Temptations

Nightfall was long over; it was the darkest hour of the night and only a few mortal souls were awake. It was the time of supernatural beings and the time of forbidden magic. The light of the pale moon broke through the clouds, through the high Gothic stained-glass windows of Canterlot and met Twilight sitting restless on her dark ornamented chair by the polished wooden desk. A glass of red wine was sitting on it, the sweet scent wafted through the room where it mingled with the smell of dust and old wood. Lost in her thoughts and her seclusion, she sat there and pondered on everything she knew; philosophy, magic and history.

She was surrounded by books, ancient and new. A simple unicorn would never be able to obtain or even afford, the things she loved most in this world, nevertheless she wasn't able to find any delight in them any longer. To herself she spoke:

It's true, I'm brighter than all the vain creatures. Still, so much is left to know that no Master, no Doctor nor any Writer knows. What use do I have for the affection of the humble folks, if my soul can't settle and I can't find rest, thinking about how little time I have left, to learn the truth behind all things. Maybe no one in this world can answer my questions. I need the help of the forces I’ve always shied.

She stood up and began to walk towards a single pedestal, the sound of her hooves silenced by the old thick carpet. On this pedestal rested a grimoire so ancient, even the princess couldn't remember when it has been written. Some years ago the princess brought it with her from a journey through the land but never talked about where exactly she got it. The only thing she said to Twilight was to be careful around it.

A symbol was visible on its cover, but the longer she looked at it, the less clear it became. It was no mere book, it felt like a doorway,like it was trying to talk to her, to get into her mind. Fear overcame Twilight, but she knew it was not rational to be afraid of a book. Still she felt like the room was shrinking more and more and reality was bending around her each step she got closer. The princess had always warned her to trust her instincts and feelings, everything about the grimoire felt bad.

Nevertheless she picked it up from its rest, hoping she would find the revelations she longed for. A cold shudder ran down her spine, just like if something touched her soul, as she opened the book and began reading. Her eyes were drawn to one specific symbol. It was the same, she now recognized, as on the cover. The first time she was able to behold it clearly, the symbol looked like nothing she had ever seen: It was always changing but somehow representing everything at the same time. She knew it was there she would find what she was looking for, and she read through the passage below the Symbol.

In it the long forgotten author, if there ever was one, described a simple but powerful ritual to summon a spirit of the world. Twilight pulled away the rug which covered the floor, caughing from the dust which the rug had collected over the years. Using some chalk she started to sketch the symbols out of the book onto the plain stone floor. Around it she wrote formulas she had never seen before, some of them containing words that barely resembled words, they rather looked like living things.

Twilight felt the preparation of the ritual draining her energy and a less skilled unicorn would long have collapsed. She knew magic wasn’t a matter of sheer power, but rather of skill and intellect because magic isn’t like wielding a hammer. It’s rather like directing a river. With the help of magic one is able to shape the world through her spirit by influencing the little things. Why should one force a spirit to come, when she could attract the spirit through offers?

Despite  this frightening situation, Twilight let out a short chuckle, thinking of the common ponies who thought one needs gruesome things like blood or spider legs to perform such a ritual. What interest could a supernatural being have in one’s blood or even spider legs? The only reason they come is out of inquisitiveness or to get ones soul.

She reminded herself to stay on topic because losing her concentration would be the first and last step to losing said soul, which she wasn’t keen on.

After finishing the last preparations, Twilight decided to rest for a moment so she could regain some strength and to drink up her glass. After recovering from the previous exhaustion Twilight picked up the grimoire, took a deep breath and began to read out loud the words that were written .

To her they made no sense but the sketch on the cold floor reacted. One by one the symbols vanished. An unnameable yet familiar scent filled the air. It felt like reality would be twisted and turn into a wild void of scents, sounds and images. A cloud of smoke billowed in the centre of the circle and in it was a thing, maybe even living, too absurd and horrifying to have come from her world. Her heart nearly stopped as she looked up to see what she summoned in this world. She had seen it before, in books, but never imagined how standing in front of an entity with such raw power would feel. They were old, maybe even older than time itself. Nobody knows and now one of them was here because she wanted it to come, to answer her questions.

She knew she wouldn’t get any answers.