//------------------------------// // Escape Plans // Story: Ace's Spell Shop // by Aceofgods //------------------------------// Chapter Seventeen: Escape Plans Ace had been alone in his cell for a number of hours when he awoke to an odd tearing sound. When he arose, he saw the familiar Draconequus appearing out of the dimensional tear of his chaos magic variant of the basic teleportation spell. “Glad to see you could make it, Fenrir.” Ace sat up to glare at the opponent, unsure of what his intentions were. When he did, he realized that his horn was glowing vibrantly with the dark color of his magic and his hooves were starting to shake, though not quite violently yet. I’m going to overload soon, but not for at least another hour… he thought at the sight. “Perhaps you are wondering why I’ve gathered all of you here today, gentlecolts. I wish to discuss an offer that you cannot refuse,” the Draconequus spoke in his normal method, sounding as though he were replying to another conversation or circumstance entirely, though somehow conveying his meaning as intended. Ace sat as still as he could with the magic trying to control his movements, a mask of indifference over his features to not reveal his thoughts to the manipulative creature. “Perhaps I am. What is this offer that you speak of?” The Draconequus rested upon some object that wasn’t there and held an apple in his lion’s paw. Discord took a drink from the apple, some of the color draining from it before he continued. “Well you see, Fenrir, I need your assistance with something, and there’s nothing you can do to stop me,” he said before pausing to drink from the fruit once more. “Perhaps offer is the wrong word… More of an inevitability, really. Anyhow, you’re just the pony I need to move ahead in my scheme.” Ace laughed heartily at the idea. Maybe I can trick him into helping me out of here before I overload by playing along… Worth a shot, right? Ace thought as he laughed. “Well I’ll tell you what, if this plan of your involved manipulating Celestia, then it’s probably a plan I can help out with. What did you have in mind?” Discord finished drinking his apple, all the color effectively drained from it, before tossing it over his shoulder where it disappeared through a wall. “As I’m sure Goody-Goody Sparkle has already told you, the Elements of Harmony did fall into my possession, and I was unable to convert them to the Elements of Disharmony once again. I thought everything was ruined, until you came to Ponyville when I was spying on Twilight.” Discord shrunk down to the size of a fly as he walked around on the ceiling, speaking in a squeaky voice as Ace worked hard to prevent his anger from showing on his face. “You see, through several layers of thick stone, above this very cell, is the Castle Vault. Within that vault, protected by dozens of layers of impenetrable magic, are the Elements of Harmony.” Discord pointed through the floor, then dived into it as though he were a professional diver. When next he appeared, he came from the nearby wall in the shape of a mouse. “You see, Fenrir, even I cannot change the powerful order magic that resides in the elements, and neither can I access them through the vault.” Mouse-cord then started gathering small blocks of cheese he summoned around the room and put them in front of Ace as he spoke. “However, through spying on Twilight, I learned that you can. You can disable the magic of the vault, and drain all of the elements of their power simply by staying in this cell, gathering your magic.” Mouse-cord gathered all of his cheese, and as he set the least slice, it started to shake and then exploded, covering the rodent in the resulting cheese-goo. “Fortunately, this is something new over the last however-many-hundred years you haven’t spoken to Sol Light. Because of this, she is none the wiser, and soon she’ll be blaming you for the Elements of Disharmony returning to my possession! Oh, it’s so perfect I could almost die!” Mouse-cord proceeded to wander into a mouse-trap that violently came down with enough force to sever the rodent’s vertebrae, swiftly incapacitating the critter. Discord then came out of the ceiling as though he were still swimming in it. “Except that it won’t be me in the trap, but instead you. Instead of cheese, the bait is Goody-Sparkle and the trap will be Celestia. Oh, you can hardly write such a tragedy!” Discord pulled a pony skull out of nowhere and held it aloft like Whinny Shakehorn. “What soft light through which yonder skull doth break, but were it not for the silence of the ages, thou would be happy with thine sister and wife. Silent though thou were, thine voice carried the words of thine demise.” Discord took a bow, his slaughtered rendition of the famous work completed. Ace rolled his eyes, clopping his front hooves in applaud to amuse the spirit of chaos. “I have to admit, I’m pretty much helpless in this scenario. I see Celestia’s lessons have taught you well.” The yellow-and-red eyes of Discord inverted, the eyes becoming red while the irises were yellow. Discord snaked up real close to Ace, staring intently into his unmatched eyes as he was up in his face. “Listen here, Fenrir, Celestia is the pawn in my plan this time. Celestia has not served any purpose except to allow me into the castle so that I could research the vault and the elements more closely. "She is nothing to me, and has taught me only how weak even the strongest of ponies are.” Discord's eyes returned to normal, backing away swiftly when Ace made a motion to scratch his nose. “Okay, if you say so Lover-cord, but that sure didn’t sound like acting up there in the audience chamber. It sure would be chaotic if the Master of chaos fell in love with the Queen of Order,” Ace watched the Draconequus closely, and noticed that his features were unmoving, meaning he was hiding something. “Fangs and talons, imagine the foals! Wait, do Draconequus do the whole mating thing?” Discord, having nothing further to say to the pony, opened a tear with his lion’s paw and departed through it swiftly. My, my, my. Looks like our little Chaos spirit is all grown up… Ace started to laugh at the thoughts, but sobered quickly as his hooves started to shake more violently. I am not looking forward to this… “Thanks mom. I hope this wasn’t too much trouble,” Twilight said as Twilight Velvet set a plate of food squarely in front of her, between the full assortment of dinnerware from soup spoon to salad fork. “I didn’t mean to drop in unannounced, but I was in the area with… a friend. We got separated while he went to talk to… his sister, so I decided to stop by.” Twilight smiled nervously, hoping her explanation was enough. Twilight Velvet, her mother, smiled with a nod. “Don’t be silly, Twilight! This is your home, and you’re always welcome here. Isn’t that right dear?” Night Light sat at the head of the dinner table. “Of course! It’s nice to know that one of our little foals still thinks about her parents from time to time.” Twilight Velvet was a very light grey Unicorn with a streaked white and light-purple mane that resembled Twilight’s style. Night Light was a solid blue pony, featuring a light blue coat and a darker blue mane and tail; the latter of which was frequently disheveled, much to Twilight Velvet’s displeasure. Twilight Sparkle admired the home-cooked meal that sat before her, consisting of roasted asparagus and tomato penne salad with goat cheese. To drink, Twilight Sparkle had orange juice, while her parents had some sort of grape wine. Taking the salad fork in her levitation, she picked up a piece of tomato and spoke before taking a bite. “Speaking of Shining Armor, how are he and Princess Cadence doing in the Crystal Kingdom?” Twilight took the bite as she thought about her big brother. He was a Unicorn with a solid white coat and had a streaked three-tone blue mane. Night Light nodded as he chewed his food before politely swallowing so he could speak. “We don’t hear from him much, but his last letter said that he was doing quite well in the Crystal Kingdom. He and Cadence were having trouble getting many of the crystal ponies up to speed with the thousand years they had missed out on; a lot has changed, truly.” Twilight Sparkle prepared a piece of asparagus before commenting, “I’m sure that if anypony can help them, Shining and Cadence are just the ponies for the job,” she said before enjoying the morsel. Twilight Velvet nodded, swallowing her food and wiping her mouth with a napkin in her magic before she spoke. “Of course. Shining has been a great role model for everypony. He was the Captain of the Canterlot Royal Guard for many years, after all,” she said as she cut a piece of asparagus in half with her utensils. “You know, that reminds me. My editor has been hinting that I should write a book about your adventure overthrowing the Changeling Queen’s plans. I wanted to ask you before I committed to anything, but it would really help my career.” Twilight Sparkle thought for a moment as she chewed her food, then washed the food down with a sip of her juice. “Well, I certainly wouldn’t mind. I’d be happy to help any way I can, but what about Shining and Cadence? What do they think of the idea?” Night Light took up the question after taking a short drink as well. “Well Cadence liked the idea, but Shining took a little convincing, since he didn’t want his wife to suffer any bad publicity. For the first potion of the book, it would seem as though she were doing all the horrible things Chrysalis did as she was disguised as her. Fortunately, Cadence talked him into it.” Twilight Sparkle nodded, “Well, then I don’t see any reason not to. By all means, write the book. But I want two copies when it’s done, one for me and one for the library,” she said before taking another bite of her meal. Twilight Velvet’s face lit up, glad that she could get started on the book right away. “Well, now that business is out of the way, have you met a nice stallion yet?” Twilight Sparkle’s eyes went wide as she nearly choked on her food. Ace sat in his cell… by the loosest stretch of the word. Even though he was sitting, his hooves were shaking as though they were about to explode – and after shaking for more than an hour, that was an apt description of how they felt as well. Ace’s entire body was shuddering at shortening intervals, and his horn was glowing so brightly with its black light that it hurt just to keep his eyes open without his protective lenses. With so much magic flowing to his horn, and from the stress of the brilliantly bright light, even his horn ached. Diverting his attention from the pain, Ace started to think about what’ll have to happen after the overload. Any minute now, the final symptoms will cross and I’ll need to make a break for it. First, I need to break these restraints. After that, buck open the door. None of the guards carry weapons on the upper floors of the castle, but down here I’ll need to fight at least one guard who will likely carry a sword, an axe or a dagger. My body is going to be sore, but I need to fight without my magic, as I will be unable to use it. By the time I make it to the upper floors, I should have enough magic for a single location and close-range teleport spell. I hope Twilight is still in the city… And I hope she’s not mad at me. Ace repeated the thoughts over and over, knowing that he’d be delirious with the pain of the overload, and he would need to have the plan imprinted on his mind, or he’d forget and be in deep hay. As he focused on his thoughts, Ace’s coat started to turn a brilliant, glowing white and his mane turned a much brighter red, waving about as though it were on fire. Ace braced himself as best he could with his shaking limbs as his body started shaking nonstop, rather than in intervals. Ace’s head jerked back, his horn pointing straight into the air as all of his magic burst out of his body through every pore, every strand of hair. All around Ace in a sphere, a white silence over took the air, every object it passed over crackled with electric power without sound as it spread forth, occupying all of Canterlot Castle in its glow. Ace scrambled to his hooves, uncertain of how long he had been unconscious. 'First, I need to break these restraints.' Ace mustered what little strength he could in his body, which ached as though a dragon had torched him, filleted him, then chewed the bones as a light snack, then slammed the shackles, chains and bonds against the wall closest to him. The metal was strong, but the clasps were made up mostly of magic, now dispelled after the overload. The restraints came off reluctantly at the introduction of force, though the effort was exhausting on Ace’s already low reserves of strength and stamina. Ace moved to the door, his own voice echoing through his mind; 'After that, buck open the door.' Ace spun on his front hooves, swinging his back hooves out with as much force as he could muster. The flimsy door flew open, the grate flying across the room, flipping and spinning until it hit the far wall with a loud clang. Ace’s ears were ringing with the sound that echoed through the lower levels of the castle. Ace held a hoof to his head for a moment, but shook it out before proceeding through the door and attempting to navigate the darkness of the dungeon without the aid of his magical senses. Not far out, a Pegasus in shiny golden armor and a sword on its back turned the corner and pointed a hoof at him. 'I’ll need to fight at least one guard who will likely carry a sword, an axe or a dagger. My body is going to be sore, but I need to fight without my magic, as I will be unable to use it.' The Pegasus used his wings to propel himself forward down the hallway, coming at Ace from the front, but slightly above, as he brandished the sword in an overhead swing. Ace blocked the blow with his left hoof as it tore into it. That is, it tore up the cover that Rarity had made for him and contacting the pre-magic that was held within. The soldier’s eyes went wide as he thought he was fighting the shadows themselves as the pre-magic engulfed the foreign object. Not knowing what to do, the Pegasus relinquished the blade to the hoof and leapt back. As the weapon fell, Ace took the hilt in his right hoof and leapt forward with an underhoofed diagonal swing that caught the Pegasus across the throat, severing its head from its body. The corpse hit the floor, allowing Ace to take the scabbard and affix it to his own back before continuing through the hallway, muttering a prayer for the fallen out of habit. “The night brings swift death to its foes, but weep not for the dead, as it is through the action of death that life is granted meaning. Shun not death, live for those who have fallen.” Ace saw a light out of the end of a hallway, and turned down it. As it neared the light, he saw it was a staircase. Before he could reach it, a Unicorn descended the steps. The Unicorn caught sight of the pony, and started to prepare a spell, but was unable to as the overload had drained all of their magic. Ace leapt forward, dodging to the side when he neared the pony for fear of retaliation, and drove the sword through the pony’s side, twisting then sweeping the blade through his foe to ensure a swift death before sheathing the bloodied blade. Ace ascended the stairs, wincing in pain with each step as he went. Ace’s vision was blurry, and he could only make out the shapes of ponies. He checked each to see if any carried weapons, and made note of the Unicorns. Some of them were talking, though none of them moved. Ace tried to heed their words, but his ears were ringing loudly in exertion and pain. Ace proceeded past the ponies, when one pony made a motion towards him as he passed. Ace swung the blade in a curving arc around himself that severed the pony’s hoof as he approached. Ace turned, wielding the blade behind his head and ready swing should any of the others attempt to halt him. They all either stared, frozen, or ran the opposite direction. Appraising the pony he had injured, Ace looked to see if he still intended to fight. The pony trembled with fear, staring at the severed hoof that laid before him. No longer viewing the aggressor as a threat, Ace replaced the blade on his back before he continued to the entrance of the castle. As he neared the gate, two armed guards were waiting for him. Ace gritted his teeth and rested a hoof on the hilt of the blade. The three ponies stared at each other for a time, nopony daring to make a move in the standoff. A larger pony came into Ace’s view, but he did not falter. After a time, the three ponies moved aside, opening the gate and lowering themselves in a bow. Ace watched the three warily as he passed. Once he was out of the castle, the doors closed tight behind him. 'By the time I make it to the upper floors, I should have enough magic for a single location and close-range teleport spell.' Ace’s horn lit with the black light of his magic, and he closed his bleary eyes as the location spell started to reveal the location of the last pony he could recall being with, Twilight Sparkle. Once the spell had found her, he teleported to her side. 'I hope Twilight is still in the city… And I hope she’s not mad at me.' Twilight Sparkle, her mother and her father all sat in the living room of their home, Twilight Sparkle telling them about a certain stallion she had met recently. “-and he even knew Pinkie Pie before we met. They said they met at a Summer Sun Celebration, and that he never misses one when the Princess will be there, no matter what city or town she goes to that year. He frequently goes to festivals and the like to hand out spells to ponies who need them while he sells stronger ones to those who can afford them. He’s really nice; I hope you both get to meet him sometime soon. Oh, but he doesn’t like to talk about his past too much, so-“ A bright flash of light the color of the darkest night filled the room as a pony appeared out of it and flopped down painfully onto the coffee table, which broke under the weight and force of the landing pony. Twilight Velvet and Night Light leapt to opposite walls of the room at the intrusion. Twilight Sparkle hunched down as she got off the couch to try and help the pony up. The pony accepted her aid as he spoke, “Oh good, it’s you Twilight. I… Huh, that’s odd, I had something very important to tell you, but I can’t remember what it was…” The pony looked to be struggling with his own weight. “You know, I’m actually very, very tired. I think I’ll just take a short nap. Good-“ the pony collapsed back to the floor with a thud as the sword on his back thudded against the floor at his side.” “Sparkle dear, who is this strange pony? Why does he know your name?” Twilight saw the blood that covered Ace’s front and ran out of the sheath of the sword and nearly doubled over with worry and panic. “It’s Ace, mom, and he looks like he’s hurt - badly. Quick! Go get the first aid kit!” Twilight Velvet quickly left the room towards the upstairs bathroom as Night Light helped her get the strange black Unicorn onto the couch. Once Ace was more comfortable, Twilight lit her horn as she ignited her magical senses to examine Ace. She could tell he didn’t have any injuries, and that the blood wasn’t his own, except for the nosebleed. She could tell his entire body was past its breaking point, but she couldn’t see or feel any injuries. She looked to the sword next…and saw that it belonged to a Canterlot Guard! 'Please don’t tell me you killed Celestia, Ace… Please, tell me anything but that.' Twilight started to look for Ace’s magical presence around her, but all she could feel was residual magic from her parents inside the house. Worried, she let her magic envelop Ace to try and feel how much magic power he had left. It was then she noticed two things: the cover on his hoof looked as though it was torn, and the pre-magic was starting to flood out before she withdrew her magic and jumped back, announcing, “Don’t use any magic near him!” The second thing she noticed, was that Ace’s magic was incredibly low, and that he was going to need some time to recover, even with his vast amount of magic. 'Oh, Ace… What have you done?' Remembering the necklace with the magical sapphire gem, she took off the necklace and put it over Ace’s head, lifting it slightly to be sure the necklace slid all the way down his neck. “I brought the first aid!” Twilight Velvet called as she came down the steps again. Twilight Sparkle nodded as she took the kit in her magic and took a cleaning wipe out of it to start wiping the blood off of Ace by hoof. “Mom, I’m going to need the sewing kit as well. Could you bring it here please?” Night Light and Twilight Velvet shared a look fearing the worst before the mare ran into the downstairs bedroom to retrieve the kit. Twilight Sparkle cleaned the blood from his chest and right hoof, but his nose was still bleeding. Twilight Velvet came into the room with the sewing kit and laid it next to Twilight Sparkle. Twilight Sparkle opened the kit and took out a needle and threaded it carefully in her magic before taking the needle and thread in hoof, along with a patch of black cloth. “Remember, don’t use any magic near him until I get this patched up.” Twilight Velvet and Night Light cringed as they watched Twilight Sparkle sewing what they believed was Ace’s flesh, not knowing what the black pre-magic was. They left and went into the kitchen to leave Twilight Sparkle to what they thought was a grim task. 'I’m sorry Ace, it won’t be as good as Rarity’s work, but at least it’ll be functional again.'