Chronicles of the Protectors

“So we display our mastery of magic, and then choS summons us to his presence.  Then, with him on our side, we take Degnemico down for good?” Magia asked, summarizing the plan.

“Exactly! But...” Flood said, “We've been trying to think of anything on a large enough scale that we could do to catch choS' attention, and so far, we've got nothing good.” She nodded sadly.  Magia turned, lost deeply in thought.  She walked to one of the windows and looked out into the ruined city. After staring for a few minutes, her ears perked up, and she turned back to the group.

“Wait! I've got it!” She proclaimed, smiling happily.  The entire group turned to look at her, expectantly.  “What if we raise the city?”  Flood tiled her head.

“What?” She asked, smiling dumbfounded.

“Canterlot!  What if we put it back on the mountainside!” Magia said, still as excited as ever.  “That's sure to catch the attention of choS!”

“Preposterous!” Searing Sparks called out.  “This city has been resting in this crater for ten years.  There's not enough magic in the world to lift something of this size, and even if it could be lifted, how would we reattach it to the mountainside?” Magia smirked at his questions, taking them in stride.

“Don't worry.  I have an idea...” Magia said.

“Alright! Does everyone know their part?” Magia asked.  Duster, Flood, and Searing Sparks stood in a line, attentively, facing the stone ramp into the ruined city. The trio nodded determinedly as Magia took her place at the front of the line.  “Then lets do this!”

Channeled her horn, sending teal energy sparks flying every which way.  She licked her upper lip in concentration, as she carefully encompassed the base of the city in her aura, tinting the white stone a bright teal.  She closed her eyes tightly, clenching her teeth.

“aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAGGGGGGGGGHHHHHH!” She screamed in physical duress as the ground beneath her hooves began to crack.  To the disbelief of the unicorns, the city began to rise slightly, inching from it's resting place upon the ground.  As the city rose further and further upwards, the ground around the resting crater cracked and crumbled, giving way as the city lifted higher and higher into the air.  Within minutes, the entire bowl supporting the city was free of the crater, and was visible, shedding chunks of rock and dirt as it lifted higher.  “NOW!” Magia yelled, her voice sounding overly tried. The three unicorns nodded simultaneously and jumped into action.

Duster began, channeling his horn.  Standing on the edge of the crater, he burrowed a hole straight down from the center of the pit, stopping when he hit water.  He ceased his magic and nodded toward Flood.

Flood took her place on the crater rim, looking toward the burrowed hole.  She forced energy into her horn, and quickly rocketed the water upwards in a jet, striking and pushing the bottom of the city's bowl, propelling it upwards faster. As Flood turned to Searing Sparks, Magia called out.

“Wait!” She yelled.  “I can do a little more with this!”  Her hooves cracked the ground more and more, as they began to sink inward slightly.  She reeled her head upwards with force, shooting the city up faster.  The jet stream of water continued pushing upwards, aiding Magia's efforts.  As she felt her energy running thin, she jerked her head harmlessly toward Searing Sparks, prompting his action.

Searing Sparks quickly began to use his magic to boil the water jet, adding the power of steam to the jet of water, forcing the gargantuan city upwards, faster, and faster.  Magia's eyes remained closed as the city neared it's resting place on the mountain.

“Stop! Right there!” Flood called out as the city met with the crater on the side of the mountain where it once stood, and soon would again.  “Come on!” She shouted to Duster and Searing Sparks as Magia held the city stationary without their aid.   In a sudden burst, Magia teleported Duster, Flood, and Searing Sparks to the mountainside cliff just in front of the airborne city gates.

The trio jumped into action quickly, aiming to secure the city on the mountainside.  Duster pushed his magic to the limits, forcing the very mountain stone to bend and contort, wrapping around the hitches on the side of the city.  As he worked, Searing Sparks began to melt the stone around the border of the city and the mountain, causing a controlled lava flow on the crease.  Flood took the initiative and let loose a torrent of water, flash cooling the lava into hardened obsidian, finally securing the city to the mountain.

“WE DID IT!” Flood screamed, ecstatically jumping up and down with her remaining energy.  Duster's commonly expressionless face changed to one of accomplished, yet tired joy, and Searing Sparks smiled smugly, nodding victoriously, looking at the once more mountain-bound city.

Just in time, the teal aura around the base of the city flashed in release, before fading out completely.  Tera' and Qul emerged from the library, running toward the trio of unicorns.  They turned and looked from the cliffside, staring in awe at the colossal city, resting upon the mountain for the first time in ten years.

“She'll be tired after that. I will retrieve her.” Qul said.  He quickly flew off to get Magia.  Moments later, he returned, carrying an unconscious unicorn in his arms.

“Come on. Let's get her into the library.” Searing Sparks said, looking almost concerned. The rest of the group nodded, as they departed through the city streets, back to the library.