Archmage - Chapter 15 “Foundations and Fear”

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Twilight and Bastion spent the rest of that night reviewing some books of shield theory that Twilight had in her personal library. Bastion wasn’t too pleased with the selection, but used what she had to explain a few things that Twilight would have to know going into the next few days. Twilight was naturally skilled in shielding magic, but Bastion was a pony that had close to twenty years of experience with shields alone. Before he became commander, Bastion was the guard’s leading shield technician. He was responsible for evaluating and developing new shield equations and spells, and had contributed to the field immensely in his relatively short career.

Bastion was hailed as the leading authority of shield magic across all of Equestria, so naturally, Twilight had much she could learn from him even if she was skilled. After that evening, Twilight slept well and woke early to assist with the raising and lowering. Luna and Celestia understood when Twilight said she had business to attend to, and Luna didn’t keep her for longer than a quick kiss to the cheek. Twilight smiled as she dashed through the tower, intent on meeting Bastion at their designated spot. She arrived promptly, and even managed to beat Bastion there by about five minutes.

“Good morning, Twilight.” He said with a ghost of a smile. Twilight rose from her haunches as he rounded the corner, smiling at her mentor for the day.

“Did you sleep well?” She asked, smiling as they fell into step beside one another.

“Like a baby. I tell you, having my generals focused on the investigation behind Harbinger’s claims really takes a lot off me. The few council members I’ve met with agree that it’s more important for me to focus on handing off the shields to you immediately. We’ll be advancing quickly, and it’ll likely take us all day to cover everything we need. Are you prepared?”

“Always.” Twilight hefted her saddlebags, stuffed to the brim with reference books, spare parchment, quills, ink, and other note-taking devices.

“Alright. Let me stress this point, Twilight… The shields take years to become accustomed to. Even for an Archmage like Nocturnal Glow, it took him some time to get used to it. You are going to try and pick it up in just a day.” Bastion stopped in front of a heavy door, meeting Twilight’s eyes with his own. “This has never been done in all of history. Are you sure you’re prepared?” Twilight knew full well what she was trying to accomplish. She had spent the better part of last night worrying over her preparations. But after a full breakfast and plenty of good rest, Twilight was as ready as she ever would be. At this point, it came down to one simple factor:

Either Twilight would succeed, or she would fail.

“I’m ready, Bastion.” She smiled courageously at him. “Let’s do this.”

Bastion’s horn glowed as he opened the door, revealing a long, winding staircase cut straight into the heart of the mountain the palace rested upon. “Come on, then.” He nodded and lit their way, his horn casting an eerie glow upon the damp stone walls all around them. This staircase was very roughly hewn, the surface of the stairs uneven underneath Twilight’s hooves. Unlike other caves and tunnels that were cut into the mountain, this one seemed to be very rushed…

Almost like he was reading her mind, Bastion immediately launched into an explanation. “This particular entrance to the caverns was constructed rapidly. Records indicate an excavation crew was trapped down there thanks to a cave-in, and had to dig their way out. This was their exit route. When they got out, the route was kept, and finalized into this rough staircase. There are four entrances into the caverns, and this is the southern-most route. From here, you can move North through the caverns, hitting every single shield in sequence.” The stairwell continued down in a spiral, moving deeper into the mountains. Twilight took notes as she followed, the lavender glow of her horn accentuating Bastion’s.

After just a few minutes, they emerged from the stairwell into a very large and open part of the cavern. As they crossed the threshold from the borderline-claustrophobic stairwell into the expanse of rough stone before them, Twilight couldn’t help but stop and stare in wonder. The caverns had always mystified Twilight. They were one part of obscure Equestrian history that not many ponies knew about. Twilight was privy to some knowledge, being Celestia’s student. Canterlot had been founded atop this naturally-occurring magical phenomena long, long ago. The power contained within the crystals was the single largest deposit of arcane energy anywhere in the known world. In an attempt to keep greedy unicorns from abusing the power, Celestia and Luna had erected Canterlot atop all the entrances to the cavern, and had tasked themselves with protecting the power underneath.

“Wow.” Twilight whispered, her eyes wide as she turned in a slow circle, looking at the massive opening in the middle of the cavern. The walls were embedded with crystals as large as the bulky Bastion, and some even larger than a small house. All around, Twilight could feel the thrum of power, the humming heartbeat of so many spells and shields that thrived and mingled together in a delicate balance of ancient, foreboding energy. It pulsed through her horn, it made her coat stand on-end, and gave her the chills. Twilight felt like she could spend hours staring into the depths of one crystal, or rush through the caverns in a headlong flight of fancy, and never once unlock a single secret of the power contained here.

“It’s intense.” Bastion said quietly, walking up to a nearby crystal. “And it takes time to get used to… But a pony could lose their mind down here. There are so many mirrored surfaces and spells running rampant that you start to see things. Hear things.” He reached a hoof out, his eyes closing as he laid it on the surface of the crystal. Twilight gasped as a spell-form leapt into existence around Bastion, encasing him in a perfect sphere of skittering lines, incomprehensible script, and archaic symbols. This was no spell known to modern magic. This was something ancient and very, very complex. Not even Twilight recognized the writing, or the symbols… The overall pattern of the spell, though, was not unknown to her.

“That’s a leveling spell…” She breathed, slowly walking a circle around Bastion.

“Glad you recognize it.” Bastion nodded, his hoof lowering. The spell remained, though, turning a slow circle. “It’s so old that nopony alive recognizes the specific patterns. We’re all too scared to study it further, but many of us understand that the power contained in this spell could destroy all of Canterlot.” Twilight leaned in, her horn glowing as she furiously scribbled notes on a spare piece of parchment. This was such an intriguing spell. It was so dangerous and old. Twilight blinked when the symbols disappeared, and she was staring directly at Bastion’s hoof.

“Let’s move on. You’ll have time to study these spells later.” Twilight blushed slightly and finished off her notes, tucking them away so she could return. Bastion turned away from the crystal, leading Twilight deeper into the cavern. “There are twelve shields in total. Seven of them, though, can be serviced from one point. The rest were cast individually by Nocturnal Glow or other Archmages, to supplement the defenses. We’ll touch on them all, but we’re saving those seven for last.”

“Right. The first?”

“Here.” Bastion gestured to the first opening Twilight had noticed in the entire cavern, nestled between two large boulders. Bastion squeezed through the aperture, his flanks scraping the walls with a soft sound. Twilight slipped in behind him, following his glow, cursing the darker interior. They shuffled along for what felt like an hour, but was likely only close to fifteen minutes or so. The narrow passage was at least uniform, and didn’t widen, but didn’t narrow either. Bastion grumbled now and then, but maintained the same pace until they emerged once more into an open area.

“Doing okay?” Bastion asked, glancing back at her.

“Fine.” Twilight nodded. She was feeling a touch claustrophobic, but having Bastion blocking her view up front wasn’t very helpful. If she led next time, Twilight was sure she’d have done even better.

“Right then. This is the first shield.” Bastion’s horn glowed brighter, and two spheres of energy split off from the very tip. They rotated lazily around one another as he guided them out into the chasm, illuminating the wide space fully. The twin spheres of light settled on two crystals, and from their the light multiplied over and again, hundreds of times over until the small orbs had lit the entire cavern bright as day. Before them, Twilight saw the shield.

Massive didn’t even begin to describe it… The whole shield was likely as large as Ponyville itself. The glimmering surface shifted and pulsed, almost like oil on the surface of water. Twilight watched, entranced as the shield shifted and moved, the grinding sound of stone against magic making her hackles raise with alarm. “Relax, Twilight.” Bastion calmed her with a hoof on her shoulder. “It’s designed to do that. This shield protects against changeling intruders. It has to change and shift, just like they do, to prevent entrance. This is the most recent shield, cast just five years ago by Nocturnal Glow himself. This is the first shield I check, and the easiest to introduce you to. Go on, Twilight. Take a look.” Bastion stood back, nodding for Twilight to approach the shield. Swallowing hard, Twilight walked forward, her horn slowly beginning to glow brighter…

“Oh my goodness…” She breathed. “I can… I can feel the shield. It’s alive! Bastion, this shield is alive!” Twilight’s magic reached out to touch the shield, and it reacted to her. It shifted, pulsing away from her in fear. Like a scolded dog shying away from an unfamiliar touch.

“It’s alive, because the changelings it repels are alive as well. The shield needs to think for itself, to adjust and shift it’s perspective. Touch it again, Twilight. Let the shield feel you.” Twilight swallowed again, reaching her magic out once more. The shield recoiled again, the entirety of the shimmering surface drawing away from her… But then it paused. Twilight’s eyes widened in the breath of a moment it took for the shield to press against her magic once more. She shuddered as it wrapped itself around her magical field, hugging it tightly, pulling itself closer. She could feel the texture of the magic, and see the diagram behind the spell. She understood the shield in that moment.

“There’s a flaw.” She whispered softly.

“I feared as much. Fix it, Twilight. I know you can.” The flaw was minor. Small, but significant. Twilight stepped forward, letting the shield draw her closer. Before her eyes, a spell-form filled the air. The magical diagram that lent the shield structure and guidance shone with a brilliant white light, pulsing slightly as she looked at it.

“Here.” She used her magic to empower one section. A broken link in a chain of symbols was interrupting the flow of magic to the shield’s stability equation. She leaned in, her horn glowing with a brilliant lavender light as she grasped the frayed and broken ends. The spell-form slowly knit itself back together, pulling the strands tight until the entire equation glowed bright once more. “I did it.” Twilight gasped as she pulled away, the tendrils of the shield slowly receding from her body. “I fixed it.”

“Indeed you did, Twilight…” Bastion grunted. His own horn glowed with magic. He was undoubtedly examining the shield, to ensure Twilight had mended it properly. As she watched, Bastion nodded his approval and let his magic fade away. “Good work. This shield is normal again. That little bit had been troublesome for the past few weeks, and just broke yesterday evening. You understand this one well enough, Twilight. One down, eleven to go.” Both of their horns slowly died down, the magical hum of energy still present all around them. Once more, Twilight reached out to touch the shield. Instead of pulsing and moving violently, it thrummed against her. Almost like a hearbeat. Still alive, but not as erratic and pronounced as before.

“A living shield… I never knew Nocturnal Glow was so powerful…” She breathed, barely managing to tear her eyes away from the glowing surface.

“There are a lot of things about Nocturnal Glow you don’t know, Twilight.” Bastion said quietly. “A lot of things I don’t think you would want to know…”

“How well did you know Nocturnal Glow?” She asked, reluctantly following the buff unicorn away from the shield.

“Too well…” Bastion sighed. He paused at the entrance to the small passage they had taken to get to the shield, looking back at her. He appeared to be struggling with the next words, his eyes flickering up and down her face. Twilight pressed forward, her expression and tone pleading.

“Bastion. Tell me.” Again, his eyes flickered over her expression… With a sigh, Bastion gave in.

“He was my grandfather. And after my father passed, he raised me himself. But he was always busy with the Archmage’s duties… Only once I graduated from the academy and became an officer did he even give the time of day. Even then, it was only to teach me. Never to be there for me.” Bastion’s expression looked as if he was on the edge of crying.

“I’m so sorry…” Twilight whispered softly. “I… I never knew.”

“Don’t be sorry,” Bastion grunted, his cold, stoic expression returning in a flash. He cleared his throat and turned to the cave. “I’m not. Come on. We have more shields to survey.”

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“This is the apex.” Bastion panted as they pushed through the last opening. Twilight never knew there would be so much activity involved in maintaining the shields… According to Bastion, he made this trip once a week, and would visit every single shield once to ensure all was well. Without tutoring another, he could usually accomplish the feat between lunch and dinner… But with Twilight, they had started early and it was already well into the night. Twilight had asked the princesses if they would be okay without her assistance for one night, and they had agreed. Now, judging by her time-telling spell, it was almost midnight. They had only just covered the fifth shield, and had moved on to the junction of the seven most powerful shields in all of Equestria.

Twilight gasped at what she saw. She was tired, she was irritable, and sweaty to boot… But in light of the magnificent sight before her, Twilight could do nothing but stare. “Here,” Bastion continued speaking. “Is the site where Celestia and Luna cast the first shields that protected the caverns, shortly before the city of Canterlot was founded. Together, the entire casting process took the two of them four days and four nights.” Twilight managed to close her mouth and follow Bastion as he moved around the edge of the massive chasm.

“The energy contained within is enough to kill a pony. It’s the single largest deposit of arcane power, and it needs every single drop in order to fuel the shields adequately. We must add power ourselves every week or so to keep the shields running. In the downtime, problems crop up. Spell-forms become frayed, cracks start, or other problems arise. This is the largest time-sink, and can take anywhere from an hour to seven to repair fully.” Bastion sighed as he plopped on his haunches at the edge of the chasm, looking down at the core beneath them.

“This is going to take us both close to twelve. I need to teach you everything there is to learn about this shield, and fix the problems with it, all in one go.” Twilight still couldn’t get over the size of the apex, as Bastion called it. The chasm they both stood in was easily the largest yet, and if Twilight had to guess, the whole of Ponyville could have fit inside this cave. It was miles across, and consisted of a massive, vaulted, crystallized ceiling that sunk down into a wide, perfectly-smooth bowl. Stretching from the very edge of the bowl, maybe fifty yards to Twilight’s right, was a large stone bridge. It stretched across the chasm, a single long, thin finger of magically-enchanted rock. It speared straight into the middle, and was lost in the light.

The core itself, or the apex, was both frightening and awe-inspiring to behold. Twilight had to remind herself to blink now and then, even though she was terrified of missing a single nuance or shifting pulsation of the ball of energy. Reds and blues, purples and yellows, black and white all mingled together to form the shifting orb of essence that served as the de-facto battery for the large shields beneath Canterlot. It was the shape of an egg, longer and thinner on one edge than it was all-around, with the bridge of stone splitting it from the top down to the bottom. It looked like an egg had been set on a toothpick, and had sunk down until it was impaled upon it.

What’s more, the entire thing hummed, even from where it sat. Twilight guessed the distance to be close to half a mile. Maybe even more. Fingers of energy would break off now and then, wafting through the air as they waved and splintered away. “Twilight?” Bastion said softly, nudging her side. “Are you okay?”

“Y-yeah.” She managed to stutter, blinking a few times as she glanced at him. “I’m just… Blown away. This is incredible.”

“Rest,” Bastion patted the stone next to him. “If you brought anything to eat, I suggest you do so now. This will take us a while.”

“I didn’t bring anything…” Twilight admitted, realizing that she had neglected the need for food in favor of bringing more note-taking material.

“No worries. I have us covered. Here.” Bastion’s horn glowed brightly, and an intricate pattern flashed through the air before settling on the ground. Where it touched the rough stone floor of the cavern, it glowed brightly before suddenly being filled with a steaming loaf of bread, two tall glasses filled with ice, and a whole pitcher of cool-looking water. “Nothing fancy, but it’ll hold us over. Butter?”

“Please.” Twilight smiled and accepted the slice of bread from him, washing it down with water afterwards. They ate in silence, splitting the loaf of bread evenly and drinking the entire pitcher of water. Once they were done, Bastion cast a similar spell to dismiss the dirty dishes, smiling at her as he stood up.

“Ready?”

“As I’ll ever be… Wait, are we going into that thing?” She asked, nodding towards the core.

“We have to.” Bastion sighed, turning to head for the long bridge. “We have to repair it from the inside. Prepare yourself, Twilight. The energy is intense, and could very well take you by surprise. Shield yourself when we get near, and don’t drop it for anything.” He turned to look back at her, his eyes cold as the stone around them. “No matter what you hear, or what you see.”

Without another word, they set out on the bridge. So thin was the passage that Twilight had to follow Bastion, her hooves hanging a fraction over the edge. Thankfully, the air was still, else she could have slipped off to fall into the smooth bowl below. The surface looked so slick, she doubted that she would ever be able to climb back out. As they advanced, the fall only grew larger and larger, the floor of the smooth bowl shrinking beneath them. The air around them began to hum louder and louder, crackling now and then with the incumbent energies that swirled around them. Bastion slowed his pace, taking each step carefully, and Twilight had no choice but to follow his lead. The massive orb of energy was closer now, and Twilight could feel the shivers of energy run over her flanks, making her shudder and take each step more carefully than any before in her entire life.

“Almost there.” Bastion said loud and firm, his voice carrying over the rushing sound of energy around them. “Stay strong, and don’t stop for anything.” He looked back at her once again. “No matter what.”

“I understand.” With a nod, Twilight and Bastion set in on the last leg of the journey. Both of their horns glowed as they cast the shields around themselves. The long tendrils of energy would break off and reach out to brush against them. Whenever any of them came close, Bastion and Twilight would stop, and brace themselves against the impact. What had originally seemed like a rather graceful and beautiful feature suddenly became lethal as the long finger of magical energy smashed against their shield, making them sag with the effort of deflecting the blow.

“Move now.” Bastion grunted, his shield dropping as he shuffled forward a few steps. Twilight stayed as close as she dared, stopping to deflect one bit of magic or another. It was grueling, agonizingly slow progress, but they inched closer and closer to the apex of seven shields, close enough now to see the distinction between all the different swirling colors. “Brace yourself!” Bastion called out. A large arch of energy peeled away from the core, lancing across the bridge towards them. She and Bastion cast a shield together, the force crashing against it violently. Twilight felt her hoof slip over the edge, her heart pumping fast with adrenaline as she re-centered herself.

“Go! Now! Run!” The wave passed over them, giving a rare window of opportunity to reach the apex. Bastion dashed across the narrow bridge as fast as he could, and Twilight shuffled behind him. They approached the wall of energy, horns glowing again as they dove in…

“Woah!” Twilight gasped. She was standing in a library. The scent of aged paper and ink came across her nose, tainted with dust and warm sunshine. She inhaled deep, feeling herself relax, the comforting smell filling her lungs. She took a step forward, and nearly slipped off of the bridge. “Augh!” She scrambled, dropping to her chest and clinging the stone tight.

“Keep moving, Twilight!” Bastion’s voice was clear as day, sounding as if it came from just in front of her. “It’s an illusion from the shield! Trying to protect itself! Just keep moving forward!” Shakily, Twilight rose to her hooves, blindly groping the air in front of her, searching for the next safe step. Inch by inch, she moved through the library, eyes wide in disbelief.

“Twilight,” The soft whisper made her freeze. She swiveled her head around, searching for the source of the voice. With a gasp, she saw them.

“Mom. Dad.” Orion and Glimmer stood off to the side, frowning at her. “What… You’re dead.”

“Dead because of you, Twilight.” Glimmer growled at her. “If you had written, we could have told you our sickness. You could have helped us. We would be alive if it wasn’t for you and your ignorance.”

“But… But I-“

“But nothing, Twilight.” Orion cut her off, his frown deepening. “You’re to blame for our death.”

“TWILIGHT!” Her parents disappeared in a flash, though the library remained. “Keep moving, damnit!” Twilight shuddered and took another step. Just an illusion. Just a defense. It was playing with her emotions.

“Subject.” Another voice, this one almost painfully familiar. Celestia stood off and to her left, frowning at Twilight. “You’ve failed me time and again.”

“Celestia”

“I can no longer trust you, Twilight. What’s more, your progress is unsatisfactory. You’re no longer fit to be my student.”

“Celestia, wait! I- EEP!” Twilight raised a hoof, and felt herself nearly tip over the edge.

“Twilight! FORGET THEM! It’s an illusion! KEEP MOVING!” Celestia vanished, leaving Twilight clinging to the bridge once again. With shaking hooves, she rose up and continued to inch forward.

“You bitch,” That voice. Twilight froze. Right before her eyes, Luna stood tall and proud, though her expression was anything but cheery. Tears streamed from her eyes, matting her coat and making her look so miserable. Twilight fought tears of her own at the mere sight.

“Luna…”

“You left me. Time and again, over and over, you just keep leaving me… And soon, you’re going to leave me for good. You don’t care about me, Twilight. You won’t even forgive me.”

“Luna! I do forgive you, I-“

“Twilight! Focus, damnit!”

“You hate me, Twilight… I’d rather die than feel this pain in my heart.”

“Luna… I-“

“KEEP MOVING!”

“You’re so cold, Twilight… Cold and dead and… Gone.” Twilight stepped through the image, and it vanished. Tears coursed freely through her eyes as the library, Luna, and everything else faded into nothingness. She was through. Inside, a wide stone platform, large enough for maybe a dozen ponies to stand on comfortably, waited for her. She collapsed, shaking as she curled into a ball and wept.

“It isn’t easy, Twilight…” Bastion said softly, sitting close to her head. He stroked her mane as she wept, frowning down at her. “The first time is always the hardest… If I had told you what it did, though, the fear would have been worse. Trust me.” Something about the way he said it made Twilight believe him. Twilight sniffled and brought herself under control, standing on shaking legs.

“That was horrible.” She groaned, wiping a hoof across her eyes.

“The first time always is. Trust me, Twilight… It gets easier from here on out. And look.” Bastion waved a hoof out, drawing her attention away from the memories of her worst fears. “We’re inside the apex.” All around them, the spells shifted and changed, pulsing and swirling across the surface of what Twilight guessed was the seventh shield. Outside, night and day, nature and arcane, even love and hatred swirled together to form six independent fuel sources for the shields protecting the caverns. In here, the seventh shield protected Twilight and Bastion from that energy. What’s more, they could see directly into the spell-forms for all seven shields.

“This is the most important and central place in all of the caverns beneath Canterlot.” Bastion said quietly, looking around them in a slow circle. “This was the same place that Celestia and Luna cast these shields from long, long ago… Over the years, every Archmage has stood here, tending and fixing the minor errors that crop up over time. Nocturnal Glow, Ephemeros… All of them.” Bastion sighed, rubbing the ground with a hoof. “And soon, it’ll be you. Come on. Let’s get started.” Twilight took a breath to steady herself before following Bastion to the nearest spell-form.

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“Ooh… It’s late.” Twilight groaned, willing her tired muscles to carry her up the last flight of stairs. Bastion closed the door behind her, locking it with magic and shielding the lock itself.

“It’s past five in the morning. Go and get some rest, Twilight. You have to help Celestia and Luna soon.” He nudged her neck gently, pushing her one step down the hall back towards the castle proper.

“But…” Twilight stopped, looking back at him with red and puffy eyes. “The council said I have to-“

“And you have.” Bastion cut her off with a weak smile. Both of them were exhausted. “Twilight, I never even thought anypony could handle themselves so well. You learned every nuance of the shields in short order, and got us out of there three hours before we possibly could have done were you anypony else.” He straightened up, his tiredness vanishing for a moment as he smiled at her.

“I am honored to call you Archmage.”