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// Shattered Glass (Prologue)  
// Story: The Mutation Magic: Chemical Magi 
// by Ghij of Prophecy 
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I truly envy those who live their lives with the belief that nothing can go wrong. That life will stay a peaceful sanctum, truly silent of all evils that exist only in lore.

Although I do admire their ignorance, I’m not stupid. All kinds of evil has touched the ground and flown through the sky. These past many years have been rough, with panic spreading as a new foe arises only to be taken down a notch by the force that is magic; the all-giving lifeblood that is the power of this world. 

While it has done an amazing job at taking care of villainy of different shapes and sizes, it has also done a magnificent job at keeping my eyesight aloft. A mishap with the new-found chemical found within this world had caused my eyes to malfunction. Now, they didn’t melt or disappear or anything of the sort, but they did, as I said, malfunction. My eyesight completely disappeared and my eyes had changed from a supple brown to an extremely vibrant purple. My pupils had lost all their shine and looked as if they were sucking in the light itself. 

This was all during a classroom experiment. The chemicals had been found deep in the crystal mine near the bustling city of Canterlot, a few months after the whole Changeling fiasco. There were more secrets to be held within the ancient gems than the Princesses had realized. While they had been kept in the dark, being underneath the ground and whatnot, after coming in contact with so much magic that Princess Cadence and Princess Twilight had stored, they had begun to leak a magical liquid that the Princesses had named Magi, the very essence of Magic. 

Months of studying the chemical brought forth the conclusion that it was safe enough to be used in experiments. It took some ‘formal pleading’, as Princess Twilight called it, to allow schools all across Equestria to make use of these experiments in order to broaden the education of children everywhere. My school was one of the first to receive the news, and the staff were overjoyed that they had new material to teach. It was a few weeks before the shipment actually arrived, so everypony, students and teachers alike, had to wait to fiddle with their new liquid.

There were rumors about it feeling ‘Softer than a cloud, but heavy enough to weigh a cart down.’ 

I was sitting beside my newly assigned lab partner, Sweetie Belle, and I was barely hanging onto my seat. I had always had a joy of learning, but I never really had a hands-on experience with the material that Ms. Cheerilee had taught us. Now, though, I was able to actually learn while I handled my work. 

Now, Magi isn’t something to be taken lightly. It can do unimaginable things to your mind, as well as your body. Many had tried to use it as one would with illegal drugs, but their records had to be kept secret. This danger was averted by the casting of a certain spell. During the testing, Princess Twilight was to be kept up with detailed information. Often, she took part in the studying along with the experts. 

Through thorough testing, she deducted that a spell was needed to calm down the furious amount of magic that was dormant in the liquid. Her idea was opposed, that the prospect of using magic on magic would have no effect. They were proved wrong when she lit her horn, grabbed the chemical, charged it, and proceeded to dump it on herself. She was rushed to the Royal Infirmary, but any damage that was thought to have been done was non-existent. Further testing showed that her spell did manage to contain the destructive properties of Magi. 

With these moments in mind, all three Princesses declared that: With every batch of Magi, a skilled unicorn must be present to purify it before the schools could take it and use it. With Magi being so high in demand, the process of purifying the chemical was a busy one. 

This is where my story had begun.

A very tired unicorn by the name of Black Lash was in charge of purifying the Magi our class was supposed to be using. His pride had boosted at the thought of saving all of us from… whatever Magi did to a pony. He started to purify each dish of Magi in the classroom, enjoying the attention and admiration of the children. His horn would glow a dark black, almost as if it was the color of The Void, each time he would purify a dish. I had barely noticed that his magic and horn were only glowing a light gray as he purified mine; the last one in the bunch.

The experiment was a fairly easy one. I was supposed to move the liquid around with magic, while others that weren’t unicorns a spoon, and see if it changed in shape, color, or vibrancy. Sweetie Belle and I had to wait a long while, seeing as we were in the back of the room, for the others to do their experiments. Ms. Cheerilee was instructed to watch each and every experiment, and that meant one table at a time. Sweetie Belle and I had talked a little, but it was nothing more than idle chatting. We were both excited, as were our fellow classmates. 

It was about ten minutes before our experiment could start. Our dishes were prepared, nearly filled to the brim with Magi, and we were raring to go. My partner and I lit our horns and made a stir-like formation with our magic. Sweetie Belle dipped hers in first and began stirring. The Magi quickly changed color to the color of her magic. It began fizzing and bubbling, just as it had with the other experiments around the classroom. Excited, I allowed my aura to seep into the contents of the dish.

Not even I can recall what had happened next. 

I was told by the doctors that something had gone wrong with the experiment, and that I could no longer see. The Magi had not done anything harmful to my eyes, but it had taken away my ability to see. Nothing was damaged, but the chemical was literally sucking that power away from me. It had something to do with the powerful magic that it was constructed of, and the effect it had when it combined with my magic pool. It had changed the color of my magic along with the color of my eyes.

I was magically altered. Just one little dish of Magi contains enough arcane power to change somepony’s form, not unlike the magic used to turn Twilight into an Alicorn. While it had changed me, I felt no different. There was no pain, except for the throbbing in my horn. I chalked it up to magical whiplash. No amount of medicine or magical examination could reverse the damage. I was told by many that I must have been careless and pushed out too much magic, or that I did it wrong for attention. Oh, there was so much hate towards me. I found it strange that I was being scolded and harassed by strangers. It was near this time that I was relocated to Canterlot to be treated by the best doctors that could be found.

Another three agonizing, sightless weeks churned on before I was reported to the Princesses. They had taken an interest to my situation, especially Princess Twilight. Being the Element of Magic she was, her curiosity was not sated with reports on how I was coping. She had demanded that she visit me, to ask questions and try and find a cure. I had told her that I didn't know what happened, and that Black Lash had purified the Magi on every table before we started. She left and contacted the unicorn in question. With no help, and a limitless amount of apology from the stallion, she questioned each individual that was in my class that day. One very attentive young mare had actually noticed the lack of color in Black Lash’s horn that day, but she had thought he was just showing off and went with it. Black Lash was taken into questioning a few days later. He admitted that he may have let his ego, and lack of sleep, get the better of him. With this information, Princess Twilight made an extra effort to see me often.

With a few more visits from Princess Twilight, she had begun working on a cure. It was not something to be injected or ingested, but it was something I had to train to overcome. Think of it as a ‘Magical Therapy.’ I was to cast a spell that was used on blind ponies to help them see, but it had to have a few modifications. A few tips from the Element of Magic herself later and I could regain my sight in spurts. Like I had said, it would require some training. I had daily and hourly exercises that required things like: Continuous magic use, lifting heavy objects, and physical exertion. 

Ten years later and it felt like nothing had changed.

I was using magic during every passing second to keep my eyesight spell active and it took no effort whatsoever. I was able to keep the color of magic from surrounding my horn, which made me look at least a tad normal, and I had developed a muscular body from all the exercise of training. I adapted to using glasses as a conversation burner. When I was asked how I was able to see again, after such a horrible experience, I told them that my glasses were enchanted to let me see. Some ponies even went so far as to take them off to see if I was telling the truth or not. I had to fake being blind more times than I could count. 

I was old enough to leave my parent’s home and find my own, as well as a job. My parents lived on the outskirts of Ponyville near the Everfree Forest. I had my bags packed, dragging them behind me with magic, and my valuables in my saddlebags.

I said my good-byes to my parents, giving each of them a hug and a kiss on the cheek, and started on my journey. 

I had a train waiting to go to Canterlot, a scholarship to Princess Celestia’s School for Gifted Unicorns, and I was raring to get settled in.

My life was starting to pick up, and I was ready to lift it.