Excerpt from Starswirl the Bearded’s On the Art of Magic: A Laypony’s Guide, chapter 12
…the forces of magic are reasonably well understood at this point, though there is still much to learn. Nonetheless, many of the finer intricacies of magical energy go unappreciated, particularly by those who have not dedicated their lives to the art. This is by no means limited to earth and pegasus ponies- many unicorns who have not taken to magic as an academic discipline are very much unaware of just how this energy works and the ways it is manipulated.
The prime example of this, of course, is in the many ways that the use of magic can go wrong. Fortunately, this is not as great an issue as it may first seem, since the potential consequences of magical misfire are directly correlated with the ability of the user, rendering those outside of magical discipline generally unable to cause any major catastrophe.
Under the Relinquish Theory, as first formulated by Starglow during her study of magical energy present in terrain and non-sapient creatures, miscast magical spells can be divided into three major groups:
-Raw magic: This type of magic is destructive and wild. It originates from, as the name suggests, a large concentration of magical energy released without control- as such, these are not really ‘spells’ under the general classification. The most common cause of this in ponies is any sort of powerful emotion or shock causing said unicorn to lose control, particularly in the very young. It may also occur naturally where any large build-up of energy is present.
-Minor: This is the most common type of miscast, caused when smaller and less powerful spells go awry. In almost all cases, the magical energy will simply dispel itself. In the even the worst cases, injuries tend to be no more serious than minor bruising or first-degree burns.
-Complex: As one would expect, the most potent spells have the not only the greatest potential for destructive accidents, but also the greatest variety of ways that an uncontrolled spell may manifest itself. As such, this category is now split into three different sub-categories regarding how control is lost and the effects of each.
-Contamination/Interruption: The most difficult of accidents to classify, the effect of a foreign agent in the use of a spell, or a spell being interrupted is entirely dependent on the nature of the contaminant and the time that the spell was interrupted. This makes the study of these types of Complex miscasts difficult due to the challenge in reproducing the exact circumstances. That being said, it is worth noting that many new spells have been accidently discovered in this way.
-Minor Aberration: Not to be confused with the above class of Minor miscasts, these are caused generally by the spell’s user becoming momentarily distracted. This generally results in a ‘side effect’ occurring- that is, a secondary spell, with less control or power than the original, will also occur. For example, if one were to attempt to freeze an entire lake, it is entirely possible for water in the air to be frozen alongside the first effect.
-Major Aberration: Though almost unheard of, a Major Aberration can cause untold destruction. Only two Major Aberrations have occurred in recorded history*. The reason for the rarity of these events (and by extension, the limited information available on the exact effects thereof) is that most unicorns are simply unable to generate the amount of magic necessary to cause one.
*Additionally, some scholars claim that it was, in fact, a Major Aberration that caused the destruction of the seaponies’ home, Atlantis, though there is as of yet no evidence that the city ever existed, let alone the cause of its disappearance if it did.
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The night sky of Canterlot lay undisturbed by either clouds or the sounds of its citizens. The moon and stars shone down upon the empty streets, and the few that remained awake were too busy enjoying the (literally) underground nightlife to appreciate it.
The sole exceptions to this rule lay in the heart of the city; the Grand Celestial Palace, home to the nation’s diarchs, had left its lamps lit long into the night. In truth, there were always a few lanterns to be found lighting the halls at night, as there was always at least one of the royal princesses (and a great number of staff and guards) performing their royal duties. This night, however, the gardens shone a little brighter than usual, and a careful observer, had any been around, might have noticed the figures carrying them into a small, out the way walled alcove, setting them down, and moving into formation in the hidden nook.
Twelve horned ponies stood in this circle, the two taller, winged ponies standing opposite each other. The other ten unicorns stood draped in dark blue robes, watching the centre of the ring stoically.
The bright, white alicorn looked around at the gathered ponies. “Luna, you are certain that everypony here is up to the task?”
“Of course, sister,” replied the dark pony across the circle as she moved into position. “Everypony here has been hoof selected from our court of night mages by me, personally. I have utmost faith in their capabilities.”
Despite their extensive training and discipline, a few of the ponies’ faces showed a brief flash of pride at the princess’ words.
“Very well, then. I take it that you have already briefed them on …”
“Yes, sister, everypony is completely prepared to move forward.”
The white alicorn gave a terse nod to the group; her eyes rose to meet theirs, and they bowed their heads in response.
“Very well,” Celestia began, her head held high. “Let us begin.”
12 horns lit up with glowing auras that snaked their way towards the middle of the circle, twisting into each other until they formed a giant transparent sphere of near regular shape and a brilliant, almost uniform silver, the slight ripples of shaded wisps in its centre the only indication that the orb was not simply hanging suspended.
In perfect synchronisation, the ring raised their heads towards the sky, and the sphere responded in kind, lifting itself till it was just out of reach of their horns. The ponies watched as tendrils emerged from its apex, reaching gently towards the sky.
A look of intense concentration came across their faces as the coils met, the point where they touched shining just a little brighter. The spire that had formed shuddered momentarily, before bursting towards the sky in dazzling burst of light.
“Hold, my ponies!” Celestia cried. “Only a little longer! Keep it stable!”
An ordinary observer of the circle might believe that the task was absolutely no trouble for them. Only the very keen-eyed would have spotted the signs of strain that most of the mages were beginning to bear: the minor dip of their backs, the occasional drop of sweat through their manes, the slight buckling of their knees.
A sudden cry pierced the night as the unicorn on Celestia’s right fell to his knees; the tower of light shuddered in response, and the still-standing ponies fought to keep it stable.
“Centarus! You must rise!” cried Luna from across the circle.
Centarus began to clamour to his hooves; out of the corner of his eye, he saw the mare next to him lower her back towards him while still maintaining her focus on the destabilising energy. He gratefully lifted himself up with her aid, and turned his attention back to the light pillar.
The twelve once again focused all their energy on holding the pillar, and the tremors lessened until the tower almost appeared solid. They resisted the urge to breathe a sigh of relief, and resumed their work.
As the ponies looked on, the orb at the tower’s base began to slowly lower itself to the ground, rotating in a corkscrew motion as it did so. The sphere spun faster and faster as it neared the earth, whipping a strong gust through the circle’s manes.
The ball touched down, and erupted in a burst of light and wind. The mages struggled to keep from being blown back as they turned their eyes from the blinding rays. The gale died down, and they turned back to the circle to see the results of their work lying before them in the dusty earth.
Luna stepped forward with a small, round, polished silver case, and lifted their prize with her magic, turning it over in careful examination as the other’s looked on.
A flower; not particularly special in any way. A thin stalk, a shallow root system with dirt still clinging to it, and deep, vivid purple petals. It was, in almost every respect, perfectly ordinary.
With great care not to damage the plant, Luna lifted the lid from the box, and gently placed it within. “Take this to the mage’s quarters. Anything that can be gleaned from this, report it to me one week hence.”
The mages bowed their heads and began to move off towards the castle. As the last of them made to leave the enclosure, he felt a hoof fall upon his shoulder.
“Centarus. Are you alright?” came a voice behind him. He turned his head meekly to see the white, rainbow-maned princess looking down at him, her concern evident upon her face.
“I…am sorry, my Princess. I should have been…”
“Centarus.”
The unicorn looked up to see the dark blue alicorn standing at her sister’s side. “We do not blame you for what occurred. We knew that this would be a difficult task, and you performed admirably alongside your peers. We simply wish to inquire as to your well-being.”
Centarus looked down at his hooves. “I…I think I will be alright, your Highness. Thank you for your kind words.”
Luna laughed at this, and smiled at the unicorn. “Please, there is no need to be so formal with us at this time. If you truly feel that you are alright, you may go and rest with your brethren. You’ve all certainly earned a good day’s rest.”
The briefest hint of a smile showed on Centarus’ face as he bowed low in thanks, and trotted off to join the others in their quarters.
Celestia beamed softly as she walked over to stand by her sister. “They have great respect for you as their leader. It’s good to see you warming up to others again, Luna.”
Luna blushed. “’tis nothing. They are a fine group, in ability and in heart. I shall be greatly surprised if none of them are recorded in next century’s history.”
Celestia smiled, glad to see that her sister thought as highly of her aides as they did of her. She looked down at the silver box that now rested on Luna’s back.
“Such an extraordinary effort for such a little thing, isn’t it?”
Luna smirked at her sister’s words. “Dear sister, mayhap we could discuss this on the way to the castle? It is getting rather late.”
Celestia frowned. “Perhaps, but first, a quick check of the grounds. I doubt that anything could have happened that we would not have noticed, but we must be sure that nothing ill occurred during the spell’s wavering.”
Luna sighed, and nodded to her sister. “Very well. And perhaps we could brush you up on your magical theory while we are it?”
Celestia smiled at her sister. “I would love to.”
Author's Note
That...ended up being a lot longer and a lot more detailed than I meant it to be.
Now, housekeeping.
For those of you waiting on the continuation of TheWingMan's 'Celestia and I', it IS coming; however, Fimfiction, as it turns out, is not particularly kind to formatting when copying and pasting. It will be up once I've sorted out the HTML and spacing ~~and the new Civ 5 expansion pack and Steam sale had absolutely nothing to do with the delay~~.
The next chapter of 'One Trick Pony' should also be up soon; after so many months of revisions I think it's as good as I'm going to get it.
