mind began to move towards the ball of light and her vision was shortly overwhelmed by pure white. Than that faded away and she was faced with thousands if not million of smaller light orbs all around herself. Each of them either a memory, learned spell, attribute or other part that made up her soul and Twilight who she was.
Twilight took just a short look around; she was familiar with the sight she saw. Nothing really new as she had been here a few times already. Twilight stretched out both her wings wide from her body and concentrated further as she began the search with her magic reaching out. Two of said orbs soon began to move to her spiritual form and with a satisfied smile she reopened her eyes. The spheres slowed down and stopped three inches in front her snout. Than began to warp and soon resembled a to her very well known key shape.
That had to be the soul-keys inscribed onto her soul Luna mentioned. There was little doubt for her they weren’t.
Twilight extended her magic to the first of the keys, gazing into its inner matrix. The amount of different locations she could see listed before herself told Twilight one clear thing. That was the soul-key granting her access in the sisters castle. Not only because the spells-matrix was at least 20 layered and showed a complexity and intricacy only alicorn-magic could reach.
She swiftly skimmed over each of the locations accessible to her in the blink of an eye. Not one location within the castle was out of her reach. Celestia and Luna had kept their word, she was free to roam as she wished. Satisfied, she withdrew her magic and turned to the second key.
This one was simpler in design and had only a single massive inscription. Still, it was much stronger weaved and showed how much care and sorcery had been used to protect the knowledge behind. Twilight lingered inside the keys matrix for a few more seconds, observing the structure of the spell before retreating from there as well.
Once back in the space that pictured the inside of her soul and still surrounded by the incredible numerous of orbs Twilight darted her eyes around. Then her magic reached out and she began happily humming a tune while rearranging all orbs into a more resourceful and efficient order system by her design. After a couple of moments she was satisfied with her work and let her gaze slowly wander over the far reaching and stacked beside and on top of each other lines of memory-orbs. Each row a single year of her life. Each line further sorted by month, value, alphabet and emotions. An order system probably only she would find suitable to work with, but an efficient nevertheless. She couldn’t even see the ends of said lines and that told something. Considering her alicorn sight gave her incredible sharp eyes able to see for miles unflawed.
Twilight then concentrated again and darted away from the inside of her soul as she began her ‘ascent’. Out of the glistening ball and it’s colorful encore that represented her powerful soul. Past the figurative alicorn projection of her emotions and magic and through the same blindness and falling effect as on entering.
A second later, Twilight opened her eyes and blinked a few times to clear her vision. She then smiled at the other two princesses, who also awakened from within their inner selves slowly.
After they too had blinked to regain their vision Celestia began the approach of speaking. “So, did you managed to find the soul-keys? As you know we can’t actually follow you inside your mind and soul. Ok that’s only half right if I’m honest. As the mistress of dreams my sister can aid even us fellow alicorn’s in our dreams and minds. Yet only if we allow her to do. Each of us has even several natural warding mechanism against unwanted spying. Alicorn’ and mistress of dreams or not – my younger sister won’t and can’t I influence the minds of her fellows. Not that I think she would actually try…I trust my sister as well as Cadance and you Twilight.”
After a short nod and a slightly longer grin was Twilight quick to respond. “ Oh yes! Without problem. I was able to locate, examine and gaze as deep as one could into the two soul-keys you gifted me. I also saw what you meant.”
She turned to Luna next. “Luna! Once you got some more time we should meet in private and talk further about the matter of soul-keys. The art of it is truly stunning and I would like to learn far more about it. Great things could come from it once I have some more insight.” Twilight paused for a second her brow furrowing in thought. Furry hoof raised to her muzzle and scratching it. The lavender alicorn-mare than after a second seemed to decide she should simply say what she just remembered.
“Also I found a tiny flaw in the way how you designed the two keys you granted me. It’s noting serve but if we fix it we can improve the efficiency by a factor off…”, Twilight scratched her chin thinking a second time in a minute “…at least 14.7936%.” She then held up one of her fluffy front-hooves to stall any comment. Not yet finished with her talking. “If we also use ‘the three-hexagonal chanty shaped runic matrixinizing art craft of idunno™' designed by the research laboratory of unnecessary complicated naming in the year 645 D.A. (Dual age). Well then we might even up that by another 6.113 – 9.569%.”
Luna just shook her head in amusement - lost for words. “Still I’m impressed by the speed of your observation and suggestions how one can improve something that was deemed perfect for the last 1,500 years. But sure. If you got time I can come to your castle residence in Ponyville next Thursday and have a chat. Does 11 am sound workable?”
“Sure, I got nothing to do after 10:15, once I have closed my friendship court for our shared subjects that day”, Twilight responded the lunar princess.
“Than it is settled.”
It followed another pause were the tea kettle was passed between the three alicorn’s and some more cookies were requested from the castle’s kitchen.
“Sorry for going so far off topic by the way. But I felt it was important and should not be delayed any further.”
“Nah, I find no fault in our off topic subject. It was something quite useful after all.” Twilight waved off Luna’s worry with one of her front hooves.
"That’s nice to hear””, Luna instantly relaxed her posture and took on a wide smile that crossed her entire muzzle. “Back to matter at hoof?”, she asked than and Twilight nodded.
“Good!”
Luna was about to resume talking, when a triple knock on the door to Celestia's chambers interrupted her. Luna darted her head toward the door, her ears perked up and eyes questioning for a second. Then she remembered who it had to be.
"Hmm, it seems like our conversation is cut short again. Must be the cookies we had requested. A surprising yet delicious interruption - wouldn't you two agree?"
The other two mares giggled and shared a knowing smirk as Luna rose to meet the pony at the door.
~~~ End of Chapter Three - Part 9 ~~~