//------------------------------// // Chapter Three // Story: Tainted Twilight // by Hammy //------------------------------// The train creaked into Canterlot Station, the brakes waking Twilight from her light slumber. She lazily opened her eyes, and took in the view from her window. No matter how many times she visited Canterlot, she was always breath-taken by the majestic view of the city. The elegant castle, one she dreamed of living in when she was just a little filly, was in clear view from the station, and she set her sights straight for it. As she left, she saw many familiar faces walking the streets, but she did not make any effort to reacquaint herself with them. They were not who she was there for, and she wasn't going to get sidetracked and make this stay any longer than she had to make it. She hurried to the castle without saying a word to anypony, and a servant rushed to her side to take her bags. “The princess has been asking for your presence since she heard of your departure. She's been rather..anxious lately, I do hope it's not going to affect her duties,” the servant idly said. Twilight didn't like the sound of that at all, she knew it had to be because of her. Did she make Celestia angry by being late? She hurried as fast as she could, after she said goodbye to her friends. She would have to know that she would have came as fast as possible. Maybe she was having seconds thoughts about teaching Twilight this new type of magic. But that's absurd; if anyone was capable of learning magic, it was her. She spent her entire life learning the arcane arts, and no matter how much it made her upset by tearing her and her friends apart, she couldn't deny that she wasn't excited about the prospect of learning something she had no idea about. The curiosity within her had been steadily building since she headed out, and the fact that she was mere minutes of way of beginning it was making her jump up and down inside. She headed for the Princess' chambers, and saw that Celestia was looking out a window, almost unaware of the world around her. “Um, Princess? It's me, Twilight Sparkle, I came over as soon as I said goodbye, I hope you're not mad that I took a little time getting here and-” “It's quite alright, Twilight. I understand that your friends are important to you, and I wouldn't want you leaving without saying a proper goodbye” Celestia said, not taking her gaze off the window. “I need you to understand how important this teaching will be. Nopony has learned this magic in over 200 years, and I doubt anypony else will learn for hundred of years to come,” She finally turned away, looking straight into Twilight's eyes, “I trust you with this, more than anypony else, because I think you will be different from the rest. I always want you to remember what brought you here in the first place: the immense love you have for your friends, and for the good of everypony. Do you have any questions before we begin?” Twilight's mind flooded with questions, but none could come out of her mouth. She just stood motionless, dumb and mute in front of her mentor, surprised beyond reason by the fact that nopony has ever even learned about this magic in so long. There had to be a reason for it, and she decided that will be the first question; “Why has it been 200 years since this was taught?” her dry mouth finally spoke. “That's...a loaded question, Twilight, one that doesn't need to be answered right now. Just know that there was a good reason for it, and that in due time, I will let you know it's history” “Alright then...I'm guessing that means you also won't tell me about who 'the rest' were?” “Unfortunately, that is correct. Just understand that it's in your best interest to not know, not yet anyway. I don't want you to get any wrong thoughts about this training, so I need you to go in without any preconceived notions.” “I understand, Princess, I'm ready to begin.” “I sincerely hope you are, Twilight. This will be completely different from any type of training you've performed before. Let us begin.” Twilight gulped, unsure of where this might take her. She quietly followed the Princess up to the observatory, and the setting sun on Canterlot made the city look even more amazing. The lights on buildings starting to glow, the rustle and bustle of the streets not slowing down for the moon, and life continuing on in full force. She smiled slightly at the sights, and for a moment her anxiety faded, taking its place a feeling of wonder that she had when she first visited the castle when she was a filly. She looked up at her teacher, and was taken back to her filllyhood, when she was accepted into her school, and had the same wide-eyed expression she had on now. The princess looked back down at her pupil, and returned the smile. No matter what the rules were between students and teachers, she always felt like Twilight was her daughter, in a way. She always treated her with special tutor sessions, and took Twilight on impromptu field trips to better focus her magic. She knew what kind of potential the purple mare had, and she wanted to make sure she received the best training. Twilight never let her down before, which was a big reason why she chose her to learn this magic. She secretly hoped she wasn't making a mistake, she didn't want Twilight to become somepony else, something that the others became. She never truly forgave herself for that. She didn't know how powerful it truly was, and how non-alicorns would take to it. She wasn't going to make that mistake again; for Twilight's sake, if nothing else. She sighed and levitated a worn out, thick book from a chest, and held it in front of both of them. “This has been locked away since the last pony who learned it, and it contains nearly every spell that is related to the Void, the type of magic you are about to learn” “The Void? Why is it called that?” “Because that's where it came from. This doesn't use ordinary magic, it draws its energy from a desolate place called the Void. We still aren't sure what, or where, it is, but through careful conjuring, we can tap into its arcane energy to cast these spells. It's very intensive, and requires steady focus.” “So how do I tap into this special energy?” “That's the tricky part. Some ponies automatically tap into it; others require...more complicated techniques. All are different, but take the same toll on the pony using it, this isn't something you can cast off in quick succession. I'm going to demonstrate it's power, and it'll also be the first spell you shall learn. Be sure to observe how I tap into it, and it might help you tap into it as well.” The Princess opened a door across the room, and a unicorn guard walked in, and Twilight caught a glimpse of fear in his eyes. Surely the Princess wouldn't do anything to hurt him, would she? No, that's crazy! She quickly banished the thought and stared at Celestia, who started to use The Void's powers firsthand. She stared into space, her pupils dilating quickly until there were no whites in her eyes. A horrible, black cloud swirled around her horn, and Twilight flinched at the sudden dread she felt at just gazing into the cloud. What was this? She never saw anything like it, and even though fear crept into mind, she couldn't keep from looking away, the shock keeping her gazed fixed. The princess started levitating, her wings staying deathly still as she started rising over her pupil and guard. Twilight turned to look at the guard, who was visibly shaking under his master, his composure broken beyond repair. Then, in a sudden, black flash, she went blind for a split second, and she rubbed her eyes until her vision came back into focus. She looked at Celestia, who was back on steady ground, turned away from both ponies. Confused, she turned to see what the guard was doing, when her jaw dropped to the ground. She stared in absolute horror, any thoughts she had completely vanquished by the sudden shock of what she was gazing at. The unicorn guard was laying on the ground, unconscious, his horn completely gone.