Archmage - Chapter 1: “Awaken to a Cause”

Twilight grimaced as the shaft of sunlight lanced across her face, smiting her full in her closed eyelids. Ow, ow, ow… Curse you, morning sun… No more sleep for me… She tried to roll over, to shield herself from the onslaught of particles against her eyelids, but to no avail. She couldn’t fall back asleep. Opening baggy eyes, she groggily looked out into the library from her balcony bedroom, wondering how long she had managed to sleep after last night’s study session. She stared at the clock, her brain moving much slower than it ought to have, trying to make sense of how much time had passed since she had curled up in bed… What time had she gone to sleep? That’s right, it was five in the morning.

Her clock read nine.

“Fantastic.” She grumbled. Another four hours of sleep, another restless day. She found it odd how she could sleep so little yet still function so well… “I gotta get some better blinds…” She scowled at the flimsy little things that covered her bedroom window, cursing their ineptitude in blocking rays of sunlight from her sensitive retinas. Why she hadn’t replaced them weeks ago was beyond her. Yawning long and wide, she rolled out of bed, stretching her sore muscles.

Her horn lit up, using a simple telekinetic field to tug the sheets tight across the surface of her bed, fluff her pillow, and smooth out her blanket. What would have taken an earth pony several minutes of fretting and pulling and smoothing with a hoof took Twilight Sparkle less than five seconds. Smiling to herself, she trotted to her vanity and attempted to sort her mane into some semblance of order. That was a task that took quite a bit longer than five seconds. Still, come nine thirty, Twilight was refreshed, renewed, and- *Grumble* hungry for breakfast, apparently.

A bowl of hearty oatmeal and two slices of toast later, Twilight was feeling ready for her day. A quick glance at her calendar showed her what she was scheduled to do. She had allowed time for an extended study session last night, meaning she hadn’t scheduled anything until noon so she could sleep in and rest. Well, as stressful as four-hour nights of sleep were, they did open her schedule up for more things to do. She could handle grocery shopping inbetween now and her noon lunch appointment with Cheerilee, who she was helping with a new lesson plan. That would save her the time in the afternoon to review her notes before submitting a report on the new long-distance teleportation spell. Doing that, in turn, would open up another four-hour block tomorrow, which she could use to spend time with some of her friends.

“Okay, maybe I shouldn’t invest in new drapes.” Twilight smiled to herself as she trotted off to go buy groceries.

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“So, you see, if you give the younger ponies an hour to review their work before submitting it, this helps them determine the difference between not getting the answer right, and just plain not having the knowledge.” Twilight tapped a hoof onto the sheet of paper between her and the magenta schoolmare.

“How so?” Cheerilee asked, her brow furrowed with confusion.

“Well… Let’s put it like this… If you look over your assignment for a full hour, you can be fairly certain you got every answer right. Correct?” Cheerilee nodded, so Twilight continued. “At the same time, you discover questions that you’re unsure of… Ones that you’re not a hundred percent certain you got right. You see, if you get the test back, and you missed questions you were unsure of, it’s simple to review and fix your knowledge… But if you were absolutely certain you got a question right and it turned out to be wrong instead, that tells you-“

“That you didn’t learn the subject properly the first time. Which means you should review. Twilight, that’s brilliant!” Cheerilee beamed at the purple unicorn happily, making Twilight blush.

“Nothing to it, really… Celestia herself told me that’s a tactic she’s used with me all along… It’s the reason I don’t have a time constraint on my own assignments. If I miss a question, I know it’s because I didn’t learn it properly in the first place. It also helps the teacher with feedback from her students.”

“Goodness… Celestia must be one amazing teacher… I always admired the fact that Celestia, the ruler of our land and princess who raises the sun, was able to teach alongside all of her other duties…” Cheerliee’s wistful expression rubbed off on Twilight, causing the younger mare to look back on how blessed she was to have Celestia for her mentor.

“Yeah…” Twilight sighed, suddenly very thankful she had had such a skilled, powerful, and knowledgeable teacher.

“Well, thank you very much, Twilight. You’ve helped me out of more than one jam since you came to Ponyville.” Cheerilee laid a hoof on Twilight’s, smiling warmly. “I’m glad I’ve known you these seven years.”

“Thank you, Cheerilee.” Twilight smiled right back. “It’s been a wonderful experience living here.”

“Do you miss living in Canterlot at all? I mean, seven years of doing nothing but studying magic, aren’t you nearly complete? Shouldn’t you consider moving back any time soon? Not that I want you gone! Just-“

“No, no, I understand… I mean, sure, I’ve thought about it. But all my friends are here.” Twilight waved a hoof out over the nearby street. “Ponies know me as ‘that librarian mare’ and they’ve accepted me into the community.” She inhaled deep the earthy scent of the farm town, dirt and dust and produce. “I’d like to think that Ponyville is my home.”

“Aww. Twilight, I think I speak for everypony when I say we’re glad to have you here with us. Goodness, do you remember that winter wrap-up when you first moved back? We never would have finished if it weren’t for you.”

“Thank you, Cheerilee.” Twilight smiled. “It means a lot to hear you say that.”

“But what about your family? Don’t you think about them?”

“My family? Well… Now that you mention it…” Twilight’s expression darkened slightly as she realized Cheerilee’s question had just dredged up something she hadn’t been expecting. She really hadn’t paid much mind to her family the past five years, had she? The last time she had seen her parents was at Shining Armor’s wedding, and the last time they had wrote was… Was…

“Maybe it’s time to take a trip home, Twilight.” Cheerilee’s knowing smile made her blush a little.

“Maybe…” Twilight muttered, staring at her empty plate.

“I’m sorry to bring it up, dear. Do you have somepony special?” Twilight’s eyes went wide as she looked up, staring incredulously at Cheerilee.

“Wh… What?”

“Ooh! Touchy subject?” Cheerilee chuckled at the reaction, trying to cover her coy smile with a hoof.

“N-no, just… Unexpected.” Twilight blushed at the topic of relationships, or rather, at her lack thereof. Finding somepony to start a relationship with had taken the back seat in favor of her studies, and had stayed there for as long as she could remember. One thing or another, it seemed, kept her from meeting somepony special. It seemed that way for nearly every one of her friends, save Rarity. She was living with a stallion from Trottingham that had been helping her business for a while, and it seemed the two of them would tie the knot any day now. As for the other five, they had been relationship-less for as long as they had known each other.

“I’m sorry dear… You know those days you get where all you do is seem to upset others? I feel that way now.”

“No, no… It’s not your fault, Cheerilee.” Twilight sighed. “It’s just silly ol’ me, not able to find somepony.”

“Well, take it from a single mare herself, it’s never too early to start looking.” Cheerilee smiled at her. “It’s getting late, though, the children should be back for class soon. Thank you again, Twilight. You should stop by sometime. You’re the only one who can make history lessons even mildly interesting to the younger ones.”

“Hehe. Thank you, Cheerilee. Have a good day.”

“Here,” Cheerilee tossed a hoof-full of bits onto the table. “Lunch is on me.”

“Thank you!” Twilight called after Cheerilee as she trotted away, leaving her at the café table with conflicting emotions. She really should look into finding somepony… She didn’t want to be alone her entire life, did she? Sighing yet again, Twilight pulled her saddlebags on and left to return home. All the while, her thoughts bounced back and forth between remorse for not visiting her parents and sadness at not having found anypony to start a relationship with. Both of these thoughts weighed heavily on her mind as she approached the library.

Only, somepony was already there, waiting for her to return.

“P… Princess Celestia?” Twilight’s eyes went wide at the sight of her mentor and ruler standing in front of her home, looking as regal and beautiful as ever. She was accompanied by her royal entourage, a dozen guards, all of them looking regal in their shining armor. Twilight hastily dropped her head, bowing low. She only embraced her mentor whenever they were alone, or when the mood was fitting. Around guards or other subjects, it was improper. “Wh… What do I owe the plea-“

“Please, Twilight.” Celestia smiled, raising her head with a gentle hoof. “No need to be so formal around me, you know this. Though, you may want to keep proper decorum in mind. I’m afraid I bring news of a rather saddening sort…” Twilight rose to her hooves with a questioning look on her face, peering up at Celestia.

“What’s wrong, princess?” Celestia’s face was drawn into a sort of calm, melancholy look. It seemed remarkably out-of-place in the light of the bright June day.

“I’m afraid… Nocturnal Glow has passed away. Late last night.” Twilight blinked, trying to comprehend what this meant…

“The Archmage… Is dead? Wh… Why are you here, then? Shouldn’t there be arrangements or something else to handle…? I mean, I’m not saying you shouldn’t be here, or that I’m not very happy to see you, but-“

“Twilight.” Celestia cut her off with a soft smile, as she frequently had to do to keep the bookish mare from rambling. “I would like your help arranging his funeral. In his absence, it would seem you and I have much to discuss. Please, I would like it if you could return to Canterlot with me.” She nodded her head to the regal carriage, standing just off to the side of her home. “I’m afraid the situation is dire, and I would like it if you could decide immediately.”

“O… Of course, princess! Just… May I pack some things?”

“Naturally. Please, do make haste, though?”

“Y-yes! Just one moment!” Twilight excused herself and hastily scrambled inside her home, dashing upstairs to retrieve some select items. She dumped her saddlebags out on her bed, deciding to clean the mess later. Now, she stuffed blank parchment, quills and ink, and a few select books in one side, and hygiene supplies in the other. It was times like this she wished she still had Spike to help… In fact, if she had Spike, Celestia likely wouldn’t have had to leave Canterlot to come all the way to Ponyville… If ever Twilight cursed the lack of an assistant with a biological ability to send letters to and from royalty, it was then.

She re-joined Celestia after a quick check of her supplies, and in hindsight, scribbled a quick note to be fixed to the front of her door. Just in case her friends wondered where she had disappeared to. Celestia invited her into the back of the grand carriage, and then they were off. Twilight watched Ponyville shrink away from her sight as they left the small town, destined for Canterlot.

“I’m sorry you had to come all the way out here just to fetch me, princess.” Twilight said quietly, trying to look anywhere but at Celestia.

“I’m not. I always enjoy getting the chance to see other places. I just wish it were under better circumstances.” Celestia’s soft smile put Twilight’s fears to rest, if only slightly… “Though I wish dear Spike were still around… Still, I hope he’s enjoying his century-long nap.”

“Yeah… It was hard saying goodbye…” Twilight sighed, missing her assistant more than ever in that moment.

“Such is the nature of things, Twilight. We’re all better off having known Spike. I’m sorry to bring up old memories.”

“No, it’s no issue, princess…” Twilight smiled warmly, shrugging it off. Never mind that inside, Twilight added missing Spike to the list of things bringing her down that day. Those measly four hours of sleep were becoming more and more apparent as the stress began to wear on her. She decided to change the topic. “Are, uuh… Are the preparations coming along for Nocturnal Glow’s funeral?”

“Well, that’s part of what I wanted to ask for your help with… You seem to have a knack for organizing, so I would ask if you could help us arrange everything according to history and tradition. Aside from Glow himself, it seems not many ponies are very well-versed on that obscure bit of history.” Celestia smiled, the kind of knowing smile from a teacher that Twilight had come to both strive for and adore. She smiled back, a genuine, warm smile of appreciation and thanks. “I think with your help, the ceremony can take place by the weekend. If you’ll handle such things as arrangements and invitations, we should be on-schedule for his ceremony come the weekend.”

“Of course. I would be honored. Wish I would have had a little more warning, but it’s not an issue.”

“Your friends are, of course, cordially invited to the ceremony… It isn’t very often an Archmage passes. They very well could witness history in the making.”

“I… Don’t think ancient ceremonies and traditions are really of interest to any of them… I’m sure they’ll forgive me when I say they’d rather not attend.” Twilight muttered. The only pony she could imagine would even be remotely interested would be Rainbow Dash, but these things involved a lot of time and ceremony. Dash could only stay in one place for very long if it involved napping. Sitting through something like the Archmage’s funeral would be akin to torture for her.

“Very well. Though I urge you to reconsider.”

“I’ll think about it before the weekend.” Twilight nodded. She had three days to think it over. Three days to find more reasons her friends wouldn’t want to attend. “Though, there is something that’s been bugging me… The Archmage chooses his replacement before his death, right? Who did he choose?” At Twilight’s question, Celestia frowned.

“Well…” Celestia wasn’t one to mince words. She usually spoke very clearly and eloquently. To see her hesitate was a red flag to Twilight. “There is an additional clause, stating that the royal pony sisters can rescind his nomination in favor of a more suitable candidate… But right now isn’t the time to worry about it. We have a full staff of skilled unicorns ready to assume his duties while we discuss the issue further. That, and we have the matter of his burial to attend to…”

“Oh. Okay.” Twilight felt a sense of dread so powerful, she just had to ask.

“You want my input on who the new Archmage should be, don’t you?” The look from Celestia was confusing. In it, she saw hurt, confusion, empathy, pride, and a whole mix of other confusing emotions. Celestia looked at her with that face for a long while before nodding out of the window.

“We’re nearly there.”

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The next three days were a blur to Twilight. They usually were when she was working on helping the princess. Whether it was an important assignment or something like the fiasco with the crystal ponies five years ago, Twilight slept little and worked hard. Anywhere from three to five hours a night were spared for sleep, while the rest were devoted solely to making sure everything for Nocturnal Glow went perfectly according to plan. Twilight was so thankful the other ponies helping her were reverent, and understanding of tradition. Their cooperation helped so many times. In the back of her mind, Twilight made a note to ask Celestia about her plans to preserve tradition against the test of time.

When the day finally came, though, Twilight got to see all her diligence and planning come to fruition. It was times like this that made her happier than ever. She slept six whole hours, and awoke the morning of the ceremony feeling as refreshed as she had in weeks, if maybe just a touch frazzled. An extended shower and some time preparing in front of the mirror, though, and Twilight felt perfectly fine. She was about to witness magical history in the making, and she was extremely excited.

The castle was rather hushed, despite it being relatively early in the morning. Twilight thought perhaps it was because of the weekend, but there was next to no pony around at all. She ran across one of the cleaning crew, who smiled warmly at her as they passed in the hall. That was it. The next pony she met was Celestia herself, standing her solitary watch next to the chambers that held Glow’s body.

“Good morning, Princess.”

“Good morning to you, too, Twilight.” Celestia smiled at her student. “Are you prepared?”

“As I’ll ever be.” Twilight returned the smile, standing opposite her mentor at the double doors. “I can watch for a short while, if you have other things to attend to.”

“I do not, but I would be happy if you would stay with me.” Celestia smiled as Twilight straightened her back next to the princess. Tradition stated that a unicorn or a princess stand guard at the body until the time of the ceremony. Between Celestia, Luna, and Cadance, Nocturnal Glow’s body hadn’t gone a second without the presence of a princess guarding his chambers. Twilight was glad Celestia could keep that prestigious claim going. She was humbled to assist.

“I never spent much time with Nocturnal Glow… What was he like?” The question had been bugging Twilight for a while now, and she felt even more remorse at not knowing the Archmage before he had passed.

“Odd… I thought I remembered you meeting him a few times?” Celestia glanced down at her for a moment.

“I think once at Shining’s wedding… But it wasn’t for very long, and I certainly didn’t get to know him…” Twilight sighed.

“He was… Powerful. Of course. Much like yourself. I discovered him in Trottingham, a prodigy amongst his classmates. This was during the time that Nightmare Moon was imprisoned on the moon, mind you, so I was alone to handle many things involving tradition. When he came to Canterlot to study magic, it was under my order. When the previous Archmage nominated him at the age of twenty-nine, I was nothing short of shocked… Archmages are almost never that young. It takes years to groom for the position, much stress and pain and learning… But here’s the shocking thing… Nocturnal Glow wasn’t the best Archmage. That’s for certain. He was, however… The quickest to pick up the job. Even unicorns who train for years for the position take time to fall into the habits, to do their duties properly… Not Glow. He fell into the swing of things in three weeks and four days. I remember, because it was so shocking…”

“Three… Three weeks?” Twilight muttered. “That’s incredible… The Archmage has so much to handle…”

“And he did it all perfectly. Which was so shocking… Here, we have this relatively immature young unicorn who would just as soon be chasing skirts around Canterlot, who just out of the blue becomes Archmage and takes everypony by surprise. He had his constituency on lockdown less than a month into taking the position. And he kept it that way. Day in, day out, from dusk ‘til dawn and back again.”

“That sounds incredible…”

“Glow was a friend, a pillar, and a boon to Equestria. I pray his name is remembered forever.” Celestia’s words struck a chord within Twilight. She was in awe of this unicorn’s substantial power… He had lived over three hundred years, well beyond the lifespan of even a healthy unicorn, and was still powerful up until his death. Fascinating.

“Sister.” Luna nearly startled Twilight as she swooped in out of the sky, landing a few feet before them. The younger, imposing sister to Celestia, Twilight had always felt awkward, and maybe a little intimidated around her. Luna was, professionally, not very personable. There had been only a few times across the years that the princess of the night had ever appeared as anything different to Twilight. Their friendship was... Strange.

“Luna. Is everything prepared?” Celestia said in a calm tone of voice. She was in her element now, and that element was one of little personal interaction. She was brisk and business-like, much like her younger sister. Twilight suddenly felt very out-of-place between the two of them, very small and weak and insignificant.

“We are ready when she is.”

Wait, what?

Twilight looked up at Luna, just as Celestia covered her face with her hoof. Her mind raced a million miles an hour.

The Archmage is traditionally carried to his pyre by his replacement. There are only the three of us here. Celestia and Luna are princesses, and therefore ineligible to take his place… That’s half the reason I came here instead of the ceremonial pyre, is because I wanted to meet his replacement… But Luna just said she… She, as in? Is…

Twilight looked up at both the princesses. Luna’s face was stoic, as always, if perhaps a little disapproving and drawn. Celestia’s was nothing but sympathetic. It all clicked in that moment… The reason Celestia hadn’t told her who the new Archmage was. The reason why she was unable to find out over the past three days. The reason why Luna had been all but avoiding her.

“I’m… I’m the new Archmage, aren’t I?”

Celestia’s nod was almost imperceptible.

Twilight’s vision went dark.