//------------------------------// // Chapter One // Story: Tainted Twilight // by Hammy //------------------------------// "Behold! The newest recipient of the Royal Alicorn Medal, Twilight Sparkle!" Princess Celestia boomed over a roaring crowd in front of the Canterlot Castle. Twilight stepped out with pride, all of her studies, her knowledge, had finally culminated in the most prestigious title given to unicorns. It was one of the greatest days of her life, rivaling the day she got accepted into Celestia's School for Gifted Unicorns, which started her on this fantastic journey to begin with. "Most excellent work Twilight, I am so proud of you," The princess said to her star pupil. Twilight could barely keep from crying, as the overwhelming feeling of accomplishment, of pure, unfiltered joy rushed over her. She put her hooves on the medal and- CRAAAAASH!!!! Twilight jolted out of her bed, landing hard on the wooden floor. She felt a surge of pain in her leg, and looked up angrily to see It was yet again another dream. "Ugh, I can tell this is going to be a rough day," she muttered as she rose to investigate where the loud noise came from. She examined the clock, 9:30AM, she only had a few hours of sleep, caused by a long night of studying. She was hoping she could get a few more hours of precious slumber, but the throbbing in her leg pretty much guaranteed that it wasn't going to happen. She shuffled slowly to the staircase, thinking about what the strange noise could be, when she heard an even stranger noise: faint whispers, coming from downstairs. Fearing intruders broke in, she turned to check on Spike, who had been oddly quiet despite the crashing, both the unknown one and Twilight's on the floor. He wasn't in his bed, and there was no sign of him in any of the rooms upstairs. Panic flooded through her, and she was fully alert now. She ran downstairs, ready to use any disabling magic that would protect Spike, and subdue his potential captors. She stopped at the foot of the stairs, gazing around to be greeted with emptiness. She put a hoof out in front of her when a pink blur jumped from behind her chair. "HAPPY BIRTHDAY TWILIGHT!!!" Pinkie Pie exclaimed as she fired off her party cannon into the den. She was followed by the rest of the gang, all shouting happy birthday and giving Twilight a big hug. She had almost forgot! Today was her birthday, and not only that, but it was the day she finally turned into a full blown mare. The fear instantly turned into excitement as she realized that it was her day to party with her friends. “We've got a ton of things planned for you, Twilight!” the pink mare cheered, “we just have to get started right this moment!” Twilight smiled, relief slowly going through her. Pinkie was the best at parties, and she couldn't wait to see what she had up her sleeve. All six ponies marched out the door, and Twilight reconsidered her thought earlier this morning. Maybe today would be pretty nice after all. Several hours after evening, and lots of partying and hard cider, Twilight stumbled along the road to her home. As she strained to look towards her house, she saw Spike jumping up and down at the door. Confused, she tried to concentrate on the purple dragon, and she realized he was yelling out something. No doubt trying to get her attention, she attempted to run towards her loyal housemate. After a few stumbles, the purple mare finally became within reach of Spike. Spike held a scroll with the royal insignia, and by the look on his face, it was of grave importance. “A scroll from the Princess? Is it a birthday wish? I really appreciate the kindness, but you didn't have to wait outside our door for it!” A drunken Twilight said, “I'll just read it when I stop seeing double.” She giggled slightly at her terrible joke, and brushed past Spike. “Twilight, it's not a birthday wish, it's an order from the Princess herself.” Spike said worriedly. Twilight stopped dead in her tracks, levitated the scroll in front of her, and what she little she could read sobered her instantly. “Please read it to me, Spike. I'm in no condition to read it all.” Spike did as he was told, shakiness in his voice. Twilight Sparkle, since your first induction into my school for gifted unicorns, I have seen you grow into the confident, brilliant young mare you are today. There is no one I'd rather have as my star pupil, and tomorrow, I shall show you what it means to be a true unicorn. All your training will be tested, and once you begin this new brand of magic, your life will never be the same. Only a handful of unicorns have ever been exposed to this magic, and even its existence isn't truly known to the majority of ponies in Equestria. I trust you with the knowledge of this new type of magic, as I believe you are more than capable of wielding it. Please come to Canterlot as soon as possible, and we will discuss it more in person. I recommend you say goodbye to your friends as well Twilight, as I'm not sure when you will see them again. ~Princess Celestia Twilight stood motionless, unable to grasp what she just heard. A new type a magic? One that barely anypony has heard of? Her mind tried to get around this idea, what kind of magic could it be? She still was fogged by the alcohol, and couldn't concentrate on the possibilities. “Spike, I need you to help me pack, I'll leave at sunup. Stay here and hold down the fort while I'm gone.” She wasted no time putting some basic provisions together, and went straight to bed. She prayed that she didn't have a hangover. What would the princess think if she saw her like this? Definitely not able to handle the enormous responsibility of learning a secret kind of magic. She rubbed her eyes, trying to think straight. She certainly wasn't expecting anything like this. She just couldn't shake the feeling that something felt... wrong. There was no doubt that this new, unexplored territory would bring countless wonders, and her natural curiosity practically begged to learn every single detail about it, but what the princess wrote made her want to hold back. Once you begin this type of magic, your life will never be the same. What did she mean by that? It was that one sentence that made her excitement turn into creeping fear, fear that what she has now would be taken away. Would she have to leave her friends forever? Just the thought of losing them... She jumped out of bed and went straight to the bathroom, vomiting any food she ate at the party. She made a silent vow never to drink hard cider again. She was perfectly fine going out sober and able to keep her thoughts, and her stomach, intact. After a little clean up, she dragged herself back to bed and made a mental note to tell her friends goodbye. No telling how long she would be in Canterlot, but she didn't want them worrying. She could only imagine how Pinkie Pie would handle herself without being able to check up on her every day. Tomorrow is going to be the start of a new journey for me, she thought to herself before drifting to sleep, and I'm going to be ready for anything it throws at me, scared or not. Nothing will be able to stop me.