//------------------------------// // Fade // Story: Magus Magesterim // by Blackhorn_The_Faithless //------------------------------// The castle as his playground? Check. A few hours before lessons? Check. Nopony up? Check Princess Twilight still asleep? Check! A pale green colt with a yellow and jungle green striped mane sat on a pillow at the top of the biggest flight of stairs in the entirety of the Ponyville Castle, already heart racing with the implications of what he was about to do. This broke at least ten different castle rules according to the maids, fifty to the nobles, and goodness knows how many to his mother figure and mentor. But, it was totally going to be worth it. His horn lit up in Indigo magic and he gave himself a telekinetic shove. With that, he started to slide down the bannister. It'd been freshly polished the night before, so he had very little friction between himself, his pillow and the bannister itself. Because of this, he picked up a lot of speed very quickly. Ponyville castle was a big place, but the biggest set of stairs was those that led to the entrance of the great Crystalline tree castle. It was these steps that the colt had chosen to slide down. There were several times where the bannisters didn't continued that he'd have to make his own path for, but as the chosen Apprentice to the aspect of magic herself, he was hoping that wouldn't be a problem. He could make his own magical path but... "Oh krud..." He was going a lot faster than he'd expected. The wind rushing through his mane felt fantastic, but he could barely keep his eyes open with the intensity of the whipping winds in his eyes. He couldn't see where he was going. Tears streamed out of the corners of his eyes and he yelped as his pillow momentarily lost contact with the bannister. He came to the first gap in his road, and just barely managed to cast his spell, speeding along a new 'bannister' he made himself. He managed to slow himself down a bit with it, but it went right on with its speed the moment he hit the recently polished bannister again, and he couldn't catch anything with his magic irritatingly, he was going much too fast. This had gone from being fun, to being dangerous. He was only seven! He'd been practicing magic for only two years, he didn't have the strength! His magic held onto his pillow and the bannister, but it wouldn't catch. It wasn't helping. He wasn't going any faster, but he wasn't slowing down either. Essentially, the catch wasn't catching, at all. It wasn't strong enough. It was phasing through the bannister supports entirely, and that was the biggest problem. It showed he wasn't focusing hard enough, he didn't have a mind clear enough to make it tangible enough to catch hold to either slow him down or stop himself entirely. And then he hit the second gap, and didn't make the path in time. He skipped over the gap, but didn't make it far enough. He screamed as his pillow flew out from under him, and he hit the start of the next path. He didn't stay on the railing however. The impact had him spin off course, and suddenly he was in empty air, falling. Nobody was up to help him, nothing to stop him from falling to his death in the place he called his home. Nothing to save him and Nothing to help. In desperation, he called upon his own magic, reaching out with a tendril of magic to snag the railing, but it proved too fragile and, after only a moment, it snapped, leaving him to fall still, only a strangled yelp of pain as his concentration was broken and his magic recoiled. His scream took on desperate form, and tears filled his eyes. I don't wanna die... help me mumma! And then he stopped. The sudden stop of momentum took him by surprise and he oofed in shock and took a deep breath before looking around. He was at one of the landings, the one leading to the library. And his saviour? "Goodness Fade Rift, I'd thought you'd had more sense than that. At least make sure the bannister's not too slippery for you to hold onto." Princess Twilight Sparkle, fourth Princess of Equestria, stood upon the landing, her magic keeping him aloft. It was a gentle thing, and warming indeed. The look on her face wasn't angry, or even worried, but merely amused. He barely came up to her knees, if that, and her mane and tail flowed in an ethereal wind that never stopped blowing. Unlike her sister in law, Twilight's own innate magic had infused her being, and thus her mane resembled her old mentor's in all but colour, and she'd replaced her crown a long time ago. Now, it was made of pure silver, which was the metal that held the most magic, and inlaid with amethysts, which was her own testament to the element of magic's colour upon her old crown, which she no longer wore. Her neck was decorated with a dainty circle of silver as well, inlaid with runes of protection, and her shoes were the purest silver as well. Overall, it was a pretty combination of purple and silver. "P-Princess!" He squeaked, his face flushing bright red, "I... I thought you were still asleep!" "Then it's certainly a good thing I wasn't, hmm?" She posed the question with a hint of a challenge in her voice, which Fade didn't notice. But he nodded. "Thank you Princess... And sorry," He said a little forlornly. Twilight laughed richly, and brought him to her, setting him gently down upon the floor before sweeping him up in an embrace. "It's alright my silly student, we all make mistakes," Her gentle voice full of laughter, "But please, don't go sliding down the bannisters again hmm? Not until you have more practice at slowing down at least!" He giggled with her, rubbing his face in her chest just under her silver necklace. It was good to live in the palace, but it was great to live under the tutelage of Princess Twilight Sparkle, Fourth Princess of Equestria. **)~(** Their Royal Highnesses Princesses Luna and Celestia Fade's studies are going well. Perhaps a little better than I thought, in fact. His grip of magic is growing at an exponential rate. I believe that this just might be the one I've been looking for all these years. And just in time too. The tree is beginning to wilt. The spell won't be lasting for much longer. A few decades perhaps? Decade at worst. But I can't be certain. I must be certain. Our magic lessons are great, but I need to know that his magical growth is going to continue, or that his potential is as big as mine was. Hopefully, it is. If not, I'm afraid things are going to get bloody, and I'll need your help. I don't want to resort to violence, but If I must, I will kill my old student. I await your reply Fellow Princess; Twilight Sparkle.