Chapter 1 - Dawn
“Science has not yet taught us if madness is or is not the sublimity of the intelligence.”
-Edgar Allen Poe
In the case of Twilight Sparkle, it was; at least, partially.
Darkness will move swiftly on that night; the sun will sink beneath the horizon well before evening. In the absence of light shall rise the creatures of the night: Ponythropes, Vamponies, the forgotten Lunar Sects of old. It will be a night of debauchery, an all-encompassing sphere of time itself from which madness will rise like a phoenix. Nine hours of pure terror; fear given physical form by Lady Luna. A thousand years ago, it had been. But now, the scourges of the moon were leaderless, as were the other beasts lurking in shadow. For the great umbral plane lacked its Lady, accosted by the warriors of lux, raided by the ethereal purity of the traitor.
“Celestia…” the young mare muttered under her breath. The goddess of all that was good, supposedly. Yet whenever the name was spoken aloud, Twilight felt as if bile was to spew from her maw. That insufferable deity had betrayed her own flesh and blood in favor of power. But still, the accursed ivory equine had claimed sovereignty over this nation. She felt almost violated by the fact that such an arrogant entity could even exist in the first place!
Which is what made her family’s obsession so utterly confounding. For generations, House Sparkle had generously served her Majesty; as Generals, Councilors, and most despicably, as Archmagi. That cursed position was the focus of Twilight’s disgust; ever since her brother had ascended to replace their mother. He was put under strict watch and practically commanded to use light magic, and only light magic. The lavender filly had a whole lot to say about that. Ever since she had heard the news, her relationship with Shining had been… strained, to say the least. It was the ultimate constriction of free will. To direct and inhibit the curiosity of a prodigious magus was a grave mistake, especially considering how much can be learned from the Darkness. It was an extreme, perverse violation of logic and reasoning, and if Twilight hated anything, it was that.
Born with a sharp wit, Twilight had found logic to be a solid means of going about living her life. Sure, it occasionally provided a very tough pill to swallow—but that ultimately led Twilight to knowledge. It was an addiction she’d never satiate; an insuperable urge she simply had to fulfill. It was a blessing and a curse, and Twilight had been “gifted” with it since she had first sparked her horn.
She really didn't seem to mind.
Had she temporarily forsaken the yellow brick road? Yes. The first roadblock was once she arrived upon the conclusion that her life was finite. At first, she tried to rationalize it with the preconceived notion of an ‘afterlife’. For weeks, she let the delusion plague her thoughts, never processing the concept. Eventually, though, she recognized the fallacy and did away with it. Her acceptance was the first step she took down the long, winding path of discovery. Look where it took her! Skipping her entrance exam into Celestia’s School for brainwashing magically talented fillies and colts. Nay, she had much bigger plans today. The nine-hundred and eighty-fifth consecutive Nightmare Night was in but a week, and Twilight knew this was the right time to strike.
Which is why she had drawn a translocation matrix on the rug of her room in chalk and prepared a phasing algorithm. It's also why she stepped inside, entered coordinates and spatial properties, and activated it. She was quite familiar with the spell, and as such was unaffected by the general nausea and delirium she felt upon landing.
Her first sight was the brass-tinted bark of a modest apple tree, which was good. She had programmed it with the intent of arriving in the Apple Orchard, after all. After quickly checking for an onlooker or unassuming pony nearby and finding none, Twilight continued on her merry way. She still had quite a few things to do.
As she proceeded to the next step, she felt an inkling of nervous anticipation bubble up from her subconscious. Barely even stopping to process the foreign emotion, she crushed it with an iron fist and continued on, steel-eyed. Multiply over Thom squared, carry the one, and… Done! 4.4667 Kilothaums. Huh, less than I thought. Alright, let's do this. Multiple bright, magical lines became visible all over her skin, all the same color as her magic. The glow intensified threefold over the course of the next thirty seconds, and eventually the tiny outline of Twilight Sparkle was indistinguishable from the small blob of magic now surrounding her.
3…
2…
1…
Now! The energy was drawn into her, briefly giving her a powerful sheen. There was so much power now, just under her skin. She could feel it, consuming her flesh and blood and reverting it into light. Her conscious became nothing but an analogue of energy accompanying the photon bundles. As space itself opened and her massless form shot through, she felt truly content. She kept that feeling close, for once putting aside her scheming and connivery. For now, she was going to enjoy this moment.
Then it was over. She was alone again, this time surrounded by the towering shadows of nearby trees and foliage. However, this chunk of the Everfree Forest was barren of life, the only semblance of organic existence being the plant-life she was encumbered by. But that was a good thing, for this sojourn was hard enough as is; factoring in wild beasts was asking for too much.
Twilight lifted her hoof and examined her watch. It was 5:30 A.M. Her parents wouldn't wake up or attempt to awaken her for at least two more hours. The exam was at noon, so that gave her plenty of time to prepare. Her parents would worry, yes, but that can be dealt with. For now, she just needed to validate that she had arrived on-time. A faint rustling in the bushes told her that she had. A supernatural flame burnt away at the bush; gold and silver and warping around a single, vaguely equine form. All at once, the flames were extinguished. The ashes shot into the air, tracing the outline of the thing and allowing Twilight to see it properly.
Two massive, pupil-less eyes birthed into existence as what was now confirmed to be the head of the being, and eventually it’s full form was visible. It was beautiful, unnaturally so. Twilight felt her eyes ogling the creature. Regardless of her being too young to experience lust, she still felt the unique allure of the Fae. Damnit! The small purple unicorn cursed under her breath, her eyes quickly flashing indigo as she realized her mistake.
The Faery grinned slyly, clearly proud of almost capturing Twilight in its gaze.
“I told you not to do that.” The mare rolled her eyes, accustomed to the behavior of her paranormal companion.
“Nope. You were actually much more specific. You said, and I quote: Under contract of the Fair Maiden Twilight of House Sparkle, I, Barbradeus of the Sixth House, am not to physically harm, magically affect without consent, or betray the will of Twilight Sparkle, the five year old, purple unicorn mare. As you can clearly see, you're not a five-year old purple unicorn mare.”
Twilight glanced over herself again. In preparation for the journey, Twilight had created a disguise in case she was recognized. She utilized Silk Stride’s Aging Spell first, biologically altering her physical body into that of a teenager. That really wasn't enough, though. Just to be sure, she also used a gender-swapping spell she found in her parents’ bedroom. And finally, as a precaution, utilized some Changeling Magic. She wasn't incredibly skilled at the branch yet, what with only finding a book on it a few weeks ago, so instead she used a supplement. She had discovered Bon Bon’s little secret weeks ago. She basically owned that mare. A little blackmail here, a little bargain there, and Twilight ended up with some Changeling salve. She didn't exactly have a cauldron, so she just put it in a mug and microwaved it for four minutes. She also added some sugar, for flavor.
“Typical seelie. Are you gonna show me where to go?”
The Fae stood expectantly, looking at her pleadingly and with no small amount of amusement. Her sigh of exasperation could be heard by anybody within a ten yard radius.
“I, Twilight of House Sparkle, command you to lead me to your superiors, under the authority of the contract signed between us.” She groaned in exasperation, doing her best to rein the urge to kill the mystical creature.
“Aye aye, captain!” Silver light spread from Barbradeus, encompassing the both of them in seconds.
“Hold on.”
“To what?” was her reply.
“I don't know, something.” The light contracted inwards, and Twilight found herself not in the Everfree Forest, but instead under the blinding light of Avalon. Or rather, under the colossal shadows of the monarchs of Fae Society. Twilight and her companion/slave were alone in a large clearing, and yet Twilight could easily feel the disturbances surrounding her. The first was like scalding water, a sensation the left side of her body was none too happy with. But the other was like an arctic wind given physical form. All Twilight could tell was that it was very cold, very solid, and yet, utterly translucent. As uncomfortable as she was, it paled in comparison to the discomfort she felt once one of them touched her. Then another. Both beings were now somewhat visible. Their outlines were tall, nowhere near Celestia’s height but still towering over a regular mare or stallion. Their shapes constantly eluded her, moving only slightly too fast for her to fully process. From what she could tell, they were surrounding her, like a pack of sharks. Eventually, one, or possibly both, spoke.
TwilightuniqueofkeepHousealiveSparkle, topurposewhatplansdofutureIneedsoweustheapleasure? Yourbigbloodlineplanshasn’tdivinegracedNIGHTthesedusklandsendsinceofrulerMorningwhitequeenSparklepawnsplantedlonggamethelossesfirstsacrificeofchanges?thepainEverfree. WhatendmightEndyouENDrequire?
As the first one spoke, Twilight felt the other one invade her thoughts. She wasn't sure if Barbradeus could hear the second line of text, and she wasn't even sure if she was hearing it. If they could enter her mind, who's to say they couldn't speak directly with her conscious? Once the dual-speech came to an end, Twilight formulated a response. She had to be careful around these two. They might seem benevolent, but breaking one of their rules will result in death.
“You humble me, Baron. I find myself transfixed upon your words. Truly the allure of a Sidhe. To business, then. I have found myself at a loss, my Lord. I have been studying the art of Influence, and found my skills lacking. So I came to you, in hopes you might reveal to me your captor. For a price, of course. Fear not, though. I have came prepared.”
The filly’s horn flared to life, her lavender energy cascading downward like a waterfall. From it was spawned a lavender bubble, within which was a mass of something. She lifted it calmly in her magic, and extended outward to what she assumed was the Baron’s hoof. And in that moment, the Baron's presence disappeared entirely. It was just Twilight and the Titan, as the world crumbled away all around them.
Create a systematic dispenser tailored to Harmonic Magic. Make a tracking-transposer for the source of the release, and containment arrays for each of them. There will be five. It must be finished by 12:15, and activated at EXACTLY 12:15:56. Leave.
Twilight blinked. The world shifted.
Now in place of Avalon’s oddness or the Everfree’s mystique was Twilight’s pastel walls, and a picture of her first levitation. Mere moments after her arrival, light snuck under her door and revealed itself to her. Her eyes widened. They're awake! She hurriedly erased the array on the floor, lept onto her bed, dispelled her disguise and crawled under the covers. She hadn't realized so much time had passed! Within moments, she heard the doorknob softly ‘click’, and the muffled footsteps of what was probably her father.
“Hey Twilight, time to get up.” Twilight did her best to feign a yawn, and responded wistfully.
“Okay dada.” He smiled, turned, and exited her room. She rolled out of bed and calmly began to prepare for her ‘big day’. How am I to go about this, then? Making a public reveal so soon would be foolish. It would make everything else exponentially more challenging to accomplish. Oh! Why didn't I think of that earlier?
Lightly trotting down the halls, Twilight skidded to a halt at her destination. “I'll be out in thirty minutes, mom!” Sliding through the doorway, she dimly heard her mother utter a reply.
“I'll hold off on breakfast till you're out, then.”
She smiled. Even better. Gripping the entire shower in her magic, she let the water start. Just wait a few seconds, and… Once the water was hot, Twilight flicked her horn out, releasing a bolt of indigo energy that seeped into the shower walls. Soon after, the hums of a certain unicorn filly could be heard. Excellent. Now, this magic was advanced, even for Twilight. She had found a book on it at her mother’s desk, so naturally she ‘borrowed’ it. She liked a challenge. But perhaps a Pocket Dimension was a tad beyond her league. She didn't really know—or care. All she knew was, there was only one way to find out!
In her magic grip, the pages fluttered open as Twilight quietly murmured under her breath the incantation. “Omnitas Terratus Ourborom Fractus Accosti!” Twilight winced, preparing for the worst.
…
…
Nothing happened. Looking down in confusion, Twilight looked over the page again. “Ah-ha! Wait, ‘right step’?” She took a step to the right, and was suddenly pulled through some sort of labyrinth inside of space-time, only to arrive upon what could be described as a void. Twilight held herself with her magic, unsure of whether or not she would fall into the abyss. Poking at the empty space below her, Twilight found a platform she could stand on. She lit her horn, trying to grip it in her magic to test its size. When she found she couldn't grip the whole thing, she pushed harder. When it still wouldn't budge, she just shrugged and assumed she could stand and act on it without fear of death via falling. Once she had firmly planted her feet on the ground, she summoned her chalk and got to work. She didn't have much time.
Four separate bars of chalk levitated through the air, drawing geometric shapes on the invisible floor in an incredibly complicated array. There were two overlapping triangles in the center. Surrounding them was a concentric circle, which was then entombed by a square. Following that was a pentagon, which expanded outward into a star, which was surrounded by another circle. Around this circle were several sigils Twilight was using for stability. This was a fairly new matrix, and she hadn't memorized it yet. The fact that she had to look from the book in the first place displayed that fact rather well.
Once the base matrix was finished, she set to work building in the extra arrays. There was the powering pad, which she put at the tip of the top point of the star. She then engineered four containment arrays on the other points, and finally re-purposed the powering pad into a containment array for once she had finished powering the spell. With that work completed, she finally began to memorize the algorithm. She crafted the algorithm into the inner vertices of the two triangles, a penta-rhombus.
Twilight grunted at the effort of producing such a monstrous ritual in such a short period of time. Checking her watch again, she realized she only had thirty seconds.
“Shit!” She frantically exited the pocket dimension, almost slipping on the wet floors of the shower. It was at that point she had had enough. Purple light consumed the entire bathroom, and within seconds everything was fine. The shower was deactivated, and entirely dry. The sink had been scrubbed, the mirror cleaned, the toilet washed, everything looked mint. Including Twilight. She had known how to clean herself with magic for at least a year, but indulged her parents for the sake of maintaining normality in the house. Oh wait, of course. Nabbing a towel from the nearest hook, she wrapped it around her waist and exited the room. Ugh, I could use a bite.
—————————————————
Twilight sighed contently. Everything was going just as she had hoped. And while she was quite confused by the Baron’s instructions (and omen), she knew better than to question the Sidhe. There had only ever been three in existence, and Twilight knew from the stories that they weren't to be trifled with. The first had been Mab, but she now served a…. much different purpose. But the other two, during their reign, have been renowned as some of the strongest of the Night’s warriors. Which was decently accurate. The Sidhe were simply hand-picked Seelie or Unseelie, chosen by the Seasons to rule over the Fae in their stead. After all, who else guards the physical manifestation of order and obedience?
But, enough exposition. Currently, Twilight is busy watching her mother’s horn charge up energy in preparation to teleport them all to the school. Twilight had always been a fan of the ‘poker face’, and right now was putting it to good use; coyly ignoring the instinctual fear she always felt whenever her mother cast magic. Twilight Velvet was an incredibly powerful sorceress, after all. She had served as the Archmagus for thirty years before Shining replaced her at the tender age of twenty one. But he still hadn't quite reached her level. Twilight had watched her mother raise the sun and moon for three consecutive days, when Celestia had gotten particularly sick. The woman is constantly wearing four separate chain cuffs around her hooves, each holding back a fraction of her power. And the worst part is when she's angry… The mare takes up the visage of a wrathful deity. Her mane bursts into blue-white flames, her coat shines with a blazing gold, her horn extends to almost as long as Princess Cadence’s, there are small tufts of feathers where wings would be.
But, that's enough on Velvet. Her father also has a rather daunting list of accomplishments. His family line can be traced back to before Hearth’s Warming, where his ancestors used to raise the astral bodies. As mentioned earlier, it was Morning Sparkle who planted the first seed that would later become the Everfree. One of his relatives was a blood-thirsty warmonger that almost killed Luna in the Lunar Rebellion! And while she’d never seen his power, she was certain he had it.
These thoughts were what possessed Twilight’s mind as she and her other three family members warped to the entrance of Celestia’s school. Twilight entered quickly, anxiously hopping into line. Crap oh crap I can't ditch Mom will destroy half of Canterlot looking for me. I mean there's no reason to ditch, aside from possibly getting a WHOLE lot of Celestia’s attention. But there's no chance! Ugh, I hate putting things to chance!
Behind her, she saw Shining wave at her with a big smile. She grinned and waved back, childish giddiness pumping through her veins like adrenaline. Stop Twilight, you're being too emotional! But she couldn't. Anxiety and happiness and fear and paranoia and anticipation all poured together into the cooking mold of her heart, which basically summed up to a big blob of feels shaped like an organ.
“Twilight Sparkle.”
Twilight jumped, before rushing over the examination room. It was all white, and she could see Celestia, as well as three stone-cold judges looking at her impatiently. Oddly enough, there was also a window that made the sky above visible. She checked her watch again. 12:15:18! This is it…
The seconds ticked by. The first judge sluggishly spoke:
“This is a test of your magical capacity. To pass the test, you must hatch this dragon egg, which proves you can exert more than a Megathaum of energy.”
Twilight blanched. A Megathaum!? That's almost a fifth of my reserve! What kind of special school is this? However, Twilight knew she had to do this. A dragon would be an excellent asset, and its birth could probably cover the magic wave that was going to be drawn into her horn in a few seconds. She grunted in effort and pushed her output to maximum capacity, one-hundred and fifty Kilothaums. Her horn took on a piercing white color and surged into the egg, filling it with her bloodline’s unique, vast well of power. Then she heard it.
“Crack!” A piece of the shell popped off, and a small reptilian hand shot out. Two seconds… One second… Now! A small portal formed at the edge of her horn, and energy shot through it to power the circle. Looking up, she noticed a wave of rainbow energy passing by, which the judges were transfixed by as well. It's better they don't see this part. Once the spell activated, the energy was drawn from the skies and pumped into the pocket dimension at an alarming rate. Inside the dimension, a polychromatic pegasus was suddenly bound in magical chains. Following shortly after came a blonde earth pony with three apples adorning her flank. Then an extremely well-groomed unicorn, an unnaturally pink earth pony, and finally, a banana-yellow pegasus. Twilight was unaware of her guests’ appearance, but was shocked by the continuous stream of magic that continued to pour from what she assumed to be ponies.
The matrix strained against the hundreds of Megathaums of energy, thrumming with power just begging to be released. The powering pad was smeared by this growing energy, and the backwash surged back into Twilight’s horn and out into the dragon. It responded to the feeding eagerly, assimilating the stolen forces with voracious libido. Soon, the dragon had consumed the entirety of the contained magic, and yet, wasn't visibly changed. Celestia’s eyes widened at the display of power. She has to be it! The Element… She thought, both in awe and shock.
The ivory alicorn burst through the door, certificate in hand and her horn aglow with energy.
“Congratulations on your acceptance, Miss Sparkle. Now if I could just… speak to your parents.” Twilight pointed to the waiting room, and the alicorn exited quietly. Internally, Twilight was weighing the pros and cons of the dragon becoming her pet, and was leaning towards yes. It was storing ALL of the ambient mana somehow, and plus, dragons! Her mind made up, the lavender mare pulled the newborn dragon into a fierce hug, which was quickly reciprocated. Huh, this could work out.
A few moments passed, and Twilight was suddenly amuck with anticipation. What if I messed up? Paranoia took root, and Twilight found herself wondering why she was so scared of being denied. Isn't that what I wanted? But still, the immature filly had much to learn, and on that list happened to be complex emotions. Hence, the predicament she finds herself in now.
The door was almost ripped off its hinges as a prismatic wave of energy tore through the room, three glimmering horns peeking through, followed by the bodies of her parents and sibling.
“Congrats Twily! Now we can hang out in the Castle and I can raise you and CadencecanbabysitwheneverI’mnotthereand—” the diminutive hoof of his L.S.B.F.F shot into the air and playfully slapped him, stopping the tirade in its tracks.
“Why will I be in the Castle?” Her parents looked at her blankly. Meanwhile, Shining held a hoof to his muzzle to mask his laughter. Night Light scooped her up in his magic and held her up to his height, looking her straight in the eyes.
“You were accepted into her school, Twilight. Not only that, she has selected you to be her Personal Student.” His grip on her tightened as she squealed and thrashed, presumably in delight.
Presumably indeed, for that is what her relatives assumed. Unfortunately, it was for a much more urgent reason. I can’t continue with my plans if I'm stuck in that snuffy castle! I'll have to postpone for another year! I can't do that! There's so much to organize! I haven't even cleared my first checklist! Her panicked thoughts were about to bleed out through her mouth, but were quelled by what her mother said next.
“We’re leaving after Nightmare Night, sweetie. You've already mapped out which houses to hit and all, so it'd be rude for us to deny you at least that. But it's the morning after, so hurry up and pack your things.” Twilight froze in the air, forcefully maintaining a neutral expression; which was quite a challenge, considering how badly she wanted to gloat over her apparent victory. She nodded slowly, and was gently set on the ground. Soon...
—————————————————
Well, that was easy. After her mother warped them back home, she had swiftly entered her room and frantically packed all of her things. It had taken a mild exertion of magic, nothing more than telekinesis. Within moments, the entirety of her possessions were neatly condensed into no less than ten suitcases, seven of which were stocked full of books.
In a few leaps and bounds, Twilight had exited her room, hung up her ‘Don’t bother me; I'm reading’ sign, and returned to her personal abode. As her magic firmly closed the door, she returned to her ‘project’. A familiar sense of satisfaction overwhelmed her as she entered her personal dimension and discovered five relatively helpless mares thrashing about against magical restraints; the cyan pegasus and terra-cotta earth pony in particular. The other three seemed mildly aggravated, but nothing more. The pink one immediately started twitching uncontrollably the moment Twilight entered the realm, drawing the eyes of the ivory unicorn and sun-orange Apple pony. Despite knowing not which branch this particular mare was descended from, her Cutie Mark was easy enough to identify as being of the Apple Clan. However, Twilight was no fool; she’d play it cool for now.
“Wh-who are you? Wait, are you… new?” She was met with uncertain silence.
“Oh, oh no no no no no that'snotokay. Listen carefully, do as it says. Punishment is bru—” The mare paused, heaving as if having run a marathon.
“Don't, no! Not yet!” Tactfully making use of her skill in Illusion Magic, Twilight strained against something. Her struggles elicited a green spark that seemed to trace through the air, revealing twin ‘chains’ binding her legs. Of course, it was all a charade. But Twilight had practiced her acting at school several times; she was confident. Between her deep breaths, she struggled to convey her thoughts. So, she instead spoke intermittently.
“Don't - try to - escape! — It’ll kill you a-” Twilight chose this time to be ‘dragged into the darkness’, where a portal was discreetly hidden. Good job, Twilight. Gee thanks! No! Bad! Don't talk to yourself. That's bad.
She returned to her plane of existence in the nick of time; her mother currently knocking on the door with a gentle, yet firm hoof.
“Twilight? You in there?” Twilight quickly waved away the portal, before replying.
“Of course mama! Where else?” A sigh was heard outside, and the door clicked open. Her mother walked in, spreading a tranquil aura through the room. Literally, her magic actively soothed Twilight’s nerves. In Velvet’s arms was Spike; as he had been dubbed shortly after his birth. She gently stroked his belly with one hoof, while gently cradling him back and forth with the other.
“I think he wants to see you.” Her statement was accompanied by a whine, the dragon gently leaping from her mother’s arms and skittering over to his ‘mother/owner’. It clawed at her leg, and she scooped him up with her magic. Velvet wasn't surprised in the least; Twilight having always exhibited an advanced capacity for magic. So, while Twilight generally held back around her mother, the occasional showing was appreciated by both parties.
“I think I'll leave you two alone. Dinner’s in an hour. Love you!” Twilight smiled and waved, not uttering a word.
Once her mother was out of earshot, Twilight’s gaze hardened.
“Alright, you living battery. How full are you?” Her left pupil expanded and gained a lavender hue, as if to answer her question. Her horn sparked a deep navy, and Spike gently drifted into unconsciousness. The reptile was now but a cut-out, brimming with several different colors. 12.5% L005, 6.5% K101, 11% H044, 9.75% L020, 10.2% G3-03, and… 49.95% P6-F0!? This anomaly needs to be tested.
“Well, that's a Relative Examination Rune, let's try an Absolute one.” Her other pupil contracted inward, and the sea of colors was supplanted by a singular shade of yellow. The shade of Draconic Magic. Hopefully there isn't a conversion in its Neuroarcanic systems, that could be problematic. Anyways… No, that's not possible. That's definitely not possible. That's almost enough to create the (purely hypothetical) Crystal Heart! Wait, there's more? Seven Gigathaums! You’re going to be very useful to me, Spike.
Her eyes reverted back to their regular size, and Twilight gently laid the silently snoring dragon on her bed. Now, how to harness you. Your very existence is based on the Titan’s prediction. I'll need to incorporate you into the overarching plan I’ve hatched. Wait… The third suitcase against the wall drifted into the air, unlocking and spilling out twenty books, at least. They aligned in front of her in an orderly fashion, sifting past her view as she searched for a certain document. Earth Ponies: The Subtle Sorcery, Transmutation and Configuration, Ordering Chaos: An In-Depth Analysis, no! It's in here somewhere! Oh, good. The Double Dichotomy: Part I. Now, let's see…
‘The Double Dichotomy is the underlying division of the Manafold, applying to a decent percentile of all known expressions of magic. It is the division of that magic into two separate groups, each a pair of opposites. The first ‘Dichotomy’ is more commonly referred to as Unity. It divides magic of this category into either ‘concordant’ or ‘anarchic’. Magic branches under either of these categories are of the first dichotomy, finding roots in either of these labels. However, the direct expression of each is a unique form of magic in itself. Concordancy, in its purest expression, is referred to as ‘Harmony’. Anarchy’s honed state, meanwhile, is described as ‘Chaos’. For elaborations, please check the second volume — “The Double Dichotomy: Unity’, or for more detail, ‘Harmonic Expression and Interaction’ and ‘The Flow of Change: A Guide to Chaos’.
On the other side of the spectrum, the second ‘Dichotomy’ is referred to as Accordance. The magic under Accordance is split into twin constituents, ‘Disparity’ and ‘Law’. Once again, several spell branches are associated with these two groups. Not only that, but they also possess powerful, untainted variations. Disparity becomes Dissonance, while Law becomes Influence. Read more in ‘The True Path: Disparity and Dissonance’, or ‘Domination and Subjugation: The Art of Influence’.’
There was more on page, but Twilight had what she needed. I guess I could incorporate it into the next step. I'll have to do some research first, though. But first!
“Mom! Is dinner ready?” she shouted, perhaps a little too loudly.
“Almost! Go wash your hooves!” Twilight obeyed, and within but a minute she was bounding down the stairs, freshly sanitized and positively ravenous.
For what though? For some hay casserole? Sure. But for the release of her princess, the death of a goddess and the destruction of a nation? Ab-so-lutely.
