//------------------------------// // 1. The Element of Surprise // Story: A Lasting Legacy // by TCSNxs //------------------------------// A Lasting Legacy By: TCSNxs Chapter One The Element of Surprise And so after these many years and countless hours experimenting, observing, calculating, and even praying, I've managed to perfect my life's work. Though Celestia and Luna, ever my patrons and dear friends, are currently unaware, they will soon see it. After all, they are the reason I have labored for so long. For the betterment of all ponies, the safety of Equestria and the honor of my friends! ~ Excerpt from Star Swirl the Bearded's journals, dated 551 B.B. Luna worked late into the evening as she went over proposals for the Equestria Armed Forces. The current submission she was reading over described a rather novel concept. Luna sipped her wine as her mind painted a picture of it. What stuck out first as she read it was the name of it. "A 'tank'?" she remarked to nopony in particular, "But it does not hold water." Celestia bade Luna to keep an open mind while reading, so she continued on through the proposal. The specifications called for a massive steel structure seated upon four wheels. The enclosure would surround four earth ponies who worked to move the large construct. A fully rotatable dome with a long metal tube, called a "turret", protected two unicorns in its armored confines. One would use their magic to rotate the dome while the other fired all sorts of destructive spells through the tube. The Lunar Regent had the rough idea in her mind, but started thinking of ways to defeat it. "Could not somepony just drop a large rock on it?" Luna mused. The Lunar Regent looked above her desk to the picture of Applejack. She missed her marefriend greatly, but there was work to be done. Their relationship was odd as other ponies saw it. The two took every chance possible to insult the other, but it was all in jest. But below the playful barbs, Luna found completion with the farmer. As honorable, forthright, and fiery as her namesake, the farmer had always forgiven Luna's eccentricities (even the incident with the moon) while Luna, for her part, kept Applejack from being a stick-in-the-mud. Luna knew the Apple family for generations and Applejack was the embodiment of what they represented. But was the current Applejack worthy as a Designate? Luna shook the thoughts away and set the paper aside, still having work to do. She figured that the sooner she finished, the sooner she could return to torturing the Apple. As the she moved to another proposal, a magical alarm sounded in her mind; one that she hoped never to feel. Instantly, she knew what made it and wasn't thrilled about the prospect of what it meant. "Buck," the alicorn commented. Luna quickly rose from her paper-littered desk, knocking off the glass of red wine in the process. It occurred to her somewhere in her mind that the red wine would leave a permanent stain on her prized rug, but it hardly mattered at that moment. Luna barged through the doors of her abode, scaring the heads of her Lunar Guard, Silverhawk and Storm Wind, whom guarded either side of the large double doors. After the initial start, Silverhawk took off after the alicorn, working hard to keep pace with the Lunar Regent's long legged strides. "Your Highness," Silverhawk, a Lieutenant by rank, called after her, "Is something wrong?" "No," Luna quickly called back as she approached a bend. She couldn't disguise the panic in her voice, "Resume your post. Now!" Silverhawk quickly skid to a halt as he watched the last of the Lunar Regent's auroral tail disappeared around the turn. Storm Wind stopped a second later beside his longtime friend. The leader of the vaunted Lunar Guard didn't acknowledge his comrade and second-in-command. Rather, he produced a whistle from below his breastplate and hurriedly blew a cadence into it. The whistle, made of the purest silver with moon symbols etched into every conceivable place, was silent. Next to him, Storm Wind's helmet glowed in a similar pattern as the cadence. Across the castle, helmets of the guardsponies, both on and off duty, pulsated in a similar fashion. Silverhawk finally looked to his long time friend, who simply nodded in response. The Lunar Guard considered themselves an elite unit within an already elite Royal Guard. In part, it was due to their commander. Silverhawk had experienced many battles and combated many, many things since he first volunteered all those years ago. After the Changelings were expelled from Canterlot, it was the Lunar Guard that insured they would "no longer be a problem." His skills were as honed and thoughts as sharp as any spear. His charges, all volunteers to serve the Lunar Crown, were a reflection of that. However, seeing his beloved princess so unnerved, it was one of the few times in his life he felt unease. As such, when he sent the message to his charges, all of them took notice. It was simple so there would be no misunderstanding. "Be on alert." ~(o)~ "Ease into it, Twilight!" Celestia called out from her balcony. A smile, seemingly creased permanently on the Solar Regent's face as of late, never abated. Her horn glowed faintly as she continually fed the spell, "Remember to use the currents. Don't fight them!" Twilight Sparkle, the newly minted alicorn, struggled to keep her body aloft on the magically summoned winds made by her mentor. Over the castle's courtyard, she was getting better at the basics of flight. Though only possessing her wings for a month, she picked up the basics quickly from Rainbow Dash. However, Celestia, when she utilized it as an excuse to spend even more time with her student, took over her "training" shortly after. "Whoa!" Twilight nearly barked as she hit a current that didn't support her weight. She dove into it, just as her friends taught her, to retain control and pick up speed. A second later, she tilted her wings to adjust her angle once more. She caught another updraft and was gaining altitude again. "Well done, Twilight!" Celestia remarked. She took a sip of wine before she called out again, "Why don't you come in?" Celestia dismissed the magical winds as Twilight flapped her wings. It took a moment for her to get the angle of her descent just right, but she managed the landing with some grace. The student turned to her teacher looking for any feedback on her performance. The Solar Regent's placid smile was all she needed to see. "Couldn't have done better myself," Celestia said, beaming at Twilight. For her part, Twilight was exuberant enough that she nearly began bouncing around her long time teacher. Celestia didn't disguise the warmth in her chest. This young mare, who had done so much for her, was the light of her generation. She'd given the Solar Regent the greatest gift possible when she reunited the two elder alicorns. Celestia, who watched her student grow from an overly eager foal into the Element of Magic and multiple time hero, felt justified when she turned the unicorn into a royal alicorn. The two moved back inside, mostly for Twilight's benefit. Though she technically was an alicorn, the physical benefits would still take time to fully manifest. As it stood physiological, Twilight was just a unicorn who sprouted wings. Such transformations were designed to gradually manifest lest they overwhelm the recipient's body and mind. Twilight's exhaustion was plain to see as she'd been in the sky for over an hour, but her tenacity in the face of it was commendable and she would grow into the part. She already had done so a bit. Had the unicorn, who wasn't athletically inclined, worked that hard prior to her transformation, she she would have been asleep the moment she landed. "I just... need to rest... a moment," Twilight's said between deep breaths. "My faithful student," Celestia managed before a chuckle, "just relex. There will be time tomorrow. You know the body needs rest as well as the mind." "The mind? But it doesn't need..." "Do I need to remind you the Want-It-Need-It spell?" Celestia interrupted. "You have a point," Twilight conceded after a moment. Though the lavender alicorn had wanted nothing more than to soar on the winds (Dash was right about the freedom it engendered), she couldn't deny the exhaustion she felt. As Celestia looked forward to simple chitchat with her student, she felt a nearly forgotten signal go off in her head. A clouded look passed over the Solar Regent's features; one of panic and one that Twilight didn't miss as she sat before the fireplace. "Celestia?" Twilight asked as a sense of dread built in the pits of her stomach, "Is something wrong?" "Twilight, come with me," was the Solar Regent's only answer as she moved towards the doors of her abode. She would have instructed Twilight to stay put, but it didn't occur to her. Not at that moment. Celestia frantically tore through the marbled halls of her home. Twilight worked hard to keep pace with the Solar Regent. Though she found her breathing much easier then it would have been when she was just a normal unicorn, she still found her legs struggling to keep up with pace the older alicorn was setting. Still, the look Celestia had put the student on edge. Twilight worried more about leaving the Crown of Magic, her Element of Harmony, in her room more than breathing or fatigue at the moment. "Celestia!" Twilight called after her addled mentor, "Wait!" "There is no time, Twilight," was all the Solar Regent would say. It was many turns and stairs and many more minutes until the two were in a basement. At first, the basement was what Twilight remembered. Stoned were chiseled to line the walls and floor, while a multitude of torches made the light seem contiguous in nature. Gradually, the basement turned into tunneled catacombs. The dark, moss covered granite halls were only lit by an occasional magicall torch. Twilight tried to recall the section, but her memory couldn't place the location. Their hooffalls echoed in every direction, accentuated the occasional splash of puddles as they traversed the seldom traveled section within the bowels of Canterlot Castle. The two alicorns turned around another corner to see Luna waiting for them by a nondescript door, save for two small holes on either side of the doorway. "Those banana's catching up with you, Tia?" Luna dryly remarked, "Twilight, tis always good to see you." "Shut up," Celestia greeted her sister. She slowed her gate before the unremarkable door Luna was waiting by. "Hey Luna," Twilight said a second later as she caught up to Celestia. For all her new found physical prowess, Twilight's breathing was heavy from all her exertions that day, "Now will one of you tell me what this is about?" "How did they break in?" Celestia asked, unintentionally ignoring Twilight. Luna quickly shook her head. Neither of the elder alicorns had an answer. "What's wrong?" Twilight asked demurely. "Is the seal broken?" Celestia asked, her face somehow growing paler. "No," Luna said, "Tis still very much intact." She emphasized the point by tapping at the door with a forehoof. As wave of golden energy rippled about the doorway. Celestia breathed only a little easier. "What's going on?" Twilight asked again with a little more force. "Perhaps they tunneled through?" Luna offered, but it was Celestia's to shake her head. This part of the lower levels was chosen specifically for a reason. The section was built literally within the mountain that Canterlot sat upon. With tens of thousands of tonnes of granite surrounding the room, it would take years to tunnel into the room, even through the numbers of caves that dotted the mountain. Even then, those were similarly warded as the door. Wards that only the sisters could dispel. "Hey gals?" Twilight interjected again as she felt the agitation build within her. "Then how?" Luna asked, "Neither the Royal nor Lunar Guard have reported even an attempted break in in how many years now?' "Ten at least," Celestia answered with a shrug, "We have to find out." "Gals," Twilight said, passing from fear to annoyance. "Perhaps they teleported in?" Luna offered. "No," Celestia immediately answered, "With the wards in place, how could they?" More than that, the entire section in the deepest levels of the basement was warded against such magic. "Maybe they..." Luna had started to say. "WHAT'S! GOING! ON!" Twilight bellowed in her Royal Canterlot Voice. The shout rocked the basement, even causing Celestia and Luna to wobble under the aural assault. Both turned an eye to Twilight, who sheepishly grinned and offered half-hearted chuckle. She squeaked, "Sorry." "It's quite alright, Twilight," Celestia looked to her former student with a slightly bemused smile and ringing ears. Luna shook the cobwebs from her head and put a hoof alternatively to each ear, twisting them relieve some unseen pressure. "Seriously, what's wrong?" Twilight asked as her expression shifted back into one of concern. "Twilight, have you ever heard of Star Swirl's Amulet of Creation?" Luna asked, preempting any protest from Celestia about it being too soon. "Amulet of Creation?" Twilight repeated. She quickly searched her vast mental catalog of knowledge, but proved fruitless. She looked alternative from Luna to Celestia and asked, "What is it?" ~(o)~ A figure clad in a dark outfit, covering from snout to haunch slinked, her way through the open window into the bedroom. Sure, she could have used the door. But why? Like any good story, she didn't want hers to end with "And she walked through the front door." Though she wasn't a practiced thief, she managed to pull off the greatest heist Equestria had ever seen. Perhaps the most dangerous as well. The room where her prize was kept was trapped in every sense of the world. An untold number of magical wards guarded the exterior against intrusion and the interior from escape. Only the powerful magic of two alicorns, Equestria's rarest commodity, could have broken through those seals. In addition, a number of physical traps were spread throughout the room and the ceiling was just low enough to prevent a pegasus from flying over them. In short, it was the perfect heist they would talk about forever! Sunrise was only a few hours away and even the greatest burglars needed sleep. She set down her bag containing the prized possession and nudged it under her bed. Given the mass of objects under there, it was doubtful anypony would find it before she figured out her next move. She slipped out of her garments and set them over the bag just to be sure. The thief quickly slid under the covers for some well deserved sleep. She initially found it hard to settle down with the absolutely giddiness coursing through her mind, but she succumbed to slumber in due time. On the night stand was her other prized possession. One that stood as a symbol of friendship. Her Element of Harmony glistened in the moonlight, unabashed and quite safe.