//------------------------------// // Chapter 8 - Defense against the Dark Arts of Magic // Story: Bloodline // by Haseo //------------------------------// Bloodline Chapter 8 – Defense against the Dark Arts of Magic Sparks of lavender magic raged around Twilight's horn as she cleaned the traces of the disaster that occurred in her own home. Light Chaser tried to take a peek at her face, but a shadow hung over her eyes and hid her emotions in front of him. The traces of blood disappeared from the ground and windows repaired themselves under the influence of Twilight's magic. Small sobs escaped her lungs while she levitated Spike's torn body from the floor into a small wooden coffin. She had crafted it out of his favorite sleeping basket and a few pieces of wood. Only a few steps parted her from the pike and Spike's head. It required all of her will to take the head off. It was a disgusting sound when the little head plopped of the pike. A stream of blood splashed to the ground and made everything in reach dirty again. Twilight wanted to cry so badly. But she knew that Light Chaser was still around. She couldn't begin to cry now, Twilight had to show strength in the face of the enemy. Light Chaser carefully closed the distance to Twilight. He wanted to comfort her so badly but couldn’t find the right words. Even though he didn't know what to say, Light Chaser laid his hooves gently on Twilight's shoulder. “I'm sorry for your loss, Twilight. I can't really know what is going on inside your mind right now. But I will try my best to help you to overcome his death. I only knew him for a couple of days, but you have known him probably the majority of his life. Tell me if there is anything I can do for you.” Between her sobs and tears, Twilight managed to force a small weak smile towards the genuinely honest pegasus. “You can do exactly one thing to make me happy, Light Chaser.” He pressed his body against Twilight's and waited patiently for her bid. Twilight hesitated for a short moment, but the silence shouldn't last for long. “The only thing that you have to promise me, is that you will do everything I say. When I tell you to run, you will run. And when I tell you to leave me behind, you will leave me. None of them shall get you. You are simply not allowed to die. Do you understand me?” Light Chaser's heartbeat increased. He couldn't believe what Twilight wanted from him today. Something inside his mind was fighting against that kind of thought, but he gave in and nodded at the struggling alicorn. “Yes, I will do as you command. You only want to protect me.” Twilight dried her tears and put Light's hooves carefully down. “Alright. I need to teach you how to defend yourself against the kind of magic you had to encounter at Fluttershy's cottage. Please go upstairs and bring me all books about dark magic that you can find, while I get rid of this pike.” The crystal pegasus' response was of no words. He simply nodded gently and went upstairs. Twilight was all alone in the newly constructed library room. She channeled all of her dark feelings from deep within her heart and concentrated it upon her horn. Pure darkness surrounded Twilight's horn. For a short moment, Twilight let go and vaporized the pike into thin air. Nothing could have withstood the power of Twilight's rage against Spike's murderer. Twilight let the emotions go and freed her mind from all bad things. There was still no trace of Light Chaser. So she decided to take a look at the letter that Spike received just before he died. Twilight broke the seal and read over the characters. My beloved Twilight., I have some terrible news to tell. After you asked me for more information about Light Chaser, I personally took a look deeper into the archives of the Crystal Empire. There was only a little information about Light Chaser himself, but a few information about your second question. Once there lived many different kinds of Ponies in the Crystal Empire. But when King Sombra came to power he organized a genocide and killed every single pegasus and unicorn that lived inside the border of his land. However, his joy didn't last for long. The recordings counted a few months only normal crystal ponies, but at one day a new species appeared on the inhabitant list. It was a crystal pegasus. His name was Light Chaser. I think it would be a good idea to come here along with Light Chaser. Here he could see where his parents lived. As soon as I learn more about him or King Sombra's intentions behind the genocide, I will let you know. I'm awaiting you at my castle in the near future. In love, Princess Cadence Twilight quickly burned the letter when she heard Light's careful steps. On top of his back was a pile of books. He let them slide from his back and shot Twilight a questioning glare. “I've collected every book in sight that might have something do to with dark magic. But I'm afraid that most of these books are telling about the usage or at least about the magical defense against the dark arts. Stuff that requires a horn, it is Nothing that could help me to protect myself.” Light Chaser watched the books hover in the air. They swirled around Twilight's head, it seemed like she was reading them all at the same time. He watched her in awe until she spoke to him again. “You're right. Every book inside this library that concerns dark magic was written for unicorns. So we have to handle this situation differently. Magic is pure willpower channeled through a unicorn’s horn. Every living being is in some way magical, so it is just a matter of using your very own willpower to defend yourself against the influence of another pony. Or in other words... I will teach you to defend yourself by using dark magic against you.” Twilight looked stern and free from emotions. Spike's death suppressed all of her emotions. Light Chaser doubted the rationality of Twilight's decision, but she was the only pony he could really trust. “Please be gentle, Twilight. I trust you, so please don't hurt me.” The alicorn laid her hoof upon his shoulder. For a second, she was silent. But her voice rose together with a stinging pain inside his head. The crystal pegasus sank to the ground and struggled in pain. Twilight's eyes followed his movements carefully. “You have to withstand. I'm only using a small part of my magic, but you are already unable to move. It may sound like a bad idea, but you have to concentrate upon the pain. The exact place where the pain is the strongest is the place where the connection between you and the user of the dark magic is built. If you try to distract yourself, than the dark magician gets enough space to rule over your mind. But if you concentrate enough on the source, you might be able to push the other pony away.” Light Chaser struggled under the influence of Twilight's magic. Every time he managed to push the alicorn a little bit back, Twilight increased the intensity of her magic. It felt like a never-ending period of pain. Light Chaser's sight blurred. Twilight noticed the faint gray haze in his eyes and instantly stopped the flow of magic. The connection broke loose. For the first time in minutes, the crystal pegasus was free of pain. He struggled to keep his balance. Never before had he felt so light-headed and poor of tension in his body. Twilight followed his wavering movements, always ready to catch him. But Light Chaser's stance wasn't the one to fail. He didn’t wince and stared into Twilight's eyes. For the very first time they didn't show any kindness. The feelings that mirrored in her purple eyes was much darker. It was hatred. Not pointed towards him, but at the ponies who killed Spike. The only wish that raced through Twilight's mind was to let the ponies who killed her little Spike pay, and she wanted to achieve this through the help of Light. Even if he had to struggle under her iron lead. Twilight snorted. She lit her horn up and let her magic flow through Light Chaser. The feeling began like the last one, but instead of a stinging pain, there was a gentle stroke. It felt relaxing and mended his mental wounds. Light Chaser felt renewed and had more energy than ever before. But before he could respond to Twilight, she interrupted him. “Listen, we have to do this a lot of times before you will be able to resist me. If you are able to resist alicorn magic, you can resist any magic of this world. You wouldn't have to fear anything from this point on. Are you ready for a second round?” Light Chaser only managed to nod weakly. The stinging pain returned to his mind. It was stronger than before. He could almost feel Twilight's presence in his thoughts. For a second time, he forced all of his power again the influence of Twilight's magic. But nothing seemed to happen for quite a while. It got harder and harder for him to maintain the state of concentration. Once more his sight blurred. The alicorn in front of him became a single lavender blob. His thoughts only concentrated upon the source of pain inside his mind. All of his senses faded away except his thinking about Twilight. He fought and struggled but quickly he had to learn that there was no way to win against the powerful magical being. Even though Twilight restored Light's strength, the crystal pegasus began to waver. This time, Twilight decided to hold her grip upon his mind tight. Light's steps became bigger. He stumbled from the right to the left and back. His muscles shouldn't take this torture any longer. They gave in and crumbled under his weight. His back legs gave in first and let him fall backward against a little side table. The wooden furniture met the ground and caused a loud startling noise, followed by a second, more distant one. Twilight loosened the connection and let go of him. Light Chaser lay on the ground and breathed heavily. Slowly, his eyes wandered upwards and searched for Twilight. “How many times do we have to do this? I don't think that I will be able to take it anymore.” Twilight didn’t look at him and passed him, heading for the door of the small broom-chamber in the close distance. “There was something else. I think somepony is here.” Light Chaser followed her quick steps with his eyes and witnessed how the alicorn tore the door apart. Her horn was brightly glowing and filled with anger. Light Chaser summoned all of his strength and crawled behind Twilight's legs. What his eyes found inside the broom-chamber wasn't any of Spike's murderers but a bubblegum pink mare who lay shivering in the corner. Twilight dropped the tension around her horn and dashed towards the mare. She pulled her into a tight hug and tried to comfort her. “Pinkie, it's okay. Everything is fine now. Why are you locked up inside here? What happened to you?” Pinkie Pie lay between different brooms and dust-swirls, barely able to move. She could form sentences between her gasps. “Twilight! I'm so sorry! I just wanted to prepare the party and then some mean ponies came into your home and smashed everything! Spike and I were in the backroom of the library so they didn't see us. Spike told me to hide and went forward himself. I just heard him shouting at them but then there was a loud noise and Spike wasn’t saying anything. I peeked through the lock-hole and saw what they did to Spike. I just didn't know what to do! I've never seen something like that before! I never even thought that somepony was able to do something that horrible!” Twilight wrapped Pinkie Pie inside her wings and spend her all the warmth she had to offer. Twilight's voice had a calming effect on the hyper mare in terror. “Shhh, Pinkie. Can you tell me what they exactly wanted? Did they say anything that might help us?” Pinkie Pie's yes rocketed back and forth. They crossed Twilight multiple times before they caught sight of Light Chaser. She pointed her hoof hesitantly at him. “Is this Light Chaser?” Twilight nodded weakly at her friend. Pinkie's eyes wandered back to Twilight. She gulped when she got the confirmation. “They asked Spike multiple times where he is. But Spike refused to tell them anything... so they got rid of him!” Her last words were more of a whimper than a clearly spoken sentence. Pinkie swung her hooves tighter around Twilight's neck. Once more, tears began to run down her cheeks. Inside her world of unconditional happiness, there was no space for comprehending death. Light Chaser eyed Twilight and Pinkie carefully. Various thoughts raced through his mind. One of them was the thought of guilt. Never before had he felt something like this, the certainty that another living being had to die because of his very existence. He got up to his hooves and stepped right next to them. It was more of a whisper than a statement, but he decided to speak to them. “Why shouldn't I go with them? There is nothing speaking against it... My father was defeated twice and I'm sure you'll be able to defeat him a third time. I don't know if I can help you to fight him, but I will do everything in my might to assist you.” Twilight loosened hr grip upon Pinkie Pie and turned her head slowly towards the crystal pegasus. His color has become even darker. When he was still asleep, Light was purely white, and when he awakened he turned gray and dull. Now, he seemed to be a darkish gray. Guilt and pain darkened his feelings. The alicorn eyed him for a second. “You can't be serious... One of us already died because he wanted to defend you, that's true. But that doesn't mean we have to surrender right away. Spike hasn't died for nothing! We have to stay strong in face of the upcoming danger! We have to inform the Princesses about this!” For the speck of a moment the library was cloaked in pure darkness. Lightning flashed in front of the windows and illuminated the room. A dark silhouette formed in front of their eyes. Twilight had to tilt her head up to look into the being’s face. Her graceful wings extended from her back. The beautiful etherneal mane of her flew in the nether of the stars. Her dark crown surrounded her horn while her blue eyes judged over Twilight. Light Chaser's eyes widened when he recognized the pony standing in front of him. It was the very pony who was mentioned in the book Twilight had shown him. Princess Luna had came to support them. Light Chaser's eyes were widely ripped open. The sight of the living Princess Luna was simply stunning. The stallion's heart began to race. Other ponies would misjudge this feeling as love, but Light Chaser knew about the true nature of this feeling. It was fear. Fear in front of the predator who had defeated his unloved father. No words escaped his mouth, even though endless possibilities were racing through his mind. Princess Luna's eyes wandered from pony to pony until they came to an halt upon Light Chaser. She looked deep into his blood-red eyes and sighed in relief. Twilight stepped forward. She couldn't even force herself to smile. Nothing could cheer her up at the moment. “Luna? What are you doing here? How could you know?” The Princess shook her head in a manner that resembled much that of her sister. She gave them a deep growl. It was full of sorrow and grief. “I'm very sorry, Twilight Sparkle. I’ve felt the light of Spike’s life fading, so I came as fast as possible. If we had known earlier, my sister and I would have tried everything to prevent this event from happening. You have my greatest condolences. But be certain, Spike's death won't be unatoned. We will find and destroy the culprits.” Twilight had never before felt a satisfaction at the mentioning of another pony suffering. The certainty that Spike's murderer will be found felt good to her. She got lost in her thoughts and forgot about the ponies around her. But the Princess didn't forget. Princess Luna looked only for a short moment at the terrified pink mare and went right on to Light Chaser. She eyed him carefully and watched the reflection in his eyes. It was filled with fear, clearly visible to her. Light Chaser's knees began to shake. He had never seen her before, but he felt so much ancient fear inside his heart. Princess Luna extended her hoof towards him and waited for him to react. But Light Chaser just stood there still stunned. Adrenaline rushed through his veins and paralyzed his muscles. Even his mouth refused to open correctly. “You... you are Princess Luna. I never thought I would meet you in person.” The crystal stallion bowed slowly down. His muscles still refused to move correctly. The Princess looked at him in awe. She couldn't understand the reason why he was so afraid of her appearance. She leaned down and tried to give him the most convincing smile possible, but Light Chaser didn't seem to trust her. He stared at her and looked her moves closely. Deep inside his mind were the noises resounding in the night his father has fallen for the first time. The memories of this particular day returned. The dazzling sound of lightnings flashing in the sky, followed by the ear-splitting sound of an alicorns magic. What followed after was silence. But it wasn't the lack of sound from the outside that disturbed him in this moment. It was the hoofsteps he heard in front of the door. The hooves stopped directly in front of the door. There it was again silence. Only the faint sound of a door gliding open was audible to him. Light felt the breath of the pony that came through the door. Something tugged gently at his blindfold and loosened the knot behind his ears. Until today, he couldn't remember the face of the other pony that entered the room. But now it was clear to him. The other pony that liberated him and helped to banish his father must have been Princess Luna’s older sister. Mixed emotions raced through his mind. He didn't understand why, but he felt a mix of grief for his father and gratefulness towards the Princesses. Light Chaser got back to his hooves and looked deep into Princess Luna’s eyes. He shot the Princess a smug grin and extended his hoof towards her. She grabbed it and shook it like she would do with a dear friend. “It is nice to meet you, Light Chaser.” He firmly bowed down to her. “I'm honored, Princess of the Night. Maybe you want to assist us in my spell resisting training?” Princess Luna's eyes widened in shock. Her gaze shot over to Twilight. “Twilight Sparkle! How could you try to teach a non-unicorn something that hard? It is impossible to teach a pegasus to resist mind-control spells!” Twilight awoke from her stasis. Still in shock from the events before, her brain short-circuited. “I would bet you’ve never even tried before! We are making progress! You are wrong!” Princess Luna bit her teeth and snorted loudly in scorn. “Very well, Twilight Sparkle. We don't have the time to fight a senseless fight. I will retreat to Canterlot Castle and indicate further measures. We will meet each other soon again.” With this words the Princess disappeared in a flash of magic. Twilight was furious in her pure anger, a dangerous idea brewing inside of her head. “So only a being that is in possession of magic can resist, huh?”