The crackling of dark magic filled the room as it bubbled around Twilights horn. She had to admit that stealing spell books out of Sombra’s study wasn’t one of her best ideas, Celestia forbid he came back and found his room raided. It certainly didn’t help she had taken his diary, but being it written in a different language she simply said she was going to take it (and a few other books) home to translate it. But the introduction of dark magic had picked Twilights curiosity.
She was hiding these new practices from everyone, she always took her chance to practice when Spike was out on his own. She also had to be careful as she doubted a hollowed out oak tree could withstand run away dark magic.
Over the past weeks she had managed to translate the language that Sombra seemed to speak, although she hadn’t read his diary yet. She felt it was a boundary she wasn’t yet ready to break. The dark spells in the other books were written in equestrian, however the spells didn’t seem to work. She had translated them over to the other language, but she was stumped as she had no clue how to pronounce it.
“my head” Twilight groaned as she rubbed her forehead with her hoof. The sun was setting but she doubted she would sleep with such a headache. She packed away the books neatly into a trunk and lifted it back up to the top shelf. She drags her hooves as she heads to bed, Spike had returned without her realising. Fortunately it appears he just collapsed on his bed without noticing her secret. Twilight saw her bed and she too collapsed on top it.
Twilight awoke the next day to two things. The smell of pancakes and an even worse headache. It felt like her horn had inverted itself and went straight into her brain. The smell of the pancakes is what dragged her out of her bed. She made her way down the stairs, she could see Spike in the small kitchen that was cramped into a unused corner of the Golden Oak Library.
“Morning Twilight” Spike said rather merrily.
“Good morning Spike” her usually cheery voice was replaced with a groggy groan. Spike turned to look at her, noticing the change.
“You alright? You look like you haven’t slept, like at all” Spike asked with concern. Twilights ears were folded back, her headache worsened as she used her magic to lift up a plate.
“Headache. I should be fine in a couple hours” Twilight sat at the table as she munched on the pancakes Spike had so kindly made for her. He sat down and began to eat his, with a healthy topping of gemstones.
“they’re not as good as pinkies” he said to himself, comparing his work to their friends.
“Nopony can make sweet treats as good as her Spike” Twilight replied to him. They didn’t talk much after that, Spike knew not to talk to her when she had a headache.
Twilight made her way back up to her room. Spike had left again, apparently he was helping out Applejack with the cider making.
“if there’s one thing I could do with it’s a nice glass of cider right now” Twilight told no one as she sat back down at her desk. She looked up at the trunk. She knew that her headache was definitely due to the dark magic, the only other time before now had hurt her head. So it was safe to say that prolonged use had led to her situation.
“I’ll just sleep it out. That’s usually a good idea” it seemed like a good idea when she flopped back into the comfort of her bedsheets, but only rest came not sleep. Apart from the headache, the trunk was drawing her attention again.
“maybe a little bit won’t hurt” she said as she pulled herself back off the bed, she sat back down at her desk and pulled out some of the spell books.
“Perhaps I should just try levitation. That’s as simple it can get after all” she ignited her horn and slowly it shifted from a magenta aura to a black one. The magic seemed loosely in her control. She tried to pick up her quill. The dark magic swirled around it as it shook violently before lifting up from the desk. A strong stab of pain shot through her head, promptly making her drop the quill.
She took a deep breath. Then she ignited her horn again and picked up the quill. Slowly she made progress. She lifted a cup of pencils, then a stack of paper. Eventually she was lifting up the books and reading from them as they floated.
Twilight looked over some of the other spells in the books. There was a few she recognised that she had seen Sombra use. One being the fear inducing spell, studied from some animal called a tormentor. Apparently the ability to turn to shadow was more of a biological spell, like a pegasus being able to sit on clouds. It was only known to be performed by a pony like creature called Umbrums.
The spell about the shadow had a picture of this umbrum creature. They were unicorns with curved horns, they seemed freakishly tall if the size comparison of a typical pony was correct. Apparently they weren’t classed as ponies due to multiple of things. The large sharp teeth and back claws were one thing. But it was the omnivorous diet and the dark magic that were the big contenders to it. She continued to read about the creatures.
“They live in the north as tribes…usually in groups of ten to twenty…unable to use light magic, that’s interesting…become lactose intolerant as they age…can’t have chocolate or coffee, that’s sad…oo this is seems interesting…it appears that they have been corrupted by dark magic, this is presumed as it’s the most readily available magic in the north. It seems to have changed them in a way that makes them well adapted to the harsh climate of the north…maybe I can find some and oh wait, last sighting was over a thousand years ago” the mild disappointment didn’t stop twilight from her reading, which was distracting from the pounding headache.
Twilight hadn’t noticed the time go by. That was until she heard the door to her bedroom open and for Spike to see her, surrounded by floating books engulfed in dark magic.
“Uh Twilight-“
“HI SPIKE!” Twilight launched the books back into the trunk and shoved it back on the shelf. She was already caught though, she smiled awkwardly at him.
“Were you just using-“
“Yep”
“You think that’s why you have a head-“
“Most likely” there was a brief silence between the two of them. Spike broke it first.
“Why?” Twilight knew she had to tell him, after all there was no hiding it now from him.
“I’ll admit I got interested after the ordeal with Sombra and the empire. I took some books from his study. Promise you won’t tell anypony” Twilight didn’t want her secret to get out. He didn’t tend to blab too much, however there is always a chance it could slip by. She felt like if others found out about her practising dark magic she would be seen as some form of evil. After all the words dark magic don’t make many ponies think good things.
“You promise right” she asked for extra confirmation.
“I promise” Spike confirmed for her. She gave a sigh of relief, but then the headache came back to her attention. She rubbed a hoof on her forehead.
“You still have that headache?” Spike asked noticing the pained look on her face.
“I’m sure it will be gone tomorrow. I’m just going to head to bed” Twilight could swear the pounding in her head had gotten stronger ever since she had lifted all of those objects. She pulled the blankets over her again, hoping that by the morning this headache would be gone.
But things are never that simple.