Past Sins
By Pen Stroke
Assisted By Batty Gloom
====
Chapter 4
Distant Storm Clouds
====
Twilight placed a hoof on the door as she used her magic to douse the lights in the room. She had just finished tucking Nyx into bed, and the filly had fallen asleep as soon as her head had hit the pillow. Twilight was sure that was for the best. It had been a long day.

She looked in on Nyx for a few seconds longer before gently shutting the door. She then descended the library’s staircase, climbing down to the ground floor where many ponies with worried faces were waiting. Twilight greatly appreciated the fact that all of her friends had stayed to make sure Nyx was all right, especially since Rarity and the Cutie Mark Crusaders were the only ones who knew Nyx well enough to be so concerned.

“She’s okay, just tired. I put her to bed,” Twilight assured with a gentle smile. Her words dissipated the tension in the room, letting everypony finally relax after what had been a long and stressful day.

“Well, I don’t know about the rest of you, but I am exhausted,” Rarity noted. “I hope you don’t mind, Twilight, but I’m going to take Sweetie Belle home and get some sleep myself.”

Twilight shook her head. “No, I don’t mind. I know you are all tired. You should all go home and get some rest.”

“Would you, maybe, want some of us to stay?” Fluttershy kindly offered.

“No, I couldn’t ask you to do that. You all dropped everything to help me find Nyx. I couldn’t make you stay now that she’s safe.”

Applejack laughed a little. “Well shoot, sugarcube, that’s what friends are for. You’d do the same if Apple Bloom went missing.”

“Or Sweetie Belle,” Rarity added. 

“Or Gummy!” Pinkie Pie chirped. 

“I know,” Twilight said, “and I can’t thank you all enough. I was… I was really worried about her.”

“It wouldn’t be right if you weren’t concerned; she is your cousin after all,” Applejack said before she started to head for the door. “Still, Twi’s right. We all should be in bed, includin’ three certain fillies.”

“Awww, but we want to stay and make sure Nyx is okay,” Apple Bloom whined.

“No dice, Apple Bloom. You got school tomorrow. You can come and check on Nyx after class.”

“The same goes for you, Sweetie Belle,” Rarity added before giving her little sister a small nudge. “We need to get you home.”

“And I know your mother’s got to be worried too, Scootaloo,” Twilight remarked.

Scootaloo blinked before her eyes widened, a panicked frown forming on her face. “Oh no! My parents are going to flip!”

“Hey, don’t worry, kid; I’ve got you covered,” Rainbow Dash said before she gave Scootaloo a noogie. “I know your mom. How about I fly you home and explain everything?”

“Wow, you’d really do that?”

“Hey, you stayed here just to make sure Nyx got home safe. That’s a kind of loyalty I can appreciate.” Rainbow landed on the ground and motioned for Scootaloo to get on her back. “Now, get up here.”

Scootaloo grinned ear to ear, more than eager to accept Dash’s offer for a flight home. With that, the mass of ponies filtered out of the room. Twilight said “good-nights” and “thank-yous” as everypony left and shut the door after the last one had departed. She let out an exhausted sigh and began to head for the stairs. An empty stomach tempted her to go to the kitchen, but, in the end, she decided to wait and have a big breakfast in the morning. Her first priority was sleep. 

KNOCK… KNOCK… KNOCK…

Twilight turned and eyed her front door. She debated opening it. She really, really just wanted to go to bed, but her courteous nature got the better of her. She turned and walked towards the door before opening it magically.

“That’s her, daddy!”

Twilight’s eyes hardened at the sight of Diamond Tiara standing on her doorstep, this time accompanied by an older stallion and an older mare. The stallion was brown in tone, with blue eyes similar to Diamond Tiara’s and a slicked back mane that may have once been black but had lightened a few shades with his age. He was wearing a firm frown, but it was nothing compared to the glare the older mare was shooting at Twilight. 

The older mare had a sand colored coat, light purple eyes, and seemed to be struggling to keep herself from assaulting Twilight verbally, or even physically. Her medium length, two toned, white and light blue mane was styled in an up-do, though a few hairs had fallen loose. Yet, the older mare paid no mind to her slowly coming-apart hairdo, instead turning her attention to the stallion.

“Well, Rich, what are you waiting for?”

“Miss Sparkle?” the stallion began as he took a step forward and offered his hoof. “I know we haven’t properly met, but I know you through our mutual friends over at Sweet Apple Acres. I’m Mr. Rich, a business associate of theirs, though it should be said that I’m not here on business.”

Twilight shook Filthy Rich’s hoof. “Well, it’s nice to meet you, but can this wait until morning? I just got back from finding—”

“This most certainly can not wait! Why, you’re lucky—” the older mare began to rant, only to be interrupted by Filthy Rich.

“Now, Affluent, please, I said I’d handle it.” 

“You had better, Rich,” the older mare, Affluent, spat before returning her stare to Twilight, who forced a smile before looking back to Filthy Rich. 

“Would you care to tell me what all this is about?”

“Yes, I was just getting to that,” Filthy Rich said. “Miss Sparkle, did you threaten my daughter earlier today?” 

“She did, daddy!” Diamond Tiara shouted as if she was appalled he was asking Twilight to confirm the story. “She said she was going to turn me and Silver Spoon into cacti!” 

“Miss Sparkle?”

Twilight frowned a little, but then she sighed and nodded her head. “Yes, and I’m—”

“I will not stand to have my foal threatened!” Affluent barked harshly. “Consider yourself lucky we’re even giving you a chance to apologize because, if you weren’t one of the ponies that stopped Discord last year, we would have gone straight to the authorities!”

Twilight furrowed her eyebrows and stepped directly in front of Affluent, returning her hateful glare. “And has Diamond Tiara told you why I threatened her?”

“No, she didn’t, but I—”

“Honey,” Filthy Rich interrupted, “we agreed we’d let Miss Sparkle explain herself.”

Affluent shut her mouth and puffed up her cheeks like she was a tea kettle trying to hold in its steam. When she looked like she was about ready to burst into another enraged rant, Affluent released the breath she had been holding through her nose and nodded. “Yes dear.”

“I am sorry I threatened her,” Twilight said, “but your daughter sent my cousin Nyx into the Everfree Forest alone, and then she refused to tell me what she had done. The only reason I threatened her was to find out where Nyx was before something happened to her.”

“Well, maybe you wouldn’t have had to threaten my daughter if you had told your cousin how dangerous the Everfree Forest was,” Affluent said with a huff. 

“Nyx does know how dangerous the Everfree Forest is,” Twilight snapped back, “but your daughter convinced her that the forest wasn’t dangerous when you got far enough in, and she gave her a map.”

Filthy Rich glanced at his daughter, who was also glaring at Twilight. “You wouldn’t happen to still have this map, would you?”

“No,” Twilight said. “Nyx lost it when she was in the forest.”

“Well, I guess that explains it then,” Affluent said as her voice took on a haughty tone. “Your cousin is lying to you. She was probably off getting into trouble, and, when you found her in town, she told you some sob story about how she got lost in the Everfree Forest. She lied to you, and now you’re lying to us about why you threatened our daughter. We should have you arrested for that lying mouth of yours alone.”

Twilight furrowed her eyebrows and took a step towards Affluent. “You want to hear the truth? Here’s the truth. I found Nyx in the Everfree Forest, crying her eyes out, and she was sent in there by your daughter. Your daughter even gave her a map, and, from what I’ve heard, she’s been a bully to the rest of her classmates as well. You’re doing her no favors protecting her from the consequences of her actions.

“And I know I can’t make you punish her for sending my cousin someplace where she could have been hurt, or worse. But let me make this perfectly clear.” Twilight leaned forward, her voice taking on a low, strong, threatening tone as she glared down Affluent. “If Diamond Tiara does anything like this to Nyx again, being turned into a cactus will be the least of her problems.”

“Why you little tramp!” Affluent snapped back. “Who do you think you are?! We’re upstanding members of the community! Why, if it wasn’t for my husband’s family, there wouldn’t even be a Ponyville! How dare you speak to us like this. I should teach you a lesson in respect!”

Twilight bristled and shoved her face up against Affluent’s, so their foreheads and noses were pushed together. “And I’m the unicorn that beat an Ursa Minor barehoofed, and I’m also Princess Celestia's private pupil! So, if you really want to push your luck, I’d be happy to take this outside. Otherwise, get out of my face and get out of my library!”

“Miss Sparkle!” Filthy Rich interrupted. He forced himself between the two mares and looked down at Twilight with a firm, steadfast frown. “I can respect that you did what you did earlier today under duress. I doubt I’d act much differently if I was in your position. That, however, does not give you license to threaten my family.”

“Yeah,” Diamond Tiara added. She smiled triumphantly, caught up in the fact her father was winning the argument. “You can’t threaten me because Nyx is stupid enough to go into the forest, even if I gave her a—”

Diamond Tiara realized what she was about to say, and she quickly clapped a hoof over her mouth. However, the damage had already been done. Mr. Rich glanced at his daughter and said, “Young lady, you’re grounded.”

“Rich, you can’t really ground her for—” Affluent tried to protest. 

“We’ll discuss this when we get home,” Mr. Rich said firmly as he turned to leave. “Until further notice, she is grounded. But, Miss Sparkle, don’t think this means you’re off the hook. Princess Celestia’s pupil or not, I will be discussing this matter with the mayor in the morning.”

With that, Filthy Rich turned and walked away. Diamond Tiara and Affluent followed soon after, but only after they had each thrown the dirtiest glare they could muster at Twilight. Twilight, however, ensured she got the last word, or rather sound, in the conversation. She stepped back and slammed the library door shut with a sharp, loud bang. 

“Whoa, Twilight,” Spike said from the back of the library. He had heard the argument and had come to investigate what was going on. “I’ve never heard you pull rank like that, using your position as Princess Celestia’s student to threaten somepony.”

“Yeah,” Twilight sighed, mentally kicking herself for what she had said in the argument. “And the princess wouldn’t be happy if she found out I did. So, Spike, if we could—”

“Hey, my lips are sealed,” Spike assured her. “Personally, I think you should have turned one of them into a cactus just to prove a point. Still, aren’t you worried about what the mayor will do? She might tell the princess.”

“We’ll cross that bridge if or when we come to it. I still can’t believe that little filly actually sent Nyx into the Everfree Forest. I mean, what was she thinking?”

“Couldn’t tell you, I don’t make a habit of trying to understand bullies,” Spike replied before he yawned and glanced at the clock. “Well, it’s late. I’m surprised Owloysius hasn’t come in yet. He’s usual—”

“Hoo.”

Spike jumped, spinning around to see that the horned owl in question was sitting on top of a nearby book shelf. “Seriously, we need to tie a bell on you. You’re like a ninja owl or something.”

“Hoo,” the owl replied in his usual fashion.

“You.”

“Hoo.”

“You! I’m talking about you!”

“Hoo.”

“I’m… You know what? No. I’m not getting into that,” Spike said, heading towards the staircase. “I’m going to check on Peewee, and then I’m going to bed. Night, Twilight.”

“Good night, Spike,” she replied as she watched him climb the steps. She then turned to look at Owloysius, who tilted his head somewhat expectantly.

“Sorry, Owloysius, but I’m really tired; it’s been a long day. I hope you don’t mind if I just go to bed too.”

“Hoo,” was all the owl replied before taking flight. He swooped around the room, grabbed a book off a shelf, and dropped it on the reading table. The book fell open, and within moments Owloysius had landed and begun reading. Twilight couldn’t help but giggle, happy to see that the owl was able to keep himself busy at night, even when she wasn’t up late studying.

Leaving Owloysius to his reading, Twilight climbed up to the library's second floor. Spike had already shut off the lamps and curled up in bed. The only light came from the moon outside the window, and it illuminated the room  just enough for Twilight to cross without any trouble.

Next to Twilight’s bed was a smaller one, one she had purchased for Nyx. She had expected to find Nyx curled up there, but, in the few minutes Twilight had been downstairs, Nyx had crawled into the larger bed. Normally, Twilight would have encouraged Nyx to sleep in her own bed, but, after the day they both had, she would overlook it for one night.

Making sure not to wake Nyx, Twilight slipped herself slowly beneath the covers. She levitated the blanket off Nyx’s bed and covered the sleeping filly with it so she wouldn’t get cold in the night.

Despite being asleep, Nyx sensed Twilight’s presence. Almost like she was sleepwalking, Nyx stirred, got to her hooves, and, with the blanket hanging off her body, she moved over beside Twilight. She then lay back down so that her little head rested in the crook of Twilight’s neck. 

It brought a smile to Twilight’s face as she gently nuzzled the sleeping Nyx.

The smile, however, slowly died as Twilight watched Nyx sleep. Her gaze drifted to the window, looking up at the distant moon. For a moment, she remembered how it used to look. How it used to bear the dark silhouette of the Mare in the Moon. She had a lot to think about, a lot to consider, but it would have to wait until morning. Her eyes were already drooping from the soft embrace of the bed, and soon Twilight drifted off into a well-deserved sleep.

===

KNOCK… KNOCK… KNOCK

A trio of ponies stood on the doorstep of the manor, glancing over their shoulders to ensure there were no guard patrols passing on the connecting street. The manor itself was nestled in the company of other similarly grand homes. Every lawn was trimmed, every shrub sculpted, and every flower was in bloom in the part of Canterlot where the elite made their homes. Celebrities, politicians, and anypony else that was widely known and very well paid could be found within those few blocks of the city, living the high life in their stately homes. 

The stallion of the trio was about to knock again when the locks clicked open. The door swung open as a white unicorn with a perfectly trimmed and slicked back black mane and a monocle poked his head out of the door. He looked over the two pegasi mares and earth pony stallion before giving a small, snooty sniff. “Yes? May I help you?”

“Just open the stinking door, Etiquette!” the gray pegasus with a darker gray mane and swirling tornado cutie mark snapped.

“Of course, Miss Gale.” The butler, Proper Etiquette, stepped back and opened the manor’s door wider, allowing the trio of ponies to slip inside. The other pegasus was a dark purple mare with a black mane and swirling wind lines for a cutie mark. The sole earth pony was a dull clay-red stallion with a tall build. His blond mane was cut very short and his cutie mark was a stone wall that looked like castle battlements.

“Sir Spell Nexus is in his study. I believe you know the way,” Proper Etiquette said as he shut the manor’s front door.

Gray Gale fluttered her wings in irritation. “Yeah, yeah, we know the way, but Nexus better have a good reason for calling us like this.”

“Indeed,” Night Wind, the purple pegasus, said in agreement. “We are, after all, trying to lie low after that grand failure in the Everfree Forest. The town guard are much more alert and are stopping ponies on the street if they run across them this late at night.”

“I do not know why Sir Spell Nexus called for you as he did,” Proper Etiquette remarked as he began to walk away. “But I do believe you will find it difficult to get an answer unless you go and speak with him. Now, I must be off to the kitchen; Sir Spell Nexus does not like to host company without refreshment.”

“Seriously, that pony takes his job way too seriously,” Gray Gale mumbled to herself as the three made their way through the manor. After climbing a flight of stairs and passing down a lavishly furnished hallway, they arrived at a door they all knew quite well. Since they had been summoned, they didn’t bother to knock before they entered the manor’s study.

It was a cozy little room with very large windows and a fireplace. One wall was lined with bookshelves which were filled to capacity with books, some small knick-knacks, and the occasional framed picture. The windows looked out over the elegant cityscape of Canterlot, a view that the manor’s owner had been complimented on a number of times.

Finally, an oil painting rested above the fireplace. The regal portrait depicted a dark blue unicorn with a light gray mane sitting behind a very elegant-looking desk while wearing a gentle smile. Below the portrait, set into the picture’s polished wooden frame, was an engraved plaque.

Spell Nexus
Headmaster of Celestia’s School for Gifted Unicorns
Mystical Advisor to the Royal Court

The manor’s owner, Nexus himself, stood in front of the study’s fireplace, its flames reflecting in his turquoise eyes. He did not turn to look at the three ponies who had entered his study, instead motioning with a hoof to some chairs.

“Please, have a seat.”

“What’s this about, Nexus?” Gale asked as the three ponies sat down. “You never send messengers for us in the middle of the night.”

“It is strange, ” Night Wind agreed. “You are the one who is always telling us to keep our movements subtle and hidden, and this is far from being subtle or hidden.”

“And not all of us have cushy jobs like you do,” Stonewall grumbled. “The commander is already suspicious of why I was late reporting in after what happened in Everfree. I’m skating on thin ice with the Town Guard.”

“Yes, I apologize for the late hour, my sisters and brother, but there has been an… interesting development.”

“It better be interesting.” Gray Gale grumbled under her breath before she stifled a yawn. 

Nexus turned away from the fireplace and began walking towards the three seated ponies. “I assure you it is, for it would seem that our efforts on the night of the last full moon were not wasted.”

“How were they ‘not wasted’?!” Gray Gale ranted, waving her hoof in a wide arch. “It was a disaster! Nightmare Moon’s remains were blown to smithereens, and how many of our brothers and sisters got arrested again?”

“Approximately three dozen,” Night Wind answered.

Gray Gale raised her hoof and slammed it on the ground. “Three dozen, Nexus!” 

“It is true. Things did not go as planned.” A grin spread onto Nexus’s lips as his eyes gleamed. “But it was all worth it, for Nightmare Moon lives.”

There was a dead silence in the room. Stonewall, Night Wind, and Gray Gale glanced at each other, unable to believe what they had heard. Gray Gale broke the graveyard-like silence by shaking her head and asking, “Wait… wait wait wait… Are you saying the spell worked?”

“I did not dare to hope so,” Spell Nexus mused before giving his head a nod, “but yes, at least in part.”

“And just how do you know that Nightmare Moon lives?” Night Wind asked skeptically. “If that were true, wouldn’t she have overthrown Celestia by now?”

“Yes, if our queen was at full strength, Equestria would already be bathed in the glory of a night eternal, and we would have received our just rewards as her loyal servants. Still, I cannot deny what I sensed and saw. Early this evening, a brilliant bolt of magical lighting shot up from the Everfree Forest, and, in that moment, I sensed her. I sensed our queen in all her power and glory. It was like a firework bursting and fading in the night sky, but it was there.”

Spell Nexus swept to one side, light on his hooves for a moment. “It was… so magnificent, and it made something inside me shift for a moment. I felt positively giddy, and it took all my willpower to keep myself from racing to the forest to find her.”

“Well, it’s nice to hear that we weren’t wasting our time with that spell,” Stonewall remarked, his very flat tone bringing Nexus back to the serious nature of the conversation.

“Yes, and now we have purpose once again. Brother, sisters, we must find our queen. I believe her form, like the spell we cast that night, is incomplete. She can be saved, can be given the life she deserves, but we must find her. I believe she is in hiding either amongst the trees of the Everfree Forest or in some area close to that, and we must find her before she can become truly lost to us.”

“And just how are we supposed to do that?” Gray Gale asked cynically before she began speaking in a forced, overly perky tone. “Hey boss, I wanted to take some more of my vacation days. Why? Oh, I just want to take a leisurely stroll around one of the most dangerous forests in Equestria while I look for a partially reincarnated Nightmare Moon.”

Nexus rolled his eyes and rubbed the bridge of his nose with a hoof. “Please spare us your sarcasm, Gray Gale.”

“She does make a point, Nexus,” Night Wind said smoothly. “How can we search the Everfree Forest without drawing attention?”

“Not all of our brothers and sisters were arrested by the guard after Celestia’s interruption,” Spell Nexus assured his cohorts before turning his attention back to Gray Gale. “In the morning you will find I’ve contracted out your services as a pair of wings for hire to deliver important letters to a number of individuals around Ponyville. Some of these letters are simple letters from Celestia’s School for Gifted Unicorns, but a few of those letters are notes to our brothers and sisters who call the town home. They, who are closest to the forest, will be able to search for our queen.”

“Will I know who is who?” Gale asked.

Nexus shook his head. “No, their anonymity must be preserved; it is how we’ve been able to function so long without detection. Only I truly know all those who stand with the Children of Nightmare.”

“Which, as I’ve said before, is really creepy,” Gray Gale remarked, only to get elbowed in the side by Night Wind.

“And what about us, Nexus?” Stonewall asked.

Nexus stepped over to Stonewall and set a hoof on his shoulder. “You must continue your duties with the Town Guard. The information you provide is invaluable to us remaining undetected.” Nexus then turned and looked at Night Wind. “And you, sister, will find yourself assigned to a new post in the morning.”

Night Wind arched an eyebrow.  “And just where am I being stationed, Nexus?”

“I have little doubt that Celestia has sensed the same thing I did this evening, and I believe this will drive her to step up the research team she has working on analyzing our spell. You have now been reassigned to guard this team. Keep tabs on their progress, impede it if you can, and, if Celestia speaks with the team, I want you to tell me exactly what she says.”

A treacherous smirk spread onto Night Wind’s lips. “And here I thought you’d finally given me a challenge, Nexus, but eavesdropping?”

“Do not take your role lightly, Night Wind, for, if the team makes a dooming discovery about us or the spell, you are the only one who will be able to warn us of the coming danger.” 

Nexus then looked over his three conspirators and let a smile play upon his lips. “Celestia was able to stop us once, but fate has given us another chance to see our queen rise. I will not see it slip through our hooves. For the Night Eternal.”

“For Equestria’s True Queen,” the three other ponies chimed back in practiced harmony. 

===

KNOCK… KNOCK… KNOCK…

“Just one moment,” a light-blue unicorn stallion called as he sat up in bed. Bastion Yorsets glanced at the clock, grumbled at the late hour, and then pulled himself out of bed. His eggshell-white mane and tail were a mess, but he continued to move towards his front door all the same. He had no desire to try and make himself presentable for anypony who would come knocking at such an hour.

Horn glowing, Bastion opened his front door, intending to chew out whoever thought to disturb him so late at night. Yet, he froze up like a statue when he saw Princess Celestia standing on his doorstep.

“Your… Y-your Highness!” Bastion stuttered out.

“I do apologize for the late hour, Bastion, but may I come in?” Celestia asked sweetly, as if Bastion had every right to turn her away.

“O-f course… Please, make yourself at home. I’ll be with you in a moment,” Bastion said before letting Celestia inside. Bastion Yorsets was a teacher at Celestia’s School for Gifted Unicorns and was there when the young Twilight Sparkle revealed her immense aptitude for magic. He was among the senior teaching staff and was the pony Celestia charged with the responsibility of leading the team studying the cult ponies’ spell.

Once he had ensured Celestia was comfortable, Bastion disappeared back into his bedroom. He reemerged a few minutes later in a far more presentable state. He had quickly brushed out his mane and tail, and he had also slipped into his normal work attire: a collared shirt, a light brown sweater vest, and a thin black tie to finish the ensemble.

“I do apologize for making you wait, Your Highness,” Bastion said when he stepped back into the living room. 

Celestia glanced up from her seat on Bastion’s couch, which was just large enough to support her larger stature. “Do not apologize, Bastion. I would not normally disturb you at your home or at such a late hour, but I was curious as to how things were going in deciphering the spell.”

“It is progressing, but slowly,” Bastion answered as he took a seat in a cushion chair. “The unicorns were making use of several very old forms of magic of which there are few records. The oil-soaked powders they were burning came from zebra magic. We also found records of unicorns using arcane designs to direct the flow of magic, but there are no actual books describing how such magical lines work.”  Bastion sighed tiredly and ran a hoof through his mane. “Things would undoubtedly be going better if we were able to get some information from the cultists. Have your guards been able to get any of them to talk?”

“No,” Celestia admitted with a shake of her head. “The cultists we’ve arrested are proving to be very strong-willed. The interrogators have not been able to convince any of those ponies to give up any new information.”

“Then I am sorry, Princess, but I fear my team is doing the best it can, considering we’re dealing with lost knowledge.”

“Well… ‘purposefully hidden’ may be a more accurate turn of phrase,” Celestia mused aloud.

“Princess?” Bastion asked as he cocked an eyebrow.

“Bastion, I want you to move your team out of the castle’s main library and into the royal archives tomorrow morning. I have already arranged for your team to have full access to anything in there, including the Starswirl wing.”

Bastion’s eyes widened. “Princess, the archives guard the most precious literature in Equestria. Tomes of ancient knowledge and stories that haven’t been viewed firsthoof in centuries.”

“Yes, but that is the point. The tomes in that collection are the final copies of books and knowledge that I wished to have preserved but not available to all of Equestria. There is very powerful magic in some of those books: spells that, if attempted by ponies who do not fully understand them, could have dire consequences. Some of those books, however, describe the arcane magic the cult’s spell is based upon. They would undoubtedly help your team understand the spell more quickly.”

Bastion nodded in understanding as the weight of this new privilege sank in. “We will move to the archives first thing in the morning.”

“Good,” Celestia said. A tiny smile tried to form upon her lips, but the seriousness of the situation forced it to wither like a water deprived plant. “There is one other thing, Bastion.”

“Yes, Your Highness?”

“While I do not want to distract your team from figuring out the spell’s intended purpose, I must ask that you also start investigating what the spell did.”

“What it did?” Bastion echoed in confusion.

Celestia gave a single nod before she rose from her seat. “Yes, for you see, the cult was already casting the spell when I arrived with the guards. I was able to stop the spell, interrupt it, but now I fear what it was able to accomplish before my arrival.” 

Bastion stood up from his seat as well and began to follow Celestia as she moved to his front door. “That is a very theoretical branch of magic, Princess. Incomplete spells have been known to do a variety of things, and some never do the same thing twice.”

“As I am well aware, but I have faith in you, Bastion. You are the greatest mind in the field of theoretical magic at the school, after all.”

Bastion couldn’t help but blush and bow his head. “You flatter me, Princess.”

“I make no habit of flattery, Bastion; I only offer the compliments ponies deserve,” Celestia corrected as she opened the front door with a flick of her magic. “Now, I'd best depart. I wouldn’t want to impose any further.”

“You are never an imposition, Princess… though, none of this seems terribly pressing. Might I ask why you felt this could not wait until morning?”

Celestia paused at the door, having already put one hoof outside, and looked over her shoulder at Bastion. “I have simply realized that I have not been providing your team with the materials it needs to analyze this spell quickly, and… I have also come to realize this evening that swiftness in this matter is of the utmost importance.”