//------------------------------// // Origins Pt. 3 // Story: Anima Mea Tenebre // by Nixus //------------------------------// "And once you have built up enough magic pressure, you can release the spell with enough force to blow through almost anything!" Twilight watched with fascination as the instructor gestured to a series of metal plates at the side of the classroom. She wasn't large by any means, but the pair of white wings in her back gave her a larger profile. Twilight recalled from an brief mention by Dante in one of the few cases he actually answered, that those like the teachers race were called Celestian's: the angelic counterparts to Dante's own race. Her blue eyes scanned the room filled with students, almost as bright as her curly blonde hair. They seemed to shine even brighter when a line hand shot up. "Yes?" Dante rose from his seat and stood tall as the rest of the class stared at him. He didn't seem to mind and ignored their judgemental eyes. "Ms. Pahne, would there not also be danger in doing that? If you contain that much power for that long, wouldn't it run the risk of destabilizing or causing a backlash if you were attacked?" An almost inconceivably huge smile grew on Ms. Pahne's face at Dante's question. "Yes Dante, that is correct. The accumulation of magic within a single point poses an inherent risk. Should you be attacked or your concentration be disrupted, the magic flow will be disrupted. In this case, you could cause your staff to destroy itself from the sheer pressure. It is also possible that the magic would try to return to the body in one giant mass. Should this occur, you will most likely die from the sensory overload." She then smiled in an attempt to defuse the tension in the air from that statement. "But do not worry, this is why you are here. We will be covering proper concentration later in this year. Now if you-" The chime of the class bell and the following chatter of the class drowned her out. All of the students practically bull rushed the door in an effort to get out of the classroom. They ignored the teacher as she called out to them, focusing solely on whatever was outside. Twilight followed them through the door and watched as they crowded around a small stand with numerous glowing buttons. She watched as the crystal in its centre displayed a series of numbers when the students pressed the individual buttons. Some jumped for joy after reading their numbers while others took on expressions of disbelief or looked as though they were going to cry. One by one, each took their turn at the station and read their reports until the line eventually reached Dante. “Okay, let’s see how I did,” he whispered under his breath. Twilight watched as his shaky hands typed on the keyboard. He held his breath as the display popped up and his eyes quickly scanned over the entire chart. His mouth slowly curled into a smile before bursting out into an elated grin. “Ninety-three percent! That would mean…” he mumbled a few numbers as he began to count on his fingers. “That would mean I’m in the classes' top three!” Twilight laughed as she watched Dante pump a fist while being congratulated by one of the few classmates that hadn’t been staring at him with suspicion. Others ignored him, too concerned with their own scores. Then there was the one who sought to harass him. "Not bad, loser!" Ersa shouted loudly as she wrapped an arm around his neck. Dante's grin turned to a frown as he struggled to move. "A ninety-three? Who are you trying to impress, nerd?" He managed to pry her arm from around his neck. "Oh really? Then why don't we see how much better you did!" A few button taps revealed a new screen and one more brought the image to display on the entire wall. The final score was obscured though, blocked from Twilight’s vision by the mass of students. She and her guide watched as Ersa’s face quickly became as red as her hair. As she looked away many of the other students began to murmur while others laughed quietly. That laughter became louder as more and more students joined in, prompting Ersa to hang her head in embarrassment. Twilight only cringed as she managed to catch a glimpse of the score on the wall. A low of only twenty-two… "Wow, did she actually try to fail?" "I didn't think anyone could score that low..." "What an idiot!" Twilight shook her head at the sight, recalling a few bullies she had seen back in school. She didn't like bullies herself, but fighting them with their own methods wasn't an option she agreed with either. “Was he always this vindictive?” Twilight asked when she turned towards the guide. “This makes Dante seem like kind of an flankhole.” He shook his head. “One can only be pushed so far until they finally lash back.” “But still, don’t you think he may have gone a little far with publicly embarrassing her?” “It’s not my place to judge, but does he seem to be enjoying his victory to you?” Twilight looked back to Dante and quickly understood the meaning of his message. The triumphant grin she had expected to be on Dante’s face was instead a frown of shame. There was obviously little to be proud of in the situation and it was only made worse when Ersa ran from the crowd in tears. The sight of her crying from what he had done pushed him to try and follow her. He obviously knew he had gone too far and he looked determined to try and fix his mistake. The vision in turn, followed him as he ran after her, weaving through the halls and past groups of other students rudely standing in the middle of the halls chatting. They only halted him momentarily, but it was enough that he lost sight of Ersa. Twilight continued to watch as he groaned in disappointment. He kept searching throughout the school, checking empty classrooms, hallways, corners, and stairwells, to no avail. Ersa had evaded him and Dante could only feel the shame well up within him. The entire scene was beginning to really take its toll on him as Twilight saw. While she never had done anything close to this, she couldn’t help but contemplate how far he was going to go for this. Then the sound of hushed sobs allowed him to get back on the trail. He turned around and faced the opening to the last unchecked stairwell. Both he and Twilight peered around to see the girl sitting on the stairs, crying into her hands. She looked up and back at him as he approached. "What do you want?" she hissed with narrowed eyes. "Come to finish were you left off?" "Well... I-" "Spit it out!" "I wanted to say I'm sorry. I wasn't thinking and I was just tired of you bullying me," he explained with a slight insecurity in his voice. Twilight couldn't blame him for his hesitance, Ersa cut an imposing figure when she was angry. "So embarrassing me and making everyone think I'm some sort of retard was your way of getting back at me?" she shouted back at him, fresh angry tears in her eyes. She even went so far as to grab him by the shirt and lift him up. "A stupid 'I'm sorry' isn't gonna cut it. My reputation is ruined because of you." "Then let me help you," he replied forcefully, trying to tear her hands off of him. "I can teach you what you need to know. Maybe that way I can make it up to you. Does that sound good?” “Why would you want to help me?” “Maybe I feel genuinely sorry for what I did?” he said, exasperation rife in his voice. “Maybe I think you could actually do better with my help, and that there’s more to the person than someone who likes picking on me? How does that sound?” “You think you can help me?” she asked, still obviously unsure of his sudden offer of goodwill. "Why should I trust you?" "Do you really have any other options? I'm third in class rankings, I doubt you’ll get a chance to have someone else teach you that has my grades. Then again, how many have ever offered you to do so before?" "Fair point," she said with a shrug before she dropped him suddenly. Dante fell roughly onto the ground and Twilight cringed as he groaned. He tenderly rubbed his back which had taken the brunt of the fall. Ersa in the meantime had extended her hand and helped Dante back to his feet. “Fine, but I have one condition.” She grinned before slapping Dante on the back and knocking him onto his front. “We are going to have to work on making you a bit stronger. I can’t be seen with someone who can’t keep up with me physically.” Twilight listened to her guide chuckle at the exchange. She tilted her head and watched as he turned to her. It felt as though he were looking into her very soul and weighing her constantly. "She is much like your friend, Rainbow Dash, isn't she?" he asked. "So brash and overconfident." Twilight grew confused at his suggestion. "How do you know Rainbow Dash?" "I know much about you and your friends, Twilight." His reply was short, but she was able to pick out the amusement in his voice. "What Dante sees, I also see. What he feels, I feel. What he learns, I build upon. There is little he does without me knowing." "So you spy on him?" "In a sense yes, and also no. I merely observe his actions. My motives are simply in the hopes that he chooses the right path in life, nothing more. I have been doing this since the day he first opened his eyes. He does not know of my presence, but I am always there with him." "But why?" Twilight asked. "Why do you need to survey him constantly?" "Because it is something I owe him, and the world." "Then if you've seen this before, what happens next?” He simply smiled and with a tap of his staff, Twilight watched as dozens of floating images arranged themselves along a starry pathway. Each depicted a moment in Dante’s life that he had shared with Ersa. It started out as she thought it would have, with Dante attempting to teach Ersa and the girl unable to grasp the lesson. She cringed as the girl then tossed the table in her frustration. It then shifted to the reverse with Ersa tossing Dante over her shoulder as she trained him roughly. "The beginning of their friendship may have started on rough ground, but their animosity for each other eventually disappeared," the guide said with amusement as Dante was tossed around again. Images kept coming and going as the two of them continued down the path, showing what seemed like the same image on repeat. To Twilight it only seemed like Dante was trying to frustrate her with his teaching and she was simply returning the favour each time she beat him during their spars. But while it looked bad, Dante seemed to take no mind. In fact, the two seemed content when they were together. One image stood out to here amongst the rest. It showed Ersa and Dante resting at the base of a large tree, taking shelter in the shade. Ersa picked at the grass restlessly while Dante had his nose in book, looking content while scanning the pages. Twilight could even make out the hushed noises of the two while she watched. "Hey, Dante?" Ersa said as she flipped onto her back. "Can I ask you something?" Dante closed his book and looked down at Ersa who shifted so that her head was in his lap. "Go ahead, I'm listening." "What do you see yourself doing after all this?" "You mean after school?" "Yeah, what do you want to do after you're done here? Adventurer? Dungeon archaeologist? Monster Zoologist?" “Zoologist?” Dante chuckled as he looked at his book before turning to Ersa once more. "I’ll tell you, but you’re going to have to promise not to laugh." Ersa nodded as she rested her hands on her stomach and closed her eyes. Dante sighed as he placed his book to the side, taking a moment to rub his eyes. "After all of this is done, I want to be a teacher." A teacher? Twilight thought to herself until a feeling in her chest gave her pause. She smiled slightly as she imagined Dante at the head of a classroom of children. The thought also made her feel guilty. This was one of Dante’s hopes and dreams. It was something he would have shared with her if he wanted to. Yet she was there either way and if it weighed on her mind too heavily, she could always talk to him about it another time. A small snort came from Ersa and Dante frowned as she smiled. She got up from his lap and looked to him with a small grin. "Out of every job these schools can give you, you want to be a teacher?" “What’s wrong with that? You think I’m suited to something else?” “With your talents, I’m pretty sure you could do almost anything.” Ersa replied. “But being a teacher does seem to suit you pretty well. I don’t think I could handle it though. I’d probably end up hitting a student.” “It’s always something I’ve wanted to do, ever since Principle Feinman took me along with him. I don’t know what it is, but I always wanted to follow in his footsteps. If I did that, then I could change other kids’ lives like the way he changed mine.” Ersa’s amused grin turned to a sincere smile as she cupped his cheek in one of her hands. “I think he’d like that. I also think that it suits you perfectly Dante,” she added with a laugh. “Besides, it takes a good teacher to get through to someone like me.” “That I can agree with,” he replied before Ersa slugged him in the shoulder. “Oww! Ok, ok, I’m sorry!” He cowered as Ersa gave him another few hits for good measure. “You know, it was mostly you who did most of the work. I’m pretty sure you could have done it even without my help.” “But it wouldn’t have been as fun as it was with you around.” She wrapped an arm around his neck and brought him in close to the point where their cheeks were touching. “I’m kinda glad I took you up on your offer. You honestly did help out a lot.” "No problem," Dante said, smiling at her. "What about you? What do you want to do?" "Dunno," she said with a frown. "I've thought about it, but nothing's appealed to me. Have any suggestions?" "You could always be my assistant," he said calmly avoiding eye contact with her. There seemed to be a small tinge of red to his cheeks, which Ersa noticed. She grinned and playfully nudged his ribs with an elbow. "Hmm, Professor Dante's assistant?" she mused. "Helping you out with any idiot student, helping you keep track of everything, helping you grade tests, and having to do whatever you say." Her face flushed slightly with the last part and Twilight could tell there was a subtle change in the tone of her voice. "You know, if anybody else asked me, I'd say no. But you're pretty much the only exception." "Happy to be that single soul who has to put up with you." "You're the only one who can keep up with me, Dante. I wouldn't want to be hanging out with anyone else, if you get what I'm saying? “So does this mean we’re finally friends, Ersa?” Dante asked as they rested against each other. Ersa just nodded and smiled, snuggling in closer to Dante who let her do as she pleased without any complaint. The image of the two sat there for a short while before it began to fade out. Though it lingered long enough to let Twilight see Ersa tentatively rub the tip of Dante’s horn. Dante practically jolted at the touch, shying away from Ersa who was busy feeling the tips of her fingers. “Hmm, your horns are a lot like you, you know? Not as sharp as I expected.” she laughed just as the image faded into nothing. "So they became best friends in the end," he said as she passed an image of the two eating and going over the same textbook. It became apparent that both were progressing well in the other’s field. Ersa was quickly grasping whatever Dante was teaching her, and Dante was even proving to be more of a challenge in their matches. They also began to hang around each other more in between studying and training, often trading jabs or lazing around the school grounds. She even saw the image in which the picture she had found was taken, and she felt a strange feeling arise as the two laughed and made faces at the camera. "That they did, Twilight Sparkle," the guide said as they approached the end of the starry pathway. He stopped in front of one of the last images that showed Dante waiting patiently as he scanned the class listings again. He smiled as he saw his rank had remained the same since the last image. Then he gestured for Ersa to approach the terminal. She gulped nervously and pressed a few buttons while Twilight kept an ear perked towards her guide. "No, their efforts forged their friendship, but..." The two watched as Ersa's face lit up at the sight of a seventy-eight before she jumped on Dante. She wrapped her arms around him and hugged him tight while crying in joy. When she broke away from him, Twilight's breath halted as Ersa stared into his eyes nervously before closing the distance and bringing her lips to his. When she broke away, there was a moment of silence as Dante stood there dazed and she held her hands to her chest nervously as she went crimson. Then he smiled, cupped her cheek gently with his hand, and returned the favour in full. "...that friendship gave way to something more."