Chapter 21
I hung from my tail, wings wrapped around myself as I looked at the object of my annoyance. The wind ruffled my mane slightly as it moved through the forest.
The rock sat there. Like a rock.
"Try again," Celestia said, standing next to me and for once, our eyes were at a level.
Half closing my eyes, I focused on the rock sitting on top of a fallen tree trunk and worked my magic, taking it slow and careful. Working the spell as she had taught me before I cast the spell. The bolt of fire dissipated a meter from me, three meters short of its target.
Sighing, I flicked one ear, "Well, at least I stopped setting myself on fire."
"You didn't before either," Celestis said with a smile, "And you did a lot better this time."
"Lets face it, fire magic is just not my thing," I admitted and turned to look at her, "I'll think I'll leave being hot to you."
"Oh, I think you manage it pretty well on your own," Celestia countered with a smile of her own, "Everypony has problems with some schools of magic. Nopony is got at everything and nothing in your domain keeps you from using fire magic."
"...Even Twilight?"
"Even Twilight," Celestia agreed and flicked one ear in thought, "she always had problems with transformation spells. Even now, to my knowledge."
I slowly nodded, "Thinking about it, she has not used a lot of transformation magic. And she's the alicorn of magic... I suppose I shouldn't feel bad about being bad at fire magic if she's having trouble with another branch."
"Not that it justifies giving up on it," Celestia reminded me, "She can still do it. And so can you. It's different with me and ice magic or my sister and light spells."
I frowned at that, "Wait, I saw Luna cast light spells multiple times."
"Maybe I should differentiate between spells that cast light and light spells," Celestia clarified, "You know about dark magic, correct?"
I nodded, "Yeah. Didn't feel worth using over normal spells. So?"
"There is also light magic. It's the opposite of-" Celestia started to explain before she looked at me in alarm, "...What do you mean, didn't feel worth using?"
Hesitating for a second, I then shrugged, "I found a book in Luna's room in the old castle. It had a bunch of dark magic in it and I tried it out. This was way back before I ascended even, actually the same trip I found Fern. I tried a spell and it didn't feel worth the extra effort to cast it, so I stopped using it. Luna destroyed the book when I returned."
Celestia stared at me for several long moments.
Then she bit my ear.
"Ow!" I exclaimed before I glowered at her, rubbing my ear, "What was that for!?"
"For being a stupid colt!" she snarled, "Do you have any idea how many unicorns have fallen to it for less!?"
I shook my head, "No idea," I admitted as I met her eyes, "Somepony doesn't have them in the history books."
That was an old argument.
Celestia raised her wings in annoyance, "Luna knows?"
"Luna knows," I said as I regarded her, "She looked me over after in fact, finding no trace of dark magic."
Celestia hesitated as she looked at me strangely, "Truly?" she finally asked.
"Yep," I agreed and then glowered at her, rubbing my ear, "And I already have been bit for it once before, I’ll have you know!"
"Well, you deserved that one too!" Celestia answered before folding her wing as she studied me, "Do you remember what spell it was?"
I considered it for a second and then nodded, "Yeah, some cutting spell. Don't remember the name of the spell, but it made the stone I cast it on dissolve around the cut."
"Do you think you could cast it again?"
"...I mean, maybe?" I admitted before I studied her hesitantly, "Why? Especially after being that upset about it."
Celestia shook her head, "I won't apologize for that. But I have to see it for myself, I have never known a pony not to have some trace after casting a dark magic spell."
"Know a lot of dark wizards?" I asked, raising an eyebrow at her.
"...Some," she admitted, "Every one became corrupted by their craft eventually."
"Do you know dark magic?"
To my surprise, she nodded, "Some. I know how to use it. I don't for obvious reasons."
"Well, as long as you don't bite me again, I suppose I can try to remember the spell," I said and swung around back to look at the stone that was the bane of my current existence.
Focusing on the anger I felt when Midnight revealed how exactly we returned home, on those two idiots fighting in the market, I started to channel my magic into the spell. Feeling myself to start to get agitated, I let it fly.
A dark slash of night flew through the air and split the rock in two, the two halves halfway dissolving into smoke and power as they flew with a hissing crackle.
I let it go and let out a breath, "I forgot how hard that was to do."
Celestia stared at the rock before turning to me, running some sort of magic beam from her horn across me. Once, twice, three times.
She slowly sat down, looking at me with wide eyes before doing one more scan, "The dark magic has faded away. Completely."
"Told you," I said and turned to look at her, putting my wings around myself again, "But too much effort to be worth it, a normal cutting spell does almost as much damage and if you want to hurt something, there isn't a lot of difference."
Celestia shook her head as she looked at me in turn, "You are a very special pony, Page."
"I'm not sure the pony part of me is the one that makes it work," I said and then shrugged, "I have no interest in dark magic. Seems like a waste of time for very little real results and quite a lot of risk. Very much not worth it."
Celestia smiled sadly at me, "Too many ponies in history have disagreed with you. Which is why I got worried."
"Well, they were idiots then,” I said and got comfortable, my wings around me, pulling my legs against my body.
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Nice.
What's funny is dark magic is gonna be the magic that is associated with page.
See, this is one of the things I love about Hiver, he doesn't forget this stuff. Even these seemingly pointless details from books ago. ...wonder if he does an annual re-read too...
Possible. Too much details to remember exactly so I usually reread the entire series when a new book comes. I myself should be by 7 times, if my guess is correct.
I wonder if it's going to be important
Dark magic isn't always inherently evil. With the right, determined soul, who wants to protect instead of destroy, it can be a force for good. Knowing how to control your anger helps, too.
I guess in Page's case, being lazy works too?
11609152
Lookin that way with the way it keeps getting brought up and hinted at, and with his seeming immunity or resistance to the effects of using it.
Either that or it's simply his human origins kicking in.
11609193
Humans are naturally evil I believe. So his human soul would stop the dark magic from taking over
I guess his humanity is the part purging it? Maybe the predator instead of prey mind set?
Light spell - dark light spell
Cutting curse - dark cutting curse of erosion
Summoning chocolate - Summoning dark chocolate
Maybe dark magic resistance is one of his Thestral traits ?
Yeti kind had a taste of Blank Page darkside, once provoked he suffered greatly. Blank Page is the necessary evil so other don't have to...
Page than summoned many dark chocolate cakes for Celestia from that day on...
Does this mean Page could be corrupted by a Light spell?
Thanks for the chapter!
Have a great day!
Wait wait wait. Does this mean light magic could 'corrupt' you into wanting to purge anything even the slightest bit impure? If that was the case, only flutters would survive...
11609247
It potentially could, sure. I mean, even real life can handily bring up cases of too much (physical) light not actually being a good thing at all, and who’s to say that at least some (especially magical) forms of “redemption” aren’t effectively just cases of running the exact same processes involved in corruption with the polarity switch simply thrown in reverse?
Just what exactly “light magic” actually is in Hiver’s setting remains to be seen, though.
Page is being so phenomenally dense about dark magic, it isn't even funny. ONE SPELL TESTED! One, and you think you can write off the entire school?! For all he knows, the standard socially acceptable cutting spell has centuries more refinement and spellcrafting by far more unicorns, and that if the dark magic version received the same care it might blow it away. And even if not, just because one standard spell beats out a similar purpose dark magic spell when directly compared, that does not mean that other dark magic spells wouldn't win in a head to head direct comparison.
Dark magic may at times provide a different benefit to a comparable spell. For example, mind control magic in mlp often has the subtlety of a dropped anvil to the head. Given how mind controlled ponies in mlp have acted it would normally be easy to tell a spell is influencing them. But dark magic might allow mind control that's more subtle, ala the early stages of Reaper indoctrination, meaning that in return for a loss of influence you have an agent that no one suspects of being controlled, at least not for quite some time.
Far more importantly, dark magic opens up possibilities that simply aren't even available with standard socially acceptable magic, including spells considered acceptable for war. Life drain/ vampirism to strengthen the caster, necromancy ranging from powerful single servants to whole legions of the undead, curses of all stripes, demonic summonings and bindings, these are all just some of the potential spells an amoral/immoral dark magic wielder might posses. Although the full extent of their abilities is unknown, Sombra and Grogar are both examples of powerful mages who saw benefit to using the dark arts, providing evidence this is the case.
Now, given the risks, Celestia and Luna are right to not want the dark arts being used. Because of said risks among other factors, I don't think Page should actually become a practioner, regardless of his possible immunity to blowback. Which, a few castings of one spell does not conclusively prove that dangers would not develop over time if he did began using dark art spells.
Rather, Page and others had better be aware that sooner or later, a master of the dark arts will come along during their long lives, it's almost an inevitability. And when said dark mage(s) appears, not realizing the threat of access to spells outside of standard war spells would be a grave mistake. Which, to be fair, is something I'm willing to believe Celestia and Luna both know. But this is twice now Page has almost completely dismissed the school of dark magic, hence the post.
...MEANWHILE AT THE CANTERLOT UPDATE TEA TIME...
Luna:
NO.
Chrysalis: What? I didn't say a word!
Cadance:
The answer is still no. We can't trust ponies with that magic...we not gonna trust YOU with it!
Luna:
And if Page dares to demonstrate that spell in front of you, I'm taking that ear clean off!
Chrysalis:
*scoff* How rude. Thinking I would jeopardize this alliance for such a thing? Ridiculous!
*Chrysalis leaning over whisper to Thorax*
Chrysalis:
Go to Ponyville and find the bouncy pink one! I bet she knows the basics or at least some time travel magic so we can get it ourselves..
Thorax:
Okie Doki Loki!
Chrysalis: *shudders*
Don't say that again. Have a little changeling pride!
Thorax: But I never had that!
Chrysalis:
One that you should not give up on
"Those that do not learn from history are doomed to repeat it".
And if that history is hidden, how will they learn from it
great chapter
human
11609247
All hail the Society of light
11634497
been a while since his human past got referenced lolz
Nopony is good
Like as a perfect example:
EnglishEquuish for Celestia11660334
How odd that after more than a few months, only a couple people picked up on this.... 
11609209
no, he no longer feels the effect even before being transformed, that's his own will
11609324
don't forget he said that the slashing spell was of equal magical value as a normal slashing spell, and that black magic spell has not been touched for over a thousand years, if even after that time this spell still has the potency of a current spell, imagine at the time of luna and celestia, if refined correctly for the present day, it would be extremely powerful