//------------------------------// // Chapter 4 - Sanctuary of Shadows // Story: True Magic // by CodeMonkey //------------------------------// Chapter 4 – Sanctuary of Shadows 'I knew I shouldn’t have trusted that pompous, fire-wielding freak,' Trixie thought as she frantically walked around the pitch black room, desperately searching for the door. Betrayal clawed at the back of her mind. Trixie had put her trust in Magus only to become a prisoner in this dismal room. Trixie cursed the stallion under her breath as her search for an exit hastened. Unexpectedly, she crashed into a solid surface; her head throbbing with pain as she stumbled back. As she rubbed her sore head, Trixie tried to get a look at what she had bumped into, but to no avail. She lightly tapped on the surface and was rewarded with a hollow sound echoing around her. It must have been the walls of the caravan, oddly seeming farther away than she had thought. Once the pain subsided, Trixie felt around on the wall with her fore-hooves in hopes of finding the door, clinging to the dream that she would be able to simply open it and leave this nightmare. To her relief, she soon found the door’s metal handle. Trixie tried the door, anxiously pushing and pulling, hoping by some miracle it would open. The door held firm. While still hanging onto the handle, Trixie fell to her haunches and stared down into the darkness that blanketed everything. The hopelessness of her situation threatened to overwhelm her. She was locked in, imprisoned with this unnatural darkness, while the stallion outside planned to do Celestia knew what to her. Trixie finally let go, allowing her hooves to fall freely to the floor with a hollow thud before turning around and leaning against the useless portal. Staring blankly into the black nothingness, the despondent mare recalled the horrible night’s events one by one. Her career in ruins by some upstart, her home destroyed by an ursa, her life almost ended by timber wolves, and now she was a captive in a strange caravan. This day had gone from bad to horrendous in a single night. Her thoughts fixated on Magus. Every word he’d said to her, every action he’d performed, played out in her mind. What was that magic? Was it just some scam, to fool her into trusting him? Taking advantage of her vulnerable state with some tricks that he claimed were true magic, the monster. And yet, despite her skepticism, deep down she truly believed that he would help her, that he would teach her magic that most unicorns could only dream about. It was the power she needed to become as great and powerful as she wanted to see herself, and how she wanted others to see her. Was all of it a lie? “You…You said,” Trixie woefully began as a warm tear formed in her eye. She shot to her hooves, pouring her fear and rage into her voice and shouted, “You said you would make me powerful Magus!” “Trixie!” a voice barked next to her. Trixie stopped suddenly, recognizing the voice, and looked beside her, awestruck by the unexpected sound. The tan face of a unicorn appeared in the dark, illumined by a small ball of fire he held in his hoof. “By the Fates, calm yourself girl! You’re acting like a frightened field mouse.” “Wha--?” she said wide eyed with shock. “You didn’t honestly believe I would lock you in here with some calamitous intent, did you?” Magus said, narrowing his eyes at her. Shaking the feeling of shock from her face, Trixie quickly demanded, “Wh-why, didn’t you say anything? Didn’t you see I was freaking out back there?” He said nothing and wore a vacant expression, like he was deep in thought. Before Trixie had time to ask about his peculiar behavior, he quickly looked away and said, “I had no reason to.” “No reason to!? I thought I was never going to see the outside world again and you thought you had no reason to put my mind at ease?” Trixie said, infuriated by his answer. “My apologies for putting that thought in your head, but know that much of this power is based on faith. If you fail to have faith in the face of the unknown then your journey into this world will be short,” Magus sternly said glaring back at her, appearing displeased with her tone. Trixie was still angry with him, but her relief at not being trapped calmed her. “And I told you to call me Master. Now stop panicking and wait a moment. This place is very old and takes a while to get used to new inhabitants.” The flame in his hoof disappeared, allowing the darkness to return. “What are you…?” Trixie began, but stopped as the darkness receded from around her. As it dissipated, the room slowly began to light up around her. Trixie soon was able to see Magus standing in front of her, now facing toward the origin of this sudden light. As she turned to face the welcoming glow, the room faded into an enormous, extravagant grand foyer. Two long winding staircases on both ends led to a second story that overlooked them. The floor was finely polished hardwood that gleamed and shined in the light of a large crystal chandelier hanging overhead. The walls were a lighter shade, adorned in a number of exotic tapestries and paintings. A large stone fireplace blazed, with two roomy cushioned chairs sitting in front of it sat between the staircases and warmed the room. A lavish red rug was the last to appear, snaking throughout the mysterious structure. Trixie’s jaw dropped to the ground. “Still think it’s just a shack?” Magus said with a smug undertone. She was lost for words. The tiny, dark room had become the interior of an enormous mansion, right before her eyes. It was so warm and inviting that, for the first time in a while she felt…at home. Trixie’s thoughts of amazement were cut short when her stomach began to loudly grumble. Her face flushed, now realizing how hungry she was. Magus looked over to her with a straight face and said, “I assume you’re hungry.” Trixie tried not to make eye contact, out of embarrassment. “Accompany me to the dining room. I will prepare you a meal.” She did, as he proceeded down a long arched corridor on one side of the room, the exotic carpet leading the way. As Trixie continued to look around the elaborately designed mansion, Magus, without turning to look at her, said, “I’m sure you must be wondering how it is that this caravan is so much bigger on the inside?” “I just assumed it was more of your crazy magic,” Trixie responded with a snooty attitude. She may have been amazed, but she was also still upset at Magus for leaving her in the dark. It was hard to trust a pony that so callously watched as she panicked for her life. Magus did not reply, and instead continued his explanation, “Currently we are in what is known as the Shadow Realm.” “The Shadow Realm?” she responded, dubious. “A mysterious dimension, hidden between time and space that only the followers of true magic can venture through,” he explained. “The caravan itself is merely a shell that contains this particular part of the realm. The shell also acts as a shield that only you and I are able to pass through. Keep that in mind.” Trixie scoffed in disbelief, “Now you’re telling me that you can walk into other worlds, oh please. How is any of this even possible?” Magus stopped and, as he glanced back at her, casually replied, “Crazy magic,” before continuing on. She rolled her eyes when he turned back around and continued to follow. The corridor led to a fairly large, circular dining room with a long table in the middle, accompanied by two lone chairs that sat at either end. A huge darkened window adorned the far wall, blocking out any sign of the outside world. Paintings lined the walls around the room portraying various locations and ponies, bathed in the dim light of the chandelier hanging over the table. “Sit,” Magus said, motioning to one of the end chairs. Trixie complied and sat down in one of the ornate chairs. As she did, a puff of dust shot up into the air, causing her to cough and gag. It appeared to not have been used in quite a while. As the dust died down, Trixie spotted Magus staring blankly at her, as if he was hypnotized by something. They stared at each other in uncomfortable silence for a minute, his eyes locked on her. Trixie found his unflinching gaze very unnerving. She was about to say something when, without a word, Magus finally blinked and shook his head vigorously before quickly walking off through a door at the other end of the room. 'What’s wrong with him?' she thought, confused by his bizarre behavior. Trixie sat alone in the room for some time as she began observing the portraits around the room. The portraits varied in size from large, grand paintings to small elaborately detailed ones. The greater paintings were of sinister looking castles and exotic landscapes, none of which she’d seen before, even in her wildest dreams. The smaller ones were of various ponies, all wearing similar robes to those of Magus, as well as his serious expression. One portrait in particular caught her eye. It looked like one of the smaller paintings, but seemed much taller. The image appeared to have been scorched from the center out, leaving nothing but a charred frame with bits of burnt canvas along its edges. Trixie found it odd that it was the only one that was destroyed. On the other hoof, she was, supposedly, in another dimension with a fire conjuring stallion as her teacher in the art of some secret kind of magic. She paid it no mind after a moment and continued to observer her surroundings. Her attention turned to the weird black window stretching up the wall beside her. The window must have been the oddest thing in the room, being nearly as tall and as wide as the foyer itself, yet showing nothing beyond except an inky black darkness. 'This night just keeps getting weirder,' Trixie thought. Before long, the room filled with a delicious aroma that reminded her of the fancy restaurants of Canterlot. The door opposite her opened as a steaming bowl floated into the room and landed in front of her. Trixie noted that it did so without the aid of unicorn magic, as evidenced by the lack of an aura around it. She fanned the steam from the bowl only so see a strange blue mixture, accompanied by a spoon. 'What in the name of Celestia is this?' she thought, shocked at the bubbling blue concoction that lay before her. Magus entered the room shortly after, with a small tea cup levitating next to him. “What the hoof is this supposed to be?” Trixie complained as Magus sat down in the chair at the other end of the table and began sipping his tea. Magus seemed lost in his thoughts as he responded, “Soup, eat.” “And what kind of soup is this, exactly?” He sighed, “Soup made from the hexing lily. Now eat.” “Aren’t those the plants you said not to touch under any circumstance? Now you expect me to eat them?” “The effects can be counteracted, just,” he snapped before taking a deep breath and continuing in a more relaxed tone, “…please eat.” He seemed to be stressed about something as he took another large sip from the cup. Trixie thought it best not to pry when he was being so short-tempered, and besides, she was starving. Trixie looked down at the steaming bowl of so called soup before her. Disgusting as it looked, it did smell good and at this point she was willing to eat almost anything. Levitating the spoon to her lips, she took a small taste. Astonishingly, it tasted good, really good, better than any soup she’d ever had. The flavor was peculiar, salty, yet with a very sweet aftertaste. She didn’t know what else was in it exactly, but Trixie filled her spoon and enjoyed another mouthful. As she ate, she couldn’t help but notice Magus gazing intently at her from across the table, yet again appearing as if in a trance. Magus’ chilling stare was unsettling and she was beginning to lose her appetite. “What?” she finally asked, annoyed, dropping her spoon into her bowl. He took a minute to answer. “Nothing, I was just…” Magus hesitated as he avoided her eyes, taking another large drink from his cup, “…thinking.” Trixie disregarded his curious answer for now, as she had more important questions she wanted to ask. “So, Master, do mind answering my questions now?” He let out an aggravated sigh before replying, “I’d rather wait for the morning, but if you must, ask.” This place, the food, even the atmosphere felt strange; the pony across from her was especially peculiar, and she was expected to live here. Knowing about tonight’s events was the only thing that would put her mind at ease. Hundreds of questions whirled around in her mind, as the crimson eyed unicorn waited, staring into the black window. Trixie expected to get longer answers out of him if she asked a very broad question. “What is The Circle?” Magus tightened his eyes shut in discomfort, as if he’d been hoping not to be asked that question. He took a moment to answer, “The Circle is an order of magic that has been active since ancient times.” Trixie waited for him to proceed. Magus took another sip of tea as he continued to stare into the window, refusing to say another word. After a minute of silence, she asked anxiously, “And?” “And what?” he replied. Irritated at the response, she said in a more demanding tone, “And do you mind going into a little more detail than that?” “Yes.” Her irritation was reaching its boiling point, and she groaned in aggravation, “You said you’d answer my questions!” “Indeed, I did,” Magus said calmly, “but if you recall I said, I would answer your questions ‘in good time’, I never specified a particular point in the future, nor how I would answer them.” Trixie had never met such an arrogant, pompous pony before. Her rage had reached its peak. Despite the oddities around her, Trixie would not stand for anypony talking down to her as if she were some uneducated foal. She shot up out of her seat, her hooves slamming on the table. As she opened her mouth to express her anger, Magus quickly cut her off, “Before you say something you’ll regret, know that we are miles away from any form of civilization, not to mention you are addressing a pony who just fed you and took you into his home,” he shot her an evil glare, “and can easily take it all away.” With her ears pinned back, Trixie closed her mouth and slowly sat back down in her chair, now fully reminded of her situation. She was trapped here and powerless to put up any kind of fight, especially against the magic that Magus was wielding. If he wanted to, she would end up like the timber wolves. Her face burned as tears of shame leaked down her cheeks. After a moment, Magus sighed upon seeing her despair, “Perhaps I came off as a bit… threatening,” he said soothingly. “I apologize. It has been a long night, for both of us.” He took another large sip from his cup, still looking away from her. “And I’m not much in the mood for an interrogation at the moment. Here’s what I can answer, to give you some peace. The ritual that was performed back in the valley was the initiation ritual for The Order. Without it you wouldn’t be as capable of certain tasks that I will expect from you in the near future.” He finally turned to her, but still avoided direct eye contact. “With that ritual, you and I are forever bound to one another until the day you prove yourself capable of using the power you possess properly. It’s not much of an answer, but pray, be patient and know that you are safe here. You have my word that I will meet every inquiry with as thorough of an answer as I am able in the morning.” Magus set his cup down on the table and turned to look out the featureless window once again. “Now, finish your meal and I will show you to your room.” 'A little threatening!?' Trixie thought. 'Is he serious?' It wasn’t exactly what she wanted to hear, but at least she’d had one question answered, even if it was a bit vague. And, on the bright side, if there was one, if he wanted to harm her, he would have probably done so by now, right? Lifting the bowl to her lips, she drank down the last few drops of the unusual stew before getting up from her seat and waited for Magus to lead her to her room. Magus slowly got up from his seat and walked to the corridor, motioning for Trixie to follow. They proceeded back into the foyer, where Trixie followed Magus up one of the winding staircases to the second story. The floor was almost half as big as the foyer it overlooked, with two large corridors at opposite ends. They made their way down the right hall and followed the decorative rug down the passageway. The long, narrow corridor had a number of doors along its walls with a few small wall lamps faintly lighting the way. The passage curved to one side, where Trixie could see single door standing at the end. When they reached the door, Magus opened it and stepped into the pitch black room. When Magus disappeared into the darkness, Trixie stood just outside the door looking in, feeling a disturbing sense of déjà vu. She could see nothing beyond the doorway, until the room suddenly lit up with a soft light. The entirety of the space became visible, with Magus standing by a large bay window with moonlight shining through the clear glass. Trixie felt relieved, the moonlight being the first sign of the outside world Trixie had seen since she walked into this place. She took a couple steps into the room and looked around with little enthusiasm. The room was small and seemed rundown, compared to the rest of the building. With worn wooden walls, and a floor to match, the room wasn’t an improvement over her caravan, it was far worse. The chamber was practically empty save a small bed, an old vanity dresser with a round mirror mounted on it, an empty bookshelf, and a nightstand next to the bed with a little oil lamp sitting on top. “This will be your room,” Magus said, turning to her. “Here?” Trixie said, surprised. “I’m supposed to stay here? This place is hardly suitable to live in. Shouldn’t your apprentice get slightly better accommodations?” “You’re an initiate, not my apprentice. You have yet to earn that title,” Magus said as he walked back toward the door, stopping in front of her. “We have much to do to prepare you for the morrow’s task. Don’t wander and stay out of the west wing.” “Why? What’s in the west wing?” “It’s my room, and I’ll thank you to stay out of it,” he stressed, glaring at her before continuing to the door. “Now, get some sleep.” “Wait,” Trixie said turning around to face him. “What’s tomorrow’s task?” Magus glanced back at her and said solemnly, “Why, the beginning of your training, of course.” With that, Magus left the room, shutting the door behind him. 'That pony is a mystery,' Trixie thought, still looking at the door he’d left through. Trixie turned her attention back to the hovel she was to call home from now on. Unsatisfied with her room, she approached the one small silver lining she had, the large moonlit window. Her view was of the dark Everfree Forest with the moon peering out from behind the clouds high in the sky. 'Good to know I’m still in Equestria,' she thought, relieved. Sitting down in front of the window, she thought back to the events that had brought her here this night, this time in a less stressful manner. From her being humiliated, to the frantic chase from the timber wolves, to joining this circle thing, and now standing in front of this window, in a strange caravan, with some pony whose intentions were unclear. 'What have I gotten myself into?' she thought. Part of her wanted to leave this place and never look back, but Magus was right, where would she go? She didn’t even know where she was, much less if anypony would take her in after what she had done. She was stuck here. Questions continued to pop in and out of her mind, “What was that magic I used? What was that magic Magus used? 'True Magic” he’d called it, but what is it? And how…' They buzzed around in her head for what seemed like hours. But, soon her eyelids grew heavy. The small simple bed was starting to look pretty good about now. Trixie wearily walked over and got in, too tired to think any more on this magic subject or even whether or not she’d wake up safe and sound the next morning. Trixie pulled the covers over her, and lay her head down on the soft pillow. Her eyes soon shut and her mind wandered into the world of dreams. The young azure mare’s life was forever changed. The once show boating pony, now a humble initiate in a new world of magic that dwells all around her in the shadows.