//------------------------------// // Chapter Five // Story: Tainted Twilight // by Hammy //------------------------------// The training began at once, with Twilight and Celestia going back up in the observatory, presumably because of the isolation they receive. The Princess was cautious as they went up the staircase, telling her guards to wait by the entrance, and not to proceed with them. Twilight followed her, the butterflies in her stomach increasing with every step she took. Finally, when they reach the top, and the door shut, isolating her and her mentor from the rest of the outside world, did the Princess finally speak. “If you have any lingering doubts, I suggest you get rid of them now, as you won't be able to turn back.” Celestia said, not looking at her pupil. Twilight remained silent, the feeling of vomiting coming to her again. Celestia turned to look at her, and gave her a smile, thankful that she had stood her ground. It was comforting to see her teacher smile at her, knowing that she still had her best interest in mind. It was going to be a long road ahead, but she was destined for this, she knew it in her heart; she was the Element of Magic, after all. This was just one more step in her training, and she knew she could pass this if she gave it her all. “Now, before we can teach you the spell that I showed you before, we need to see how easily you can tap into The Void. When you used it in the Crystal Empire, how exactly did you do it?” “Well, I'm not sure how really, I just kind of...did it. It left me with a horrible empty feeling inside me though, like someone took my soul out and left the shell.” Celestia nodded, “Yes, that will happen as you cast these kind of spells. Not only does it use your arcane energy, but the presence of The Void also seems to drain ponies natural energy as well. That's why we have made no attempt to find it, we don't think anypony could survive there.”, She slowly looked up at the bright sky, contemplating something, “At least, not with their sanity.” “So, if I use this a lot, will I go insane? Is this worth the risk?” “It's possible, but unless you indulge in The Void's gifts, you won't be exposed with enough of it to corrupt you. Like I told you, we use this as a last resort, and only for the most extreme of circumstances. I have faith that you won't let that happen.” “Corrupt me? What do you mean by 'corrupt'?” Celestia sighed, trying to figure out how to explain this delicate matter, “King Sombra was the last person to learn this. He was such a kind, honorable pony, and he would have done anything to help his fellow pony. That's why I chose him, he was like you in a lot of ways, and I thought he could handle the responsibility of Void Magic. But as his training went on, he became consumed by it. He wanted to learn all he could about it, and the more he experimented, the more The Void was able to take control of him. He kept it hidden until I pronounced him King of the Crystal Empire. It was only then that I saw his true intentions. He was completely consumed by it, his kindness, his generosity, everything just disappeared, until nothing but evil was left. That is why I'm going to be careful with you. I don't want you to go down the same road as Sombra, you're too special to ever let that happen. So if you ever get an off feeling or thought, let me know immediately and we will fix it.” Twilight just nodded and stood silent, her previous plans of constant studying completely out the door. I thought she said there was no danger. I really need to be careful and not let my curiosity get the better of me. She has seen evil in all its forms, and Sombra's oppressive rule and control over the Crystal Ponies had stuck with her. Everytime she visited the Empire, she had recollections of his magic crippling her brother, and almost consuming them all. She wasn't going to end up like him, no matter how much he was like her before. She was able to stop the Changeling invasion, go through Discord's “test”, even without Dash's and Fluttershy's wings, or Rarity's and her magic. Then her memories hit her smack in the face. “By any chance, did Discord know about Void Magic?” Celestia seemed taken aback by this question, surprised that Twilight made a connection between the two. After a moment, she chose her words carefully, “Discord is not like most life in Equestria. He has a special bond with Void Magic, but he doesn't use it like unicorns do. It's a...complicated matter.” Twilight took the hint that this was something that shouldn't be explored further, and left it at that. Perhaps she could ask about it later, when she's familiar with it firsthand. Of course, that didn't stop assumptions and suspicions from going into her head. She was a very curious unicorn, and hated not knowing the full story of anything. But there was a time and place for everything, and she knew now was neither. “We should really get started though, let's see if you can cast the spell on this dummy unicorn,” Celestia said as she pulled in what looked like one of Rarity's mannequins, but Twilight could sense the arcane energy within it. She stared at it as though it was a giant dragon about to deal the death blow to her. She was now in unfamiliar territory, blind to everything in this new world. “I want you to extract its energy, as I did with Stormer. The dummy's horn won't vanish, since it's obviously not real, but you will feel the surge of energy when you extract it all the same. You need to empty all your thoughts, and feel the magic flowing into you. You're going to feel...odd, but that's normal. Just try it for yourself, like you did at the Empire.” Twilight braced herself for the potential of what will happen, and cleared her thoughts of everything; Sombra's and Discord's familiarity with The Void, of the events that put her here, of her friends that she missed terribly. She purged herself of any thought or feeling, and urged the magic within the dummy to come to her. Slowly, she felt something eating at her, consuming her mind until nothing but hopeless emptiness remained. She felt the black cloud swirl around her horn, and in an instant, her ability to control her magic was yanked away from her. The Void's presence took control of her abilities, whispering everything and nothing straight into her conscious, she felt trapped, as if she was suspended in a body of water, her primal instincts took over, trying to kick and scream and get out of this perpetual hell, but nothing happened, she just stood, the constant presence working it's craft while Twilight just watched and endured. Then, in the same burst of light that blinded her the day before, she felt a surge of power. It was coursing through her veins, crawling under her fur, and jump started her entire state of mind. Her previous thoughts slammed back into her, the numbness she felt vanished instantly, and she returned to the real world, in the same exact spot she was standing before. Electricity was pouring out of every pore, and she felt ready to take on the world. Her eyes turned to the dummy, and the aura of magic it had emanated before was gone. It was just a harmless dummy, nothing more. She smiled ear to ear as she passed her first test flawlessly. She turned to Celestia, who let out a coy smile of her own. “Truly excellent work, Twilight, I knew you could do it. Now that we know you're capable of tapping into The Void, we can begin the true work. I hope you're as ready as I am.” Twilight couldn't wait to keep going, the pure rush that the energy have given made her feel like she could do circle all of Equestria. The emptiness was unsettling to be sure, but just think of all the possibilities! She needed to try it just one more time, it couldn't hurt after all. The corruption couldn't take it's hold that easily, and she saw no reason to stop now. “Oh, trust me, I am Princess, what should we learn next?” She said, hardly containing the excitement in her voice. “Nothing today. We are going to take it slow, I shall have another spell waiting for you tomorrow, but you are dismissed for the rest of the day. I don't want anything harmful sinking in. Why not write your friends a letter, so they won't be worried. Disappointed, she knew it was for the best, and she agreed that she needed to check up on her friends. A letter would be a nice break from all the shocks she's received from this trip, and she had to tell somepony about all the experiences she just had. She couldn't wait to tell them all about it. She grabbed a pen and paper, and began to unwind. Dear Applejack, Fluttershy, Pinkie, Rainbow, and Rarity, I can't believe how unbelievable this experience is. I just started learning about this magic, and while I can't really explain everything about it, it's something that I can't wait to learn more of. Princess Celestia is limiting my teachings though, unfortunately. I just feel like I need to keep trying it! You only get better by practicing right? In fact, I may just try it some more tonight.