The Platinum Deceptionby NeverEatTheLemonsAloneChaptersIIIIIIIYear 6 A.E. (After Equestria) There is so much beauty in the world. So much went unappreciated back in the Homeland. So many sunrises missed, so many trees withered, so many lives lost. Thankfully, all of that is over and done with now. We’ve entered a golden age, one without war and hate. The six Founders are revered equally, and the Heartfyre is bright and strong. With the exception of the ialtaeg, who stayed behind to guard the Frozen Sepulcher, no ponies stayed behind. We all made the journey together, as befits our newfound friendship. I have long thought that strife is a necessity, a device to keep balance and ensure survival. Now, however, that is being called into question. I suppose it truly is an antiquated viewpoint now; six years have passed since the Founders made our journey. The cave in which we sheltered now rests at the top of a grand mountain that the unicorns have squeezed from the earth. From that mountain, we began to build. I sit in that same cave now, no longer a simple cavern, but expanded into many chambers, a lavish study, a laboratory, any number of things. Platinum built outwards instead of inwards, creating a great city, towers and spires scraping the heavens. We have named it Canterlot, the seat of power, and in the castle sits a great round table, surrounded by six chairs. Six. What an odd, arbitrary number, hmm? I often wonder at its significance. Everything is divisible by six. Six Founders, six spires in Canterlot, three tribes, two Founders of each. Six and six and six and six. I wonder if the Gods came in six also. Ah, but just look at this. I keep going on and on with no end in sight. I fear that if I remain down here, nopony will ever hear from me again. I will return shortly to write more. Clover the Clever. End of entry. The pale green unicorn yawned and shoved the chair back, clambering out of it and slowly walking to the door. Cracking it open, she shied for a moment at the blast of powerful sunlight before fully opening it and emerging, squinting, into the noontide light. The sun blazed overhead, lighting the path of polished gray stone that wound around the mountain. Smiling, Clover began to trot, then canter, then gallop, her hooves pounding on the hard surface. She could simply teleport, of course, but quite honestly, she didn’t get out of her abode much these days, so a bit of exercise was always enjoyable. She laughed in exultation as she followed the spiraling path, slowly descending until the golden spires of the city drew into view. At last, the ramp joined with the broad thoroughfare and she slowed back down to a quick trot, threading her way through the crowded streets, towards the castle. She grinned wryly. Even when she’s not a Princess, Platinum still has a taste for the regal. As she reached the drawbridge, she blinked out of existence in a flash of pale light, near-instantly reappearing in an enormous hallway, which led up to an equally enormous door. Softly walking up to it, she leaned on it and was rewarded by a soft creak as it gradually opened. Looking inside, she smiled for the third time that day. Platinum was lying sprawled on the enormous table, half in and half out of her seat. She was snoring loudly, a fact that would’ve greatly displeased her, and Clover chuckled. For all your decorum, you’re still just a pony. As it happens, so was she, and she certainly wasn’t above a little prank. Creeping up behind the former Princess, she conjured up a little jug of water, which she began to slowly pour on the sleeping unicorn’s mane., chuckling all the while. She must really be out of it today, she reflected. Usually it only takes her a few seconds to notice, not half a minute! And yet, Platinum refused to awaken. The pitcher actually ran out of fluid. Shrugging, Clover simply refilled it, her magic pooling inside like a liquid until it became more water. Then she resumed the pour. She did three twice more before Platinum awoke, her mane soaked completely through. Clover was just about to start on her tail when she noticed a slight shifting and felt a burning sensation. Looking up, she recognized the sensation as one of Platinum’s laser glares boring into her face. The silver unicorn, needless to say, was rather unamused. She sighed and rubbed her newly-woken head. “Please, Clover, can you not just let me sleep for once?” Clover shook her head, earning a low groan in response as Platinum rubbed her head. “Why did you want? Finally get sick of being cooped up in your mountain all the time? I haven’t seen main nor tail of you for days on end!” Clover nodded. “In a manner of speaking, you’re right. I feel like I’m fusing with my chair, and if I kept writing, I’d probably just dive into the paper like a drawing. I need to get out or nopony will ever see me again. As for you, Platinum, how are you these days?” “Dear Gods, I have a headache that could split the mountain.” She scowled at Clover once again. “And that little noise spell you cast isn’t helping. It’s really rather irritating. Could you please turn it off?” Clover’s brows furrowed. “Noise spell? But I haven’t cast any.” Platinum snorted disdainfully. “Oh please, this has your pranks written all over it. It’s not funny, Clover.” The mage shook her head. “Sorry, Platinum, but I really have no idea what you’re talking about. What kind of noise spell?” The scowl faded from the regal unicorn’s face, replaced with an expression of intense annoyance. “It really isn’t you? Odd. Somepony else must’ve done it. It’s nothing big, of course, just the most irritating sound, like claws dragging across a stone. You must hear it. You can, can’t you?” Clover shook her head. The irritation on Platinum’s face jumped off, consternation filling the gaps and…was that a bit of pain there? “Just wonderful.” Platinum seethed. “Now on top of that sound being so aggravating, only I can hear it? Absolutely brilliant.” Yes, there was definitely pain there, and unless here eyes were tricking her, Clover could see it getting worse. She stepped forward cautiously. “Platinum? I’m going to need you to calm down.” The other mare snarled at her, her eyes wild and frantic. “Calm down? Calm down?” It wasn’t even a yell, which is what caught Clover the most off guard. It was more of an enraged hiss. “Easy enough for you to say! You can’t hear it! You can’t feel it! Agh, it feels like my head is burning up!” Her voice escalated into a wordless wail of pain and Clover rushed forwards, horn already glowing, to scan her for hostile magic. Before she could even cast the spell, though, there was a tremendous noise and a blast of hot air rushed over her, forcing her eyes closed. It was several seconds before she could force them to open against the heat, and when she succeeded, she stared forwards with an expression of dread. Platinum had vanished. There was no ash, no body. She hadn't been vaporized. She'd simply...gone. That was all she saw before the field of magic reached her. It was unrestrained, uncontrolled magic, of such sheer intensity that she nearly fell over. She shrieked in pain as the magic funneled itself straight into her horn, sending wave after wave of sheer agony straight into her brain and down into her spine, traveling through her nerves until every one was blazing. At last, her body could take no more, and she blacked out, the pain still shooting through her in arcs of wild lightning. IIVoid. All around was whiteness. Floating alone through the neverending nothing, a single speck of green light shone. It was a pale green unicorn, her mane and tail a shade rather more like grass or leaves, lying unconscious on an invisible, intangible expanse of white. She groaned, slowly wobbling to her hooves, and looked around. “Wh…where am I?” Her voice echoed strangely through the vast blank world. It was rather…disconcerting. She attempted to move forwards, but felt nothing at all beneath her hooves. It seemed all she could do was stand in place. Whatever this place was, it clearly obeyed different laws than the world she was used to. ”Hello? Is there anypony out there? There was a faint chuckle that came from everywhere at once, then nothing. Clover, naturally, did not take kindly to this. She attempted to stomp her hoof, but ended up accomplishing nothing, and so she contented herself with anger. Do you find this funny, wherever and whoever you are? Well, I don’t. Now tell me where I am!” Oh my, she’s so sure of herself. I wonder, does she understand the situation at all? I wouldn’t do anything hasty… Another faint chuckle faded away into the light. Clover scowled. ”If you won’t tell me where I am, then I’ll find out on my own! Her voice dropped to a low mumble as she thought through complex spells, then her horn lit up. Oh dear, look what you’ve done now. I warned you not to do anything without thinking. A low rumble began to resonate through the nothingness, and Clover could feel her body shaking. She dimmed her horn instantly, but it wasn’t enough; the sound persisted, gradually growing louder until she could feel her teeth rattling in her head from the sheer volume. Then, all around her, eyes began to open up, each one fixing her with an unblinking gaze. Well, it appears that you’ve woken It up. I shant keep you. You’ll be busy. You’re in his world now, after all! There was a final drawn-out cackle as cracks began to open in the blankness, jagged lines of black line splitting through the void as the sound grew exponentially louder. Hurricane could nearly feel her skull caving in. As she watched with dread, forced down by the sound and unable to do anything else, long tendrils of pure darkness began to seep through the cracks, reaching for her. Closer…closer… GASP She awoke and bolted up, chest heaving, in a small bed. Cold sweat ran down her face and her heart beat faster than ever before. Nothing in her life, not anything on the journey, had even come close to matching the sheer, heart-stopping terror that she’d felt just now. She choked in air as her head swung wildly around, absorbing her surroundings. After what felt like hours, but must’ve been only minutes, the adrenaline that flooded her system began to seep out again, and she could recognize where she was. “The hospital…?” she mumbled. “What am I doing here?” Early morning sunlight poured through the window, though something seemed…rather odd about that. She struggled to remember what it was for a moment, until her razor-sharp mind cut through the cobwebs in her brain and she fully recalled the events of what appeared to be the previous day. Her eyes grew wide as she remembered what happened to Platinum, and she thrust herself out of bed and onto the floor, upon which her legs collapsed under her with barely any resistance. One of the doctors rushed in, concern evident on his face. “Easy there, Clover. You’ve absorbed so much magic into your arcane system that it’s a wonder you’re still breathing. That much raw power would’ve killed any normal pony.” Clover gritted her teeth, slowly standing up. The doctor gaped with obvious amazement as she seemingly shook off the effects of the powerful magic surge with little detriment. She looked him dead in the eyes, daring him to tell her to get back in bed, then hobbled past him, kept going by sheer willpower. I need to…get to the castle. Have to…find Platinum. I can do this. As she opened the door to the street with her telekinesis, her head was assaulted with a sudden lance of indescribable pain. She gasped, releasing the magic, and the pain ceased nearly instantly, though a dull ache was left as a reminder. She grimaced. Okay, no magic. No big deal. Making her way up the thoroughfare, a task she’d done hundreds of times, if not thousands, without even thinking, now felt like journeying to the Homeland and back. Each meter was a harsh breath, each breath a bolt through her lungs. Still, she struggled on through the sparsely-populated early morning street, giving a wide berth to the few ponies that did happen to pass. By the time she made it to the castle, nearly an hour had passed and the city was beginning to come alive. She reached the drawbridge, grateful that it was early enough that it was still down, and made her way into the castle proper. The ponies around her looked at her as though she were insane. She chuckled dryly. I suppose I do look it, hobbling around through the castle like an invalid. It didn’t help that most of these ponies had rarely even seen her, given her habit of teleporting directly where she wanted to go. At long last, she reached her destination: the Founders’ Chamber. Bursting through the door, she half-expected to see Platinum there, drinking tea, but of course, there was nopony there. The air was still buzzing, crackling with invisible arcs of pure energy, and Clover grunted as she felt the headache intensify dramatically. Each hoofstep forward was like a mountain on her back, and it slowly worsened as she approached Platinum’s chair. After what felt like days, she reached it, physically and mentally exhausted. There was a sound of hoofsteps at the door. Clover looked up, eyes dull, to see her teacher standing there, staring at her aghast. Her mouth formed into some facsimile of a smile. “Hello, Star Swirl.” He quietly paced over, looking her up and down. “The doctors told me what happened to you. I was on the other side of Equestria at the moment, so by the time I reached the hospital you were long gone. By the Gods, Clover, what did you do to yourself?” She sighed and collapsed into the chair. “Something happened yesterday, Star, and I’m not altogether sure I can handle it on my own.” The older unicorn’s ears flattened. That was perhaps the third time he’d ever heard her say that. Something was very, very wrong. “Clover, what happened here? I can feel more magic in the air than I’ve ever felt in one place.” She chuckled weakly. “I was visiting Platinum. Sit down, and I’ll tell you the story.” He nodded and took a seat in the closest chair to him, the one belonging to Hurricane, then turned to her. Her faint smile dropped, and she began to speak. “So I was in my cave, writing…” IIIBy the time Clover was done, she was deeply slurring her words, only half-conscious. Star Swirl was the most powerful mage in history; he had enough experience to tell when a unicorn was approaching magical overload, and the mare in front of him was just seconds away. The instant she finished, he grabbed her by the scruff of the neck with his nigh-unbreakable telekinetic grip, carrying her with him as he walked through the door. She made no protests. She didn’t really even know what was going on at that point. Everything had become a blur of white stone and red carpeting, a smudged mess of impressionistic colour. The farther away Star Swirl carried her, though, the more cognizant she became. Finally, when they were well away from the castle and nearing the city gates, she could speak fluently enough to be understandable, though it was mostly nonsense. As he reached the edge of the city proper, he sighed. It was no use. He simply couldn’t get far away enough from the nexus of raw magical force that the Founders’ Chamber had become. He chewed his lip nervously. What he was planning could work, taking Clover far away in a blink. It could also overload her arcane system with so much power that her heart would give out and she would die. Still, he thought, if she stays here, she could die anyway. If I can do this, then she has a better chance, at least. His mind made up, he reached for his magic, pooling it around his horn. The white aura grew nearly brighter than the sun as he strained against his own leylines, folding them around the unicorn in his telekinetic grip instead of letting them flow through her. Sweat beaded on his brow as his teeth gritted together, funneling all of his power into a long-range teleportation spell. With a tremendous flash, they disappeared, blinking into existence in a far northern town called Snowstable, inhabited almost exclusively by pegasi. When he recovered from the powerful backlash of the spell, he looked to the right and let out a huge sigh of relief. Clover was still alive, hanging in his telekinetic grip, and as a plus, was awake. She looked more lucid than Star Swirl had seen her in months. He gently lowered her to the ground, smiling as her hooves landed firmly. Groaning, she rubbed a hoof to her temple. “Ughhh…what happened? Where are we? By the Gods, my head feels like Smart Cookie’s been bucking at it.” “Shh. Try not to talk too much, Clover. You just barely survived what’s likely the worst case of thaumic overload I’ve ever seen, and I’ve been teaching for a very long time.” Clover shot him a grateful glance. She didn’t really remember anything except for vague images after finishing her story, but those images clued her in well enough on what the old mage had done. Still, she couldn’t listen to him this time. “Sorry, Star Swirl, but I have to ignore your advice for the first time. Thaumic overload can take months to recover fully from on a small scale, and from what you’re saying this was anything but. We need to find Platinum. Whatever’s taken her, it’s far stronger than the Windigoes, stronger than anything I’ve ever seen. If it can afford to expend that much energy for a teleportation spell, it’s the greatest threat we’ve ever faced, and we all need to be here to fight it.” Star Swirl responded, frowning. “If you pressed hard enough, the Chancellor would come to your aid. What of Hurricane and Pansy, though? They’ve been out of my magical reach since they left Equestria, and I doubt they’re any closer now. Clover’s only response was a shake of the head. “You’re going to do this even if I tell you not to, aren’t you, Clover?” This time, her response was a nod. Star Swirl sighed tiredly. “Fine then. I think I have enough strength in me for another one of those teleports. As long as you stay away from the castle, you should be fine.” As his eyes slipped shut and he began siphoning his power into his horn once again, he was interrupted. “Hey, Star Swirl. You…might want to see this. Sighing, he opened his eyes. “What is it?” Clover was pointing, wide eyed, to a small poster that hung rather unnoticed in a side street. On it was a detailed portrait of Clover, right down to the four-leaf-clover cutie mark, surmounted by the text Wanted for assassination of Once-Princess Platinum.Dread welled up in the stallion and he swallowed, his throat suddenly bone-dry. “Clover? Did anybody see what happened in the room except for you?” The mare turned to him, shaking her head. “No, I don’t think so…” She hissed in a breath as she understood what he meant. “Congratulations, Clover. You’ve been accused of amicicide, and you have nopony to vouch for you.”
IYear 6 A.E. (After Equestria) There is so much beauty in the world. So much went unappreciated back in the Homeland. So many sunrises missed, so many trees withered, so many lives lost. Thankfully, all of that is over and done with now. We’ve entered a golden age, one without war and hate. The six Founders are revered equally, and the Heartfyre is bright and strong. With the exception of the ialtaeg, who stayed behind to guard the Frozen Sepulcher, no ponies stayed behind. We all made the journey together, as befits our newfound friendship. I have long thought that strife is a necessity, a device to keep balance and ensure survival. Now, however, that is being called into question. I suppose it truly is an antiquated viewpoint now; six years have passed since the Founders made our journey. The cave in which we sheltered now rests at the top of a grand mountain that the unicorns have squeezed from the earth. From that mountain, we began to build. I sit in that same cave now, no longer a simple cavern, but expanded into many chambers, a lavish study, a laboratory, any number of things. Platinum built outwards instead of inwards, creating a great city, towers and spires scraping the heavens. We have named it Canterlot, the seat of power, and in the castle sits a great round table, surrounded by six chairs. Six. What an odd, arbitrary number, hmm? I often wonder at its significance. Everything is divisible by six. Six Founders, six spires in Canterlot, three tribes, two Founders of each. Six and six and six and six. I wonder if the Gods came in six also. Ah, but just look at this. I keep going on and on with no end in sight. I fear that if I remain down here, nopony will ever hear from me again. I will return shortly to write more. Clover the Clever. End of entry. The pale green unicorn yawned and shoved the chair back, clambering out of it and slowly walking to the door. Cracking it open, she shied for a moment at the blast of powerful sunlight before fully opening it and emerging, squinting, into the noontide light. The sun blazed overhead, lighting the path of polished gray stone that wound around the mountain. Smiling, Clover began to trot, then canter, then gallop, her hooves pounding on the hard surface. She could simply teleport, of course, but quite honestly, she didn’t get out of her abode much these days, so a bit of exercise was always enjoyable. She laughed in exultation as she followed the spiraling path, slowly descending until the golden spires of the city drew into view. At last, the ramp joined with the broad thoroughfare and she slowed back down to a quick trot, threading her way through the crowded streets, towards the castle. She grinned wryly. Even when she’s not a Princess, Platinum still has a taste for the regal. As she reached the drawbridge, she blinked out of existence in a flash of pale light, near-instantly reappearing in an enormous hallway, which led up to an equally enormous door. Softly walking up to it, she leaned on it and was rewarded by a soft creak as it gradually opened. Looking inside, she smiled for the third time that day. Platinum was lying sprawled on the enormous table, half in and half out of her seat. She was snoring loudly, a fact that would’ve greatly displeased her, and Clover chuckled. For all your decorum, you’re still just a pony. As it happens, so was she, and she certainly wasn’t above a little prank. Creeping up behind the former Princess, she conjured up a little jug of water, which she began to slowly pour on the sleeping unicorn’s mane., chuckling all the while. She must really be out of it today, she reflected. Usually it only takes her a few seconds to notice, not half a minute! And yet, Platinum refused to awaken. The pitcher actually ran out of fluid. Shrugging, Clover simply refilled it, her magic pooling inside like a liquid until it became more water. Then she resumed the pour. She did three twice more before Platinum awoke, her mane soaked completely through. Clover was just about to start on her tail when she noticed a slight shifting and felt a burning sensation. Looking up, she recognized the sensation as one of Platinum’s laser glares boring into her face. The silver unicorn, needless to say, was rather unamused. She sighed and rubbed her newly-woken head. “Please, Clover, can you not just let me sleep for once?” Clover shook her head, earning a low groan in response as Platinum rubbed her head. “Why did you want? Finally get sick of being cooped up in your mountain all the time? I haven’t seen main nor tail of you for days on end!” Clover nodded. “In a manner of speaking, you’re right. I feel like I’m fusing with my chair, and if I kept writing, I’d probably just dive into the paper like a drawing. I need to get out or nopony will ever see me again. As for you, Platinum, how are you these days?” “Dear Gods, I have a headache that could split the mountain.” She scowled at Clover once again. “And that little noise spell you cast isn’t helping. It’s really rather irritating. Could you please turn it off?” Clover’s brows furrowed. “Noise spell? But I haven’t cast any.” Platinum snorted disdainfully. “Oh please, this has your pranks written all over it. It’s not funny, Clover.” The mage shook her head. “Sorry, Platinum, but I really have no idea what you’re talking about. What kind of noise spell?” The scowl faded from the regal unicorn’s face, replaced with an expression of intense annoyance. “It really isn’t you? Odd. Somepony else must’ve done it. It’s nothing big, of course, just the most irritating sound, like claws dragging across a stone. You must hear it. You can, can’t you?” Clover shook her head. The irritation on Platinum’s face jumped off, consternation filling the gaps and…was that a bit of pain there? “Just wonderful.” Platinum seethed. “Now on top of that sound being so aggravating, only I can hear it? Absolutely brilliant.” Yes, there was definitely pain there, and unless here eyes were tricking her, Clover could see it getting worse. She stepped forward cautiously. “Platinum? I’m going to need you to calm down.” The other mare snarled at her, her eyes wild and frantic. “Calm down? Calm down?” It wasn’t even a yell, which is what caught Clover the most off guard. It was more of an enraged hiss. “Easy enough for you to say! You can’t hear it! You can’t feel it! Agh, it feels like my head is burning up!” Her voice escalated into a wordless wail of pain and Clover rushed forwards, horn already glowing, to scan her for hostile magic. Before she could even cast the spell, though, there was a tremendous noise and a blast of hot air rushed over her, forcing her eyes closed. It was several seconds before she could force them to open against the heat, and when she succeeded, she stared forwards with an expression of dread. Platinum had vanished. There was no ash, no body. She hadn't been vaporized. She'd simply...gone. That was all she saw before the field of magic reached her. It was unrestrained, uncontrolled magic, of such sheer intensity that she nearly fell over. She shrieked in pain as the magic funneled itself straight into her horn, sending wave after wave of sheer agony straight into her brain and down into her spine, traveling through her nerves until every one was blazing. At last, her body could take no more, and she blacked out, the pain still shooting through her in arcs of wild lightning.
IIVoid. All around was whiteness. Floating alone through the neverending nothing, a single speck of green light shone. It was a pale green unicorn, her mane and tail a shade rather more like grass or leaves, lying unconscious on an invisible, intangible expanse of white. She groaned, slowly wobbling to her hooves, and looked around. “Wh…where am I?” Her voice echoed strangely through the vast blank world. It was rather…disconcerting. She attempted to move forwards, but felt nothing at all beneath her hooves. It seemed all she could do was stand in place. Whatever this place was, it clearly obeyed different laws than the world she was used to. ”Hello? Is there anypony out there? There was a faint chuckle that came from everywhere at once, then nothing. Clover, naturally, did not take kindly to this. She attempted to stomp her hoof, but ended up accomplishing nothing, and so she contented herself with anger. Do you find this funny, wherever and whoever you are? Well, I don’t. Now tell me where I am!” Oh my, she’s so sure of herself. I wonder, does she understand the situation at all? I wouldn’t do anything hasty… Another faint chuckle faded away into the light. Clover scowled. ”If you won’t tell me where I am, then I’ll find out on my own! Her voice dropped to a low mumble as she thought through complex spells, then her horn lit up. Oh dear, look what you’ve done now. I warned you not to do anything without thinking. A low rumble began to resonate through the nothingness, and Clover could feel her body shaking. She dimmed her horn instantly, but it wasn’t enough; the sound persisted, gradually growing louder until she could feel her teeth rattling in her head from the sheer volume. Then, all around her, eyes began to open up, each one fixing her with an unblinking gaze. Well, it appears that you’ve woken It up. I shant keep you. You’ll be busy. You’re in his world now, after all! There was a final drawn-out cackle as cracks began to open in the blankness, jagged lines of black line splitting through the void as the sound grew exponentially louder. Hurricane could nearly feel her skull caving in. As she watched with dread, forced down by the sound and unable to do anything else, long tendrils of pure darkness began to seep through the cracks, reaching for her. Closer…closer… GASP She awoke and bolted up, chest heaving, in a small bed. Cold sweat ran down her face and her heart beat faster than ever before. Nothing in her life, not anything on the journey, had even come close to matching the sheer, heart-stopping terror that she’d felt just now. She choked in air as her head swung wildly around, absorbing her surroundings. After what felt like hours, but must’ve been only minutes, the adrenaline that flooded her system began to seep out again, and she could recognize where she was. “The hospital…?” she mumbled. “What am I doing here?” Early morning sunlight poured through the window, though something seemed…rather odd about that. She struggled to remember what it was for a moment, until her razor-sharp mind cut through the cobwebs in her brain and she fully recalled the events of what appeared to be the previous day. Her eyes grew wide as she remembered what happened to Platinum, and she thrust herself out of bed and onto the floor, upon which her legs collapsed under her with barely any resistance. One of the doctors rushed in, concern evident on his face. “Easy there, Clover. You’ve absorbed so much magic into your arcane system that it’s a wonder you’re still breathing. That much raw power would’ve killed any normal pony.” Clover gritted her teeth, slowly standing up. The doctor gaped with obvious amazement as she seemingly shook off the effects of the powerful magic surge with little detriment. She looked him dead in the eyes, daring him to tell her to get back in bed, then hobbled past him, kept going by sheer willpower. I need to…get to the castle. Have to…find Platinum. I can do this. As she opened the door to the street with her telekinesis, her head was assaulted with a sudden lance of indescribable pain. She gasped, releasing the magic, and the pain ceased nearly instantly, though a dull ache was left as a reminder. She grimaced. Okay, no magic. No big deal. Making her way up the thoroughfare, a task she’d done hundreds of times, if not thousands, without even thinking, now felt like journeying to the Homeland and back. Each meter was a harsh breath, each breath a bolt through her lungs. Still, she struggled on through the sparsely-populated early morning street, giving a wide berth to the few ponies that did happen to pass. By the time she made it to the castle, nearly an hour had passed and the city was beginning to come alive. She reached the drawbridge, grateful that it was early enough that it was still down, and made her way into the castle proper. The ponies around her looked at her as though she were insane. She chuckled dryly. I suppose I do look it, hobbling around through the castle like an invalid. It didn’t help that most of these ponies had rarely even seen her, given her habit of teleporting directly where she wanted to go. At long last, she reached her destination: the Founders’ Chamber. Bursting through the door, she half-expected to see Platinum there, drinking tea, but of course, there was nopony there. The air was still buzzing, crackling with invisible arcs of pure energy, and Clover grunted as she felt the headache intensify dramatically. Each hoofstep forward was like a mountain on her back, and it slowly worsened as she approached Platinum’s chair. After what felt like days, she reached it, physically and mentally exhausted. There was a sound of hoofsteps at the door. Clover looked up, eyes dull, to see her teacher standing there, staring at her aghast. Her mouth formed into some facsimile of a smile. “Hello, Star Swirl.” He quietly paced over, looking her up and down. “The doctors told me what happened to you. I was on the other side of Equestria at the moment, so by the time I reached the hospital you were long gone. By the Gods, Clover, what did you do to yourself?” She sighed and collapsed into the chair. “Something happened yesterday, Star, and I’m not altogether sure I can handle it on my own.” The older unicorn’s ears flattened. That was perhaps the third time he’d ever heard her say that. Something was very, very wrong. “Clover, what happened here? I can feel more magic in the air than I’ve ever felt in one place.” She chuckled weakly. “I was visiting Platinum. Sit down, and I’ll tell you the story.” He nodded and took a seat in the closest chair to him, the one belonging to Hurricane, then turned to her. Her faint smile dropped, and she began to speak. “So I was in my cave, writing…”
IIIBy the time Clover was done, she was deeply slurring her words, only half-conscious. Star Swirl was the most powerful mage in history; he had enough experience to tell when a unicorn was approaching magical overload, and the mare in front of him was just seconds away. The instant she finished, he grabbed her by the scruff of the neck with his nigh-unbreakable telekinetic grip, carrying her with him as he walked through the door. She made no protests. She didn’t really even know what was going on at that point. Everything had become a blur of white stone and red carpeting, a smudged mess of impressionistic colour. The farther away Star Swirl carried her, though, the more cognizant she became. Finally, when they were well away from the castle and nearing the city gates, she could speak fluently enough to be understandable, though it was mostly nonsense. As he reached the edge of the city proper, he sighed. It was no use. He simply couldn’t get far away enough from the nexus of raw magical force that the Founders’ Chamber had become. He chewed his lip nervously. What he was planning could work, taking Clover far away in a blink. It could also overload her arcane system with so much power that her heart would give out and she would die. Still, he thought, if she stays here, she could die anyway. If I can do this, then she has a better chance, at least. His mind made up, he reached for his magic, pooling it around his horn. The white aura grew nearly brighter than the sun as he strained against his own leylines, folding them around the unicorn in his telekinetic grip instead of letting them flow through her. Sweat beaded on his brow as his teeth gritted together, funneling all of his power into a long-range teleportation spell. With a tremendous flash, they disappeared, blinking into existence in a far northern town called Snowstable, inhabited almost exclusively by pegasi. When he recovered from the powerful backlash of the spell, he looked to the right and let out a huge sigh of relief. Clover was still alive, hanging in his telekinetic grip, and as a plus, was awake. She looked more lucid than Star Swirl had seen her in months. He gently lowered her to the ground, smiling as her hooves landed firmly. Groaning, she rubbed a hoof to her temple. “Ughhh…what happened? Where are we? By the Gods, my head feels like Smart Cookie’s been bucking at it.” “Shh. Try not to talk too much, Clover. You just barely survived what’s likely the worst case of thaumic overload I’ve ever seen, and I’ve been teaching for a very long time.” Clover shot him a grateful glance. She didn’t really remember anything except for vague images after finishing her story, but those images clued her in well enough on what the old mage had done. Still, she couldn’t listen to him this time. “Sorry, Star Swirl, but I have to ignore your advice for the first time. Thaumic overload can take months to recover fully from on a small scale, and from what you’re saying this was anything but. We need to find Platinum. Whatever’s taken her, it’s far stronger than the Windigoes, stronger than anything I’ve ever seen. If it can afford to expend that much energy for a teleportation spell, it’s the greatest threat we’ve ever faced, and we all need to be here to fight it.” Star Swirl responded, frowning. “If you pressed hard enough, the Chancellor would come to your aid. What of Hurricane and Pansy, though? They’ve been out of my magical reach since they left Equestria, and I doubt they’re any closer now. Clover’s only response was a shake of the head. “You’re going to do this even if I tell you not to, aren’t you, Clover?” This time, her response was a nod. Star Swirl sighed tiredly. “Fine then. I think I have enough strength in me for another one of those teleports. As long as you stay away from the castle, you should be fine.” As his eyes slipped shut and he began siphoning his power into his horn once again, he was interrupted. “Hey, Star Swirl. You…might want to see this. Sighing, he opened his eyes. “What is it?” Clover was pointing, wide eyed, to a small poster that hung rather unnoticed in a side street. On it was a detailed portrait of Clover, right down to the four-leaf-clover cutie mark, surmounted by the text Wanted for assassination of Once-Princess Platinum.Dread welled up in the stallion and he swallowed, his throat suddenly bone-dry. “Clover? Did anybody see what happened in the room except for you?” The mare turned to him, shaking her head. “No, I don’t think so…” She hissed in a breath as she understood what he meant. “Congratulations, Clover. You’ve been accused of amicicide, and you have nopony to vouch for you.”
