Four years after the events of the last Celestia chapter

Clover the Clever, old though she was, was far from the type of mare to sit idly by while something threatened her friends. Her bones may have been brittle, her mane may have lost any pretense of being purple and her eyes may not have been what they used to be, but that didn’t stop her from being a damn good Archmage. It probably made her better in all honesty; there were very few ponies who had the testicular fortitude to argue with a crotchety old mare who could rearrange their body and mind like a pretzel with only a flash of her horn.

At the moment, she was currently freezing her well aged flank off as she walked down the streets of Manehatten. Around her neck was a fluffy grey scarf and across her back was a grey cloak. Both of which were heavily enchanted to guarantee that the wearer remained toasty despite wind, rain, or even snow. Unfortunately, no matter how many heating enchantments she’d put into her current clothing choices it didn’t seem to matter. Her bones ached and every ten minutes or so she’d find herself having to suppress a cough.

Watching from beside her with concerned eyes was her apprentice and next choice for the position of Archmage, coincidentally enough, it also happened to be her daughter. Shimmer Star was a tall mare with a powerful build she’d picked up from her father and the purple coloration from her mother. Her mane was also purple, but the characteristic off colored stripe was blonde instead of pink.

“Honestly mother, what in Equestria could be so important that you have to risk dying of hypothermia?” Shimmer asked Clover with a concerned look as they waited for the cart traffic to slow so that they could cross the dirt strewn road.

“Bah, the Grey Mare’s not upon me yet daughter,” Clover replied with a shake of her head. “The mule can wait until this is done, at the very least.”

Shimmer rolled her eyes. “Does Queen Celestia even know that you’re gone?”

“No, I didn’t bother telling her,” the old mare said. “She would’ve forced me not to come because I’m too ‘old’. Bah she’s over a thousand and I don’t see anyone telling her that she can’t do whatever she likes,” Clover said with a snort before she began to walk across the street, her daughter following close beside her. Shimmer let out a sigh.

“Mother, she’s an alicorn, you’re not,” she stated.

“As if I need a reminder,” Clover grumbled.

“Then you really should go back to Canterlot, I’ll even give you a teleportation jump starter so you don’t have to tire yourself out too much,” Shimmer insisted. “It’s a better option then you catching your death of cold.”

“Not on your life,” the old unicorn said with a shake of her head. “This is too important to trust to anyone else, even you.”

Shimmer let out an exasperated sigh. “Then at the very least you could tell me what it is we’re doing so that I can begin getting my spells ready,” she said.

“Fine,” Clover replied. “We’re here to deal with a cult of Xanthos’s followers who have decided to try and summon help from the Star Beasts.”

“WHAT?!” Shimmer shouted, startling several nearby ponies who turned to stare at them. Clover rolled her eyes and cast a quieting spell on them and Shimmer had the decency to blush.

“Want to try again daughter?” Clover asked, raising her an eyebrow at her.

“Sorry... but the Star Beasts? Are they really that imbecilic?” Shimmer asked, shaking her head. “The Star Beasts are impossibly powerful, there’s a reason why Luna didn’t use them in the war! If they got out they could wreck the country... and these idiots are summoning them in the center of Manehatten?”

“Precisely why we’re taking them down,” Clover stated simply.

“Numbers?” Shimmer inquired.

“Unknown.”

“Backup?”

“Non-existent.”

“Of course, it’s one of ‘your’ missions,” Shimmer said with a small groan. “So, it’s going to be you and me against an army of cultists and possibly a Star Beast who they’ve coerced into working for them?”

“That’s about the long and short of it, yes,” Clover replied.

“Mother,” Shimmer groaned. “Do you always have to set this sort of thing up for us?”

“I’m just preparing you for the day when you have to take my place,” Clover replied. “Besides, we don’t have much time to get where we need to go so there’s no point in calling the guard.”

“I understand mother... but do we have to rush me into my post while rushing you into the grave?” Shimmer asked her, casting a worried glance at her mother.

Clover let out a slight sigh and shook her old head. “I’m one hundred and forty five now Shimmy, I think that I’m about as close to the grave as a pony can get right now... in all honesty dear, I’d like to do the most I possibly can before I meet the old grey mare and take that final walk,” the old mare sagged a bit as she said that, her body losing a bit of its strength.

Shimmer was silent for a moment before she leaned over and gave her mother a reassuring nuzzle

“Come on, let’s go take down these Xanthos-loving freaks,” Shimmer said, her voice full of feigned enthusiasm.

Clover gave her daughter a grateful smile and nodded, straightening again. “Well then, let’s get going already!” the old mare said, increasing her pace so that even Shimmer was having a bit of trouble keeping up with her.

“Where are we going anyways?” Shimmer asked as she adjusted to Clover’s pace.

“I’m not entirely sure,” Clover replied.

“What?” Shimmer asked, aghast at the answer... though to be honest not entirely surprised.

Clover looked at Shimmer with a flat expression. “Honestly daughter, attune your horn! Can you not feel the pulsing of great magics in your mind?” the elder unicorn asked. “If you really wish to follow in my hoofsteps then you must master these things; you are close to sixty now, you should know better!”

Shimmer frowned and focused on her horn as her mother led her through a hapdash group of back alleys. Then she felt it and once more felt like a foal before her mother’s wisdom and power. It was faint... but with focus Shimmer could definitely feel the telltale signs of ‘greater magics’ rushing through the air. It was as if someone was pushing more and more water inside of a waterskin which was full to bursting.

“Oh my,” she said softly. “I’d almost thought you were joking when you mentioned the Star Beasts, mother... but this? This is very bad. It feels like they’ve built up enough power to summon the Ursa Major!”

“That’s because they have, dear,” Summer said as she came to a stop in front of what looked like an abandon warehouse.

“Why do these kinds of things always have to happen in warehouses?” Clover complained, her eyes growing a bit purple as she carefully scanned the doorway for traps or alarm wards.

She found several, and defused the amature works the second she did. Shimmer assisted her and in no time they’d disabled every magical trap and put each alarm on a repetitive loop.

Their work done, the Archmage and her Apprentice entered into the warehouse.

The interior of the warehouse was dimly lit with only a few torches scattered across the walls. The floor had been completely cleared away and in the center was a swirling mass of magic barely contained by a large silver circle which had been engraved in the solid stone floor. The Archmage and her Apprentice were only able to see it because of their magic sight... without that, the view was obscured by dozens of thestrals, griffins, and even a minotaur or two.

The Archmage narrowed her eyes as an enormous wave of magical energy washed over her, it was the ambient magic of several dozen unicorns... though none of them were actively performing any kind of spellwork. Instead... the magic was just floating freely through the air... uncontrolled... yet focused.

Oh dear, I believe we are too late to stop the summoning, the Archmage telepathically stated within the Apprentice’s head.

I fear you are right, the Apprentice replied.

Well then... let us announce ourselves, the Archmage stated.

“BY ORDER OF THE QUEEN YOU ARE TO STAND DOWN AND SURRENDER YOURSELVES TO THE FORCES OF JUSTICE!” the Archmage roared in a voice that would have impressed even Luna. The Archmage’s horn then flared to life and the entire room was suddenly filled with blinding light.

The Archmage and her Apprentice were thankfully immune to the spell’s blinding effects and used the moment to fully take in the room now that there was proper light. There was indeed a large silver circle in the middle of the room and there was a swirling mass of magic taking up the center of that circle, however what had been previously hidden was the most shocking thing about the operation. Around the circle was another circle, this one made up of the bodies of unconscious.... or dead, unicorns.

The Apprentice sucked in a surprised breath, her eyes widening in shock. Even the Archmage was momentarily stunned. However, the rest of the room had by that point recovered from their blindness.

“So, the Tyrant sends the Archmage herself against us?! Ha! A glorious sacrifice of magic to prove to our new allies of the righteousness of our cause!” a voice called out through the warehouse. The Archmage’s eyebrows narrowed at the sound and she cast her eyes in the direction of the familiar voice. Within seconds, she found the speaker, the tall, dark form of Xanthos stood out easily in the lighting spell.

“You will have no sacrifice out of me Xanthos!” the Archmage shouted back.

“I shall have whatever my lady of the night wishes, and now, she seeks your magic!” Xanthos answered her shout with one of his own. “But first to capture you. Warriors of the Night, capture them!” he shouted before he turned his back on the Archmage and began to chant in a deep voice.

Every set of eyes in the room focused on the Archmage and the Apprentice and for a moment there was absolute silence.

I really hate you somtimes, the Apprentice stated.

Time and a place, the Archmage replied pointedly.

Then the horde charged.

And were immediately repulsed.

Bodies hurtled through the air as the Apprentice sent out a powerful sweeping wave of magic at the charging forces. Then the Archmage struck. A line of purple fire swathed out from her horn, immolating all whom it struck. As the victims of the first set of spells died or rubbed bruises, the second wave attacked.

A thestral darted out of the sky at the Apprentice, but was batted down into the floor of the warehouse with a blast of force and the shrieking grind of broken bones. Another of the leathery ponies flew in from behind the Archmage and attempted to slash her with a set of wingblades. Unfortunately for him, the Archmage ducked beneath him and he flew over her, right into a spear of fire.

They may have died, but they did not die in vain. The thestrals’ sacrifice had distracted the two unicorns long enough to allow the others to close with them. The Archmage barely managed to get a barrier up in time to block a swing from a large minotaur wielding a giant hammer who had broken ahead of his colleagues.

The mare’s eyes flashed angrily, and the minotaur suddenly found that he was floating towards the ceiling at a breakneck pace, as were ten or so of his fellow attackers. They slammed into the ceiling which shuddered with the impacts before being sent mercilessly back down, their skulls cracking on the stone floor or worse, on the skulls of the other horde members.

Meanwhile, the Apprentice stood within a ring of opponents, a blue barrier surrounding herself and cutting them off. Then it unexpectedly broke, and an ear-shattering explosion filled the air as those closest to the edge were blasted back and into their fellows. A pair of thestrals divebombed her, crossbows in their mouths. Without looking, the Apprentice grabbed the bolts out of the air, and sent them flying back at their casters. There were two streaks of blood, and the pair of thestrals dropped to the floor, bolts sticking out of their necks.

Go, get Xanthos, I’ll hold them, the Apprentice told her master as the elder mare scythed through another group of minions with her fire.

Good, thank you, the Archmage replied before she blinked past those running at her.

She arrived just behind Xanthos who was still chanting darkly in an ominous tone.

“It’s over Xanthos!” the Archmage shouted at him as she launched a cone of fire at the back of his head.

Xanthos didn’t turn, nor did he stop speaking. The fire washed over him, as if he was a rock instead of a centaur. Then he finished his chanting and there was a massive CLAP of explosive force.

The Archmage was thrown backwards by the explosion, just barely managing to raise a barrier in time to keep herself from being broken against the bloody stone floor. That however, did not stop her from hitting the floor with enough force to smack the breath out of her old body. In the background, the Apprentice was too busy fighting her remaining opponents to spare her any mind.

As the Archmage struggled back to her hooves she found herself facing down a truly massive creature. It towered high overhead, it’s head touching the ceiling and it glared down at the Archmage with baleful red eyes full of hate. Its body was made up of a trillion billion stars held together by a glowing blue outline and the outline of fur stuck up here and there in angry formations. In the back of her mind, the Archmage noted that she must have missed the building stretching enchantment when she and the Apprentice had been sweeping through the defences.

The Ursa Major roared and the Archmage whinnied as the the vibrations cracked her eardrums and she felt blood beginning to leak down the side of her head.

Xanthos stood in front of the creature, pointed at the Archmage, and then calmly trotted off towards the rear exit though he did take the time to shoot a smug look in the Archmage’s direction. The Ursa Major leered down at her and opened its mouth to reveal large fangs, its breath washed over the Archmage and she felt the deathly chill of space run over her body. The Ursa Major licked its lips as it eyed her, like a cat watching a mouse.

The Archmage’s eyebrows creased, and her horn flared, a healing spell to repair and protect her ear drums from shattering. That done, she sat her jaw in determination.

“You think I’m afraid of you?” the Archmage asked it simply. “You think I’m afraid of a giant blow up teddy bear who can glow in the dark?”

The Ursa Major took offense to that.

It bellowed with anger yet again, and reared upwards on its hind legs, the building somehow managing to stretch with it. Then it brought itself down upon her, its sheer momentum and weight causing it to strike with the force of a pile of TNT. However, it did not receive the result it was expecting for instead of crushing the pony who had insulted it, the Ura Major’s paws were being held up by a purple barrier several feet above the old mare.

“You think I’m afraid of you?” the Archmage asked again. “I have faced down Discord himself!” The Ursa Major suddenly found that it was being pushed back, it’s paws slowly being shoved back into the air.

“I have done battle with Nightmare Moon!” The Ursa struggled to force its way back down, but found it could not, it was like trying to push back the tides of the ocean.

“I am the Archmage of Equestria!” she roared, her eyes blazing with incandescent purple light. With that, the Ursa Major was shoved roughly backwards, landing on its back with a loud BOOM!

The Archmage, now fully covered in her purple magical aura, sent a column of fire worthy of making the sun blush in embarrassment straight at the Ursa Major’s crotch. The Ursa Major howled in horrific pain and the Archmage’s flames retreated for a time only to be replaced by a hundred lightning bolts which rained down on the bear, pelting it with the power of the heavens themselves.

The Ursa Major however was far from out of the fight. With a roar of anger it rolled to the side and then regained its footing. It ignored the lightning that the Archmage threw at it, and instead brought a paw slashing out at her. The claw connected and sent the old pony spiraling away to the ground several dozen feet away where she slammed into the wall with a crash.

The Archmage groaned as her vision swam. Glaring at her was an eye large enough for her to swim in, full of baleful anger and horrible rage. The Archmage launched a string of bloody spittle into that eye.

The Ursa Major reared away from her and brought its paw down at her blindly. The Archmage blinked out of the way and reappeared in front of the colossal space bear, eyes blazing with magic.

“ENOUGH OF THIS!” the Archmage screamed with enough force to send the Ursa Major stumbling backwards. “I AM CLOVER THE CLEVER AND YOU WILL KNOW MY NAME!”

The Ursa Major was picked up entirely in the mare’s powerful grip and it was as if it had been entombed in solid steel as it was lowered down to eye level with the unicorn. The Archmage held him there for a full half minute before she finally spoke, her voice surprisingly soft.

“You are going to go back to your brothers and sisters in the sky and you are going to tell them exactly what happened here,” the Archmage stated in a whisper. “And then, you are all going to stay the hell out of my country and its affairs or so help me I swear that I will tear your stars out of your hide and devour them myself.”

The Ursa Major dissolved into separate stars and then vanished, leaving the mare with nothing in her grip. Clover smiled, and then sank to her knees.

“MOTHER!” Shimmer shouted as she rushed up to the old mare.

Clover stiffly turned her head in her daughter’s direction, then in a slow and deliberate voice she said. “Tell Luna... that I’m sorry... and tell Celestia that she owes me.”

Life left the old mare’s body and she slumped limply into the horrified hooves of her daughter.