The Elements of Love

by UnweptSchlipps

Escape From Fort Frost

Braeburn and Redheart wandered through the huge library dubbed "The Arcaneum". The place was one big catalogue full of whatever books you would ever need. It was a size that rivaled even the Canterlot archives, as shelf upon shelf came into view.

Braeburn whistled in awe, whispering, “Dang, this place is huge!”

“I-I don’t even know where to start!” Redheart replied, scanning the archives. The two got to work, rummaging through the shelves for information on dark magic. They found cookbooks, spell books, books about gardening, even books about how to train dragons. But no sign of books about forbidden magic.

They spent thirty minutes randomly shuffling about, searching the Arcaneum to no avail. Frankly, the library was just too big for two ponies to search. So the duo gathered next to what seemed to be the librarian’s desk, frustrated from their empty findings.

“There has to be some easier way to search this place,” Braeburn uttered, knocking on the desk in annoyance.

Suddenly, a voice coming from behind a shelf said, “Perhaps I can help you find something?”

And old mage appeared from out of nowhere, levitating a book up to his snout. He wore different robes from the other mages they had seen; a regal purple with golden trimming. He began, “The Arcaneum is a huge place. So I understand-.” He lowered the tome he was reading to find the Elements of Love staring at him in shock. The old stallion furrowed his bushy eyebrows, and he said accusingly, “Wait…you…you two don’t belong here!”

Redheart began, “Please sir, we can explain-.”

“There's no need to explain. You’re intruders! Why, I ought to call my guards! No, wait, I’m the Arch-Mage! I’ll take care of you myself!” The magician’s horn began to glow red, and the ball of fire began to from in the air above him.

In a quick moment of defense, Braeburn raised his hoof innocently and said, “No, please! We’re just here for a book! That’s it!”

“Or…or you could be trying to rob from our sanctuary! Bandits targeting some poor defenseless mages! Too bad for you, we’re not so defenseless as you might think!” the mage said, slowly making his way towards the desk.

Braeburn replied, “Ah swear! All we want is somethin’ about some dark magic, that’s all!”

At that statement, the Arch-Mage immediately ceased his spell, and the fireball sizzled out in the air. With his snout scrunched in disgust, he said spitefully, “That…that book! That thing has been nothing but trouble! First somepony breaks in, kills two of our finest mages, and steals it! And now this!”

“Wait. What happened?” Redheart inquired.

“We found that book during one of our excavation sites near Trottingham. We suspected it contained spells dating back thousands of years. Who knows what wonders we could have learned from that ancient tome. But before we could study its contents, it was stolen. The thief ran away...and our two best historians, murdered!"

Redheart was about to retort when Braeburn stepping in, whispering to her, “He’s telling the truth.”

“Well what are supposed to do now?”

“Maybe Ah shouldn’t have used that dart…”

However, as the duo muttered between themselves, they failed to notice the Arch-Mage slowly making his way to the desk. The sly elder’s hoof slid underneath the table, pressing a small button hidden in the corner.

And that little button was the first step to utter chaos.

Suddenly, the sound of an alarm pierced the quiet sanctuary, resonating throughout the tower. A red light began to flash rapidly. The sound of running hooves pattered above. Braeburn and Redheart jumped with shock, turning their eyes to the coyly smiling mage.

The old stallion remarked, “At least the breach gave us a reason to install this security system. The old stone walls were…much too outdated, hmm? Good luck, intruders. My mages will be here soon.”

The duo had little time to berate or argue. Braeburn took the nurse’s hoof, yelling, “Aw shoot, we need to get outta here!”

The steel door of the Arcaneum began to slowly close shut, threatening to trap them in the gigantic library. Braeburn ushered the mare ahead, and nurse was able to gallop through into the hallway. However, the Arch-Mage wasn’t about to let them escape without a fight. He launched at fireball at the lagging cowpony, and it exploded at his legs, causing him to stumble.

“Hurry!” Nurse Redheart cried, the steel door closing ever so quickly. Seeing this, the cowpony quickly regained his footing, trotting towards the exit. The door was just about to close, and with only a few feet left to spare, Braeburn had no choice but to lunge forward.

The cowpony swiftly slid underneath the steel trap, losing his hat in the process. With amazing dexterity, he reached under and pulled the hat to safety just as the door sealed shut.

Braeburn flipped the hat dashingly onto his head, but the moment was interrupted by the nurse shouting, “Now is not the time, Brae!” She pointed across the hall, where a few mages were beginning to stream out. They caught sight of the two ponies, and with an agitated roar, they began to take chase.

The duo swiftly galloped down the maze-like corridors, trying to elude their captors. “I don’t even know where to go!” Redheart exclaimed as a lightning bolt sizzled overhead, burning the top of her nurse’s cap.

“Jus’ keep moving up!” Braeburn answered.

Heeding his advice, the two kept trotting up every staircase they came upon, hoping to somehow make it to the surface. Many times they had run down a corridor, only to find it was a dead-end, forcing them to somehow maneuver past the mages trying to impede their path. The climb was tedious, but with the unicorns trying to intercept them at every corner, there was no time to stop.

Soon, the sanctuary ponies caught wind of the twos' plan, and they perched themselves at the top of a stairwell. When Braeburn and Redheart came into view, the mages opened fire, spewing spells and incantations down at the defenseless duo. The earth ponies pressed themselves flat against the wall as pieces of stone flew around them. Fireballs scorched the ancient walls, cracking them and sending shrapnel into the air. Under the guise of the dust, Braeburn took the nurse’s hoof and began to slowly move forward. Even though spells threatened to vaporize their very being, the two pushed on towards the top.

After a minute of relentless attack, the mages ceased their barrage. The dust completely dominated the cramped stairwell, obscuring whatever view they had. The magicians began to lower their guard, hearing no sign of trotting hooves below.

But suddenly, as the dust began to settle, a yellow hoof bursted out of the cloud. The strong leg bucked the lead mage’s snout hard, sending him backwards into the mage behind him. This caused the rest to fall like dominoes, tumbling down the staircase.

“Never mess with Señor Bucks de la Kickaroo!” Braeburn called triumphantly before continuing upwards with Redheart in tow.

Soon they had made their way to the abandoned cellar where they had first come in. Making sure no one had followed them, the two ventured into the dark, cobwebbed room. They stumbled about in the dark for a bit, trying to find the secret door. Finally, after much tripping and cursing, Braeburn creaked open the cellar entrance. The cowpony lifted the nurse out first before pulling himself out into the forest.

The two glanced back at the blaring sanctuary, where they could still hear the endless shrieking of the alarm. “Ah hope the others are alright,” Braeburn whispered.

“Don’t worry Brae. I know they’ll make it out,” Nurse Redheart replied.

The duo then made their way to the clearing, hoping that their teammates were doing the same.

xxx

Soarin swiftly pulled his hoof away just as the metal door slid down. He leapt back in shock, listening as the alarm blared outside. The sound of mages stomping away could be heard outside, but nopony seemed to be storming into the file room where the two pegasi were trapped.

Soarin examined the high-tech metal door, uttering, “For a buncha old mages, they’re pretty advanced in technology!” The menacing whine of the alarm echoed outside, and he added, “It won’t be long before those mages find us!”

Scootaloo began to bang her hooves on the steel door, looking for some kind of weakness. Realizing the solid steel plating wasn’t going to budge, the filly turned her attention to the mirror-like window. Determined to escape, she began to charge against the glass, using her tiny wings as leverage. She continued to throw her body against the window, and soon Soarin joined in to help.

However, the twos’ effort seemed to be futile, and the window looked no worse for the wear. Soarin backed away from the wall, trying to search the small compartment for any way to escape.

“Scootaloo, this door ain’t gonna budge,” Soarin said, not wanting the young mare to overexert herself.

But Scoots ignored the Wonderbolt’s command, replying, “No, it’s gotta. We can’t just give up!”

“Scoots, stop! You’re just going to hurt yourself!” Soarin said, this time with more force.

This time, the tiny pegasus paused. But when she turned around, Soarin could see something brewing in her eyes; a certain hardiness that, frankly, he had seen in only a handful of ponies. Scootaloo told him defiantly, “That’s never stopped me before!” Then she kept banging against the window, showing no sign of letting up. If anything, it seemed she was going stronger. The thought of being trapped never even crossed Scootaloo’s mind, and her determination powered on.

And she kept going and going. It seemed she would keep going until her tiny wings gave out. And as Soarin watched this little filly, this young, inexperienced child, charge on relentlessly, he couldn’t help but give a grin.

Scootaloo watched the grown pegasus stand next to her, and Soarin said, “You’re scrappy, kiddo. I like that.” Then, working as one, the pegasi rammed against the one-way mirror. Every attack was synchronized perfectly, almost like a true Wonderbolts’ routine. And soon enough, a tiny spider-web crack began to spread from the top corner.

“It’s working!” Scootaloo exclaimed excitedly.

“Just like you said it would, kid,” Soarin said, giving the filly a playful nudge. “Now stand back Scoots. This thing’s gonna crack any moment now. Wouldn’t want you to get cut.”

The filly took her place at the far corner of the room as Soarin grabbed one of the metal chairs. With a loud grunt, the stallion tossed the chair against the hard glass, only for it to fall to the ground with a harmless thud. The pegasus hauled the other chair and tried again, only for the same result to occur.

Soarin turned his attention to the heavy table in the middle of the room. “Hey Scoots, can you help me flip this thing over?” The filly obliged, and the two turned the table on its side, with the table top facing the cracked window.

The Wonderbolt positioned himself so he was against the back wall, his hindlegs coiled like a spring. With the metal table positioned in front like a shield, the flier said, “Get down, kid. This one’s coming in hot!” The flier pushed off the wall with all his might, beating his wings as hard as he could. With a mighty heave, Soarin propelled the metal projectile straight into the glass pane.

xxx

A certain mage by the name of Glovis had taken advantage of the commotion to rummage through his nemesis’s belongings. In doing so, he realized the interrogation room’s door was propped open. Curious, the unlucky thief stepped into the room at exactly the wrong moment.

The mage caught only a glimpse of the table before it crashed through the window and barreled straight into his face, knocking him unconscious. And right after, an orange-blue blur zoomed out of the broken window, flying out of the room and down the corridor.

At the end of the hallway was a window, and beyond that the pegasi could see the tops of trees. However, in their way were hooded unicorns, casting their magical spells and doing whatever they could to impede their flight. Soarin dodged the incoming spells, trying to navigate the narrow hall while keeping the filly on his back steady. Luckily for him, he had done this before in his Wonderbolt training, flying through jagged rocky canyons with cramped crevices and tiny gaps. With the skill of only a trained expert, the flier gracefully maneuvered around the mages, leaving them in his dust.

Finally, the opening was getting closer and closer. And the closer it got, the more Soarin realized how small the window really was. “Hug tight kid, this one’s gonna be close!” he commanded.

At the very last moment, the pegasus folded his wings and tucked in his legs, and the two barely slipped through the tiny window. When they opened their eyes, they found themselves gliding over the treetops, having safely escaped the treacherous tower. Feeling the fresh air flowing through their manes once again, the two pegasi let out a simultaneous, “Whoohoo!”

Soarin glided over the clearing, where Braeburn and Redheart had been waiting anxiously. “Where’s Lucky and Cheerilee?” the blue pegasus asked, depositing the filly safely on the ground.

“Ah don’t know. Ah think they’re still inside, probably at the Arch-Mage’s quarters!” Braeburn replied.

It was all the information Soarin needed. Despite the singed fur and the bleeding wounds from the window, Soarin shot up into the air, his sights set on the looming stone tower.

“Where are you going?” Redheart inquired.

“To get Lucky and Cheerilee! Don’t worry, I’ll be back!” Soarin shouted as he swiftly zoomed away.

xxx

A few minutes earlier

Lucky and Cheerilee found themselves at the very top of the tower, in the Arch-Mage’s bedroom. The entire ceiling was painted to look like the starry sky, complete with diagrams of constellations and galaxies. Shelves lined the walls containing the Arch-Mage’s most private collection of spells and incantations. A mini botanical garden was located in the center of the room, lit up by conjured orbs of light. And a balcony with a single lawn chair hung off the building, no doubt the place where the Arch-Mage did his tanning. Or at least, that’s what Lucky said, much to Cheerilee’s disgust.

As they rummaged through the head mage’s not-so-secret-anymore collection of tomes, Lucky asked, “So…you’re the Miss Cheerilee?”

“What do you mean?” the schoolteacher asked, checking some writing desks.

“Well, I’ve been to Ponyville a couple of times…and the word around the street is that a certain schoolteacher’s single. And you’ve been single for quite some time,” the gambler said smoothly, his voice laced with intimacy.

Surprisingly (for Lucky anyway), Cheerilee snorted and replied sarcastically, “Oh-ho, is that right? And why would you know that?”

Magicking a few books towards his hoof, the unicorn continued, “I’m just wondering how a sweet little darling such as yourself could lack a relationship.”

“Well I assure you, Lucky, that I remain single by choice.”

“And why would that be?” Lucky inquired. He turned around to find the purple mare standing right behind him, her eyes spewing lasers.

Prodding the stallion’s snout angrily, Cheerilee replied, “So I wouldn’t have to go out with snobby, pompous stallions like you."

“I see…” Lucky said, rubbing his nose. Cheerilee went back to the task at head, rummaging through the shelves, thinking she had won this battle. But suddenly, Lucky said coyly, “Has anypony ever told you how dazzling your eyes are when you’re angry?”

His comment was met with a rather large book to the face. Sneering, Cheerilee called, “I found some books here, but they’re all in old Equestrian Language."

After groaning angrily while grasping his eye in pain, Lucky uttered, “Well that’s a bummer now, isn’t it?

Suddenly, a cacophonous sound began to wail throughout the tower, causing the two to jump. The alarm had been sounded, which meant time was running short. And this certainly was not good, especially since the two were trapped in the very brain of the tower’s operations.

As the sound of running stallions rumbled outside, Lucky said urgently, “You said you had a major in language right? Then get translating!” He began to levitate some wardrobes and desks to barricade the door, while Cheerilee quickly scanned the books in her hooves.

Multiple hooves began to beat on the door, and angry shouts were heard outside. The mages outside tackled the door, threatening to break down the make-shift barricade being held together only by Lucky’s magic. The unicorn focused harder, but the mages beat harder and harder as well. Finally, Lucky was forced to throw his body against the wardrobes, shouting, “Come on Cheerilee, I can’t hold them off forever!”

Finally, Cheerilee exclaimed, “This one! Tenebris Magicae et Mysteria! Dark Magic and Mysteries!

“Gee, that’s great. Now we have to get out of here alive for the others to see it!” At that moment, the door was blasted open by the mages combined magic. Lucky felt the brunt of the impact, sliding across the floor.

Cheerilee helped the unicorn up as he shouted, “Keep holding on to me!”

Five mages began to pour into the room, with one proclaiming, “We have you now, intruders!” But to his surprise, nopony was there. The room was obviously ransacked and rummaged, with desk drawers wide open and shelves cleaned. But the one thing it lacked was an actual intruder.

“Search the room, I know they’re here,” the lead stallion commanded. The five heeded his orders and fanned out, scouring the room for the duo.

Unbeknownst to them, Lucky and Cheerilee were hiding in plain sight. The two were crouched low next to the bookshelves, rendered completely invisible by Lucky’s magic. “Let’s move,” Lucky’s voice whispered, emanating from nowhere. With the teacher keeping contact with his body, the unicorn began to slowly tip-toe his way towards the exit. The duo had to weave their way around the five mages, almost brushing against them more than a few times. But it seemed their ruse was working, and they would escape the room with their lives.

Their minds were so clouded with excitement that they had failed to notice the books strewn across the ground from the initial blast. Cheerilee tripped over the small obstacle, giving a shriek as she toppled to the ground, bringing the gambler down with her. Lucky’s concentration was broken, and the two began to fade back into existence, their eyes wide with fear.

Lucky was no novice to escaping sticky situations, however. Before the mages could react, the unicorn shot up, grasping Cheerilee’s hoof tightly, and made a mad dash for the balcony.

The two ponies galloped into the outside air, gusts of wind blowing heavily due to the high altitude. Lucky trotted to the edge, peering down at the ground below…and the forty stories of nothing but air separating them. The unicorn turned back towards the inside, only to find they were trapped by the mages. The five magicians were closing in slowly, with wicked grins plastered on their wrinkled faces.

Cheerilee looked back at the edge uneasily, saying, “What do we do?”

The gambler took a long look at the forty-story plunge behind them, contemplating what he was about to say. The unicorn weighed the situation in his mind, anxiously switching back and forth between the mages and the edge. It was then that he realized that, amidst all the adrenaline and terror, he felt a certain feeling in his gut. That feeling he’d always get during a game of cards.

With no more time to think, Lucky uttered, “We’ve gotta jump!”

“What?” Cheerilee retorted, looking at the stallion like he was insane. “No! Y-You’re crazy!”

“Cheerilee, it’s the only way!” Lucky replied, stunningly calm.

“I can’t…” the schoolteacher muttered, stepping away from the edge.

“You can! I know we’ll be safe!” The unicorn stretched out his hoof as the wind blew through his spiky mane. With the most soothing tone he could muster, Lucky pled, “You just have to believe me!”

Cheerilee stared into Lucky’s light blue eyes, which seemed to tug at her very heart. And for some reason, they compelled her to believe him.

With a shaky nod, the mare took the stallion’s hoof, holding ever so tightly. Then, closing their eyes, the two took a leap of faith.

Frankly, Lucky no idea how they’d be safe. Perhaps he’d try a teleportation spell, or some kind of spell that would sprout wings. Of course, he had never done any of those in his entire life. Well, there’s a first time for everything, Lucky thought as the duo fell through the sky, with the ground coming up devilishly fast.

Fortunately for him, there was no need for sprouting wings. For they already had a pair, or more accurately, were dangling off of them. At that moment, Soarin swooped in, catching the falling ponies with his strong body.

“Gotcha! Pretty good catch, huh?” Soarin shouted, flying around the tower, nimbly dodging incoming fireballs and lightning bolts. Cheerilee had landed safely on his back, while Lucky dangled off his hindlegs. However, the impact had caused Cheerilee’s pack to fly open, and the Dark Magic book flipped out, tumbling through the air.

“Soarin! That book-!” the teacher cried, pointed towards the falling object.

“I’m on it!” The pegasus darted towards the falling tome, snatching it in his teeth. Then, like a whip, he quickly jutted back up at breakneck speeds. The turn was so abrupt that Cheerilee’s grip began to slip. Finally, with Soarin’s speedy acceleration, the teacher simply couldn’t hold on any longer.

She felt her hoof release the pegasus’s fur, and her heart seemed to stop as cruel gravity began to take over. Cheerilee braced herself for her plummet to her imminent doom.

But doom would just have to wait. Before she could slip away, Lucky wrapped his foreleg firmly around hers, shouting, “I gotcha!” The teacher looked up at the fancy stallion, whose face was lit up with a relieved grin. A grin that, for some crazy reason, calmed her.

Soarin flew the duo down to the edge of the forest, saying, “Phew, you guys are heavy!” He gave the book to Cheerilee, who thanked him with a kind nod. The pegasus turned back to the tower, and to his shock, he saw mages streaming out of the main doorway, no doubt looking for the escapees.

Without hesitation, Soarin ordered, “You two run ahead! The rest are waiting at the clearing! I’ll keep ‘em off you guys!”

“What if they catch you?” Cheerilee asked worriedly.

The Wonderbolt gave a confident smirk and replied, “You kidding? I’m one of the fastest pegasi in the entire world! I’m not gonna let some crusty magicians lay a hoof on me!” Then the pegasus launched himself into the sky, preparing for a fly-by over the tower.

Lucky and Cheerilee only stayed long enough for a glimpse of the Wonderbolt daringly dodging the incoming spells, providing a perfect distraction. The last thing the saw before they ventured into the forest was Soarin looping through the air with a thundercloud streak trailing behind him.

Xxx

The sun had traversed past its apex, and was now beginning to slowly descend over the land. It had been about thirty minutes since the escape, and five ponies sat at the far edge of the foliage, away from that blasted sanctuary. Frankly, they had wanted to get as far away from those Frost Star Mages as possible, if it wasn’t for the fact that Soarin wasn’t back yet.

Scootaloo sat on a smooth rock, worry printed on her young features. She uttered, “What if something happened to him?”

“Don’t worry Scootaloo. He’ll be alright,” Cheerilee answered, disguising the worry she had with a kind smile.

Suddenly, the sound of bushes rustling caught the groups attention. The two stallions, Braeburn and Lucky, sprang up. Lucky’s horn was glowing, and he said impatiently, “You’d best not be trying to pick a fight, mate! We’ve had enough!”

A voice from behind the bush answered, “Chill out, dude. It’s just me.” The figure stepped out from the foliage into the light, revealing himself to be none other than the lovable Wonderbolt.

The group breathed a sigh of relief, and Redheart exclaimed, “Soarin! Thank Celestia, you’re all right!”

“See? I told ya I’d be-argh!” The Wonderbolt doubled over, wincing as pain shot up his side. Redheart immediately rushed over to steady the pegasus, only to find a deep burn running up his hindleg.

“Soarin, you’re hurt!” the nurse told him, examining the wound.

“Yeah. I guess one of ‘em grazed me with some kind of spell. Luckily, they didn’t get my wings. Doesn’t seem too bad.” He tried to lower his damaged limb to the ground, only for another jolt to make his leg cringe.

The nurse held him steady, saying calmly, “Now hold on, Soarin. I can fix you up.” Redheart took some bandages from her sack, and began to meticulously work her way around the wound. With a steady touch and a keen eye, the medic did exactly what she was born to do: heal.

While she fixed Soarin up, Cheerilee said jokingly, “I thought you said those ‘crusty magicians’ couldn’t lay a hoof on you.

“Well, technically it was a spell,” the Wonderbolt replied coolly.

Braeburn chuckled and said, “You’re jus’ getting burned all over the place, ain’t you?”

Redheart had almost finished her treatment, with only one final step to go. Grasping the bandage tightly in her mouth, the nurse warned, “Now I’m going to warn you. This is going to hurt!”

“How bad could it be-YEEEEOOOW!” Soarin shouted as the nurse jerked hard on the bandage.

“OWWWwww….ahhh,” the flier sighed as the searing pain which had dug deep into his body began to slowly fade away. Before he knew it, he was flexing his leg without any trouble at all. If anything, it was almost as if he was better than before. “Wow, I feel…awesome! Thanks nurse!”

“No problem. But…you know…try not to scream like a little filly next time,” Redheart said with a light-hearted wink.

Seeing that the nurse’s work was finished, Braeburn immediately leapt to his hooves, saying , “Well now that we’re all here, let’s head on back to Canterlot! Ah can’t wait to show the princess how well we did!”

“I’m not sure how almost getting captured or tortured or killed constitutes as ‘doing well’, but I’d be happy just to get as far away from this forest as possible,” Lucky uttered snidely, rolling up his sleeves.

With the sun now setting over the horizon amidst a crimson sky, the Elements of Love headed down the path they had come from, their sights set on Canterlot.

Xxx

Back at the Frost Star Sanctuary, and old mage sat in his room atop the tower, sifting through his trashed belongings. A robed pegasus accompanied the Arch-Mage, helping to clean up the mess.

The pegasus said brashly, “Surely you’re not going to let those intruders escape are you? After what they did to this sanctuary?”

But the elder mage’s voice was not panicked, nor angry. It was deep, quiet, and above all, calming. He told the stallion, “On the contrary, young one. That is exactly what we are going to do. Well almost…”

Staring out the balcony window, the Arch-Mage’s dark hood concealed the wicked smile on his face. He uttered, “Hear me, my loyal servant, and follow my orders. For they will all be of use to us…whether they know it or not.”

Comments

[Chaotic Note]

Back at the Frost Star Sanctuary, and old mage sat in his room atop the tower, sifting through his trashed belongings. A robed pegasus accompanied the Arch-Mage, helping to clean up the mess.
The pegasus said brashly, “Surely you’re not going to let those intruders escape are you? After what they did to this sanctuary?”
But the elder mage’s voice was not panicked, nor angry. It was deep, quiet, and above all, calming. He told the stallion, “On the contrary, young one. That is exactly what we are going to do. Well almost…”
Staring out the balcony window, the Arch-Mage’s dark hood concealed the wicked smile on his face. He uttered, “Hear me, my loyal servant, and follow my orders. For they will all be of use to us…whether they know it or not.”

Oooh thickening the plot now are we?

[suckmyponycock69]

Braeburn!? Soarin'!?

FUCK WHY ISN'T THIS FEATURED
THIS IS A RECIPE FOR WIN