//------------------------------// // Origins // Story: The Codex Amicitia // by malletmann //------------------------------// Everything was nearly ready. The ritual was all laid out, and Carpathios was passing through the Intonations, easing his mind into a state where the Veil ceased to be an unattainable image in the mirror, and became as tangible as the physical realm. Holding his staff in hand, he began to step into the circle at the center of the chamber. "It is time, then?" Soptek asked, standing a respectable distance back. The librarian held his own staff in a firm, two-handed grasp, as though it were the only thing anchoring him in the material world. If the spell went wrong, it could end up being so. "Indeed." Carpathios' voice had an unearthly sound to it. "I go now to a place no man has ever seen before. I take a path never tread before. I thank you for your aid in my endeavor, and I will not forget it. Now farewell, my friend Soptek." The room lit up in a truly awe-inspiring display. Lights of all colors, even those mankind had no name for, burst into existence, swirling and dancing for brief moments each, before disappearing. At the center of the maelstrom stood Carparthios, raising his magic staff above his head. A ring of light appeared around him, growing until he was completely surrounded by it. There was the sound of bass, reverberating all throughout the chamber, growing in intensity. With a sudden thunderclap, he was gone. "Farewell, Carpathios," Soptek said. Carpathios walked freely down the streets of Ponyville, a smile gracing his face.Today, his spirits were high, simply because they were so. There was something about this world, some intangible essence, that seemed to sooth and edify his soul. "It has even brought out the poet in me, it seems," he said to himself as he took a glance at the sky. The day was beautiful. The handful of clouds that the pegasi had allowed to linger in the sky did little to dim the beauty of the sun. Today was a good day to be out and about. Carpathios had little opportunities for such activity in Agathonis. He was usually shut in, deeply engrossed in his work. His introspection was interrupted by the call of high-pitched voices further down the road. A trio of fillies, consisting of a yellow earth pony, a white unicorn, and an orange pegasus. He believed that the yellow one was Applejack's sister. "Carpathios!" they shouted, or rather attempted to shout. He had gotten used to the fact that his name was exotic amongst the ponies, and many had difficulty pronouncing it, especially the young ones. "Good day, fillies. How can I be of assistance today?" Carpathios recognized the bright look of curiosity and inquisitiveness in their eyes. "I'm Apple Bloom," the earth pony said, "and this is Sweetie Belle and Scootaloo," indicating the unicorn and pegasus respectively. "We were wondering if..." the young ponies seemed to be struggling with finding the proper words. "Well, we know you aren't a pony, and don't have a cutie mark. But you are really good at magic, so we were wondering if you could tell us how you found your talent?" Carpathios nodded. "Come, sit with me. It is a long story." The four of them found a nearby tree to sit under. Carpathios reclined against the trunk of the tree, laying his staff over his legs. He could not help but feel charmed as his three young companions curled up around him, looking at him with large, bright eyes. "It wasn't easy, that much I can tell you with utter conviction. There were more than a few times I wondered if it was worth it, studying my magic. You see, where I come from, not everybody thinks of magic as a good thing. They don't understand it, so they are scared of it." "I knew it was what I truly wanted, though, so I pressed forward regardless. I had a bit of fledgling talent, which I was able to use to impress a local court mage. He wasn't a very nice teacher, but he did know quite a bit about magic, or at least I thought he did at the time. I spent several years there. My studies were interrupted when another student became jealous of my ever-increasing skills. He tricked me, and to make a long story short, I was banished from the court. At the time, I thought it to be the worst thing to happen to me, but if it hadn't, I would never have found my new home of Agathonis, and achieved my full potential." Carpathios looked to the skies for a moment, reminiscing, then back down at his audience. The three fillies stared up at him, looking perhaps a bit disappointed. He sighed, petting one of them. "Alright, I'm not much of a storyteller." "Oh, it wasn't so bad," Sweetie Belle said. "I'm really glad you were able to finally find a place you were happy." "Come on Crusaders," Scootaloo's voice was full of energy. "The day is still young, and we have cutie marks to earn!" They ran down the road, with Carpathios silently watching them. So young and spirited. Full of vital life. I can barely recall a time I was filled with such bountiful optimism. May their journey lead them to rich discovery, not misfortune. An ominous sense of foreboding crept into Carpathios' mind. He disregarded it as nothing more than fruitless paranoia, and decided to make good on his promise to visit Fluttershy. Today was a good day. Not one of my best work; I didn't really feel it. I hope my next chapter, which I plan on using to further develop characters and relations, will be more fruitful.