Every great man, every successful man, no matter what the field of endeavor, has known the magic that lies in these words: every adversity has the seed of an equivalent or greater benefit.
- W. Clement Stone
The grey stallion named Graphite Star was an imposing figure, made even more so by the tight cloak that wrapped around his body, with an impressive hood that concealed his horn and mane. He stood watching his subjects toil in the dirt. Tonight Graphite Star and his fellow brothers and sisters would accept a new pony, named Quiet Sting, into the fold. While the other members carved out precise patterns in the dirt, Graphite left the small clearing to prepare the new recruit for the intimidating entry process.
The addition of this new pony excited Graphite. When the mare arrived, she had spoken of curious rumors and whispered secrets of a group of Unicorns who had unlocked near unlimited power. According to the rumors, these cult members achieved in a matter of days feats of magic that normal hard-working unicorns would need months to learn. Fueled by ambition, this adventurous pony had set forth into the Everfree Forest, and Quiet Sting had been found by members of the fold. The significance of these rumors was bigger, though. It meant that the cult’s power and teachings were beginning to trickle into the minds of the regular citizens of Equestria. Before long, the cult may expand exponentially. Graphite looked forward to possibly accepting more ponies. The couple dozen subjects that followed him were loyal, but it was too small a group for his taste.
Understandably, Sting had been horrified when she first saw the methods of the cult, but the same determination that led her into the Forest allowed her to slowly accept the logic of what the organization had to offer. The sacrifice that was required was steep, but the benefit that the cult promised was far greater than any payment. This pony had seen the light, and soon the family would have a new member. Graphite Star remembered how bewildered Quiet Sting had been when first learning the basic teachings from him:
“You must understand, the magical energy we manipulate in order to cast spells, move objects, and any other feat we perform all comes from the same place: our horn. Each section of the horn governs a different task, with those simplest to perform starting at the tip segment. Normal Unicorns have four sections of their horns. The first section produces levitation and manipulation, allowing us to pick up and move objects around. The second governs the subtle powers of illusion, as well as certain spells with lower energy requirements. The third segment holds the impressive powers of complete transfiguration, and the realization of magical energy into violent, temporal form. In other words, lasers and projectiles of magic. The final section holds deep and powerful magic, that can vary based on the unicorn and their special talent, as well as many high energy requirement spells. Anything from teleportation to flight can be achieved by delving into the final horn section.”
At this point the newcomer had been intrigued. These theories made sense. Nothing was particularly sinister about anything that the cult had told her. However, Sting could see the twisted side of these ideas, and she was cautious in trusting Graphite Star immediately. She had continued listening.
“The problem with accessing these powers stems from the difficulty of transferring such high amounts of energy to the tip of our horns. The flow of magic through our horns is difficult, and requires intense amounts of concentration and skill coupled with education on the spell. Some ponies will never be able to access their fourth horn section, and are content with simply picking up things and moving them around. We reject this idea. In our minds, the first horn section is unnecessary. It is a cushion that unicorns have relied on for far too long. It is a barrier between us and greater power. The first horn section is deadweight, and it must be... disposed of. Sacrifice what lesser powers you can, and you can easily achieve greatness!”
At that, Graphite Star had thrown his hood back, revealing his horn. Two sections of the horn were missing, and there was a slow, glowing pulse of magical energy visible through a light covering of grey skin that had grown over the stub. Graphite Star had amazed Quiet Sting by unleashing massive amounts of his magical energy into the air, causing explosions of fireworks and sound to erupt from his severed horn. It was overly dramatic, but it got Graphite's point across. Quiet Sting had reeled back in amazement and horror, but she did not run away. She remained with the cult, and two weeks of learning and observation later she submitted to performing the ritual.
And tonight was the night.
When Graphite Star entered the new recruit’s tent, Sting's horn was glowing slightly as she finished tightening her cloak’s drawstrings around her neck. Graphite raised an eyebrow and remarked that she would soon need to learn how to clothe herself without the use of magic. Quiet Sting blushed lightly, but she jumped up to follow her leader. Sting’s cloak was black, like the other cult members’, but hers was bordered with white, showing her to be the lowest rank possible. Graphite’s cloak identified him as the leader with a crimson border. Both ponies’ hoods were pulled back, displaying Quiet Sting’s complete horn and beside her revealing Graphite Star’s glimmering stump which pushed out of his short, obsidian-colored mane.
Graphite Star attempted to make conversation; he didn't want the newcomer to feel uncomfortable.
“So, are you nervous?” He began.
“Yes, but that doesn't mean I’m not ready,” came the reply.
“That’s good. It’s a big event for you. Nervousness is to be suspected.”
“Sir, can I ask you--” The jittery mare began, before hesitating.
“Of course, anything.”
“How much will it hurt?”
Graphite Star was not a horse who dodged around any issue. A small part of him wished to comfort the anxious pony and lie to her, maybe say some falsity suggesting there would be magical anesthesia. Instead, he bluntly replied,
“The cut will be extremely painful, especially because it’s your first section. Most ponies have barely even injured their horns before, and this is on an entirely new level. But I can promise you this: this adversity will yield to you a much greater benefit. You will not regret this decision.”
Quiet Sting nodded quickly, and the two walked the rest of the short path to the clearing in silence. They arrived to find the entire congregation gathered and waiting. Two dozen regular members stood evenly spaced around an outer circle. Three cult members with blue borders around their cloaks stood about halfway into the circle in a triangle, surrounding another circle. Between the two larger circles there were four sections, each containing simplistic symbols of each category of magic. Each section of the horn had a section of the circle to represent it. The area between the smaller circle and the middle one simply contained three deep lines, reaching out to the three lieutenants. Every marking and symbol was connected by lines in the soil. The inside of the center circle was empty, and this is where Quiet Sting carefully walked to. There was just enough room for the newcomer and Graphite Star to stand together. Graphite Star unsheathed a sacrificial dagger adorned with arcane carvings. The two ponies faced each other, and the ritual began.
First the regular members threw back their hoods and projected small, bright balls of light on their stumps, each horn uniformly missing its tip. Slowly and silently the cult members knelt and placed the light spheres into the circle carved into the dirt in front of them. The magic slowly spread through the lines in the dirt, moving like water tracing along a web. The symbols and markings were illuminated, and the magical energy crept along the inner spokes towards the circle in which Graphite Star and the recruit resided. When the flow of magic had finally stopped, the entire clearing was lit up. The bright, magical light shifted and moved like the northern lights. The cult members stood up straight and moved back. A hush fell among the ponies gathered there, and all was silent, excluding the steady hum of the powerful, gathered energy of twenty amplified horns. Graphite Star glanced around him. The sight was beautiful, and yet it was only a backdrop for the mutilation to come. The stallion stood back at attention, and the lieutenants standing among the twinkling pathways began speaking. Their voices filled the air for a few moments, expounding upon the ideals of the fold in fanciful verses. They spoke in unison of the sacrifice every pony must make to achieve true power.
When the lieutenants had fallen silent, Graphite Star’s horn flashed brightly, and the energy from the section of the circle devoted to the tip of the horn began to move again, flowing from the outskirts, to the symbols, and down the inner spokes before lifting up into the sacrificial blade wedged into Graphite Star’s mouth. The other three sections remained bright and functional, but the magical energy from the first section of the circle had been sucked into the blade, surrounding it and enlarging it until it gained the appearance of a giant butcher’s knife. However, the energy did not expand the dagger’s width, its precise edge was preserved. Quiet Sting was shocked; her eyes widened at the sight of the awesome sacrificial blade, but she knelt down as she had been instructed.The cult leader reared onto his hind legs and slammed back down in one quick movement. The knife with an edge as sharp as magic sliced clean through the first section of the new member’s horn.
The feeling was like shoving her horn into boiling water, without being able to withdraw. Sting felt a significant part of herself fall away along with her horn tip, and she cried out in pain. The other ponies stood silently and watched. Nopony moved to help her. The agony was still present, but Quiet Sting grew aware of something else growing inside of her horn. A deep, smoldering power was rising within her. She gasped as her horn began glowing, and she closed her eyes, trying to wrestle with the new found energy pouring out of her. Blood and magic shot from her horn. Her eyes glowed brightly, and she screamed one more time before losing control of the new energy. A huge blast of crimson magical energy burst from her horn directly into the sky, and the less disciplined members of the fold glanced upward at the glistening, sparkling explosion of magic poured from a new part of Sting’s horn. It was pure magic that had never been used before, tainted by her blood. She looked upward, amazed that such a spectacle had come from her. When the power was exhausted she promptly slumped onto her back and passed out.
The Cult of Amplification grew stronger.