Midnight Begins: Chapter 15
Midnight’s Shadow
Midnight Begins: Chapter 15
The next day I went to the Royal Armory. Like many buildings in Canterlot, the Armory had been modified, rebuilt, and expanded upon, usually straight up, over the centuries. This was little surprise considering the Armory was where much of the Royal Guard’s arms and armor were made and then enchanted. Granted, the changes that had been made to the structure over the century had resulted in it becoming something of a labyrinth in its layout, especially to those that had never been inside before.
Thankfully, I had served much of my apprenticeship within the Armory, and so knew my way around its foundry, workshops, storage areas, and labs. ‘Twas not long before I had made my way to the office of the magus I had made an appointment with. I knocked on the door, and was not long in waiting for a reply. “Come in, Midnight,” came a voice from within.
I opened the door and found myself within a well-organized magical workshop. All about were tables covered with high quality enchanting equipment. Shelves lined the room, each either covered in books or a variety of items intended for enchanting or alchemy. The familiar aroma of cookies wafted from the oven sitting in the corner of the room. A unicorn mare sitting at an office desk turned to me with a smile as I entered, the wrinkles that came with the onset of old age only served to make the smile all the more motherly. “Good to see that thou didst come to our appointment.”
“‘Twould have been the height of rudeness for me not to come to a meeting I arranged.” I closed the door after me and approached the familiar peach-coated mare. Her blue and gold striped mane was done up in a neat bun. “Especially when that meeting is with my old master.”
“And being rude is not something I would expect of thee.” Magus Morning Star, senior magus of Equestria, stood up to give me a proper nuzzle. “And good thing too, for then I fear that the cookies I made would go cold.” She walked over to the oven and opened it to pull out the sheet of chocolate chip cookies from within. “And that would not do.”
“You did not have to.” I felt some embarrassment over Morning Star going through the effort of baking me cookies as she had when I still took lessons from her. “I am no longer a child, nor your apprentice.”
She waved off my concerns and grinned as she confirmed that the cookies were indeed fully cooked. “We do have our traditions, so do not worry about it. ‘Tis not as though I am very busy right now.”
That was most likely true. In all honesty, Morning Star’s position as Senior Magus for Special Commissions was a sinecure in reality. While on occasion she would be required to help craft unusual enchanted items to stop a rare monster or deal with an unusual crisis, the position usually required very little work from her. She had earned the position immediately after the Lunar Rebellion; due to Morning’s archmagus husband being murdered by warlocks during the war and the fact that she still had two children to raise by herself, Mother had given her a title of prestige and income sufficient to let her live a comfortable life. I suspected taking me on as an apprentice had been part of the agreement between them. ‘Twould be like Mother to do such a thing. Morning Star could have become an archmagus herself had she been a little more powerful or more ambitious, but she was content with her current position and with the raising of her children.
I took one of the cookies and bit into it. As always, it was delicious. “I do enjoy our traditions.” The opportunity to eat freshly baked cookies was always something I had looked forward to as a filly. True, I usually had to earn the right to eat those cookies, but that only caused me to strive all the harder to please my master.
“As do I.” Morning Star sat back down on her cushion. “So, what can an old, used-up war widow do for thee?”
“I would hardly call you used up.” I sat down next to her. “I would not have come to you if that was so.”
That brought a pleased smile to her. “Oh? Well, thou wert always kind...”
“I try to be, especially to my old master,” I said. “You deserve nothing less.”
“True.” Morning Star skillfully levitated all the cookies onto a plate and then brought the plate over to her desk. “So, what brings thee by?”
Seeing no reason to avoid the issue I wished to bring up, I dived into the task at hoof. “I intend on making multiple magical items with which to help me be a field magus. I found myself ill-prepared during my first field assignment, and I would not find myself in such a situation again.”
That brought a smile to my old master. "Well then, thou certainly chose the right pony for help."
"I like to think I know a skilled pony when I see one." I knew Morning Star to be a highly talented enchanter, quite possibly the greatest of her generation. She had been involved in the creation of more than one notable magical item, and had been one of the three ponies that had enchanted Shadow's armor. Considering that her armor had been intended to allow a mortal to defeat a demigod, that was no mean feat.
Morning Star chuckled. "Still thou dost continue to flatter me.”
"I suppose 'tis a skill I learned from my mother," I admitted. Some of Mother's lessons had covered the wisdom of flattery under the right circumstances. Praising the accomplishments of a pony that had earned them was one method by which to get within a pony's good graces.
"I was hardly complaining. Thou art too kind, Midnight." She pulled out a quill and parchment. "So, what items did you have in mind? I doubt thou hast come to me without any ideas on what would benefit thee."
"Armor, for one." My lack of protection was something that had been made woefully clear to me. I had been one true strike away from losing my life for the entirety of the crisis in Appleton. "Preferably nothing too heavy, but it needs to be strong enough for me not to suffer terrible wounds like being stabbed through my heart to let my lifeblood pour out, or have my stomach opened up so that my entrails will fall out."
Morning Star hummed to herself and made some notes on her parchment. "Light chain then, perhaps? I presume money is no concern? I am sure thy mother will be willing to pay, if nothing else."
I nodded. "Aye, money is not a concern. I have plenty saved in the Royal Bank."
"Excellent, that means we can use the finest of materials," she said. "I know a master blacksmith whom I can ask to make this armor. Anything special for the armor aside from the usual strengthening and ease of wear enchantments?"
"I was thinking to enchant it to help me hide and blend in with the shadows." I pulled out some notes I had made for my proposal. The types of enchantments I was considering were a magnitude more complex than the typical set of Guard armor, and I thought it best to let Morning Star review my work. "And also to give it resistance to the elements. In addition to mine own skill with cryomancy, I am going to be learning pyromancy from Mother. 'Twould be best if mine own spells did not damage or weaken my armor." It struck me as counterproductive to make my armor brittle with cold or accidently heat the metal to the point I started to burn to death.
Morning Star took my notes and started going over my work. "Ah, playing to thy strengths, I see?"
"I imagine I could make far stronger enchantments if I do, aye," I said.
"True." She put my paper to the side to give me her full attention. "Though if thou wishest for mine aid..."
"I wished to make it the best it can be," I said. "Which is why I have come to you. You know much more about enchanting than I do, even after our lessons together."
She gave a conceding nod. "As much as anypony, save perhaps Princess Celestia."
"And I do not think it quite proper to ask her for aid to enchant my armor," I pointed out.
"She is rather busy at the moment," Morning Star mused. "As I am sure will come to everypony's surprise, ruling Equestria does eat into her free time."
"Aye, and Mother's also." Mother was already going to be spending much of her free time aiding me in improving my spellcasting, and I did not wish to take more of her time than was fair to her. Even she enjoyed her free time now and again. "One of the reasons I sought your aid. I mean no offense, but you are not as busy as they, or many others I might consider asking about this."
She waved my concern off. "No offense is taken. 'Tis the truth that I possess a comfortable position, and one that lets me be happy. I am glad to offer my help." She gave me a warm smile that reassured me that I had chosen wisely. "In all honesty, I could use a project to busy myself with for a bit. I have been a bit bored the last couple of weeks, and this will fix that nicely."
"Excellent, for there is more than just armor I wish for," I said.
"Oh really?" Morning Star steepled her hooves and rested her chin on them. "Do tell..."
I pulled out some additional notes for some ideas I had. “I need an enchanted cloak, horseshoes, saddlebags, and a variety of other gear to aid me.”
“My my, thou art serious.” Morning Star took my notes and looked through them one sheet at a time. “And what sort enchantments didst thou have in mind?” She rose an eyebrow at the plate of cookies. “And more importantly, why hast thou not eaten any cookies yet? I do hope I have not made an error with the recipe...”
“Mine apologies. I am somewhat absorbed with my plans.” I took another cookie and ate it. “As always, they are delicious. But back to the enchantments: I wished to give myself a variety of protections and options while on missions. As you can see, I aim to weave protective wards into my cloak.”
“Reasonable,” Morning Star said. “They are the most popular enchantment for cloaks among magi.”
“Then I would like to enchant some horseshoes to give me bursts of speed when desired,” I said. “Having the ability to run away from a battle gone badly is useful.”
Morning Star ran her quill over her parchment. “Not an uncommon spell, but I will warn that they would only be good for short bursts. And of course, whilst thy legs will move faster, the rest of thy body may not always follow. It takes time and training to become used to such speed.”
“Aye, there are always the weaknesses of that enchantment, from what I have read.” Once the horseshoes were done, I would have to take time to learn how to use them. Yet another thing to add to my increasingly busy schedule.
“‘Tis good to know what the weaknesses of thy magic are.” She grinned as she lifted her own cookie. “I hope thou hast not forgotten one of my most important lessons? Not all problems have a magical solution.”
“Aye, I have not.” I finished off the latest cookie I had picked up. “Though I still insist many problems can be solved with magic, or at least made easier to solve.”
“True. But sometimes a simpler solution is better.” Morning put aside her quill and parchment. “For instance, thou shouldst pick up a hobby to keep thyself from being overwhelmed by thy work. From what I have heard, thou art keeping thyself very busy. So spending some time on a hobby will keep thee from becoming too stressed.”
“I will think about it.” I shrugged. “‘Tis not as though I will spend all my time working. Though I did find I was incredibly bored while traveling. Sadly, I could not carry enough books with me to keep me entertained.” Thinking the issue over, a spark of an idea lit within me. “You still have that book on runes that Argentium gave you?”
Morning Star leaned back and gave me a contemplative look. “I do, aye. I take it thou wouldst like to learn more of runecasting?”
“I think carving runes is something I would enjoy while on the road.” From everything I had read, runes took quite a bit of time and skill to make. If I was going to have a hobby to do while away from Canterlot, one that consumed time to do and I could continually grow in with practice struck me as ideal. Additionally, if the quality of my work was good enough, I would have additional magical tools to call upon in times of need.
“Then I will loan thee the book.” She made a quick note on her parchment. “The work of Argentium the Runescaled is quite fascinating, I must say.”
I nodded. “That is of little surprise when she is an ancient dragon with millennia of acquired magical knowledge.” At least from what I had heard and read, Argentium was a mighty wyrm from the North who indirectly ruled the native caribou tribes. Runes were the common type of magic among them, and while their magic did not have the flexibility of unicorn magic, it was very potent.
“What dost thou intend to carve thy runes into?” Morning Star offered the last cookie to me and I took it. “Wood? Stone?”
“I was thinking bone.”
Mother led me onto one of the Arcs Arcanix practice fields to begin our first lesson to perfect my casting. Equestria’s premier school for teaching magic had a number of places where students and others could practice their spellcraft, and as was often common, a place where ponies could duel if there was the need. The field was covered by cobbled stone and was surrounded by seating on upraised platforms. The very stones were enchanted to help contain any of the magical forces used within. I was mildly surprised when I saw the field covered in snow. While a long winter was approaching, ‘twas far too soon to be seeing snow. Mother must have made special arrangements with the weatherponies.
When we reached the center of the field, Mother turned to face me. “Create ice,” she said brusquely.
“Very well then.” Knowing that I would find out faster why Mother wanted me to create ice by complying with her instructions, I did as bidden. I pushed aside the heat in a small area while also concentrating the moisture in the air at that point. Soon there was a crackle as ice condensed in the pocket, creating a ball of ice the size of a hoof.
Mother watched on carefully with an analytical eye until I was finished. “Good. But surely thou couldst find a use for all the heat being pushed aside?”
The idea took me back astep. “I have ... not considered such a thing.” Always heat had been a dynamic opposite to my cryomancy, an obstacle to be overcome on the way to my goal of creating ice. Using that heat for anything useful had not really occurred to me.
A sly smile crept its way onto my mother’s features. “It seems a pity to waste it, doesn't it?”
“Assuming I could harness such a thing,” I said. “I do have little talent with controlling heat.” As was often the case, ‘twas difficult for me to master a type of magic that was diametrically opposed to that of my special talent. Mine was the magic of the winter night, thus heat and light served as an opposing force to what I wished to do. Doing more than lighting a candle had thus far proven beyond my ability with pyromancy.
“Oh? You make ice well enough.” She pointed at my iceball. “Is that not controlling heat?”
“More like I am removing the heat from an area,” I said, though my explanation felt like I was splitting hairs to mine own ears.
“And to where are you removing it?” Mother asked.
“Into the surrounding area.”
Mother’s smile took on a vicious edge. “Why not remove it all to the same place?”
I frowned as I considered the practical concerns of such a feat. “That would take a great deal more concentration, adding another layer of complication to the spell. ‘Twould be similar to casting two spells simultaneously.”
“Aye, it would,” she said. “But 'twould bear rich fruit, I assure thee. Many magi waste so much energy and time concentrating on but a single element when with a bit more effort they could vastly increase the effectiveness of their spellcasting within a limited period of time.”
“If one could do it without overtaxing one's ability and magic reserves,” I pointed out.
“I can and thou wilt as well. I will accept nothing less from thee.” Mother held up her forehooves, keeping them away from one another as her horn glowed. “Now pay attention. With sufficient effort...” I watched on as she created a ball of flame in one hoof and one of ice in the other. I could see what she was talking about in practice. She was removing the heat from where she was creating the iceball and feeding it into the fireball.
“Aye, I see what you mean.” ‘Twas quite the feat of magic, though one the uninitiated might not fully appreciate. While Mother made it seem simple, I knew it must have taken her a great deal of practice to master. The amount of concentration and skill needed to maintain such a balance was no mean thing.
Mother grinned at my appreciation of her works. “Few can manage this. None but me, in truth. But if there is another pony with the needed skill, 'twould be mine own daughter, neigh?”
I nodded. “I would like to think so, even if learning this skill will not be easy.” Mother’s pheonix of flame on her cutie mark readily showed her talent for pyromancy. If she could create ice with her talent for fire, then I should be able to do the same with my own talent for cryomancy. It might take a bit of reverse engineering from where my mother started, but it seemed a doable feat.
Mother dispelled the fire and dropped the iceball. “If 'twere easy, I would not be the one teaching it.”
“That is true,” I said. “You are an archmagus for a reason. There seems to be little to do but to practice until I learn this skill. Usually how one learns how to cast spells.”
Mother grinned. “How shocking. I am teaching thee a new spell in the manner which one usually learns new spells in.”
I grinned at my mother’s humor. “Truly this is a revolutionary development.”
Mother nodded. “I should write a book on the matter.” (1)
1. In fact, both Sunbeam and Midnight Sparkle would end up writing several books each ranging from topics such as magic, politics, and history. Most of them were influential in their time, and a couple remain in circulation today.
"That would help secure your legacy, I am sure," I said most studiously, enjoying the moment of levity with Mother. "I would like to write my own books someday."
"Oh?" The humor in Mother was replaced with a more curious tone. "On what topic?"
I had to think for a moment before answering. What I should write about someday was something I only had vague ideas about. 'Twas something I wished to do, both leave my legacy upon the literary world and to raise my own prestige. Many archmagi had written some sort of academic book before they achieved their title in order to prove they were learned ponies.
"I would like to write at least one book on magic," I finally said. "Perhaps other topics such as history." History was my favorite subject outside of the more practical sciences, so the idea of writing my own chronicle on some historical event met my fancy.
Mother nodded in approval. "Good topics. Those who write history determine how 'twill be remembered."
"That is true, but the facts of history should be preserved." As was something of a habit for me, I found myself desiring to debate. Mayhaps 'twas born out of the thought exercises Morning Star and Mother had always tested me with.
"Ah yes, the 'facts'." A savage grin came to Mother's face. She was never one to turn down a debate and prove her intellectual superiority. "Truth, I find, is often a matter of one's perspective. Ask twenty ponies what they saw during a particular event and you are likely to receive at least twenty answers. Matters become even more murky once time has passed and the ponies who were at those events age and die."
I frowned, not being able to completely argue against her points. "That is not always true. We know with reasonable certainty that some events happened. Even if not always the reasons for why those events happened."
"Ah, that much is so," Mother said. "Though I still say 'tis important who ends up writing history. I am sure the history books for the Lunar Rebellion would be quite different if the rebels had won."
"That much I have to agree with." It probably helped that Mother had commissioned the official history of that war. Having read it thoroughly as part of one of my assignments, I knew it colored several events that took place during the war. If one read that chronicle, one would think that Princess Celestia was nothing but a paragon of wisdom and virtue during the conflict, when the truth of the matter was much more complicated. Certainly I had heard some of my mother's much more passionate, and often colorful, discussions with Her Highness when she had disagreed with her. Then again, 'twas Mother's policy to never outshine Her Highness and always put her on a pedestal. "In any event, that is something that I will concentrate on in the future, even if that is not an immediate goal. Right now I wish to concentrate on learning how to use both ice and fire together."
"That you do." Mother rolled her neck to stretch it out. "And also, thy training in shields."
I stiffened at the mention of shields. Painful memories forced themselves to the surface. "Aye, there is that as well..."
Mother stretched out each of her legs out. "Before anything else, I wish to see thy skill with magic while in battle. I will throw objects at thee. I will be doing my utmost to strike thee. Thou wilt block them. Understand?"
I swallowed, my throat suddenly feeling very dry. "Aye, I do. I will do my best."
Her eyes narrowed. "No. You will block them."
I unclenched my jaw and wondered what projectiles she would be throwing at me this time. "Then I will have to do my utmost to block your attacks."
"Art thou ready?" Mother's horn started glowing.
I dreaded myself mentally and started drawing on my magic. "I am, Mother."
"I will strike in five seconds," she said.
It was barely three before she tossed a snowball at me. Thankfully, I already had my shield up well before it reached me. "And I imagine there is no point to complaining about you attacking before you said you would? No doubt your lesson is that an opponent is never to be trusted." In truth, I felt no small relief that she was throwing mere snowballs at me, and it would explain why she had arranged for all the snow. When I had heard she wished to test my shields I had expected much worse.
Mother smiled with self-satisfaction. "Thou wert e'er a quick student."
I watched my mother carefully for whatever trick she might be planning for next. "I tend to learn my lessons well."
"Precisely. And better for it, as—” she chucked several more snowballs into my shield as she continued speaking "—life rarely gives second chances."
"So I have noticed." Certainly my experiences at Appleton had not been so kind, and the hags had paid dearly for their own mistakes.
"Thy defense must be flawless." I sensed Mother lifting more snowballs behind me, and so I turned my shield into a solid dome, thus causing the new angle of attack to fail also.
"No defense is flawless," I pointed out.
“As near as thou canst manage, then.” Mother threw more snowballs into my shield, seeking a weak point no doubt. “And do not fall so fully into defense that thou art as a turtle. For ceding the initiative to the attacker rarely ends well.” She pulled together a snowball large enough to bury me in snow.
“Mine apologies, I did not know that you wished for me to attack also.” Mother could often be quite ambiguous about what she wanted during an exercise such as this. Now that I knew that attacking was an option. I created a concentrated ball of cold air outside of my shield. I fired it into Mother’s growing snowball. There, the concentrated air released and exploded the snowball, sending snow flying in all directions. It splashed against my shield, and to my annoyance, evaporated before striking Mother. I studied the currents of magical energy around her, and I saw that she was concentrating the heat in the area around her. That was going to be a tricky defense to break with just snow.
Mother scooped up more snowballs from the ground and then levitated them all about me, moving far too many to keep track of around in unpredictable patterns. I was in trouble: I could not hold up the shield forever without draining my magical reserves, and if I dropped the shield Mother would immediately attack. Thus I created a dome of ice around my magical shield, making it thick enough to withstand Mother’s snowballs. I heard the impact of snowballs on ice and felt satisfaction at my defense.
Then all the snow under my hooves turned into water, and then solidified into a layer of slick ice. I slipped and cracked my skull against the side of my own shield. I grit my teeth and cast a spell to melt the ice and add the moisture to the ice dome. Shame Mother was not relenting in her attacks. The ice of the dome melted, resulting in me crashing through the section of the dome I had been leaning against and falling face-first into the snow.
Mother was grinning down in delight at me. In a bid to reverse the momentum of the fight against her, I gathered all the snow about me and tossed it at Mother in a great wave. She did not even bother to move in the slightest as a burst of fire melted the snow I tossed at her.
It was then I noticed that I was suddenly under the cover of a large shadow. I looked up just in time to see the massive snowball Mother had been gathering above my head land on me. I was buried under a pile of snow, cementing my defeat in this particular exchange.
Mother chuckled as I dug myself from out of the snow. “'Twould seem I am the victor.” She smiled down with satisfaction. "Well fought."
"It seems I am yet at a disadvantage against you." My pride felt stung by the defeat. Once again I had been completely outshone by my mother. It did not even feel like I had stood a chance against her.
"That was inevitable, child. I see now that we need to work on thy combat instincts and thine ability to adapt in battle in addition to the need to improve thy spellcasting.” Mother offered a hoof to help me up. “There is no shame in losing a practice duel, unless one does not learn from the lesson and improve from it.”
“As you say, Mother...” I took Mother’s hoof, but when she pulled on me as I stood up, I popped out of the snowdrift much more easily than we expected me to. I stumbled against Mother and pushed her back a step before she regained her balance. Mother wrapped her forelegs around me to steady me.
I found myself in something like a hug, though my mother had never been particularly skilled at such things. Certainly nothing like Gale’s much more enthusiastic hugs. I hugged her back, feeling comfort in her hold and pressing against her white coat. “Um, my thanks.”
“Of course, my child.” She seemed to hesitate for a moment before giving me a maternal peck to the cheek. “Midnight...” I smiled at her and gave her a nuzzle that she returned. “'Tis good to have thee returned to me.”
“I was not gone that long,” I said.
Mother gave me a squeeze. “Thou wert gone long enough for a mother to miss her child. How much more is needed?”
“Aye, I suppose so.” I relaxed in her embrace, feeling an all too rare moment of contentment. “I know I missed you while in Appleton.”
Mother nuzzled me again. “Then 'tis good that thou art returned to me, and will not leave anytime soon.”
“I do not think so, neigh,” I said. “Not until I am sent on another mission.”
“That will be some time yet,” she assured me. “I will be ... glad to have thee about more often. I have become accustomed to thy presence.”
I smiled at her. “As am I. You have been here my entire life, for you are my mother.”
“I am. And I always shall be.”
Something had been bothering me since my time spent in Appleton: the Voice. That powerful, feminine, imperious voice that had spoken to me at Appleton and within the Dreamscape. Though I did not know the nature of this being, I knew it existed. It had spoken to me when I had been ensnared by the hags' trap within the Dreamscape, during my battle with Apple Butter, and during my fevered dreams. My lack of knowledge of this being necessitated that I find out more about it. If I had attracted the attention of some spirit, I would know why and what its intentions were.
Thus I descended down into the lab of my mother's tower. I made my way over to the room where Mother's magic circle lay at the center. 'Twas an object of great value in its own right, made of many precious metals all interwoven together, enchanted gems precisely placed all about its surface, and runes of power ran along its circumference. Mother had put no small time and fortune into creating it, and as a result 'twas an object of great power for those who knew how to use it correctly.
I placed a sign over the door that I was not to be disturbed and locked it. Whether one intended to harness great magical forces or summon spirits, concentration was usually key to preventing disaster. Distractions at the wrong moment could become fatal, both for the magi using the circle and any who might disturb them. The books I had read certainly warned of such things and had many examples of magi who had not been cautious and paid dearly for it. Then there were plenty of stories of warlocks, either ill-trained or reaching beyond their ability, who had summoned beings they could not control or whom had lost control of a ritual and slain themselves. Thus, I made sure Mother and anypony else who might visit would not disrupt what I was about to do.
I carefully walked around the magic circle, using a broom to sweep away any dust that had collected on it and making sure that no item broke its ring. Satisfied that there was nothing compromising the integrity of the circle, I placed myself inside of it and closed my eyes.
I took several minutes rhythmically breathing, concentrating on the act I was about to do, removing any thought from my mind that might distract me. Slowly, I empowered the magic circle, pouring energy into it and closing it shut. Once I was convinced that my only thoughts concerned the task before me, I cast my spell and projected myself into the Dreamscape.
I found myself in a starry landscape devoid of anything else. A million and more stars surrounded me in the endless void. It was out into that void that I called out, projecting both my will and magic out to help gain the attention of the spirit I sought. "Being that has spoken to me, I call to you. Creature that whispers in my ear in my dreams, come to me. Presence that is always with me, show yourself to me so that we might speak with one another."
I waited for a while and I was about to trying summoning the spirit again when someone spoke from the side of me. "Ah, so thou seekest me out at last."
I turned my head to see the being that had addressed me. It was a queer thing the likes of which I had not quite seen before. It had the shape of an equine, though as tall as any pony I had ever seen except for Princess Celestia herself. A body as dark as night, it had an almost translucent color to it, for I could see the star-like points of light within it. Its mane seemed to be carried by the astral winds, and its eyes were two silver points of light.
And it had power. Power the likes of which I had rarely felt. It radiated off the creature to my magical senses, and I had to wonder if it had been a mistake to contact this spirit directly. But whether it was a mistake or not, I had committed to this action, and I still had the power of my Mother's magic circle to protect me. Best to see the intentions of this spirit now that I held its attention.
I spoke with confidence, betraying none of my uncertainty. As Mother had always instructed me, confidence was its own shield. "Aye, I have contacted you so that we might speak. You have spoken to me a few times in the past, and now seemed a good time for us to have a more thorough conversation."
"That we can both agree on. I have been watching thee for quite some time now, but it has been most difficult for me to contact thee. Though now that thou havest sought me directly..." Despite the fact the spirit had no mouth, I got the sense that it was smiling at me.
I had to wonder what the long term consequences might be for contacting this creature. Now that I had sought it out so boldly, it might be much more difficult to be rid of it. Such were the hazards of dealing with a spirit one did not know much about. “So why do you wish to speak with me?”
“Because I have much and more I could offer thee,” it said amiably. “The advice and help I have given to thee already is but a pittance compared to what I could give thee.”
“Depends on the price, for there is always one for such things.” I was not so foolish as to think that this spirit's help would come without a cost. More than one pony had made that mistake in the past.
“I ask nothing but thy trust and friendship, dear Midnight,” it said. “For if thou wert to die, I shall be diminished.”
“Oh? Who are you then?” I asked, cutting to the quick of the matter. “What is your name so that I know who I am dealing with.”
I got the sense the spirit grinned at me. “I have had many names.”
“Then surely you can give me one of them if they are in such plentiful supply,” I pushed, not letting it get away with such an oblique answer. If I had a name then I might be able to discover what this spirit was with research. The Forbidden Archive had the most comprehensive list of names for spirits available to ponykind. (2)
2. This was as true then as it is today. The Book of Names is a magically enchanted book of infinite pages that contains the names, biographies, and natures of many of the spirits, fey, demons, and other such beings ponies have encountered over the centuries. Continuously edited and expanded upon by generations of magi, the table of contents alone is so large that it would take a couple months of continuous reading to get through.
It made an acknowledging bow of its head. “I am the Raven Queen, ruler of all ravenkind.” In the blink of an eye, her appearance changed. While still equine in shape, the being before me was covered in night-black feathers and wings folded in at her sides. Her face was like that of a pony, but her eyes had a beadier, and her muzzle was more pointed than normal. Feathers were interwoven with her mane and tail, and she almost seemed to suck in the light around her.
I frowned as I tried to take the full measure of the being before me. “That sounds more like a title than a proper name.”
“What is a name but a commonly used title?” she returned.
I rubbed my chin as I thought it over. ‘Twas a title I could at least research, if anything. Though now that I thought about it, ravens had always had an affinity for me. The birds had always followed me wherever I had gone, and spells using ravens came easily to me. Could it be because this spirit favored me? “That is true enough. Very well then, Raven Queen.”
She let out a wry chuckle. “Now that I hear it said so, it does sound rather ... pretentious. At least for being called upon”
I let out an exasperated sigh, now having an idea of how difficult this spirit was likely to be. “You did pick it to give to me.”
“So it seems. My mistake. Let us try something more ... grounded.” She tapped her cheek in thought. “Thou mayest call me Corva.”
“Corva it is then.” That was probably not her real name considering that ‘Corva’ was just Old Unicornian for raven, but at least it gave me something to call her. And names did have power, especially over spirits.
“And I shall call thee by thy proper name, my friend,” Corva said.
Now that I had a name to work with, I decided it best to press for more information. “You do seem hold me at a disadvantage, though. Considering I know so little about you, but you seem to know a great deal about me.”
Corva waved a hoof, and suddenly we were within a forest glade. A pair of comfortable looking cushions sat by a campfire, one of which she sat on. “Ask a question, then. Let me share my knowledge and power with thee.”
Seeing little to gain by being rude, I sat on the opposite cushion from her. “What is your nature? What are you?”
“I am a spirit, obviously. One that wishes to help ponies such as thyself.” Corva summoned a small table with a teapot and a pair of cups.
“A spirit?” I took the second cup when offered, casting a spell upon it to make sure it was not some kind of poison. “Why have you sought me out?”
“It is thou whost sought me.” Corva gave me a sly grin. “It was thee who needed my help against the hags in Appleton, and thou called on me now.”
“You came to me first, near as I can tell,” I countered. “I did not even know of your existence before going to Appleton.”
She absently sipped at her cup. “Thy need for power called to me.”
I sipped carefully at my cup, and found it to have a delightful flavor of tea. “Why do you seek to help me?”
“As I said, it is to my advantage that thee grow stronger,” she said.
“Why?” The spirit seemed to have some sort of connection to me, but I needed to know what that connection was.
Corva chuckled. “So very curious...”
I was growing wary of Corva’s evasiveness. She was as bad as many magi I had interacted with. Always hiding their intentions, strengths, and weaknesses. “I am a curious pony, and I wish to know what you are, who you are, and what your goals are.”
Corva let out a patient sigh and poured herself another cup. “I have told thee all of these things already. I am a spirit that wishes to give thee power. Our fates are linked to one another. Thy destiny and mine are entwined. Thy success is my success. ‘Tis not as though all spirits are malicious, Midnight. Thou must have read of plenty of examples of spirits that have aided magi or heroes over the centuries. This is so in this case too.”
“You are a very strange spirit then,” I mused. “Attaching yourself to a mortal in such a manner.”
Corva twirled her tea as she started down at it. “'Twas not entirely my choice.”
“You are enslaved to do so? As part of your imprisonment?” I guessed, hoping to get a little more insight.
“Destiny is a cruel, fickle thing.” Corva put her cup down. “But thou wouldst know all about that, wouldst thou not?”
“So I have found.” I finished my cup and set it down also. “I admit, this is a most curious situation I find myself in.”
“On that, we are agreed.” Corva stood up from her cushion and approached me. “But if our destinies are linked, I would have thee be successful. While I am powerless in some ways, there are others where I can be thy greatest ally and friend.” She casually waved a hoof, and dozens of bookshelves appeared about the glade. “I can give thee the knowledge and power to protect those who are precious to thee. Magics forgotten by all ponykind ... or hidden from them.”
I tilted my head as I looked about at the books collected on the shelves. “That is usually for a reason.”
“Of course.” Corva pulled a book from a shelf and levitated it over to me. “Many reasons for many spells and facts. Untold lore has been lost merely because it was not recorded or the books they were written upon have long degraded and fallen apart, not because it was forbidden.”
I fixed Corva with a frown. “I hope this is not some poor trick intended to make me sacrifice children and fuel dark rituals on their joy and souls?”
Corva chuckled. “Nothing of the sort. I am not so foolish as to offer spells I know thou wouldst ne'er use. Such would be a waste of time and only make thee suspicious of my intentions. Neigh, what I offer is knowledge and power thou willst use.” She opened the book for me. “Things thou canst use that will help thee accomplish thy goals: to become an archmagus and protect thy friends and loved ones. Noble and just goals.”
I carefully started scanning the pages of the book, finding it to have theories on shadow magic I had never seen before. “That is at least one barrier we can avoid, then.”
Corva smiled as I started reading. “Agreed. And many more. I would not ask anything of thee that thou wouldst not willingly do.” She placed a hoof on my shoulder and turned the page. “Remember, there is nothing wrong with power. Power is merely the extension of one’s will. Power only makes us more of what we are. It allows thee to do the things thou wishest to do. Great ponies, heroes or villains, had it. But at the end of the day, thou havest the choice to do what thou wilt with it.”
I hummed as I considered her point. My mother had said similar things in the past. Some ponies said that power corrupted, but I thought that a simplistic and false look on the matter. After all, was not Princess Celestia the most powerful pony of all? And I would not say her power had corrupted her. Merely given her the ability to do what she thought was best for Equestria, and overall, Equestria had been made better by her rule.
“I am forced to agree with you.” I read over another page, and saw nothing I found objectionable. Quite the opposite, considering the unique knowledge I was reading about, and even if Corva did try and give me something nefarious I would be able to identify it and act accordingly. I was not some novice warlock with only a basic knowledge of magic. “This might very well be a promising start to our relationship. I see no reason why I cannot study what you are offering.”
“That was my intention.” Corva levitated out more books to lie besides me. “I think if thou listen to me, we will have a very fruitful and mutually beneficial partnership.”
I looked away from the book so that I could stare Corva in the eyes. “Just be aware that I will not tolerate being manipulated. I have read more than enough books warning of such things. If I suspect that you have evil intentions...”
“I would expect nothing less. Your caution is but an assurance to me that thou wilt preserve thy life, something I very much wish to see continue.”
“Well and good then.” I returned to reading the book. “Let us see how we can aid one another as friends and allies. If this will be a prosperous and happy relationship, then let it be so.” While I did not completely trust this spirit, sometimes it was necessary to accept some risks in order to make gains. Nothing ventured meant nothing gained. Mother would not have reached the heights she had without taking many risks on the road to power. If I wished to reach my goals and protect those I cared about, I would have to take my own risks. I would accept this spirit’s help and see where it led me. Though I would always keep a cautious eye on her, as I would everyone around me. That was simply the life I lead. The life of ambitions.
Mayhap Corva was as trustworthy as she said. As she pointed out, many spirits had helped ponies in the past. Even if she did intend on tricking or betraying me, the first step to avoiding her trap was to identify it and know my nemesis. In the end, I was probably going to learn useful knowledge out of this arrangement, and if I suspected the spirit of betrayal, I could act accordingly with what I had learned of it. 'Twas not a safe path, but one with great potential rewards.
“Excellent,” Corva said, sounding most pleased with my agreement to accept her help. “Really, just think of me as thy helpful shadow.”
The End
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So there it is, everyone. Thanks for reading Midnight's Shadow: Midnight Begins! It has been my pleasure to write this story, and I hope you have all enjoyed it. Feel free to ask any questions you might have about the story as a whole at the blog post I've made for the completion of this story.
Now here is something of an outro for all of you.
You are doing a sequel, yes? No, I mean. You are doing a sequel. Or I shall throw a tantrum.
Thanks for writing this awesome story so far! My favorite scene from the whole thing is that mother/daughter moment Sunbeam and Midnight just had. So sweet!
Great job!
This was a real nice conclusion. It'll be interesting how this new player fits into Midnight's next adventure. So, since she went out for her last mission, is this next arc going to have her more in Canterlot dealing with her new magical research stuff? That could be cool.
Thanks for the chapter, I'm looking forward to more.
6626876
What does that have to do with this story?
Title drop at the end there?
Why do i feel that Corva is the real Luna/Nightmare Moon?
6626876 well it's an answer to the gender issue we see in show.
Huh. So I was wrong about the voice in Midnight's head being a ward from Sunbeam. Not sure how I feel about Corva. Like
6627879 I think she's actually part of Luna. Though I'm leaning more towards something like a magical construct she created (similar to the Tantabus from S5E13) than actually Luna.
I can't wait to see more of Corva. Quite an interesting character.
6626876
The hole magic of love thing has little relevance or bearing on this story besides maybe a couple off the cuff remarks. It is hardly a major plot point you need to worry about for this story.
Also, I'm hardly pushing any contemporary political issues within this story. That isn't something I really want to get into with my stories, given that's just a big minefield that leads to endless headaches. Anything that might seem like a modern political issue is largely an accident or reading too much into it. Now if you want to issues about the human condition of Midaeval or Early Modern politics then I'd be all for that.
6626885
There will be a sequel to this story. I have every intention of writing it once the timing it right. I already have plenty of ideas for how it will go, and it's just a matter of bringing it all together. But first I want to finish writing Study of a Winning Pony before I delve into another long story.
6627432
At least as long as everything sticks to my plans, the idea is to get back to civilization. I haven't quite decided which city to base it out of, but at the core of the story will be a magi conclave to pick the next archmagus. Next up lots of political intrigue and no ones' plans going right.
6627722
Indeed so, I just couldn't help myself.
Well this has been a fun ride. I think the last story that I got to see completed after following it for years was the actual main WP story itself! Looking forward to the next one!
6628666
Good... good. It's surprising how quickly I've come to look forward to Midnight's adventures.
"that this spirit's help would not come without a cost"
That's a double negative, I think, changing the meaning to Midnight expecting the help to be free.
"but her eyes had a beadier"
A beadier what?
"a hoof and dozens"
"a hoof, and dozens"?
"or the books they were written upon"
"or the books it was written in"?
"finding it to having theories"
"finding it to have theories"?
Well now, that was quite an interesting chapter. Personally, I was particularly interested in the discussion of the fluidity of history, given its application to a certain hypothesis I support, but the main plot, with "Corva", did not disappoint me either (nor did the talk with Sunbeam and the like; I'm merely here picking out the first highlights that come to my mind).
interesting thought corva or the queen of ravens is supposedly the reason why midnight has such an affinity towards ravens and if she were to die so would corva, with this in mind what could it mean that after her death why would there still be ravens surrounding her tomb. could her statue not really be a statue? perhaps she was somehow turned to stone?
Well that was a fun ride. Pity Midnight went to another for strength. Such an abhorrent act. Lets see what manner of trouble the putz got herself into
So... not a dead soul or demon then. Definitely not unseelee... but not a fae either. By the by Ponibus, take up latin in your next story. Fae and demons tend to twist words or "misinterpret" meaning. Latin, being a dead language, is one of the few languanges they can't ignore, another being the language of flowers. Effective methods are also stakes of the hawthorne tree, white oak, and numerous spices and herbs. Hell, the hags last time could have been repelled with a certain color of blue across he door.
Hmm... should have gone with a male spirit. They're less obtuse.
Ahh... I see what you did here. The raven, in folklore, is the bearer of souls to the afterlife, and a decidedly nasty being when ruffled. Midnight has just shackled herself to the Grim Reapers sister.
is she anyone relation to Twilight? Daughter, Grand daughter, or past relation? just curious.
6961953
Midnight and Sunbeam are both Twilight's distant ancestors.
6961978 ok thanks.
Oh this was awesome
I'm so looking forward to the sequel.
The story had just the right amount of gringe worthyness about midnight's antics, some really solid action parts and cool cast of characters (though that is my opinion on all primary stories of the winningverse) and don't forget Gale ... seriously from the latest chapter of "The new life of a winning pony" we're supposed to think that Cloud got her ... Cloudi-ness from her mother but I'm still seeing Gale as her spiritual predecessor.
6961978
Thus pony equivalant to a swiss watch Twilight being nuttier then a payday. Twilights poor sire... Can you imagine two sparkle mare going into simultaneous mental death spirals? Shining seems relatively stable though, so maybe its just a trait in the mares...
6628645
All politics and governors, nobles, big wigs, head hanchos of state, or what have you, surmised in one video.
Or in Canterlot court display
To be honest... haven't really seen much in the way of politics in this verse. Shadow doesn't seem all that interested in it aside from supply runs, Sunbeam what one deems a scorch earth opponent, and the clans... yeah, those clutch of clowns tossed their hats into the fight on the side of a hypocritical mare and whatever power her wrothless ass could eek out of Nightmare. Really... if you gonna espouse pegasi ideals at least have the balls to go after your childs killer yourself, but again, how can she call foul when she was the one who made the war.
I see a little of what could be called diplomacy, with shadow getting Midnight to go to the town, but that wasn't so much that as it it was... a sort of mothering on Shadows part? Anyone else, position or no, Sunbeam would have dismissed... but Shadow she seems to respect. I don't think she particularly loves her, though I'm not to sure on Shadow's end... does she care for her? She doens't seem the sort for sex without some emotional attachment, so... Anyway, politics. Again, not seeing much. Ponies seem to follow the herd a lot and play at being statesman. One of the reasons I did a Assassin's Creed winningverse fic. It was fun having Sunbeam pull Canterlot politics and seduction and have her put on a short leash as a result. Of course... whats politics in any case. Whatever the nobles got is a degree in tiddly winks compared to a millenia old mare, despite you lots putting her through the ringer.
Late reply is very late.
Morning Star was Midnight's former master? And she makes fresh cookies for visitors? I like her even more than I did previously. It's nice to see that she's done reasonably well since the end of the war.
Oh, Midnight.
I highly approve of this magical equipment plan.
I feel fairly confident in assuming that any hobby that Midnight picks up will be sufficiently creepy for her character.
Huh. That is simultaneously not particularly creepy and pretty useful sounding.
Wait, never mind, there's the creepiness.
Makes sense.
And Twilight has probably read all of them.
That's almost sweet, or something.
Neat laboratory.
Oooooooo.
That is so Luna. Probably.
Heh.
Great story, and I'm really looking forward to whatever comes next.
This was just all around a great read! All the characters were really enjoyable, I'm especially fond of the characterizations of Midnight, Subtle Song, Carrot Root, and Grandmother Carrot. The villains were believable, spooky and very interesting! I'm really looking forward to the promised sequel to see how Midnight's self improvement has come along.
7056545
I'll ferret out those issues and fix them. Thanks for pointing them out to me.
Glad to hear you liked the story. I just finished up the writing for Study of a Winning Pony, so I'm planning on getting on the next Midnight's Shadow story here before too long.
Sooo uhhh... I can't quite wrap my head around how this would be a sequel.
The Lunar Rebellion isn't finished (unless I'm in a weird dimension).
Really want to see more of Midnight Sparkle, but I'm just wondering; how does it work?
7312528
Simply put, this story takes place ten years after the events of The Lunar Rebellion. I work closely with Chengar Qordath for his story, and he works closely with me for this story, so I have a good idea of the events that are going to take place in Lunar Rebellion and he knows what I'm going to be doing with Midnight.
So I hope that answers your question.
So. Guess who read the first chapter back when it was published, loved it... and forgot to add the story to a bookshelf?
Yeah. Whoops.
Still, I got to binge-read one of the most enjoyable mystery-adventures on the site as a result. Thank you for it.
7320004
Whoops. Well the good news is that you got to read it all as a complete story in one go as a result. Good to hear you enjoyed it, though.
7405043 She was an idiot. She waited too long to try to end the growing friction between the tribes. Handled the Clipping completely wrong. Was also completely wrong with the griffon situation the Pegasi were in the right and should have listened the ponies on the ground instead of Sunbeam who only knew as much as she did.
now the Ephorate was also wrong. Celestia gave the most logical reasons for Shadow. 1: Shadow's job already require's her to visit Canterlot so she have the easiest time adjusting then any of the others. 2: Celestia knows where Shadow stands with her. 3: Shadow has had experience with the other tribes. We only know the Bright and Swift had any contact with the other tribes. Also by leaving Shadow out of the discussion to remove Tia but be there for the vote they did exactly what Sunbeam did. Follow the letter of the law but not the spirit. That above all lead to Shadow leaving them.
Also my original point stands. how Serra dies is different in the Rebellion then here.
Huh. That was an interesting read. I wasn't quite sure what to expect of this going in, but it was definitely different than what I envisioned. It feels like a Freeport Venture story, only in Lunar Rebellion's setting, what with all the magic talk, and the episodic-feeling villains in the hag coven. But I think I prefer Midnight over Sunset as a protagonist. She's not got quite the same adorable factor as she did in Lunar Rebellion, but her unintentional creepiness and complete lack of social graces is still there, and still hilarious. And for a professional magus with all this natural talent, skill, power, and education, she still showed a lot of uncertainty and vulnerability throughout the story, which was both endearing, and gave her room to grow as a character.
Not quite sure what to think of her and Gale, though. They do seem to have some genuine chemistry, and there are certainly worse ponies for Midnight to end up with (proto-Strumming, for example), but at the same time, the fact that Gale's known Midnight since she was a child, is married, and also acts so possessive of her does lend their relationship a somewhat uncomfortable air. I want to see where this goes in future stories, but I fear it won't end well.
This story also introduced a lot of curiosities in its final stretch. I can only assume Corva, as the titular "shadow" of Midnight, is going to be a major element of future stories, and I really wonder what her deal is. Until the final scene, I was inclined to think she was Nightmare Moon, but the ravens still surrounding Midnight's tomb in the present day suggest that's not the case, so I really want to know what's actually going on there.
The hag's final curse has some interesting implications, too. I'm amused by the notion that a simple poor choice of words resulted in a generational family curse of poor dancing, but I do wonder at how effective it really was on Midnight herself, if she ever did marry for love, or just for politics as she intended, since we know the family line continued after her. And the fact that sufficiently powerful unicorns like Midnight can intentionally lay much more effective curses on whole families without even having to die first has some pretty huge implications for the rest of the 'verse. Reminds me of that line about cold iron from one of Chengar's Shining Armor stories, musing about how it affects unicorns and fae the same. There may be something to that...
Pretty fascinating story, on the whole. I'll definitely be continuing with this.
9327962
I think Shadow described it in Lunar Rebellion. Apparently she shows all her teeth, her pupils shrink to pinpricks, and she stops blinking so she holds your gaze while she’s doing it.
Of course. Come and see Midnight and her magical scrimshaw! 2 bits a head, not for the faint of heart.
An excellent story, thank you.
9573446
To be fair, Midnight’s smile is considered frightening to witness to most ponies, imagine what her anger looks like, especially to two small children. It’s on thing to chastise kids for misbehavior, sometimes strongly as a situation like this might warrant, it’s another thing to terrorize them to the point that they and potential bystanders, such as Gale, may feel afraid.
Despite some spelling mistakes I feel I need to rate this stoy 5/5. It is epic and a worthy sequel to one of the most epic stories I have ever read.
I was just re-reading this, and it's interesting how some of these things stick out now that I've more or less totally caught up on the Winningverse. Like this line:
There are a few references to this in the latter half of the story. This is referring to Midnight's training accident in Phoenix Empress, isn't it? So that gives a pretty good indication of exactly where that timeline diverged. I'm guessing maybe in the mainline universe Sunbeam stayed with her daughter rather than went to get Midnight's doll, and thus got explain herself to Celestia before things turned violent? That would be my guess.
This is the most interesting part, though:
Given where this series had led since this story, I have a pretty good idea what this is foreshadowing. And if I'm right, the Morning Wars are apparently going to be a lot more gnarly than I was expecting.
10320791
that i will agree with. mostly. he was willing to start war rather then work with Celestia
Do you have to read The Lunar Rebellion to understand this? Not that it doesn't look great and all, but I don't really have time for a 540,000 fic right now.
10370342
I would say you can pretty safely read this story independent of Lunar Rebellion.
That was really good, I'm glad I read it. And also a little surprised I finished 150k words in only a week.
Just a quick note to say this volume was e immensely satisfying!
On to the next volume!
That was a good story.