Northern Lights

Twilight watched Aurora Borealis awkwardly shuffle down the guest hallway. Once she’d vanished into her room, the lavender Alicorn let out a long sigh and turned down the adjacent pathway. By this point the fatigue spell she’d cast would have taken effect, and the skyblue mare would be fast asleep in a matter of minutes.

It was far from Twilight’s proudest moment. Just thinking of the act made the princess feel as if a bleak raincloud hung over her head. It wasn’t like she didn’t trust the mare to do anything on her own, but her spasms and panic attacks were beginning to become a problem. Pretty soon she’d end up hurting somepony - or worse, herself.

If she’d just let me cast my spells we could have avoided this all together, Twilight thought. Why must some ponies be so difficult?

It wasn’t like she couldn’t fault Aurora for her hesitation. After all, she’d been in a much similar situation just a few weeks ago. When Princess Celestia’s former pupil, Sunset Shimmer, had stole her crown - the Element of Magic - and she’d been forced to follow her to an alternate world. Not only did she have to learn how to act in a foreign world, but she’d been transformed into a new shape as well through the process. A strange and foreign creature; bipedal, arms and legs ending in five digits, and lacking in speed, strength, and basic senses compared to ponies.

The shock of the new world had been hard to accept at first, but she’d had a mission when she arrived. Overcoming her problems became a quick necessity. Aurora was different. She was here against her will; transported here quite suddenly, from what her story had told. At first Twilight had her doubts, but then Princess Luna told her that the archway wasn’t to be reactivated by any means. The look of loss that appeared in Aurora’s eyes was torment to the Alicorn of Magic. Like she was ruining somepony’s life.

The first day is always the hardest, Twilight assured herself when she came to a descending spiral staircase. All she needs is some time and space. And once we learn the machine’s secrets we’ll send her back home post-haste.

Yet no matter how hard she told herself this, the lavender Alicorn was constantly bombarded by questions of doubt. What if the machine was dangerous? What damage would re-activating it cause? What damage had been done already? Even though the light had vanished when Celestia raised the sun, Twilight still felt its presence. The magic was weaker, but still firmly anchored over the city.

So lost was she in her thought, that Twilight didn’t notice she’d reach the base of the stairwell. She nearly ended up tripping over the final step, but her wings instinctively flared and steadied her. It caused the former unicorn to chuckle to herself. She’d only had these wings for a few months, and the sensation felt a little strange.

Before her stood a pair of heavy iron doors. Inscribed all over them were glowing violet symbols; magic wards placed onto the door to contain anything dangerous inside. Twilight closed her eyes and allowed her arcane powers to gather in her horn until a magenta aura engulfed it. She pressed it in the central rune, spread out across both doors. It glowed a pale blue before both doors swung open without a sound.

Beyond the doors was a spacious room illuminated by charged sunstones. A large rectangular table sat at the far wall, covered with all manner of research notes, equipment, charts, and opened books. In the middle of all of this was an ordinary work satchel filled with samples taken from the tomb. An oak bookshelf rested against the left wall, with five books on magic theory and spells.

To the right of the worktable was a metal display mannequin, akin to what was found in museums or taxidermist. The skeleton of a winged serpent rested on it. The long finger bones were flared open, as if ready to take flight. It’s mouth opened wide, displaying hollow, curved fangs.

Twilight has spent the better part of the morning erecting the skeleton form the most well preserved specimen they could find. This gave it an awkward, misshapen appearance. Despite appearing like a snake, there were several slight differences in the skeletal structure. The ribs expanded further out than any snake, more than likely to give the lungs more room and aid in flight. The skull was rounded past the nostrils, suggesting a large cranial cavity. With the exception of the fangs, the teeth had evolved into proper canines for slicing meat. There were even proto molars located in the back of the jaw.

They’d been omnivorous, that’s for sure. No doubt the very reason for their advancement in brain size, Twilight thought to herself as she sat at her table. It’d be interesting to learn what caused such evolutionary changes; and from snakes of all creatures.

She reached into the satchel with her her hoof and pulled out a plastic container. Inside, shavings of the blue metal shimmered, already reacting to her magic. Again, she gathered it in her horn, where she focused it onto a levitation spell around the Maegus Crystal in her own saddle bag. This caused the metal to become alive with light - at least in comparison to the charged sunstones hanging from the walls. Still, it was enough to make the lavender Alicorn bring a hoof to cover her eyes.

“So, simply being in the presence of active magic will cause a reaction,” Twilight said to herself. She placed the Maegus Crystal next to the samples, simultaneously writing down her observations in an opened notebook. “Let’s see if we can find out why.”

As Twilight removed the lid of the contained, the white flame inside the Maegus Crystal seemed to be drawn to the metal.

Good, she thought to herself. There’d been a slight possibility that the metal might have a molecular makeup incompatible to the Maegus Crystal’s deciphering abilities.

Holding the crystal between her hooves, the Alicorn slowly lowered it on top of the metal. The white flame seemed to burst with life - like a real fire when fed a dry log. Beneath it, the blue metal was flaring. Quick as she could, Twilight tapped the Maegus Crystal with her horn and set it to project the makeup of the metal. As she pulled her horn away, the white flame set up a projection of the metal on a molecular level on the wall.

Twilight looked into the blue spheres inside of each molecule. Just as she suspected, they were objects akin to the organelles of a living cell. But they weren’t nuclei, as she’d been hypothesizing. Rather, they were two smaller organelles tightly packed together that more closely resembled lysosomes and vacuoles.

Could they be the reason for this metal’s magical abilities?

Eager to test this theory, Twilight reached into her saddlebag and pulled out a small wrapped parcel she’d procured from the antique shop. Inside was a wooden tray bearing a small collection of rounded gemstones. There were nine in total, arranged in the pattern of pink, purple, and blue colouring. Unlike other stones, however, these ones seemed to ripple across their surface like water.

The shop owner had passed them off as a simple collectors item, Twilight had known what they were the moment she’d set eyes on them. Solidified magic.

In ages past, unicorns didn’t have the same understanding of their latent arcane abilities as they do now. It wasn’t uncommon for the average unicorn to spend up to a month recovering from a particularly straining spell. By solidifying magic, however, they had a means to quickly refill their reserves. It was common among soldiers, scholars, and magical theorists, until ponies had discovered much simpler techniques of replenishing a unicorn’s magic.

Twilight took a blue stone from its slot and held it in her hoof. One reason the practice has ceased was that the magic used in the process was the highly unpredictable Pure Magic. The process diluted it into the three colours, each dealing with a different aspect of magic. If she remembered correctly, blue magic dealt with form.

Hastily, she placed it under the Maegus Crystal so that it touched the blue metal. The samples flashed with light, causing the Alicorn to cry out and shield her eyes with her wings. Once her eyes had stopped stinging she peered out between her feathers.

The projections of the Maegus Crystal showed the vacuole-like objects emitting a series of flashes. It was identical to what she’d seen yesterday; first one would flash, and then the neighboring molecule would. But no others would continue the chain. Then the vacuoles would calm, and the lysosomes began to swell and glow. Only then did the vacuoles located in the molecules two spaces away begin the chain anew.

As she observed the patterns, Twilight could feel her horn beginning to tingle again. The tell tale sign that magic levels were rising.

“So I was right!” Twilight exclaimed happily, quickly jotting down everything she’d just learned. “These molecules do have the properties of a cell!”

Just like the ones found in a cell, these vacuoles seemed to be storing the magic from the gemstone. Then the lysosomes would process and double it - maybe even triple it. In just under a minute, every molecule in these samples had a swollen lysosome. And she noticed that not all the magic was being contained. The Maegus Crystal showed thin wisps of blue, pink, and purple slipping through the membrane to be dispersed in the air. But these small losses did nothing to hinder the supply these miniature factories were producing.

As Twilight jotted these notes down, new questions formed in her mind. While she now knew how the metal produced and contained such vast quantities of magic, she was still no closer to figuring out if the archway was safe for use. She’d have to find a way to cause the magic inside the metal to cast a spell, like in the catacombs. Then she could make some progress.

Sighing, Twilight jotted down some last observations before removing the Maegus Crystal. The projections vanished from existence - quick as a wink. The solidified magic had nearly been consumed by the metal. What was left was no bigger in diameter than a bit. Twilight placed it back in its slot before recovering the metal and storing it inside the sanchel.

Might as well get some water, I’m gonna be down here for a while. She mused to herself. Once all the equipment was placed back into its respective place, the Alicorn of Magic departed the lab, the metal runed doors closing behind her.

She spotted Princess Luna on her way to the kitchen. The midnight blue Alicorn was speaking in a hushed voice to her sister, who replied with stiffened nods. Both appeared distressed about something. Twilight quickened her pace, but Celestia was halfway down another hallway when she arrived.

“Is something the matter, Twilight?” Luna asked.

“No, everything is fine,” Twilight said. “Where is Celestia going?”

“To the council chambers,” Luna said with a heavy sigh. “It seems Sharp Script has called a meeting of all chief ministers and senators.“

That caught Twilight by surprise. “Wouldn’t she have to sent letters in advance to either yourself or Celestia?”

“Normally, that is the case. However, Sharp Script is claiming this a threat of national security, which gives her the right to bypass that section. Minister Gavelkind informed us just moments ago.” She shuffled in place. “Celestia will have them all calmed before drastic measures are taken. Hopefully before I raise the moon, even.” Her lips curved into a smile. “But enough of that, how fair your own studies?”

Twilight cleared her throat. “I’ve made some progress. I think I’ve a good understanding of how the metal is able to absorb and produce magic, but still nothing when it comes to the exact purpose of the archway, or its danger levels.”

“Even the smallest bit of progress is still progress.”

“I know, but we need more than a little,” Twilight stated. “You just said the council is meeting. What if others do the same? What if the lights come back tonight? What if the magic in the lights becomes unstable and threatening all of Canterlot? All of Equestria? Those are the kinds of questions I need answers to.”

Luna stepped towards her. “Calm yourself, Twilight Sparkle. If you keep your current mindset, you’ll leave yourself blind to the truth. Take solace in the fact that no damage has come from last nights excitement.”

She’s right, Twilight thought. She closed her eyes and inhaled a breath of air. Her hoof came to her chest and extended outward as she exhaled. Already she could feel her nerves calming.

“I’ll try, Princess,” she said, getting a smile from the lunar princess. “That reminds me, I never asked what you and Celestia found last night.”

“Little as well, I’m afraid,” Luna mused. “The lights were composed of Pure Magic, that much we determined.”

Twilight’s eyes shot open. “Pure Magic? Are you certain?” Luna nodded, and Twilight felt her wings flare from anxiety. “We should set up some safeguards around the city.”

“We have already taken care of such matters,” Luna said. Before Twilight could respond, the lunar princess turned her head to the side, as if she was looking at something only she could see.

“I apologize, Twilight, but it seems something has arisen that requires my attention.”

“Oh, it’s no trouble, Princess,” Twilight said with a cough. “Is it something serious?”

“Perhaps,” Luna said, staring down the guest hallway. “Somepony dreams in the
daylight.”

Twilight let out a dry sigh. “About that, I-”

“If you’ll excuse me,” Luna bowed to Twilight, and set off down the hallway. There was a strange look in her eye - a cross between intrigue and conscientiousness. Twilight wanted to say something, but her research demanded her immediate attention. So, reluctantly, she left the lunar princess and continued to the kitchen.

She carried the water back to the lab, sipping now and again and feeling the cool liquid slide down her gullet. It had a certain calming effect on her being. She set the glass down on her worktable and gave a slight cough to test her throat. Satisfied, she turned to her notes and began flipping through them.

It was as if she were looking at them in a new light. The machine wasn’t just making new magic, it was making Pure Magic. Vast quantities of unstable and unguided magic was being stored inside this metal, and even being released in trace amounts into the atmosphere. More than likely they were joining with the cloud currently over Canterlot. Right now the dosage was too small to be considered a threat to anything or anypony, but should the metal be given another massive dose...

“There’s got to be a way to drain all that excess magic without it getting into the atmosphere,” Twilight pondered aloud. She channeled magic into her horn, levitating a book over from the shelf. She flipped through the pages, looking for anything about diluting magic or how to deal with excess traces in the atmosphere.

She was unsuccessful. However, something else caught her eye on page thirty seven. A Post Mortem spell.

Twilight had heard of such a spell from her years at Celestia’s School for Gifted Unicorns. It was a powerful kind of magic. One that focused on the purple magic that lingered inside the bones of the dead. Since purple magic focused on the mind, it was possible to tap into it and relive the memories of the deceased beings.

She turned to look at the taxiturmed skeleton. I could see this machine when it was first activated. Surely the creators would have thought of a way to contain all this magic.

Except they’d been dead for over a thousand years. Another voice said. Post Mortem spells already carried their own risks; the memories imprinted onto the purple magic would rot over time. Without the proper failsafes, these decaying memories could corrupt the pony casting the spell. Who knows how much rot had set in over a thousand years after death.

I can’t rush into this, Twilight decided. She closed the book and set it aside on the table.

A flicker of movement caught in the corner of her eye. Quickly, the alicorn turned towards the door. A purple mist dotted with points of light had slipped through the cracks in the door and was traveling towards her. It gathered into a ball of light before her eyes, quickly transforming into a sealed scroll.

As it fell to the ground, Twilight caught it in her magic. She broke the seal and scanned her eyes across the page.

Dear Twilight

Just wanted to let you know that everything is going well in Ponyville. What’s better, the girls managed to get some time off thanks to the upcoming Summer Sun Celebration. And, since it’s when we all met, they thought it’d be best to come and see you tomorrow. Don’t worry, I’ll remember to lock up the library. See you around noon tomorrow.

Your number one assistant.

Spike.

A smile broke out across Twilight’s face. With all this excitement she’d completely forgotten about the Summer Sun Celebration, when Princess Celestia would raise the sun and pronounce the beginning of summertime.

Long ago, when she was just a filly, it was the first time Twilight beheld Princess Celestia in all her magnificence. The day she devoted her life to magical study.

And, a year ago, it was the day she came to Ponyville. When she met the five ponies who became her friends, and joined her as bearers of the Elements of Harmony to return Princess Luna to Equestria.

Was it really that long ago? She mused to herself. The thought was lost, however, when she read the note again.

“Oh my gosh! Tomorrow noon? That barely leaves me with any time!”

Without wasting any time, Twilight rolled up the scroll and set it inside her saddlebag and returning to her journals.