Chapters There was a certain addictive comfort in melancholy resignation, bemused Carpathios as he tread the polished marble walkways of Agathonis, the City of Light as it was once known. The sound of his footsteps, intermixed with the far sharper clack of his heqa staff hitting the stone, were some of the precious few noises to be heard on the main concourse of the city, echoing off the tall, polished spires, fittingly dull in the day’s overcast weather.
The entire scene was quite befitting of Carpathios’ mood. A frustratingly short time ago, these roads would have been lined with bright, open-aired pavilions. People from all statuses and walks of life would come to bask in the illumination that Magnathios and his mighty pupils gave. This was once a place where magic and knowledge flowed freely, and all efforts were for the betterment of the world. A place with a vision, now lost.
The pavilions and the crowds were gone now. The colorful banners had fallen into tattered disrepair. The spires that were once open and inviting were now sealed shut, while hidden away inside, lesser mages schemed and plotted ways to enhance their own station, ever searching for the secrets of those far greater than themselves.
The glory days of his home were gone.
At last, Carpathios arrived at his destination, the base of a great stepped pyramid. He entered through the main vaulted entrance into the Omniceum, the world’s greatest library, repository of millenia worth of knowledge, lore and arcana. Great shelves, taller than some castle walls, stood covered in myriad tomes, grimoires and codices. The spectacle was usually enough to overwhelm most minds.
Carpathios, despite his position as the former Mage King’s personal pupil, did not possess the same intuitive knowledge of the Omniceum as its librarians. He sought one out immediately, pleased as he identified his old friend Soptek amongst the faintly musty books. The wizened old figure in maroon robes smiled as he noticed the younger mage’s approach.
“Greetings, Proctek,” Soptek said as he turned to look at Carpathios, using the old honorific he had earned from his tutelage at the Mage King Magnathios’ side. Soptek was one of the few that still used it, since the sudden and perplexing disappearance of the king. Despite the fact that he had gained that position from his own intellectual prowess and force of will, his respect had subtly but noticeably declined.
“Greetings to you, Chief Librarian. I was hoping you might be able to help you with a project of mine. I’ve been researching various forms of traversing the Veil...”
Twilight Sparkle was sitting out on her porch on this fine sunny day, reading yet another book on magic. Today, she had chosen to study the complete works of Neighcoli Sparkla, a contemporary of Starswirl the Bearded. At the time, unicorns looked at him with derision, thinking him to be little more than a charlatan and madpony. However, recent advances in magic had proven him right about many of his once critized theories.
As she was attempting to concentrate on a passage about Sparkla’s theory on magical resonance, she felt a strange buzzing in her horn. Rubbing her temple with a hoof, she tried to shake off the feeling. After a few seconds it passed. Curious, and perhaps a slight bit concerned, she marked her place in the book and went back inside her home and the library.
“Spike, do you know where the book on strange unicorn ailments is?” Twilight asked as she began searching through the library’s medical section.
“Twilight, you’re not going to try and self...umm, what was that word you used again?” her baby dragon assistant said as he climbed down the ladder from where he had been dusting another shelf of books.
“Self-diagnose,” the unicorn said, remembering the particular incident in question. “And like I said before, anyone could have made that mistake. The symptoms all seemed to be a match. And I’ve learned my lesson; from now on, I’ll see a professional before I jump to any conclusions. I just felt a buzzing in my horn and need to see if its anything to worry about.”
“Alright, but I am not gathering mucus samples for you,” Spike said as he recovered the desired book. Twilight held it in front of her, suddenly dropping it as the peculiar sensation returned, stronger than before. It lasted a bit longer than the last time. She shook her head, trying to clear her head. Surprisingly, Spike seemed to be rubbing his belly.
“Twilight, I think I felt something too,” he said at her quizzical expression.
“Well, this changes things,” the unicorn scholar said, reshelving the medical text and pulling several others off and placing them at her desk. “It would appear that the cause is external, since it would be highly unlikely for us to be affected at the same time. Unless my horn buzzing was causing your tummy trembling, then I might need to-” she was cut off by the largest bout of buzzing yet, which seemed to be growing in intensity. It spread from her horn to the rest of her body, then seemingly to the rest of the room.
“Spike, get out of here! I don’t know what’s wrong with me, but I can’t stop! You need to-” A strange noise came from outside, a massive sucking sound. This built up for a few seconds before a thunderclap was heard, accompanied by a bright red flash from the center of town.
“Or,” Spike said, “It could be caused by that.”
Twilight took a moment to calm down. “Yes, that would make sense,” she said. “Well, let’s go check it out then. Based on my reaction, it was some sort of magical phenomenon, but not one I’ve ever heard of.” Her eyes lit up, and she grabbed several books, a quill and ink, and a roll of parchment. “We’re going to discover something new!” she exclaimed excitedly.
As they made for the front door, it unexpectedly burst open, revealing Pinkie Pie, even more excited than usual, a state Twilight had previously thought impossible.
“Twilight! Have you seen it? It’s so big and tall! And mysterious and shiny! And loud and surprising! And TALL!” the pink earth pony blurted at her usual rapid pace.
“Calm down, Pinkie,” Twilight said, despite the fact she wasn’t even sure if her request was possible at the moment. “No I haven’t seen it, Spike and I were just on our way to investigate. What happened?”
“Well, I was baking a batch of cookies for Dinky’s birthday next week. I decided cookies because I already knew her mom was making her muffins, and muffins are good, but muffins and cookies are better. Well so are muffins and cupcakes, but I made her cupcakes last year, so I decided to mix it up. So anyway, I was baking the cookies...”
“Pinkie...”
“I was getting there, Twi. Anyway, I was baking the cookies when my knee twitched, then my tail twitched, then my shoulder ached. That means something strange is about to happen. So I go to look out the window, and whoosh-bang! And then, I saw it! It was big and tall, and mysterious and shiny, and loud and surprising, and TALL! Then I came here.” Pinkie finished with a smile.
Twilight sighed. “Well, I guess we’d better go see this for ourselves. Come on, Spike,” she said, donning her saddlebags. Spike hopped onto her back, and they headed out, Pinkie bouncing beside them.
By the time Twilight had reached the town square, ostensibly the source of the strange event, she had noticed the town seemed deserted. It was likely that whatever Pinkie had seen had spooked the mostly timid townsponies. Occasionally she saw a few faces in the windows giving her nervous looks.
They arrived in the center of town, and Twilight got a good look at the strange creature that was the apparent source of the day’s commotion. It was in fact tall, standing about twice the height of an average pony. This was likely due in no small part to the fact that the creature stood on two legs like a minotaur or diamond dog. It wore a bright red robe, covered in golden, gem-encrusted ornaments. Most conspicuous was the bright, polished sundisk it wore on a yoke over its chest. A pair of gracefully curving golden branches sprouted from the yoke on its shoulders, coming up to its eye level. Upon its head it wore a headdress consisting of a headband placed over a red hood, with a large crest in the middle of its forehead. In its hand, it grasped a large stick covered in blue and gold bands, perfectly straight save for the top end, which was curved into a crescent.
As Twilight approached, it turned to her, giving her a good look at its face. Flat, it was mostly hairless, save what looked like a few strands of sand-colored mane poking out from under the headdress. It had pale skin, a small triangular shaped nose, and a pair of unusually small slate-grey eyes, glimmering with intelligence.
Twilight cleared her throat. “Ahem, hello.. My name is Twilight Sparkle, and on behalf of Princess Celestia, I would like to welcome you to the land of Equestria and the town of Ponyville.” She waited for its response, smiling a touch nervously, perhaps.
The creature nodded its head. “I graciously accept your welcome. I am Carpathios, Proctek of Magnathios, the Mage King of Agathonis, and Magus of the Seventh Intonation.”
Soptek found Carpathios in an isolated wing of the Omniceum, face deep in one of the countless arcane texts stored within the labyrinth of shelves. The mage paused his reading only long enough to jot something down on the parchment he had brought with him. He then returned to the book, flipping through its wafer-thin metal pages, the writing on them etched by needle rather than inked with quill.
That got Soptek intrigued. Comparatively very few books were fashioned in such a matter, despite Soptek’s desire that all items in the Omniceum should have one such copy. Such a tome could last for thousands of years if properly cared for, and would be practically indestructible. Unfortunately the process was exceedingly long and labor-intensive, even with the use of magic. A single book could take the good part of a decade to copy. Soptek practiced the craft himself, and continued to transfer the contents of precious works to their sturdier bindings.
“Ever the diligent scholar, hmm Carpathios?” Soptek asked as it became clear his friend had not noticed his approach.
Without looking up, Carpathios responded, “Some things are worth total devotion, Soptek. Some things aren’t, even though some people seem content to give it to them.” He pause for a moment, his face darkening at those last words as though recalling a particularly sour memory. “But some things are, and I believe what I have found warrants mine. Do you recall what I said the other morning about traversing the Veil?”
“Yes, and as I said then, it is a strange and poorly understood art. Very few paths exist through the Veil, at least those that are known of. Those who tread such paths report finding strange, foreign lands filled with bizarre creatures, and are held with some distrust. It is held to be common wisdom amongst those who practice magic that they should be left alone.”
Carpathios looked up, shaking his head in disgust. “That is exactly the sort of mindset this city was founded to abolish. Do you not recall when Magnathios said, ‘The mysteries of the universe are ours to solve’? Yet you speak of the Veil paths with the ignorance and suspicion I would expect from the fear-mongering peasants that speak of Agathonis as though its name were a curse.”
Soptek blinked in suprise. He remained silent for a moment, before bowing his head. “You remind me once again of why the Mage King chose you as his Proctek. You are right, of course, and I think there are few as suited as you for taking on such an unknown frontier. Still, it is best if you proceed with caution. I must ask, though, why have you chosen to pursue this line of inquiry?”
“I’ve had a vision,” Carpathios said. “I was deep in contemplation, peering into the Veil. Now and again I will do this, and catch glimpses of the future, the past, or events occurring far away. This time, I saw a great Power on a distant world. It shone like a great beacon of spectral light, piercing the dark mists of time and space. I caught brief glimpses of possible futures, and do you know what I saw?”
“I am no magi-” Soptek caught himself using the common, but in this case highly inappropriate, expression. He laughed, saying, “No, I am indeed a magician, but the reading of the mind is not within my skills. So tell me, that I may learn.”
Carpathios smiled. “I saw the glory of Agathonis restored.”
Carpathios finished delivering his formal titles. He didn’t believe that this Twilight Sparkle would know what they meant, but he assumed that they would sound impressive nonetheless. He looked her over. She appeared to be a form of unicorn, which confused him. Unicorns as he knew them were solitary creatures, preferring the company of the fey to mortals, and shunning civilised areas in favor of the wilds. Of course they were also universally white, and much larger than this lavender creature, which made it seem likely that she was of a very different breed. He would have to set aside what he knew about his homeland and approach with an open mind.
To her credit, she took his litany of appellations without apparent difficulty. “Well then, mister Carpathios, or should I address you as Proctek Carpathios, or just Proctek? Or Magus Carpathios? Regardless, I have many questions for you, if you would be so kind as to answer them?”
Though he kept his expression neutral, inside Carpathios was beaming. Not only was she keen enough to remember all of his titles only after one statement, when he looked at her with his Veil eyes, she positively shone like a beacon. Clearly she possessed immense power, and an equally impressive mind. He could only conclude she was a mage of great skill, which was fortuitous for him.
“Just Carpathios will do for now. I would be happy to share my knowledge, especially considering I am an uninvited guest. I did not believe, however, that my arrival would be met with such significant, well, disapproval.”
Twilight raised a hoof. “Don’t take it personally.” She looked behind her, calling out, “It’s alright everypony, he’s friendly. You can go ahead and come out now.”
Carpathios observed silently as ponies of all shapes, sizes and colors emerged. He suddenly found a bright pink face, wreathed in preternaturally buoyant hair, less than half a foot from his own. Bright blue eyes stared into his. He closed his eyes for a second, peering into the Veil directly in front of him. As he opened his eyes, he was not entirely certain precisely what he had seen.
“...so then I was like, ‘I wonder if he likes cupcakes?’ but then I realized, of course you do, everyone likes cupcakes! But then I wondered what type of cupcake you would like, and I realized, I can’t bake you your favorite cupcakes if I don’t know what your favorite cupcakes were! Then I thought, ‘Silly filly, you don’t know any new pony’s favorite flavor, so you always put out a few of all flavors.’ Of course you’re not a pony, but that just means you’re, like newer than new! Ya know?”
Carpathios simply stood there, dazed by the torrent of words that had gushed forth from this being’s mouth. He remained quiet, trying in vain to formulate the best response for what he had believed to be a question.
“I like orange cupcakes,” he said without really thinking. “As in, the fruit.”
He noted quite quickly that he may have made a mistake in his choice of words. Her eyes widened, pupils shrinking to pinpricks. She turned on her heel and sped back down the road, a look of pure horror on her face. “Torn Veil, was it something I said?” Carpathios asked, perplexed.
Twilight turned and looked at him, apparently as confused as he was. “I don’t think so. I’ve never seen Pinkie bake an orange cupcake, so I’m guessing you just told her there exists a form of cupcake she’s never heard of. That’s something of a big deal.”
“So it would seem,” Carpathios still didn’t comprehend what just happened, but a quick scan of the crowd through the Veil showed that this Pinkie was an exception, and most of these ponies’ auras looked fairly normal, aside from a few brighter ones. It seemed that those bright lights came from the unicorns. He also noted that in addition to unicorns, there existed two other breeds, one with wings, and a seemingly mundane breed. He noted however that the pink one fit superficially into the last category, so there was more to them then initially apparent.
A new voice was heard. “So Twilight, who’s this new, uhh, what is he?” Carpathios looked up, beholding a sky blue winged pony with technicolor mane and tail.
Twilight cleared her throat. “Attention everypony. Let me introduce Carpathios.” She then seemed to blush as the crowd remained in silent expectation. Carpathios would’ve sworn he could hear crickets chirping. “Uhh, he comes from Agathonis, he’s the Proctek of the Mage King there. And he’s a magus of the seventh intonation.”
The flying one then remarked snidely, “You don’t even know what that means, do you?”
“Umm, no,” Twilight said, blushing.
Carpathios decided it was time for him to formally declare his intentions, and spare these ponies any further embarrassment. “I’ve come here out of a desire to explore new worlds and learn about their inhabitants. I can assure you I did not mean to appear so suddenly in the middle of your town.”
“Ahh, don’ worry about it,” said a voice in a heavy dialect. Carpathios followed the sound of the voice to another pony, this one a palomino with sand-colored mane and tail. “No harm done. Name’s Applejack.” She offered a hoof, which Carpathios assumed was a gesture in friendship as it was back home. Hoping he wasn’t doing something wrong, he grasped it, and was surprised at the amount of strength this Applejack possessed. “Ahh’d like to welcome you to Ponyville, and invite you to Sweet Apple Acres. Best food you ever tasted.”
“I’ll remember that, and thank you for the invitation.” Carpathios found it interesting that these ponies were so quick to trust. He was also a little pensive, remembering the reason he first came here. He found it hard to imagine that these ponies, as docile as they were, could wield the power he had initially seen through the Veil. Another possibility entered his mind; that the power was far greater than he initially had estimated, and ensured peace in the realm.
“Well, if you wish to learn, maybe we should go to the library?” Twilight asked. “As I said, I have a lot of questions to ask you. I’m sure we have a great deal to talk about.” Her aura shown a bright sanguine, proving she was far more excited than she revealed.
“Pardon my interruption,” one of the unicorns, snow-furred with indigo mane and tail, both painstakingly groomed, said in a well-cultured voice, “But first I must ask the most important question: where did you get such a magnificent ensemble?”
It was at that point Carpathios realized that his garb, while not out of place in Agathonis considering his position, might be considered excessive in Ponyville. Still, it was a bit comforting to know that it was still considered fashionable, if a bit exotic. He also noted that most of the ponies did not seem to be garbed at all, or only wearing one or two articles of clothing. He responded to the question as best he could. “It was fashioned in my home of Agathonis. It is the traditional garb of the Proctek.”
She seemed disappointed for a moment. “Well, nevertheless, thank you,” she said, her countenance rising, “I believe I have found inspiration. Oh! Due pardon my manners. My name is Rarity, and if you ever find yourself in need of additional outfits, you can find me at Carousel Boutique.” He listened as she gave directions, making sure he remembered properly. Regardless of the actual destination, it was important that he familiarized himself with the town.
“Well, we should really get going. You probably want to get settled in, and I have to report to Princess Celestia about all this.” Carpathios watched as Twilight began to head down the street, and the crowd slowly dispersed. Many of the ponies continued to watch him, however, their curiosity slowing them. He also noted that the dragon hatchling he had noticed earlier near Twilight was following her, confirming his suspicions that it was some form of assistant or familiar.
He began to follow her. “Of course.”
Carpathios had to bend down in order to fit through the door to the library, a structure that was crafted into a great tree. It reminded him in a way of a city he had read about, a Fae-blooded city called Valeris. The entire city was fashioned from one great mushroom.
While Twilight prepared some cushions for them to rest on, Carpathios absentmindedly picked up one of the volumes that had been laying on its side on a windowsill. It stood apart from the otherwise impeccably ordered room. Muttering an incantation of translation, he flipped through the pages. The book appeared to be a manual on machine design, the nature of which escaped him. Shrugging, he replaced the book where he had found it.
“Just a moment please,” the lavender unicorn said as she quickly penned a scroll. She then gave it to the dragon, who promptly burned it. Carpathios raised an eyebrow at this. “There, now that that’s out of the way, we have a lot to talk about! I guess my first question is, how did you get here?”
“I cast a spell,” Carpathios said as though it were the most obvious thing in the world.
Twilight giggled sheepishly. “Of course you did. How silly of me. But in that case, how? You don’t appear to have a horn.”
Carpathios raised his staff. “I use this heqa staff as my arcane focus. I’ve seen other items used, but this is the traditional means in the Agathonian School of arcana.”
“Wait, you use a stick? I mean, it’s just a regular stick? It’s not even attached to you.”
In response, he lit up the end of his staff, bathing the entire room in a rosy glow. “I think we have even more to discuss than you first thought,” he said to the now dumbstruck mare.
A voice called out through the Veil.
Soptek, can you hear me?
Indeed , another voice answered, worlds away. I’ve been keeping an eye on you. I assume you made it safely. What is this new world like?
Carpathios responded, Some things are different, but not as much so as I expected based on the more fanciful nature of the reports from those who went before me. I have gotten off to a good start, it seems, as the people I have met are very hospitable. I have even become acquainted with a very knowledgeable and powerful mage, though there is much I have to teach her.
So now the student is the teacher, Soptek mused. Magnathios would be proud to know that, despite all that has happened, you at least continue to shine the light of our city. Have you learned anything of the great power you spoke to me of?
Not yet, but I’m sure I’m not far from it. I will ask my hostess about it when we resume our discussion on magic tomorrow, Carpathios said before ending his meditation. It was late; he had discussed the nature of non-intrinsic spell-casting. He had made sure he had enough time after retiring to contact Soptek.
Now it was time for rest. Twilight had prepared a makeshift bed large enough to accommodate him, and tomorrow would be an important day.
Author’s Note: I’ve decided not to go into too much detail on the conversation between Carpathios and Twilight concerning magic. I think I would rather concentrate on advancing the plot of the story.
The sound of approaching footsteps brought their conversation to an abrupt halt. Carpathios and Soptek looked up, identifying the approaching figures. Their deep blue garments, common throughout the city these days, contrasted with Carpathios’ bright scarlet and Soptek’s maroon. Soptek wore what the old man had always worn, and no one thought any different about it; Carpathios’ attire was a statement declaring his adherence to the traditional ways. It set him apart from the rest of his colleagues.
The foremost member of the group of half a dozen magi stepped forward, raising his hand in greeting. “Fair visions to you, Carpathios. I have heard it said that you have begun a grand new endeavor deep within the Veil. I had thought you would not be content to simply master the existing arts, and you have proven me correct. I look forward to seeing the outcome of this most ambitious project, and am sure whatever the results will be, they will be spectacular.” He turned to Soptek as though noticing him for the first time. “And fair visions to you, librarian.”
Carpathios scowled at the verbal slight to his friend. This, combined with the layer of subtle mockery on the speaker’s words of praise had caused his ire to rise. Mentally, he recited the First Intonation to calm himself. “Fair visions to you as well, Ectellios. I did not expect you back so soon. I know how much you enjoy impressing the less experienced masses with your glorified parlor tricks. I will keep you informed as to how my actual magical research is progressing.”
Of all the magi he now dwelled with, there were few Carpathios felt embodied the new, lesser philosophy of Agathonis as much as Ectellios. The man cared only for how powerful he appeared, and nothing else. He flaunted his many accolades, gained mostly through the inelegant bludgeoning of his will, with his overly decorated outfit. While Carpathios was by no means arrayed conservatively, he was entirely within the bounds of his station. Ectellios exaggerated everything he did.
Ectellios laughed, a cue his social subordinates took, adding their own forced amusement to the cacophony. “Once again, you prove quite the sharp wit. Magnathios must have been quite amused by your company, to take you in such as he did. My mission has always been to educate those less knowledgeable in the arcane ways, so that as our former king said, ‘All the world may share in our knowledge.’ It is a great burden I had to shoulder that I was unable to learn more from him directly in the time he was here, but my duty called me elsewhere.”
At that point, several of Ectellios’ followers imposed themselves between him and Carpathios. Carpathios himself felt Soptek’s hand upon his shoulder. “By that, I am sure the Potent Ectellios simply meant that he wishes you well in your research, and offers his condolences to how personally our city’s great loss affected you.”
“That is not what he meant,” Carpathios hissed. It took all of his will to force his choler into check. Stepping forward, he said, “Ectellios, let me make one thing abundantly clear. I was chosen as Proctek and not you because I am, and always have been, a better magus than you. If you wish to test that, I will gladly humor you. My Work will be the greatest advancement this city has seen in ten years, as is fitting of my station.”
Ectellios blinked. “I will hold you to that,” he said, turning on his heel and departing.
Carpathios turned, beginning to walk back to his personal spire, research material in hand. “If you fail, Ectellios will be upon you like a vulture upon a carcass,” Soptek said disapprovingly.
Carpathios nodded. “I’ve always been surrounded by vultures.”
Twilight awoke the next morning to the smell of eggs and toast in the air. As usual, Spike must have gotten up early to cook breakfast. She smiled as she thought of her ever-dependent assistant, then her eyes shot open as she remembered what had happened yesterday.
Jumping out of bed, she quickly went to her mirror to brush her mane. Not too neat, just enough to be presentable. As soon as she was finished, she headed downstairs. Sure enough, Spike had a delicious looking breakfast prepared. Carpathios was sitting cross-legged on a pillow, as he was too big for the chair. He wasn’t wearing all of his accessories today, just his robe.
“Good morning, Spike. Good morning, Carpathios,” she said as she took her seat at the breakfast table. “I hope you like our food. I’m not sure what you eat back in Agathonis.”
“The food appears more than adequate. Not many have eaten draconic cuisine in my world,” Carpathios said. “I must say I’m not certain how I will sustain this arrangement. I would not wish to simply eat your food and sleep in your home without compensation.”
“Don’t worry about it,” Twilight said reassuringly as she began to eat her breakfast. “The letter I got from Princess Celestia last night said to keep you comfortable, so you are a royal guest. Besides, what you taught me about magic last night would probably earn you more bits, well, quite frankly than I have.”
Carpathios took a bite of toast. “In that case, I will simply say thank you. In any event, what is on the agenda for today?”
Twilight pulled out her day planner. “Pinkie will likely throw a party later this afternoon, so I blocked off most of it. Since you spent most of last night sharing with me about your magic, I’d thought I’d share with you what I know about unicorn magic.”
Spike spoke up. ”In other words, everything there is to know about unicorn magic.” Twilight blushed at this praise. “I’m serious,” the dragon continued, “She probably knows more about magic than anypony besides the princesses. She probably knows more about anything than anyone else in Ponyville.”
At this point, Twilight figured she could be mistaken for Fluttershy. “Spike, really. You’re embarrassing me,” she said in a flustered voice.
“You are the princess’s personal student, though, are you not?” asked Carpathios. “Certainly you earned such a privilege through unwavering dedication and force of will.”
“I was chosen because the princess said I had more magical potential than she had ever seen in a unicorn,” Twilight said, absentmindedly picking at her breakfast, “but there was a lot of work to get there. I don’t want to let her down.”
“I am certain you will not,” Carpathios said as they finished their meal. “So, you say that unicorn magic is definite in its potency based on the individual?”
They were still deep in conversation when, just as Twilight had predicted, Pinkie showed up to give them both invitations to a “Welcome Carpathios” party. Carpathios initially looked on in astonishment as she had pulled the invitations seemingly out of her mane, but then, recalling what he had seen in the Veil, he realized he would have to accept that Pinkie Pie was something quite unlike any other being.
Twilight Sparkle accompanied him to Sugercube Corner, the local confectionary and what passed as a tavern in this town, later on that evening. The place was filled with party-going ponies when they arrived. Carpathios noted that the music, while quite a different style than either the boisterous tavern music he remembered from his youth or the resonant, etheric choir chants that frequented the halls of Agathonis, was quite pleasant to the ears, complementing the sweet smell of pastries.
Carpathios recognized several of the mares from before. There was the technicolor pegasus, Rainbow Dash, and the earth pony Applejack. They appeared to be participating in some form of contest involving the strength of their legs. He also saw the snow colored unicorn who had been impressed by his garments. As he recalled, her name was Rarity. She was socializing with a pale yellow pegasus with a rose-colored mane. The two of them seemed to keep to themselves, which struck Carpathios as odd, considering how sociable Rarity seemed. Of course, he had only seen her once before, and as such had very little information with which to reach a conclusion.
Seeing him, Rarity beckoned for him. As he approached, he noticed how the pegasus seemed to recede. A quick glance into the Veil confirmed his suspicions. The mare before him possessed the pale, wispy aura he had come to associate with those timid and demure.
“Carpathios, it is good to see you again. I must thank you for your appearance, as it was a true inspiration. Let me introduce you to a dear friend of mine. This is Fluttershy,” Rarity said, indicating the pegasus. “Fluttershy, this is Carpathios. He is a magus from another world, coming to visit and explore.”
“Oh, umm, hello. It’s... nice to meet you, Carpathios,” Fluttershy said in a voice so meek he had to strain his ears to hear in the din of the room. He simply inclined his head in response, reasoning that anything else might be uncomfortable for the pegasus.
“Fluttershy here was just telling me of how she was helping a family of raccoons recover from an awful case of the flu. She just loves animals, and is utterly selfless in caring for them,” Rarity began to regale him. “I am most fortunate to be able to call her my friend.”
Carpathios could only assume that Rarity was unaware of the extreme discomfort her praises were causing to Fluttershy. He had observed that, despite their closeness, these ponies could at times act carelessly when it came to others. Then again, his own heightened perception and Veil sight could be giving him a much greater advantage than he gave himself credit for.
Deciding to redirect the conversation, Carpathios said, “Fluttershy, then, you are quite knowledgeable in the natural and healing arts?”
“Umm, I guess. I mean, I’ve studied it more than most ponies in Ponyville, except for maybe Twilight. She’s the smartest pony I’ve ever met.”
“Perhaps, one day when your duties allow you, I could share with you some of the knowledge I possess on the creatures of my homeland. It isn’t a vast amount, but...”
“Oh! I would, um, like that, I guess.” Fluttershy gently ran a hoof over the floor. “Maybe, we could have tea Wednesday afternoon?”
“I will look forward to it,” Carpathios said, smiling.
Some time later night, Carpathios began to walk home. The party had continued until all of the ponies had been tired enough to call it an evening. Though Carpathios was not an inherently social man, he had found himself greatly enjoying the company of these ponies. They seemed to have warmed up to him very swiftly. He found it all very refreshing compared to the interactions he had with his colleagues back in Agathonis. Aside from Soptek and the other librarians, he found it all a great nuisance.
Getting home, he entered another meditation, communing with Soptek across the Veil.
Today was an interesting day. I believe I have made much progress in establishing trust with these people.
Good, good, Soptek responded. At least you have friends somewhere.
It makes it difficult to want to return home, agreed Carpathios as he allowed sleep to come upon him for the night.
Everything was nearly ready. The ritual was all laid out, and Carpathios was passing through the Intonations, easing his mind into a state where the Veil ceased to be an unattainable image in the mirror, and became as tangible as the physical realm. Holding his staff in hand, he began to step into the circle at the center of the chamber.
"It is time, then?" Soptek asked, standing a respectable distance back. The librarian held his own staff in a firm, two-handed grasp, as though it were the only thing anchoring him in the material world. If the spell went wrong, it could end up being so.
"Indeed." Carpathios' voice had an unearthly sound to it. "I go now to a place no man has ever seen before. I take a path never tread before. I thank you for your aid in my endeavor, and I will not forget it. Now farewell, my friend Soptek."
The room lit up in a truly awe-inspiring display. Lights of all colors, even those mankind had no name for, burst into existence, swirling and dancing for brief moments each, before disappearing. At the center of the maelstrom stood Carparthios, raising his magic staff above his head. A ring of light appeared around him, growing until he was completely surrounded by it. There was the sound of bass, reverberating all throughout the chamber, growing in intensity. With a sudden thunderclap, he was gone.
"Farewell, Carpathios," Soptek said.
Carpathios walked freely down the streets of Ponyville, a smile gracing his face.Today, his spirits were high, simply because they were so. There was something about this world, some intangible essence, that seemed to sooth and edify his soul.
"It has even brought out the poet in me, it seems," he said to himself as he took a glance at the sky. The day was beautiful. The handful of clouds that the pegasi had allowed to linger in the sky did little to dim the beauty of the sun. Today was a good day to be out and about. Carpathios had little opportunities for such activity in Agathonis. He was usually shut in, deeply engrossed in his work.
His introspection was interrupted by the call of high-pitched voices further down the road. A trio of fillies, consisting of a yellow earth pony, a white unicorn, and an orange pegasus. He believed that the yellow one was Applejack's sister.
"Carpathios!" they shouted, or rather attempted to shout. He had gotten used to the fact that his name was exotic amongst the ponies, and many had difficulty pronouncing it, especially the young ones.
"Good day, fillies. How can I be of assistance today?" Carpathios recognized the bright look of curiosity and inquisitiveness in their eyes.
"I'm Apple Bloom," the earth pony said, "and this is Sweetie Belle and Scootaloo," indicating the unicorn and pegasus respectively. "We were wondering if..." the young ponies seemed to be struggling with finding the proper words. "Well, we know you aren't a pony, and don't have a cutie mark. But you are really good at magic, so we were wondering if you could tell us how you found your talent?"
Carpathios nodded. "Come, sit with me. It is a long story." The four of them found a nearby tree to sit under. Carpathios reclined against the trunk of the tree, laying his staff over his legs. He could not help but feel charmed as his three young companions curled up around him, looking at him with large, bright eyes.
"It wasn't easy, that much I can tell you with utter conviction. There were more than a few times I wondered if it was worth it, studying my magic. You see, where I come from, not everybody thinks of magic as a good thing. They don't understand it, so they are scared of it."
"I knew it was what I truly wanted, though, so I pressed forward regardless. I had a bit of fledgling talent, which I was able to use to impress a local court mage. He wasn't a very nice teacher, but he did know quite a bit about magic, or at least I thought he did at the time. I spent several years there.
My studies were interrupted when another student became jealous of my ever-increasing skills. He tricked me, and to make a long story short, I was banished from the court. At the time, I thought it to be the worst thing to happen to me, but if it hadn't, I would never have found my new home of Agathonis, and achieved my full potential."
Carpathios looked to the skies for a moment, reminiscing, then back down at his audience. The three fillies stared up at him, looking perhaps a bit disappointed. He sighed, petting one of them. "Alright, I'm not much of a storyteller."
"Oh, it wasn't so bad," Sweetie Belle said. "I'm really glad you were able to finally find a place you were happy."
"Come on Crusaders," Scootaloo's voice was full of energy. "The day is still young, and we have cutie marks to earn!" They ran down the road, with Carpathios silently watching them.
So young and spirited. Full of vital life. I can barely recall a time I was filled with such bountiful optimism. May their journey lead them to rich discovery, not misfortune. An ominous sense of foreboding crept into Carpathios' mind. He disregarded it as nothing more than fruitless paranoia, and decided to make good on his promise to visit Fluttershy.
Today was a good day.
Not one of my best work; I didn't really feel it. I hope my next chapter, which I plan on using to further develop characters and relations, will be more fruitful.
"Hold on, girls, this is gonna get fast!" Scootaloo shouted backwards over the roar of the wind as their usual vehicle sped over the road, leaving a trail of dust in its wake. Sweetie Belle and Apple Bloom clinged to each other as the wind rushed through their manes, not entirely certain how they could possibly go any faster.
As though to answer their question, the road dropped into a steep downward slope, and they accelerated to breakneck speeds. Scootaloo gripped the handlebars tightly, adrenaline flooding her veins. She loved the rush that came from traveling at such incredible velocity. She was not afraid; she was in complete control, and fully confident in her driving ability.
What Scootaloo didn't see was the rock on the road. Nothing more than a pebble, really, and set at such an angle as to be nearly invisible, and mostly inconsequential. However, at the speeds they were going, nothing was inconsequential.
The scooter's front wheel slipped, catching on the rock. The scooter fell to its side, launching its pegasus rider into the air. The wagon behind it collided with it, hurling its own occupants behind it. With a horrific screech, the entire contraption was transformed into a mass of twisted metal, continuing to tumble down the hill before coming to a stop in a muddy ditch.
The Cutie Mark Crusaders had attempted many dangerous stunts in the past, and had thus far avoided injury. Now it seemed, their luck had finally run out. With a loud snap, Scootaloo hit the ground, rolling a few times before coming to a stop. Apple Bloom collided headfirst with large oak just off the side of the road. Sweetie Belle rammed into Scootaloo, before continuing to bounce down the road, ending up with a leg jutting out at an unnatural angle.
At this point, only Scootaloo was still conscious, though just barely. Beginning to tear up, either because of the pain or realizing what had just happened, she struggled to her feet. Unable to manage that, she lifted her head as high as she could manage.
"Help..."
"...and since then, we haven't heard from Chrysalis or the changelings again." Twilight finished her retelling of all of the exploits of the Bearers of Harmony to Carpathios. The human mage was suitably impressed, recording everything he had heard onto a parchment for further study and reference.
"I would like to thank you again for taking time out of your schedule to educate me. I am sure you are quite busy," Carpathios said as he finished writing her last words.
Twilight shook her head, smiling. "It really was nothing. I'm happy to get the chance to share what I've learned about the magic of friendship with others. I still can't believe how far you've come to learn about it, though. I hope it can help you out in some way. I know it has quite literally not only changed my life, but save all of Equestria."
"Truthfully," Carpathios said, deep in thought, "This might be exactly what is needed to save Agathonis. A more detailed study is needed, of course, but-"
"TWILIGHT!" Fluttershy's voice echoed through the afternoon, startling both pony and human, who did not believe the demure pegasus could shout that loud. The pale yellow pony ran up to the library with a completely panicked look upon her face. "It's-I can't-HELP!"
The lavender unicorn immediately jumped to her feet, a look of deep concern on her face. "Fluttershy! What's wrong?" She draped a leg over the withers of the shaking pegasus, trying to calm her down. "Just take a deep breath, and start from the beginning."
Tears rolled down her cheeks as she started her recounting. "I was taking care of some sick baby bunnies in the meadow near my house when all of a sudden, I heard this horrible, loud crash! I ran over to see what had happened, and it was the girls! They... they weren't... moving."
The two mares immediately bolted away at full pace, leaving the human mage alone with his thoughts.
Three rooms were occupied in the Severe Trauma wing of the Ponyville hospital. It was rarely used, mainly because ponies were a sturdy race of beings, not prone to serious injury.
In the first wing, a young pegasus filly lay in a neck brace. The doctors had given her a high chance of permanent paralysis, though she had yet to be informed.
She was, in fact, in remarkably high spirits, all things considered. Her long-time heroine, Rainbow Dash, was spending time with her personally. There were few things in this world that could have made her happier.
"...And so Daring Do recovered the Elder Scroll of Hooftand, returning it safely to the College of Canterlot. The End," the spectral mare said, closing the book with finality.
"That was awesome," Scootaloo said in a voice that, lacking her usual boundless enthusiasm, brought a feeling of profound sadness on those who heard them. "Can you read me another one?"
Dash put the book down on the counter and got up. "Sorry squirt, but visiting hours are almost over, and you need to rest to get your strength back up, so you can get out of here. Besides, as much as..." she stopped as she thought about the circumstances that had brought them here. "Well, if we read them too fast, we might run out of books too quickly."
"I don't care what you read. I'm just glad you are here." Scootaloo closed her eyes, one of the few motions she was still capable of. "Rainbow Dash, if I get better, will you still be able to read to me? It would mean a whole bunch to me..."
"Now hold up there squirt, there'll be none of this 'if you get better' nonsense, you hear me?" The older mare gave her admirer a firm but not unfriendly glance. "When you get better, I am going to personally teach you how to fly. How does that sound?"
"That sounds wonderful! I can't wait to get out of here," Scootaloo said as she started to nod off. "I'll see you later, Rainbow Dash..."
"Catch you around, Scoots," Dash said as she turned to walk out the door. It was only after it closed behind her that she let the tears flow out.
In another room of the Severe Trauma ward, another mare was also reading, this time to a comatose young earth pony filly, her usual pink bow replaced by a white bandage. While she lay there, the older earth pony sat reading an old children's story, that she happened to know was her little sister's favorite, out loud.
"'n the brave cowponies rode off into the sunset, another day's work dun.' Well that's the end, what ya always said was yer favorite part. To be honest, Ah like it too.
Things have been goin' pretty good on the farm. Big Mac and Ah finished haulin' all the apples from the south field up to the barn. Granny Smith 'll sort 'em out soon 'nuff. They'd be here too, but well, Granny came down with one of her achey spells, and Big Mac had to look out for her. Family looks out for each other, ya know..." By now the normally stoic cowpony was openly sobbing.
"Ah'm sorry Apple Bloom, but Ah just really want you to wake up. Could ya do that fer me? Could you please wake up?"
The young filly simply lay in bed, neither moving nor making a sound.
The last inhabitant of the Severe Trauma wing was a white unicorn filly. Unlike the other two, she wasn't due to remain in the hospital for very long. In fact, the doctors predicted she would be out before the end of the week.
She had been diagnosed with fatal internal hemorrhaging.
Enveloped in a sapphire blue aura, a brush moved gently across her mane, while a soft voice hummed a soothing tune. Sweetie Belle looked up at the mare that was brushing her. "I'm sorry, sis. I didn't mean to get into so much trouble."
"No, don't be sorry. It wasn't your fault," Rarity said with a gentle voice. "It wasn't anypony's fault. It was just an accident. Nopony's fault. Let's just try to live every day to its fullest, shall we?" She put the brush down, and picked up the mirror, holding it in front of her sister's face. "There, how's that?"
"That looks beautiful," Sweetie Belle says. "I hope one day I'm as pretty as you. Can we spend more time together?"
Rarity begins to tear up. "I'd like to spend as much time with you as I can. I just wish-"
"What's wrong, sis?" Sweetie Belle asked. Her sister usually wasn't this emotional.
Rarity wiped the tears from her eyes. "Oh, I just wish I would have spent more time with you, and less working on those silly dresses. I guess you think you have all the time in the world, then... well, never mind. I just wish I had really figured out how important it was to me to have a sister before now."
"Oh," Sweetie said, a slight tone of confusion in her voice. "Have you heard from Mom and Dad?"
Rarity's face darkened. She looked away, answering coolly, "They said they had to get to Canterlot. Something about getting the best medicine bits could buy." The truth was that upon learning of their daughter's fate, Rarity's parents had chosen to run from the truth rather than dealing with it. Leaving her not only to fend for herself again, but care for her dying sister on her own.
Sweetie looked sad for a moment. "I'm glad you're here, though."
"So am I," Rarity said as they hugged, Rarity being very careful not to aggravate her sister's condition.
Soptek, I need your help. Send to me all the knowledge the Omniceum has on the binding and dealing with proteans.
Carpathios, what is this? What are you up to?
Something some would call mad, old friend, but I call bold.
It was the dead of the night. All were sleeping in Ponyville, save the single bipedal figure moving at a brisk pace away from the town, carrying a sack of books and occasionally glancing furtively over his shoulder to make sure nopony was following him.
Carpathios stopped in a clearing some distance from the main body of the town, near the border of the Everfree Forest. It was open enough for his purposes, but shielded from the view of most of the town's inhabitants, so he felt reasonably safe here. But just to be absolutely certain, he cast his eyes into the Veil, to make sure there were no inquisitive souls about. Satisfied, he set to work.
Gently placing his books on the ground at his feet, he took his heqa staff in both hand and drew a circle of about five feet in diameter around himself. Kneeling, he planted the staff in the center of the circle. A rosy, flickering light appeared at the edge of the circle, the ground within it beginning to quake and buckle. In a few moments, it had lifted into the sky, forming a small floating island of earth upon which knelt Carpathios. Grabbing the strap of his bag to ensure it did not fall off, he cast his thoughts to one particular location, and the earth disk shot off into the night, deep into the Everfree.
Everfree Castle was, according to his research, an ancient and long-abandoned fortification first constructed when the Sisters co-ruled in the Old Days. It was also where, according to Twilight's firsthand account, the Elements of Harmony were recovered, Nightmare Moon was defeated, and co-rule of the Sisters restored. It was a remote location, hard to get to, and almost forgotten by the ponies, making it a perfect location for Carpathios' ritual.
He landed in the courtyard, the crumbling ruins around him not responding to his arrival in the slightest. Checking that there were no monsters in the area, he lit a great sphere of illumination, ensuring he would be able to see well enough to complete the delicate task at hand.
He worked quickly, for there would not be much time before his absence was noticed. Clearing a great swath of bare stone, he inscribed a large circle of arcane glyphs onto the floor. The process was long and tedious, for he had to be absolutely certain that he was perfectly accurate. Several times he consulted the tomes he had brought with him to make certain he was correct in the marks. A mistake now would have utterly dire consequences.
After several hours of work, he stepped back, satisfied that everything was just so. Standing back some distance, he raised his staff. It glowed a bright crimson as he began to chant, "Dis’Cord ngli'hee 'bthnk lw'nafh shugg ee, ron Dis'Cord bthnk sll'ha hrii, shtungglinyth h'syha'h..."
The circle lit up, infusing the courtyard with a blinding white light that overpowered Carpathios' own illumination. In the center of the circle now stood a most bizarre and terrible creature. Its body seemed to be composed of a myriad of creatures' members. It reared back, basking in the moment, displaying itself for all of the world to see.
"Behold, the anarchic majesty that is... Discord! I thank you kindly for freeing me and will-" He jolted as he tried to extend a claw outside of the circle, only to have it stop at the edge. He smirked for a moment, then his eyes widened indignantly. "WHAT HAVE YOU DONE? Where are my powers?"
"You have merely moved from one prison to another," Carpathios said, his tone and expression perfectly neutral. "I have not brought you here for your sake."
"Oh, well alright. Though I will admit that this is a great improvement over my last one. Being encased in stone gives you such a crick in the neck ," he said, making a show of popping his vertebrae. "And I get to chat with people! Or ponies. Whatever." He looked around, as though for the first time. "Oh. Well, at least I get to stretch. So, what is so important that you felt compelled to summon me , Lord of Chaos, and bind me to your will?"
"I have something I wish to show you." After he spoke, Carpathios cast a spell he had prepared, to conjure up a portal from one world to another. Behind him, light and color danced in a truly maddening display. He made sure to keep his back to it, for fear of his sanity.
Discord's eyes grew comically large as he beheld the spectacle. "What is that place, filled with so many wonders?" he asked, a slight trill to his voice as though he was about to break out into song.
"Where I dwell, it is known by several names. The most common are the Realm of Primordial Chaos, and the Maelstrom. Both are accurate enough." Carpathios waited a moment as the being before him looked on, hearts in his eyes and drool coming from his mouth. "There has been an accident in Ponyville. Three young fillies are injured to the point of permanent maiming, or even eventual death."
"Oh, such a tragedy," Discord said, faking wiping a tear from his eye. He then pantomimed playing a violin, humming the dark notes of a dirge.
"I know a worse one," Carpathios kept his voice even. "For a great and powerful Lord of Chaos to have seen the full extent of his wildest dream..." He sealed the portal shut. "...and never attain it."
Hurt first shown on Discord's face, followed briefly by rage before finally resignation. "So that's the game your playing, is it? You want me to heal the fillies, and in return are willing to send me to the Maelstrom?"
"I have two stipulations. The first is that you tell nopony of this encounter. Ever. The second is that once you are in the Maelstrom, you never return to Equestria, staying out of it for the rest of eternity."
"Is that all?" Discord eyed him. "And I was so looking forward to gloating to Celestia. But I can see why you wouldn't want her to know about this." He sat for a moment, making a show of pondering the bargain. "Ugh. I guess if I have to make one rational decision for my entire life, this is worth it. Very well, I agree to your terms. You drive a hard bargain."
"My deal is perfectly fair," Carpathios responded. "In fact, you get far more out of it than I, so don't complain." He weakened the protective wards just enough that Discord could use his power. "Do be aware that the seals will hold us both to our words. You need not fear treachery from me, nor I you."
Discord snapped his fingers, a white spark flashing. "It's done. Your little friends are healed. No tricks. Now can I please leave this frustratingly ordered world?"
Carpathios reopened the portal. "Begone, creature." With a whoop, Discord dove headfirst into the portal, and was sucked into the ever-changing depths of the Primordial Chaos. Sealing the portal behind him, Carpathios began the task of cleaning up the ritual.
First he ensured that all of the proper sigils were copied onto parchment, so their power could hold without the risk of disruption. That complete, he loaded everything back onto his earth disk, and returned to Ponyville just as the sun was beginning to rise.
Carpathios arrived in Ponyville to find Twilight Sparkle waiting for him. He mentally reprimanded himself for allowing this slip-up, but was confused as to how she managed to catch him.
"So, where were you off to?" She asked fairly innocently. He had the feeling she didn't know, or even suspect he had been practicing sorcery of a type that would most likely betray any and all trust she had in him. He was used to being able to work openly; he hadn't had to keep secrets since he first arrived at Agathonis.
"I had some pressing business to take care of, of a time sensitive matter" Technically, nothing he said was untrue. "It was concluded in a manner most agreeable, I'm happy to say."
Twilight smiled weakly. "I guess that's good to hear. I'm glad one of my friends is having a good week, at least." She looked down. "The rest of us have had an awful one."
Carpathios smiled, breathing in the sweet early morning air. "I have a feeling," he said, "that soon everypony's week is going to improve."
Within the week, all three of the Cutie Mark Crusaders were released with clean bills of health. The doctors were completely flummoxed by this turn of events. For the most part, though, nopony cared too much. They were too happy with the turn of events to question the source of the miracle.
"Oh, thank Faust you are alright!" Rarity exclaimed, wrapping Sweetie Belle in a tight hug on the day of her release. The others all agreed, save Carpathios. The comment caused a shiver to run down his back. Thank Faust, indeed. He wasn't sure what the intended meaning was, but it was far more appropriate than she likely realized.
Sweetie Belle herself was clearly quite happy to leave with her sister. "Oh I just can't wait to do all sorts of things together!" Rarity agreed with this wholeheartedly, taking the entire next week off.
Apple Bloom's reunion with her sister was a bit more subdued, but no less touching. The filly trotted up to the older mare, and the two of them nuzzled. "Good mornin', Apple Bloom," Applejack said quietly. "We've missed you." The younger one remained silent, the two of them simply glad that the ordeal was over.
Scootaloo seemed to be taking her time getting back on her hooves. As she slowly walked out of the hospital, Rainbow Dash was there to meet her. "Rainbow Dash! I'd like to thank you so much for everything you did for me while I was in the hospital." Her voice, while enthusiastic, had slightly less energy than usual.
Rainbow Dash smiled brightly. Though she had never admitted it, she always appreciated the little pegasus that had been her number-one fan since she had moved to Ponyville. "Good to have you back, Scoots. Ready for that flying lesson I promised you?"
Scootaloo looked up, happy as a filly could be. "If you don't mind, I think I want to get used to walking again. Do you think we could wait until later?"
"Whenever you're ready, Scoots. Go ahead and take your time." Rainbow watched as the orange filly slowly walked down the road after her friends, and once again a tear ran down her face.
"Aww Dashie, that's so sweet," Pinkie said as she watched the exchange.
"Yeah, well you gotta promise me you don't tell anypony about it," Dash said, wiping her eyes. She figured others might be able to tell, but she at least had to put forth some effort.
"Cross my heart, hope to fly, stick a cupcake in my eye," Pinkie said, making the ritual movements. "Now if you'll excuse me, I've got a 'We're really glad you are all better and out of the hospital' party!" With that, the pink party pony propelled herself down the pavement with her usual plasticity.
Carpathios did not attend the Crusaders' party. When Pinkie invited him, he politely declined, stating that there was something he had to do, and could not be put off. Though initially disappointed, Pinkie seemed to understand, and accepted his explanation.
He was, therefore, on the night of the party, in Twilight's study poring over some of his arcane manuscripts when the erudite unicorn found him. She had carefully observed his behavior and had pieced together enough information that she could make a reasonable guess. If she was anything, she was intelligent.
"How did you do it?" she asked. Her tone was neither apprehensive nor reproachful, rather it was curious and somewhat reverent.
Carpathios did not stop his work. Years of honing his mind to master the ebb and flow of the Veil and bend it to his will had by necessity given him mastery over his emotions; he never showed anything he did not want to. "To what are you referring? My coming here, perhaps?" The decoy was meant more to save face than actually change the conversation. If Twilight was referring to what he thought she was, it wouldn't truly matter regardless.
Twilight shook her head, her mane tossing. "You know what I'm talking about. You disappear one night, going off on your own to who-knows-where, and after you come back the fillies, who should not have recovered, are miraculously healed. You can't tell me that's a coincidence." There is a fierce glimmer in her eyes. "You cast a spell! One like I've never seen before! Now you do come from an entirely different world, so that's to be expected, but that's not the point. You have to teach me!"
Carpathios sighed and shook his head. "Twilight Sparkle, I cannot teach you this form of magic. It was not a spell, not in the way you know them. Perhaps most importantly, I cannot under any circumstances repeat the effect. It was strictly and utterly a one-time event."
This visibly confused Twilight. "Okay, that doesn't make any sense. What kind of magic are you talking about? And what do you mean you can't repeat it? The entire reason magic spells work is because they are repeatable."
"I will say no more." Carpathios' tone grew almost imperceptively darker. "Twilight, I must ask you never to speak to me of this again. What happened happened and could not have happened any other way. And do not tell anyone else that I was responsible."
This visibly irritated Twilight. "Why you hypocrite! You arrive saying how you wish to share all sorts of magic, go into great detail about your city and your king's vision to share knowledge freely and be a beacon of light, and when you finally show how beneficial your knowledge is, you hoard it all to yourself!" It pained him, but Carpathios knew her argument was sound. He simply could not explain why these things were so. "Besides, I already send a letter to the princesses letting them know of my suspicions."
Carpathios knew his quest had just become far more complicated. Before he could do anything else, though, he vanished in a flash of cobalt blue.
"Well, that timing was impeccable," Carpathios said as he found himself in his new surroundings. The darkness which enveloped him was dispelled with a raise of his staff, which revealed a rather unsettling scene in rosy light.
Surrounding the mage were what he could only describe as some form of mutant breed of pony. Clad in dark, baroque armor, they possessed golden slitted eyes, fang-filled jaws, and some had membraned wings instead of feathered. "What is it, beasts? For what purpose did you bring me here?" he said, taking an aggressive stance. He would not be cowed, by either man or monster.
Another creature emerged from the shadows, towering over the rest. It spoke in a voice of thunder; Carpathios' robes and hair were tossed about by its magnitude.
"TO BRING RETRIBUTION FOR YOUR TRANSGRESSIONS."
Carpathios waited for the speaker to step forward. It leaped down in front of him, revealing a being much taller than the ponies he was used to seeing. She stood at eye level with him, supremely confident and wrath clearly visible in her cyan eyes. Her mane and tail seemed more ethereal than the usual hair on other ponies, and in many ways reminded him of the titan lords of legend, said to have fire and storm clouds sprouting from their scalps. She wore an onyx-black tiara and matching chestplate, both inscribed with the sigil of the crescent moon.
"Princess Luna, I presume," Carpathios said, meeting her gaze. "To what do I owe this... meeting, your highness?"
The dark alicorn gazed at him piercingly, an air of finality and judgement about her. It occurred to Carpathios that he was in a potentially dangerous situation, and so he reached out into the Veil. He hoped she would not notice what he was doing.
"DO NOT BELIEVE THAT YOU CAN ATTEMPT TO DECEIVE US, OR CONCEAL THIS FROM US. WE KNOW THAT YOU HAVE RELEASED OUR MOST TERRIBLE FOE FROM HIS PRISON, FOR REASONS UNKNOWN TO US. FOR THIS YOU WILL FACE OUR TERRIBLE ANGER!" Bolts of lightning flickered around her horn menacingly.
Carpathios slowly shook his head, refusing to cower before any opponent. His pride would not allow it; besides, he had a few surprises in store, should it come to that. "Is that what this is about? That I not only ensured that your most hated foe was forever removed from your domain, but in doing so, I saved the lives of three of your subjects? Two of which were blood relations to the Bearers of the Elements, no less. You should be showing me gratitude. I have done for you what you seemed unable to do for yourselves, Oh Bringer of the Night."
"SILENCE!" He was thrown to the floor by this shout. "DO NOT PRESUME TO JUDGE OUR DECISIONS, IGNORANT WHELP!" She reared back, spreading her wings wide in an intimidating display.
"Ignorant?" Carpathios slowly and deliberately returned to his feet. "Ignorant? It seems you do not know who you are speaking with." The mage's staff began to shine much brighter, immaterial flames dancing ominously along its length. "Learn then, how ignorant the Proctek of Agathonis, most lauded of Magnathios' pupils, truly is."
Carpathios thrust his staff forward, casting a ray of eldritch flame directly at the menacing diarch. Luna answered by unleashing a terrible storm of arcane bolts. The events met like a pair of stormfronts, producing a mighty display of blinding light and cacophonous sound. Yet the two combatants stood firm, their eyes locked in each other silent in the tumult. Neither combatant could gain momentum, though, and the energy kept building.
As they both began to strain under the weight of the power between them, Carpathios enacted his gambit. Keeping his staff raised, he moved as swift as he dared through the Intonations, immersing his mind within the currents of the Veil. He guided the ebb and flow, forming a small but rapidly spinning whirlpool around himself. Once satisfied, he lowered his staff.
The lightning storm immediately surrounded him, but the ethereal event in the neighboring reality ensured it did not touch him. Slamming his staff to the ground, he propelled the whirlpool away from himself, dispersing it with the weight of the magic he had cast into its center. The storm, fully affected by the ethereal currents, exploded outwards. The Princess was able to endure the brunt of the blast, but her mutant minions could not stand before it.
Not letting his foe regain her balance, Carpathios immediately cast a torrent of eldritch bolts down upon her. The alicorn dived to the side with a flutter of wings, and returned with bolts of her own. Carpathios spun his staff, deflecting the magic attacks away from himself. His arcane light gleamed off the gold highlights of his scarlet robes, giving the impression that he himself was on fire.
Unexpectedly, Luna charged towards him, diving headfirst with horn crackling violently. Thinking quickly, Carpathios teleported a short distance, appearing behind her. Luna jerked her head around, in doing so crashed headfirst into the stone ground and skidding painfully a few feet. She stopped in an unceremonious heap with her backside raised in the air for Carpathios to clearly see. Unable to resist such a tempting target, he struck it full on with a scorching ray.
Emitting a screeching whinny, the Night Princess spun around, only to find her enemy had vanished. Taking only a moment to check her seared rump, she took to the skies in search of him.
Carpathios ran down the obsidian corridor, slowly recovering from the pitched combat he had extracted himself from. The princess was suitably powerful, and he would have to call upon every spell and stratagem he knew in order to best her. It was fortunate then that his plan so far seemed to be working, but how long he could rely on his secret ally was uncertain.
Coming up on a window, he stopped for a moment to retrieve his bearings. He appeared to be in a hidden fortress within view of Canterlot. Judging by the city's layout visible to him, somewhere north of it. After a quick bit of reasoning, he figured his location on relation to Ponyville.
More pressingly though was the midnight-blue wingspan that was now visible in the night sky, eclipsing the moon. Carpathios planted his staff, forming a powerful shimmering shield about himself.
Luna took in a great breath, and blasted forth a scream beyond any heard by those who still had their hearing. Its volume and pitch was enough to atomize solid rock, and sent Carpathios hurtling for many yards. He stood, yet unbeaten, and brushed the dust that had once been the battlements from his garment. Swiftly restoring his assaulted hearing, he began to enact his next plan.
The princess' method of attack had been ingenious, but had given him an idea. A quick glance into the Veil confirmed that a pack of Kerank had been sent his way, and that the Veil of his predators were curiously circling the disturbance the battle was causing, hoping for an easy morsel to get buffeted their way. Carpathios had other plans for them, though, and plucked a handful of them from the Veil and anchored them into the material realm.
A half-dozen of the barely physical creatures appeared, looking for all Equestria like ghostly, flying manta-like creatures. Reeling like fish out of water, they wheeled about, their primitive minds not understanding what had happened. Luna then played right into his hand by attacking them, turning the pack-hunters on her. The alien beasts assaulted her with whip-like tails and ear-piercing screeches. The princess retaliated with lightning and her own vocalizations.
Carpathios was fairly pleased with himself. Kerank were always ill-tempered, and only got moreso when you pulled them into the physical realm. Luna was struggling to defeat these creatures, especially since to defeat one, she had to incapacitate it sufficiently to dispel the anchor he had fixed to them, allowing it to slip back into the Veil. He knew it would not be quite sufficient though, and so needed an endgame maneuver.
Gazing back into the Veil, he spotted the pack alpha, a magnificent specimen. He cast his anchoring net over it, and pulled it to him. Connecting an ethereal tether to it and wrapping said tether around his left wrist, he hopped atop the creature, riding his new mount out to his opponent just as she finished with the last of his previous summons.
Judging by the dismayed look on his opponent's face, Carpathios was putting up far more of a fight than Luna had expected. They engaged each other in the sky above the black fortress, weaving around one another and exchanging blasts of sound, fire and lightning.
The aerial battle quickly shifted to Carpathios' favor. Veteran flyer though she was, the winded princess could not compete with the alien predator, encumbered though it was. Carpathios augmented his mount's flight by directing the air into favorable winds whenever he was not blasting at Luna.
Realizing she could not win in open sky, Luna dived down into the jutting spires of the fortress. Carpathios followed, the kerank's mandibles snapping in anticipation. Too quickly, he realized why the princess had chosen this course of action. The kerank's aggressiveness, combined with Carpathios disrupting the creature's center of balance, were limiting their maneuverability. He had to focus solely on keeping his mount under control to prevent crashing into one of the spires.
The princess suddenly banked around a black tower, disappearing from sight. Carpathios followed, eager to finish the fight. His mount was suddenly struck from beneath his feet, slipping its bonds and returning to the Veil. He fell a reasonably short distance, rolling back to his feet in enough time to dodge a jab from a sharp black horn.
Carpathios twirled his staff around to parry another thrust from Luna. She was tired, yes, but she was also angry. This could give him an advantage if he was swift and careful. He stayed on the defensive, concentrating only on further tiring and annoying his opponent.
Eventually, Luna did make a mistake. She thrust forward, but overextended herself. Carpathios immediately took advantage of the opening, hooking the crook of his staff around her horn. He then slammed her head into the ground, accompanied by a final blast of energy. The princess's black tiara clattered across the cracked stone, stopping some feet from her.
Stepping back, he leaned heavily on his staff, looking down on his bested opponent. The once regal pony was now disheveled, her jewelry scuffed, and her barrel heaving with deep, gasping breaths. "This fight," he said, panting himself, "is finished."
"Perhaps." Her voice was a barely-audible rasp. "But you took... too long. Dawn... is breaking."
Carpathios turned on his heel and fled with as much speed as he could muster.
The sun continued to rise, revealing a red-robed human moving at an impressive gait over the Equestrian countryside. Carpathios had no idea where he was going, or for what purpose he was running. Inwardly, he cursed himself as a fool for leaving himself with no avenue of escape that would not completely undo all of his work for the past month, and everything that stood upon that work. And so he ran, because there was nothing else to do.
The rising sun was briefly eclipsed, and Celestia herself landed directly in front of him. For the first time, Carpathios saw her in her full glory. He saw what all ponies who get the privilege of seeing her did; he saw the golden adornments, the snow-white coat and feathers, the near-perfect elegance of her physical form, the aurora borealis that was her mane and tail. What very few others had seen, that Carpathios now had the misfortune of also seeing, was the burning wrath that smoldered in her eyes, the ominous way the red rays of sunlight peeking over the horizon highlighted her coat the color of molten steel.
Wordlessly, Carpathios came to a stop and threw his staff at her feet. The raw anger seemed to abate, though Carpathios doubted he was safe from anything save immediate immolation.
"I will take this," she said, her voice full of steel. The staff levitated away from him, before disappearing with a bright pop. "You have a lot to answer for. Where should I begin? You freed the greatest threat to my land from his prison, tore apart our fortress, and assaulted my sister, the Royal Guardian of the Night. Before anything else is said, I must know: where is Discord?"
"Discord is no longer in Equestria. I can promise you he will never again threaten you or your ponies," Carpathios said.
The anger in Celestia's eyes dimmed slightly. "I believe you. At least, that you believe that. That and the reason you did it, which I learned from my student Twilight, are the only reasons I have not already locked you in our deepest pit or cast you back to where you came from. Nevertheless, your deeds cannot go unpunished. Henceforth, you are hereby forbidden from the practice of magic within the Realm of Equestria until further notice. You will be kept under close observation until your studies of harmony are complete, then sent back to your home. Do you understand?"
Reluctantly, Carpathios sank to one knee. "Yes, Your Highness. You are most generous."
The princess nodded. Looking to her pegasus guards, she said, "Take him back to Canterlot. Have him assigned to a windowless room, and guard the exit. Don't let anyone speak to him until I return."
The pegasus guards placed irons upon the wrists of the now quite feeble and tired-looking mage, and herded him onto their chariot. All watched as the glorious Sun Princess arose upon her swan-like wings and soared back to her palace in Canterlot.
As Celestia returned to her personal chambers, she let her relief wash over her. When she had first went to intercept Carpathios after her sister's call for help, she hadn't been certain she would have been able to defeat him. Despite, or perhaps because of being the elder sister, she had always been slightly less skilled in the combat arts than her younger sister. Luna's more choleric temperament was also a boon there, as it let her channel aggressive magic more easily.
Still, she had hoped that due to his studies of harmony under her protege, Carpathios would be receptive to her offer to surrender. Thus it had come as a pleasant surprise when he did so without any resistance.
That had left her with another dilemma, what to do with him. Had he been a unicorn, that would have been most difficult to figure out, but his own strange form of magic made one aspect of the problem easier to solve. She lifted the strange stick up closer to examine it, making a mental note to block off time from her schedule to study it in greater detail.
With his magic removed, Carpathios could be left to complete his studies on the magic of friendship. Despite everything that could happen, Celestia could not bring herself to halting the proliferation of harmony, especially not to the sort of place Twilight had described in her letters to her about the mage and the stories he had told her. They needed his work to be finished.
As Celestia entered her master suite, she immediately forced herself to assume a perfectly stoic facade, an act that took more than a thousand year's worth of self-discipline to perform. For it would have been most inappropriate to giggle at the sight of her younger sister attempting to gingerly position her singed rump on an icepack, regardless of how humorous the sight might have been.
"Oh, good, sister. I take it you were - Ahh! victorious over the renegade outsider?" Luna said as a chill visibly went up her spine. "Tell me of your glorious triumph."
"I asked him to surrender. It was actually rather painless. I think you might have had better luck with him if you had tried talking before fighting."
Luna made a rather annoyed face at this news, rolling her eyes."I did try to talk to him."
Celestia sighed. "I said talk, not shout. You still need to practice your diplomacy."
"Diplomacy?" Luna scoffs. "He was in the wrong, I was in the right, and I possessed the proper authority. I had every right to command him as I did."
"True," Celestia says, before pointedly glancing at her burnt bottom, "but if you hadn't, you wouldn't have gotten that. The fact was that Carpathios was powerful enough to do something we don't know how to, that is, get to our world from his. You underestimated him, and you could have gotten severely hurt as a result."
Luna sighed, and lowered her head. "You might be right. I still have much to learn. But what of Carpathios? What shall we do with him now?"
"I believe the best thing we can do now is let him finish his work. I won't stop the spread of harmony, I've built too much upon it. "
Luna's mouth curved upwards in a small, rueful smile. "I hope you're right. For the good of us all." The sisters leaned forward to nuzzle each other affectionately. Celestia then departed for her throne room, to begin the day's work of ruling a kingdom. Luna reclined back, letting out a small squeak as she shifted on top of the ice pack.
A loud snort was heard from the other room. Luna turned, furious at the giggles coming from beyond the door.
"SISTER!"
It had taken so long, but at last, Its Hated Foe had been cast from the world. It had governed the many lands for a great span of time, until the Foe had shown up.
The Foe had been anathema, chaos incarnate. They had battled, but the Foe was underhanded and without reason. It could not have foreseen the Foe's deeds, and was thus defeated.
Peering out from the Veil, It took a look at the land the Foe had ravaged. A horrid cacophony of bright, garish colors shone back at It. Gone was the perfectly ordered world It had so long labored to shape and sculpt. It realized It had a great deal of work to do.
Inhaling a great breath of aether, It gave a mighty breath. The aether It exhaled crystallized, forming exactly one thousand lesser duplicates of Itself. Opening a great passage between the Veil and the Material Realm, It sent forth its new army.
"Rejoice, Oh disordered lands. Axiomon has returned, and I bring the most blessed Order."
It was a lovely Sunday afternoon for a picnic, Rose noted with contentment as she and her friends Lily and Daisy relaxed under the light of Celestia's sun in the park near Whitetail Forest. Seeing as how they had the day off, the three of them decided to make the most of it with a friendly outing.
The day was carefree and whimsical, a much-needed respite from all of the recent excitement. Between the unexpected arrival of Cerberus, the Canterlot invasion, and just the other night the alien attack, these three excitable ponies needed some time to themselves to relax.
Exactly what had happened that night at the Lunar Guard's fortress was still a mystery to most of Equestria. The official stories were that a swarm of magical creatures from parts unknown had teleported into the keep, and attacked Princess Luna and her guards. They had, of course, been quickly beaten back, but the Night Princess was still not able to make public appearances. Most of Equestria, though upset over the attack on their princess, were immensely happy the situation had been contained. There were a few, though, in Ponyville that noted the sudden disappearance of Twilight's alien friend around the same time, and commented on how he must have had something to do with it. Twilight and her friends' sudden cold attitude towards him had reinforced that belief.
As they lay there basking in their tranquil surroundings, the stillness was shattered by a loud cacophony from within the forest. The three mares stood up, startled by the loud noises. Out of the forest stomped a massive sort of creature, fearsome and intimidating. It seemed to be a form of crude biped, and was made of pure crystal, a smokey onyx. Its arms ended crushing pincers and long, straight spikes. It didn't appear to have a head, rather its upper torso simply tapered into nothing. It stood at least as tall as the average Ponyville building.
The three mares immediately responded as they did in any such circumstance; they screamed and began running back to Ponyville.The monster turned and began to pursue them. Despite its lumbering gait, the sheer length of its stride enabled it to catch up with the furthest behind of the three, Rose. It bent down and scooped up the red-maned Earth pony in its claw and held it aloft.
Rose had never been much of a brave pony. In fact, she and her friends had a well-earned reputation for being the most timid of ponies in Ponyville, Fluttershy notwithstanding. So when a giant monster decided to pick her up, she didn't even have the presence of mind to scream.
Even as the creature held her, there was a shimmering about Rose like heat waves off a street during summer. The colors on her coat began to fade. Lily and Daisy, who had by now gained a fair distance, turned back to watch in horror as their friend was drained of all color. Once it was finished, the monster placed her back on the ground, where she simply stood.
Lily and Daisy fled to Ponyville faster than they had ever moved before, screaming as they went.
The room was silent, save for three sounds. There were two breaths, almost imperceptible yet ever present, and the rasping of quill on paper. Carpathios sighed at the silence as he continued the now painfully dry task of scribing the correspondences between Princess Celestia and Twilight Sparkle, along with his own interpretations on the matter.
It was not the lack of magical assistance that hindered the mage. In his early years of instruction, Carpathios had been made to complete much of his work using only mundane means. No, that was not what vexed him.
What vexed him was the behavior of his once host and now prison keeper, the lavender mare currently scrutinizing him with suspicion and anger. It saddened him that none of these ponies, not even the most enlightened of them, could see the necessity and rightness of his actions. They were too fearful, he decided, too set in their comfortable ways to take the risks necessary to advance in understanding.
A thought occured to him. "Do you have any idea what happened?" he said, without looking up from his work.
"Yes, as a matter of fact, I know everything. The princesses trust me enough not to hide things from me, unlike some others. I know what you did, and why you did it." Twilight sighed. "I think I know why you did it. I can't say I wouldn't have considered it if I had been given the option."
Carpathios shook his head. "Considered and done nothing? What would you have told Rarity? Or Applejack? Can you honestly tell me that what I accomplished was not worth the risk, as low as it was?"
"Low risk?" Twilight's face began to flush in anger. "Low risk? Do you have any idea who it was that you let out of the stone, or what my friends and I had to go through to get him in there?"
"I knew what I was doing! When nopony had an answer or hope, I took the bold step for the good of all. I saved three lives! "
Before Twilight could respond, they heard the screams.
Rainbow Dash hurled towards the ground at near-rainboom speeds, focusing on the monster in front of her. The strange thing was not from this world, she knew that instinctively. She also knew that they had to be stopped. That could be told by how they were terrorizing the town, snatching up poor ponies and sucking the color out of them.
She hit the crystal monster at full speed, blasting it with a rainbow forcewave. The creature tumbled backwards, crashing over the ground and leaving a trail of smashed debris before standing back up. Dash was slower to recover; the beast was incredibly hard, and hitting it had knocked the wind out of her.
Even as she did, she became aware that two other creatures had used the opportunity to flank her. A heavy arm came crashing down, and she leaped to the side just as it struck with earth-shaking force. She shot to the sky, trying desperately to escape their horrifying clutches and get a better view of what was going on in Ponyville.
The town was in complete disarray and anarchy. All attempts to organize an evacuation had been stifled by precision strikes from the monsters, which seemed to be dividing the populace for easier grabbing. Despite this, her friends seemed to be doing a good job of holding their own. Applejack and Rarity were helping to defend the schoolhouse, while Fluttershy and Pinkie were inside trying to keep the foals calm.
Dash zipped down, landing next to her friends. "Alright, what's the plan?" she asked Applejack.
"Rainbow, we need ta get these ponies to the train station. We'll be safe in Canterlot, Ah hope." Applejack looked around at the temporary lull in the conflict. The monsters had formed a rough circle around the trapped ponies, cutting them off from any chance to escape. "Though, that doesn't seem likely at the moment."
The stalemate was ended by a sudden burst of amethyst light from the town library. Twilight Sparkle had emerged.
She surveyed the village-turned-battleground with a keen eye. Spotting a small group of ponies that had been cut off and was rapidly nearing capture, the unicorn levitated a large market stall and hurled it with tremendous force at the offending monster. The crystal behemoth topples over as it is struck by the blow, allowing the ponies to escape.
The other crystal monsters immediately took notice of the new threat. Three turned and charged at the lavender unicorn, the ground quaking beneath their unstoppable advance. Twilight stood, a look of grim determination on her face. Just as the lead foe reached her position, its clawed hand swinging down to scoop her up, she teleported directly behind the juggernauts. Three beams of precisely applied arcane force on top of the excessive forward momentum of the monsters sent them crashing hard into the earth.
"Now!" she shouted over the din. "Get everypony to the train station!"
At once, the collective mass of the remaining ponies of Ponyville made for their last hope of escape. Twilight, Rainbow Dash and Applejack lead the push, using strength, speed, and magic to turn any attempts to stop them, while Pinkie, Rarity and Fluttershy made sure every pony was accounted for. The scene was bitter for many ponies as they ran past friends and loved ones who had been drained by the terrible menace.
They arrived at the train station, the crews already prepping the Friendship Express to barrel out of town at full speed the instant everypony was on board. Pegasi circled overhead, making sure the tracks were defended so the last hope of escape was not torn away.
Twilight left Rarity and Spike to oversee the evacuation. She trusted them, and though her organizational skills would have been useful, her magic was needed far more for the defense. As the last few ponies were loaded onto the cars, she turned to Rarity and asked, "Is that everypony?"
Rarity hesitated for a moment, moisture beginning to accumulate in her eyes. "Everypony we could save."
Carpathios had barricaded himself in the basement of the Ponyville library. When Twilight had asked why he wasn't fleeing with the rest of them, he had simply shoved her up the stairs and reminded her that there were others who actually needed her help.
Freed, at least for the moment, of distractions, Carpathios turned himself to the task at hand, which had to be completed with the utmost of swiftness. Without his staff, his arcane abilities were severely hampered, but he was not completely cut off from the workings of the Veil. While he could not himself open the passage home, there was one who could.
Soptek, is the path prepared? Carpathios asked as he stood in the ritual circle he had prepared, the meager belongings he deigned necessary to bring back home with him.
Aye, proctek, the path is prepared. We are ready to bring you home. Carpathios could hear the melancholy present in his old friend's words. Misfortune seems to plague us. After all that has happened, we leave your magnum opus unfinished.
Indeed. Perhaps we are hexed, by a magic greater than our own. But at least my discoveries here may buy us some respect, for a time. What we do then... Carpathios allowed his thought to go unfinished as he became aware of a premonition of danger. He leaped aside as a large crystal spike smashed through the basement door. Realizing he would have to deal with this threat before making the journey, Carpathios took a quick inventory of the items present in the basement. Spotting and identifying a few alchemical reagents, he quickly created a powerful solvent.
Quickly climbing out the hole the aberration's strike had left in the structure, he took careful aim and hurled the stone-eating concoction at the center of the beast. The glass phial exploded on impact, repulsing the beast and discouraging any further attacks.
Satisfied with his minor victory, Carpathios smiled to himself, then his spirit sunk at what he then beheld. He saw the familiar forms of the three exuberant fillies that he had come to be most attached to in his time spent here. But none of their youthful vitality was present; they stood with the pallor and countenance he had come to associate with the undead.
Carpathios felt his choler rising, stoked into a roiling fury. Soptek, there is a change of plans. I require a few items.
Shining Armor, Captain of the Royal Equestrian Guard, and Protector of the Crystal Empire, stood his ground in command of a great host assembled of all Ponykind. Pegasi lancers from Cloudsdale, hearty warrior earth ponies from Stalliongrad, Crystal Defenders, and Solar and Lunar Guard from Canterlot all united to combat this horrific threat to Equestria.
The decorated unicorn brought his spyglass to his eye. Coming up the foothills of Mount Canter was an army of massive bipedal crystal monsters. They had already devastated several smaller settlements, including much to his own personal distress, Ponyville, and were now marching on the capitol. The only thing stopping them were his forces, but they would fight tooth and hoof before they let the horrors get any closer to Canterlot.
Shining Armor turned to address his ponies. "Alright, guardsponies. It is time to show these rocky fools what happens when you mess with Equestria! These monsters have terrorized our homes, our friends, our families, and now they think they can get away with marching up to Canterlot. Well, let me tell you that it is simply not going to happen. We will stand here, unicorn, pegasus, earth pony. We will stand up to them, we will be strong, and we will drive them back to wherever it was they came from! Am I right?"
A chorus of cheers showed the approval of his subordinates. Shining turned once more, this time facing the north. He gently pulled a pendant hanging around his neck out from under his armor, upon which was strung a single pink feather. "I'll be back, I promise," he whispered, then faced the oncoming foe. His horn blazed with arcane power as the first giants stomped into range.
"For Equestria!"
Shining lead his fellow unicorns in the Spire Guard, sending a volley of magic beams down the slope at the first crystal giant. The combined force shattered the giant, scattering shards across the hillside. Another rose up in its place. The Spire Guard fired again, repeating the success.
A third approached, this one lifting a massive boulder and hurling it at the unicorn line. The ponies scattered, their line temporarily disrupted. This allowed another giant to get within launching distance. The unicorns were forced to raise a force shield in order to protect the line. Earth pony guards began to bring their siege weapons, massive catapults, trebuchets and ballistae, to bear. Large rocks and bolts began to reign down on the giants, chipping and cracking their mineralized bodies.
"Pegasi, attack!" A wing of pegasi guards took to the sky, their armor gleaming in the sunlight. Clutching rocks in their forehooves, they began dive-bombing the giants. The giants tried to throw rocks at them as well, but the pegasi easily dodged such attacks. The rocks fell amongst the giants, causing just as much destruction as the earth pony siege engines. Limbs began to fall from the giants as their stone bodies were smashed to pieces by the unrelenting barrage coming from the equine defenders.
One of the giants strode forward, the ground quaking as every step sent up a blast of dust from the ground. It raised its arm, and a new growth of crystal sprouted from its forearm. This spread and expanded, eventually forming a wide shield which the giant then used to advance further. Rocks and bolts struck and chipped away at it, but by the time they could wear it down completely, the monster had reached the edge of the force field and begun to pound away at it.
More of the giants began to follow the first's lead. The ponies tried to increase the rate of fire, but they could not hold back the advancing army. "The shield can't hold," Shining Armor called out as he struggled to maintain the barrier. "Fall back and reform the line uphill!"
The earth ponies and unicorns began to move their large weapons uphill, while the pegasi continued to harry the enemy in an effort to buy their brethren time. This proved costly, as the giants would suddenly reach up and pluck some of the more low-flying pegasi. Any so caught were subjected to some form of magical draining that left them in a catatonic state.
The force shield fell just as the last catapult was wheeled into place. A volley of boulders thrown by the giants landed amongst the unicorns as they prepared to raise another shield over the new line. One of the boulders tumbled straight for Shining Armor. "Look out!" The shout was heard, its speaker unknown, as the ponies dived in an attempt to avoid being crushed by the incoming projectile.
Shining stood up, shaking the dust free of his armor. He looked around, and was disheartened at what he saw. Shooting Star, a young stallion about his sister's age and a fairly new recruit in the guard, had been crushed by the rock and lay gasping his final breaths in his crumpled armor. The guard captain knew on the intellectual level that in war there were casualties, but Equestria had been at peace for so long that most ponies serving in the guard did not truly understand it, and Shining Armor had never lost a soldier under his command before.
He looked out over the battlefield, trying to determine the best course of action. At the current rate of attrition, the guard might be able to hold the giants and keep Canterlot safe, but there was no way of knowing how many guardsponies he would lose in the course of the battle. There was also no way of knowing if there were more of the giants on their way.
None of that mattered, Shining realized as he blocked another round of stones with his magic. If the giants reached the city, all was lost. He was not going to let innocent ponies down, not while he still drew breath. He would fight them with every ounce of strength in his body and horn, and would do everything in his power to keep his army in the fight for as long as possible.
Twilight Sparkle looked down the hill from the balcony in Canterlot at the great battle that waged below, more worried than she had ever been in her life, even considering the mare's consistent struggle with anxiety. She wanted to let her brother know that she was alright, but to her distress found out he had already departed for the front lines by the time the refugees from Ponyville arrived in Canterlot. More importantly, though, she wanted to make sure he was safe.
As she watched the chaos unfold, she reminded herself that she was hardly in the worst shape at the moment. Of her friends, it was only herself, Pinkie and Fluttershy who hadn't already lost loved ones in the escape from Ponyville. Both Rarity and Applejack had their little sisters taken from them, along with Scootaloo. Rainbow Dash had grown quite fond of the little orange filly recently, and wasn't taking her loss very well.
They hadn't given up hope. They didn't know what these crystal giants wanted, and still fully planned on rescuing their lost kin from their cold clutches. Twilight herself was already preparing, studying any magic that she thought might be of help in restoring them. She didn't have a choice; she had to do something to keep herself busy, otherwise she would drive herself insane with worry.
She knew she should get back to her research, and that there was nothing more she could do from up here. No matter how hard she tried, though, she couldn't tear her eyes away from the grisly sight. It was her brother down there that was leading the defense, and she couldn't bear the thought of anything happening to him.
There was a knock at the door. Briefly irritated at the audacity of anyone brazen enough to approach her at a time like this, she considered rebuking the guest. Ultimately deciding against it, she opened the door and was glad to see the immaculate figure of her beloved mentor, Princess Celestia.
"Princess Celestia, what brings you by? Are you coming to check on my research? I think I may be able to free the ponies the giants have, enchanted for lack of a better word, but I'll need to test it first." The two of them walked out to the balcony to view the battle below with anxious eyes. "That is, assuming we win this battle."
Celestia extended a wing and draped it over her protege. The weight of a thousand years of reigning alone, combined with the sudden burden of leading a nation through crisis and war, rested heavily on the princess's withers, and it was times like these she felt as ancient as she truly was. Even so, all it took was one look into the amethyst eyes of the mare in front of her to restore her resolve. "Have faith Twilight, we will prevail this day. Of that I have no doubt. Still, this will take all of the strength we have. That is why I've come to you. Princess Luna and I will shortly be departing to command from the front line."
The lavender mare looked at her, perplexed. "How can you? I mean, how can both of you? You are our leaders, and while I can certainly see how important it is, how will Canterlot go on while you are away? Or if..." Twilight let the thought trail off, unwilling to perceive its ultimate conclusion.
"Which is why while we are gone, you will be in charge, Twilight Sparkle," the princess said with a smile. "And should the worst come to pass, I have named you my personal successor. Do not fret, and if the time comes, remember to listen to your friends. Your letters these past years have shown me that you are ready for this responsibility, more so than any other pony in Equestria."
Twilight bowed her head. "I will do my best, Your Highness, to live up to your expectations. I thank you for this great honor."
"The honor is mine, for having such a wonderful student. Now come, we have a great deal to do and precious little time." With that, the two of them left the room.
Red eldritch fire streaked through the air as Carpathios unleashed a terrible wrath upon these abominations that would destroy such idyllic beauty. His flames did not scorch wood or flesh, leaving the pony-built structures and their now apparently soulless creators unharmed. Instead, they burned to slag piles the crystalline horrors which assaulted him.
Sword in one hand, newly-acquired staff in the other, the mage surged through the streets, bringing elemental forces down on any foe he witnessed. Quickly bright, razor sharp shards littered the streets, fragile monuments to the invaders reduced to shattered fragments by one man's anger.
Carpathios, the ethereal voice of Soptek said, you must calm yourself and think. These foes will require more than rage and brute force to defeat, they will require a plan.
Carpathios stopped, and took stock of his surroundings. The majority of the giants had left the town, and were making for the capital city of Canterlot. "The enemy attacks the city, in greater numbers than the Guard can defeat. They will overrun it if we do nothing."
There is much we can do. We have prepared several incantations; you have the strength to cast them. Carpathios returned to the library, to prepare to change the course of this war.
Author's Note
For those wondering: I view the Crystal Empire as an Equestrian protectorate. It isn't really an empire, anyway.
The Spire Guard is an all-unicorn unit of the most powerful combat mages in Equestria. They're tasked primarily with defending Canterlot's most heavily guarded magic secrets, but can be deployed in times of trouble. They're the ones seen in It's About Time.
Twilight Sparkle examined herself in the mirror, examining her chosen outfit for this year's Nightmare Night. After last year, she decided it would be better to go as something a little more familiar with the local community. After careful deliberation, she had settled on a piece she felt would fit in quite well.
Shadowstar was a figure of legend in the Ponyville region. A reclusive unicorn mare, according to myth, she practiced strange and powerful magic, and used it selfishly. The story of the witch had been told for generations, mostly to scare unruly foals. Most adult ponies, however, didn't consider her any more real than the Lost City of Appolantis. Twilight herself had found no historical evidence that such a pony ever existed, though elements of the myth were consistent with several classical literary archetypes.
Still, the character made for an excellent Nightmare Night costume. Twilight had researched the Shadowstar myths with great care to make sure she got all of the details correct. The green-stained saddlebags used to carry her foul reagents, the cord tied around her cloak that was originally part of the noose the villagers tried to hang her with, and the burlap sack used to carry away delicious young fillies and colts were all present. She even used a bit of black paint to give her horn a damaged appearance, though she took great care to make sure it was still fully intact and functional.
Putting a bit of dark makeup on, she looked at herself in the mirror. At first glance, she almost recoiled from the image in the mirror. Staring back at her was a very different mare, one with old, ragged clothing, and a weathered, menacing face. She had done an excellent job this year, it seemed.
"Hey Twilight, are you ready to- WHAA!" Spike shouted as he entered the room, toppling backwards as Twilight turned to address him. "Whoa, that's one creepy costume. Sweet job!" Spike himself was dressed as a knight in shining armor this year. Twilight wasn't sure exactly why, though she suspected it might have something to do with Rarity.
"Thank you. After last year, I decided to look to more regional folklore to draw inspiration from. This year, everypony should be able to recognize me. Hopefully."
"Don't worry, Twi. I'm sure everyone will love your costume. Now come," he said, assuming a dynamic pose, "The night is young. There is candy to be had!"
The town of Ponyville was once again arrayed for the festivities of Nightmare Night. While Princess Luna could not grace it with here presence this year, due to making an official appearance in Trottingham, the atmosphere was in no way dampened. Ponies arrayed in all sorts of costumes participated in a variety of diverting activities, set in a cheerful mood that stood in contrast with the decorations.
As she trotted the short distance from her home to the town square, Twilight encountered the distinct yet familiar form of her newest friend Carpathios. The human was this night clad in a dark cloak as opposed to his usual bright red, but he still carried his ubiquitous hooked staff. Although, since as he had explained it the staff was as important to him as a horn was to a unicorn, Twilight would have been surprised if he hadn't had it.
"Happy Nightmare Night," Twilight said as she approached the mage. "Looks like you tried to get into the spirit of things. How has your night been?"
Carpathios gave a nervous chuckle. "Could be going better, actually. I'm afraid I was a bit overzealous in my original costume design, thinking it would be a good idea to use magic to augment it. Unfortunately, the final result was far more potent than even I originally predicted. Which reminds me, if you see the Cutie Mark Crusaders, would you give them my most sincere apologies? I fear they were not prepared for my appearance."
"Don't worry, I'll be sure to let them know if I see them," Twilight said. "So, what was your original costume?"
"Have you ever heard of an allip?"
Twilight scratched her head with a hoof. "No, I can't say I have."
"Oh, well then never mind." Carpathios turned to walk with her. "I must say, this evening reminds me a great deal of the Tales and Tallows celebration of my home village. The main difference seems to be the overall theme practicing of the holiday. Tales and Tallows usually consists of families staying in their homes, locking all of the doors and barring the windows, sitting around the fire and regaling each other with tales of fear and woe. I had trouble sleeping those nights quite nearly into my adulthood. Of course, now with my powers there is very little I have to fear."
"That seems a little... confident," Twilight said, choosing her words with care. "Even with all I've learned of magic, I'm still careful of things I don't know about. In some cases, even things I do know about."
"There is a difference between boldness and foolishness, of course," Carpathios responded. "I always ensure that I never take greater risks than absolutely necessary." He turned as they arrived at the main gathering. Rarity and Applejack were conversing at a table of refreshments. They both looked up to welcome the new arrivals.
"Howdy! Welcome to-" Applejack briefly wore a shocked expression, but it was quickly replaced with a grin. "Well Ah'll be, that's a mighty fine costume. Why, Ah almost thought Shadowstar had come ta grab me for stayin' out too late."
"Indeed," Rarity said, giving the raiment a closer inspection. "I didn't know you had such an eye for design. Granted, it lacks a certain flair, but you did get all of the details perfectly."
Twilight blushed from the praise. "Thank you. Your costumes are quite nice as well." She took a good look at her friends' costumes. Applejack was currently dressed as a tin pony, which considering her costume last year, made Twilight chuckle a little. Rarity, on the other hand, went with a far more classical appearance. She had eschewed the "obvious" option as a vampire, most likely due to her sister's use of it last year.
"Rarity, that's probably the best Ghost of Trottingham Tower costume I've ever seen! I'm glad you could make it this year."
Rarity flourished, showing off her costume. "I'm glad you like it. Fortunately, I didn't have nearly as many orders this past week as I did this time last year, so I was able to finish Sweetie's and my costume well in advance. I do wish I had been able to make it last year, though. I haven't gotten a chance to speak with Princess Luna since the first Summer Sun celebration."
Carpathios remained silent as Twilight said, "I think it would be a good idea for you two to meet. She could use some more friends. In a way, she reminded me of how I was before I came to Ponyville and we found the Elements of Harmony."
It was at this point that he spoke up. "Twilight, I've seen references to these elements in some of my work, but I would like to learn more. Could we discuss them later?"
"Of course! I don't know how I haven't said anything about it earlier. We've been talking about magic so much, but somehow I forgot about the most powerful magic I've ever known. I'd be glad to tell you everything I know." She smiled, and adopted her lecturing tone. "For our first lesson, though, I think a demonstration is in order. A key part of friendship is spending time together, so lets have fun tonight!"
"Ah can second that! C'mon Carpathios, let's see how good those arms are at throwin'!" Applejack galloped off, and Carpathios followed.
It struck him that before coming to this world, he would never have willingly stooped to this level of frivolity. He guessed it was the sincere innocence of these ponies, combined with the very whimsical nature of the world that seemed woven into the very essence of the land that compelled him to cast off his reservations, at least for the moment.
Tomorrow, he would have a lot to discuss with Twilight.
The party had been going for some time now. The Cutie Mark Crusaders were finished gathering treats and were now trying their hooves at the various games set up in the town, such as the Spider Toss, apple bobbing,. Apple Bloom was quite good at them; years of helping out on the farm had given her excellent coordination. Scootaloo almost kept up with her, much to the competitive pegasus filly's chagrin. Sweetie Belle lagged behind, though.
After Sweetie Belle failed her latest attempt, a pair of fillies in expensive-looking costumes sauntered over to them. "Well, that's one more thing you won't be getting your cutie mark in," Diamond Tiara said haughtily. Sweetie Belle's face was downcast for a moment, but then she remembered who was speaking. Apple Bloom and Scootaloo stood at her aid.
"Do you honestly have nuthin' better ta do?" asked Apple Bloom. "Ah mean seriously, there's games, candy, just about everything a filly could ask fer. But all y'all wanna do is come 'round here and make fun."
Diamond Tiara's attempt to deliver a cutting retort was never finished. She was distracted by the growing shadows behind the Cutie Mark Crusaders. At first she thought her eyes were just playing tricks on her, but then she felt Silver Spoon inch a little closer to her. The darkness deepened, from merely obscuring the distance to perfect inky blackness.
Umbral tendrils snaked out of the encroaching darkness, slowly enveloping the surroundings. Diamond Tiara felt her blood run cold. She heard what she guessed was either Silver Spoon's knees knocking or teeth chattering. Her own body was frozen solid with sheer terror.
As she watched, the darkness encircled her classmates, but did not seem to get close enough for them to notice. She was vaguely aware of Scootaloo saying something, but her attention was trapped above them. The shadows seemed to solidify into a boiling cloud. A pair of burning red eyes opened, peering upon them. Around these eyes, a grinning skull of some bizarre, flat-faced creature materialized.
Apple Bloom tilted her head confused as the two pompous fillies let out an ear-piercing shriek and bolted away from them with as much speed as they could manage. She turned around, finding Carpathios standing behind her and her friends. He wore a black cloak, much less fancy than his usual clothes. She found this strange, as most ponies dress up for Nightmare Night.
"Drat. It seems my costume is still too powerful a fright even with the reductions."
Soptek! The voice of Carpathios echoed within the Veil. I have found it!
The old librarian immediately perked up. The day had been long and filled with toil, and news of his young friend's success would most certainly improve his night's slumber.
What have you found? replied Soptek. What is the nature of the power that called out to you through space and time?
It comes from the Elements of Harmony. It was their light that first beckoned to me, yet they have been sitting in front of me for my entire stay. The mage I told you of, Twilight Sparkle, is the one tasked with learning the secrets of their power.
Such serendipity, chuckled Soptek. This is probably for the best. Agathonis slips further into decay by the day, it seems. Ectellios has assumed the role of Magnus Templi of the Pyrae Circle.
And thus gains control of the pyromancers, brooded Carpathios. I reasoned he would build his power base upon such... flamboyant acolytes. Their art is a perfect fit for his temperament. You are still in Agathonis, so you are best to judge how to handle them. Also, do not feel bound by me to keep my success hidden, if you find sharing it to be to our advantage.
Soptek acknowledged this resolutely.Farewell, Carpathios. I will be watching and waiting.
