//------------------------------// // Chapter 2 - Magus // Story: True Magic // by CodeMonkey //------------------------------// Chapter 2 - Magus “Incindio!” a distant voice boomed. At that moment, a burst of flames ignited in front of Trixie creating a wall of fire, stopping the timber wolves in their tracks. The flames licked at the starry sky, illuminating the valley and turning the once cold night into a furnace. Trixie stepped back in shock. She had never seen such a sight and, as crazy as it sounded, it appeared as if the voice had been responsible for saving her life. Was that even possible? The speaker was unfamiliar to Trixie, but the word sounded similar to the one she had spoken before. She watched as the wolves backed away from raging fire. For the first time, she saw fear in their eyes as their wooden bodies shook and rattled. In a puff of flames and smoke, a figure appeared on the other side of the wall. It was clearly a pony and appeared to have a stallion-like form, but his features were obscured by the bright crimson and gold robe he wore and the hood concealing his face. The timber wolves snarled at his presence, but he seemed unconcerned as they closed in around him. The stranger slowly raised a hoof and spoke softly, “Infernay.” As the words left the stranger’s lips, a bright red circle containing a number of strange shapes and symbols appeared in front of his hoof. Then, in an instant, a torrent of flames erupted from the circle and out at the timber wolves. The flames quickly encircled and reduced many of the wooden beasts to ash prompting the others to whine and back away in fear, their wooden ears pinned back. The stranger lowered his hoof and spoke once more, his tone like ice as the wolves receded into the shadows, “There is no mercy for mindless beasts like you.” He said the word again, but this time the same circle appeared on the ground around him, bathing him in a red glow. Fire rose like a wave around the stranger before jumping toward the wolves, engulfing the last of them in a sea of destruction. The wave died down, revealing scorched earth where the wolves had stood. Saplings, bushes, even the ground itself still burned in the aftermath. Trixie stood in awe at the sheer power of the flames the stranger had somehow created. Her muscles locked up, her eyes refused to look away from the firestorm and the figure behind them. It was as if she was in a trance. Was this magic? The stranger slowly waved a forehoof in a wide arc in front of him. As he did, the fires died down, leaving only cinders in their wake. The wall of fire vanished as well, and the freezing cold rushed in to fill the void. The cloaked stranger turned to face Trixie, a pair of bright crimson eyes fixing on her from under the hood. Her heart sank under his critical gaze. Trixie was still frozen in place, more now by fear than awe as he drew closer. As he approached he removed his hood, revealing a tan unicorn with a long flowing silver mane. Two crimson eyes gleamed around the lighter silver bangs that framed his stern visage. The stallion had a strange, unnatural presence about him, the air seeming to warm at his approach. “Are you alright?” he asked, his voice surprising her with its gentle concern. Trixie let out a sigh of relief, her fears alleviated by his tone. Her muscles relaxed and she shook her head, attempting to clear her mind. “Excuse me, I asked if you were alright?” “Oh, y-yes, I’m alright,” she quickly responded. “Excellent, now hold still if you would,” he said quickly as he raised his hoof to her wounded cheek and said, “Saneetum” A light green glow appeared where his hoof touched her. At first she felt nothing, but soon a tingling sensation spread where the timber wolf had struck her. She felt her cheek and found only dried blood where the claw marks had been before. Trixie looked at the stranger with wonder, now realizing that his horn had not glowed during the whole process. Content with his work, the stranger turned away and walked toward the pile of chalky dust that still lay scattered on the ground. Trixie rubbed her cheek and whispered, “How did you--” “That was quite a feat you managed to pull off, my dear,” the stranger said, interrupting her train of thought. She looked at him questioningly as he stared at the dust. “It’s quite rare to see a unicorn of your,” he looked at her for a moment, “…type, preform such spell.” He began sifting through the dust with the tip of his hoof. Trixie was unsure what he meant by “spell.” She didn’t remember using any magic. And why was he bothering with that dust…had she done that? “Who are you?” she finally asked. His eyes narrowed as he looked back at her. He said nothing at first, like he was unsure of how to answer. Finally, he turned to her and bowed his head, “My apologies, where are my manners? I am known as Magus.” “Magus?” Trixie confirmed, confused by the strange name. “Yes, a peculiar name I know. I’m…not from around here.” “Obviously,” Trixie said under her breath. His eyes narrowed again as if he’d heard her, “What was that?” “Nothing,” she quickly replied. “Right,” he said doubtfully, eyes still narrowed, “and you are?” Trixie thought for a moment. “I-I’m, I’m…” her pride peaked in that instant, “the Great and Powerful Trixie!” she said in her booming stage voice trying to impress him. “Trixie assumes you’ve heard of her.” Magus raised an eyebrow at her newly invigorated and odd response. “Afraid not. Well, tell me, how is it you learned such a word?” Trixie guessed the word she saw must have cast a spell, but how? Unicorn magic has never required a word to cast a spell. Besides, a spell that uses an incantation is just an old pony’s tale. She wanted to seem as impressive as possible to the stallion, maintaining what fame she had left, regardless of whether she understood what was going on or not. “Well, only the Great and Powerful Trixie is capable of such a magical feat,” she said with a boastful chuckle. “Indeed, all equine desire to be as amazing as the Great and Powerful Trixie. Sadly, my peculiar admirer, the Great and Powerful Trixie does have her secrets,” she continued in a confident demeanor, playing up her boasts as much as possible. “Uh-huh,” he said, unimpressed, “well then Trixie--” “That’s the Great and Powerful Trixie, to you,” she corrected. Magus appeared very confused by this display, considering what she had been through. He seemed intrigued nonetheless, if not quite annoyed by her boastful display. “You’re quite the showpony aren’t you?” he said calmly. Trixie confidently chuckled “Well, Trixie is the--” “Enough!” Magus commanded, causing Trixie to stop and step back in shock. The air seemed to lose some of its warmth as he spoke. “This game is over. Now did you or did you not use that word of your own free will?” he demanded, once more walking closer to her, his gaze piercing hers like daggers. Trixie shrank before his chilling stare, her confidence obliterated. His eyes continued to drill into hers, like he was looking into her soul as he waited for an answer. She frantically tried to think of a way to retain her appearance… “Answer the question, Trixie!” All thought of fame ended in that moment. Trixie could only answer with a quiet “No.” Magus continued to look into her eyes for a while longer. Trixie felt uneasy enough as it was without the thought of being set on fire cropping up in the back of her mind. Magus took a step back and returned to a calmer demeanor, “Interesting.” He examined her up and down before slowly walking around her. She stayed in place as he left her line of sight. “What brings you out here this night?” he said, circling around behind her. Trixie answered in a hollow voice, “Tri…I was…chased out of a town I was preforming in. My home was destroyed. I was humiliated by some nobody, and…and--” “And did you come here hoping to prove something?” “I-I came here by accident,” she admitted, her sorrow and self-pity swallowing her as their conversation went on. “I see. And you feel a desire for revenge against those who wronged you, yes?” Her eyes widened, and she turned to look at him as he came back around. “How did you--” “The look in your eyes. Your body language. There are many obvious factors.” He finally came around and faced her. “I see much self-doubt as well.” Trixie looked at him in amazement, wondering if he was reading her thoughts. “Answer me this, do you truly believe yourself to be as great and powerful as you say, or is it all part of some far-flung fantasy that was never fully realized?” Trixie didn’t know whether to be angry at his presumption, or to cry because he was right. She looked away, unable to answer. “Do you want to become powerful?” Her gaze snapped to him, fiery hope in her eyes. “You’ve demonstrated a power that few of your kind are able to accomplish. You have the potential to realize your goal, with the proper instruction.” “Teach me,” Trixie quickly pleaded. “I want to--” Magus raised a hoof, silencing her, then lowered it and sat down. “Know that the path you must walk is a dark one,” Magus began. “This power is older than the princesses, older than this county, perhaps even this world. This life will have you witness things most ponies can only imagine in their wildest dreams or in their darkest nightmares.” Trixie hung on every word, despite not fully understanding what he was talking about. “Should you choose to cross this threshold you may never be the same again, for better or for worse. Once you commit, there will be no turning back, you must see this to the end. The world before you is full of wonder and terror, but it is your choice and your choice alone whether or not to embrace it.” Every word he said sounded more ominous than the last. “The rewards will be great, as will the risks, but I demand your full cooperation if you wish to have any hope of succeeding. If you fail to meet my expectations you will be left behind.” Magus extended a hoof to her. “Do you accept?” They locked eyes for a moment before she directed her attention to his extended hoof. She grasped little of what he was saying, but understood the offer of power, of the chance for vengeance and redemption. Trixie sat down and cautiously extended her hoof as slowly reached for his. Magus reached forward as she neared and grabbed her by the wrist, his grip like iron as the world around them began to fade to black. Magus stared into her eyes, seemingly oblivious to what was happening. Trixie grew nervous as she felt the darkness surrounding them, her skin crawling like it was watching her. In a puff of flames a dagger appeared, floating above where their hooves met, the blade pointing down. The blade was straight and narrow with a black hilt and an oddly shaped guard. Magus gripped the blade’s hilt and ran it across both of their wrists in one quick motion. Trixie shut her eyes as she flinched at the surge of pain, but Magus held her in place. She opened her eyes to see blood pouring from their wrists. From their wrists, trickling onto the ground. She watched as the blood swirled into the shape of an eye, with numerous curved lines expanding into a glowing circle around them. Her breathing grew rapid as she watched the blood continue to spill onto the ground. Trixie tried to speak, but her voice was gone, held back by some strange force. She soon started feeling a strange sensation in her chest. As the sensation continued, it began to feel as if her heart was about to burst from her chest. She looked to Magus who continued to stare expressionlessly at her, his eyes almost lifeless. Her attention turned downwards as she witnessed a black plume of smoke seeping from her chest. The smoke grew denser and began to form into what looked like tentacles, which grew out towards Magus. They pierced his chest although he made no reaction to their intrusion. She felt like screaming, and shut her eyes tightly, begging for this to stop. It seemed to drag on forever, then, abruptly, everything stopped. The sensation in her chest and the pain in her wrists disappeared. She felt Magus’ grip loosen as he let go of her. Trixie opened her eyes to see the valley around them had returned. The circle on the ground was gone, as was the cut on her wrist and the tentacles from her chest. She looked up at Magus standing before her who said, “Welcome Initiate Trixie, to The Circle. Welcome to the world of true magic.”