Sanctuary

Prologue - Departures

With smooth precision that could only be obtained through years of practice, the white feather quill glided over the faded brown parchment. The wispy barbs at its base swayed gently within the glowing red aura that had enveloped it. This aura caused the writing tool to drift through the air, lowering its tip into a small glass container of ink, then withdrawing and drifting back to the parchment where it continued its graceful dance. The sharp, bitter smell of the ink combined with the dull, musty smell emanating from the hundreds of books and scrolls that dominated every bookcase, shelf, and table within the study. It was a smell long familiar to the unicorn filly whose amber face was set in a mask of determination, and perhaps worry, as she concentrated on keeping the quill under control with her magic.

The mental exertion necessary to keep the quill under control was not what had caused the muscles of her brow to knit in such a fashion, however. Her magical prowess was more than enough to accomplish a task as simple as writing a diary. The eight unicorns who crowded the study with her, each wearing the elegantly embroidered robes that designated them as High Councillors of the Order of Grand Magi, and all of whom were watching her work with expressions ranging from concern to impatience to outright hostility, were also clear of any responsibility for her unusual mental strain. The soft rustling of robes as one of the magi shifted nervously on his hooves, the occasional gentle cough, and the clinking of magical necklaces and bracelets all served to calm her fears. They were reminders that she was indoors and was, for the time being, safe from what was happening just beyond the thick stone walls of the Tower of Twilight, her home since before she could remember.

The sound of a powerful impact preceded an explosion of dust and stone from the outer wall of the study as it buckled inwards. The noise was loud enough to affect the filly's concentration and cause some of the ink to smear on the parchment. The earth ponies had brought their catapults, it seemed. Though the wall held, the structural integrity of the tower had been compromised, and one more impact on or around the damaged area would likely lead to a collapse. Already the gathered magi were focused on magically repairing the damage, telekinetically moving stones back into position through the power they harnessed with their horns. The quiet efficiency with which the unicorns worked was a testament to the desperate times that were upon them. The tower was already lost. Only the scared filly, doing her best to finish her diary so that the spell could be completed, mattered.

A hoof fell gently upon the filly's shoulder. "Concentrate, Aurora," was all that the Prophet said, but his resonating baritone was vastly soothing and familiar to her.

Aurora did not nod or acknowledge the Prophet in any way. There was no time for such trivialities, and the Prophet would appreciate a quick and efficient adherence to his gentle command far more than a show of manners. She instead focused all of her attention back upon the feather quill, moving it swiftly and carefully back to her diary. Nothing could be accomplished until the diary was completed, and there was no one else who could write it for her. The spell was bound to her writing, and it was she that the Prophet had foreseen in his visions, visions of a distant future where the races of the world would be lost to darkness without her intervention. A world where the alicorns would be forgotten as myth after their traitorous departure from the land on this very night, and where ancient countries like Equestria were lost to time entirely. Somehow, for reasons that the Prophet could not clearly see, she was to prevent all life from being extinguished from the world of Sanctuary.

The Prophet had been blunt about what would befall those who remained in the tower. "There will be none left alive to record your departure from this era of time," he had intoned. "You will be preserved in time and hidden from all who have eyes to see. For four millennia and five hundred years shall you remain hidden, and then you shall awaken to a changed world. You will remember nothing of your life here at the Tower of Twilight, though your magical abilities will survive fully intact." There had been particular emphasis on the word nothing when he spoke.

Aurora had blinked up at him and, for perhaps the third time in her eight years of life, her face had betrayed her emotions as being those of a lost and confused child. "None left alive," she had whispered to herself. Her eyes had then grown wide as she placed a small hoof to her mouth.  "Prophet, you are not going to die?" she half-asked, half-pleaded.

The Prophet, her magical mentor for the span of all of her life that she could remember, the unicorn she had held immeasurable respect for throughout her training, and whom she strived to impress even a little on a daily basis, had returned her gaze without blinking.

"I will depart from this world."

The words had hung heavy in the air, threatening to suffocate the young filly and squeeze her until it hurt. To squeeze until her tears were forced out of her in much the same way as the juice was forced from an apple that had been tossed into a press. But she would not cry. The Prophet would not approve.

The feather quill completed its final journey across the parchment; there would not be enough time to write more. Aurora quickly looked over what she had written with her sharp, hazel eyes. She could ill-afford to discover a memory to have been written incorrectly after she had already been placed under the preservation spell. Much had been written, but to Aurora the many pages of her diary seemed tragically meager, and she felt that she could never hope to write a lifetime of memories in what little time she had to prepare. She sighed, magically sprinkled some sand upon the parchment to dry the ink, blew the sand away, and closed the diary. Once she awakened from her preservation spell, she would have to rely upon her diary to remember who she was and what she was supposed to do. What was written would have to suffice, though she felt it could never be enough.

The moment the book was closed, it was surrounded by a bright, sky-blue aura which lifted it up from the table, scattering a few stray scrolls in the process, and floated it into one of Aurora's saddlebags. The filly looked up to the Prophet, ready for further instructions.

"The spell is in place," the Prophet said as the blue glow faded from his horn. He raised himself up to his full height, towering over the other unicorns in the room. "The time has come. Prepare, councillors of the Order! Aurora Lulamoon must live at all costs. We make for the cellar now. Move!"

Each of the seven other unicorns in the room moved to form a physical barrier around Aurora. They would lay their lives down for her, should it come to that, regardless of their personal feelings toward her or her family. The Order was not concerned with petty squabbles and politics. It was concerned with promoting magical knowledge and preserving its history. Neither of those goals could be pursued if all life was extinguished, and so each of the other unicorns, some of them bitter enemies of the Lulamoon clan, moved with expediency and determination. They would succeed in bringing the filly to the hidden cellar, or die trying.

The Prophet quickly moved to the door leading out of the study. He bent his neck to place an ear by the door, listening for a moment, then lifted his head again. He turned back to Aurora and the gathered magi.

"Once the door is open, we do not stop for any reason," his voice boomed. "Should anypony bar our path, whether earth pony or unicorn, they are to be removed immediately using any means necessary. This night shall be our last upon the world of Sanctuary. Your actions this night will determine the legacy you leave behind."

With those final words spoken, the Prophet's horn glowed blue once again, and the magical runes that had been placed around the study door began to glow bright, then disappear. It had been determined that teleporting into the cellar would be too much of a risk to Aurora, as the Council might teleport directly into the room only to discover that they were surrounded by fully-armed earth ponies. Fighting their way to the cellar would likely prove to be safer, despite the ongoing assault against the tower. With the magical barrier removed, there was no longer any reason to delay further. The entire door was immediately encased in a pulsing blue glow. Then, with an audible series of creaks and groans, the wood buckled outwards and finally shattered, sending wooden fragments and splinters flying out into the corridor beyond.

The fragments hadn't begun to fully settle when the first crossbow bolt sped past the Prophet's head and shattered against the stone wall behind him. The irony of being attacked with weapons that they had themselves created did not show upon the unicorn's faces. Instead, the unicorn to the Prophet's right, a dark burgundy stallion by the name of Soul Fire, concentrated his magical energies and unleashed an immense wall of flame that surged toward the earth pony invaders down the hall. Screams of pain and terror briefly joined the crackling sounds of the inferno, but they cut off quickly with the deaths of those who had uttered them. The hall was filled with the acrid smells of smoke and burning hair and flesh.

The councillors moved quickly, briefly checking each window and smoldering doorway for any signs of opposition as they made their way down the hall and to the spiral staircase that led to the lower levels of the tower. Aurora had to increase her pace in order to keep up with the other unicorns who towered over her. She could see little past the robes they wore, and perhaps that was the reason they crowded around her. They could conjure magical shields after all, she thought. There really was no other reason she could think of for their actions. Whatever the reason, they could not spare her from the smell.  After quickly pushing past the singed corpses, Aurora's escort led her down the stairs towards the cellar in which she would reside for many generations.

As they reached a point nearly halfway down the spiralling stairs, the wall beside them exploded inwards from the force of another boulder impact, sending debris flying. Aurora screamed as she was thrown hard against the inner wall and tumbled down several stairs. She raised her head slowly to try to make sense of what had happened, but nothing seemed to be as it should. The outer wall had crumbled away, exposing them to the cool night air that blew in from outside. The winged silhouettes of alicorns could be seen ascending into the darkened sky, leaving the other pony races to fight the wars that the alicorns had continuously tried to prevent. On the ground far below, thousands of tiny flickers of light created by torches or unicorn magic danced like lightning bugs as the two races battled. Aurora would have been relieved to see that the pegasi hadn't joined the war if she hadn't already known that the tower would be lost. She felt the flow of magic surround her as she was lifted gently back onto her hooves. She looked up in time to see the magical aura fade from Soul Fire's horn.

"We must continue, quickly. Can you walk?" the burgundy stallion asked.

"Y-yes, I think," Aurora managed to say. Her eyes grew wide as she looked around. There were only four members of the Council remaining. "Where are the others? Where... where is the Prophet?" she asked, her voice betraying her fear.

Soul Fire closed his eyes briefly. "They have fallen. Likely killed on impact. Revenant fell, but was able to teleport himself back up here. I am certain the others would have done the same if they could. Now please, we must hurry!"

Aurora had known what the Prophet's fate would be this night. He had done what he could to prepare her to be able to accept his fate, as well as that of the others in the tower. There was a time when she thought she had come to terms with this, and had finally accepted it. The tears welling up in her eyes spoke the truth where her words would not. She knew she should not cry. She needed to remain focused and reach the cellar, and the Prophet would not approve of her lapse in concentration during her most crucial trial. She knew all of this, and yet the tears flowed. She felt the flow of magic surround her once again, and she floated onto Soul Fire's back.

"I am sorry," he said solemnly, "but now is not the time to grieve. Be strong, little one, and hold on tight."

Aurora clung to Soul Fire's shoulders and rested her head on his mane. The big stallion broke into a fast trot down the remaining stairs, flanked by the other three councillors, where they reached the bottom without further incident. Their luck ended there, however. The grand hall that stretched before them, a true marvel of magical architectural achievement with its massive gilded columns, ornate stained-glass windows, and detailed statues of great unicorns of the past, was occupied by a large number of earth ponies in full armor. Many were wearing magical armor that had been created by the unicorns long ago to help protect against dragon fire, basilisk venom, and other magical dangers. Soul Fire turned his head to Aurora.

"Close your eyes, little one," he whispered.

Soul Fire then focused upon the earth ponies who were not wearing magical armor as his horn flared with energy. Despite the stallion's words, Aurora did not close her eyes. They were wide open as she witnessed a group of earth ponies get caught in a spiralling column of flame that cracked and sizzled as the hair and flesh burned and fused with melting armor. She saw in vivid detail how the dark blue stallion named Revenant disappeared in a cloud of black smoke only to reappear behind one of the earth ponies, where he wrapped his front hooves around the pony's throat and disappeared again. He reappeared alone, with his robes and hooves covered in blood, before disappearing once more to claim another victim. She watched with a mixture of awe and horror as Vesper Eventide, a pale red mare who was a direct rival of her family, used her horn to cause twin blades to materialize and float before her. The mare then charged a group of earth ponies who were wearing the magical armor, but Vesper's skill with controlling her blades was enough to easily avoid the armor and strike at exposed flesh. She slew twelve of her foes before getting run through her side with a spear. Aurora's mind grew numb. One of her family's most hated enemies had just died trying to protect her. It soon became clear that there were too many earth ponies to fight here, and everything would be for naught if they couldn't break through.

"Soul Fire, Tempest, get her out of here, now!" Revenant yelled as he ducked a crossbow bolt. Aurora's mouth opened in disbelief as Revenant's horn began to surge with dark, magical power that blanketed the grand hall in shadow. Revenant's body rose from the ground and his eyes turned completely white, signifying that he was unleashing every ounce of energy he had. His spell was taking too long to charge, however, and he was rushed by a nearby earth pony as the others watched in a stupor.

"No!" Aurora screamed. Her horn flared red and used its energy to envelop a long, sharp stone fragment from one of the broken statues and sent it hurtling towards the attacker. It lodged deep into his throat and he fell to the floor in shock.

Revenant's spell then completed and the hall disappeared into total darkness a moment before an explosion of shadowy smoke billowed outwards from his body, nearly knocking Aurora off of Soul Fire's back. When the smoke dissipated, Revenant and the remaining earth ponies had vanished. Aurora did not want to think about where they had disappeared to, or what would happen when they got there.

The two remaining members of the Council wasted no time. They rushed through the carnage of the grand hall and past a broken statue of the great Twilight Sparkle, in whose honor the tower had been erected, and down a long side corridor lined with detailed tapestries and candles at regular intervals. Tempest's horn briefly flashed with green energy and sent a torrent of magical wind into the door at the end of the corridor, which shattered in much the same way as Aurora's study door had been destroyed. The councillors ducked past the warped door frame and entered the room, which was nothing more than a simple storage area for study and cleaning supplies. A powerful gust of air from Tempest hurled chairs, stacks of parchment, quills, a few brooms, and a table up against the far wall to reveal a set of runes carved into the floor that had been previously prepared for this occasion. Aurora tensed her muscles and jumped off of Soul Fire's back, then trotted to the runes and touched her horn to the nearest one. The spell had been tailored in much the same way as the spell on her diary had been, as she was the only unicorn who could unlock the seal. Any other pony who attempted to remove the seal would suffer dire consequences. She watched as the runes faded away.

Without warning, a flash of light illuminated the room behind the three unicorns. Tempest and Soul Fire turned simultaneously, their eyes pure-white, and unleashed a deafening torrent of magical energy towards the source of the light. The remains of the door frame incinerated instantly as the stone walls grew white-hot from Soul Fire's flames, and then burst outward from the force of the wind Tempest had conjured. The councillors immediately halted their attack once they became aware of what had caused the light. They both bowed slightly.

The Prophet stood before them. The magical shield surrounding him dissipated as he stepped forward. Aurora's throat tightened and her heart beat wildly with conflicting emotion at the sight of her mentor. She felt joy at seeing the Prophet alive, sorrow at knowing she had to leave him again so soon, and confusion at the large wings that were protruding through his tattered robes.

"Prophet!" Aurora gasped through the tears now running unbidden from her eyes. Years of hard training and discipline gave way to raw emotion as she leaped forward and wrapped her hooves around her mentor. Her face turned upwards to look him in the eyes. "Your wings. You... will be leaving with the others?" she asked.

"Yes," he said simply. "I still must depart with my brethren from this world. However, your survival takes precedence, and I am here to ensure that it is so."

Aurora closed her eyes and savored the moment, a brief taste of a life she had often dreamed of; a life she would never know. She had never heard the Prophet speak with emotion, and tonight was no exception. And yet she imagined that he had just spoken with a hint of what she wanted to believe was fondness. Even simple relief would have sufficed. She looked back into his eyes and relished the stern, yet understanding look he gave her even now at their final farewell. She looked away, confused and terrified at how everything she knew had changed so suddenly, and the tears returned.

"I killed somepony," she whispered into the Prophet's mane. "It was sudden and I had to react quickly. I used my horn and... "

The Prophet placed a hoof on Aurora's shoulder to quiet her. "Yes," he repeated. Then something happened that Aurora wished she had time to record in her diary. Something she wished with all her heart that she could remember forever, though she knew she was destined to forget in mere moments. The Prophet shed a tear.

"I wish I had found a better future to send you to. I am proud to have had you as my student," he whispered into her ear.

Aurora blinked. All of her years of study and all of the knowledge it had yielded could not have prepared her for that moment. She could think of no words to say, but words were no longer needed here. There was nothing left to be spoken, and so she found herself silently descending down the makeshift wooden stairs, built specifically for her use, into the hidden cellar. Aurora watched as the three remaining councillors gathered at the top of the stairs to cast the final spells necessary to put her to sleep and seal the cellar from both sight and time. When she reached the bottom she turned, her eyes already growing heavy with magical sleep, for one last look at her mentor; her hero. As the councillors finished their incantation and she began to feel darkness overtake her, Aurora held onto the one thing that gave her comfort.

The Prophet had been proud of her.