Dark Ascension

Hi there. I am known as Super Effective. I'm a unicorn studying magic under my mentor Starswirl the Bearded. He is widely known throughout Equestria as a powerful mage. Now as for myself, I am simply known as Starswirl’s bumbling apprentice and for the most part people are right. Starswirl has another apprentice known as Clover the Clever, and Clever she is. She’s a beautiful mare who sometimes even rivals Starswirl’s expertise. I on the other hand am still learning. You see, Equestria isn't exactly in it’s best of times. Starswirl sometimes takes us out and we explore Equestria. Most of the places we go to are through mountains and ravines, and very dark, so Starswirl usually brings along his special candle. It’s amazing! He uses his magic to levitate it and keep it lit with a tiny flame spell. Once we were in this dark cave and we saw a pack of 4 ursa minor! We had to fight them off though I kinda felt bad… all they did was get mad for being interrupted in their sleep. Although Starswirl didn't seem to take it well either... it looked like Clover was about to cry, her love has always been fauna and I guess she was upset to have to fight 4 innocent ursa away. As for Starswirl... it's like he was enraged at them. As soon as they attacked he was shouting as if he was on a battlefield, roaring as he blasted beams of ice and lightning at them. It was truly a shocking sight.

I have to say though, times aren't good nowadays. The economy is falling apart without a democratic society or a monarch. Someday, I feel that Starswirl will become The King of Equestria or something. Would that make me a prince? I couldn't bare such a position! All that paperwork and meetings, I couldn't handle that stuff. I just want to study magic and become a great mage like Starswirl, maybe then I could do something about Equestria. Being a political figure like King isn't for me, but I would be suited to something like an advisor I guess. I hope to travel further than just equestria and discover untold mysteries and tell stories of my own someday.

Recently Starswirl has been getting restless. He has a secret pet project he has been working on for years and he might be near it’s finish. It is supposed to grant the user immortality and power, but why would he want that anyway? Sure we are working to become better magi but living forever kind of misses the point of working hard for it. When the spell is used, he says it is supposed to summon some sort of amulet he has dubbed “The Alicorn Amulet”. Alicorns are basically ponies with both a horn and wings but they are very rare. It is even said there are none alive today, they are the stuff of legends. I might ask Starswirl what all this is about. He says it is supposed to grant the wearer of the necklace great power and immortality, but does that mean he doesn't care about watching us die? No… That couldn't possibly be right. Starswirl cares so deeply for us that… well I can’t even think about what I would do if he really didn't. Oh it must sound blissfully trite, but I really do believe he genuinely cares for me and Clover.

But I’ll tell you, Clover is a funny one. She always wears this light khaki coloured cloak for some reason, held together by mere string. She’s not the shy type and has never had identity issues, so I really can’t muster the knowledge as to why she would want to conceal herself, almost like a shadow. Between you and me, I don’t really have… intimate feelings towards her, no, I mean it! Well… what I mean is I love her. In the way a friend loves another. But really, Clover is a lot more dedicated to Starswirl’s wisdom than I am. One day you might find her reading books with him while I am outside experimenting with practical application, I guess I’m more of a do’er not a thinker, well maybe bits of both. It makes me think that if some kind of battle occurs in the most clichéd way possible, I would be the one delivering most of the blows compared to Clover and Starswirl.

But enough about me or them, tomorrow is something special. It would normally be another day where we travel through caves, exploring for magical artefacts yet to be archived, but Starswirl has claimed that it is something much different. Apparently a source of great power has been located and he wants to get some information on it. All we know is that it is very powerful and very dark. When unicorns try to harness the magic, the usually bright sparkle of their coloured magic beams (myself having a luscious yellow) transform into some kind of putrid, sickly black and purple shade, like nothing I've ever seen before. But it seems tomorrow will be the day we travel to see it. I just hope no one would be silly enough to try and tamper with it.

I guess I've procrastinated my sleep for long enough. I don't know why but I don't want to sleep. I feel like tomorrow is not going to go well. Ugh. I bet something will happen. I don't know why but I can just... feel it. It feels like the same dark energy from whatever that source is, is coming to me... tempting me. Ha. Like any dark magic would be able to ward me off the path I've set in stone for my future. I want to become the best mage that Equestria has ever seen. I want to make history. I want to be someone in this world. As Cliché as it sounds, it's true. But still, this dark energy I'm feeling can't be a coincidence. Whatever... I guess I'll... find out tomorrow...

"Little does he realize... that he will find out more than he bargained for..."