• Published 19th Sep 2015
  • 773 Views, 40 Comments

The Failed Spell - silverspawn



A spell gone wrong teleports Twilight and Rarity outside the borders of the world.

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Chapter 4

“How are you feeling?”

It was half an hour into the day. Twilight’s legs were still hurting, but less than on the day before. The hunger was the worst part now, it was growing faster than she had hoped.

“Not too well, I’m afraid.” Rarity gave a sigh. “Hunger, my hooves hurt, and I’ve got this terrible headache. And you, dear?”

“Better. Hungry, but better.”

“I’m glad.” Rarity gave her a smile. They were walking so close now that Twilight could see her face clearly, despite the ever-grim weather. “You are sure that your spell is working properly?”

“Yes,” Twilight said, neglecting to add any explanation as to why. “It doesn’t seem to prevent the early stages of hunger, but we will be able to go on like this for a while. Maybe the hunger stops getting worse at some point, or maybe it does get worse but doesn’t eat at our strength. I don’t know. I’ve never used it before.”

At that, a silence followed. It often went like this; one of them would say something, and depending on how the other one was feeling, it would either grow into a conversation or die down. How easy this came to her was but a cruel joke, as if it had taken the spell for her to forget her constraints.

And then, she heard something. It hit her like a blaze, coming out of nowhere. Immediately frozen still, she cursed the ever-falling rain that made it impossible to determine its source. Reaching out with her senses, she cast a web as wide as she could, hoping to catch whatever it was before it moved too far away.

Her first reaction was one of disappointment, shortly followed by excitement when the subject entered the covered area. Not wasting a moment, Twilight galloped towards it, to a point from which she judged their respective courses to cross. As soon as she came close enough, she mercilessly caught it in her telekinesis, pulling it close.

“I’m sorry,” she murmured as Rarity caught up with her. Though only outside the range of the dome for a few seconds, her mane was already letting off drops of water, and she was no doubt cold.

“Don’t be... silly.” Rarity took a few panting breaths. “A crow?”

Twilight nodded. “I... I didn't know what it was at first, but it was moving, so I went after it as fast as I could. When... I saw what it was, I..." Her voice trailed off. At Rarity’s raised eyebrow, she bit her lip, swallowing uncomfortably.

“I promised you I’d do everything to get you home,” she whispered. “Everything, no matter what it is, as long as you want me to. I could make something like a fire... even here.”

Rarity gave her a long look, and Twilight could see a shadow hushing over her face. The black bird flapped its wings in an effortless attempt to get out of Twilight’s grip, while the seconds slowly passed.

“I think I’d rather die.”

Twilight closed her eyes, sighing in relief.

“It wouldn’t have been my decision.” She released the crow, staring after it as it flew away. “But I’m glad you made it.”

For a few seconds, neither of them said anything. Twilight could feel Rarity shivering beside her, and she stepped even closer, driven by the desire to share what little warmth she had to offer.

“Now...” Rarity’s voice was weak, but hopeful. “If there’s a crow, we can’t be that far away from the world, can we?”

“Yeah, I don’t think so.” The news had not quite gotten through to her yet, overshadowed by the decision Rarity had been forced to made, but somewhere inside her, the seed of hope had been sown. “I did think we were likely to die before – now I’d say we’re more likely to make it.”

“But why would a crow ever fly out here?”

Twilight shook her head. “I have no idea. It’s still possible that I was wrong all along and we aren’t outside the world after all. I don’t know of a stretch of land this large without anything there, but I also just... I don’t know much about the outside world.”

“What if... forgive me if this is a silly thought, but what if we aren’t... really moving? What if we are trapped in some kind of endless maze? Something magical? Something... Discord would do?”

“I did cast a spell to verify if we’re covering distance.” Twilight shrugged helplessly. “I can’t guarantee you that I’m not being fooled, but that’s all I can do. It... does seem unlikely, all things considered.”

“Hm...” Twilight could see Rarity closing her eyes, letting several seconds pass before she continued. “Very well. I suppose all we can do is keep moving, then?”

“Yeah.” A spark, and Twilight nodded to her right. “This way.”









The crow didn’t remain an isolated incident for long. Only a few minutes after its release, Twilight could see a second bird, drawing a circle above their heads, and letting out a cry that send a shiver down her spine. Soon after, the third one appeared, and before long, a small swarm of them was flying above their heads. Twilight said nothing to it, and neither did Rarity. They knew which direction would lead them to the center of the world, and the world was circular. If the crows did in fact indicate that the border was close, then they’d soon be there, and if not, then they wouldn’t. Studying or following them was useless.

This, of course, did not stop her mind from wandering. Why crows? Where did they come from? What were they doing here?

Where did they come from?

There could not be life outside the outmost circle of the pond. That was impossible. They must have come from land; if not populated by society, then at least one with a functioning fauna. How far could a crow fly without food?

And just what were they doing here? Why would a crow fly where there was nothing but rain? If they had come for their meat, assuming they had some way of knowing about them from afar, then it was a futile endeavor. Even without food, they’d both be able to outlive each and every one of them, thanks to her spell. They had not attacked them either, nor tried to hinder them in any way.

And it was dangerous for them, too. Had she been alone...

Twilight cast her look upwards. There were fewer of them now, she only counted five. They weren’t flying in perfect circles, instead drawing what seemed to be arbitrary forms above their heads. One crow took a dive over them with a feeble cry, only to halt at the edge of her vision, flattering in mid air. Then, instead of coming back, it turned around to its left and flew off into the rain.

What were they made of?

This simple question suddenly hit her, unexpected, but leaving behind a sinister feeling. Were they really crows? Sentient, living animals? Hesitating for a while, she eventually lit her horn, catching one of the birds in her grasp.

For a moment, she held her breath, expecting some kind of resistance, but the remaining ones didn't pay mind to the imprisonment of hteir sister. Twilight gulped. Beside her, Rarity paused, watching the crow with a questioning look.

“I want to test something,” Twilight said quietly. Moving past her internal constraints, she called upon her magic, forming the energy into a spell she had rarely used before. Something cut into her heart as she tightened her grip around the bird, bundling her energy like a needle. Choosing a spot on its waist which she judged to be the least debilitating, she carefully pierced into its skin.

The crow answered with a painful cry, and somehow, Twilight felt the overwhelming desire to let it go, but she resisted. Instead, she watched the wound she had inflicted with bated breath. It was a miniature thing, too small to be more than a little inconvenience, but still deep enough to bleed.

Yet, for a few seconds, nothing happened. Then, a single drop of blood emerged. Expecting it to stick to the crow’s skin, Twilight was about to absorb it with another spell, but there was no need. The drop loosened itself, but rather than falling onto the ground, it landed on Rarity’s outstretched limb.

With an emotionless expression, Rarity lifted her hoof up to show the spot to Twilight, who felt the crow slipping out of her grasp at the sight. Previously, through her lenses of her magic, she had hoped to imagine it, but now there was no doubt. The blood was as black as ink.