Prodigious

by CroakyEngine

Prologue

“If we get busted for this, remember that this was your idea,” a harsh whisper cut through the silence.

The doors to the audience hall slid open. Brilliant, Twilight thought.

“Twilight, are you even listening?” No answer. The construct poked Twilight hard, but still provoked no response. The construct became silent, as if brooding.

Grinning secretly at her small victory, Twilight turned back and concentrated on the task at hoof. This was it, her last opportunity. She needed a clear head for this.

The pair moved silently through the well preserved hall, taking care to keep to one side and well away from the furniture that might alert the servants and the caretakers to their presence. The two great tables that ran the lengths of the hall were prepared with silken table cloths and the finest cutlery from the entire nation laid out precisely and delicately.

Portraits of past headmasters and famous scholars hung high up along the walls, just out of the range of the sunlight that was permitted through the stained windows behind the tables. Soft velvet cushions were placed on the floor alongside the tables, each of a different variety of colours and patterns intended for the taste of their intended guests.

Looking back to the entrance she came from and the multiple doorways for the seventh time, she ploughed into one of the spare cushions lined with not silver, but gold. She squealed in glee and started examining a set of silverware. Twilight lifted a hoof and started rapping on one of the punch bowls to the rhythm of a familiar melody. She couldn’t help it. Clear headed or not, she was going to be foalish.

“Stop doing that, you’re going to get us caught,” whispered her construct in his small agitated metallic and boyish voice. “Are you going to stay here all day?”

His name was Spikialaimon, or just Spike, namely for the trail of spike like features lining his spine that accompanied him no matter he transformed into. Currently he was a peculiar mechanical bat, clinging onto the underbelly of the table. Small gusts of steam could be heard if one strained but what was the most obvious was the fact that miniature gears, pipes, and metal covered his entire body. A blue light radiated from the multiple vaults scattered around his body, a reminder of the magical workings within. Two cyan eyes peered back at Twilight’s gaze as his restless “skin” shifted constantly.

“Relax, Spike. Nopony is supposed to be here just yet. In fact, the guests should be frolicking in the statue garden, and the cooks haven’t even started preparing the first course yet,” Twilight whispered back. “So stop fussing.”

Twilight stepped back from the table and hid herself behind a slightly ajar display cabinet. Lighting up her horn, she weaved a complicated spell for breaking through the defensive locks that were placed on the door of the retiring room at the end of the hall. Then, she remembered a spell she came across that obscured a unicorn’s presence and cast it upon herself. One she was done, Spike fluttered ahead and disappeared through the now open door to the retiring room. A moment later, he returned.

“It’s all clear,” he whispered. “If we are quick, there shouldn’t be any problems.”

From her hiding place, Twilight darted through the rest of the hallway and into the retiring room. She smiled as she looked around. Book shelves full of rare resources lined the entire room. The only source of light came from the fireplace, where a bright blaze sat atop the magical rune that summoned it. As a young filly, she had lived most of her life in the university, but the retiring room was forbidden to all but the senior scholars and their guests. At any other time, one could usually find the butler skulking around somewhere inside.

Today however, the Butler was unusually busy and there was talk of a very important meeting taking place with a special, secret guest. It was a chance that Twilight couldn’t miss out on. She sighed, Just like on numerous other occasions she’s failed to infiltrate the inner complex of the university.

Spike fluttered over to her, and with a burst of blue light, turned into a metallic moth and settled onto her back.

“We’re here. Now can we go back?” he asked in a small, anxious voice.

I just have to delay him until the others start to arrive, thought Twilight. It was a big room, with an oval shaped table of polished magewood dominating the centre of it. Several luxurious armchairs were dotted around the room, often accompanied by an elegant silver stand with a basket of delicious delicacies. A cabinet and a wardrobe stood adjacent to the fireplace, each made out of the best of rosewoods. Scanning around the room, Twilight zoned in on the rows of books around them.

“Don’t be silly! Look at all the books that they’ve got here! All of this new knowledge to discover.” She then made a big show of trotting past several shelves and pausing occasionally to look at random titles. While she was doing this, she restored the defensive spells on the door. To cover it up, she lifted a book off of a shelf with her magic as she cast the spells, and then deposited it onto another one.

“Come on, Twilight. You’ve already got the entirety of the university library at your disposal.” Spike peered up at the portrait of a particularly gruff scholar, staring him down with all the harshness of the world.

Twilight thought she saw him shiver, but wrote it off as a figment of her imagination.

“Really Twilight, we’ve already been here too long–” Spike was cut off by sudden voices sounding from outside the room.

Twilight was already dashing toward the large wooden wardrobe and clambered in, followed closely behind by Spike. A world of warm, synthetic fur greeted them as Twilight closed the door to all but a crack. She must have looked too gleeful for a second because Spike shot her a withering glare with his eerily large eyes as she mustered her most innocent smile.

The Butler walked into the room, carrying a lamp. Following him were two other ponies; Twilight could tell from the sound of hooves clopping against the hardwood floor. The butler was decked out in his best, a shiny dark suit with the green trousers. His construct, a little monkey, clung to his back while carrying a vintage bottle of moonshine, no doubt intended for the special guest. A lot could be told from a glance at the complimentary beverage and the expensive taste of this one was speaking in lengths.

“Has our esteemed guest arrived yet?” a stern voice asked.

The voice of the headmaster froze Twilight. Of course he would be here for the meeting, he was the host after all, Twilight told herself. His grey coat and lush black mane made him stand out against the backdrop of busy scholars, something that usually worked in Twilight’s favour. Usually.

The headmaster was an Earth pony of reputable fame and mysterious powers that were said to rival even that of the strongest of unicorns. Of course, she had only heard through hushed whispers and murmurs, but never told directly by the pony himself. Each time she had spoken to him, he was quite understanding and calm, though she’d heard some unflattering stories about those that trifled with his anger. If Twilight was found here, she would be lucky to only be sent to the dungeons from the strict stallion’s wrath.

“They should be arriving soon, Headmaster,” the butler said coolly. “The guards have already arrived on the grounds.”

“Very good. Have the cooks prepare the appetizers. We will not be a good host if our guest goes hungry. This meeting shouldn’t take long at all.”

“Of course, Sir.” The Headmaster turned his gaze towards the bottled champagne.

“I see you have brought the vintage. Leave it on the table and attend to your other duties.” He waved the butler away with his hoof.

The servant levitated the beverage out of his construct’s grasp onto the cabinet sideboard.

Twilight held her breath as the floating aura passed by, and held in a sigh of relief when she remained undetected.

“Shall I leave the lamp, Headmaster?” He gestured toward the lit oil lamp that sat atop the table.

“Yes, I do believe we will have use of it during the presentation. Do come in after the meeting to douse it, would you.” Although it was a request, the words came out more like an order.

The butler bowed slightly and turned to leave through the door, his construct still motionless on his back. When he was gone, Twilight let go of her breath and proceeded to watch the Headmaster from her hiding place.

He sat down on a comfortable looking chair to face the only other occupant in the room. Producing a pipe, he started to work on it and motioned for the pony to sit down.

Twilight had almost forgotten about the second pony. She could now see that he was an Earth pony, and became surprised at his appearance. What she saw was a weathered face not produced by years of studying, but of one who had likely seen more action than any of the scholars in the university. His position made it impossible for her to catch a glimpse of his eyes but she was sure they were something fierce. What struck her as odd, though, was that the Earth pony was dressed in a servant’s attire. His bronze coloured snake construct coiled loosely around his hooves and remained still like a statue. Suddenly, she was startled out of her thoughts by the Headmaster’s voice.

“I take it the exploration convoy was a success, considering you’re here, Vigil.”

Twilight frowned in confusion at the mention of a convoy. Certainly there was no need for any transportation of goods to the university, being so close to the nearest city, she thought.

“Aye, we lost a few ponies but managed to make it back discreetly,” Vigil replied with a sigh. “And you were right. We found… something.”

“I thought so. The witch’s prophecy was true then. Do we have our friends’ cooperation in the capitol?” He didn’t seem the least bit surprised, but there was a glint of something akin to satisfaction in the Headmaster’s eyes.

“That we do, Sir. My ponies are staying with our allies as of now. The preparations have started already,” Vigil answered.

“Good, good. Remember, Vigil, word of this mustn't get out. I will be pulling some strings for the duration of your mission.” He paused, glancing at a clock hanging on the adjacent wall. “My guest will be here soon, so you should leave. We shall meet again before they make the journey back to the Capitol.”

Vigil bowed stoically and left through the door, and his snake construct uncoiled and slithered after him obediently.

Spike fidgeted from his spot in the wardrobe as Twilight watched the Headmaster from her hiding place.

He adjusted the furniture. A frown passed over his features once he had glanced over the many titles on the shelf a few times.

Twilight remembered that on her first day here, Spike had taken quite an interest in the Headmaster’s construct, Heraldophine, a slender dragon-like serpent. It was almost unheard of to have a dragon, not to mention impossible, the princess notwithstanding. It was then that she realized that the Headmaster’s construct was missing, or rather, had never appeared. She felt a flicker under her hooves.

“I thought I had taught you better. Nonetheless, it would be wise to come out, Miss Sparkle,” the Headmaster glanced at the closet with disappointment.

A moment later, Twilight’s legs gave out and she tumbled forward onto the carpeted ground.

The headmaster glared at her disapprovingly.

Twilight winced as the Headmaster’s construct pricked her sensitive ear harshly with its sharp tail.

“This is no place for a foal to be, especially today of all days,” the Headmaster went on, his features irate. “If not for the prophecy’s sake, I would subject you to a good bout of disciplining. No, maybe a public humiliation would be better. Stupid, blabbering witch. If only Luna was still here, I’m getting too old for this,” the Headmaster started rambling, his tired eyes shut tight.

“Who’s Luna?” she asked, interrupting her headmaster’s tirade.

The old stallion froze, his eyes widening slightly before he regained his composure.

“No one important,” he mumbled. “Tell me, filly, have you read your appointed homework?”

“Yes, Headmaster. Are you going to send me to the dungeon?” She was frightened out of her hooves. She had been caught.

“Goodness gracious, no. It smells like a soiled drunkard down there. You’ll stay in the closet for the duration of the meeting. Do you remember what I’ve taught you?” He looked to his young student expectantly.

“Yes, Headmaster. Always follow your intuition and bear the consequences that follow with it,” she recited quickly.

“Good, so you have learned something. Now, get in!” The Headmaster ushered Twilight in with an impatient wave of his hoof. Beneath his angry gesture, uncertainty flashed across his face for the briefest of moments.

Twilight just chalked it up to him reconsidering his order for a moment. Finally, Twilight crouched there, leaving the door open just a crack.

Multiple faint voices could now be heard outside, accompanied by the clip clop of hooves on marble. The voices became louder and louder until finally, the door burst open and four guards strode into the room. The stallions were clad in golden armour, each bearing the sigma of the solar princess. They weren’t just the normal guards, they were the Royal Guards! Realization dawned upon Twilight, and she could barely restrain a gasp. No wonder the senior scholars were panicking their flanks off. The special guest must’ve be one of the nobilities, and maybe even part of the Royal family!

In a practiced motion, the guards bowed and lit up their horns, trying to detect anything out of the ordinary. Twilight froze when one of the golden stallions glanced over the closet but relaxed immediately when it turned out to be just a routine sweep. After the procedure was over, a regal figure stepped gracefully into the room. For the second time in a single day, Twilight felt giddy and awed, for not only was the figure part of the nobility, but it was the Princess herself!

The paintings and descriptions of the princess did not do her justice, thought Twilight. How could you describe this warm feeling when you share the room with a goddess? If not for a sharp, meaningful jab by Spike, she would’ve started dancing inside the closet. The experience was beyond unreal.

“Celestia, it’s good to see you again. Been busy I presume?”

“Right as always, Headmaster Sombra. You have an interesting university, I must say. It has seen a lot of change since I founded it all those years ago.” With a mischievous grin she added, “However, I must detest the hall of the horrors. Even your scholars shiver in fright at those who are already long dead.”

“Ah, you know me, Tia.” He chuckled. “I must ask, though, where are the other scholars? I was sure they were sent specifically to receive you, lest my memory fails me.”

“Worry not. There was a little magical mishap in the statues garden. I’m afraid that you are now short one Minotaur statue. It was such a shame that it had to be disposed of. It had such a refreshing posture, too.”

The two ponies made jokes and idle chatter and a glance showed that the guards were still as vigilant as ever. As the excitement begun to die down, Twilight started to fidget in her increasingly uncomfortable position. A slight movement next to her reminded her that Spike was still with her.

“Still glad we came here, Twi?” the mechanical moth snarked at her.

She neither bothered to dignify that quip with a reply nor wished to be discovered via a mistimed retort.

The guards stood as dutiful as ever, each taking a corner of the room and prepared to take any course of action if necessary. None were close to Twilight and she was glad for it. A servant retrieved a fumes lamp and tossed a few special smoke leaves that were especially good for one’s body and made for rich conversation.

After what had seemed like an eternity, a rushed tsunami of sounds reached their years as sweaty scholars rushed through the door, begging their pardons for being late and greeting the princess with hasty bows. What they received was a nod and smile from the princess and a vague gesture of a hoof from the headmaster.

Trailing slightly behind were some of the scholars from the Capitol, who greeted their fellow counterparts with equal measures of both enthusiasm and wariness. To Twilight’s observant eyes, it probably had something to do with the long standing rivalry between the two groups. When all were seated properly and quieted, the Headmaster Sombra stood up and began to speak. The discussion was mainly on politics, as well as exciting new research and news from all over Celestine.

Under the constant noise and the pleasant smells, Twilight delicately removed a robe off its hanger and laid it on the bottom of the wardrobe.

“You’re getting too comfortable, Twilight,” chided Spike disapprovingly.

“We’re going to be here for a while so I might as well,” Twilight whispered back.

She sat down and listened to the conversation. No matter how she much she tried to focus, it was dull and boring talk. The marriages of nobles did not interest her, nor did a misunderstanding between the Duke and a simple merchant. If she didn’t know better, she would’ve thought that the Capitol was as dull a place as ever could be. The smells of the frying leaves tempted Twilight to nod off more than once.

Spike found it annoying the number of times he had to ram with all of his tiny moth strength into Twilight to wake her up. He couldn’t transform without revealing their position, so an insect he had to remain.

Eventually, Twilight heard somepony give a sharp series of raps on the table. The other voices fell silent. It was the Headmaster.

“Mares and gentlecolts,” he began “I would like to first welcome you all to the University of Celestine and for those of you that stay, welcome you to your home for the next few years. Today, however, we have a special guest, who, I’m assuming you all know. Political tensions are high now, and it is a miracle that the princess could come to this humble gathering. Come tomorrow morning, the princess will take an airship to a peace summit in the Cloud Delta of Hoofingdale. The princess’s time is valuable and we must use it wisely. Within further delay, let’s begin.” The Headmaster sat down after he spoke.

“Thank you, Headmaster,” said Princess Celestia, shifting the attention back onto her. “My little ponies, as you are all aware, beyond this city lies the Heavenly Barrier. It is the only thing standing between our Great Nation and the machinations of the chaos spirit, Discord.

“However, as of late, it has caused a great unrest in our society by those who believe we should abolish the barrier.” A ripple of murmurs broke out across the room but Princess Celestia pushed onwards. “In this past week, I have attended more peace summits than in the last decade. The situation is unfortunate, but you all know why I cannot remove the barrier. However, that is not why I’m here.

“I am here because there had been a sighting at Fort Everfree. It is to be believed that a pony had been spotted outside the barrier.” There was silence for a moment before a roar of conversation exploded around the room. Speculations were tossed around and there were already talks of the possibilities of setting up long term observational stations. Twilight sat there, dumbfounded by this new revelation.

It was part of her basic education to be taught about the Heavenly Barrier, just like any other foal. Centuries ago, a powerful entity appeared in their world - a being of chaos and madness – and waged a terrible war on the land.

Armies hundreds of thousands strong took a stand to fight against this abomination in the single largest alliance in all of history. His name was Discord. What should have been a certain victory was instead a slaughter. Discord turned ponies against each other, corrupted generals to lead their soldiers to their deaths, and created all manners of dark creatures able to flatten entire battalion of ponies in mere seconds.

The first battle lasted just shy of two days and the casualties crushed the rest of the armies. The wave of chaos, led by Discord, tore through settlements, towns and cities, and often left the survivors wishing they were dead. Finally, the princess and her elites took a final stand against Discord. The battle that followed almost rendered ponykind extinct, but they managed to seal Discord in a tomb and to create a barrier for the survivors to shelter them from the chaos outside.

There were no ponies left outside the barrier.

There couldn’t be.

“Ponies? Outside the barrier? Pardon me, but I know nonsense when I hear it!”

“Fort Everfree is the only place able to observe the outside of the barrier. If a pony was spotted there, who knows how many more there are!”

“If the rebels get their hooves on this information, there won’t just be a trivial unrest anymore,” muttered somepony else.

“Be calm, my little ponies,” Celestia said, loud enough for it to be heard above the din. Everypony fell silent. “We have yet to obtain any solid proof on the existence of this anomaly. It may have simply been a deformation of one of the new chaos spawns. I pray that we will all keep a calm head until we are absolute certain. I am here today to discuss on the decision to divert funding onto this case. If this was true, then the implications would be astounding.”

The room voiced their agreement and the rest of the conversation was indulged in a slightly more subdued manner with the allocation of the remaining budget sorted out through voting and small groups of discussions.

“Say, Twilight, do you really think there are ponies outside?” asked Spike, fluttering onto her shoulder.

“I don’t think so. Without the princess or the guard to protect them, it would be impossible to survive out there. Remember the excursion we went on to Fort Everfree?” she whispered carefully.

“Yeah, it was pretty bad out there. Not a single construct snack bar.”

Twilight rolled her eyes. In hindsight, whether it was her imagination or not, she would never know. Out of the corner of her eyes, she saw one of the guards closest to the princess move, and a fade glow – almost unnoticeable if one didn’t bother to look – wrapped around his horn very subtly. Surely it was nothing, she told herself. However, she couldn’t help but turn her sight onto the other guards, who stood as motionless as ever.

“Twilight, what’s wrong?”

Twilight didn’t answer. She was about to dismiss the thought as simple, over-vivid imagination when she saw a small sauce stain on another guard’s side. A more strained look chilled her breaths. It wasn’t a stain, she realized. It was blood. Eyes widening in fear and shock, she turned around to face the other two guards and found the same small and almost unnoticeable blood patch. The original guard was slowly but definitely advancing toward the princess. The scholars nearby were too engrossed in their talks to take notice of the guardspony.

She panicked, not knowing what to do, what she could do. If she was mistaken, then she couldn’t possibly live with the embarrassment and shame, not to mention the wrath of the Headmaster. She couldn’t do this, she thought, this simply wasn’t her responsibility.

The words of the headmaster echoed in her mind. Follow you intuitions and bear the consequences.

Suddenly, the unicorn’s horn lit up in a bright flash in an unmistakably aggressive fashion. A moment before he struck, the doors of the wardrobe flew open. Somewhere above her, another bright light that rivalled in brilliance erupted and along with it, an euphoria that Twilight could not even fathom filling herself at the same time. For moments, Twilight didn’t even realize that it was she who had summoned the light before she cast a spell. She only had time to glimpse a look at all the shocked expressions before her eyes turned pure white.

A vision flashed before her eyes, and suddenly she was somewhere else.

Mechanical behemoth in the sky, pillars of fire raining down from above. In the distance, enormous towers collapsing upon each other. Below, thousands of ponies fought each other in a bloody conflict. Above it all, a hideously mismatched creature levitated in the air, looking down while bearing a twisted grin.

Its half goat, half dragon head turned, its yellow, wild, eyes locking onto her.

And it smiled.

Twilight’s thoughts screamed in agony as its eyes gripped her very soul. Feeling her strength sapped away, she quickly lost her tenacious grip on her mind and fell into the abyss.

***

“Twilight, are you alright?” called a distant voice. Twilight felt like she was in a cross between numb pain and paradise. There was something missing… like a memory, or a dream, something that was just beyond the reach of her mind’s eye. Words failed to describe the sensation she was feeling. Slowly, as the sound became louder and more persistent, the sensation started to fade away and she felt drained and tired. Slowly she opened her eyes.

It turned out that she had blanked out for only a few seconds, but from the looks of the retiring room – or what was left of it – a lot could happen in just a few seconds. There was a shallow crater on the wooden floor not far away and a black trail leading toward her. The wardrobe looked like it had exploded and purple membranes now covered the room, protruding from newly made anchors on the dented walls.

“Damn you, bloody tyrant!” a livid voice shrieked.

Twilight snapped her head around in alarm, so fast that she fretted for a whiplash. The imposing guard-traitor had been bounded by what looked like golden chains, nailing him onto the floor. The Headmaster stood next to him, content with just scowling at him before looking at Twilight. The group of elderly scholars still huddled together, not exactly sure how to react given the situation. Years of studying complex equations or magical theory could not prepare them for this situation

“Thank the heavens you’re alright, child.” Twilight turned around until she saw the Headmaster, bearing a rare look of relief.

“Twilight, was it?” Twilight realized Princess Celestia was speaking to her. The princess of Equestria was speaking to her! She shrunk in herself, caught halfway between intimidated and awestruck.

“U-um, y-yes, Your Majesty,” stuttered Twilight, trembling in equal measures of shock and awe. Celestia must have caught on to that, though how she did Twilight could not fathom.

“It’s alright, my little pony. In fact, more than alright. I would believe that you had just saved my life from an assassination attempt,” mused Princess Celestia before giving Twilight a beaming and grateful smile.

“S-saved… Princess CELESTIA!?” Twilight whispered-shouted to herself. The Princess paid no heed to her small outburst and continued on, the graceful smile she beared never once wavering on her muzzle.

“On behalf of myself and of Celestine, I hereby issue you the medallion of the Sun for your service to Celestine, and myself. Thank you, my little pony,” announced Princess Celestia before giving a flourished and grateful bow to Twilight. Meanwhile, Everypony whose name did not coincide with Sombra and Celestia’s were left wide eyed and mouths gaping, Twilight perhaps the most.

“The m-medallion of the S-sun?” she stammered.

“Correct, the highest non-military medal awarded to the citizens of Celestine. I do believe the last one was given over a century ago, during the great Everfree flood,” lectured the Headmaster, though he knew that Twilight had already known all this. A glimmer of recognition in her eyes told him he was correct.

“Now, normally, this service would be rewarded with a ridiculous sum of bits, and a place in the Hall of Honours in the Capitol. However, I do believe I can offer something better,” said the Princess gently, smiling at Twilight.

“H-huh?” stuttered Twilight, too shocked to even string together a comprehensible thought.

“What would you say if I was to take you on as my personal student in the Capitol, and, of course, a guaranteed place in the School for Gifted Ponies.” The Princess grinned as Twilight’s face morphed into an unbelieving and utterly joyful smile. Jaws dropped across the room as scholars began to object. It was all doomed to fail as an ear-splitting squeal filled the room.

It consisted of just one word.

“Yes!”

***

The stallion tapped the thick cigar in his mouth with the edge of his velvet-clad hoof, taking in the scene of the second greatest city in Celestine laid out before him all its glory. The thin vapour like smoke drifted upwards into the setting sun.

The ledge he stood on was perfect; high enough for him to cast his gaze across the entire city, yet low enough to not be battered by the pegasi wind. In the distance, there was the university, its ancient buildings separated from the surrounding by a beautiful garden.

A pony approached him from behind, causing him to tense for a fraction of a second before realising who it was. After a moment of silence, he grunted slightly to signal the pony to speak.

“Everything is set in motion, milord,” the pony intoned, a gruff yet obedient quality worked into his tone.

He glanced back at the servant stallion before returning his gaze to the skyline. Slowly, he took out the cigar and smothered it underneath his hoof, and replied in a resigned tone.

“Very well, ready my carriage,” he said, watching his servant abide to his command. He gave the city one last glance before pursuing the disappearing shadow of his underling.

“For the both of our sakes, Sombra, I hope you know what you are doing.”

Comments

[QueenChrysalisForever]

Ooooo I like this! Has a strong 'The Golden Compass" By Phillip Pullman feel to it. (At least, when I first started reading the prologue it was the first thing to come to mind. The constructs which seem similar to his Daemons also brought it to mind.) Only read the prologue so far (will read more later) but I got to say this is very well put together. I did notice a few grammar/spelling type of errors, (which if you like I can go back through the chapter and PM you what they are?) but otherwise I think this story will eventually find its way to my favorites.

[Artist]

I love this story