The Sun and the Clover

by BG9

The True Nature of the Greater Magic

"I've finally got you Clover. Right where I want you."

Anon got up with a start and tried to move. To his shock, he was chained by his left wrist to the side of the wall. He looked around to see he was in the same place he remembered being when he fainted, only all the color had be drained. In front of him was the Mage Killer, sharpening a blade. Each scrape of the flint against the knife sent a bit more anxiety into his body.

"I told you I'm not Clover!" he said "I'm her successor! You don't need to do this!"

He abruptly stopped sharpening and clenched his fist tightly around the handle. He turned his head back.

"How many times must you lie to me? Do you think that will save you? You think that will make me give up my mission?" he asked, rage filling his voice "It says here: by Order of King Arthur, sacred and holy Monarch to the throne of Great Britain, Clover the Clever is to be killed or captured for her crimes against the throne including, but not limited too, blasphemy, murder, and treason."

He walked over to Anon, each foot thundering against the floor boards and held a scroll up to his face.

"You knew the rules! Magic is forbidden, you mages, you're evil, you derive your power from the devil himself!"

"That isn't true at all! We get it from the Greater Magic."

"Whatever you call it, its source is clear. It's a gift from the demons, a gift of evil!"

"That can't be true. You're lying to me."

"You accuse me of lying, witch?" he said, disdain dripping from his tone "Fine, I'll show you proof."

He rummaged through a desk on the side wall and pulled out another scroll, tossing it on the ground. It was a mission report.

"King Arthur's First Company, his best company, sealed away the Devil. That is why your precious magic is dwindling, that is why your mana isn't returning! It's only a matter of time before you mages are history. Such an evil energy should not be allowed to exist."

Before he could reply, the man's foot was planted firmly in between his ribcage and stomach. It came with such force and with such surprise, it nearly caused Anon to vomit.

"You like that devil worshiper!?" he said, giving another kick to his stomach "How does that feel!?"

Anon put his hand to the floor to use magic, but nothing happened. He didn't even feel any mana.

"Don't even bother trying to use your evil tricks on me. This is my domain, the World Unseen. It's what you mages would call the second plane of reality. You thought sealing me in here would be my doom but you were wrong. I will destroy you."

Anon looked around, spying a pipe on the floor. As the Killer turned around again to sharpen his knife, he got the pipe with his foot. With a might kick, he threw it hard, only for him to dodge it at the last second.

"Well I was going to torture you, but you're downright irritating me now." he said "I'll just kill you now and collect my reward."

He took the knife and thrust it straight into Anon's chest. He jumped and suddenly felt as though he was moving beyond his will. He spoke in a voice that wasn't his.

"I'm sorry old friend." a woman's voice said through Anon's lips "I can't let you do this, not now."

Anon pulled the knife from his chest and healed instantly. He grabbed the chain and it filled with green light.

"Tuigse!" the woman's voice said again and the chain shattered

He got up and walked towards the Mage Killer and watched as his hand turned to magma

"W-wait!" he shouted

He thrust his hand through the man's chest like a hot knife through butter and pulled it back out again.

"May you travel the Great Sea in peace. It's over now."

Finally, Anon had control of himself again

"Clover was that you!?" he shouted "Clover!"

"Go to where the King showed you the diary. I cannot maintain this connection for very-"

There was a small flash of light and the voice stopped. Anon kicked the wall.

"Damn it Clover! Why can't you just tell me what I need to do!?" he wailed "Why does it have to be me who does this!? Why not Sunset or Trixie, anyone else!?"

He got no answer, just the sound of the stale wind seeping through the castle walls. At least she threw him some sort of bone. The diary. But would it still be under that curse? He had to at least try. He retraced his steps. This world was the same picture for picture as the real world. To his relief the giant doors were also open, thanks to Clover no doubt. He looked around and ripped a piece of the fabric from the banner off, throwing it inside the door. Nothing happened, it didn't combust. This world must be completely unaffected by the curse.

He walked inside the large room and removed the glass case surrounding the diary. He flipped through mostly empty pages until he got to a single sentence. It said Read Aloud: Thig Beo"

"Thig Beo" he said

The diary turned a brilliant bright blue and four balls of light emerged from the pages. The light furthest right came forward to the ground and transformed into Clover. She was tall, wore a beautiful red robe and had her emerald hair tied in a bun.

"Date. July 1st 6th century. I've been with the King for a week now. He's incredible. It's amazing someone with this much knowledge exists. If he doesn't know how to save mana from vanishing, he'll certainly be able to figure out a way. He's even decrypted the language the dragons use! He seems a bit off but I guess that's what comes with a such a great mind. Celestia and Luna have both gone to the king's archives to try to find any information they can. Annnnd I got these fancy new robes. All and all a wonderful week!"

Then came the second ball

"Date July 4th 6th century. I have terrible news... it appears Luna was right. Magic is derived from a fundamentally evil source... No matter how far we trace it back, it always seems to spawn of Black Magic. Luna's thesis was correct, Magic didn't give rise to curses and hexes, it was vise versa. Whatever the Great Magic is, it's no source of purity and good, rather malice and evil. Surely there must be some redemption in all this. Magic can be used for good, just look at the druids! I won't be dissuaded. Luna and Arthur are both wrong. Magic should not be eliminated from this world. It can be used for good if we only try."

after that the third

"Date July 10th 6th century. I think I have found a way to make everyone happy. I thought about what Starswirl always taught me, about how nature is an interconnected entity we're not separate from, above the Forever Rose those homunculus women use to story their memories and personality. They start as plain ole roses until they make a connect with them, forging a bond like that of blood between them and the rose allowing them to store their memories within before they die. What if I could use the principal to make a new breed of magic all together? The Five Points of Nature Magic already provide a good starting point. If I can just figure out how to combine nature magic with Mana, or replace it with it entirely, I could save the magic world from extinction and achieve power via pure means. More to come later."

The fourth and final ball of light took the floor. This time clover was in a thick green coat with large gloves.

"Date December 13th 6th century. My god... This is incredible. I can reach the Greater Magic! I can become one with it and change it's nature entirely! All I need is the Four Sacred Artifacts, a second magic crest and the World Tree. That and the spell to trigger the event. The Lady of the Lake would surely know it. I may even be able to try contract magic with Luna there. There's just one problem. Doing this fundamentally breaks the rules of the universe. A living breathing human can't travel any higher than the Abyssal Trench and that's only fourth strata of reality! If I were to use the World Tree to bypass all the other planes of existence it could bring about the end of the world. But it's the only way. I have to save Luna from the corrupting influence I placed on her and for the sake of the world as a whole."

Suddenly Anon went into Clover's memories again. Clover was at the World Tree, her body bruised and bloody. She put her hand against the trunk to steady herself and turned to see Celestia.

"You can't do this!" Celestia shouted "You'll die!"

"I have too." Clover uttered weakly "Luna she's... she's too strong now. If I don't do this, she'll shroud the world in darkness forever."

Clover began to shed tears down her cheeks

"And it's all my fault." she whimpered "If only I'd listened to you."

Celestia hugged her, giving view to her massive scar covering the right half of her body.

"You have to kill her. It's the only way. I give you my permission. She's not my sister anymore."

"No! I won't do it. If I active the Great Mechanism I can rewrite the entire universe. I can give her a normal life!"

"You could destroy the entire world!"

"I have to do this." Clover said "Please."

Celestia let go of Clover and clenched her fist

"Fine. I... I understand but." she bit her lip and began to cry as well "Two stones, two blessings."

Clover smiled brightly

"Two stones, two blessings."

The memory abruptly cut off. He was so close. He almost had all the information he needed. The name of the spell. He tried to go back into the memory but it felt as though it were missing entirely. Then it hit him. The Lady of the Lake. She said she could try using contract magic on Luna there. He saw a memory of Luna transforming at that black lake. When he was pulled out by Bonbon, a piece of of his mana was cut off in the struggle. The memory must be in that piece of mana! The secret to everything was in that lake. The secret to Clover the Clever, the fate of the world, to the universe. Inside that lake was the memory that would allow him to completely rewrite the universe. Just as he turned around to find his way out, he felt a knife run though his gut and a cold, tight hand grip his neck. All he could see was the Mage Killer's crazed face and greasy brown hair.

Comments

[redandready45]

Moral dilemma....

[lazyreader19]

When he was pulled out by Bonbon, a piece of of his mana was cut off in the struggle. The memory must be in that piece of mana! The secret to everything was in that lake

i.ytimg.com/vi/9jyMigslNKU/hqdefault.jpg