Archmage Chapter 24 - “Subterfuge and Subtlety”

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After the proceedings, Twilight left almost directly for Luna’s chambers. She had a few things she needed to talk about with her. When she arrived, Luna appeared to have been expecting her. “I didn’t stay for the sentencing. How did it go?” The lunar princess asked, nuzzling Twilight gently. “You aren’t in cuffs, so I’d assume it went well.”

“That comes later tonight.” Twilight shot Luna a teasing smile before returning the gesture with a soft smile.. “It went perfectly well, actually.” She said gently, straightening her expression a little. “Though I’m concerned… Regal strikes me as somepony who’s not exactly stable… I fear he might take matters into his own hooves.”

“Well the original is locked in Celestia’s library. Nopony will be getting in there. There are three copies already, and we have a team working on more.”

“Did you simplify it enough?” Twilight asked, perking up a little at the mention of a copy.

“Enough. It’s going to take a team of five unicorns working around the clock, but provided they’re well-trained, they can handle it. Last I heard, their first copy was completed. We have a total of four now. Two of them are under guard at the archives. The other two are in a secure laboratory. You can relax, Twilight. The book will survive. Thanks in no small part to your efforts.” Luna guided Twilight to a nearby table as she spoke, and her words helped Twilight relax quite a bit.

“Thank you, Luna… It means a lot to me to hear you say that.”

“Of course. Now, I wanted your input on something.” Luna said, pulling a book closer to them. Twilight perked up.

“You wanted my input?”

“Of course. Did you forget? The Archmage acts primarily in an advisory capacity to Celestia and myself. Now, take a look at this, will you?” She tapped a hoof to the page before them, and Twilight blushed a little as she leaned in. She had nearly forgotten about that particular bit of being Archmage. She was, first and foremost, and advisor to the princesses. Not just to them, but to other unicorns as well. Most of the committees she sat on was only to offer input on certain issues. Twilight leveled her gaze at the page and immediately frowned.

“This equation is wrong.” She muttered quietly, raising a hoof to the page. She ran over the numbers and lines, looking through the patterns that painted themselves in her head. After just a short while, she saw it. “Here. This computation is wrong. They’ve arrived at the wrong value. It should be forty-seven, not fifty-two.”

“You’re right.” Luna said, looking over the mentioned line. “I wonder how I missed that… Hmm. Well, thank you, Twilight. I’ll have this fixed right away. Now, you look like you have something on your mind.” Luna sat on her haunches and smiled down at Twilight. She remembered why she had came in the first place.

“That’s right. Tell me about the library in the desert.” Twilight sat down herself, and prepared for a lesson. Luna, however, just frowned at her.

“I’m really not the pony to be asking about that, Twilight… Celestia would be able to tell you more. She was more directly involved.”

“I plan on asking her about it.” Twilight countered. “But the more information I have, the better I can understand the situation. I know it may not be much, but please tell me what you know. About Blaze. The library. Synthesis magic. All of it.” Twilight was resolute. She wanted answers, and she wanted them from as many sources as she could get. Luna was silent for a few long moments before closing her eyes with a sigh.

“I’ll tell you what I know of Blaze. He was… Abrasive. He wasn’t very kind, or friendly. He always kept thing short and business-like, but he did converse extensively with Cadance whenever he had the chance. Rumor had it he was smitten with her. Cadance is and was a beautiful pony, and always had many suitors. From what I understand, one of them was a talented unicorn by the name of Bolt, who was a professor at the magic school on synthesis magic. Despite Blaze’s natural ability and considerable power, Cadance favored Bolt’s presence. Perhaps because he was more humble about it. In those days, magic duels were nothing out of the ordinary, nor were they very much frowned upon. Blaze challenged Bolt, who foolishly accepted on behalf of Cadance, and he promptly lost…” Luna’s eyes glimmered as she looked down at Twilight, and her tail flicked across the ground.

“Blaze shattered his horn, and left him burned and crippled in the street. Afterwards, he proposed to Cadance. But she would have none of it. She turned him down and instead ran to Bolt’s side, to nurse him. Blaze lost it. He vowed to destroy not just Bolt, but everything he stood for. He made an attempt on the wounded Bolt then and there, but Cadance stopped him. Instead of thinking on his error, as he should have, Blaze made good his other half of the promise. Before anypony could stop him, he burned every book in the Royal Library on Synthesis magic, and proceeded to level the entire library. Celestia managed to intervene to prevent total destruction, but in doing so lost him. He fled Canterlot, and the last report we had was from Baltimare, where he chartered a ship to take him into gryphon territory.” Luna’s expression darkened a little. “He was gone for months. When he returned, I swear it was on a whirlwind of fury. Hundreds of guards died to him before Celestia… Well, you know…”

“So what happened to Bolt?” Twilight asked after a short pause.

“Aah, now that’s another story. Well.” Luna adjusted with a soft smile on her lips. “He was crippled, not just magically, but physically as well. Cadance nursed him, but he never made a full recovery. His horn was beyond repair as well. But he professed there was a way for him to regain his power. Far to the north, past the frozen lands, well off and into areas nopony had been. He left for the crystal kingdom right around the time Sombra came into power. In the fallout, we had assumed he had been lost along with the other ponies. But he didn’t re-surface when you and your friends went to help them. Nopony knows where he went after that. Some say he died. Others say he escaped Sombra’s reign and continued North on his journey. Others still say he still lives, but has forgotten who he was…” Luna lifted a shoulder indifferently. “It’s difficult to say.”

“Hmm… This is all so intriguing… I don’t see any connections, but I swear they’re there.” Twilight stood and began pacing, mulling over everything. “Blaze disappeared to the East, right? Past the gryphon territories, and into Saddle Arabia?”

“No. The library used to sit on the northern border of the gryphon territories, just a little south-west of Saddle Arabia. Here.” Luna’s horn glowed as she pulled a thick book from a nearby shelf, opening it to a map of the known world. She pointed to one spot, north of the gryphon area, but west of Saddle Arabia. “It was nestled between these two peaks, in a place called the ‘Valley of Knowledge.’ For the library there. The only way in or out is from the south. The winds are too fierce for pegasi to fly into the valley, and the northern passage is impassable. It’s easy to find, but impossible to pass… At least, from the stories we’ve heard…” Luna said, gesturing to each area. Twilight looked at the map, frowning.

“Tell me more about the stories of ponies who have returned.” She said softly, still looking over the map.

“Most of them are insane. They come back one way or another babbling about dark figures and sandstorms. They rant of terrible, unimaginable stories of beasts as tall as towers with claws that can rip anything apart.” Luna gestured with her hooves as she spoke. “None of them have ever reached the library.”

“Except Regal.”

“Apparently…” Luna shrugged once more. Twilight gave a soft ‘hmm’ and went back to looking at the map.

“Have you ever been there?”

“To the library? Never. Nor has Celestia. We must remain in Equestria. Going to the library would be too risky. Trust me, I’d love to get to the bottom of this. But some of the best researchers and magicians we’ve sent have perished. We decided not to risk any more lives, and just cut our losses.” Twilight nodded and closed the book before looking up to Luna.

“What about the preservation society. Tell me what you know about them.”

“Wow, now there’s a vague memory.” Luna said with a soft sigh of exasperation. She rubbed the bridge of her nose and groaned, as if trying to bring clarity to a long-forgotten thought. Eyes still closed, she spoke slowly. “I remember… It was founded… Just a little after the incident with Blaze, actually. Their job was to ensure most things withstood the test of time. In fact, under their orders, the laws regarding destruction of knowledge were formed. Ugh, I can hardly remember… Celestia would know much more than I do.” She grumbled, shaking her head. “It was so long ago, and so much happened… I’m sorry, but I just can’t remember any more.” Luna frowned at her, and appeared to be upset at her own failure.

“It’s okay, Luna. I can’t blame you.” Twilight said reassuringly, laying a hoof over the princess’. “I plan on asking Celestia about it anyways.”

“She’d most certainly know more than I do.” Luna affirmed with a nod, stepping closer. She gave Twilight’s cheek a gentle kiss. “Though she’s probably very busy right now…”

“Hmm, do you think I should wait?” Twilight asked, inadvertently stepping closer. Luna kissed her cheek again.

“I think you should.” She leaned forward, her forehead resting against Twilight’s. Their horns met at the base. “If only so I can hold you a little longer.” Twilight couldn’t help but shudder at the whispered sentence, her entire body aching to be close. She drew her lip between her teeth and glanced up at Luna’s beautiful face.

“Luna, I… I’m…”

“Hmm?” Luna pulled away, though Twilight noticed she didn’t miss the furious blush on her own cheeks.

“I’m… On my flow.” She whispered. Luna blinked at her once before shrugging.

“So? Does that mean I cannot hold you?” Twilight opened her mouth, about to go on about how she thought Luna wanted to make love to her, and she was sorry for assuming such a thing, but soon she realized how foolish that was. Blushing more, she just closed her mouth and shook her head. “Come on, Twilight.” Luna said softly, nudging her shoulder. “You can talk with Celestia after we cycle the sun and the moon this evening. Until then, I’d happily lay by your side.”

“Th-thanks.”

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“Hello, Twilight.” Night Dancer said with a shocked blink, giving her a hesitant smile. “What brings you here?”

“Nothing, really.” Twilight said with a nonchalant shrug. “I just wanted to ask Celestia a question. I figured this would be the best place to meet up with her. Trust me, I’m not here to take back my duty just yet.” Night Dancer and Warden both seemed to sag with relief, though they didn’t relax entirely. Twilight could see the tension between them, almost as if her presence was pressure for them to perform well. Twilight smiled and left it at that, opting to wait for Celestia.

“Good evening, Twilight.” Celestia’s gentle words turned her around, to the door she had just strode through. Twilight smiled brightly up at her.

“Hello, Celestia. Sorry to be so blunt, but I was hoping I could speak with you after this is over?” Twilight’s eager questions appeared to have sparked a little curiosity from Celestia. After their little scene in her private library, she was apparently confused at Twilight’s eagerness to speak with her again.

“Of course. I’d be happy to talk with you, Twilight. Shall we get to it, then?”

“I’ll wait out here.” Twilight motioned to the door, smiling at the small group. “So I’m not in the way.” Night Dancer and Warden shared another look, this time with a bit of a blush between them. Twilight’s lips curled in a smile as she exited the balcony, going to wait patiently outside of the door. From the other side, she could hear the scintillating sounds of powerful spells being cast, and the slight tremor of impacts against shields. The air positively crackled with energy, though she was safe on the other side of the door. Not two minutes later, the door opened once more. The sky outside was markedly darker than it had been, and the stars shined beautifully. Night Dancer and Warden smiled as they passed, followed by Luna. Twilight snuck a quick kiss to Luna’s cheek behind the other two unicorn’s back before meeting Celestia on the balcony.

“I thought you might want to talk about what happened in my library.” Celestia said softly. Twilight lifted a hoof, cutting her off.

“It’s not so much the library that has me worried, Princess. I actually came here to talk about the library in the desert, and the preservation society.” Twilight sat on the cool stone opposite Celestia, flicking her tail once before settling. Celestia blinked at her.

“You’re not… Concerned about Blaze?”

“Concerned doesn’t quite touch on how I feel about it, but that’s not what I’m here to talk about…” Twilight glanced off of the balcony, over Celestia’s shoulder to the East. “Maybe after I’ll ask for an explanation…”

“I think I owe you one anyways. But no matter. Ask your question, Twilight. I’ll answer as truthfully as I can.” Celestia ruffled her wings before sitting down opposite Twilight.

“Tell me about the Canterlot Preservation Society. Why it was formed, what its intention was, why it’s been changed.” Twilight’s question was no different from the one she had asked Luna just a few hours prior. Celestia looked at her for a short while, and appeared to be collecting her thoughts. When she spoke at last, it was with a fair amount of melancholy to her voice.

“After Blaze burned every book we had on Synthesis magic and very nearly destroyed all of the others, I left it to a group of skilled unicorns to see to it that such an incident never occurred again, or at least if it did, we wouldn’t lose all the information we had. Their task was to take old books and data and copy or store it securely. Additionally, any new spells, traditions, or whatnot, would be catalogued so it could either be copied or re-created in event of its loss. This included plant life, traditional dinner recipes, and all manner of things. I left it to the committee chair to decide what would and would not be preserved accordingly.” Her tone darkened considerably as she looked down at the ground. Twilight’s heart broke to see her so sad.

“And then Nightmare Moon happened. In the fallout of the event, I lost track of many, many things. The preservation society was one of them. Among a few other committees. While I checked in occasionally, other things tended to distract me. Things like keeping the peace between us the and Gryphons. Apparently Luna’s absence nearly opened Equestria to attack… Anyway, I didn’t realize it until too late that the Canterlot Preservation Society had changed so drastically. They had almost completely forgotten about preserving magical spells and traditions, and had focused solely on nature, and preserving plants. Every new exotic flower, each new vine and tree, they just had to document and make sure to have it’s seeds on standby, in case they didn’t survive.” She sighed and rubbed a hoof into the bridge of her nose, as if trying to repress a headache. “I don’t have the time or the resources to fix them right now, since I’ve taken on their duties.”

“Wait,” Twilight intervened. “You just did their job for them, instead of set them straight?”

“I had to. There was some sensitive material on the brink of destruction, and I was kind of handling the return of my sister at the time… The changeling attack didn’t help, either. I meant to set things straight, but everything kind of fell by the wayside after all that… I just never got around to it. Now, it seems, Regal is intent on tearing the society down and rebuilding it from the ground up. I wish he would have done so by normal means. I’d have been glad to let him handle it. Instead, he’s gone and done this… This whole movement thing.” She sighed again and shook her head. “I’d hate to have somepony else step in and handle my issues, but it seems the Greater Canterlot Council is going to have to settle this dispute once and for all.”

“I think I can figure this out.” Twilight stood then, her mind forming thoughts and plans. It seemed things might just work out in her favor, if only she could get everything prepared in six days. Six days to set things straight.

“Can you? With the investigation into that uprising on top of the whole debacle between Regal and Gable, I’m just too busy to look into the details. Can you fix it?” Celestia asked. Twilight looked up at her mentor with a brave smile on her face, her expression filled with confidence. The smile she got in return was one of the most beautiful things Twilight had ever seen.

“I can handle it, Celestia. Leave it to me.” Twilight nodded, and Celestia sagged so visibly it looked like she had just been relieved of a great weight.

“You’ve no idea how easy you’ve just made things on me. I’m counting on you, Twilight. If there’s anything I can do to help, just say it. I’ll do what I can.”

“Hmm…” Twilight thought over her plan in her head before settling on a course of action. “I’ll need to see the original charter, and a current copy if I can.”

“I’m not sure about the original, but the current copy of the charter should be on-file in the archives.” Celestia said. “I can send a letter ahead to give you access. They’re public files, though, so you shouldn’t need to worry.” Her warm smile filled Twilight with courage and determination. First thing tomorrow, she would start doing some research. She had a lot to do before the Greater Canterlot Council, and not a whole lot of time to do it.

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“What do you mean it’s been checked out?! I didn’t know you could check out files like those!” Twilight fumed, planting her hooves on the archivist’s desk.

“Well, we have an expert survey the document before and after it’s checked out to ensure nothing’s been changed or damaged, but since it’s a public file, anypony can check it out. They’re held liable if anything goes wrong, but that rarely happens.” The archivist waved his hoof as he explained what the procedure was, even as he shuffled through a stack of papers on her desk with magic. Twilight had gone to the archives first thing in the morning and had waited outside of the main doors for close to an hour in the bitter cold before she was even helped. Then she had discovered that the charter had been checked out. This archivist was helping her now.

“Who checked it out last?” Twilight asked, trying to keep a level head through the frustration.

“Come with me.” The archivist levitated a set of keys off of a nail in the wall and nodded towards the door to his office, leading Twilight out into the hall. Both of them walked fast, staying relatively quiet, though Twilight couldn’t repress the occasional grumble of anger. The archivist led her down the hall, into the main foyer of the archive building, and then down a musty staircase. Three floors underground, they reached the level they needed. Here, records and books were stored. Despite the early morning hours, there were already a dozen or so ponies, unicorns and pegasi alike, bustling through the aisles. Some of them were taking inventory, others were filing, and one pegasi was dusting the tops of shelves. They ducked underneath her hooves on the way to their destination.

“Here we go. Charter, Canterlot Preservation Society, Fifteenth edition.”

“Edition? How many do you have?” Twilight knew such things were subject to editing and additions, but fifteen in such a short time definitely spoke of something devious.

“All of them. Except…” The archivist pulled the drawer with the label on it out, revealing nothing but fifteen empty folders. “They were all checked out. Just yesterday, in fact.”

“By who? Do you keep the record?” Twilight was beginning to get angry.

“We have a signature. Here.” From a small compartment on the front of the drawer, the archivist pulled what looked to be a log book. He flipped it open a few pages, and Twilight could see different entries for different ponies who had checked out the charter for years and years in the past. Some of the dates were hundreds of years old. As he flipped a page to the end, though, she saw a thick column of similar type. “Here we are. As you can see, all fifteen editions have been checked out by the same pony.” Twilight glared at the paper. The signature was unmistakable.

“Rarity.”

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“What do you mean she isn’t here?”

“I don’t know.” Sweetie Belle shrugged nonchalantly. “She hasn’t been home for weeks, actually. I thought she was staying with that Saddle-Arabian colt. What’s-his-face. Regal.” Twilight blinked at that.

“You mean she’s been gone for a whole week?”

“After Cross Stitch left.”

“Cross Stitch left?” Twilight blinked again.

“Yeah. He took off a while ago. He and Rarity broke up. You didn’t hear?” Sweetie Belle seemed legitimately shocked. Twilight’s head reeled suddenly. Cross Stitch meant the world to Rarity. They had been living together for close to three years. For him to just leave like that was shocking to say the least. She thought of him as a close friend. Almost as close as Rarity herself. Twilight had stormed straight to the Carousel Boutique from the archives, intent on hunting Rarity down and ripping into the fashionista for her terrible behavior. Now, things were definitely suspicious. Twilight’s instincts were going crazy.

“Where does Regal live?” She asked Sweetie Belle.

“Look, I don’t know. I really only crash here between classes.” The white unicorn shrugged again, yawning a little. Twilight had likely awoken her with the pounding on the door.

“Sweetie Belle.” Twilight said seriously. “I think Rarity might be in trouble. I’ve seen her off and on for the past week, and she never told me about Cross Stitch. In fact, she made it sound like they were together still, the last time we met. She’s been acting different lately. Not herself.” Her serious tone perked Sweetie Belle up a little, and the white unicorn frowned at her.

“That’s not good… I haven’t seen her since Cross Stitch left. I thought she was just in love with Regal. I thought that’s why Cross Stitch left. No, you’re right. Something’s off. What can we do, though? I don’t know where she is…” Sweetie Belle was awfully intelligent. Twilight couldn’t help but grin with a surprising sense of pride before she turned and walked off.

“She checked out the Canterlot Preservation Society’s charter yesterday. Chances are she’s with him now. We find Regal, we find Rarity. Come on.” Sweetie Belle fell into step beside Twilight, both of them with set expressions. Twilight’s gut feeling was that something was incredibly wrong. The whole situation was starting to become more and more clear. Rarity had been acting almost completely unlike herself. Whatever it was that was going on, Regal was behind it. She could see the strings being pulled behind the scenes. Why Rarity had spoken during the preservation society meeting, why she had showed up at Twilight’s first lesson in Synthesis magic. Why she was so involved in the movement. Why she was being such an insufferable bitch. None of it was her fault at all.

It was all Regal.

Twilight broke into a run.