BPT: A Midnight Stroll through Time

by Wolven5

3. The Harmonic Origin - Part 3

And just like that, silence resumed its uncomfortably awkward tension as Star Swirl eyed him with a look inscrutable and Midnight dipped his head nervously, fearful Star Swirl was gonna burst out laughing and call him a kidder or maybe even throw him out, stating he had no time to deal with some insane unicorn with nonsense in his head.

“Let me examine that stone of yours,” Star Swirl held up his hoof, and Midnight gave it to him. “Follow me.”

Midnight followed Star Swirl to the stairs but he only walked halfway up before stopping.
“Keep your hooves and tail inside the stairs at all times,” he instructed before stamping his hoof three times, and Midnight startled a bit as the stairs began to escalate!

They rose a moderate pace, Midnight able to keep his balance as they quickly passed the dining room and kitchen and then passed what was obviously a library, but he didn’t have time to give it a good look. They then passed a hallway with three doors, two on one side, the third on the other, the fourth room had only a small space for the stairs to go through but it showed a heavy iron door that was clearly locked. If Midnight had to guess, he would say it was some kind of vault.

Finally, they reached the fifth floor and Midnight gasped! It was the fifth floor but it extended the rest of the way up the tower, with three levels, the fifth floor itself and two higher levels of balconies and walkways along the walls of the tower, with a double doorway leading out to the balcony Midnight had seen outside the tower.

Everywhere he looked, he saw worktables, different sides of the place dedicated to a certain study. He saw a forge with metalworking tools, a table covered with alchemical tools, phials, potion bottles, one table was covered with a mess of notes, sketches, and some books. Along the walls were shelves or hooks with odds and ends and bric-a-brac, baubles, ornaments, weapons, extra robes, cloaks, and hats, he saw hourglasses, water clocks, pocket watches, there were various instruments, musical, mechanical, mystical, it made Midnight’s own workshop look like a foal’s arts & crafts room!

“Wow…!” Midnight could just feel Star Swirl’s magic in the room’s atmosphere as he took it all in.
“I have an alchemy set and books and tools and stuff, but… none of it compares to what you have here!”

“Well, you haven’t studied and practiced the mystic arts for as long as I have, young mage,” Star Swirl was examining the Time Stone through giant magnifying glasses attached to a box-like device.
“Increase magnification.”

Another lens of magnifying glass popped up and aligned with the first to comply with Star Swirl’s verbal command as he gave the Stone a closer examination.
“Register PKR.”

The lens lit up with mana and through it, Star Swirl saw the Stone as a small piece of light shimmering with different colors of its mystical make-up. As he carried on, he began to determine something as Midnight waited patiently. When all of a sudden, Star Swirl gasped!

“Star Swirl, sir! What is it?!” Midnight asked in worry.

Star Swirl turned to face Midnight with a look of awe that hardened with scrutiny. His horn flared and he ordered, “Tell me from where you are from.”

“I am from the land of Equestria over a thousand years from this time,” Midnight answered off the bat.

Nothing happened, and Star Swirl took a deep breath before saying, “I think I believe you, Midnight Blaze.”

“You do?”

“Yes. I told you to tell me you’re from the future right after I had a spell ready, a spell that would react if you spoke a lie. Since there was no reaction, and because of what I’ve just found on your Time Stone, I am starting to believe that you are indeed from the future!”

“Well, what did you find?” Midnight asked.

“Come here and look through the glass,” Star Swirl instructed.

Midnight stepped up and saw his time Stone through the glass, the PKR detecting setting still active as Star Swirl said, “Look closely, note the different colors coming from the Stone. Those are the spells you used in order to create this fantastic fabrication. Now look closer… Tell me what you see.”

Midnight narrowed his eyes, scrutinizing the colors, trying to differentiate them from each other when he noticed a turquoise shimmer, another silver like starlight, a third colored magenta.

“I see three colors that don’t match the spells I used,” Midnight reported.

“Yes, those colors are mana signatures,” Star Swirl explained. “The turquoise mana you saw is yours, because you created this stone, Midnight, but it’s the other two that concern me.”

“Why’s that?”

“The silver mana you see here,” Star Swirl pointed out through the lens, “it is mine…”

“Yours?!” Midnight gaped at the wizard incredulously, “But- How I- That’s… impossible! How could your magic be inside my Time Stone?! I created it, and nopony else’s magic was involved when I did!”

“That’s the mystery, isn’t it?” Star Swirl asked rhetorically. “Midnight, you told me you felt a foreign magic have some kind of reaction to your Time Stone after you tested it. I think whoever cast that magic, this third mana signature belongs to them.”

Midnight looked and remembered the magenta mana signature, But whose signature is that?

“Also, as I examined your Time Stone, I came to a conclusion,” Star Swirl added, Midnight perking attentively.
“The spells you brought together mixed well and I think your stone’s power remains intact. However, it appears that these extra mana signatures have… enhanced it, I suppose you could say. Midnight, you said that whoever caught within the Time Stone’s temporal dilation will experience time differently, am I correct?”

“Yeah,” Midnight answered. “But whoever’s caught in the stone’s power at its initial activation would be the only ones affected by it, alive or inanimate. If I threw this at your wall and knocked a jar or book off a shelf, the stone’s impact would activate its power, and a bubble of slow time would erect and catch anything moving within it, and only what was caught at the moment of activation would be affected.”

“Well, Midnight, my findings have led me to believe, that if you desire to return to your own time, you must use the stone on yourself!” Star Swirl stated, Midnight’s eyes widening.
“However, for all intents and purposes, the stone’s original and intended power remains intact. You can still use it for the purpose your designed it, however, to get home to your own time you will have to literally pour your own mana energy into the stone! By doing so, you will super-charge it further and by allowing yourself to be caught in its effect, you will be in the bubble of slow time. Within you will experience time moving as it normally does but outside the bubble you will see time pass you by faster than you can dare imagine. Also, you must take great care, for if you feed the stone too much power, you will wear yourself out, especially by maintaining the increased passage of time, and afterwards you will need to take time to recover your strength and your magic. Finally, you must take great care and pay attention to the events as they pass you by, because as you progress through your journey through history, there will no going back to a time earlier.”

“You mean… it’s forward the normal way or fast-forward? No reverse?” Midnight gathered, Star Swirl nodding.
“Hmm… Star Swirl? I’m afraid!”

Star Swirl looked at Midnight closely as he went on.

“In order to get home to those I love and care for, I have to leap-frog through the very history of Equestria! …I’m afraid of messing things up, changing the course of history, twisting time into something it’s not supposed to be! What if, after the long journey, I get to my own time and find it completely different from what I know it to be?”

Star Swirl placed a comforting hoof on Midnight’s shoulder.
“Midnight Blaze, you have found yourself in a most precarious situation. I understand your reservations and frankly I share your concerns, but I cannot make this decision for you, only offer you my advice. However, if you want my opinion, were I in your horseshoes I would take the risk in order to see those I love again. Who knows what may happen along your journey? You may or may not cause or change history in some way minor or significant, for better or worse, but ask yourself this! What do you want most right now?”

Midnight looked up at Star Swirl, seeing his encouraging smile and he knew the answer as he remembered the photo in his saddlebag.
“I want my friends and family!”

“Then steel your heart, young mage!” Star Swirl held up a passionate hoof, “For the journey you are about to undertake will be long and incredible! But so long as you have faith, you will find what you are looking for.”

“Thank you, Star Swirl, it’s been an honor to meet you,” Midnight bowed respectfully and was surprised when Star Swirl did the same.

“Before you proceed, I would like to prepare you,” Star Swirl offered.

Before long, Midnight and Star Swirl stood outside his tower. Midnight was garbed in a hooded cloak that carried helpful enchantments. To his delight, Star Swirl had added extra-dimensional space to his saddlebags, and given him some food and drink to take along with him, as well as a few supplies, magical and otherwise.
“Thank you for everything, Star Swirl the Bearded.”

“I’m glad to have met you, Midnight Blaze,” Star Swirl smiled.

“Well, here goes,” Midnight looked at his Time Stone, now hanging like a pendant from his neck but before he began, he said, “Star Swirl? If you want a hint, try looking for a ruler who is not earth pony, pegasus, or even a unicorn!”

Star Swirl raised a brow in bewilderment, and Midnight added, “But rather… a ruler who is all three!”

The idea had merit and though it sounded crazy, But then, when you’re an archmage you have to consider a bit of crazy…

“Enough hints, young mage, don’t want to spoil my future too much, do you?” Star Swirl smirked.

“Well, maybe this isn’t goodbye, Star Swirl!” Midnight brought up, “Maybe I’ll see you again… when you’re a little more gray!”

“Ha-ha, get out of here, you’ve overstayed your welcome,” Star Swirl snickered.

“Ok, here we go…!” Midnight concentrated, his horn flaring as he channeled his mana into the Time Stone!

Star Swirl watched in awe as Midnight was slowly enveloped in a bubble of turquoise mana, rising up, carrying its passenger with him… and blinking out of existence!

But somehow, Star Swirl believed Midnight was right.
“See you again, young colt… Now for a nice cuppa cocoa.”

Star Swirl went back into his tower but before closing the door, he considered the discovery he and Midnight made at the canyon’s cave in the forest.
A tree sapling made of crystal… I wonder what it will grow into!

Had Midnight Blaze and Star Swirl stuck around a little longer, perhaps they might have noticed that although Midnight's action broke the fallen star from the cliff wall, it didn't completely break out all the pieces. For the hole in the wall where the star had bore into continued to glow softly, unable for the power inside to take root within its cold and rocky prison.

But one day, that would change.

Author's Note:

Midnight meets Star Swirl and suspects he has witnessed the birth of the Elements of Harmony (while unknowingly adding his own) and finds out the way home its to leap-frog through time.

Comments

[Pontiac56]

That was awesome. The birth of the elements and Midnight having to leap frog through history. This is gonna be fun!

[Mr_Moon]

This is exciting

[John Smith]

And So Midnight Blaze finds himself leaping from one time to another
hoping each time that the next leap will be the leap home

[Wolven5]

5318410 Not quite. Each leap will bring him closer until he gets there

[John Smith]

5318439 i was paraphrasing the intro to the TV show "Quantum Leap" It seem to fit perfectly with your story

[Prometheus7]

The best part? What he's doing is only ensuring his existence participation in the future! Technically he's not changing the future ( as far as I know.)

[Night_Striker]

ughhh i have alot to catsing upp whit tis story and your origonal one

[Gostindamis]

The idea had merit and though it sounded crazy, But then, when you’re an archmage you have to consider a bit of crazy…

One or the other, not both