A flash of light burst out across the empty field, bathing the twin marble monoliths in purple light. The first one, made of pure white marble and capped with gold blazed in the ethereal glow, while the second, black marble capped with silver, remained stolidly dark, its darkness impermeable. Out of the magenta hole in space stepped a tall lavender pony, her mane and tail just beginning to waver and flicker in the air. As she approached the two stones, tears began to well up in her eyes, catching the purple light and glinting like diamonds as they streaked down her cheeks. Finally, she stood before the stones. On each, there was a simple inscription.
On the white one, there was a carving, filigreed in gold. It read
“Mistra Helia – Celestia”, while the black one, worked in silver, read “Mistra Selen – Luna”. The Mistresses of the Sun and the Moon. Celestia and Luna.
She bowed her head in sorrow, and then jerked it up suddenly as a deep-throated chuckle rasped out behind her. She whipped around, her eyes glowing white with anger. Her voice resonated and echoed, seeming to spite the open air.
“Who is that? Who would disturb the Princess Of Fate in her grief?!”
Standing there was a nondescript unicorn, his coat a dull grey, his mane and tail black as ink. He was wearing a cloak as dark as his mane, the hood obscuring his face, save the sardonic grin.
“Hello there, Princess. I’m here to deliver a message.”
Breathing deeply, she calmed herself, though not without some difficulty.
“A message? From whom?”
He laughed again, a guttural, barking sound that sounded almost painful. “Perhaps you should concern yourself less with the whom and more with the where and the when. Tomorrow, at sun’s zenith, my master bids you to meet them in the Golden Oaks Library, in the town of Ponyville.” A small smirk crossed his face as the alicorn flinched noticeably. She recovered almost immediately, but he knew it had happened, and his smirk grew into a wide grin that was somewhat unsettling. She spoke with a very level tone. Too level. It was clear that she was straining to keep calm.
“Why there? I’m sure I could provide a better audience at the Castle…”
Her voice trailed off as she saw the edge of his mouth turn up ever more, his smile growing wider, almost…menacing. She was the Princess of Fate, controller of the Sun and the Moon. She was the mare who had borne the Element of Magic, the pony who had vanquished Nightmare Moon, Discord, Chrysalis and Sombra, and so many more. Yet something about this pony set her on edge.
“Tomorrow at high noon,” he whispered, “Golden Oaks Library. If you disappoint, things will become…how shall I say it…unpleasant…for you. Yes, let’s go with that.”
There was a slight flash of light from underneath the hood, gone almost before she noticed it. She swallowed heavily. Why the Library? Why, out of all places, was the meeting to be there? And on the topic of the meeting, who was this mysterious master, and what did they want with Twilight Sparkle, Princess Of Fate?
Twilight sighed, muttering the words that would change life in Equestria forever.
“Fine, I accept. I’ll be there.”
The twisted smile moved once again, this time into something more akin to a normal, friendly grin, albeit with a little of the previous sinister edge remaining to it, just enough to keep her nervous.
“Excellent! Remember, noon sharp. Don’t be late!”
His voice seemed to hang in her head, and as she blinked, he was gone. All that remained was an unnatural shadow, unnoticed in the gloom, slowly pooling upon the earth.
~~~
Twilight Sparkle walked through Ponyville, no longer a small village, but a large, thriving town, nearly a city at this point. She sadly looked about her, at all the change coming to her once-home. Sugarcube Corner had fallen into disrepair and was in the final stages of deconstruction. Carousel Boutique was boarded up, abandoned and neglected; the once impeccably bright exterior was scratched and the flag that flew so proudly in past days hung limply on its pole, half-rotten and shredded. Sweet Apple Acres was still there, but gradually declining as the demand exceeded the supply. Fluttershy’s cottage had been converted to an animal sanctuary, as per her last will and testament.
The only piece of her friend’s lives that remained untouched was the glorious cloud-mansion that soared in the sky, far above. She smiled sadly, tears pouring down her face as she gazed at it. The final reminder.
Applejack had gone down fighting, a swarm of changeling spies beating at her over and over again until she finally grew tired after nearly three dozen of them had been crushed underhoof.
Rarity had been betrayed by her own gems, a madpony creeping into her boutique in the middle of the night and ending her life with the very objects she devoted it to.
Fluttershy had been found turned to stone in the Everfree forest, a cockatrice’s work. She was now enshrined in the town hall alongside statues of the other Elements of Harmony.
Pinkie Pie...well, nopony really knew what had happened to her. One day, she just…vanished. All that was left was a cupcake and the ghost of a smile long gone.
The final remaining non-alicorn Element was the light blue pegasus, who now captained the Wonderbolts. Her cloud house had always been a sort of haven for Twilight when she was forced to Ponyville on official business. Oftentimes, the memories of her friends proved too much. Not today, though. Today, she ghosted through the sunlit streets, only halfway noticing the attention aimed at her. Finally, it drew into her vision. The building that had come to mean so much to her.
As she opened the door via magic, the hinges squeaked in the same way that they always had, overwhelming her with a rush of nostalgia. She gazed around at the lovingly shelved books. So occupied was she with the sight that she hardly even noticed the sound of soft hoof-falls coming down the steps until a bright orange unicorn stepped into view shyly.
“H-Hello, y-your Highness.”
Twilight smiled gently.
“Please, Citrine. I told you to call me Twilight. If you really must be formal, at least call me Princess Twilight.”
Citrine Agate was the new librarian. After all, when one is in charge of babysitting an entire realm, one doesn’t have much time for books, a fact that grated on the Princess to this day. Regardless, she was an incredibly retiring unicorn, preferring to keep to herself, much like Twilight was at her age. Princess Twilight smiled. That was where the similarities ended. Whereas young Twilight would spend hours curled in bed reading books, Trine (as ponies tended to call her) would instead while away many hours outside, looking at rocks and searching for new minerals. In many ways, Twilight thought, she combines me with R…Rarity…
“Princess? Princess! Are you ok?”
Twilight shook her head. She was veering off course. Glancing at the clock hanging on the wall, she estimated about twenty minutes until noontime. She smiled to Citrine. “I’m fine, Trine. I’m just…thinking about something. Could I use the main room for a little while? I’m meeting somepony at noon, and I need a nice place to do so.” Citrine smiled shyly and nodded, plucking a book from the shelves to the right and walking out of the door. “Barely caught her,” muttered Twilight, “that could’ve ended badly. Who IS this master…?”
She shook her head once again and flared her wings, shaking out the tense muscles. Casting about with her magic, she cleared the central table, making sure that all the books were returned properly to their shelves, and conjured two ornate chairs, placing them opposite each other. She sat down in one of them at random, nervously awaiting the arrival of the master the strange unicorn had spoke of. Several minutes passed, until…
Dong
Dong
Dong
Twilight immediately sat up straight, putting on her best state smile, and waited. No more than five seconds passed until she heard the door creak, and a figure in a cloak walked in silently, making their way over and sitting in the chair opposite her. After a few seconds, they threw back their hood. Underneath the elaborately embroidered white cloak was a familiar face.
“Why, hello there. I’ve been waiting to meet with you, Princess Twilight.”
The last words were practically spat out with a vehemence born of hatred, yet Twilight still couldn’t help but smile.
“I guess you’re not talking in third person anymore, huh, Trixie?”
The powder blue unicorn glared at her, and she sighed and dropped the grin. “Look, Trixie. I was told to meet you in the Golden Oaks Library at high noon. Why am I here?” The unicorn’s mouth curled into a spiteful smile and her eyes narrowed.
“I merely felt the need to speak with you, Twilight Sparkle. I represent the Arkana Council now. I am the Ascendant Archmage.”
Twilight barely had enough self-control to hide her surprise. Trixie, the Archmage? Impossible! “My congratulations, Trixie Lulamoon. Tell me, though, why was I not informed of the election of a new Archmage? As regent, it is my duty to—“
“Duty, duty, duty. What good is there in duty? Just a load of papers heaped upon you at the beginning of each day.” Trixie leaned closer to the princess, her eyes glittering. “Have you ever considered appointing a Chancellor? Somepony to help lift a little of the burden off of your shoulders alone? To help with the minutiae of ruling an entire kingdom? Just think, Twilight. You could go back to those books you love so much.”
Twilight frowned skeptically. “And who would this Chancellor be, Trixie?”
The unicorn sitting across from her laughed, her silver mane quivering. “Why, me, of course! I’m the Archmage! It’s my job to serve the princesses! …Oh, wait! But there’s only one princess now! Isn’t that just awful?” She chuckled sardonically.
Twilight frowned deeply, her eyes slitting. A low rumble could be heard in the distance. “You may stop speaking now, Trixie Lulamoon.” The mare in question gave an exaggerated pantomime of a bow, a mocking grin on her face.
“But of course, your Majesty! I wouldn’t dare cross you! So many already call you a usurper and a tyrant! Who’s to say the rumors aren’t true? I sit in awe of your power, oh Princess!” Rising once again, she smiled darkly. “But be that as it may, as I said, I felt the need to speak to you about something in particular. As Archmage, my words are backed by a unanimous vote by the Council of Arkana. As you know, Twilight, the Order is the predominant magical circle in the country. Almost half of the unicorns of Equestria claim membership, and the Council represents them all, and of course, the Archmage represents the Council. So, by extension, what you are hearing now are the repeated voices of just about a sixth of your population!”
Her horn began glowing much brighter than Twilight remembered it, and as she vanished from sight, a few fading words echoed behind her.
The Arkana are watching, Twilight. Don’t disappoint them.
