Mercurial Archives

The Lighthouse

Archive #0, Entry #2

Summer, 5th year of the reign of King Platinum of Unicornia

Location: Outside the gates of Castle Ambrosia, high seat of Duke Starswirl

Duchy of Cante-Wirl, Unicornia

“Do you see it, Mercuria?” The aging unicorn raised a hoof toward the not all too distant silhouette of a solitary tower, rising like a spear toward the evening sky. The question was a bit unnecessary, in my opinion – then again, Starswirlwas getting fairly old. He may well have had a hard time actually seeing that far in this light – he does use spectacles, but he has told me many times that they really only help with reading.

But indeed I did see it. The Mercury Lighthouse basked in the red light of dusk, and shone back with a bluish light of its own. It was a quite majestic structure, yes – but that wasnothing to the pride I felt whenever I set my eyes on it. This grand tower, this centerpiece of royal architecture; thismagnum opus of magic and technology was not only built in my honor, but also built to my design.

The lighthouse was not yet finished, of course. Ever since the duke had presented me with the project I had taken a great interest in the arts of construction and engineering, both magical and mundane, and together we had studies works of all kinds; from reports on the Crystal Palace and its towers, to every imaginable castle in the kingdom.

There were even notes on the pegasi and their cloud cities, though they were scarce. The Kingdom's ties with our more warlike cousins to the west had never been very good – pegasi were a brawny and militaristic lot, and saw any kind of state larger than their own as a threat and eventual enemy. The largest single union of pegasi were in the hands of Commander Hurricane the Second, barely a third the size of Unicornia and with not even a fifth the population – troop numbers and lack of magic aside, there was no wonder the pegasi felt threatened by the Kingdom's emergence.

With the aid of the Archmage Clover and his Council of Mages, the Craftsman’s Guild of Cante-Wirl had started the construction of the lighthouse in the spring of last year, celebrating the formal coronation of King Platinum as King of Unicornia. While initially boosted by the general sense of revelry that swept across the nation following the codification of the state, things had slowed to a crawl by autumn for a very simple reason.

None of the mages actuallyknew how to build a lighthouse.

It hadn't been done in ages – legends of the Old Empire aside, the only one that remained from that lost age was situated in the far north, and the Crystal Empire had never been keen on revealing its secrets to outsiders.

Archmage Clover had barged in on one of my sessions with Starswirl to deliver that very message, and I managed to persuade him to give me a look at the plans – it was, in a way,my tower after all. It didn't take me much time to realize just how flawed the initial design was – quite fortunately I was allowed to partake in a ritual at the Crystal Tower a few years ago, and by comparing those spell flows and that design with my own theories I could start sketching up the most necessary corrections right away. Clover was quite taken with my skill, of course, and after a few meetings with the guilds and some paperwork, I was given the honor of being Chief Architect of the Lighthouse project.

Now, a little more than half a year later, the results –my results – were quite visible. The Lighthouse had not quite reached its full height yet, but the holed platform of the aerie – where the beacon would be lit – had just been completed yesterday. Now all that remained was the interior work, some ornamenting work on the outside and the aerie spires – most likely not more than a month's work.

The lighthouse –my lighthouse! – was so close to completion, and I could barely keep myself from rushing at every task Starswirl gave me with all the subtlety of a charging minotaur. I was restless, and my master was worried. So he had insisted we take a few days' break from my studies, to allow me to gather my wits – which of course meant that there was something bothering him, and he needed some time alone to make an important decision. Not that he put it that way, but I knew the old coot better than to be fooled by mere words.

With a shake of my head that sent my lush, silvery mane flying in the wind for a few seconds, I circled my master and planted my hooves right in front of him, giving him a serious look. “Starswirl. I know you're worried about something. You've done this every single time there's been something big on your mind, and the pattern isn't really hard to deduce. Why can't you just tell me about it? You know I can help – I'm almost as skilled in most of the arts as you are, now.”

The aged unicorn frowned, and the Crown of Bells under that strange, pointed hat of his tingled faintly as he lowered his head to meet my eyes. “That is precisely the issue, princess. It has been near a decade since I first took you under my wing, and to say that I am anything but proud at your development – your achievements – would be a blatant lie. In fact, I wasn't expecting this day to come nearly as soon as it did...”

Starswirl's eyes lost focus for a moment, gazing off into the distance before snapping back to me. This time, however, it was far less of my master and far more of the duke in that gaze. “Princess Mercuria, my faithful student. The time has come for your apprenticeship to end.”

I was stunned. My mouth hung open, but I couldn't manage words – I tried to stammer a protest, but it wouldn't come. My face was hot, so hot.

“You reached a level of skill beyond that of most common court mages years ago, and when you started making discoveries of your own I had to realize I could not hold you under my wing for much longer. Oh, there are things I can teach you – few things does old age bring like it brings excess knowledge! – but the truth is that I cannot bear to see one as talented as you...stuck, here in the bird's nest. One day, every chick must take flight on its own.”

My legs wobbled as my tears finally started falling, and I flung myself at the old stallion's frame, burying my head in his long, white beard. “M-master...” I couldn't form any words, any thoughts – and magic itself was so far from my mind I might as well have been a pegasus.

Starswirl only gave a fatherly chuckle, however, and raised a hoof to embrace me. It brought a comfort I hadn't realized how much I had depended on, over these years. “There, there. Don't cry, now. This is a moment of celebration! You will be your own mare now, with no pesky old coot like me looking over your shoulder every step of the way.” I couldn't see it, but I felt his beard shift a bit as his lips curved into a smile. “Besides, you stopped calling me 'master' half a year ago. Curious, to hear that from you now. You know, besides the king and my wife, you are the only person who has ever called me by name, like that.”

We stood like that for some time, me drying my tears in his beard and he stroking my head, urging my fears away. He knew, of course. Ever since Aurum died, Starswirl had been the closest thing to a father I had in my life. Losing that anchor a second time...

Naturally, I'd always known this day would come. Somewhere inside me, I'd known. Thinking back on the last few months, I realized Starswirl had been testing me, to see if I was ready. In his eyes, I must've been – and maybe I was ready, at least in part.

I just always thought I'd have time to prepare my heart for this day before it came.

-/-/-/

The sun was well beneath the horizon, and I was lying down at Starswirl's side, clinging to his beard like the symbol of safety it had been for so long. I'd managed to stop crying, at least, but my throat still felt like there was a piece of burning coal stuck inside. More important, however, was the fact that I'd had some time to mull over the concept in my mind. Now, when the inevitable loss of my surrogate father and mentor was less of a fresh, bleeding wound and more of an inescapable fact of fate, I could see the logic of his decision for what it was. Sound, wise and well-informed – like almost everything else he did.

“Mercuria, I will send word to Throne and the king's court. I know the tradition says that a new mage should make his journey home on his own, but then again most new full mages are both stallions and some ten years your senior...” He drifted off for a bit, before clearing his throat and continuing. “You will be fifteen years old a week from now. I will arrange for festivities to celebrate your graduation, as well as your coming of age. You would do wisely to make plans with the Archmage before that, so that your work can be finished in proper fashion. But either way, I will make sure your sendoff will be the grandest all of Cante-Wirl, nay, all the kingdom has seen in decades! Do you wish for me to request the king's presence, princess? I am sure he would not mind; with the progress you've been making, he may well be considering you for Grand High Mage of the Realm! Well, once you get a few years of experience, at least.”

I managed not to snivel anymore, at least, but speaking was difficult. My voice was hoarse from crying, and I knew my face must've looked like a total mess. But Starswirl had seen me when I'd failed a light spell and turned myself blue for a whole day. Starswirl had seen me when I was too young to even control my magic properly. Starswirl had seen me at my sister's wedding, when I started crying without knowing why. Starswirl knew every embarrassment I had suffered over these last nine years. I had confided in him everything, and it had helped me cope. Cope with the fact that my parents were long dead. Cope with the fact that I was alone in a foreign court, and my own was gone entirely. Cope with the fact that my sister hated me, hated everyone that wasn't her own daughter – and even that was only an assumption on my part.

I was not ashamed for my appearance in front of my master, even if he was not my master anymore.

“I... no. Not the king. Platinum... he surely has enough on his plate anyway.” I fought down the urge to snivel, forcing the impulse to reshape into a sharp breath and a sigh. “Besides, it would defeat the purpose of the feast, no? He... he would draw attention. A king always does.” A brief memory of my youngest days drifted by my mind's eye, a memory of a stark white stallion with a mane of bursting gold. A lone tear found its way down my cheek, but I shook my head and went on, chasing the image away. “I want this to be... about me. About us. A feast to remember these years we have had, that we can remember when those memories themselves start to fail us. A memory to remember, Starswirl. A memory.”

Starswirl patted my head with a hoof again, and I sunk down to the ground, trying to forget my woes. “Wise words from a wise mare, Mercuria. I shall heed them without question. What sort of master would I be, to refuse your last request as my apprentice? I will remind the king to not let personal matters come before his duties as a monarch.” He paused for a bit, sizing me up with his eyes as if he only now realized I wasn't a foal anymore. “Though I believe I need to send your measurements to the royal tailors. You will need a set of formal robes forthis kind of event. Oh, and a hat! Every mage worth his salt has at least a hat or two. Bells, I've always liked bells. Wonderful designs you can make with those. I remember one time...”

The aging duke kept talking as the moon's silvery light shone its first rays on the grassy hills outside the castle city, and his words lulled me into a well-needed sleep. Tomorrow, we would have much to do; but tonight, at least, he would still be my master and nothing more.