Chapter 17 – Swirls of feelings
The cool night air lofts into the open balcony with the light sound of hammers or voices that continue to chime out towards the bottom of the new Capital of Equestria.
However, for the tall white mare that has settled onto the large cranberry colored bed the sounds of the outside world are nothing more than whispers. Instead, her attention has been held on the few scrolls and drafted maps that she has been studying since the moon was brought out.
Celestia's multi colored mane floats and dances a little from one side of her head as the uppermost part of her horn continues to bring forward and put back the various papers. But just as she brings her eyes to the last rolled up scroll in front of her the sound of approaching hooves and a voice bring her head up towards the stairs that lead into the room.
"Princess Celestia! Princess Celestia!"
A face to the voice quickly comes to reality as a panting pegasus stallion dressed in bright sky blue armor gallops into the room, "Princess, you must follow me, something has happened in Unicornia!"
Celestia just blinks to the stallion's words as she speaks up, "What do you mean?"
"Just see Princess!" The pegasus's wings flair out as he dashes out onto the balcony and then quickly into the air.
The mare slowly brings herself from the bed as she trots after the beckoning stallion. As she comes outside the pegasus moves a little more to the left of the spire, "There!"
Celestia spreads her wings out as she brings herself from the balcony and to where the stallion hovers.
However as she turns the length of her tower room her eyes pinned to a sight that even sends her into a speechless stare as she just looks to the bright cyclone of light that shoots up just beyond the EverFree forest.
- - -
(About fifteen minutes earlier)
As the unexpected teleportation spell pops to its destination Clover quickly snaps her head to the older pony in front of her, "Star Swirl?! Why would you do a spell after what happened to you?!!"
The mare's voice gets no answer from the old pony as a younger voice comes up, "Clover! Star Swirl!"
Violas is quick to take the short gallop from where he stood as he rushes his voice, "Good your back! Something has happened in the castle!"
Preston and the maid dressed pony beside him just listen to the conversation in front of them, still a little stunned from the unwelcomed spell.
"What happened?" Star Swirl’s voice rings up before Clover's as he takes a shifty step towards the stallion.
"Everypony was just going about their business, and then suddenly they were all teleported outside! W-what kind of a spell can teleport a pony with out the caster seeing them?"
To the words Star Swirl looks up into the sky at the large cyclon of magic that spins into the clouds above them, "I do not know, but we need to get inside."
"We can not!"
Another stallion's voice turns everypony's heads as they turn to Free Burst, his eyes are wide and his face just screams out his frantic feelings, "A-and all of our work, i-it is going to be for nothing if this cyclone has gotten inside of the castle. Just think of the mess!"
Star Swirl gives an annoyed stare to the stallion as he speaks up, "How dare you care for miscellaneous items at a time like this."
The stallion just blinks to the comment as he slowly brings his voice back out, but loud enough to chime over the magic above, "Well, we can not get back in, it seems that this spell has locked the doors as well."
His words turn Star Swirl’s head as the old stallion now looks over the small group of caretakers and chamber keepers who idly stand by the castle's closed doors.
Clover notices his stare as she speaks up, "Master, we have to wait for Celestia, she has to have been informed of this by now -.."
"No Clover." Star Swirl shakes his head as he takes a step forward, "He must be stopped now."
Free Burst and Violas both speak up to the comment as they chime out at the sametime, "Who?Whatdoyoumean?"
"Sagitta."
Violas shakes his head to the comment as he speaks up, "No, I just saw my Master over-..." His words come to an end as he looks around to all of the ponies that stand around him.
Star Swirl however does not wait for the sentence to end as he starts his wobbly trot towards the doors. Clover quickly follows after him with Preston close behind, but before either can speak up the stallion's trot has come to an end as he takes up a stance and points his head a little down to the doors.
The small spaced out group of ponies notice the old stallion as they move away a little, all the while continuing to hold their confused and frightened conversations that can not be heard over the magical chime streaming from the castle.
Star Swirl’s horn is quick to spark up as a bright bolt of magic is sent towards the door. However, just as the magic hits them it ricochets back with a pulse of dark blue almost purple magic.
The older stallion like everypony else stumbles a little to the pulse of magic. Violas however just stares with wide eyes to the magic as he speaks up, "S-Sagitta did this?"
Star Swirl grinds his teeth a little to the closed doors as he quickly turns to the stallion, "Yes, do you know how to break this spell?"
The younger stallion is motionless for a moment as he just stares to Star Swirl.
"Do you?"
"Y-yes, it is one of the spells he made. It is in his book." Violas's comment flicks the old stallion's ear as he speaks up again, "So you know it?"
Violas starts up his trot with a quick turn as he speaks up, "No, but I had the book when I was teleported and it is just ove-..."
"Rahhharrr!"
The strange high pitched screech takes everypony’s attentions as they all dart their eyes towards the cyclone that lights the area around them. However, as they look up their eyes meet something more than just the cyclone. In the air coming down from the top of the castle around about a dozen green scaled flying imp like creatures that have their claw arms sprawled out towards the group of ponies they now are aimed at.
Everypony around Star Swirl’s group breaks out into hysteria as the sound of their yells and hooves drown out the second screech of the imps.
"Hurry!" Star Swirl nods his head to Violas as the younger stallion starts his short gallop over to where he was originally teleported.
Clover and Star Swirl both spark their horns up to the screeching beasts as they quickly send a bolt of magic into the mass.
From the initial bolts one is struck and burst into a purple gas of dust and shriveled almost bird like wings that now fall to the ground.
With a puff of purple gas the imps change their courses a little as they dart back up into the sky for another swoop. This time with a loud yell.
Free Burst holds a hoof to one of his ears as he speaks up, "Do something!"
Clover and Star Swirl do not give the comment any attention as the swarm of imps now disappears to chase after all of the galloping ponies in front of the castle.
"I got the book!" Violas's voice comes up from his spot about thirty meters from where he was as the book floats up from the slightly tall grass that grows on the end of the hill. However, just as the book floats from the ground a screaming imp swoops in and takes the book into the air.
Violas is quick to send a bolt towards the thing but the imp's small frame easily dodges the magic as it continues to fly higher and higher.
Star Swirl and Clover are oblivious to the little scene happening a few hooves from where they stand as they continue to deal with the mass of the swarm that has directed themselves to their position.
Preston however does see this as he turns his head up toward the illuminated sky, but his sight of it is quickly blocked as one of the scaly imps lunges to him. "AhH!"
He's able to get his hands up to the flapping creatures as he holds it's sharp clawed hands from his face. The imp's dust colored eyes lock to the man's face with every frantic snap of its mouth.
Just as Preston's grip on the imp starts to fade his hands spark up in a green glow. Instantly the two arms Preston was holding burst into flames and the imp's frantic chopping now turns into cries of pain as the man lets go of the scaled creature. But, this brings no relief to the imp as it burst into the same puff of purple dust with a set of dried up bird wings.
Preston's hands still grow bright with his adrenaline pumped body as he turns his attention to the other imp he was watching.
By now it has already gotten back to the castle and is almost higher than the castle's doors. This fact however does not change Preston's thoughts as he clenches his hands and then slams his clenched fist forward in the same direction as the imp's flight.
A bolt of magic in the shape of a wobbly green ball of lightning is sent shrieking towards the imp as it strikes its back and puffs it into dust with the book now falling back to the ground.
Preston lets out a laugh, both out of pure adrenaline and just due to the fact his little plan worked.
Violas notices the book's fall back to the ground as he quickly gallops after it.
However, his gallop is halted for a moment as the area around him becomes a bright gold color as a wall of magic quickly rushes past him. He like everypony else close their eyes to the magic for the moment as they wait for it to subside.
As it does the constant chatter of flapping wings and screeches have died off, but now a mare's voice rings out in their place, "Master!"
Violas opens his eyes as he turns towards the stallion who kneels to his front two legs in a heavy pant. But he only watches for a moment as he quickly sparks his horn up to bring the book from the ground as he turns back towards the stallion, "Here is the book."
Preston has come to the old stallion's side as Star Swirl forces himself up, "Good...Find the spell, quickly."
As the younger stallion frantically flips through the pages Clover takes a step forward, "Give me the book."
"H-here it is." Violas holds the page as he turns the book to the mare.
Clover looks over the spell for the moment before she turns her attention back to the closed doors as she sparks up her horn. The building chime of her blue magic takes a few moments but it finally rings out as the bolt of her magic is shot towards the closed doors.
The doors fling open but the ponies that stand outside of them all with their own reasons for panting do not go in. However, another action has caught Star Swirl and Preston's eyes as the purple mare drops to her front knees from the harder spell she pushed herself to do.
Preston moves from Star Swirl’s side as he quickly goes to Clovers, "Clover! You alright?"
The mare nods as she speaks through her pants, "Y-ya, i'm fine."
Her words bring Star Swirl’s strength up as he slowly brings his old body forward, "Do not follow me in..."
Clover shakes her head to the words as she speaks up, "Master I-..."
The stallion brings himself into the darker front hall of the castle as he shakes his head to the mare. Clover does not bring her voice up again as the old stallion's eyes shift to Preston, "Take care of her Preston."
The words bring a quick nod from Preston.
Star Swirl sparks his horn up with a smile as the doors in front of him close and lock to his own magic.
The room now is dark only lit on its right side from the large glass windows that overlook the EverFree forest. However as Star Swirl turns to face the room his eyes and ears quickly pick up on the source of the magic above the castle as he stares to the brighter spiral staircase at the other end of the room.
Star Swirl’s breathing has still not come under control but he takes a step forward as a bright bolt of dark purple magic rings in front of him and hits the wall just beside him.
The old pony stumbles from the magic as he squints to its origin.
It only takes a moment for the stallion's eyes to locate its source as Star Swirl now stares to what looks like a transparent shadowy figure that a suit of armor floats to.
No real outline can be seen in the armor, but a pair of bright dark purple orbs sits where a head would be and out from beneath the armor pokes out four shadowy legs.
Star Swirl steadies his breathing as he sizes up the pony that stands between him and his goal.
End of chapter 17