Late Morning
17th December, 72 BNM
South Eastern Equestria
Hayseed Farming Plains

The Nationalist patrol had arrived too late, the small procession travelling ahead of an army regiment coming to reinforce Baltimare from the west had been destroyed.
A handful of wagons lay wrecked on the road, deep scorch marks in the ground as if molten rock had been poured there. There were no bodies to be found however.
Not one Pegasus, Earth Pony or Unicorn of the dozen or so coming here was present in any state.
Not even the 2 Alicorn generals, both younger sons in a noble family, were here.
With a puzzled look, the leader of the patrol turned his head to his second in command, a Pegasus mare, the Earth Pony shaking his head at the morbid, but strange sight.
“Again, no bodies. This is the 3rd case of a patrol attacked this month, and again, led by an Alicorn.”
“Or two in this case.” She added, shifting her helmet slightly to better see the scorch marks on a wagon she landed beside. Sifting through some soot, the Earth Pony captain turned to the others:
“Move out, there’s nothing here for us to find!”
With that, they swiftly left, not knowing this wasn’t an isolated incident.

Midday
Equestria, north midland mountains
Citadel, basement levels
Prison catacombs

His neighbor’s, and dear friend’s screams, had died minutes ago, but only now was the other cage raised.
Sat inside the adjacent grungy prison cage, the Alicorn stared bitterly at his clipped wings and restraint clamped over his horn, all the while he regarded the one standing a few metres from him with utter hate.
All around him, slightly dripping caves echoed all around, while his cage hung from a chain and lever setup that hung it to be level with a stone bridge that ran the length of the catacombs. Further down, he saw other cages lined up in the same row as his, most of them empty.
Nearby, the one he hated right now stood passively, the eerie looking silver amulet with the blue/grey stone in its centre swaying as the blue smog faded around it.
And beside him, those servant ponies with the strange silver glows in their eyes cranked the cage beside him.
Its floor had opened up, and the Alicorn occupant, his brother in arms, a general and young son of a noble family like he, had fallen through and been forced to swim in the dark waters with clipped wings and sapped strength and magic.
Whatever killed him had been efficient, there was no body in the dark waters below.
And the same had been done to the dozen or so troopers that came with them. Drained and dumped as chum for whatever lay below.
Waltzing up along the walkway, the Black and grey maned Unicorn stood before him, a smile as if having had a pleasant walk or something trivial on his features as the masked servant ponies walked by, to the pulleys and crank handles that controlled his cage.
“So, General Pransleigh is it? Let us see what you have to offer me.”
“You think you can betray the Nationalists like this? They’ll-!”
“They’ll what? Bluster and infight me to death? I already have who and what I need in place regarding them. Believe me, you are going to serve a higher cause, I wouldn’t have told my servants explicitly to spare all of you for prison. Golmov likes to add Alicorn horns to his collection, three of them so far, and Odi-Viscer, well, there wouldn’t even be ants alive where you were if he wasn’t warned to spare you.”
“You are mad, vile, what our leaders see in you-.”
“Is a lie they ate up like dogs to a leg of meat. How easily blinded would-be leaders are when somepony with power comes knocking with their own services to offer them.”
Siral held up the silver amulet then, and General Pransleigh shifted his bright red frame to see the foreboding looking jewel and necklace swinging hypnotically. Siral gave a small grin as he showed the trinket proving useful:
“You may not know what this is, so I’ll give you the short of it. Just over 500 years ago, there was an Eastern Dragon, a paladin of sorts in the far flung kingdoms of Pandina. He used this little trinket, to suck dry the very life essence and energy, chi they called it there, from any living creature. With it, he claimed energy for himself from powerful magic wielders and creatures. But, he fell victim when another turned it against him to fill his energy to burst, as it could handle magic faster than he could, where he would normally take it from the amulet for himself at a manageable rate.”
Then, Siral hovered up a small jewel, this one a blank white crystal of perfectly 4-edged diamond shape, held inside of a dark silver Alicorn crest amulet necklace of sorts.
“I have been putting the Alicorns I’ve had captured to good use. As dangerous your kind might be, I won’t let your gifts go to waste. They’ll see more responsible use.”
Shifting aside his robe, Siral revealed 4 other necklaces he had of similar make, all made with a perfect diamond shape inside them, each a different colour. Light purple, sandy yellow, obsidian black and dark green, the ‘eyes’ of the Alicorns on the necklace also the same colour.
“Now, its traits have been perfected, in these. Anyone can use them, but only I know how to unlock the full magic they contain, sustain, indefinitely if they endure. Everything you are worth, in these mere, inconspicuous amulets, an Alicorn’s magic for anyone to use partially, or in my case, entirely.”
“Are you planning on talking me to death?” Pransleigh spat, his red frame shaking at the sight of the blank crystal meant for him. Indeed, as he spoke, Siral’s eyes began to flow a slight black, as his horn glowed grey, and the gem began to emit a slight red haze that seemed to suck from Pransleigh’s horn and eyes.
“I merely wished you to see where all you were worth shall be kept after you are done. I only keep Ghung Chian’s amulet as a test, to make sure these work as they are meant to.”
Pransleigh hissed, and eventually began to scream as he felt his magic, and life, get sucked from his body. For a minute this went on, a red haze filling the catacombs as this Alicorn gave off a greater light show of being drained than a normal pony.
Slumping near unconscious, as this spell didn’t suck him entirely dry to focus on keeping intact what it did take, Pransleigh saw the red hued gem inside the amulet glistening back at him as the same amulet vanished under Siral’s cloak with the others.
Turning his back, Siral gave a satisfied smile as he examined the new Alicorn Amulet, while the chains began to quickly lower the near dead Pransleigh down into the waters below the catacomb viaduct bridge.
Water took him, until the bottom of the cage opened up to let him rudely awaken in the dirty, turgid waters, struggling with no magic and no wings to stay on the surface as he swam under and up from beneath the cage.
A thousand gnawing mouths took him from beneath, as Pransleigh felt the demon enhanced leeches Siral had created in thousands swim from underwater to him.
Over the Alicorn’s desperate screeches below, Siral saw a rush of water as the savage cursed Sea Serpent he kept in this ‘lagoon’ darted from a shoreline it often rested on to surge underwater towards the Alicorn.
Whipping around as he lost all feeling in his left foreleg, Pransleigh saw a surge of water come through one of the viaduct arches, only for it to burst at the last moment to reveal fish scales and a maw of teeth coming for him. The Alicorn vanished in a splash of the water, little blood left as a few of the leeches were scattered by the Sea Serpent’s path. They would let the serpent have this one, they’d consumed the other Alicorn and the normal ponies.
Up on high, Siral walked back towards the distant stairwell, the servants cranking up the cage to reset it.
One such Alicorn amulet would resurface a thousand years or so from now, in the hooves of a would be magician, the same amulet Pransleigh was sucked dry to make. One of a few legacy creations of the Savant.
Beneath the waters, a very vague red light registered. Flowing from the body was a red light, much paler than it should be, shaped like an Alicorn as it vanished into the air.
Elsewhere in the skies unseen, a very faint supernova twinkled, a circumstance of the Universe that showed how tied to destiny Alicorns were.

Late Morning
19th December, 72 BNM
Equestria, western mountains
Tartarus fortress, archives
Forbidden section

Over centuries of magic knowledge in Equestria being exploited, found, lost and expanded, there were those spells, curses, potion knowledge and arcane arts of many sorts gathered the world over. But here, within Tartarus’s archives, that which was deemed forbidden and taboo, some punishable by death, was kept out of less good willed hooves.
In times when he was less plagued by an obsession and stress of taking out Siral, Starswirl would have paid more heed to how certain scrolls and information had been drawn by the Royalists in recent months. Taboos were being relaxed as the war dragged on, tactics and means of fighting becoming less restrained. In the end, that would be what spelt the abrupt end of the war, when measures to acquire power over the other went too far. But that was another time, one yet to come, one which Starswirl was blind to by choice by immediate concerns.
The scrolls before him were ancient, old magic, before laws became placed on them. Dark magic he daren’t consider using in better days, but knew all too well in its reputation. But such magic he sought, such power, was for a cause that was becoming life or death.
So death would teach him.
Necromantium [First Edition]
The infamous Necromantium, written 2000 years ago by an unknown sorcerer, a collection of dark spells from around the world, from before Equestria, translated in all except the incantations to be spoken themselves. One who supposedly had power over death, spirits, and all that existed beyond the mortal world, eventually surrendering to its pull himself.
Starswirl knew that magic came from the world around them, and that the souls, the very essence of raw magic, returned there when the time came. But spells in here could help him harness that power for himself, to use in his bid to defeat Siral and his minions, a way of making all they had slayed come back and have their revenge.
Inwardly, Starswirl would grin. Siral may have been a master of potions and the brewing arts, which helped spellwork and forging items, and creatures, but Starswirl had always been gifted with pure spells, and curses.

Lit by only a single candle on his table within the archive’s lofty shelves.
Staring down at the Necromantium’s texts on the spirit realm itself, Starswirl read all he could.
The spirit realm, the realm where souls passed from life to death, a realm separating the two. This realm was where magic came from, an exchange realm between those alive, and those yet to be born and already dead.
The texts spoke of not just ways to draw energy from it, but enter it. But what disturbed Starswirl was the texts mentioning need for sacrifice.
It was that part alone that made him question his sanity in what he was researching. But the rest of his mind argued that this was a necessary evil. A lesser evil, targeted at only a few.
He would find a way to get there, harness that energy, he had to.
Shutting the Necromantium, Starswirl knew he had clearance, being the highest ranked Wizard in the Royalists, as he took the large volume into his bag for carrying out.

As he wandered through the aisles towards the exit, his own forbidden text in his possession, Starswirl couldn’t help but pause at some ponies he recognised in the aisle on astronomy, an odd place to be.
He saw some lower magicians he recognised, some even from his own former academy he mentored himself.
A somewhat meek voiced Unicorn mare looked up from the heavy text she was reading by hornlight, remarking in a surprised tone that got the attention of the 3 other Royal magicians as well.
“Master Starswirl? I didn’t know you were here.”
“As I would have preferred, but it seems that it is not just I that is seeking taboo knowledge. What are you all doing here?”
“Royal orders from the generals, and Queen herself. Anything to find a way to draw magical energy from surroundings in the world, what even Alicorns have may not be enough if this keeps going.”
“Intriguing, but why Astronomy?”
“We have tried potions, curses, too many spellbooks to count, and even creating beings from magic to serve out bidding.”
Starswirl’s eyes flared slightly at the last one, but he kept his cool as he replied: “Why creatures?”
“Rumours of Nationalists having some at their command, namely that Citadel sorcerer.” A deep voiced Unicorn male spoke, shutting the astronomy text he carried.
“My sources say those creatures are, unpredictable. They may be put down soon for lack of effectiveness. I would avoid creating any of your own.”
Six or Seven are enough to deal with as it is…
Starswirl kept his private misgivings to himself as he then faced a question from the 3rd Unicorn, a squeaky voiced bookworm of a magician stallion:
“Were you just in the forbidden section?”
“Yes, to no avail. What is in there is not what the enemy are using, so there is no guidance to be found, do not bother going there yourself.”
“Like we could, you’re one of the handful in Equestria allowed in there.” The same squeaky voiced stallion admitted, his horn light dimming as he allocated a celestial movements text to take out.
Nodding in agreement, keeping secret what he’d taken out by permission, Starswirl admitted more calmly as he wandered over to just check this section out of idle curioisity with his hoof light:
“So tell me, I have been down here for 2 weeks now. Have I missed much?”
Sharing a few looks, the Unicorns were awkwardly quiet as the Mare admitted to the Grey Wizard:
“Not much, but 3 more Alicorns and their convoys from the Nationalists went missing, that makes 5.”
“Hmm, somepony doing their part perhaps, they haven’t targeted any Royalist Alicorns.”
Yet.
Examining some texts on astrology, which were linked to the astronomy section as knowing star movements was a requirement, Starswirl paused as he heard the other big news:
“Oh, and the Savant Guild School went rogue, they joined the Nationalists.”
Pausing, Starswirl muttered under his breath:
“Of course they did, they were bound to anyway.”

Meanwhile
Late Morning
19th December, 72 BNM
Citadel, Main Foyer

Stood on his makeshift podium, Siral couldn’t help but offer a raised hoof in welcome to the many Unicorn students bowing before him.
Every stallion and mare, decked in grey robes of the academy, from the youngest student to the oldest teacher, and even the cleaning staff, had the same grey glint in their eyes as they all drank a ceremonious welcoming glass of wine from Siral.
One sip, and the obedience potion he had concocted gave him the ability to enforce his will into theirs, ever so subtly.
Derived from the same concoction that would allow him control of anything, or anyone’s mind, no matter how powerful. Once inside, that was it.
And he could use it at will, get those who disobeyed back in line very quickly without executing them.
Best of all, he could access their minds, and their memories. He could make them forget anything he wanted, even forever.
And he had plans to ensure his 7th, and greatest servant, was more under his control than the others, even if they all too fell under his sway. He wanted at least one who he could fully rely upon, even more than his very loyal 2nd, Teal Quirt.
Presiding over more followers, Siral merely soaked in his building forces.
Up on high, a brown Alicorn couldn’t help but hide in a balcony alcove as he watched the rather disturbing obedience in these visitors. Gaudium didn’t know he was seeing what he would fall victim to for the rest of his life.
A loss of self-identity and control, forever.

Same day
Mid Afternoon
19th December, 72 BNM
Tartarus, front gates

Walking from the main entrance, Starswirl still marvelled at this massive fortress, the stronghold of the Royalists as of now.
All hidden beneath the mountain, save for the massive metal and stone tower and battlements built into an exposed cliff face, and a door unlike any other. 2 massive doors that could let even a full grown dragon inside.
Looking back, Starswirl hid a head shake of amusement as the small door inside the larger one was shut, a single pony entrance and exit.
Staring out at the mid afternoon sun, obscured by a bank of snowclouds being moved towards a distant plains expanse to ensure no area got too much snow.
The snowfall had stopped here, and Tartarus was merely peppered with a thin layer of snow around and about the cliff faces and mountain reaches. A serene white coat for an imposing fortress crawling with guards, armaments and an air of stalwart hostility.
With a flash of blue, the Wizard was gone.
Overhead, the watchful Horned Owl of Siral, perched on a tower battlement roof of Tartarus’s face, watched keen eyed as the Wizard vanished, giving a hoot as it took flight.

Mid Afternoon
December 21st, 72 BNM
Nokotaford, Royal Palace
Throne room

“And what of your initial findings?” Queen Aurora spoke bluntly, her black dress clashing with her white wings and fur, and her light pink and black mane.
The same 4 Unicorns from the Tartarus archives shook slightly in the Queen’s presence, her newfound sternness as of a few months ago still haunting. It was the mare that spoke up:
“It is, possible, but it will take time to develop spells needed, let alone train magic users powerful enough to be able to use them.”
“Is this assuming Alicorns will be the ones to wield this power over the cosmos?”
“Yes your majesty. We can have spells and means to draw magical energy from the heavens, stars and moon and whatnot, in a few months, no more than a year. And perhaps more time before even Alicorns can do it reliably.”
Aurora’s eyes narrowed slightly at this, as the Queen rose to her feet to slowly walk towards the 4 bowed low Unicorn magicians. Her footsteps echoing around the throne room, with even the royal guards at the doors watching with their turned eyes with some nervousness.
“A year, maybe more? While this power will be immeasurable in the end, let me remind you of something to pay heed to as you dither in this research.”
Stopping before the 4 of them, her back turned to face a stain glass window depicting her late husband, King Nova. With a tone like ice, she asked the 4 bowed Unicorns behind her:
“Tell me, have any of you lost a loved one in this war?”
A quiet silence rang, before the deep voiced Unicorn male spoke up:
“My Uncle, he died in the Baltimare sieges.”
“Good, then at least one of you can understand this fact perfectly as I can. Every moment this war carries on, ponies die.”
Her next words were spoken very cryptically, and the 4 Unicorns shared a very scared look as she murmured this while walking past them back to her throne, metal horseshoes clacking as she spoke:
“The Nationalists do not wait long to strike if they can, be sure not to keep me and my generals waiting.”
The 4 Unicorns cowered before her, as Queen Aurora raised her voice slightly, borderline royal Canterlot voice:
“Why are you still here!?”
The 4 Unicorn magicians could not have left any faster unless they had teleported.

Late Afternoon
December 21st, 72 BNM
Nokotaford, Royal Palace
Royal Library

Despite everything, Starswirl did make time for the two Princesses. He still found their relative optimism, in comparison to their mother, a respite of sorts.
Plus, having two sane minds to converse with on matters he alone might not have the patience for helped. He had found some things in the archives he was willing to speak to them with.
That being said, he found Luna had been growing somewhat withdrawn with each day since King Nova’s death, in more subtle ways than her mother. Not quite cold ruler, but simply less engaged with socialising or outward ventures:
“In time we might be able to jump from Universe to Universe… Aren’t you curious to find out what else is out there in the Cosmos?”
Starswirl’s query seemed to fall on worried ears, as Celestia walked beside Starswirl through the royal library, a distracted look on her face as she admitted ruefully to him:
“Master, I’m not certain. I have many things to worry over, like Luna being so distant lately… I doubt I’ll have time to help with what your suggesting.”
Starswirl offered a forced smile, something he’d sadly been having to do more and more for Celestia’s sake.
“I know you’ve been concerned since Luna started becoming more and more withdrawn, like your mother sadly. But, just give her time, and space. A little distance can work wonders, she is trying to sort herself out, that is all.”
“But I’m her sister, I should help her.” Celestia replied. Starswirl shook his head, as he replied:
“Like your mother, she is still grieving, as you are too. Don’t deny it, you have simply grown to accept it faster, and hide it better. In time, she will heal.”
It was the best Starswirl could muster for the royal sister’s sake, and was appreciated by the White Alicorn princess. But he was not being totally honest.
He had no idea what to do to help any grieving pony at this point, he now was set. The best way for him, and therefore any wise pony, to deal with their problems, was to face them head on.
Walking to a section of the library aisles that held tomes on Equestria’s older history, a place he sought for knowledge on the Everfree forest, Celestia asked him outright:
“And how are you Starswirl? I heard your old friend’s academy turned rogue, but-.”
“Siral is not my friend!”
His reply was perhaps too barbed, but it was true. Queen Aurora had made it clear across Royalist influences that Siral was an enemy now, and it was a wonder the academy set up long ago by him didn’t defect sooner.
Celestia was quiet, as she saw the suddenly tense state Starswirl was in. He still had his own issues it seemed, not hurt and loss, but betrayal. She knew of the prophecy, she knew of how Siral was once a longtime friend of many, many years before they set off.
A year spent across time for Starswirl, and a friend became an enemy without him knowing, and then decades later, came crashing in opposition to him with the whole Canterlot attack and all the revelations that came with it.
As Starswirl walked away, he muttered back to Celestia:
“Give my regards to Luna. I have matters to attend to. But you can tell her this, the source of so much woe in Equestria will be a memory within my lifetime, even if it ends my life in the process.”
“You can’t be serious.” Celestia pleaded with Starswirl, who was inconsolable in his obsessed mind-set any mention of Siral seemed to put him in. The Wizard turned to face Celestia, a cold fire burning in his eyes that she had never seen before:
“I have a duty to this world, sworn by me centuries before you were conceived. And I will not allow ANYONE to prevent me from fulfilling it.”
“That does not mean you should abandon actually living your life. You are far from the pony who taught me and Luna the ways of magic and wisdom.”
“That pony was unable to do what I now must.”
Starswirl wandered out without her. Celestia stared at her master, wondering what sort of state he would be in once Siral was dealt with, if he lived to tell the tale. Would he finally be satisfied?
Deep down, she worried Starswirl as she once knew him, a cold but understanding Wizard who was able to barely cut loose, and actually enjoy life’s bounties and good times, was gone forever.
History would prove she was right to fear this. Some scars simply never healed.
Be they on individual, or on celestial bodies to come as a product of the magical arms race that was in its infancy whilst this war between two Wizards secretly brewed.

Evening
Luna’s quarters

Celestia had visited Luna in her quarters, seeing her sister who seldom came from her quarters except for meals and on specific requests. Luna had her hobbies, stargazing a key one, and so the young Alicorn’s sleep pattern had become slowly more and more nocturnal. She made herself useful in night courts, but she was slowly becoming known as the less public of the princesses. Though with Queen Aurora’s icy presiding, both princesses were lesser presences in the royal territories anyway.
“He’s changed, hasn’t he?” Luna remarked sadly, as she put aside the star charts she’d drawn up at Celestia’s quiet words with her about her discussion today.
The two princesses had many fears, be it their mother’s constant tense and cold state, the war, this hush-hush research into new magic even drawing from the Tartarus archives, of which they didn’t know Starswirl had plunged into those most forbidden texts in his quest for power to quash Siral.
“I don’t even know him anymore. He now doesn’t only have trouble being friendly, I think he outright rejects them out of fear now.”
“After Siral, I can see why…” Luna replied to Celestia. The elder sister hung her head, as she added to the discussion:
“I just hope he can find peace before it is too late.”
“Did he say anything about that Salamander he knew?” Luna wondered. To this, Celestia shook her head, as she replied:
“No. I fear he and that Salamander may have parted ways too. At this point, I suspect it was Starswirl that pushed him away, for his cause.”
“Too many atrocities in history are justified as being necessary, large or small.” Luna remarked, to which Celestia wished she could prove her sister wrong.
Unknowingly, she knew not how right that statement was. Because of that, all sides in this conflict were all too driven.

Author's Notes:

Siral is getting darker in his methods, he is creating power to harness for himself. And as a bonus, in my story, Siral created THE Alicorn Amulet, one of a few he created. Every one of the amulets like the one in the show I depict as the essence and magic of an Alicorn all but slain to create it. But Siral himself is the only one who can draw on those trinkets’ full power, what Trixie draws on in the show is but a fraction.
Meanwhile, Starswirl is getting truly obsessive and uncompromising with what he is going to use, going to the darkest of dark magic, that of necromancy and the spirit realm, from which all magical energy is drawn from.
As this all occurs, Celestia seems to be the only relatively composed one among the higher royals, her sister grieving in her own way for her father still, and her mother becoming very cold now.