//------------------------------// // Abecedarian Of The Mortiferous // Story: Intension // by MadMan //------------------------------// Drops of sweat trickled down Twilight's forehead as she concentrated, gritting her teeth and squinting her eyes as she manipulated the magical forces writhing around in front of her, demanding they do her bidding. She grunted as the shape of the magic finally pleased her and she released it, letting it loose to do as she told it. A violet arrow sped across the empty space, ten, twenty, fifty, then a hundred yards before striking a small pile of wood at the far end of the clearing, rending it splinters. Twilight sat back on her haunches and sighed, then looked to the side at Wildfire, who had spent most of the morning having Twilight run a series of drills. They were usually straightforward, like destroy the hunk of wood, push a rock, lift a perfect sphere of water from a stream, but with twists. The hunk of wood had been small, barely a hoof's width wide, and a hundred yards away. The rock had been a boulder that had weighed a ton if it weighed a pound, and water was water, which was never easy to manipulate. "I'm not gonna lie, kid, that was impressive. Most of us here had the same tests you did, and a lot of us failed the first time. I guess we were a bit younger than you are now, but still, impressive." "Thanks." "Bit tired, eh? Alright, back to the cave for lunch. Then the fun really starts!" Twilight stood, and looked at Wildfire with suspicious eyes. "What do you have planned for this afternoon?" "Me? I think I'm gonna nap in the shade. You get to play with Nightfury. He's the real magical brains here. We're all good, but he's the best. Now come on, it's only a mile to the cave, let's jog it!" Twilight groaned in protest but kicked up her heels nonetheless. Reaching back several years in her memories, Twilight remembered the techniques that allowed her to finish decently in the Running Of The Leaves in Ponyville, and set off after Wildfire. The rocky mound that denoted the entrance of the cave was a very welcome sight to Twilight, but not nearly as comforting as the wall of cool air that greeted her once she ducked inside the small crevasse. Once in the main chamber, Twilight prepared a salad and sat next to the fire while Wildfire told some of the other Black Berets about their morning. "I'm telling ya, she hit the damn block on her first try!" "So did a lot of us." "Yeah, but not all of us, including you if I remember right, Bill." "So watcha gonna do for this afternoon? The three rocks, or the toothpicks?" "I dunno, ask Nightfury. He's gonna take over from here." "I am?" "Yeah. You're the one that's the technique nut here. Teach her the subtleties. She should be able to handle that." "Fine. Also, when's Luna gonna be back? She said she wanted be the one to teach Twilight shields and the like." "I dunno. She didn't even say where she was going." Twilight said nothing, not wanting to interrupt the wonderful flow of nourishing of food from the bowl to her mouth. She finished chewing the last few bites, washing it down with water, using some of the water to clean the bowl before putting it back in the bag with the rest of the food apparatuses. Standing, she walked around the fire to the group of Black Berets. "Alright, I'm done. Nightfury, shall we?" "We shall. Take care, children, don't burn the cave down." Twilight followed Nightfury as he wordlessly led her out of the cave. He paused just outside, letting his dark blue mane ruffle in the breeze, allowing Twilight to catch up. As soon as she was behind him, he silently set off towrds the stream she had been at earlier with Wildfire. Along the way, Twilight had to admire how little noise he made. They were walking on the normal forest floor of dried leaves and detritus, yet his hooffalls were as silent as if he was walking on thick moss, whereas Twilight's were loud and crunchy. They reached the stream, and Nightfury turned to Twilight with a crooked smile. "It's amazing, I think you actually managed to step on every single dry leaf and twig on the path here." "Well, I've never had any sort of stealth training." "And so it shall remain for now. I'm here to teach you magic, in a whole different sense than you've ever looked at it. Have a seat beside that tree, and get comfy." Twilight sat by the tree he indicated, and got as comfortable as she could. Nightfury sat against a neighboring tree, seemingly as comfortable as he would be on a cushioned couch. "Comfortable?" "Sure." "Good. Now tell me, Twilight, what is the first and most important rule of magic?" "That every spell we cast requires energy." "Ding. Correct. Where does that energy come from?" "The caster's body." "And right again. What dictates how much energy the caster has at their disposal?" "Each unicorn is different. Just like some ponies grow up to be taller than others, some unicorns are simply born more powerful than others. However, the caster's experience casting magic can overcome most any congenital deficit. The magic is like a muscle, the more it is exercised, the stronger it gets." "You're on a roll here. Alright, last question, how much energy does it take to kill a pony?" "I... Uh... I don't know, a lot?" "Let's rephrase that. Think, what does it take to efficiently kill a pony?" "Well, any living body needs three basics to survive: Oxygen, nutrients and water. I suppose removing the supply of one of those would kill a pony. Moving inward, the cardiovascular system circulates oxygen and nutrients around the body, as well as white blood cells, which aid in fighting off infections, so I suppose blood loss resulting from catastrophic tissue damage. Also, damage to the vital organs, especially the heart or brain, could severely injure or kill a pony. Any of those could be achieved fairly easily, in the right circumstances." Nightfury smiled and picked a long piece of grass from the ground beside him. "In a broad sense, you're exactly right. But you're missing the specifics, and that's what's important in this game. What does it take to kill a pony? A blade to the throat? A spear through the chest?" Nightfury turned so he was facing Twilight and fixed her with his violet eyes, leaning forward. His voice dropped lower, and he sounded almost excited and conspiratorial. "What about a pinched artery to the heart, or a collapsed synapse in the brain? Maybe a ruptured vessel, some fried nerves? Ponies are such delicate creatures, Twilight, it truly doesn't take much at all to kill one. I am going to teach you ways, Twilight, ways you can kill without expending much more energy than lifting an ink laden quill. What truly matters isn't how much energy you can throw at your opponent, it's how you use it. For instance, take this stalk of grass." Nightfury took his hooves and bent the ordinary piece of grass in half, then straightened it back out. "Are you threatened by it?" "Uh, no?" "Of course not. It's not that threatening at all. But with the proper application of force...." His horn glowed purple for an instant, and the piece of grass shot from his hoof faster than the eye could follow and smacked into a tree several feet in front of them. All Twilight could see of where it hit was a tiny pale spot on the trunk, no bigger than the end of a quill. "Go, look closer." Twilight did as Nightfury asked. Kneeling down in front of the tree, Twilight saw that what she thought was merely a spot was in fact a hole, with only the very tip of the blade of grass sticking out. "It's just a small hole." "Indeed, it is just a small hole. But think, Twilight, how small are the neurons in the brain? How narrow are the valves of the heart? You can drop a building on a pony, but what really killed them was that one chunk of stone that hit them on the head hard enough to scramble those precious brain cells. That blade of grass is huge compared to them, and it just punched a hole in somepony's head more than large enough to kill them, with barely any effort on my part." Twilight looked back at the hole with an expression of horror as she belatedly realized the possibilities of what she had just been shown. "Do you feel threatened by it now?" "But... This is the kind of stuff assassins use! Why do I need to know stuff like this? I just need to learn how to fight!" "Aye, and that's what I'm teaching. You said it yourself, magic is like a muscle, and us Black Berets have spent years exercising our muscles to the max. You, exponentially less. You've used it a lot, yes, and are much stronger than most, but you still lack the brute force we can summon. You will have to fight like me, relying on being smarter than my opponent, rather than just bigger and more powerful. Besides, we also hope to keep you out of the thick of it, so the times when you will be forced to fight will hopefully be smaller enterprises. Now, I've told you the basics, now let's move on. See those rocks over there? Grab one and float it over here." Twilight looked at the small bank of pebbles indicated, and picked one up with her telekinesis. "Good. Now, see that branch down there, the one hanging low over the water? See that leaf near the bottom hanging down on the thin stem? Pretend it's a brain, and the leaf is the body. Try and hit the stem and clip it off, without hitting the leaf itself." Twilight squinted at her target, barely as big around as a strand of grass and nearly twenty yards upstream. She sent the pebble flying, and just like with her block of wood earlier, she managed to hit it dead on. The leaf fluttered around in the light breeze before falling into the stream. Both ponies were quiet as they watched the leaf as it floated towards them. Once it had passed, Nightfury smiled. "Congratulations, you just killed a pony. Easy, huh?" "But I didn't even throw it that hard. That would have caused a nice headache, probably even cut the skin, but that would never have made it through the skull." "It wouldn't have to." "How? The brain is surrounded by the skull." "The eyes are a wonderful weak spot. Soft and squishy, and have a nice fat nerve that goes through the skull and into the brain. If you have to kill with a minimum of force, it's the best bet." Twilight shivered again as the morbid thoughts paraded around her head. "I can see this is unnerving you, and I apologize, but you have to learn this." "It's fine, I just.... Never wanted to have to think like this." "None of us ever do, but we do what we have to." They spent the rest of the afternoon conversing over the various weaknesses of the body, and how to exploit them. Twilight was proficient in physiology, and so she was able to understand most of what Nightfury told her. After several hours of the most grisly learning Twilight had ever been through, the sun was creeping below the trees, casting them into long shadows. Nightfury went from telling Twilight new things to quizzing her over what she had learned. When she was able to answer all of his questions correctly, he stood. Twilight did as well, thinking they were about to head back to the cave, but Nightfury instead went to the side of the stream. Twilight heard him mutter under his breath. "I hate this part." "What part?" "Your last lesson of the day." Twilight was unsure of how to take this sudden change in character. Nightfury had gone from the relaxed mentor to tense and serious. "I have taught you much this afternoon, and you have learned much, but there is one last thing, something I can't really teach you, that you must experience to understand." "What's that?" "Have you ever used magic with the intention of harming another?" "Well, once, I guess, but it was kind of a desperate thing." "Tell me." "It was the night Axion attacked me, and the Berets rescued me. Before you arrived, I sent a magical spear at Axion. It wasn't really meant to hit her, just the Amaranth, but she caught it and threw it back at me, cutting off most of my wing." "So then, no, you've never used magic with the direct intent of harming or killing another?" "....No." "Well then." "I'm sorry?" Nightfury turned to Twilight, his gaze wise and deep, almost sad. "The one thing I cannot teach you, Twilight, is how it feels to willfully and intentionally attack another pony, to hurt them or kill them. With luck, you'll never have to experience that, but luck seems to have a bastard sense of humor as of late. All I can tell you is that if you do attack a pony, make sure you are in the right for it, and you have a damn good reason. You'll need that reason to console yourself later, when the regret sets in. It'll eat you alive if you let it, and I cannot allow you to succumb to that. It is a dark and lonely road, but one that can be avoided. If or when it happens, know that the Black Berets are here for you, as is Princess Luna. We have all been there, and we all know the pits of despair that follows your first fight. Talking about it is your best defense, especially with those who have been there before. Don't bottle it up, or you'll lose yourself into madness. I've lost a few friends that way." Twilight didn't know what to say, and so she said nothing, scuffing her hooves in the dirt as Nightfury turned back to the stream. "Now, it's time for your final test." Twilight looked up from the groove she was wearing in the ground with her left foreleg to see Nightfury lift a frog from the bank of the stream. He levitated it to a spot directly between them, and set it on the ground. It sat there, croaking idly. Twilight eyed it with confusion, and looked to Nightfury for answers. "It's a frog." "Yes. A frog, vibrant and alive. It has thoughts, it has a home, it has a life." "What about it?" "Kill it." "What!? Why?" "It's the best I can do to prepare you. This innocent little frog may not be a pony, but it's a living creature, precious in its own right. I want you to use the brain vessel trick I explained to you, and kill it. Don't worry, it won't feel a thing. This is another part of the Black Beret training. We usually use something bigger, like a badger or a large bird, but this will have to suffice." "No!" "Why not?" "This is cruel! I won't kill this innocent frog! He might even have a family waiting for him!" "So will the ponies we might have to eventually kill. They might just be hired goons from Axion, with no clue as to who hired them or why. All that we need to know is that they are opposing us, and will attack us if it's in their orders. You have to do this, Twilight. We have to know that you can fight if needed, that you can kill if you have to. We are embarking on a dangerous venture, Twilight, and we need to know that you will act when it is necessary." "I can't-" "No more words. Do it, or go back to the cave." Twilight sat and fumed for a minute, slowly going red in the face from the internal struggle. Nightfury turned back and watched the stream. Twilight knew that she couldn't get out of this, it was either pass or fail. She had never failed a test before, but this was something else entirely. Her internal argument raged on and on. Just do it! It's just a frog! No! It's an innocent little frog, it's done nothing wrong! It's just a simple little frog! There are so many more in the stream, this one probably won't even be missed! Frogs don't really have families anyway, they abandon their eggs as soon as they're laid! But killing for no reason is wrong! This is for a reason! If you can't do this, kill a little frog, can you kill a pony? If they are attacking me, maybe! Maybe isn't good enough! The situation has escalated way beyond the acceptable range of 'maybe' and you know it! I'm not a killer! Well, you might need to be! To catch a killer you have to be a killer yourself! Axion isn't a killer! She tried to kill you. Twilight growled deep in her throat as her consternation began to boil. She stared at the frog with a stare of malice and bottled rage at her inability to decide. The frog stared back and croaked vacantly, unaware that its life was in the hooves of this conflicted purple mare. Twilight wished that she could just avoid this entire thing, just to go hide under a rock until Axion was either dead or took over, but she knew she couldn't. She had to do this, here and now, to truly begin the path to retribution. This is on you, Axion. Twilight's horn glowed violet, and the frog let out a single feeble croak as it suddenly fell, lifeless. Twilight sank to the ground as if her skeleton disappeared, tears already in her eyes. "There! Are you happy!?" Nightfury turned at Twilight's hoarse voice, already scratchy from her exertion. "I will never be happy about taking life. But you passed, Twilight. Now come on, let's go get you some food." Twilight allowed herself to be lifted and led back to the cave. She could barely see from the tears blinding her eyes. When they arrived at the underground chamber, Twilight was lead to a spot near the fire, where she was allowed to collapse in tears. She was barely aware of the hushed whispers from the ponies in the cave, but when a bowl of food was put in front of her, she was very aware of her empty stomach. Still sniffling, she ate her food, not tasting it, simply going through the motions to satisfy her stomach. Afterwards, she pushed to bowl to the side and lay back down, staring into the fire, ignoring everything else, a tear falling from her eye every couple of minutes. She could hear some of the Black Berets talking nearby, but couldn't care less what they said. "What did you give her?" "A frog. I didn't think she could handle anything bigger." "Well, I'd say you were right. Somepony should go comfort her." "Not me, I'm terrible at that." "Why don't you go? You put her in this state in the first place." "No way. I doubt she even wants to see me at the moment. Winter, you go." "Why me?" "You're a mare, you're good at this emotional stuff." "Ugh. You guys are all so stereotypical." "What? I'm not wrong." "So? That doesn't mean you're right." "Well, it kinda does." "Whatever." Twilight heard another pony walk up beside her, but didn't move until a blanket was draped over her. She pulled it tight and looked up to see Winter, who settled down beside her. "Look, I know you've gotta be feeling pretty rough right about now. If you wanna talk, I'm here. I know how you feel, so just go ahead and tell me what's on your mind." Twilight sighed, and had to restrain more tears threatening to overrun her eyes again. "It was just a little frog, he did nothing wrong...." "I know, Twilight, but you gotta do what you gotta do. What if it were a spy, or a thug sent to get you? It would have felt nearly the same. I know it doesn't seem to make much sense, comparing a pony to a frog, but it does. The frog was alive, and now he's not. The best thing you can do is accept it was something you had to do, and move on. You've taken a large step, Twilight, one you can never take back, but trust me when I say that you learned an important lesson today, whether it feels like it or not." "It was just a little frog...." Despite her efforts, Twilight could feel the tears coming again, and nothing would deny them this time, leaning into Winter's shoulder, she cried and cried. Winter put a leg over Twilight's back, and rubbed her shoulders, comforting her despairing comrade in a time of need. Twilight buried her head under Winter's neck, sobbing her heart out, whispering the same dejected sentence over and over, as if it were a curse. "It was just a little frog....." "It was just a little frog....." "Just a little frog....."