Chapters The sorcerer remembered many things: His arrival in Equestria, his motivations for coming, the battles he had won, and the ponies he had seen. He could never forget a face even if he tried. However, what he remembers most vividly is how he was gifted with the power that was alien to Equestrian society, but familiar to his kind. The power that had allowed him to steal the cutie marks from those three fillies and emerge triumphant in most magical battles he found himself in.
Two years prior to his encounter with the Crusaders..
“If I’m going to assert myself as someone to be feared, I’ll have to find some way to grow stronger.”
The sorcerer wandered through the darkness of the woods, the sounds of the animals and other woodland creatures constantly in his ears. He was not just a magic user, as he had some form of hand-to-hand combat experience, but this alone would only get him so far. He knew it, too, and this lonesome trek through the wilderness was a price he had to pay in exchange for power.
“These wretched woods and its creatures irritate me, but it will be nothing more than a minor inconvenience once I finally obtain what I seek. With it, I could challenge anyone and no one could stand in my way.”
Through the darkness, he could see an old cave. It was hardly visible, but it was unmistakably a cave. Could this cave hold the power he was looking for?
As he advanced, the creatures of the woods started to act more aggressive, and attacked him. They surrounded him, but despite the situation, he still would have the upper hand. As they attacked, he struck back. Snakes were the biggest issue, with their sharp fangs and their speed. Already annoyed with the creatures, he swatted them back with his cane, grabbed some of them bare-handed, and threw them out of his way. Not before suffering a few scratches and bite marks, however.
Once he had reached the cave, he explored the interior. It looked as if it had been untouched for years. He felt the dirt beneath his feet, the sharpness of the pebbles and rocks that lie in the dirt, and the coarse feeling of the cave walls as he ran his hand across them. It was not a very large cave, but certainly not a very small one either.
“What I seek must be here, but how long will it take until I find it in this cave?” , the sorcerer asked himself in thought. He had no answers, only questions. How long had the cave been here? Who discovered it? What had him make the connection between his goals and this place? He could only wonder until everything hopefully became clearer.
As he explored the cave, he took notice of some of the more intriguing things the place possessed. Such things included ancient drawings of what looked to be a lost civilization, seemingly shattered and discarded remnants of ancient artifacts, and odd crystalline structures here and there. Nothing made sense. How could a civilization that lived in a cave such as this one possibly go extinct? How come he had never heard of such people before? What was the meaning of these odd artifacts and abandoned structures that had littered certain areas of this cave?
”Could this be something that odd civilization was trying to create? Is that the key to the power I seek?”
As he wandered further, something peculiar caught his eye: a book. The book was covered in dirt, and was easily missable under the untrained eye. However, the presence of such a book in a strange place such as this one was too unusual for the sorcerer to not investigate closer. He picked up the book and dusted the dirt off of it. The book was not an ordinary one, as it had a dark and foreboding illustration on the front and back. One that exuded the possibility of it being a spell book. Now more curious than ever, the sorcerer opened the book and immediately took note of the incantations inside. He then carefully recited them as best as he could.
After his recitation ended, he immediately saw a magical force extract itself from the book and enter his body. The experience left him feeling more powerful than ever before, as his confidence and strength increased a thousandfold. He had never experienced such a feeling before, nor had he experienced such power before.
“At last, I have what I seek! Now, no one could possibly stand in my way!”
However, he was still curious about the place where he had first discovered the book. The place that he was seemingly drawn to for no reason. The place he had correctly assumed would lead him to what he wanted most. But there were still too many questions that needed answering, so he would have to keep searching for those answers himself.
The ponies of Equestria won’t even know what hit them.
Author's Note
I had this idea in my head for quite a while now, with some additions I made that I hadn’t previously thought of. I wanted to be more detailed in this one than my other two stories, and keep the pace a tad slower than my previous works.
As always, any criticism is welcome.
What a strange and peculiar place. Three different types of ponies: Unicorns, pegasi, and earth ponies, all living in harmony? The sorcerer had never seen anything like it before.
“I don’t understand. Shouldn’t chaos and discord be more prevalent? How could 3 distinct types of ponies coexist so peacefully in one place?”
With each minute, a new question was popping up. However, he knew better than to dwell on it.
“Best not to get overwhelmed. One question at a time.”
First, he had to find out how powerful Equestrian magic was. He couldn’t just ask anypony to show their magic to him. That would be far too obvious. This would require a more tactical approach.
So, he decided to actively seek out a spot to observe the magic in action. Somewhere nopony would easily spot him.
The sorcerer chose a secluded spot near a hill and hid behind it, observing from a distance.
There, he saw several unicorns use their magic to lift tools, boxes, and other objects for construction. Their horns lit up and the objects around them gained a magical hue around them as they floated in the air. It was all very intriguing to see. Using magic for such mundane tasks was something that’d never seemed right to the sorcerer. It was as if they were mocking the potential of what powerful magic could accomplish, and how much of an advantage it offers one singular being.
“What a waste of magic. Have they no idea the potential their magic affords them?”
It was all around him. Unicorns using their magic to sew, knit, cook, bake…It was all so insulting!
“This can’t be the extent of their powers here. I refuse to believe it.”
The sorcerer continued to explore Equestria, laying low and hoping to remain unseen and avoid a long conversation that would risk exposing his true intentions. Along the way, he saw many pegasi flying freely through the air. One in particular was colored cyan, but also had a rainbow-colored mane and tail. Upon closer inspection, the symbol on her flank was a rainbow-colored lightning bolt coming out of a cloud. What did it mean?
As if to clue him in a little more, the pegasus proceeded to move a few oncoming storm clouds out of the way, clearing the skies in record time. The pegasus moved almost as fast as light itself. A truly remarkable sight if he ever saw one.
“If I’m understanding this correctly, this pegasus pony acts as some sort of weather pony. She clears the skies of any bad weather, and moves at the speed of light. Maybe even faster than the speed of light . Fascinating ”
The sorcerer searched for a means of access to any new information he may learn, and he obtained it once he truly began to listen in on a conversation being had by a tiny purple dragon and his comparably more intriguing Alicorn friend.
“So, is Starlight completely reformed now?,” the dragon said.
The sorcerer was taken aback when he heard that name. ”Twilight? As in Princess Twilight? The stories are true?”
He had heard stories of how a unicorn named Twilight had become an Alicorn and the Princess of Friendship, but he had thought it to be nothing but lies. Yet here, in front of his very eyes, was a real Alicorn Princess looking exactly like how she was described. Never in his life would he’ve imagined he’d see something like this.
However, as with every other discovery, a new question arose. Who is this “Starlight Glimmer?”, and what “old ways” was the dragon named Spike talking about? The answers to those questions were now the only thing on his mind. He could only imagine what useful information and secrets he’d learn when he found them.
Author's Note
If the ending seems familiar, that’s cause it’s the best way I can think to segue into the next chapter of the story. Sorry if the pacing seems slow. I didn’t want to thrust too much on the reader at once.
As always, any criticism is welcome.
The sorcerer had found the power he was looking for, but in opening the book had also opened the door to so many more questions he needed answers to. He first decided to focus on the matter of the ancient civilization.
“If this book brought me this power, it surely could bring me some type of clue as to what happened here”, the sorcerer thought out loud.
He studied the book’s illustrations meticulously, trying hard to find any sort of connection in the vast array of pages the book presented itself with. Alas, after what felt like hours searching through, a clue presented itself to the sorcerer.
In the book, there was a picture of one singular being. One who looked much more powerful than every other member of this species.
Then, after reexamining the illustrations in the book, on the cave walls, and the strange crystalline structures, the sorcerer finally pieced everything together.
A being who had absorbed all the magic in the book for himself. He had used the magic to assert dominance over the rest of his kind, which had led to their extinction. The spells in the book were scattered about as a means to separate them from this being. The cave was constructed from the sole survivor as a means to hide the book from the world, and those crystalline structures were what was used to create those illustrations on the cave walls.
“At last, it all makes sense. This book was hidden to prevent access to the spells in its pages. And now, I have found it. Now, I must journey to a place where I can use this magic to my own ends. A place where no one would dare to stand against me, and I think I know exactly where that place is. I believe it was called Equestria”
Indeed, it was. Getting there, however, would be a whole different story.
Author's Note
Yeah, this one was sort of thrown together. Can’t say it’s one of my best, but I wanted to make sure I could speed things along quicker to prevent dragging the story. Sorry if it seems super expository.
Next chapter will tackle the sorcerer’s arrival in Equestria.
After the sorcerer discovered the cave’s secrets and obtained the magic from the spellbook, it was time to head to Equestria. However, he couldn’t just take a train there. It would be too open and could draw suspicion. He would have to go there on foot.
The sorcerer exited the cave and traveled back through the woods, encountering every obstacle he had previously seen already: Pesky woodland creatures, seemingly aggressive tree branches and the like, it was nothing he couldn’t handle. The worst it could hope to be was a minor nuisance, and nothing more.
The newly-empowered sorcerer had almost nothing but questions about this “Equestria”. What was it like? Who were its inhabitants? Were they familiar with his type of magic? What magic did its citizens even use? All of these questions were ones he guaranteed he would find answers to, and nothing would get in his way.
“If the book’s spells are as powerful as they claim, then Equestria’s magic shouldn’t be able to compete. I’ll show its citizens what true magic is ”.
The sorcerer couldn’t help but think back to the old civilization’s collapse at the hands of only one simple member of society. Could one being truly cause that much destruction with so much power? Even with how powerful the magic may be, it seemed that no magic was capable of such a thing. It was something he struggled to wrap his head around.
“What could’ve empowered a being to such a degree? Is it really that strong? If it is, then how does Equestria’s magic truly compare? ”
He would only find out once he got there.
Once he got there, he would be able to gauge Equestria’s magic for himself. He would need to get a large enough sample size, and only then would he truly understand the scope of his newfound power in comparison.
After a long time of walking, pondering, and curiosity, the sorcerer finally found himself in Equestria. At long last, he would be able to truly understand this power the book had granted him.
At first glance, the inhabitants were almost exclusively ponies. A few other creatures were also present, such as griffons and dragons. No doubt they were just visiting or stopping by. Upon closer inspection, he noticed something about the ponies.
They all had these different symbols on their flanks. What were they? Were they a type of magic in Equestria, or merely an extension of it? What did they represent? Why were they all different? So many questions needed answering, and he again assured himself that these questions would all be answered in time.
“Within mere minutes, I’ll have all the answers I’m looking for. I’ll find out about their magic, how powerful it is, what those strange symbols are, I’ll find out about it all.”
Author's Note
Hope you enjoy this one. Sorry for a month long break. Just needed to get the motivation again.
As always, any and all criticism is welcome.