Camaraderie is Sorcery

by FireOfTheNorth

Chapter 0:10 - The Curse of Magic

Chapter 0:10 – The Curse of Magic

Year ¿1230? of the 2^nd Age

“She has to go!” Precipitate demanded of Mayor Rood, emphasized with ecstatic gestures of her hooves.

“We can’t let a witch remain among us!” Angus, a pegasus whose wings sprouted from his hindquarters instead of his shoulders, added, “It would be as bad as allowing Discord himself to live here!”

At the mention of the Lord of Chaos’s name, the ponies of Pasturknack made various signs to ward off evil. The Mad God had been known to appear on occasion when he was mentioned, but, like everything that Discord did, he was inconsistent in it. Nearly the entire town was gathered around the town hall (which stood next to a similar town hall that had been constructed after the original had vanished several years ago only to reappear recently), clustered around Celestia. The teenager stood before them accused of witchcraft, with no way to dispute that claim.

Celestia had long known she was a Source, but she had fortunately never manifested her abilities before she had been old enough to understand what the consequences would be if somepony were to see her working magic. Long ago, sorceresses and sorcerers had been respected, but since Discord had taken over, all that had changed. Their magic was too close to what the reigning tyrant did, altering the world on a whim. There were many who even believed that it was the practice of magic that had allowed Discord to manifest and take possession of the world in the first place.

Celestia had done a good job of hiding her magical abilities from the ponies of Pasturknack, only practicing spells when she was certain that she would not be observed and otherwise abstaining from working magic at all. Luna had not been so fortunate. As her younger sister had grown, Celestia had seen the signs that Luna was a Source as well, and she had no understanding that magic was something that could get her banished from town. More than once, Celestia had covered for her, sometimes even using her own magic to obscure the fact that Luna was casting spells herself. So far, it had all worked out … until today.

Luna, merely a foal at play, had been conjuring up bread-and-butterflies to chase. As the flock grew and she cantered behind the buildings of Pasturknack, blissfully unaware of the danger she was in, Celestia had raised an earthen mound to obscure her sister’s acts; unfortunately, she had failed to ensure that she herself wouldn’t be observed casting magic. She had been spotted in the process of saving Luna and was dragged before the town as a servant of Discord. She couldn’t simply blame the changed terrain on Discord’s randomness, and there was no question of her guilt.

“Yes, I agree,” Tiberius said, and Celestia stared in heart-wrenching disbelief at her own father, “She must be gone at once. Who knows what kind of hexes she might have cast on us already?”

A discontented murmur passed through the crowd. Some suggested executing her, though others pointed out that doing so might invite Discord’s wrath on the town; as hard as things were, they could always be worse. Not a single pony stood up for Celestia, not even her parents or Uncle Grogar, who all seemed to be in agreement that the witch had to go. She was to be thrown aside because of her magic, though she’d never done anything to harm a single pony in Pasturknack. It was unfair, but at least Luna wouldn’t be tossed out with her. Without me watching over her, though, how long until she is discovered as well?

“Tia! Tia!” Luna exclaimed as she burst through the crowd, “Look, I did it again!”

Luna was pleased with the flock of butterflies that flew after her, bready wings beating up and down, more popping into existence every moment. Everypony else was horrified, Celestia included.

“Both of them,” Mayor Rood said under her breath, “They must both leave Pasturknack and never return!”

There was no intercession from anypony, not even Laura and Tiberius. Luna looked up at her sister, confused by what was going on, and Celestia pulled her close. The two of them would be on their own from now on.

Comments

[TasermonsPartner]

I wonder if their parents truly betrayed them, or were they trying to forestall any suggestion of execution by agreeing to their children's' banishment?

Either way, it must've been heart-wrenching to Tia and Luna at the time, even if it did lead to other events further down the road that allowed them to defeat Discord and take control.