God I love Wind magic.
I was currently running across an open plane at 60 mph, the wind blowing against my face as I pushed my body to levels impossible for a normal human. Thankfully, I’m not normal. My legs were a blur of motion as I saw the Everfree forest grow closer every minute. Using my magic in such a way drained me heavily, but the results more than made up for it. I could always recharge later when I settled down. Right now I wanted to get back to safety.
Yes, I consider the Everfree forest to be a safe haven for myself. With the power I wield the forest poses little threat to my being. It does, however, pose a threat to others who wish to find me. Of course, the Everfree wasn’t always the dangerous forest it is today. I felt my mind wander to the time I first step foot in this world…
(1505 years ago)
The Everfree forest was in a state of serenity. The rays of the early morning sun slipped through the canopy, chasing away the shadows of twilight. It was calm, beautiful, and about to be ruined by an alien biped.
The creature was thrown from a black rip in the sky, just above the tree tops. The quiet forest was filled with screams, curses and snapping branches. It gave a grunt of pain as it hit the ground hard before becoming quiet once more.
The creature twitched before it rose from its position, its eyes scanning the trees around it. It stayed that way for several minutes, glaring at the surrounding woods.
“… That’s the last time I ever buy something from a wrinkled old man.”
I quickly patted my body as I searched for any bruises. I still had my outfit from the convention along with the sword I bought from the salesman. I drew the blade and was surprised by what I found. The blade that was once stainless steel seemed to have changed. The blade was more defined and the edges that were dulled before were now deadly sharp. It was less of a prop and more of a weapon. That’s not what amazed me though, no, it was the fact that lighting was dancing along the blade, giving it an eerie yellow glow.
My gaze was wrenched from the blade as something large began to pad towards me. My loud arrival had scared most of the local wildlife, but some of the more curious creatures decided to investigate. Said creature was a large lion with bat wings and a scorpion tail. I did the first thing that came to mind: lecture the creature.
“Manticore: a Eurasian mythological creature said to roam the lands in the 14th century. Said to lead travelers astray by mimicking the vocals of humans.”
I was confused and scared; the manticore was confused and angry. I was ready to shit my pants while the animal looked ready to rip my throat out. In hindsight, my next words were not very smart.
“Aren’t you supposed to have an ugly face or something?”
Apparently the beast wasn’t happy that I had called it ugly. It let out deep growl as it began to move towards me in a very aggressive manner. In a moment of panic I lifted the blade and pointed it at the beast. I had a little knowledge of swordplay, but nothing spectacular. I certainly wasn’t skilled enough to take down the chimera in front of me. So, it was much to my surprise when the blade suddenly glowed before shooting a bolt of lightning directly at the mismatched creature. I watched impassively as the smoking carcass was thrown backwards from the sheer force of the attack. My eye twitched violently for a moment before I collapsed to the forest floor, my brain in dire need of a reboot.
(Present Time – 3rd person)
Celestia, Luna and the royal guard went about repairing the damages done by Tactician. Most of the road was destroyed, the stone blackened, cracked and frozen in numerous places. The guard that had attempted to stop the mage had all been accounted for. Nopony had died in the attack, the worst injury being a minor frostbite from Tactician’s Ice spell.
Twilight, along with her friends, trotted back towards the castle, each of them reacting differently to the destruction around them. Rainbow and Applejack both looked furious, making silent pledges to see Tactician brought to justice. Fluttershy was worried more about the ponies who had gotten hurt in the attack. Rarity was wondering why Tactician would wear such a plain and hideous shirt underneath his robe. Pinkie had… well, she was currently stuck. She had found one of Tactician’s Ice attacks and decided to lick the spike. Her tongue froze to the ice the moment it touched, resulting in her being left behind by the group. She would have called out, but her mouth was a bit numb.
Twilight Sparkle’s mind was in turmoil, multiple emotions fighting for dominance. She had witnessed firsthoof the power that Tactician wields. She was amazed such powerful magic could exist, she was disturbed by how violent the magic was and she was sickened that his magic was used to cause harm. She had always remembered the tales that Celestia had told her about Tactician and none of them had put him in a bad light. So… what really happened? She decided she would get her answers and she would accept nothing less than the truth.
(1st Person)
I stood on the outskirts of the Everfree, the once light canopy now heavy with foliage. The trees blocked out the mid-day sun leaving the forest dark. I sighed as I thought back to how it used to be, how the forest was dangerous, but still tamable. Time had not been kind to the once grand woodland.
I was torn from my thoughts as something fell from the sky, landing in the grass beside my feet. I reached down to lift up a pair of gauntlets. What came next was something I never expected.
“I am the warrior, the master of weapons, the seeker of battle and adventure. To those who would require my strength to defeat thy foes, to crush opposing forces, put on these Genji Gloves and call out my name with the intent to summon me. If ye be without true malice in thy hearts, know that the mighty Gilgamesh will come to thy aid!”
I bit the inside of my cheek, my mind racing as I tried to make sense of the situation. This ‘Gilgamesh’ as he calls himself is a self-proclaimed warrior. There are traces of void magic imbued within the gloves. I myself have travelled through the void and have acquired a unique in-linking with the dark world. These gloves are a summoning token with void magic which means it most likely sought me out.
There are others like me.
I gave the gloves a final look before storing them securely within my robe; should I also create a summoning token? While it would be nice to have some allies (as well as another human to speak to), there could be consequences. This Gilgamesh fellow sounds like a good man, but I doubt all have as pure a heart as he does. I also can’t just simply allow others to summon me whenever they feel like it. I need my books in order to use my magic and getting thrown into an undesirable situation without them leaves me vulnerable. I’ll need a compromise…
I grinned and snapped my fingers, “Not the fastest way to summon me, but the most flexible.”
I gathered void essence from within me and brought into existence two books. The books were black with a purple glowing eye in the center, its pages blank. Placing one of them within my robes I lifted the other above my head, pouring magic into it as I set the parameters for my summoning.
“I am the Tactician Robin, wielder of the Levin blade and master of the Arcane! I am the greatest strategist the world has ever known, able to lead those to victory despite all odds! Should you have need of my knowledge, write within this book your plight and I shall know of it! Should your cause be worthy, you will have my help!”
I threw the enchanted tome into the sky, watching as it disappeared into a black portal. No doubt many copies were finding their ways to others such as me. I smiled softly as I turned to give Canterlot one final glance before stepping into the forest.
Your move, Celestia.