True Magic

by CodeMonkey

Chapter 5 - Origin

Chapter 5 - Origin

Trixie dashed through the dark forest in terror as horrific howls echoed loudly behind her. The thicket tightened around her, forming a dense hollow that seemed to go on forever into a black abyss. The nightmarish trees reached for her with claw-like branches, attempting to grab the frightened mare as she frantically dashed by. A deep roar bellowed over the howls, vibrating the air around her as her pace hastened.

Trixie glanced behind her at the terrifying sight of two massive red eyes slowly closing in. The trees grew timber wolf faces that barked and snarled as their brightly glowing eyes watched her run by. Her heart raced as the steps of something enormous shook the ground in a rhythmic pace.

The forest suddenly transitioned into a long, crooked hallway, with only a few trees still sticking out from the walls. The timber wolves were replaced with rows of unevenly positioned portraits of ponies she recognized from her time in Ponyville. The portraits began to laugh and mock her, their voices echoing in her head, torturing her with their cruel words. The corridor seemed to twist and turn in every direction imaginable as she ran through the maddening hall.

Trixie slid to a stop as the surreal hall abruptly ended with jagged, splintered floorboards and walls, looking as if it had been bitten off. Peering over the edge, she saw nothing but a swirling vortex of darkness that seemed to possess a life of its own. Another roar broke her focus, and she quickly turned to face the source of dreaded sound. Trixie stared with horror into a pair of blood red eyes only inches away.

From the darkness behind the eyes, a massive, deformed bear materialized in a blaze of fire, displaying rows of sharp teeth. No matter how hard she tried, Trixie couldn’t look away, paralyzed with terror at the sight of fear made manifest. The horror reared upright and slammed the ground in front of her, unleashing a surge of flames from its misshapen mouth.

The flames circled and danced around her as they slowly assumed the shapes of what look like unicorns. Trixie soon recognized the figures as doppelgangers of the same unicorn that had upstaged her in Ponyville. They began to laugh mockingly as they took turns ridiculing her.

“Worthless.”

“Pathetic.”

“Fake.”

“Weakling.”

“Failure.”

Trixie hunched down and covered her ears in an effort to block out the creatures' torturous taunting. “Stop it!” she demanded again and again. The world around her began to fade into complete darkness, leaving a sliver of the worn wooden floor beneath her. The mocking flames, as well as the terrible beast that created them, disappeared into the nothingness, but the insults of the fiery beings continued to ring in her ears.

Before Trixie could react, a mass of black tentacles ripped through the floorboards, throwing her helplessly into the air. The tentacles ensnared the powerless mare as her sight faded and the air grew cold.

Trixie knew nothing but cold darkness, until a large fire ignited a few feet before her. Magus stepped forth from the blaze as it began to spread around her in a wall of flames, quickly dispatching the chilly atmosphere.

Parts of Magus were wreathed in fire, and his eyes glowed like the inferno of Tartarus as he slowly approached. The hollow, burning stare he bore seared more than the wall of flames attempting to scorch her.

The firestorm consumed the once empty void with only the small space around her being spared its rage. Trixie began breathing heavily, though the heat burned her lungs. As the enkindled stallion drew closer, Trixie backed away, dread consuming her. When she neared the center of the inferno, Magus suddenly appeared directly before her. Trixie stood perfectly still as the stallion stared into her eyes with his blazing gaze.

Suddenly, his form began to melt and distort, like a wax figurine within a furnace, becoming more horrific with each passing second. His fire-engulfed eyes remained fixed on her as he spoke with what was left of his melting jaw, “Welcome to The Circle.” His voice was raspy and distorted. The horror extended his liquefying hoof, “Your destiny awaits.” As he uttered those words, it sounded as if others spoke with him.

“Your destiny awaits…Your destiny awaits…Your destiny awaits,” the voices continued to repeat long after the horror had finished. The words chilled Trixie to bone, despite the rising flames.

The deformed Magus exploded into a brief flame as the voices grew louder. The wall of fire lashed out and began to quickly spread into a neat pattern on the featureless ground. Sparks leaped from the trail of flame, and started forming more elaborate symbols. This process repeated again and again, growing closer with every spark. Trixie started to recognize the shape the flames were forming as a magic circle, similar to the one she had seen Magus use. As the circle was completed, the fires died down, appearing to be devoured by a glowing red ring that rose from the symbols.

A large, lidless eye appeared above the circle, beyond description as it stared at the mare below. Trixie, oddly, felt no fear, nor any emotion she could describe as good or bad. She felt spellbound by the oddity, and, in a weird way, empathic toward it. The eye vanished as the circle at her hooves glowed brighter.

Without warning the circle erupted into a torrent of fire, consuming her in the blaze as it swirled around her. Trixie screamed as she felt her skin burning, chipping away like paper in the intense flame.

The sensation of pain vanished as she opened her eyes and bolted upright screaming. Panting heavily, she took stock of her surroundings. It was her hovel of a room in the mystical caravan, lit up by the golden shine of the sun piercing the window. Morning, and she was still there, safe and sound in her bed.

Trixie wiped the sweat from her brow as she said to herself, “Thank Celestia…was it-was it was only a dream...” It had to be, but something in the back of her mind made it lack conviction.

Collecting herself, Trixie got out of bed and walked to the window. After shielding her eyes a moment to adjust to the brightness, she opened the window, letting a fresh breeze into the stuffy room.

The caravan appeared to be moving, she noted, as the landscape rolled by. The once dark forest had transformed into bright green trees, clear blue skies, and rolling grassy hills. Birds chirped, their song filling her ears with the pleasant sounds of the day. Flowers grew alongside the dirt road, morning dew still glistening on their petals.

At that moment, something crossed her mind as she looked at the flora, “Am I on the first floor?” As she looked out over her windowsill she saw the ground, only a few feet away. Trixie could have sworn that Magus had led her up to a second floor last night, but how could that be? If she was truly on the second floor, shouldn’t she be higher up? The caravan was magical, this much she knew, but how it worked, exactly, was a mystery. “That pony has some questions to answer,” she said aloud, recalling what the stallion had promised her the night before.

Trixie closed the window and rushed out of the room. She followed the hall to the foyer, where, over the railing, she saw Magus. The robed pony sat in a chair before the unlit fireplace, sipping tea and levitating a book in front of him. Trixie stormed down the stairs as quickly as she could to confront him.

“Good morning,” Magus said, still reading his book as she reached the bottom, “did you have a pleasant night?”

“No, I didn’t,” Trixie replied with an annoyed tone. “Now, you’re going to answer my...” Just then, something occurred to her. “Wait, how can you be here?”

“Pardon?” Magus replied, looking to her curiously.

“The caravan, it’s moving and you’re here. Who’s pulling it? How can--”

“For a unicorn, you’re certainly having a difficult time understanding the boundary between what is and isn’t possible.” Magus closed his book and set it down on the small table beside him. He motioned to the red velvet chair next to him as he took a sip from his cup. Trixie sat down on the fancy furniture and got comfortable, expecting a long conversation.

Magus levitated the tea pot and another tea cup from the table between them. Steam rose from the cup as he filled it almost to the brim before levitating it over to her. Trixie accepted it with her magic and took a small sip, almost spitting out the hot beverage when the bitter, unsweetened taste hit her tongue. After she reluctantly swallowed, Magus levitated two sugar cubes into her cup, seeing her irritation. The second sip was better, but she never did like tea much in the first place.

“The caravan is being moved by what is known as a familiar,” Magus said, “A supernatural entity that assists those who practice true magic. Does that sufficiently answer your question?”

“Not really,” Trixie said with an irritable tone.

“Not surprising. A being, such as a familiar, is something that must be witnessed to fully understand. You can see it when we arrive in Trottingham.”

“Trottingham? Why are we going there?”

Magus sighed, “As I said before, to prepare you for your training and your tasks you will be expected to perform.”

“Which are?”

“Patience Trixie, patience. All good things come with time.”

Trixie let out an annoyed groan as she set her cup on the table before replying, “I thought you said you’d answer my questions today?”

“True, I did. But some things cannot simply be explained. They must be seen first and then described when the time is right to make any sense.” He took another sip from his cup, “Furthermore, what’s the point of giving you an answer you couldn't possibly comprehend?”

Annoyed that he kept avoiding her questions, Trixie slouched back in her chair, resting her head on her hoof.

“You asked about The Circle last night, did you not?”

Trixie looked back to Magus with renewed interest as he waved his hoof in the air. From out of nowhere, a large book appeared in front of her, held aloft by an unseen force. The book was plain, having no title or decoration on its cover.

“To truly comprehend The Order of the Circle,” Magus began, “or The Circle, for short, you must understand our history. Our past. You must witness our origins.”

“And how am I supposed to do that?” Trixie questioned. “Is this book going to take me back in time?”

“Good to see you have an imagination at least,” Magus said with a sigh. “Even if it is a dull, mundane one.”

Trixie glared at him, though Magus took no notice.

“The tome before you is known as a Chronicle, a text that details The Order's history.” Magus took one more sip of his drink, before sitting it down on the table. “Be aware that the experience will be rather abnormal. Now, are you ready?”

“I guess,” Trixie replied, unsure of what he meant by “abnormal”.

The tome opened in front of her and began rapidly flipping through a number of blank, featureless pages. Before Trixie could question the strange behavior, her mind and sight suddenly went blank. The world disappeared in an instant, leaving an empty realm in its place. Despite the confusion, she felt no fear, as an odd sense of peacefulness washed over her. The ordeal was beginning to remind Trixie of her nightmare, an event she wished to forget.

“Our history is a long and arduous tale,” Magus’ voice suddenly sounded, echoing all around her as it broke the eerie silence. “The origin of The Order dates back before the reign of the regal sisters, or the unification of our kind. Back in a world of endless possibilities…”

As Magus trailed off, the void slowly dissipated, and Trixie started to see a new world appear before her eyes. The land basked in a beautiful sunny day, and Trixie could just make out the shadowy outlines of what appeared to be a castle, a village, and what seemed to be a city of clouds in the distance.

“Is this supposed to be Equestria?” Trixie wondered, looking out across the vast, wide open landscape. It looked a little like it, but some things seemed out of place. Mountains weren’t where they should be, rivers were missing, and the places she could see didn’t look quite right.

As the image came into full view, Trixie noticed that she was seeing everything from a peculiar angle. She looked around and saw that she was in the air, high above a dense forest. Trixie shrieked, closing her eyes and frantically waving her hooves around in a desperate attempt to keep from plummeting to the ground.

After a moment of thrashing around aimlessly, she stopped struggling, noticing that nothing was happening. No crashing through trees. No slamming against the hard ground. Nothing. Trixie slowly cracked her eyes open to find that she was still floating in midair.

“Are you quite finished?” sounded a familiar voice.

Trixie looked to the source of the voice and saw a red spectral Magus floating next to her, giving her a bemused look. He appeared as a ghost, with a translucent body and a light red aura around him.

Seeing him in this state made her wonder... Trixie looked down at her hooves and, to her surprise, saw a pair of blue, ghostly limbs dangling below. Further inspection revealed that she appeared to be in the same phantom-like state as Magus, with the exception of her blue glow.

Before she could say anything, Magus answered her unspoken question, “Before you ask, no, we are not ghosts. We have merely taken on a spectral form in order to view The Circle's origin.”

“So, this is…” Trixie began.

“The past, yes,” Magus said. “A Chronicle displays a visual representation of the past in your mind. You experience a particular point based on what the members of The Circle could view. Not only will you be viewing the past, but the Chronicle will distribute its knowledge in the manner that is most familiar to you.” He turned his attention to the land before them. “To be blunt, it will make it easy for you to understand the older tongue. Now, if that satisfies your curiosity for the moment, let us continue.”

Trixie was hit by a sense of wonder at what she was experiencing. It was almost dreamlike, looking out at this world that had been a Hearth’s Warming play backdrop. Or is it will be played? She tried to regain what balance she could in the air, and nodded to Magus when she was ready for the unimaginable.

Magus cleared his throat and continued the history lesson. “Long before the great blizzard that engulfed the land, the tribes were at constant odds with each other. It seemed impossible that any group could get along with the others. But then, one dark night, something was given to ponykind. Something that would change our world forever.”

The sun quickly fell and the moon rose just as fast as the land before them turned to night in an instant. The starry night did not last long, however. The bright light of the moon and stars began to fade as both were gradually consumed by the black sky, blanketing the land in utter darkness. Trixie couldn’t see anything, except for the glowing stallion next to her and her own ghostly form.

The absolute darkness lasted for just seconds, before the sky inexplicably exploded into a rainbow of color, bathing the land in a mystifying light. It was a beautiful, yet mysterious sight, as it flowed through the darkened sky like ripples on the surface of water. Then, as suddenly as it came, the colors in the sky vanished without a trace. The moon seemed to magically reappear, the stars reemerging with it.

As the night returned to normal, a strange black and purple star appeared, twinkling bright in the sky just overhead. Trixie watched as the star appeared to slowly fall toward them, leaving a faint black and purple streak in its wake. The object fell faster, twinkling brighter and more frequently as it neared the ground. With a deafening explosion, the light crashed into the earth, kicking up a massive dust cloud not far from where they were floating.

The land around Trixie began to fade back into the empty void soon after. She looked over to Magus to make sure he was still there. The red spectral stallion was, thankfully, still floating next to her, watching as the land faded.

A new area quickly replaced the old one, appearing in the same manner as before. The realm consisted of a smoldering crater, bordered on one side by a large, grassy field, and on the other by a vast forest. Trixie was glad to find that they were no longer in the air, and were instead firmly planted on the ground.

“The star fell,” Magus continued, “and sparked the interest of a few…special individuals.”

With what sounded like thunder, something crashed into the ground nearby, kicking up a large cloud of dust. Before the dust had a chance to settle, a golden yellow pegasus stallion stepped out of the cloud. His black armor, embossed with gold engravings, looked strangely similar to the royal Canterlot guard uniforms. A short, tied bronze tail waved behind him as he marched toward the crater with a hardened expression.

The pony's gaze seemed to lock onto them, and Trixie leaned over to Magus, whispering as quietly as she could, “Can he see us?”

“Rest assured, nothing you witness here can sense, let alone harm, you in anyway,” Magus replied in his neutral speaking voice. “We are merely viewing the past. We are not actually here.” His tone grew serious, “Now pay attention, this is important.”

Trixie rolled her eyes back to the scene, shrugging off Magus’ demanding tone.

“Zephyr!” said a regal voice. “What a pleasant surprise.”

The pegasus quickly turned, ready for combat, his copper colored eyes snapping to a shadowy figure in the forest's underbrush.

A slender, white unicorn mare stepped from the shadows, wearing a regal black cloak with a hood obscuring many of her facial features. With her crystal blue eyes focused on the pegasus ahead, she gave a devilish smile, stepping closer.

“It’s so lovely to meet one of such model chivalry, out protecting the land and ensuring that a lady, such as myself, is well tended to.”

“Aurora,” Zephyr said in serious tone as he narrowed his eyes at her, still in a battle stance. “Odd to see a unicorn all the way out here at this time of night. And right after mysterious lights appear in the sky. Now, what are the chances of that?”

“Captain Zephyr!” Aurora said in an overly dramatic, shocked tone, “You’re not accusing me, a noble and majestic unicorn, of such a bizarre act, are you?”

“Stop playing,” Zephyr demanded, “you unicorns can change the day to night, what’s stopping you from creating lights in the very sky?” Zephyr glanced over at the crater, “Did you do this as well?”

Aurora chuckled, “Such accusations. We unicorns can do so very much, but painting the sky in a spectrum of color or tearing a rock from the very heavens above is purely fantasy. In fact,” she eyed the crater with great interest, “I came out here to discover what had fallen from the sky myself, and to take it back to the castle, of course.”

“Never!” Zephyr shouted, stomping the ground with a heavy hoof. “There is no way I’d let some arrogant unicorn steal what rightfully belongs to the pegasi!”

“‘Some unicorn!’ Really now Captain, and here I thought we were friends.”

Zephyr slammed his forehooves on the ground as if preparing to attack, “You treat me as if I am a fool. I know your forked tongue has led many pegasi astray, but it shall not work on me.”

Aurora chuckled, bringing a hoof to her mouth to hide her amusement, “You mean it ‘shall not work on you again,’ correct?”

Zephyr’s rage mounted as he dug at the ground with a forehoof, seeming like he was preparing to charge. “This meteor,” he said in a calmer, yet still angered, tone, “belongs to us. You have one chance, and one chance alone to go back to where you came from.”

The unicorn scoffed at his threat, “Really Captain, you should hear yourself. What use would this rock serve you that it would not serve the unicorns better?” Aurora pulled back the hood of her cloak, revealing a silvery waterfall of a mane. “You realize that this object could be beneficial to both our tribes, but we unicorns are the only ones intelligent enough to study and understand such a thing.”

“I’m warning you!” Zephyr threatened again.

“Honestly, what could you winged ruffians possibly use it for? Other than throwing it at somepony like a barbarian.”

“Enough!” Zephyr shouted before charging at the regal unicorn.

The Captain did not get more than a few steps before being knocked to the ground by an unseen force. His bronze crested helmet clanged as it flew off his head, uncovering a short, curly mane of similar color.

“Get off my property!” a rather sweet voice shouted with sing-song accent.

Aurora, caught off guard by the attack, turned to see a lone dark red Earth mare standing across from them, holding a sizeable stone in her hoof.

The mare had a short mane that was white as snow, and eyes that gleamed like sapphires. She wore a tattered, full body dress that had a number of different colored patches crudely sewn on the long skirt.

The stranger reached behind her, dropping the rock, and pulled out a large, muddy hoe. The rugged mare rested the tool on her shoulder before demanding again, “I said, get off my property, the both of you!”

Aurora observed the visitor curiously for a moment before asking, “And you are?”

“Terra, and I own this ‘ere field you two are standin’ on. Now, I suggest ya leave and take that thug with you,” she said, pointing with her hoe to Zephyr, who had begun to slowly get up.

“I shall indeed,” Aurora said with a smile and a giggle. “Allow me to just remove this unsightly bit of rubble from your lovely field and I shall be on--”

“The rock stays,” Terra demanded.

“Come again?” Aurora asked, puzzled by the bizarre claim.

“This thing ‘ere, landed on my property, so it belongs to me and the Earth pony tribe. Which means both of you can just turn yer flanks around and get out of ‘ere.”

“Ha!” Zephyr laughed, returning to his hooves. “And just what use is it to you? Do plan on planting it to see if a rock tree grows? Or are you going to use it to fill that empty void you call a head?”

Terra wrathfully planted her hoe into the ground and faced the pegasus with an angry scowl. “You wanna come over ‘ere and say that!?”

“Hmmm,” Aurora said, looking at Terra with feigned intrigue, “it appears that pegasi aren’t the only barbarians to roam these lands.”

“Stay out of this you pompous twit!” Terra shouted, approaching the crater. “The rock belongs to the Earth ponies!”

“It belongs to the pegasi!” claimed Zephyr, taking a step toward the crater.

“The stone rightfully belongs to the unicorns!” Aurora said, stepping toward the crater.

The three continued to argue amongst themselves, until their shouts began to overlap each other. Every moment they argued, the three continued to move closer to the center.

Trixie and Magus continued to silently observe the events unfolding before them, until Trixie leaned over, “Who are these ponies?”

Magus solemnly answered, “The first of The Circle.”

Just then, a bright white light shot out from the crater, causing the three ponies surrounding it to cease their argument and take a sudden step back. As the light stretched into the sky, a white circle expanded from the base of the beam and surrounded them. It glowed brightly, enveloping them in white light as shapes and symbols began to draw themselves within.

The light pulsated once, releasing a wave of visible white energy that rapidly expanded outward. As it passed through the three ponies, their bodies were thrown into the air. Their eyes began to glow like the circle that enveloped them, and they didn't appear to struggle as they were lifted higher. The stars began to shine brighter, as beams of light connected them, forming mystic symbols and figures in the midnight sky.

Even though this was only supposed to be a depiction of what had happened, Trixie could feel the energy humming all around her, and wondered if this was what the three ponies had experienced. Magus, though, appeared unfazed by the power, looking on the event with a stoic visage.

As the last of the symbols finished forming, the ray of light pulsated again, shaking the trees and causing the ground to shudder. Another pulse erupted, and Trixie could tell it was far stronger this time.

To the north, a massive gale began to blow, kicking up leaves and blades of grass as it passed across the circle. Water rose from the ground to the west, forming small droplets that hung in the air, like rain trapped in time. To the east, the forest burst into flame, the blaze consuming the trees, as well as the ground around their roots. And great slabs of stone rose in the south, jutting up from the ground.

The light pulsated one final time before vanishing, the symbols in the sky following suit, returning the sky to normal once more. The gusts of wind ceased, the water droplets fell back to the earth, the fires extinguished, leaving the trees oddly untouched, and the ground slid back into place, returning the land to its natural state.

The ponies slowly descended back to the ground, as their eyes returned to normal. As the circle disappeared, they collapsed to the ground, like puppets with their strings cut.

Everything looked no different from before, as if nothing had happened. The ponies, though, lay motionless on the ground as an eerie silence fell.

It felt like an eternity, standing there, as the two waited in silence, Trixie eagerly wondering what had happened to the ponies. Her ears perked up when she noticed one of them twitch. The other two began showing signs of life shortly thereafter, giving off slight twitches and movements, as if they were dreaming. One by one, their eyes shot open, awakened by some force, as they took a large gasp of air. They shook as they attempted to stand, struggling to gain their balance.

“Wha…what was that?” Zephyr said breathlessly.

Terra got to her hooves, “I…I haven’t…the slightest.” She looked like she was about to collapse at any moment.

Zephyr looked to over at the unicorn, “Aurora…did you…Aurora?” He stopped when he saw her standing over the crater, staring down into the dark depression.

The white mare’s horn glowed silver as Zephyr and Terra approached. A strange, blackened object was soon levitated from the hole, covered in ebony dirt. Despite what it must have gone through, the object had a perfectly rectangular shape.

As Aurora levitated the object over to her, her magic began wiping the dust and dirt from its surface. A moment after her hoof touched the oddity, it erupted with a powerful wave of energy, wiping away any filth that stained it. The three stepped back as a mysterious purple glow encapsulated the object. It seemed to alter its form within the glow, growing thicker and square-like. Glowing symbols formed, as if it was being written upon by an unseen entity.

As the symbols finished appearing, Trixie noticed that they seemed very familiar. They appeared the same as the word she saw before, and, like before, they slowly morphed into something legible.

Both Trixie and Aurora said the text aloud in unison, “Arcana Infinitum”

“Good,” Magus said, glancing over to her, “you can read it.”

Looking over at Magus, Trixie asked, “What is that thing?”

Magus sighed, “Well, as you just stated, that ‘thing’ is the Arcana Infinitum.”

“I meant what is it?” Trixie growled.

Magus motioned ahead, redirecting Trixie’s attention back to the three ponies and their strange object.

Terra looked at Aurora curiously, “How can you read that?” She looked to the object and, after a moment, added, in confused voice, “…How can I read that?”

The Infinitum continued to levitate in place, the purple aura dissipating. Aurora took a cautious step closer and examined it. Her eyes widened.

“What?” Zephyr asked impatiently. “What is it?”

Aurora responded in an astonished manner, “It’s…it’s a book.”

“A what?!” Terra said, shocked. Aurora levitated the book closer as the others gathered around. “How can it be a book? It fell from the sky! What kind of book does that!?”

“It’s magic,” Aurora whispered, “but unlike any I have seen.” She ran a hoof along the cover, deep in thought.

Zephyr looked at Aurora with concern, “You can’t be thinking of opening it.” Her concentration broken, she looked at him, “You should…” He hesitated, not wanting to admit it, “you should take it back to the unicorns.”

Aurora, shocked at the sudden sign of humility, said, “What did you say?” Zephyr didn’t reply, still coming to grips with what he'd just said. “It’s so unlike you. Why would you say that?”

“I…I don’t know.”

Aurora turned her attention to Terra with the same shocked, yet curious, expression, “What say you?”

Terra thought for a moment before answering, “I’d have to agree with the bru-- the pegasus. You know more about somethin’ like this than us.” A moment passed before her eyes widened in surprise, realizing what he'd just said.

Aurora looked down at the book before her, deep in thought again. Without a word, she flipped it open to a random page. Zephyr and Terra flinched, expecting something to happen. When nothing did, they looked down at the pages, bathed in a soft red glow.

Trixie stepped closer, trying to look inside. Before she could see anything, what felt like magic pulled her back.

“Patience Trixie,” said Magus sternly. “There is no need for you to see that just yet.”

Trixie shot him an irritated look, “How can I learn anything if you won’t at least let me take a look?”

“I told you that you are only allowed to read the books I specify and no other, and I don’t recall saying you could read that one.”

Trixie groaned, “But what is it then? It can’t just be some magical book from space.”

Magus stared at her for a moment before answering, “I suppose you can say that the Arcana Infinitum acts similar to an instruction manual.”

“For what?”

“Tervrem!” Terra shouted, interrupting Trixie’s question.

Looking back, she saw the earth pony standing before a large tree, a beige colored magic circle in front of her. Everypony watched as the thick oak slowly started crumbling to dust.

Trixie stood stupefied by the feat. “Did that earth pony just…use magic!?”

“The power of true magic,” Magus began, “is unbound by the limitation of race or the absence of a horn. It belongs to all with the heart, soul, and will to control it.”

“Bu-but she’s just…just--”

“The book taught us the art of magic,” Magus interrupted. “It taught us to work together for a greater good. It taught us of the boundless potential within ourselves.”

Aurora and Zephyr stood behind magic wielding earth pony in similar awe at the act she had performed, the book floating between them.

“D-did I just…” Terra said, turning to them in amazement as the oak was reduced to nothing. “Was that magic?”

Aurora and Zephyr looked at each other. The pegasus wore a worried expression as she confidently nodded to him. He stepped forward and took a deep breath.

“Aquaeli!” he shouted to the air, causing a light blue magic circle to appear at his hooves. After a moment, the clear night sky filled with large clouds and a steady downpour began around them. As the rain fell, Zephyr smiled, and then laughed in amazement. He turned to Aurora and Terra, who wore grins of their own.

“The Order of the Circle was formed on that night,” Magus said, “and the secrets of true magic were revealed to pony kind. Aurora, Zephyr, and Terra would go on to spread the knowledge of the Arcana Infinitum to the pony tribes, and start slowly uniting our species through the mystic art. The Circle would be the first to unite all three pony races under a single cause.”

Trixie was at a loss for words, “That’s…incredible.”

“Indeed”

“But,” Trixie mused, looking to Magus, “what happened to the book?”

Magus remained silent for a moment, locking eyes with her. “That’s a lesson for another time, I’m afraid.”

“Why, what’s the rush?”'

“…We’ve arrived.”

The landscape around Trixie and the spectral Magus disappeared, engulfing her in the void once more. She could see nothing, but could hear the sound of paper rapidly turning, getting louder and louder. The void began to bloom white as the sound grew.

Comments

[Shumiry]

Woo! Moar!

Two things I noticed.

Celestia…was it-was it was

I think either the first or last "was" is a typo.

what he'd just said

This should be "she'd" since it's referring to Terra.

Please keep writing, I'll keep reading!

[CodeMonkey]

1544258

Yes sir!