The Mysterious Death of Starswirl the Bearded
Somber Stars Swirl
By: Bairiko
Illuminated by the candles placed on his desk, Starswirl the Bearded weighed his options.
The Archmage of the Court of Everfree stared down at his list of magical fields he had studied in. A list that had been steadily whittled down over years of research to the state it stood in now.
Row upon row of checked off boxes stared back at the old sorcerer, trying to fill him with pride over his many accomplishments. But as his eyes traveled further down the list and didn't find a single unchecked box, all Starswirl felt was melancholy.
Have I really tried them all? He thought as he laid the list out on his desktop. There has to be one. How about... No, I tried time displacement years ago... Never did find that cat. Illusions were one of the first...
Tracing his hoof over the scarred top of his desk, Starswirl looked around his study for some source of inspiration. All around him stood the trophies of a long and prosperous career. Awards from prosperous academies, certificates for outstanding achievement, bookcases filled to the brim with rare and exotic tomes.
"One hundred and thirty-seven years." He mumbled. "One hundred and thirty-seven years I have been studying magic,"
Everywhere he looked, every little thing in his relatively small study had a story. He remembered well the expedition to the Zebran Zavannah where he was gifted a shamans staff for his help in curing a disease that was threatening an entire tribe. One trip to the Gryphon Empire, where he received a letter of thanks from his gryphonic counterpart for his aid in clearing out the lair of a dark sorcerer.
His trip to the Minotauran city-states where he spent a few years teaching and learning and was rewarded with a silver laurel wreath, which hung above his study fireplace. So many accomplishments, so much to be proud of. But he still felt as if he could do more.
Starswirl sighed. "So many years, and this is when it ends?"
He scanned the page one last time, when his eyes landed on something he hadn't seen before. Or, perhaps, he hadn't let himself see before. A thick black smear of ink beside an unchecked box at the very bottom of the page.
He knew what was under that smear, and what it had to do with the tome hidden behind the bookshelf. And he also knew about the promise he made to himself. That no matter the circumstance he would never read that book.
But, times change, don't they? He thought. It has been decades, and I have learned so much.
"Absolutely not!"
Princess Celestia's declaration rang loud through the evening air, bounding off the walls of the spacious, empty meeting hall she sat in. Across from her sat the rooms only other occupant, an aging grey unicorn stallion clothed in a star-spangled cape trimmed with bells.
"Your Majesty, I must protest," Starswirl the Bearded rose slowly, wincing as his frail frame struggled to support him. "I wholeheartedly agree that this field is dangerous, but we may never know if it can be used for good unless we try,"
"Nothing good can come from experimenting in dark magic," Celestia stated. "Nothing."
"How would we know unless we try?" Starswirl asked. "Imagine if the cure for any sort of illness could be found locked behind necromantic magics?"
"Then the patient may very well become undead, if the spell is not performed correctly."
"We find a way to work that side effect out from the base spell."
"And what if that side effect is the only reason the spell works?"
"I would dig deeper and see if I couldn't fix the spell with a more common spell."
"Would it not be easier, and safer then to build the spell without resorting to necromancy?"
Starswirl tugged gently at his ice white beard at that, a sign to anypony who knew the wizard that he was unable to find an answer.
Celestia observed the stallion sadly. He was old. Far older than any pony before him had ever managed to live. But it came with a price that the stallion almost couldn't afford. His body was now withered and wracked with arthritis, which he hid under his signature cloak. Even his namesake beard was beginning to thin and fall out. But his eyes remained quick and sharp.
How the mighty have fallen, She thought. You were once a spry, strong, healthy stallion, with a sharp mind and power. Now you have none but one, and even then I worry, She thought, observing Starswirl's signature hat, which has not once left his head in public for over a decade.
Seeing Starswirl was about to respond, Celestia explained herself. "Your dedication to the arcane arts is admirable my friend, but there are some things that no pony should know for their safety and the safety of others,"
Finally, the old stallion sighed, and he slumped slightly. "You know best, m'lady, I shall not dabble in necromancy," When he slowly started to bow, Celestia raised a hoof and stopped him. "I will take my leave, have a good night your Highness,"
And so Starswirl the Bearded turned and trudged from the room, horn sparking to life just enough to open the door in front of him. And as soon as he heard it shut once more, he started to think.
In order for all the secrets in the world to be known, all avenues must be explored. There can be nothing left to assumption, because assumption can only lead to an empty path. Every field must be explored... Every magic learned...
In truth, Starswirl had made up his mind long before visiting the Princesses. As soon as he returned to his room, his horn crackled to life and enveloped his bookshelf in a flickering gold aura.
Six months later
Celestia trotted down the hall in the dead of night. Bronze horse head busts lined the walls while tapestries and framed art decorated the wall, while the massive open air balcony allowed for a breath taking view of the forests surrounding the castle. But these lovely things were not what drew the princess here tonight.
Enough was enough. Celestia's guards had been reporting strange occurrences over the last few months. Figures flitting about in the shadows of the library, the laboratories of the mages guild being broken into and looted, and most disturbingly a guard being attacked while patrolling the forests around the city.
The library was reporting missing books from the more restricted sections, the mages guild was missing some valuable focusing crystals, and, most disturbingly, the guard had been attacked with a high level illusion spell. Doctors were still trying to reassure the poor stallion that the horrors he saw were not real.
Pushing through one final door, Celestia entered Starswirls personal apartment. A small greeting hall stood before a spacious living room, stocked with personal knick-knacks the old stallion had collected during his life. A painting of Clover the Clever standing proud beside a considerably younger Starswirl, with the new banner of Equestria behind them. Some magical baubles and instruments, some obsolete, others futuristic. A zebra shamans staff crossed with a gryphon mage's staff took pride of place over a cold fireplace. The closed doors to the Archmages bedroom.
And finally, the door to his study, closed tight. Already the princess could feel something wrong with it. And as she got closer, she could see why. Dark purple smoke laced with swirls of black was leaking out from around the edges and under the door.
He wouldn't have...
The door was locked both magically and mechanically. So rather than waste time undoing the spell Celestia attacked the hinges, blowing the door from the frame and into the room. And what she saw made her heart sink, but her blood boil.
"Starswirl! What do you think you're doing?!"
Somber Starswirl glanced over his shoulder, frowning deeply. His eyes were hidden, but from under the brim of his hat a deep purple mist drifted into view. More black laced purple smoke drifted from under his cape, making various papers and charts near the floor curl slightly.
"I would rather be alone, your highness," He said, voice strong, but hollow and uncaring.
"No, I demand an explanation!" Celestia glanced around the study. Arcane symbols decorated the walls, magical algorithms, potions that bubbled and frothed for no reason. "Do not try to lie to me, you have dabbled in something you should not have, the evidence is all around you."
"You demand an explanation?" Starswirl turned and looked up. The princess gasped softly at what she saw. Starswirl's fur had gained a new, smokey grey colour, and his eyes were hidden behind a dangerous looking purple-green cloud.
"I do not need to explain my actions to you, princess," he said, turning to face her fully.
"You have gone against one of the fundamental guidelines of magic Starswirl. Black magic should not be used by anypony,"
"A guideline is not something that must be followed, princess," Starswirl began to advance slowly. Celestia only now realized smoke was beginning to form along the edges of his hat. "Rule one of magical theorem states that magic is a raw energy that can be shaped to its users will."
Celestia stood her ground. "Rule two states that all things must balance out in the end. If white magic has positive effects, then black magic can only have negative effects,"
Starswirl grinned disturbingly while green flames began to consume the fabric of his hat and cape, making the bells fall to the floor silently. "But no rule states that white magic can only have positive effects and black magic can only have negative effects,"
The green flames were steadily consuming Starswirls clothes. Even his beard was not spared, burning away until all that was left were smokey sideburns. As his clothing fell away, Celestia saw the extent of what his experiments had done. No longer was Starswirl a frail old stallion, once more healthy looking and fit. But no matter what Celestia would always feel a sense of dread when she remembered his new form. And for the first time in years Celestia saw his horn.
Over a century of powerful magic use had burnt out the Archmage's horn, initially leaving it a calcified husk. But that had not stopped Starswirl, and overuse had finally lead to his horn cracking, breaking, falling apart. Those were dark days for the stallion and it had taken the Royal Sisters many weeks to convince him that he was still a genius and a valued member of the Mages Guild. But the jagged stump left behind could only summon enough magic for simple tasks from then on.
This stump was the reason Starswirl always wore his hat. But now a deep blood red mist was enveloping it, reshaping it. A crimson point now stood proud and curved on the stallions forehead.
"I have found positive in the negative Celestia, and I have reached balance,"
And with that, Starswirl threw his head forward, headbutting Celestias snout and bloodying her lip. The princess stumbled back but responded with a wave of energy herself that pushed him away.
"You tried to keep it from me princess! But now that I know, I can only learn more!" Starswirl grinned insanely. "And what use is power without application?"
"You are a fool to think you can control our ponies while my sister and I live Starswirl!" Celestia shouted back, readying herself for anything.
"And you are a fool if you think I did not realize that," Starswirls horn began to glow, drawing more power than he had used in years. "No, I think I'll start elsewhere. But you have not seen the last of me!" As prepared as Celestia may have been, the explosion that followed caught her flat hoofed.
Somber Starswirl, the most powerful unicorn to have ever lived, had released all his gathered magic in the form of a directionless wave of energy and fire, shattering the stone walls and incinerating his study. Princess Celestia had been thrown bodily against, then through one wall, dislocating a wing. When the dust finally settled and Celestia could see around, Starswirl was gone. In the distance towards the north she could still see him though, riding a black cloud.
Princess Celestia sat silently on a pile of rubble, staring out over the forest below her while alarms rang in the background and guards rushed to put out the flames and aid anypony injured.
"Sister! You are hurt!" Luna came galloping up, dodging falling bits of masonry and flaming tapestry. She took one look into the room behind Celestia and knew what must have happened.
Celestia was silent for a few short seconds. "We shall name the western wing of the library after him."
"But sister, he-"
"Do as I say!" Celestia stood and began walking down the ruined hall. When she saw that Luna was not behind her she sighed softly. "Please, don't look at me like that."
"Our subjects deserve to know what happened!" Luna glanced back to the ruined room behind her before trotting back to Celestia. "We have sworn to protect them."
"Yes, yes we have," Celestia continued down the hall, limping slightly. "And those are my very intentions. Sometimes, the things ponies need protection from the most IS the truth."
"I do not understand..."
"Starsw- no. Sombra, has gone mad with power. He has fled to the north. And the last thing our little ponies need right now are more worries. Thus, I say again. We shall name the western wing in his honour. We will only use his surname, and we will never speak of what happened here again."
Silence reigned for a minute between the two alicorns, broken only by the crackling of the fires and crumbling stones.
"Are we in agreement?" Celestia finally asked.
"Yes sister. Now please, have somepony tend to your wounds."
"Of course Lulu," Something tinkled at Celestias hoof. There, laying in the midst of the shattered door, was a tarnished brass nameplate.
Somber Starswirl, Archmage
Somber Stars Swirl for thee.
