//------------------------------//
// Chapter 28, Concerns 
// Story: Darkness Rising 
// by SkyHighFlyer 
//------------------------------//

	Twilight always found dark magic interesting. The way it worked, what it could do, and what it could be used for. From the first time she had started reading about it, dark magic captured her interest and curiosity.

Unfortunately, she always had to be careful studying dark magic around the castle. Celestia wasn't aware of everything that went on, but it was hard to keep something hidden from her, be it reading a forbidden text or casting an illegal form of magic.

As a direct result of that, Twilight's study of dark magic mostly incomplete. She knew a few spells out of a variety of categories, but she didn't get many openings where she could be absolutely sure Celestia wouldn't catch her, and that precious little time was divided between studying the theory and practicing the spells themselves.

Now that she was in Ponyville, she had a lot more freedom to do a variety of things, dark magic included. Naturally, she did what anypony else would in her situation and took the opportunity to jump on everything immediately, without any sort of order or direction. Although once she had a chance to calm down and get used to the freedom she had a bit more focus, her general approach to anything regarding dark magic was to ignore any sort of planning or order and study whatever specific field or book held her curiosity at the time.

It was unlike her, but her obsession with planning and order was something she had picked up under Celestia's tutoring, intended to help her prioritize and avoid letting her become easily distracted as she was prone to doing at the time. Like many things she had learned from Celestia, she intended to drop the habit in the future. She simply never got around to doing it, in part because it still helped her.

It was a completely normal morning save for Twilight herself. Sleep for a vampire was more of a luxury than a requirement, a fact that she discovered soon after lifting the protective enchantments from herself. As the enchantments were designed to make her all but indistinguishable from an ordinary pony, they had to be designed in such a way that she couldn't be discovered before she learned what she was and how important it was to keep it a secret. That meant preventing her from doing, saying, or knowing anything that might give away her secret before she was ready for the responsibility of protecting it for herself.

Having lived her entire life with the need to sleep, it was a strange transition to suddenly have hours of extra time each day if she needed it. In order to better keep her secret and relieve the general stress that her new life was putting on her, she chose to continue sleeping as she normally would, save a shift of a few hours for her to better indulge in her nocturnal nature.

So together, all of that led up to this mostly normal morning. Spike woke up nearly an hour before she planned to get up, and about forty minutes later he shook her awake and told her he was making breakfast, giving her ample time to shake herself awake and drag herself downstairs.

The only fact that he was unaware of was that Twilight was as awake as she was going to be within a few minutes. This meant that she had at least fifteen minutes to herself that constituted as free time before she had to pretend to be tired and go downstairs for breakfast.

With her schedule for the day full of normal tasks, she didn't have any time to herself until later that evening. So, she took advantage of the short few minutes of privacy to pull out one of her books on dark magic and get some reading done when nopony was around, just as she would do back in Canterlot.

It was a short read in the morning when she was supposed to have been struggling to wake up. Anypony would have thought her to be crazy to expect to have any trouble.

Nevertheless, Twilight was startled by the sound of Rarity's voice.

“Darling, are you awake yet?” she asked. Her approach had been so silent and sudden that Twilight's was caught off guard, though it may have had something to do with the fact the she was deeply immersed in a book a usual. Had Twilight been in a more incriminating position at the time, she may have had trouble.

She had little to fear though. Her disguise was already active from the moment Spike woke her up as she didn't bother to drop it for the short time she would be alone, and a quick glance revealed that Lunar Pearl was still asleep in the guest bed. Her father's death was still affecting her deeply, though Twilight had finally managed to convince her to try to sleep for a while.

It had taken many stressful hours, but she had finally manage to fall into a deep sleep with the covers pulled over her head. Twilight felt deeply for her loss, and knew that she wasn't the only one disappointed at the lack of results from Shadowfall's team.

With no risk of Lunar Pearl raising questions, the only loose end was the book. As fast as she could she turned and slipped the book under her pillow, and then turned and faced Rarity, acting as if she hadn't just blatantly stuffed a book under her pillow.

“Um… I don’t mean to be rude, but whatever it is you’re trying to hide, you’re doing a poor job of it,” Rarity said, stepping into the room without waiting for an invitation, approaching with a bewildered look.

With a groan, Twilight fell back onto her pillow. “I was hoping you wouldn't bring it up.”

Stepping around Twilight's bed, Rarity directed a fierce gaze towards Twilight’s pillow. “So, would you care to share what you were reading?”

Twilight shifted back towards the pillow defensively. She met Rarity's gaze with her own and spoke with an aggressive undertone. “What are you doing here anyway?”

“Well, I was hoping to invite you to join me for a spa trip today. I tried to ask Fluttershy, but for whatever reason she said she couldn't make it.”

Of course, Rarity had her suspicions of why Fluttershy turned her down, but said nothing. It wouldn't be wise to antagonist Twilight this early in the morning, especially now that she had something more interesting to investigate for the moment.

“Come on Twilight, just tell me what it is you've been reading,” Rarity said after a moment’s pause. A strange expression crossed Twilight's face for a moment, as if she was questioning whether or not she should do as Rarity asked.

To Rarity, that was a sign of progress. Seizing the opportunity, she said, “Come on Twilight, we're friends. Whatever it is, you can trust me with it.”

Again Twilight hesitated, but her expression betrayed her thoughts. She was considering revealing her present topic of study to Rarity, but had doubts.

“Come on Twilight, you know that I can keep a secret if I need to, you can trust me,” said Rarity, again attempting to break Twilight's silence.

This time she finally succeeded. Twilight, figuring that it wouldn't do too much harm and would be better than raising further suspicion, finally caved in and said, “Okay, I guess it can't cause too much trouble.”

Of course, she was downplaying the severity of it. Studying dark magic was far from a simple matter, and the consequences would be severe if she was caught.

“Just... don’t tell anypony,” Twilight said, pulling out the book with what felt like painful slowness. She took a brief glance at the cover, and then flipped it around to show Rarity.

The book was titled ‘An Introduction to the Field of Dark Magic’. It was one of the books Twilight felt she never paid enough attention to, simply because it was basic and less interesting than some of the other, more specialized and unique fields, as it was simply the application of the arcane in similar fashion to light magic. In some ways, it was a natural antithesis to light magic, working off of the same theory but with the opposite affinity. In all ways, it was perfect for creatures of darkness such as vampires.

When Rarity saw the title, her reaction was far more one of shock and surprise than anything else.

“Twilight,” she said, “why would you have this... and where did even get this anyway?”

Dropping the book, Twilight immediately became defensive. Her expression and voice took a more angry turn as she said, “I already told you I was studying dark magic, and I explained why! Don’t you dare try to turn this against me, you know my reasons perfectly and there’s nothing wrong with them!”

“I’m sorry Twilight, I didn’t mean to sound angry or anything, it just surprised me is all,” said Rarity, doing her best to calm Twilight down. Truthfully, she had been nervous about Twilight studying dark magic since she first found out, but this was the first time Twilight had let it stand out to her so glaringly.

Twilight took a slow, deep breath. “I guess I overreacted a little bit. I’m sorry Rarity, but I don’t want you hounding me over this. Studying dark magic over the past... I guess it would be nearly ten years now... it’s been good for me. I know I’m not supposed to be doing this, and I’m not allowed to have these things, but it’s just...”

“Wait a minute,” Rarity said, cutting off Twilight’s outburst that otherwise would have continued unopposed, “you’ve been studying dark magic for ten years? I... how have you managed to get away with this?”

“Believe me, it wasn’t easy,” Twilight replied. “Princess Celestia has this uncanny ability to know everything that’s going on around her, even if she really shouldn’t. Between that and hiding all the materials, it was nearly impossible until I moved to Ponyville.”

“I see... and is this related to...” Rarity trailed off, knowing, or at least hoping that Twilight would catch her meaning. Of course, she also had to hope that Twilight wouldn’t get irritated at her asking.

Letting out a sigh, Twilight picked herself up again. “I know it’s a little suspicious, especially with everything else that’s going on right now, but I promise that it’s completely unrelated. I’ve been studying dark magic for years, and the rest is more recent.”

No matter how she worded it, what she said was only a half truth. She wasn’t studying dark magic solely because she was a vampire, but being a vampire was what inspired her studies. In the end, she could say that it was her talent for magic and her thirst for knowledge that led her to this, but no matter how she put it she would only be stating the lesser half of the cause.

Rarity seemed to take her words as truth however. For a moment neither of them said anything as Twilight just stared at the ceiling, the feeling of overwhelming defeat occupying her mind. Finally, Rarity broke the awkward and almost unbearable silence. “Twilight, just out of curiosity, what field of dark magic were you studying?”

Twilight shot up almost instantly. Rarity’s question touched on her interest in dark magic, and she was eager to share. Unfortunately, she didn’t really know what to say at that point, so her excitement died down in an instant and she instead simply said, “Oh... well, I guess... just dark magic.”

“I’m afraid I don’t understand what you’re trying to say... what field of dark magic are you looking into?”

Sensing a question she could share the answer to, Twilight’s eagerness returned, and she replied, “Actually, what a lot of ponies don’t know is that dark magic is its own field of magic, in addition to being the name of the broad category that contains it. It’s generally the easiest to learn because it’s so similar to arcane magic.”

“I... didn’t know that,” Rarity replied. A short but tense pause followed before she went on and said, “Twilight, I don’t mean to accuse you of anything, but with the way you say that... I’m just worries that you may actually be planning on attempting to cast dark magic, and I don’t think I need to remind you that there are horrible consequences to that.”

Ignoring the nagging question of how Rarity knew so much about dark magic in the first place, Twilight responded in the most comforting manner she was able to. “Rarity, I swear, I’m only studying the theory behind it. I’ve already learned so much that I can apply to normal magic without any risk to myself. Part of the reason I’m so good with magic is because of the things that I’ve learned from all these untouched fields of study.”

As much as Twilight attempted to avoid outright lying as much as she could, that time it was necessary. While it was true that she had learned some highly effective techniques from dark magic that made other forms of magic easier to use, everything else she said was untrue. She used dark magic frequently, and especially so in recent months.

Rarity breathed a sigh of relief, though a tense apprehension still plagued from her yet undiminished fears. Far from it in fact, her fears were in fact worsened by Twilight’s revelations. Even though Twilight promised that she was being careful, Rarity worried that Twilight may sacrifice absolute safety to exploit her learnings more effectually.

Though she was truly worried for Twilight’s safely, she reminded herself that Twilight was a mature, intelligent, and exceptionally gifted mare that probably knew what she was doing far better than Rarity could ever aspire to.

With that in mind, she shook those dark thoughts from her mind and said, “Well, this has been an interesting discussion, but I came here with the hope you would be able to accompany me to the spa. I know it’s a bit more sudden than you’re used to, but would you be able to accompany me?”

Twilight thought about it for a minute. Rarity usually had her spa appointments late in the morning, which would be about the time she was scheduled to meet with Silver Wing to discuss the progress of Shadowfall’s team and help to plan out their next move, even though their odds of success seemed rather distant.

“Sorry Rarity, but I have something very important scheduled and can’t make the time,” Twilight replied, though she felt as if it would be better to simply skip the meeting and go with Rarity. It wasn’t as though the meeting would change anything. Her input would hardly increase their chances of success, but she did want to be involved, at least in some way.

Rarity sighed. “Well, I suppose I can still ask Pinkie. It’s a shame though, you really look as though a spa trip would do wonders for you. I suppose if that’s it, I should be on my way. Good luck with whatever it is you’ll be doing, in any case.”

Once Rarity had left, Twilight looked at the book again, then to the clock. With an irritable groan she got up and place the book back into the box alongside all her other books on dark magic, and then made her way downstairs.

One thing was certain, this was going to be a long day.

-----

Twilight could never quite get used to the winters in Ponyville no matter how long she lived there. The weather could be called harsh on a good day, and in some cases that was putting it mildly.

Twilight, Fluttershy, and Rainbow had been exploring their newfound resistance to the cold as winter got underway, and all of them found it surreal. Not only could they walk around town comfortably in such cold conditions, but it also allowed them freedom to travel and meet outside during the night without fear of freezing to death.

For other ponies however, heavy winter cloths and a warm fire were necessities.

“Just wait a while. We can consider it again in a few years if you want, just have patience,” said Twilight to Fluttershy. They were discussing their relationship, and Twilight was trying to explain how relationships among vampires were usually taken very slowly. The reason for this was tied in to their immortality, and the importance of maintaining a relationship that can last throughout the centuries.

Applejack and Pinkie came in just in time to catch the tail end of their conversation. As they tried to recover a little warmth, Twilight said to Fluttershy. “Why don’t you sit down, we can talk some more in a little bit.”

Fluttershy did what was asked of her and sat down. Twilight took a deep breath, and then gave them an angry glare that could rival Celestia herself. “I can guess why you’re here, so just come out with it, what are you accusing me of this time?”

“Whoa now, calm down, we aren’t here to accuse you of anything,” said Applejack, “we just came here to talk to you.”

Twilight’s glare lightened ever so slightly, but she kept her guard up. Fluttershy could sense that an argument would inevitably break out, and began to look a little more nervous in the background, and all the way across the library Pinkie did the same. Nopony present could say that Twilight didn’t command a frightening amount of power. It created an aura of tension that felt to Applejack as if it drained her very confidence.

Under that tension, it took her a moment to realize that Twilight was waiting for her to continue. She tried to shake it from her mind and said, “We heard from Spike that somepony was staying with you. We just came by to ask you about it.”

Twilight’s face shifted from a silent glare to a haunting anger. Applejack took an involuntary step back, seeing that her friend was only containing her rage out of a polite sense of decency. Contrary to their perceptions though, her anger wasn’t directed at them at all. She actually couldn’t blame their curiosity, even if it wasn’t only simple curiosity. She was angrier at the luckily absent Spike. In light of this, she and him would be having a long and detailed talk about discretion.

Realizing that her anger would be better saved for another time, Twilight took a deep breath, and then much to the surprise of all others present, she adopted a more pleasant mood, and complete with a polite smile she replied, “Yes, there is somepony else living here right now. I'm sorry, but I thought Spike would be more subtle about it.”

“But Twilight,” Pinkie said, “Why wouldn't you tell anypony? We can have a party and...”

“NO!” Twilight said suddenly. “No, no parties. That's the whole reason I haven't told anypony. She doesn't like being around other ponies in the first place, and she's going through a hard time now. Now listen, I don't want you anywhere near her. What little trust she has for other ponies has been shattered recently, and I don't want anypony to bother her.”

“But she trusts you?” Applejack asked.

“Yes,” Twilight replied hastily, “but that's because she knows me. Everypony else in this town is a complete stranger.”

“But... Twi, why's she living here?” Applejack asked.

By now, what little patience Twilight had found in their honest and innocent questions was wearing thin. “Because she's an orphan and she needs a home. I knew her father so now I'm looking after her, and unless something better comes up she's going to be here until she's ready to go off on her own.”

Applejack and Pinkie took a few steps back. As Twilight usually became angry when they pried into matters that she didn't want them to investigate, they both got a little suspicious at her renewed anger, which was unfortunate as they didn't want to acknowledge that a foal could be involved too.

Neither of them mentioned it, nor did they give each other any sort of gesture. Fortunately, Fluttershy relieved the moment by putting a hoof on Twilight's shoulder.

“I think you had better go,” she said, “Twilight and I have a lot to talk about, and you're just making things worse. Please, just go.”

Neither of them hesitated. In no time at all, they were gone.

Twilight put her leg around Fluttershy and pulled her into an uncomfortably tight hug. “I can't take this anymore, we've got to do something.”

Fluttershy returned her gesture with much less force, and as Twilight started to cry she said, “So you think we should just tell them?”

“I don't know!” Twilight replied. “It was supposed to be so easy, nopony was supposed to notice the changes. I just wanted to be myself but still live here with my friends.”

“Twilight, I think we should tell them.”

“Really?” Twilight asked, though she wasn't surprised.

“Really,” Fluttershy replied with extra confidence. “I know how much keeping this secret means to you, but we can't keep it forever, not if we want to keep our friends. Besides, if they're friends worth keeping, we can trust them to understand.”

“I don't want to admit it, but you're right,” Twilight said. “We can't keep doing this forever, and your right, if they really are our friends then they would understand. We should have just told them in the first place. We need get Rainbow’s opinion too, but I just know that things aren’t going to get better from here. This is probably the best thing we can do.”