Forgotten Legacy

I glanced back and forth at the design in the spell book and what I had etched out in chalk on the floor of an empty lab in the back side of my castle. The large, round room allowed space for plenty of magic experiments without the clutter of space.

I finished the third concentric circle and then drew a hexagon between the middle and innermost circles. A downward pointing triangle went into the hexagon, and then I connected all the angles of the hexagon with their opposite.

I looked at my reference again, then at the intersection of the lines and the triangle I drew circles and filled them with three arcane symbols, the symbols of Mana, Will, and Life. I walked along the circle and filled the outer circle with the formulae required for this spell.

“This is not a good idea,” Sunset said behind me. “Actually, on the scale of one to ten, this is around a twenty.”

“It’s the only way to trace the emanations,” I said. “Not one of the letters and scrolls showed any trace of mantic signature, and the remnants of the spell impetus that took over Starlight are little more than ash.”

Sunset yanked the book from my grasp while I was distracted. “But Neighlin’s Principles?” she said, setting the book on a reading stand. “Her theories about mantic threads were never proven, and all the family had left at the funeral was her horn and a foreleg. Do you realize how dangerous this ritual is? Where did you even get a copy of her work?”

“In the restricted section,” I said, looking at the conjury circle. “I read all of the text.”

“Reading a text doesn’t always mean you’re knowledgeable in the principles,” Sunshine said, entering the room with a still pale Starlight in tow. “Theory is often different in practice, I should know.”

“There has to be another way to trace this,” Starlight said. Her voice was so soft and hoarse it was painful to listen to. “Scan me. Maybe there’s enough residual magic to figure out what was done.”

I couldn’t look at her. The scorch mark on the end of her horn pained me just as much as it probably had her.

“Don’t blame yourself,” Sunset said, resting a hoof on my shoulder. “You couldn’t have known.”

I looked at the circle I had drawn and had a flash of memory, the two brothers trying to activate this themselves, the terror as it started to backfire.

I was better than that.

"How is she?" Sunshine asked as she braided her mane for sleep.

"She's finally asleep," I said as I walked into the room Sunshine and I had decided to stay in. "It took Spike slipping something into her tea, but she's asleep. Starlight is erasing the circle and hiding the book before she heads to bed."

“This is bad,” Sunshine said to me as we laid down. “Twilight is really taking this hard.”

I nodded, my fiery mane swirling slightly. “She never would have turned to something like that if she were thinking straight. I'm glad we were here to stop it though.” I stretched my wings and settled down, one draped over the Unicorn.

“What exactly is it?” Sunshine asked.

“Neighlin theorized that all mana leaves a trail, like strings in a tapestry,” I said. “The thaumaturgic circle Twilight drew is what was supposed to reveal the weave.”

“What is thaumaturgy exactly? I don’t have the structured learning you do.”

“To make it simple, thaumaturgy deals with the transference of mana from point to point,” I said, trying to remember back to my schooling. “As above, so below, and all that sort of thing. It’s usually used to enchant things or empower things. Similar to how our Elements empower us. Sometimes it’s also called enchantment”

“How many different types of magic are there?”

I thought hard. “Well, thaumaturgy, evocation, transmutation, divination, abjuration and illusion are the standard ones taught. I tend to lean more towards abjuration - which can block or deter magic and banish minor effects - and evocation. Usually, all Unicorns get some measure of evocative magic, being able to fire bolts of offensive force and telekinesis.”

“You used fire against Acerak,” she said. “I take it you lean more towards that?”

“Anger can tint evocation,” I said. “All emotions can color your magic. Mana is just a part of your life force, in all actuality. It’s not really understood how it was discovered or how it replenishes, and most modern theorists have given up trying to understand it.”

“You said those were the standard ones,” Sunshine said. “There are others?”

“Yes, but they’re generally considered forbidden talents,” I said. “Conjuration, the summoning of creatures from other locations or planes and enslaved to do your bidding is considered a violation of free will and safety of everypony. Domination magics, for obvious reasons. And Necromancy.”

“Magic of the Dead,” Sunshine said, whispering.

“Yeah,” I said. “It’s particularly abhorrent. Wraiths, ghosts, all manner of creatures, wrenched from their rightful rest.”

She stared at her pillow for a moment. “Where does what Twilight tried fall?”

“Borderline,” I muttered. “Neighlin’s theories come dangerously close to conjury and from what I understood of the symbols she wrote, they would have tapped not just her mana but her life force itself. It was dangerous and foolish.”

Sunshine turned toward me. “What if you were to put crystal matrices in the calculations?”

“Wouldn’t work,” I said. “Living mana always overrides dormant. It’s just the way it is.” I kissed her on the cheek. “It’s best not to think on it too much. These practices have been banned for a reason, Sunshine.

“We’ll get some rest, and come at it with fresh eyes in the morning.”