Memory of Magic

Chapters

Starswirl the Bearded Wing, Canterlot Library, Part 1
Starswirl the Bearded Wing, Canterlot Library, Part 2
Starswirl the Bearded Wing, Canterlot Library, Part 3
Manuscript #362
Manuscript #1063

Starswirl the Bearded Wing, Canterlot Library, Part 1

What a lucky mare she was.

"Oh my gosh oh my gosh oh my gosh!"

Indeed, ever so lucky she was. The Starswirl the Bearded Wing was never open to strangers. In fact, even the Academy's many members are admitted into the haven of knowledge only upon presentation of a Royal Decree or an Academic Order. The enchanted, reinforced iron gate prevented intrusion with a mere teleportation spell or brute force. The keys were held by the Grand Librarian. And the guards patrolling the hallway where it sat added up to the security. No ordinary pony may set hoof in these quarters.

Not unless you happen to be the library intern.

"I can't believe this is happening!"

Unable to calm herself, she swooshed across the rows of books and went from shelf to shelf in no more than a mere blink of the eye. This one intern in particular is more than happy to be here amongst the books, rather than in the warm comfort of friends, or a cozy duvet and mattress combo. The archive was made of stone, and it was quite cold in there, anyways. “Miss Giddyhoof! Behave yourself!” scolded the Grand Librarian, Linen.

“I can’t Librarian Linen! Not when I’m positively allergic to ancient scrolls and magical books!”

The unicorn librarian seized the menace with his magic. The white aura made Miss Giddyhoof float. She grunted, trying to break free from the invisible vice, but to no avail. So instead, she chose to benefit the moment. “Oooh, look! Librarian Linen! I can fly!” The pony twirled and looped. The white unicorn could only sigh. How did he ever end up with this pony? This earth pony.

He gently lowered the light-brown mare onto the floor. Miss Giddyhoof landed with a light tap. “Now listen to me. This place is the most sacred one in all of Equestria. I ask of you, Miss Giddyhoof, not to damage anything in this room. Your task is simple, you just need to sort the manuscript section and add the new ones in order, just like in training,” Linen said before pausing, looking Miss Giddyhoof in her eyes to make sure that his new recruit had understood his orders. “Do you understand?”

“Of course I do, Librarian Linen! I’ll get right to it!” Miss Giddyhoof saluted like a mercenary, her regard stood up high.

“Good. Now I will leave you to it. I trust that you will not endanger this sanctuary, Miss Giddyhoof. But please, be careful. You may browse anything you like while you are here.”

“Really? Can I really?” the mare said with enthusiasm. The librarian could clearly see her eyes beaming with intense joy.

“Yes. Whatever you can get your hoof on.”

“Woohoo!” the mare shouted. She jumped with her forehooves in the air.

“I will be off now. I shall return by the end of the day. If you wish to leave when you’re done, then please alert the guards.” Miss Giddyhoof nodded. The unicorn then turned away and trotted out of the room.

“So many books. Which one should I read first?” she muttered to herself.

She had always been intrigued by magic. Although an earth pony, she was an avid knowledge-seeker and bookworm. She knew at an early age that she would never be able to cast a spell, or make herself wings that would work, but being a positive pony, she decided to take it another way. What she lacked in natural talent, she made up for it with intricate understanding. She would have probably aced the entrance exams for Princess Celestia’s School for Gifted Unicorns, yet never having casted a single spell.

Oh, and she actually did.

Miss Giddyhoof, or rather Velvet Giddyhoof had always liked to read about the history of magic. She thought that magic had a story. Where did it come from? What did ponies and others alike discovered about it? What did the ponies do in the Classical and Pre-Classical era? What did the Griffons know about it? Questions upon questions built up in her head as she dug through the shelves laid before her eyes. It was an infinite resource that she could just chew like grass.

Her intense perusal came to an end as she sat herself on the cold floor, her head spinning from information overload. “Wow. Too much info. Need to stop.” She laid on the cold floor, closing her eyes for a short rest. A mental image came into her head. The last time she had questions, it was about Starswirl the Bearded himself. She remembered having wanted to know about how he passed away, and what his last works were.

In depth stories about the great magician were scarce to the public, mainly because the very informative materials were safely guarded inside the Starswirl the Bearded’s wing. The public’s main sources of information would then be hearsays (mostly from the Princesses themselves), followed by actual textbooks written by ponies after him. And they almost exclusively talked about his achievements.

It’s safe to say, that everypony knew he had a beard, but nopony knew it’s color.

“Hmmm, maybe if I check under-”

“Vel!”

The mare scrambled to her feet. She was sure that she was caught slacking on duty. It had been almost an hour since Librarian Linen left. She was beginning to regret putting her work aside. ‘Why didn’t I start a bit before doing this!’ she thought to herself.

“Hey, hey, no need to panic. It’s just me.”

Velvet turned to face the intruder. “Gosh, can you please knock before you shout my name! I almost lost my heart,” she said.

The other one laughed at her antics. “You know, when you said that you wanted to intern with the Canterlot Library, I knew that you were only planning to make it into here. You don’t really want to work, do you?”

The mare was alarmed. She didn’t think it was that obvious. “What are you talking about, Spike?”

The dragon walked up to her. “Don’t think you can fool me, Vel. We’ve been together since you started your tutelage in Canterlot. I know you in and out.”

Spike, a purple, small and wingless dragon with green spikes, was Velvet’s companion throughout her years of tutelage under Princess Celestia. For almost two decades, he had kept the mare in check. Spike was very much like a personal assistant with whom one was warm enough to share a conversation and joke around. Velvet had come to regard him as a brother.

“Fine. You caught me. Now can you please help me salvage whatever is left of my chances at getting hold of first-class material? It wasn’t as pleasant to get here as you might have thought, you know?”

Spike laughed. “For you it wasn’t. I just had to waltz in through the door,” he said arrogantly. Velvet was annoyed.

“Whatever Spike. Now come on! Help me find some books or scrolls. I’m looking for Starswirl’s diary or biography. Whatever you can find about him.” Velvet continued her search in the history section.

“Aye, aye, Captain!”

It was a section that most had abandoned. Nopony was interested to read about what went on in the past. It was a generally accepted idea that there had been too much struggle before the world came to how it was now. What ponies of today needed to do, was simply to honor those who had participated in the building of a modern Equestria, and to pass on the honor ritual to their offsprings. Make sure that they don’t forget the lessons learnt.

Velvet could never agree with that kind of mindset. She believed that it was a duty for ponies to really understand the ‘lesson learnt’. What good would putting a fire out be if the ember wasn’t removed? Ponies would make the same mistakes again and again for generations.

“I think we need a rest, Vel. I’m beat.”

Spike laid on the floor. After hours of ravaging untouched books from their shelves and skimming through a hundred introductions, the dragon had thrown in the towel. “I don’t think there ever was any biography on Starswirl,” he said whilst staring at the giant hourglass in the rotunda.

“No, that can’t be right. There has to be something! At least a page or… or a sentence!”

Velvet growled in frustration. How can the most renowned pony in practically all of the West Lands not have written a word about his life? It seemed like they conspired at some point in time to erase the traces of the magician: it was just too evil to be true. But he was definitely an object of envy by many. It was a plausible theory after all.

She sighed. All the hard work to get into the safest parts of the library had seemed to be fruitless. She had had to train herself to speak the librarian’s language, master the classification system and remember by heart all the different types of documents in existence and what their brief description was. And all that was for a headache in the end.

“Well, tough luck rookie. Maybe we should look somewhere else. And by the way, you still haven’t started your task yet.”

“Yeah, I should get to it.”

She went to the rather small pile of manuscripts stacked in a box, just besides the manuscripts section. This was where they stored papers that were either pages ripped off from a book that couldn’t be found, or articles that didn’t belong to one. A recent cleanup of the public section (which was last year, in fact) had revealed some of these slotted in between the pages of books. Usually, manuscripts that were deemed by the Academy to be of significance were stored in the secure wing.

The first manuscript on top of the pile was about some experiments using gemstones for storing magical energy. It wasn’t of much interest, but the Academy had always been keen on keeping records about magic, to no surprise. The next manuscript talked about geomancy and the zebras. She sorted them according to the number that the Academy had assigned.

She was practically done with her task in 20 minutes flat. “Okay, that’s done. Now I just need to sort the-”

As she opened the manuscript drawer, she fell silent. In it was a large mess of papers haphazardly stacked. Some were just laid on top of the existing ones. It was as if the librarian knew that practically nopony would ever lay their hooves on it again, and so didn’t bother to do a proper job. Why did they even keep these manuscripts then?

“Manuscript section. Spike, can you give me a hoof with this, please?”

“Nu’uh, not unless I get something in return. It’s not my job anyways.”

“Fine. We’ll get some snacks at Pony Joe’s.”

“Now that’s what I’m talking about. Let’s get to it then.”

There were at least a thousand manuscripts available. The first number on the new pile was 1064. This would take much longer than she had hoped. After a while, they had it sorted out into neat piles of a hundred manuscripts each. Velvet then began to insert them into the slots in the drawer.

“That was 359, 360, 361, 36-”

The manuscript slipped from her grasp. “Whoops.”

It dropped onto the floor, facing the mare. She quickly picked it up. “Hmmm, ‘Manuscripts on my thoughts about Tolpott’s Basis Matrix and Clover’s Condition’, what’s this about?” She began to read the article.

“Everything ok there, Vel?” the dragon inquired.

“I’m fine. I just dropped this one. It’s interesting though. I’ve never thought about magic this way,” she said.

“What about it?”

“It’s an article from somepony. It did mention Clover the Clever though. Wasn’t that Starswirl’s student?”

“Yeah, she was. His best one.”

“So Starswirl wrote this, huh.”

She continued reading until she reached the last few paragraphs. She was somewhat appalled by what Starswirl had written. ‘Starswirl was disappointed with her?’ she thought.

This was something new for her. For all her life, she knew Starswirl as a great pony who bore no resentment towards anypony else. He was a saint in Velvet’s eyes. Yet here were his own concerns and disapproval written in ink and preserved on an ancient manuscript: a proof of the inverse. He was more pony-like than Velvet thought.

“Hey, Vel, you might want to take a look at this.”

Velvet trotted to her assistant. “What is it? Did you find something interesting?”

She looked at the manuscript. It was a document written on both sides. The front side was a short acknowledgement. The other side was an introduction to a memoir, written by Clover the Clever.

“Spike! You did it! You found it!” she exclaimed. With a swift motion of her forehooves, she pulled the dragon into a tight hug.

“Okay- Ok- Pleas- let me go!” He squirmed, but it wasn’t going to break him free from the vice.

She released him. Spike was gasping for air. “Oh, this means so much to me!” Velvet said, enthusiastic about the find.

The weight of that piece of paper was tremendous. It might be a key to understand more about the personality of the greatest magician in Equestrian history, and ultimately the history of magic in Equestria. Velvet could already feel a positive aura enveloping her. She was on the path to finding the greatest treasure in Equestrian history: a memory of magic.

“Well, that’s just an introduction. We still need to find the whole memoir.”

“Right. I think it could be somewhere in here.”

Just as they were about to go searching again, Librarian Linen knocked on the archive door. “Miss Giddyhoof, are you done with your task?”

Velvet yelped. “Uhhh, almost done with it. Just a few more manuscripts to put away.” She laughed half-heartedly.

“Well please make it quick. As soon are you are done with it, I will lock the archives.”

She felt disappointed. Why didn’t she tell him that she needed another hour? Why did she have to find it at the very last moment?

“That’s okay, Vel. We’ll come here again one day, I’m sure of it,” Spike said.

Velvet could only nod. She hurriedly stored the remaining papers away and made her way out of the archives. Librarian Linen bolted the door and locked the gates, sealing the most valuable part of the library from any hooves.

“Great work, Miss Giddyhoof. I thank you for your effort. We never really made time to clean that section. It was too messy anyway.”

“Yeah, I’d figure that out.”

They walked towards the library entrance. “I shall see you tomorrow. There are some scrolls that need to be-”

“Librarian Linen, when can I go back into the archives?”

“I’m sorry. What did you say?”

“When can I go back to the Starswirl the Bearded Wing?”

The librarian was surprised. Not many ponies wanted to go into the archives. And most ponies that did, were only intending to steal a book or a scroll. No documents from the archives may be copied or taken outside of its home. “What for? Did you leave something important in there?”

“No, I didn’t. But I just wanted to stay in there longer. There’re so many books to be read!”

“Now, Miss Giddyhoof. You know well that nopony can just walk into the archives and do as they please. Even I aren’t allowed to go in there whenever I want. The order has to come from the Academy or the Princesses.”

“But, just for once. Please? I think I’ve found something big and-”

“No, Miss Giddyhoof. I’m sorry.”

Velvet stood quiet. Librarian Linen was firm with his verdict, and by the looks of it, nothing would persuade him to do the opposite. “A-Alright then. Thank you.” She tried to hide her disappointment. She trotted out of the library with a tear rolling down her cheek. She was so close to finding it, yet time didn’t side with her.

Outside, Spike was waiting for her. “Are you okay, Velvet?” He rushed to check on her.

“Y-Yeah, I’m fine.”

Inside, she felt like she had lost a dear member of her family. And worse: she could have prevented it. All it took was a little lie, or ruse. Anything to get to stay back inside the chamber. In her head she began cursing and blaming herself. Her tears were no longer held back from flowing. She sobbed.

“Come on, everything's going to be okay, Vel,” the dragon said, then hugged her hoof, “I’m sure we’ll be back in there someday.”

“You think so, Spike?”

“Yeah, definitely. I think we’re on a good cause. It’ll work out for us.”

Velvet wiped her tears. She was thankful for having Spike as her assistant. And even more so for having him as a friend. "Come on, Spike. Let's go get our dinner."

"Wooohoooo!" the dragon cheered.

The two walked down to Pony Joe's, just by the corner. There had been hearsays that Pony Joe was making his special recipe donuts tonight.

Starswirl the Bearded Wing, Canterlot Library, Part 2

“I tell you, she was totally trying to deny it!”

An orange mare’s rant broke the silent ambience of Pony Joe’s. Apparently she and her two friends were arguing about how a recent scandal involving some ponies of the royal lineage had been denied by them. Canterlot’s gossiping habits hadn’t change for the past thousand years. It’s as if its lack of morality was a tradition from generation to generation. There seemed to be no end to it.

“She’s so going to be shamed. I can’t wait to see that day! I’ll be the first one to rub it in her face!”

The thousand-year-old city still had room for improvement for its moral code of conduct.

In a far corner of the donut joint, Velvet sat on a cozy cushion, Spike sitting beside her. She had ordered a special recipe; Pony Joe claimed that it had a unique hint of ‘good flavor magic’. Now she had concluded that flavor magic was a hoax. It had instead robbed 17 bits from her pocket. She wasn’t satisfied at all. Luckily Spike hadn’t felt too hungry and had agreed to sharing the treat. Velvet stared at the blank table whilst her friend chomped down on the chocolate donut with tiny rice balls.

“I like it Vel. It’s really good!”

All along the way to the Pony Joe’s, Velvet hadn’t said a word to anypony other than Pony Joe. She was still mad, disappointed at herself for not having taken the slightest of chance at getting her hoof on the book.

“The rice balls are really crunchy, too!”

Spike had been trying to cheer her up, but she had been shutting him out of her head. All she wanted to do right now was ball up inside her dorm blanket and sulk for two weeks, until Librarian Linen gives her permission to spend time in that wing again. She didn’t care if others would call her a crybaby or mocked her.

“Come on, Vel! You’ve been like this for two hours!”

How could the librarian not see it? He was the Grand Librarian for Celestia’s sake! It was supposed to be his inherent nature to be curious about every single spark of findings that anypony made! A memoir about Starswirl, for crying out loud! She couldn’t understand the reason. Was he uninterested? Was he trying to hide something? Velvet continued the barrage of questions in her head.

“Look, I’ve been thinking about it too. Why don’t you ask the princess for her permission?”

“Like that’ll ever work, Spike. What princess would give an anonymous student like me that kind of privilege? I’m not as popular as Twilight Sparkle is with her.”

The previous class had one particularly nerdy unicorn: Twilight Sparkle. She was the ever-faithful student of Princess Celestia. Being an extremely gifted unicorn, she had successfully captured the princess’s attention. Not to mention her achievements so far: predicting the coming of Nightmare Moon during the last Summer Sun Festival and ultimately saving Princess Luna – Princess Celestia’s younger sister a month ago.

Velvet had grown somewhat jealous of that purple mare. Because she wasn’t a unicorn, she couldn’t be placed together in a class of one: it wasn’t practical. She had to attend a normal school for fillies and colts like her, and at least twice a week, she would spend half a day studying with the gifted unicorns. And it was exclusively on topics that did not involve casting any magical spell: topics that the princess did not personally teach.

Being a non-unicorn in the school, and approaching the end of her studies, she had wanted to leave a mark. She wanted to show that even an earth pony like her could still be versed in the arcane. Although she envied her peer’s ability to construct new spells for their final school project, Velvet didn’t back down like most ponies would do. She decided to rise above the inferiority.

Linen’s rejection had, however, broken her resolve. She had been pursuing that knowledge for more than half a year, and a pony had just pulled her away from it. She really didn’t want to talk about what had happened at the moment, but Spike was insisting about a solution. He didn’t seem to give up on it, even though Velvet was just about to call quit.

“I know that, and I’m not as popular as that other Spike. But hey, she’d at least listen to your plea. That won’t harm anypony.”

She remembered that every time she messed up, Spike would always be there to lift her up. He was always optimistic about the outlook and finality of things. She couldn’t count the times he didn’t cheer her up – because there were none. It was then that Velvet decided that she couldn’t just pout about every small thing or every missed opportunity. She had to take control.

“Yeah, you’re right. I should give it a try at least.”

“Great! That’s the Velvet I know.”

Velvet helped herself to some donut. The special didn’t really taste that bad. The chocolate and crackling rice balls were fun to chew. It was probably just her mood. She really shouldn’t let her feelings get to her too easily. “So, do you really think that the rest of that book is still in the library?”

“I’m positive about it.”

“About what?”

A loud voice disturbed their conversation. Velvet was surprised and quickly turned her head to face an orange unicorn stallion. “So, I heard you’ve got some hot stuff going on there. Not gonna keep me out of it are you? That’s not very friendly you know.”

“Hiya, buddy!” Spike shouted from his seat.

“Hey Spike, good to see ya!”

‘Not you,’ Velvet thought. It was the last pony she wanted to see right now. There were times when she needed him – for bits, a drink, maybe a little laughter, and sometimes for dangerous doings. Now was just not it. “Ugh, not now.”

The stallion harrumphed, obviously offended by the disregard. “You owe me a full report at the very least. You wouldn’t have gotten in there if I wasn’t around, you know?”

Velvet sighed. She knew he was going to use that card straight away. He was the most shameless pony she had ever met. No pony was more mischievous than him. No matter the circumstances, he was always going to get what he wanted. Even if it meant playing dirty or unfair. There was never an end to his devious behavior. He was the one and only-

“Alright, Prince Sandalwood,” she said with annoyance, “I got you loud and clear.”

“I’m not a prince.”

“Really? You sure act like one.” Velvet smirked. The stallion frowned at her, but decided to let it slip. He had won the battle anyway.

“Alright, now spill the beans.”

Velvet gestured for him to sit down with them. He took the spot next to Spike. He grabbed a donut and began to munch on it.

“You know how I’ve been looking for info on Starswirl these last few months, right?” Sandalwood nodded. “So I got into Starswirl’s wing this morning, thinking that I could find something about it. You know, maybe a scroll, or even a full book.”

“Uhuh,” Sandalwood said whilst chewing on the treat.

“And I did find something. It was a book introduction. The problem is that we’ve only found just that. The rest of the book is missing. So I thought that it could be in there somewhere.” She paused, looking down on the floor. “But we didn’t get to it in time. I tried to negotiate with Linen, but he isn’t going to let me walk into the archives again. Not without permission from the Academy or the Princesses.”

“Which is why I suggested to her that she seek Princess Celestia or Princess Luna’s help,” Spike added.

“Oh. Is that it?”

“Well you wanted a report.”

Sandalwood laughed. “You could’ve just asked me for the keys, silly filly. They’re just in the guard’s quarters.”

“Can you really get the keys? I thought you need the Captain’s permission or something.”

Sandalwood was a Second Rank Royal Guard: just a rank below the Captains (one of whom happened to be Twilight’s brother). That meant he had access to virtually any room within the walls of Canterlot castle, including the archives. He should be able to get his hoof on the keys whenever he wanted, and for whatever purpose. Not one pony but his superiors would question his intention whatsoever. And from his experience, he had never been in such a situation.

“Nope, no need for permissions the last time I check. Only problem is, we need to deactivate the magical trap that Linny’s set on the doors. I know that it’s automatically set every time the door is closed and it’s the highest level trigger spell and the complexity level is... two, I think. That won’t be easy to counter, but I think I can manage something. Besides, I’m just a level below him.”

Disabling a magical trap was a tricky yet simple thing to do. The basic principle of it rested in the knowledge of the nature of the magic: like knowing its signature. Once it was known, a counterspell could be conjured to disable it. It was much like adding water to fire in hope of nullifying it. But advances in magical research – thanks to the graduates of the princess’s school in particular – had made it much more difficult to disable it.

“Once the trap is disabled, it won't take long for it to reactivate. You need to get in as fast as you can. I’ll keep watch outside and pretend that nothing’s happened.”

“So you’re basically suggesting that we break into the archives? That's dangerous!? I would probably be expelled and… and we’ll be banished from Equestria!”

The kingdom did have strict laws on crime. Although Equestrians are nice creatures in general, there were previous cases of great evil. The punishments weren’t in any way light, and usually served as a quite terrifying deterrent to anypony who wished to do bad on this soil.

“Okay, okay, calm down. I was just giving you an idea, that’s all.”

“Not so sure I like that idea, although I admit it’s the most obvious,” Spike said.

It was, hooves down, the most obvious of ways indeed, despite being the riskiest. There are absolutely plus points to it. Judging by the rank Sandalwood was at, he was sure to have excellent mastery of magic that could match Linen to a certain extent. He might just be able to break the magic trap. And there would be zero suspicion whatsoever given his status.

But in Velvet’s mind, she could only see the risks. She faced expulsion without a doubt, and the worst addition to that would be banishment to Celestia knows where. Sandalwood would probably be charged for misconduct, if not treason. Velvet cringed at wondering what that would lead to.

And even if they managed to go into the archives, how long would they take to find the book? And getting out was another question, too. Since neither Velvet nor Spike had the magic to disable the trap from the inside. Even if they found what they were looking for, they would almost certainly lose it in the end.

Why did Canterlot go all this way just to secure some old scrolls?

“Or, I can request a special clearance permit for us, maybe in a fortnight at the very best. We can go in at night and you can spend all that time looking for that book of yours,” the guard suggested.

“But wouldn’t they ask you, like, a lot of things? Like, what you want to do at that hour of the night?” Spike asked.

“Rest assured that I can come up with something. You know how I play.”

A fortnight meant two weeks’s worth of waiting. It meant two weeks of agony and frustration waiting for the day. What if the archives suddenly burned down? What if the scrolls turned to dust? So many scenarios ran through Velvet’s head. To her, two weeks was an eternity. It was too long to wait even an hour! In two weeks, if she had had the book by now, she would’ve written another book to comment on the book itself!

It was riskier than breaking into the archives.

“Sandy, I’ll go with it.”

“Go with what?”

“Your first plan. Let’s do it. Tonight.”

The guard stumbled. Tonight? It was too soon. He wasn’t in charge tonight and that meant the library would be guarded by other ponies. He had thought that it would be better to wait for his shift. And besides, wouldn’t they need a bit more time to plan this through? Especially the escape part?

“Now wait a minute. I know my plan is great but I don’t think we should do it tonight. We should wait for my shift in two days.”

“Yeah. And you still have the Princesses to ask,” Spike said, wishing that she would reconsider.

Spike wasn’t too keen on doing these kind of stuff. He had had his share of toils and troubles with her when she was younger, often getting caught sneaking around in places that are off their limits. And of course, he had had his share of punishments, too. But of all the things they had been through, this would be one with the biggest consequences. It’s one risky business.

“We’ll be okay. I trust Sandy, and I trust you too, Spike. We’ll break into the archives tonight.”

“Vel, can we please wait till tomorrow? Or some other day? I really have a bad feeling about tonight,” Spike pleaded to his friend.

“I’m going, Spike. With or without you. This is too big for me to pass.”

He had no choice. Velvet was always like this whenever she wanted something so bad. Why else would she have gotten caught many times, other than trying to get herself into things that are too big for her? And for every time they succeeded in escaping, it was thanks to him. He wished that she was a little more considerate the next time. It might save her flank for all he knew.

He sighed. “Here we go again. I still have nightmares about last month, when we ended up in that detention area in Manehattan.”

“Alright, if that’s what you both prefer, then I’ll go get the keys. We’ll meet up at the garden before midnight,” Sandalwood said.

“Great. So how about the escape plan? I can’t cast any magic and neither can Spike. Do we make a run for it then?”

The guard scratched his head, then shook it. “Not a good idea. They’ll catch you before you can even make it out of the library.”

“Then how about I send you a message through my flame?” Spike asked.

“I would’ve been nice, if it weren’t for the permanent seal that the Academy planted in the walls. Your flame ain’t gonna pass through.”

“Then you’ll come and get us,” Velvet said. “We’ll wait for you to come back.”

“That, I can do. But it would be too obvious if I were to return in an hour or so. I might have to come back before dawn, when the guards change shift. You think you two could stay in for that long?”

A whole night in the archives? Who wouldn’t want to do that? Just the thought of it made Velvet’s eyes gleam with desire.

“You betcha. We’ll have tons of fun in there, right Spike?” The dragon could only smile half-heartedly.

This was going to be it. All the hard work she had put on her search was finally coming to a pay. If she finds it, there was no doubt that she would be the most talked-about pony in that magic school. Her name would go down in history as the earth pony that had cracked the secrets of magic history. Even the Academy would speak of her for the centuries to come.

Starswirl the Bearded Wing, Canterlot Library, Part 3

"Thank you for your time."

Two ponies gently nodded their heads to each other, in a display of courtesy and respect. One pony, dressed in layers of shirts and coats made his way towards the exit. He took hold of the door with his magic and slowly brought it to a close, leaving the other pony alone in her room. The pony, who donned silver horseshoes and a black chestplate, and a coat with a tint one could find during the final moments of sunset along with an azure mane and tail, turned her head away from the door.

She skimmed through the writing in front of her. The notes about Equestrian society in the twentieth century. It was just some other facts, figures and axioms from another lesson. Celestia had made it one of the mutually-agreed 'punishments' she had to endure. She needed to catch up with the last thousand years of development in all facets of life; it was important - in Celestia's opinion - for her to get to know her surroundings as soon as possible. But this particular note is important: it was her last one.

After a month of admittedly boring talks and lectures, she was finally done with it (not to mention being done early today as well). She knew what trains were and to where they take oneself. She understood that Equestrian trade activities beyond its border depended significantly on the stability of the griffons, and that the sea creatures guaranteed ponies safe passage across the Western Ocean towards the Eastern Lands, allowing ships to commute. Heck, she'd known enough material to replace a quarter of the Equestrian administration herself!

She's ready, as far as she knew.

But despite this new knowledge, she wondered if it was really anything she really needed at all? Admittedly, she hadn't been paying the fullest of attentions throughout the lessons. Rather, she was entertaining the prospect of doing what she hadn't tried to do a thousand years ago.

Princess Luna stared through the windows of her room. Outside the colossal glass panes, the sun began to descend. The hour of dusk was approaching. Soon, it would be her moon's turn to be ushered into the Equestrian center stage. Time sure had passed quickly on Earth. Back on that ghastly sphere, a day of wait on her count was like an eternity. Although she really hadn't started counting until the last moments of her stay.

Being back sure was good.

Bored with being captive for at least eight mentally laborious hours a day in her own abode, she decided to rejoin her sister. She had told her before class that she was free in the hours after noon, and that she would be waiting for her. It seemed funny though, how Celestia suggested that an Academician (its what she calls them) took her stead in lecture, instead of teaching her herself. She would have made an excellent teacher.

Luna lifted herself up and trotted towards the door. On her way, she crossed by her vanity mirror and saw her reflection on it. Compared to her original physique, she was currently a dwarf. It was unclear to her how she became so petit. The effect of the Elements of Harmony had surely something to do with it, but nopony had bothered looking for an answer. And it didn't seem to bother Celestia either. And it definitely did not bother herself anyway. She could get used to this... lower-profile appearance, for a while.

The last month had been tough on her. Came back from the moon after a millennium, terrorized some ponies and got her flank handed to her, recovered from being a baddie but still had many ponies doubt her reform. All that, and topped with coping with a virtually new world. Celestia assured her many times that all was well now. But she wasn't completely convinced. Even a petty citizen would know that although redemption comes at a cost, sometimes it might not be in store at all. Especially for what she had done.

'Am I worthy of this second chance?'

She dispelled the question as quickly as it came. She did not need to make the situation any worse. What kind of question was that, anyway? Of course she was deserving of a second chance! Had Celestia wanted to, she would have actually gotten rid of her for real! She'd gotten a first chance by being banished. And yet another one when she was completely spared from execution after being defeated by the Elements of Harmony. Those were proof enough.

She exited her quarters and made her way downstairs. This old castle was not what she was used to. Her old castle was back in the Everfree Forest. This one was a remnant of the old unicorn monarchies, during the time Princess Platinum exercised her reign. It was unfortunate enough that she was assassinated. Nopony had seen it coming. Especially not after Hearth's Warming. It seemed to Luna that forming ties of friendship was not a little filly's job. 'That purple unicorn must really be Celestia's prized pupil if she really was sent to study about friendship,' Luna thought to herself.

She continued past tall pillars of sparkling white marble, gleaming silver pony armors, pristine oak doors and red velvet curtains, going up flights of carpeted stone stairs, until she emerged onto the topmost observation platform of the castle. If she recalled her sister's words correctly, Celestia could always be found here during the hours of dusk. She turned her attention to the balustrades at the furthest point of the deck. Behind it, a white mare stood, looking into the horizon. From what Luna observed, her sister's sight was reaching far towards the Southern Borders, where the dragons lived.

"Are you spying on the dragons, Sister?"

Celestia snapped her head towards Luna. She knew Celestia had managed to stifle her surprised yelp: she saw her sister's muzzle clamping shut as quickly as she turned. "You can admit that you were surprised, Tia. You're not always going to get off the hook." Celestia was the type of pony that believed that as an example to her subjects, she had to be unwavered. One could not have a lax resolve, for it signals a defect in one's position on the top of the hierarchy. And so, it wasn't easy to surprise her. She would always be described as a rock. But all ponies can be caught off guard. So, if preparations weren't enough, then-

"The sun seemed a little bit... off."

she changes the subject.

Luna wasn't amused with it, but decided not to pay any more heed to whatever it was she had been doing. She made her way towards the balustrades. "I was done early today. I didn't want to wait any further, so I came here," she said as she observed the bright horizon slowly blending into colors of the night. Little by little the warmth of day dissipated, replaced by the cool air of dusk. "I've always missed this view back then. On the moon, the sunsets didn't have any color at all. It was as bland as its surface."

Celestia turned her attention towards the Sun. "Such a beautiful sight," she said with an emphasis, trotting gently towards her sister. She thought hard about what to say next. But she didn't find anything meaningful.

"Tia, I believe I am done with the lessons. I'm ready now," Luna said as she shifted her gaze towards the stars above, eyeing one or two of them that looked a bit dimmer than the rest.

Celestia spied her little sister. "I see. I'd never thought you'd be done with it so quickly," she said.

She had been anticipating this moment. Once Luna had finished her reformation and catching-up, she would be ready to reclaim her throne and title as vice ruler of Equestria. But she couldn't deny the fact that deep inside herself, Celestia still felt insecure about her newly-reformed sister. In fact, it was about the only thing which had been on her mind for the last month, since her return.

Truth be told, the past month was hard on her, too. Sure, it was fun to have a close company: a long-lost blood relative at that. But one who had been corrupted? And who had been sent away for a thousand years and recently came back, only to cause trouble again? The Elements and Twilight's band of friends did stop her and got rid of her disease: that was certain. To forgive was one thing, to forget, the other. And to start again was a yet another thing. How will Luna react now? Was she still clinging to her past? Or has she really moved on?

Was she still angry at her, for having abandoned her in her time of need? Was she still disappointed in her?

These questions hadn't been given proper answers. Celestia felt that if she didn't master this situation as soon as possible, then she would be powerless to prevent history from repeating itself. And she wasn't ready for another thousand winters to go on without Luna by her side. She swore to herself that she would be dedicated to comprehend her needs and understand her sister better.

In the year before she succumbed to the darkness, she had suddenly decided to step down as vice-ruler of Equestria. She had never told Celestia her reasons, and had just upped and left her throne. A month of solitude later, her demeanor had changed, and she became more aggressive and selfish. Although she no longer held any power, she frequently (and forcefully) suggested to do things that didn't sit well with her sister. Ideas that were dictatorial in Celestia's eyes, and thus had never seen acceptance. Luna had begun to accuse her of authoritarianism and had wanted to oust her. The rest was as history knew it.

Celestia had publicly blamed it all on one thing: lust for power and glory the likes of which she had. Celestia had been the centerpiece of Equestria for a very long time, but Luna had always been in the shadows, even when they both shared the throne equally. But she knew that that was just a sugar-coat cover story for something that was much more delicate: something she had decided to write off in favor of her subjects, and the price of which she had paid in full due. She suspected-with a high probability-that it was due to the pain of the tragic death of her dearest friend that same year of her succumbing.

That, and on the other hoof, her own neglect for her sister's wounds. Behind her stoic facade, Celestia was more scared than ever.

"Now hear me sister," Luna said, pausing to find her words, "I confess that I had been very... selfish, in my past actions. I understand if you still cling onto your fears of me becoming The Nightmare once again." She trotted closer to her sister.

"But I have decided."

"What is it, Luna?" Celestia asked rather spontaneously as she turned to face her sister, unsure of where she was going with her thoughts.

"I have decided... that I do not want to reclaim my crown."

Celestia was taken aback, but still unsure of why. She quickly ran half-way through a list of possibilities before deciding it was better for her sister to do the honor of explanation. "Go on, explain to me."

"Much of what I did in the past was because of jealousy. You had many subjects who adored you, while I had none. I wanted something the likes of that which you had. Subjects who look up to you day and night. Ponies who held you up to the highest of regards."

Luna trotted away from her elder sister towards a section of the platform overlooking the mountains.

"But it wasn't power that I wanted. Nay, I know I am powerful enough. Not one pony from as north as the Crystal Empire down to the Southern Borders of Equestria could stand as I do."

She turned to face her sister. "All I wanted were... friends, Celestia."

Celestia turned her head away, in shame more than surprise. Luna turned her view towards a garden. A garden whose bushy border marked the edge of Canterlot castle, giving way to the solid rocks far below. She gave a cynical laugh, wondering to herself why some band of considerably ignorant architects had never thought about putting up some safety features if they had planned on using hedges as walls.

"You know, after she left me, I didn't really have friends anymore. There was nopony for me to share my pain of loss and grief. It didn't help that ponies were beginning to accuse me for her death then, either. I tried to make peace with what had happened, but all my subjects, they only distanced themselves from me. I really... was alone all these years."

Celestia ran towards Luna and without a warning, she grabbed her sister and pulled her into a comfortable embrace. Her head wrapped and held Luna tightly by her chest. She didn't speak a word as she sobbed. She waited for Luna to deliver her justice. Slap her in the face for having been negligent, grab her by magic and throw her off the cliff for having turned her face away from her during her time of utmost need, or kick her in the chest for having banished her to the Moon. Anything.

"We weren't the closest of sisters, but I turned to you, Tia. I thought that I... that I... would get a shoulder to cry on. Some... kind words, o-or maybe j-just a hu... hug. Maybe you could sh-shush me to sleep w-when I cry."

Luna was shaking. Celestia was crying audibly.

"Why did you leave me?" Luna asked, as a stream of tear fell from her eyes.

The two sisters stood by the sunset, crying over their broken friendship. Each drop of tear carried with it hate, guilt, sorrow, longing and coldness. Slowly, the chasm of a thousand years began to mend itself. Gone were those years of sleeping alone at night, and staring at each other from across the sky. Far away were the guilt and pains of the heart.

"I've missed you so much Luna! I'm sorry! I should never have left you!"

"Promise me, you'll never leave me again. That I'm not just your equal in might, but that I'm your sister," Luna said, wiping the tears from her cheeks, "your little sister."

"With all my heart Luna. I promise with all my heart." The alicorns shared a warm and long-overdue hug.

The sisters felt a gentle tug of magic beckoning them. The Sun and Moon called forth their caretaker, calling to them for their time to switch places. The Sun's aura washed over the lands, enveloping Equestria with a sense of restfulness. The Moon radiated her own magic, bringing calmness over the kingdom.

"Shall we do the honor, together?" asked Celestia, wiping fresh tears from her visage.

"With pleasure, sister," Luna replied as she sniffled.

Magic permeated through the air as Celestia and Luna summoned the arcane magic from within themselves. The two alicorns seized their celestial objects, and slowly began to switch their places, Celestia putting the Sun to sleep and Luna waking the Moon up. The large ball of fire gave a last salute in the form of a bright flash of green and orange. Then, all of Equestria was blanketed in darkness, save for a lantern in the sky. The Moon glowed softly, accompanied by twinkling stars.

Celestia let her magic fade away, but Luna maintained the spell. She concentrated harder, mustering every ounce of mana she had. Her face showed the mighty strain of maintaining the magical field. "What are you doing?" Celestia asked, surprised and worried.

"Wait and see, sister."

She gave a final jolt of energy. Then, all of a sudden, the stars shone as bright as flares, lasting only an instant of an instant. It was bright enough for even the griffons to notice. The stars quickly shied back to their dormant state, save for a few that shone brighter than before. These bright stars were purposely chosen so as to make a certain shape easy for the observers to trace. Said shape was in the form of two alicorns circling the Sun and Moon. It was the shape of the Equestrian standard.

"All done."

Celestia let herself be awed by the spectacle. "I'm impressed, sister."

Luna smirked. It felt really good to have earned a compliment from the ever-powerful ruler of Equestria. "Let this be a sign of peace for the years to come. I want everypony to see it."

The two sisters stood side by side in silence as they eyed the night sky. For the both of them, this day marked a turning point in their lives, and also a new era in the history of Equestria. Celestia smiled gleefully as she was reminded of the great days of their rule in the past. She couldn't hide her happiness that showed on her face, no matter how hard she may try. It really felt good having Luna by her side.

"Well, now that you have decided to relinquish the throne to me, what are you going to do?" Celestia asked.

The Princess of the Night frowned. She had only thought as far as not reclaiming her throne, but not what to do next. This was a tricky one. On one hand, she was free to do what she needed, but what exactly does she need? She had said that all she wanted were friends, and maybe she should go out into the world and make some. But how? For the past millennia, she never had any other friend but that unicorn.

What was 'making friends' like? How do you do it? Does the Academy have lessons for this?

"Why don't you help me at the School for Gifted Unicorns?"

That was a surprise. "Help you at your School?" Luna replied with a question. That had never crossed her mind for a single instant.

"Yes, become a teacher or an assistant or, if you fancy it, a mentor, even. There are many bright and talented students over at the School. You'll definitely love it."

Bright and talented. It seemed the ideal type of friend for Luna, not to mention a matching type as well. Both the sisters knew that Luna had a penchant for knowledge. And she had always pursued wisdom down to its very foundation. And Luna had to admit that she did prefer the company of ponies that were well-versed and learned.

She could use a friend like that as well.

"I suppose that isn't a bad idea. I may be able to meet more ponies there and make some friends, and share my knowledge. I will think about this, sister." Luna pondered as she looked to the sky.

Celestia smiled. "Take your time, dear sister. I gladly await your decision. Now come. Let us dine."

Celestia and Luna made their way down towards the banquet hall. All the while, the princess of the night kept thinking to herself. 'A mentor. That would be interesting. Wasn't I a mentor of some sort when she was still alive. Speaking of her, I wonder if it's still there?'

Luna made a note to herself to drop by the library after dinner.

Manuscript #362

Manuscripts on my thoughts about Tolpott’s Basis Matrix and Clover’s Condition

I have humbly concluded my thoughts on the theories brought forth by Herr Schenkel Tolpott and a student of my very own, Miss Clover the Clever, about the constructs by which one creature-without any regards to his or her archetype-is able to transform and transmute the fabrics of magic. As we already know, the Academy has indeed agreed upon the existence of a magical ether that any creature type can wield, albeit not in a similar manner, and this was many fortnights ago. Ever since, not a single creature had questioned the decision. But if one’s thought goes further than mere shallow remarks, a question remains: how exactly does one grab hold of the invisible? How would an earthen pony or a dragon do as such?

Herr Tolpott postulates that this ether has a structure: one that I myself am not able to grasp with an image. His mind-image of it was of a never-ending, minutely-thin and constant facet that meet at a square’s point, like a never-ending scroll of never-ending width, made to stand on its side and placed on another similar scroll. He called it the basis matrix. What an odd word. It fascinates me, however, as I have never imagined it to be as such. Knowing magic is one thing, but to give it a shape is another. Nevertheless, such a structure is nothing more than a notion. I have yet to explore it in more depth.

This basis matrix can be wielded because of the existence of the pine-body: a vestibular organ in our brains. This part worries me. The Academy has had studies sent to it about this particular organ, and none has been accepted. It is just impossible to prove that the pine-body has a function. I suspect Herr Tolpott may have made a blind guess and this will not enlighten the Academy. I must make my point: I respect Herr Tolpott. Not many griffons cared to converse with us ponykinds, let alone on topics further than petty talks. He has a respect for magic and regards all of us as brothers and sisters in study. But I think he was careless in this venture. I do pray however that the Academy’s remarks will be gentle on him. I do not wish to take any sides for now.

Miss Clever expanded the idea by saying that a certain condition is needed to activate the pine-body. Of course, each creature type may not wield it similarly. She postulates that each creature type has different manners of control over the pine-body. And these manners are what she refers to as conditions. For example, I may control the pine-body in some parts because I am a unicorn. The condition thus arises from, perhaps, somewhere in me.

I bolded that perhaps because this axiom does not fall under the topic of magic. It is a subfocus of magical biology: one that I rather not confound with what is at hoof. It is based too much on assumptions that may never see the light of truth. I have met creatures from East and West who confide to me their studies, and they have yet to show a sign of confidence. They argue too much, as if they were philosophers and thinkers rather than magicians. I am disappointed to see her indulge in this nonsensical field more than she did with magic, but I will not stop her. It is best to let her be what she sees is best for her own self. She has her own path to glory set before her.

But I truly fear for her. She has a vision too grand for her own self. I fear that she may be led astray from discipline into greed and that greed may corrupt her. She spends her time with ponies of dark ancestries, and to me it spells trouble. In the eyes of others, she is a noble and gentle pony. But I see through the veils, and I do not like the darkness that I can see. I hope I can do things justice before I am one with the stars. And I feel that it is near.

I have never expected to have this on script, but let this be a reminder for me to redeem a dear student. One that I have come to regard as my very own flesh and blood.

Manuscript #1063

I dedicate this memoir to my faithful teacher, the Grand Magician Starswirl the Bearded, whom I have come to regard as my father. May he rest in the bliss of the Meadows of Eternity forever.

I write this in times of trouble. The passing of my mentor had affected me greatly, and I think no amount of consolation would ever do me right ever again. My heart aches because I did not see him the day he died. Rather, I had abandoned him. We had a quarrel the night before, and I left without saying a word. Now that he is gone, how could I ever be forgiven?

King

Luna had been consoling me from the very beginning. She stood by my side during the funeral, and to this day still stands by me when I need closure. I confided much about Starswirl to her, even though I know she knew Starswirl as much as I knew him. It is good to have friends who cared.

Sehrgroß

To rid me of my sorrow, she suggested that I write a memoir about him. She urged for me to tell the world about his magnificence, and not let any single creature be ignorant of who he was. Thus I dedicate my blood, sweat and tears for his remembrance.

Library

Teacher, I beg your forgiveness. I am an imperfect and overzealous student. But allow me to carry your legacy forward and put it on the highest pedestal, so that all may see your workings.

Find it

Day of the Summer Sun, Year 15 since the Crowning,
Clover the Clever