Chaos and Order

by Damien Helvian

The First Lesson

It had been a year since we first met, and so many picnics were had in our favorite spot And it was about half a year ago that she had asked me to start teaching her magic. Up until now, I simply told her, that her magic wasn't stable enough yet.

On her birthday, she put on a display with the magics she learned from Starswirl. I watched from amidst the crowd, disguised as a pony for a special occasion. That night, during a birthday picnic, with a cake the size of me, she asked again for me to teach her, and I said yes.

A week had passed before we were able to meet again, the Princess was busy with things in the castle. I had plenty of time to prepare the first lesson. When we finally met outside the Canterlot Maze, I told her we were going on a trip.

"I've got something special planned today. It'll be your first lesson in magic from me, so I figured we should to go a place where my magic is normal, the place where I met sir Starswirl, the Everfree Forest."

She let out a gasp, thinking for a moment to herself, "I-I've never been there, I was told it was very dangerous. That there are things there that could eat me whole, or turn my magic upside down."

"These statements are true. Large, ferocious beasts live in the everfree, almost as strange as I. And some of the plants have poisons that can do many a thing, including mess with your magic. But, I promise, that if you come with me, I will protect you." I offered my paw with a sincere smile.

With but a small hesitation, she took my paw in hoof, and nodded, "Ok, I'll go, because I know that I'm safe with you." In a flash of light, we were gone from the gardens, and in the depths of the Everfree forest.

The darkness was different here, thicker, tainted with chaos not like my own. Some would say it was evil, I simply call it different. We were lucky enough to just miss landing in a patch of Poison Joke, which I pointed out to her, "That, my dear Tia, is one of the plants I told you about. Poison Joke, not the worst of the lot, it's poison simply likes to have fun. The effects of it are pretty random."

I conjured up an image of the princess, changing it to showcase some possibilities, "It could turn you purple or green, or pink with yellow polka dots. It could turn your hair into hay, your horn into jelly, or even your tongue into a toad. Sometimes the joke may be severe, but more often than not, it will be harmless."

She stared wide eyed at the different variations of the image, stepping as far away from the plants as she could, whilst still remaining close to me, "I d-don't think it'd be a good idea t-to hang around that stuff. Is there a better spot?"

"Yes, there's a clearing not far from here, across the bottomless chasm." I led her through the forest with care, and across the rickety bridge that connected the two sides. Here lay the clearing that would be the future site of the dark castle, but for now, it was barren, except for a small table and a pair of chairs. Of course, I put those there myself.

Celestia had followed me silently all the way here, only speaking up when we reached out destination, "Why is this place here, in the middle of the forest? It seems so...different." While awaiting a response, she took a seat to rest her hooves.

"The answer is simple. Within all darkness, there is a glimmer of light. This clearing, is the light of the Everfree Forest." A light that would eventually be smothered by her own sister, "I chose this spot because the atmosphere is rich in magic. I figured it would help you in your lessons."

While I explained, wisps started appearing, flying about wildly, a perfect representation of the magic in the air. One was so bold as to alight itself atop Celestia's nose, causing her to giggle, which made it fly away, "I can tell...this place feels so amazing."

I gave a slight chuckle, making my way over to the other chair to have a seat, "Some of the spells I'll teach you, will only work here..at least until your magic is strong enough on its own. To start with, a bit of light reading." A snap of the claws, brought forth a book so massive and heavy, it made the table creak.

"Oh my...what? Please tell me you're joking." She reached out to open it, but the slightest touch sent the table crumbling beneath it, and the book fell down. I, of course, burst out in laughter, "What? What's so funny?"

"Of course I was joking, Tia. I'd never make you read that. Besides, wherever would you find the time?" She huffed cutely, and I cast the book away. "The real lesson is nothing like that. But, I can only teach one spell per lesson, ok? I don't wish to tire you out."

She nodded in agreement, and we began. "The first spell is quite basic, yet extremely powerful. I taught it to Sir Starswirl, and he made his own version of it. Has he told you about teleportation?" Another nod, "Well, my form of it is different than his, I call it flashing."

In a flash of light, I vanished, appearing and disappearing all over the place, before bringing myself back to the seat. "But before I teach you, a bit of explanation about magic. Normal magic flows outward, like an explosion of energy. My magic does the opposite, flowing inward, imploding. This makes it unstable, but much more powerful."

She watched in amazement of my rapid movements, sitting in silence when I appeared again in front of her. She nodded some more, listening close, "When you do that, the light appears, but, instead of just going away, it gets sucked in, is that what you mean?" I smiled an nodded, she understood well. "Starswirl tried to teach me his kind, but I couldn't do it. I wasn't strong enough..."

"Don't worry, dear Tia. There's two reasons why you won't have that problem now. The first, is this place, you are much stronger here. The second is, my spell requires much less energy. Would you like to try." She nodded, somewhat frantically, eager to learn.

"To start, focus your magic into a single point, as you would with casting any spell. But instead of putting it at the tip of your horn, put it at the core of your body. When you've gathered as much as you can, push inward, compress the magic, into a tight little ball. While doing so, think about where you want to go, now, this may require practice, to think about a location, whilst also casting a spell so complex. Eventually, the magic will collapse, and release all the energy. If done right, poof, there you go."

Without another word, she stood up, taking a spot a few feet away. She closed her eyes in focus, pouring all her effort into her magic. It took a few tries before she was even able to move it from her horn to her body. All the magical energy coming off her,sparked the air. Wisps started appearing by the dozens. She was very powerful back then, and even more powerful now.

Her first attempt at actually casting the spell failed. She created a small burst of light, but nothing more. The second, and third attempts ended about the same. But she didn't give up, even when panting in exhaustion. Time and time again, she tried, and somehow, getting stronger each time. It was like nothing I'd seen before. This princess, was more powerful than even sir Starswirl...Celestia, the pony who would be the only one, to outmatch me, alone.

Finally, just before Dawn, she succeeded. It wasn't much, only moving a few feet away, but she did it. At first, she couldn't believe it, but realizing what had happened was real, she started jumping, and cheering. In her exhaustion, this cause her to topple over. When I rushed over, she was giggling like a madpony, "I did it Dizzy, I did it! Thank you so much...I can't wait til I'm strong enough to use it back home."

"Tia, I should warn you..my magic is that of Chaos...using that spell willy-nilly outside of Everfree could be trouble. You must promise me that you will only use it if you absolutely have to, ok?" The giggling stopped quickly and her face grew stern, "Ok."

I let out a sigh and smiled, "I think it's time we get you home...you need to rest a bit before your day starts." She stood up shakily, and I picked her up, "Let's go." In a flash, we were gone. At some point, the filly fell asleep. She'd awaken in her bed, with me nowhere to be seen. I went back to the forest, the place I called home.

Flashing was the first spell she learned from me, likely the most unstable of the lot. She kept her promise though, never using it outside of the forest. She never really needed to, and when she did, she usually fell back on the one she learned from Starswirl. Only once, did I ever see her using it...but that is part of another memory, the last one I had before...well, you'll see.

Comments

[Realm]

Holy shit! No comments? Seriously, something as well written as this should get better recognition!

[HearthsEve]

4401267
Yup.