Chapter 3 - Into the Unknown
“What?” Trixie asked, trying to make sense of what had just happened.
“Congratulations,” said Magus nonchalantly as he turned to leave. “Now come, we have much to do.”
“Wait a second!” Trixie shouted, quickly standing. “I may have accepted, but do you mind answering a few questions first? Like what the hay that was all about or what that spell I used was or--?”
Magus stopped and looked at her. “Patience, all your questions and concerns will be addressed in good time. There are other things that must be taken care of first,” he said before turning to leave again.
Trixie wanted answers now, but chose to wait awhile to get them. She began to follow, until Magus abruptly turned back around, “Oh, but one more thing.” He waved his hoof and another strange circle appeared in front of him, this time with a blue glow. From out of nowhere, Trixie was hit with a surge of freezing cold water that soaked her to the bone. She shook and shivered, her drenched mane and tail hanging to the ground.
With another broad gesture, a red circle appeared before him. The air around her ignited, quickly drying her, but leaving a tiny flame at the tip of her mane, which Magus snuffed out with his hoof.
Looking at her angered expression, he casually remarked, “You were filthy.” He turned and walked back into the barren field once more, while Trixie grumbled to herself as she reluctantly followed.
Despite the bright glow of the moon and stars above, the valley barely had enough light for Trixie to see even a few feet in front of her. The bright crimson robe Magus wore was like a beacon for her to follow through the darkness. She began to wonder, however, if the unicorn ahead of her even knew where he was going. No matter which direction she looked the entire valley looked the same, dark, empty, lifeless, and lonely.
After several minutes of walking, the ground began to incline at a fairly steep slope, littered with small stones they used as hoofholds.
Trixie could barely see the ground beneath her hooves, and she stumbled and slipped on the rocky slope. Although she was trying to pay attention to where she was stepping, Trixie couldn’t help notice Magus walking way ahead of her, with perfect balance on the rocks. She figured he was just showing off and struggled to catch up.
Small shrubs and saplings were beginning to become visible along the slope, as the area around them grew brighter. Eventually, the shadowy outlines of the thick, Everfree trees could be seen at the top of the rise.
The ground soon leveled off as they reached the top, leaving the gloomy valley behind. Trixie looked back briefly to see the vale where her old life had ended and her new one had begun.
It looked so much smaller than it had seemed, and it was hard to believe the journey had taken so long. The valley itself was completely covered in an eerie, inky darkness that defied the light of the illuminated night sky. The Everfree Forest was a very unnatural place indeed and seemed to have equally unnatural ponies within.
Snapping out of her thoughts, she turned back and quickly caught up to Magus, who had entered into the thicket of the forest.
The woodland quickly thickened with trees and undergrowth as the two continued, the silver radiance of the moon now lighting the way through the canopy.
In the bright moonlight, more features of the forest could clearly be seen, as well as the abnormal stallion only a few feet ahead. She grew curious of her hardhearted savior’s steadfast march and solemn attitude. Wanting to get a better look at him, her pace quietly, but quickly hastened, until she was almost by his side.
Trixie began examining his features, careful not to draw his unwanted attention. Magus didn’t seem notice her observation, his eyes unflinching from the brush ahead. Trixie noted that the stallion couldn’t have been much older than she was, and wore a constant, cold, almost threatening expression as he walked in a trance-like state. It seemed odd, but as she continued to view him she noticed a strange connection with him that she hadn’t felt before. It was like she was aware of his presence on some other level of consciousness. Was it a part of this “Circle” thing?
Magus’ cold crimson eyes darted over, catching her surveillance. Trixie’s face flushed and her pace immediately slowed until she was behind him again. “S-so, where are we going?” she said in an attempt to draw attention away from her prying.
He said nothing at first, his eyes still locked on her. After a moment, his attention turned back to the forest ahead, “My caravan,” he finally replied. “It’s not much farther. I just need to pick something up first.”
A little farther up, past some low-hanging branches, the two entered a large grassy meadow around a small hill in the center. Part of the moon hid behind the hill, bathing the field in its silvery light.
“Mind your step,” said Magus as they neared a small patch of strange blue plants. “It would be in your best interest to avoid touching the flora here.”
“Why’s that?” Trixie asked.
“That is unimportant at the moment. Just ensure not to touch the blue flowers under any circumstance.”
Curious, Trixie stopped at the edge of the blue patch and took a closer look as Magus walked on ahead. The plants looked like any other flower, with large blue leaves and a few stamens sticking out of the center, but carried no fragrance at all. They seemed somewhat familiar, but where had she seen them before?
Looking back up, she could see Magus walking along a narrow dirt trail through the sea of blue. Trixie cautiously followed, watching carefully where she stepped.
“What are these?” she asked while observing the flowers she passed by.
“They’re known as the Hexing Lily, but I believe you would know them best as…” he paused for a moment as he thought, “…Poison Joke, I think some call it.” He scoffed before adding, “Such a frivolous title.”
Trixie had heard of these before, a long time ago, as Poison Joke, but never as the Hexing Lily. She remembered that they supposedly cause strange afflictions on anypony who touches them. She didn’t know what would happen, but made doubly sure not to interact with any of them as she continued to follow.
The path led them to a small clearing, free from the flowers, where a tiny saddle bag sat on the ground with plenty of poison joke stuffed inside. Magus’ horn glowed, for the first time, bright red as he closed then levitated the bag up and onto his back. The sudden use of his horn surprised Trixie in the wake of the magic he’d been using before.
“Why do you need those?” Trixie asked.
Magus looked at her briefly, “Ingredients.”
“For what?”
He didn’t answer and instead motioned for her to follow before he turned and walked toward the hill along another path through the plants. It was strange how secretive he was, but she followed as she began taking in the sights of the meadow, confident that she would get her answers soon enough.
The field felt so peaceful as she followed the clear cut path, listening to and observing every inch of the area with interest. Crickets could be heard rhythmically chirping in the distance and the poison joke, although apparently dangerous, gave off a beautiful blue glow in the moonlight. Small fireflies glowed as they flew just overhead. It all felt so calming. The path soon ended, as did the flora, and Trixie followed Magus up the grassy slope to the top of the tiny mound.
As the hill rounded off at the top, Trixie could see a slim black caravan sitting in the center.
The caravan was no bigger than the one she’d had, if not smaller. The wood it was built from looked worn and the roof had black, crumbling shingles. A small, lit black lantern hung over a porch on the side. A set of old gothic looking arched windows were fixed on the side of the caravan, displaying nothing but a gloomy darkness within. It seemed as if it would fall apart at the slightest touch.
'He lives here?' she thought, surprised that a pony as well dressed as him would live in such a rundown old hovel of a caravan. It was barely tolerable to look at much less live in. Trixie assumed that there must be another caravan nearby that served as his actual home.
Magus stopped a little ways from the caravan and looked back at her, “Welcome to your new home.”
Trixie was shocked at his statement. “You can’t be serious,” she said incredulously. Trixie walked up next to him, “This shack is barely big enough for one pony, let alone two. And besides, this hovel is beneath a pony such as myself. How do you expect me to stay here?”
Magus walked out a little ways in front of her, “In your current state, nothing is beneath you. And in the world of true magic Trixie, you’ll soon learn,” he stopped and turned to face her, “that nothing is as it seems.”
She was unconvinced, despite his mysterious words, and stared at him in disbelief.
“Now before we enter,” Magus said as he sat down in front of her, “there are a few rules that you will abide by while you are under my tutelage.” Trixie sat down and impatiently awaited these rules, feeling belittled by his arrogance.
“One, you will refer to me as ‘Master’ from now on. Two, you will do what I say when I say it without question. Three, you will remain by my side at all times unless we are in the caravan or I instruct otherwise. Four, you will read the books I specify; you will read no other. And five,” he stressed leaning forward, “you will not speak of anything you see to anyone, pony or otherwise. Nor will you use any of this magic in public unless I say differently, is that clear?”
“But, how am I--” she began to object.
“Is that clear!?” Magus barked almost shouting.
Trixie quickly shut her mouth before replying almost meekly, “Yes.”
“Yes, what?”
She snarled before saying, “Yes…Master.”
“Good.” He said sounding vaguely pleased. “Oh, and don’t ever speak in that third person persona again,” Magus added. “I find it quite irritating.” Before she could object, he stood back up and walked toward the caravan.
She hadn’t even known him for an hour and already he was barking orders and having her call him Master, the nerve. 'Who the hoof does he think he is!?' she thought. Reluctantly, Trixie stood and began to follow, grumbling under her breath that this magic had better be worth the humiliation.
As they approached the caravan, Trixie began to feel something strange. It was similar to before when she’d looked at Magus, but it was different. It seemed to radiate, pulsing in a constant pattern. It was like she knew someone or something was nearby, but what? The closer she got, the stronger it felt, and her pace progressively slowed. She looked at the caravan as she neared its walls and suddenly felt the unnatural sensation skyrocket.
“You can feel it, can’t you?”
She looked to Magus who stood on the porch of the caravan, observing her over the railing.
“What is that?” Trixie asked.
Magus did not answer and beckoned her to approach. She slowly walked to the end of the building, the feeling growing stronger.
She stepped onto the stairway that was hanging off the end to the structure; it creaked with every step she took. The old porch had a warped guardrail curving around it with an opening for the stairway. She was surprised that the rickety-looking deathtrap was able to hold them both as she stepped onto it, the small lantern hanging above illuminating the cracked floor under her hooves.
Magus watched her from where he sat on one side of a large door and gestured her to come closer. Her hooves clopped against the hard wood floor as she walked toward him. When she approached the door the feeling peaked, her hair standing on end as if electrified.
Trixie could see that the door was as worn as the rest of the caravan and cracked in some places as well. It had what looked like claw and burn marks seemingly engraved into it. All that notwithstanding, it still looked much sturdier than the rest of the place, if no less unsettling.
Magus placed a hoof on the door, “Are you ready?”
She really wasn’t, but nodded anyway, not knowing what to expect from this odd pony or his disturbing home.
Magus pushed open the heavy door with just a tap, and it creaked on its hinges as it slowly swung open, revealing an empty darkness inside. Trixie felt an unnatural chill run down her spine as she stared into the blackness.
She looked over to Magus with an unsure, worried look.
“Go on ahead,” he said tilting his head to the open doorway.
Every fiber of her being screamed at her to turn tail and run, but regardless, she took a deep breath and cautiously stepped across the threshold, putting her trust in the stallion.
The air grew colder as she entered, her hooves echoing on the floor as she walked, disturbing the eerie silence of the room. Trixie couldn’t see anything in the darkness all around her, but felt that something was here…what was it? Moonlight from the open door spilled into the shadows, creating a runway of silver. When she reached the end of the ethereal carpet she stopped and looked around for any kind of light source, to no avail.
She heard hooves echo behind her, followed by a loud creaking sound a moment later. The comforting light began to suddenly dim as the creaking continued, faster than before. Before she had time to realize what was happening she heard a loud slam, and was plunged into darkness.
Trixie gasped, quickly turning around but seeing nothing. The door keeping the way lit, as well as being her only means of leaving, had shut closed.
“Magus?” she said in the darkness, panic and distress in her voice.
“Magus?” she said again when no answer came.
“Magus!” Trixie shouted, dread and fear welling inside her. The cry for the stallion echoed before slowly dying in the black nothing. Only she and the darkness remained.