A Lasting Legacy
By: TCSNxs
Prologue
Star Swirl watched the scenes unfold like a horror story. His golden eyes, though advanced in age, studied the images in his crystal ball with all the attentiveness of a foal coloring an picture. He originally had split his attention between a tome he labored to finish and the pictures from the scrying device, the latter of which was winning. The bells on his trademark cape and hat jingled as he absently stroked the white beard that had become part of his namesake. Though it was the same color as his mane and tail, the beard was his most distinctive feature. His gray fur had somehow retained its luster through the years.
In the dark room he kept within the Castle of the Pony Sisters, located deep within the depths of the Everfree Forest; the Royal Archmage slowly shook his head, both at the scene that continued to play out and his own hubris.
He turned away from the flickering images of his crystal ball and looked about the expansive room that was his domicile. Upon the many shelves that lined the walls, various nicknacks and treasures from his adventures mixed in with items he'd created. Some were for service to his beloved homeland; still others were just for fun. On the few tables that randomly dotted the room, beakers containing various colored liquids (some of which smoked incessantly) sat with barely a thought given to organization. In the middle of the broad room, the outline of a circle was permanently chiseled into the floor with various crushed gemstones place permanently as an outline and many sigils and symbols were drawn all about the diameter. He was particularly proud of it as he used for everything from summoning to binding. Off in a corner, a large four post bed served as his only real creature comfort.
He had dedicated his life to his calling; magic in all its forms was his love and his life. As a master of every conceivable school of magic and nearly every spell there in, he was formidable in the extreme. Luna and Celestia both remarked once that he could give either of them a run for their bits in a straight magical contest. It was a compliment he had taken in stride and was a source of some of some egotistical satisfaction.
There was a noticeably vacant space between the multitude of tomes he penned, one that drew the eyes of the powerful mage. The naked space above the fireplace had wrecked him on many levels. The item that once occupied it was intended to be his greatest triumph. Of course, that was before it facilitated his most spectacular failure.
The creation of the item occupied the better part of his life for a decade. After many long nights and a few mishaps (always inherent when experimenting with arcane forces), he believed he had it item's construction and operation perfected. However, it needed a more power than he could have given himself. After months of painstaking research, the Royal Archmage had finally figured out the means to give the item that power. It was a foolhardy idea, but if there was a chance to cement his legacy, it was worth the risk.
"If one does not dare, one does not accomplish," as he penned in many of his tomes to his students.
That's when the incident happened. All things equal, he believed everything was accounted for. But one variable he felt he could control, despite all warnings to the contrary, proved beyond his grasp. That overreach proved a costly mistake. Once he came to after that incident, he had quickly surmised what happened and, more importantly, how it happened.
Star Swirl, to his credit, acted immediately upon the realization. He told the Royal Sisters as much the story as his memory would allow. The Archmage even gave them the volumes of notes he kept throughout the entirety of the process. Though it might damn him, given the sheer power both his creation and the being that took it possessed, the prudent thing was to inform those who were best equipped to deal with it. If anypony could.
"You knew it was foolish!" Luna had yelled at the mage. He remembered those words echoing in his mind for a long time, "Why did you do it?"
Why did he do it? He wasn't entirely sure when he had a chance to think about it. Perhaps it was equal parts devotion to his patrons and defining a legacy worthy of remembrance. Perhaps it was the challenge of controlling the entity?
The normally gabby mage was left speechless, only managing an acknowledging nod. Perhaps his greatest heartbreak was the disappointed look Celestia gave him after Luna finished her tirade. The Solar Regent didn't need to say a thing. The look, from the most tranquil pony to ever grace his existence, went straight to his core.
Star Swirl had offered his resignation and stood ready to accept any punishment they saw fit. He figured that, if any apprentice of his committed the same error, a scolding and disapproving stare would be the least of their problems. He wouldn't blame them one bit if they banished him to the celestial. But the eternal sisters ultimately forgave him of the transgression and begged his help to correct it. To right the situation, they needed to know where the item and the possessing entity were.
It was a mission he zealously accepted.
For their part, the Royal Sisters had worked through a myriad of plans for deploying their meager military resources and the strategies for, as they saw it, the inevitable battle. But with the ever expanding boundaries and the state of logistics, moving entire units of troops would take months. More than that, until Star Swirl gave them an answer, they weren't entirely sure where to focus their efforts and certainly wouldn't have the time for a concentration of force. Regardless of those circumstances, they had to make due. The sisters had also set their nascent Intelligence Ministry to watch for signs of anything unusual, no matter how small the occurrence seemed. All of it was conducted under the strictest secrecy, being chalked up to "battle drills and war games" as their small military and operatives spread throughout their young country of Equestria.
For his part, Star Swirl had worked himself ragged trying to locate either the object or the entity that took it. The effort worked him beyond his limits, but he needed to make it right. He didn't eat. He'd barely slept. Working hour after hour with barely a break started to take a toll on the once vibrant mage. He worked all the Divination spells he knew (and created a few new ones besides, much to his chagrin) but to no avail. The effort seemed more futile as the weeks passed but he would not relent. The sisters even went so far as to order him to take a respite. For once in his life, he summarily disobeyed them.
When his magical reserves had expired, Star Swirl called upon other forces to help him. All sorts of devices he called "Mana Batteries", created for just such contingencies, were put to use. They were never meant to fuel more than a few spells. But he called upon them for dozens, if not hundreds of spells. Those external reserves were created in part by taking some of that magical energy from his own internal reservoirs. The connections necessary to feed his internal will the power needed for his arcane manifestations had one unforeseen effect. They drained the casting pony's life if used too much. It was a minor oversight as far as Star Swirl was concerned.
Finally, after the long weeks of fruitless expenditures, he got a hit. On the far eastern edge of the empire, in an area called Dream Valley, he had finally felt that familiar vibration he was looking for. After casting a second spell to confirm his inclination, he told Royal Sisters where to find the item and, likely, the entity. After getting a heartfelt thanks from his patrons and dearest friends, Star Swirl collapsed before them with a sickening thud.
The effort taxed him greatly. The use of the Mana Batteries greatly reduced his remaining years greatly. But given his failure that had started the whole mess, he knew the expenditure would be worth it to protect those that looked up to him. Star Swirl had asked with the sisters to let him accompany them on the journey east. But his reserves were tapped beyond complete regeneration and his strength was practically gone. Though neither Luna or Celestia said it, he would have been a liability. Given his age and the sheer strain the work put on him, Star Swirl couldn't logically fault them.
He turned away from the mantle to the flickering images in the crystal ball. The resident earth ponies of Dream Valley were marching up the mountainside to do battle with the entity and, though they didn't know it, reclaim the one thing that would define his legacy. Among their numbers and and leading the march was a fiery orange pony named Applejack. Though the sisters spoke highly of her, he never had the chance to meet her personally. Just one more regret. As the contingent continued ever upward, a host of monsters tried to block the way. Due to no small part of the mare, most the monsters took flight for the first time ever off the side of the trail. He knew the entire point of the battle up the mountain was simply a diversionary act. Though the plan had its risks, the overall idea was sound. After all, most of the plan, as he worked out with the sisters and Applejack via a communication device of his invention, was his idea and the Royal Sisters would need just one shot.
He also knew Celestia and Luna would cover up his disgrace. They were always good for that. He had tried to console himself with that knowledge, and the fact that his labors over the long weeks perhaps prevented more death than had he failed to act as he did. The effort had cost him though.
Star Swirl the Bearded had accomplished much in his life. He was the Royal Archmage and Advisor to the Solar and Lunar Regents. He was a hero in the realms of Equestria. He had created of many spells and was a teacher to many mages, including the promising Midnight Sparkle, descendant of the famous Clover the Clever.
For all of that, Star Swirl the Bearded knew he was also dying. The old mage was sure it wouldn't be long now.
As the scene unfolded, Star Swirl snapped closed the final tome he was scribing. On the page he finished, he made a single note in the margins as a testament to the foolhardy nature of going too far. He underlined parts of it to add emphasis to his warning. Perhaps future generations would understand what he failed to fully comprehend before it was too late.
Never, under any circumstance, make a deal with a daemon.
A Lasting Legacy
By: TCSNxs
Chapter One
The Element of Surprise
And so after these many years and countless hours
experimenting, observing, calculating, and even praying,
I've managed to perfect my life's work. Though Celestia
and Luna, ever my patrons and dear friends, are currently
unaware, they will soon see it. After all, they are the reason
I have labored for so long. For the betterment of all ponies,
the safety of Equestria and the honor of my friends!
~ Excerpt from Star Swirl the Bearded's journals, dated 551 B.B.
Luna worked late into the evening as she went over proposals for the Equestria Armed Forces. The current submission she was reading over described a rather novel concept. Luna sipped her wine as her mind painted a picture of it. What stuck out first as she read it was the name of it.
"A 'tank'?" she remarked to nopony in particular, "But it does not hold water."
Celestia bade Luna to keep an open mind while reading, so she continued on through the proposal. The specifications called for a massive steel structure seated upon four wheels. The enclosure would surround four earth ponies who worked to move the large construct. A fully rotatable dome with a long metal tube, called a "turret", protected two unicorns in its armored confines. One would use their magic to rotate the dome while the other fired all sorts of destructive spells through the tube. The Lunar Regent had the rough idea in her mind, but started thinking of ways to defeat it.
"Could not somepony just drop a large rock on it?" Luna mused.
The Lunar Regent looked above her desk to the picture of Applejack. She missed her marefriend greatly, but there was work to be done. Their relationship was odd as other ponies saw it. The two took every chance possible to insult the other, but it was all in jest. But below the playful barbs, Luna found completion with the farmer. As honorable, forthright, and fiery as her namesake, the farmer had always forgiven Luna's eccentricities (even the incident with the moon) while Luna, for her part, kept Applejack from being a stick-in-the-mud. Luna knew the Apple family for generations and Applejack was the embodiment of what they represented. But was the current Applejack worthy as a Designate?
Luna shook the thoughts away and set the paper aside, still having work to do. She figured that the sooner she finished, the sooner she could return to torturing the Apple. As the she moved to another proposal, a magical alarm sounded in her mind; one that she hoped never to feel. Instantly, she knew what made it and wasn't thrilled about the prospect of what it meant.
"Buck," the alicorn commented.
Luna quickly rose from her paper-littered desk, knocking off the glass of red wine in the process. It occurred to her somewhere in her mind that the red wine would leave a permanent stain on her prized rug, but it hardly mattered at that moment.
Luna barged through the doors of her abode, scaring the heads of her Lunar Guard, Silverhawk and Storm Wind, whom guarded either side of the large double doors. After the initial start, Silverhawk took off after the alicorn, working hard to keep pace with the Lunar Regent's long legged strides.
"Your Highness," Silverhawk, a Lieutenant by rank, called after her, "Is something wrong?"
"No," Luna quickly called back as she approached a bend. She couldn't disguise the panic in her voice, "Resume your post. Now!"
Silverhawk quickly skid to a halt as he watched the last of the Lunar Regent's auroral tail disappeared around the turn. Storm Wind stopped a second later beside his longtime friend. The leader of the vaunted Lunar Guard didn't acknowledge his comrade and second-in-command. Rather, he produced a whistle from below his breastplate and hurriedly blew a cadence into it. The whistle, made of the purest silver with moon symbols etched into every conceivable place, was silent. Next to him, Storm Wind's helmet glowed in a similar pattern as the cadence. Across the castle, helmets of the guardsponies, both on and off duty, pulsated in a similar fashion.
Silverhawk finally looked to his long time friend, who simply nodded in response. The Lunar Guard considered themselves an elite unit within an already elite Royal Guard. In part, it was due to their commander. Silverhawk had experienced many battles and combated many, many things since he first volunteered all those years ago. After the Changelings were expelled from Canterlot, it was the Lunar Guard that insured they would "no longer be a problem." His skills were as honed and thoughts as sharp as any spear. His charges, all volunteers to serve the Lunar Crown, were a reflection of that. However, seeing his beloved princess so unnerved, it was one of the few times in his life he felt unease. As such, when he sent the message to his charges, all of them took notice. It was simple so there would be no misunderstanding.
"Be on alert."
"Ease into it, Twilight!" Celestia called out from her balcony. A smile, seemingly creased permanently on the Solar Regent's face as of late, never abated. Her horn glowed faintly as she continually fed the spell, "Remember to use the currents. Don't fight them!"
Twilight Sparkle, the newly minted alicorn, struggled to keep her body aloft on the magically summoned winds made by her mentor. Over the castle's courtyard, she was getting better at the basics of flight. Though only possessing her wings for a month, she picked up the basics quickly from Rainbow Dash. However, Celestia, when she utilized it as an excuse to spend even more time with her student, took over her "training" shortly after.
"Whoa!" Twilight nearly barked as she hit a current that didn't support her weight. She dove into it, just as her friends taught her, to retain control and pick up speed. A second later, she tilted her wings to adjust her angle once more. She caught another updraft and was gaining altitude again.
"Well done, Twilight!" Celestia remarked. She took a sip of wine before she called out again, "Why don't you come in?"
Celestia dismissed the magical winds as Twilight flapped her wings. It took a moment for her to get the angle of her descent just right, but she managed the landing with some grace. The student turned to her teacher looking for any feedback on her performance. The Solar Regent's placid smile was all she needed to see.
"Couldn't have done better myself," Celestia said, beaming at Twilight. For her part, Twilight was exuberant enough that she nearly began bouncing around her long time teacher. Celestia didn't disguise the warmth in her chest. This young mare, who had done so much for her, was the light of her generation. She'd given the Solar Regent the greatest gift possible when she reunited the two elder alicorns. Celestia, who watched her student grow from an overly eager foal into the Element of Magic and multiple time hero, felt justified when she turned the unicorn into a royal alicorn.
The two moved back inside, mostly for Twilight's benefit. Though she technically was an alicorn, the physical benefits would still take time to fully manifest. As it stood physiological, Twilight was just a unicorn who sprouted wings. Such transformations were designed to gradually manifest lest they overwhelm the recipient's body and mind. Twilight's exhaustion was plain to see as she'd been in the sky for over an hour, but her tenacity in the face of it was commendable and she would grow into the part. She already had done so a bit. Had the unicorn, who wasn't athletically inclined, worked that hard prior to her transformation, she she would have been asleep the moment she landed.
"I just... need to rest... a moment," Twilight's said between deep breaths.
"My faithful student," Celestia managed before a chuckle, "just relex. There will be time tomorrow. You know the body needs rest as well as the mind."
"The mind? But it doesn't need..."
"Do I need to remind you the Want-It-Need-It spell?" Celestia interrupted.
"You have a point," Twilight conceded after a moment. Though the lavender alicorn had wanted nothing more than to soar on the winds (Dash was right about the freedom it engendered), she couldn't deny the exhaustion she felt.
As Celestia looked forward to simple chitchat with her student, she felt a nearly forgotten signal go off in her head. A clouded look passed over the Solar Regent's features; one of panic and one that Twilight didn't miss as she sat before the fireplace.
"Celestia?" Twilight asked as a sense of dread built in the pits of her stomach, "Is something wrong?"
"Twilight, come with me," was the Solar Regent's only answer as she moved towards the doors of her abode. She would have instructed Twilight to stay put, but it didn't occur to her. Not at that moment.
Celestia frantically tore through the marbled halls of her home. Twilight worked hard to keep pace with the Solar Regent. Though she found her breathing much easier then it would have been when she was just a normal unicorn, she still found her legs struggling to keep up with pace the older alicorn was setting. Still, the look Celestia had put the student on edge. Twilight worried more about leaving the Crown of Magic, her Element of Harmony, in her room more than breathing or fatigue at the moment.
"Celestia!" Twilight called after her addled mentor, "Wait!"
"There is no time, Twilight," was all the Solar Regent would say. It was many turns and stairs and many more minutes until the two were in a basement. At first, the basement was what Twilight remembered. Stoned were chiseled to line the walls and floor, while a multitude of torches made the light seem contiguous in nature. Gradually, the basement turned into tunneled catacombs. The dark, moss covered granite halls were only lit by an occasional magicall torch. Twilight tried to recall the section, but her memory couldn't place the location. Their hooffalls echoed in every direction, accentuated the occasional splash of puddles as they traversed the seldom traveled section within the bowels of Canterlot Castle. The two alicorns turned around another corner to see Luna waiting for them by a nondescript door, save for two small holes on either side of the doorway.
"Those banana's catching up with you, Tia?" Luna dryly remarked, "Twilight, tis always good to see you."
"Shut up," Celestia greeted her sister. She slowed her gate before the unremarkable door Luna was waiting by.
"Hey Luna," Twilight said a second later as she caught up to Celestia. For all her new found physical prowess, Twilight's breathing was heavy from all her exertions that day, "Now will one of you tell me what this is about?"
"How did they break in?" Celestia asked, unintentionally ignoring Twilight. Luna quickly shook her head. Neither of the elder alicorns had an answer.
"What's wrong?" Twilight asked demurely.
"Is the seal broken?" Celestia asked, her face somehow growing paler.
"No," Luna said, "Tis still very much intact." She emphasized the point by tapping at the door with a forehoof. As wave of golden energy rippled about the doorway. Celestia breathed only a little easier.
"What's going on?" Twilight asked again with a little more force.
"Perhaps they tunneled through?" Luna offered, but it was Celestia's to shake her head. This part of the lower levels was chosen specifically for a reason. The section was built literally within the mountain that Canterlot sat upon. With tens of thousands of tonnes of granite surrounding the room, it would take years to tunnel into the room, even through the numbers of caves that dotted the mountain. Even then, those were similarly warded as the door. Wards that only the sisters could dispel.
"Hey gals?" Twilight interjected again as she felt the agitation build within her.
"Then how?" Luna asked, "Neither the Royal nor Lunar Guard have reported even an attempted break in in how many years now?'
"Ten at least," Celestia answered with a shrug, "We have to find out."
"Gals," Twilight said, passing from fear to annoyance.
"Perhaps they teleported in?" Luna offered.
"No," Celestia immediately answered, "With the wards in place, how could they?" More than that, the entire section in the deepest levels of the basement was warded against such magic.
"Maybe they..." Luna had started to say.
"WHAT'S! GOING! ON!" Twilight bellowed in her Royal Canterlot Voice. The shout rocked the basement, even causing Celestia and Luna to wobble under the aural assault. Both turned an eye to Twilight, who sheepishly grinned and offered half-hearted chuckle. She squeaked, "Sorry."
"It's quite alright, Twilight," Celestia looked to her former student with a slightly bemused smile and ringing ears. Luna shook the cobwebs from her head and put a hoof alternatively to each ear, twisting them relieve some unseen pressure.
"Seriously, what's wrong?" Twilight asked as her expression shifted back into one of concern.
"Twilight, have you ever heard of Star Swirl's Amulet of Creation?" Luna asked, preempting any protest from Celestia about it being too soon.
"Amulet of Creation?" Twilight repeated. She quickly searched her vast mental catalog of knowledge, but proved fruitless. She looked alternative from Luna to Celestia and asked, "What is it?"
A figure clad in a dark outfit, covering from snout to haunch slinked, her way through the open window into the bedroom. Sure, she could have used the door. But why? Like any good story, she didn't want hers to end with "And she walked through the front door." Though she wasn't a practiced thief, she managed to pull off the greatest heist Equestria had ever seen. Perhaps the most dangerous as well.
The room where her prize was kept was trapped in every sense of the world. An untold number of magical wards guarded the exterior against intrusion and the interior from escape. Only the powerful magic of two alicorns, Equestria's rarest commodity, could have broken through those seals. In addition, a number of physical traps were spread throughout the room and the ceiling was just low enough to prevent a pegasus from flying over them. In short, it was the perfect heist they would talk about forever!
Sunrise was only a few hours away and even the greatest burglars needed sleep. She set down her bag containing the prized possession and nudged it under her bed. Given the mass of objects under there, it was doubtful anypony would find it before she figured out her next move. She slipped out of her garments and set them over the bag just to be sure.
The thief quickly slid under the covers for some well deserved sleep. She initially found it hard to settle down with the absolutely giddiness coursing through her mind, but she succumbed to slumber in due time. On the night stand was her other prized possession. One that stood as a symbol of friendship. Her Element of Harmony glistened in the moonlight, unabashed and quite safe.
