//------------------------------// // Interlude: The Next Day // Story: The Mage's Jump // by Marvelous Cheshire //------------------------------// THE MAGES JUMP BY GENOSABER INTERLUDE: THE NEXT DAY (Location- Trace's house, Cornelia) The sound of birds chirping forced me from my sleep. With a groan, I opened my eyes to find Miss Sparkle mere inches away, sleeping soundly wrapped in my arms. I carefully got out of the bed, a blush forming and several small sparks popping around my body. Shaking my head to get my emotions under control, I grabbed a fresh change of clothes and headed for the bathroom. My bathroom was a simple set up, bathtub/shower, toilet, and sink, the only unique additions are the large glowing crystal on the ceiling, the the small incantation circle printed next to the door. I quickly activated the enchantment imbued in the circle, causing the coloration of the room to change slightly once the door locks. I quickly changed out of my pajamas and stepped into the shower, shivering slightly in the cold water. I had become used to it after my former mentor, an ice magus, decided to wake me every morning by dumping cold water on me and freezing it if I didn’t get up quick enough to stop her. After about twenty minutes, I got out and dried off, changing into my clean clothes, I exited the bathroom and headed back to my bedroom. Waking up Arcana this early is about as easy as extracting manticore venom without putting it to sleep first, so I opted to wake Twilight first. “Miss Sparkle, it’s time to get up," I said while giving her a light nudge. She shifted slightly before rising slowly. “Morning.” She yawned before replying. “Good morning.” “The bathroom’s open, come into the kitchen when you’re done, okay?” She nodded in response before slowly making her way to the bathroom, taking care to keep her injured foreleg off the ground. I headed into the kitchen and started boiling water for tea before getting out some eggs and hash browns for breakfast. Once the tea was ready, I went to Arcana’s room with a glass of cold water, opening the door, I muttered “watera” and levitated the water from the glass and over above my sister, fingers posed to snap and drop it on her. Arcana, time to get up,” I said. She mumbled something along the lines of “five more minutes.” I sighed and wait fived seconds before releasing my hold on the water, her jolt up and glare at me. “Yeah, I don’t think so. You have a meeting scheduled with your mentor to practice some higher level spells, and I’d rather not get on Cecilia's bad side. Now get dressed and come into the kitchen, breakfast is almost ready.” She grumbled in response but got up nonetheless, knowing that her mentor was not someone who took tardiness lightly. She entered the kitchen just as I set a plate of food down on the table, Twilight following shortly after, a smile on her face and her mane and coat looking much cleaner than before. “You're in a good mood, I take it the bath was to your liking?” “Definitely. Though I have a question, when I locked the door, everything changed to look like the bathroom back at the library, how is that?” Before I could respond, Arcana spoke up. “Trace put an enchantment on the room after we had some guests over who were, well, differently shaped than humans or elves, whenever someone locks the door, it takes on the appearance of their ideal design. He nearly fainted after he put it there too.” She snickered at my glare, making me to roll my eyes before placing a plate of food on the table in front of Twilight. “I believe you said that ponies are able to eat eggs, correct?” She nodded. “Then I hope you enjoy your meal. Arcana, you’d should probably get cleaned up, Cecilia would think you’re not taking your training seriously if you show up like that.” My sister quickly downed the last of her breakfast and tea before rushing to the bathroom. I shook my head and chuckled before turning back to Twilight. “Is there anything you’d like to do today, go out and see the city a bit?” She thought about it before nodding. “That sounds good, but could I see a book on the city, I’d like to learn about this world first?” I nodded before heading into the den and grabbing a book on the history of Cornelia from the shelf, just missing Arcana as she ran out the door on my way back. I passed the book to Twilight, who gave me a nod in thanks before turning her attention the the book. I glanced over at the calendar on the wall, noting that I should be getting an order I placed last week in today, a meeting with the council tomorrow, and the Autumn Winds Festival after that. I groaned at the idea of a meeting, having to sit and listen to a bunch of old mages, some of them nearing a hundred. At least Fei, Cecilia and Louis will be there, so I won’t be the only one under fifty. Checking the time, I saw that there's still about an hour before the city actually started getting active. After finishing my own breakfast, I headed back to my room and throw my robe on and check on Twilight. “You ready to go, if we head out now we won’t have to deal with to many people.” “Okay, I guess we can head out now, though I can’t decide on where to go first,” she said. I tapped my chin in thought before coming up with a few ideas. “Well, we could head to the park first, it’s pretty nice at this time, and we’d probably run into Arcana and Cecilia there. We could have lunch at the bakery, I need to talk to Fiona there anyway. Lastly, we can pay a visit to the library, if you’d like to that is.” At the mention of the library, the mare's expression brightened and she smiled. “That sounds great.” With that, I slipped my hat on and got Twilight onto my back before heading out the door. The walk to the park was, as predicted, uneventful. The only interesting thing was the strange sensation I got the second I walked out the door, but paid no mind due to my familiarity with the feeling. As we neared the park, I caught sight of two white blurs jumping about the area. I smiled and waited a few minutes before the blurs stop in front of me and Twilight, taking the form Arcana and a blonde female, her white robe different from my sister in that it didn’t have the red markings, and featured cat ears on the hood. The devout smiled and bowed, which I returned lightly. “Greetings Cecilia, I see that my sisters training is going well.” “Yes, she is progressing greatly in teleportation and protection spells.” Cecilia smiled before taking notice of the unicorn on my back. “This must be Twilight Sparkle, Arcana told me about you.” “Ah, yes. Twilight this is lady Cecilia Collins, high ranking devout of the order, and mentor of my sister. Cecilia, this is Twilight Sparkle, of Equestria.” Cecilia nodded her head in greeting. “A pleasure to meet you Miss Sparkle, my student has said several good things about you.” Twilight blushed at the compliment, but nodded nonetheless. “H-hi.” Cecilia smiled before turning to Arcana. “I believe we can call it a day. Trace if you’d be willing to help me give her a demonstration of expertise in teleportation.” I paused a minute in mock thought before nodding. “Yeah, I don’t see why not.” I walked over to a bench and placed Twilight on it before stepping into place in front of Cecilia. we both took a deep breath before saying “Warp” and blurring from existence, reappearing a second later in the air, and vanishing again. We did this for what feels like hours, keeping in perfect sync with one another. we finally returned to our starting positions, panting a bit, but smiling all the same. “That. Was. Incredible!” Arcana exclaimed from her seat. Twilight just stared, mouth hanging open as her brain tried to comprehend what she just witnessed. “You just teleported two hundred and forty times without stopping once,” She finally said, making both me and Cecilia blink. “You... counted?” She nodded, making Cecilia's jaw drop. “Well, I think that's enough for one day, Arcana I’d like you to come with me to the library to study.” My sister nodded before waving goodbye to me and Twilight and running off to catch up to her mentor. “Ready to head to the bakery, I Could use something to eat after that workout?” “Okay,” Twilight said, climbing onto my back as we headed toward the market district. We reached the bakery with only a few stares from several shoppers, most of them directed at me because, well, black mages aren’t the most trusted group in the world. The bakery was empty, not even anyone behind the counter. As soon as we took a seat in one of the booths, a female with light pink tinged hair wearing a bakers outfit popped up out of nowhere, making Twilight jump slightly and myself smirk at her appearance. “Hey Trace, didja hear?” she asked in an overly chipper tone, making me raise an eyebrow. “Grand summoner Isaac stopped in earlier, he said they're going to summon Bahamut for the closing ceremony at the festival.” This made my jaw drop. “Are you serious Fiona?” She nodded. “Well that will be quite a sight, though it is the two hundredth anniversary of the defeat of Chaos, such an event would be fitting for the occasion.” I glanced over at the various baked goods before making up my mind. “I have an apple pie, a slice of cheesecake, and a coffee. Miss Sparkle, anything you would like?” “An apple fritter, please.” Fiona disappeared behind the counter, before reappearing a minute with our order. We both say “thank you” before digging in, Fiona pulled out a bagel and sat next to me. I waited till I finished the cake before speaking up. “Would mind explaining why your shadow spy has been following me all day Fei?” At the mention of her other name, baker tensed up, her face darkening and her tone losing all emotion. “I was simply curious about your recent house guest, my lord.” She replies standing up and putting her dishes into the sink. Twilight blinked at the sudden change and looks at me for an explanation. I sighed and rubbed my forehead before speaking. “Miss Sparkle, this is Fiona Wylder, more commonly known in the Order as Fei, my second in command and the current fangblade, an assassin in the Black Circle.” Twilight eyes widened and she stared at the assassin warily, I could already feel Fei reaching for her knives. “Fei, put the fucking knives away, she isn’t a threat, Miss Sparkle I promise you Fei won’t hurt you, I won’t allow it, the knowledge of her true identity is too important.” They both relaxed slightly, though Twilight still seemed a little tense. “I apologize Miss Sparkle, I’ve been a little on edge concerning the meeting tomorrow, but that is no excuse for my behavior, I promise I mean no harm toward you.” Twilight relaxed a bit more at this, and Fei turned her attention to me. “We both have our secrets my lord, you have just as much to lose if anyone found out that mark on your back.” I tensed visibly at this, my eyes narrowing and my voice becoming cold as ice. “You tell anyone about that and I swear..” She put up a hand to stop me. “I know my lord, I was making a point, I know how intent you are on keeping that a secret, not even your family knows.” I sighed and relaxed my body. Rubbing my temples to calm myself down. “You mentioned something about the meeting, what did you hear.” My assistant sighed before pulling out a stack of papers. “It seems some of the members of the order feel you’re not cut out for the title of archmage, as you have yet to take the exam to become a magus,” she continued. I snorted at this and took a sip of my drink before speaking. “So because I don’t know a few spells and lack a title, I don’t have what it takes to be the archmage. Besides, Isaac, Cecilia and Louis are on our side, so we have nothing to worry about.” “I know my lord..” I stopped her for a moment, she realized why before continuing. “I know Trace, but this is not the first time this has happened. What if, at some point, they manage to get enough backing, what are we going to do then.” I sighed and rubbed my forehead, a headache already forming. “If it comes to it, I’ll take the damn exam and become a magus.” “Um, if you don’t mind me asking, why is becoming a magus such a bad thing?” Twilight asked, bringing my attention back to her. “Simply put, becoming a magus would mean giving up who I am. I have to give myself up to my magic completely, embracing destruction and forgoing healing. Mastering the most powerful black magic spells there are. The only way I would be able to stay who I am is through constant mental training, I would rarely see Arcana, and would always be in fear of losing control.” Twilight just stared, trying to wrap her head around why someone would want to become like that. I finished my food and stand up, helping Twilight onto my back. “Thank you Fei, I see you at the meeting.” She nodded and bid me and Twilight goodbye, and we made our way to the library. The library is the second largest building in the city, beaten only by the cathedral that the order operates from. It was originally a castle, but was changed after the last kings daughter helped form the order. Twilight stared in awe at the massive building, only a few people moving around today. I instead focused on the the statue in front of the building, taking note of the four figures standing together. At the top left, a man in heavy armor holding a large sword, Lord Arthur Williams, the first fangblade. Next to him, another man in fine clothes pointing a rapier in front of him, Damian Collins, known for building peaceful relationships with other lands. Below him and figure in the trappings of a black mage, known as Zero, founder of the Black Circle. The final figure is the most recognizable to me, a woman in the a hooded robe, hammer in hand and a determined look on her face, Sera Reinhart, high priestess of the Order, my grandmother. “Who are they?” Twilight asked. “The Light warriors, the four heroes that defeated Chaos. The only one of them still alive is the woman, my grandmother. She was turned to stone for a hundred years by a Chaos seed and didn’t get out till about seventy years ago.” Twilight's eyes widened at this, looking between me and the statue. She opened her her mouth to speak before- “Kweh!” A sudden noise startled us, making me turn to the new arrival. A large yellow bird stared back at me, their rider laughing his ass off at our shock. The rider, a young man wearing clothes similar to the statue of Damian, colored red with a gold trim, an elegant sword on his belt, fell off the chocobo, taking several minutes before ceasing his laughter and picking himself up. “Sorry about that Trace, couldn’t resist,” the man said as he reached into the bag strapped to the bird. “Glad you had a laugh Louis, nearly gave me heart attack though.” “Don’t be so dramatic, if it were that easy, you’d have died years ago,” Louis said pulling a book out of his bag. “I came by to give you that book you had me look for, you weren’t at your house and-” his eyes locked on Twilight and he blinked. “Oh, and who is this?” he asked with a smile. I took the book and slipped it into my robe. “This is Miss Twilight Sparkle, A being from Equestria, she’s staying at my house until my grandmother can return from her mission and perform the ritual.” “Hello Miss Sparkle, a pleasure to meet you. My name is Louis Allens, red wizard of the Order,” he said with a bow. “Uh, hello,” Twilight said hesitantly. Louis smiled before jumping onto the chocobo and turning around to head off. “I would love to stay and chat, but I have a rather busy schedule. I’ll see you at the meeting Trace, take care.” I waved at him and smiled. “Likewise.” I turned back to the library and headed inside, hearing a gasp at the sight. Bookshelves are placed everywhere, rising up to the ceiling and stuffed with books of all subjects. I moved to a circular table with a glowing orb in the center of it and set Twilight down. “Any subject you’d like to start with?” “The history of this world and a few books on magic would be nice.” I nodded and touched the orb, it glowed for a second before a book slid out of it, floating over to Twilight, the process repeated until about fifteen books laid in front of her. She smiled and nodded in thanks before delving into the first one. I smiled and sat down by her, opening the book Louis gave me. After after five hours I closed my book, having already read it twice. I glanced over at Twilight and found her focussed entirely on her reading. I tapped her on the shoulder and pointed toward the large clock on the wall behind me. “Library’s closing up soon, if you want, I can check these out to you and return them later.” She nodded and climbed onto my back. We checked some of the books out at the desk and headed home to find Arcana laying on the couch, barely awake. “Tough day?” “After we left the park, Cecilia made me study nonstop for three hours before we went to the training room, where she made me practice my shield spell while other mages took shots at me. I’m tired, sore, and hungry, can you please make dinner now?” I chuckled and nodded, putting Twilight and the books down before fixing dinner. We ate in relative silence, the only conversation being Twilight asking me a few questions from the books. After dinner, we made our way to our rooms, Twilight choosing to share my bed again. As I grab a shirt from the dresser Twilight spoke up. “Trace?” “Yeah?” I said looking over at her. “Um, what did Fei mean when she mentioned a mark?” I frowned slightly and glanced at the door. “Promise me you’ll never tell Arcana about this.” She did, and I took off my shirt and moved my hair out of the way, giving Twilight a view of the marking on my back, a black lightning bolt, stretching from between my shoulders to the small of my back. “This mark is called the blessing of Ramuh, a mark given by the god of lighting. I keep my hair long to help prevent anyone from seeing it if I’m not wearing a shirt. The reason I keep it a secret is because I’m not meant to have it. If anyone on the council found out I had this despite never becoming a magus, who are the only people meant to have this, I could be stripped of my rank and, worst case scenario, put on trial for breaking old law. I never chose to have this, it appeared when my magic first started to developed. The only people who know of it besides Fiona were my parents and Laura. All because I’m not a magus, even if I never performed the ritual to get it, I could be thrown jail, and my grandmother would be unable to help me. All because I refuse to give up my humanity.” I slumped down on the bed and felt Twilight wrap her forelegs around me. Turning my head, I saw her giving me a sad smile. “It must be hard keeping this from your own family.” I sighed and nodded. “It is. Thank you Miss Sparkle, you’ve been kind to me, and for that I’m grateful.” I looked at the clock, noting the time. “I suppose we should going to sleep, I have a meeting tomorrow and you’ll be spending the day with Arcana.” She nodded and yawned, laying down under the covers. I laid next to her, wrapping my arms around her like this morning. She tensed for a moment, but eventually relaxed and in minutes shes asleep, myself following shortly after.