"Oh, we'll be going," Starswirl stated in spite of what the other unicorn said. "But not without the ponies you've kidnapped."
"Please Starswirl, I didn't want to do it, but they left me no choice!" the master of the tower lamented dramatically. "But after the tower enchantment failed, it wasn't as easy to hide. I couldn't just let them leave, to tell the world about my work. I had a right to protect it!"
Auburn understood, now, why the tower had not been seen prior to this incident. Whatever this crazed individual did to it rendered it undetectable, or very nearly so. Although not a unicorn, his understanding of magic told him that such a feat was incredible indeed.
"Then let's make a deal," Starswirl said suddenly, staring at the other unicorn evenly.
"I'm listening."
"We are evenly matched, that much we have both seen. If you let my assistant lead the ponies you've kept prisoner back to Ponyville, we can fight until one of us prevails. To the bitter end, if necessary," Starswirl explained, deadly serious.
"Starswirl!" Auburn tried to argue, but Starswirl was having none of it.
The master of the tower was deep in thought, considering his options. The chance to best a pony as well known as Starswirl was too tempting to resist, however, and he finally agreed. Starswirl turned to Auburn, his gaze softening considerably.
"Go. We both know this is the only way," his mentor explained, bowing his head to his student. Again, Auburn couldn't help but admire the old stallion's determination, even if it was going to get him killed. With the pale glow of the Magus' horn, a section of the floor parted, revealing a small chamber. From within floated out three ponies, two mares and one colt, all of which seemed frozen in various states of surprise.
"Time to go, child. The adults have business to attend to," The unicorn said dismissively, the floating ponies moving past them and out the door. Auburn looked to Starswirl. The old stallion gave him a reassuring nod. He had to trust his mentor's decision, as reckless as it seemed. As Auburn moved outside, the door slammed shut behind him, and the three ponies began to awake on the path.
Starswirl, meanwhile, was lead to an empty chamber. It retained the harsh stone appearance of the exterior of the structure, and lacked any sort of furniture or other features. He assumed it was where the other unicorn practiced his magic.
"Could you at least tell me your name? We might be here a while, after all."
"Magnus. And no, we will not," the Magus responded with scowl. "Are you ready to begin, or should I give you a moment to collect yourself?"
"Don't flatter yourself," Starswirl shot back with a scoff. "You do realize, even if you best me now, your work will be exposed for all to see?"
"I don't intend to stick around," Magnus replied with a casual shrug. "The Everfree Forest was not my first home, and it surely won't be my last."
Deadly silence filled the room as the two unicorns squared off on one another. Invisible energy sparked between them, like a manifestation of the tension that dominated the chamber. At once, the pale glow of the Magus' horn met with the blue-black of Starswirl's in a brilliant clash, like two bolts of lightning striking each other in some impossible display of nature. The two struggled in silence, the clash of energy pushing back and forth across the room until it finally dispersed in a violent flash of light, showering the both of them in starlight particles.
Starswirl's pack flew open, a glob of what looked like dust floating out above him, before suddenly diving to the floor, where it exploded into a cloud that obscured Starswirl from view. The dust began to twist and snake around itself, slowly forming the gigantic head of some reptilian monstrosity. Each particle of its being began to change color rapidly, as if struck by varying degrees of light from every possible angle. This strange display did not cease even after the dust formed the head and neck of an enormous dragon, the beast's eyes falling on Magnus. Its maw opening in a terrifying roar, a billow of flames shot forward, engulfing the Magus entirely.
The brilliant blue-black dragon waited patiently as the smoke settled, and to its amazement, the unicorn still stood, surrounded by a glistening sphere of pale light. Enraged over its failed attack, the dragon began to pull itself from the cloud, more of its body forming from the particles as it did. The Magus, in response, inhaled sharply, and exhaled with the force of a hurricane. The dragon's eyes widened in shock as its body was torn apart by the harsh winds. The old stallion was forced to shield his eyes from the dust, which seemed to disintegrate by the time the intense wind had ceased.
"That was an entertaining warm-up, but I think it's time we got down to business."
The air of the chamber began to change, like it was consumed by an electrical storm. The hair of Starswirl's mane stood up as the old stallion's eyes widened at the display.
"We are not as evenly matched as you might think, Starswirl," Magnus sneered as his horn glowed brightly, lifting the unicorn off his hooves. "Your work has continued, Starswirl. Oh, it has reached its peak!"
"My work-" Starswirl began, taking a tentative step back.
"Has allowed me to transcend the boundaries between flesh and magic! Magic and I have become one!" Magnus roared, his voice becoming increasingly distorted, sightless eyes suddenly flaring brightly with raw power, the unicorn rising higher into the air as bolts of energy blasted apart the floor below him. "NOT EVEN CELESTIA CAN MATCH MY POWER NOW!"
The Magus was engulfed in a light so bright that it nearly destroyed Starswirl's sight on the spot. The old stallion was forced to turn away, shielding his eyes with both of his front hooves, pressed against the corner of the chamber. The tower itself began to quake at the power spilling out from the unicorn. As the light began to dim, Starswirl could see Magnus was no more, and in his place was a being of raw energy, twisted into the shape of a unicorn. No flesh, no bone, the only thing that was left of the Magus that floated before him moments ago was a writhing pony made of brilliant blue-white energy.
"You have come on a very special day, Starswirl; the day of my ultimate triumph. I cannot express the joy I feel in words, knowing somepony was here to witness my transcendence," the twisted voice of Magnus echoed throughout the room, his voice unnatural and synthetic, the 'mouth' of what he had become not moving while he spoke. Starswirl could barely stand the sight of his glowing enemy, but he could sense the unfathomable power that radiated from him. "There will be no more hiding. I will preach my work to the world with every terrible blow. I will act as a herald of a new age. One in which you have no place, Starswirl."
Starswirl's mind began to race, grasping at any possible course of action. He was prepared to fight until the end, to prevent any further harm to the ponies of Equestria, but now it seemed as though he orchestrated its demise. His work...being used to turn the depraved hermit into a monster. Any hope of defeating the master of the tower now was gone. He had failed. Auburn, the Princess, and all of Equestria would suffer for his mistake.
"No...!"
Starswirl looked up at the Magus, his eyes burning. The situation may be hopeless, but he would NOT lie down and die. It was simply not his way. Getting to his hooves, the legendary Starswirl the Bearded stood defiant in the face of certain doom, his horn glowing brightly as he lashed out at his impossible enemy. A blue-black bolt of energy tore through the chamber toward Magnus the Ascended.
The energy of Starswirl's attack seemed to pierce the energy that made up the Magus' body, swirling around inside before dispersing harmlessly. Magnus let out a mocking cackle at the pitiful attempt at an attack, but it did not last long.
"What-What have you done, Starswirl?! What is happening to m-" Magnus roared as the energy that comprised his form began to arch off in random directions. With each terrible spark, entire portions of the tower exploded, showering the forest below with rubble. In such a raw state, the unicorn was made up of the same unstable power he wielded, and without flesh and blood to bind him, Starswirl's attack was enough to destabilize him.
Starswirl's eyes widened as Magnus screamed in utter agony as his body and mind were destroyed. Shrouding himself in blue-black energy, Starswirl smashed through the sealed door of the chamber, and charged down the hall. The room behind him was engulfed in a light brighter than the sun, as Magnus' horrified screams were amplified a thousandfold. The sound rung out across the Everfree Forest, echoing for miles.
The old stallion rushed to descend the stairs as the tower began to collapse. The destruction of the Magus had weakened the structure as a whole, and Starswirl could feel the stone crashing in on itself. Just as he bolted from the stairwell, several tons of rubble came crashed down into it. Starswirl was now on the first floor, looking around in a panic for the door he had used to enter. The ceiling hanging far above him, which represented another floor of the tower, began to give way. Massive chunks of rubble crashed down from above, blasting through the wooden floor with each blow.
With each impact, splinters were thrown in all directions, cutting Starswirl in several places as he darted past. Adrenaline flowing through him, the old stallion was determined to escape. Wreathed in the blue-black translucent energy, Starswirl smashed through the front door with a loud crack, showering himself with the splintered fragments of the structure. Starswirl was propelled out of the structure and into the forest beyond, soaring several feet before hitting the ground, his cap thrown from his head as he slid across the muddy ground. The tower continued to collapse as he lay motionless before it, scattering debris in all directions.
Starswirl awoke with a jolt, looking around in a panic. He found himself in a wooden structure he did not recognize. The room was lined with beds, some which were occupied. He recognized the three ponies he had seen at the tower almost instantly, and also noticed other ponies in uniform patrolling around the beds. Somehow he had made it to some sort of hospital. Looking down at himself, he noticed bandages across his legs and flank, where he had been cut in his escape. Relaxing slightly but still hopelessly confused, the old stallion almost didn't notice Auburn standing beside his bed.
"And when exactly were you going to make your presence known?"
"When you stopped looking like you'd fry the next pony to startle you," Auburn said with a smirk.
"What happened, Auburn? Where is Magnus?"
"The other unicorn? We couldn't find him. The tower's completely destroyed, and you were almost caught in the mess."
Starswirl sat back, slowly remembering what had happened to the Magus. What he had become...and what had happened as a result.
"How are the others?
"They seemed well enough after they got out of the tower. When it collapsed, I told them to go back to Dodge and get help, and went back to look for you."
Starswirl gave a small smile, thankful for his pupil's loyalty. With a sigh, he tried to get to his hooves, only to fall backward as a wave of nausea hit him.
"You might want to rest a bit, Starswirl. You've been through a lot," Auburn said, giving the older pony a stern look.
"Take a message, Auburn. For our report to the Princess."
Auburn quickly retrieved his quill and parchment from his pack, which he still carried.
"Tell her the problem is solved."
"That's it?"
Starswirl nodded. "I think it best left unsaid. Perhaps it is best the Magus stay forgotten."
Auburn kept this promise for many years. After his mentor's passing, he wrote a series of novels detailing their adventures together, as well as a few stories Starswirl had told him before his time. Auburn knew why his mentor had wanted the story of the Magus Magnus to never see the light of day, but as the denizens of Equestria began to forget the incredible deeds of the old unicorn, he felt it best to show them. The story of Starswirl and the Magus Magnus would become one of the most popular stories in Canterlot, and served as a warning to those who sought nothing but power.