Ascendance: The Starswirl Chronicles

"Milady, it appears that the young wizard is continuing through the rites. He has just passed the first challenge, albeit with some difficulty." Lunar Stallion Dusk Shine bowed before his lady, giving her his latest report on Starswirl's progress. Although he did not mention it aloud, he was curious as to why the lunar regent would bother monitoring a single unicorn with one of her finest stealth troops.

"Thank you, Dusk Shine. Return to your post and report to us within the next two hours." Grand General Luna nodded briefly to her soldier before returning to the stack of supply requests that currently assaulted her. The Equestrian Air Force was running low on everything, from wing-swords to helmets and even shoes, and it was up to her to see that each division was properly resupplied lest it turn into a logistical nightmare.

"As you say, milady." With a sweep of his wings, Dusk quickly ascended into the morning sky and made for the Canterlot Mountain Gem Caves, where Starswirl was currently taking the Rites of Challenge. He had been making this journey between the caves and the castle at constant intervals, showing no signs of fatigue or mental weariness as he followed his orders to the letter. "Really, a perfect soldier," Luna mused to herself as she pored over yet another supply request, this time for a new supply train of food to the Air Force 5th. "Really now, the amount of food these soldiers have been consuming is almost ridiculous. We are almost inclined to decline this request if we knew not the difficulties this war presented for our troops."

Sighing, she dripped another dollop of hot wax onto the parchment scroll before pressing her seal into it, making sure the imprint was clear enough to be recognized. She remembered one time where she had carelessly placed her seal without bothering to press hard enough, and the quartermasters of the army ended up milling around in chaos before one of them finally decided to personally ask for her approval. Never again would she let that happen.

Time stretched on. Luna signed one document after another, completing each with her royal seal. The room was completely silent save the scratching of her quill on parchment as she rewrote orders, authorized offensives, and sent out missives detailing the particulars of her next attack.

Suddenly, her stomach growled. Luna's fur blushed pink at the sound, realizing that she had forgotten to eat breakfast. Glad that no one had heard the unseemly noise, she casually teleported herself into the kitchen expecting to see a meal waiting for consumption.

What she didn't expect was to see the chefs all in disarray. "Quick, get me another dozen eggs!"

"I'm running out of milk and cream over here!"

"Where's our shipment of fruit? I'm all out of strawberries!"

"Dear Faust, please tell me this wasn't our last supply of chocolate!"

Servants bustled back and forth, hurrying with various food items to each different chef. Luna arched her eyebrows. What could cause such chaos for the royal chefs?

"Castle servant, pray, tell us why you rush along so urgently." Luna used a hoof to hold back another servant as he was scuttling by.

"Eep!" The servant jumped, scared from the sudden unexpected contact. When he realized who had spoken to him, he bowed his head until it touched the floor. "Your highness! I did not realize you were here!"

Luna simply stared at the servant, who quietly sweat where he stood until he realized he had been asked a question. "Oh, right! Her Imperial Majesty, Empress Corona, has the entire staff working overtime for her cakes! She's been consuming them at a prodigious rate for the past two hours, and I fear that we may run out of supplies!"

Luna sighed, casting her eyes towards the heavens as she secretly cursed her sister's name. "Tell all the chefs that we hereby rescind any order that my sister may have given them in regards to cakes. Also, make sure that no more of the castle staff bring the confections to her room from this point onward."

"B-but your Majesty-"

"Any objections you were about to raise have been duly noted. Now then, we require a large brunch to regain our energy. Faust knows how many documents we hath been forced to sign since the morn has risen. "

"But of course, your highness!" At that, the servant quickly moved away to do her bidding, leaving her alone once more in the large castle kitchen.

"Honestly, our sister. Cakes? Hast thou gone mad?" Luna muttered darkly under her voice. She could not remember the last time her sister had decided to indulge herself so completely, but it could not bode well if she was choosing to do so now.

Luna waited in the adjoining dining room, not wishing to view the preparations of her meal. Her mind slowly drifted off towards the war, which haunted her at every opportunity. Unlike before, however, she held the small flame of hope brightly in her thoughts. If Starswirl became apprentice to Magus Aquus, there could be changes. She sensed something different about this initiate in comparison to the past Magi, his heart pure and undefiled while containing a fiery soul of good. "It will be difficult for the Magi to corrupt THIS one, at least if we have our way." Luna smiled to herself, remembering how the young one had flustered under her attention the previous night. Perhaps she should claim him for herself; after all, it has been at least a decade before she had time to bed with a worthy stallion. (While her occasional "adventures" with her Lunar Stallions relieved her of any sexual tensions, she had yet to find a stallion with whom she could share her heart with.)

Suddenly, the fragrant aroma of mushroom soup entered her nostrils, snapping her out of her reverie. A servant had appeared before her, placing the meal in front of her with a bow. Luna inhaled deeply, allowing the scent of sauteed mushrooms and clover mixed with generous amounts of onions and pepper play across her senses. "Once again, the kitchen has impressed us," said Luna with a smile to the servant. "Give the chefs our regards."

"Of course, your majesty." With a bow, the servant quickly exited the room, allowing her to dig in without any form of restraint. Hungrily, Luna devoured the soup without a second though, her stomach unable to hold out any longer. The warm, rich liquid poured down her throat in a cascade of deliciousness as she continued to guzzle down the stew in a most unprincesslike manner. Finally satisfied, she allowed the bowl to fall to the table with a clack.

"Ahhhh, the benefits of a full stomach do us well," she mused, patting her belly in content. While it had not completely filled her up, it gave her enough sustenance to last until the royal luncheon was prepared. Before this, however, she had resolved to check up on her sister.

Casting a teleportation spell, Luna soon found herself in Corona's room. The floor was littered with various dishes and bits of cake, leaving almost no clean area in sight. Corona herself was sitting on her bed, staring intently into a  mirror orb.

"Sister! What is this meaning of all this," said Luna, shocked that Corona would indulge herself so fully in such trying times.

"Ah, my dearest of friends. Luna, please sit and eat cake with me. Although, it has been quite a while since the last one has been sent up, so I'm afraid there are none left at the moment. I'll have the chefs flogged for their incompetence."

Luna shook her head, staring at her sister in utter disbelief. "We ordered the chefs to stop making cakes. Thy splurge has emptied the castle pantry of cake making items, and we shudder to see the report from the royal treasury on what this will do to the castle's expenses.

"Ah, pooh, Luna. You are no fun at all," said Corona, her lips forming a small pout as she turned her attention back to the crystal orb in front of her. "At the very least, please sit with me. I am currently watching the progress of my young charge going through the rites and I must say he looks absolutely delicious." Corona had the most lascivious of looks on her face as she said this, her eyes momentarily filled with a lust so deep it would fill oceans.

A violent blush tinged Luna's cheeks. "Sister! How dare thee look after thy charge in such a fashion!?"

"Oh, shush, Luna. I know of your romps with the members of your Lunar Stallions - do not deny that it is your cries I hear littering the night," Corona replied, her lips turned upwards in a smirk. At this, Luna's dark blue fur blushed even deeper, turning it nearly as dark as the night she brings forth. "Now, what have you come to ask me about?"

Furiously shaking herself in an attempt to expel her embarrassment of being heard during her nighttime activities, "We were merely concerned for your wellbeing - 'Tis not normally the case for you to indulge in thy passion so suddenly and deeply. We have known thou to have more self-restraint."

Corona said nothing, simply returning her attention to watching Starswirl on her crystal orb. "Ah, look how he struggles. Yet he perserveres and succeeds in whatever tasks Magus Aquus throws at him. Truly a fine specimen of unicorn."

"Sister..." Luna said impatiently, her tone indicating that she would not budge from the issue.

"Oh, very well. Today is the anniversary of his death, if you recall..." At this, Corona's voice was slightly tinged with grief, her demeanor not as high and mighty as before.

"Oh." Luna cursed under her breath, rebuking herself for forgetting what had happened on this day, 250 years ago. On this day all those years ago, Corona's first lover had died in a surprise griffin attack on the eastern outskirts of Equestria. It was during a time of war with Griffonstan, and his loss had turned Corona into a merciless goddess of wrath as she chose to personally lead the troops onwards, wielding the powers of the sun until most of the opposing army lay dead in the ashes of their burnt comrades. While time had mellowed out the pain of loss, Corona still commemorated the date he died by eating prodigious amounts of cake, something that Luna should have remembered. "Sister, I-"

Corona waved a hoof. "It's fine, Luna. No harm done, although after 250 years one would think my heart would finally be in for repair."

As Luna turned to quietly leave her sister alone, a thought suddenly came to her. "Thou hath been watching Starswirl as well?"

At this, Corona arched her brow questioningly. "What do you mean, 'as well', my dear sister?"

Suddenly aware that she had let her little secret loose, Luna was at a loss. "We...er..."

"You're too adorable, my dear sister. You could have said something if you wished to have him for yourself," Corona said teasingly, suddenly becoming the older sister she had failed to be for the past century or so.

"Sister! How could you even suggest such a thing?" While Luna drew herself up as if to appear that her pride was injured, her facial expression said otherwise. "W-we shall take our leave now. Fare thee well!" In a puff of smoke, Luna immediately teleported back to her chambers, although she could have sworn she saw the hints of a knowing smile appearing on her sister's face before she phased out of existence.

Corona simply stared into the empty space, her smile slowly dropping into a contemplative frown. She had meant it as a jest, but if her sister truly desired the same stallion as she... Corona scowled. She was not willing to give up this one to her sister, and SHE was the older one anyway. It should be unwritten law that the eldest gets her first pick. Satisified by her reasoning, Corona returned her attentions to the orb, where Starswirl was currently performing his second Rite of Challenge.

"Do you know what the Council of Magi do for a living, lad?" Darkslick asked casually, throwing his voice back to reach the young apprentice trailing behind him. They had been traveling in the tunnel for the past thirty minutes in near darkness, and Starswirl was starting to bruise from the amount of times he had bumped his head into a wall.

"You advise Empress Corona on ruling the empire, as well as representing each pony tribe in national issues such as civil rights and other legislatures. There is also the fact that you have been deemed the strongest mage of your generation, which is why you were chosen by the previous Magi to replace you," Starswirl replied, hating every word he had to speak to the vile stallion in front of him.

"No need to be polite - I've seen the look in your eyes when you first saw me. Don't think I'm so naive as to not recognize pure contempt when it is presented towards me."

Starswirl growled. "With all due respect, Magus, I do not wish to engage in this small talk."

"Please. If you respected me, we wouldn't be having this conversation in the first place. Now, tell me - what do you think of me?" Darkslick stopped his spell, allowing the couch to lightly touch upon the floor before he turned his immeasurable girth to face his hateful apprentice.

"Wisdom and common sense dictate that what I think of you is not related to my magical skill, sir." Starswirl stood resolute, his face revealing the emotion of a rock wall. "I wish to continue my Rites so I may end them with all haste, if I may."

Darkslick merely sighed before levitating his couch once more. "You're not fun at all, for being so young. I was only try to brighten up our existences in this dank cavern."

"Pardon me, Magus, but your character couldn't brighten up a charcoal mine."

"Bah, have it your way then. It'll do me no good to waste me time arguing." As Darkslick spoke these words, a pinprick of light became visible in the distance. It grew brighter and brighter as the pair moved closer, flooding the tunnel in an emerald light as they slowly entered a second large chamber.

Starswirl's eyes grew wider. The room was completely composed of pure emeralds, ones whose beauty had no comparison to the paltry jewels he had seen on the surface. Each one shone a vibrant shade of emerald green, casting mystical rays that danced along the cavern walls.

At the center of this emerald cavern lay a rough, unhewn emerald with many impurities that was nearly ten feet tall. Upon closer study, Starswirl even managed to find specks of dirt from where it had originally been harvested.

Darkslick set his couch down with a clack, then slowly staggered to his feet to approach the imperfect stone. "The first rite was, so you may know, a test of awareness - a Magus must always be aware of his surroundings in order to differentiate the truth from lies. Being a water molder that you are, you are more attuned to the nature around you; natural life is filled with water, after all. However, being a Magus requires a heightened awareness that will allow you to be constantly observant in all conditions - deserts, rock caves, and other places where water is not easily accessible." Darkslick paused, allowing his hoof to lazily move across the surface of the gem. "This will be a test of your control over water."

Starswirl stared at the rock in confusion. He turned his gaze to Darkslick, his expression in askance of an explanation.

Darkslick raised an eyebrow. "You haven't figured it out already? You must use your magic to shape this rock into an image of your choice; the only requirement is that there are no rough edges and it must be life size, so choose something relatively small."

Starswirl nodded, slowly beginning to understand his task. As a water molder, he would have to be able to finely control his magic lest his water eroded away too much of the stone and marred the image. A truly nerve wracking exam, as the slightest interruption in magic could ruin the whole stone and most likely cause him to fail. Taking a slow, deep breath, Starswirl stepped closer to the stone until his horn made contact with the unpolished gem.

Suddenly, the cavern erupted in a display of cobalt blue light. Starswirl's horn emanated magical energy as he slowly carved runes of old Equuish into the stone that he remembered from his lessons in Class 2 second year. While it had been an elective, learning how to use runes in his magic allowed him to amplify his prowess over magical energy by tenfold. The particular rune he had decided to use first was simple: Split.

With a thunderous rumble, the large emerald boulder broke neatly in half, each piece falling to the floor with a resounding crack.

If Darkslick had been shocked by this seemingly suicidal action, he did not show it. Relaxing on his red felt couch, he continued to observe without a word or comment as Starswirl began to carve more runes on the floor surrounding the two halves.

Satisfied that he had all the runes necessary, Starswirl chanted the necessary spell. Suddenly, the halves fell into a concave bowl that immediately formed in the floor with a resounding crunch. Water began to condense around the stones at a faster and faster rate until the entire bowl was submerged, creating a mini-lake. Casually, Starswirl strode out onto the water, already having enchanted himself with a water-walking spell.

Darkslick's eyes grew wider as he began to see what Starswirl intended to do. The water slowly began to glow of emerald light, revealing the crushed emerald powder that floated within it. His charge had not simply magic'd the material that had formerly occupied the space of the lake, after all; he has used runes to crush the emerald floor into finely grained particles.

And now he intended to grow a new emerald with the old.

Deep into his chanting now, Starswirl's eyes began to glow, matching the color of his magical aura. He gently nudged the stone halves out of the crystal-saturated water until they hovered an inch above it's surface. Starswirl smiled. As he expected, a small gem layer had begun to form on the outer rock-surface of the emerald - it was only a matter of polishing the rest off now.

Touching his hoof now to the stone, Starswirl began to swirl water from the lake beneath him around the stones, slowly moving them closer and closer together until they were mere inches apart. He gathered more and more water around the stone, causing it to move faster and faster around it until he suddenly stopped and allowed the water to splash all around him.

In front of him now stood a a likeness of a unicorn mare standing with a unicorn stallion. While the stallion had little to no details to speak of except for a streaked mane, Starswirl nearly gasped at the sight of his second sculpture. Her flank displayed a cutie mark of a rose with thorns, her mane forever blowing from an invisible breeze. She held a look of sad happiness, her eyes masterfully portraying the emotion to the extent that Starswirl almost thought she was real. He was about to reach out a hoof to touch his masterpiece before Darkslick had suddenly slapped him on the back.

"Well done! I certainly was not expecting you to grow more emerald to work with, but well done indeed! I'm sure Empress Corona will be very pleased with these additions to her treasure collection; the emerald looks to be of a most high caliber." Smiling wickedly, Darkslick looked down at his apprentice with new eyes. "Perhaps we should keep you as a sculpture artist, should you fail the rites." This plain stallion sculpture will stay with me, however; no sense in giving Corona something so plain when I could sell it for millions elsewhere.

Starswirl was about to reply before a wave of nausea rolled over him. Using so much magic at once affected his body negatively, and he now knew that it wouldn't be long before the migraines took the place of the stomach pains. However, there was one question that prevailed through the agony his body subjected him to: Who was that mare? Was it...mother?

Rolling this thought in his head along with the continuing conundrum of why he could not remember his parents quickened his descent into pain as his brains were suddenly assaulted by migraines. Starswirl was now struggling to remain conscious, the darkness at the edges of his eyes threatening to cloud his vision.

Darkslick momentarily glanced away from his visions of making more money to stare at his disabled student. He considered leaving him like that, but mysteriously losing Empress Corona's recommended would not reflect kindly on his records. With a drawn out sigh, he sent a small burst of healing magic towards the ailing stallion and watch disapprovingly as Starswirl immediately got back up and started to shake his head to clear his mind.

"Don't make me do that again. You'll be instantly disqualified if I have to revive you a second time. This was an exception because of your commendable work with the sculptures." Returning to his couch, Darkslick once again levitated his furniture and floated towards the other end of the cavern where yet another tunnel awaited them. "Time is ticking, apprentice. The statues will have to be picked up later. Now, come." With that, Starswirl watched as the darkness engulfed the Magus once more before he quickly galloped after him.

"Why did I agree to this..." Starswirl, starting to feel heavily exhausted from the exertions he had put forth in the past couple hours or so, began to wonder the wisdom of his decision before the darkness swallowed him up as well.