Honestly, Kindness, Laughter, Generosity, Loyalty, and Magic: The Six elements to Friendship. Harmony and Chaos: the Yin and Yang of Ponydom. Shadow and Light: The wild cards of the craft. All of these factors come together to form the current knowledge of Pony Witchcraft and Wizardry. There are many who strive to learn this craft to help the world and scale at large, but there are many who use the power they may amass to fuel their greedy admissions. This would be a beginner’s story. A story that would take one aspiring unicorn witch on a quest to restore the balance of this delicate scale of magic.
In a village on the coast of Equestria, a young filly unicorn named Charlie jumps out of bed with a fury, eager to start the day. She quickly changed her clothing— A simple green cloth shirt and similarly colored and textured pants, while using her oak and iron bow staff to reach for her leather drape. Once dressed, she strapped on her trusty worn leather boots, grabbing her equally worn satchel with a small firestarter familiar in it, and tied up her mane. She was ready.
She hurried out of the house, laughing and giggling as the summer sun shined brightly. Charlie pushed past the various ponies as she ran, “Where are you going?” Somepony called out, Charlie didn’t look back to see who.
“To become a witch!” She jumped up, catching the summer breath, somewhat gliding down.
Once Charlie saw the once dirt road turn into a cobbled road, she happily slowed her pace and skipped along into the heart of the town. The morning market had just concluded but the town was still sprawling with life. Ponies, Kirins, Dragons, Changelings, Yaks, Griffins, and Hippogriffs, coexisting in the same township, all coming from various walks of life. Ponies walked past, while the larger dragons above casted shadows over the crowd, helping to provide shade during the hot summer months. Despite the peaceful scene, something felt uneasy to Charlie, like the peaceful morning was slipping away due to a looming evil. The balance of Light and Shadow was tipping, she could feel it, and it didn’t help that one particular large green dragon was being restrained by the local constable. Charlie didn’t know why he was being restrained, though uneasy she wandered past, not letting one bad moment stop her from achieving her dreams.
A small voice perked up from inside the satchel she carries, “Ugh, stop skipping. It’s bad enough I have to ride in here.”
“Oh sorry about that,” Charlie walks normally, “We’re almost there.”
“Who are we meeting again?”
“Marigold, the powerful unicorn I was telling you about. I spoke to her at the library, and she said I can come over to talk to her. I want to see if I can become her student.” Charlie walked down the street to a house. She knocked at the oak door and rang the outdoor bell with her staff, waiting for a reply. Just then, a crash! was heard. When the crashing stopped, the door opened, and a taller pony stood in the doorway. She wore a dark purple robe with a golden belt, her mane looked to be a cotton puff on a summer day, very fluffy and plush, and her glasses glisten in the summer sun.
“Ah! You’re here! Come in.” Her accent was thick but could be understood. As Charlie walked inside, she could hear the tapping of high-heeled shoes nearby and then noticed her soon-to-be teacher was wearing boots with heels, “Well don’t just stand there, pure blood, come in, don’t be shy!” Charlie smiled and entered, closing the door behind her.
Charlie heard tales of the witch on Cat’s Eye Lane and saw her at the library from time to time, but upon entering that house, Charlie wondered why Marigold even went to the library. Rows upon rows of tall bookshelves, filled with tomes, old and new alike. Stacks of books on the tables, each one with notes scattered haphazardly: Marigold seemed to be busy. It felt like total chaos. Yet, there was a calm in the madness. The stained glass windows brought various colors of light and life into the room, giving the room a feeling unlike anything Charlie had felt before. Charlie sat on the couch, the scent of peppermint and black tea, and lavender flowers were in the air. This place was heavenly, Charlie chuckled at the thought of Marigold sneaking up to heaven and stealing a piece.
“Wow… Ms. Marigold, your house is amazing,” Charlie remarked.
“Aw, don’t compliment me, sweetie. It’s nothing much.” Marigold levitated a teapot from the stove, “Cream and sugar?”
“Milk if you got it.”
Marigold nodded and walked back with two cups of tea. She gave one to Charlie and sat with another, “So, my little pony… what brings you here on this fine summer’s day?”
Charlie shifts, “I… ummm… I want you to train me in the ways of magic.”
Marigold stiffened a bit and her face of assurance turned to one of seriousness. Charlie could feel Marigold’s eyes stare into her soul, and then Marigold laughed, “You can’t learn magic.” Charlie’s heart sank, “Why you have very little innate magic to speak of, I can sense it. I’m sorry, my child, but it would be dangerous if you—”
“HEY! Only I can tell her what she can and can’t do!” Suddenly, a small red dragon leaped out of the satchel as his crimson red scales glistened in the stained light. He glared down at Marigold and dived towards her with great speed. Marigold doesn’t bat an eye and grabs him. The two-year-old dragon struggled in Marigold’s magic, attempting to bite, breath fire, whatever it took to escape this woman, but Marigold knew what she was doing, and pulled the angry dragon into a hug. The dragon, miraculously, accepted his fate, purring away his fury.
“How did you… Tydo never—!” Charlie questioned.
“I’ve been to the Dragon Lands, darling.” Marigold cuts Charlie off, “I know how to deal with the scaley beast.” She lets Tydo fly back to Charlie, “Now, what was I saying? Oh right. You have very little innate magic, my dear, I highly doubt you could cast a spell without tiring yourself. Unless you can show me you can handle yourself with magic, then maybe—”
Splat! A blob of green fell from the ceiling. They all looked down at the blob that had destroyed the coffee table, splitting it in two. Charlie looked up and thought she saw death — a massive hole in the ceiling, with a green maw sticking into it.
“My coffee table…” Marigold said in a sense of disappointment.
“Uh, I think we should worry more about that than your coffee table!” Charlie sprinted to the door and exited the house. Marigold followed suit. The sweet summer day quickly turned into one dark and gloomy. A crowd gathered near the house, looking up at something. Charlie and Tydo spun around and looked up to get a look: It was the green dragon from earlier and it seemed he had a friend. The stallion on the dragon wore a black cape, but the cape itself looked to be a part of him. A black saddle and bridle were hooked on to the young green dragon. The stallion crackled in triumph.
“Who is that…?” Tydo asked, shivering in fear. Charlie shook her head.
“Shadow King,” Marigold mumbled.
“In the darkness,” The stallion spoke.
“You know you are no longer welcome here. Why have you returned?” Charlie was in awe at Marigold’s sternness.
“What? I cannot visit an old lover, Mary?” The Shadow King’s voice sounded so soothing.
“Don’t you, ‘Mary’ me, you fiend! Release that dragon! Now!”
“Or else what? What can you do to me?” Marigold took a step back, about to speak, but the Shadow King cut her off, “Hmmm… And who is she?”
Marigold stepped in front of Charlie and Tydo, “Don’t you dare touch her.” Charlie looked to the Shadow King, then to Marigold, then back again. She was filled with determination, and she started to speak in tongues.
“Ha! What? Her? Why would I?” The Shadow King’s words were sharp, but Charlie continued to chant, waiting, “Why out of all people would you stoop to protect her?”
“Because.” Charlie perked up, “The coven sticks together.” She pointed towards the Shadow King. Confused, the Shadow King turned around and WHAM! He got sucker-punched by a firebolt, falling from the saddle to the feet of the crowd. The mob backed away out of fear as the Shadow King slithered into the shadows of the ally,
“You’ve made an enemy today, child.” The Shadow King sulked away into the shadows, disappearing from public view, as the saddle and bridle disappeared into dust. The crowd cheered and Charlie turned to see a smile on Marigold’s face. Marigold stepped forward to Charlie.
“While you failed to capture the Shadow King,” Marigold explained as Charlie's cheer dropped, “You did manage to free the dragon and saved my research from an acid death, so I’ll give you that.” She pats Charlie’s head, “I see great potential in you, Charlie. I can take you on as my student.”
Charlie’s smile returned and she embraced her mentor. Tydo did the same, nuzzling up to Marigold. Charlie and Tydo release the hug and salute to Marigold, “We won’t let you down, ma’am!” they said in unison.
Marigold simply smiled and looked at the two students she agreed to teach, “This will be a long journey,” she mumbled.
Author's Note
Hello and I hope you’re having a wonderful day! This story was originally a piece I wrote from my Creative Writing class a while back. But I thought just now, “What if I made it pony, and submit it?” So here we are.
So yeah!