Here's the other chapter, part two from the previous one. Hope you all enjoy! :D
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Luna's breath caught in her throat as she saw the incoming horde of enemies. She frowned, feeling the power drain on her from the new charm the Calamity had created. It infuriated her. Whenever she then fought with her power, she felt like she was fighting a mirror, a perfect copy of herself and power. She must have snorted or otherwise shown her anger because her sister gave her a gentle reprimand.
"Anger forewarns misjudgment. Be wary, not foolish."
Luna nodded, and took a deep breath to calm herself. She looked behind her to confirm the other troops were still behind her, not that the thundering hoof steps didn't, but it reassured her nerves. But also caused them to flare as well. She had to be careful. The enemy could use her magic against them, which saddened her. Though she was the only one who could protect them against many magic spells the enemy would use. Regardless of how much better her sister was than she was, that didn't matter. Her job was to zip to and fro and eliminate ponies that could use such spells. She just had to be careful not to get too close to the amulet. Or she'd lose power far too quickly.
Though she stopped at their captain's command, bringing to rest the crunching of snow. The Captain's horn glowed, and his magically enhanced voice rang out, "Eye Of Calamity! Your steps are no more! As this is a much as thou shall get."
The response came with equal strength, "You must prove that." Battle cries ensued from ahead of them, along with hundreds of hooves through the snow. Her voice joined the others as her allies returned the call. The alicorn voices echoing back even as the two groups collided.
Clashing of metal and shouts immediately filled the air as ponies fought with swords or iron-clad hooves and heads. Magic spells zipped through the air as they were sent after targets. Most were blocked by specially placed unicorns who were holding magical shields. Though that also made them targets for the enemy unicorn's spells. A swarm of chaotic green energy seemed to leap out towards the allies from a few enemy unicorns. Though a golden glow shattered them into submission as her sister took care of them.
Though that meant Luna now had a target. She originally had been sticking with her sword for battle, restricting her magic the best she could. That way the pony with the Alicorn Amulet wouldn't get nearly as much energy. But that meant she couldn't use her magic. Though they had prepared for that. She flared her wings and dashed into the air. She snapped her wings halfway and dove forward. Her target was a group of concealed unicorns that still were glowing with dark magic. She didn't slow down on impact, but let her enchanted boots take the brunt of the fall. It took it greedily, making the impact feel as she had just jumped rather than fall from the sky.
The boots glowed once, then shot back the energy in a radius around her. The group was thrown off their hooves, and she was left with several easy to deal with targets. Which was quick work with her sword. Though she was now in a group of enemies that were all brandishing swords and other types of weapons. She smiled and prayed that she'd remember the grueling training she'd done.
An axe was thrown her way, and let the blade hit her armored front leg, causing it to bounce. Mid bounce, she spun and gave it a kick sending it into an unlucky pony's cranium. She didn't have time to pause, as the clearing she had been in, was no longer unoccupied. She pushed, shoved, and sliced around. Taking only a few seconds to identify a course of action.
A sword came towards her neck, and she ducked and spun around on her hooves. She extended her wings as she did so, and her wings blades did short work of the knees of the ponies around her. She made sure to note the number of clangs she heard, as that meant those were higher-ranking ponies with armor. She heard 6 pings, each in a different position around her.
Magic spells were sent her way, though she didn't flinch as she let them hit her armor. It flashed every time, leaving only a black crystal to appear on her armor. It would then dissolve and fall to the ground as she moved around, leaving her armor as it had been. Though Luna knew that the armor was enchanted, and would have to be recharged to keep its effects. So she unlocked her magic for a moment to allow it to seep into her armor. She also felt a large portion get sucked away towards the new charm that was in play. She growled as she sent another pony flying and relocked her magic. She'd have to be more careful with hits hitting her armor. So she spun quickly, using her wings blades and keen eyes to attack and block at all angles. Though she found herself having to stop after a minute. Mid spin she saw another volley of dark magic get launched and blocked by her sister's magic. So she launched herself at the group and repeated the process she had done before.
She took another breath, carefully noting twitches, actions, and differing colors of light as she weaved in and out of the enemy troops. The ponies were no match for her alicorn strength, and those who were magically enhanced that did pose a physical threat, were able to do little about her agility. She smiled as her armor absorbed another blow. Her armor was custom-made, custom enchanted, and was suited very well. It took well over an hour to put on, but followed her every movement, letting her weave almost like a snake. Though she let her focus drop and somepony managed to get a hoof into her hoof steps.
She tripped and found herself on her back, covered in ponies holding her down. One smaller pony was able to get above her and attempted to drive a sword into her throat. She stared at the blade, and the moment it would strike her neck armor, she sharply twisted her neck. The action made the sword bury itself into the ground neck to her, leaving her with only a bruise. She smiled and unlocked her magic. She quickly weaved it into a pulse and sent it outwards. It shot ponies away and recharged her armor. Then, she locked it again only to be bombarded once more as never-ending troops closed the gap. A frown was mixing with her expression of determination, but she let it fade. She had to focus.
Then, another axe was hurled towards her. She timed catching the handle and spun to let the momentum fade. Mid spin, she saw another volley of dark magic. So she stopped her spin, left the axe in an enemy, and jumped upwards to take the group out. She landed and was again assaulted by hordes of enemies. Though this time she was close enough to the back that she had to deal with hounds made of dark magic. Their growls emanating from scratchy throats of straw or whatever the calamity could get their grubby little hooves on. Luna barely paid them much attention. The spells holding them together were meant for strength not speed. She'd just have to keep moving. So she did.
But the creatures didn't attack, and after she had sent a pony flying, she realized that she was in a large circle of enemies. Though they weren't attacking her. Nor were they sending spells. She stood ready, her blade clenched so hard her jaw complained. What were they planning?
Her attention snapped as she felt a massive magic rushing towards her. She spun around to face it, only to see a massive black appendage that she could only describe as a dragon's claw rushing at her. The cloud-like nature gave away its magical background. Though the strength worried her, and she instinctively reached for the magic to make a shield. The glowing blue shield shimmered with several hundred hexagons.
Though the claw crashed through it. Her mind screaming in pain as the magical feedback snapped back at her. She growled, her voice now unobstructed as the sword had been knocked out of her mouth. She snarled, whisked her sword back to her, and relocked her magic.
Or at least tried to.
Her sword wasn't able to reach her as the claw lifted her up into the air. Then threw her faster enough to surpass any speed she had been able to get when flying. Her ears complained as they were flattened against her head by the wind. Though that was the least of her worries. She was heading right for her allies, and she was now a projectile.
She called out a warning as she struggled to control her trajectory. The ponies heard her, and managed to move out of the way. Luna was also able to maneuver herself to land on her side, allowing her armor to take the blow. A large dirt streak marked her landing as snow and bits of dirt were flung into the air.
Luna merely laid there, breathing in and out. A few of her allies asked about her condition with she responded with a nod. She let her magic recharge her armor before sealing it away again. Her stores were starting to diminish, but not by a large factor. Her lungs were still complaining as she filled them, and her nose reported dirt and other natural objects in her nose. Her nose wrinkled and she snorted to clear it. She then huffed and threw herself up and looked around. She had been thrown towards the front of the army, and her sister was nearby. She rushed to her sister's side, only to see her glowing with a golden aura as she defended herself from a smaller pony. It was only a unicorn, but he seemed to be able to block Celestia's magic attacks with ease. Blows from Celestia's halberd were either blocked or avoided, regardless of how fast or heavy the blows were. Luna frowned as she also saw her sister had taken cuts and bruises that were plainly visible on her now damaged armor.
She felt her breathing increase as she saw her allies began to fall around her in the oncoming tide of enemies. Showing exactly how outmatched the group was.
"Sister!" She called out and got closer to her sister. A few ponies blocked her and attempted to spear her but she flung them away with a few hoof swings. She didn't have her sword, which was problematic. Her allies were also feeling the sting of the enemies' swords and magical attacks.
"We need to retreat! Their forces are beginning to overwhelm us!" Luna said, now close to her sister.
"They will only chase us down and slaughter us like a wolf to rabbits," Her captain replied, knocking down an enemy warrior, then narrowly blocking a magical bolt.
Celestia glanced at Luna, and the two nodded, "Then we shall hold them back far enough to get back to the capsule. With the amulet, Sister and I are the only ones able to hold our ground."
The captain frowned, "I will hold with ye. It is my duty."
Luna frowned as she watched Celestia block another attack, but she found herself locked at the blade of her weapon. Luna jumped forward and was able to separate the blades by giving the enemy a solid kick to the face. The pony stumbled back and Celestia dispatched the pony with a quick movement of her blade. Though the next pony seemed to be devoid of fear and Luna knew exactly why.
There was an amulet on the Unicorn's neck. The alicorn-like shape was fully visible. Though it was so uncovered that she could see the back panel, its black crystalline depths the likely storage for the stolen alicorn power. It had four spikes. Two jutted out from behind the triangle, just below. Then, two curved outwards from the top, stopping just before the inanimate unicorn.
Though its front gem made her insides squirm in primal fear. Why? She had no idea. She just knew the amulet was a severe problem for her and her allies. When Luna or Celestia was around, it would power up the pony wearing that amulet, forgoing their alicorn advantage.
She gritted her teeth as she heard the captain begin to sound the retreat. She hated to be backed into a corner, but it couldn't be helped. The amulet plus the near full force of the enemy troops was way too much for her company to bear.
"Luna, unlock your magic so you may be able to contend with the amulet with me. We mustn't let any magic past our gaze. For the sake of our allies." Celestia asked, knocking a pony to the snow.
"Yes, dear sister," Luna said, and unlocked her magic, almost immediately feeling the amulet's pull on it. She tightened her face and requested a sword from one of the retreating ponies. The pony nodded and gave the sword to her. It was heavier than her own and wasn't magically attuned to her either, but it was better to block a sword with a sword than a dagger.
"I shall take left!" Celestia shouted, and lit her horn.
"Then I shall take the right. No pony passes!" Luna cried and lit her horn.
"No pony passes!" Her sister called, and the two alicorns created an energy barrier behind them, sealing them away from their allies, but also preventing the enemies from getting through either. Now for the tricky part.
The barrier would be able to hold the group except for the alicorn amulet user. The user could easily smash the barrier at any time, provided he didn't get intercepted by the Sisters' magic first. They would both have to throw their magic at the user's in hopes to falter it enough so it wouldn't break the barrier.
A glowing black and green ball of energy suddenly formed above the group, shrouding an impressive amount in darkness.
"Luna!" Celestia called and sent her magic towards it.
Luna nodded and mimicked her sister's magic while blocking and attacking with the blade in her mouth. Though it was difficult, their captain was able to stand his ground and defend the two alicorns quite well.
Luna groaned as her magic was brushed aside like a fly to a tail, and the ball of energy continued on its path. Its path ended as it collided with the Two sisters' barrier, causing a massive flash of magic dust to fill her vision. It was temporary, but it added hundreds of thousands of sparkles to the floating snowflakes. Distracting, but not harmful.
Luna continued to control her breathing as she looked at Celestia. The snow around her had speckles of red discoloration as her armor seemed to leak. Though Luna knew what it was, and was glad she hadn't received the same punishment. Celestia was stronger physically than she was while she was more agile and specialized.
Though the pony in front of her didn't seem to have either characteristics. Nor did they have wings. Just an amulet that stole power. A thief. That's what the pony was. Nothing more.
Yet, the thief was quite an obstacle to deal with. Their magic was severely hindered and was still draining fast. He had to go.
Luna merely frowned as she continued to push back the enemies, now aided by her magic. Though she was losing spirits as she watched the thief use their power to summon another massive ball of magic. Their original barrier had held, if barley. It probably wouldn't stand for another attack. Though Luna stood ready and lit her horn.
Though their captain suddenly raced forward, sword held at the ready, and spear latched to his side. His normally loud voice now silent as he rushed forward and disappeared in a sudden cloud of smoke.
"Take care of the troops Luna. Let me and Walter take care of the amulet." Celestia said quietly, her horn glowing.
Luna looked at the ball of energy that was amassing energy even as she watched, then emptied her lungs. She flared her magic and threw everything she had at the enemy ponies in front of them. Spells, swords, wing blades, her hooves, everything was used to knock ponies down and around. Though a sudden glow drew her attention to the smoke cloud. It had parted, leaving the captain exposed. Though the pony glowed a golden hue as he sparked with dark magic.
A familiar war cry exited the pony's mouth, despite the sword, and made a vicious upper slice. The unicorn had a frown on their face as they easily dodged the blade, but the frown only grew when the Captain's spear narrowly missed their neck.
"No more!" Walter shouted, and gave the spear a violent twist. The action revealed that the spear had caught the amulet's neckpiece, and was ripped off the pony's neck, breaking the spear in the process.
The pony barely had time to snarl as the ball of magic above them shattered, raining unstable magic down on the enemy troops before all coming down in a mighty boom.
Luna instinctively brought up a shield to block the blast and was relieved to feel the debris and excess energy fly past her. Though when the dust cleared, she saw Walter still shielded and in a blocking fashion. Her sister was like-wise shielded but half fell to the ground as her magic continued to drain. The enemies that had been around the thief were scattered or evaporated. More troops started to fill the gap but they had a few precious minutes.
Luna watched Walter contend with the pony, only to see the thief drive a small knife into the ponies chest, through the metal armor as if it were cheese. Luna felt her eyes go wide as the knife thrust upwards, leaving a killing blow. Luna felt tears well in her eyes as she charged forward.
"Walter!" Celestia shouted, but her efforts to get up were denied as her legs refused to get beneath her.
Luna however was speeding towards the thief, wings unfurled and horn lit. She watched her dear friend fall over lifeless as she dug her back legs in the dirt, to slow her down for battle.
"Luna! Don't!" She heard her sister shout, but she wasn't listening. Her full attention was on the battle in front of her. The weight of the sword, her fatigue, her strength, and her magic were all melding into a single thought.
Revenge.
She dispatched a few sword blows to which was met with the dagger. They traded a few blows before she found an opening for her magic. She filled the opening with a magic blast full of her anger. Though the pony merely lifted their leg and blocked the sparking bolt. Luna barely had time to widen her eyes as she saw dark magic sparking around the pony's leg. Now it was barreling towards her with a green and black aura. Luna attempted to block with the sharp end of her sword, as to deter the pony from the attack or risk amputation. Though neither happened. Instead, the leg shattered the sword, leaving no visible damage, and continued into the side of her helmet.
Immediately she felt her armor's enchantments stretch as they absorbed the blow. But it was too much, and the force continued into her face. Her head was sent flying, pulling her body with it. Unfortunately, she was knocked sideways, and not upwards. So she felt the ground as she skidded along it, not unlike a skipping stone on a lake. Each crater making her feel like a violently discarded doll as she bounced and tumbled. Her landing was even worse as she rolled along the ground, filling every imaginable spot with dirt and snow. When she finally skidded to a stop, all she could do was cough and breathe.
Her wing was broken and maybe a rib. Her body complained everywhere, reporting bruises and broken skin as her armor was dented out of its near-perfect state. She twitched, noting that, she might change color with the amount of bruising she felt.
With a sharp gasp, she pushed herself up, and magically removed her helmet. The dirt and mud now falling from her soiled hair. She was glad the experience didn't part her with her horn. That would have really soiled her future. She'd deal with a body full of bruises any day as long as she was able to use her magic.
If there was going to be another day, she remarked, slowly looking back towards Celestia. Though the upturned ground blocked a good portion of her view. Luna sighed, and slowly got up.
"Ow, ow, ow, ow," She whimpered as she managed to get into a sitting position. She felt tears of pain that began to blur her vision and she silently screamed. Though the scream was silenced as she heard an explosion that crashed into her like a moving brick wall. She turned to the explosion, seeing fiery golden magic and dark magic clashing in the air. A similarly colored light show then appeared as stray bits of magic were sent in all directions.
"Celestia!" Luna cried and tried to rush over, but her back legs refused to move. The result was her face planting into the snow-covered ground. The soft mush still causing her body to scream out of pain.
Though her front leg reported a much harder surface, and consequently, more pain. She struggled to her sitting position and gently wiped the snow away from the hard object. The cold was comforting, but the comfort was overwhelmed by what she saw.
Laying in front of her was the alicorn amulet. Its black and red color scheme was diluted with brown muck but it was still undeniably the amulet. She swallowed and eagerly picked it up, only to throw it away nearly screaming in pain.
The amulet landed on a small floor, and she looked at her hooves. They were sparking with dark magic, and she could feel the magic biting at her own, trying to do something to her. Though she had only held onto it for a short time so her magic was able to completely dispel the intruding energy.
She took a deep breath and levitated the amulet over to her. Well, she more or less played hot potato with it as it struck her magic with pain every time she touched it. Though she finally managed to get next to her, and she pondered what she should do.
She didn't want to put it on. Putting her hooves on it managed to sting her with dark magic. What would it do if it was around her neck? Choke her?
She frowned as she saw enemies now coming closer to her location. She wouldn't have much time left. Though she couldn't just leave it there! This amulet was the reason for their near defeat! She had to do something with it even if it meant her life.
She steeled herself, ignoring the many complaints her bruises were giving her, and charged her hooves with magic. She could booby trap it. Set it to magically explode when a pony wore it. She couldn't destroy the amulet, she didn't have the time nor the strength to overwhelm its defenses. Or she could enchant the necklace to tighten when a pony wore it?
The enemies were getting closer and that made her brain start to panic. She instinctively reached for her magic again, filling her body with energy. She could feel the amulet still pulling on her energy, and it made her angrier than it should have.
Why did it think it could absorb her energy! It didn't belong to the cursed thing! Though that sparked an idea in her mind.
"If you want my magic so bad, then have it!" She shouted, and placed both hooves on the amulet. She channeled her half-hazard curse into her hooves, then felt it get pulled into the jewelry. Though, the curse didn't hold but rather dissipated and vanished in her magic's eye. Luna's panic only swelled as she could now throw a snowball and hit an enemy. Furthermore, the amulet had attached itself to her magic stores and was sucking her dry like a mythical mosquito.
Her breathing became even more labored as she found it hard to form any sort of thought. Panic was welled up inside of her, and she struggled to remove the amulet from her hooves. Any efforts were thwarted as she felt dark magic travel up her legs, stilling her movements.
The enemies were next to her now, but rather than attacking, they formed a circle around her, smiles on their lips.
Luna resisted a convulsion, knowing the reason for the enemy's behavior. She was a goner. All that was left of her magic was a tiny pocket that she was desperately burying in the depths of her mind. Yet, the amulet ripped and tore, exposing nearly every hiding spot she could conjure up.
If the amulet was able to pull all the magic from her, it would only strengthen the next pony who'd wear it even more! She would then be a sitting duck. They'd capture her to charge the alicorn amulet whenever it was needed. Whenever they needed to go against her sister.
The amulet again tore into her mind, exposing her final hiding place in her mind. The amulet's magic taking a monstrous face made up of dark magic as it tore through memories to find her. It grinned wickedly and its mere presence seemed to pull her magic away from her grasp.
Panic. Dread. That's all she could feel as she stared at the magical manifestation's eyes, with memories floating around her. Though it was not very distracting from the panic that was filling her soul.
Though even as she fought desperately to pull back her magic, something clicked. Her panic snapped into a form of magic that she'd never felt before. No, only felt when she raised the moon. But more as an energy she felt from the moon.
It welled inside her like a torrent of energy that whirled around in her form, charging her muscles and vaporizing the pain of the bruises. It felt awfully familiar, just not in a good way.
It was dark magic, just like the magic that was assaulting her mind. Starswirled had cautioned her about the dark side of magic and its corruptive touch. Yet even though the wizard had shown her it, so she'd be able to recognize it, this felt different. It felt like it was coming from her. Not the amulet, yet, she could see it coming from the piece as well.
Her mind screamed at her not to confuse itself with sudden power. She needed to act, and now. She grabbed the supposed dark magic and channeled it into the amulet, subconsciously weaving a curse that bit into the material of the amulet and held fast. Yet, she channeled more energy into the curse, weaving it as a loom would to string. Ease.
She found herself yelling as excess magic blasted outwards from her hooves, creating a shockwave that cleared the area around her with a blast of magical lightning and sheer force. Black crystals pierced the ground around her, as more energy was ripped from the amulet. Then, she and the amulet separated explosively, and Luna found herself once more on the ground with labored breathing.
This time she was able to get up easier. She found herself shivering, not from the cold, but from the sheer amount of magic she had just channeled. It had felt like she had expelled all of her magic twice, and yet, still had more to give. Not much though, as she felt exhaustion nipping at her from all angles, especially her eyes. Never had she felt so tired before in her life. Yet, she forced herself to look at the amulet with magic in her eyes.
It had worked. She could now very clearly see the curse she had placed on the amulet. Though the complexity surprised her, for it wasn't the choking necklace or the explosive trap she had thought of before. But rather, it was a phycological shift. A shift that would cause the wearer to harm their friends, family, or anypony that would stand up to them. Furthermore, the necklace now had a signature lock, a lock only the wearer could remove. She stared at the amulet, seeing the curse radiating with dark magic. Looking around her, she could see the crystals also radiating with dark power. The ground, and a few unmoving enemies still sparked occasionally with sooty purple energy. How had she been able to wield the dark magic so well?
She stared at her hooves, seeing, and feeling, dark magic fading from them. Yet, it didn't feel like true dark magic. It felt like a copy. Or an imitation. It just didn't have the hatred or darkness that seemed to exist within the very nature of the energy. The energy she had created was the same in every other way.
A sudden war cry startled her, making her flinch to dodge out of the way of a hasty mace swing. She pulled her dagger from her armor piece on her front leg. The handle was a bit bent out of shape from the beating it had received earlier, but it would still do its duty. She levitated it and made it dance in front of her. The enemy she was contending with threw attack after attack at her, seemingly trying to push her away from the amulet with a lot of simple attacks. She frowned, looking down at the amulet. The curse was intact, should she just leave it? Hope they would not be able to sense the curse and try to remove it?
Her body was now losing the sense of exhaustion, as her flight or fight response flooded her veins with adrenaline. She'd have to risk it. She was in no shape to fight off many ponies at once. She'd just have to hope the curse would deter anypony from using the amulet.
So, she slowly backed up from the relenting attacks, putting distance between her and the amulet. Her opponent smiled and continued their attacks, the heavy mace doing work against Luna's dagger. Finally, the dagger broke along the handle and blade, leaving Luna with two pieces. She frowned, as her opponent paused. She then threw the broken bits at them and started to run off. She had another dagger, but she'd slowly be overwhelmed. She turned her attention to the light show that marked the location of her sister, and ran for it as fast as she was able. Her broken wing throbbed at her movements but she held it fast to her side the best she could. She also removed bits of broken armor to run full speed, but her magic did short work of the fastenings and she made it to her sister in little time. Though she was surprised by what she saw.
Celestia was glowing, hair ablaze and bright glowing eyes seemed murderous as she launched blazing projectiles of magic. The heat burning the mud to darkened dirt. The area around the battle had no snow but was scuffed and blackened.
"Sister!" She called and rushed to her side.
"Luna!" Celestia replied, turning to her sister. Though it was a bit discomforting to see the flaming hair and glowing eyes looking at her, she returned the smile as she drew close.
"How hast this battle continued? The amulet is not with that foe!" Luna asked quickly, turning to the nearly unmarked unicorn.
"He has remnants of our power," Celestia said darkly, "He must have another crystal to hold our magic. Though, now we may strike true, and avenge Walter."
Luna frowned, looking into her sister's eyes, expecting to see anger like she thought she saw before, but rather saw determination, and sadness in the alicorn's glowing eyes. She turned to the thief of their magic, as Celestia blocked a black magic bolt, "Sister, I fear that I may be a burden. I have no magic to fight."
Celestia frowned.
"We need to go! Lest Walter's life be for naught!"
"The amulet? We can not just leave it." Celestia said, heavily swinging her halberd to block a bolt of magic.
"We must!" Luna cried, looking her sister dead in the eye, trying to convey a silent message with her eyes alone.
The blazing eyes twitched as Luna noticed she could, in fact, see the iris and pupil of the alicorn, just faded among the glowing white. Celestia blocked a few more attacks then nodded with a frown.
"We are not leaving without his body," She said, determination filling her voice.
"But how?" Luna cried, "Look at the armies that re-amassed to fight! We can't take them all on!"
"We don't need to," Celestia said, "Will thou help me in my charge?"
Luna bit her lip, "Aye sister, but I fear for us both."
"Fear has its place, let it make you think. Not react. Now, I shall part the enemies for thou to get Walter. Does your horn still levitate?"
Luna nodded, "Aye."
"Then the plan is set," Celestia said and dashed forward with Luna following close by. Luna pulled out her last dagger from her remaining armor and made it dance in front of her while Celestia seemed to command fiery magic. The flaming light show and spinning halberd easily pushed back the regrouping ponies and for those that did not heed Celestia's attack, were turned to ash. The blackened armor falling the ground, malforming the glowing pieces of metal in the process. The ground became even more black as Celestia continued to blast her new magic around with little heed of where it went. Luna pushed the awe from her mind as she focused her magic forward. As quickly as she could she wrapped her magic around the fallen comrade the two had cherished dearly. She also noted that there was a small patch of untouched grass where he lay, but also pushed that from her mind. She quickly whisked him to her and began to retreat. Celestia stayed hot on her tail, blasting enemies with magic and sent more flying. Their forms becoming comets to rain back to the battlefield.
Luna frowned at Celestia's new power. Where had that come from? Where had her own magic come from? She frowned, feeling worry knot itself in her gut, next to the fatigue that was poisoning her movements. Making her legs shake to near collapse. She'd ask Starswirled later. For now, she continued, and eventually felt her magic fizzle to the point where she placed Walter on her back to keep going.
Her dagger fell from her grasp and was lost as her magic refused to cooperate. She then felt her front leg seize up and she tripped, falling once more into the ground. Though this time she was picked up by her sister's magic as she continued forward. Her hair was no longer ablaze, and her glowing eyes were not nearly as bright. Though her hair still retained stripes of red that faded before her eyes.
Luna cursed her weakness as she floated along in a surprisingly warm levitation spell, and found relief in her soul as the capsule came into view. The capsule was a magical device that connected two points of space. Much like a teleportation spell, this was more like a collapsible portal. Magic flashed between floating parts that looked like a dissembled bowl that was upside down. Two small pieces levitated in the center, undaunted by the oncoming sea of enemy ponies.
Celestia ran under the floating pieces and placed her load next to her, "Sister! Are you able to help open it?" Celestia shouted, panic welling in her voice. And rightfully so. For the rest of the enemy army had been able to re-amass together and was bearing on them like a guillotine.
Luna closed one eye and focused her will to her horn again, and felt it spark feebly. She then guided the magic to one of the floating pieces next to her. It glowed blue, while the one Celestia was working with glowed gold.
"1, 2, 3!" Celestia counted, and Luna activated the rune as her sister did. The magic lightning seemed to spark faster until it filled her ears with noise. Then, her vision spun and shifted as she felt the nothingness of the space between spaces. Then, she was in a dirt clearing that was clear of battle but had a peaceful forest nearby. With birds chirping in her ears, Luna felt herself nearly get thrown out of the capsule as Celestia cleared the area. She then wrapped her magic around the floating pieces and her magic glowed as she activated the capsule to close.
It sparked once, then the floating pieces snapped together, forming a small upside-down bowl on the ground. Its runes and other magical markings growing black as the glow disappeared. Regardless, Luna didn't let her guard down and pulled the spare sword from Walter's armor. She fashioned it between her jaws and stared at the clearing, being gentle on her aching body. Celestia did the same, but armed herself with her halberd, and took a stance with a glowing horn.
The clinking of metal signaled her allied troops doing the same as they mimicked their motions. Then, the clearing became still. Luna kept shaking the fatigue from her mind as it bit into her mind, breaking her focus. Though, still, nothing happened.
Luna had one of her front legs lifted as it refused to work with her mind but focused her full attention on the small clearing. She breathed in, and out, listening to the air rushing through the holes in the sword's hilt.
Then, after a solid tend minutes, Celestia relaxed and her weapon fell to the ground, "We got away…"
"Thank the stars…" Luna breathed, gently dropping her friend's sword on the ground. She then let herself drop to the ground, the dirt feeling quite comfortable.
The capsule had an emergency feature that would collapse the structure and detonate the other side. It was effective at keeping enemies from using the structure or learning how to make it. Though it would still leave a magical signature that would allow an experienced user to determine the exit point. And would be easy to make a mass teleportation. Though the signature became useless after ten minutes.
"What did you do to the amulet?" Celestia asked as she let the exhaustion flood into her voice.
"I managed to curse it…" Luna said weakly.
"A curse? How? It's full of dark magic that repels our own alicorn magic with vigor."
Luna did not reply, her vision slowly fading as the adrenaline left her body. Exhaustion seemed to leap forward and seize her mind with both hooves. She began to collapse but shook her head weakly as she struggled to stay on her hooves.
"Sister?!" Celestia's voice sounded really far away and Luna found she barely understood the meaning behind her tone. She blinked as she felt Celestia's hooves steady her own.
"I shall…" She paused, "Inform you later…" She then promptly passed out.
Cadence swallowed as the memory faded from her mind. She looked towards Luna who opened her eyes with a frown.
"Wow." Twilight said, being the first to talk, "You wiped a whole war from history, even when you two were an integral part of it?"
Celestia nodded, "Yes. The alicorn amulet was far too powerful for anypony to try and repair to gain dominion over everypony else. We thought it best to simply wipe it from history."
"Wait, repair it?" Pinkie asked, "It looked different in the thing Luna showed us, but broken?"
Luna shook her head, "Yes, I showed you the complete form of the alicorn amulet. After my curse laid waste to the Eye of Calamity."
"I kinda feel bad for those ponies. Being burnt to a crisp doesn't sound like a good way to go." Pinkie said with an exaggerated frown.
Both Celestia and Luna had dark looks on their faces as Luna responded, "Do not give them mercy. They do not deserve it in any regard."
"We called them the Eye of Calamity, yet, it was such a misgiving name. Their sins and wrongdoings were far greater. Everything bad that you can think of, they did in higher levels."
Luna nodded, the dark look still on her face, "They even sacrificed our troops and allies to their dark magic rituals. We were only able to set their very souls free after we defeated them. Some were stuck in a state of torture for years before we were able to set them free."
"Wow." Pinkie said, "I take back my statement."
Cadence frowned, seeing that the princesses were holding back more vivid details of the Eye of Calamity's deeds, no she could feel the dark memories emanating from the two alicorns. She frowned, taking the princesses' word.
"Okay, but you said the Alicorn amulet had been broken?" Twilight asked, pulling the group's attention back to the topic at hoof.
"In a sense yes," Celestia replied, "But to answer your even earlier question, we erased this war from history because we thought it the best way to erase the amulet's true power. The curse is no secret, which is good. Though if some pony were to know that it had even greater power, a power that could topple every alicorn in a single swoop, then we'd have much greater problems. A problem I fear that Noah is trying to resurrect."
"Indeed," Luna added, and turned to the group, "So, after I curse it, we waited. The curse did its job, and soon the wielder of the amulet was using its reserve power to destroy their very allies."
"For as big as the Eye of Calamity was, it took three days for the entire society to be reduced to only a few ponies."
"Three days?" Rarity exclaimed, "My goodness, then we got lucky with Trixie! She'd have wiped us out!"
"Not necessarily," Luna said, shaking her head, "The amulet uses one's darkness to influence them. The Eye wanted death and destruction, among other things, while Trixie wanted power and revenge. She got that, and the amulet continued to push her. Would she never get to the point that the Eye got to? Probably not since she only had a fraction of the original amulet and curse."
"A fraction of the curse?" Twilight asked wide-eyed, "That was only a fraction?"
Luna nodded, face stern.
"The curse did its job, and with the help of ally scouts, we were able to choose the right time to attack the Eye and retrieve the amulet. Which at that point only the amulet wielder remained."
Twilight opened her mouth to speak, but Luna cut her off with a smile, "The amulet is only able to store so much alicorn magic before its power effects are essentially negated. So, in order to counter that, Celestia and I stayed on the night of the raid."
"It was the hardest thing. To send in our allies against a force that could withstand the magic of alicorns. It did not help that we could then feel the amulet's power pulling our magic away when they brought it back in a small box." Celestia said, the worry from past days showing on her face, "Many lives were still lost, however."
"But the raid was successful, and we got possession of the amulet. The war ended that night and everyone was praised as a hero. Though we had to deal with the amulet," Luna said, turning to her sister, "We couldn't destroy it, the material it was made of proved too resilient. The best we could do was to forcibly remove the back crystal portion that was the main reservoir of alicorn magic. That is why it looks whole to you, but broken to us."
The group nodded.
"Though it still had the curse, as well as the ability to steal our magic. It couldn't store it, but it could steal magic and give it to the wielder. But we were able to splice into the amulet's enchantment and break it up into several pieces. Once separated we found we could remove the enchantment, bits at a time. Though only so much."
Celestia frowned, "Indeed. The enchantment was intertwined together with unknown dark magic that even to this day we don't understand. But the effects allowed the enchantment to, simply put, pull itself back together."
"So you couldn't destroy the spell's medium, nor could you fully remove the enchantment because another spell tried to forcibly hold it together?" Twilight asked, though her eyes were not staring into the realm her body was in.
Celestia nodded, "To a sense yes. Though we didn't fully understand it. We still don't. But we were able to break up the enchantment enough for us to seal it in chunks of crystal. Twelve of them in fact."
"What happened to them?" Applejack asked, looking curious.
"I took care of six of them, while my sister took care of the other six. I also secured the location of the back of the amulet. Though, there was, complications."
"Do not sugar coat it sister," Luna said with a sad smile, "After my corruption and the damage to the castle, many of the gems were lost to looters and time. For example, I did keep a few of my gems in other creature's care. Though after a thousand years, it's fully lost to history."
Celestia nodded sadly, "Though it is not too bad. Because of this, no creature knows where all the gems are," She paused, "I allowed a few of the gems to go and get, 'lost,' among gem traders and other trade routes. Though I can confirm the location of the amulet's back and a few of the gems."
"Where?" Twilight asked gently, "If we can round them up we might be able to bait Noah into a trap!"
Celestia nodded slightly, "While yes, that could work, we'd be risking him assembling the amulet with easy haste. You merely have to break the gems to restore the amulet. While my sister and I made sure the gems were durable, everything has a breaking point."
"So let me get this straight," Rainbow suddenly perked up face in a tight with frustration, "The alicorn amulet is actually broken. Its true power has been sealed in gems that, if broken, restore the amulet to its original butt-kicking status?"
Celestia nodded firmly, "A blunt way of putting it, but yes. You are correct Rainbow Dash."
"And we do not know where quite a few of the gems are?" Rarity asked, "But how did Sombra get a hold of one of the gems?"
"That was the result of a raid Sombra did," Luna said, annoyance climbing into her voice, "He stole one of the gems I was in charge of, seemingly knowing its true purpose through reasons we know not. Regardless, during the scuffle between him and I, a clash of dark magic and alicorn magic made the gem brittle, and the enchantment stagnant. So, when the gem shattered, the enchantment stayed broken along the bits."
"Why didn't you do that with the rest of the gems? Break them and scatter them to the wind?" Rarity asked.
"It was hard to figure out exactly what had caused the enchantment to freeze. Sombra was able to get away with the fragments and was one of the reasons we had to take him on in his castle. Which led to the banishment of the crystal empire," Luna explained, "Though we did try to replicate the same situations that had caused the enchantment's sudden shift in nature. Though that only furthered my corruption…"
"What do you mean?" It was Twilight asking this time.
"Dark magic has potent corruptive abilities Twilight, even from the purest of hearts." Luna said, "Emotions play a critical role in how effective dark magic is on its target. I," She paused, "Wasn't in the best of emotional states…"
Celestia nodded and extended a wing over her sister. The stars around them seemed to thrum in response, "Yes, but that is behind us now. Now, we must focus on the future and not on past mistakes. Both yours and mine."
Luna nodded, but didn't reply.
Cadence swallowed, and tried to continue the conversation, she didn't want to get pulled into another emotional mess, "Though that gem had been restored, using King Sombra's and my magic. Maybe that could give us a clue?"
Celestia nodded, still somber, "Yes, though Flutterbyte had my magic as well. She might have used that as well," She looked at Cadence thoughtfully, "Did Fluttershy say anything about channeling my magic?"
Cadence shook her head sadly, "No, I do not think she did."
Celestia frowned.
"I don't think that's the big problem here though," Glyph said suddenly, "It doesn't matter how the gem was reconstructed or how the enchantment was frozen right? I think the biggest question is how did Noah know about the broken gem, the amulet's true purpose, and how to track down the two pieces even though a very select few ponies knew the locations?"
The room seemed to be stung with silence.
Glyph nodded, "It seems that you all agree with me. Or at least see my concern," a pause, "Though I have a proposal as well. Let's go back to the amulet's enchantment being separated into pieces. When the gems were broken, the pieces were gravitated towards themselves right?"
"Hmm, I don't think gravitated is the right word," Luna said gently, "I was more of two ponies on two clouds pulling themselves together with a rope. They were pulling each other, not just one side."
Glyph nodded, "That rules out the amulet trying to pull the enchantment back."
"Indeed. We did try to seal the amulet in hopes that it would stop the healing of the enchantment. Yet, our efforts did not work."
Glyph shrugged, "Not working is only seeing a side of a problem. You can't always see the face of a problem that contains the solution. Often it's the other faces that you see that help guide you to the solution. Though I think that one of the pieces to the puzzle is quantum mechanics. The enchantment thing makes me think of quantum entanglement."
"Say what now? Quantum, entanglement?" Luna said with a blank stare. Cadence also felt her mind skip a few syllables.
Celestia frowned, "I do think that is possible. Though I do not think we've truly discovered the connections between magic and Quantum mechanics. It is still a relatively new field of study. A fascinating one but still new. Say, for example, teleportation uses a portion of quantum mechanics but in what way? We know it works, and we can explain it enough to teach others to do so, but the nitty-gritty details? That's still up for debate!"
"Uh, Princess?" Applejack asked with a smile.
"Yes?" Celestia asked taken a little aback.
"You were going to pull a Twilight."
"And we'd be stuck listening for an hour about something we do not know about," Rainbow added.
Celestia chuckled, but Cadence saw the purple alicorn blush with a frown, "It's really interesting you know…" She muttered. Causing the group to chuckle in response.
"Indeed, though why do you bring it up, Glyph?"
"Because I think that's how he's tracking the pieces down. See, every dimension…" She paused, her face lighting up in a eureka, "I'll have to save that thought." She noted aloud, then continued.
"Every dimensional pull or interaction leaves a hoof print, so to speak, that can be tracked if you have the right tools."
"Like how you can track a unicorn's teleportation?" Starlight asked.
Glyph nodded.
"But signals like that fade over time, how is the amulet's pieces still resonating with their signatures?"
"Cause the signals are repeating," Glyph said with a smile, "A teleportation is a quick spell that disrupts spacetime for an insignificant amount of time. Bam, done. Yet, the enchantment is constantly trying to pull itself together, so constantly making those traces."
Starlight nodded, "I suppose that makes sense."
"Well it's the only thing I can think of that would explain Noah's ability to track down artifacts lost to time."
Another group nod. Cadence smiled, trying her best to follow what the group was going, though she suspected that she wasn't the only one having problems following along.
"Glyph," Luna said suddenly, "Your thought for another time, what was it?"
The pegasus looked confused for a second, then her face lit up, "Oh right. We can confirm Fluttershy has the dimension connectors I described earlier, right?"
"Indeed. It allows her to change legs on a whim. An odd, creepy, and very handy ability if you ask me," Rarity replied, looking at her own leg.
"Well, if we can trace those dimension connectors, we might be able to remotely access the computer connected to her mind. Potentially freeing her from wherever she might be held."
"That's a great idea!" Twilight said, "Though I suspect we need to be near her when she switches legs?"
Glyph sheepishly smiled, "Yep. You got it. Though not fully. Those connectors are almost always active. We would just need to be near her. Just, real, close."
"How close?"
She extended her wing outwards, "About a wing length. Though," She added hastily in the crazed looks that she received, "I can make a device that can scan for those traces from a much larger range. But will have to be in range for a longer time. And I will only get a fragment of the trace."
"What will the range be then?" Twilight asked, hopeful.
"I can't say exactly, but I would say if you could see her, you could scan her. You'd just have to point it at her."
"That's a relief…" Twilight said, echoing the collective sigh, "Though if we were able to get that close, could we go with the first method?"
Glyph seemed to weigh the options with movements of her head, "Yes and no. Technically yes, but you'd have to hold that position for a certain time, and from what I've of Flutterbyte's abilities I don't think that's a good idea. Especially since Noah is still after alicorn magic."
"What for? I thought he was after the amulet?" Rainbow asked, confusion filling her face, "I mean I know it's powerful and all, it just seems the amulet is more so?"
Cadence nodded, "Yes, but it is fueled by alicorn magic. He may be trying to get reserve magic?"
Celestia and Rainbow nodded, but Celestia added to her words, "Indeed. I agree. But there is another fact I have to give. When we defeated the Eye of Calamity, we found transcripts detailing plans to link the amulet to Limbo."
"Limbo?!" The group seemed to resonate with each other.
Luna nodded, "Yes, though it seemed like the transcripts were talking about a creature and not the place. We couldn't find much more detailing the creature's abilities. We just know the power of the alicorn amulet and that this connection was supposed to make the amulet's ability stronger. Any other info seemed to be locked in the minds of the ponies that made the amulet. Minds that long since have ceased."
Silence filled with fear seemed to penetrate the room, so thick, that Cadence could feel it through her coat. Outside, and inside.
"So, you're saying, that the amulet that can overpower all the alicorns at the same time," Starlight said incredulously, "Has another upgrade?"
Celestia nodded darkly, "Yes. Though we do not know if Noah knows about the potential augmentation or has the ability to do so. But, since he was able to find the gem and the amulet, it's a possibility."
The group nodded once more.
"So," Cadence said, breaking the silence, "What's the plan?"
The silence remained a little longer, then Celestia spoke, "We must be certain of Noah's plan. I do not want to reveal the locations of the gems if I do not have to. But I shall be certain of their locations by the end of the week."
Luna frowned, "What about the ones under my care? They are certain to be hidden under generations of time, tradition, and even thievery."
"The dream world perhaps?" Pinkie suggested, "You know what they look like so if somepony is fantasizing about them, you might be able to see its location?"
Luna nodded, "A good suggestion that I shall use. Thank you." The pink pony smiled.
Twilight nodded and turned to Glyph, "Can I help you make those quantum tracers?"
Glyph nodded, "Sure! It'll make things go by faster."
"What about those who have no idea what a quantum mechanic is?" Rainbow asked, asking the lingering question.
"I think it would be good to keep an eye and ear out. Look around, use your contacts to find ponies or creatures that have ancient gems that are near impervious. It might be able to narrow down our search for the missing gems," Celestia replied, "And if we do encounter Fluttershy what shall be our plan?"
Rarity frowned, "Unfortunately if we are separated we would likely be not much of a blockade to Flutterbyte's abilities…"
"Until we have a viable method to fight her, I'm not sure if any one of us could even hold her down." Applejack said sadly, "I knew she had a hidden strength, pushing boulders and wrestling bears and such, but this is a whole 'nother level."
Twilight suddenly lit up, "Wait! Fluttershy is a Bearer of the Elements of Harmony, which was able to cleanse chaos magic. Could the elements revert Fluttershy back to what she was?"
Celestia frowned, and looked around at the stars around her, "Theoretically yes. However, I do not say we try."
"Why?!" Twilight complained but got a stern look from Luna.
"I have to agree with my sister. Have you ever wondered why very few ponies knew the location of the Tree of Harmony?"
"Well," Twilight paused, "I suppose that it was to keep it away from enemies trying to destroy them. Or hurt the Tree."
"You are half correct," Celestia replied, "Originally, my sister and I wanted to try to split the powers of the elements, to try and curve the hostility between species. Though, a few did not want that to happen. Those few managed to sneak into the castle and steal a single element of harmony. That night the element of magic turned pure black."
"Black?" Twilight asked, voice sounding distant.
"Others have described it as black as evil," Luna said, letting her words speak for themselves.
"And on that night, using the Element as a guide, they found the Tree of Harmony. They attempted to use the element to gain control of the tree's power. To use it for how it ought to be used. Yet, the tree seemed to have other wishes." Celestia spoke somberly.
Luna nodded, "Since my sister and I were connected to the elements, we were able to find the imposters before they actually did anything to the tree. We got there in time to see them place the element in the tree's center, which caused tendrils of magic to seize them. They vaporized before our very eyes."
Twilight seemed to have a face of dread plastered to her face, inhibiting her ability to speak.
"Soo the elements killed them?" Cadence asked, feeling as if something wasn't quite right with that, "That doesn't make a ton of sense. We've never seen the tree kill anything, only fix and heal."
"Through the Elements of Harmony," Celestia said, "It seems that when the wielders are involved then things are totally fine. Though there could also have been dark secrets the ponies that night were holding. Plans of untold evil that had soiled their minds to the brink of insanity. Maybe keeping them alive was not good for everypony else. Perhaps they were murders that deserved every second of vaporization! We simply do not know…"
"All we know is that the element turned black and was placed on the tree. Then, the ponies quickly were no more. So we built our new castle nearby and used that as an excuse to keep prying eyes away." Luna finished, watching the concerned faces the others had.
"So, we shouldn't use the Elements." Rainbow said plainly, "So, any other ideas?"
"Well, plan A is going to try to get the dimension trace Fluttershy leaves behind and try to remote into the computer that is controlling her. Plan B? Maybe trying to get her to hold still long enough for us to get a direct link to the computer?"
"Which is her eye, right?" Pinkie asked, her voice portraying full awkwardness.
"Her eye?" Cadence exclaimed, "That's got to hurt though, right? We don't want to hurt her if we don't have to."
Glyph nodded with the rest of the group, "Accessing the port doesn't seem to cause her harm."
"Lightning does though," Rainbow said, "Could we use that same method we did at Canterlot? I know it'll hurt, but she'd a pegasus, she's got a bit of resistance. We almost were able to save her!"
Glyph shook her head, "That worked because there wasn't a big enough buffer to handle the amount of electricity I pumped into her. A normal lightning bolt wouldn't affect her internals per my design," She paused, "Trust me, I know. That and I'd doubt that Noah would allow such an impurity to remain. Fluttershy's systems could be upgraded to handle such excessive amps and volts."
Rainbow frowned, "Yeah, I suppose that makes sense."
"Besides Rainbow," Rarity said accusingly, "Would you want to shock your friend with a thunder cloud?"
Rainbow scoffed, "I'd shock myself a hundred times over to save my friend. Even if I have to zap her. I've seen her get zapped before, it wouldn't kill her you know."
Rarity frowned, "I suppose…"
The group landed in silence again, and Cadence once again felt the need to break the silence, "So we are going to confirm the locations of the gems that we know about," She pointed to Celestia, "Make a, Quantum Tracer," She pointed at Glyph and Twilight, "The others are going to look out for Fluttershy and try to find gems that are impervious, and ancient. What should they do if they find one?"
"Contact me or my sister," Celestia said, "We'll be able to tell if it's the gem or not."
"Great. Once the tracers are done, we set up around the gems we find and get the traces on Fluttershy. Then, Glyph does her thing, and bam. Fluttershy saved." She paused, "Right?"
The group nodded with differing rates, each showing how the predicament affected them. Cadence sighed, they'd get over the mourning soon. They just needed to see a path to look towards. Though she could still see why they were so stuck.
Fluttershy. A timid pegasus turned crazed robot in a mere day or two.
She emptied her lungs, pushing the depression away, "And I'll look in the archives. Crystals are the empire's thing. Maybe I could find some magic, or crystal technique that could help us find the gems?"
Luna nodded, "I think that would be productive. Let us know if you need or want help." Luna said, giving a subtle look towards the other ponies.
"I'll take all the help I can get!" Cadence said, standing up, "I'll meet you in the library when you all are ready." She then paused, looking at the stars around her, "Uh, Luna?"
"Last thing," Luna said, "Twilight, we require a word with you and your friends. Cadence?" Luna turned to her, "Will you take Starlight to the Library?"
Cadence nodded and smiled. The Elements of Harmony never seemed to get rest. She smiled, neither did a Princess.
The stars and nebulas shifted in their spots in the sky as the bubble that had encased them slowly shrunk back to Luna's head. The throne room became visible again, reminding Cadence about the massive hole in the ground.
She stared at it for a good moment, "Later! I shall deal with it later! Library! Here I come!" She turned and started for the doors, giving the group a smile as she left. Starlight followed close by, leaving the doors to close behind them.
"What do you suppose dark secrets they are discussing now?" Starlight said with a little sarcasm.
"Oh I bet the darkest," Cadence said with a laugh, "Though it's probably Elements of Harmony stuff."
"Then why did Glyph stay?"
Cadence paused, but her hooves kept moving, "Uh, I do not know. Maybe they needed her advice? She made most of the stuff that Noah put in Fluttershy right?"
"I suppose," Starlight said, following the alicorn down the hallway, "But Twilight's going to be upset when she learns she is going to have to wait to learn the Crystal manipulation."
Cadence grinned, imagining Twilight's face, "That might be a good thing you know," She replied giving the pony a look, "She would probably blow us out of the water."
Starlight pondered that for a moment, "Yeah, probably."
"Yeah she picks up on that sort of thing pretty well," Cadence added, seeing the library doors come into view, "You do to you know."
Starlight nodded, "Ah yes, my letter opener will be quite useful at this time."
Cadence chuckled, "I don't know, a pencil can be lethal in the right hooves."
Starlight shrugged, "Eh. I do suppose."
Cadence smiled, pushing open the doors to the library, "Well, you ready to scour the books again?"
"New library, same methods. Let's do it!" Starlight cheered, trying to boost her spirits before the sheer number of words brushed it away.
Cadence smiled and the two looked at the directory for an idea of where to start. A book of crystals sounded promising. So, she flew over, picked it up, and opened the front page.
A crystal is a piece of material that has geometric faces naturally forming within the crystal's symmetrical planes. Depending on the material, molecular bonds, and geometric formations determines the qualities of the crystal. Such qualities can be used for magic, decoration, jewelry, and so much more.
Cadence frowned. She knew that. She lived in a castle made of the stuff for a few years now. She had hoped to find a table of contents on the first few pages, only to remind herself that most of the books did not have one.
"I swear on Celestia's cutie mark that I'm going to go through every single book here and place a table of contents in each one!" She frowned again, realizing that she had said that too, only for the vow to slowly fade to silence. Her frown continued as she settled down to read the book that she had probably already read. Starlight doing the same next to her. They exchanged knowing looks, then returned to their pages.
