Archmage Chapter 11 - “Professionalism and Prophecy”

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Twilight sobbed atop the table, despair weighing heavily on her heart. It gripped her chest with an iron hold. She shook and cried, tears coursing freely from her eyes as she stewed in the pain and agony and utter despair.

“I know you’re angry, Twilight…” Luna said softly. Her words came to Twilight through a haze. She heard them… She didn’t want to hear them, but she did. “But someday you’re going to see why we did what we did.” Twilight choked, feeling the despair slowly lift off her chest. She inhaled deeply, her eyes still crying, but her chest no longer shaking so violently. She looked up at Luna, her lower lip trembling as she looked into those cold, serene eyes.

“Angry?” She whispered softly, her tone thin and pained. “You think… I’m angry?” Luna blinked at her, almost as if she were saying ‘you’re not?’ “I’m not angry, Luna…” Twilight sniffed, slowly raising to her hooves. Her tears slid off of her muzzle, falling to join the others on the table.

“I’m done.”

“What…”

“I’m done with you.” Twilight shook her head slowly, turning to leave the room. “I don’t want to see you… I don’t want to speak to you… Outside of my duties as Archmage, I don’t want to have anything to do with you.” She started to walk away, her head hung low and her tears still dripping to the floor. “I’ll see you in the morning,” She turned her head back once more, looking at Luna, whose eyes were wide with shock, hurt, and disbelief.

”Princess.”

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Twilight barely made it back to her quarters before she collapsed. The door closed and locked behind her just as she fell down on the rug. She let out a long, loud wail of despair as the tears came once again. Curled into as small a ball as she could manage, Twilight cried harder than ever before. Harder than she had when Shining Armor hadn’t believed her before his own wedding. Harder than when Luna had left the first time. Harder than she had when her parents had passed… Not just because Luna had been dishonest. It wasn’t just Luna this time; it was Celestia as well. Her most trusted mentor and friend.

Both of them had betrayed her. She knew their reasoning. She could come to the conclusion on her own. According to them, if she had learned about her parent’s illness, her studies would have suffered. So they refused to tell her. From the sound of it, they hadn’t even told Shining Armor until it was too late. What’s more, if they knew about it, why didn’t they help her parents? Why couldn’t they have healed Orion and Glimmer? Celestia could have certainly done it. Luna could have as well. But they didn’t do anything about it. Did they not care? Were Orion and Glimmer not important enough? All of these questions and emotions piled up on Twilight, and the only thing she could do that seemed to help was cry.

So she cried. Long and hard, screaming and wailing, sobbing and sniffling until she was nothing more than a blubbering, sore mess curled up on the cold stone of her floor. She tried not to think about so many things at the same time, about all of the huge questions that threatened to overwhelm her. She felt so close to snapping. She wanted to destroy something. She wanted to lock herself away. She wanted to run. Instead, she curled tighter, bit her lip until she tasted blood.

After some time, Twilight wasn’t sure exactly how long, she finally managed to collect herself. With one last choking sob, she slowly got to her hooves. It was close to midnight now, judging by the moon’s location in the sky. Her eyes felt waterlogged and her entire body was sore, but she wasn’t tired. It felt like there were still many, many things bothering her. So many questions.

Why wouldn’t the princesses tell me?

Because they thought me studying to be Archmage was more important than being with my parents.

If that’s true, were they right?

Well, my parents never did write… It seemed they didn’t really care about me, ever since after the wedding. Even then, they were more focused on Shining than they were on me…

But they do care about you. You’re their daughter. They have to care about you, right?

The letter said they were proud… But the letter also said they couldn’t tell me about my mar-

Twilight sat up with a gasp. She scrambled to the table, pushing aside sheafs of paper and books until she found it. The letter. Her eyes wide, Twilight read through it carefully. There it was… Halfway through the second paragraph.

Your mark, Twilight, is that of an Archmage. We knew from the moment you acquired it what it meant. We never said it. But we knew. Your mother and I. Please, understand that if we had told you, it might have changed things drastically. You know how prophecy works, Twilight. This is much the same.

Twilight’s cutie mark meant she was destined to be the Archmage. She looked back at her flank, at the familiar sunburst pattern, the five white stars. For many ponies, their marks were easy to decipher. It told them their talent outright, what they were destined to do… But Twilight’s had been a mystery. It pertained to magic, of course; she was meant to be a magician. So she had studied magic. But magic, in and of itself, was vastly different and varied. Ponies had devoted their entire lives to studying one branch or another, and very few ever obtained all the secrets.

Twilight’s mark meant her destiny was to be the Archmage.

But how?

In the letter, her parents had mentioned that she was destined to be Archmage. So they knew. Somehow, someway, they knew. They had some proof. Some definite, concrete evidence. Otherwise, they wouldn’t have put it in their final goodbye to her. Twilight’s mind raced with how they possibly could have known. It had to be prophecy. Prophecy was written in books and on scrolls. Her parents had a private library. If they knew Twilight was going to be Archmage, the proof would be there.

Wiping a hoof across her eyes, Twilight stuffed the letter into her saddlebags and hoisted them onto her flanks. She left the castle at a gallop, hardly even glancing at the guards as she dashed out of the main gates and into the city proper.

Glimmer and Orion’s home was not too far away. Her parents held positions of great importance on two of Canterlot’s councils, so they lived close to the palace. Twilight arrived before she even began to breathe heavily. The door was locked, but this was her home. Well, not for a long time, but it was her home. She used her magic to throw the lock and step inside.

The interior was almost painstakingly cleaned. All of the personal effects that sat on tables and cupboards around the living room had been packed. Twilight was thankful for that much… She pulled the first box off of the top of the stack and started to sort through it. Pictures. Momentos. Nothing. The second box was cushions from a couch. Nothing. The third was more pictures. Nothing.

Twilight methodically searched every packed box in the living room, the kitchen, and the den. Nothing. Upstairs to the library. Her parents had a collection almost as impressive as Twilight’s own. She set in on them book after book, scanning the titles, setting aside ones that weren’t important. That pile grew larger and larger as she frantically looked around. She would shake out each book, making sure nothing was contained within, nothing was missed… Each book, though, held nothing. She grumbled and started tossing them aside, clearing entire shelves in a matter of minutes.

She was beginning to run out of room. There was only one more case to search, and Twilight set in on it faster than ever. ”Master’s Guide to Herbology. No. Genealogy in Griffons. No…” She mumbled each title, one by one, tossing them across the room. ”Generations. No. Advanced Summoning. No-oh?” Twilight paused mid-toss, the book hovering in her telekinetic grip as she looked at the case. There, behind the book she had just pulled free, was a crack. A very thin one, but the dark line was easy enough to pick out in the dull glow of light her horn offered. Twilight set ’Advanced Summoning’ down and took a closer look at the shelf. Yes, that was most definitely a line. Slowly, she pulled the next book out, and saw the beginning of a square.

A secret compartment! Her own library back in Ponyville had a few of these. Of course her own family would! Excited, Twilight pulled the rest of the books off of the shelf, a cascade of paper and hard covers thumping to the floor as she pushed a hoof against the panel.

*click*

Grinning, Twilight pulled her hoof away, and the spring-loaded door popped outwards just a bit. She pulled, swinging the door open, looking inside…

To see nothing.

Just a thin layer of dust and a solitary cobweb in the corner. Twilight’s spirit fell immediately. She almost broke down crying again… Leaving the compartment open, she searched the other shelves, dumping books onto the floor, but found nothing. No more compartments, nothing more than this one empty one. She laid her chin on the shelf, looking into the dusty compartment. Whatever it was that was held here, it was important. So important that it had to remain hidden away… Twilight focused her energy, casting a detection spell…

The residual energy was weak and faint, but there. More importantly, Twilight recognized it as her father’s own. This compartment had been sealed with his magic. When he passed, the shield had died, and this compartment had been opened. Somepony had come in here and taken whatever was there after he had died. Either that, or he had removed it before his death. It could be any one of these other books laying around in piles or scattered across the floor.

But why hide it in plain sight if there was a compartment specifically for it? It didn’t make sense… No, somepony had come along after Orion died and taken whatever was here. Twilight looked closer, her horn glowing brighter as she studied the layer of dust.

There was a rectangular patch of regular wood set in the middle of the dust. Roughly the size of a book. What’s more, it was almost completely clean… So much so, in fact, that the wafting dust particles that Twilight could pick out had hardly begun to settle in the open space. The scuff marks were fresh. Twilight’s eyes went wide.

Whoever had taken the object from this compartment had done so recently.

Probably within the past few hours.

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“Here.” Shining Armor tossed his package onto the table unceremoniously, a cloud of dust kicking up from the cloth-wrapped bundle.

“Is this it?” Celestia asked softly, glancing between the package and Shining.

“It was hidden in a compartment. The shield was gone, so it was easy to find.”

“I see… Very good, Shining.” Celestia immediately walked forward to the table, joined shortly by Luna at her side. Together, the two of them carefully peeled the cloth aside, laying it aside to reveal a very old, very dusty, yet very well-kept book. The cover was intact and the pages, yellowed with age as they were, appeared to be well-bound. Somepony obviously cared greatly for this book.

“Amazing.” Luna said. “So this is where it was… All along, Orion had it.”

“I guess so…” Celestia said softly, looking down at the title. She carefully drank in the words before looking up at Shining Armor. “We cannot thank you enough, Shining. You continue to serve us wonderfully.”

“About that.” Shining said softly, slowly lowering to his haunches. “Consider this my retirement.” Both the princesses blinked at him.

“Sh-shining, you’ve served the guard your entire life. Not too long ago, you seemed determined to devote your life to it... I-I don’t understand.”

“Yeah, well…” Shining flicked his tail aside, glaring at the two princesses. “When the very rulers you serve neglect to tell you that your parents are dying… Kind of makes you wonder a few things.” Both Luna and Celestia shared a look. “How long did you two know?”

“Three weeks before Glimmer collapsed… Shortly after Nocturnal Glow passed.” Luna said quietly, hanging her head. “But Shining, we-“

“But nothing.” Shining cut her off, his tone as hard as his expression. “That’s almost an entire month that you didn’t tell me or Twilight that our parents were dying. Do you have any idea what that’s done to me?” His tone dropped to a growl, laced with anger and hatred. “What that did to Twilight?”

Luna winced.

“Shining, please… I urge you to reconsider.” Celestia said softly. “Believe me when I say that we had our reasons for not telling either of you… Think about it… If we had told Twilight, how far back do you think that would have set her in her studies?”

“Read that book.” Shining said, nodding to the tome on the table. “You’ll see that telling or not telling Twilight certain things can have the most devastating consequences. Twilight is destined to be Archmage. I know that now. After reading that book, I’ve learned that much.” He sighed, shaking his head. “My little sister… The most powerful unicorn in history.”

“In history?” Celestia’s eyes widened. “Surely it doesn’t-“

“Oh, it sure does.” Shining nodded, cutting her off yet again. “It says that and more. But you don’t need to take my word for it. Read for yourselves. You’ll both see the mistakes you’ve made. Before I leave, consider this…” He glared at both the princesses, his anger with them apparent in his expression. “If you had told Twilight as soon as you found out… Do you think she would have made her peace sooner? Or later?”

By the looks of defeat on their face, it appeared as if both princesses realized they had made a mistake. If Twilight had known about her parent’s illness before they passed, she very well might have spent less time mourning than she did. Her progress had likely been impacted by the princess’ decision more than if they had kept it secret.

“Shining we-“

“Stop.” Shining shook his head. “I shouldn’t have even brought you that.” He nodded to the book on the table, his expression still drawn in anger. “I shouldn’t have done a lot of things…”

“But… Shining, the guard needs a commander.”

“The guard.” Shining scoffed. His horn glowed as he gripped the badge on the front of his uniform. With hardly a wince, he ripped the seal of the commander off with an audible tearing sound. After a short pause, he ripped the rest of the uniform off. The shredded fabric fell to the floor in a pile, with the polished badge resting on top of it. “The guard needs a lot of things. The guard’s taken a lot of things.” He nodded to the book. “That book is the last thing I’m going to let the guard take from me. I have things that I need to worry about now. I have a kingdom to protect. I have a wife to think about.” His tone lowered slightly, laced with pain. “I have a family to take care of.”

“Cadance is…?”

“I’m not going to take Cadance from you.” Shining continued. “But she is my wife, and will soon be the mother of my child.” He stood tall, his head held high with pride. “I’m done giving everything to the guard. It’s about time I gave myself to something that mattered.” He glanced between the princesses and the book on the table. He spat the next words with so much hatred and vehemence.

“Something I can trust.”

Celestia and Luna watched, completely stunned, as Shining Armor left the room. The door slammed behind him, echoing through the room. Celestia and Luna sat in silence for a long while before Luna spoke.

“Tia, what have we done…?”

“Something awful, sister…” Celestia looked down at the package, at the book laying on the cloth.

The cover was Twilight’s cutie mark.

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Twilight didn’t sleep. She spent the entire night searching her family’s home for whatever might have been in the compartment, but didn’t find anything of interest. It was close to six in the morning when she gave up the search. Plodding back to the castle tiredly, she arrived in the Northern tower just in time to meet Celestia and Luna.

“Goodness,” Celestia said quietly, noting Twilight’s red eyes, her coat and mane out-of-shape. “Twilight, are you okay?”

“Fine, thank you, Princess.” Her exhaustion seemed to burn away when she looked up at Celestia. As far as Twilight was concerned, Celestia was just as guilty of betrayal as Luna. Neither of them had told her about her parent’s illness. She felt the pain of being hurt so badly by both of them ache in her chest. “Are you both prepared?” Both Celestia and Luna blinked before they glanced at one another.

“I guess…”

“Come on.” Luna took her spot, glancing once at Twilight before she and Celestia began the process. Twilight shielded herself and guided the whole thing well enough, though when she dropped her shields at the end, she sagged with relief.

“Haah… Two minutes, four seconds…” She panted, her chest heaving. She was exhausted, beyond tired.

“Twilight, are you sure you’re okay?” Celestia said gently, advancing on the exhausted unicorn. Twilight pulled away before Celestia could nuzzle her affectionately, as she used to. She stood tall, nodding firmly.

“I assure you, Princess, I’m fine. I’ll see you again this evening.” Before either Luna or Celestia could respond, however, Twilight turned to leave.

“Twilight.” Celestia’s voice was firm, causing her to stop. Twilight looked back at her.

“I’m sorry, was there anything else you needed from me?” Twilight’s tone was both condescending and clipped, like she wanted nothing else to do with either princess. Celestia blinked at her, looking awfully confused.

“I… Eer, no… We don’t need anything… I was hoping we could chat about some things.”

“If that’s the case, then you’ll excuse me.” Twilight flicked her tail, turning back to the door. “I have business to attend to.” Celestia and Luna didn’t stop her as she exited the balcony. As she had said before, she didn’t want anything to do with either princess outside of a professional capacity. Besides, she had more important things weighing on her mind.

Despite her exhaustion, Twilight couldn’t sleep. Not for lack of trying, though. She rolled around in her bed, trying to get comfortable for almost an hour before giving up on sleep. She pored over the letter again and again, trying to figure out what her parents could have meant. They mentioned prophecy, that her situation was similar. Twilight tried to think about her becoming Archmage as prophecy.

Prophecy was a very vague and difficult branch of magic. Twilight hadn’t quite studied it in depth, as there were very few published works, and the only ponies alive who knew anything about it refused to teach what they knew to anypony other than their disciples.

What Twilight did know, though, appeared to suffice. Prophesy was the magical process of predicting events before they came to be. It could be something major like a political upheaval, war, or natural disaster, or something so minor it had no impact on Equestria at large. Something like a spring rain or a single flower being picked. But prophecy in all forms was highly dangerous. To the untrained mind, prophecy could be a devastating tool, or one’s ultimate demise.

Prophecy was rare, though. She could recall only two given in the entirety of her life so far. She didn’t know the subject matter, only that they had been made. In addition to prophecy being rare, it was also very well guarded by Celestia and Luna themselves. Probably because of it’s destructive capabilities…

But what did that have to do with Twilight? The letter indicated that her parents knew she would become Archmage as soon as she got her mark. That would be akin to prophecy. Therefore, if Twilight hadn’t become Archmage, the prophecy wouldn’t have come true. If the prophecy didn’t come true, then…

Twilight remembered the crater, and how large of an area it had impacted. When prophecy failed to come true, the magical imbalance typically resulted in an explosion, or some other arcane phenomena. In this case, it had been an explosion, and it had claimed half of an entire town. That particular failure in prophecy had been minor. Prophecy could be anything from major, world-changing events to minor details about something very insignificant. This one had been about a small thunderstorm over a fishing town. Ironically enough, a weather pony had seen fit to divert the storm off to the north. Doing so had caused the prophecy to not be fulfilled properly, and had resulted in an explosion that had nearly devastated the entire town.

For a prophecy about the Archmage of Canterlot to not come true...Twilight shuddered and set the letter aside. She didn’t want to think about it. But a thought did come to her.

Twilight was Archmage right now, but only in name and perhaps spirit. There were still many duties that she couldn’t perform just yet. Like taking care of the shields beneath Canterlot, or any one of the advisory roles she was in charge of. Therefore, she wasn’t Archmage. Not completely.

If it was indeed a prophecy that said Twilight must become Archmage, then she hadn’t fulfilled it just yet.

Twilight had never ran faster in her entire life.

“Bastion!” She gasped, bursting into his quarters. They were empty. Panic set in as she dashed back through the hall, skidding to a halt in front of the first guard she met.

“Archmage! What’s wrong?” He asked, noting her panicked expression.

“Bastion! The shield unicorn! Where is he? He’s no longer in his quarters! They’re empty.”

“Oh. You didn’t hear?” The guard chuckled. “Shining Armor has retired. Bastion has been promoted to the position of commander.” Twilight disappeared in a flash. When she re-materialized, it was within the commander’s quarters.

“Well hello there. Ever hear of privacy?” Bastion’s low voice rumbled out from before her.

“Whaddya MEAN Shining Armor retired?!” She sputtered immediately.

“Nice to see you too, Twilight. How goes your studies? Oh, me? Nothing, really. Just moving into my new place. Now move, you’re on top of my clothes.” Twilight gasped and jumped down off of the large bag she had teleported on top of.

“S-sorry. Damnit.”

“It’s fine. Just be careful… You know the laws about teleporting and privacy.” Bastion grunted, hauling the massive bag up onto his nearby bed.

“B-but… Shining Armor…?”

“Yeah,” Bastion sighed, setting down on his haunches before Twilight. “It’s a shame, too… But he has a family on the way now. I can’t blame him… I don’t think I’m the best pony for the position, but Celestia and Luna themselves approached me earlier this morning. Before sunrise. I was moved in here before I knew it.”

“Oh…” Twilight slowly lowered herself as well, feeling rather downtrodden. “I… I didn’t know.”

“Hell, half the guard doesn’t know yet… Particularly those stationed in other places across Equestria. Normally, this sort of thing is handled with balls and pageants and awards and ceremonies… Not this time, I guess. I’ll probably be replaced in a week.”

“Hey, don’t say that…” Twilight said quietly. “You’re… You’re a good pony.”

“I’m cut out for defense, Twilight. Not offense. Which doesn’t really matter either way, since we’re in a time of peace… But still. I’m just not cut out to lead an entire guard. Not to mention, this means I’m going to be much more busy, and I likely won’t have enough time to help you out with the shields.” He sighed and raised a hoof to his eyes, massaging the bridge of his nose. “It looks like we’re just going to have to put it on delay…”

“But, that’s what I came to discuss.” Twilight said quietly, taking a few steps forwards. “I think I’m prepared. If you would like to hand the shields off to me, I can take care of them now… I think I’m strong enough.” Bastion removed his hoof to look her up and down, his expression hard as stone.

“Cast a shield.” He said gruffly. Twilight blinked.

“What?”

“Cast a shield. A hard one. Now.” Twilight swallowed, but did as she was asked. Harnessing her power, she summoned a radiant shield of brilliant golden light, dense and hard. An entire castle could have fell on her and she would have been safe.

Much to her surprise, then, when Bastion stepped through the barrier, his face close to hers as the spell shattered around them. “You’re unstable.” He said quietly, his eyes staring straight into hers. “Emotionally. Physically. Mentally. Twilight, for your shields, or the shields you’re repairing to be of any use, you yourself must be as strong as they are.” He sat back down, frowning at her. “I’m sorry, but you’re not prepared. Something’s bugging at you, and I don’t know what it is.”

Twilight swallowed back her tears, fighting to keep from crying in that moment. “I’m sorry,” She whimpered. “I guess I’m just not strong enough right now…”

“You will be.” Bastion nodded sagely. “You probably are. But look at you. No offense, kiddo, but you look like shit.” She hadn’t slept in over a day, and the extended crying session made her face look a dozen years older than it was. Her mane was a mess and her coat had most definitely seen better days. Twilight sniffed, trying to keep from crying again, as she nodded. “Go get some rest. Clean up. Rest up. Come see me tomorrow. I’ll still be getting settled, but I think I can take a moment to see if you’re okay.” He said quietly. Twilight nodded again before raising to her hooves.

“Thank you, Bastion… And congratulations on the promotion.” She said quietly.

“Thanks.” He muttered, rubbing the back of his neck with a hoof. “You’re the first pony to actually say that… Feels kind of hollow, doesn’t it?”

“The congratulations or the promotion?” Twilight asked quietly. Bastion looked up at her seriously.

“Both.”

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Twilight’s sleep was fitful, but it was sleep nonetheless. She woke and took a long, hot bath to sort her thoughts out, clean herself up, and prepare to set the sun and raise the moon. This time, however, she didn’t say a word to either princess. She stood in her position and nodded at the two of them, only speaking to correct the angles of descent or ascent. Once the ceremony was over, she turned and left without a word.

“Twilight-“ The door closed on Luna before she could finish even that one word. Twilight was already halfway down the hall. When she arrived back in her room, Twilight needed to rest some more. She was exhausted, and had to be prepared for Bastion the next day. Thankfully, this round of sleep came much easier to her. Twilight slept up until four in the morning, which gave her plenty of time to wash up once more. Her last bath, it seemed, didn’t get everything.

Come five-thirty, Twilight felt rested and refreshed, though she didn’t look like it. If anything, she looked downtrodden and melancholy. Once more, she didn’t speak a word to Celestia and Luna until the ceremony was complete. This time, however, the door glowed as Twilight approached it. She stopped and looked back at Celestia, the princess’ horn glowing bright as she shielded the door.

“Something the matter, Princess?” Twilight asked gently.

“That’s my question.” Celestia returned. “You’re off, Twilight. Something is wrong with you. I don’t know what it is-“

“I sincerely doubt that.” Twilight clipped her off.

“Ugh, what IS it with you and your brother?! You’ve both been cutting us off SO much lately!” Luna groaned and rolled her eyes. She seemed to be very annoyed. Angered, even. Twilight arched her eyebrow.

“You spoke with my brother?” She asked. This was of importance to her. Shining Armor had likely told Celestia and Luna directly that he was retiring. Which had led to Bastion’s promotion, and his inability to help Twilight with the shields any longer.

“I dare say we caused him to retire.” Luna muttered quietly, hanging her head a little. Twilight flicked her tail.

“Explain. Please.” Celestia and Luna shared a look before continuing.

“We knew about your parent’s illness approximately three weeks before their passing. This was shortly after you were named Archmage. We assumed that, if we were to tell you, your studies would be impacted.” The next words rather shocked Twilight. “We were gravely mistaken.” Celestia’s tone was sincere. Twilight narrowed her eyes a little, but didn’t speak. “We realize now that, from both perspectives, telling you would have been better for everypony. You could have made your peace, and likely would have taken their passing in stride, rather than taking two whole weeks to mourn. In addition, you could have caught up with them, perhaps even made some more memories…”

“In short, Twilight…” Luna picked up. “We made a mistake. A very large one. There is no excuse, and there are no words to express how very sorry we are.” Both the princesses hung their heads to Twilight. While this was a new and interesting development, Twilight still frowned at them. She didn’t know how she felt about this just yet, but at that moment, Twilight knew she was still upset with both princesses. Her tail flicked once more.

“You didn’t answer my question. Did you speak with my brother?” Celestia and Luna shared another glance as they stood upright.

“Eer… Yes, we did…” Celestia said quietly. “He… Informed us of his retirement. In all likelihood, what we requested of him forced him into it.” Twilight was silent for a few moments.

“What did you request of my brother?” She asked at last.

“A book… A book that your family has held for a long while.” Luna replied. “A book about prophecy…” Her eyes flicked downwards, to Twilight’s mark. “And you.”

The compartment.

The book.

Shining had taken it! Why, she couldn’t guess. She would find out, alright…

“I would like to see this book.”

“If you’d like.” Celestia sighed. She strode forward, past Twilight, indicating she should follow. Twilight fell into step behind Celestia, who led her just a few floors down. They entered a small library with many tables and books laid out and open. One in particular, though, caught Twilight’s attention. It lay on a square of cloth, and looked to be very dusty and old.

“Is that it?” Twilight asked quietly, nodding towards the book.

“It is… Shining brought this from your parent’s home. He said it was in a compartment in their library.” That confirmed it. This was what had been in that compartment. She was already advancing on the book, her eyes open wide with an odd sense of wonderment and discovery. Shaking slightly, she used her magic to pick it up. Her eyes went wide as she saw her very own cutie mark emblazoned on the front of the book. Celestia spoke next, and this time, Twilight listened.

“This book was taken from the Royal Canterlot Library about fifty years ago. Nopony knew where it was or who had taken it, but it just vanished one day. It’s been around for some time, and to be honest, both Luna and I had forgotten about it’s existence… That is, until Orion’s spell faded. When he passed, we both re-learned the knowledge he had sealed away with that spell. We realized that there was a book of prophecy, and that prophecy is related to you, Twilight.”

“Is this… Is this real?” She whimpered. “Maybe it’s about a different Archmage? One after me, whose mark is similar?”

“It’s real, Twilight. And it’s about you.” Celestia whispered. “Open it.”