The Diabolic Shadow Spreads

Twilight wandered around the castle garden, as she did from time to time whenever she visited. Even at this time of day, she was already in her full attire for the day, a similar dress to the one she wore when they first met their guests. It was early morning, dawn barely breaking over the horizon, on the day of the combat exhibition for the Nephalem. The two visitors had sparked a curiosity in her that drove her to learn as much about them as she could, within reason of course. She sadly could not get a lot from them through interviews, since they seem to be instinctively very closed off to others. It was frustrating from a scientific and magical standpoint, to be sure, but she couldn't exactly fault them for it. With all of the things that they have lived through up to that point with the demons, she was honestly surprised that these two even accepted the assignment to help them.

As she approached a small clearing in the wooded part of the garden, she had only just barely noticed the witch doctor kneeling in the middle of it. She carefully observed him as he continued his meditations, head lolling around his neck as his eyes rolled in the back of his head. She was unsure of what to do in this situation, so she slowly walked up to him and leaned down to look at his face. She then cleared her throat and said, "U-um...Mr. Bozz, sir?"

Bozz then closed his eyes for a moment before turning to her with a friendly smile. He then looked to the horizon and said, "Princess Twilight, you are up rather early.", as he slowly got up. "You should be resting in order to face the day ahead.", he added as he brushed off his knees.

Twilight gave a chuckle and crossed her arms, saying with a cocked eyebrow, "I could say the same thing about you, friend." She then adopted a more friendly expression and said, "And please, you don't have to call me by my title. We are gonna be working together after all."

Bozz chuckled and said, "I will be happy to oblige you, if you could extend that same courtesy." He then gave a light bow and said, "I never was one for titles. Titles give an indication that I am any better than others. I simply do what I am supposed to do as a witch doctor."

Twilight nodded her head and said, "Certainly. It's only fair." She then held her hands together behind her back and looked around the garden, not quite sure how to ask--

"Why am I meditating in the garden?", Bozz asked the princess, causing her to jump slightly. He then smiled and said, "I am correct in believing that was the question you were going to ask?"

Twilight blushed and gave a nervous giggle, twiddling her thumbs in front of her torso, She then said with a bashful expression, "Was it really that obvious? Gosh, I'm not very good at being subtle." She then sighed and said, "I'm sorry if I've been bothering you since you've arrived here. It's just that we haven't had many interactions outside of the Angels, so I figured it'd be good for our relations if we knew more about--" She then stopped herself and blushed brightly as she said in a panicked tone, "N-no, I don't mean OUR relations, I mean the--"

Bozz interrupted her with a touch on her bicep, causing her to jump slightly. He then gave her a kind, reassuring kind of smile and said, "Worry not, Twilight. I understand your dilemma." He then looked around and said, "It is strange to see something you are unfamiliar with so suddenly. It can cause anxiety in most cases, and in others either insatiable curiosity or irrational fear."

Twilight took a moment to digest those words. They most definitely could apply to her and her friends, much as she hated to admit it to herself. She recalled when she and her friends first encountered the Zebra potion maker and shaman, Zecora. They certainly did not give her a WARM reception, to say the least, with calling her an enchantress and cannibal, among other things. Even their justification was flimsy, that being she was wearing a brown cloak and kicking at the soil. To this day, she still can't believe she and her friends treated Zecora like that. After that thought, she nodded her head and said, "I can understand. I have friends who have responded with fear...and those I responded with fear TO."

Bozz nodded his head slowly and said in a clear tone, "You should feel accomplished, Twilight. The decision made between those two mindsets is one that is not often reversed." He then continued with a pensive expression as he said, "Ever since I got here, This world felt...odd. I've needed to meditate a few times to determine what about it made it so." He knelt back down for comfort's sake, grunting lightly as he did so.

Twilight, preferring to speak with him at least somewhat eye to eye, pulled up her skirt enough so that she could kneel down as well. Granted, this still put her a good head and a half taller than him, given that she and other ponies averaged about seven feet tall or so. She then asked with a curious cock of her head, "Well, did your meditations reveal anything?"

Bozz nodded his head slowly and asked, "Do you remember when I told Miss Pinkie Pie about the Unformed Land? When we were first introduced?"

Twilight nodded her head fervently and said, "Yes, yes, I remember. I still find it very fascinating, the ability to commune with these 'spirits'." She then thought for a moment and said, "We've rarely ever read anything about one of our magic users being able to do that."

Bozz chuckled at her intrigue before falling silent for a moment. After a short moment of thought, he then said, "However...ever since I first arrived here, I have noticed that the Land has...fallen largely silent. I hear a nature spirit in passing, and the occasional call of an animal spirit. Everything else, however..."

Twilight looked at him for a moment with a sad expression. To lose something that is so close to him, something he clearly holds close to him. She wondered how lost he must feel whenever going into the Unformed Land. She placed her hand on his shoulder and said, "I'm sorry, Bozz. I can't imagine what you must be feeling right now."

Feeling a fair bit somber, he nodded his head and said, "It is...troubling, I will admit. I always found a great amount of guidance from the souls who have passed. Their insight has always been valuable to me."

Twilight thought for a moment on how she could help the good doctor. She ran through her massive mental archive of various sources to provide him with. Old tomes on folklore of the dead, scrolls of theoretical spells. Not even any books she read on black magic seemed to bring anything to mind. She then, however, revisited an earlier thought that struck her with inspiration. She quickly stood up, much to Bozz's surprise, and said in an excited tone of voice, "Wait right here! I think I know JUST the person to help!" With that, she closed her eyes and enveloped herself in a magical aura before vanishing from view in a blinding light.

After recovering from that, Bozz mulled over what the Princess of Friendship just said. Could someone truly assist him in this world? He figured it was unlikely, since by Twilight's own admission there was little information. Then again, she did mention something about "Zebras". She mentioned them having something similar to the Unformed Land, so...could that be who she is referring to?

After a few moments of Bozz being trapped in thought, Twilight reappeared in another flash of light, somehow looking even more excited than she did before she left. Then, she whipped around and walked over to him with a smile and offered both of her hands to him, which Bozz took with a confused expression. As she helped him up, she said at a rapid pace, "She said yes! I mean, unfortunately not right now, she's bogged down with a COPIOUS amount of potion orders, which she has to complete for her income, but TOMORROW, she can definitely help!"

Bozz, very thrown off by this news, responded by squeezing both of her hands and bowing in thanks. With a genuine smile on his face, he said as he looked up at the Princess, "Thank you immensely, Twilight. I assure you, this means everything to me, and I will not squander this chance."

Twilight nodded her head and said with a wide smile, "Of course...what are friends for?" With that, she pat him on the shoulder and said, "Now, let's head to the dining hall. Breakfast is about to be served, and you'll need a hearty meal for the exhibition.

With that, the both of them walked on to their meal, Bozz with a notably more steady stride.

Maximilian, as this was happening, had also gotten up early. He was already more of a night owl on his more normal of days, and this was certainly far more than a normal day. He had eventually found his way to the Canterlot Castle Library, after extensive searching (by the Angels, there were far too many rooms in this damned palace) and a large amount of convincing on his part, due to the guards being adamant that he not be allowed to enter (they seemed to fall silent rather quickly when he brought up the princesses). After that debacle, he spent the past hour or so pouring over as many magical texts as he could find, no small task in the sizable aisles of shelves. He was fascinated by the apparently old Equestrian art of what he described as "camaraderie augmentation". After learning more about the exploits of the Elements of Harmony, he became incredibly fascinated with the subject. How was it that friendship seemed to refine the power of spells? What were the mechanics of magic in relation to it? Did magic simply work differently here than in Sanctuary?

As he was mulling over these questions and more, he did not notice an unexpected guest peering around a set of bookshelves. This guest knocked on the shelf, causing Max to whirl around and reveal that it was Princess Celestia. She smiled at him warmly and said as she walked up to him, "Terribly sorry if I startled you, Maximilian. I simply noticed you were having trouble and didn't want to interrupt."

Max gave a dismissive wave of his hand as he went back to his readings, mumbling out, "Fine, fine..." His eyes then immediately went back to skimming every inch of the pages he was observing.

Celestia looked over some of the books that Max had tossed to the side and skimmed them herself, almost immediately realizing what exactly the Master Wizard was searching for. Smiling at Max, she cleared her throat and said aloud, "Philosophy." When Max gave a confused gaze in response, she clarified with, "The book that will help you the most here? It's in the Philosophy section."

Max was about to head over to that section before Celestia raised her hand in a gesture of patience. Afterwards, she held her hand out towards a particular shelf, enveloping her horn and a far away book with that golden glow of her magic. She levitated this book at immense speed towards her before immediately slowing it and handing it off to Max.

Max looked over the cover of the tome, a lavender covered one with a design of a five-pointed star on the front, with a different colored gem on each point and in the middle. He opened the front cover to read the title, which he repeated out loud. "The Friendship Journal, as written by Princess Twilight Sparkle and the Elements of Harmony." He then looked up at Celestia with a cocked eyebrow and said, "An entire book from your Elements about camaraderie, eh?"

Celestia chuckled and said, "Well, it does have valuable insight." She then walked up to him and said, "Insight into what TRUE friendship means, how best to act upon all of it's virtues, and guiding advice for when things look bleak." She bent down to be eye to eye with him and said, "Every single journey, hardship, and resolution that the Elements have ever faced are written within these pages. From stopping an apocalyptic scenario to resolving a dispute between school fillies, each and every singly one of them contributed to their understanding of friendship, and in turn their magical power."

Max looked at the book for a moment, trying to extrapolate just what the Princess was recommending he do with those insights. After a moment, he said in an inquisitive tone, "So you are saying that if I approach this from a PHILOSOPHICAL perspective, the mechanics of it all will fall into place?" After a nod from her, he looked back down at the book. He gave a shrug as he placed the book in his satchel, saying, "Well, nothing ventured, I suppose."

After a nod and a giggle, Celestia stood back up to her full height and said, "Excellent. If you ever need help, don't hesitate to ask us, be it me, my sister, or Twilight. In fact, I dare say you and her apprentice would benefit greatly from discussing the lessons she teaches."

Max gave a smirk and said in surprise, "Oh, she has an APPRENTICE, does she?" He then gave a hearty chuckle and said, "Oh, well now I simply MUST know more. Who did she take under her lavender wing?"

Celestia giggled again and said, "Oh, all in due time, Master Wizard. For now, breakfast is drawing close." She then walked past Max, who followed her closely as she said, "You will need all the strength you can muster...for the upcoming fight."