The Burden of Knowledge

by Scion of the Foreseen

Rating: everyone
Tags: Alternate Universe, Other, Original Character, Adventure, Twilight Sparkle, My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic
Length: 8450

As a young filly, Twilight was quite the adventurous soul. So, when her parents finally let her come along on an expedition to a nearby temple, shes ecstatic. But things take an unexpected turn when she finds something deep in the temple.

Twilight is a hoof-full. Having the combined traits of her mothers academic prowess, and the wanderlust of her father, made her in to a walking storm of magical mayhem. She has great potential, her power being greater then that of most, but she does not know how to control it. This changes, however, when her parents let her go with them on a trip to a local temple in the woods below Canterlot. There, she discovers a spirit that can help her control her power, and teach her things long forgotten in the annals of history. How ever, knowledge always has its price.

Published 2016-10-11 04:40:01 UTC
Last updated 2016-10-19 01:18:33 UTC

The Deal

Ah, the grand city of Canterlot. It was wonderful, built by skilled hoofs, with architecture only achievable when all three tribes of ponies collaborate. Built shortly after the unification of all the pony tribes, it is the ultimate monument to what total harmony can achieve. Of course, just because the city was built as a result of harmony, doesn't exactly mean that the residents of the city gather in droves and sing Kumbia. In fact, it was quite the opposite. With so many ponies and cultures all crammed in to a single place, one would suspect it would cause some... disturbances. Be it from heated talks, to drunken bar fight, there will always be conflict between those who are different from each other. Yet, none of those could ever mach the comedy of a good old family argument.

"But mom!" A lavender unicorn filly whined, "I'm a big girl now! I can do this!"
Twilight Velvet sighed as she packed her tools in to her bag, preparing for a trip down to a pony temple.

"Twilight, you may be a big girl, but this is still dangerous. I don't want you get hurt," But the little filly wouldn't be deterred. She sat down, looked up to her mother, and gave her the biggest, cutest set of puppy eyes she had in her arsenal. Velvet was on the verge on cracking under the weight of such a deadly weapon, but it was the voice of her husband that dealt the killing blow.

"Why not Velvet?" Night Light said, as he walked in to the room, bags already packed, "This isn't like a zebra temple. From what we saw last week, its just an early version of an earth pony temple," Twilight knew she had won.

She looked back to her mother, "See? Please let me go! I've been super good!"

Velvet accepted her defeat, and said, "Fine, but never go in the temple without one of us! Or touch anything! Or..." She than began to rattle off rules of what to do, but the little lavender filly wasn't listening. Twilight Sparkle was daydreaming, thinking of what she would find in the temple. Maybe an ancient artifact once thought long since lost. Or a cure to any sickness! Oh, there were so many possibilities, and she had to write it all down. While only being eight years of age, she was more organized than most adult ponies could ever dream of. Twilight wrote almost everything down, and organized it all by a system she had some how mesmerized. When ever she tried to explain it to one of her teachers, who questioned her seemingly disorganized method, they always left the conversation with a headache.

"Are you even listening?" Her mothers voice brought her back to reality.

"Um.." Twilight looked at the floor, a little embarrassed that she lost focus so easily, "Yes?" Velvet just rolled her eyes and smiled. The antics of foals were always amusing.

"Just remember, never open a door, or go anywhere, without one of us. Understand?" The filly mimicked a salute that her brother seemed to do ever since their father had taken him down to the barracks to watch the Royal guard train.

"Got it mom!" With that, she scurried upstairs to her room, to ready herself for the trip.

Velvet looked back to her husband, and said, "I've never broke that quickly before. Am I loosing my edge?" She Leaned against Night Light, who put a hoof over shoulder.

"Not at all Velvet," the unicorn replied, "It just shows how much you care about her,"
Velvet glared at her husband, "It also doesn't help that you turn traitor so easily," Night light smiled nervously.

"Hey, I never said I was perfect either," He was saved from the wrath of his wife when Twilight entered room, barely standing up under the weight of all the things she packed. Velvet gave her husband a look that said 'this isn't over', and went over to help her daughter.
"Come on. It's about time we left," Velvet said as she took some unnecessary items off of Twilight, "I already wrote Shining Armour the note of where we've gone for once he gets back from the guard barracks,"

(=¥=)
They walked along a beaten down forest path. It was beautiful this time of year, where snow covered everything, and all the animals were either sleeping, or hiding somewhere warm. The orange light produced by the setting sun danced across the snow, making it glitter. Twilight was amazed by it. She hastily scribbled down her observations, writing every single detail. From different species of trees to tracks in the snow, none escaped her sight. Night Light chuckled as he watched her collect data. He loved her to death, but by Celestia was she a strange little filly. She reminded him of himself when he was young. He had case of wanderlust. Night Light wanted nothing more than to just explore the world, more specifically, ancient ruins. History had always interested, and he loved connecting ancient designs to modern day contraptions. It was his wanderlust that led him to become a respected archeologist, and Royal Excavator. That was how he met Twilight Velvet.

Night Light had been charged with figuring out how to get into a particularly stubborn Minoan labyrinth, when he had met with Velvet. She was the one in charge of the site, and had requested his help. It was love at first sight. After they cracked open the labyrinth, at the center of which was ancient sword of gold, they worked together on every project after that. After a couple years they got married, and before they knew it, they had two foals. While Night Light smiled at the memories, they trotted in to the clearing which contained the temple. Twilight’s jaw dropped, along with her quill and notepad. It was a thing to behold, four huge towers stretched to the sky on the four corners. The temple was in the form of a pyramid, with four corners from which the towers sprouted. A grand gateway acted as the entrance to the huge building. Getting over her shock, Twilight immediately gathered up her notes, and began furiously writing. Velvet guided her over the camp site.

"Alright Twilight. Set your stuff down by the tent, and I'll take you inside while your father sets everything up for the night,"

"Okay! Oh, I can't wait!" With surprising speed, the filly raced over to the unpacked text, dumped her stuff, and zipped back to her mother. Velvet smiled as she began to walk toward the temple. It was certainly one of the more grand buildings she'd been in. Ancient carvings lines the walls, dust and darkness shrouding them from sight. It was unnaturally dark in the temple, and Velvet quickly lit a torch. Long winding hallways went in every direction, even down. Twilight was once again taking notes, her heart felt like it was going to burst with excitement! Here she was, exploring her first temple. Her mother led her down the hallways, checking them before letting her daughter cross, and this pattern continued for quite some time. Nothing much of interest in the hallways but more of those strange carvings and cobwebs, but the towers were different.

They had old ballista shots and cannon balls in them, and the users of such ammo had either rusted beyond recognition, or had rotted away. That sent off alarm bells in Velvets head. This place didn't look like a fort, nor did it have nearly enough ammunition to defend itself if it was. Her guess? That this was either a old research station set up near enemy territory, or more likely, a prison. A prison of a few, or single being. That theory alone making her nervous about going deeper in to the temple, she began to use more advanced detection spells. She prayed to Celestia that this was just a small POW camp, and not some kind of maximum security prison. With everything else checked, it only left the downwards hallway. Twilight was running out of paper, but thought she could make-do with what she had left. When they reached the bottom, there was an enormous door.

Carvings covered it, and it seemed to made out of metal. As she was scanning it for curses, Velvet felt some thing pulse from it. It was faint, but with her unicorn acting as both a receiver and exporter of magical currents, she felt the vibration it sent. Normally, only heavily enchanted object and ponies created that kind of pulse, because the concentrated magic would distort the reality around it. Yet this plain door had some how had enough magic in it to create a pulse. Wait a minute... Velvet held a torch closer to the door, and finally saw the carvings clearly. With a start, she realized it was a warded door. That the strange carvings were actually runes. She shivered, and realized her earlier theory was right. Something was being kept here, and it was just beyond the door. Quickly, she picked up Twilight with her magic, much to the little unicorn's dismay.

"Mom! I didn't finish my notes!" She said as she struggled against her mothers aura.
Velvet ignored as she quickly exited the temple, and made her way back to the camp. Night Light was setting up a fire, when he saw his distressed wife.

"Vel? What's wrong?" He trotted up to her, and looked at her with concern. Velvet put Twilight down on the ground.

"Twilight, go to your tent. Your father and I need to talk," The little filly grumbled while she walked towards her tent.

"What is it Velvet?" Night Light asked, after he watched Twilight enter her tent.

Velvet drew in a breath, "There were wards, Nighty. HUNDREDS of wards. I'm worried," Velvet sighed, and Night finished for her.

"Your worried that they're keeping something in there?"

Velvet nodded her head, "Something dangerous. The door alone had enough wards to create its own pulse of magic" Night Light mulled this over in his mind as they walked toward their own tent.

"We'll contact Celestia tomorrow. Right now, let's get some sleep," With that, the couple laid down on their sleeping bags and went to sleep.

(=¥=)
Twilight couldn't sleep. She tossed and turned, but could not find a way to sleep. And it was all because she didn't finish her notes. So close! She almost to finished the description of the door when her mom had interrupted. Well, both her parents were asleep now, she could hear their snoring from here. Twilight could go in there now, and finish her notes. But her mother had said... No! Her mother had explored and scanned the temple earlier, and found no traps. She could do this! With her mind made up, the filly gathered her notes, soundlessly made her way out of the tent and towards the temple. Twilight entered, and quickly went down the hallway toward the door. When she got there, she illuminated her horn, allowing to see it. She began to write the rest of her notes, and then felt something strange. A felt like a wave of warm water splashed against her horn.

And it came from the door.

She set her notes down, and looked at the door curiously looked at it. It happens again. It sent out that pulse. Twilight put her hold on her chin as she thought. It couldn't be coming from the door. Doors don't do that, even the ones in the castle didn't send out pulses. So, it had to be something behind the door! Her heart once again thumped with excitement at the prospect of it. Her parents and Shiny would be so proud of her to discover an artifact all by herself! So, with confidence, she pushed on the door.....

But it wouldn't budge. She frowned at it, before an idea came to mind. Her father had recently began teaching her how to teleport, and she has been preforming great! So, she could just teleport through the door. Twilight began channeling her magic into the teleport, and then unleashed the spell. It was like moving through molasses, she was moving so slow. Her body was halfway through the door, Eager that this was working, she waited for her to go all the way through. Nothing happening, she began to panic. Twilight couldn't draw breath, and still, she didn't move. She began to channel more and more magic in to the spell. There was a flash, and then the lavender filly unceremoniously landed on her face. But she had landed on her face, on the other side of the door. As she picked herself up off the ground, she celebrated. She had done it! Twilight then fell back down. The magic wouldn't stop flowing! She tried to stop it, but it just kept coming. Her horn sparked, and she was beginning to get tired. Black started to make itself known in her vision, before a faint golden light drove it away. Then she felt something gently pinch her horn, and the magic flow stopped. As she started to recover, she looked up to see who had helped her. She saw a giant, golden, transparent creature.

It spoke.

"Hello, little one. Could you please tell me how you managed to teleport through sixty wards?"

(=¥=)
"Seriously, Nighty! Pee before bed!" A disgruntled Velvet murmured to her husband who was stepping out of the tent.

"Sorry!" He whispered, before galloping to the forest to heed the call of nature. As soon he was finished, he went to check and see if Twilight had fallen asleep. That filly could read until dawn. As he wandered in to the campsite, he saw that her tent zip was undone. His eyes widened, and he dashed to the tent. It was empty. "VELVET!"

(=¥=)
Twilight just stared at the apparition. It was giant, impossible so. It could even dwarf Princess Celestia, and it was completely armored. Even its face was obscured by ordinate helmet. All its armor was smooth, and it wore some sort of cloak over it all. It was semi-transparent, and she could almost see right through it. It was also extremely warm, and Twilight could feel its warmth from where she lay

"It's rude to stare you know," the being said with a chuckle. Twilight shook her head, bring her back to her senses.

"I-I just teleported" she managed to say, still marveling at the spirit.

"Oh? Teleported through sixty, ancient, sealing wards? Just like that?" The spirit paused, and then asked, "How old are you?"

"I'm ei-eight, sir" At least she remembered to use her manners this time. Twilight looked around the room. It was big, and empty, except for the giant, multilevel dais. It had a large stone in the middle.

"Just eight? Impressive, you have great power, miss...”

"Twilight. Twilight Sparkle," She answered. The effect of the magic drain was wearing off, and she began to speak clearly again.

"Twilight. That's a nice name," the spirit looked at her, as though he was studying her, analyzing every detail. Twilight shivered. It's eyes had no pupils, just golden light came from the holes in his helmet. Then, she decided it was her turn to ask questions.

"If you don't mind me asking, what's your name?" The spectral being once again chuckled. Twilight liked the sound of it. It was a nice, warm laugh.

"I have gone by many names in my time of existing. However, the latest title that I have obtained is The Spirit of Knowledge. Many have come to me seeking advice and tutelage. That of course, was before I was imprisoned here,"
At that, Twilight raised an eyebrow, which was quite cute when a foal did it. Imprisoned? She guessed that's why there were so many wards on the door. She then thought about what he could have possibly done to warrant such security. Idiot! She thought, your still in the same room with it! Get out! But her curiosity won out.

"What did you do?" The Spirit seemed to deflate at the question. Twilight could almost taste the misery coming from it. The Spirit tapped his fingers together for a little bit, thinking carefully of how to respond.

"Have you ever done something bad, and so you were punished?" Twilight nodded slightly cringing at the memory of when she accidental turned all of her fathers fish into gummy fish while practicing a spell. She didn't have access to books for a week! "I did some.... Really bad things. I was not myself for quite a long time. It took some my closest and most powerful friends to bring me down. Of course, those friends haven't talked to me ever since," it sighed, "I've been alone with my thoughts for a very long time. I brought myself from the brink of eternal insanity. But I still have to serve my punishment," The Spirit sat down and looked at the lavender filly. "You are the first in fifty thousand years to talk to me,"

(=¥=)
"What do you mean she's not here?" Velvet frantically scrambled to get some gear before shearing out of the tent.

"She's not here! I did a life scan of the entire area!" Night Light panted. He had run around the edge of the entire clearing scanning.

"Well, is she's not in the forest, where else could she have go-," Velvet paused, as she remembered something her daughter said. "Mom! I didn't finish my notes!" She looked to the temple. "The door! She's at the door!"
With that, the pair began to gallop to the temple.

(=¥=)
Twilight felt bad for the creature. Fifty thousand years of isolation, she thought. It was a wonder it hadn't gone insane. She moved a little closer to The Spirit, and put a tiny hoof on it's leg. "I think your punishment is over." The Spirit looked at her, no doubt with surprise.

"You don't even know what I've done, yet you believe I've earned my freedom?" The glowing being asked, sounding confused.

"Well, yeah. My mom says punishments are a way to learn a lesson, and to make you understand why what you did was wrong. While I may not know what you've done, it doesn't matter," Twilight looked the Spirit right in the eyes, and it could see a spark in them, "You obviously regret it. That's the point. You've understood where you went wrong, and now you understand why it was wrong. You've learned from your mistakes, and now, you get another chance! A chance to make amends" The lavender filly took a deep breath after her speech. The Spirit was stunned. Never in it's long, LONG, existence, it had never had a child speak with such convection. The innocence of children was a wonderful thing, but it also left them ignorant of the real world. He couldn't just leave, for there was a second part to his punishment. This was to make sure even if he broke past all of the wards his captors placed, he couldn't wander around himself, or have his full power. The Spirit sighed.

"While I appreciate you kind words, little one, I cannot leave. I require a willing host in order to leave and take my power with me, and I doubt an adult with your kind of power will ever enter this prison. Unless that happens, most of my power will remain trapped in that stone. Now, your parents are most likely worried sick about you, you should go. It was wonderful talking to you, goodbye,”
With that, the Spirit began to slowly walk over to the dais. Twilight was crestfallen. Even with her speech, the Spirit of Knowledge could not leave, for it needed a willing host. The kindness of another being. Then, a thought crossed her mind. What if SHE was it's host. It said she had great power, and she didn't know how to control that power. Her spell practice sessions were all the proof she needed to prove that. But it was a spirit of knowledge! It could teach her things her instructors couldn't possibly teach her. In turn, she could let it experience the outside world for himself. The only problem in this relationship was her parents and brother might not be to inclined to have some sort of knowledge spirit in her head. Eh, she'd cross that bridge when it came to it. She ran up to him on the dais.

"Wait!" Twilight cried. The Spirit stopped and turned around.

"Yes, young Twilight?" It said, curious as to what the filly had to say now.

"What if I was your host?"

(=¥=)
They stopped at the door.

"Where is she? Her notes are here, she wouldn't go anywhere without them,"
Night Light continue to scan for life in the temple, but with no result. Velvet was going berserk, zooming around the temple in search for her daughter.

"She isn't anywhere else. She has to be past the door," she panted, walking up to her husband.

"Impossible. There's enough wards on that door to deter a dragon,"
Night light dismissed.

"You've seen her power! I wouldn't be surprised if she teleported through the door without even applying her full power,"
Velvet than began to look for a way to open the door.

(=¥=)
"What?" Was all the Spirit managed to say in her stunned state. This FOAL had just asked to become It's host. Why? Why did she show such compassion to someone she just met?

"I want to be your host! Think about it! You could teach me things nopony could! You could help me control my power, and in turn, I would be your willing host,"
The filly brought up a good point. It could teach her how to control her power, and in return, she would let hit finally experience the outside world, but this was only just a child. It had never tried this before.

"Are you sure? Do you even know what your asking? I'd be in your mind, your thoughts. Is this what you want?" Twilight nodded and smiled at the Spirit.

"I trust you. I trust you wouldn't go through anything private, or manipulate my thoughts. I trust you, because I want, no, need help. I trust you because I believe you’re a kind soul, no matter what you think yourself to be," Once again, the convection and confidence of which this filly spoke with was amazing. And convincing. It did not deny the thought of finally being free was tantalizing.

"Maybe. Yes, this could work. But once again, before you shake my hand, are you sure this is what you want?"
Twilight flashed it a smile with so much confidence, it could taste it. "Yes. I'm sure of it!"

(=¥=)
"Velvet, shooting the door won't help! We need Celestia!"
Night desperately tried to calm his wife, who was firing magic bolts at the door.

"I'm making cracks! If you help me, these next few blasts will break it down!"
He sighed, and then joined his wife.

"If these next few shots don't knock it out, I'm getting Celestia,"
He took a stance, and channels his power, released a powerful shot of magic, at the same time as his wife. The door began to buckle. After a few more shots, the ancient door finally gave way. Pieces went everywhere, yet even as the smoke was still settling, Velvet charged through the crumbling door frame.

Just in time to see her daughter shaking the huge hand of a giant glowing, armored apparition.

"Twilight! No!" But it was to late. The deal was made. The couple were thrown back by a shock wave of magic that burst out from a stone behind the the creature. Bright golden streams of lights were now swirling around her daughter, and whatever fiend that creature was. She heard a sharp cracking sound, and saw several pieces of the temple ceiling fall to the ground.

"Velvet, the temple is collapsing! We have to go!" Her husband began to drag her away from the rising dais.

"No! Not without Twilight!"

"It's to late Velvet. That thing got to her before we did," tears began forming as he reached the hallway leading out of the crumbling structure. If they survived, he swore he would avenge his lost daughter. He would die, if it meant that the demon would be destroyed.

Meanwhile, in the middle of the swirling storm of magic, Twilight was holding on for dear life. The dais was shaking, and the winds generated by the storm did not help.

"What's going on?! Why is the happening?!" The Spirit knelt down, grabbed the filly with one hand, pressed her against it's chest, and gripped the side of the dais in the other.

"We are joining, little Twilight!" It sounded ecstatic, "All my magic that was in the stone is now realesed. Now all that magic, and the feast of my power, is being fed into you!" Incredible! It seemed that children more easily absorbed magic than adults. This is most peculiar, and the Spirits best guess was that it was because the little unicorn was still developing, and so the body naturally soaked in more magic for the filly to use to protect herself with. She was acting like a power container, and when threatened, she could unleash all that power.

"How much longer does this last!" Twilight cries from her place on the Spirits hand.

"It will soon be over. Trust me," the little filly was scared. There were so many loud noises, and bright lights. Her instincts told her to run, to get away from it all. But she came to her senses, and huddled deeper in to the Spirits chest. Though transparent, it was solid, and very warm. If not for the magic maelstrom raging around her, she would have slept against the giant body of warmth. There was a sudden flash of light, and Twilight saw one of the tendrils of golden magic had attached itself to her barrel. She began to scream and panic as more tendrils began to follow suite. The Spirit tried desperately to calm her down, and remain balanced at the same time. "They will do no harm to you, they are simply transferring power to you. Just listen to my voice," Twilight looked at the golden orbs that were the Spirits eyes, and saw they were full of concern for her. She took a deep breath, and once again looked at the tendrils. She had to admit, she didn't feel anything. It was like her entire body had gone numb. Then, they were gone. There was still a swirling storm of magic though, so what was causing it?

She looked to the Spirit for an answer. "It is my time to join with you. The storm is being caused by your body absorbing magic at an accelerated pace. Neutral magic is being pulled from the environment. Now I'm going to dissolve in to magic as well, which you are going absorb, okay?" The lavender filly nodded weakly, the numbness starting to effect her mind.
"I'm going to dissolve into the storm, but I'll be gone only for a few moments. I'll see you soon," it pulled the filly into a gentle hug, "Thank you, thank you so much," Then, the Spirit of Knowledge slowly dissolved into golden mist, and moved into the storm. There was a final flash of light, and Twilight knew no more.

(=¥=)

Night Light cracked his eyes open. His head felt like it was splitting at his horn, and his vision was blurry. Shakily, he stood up and looked around. The clearing around him was desolated, and chunks of the temple were scattered around. The last thing he remembered was that he was dragging Velvet back to the camp site, and then the temple had exploded. With Twilight and the creature still inside. Twilight! He looked around, and saw Velvet starting to get up, but saw no sign of his beloved little filly. Night dashed to the crater where the temple once resided, and preformed a life-scan. He sighed with immense relief, as a little body in the middle of the crater was highlighted a bright green. Night Light galloped to Twilight’s sleeping form, and stopped at what he saw. He saw her resting easily, snoring softly as her newly acquired cutiemark shown brightly on her flank.

Author's Note

Hello all, Scion here. Now, I'm new to writing, and new to the fandom. I'm looking for grammar feed back on grammar, sequences that didn't have good pacing, and since I'm new to the fandom, terms that I used wrong, or need to use. Wow, talk about a run-on sentence, Jesus. Any way thank you for reading, and please do remember to give me feedback. It's the only way I can improve.

Sincerely,

Scion of the Foreseen

The Mindscape

Author's Note

This is currently unedited. I will edit tomorrow, as real life events prevented me from doing so today. Sorry for any poor grammar.

Sincerely,

-Scion of the Foreseen

The Mindscape

Outside the boundaries of our own universe, there is a place so vast, it seems to stretch for eternity. In that place, lies a great city. This city, called Elysium, houses the First Creators, who were forged by the hand of the last true God. They were meant to maintain cosmic balance, and they did just that. However, when you spend several quadrillion years with someone, you will learn how to despise them in every possible way, and yet still love them like family. Yes, the Creators certainly did bicker, and have even started wars with each other. Yet, every time the war was resolved, and they were always welcomed back with open arms, be they the losers or victors. Of course, the First had also created their own friendly rivalries with each other. The most famous of which is the one between Mageus, Bastion of mana and spellcraft, and Adagnitio, Bastion of knowledge. It seemed like these two were at each other ever since they were spun by the cosmic thread, and have never stopped since. The two had formed some sort of strange relationship, becoming both close friends, and mortal enemies. For whatever reason, most likely to sling casual insults at each other without having to seek each other out, they developed Tea time. Once every couple of hours they would meet, and drink tea while telling each other of their exploits. Mageus was waiting at a table in one of the many fields of Elysium, their chosen meeting place, and impatiently scanned the horizon for any sign of the tall Creator.

She huffed, "What does he have in store for me now...", she grumbled under her breath. She was dressed in her usual attire, a light blue robe, matching her eyes. She sipped her cup of tea, which magically refilled itself when she set it back down. Mageus looked back up, and saw Adagnitio heading towards her.
He was dressed up in his usual attire, a silken gold robe, and small glasses perched on his nose. Mageus swore she could feel the smugness radiating off him, and grew nervous. Usually when he was this smug, he just discovered something to use against her, or something to tease her. Adagnitio sat down, and grinned widely at her.

"Oh Mageus! Guess what just happened," he sang, before taking a sip of his tea.

"Please don't drag this out anymore than it has to. I hate it when you rub it in," Mageus said, a scowl upon her face. Adagnitio pouted, and rolled his eyes as he added sugar to his brew. He always did have sweet tooth.

"You're no fun. Well, I guess I'll just tell you then. You remember my son Rubicae, right?" Mageus's scowl grew even deeper after he mentioned the name.

"Yes, the one who merged with his brother, and then when they were one entity, went mad," She massaged the sides of her head, "How could I forget the Rending Demon? Went rampant for thirty years, forcefully taking knowledge from civilizations all over the universe. However, I somewhat benefitted from that nightmare," Mageus sipped her tea, "Since the Demon drained the knowledge out of my followers, he had counter to all of my sealing wards. Forced me to get creative," She leaned smugly back into her chair, "The ones I created to contain him are the strongest ones I've ever crafted. Fifty thousand years later, and those things are still containing Rubicae. A shame Scryus split from his brother and got out of the temple before we could fully seal it.
Adagnitio's face darkened for a moment when she mentioned Scryus's name, before becoming smug once again.

"They're your strongest? Well then, this will probably make you have a divine aneurism," he took a biscuit from the plate in the middle of the table, and tore a piece off. Mageus felt her eyes widen, as she asked,

"He's escaped? But, how? Those wards are the strongest of their kind to exist! It was Scryus, wasn't it!?" Adagnitio shook his head as he played with the biscuit piece in his hand.

"No, he does not care that much for his brother. Another broke past the door with a simple teleport spell," Mageus exploded in a fit of fury and disbelief.

"Impossible, what creature could possibly have that much power?!" The bastion of Knowledge smirked before preparing himself for the godly temper tantrum Mageus was going to throw after he told her what had broken the barrier.

"Well, if you must know," Adagnitio's smirk grew even more, "It was a little lavender unicorn filly,"

The scream of rage that the Bastion of spellcraft and mana let out could have broken a dragon down into tears. Adagnitio just smiled widely as he popped the biscuit piece in to his mouth.

(=¥=)

Twilight woke up in a library, in a heap on the floor. Quickly picking herself up off the floor, she looked around. Every where she looked, she saw rows and rows of books. She walked up and pulled a book out of one of the many shelves, and saw that the entire thing was blank.

"Where am I?" She thought aloud, before a familiar warm voice responded from behind her.

"We are in your mind, young Twilight," The filly spin around to see the Spirit standing there, looking around at its new surroundings. "You have a very interesting mindscape, however I believe we're going to need a little more space than this," Mindscape? Twilight thought, what's that? Before she could question the Spirit, she felt something in the air shift. Twilight then saw the floor twist and turn, the shelves slithering back like a wooden snake. Soon, grass was growing, and a small tree poked its way. A checkered blanket soon appeared in the air, and settled down in the new clearing. All this happened, but Twilight and the Spirit had stayed in the same place the entire time. She didn't even feel the floor writhe beneath her when it moved to make way for the clearing.

"How did you do that?" Twilight asked the Spirit in amazement. It once again gave off that warm chuckle.

"We're in your mind, Twilight. Anything is possible here, the only limit is your imagination," The Spirit walked over to the blanket, and sat down "Come, it's time we had proper introductions," The lavender filly made her way over, and sat down facing the Spirit. "I will go fist," it stated, and began, "I am the first born son of Adagnitio, a Spirit of Knowledge, and now, mentor to you," Twilight took moment to process this new information. Well, he said he was a son, so that makes him a male, but what about his name? Surely that title wasn't the only thing he is called by, as the Spirit had even stated itself that it had gone through many names. She would question him later though, as it was her turn to introduce herself.

"I'm Twilight Sparkle, second born daughter to Twilight Velvet and Night light," the lavender filly declared, in a manner similar to the Spirit. "I'm am curious," she spoke, and the Spirit listened attentively, "Do you have any name other than the Spirit of Knowledge? What about the one your parents gave to you?" At this, the Spirit stiffened, and Twilight felt something come from him. Anger, sadness, and loss. She didn't know how she knew this, it just made itself known.

"I have.... abandoned that name for reasons I don't feel like discussing," the Spirit answered curtly, making it clear that Twilight shouldn't pursue the subject.

"Well, I don't want call you Spirit for rest of my life, so I guess I'll just have to come up with a name myself," She put hoof up to her chin, and began to think. "Oh! I know!" Squeaked the lavender filly, and looked up to the Spirit excited.
"You said you were a Spirit of Knowledge, right? Well, my dad is letting me study ancient pony languages with him. The old earth pony word for knowledge is..." She paused a moment for dramatic effect, "Gnosis! Do you like it?"

Gnosis. That seemed to snap the Spirit out of the stupor that he had fallen in to when Twilight had brought up his birth name. He let it echo in his mind. Gnosis. It just seemed to fit so well, it felt so right.
"Yes, Twilight. It....will do," the young filly beamed up at him. Pleasure. There it was again. The feeling had just, radiated off of the newly dubbed Gnosis, and she just instinctively knew what it was. She frowned, trying to understand why this was happening. Gnosis was about to ask her what was wrong, when he felt it too. Confusion come rolling off her in waves. In an instant, he knew what it was.
"It seems that our link is beginning to strengthen. What you are feeling is our emotions being shared with one another. You see, the joining process bonded part of my conscience with yours. This created a link in which we share every thing, including emotions. We can also communicate telepathically this way,"

How could a thing like this happen? Through out all of the books on magic Twilight had read, not a single one mentioned an experiment that tried to bond minds that ended well. The ponies would either go insane at the exchange of memories, or it would the spell wouldn't be cast properly, overwhelming them magically, and killing them.

Gnosis laughed at the scrunched up face the filly made, "You forget Twilight, I am many eons old. I know spells and techniques your people have forgotten over the years, and ones from civilizations far away from here," he paused to let the Twilight process this information, before continuing, "If our link is already this strong, then your body is processing the magic quite faster than I anticipated,"

"Wait, you mean I'm still absorbing magic?" The lavender unicorn asked Gnosis.

"Well, not exactly. Your body is going under magical reconstruction in order to make space for the amount of magic you took in a day ago. It shouldn't change you on a physical level, but your mana pool will grow exponentially,"

Twilight was about to question the Spirit on what a mana pool was, before something else he said drew her attention. "Wait, a day? But, I've been asleep for only a couple hours!" At this point, if he had a face, Gnosis would have cringed. He had hoped to explain a few more things before she brought the subject up.

"Well, your body needs all the energy it can in order to get the reconstruction period over it has quickly as possible. So," Gnosis thought of a gentle way to break the news to her, "You've been put in to a magically induced coma,"

(=¥=)

Twilight Velvet walked down the halls of the Hospital for Magical Mishaps, with her husband by her side. They were walking down to ER room, where their daughter now lay. After Night Light had found Twilight in the crater of the temple, he and Velvet began to carry her back to Canterlot. They tried to use teleports to hasten their journey, but it it was too taxing on the unicorns. Then they were found by the alicorn of the sun, Celestia, herself. She had seen the explosion, and felt the great shockwave the magic Twilight had absorbed made. She traveled as fast as she could, and discovered Velvet and Night carrying Twilight, both on the verge of collapse. With Celestia's help, the couple made it to the hospital, and then slept there. Apparently, all of those teleport spells drained more then they thought, for the couple slept half the day away. After they woke up they spent the rest of the day looking after their sleeping daughter, while the doctors began working on her. Shining armor came in as soon as the messenger informed of Twilights condition. Shortly after, Princess Mi Amore Cadenza, a close family friend, came in to see how the little filly was doing. She was her babysitter, and became close with the family after she helped rebuild a wall Twilight had 'accidentally' knocked down. They all huddled around Twilight as the doctors began to begin some final tests. Before the final procedure, they were all ushered out of the room.

Night Light and Twilight Velvet stayed at local hotel, and planned to visit the next day, and now they were doing just that right now. Night Light knocked on the door, and Doctor Mend opened it.

"Come in, come in! There's a table and some chairs by the operating table, so feel free to sit down," As the unicorn couple complied, the earth pony walked over to his desk to grab some papers. Doctor Mend then Went over to sit with them, and put the papers on the table, "As you already know, Twilight is in a magically induced coma, most likely by all the magic she took in that night when the temple exploded. I've had my best unicorns scan her, and we have found no other problems. However, we have discovered an.... anomaly," Doctor Mend pulled out a paper from the stack, and gave it to Night Light.

"When scanning her head for trauma, concussion, etc, we found that her brain was very much active. It wasn't her just dreaming, the brain was to active for that to work," he walked over to a projector, and turned it on, "When the brain makes decisions, it fires an electric signal to tell the body what to do. When looking at Twilight's brain, we discovered that her brain was firing signals like she was having a conversation. Ma'am, sir," Doctor Mend looked at them with seriousness, "Did you see anything else in the temple? Because if she's now a host to magical spirit, the results could be catastrophic. Twilight already had incredible power, but with all the magic she absorbed at the temple, her magic now rivals that of an alicorn. She's only eight, and of the magic spirit decided to take over her body, she isn't capable of puting up a strong mental defense to fend it off,"

Night Light's eyes widened as he looked to his wife, and seems Velvet had reached the same conclusion as he.

"We did see something, Doctor Mend," Velvet spoke, "There was some sort of golden apparition, and it shook her hoof," The doctor rubbed his chin thoughtfully.

"So Twilight made a deal with the spirit, but until she wakes, we don't know what the deal was. We already know she has gained a vast amount of power, but what was the price?" Doctor Mend looked back to the couple, "Could you describe this apparition more?" Night Light shook his head.

"We were thrown back by the magical shockwave before we could get good look at it. We did see where the shock wave came from though," Velvet explained.

"There was some kind of giant stone. It exploded after they shook hoofs," Night Light said, and the doctor raised an eyebrow.

"So the stone most likely acted as an anchor, chaining the spirit to this realm. Then most of his power was probably trapped within said stone. Then the temple was built around it, and was warded heavily. But when the deal was made, it freed the spirits power. I've heard of such a process before, but nothing on this scale," Doctor Mend looked to a nurse by Twilights side, "Nurse Cherry? Could you please contact Opaque Pearl? I believe we will need an expert to purge this spirit from the poor filly," The nurse nodded, and went on her way to find the postal office.

(=¥=)

Gnosis was currently thinking of a way to calm the now frantic filly, while berating himself for being so blunt.

"Ohnoohnoohno, what if they think I'm dead, or possessed, and then sell my room, or accidentally bury me alive, or..." Twilight went in to the fetal position at this point, and began shaking back and forth. The spirit picked her up gently, trying to comfort her.

"It's going to be fine, young one. It will only last a couple more hours, and that,"
He looked down at her, trying to get her to smile, "Is more than enough time to teach you how to manipulate your mindscape," At this, Twilight immediately poked her head up from his chest.

"Really?!" She said excitedly. Gnosis sighed, glad that he had finally found the right words to say, and said,

"Yes! It is important to master you mindscape, as it can be you testing ground. But, you have to know how to control your thoughts, right down to the finest detail," He summoned a chair, and set Twilight down on to it. "That takes immense mental control and precision, but based off your organizational skills, " He glanced at the long winding bookshelves, "I'm sure you can handle it,"

Gnosis summoned an apple, "I want you to move it. Imagine your self going to this apple, and lifting," Twilight closed her eyes and concentrated. Yet, once she opened her eyes, the apple was still there. Frowning in frustration, she concentrated even harder, and the apple zoomed in to the air.

"Yes!" She cried, and then accidentally made the apple explode. Gnosis shook his head in amusement. He knew he has a lot of work to do. Over the next few hours, Twilight kept practicing. She mastered it at a rate that impressed Gnosis, and soon had perfected the basic techniques. Twilight wasn't yet capable of manipulating more than three objects at once, but Gnosis has no doubt in his mind that with time she would soon. Of course, Twilight had made a few mistakes along the way. They all, strangely enough, ended in Gnosis being covered in some sort of sweet. Be it from burying him in cookies, to smothering him in hot fudge, by the end of it all he swore that he could actually taste the sweets. While Twilight was once again profusely apologizing for covering Gnosis in caramel, he detected something in the farthest reaches of his unicorn host's mind.

"There is someone trying to purge me. I have to leave quickly," he stated, I interrupting Twilight.

"Someponys trying to purge you? Why?" She asked, and then suddenly began to feel light headed

"They believe I have, or will, control of your body," Gnosis turned to the filly.
"You must not let them know I'm here, it will only complicate things. Tell them you are a servant, awaiting my call," At the look on Twilights face when he said that, Gnosis bent down in one knee, and pulled her in to a hug. "I know it feels wrong to lie to family, but we will tell them eventually. But for now, it must be this way," he set her down, and stood back up, "My active conscience will leave for a short time, though our link will remain. I will return shortly, good luck Twilight," With that, the spirit vanished in a golden flash. Twilight felt nausea make its presence known, and then felt a sudden spike of pain in her head. It was a like a nail was being driven in to her skull. With a scream of pain, Twilight sparkle awoke with a start.

(=¥=)

Opaque Pearl was doing an advanced scan. If this spirit was anywhere as near as powerful as Doctor Mend said he was, it would take some effort. What she didn't expect was for the filly to wake up, and then for said filly to launch Opaque through a wall, in to the hallway. Twilights parents sure didn't expect that either, but were nonetheless happy that their daughter had awoken. Velvet and Night Light smothered her in a giant hug, and Twilight realized she had woken up.

After they were finished hugging her, Twilight looked down in guilt, "I'm sorry for not listening. It's just that I hadn't finished my notes, and then the door drew me in..." She began to cry. Velvet pulled her daughter in to yet another hug.

"Shhh,It's okay," she nuzzled the little filly, "We're just glad your safe," Night light trotted up to the pair and joined the hug, as Opaque picked her self off the floor.

"This has to happen less frequently," she grumbled. Far up, on the very peak of Mount Canter, Gnosis smiled at the scene. He sighed as he closed the scrying spell, and looked the moon. It was a beautiful night, and this was Gnosis first actual break from all this madness. He closed his eyes, and enjoyed the night. Gnosis thought of the recent events hat had transpired, and marveled at he sudden change of his fate. To tell the truth, he thought he was going rot in that temple for eternity.

Then that filly had came and that changed everything.

Maybe things were finally going to get better. Gnosis let these good thoughts and feelings cover him, and they made him feel nice. However, all good things come to an end at some point or another. There was a bright red flash, and whip-like sound. Gnosis heard heavy footsteps make their way towards him. Then, he heard the voice he had never wanted to hear again.

"Hello, brother. It's been quite a while, hasn't it?"