Archmage - Chapter 31 “In Spirit, if not Name”

-------------------

“Princess! Princess Luna! Princess Celestia!” The guard gasped for breath, panting hard and fast as he burst through the doors.

“What? What is it?” Luna shot to her hooves, eyes wide. Celestia followed, every bit as concerned as her. The committee they were sitting in on fell silent at the disturbance. The guard looked up at them. He was lathered with sweat, his chest heaving with each breath he took. “Guard, are you okay? Somepony, fetch water! Quickly!” Luna rushed forward to aid the guard. But she was cut off as the guard lifted a hoof. His lips split in a grin as he gasped two last words.

”She’s back.”

Luna looked up. It clicked.

“Twilight.”

-------------------

“C’mon, Rares. You look fine.”

“Ugh. A whole month on the road, that terrible boat again, and then the accursed train. I must look a mess.” Rarity grumbled as she limped out of the train and onto the platform. “Can’t we do this later on? Like, tonight? When it’s dark?”

“That’s at least nine hours from now, silly.” Twilight leaned against Rarity’s side, giving her support. “Come on.” Rarity begrudgingly followed Twilight, leaning heavily on her friend and favoring her right hind leg considerably. Together, the two of them limped out of the train and onto the platform. Twilight was suddenly aware of how quiet everything had just turned.

“Oh no. Twilight, they’re staring at us.” Rarity’s blush could almost be felt from where Twilight stood. Glancing up, Twilight saw a throng of shocked ponies looking at the two of them. They certainly must look a sight. The Archmage escorting a wounded unicorn off of the train, both of them covered in a fair bit of dust, looking beaten, scarred, and frayed. Twilight honestly didn’t care.

“Let them stare.” Twilight said softly, raising her head to them. She raised a hoof to touch the pendant on her breast. As the two of them slowly made their way off of the platform, a crowd gathered. They parted for her, silently looking on. Rarity did her best to hide her face. Twilight held her head high. Together, they turned down the main road, towards the castle. Twilight could see before them a wide open lane, with ponies on either side.

The worst part about the experience was the silence. It was oppressive. Twilight could hear every little detail around them with a shocking sense of clarity. So much so, in fact, she began to wonder if the ponies all around them were even real. But slowly and surely, it began. In whispers and mutters, she could hear the words begin to circulate. They were unintelligible at first, drowning themselves out. But soon enough, Twilight could hear them clearly.

“She’s back.”

“Twilight’s returned.”

“The Archmage…”

“She’s back!”

The sound began to swell around her. It built to a head, reaching its zenith in one decisive, shared cheer.

”The Archmage has returned!”

Twilight was carried on a wave of sound and emotion. Tears streamed from her eyes as ponies to the left and right cheered her on. Even Rarity held her head high. The two of them shed tears of joy and elation. A group of armored pegasi fell in around them, protecting the two from the crowd. Even then, they were smiling warmly at her. Normally very stoic and cold, these guards were all smiles as they escorted the two unicorns down Canterlot’s main drag. Twilight could see it in their eyes, and their faces. Not just them, but everypony in Canterlot. They were all cheering for her.

Yet, there was only one pony she wanted to see on her return. The tears stopped as she set her sight on the castle, doubling her effort. Rarity struggled to keep pace, the two of them walking rapidly forward. Twilight felt a sense of determination and purpose fill her, then. The pendant thumped against her chest as she made for the castle as fast as her fatigued legs would carry her. Rarity began to flag behind.

“Go.” She said with a soft gasp. A guard slipped up to her side, taking her weight off of Twilight. “Go to her.”

“Thanks.” Twilight smiled at her friend before turning back to the castle. The exhaustion and fatigue of coming back from the library was all but forgotten. Twilight spurred her muscles into action, breaking free of the ring of guards as she ran towards the castle. But she didn’t have to run for long. She saw the black shadow detach from one of the towers and swoop down the main road. All around her, ponies gasped and cried out as they realized what was happening. Tears streamed from Twilight’s eyes as she sprinted forward.

“Twilight!”

“Luna!”

Her muscles gave out just as she launched herself into Luna’s embrace. Their lips pressed together, borne of a need more primal and deep-seated than either of them had felt in their entire lives. All around them, a stunned silence persisted.

But only for a second.

The cheers were deafening.

------------------------

“Rarity will make a full recovery, with therapy.” Celestia answered Twilight’s question before the bedridden Archmage could even ask it. Twilight closed her lips with a thankful smile, beaming at Celestia as the solar princess approached her bed. “You, however, will not.”

“Huh? What do you mean?” Twilight had only just started to relax when Celestia’s most recent statement made her tense up yet again. Even Luna, seated at her bedside, looked at Celestia quizzically.

“You’re going to be far too tired with all the duties of a true Archmage.”

“Don’t scare me like that, Tia.” Luna breathed, laying a hoof on her breast. Twilight sagged into the sheets with a heavy breath.

“I’m sorry. I couldn’t resist. How are you, Twilight?” Celestia leaned over the bed to give Twilight an affectionate nuzzle. Twilight returned the gesture with a warm smile.

“I’m feeling okay. Tired, but okay.”

“I’m sure. Coming all that way with an injured friend and six books? I’m impressed.” Celestia slowly lowered herself beside Twilight’s bed, smiling warmly at her. “Do you have enough energy to share your story?”

“I think so, yes.” Twilight grimaced as she sat up, trying to ignore the searing ache in her muscles. She had pushed herself awfully hard in returning to Canterlot. She would be in bed for at least a few more days before she was ready to resume her duties. One of her waking concerns had been just that, but Luna assured her up and down that Night Dancer and Warden had her covered, and Bastion was handling the shields for the time being. Her main concern was to rest and recover, so she could quickly relieve them.

She shared her story with Celestia and Luna. For Luna, it was the second time hearing it. But for Celestia, it was her first. She stopped Twilight only twice, to ask about the connections she thought she had felt with the elements. Otherwise, she listened intently to the entire journey, from meeting with Bran and Star, to Gregor and his daughter, Gilda. She went on to share the week-long trek to the library from The Aerie, the storm, losing Rarity, and the spell.

The last bit took the longest, since Twilight didn’t know all the details about what had been changed. “Essentially,” Twilight gestured with her hooves. “I knew the parameters of the spell that I wanted to change, but I didn’t know what body those changes would be taking.”

“You let the spell work itself, then?” Celestia asked. Twilight grimaced, but nodded.

“I guess you could say that. During the time we took to recover, Bolt told me a little bit more about it. If I remember properly, Bolt was more-or-less trapped inside the spell he had made with his last breath. All these years, his spell had been functioning self-sufficiently, but only in the way that he had originally designed. With the storm and the monsters. He realized that wasn’t the best way to handle things shortly after that, of course.” Twilight remembered Bolt telling her about all of the ponies who had lost their lives in the storm. Bolt, being a creation of magic borne of a dire and circumstantial need, didn’t feel too strongly about it. For Twilight, that was perhaps the most frightening part. He had seemed so uncaring.

“Bolt knew there was a way to protect the library without the storm and the monsters, but in the spur of the moment, that’s what he had cast. Once the spell was cast, he couldn’t change it, not from the inside. He was a part of it. He needed an outside influence to put his own parameters in place. I was that influence.” Twilight smiled up at Celestia. “Bolt used my energy to change his own spell. I made a few changes, like in the manifestation arc, but I honestly didn’t have much time to see anything else.”

“Did you make any other changes?” Celestia asked. Twilight thought for a few moments.

“I changed the manifestation arc, giving what remains of Bolt a corporeal form. I seem to remember him asking me for input on something else… Something to do with the monsters. It seemed to me like he was kind of attached to them, like he didn’t want to let them go.” Twilight frowned as she tried to remember. The memory was slipping away, like grains of sand through her hooves. “He… He wanted me to… To change that part of the spell. He didn’t want it removed entirely.”

“Twilight, you didn’t keep them around, did you?” Luna asked. Twilight shook her head firmly.

“I don’t think so. I think I convinced him to let them go.” Twilight's frown intensified. The memory was returning, if only marginally. “But I think he can summon them if he needs to.”

“You can’t be serious.”

“I think… If anything, like an organization or an individual… Tries to take over the library, he can use the monsters then. Then and only then. That’s it.” The memory flashed back to her, and she smiled up at Celestia. “He called it an ‘invocation of force.’ He can only summon the monsters if the library is being taken over in some way. For example, if Saddle Arabia sends a force to ‘secure’ the library, and keep anypony else from accessing it by force, Bolt can intervene directly, using the monsters. But that’s the only time. And doing so will sap the spell’s overall strength.”

“Oh, I see… So the happy meadow and trees you mentioned aren’t stalked by fearsome creatures still.” Luna rolled her eyes, even though it was with a patronizing grin. Twilight chuckled at her before nodding.

“It was remarkably peaceful… I spent six days there while Rarity rested for the trip to The Aerie. That’s when I managed to copy some of the books I found most interesting. Those are the six copies I returned with. Featherhome, Synthetic Elements volumes two, three, and four; Dragons: A Study, and Major Ellipsi of the Fourth Bi-node Arch in Arcane Inversions.” Twilight blushed a little. “That one was a personal choice… But I chose them carefully. Those three volumes of ‘Synthetic Elements’ come together with the first to make a complete manual on using synthesis magic. Essentially, a beginner’s guide. It’s perfect for circulating to major libraries and schools across Equestria. ‘Featherhome’ has a few sections that might give us a little bit of insight into the origin of the library itself. And, since we don’t have many books on dragons in the first place, I recovered ‘Dragons: A Study’ in hopes of expanding our current reserves.” Twilight smiled a little at the stack of books sitting on a nearby table. “I hadn’t seen it anywhere in our libraries.”

“No, that book most certainly isn’t in our collection.” Luna breathed. Twilight noticed then that the two princesses were smiling warmly at one another, their eyes locked in what Twilight would have mistaken for an intense staring contest. “Were there any other changes?”

“None that I made…” Twilight shook her head slowly. “As I was saying, Bolt had devised a much better plan for protecting the library, but also making the knowledge safe to access. He couldn’t change it the way he was. Instead of changing everything myself, I enabled him to make the changes he saw fit. I… I guess you could say I gave him a jumpstart.” Twilight grumbled, rubbing her mane with a hoof. “Does that make any sense?”

“Plenty.” Luna said firmly. As Twilight looked up, she realized Luna and Celestia were looking intently at one another, almost as if they were carrying on a conversation without her there.

“I’m certainly convinced.” Celestia said with a warm smile.

“She’s sold me.” Luna nodded.

“Of?” Twilight sunk into the sheets underneath the two of them, blushing a little.

“Your destiny.” Luna bubbled. “You’ve most certainly fulfilled it.”

“Already?” Twilight perked up a little.

“Yes.” Celestia waved a hoof as she explained. “The book spoke of a ‘great wealth uncovered for the world.’ After listening to your story, I think we can say you’ve most certainly fulfilled that part.” The princess’ expression darkened just a little as she spoke, causing Twilight to worry. Just as she was about to open her mouth to ask what was wrong, Celestia continued. “I think we passed the major tripping point.”

“Tripping point?” Twilight asked. “I don’t understand…”

“Well… There was another fork.” Luna said quietly. Twilight looked at her with a shocked expression.

“Another one? Not just my knowledge of the book?”

“Indeed.” Celestia affirmed. “The other fork was this: You were either going to unearth the knowledge contained, or die trying. If you died, the library would be forever lost to us.”

“But… I don’t understand.” Twilight frowned. “Couldn’t you have assisted me? I mean, Rarity almost died… I almost lost my friend.”

“We couldn’t have, Twilight.” Luna said quietly. Twilight could tell from the sound of her voice, that very issue had been weighing heavily on Luna’s mind “If we interfered, we might have influenced the outcome. If the prophecy didn’t come to pass, the fallout would have been catastrophic.”

“But…” Twilight grimaced as she sat up, frowning intently. “If you helped me, then I would have unearthed the library, and everything would have been fine. We wouldn’t have-”

“Or,” Luna cut her off. “You could have died in the storm, and either Celestia or I would have made it through. We could have modified the spell as you did, but since you weren’t the one to do it, the prophecy would have failed.”

“Oh.” Twilight dropped her head, remembering the catastrophic fallout that occurred in the event of a failed prophecy. “Too much of a risk. I see.” She muttered. A thought struck her then. “If… If I did fail, couldn’t somepony else, like one of you, just go in after me? To finish what I had started, or rather, had failed at?”

“No.” Celestia shook her head. “It was either you uncover the library, or die trying. You had to have been the one. You had to change the spell, you had to brave the storm. Not myself, not Luna, not Cadance, not some Archmage farther down the road… You. If somepony else uncovered it, either before or after you did, the prophecy would fail.”

“I don’t believe it.” Twilight frowned. “All of that knowledge hinged solely on me? If I fail, that’s it?”

“That’s it.” Celestia nodded. “Lost forever. I’m not saying somepony couldn’t have infiltrated the library, and began to retrieve what little they could. If Regal knew the secret of getting to and from the library, somepony else could have made it.”

“Rarity almost died trying to make it to that library.” Twilight could feel her anger build. “I was cut open myself. Anypony else very well could have died.”

“We understand, Twilight. But you’re missing the point. The prophecy said ‘a great wealth uncovered for the world.’ For the world, Twilight. Not just a select few strong and talented unicorns.” Celestia leaned forward to emphasize the point. “Either you uncovered the knowledge, which you did, or it would be lost forever.

“I don’t believe it.” Twilight grumbled.

“We couldn’t either.” Luna shook her head slowly. “That’s why we were so scared to do anything. Because we knew if we interfered the prophecy would have failed… It was like walking on eggshells around you. Between trying our hardest not to give you hints at the other prophecies the book holds and this one in particular, it’s like dodging arrows.” Luna shuddered visibly. Twilight was still trying to come to grips with the impossible odds she had just gone up against.

“You have no idea…” Luna continued, her voice shaking. “How difficult it was to say goodbye to you without breaking down.”

“She was a mess after you left.” Celestia sighed, adding her solemn nod to affirm the point. “It was difficult for both of us, saying goodbye to you, knowing you very well might not return. Luna tried to get you to stay, since the prophecy wasn’t rooted in time. If you had more time to prepare, you’d have a better chance of succeeding. But, alas, we both knew you were too determined to go. It was then or never.” Both Celestia and Luna were suddenly very quiet and solemn, frowning intently. Twilight mulled their thoughts over in her head, trying to imagine how hard it must have been for Luna to say goodbye when she didn’t know if Twilight was ever going to return. Instead of dwelling on the negative, Twilight forced a smile onto her lips.

“But!” She perked up. “It all went off without a hitch! Everything turned out okay, right?” Rather than focus solely on the negative, Twilight tried to remain positive. She chose to ignore the fact that the princesses didn’t help her. She didn’t want to think about how close they had come to disaster, or worse, losing all of the knowledge the library held.

“Right.” Luna managed to smile at her. Was it just her, or did Luna’s smile seem rather… Sad? Just as she opened her mouth to ask what was wrong, Luna stood, and so did Celestia. “We’re going to let you rest, Twilight. Sleep well, okay? I love you.” Luna kissed her cheek quickly. Twilight opened her mouth to protest both of them leaving so suddenly, but a sudden wave of exhaustion swept over her. She sagged into the sheets against the protest in her mind, her eyes already drooping low. She wanted to ask Luna what the real problem was, but her mind was so fuzzy and uncoordinated. The last thing she saw was both princesses leaving her quarters. Sleep took her quick and easy, with not a single chance of resistance.

---------------

“It’s not over yet.” Luna said quietly, though her hushed voice still echoed around the massive chamber ominously.

“Not yet.” Celestia nodded, both of them looking down at the prophecy. The first major portion of the book was empty; since all of its events had come to pass. But the last section was still fraught with peril. “I dare say she still has the hardest bit to go…”

“And another fork.” Luna muttered, turning to the last page. “I’m scared, Celestia…”

“And I’m not?” Celestia pressed to Luna’s side, giving her a reassuring nuzzle. “Be thankful, Luna. You at least have somepony to stay by your side through these trials.”

“You do too, you know.” Luna muttered, nuzzling into Celestia’s mane. Her sister smiled and nodded.

“Maybe not like you, but yes, I suppose I do… Still, though.”

“Yes, definitely concerning.” Luna muttered, looking back to the last page. She shuddered and shut the cover, walking a short distance to the window. She and Celestia looked out over the city, where everypony was busy celebrating the return of the Archmage. The news that the library was now open was spreading like wildfire. Ponies were making plans to travel there already. Some of them had already left. Others were arranging more major trips, with enough supplies to copy the books. Every major scholar in the city was preparing for the journey.

“At least there’s this.” Celestia said quietly, smiling down at the bustle at the train station. “Ponies everywhere will want to read the books in the library. They’ll become smarter. More intelligent. More skilled. Twilight has ushered in a brand new age of magical and intellectual development, the likes of which we haven’t seen in thousands of years.”

“Yes, at least there’s that.” Luna sighed. “But… What she said about Bolt.”

“It’s not what you think, sister.” Celestia shook her head. “She didn’t bring him back. He never left in the first place, to be specific.”

“What do you mean?”

“Well, he always existed. In the storm, the monsters, the spell to protect the books. Technically, Bolt never died. Twilight didn’t bring him back from the dead, she gave him a new form. Flesh and blood, so he can finally explore his prison.”

“And a prison it is. He’ll never be able to leave.” Luna sighed. “The poor fellow… But I wonder… How will Cadance take this news?”

“I’ve already told her.” Celestia said quietly. “She left just an hour ago.”

“Oh.” Luna frowned. “How did Shining take the news?”

“Surprisingly well. He supports her. He knows his heart belongs to her, and hers to him.” Celestia smiled serenely. “She picked the right colt, it seemed.”

“That pony is going to be an amazing father.” Luna mused. Though, she couldn’t shake the troubled feeling in her heart. Cadance was already en route to the library. How would the meeting between her and Bolt go over?

-----------------------

“Good morning, sleepyhead.” Luna’s soft voice stirred Twilight from her rest. With a soft moan, Twilight’s eyes fluttered open. She smiled up at Luna’s beautiful face, a sight she had sorely missed for what felt like forever. Ignoring the tightness in her muscles, Twilight wrapped her forelegs around Luna’s neck, pulling her lover down for a gentle kiss. Luna deepened it by curling up next to Twilight, the two of them stretched out beside one another.

“Hmm… I missed you.” Twilight moaned as the kiss broke, resting her forehead against Luna’s. She vaguely remembered the conversation the three of them had shared before she had fallen asleep. She remembered she had something to ask Luna, but it was slipping her mind.

“And I you, Twilight. You were gone for what felt like ages.” Her soft words made Twilight frown. Gently, she pulled away to look into Luna’s eyes.

“I’m not going to be around for forever, Luna.” She whimpered. “I will die eventually. You know this.”

“I know,” Luna whispered. “And I don’t care. To go the rest of your life without having this… I don’t think I could stand it.” Her sad smile reflected into Twilight’s neck, even as Luna began kissing her. “Please, Twilight. Don’t take this from me.”

“No, no… You misunderstood.” Twilight whimpered, pulling herself away from Luna’s insistent lips. “I was saying… I want to give you something. Something that will last longer than me. Something to remember me by.”

“Twilight?” Luna’s questioning gaze made her smile. She slipped away just a little, her horn glowing in the dull morning light. Luna watched with wide eyes as Twilight began to materialize a small necklace. The delicate chain glowed faintly, is if it were permanently cast in moonlight. From the middle hung a small pendant, a teardrop just like the one Twilight herself wore. But emblazoned on the stone was her cutie mark. The pink sunburst and five white stars glimmered faintly.

“Twilight, I… It’s beautiful.” Luna’s eyes brimmed with tears. Gently, Twilight wound the chain around Luna’s neck, throwing the clasp and securing it.

“Look.” Twilight leaned forward gently. Her own necklace twitched as it came closer, and when it came close enough, it snapped against the other. “They’re magnetized. So whenever we come close, like when we kiss… We’ll be joined.”

“Twilight…” Luna muttered softly. The two looked at one another for a long while before finally coming together. Their lips met sweetly, and Twilight embraced her love as completely as she could. Luna’s own legs wrapped around her, drawing Twilight tight to her chest. And just like that, wrapped in the warm embrace of the one pony she loved, Twilight drifted off once more.

Luna, however, did not. Carefully, she disengaged the necklace and slipped from Twilight’s embrace, leaving her love to slumber peacefully. She left the room with a smile, going to Celestia’s office. “Sister.” Luna said softly, slipping into the simple office.

“Hello Luna. Nice necklace.” Celestia smiled at her. “I like it.”

“She made it for me.” Luna muttered, raising a hoof to touch the teardrop. “But we need to talk about her… And her constituency.”

“Ahead of you on that one.” Celestia lifted a sheaf of papers, floating them over to Luna. “These are written essays from each of the council leaders. They have put in writing their full trust in Twilight’s intelligence and natural ability, in light of her recent achievement. They have determined that she is able to advise any committee, as she currently is.”

“Wait, then this means…”

“Yes.” Celestia smiled at her. “Twilight is one step away from becoming a true Archmage.”