The Princess of the Night
Chapter 8 – The Rise
Gerard awoke late the next day, wrapped in blankets next to the fire, which by now had burned itself out. He examined the cave, finding it was reasonably deep and sheltered from the elements, with obvious signs of somepony having lived there for quite some time. He got up and approached the back wall of the cave, where there was evidence of somepony chiselling at the wall in an attempt to deepen the cave further.
"Well then, it seems you're finally awake," said a voice from behind him. Gerard quickly spun around to face the direction the voice had originated from to find a grey unicorn with a tattered blue cloak and hat standing not far from the entrance of the cave. Both pieces of clothing were missing several of his trademark bells, but the stars shone as bright as ever. Luna had mentioned this pony many a time during their discussions on magic.
"Starswirl? Starswirl the Bearded? Is that really you?" Gerard could hardly believe his luck, the pony that had saved him just happened to be one of the most powerful unicorns to have ever lived.
Starswirl seemed confused. "Do I know you?"
"Well, not exactly, no. But I have heard quite a lot about you and I was hoping that you could help me-"
"I am not going to teach you magic, if that's what you mean," interrupted the old pony gruffly. "There's a reason I went into exile you know."
Gerard was shocked. "But I really-"
"No, and that is my final answer. I don't care how gifted you are in your hometown, or how proud your mother is of your abilities, or how much you promise to only use your powers selflessly and for good and so on. I will not teach you," said the unicorn sternly, busying himself by unpacking the saddlebags he had with him.
He looked up from his work to see the mysterious pony slumped on the ground, wallowing in his own despair. The old stallion softened at the pitiful sight in front of him.
"There is something I can do for you though."
The forlorn pony perked up at this. "Yes?"
"There is an old student of mine, Clover the Clever, very bright young colt, who, if I'm not mistaken, has settled not too far from here. If you go to him, he may be willing to teach you," offered Starswirl.
"No, I'm afraid that just won't do, I doubt there's anything he could teach me, for I also doubt you've taught him everything you know" said Gerard, poking at the ground with his hoof.
"Smart pony. A master only reveals his or her secrets while on their deathbed, for some magic is just too powerful for the world to know. But how could you have known this?"
"My… previous teacher did the same, they wouldn't teach me the age spell, but what they don't know is that I have taught it to myself."
Starswirl looked shocked at that. "Taught yourself? My my, now that is something." He became suddenly suspicious. "What is your old teacher's name, boy?"
Gerard looked meekly at the ground. "I-I'd rather not say…"
"And why is that?" inquired the old unicorn.
"Well for a start, you wouldn't believe me."
"Try me."
"Alright, but only if you promise to teach me."
"Well then, this must be some story you have to tell, if you think it's worth tuition from me," said a sceptical Starswirl.
"I'll let you decide that," said Gerard with a wink.
"Well, that was… something," said Starswirl, after hearing Gerard's story. "Although, rather hard to believe. I mean a human with the ability to learn magic? Human feet haven't walked on Equestrian soil in eons. It all sounds very far-fetched. Do you have any evidence to back this up?"
"Well, yes, but I'm not sure I feel up to turning into my human form again, it took a lot out of me."
"I suppose I could lend you some of my power, if that would help?" suggested the unicorn.
"Fine, I'll just drop this guise for a few seconds, rather than undo the spell completely, that way I won't expend too much energy."
Gerard began to focus and his horn glowed with a blood red aura, which grew until it was almost blinding. Starswirl added his magic, a golden aura surrounding his horn. A silhouette appeared from within the glow, which was quickly residing. Starswirl stared in awe at the bipedal form that had appeared if front of him. As quickly as it had appeared, it vanished, revealing the dark brown unicorn once again.
Starswirl could only stand there, staring at Gerard. Finally, he spoke. "Well, that certainly is something. All right then, I will teach yo- what are you doing?" finished Starswirl.
Gerard was busy jumping around the cave in delight.
"I'm jumping around your cave in delight, is that not clear?"
Gerard finished jumping around the cave and stood still as his new master continued to talk.
"Ahem, as I was saying, I will teach you, in return for you teaching me the magic of your world."
"Seems fair," said Gerard, almost unable to contain his joy. Surely a unicorn as powerful as Starswirl the Bearded would know the secret to immortality. He was among the oldest ponies in the land, not including the Alicorns.
"So, when do we start?" asked Gerard eagerly.
"Start? Boy, you've been unconscious for three days, we won't be starting training until I'm satisfied that you're back to full strength. Besides, we don't exactly have anywhere to practise, to meditate, brew potions, or to live for that matter. No, there are many things to arrange before your training begins."
"Fine then" said Gerard impatiently, "I'll start deepening the cave, I can see where you've made a start."
"Observant pony. Very well then, you get going with that, I'll fix up some restorative potions for you."
The two ponies were sitting in a bare room that Gerard had carved out with his horn. "The information you seek, immortality that is, is not actually difficult to obtain. Well, maybe on your world it is, but not here in Equestria. The secret is magic." Stated Starswirl proudly.
Gerard raised an eyebrow. "Magic. That's it?"
"Well now, don't sound so disappointed, surely you should be happy it is so easy to attain longevity?"
"Well yeah, but I was expecting… more, I guess. Like sacred rituals and robed figures and selling your soul and stuff, you know?" said Gerard.
It was Starswirl's turn to raise an eyebrow. "You are, without a doubt, the strangest being I have ever encountered."
"I'm going to take that as a compliment."
Starswirl ploughed on before there were any more interruptions.
"As I was saying, the secret is magic. Magic rejuvenates the body and soul with regular use and eventually slows the ageing process-"
"Slows it? How much exactly?"
"Well, that depends on many factors, such as; how regularly magic is used, how powerful said magic is and the pony themselves. For example, I am five hundred years young, and I plan to be here for quite some time."
"I see…" said Gerard slowly. Inside he was worried.
"Well, at least that buys us some time. I mean, we've got to be at least as powerful as Starswirl, and once we learn all we can from him…"
"Yes, that's all well and good, but what if that's still not enough? What if we never see her again?"
"Don't think like that, we will see her again-"
A worried looking Starswirl interrupted Gerard from his muteness.
"Are you ok boy?"
Gerard visibly shuddered as he returned to reality. "Wh- oh, yes, I'm fine. It's nothing, really" he assured the old pony when he still looked concerned.
"All right then, back to our studies…"
"Ok, so explain to me how it is that you actually managed to get from your world to ours," enquired Starswirl over a steaming mug of herbal tea.
"Well, it was actually quite simple," began Gerard, "The idea came to me while I was reading the ancient texts of my world. They, along with many modern theories, propose the idea of dimensions, or universes, in which various different civilisations live. The rules for these dimensions differ, which could explain why magic is so common in your world and not in mine. They also theorised that if these other dimensions existed, then we should be able to travel between them. But the universe doesn't seem to like this idea, as there are barriers between the different dimensions." Gerard paused to sip his drink.
"If you reach out with your magic you should be able to feel them. However, if humans are correct, the universe has been around for a long time, and time tends to erode all things, including these barriers. So, all I had to do was look for a chink in the armour as it were. This was not as difficult as I initially thought however. There was one such weak spot not far from my home, the place where I met the princess. You see, when Celestia banished Luna, the power of the magic she used actually tore a hole in the fabric of space and time, which is how Luna ended up on my world. All I had to do was use my powers of teleportation, and something that resides in one dimension, but belongs to another, and here I am, living proof that inter-dimensional travel is possible.
"Fascinating, how did you come up with this idea?" asked Starswirl, enraptured.
"From a book that in this world would be called 'an old mare's tale'. In my experience however, there is truth behind all fiction, all you have to do is look."
Starswirl sighed. "Again."
Gerard focused and the room began to fade as a brilliant light surrounded him. A strong wind began to blow as bolts of lightning began emanating from Gerard's horn. There was a moment of breathlessness, and Gerard was afraid to open his eyes. When he did, the cave was no longer furnished with its usual decorative tapestries and maps, instead it was bare. It was at that moment that Gerard noticed the form of a sleeping pony in the corner. With a start, he realised it was himself! He was filled with joy, but dared not wake himself for fear of creating a time paradox. Instead he hurried to his master's room, where Starswirl was awake and waiting for him.
"Well, well, it seems you've gotten the knack of time spells, your studies are progressing well. When are you from?"
"Next Tuesday morning," Answered the ecstatic pony.
The old mage was visibly taken aback at this. "Next Tuesday morning?! You're months ahead of schedule, how did you do it?"
"Sorcery," Gerard chuckled to himself as he began to disappear.
"Remind me again why I'm turning things into sheep?" asked Gerard, concentrating on the boulder in front of him.
"Because, the Amniomorphic spell is one of my greatest achievements. Also, it teaches you that it is possible to turn one form of matter into another, something your race has been trying to do for centuries, have they not?"
"Yes, I remember the alchemists, but they were trying to turn lead into gold, not rocks into sheep," said Gerard distractedly, a ram standing where there once was a boulder.
"But it's the concept; you just have to apply the theory to other scenarios."
Gerard looked thoughtful for a second before facing the ram once more and concentrating. There was a flash, and a pile of gold replaced the ram.
"Hm, I guess you're right," said Gerard, walking away as if the spell had been no effort at all.
Starswirl was again amazed by the young pony's potency.
The student and master stood facing each other outside the cave that had been their home for so many years, Gerard with saddlebags at his side.
"Ok, I don't know how you've managed it, but I've taught you everything I know."
"Yeah, and it only took two decades," whispered Gerard sarcastically.
"Considering I had planned for it to take more than twice that time," stated Starswirl. "And you don't look a day older than when we started, so my theories are obviously correct."
"I'm afraid this is where we part ways, old stallion. I just want to thank you again, for everything." said Gerard, looking eager to be off.
"And I you Gerard. I will not keep you, for I can see you are eager to continue your studies elsewhere."
With that, Gerard turned and began to trot down the trail through the woods.
"May Luna guide you!" shouted Starswirl in farewell as the pony disappeared over a crest and out of view. He stood there for a moment, lost in thought.
"That pony is by far the most powerful creature I have ever come across in all my years, and I just let him go before I had heard a fraction of the things he had to say. I hope he succeeds in meeting his princess again." Yet Starswirl was worried, "Though, I sense something dangerous in that unicorn's soul, I just hope when the time comes he is strong enough to face his inner demons." With that, the old mage returned to his cave, never to be seen again.
Gerard wandered for many days and nights, searching for a teacher, someone who could show him secrets not even Starswirl or Luna could. He avoided towns during the day, minimising his contact with other ponies, in fact, with creatures in general. He became a recluse, albeit a determined one. He allowed the search for knowledge to consume him, not caring for the affairs of other ponies. That is, until he heard rumours of a group of creatures called "Changelings". Their princess, Chrysalis, was said to be extremely powerful despite her young age. This set alarm bells ringing in Gerard's head.
"Is it possible that she could teach me new magic?" he wondered.
And so Gerard set off for the Changeling's home in the east, eager to meet this powerful princess.
Gerard crawled through the undergrowth at the outer edge of the forest, keeping an eye out for any Changeling patrols. He had quickly realised that these creatures, whatever they were, were not friendly. He had already dealt with a few of the outer patrols without much hassle, but the closer he got to the Changeling fortress, the more powerful the guards seemed to get. Yet Gerard knew he had to press on, for he could already feel Chrysalis' magical aura, and he was still at least half a mile away from the outer walls.
Five minutes of dodging from cover to cover like an overly dramatic commando later, Gerard was situated in a bush about seven metres from the gate, trying to figure out exactly how he was going to get into the castle. He couldn't teleport in; there was too much risk of appearing halfway through a wall, which wasn't very appealing to Gerard. Just as he was contemplating how uncomfortable it would be to have a wall appear in his midsection, Gerard heard a cough behind him. His shoulders slumped in defeat as he turned around to find a Changeling guard mere inches from face. He jumped back in surprise.
"Gah! You're an ugly son of a bitch, aren't you?"
The Changeling guard, who just so happened to be the Captain of the guard (and very vain), blasted Gerard with a spell intended to render him unconscious. Gerard, for his part, played along. He didn't want to offend the Captain further by remaining conscious. He felt a magical aura surround him as he was lifted and allowed to drag across the ground. After a while he risked opening one eye and was greeted with a scene that could have come straight out of the Middle Ages. Crowded streets, thatched roofs, unidentifiable puddles under second story windows, the whole shebang. Unbidden, Gerard heard a voice in the back of his head.
"Honestly, this shit looks and feels like Middle Earth, are you sure you got the right dimension?"
Gerard ignored the outburst and focused on looking unconscious.
Presently, they came to a stop and Gerard was roughly deposited on to the cobblestones. He risked a glance and saw something that chilled his blood. A chopping block and an executioner's axe were sitting a few feet away.
"Ok, scratch that, perhaps we're in Tamriel?"
"Would you just shut up?!" Gerard raged internally.
Just when he thought all hope was lost and he was going to have to forgo meeting the Changeling Princess, there was a voice.
"What is going on here?"
"W-we found this unicorn lurking outside the gates milady. We think he was scouting for a way in-"
"And you were just going to execute him without first consulting me?"
"O-of course no-"
"Save your pathetic excuses, they bore me. Now, be gone!"
Throughout the entire exchange Gerard had kept his eyes shut, hoping against hope that this was the Princess he was looking for. He heard the guards turn and leave.
There came a voice from directly in front of him.
"You can drop the charade now, you know."
With that, Gerard opened his eyes to see who he could only assume was Princess Chrysalis. She was a hand or two shorter than Gerard, with the trademark moth-eaten appendages that he had become accustomed to seeing in recent weeks. Gerard adopted what he hoped was a cocky smile as he opened his eyes.
"That obvious, huh?"
"Indeed. You don't seem to fear me. Do you not know who I am?" asked the young princess.
"Oh I know who you are, princess of the Changelings." Replied Gerard evenly. He knew he couldn't trust her, he could feel her trying to steal his magical energies as they spoke. Hastily erecting a mental barrier, he continued. "That's kind of why I was here actually. I've been hearing stories of your power for months, and I was hoping that you could maybe teach me a thing or two?"
The princess scoffed, then addressed him as if he were a young colt.
"Surely you know Changeling magic can only be used by changelings?"
"Trust me Chrysalis, can I call you that? I think we're on a first name basis, I feel our friendship has just blossomed in this short time together, so I'm going to continue calling you Chrysalis, ok?"
The princess, for her part, looked understandably confused.
"Anyway, where was I? Ah yes, trust me. The rules of magic aren't quite as simple as that, you'll learn that soon enough. So, what do you say? Will you teach me?"
Chrysalis considered this. She could feel the power radiating from this pony. If she could just take her time and worm past his defences, make him fall in love with her naturally, her power would be practically limitless. She decided it would be worth the risk of taking in a complete stranger, and a pony at that. Besides, she could tell he was determined. He wouldn't leave this place until he realised it was impossible to learn another species' magic, which would hopefully be long enough for her to convince him to stay with her, become her prince.
"Ok, I'll teach you everything I know," she said with a smile, "Oh, and by the way? Call me Chrissie."
Chrysalis stood there, her mouth agape. "But… but that's impossible!"
They stood in the middle of the princess's private garden, completely alone and surrounded by exotic plants. Chrysalis was staring at the space where Gerard was just standing. In his place was a large Changeling, smiling Gerard's cocky smile.
"Obviously not. Or do you need more proof?"
Gerard focused, his horn glowing with a sickly green aura. A flash of green flame later, and a jet-black unicorn stood in his place. He swayed, looking down at himself. His eyes widened in fear.
"No, no, no!"
He quickly changed again, reverting back to his normal form.
Chrysalis shot him a quizzical look. "What was that about?"
Gerard was panting heavily, his eyes screwed shut and the tendons in his neck straining. "Nothing, I just need some rest is all. That's enough for today."
The princess frowned. She had wanted to spend more time with Gerard, to try to build their relationship, but now she was more curious about the look on Gerard's face when he saw he was a black unicorn. "It must have been pretty bad to have a unicorn as powerful as Gerard looking so worried…" thought the princess.
"Ok, now you're getting the hang of it!" beamed the Changeling. Gerard was progressing remarkably, gaining more and more control each day. She felt their relationship was progressing well too. She woke up every morning smiling at the thought of getting to see Gerard, and she could just tell he felt the same.
Gerard, needless to say, did not feel the same. He was already planning his departure, intending to leave before the princess became too infatuated with him. But right now he was too busy concentrating on trying to change as quickly and as smoothly as possible between multiple different guises. Flash after flash illuminated the garden as Gerard, Starswirl, Chrysalis and the forms of several other ponies blinked in and out of existence. Finally, Gerard was satisfied and returned to his regular unicorn self.
He sat down on the grass, Chrysalis joining him. She levitated him a glass of water, which he accepted gratefully.
"You're a natural at this." Chrysalis commented, not trying to hide her awe.
"Heh," laughed Gerard weakly, "I do what I must because I can."
Chrysalis didn't understand the statement, but nodded as if she did.
"You know, now that you have as much control as other Changelings, you should probably try experimenting with other forms. My father always said to try to catch your enemy off guard. Mostly he just did that by changing into somepony close to his enemy, but sometimes he would take the form of another creature entirely. Once he even transformed into a small dragon!"
Gerard made a mental note of that. He would definitely use that tactic if there ever came a time when somepony challenged him.
Several decades later, Gerard knew he should have moved on long ago, but there had simply been no news of any more powerful unicorns, and the Changeling had just been so welcoming that he felt he couldn't just leave. It was because of this that he found him sitting to the newly crowned Queen's right, on the eve of her coronation. He had been siting there for four hours listening to Chrissie babble on about how much she valued their friendship, all the while drinking more and more cider. Gerard had tried some out of curiosity, and found Luna was right, the alcohol in this world was of lower quality than Earth's. She had just taken a brief respite to talk to some other Changelings when Gerard seized the opportunity to teleport to his room. He hastily began packing his saddlebags, intending to depart immediately. He had just finished when there was a flash of green, accompanied by the stench of cider.
"And just where do you think you're going?" asked an obviously drunken Chrysalis as she wobbled in the doorway.
Gerard froze. Horseshit.
"Umm, you know, I was just thinking of taking a little holiday, see some of the sights, you know?" the excuse sounded even feebler that it had in his head.
"I may be drunk, but I still know when you're lying." Her smile turned evil. "You're not going anywhere. You're all mine now!" she declared.
Gerard snorted. "You really think that? I belong to one pony, and she sure as hell isn't you."
Chrysalis seemed to grow tired of the conversation as she screeched "Guards!"
Gerard teleported without a moment's hesitation.